Russian foreign minister says he hoped to visit Georgian PM’s grave

RTR Russia TV, Moscow
17 Feb 05

[Presenter] Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who is on a visit
to Armenia, today reacted to criticism which the Georgian leadership
had levelled against him on the eve of his trip to Georgia.

Tbilisi expressed dissatisfaction over Moscow’s refusal to include
in the agenda a visit to a memorial to Georgian soldiers, killed in
battles for the country’s territorial integrity.

Here is what Sergey Lavrov said on this score.

[Lavrov] The memorial to those fallen in the course of the wars
in Abkhazia and Ossetia, I mean a visit to it would, undoubtedly,
require complex political commentaries. We grieve for all the victims
of these wars, on both sides. I would particularly like to note
that my plans, my personal plans, included a visit to the grave of
[the recently-assassinated Georgian Prime Minister] Zurab Zhvania,
to pay homage to his memory, to lay flowers on his grave. He is a man
who has done a very great deal in order for the Abkhazian and South
Ossetian conflicts to be settled exclusively by peaceful means.

Armenian president, Russian foreign minister discuss ties

Public Television of Armenia, Yerevan
17 Feb 05

Armenian President Robert Kocharyan today received Russian Foreign Minister
Sergey Lavrov, who is on an official visit in Yerevan. At the meeting, Lavrov
passed on greetings from the Russian president to the Armenian leader, adding
that the Russian president is expected to visit Armenia in the near future.
During this visit, Putin will launch the Year of Russia in Armenia.

President Kocharyan expressed his satisfaction with the level of relations
between the two countries. Lavrov also hailed the comprehensive development of
ties between the countries under the leadership of Kocharyan and Putin. The
meeting also discussed the work of intergovernmental commissions.

Lavrov said that Russia is set to carry out measures to put into operation
the enterprises under Russian management in Armenia. As for regional
cooperation, the sides discussed the expansion of communications and opportunities for
the intensification of economic ties.

The sides noted that the expansion of economic cooperation will also be
conducive to the resolution of regional conflicts. The meeting discussed the
current stage and prospects of negotiations on the Karabakh settlement.

The sides also discussed issues of bilateral and multilateral cooperation.

Armenian, Russian foreign minister discuss cooperation

Noyan Tapan news agency
17 Feb 05

Yerevan, 17 February: Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan on
17 February received Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov who is
paying an official visit to Armenia.

The meeting began with a private conversation and continued in an
expanded format.

Vardan Oskanyan welcomed the high-ranking guest, who is paying his
first official visit, and noted the importance of strategic cooperation
based on mutual interests.

Lavrov also expressed his satisfaction with the level of cooperation
and the positive dynamics of the development of interstate relations,
which will be reflected in the year of Russia in Armenia in 2005. The
beginning of this year, which includes various trade, economic,
cultural, scientific, educational, youth, sports and tourist events,
will be announced in mid-March.

Pointing out that the two countries’ opinions regarding international
and regional processes mainly coincide, the sides expressed their
readiness to make efforts directed at creating an atmosphere of
confidence and establishing cooperation in the South Caucasus. In this
connection, the sides discussed the current course of the settlement
of the Nagornyy Karabakh problem. Lavrov expressed the hope that
the Prague process will allow the conflicting sides to find common
ways to settle the conflict as soon as possible, confirming Russia’s
commitment to guarantee any agreement.

Then the sides spoke in detail about the current issues on the agenda
of Armenian-Russian relations, the press service of the Armenian
Foreign Ministry told Noyan Tapan news agency. Drawing special
attention to the economic sphere, the sides noted the effective
activities of the Armenian-Russian intergovernment commission and the
Armenian-Russian business association. It was also pointed out that
cooperation in this sphere could be promoted by direct links between
regions of Armenia and the Russian Federation, which have become even
more intensive of late.

Touching on the growth in the volume of trade and on the expanding
of Armenian-Russian relations, they pointed out the importance of the
South Caucasus countries and Russia conducting a single policy directed
at restoring communications in the region, which will also further the
settlement of the existing conflicts. The sides noted certain progress
in this sphere and a number of issues that still have to be resolved.

In connection with the year of Russia in Armenia, the sides also
touched on the humanitarian sphere, cultural exchanges and the
encouragement of teaching Russian and Armenian in both countries. From
this point of view, they noted the importance of long-standing
friendship between the peoples, which nourish Armenian-Russian ties.

The foreign ministers discussed problems of Armenian citizens living in
Russia, their status and working quotas in Armenian-populated areas,
as well as a number of specific issues related to the improvement of
the work of diplomatic and consular services in both countries.

Then the sides discussed issues of cooperation in international and
regional structures. They exchanged views on the process of reforms in
regional structures of the CIS and reached agreement on coordinating
opinions by the forthcoming CIS summit in August this year. The
talk was about a number of programmes and initiatives within the
framework of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization. The
foreign ministers also touched on issues of reforming the UN.

[Passage omitted: Lavrov is also planning to meet other Armenian
officials]

Russian, Armenian foreign ministers discuss regional transport projects

Mediamax news agency
17 Feb 05

Yerevan, 17 February: Russia will take into account to the maximum the
interests of Armenia in the implementation of regional transport projects and will
not take steps detrimental to it, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said
at a meeting with Armenian Prime Minister Andranik Markaryan in Yerevan today.

The head of the Russian Foreign Ministry said this commenting on the concern
expressed by Prime Minister Andranik Markaryan over plans to construct the
Qazvin – Rasht [Iran] – Astara [Azerbaijan] railway link bypassing Armenian
territory within the framework of the North-South international transport corridor
project.

[Passage omitted: background]

The Russian foreign minister said today that he would inform Russian
Transport Minister Igor Levitin and the president of the Russian Railways company,
Gennadiy Fadeyev, about the Armenian prime minister’s concern.

The meeting also discussed the launch of the Kavkaz-Poti ferry link. Armenian
Prime Minister Andranik Markaryan said that Armenia attaches great importance
to this transport link since it will help Armenia considerably expand trade
with Russia.

Markaryan and Lavrov also discussed prospects for the reopening of the Abkhaz
section of the Georgian railways.

Russian minister, Armenian premier discuss regional transport projects

Mediamax news agency
17 Feb 05

Yerevan, 17 February: Russia will take into account to the maximum the
interests of Armenia in the implementation of regional transport projects and will
not take steps detrimental to it, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said
at a meeting with Armenian Prime Minister Andranik Markaryan in Yerevan today.

The head of the Russian Foreign Ministry said this commenting on the concern
expressed by Prime Minister Andranik Markaryan over plans to construct the
Qazvin – Rasht [Iran] – Astara [Azerbaijan] railway link bypassing Armenian
territory within the framework of the North-South international transport corridor
project.

[Passage omitted: background]

The Russian foreign minister said today that he would inform Russian
Transport Minister Igor Levitin and the president of the Russian Railways company,
Gennadiy Fadeyev, about the Armenian prime minister’s concern.

The meeting also discussed the launch of the Kavkaz-Poti ferry link. Armenian
Prime Minister Andranik Markaryan said that Armenia attaches great importance
to this transport link since it will help Armenia considerably expand trade
with Russia.

Markaryan and Lavrov also discussed prospects for the reopening of the Abkhaz
section of the Georgian railways.

Azeri MP, spokesman scoff at Armenian minister’s remarks on military might

Ekho, Baku
16 Feb 05

Azerbaijan has not resorted to force to resolve the dispute over
Nagornyy Karabakh since it has assumed committments to the Council
of Europe to settle conflicts peacefully, Azerbaijani MP retired
Lt-Gen Vladimir Timosenko has said. But Azerbaijanis are not going
to reconcile themselves to the occupation of their lands, the MP said
commenting on Armenian Defence Minister Serzh Sarkisyan’s statement
that the Azerbaijani army is not combat-capable. In his comment, the
Azerbaijani Defence Ministry spokesman argued that Armenia was lagging
behind Azerbaijan both in military and economic terms. Ramiz Malikov
also accused Armenia of undermining peace efforts. The following is
the text of R. Orucov’s report by Azerbaijani newspaper Ekho on
16 February headlined “The Armenian defence minister believes his
army is stronger than Azerbaijan’s” and subheaded “Serzh Sarkisyan’s
statements are called a lie in our country”; subheadings have been
inserted editorially:

Armenian Defence Minister Serzh Sarkisyan gave an on-line press
conference posted on the site of the Dashnak newspaper Yerkir
yesterday. Some of his answers to the questions require separate
comments.

“Wrong policy”

Commenting on the Council of Europe’s stance on the Nagornyy
Karabakh problem, Sarkisyan acknowledged that “the resolution of the
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe [PACE] on Nagornyy
Karabakh does not take into account the interests of Armenia”, but
added that he does not see any tragedy in it.

The Armenian minister believes that Karabakh was subjected to
aggression from Azerbaijan. “The principles in [PACE rapporteur on
Nagornyy Karabakh David] Atkinson’s report are correct. Our task is to
convince the European entities that these principles are acceptable to
us and harmful to Azerbaijan. At the start of the Karabakh movement we
proved to the world that our movement is democratic and fair. The new
generation of European politicians either do not remember or do not
know the history and origin of the Karabakh conflict. We are facing
the challenge of explaining the gist of the issue to them.”

The head of the Azerbaijani delegation to PACE, Samad Seyidov, told
Ekho that Sarkisyan’s statements show that he perceives the resolution
in a totally wrong way.

“Sarkisyan acknowledges that this resolution meets objective
parameters. But he is wrong to say that it is not in Armenia’s
interests. The resolution is in the interests of Armenia, because it is
in the interests of Armenia to liberate the occupied territories and
admit that it is an aggressor and has invaded another country. The
sooner Armenia realizes this, the better for the Armenian people,
who, like any other nation, want to live in peace.

“Unfortunately, Sarkisyan’s statement again illustrates that Armenian
leaders cannot accept the objective reality. It is impossible to
overturn those values that have been accepted in Europe for quite a
long time. In other words, one cannot occupy the territory of another
state and pretend to be a victim, one cannot keep on saying that
nothing happened after conducting ethnic cleansing and one cannot
annex the territory of a neighbouring country and try to look for
legal grounds to justify this step. This illustrates that the Council
of Europe resolution has not been fully understood in Armenia so
far. Because the main idea of the resolution resides not in the lapses
of Armenian diplomacy (there are, by the way, quite a few of them),
but in the fact that Armenia as a state has a wrong policy.”

Armenia undermines peace efforts

Sarkisyan told the press conference that “calls for a military solution
to the conflict have been heard in Azerbaijan since [late Azerbaijani
President Heydar] Aliyev rejected the Key West principles”. The
minister believes that such militarist statements by the Azerbaijani
side “are meant both for internal and external use: internally in
order to raise the spirit and externally as a blackmailing tool. Such
statements have made some people in Azerbaijan believe that their
army is really capable of resolving the Karabakh issue militarily.
However, I strongly believe that the Azerbaijani army is not in a
position to do so. Otherwise, I can assure you, they would not be
asking for permission.”

“These are the statements of the enemy,” the head of the press
service of the Azerbaijani Defence Ministry, Ramiz Malikov, told Ekho
commenting on this part of the press conference.

“But Sarkisyan is profoundly mistaken. Not only the armed forces of
Armenia, but also the country itself is now losing to Azerbaijan and
its armed forces on all parameters. Actually, the Armenian economy is
really in a bad state and is being ruled from outside. This country
has been marginalized from all regional economic projects, while the
Azerbaijani economy is developing rapidly. The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan
[main oil export pipeline] will be built this year and the
Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum gas project will start working soon. Azerbaijan
fares better than Armenia in other economic areas, too. Since the
strengthening and developing of the armed forces of any country
depend on the economy, we can say that the Azerbaijani army is twice
as strong as the Armenian army.

“As for the situation back in 1992, the armed forces were not at
the right level unlike the Armenian armed forces. They had been
preparing for this war, but Azerbaijan got enmeshed in it. Azerbaijan
had failed to respond appropriately at the time also due to internal
political dissent.

“But all these problems have now been left behind. We would like
to reiterate that Sarkisyan should not deceive himself with any
grand ideas. Any occupation is doomed to end, as the examples of
Napoleon and Hitler show. Sarkisyan is distorting facts by saying
that Azerbaijan is calling for war. It is Azerbaijan that calls for
a peaceful resolution of the conflict. Our leadership is faithful to
this idea today, while Armenia, which was recognized by the Council of
Europe as an occupying country, undermines efforts to find a peaceful
solution and takes a destructive position.”

Committed not to use force

A member of the parliamentary commission for defence and security,
air defence Lt-Gen Vladimir Timosenko, also commented on Sarkisyan’s
statements.

“By offering alternative ways of resolving the conflict to the world,
we proceed from the reality of the state of our combat readiness. Both
Azerbaijan and Armenia assumed commitments not to use force in
resolving conflicts when they joined the Council of Europe. This is
the first factor that deters us.

“Secondly, diplomatic means have not been fully exhausted so
far. Moreover, European entities have now joined in the process. They
have called Armenia an aggressor for the first time in many years. And
we are making it clear for the world to understand that our patience
is about to end and we have the right to start military operations on
our territory in order to liberate it without violating international
law and the UN resolution in particular. We are making it clear to
our own people and enemy that we will never accept the status quo.”

Christian Minority In Azerbaijan Gets Rid Of Armenian Eye Sore
By Simon Ostrovsky

Agence France Presse
February 17, 2005

When a Christian people in this predominantly Muslim republic ground
away the Armenian inscriptions from the walls of a church and tombs
last month to erase evidence linking them to Azerbaijan’s foe, they
thought they had the interests of their small community in mind.

But now the tiny Christian church in the former Soviet republic of
Azerbaijan has become the focus of a big scandal as the Udi minority
struggles to find its identity in an ideological minefield. The church,
which has not been used since Azerbaijan became part of the Soviet
Union, has become the center of a dispute between the Norwegian backers
of the reconstruction, who consider the alterations to be vandalism,
and the Udi community.

“We have no God, our people lost their religion under communism and
this church is our only hope of reviving it,” said Georgi Kechaari,
one of the village elders who doubles as the ethnic group’s historian.

“But we live in Azerbaijan, and when people came into the church and
saw Armenian letters, they automatically associated us with Armenians,”
he said.

The Udi, who once used the Armenian alphabet, have struggled to
separate their legacy from that of their fellow Christians, the
Armenians, who fought a war with Azerbaijan and have been vilified
here.

Erupting just before the break-up of the Soviet Union, the war
cost both countries tens of thousands of lives but Azerbaijan lost
Nagorno-Karabakh – an ethnic Armenian enclave – and seven other
surrounding regions which have been under Armenian control since the
two countries signed an uneasy ceasefire agreement in 1994. Since
then nearly everything associated with Armenia in Azerbaijan has been
wiped away, although hundreds of thousands of Armenians lived here
before the war.

Armenian-sounding city names have been changed, streets named after
Armenians have been replaced with politically correct Azeri surnames,
while Soviet history glorifying Armenian communist activists has
been rewritten in school textbooks. But the white stone church in
Nij, some two centuries old, had not been tampered with until the
Udi undertook to reconstruct it with help from the state financed
Norwegian Humanitarian Enterprise (NHE).

“It was a beautiful inscription, 200 years old, it even survived the
war,” Norway’s Ambassador to Azerbaijan Steinar Gil told AFP. “This
is an act of vandalism and Norway in no way wants to be associated
with it.”

But the Udis insist they erased the inscriptions to right a historic
wrong. Kechaari alleged that the Armenian inscriptions, which stated
that the Church was built in 1823, were fakes put there by Armenians
in the 1920s so that they could make historical claims to it.

The Udis are the last surviving tribe of the Caucasus Albanians,
a group unrelated to the Mediterranean Albanians, whose Christian
kingdom ruled this region in medieval times before Turkic hordes swept
in from Central Asia in the 13th and 15th centuries. They number
under 10,000 people and Nij is the only predominantly Udi village
to survive to this day, and although they call themselves Christian,
there is little that Christians from other parts of the world would
find in common with them.

The Udis have not had a pastor for nearly a century and celebrate
Islamic holidays together with their Muslim neighbors. But while the
Udis soul search for an identity, Azerbaijan has used their legacy
to strengthen its claims to Karabakh.

Armenians argue that the multitude of churches in the occupied region
proves that they as a Christian people can lay a historic claim to it.
But Azeris, who consider themselves to be the descendants of Albanians
who were assimilated into a Turkic group, say the area is rightfully
theirs because the churches were actually built by their ancestors
the Albanians.

To the Udi, who used Armenian script when their church was built,
toeing the official Azeri line has become more of a priority
than historical accuracy. The perception that they are one with
the Armenians has meant that there has been little trust from the
authorities; Udi men for example were only allowed to start serving
in the Azeri Army two years ago.

But their use of power tools to fit the status quo took their Norwegian
sponsors by surprise. “They think they have erased a reminder of
being Armenian … instead they have taken away the chance to have a
good image when the church is inaugurated,” the director of the NHE
in Azerbaijan, Alf Henry Rasmussen said, adding that a visit to the
church by Norway’s prime minister will probably now be cancelled.

“Everyone will stare at the missing stones, I’m not quite sure if we
can continue our work there,” Rasmussen said.

AGBU Press Office
55 East 59th Street
New York, NY 10022-1112
Phone 212.319.6383 x.118
Fax 212.319.6507
Email [email protected]
Website

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Thursday, February 17, 2005

AGBU ARARAT PUBLISHES SPECIAL ASADOURIAN ISSUE

New York, NY – Nearly a hundred people of all ages gathered at AGBU
Central Office in New York on Thursday, January 27th, to celebrate the
publication of an issue of AGBU’s Ararat quarterly devoted entirely
to the writings of author Hagop H. Asadourian (1903-2003).

Born in the village of Chomaklou in eastern Turkey, Hagop Asadourian
was deported, along with the rest of his village, in 1918 but found
refuge in AGBU’s orphanage in Aleppo, Syria. He settled in the U.S. in
1920, where he became a successful businessman, singer, and author
of poetry and fiction, including his novel, “The Grandchildren of
Hovagim,” which describes his childhood experiences. He was honored
for this work by the Tekeyan Cultural Foundation in Lebanon in 1965 and
1984. On March 3, 2003 the Foundation celebrated his 100th birthday “in
honor of his lifelong dedication to his beloved Armenian people through
music and literature.” The Spring 2004 issue of “Ararat” is the first
extended excerpt from his work to be published in English translation.

Performers Lynne Kassabian, Marjorie Keyishian, Amy Keyishian, and
Nora Armani, treated the audience to selections from Asadourian’s
writing while oud master and performer, Ara Dinkjian, played a personal
composition in honor of the occasion. A number of speakers addressed
aspects of Asadourian’s writings, including Armenian Studies scholar
Vartan Matiossian and Richard Asadourian, the author’s son.

An official Hagop Asadourian website has been established by the
Naregatsi Art Institute at The site showcases
selections of Asadourian’s writings, music and life and offers various
CDs and DVDs for sale to the public.

Ararat quarterly () is published by AGBU. Copies
of the Asadourian issue or other back issues are available at $7
each. They may be ordered by e-mailing [email protected], calling
Hripsime at 212-319-6383, ext. 131, or mailing your request, along with
a check, to ARARAT/AGBU, 55 East 59th Street, NY, NY 10022-1112. For
more information about AGBU and its many cultural initiatives, please
visit

Russian FM Downplays Dispute Ahead Of Georgia Visit

Radio Free Europe, Czech Republic
Feb 17 2005

17 February 2005 — Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said
today that he hopes his visit to Georgia will not be hindered by
his rejection of an invitation to visit a monument related to a
separatist conflict.

Georgia has downgraded the trip from an official, to a working,
visit because Lavrov will not lay a wreath at a monument dedicated
to Georgians who died fighting separatists in Abkhazia and South
Ossetia. Both regions have close Russian ties.

Lavrov, speaking to Russian journalists in Armenia today, said Russia
has a role as a mediator and it would be too “emotionally loaded”
for him to make such a gesture. He arrived in Georgia today.

He added that the conflict, in his words, “cost the lives of innocent
people on all sides.”

Georgian Foreign Minister Salome Zurabishvili criticized the decision
as unfriendly and inappropriate.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Russia ready to support any arrangement on Karabakh.

Itar-Tass, Russia
Feb 17 2005

YEREVAN, February 17 (Itar-Tass) — Russian Foreign Minister Sergei
Lavrov, summing up the results of his visit to Yerevan, said, “As
the co-chairman of the MInsk group of the Organization for Security
and Cooperation in Europe for Nagorno-Karabakh, Russia is ready to
support any arrangement the parties involved in the Karabakh conflict
will reach”.

“Enough attention has been given to Nagorno-Karabakh settlement”
during the negotiations on Thursday, the minister said. “We expect
the so-called Prague process of the meetings of foreign ministers of
Armenia and Azerbaijan to achieve progress”, he said.

“The co-chairmen of the Minsk group of the OSCE for Nagorno-Karabakh
– Russia, United States and France – are ready to promote this
and are constantly in touch with the parties to the conflict”,
Lavrov said. “We will be doing all we can so that the process should
develop successfully and pave the ground for another talk between
the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan”, the Russian foreign
minister said.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress