Special troops to ease ethnic tension in southern Georgia – minister

Rustavi-2 TV, Tbilisi
20 Mar 05

[Presenter] The interior minister [Vano Merabishvili] is probably one
of those in the government who is well aware of what is going on in
that region [reference to the previous report about ethnic tension
in Tsalka District in southern Georgia]. He is from that region,
and we can now talk to him live. Good evening.

[Merabishvili] Good evening.

[Question] Can I start by asking you to rule out the possibility that
these incidents were politically motivated? I am asking this because
in Yerevan the Dashnaktsutyun party has recently been saying that the
rights of Armenian speakers in Georgia are being violated and at the
same time the issue of [Russian] bases has been in the news.

[Merabishvili] Regarding your first point, I must say that, according
to our information, this incident [in Tsalka] is not linked to the
political situation in Armenia, although, the tense situation over the
Russian military bases, that is the tension with our other neighbour
[Russia], may be playing a certain role.

However, as was apparent from your previous report, from what
people were saying and from I personally heard there today –
[changes thought] I must say that the situation there should not be
overdramatized. There is a lack of trust between different ethnic
groups in that region, including people who settled there from other
parts of the country. This is a difficult region, in terms of climate
and social problems, and all of this makes the situation worse.
[Passage omitted]

Unfortunately, a brutal murder took place there recently. Had it
taken place in another part of Georgia, there would not have been
such an outcry. However, the situation remains tense and there is
mistrust. There is no stability yet in relations between settlers
from Svaneti and Ajaria and ethnic Greeks and Armenians. That is
precisely why we have decided to deploy a special detachment there.

I wish to explain to the public how this detachment will operate.
Since Tsalka District is very large and it is impossible to deploy a
policeman at every street corner and outside every house and to set
higher standards of law and order protection there than in the rest of
Georgia, we have decided to introduce daily patrols – at least three
times a day in every village – by special units in a [word indistinct]
vehicle. On the one hand, this will be a crime prevention measure,
and, on the other hand, it will enable citizens to tell the police
in advance about possible violent incidents. [Passage omitted]

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

U.S. Ambassador repeats call to not sell to Gazprom

The Messenger
Monday, March 21, 2005, #050 (0824)

A “rational privatization” and transparency are needed to encourage
investment, envoy says
By M. Alkhazashvili

The year 2005 should be decisive for Georgia with respect to the
implementation of the Caspian energy projects.

By the end of this year the BTC oil pipeline will be finished and
the first tanker will be loaded in Ceyhan port.

In parallel with the BTC pipeline, construction of the Shah Deniz
gas pipeline has entered full gear, and construction of the Georgian
section of the pipeline will be completed by the end of this year. The
first gas should flow through the pipeline in the first half of 2006.

Meanwhile, the possible sale of Georgia’s trunk gas pipeline,
which connects with Russia to the north and Armenia to the south,
could take place this year as well, although officials have sharply
backtracked since stating earlier this year that there are talks to
sell the pipeline to Russia’s Gazprom.

The possible sale of the pipeline, which was one of the main topics
of discussion at last week’s Fourth Georgian International Oil, Gas,
Energy and Infrastructure Conference – GIOGIE 2005, has created a
good deal of controversy both within the country and abroad.

The Russian energy giant Gazprom is eager to buy the pipeline, and
State Minister for Economic Reform Kakha Bendukidze has backed its
privatization, saying that only private investors will be able to
ensure its full rehabilitation, the total cost of which has been
estimated at between USD 250-400 million.

Many Georgian politicians and analysts, including Speaker of Parliament
Nino Burjanadze, have expressed strong opposition to the sale of the
pipeline, saying that this would in fact be illegal as the Georgian
constitution expressly forbids the sale of strategic assets.

U.S. Ambassador to Georgia Richard Miles entered the fray at the
GIOGIE conference last Thursday, saying that although it was Georgia’s
decision to make, he believed sale of the pipeline “to a would-be
monopoly supplier is not likely to be in Georgia’s strategic interest.”

Responding to claims that a quick sale is necessary and that no other
bidders have stepped forward, the ambassador took a swipe at the
lack of transparency regarding the issue. “I cannot stress enough
that serious bidders may be more offput by the air of uncertainty
and secrecy that currently surrounds this issue – and the perception
that Georgia is only interested in one bidder anyway – than they
will be attracted to the potential asset,” he said, as quoted in an
Embassy transcript.

“It would be more advantageous for Georgia to retain control of
its infrastructure,” he suggested, “at least until the country’s
strategic plans for both the domestic energy sector and for its role
as an energy resource transportation link become clearer.”

He added that the government could encourage investment in the country
through “Georgian government investment in the rehabilitation of its
infrastructure and preparation for rational privatization. This,
he said, “would be a strong demonstration that this Government is
taking a deliberate and strategic approach to its own interests,
and is committed to a course of action.”

Miles was reiterating comments by U.S. State Department Advisor in
Caucasus energy resources Steven Mann, who has publicly stated that
while the sale of the gas pipeline might be economically profitable,
its purchase by Gazprom could create a monopoly and thus allow the
Russian state-owned company to use the pipeline for its advantage.

The government has a difficult decision to make regarding the trunk
pipeline. If it turns down Gazprom’s offer to buy it, it is difficult
to see how it will be able to find the funds to rehabilitate the
pipeline. While the U.S. and backers of the South Caucasus Pipeline
have expressed concern that the pipeline may fall into Russian
competitor’s hands, there has been no hint that they would be prepared
to purchase the pipeline or finance its rehabilitation.

Armenian, Russian leaders praise ties ahead of Russia’s year in Armenia

Interfax news agency
21 Mar 05

Moscow, 21 March: Russian President Vladimir Putin and Armenian
President Robert Kocharyan have exchanged letters on the occasion
of the opening of the “Year of the Russian Federation” in Armenia,
the press service of the Kremlin has said.

“Russia always attaches special importance to the consistent
strengthening of friendly relations with Armenia, which is Russia’s
reliable ally and strategic partner. I am convinced that the Year of
Russia in Armenia will bring the two countries closer together and
promote the development of friendship and direct dialogue between our
peoples. A special role in the programme of this landmark event will
be played by the celebrations of the 60th anniversary of the Great
Victory. This is a tribute of respect to the feat and courage of all
those who fought against fascism,” President Putin’s address says.

“The decision to announce 2005 the year of the Russian Federation
in the Republic of Armenia opens up extensive opportunities for
broadening Armenian-Russian relations even further. This initiative
will undoubtedly facilitate the realization of the political, economic
and cultural cooperation potential between our fraternal peoples. I
would like to express my confidence that the Year of Russia in Armenia
will enable us to supplement the Armenian-Russian cooperation agenda
with new ideas and projects,” the Armenian president said in his
address.

“People in Armenia treat Russian arts with particular admiration and
look forward to meetings with Russian artists. Relations between
representatives of science and education, business communities of
our countries and contacts at the level of regions are of special
practical importance. It is symbolic that the Year of Russia in
Armenia coincides with the celebrations of the 60th anniversary of
the victory over fascism. This heroic part of our history has tied
the fates of our peoples together.”

Azeri, Armenian pundits do not rule out authorities’ hand in truce violations

Aravot, Yerevan
18 Mar 05

Both the Armenian and Azerbaijani authorities could have been
interested in the recent cease-fire violations on the Karabakh front
line, Armenian and Azerbaijani experts have told Armenian newspaper
Aravot. Azerbaijani pundit Zardust Alizada, however, thinks that
Russia, which “fishes in troubled waters”, could be interested in
the tension on the border. The following is text of a Naira Melkonyan
report by Armenian newspaper Aravot on 18 March headlined ” Cease Fire
Violations” and subheaded “Armenian and Azerbaijani experts comment”
Subheading inserted editorially:

Member of the Armat [root] centre Ara Saakyan, the chairman of the
opposition Democratic Party of Armenia, MP Aram Sarkisyan, and the
director of Caucasus regional emergency centre [of Azerbaijan],
Zardust Alizada, have commented on the recent developments on the
Armenian-Azerbaijani contact line.

Azerbaijan, USA concerned

Since 9 March, two or three cases of cease-fire violations have been
registered on the contact line of the Karabakh and Azerbaijani armed
forces. The Azerbaijani side is concerned about the fire exchange in
the north-eastern section of the contact line, near the village of
Seysulan in Mardakert [Agdara] District and in the Idzhevan-Qazax
section of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border which resulted in
casualties, including deaths.

The Azerbaijani Defence Ministry has again reported that the positions
of the Azerbaijani army in the village of Sarcali in Agdam District
were fired on by the Armenian forces yesterday. The Azerbaijani Defence
Ministry repeatedly reported last week that Armenia was constantly
violating the cease-fire regime. In response, the Armenian side is
also making accusations against Azerbaijan.

Speaking about the current situation, US ambassador to Azerbaijan
Reno Harnish expressed his concern saying that the recent developments
showed that the conflict had not been frozen and needed to be solved.

The special envoy of the OSCE chairman-in-office, Andrzej Kasprzyk,
told Azerbaijani ANS TV that the OSCE intended to carry out a
monitoring on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border to reduce tension on
the contact line. He stated that it was possible, adding that they
only hoped that it was possible .

Armenia not interested in cease-fire breach

Who could be interested in the escalation of the conflict? Especially
as the issue of settling the Karabakh conflict has become of interest
to the international community again and the OSCE is expected to
discuss the issue within the coming days. Member of the Armat centre
Ara Saakyan says that the Armenian side is least of all interested in
the violations of the cease-fire as they do not meet the interests
of our country, although they could have been adventures of our
authorities .

Azerbaijan, which is always complaining about the work of OSCE Minsk
Group, is interested in the cease-fire violations, Saakyan said. It
is threatening the Minsk Group to break the cease-fire, arranged by
this organization 11 years ago, in order to speed up a settlement of
the conflict. Probably, the Azerbaijani leadership thinks that the
frequent cease-fire violations could make the OSCE Minsk Group speed
up its efforts to settle the conflict and in its own interests.
Therefore, Azerbaijan is trying to start the entire negotiating
process of settling the conflict all over again – from scratch.

Both countries could be interested

Pointing out that the cease-fire violations did not meet Armenia’s
interests, MP Aram Sarkisyan did not rule out that both parties could
be interested in them. “However, taking into account the course of
the negotiating process, [Azerbaijani President Ilham] Aliyev Jr
probably wants to prove that he could also solve the issue by force
and hinder the settling process within the framework of OSCE Minsk
Group, in which he is not interested. He has already achieved his
goal and the OSCE adopted a resolution in favour of Azerbaijan. Now
Azerbaijan may want the issue to be transferred to the UN where it
has more supporters.” Sarkisyan also added that this tension could
also suit Armenia to reduce its domestic political tension.

People against conflict escalation

The current tension on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border suits the
authorities of both parties and they both could have initiated it.
The director of the Caucasus regional emergency centre, Zardust
Alizada, said. “The tension also suits Russia which fishes in troubled
waters but it is not in the interests of the Armenian and Azerbaijani
peoples,” Alizada told Aravot.

Asked how could the tension influence the negotiating process, Alizada
said that it cannot “as there are no real negotiations, but they are
only an imitation of negotiations and, after all, neither Kocharyan
nor Aliyev are interested in settling the conflict”. He also ruled
out the existence of large-scale incidents on the front line as
“both Kocharyan and Aliyev have already achieved what they intended
and wanted to achieve, that is to say, power,” Alizada said.

CONFESSION FROM WRITER OF “BLUE BOOK”

Turkish Press
March 21 2005

HURRIYET- British historian Arnold Toynbee, the writer of the “Blue
Book” shown as an evidence of Armenian allegations, confessed in his
memoirs that they wouldn’t have written the book if they had known
that it was being prepared for propaganda. In his “Recollections”
written in 1966 and translated into Turkish, Toynbee, who died in
1975, confessed, “the Armenians were after their political ideals
since Turkish-Russian War of 1877-78. They hoped that they could
establish a state like the Greek. The political intentions of the
Greek and Armenians did not have any legitimacy because both groups
were minorities. They aimed to divide the empire. Turks discovered
that the local Armenians could work as ‘fifth wing’ for the Russians.
So, Turks decided to send away the Armenians from the war zone. This
can be considered as a security measure. Some other governments made
similar decisions under similar circumstances. For example, when the
Japanese attacked the United States in Pearl Harbor, the United States
forced citizens of Japanese origin to migrate.”

SENSITIVE MESSAGE

Turkish Press
March 21 2005

MILLIYET- As April 24th is approaching, the Armenian groups in the
United States have increased their pressure on the Congress and the
White House for official recognition of the “genocide” allegations.
The United States has not officially recognized these allegations
yet. But, a different message has come from the administration this
year. U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense Wolfowitz did not assure
Turkish parliamentarians who are currently in Washington that the
Armenian demands will be rejected. Wolfowitz gave a message saying,
“Ankara should take new steps so that the Congress can support Turkey
against Armenian theses.”

ARMENIA CELEBRATES RUSSIA YEAR

RIA Novosti, Russia
March 21 2005

MOSCOW, March 21 (RIA Novosti) – Vladimir Putin and Robert Kocharyan
have exchanged messages for the opening of the Year of the Russian
Federation in Armenia, the Kremlin press service reported Monday.

“Russia invariably attaches great importance to the consistent
strengthening of friendly relations with Armenia, its reliable ally
and strategic partner. I am convinced that the holding of the Year
of Russia will contribute to the further rapprochement of the two
countries, and to the development of friendship and direct dialogue
between our peoples,” Putin wrote in part.

“Events on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Great Victory
will occupy a special place in this significant festival. This is a
tribute of respect to the exploit and courage of all those who were
side by side fighting against fascism,” he wrote.

Armenian President Robert Kocharyan’s message expressed similar
respect.

“The decision to announce 2005 as the Year of the Russian Federation
in the Republic of Armenia opens broad possibilities for the
further expansion of Armenian-Russian contacts. This initiative will
undoubtedly contribute to the full implementation of the political,
economic and cultural potential of cooperation between our fraternal
peoples. I would like to express confidence that the holding of the
Year of Russia in Armenia will make it possible to add new ideas and
projects to the agenda of Armenian-Russian cooperation,” Kocharyan
wrote.

“The Armenians love Russian art and are waiting impatiently for
meetings with representatives of Russian culture. Contacts between
representatives of science, education and business communities of
our countries, as well as contacts at the regional level could also
be of great practical importance.

“It is symbolic that the Year of Russia in Armenia has coincided with
the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Victory over fascism.
This heroic page of our common history has tied the fates of our
peoples and brought them closer together,” Kocharyan wrote.

Zaman, Turkey
March 21 2005

Gul: Genocide Allegations will not Influence Membership Process
By Anadolu News Agency (aa)
Published: Monday 21, 2005
zaman.com

Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said there is no direct or
indirect relation between so-called Armenian genocide allegations and
Turkey’s full membership process for the European Union (EU).

Gul responded to a motion for question submitted to the Turkish
Parliament by the True Path Party (DYP) Deputy Ummet Kandogan that
Turkey had fulfilled the Copenhagen Criteria requirements to begin
accession negotiations with the EU and this was confirmed in both the
Progress report published on October 6, 2004 and the Advisory
document published on December 17, 2004. Determining that the
conditions of the negotiation process were defined for any candidate
and that Turkey’s full membership process would be realized under the
context of the EU acquis communitaire as is the case for the other
candidate states, Gul said, “There is no direct or indirect relation
between Turkey’s full membership into EU and the Armenian genocide
allegations. Although from time to time various circles bring this
issue to the agenda, Turkey’s pursuing a clear and decisive attitude
is known in the EU circles.”

Gul also disclosed that History Research Group under the Turkish The
Institute of History was formed and the group consisting of
distinguished historians were making prominent studies to strengthen
the Turkish thesis on the Armenian allegations and announced that
books that will be published following scientific studies by the
group and will be presented to the international and Turkish public
interests in the very near future. Confirming that the necessary
cooperation had been provided between the related institutions due to
policies developed against the Armenian genocides, Gul added that
Prime Ministry Promotion Fund provided the necessary sources for the
studies.

AZERBAIJANI SOLDIER MARTYRED IN BATTLE TO PREVENT ARMENIAN ATTACK

Azerbaijan News Service
March 21 2005

2005-03-21 15:19

Azerbaijani soldier Ruslan Rajabov was martyred on March in Mirashelli
village of Aghdam region while preventing attack by Armenian armed
forces in occupied village of the same region. ANS Qarabaq bureau
informs that Armenian forces shot at Shikhlar and Qarvand village of
Aghdam region at 2 AM on March 21.

Robbery sparks protests in Tsalka

The Messenger
Monday, March 21, 2005, #050 (0824)

News in brief:

The Ministry of Internal Affairs has announced it will deploy extra
police to the ethnically diverse Tsalka region after a armed home
robbery late on Thursday led to public protests on Friday.

Thursday evening, the home of an ethnic Greek family in the village
Avranlo was robbed allegedly by a group of armed Georgians who
had been resettled to the region from Adjara in the 1990s; ethic
Armenians and Greeks have held protests demanding the punishment of
those responsible.

On Saturday, Minister of Internal Affairs Vano Merabishvili said that
the “police control the situation” and that the protesters wrongfully
demand “to lynch a person.” Arguing that the police investigate every
case of crime in the region, the minister said, “We do not allow the
lynching of a person and the handing over of suspects to the citizens
for that.”

He said his office will deploy extra units including both ethnic
Greeks and Armenians. “There may start seasonal cattle stealing as
spring comes but on the other hand, district inspectors will start
working there. Luckily, citizens of Georgia of Greek and Armenian
nationality will work there [in the group of inspectors] and we hope,
that this will increase effectiveness,” he said.