ARMENIAN MOD HEAD: OIL DOLLARS WILL NOT HELP AZERBAIJAN IN THIS CASE

PanARMENIAN.Net
07.03.2006 19:21 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ “Though the role of oil dollars is huge, they
will not help in this case. During the years of cease-fire firm
engineering constructions were built and Armenian troops have good
defense positions,” Secretary of the National Security Council at
the President of Armenia, Defense Minister Serge Sargsyan said in
the course of a meeting with Russian journalists, when commenting on
Baku readiness to solve the Karabakh issue by force. S. Sargsyan was
puzzled with harsh and aggressive statements of Azeri party. “These
statements smell like blackmail. If the Azeri party has the goal of
solving the issue by force, why to trumpet it all over the world?

They want to warn us to give us an opportunity to be more prepared
to it? Or do they want to notify the international community in
order for the latter to ask them or prohibit them? It is not quite
understandable,” S. Sargsyan said. Having informed that the personnel
of the Armed Forces of Armenia numbers 45 thousand today, the Armenian
Minister said, “it is much for a three-million” population of the
country, however we do have to do it, as “the South Caucasus is not
quiet today, we have an unsolved conflict over the Karabakh issue
and a conflict with Azerbaijan,” Itar-Tass reports.

“NEZAVISIMAYA GAZETA”: OSCE MG WASHINGTON MEETING MAY BE MERE MEASURE ON DUTY

PanARMENIAN.Net
07.03.2006 19:38 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ A two-day meeting of co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk
Group for settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict is finishing
in Washington today. This time the mediators decided to do without
representatives of Azerbaijan and Armenia, reports the Nezavisimaya
Gazeta. Ambassadors Yuri Merzlyakov (Russia), Steven Mann (US)
and Bernard Fassier (France) will work for finding a way out of
the stalemate in the talks after the February meeting of the Azeri
and Armenian Presidents in Rambouillet. The newspaper reminds that
“hopes pinned on the meeting near Paris were too much and they did
not come true. No new ideas or methods of settlement were declared in
Rambouillet. Moreover, in less than a month Yerevan and Baku restarted
speaking about war. At that not only publicists and politicians show
notorious spirit of war.”

“Parties’ statements make the task of the mediators utterly
complicated. In that light this meeting of the OSCE Minsk Group
co-chairs may be a mere measure on duty that decides nothing,”
the edition notes. On the whole, according to Russian political
scientist, head of the section of international relations of the
Institute for Military and Political Analysis Sergey Markedonov,
“activation demonstrated by the OSCE lately (not to say imitation)
in the peacemaking has an opposite effect.” In the expert’s opinion,
“constantly initiating some peace expectations (without reaching these)
more looks like senseless digging up of a wound. In Markedonov’s
opinion, the Washington meeting will be one of the same range: “the
professional peacemakers” were not able to propose any practicable
peace plan to Baku and Yerevan and they have nothing to propose today.”

“Mediators’ desire to make progress in making parties’ stands closer
exactly this year is quite understandable. On the one hand, next
year parliamentary elections are due in Armenia, while forces in
Azerbaijan will focus on presidential election in 2008. Yerevan and
Baku will have a lot of other things to do besides Karabakh. However,
the state of neither war, nor peace cannot last forever. In this
situation many experts think that a time-out is more logical.

According to Merkedonov, taking into account the current reality,
“the parties would only benefit from some lull in the imitation
peacemaking of the OSCE MG,” the Nezavisimaya Gazeta writes.

UK SUPPORTS CONTINUATION OF KARABAKH TALKS

PanARMENIAN.Net
07.03.2006 19:44 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ “The statements on military settlement of
the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, voiced recently, are apprehended
negatively,” Lori Bristow, the British Ambassador to Azerbaijan,
said on Monday. According to Bristow, peace negotiations are more
optimal way of solution of the problem. “The UK supports continuation
of negotiations process and regards it as more acceptable version,
which will ensure lasting peace in the region and meets interests of
all sides,” the British diplomat stressed.

According to Lori Bristow, he did not have “any illusions in relation
to possible military solution of the problem, frozen for many
years.” “I want to mention that the Azerbaijani and the Armenian
Presidents abide by their commitments to peace settlement of the
conflict and we support their position,” the Ambassador stressed,
reports Trend.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIA ACCUSES AZERBAIJAN OF BREAKING CEASEFIRE AGAIN

RIA Novosti
13:00 | 07/ 03/ 2006

YEREVAN/BAKU, March 7 (RIA Novosti, Gamlet Matevosyan, Gerai Dadashev)
– Armenia’s defense ministry Tuesday again accused Azerbaijani troops
of breaking a ceasefire agreement between the two countries.

“The Azerbaijani side shot at Armenian positions yesterday at about
19.05 local time [19.05 Moscow time] in the Baik region, and at 21.40
[local time] in the Berd region. On Tuesday the shooting continued,
with firing at about 02.50 [local time] in two areas around Adzhevan,”
ministry spokesman Seiran Shakhsuvaryan said, adding that Armenian
troops had not returned fire.

Shakhsuvaryan said that Armenian troops had come under fire from
Azerbaijani troops almost daily in recent weeks.

The conflict between the former Soviet republics of Armenia and
Azerbaijan over Nagorny Karabakh, an Azerbaijani region with a largely
Armenian population, first erupted in 1988, when the region claimed
independence from Azerbaijan to join Armenia.

Over 30,000 people were reported dead on both sides between 1988
and 1994, and over 100 others died after a ceasefire was concluded
in 1994, leaving Nagorno-Karabakh in Armenian hands, but tensions
between Azerbaijan and Armenia have persisted.

TURKEY IS ALWAYS WITH AZERBAIJAN

A1+
03:31 pm 07 March, 2006

“In case of possible military cooperation between Turkey and Azerbaijan
we can support in resumption of hostilities”, – Ambassador of Turkey
to Azerbaijan Turan Morali said. As Regnum informs, he accented that
is not for military variant of Nagorno Karabakh problem regulation.

According to the Ambassador’s words no document on creation of
military unity has been signed between the two countries. “Turkey
realizes series of programs with Azerbaijan. We’ve planned to render
another assistance to Azerbaijan. We’ll support technically, promote
conducting exercises etc”, – he noted.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIAN FOREIGN MINISTER, US OFFICIAL DISCUSS BILATERAL TIES

Mediamax news agency
7 Mar 06

Yerevan, 7 March: Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan met US
Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs
Matthew Bryza in Yerevan today.

“There was a detailed conversation about the dynamically developing
and intense relations between Armenia and the USA,” the press service
of the Armenian Foreign Ministry told Mediamax today.

Vardan Oskanyan highly praised the US administration for helping
Armenia with economic reforms, democracy and human rights protection.

“In this context, they discussed details related to the allocation
of funds to Armenia by the Millennium Challenge Corporation,” the
press service reported.

Oskanyan and Bryza discussed the energy issue and in particular the
possibility of diversifying energy supply routes to Armenia and of
developing energy cooperation with other countries of the region.

The Armenian foreign minister outlined Armenia’s foreign policy
priorities, emphasizing the process of implementing the Individual
Partnership Action Plan (IPAP) between Armenia and NATO, as well as
the talks with the European Union on developing an action plan within
the framework of the European Neighbourhood Policy. The second round
of the talks took place in Brussels on 6 March.

Vardan Oskanyan and Matthew Bryza also discussed regional cooperation
and the negotiations on settling the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict
following the meeting between the Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents
in Rambouillet.

ARMENIA, AZERBAIJANI FORCES EXCHANGE GUNFIRE, MORTARS NEAR DISPUTED ENCLAVE
Aida Sultanova

AP Worldstream
Mar 07, 2006

Azerbaijani and Armenian forces exchanged heavy gunfire and mortars
along several border points, military officials said Tuesday, in the
most serious outbreak of violence to hit the region in months.

Azerbaijani officials said one of its soldiers was killed and one
seriously wounded in the firing that took place late Monday and early
Tuesday in at least three separate locations. Armenian forces said
several of their troops were wounded.

Tensions are high between the two countries, which remain at odds over
the status of Nagorno-Karabakh, an ethnic Armenian enclave within
Azerbaijan. A cease-fire agreement was reached in 1994 after six
years of fighting, and the enclave is now under the control of ethnic
Armenians, whose troops face Azerbaijani forces across a kilometer-wide
(half-mile-wide) no man’s land.

Sporadic clashes, however, break out along the Nagorno-Karabakh
border and land mines continue to kill people every year. The lack of
resolution for the enclave has held up the development of the entire
Caucasus region.

Since the breakdown of talks last month aimed at resolving
Nagorno-Karabakh’s status, the two countries’ presidents have traded
increasingly bellicose statements, and the region has seen a spike
in gunfire and violence in the past week.

Both sides blamed the other for setting off the latest exchanges of
fire, which first broke out late last week.

Armenian President Robert Kocharian vowed in a television interview
last week to defend Nagorno-Karabakh and recognize its independence
if Azerbaijan resorts to force: “This is a scenario for which Armenia
must be ready.”

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliev earlier visited troops near
Nagorno-Karabakh and called for liberating it from ethnic Armenian
forces “no matter what it takes.”

AZERI SOLDIER KILLED IN TRUCE VIOLATION

Turan news agency
7 Mar 06

Baku, 7 March: Armenian troops fired on the positions of the
Azerbaijani army near the village of Asagi Seyidahmadli in Fuzuli
District at 1200 [0800 gmt] on 6 March. Private Nazimov Muhiddin,
born in 1987, was heavily wounded.

Armenia fired on the positions of the Azerbaijani army in the vicinity
of the village of Qiziloba at 0445 (0045 gmt) today. Soldier Cahangirov
Parviz, born in 1986, was killed in the fire.

The Defence Ministry offers its condolences to the relatives and the
loved ones of the killed soldier.

ARMENIAN MINISTER SAYS TIES WITH NATO, USA NOT AT RUSSIA’S OR IRAN’S EXPENSE

Sources:
Mediamax news agency, 7 Mar 06
Regnum, Moscow, 6 Mar 06
ITAR-TASS news agency, Moscow, 6 Mar 06

Defence Minister Serzh Sarkisyan has said that Armenia wants to
develop cooperation with NATO and the USA but not at Russia’s or
Iran’s expense.

In a wide-ranging interview to Russian journalists in Yerevan on 6
March, the minister said his country “wants to cooperate not just
with NATO but with other countries as well” but the cooperation will
“develop not at the expense of military cooperation between Russia
and Armenia”, Mediamax news agency reported.

Itar-Tass news agency quoted him as saying that Armenia and Russia
“are allies, strategic partners and we are not hiding from our western
partners our relations with Russia and the Russian armed forces”.

“We have repeatedly been making public announcements that the presence
of the Russian military base on the territory of the republic and
the Russian-Armenian strategic treaty have been initiated by Armenia
first of all,” the agency quoted the minister as saying.

He said that “hundreds of generals, officers and warrant officers
have been receiving training and refresher training at Russian
military educational establishments and training centres” and
expressed readiness to train Russian troops at a mountain training
base in Armenia.

He added that Armenia “sets the objective of having an army by 2015
which will be in line with international standards” and denied that
NATO troops might be deployed in Armenia if combat activities were
to start in the region.

A separate ITAR-TASS report quoted Sarkisyan as saying that Armenia,
which has a population of about 3m people, is forced to have 45,000
soldiers under arms which has “a deterrent effect” on the situation
in the region.

A separate Mediamax report quoted Sarkisyan as saying that that “the
Armenian armed forces occupy advantageous positions from the point
of view of defence. We have managed to provide these positions with
engineering equipment.” “Our country does not want war and but must
be ready for it,” the minister stated.

Sarkisyan also said that the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict should be
resolved within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group and denounced
Baku’s attempts to involve the UN and NATO in the process, Regnum
reported citing the minister ‘s report entitled “National Security
Strategy of the Republic of Armenia”.

The report published on the official website of the Defence Ministry
on 6 March said: “Armenia sees the solution of the Karabakh problem
within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group by means of compromises”.

The minister also hailed “balanced” relations between Armenia and Iran
and the latter’s stance on Karabakh. Regnum quoted him as praising
“Iran’s balanced policy on solving the Karabakh conflict”.

“As a country with a huge economic, military and cultural potential
and an independent foreign policy, Iran plays a key role in the
process of shaping the military and technical situation in the region
and competes with Turkey in the economic and political spheres,” he
said. He added that “competition between Iran and Turkey ensures a
certain balance in the region and against that background Armenia has
been developing cooperation with Iran to neutralize the Turkish-Azeri
bloc’s anti-Armenian policy”.

The minister noted that Armenia’s “cooperation with the USA is not
against Iran’s interests”.

UKRAINE HOPES TO COMPLETE ALL WTO TALKS BY END OF JULY – MINISTER

Inter TV, Kiev
7 Mar 06

[Presenter] Ukraine and the United States have signed a bilateral
protocol on mutual access to markets of goods and services in the
framework of Ukraine’s preparation to the WTO accession.

The document was signed by Ukrainian Economics Minister Arseniy
Yatsenyuk and US trade representative Rob Portman.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Yuriy Yekhanurov believes that this step
improves Ukraine’s chance of joining the World Trade Organization
by the end of this year. The talks with the remaining five of 49
members of [WTO’s] working group – Australia, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan,
Panama and Taiwan – are under way.

Ukraine has plans to complete the talks by the end of March so it
can finish the [accession] process by the end of July.

[Yatsenyuk] Ukraine has been granted a five-year transition period.

Under this condition, domestic investors will have a chance to create
a relevant financial sector. Foreigners will come to our market only
in five years’ time after we join the World Trade Organization.

Ukraine is interested in Russia’s accession to the WTO as soon as
possible. Why? Because as WTO members, Ukraine, the United States
and Russia will be able to resolve their issues in line with WTO
regulations and requirements. Nowadays, we do not have a clear legal
basis for our bilateral relations. Exactly because of this we see all
kinds of attempts to close markets and failures to resolve various
trade disputes.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress