Armenian Speaker discusses property-for-debt agreement in Moscow

Public Television of Armenia, Yerevan
13 Apr 05

[Presenter] The speaker of the Armenian National Assembly, Artur
Bagdasaryan, met the co-chairman of the Armenian-Russian
interparliamentary commission, [Russian Transport Minister] Igor
Levitin, today. During the meeting the sides discussed the work of the
Kavkaz-Poti ferry link and the need to reconstruct the Abkhaz railway.

Igor Levin assured the speaker of the National Assembly that the legal
side of the issues has been settled and only technical and economic
problems have to be resolved. They also discussed the easing of the
visa regime for Armenians living in Russia, which will allow them to
stay in Russia for 90 days without visas. At the moment, Armenians can
stay in Russia without entry visas for only three days.

[Correspondent Susan Badalyan from Moscow by telephone] Armenian
National Assembly Speaker Artur Bagdasaryan’s Moscow meetings are
continuing.

During a meeting with the chairman of [Russia’s] State Duma committee
for CIS affairs and relations with compatriots, Andrey Kokoshin, Artur
Bagdasaryan talked about visas for the Armenians residing in Russia.

Speaking about the Property-for-Debt Agreement, Artur Bagdasaryan told
Kokoshin and participants in the meeting that the handover of
enterprises to Russia to cover Armenia’s state debt was not an
economic but a political issue and that these five enterprises were
not functioning.

Russian MPs asked for the Armenian speaker’s opinion about the
Armenian peacekeepers in Iraq. Artur Bagdasaryan said that Armenia had
joined the antiterrorist coalition and sent its specialists to Iraq on
a humanitarian mission.

The Armenian speaker also met Russian Transport Minister Igor Levitin
today. Levitin said that they were faithful to all their promises and
that they were working on the commissioning of the fifth unit of the
Razdan power plant [one of the enterprises handed over to
Russia]. Speaking about the work of the Kavkaz-Poti ferry link,
Levitin said that he would be meeting experts to discuss this problem
in Krasnodar on 15 April.

The National Assembly speaker’s two-day visit to Moscow has
ended. Tomorrow he is leaving for St Petersburg to attend the 25th
plenary session of the CIS Interparliamentary Assembly and an
international scientific forum dedicated to the 60th anniversary of
the Victory in Europe Day.

Turkish association urges USA, EU to reject Armenian genocide claims

Anatolia news agency, Ankara
13 Apr 05

Van, 13 April: Ikram Kali, chairman of the Association of the Families
of Turkish Victims of Armenian Massacre During World War I, has sent
letters to the ambassadors of the United States and several European
nations stating that the allegations of Armenians about so-called
Armenian genocide are total fabrication.

“The Armenians are crushing the fundamental values of democracy,
namely speaking the truth. The pressure on the Turks, to accept claims
of a genocide, is unethical and immoral. What the Armenians and their
friends are doing is nothing but pure slander that can have
devastating legal results globally for them. The radical Armenian
circles are trying to carry their allegations to the parliaments of
the United States and European nations. By claiming that there was a
genocide, these Armenian circles are attempting to have economic and
political benefits,” told Kali.

Kali stressed that his association has sent letters to US President
George Bush, France, Sweden, Switzerland, Netherlands, Germany,
Denmark, Argentina, Canada, Poland, Slovakia and Austria.

The association’s letter read, “In the recent years, some States that
Turkey regards as allies have passed resolutions commenting on the
incidents that took place 90 years ago. By asserting that a genocide
took place on 24 April, the Turks globally are facing a pure slander
arising from Armenians and their friends. The decisions of ‘allies’
hurt Turks globally and are causing disappointment and anger in Turks’
minds and hearts. All resolutions supporting Armenian lies and
fabrications have political motives behind them”.

According to Ikram Kali, the attention given to the so-called Armenian
genocide should also be given to the Turkish victims of Armenian gangs
and organizations. “Residents of eastern Van city of Turkey who were
butchered by Armenians deserve global respect. The Turkish nation has
lost millions of its citizens while trying to protect its land and
soil. We are ready to make the same sacrifice at the right time at all
costs”.

Armenian president favours equal business opportunities

Public Television of Armenia, Yerevan
13 Apr 05

[Presenter] Armenian President Robert Kocharyan today held a working
meeting with the newly-elected members of the board of the union of
industrialists and entrepreneurs.

They informed the Armenian president about problems raised at a recent
congress of the union and said that they expect assistance in solving
them. The meeting discussed issues concerning the creation of
conditions for competition, assistance to the export of products and
other issues.

The Armenian president pointed out that measures are being taken to
eliminate favouritism and ensure equal competition in business. The
president also said that in this connection, the presidential
administration’s supervisory service has conducted checks among
officials of tax and customs structures to find out whether they
monitor the business of people under their supervision. The service
has also prepared a list of 300 malicious tax defaulters.

[Kocharyan] I regard you as my colleagues and we must clearly discuss
all issues related to the economic policy of our country. It is
important to trust each other in solving these problems. I am sure
that if there is no ideal situation in this sphere, we will not be
able to resolve these problems. But life has shown that we are able to
stand up to competition in this region. This is our best advantage. No
oil resources can substitute it.

Azerbaijan mounts campaign against Armenian “genocide”

Ekspress, Baku
14 Apr 05

Text of Xazar Altay’s report by Azerbaijani newspaper Ekspress on 14
April headlined “Baku mounts a propaganda campaign against the
‘Armenian genocide'”

The Azerbaijani state commission for POWs, hostages and missing people
has sent numerous states, including Turkey, a collection of materials
about Armenian terrorism on the eve of an ”anniversary” of the
so-called Armenian genocide, the head of the working group of the
state commission, Firudin Sadiqov, has told Ekspress.

“Our materials mainly provide information about the tragedies suffered
by Azerbaijani POWs and civilian hostages in Armenian captivity during
the Karabakh conflict. There are also specific reports about ethnic
cleansing, destruction and pillage of our historical heritage and
monuments on occupied Azerbaijani territories,” Sadiqov said.

Baku hopes that the submitted materials will prevent the so-called
Armenian diaspora and Armenia from raising a traditional hue and cry
about the so-called genocide in the world every year and will reveal
the truth.

“Tortures the Armenians used against Azerbaijanis throughout history
is the actual genocide and this should be given an assessment,” the
head of the working group said.

He noted that the collection of materials prepared by the state
commission had been sent mainly to relevant research centres,
universities and political bodies in Turkey and other countries.

Armenia denies Turkish proposal of joint probe into genocide claims

Public Television of Armenia, Yerevan
14 Apr 05

The Armenian leadership has not received from Turkish Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdogan any proposal on setting up a bilateral expert
commission on studying the facts of the Armenian genocide in 1915,
presidential spokesman Viktor Sogomonyan has said.

To recap, Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said in parliament
that Prime Minister Erdogan had sent a letter to Armenian President
Robert Kocharyan with a proposal to set up the commission, the Turkish
media reported.

Pan Armenian News

AZERI SPEAKER: OSCE MG ATTITUDE TO KARABAKH ISSUE NOT SERIOUS

14.04.2005 03:06

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Yesterday Chairman of the Milli Mejlis of Azerbaijan
Murtuz Aleskerov received OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Miklos
Haraszti. Touching upon the Nagorno Karabakh conflict Mr. Aleskerov reported
«the problem puts serious obstacles in the way of development and prospering
of Azerbaijan; international organizations, including the OSCE Minsk Group
do not have a serious attitude towards the problem.» «I think that the OSCE
MG should activate efforts, apply serious sanctions against the invader and
attain the soonest and fair solution of the conflict. Neither should the
OSCE Human Rights Committee be indifferent towards it, but should make its
presence felt,» Aleskerov emphasized. Haraszti reported that the Karabakh
issue is in focus of the attention of the OSCE. «I suppose that using its
capacities and authority the OSCE MG should attain a solution of the
conflict. I hope you will feel positive changes in the OSCE activities,» M.
Haraszti stated.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Pan Armenian News

INTERNATIONAL TELEPHONE CODES TO CHANGE IN ARMENIA

14.04.2005 02:25

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Beginning on May 1, 2005 international telephone codes
will change in Armenia due to the mobile communication second operator
entering the Armenian market. The mobile international codes of ArmenTel
subscribers will change from +3749 to 37491. According to the statement of
ArmenTel Press Service, the codes of the subscribers of K-Telecom new
operators will respectively be +37493 and +37494. The international
telephone code for subscribers of the fixed telephone network of Yerevan
will be changed from +3741 to +37410. The figure 2 will be added to the
present codes of other Armenian towns after +374.

Armenpress

AUSTRALIAN CITY CALLS ON GOVERNMENT TO RECOGNIZE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

YEREVAN, APRIL 14, ARMENPRESS: The city council of an Australian town of
Ride has called on the government to recognize the Armenian genocide. The
city council also passed a resolution declaring this year the Year of the
90-th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.
The resolution says the city council will mark each year April 24 as the
year of commemoration of the Armenian genocide.

Pan Armenian News

AUSTRALIAN RYDE CITY OFFICIALLY RECOGNIZED ARMENIAN GENOCIDE AND CALLED ON
COMMONWEALTH GOVERNMENT TO DO THE SAME

14.04.2005 03:39

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ For the first time, an Australian Council yesterday
officially recognized the Armenian Genocide of 1915, and called on the
Commonwealth Government to do the same, Independent Ryde City Councilor,
Sarkis Yedelian announced today. “As the first Australian Councilor of
Armenian ancestry, and a son of survivor of the Armenian Genocide, I feel
honored to have moved this motion,’ Yedelian said. Yesterday evening Ryde
City Council unanimously passed the following motion: That this Council:
acknowledges this year as marking the occasion of the 90th anniversary
commemoration of the Genocide of the Armenians perpetrated by the then
Ottoman Government between the years 1915-1922, recognizes 24 April every
year as a day of remembrance of the Armenian genocide; condemns the
genocide of the Armenians and all other acts of genocide; calls on the
Commonwealth Government to officially condemn the Genocide of the Armenians
and any attempt to deny such crimes against humanity.

Pan Armenian News

GENOCIDE – A CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCE HELD
IN MOSCOW

14.04.2005 02:40

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Today, on April 13 Genocide – a Crime against Humanity
International Scientific Conference, dedicated to the 90-th anniversary of
the Armenian tragedy, was held at the Institute of Scientific Information on
Social Sciences of the Russian Academy of Sciences (ISISS of RAS), Regnum
news agency reported. The conference was organized by the National Academy
of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia, ISISS of RAS, the Russian-Armenian
Commonwealth and the Union of the Armenians of Russia. Corresponding Member
of the RAS, professor, director of ISISS of RAS Yuri Pivovarov, director of
the Armenian Institute of International Law and Political Science, professor
Yuri Barseghov, deputy of the Russian State Duma, president of the
Urban-Ecological Association, member of the Serbian Scientific Society Vasil
Mancic, Academician of the International Academy of Sciences of Pedagogical
Education, co-chair of the Federation of Jewish communities of Russia Roman
Spektor, President of the World Peace-Making Organization Vadim Izhevsky, as
well as representatives of the leading scientific and research centers,
non-governmental and political organizations, legislative and executive
bodies, the media, foreign embassies. All those addressing the conference
noted the fact that being organized by Turks in 1915 the Genocide of the
Armenian people resulted in 1.5 million Armenian victims and is not
acknowledged by the Turkish Government yet. The Kurdish representatives all
those, who suffered from genocide by Turkey, `to unite to resist to the
enemies.’ In the opinion of FJCR chairman Roman Spektor, Turkey is also
responsible for `the genocide of Slavonic peoples in the Balkans in
1994-1995, of Armenians in Nagorno Karabakh, Baku and Sumgait in 1988-90 and
the constant genocide of Kurds in their territory.’ In Spektor’s opinion the
actions of Turkey regarding Kurds are qualified as genocide according to the
UN Charter definition. `Any states implicated in genocide practice should be
withdrawn from the UN and be totally boycotted,’ he stated in his speech.
Professor E. Margarian in his turn noted that `resulting from the
Soviet-Turkish agreements in 1920 and the Lausanne Peace Treaty genuinely
Armenian territories, never possessed by Turkey before, were included in the
Ottoman Empire.’ In the conclusion the conference its participants signed a
statement on the Commemoration Day of the victims of the Armenian Genocide
in 1915-23 that will be marked on April 24. The statement says that due to
political reasons and resulting from double standards policy, the fact of
the Genocide of the Armenian people has not been legally recognized by the
international community and the Government of Turkey. In the opinion of the
authors of the statement, as a result the fact that this was not punished
entailed the Jewish Holocaust during World War II and other genocides.
Establishment of good neighborly relations and peaceful coexistence
impossible unless Turkey recognizes the fact of the Armenian Genocide and
takes measures to eliminate its consequences.