SBC Communications Receives “2004 Diversity Award” from World’s Largest
Language Services Provider

Business Wire
Feb 16, 2005

Language Line Services recognizes SBC companies for outstanding
corporate leadership in serving customers of all languages and cultures

SBC Communications Inc. (NYSE: SBC) has been honored for the company’s
commitment to serving consumers in more than 150 languages. The “2004
Diversity Award” was presented to SBC Communications by Language
Line Services(a), the world’s largest provider of over-the-phone
interpretation.

The award recognizes the company for providing Interpreter service(a)
free of charge in more than 150 languages, and for reaching out
to California’s ethnic communities through creative outdoor media,
direct-mail, ethnic festivals and outreach programs, and advertising
in select ethnic periodicals and newspapers.

“It’s an honor to win this award because the SBC family of companies is
committed to understanding and serving the unique needs of our diverse
California customer base,” said Jody Garcia, SBC Vice President of
Diverse Markets Group. “Not only is it the right thing to do, but
providing telecommunications and entertainment services to consumers
in their own language is a sound business strategy for the company.”

Garcia points out that SBC representatives are fielding calls from
consumers in more than 100 languages. The top 10 languages for the
number of incoming calls are Russian, Armenian, Farsi, Punjabi,
Portuguese, Hmong, Arabic, French, Thai and Cambodian.

Language Line Services builds on the SBC tradition of providing
excellent customer service. In the 1980s, the SBC family of companies
began providing customer service in Spanish to meet the needs of the
growing Latino population. SBC California later expanded in-language
customer service support to include call centers in six additional
languages: Mandarin, Cantonese, Vietnamese, Tagalog, Japanese and
Korean.

With Language Line Services, customers call in the language of their
choice to inquire about their bill, set-up phone service, change or
add services such as SBC Long Distance or SBC Yahoo! DSL, or have
other questions answered. The service is free to customers.

“The SBC family of companies has distinguished itself as a true
corporate citizen,” said Louis Provenzano, senior vice president
of sales for Language Line Services. “It is a model for all other
organizations that aspire to understand the cultures of their
customers and to communicate in the languages their customers prefer –
their own.”

SBC California customers can access SBC Language Lines customer
service at no charge by dialing 1-800-203-8600.

(a) Interpreter services are provided by SBC California Customer
service through Language LineServices, Inc., a company that specializes
in translations and language interpretation.

SBC Communications Inc. is a Fortune 50 company whose subsidiaries,
operating under the SBC brand, provide a full range of voice, data,
networking, e-business, directory publishing and advertising, and
related services to businesses, consumers and other telecommunications
providers. SBC holds a 60 percent ownership interest in Cingular
Wireless, which serves 49.1 million wireless customers. SBC companies
provide high-speed DSL Internet access lines to more American consumers
than any other provider and are among the nation’s leading providers of
Internet services. SBC companies also now offer satellite TV service.
Additional information about SBC and SBC products and services is
available at

SBC is a registered trademark of SBC Knowledge Ventures, L.P. (C)
2004 SBC Knowledge Ventures, L.P. All rights reserved. Cingular
is a registered trademark of Cingular Wireless LLC. SBC logos are
trademarks of SBC Knowledge Ventures, L.P. (C) 2004 SBC Knowledge
Ventures, L.P. All rights reserved.SBC Carey Brock, 415-318-4240

JAPAN’S SHIMIZU TO LAUNCH WARMING GAS EMISSION RIGHTS BUSINESS IN ARMENIA

Asia Pulse
Feb 16, 2005

TOKYO, Feb 16 Asia Pulse – Shimizu Corp. (TSE:1803) intends to team up
with Mitsui & Co. (TSE:8031) and Hokkaido Electric Power Co. (TSE:9509)
to start greenhouse gas emission rights business in Armenia.

The major construction company is hoping the joint operation will
be approved as a clean-development-mechanism (CDM) business, which
allows companies to gain emission rights in exchange for cooperating
in efforts to reduce emissions in developing countries. CDM is featured
in the Kyoto Protocol, which takes effect Wednesday.

If the project is approved as a CDM business, it will be the first
such operation in Armenia. The company expects to gain approval by
the middle of this year.

Under the plan, Shimizu will build a power generation plant to produce
electricity from methane gas piped in from a waste material disposal
site. The firm intends to spend about 800 million yen on the project.

Shimizu expects the facility to eliminate about 135,000 tons of
carbon dioxide a year, which will enable the company to acquire
emission rights.

PRESS RELEASE
Eastern Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America
138 East 39th Street
New York, NY 10016
Tel: 212-689-7810
Fax: 212-689-7168
e-mail: [email protected]
Website:
Contact: Iris Papazian

EASTERN, WESTERN AND CANADIAN PRELACIES GATHER IN MONTREAL
FOR STS. GHEVONTIANTZ COMMEMORATION

NEW YORK, NY – Continuing a tradition that began in 2001, clergymen
from the Eastern, Western and Canadian Prelacies gathered in Montreal,
Canada, for the annual Sts. Ghevontiantz commemoration that precedes
the Feast of Vartanantz.

The clergy conference began on January 31 and concluded on February
2. Participating in the conference were the three prelates,
H.E. Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan, Eastern Prelacy; H.E. Archbishop
Moushegh Mardirossian, Western Prelacy; and H.G. Bishop Khajag
Hagopian, Canadian Prelacy. Also in attendance was H.E. Archbishop
Souren Kataroyan, former Prelate of Aleppo.

Each year the clergy gather to learn and to pray in an atmosphere
marked by brotherhood, fellowship and renewal.

The three major lecturers included: V. Rev. Fr. Meghrig Parikian, “The
Seminary’s Mission and Its Nurturing”; Rev. Fr. Karnig Kouyounian,
“The Armenian Church’s Contribution to Armenian Culture”; and
Rev. Manuel Jinbashian, “Translations of the Bible.”

An important aspect of this year’s clergy conference centered around
three encyclicals recently issued by His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of
the Great House of Cilicia, commemorating the 1600th anniversary of the
founding of the Armenian alphabet, the 90th anniversary of the Genocide
of 1915, and the 75th anniversary of the Seminary of the Cilician See.

The clergymen also attended a special blessing service of the new
Canadian Prelacy building. The official opening of the new headquarters
will take place in May.

The Feast of Ghevontiantz is named in honor of Ghevont Yeretz
(Leondius the Cleric) who stood alongside Vartan Mamigonian during
the Vartanantz war, and became the symbol of a collective group of
clergy who gave their lives for their faith and nation.

Armenians take three Azeri soldiers prisoner in Karabakh – TV

Space TV, Baku
16 Feb 05

[Presenter] Our regional correspondent reports that three servicemen
of military unit X in Tartar have been taken prisoner by the
Armenians. We have a live report from Tartar to find out how the
incident occurred. Our regional correspondent Sanan Hasanoglu is on
the line. Sanan, good evening.

[Correspondent] Good evening, Gunay.

[Presenter] Sanan, how did the incident occur, when and in which
circumstances?

[Correspondent] The incident happened at about 2000 [1600 gmt]
yesterday, 15 February, in a place called Tulkudarasi bordering on
Armenia [as heard; in fact, on Nagornyy Karabakh]. Three soldiers of
the national army lost their way in the dark and were taken prisoner
by the Armenians.

[Presenter] Sanan, which Azerbaijani districts were the soldiers
drafted from?

[Correspondent] The soldiers are said to have been drafted from Ganca,
Samkir and Beylaqan.

[Presenter] Sanan, have the authorities been informed of the incident?
Because as soon as we received the report, we telephoned the Defence
Ministry which said it was not aware of it.

[Correspondent] Gunay, the moment I received the report I contacted
the commander of the military unit based in Tartar and the Tartar
military prosecutor, Sahin Zamanov. Unfortunately, neither the
military prosecutor nor the unit commander wanted to give me
any information. But they both said that the reason they could
not divulge this information was that the operation was secret.
Unofficial sources, however, have confirmed to us that three of our
soldiers have indeed been taken prisoner.

[Presenter] Thank you very much. This was Sanan Hasanoglu from Tartar
on the line.

COMMENTARY: The Sick Man of Europe — Again
By ROBERT L. POLLOCK

Wall Street Journal
,,SB110851241259955899,00.html?mod=opinio n%5Fmain%5Fcommentaries

February 16, 2005; Page A14

ANKARA, Turkey — Several years ago I attended an exhibition in
Istanbul. The theme was local art from the era of the country’s last
military coup (1980). But the artists seemed a lot more concerned with
the injustices of global capitalism than the fate of Turkish democracy.
In fact, to call the works leftist caricatures — many featured fat
capitalists with Uncle Sam hats and emaciated workers — would have
been an understatement. As one astute local reviewer put it (I quote
from memory): “This shows that Turkish artists were willing to abase
themselves voluntarily in ways that Soviet artists refused even at
the height of Stalin’s oppression.”

That exhibition came to mind amid all the recent gnashing of teeth
in the U.S. over the question of “Who lost Turkey?” Because it shows
that a 50-year special relationship, between longtime NATO allies who
fought Soviet expansionism together starting in Korea, has long had
to weather the ideological hostility and intellectual decadence of
much of Istanbul’s elite. And at the 2002 election, the increasingly
corrupt mainstream parties that had championed Turkish-American ties
self-destructed, leaving a vacuum that was filled by the subtle yet
insidious Islamism of the Justice and Development (AK) Party. It’s
this combination of old leftism and new Islamism — much more than any
mutual pique over Turkey’s refusal to side with us in the Iraq war —
that explains the collapse in relations.

And what a collapse it has been. On a brief visit to Ankara earlier
this month with Undersecretary of Defense Doug Feith, I found a
poisonous atmosphere — one in which just about every politician and
media outlet (secular and religious) preaches an extreme combination of
America- and Jew-hatred that (like the Turkish artists) voluntarily
goes far further than anything found in most of the Arab world’s
state-controlled press. If I hesitate to call it Nazi-like, that’s only
because Goebbels would probably have rejected much of it as too crude.

* * *

Consider the Islamist newspaper Yeni Safak, Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan’s favorite. A Jan. 9 story claimed that U.S. forces
were tossing so many Iraqi bodies into the Euphrates that mullahs
there had issued a fatwa prohibiting residents from eating its
fish. Yeni Safak has also repeatedly claimed that U.S. forces used
chemical weapons in Fallujah. One of its columnists has alleged that
U.S. soldiers raped women and children there and left their bodies in
the streets to be eaten by dogs. Among the paper’s “scoops” have been
the 1,000 Israeli soldiers deployed alongside U.S. forces in Iraq,
and that U.S. forces have been harvesting the innards of dead Iraqis
for sale on the U.S. “organ market.”

It’s not much better in the secular press. The mainstream Hurriyet has
accused Israeli hit squads of assassinating Turkish security personnel
in Mosul, and the U.S. of starting an occupation of Indonesia under
the guise of humanitarian assistance. At Sabah, a columnist last fall
accused the U.S. ambassador to Turkey, Eric Edelman, of letting his
“ethnic origins” — guess what, he’s Jewish — determine his behavior.
Mr. Edelman is indeed the all-too-rare foreign-service officer who
takes seriously his obligation to defend America’s image and interests
abroad. The intellectual climate in which he’s operating has gone
so mad that he actually felt compelled to organize a conference call
with scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey to explain that secret
U.S. nuclear testing did not cause the recent tsunami.

Never in an ostensibly friendly country have I had the impression
of embassy staff so besieged. Mr. Erdogan’s office recently forbade
Turkish officials from attending a reception at the ambassador’s
residence in honor of the “Ecumenical” Patriarch of the Orthodox
Church, who resides in Istanbul. Why? Because “ecumenical” means
universal, which somehow makes it all part of a plot to carve up
Turkey.

Perhaps the most bizarre anti-American story au courant in the Turkish
capital is the “eighth planet” theory, which holds not only that the
U.S. knows of an impending asteroid strike, but that we know it’s going
to hit North America. Hence our desire to colonize the Middle East.

It all sounds loony, I know. But such stories are told in all
seriousness at the most powerful dinner tables in Ankara. The common
thread is that almost everything the U.S. is doing in the world —
even tsunami relief — has malevolent motivations, usually with the
implication that we’re acting as muscle for the Jews.

In the face of such slanders Turkish politicians have been utterly
silent. In fact, Turkish parliamentarians themselves have accused
the U.S. of “genocide” in Iraq, while Mr. Erdogan (who we once
hoped would set for the Muslim world an example of democracy) was
among the few world leaders to question the legitimacy of the Iraqi
elections. When confronted, Turkish pols claim they can’t risk going
against “public opinion.”

All of which makes Mr. Erdogan a prize hypocrite for protesting to
Condoleezza Rice the unflattering portrayal of Turkey in an episode of
the fictional TV show “The West Wing.” The episode allegedly depicts
Turkey as having been taken over by a retrograde populist government
that threatens women’s rights. (Sounds about right to me.)

In the old days, Turkey would have had an opposition party strong
enough to bring such a government closer to sanity. But the only
opposition now is a moribund Republican People’s Party, or CHP,
once the party of Ataturk. At a recent party congress, its leader
accused his main challenger of having been part of a CIA plot
against him. That’s not to say there aren’t a few comparatively
pro-U.S. officials left in the current government and the state
bureaucracies. But they’re afraid to say anything in public. In
private, they whine endlessly about trivial things the U.S. “could
have done differently.”

Entirely forgotten is that President Bush was among the first world
leaders to recognize Prime Minister Erdogan, while Turkey’s own legal
system was still weighing whether he was secular enough for the job.
Forgotten have been decades of U.S. military assistance. Forgotten
have been years of American efforts to secure a pipeline route for
Caspian oil that terminates at the Turkish port of Ceyhan. Forgotten
has been the fact that U.S. administrations continue to fight annual
attempts in Congress to pass a resolution condemning modern Turkey
for the long-ago Armenian genocide. Forgotten has been America’s
persistent lobbying for Turkish membership in the European Union.

Forgotten, above all, has been America’s help against the PKK. Its
now-imprisoned leader, Abdullah Ocalan, was expelled from Syria in 1998
after the Turks threatened military action. He was then passed like a
hot potato between European governments, who refused to extradite him
to Turkey because — gasp! — he might face the death penalty. He was
eventually caught — with the help of U.S. intelligence — sheltered
in the Greek Embassy in Nairobi. “They gave us Ocalan. What could
be bigger than that?” says one of a handful of unapologetically
pro-U.S. Turks I still know.

I know that Mr. Feith (another Jew, the Turkish press didn’t hesitate
to note), and Ms. Rice after him, pressed Turkish leaders on the
need to challenge some of the more dangerous rhetoric if they value
the Turkey-U.S. relationship. There is no evidence yet that they got
a satisfactory answer. Turkish leaders should understand that the
“public opinion” they cite is still reversible. But after a few more
years of riding the tiger, who knows? Much of Ataturk’s legacy risks
being lost, and there won’t be any of the old Ottoman grandeur left,
either. Turkey could easily become just another second-rate country:
small-minded, paranoid, marginal and — how could it be otherwise? —
friendless in America and unwelcome in Europe.

Mr. Pollock is a senior editorial page writer at the Journal.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

US TURKS GOING TO HOLD RALLY AGAINST ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

PanArmenian News
Feb 16 2005

16.02.2005 18:10

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ US citizen of Turkish origin Ulker Aksun called
all the Turks residing in the US to participate in the rally
against the Armenian Genocide to be held in front of the White House
in April. She also appealed to the American-Turkish organizations
for assistance. In her words, in response to the measures organized
by the Armenian Diaspora and dedicated to the 90-th anniversary of
the Armenian Genocide, the US Turks should “all to the last man”
take part in this anti-Armenian event. “The year 2005 must become
the year of refuting Armenian statements”, she said.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Russian FM arrives in Armenia on visit

ITAR-TASS, Russia
Feb 16 2005

YEREVAN, February 16 (Itar-Tass) — Russian Foreign Minister Sergei
Lavrov arrived in Yerevan on Wednesday for talks with the Armenian
leadership to discuss the situation in the Caucasus and the development
of bilateral relations.

He is scheduled to meet with President Robert Kocharyan, Prime Minister
Andranik Margaryan, and Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanyan on Thursday.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Yakovenko said a good deal of
attention at the talks would be paid to “the coordination of efforts to
improve the situation in the Caucasus and resolve the conflicts there”.

“This is necessary in order to create an atmosphere of trust for
cooperation in the whole of the Caucasus,” the spokesman said.

Speaking about the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement, Yakovenko said Moscow
“welcomes further Armenia-Azerbaijani dialogue at various levels,
foremost between the presidents.”

“The parties to the conflict should find a mutually acceptable solution
themselves,” the spokesman said.

Russia is ready to provide the most active assistance, including as
a co-chairman of the OSCE’s Minsk Group. It is also ready to become
a guarantor of the accord, Yakovenko said.

Moscow and Yerevan will also consider the stepping up of
Russian-Armenian interaction, in particular in resolving Armenia’s
transport problems and in the fuel and energy sector, as well as the
expansion of direct business ties.

“Relations with Armenia have acquired the character of a strategic
and allied partnership in recent years,” Yakovenko noted.

The sides will consider bilateral interaction within the framework
of the Commonwealth of Independent States and the Collective Security
Treaty Organisation, the diplomat said.

90-TH ANNIVERSARY OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE TO CONSIDERABLY TROUBLE TURKEY

PanArmenina News
Feb 16 2005

16.02.2005 17:14

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The 90-th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide
will cause considerable inconveniences for Turkey, editor-in-chief
of Hurriyet Turkish daily considers. At the same time he thinks
that Ankara does not attach due attention to the problem. “Annually
Armenians spend $50 million for the genocide recognition while Turks,
even the diplomats are not well informed”, the Turkish journalists
writes. He does not rule out that it may come to the returning of the
lands, which used to belong to Armenia and Turkey will lose half of
Anatolian lands. To prevent such developments the Turkish journalist
calls his compatriots “to undertake immediate measures”.

ARKA News Agency
Feb 16 2005

Creation of a unified information space for the CIS is the main
profile activity of Russian Foreign Center

Leader of LPPA: Armenia has lost its flexibility in foreign policy

Russia welcomes continuation of Armenian-Azeri dialogue on different
levels – RF Foreign Ministry

Future build-up of Russian-Armenian interaction to be in agenda of
Russian and Armenian Foreign Ministers negotiations

Russian-Armenian relations acquire character of strategic and ally
partnership in recent years – Russian Foreign Ministry

Post-Soviet area remains divided into two camps: Konstantin Zatulin

RAO UES of Russia studying possibilities for purchasing of electric
distribution networks of Armenia

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to arrive in Armenia with
two-day official visit today

Aggression against any state-member of the Collective Security Treaty
Organization is considered as aggression against the organization

*********************************************************************

CREATION OF A UNIFIED INFORMATION SPACE FOR THE CIS IS THE MAIN
PROFILE ACTIVITY OF RUSSIAN FOREIGN CENTER

YEREVAN, February 16. /ARKA/. Creation of a unified information space
for the CIS is the main profile activity of Russian Foreign Center,
according to the Head of the Russian Center for International
Scientific and Ciltural Cooperation adjunct to RF MFA Eleonora
Mitrophanova. “We have common roots, and we will make joint efforts
for working in this field with minimal bureaucratic burden and
attracting many NGOs of the CIS “, she said. According to
Mitrophanova, this initiative should be supported by presidents of
the countries. She explained that the unified information space first
of all implies activation of the activity of the centre in respect of
the issues of implementation of their priority directions, namely in
the area of education and science, cultural exchange and propaganda
of scientific-technical achievements. This, according to her, implies
assurance of even more activity in students exchange processes,
mutual acknowledgment of diplomas of Universities, establishment of
centers for improving qualification on base of prominent scientific
centers of the republic, as well as activation of art collectives.
Russian Foreign Center has been working since 1925. Before it was
called as All-Union Society of Cultural Contacts with abroad, then
the Union of soviet society of friendship and cultural relations with
abroad. Its representative offices are in 63 countries of the world,
including 44 Russian Centers of Science and Culture in 39 countries.
The activity of Russian Foreign Center and its branches aims at
making objective image of modern Russia abroad, telling the goal of
the reforms introduced and foreign policy of the country. A.H. –0–

*********************************************************************

LEADER OF LPPA: ARMENIA HAS LOST ITS FLEXIBILITY IN FOREIGN POLICY

YEREVAN, February 16. /ARKA/. Armenia has lost its flexibility in
foreign policy, according to the Leader of the Liberal Progressive
Party of Armenia (LPPA) Hovhannes Hovhannisyan. As he has noted at a
press-conference today, as a result of the parliamentary and
presidential elections in 2003, Armenia turned out not to be involved
in the international processes. “We found ourselves in a situation,
when there are no neighbours, who would show interest in our
country”, he said. According to the Leader of the party, there is an
economic and political crisis in inner processes as well. “Problems
are solved not in the political field, but at the level of yard
battles”, he said. In this regard, he thinks that the replacement of
the ruling power in Armenia unavoidable, and doesn’t relate this
process to certain individuals. “A new system of values, on which
future authorities will rely on, should be formed in the country”, he
noted adding that European values may be adopted. A.H. –0–

*********************************************************************

RUSSIA WELCOMES CONTINUATION OF ARMENIAN-AZERI DIALOGUE ON DIFFERENT
LEVELS – RF FOREIGN MINISTRY

YEREVAN, February 16. /ARKA/. Russia welcomes the continuation of
Armenian-Azeri dialogue on different levels, first of all, between
the Presidents of the two countries This was stated by Alexander
Yakovenko, the official representative of RF Foreign Ministry,
answering the questions of mass media concerning the visit of RF
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to Armenia. According to him, as far
as this issue is concerned, Russia is proceeding from the fact that
the conflict sides themselves should come to a mutually acceptable
settlement of the conflict. “Russia is ready to render most active
assistance both to the conflict sides and as a Co-Chair of OSCE Minsk
Group and become a guarantor of the accord achieved”, said Yakovenko.

Note, RF Foreign Minster Sergey Lavrov comes today on a two-day visit
to Armenia in the framework of his regional tour to South Caucasus
countries. L.V.–0—

*********************************************************************

FUTURE BUILD-UP OF RUSSIAN-ARMENIAN INTERACTION TO BE IN AGENDA OF
RUSSIAN AND ARMENIAN FOREIGN MINISTERS NEGOTIATIONS

YEREVAN, February 16. /ARKA/. The future build-up of Russian-Armenian
interaction will be in agenda of Russian and Armenian Foreign
Ministers Sergey Lavrov’s and Vardan Oskanian’s negotiations, as
official representative of Russian Foreign Ministry Alexander
Yakovenko told, answering mass media’s questions in regard of Russian
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s forthcoming visit to Armenia. In his
words, the sides will discuss the course of implementation of Moscow
arrangements (May 2004) on top level around bilateral cooperation,
particularly related to the solution of transport problem faced by
Armenia, cooperation in energy and fuel sphere, expanding of direct
economic ties between subject of the Russian Federation and the
Republic of Armenia. Among priority topic on the agenda Yakovenko
mentioned the issue of intensifying Russian-Armenia trade and
economic, cultural and humanitarian cooperation as well as issues of
holding national years of Russia and Armenia in 2005 and 2006.
The representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry said that taking
into consideration Russia’s and Armenia’s single position toward
international terror, the sides will focus coordination of their
efforts aimed at increasing of anti-terror political cooperation.
“Moscow and Yerevan are inclined toward strong exchange of opinions
on the problems of bilateral cooperation in the international scene,
coordination of efforts in international institutions as well as the
most important regional problems”, he said. In his words, the sides
will discuss the issues of cooperation within CIS, including that in
Collective Security Treaty Organization. The sides will focus on
coordination of efforts targeted at the improving the situation in
South Caucasus, the settlement of the existing conflict in the
region, creation of trust climate for unfolding all-Caucasus
cooperation. “Undoubtedly, the sides will discuss the problem of the
Karabakh conflict settlement. “, Yakovenko summarized. T.M. –0–

*********************************************************************

RUSSIAN-ARMENIAN RELATIONS ACQUIRE CHARACTER OF STRATEGIC AND ALLY
PARTNERSHIP IN RECENT YEARS – RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY

YEREVAN, February 16. /ARKA/. Russian-Armenian relations acquired the
character of strategic and ally partnership, thus being distinguished
by positive dynamics of the development, as official representative
of Russian Foreign Ministry Alexander Yakovenko, answering on mass
media’s questions in regard of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey
Lavrov’s forthcoming visit to Armenia. In this regard, he named
symbolic that Russian Foreign Minister’s first official visit to
Yerevan is made in the beginning of the year 2005 that was announced
to be Armenia’s year in Russian Federation. “Russian Foreign
Minister’s visit is made within frames of top level bilateral
arrangements around holding of active political dialogue between the
nations and is aimed at deepening of Russian-Armenia relations”, he
said. At that he added that they rely on a strong, legal basis –
Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Aid Agreement of August 29, 1997,
the 21 century-oriented Declaration of Ally Interaction between the
Russian Federation and the Republic of Armenia of September 26, 2000
as well as 160 interstate and intergovernmental agreements. According
to Yakovenko, Armenian president Robert Kocharian’s visit to Moscow
on May 13-15, 2004 as well as Russian and Armenian Presidents’
meeting in August 2004 in Sochi, and in September 2004 in Astana were
important stages on the way of strengthening of strategic partnership
fundamentals and more active bilateral cooperation.
To mention, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is arriving to
Armenia with two-day official visit today within frames of his
regional tour to the South Caucasus countries. T.M. –0–

*********************************************************************

POST-SOVIET AREA REMAINS DIVIDED INTO TWO CAMPS: KONSTANTIN ZATULIN

YEREVAN, February 16. /ARKA/. The post-Soviet area remains divided
into two camps, Head of the Russian Institute of the CIS, a member of
the Russian State Duma Konstantin Zatulin stated in his interview to
the Russian “Arguments and Facts” newspaper. According to him, one of
the camps, seeking its own interests, continues relying on Russia,
simultaneously decreasing in size, while the other is expanding,
disseminating foreign influence. “Even in Russia’s relations with its
closest partners, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Armenia and Belarus, not
everything is smooth,” he said, pointing out that Russia still has to
endure the main test in its relations with its neighbors. “The main
problem in the foreseeable future is Ukraine’s possible ambitions,”
Zatulin said. According to him, Ukraine has always been the main
threat to the idea of preserving the CIS. In the post-Soviet area
Ukraine is the only country able to really counterbalance Russia.
“Meantime, the CIS is more and more turning into a symbol of recent
life together,” he said. Zatulin said that the only function of the
CIS as a club of post-Soviet countries remains being a meeting place
for the Presidents of the former Soviet republics. P.T–0-

*********************************************************************

RAO UES OF RUSSIA STUDYING POSSIBILITIES FOR PURCHASING OF ELECTRIC
DISTRIBUTION NETWORKS OF ARMENIA

YEREVAN, February 16. /ARKA/. Energy holding RAO UES of Russia is
studying possibility of purchasing distribution networks of Armenia.
As Izvestia daily reports, Midland Resources Holding Ltd. is the
seller. In 2002 it won tender for privatization of 100% of shares of
Electric Networks of Armenia CJSC. RAO UES refused to clarify the sum
of the deal. “Midland did apply to us with offer to purchase its
package of shares in Armenian networks. Now we are studying the
possibility of this deal”, Timur Belov, Press Secretary of the Energy
Holding told Izvestia.
As Alexander Kornilov, Analyst of investment company
BrokerCerditService told Izvestia, from economic point of view the
deal seems to be doubtful. “Firstly, RAO’s interest to this country
is concentrated in generating assets. Secondly, the distribution
networks have not high price due to amortization and very low payment
discipline of the population”, Kornilov said. However, in his
opinion, possibility of concluding this deal by RAO UES cannot be
excluded, taking into consideration “overseas expansion” that the
Russian company is waging during the recent years. As Kornilov
mentions many deals of RAO (purchasing of distribution networks in
Bulgaria), displayed interest to facilities in Moldova) consider
“interests of majority shareholder – the Russian state”, that owns
51% of share sof RAO UES of Russia.
The company was forced to comment the possibility of deal after
Yerevan mass media reported that the deal had been already concluded.
Some even named the sum of the deal – $80 mln. However, on February
14, in response to ARKA’s question Press Service of Electric Networks
of Armenia declined the information around sale of the distribution
networks to INTER RAO UES (affiliate of RAO UES) on official level.
In Armenia RAO UES of Russia owns Sevan-Hrazdan cascade of hydropower
station, Hrazdan thermal station and manages financial lows of the
Armenian Nuclear Electric Plant. The share of three electric stations
is around 75-80% of energy generation of Armenia.
Since November 1, 2002 100% of shares of Electric Networks of Armenia
belongs to UK Midland Resources that paid $12.015 mln and undertaken
liabilities to redeem debts in the amount $27.958 mln. T.M. –0–

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RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER SERGEY LAVROV TO ARRIVE IN ARMENIA WITH
TWO-DAY OFFICIAL VISIT TODAY

YEREVAN, February 16. /ARKA/. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov
will arrive in Armenia with two-day official visit today. This visit
is continuation of the intensive political dialogue between two
countries and is targeted at deepening of cooperation in foreign
political institutions as well as interaction between Armenian and
Russia in various spheres. This is Sergey Lavrov’s first official to
Armenia within frames of which the Russian Foreign Minister is
expected to meet Armenian political leadership. Within frames of his
visit the sides will discuss a wide range of issues concerning the
current agenda and perspectives of strategic cooperation between two
countries. This includes such spheres as politics, trade and economy,
science and education and culture.
The sides also will touch perspectives of development cooperation
between Armenia and Russia in international structures as well as the
issues concerning CIS activity and reforming of its bodies. The
current stage of settlement of the Karabakh conflict as well as
establishing of trust climate and cooperation in South Caucasus will
be under special focus. It is suggested that the officials also would
discuss issues related to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s
forthcoming visit to Armenia.
Russian Foreign Minister will arrive in Armenia within his regional
visit to South Caucasus countries. T.M. –0–

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AGGRESSION AGAINST ANY STATE-MEMBER OF THE COLLECTIVE SECURITY TREATY
ORGANIZATION IS CONSIDERED AS AGGRESSION AGAINST THE ORGANIZATION

Yerevan, February 15. /ARKA/. Aggression against any state-member of
the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) is considered as
aggression against the organization, as stated the Secretary General
of (CSTO) Nikolai Bordiuzha at a briefing in Moscow, answering the
question of ARKA. “In case of aggression towards any of the states
–members of the organization, the rest of its members consider it as
aggression against themselves with all the ensuing consequences, in
the framework of the agreement on collective security signed,” he
said. That country will be rendered any kind of aid I this case,
according to Bordiuzha. However, he emphasized that the Organization
is oriented on political solution of any problem. “The history
teaches us that any steps of armed character are very easy to make,
but to localize the problem afterwards is almost impossible. All this
results in rivers of blood, that’s why we are oriented on political
solution of problems”, he said. A.H. –0-

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–Boundary_(ID_O8+GwtNQ8nU9lTrMGm0KZQ)–

Analysis: Armenia, Azerbaijan Confront The Return Of The Private Army
By Liz Fuller

Radio Free Europe, Czech Republic
Feb 16 2005

In the run-up to, and the years immediately following, the collapse of
the USSR, private armies played a key role in political developments
across the South Caucasus. Tengiz Kitovani’s National Guard was
instrumental in ousting Georgian President Zviad Gamsakhurdia in late
1991. Soon afterward, together with Djaba Ioseliani’s Mkhedrioni,
Kitovani’s group triggered wars in Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

An informal militia subordinate to the Azerbaijan Popular Front helped
thwart a comeback attempt in May 1992 by President Ayaz Mutalibov. A
second private army helped rebel Colonel Suret Huseinov topple
Mutalibov’s successor, Abulfaz Elchibey, in June 1993, paving the way
for the return to Baku of former Communist Party of Azerbaijan First
Secretary Heidar Aliyev. And in Armenia, the Yerkrapah detachments
formed by Vazgen Sargsian to fight in the Karabakh war rose to
political prominence, catapulting Sargsian to the post of defense
minister and then prime minister.

Huseinov was effectively neutralized in early 1995, and Kitovani and
Ioseliani by the end of that year. True, in Georgia guerrilla bands
enjoying covert support from the Georgian government continued to
target CIS peacekeepers and Abkhaz customs officials in Abkhazia —
but at least those detachments were firmly under the control of the
regime. Elsewhere in the South Caucasus, however, they appeared to
have disbanded.

A Reemergence?

In recent weeks, however, there have been reports of the reemergence
of such forces in both Azerbaijan and Armenia. In Azerbaijan, the
independent daily newspaper “Azadliq” reported on 1 February that
the CIA warned President Ilham Aliyev one month previously that the
head of a government agency had allegedly created his own private
army numbering 150-200 fighters with “advanced military training.”
“Azadlig” did not name the Azerbaijani official in question. Aliyev has
since assured Washington that the army in question has been disarmed,
according to “Azadliq.” The paper claimed that the CIA’s primary
concern was that the militia in question could sabotage “strategic
installations,” possibly meaning the unfinished Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan
oil pipeline or the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzerum gas pipeline.

But such a private army could also be mobilized during the Azerbaijani
parliamentary elections due in November. The daily “Vatandash
Hamrayliyi” newspaper claimed on 9 February, citing governmental
sources, that two powerful and wealthy government officials, State
Customs Committee Chairman Kamaladdin Heydarov and Economic Development
Minister Farhad Aliyev (no relation to the president), planned to
create their personal blocs to participate in those elections.

Trouble In Armenia

In Yerevan, President Robert Kocharian’s national security adviser,
Garnik Isagulian, was quoted by “Hayots ashkhar” on 15 February as
expressing concern over recent armed clashes between rival business
clans and calling for immediate measures to put an end to such
lawlessness. “Many of our wealthy persons have created bodyguard
structures,” Isagulian explained. “Some of them even have personal
security services.” One man died and two others were injured in
the latest such shootout, on 4 February, apparently between armed
supporters of rival “mafias” (see “Three Men Arrested After Deadly
Shootout In Yerevan”).

On 8 February, the same paper reported unconfirmed rumors that
individuals close to Yerevan officials or to past of present parliament
deputies were involved in the 4 February gun battle. “Iravunk”
for its part suggested that the Armenian authorities are powerless
to control even those criminal “clans” whose members support them,
and have consequently become hostages of that “criminal conglomerate.”