TURKISH FM DEMANDS EXPLANATION FROM STATES WHICH RECOGNIZED ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

PanArmenian News
March 23 2005

23.03.2005 05:12

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ When addressing the countries, which have already
recognized the Armenian Genocide, Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah
Gul stated, “Prove your statements”. In his words, the Turkish and
Armenian people “have lived side by side for thousand of years and
supplemented each other’s culture and security”. “The statements on
Genocide are fabulous”, he stressed adding that the “countries speaking
out with such statements against Turkey must prove their verity.” He
also said that as Turkey has opened all her archives, “the archives
of Leningrad, England, Paris and Armenia must be as well opened”.

TURKS GOING TO PROTEST AGAINST EVENTS DEDICATED TO ARMENIAN GENOCIDE 90-TH ANNIVERSARY

PanArmenian News
March 23 2005

23.03.2005 04:51

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ All the Turks residing in the US expressed readiness
to participate in the protest action to be held on April 24 in front of
the White House, the rally initiator Ulker Aksu stated. In her words,
500 Turks will arrive in Washington from New York only. The rally
will be organized as a counteraction to the measures undertaken by the
Armenian community of the US and dedicated to the 90-th anniversary
of the Armenian Genocide. Ulker Aksu called the Turks residing in
Europe to hold a protest action against the genocide recognition and
expressed hope for a positive outcome of the action.

PanArmenian News
March 23 2005

ARMENIAN DELEGATION TO DISCUSS IN GEORGIA PROBLEMS REGARDING
ELIMINATION OF ARMENIAN CHURCH AND CULTURAL HERITAGE

23.03.2005 03:35

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Early April Armenian delegation composed of head
of the Karabakh Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church Pargev
Martirosian, member of the spiritual council, professor Rafael
Papian and Bishop Yeznik Papian will visit Georgia to discuss problems
regarding the elimination of the Armenian church and cultural heritage,
the press release of the Armenian Diocese of Georgia reported, Yerkir
newspaper writes. The delegation members are also going to discuss the
issues referring to the status of the Armenian Diocese of Georgia. The
Armenian delegation anchors big hopes with the upcoming negotiations.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ArmenPress
March 23 2005

ARMENIAN JEWS ASK BROTHERS AND SISTERS WORLDWIDE TO RECOGNIZE
ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

YEREVAN, MARCH 23, ARMENPRESS: The Jewish community of Armenia
called Tuesday on all Jewish organizations worldwide urging them to
recognize the Armenian genocide.
A statement by the community says the government of the Ottoman
Turkey committed a horrible crime by exterminating 1.5 million of
Armenians who were its citizens. It says this fact was silenced for
decades and was not condemned by the international community. “The
Holocaust would have never taken place had the peoples of the world
condemned the Armenian genocide at that time, as they have now risen
to fight the terrorism,” the statement says.
It also says governments should put aside their political or
economic interests and condemn the Armenian genocide. It says the
recognition of the Armenian genocide will not be aimed against the
Turkish people and quite the contrary, it will do it a credit in the
eyes of the civilized humanity, as was the case with Germany, when
its government recognized the fact of elimination of 6 million Jews
during World War II.
“On the eve of the 90-th anniversary of this horrible crime we
call on those , who emphasize the acknowledgment of the historical
truth and ask them to pay tribute to the memory of the innocent
victims,” the statement says.

ArmenPress
March 23 2005

ARMENTEL VOWS TO INVEST 50 MILLION EUROS TO UPGRADE
TELECOMMUNICATIONS

YEREVAN, MARCH 23, ARMENPRESS: ArmenTel telephone operator pledged
Tuesday to invest around 50 million euros in upgrading Armenia’s
telecommunications. ArmenTel’ chief executive manager Vasilis Fetsis
told a news conference that some 20 million euros will be invested in
modernizing mobile phone communication, 25 million in improvement of
linear phone services and another 5 million in the development of
information and telecommunications technologies.
Fetsis said the company will try to satisfy the demand for mobile
phones. He charged the company’s previous management for failing to
meet this demand especially that it enjoyed exclusive rights in this
service.
He said ArmenTel will continue digitizing liner phone
communication in Yerevan and Gyumri.

USATF ACTION PLAN SIGNED

ArmenPress
March 23 2005

YEREVAN, MARCH 23, ARMENPRESS: On March 23, Minister of Finance
and Economy Vartan Khachatrian and U.S. Ambassador John Evans signed
the Action Plan of the most recent meeting of the U.S.-Armenia Task
Force on Economic Cooperation (USATF). The current document
highlights areas in which the two governments are cooperating in the
fields of development assistance.
“This Action Plan is our development roadmap,” said Ambassador
Evans of the signing ceremony. “It helps us set clear goals and
ensures that we are cooperating as governments toward a bright future
for the Armenian people.”
Topics in the 30-point action plan include ways to improve fiscal
administration, strengthen the banking sector, fight corruption,
engage the business community, meet Armenia’s needs in the public
service sector and strengthen ongoing cooperation in the agricultural
and humanitarian sectors. The document also acknowledges the
Government of Armenia’s eligibility for the Millennium Challenge
Account (MCA) and the need to register progress in MCA eligibility
areas. The signing was preceded by a series of working-level meetings
on each of these items between officials of the U.S. Embassy and
USAID and various Government of Armenia ministries. USAID-Armenia
Director Robin Phillips also participated in the event.
The U.S.-Armenia Task Force on Economic Cooperation was
established in January 2000 as a way to institutionalize
government-to-government dialogue on development issues, promote
further economic cooperation and maximize the effectiveness of
assistance programs implemented by the United States Government.
Meetings are held twice a year (once in the United States and once in
Armenia). The next USATF meeting is tentatively scheduled to be held
in May 2005 in Yerevan.
The United States Government has provided over 1.5 billion dollars
of assistance to the Republic of Armenia over the past decade.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PanArmenian News
March 23 2005

ROBERT KOCHARIAN MET WITH HEAD OF OSCE MISSION TO ARMENIA

23.03.2005 08:59

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian President Robert Kocharian met with head
of the OSCE Mission to Armenia, Ambassador Vladimir Pryakhin,
President’s press service reported. During the meeting Vladimir
Pryakhin familiarized Robert Kocharian with the principal directions
of the activities of the OSCE in Yerevan in 2005. The interlocutors
discussed issues regarding the perfection of the Election Code and
constitutional reforms as well as a number of programs carried out
with the OSCE’s assistance. The Armenian President congratulated
Vladimir Pryakhin with the 5-th anniversary of the foundation of the
OSCE Yerevan Office.

AzerTag, Azerbaijan
March 23 2005

MINISTRY OF NATIONAL SECURITY OF THE AZERBAIJAN REPUBLIC REPORTS
[March 23, 2005, 23:03:07]

On March 23, 2005, minister of National Security of the Azerbaijan
Republic, general – lieutenant Eldar Mahmudov has met director of
Institute of the Central Asia and Caucasus of the John Hopkins
University, US, professor Frederick Starr.

Minister of National Security has told at the meeting about the
reforms conducted by the political management of Azerbaijan in the
field of construction of the legal and democratic state, in
particular, about work, stability carried out in the field of
strengthening stability – the main guarantee of development of
business, economic progress and foreign investments, and also
realization of the important international projects.

Minister Eldar Mahmudov has in detail stopped on safety in the
country, preservation of stability, the place and role of the
Ministry of National Security in combat against criminality, its
dangerous forms and displays, and also strengthening in this body of
the legislative base corresponding to the international norms and
standards, has told about conducted reforms, their real and positive
results.

Then, the Minister has spoken of the work done in the field of
neutralization of organized transnational criminal groups, closely
connected with the international terrorist organizations. At the same
time, he has in detail told about criminal conditions in the region,
factors influencing on it, the political and military situation, the
Armenia-Azerbaijan, Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the armed separatism,
uncontrollable territories and consequences of all of this, including
about the social problems which have arisen in connection with
refugees and IDPs, and also illegal migration, drug trafficking, and
other questions, the undertaken adequate measures.

The visitor, having expressed gratitude for warm and hospitable
meeting, the wide and detailed information, at the same time, has
expressed regret that the western public is insufficiently informed
on all questions marked here, has emphasized importance of the even
greater activation of objective propaganda activities in this
direction.

Professor Frederick Starr also has noted that the tightening of the
settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh problem creates anxiety for region
and as a whole for all international community that is afflicted with
messages on daily infringement of ceasefire regime, which he receives
during stay in Azerbaijan. At the same time, the visitor, having
expressed satisfaction with positive processes occurring in
Azerbaijan, has invited minister Eldar Mahmudov to deliver a lecture
in John Hopkins University.

The meeting has passed in warm conditions, discussed were other
questions representing interest.

AzerTag, Azerbaijan
March 23 2005

AMBASSADOR OF AZERBAIJAN IN MOSCOW MEETS WITH AMBASSADOR OF SLOVENIA
IN RUSSIAN FEDERATION
[March 23, 2005, 20:32:20]

On March 23, the ambassador of Azerbaijan in Moscow, the doyen of the
diplomatic corps Ramiz Rizayev has met the new ambassador of Slovenia
in Russia of Andrey Benedeichich, who, before appointment as the head
of mission of the country in Moscow held the post of proxy
minister-deputy head of permanent mission of Slovenia at OSCE in
Vienna.

During conversation, the Azerbaijan diplomat has informed his Slovene
colleague on features of the diplomatic protocol in Russia, current
socio-economic and political situation in the host country, also
about the condition of the Azerbaijan -Russian relations. Special
accent has been made on strategic character of the said relations,
positive changes of their development in economic, humanitarian and
political spheres.

The ambassador of Slovenia, in turn, has noted that his country,
since this year being chairman of OSCE, in the new quality would
actively promote settlements of the Armenia-Azerbaijan,
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Thus, the diplomat has stated that during the forthcoming April visit
of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Slovenia to Baku, alongside
with problems of strengthening of the Slovenia-Azerbaijan mutual
relations, also will be focused the questions connected to
intermediary activity of his country in this mentioned problem.

During the meeting, also discussed were other questions representing
mutual interest.

NOVOROSSIISK ARMENIANS SEEK RUSSIAN, ARMENIAN PRESIDENTS’
INTERVENTION TO STOP COSSACK RAMPAGE

ArmenPress
March 23 2005

NOVOROSSIISK, MARCH 23, ARMENPRESS: According to a report from the
southern Russian city of Novorossiisk in the province of Krasnodar,
the local Armenian community will ask for intervention of Russian and
Armenian presidents to stop a new wave of anti-Armenian rampage.
Yerkramas weekly, a newspaper run by the Armenian community of
southern Russia, said local Armenian community accused the city
law-enforcement bodies of failing to stick to their promises and
guarantee local Armenians’ safety.
The newspaper said these guarantees were given on March 22 morning
after Cossacks from nearby regions went on a rampage in a town
quarter populated by Armenians destroying cars, cafes and shops,
owned by Armenians. On the same day local mayor appealed to Armenian
and Greek diasporas and the Cossack to observe law and stop
disorders, but on the same evening around 200 Cossacks arrived in the
town to attack Armenians and Greeks.
According to a witness, the clash was caused by a squabble at a
local cafe when Cossacks led by their chieftain attacked a group of
Armenians and Greeks who were having a birthday party. In the
subsequent fight the chieftain was injured and was rushed to a
hospital where doctors had to operate on him. Local law-enforcement
bodies opened a criminal investigation.
Inter-ethnic tension in this region that has the largest Armenian
community around the globe, according to various estimations, between
800,000 to 1 million, constituting 18 percent of the region’s overall
five million population, have become commonplace.
The historic Armenian presence in the Krasnodar region dates back
centuries, mainly due to the incentives offered by Tsarist officials
to Armenians willing to move to the region. Throughout the 19th
century, the Armenians contributed to an expansion of the region’s
commerce and agriculture.
Additional numbers of Armenian refugees settled in the region in
1988 in the wake of anti-Armenian pogroms by Azeris in Sumgait,
Kirovabad, and Baku.
A related influx of Armenians from Nagorno Karabagh, Javakhk, and
Abkhazia also strengthened the Armenian presence in the Krasnodar
region. After fleeing the anti-Armenian attacks by Azeris, the
Russian-speaking Armenians from Baku, in particular, often preferred
to resettle in Krasnodar, Stavropol, and Moscow, rather than in
Armenia, mainly because of their lack of Armenian language skills and
the need for Russian schools that were closing in Armenia.