OBSERVERS JOINED MILITARY EXERCISE IN KARABAKH
Lragir.am
20 April 06
NKR President Arkady Ghukasyan, the Primate of Artsakh Diocese
Archbishop Parghev Martirosyan and Defense Minister of Armenia Serge
Sargsyan watched the military exercise of the armed forces of Karabakh
on April 19. In an interview during the exercise Arkady Ghukasyan
said the army has become more effective. NKR Defense Minister Seyran
Ohanyan said this exercise is particularly important because the
army was ready for action. “We laid special emphasis on cooperation
of types of troops and involvement of aviation,” said Seyran Ohanyan.

ARMENIA WILL LOSE IF IT MAKES A BAD CHOICE
Lragir.am
20 April 06
“I alone cannot guarantee a fair election, and I alone cannot promise
that the election will be free and fair,” stated Foreign Minister
Vardan Oskanyan April 20 in a news conference.
He finds only one clear thing about the elections in 2007 and 2008;
if the elections are bad, apart from moral damage Armenia will suffer
material losses. “The Millennium Challenge program is an evidence
to this. The program stipulates compliance with certain standards,
and a breach of standards would mean losing the 235 million dollars
to be provided by the MCC program,” says Vardan Oskanyan, repeating
that will mean that if Armenia makes a bad choice, it will lose the
“moral as well as material support of its friends.”

ARMENIA IS READY TO DISCUSS TERRITORIES IF…
Lragir.am
20 April 06
If Azerbaijan recognizes the right for self-determination of
the people of Nagorno Karabakh, Armenia is ready to consider the
question of elimination of the consequences of the war. Foreign
Minister of Armenia Vardan Oskanyan reasserted April 20 the official
standpoint of Armenia on the settlement of the Karabakh conflict. The
consequences of the war are the problems of territories and the return
of refugees. Vardan Oskanyan does not specify if Armenia will discuss
the consequences after the self-determination of the people of Armenia
or since the moment when Azerbaijan simply agrees to recognize the
right for self-determination, leaving the discussion of options for
future. The foreign minister of Armenia simply announces that Armenia
will consider the consequences of the war if Azerbaijan accepts that
the people of Karabakh should decide their status independently.
From: Baghdasarian

EU WOULD NOT EXPLAIN TO ARMENIA WHAT FAIR ELECTION IS
Lragir.am
20 April 06
There are standards of free and lawful elections for the countries of
the EU, the CoE and the OSCE, which are obligatory for everyone. On
April 20 this idea was stated by Hans Winkler, Chair of the EU Troyka,
Secretary of State of Austria, in a news conference in Yerevan. He
said the European Union emphasizes the importance of the upcoming
presidential and parliamentary elections in Armenia and is willing to
monitor these elections. In answer to the question of a news reporter
if there is a border, below which falsification is acceptable and
above which it is not acceptable, the state minister of Austria said
a fair and free election is clear for everyone, and did not find it
necessary to explain what a lawful and fair election is, saying that
this notion does not need an explanation.

ARMENIAN ORGANIZATIONS IN POLAND TO MARK THE 91ST ANNIVERSARY OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
ArmRadio.am
20.04.2006 10:24
Armenian Youth Association in Poland in cooperation with other Armenian
organizations will mark the 91st anniversary of the Armenian Genocide
on April 23 in Warsaw. Apart from the members of the Armenian community
in Poland, famous artsits, historians, politicians and diplomats will
take part in the event.
The program includes a silent march, which will end at the Turkish
Embassy in Poland.An anniversary meeting will be held in the
Ethnographic Museum in Warsaw. Speeces will be delivered by Mr. Maciej
Bohosyan, the Representant of The Armenian Minority at the Goverment
of Poland, Mr. Ashot Galoyan, the Ambasador of the Republic of Armenia
in Poland. Mr. Rafael Amirian, the President of the Poland-Armenia
Association. A discussion with participation of invited guests will
be organized as well.

ARMENIAN CHURCH IN BAKU TO BE USED AS LIBRARY
PanARMENIAN.Net
20.04.2006 20:49 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ “I think that turning of the Armenian church situated
in Baku into a library is expedient,” stated Azeri Minister of Culture
and Tourism Abulfaz Garayev. In his words, as there is “a very small
number of believers of that region, turning the Armenian church into
a library is an expedient move. I believe the church should remain
in the capital as an architectural monument. Using the building for
a scientific center is very expedient.”

“INTAS – SOUTH CAUCASUS – 2006” SEMINAR TO START IN TBILISI
ArmRadio.am
19.04.2006 11:47
Seminar on “INTAS – South Caucasus – 2006, scientific cooperation
and joint contests” will start in Tbilisi.
The prospects of cooperation opportunities for scientific cooperation
between Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia will be discussed. Views will
be exchanged on elaboration of a joint policy for development in the
sphere of science and technology.

VISIT OF OSCE MG CO-CHAIRS IN REGION TO DETERMINE IF 2006 CRUCIAL FOR KARABAKH CONFLICT SETTLEMENT: OSKANYAN
ARKA News Agency, Armenia
April 18 2006
YEREVAN, April 18. /ARKA/. Many reasons, including the visit of the
OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs to the South Caucasus region will determine
if 2006 becomes crucial for settling the Karabakh conflict, Armenian
Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan told reporters.
“Obstacle negotiation will be possible in case of a successful visit
of the Co-Chairs to the conflict region in May. One cannot say that
the settlement process after Rambouillet got frozen,” Oskanyan said.
According to him, US OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair Steven Mann is to
visit Yerevan on 20 April, and the settlement process will go on.
Oskanyan also reported that a Russian delegation led by Vice Foreign
Minister of Russia Grigory Karasin is currently in Yerevan. “Anything
suspicious should not be observed in these visits, it is just a
coincidience,” Oskanyan said.

Patrick’s $ man irks Armenians
By Kevin Rothstein
Boston Herald
Wednesday, April 19, 2006 – Updated: 06:14 AM EST
A Washington lobbyist who works with a firm that is pushing the Turkish
government’s contention that the Armenian genocide never occurred
co-hosted a fund-raiser for gubernatorial candidate Deval Patrick
last night, angering members of the Massachusetts Armenian-American
community.
The Democratic gubernatorial candidate’s link to the Livingston Group
raised red flags with Armenians, who despise the Turkish effort to
erase the heartbreaking chapter in their history.
Experts estimate 1.5 million Armenians were killed between 1915 and
the 1923.
“It upsets us,” said Stephen Dulgarian of Chelmsford, whose mother
survived the genocide but lost two children; one to a Turkish bayonet
and one to starvation. “He probably doesn’t know anything about the
Armenian genocide.”
Massachusetts has a large Armenian community, centered largely in
suburbs west of Boston.
Lobbyist Bernie Robinson, one of 39 Beltway bigs who hosted last
night’s fund-raiser, is a consultant to the Livingston Group, according
to the company Web site. He is a former chief of staff for Patrick
supporter U.S. Rep. James McGovern (D-Worcester) and a former Phillip
Morris executive.
Patrick spokeswoman Libby DeVecchi said Patrick was “comfortable” with
Robinson’s role, saying he was only an independent contractor working
“under the umbrella” of the Livingston Group. “He does not, nor has
he ever, worked with the government of Turkey,” she said. “Deval does
acknowledge the Armenian genocide and he’s saddened by the event.”
Robinson, who donated $1,000 to Patrick over the past two years,
did not return a phone call.
The Turkish government has paid the Livingston Group more than $9
million to represent it. Key issues include battling a congressional
amendment recognizing the Armenian genocide and helping steer $1
billion in U.S. aid to Turkey, even though American troops are barred
from using Turkish soil as a staging area for Iraq, the watchdog
group Public Citizen says.
“We’re concerned,” said Aram Hamparian, executive director of the
lobbying group Armenian National Committee of America. “This would be
a great opportunity for Patrick to be very clear with our community
with what he thinks about and where he stands on Livingston’s efforts
to defeat recognition of the Armenian genocide.”
The bill, which would call on Turkey to recognize the slaughter as
a genocide, passed a House committee and is awaiting a full vote on
the House floor.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

AZERI EXPERT SAYS 10-15 YEARS NEEDED TO CLEAR MINES IN OCCUPIED TERRITORIES
ANS TV, Baku
18 Apr 06
Nazim Ismayilov, director of the Azerbaijani National agency for
Mine Action (ANAMA), has said that it will take Azerbaijan about
10-15 years and require 400m dollars to clear mines in the occupied
territories which cover 350m-400m sq.m..
In an interview with the “Point of View” programme on the private
Azerbaijan TV station ANS on 18 April, Ismayilov said that the agency
is implementing a joint programme with the Azerbaijani Education
Ministry to raise public awareness of the issue.
Speaking about the territories which are under the Armenian occupation
he noted that 22m sq.m. of land in Azerbaijan have been cleared of
mines to date, at a cost of 13m dollars.
No further processing is planned.