ARMENIA, AZERBAIJAN UNDER STRONG PRESSURE TO HAMMER OUT NK PEACE
By Emil Danielyan
Eurasia Daily Monitor, DC
May 31 2006
The United States, Russia, and France are stepping up pressure on
Armenia and Azerbaijan in a last-ditch attempt to secure a framework
agreement settling the Karabakh conflict this year. The three powers
co-chairing the OSCE Minsk Group have set the stage for yet another
Armenian-Azerbaijani summit that could prove decisive in eliminating
the number one source of instability in the South Caucasus.
Official Baku and Yerevan announced last week that Presidents Ilham
Aliyev and Robert Kocharian will meet for a second time in less than
four months on the sidelines of a high-level forum of Black Sea states
that is scheduled to take place in Bucharest on June 4-6. All signs
suggest that the two leaders are as close to striking a compromise deal
as ever. Their failure to do so would be an enormous setback that would
keep the bitter territorial dispute unresolved at least until 2009.
High-ranking French, Russian, and U.S. diplomats underscored this
reality as they paid an extraordinary joint visit to the Azerbaijani
and Armenian capitals on May 24-25. (Such trips are usually made by
lower-level diplomats representing the two states.) In a statement
issued after talks with Aliyev and Kocharian, U.S. Assistant Secretary
of State Daniel Fried, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin,
and a senior French Foreign Ministry official, Pierre Morel, emphasized
that “now is the time for the sides to reach agreement on the basic
principles of a settlement.” The conflicting parties, they said, are
now “at the point where a mutually beneficial agreement is achievable.”
Aliyev and Kocharian were already widely expected to hammer out such
an agreement when they last met at the Rambouillet chateau near Paris
on February 10-11. However, the talks collapsed despite indications
that the two sides had agreed in principle to a gradual resolution
of the conflict as proposed by the mediators. The peace plan would
reportedly enable Karabakh’s predominantly Armenian population to
decide the disputed region’s status in a referendum to be held after
the restoration of six of the seven Armenian-occupied districts
in Azerbaijan proper. Few observers doubt that such a vote would
formalize and legitimize Armenia’s de facto reunification of Karabakh
that followed its victorious 1991-94 war with Azerbaijan.
Armenian officials have implied that the Rambouillet talks failed to
yield a breakthrough because of Aliyev’s last-minute rejection of this
peace formula. Indeed, the Azerbaijani president toughened his rhetoric
following the summit, repeatedly saying that he will never accept a
de jure loss of Karabakh. In a May 26 speech in Baku, he stated, “All
the occupied territories of Azerbaijan should be liberated without any
conditions.” However, Aliyev’s foreign minister, Elmar Mammadyarov,
appeared to have endorsed the referendum option in separate comments
made on the same day. Azerbaijani news agencies quoted Mammadyarov
as saying that Karabakh’s status must be determined “not only by
Karabakh’s Armenian community but also with the participation in the
process of the Azerbaijani community, after the return of Azerbaijanis
that used to live there.”
The remarks may be not only the result of the mediators’ latest
regional tour but also of Aliyev’s April talks in Washington with
U.S. President George W. Bush. Some Armenian commentators have
suggested that the high-profile White House reception, which boosted
the domestic and international legitimacy of Aliyev’s regime, was
part of U.S. efforts to coax Baku into signing up to the Minsk Group
plan. The Turan news agency reported that, in a congratulatory message
on Azerbaijan’s Day of the Republic celebrated on May 28, Bush said he
expects Aliyev to do his best to resolve the Karabakh conflict. Aliyev
also received last week a letter from French President Jacques Chirac
who urged him not to miss a “unique opportunity” for Karabakh peace,
according to the Azerbaijani ANS television.
The West does not have to exert the same amount of pressure on
Armenia, whose leadership seems to be largely going along with the
mediators’ most recent peace proposals. Local analysts agree that,
by accepting the proposed solution, Kocharian would almost certainly
secure Western support for his reputed plans to hand over power to
his most influential associate, Defense Minister Serge Sarkisian,
in 2008. Kocharian would hardly face strong opposition from
hardline political elements in his government, notably the Armenian
Revolutionary Federation (HHD). The Yerevan daily Aravot quoted on May
27 Armen Rustamian, an HHD leader who heads the Armenian parliament’s
foreign relations committed, as saying that the referendum option is
“not unfavorable for Armenia and Karabakh.”
Still, the Kocharian-Sarkisian duo would have to reckon with the
position of the Yerkrapah Union, an influential organization uniting
thousands of Armenian veterans of the Karabakh war. Its hardline
chairman, General Manvel Grigorian, and other leaders hold senior
positions in the Armenian military. Grigorian declared on May 8 that
the Armenians “have no lands to surrender.” Karabakh’s ethnic Armenian
leadership is also less than supportive of the Minsk Group plan,
arguing that the Karabakh Armenians had already voted to secede from
Azerbaijan in 1991. “Even if the Karabakh side agrees to it for some
reason, which I don’t consider likely, I doubt that such a referendum
will ever be held,” a senior aide to Arkady Ghukasian, president of
the self-proclaimed Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, told RFE/RL on May 22.
The mediators are clearly not of the same opinion. “The two sides are
closer to an agreement than they have been in the past,” Fried’s deputy
Matthew Bryza told congressional hearings in Washington on May 15. “We
look at these next couple of months as a real window of opportunity.”
(Joint statement by Daniel Fried, Grigory Karasin, and Pierre Morel,
May 25; ANS, Aravot, May 27; Turan, Day.az, May 26; RFE/RL Armenia
Report, May 22; Associated Press, May 15)

CONFLICT PARTIES HAVE POTENTIAL FOR PEACE TALKS
E. Babayan
Azat Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh Republic [NKR]
01 June 2006
An international seminar entitled “Evolution and Effective Management
of Conflicts. Principles, Approaches and Technologies” was held on May
18 and 19 in Tbilisi, Georgia. The seminar included representatives
from Georgia, Russia, Ukraine, Armenia, Azerbaijan, South Osetia,
and Nagorno Karabakh. Our country’s representative was Albert
Voskanian, the director of the Civic Action Centre human rights NGO,
the coordinator of the task force on the missing, hostages and POWs
in the Karabakh conflict area. On returning from Tbilisi Albert
Voskanian told our reporter that he had presented a report on “The
Problem of Disadvantages of Negotiation Formats. Double Standards”
noting that the Karabakh conflict had been artificially moved from the
Karabakh-Azerbaijani to the Armenian-Azerbaijani plane, distorting
the essence of the conflict. “The armistice in 1994 was signed
by three parties: Nagorno Karabakh, Azerbaijan, and Armenia. It
is unfair and wrong that Nagorno Karabakh was forced out of the
talks. The people of Karabakh should decide their fate themselves at
the table of negotiations with Azerbaijan directly. The legitimate
government of Nagorno Karabakh must participate in the talks and
represent the interests of its people,” said Albert Voskanian, adding
that in the referendum in 1991 the people of Nagorno Karabakh made
their choice. After his report during the seminar Albert Voskanian
received a number of questions, which mainly referred to the occupied
territories and refugees. Albert Voskanian stated that these are
questions that should be settled at the table of negotiations. “When
we consider the return of Azerbaijani refugees, we should not forget
about the Armenian refugees, who also have the right to live where
they used to live. For the territories occupied during the war,
these are now a “security area” for Nagorno Karabakh, guaranteeing
the security of Nagorno Karabakh settlements in case Azerbaijan
bombs these settlements.” He also reminded the participants about
the territories of Nagorno Karabakh controlled by Azerbaijan, namely
the region of Shahumian, a number of settlements in the regions of
Martakert and Martuni. Albert Voskanian thinks that it is necessary
to prepare the publics of the conflict sides for possible compromise
to achieve progress in the peace talks. “The leaderships of the
conflict parties should work with their publics, prepare them for the
idea that compromise in signing a peace agreement is inevitable and
it is a practical step, not a half measure. This perception lacks,
the Azerbaijani side constantly threatens to start military actions,
and Karabakh displays its readiness to counterattack.” At the same
time, he said the conflict over Karabakh is the only conflict in the
post-Soviet space where no peacemakers are involved. “The military
actions did not resume after signing the armistice on May 12, 1994,
and tens of thousands of lives were spared. This allows concluding
that the conflict sides have the potential for peace talks,” said
Albert Voskanian. Elchin Behbutov, the chairman of the Committee
Against Torture, has stated recently that there are secret prisons
in Karabakh, and the Armenians torture Azerbaijani POWs. In answer to
this statement Albert Voskanian said this is but misinformation. “Our
organization regularly conducts monitoring in the penitentiaries in
the country, the remand prison of Stepanakert and the prison of Shushi
for over four years, to find out the state of sanitation and hygiene,
rights of prisoners, etc. In the reports, which are extended to the
Council of Europe, the UN High Commissioner on Human Rights, the OSCE
and other international organizations, we have noted a number of times
that the inmates are Armenians only. If there were inmates of other
nationalities, including Azerbaijanis, we would write about it by
all means,” said Albert Voskanian. “The officers of the International
Committee of the Red Cross in Stepanakert also visit the penitentiaries
of Nagorno Karabakh, and there are no closed doors for them. I think
they will also refute the information on Azerbaijani POWs in the
prisons in Karabakh. After the ceasefire in the Karabakh conflict area
Azerbaijani human rights defenders visited the prisons in Karabakh. So,
the information in the Azerbaijani mass media that Azerbaijani soldiers
undergo violence in the prison of Shushi is false.”

RUSSIA TO BACK ANY DECISION ON KARABAKH – KONSTANTIN KOSACHEV
ITAR-TASS, Russia
May 31 2006
MOSCOW, May 31 (Itar-Tass) – Russia will uphold any decision
on Nagorno-Karabakh that will meet the interests of Armenia and
Azerbaijan, said Konstantin Kosachev, chairman of the State Duma
Foreign Affairs Committee.
In an interview with the Ekho Moskvy radio station on Wednesday,
Kosachev said Russia did not pursue any own goals in the Karabakh
settlement and upheld any decision, which would meet the interests
of Armenia and Azerbaijan.
“The situation in Nagorno-Karabakh remains very difficult and Russia
is ready to support any decision, which will satisfy the demands of
both Armenia and Azerbaijan. If mutual accord is reached to deploy a
peacekeeping contingent in the enclave, Russia should support their
address and facilitate its implementation,” the Duma lawmaker said.
Kosachev commented on Vice-Prime Minister and Defence Minister Sergei
Ivanov’s statement on the possible deployment of peacekeeping forces in
Nagorno-Karabakh. Peacekeeping units could appear in Nagorno-Karabakh,
the vice-prime minister said.
“As concerns Nagorno-Karabakh, I do not exclude that peacekeeping
forces can appear there in a foreseeable future for guaranteeing the
fulfilment of all political accords that will be achieved sooner or
later,” he told reporters.
“The acey-deucy situation, excuse me for mauve ton, cannot continue
endlessly,” he said.
The fragile truce in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict area lasts for 12
years, since May 1994.
“There have been not less, but more flash points like Nagorno-Karabakh
in the world from year to year, and this causes regret,” Ivanov said.

ALIYEV SENDS TERSE MESSAGE TO ARMENIA
AzerNews Weekly, Azerbaijan
June 1 2006
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev sent a harsh message to Armenia
on Friday, a statement that follows a visit by the OSCE mediators
brokering settlement to the long-standing conflict over Upper (Nagorno)
Garabagh to the region. Aliyev said the occupied territories will be
freed no matter what it takes.
“We will make use of all means to liberate our land from occupation.
We will resort to diplomatic, economic, transport, and, if necessary,
military means, as this is our right,” the Azerbaijani leader said
addressing celebrations dedicated to the Day of Republic, May 28.
“Armenia should think carefully – how long will the Azerbaijani people
tolerate this? They should withdraw from the Azerbaijani land they
occupied on their own free will, otherwise, a military option will
be used, as Azerbaijan will not allow the establishment of a second
Armenian state on its soil.
We will never allow Upper Garabagh’s separation from Azerbaijan,”
the commander-in-chief said. “Independence is not measured by state
attributes alone. It is also directly related to the country’s
pursuing an independent policy. The Armenian aggression is the main
threat posed to Azerbaijan’s independence,” he said. President Aliyev
said, however, that he does not support a resumption of military
action. “No one wants the war to be restarted. Who wants bloodshed
to take place again and people to die?” he enquired. Upper Garabagh,
which is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, has both
Azeri and ethnic Armenian population. It was occupied by Armenia
in early 1990s, along with seven other Azerbaijani districts, after
large-scale hostilities that killed up to 30,000 people and forced over
a million Azeris out of their homes. The ceasefire accord was signed in
1994, but peace talks have been fruitless so far and refugees remain
stranded. President Aliyev condemned some international organizations
disregarding the Armenian policy of aggression. “Armenians celebrate
the day of ‘liberation’ of Shusha [an ancient Azeri town occupied by
Armenia during the hostilities].
The question is who was Shusha freed from? No one but Azerbaijanis
had lived there. This means Armenians mark the outcomes of their
ethnic cleansing policy on the state level. Why are international
organizations and rights groups as well as some forces within the
country who blare about democracy and human rights turning a blind
eye to this?” It appears that the United States has set out a goal
to fully resolve the Upper Garabagh conflict as early as in 2006,
considering the latest message from US President George Bush. Bush sent
a letter to his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev on Friday saying
that he is looking forward to consistent efforts by the Azerbaijani
head of state to achieve a negotiated settlement to the Garabagh
dispute. In his message sent on the occasion of the Day of Republic,
he also expressed hope that peace talks to settle the conflict would
continue. Bush indicated that President Aliyev’s visit to Washington
late in April was very beneficial, saying the talks he had with his
Azerbaijani counterpart were a historic chance to advance mutual
interests in the area of security, energy and democracy. The US
president wrote that the Azerbaijani government remains committed to
achieving a prosperous and bright future for the people and voiced
confidence that the democratic and economic reforms will be continued
to ensure the country’s future success.
Mediators urge ‘peace option’ The OSCE mediators have reaffirmed the
need to seek a peaceful solution to the Garabagh conflict, saying it
is time for the sides to reach agreement on key principles of the peace
process. Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Grigori Karasin, US Assistant
Secretary of State Daniel Fried and former French ambassador to Russia
and China Pierre Morel, who accompanied the Minsk Group co-chairs
from Russia, US and France and the OSCE chairman’s special envoy on
their visit to Baku, issued a joint statement last Wednesday. The
intermediaries said their respective countries and the world community
in particular are confident that any option other than peace will not
lead to the conflict settlement. “Both countries should prepare their
people not for war but peace.” The co-chairmen indicated that the way
the negotiations will unfold depends on Azerbaijan and Armenia proper.
“We are leaving Azerbaijan with hope and confidence for progress,”
the statement reads. US Assistant Secretary of State Fried has urged
the sides to take decisive actions to reach a solution on Garabagh.
“All the nations in the region are entitled to peace. To make this
happen, resolute steps on the state level are required. I believe
both President Ilham Aliyev and his Armenian counterpart Robert
Kocharian are capable of achieving peace.” Foreign Minister Elmar
Mammadyarov said some of the new ideas put forth by the mediators
are acceptable for Azerbaijan. “There are interesting ideas. We are
satisfied with some of them,” he told the press while commenting
on the suggestions made by the Minsk Group co-chairs during their
visit to Baku. Mammadyarov added that during the talks with the
intermediaries, work was carried out on these ideas, but he did not
provide any details. Nonetheless, Deputy Foreign Minister Araz Azimov
said the MG co-chairs did not bring any specific proposals. “By making
such statements, they are just trying to raise the magnitude of their
activity in the eyes of the public. The mediators undoubtedly must
justify their actions, which is why we hear statements about new ideas
every time,” Azimov said. Presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia Ilham
Aliyev and Robert Kocharian have agreed to hold the next meeting to
discuss Garabagh settlement in Bucharest.
The meeting between the two heads of state is to take place on the
sidelines of the Black Sea Summit for Dialogue and Partnership due in
the Romanian capital June 4-6. Azerbaijan and Armenia failed to agree
upon the issues of principle during the latest talks held by the two
presidents in Rambouillet, France in February, which was followed by
Azerbaijan’s threats to resort to military action.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

BUSINESS DOESN’T RECOGNIZE NATIONALITY
A1+
[03:22 pm] 01 June, 2006
The second Armenia – Diaspora congress will be held on September
20 which has been held since 2003. Tigran Davtyan, Deputy Minister
of Trade and Economic Development invited a few journalists to
participate at today’s press release and presented them the objective
of the congress.
According to the press secretary of the Ministry they wished to hear
few questions and didn’t want the information to be distorted in the
torrent of questions.
During the press conference Tigran Davtyan informed that the start
of the congress is already announced and the tenders of participation
are received. Each businessman is to pay 100 EUs for his participation
but the sum will become 50 EUs by September 1.
About 300 – 400 businessmen from Armenia and the Diaspora participated
in the previous congress. There were also representatives of
international organizations. This year the number of the businessmen
is supposed to exceed 500. In the newly opened Ministry website one
can read the Minister’s open letter-invitation according to which
foreign businessmen can also have their participation and contribution
to the congress as “business doesn’t recognize nationality and has
no frontiers.”
1.5 milliard USD investment was done in Armenia within the recent 4 –
5 years, only 500 million USD was invested last year. According to
the Deputy Minister the sum of the past 5 years investment was equal
to that of the previous 10 years. The investments were comparatively
more in the recent one and a half year.
The main investments were done in mining industry, telecommunication
and in high tech spheres.

GRASSROOTS PRESSURE BUILDING FOR CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGS ON EVANS FIRING
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Jun 1 2006
WASHINGTON, JUNE 1, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. Tens of thousands
of Armenians – in the United States and Armenia – have voiced
their outrage over the Administration’s firing of U.S. Ambassador to
Armenia John Marshall Evans, reported the Armenian National Committee
of America (ANCA). In Armenia, tens of thousands of Armenians took
part in the “Yellow Ribbon Campaign” to protest the Evans firing and,
more broadly, to voice opposition to a number of recent instances in
which foreign diplomats stationed in Armenia have denied the Armenian
Genocide. The campaign, which took place at the Tsitsernakaberd
Memorial to the Armenian Genocide in Yerevan, started on April 24th
with countless thousands of individual Armenians each tying a single
yellow ribbons on 100-yard lengths of rope stretched along the walking
path leading to the Genocide Monument. In the United States, Armenian
American activists have called for Congressional hearings into the
Government of Turkey’s role in dismissal of this highly-respected
35-year Foreign Service veteran over his honest and accurate
description of the Armenian Genocide as a clear case of genocide. The
ANCA WebFax system – on the web at – has been used by
activists from throughout the United States – including a large number
from state and districts represented by Members of committees with
oversight responsibility of the State Department. In their WebFaxes,
these concerned citizens have stressed that: “Ambassador Evans is, in
effect, being punished for honoring his President’s pledge to properly
recognize the Armenian Genocide – a promise that George W. Bush made on
the campaign trail in February of 2000 but abandoned once in the White
House. Ambassador Evans should be praised, not dismissed, for rejecting
“gag-rules” imposed by the Turkish Government on the discussion of
the Armenian Genocide by America’s leaders at home and diplomats
abroad.” In demanding hearings on the Evans firing, the WebFaxers
note that these inquiries should “include testimony by all the key
figures involved, including the Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
and National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley. Among the issues that
should be explored are the role of the Turkish Government in exporting
its suppression of speech to the United States and the implications
for the future of the Foreign Service if a senior American diplomat’s
career has been ended simply for acknowledging the historical record
on one of the world’s greatest human rights tragedies.” Commenting
on the lack of openness by the Administration in dealing with this
matter, the WebFax letters note that, “the Administration has lacked
the courage to speak honestly – either to Congress or the American
people – about its reasons for firing Ambassador Evans. Hopefully,
these hearings will provide the transparency that we, as citizens,
have the right to expect of our government.” The firing of Amb. Evans
was the result of his February 2005 statements at Armenian American
community functions characterizing the Armenian Genocide as a genocide.
Following his statements, Amb. Evans was forced to issue a statement
clarifying that his references to the Armenian Genocide were his
personal views and did not represent a change in US policy. He
subsequently issued a correction to this statement, replacing a
reference to the genocide with the word “tragedy.”
The American Foreign Service Association, which had planned to
honor Amb. Evans with the “Christian A. Herter Award,” recognizing
creative thinking and intellectual courage within the Foreign
Service, reportedly rescinded the award following pressure from the
State Department a few days before Turkish Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan traveled to Washington, DC to meet with President
Bush. Congressional Response: On the eve of the announcement of
Evans’ replacement, sixty Members of Congress, led by Rep. Ed Markey
(D-MA), sent a letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice asking
for clarification of the reasons behind Amb. Evans’ recall. Earlier,
Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Frank Pallone (D-NJ), Rep. Adam
Schiff (D-CA) and Rep. Grace Napolitano (D-CA) had each officially
called on Secretary Rice for a clarification of the State Department’s
position on this issue. They have yet to receive any response to their
inquiries. Media Response: The Los Angeles Times, in a strongly worded
March 22nd editorial, made direct reference to Amb. Evans’ impending
dismissal, calling on the Turkish Government and U.S. State Department
to end their policies of Armenian Genocide denial. On March 24th, the
Fresno Bee, published a similarly strong editorial condemning Evans’
firing. The Washington Times, on May 26th, ran a story about the
“geopolitical firestorm” created by Evans’ remarks. The publisher
of the California Courier, Harut Sassounian, in his weekly column,
urged U.S. Senators to place a “hold” on the nomination of Richard
Hoagland, the diplomat slated to replace Ambassador Evans. This
action in response to the Administration’s unresponsiveness, argued
Sassounian, will force the White House to fully explain the reasons
behind its early termination of Ambassador Evans’ career. Armenian
Youth Response: At the Armenian Youth Federation Junior Educational
Seminar, held in Western Pennsylvania over the Memorial Day weekend,
over 400 young Armenian Americans designed, produced, and signed
original petitions protesting the Administration’s decision to fire
Amb. Evans for telling the truth about the Armenian Genocide.

MEETINGS OF ARMENIAN AND TURKISH DIPLOMATS NORMAL EVENTS
PanARMENIAN.Net
01.06.2006 13:57 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ There is nothing extraordinary in meetings between
Armenian and Turkish diplomats, it is normal, said Ruben Safrastyan
Ph.D. In his words, there is normal communication between diplomats of
the two countries. “The matter is that the Turkish party organizes leak
of information on purpose. What do they need this for is hard to guess
yet. Turkey’s goal today is Armenia’s consent for forming a commission
of historians to study the issue of the Armenian Genocide. We will not
do it of course. My opinion is that our MFA works very productively
in this respect,” Safrastyan underscored.

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF ARMENIA HAS A NEW CHAIRMAN
ArmRadio.am
01.06.2006 17:55
The National Assembly of Armenia has a new Chairman. With 94 pro votes
coalition candidate Tigran Torosyan was elected NA Speaker. Preceding
the elections, he delivered a speech and answered the Deputies’
questions. Parliamentary groups supported his candidacy, the opposition
decided not to participate in the elections. “Orinats Yerkir” party,
headed by former NA Speaker Arthur Baghdasaryan, unanimously voted
for Tigran Torosyan, but refused to participate in the elections of
Heads of Standing Committees.

MORE THAN 500 BUSINESSMEN EXPECTED TO PARTICUIPATE IN 2nd ECONOMIC FORUM ARMENIA-DIASPORA
Noyan Tapan
Jun 1 2006
YEREVAN, JUNE 1, NOYAN TAPAN. More than 500 businessmen will
participate in the 2nd economic forum Armenia-Diaspora in Yerevan on
September 20, 2006.
Within the framework of the forum, a large exhibition Pan-Armenian
EXPO 2006 “Armenia’s Economy During 15 Years of Independence” will
be held on September 22. RA Deputy Minister of Trade and Economic
Development Tigran Davtian stated this at a press conference on June
1. According to him, the plenary sittings of the economic forum
will be held in the Sport and Culture Center after K. Demirchian. It
is envisaged to have sittings on information and high technologies,
industry, small and medium business and tourism. 50-60 businessmen are
expected to take part in the sitting on issues of information and high
technologies. T. Davtian said that in order to ensure the participation
of the maximum possible Diasporan Armenian and foreign businessmen
in the forum, an open letter-invitation of the RA Minister of Trade
and Economic Development will be disseminated in Geneva, Brussels
and Moscow through commercial representatives of Armenia. The open
letter-invitation is placed on the website ,
through which the registration of the event participants and collection
of participation payments will be done. It was announced that in case
of submitting a bid until September 1, the participation payment will
make a sum in drams equivalent to 50 euros (in 2003, the payment for
participation in the 1st economic forum Armenia-Diaspora made 100
euros). Starting September 1, the payment will make 100 euros. The
speaker noted that in 2001-2005, the Diaporan Armenian businessmen
carried out more active invetsment activities in Armenia than
previously, which was due to holding a investment forum on Armenia
in New York in 2001 and Armenia-Diaspora forums in Yerevan in 2002.
According to expert opinions presented by T. Davtian, in 1998-2004,
55-65% of foreign investors operating in Armenia had links with the
Diaspora, and their investments in the indicated period made up 55-65%
of the total amount of investments. He reminded that in 1991-2005,
private foreign investments of 2 bln USD were made in Armenia, 1 bln
USD of which – in 2001-2005, while in 2005 alone, investments amounted
to 0.5 bln USD.

TIGRAN TOROSYAN: NA CHAIRMAN’S POSITION IS HONORABLE, RESPONSIBLE AND OBLIGATING
ArmRadio.am
01.06.2006 17:27
“I consider the position of NA Chairman is honorable, responsible and
obligating,” said NA Vice-Speaker Tigran Torosyan. He emphasized three
main groups of questions, the intensions of resolving which provided
the ground for not refusing from his candidacy’s being suggested.
He attached great importance to the role of the Parliament in resolving
problems the country faces and noted that he highly emphasizes the
full implementation of Constitutional amendments in the legislature.
“Providing for the Constitutionalism of our life is of extreme
importance, taking into consideration the 2007 parliamentary elections
and the presidential elections in 2008, since a politically tense
period is awaiting us. We should effectively use the term we are
elected for and not leave the work for the post-elections period,
thus losing two years,” Tigran Torosyan said.
Arrangement and conduct of upcoming elections is of extreme
importance. The international community is curious whether
Armenia s able to hold elections corresponding to international
standards. According to Tigran Torosyan’s assessment, such questioning
only should be pitiful and insulting.
“We are obliged to hold elections in compliance with all international
standards, qualitatively changing the life and course of our
country. In the months to come the activity of the parliamentary and
non-parliamentary forces should be targeted at this,” the candidate
for NA Chairman said.
Tigran Torosyan considers that the three years of work with former
NA Chairman Arthur Baghdasaryan were effective.