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

ABKHAZ OFFICIALS QUESTION MOTIVES OF DETAINED GEORGIAN JOURNALISTS
Apsnypress, Sukhumi
6 Mar 06
Sukhumi, 6 March: The state security service of Abkhazia has opened
criminal cases against two citizens of Georgia and one Ukrainian
citizen who were arrested last week in Gulripshi District. The state
security service told Apsnypress that they had illegally crossed the
Georgian-Abkhaz border on the Inguri river.
One of those detained – Georgian citizen Tea Sharia – was born in
1980, grew up in Abkhazia’s Gali District and now lives in Tbilisi,
where she is a student at the history faculty of Tbilisi State
University. The second Georgian citizen, Tariel Sokhadze, was born
in 1966 and grew up in Tbilisi. When he was arrested he claimed
to be one Sarkis Minosyan from the town of Leninakan [in Armenia,
now known as Gyumri]. “Neither of them had documents confirming
their identities, except for a plastic card given to Sharia by the
authorities of the so-called Autonomous Republic of Abkhazia [the
pro-Georgian government-in-exile],” the security service said.
The third individual was Temur Eliava, who was born in 1973 and raised
in [Abkhazia’s] Tqvarcheli. Since 1992 he has lived in Ukraine and
is now a citizen of that country. Eliava was carrying documents.
Under questioning the prisoners told the state security service that
they had come to Abkhazia to film monasteries and churches. They said
that they had entered Abkhazia through lower Gali District bypassing
border checkpoints and had left their documents with relatives
in Zugdidi.
At the moment they were arrested they had already been to Gali,
Tqvarcheli, Sukhumi and the village of Myku [Georgian: Mokvi]. In
their photographic and video material there were clips of a chapel
in Tqvarcheli, road and railway bridges across the Kelasuri river in
Sukhumi, railway platforms at Gumskaya station in Sukhumi, panoramas
of Sukhumi and a range of footage of other buildings not related to
religious monuments. Today, 6 March, a representative of the UN human
rights office visited the prisoners.
Foreign minister Sergey Shamba said the illegal entry of the Georgian
journalists arrested on 1 March was an act of provocation. [Passage
omitted]
“It is naive to think that the footage of railway bridges and stations
which they filmed is related to religious monuments,” Shamba said. He
doubted that Georgian Patriarch Ilia II had blessed the trip as
claimed by the prisoners.
Shamba noted that “they undoubtedly knew about the rules for crossing
state borders and came to Abkhazia bypassing border checkpoints”.
“Every international organization working in Abkhazia and Georgia
knows how to enter Abkhazia legally,” the minister said.
“The aim justified the means. They succeeded in being provocative.
The Georgian television company Rustavi-2 loudly reported the arrest
of these so-called journalists, saying that ‘Abkhaz terrorists have
beaten them up’,” Shamba said.
According to Shamba, their presence and filming in Abkhazia had
no connection to Orthodox churches. “They had completely different
motives,” the minister said.

ARMENIAN DEFENCE MINISTER, US DIPLOMAT DISCUSS TIES
Mediamax news agency
7 Mar 06
Yerevan, 7 March: Armenian Defence Minister Serzh Sarkisyan met with
US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian
Affairs Mathew Bryza in Yerevan today.
Bryza thanked Armenia for the participation in the peacekeeping
operations in Iraq and noted that the Armenian-US relations were
entering a new development stage, Col Seyran Shakhsuvaryan, spokesman
for the Armenian Defence Ministry, has told Mediamax.
According to the source, Bryza pointed out to open and transparent
discussions of Armenia’s draft national security strategy in the
Armenian media.
The Nagornyy Karabakh settlement was also discussed at the meeting.

OBSERVERS OF ARMENIA AS WELL TO LOOK AFTER PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS IN UKRAINE
Noyan Tapan
Mar 07 2006
YEREVAN, MARCH 7, NOYAN TAPAN. Observers from Armenia as well
will follow the parliamentary elections to take place in Ukraine
on Macrh 26. As the Noyan Tapan correspondent was informed by the
RA National Assembly’s Foreign Relations Department, NA Deputies
Hovhannes Margarian, “Orinats Yerkir” (Country of Law) party member,
and Rafik Grigorian, “RPA” faction member will leave for Ukraine
in the observation mission staff of the CIS Interparliamentary
Assembly. Hamlet Abrahamian, the RA Central Electoral Commission
Secretary, ARF Dashnaktsutiun representative will also leave for
that country to implement observation mission at the invitation of
the Ukrainian CEC.

AZERBAIJANI ARMED FORCES BREAKS CEASE-FIRE AGAIN
Noyan Tapan
Mar 07 2006
YEREVAN, MARCH 7, NOYAN TAPAN. The Azerbaijani Armed Forces fired in
the direction of Vayk at about 19:05, March 6, at the same time in
two different directions of Ijevan at about 02:50, March 7. As Noyan
Tapan was informed by Colonel Seyran Shahsuvarian, the RA Defence
Minister’s Press Secretary, the Armenian side didn’t answer, there
are no injuries.

5 DEPUTIES OF RA NA AND 4 REPRESENTATIVES OF ELECTORAL SYSTEM TO OBSERVE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS OF BELARUS
Noyan Tapan
Mar 07 2006
YEREVAN, MARCH 7, NOYAN TAPAN. 5 deputies of the RA National
Assembly and 4 representatives of the electoral system will observe
the presidential elections to be held in Belarus on March 19. As the
Noyan Tapan correspondent was informed by the RA NA Foreign Relations
Department, Karen Karapetian, the head of the “People’s Deputy”
deputies’ group, Mkhitar Nikoyan and Manvel Ghazarian, members of
the same group, Aghasi Arshakian, a member of the “National Unity”
faction will observe the elections in Belarus in the CIS and OSCE
observation missions staff. As it was informed beforehand, Central
Electoral Commission members Sevak Arakelian, the “ULP” faction
representative and Armine Kharatian, the “People’s Deputy” deputies’
group representative as well as Liana Simonian, the CEC Foriegn Ties
Department Chief and Yeghish Terterian, the Chairman of the of No9
district electoral commission of Yerevan will also leave for Belarus.

OPINION OF ARMENIANS NGO PROPOSES RECOGNIZING NKR INDEPENDENCE IN LIBERATED TERRITORIES
Noyan Tapan
Mar 07 2006
YEREVAN, MARCH 7, NOYAN TAPAN. The Opinion of Armenians NGO
of support to democracy proposes and asks to recognize the NKR
independence in the liberated territories. In its statement the NGO
also proposes quartering permanent observers or peacekeepers on the
NKR-Azerbaijan contact-line until signing of a reconciliation agreement
by Azerbaijan. The organization presents his estimation and proposal
to CE, OSCE Minsk Group and leaders of regional countries for the
purpose of assisting NKR international recognition and establishment
of stable peace in the region. According to the statement authors,
the anti-Armenian propaganda in Azerbaijan, composing of a history
of their own, declaring a national hero and a man of the year the
Azerbaijani officer who have killed the Armenian officer in Budapest
with an axe and the appeals to kill Armenians confirm that the
Azerbaijani party isn’t preparing for a peaceful settlement of the
problem. The organization expresses an opinion that no Armenian refugee
will express willingness to return to Azerbaijan and the Azerbaijani
refugees mustn’t be returned to Armenia “as Turkey and Azerbaijan
reserve for themselves the right to render military assistance to
foreign Turks as it was done in Cyprus”.

“ACCORD” MONTHLY PRESENTED IN STEPANAKERT
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Mar 07 2006
STEPANAKERT, MARCH 7, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The presentation
of the 17th issue of the “Accord” monthly took place in Stepanakert
on March 3.
This was dedicated to the Karabakh conflict settlement. Representatives
of the “Conciliation Resources” international non-governmental
organization, owing to the financial aid of which the monthly is
published, the NKR Parliament deputies, representatives of the
Foreign Ministry and the non-governmental sectrum, scientists and
journalists, guests from Armenia, Georgia, Abkhazia and Azerbaijan were
present at the presentation. As “Conciliation Resources” Caucasian
Programme Co-Director Jonathan Cohen mentioned, publication of the
given issue of the magazine is an attempt to analyze reaons of the
impasse situation created in the negotiation process. Its goal is
to create conditions for wide discussions. “Accord” Editor Laurence
Broers stated that the presentation of the monthly issue coincided the
difficult period of time for the negotiation process directed to the
Karabakh conflict settlement and the society’s disappointment after
the Rambouillet negotiations. At the same time, he emphasized, that
it’s impossible to get peace without using resources of wide strate
of the society. According to him, today Nagorno Karabakh practically
is out of the negotiation process, and the negotiations were moved
in the Armenia-Azerbaijan format, field of clearing up international
relations. As Noyan Tapan was informed by the NKR Foreign Ministry’s
Information-Analytical Department, attempts of creating false
parallels of the type of “Armenian community of Nagorno Karabakh”
and “Azerbaijani community of Nagorno Karabakh,” speculations on
historic facts, moving the conlfict on the Armenia-Azerbaijan field
were particularly mentioned during the discussions. The necessity of
the Nagorno Karabakh participation in negotiations was particularly
emphasized. The monthly’s presentations and wide discussions took
place and are envisaged in Yerevan, Baku, Tbilisi, London, Washington.

ARMENIA AGREES TO COVER EXPENSES OF BAKU-BASED TRASECA SECRETARIAT
Armenpress
Mar 14 2006
YEREVAN, MARCH 14, ARMENPRESS: Armenian constitutional court ruled
today that an agreement signed by Armenia on funding of the TRASECA
secretariat that is seated in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, does
not breach the constitution.
Transport and communication minister Andranik Manukian said all 12
members of TRASECA agreed in 2005 April to provide funds for the
secretariat to cover its expenses, which were earlier covered by the
European Commission. Manukian said the secretariat’s annual budget
makes 600,000 euros and each country’s contribution will be about
50,000 euros.
He also said the European Commission will provide 2 million euros for
examination of the technical condition of Yerevan-Tbilisi railway,
as well as 1,800,000 euros for repair of destroyed sections of the
railroad. Armenia has already received 5.5 million euros from the
European Commission as part of TRASECA program.
OSCE OFFICE HELPS OPEN AARHUS CENTER IN TAVUSH YEREVAN, MARCH 14,
ARMENPRESS: The OSCE Office in Yerevan has supported the opening of
an Aarhus public environmental information Center in the capital of
Armenia’s Tavush province, Ijevan.
“The Center will promote public access to information, participation
in decision-making and access to justice in environmental matters —
the three main pillars of the Aarhus Convention ratified by Armenia
in 2001,” said Ambassador Vladimir Pryakhin, the Head of the OSCE
Office. “Serving as a unique link between governmental authorities
and non-governmental organizations in the field of environmental
policy-making and awareness raising, the Center will help create a
climate of transparency in environmental affairs and contribute to
the democratization and good governance in the region.”
The OSCE Office in Yerevan supports the establishment of a network
of Aarhus Centers in Armenia to promote the principles and values of
the international Aarhus Convention and to address security related
environmental issues.