PanArmenian News
Feb 26 2005

“BUILDING UP ARMENIAN-RUSSIAN COOPERATION ON WHOLE INTERACTION
SPECTRUM UNDER WAY,” ARMENIAN PRESIDENT SAID

26.02.2005 13:53

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ “Building up the Armenian-Russian cooperation on
the whole spectrum of interaction is under way and it pleases me,”
Armenian President Robert Kocharian stated in an interview with the
Golos Armenii newspaper. In his words, the Russian President is
expected to visit Armenia in spring. It is a good opportunity for
joint evaluation of the way passed and defining cooperation task in
the prospect, the Armenian leader added. Speaking of relations
between Armenia and Georgia over the issue of Javakheti – a region of
Georgia mostly populated by Armenians, Robert Kocharian noted that
“the interaction between Armenia and Georgia over Javakhk should be
of systematic nature and should have a serious financial component.”
“The understanding of this is available both in Armenia and Georgia.
It is necessary to work out interaction mechanisms,” he emphasized.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PanArmenian News
Feb 26 2005

KOCHARIAN: TALKS ON KARABAKH ACTIVATE AND THERE IS SLIGHT HOPE FOR
EFFECT

26.02.2005 12:54

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ At present the negotiation process over Nagorno
Karabakh has activated and there is a slight hope for an effect,
Armenian President Robert Kocharian stated in an interview with the
Golos Armenii newspaper. At the same time R. Kocharian noted that
“there is no practical solution of the Nagorno Karabakh problem yet,
the talk will concern the stalemate in the negotiation process.” “The
world experience shows that such conflicts do not solve soon,” the
Armenian President considers. Touching upon the issue of
participation of Nagorno Karabakh in the talks R. Kocharian said that
NKR participation in the negotiations is taken incorrectly. “The
negotiation process is much wider than the meetings of the Armenian
and Azeri Presidents. These implies OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs’
systematic visits to the region, their meetings with Nagorno Karabakh
leaders,” he noted. “At the meeting of the Presidents of Armenia and
Azerbaijan I represent the interests of Nagorno Karabakh as well,”
the Armenian leader noted. At that R. Kocharian added that he will
also work for involvement of Nagorno Karabakh into the format of
those meeting. “I think we will succeed in it. More active
involvement of the NKR into the process will undoubtedly increase the
settlement chances,” the President noted. At the same time R.
Kocharian stated with regret that “Armenian-phobia in Azerbaijan is
state policy.” Speaking of the preservation of the military and
economic parity with Azerbaijan, the President noted that the
economic potential in the contemporary world is determined “not by
the barrels of oil produced, by effective economy and Armenia
undoubtedly surpasses Azerbaijan here.”

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ITAR-TASS News Agency
TASS
February 26, 2005 Saturday 8:15 AM Eastern Time

Russian president expected to visit Armenia in spring

By Tigran Liloyan

YEREVAN

Armenian President Robert Kocharyan said on Saturday that Russian
President Vladimir Putin was expected to pay an official visit to the
republic in spring.

The president told the Yerevan newspaper “Voice of Armenia” that the
forthcoming visit “is a good possibility for jointly assessing the
traversed path and fixing cooperation tasks for the future”.
Kocharyan emphasized that Armenian-Russian ties were getting a boost
in all directions of their cooperation.

He also emphasized prospects for cooperation within CIS in such
spheres as economy, security, fight against crime as well as
humanitarian sphere.

IRNA, Iran
February 25, 2005

Only two ambassadors participate in Khodzhali disaster

Tehran, February 25

Ambassadors of IRI of Iran and Iraq Republic participated in a
commemoration service held for disaster victims of Khodzhaliskaya,
held here on Friday by this republic`s ruling party `New Azerbaijan`.

According to a Azeri private tv network on Friday, Executive
Secretary of the Party Ali Ahmadev accused other foreign ambassadors,
who avoided participating at the service, of “Ignoring the prevailing
facts on Karabakh crisis.”

The report, quoting Ahmadev, added if other diplomats, too, had
participated in the service and later on informed their peoples of
the terrible consequences of this disaster, the world community would
have a different reaction towards the Karabakh crisis.

The service was an effort aimed at getting world nations better
acquainted with the Khodzhali disaster, the report continued.

According to Azeri officials, in Khodzhali disaster that happened 13
years ago the Armenian and Russian military forces attacked to the
Azeri town, killing 613 civilians.

Anadolu Agency
Feb 26 2005

Kurkcuoglu: Historians’ Recording Khojaly Massacre As A Crime Against
Humanity Will Be The Best Answer To Allegations Of So-called Armenian
Genocide
By Anadolu Agency
Published: 2/26/2005
TurkishPress.com

ERZURUM – Associate Prof. Erol Kurkcuoglu, director of the Ataturk
University Turkish-Armenian Relations Study Center, said on Saturday
that historians’ recording Khojaly massacre as a crime against
humanity would be the best answer to the allegations of so-called
Armenian genocide.

Releasing a statement on the 13th anniversary of the massacre,
Kurkcuoglu recalled, ”Azerbaijani town of Khojaly (Xocali) became a
symbol of unprecedented brutality against peaceful civilians and
crimes against humanity. On February 26th, 1992, Armenian armed
forces massacred 613 civilians including 106 women and 63 children
and destroyed the town in what the Human Rights Watch called ‘the
largest massacre to date in the conflict’. They also took 1,275
Azerbaijani people hostage.”

”Three days after the massacre, Chingiz Mustafayev, the cameraman of
K-25 Studio, filmed the aftermath of what happened in Khojaly
together with foreign journalists. The film revealed that those who
were massacred by Armenians, were innocent civilians,” he said.

Kurkcuoglu added that historians’ recording Khojaly massacre as a
crime against humanity would be the best answer to the allegations of
so-called Armenian genocide.

Anadolu Agency
Feb 26 2005

Former Turkish F.M. Kirca Laid To Rest In Istanbul
By Anadolu Agency
Published: 2/26/2005
TurkishPress.com

ISTANBUL – Coskun Kirca, the former Turkish foreign minister,
ambassador and writer who died of respiratory and heart failure on
Thursday, was laid to rest in Istanbul on Saturday.

A ceremony took place at the Galatasaray University out of respect to
Kirca, 78.

Speaking at the ceremony, Galatasaray University Rector Prof. Dr.
Duygun Yarsuvat said that Kirca had made important contributions to
democratization of Turkey as a successful politician.

Meanwhile, French Consul General in Istanbul Jean-Christophe
Peaucelle said that Kirca had played a significant role in setting up
educational cooperation between Turkey and France.

Kirca was born in Istanbul in 1927. Graduating from Galatasaray High
School and Istanbul Faculty of Law, Kirca served as the Director of
the International Security Department’s Planning and Assistance
Branch, Turkey’s Permanent Representative to NATO, Turkey’s Permanent
Representative to UN and ambassador to several foreign countries. He
survived an armed attack of three Armenian terrorists with several
injuries on March 12th, 1985 when he was Turkey’s Ambassador in
Ottawa.

Besides politics, he also worked as a journalist and wrote for
magazines as ”Forum, Akis, Kim and Yeni Forum” and newspapers as
”Vatan, Yeni Gun, Yeni Vatan and Yeni Yuzyil.”

Coskun Kirca, who was a founder member of the parliament in 1960, was
elected a parliamentarian both from the Republican People’s Party
(CHP) and True Path Party (DYP). He undertook important duties in
preparation of all constitutions of Turkey adopted since 1961.

After being elected as a deputy from DYP in 1991, Kirca served as
Turkish Foreign Minister of the 51st government formed by then DYP
leader Tansu Ciller.

Kirca was married with three children.

PanArmenian News
Feb 26 2005

KOCHARIAN: TURKISH SOCIETY BROUGHT UP ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE DENIAL AND
PUBLIC PERCEPTION INERTIA IS HARD TO OVERCOME

26.02.2005 14:03

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ “When speaking of the Armenian Genocide the matter
should concern the late 19th -early 20th centuries. The events of
1915 is the biggest and most tragic episode of the Armenian Genocide
in the Ottoman Empire,” President of Armenia Robert Kocharian stated
in an interview with the Golos Armenii newspaper. In his words, for
many decades the Turkish society has been brought up on denial of the
Armenian Genocide and it is extremely hard to overcome the public
perception inertia. “However, Turkey’s urge towards accession to the
EU provides for greater openness of the society, access to
information, opportunity of discussion of complicated issues. These
are exactly the tools by means of which the unbiased evaluation of
one’s history is formed. Nevertheless, I have some cautious
optimism,” he noted, adding that Turkey has activated
“counter-propaganda” efforts regarding the Genocide problems.
“However, I am sure that the outcome will be just the opposite of
their expectations,” R. Kocharian underscored.

Catholic World News
Feb 26 2005

Cardinal Sodano, substituting for Pope, meets Azeri leader

Vatican, Feb. 26 (CWNews.com) – Cardinal Angelo Sodano (bio – news)
met with visiting President Ilham Aliev of Azerbaidjan on Saturday,
substituting for Pope John Paul II (bio – news).

With Pope John Paul remaining in Gemelli Hospital, the Vatican
Secretary of State welcomed Aliev to the Vatican. An official Vatican
announcement after the visit reported that the visiting Azeri leader
had sent his best wishes to the Pope, and assured him that the people
of the former Soviet republic were praying for his recovery.

As Secretary of State, Cardinal Sodano ordinarily meets privately
with visiting government leaders after they have been received by the
Pope. His discussions with Aliev reportedly centered on questions of
religious freedom in Azerbaidjan and the border conflict between that
country and neighboring Armenia over the region of Nagorni-Karabakh.

Pope John Paul II visited Azerbaidjan in May 2002, as the country
celebrated the 10th anniversary of its independence. An
overwhelmingly Muslim country, Azerbaidjan has a tiny Catholic
community– composed primarily of people of Polish or Armenian ethnic
origin– that survived decades of persecution. The underground
Catholic community returned to public life in 1997 when the new
regime recognized freedom of religion.

AzerTag, Azerbaijan
Feb 26 2005

OFFICIAL VISIT OF PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF AZERBAIJAN ILHAM
ALIYEV TO THE REPUBLIC OF ITALY AND STATE OF VATICAN

WELCOMING CEREMONY IN VATICAN
[February 26, 2005, 22:46:34]

Visiting Italy President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev
arrived February 26 in the State of Vatican, where he was warmly
welcomed by members of the Sacred College of Cardinals, Commander of
the Swiss Guard and other representatives of the Pope of Rome.

After that, the Azerbaijani leader met in private with Cardinal
Secretary of State Angelo Sodano. The Cardinal Secretary of State
conveyed greetings of Pope John Paul II to President Ilham Aliyev
noting the Pope is known worldwide as a friend of all peoples
irrespective of their religious, racial or ethnic belonging.

President Ilham Aliyev, for his part, thanked Cardinal Angelo Sodano
for the hospitality shown to him and the Azerbaijani delegation, and
recalled the meeting of national leader of Azerbaijan Heydar Aliyev
with Pope John Paul II in 1997, and the Pope’s visit to Azerbaijan.
The Head of State wished Pope John Paul II speedy recovery.

Touching on the relations between the two states, Cardinal Sodano let
the President know that he is going to arrive in Azerbaijan to
participate in the opening of Catholic Church in Baku that is now
under construction.

President Ilham Aliyev told of the reforms being implemented in
Azerbaijan aimed at building a democratic, legal and secular state in
the country.

He also dwelt on the most painful problem of Azerbaijan, the conflict
with Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh, and its tragic consequences. The
Head of State noted that Armenia’s destructive stance does not allow
to find peaceful solution to the problem, and called on highly
reputable international organizations and the world’s leading states
to intensify their efforts in this direction.

During the conversation, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and
Cardinal Secretary of State Angelo Sodano also exchanged views on a
number of other issues of mutual interest.

AzerTag, Azerbaijan
Feb 26 2005

WOMEN’S DELEGATION LEFT FOR NEW YORK CITY
[February 26, 2005, 19:23:40]

A delegation of Azerbaijani women led by Chairman of the State
Committee for Women’s Problems Zahra Gouliyeva and consisting of the
members of the Committee, Milli Majlis as well as Commissioner on
Human Rights of Azerbaijan, has left for New York city to participate
in the 49th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of
Women to take place here from February 28 to March 11.

Devoted to the 10th anniversary of Beijing Platform for Action, the
session will focused on the review of its implementation and the
outcome documents of the special session of the General Assembly
entitled “Women 2000: gender equality, development and peace for the
twenty-first century”, as well as current challenges and forward
looking strategies for the advancement and empowerment of women and
girls.

Ombudsperson of Azerbaijan Elmira Suleymanova is expected to deliver
a speech at the session to update on the work done in the country in
the sphere of human rights protection. The Azerbaijani delegation is
also expected to distribute documents related to the Armenian
aggression against Azerbaijan among the session participants.