NKR DEFENSE MINISTER: AZERBAIJAN UNLIKELY TO WAGE A WAR
Lragir.am
07 July 06
Sabine Freizer, director of the Caucasian Program of the International
Crisis Group wondered in an interview with the Azerbaijani news agency
APA why Azerbaijan and Armenia are not worried by the statements of
the Minsk Group co-chairs. Especially that the co-chairs, in fact,
refused mediation and left the sides tete-a-tete. Sabine Freizer says
the war may ignite since Azerbaijan is increasingly preferring war
for the settlement of the conflict. Freizer warns the sides that the
international community will not interfere in case the war ignites. In
other words, the international community will be following one of the
parties defeating completely the other. Freizer only had to say when
and where the provocations will occur which will lead to confrontation,
and where the international force will be stationed.
It is interesting that this is not the first time these words were
voiced by a woman. Maybe in order to make them sound softer, or maybe
there is no man to threaten with a war.
The reporter of the Karabakh Open asked the NKR minister of defense
Seyran Ohanyan if there is intelligence information that Azerbaijan is
getting ready for a war. The minister says armed forces must constantly
be ready for defense. The army of Karabakh has set this goal. However,
according to Seyran Ohanyan, Azerbaijan is unlike to start war. “An
increase of the military budget does not mean effective use of funds,”
said the minister. He mentioned that Karabakh is not going to take
preventive actions, although the NKR government has a clearly worked
out plans for different developments.

Thursday, July 06, 2006
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Behind every story there is another story, and inside every person there is a labyrinth of conflicting reasons and unconscious drives most of which are destined to remain beyond his awareness even after decades of psychoanalysis. Never say therefore “I know and understand everything I need to know and understand,” because to say so is to admit you have reached a dead end and you might as well be more dead than alive.
*
Understanding and self-interest move in two different dimensions and whenever self-interest contaminates understanding both are bound to suffer.
*
If you ever find yourself questioning the importance of objectivity in human affairs, consider that women are better judges of women than men because they can afford being more objective on the subject.
*
Most Armenians, except perhaps Armenian-Americans, have lived and worked in more than two countries and speak more than two languages. This allows them to assume to be better informed. I will never forget the Armenian who fully qualified as an inbred moron with a negative IQ and fluent in seven languages (or so he claimed) who once bragged being more “erudite” than everyone around. If I have mentioned this Armenian before it may be because I see myself in him – myself as a young whippersnapping windbag all sound, fury, and unmitigated b.s. signifying nothing, very much like our sermonizers, speechifiers, and pundits.
#
Friday, July 07, 2006
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If national consciousness or solidarity is what makes a nation, all so-called ideological divisions serve only to legitimize tribalism and to implement the divide-and-rule tactics of the enemy. It follows, the ultimate aim of all our tribal leaders and enemies is one and the same: the destruction of the nation, or genocide by other means.
*
Our partisan pundits have spent nearly a century trying to convince the Turks to plead guilty, all the while pretending their own conduct has been beyond criticism, which is as big a lie as Turkish denial.
*
The life of a murderer as that of a liar is dominated by fear of exposure.
*
You cannot correct an error whose existence you refuse to acknowledge.
*
The wrong path may lead to the mirage of an oasis but not to the Promised Land.
*
What Oscar Wilde said of fox hunting, one could say of our ideologues and pundits: “The unspeakable in pursuit of the uneatable.”
*
When you undertake the task of exposing liars, it is always advisable to begin with your own lies.
*
The more you rely on luck the sooner you will run out of it.
#
Saturday, July 08, 2006
*************************************
INTERVIEW
**************************
QUESTION: IN YOUR NOTES AND COMMENTS OF YESTERDAY YOU SAID SOMETHING TO THE EFFECT THAT OUR LEADERS ARE GUILTY OF GENOCIDE BY OTHER MEANS. WHAT DID YOU MEAN BY THAT?
*
ANSWER: There is genocide by massacre, and there is genocide by means of actions and policies that contribute to the destruction of the nation.
*
Q: SUCH AS?
*
A: Introducing divisions on ideological or religious grounds, for instance.
*
Q: BUT SUCH DIVISIONS EXIST EVERYWHERE, DO THEY NOT?
*
A: They do, yes, but with one important difference. In a democratic environment there are mechanisms designed to reconcile opposing views by means of dialogue and compromise. The majority has its way, provided of course it operates within the law. Throughout our millennial history we have at no time experienced democratic rule.
*
Q: IS NOT OUR HOMELAND A DEMOCRACY TODAY?
*
A: In theory, maybe. But in practice it’s part oligarchy and part kleptocracy whose aim is not to serve the interests of the people but to perpetuate the prosperity and survival of the priviligentsia.
*
Q: AND IN THE DIASPORA?
*
A: Our political parties and their bosses in the Diaspora operate like authoritarian rulers intolerant of dissent, which means no dialogue, no compromise, and no consensus. Result: perpetual tribalism, unending conflicts and divisions, and monologues that never cross.
*
Q: BUT DON’T THESE POLITICAL PARTIES REALIZE THAT BY CONTRIBUTING TO THE DESTRUCTION OF THE NATION THEY ARE COMMITTING SUICIDE?
*
A: That’s a question that should be addressed to our bosses.
*
Q: DO YOU HAVE AN EXPLANATION?
*
A: Where there are no democratic checks and balances, leaders invariably end up digging their own graves. Empires, nations, and tribes that die by suicide are routine occurrences in world history. The only way to explain that is to say that unlike ideas and by extension ideologies that may evolve and adapt in an infinite number of directions, provided they move in an abstract dimension, the option of power, or men of power, are limited to only two: to increase their power, and if they can’t do that, to cling to it for as long as they can even if it means acting in direct contradiction of the very same ideology that allowed them to assume power by popular support.
#

CSTO SUMMIT: MILITARY BLOC NOT YET CEMENTED
by Vladimir Socor
Eurasia Daily Monitor — The Jamestown Foundation
Wednesday, June 28, 2006 — Volume 3, Issue 125
Presidents Vladimir Putin of Russia, Alyaksandr Lukashenka of Belarus,
Robert Kocharian of Armenia, Nursultan Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan,
Kurmanbek Bakiyev of Kyrgyzstan, Imomali Rahmonov of Tajikistan,
and Islam Karimov of Uzbekistan met on June 23 in Minsk for a dual
summit of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) and the
Eurasian Economic Community (EurAsEc). The two groups’ membership
rosters are identical except in the case of Armenia, a member of the
CSTO but not of EurAsEc.
Speaking to journalists during a break between the two meetings,
Putin asserted, “Developing closer cooperation between EurAsEc and
the CSTO is one of the most topical tasks, which will make it possible
to protect integration processes from various threats” (NTV Mir, June
23). “Integration processes” being the classic code word for Russian
policies, Putin’s statement confers a distinctly military dimension to
such processes. Combining the CSTO and EurAsEc summits into a single
event in Minsk underscored that idea. Trading chairs at this summit,
Putin handed over the CSTO’s rotating chairmanship to Lukashenka
while the latter turned the EurAsEc chairmanship over to Putin.
This CSTO summit decided to place the Collective Rapid Deployment
Force under the command of a single headquarters that would operate
on a permanent basis. Until now, a standing operational group
based in Bishkek has been in charge of that Force under Russia’s
Major-General Sergei Chernomordin, who is also deputy chief of staff of
the Volga-Urals Military District. The 4,000-strong Rapid Deployment
Force, earmarked for possible operations in Central Asia, presently
consists — at least on paper — of 10 battalions of varying readiness
levels, including: three battalions from Russia, three from Tajikistan
(two of these apparently from the Russian division stationed in that
country and one from Tajikistan itself), two from Kazakhstan, and two
from Kyrgyzstan (the latter country has pleaded poverty asking to be
excused from contributing a second battalion). These units are based
in the respective countries under national control and hold joint
exercises, usually at annual intervals, under joint command. Russia’s
air base at Kant in Kyrgyzstan, with some 10 tactical combat aircraft
and about a dozen helicopters, is designated a CSTO base and assigned
to the Collective Rapid Deployment Force.
According to some Russian media reports (RTR Russia Television, June
23), participants in the Minsk summit approved a decision whereby
any CSTO member country wishing to accept a deployment of non-CSTO
troops on its territory must first obtain the agreement of all the
other CSTO countries. If so, this implies that military exercises
involving U.S. or NATO countries’ troops, their transit passage,
or their use of military installations in any CSTO member country,
for example on anti-terrorism missions, would necessitate Russian
approval. Thus, Washington or NATO allies would have to negotiate
the approval not just with possible host countries, but with Moscow,
which could either withhold the approval, maneuver one or several CSTO
countries into withholding it, or try to trade Moscow’s approval for
some geopolitical quid-pro-quo elsewhere.
Thus, if this summit decision is final, Moscow would insert itself
between the Western alliance system and CSTO member countries,
trying to force the latter to deal with the West through Russia,
not directly. In Central Asia, such a situation would reverse the
Pentagon’s historic diplomatic achievements of 2001-2002, when it
negotiated basing agreements directly with Central Asian presidents,
who felt encouraged to resist Moscow’s pressures at that time.
The decision in Minsk may also aim to nudge NATO into
alliance-to-alliance contacts and common activities with the CSTO,
thus granting the latter a form of political recognition. However,
CSTO member countries are generally interested in cooperating with
NATO in a national capacity, and NATO has always related to them
directly, consistently avoiding the pitfall of dealing with the
CSTO collectively.
At present, NATO prepares to expand its operations in Afghanistan and
may request logistical support from certain Central Asian countries.
Moscow apparently calculates that it could in that case arrange to
refer the request formally to the CSTO for consideration, so as to
press NATO into dealing with this Russia-led structure. One item in
the Minsk summit declaration (such documents are Moscow-drafted as
a rule) says that alliance obligations among CSTO member countries
take precedence over other obligations.
Participants in the Minsk summit approved measures designed to
turn the CSTO into a multifunctional organization. At Putin’s and
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov’s initiative and Lukashenka’s
proposal, the summit resolved to develop joint structures of the member
countries’ intelligence and law-enforcement agencies and Internal
Affairs ministries, as well as strengthen the Defense Ministries’
joint structures. Beyond its military and political-military remit,
the CSTO would create joint capabilities to deal with natural and
technological disasters, illegal migration, and the narcotics traffic.
Contrary to some expectations, the summit did not officially announce
an intent to create CSTO peacekeeping troops or a legal mechanism for
rendering emergency military assistance to member countries in the
event of aggression against them from outside the CSTO. Kocharian
in particular expressed regret over the failure to advance on the
assistance issue (Arminfo, Itar-Tass, June 23). For its part, Moscow
has developed a full-fledged concept for CSTO “peacekeeping” operations
within the CSTO area and collective participation in international
operations beyond that area. Moscow will almost certainly call in the
months ahead for adoption of this concept and a political decision
on creating CSTO peacekeeping troops.
The dual summit was timed to coincide with the final phase of a
Russia-Belarus military exercise, the largest-ever held in the CSTO’s
framework. Forces from Russia and Belarus comprise the CSTO’s “regional
group of forces” in the West, along with the Russian-Armenian group
and the Russian-led Central Asian group in the respective theaters.
(Interfax, Belarus Television Channel One, June 23, 24) –Vladimir
Socor
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PRESS OFFICE
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Contact: Jake Goshert, Coordinator of Information Services
Tel: (212) 686-0710 Ext. 60; Fax: (212) 779-3558
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:
July 6, 2006
___________________
ARMENIA SERVICE PROGRAM LEAVES NYC FOR ARMENIA
On Wednesday, July 5, 2006, 25 young Armenian Americans from throughout the
United States departed New York City for Armenia. They were traveling
through the Armenia Service Program (ASP), a trip organized by the Armenian
Church Youth Organization of America (ACYOA).
Besides touring Armenia’s historic sites, ASP participants will build homes
through Habitat for Humanity. The group is being led by Fr. Hovsep
Karapetyan, pastor of the St. James Church of Richmond, VA.
Participants range in age from 18 to 26, and most are making their first
trip to Armenia.
“I don’t know anything about my cultural heritage, really,” said ASP
participant Chelsea Bissell of Bozeman, MT. “And really, since I grew up in
Montana, there’s not a church anywhere near me. So I want to go and see
what Armenia is all about.”
For Bissell, 19, a student at Whitman College in Walla Walla, WA, the trip
is a chance to discover more about the Armenian people.
“I hope to learn from the people there about my heritage,” she said. “I
know about the food and music, but I don’t know about the people.”
Even those few who have traveled to Armenia before see the ASP’s service
aspect as a unique way to really connect with the citizens of Armenia.
“I want to go to Armenia to do something service-related, and something with
a religious aspect,” said Mark Berberian, 19, a member of the St. Gregory
the Illuminator Church of Chicago, IL, and a student at the University of
Chicago. “I went to Armenia this September with my family and I loved it.
But I want to do something now to help: to give back to the Armenian
people.”
ASP participants will return from Armenia on July 27. Assisting group
leader Fr. Karapetyan are two assistant leaders, Anna Sargsyan and Sarine
Zenian. Before heading to Armenia the participants gathered at the Diocesan
Center in New York City for an orientation session.
“We’re excited so many young people are stepping forward to serve our
brothers and sisters in Armenia,” said Nancy Basmajian, ACYOA executive
secretary. “And the fact that most of this year’s participants are making
their first trip to Armenia is fabulous. They will definitely return
energized and excited by their Armenian heritage.”
* * *
The participants in the 2006 ACYOA ASP trip to Armenia are:
Taline Alexander, Nanor Arabatlian, Sara Arabian, Katherine Avesian,
Daniella Baydar, Jacqueline Baydar, Mark Berberian, Chelsea Bissell, Gena
Durani, Taleen Feredjian, Lucine Ghazaryan, Harutyun Gyurjyan, Danielle
Hacet, Rachel Hachigian, Michaeline Hakimian, Sarah Jacobe, Anita Minakyan,
D. Aram Mushegian, Chrstian Ohanian, Margeaux Reizian, Deanna Schanz,
Gregory Seferian, Anahid Vann, Garegian Vardanyan, Drew Zamanigian.
— 7/6/06
E-mail photos available on request. Photos also viewable in the News and
Events section of the Eastern Diocese’s website,
PHOTO CAPTION (1): Twenty five young faithful, joined by group leader Fr.
Hovsep Karapetyan and assistant leaders Anna Sargsyan and Sarine Zenian,
gather at the Diocesan Center in New York City before heading to Armenia
through the ACYOA’s Armenia Service Program.
# # #
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

OFFICE OF THE NAGORNO KARABAKH REPUBLIC IN THE USA
1140 19th Street, NW, Suite 600, Washington, D.C. 20036
Tel: (202) 223-4330
Fax: (202) 315-3339
E-mail: [email protected]
Web site:
PRESS RELEASE
July 6, 2006
SENIOR KARABAKH OFFICIALS highlight nkr progress during u.S. visit
and CALL FOR GREATER American ENGAGEMENT
Washington, DC – Nagorno Karabakh Republic (NKR) Parliament Speaker
Ashot Ghulian and Foreign Minister Georgi Petrosian have successfully
concluded a series of meetings and public engagements during their
June 23-30, 2006 visit to the United States. The visit aimed to rally
stronger U.S. support for NKR’s democratic and economic development,
and to help end Azerbaijan’s aggressive policies toward Nagorno
Karabakh.
While in Washington, Ghulian and Petrosian met with the newly-appointed
United States envoy for the Karabakh peace process, Deputy Assistant
Secretary of State Matthew Bryza, key senate and congressional
leaders, policy experts, media representatives and senior staff of
Armenian-American advocacy organizations.
In their June 26 meeting with Bryza, Karabakh officials provided an
assessment of the most recent developments in the peace process,
while highlighting the lawful nature of the establishment of NKR
and its government’s strong adherence to peace and security in the
region. Bryza is expected to tour the region later this month.
NKR officials held separate meetings with Senators Lincoln Chafee
(R-RI) and Jack Reed (D-RI), House foreign assistance appropriators
Chairman Jim Kolbe (R-AZ) and Ranking Member Nita Lowey (D-NY),
and Co-chairs of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues
U.S. Representatives Joe Knollenberg (R-MI) and Frank Pallone,
Jr. (D-NJ). In those meetings, Ghulian and Petrosian highlighted
the democratic and economic gains made by NKR during 15 years of
independence, and called for increased U.S. assistance to help make
further progress. They also discussed Azerbaijan’s military build-up
and called for the U.S. to undertake the necessary steps to preserve
regional stability. Members of the U.S. Congress have pledged their
continued attention and support for Nagorno Karabakh.
On June 28, Speaker Ghulian and Foreign Minister Petrosian also spoke
at a U.S. Capitol reception organized in their honor. In addition
to the Armenian Caucus Co-chairs, Representatives Carolyn Maloney
(D-NY), Edward Royce (R-CA), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Brad Sherman (D-CA)
and George Radanovich (R-CA), as well as Armenian Ambassador to the
United States Dr. Tatoul Markarian and Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan
of the Eastern Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church, also spoke
at the reception attended by congressional staff, journalists and
Armenian community members.
Ghulian and Petrosian also addressed a capacity audience at a June
28 public event jointly organized by the U.S. Institute of Peace and
Washington-based German Marshall Fund and attended by government
officials, policy experts and media. NKR officials discussed
Azerbaijan’s continued effort to exclude Nagorno Karabakh from the
peace process and misrepresent the nature of the Karabakh conflict.
Parliament Speaker Ashot Ghulian stressed that “Nagorno-Karabakh’s
legal existence is completely in conformance with international
law.” Foreign Minister Petrosian noted that “the Karabakh conflict is
fundamentally an issue of the right of our people to live free. But
Azerbaijan seeks to paint it as an inter-state, ethnic or even a
religious conflict. This only helps postpone the conflict’s peaceful
resolution… Our main goal is to be able to conduct normal relations
and live normal lives and we will defend that right with all possible
means.”
The NKR officials’ visit to Washington concluded with a reception at
the Embassy of the Republic of Armenia hosted by Ambassador Markarian
and attended by U.S. and foreign diplomats, members of the Armenian
community and others.
Speaking at the reception, NKR Parliament Speaker Ghulian stressed that
“Nagorno Karabakh’s determination to remain free and independent is as
strong as ever. This visit is just another step towards international
recognition of this fact.”
As part of their U.S. trip, NKR officials also visited New York
and Boston, where they met with state officials, media and Armenian
community representatives.
At the conclusion of the visit, NKR Representative in the United
States Vardan Barseghian remarked: “It’s time for the U.S. and the
international community to recognize Karabakh’s progress in building
a free, democratic and economically viable society in the strategic
South Caucasus. Karabakh is a serious and reliable partner when it
comes to bringing about greater stability, long-term peace, democracy
and prosperity to the region.”
Barseghian also express his appreciation to Karabakh’s supporters in
the United States and those who helped to make this visit a success,
in particular Mrs. Rita Balian, Mr. Hirair Hovnanian, Mr. Hratch
Kaprielian, Mr. Raffi Megerian, Ms. Carolyn Mugar, Mrs. Annie Totah,
as well as the Armenian Embassy, the Armenian Assembly of America,
and the Armenian National Committee of America.
The Office of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic in the United States is
based in Washington, DC and works with the U.S. government, academia
and the public representing the official policies and interests of
the Nagorno Karabakh Republic.
* * *
This material is distributed by the Office of the Nagorno Karabakh
Republic in the USA on behalf of the Government of the Nagorno Karabakh
Republic. The NKR Office is registered with the U.S. Government under
the Foreign Agent Registration Act. Additional information is available
at the Department of Justice, Washington, D.C.
* * *
To request photos for publishing with the press release, send an
email to [email protected]

AGBU Press Office
55 East 59th Street
New York, NY 10022-1112
Phone: 212.319.6383, x118
Fax: 212.319.6507
Email: [email protected]
Website:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, July 6, 2006
GOLDBERG TOURS AGBU CHAPTERS TO DISCUSS GROUNDBREAKING GENOCIDE
DOCUMENTARY
After the success of his documentary “The Armenian Genocide” which
PBS aired nationally on April 17, 2006, the Emmy Award-winning
producer/director, Andrew Goldberg was hosted by AGBU Chapters
across the country to speak about his experience making the film. The
documentary features interviews with leading experts in the field,
as well, as never before seen historical footage of the events and
key personages of the Armenian Genocide.
Goldberg traveled to three cities for special screenings hosted by
the AGBU Chicago Chapter on April 22, Montreal Chapter on April 29 and
Young Professionals of Philadelphia on May 4, a joint event cosponsored
with the local Armenian Church Youth Organization of America (ACYOA)
Seniors and Armenian Youth Federation (AYF).
At every event, Goldberg received standing ovations and was elated
at the film’s success. “I was pleased that I was able to tell this
important story at such a high profile level. And the fact that
it aired specifically on PBS was very helpful in licensing the film
internationally – Australia, Canada, Finland, Greece, Italy, Portugal,
Spain and deals with several other large countries are pending,”
he said.
Viewed by millions of households across the country on American public
television, the program helped raise awareness of this human injustice,
while educating the general public about the Armenian Genocide.
Those interested in purchasing copies of “The Armenian Genocide”
on DVD can visit AGBU’s online bookstore, , or Two Cats
Productions at
AGBU is the largest Armenian nonprofit organization in the world. It
promotes the Armenian heritage through educational, cultural,
humanitarian, and media projects. For more information on AGBU,
please visit

FORUM 18 NEWS SERVICE, Oslo, Norway
The right to believe, to worship and witness
The right to change one’s belief or religion
The right to join together and express one’s belief
========================================== =======
Friday 7 July 2006
AZERBAIJAN: CRIMINAL TRIAL RESUMES FOR JEHOVAH’S WITNESS
Mushfiq Mammedov, a 23-year-old Jehovah’s Witness who wants to be allowed
to do alternative service in line with Azerbaijan’s constitution and
international obligations rather than compulsory military service, faces
up to two years in prison if convicted. His trial at Baku’s Sabail
District Court, which began on 30 June, resumes on 12 July. “We don’t know
how the hearing will go – nor how long the case will last,” his mother
Sevil Najafova told Forum 18 News Service. “Azerbaijan undertook the
obligation to the Council of Europe to adopt a law on alternative service,
and not granting alternative service is a clear violation of this
commitment,” Krzysztof Zyman of the Council of Europe told Forum 18. But
Adil Gadjiev of the Human Rights Ombudsperson’s Office in Baku insists
Azerbaijan is doing nothing wrong. “Signing such commitments doesn’t mean
we have to accept these rights without a corresponding law.”
AZERBAIJAN: CRIMINAL TRIAL RESUMES FOR JEHOVAH’S WITNESS
By Felix Corley, Forum 18 News Service <; The criminal trial of 23-year-old Jehovah's Witness, Mushfiq Mammedov, for refusing military service on grounds of religious conscience resumes in Baku on 12 July. "We don't know how the hearing will go - nor how long the case will last," his mother Sevil Najafova told Forum 18 News Service from the Azerbaijani capital on 7 July. "Mushfiq is ready to do alternative service in line with his religious convictions - indeed, he wrote to the military commissariat to tell them he wants to do so." Article 76 part 2 of Azerbaijan's Constitution states: "If beliefs of citizens come into conflict with service in the army then in some cases envisaged by legislation alternative service instead of regular army service is permitted." However, in defiance of its commitments to the Council of Europe, Azerbaijan does not have a law allowing exemption from military service on grounds of conscience. Adil Gadjiev, who works on alternative service cases at the Human Rights Ombudsperson's office, insisted that without a law on alternative service this constitutional right cannot apply. "This doesn't mean we're against alternative service," he told Forum 18 from Baku on 7 July. "But there's an undeclared war going on with Armenia and millions of refugees from that conflict. Signing such commitments doesn't mean we have to accept these rights without a corresponding law." (Most estimates put the number of ethnic Azerbaijani refugees from Armenia itself and parts of Azerbaijan under the control of ethnic Armenians at 700,000.) "Azerbaijan undertook the obligation to the Council of Europe to adopt a law on alternative service, and not granting alternative service is a clear violation of this commitment," Krzysztof Zyman, an official of the Council of Europe's Directorate General of Human Rights who has been handling this issue, told Forum 18 from Strasbourg on 7 July. However, under international pressure, a law is belatedly being prepared. "The Council of Europe has been informed that a law on alternative service is being prepared in Azerbaijan," he told Forum 18. "We are looking forward to having the chance to study the text of the proposed law in the near future to ensure that all European standards on alternative service are met." Urging the authorities to implement promptly Azerbaijan's obligation to establish alternative service and to end prosecutions based on individuals' religious beliefs is Eldar Zeynalov, the director of the Baku-based Human Rights Centre of Azerbaijan. He has taken up Mammedov's case, stressing to Forum 18 in May that his beliefs "coincide with obligations which Azerbaijan has undertaken to the Council of Europe and in its Constitution". Mammedov was arrested on 28 April, nine months after telling Sabail District Military Commissariat in Baku that he was unable to perform compulsory military service on grounds of his religious conviction. He demanded instead to be allowed to perform alternative service guaranteed by Article 76 part 2 of the Constitution, which states: "If beliefs of citizens come into conflict with service in the army then in some cases envisaged by legislation alternative service instead of regular army service is permitted." This was refused. On the day of his arrest he was also formally charged under Article 321.1 of the Criminal Code, which punishes evasion of military service with a sentence of up to two years' imprisonment (see F18News 12 May 2006 < e_id=779>).
Najafova said her son was held in Baku’s Bayil investigation prison, but
was freed by a court decision on 26 May and placed instead under house
arrest as he awaited trial. The trial began at Sabail District Court after
several postponements with a preliminary hearing on 30 June, which was
attended by Najafova. “The hearing was conducted correctly and
honourably,” she told Forum 18. She said witnesses from the Military
Commissariat told the court they had not intended to follow through on
their threats to have her son imprisoned, but had merely intended to
intimidate him into signing up for military service.
Gadjiev told Forum 18 that the ombudsperson’s office had issued an
“official appeal” to the court on Mammedov’s behalf, urging a “just
consideration of the case in line with all our laws”. He declined to
explain what that meant. “Our law on the ombudsperson’s office says we
cannot interfere in court decisions,” Gadjiev told Forum 18. “This is
already more than we could do.” He also claimed that officials of his
office had met Mammedov since his release from Bayil prison and he had
agreed to serve in the army.
However, Mammedov’s family reject this. They told Forum 18 that such
pressure was put on him while in prison that he signed a paper that he
would serve in the army. “He was in shock and signed. But he wants to
serve his country by doing alternative service,” they insisted. “We are
under such pressure.”
Another Jehovah’s Witness conscientious objector, Mahir Bagirov, faced
criminal prosecution for refusing military service (see F18News 10
February 2005 < 507>). He
lost all cases in court, and left Azerbaijan in 2005 to avoid further
legal moves against him.
The authorities have long regarded the Jehovah’s Witnesses with suspicion.
Press attacks remain frequent and in 2005 a number of their meetings were
raided by police, while individual Jehovah’s Witnesses were questioned,
detained and threatened. A number of Protestant communities faced similar
police raids (see F18News 16 November 2005
< e_id=689>).
Although far fewer police raids on Protestants and Jehovah’s Witnesses
have been reported this year, in late April police raided a Protestant
house church in Baku.
Azerbaijan already has tight restrictions on religious activity which
violate the country’s international human rights obligations. However
Rafik Aliev, until recently the head of the State Committee for Work with
Religious Organisations, was determined to tighten government controls
still further. With Aliev’s removal by President Ilham Aliev (no relation)
at the end of June, religious minorities have told Forum 18 that they hope
the situation will become easier for them.
An official of the State Committee, who would not give his name, told
Forum 18 on 7 July that the deputy chairman, Elchin Askerov, is the
committee’s temporary acting head. The official said it is not yet known
who will take over as head, nor when the appointment will be made. He said
he did not know why Rafik Aliev had been removed from the post. (END)
For a personal commentary, by an Azeri Protestant, on how the
international community can help establish religious freedom in
Azerbaijan, see < 482>
For more background information see Forum 18’s Azerbaijan religious
freedom survey at < 92>
A printer-friendly map of Azerbaijan is available at
< s/atlas/index.html?Parent=asia&Rootmap=azerba& gt; (END) © Forum 18 News Service. All rights reserved. ISSN 1504-2855 You may reproduce or quote this article provided that credit is given to F18News Past and current Forum 18 information can be found at --Boundary_(ID_cUIFnrD NkHrcYlGPqu4SNA)--

Yerevan says no meeting of Azeri, Armenian leaders planned for 17 July
Arminfo
3 Jul 06
Yerevan, 3 July: The Armenian president’s press secretary, Viktor
Sogomonyan, has not confirmed a statement of Azerbaijani Deputy
Foreign Minister Araz Azimov about a forthcoming meeting between the
presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan on 17 July.
“We are not planning anything for 17 July for the time being. Any
meetings have not been planned,” Sogomonyan said commenting on Azimov’s
relevant statement at the request of an Arminfo correspondent.
According to the Azerbaijani media, at a meeting with journalists
today the Azerbaijani deputy foreign minister said: “There might be a
breakthrough in the negotiations at the meeting of the presidents of
Azerbaijan and Armenia on 17 July, but it is impossible to claim this.”

Karabakh leader denies Azeri reports of arson attacks
Arminfo, Yerevan
3 Jul 06
Stepanakert , July 3: The president of the Nagornyy-Karabakh republic
[NKR], Arkadiy Gukasyan received the personal representative of the
OSCE chairman-in-office, Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk, yesterday.
The sides discussed a number of issues concerning the Nagornyy Karabakh
problem and situation on the contact line [between the Armenian and
Azerbaijani armed forces], the NKR presidential press service has
told Arminfo.
They also touched on the Azerbaijani reports that the Karabakh side
allegedly set fire to villages in the border zone.
Arkadiy Gukasyan said that Baku’s efforts to mislead the international
community do not promote the establishment of mutual trust between
Armenian and Azerbaijani societies.

Ahmadinejad Describes Iran-Armenia Relations Sustainable
Fars News Agency, Iran
July 6 2006
TEHRAN (Fars News Agency)- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
assessed his country’s relations with Armenia as sustainable and
comprehensive and further stressed that both sides are interested in
developing ties.
Speaking during a joint press conference after the endorsement of
several joint cooperation agreements and memoranda of understanding,
Ahmadinejad described the two countries’ relations as sustainable,
cordial and comprehensive and underlined that both parties are
interested in the development of their mutual ties.
The chief executive official also stated that the two states’
relations and cooperation are on the increase and informed that
during his talks with Kocharian, they have studied bilateral ties
and international issues.
He said that the two sides had also reviewed their mutual cooperation
grounds.
Stressing that Iran and Armenia share many common view points about
international issues, he said both states seek boosting and expansion
of all-out ties.
He also expressed satisfaction with the MoUs endorsed by the two sides
and expressed hope that the agreements signed by the two Presidents
could take a long stride for the development of the two nations’ ties.
The Iranian President also pointed out that the two sides have endorsed
agreements in areas of legal, cultural and economic cooperation as
well as joint venture.
Ahmadinejad added that during the talks, both sides had stressed
operation of joint projects in the least possible time.