Armenian president offers condolences to Iranian leader over quake

A1+ web site
23 Feb 05

Today President Robert Kocharyan sent his condolences to the Iranian
president, Seyyed Mohammad Khatami, in connection with the devastating
earthquake in Iran.

The message said: “I received with great pain the news about the
earthquake in the province of Kerman in Iran Islamic Republic which
caused the deaths of so many people.

On behalf of the Armenian people and myself I would like to offer my
deep condolences to you and to the friendly Iranian people and
especially to the relatives of the victims”.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

The Easterner, WA
Feb 23 2005

Armenian educators head to university March 1

By Thomas Coghlan, News Assistant
February 22, 2005

Six Armenian educators will be coming to EWU in March to participate
in a social science curriculum development program.

`It is a new program for Eastern, previously housed at George Mason
University,’ said Earl Gibbons, junior executive director of
Educational Outreach.

EWU received the $63,900 grant from the Bureau of Educational and
Cultural Affairs (ECA) in collaboration with the International
Research and Exchange Board (IREX).

The ECA, part of the State Department, is aimed at creating
international education and training programs that help the U.S. and
other countries promote a mutual understating of each, while
presenting the historical, social and cultural aspects of America.

The IREX, founded in 1968, is an international nonprofit organization
that specializes in education, independent media, Internet
development and civil society programs. The grant that EWU received
was part of their educational outreach program designed to contribute
to other countries.

In May 2004, IREX won the 2004-2007 High School Social Science
Development and Teacher Education Project for Armenia (HST). Their
goal with this program is to provide professional development for
educators and expose them to new ideas and programs that they can
take home with them and apply to their school system.

The Armenian school system has suffered since the fall of the Soviet
Union. Since Armenia has not been an independent country for a long
time, they lack the infrastructure and experience to provide the
level of education that they need.

The HST program is one of the ways in which they are trying to
rebuild their education system.

Although this program is specifically designed for the social studies
program, which includes areas like history, government, global issues
and others, it will have a reverberating effect on other aspects of
the Armenian education system.

The programs that these educators take back home will be piloted and
adapted to fit the needs of their school system. These educators will
then share what they have learned with other educators.

Gibbons and Gary Varella, the principal investigators who have been
working in Armenia for a number of years, traveled Feb. 1 to Armenia
to meet with the candidates and then select the six-member team.

They performed field assessments of the needs and priorities of the
high schools then later gave a two-day workshop in Yerevan, Armenia,
focusing on the results of what they discovered in their assessments.
This initial meeting helps the American side of this program prepare
the training program at EWU.

The Armenian educators will arrive at EWU March 1 to begin the
program. They will participate in a 12-week workshop focusing on
researching and creating a Handbook for Training High School
Teachers.

The Armenians will also work on a new curriculum for their high
school social studies program as well as beginning the preliminary
training for the high school pilot representatives that will help
other educators in Armenia benefit from the information learned at
EWU.

At the conclusion of the 12-week program there will be another
workshop in Yerevan and the final scheduling of the pilot-testing
program will begin.

This program represents EWU’s devotion to cultural diversity here on
campus, as well as a continued support for the international
community. Each program that EWU hosts opens doors for future
developments and will be sure to attract similar programs and grants.

Armenian minister lays wreaths at war tomb

Public Television of Armenia, Yerevan
23 Feb 05

[Presenter] Russia and some other CIS countries celebrate 23 February
as Defender of the Fatherland Day. In Soviet times 23 February was
celebrated as Red Army Day.

Defender of the Fatherland Day or Red Army Day is not celebrated
officially in Armenia. Armenia celebrates the establishment of the
Army Day on 28 January.

Every year Armenian and Russian servicemen and high-ranking officers
come to Victory Park in the Armenian capital Yerevan to lay wreaths
and flowers at the Unknown Soldier Tomb. Representatives of the
Armenian army said that not to celebrate 23 February, means to forget
the past. But it is impossible to forget it. The Armenian army was
established on the basis of the Soviet army.

[Armenian Defence Minister Serzh Sarkisyan, captioned, shown in
Victory Park] I came here, first of all, because our army was
established on the basis of the Soviet army, second, we all came from
and grew up in that country and third, as you all saw on 28 January
our Russian colleagues had played an active part in our army’s
anniversary celebrations.

Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
Feb 23 2005

Russian political analyst proposes Upper Garabagh be managed by UN

Baku, February 22, AssA-Irada

Freezing the Upper Garabagh conflict settlement will result in
long-term bloody developments, political analyst, chairman of the
Presidium of the Council of Foreign and Defence Policy under the
Russian President, Sergey Karaganov, has told Armenia’s ANKA news
agency.
Karaganov said that the parties to the conflict will never come to
terms or make mutual concessions. `If any Azerbaijani leader agrees
to give up Garabagh, it will mean a political fiasco for him,’ noted
Karganov, expressing the same opinion on Armenia. As for a suitable
way of resolving the Upper Garabagh conflict for Azerbaijan and
Armenia in the long run, the Russian political analyst proposed that
a concept on territories under the UN mandate be set up in the
region. The concept envisions that the conflict zones are managed by
the United Nations.*

Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
Feb 23 2005

`One should be ready for war to achieve peace’ – Belgian Amb.

Baku, February 22, AssA-Irada

The Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Upper Garabagh was in focus of
discussions at the meeting of Minister for Defence, Colonel-General
Safar Abiyev with the Belgian Ambassador to Turkey and Azerbaijan
Marc Van Risselberg on Monday.
The ambassador expressed his disappointment with occupation of 20% of
Azerbaijan’s territory by Armenia and stated that one should be ready
for a war in order to achieve peace.
Risselberg noted that the Azerbaijan Armed Forces have become
stronger since the Upper Garabagh conflict started. `I wish armed
forces not to be involved in settling the conflict,’ he said.
Minister Abiyev, in turn, said that Azerbaijan is making every effort
to resolve the conflict peacefully. He said that the Azerbaijani
people are concerned over the fact that the international community
has not recognized Armenia as an invader yet.`The Parliamentary
Assembly of the Council of Europe has recently passed a resolution
calling Armenia an aggressor and forces in Upper Garabagh as
separatists. All international organizations must adopt similar
decisions. Armenia is purposefully settling population of Armenian
descent in the occupied regions of Azerbaijan. We restate that
Azerbaijan won’t give up a single inch of its territory to Armenia.
The longer the Upper Garabagh conflict remains unsettled the more the
possibility of launching military operations. If this happens,
Armenia will bear full responsibility.’*

Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
Feb 23 2005

Baku demands to amend document to be adopted by OSCE PA

Baku, February 22, AssA-Irada

The Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Upper Garabagh will be discussed
at the summer session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (PA) due in
Washington on July 4-9.
Sattar Safarov, chairman of the permanent parliamentary commission on
economic issues, head of the Azerbaijani delegation at OSCE PA, says
that there are some provisions in the report prepared by the
Assembly’s special envoy on the Upper Garabagh conflict Goran
Lennmarker which don’t fully meet the national interests of
Azerbaijan.
`Official Baku demands that amendments be made to some provisions of
the document to be adopted by the OSCE PA and Armenia be recognized
as an aggressor,’ Safarov stressed.
Some issues will be reconsidered during the planned visit by
Lennmarker to the region before the OSCE PA session.*

Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
Feb 23 2005

Armenia faces dilemma – former Armenian official

Baku, February 22, AssA-Irada

The discussions on the Upper Garabagh conflict and the anti-Armenia
resolutions passed in international organizations have sparked
serious concerns in Yerevan.
Armenia’s former minister for national security David Shahnazarian,
in an interview with the local media, termed this as a result of
Yerevan’s unsuccessful policy.
`The involvement of the Armenian government in talks on settling the
Garabagh conflict is simply of declarative nature. Yerevan sees a
situation, which is absolutely unsuitable, and is trying to gain some
time by participating in the Prague talks.’ Shahnazarian continued
that Azerbaijan has started working actively, unlike Armenia.
`The Upper Garabagh conflict is due to be discussed at the OSCE
Parliamentary Assembly and NATO. Besides, the issue may be put on
voting at the UN General Assembly,’ he said.
Shahnazarian said that as a result of the policy pursued by Robert
Kocharian, a political and legal framework on the Garabagh conflict
unacceptable for Armenia has been formed, and this process continues.

`The developments may progress on two scenarios: either the Armenian
government must pursue a more real policy and end the Prague meetings
with signing of political documents, or continue its unsuccessful
policy, which has led to the adoption of anti-Armenia resolutions,’
Shahnazarian emphasized.*

Armenian opposition leader set to go to European court over corruption

A1+ web site
23 Feb 05

The leader of the Human Rights and Democracy Party, Ruben Torosyan,
announced today that corruption is ingrained in the ruling coalition
in Armenia. He has even invented an appropriate term “kleptocracy” for
that.

In Torosyan’s opinion the three-party coalition formed with the
president’s [Robert Kocharyan] help is the embodiment of corruption.

“The parties which backed Kocharyan in the elections were given the
ministries,” Torosyan told the news conference today. Torosyan was
indignant that his own and other citizens’ rights were violated. He
said that at least 85 MPs of the National Assembly, which are not part
of the ruling coalition [Justice bloc, the National Unity Party, and
the United Labour Party], are not taking part in the work of the
government.

“The rights of those citizens who voted for the Justice bloc, the
National Unity Party and the United Labour Party and also for the
deputies on the majority lists are thus being violated,” Ruben
Torosyan clarified. He thinks that it is pointless to appeal to the
Armenian judicial system and is going to appeal to the European Court
on Human Rights instead.

By the way, the Human Rights and Democracy Party today published a
booklet entitled “Coalition+Corruption equals Kleptocracy”.

IRANIAN FIRMS PLAN TO INCREASE INVESTMENTS IN ARMENIA: AZERI TV

Asia Pulse
Feb 23, 2005

BAKU, Feb 23 Asia Pulse – Many Iranian companies are planning to
increase investments in Armenia, a private television channel in
Azerbaijan Republic BM-TI TV said here Monday.

Quoting Iranian embassy`s commercial attache in Yerevan Ali Najafi,
the Azeri TV network said that Iranian and Armenian investors are
planing to hold their first mutual trade session in 2005.

“Iranian and Armenian investors need to obtain more knowledge on ach
other`s capabilities and potentials which necessitate the holding of
such a meeting,” Najafi emphasised.

Iran and Armenia intend to boost industrial and trade relations and
will provide suitable opportunities for both nations` private firms,
he said.

Speaking in an interview with a Yerevan-based weekly in December
Iranian Ambassador to Armenia Alireza Haqiqian said, “Iran`s relations
with foreign countries, in particular its neighbors, is based on
mutual respect and non-interference in their domestic affairs.”

Expressing satisfaction over the current level of Iran-Armenia
relations and its growing trend, he said that the visits of Armenia`s
President Robert Kocharian to Tehran and President Mohammad Khatami`s
trip to Yerevan played a crucial role in further strengthening mutual
ties.

He referred to some of the projects on the agenda including the
meetings of the joint economic commission, active participation of
Iranian tradesmen in Armenia`s market, the activities of Iranian
economic institutions there and cooperation in the energy sector.

In response to a question whether Moscow-Baku-Tehran railway will
replace Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan route, he said that given Iran`s decisive
role in the regional transit system, the interest of the countries of
the region in cooperation with Iran is quite natural.

He added that according to a number of specialists, the Baku-Ceyhan
railway project is a political scheme, not economical.

OSCE rapporteur tells Azeri agency about “growing” interest in Karabakh issue

Trend news agency
22 Feb 05

BAKU

Trend correspondent A. Raufoglu: “The objective behind preparing the
report of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly [OSCE PA] is to attract the
attention of the international community and push the conflict to the
top of the agenda,” Goran Lennmarker, the OSCE PA rapporteur on
Karabakh, has told Trend news agency.

In his view, the settlement of the conflict is taking so long “because
the international community does not have enough information regarding
the conflict, so it attracts less attention”. However, the ultimate
resolution of the conflict depends on the two sides themselves,
Lennmarker said. “I hope that the OSCE PA discussion of this issue
will speed up the resolution of the conflict,” he said.

At the same time, the rapporteur said that it is not the aim of his
mission to intervene in the work of the OSCE Minsk Group. “Like in the
PACE [Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe], the OSCE PA
report on Karabakh will be for familiarization purposes. It will state
the origins of the conflict, the current situation and prospects for
its settlement. Right now I am seriously studying the situation. I may
draw some conclusions on the basis of my observations,” Lennmarker
said.

He said that the OSCE PA has recently increased its interest in the
Karabakh issue: “This has to do with the organization’s growing
interest in the Azerbaijani-Armenian conflict, since both states
closely cooperate with the OSCE”. The rapporteur declined to answer
questions about the process of settling the conflict and said that
both Armenia and Azerbaijan will benefit from its resolution. In his
opinion, the problem should be resolved “exclusively through
negotiations and peaceful means”.

“At any rate, the problem must be resolved soon, so that we could
tackle deeper problems of the South Caucasus in the future,”
Lennmarker said.