8TH SITTING OF EU-ARMENIA PARLIAMENTARY COOPERATION COMMITTEE TO BE
HELD IN YEREVAN

YEREVAN, APRIL 14, NOYAN TAPAN. Members of the European Union-Armenia
Parliamentary Cooperation Committee will arrive in Yerevan on April
17, and the Secretariate’s sitting will be convened in Yerevan.
Members of the European Union-Armenia Parliamentary Cooperation
Committee will have meetings on April 18 with representatives of the
Open Society Institute, independent TV companies, with Ambassador
Vladimir Pryakhin, the OSCE Yerevan Office, with Heike Renate Peitsch,
the Ambassador of Germany to Armenia, the EU Council representative,
with the European Commission and EU Ambassadors. The 8th sitting of
the European Union-Armenia Parliamentary Cooperation Committee will
start works in the Parliament on the second half of the day. Works of
the sitting will continue on April 19. Works of the committee will be
summed up by a press-conference. As Noyan Tapan was informed by the NA
Public Relations Department, on the same day the committee members
will have meetings with RA President Robert Kocharian, National
Assembly Speaker Artur Baghdasarian, Prime Minister Andranik
Margarian, Minister of Foreign Affairs Vartan Oskanian. Members of the
European Union-Armenia Parliamentary Cooperation Committee will meet
with Ombudsman Armen Haroutiunian on April 20. The delegation will
visit the Armenian-Turkish border, the Nork orphanage and old-aged
pensioners’ house. The delegation members will leave Yerevan on April
21.

ARMENIAN PARLIAMENTARIANS CONVINCED THAT RAMIL SAFAROV’S VERDICT WILL
REMAIN UNCHANGED

YEREVAN, APRIL 14, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. At the April 14
press briefing representatives of RA NA groups and factions gave
assurance that if the verdict of Azerbaijani officer Ramil Safarov,
who killed Armenian Officer Gurgen Margarian with an axe in 2004
February in Budapest, is appealed against, it will be left
unchanged. To recap, by the April 13 verdict Budapest city court
sentenced Safarov to the strictest punishment of that country: life
imprisonment without the right of amnesty during the first 30
years. The Armenian parliamentarians also expressed an opinion that
after the verdict’s coming into force it is improbable that the
murderer will be delivered to Azerbaijan for the purpose of serving
his punishment. According to Rafik Petrosian, member of the People’s
Deputy MP group, Chairman of NA Standing Committee on State and Legal
Issues, Doctor of law, at present the possibility of delivering
Safarov to Azerbaijan is excluded due to lack of any agreement on
extradition between Hungary and Azerbaijan. According to him,
Azerbaijan in the future can try to achieve signing of such an
agreement with Hungary but “Armenia on its part will undertake some
measures for this not to take place” as to deliver Safarov to
Azerbaijan will mean “that he will serve no punishment”. R.Petrosian
also explained that usually bilateral agreements are not retroactive
in the international practice.

RA AMBASSADOR TO POLAND ASHOT GALOYAN PLURALISTICALLY APPOINTED RA
AMBASSADOR EXTRAORDINARY AND PLENIPOTENTIARY TO LATVIA AND LITHUANIA

YEREVAN, APRIL 14, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. By RA President
Robert Kocharian’s April 13 decree RA Ambassador Extraordinary and
Plenipotentiary to the Repulic of Poland was pluralistically appointed
RA Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Republics of
Latvia and Lithuania (residence Warsaw). Noyan Tapan was informed
about it by RA President’s Press Service,
From: Baghdasarian

NA DEPUTY ARTAK SARGSIAN EXPLUDED FROM PARTY ON DECISION OF ORINTAS
ERKIR PARTY POLITICAL BOARD

YEREVAN, APRIL 14, NOYAN TAPAN. At the April 13 special sitting of the
political board of the Orinats Erkir party, a unanimous decision was
made to exlude Artak Sargsian, member of the party’s NA faction, owner
of the SAS supermarket newtork, from the party membership. The reason
was that despite the decision of the party and its faction, the deputy
voted “for” during voting on the report on implementation of the
2001-2003 state property implementation program in the National
Assembly. Mher Shahgeldian, Chairman of the NA Standing Committee on
Defence, National Security and Internal Affairs, Vice Chairman of the
Orinats Erkir Party, stated this at the April 14 briefing of the
faction.
According to him, NA Speaker and leader of the Orinats Erkir Party
Artur Baghdasarian sent the material containing facts about violations
committed during the privatization process to the Office of the RA
Prosecutor General. As for “abstentions” of 7 members of the faction
during voting on the report, M. Shahgeldian did not see anything
unusual in it and noted that “against” and “abstention” votes were in
accordance with the political decision of the party.
It is noteworthy that despite the exclusion from the party membership,
under the NA by-law, a faction can terminate a deputy’s membership
only based on her/his own application. Secretary of the Justice
faction Victor Dallakian considered the three-day discussion and
voting of the report in the parliament as “spring aggravations or a
discrediting war within the coalition”. In his words, the opposition
gave its political assessment of the “shameful privatization”. As
regards the authorities, they are “steeped in corruption, therefore
they cannot fight against themselves.” In connection with the fact of
a not united vote of the Orinats Erkir faction, the deputy expressed
an opinion that “there is a problem of thinking over and expressing an
opinion about this force”. He did not rule out that “those wings of
power that influence the members of this faction” are the ones who
have dictated this situation. Leader of the Republican Party of
Armenian faction Galust Sahakian delined to comment on internal
problems of Orinats Erkir – its parner in the coaltion, noting that
A. Sargsian’s expulsion from the party was not a “sensation” to him.
According to him, the discussions of the report in the parliament
“resulted in the fact that in any case the coalition has no internal
problems”, as the coalition deputies did not make a call for voting
“against”, they just expressed their own position.

RA MPs MAKE PROGNOSES ABOUT FUTURE PARLIAMENT’S STAFF

YEREVAN, APRIL 14, NOYAN TAPAN. As a result of the 2007 elections, the
United Labor Party, the Republican Party of Armenia, the National
Unity, the ARF Dashnaktsutiun, the Orinats Yerkir (Country of Law)
party will be represented at the parliament. The Ardarutiun (Justice)
bloc as such will not be at the parliament but it is not excluded that
one component of the bloc will be represented. A newly-founded
political force will also appear among the parliamentary political
forces. Gurgen Arsenian, Head of RA NA United Labor Party faction,
made such prognoses at the April 14 parliamentary briefing. According
to Alexan Karapetian, Secretary of the National Unity faction, the
result of the parliamentary elections will depend on the President’s
will. He gave assurance that unless the latter intervenes in the
process of these elections, this will greatly contribute to the right
selection of the future parliament’s staff. According to Levon
Mkrtchian, Head of ARF Dashnaktsutiun faction, for the present, the
political groups, political parties, forces united around the
President try to estimate their potential and to prepare for the
future processes. Each force tries to strengthen its structures, to
clarify its possibilities and the amount of influence and collects
information about other political forces. According to the MP, the
negotiations processes, processes of formation of possible blocs will
start in the political field in late summer or in autumn.

*Fight for Justice with System Of ADown*
*Monday, April 24* Starting at 5:00 pm – Serj Tankian and John
Dolmayan will be protesting Turkey’s denial of the Armenian Genocide at the
gates of Turkey’s Embassy – 2525 Massachusetts Ave, in Northwest
Washington, DC.
*Tuesday, April 25* Serj and John will host a Capitol Hill
screening of excerpts of “Screamers,” a documentary film by Carla
Garapedian about the band’s genocide recognition and prevention
efforts. Room 2318 of the Rayburn House office building.
*On April 26* Serj and John (and David Alpay, star of *Ararat*) will
be at the annual Capitol Hill Armenian Genocide observance – from 5:30 to
8:30 pm in room B-339 of the Rayburn House office building.
For more info: check out:
2/system_of_a_down_rally_in_dc=?rnd=3D114486779748 4&has-player=3Dtrue&version=3D6.0.12.872
If you have any questions, contact ANCA at [email protected].

NOGORNO KARABAKH IS NOT USED AS A TRANSIT ROUTE FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING,
NKR AUTHORITIES UNDERLINE IN LETTER TO US ASSISTANT SECRETARY
STEPANAKERT, APRIL 14, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. Recently the NKR
Foreign Minister Georgy Petrossian and Head of the NKR Police
Department Armen Isagulov have sent a letter to Anne Patterson,
U.S. Assistant Secretary, Head of the Bureau of the US State
Department for International Strategic Narcotics Control. The letter,
which was submitted to NT by the NKR FMA Information and Analytical
Department, in particular says: “We highly appreciate and welcome the
U.S. contribution to the establishment of true democratic principles
in international relations. We also appreciate the consistent efforts
of the American Co-Chairman of the OSCE Minsk Group toward settlement
of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. We are writing to draw your
attention to an issue of great importance to the authorities of the
Nagorno Karabakh Republic (NKR)”. “The U.S. State Department’s 2006
International Narcotics Control Strategy Annual Report, published last
month, referred to the Azerbaijani government’s allegations that
Nagorno Karabakh and territories under NKR control are used as
“narcotics transiting route”. This is a departure from previous
similar reports, when mutual understanding over this issue had been
reached after we provided clarifications to your office in our
February 7, 2002 letter”. “We express our strong objection to the
fact, that Azerbaijan’s deliberate disinformation once again has been
included into the U.S. State Department’s reputable report.
We have no doubt that this new misleading information was
intentionally provided by Azerbaijan, which has made falsifications
and efforts to discredit Nagorno Karabakh part of its state
policy. Resorting to such allegations, Azerbaijan hopes that the
international community would regard Nagorno Karabakh as an
uncontrolled, outlaw territory. Since 1994, Azerbaijan has no access
to or control over Nagorno Karabakh and, therefore, is not in a
position to provide any fact-based information. As you know, in 2002
the NKR Government called upon relevant international bodies to send
an independent verification mission to Nagorno Karabakh to assess the
situation on the ground, but no action was taken. This provided
ground for Azerbaijan to continue its misleading efforts”. “Once
again, we would like to state, with full responsibility, that Nagorno
Karabakh’s territory is not used as a transit route for narcotics,
which is a direct result of effective preventive measures by the NKR
law enforcement agencies. Nagorno Karabakh’s border with Iran is
sealed. In addition, Azerbaijan’s ongoing blockade of Nagorno Karabakh
makes NKR’s territory unattractive to international drug smugglers –
an unexpected positive side-effect of Azerbaijan’s deliberate hostile
action”. Further the letter contains the facts, testifying the
abovementioned arguments: “As you know, since 1994 the NKR authorities
have been maintaining the cease-fire regime without international
peacekeeping forces and, thus, control the whole line of contact
between the armed forces of Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan, as well
as the situation in bordering areas of Nagorno Karabakh. By itself,
this fact offers an indisputable evidence of high self-organization of
our state. The Office of Personal Representative of the OSCE
Chairman-in-Office, which regularly monitors the cease-fire regime,
provides international supervision over the situation in the Nagorno
Karabakh and can confirm the absence of any criminal activities in
those territories”. The letter also points out that in
January-February 2005 an OSCE fact-finding mission accompanied by the
OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmen visited Nagorno Karabakh. “More than
thirty diplomats and experts from different countries conducted a
thorough monitoring of the situation in the NKR-controlled territories
and prepared a substantial report, which does not mention a single
case of narcotics trafficking activity”. “In this respect, we consider
it necessary to stress that the authorities of the Nagorno Karabakh
Republic are committed to strengthening of the democratic values,
peaceful resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict and international
recognition of the NKR independence. For almost fifteen years, the
NKR leadership has been governing the state responsibly and ensuring
the security of its citizen”, – the letter stressed. “For these
reasons, we respectfully request that you reconsider the inclusion of
unverified information in the official report of the U.S.
State Department. We hope that you will receive our request with
understanding and will positively resolve this issue by removing
unverified information about Nagorno Karabakh from the report and the
web-site. We are certain that this step would affirm the United
States’ unbiased mediating role in the Nagorno Karabakh
settlement”. The letter reiterated readiness of the NKR authorities to
cooperate with the U.S. in the fight against international narcotics
trafficking and receive a special monitoring group of experts for an
independent verification of facts on the ground. “We look forward to
working with the United States in addressing issues that can
potentially complicate the Nagorno Karabakh peace process and
undermine the prospects of regional peace and stability”. The copies
of the letter are sent to Dr. Condoleezza Rice, U.S.
Secretary of State, Ambassador Steven Mann, U.S. Co-Chairman of the
Minsk Group, John Walters, Director of the White House Office of
National Drug Control Policy.

AMBASSADOR OF ARMENIA TO POLAND HANDS HIS CREDENTIALS TO PRESIDENT
LECH KACZYNSKI

WARSAW, APRIL 14, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. Ashot Galoyan, the
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of
Armenia to the Republic of Poland handed his credentials to Lech
Kaczynski, the President of the Republic of Poland, on April 11. The
private conversation of the President of Poland and the RA Ambassador
took place after the official ceremony.
President Kaczynski congratulated Mr.Galoyan on the occasion of
appointement and wished him success in the responsible
mission. Further development of bilateral relations in all the
directions was attached importance to during the conversation. Taking
into account the experience gathered by Poland in the way of
Eurointergration, the RA Ambassador expressed Armenia’s readiness to
develop partnership relations with Poland, within the framework of
implementation of the EU New Neighborhood policy. As Noyan Tapan was
informed by the RA Foreign Ministry’s Press and Information
Department, a number of international and regional issues of bilateral
interest was also touched upon at the meeting.

OSCE MINSK GROUP CO-CHAIRMEN INTERESTED IN ORGANIZATION OF PRESIDENTS’
REGULAR MEETING WITHIN AS SHORT TERMS AS POSSIBLE

YEREVAN, APRIL 14, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. “The negotiation
process of the Karabakh conflict settlement continues, it is not
dead,” Bernard Fassier, the French Co-Chairman of the OSCE Minsk Group
stated at the April 13 press-conference. He confessed that of course,
what the Co-Charmen expected, did not take place in Rambouillet:
“Before the Rambouillet meeting we have a non-filled glass and have a
hope to fill more than half of it, what did not succeed. But one must
take into account that the glass did not turn over.” Fassier
emphasized the great activeness round the settlement process,
mentioning the great number of the Co-Chairmen’s visit to the
region. The French diplomate did not exclude that the next week, after
the Easter, his American partner Steven Mann will visit the
region. B.Fassier did not excluded, either, that he will again visit
the region in late April, early May: “How you may understand, all
those visits are paid not on private initiative, those are visits
regulated and agreed at the level of the Co-Chair countries’
capitals.” He informed that he leaves for Moscow on April 14 where his
meeting with Russian Co-Chairman Yuri Merzlyakov and Deputy Foreign
Minister of Russia Karasin will take place. The three Co-Chairmen’s
consulting meeting in Moscow is scheduled for early May, after what
the Co-Chairmen will together visit the region. Bernard Fassier
mentioned that the goal of such an activization of the Co-Chairmen’s
work is organization of the regular meeting of the Presidents of
Armenia and Azerbaijan soon. “We want again to create a possibility
for the two Presidents’ meeting, naturally, now I can say neither time
nor place of the meeting: nothing is known yet,” the French diplomate
said. According to him, if a possibility is created to organize the
meeting in June, then it will be good, and if not, then the
Co-Chairmen have a hope to organize the meeting in July.
According to Bernard Fassier, it depends on schedule of activity of
themselves, Presidents, and of the fact what an agreement the
Presidents will reach: “In the Co-Chairmen’s opinion, as soon the
meeting takes place, as good it will be.”
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

BERNARD FASSIER: “WAR MAY BE SOLUTION OF A PROBLEM IN NO CASE”
YEREVAN, APRIL 14, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The OSCE Minsk Group
Co-Chair countries are deeply sure that there is no alternative for
peace in the Karabakh issue. Ambassador Bernard Fassier, the OSCE
Minsk Group French Co-Chairman stated about this at the April 13
press-conference taken place in Yerevan. He expressed anxiety on the
occasion that after the Rambouillet meeting of the Presidents of
Armenia and Azerbaijan, there have been conflicts and even victims on
the contact line. “We must remind the sides that the war may be
solution of the issue in no case. The war is the worst variant for the
two countries as it will solve nothing: irrespective of results of the
war, the two countries will again appear on the initial positions,”
Bernard Fassier stated. He called on Armenia and Azerbaijan to build
the future together, not returning the one, that was in the past, and
not to fix their attention on the issue who was guilty in the past. He
persuaded to follow the example of France and Germany which found the
formula of a peacefull and mutually beneficial coexistence after wars
and disagreements of long years. Bernard Fassier informed that the
Co-Chairmen are ready to give the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan
additional ideas for developing those principles on which a great work
has already been done. According to his insistence, it’s spoken about
new ideas. The French diplomate disproved all the conversations about
moving the negotiation process on peaceful settlement of the Karabakh
conflict into other possible formats. According to him, the OSCE Minsk
Group format is unchanging.
“We decisively intend to use any proper possibility for settlement of
the conflict, it’s a new approach in the Co-Chairmen’s work,”
Ambassador Fassier stated. According to him, the Co-Chairmen
attempted in Rambouillet to form some agreement based on fundamental
principles. In his opinion, reaching agreement relating to fundamental
principles will make adoption of the framework agreement
easier. Fassier mentioned that the Co-Chairmen’s goal is to find those
proposals which will be aimed to improvement of the future agreement.