SOUTH CAUCASIAN STATE TO RECEIVE GRANT FROM INTERNATIONAL
ORGANIZATIONS FOR INTERREGIONAL TV PROGRAM “CROSSROAD”

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 3. ARMINFO. The South Caucasian states will be
provided a 140,000 USD grant as support to a TV program “Crossroad.”
The funds are allocated by EurAsia Foundation jointly with Media
Diversity Institute (MDI). According to MDI, the grant will be
provided to Internews-Armenia, Internews-Azerbaijan and
Internews-Georgia. Weekly program Crossroad covers political, economic
and social events in the South Caucasus and is the only interregional
program. The audience of the program, is some 6 mln people. EurAsia
Foundational and MDI will help the program cover also the problems of
ethnic and religious minorities, women, children and marginal groups.

In Armenia crossroad will be broadcasted on the private TV channel
“Shant,” in Georgia on Rustavi-2 TV channel. MDI mobilizes Mass Media
potential to weaken inter-group conflict, to protect the rights of
national minorities and human rights on the whole, as well as to
strengthen public tolerance to all the types of social diversity. MDI
is based in London and has offices in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia,
EurAsian Foundation was established in 1993 to contribute to
development of democratic and market institutions in twenty new
independent states of the former Soviet Union. The program of small
grants is the main way to achieve this goal.

NKR PRESIDENT: GRATIFYING RESULTS OF ALL ARMENIAN TELETHON EVIDENCE OF
INCREASING TRUST OF ARMENIAN DIASPORA IN DEMOCRATIZATION PROCESS IN
NKR

STEPANAKERT, DECEMBER 3. ARMINFO. NKR President Arkady Ghoukassyan
received members of the Security Council and the heads of the
ministries and departments and other executive officials of NKR,
Thursday.

The NKR Presidential Information Department informs ARMINFO that
meeting-participants discussed a broad spectrum of issues related the
results of Nov 25 telethon in the USA in support to
Karabakh. Participating in the meeting were also Parliamentary Speaker
Oleg Yesayan and Prime Minister Anushavan Danielyan. The president
once more confirms that the funds will be used to complete the
construction of North-South highway which is of strategic, economic
and social importance for Karabakh. The president emphasizes the
necessity of strong control over use of the collected funds as well as
over organization of construction works in all the sections of
North-South highway to complete them within the terms fixed.

Eleven million and 500,000 US dollars collected due to the telethon
testify to the increasing trust of Armenian Diaspora in
democratization of al the spheres of living activity in NKR, reforms
in the economy, formation of civil society in Artsakh, he
says. Diaspora believes in Artsakh and considers its duty to
contribute to Artsakh’s political and economic independence, the
president says. In this connection, Arkady Ghoukassyan have instructed
the meeting-participants to start preparation of the next telethon for
development of socio-economic sector of mardakert region in the north
of NKR, which has been most of all damaged by Azerbaijani
aggression. He says that in future telethon will be held to improve
the regions of Shushi and other rural area of Karabakh.

As regards the political results of his visit to the USA, the
president says that Diaspora, the Armenian political parties operating
abroad expressed readiness to more actively join lobbying of
Karabakh’s position in the conflict with Azerbaijan at various
international structures. The meeting-participants thanked their
foreign compatriots as well as Armenian and NKR citizens for active
participation in the telethon. It is only due to combined efforts of
Armenia, Artsakh and Diaspora that the Armenian people will be able to
implement all-national tasks, NKR president says for conclusion.

AZERBAIJANI GUNMEN, SO-CALLED “KARABAKH PARTISANS” WAITING FOR
AGREEMENT OF AZERBAIJANI PRESIDENT TO START MILITARY ACTIONS IN
KARABAKH

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 3. ARMINFO. Azerbaijani gunmen, the so-called
“Karabakh partisans” are waiting for an agreement of Azerbaijani
President Ilham Aliyev to start military actions to “bring the
occupied territories back,” says a letter of one of the defendants in
the case of Karabakh partisans Rovshan Badalov to Supreme
Commander-in-Chief of Azerbaijani Armed Forces Ilham Aliyev,
Prosecutor General Zakir Garalov and Chairman of Supreme Court Sudaba
Hasanova, National Security Minister Eldar Mahmudov, on behalf of his
like-minders, Zerkalo newspaper reports.

Pointing out the strategic importance of this fight and the tactical
preparedness of the group for partisan war, Badalov writes that
besides them hundreds and thousands of patriots will join this
struggle. He writes that partisan war will prove Armenians, who
“created the so-called NKR that Karabakh is part of Azerbaijan.” He
says that in case of a secret intervention into Karabakh lands, the
partisan movement will assume wide scope, which will bring Azerbaijan
international recognition and positive progress of Azerbaijani in
official negotiations.

It should be noted that “Karabakh partisan” attempting to unleash
partisan war in Karabakh were arrested in the summer of 2003 by the
Azerbaijani National Security Ministry for formation of illegal armed
groupings, illegal crossing the state boundary, contraband and other
charges. At present they are waiting for court verdict fixed for Dec
7, 2005. If recognized guilty, they are threatened with 3-8 years of
imprisonment.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

DEFENCE MINISTER OF ARMENIA MEETS WITH IRAN’S AMBASSADOR TO ARMENIA

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 3. ARMINFO. During Friday meeting Secretary of
Security Council attached to the president of Armenia, Defence
Minister Serge Sargsian and Ambassador of Iran to Armenia Alireza
Khagigian have discussed the process of peaceful settlement of the
Karabakh conflict.

ARMINFO was informed in the press office of the Defence Ministry of
Armenia, the participants have discussed issues of regional security
and the planned visit of Serge Sargsian to Tehran. The Iranian
diplomat expressed readiness to organize courses of Iranian language
in the Military Institute after Vazgen Sargsian. During the meeting
the interlocutors have stressed the serious progress in the
Armenian-Iranian economic relations, in particular, the construction
of the gas pipe-line Iran-Armenia and construction of a new
high-voltage power transmission line between Armenia and
Iran. According to the Ambassador, the stability and economic
development of Armenia are very important for Iran.

“New ideas concerning the construction of the railway Iran-Armenia and
import of oil product from Iran to Armenia have been proposed during
the last official meetings in the sphere of economic cooperation”,
Alireza Khagigian added. Serge Sargsian welcomed these
initiatives. According to him, if the implementation of these ideas be
possible, then it will have an exclusive importance for
Armenia. Concerning the issue of programs of individual partnership
with NATO, the minister again mentioned that the agenda of the foreign
policy of Armenia does not include the issue on the republic’s
accession to NATO.

PROGRAM OF COOPERATION BETWEEN EXECUTIVE POWER BODIES OF ARMENIA AND
RUSSIA FOR 2005-2007 SIGNED

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 3. ARMINFO. A program of cooperation between the
executive power bodies of Armenian and Russian capitals for 2005-2007
was signed in Yerevan, Friday. The document was signed by Yerevan
Mayor Yervand Zakharyan and his Moscow counterpart Yuri Luzhkov.

The program embraces the broadest spectrum of cooperation between the
capital in the sphere of architecture, town planning, trade, education
and culture. The program is a result of careful work for the last few
years, Yervand Zakharyan tells journalists after the signing
ceremony. He adds that it is another step towards strengthening of the
friendship of the two peoples. At present, a Moscow Investment Company
successfully operates in Yerevan. Besides, we have agreed to found a
House of Moscow in Yerevan and Armenian Whole-sale Trading Center in
Moscow, Yerevan Mayor says.

We cannot mention even a small part of what the document provides for
as the time is limited. Moscow has established close business and
cultural contracts with many capitals in the world and the new program
signed between Moscow and Yerevan is further expansion of our
countries’ relations, Yuri Luzhkov says. He attached a greaty
importance to the Armenian Whole-sale Trading Center’s construction in
Moscow, which will be completed within the shortest terms. Moscow
Municipality will render assistance to the Russian-Armenian (Slavonic)
University. Armenian students and pupils will receive a great number
of text-books on the Russian language and other literature. Exchange
of students will continue and more possibilities will be created for
retraining of teachers in Moscow, Yuri Luzhkov says.

It should be noted that the program will cost over 100 mln USD. At
least, establishment of the Armenian Whole-sale Trading Center in
Moscow will require 60 mln USD. Moscow Mayor is of the opinion that
the bilateral cooperation is very prospective and he is sure that the
commodity turnover between the two cities will increase 5 times by his
next visit to Yerevan.

AZERBAIJANI SCIENTISTS ADMIT THAT AZERBAIJANI REPUBLIC FOUNDED IN
ARMENIAN LANDS

STEPANAKERT, DECEMBER 3. ARMINFO. The Azerbaijani scientists admit
that the Azerbaijani Republic was founded in Armenian lands, said
Karabakh scientist and ethnographer Hrachik Haroutiunyan commenting on
the recent statements on the Azerbaijani radio by Doctor of Historical
Science Nazim Mamedov and Professor of Historical Department of
Azerbaijani State University Rovshan Hasanov.

He said that Professor Mamedov is for erection of a Monument for
Turkish Asker symbolizing, in Mamedov’ words, “the army of Ottoman
Turkey which took the region from Armenians” in the towns of Shemakh,
Shushi and in Baku. According to Mamedov, the Monument must be opened
in the autumn of 2005 and a special delegation should be invited from
Turkey. Hereby Azerbaijan will thank the Turkish asker for taking
these lands from Armenians by force. Despite this, the Azerbaijani
authorities and the pro-governmental press keep stating at the CE,
UNESCO, UN that Karabakh is their historical territory, Haroutiunyan
said.-

Armenian Assembly of America
122 C Street, NW, Suite 350
Washington, DC 20001
Phone: 202-393-3434
Fax: 202-638-4904
Email: [email protected]
Web:

PRESS RELEASE
December 3, 2004
CONTACT: Christine Kojoian
Email: [email protected]

ARMENIAN ASSEMBLY WELCOMES ENACTMENT OF ARMENIA PNTR
President Bush Signs Bill into Law

WASHINGTON, DC – The Armenian Assembly of America hailed the enactment
today of legislation to extend permanent normal trade relations (PNTR)
to Armenia. The bill was signed into law as part of a comprehensive
trade measure, known as the Miscellaneous Trade and Technical
Corrections Bill (MTB).

PNTR status removes a nearly 30-year-old provision requiring Armenia
and other countries to periodically obtain presidential approval for
continued access to low tariffs. This extension signals an upgrade in
Armenia’s status as a trading partner and should lead to additional
trade agreements between the United States and Armenia.

Today’s action culminates a two-year effort by lawmakers supportive of
Armenian issues, who worked in conjunction with the Armenian-American
community and the Assembly, to enhance trade and investment between
the United States and Armenia.

Enactment of this measure will help integrate Armenia’s economy into
world trade, promote regional economic integration and furthers
U.S. interests by providing for long-term growth and stability in the
South Caucasus region.

Throughout the 108th Congress, the Assembly urged its activists and
the Armenian-American community to express their support for Armenia
PNTR passage to congressional leaders. To that end, the PNTR issue
was at the forefront of every community forum, in cities and towns
across the nation.

In early October, the House of Representatives passed Armenia PNTR as
part of the MTB with the Senate following suit last month.

The Armenian Assembly of America is the largest Washington-based
nationwide organization promoting public understanding and awareness
of Armenian issues. It is a 501 (c) (3) tax-exempt membership
organization.

NR#2004-104

Putin’s historic visit to Turkey comes rivals forge closer ties

AP Worldstream
Dec 03, 2004

SUZAN FRASER

ANKARA, Turkey _ Historic rivals Turkey and Russia have spent
centuries vying for influence in central Asia, the Balkans and the
Caucasus. Most recently, they bickered over routes to carry energy
resources to world markets and accused each other of supporting the
other’s militant groups.

But underneath the antagonism, the two have quietly woven a web of
economic ties _ and are eyeing even closer cooperation.

The process will receive an official consecration on Sunday, when
Russian President Vladimir Putin travels to Ankara in a visit rich in
symbolism: Putin will be the first Russian leader ever to pay an
official visit Turkey.

Putin is to meet with Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer and Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and oversee the signing of six
cooperation agreements, including in defense, finance and energy.

The two-day visit, said Sezer spokesman Sermet Atacanli on Friday,
“will bea new boost for Turkish-Russian relations.”

Turkey and Russia have been rivals for centuries.

At their height, the Ottoman empire and Czarist Russia were great
eastern powers locked in a struggle for regional supremacy. Friction
between the two nations precipitated the Crimean War and they were on
opposite sides duringWorld War I. More recently, Turkey was NATO’s
easternmost front during the Cold War.

After the fall of the Soviet Union, Turkey and Russia competed for
control in Central Asia and the Caucasus where Turkic states gained
independence. Economically more powerful, Russia has in recent years
maintained its dominance in the region.

But since the end of the Cold War, Turkey and Russia have also been
concentrating on trade. Today, Russia is Turkey’s second largest
trading partner, after Germany. While Turkey is a major consumer of
Russian natural gas, Turkey’s Mediterranean coast is a favorite
destination for Russian tourists.

“It is no longer rivalries, but cooperation which dominates
relations,” said Sinan Ogan, a researcher and expert on Russia.

Putin’s trip, originally scheduled for September, was postponed after
the Beslan school tragedy in which more than 330 people _ mostly
children _ were killed in a siege by Chechen rebels.

The Chechnya conflict is expected to feature high on the agenda during
Putin’s two-day visit. Many Turks trace their ancestry to Chechnya and
other parts of the Caucausus and Turks sympathize with their fellow
Muslims in the war-ravaged Russian region.

Russia has called on Turkey to crack down on Turkish charities that it
claims channel funds and weapons to Chechen rebels. Earlier this
month, Russian officials said their forces in Chechnya killed two
Turkish militants who were fighting alongside Chechen separatists.

On Friday, Turkish authorities apprehended 10 suspected Chechen
militants and two pro-Chechen Turks, in an apparent gesture to Putin.

“Russia’s greatest concern is the support from certain Chechen civil
organizations inside Turkey, to Chechen terrorist movements,” said
Seyfi Tashan, director of the Ankara-based Foreign Policy Institute.

Turkey has in the past accused Russia of supporting Kurdish rebels
that have since 1984 waged a war for autonomy in Turkey’s
southeast. The war has killed some 37,000 people.

Putin and Erdogan are also expected to discuss contentious issues such
as the Caucasus, where Turkey is allied with Azerbaijan and Russia is
friendly with its rival, Armenia.

Bilateral trade is expected to exceed the targeted US$10 billion
(Aâ=82¬7.5 billion) this year_ an amount Turkish officials say no one
would have dreamed of 10 years ago. Turkey’s Trade Minister Kursad
Tuzmen said trade volume would reach $15 billion (Aâ=82¬11 billion) in
the coming years.

A 446-kilometer (278-mile) pipeline which carries the Russian gas
beneath the Black Sea is operational since 2002. Turkish companies are
active in Russia in retail, construction and brewing, and investment
to date totals US$2 billion (Aâ=82¬1.5 billion).

Turkey and Russia “are moving toward cooperation and
welfare… Russian and Turkey are neighbors. We have common
interests,” Putin said in an interview with CNN-Turk television in
September.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Karabakh authorities to spend more funds on regional development

Mediamax news agency
3 Dec 04

YEREVAN

A session of the Security Council chaired by the president of the
Nagornyy Karabakh Republic [NKR], Arkadiy Gukasyan, discussed on the
evening of 2 December in Stepanakert the results of the telethon held
in the USA to raise funds for the construction of the North-South
highway in the Nagornyy Karabakh Republic. More than 11m dollars were
raised in the telethon.

The NKR president confirmed that the funds raised during the telethon
will be used to complete the construction of the North-South highway,
which is of strategic importance to Nagornyy Karabakh, Mediamax news
agency reports.

Arkadiy Gukasyan instructed the participants in the session to start
preparations for the next telethon. He said that it is necessary to
channel the money raised during the next telethon into the development
of Mardakert District in the north of the NKR, which suffered more
damage from Azerbaijan’s military aggression. Gukasyan said that in
the future, the telethons should be directed at the development of
Sushi and other districts of Nagornyy Karabakh.

Speaking about the political results of his visit to the USA, the NKR
president noted that representatives of the diaspora and Armenian
political parties operating abroad expressed their readiness to lobby
more actively for the position of Nagornyy Karabakh in various
international structures.

Would-be fighters ask Azeri leader to start guerrilla warfare in Karabakh

525 Qazet, Baku
3 Dec 04

Text of Mahabbat’s report by Azerbaijani newspaper 525 Qazet on 3
December headlined “Our purpose was only to restore our country’s
territorial integrity” and subheaded “The young men charged with
preparing for guerrilla warfare in Karabakh have appealed to the
country’s leadership”

Twenty-one people known as “Karabakh guerrillas” who are now standing
trial at the Grave Crimes Court [on charges of attempting to form an
illegal armed group] have appealed to the Azerbaijani president, the
chairman of the Supreme Court, the national security minister and the
prosecutor-general.

The appeal reads that they intend to take up arms and fight the enemy
at the time when the Armenians are trying to create obstacles to the
[Karabakh] settlement.

“We think that it is high time to start guerrilla warfare in Karabakh
in a confidential way and under state control. Hundreds and thousands
of patriots, including us, who wish our motherland and state to be
powerful and do not seek any benefit, are ready to join this fight.”

Twenty-one young men wishing to fight in Karabakh think that the
Armenian occupiers who are working jointly with foreigners and
collecting our resources from the occupied lands will witness once
again that these lands actually belong to us.

“We believe that by crossing into our occupied lands, we will succeed
in guerrilla actions gaining momentum there. We want to draw you
attention to the fact that we have been in jail for 16 months since we
prepared for guerrilla warfare. Although in doing so, we violated some
norms established by the law, our purpose was only to restore our
country’s territorial integrity.”