THE US EX-PRESIDENT ASSISTANT ON NATIONAL SECURITY ISSUES SAID ARMENIAN ARMED FORCES TO OCCUPY THE TERRITORY OF AZERBAIJAN
Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
April 27 2006
Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev, who is on a visit in the US has
hold his first meeting on April 26 in Washington in International
Relations Institute. APA quoting “Azer tag’ informs that the US
ex- president assistant on national security issues, general Brent
Skoukroft has stated in the meeting that Azerbaijan is most starategic
partners of the US.
Dealing with Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict, Mr.Brent has stated
Armenian Armed Forces to occupy the territory of Azerbaijan. He
highly valued the Azerbaijani parts’ efforts toward conflict
resolution, and Azerbaijan’s right position will be supported
after that. President Ilham Aliyev has stated that Azerbaijan is
in the stage of development. Azerbaijani President said he attaches
strategical importance to the US-Azerbaijan relations, existence of
mutual understanding in the field of security, economic field. The
state head spoke of the history of Armenian-Azerbaijan conflict,
its bitter results for our country, of the negotiations for conflict
settlement. The Azerbaijani president stressed in the course of
talks the Azerbaijan territorial integrity not being the issue of
discussion, and Armenia being monoetnhic state and being outside of
the regional projects. President Ilham Aliyev has specially stressed
that, official Baku is ready to give high autonomous status to Nagorno
Garabagh within the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.
President Ilham Aliyev added that Azerbaijani oil will be delivered to
world market through the oil- pipeline which will be operated recently.
With regard to Iran issue, Ilham Aliyev said that Azerbaijan is for
peaceful solution of all the problems in the region: “In accordance
with the agreement signed between Azerbaijan and Iran, our territories
can not be used for military purposes against each other.”
Touching upon Azerbaijan-Russia relations, Mr.Aliyev has stated
that these relations develop successfully in all fields: “Azerbaijan
selecting economic development, mutual cooperation, will never turn
to the field of confrontation.”
Azerbaijani President visited “Arlington” national cemetery in
Washington yesterday. It should be noted that since the day of
establishment of the US state, martyrs died for the independence of
the country have been buried in this cemetery. American soldiers, who
died in military operations, have also been buried in this cemetery.
Mr.Aliyef laid a wreath to grave of Unknown Soldier. Azerbaijani-
the US anthems were sounded. The Azerbaijani state head familiarized
with the museum here. Azerbaijani state head had presented memorial
gift to the museum. Mr.Aliyev has met in his residence with the
US NGO representatives operating in Azerbaijan. Soros Foundation,
“Human Rights Watch”, “Freedom House”, IREX organuizations and National
Democracy Institute representatives have participated in the meeting.
President Ilham Aliyev gave interview to PBC channel of the US. The
visit continues.

AZERI LEADER DRAWS LINE ON HELPING U.S. VS. IRAN
By Barry Schweid
Chicago Tribune
April 27 2006
WASHINGTON — President Ilham Aliev of Azerbaijan opened a three-day
visit to the United States on Wednesday by saying he would not
allow his country to be used by the U.S. for any operations against
neighboring Iran.
Aliev, scheduled to meet with President Bush on Friday, cited a
“very clear” agreement with Iran that the two countries would not
permit their territory to be used for operations against the other.
His visit comes at a time of rising U.S. tensions with Iran over its
nuclear program, and Aliev said he would remain at arms’ length from
that conflict.
“Azerbaijan will not be engaged in any kind of potential operation
against Iran,” he said in remarks at the private Council on Foreign
Relations.
The Caspian nation, which shares a border with Iran and Russia, is
strategically important to the U.S. because of its location and its
role in supplying oil to the West.
Azerbaijan wants to remain an “island of stability” in the region,
Aliev said. At the same time, he said Azerbaijan had sent troops to
Iraq, Afghanistan and Kosovo and would “do its best to stand shoulder
to shoulder” with the United States on security.
The president, who took office in October 2003, has the potential to
be an intermediary between the Bush administration and Iran. Iranian
Defense Minister Mustafa Mohammad Najjar, on a visit to Baku last
week, said Aliev could use his talks in Washington to “explain”
Iran’s views to the United States.
Aliev said he did not think Iran would be a “major aspect” of his
talks in Washington, which are due to include a meeting with Vice
President Dick Cheney. But he said that “if the question of regional
security arises we will discuss it.”
Azerbaijan is committed to peace in the region, he said. “We need to
try to provide peace and stability.”
“At this time,” he said, “it is best to concentrate on a peaceful
resolution” of the dispute over Iran’s nuclear programs, which the
United States and European allies say seek development of a nuclear
bomb.
On another issue, Aliev conceded there was need for political reform
in his country, a former Soviet republic that became independent 16
years ago. Referring to Azerbaijan’s energy boom, Aliev said “economic
reform without political reform will lead to severe problems.” He
said his country was moving forward on both fronts.
Rights groups have criticized the nation for restricting political
and human rights and questioned whether U.S. criticism would be muted
due to Azerbaijan’s role in supplying oil.
The international pro-democracy group Freedom House on Tuesday said
Azerbaijan restricts political and human rights and is among the
lowest-ranked countries in the private rights group’s annual surveys.
“President Bush has made democracy promotion a priority of his
presidency,” Freedom House Executive Director Jennifer Windsor said.
“His upcoming meeting with President Aliev presents an important
opportunity for him to discuss Azerbaijan’s democracy deficit.”
In response to questions Wednesday, Aliev rejected the description
of his government as a “regime” and said, “We have all the major
freedoms.”
In his remarks, Aliev spoke most about a dispute with Armenia over the
Nagorno-Karabakh enclave of Azerbaijan. Ethnic Armenian forces are in
the region in what Aliev called an occupation. He said Azerbaijan’s
recovery of the territory is not subject to negotiations.

DELEGATION OF “SO-CALLED” TURKISH REPUBLIC OF NORTHERN CYPRUS TO PARTICIPATE AT OIC SESSION
Author: A.Mamedova
TREND Information, Azerbaijan
April 27 2006
Delegation of Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is going to
participate at the session of Council of Foreign Ministers of
Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) held in June in Baku, Trend
reports quoting head of Representation of the Turkish Republic of
Northern Cyprus to Azerbaijan Mustafa Evran, who said his country
has an observer’s status in OIC.
Speaking of the agenda, Evran said he didn’t rule out the possibility
of discussion of conflicts in OIC region. Usually, he explained,
among other issues the theme of Cyprus, Kashmir and Azeri-Armenian
conflict are out to examination.
Diplomat categorically opposed the opinion on similarity between
Cyprus issue and Nagorno-Karabakh problem. He said all conflicts in
the world have their own history and reasons, and it is incorrect to
establish any similarity among them all.
“Azeri grounds occupied by Armenia still belong to Azerbaijan and
must be returned to Azerbaijan”,- Evran stated.

ONE AZERBAIJANI ARMY SOLDIER WOUNDED AS RESULT OF CEASEFIRE VIOLATED BY ARMENIA
Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
April 27 2006
As a result of ceasefire violation by Armenian Armed Forces in Terter
region direction, one soldier of Azerbaijani Army was deadly wounded.
According to the information of Garabagh bureau of APA Novruz
Ismayilov Nuraddin has been taken to a hospital with a wound on his
face. Azerbaijani Defense Ministry press service has confirmed the
information. Press service chief substitute Ilgar Verdiyev has informed
APA that, Ismayilov was drafted to military service in October 2005
from Dashkesan region military commissariat. He said the health of
the soldier in the hospital to be medium-constant.

EXTRACTING A LESSON FROM ARMENIAN EMIGRATION
By Mehmet Kamis
Zaman Online, Turkey
April 27 2006
The Editor in Chief of the Armenian newspaper Agos, Hrant Dink
and Turkish-Armenian Patriarch Mesrob Mutafyan made two different
statements last week on the Armenian issue. Dink said it was a big
mistake on the part of the Armenians to trust the British, Germans,
French, and Russians.
Protestant missionaries and Russians caused conflicts among the
two communities which had lived together for centuries, during
the last years of the Ottoman Empire, and they watched the events
that unfolded and the Armenian emigration. These countries acted in
accordance with the interests of their respective states and left
when their interests were at risk. These provocations caused the
deaths of hundreds of thousands of Turks and Armenians. People were
left homeless. Children became orphans and women became widows. Two
good friends became enemies, perhaps forever. The big states left
this region after getting what they wanted. Neither the rights nor
the future of the Armenians was secured.
Unfortunately, the same game is being played today and the players
of this game do not even need the least change in tactics. The game
that was planned for the Armenians in the past is presently being
planned for the Kurds. Those who are striving for the establishment of
a Kurdish state with encouragement from Western powers are not taking
the future into account. They do not care about what they will do with
the regional forces they are provoking, after these foreign powers
leave this region. However, the locals should make their calculations
very well as to what they are going to do when the foreigners are gone.
Mutafyan’s remarks last week need to be diagnosed very well. Looking
at the Armenian issue from another perspective, he said that Armenian
political parties and Armenian patriarchs in the 19th century also
bore the responsibility for the outbreak of the crisis. Mutafyan,
undoubtedly, did not put all the blame on the shoulders of the
Armenians; however, he stressed that the Armenians and big states
also bore the responsibility along with the Ottoman Empire.
What I am particularly interested in here is the mistakes of the
Armenian leaders; the Armenian patriarchs not fulfilling their
duties of averting such a crisis and the Armenian leaders not warning
the youths sufficiently to prevent them from being deceived. It is
necessary to scrutinize the mistakes of the Armenian leaders who
did not issue the necessary warnings and take measures against the
provocations made by the Russian spies and Protestant missionaries
at the break in this historical faultline.
Dink’s and Mutafyan’s statements on the Armenian issue are such
that could bring a new perspective to history. These rare warning
statements show that this geography can still extract very important
lessons from the past. Instead of judging the past once again, we
should rather focus on “What lessons could be drawn today from those
events”. While events that occurred 90 years ago are being reenacted
through the Kurds this time, one should look back at those days again
and extract lessons from the mistakes. Powers outside the region,
which have some plans for this region, have always provoked conflicts
among various ethnicities here. When their plans materialize and they
leave the region, the region’s residents are left on their own.
Turks and Kurds had been living in these lands before everyone else.
They had the same belief and thought. They married each other. They
are still living in these lands and will also continue to do so in
the future. Moreover, they are still relatives. Their leaders, with
common sense, should tell the youths more about these realities. The
leaders of the Kurds, in particular, should understand this historical
fact well and act in a more constructive manner. Ethnic nationalism
has done no good to any nation; it will do the Kurds no good, either.
People living in this geography should be more careful when they are
listening to the utterances of foreigners. If there is another break
in the faultline, the consequences will be hard to bear.

GEORGE BUSH DISAPPOINTED ARMENIANS
Democratic Azerbaijan
April 27 2006
US President made no mention of genocide in his traditional speech
George Bush, US President disappointed Armenians once more. According
to Hurriyyet Turkish newspaper, a day of so-called Armenian genocide
the President of the United States addressed concerning the events
held in Ottoman Empire in 1915. But in his speech he did not use of
word genocide.
In his speech G. Bush said that the events took place in early XX
are considered as tragedy, and nobody should forget it. G.Bush noted
that he welcomes the people trying to research certainty of events of
last century. US President informed that all conditions for regulation
of multilateral dialogue and normal relationship between two States,
including establishment of Joint Commission will be created.
In his address G. Bush touched upon Nagorno-Garabagh conflict. “We
adhere to the opinion that this point should be settled as soon as
possible by peaceful meanings, and we do not lose a hope for that
Azerbaijan and Armenian leaders will undertake proper steps for
attainment of these purposes”, says presidential address. Armenian
lobby not being able to keep discontent accused the US President of
non-implementation of his promises. According to Sabah newspaper,
Armenian lobby held rally in front of the building of Turkish Embassy
to Washington. Group composed of Azerbaijanis and Turks opposed them.
This group accompanied by police and security forces of Washington,
with Azerbaijan and Turkish flags, advanced slogans against
Armenians. In spite of diligence of police, one Armenian could squeeze
into group of Azerbaijanis, but he had been detained by police and
taken away from this territory.
P.S. Armenians attracted the very young children to rally.
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STORMING THE STREETS
By Carl Kozlowski
Pasadena Weekly, CA
April 27 2006
Hanging red, blue and orange Armenian flags throughout Glendale and
LA, thousands of Armenian Americans took to the streets Monday for
an annual demonstration memorializing the 1915 genocide of more than
1.5 million Armenians by the Ottoman Turk government.
Goals of the protesters were twofold: To draw an admission of guilt
and the offer of reparations from the Turkish government, and to
inspire Congress to officially recognize the genocide and pressure
Turkey into doing so as well.
Whether packing the gymnasium of Glendale High School for a
commemoration assembly produced by the school’s 400-member Armenian
Club or taking part in the 2,500-person march to the Turkish Consulate
at 6300 Wilshire Blvd., the day’s events may have remained on a
smaller scale than the city’s recent immigration protests, but were
intensified by the same type of righteous energy.
“Basically, the purpose of this type of activity is to keep the public
aware of what happened in 1915, what’s the current situation, and what
needs to be done,” said Vahe Bozoyan, a math teacher at Glendale High
and sponsor of the Armenian Club.
As for Turkey, “The only way the continuing intransigence on the
part of the Turkish government will change is when we withdraw US
military aid to the government of Turkey,” said Bill Paparian, an
Armenian American and former mayor of Pasadena who is running for
Congress as a member of the Green Party.
“We must begin a program of divestment similar to what happened in
the government of South Africa in order to shun their government into
ending apartheid.”

AZERIS STAGING PROTESTS AT YEREVAN’S GENOCIDE CLAIMS
AzerNews Weekly, Azerbaijan
April 27 2006
Azerbaijani and Turkish communities are staging actions of protest
worldwide to condemn the so-called Armenian genocide campaign. The
Armenians allege that on April 24, 1915, they fell victim to genocide
on the part of the Turks.
The objective of the Azerbaijani and Turkish communities is to provide
an accurate account of what really happened in Turkey in 1915. The
World Azerbaijanis Congress is now conducting one such action in the
capital of Russia’s Tatarstan, Kazan.
Ethnic Azeris and Turks are expected to launch a series of protests in
a number of American and European countries to counter the genocide
claims. A representative of the US-Azerbaijan Friendship Society,
Badir Mammadli, said in Washington that large-scale campaigns will
be held outside the Turkish embassy. For this, posters and photo
stands have been prepared documenting the atrocities unleashed by
the Armenians in Khojaly. Hundreds of civilians were brutally killed
by Armenian forces in the Khojaly district on February 26, 1992,
which marks one of the bloodiest pages in Azerbaijan’s history. A
representative of the Movement for Azerbaijan in Germany, Guldana
Rzayeva, said local Turks and Jews would join the actions of protest
to be staged by the movement. Similar actions will be held through
May 8 in many parts of the world.

ARMENIAN ARMY 45,000-PEOPLE STRONG
AzerNews Weekly, Azerbaijan
April 27 2006
Armenian Defense Minister Serzh Sarkisian has said his country’s
troops are 45,000 people strong, explaining this by the current
situation in the South Caucasus region.
Touching upon the plight and structure of the three-million nation’s
forces, Sarkisian said it is common knowledge that the Armenian
military consists of infantry regiment units and the air force. The
troops are not centralized in any way and have no local headquarters.
“There is only one chief HQ overseeing all of the armed forces. This
involves commanding separate corps, artillery units and air defense
forces,” said the minister, who also serves as secretary of the
Armenian National Security Council. Sarkisian, who attended military
training in the occupied Azeri territories last week, maintained that
despite his country’s adherence to peace talks, it should improve
its military in the meantime. Sarkisian’s statements at a time of
intensifying international efforts to accelerate the peace process
once again prove that the root-cause of the long-standing dispute
is not the aspiration of Garabagh Armenians to self-determination,
but Yerevan’s occupation plans. The Armenian minister trying to cover
up his country’s policy of aggression explained his participation in
the illegal training activities by what he called Yerevan’s acting
as guarantor for the security of the self-proclaimed republic until
the Garabagh conflict is settled.

OMBUDSMEN OF BSEC GATHER IN ISTANBUL
AzerTag, Azerbaijan
April 27 2006
Ombudsmen of the Organization of Black Sea Economic Cooperation
(BSEC) have gathered in Istanbul, Turkey, to discuss role of ombudsman
institution in strengthening democracy.
The two-day conference organized with the assistance of the
Parliamentary Assembly of BSEC started on April 26.
Addressing the meeting, former Turkish President Suleyman Demirel
expressed hope that ombudsmen would contribute to bring peace and
stability to the region.
Human rights commissioner of Azerbaijan Mrs. Elmira Suleymanova spoke
of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
She said over one million Azerbaijani nationals were forced to flee
their homelands and became refugees or internally displaced persons
(IDP) in result of 18-years long Armenian aggression.
Mrs. Suleymanova also called on all the human rights defenders to step
up their efforts to help Azerbaijani refugees return to their homes.
The conference will last until April 27.