AZERI OFFICIAL SAYS NO COOPERATION WITH ARMENIA
Armenpress
Mar 16 2006
BAKU, MARCH 16, ARMENPRESS: A senior Azerbaijani official downplayed
the importance of three Armenians’ arrival in Baku to participate
in the 2nd preparatory conference for the OSCE 14th economic forum
‘Enhancing Transportation Security in the OSCE Area.’ Deputy prime
minister of Azerbaijan, Abid Sharifov, was quoted by Trend news
agency as saying the presence of three Armenian representatives at the
conference did not indicate that Azerbaijan was ready to cooperate with
‘aggressor country.”
“Armenian and Azeri representatives participate in the OSCE-organized
events in Yerevan, Baku and other countries as members of the
organization, and this cannot be regarded as Azerbaijan’s cooperation
with the aggressor,” he said.

DANIEL FRIED INDICATES U.S. WOULD NOT OBJECT TO CONSTRUCTION OF NEW NUCLEAR POWER PLANT IN ARMENIA
Armenpress
Mar 16 2006
YEREVAN, MARCH 16, ARMENPRESS: US assistant secretary of state,
Daniel Fried indicated during d a news conference in Yerevan today
before wrapping up a brief visit here that the U.S. would not object
to the Armenian government’s ambitious plans to build a new nuclear
power station in place of the Metsamor plant, which is due to be
decommissioned by 2016.
Fried said after recent explosions on the gas pipeline shipping
Russian gas to the South Caucasus the USA and Europe have been paying
a greater attention to the energy security of the region and its
energy diversification to cut its heavy dependence on Russian fuel
supplies. He said Armenia’s desire to built a new nuclear power plant
will be discussed in Washington. According to Armenian energy experts,
construction of a new plant would require at least $1 billion.
Fried also responded to a question about whether U.S. position on
recognizing the 1915 Armenian genocide has changed by saying that
president Bush describes these events in all his April 24 statements
as ‘horrible events and a tragedy.” He then denied media allegations
that US ambassador to Armenia, John Evans, would be recalled soon,
allegedly for acknowledging publicly last year that 1915 massacres
of Armenians in the Ottoman empire was genocide.
“Ambassador Evans enjoys the confidence of the State Department
and will continue to serve as US ambassador to Armenia,” he
said.. Ambassador Evans who was also present at the news conference
reiterated what he had said before, “I serve to the pleasure of US
president.” Steven Mann, the US cochairman of the OSCE Minsk group,
accompanying Fried, said Armenia and Azerbaijan were ready to move
forward to end their dispute over Karabakh and the USA was ready to
assist the process. He said the visits to Baku and Armenia were to
learn what should be done next to go on with the talks.
Daniel Fried, accompanied by Senior Advisor for Eurasia Steven Mann,
will depart for Ankara, Turkey on March 16. In Armenia, Assistant
Secretary Fried held meetings with President Robert Kocharian,
Minister of Defense Serzh Sarkisian, Minister of Foreign Affairs
Vartan Oskanian, and political leaders from the full spectrum of
local political parties. A number of issues were discussed during the
meetings, including the U.S.-Armenian bilateral relations, democracy,
and Nagorno-Karabakh.
This trip was Ambassador Fried’s second visit to Armenia since his
appointment as Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian
Affairs in May 2005.

NATIVE OF ARMENIA KILLED IN MOSCOW
PanARMENIAN.Net
17.03.2006 18:33 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ 52-year-old entrepreneur of Armenian origin Galoyan
was killed in the east of Moscow. His body was found in an apartment
on March 16 afternoon.
The preliminary examination showed he was smothered.
The prosecutor’s office initiated a criminal case according to Article
195.1 of the RF Criminal Code (murder), reported Lenta.ru.

WORLD INDEX SHOWS AZERBAIJAN BEHIND ARMENIA
PanARMENIAN.Net
17.03.2006 19:29 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ “It must be exactly because of their huge military
budget that they have been working overtime at the border and
repeatedly violating the ceasefire. They must have extra bullets
to spare,” Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian said when
asked by H2, the second Armenian Public TV Channel, to comment
on Aliyev’s statements extolling Azerbaijan’s increasing military
capability. “But let’s look at this from a global context. Today,
in the civilized world, peoples and states don’t compete over the
size of their military budget. That’s not what they take pride in
when they compare themselves with their neighbors. Today, the spheres
of competition are elsewhere. And in all those spheres, Armenia is
ahead of Azerbaijan. So far ahead that there is really no room to
compare. Beginning with the UN’s human development index, Armenia is
ahead of Azerbaijan. The international index that gauges Armenia’s
investment climate puts Armenia way ahead of Azerbaijan. They’re not
even a member of the WTO. There is no comparison in level of democratic
development, human rights protections or press freedoms. In indexes
that measure economic freedoms and development, and transparency and
gains in the battle against corruption, Armenia is disproportionately
better than Azerbaijan. Despite the fact that it’s how many years
now that Azerbaijan produces 400,000 barrels of oil, the per capita
income in Azerbaijan still hasn’t reached Armenia’s. It is better that
Azerbaijan tries to reach Armenia’s levels in these fields, than try
to compete and take pride in being ahead with its military capacity,”
the Armenian FM said.

ALIEV THREATENED NOT ONLY THE ARMENIANS
A1+
06:55 pm 16 March, 2006
“My ambition is to make the military budget of Azerbaijan equal to
the state budget of Armenia.
Armenia can never compete with us. The sooner Armenia realises this
fact, the better for the country,” the president of Azerbaijan Ilhalm
Aliev declared today during the Second World Session of the Azeris.
According to the data of “Trend” Agency the military budget of
Azerbaijan is about 600 million dollars.
Ilhalm Aliev also declared in front of the Azeris that Azerbaijan
will observe its position in the peaceful settlement procedure of the
NK conflict, if they find out that Armenia hinders the negotiation
procedure with its non-structural principles. “It is already 12 years
the negotiation procedure goes on, but no results have been reached so
far and nobody knows how long it will last. We are for the peaceful
regulation but when we come across non-structural approaches from
the Armenian side our patience comes to an end. If we find that the
negotiation procedure takes an imitatitive character we shall refuse
our participation,” claimed Ilhalm Aliev.
The latter also promised the Azeris that Aderbaijan will not allow
the separating Nagorni Karabakh in 10 or in 100 years’ time. “There
won’t be any peaceful treaty in case the return of the refugees is
not settled,” declared the president of Azerbaijan.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIAN ‘SECURITY EXPERTS’ HEIGHTEN POLITICAL PASSIONS IN KENYA
Agence France Presse — English
March 16, 2006 Thursday 5:09 PM GMT
Nairobi
Two Armenian brothers operating in Kenya are “security experts”, a
senior government official said Thursday, but opposition politicians
say they mercenaries doing dirty work for the state.
Government spokesman Alfred Mutua has described the Armenians as
legitimate investors and influential opposition lawmaker Raila Odinga,
who brought the affair to light, has said they werehired by the state
to carry out secret operations.
Mutua said Artur Sargasyan, 36, and Artur Margayan, 33, were investors
who registered a development and financial consultance firm called
Brother Link International on December 1, 2005, but obtained their
work permits on January 23.
Amid the controversy on what the two actually do, a well-placed top
government official told AFP that they are “security experts,” but
declined to explain their mission in the east African country.
“They are security experts,” the official, who asked to remain unnamed,
told AFP.
Odinga began the saga when he claimed the two were among hooded
policemen who raided Standard Group — the country’s second largest
media house — early this month after it published an report that
President Mwai Kibaki held secret talks with his onetime ally turned
foe Kalonzo Musyoka.
Police officials could not be reached Thursday for comment on the
respective claims.
On Monday, the Armenians, who said they are nephews of Armenia’s
President Robert Kocharyan, gave a press conference in Nairobi
airport’s government VIP Lounge to deny the allegations they were
mercenaries and declare themselves people seeking “business investment
venture in the hotel industry and general trade.”
“I have been greatly troubled by reports … to the effect that I
am a mercenary … These accusations are entirely false hence the
decision to come to Kenya,” Sargasyan told reporters, saying he had
returned from Dubai that day to clear his name.
Yet an official document shown to AFP indicated that the pair were not
on the national carrier Kenya Airways passenger manifest from Dubai.
“This means they have not left Kenya,” since they came, the official
said.
Police have issued no formal statement except recorded ones from
Odinga, a fierce foe of the government of President Mwai Kibaki,
and lawmaker Kalonzo Musyoka, who conceded they have met the pair,
but described them as “dangerous people.”
The Armenians further claim they loaned Odinga 1.5 million dollars but
refused to grant a further three billion shillings (42 million dollars)
“to finance an anticipated no-confidence vote against the president.”
Odinga denies both these claims. He went further and produced copies
of the Armenians’ passports in public, but refused to say where he
got them from.
He and Musyoka are among opposition members of a so-called Orange
Democratic Movement (ODM) that carried out a successful campaign last
year against a government-backed constitution that handed Kibaki a
humiliating defeat in a referendum vote.
“The two individuals have never worked for the government of Kenya
nor undertaken any business with or for the government of Kenya,”
Mutua told press conference here.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIAN MFA ADVISES AZERI MEDIA NOT INTERFERING WITH US-ARMENIA RELATIONS
PanARMENIAN.Net
16.03.2006 23:48 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ According to a report of Azeri-Press agency,
“official information on recall of US Ambassador from Armenia John
Evans is confirmed. A request of agreement for appointment of a
new US Ambassador to Armenia is sent to the Armenian Ministry of
Foreign Affairs (MFA).” As MFA Spokesperson Hamlet Gasparyan told
PanARMENIAN.Net reporter, the Armenian Foreign Ministry is not aware
of any requests of the kind. He advised “Azerbaijan’s media mind their
own business and not to decide matters of recall and appointment of
Ambassadors for the US and Armenia.”
Gasparyan was also surprised by the fact that Armenian journalists
“use Azeri sources.”

EU SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE TO WORK CLOSELY WITH OSCE MG
PanARMENIAN.Net
16.03.2006 22:27 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ “I first visited Armenia in 1988, when there was
the Spitak earthquake. It was one of most decisive episodes of my
life. I spent a week in Leninakan right after the earthquake. I
worked at the Swedish Embassy in the USSR at the time. Along with
Swedish rescuers we were looking for survivors in shambles,” new EU
Special Representative for the South Caucasus Peter Semneby stated,
reports Mediamax. In his words, “it was a bloodcurdling experience,
however I respected the dignity and will power of people, affected by
the earthquake. I look forward for the day, when arriving in Armenia,
I will be able to visit those places again.”
Peter Semneby remarked, he will work closely with the co-chairs of the
OSCE Minsk Group over settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict to be
sure that any initiative is clearly coordinated. In his words, there is
hope for settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict in 2006. “Taking
into account the fact that expectations of the meeting of the Azeri
and Armenian presidents were not realized, I find it hard to judge
how realistic these hopes are. To get a comprehensive notion of the
situation, I should visit Armenia and Azerbaijan and speak with the
OSCE MG co-chairs. In any case, if the extent of my hope was not high,
I would have not agreed to this work,” Semneby remarked.
He also noted relations between Armenia, Turkey, Georgia and Russia
as a priority.

THE NEXT STOP OF THE NAGORNI KARABAKH QUESTION IS STAMBUL
A1+
04:33 pm 16 March, 2006
“It is difficult to say that there was no progress in Ramboulle. We
try to find out our further steps concerning this problem. We saw
in Yerevan and in Baku that the sides are ready to go ahead,” the
Vice Secretary of the USA State department Daniel Fried and the
Co-president of the OSCE in the Minsk group Steven Mann informed
the journalists today after the meeting with Robert Kocharyan, the
Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Minister of Defense.
They came to Yerevan from Baku. “Our visit is aimed at discussing 3
questions – the current of the conflict of Nagorni Karabakh after
Ramboulle, the energy security of the territory, especially after
the gas price changes and to view the future of the Caucasus in the
territory after solving the conflicts of NK, Osia and Abkhazia,” said
Daniel Fried. Today Mr. Fried said that his announcement, that the
opinions of the USA and RF on the settlement of the conflict do not
match, was not understood properly. On the bases of Daniel Fried’s
announcement one can suppose that there are certain disagreements
between the co-presidents of the OSCE Minsk group on the issue of
the settlement of the NK conflict. “My words weren’t taken properly.
Before our visit to Baku and our arrival in Yerevan the ambassador
Mr. Steven Mann and I met the other presidents of the OSCE, consulted
with them and got their agreement. I must say that the co-presidents
fully support the settlement of the NK conflict,” said Mr. Fried. Today
Steven Mann refused to reject or accept the announcement of the Defense
Minister Serge Sargsyan in which the latter said as if Armenia has
nothing to do with the compromises of the NK conflict and now it is
Azerbaijan’s turn to go on compromises.
“What answer do you expect from me?” asked Mr. Mann and added, “I am
sure that the two sides will go on their negotiations and they both
want to settle the conflict.” As for the meeting of the OSCE Minsk
group Co-presidents, Mr. Mann said, “Please don’t attach political
importance to the choice. My next stop will simply be Ankara and I want
to inform my companions about the results of our visits. ” By the way,
during the meeting with the journalists the vice secretary of the USA
State Department mentioned that the USA and Europe continue to observe
the diversification issues of the energetic sources, especially of
the nuclear energy. “I have seen that people are mainly interested
in atom energy in Armenia. I shall arouse that question in Washington
and we shall work in its connection.”

ALIYEV: AZERBAIJAN “WILL NOT ADMIT TEARING AWAY KARABAKH” EITHER IN 10 OR 100 YEARS
PanARMENIAN.Net
16.03.2006 23:52 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ “Armenia can never compete with Azerbaijan,” Azeri
President I. Aliyev stated at the II World Azerbaijanis Congress
March 16. In his words, Azerbaijan is increasing its military power
and its military budget makes $600 million this year. “I set a task of
making Azerbaijan’s military budget equal to all of Armenia’s budget
in the near future.” “Armenia can never compete with us. The earlier
Armenian leaders understand it, the better for them,” Aliyev said.
Aliyev said that Azerbaijan will have to reconsider its
participation in the peace talks over the Nagorno Karabakh
settlement if it sees “Armenia breaks the negotiation process and
is not constructive.” “The peace talks have been held for 12 years,
but they did not bear fruit. We abide by the peace process, however
when we encounter Armenia’s not constructive stance, our patience
expires. If Azerbaijan sees that the peace process is an imitation,
it will refuse from participation in it,” Aliyev said. In his words,
Azerbaijan will not admit tearing away Nagorno Karabakh either in
10 or 100 years. “There will be no peace accord without solving
the question of return of displaced persons to their native lands,”
the Azeri President underscored, Trend reports.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress