OSCE MG: SPRING 2006 IMPORTANT MILESTONE IN KARABAKH SETTLEMENT

PanARMENIAN.Net
13.03.2006 18:33 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Spring 2006 is an important milestone in resolution
of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, US Department of State Senior
Advisor for Eurasia, OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair Steven Mann stated
upon his arrival in Baku. “We think we will achieve considerable
results in 2006,” Mann said, reporting that during the two-day visit
to Baku he is scheduled to have meetings with Azerbaijani President
Ilham Aliyev and Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov. The discussions
will focus on the resolution of Nagorno Karabakh conflict. He is also
scheduled to hold meetings with representatives of civil society and
entrepreneurs. Mann accompanies Assistant Secretary for European and
Eurasian Affairs Daniel Fried during the latter’s regional visit to
Azerbaijan, Georgia, Armenia, and Turkey. On March 14-15, Assistant
Secretary Fried will meet with Georgian officials, while March 15-16
he will hold talks in Yerevan. On March 16 Mr. Fried will depart
for Ankara, Turkey, and will return to the United States on Friday,
March 17, Trend agency reports.

BAKU DEMANDS THAT EUROVISION “RESPECT TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY” OF AZERBAIJAN

PanARMENIAN.Net
13.03.2006 18:54 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Azerbaijan
has sent a letter of protest to organizers of Eurovision song
contest. The Azeri Ministry of Culture “being extremely concerned”
that biography of Andre, a singer, who comes from Armenia, notes he
was born in the Nagorno Karabakh Republic, sent a letter to organizers
of the contest. The letter says, “the fact should be considered as
disrespect of the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and provocation
that can be interpreted as contest organizers’ supporting Armenia’s
aggressive policy.”

The letter emphasized that “Nagorno Karabakh is an inseparable part
of the Azerbaijani Republic. The world society knows that since
1988 Azerbaijan suffered from Armenia’s aggression. Resulting from
hostilities Nagorno Karabakh and adjacent territories that make 20%
of the territory of the Azerbaijani Republic were occupied. Over one
million people were driven out and became displaced persons.”

The message further notes that “the international community now focuses
on the peace talks with the mediation of the OSCE Minsk Group, and
facts like this one can have a negative impact on the process.”

Concluding, the letter expresses “confidence that organizers of
the contest, which serves to dialogue of cultures, will be able to
manage the misunderstanding and will display respect to territorial
integrity of Azerbaijan, recognized by the international community,”
Day.az reports.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

NKR MFA: ECONOMIC SANCTIONS AGAINST TRANSNISTRIA INADMISSIBLE

PanARMENIAN.Net
13.03.2006 19:48 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) of the
Nagorno Karabakh Republic is seriously concerned over exacerbation
of the situation around the Transnistrian Moldovan Republic. The NK
MFA believes that introducing economic sanctions against Transnistria
is inadmissible. According to an official statement of the Ministry,
introducing economic sanctions against the people of Transnistria
prompts humanitarian catastrophe. “NK has experience blockade of
many years, imposed by Azerbaijan, which inflicted severe economic
and humanitarian losses to the population, only confirms these tools
are unfounded in conflict settlement,” the statement says.

The NKR MFA also pays attention to the change of the political
conjuncture around Transnistria, which upsets the general settlement
and can provoke exacerbation of the conflict. “The Ministry of
Foreign Affairs hopes that interested parties will display wisdom,
will refuse from not productive methods of pressure and will realize
the inevitability of discussion of problems accumulated at a bargaining
table, and will highlight political, economic and social rights of
the multi-ethnic people of the Transnistrian Moldovan Republic,”
says the statement of the NKR MFA.

ATTACK AGAINST ARMENIANS IN TSALKA RESULT OF INCORRECT ETHNIC POLICY OF GEORGIAN AUTHORITIES

PanARMENIAN.Net
13.03.2006 19:49 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ March 11 thousands took part in a protest rally
in Akhalkalaki against murder of Gevorg Gevorgyan, 23, in Tsalka
town. Participants of the rally in the administrative center of
Georgian Samtskhe-Javakheti region, mostly populated by Armenians,
censured the murder and noted it is a direct outcome of incorrect
ethnic policy of Georgian authorities. Those present adopted a
statement addressed to Georgian authorities, Armenians living in that
country and the international community, urging the authorities to
stop policy of pressure upon Armenians.

“Analyzing latest occurrences in Georgian regions populated by
Armenians, specifically provocative actions in Tsalka on March 9
and being concerned over security of the Armenian population and
sustaining stability, we urge Georgian authorities to stop settling
regions populated by Armenians with other ethnic groups, which results
in tension, solve problems in Javakheti by means of democratic tools,
ensure actual security for local Armenians, review law on state
language, for Armenian to be a state language in Samtskhe-Javakheti
equal to Georgian,” the statement says.

At that authors urge all peoples living in Georgia to “recognize
that inter-ethnic tension does not fit anyone’s interests.” They also
urge Europe and the international community not to let democracy and
human rights be defied in Georgia. According to A-Info agency, after
the meeting a number of young persons headed for the regional court
building in Akhalkalaki and the branch of Tbilisi State University
(TSU). This was due to the dismissal of ethnic Armenian judges and the
TSU not admitting Armenian students. In the words of representative of
the Union of Armenian NGOs Khachatur Stepanyan, the youth procession
was not planned by the organizers of the rally and had nothing to do
with them.

MILITARY OMBUDSMAN INSTITUTION TO BE ESTABLISHED IN ARMENIA

PanARMENIAN.Net/
13.03.2006 20:04 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenia plans to establish institution of Military
Ombudsman, Deputy MOD Head, lieutenant general Artur Aghabekyan
stated during a seminar in Yerevan within Starlink Program. “Reforms
of defense legislation provide for introduction of the institution
of the Military Ombudsman. These are planned to start in 2008 and
to be finished by 2010,” Aghabekyan said. In his words, the Military
Ombudsman will deal with problems and complaints of the personnel of
the Armed Forces.

Besides, as the Deputy Minister remarked, amendments are to be
made on the Law on Defense, that will specify the functions of the
Defense Ministry and General Staff, while legal reforms are planned,
including social protection of the military and civil personnel of
the army. “New Law on Civil Officers in Defense is to be elaborated
to regulate activities of civil representatives in the Armed Forces
of Armenia,” Aghabekyan said, reports RIA Novosti.

GEORGIAN OMBUDSMAN CONDUCTED A PRESS-CONFERENCE REGARDING TSALKA EVENTS

A1+
12:12 pm 13 March, 2006

On the 11th of March a press conference was conducted in public
defender’s office regarding the incident that took place on the 9th of
March as a result of which Mr. Gevorg Gevorgyan was killed and other
ethnic Armenian citizens of Georgia were injured to various degrees.

According to official data, five suspects were detained by the Police
of Georgia and other suspects are searched for.

The incident provoked a mass protest of ethnic Armenian residents
of Javakhk region, which later grew into violence. The demonstration
was dismissed by special security service of the Ministry of Internal
Affairs of Georgia based in other regions of Georgia.

The next day after the collision a group of representatives of the
Public Defender of Georgia arrived in Tsalka.

After having preliminarily studied the case the Ombudsman of Georgia
Mr. Sozar Subari stated that the conflict happened based on ‘common’
grounds. Public defender called to let government officials finish
the investigation of Tsalka events without any pressure or hindrance.

Mr. Karen Elchyan, President of the Armenian Centre of Cooperation of
Georgia, has also come out with a statement. He expressed condolences
to the family of the murder victim and presented the official position
of his organization. He stated that there are two different versions
of the motivation of the crime, and one of the versions, namely the
ethnic hatred motivation, is held by the victims of the crime.

Responding to a journalist’s question regarding Javakhk Armenians’
requests of autonomy for Javakhk he noted that such requests are
entirely lawful and are based on the principles of federalism and
territorial integrity of state. Residents of the region, he stated,
are convinced that granting Javakhk autonomy would contribute to
fulfillment of their obligations and rights as of citizens of Georgia.

The Armenian Apostolic Church Diocese of Georgia has also commented
on the events in Tsalka. The Assistant to the Head of the Diocese of
Armenian Apostolic Church, Mr. Levon Isakhanyan supported the position
of Mr. Karen Elchyan regarding the existence of two versions of
motivation of the crime. He added that such crimes are consequence of
anti-Armenian hysteria, launched by the means of Georgian mass-media.

On behalf of the Diocese, he called for the appropriate government
bodies to pay sufficient attention to the problems of the Armenian
Apostolic Church Diocese of Georgia, interethnic relations and
defending rights of the ethnic minorities residing in Georgia.

WIND DEPRIVED THE TOWN OF ELECTRICITY

A1+
01:16 pm 13 March, 2006

The wind with the speed 27 meters per second has damaged the roofs
of houses and blocks of flats in the town of Vardenis, region of
Gegharqounik.

The wind has also collapsed the electricity poles as a result of which
the town was deprived of electricity for several hours. A Committee has
been created investigating the harm caused by the wind. According to
the head of the department of architecture of the Vardenis municipality
Hamlet Gasparyan, the Committee has already received 150 applications
about damages.

“Qyavar” TV Company of Gavar

ANDRE’S BIRTHPLACE IRRITATES THE AZERIS

A1+
01:25 pm 13 March, 2006

The Azeris have launched a “cultural war” against the organizers of
the singing festival “Eurovision” and Greece where the festival is
to be organized this year.

The fact that irritated them was the biography of Andre representing
Armenia which was represented in the official website of the
competition. The problem is that Andre is from Karabakh. “This fact
can be evaluated as absence of respect for the territorial integrity
of Azerbaijan. It can be deduced from the fact that the organizers
of the festival defend the aggressive policy of Armenia”, the letter
to the organizers of “Eurovision” says, day.az reports.

The Azerbaijani Ministry of Culture found it necessary to remind
that the international community has focused its attention on the
negotiation process carried out with the OSCE Minsk group, and “such
facts” can have a negative influence on the process.

At the end of the letter the Azeri side had voiced hope that the
organizers of the competition who contribute to the dialogue of
cultures will solve the problem and will display respect for the
territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.

ELINA DANIELYAN REACHED THE 1/16 FINAL

A1+
01:50 pm 13 March, 2006

The Women’s Individual Chess World Championship has started in
Yekaterinburg in which Armenian Grand Masters Elina Danielyan and
Lilit Lazarian participate alongside with 64 players. Lilit Lazarian
played with Lufe Ruan from China. The tied in the first round, but
in the second Ruan beat Lazarian.

Elina Danielyan beat Adela Faysor from Romania 2.5-1.5 and reached
the 1/16 final. Next Danielyan will play with one of the best players
of the world Alexandra Kostenyuk.

GABRIEL SARGSYAN – THE ONLY LEADER

A1+
03:32 pm 13 March, 2006

In the seventh round of the Chess International Competition in
Rekyavik Armenian young Grand Master Gabriel Sargsyan defeated Person
who was among the leaders and is currently in the first place with 6
points. Gabriel Sarkisyan won 5 of the 7 matches, and tied the other
two which is considered a good result.

The second place is taken by 5 chess players who have 5.5 points
each. In the 8th round Sargsyan will play with Mamendyarov from
Azerbadjan whom Levon Aronyan defeated in the Super Tournament of
Veyk an Zee this year. Let us note that Shakriyar Mamedyarov is the
1st by his rating in the competition, while Sarkisyan is the 8th.