2006 CRUCIAL YEAR FOR MORTGAGE MARKET DEVELOPMENT IN ARMENIA
ARKA News Agency, Armenia
March 16 2006
YEREVAN, March 16. /ARKA/. The year 2006 will be crucial for mortgage
market development in Armenia, the newly appointed Chairman of the
Union of Banks of Armenia (UBA) Stepan Gichyan stated in his interview
to the Ra public Television.
“The mortgage market remains in the center of attention of the RA
President and Government, as well as of the heads of banks and the
UBA,” Gishyan said.
He pointed out that Armenia’s banks intend to intensify their
activities in developing the mortgage market.
He also stressed that the UBA intends to take a number of steps,
particularly, enhance is role in drafting economic bills for banks’
interests to be represented in a better way.
Gishyan also pointed out that one of the UBA’s most important tasks
is facilitating the increase in the number of transactions effected
by means of banks, which will reduce the share of shadow economy.
According to him, the mobilization of Armenian banks’ resources will
contribute to the formation of internal resources, which will later
be provided to economic entities. P.T. -0–

RA PRESIDENT AND DEPUTY SECRETARY OF STATE DISCUSS REGIONAL PROBLEMS
ARKA News Agency, Armenia
March 16 2006
YEREVAN, March 16. /ARKA/. The RA President Robert Kocharyan and
Deputy Secretary of State for Europe and Eurasia Daniel Frid discussed
regional problems in Yerevan on March 16.
According to the Press Service of the RA President, during the meeting
interlocutors also discussed issues referring to guarantee of energy
security of Armenia.
The sides exchanged opinions concerning the situation formed around
the settlement of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and future steps towards
its settlement.
“Challenges of Millennium” program was also discussed by the
interlocutors during the meeting. American Co-Chairman of the OSCE
Minsk Group Steven Mann took part in the meeting. S.P. –0–

ASSISTANT OF SECRETARY OF STATE NOT BELIEVE THAT PROCESS OF KARABAKH
SETTLEMENT IN STAGNATION
ARKA News Agency, Armenia
March 16 2006
YEREVAN, March 16. /ARKA/. “I do not believe that the process of
the Karabakh settlement is in the stage of stagnation,” US Assistant
Secretary of the State for Europe and Eurasian countries Daniel Freed
told a press conference. He expressed confidence that discussions
and the negotiations over the Karabakh settlement go on.
“Both parties represent and fight for their interests in the
negotiation process, as it is part of the scope of the public
interests,” Freed said. He pointed out that in spite of the conflicting
parties’ disagreements on approaches and positions to the settlement;
however, they have aspiration to resolve this problem.
“It is of great importance that the OSCE Minsk Group supports this
process,” Freed said. R.O. -0–

ARMENIA CAN NEVER COMPETE WITH AZERBAIJAN: AZERBAIJANI PRESIDENT
ARKA News Agency, Armenia
March 16 2006
YEREVAN, March 16. /ARKA/. Armenia will never be able to compete with
Azerbaijan, “Trend” news agency reports the Azerbaijani President
Ilham Aliyev stated this at the second congress of the world’s
Azerbaijanis. According to him, Azerbaijan intensifies its military
power year by year, and in this year the military budget amounts
to $600mln.
“I set a task that Azerbaijan’s military budget equals to Armenia’s
whole budget,” the President said. Armenia will never be able to
compete with us. The earlier the Armenian top authorities realize it,
the better it will be for them. Aliyev stated that Azerbaijan will
have to reconsider its participation in the negotiations over the
Karabakh conflict settlement, if Armenia violates the negotiation
process and does not exercise constructivism.
“The peace negotiations have lasted over 12 years, but they do
not produce any results. And it is still a question how long they
will last. We adhere to the peace process, however, when we face the
non-constructive position of Armenia, which displays insincerity, our
patience runs out. If Azerbaijan notices that the negotiation process
is of imitation character, we will refuse to participate in it,”
Aliyev said. According to him, Azerbaijan will allow Nagorno Karabakh
separate from Azerbaijan neither in 10, nor in 100 years. “Without
solving the issue of repatriation of refugees to the places of
their former habitation, no peaceful settlement will be reached,”
the President said. R.O. -0–

ALL-ARMENIAN CONFERENCE OF DIASPORAN ORGANIZATION TO BE HELD IN
WASHINGTON ON MARCH 26-28, 2006
ARKA News Agency, Armenia
March 16 2006
YEREVAN, March 16. /ARKA/. An all-Armenian conference of diasporan
organizations is to be held in Washington, D.C., on March 26-28,
2006. The Armenian Assembly of America (AAA) reports that among the
participants in the conference will be RA Foreign Minister Vardan
Oskanyan, US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian
countries Daniel Fried, as well as representatives of the US Red Cross,
Peace Corps and Habitat for Humanity.
During the conference, the member of the US Senate Paul Sarbanes
will receive an award for public services and commitment to the
Armenian Cause.
Over 20 organizations, including “Armenia 2020”, Armenian Network of
America, Armenian High Tech Council of America, Armenian Student’s
Association of America, will take part in the conference. P.T. -0–

Death toll rises to five in Turkish army helicopter crash
Anatolia news agency, Ankara
16 Mar 06
Erzincan, 16 March: Non-commissioned Officer Fatih Ayhan, who was
injured in helicopter crash in eastern city of Erzincan, died in
hospital, raising the death toll to five it was reported on Thursday
[16 March].
Col Omer Bora, Lt-Col Suat Coskunalp, Capt Yusuf Ziya Erten and Lt
Rafet Ozsoy died when the helicopter crashed.
Capt Cemal Kamaci, who was injured in the helicopter crash, is
receiving treatment in hospital.
Erzican Governor Ali Gungor earlier said the military helicopter
crashed after striking high voltage power lines on the highway between
Erzincan and Erzurum.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Armenian minister invites Azerbaijan to economic competition
Arminfo
16 Mar 06
Yerevan, 16 March: Boasting about a military budget does not anyone
credit, Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan has said in an
interview with Yerevan H2 TV. Oskanyan was commenting on Azerbaijani
President Ilham Aliyev’s statement about plans to make his country’s
expenditure equal Armenia’s entire budget.
Aliyev makes such statements quite often and one can form an impression
that the Azerbaijani state budget increases every day, Oskanyan said.
He supposed that probably for this reason the Azerbaijani military
violated cease-fire in an attempt to get rid of a surplus of
weapons. Not a single state or nation in the civilized world now
uses its military budget to compete with neighbours, he said. Today
countries are competing in different spheres such as economy, education
and culture, he said.
“In all these spheres Azerbaijan is inferior to Armenia and knows
this very well,” Sarkisyan stressed. Armenia is ahead of Azerbaijan in
creating favourable conditions for investment, free economy, democracy
and freedom of speech, he said. “International organizations say this,”
Oskanyan stressed.
Citing the World Bank’s data, he said that although Azerbaijan was
exporting oil, the country had not caught up with Armenia’s level
of per-capita income. “I would like to advise Azerbaijan to try and
compete with Armenia in these spheres, instead of boasting about
their oil resources and comparing military budgets,” the minister said.
He expressed regret that Aliyev had made his statement at a time when
both states have a task to prepare people in Armenian and Azerbaijani
to peace. “We consider that Azerbaijan is to blame for the failure
of the peace talks and such statements play a major role in this,”
the minister said.

Armenian Defense Minister criticized for statements regarding Karabakh settlement
15:0 9 03/17/2006
Armenian volunteers, who participated in Karabakh war called
“treacherous and immoral” statements of Armenian National Security
Secretary and Defense Minister Serzh Sarkisyan. He said that
“during the war, Armenia destroyed the enemy, and not liberated the
territories,” and used the term “security zone” instead of “liberated
territories.” Position of Armenian veterans was announce on March
16, during a round table conference in Yerevan, informed Assistant
coordinator of the public initiative “In defense of liberated
technologies” Armen Yegyan.
He said that Sarkisyan’s statements made at a meeting with army command
“demoralize officers, and presume return of liberated territories to
Azerbaijan.” According to ex-commander of Special Forces battalion
Girar Sefilyan “Sarkisyan must be dismissed by political means, using
opposition forces,” because “with such government, Armenia will not
be capable to conduct warfare,” thinks Sefilyan.
According to ex-Prime Minister MP Vazgen Manukyan, Sarkisyan “had no
authority to make such statements”. He said that the statements are
“directed to the West, and aims only to preserve power”, and noted,
that “return of liberated territories is impossible, because it can
happen only after the recognition of Nagorno Karabakh independence,
that is unacceptable to Azerbaijan”. He said that warfare can
recommence only if Azerbaijan feels stronger, and Armenia – weaker,
but in next 3-4 years it will not take place. “Armenian authorities
simply threaten the people with possibility of warfare recommence,
to prevent it we must compromise”, said Manukyan.
According to ex-Minister of Defense Vagarshak Arutyunyan, “if the
return of occupied territories is Armenian concession, than Azerbaijan
must return Artsvashen to Armenia and several occupied regions
to Nagorno Karabakh, and because of this, the question was never
raised at the negotiations on Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement,”
said Arutyunyan.

Azeri speaker, EU rep for South Caucasus discuss ties
Lider TV, Baku
17 Mar 06
A resolution issued by the European Parliament on the destruction of
Armenian monuments in Naxcivan is wide of the mark and this cannot
be the parliament’s final document on the issue. At their meeting,
Azerbaijani Speaker Oqtay Asadov and new EU representative for South
Caucasus Peter Semneby mainly discussed the so-called document. Asadov
said that the fact that only 90 MEPs had taken part in the vote on
the resolution showed that it was biased.
The two men also discussed the future development of Azerbaijani-EU
ties. Asadov stressed the great importance of the EU projects,
especially the TRACECA [Transport Corridor Europe-Caucasus-Asia]
project, for Azerbaijan’s integration into Europe.
[Video showed the meeting]

Ukraine completes WTO talks with Armenia, Colombia
UNIAN news agency, Kiev
17 Mar 06
Kiev, 17 March: Ukraine has completed talks on mutual access to markets
of goods and services with Armenia and Colombia in the framework of
Ukraine’s preparation to join the WTO, Ukrainian Economics Minister
Arseniy Yatsenyuk has said.
“We completed the bilateral talks regarding Ukraine’s accession to the
WTO with two countries – Armenia and Colombia – this morning,” he said.
[Passage omitted: background.]