Journal of Turkish Weekly, Turkey
2005-03-30 12:35:03

Armenia-Azerbaijan: Close A New War?

(JTW) – Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanyan accused Azerbaijan of
preparing for a military attempt to recapture the territories occupied by
the Armenian forces, according to the Armenian sources.

Oskanyan said that Azerbaijani troops have moved closer to Armenian
positions along the heavily militarized frontline in recent weeks. 20
percent of Azerbaijani territories are under the Armenian occupation. Many
international institutions and conferences including the EU called Armenia
to withdraw their troops from Azerbaijani territories, however Yerevan
Government rejected all the calls from the US, EU and others. The Armenian
troops had occupied the Azerbaijani territories with the Russian military
assistance. Armenia is still a `Russian base’ while Georgia and Azerbaijan
have good relations with Washington and the EU.

The Oskanyan’ s remarks are considered `the starkest yet warning about a
resumption of the Karabakh war voiced by a senior Armenian official since
the signing of the May 1994 ceasefire agreement’.

Oskanyan threat Azerbaijan saying `The Armenian army is ready to give an
adequate response to any Azerbaijani offensive’.

Azerbaijan regularly repeated that the international community should
convince Armenia to withdraw the Armenian troops from Azerbaijain, otherwise
a war would be inevitable. However Russia, France and the US did very little
in convincing Yerevan. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliev repeated over the
weekend. `The people will liberate their native lands at all costs.’ `We
hope a mutually acceptable solution meeting all the international law norms
will be found as a result of the Prague process,’ Aliyev said.

(JTW)
30 March 2005

Today.Az » Politics »

Vardan Oskanyan: “In present situation interference of Russia to regulation
process of the conflict is undesirable”

30 March 2005 [15:02] – Today.Az

“Nagorno Karabakh is not able to solve the problem in military way. War
happened once and Armenia won, but the matter has not been solved yet.

It is also impossible to solve this problem by preparing international
documents, because it is impossible to make Nagorno Karabakh nation to
return back to the content of Azerbaijan and convince them for its
autonomy”. This was stated by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia
Vardan Oskanyan.

According to him, Armenia considers three principles to be important in the
talks with Azerbaijan:

1. Nagorno Karabakh can not be in the content of Azerbaijan;
2. Direct land connection must be present between Armenia and Nagorno
Karabakh ;
3. Nagorno Karabakh nation must be given real security supply.

Besides it, Armenian minister stressed that, recognizing the right of
Nagorno Karabakh nation to solve its own fortune is one of the main demands
of official Yerevan: “In Ki Uest talks, the independence of Nagorno Karabakh
took place, but it was not agreed”.

V.Oskanyan also stated that, most international organizations want the
conflict to be solved in the frames of territorial integrity, but
approaching to Nagorno Karabakh problem from that context is not right: “As
much as de-fact independence of Nagorno Karabakh prolonged, chance of the
union to achieve independence in juridical form increases. That’s why the
intentions of Azerbaijan side for solving the conflict for its benefit by
prolonging time and oil resources are not perspective”.

V.Oskanyan stated that, intensive ceasefire violations in borders affect the
talk processes negatively and suggested this matter to be driven to the
agenda of the discussions of Azerbaijan and Armenia presidents.

He stated that, Armenia is not afraid of restoring military operations.
V.Oskanyan touching the official declaration of Moscow about the Russia’s
being ready for help in the regulation of the conflict, noted that, they
appreciate this declaration and stressed it to be undesirable in present
situation. /APA/

URL:

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Zaman, Turkey
March 30 2005

Armenian Archive Confirms Their Preparations for Revolt
By Anadolu News Agency (aa)
Published: Wednesday 30, 2005
zaman.com

In a report prepared by the Armenian Tashnak Party in 1910 and
submitted to the Socialist International, there is an explaination
about preparations for a revolt.

In the report that was mentioned in an article in the April 2005
issue of the magazine, “Populer Tarih” (Popular History), it informed
that in the village of Bitlis and the city of Van (both in Eastern
Turkey), the “Armenian had people organized under the Turkish flag.”
The article written by Orhan Kologlu reads that the report was in the
archives of the Socialist International in Vandervelde, Brussels, and
is recorded in the arhive with the file number : B.579238. The
article adds that the report was prepared by M. Warandian for
submission to the organization’s convention that year in Copenhagen.

Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
March 30 2005

`Foreign Ministry should condemn Russian Vice Speaker’s statement’

Baku, March 29, AssA-Irada
Official Baku should express its position on the latest statement by
Vladimir Zhirinovski, Vice-Speaker of the Russian Duma (parliament)
and chairman of the Liberal-Democrat Party, which says that `the
self-proclaimed Upper Garabagh Republic may be recognized by Moscow
some day’.
MP Tapdig Kamalov of the ruling New Azerbaijan Party said in a
Tuesday meeting of the Milli Majlis (parliament) that such statements
should be condemned by the Foreign Ministry.
Speaker Murtuz Alasgarov said it is inappropriate to express attitude
in the parliament on the statement by Zhirinovski, who is considered
an insane person in the Russian parliament. He also suggested that
the Foreign Ministry express its stance on the Russian Vice-Speaker’s
statement.
Alasgarov also called on MPs to `respond’ to Zhirinovski through the
media.*

Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
March 30 2005

Hearings on Upper Garabagh conflict begin in Armenian parliament

Baku, March 29, AssA-Irada

Two-day hearings, `Upper Garabagh conflict and ways of its
settlement’, began in the Armenian parliament on Tuesday.
Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanian said during the discussions
that `one should take courage and confess that the Upper Garabagh
conflict may be settled on mutual concessions and on condition that
peace talks continue with participation of the leadership of Upper
Garabagh’.
Oskanian said that concessions should be generated during the peace
talks. `If I say that we are ready to make certain concessions, then
I will disclose the cards because this is Upper Garabagh that cannot
be an enclave. We cannot expose the population of Upper Garabagh to
danger. We can make concessions on other points,’ Oskanian said.
A draft statement on Upper Garabagh’s independence from Azerbaijan
will be discussed during the hearings as well. Aram Sarkisian, the
leader of the Armenian Democrat Party, said that the document will be
presented to the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs, the European Union
member states and Armenian embassies in foreign countries after it is
approved by the Armenian parliament.
The Armenian President’s national security adviser Garnik Isagulian,
Defense Minister Serzh Sarkisian, and former Russian co-chair of the
OSCE Minsk Group Vladimir Kazimirov, who held the position from 1992
till 1996, as well as representatives of international organizations
and foreign embassies accredited in the country, are attending the
hearings.*

Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
March 30 2005

Azeri, Armenian presidents to meet in Moscow

Baku, March 29, AssA-Irada

Azerbaijani and Armenian Presidents Ilham Aliyev and Robert Kocharian
will discuss the Upper Garabagh conflict in Moscow, Speaker Murtuz
Alasgarov told a session of the Milli Majlis (parliament) on Tuesday.

The meeting will take place within the events dedicated to the 60th
anniversary of World War II due in the Russian capital, Alasgarov
said.*

The Republican, MA
March 30 2005

Using words and pictures to market products, ideas
Wednesday, March 30, 2005

Gil’s opinion is that the Israeli advertising industry tends to rely
more on encouraging slogans – words – while in the United States,
ideas are spread and products are sold through images.

“What you basically see over there, in Israel, is an ad that claims
that that hamburger is the one that everybody buys … Here, in
America, (the) first thing that matters is said hamburger’s picture.
A huge one.”

Gil Duzanski, the 26-year-old manager of MGI, Media Group
International, came to America from Israel five years ago. He
believes in a good mix of words and pictures.

MGI has been around for about a year, offering “creative enterprise
solutions,” which include graphic design, Web development, and TV and
radio commercials, “basically, everything you can think of in terms
of an advertising agency.”

Duzanski studied Web design and communication in Israel, where he had
emigrated with his mother from Baku in 1990.

He was 9 at the time and Baku was still a provincial Soviet capital –
the city where the world’s first commercial oil well was drilled in
the 19th century and where Alfred Nobel’s brothers set up an oil
production company that competed with another local business, the
Caspian-Black Sea Oil Industry Association of Baron Alphonse de
Rothschild.

Today, Baku is the capital of the republic of Azerbaijan. The city
annually commemorates the events of January 1990 when ethnic tensions
between Azerbaijanis and Armenians prompted violence that led
then-Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev to send tanks and troops to
end the unrest.

“We lived then on (the ninth) floor. There was a roof above us where
they put their machine guns. During those several days it was
impossible to sleep or leave the apartment. There was a tank in our
neighborhood playground.”

More than 100 people were killed and Gorbachev is still heavily
criticized for his decision. Later, after the collapse of the Soviet
Union, Azerbaijani-Armenian ethnic tensions developed into full-scale
war over the Nagorno-Karabakh region; the conflict claimed the lives
of tens of thousands on both sides.

In Israel, Duzanski finished school, went to college and then served
3½ years in an anti-terrorist unit of the Israeli army. Besides
Russian, English and Hebrew, he speaks some Arabic acquired during
his military service, although he is a bit reluctant to talk about
that part of his experience.

Arriving in the United States, Duzanski said, “It was like with
everybody else who comes, having left, basically, everything behind:
careers, homes, friends and family … struggling with the need to
learn English and find a job.”

Some time ago, Duzanski, who now lives in Easthampton, met Vadim
Vatnikov, another emigrant, who came to America from Moscow 11 years
ago. Vatnikov, 38, formerly a self-employed interpreter, retailer and
community-care worker, recently began running the Russian-language
monthly publication Russian World and the English-language Friendly
Advertiser Magazine.

So, he says, the advertising agency was just the next logical step.

Their goal is to “stand out from the crowd” by employing “strategic
thinking, fresh ideas and high standards to transform your mere
concepts into a great reality.”

Alex Peshkov, a staff writer for The Republican, emigrated from
Arkhangelsk in 2002. His column focuses on the Russian-American
community. He can be reached at [email protected]

A1 Plus | 11:27:51 | 30-03-2005 | Official |

US MILITARY FORCES GENERAL IN YEREVAN

General Charles F. Wold, the deputy commander of the US European
headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany, will arrive in Armenian on March 30
and will leave on March 31.

The US Military Forces European command is responsible for the US forces
in about 91 countries, in particular Europe, Africa, Russia, in some
parts of Asia and others.

On March 30 and 31 General Wold and the accompanying officials will been
Robert Kocharyan, Defense Minister Serge Sargsyan and higher officials
of Armenian armed forces. The aim of the meeting is to discuss the
developing Armenian-American relations in the field of defense.

Schweizerische Depeschenagentur AG (SDA)
SDA – Service de base français
29 mars 2005

Synthèse Micheline Calmy-Rey en Turquie Le désaccord arménien
persiste mais le climat se réchauffe

Ankara (ats) La question arménienne a figuré en bonne place lors des
entretiens entre Micheline Calmy-Rey et son homologue turc Abdullah
Gül mardi à Ankara. Les deux ministres ont reconnu leurs divergences
sur ce sujet mais se sont mis d’accord sur la nécessité d’un travail
historique.

“J’ai longuement raconté à Mme Calmy-Rey notre point de vue sur la
question arménienne et l’évolution historique de ce problème”, a
indiqué le ministre turc des affaires étrangères devant la presse.
“Les positions de la Suisse et la Turquie sont différentes”, a-t-il
ajouté.

Selon lui, la décision du Grand conseil vaudois de reconnaître le
génocide arménien en 2003, qui avait provoqué l’annulation d’une
précédente visite de la conseillère fédérale, était “inadéquate”. Il
a en outre estimé que la version des faits propagée par la diaspora
arménienne était à l’origine des malentendus sur ce sujet.

Démarche historique

“La Suisse pense qu’il appartient à chaque pays de se pencher sur son
histoire et de se réconcilier avec elle”, a répondu la cheffe du
Département fédéral des affaires étrangères (DFAE). A cet égard, elle
a salué la volonté de M. Gül de mettre sur pied une commission
internationale d’historiens chargés de faire la lumière sur ce “sujet
difficile de l’histoire”.

Mme Calmy-Rey a encore comparé le travail de cette instance avec la
démarche accomplie en Suisse par la Commission Bergier, chargée
d’enquêter sur les fonds en déshérence.

Démocratie appliquée

Les deux ministres ont en outre abordé la question des droits de
l’Homme. La cheffe du DFAE a félicité son homologue pour “les
réformes et les efforts accomplis”. Evoquant la manifestation de
femmes violemment réprimée le 7 mars dernier à Istanbul, Micheline
Calmy-Rey a toutefois souhaité que “la volonté politique se traduise
par des réalisations sur le terrain”.

L’entretien a aussi porté sur les relations économiques entre les
deux pays “qui peuvent être améliorées”, selon Mme Calmy-Rey. Elle a
notamment évoqué la possibilité de conclure un accord de double
imposition entre Berne et Ankara.

Marché élargi

Enfin, les deux ministres ont évoqué l’intégration européenne de la
Turquie que Berne “juge positivement”, selon Mme Calmy-Rey. Si Ankara
rejoint l’Union européenne (UE), l’économie helvétique bénéficiera
d’un marché élargi, avait-elle souligné en décembre dernier.

En cas d’adhésion, la Turquie pourrait être soumise à des dérogations
ou à des réglements d’exception permanents, a par ailleurs relevé Mme
Calmy-Rey dans une interview parue mardi dans le journal turc
“Türkiye”. Un modèle de participation “partiel ou restreint” à l’UE
qui pourrait intéresser la Suisse, a-t-elle ajouté.

Hommage à Atatürk

Plus tôt dans la journée, la conseillère fédérale s’est rendue au
mausolée d’Atatürk, fondateur de l’Etat turc et du concept de
“turcité”. Arrivée par une allée bordée de lions en pierre, Mme
Calmy-Rey a déposé une gerbe aux couleurs blanches et rouges des
drapeaux suisse et turc sur la tombe de Mustafa Kemal.

Tout de noir vêtue, elle a respecté une minute de silence, avant de
signer le livre d’or. Elle y a “salué la dépouille de ce grand homme
qu’a été Atatürk”. “Il a fondé la Turquie moderne”, a-t-elle encore
inscrit, souhaitant “à ce pays paix et prospérité”.

A son arrivée à Ankara, elle avait rendu une courte visite de
courtoisie au président turc Ahmet Necdet Sezer. Mercredi, la
conseillère fédérale se rendra dans le sud-est kurde du pays, à
Diyarbakir, avant de rejoindre jeudi la capitale économique,
Istanbul.

Les Echos , France
29 mars 2005

Festival du film des droits de l’Homme

Trois salles parisiennes accueillent les quelque 40 films réunis par
le 3e Festival international du film des droits de l’Homme, depuis le
23 mars. Il met à l’affiche, sous le parrainage de Charles Berling,
qui sera présent aux soirées d’ouverture et de clôture, une sélection
de documentaires, pour la plupart inédits, produits en 2004, certains
en compétition, qui portent notamment sur le recours aux enfants
soldats dans les conflits armés, sur les lieux de pauvreté en France,
et sur le génocide arménien. La manifestation propose aussi des
oeuvres de fiction inédites, et organise, après les projections, des
débats en présence des réalisateurs et des organisations humanitaires
(jusqu’au 5 avril, à Paris à l’Action Christine Odéon,
01.43.29.11.30, et au Bastille, 01.43.07.48.60, à Saint-Denis à
l’Ecran, 01.49.33.66.77).