USA to grant Armenia over 1m dollars for rocket fuel disposal

Arminfo
9 Feb 05

Yerevan, 9 February: The US government will grant Armenia over 1m
dollars within the framework of the OSCE project on the disposal of
rocket fuel, the deputy US ambassador to Armenia, Anthony Godfrey,
said today at the presentation of the book “OSCE History, Activity and
Prospects” on the occasion of the fifth anniversary of the foundation
of the OSCE’s field office in Yerevan.

In turn, the head of the OSCE mission in Yerevan, Vladimir
Pryakhin, said that the project was the result of international
cooperation. Under the project, components of rocket fuel will
undergo high-level processing and will be used in the production
of fertilizers.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

TURKISH PRESS DISPUTES WHO WILL BETTER PROTECT TURKEY FROM
ARMENIAN GENOCIDE CLAIMS – POLITICIANS OR HISTORIANS

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 9. ARMINFO. It’s time that we accept the fact that
Armenian claims alleging that they suffered a genocide have begun to
gain acceptance, especially in the Western world, says Turkish Daily
News.

The Armenians have been diligent with respect to their goal for the
last 75 years. They have published thousands of books and articles.
They set up departments at universities and convinced the
international front. Yet, in the long run, they won international
recognition in spite of the fact that their data were insufficient
and did not reflect the truth.

We, meanwhile, just stood watching from the sidelines. We were
pacified by mere propaganda. We felt we could elude such finger
pointing by pretending that the accusations did not exist. We
believed that the international front would sooner or later recognize
the truth. But we were mistaken. The exact opposite of what we
expected has come to pass. Yet there is now no reason to cry over
spilled milk.

And thus we are opening a new chapter. We must act in accordance with
the situation encountered and reduce our losses to a minimum at this
juncture.

UK GOVERNMENT TO WRITE OFF 10% OF ARMENIA’S FOREIGN DEBT

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 9. ARMINFO. The UK Government suggests writing of
10% of Armenia’s foreign debt, says Armenia’s Finance and Economy
Minister Vardan Khachatryan.

No mechanisms are specified though. In the next few days Khachatryan
is meeting with UK Ambassador to Armenia Thorda Abbot-Watt to discuss
the terms and mechanisms of the deal.

“Now we have only the UK Government’s proposal while the
implementation mechanism will be specified by a relevant agreement,”
says Khachatryan. One possibility is the mechanism used by Armenia
and the EU: the EU gave Armenia a 28 mln EUR loan in 2004 Armenia rep
aid 7 mln EUR receiving 5.5 mln EUR; in 2005 it will have to pay off
2 mln EUR to get 1.5 mln EUR. This scheme was to help Armenia to repay
the debt by 2007 but the country has managed to repay it ahead of time.

Armenia’s foreign debt totals $1.117 bln with $700 mln to the World
Bank.

To remind, during their last meeting G-8 decided to write off debts
to the 19 poorest countries of the world: in Africa and South-Eastern
Asia. Armenia is also on the list and may enjoy writing off of 10%
of its foreign debt and 10% of accured interests.

FEBRUARY 8 DAY OF ANNOUNCEMENTS AT RA NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

Azg/arm
10 Feb 05

The key event of the day was the announcement represented by Justice
faction and read by Aram G. Sargsian. The faction expected that the
representatives of other factions and groups of the parliament will
sign their announcement.

It was emphasized in the announcement that “as a result of Nagorno
Karabakhâ~@~Ys isolation from the negotiation process, the essence
of the conflict has changed, turning into a territorial claim between
Armenia and Azerbaijan. At present, the settlement of the conflict
is observed through the scope of Azerbaijanâ~@~Y s territorial
integrity.”

The announcement stated that Nagorno Karabakh achieved its independence
legally, according to the international criteria of the right for
self-determination.

Stepan Zakarian, another member of the faction, condemned the policy
conducted by our foreign ministry and also touched upon the Nagorno
Karabakh conflict. He said that our political figures are constantly
losing their calculations concerning the Karabakh issue.

They explained the decision to send a detachment to Iraq by the
possibility that the US can participate in the settlement of Nagorno
Karabakh issue. But on the very next day after our detachment departed
to Iraq, the US made a statement supporting the territorial integrity
of Azerbaijan.

It was obvious that the opposition made the issue of Nagorno Karabakh
a key one for their activities.

The MPs also discussed the clash between two criminal groups in a
Armenian settlement. Victor Dallaqian said that “the clash was a result
of the disorder in the republic. Immorality destroyed Rome; Caligula
made his horse a senator. While the disorder threatens Armenia.”

By Karine Danielian

–Boundary_(ID_C3da7wbIMc9d+KRZ4q+LIQ)–

HEAD OF GEORGIAN-ARMENIAN DIOCESE TO TURN TO SAAKASHVILI FOR HELP

Azg/arm
10 Feb 05

Akhalkalaki-based A-Info agency informed that unknown people took
away the headstones with Armenian names from the yard of the Armenian
Norashen St. Mother Mary Church, replacing them with the ones with
inscriptions in Georgian.

Concerning the issue, Archbishop Vazgen Mirzakhanian, head of the
Georgian-Armenian Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church, is going
to turn for help to Mikhail Saakashvili, President of Georgia.

SERGE SARGSIAN MEETING IRANIAN PRESIDENT

Azg/arm
10 Feb 05

Serge Sargsian, minister of defense of Armenia, met with the President
of Iran, Mohammad Khatami, within the framework of a three-day official
visit. According to official IRNA agency, President Khatami assured
that Iran is supporting the neighboring Armenia.

Khatami stated that the countries of the region may settle their
problems without help from outside if high-level negotiations
conducted. The Iranian President underscored the importance of
opening Iran-Armenia railroad for fostering bilateral ties. Serge
Sargsian noted that the railway communication will be efficient as
a North-South corridor.

Hosan Rohani, secretary of Security Council of Iran, received
Sargsian on February 8. IRNA agency reports that Rohani considered
the direct dialogue between Yerevan and Baku a productive way for
settling Karabakh conflict. Rohani excluded the military solution. He
noted that only a solution beneficial for both sides and considering
Karabakh peopleâ~@~Ys wish can be just. Serge Sargsian in his turn
excluded the possibility of step-by-step solution.

Rohani said that neither Tehran nor Yerevan will allow foreign agents
to intervene in Armenian-Iranian relations.

The Armenian defense minister was hosted by former president, Ali
Akbar Rafsanjan, who is currently running the Defense Council of Iran.

–Boundary_(ID_/WsO2Z/Nk5hcKAyJjlerWQ)–

Off to a great start

The Desert Sun (Palm Springs, CA)
February 9, 2005

By Jeff Britton, Special To The Desert Sun

Community Concerts, the desert’s best entertainment bargain, gets its
season off to a rip-roaring start Thursday with the Moscow Chamber
Orchestra in a program rich with variety.

The 7:30 p.m. concert at Palm Springs High School includes Boccherini’s
Symphony in D minor (“The House of the Devil”), Rachmaninoff’s
Vocalise, and two Tchaikovsky works: Serenade for Strings and Pezzo
Capriccioso, both featuring cello soloist Alexander Zagorinsky.

Three Tangos by Astor Piazzolla round out the instrumental bill, but
the evening’s highlight is Armenian soprano Araxia Davtian, who sang
with the Moscow Chamber Ensemble on their last visit. She will sing
five Armenian songs, including two by noted composer Aram Khachaturian.

Upcoming concerts include singer Franc D’Ambrosia, pianist Alpin
Hong and the Westwind Brass. Call 322-6132 or visit us on the web
at

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Armenian authorities say Azerbaijani spy arrested

The Associated Press
02/09/05 10:49 EST

YEREVAN, Armenia (AP) – Security authorities said Wednesday they
had arrested an Armenian man who was allegedly working as a spy for
neighboring Azerbaijan – Armenia’s longtime enemy.

The press service for the National Security Service did not identify
the man, say when he was arrested or explain the circumstances under
which he was arrested.

Last fall, a Yerevan court sentenced four Armenians to prison sentences
ranging from six to 14 years after convicting them of espionage.

Relations between the two former Soviet republics are extremely tense,
due to their long-running conflict over disputed Nagorno-Karabakh
enclave, a region located within Azerbaijan’s borders that saw
a six-year war in which ethnic Armenian troops drove Azerbaijan
forces out.

Despite a 1994 cease-fire, a political solution remains elusive,
and fighting breaks out sporadically in the no man’s land around the
enclave. More than 1 million people were left homeless and 30,000
killed as a result of the war.

ROBERT SIMMONS: NATO HAS INITIATIVE ON KARABAKH CONFLICT SETTLEMENT

PanArmenian News
Feb 9 2005

09.02.2005 14:41

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ “NATO has an initiative on the Karabakh conflict
settlement”, NATO Secretary General’s Special Representative for
Caucasus and Central Asia Robert Simmons stated at the meeting with
Azerbaijani Defense Minister Safar Abiyev. In his words, mid-February
within the frames of the regional visit a NATO working group will
arrive Baku for finding facts on the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. He
stressed that the conflict is dealt with by the OSCE Minsk Group, but
gave to understand that NATO may get involved in the issue. According
to him, during his stay in Baku he held rather efficient talks with
the Azerbaijani leadership, including President Ilham Aliyev, the
Minister of Foreign Affairs and the head of the State Borderguard.
One of the issues discussed was the problem of Nagorno Karabakh. “We
are not mediators, we just examine the situation”, he added.

PanArmenian News
Feb 9 2005

ARMENIANS SHOULD RETURN TO TURKEY AND DEMAND EXPLANATION FOR
MASSACRES OF 1915, TURKISH BUSINESSMAN CONSIDERS

09.02.2005 14:11

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Senior officials in Turkey want direct dialogue
with Diaspora Armenians. However, they need confidence and trust,
which is currently absent, Turkish-Armenian Business Development
Council (TABDC) Co-Chairman Kaan Soyak says in his article published
in California Courier. In his opinion, Armenians must realize that
the Turkish people are exactly the same as the Armenian people, since
they are like twins in their behavior and in their way of thinking.
“Many of my Armenian and Turkish friends’ ancestors used to live
together in the same hometowns. Turkey is the motherland of Armenians
and Turks, where they lived together for centuries”, Kaan Soyak
writes. “Today, the soil is crying and waiting for Armenians to come
back, talk with the local people and live in peace. I know
Armenian-Americans will not move back to Anatolia and start a new
life there. But, why don’t they consider visiting the land they once
shared with Turks for centuries and re-energize themselves? Perhaps
we can all work together to bring our common land back to its
glorious days”, he continues. The more Armenians get involved at all
levels of discussions with Turks, the more they will be able to help
the Turkish public learn about the contributions of Armenians in the
past. According to Sayak, the absence of Armenians from Turkey to be
a loss in our quality of life. “Armenians should go back there and
tell all the Turks about their story; explain to them the suffering
of their families; and ask openly the reason why so many innocent
people were killed in 1915. This is the hard road that we need to
take to prepare the environment for our two governments to take the
politically difficult steps forward”, he says. “The Armenians’
hesitation for dialogue helps benefit third parties who don’t care
about our region and are only pursuing their own agendas and personal
interests under the guise of reconciliation between Armenians and
Turks” the article notes.