TURKEY SHOULD TAKE APPROPRIATE MOVE TO NORMALIZE RELATIONS WITH ARMENIA
PanARMENIAN.Net
19.04.2006 20:14 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenia sets no preconditions for establishment
of normal relations with Turkey, Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan
Oskanian said.
“Armenia was ready yesterday, is ready today and will be ready tomorrow
to establish neighbor relations with Turkey without preconditions
and have open borders with it,” the RA FM stated.
“We admit that problems exist but show me two states, especially
in Europe, experiencing no historical problems. However no state
practises the “instrument of closed borders” to force another state
to renounce its history,” the Minister said.
In his words, Turkey should take an appropriate move for the
normalization of bilateral relations. Vartan Oskanian considers that
Turkey doesn’t wish to develop bilateral political relations and
this excludes any progress. “Turkey is incapable to overcome its
narrow-ethnic interests and take a wider approach to the regional
problems,” Vartan Oskanian considers.
According to him, Turkey had the possibility immediately after the
USSR collapse and then at the start of the talks with the EU. “In the
first case it obviously made a mistake and failed, in the second case
the possibility still exists. Anyway it’s not late yet to get proper
orientation and try to establish normal relations with Armenia,”
the Armenian FM said, reported Novosti-Armenia.

AZERI MFA: BAKU INTERESTED IN CONTINUATION OF PEACEFUL TALKS ON KARABAKH
PanARMENIAN.Net
19.04.2006 20:21 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Azerbaijan has not received any proposals on the
Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement from Washington, Azeri Deputy
FM Araz Azimov stated.
In his words, no official document or draft was presented to
Azerbaijan. “Some ideas on establishment of normal relations with
Armenia for putting an end to the military conflict were advanced,”
he said.
According to Azeri Deputy FM, “the liberation of the Azeri
territories” will become the first step in the conflict settlement
process. “Azerbaijan is not an adherent to war. We are interested
in continuation of peaceful talks on the problem resolution,” the
diplomat remarked.
When touching upon the meetings of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairs that
have become more frequent recently the Azimov underscored he expects
little progress from the meetings. “In the near future the mediators
will pay a visit to Yerevan and then to Baku. The purpose of their
visits is to determine further steps after the Rambouillet meeting,”
he said.

KOCHARIAN AND KARASIN DISCUSSED CONFLICT SETTLEMENT IN SOUTH CAUCASUS
PanARMENIAN.Net
19.04.2006 20:50 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian President Robert Kocharian met with Russian
Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin, who is in Yerevan to hold
a regional conference of Russia’s Ambassadors to Armenia, Turkey,
Georgia and Azerbaijan. During the meeting the parties discussed
the Armenian-Russian bilateral relations, developments in the South
Caucasus, especially the settlement of the conflicts available in
the region.
They also exchanged views on a number of international problems,
reported RA leader’s press service.

GEORGIA TO DEPLOY MILITARY POLICE IN AKHALKALAKI
Armenpress
Apr 19 2006
AKHALKALAKI, APRIL 19, ARMENPRESS: The defense ministry of Georgia
said it will establish a military police department in the mostly
Armenian-populated town of Akhalkalaki in Samtskhe-Javakheti region,
saying the department is necessary to ensure security in the course
of Russian military base’s pullout, which is expected to leave Georgia
by the end of this year.
The A-Info news agency operating in the region, said the Georgian
authorities intend to deploy a Georgian military contingent in the
base after it is freed by Russians.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT MEMBERS AWAITING AZERI PERMISSION TO VISIT NAKHICHEVAN
Armenpress
Apr 19 2006
YEREVAN, APRIL 19, ARMENPRESS: Members of Armenia-EU Parliamentary
Cooperation Commission who are mandated by the president of the
European Parliament to travel to Azerbaijani enclave of Nakhichevan to
investigate Armenian reports that an old Armenian cemetery there was
destroyed said today in Yerevan they did not receive the permission
of Azeri authorities. They said they would go to Nakhichevan as soon
as the permission were given.
The decision to dispatch a fact-finding mission to the enclave
had been made by the European Parliament on April 6 and members
of the Armenia-EU Commission were assigned to assume the mission
after ending the Commission’s eighth meeting in Yerevan today. The
Commission’s cochairman Marie-Ann Isler Begin, who is also cochairman
of a similar EU-Azerbaijan Commission, said today after learning about
the destruction of the cemetery the European Parliament asked UNESCO
for information, but it had none.
“Now we are working with Armenia, Azerbaijan and UNESCO to specify
what happened in reality,’ she said, adding also that judging by the
evidence presented by the Armenian side the cemetery had been subject
to previous acts of vandalism as well.
The European Parliament adopted a resolution on February 16 condemning
the act of vandalism in the cemetery and called on Azeri authorities
‘ to allow a European Parliament mission to trip to the region to
investigate reports on destruction of old Armenian monuments in
Azerbaijani territory.”

“THE NKR ARMY IS THE MOST EFFICIENT IN THE REGION”, SEYRAN OHANYAN CLAIMS
A1+
[01:13 pm] 19 April, 2006
“To our delight the NKR army can defend the borders of the country
without any foreign help. Our army solves that problem not only thanks
to the number but also thanks to their spirit. The army solves all its
problems with the immediate participation of the people”, announced
Seyran Ohanyan, commander of the NKR Defense Army during the meeting
with journalists.
These days in NKR the 2006 military trainings of the Defense Army are
going on with the participation of the armed forces. The Commander
said he considered it his duty to make a report about the NKR army
for Armenia.
“This year too, like the previous year the alertness of the army
departments is at the center of our attention. If the heads of the
structures are competent and have organizational and pedagogical
skill, it will be easier to develop the structure”, Commander Seyran
Ohanyan said.
According to the Minister, there are three preconditions for having a
professional soldier: the knowledge, the beliefs and the customs of
the soldiers. Mr. Ohanyan found the social problems of the soldiers
extremely important. “We try to secure the officers and soldiers who
have devoted their life to the army with houses.”
The commanders of the RA Armed forces with RA Defense Minister Serge
Sargsyan at the head are also present at the military training.

EMBASSY OF ARGENTINA TO BE OPENED IN YEREVAN
A1+
[01:29 pm] 19 April, 2006
Vladimir Karmirshalyan, the Armenian Ambassador extraordinary and
plenipotentiary to Argentina has handed the copies of his credentials
to Jorge Tayano, the Minister of Foreign Relations, International
Trade and Religion of Argentina, and officially taken up his duties.
After the official ceremony the private conversation of the Minister
and the Ambassador took place.
The Minister congratulated the Ambassador on the appointment and
wished him success in his mission.
During the conversation the sides underlined the importance of
enhancing the relations between the countries. A reference was made
to a number of international and regional issues of mutual interest.
At the Minister’s request the Ambassador represented the relations
between Armenia and the countries of the region, and the process of
democratic reforms in the country.
During the meeting the sides also discussed issues about the opening
of the Embassy of Argentina in Yerevan.

NKR HAS PROBLEMS WITH THE ISSUE OF MISSING PERSONS
A1+
[02:50 pm] 19 April, 2006
NKR has no official date about missing persons. During the event
organized recently in connection with the International Day of missing
persons the representatives of the RA Defense Ministry and the NGOs
which are engaged in the issue mentioned that according to the data
they possess there are about 300 missing soldiers who are currently
in Azerbaijan.
Commenting on the issue at the request of the “A1+” correspondent
in Stepanakert, the Commander of the NKR Defense Army Seyran Ohanyan
said, “We do not have such data officially. I have been head of the
“Union of missing persons of Artsakh” and carried out work in that
direction. It’s a pity that we do not have relations with Azerbaijan
on the state level and cannot reach any results in this sphere”.
Proceeding from the situation, Seyran Ohanyan applied to the NKR
President Arkadi Ghoukasyan and asked him to resign him from the post
of the head of the “Union of missing persons of Artsakh” and to charge
the NKR National Security Service with it.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

THE AMBASSADORS IN THE PARLIAMENT
A1+
[03:38 pm] 19 April, 2006
RA NA Speaker Arthur Baghdasaryan met the Ambassadors of the OSCE
member-countries to Armenia and the representatives of international
structures.
Mentioning that this is the first time all the political powers have
come to an agreement about the draft Electoral Code, the NA Speaker
representatives the main reforms in every detail informing that the
draft has already been sent to the Venice Commission and to the OSCE.
Answering the questions of the Ambassadors Arthur Baghdasaryan
mentioned that in June the joint expert group of the OSCE and
the Venice Commission will arrive in Armenia. During the visit
discussions about the new Electoral Code will be held. During the
meeting a reference was made to issues of consultation, technical
and experimental support.
US Ambassador to Armenia John Evans, head of the OSCE Yerevan office
Vladimir Pryakhin, Italian Ambassador to Armenia Marco Clemente,
and UN Resident Coordinator Consuelo Vidal mentioned in their speech
the inclusion of the offers of the international structure into the
draft Electoral Code. They found the organization of the 2007-2008
elections due to the international standards important and expressed
readiness to support Armenia in this issue.
At the end of the meeting an agreement was reached to continue the
discussions about the draft Electoral Code.

INFORMATION ABOUT BLITZKRIEG IS GROUNDLESS
A1+
[04:46 pm] 19 April, 2006
How long can the negotiations about the settlement of the Karabakh
conflict continue without the immediate participation of Karabakh and
will NKR accept a decision made without their participation? Asked
these questions by “A1+”, NKR Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan answered,
“As head of a military structure I am responsible for the realization
of military issues.
If you want to have everlasting peace, you must be ready for war. We
must be ready to face any provocation. The military problems of
Karabakh were solved before 1994. The Nagorno Karabakh Republic which
de facto exists today testifies to it.”
Seyran Ohanyan adds, “If Azerbaijan wants to solve the issue by the
military way and not by negotiations, my structure exists for that
case. ” As for compromise, the Minister mentioned that this procedure
has not yet been represented to wide circles of the society and it
is difficult to say what the Karabakh people think of it.
The Minister also referred to the possibility of allocation of
peace-keeping forces in the liberated lands and assured, “At present
we don’t need it. Today the best peace-keeping force is the NKR
defense army.”
Seyran Ohanyan in convinced that the information about the possibility
of starting a blitzkrieg by Azerbaijan is groundless. “We have
corresponding investigation bodies the work of which excludes
the possibility of taking us aback. The sole fact that the whole
army can stand up in the first line for a few hours only speaks for
itself.” Seyran Ohanyan announced that the NKR Defense Army is really
powerful “and it is not by chance that the international structures
are of the same opinion.”
“NKR will fight for every meter of its land and will not make
compromise which will separate them form their motherland Armenia”,
NKR Defense Minister said.