ARMENIAN AND AZERI FOREIGN MINISTERS MAY MEET IN OCTOBER
DeFacto, Armenia
Sept 5 2005
Armenian and Azeri Foreign Ministers’ recurrent meeting may take
place in October. “We’ll try to organize the meeting”, stated the OSCE
Minsk group Russian Co – Chair Yuri Merzlyakov during the interview
for Freedom Radio Station. According to the Russian mediator, the two
countries’ Presidents’ August meeting was useful. In his words, the
negotiations proceeded in very favorable atmosphere. “They discussed
what we had proposed”, said Yuri Merzlyakov.

YUNUSOV: KARABAKH PROCESS ACTIVATION CONDITIONED BY INCREASED PRESSURE OF WEST ON YEREVAN AND BAKU
Pan Armenian News
06.09.2005 04:42
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ After Ilham Aliyev coming to power in October 2003,
a natural pause has appeared in the talks, head of the Department of
Conflictology and Migration of the Institute of Peace and Democracy
Arif Yunusov stated in an interview with PanARMENIAN.Net. In his
words, a situation has appeared that had already taken place, when
after the resignation of Levon Ter-Petrosyan new Armenian President
Robert Kocharian stated the line pursued in the talks by the Armenian
authorities was incorrect and it was necessary to review many aspects
in the negotiation process. “I. Aliyev behaved the same way, stating it
was necessary to start the talks from naught. This at first caused a
painful response of Armenia, however talks started then and they were
even called “the Prague process.” That was what I exactly meant when
stating in one of interviews in Azerbaijan that a new, recurrent and
of course not last stage has outlined in the negotiation process,”
the expert noted. In his words, “The activation is conditioned with
the increase of West pressure upon Armenian and Azeri authorities
and the domestic political situation in the two republics,” the Azeri
political scientist considers.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

“AZERBAIJAN READY TO RECOGNIZE KARABAKH’S RIGHT FOR SELF-DETERMINATION”
A1+
| 14:43:04 | 06-09-2005 | Politics |
Upon completion of the meeting with OSCE Chairman-in-Office Dimitrij
Rupel NKR President Arkady Ghukasyan answered reporters’ questions.
-Do you see any progress in the Karabakh conflict settlement and what
is your position on conduction of a referendum in the NKR?
-It it hard to say whether there is progress or not. Anyway there are
definitely some positive elements. I think that Azerbaijan has entered
a more constructive field. As for the referendum, in my opinion,
the fact that Azerbaijan is ready to recognize Karabakh’s right for
self-determination is positive.
-What do you think about the format of the negotiations between the
Armenian and Azerbaijani Presidents?
-These meetings cannot be referred to the OSCE Minsk Group format. I
rate the Kocharian-Aliyev talks as positive, however these talks
cannot be complete without NKR’s participation. Meanwhile the Minsk
Group has limited its activities to the format of visits.
-Taking into consideration the current situation, do you rule out
the possibility of repetition of the scenario of 1998?
-I think history is not likely to repeat, thus repetition can be
excluded.
-Your meeting with Mr. Rupel lasted longer than scheduled. What was
the reason for it?
-I suppose the meeting was interesting for both of us. We did not
complete our meeting, since it was impossible to discuss all the
issues. Anyway the fact that the Chairman-in-Office visits the region
for the second time is extraordinary in itself.
-Why extraordinary?
-He wishes to speed up the settlement of the conflict
-Do you think the conflict can be resolved till the end of the
current year?
-It’s not real
-Today Ilham Aliyev made some militaristic statements. Do you thinks
it’s a part of election campaign or a real threat?
-Aliyev is likely to be solving inner political problems, however it
impedes the process.
-Do you imagine Karabakh’s status lower than the status of
independence?
-It’s like to be “a bit pregnant”.
To note, yesterday Ankady Ghukasyan touched upon the inadmissibility
of a stepwise settlement of the conflict. “Karabakh can agree on a
stepwise settlement only in case our own issues are settled first”,
he noted.

OSCE CHIEF TO DISCUSS KARABAKH PEACE PROCESS, AZERI POLLS
Itar-Tass, Russia
Sept 5 2005
BAKU, September 5 (Itar-Tass) – Dimitrij Rupel, current Chairman
of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE),
is to meet with the leaders of this Transcaucasian republic here on
Monday to discuss matters connected with the Nagorno-Karabakh peace
process and with the talks held by the Presidents of Azerbaijan and
Armenia in Kazan on August 27.
According to diplomatic sources, the OSCE chief is to meet with Azeri
President Ilkham Aliyev, Prime Minister Artur Rasi-zade, Parliament
Speaker Murtuz Aleskerov, Foreign Minister Elmar Mamedyarov, and with
Nizami Bakhmanov, leader of the Azeri community of Nagorno-Karabakh.
During the upcoming meetings, Rupel is expected to discuss the
situation in Azerbaijan on the eve of the November 6 parliamentary
elections. He is also scheduled to meet with Gerd Arens, chief of
the OSCE mission that begins Monday to monitor preparations for the
elections to Azerbaijan’s top legislature.
According to the Baku-based office of the OSCE, the parliamentary
elections will be monitored so far by an extended mission consisting
of 28 observers. On the eve of the polling day, a short-term mission,
which is to include more than 500 international observers, is to join
in the monitoring.

PRESENTATION OF AFCENTER COMPANY AND INTERNATIONAL ACADEMY OF EXCHANGE TRADE FOREX CLUB
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 5. ARMINFO. Today AFCenter company and International
Academy of Exchange Trade Forex Club were presented in Yerevan.
For beginner traders the companies offer education on the basis
course “Analysis of the financial market and trading in financial
assets.” Within a year period of time Forex Club represented by AFCener
prepared 123 specialists-traders in Armenia from 300 participants
of the seminar. The participants receive the necessary spectrum of
knowledge in the course of the education on fundamental and technical
analysis of financial markets, currency rates forecast and capital
management. The course is paid – $50-$260. At present the number of
Forex Club’s clients in Russia and CIS reaches 20,000 people. The
network of branches and representations of Forex Club embraces 16
towns in Russia, Armenia and Ukraine. –

FORMER HANRAPETUTYUN MEMBERS WANT TO CREATE NEW PARTY
Armenpress
Sept 6, 2005
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 6, ARMENPRESS: Albert Bazeyan, a former senior
member of Armenia’s most radical opposition Hanrapetutyun (Republic)
party, who abandoned the party together with six other senior members
of its ruling board last week, questioned today the party leader,
Aram Sarkisian’s ‘constant’ promises to force president Kocharian
and his administration to step down through a revolution.
Speaking to a news conference Bazeyan argued that no political force is
able to carry out a revolution all alone. “If you want to carry out a
revolution you must have a clearly-designed plan of actions,” he said.
Bazeyan cited Aram Sarkisian’s increasingly pro-Western orientation
and uncompromising stance against the authorities as the main reasons
of why they left the party. “The Hanrapetutyun party has turned away
from Vazgen Sarkisian’s (Aram Sarkisian’s elder brother, a former prime
minister killed in 1999 parliament attack) ideology,’ Bazeyan argued.
Bazeyan also admitted to having plans to establish a new party,
but added that lack of money is a problem. Vagharshak Harutunian, a
former defense minister, who also left the party, said 75 percent of
Hanrapetutyun’s regional chapters said they would leave the party too.

NAGORNO-KARABAKH LEADER UNCERTAIN ABOUT PROGRESS IN TALKS
Armenpress
Sept 6, 2005
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 6, ARMENPRESS: Nagorno-Karabakh leader, Arkady
Ghukasian, sounded today uncertain about progress in talks over the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict resolution, but singled out some elements,
which he described as ‘positive,’ such as talk in Azerbaijan about
holding a referendum in Karabakh on its future political status.
Nevertheless, speaking to reporters in Yerevan after talks with
Dimitrij Ruupel, Slovenia’s foreign minister, holding now the rotating
position of the OSCE chairman-in-office, Ghukasian praised Azerbaijani
authorities for shifting to ‘ constructive framework.”
“The negotiations have not yet produced any tangible outcome so far
and this is due to a set of un-reconciled issues and I do not believe
that a resolution is possible this year,” Ghukasian said, expressing
concern over contradicting assessments of talks coming from Armenian
and Azerbaijani authorities .
” I just can not imagine any status for Karabakh that would be
lower of independence,” he said. Ghukasian did not likewise sound
optimistic about the efforts of the OSCE Minsk group, saying their
are reduced to regular visits to the region, but welcomed any contact
between Armenia and Azerbaijan, adding, however, the conflict could
be resolved only with direct involvement of Stepanakert into the
negotiation process. Dimitrij Ruupel in turn assured of his readiness
to speak to anyone, including also Karabakh authorities, ‘if it would
help end the conflict.”

OSCE NOT IN HURRY TO SOLVE KARABAKH CONFLICT
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| 13:53:30 | 06-09-2005 | Politics |
“We are friends both to Armenia and Azerbaijan”, OSCE
Chairman-in-Office, Slovenian Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel upon
completion of the meeting with NKR President Arkady Ghkasyan in
Yerevan Hotel yesterday.
According to A. Ghukasyan, the meeting was longer than it was
scheduled. Is there a possibility for Nagorno Karabakh to take part
in the negotiations? “There are several formats, these being the
dialogue between the Presidents, the Minsk Group, the talks held by the
Foreign ministers. I am ready to negotiate with all the conflicting
parties including the NKR,” Mr. Ripel said. The ongoing negotiation
process D. Rupel characterized as a “good idea”. “We still have time”,
he added.

STUDENTS DOING LESSONS IN BOOKSTORES
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| 15:02:56 | 06-09-2005 | Social |
“We have a very small number of professional literature in the Armenian
language”, director of Noyan Tapan bookstore Hayk Lazarian noted
when commenting on one of the most serious problems our students face
at present. “And the ones we have are too expensive, so the students
have to make notes in the bookstore”, he added.
The Russian translation of juridical, economic or medical textbooks
poses problems to the Armenian school leavers.
“I have to go to the bookstore because there are no textbooks in
the Armenian language in the library”, first year student of the
medical university Samvel Karapetyan says. He spends much time in
the bookstore, where students are allowed to use books, the price of
which starts with 3000 AMD.

OSCE CHAIR OPTIMISTIC ABOUT SOLUTION TO NAGORNYY KARABAKH
STA news agency, Ljubljana
6 Sep 05
Yerevan, 6 September: There is a window of opportunity for Nagornyy
Karabakh, so it would be good if talks continue with a view to a
solution “in the not so distant future”, OSCE chairman Dimitrij Rupel
said as he came out of a meeting with the leader of unrecognized
Nagornyy Karabakh Arkadiy Gukasyan in Yerevan late on Monday
[5 September].
Slovene Foreign Minister Rupel, who began a two-day tour of Azerbaijan
and Armenia to discuss Nagornyy Karabakh on Monday, considers
it feasible for a solution to take into account both territorial
integrity of a country and self-determination of the nations.
“I can see no contradiction here,” said Rupel, who did not rule out
the possibility of finding a solution this year. Yet this would take
“a lot of good will”, especially since Azerbaijan is gearing up for
a general election, he added.
Asked whether Nagornyy Karabakh could be included in the talks, Rupel
said “there is a solid format for debates”. He referred to the Minsk
Group, which is a mediator between the sides in dispute, as well as
talks between the presidents and FMs of Azerbaijan and Armenia.
“Personally, I’m willing to talk to everyone in order to achieve some
result,” Rupel told the press last evening.
In a separate statement to the press, Gukasyan urged for a format
of talks involving all three sides, namely Armenia, Azerbaijan and
Nagornyy Karabakh. “As far as I know, the OSCE wishes the same,
but the situation is deadlocked because of Azerbaijan’s opposition.”
Regardless of what solution comes out of the negotiating process,
the political leader of the unrecognized enclave located in the
southwest of Azerbaijan, stressed that the security of Nagornyy
Karabakh, mainly populated by ethnic Armenians, was the first priority.
After visiting Azerbaijan yesterday, Rupel is continuing his visit in
Armenia on Tuesday, when he is scheduled to meet Armenian President
Robert Kocharyan, FM Vardan Oskanyan, PM Andranik Markaryan and
representatives of NGOs.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress