RUSSIAN GENERAL PRAISES PERFORMANCE OF CIS UNIFIED AIR DEFENSE SYSTEM’S ON-DUTY FORCES DURING EXERCISE
Interfax News Agency
Central Asia General Newswire
April 25, 2006 Tuesday 7:36 PM MSK
On-duty forces of the CIS Unified Air Defense System have accomplished
all missions of the command post exercise (CPX) held on Tuesday,
Lieutenant General Aitech Bizhev, Russian Air Force deputy
commander-in-chief, told Interfax-Military News Agency.
“Over 10 issues related to strengthening of CIS aerial borders were
worked on during the exercise held in the entire area of responsibility
of the Unified Air Defense System,” Bizhev said.
“Army general Vladimir Mikhailov, Air Force commander-in-chief, who
was in charge of the exercise, expressed satisfaction with actions of
national armies of CIS member states that took part in the exercise
and rated them as excellent,” he noted.
Bizhev recalled that the exercise involved air defense and air force
units of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan,
Uzbekistan and Ukraine.
He stressed that the exercise focused on rehearsing actions of
electronic warfare, surface-to-air missile, and aviation units of the
Unified Air Defense System while accomplishing combat duty missions.
S-300, S-125, S-75 and Buk air defense missile systems and over 60
aircraft of all participating nations were involved.
“In particular, some missions were accomplished by the personnel of
Russian air bases in Armenia, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan,” Bizhev said.
Mutual maneuvers of Su-24, Su-27 and MiG-31 planes of Russia,
Kazakhstan and Belarus were a success, he went on. Moreover, on-duty
air defense forces and assets were used to engaged a supersonic
stratospheric target in an interaction with the A-50 long-range
AWACS plane.
“Aircraft of NATO countries observed the exercise. They were especially
active in the north and northwest,” he said.

BUSH OBSERVES ARMENIAN REMEMBRANCE DAY, CALLS FOR DIALOGUE
Washington File, DC
April 25 2006
Also calls on Armenia, Azerbaijan to take bold steps on
Nagorno-Karabakh.
President Bush observed Armenian Remembrance Day April 24 by offering
his condolences to the Armenian people.
On Armenian Remembrance Day, the world observes the anniversary of the
“mass killings and forced exile of as many as 1.5 million Armenians”
in 1915, Bush said.
The president also praised Armenians and Turks “who have sought
to examine the historical events of this time with honesty and
sensitivity” and called for dialogues “that strive for a shared
understanding of these tragic events and move Armenia and Turkey
towards normalized relations.”
Bush also reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to securing a peaceful and
lasting settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and said he hoped
“the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan will take bold steps to achieve
this goal.” (See related article.)
Nagorno-Karabakh is a predominantly ethnic Armenian region within
Azerbaijan where armed conflict began in 1990 in the waning days
of the Soviet Union. The cease-fire agreement brokered by Russia in
1994 left much of western Azerbaijan occupied by Armenian forces and
hundreds of thousands in refugee camps.
For information on U.S. policy in the region, see Europe and Eurasia
and Caucasus.
Following is the text of Bush’s statement:
(begin text)
THE WHITE HOUSE Office of the Press Secretary (Las Vegas, Nevada)
April 24, 2006
Today, we remember one of the horrible tragedies of the 20th century —
the mass killings and forced exile of as many as 1.5 million Armenians
in the final days of the Ottoman Empire in 1915. This was a tragedy
for all humanity and one that we and the world must never forget.
We mourn this terrible chapter of history and recognize that it remains
a source of pain for people in Armenia and for all those who believe in
freedom, tolerance, and the dignity and value of every human life. It
is a credit to the human spirit and generations of Armenians who live
in Armenia, America, and around the globe that they have overcome
this suffering and proudly preserved their centuries-old culture,
traditions, and religion.
We praise the individuals in Armenia and Turkey who have sought
to examine the historical events of this time with honesty and
sensitivity. The analysis by the International Center for Transitional
Justice, while not the final word, has made a significant contribution
toward deepening our understanding of these events. We encourage
dialogues, including through joint commissions, that strive for a
shared understanding of these tragic events and move Armenia and
Turkey towards normalized relations.
Today, we look with hope to a bright future for Armenia. Armenia’s
Millennium Challenge Compact reflects our confidence and the
importance we place in Armenia making progress on democratic reform
and advancement of free markets. We seek to help Armenia bolster its
security and deepen its inclusion in the Euro-Atlantic family. We
remain committed to securing a peaceful and lasting settlement of
the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and hope the leaders of Armenia and
Azerbaijan will take bold steps to achieve this goal.
On this solemn day of remembrance, Laura and I express our deepest
condolences to the Armenian people. Our nations stand together,
determined to create a future of peace, prosperity, and freedom for
the citizens of our countries and the world.
GEORGE W. BUSH
(end text)
(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs,
U.S. Department of State. Web site: ).
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIAN GENOCIDE MARKED IN ARGENTINA
Arka News Agency, Armenia
April 25 2006
Yerevan, April 25. /ARKA/. Arrangements on the occasion of the 91st
anniversary of the Armenian Genocide have been held in Argentina. On
April 22, Archbishop of Buenos Aires Jorje Maria Bergolio offered an
ecumenical payer and a service in memory of the victims of the Armenian
Genocide. The service was attended by hundreds of Argentineans,
representatives of the Armenian community and of the RA Embassy
in Argentina.
In his speech, Cardinal Bergolio called on Turkey to admit the Armenian
Genocide as a grave crime committed against Armenians and the entire
humanity by the Ottoman Empire.
On April 23, liturgies were held at the Armenian churches in
Argentina. The same day, the former vice-speaker of the British
House of Lords, Baroness Caroline Cox made a speech at the hall of
the largest-scale annual book exhibition in Buenos Aires.
She pointed out that the Armenian Genocide has not been recognized
by a number of countries, including Great Britain, for political
reasons. However, she expressed optimism about the international
recognition of the Armenian Genocide. Baroness Cox also expressed hope
that Turkey will finally come to realize the importance of relieving
the Turkish people’s conscience of this burden.

SEPARATIST GARABAGH ARMY READY TO REPEL AZERI ATTACK, COMMANDER SAYS
Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
April 25 2006
Baku, April 24, AssA-Irada
The joint military exercises of the separatist Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh
and Armenian armed forces that ended last Wednesday were intended to
prepare a retaliatory blow to the Azerbaijani army in the event of a
possible attack, the commander of the so-called Garabagh armed forces,
Seyran Ohanian, told a news conference on Monday.
He said the exercises were also intended to test the Garabagh army’s
combat readiness and the capacity to engage in military action.
“The drills helped establish the possibility of putting the troops
on a high status of alert, perform troop management and coordinate
activities during attack and defense. The exercises also examined
the availability of resources for mobilization.”
Ohanian maintained that the Garabagh army was capable of repelling
a possible Azerbaijani attack along a 250-km frontline. He indicated
that the Armenians had built technical facilities along the contact
line and mined territories. This will make it very difficult for
Azerbaijan to launch an attack, he claimed.

ARMENIANS MARK 91ST ANNIVERSARY OF OTTOMAN EMPIRE MASSACRES
Voice of America News
April 25, 2006
Armenia has marked the 91st anniversary of massacres inflicted on
Armenians in Turkey under the Ottoman Empire – events Armenians refer
to as genocide.
Hundreds of thousands of people marched through Yerevan Monday climbing
to a hilltop memorial to lay wreaths in remembrance of the 1.5 million
people Armenia says were slaughtered in Turkey between 1915 and 1923.
Armenian-Americans are holding a 91-hour prayer vigil and demonstration
outside the Turkish embassy in Washington.
President Bush issued a statement calling it one of the 20th century’s
most horrible tragedies which he world must never forget.
Turkey strongly disputes the charge of genocide. It says 300,000
Armenians and thousands of Turks died as a result of a Russian-backed
Armenian uprising against Ottoman rule.
Ankara has come under increasing international pressure to acknowledge
its actions during those years as it seeks membership in the European
Union.
Several European countries, including France and Switzerland, recognize
the event as genocide.

THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE: AN EVENT, AND A MOVEMENT
New California Media, CA
April 25 2006
New America Media, Q&A, Peter Micek, Apr 24, 2006
Editor’s Note: Armenians across the world march on April 24, 2006,
in remembrance of the Armenian Genocide, the systematic slaughter of
1.5 million Armenians between 1915 and 1917 in Turkey. Hayg Oshagan,
an Armenian born in Lebanon who came to the United States in 1975,
is the director of the Graduate Program of the Dept. of Communication
at Wayne State University in Detroit. Oshagan is behind the effort to
have the genocide taught in U.S. curriculum. He talked to NAM staff
writer Pete Micek.
NAM: Why is the Armenian Genocide remembered at this time of year?
Hayg Oshagan: Traditionally, the 24th of April is the day and the
month we commemorate this genocide in history. It’s the day in
1915 when Turkey rounded up the intellectual leadership of Armenia
and took them to their death. The roundup of politicians, priests,
writers and community leaders left the community leaderless afterward
for the genocide to unfold. It’s one day among many, but we pick that
day to do it.
Q: Is there more momentum for the cause now or in the last couple
of years?
A: Last year was the 90th anniversary, so we did a special effort
last year. We commemorate this every year. Since the 50th year,
it’s been one of the key days on the Armenian calendar.
[Without the genocide] there would be no Armenians in the United States
practically speaking, and none outside Armenia. The genocide creates
the diaspora, so the diaspora remembers and confirms its existence,
its present and affirms its future as well. We are not going anywhere
and we are not going to forget what happened to us.
Q: Has the movement or struggle been going on for a while?
A: Just after the genocide, the community had no energy. The struggle
really took off in earnest at the 50th commemoration. Since then every
Armenian community commemorates the genocide not purely as a moment
of sorrow and sadness at lost relatives, but also a political moment,
as a demand for justice.
I know there will be demonstrations in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, the
United States, France, Greece, Lebanon, Russia, Germany, Iceland —
demonstrators will be everywhere Armenians are. This is the moment
it’s recognized, and commemorated.
In Armenia, a hundred thousand or so will march to a symbolic gravesite
to commemorate Armenians’ deaths.
Q: You are involved in many Armenian organizations in the United
States?
A: Yes. One issue we are dealing with is having newspapers use the
term genocide. It’s a subtle issue we have. The style books say to
call it a massacre. This is one of the ways the Turkish government
has been changing the terms of debates. A couple of years ago, the New
York Times chose to use the term genocide and later the Boston Globe.
The difference between massacre and genocide is huge. Both involve a
lot of people killed, but genocide is a state killing, state-mandated,
state-structured and carried out. It is very different. Turks are
willing to use the word massacre, but not genocide.
Q: The recent documentary on PBS (“The Armenian Genocide,” directed
by Andrew Goldberg) mentioned the origins of the term genocide.
A: It was created after World War II and has been applied to many of
these [events]. The United Nations has a definition. There have been a
few genocides — Armenia, the Jews, the Rwandans — and unfortunately
it’s probably not a list that will be closed, but added to. It points
a finger at the state. It clearly finds the state to be responsible
for it. It essentially deals with an entire population.
There are hardly any Armenians left in Turkey, whereas all Armenians
were in Turkey before. How does [that] happen?
Q: Was your family caught in the genocide?
A: Both sides were, my mother’s and father’s. Both escaped, my
mother’s side through money, my father’s by running. My grandfather
was one of the people who would have been picked up on April 24,
1915. He was on the list. They told him the night before, “Don’t
sleep in your apartment tonight.” He was one of the leading novelists
of the Armenians of the generation. He didn’t stay. For the next two
years, he would run. He eventually made his way out of Istanbul into
Bulgaria. He married and my father was born.
Q: Do history books mention the genocide?
A: In a number of states, we’ve made an effort to have the board
of education adopt a genocide curriculum to have teachers deal
with it for one day, or one week. We refer to this as the Genocide
Curriculum. San Francisco has it. [Armenians there] talked to the
school district, so they have materials available. Believe me, it’s
not an easy thing to do. States can mandate it, but it means nothing
at a local level. The Turkish state has brought a lawsuit against
our curriculum in Massachusetts. So we have to deal with that as well.
But by and large it’s not taught in schools. Overall, there is no
treatment in history books, at the high school level.
e.html?article_id=0ee7425b2268672db8bb061f9feafccc

KOCHARIAN NOT TO VISIT WASHINGTON
Arka News Agency, Armenia
April 25 2006
Yerevan, April 25. /ARKA/. RA President Robert Kocharyan is not
expected to pay a visit to Washington, Hamlet Gasparyan, Press
Secretary of the RA Foreign Office, told ARKA, commenting on a report
by the Turkish newspaper “Zaman”, which referred to RA Deputy Foreign
Minister Arman Kirakosyan.
“The conclusion made from Arman Kirakosyan’s statement is the result
of mistranslation,” he said.
During his interview with the “Zaman” correspondent, Robert Kocharyan
was not speaking of a planned visit to Washington after his Azerbaijani
counterpart Ilkham Aliyev’s visit to the USA, but of a possibility
of such a visit in the context of very good relations with the USA,
Kirakosyan said.

NAGORNY KARABAKH BUILDS UP ITS MILITARY POTENTIAL
Translated by Anastasia Zanina
Agency WPS
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
April 24, 2006 Monday
The military maneuvers which took place the other day showed the
increased skills of the soldiers of Karabakh
On the 20th of April there was the final phase of the command and
staff training which were held by the Defense Army of unacknowledged
Nagorno-Karabakhskaya Republic (NKR). As it was reported by
its Commander Sejran Ogayan, “The main task of command and staff
training became the improvement of the ability of the authorities to
command the organization and to carry out military operations”. In
his turn, head of the press-service of the Ministry of Defense of
Nagorno-Karabakhskaya Republic Lieutenant Colonel Senor Asratyan
specified that the training were carried out in accordance with
the plan of military training for 2006. Asratyan also reported that
“the objective of this event of the military purpose was to define
the level of military education of the Armed Forces in the process
of bringing them in the state of full war alertness, to improve the
administration of troops and coordination of their actions during
the defensive and counteroffensive operations”.
Asratyan underlined that it was very important during this training
to check the alertness of mobilization recourse to supplement military
personnel of troops within necessary time limits.
“Results of the initial stage of training showed that the military
personnel and the mobilization recourses of the republic are in the
state of fulfilling the tasks set before them and to demonstrate a
high level of military education”. As it was said by Seyran Oganyan,
the army of Karabakh is the most efficient and sui juris on the
whole post USSR territory. As a basis of the military training the
experience of the former USSR army was taken. In the Armed Forces of
NKR there are the same regs, courses of shooting and driving.
Military training and maneuvers are taken on the regular basis,
and not only active troops but also mobilization resources are being
got to them. In the AF of NKR there is no system of respites, as it
is in Russia, and every young man at the age of 18-20 years has to
serve for two years in the army. One quarter of the budget of the
country is spent on the Defense of the country. On the entire area of
250 kilometers of Karabakhsko-Azerbaijan boarder there are military
subdivisions, which are ready at any minute to hold off an attack of
an adverse side.
The servicemen of NKR study in the military institutions of Armenia,
Russia and other republics of the former USSR. The Part of the men who
serve on the contractual basis in the Army of the Ministry of Defense
of KNR is relatively low- 20-22 percents. Though, they have separate
subdivisions where only professionals serve. Material stimuli are
also very important. Lieutenants of the up-front in KNR get 150-170
USA dollars. Contract soldiers get 60-70 dollars. (In the Republic
an average salary is 25-30 dollars). Sergey Ogananyan thinks that
at present there is no need to employ peacekeepers in the zone of
the conflict.
“The best peacekeeper and the guarantee of keeping peace in the
conflict zone is the Army of NKR”, he has recently declared to the
journalists. Commenting upon the declarations of the Azerbaijan
authorities concerning the possible solution of the conflict by
means of military force, Oganyan said that the objective of these
declarations is the fortification of the position of Azerbaijan
authorities within their country.
Still, the situation may reach the point when we will have to carry
out preventive treatment. I do not want to speak about the possibility
of preventive attacks, though, I can say about a number of measures
which will prevent the possible threat”, underlined Oganyan.
These declarations of Oganyan testify to the fact that in case the AF
of Azerbaijan start preparing for active was actions, the Armenian
side will probably start carrying out preventive strikes in the
form of air attacks, missile attacks and so on. It seems like the
Armenian authorities do not take into account the military potential
of Azerbaijan. Speaking about the increase of military budget of
Azerbaijan, Oganyan remarked that “one thing is to build up military
capital, another thing is to use in the effective way the resources
the means you have”.
Oganyan also declared that NKR is actively equipping its boarders.
“Our boarders are safely equipped, engineering, missile equipments
are included here. Besides, not only staff, but also supernumerary
units of the direct-action have been existed for three years already”.
Speaking about the perspectives of Karabakh reconciliation, Oganyan
remarked that the two sides must be ready for compromises.
Nevertheless, NKR will fight for every centimeter of its territory.
And we are sure that the result of this process of conflict
reconciliation should be either recognition of independence of NKR,
or, as can be considered to be a dream of every Armenian, recognition
of Nagornuy-Karabakh to be the part of Armenia”, he underlines.
Information:
The military budget of Azerbaijan in 2006 was 600 millions USA dollars,
Armenia-150 millions USA dollars
Gdp of Azerbaijan is 12.6 billions USA dollars
Gdp of Armenia is 4.3 billions USA dollars
According to the data of the western resources, the military number
of AF of Azerbaijan is as follows
Military personnel – 69,900 (men)
Tanks – 259 (units)
Armored combat power (ACP) – 328
Artillery (122 mm and higher) – 303
Combat aircraft – 49
Attack helicopters – 15;
In Armenia it is a little bit less
Military personnel – 5,200(men)
Tanks – 102 (units)
Armored combat power (ACP) – 218
Artillery (122 mm and higher) – 225
Combat aircraft – 6
Attack helicopters – 9;
Meanwhile in Karabakh greater force is concentrated
Military personnel – 20,000-25,000 (men)
Tanks – 316(units)
Armored combat power (ACP) – 324
Artillery (122 mm and higher) – 322
Multiple artillery rocket system – 44
As we can see, the economic-military potential of Azerbaijan is much
higher than the counter side. In case of the military actions between
Armenia and Azerbaijan arise, the special military factor in the
future may be the circumstance that Baku has considerable resources
to supply petroleum, oil, lubricants, which are absent in Armenia.
The destruction of material stocks of petroleum, oil, lubricants and
so one will lead to the considerable decrease of military potential
of Armenian side. Though, mountain-woodland area, a high level of
moral spirit of Armenians may sustain to the active defense, including
partisan methods. Experts remark that in the process of the possible
military actions for NAgornuy Karabakh the conquest of it by the
Azerbaijan side is possible. The detention of this republic in the
frames of Azerbaijan State for along period of time is unlikely to
carry out.

OPINION: WHO WILL STAND UP NEXT?
by Charles E. Richardson, The Macon Telegraph, Ga.
The Macon Telegraph (Georgia)
Distributed by Knight/Ridder Tribune News Service
April 25, 2006 Tuesday
Apr. 25–Some events in human history are just too painful to remember,
but remember them we must, or they lose importance. This week is
Holocaust Memorial Week, a time to reflect on what happened between
1933 and 1945.
Why is it important to commemorate something that occurred more
than 60 years ago? Can’t we all just get along now? Some say what
happened to 6 million Jews and at least 5 million others in places like
Auschwitz-Birkenau, Belzec, Chelmno, Majdanek, Sobibor and Treblinka
has no bearing on civilization today, that the Holocaust, after all,
was an aberration, a blip in time. Was it?
The Nazis didn’t hold a patent on genocide. The list of countries
where mass killings have taken place is staggering: Cambodia, Armenia,
Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Kosovo and Burundi, just to mention a few.
Unfortunately genocide happens so often we have trouble defining it.
In the Darfur region of Sudan, thousands have been hunted down and
killed, but the U.N. doesn’t want to use the word, as if calling it
something different will make it go away.
After more than six decades we are still exploring the motivations
behind the Nazis’ desire to kill people, even some Germans, who didn’t
fit their vision of perfection. But there are others who kill for
tribal and religious reasons, or just because they have the power
and can get away with it.
Fortunately, the “Greatest Generation” fought back the Nazi threat,
but that generation of American is disappearing at an alarming rate.
There’s a member of that generation, Lamar Taylor, who calls me most
days. He just had a birthday, but since I don’t want to give it away,
I’ll just say he’s in his 90s. If this country were attacked he’d
run them over with his wheelchair, but who else will have the guts
to stand up next time? If you look around, we’re too busy worrying
about the next American Idol winner to care.
Sunday I went to hear a man speak who’s just a little younger than
Lamar. Columbus Juvenile Court Judge Aaron Cohn was the featured
speaker at a Yom Ha’Shoah (Day of the Holocaust) Commemoration
on Sunday.
Judge Cohn was born March 3, 1916. You do the math. He received a
law degree from UGA 68 years ago. He’s been a juvenile court judge in
Columbus for 41 years, and to hear Rabbi Larry Schlesinger tell it,
Judge Cohn is anything but a push over in his court.
Cohn volunteered for the Army in 1940 and was a combat operations
officer in the 3rd U.S. Calvary under Gen. George S. Patton. He spent
27 years as an active and Reserve member of the military. During the
European campaign he was decorated four times.
All of that is important. But what sticks out most in his mind is the
day he walked into Ebensee, Austria, a sub-camp to Mauthausen in May
1945. He saw the emaciated bodies of survivors and bodies stacked up
waiting for cremation beside bones of others who were murdered.
Judge Cohn was at Congregation Sha’ arey Israel to remind us not
to forget.
But why remember? The Nazis are gone and what they did will never
happen again, right?
Judge Cohn brought first-hand knowledge of walking into a death camp
61 years ago next month. The images are seared in his memory, no less
graphic with the passage of time. He understands how quickly mankind
forgets the lessons of the past.
He knows we still go on crusades. That innocent people still die.
Sitting back, there are those who think: As long as it’s not happening
to me, it’s OK. Those types of people lived in 1940s Germany, too,
and they live with us today.
The Nazis convinced an entire country that it had a “Jewish problem.”
Now nations call it “ethnic cleansing,” as if there were something
clean about it. People aren’t victims anymore but “collateral
damage.” Now in the name of security, people who were once freer
accept encroachment of their remaining liberties.
That’s why Judge Cohn was here, to help us recognize the symptoms of
a sick society and give us courage to stand up and do something about
it, just like he and others of the Greatest Generation did more than
40 years ago.
Charles E. Richardson’s columns appear Tuesday and Sunday. He can be
reached at [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]]
or 744-4342.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

GLOBAL GOLD TO INVEST $7.1 MLN IN ARMENIAN GOLD DEPOSIT IN 2006-2007
Interfax News Agency
Russia & CIS Business and Financial Newswire
April 25, 2006 Tuesday 12:47 PM MSK
Global Gold Mining will invest $7.1 million in the Tukhmanuk gold
deposit in northern Armenia in 2006-2007, the U.S. company’s regional
director, Ashot Pogosian told Interfax.
The company will invest $3.8 million in operations and $3.3 million in
exploration, he said. The deposit will be open-cast mined for the first
two years, and then the company will switch to deep mining, he said.
He also said the project must undergo an environmental impact study
and technical assessment.
Pogosian said that a contract will hopefully be signed in May and
operations at the deposit will begin. The deposit will only be mined in
summer due to the harsh local climate, and ore will then be processed
at a nearby beneficiation plant for the rest of the year.
Tukhmanuk has proven reserves of 8 tonnes of gold and is potentially
the country’s second largest gold deposit after the Sotk field, said
Global Gold chief geologist Genrikh Mkrtchian, who is also a member
of the State Mineral Reserves Commission.
The company plans to mine about 150,000 tonnes of ore over two years
and produce about 800 kg of gold and 2,400 kg of silver, he said.
The open-cast mine will employ about 90 people, and the beneficiation
plant will have about the same number of workers.
The plant will use gravitation technology, without chemical substances,
so it will have minimal environmental impact, Mkrtchian said. This
deposit was operated on a trial basis two years ago, when about 930
tonnes of ore were mined with average gold content of 6.61 grams
per tonne.