EMBASSY OF ARGENTINA TO BE OPENED IN YEREVAN
A1+
[01:29 pm] 19 April, 2006
Vladimir Karmirshalyan, the Armenian Ambassador extraordinary and
plenipotentiary to Argentina has handed the copies of his credentials
to Jorge Tayano, the Minister of Foreign Relations, International
Trade and Religion of Argentina, and officially taken up his duties.
After the official ceremony the private conversation of the Minister
and the Ambassador took place.
The Minister congratulated the Ambassador on the appointment and
wished him success in his mission.
During the conversation the sides underlined the importance of
enhancing the relations between the countries. A reference was made
to a number of international and regional issues of mutual interest.
At the Minister’s request the Ambassador represented the relations
between Armenia and the countries of the region, and the process of
democratic reforms in the country.
During the meeting the sides also discussed issues about the opening
of the Embassy of Argentina in Yerevan.

NKR HAS PROBLEMS WITH THE ISSUE OF MISSING PERSONS
A1+
[02:50 pm] 19 April, 2006
NKR has no official date about missing persons. During the event
organized recently in connection with the International Day of missing
persons the representatives of the RA Defense Ministry and the NGOs
which are engaged in the issue mentioned that according to the data
they possess there are about 300 missing soldiers who are currently
in Azerbaijan.
Commenting on the issue at the request of the “A1+” correspondent
in Stepanakert, the Commander of the NKR Defense Army Seyran Ohanyan
said, “We do not have such data officially. I have been head of the
“Union of missing persons of Artsakh” and carried out work in that
direction. It’s a pity that we do not have relations with Azerbaijan
on the state level and cannot reach any results in this sphere”.
Proceeding from the situation, Seyran Ohanyan applied to the NKR
President Arkadi Ghoukasyan and asked him to resign him from the post
of the head of the “Union of missing persons of Artsakh” and to charge
the NKR National Security Service with it.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

THE AMBASSADORS IN THE PARLIAMENT
A1+
[03:38 pm] 19 April, 2006
RA NA Speaker Arthur Baghdasaryan met the Ambassadors of the OSCE
member-countries to Armenia and the representatives of international
structures.
Mentioning that this is the first time all the political powers have
come to an agreement about the draft Electoral Code, the NA Speaker
representatives the main reforms in every detail informing that the
draft has already been sent to the Venice Commission and to the OSCE.
Answering the questions of the Ambassadors Arthur Baghdasaryan
mentioned that in June the joint expert group of the OSCE and
the Venice Commission will arrive in Armenia. During the visit
discussions about the new Electoral Code will be held. During the
meeting a reference was made to issues of consultation, technical
and experimental support.
US Ambassador to Armenia John Evans, head of the OSCE Yerevan office
Vladimir Pryakhin, Italian Ambassador to Armenia Marco Clemente,
and UN Resident Coordinator Consuelo Vidal mentioned in their speech
the inclusion of the offers of the international structure into the
draft Electoral Code. They found the organization of the 2007-2008
elections due to the international standards important and expressed
readiness to support Armenia in this issue.
At the end of the meeting an agreement was reached to continue the
discussions about the draft Electoral Code.

INFORMATION ABOUT BLITZKRIEG IS GROUNDLESS
A1+
[04:46 pm] 19 April, 2006
How long can the negotiations about the settlement of the Karabakh
conflict continue without the immediate participation of Karabakh and
will NKR accept a decision made without their participation? Asked
these questions by “A1+”, NKR Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan answered,
“As head of a military structure I am responsible for the realization
of military issues.
If you want to have everlasting peace, you must be ready for war. We
must be ready to face any provocation. The military problems of
Karabakh were solved before 1994. The Nagorno Karabakh Republic which
de facto exists today testifies to it.”
Seyran Ohanyan adds, “If Azerbaijan wants to solve the issue by the
military way and not by negotiations, my structure exists for that
case. ” As for compromise, the Minister mentioned that this procedure
has not yet been represented to wide circles of the society and it
is difficult to say what the Karabakh people think of it.
The Minister also referred to the possibility of allocation of
peace-keeping forces in the liberated lands and assured, “At present
we don’t need it. Today the best peace-keeping force is the NKR
defense army.”
Seyran Ohanyan in convinced that the information about the possibility
of starting a blitzkrieg by Azerbaijan is groundless. “We have
corresponding investigation bodies the work of which excludes
the possibility of taking us aback. The sole fact that the whole
army can stand up in the first line for a few hours only speaks for
itself.” Seyran Ohanyan announced that the NKR Defense Army is really
powerful “and it is not by chance that the international structures
are of the same opinion.”
“NKR will fight for every meter of its land and will not make
compromise which will separate them form their motherland Armenia”,
NKR Defense Minister said.

DEMAND FOR “AZERI AUTONOMY IN ARMENIA” NOT SERIOUS
PanARMENIAN.Net
19.04.2006 19:47 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Azerbaijan cannot invent anything new and the
demand for “formation of Azeri autonomy in Armenia” is not serious,
leader of ARF Dashnaktsutyun faction, historian Levon Mkrtchian told
PanARMENIAN.Net reporter. In his words, Turkey practiced such line
in 1950-1960-ies when Armenian and Greek cultural monuments were
announced Turkish and Kurds were named “mountainous Turks”.
“Certainly the international community did not take it serious
and Turkey abandoned ottomanization of the peoples living on its
territory. Azerbaijan follows this way now. It fails to understand
that the world has changed and statements of the kind arouse nothing
but bewilderment,” Mkrtchian said.
He also informed that ARF Dashnaktsutyun faction has introduced
to parliament the draft bill “On rehabilitation of repressed and
displaced Armenians in 1931-1949, who later repatriated to Armenia”
To remind, “Azerbaijan’s Path” political movement has formed an
initiative group for returning “western Azeris, who were expelled
from Armenia in 1948-53 and 1988, to their homeland and granting
them autonomy”.

PACKAGE OF DOCUMENTS WITH STAGE-BY-STAGE SOLUTIONS
Panorama.am
14:52 19/04/06
Today the 8th session of the Committee of EU – Armenia Parliamentary
Cooperation ended its work. Questions about NKR status and conflict
regulation were discussed during the session. Co-chair of the Committee
Armen Roustamyan mentioned that the variant, saying that first the
territorial and then the status problem must be solved, suggested by
the Azeri side is impossible.
“This question cannot be regulated unless the reason of the conflict
is removed,” the Deputy said and mentioned that the agreement to be
signed is going to be a package of documents, of course the realization
can be stage-by-stage yet first of all there must be full agreement.
“To say that the relations of conflict sides are hostile today is
to say nothing. The situation is far more strained and serious, and
as a matter of fact both Azeri official bodies and political figures
contribute to that,” the Deputy says. Yet, in the meantime he assures
that the Armenian side doesn’t want to start a new war and that it
would be right if the international institutions watched by means of
satellites and make sure which side breaks the ceasefire from time to
time. Then there will be no victims as a result of those “accidental”
shots.

IT’S NONSENSE WHEN A CONFLICT SIDE DOESN’T TURN INTO A NEGOTIATION SIDE
Panorama.am
14:25 19/04/06
Co-chair of the Committee of EU-Armenia Parliamentary Cooperation Armen
Roustamyan thinks the process of Karabakh conflict is not favorable
and constructive for us. One of the results is that Nagorno Karabakh
doesn’t participate in the negotiations.
“Karabakh conflict is recognized as an ethno-political one,”
A. Roustamyan mentioned at the session of the Committee of EU-Armenia
Parliamentary Cooperation in the NA today. He also stated that the
conflict is not going to be solved unless the main reason is not
removed. Thus, as he said, the question of Karabakh status shouldn’t
be omitted, otherwise the expectations of the regulation will be
exaggerated.
“First, the situation when a conflict side doesn’t become a
negotiation side is rather illogical if not absurd.” The co-chair
calls to make the negotiation process full and not yield to Azeri
rough and non-constructive negotiation position as a result of which
NK is being forced out of negotiation process.
Moreover, Armen Roustamyan also stated that it was NK who concluded
a truce in Bishkek. “The situation that we call a situation of
neither war nor peace or simply an incomplete ceasefire has in its
basis two agreements, and there is the signature of NK under those
two agreements,” the chairman of NA Permanent Committee of Foreign
Relations.
“The hostile announcements of Azerbaijan are going on as the
international community gives Azerbaijan the opportunity to continue
the process by the script they like.”
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

YERAZGAVORS AND BAYANDOUR COMMUNITIES WITHOUT WATER
A1+
13:48 19/04/06
On April 18 it has been informed that at about 12.00 as a result of
overflow of Akhuryan reiver the waters of the river have driven away
the territory of 30 meters next to the water pipe of Poultry factory
in Bayandour community. As we have been informed in press department of
Armenian Rescue Service Gharibjanyan and Getkh villages have partially
remained without water, and Yerazgavors and Bayandour communities
became fully “waterless”. The workers of “Shirak water-sewerage”
are carrying out restoration works after the incident.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

37 HOUSES BUILT FOR THE HOMELESS
Panorama.am
13:01 19/04/06
Tomorrow an agreement is going to be signed in Mother Seat Holy
Echmiadzin by which starts the cooperation of Armenian Apostolic
Church and “International Habitat” in the work of building dwellings
for homeless and unprovided families. As we have been informed form
the information board of Holy Seat St. Echmiadzin accorfing to the
above mentioned agreement Habitat is going to hold annual ceremony
named building program “Patriarch of All Armenians Garegin Second”.
This year the latter is planned to be held from September 5-9. 37
houses will be built in RA regions for the homeless. And 37 is the
number of dioceses of Armenian Apostolic Church.

MOBILIZATION WAS HIGHLY ORGANIZED
Azat Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh Republic [NKR]
18 April 2006
The April 12 a planned mobilization was carried out. According
to Arthur Tavaratsyan, Deputy Military Commissar, the head of the
Department for Mobilization, it was intended to check the preparation
of reserve officers and the rank and file, as well as the coordinated
activity of military commissars. The latter were instructed to
mobilize the reserve and direct them to military units in an appointed
period of time. Deputy Military Commissar Arthur Tavaratsyan said the
mobilization was highly organized and well planned. “We fulfilled the
task 11 hours before the deadline, which once again proves that the
society and staffs of companies are highly responsible. Besides it is
patriotism when everyone is conscious of the importance of the problem
and appears in the required place on time,” said Arthur Tavaratsyan.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress