Construction of Armenian section of Iran-Armenia gas pipeline launched –
agency

Arminfo
29 Mar 05

YEREVAN

The ArmRosGazprom [Armenian-Russian gas industry] company has started
the construction of the Armenian section of the Iran-Armenia gas
pipeline from Megri to Kadzharan, Armenian Energy Minister Armen
Movsisyan told journalists today.

He said that the completion of the pipeline in Kadzharan will allow
Armenia to join Iran’s gas system. When the volume of imported gas
increases, Armenia will have to build a pipeline from Kadzharan to
Yerevan, the minister said. [Russia’s] Gazprom recently submitted to
the Armenian Energy Ministry a proposal on building a gas pipeline
from Kadzharan to Yerevan, he said.

This proposal was put forward by the deputy chairman of the Gazprom
board, Aleksandr Ryazanov, during his visit to Armenia. At the moment,
this proposal is being considered by the Armenian side and the
minister declined to comment on it.

[Passage omitted: known details]

BATUMI, AKHALKALAKI RESIDENTS AGAINST RUSSIAN MILITARY BASES CLOSURE

2005-03-31

TBILISI, March 31 (RIA Novosti) – On Thursday actions of protest were
held in the cities of Batumi (Adzharia) and Akhalkalaki (on the
Georgian-Armenian border) against Georgia’s demand to withdraw the
Russian military bases from them.

The press center of the Supreme Council of the Adzharian autonomy
reports: up to 300 protesters from the Georgian People’s Patriotic
Front staged in Batumi a procession with posters demanding an end to
the anti-Russian policy.

“The peoples of Georgia and Russia are brothers forever. Nobody can
stand in the way of their friendship. The Georgian leaders should stop
campaigning for the bases’ withdrawal,” chairman of the Georgian
People’s Patriotic Front Zurab Gotsiridze told RIA Novosti on the
phone.

A similar action took place in the Samtskhe-Dzhavakhetia region and
Akhalkalaki. Local Armenians (about 400) gathered outside the House of
Culture demanding that the Russian bases’ withdrawal campaign be
stopped, journalists were told at the regional governor’s
administration.

Presently, two Russian bases – in Batumi and Akhalkalaki – are
remaining in the Georgian territory. In addition, the Russian group of
troops in Transcaucasia is headquartered in Tbilisi. The strength of
the Russian group in Georgia is about 3,000.

Georgia and Russia are holding intensive talks on the bases’
withdrawal. In the beginning of March, Georgian parliamentarians
passed the resolution On the Russian Military Bases in the Territory
of Georgia, which reads, “The military bases of the Russian Federation
are to be withdrawn from Georgia. Such is the will of the government
and the people of Georgia.”

This resolution sets the deadline for coming to an agreement – before
May 15, 2005. If no agreement is reached before May 15, the government
of Georgia is to take tough sanctions with regard to the activities of
Russian servicemen in Georgia, the resolution insists

AZERBAIJAN WANTS PEACEFUL RELATIONS WITH NEIGHBOR COUNTRIES< ALIYEV
ASSURES

31.03.2005 04:48

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ `The Armenian solution of the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict is a dream,’ President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev stated at a
meeting with students of Warsaw University in Poland. As PanARMENIAN.Net
got to know from own sources, Aliyev stated that `the only true option
of solving the problem in compliance with the international law is
that proposed by Azerbaijan.’ `Armenians let Azeri refugees return to
Karabakh, Azerbaijan provides wide autonomy to Karabakh within the
borders of Azerbaijan, as well as security guarantees, which will
allow Karabakh to enhance the level of economy, and Armenia should
refuse the occupied territories,’ Aliyev noted. `Armenia istrying to
build its own state at the expense of the others. What if Armenians
had tried to get the states, where they live – and there are many,’ he
emphasized. As noted by Al iyev, `Nagorno Karabakh is a historical
Azeri land and has never been Armenian.’ `Armenians were moved there
from Turkey and Iran in the 19-th century,’ he added. To confirm his
words Aliyev cited the fact that the word `Karabakh’ means nothing in
Armenian, while in Azerbaijani it `large garden.’ As noted by the
Azeri President, when the issue of borders was decided after the
collapse of the Soviet Union, it was decided from the point of view of
history, and at that time 75% of Karabakh population were Armenians,
while 25% were Azerbaijanis. `After the collapse of the Soviet Union a
separatist movement appeared in Karabakh, which resulted in 1 million
refugees in Azerbaijan today and occupation of 20% of the territory by
Armenia,’ he stated. At that Aliyev said he hoped for the Nagorno
Karabakh problem to be solved within the Council of Europe framework.

ONE OF ROMANIAN JOURNALISTS KIDNAPPED IN IRAQ ETHNIC ARMENIAN

31.03.2005 05:28

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ One of the three journalists kidnapped in Iraq March 28,
Romania Liberia newspaper correspondent Eduard Ovidiu Ohanesian, 36, is ethnic
Armenian, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia reported. The other two
are correspondents of Prima TV Channel – Marie Jeanne Ion, 32, and cameraman
Sorin Dumitru Miscoci, 30. They were taken hostage on the second day after the
meeting of Romanian President Traian Basescu with Romanian servicemen in Iraq.
After being kidnapped the Romanian journalists managed to get in touch withthe
TV channel and to report the happening. Traian Basescu stated that Romania
will do its best to return the journalists to the fatherland. The kidnappers
have not made any demands in exchange for freeing the prisoners yet.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Armenian speaker, OSCE chief discuss legislative reforms

Arminfo
31 Mar 05

YEREVAN

The speaker of the Armenian National Assembly, Artur Bagdasaryan, and
Slovenian Foreign Minister, OSCE Chairman-in-Office Dimitrij Rupel
yesterday discussed issues of implementing legislative reforms in
Armenia.

The meeting discussed the process of reforming the Electoral Code, the
legal system, local self-government, as well as constitutional
changes, the press service of the National Assembly told Arminfo.

In the process of implementing constitutional reforms, Artur
Bagdasaryan drew attention to providing precise guarantees for
protecting human rights, balancing the rights and powers of the three
branches of power, securing the independence of courts and reforming
the system of local self-government.

The speaker said that Armenia honours its commitments to the Council
of Europe according to schedule.

Moreover, the parliament has set up a working group with the aim of
harmonizing Armenian legislation with European Union legislation.

In turn, Rupel expressed his satisfaction with the work of the
Armenian parliament and outlined the importance of carrying out
legislative reforms in conformity with international standards. The
meeting also discussed issues of deepening Armenian-Slovenian
relations and Slovenia’s support for Armenia in the Expanded Europe:
New Neighbourhood programme.

Polish leader backs Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity

Trend news agency
30 Mar 05

BAKU

Poland supports Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity, Polish President
Aleksander Kwasniewski told a joint news conference with Azerbaijani
President Ilham Aliyev in Warsaw on 30 March.

Kwasniewski said that Nagornyy Karabakh is an integral part of
Azerbaijan and that the conflict should be settled on the basis of
norms of international law.

He went on to say that the sides to the conflict should reach an
agreement themselves, but Poland, for its part, is ready to render the
necessary assistance. Kwasniewski offered to organize a meeting
between the Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents in Poland.

The Polish president also said that in line with the mandate of the
OSCE chairman’s personal envoy, Andrzej Kasprzyk has been given
special instructions on the observance of stability on the contact
line between the Armenian and Azerbaijani troops and on the conduct of
relevant monitoring missions.

Kwasniewski said Poland was interested in the preservation of
stability in the South Caucasus.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

KIRKOROV WAS NOTIFIED HIS PRESENCE IN YEREVAN `NOT SAFE’

31.03.2005 03:38

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Manukian Ltd. Management has personally informed
Philip Kirkorov producer that a political mistake is available and his
presence in Yerevan is becoming not safe, Manukain Ltd. Press
Secretary Temine Hayrumian stated at a press conference today. When
commenting on the complaint letter of the opponents of the concert,
she noted, `silence of the organizers of the tour of Philip Kirkorov
to Yerevan to the demands to cancel the concert even more inspired the
opponents of the tour, which let to the letter containing obvious
threat.’ At the same time she assured that Kirkorov did not refuse
from the concerts and merely regretted that he will not be able to
sing in Yerevan. Answering the question on the 3 million drams,
which, as stated by her before, were provided by Yerevan Foundation as
financial assistance to the capital City Hall, Temine Hayrumian
assured, there was no support from the City Hall. Taking the
opportunity, T. Hayrumian apologized to singers Anna Aghajanian and
Varduhi Vardanian as due to objective reasons they were deprived of
the opportunityto perform in Philip Kirkorov’s concert program.

RUSSIAN DEFENSE MINISTER: `RUSSIA INTERESTED IN US MILITARY BASES TEMPORARY
PRESENCE IN CIS’

31.03.2005 03:21

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Russian Defense Minister Sergey Ivanov supposes that
temporary presence of US military bases in the CIS territory, destined
for fighting terrorism in Afghanistan, fits the interests of Russia,
the Minister told Arguments and Facts Russian weekly. `There are US
temporary bases present in the CIS territory due to the counter-terrorism
operation in Afghanistan. It was adjusted by the US and Russia. It is
in our vital interests. I am convincedin it, ‘ the Minister stated.
`There is no military presence of the US and NATO there – except for
the cases clearly agreed upon,’ he noted.

POLISH PRESIDENT INITIATES MEETING OF ARMENIAN AND AZERI PRESIDENTS IN POLAND

31.03.2005 05:02

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ In the course of their meeting Azeri President Ilham
Aliyev with Polish leader Aleksander Kwasniewski exchanged views over
the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, regional cooperation, international and
other issues. A. Kwasniewski stated that Poland supports the
territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. In his words, `Nagorno Karabakh
is an inseparable part of Azerbaijan and the solution of the
confrontation should be based on international law.’ `The parties
should reach an agreement themselves. In its turn Poland is ready to
provide the necessary assistance,’ he noted. President Kwasniewski
also initiated organization of a meeting of the Armenian and Azeri
Presidents in Poland. Besides, he noted that Polish diplomat Andrzej
Kasprzyk as personal representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office,
has special instructions on observing peaceand monitoring the contact
line between the Armed Forces of Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan.

RECURRENT MEETING OF ARMENIAN AND AZERI FMs TO BE HELD IN LONDON APRIL 15

31.03.2005 07:51

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The recurrent meeting of Armenian and Azeri Foreign
Ministers Vartan Oskanian and Elmar Mamedyarov will be held within the
framework of the meetings over the Nagorno Karabakh settlement in
London April 15. As reported by Leader Baku TV channel, Mamedyarov
reported it to the channel correspondent in Warsaw. Mamedyarov
accompanies Azerbaijani President IlhamAliyev in the course of the
latter’s official visit to Poland. The meeting will be held with the
participation of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs from Russia, the US
and France. In the course of the meeting of the Foreign Ministers of
Armenia and Azerbaijan the date of the possible meeting of the
Presidents of the two countries Robert Kocharian and Ilham Aliyev will
be determined, Mamedyarov also said.