FORUM “INTEGRATION BUT NOT MERGER” HELD IN SMATSKHE JAVAKHETI

AKHALKALAKI, DECEMBER 13. ARMINFO. The Council of Armenian NGOs of
Samtskhe Javakehti held Saturday a forum entitled “Integration but Not
Merger” concerning the social-economic problems of this mostly
Armenian region of Georgia.

The forum participants said that the region’s population is not
against integrating into Georgia but cannot accept Tbilisi’s version
of integration which in fact implies merger.

Attending the forum were OSCE ethnic minorities representative to
Georgia Beatrice Schulterier, manager of the Akhalkalaki program of
European Ethnic Minorities Center Michael Gertoft, Armenia members of
the Georgian parliament, foreign ambassadors, officials.

ArmenPress
Dec 13 2004

COUNCIL OF EUROPE COMMISSION CALLS FOR BALANCED RELATIONS AMONG POWER
BRANCHES IN AMENDED ARMENIAN CONSTITUTION

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 13, ARMENPRESS: The Council of Europe Venice
Commission has welcomed two options of major constitutional changes
drafted by the ruling coalition and the United Labor Party
parliamentary factions, which together with a third package of
amendments, designed by a parliament member Arshak Sadoyan, were sent
to it for examination and assessment.
An interim resolution adopted by the Venice Commission during
December 3-4 session described the two packages as a step forward
that could promote Armenia’s more effective fulfillment of a range of
commitments which it assumed when joining Europe’s biggest human
rights organizations.
However, the resolution said more drastic changes should be
carried out to ensure more balanced relations among power branches.
The resolution said also that the package of constitutional changes,
presented by Arshak Sadoyan, failed to address a string of key
issues, such as protection of human rights and basic freedoms.
The resolution of the Venice Commission emphasizes a wide
involvement of all strata of the public in the process of the
Constitutional improvements.
Speaking to reporters today Arshak Sadoyan said that all political
forces concerned with the nation’s future should combine their
efforts to build such a system of power that would be welcomed by the
authorities and the public at large. He said this could be achieved
by consensus cooperation.

ArmenPress
Dec 13 2004

ARAKEL MOVSISIAN WINS PARLIAMENT SEAT IN BY-ELECTION

ARMAVIR, DECEMBER 13, ARMENPRESS: Armenia’s Central Election
Commission (CEC) said today that Arakel Movsisian, the sole candidate
for a vacant parliamentary seat in by-election, received 27,032 votes
of all 27,474 people who went to the polls on Sunday.
The seat, contested under majoritarian election system became
vacant after Arakel Movsisian’s brother, Mushegh, died in autumn
following a heavy road accident.

EU ministers clash on ‘second-class Turkey’ fears
By Daniel Dombey in Brussels

FT
December 13 2004

European Union foreign ministers clashed over Turkey on Monday, with a
number of countries mounting a rearguard action against proposals they
fear could relegate Turkey to second-class status within the EU.

The meeting was to prepare for an EU summit on Thursday and Friday,
which is expected to take the decision to begin membership talks with
Ankara. The negotiations could last a decade.

But the UK, Italy and Belgium are worried about draft summit proposals
that suggest the EU consider preventing normal rules from coming into
force for any new member.

The proposals are part of the draft conclusions for the summit, which
say “long transition periods, derogations, specific arrangements or
permanent safeguard clauses may be considered” in such instances.

A senior European Commission official warned: “If the word
‘derogation’ appears, that really opens the door to a privileged
partnership rather thanfull membership.”

At Monday’s meeting, José Manuel Barroso, Commission president,
complained that the draft went much further than the Commission’s
official recommendation on Turkey, which suggested the EU could
consider safeguards on the movementof labour, to be implemented in
cases of economic instability.

Ankara, which has tried to deepen ties with the EU for four decades,
is hostile to any suggestion that negotiations could end with an
agreement short of full membership. But France, Austria and Denmark,
which support the proposals on safeguards, believe the EU has to leave
open the possibility of a fall-back agreement should the negotiations
stall.

Michel Barnier, French foreign minister, said the EU had to give
reassurances that Turkey’s membership was not preordained – though it
should begin negotiations with the aim of membership.

Mr Barnier also said France would seek Turkish recognition of killings
of Armenians between 1915 and 1923 as genocide, once accession talks
begin.

Although he made clear that such recognition was not a condition for
the start of talks, his remark drew an angry response from Turkish
officials, who have always denied genocide.

Croatia accession

Croatia could start talks to join the EU in the spring of 2005
provided it co-operates fully with war crimes investigators, EU
foreign ministers agreed on Monday, George Parker reports from
Brussels. The date for the start of talks will be finalised by EU
leaders at this week’s summit, but European diplomats said they could
begin as early as March.

Britain and some Nordic countries are reluctant to give Croatia a date
to start talks because they believe Zagreb has failed to honour
commitments tohand over all suspected war criminals.

Meanwhile Austria and Germany, historically close to Croatia, want the
Balkan state to join the union at the earliest opportunity.

Assuming Croatia proves it is working with the international war
crimes tribunal in The Hague, it could join the EU in either 2008 or
2009.

European leaders will have to agree on the question of who decides
whether Croatia is co-operating fully with the tribunal: the EU
itself, or the authorities in The Hague.

Ivo Sanader, Croatia’s prime minister, wrote to the EU’s 25 leaders
earlier this month urging them to give his country the green light to
start talks.

Responding to criticisms from chief war crimes prosecutor Carla del
Ponte, he said Croatia would co-operate with the tribunal “without
reserve, withholding or duplicity”.

ArmenPress
Dec 13 2004

GEORGIA WILL NOT IMPOSE ECONOMIC SANCTIONS AGAINST ARMENIA

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 13, ARMENPRESS: In an interview with France
Press agency Georgia’s foreign minister Salome Zurabichvili said her
government enjoys good relations with both Azerbaijan and Armenia.
Her remarks came amid Georgian and Azeri officials’ attempts to find
a way out of a problem caused by Azerbaijan’s suspicions that Georgia
allows hundreds of railway carriages to pass to Armenia across its
territory.
Currently hundreds of carriages are stooped at Georgia-Azerbaijan
border crossing. Zurabichvili said her government will prevent
transportation of weapons across its territory, but added that
“Georgia will refuse any attempts to force it to impose economic
sanctions against Armenia.”
She also said that if Georgia took any of the sides it would
further exacerbate the dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan over
Nagorno Karabagh, which would become “destructive not only for
Georgia and its two neighbors but also for the entire region.”

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARAKEL MOVSISYAN ELECTED DEPUTY OF ARMENIAN PARLIAMENT REPRESENTING
DISTRICT NO.27: PRELIMINARY DATA

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 13, ARMINFO. According to preliminary data, in the
course of Dec 12 parliamentary elections, Arakel Movsisyan, is elected
a deputy of the Armenian Parliament representing the election district
No.27.

The CEC press-service informs ARMINFO that Arakel Movsisyan received
27,032 votes. On the whole, 27,474 electors participated in the
voting, According to the course, the number of inaccuracies was equal
to naught. No complaints were received by 12:00.

To note, Arakel Movsisyan was the only candidate to the parliament
representing the district No.27. He is the brother of the MP
representing the same district Mushegh Movsisyan who was killed in an
accident.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIAN PARLIAMENT AMENDS RA LAW ON SOCIAL SECURITY OF VETERANS OF
GREAT PATRIOTIC WAR

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 13. ARMINFO. The Armenian Parliament adopts first
reading of a bill on amendments to the RA Law on social security of
the veterans of the Great Patriotic War, Monday.

Minister for Labor and Social Affairs Aghvan Vardanyan says that
monthly supplementary pensions of GPW participants will total 3,000
AMD instead of the current 2,000 AMD, those of GPW invalids – 4,500
AMD instead of the current 3,500 AMD. The minister says that there are
some 13,500 people of this category in Armenia. The bill requires 160
mln AMD annually.

PRESS RELEASE
December 13, 2004
Embassy of the Republic of Armenia
2225 R Street, NW, Washington, DC, 20008
Tel: 202-319-1976, x. 348; Fax: 202-319-2982
Email: [email protected]; Web:

National Academies Press Publishes an Assessment of S&T Sector in Armenia

The National Academies Press in Washington, DC has just published a report
assessing Armenia’s scientific potential, entitled “Science and Technology
in Armenia: Toward A Knowledge-Based Economy.” The report was prepared by
the ad-hoc Committee on Science and Technology in Armenia, functioning under
the auspices of National Academies’ National Research Council, following the
Committee’s fact-finding mission to Armenia in February 2004. The Committee
members have visited and met with representatives of Armenian government
agencies, National Academy of Sciences and scientific research institutions,
major Armenian universities, private Science and Technology (S&T) companies,
and NGO’s.

The fact-finding mission and the assessment of Armenia’s S&T potential was
commissioned by the U.S. State Department and financed by U.S. Agency for
International Development to gauge the existing capacity of research
institutions and higher education capabilities and trends, and to identify
sectors to be support by public expenditure and investors, as well as by
development assistance from foreign donors, including U.S. Government. The
report will be presented to U.S.-Armenia Task Force on Economic Issues.

The main findings of the report by the National Research Council’s Committee
on S&T in Armenia note the long tradition of excellence in science,
technology and education and the positive legacy of a developed network of
research and higher education institutions. At the same time, the economic
transition and subsequent reduction of government funding have considerably
eroded the existing of S&T capabilities, although many Armenian institutions
persevered and achieved significant results, such as maintaining the
Byurakan Observatory’s international status as center for optical astronomy;
development of a vibrant information technology sector; and some
modernization of the agricultural sector leading to increased exports. The
report makes a number of specific and valuable recommendations to address
the problems and to build upon the many success stories in Armenia’s S&T
sector, including creation of centers of excellence, continued modernization
of institutions of higher learning, and strengthening the intellectual
property rights system.

As Armenia’s Ambassador to the U.S., Dr. Arman Kirakossian noted, “this
report should be of particular interest to the Armenian-American community,
especially private investors seeking to make profit in promising science and
technology sectors and researchers looking for international collaboration
in Armenia.” Dr. Kirakossian perspectives on future of science in Armenia,
made during remarks at a meeting with NRC Committee members, are included in
an appendix of the report.

“Science and Technology in Armenia: Toward A Knowledge-Based Economy,” can
be obtained from the National Academies Press. Please visit
for information on the book.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

EurasiaNet Organization
Dec 13 2004

UKRAINE VOTE ACCEPTANCE HIGHLIGHTS RUSSIAN GRIP ON ARMENIA
Emil Danielyan 12/13/04

Armenian President Robert Kocharian has been embarrassed by his
decision to recognize the “official” outcome of last month’s
Ukraine’s presidential run-off, results that were subsequently
discredited as fraudulent. Kocharian’s action on the Ukrainian vote
underscores that Russia continues to exert heavy influence over
Armenia’s diplomacy.

A new run-off election is scheduled in Ukraine for December 26 after
the country’s Supreme Court tossed out the “official” results from
the late November balloting. That vote was marred by charges of fraud
even before the polls closed. However, the dispute did not prevent
Kocharian from rushing to recognize Russia’s preferred candidate,
Viktor Yanukovich, as the winner. [For background see the Eurasia
Insight archive]. Political observers in Yerevan believe Kocharian’s
quick endorsement was prompted by Russian pressure. Regardless of the
cause, Kocharian’s action is certain to damage Armenia’s effort to
build better relations with Western nations, which did not recognize
the legitimacy of the Ukrainian election results.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has doggedly stood by Yanukovich,
accusing the United States and the European Union of meddling in the
internal affairs of what Russia calls its “near abroad.” Putin was
unusually quick to congratulate Yanukovich on his fraudulent victory
over the Western-leaning challenger Viktor Yushchenko.

Kocharian looked uneasy as he was asked by reporters on November 26
to explain his backing of Yanukovich. “If Yushchenko was elected I
would congratulate him. But it is Yanukovich who was elected and we
congratulated him,” he said, pointing to the figures released by
Ukraine’s Central Election Commission

Kocharian’s foreign minister, Vartan Oskanian, claimed in televised
remarks on December 3 that Yerevan stuck to international law,
whereas the international community was motivated by political
expediency. The explanation became even more questionable the next
day when the Ukrainian Supreme Court voided the official vote
results, endorsing allegations of massive electoral fraud.

Interestingly, news of a congratulatory message sent by Kocharian to
Yanukovich was first reported by state-run Russian media.
Furthermore, Kocharian’s office never issued any statements to that
effect, leading the Yerevan newspaper “Iravunk” to joke that the
Armenian leader had to watch Russian television to find out whom he
has congratulated.

“In my view, [Kocharian’s administration] is not acting independently
and Russia’s influence is clearly visible here,” Stepan Grigorian, a
political analyst critical of the Armenian government, told
EurasiaNet. “I believe that this step was taken at the behest of
Russia.”

Lending credence to this theory is the fact Armenia has little reason
to like Ukraine’s outgoing President Leonid Kuchma, who handpicked
Yanukovich as his successor. Ukraine has repeatedly supported its
arch-foe Azerbaijan in the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, with
Kuchma denouncing “Armenian occupation” of the disputed enclave as
recently as in June. Ukraine was reportedly the sole non-Muslim
nation to have backed a pro-Azerbaijani draft resolution on Karabakh
submitted to the UN General Assembly less than a month before
Kocharian’s letter. Incidentally, Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev
did not congratulate Yanukovich.

In addition, Kocharian likely opposes regime change in Kyiv, given
the ongoing dispute concerning his own re-election in 2003. [For
background see the Eurasia Insight archive]. Armenia’s main
opposition parties continue to withhold recognition of Kocharian’s
victory, which they insist was based on widespread voter fraud. As a
result, an opposition boycott of parliament is ongoing. [For
background see the Eurasia Insight archive].

The Armenian president may be worried that the anti-government
protests in the Ukrainian capital, dubbed “orange revolution,” could
have a spillover effect in Yerevan. Kocharian’s political foes have
expressed their solidarity with Yushchenko and are reportedly
regrouping for a fresh push for power. [For background see the
Eurasia Insight archive].

Yushchenko’s likely victory in the December 26 re-run of the
Ukrainian ballot could embolden opposition leaders not only in
Armenia, but also in other CIS states, including Azerbaijan and
Kazakhstan. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive]. Some
Armenian opposition leaders have already declared that the West is
ready to back a similar anti-government revolt in Armenia. Media
reports have suggested that several prominent oppositionists will
soon set up a new opposition alliance with a clearly pro-Western
agenda.

The Kocharian administration itself has sought to forge closer links
with the West in recent years, stepping up Armenia’s participation in
NATO’s Partnership for Peace program and planning to send troops to
Iraq. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive]. Foreign
Minister Oskanian told a German news agency last month that his
country also hopes to join the EU within 20 years.

Some observers believe that Kocharian’s credibility is now damaged in
Western capitals, thus undermining what Oskanian has characterized as
Armenian’s desire to maintain a “complementary” foreign policy. “He
[Kocharian] once again underscored that Armenia remains totally
within the orbit of Russian foreign policy,” wrote a commentator for
“168 Zham,” an independent Yerevan weekly.

Meanwhile, Grigorian, the political analyst, suggested that Yerevan
may have a difficult time in re-gaining Europe’s confidence. “By
congratulating Yanukovich together with Belarus, Armenia acted
against the EU and the OSCE,” he said. “Let them not think Europe
will forget this.”

Editors Note: Emil Danielyan is a Yerevan-based journalist and
political analyst.

Azer Tag, Azerbaijan
Dec 13 2004

MEETING AT `CHATHAM HOUSE’ CLUB
[December 13, 2004, 12:46:30]

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev on December 13 held a meeting in
the `Chatham House’ Club in London, members of which are renowned
politicians, diplomats, media representatives, and famous European
publicists.

Chairman of the Club Lord Herd, who opened the meeting and expressed
gratitude for visiting the Club, welcomed President of Azerbaijan. He
reminded anniversary of death of the founder of the Azerbaijan State
Heydar Aliyev and expressed condolence on behalf of the meting
participants.

Addressing the meeting, President Ilham Aliyev spoke of
socio-political processes just after regaining independence, of the
hard and chaotic situation, political and economic crisis in the
Country in those years. As known, the nationwide leader of Azerbaijan
Heydar Aliyev just in those years has retuned to power on demand of
the people. Thus, thanks to his will, socio-political stability was
restored in Azerbaijan, the reforms have yielded fruits and currently
the Republic is dynamically developing.

President Ilham Aliyev dwelt on the role of Azerbaijan in the region
as well, reminded on large-scale regional economic projects being
realized in the country.

Head of the Azerbaijan State especially underlined that the major
impediment for safety and economic cooperation in the region is the
military aggression of Armenia against Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan
successively continued negotiations on peaceful settlement of the
conflicts, President Aliyev said. But we shall not cede a sod our
lands, he added. The occupied lands should be immediately liberated.
Strengthening of efforts by the UN, the Council of Europe and other
international organizations would promote fair solution of the
problem. Certain external forces back the aggressive separatism in
the former soviet space. In these questions, the double standards
should be put an end and the existing conflicts should be settled in
the frame of international legal norms and principles, within
territorial integrity of states.

President of Azerbaijan in detail spoke of integration of the
Republic to the European structures. Head of the Azerbaijan State
said the nationwide leader Heydar Aliyev has founded external and
internal policy of Azerbaijan and this policy is successfully being
continued.

President Ilham Aliyev answered questions of the meeting
participants. Lord Herd expressed deep gratitude to President of
Azerbaijan for provided information.