ARMENIAN AND NKR DEFENCE MINISTRIES REFUTE INFORMATION ABOUT SKIRMISH
WITH AZERI MILITARY FORCES SUPPOSEDLY OCCURRED THE DAY BEFORE

YEREVAN, MARCH 29. ARMINFO. Armenian Defence Ministry refutes a
regular information of Azeri mass media about a skirmish supposedly
occurred the day before. Ministry’s press-secretary, colonel Seyran
Shakhsuvaryan stated ARMINFO that the information does not represents
the facts and continues a propagandistic campaign developed by the
official Baku.

NKR Defence Ministry also refuted this information. To note, TURAN
Baku agency spread today an information with accusations against
Armenian and NKR military forces in violation of armistice regime,
referring to the press-service of Azeri Defence Ministry. According to
the information, the skirmishes supposedly occurred on the contact
line of Armenian and Azeri military forces in the region of Ijevan
(RA) and Ghazakh (AR), as well as on the contact line of NKR and Azeri
military forces on the Aghdam direction. -r-

Defence minister backs second Armenian state in Karabakh – agency

Mediamax news agency
30 Mar 05

YEREVAN

Armenian Defence Minister Serzh Sarkisyan today said that he favours
the existence of two Armenian states – Armenia and Karabakh.

Speaking at parliamentary hearings on the settlement of the Nagornyy
Karabakh problem, Serzh Sarkisyan said that he was for “a united
Armenian nation and two Armenian states”.

The defence minister said it was “strategically beneficial” that “two
fraternal Armenian states – Armenia and Nagornyy Karabakh – have
parallel membership of international organizations and closely
cooperate”.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Armenian defence minister meets outgoing Russian ambassador

Arminfo
29 Mar 05

YEREVAN

The secretary of the National Security Council under the Armenian
president and defence minister, Serzh Sarkisyan, today received the
outgoing Russian ambassador to Armenia, Anatoliy Dryukov, the press
service of the Defence Ministry told Arminfo.

He thanked the ambassador for his seven years of fruitful work as head
of the diplomatic mission in Armenia and wished him health and success
in his future activities.

Armenian minister urges mutual compromises on Karabakh problem

Noyan Tapan news agency
30 Mar 05

Yerevan, 30 March: The resolution of the Karabakh problem is possible
only by peaceful means and on the basis of mutual compromises, the
secretary of the National Security Council under the Armenian
president and defence minister, Serzh Sarkisyan, said on 30 March.

Listing the compromises Armenia could make, the minister said that
Armenia regards as a fundamental compromise the fact that it has still
not recognized Karabakh’s independence, although Karabakh has been
established legally and has existed as an independent democratic state
for many years. “This is a demonstration of good will within the OSCE
Minsk Group with the aim of supporting the peace process,” the
minister said.

Recalling the provision of the 25 January resolution of the
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe [PACE] that a region
can break away from a state and become independent only on the basis
of the will of the people living on that territory, Sarkisyan said
that as a second concession, Armenia might agree to conduct a second
referendum in the Nagornyy Karabakh Republic [NKR], which will be
organized by the OSCE under the aegis of the UN.

The third concession is that the Armenian side can start negotiations
regarding the security zone around Karabakh, the minister said. “I am
not in favour of returning the territories that make up the security
zone without taking into account the security of the NKR population,”
he said.

He said that certain concessions can be made at the negotiating table
provided that Azerbaijan clearly guarantees that it will not resume
the war, which will be confirmed by guarantees from influential
international organizations and states.

[Passage omitted: Reported details of the speech]

Armenian parliament holds hearings on Karabakh conflict settlement

Arminfo
29 Mar 05

Yerevan, 29 March: The two-day open hearings on ways of solving the
Nagornyy Karabakh conflict organized by the permanent foreign
relations commission of the Armenian National Assembly are continuing
in the Armenian parliament today.

Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan, Armenian Defence Minister
Serzh Sarkisyan, representatives of the Armenian presidential
administration, representatives of Armenia’s parliamentary and
non-parliamentary forces, the foreign minister of the Nagornyy
Karabakh Republic [NKR], Arman Melikyan, deputies of the Karabakh
parliament, heads of foreign diplomatic missions accredited in
Yerevan, scientists, as well as Armenian and Russian experts are
taking part in the hearings.

All those who spoke at today’s hearings stressed the importance of
conducting open and large-scale hearings in such an expanded format,
noting that such an event has been organized by a state agency for the
first time in 13 years. “We must be ambitious and seek to join the
European Union, however, on entry into the European family, we should
have no unsettled conflicts,” the speaker of the Armenian National
Assembly, Artur Bagdasaryan, said.

He said the role of parliamentary diplomacy is increasing day by day,
since three international interparliamentary structures – the OSCE,
NATO and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe [PACE] –
are already discussing the Karabakh problem. He called on the
country’s political forces to disregard narrow party interests and
close ranks around the settlement of the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict.

The head of the foreign relations commission of the Armenian National
Assembly, Armen Rustamyan, said that the hearings will make it
possible to clarify mechanisms of parliamentary diplomacy in order to
solve the conflict as soon as possible, generalize Armenia’s position
on this issue and clarify the place and position of Nagornyy Karabakh
in the negotiating process. Rustamyan also said that organizational
issues of the hearings had been discussed with Armenian President
Robert Kocharyan, who thought it expedient for the Armenian foreign
minister and the National Security Council secretary to present
Yerevan’s official position.

Dissatisfied with Rustamyan’s answer, representatives of the Armenian
opposition demanded that the head of state participate in the
hearings. The representative of the opposition Justice bloc, Shavarsh
Kocharyan, pointed out that it is necessary to draw up a national
concept for solving the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict based on the
self-determination of the NKR. As for the issue of returning the
Armenian-controlled territories, this issue should be solved only by
Nagornyy Karabakh while the democratization of Armenia and Nagornyy
Karabakh will guarantee a fair solution to the Nagornyy Karabakh
conflict.

The head of the commission on defence, national security and interior
issues, MP Mger Shakhgeldyan, spoke about the issue of determining the
NKR’s status and involving it in the negotiating process. The French
ambassador to Armenia, Henry Cuny, also spoke at the hearings and
noted the importance of such discussions, saying that the settlement
of the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict is only the prerogative of its
participants.

The French diplomat stressed the importance of a swift solution to the
conflict in order to ensure Armenia’s economic development and
integration into the international process.

DIMITRIJ RUPEL TOO KNOWS MUCH ABOUT KARABAKH

A1+
30-03-2005

Today the meeting of the Nagorno Karabakh President Arkadi Ghoukasyan
and OSCE Chairman-in-Office Dimitrij Rupel took place. After the
meeting the OSCE Chairman-in-Office quickly said two things to the
journalists, «I think starting from this point to summer another
window has opened for the settlement of the Karabakh conflict».

The second was that the Karabakh side may possibly take part in the
negotiations. The Foreign official also said that he still has
meetings till late in the evening and after those meetings he will
tell everything.

Arkadi Ghoukasyan heard about Karabakh’s perspective to take part in
the negotiations from the journalists during the short press
conference at the end of the meeting, «If the OSCE Chairman-in-Office
has said so, then it may happen, and I’m very glad in that
connection».

Arkadi Ghoukasyan expressed preoccupation that there is no atmosphere
of mutual trust between the conflict countries. As for the preaching
for mutual hostility and hatred between Armenia and Azerbaijan, he
explained it this way, «Azerbaijan wants to convince the international
society that Armenia is an aggressor, for the settlement of the
conflict to be organized the way they want, but they will not manage
it. Ilham Aliev solves internal problems by his military
announcements».

Let us remind you that this fall in Azerbaijan there will be
Parliamentary elections. There will soon be elections also in Nagorno
Karabakh. Arkadi Ghoukasyan has offered Rupel to sent OSCE observer
mission, but he has not yet received an answer.

Armenian president, US military official discuss Karabakh settlement

Mediamax news agency
30 Mar 05

Yerevan, 30 March: Armenian President Robert Kocharyan today discussed
issues of settling the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict with Deputy
Commander of the United States European Command Charles Wald, who is
on a working visit to Yerevan.

Gen Wald said that the USA and Europe were interested in preserving
peace and stability in the South Caucasus.

The sides also discussed issues of bilateral military-technical
cooperation between Armenia and the USA, the press service of the
Armenian president told Mediamax new agency today.

Armenian president awards outgoing Russian envoy for efforts to deepen ties

Public Television of Armenia, Yerevan
30 Mar 05

[Presenter] Armenian President Robert Kocharyan today received the
outgoing Russian ambassador to Armenia, Anatoliy Dryukov.

Kocharyan pointed out that serious progress was made in all spheres of
cooperation between the two countries during his tenure. The president
awarded the ambassador the Mkhitar Gosh Medal for his efforts to
deepen and develop friendly relations between Armenia and Russia.

Dryukov said that during his tenure, he always tried to deepen
bilateral relations and wished to see Armenia stable, peaceful and
prosperous.

[Video showed the meeting]

Journal of Turkish Weekly, Turkey
March 30 2005

`I Know What You did in 1915′

View: Jan SOYKOK (JTW)- Armenians accused the Turks of killing the
Armenians in the past. Strangely they are not sure about how many
Armenians killed by the Turks. Some Armenian `researchers’ say 1
million, another says 2 million. Even Armenians in Wales claimed the
total number is more than 2,5 million, while more fair Armenians
`accept’ 800,000. For an ordinary Armenian Turks committed a genocide
in 1915 against the Armenians, and this has to be accepted by the
Turks. However the Turks think different:

First of all they have strongly rejected `genocide allegations’. They
argue that the total population of all Armenians in the Ottoman
Empire was about 1 million and 90 percent of them immigrated to other
countries or to other Ottoman cities, including Istanbul.

Nilgun Gulcan for instance is one of the `deniers’:

`1915 events cannot be labeled as a genocide or state-organized
massacre. First, only 10,000 Armenians were killed in the ethnic
conflicts between Kurdish and Armenian groups and none of the attacks
was organized by the state or state officers. More than 100,000
Armenians died in this period as a result of famine and epidemic
diseases. In 1915 the Ottoman Empire was at heart of a war. The state
was under attacks from Russia, Britain, France and their allies. The
Armenian armed groups rioted. The Istanbul Government could not
suppressed the riots and more than 500,000 Muslim Ottoman citizens
were massacred by the Armenians. All these events can be named as a
genocide committed against Muslims by the Armenian racists. The
extreme Armenians wanted to establish a separate state and they
relied on the foreign countries. However France, Russians and British
forces did not keep their promises in helping the Armenians. They
failed. They tried to take revenge from the Turks instead of
establishing a safe home in Caucasus. The 1917 Revolution granted the
Armenians an independent state. Yet they preferred revenge and
established a terror organization NEMESIS. NEMESIS organized
terrorists attacks and assassination against Turkish statesmen,
diplomats and officials. As a result they killed innocent statesmen
and diplomats but at the same time they lost their independency.’

Similarly Davut Sahiner says `Armenians focus on revenge and blood
instead of co-operation and dialogue: Sahiner adds:

`Armenia is a small country and the number of Armenians in the region
is so small. Under these circumstances they need good relations with
the neighbors and the last thing they need is conflict and tension.
Moreover if they open the history, they will lose more. What they did
in 1915 is a clear genocide against the Turks and Kurds. However they
accuse the victims. The diaspora manipulates the Western public
opinion. But this cannot last forever. There was an armed riot and
armed attacks against the Government and the Muslim civilians. The
Armenian propagandists abuse the past, abuse their history.’

We now know what the Armenians did in 1915. They just accuse the
others, but do not question their past.

JTW, 30 March 2005

Journal of Turkish Weekly, Turkey
March 30 2005

Turkey Armenia Borders cannot be opened till Armenia Takes Positive
Steps

Turkish Naval Forces Commander Admiral Ozden Ornek said that further
development of cooperation between Turkish and Azerbaijani naval
forces will be discussed during his visit to Azerbaijan. Admiral
Ornek told reporters at Baku’s Haydar Aliyev Airport, ”we have a
comprehensive cooperation with Azerbaijani Naval Forces. We are
trying to provide every type of support to Azerbaijani Naval
Forces.”
When asked whether security of Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Oil Pipeline (BTC)
will be discussed during his meetings, Admiral Ornek said, ”we will
take up this issue. Turkey will protect Ceyhan part and Azerbaijani
Naval Forces will protect other end of the pipeline.”

`ONE NATION, TWO STATES’

Commander of Turkish Naval Forces, Fleet’s Admiral Ozden Ornek was
cordially welcomed in the Defense Ministry where was lined up a Guard
of Honor. In the meeting, the Minister, Colonel-General Safar Abiyev
stated that the relations between Azerbaijan and Turkey are high
level in all spheres. Turkey was the first state to recognize
sovereignty of Azerbaijan that regained it. It cannot be otherwise.
We are `one nation, two states’ and have common history, language and
religion. Versatile relations of the fraternal countries cannot be
compared with relations to other countries.

Noting that Turkey supports Azerbaijan in all fields, including in
the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict, integration of the
country to the European structures and in the activity in the frame
of NATO PfP program, Mr. Abiyev said the relations between Azerbaijan
and NATO are developing. Last year, President Ilham Aliyev has
presented the Plan of Activity on Individual Partnership in the frame
of NATO’s PfP program to the Secretary General of NATO. Annually,
representatives of the Armed Forces of the Azerbaijan Republic attend
over 300 actions of this structure.

Noting that the military cooperation between Azerbaijan and Turkey is
at high level, Safar Abiyev said that representatives of the armed
forces of the brotherly countries cooperate in Kosovo and Afghanistan
implementing their international humanitarian mission. Cooperation
between the naval Forces develop day by day, and the Turkish side
renders assistance and in this direction. The defense minister of
Azerbaijan thanked to the government of Turkey and management of the
Armed Forces of Turkey.

Commander of Turkish Naval Forces, Fleet’s Admiral Ozden Ornek
expressed pleasure to visit Baku, stating that the goal of the visit
is to expand ties between the Turkish Naval Forces and Azerbaijan
Navy. Because, the beginning of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan MEP is in
Azerbaijan while the end is in Turkey. And we should secure this
pipeline of friendship and fraternity.

BAKU-TBILISI-ERZURUM GAS PIPELINE

Colonel-General Safar Abiyev said that the Turkish-Azerbaijani
relations base on a firm ground, the BTC MEP would be commissioned
this year, and that the works for construction of the
Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum gas pipeline would be launched in 2006. The
Defense Minister especially stressed that the two states should
guarantee safety of the pipelines and platforms. Turkey is one of the
powerful and strongest members of NATO. Therefore, Azerbaijan’s
enemies try to impede this grandiose project. And subsequently, they
render assistance appropriate forces to delay settlement of the
Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict. We reiterate that Azerbaijan will not
cede a sod of its lands to Armenia.

The Minister spoke of the current military-political situation in the
South Caucasus, underlining that in realization of the projects, in
fair resolution to the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict, Turkey will
always be with Azerbaijan, support it and not open the borders with
Armenia.

BORDERS CANNOT BE OPENED

Fleet’s Admiral Ozden Ornek, in particular, noted that `despite of
pressures on Turkey, we have not opened the borders with Armenia.
Despite continuous attempts of the Armenians, we shall not open our
borders. Turkey and Azerbaijan should always back each other.’ Turkey
and Armenia has no diplomatic relations and the territorial borders
were closed after the Armenian attacks and occupation against
Azerbaijani territories. 20 percent of Azerbaijani is under the
Armenian occupation. Armenia does not recognize Turkey’s territorial
unity and implies that the eastern provinces are Armenian. Apart from
all these, Armenian Diaspora and State make all possible efforts in
order to harm Turkey’s national interests. Turkish Prime Minister
Tayyip Erdogan has frequently called the Armenian side to take
positive steps in Turkey-Armenia relations. Erdogan said `If Armenia
takes a couple of steps we could do more’. Erdogan in March 2005
further called the Armenian side to investigate the Armenian
allegations: `Our archives are open to all. Armenia and the Armenian
Diaspora should open their archives. Turkish and Armenian historians
should discuss the problems.’ However Armenia rejected Turkey’s call.

According to the recent surveys conducted in Turkey and Armenia the
publics seek to open the borders. However the Armenian side reject to
take any step in Karabakh’s occupation or in any other area. The
European Union named Armenia occupier in Karabakh and no state
recognize Karabakh’s so-called government.

Then, the sides had comprehensive exchange of vies on
Azerbaijan-Turkey military ties, including expansion of naval Forces
of both countries.

In the meeting, also was participating Ambassador of Turkey to
Azerbaijan Turan Morali.

Source: JTW News Desk, Turkish media, Azer Tag,