Pan Armenian News

ARMENIA HAILS US CONGRESS PASSING TWO ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RESOLUTIONS

17.09.2005 03:11

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenia welcomed the endorsement by the US House
International Relations Committee of two Armenian Genocide Resolutions and
expressed hope that they will be passed by the full House of
Representatives. `We welcome the decision by the House International
Relations Committee and consider it to be yet another step towards
international recognition of the Armenian Genocide,’ the spokesman for
Armenia’s Foreign Ministry, Hamlet Gasparyan said. `We hope that the issue
will be put before the full House of Representatives and that it will
discuss and adopt the resolutions,’ Gasparyan said. `I wouldn’t like to link
the resolutions adopted by third countries to Turkish-Armenian relations,’
he said. `As far as I know, the parliaments that have recognized the
Armenian genocide urged Turkey in one way or another to normalize its
relations with Armenia,’ Gasparyan remarked, reported RFE/RL.

AZG Armenian Daily #167, 17/09/2005

Cooperation

ARMENIA TO TAKE PART IN SEMINAR ON RUSSIAN-KOREAN COOPERATION

On September 26, a seminar titled “Russian-Korean Trade-Economic Relations.
Current State and Prospects” will take place in Moscow. Participants of the
seminar are going to discuss issues concerning cooperation in Russian and
Korean investment projects, relations in the sphere of high technologies
etc. A session of the Russia-South Korea Business Council with the
participation of co-chairs Ara Abrahamian and Chong Pae will be held the
next day.

Businessmen from Armenia will also take part in the arrangements to discuss
issues of further development of Armenian-Korean cooperation. The Armenian
consul to South Korea, Armen Abrahamian, and the Union of Manufacturers and
Businessmen of Armenia will present Armenia at the meetings.

Armenia will participate in the arrangements as a third side by approbation
of the Russian and Korean sides.

By Aghavni Harutyunian

A1+

| 20:52:40 | 16-09-2005 | Official |

BLOCKADE HINDERS ARMENIA

Today in New York during the high-level meetings in the UN Assembly General
60th session the RA Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan addressed the
Assembly.

He mentioned in his speech that one of the guarantees for stability and
security in the region is the peaceful settlement of regional conflicts, and
Armenia continues his attempts to find ways of peaceful settlement.

He said that the people of Nagorno Karabakh have made use of their right of
self-determination just like many other countries present and expressed
confidence that the peaceful co-existence of the countries in the region is
possible only in case of mutual respect, atmosphere of tolerance and will to
accept historical truth.

He also said that in the Southern Caucasus region special attention is paid
to the cooperation on the regional level, but unfortunately the blockade of
Armenia, as well as the absence of the wish to cooperate on the side of
several countries in the region hinder this.

A1+

| 19:32:38 | 16-09-2005 | Politics |

HISTORICAL CHANCE FOR KARABAKH

`The EU defends the steps towards the development of the negotiation process
about the settlement of the Karabakh conflict between Armenia and
Azerbaijan’, announced the EU special representative to Southern Caucasus
Heikki Talvitie in Baku.

He mentioned that the settlement of the conflict is possible only by the
efforts of the parties underlining that `No one from abroad can solve the
problem’.

According to eh EU special representative, the Kazan meeting of Ilham Aliev
and Robert Kocharyan `gives us the possibility to mark that there is
historical chance for the Nagorno Karabakh conflict to be settled and it
must be made use of’.

A1+

18:58:41 | 16-09-2005 | Politics |

FROM THE RETURN OF DEPOSITS TO FUNERALS

«The deposits must be returned with dignity», said Galoust Sahakyan
justifying the present idleness of the Government. And Viktor Dallakyan
considers it natural that the NA session did not start with the discussion
of the draft about the return of the deposits, but finished it with that of
the Law on «Funerals».

Member of the fraction «Democratic Deputy» Rafik Petrosyan speaking about
the draft on «Funerals» mentioned that the Church is not against crematoria
and that the process is optional. «By the wish of the relatives of the
dead», he commented.

And the Secretary of the Justice Bloc Viktor Dallakyan made an interesting
observation. Reading the Governmental conclusion about a draft presented by
the Orinats Yerkir and the Armenian Revolutionary Federation invited
attention on the fact that the draft presented by the majority is rejected
by the Government formed by the majority reasoning that the budget cannot
allot money for that purpose. «That is, they do not know what they want and
what they are doing», said the deputy.

A1+

| 18:40:26 | 16-09-2005 | Politics |

PARLIAMENTARY BRIEFINGS ABOUT THE CONSTITUTION

The opposition is against the Constitutional reforms as the authorizations
of the President are reduced, and those who tend to the President’s chair
cannot resist the temptation of high authorizations.

«The authorities were able to resist to the temptation», said Galoust
Sahakyan during the Parliamentary briefings today. Asked the question if the
authorities were not able to resist to the temptation in 2003 when they did
not manage to preach the Constitutional reforms and to adopt them, Galoust
Sahakyan reminded that the referendum coincided with the Elections.

Member of the Orinats Yerkir party Mher Shahgeldyan announced that they find
the democratization of the country extremely important and everything mist
be done for that purpose, in this case a more democratic Constitution must
be adopted.

Leader of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation Levon Lazarian finds that
the opposition must be able to give ground for their «No» and the
authorities for their «Yes».

Leader of the National Unity Artashes Geghamyan reminded the Constitution of
Turkey at the end of the 19th century written by Abdul Hamid which was
considered the best in Europe. Nevertheless, it was under that very
Constitution that 300 thousand Armenians were killed. The same can be said
under Stalin’s Constitution. «So, what is written on the paper is of no
importance, as under these authorities we cannot expect anything good».

And is it possible that the organization of the Constitutional Referendum be
postponed? Artashes Geghamyan said that everyone understands that today, in
an atmosphere of non-confidence of the authorities organizing a
Constitutional Referendum will mean to fail it. «It means that even they
understand that the authorities have exhausted themselves».

Viktor Dallakyan announced, «It is not that people aren’t ready for the
referendum, they themselves are not ready for democratic, free and fair
voting».

EU SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE ON SOUTH CAUCASUS APPRECIATES MEETINGS OF
ARMENIAN AND AZERBAIJANI PRESIDENTS IN KAZAN

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 16. ARMINFO. European Union Special Representative
for the South Caucasus Heikki Talvitie appreciated the meeting of
Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents, Robert Kocharyan and Ilham
Aliyev, in Kazan.

Speaking at a press conference in Baku, Thursday, Heikki Talvitie
thinks the conflicting parties should use this chance. European Union
attaches a great importance to the forthcoming elections in
Azerbaijan, Talvitie said promising to visit that country before and
after the elections. He welcomed the opposition-government dialogue
mediated by the OSCE. At the same time, he thinks the great interest
in the forthcoming elections must not neglect the Karabakh conflict.

Pan Armenian News

MINISTERS OF CULTURE OF SOUTH CAUCASIAN STATES SIT IN KYEV

16.09.2005 04:18

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The 5-th colloquium of the Ministers of Culture of the
South Caucasian states started today in Kyev within the framework of STAGE
project targeted at cultural exchange between Armenia, Azerbaijan and
Georgia and support of democratic processes. When delivering a speech at the
opening ceremony Maud de Boer Buquicchio, Deputy Secretary General of the
Council of Europe stated that the implementation of the project will
strengthen the cultural dialogue contributing to tolerance, mutual
understanding and stability in the South Caucasus. Upon completion of the
colloquium on September 18 a declaration will be adopted, IA Regnum
reported.

AZG Armenian Daily #167, 17/09/2005

Armenian Genocide

TURKEY VERY CAREFUL IN REPULSING WASHINGTON’S DECISION

The two resolutions on Armenian Genocide commemoration and acknowledgment of
the Ottoman Turkey’s role in it passed by the US International Relations
Committee of the House of Representatives last night presumed that Turkey
would fight back fiercely. The Turkish Zaman daily newspaper conditioned
endorsement of the two resolutions with “Turkey’s refusal of the March 1
motion to allow US troops to open a northern front before the Iraqi war”.

In the article titled “US House Takes Revenge of March 1 Motion by the
Armenian Draft”, Zaman quoted the International Relations Committee’s senior
co-chair Tom Lantos as saying that more US soldiers were lost in Iraq today
because the March 1 motion was not approved in the Turkish Parliament”.

According to another paper, Milliyet, Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff who
submitted the draft “Commemoration Decision of the Armenian Genocide between
1915 and 1923” also spoke of the March 1 decision of the Turkish Parliament.
He spoke not to argue the resolutions on the Genocide but to reply to the
message sent to Chair House Judiciary Committee, Henry Hyde, saying that the
resolutions may damage Turkish-US relations. Milliyet writes that Schiff
underscored Turkey’s importance for the US and said: “The March 1 decision
of the Turkish Parliament did not result in spoiled Turkish-American
relations. Therefore the resolutions should not harm these relations”.

Hyde came to add to Schiff’s words saying: “I don’t believe that endorsement
of the resolutions will harm relations between the two states. Yet, denial
of the fact of genocide cannot be justified. In the meantime I want to point
out that Turkey is not responsible for that crime”.

The paper writes that the committee members occasionally mentioned of
Germany’s responsibility for the Holocaust and warned Turkey that filling
lawsuits against Turks who recognize Armenian Genocide (as in case of Orhan
Pamuk) will result in nothing good.

The absence of resistance in Turkey towards the resolutions of the House
International Relations Committee is a sign of watchfulness but not a sign
of impotence. Simply Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is still on his
American visit and will return today, Sept. 17. It’s out of doubt that
Erdogan takes appropriate steps in this direction, and opposition will
follow once he is back in Ankara.

By Hakob Chakrian

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

AZG Armenian Daily #167, 17/09/2005

Meeting

MARGARIAN-AHMADINEJAD MEETING IN NEW YORK

On the sidelines of 60th Session of the UN General Assembly Armenian Prime
Minister met yesterday President of Iran. According to sources close to the
RA government, PM Andranik Margarian told the Iranian President that Iran’s
balanced policy played a significant role in maintaining stability in the
South Caucasus and expressed hope that Tehran will continue this policy.
President Ahmud Ahmadinejad stated that Iran’s policy is to deepen
Armenian-Iranian relations. The sides emphasized the importance of
implementation of mutual economic projects.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress