DRAFT OF PACE RESOLUTION ON KARABAKH DOES NOT PRESENT REAL ESSENCE OF
CONFLICT: ARMEN ROUSTAMYAN
YEREVAN, JANUARY 21. ARMINFO. PACE’s draft resolution on Nagorny
Karabakh in its present form is unacceptable for Armenian side, Armen
Roustamyan, Head of the commission on foreign affairs of Armenia’s
Parliament, member of ARF Dashnaktsutyun Supreme body, told ARMINFO.
According to him, this document does not present the real essence of
Karabakh conflict, but its transformed version, thus, cannot assist
relieving the tension of the situation around Karabakh conflict and
exclude the possibility to solve it by military operations. Quite the
contrary, such a document could have a counter effect and make the
situation more strained, taking into account the militarist spirit of
Azerbaijan in this issue, he said.
Roustamyan also stressed that the discussion of the document in PACE
has passed incorrectly as representatives of Nagorny Karabakh, which
is a party of the conflict, were absent during the discussion.
“These discussions and the document itself cannot be considered full
without the participation of representatives of Nagorny Karabakh”, the
parliament member said. Of course, the Armenian delegation will try
make its proposals and amendments when the discussion of the
document. The Armenian delegation elaborated 7 proposals to give the
document more objective nature. Roustamyan noted that he has little
optimistic disposition about possibility of accepting of proposals of
Armenian side as the most of European parliamentarians are not
acquainted with the real essence of Karabakh conflict and it would be
difficult for them to orientate correctly. Armenian parliamentarians
meet with their European colleagues only a few times in a year and it
is difficult to change entirely conception of that great structure
concerning one or another issue in that short time, Roustamyan stated.
To note, the draft resolution on Nagorny Karabakh will be discussed at
PACE session on January 25. -R-

DEUTSCHE BANK MAY BECOME SHAREHOLDER OF RUSSIAN VNESHTORGBANK
CONTROLLING OVER ARMSAVINGSBANK
YEREVAN, JANUARY 21. ARMINFO. The largest financial institution in
Germany, Deutsche Bank, intends to considerably expand its activity in
Russia by purchasing ten percent of the shares of the Russian
Vneshtorgbank, which has been fully state structure so far. A German
newspaper “Handelsblatt” reports referring to Head of Vneshtorgbank
Andrey Kostin. Thus, Deutsche Bank will become shareholder of
Vneshtorgbank, the owner of 70% of shares of the Armenian
Armsavingsbank.
It should be noted that Vneshtorgbank gained control over
Armsavingsbank in March, 2004. Vneshtorgbank plans $100-150 mln
financial injections. Part of these funds will be provided in terns of
a subordinated credit. Armsavingsbank’s assets make up over $82 mln at
present, with its total capital being $74 mln. The bank’s profit in
2004 totaled $1.9 mln. Chairman of the bank’s Board Alexander Vardanov
said that one of the key tasks of the banks was support to the
infrastructural programs implemented by Gazprom and RAO UES in
Armenia.
Vneshtorgbank is the largest commercial bank of Russia as to its
authorized capital, which totaled 42.1 bln RUR in the middle of
2004. According to data of Venshorgbank, own funds of the bank totaled
65.3 bln RUR and net assets – 356.4 bln RUR on October 1,
2004. Venshtorgbank is one of the largest creditors of Russian
economy.

GEORGIA AND IRAN STILL HOPE FOR SUPPLYING GAS TO EUROPE VIA TERRITORY
OF ARMENIA
YEREVAN, JANUARY 21. ARMINFO. Georgian Energy Minister Niko Gilauri
will visit Iran by the end of January, 2005, Iran news reports.
In the course of the visit, the parties will discuss imports of
natural gas and electricity from Georgia to Iran. Niko Gilauri told
journalists that the negotiations on the given issues were continued
and gave a positive assessment of the given process in the bilateral
economic relations. He said that at the meeting with Iranian
authorities, the issues of supply of natural gas of Iran via Georgia
to Europe would be discussed, as well as the prospect of activity of
the joint commission of economic cooperation of Tehran and Yerevan. At
the same time, he said that Georgia needed restoration internal gas
transmission lines and Iran expressed readiness to render financial
assistance to Georgia for this purpose.
It should be noted that construction of the Armenian section of
Iran-Armenia gas pipeline started in late November of 2004. In
conformity with the agreement, within 20 years Iran will supply 36 bln
cubic meters of natural gas to Armenia in exchange for
electricity. Construction of the gas pipeline will be completed by Jan
1, 2007, then the gas systems of Armenia and Iran will be united.
The agreement on supply of Iranian natural gas to Armenia and on
construction of the gas pipeline was signed on May 13, 2004. In
conformity with it, Iran is to supply 1.1 bln cubic meters of natural
gas annually, and by 2.3 bln cubic meter annually starting from
2019. The diameter of the pipe is 700 mm. At pre sent, Armenia and
Iran mutually transmit electricity through two power transmission
lines (200 megawatt each). The third 400 megawatt power transmission
line is currently constructed.
According to the former Ambassador of Iran to Armenia Mohammed Farhad
Koleini, within 20-25 years the commodity turnover of Armenia and Iran
will reach 10 bln USD under the agreement on construction of the gas
pipeline from Iran to Armenia. The top leadership of Armenia rejects
the possibility of supply of the Iranian gas to Europe via Armenia.

Armenian Foreign Ministry confirms MP arrested in Dubai
Arminfo
21 Jan 05
YEREVAN
The Armenian Foreign Ministry has confirmed that MP Akop Akopyan has
been detained in the United Arab Emirates.
The Armenian ambassador to the UAE, Arman Poladyan, is currently
trying to find out the reasons for and circumstances of the incident,
the Foreign Ministry has told Arminfo. However, according to
unverified reports, Akop Akopyan, his son and friend were detained in
Dubai for stealing clothes from the Wafi shopping mall. The said
people took 24,000 dollars’ worth of clothes, but paid only 16,000
dollars even though there were more than 100,000 dollars on their
credit card.
Several hours after the theft, Akop Akopyan and the people
accompanying him were detained at a hotel by the UAE police.
Akop Akopyan’s friend is currently held in a remand facility, while
the MP and his son are held at a police station. An investigation is
under way.
The source said that Akop Akopyan’s friends and relatives are trying
to have the deputy and the others freed with the help of the Armenian
Foreign Ministry.

Armenian opposition wants government to accept constitutional changes in full
Arminfo
21 Jan 05
YEREVAN
Armenian Parliament Speaker Artur Bagdasaryan and the secretary of the
opposition Justice bloc, Viktor Dallakyan, discussed the suggestions
of the opposition on constitutional changes at a meeting today, Viktor
Dallakyan has told Arminfo.
He said the meeting had been initiated by Artur Bagdasaryan. The
speaker promised that the ruling coalition would duly consider and
respond to the possibility of including the suggestions in the final
draft of the constitutional changes to be ready in 10 days.
During the meeting, Dallakyan stressed that the opposition insists
that the entire package of its suggestions should be accepted.
“It will be unacceptable to us if the coalition approves only some of
the provisions in this package,” he said. Also, the opposition insists
that the coalition should work out a single position on these
suggestions.
“We won’t accept it if, for example, the Republican Party and the
Orinats Yerkir [Law-Governed Country] Party work out one position on
the issue, while the Armenian Revolutionary Federation –
Dashnaktsutyun another,” Dallakyan said.
The bloc suggests reconsidering three crucial provisions of the draft,
which concern the responsibilities of the executive, judicial branches
and local governments. Namely, the bloc suggests introducing a
provision whereby the composition of the government would be approved
by the parliament following the president’s recommendation. If the
parliament does not approve the composition of the government proposed
by the president, then the legislature has to propose and approve an
alternative composition of the executive branch.
As far as the formation of the judiciary is concerned, the bloc
suggests that it should be formed by the Justice Council without the
president’s intervention because the judiciary should not depend on
the executive branch of power.
The bloc also considers it necessary to make the position of the
Yerevan mayor an elected one and introduce a corresponding provision
in the draft.
The opposition National Unity Party has joined the suggestions of the
Justice bloc. If the ruling coalition pays attention to the
opposition’s suggestions, the latter may join the discussions of the
draft.
The constitutional referendum is due to be held in late spring-early
autumn 2005.

Armenian Defence Ministry to manage civil defence troops
Arminfo
20 Jan 05
YEREVAN
At its session today, the Armenian government authorized the Armenian
Defence Ministry to manage the troops of civil defence.
Under the government’s decision, the troops of civil defence of the
emergencies department under the Armenian government are subordinate
to the Armenian Defence Ministry, Arminfo learnt from the Armenian
government’s press service.
We should note that under the law on the troops of civil defence which
came into force in May 2004, the government set the structure and the
number of troops of civil defence. The troops have the right to carry
and use fire-guns. When defending the country, the troops are
equipped with weapons and uniforms of the Armenian armed forces. The
military use of the troops of civil defence is regulated by the army
internal regulations and the order set by this law. Interference in
the activity of the troops of civil defence is prosecuted by the
law. The troops of civil defence are funded from the state budget and
other sources not banned by the Armenian legislation.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

TURKISH COMMUNITY REVISES HISTORY OF ITS COUNTRY
YEREVAN, JANUARY 21. ARMINFO. Turkey begins self reflection over
Armenia. While an exhibition in Istanbul devoted to the daily life of
the Armenians in Anatolia at the start of the 20th century is breaking
attendance records, Turkish society is beginning to reflect on the
Armenian question, erased from official history for the past 90 years
The exhibition “my dear brother”, which opened on January 8, has
attracted 6,000 visitors in 12 days according to organizers, a record
for local galleries. AFP Office in Istanbul reports.
Through 500 postcards from the period, the exhibition endeavours to
show, city by city and with supporting figures, how omnipresent
Armenian communities were across the Ottoman territory and their role
in society. “In Turkey, history has always been taught about one
people — the Turks, as if there had never been any other people on
the territory. When we speak of Armenians, they are not described as
an integral group of society but as a source of problems,” explained
Osman Koker, exhibition director.
“It’s to fill this void, because I have an 11-year-old daughter who is
getting this kind of education at school, that I have decided to
publish a book and put on this exhibition,” said Koker, an historian
turned editor. “Without this realization, it will remain impossible to
discuss the events of 1915,” he said, referring to the Armenian
massacres committed between 1915 and 1917 by the Ottoman
armies. Convinced of Turkish society’s growing curiosity about its
past, Koker, nonetheless acknowledges that any change in mentality
will take time. “A majority of the public, especially in the country
areas, consider the simple word ‘Armenian’ an insult,” he said.
Even if a handful of academics and amateur historians have attempted
to re-examine Turkish history, it is not easy to break the deep taboo
which has been deeply ingrained in the general consciousness by
official history. “Until 1980, Turkish school textbooks quite simply
didn’t mention the Armenian massacre,” explained Fabio Salomoni,
author of a book on the Turkish education system.
“With the first acknowledgments of ‘genocide’ by Western governments
and the increasing number of attacks by Asala (an Armenian activist
organization), a paragraph was then added excluding all Turkish
responsibility for the deaths of Armenians, explaining in the context
of a war…” he said. Even if Turkey acknowledges the massacres, it
objects to the term ‘genocide’ and the figures of 1.2 to 1.3 million
killed, as claimed by the Armenians, estimating the number of victims
at between 250,000 to 300,000. Even though Turkish Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdogan recently opened an Armenian museum in Istanbul –
just before the European summit in Brussels which gave a date to
Ankara to start negotiations for joining the European Union (news –
web sites) – there is no question of overturning the existing
orthodoxy concerning the Armenians.
Several state-subsidized organizations continue to conduct research
aimed at showing that if there was a genocide, it was more likely
committed by Armenians against the Turks. The Turkish population has
still not fully acknowledged the problem; in this context, imposing a
solution can only provoke hostile reactions,” said Etyen Mahcupyan, an
Armenian from Istanbul and writer for the daily newspaper Zaman.

I KNOW WHAT CRIMINAL ELEMENTS ELIZABETH JONES SAID ABOUT AND I DO NOT
THINK THE MATTER CONCERNED NAGORNY KARABAKH: JOHN EVANS
YEREVAN, JANUARY 21. ARMINFO. “I know what criminal elements US
Assistant Secretary of the State Elizabeth Jones had said about and I
don’t think that the matter concerned Nagorny Karabakh.”
U.S. Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Armenia John
Evans stated in the interview to TV company Armenia, commenting on the
recent statements of Elizabeth Jones.
According to him, the U.S policy concerning the process of peaceful
settlement of the Karabakh conflict remains unchanged. The United
States provide assistance both to Yerevan and Baku in reaching
resolution to the conflict, which is said in the statement of the
U.S. Embassy this week. The United States is the good partner of
Armenia and what is said does not require proves. As regards the
statements of U.S. Assistant Secretary of the State Elizabeth Jones,
“I have known her for almost 30 years as a professional diplomat and
when I first read the information about its statements, I thought
immediately – something is wrong here”, John Evans stressed.
He thinks that the statements of Elizabeth Jones concerning criminal
elements did not concern Nagorny Karabakh. Generally, she had an
unofficial talk with journalists during his vide news conference and
meant then that the USA and Russia must cooperate closely in the issue
of settlement of the conflicts in Abkhazia, Transdnesitria, Nagorny
Karabakh. And she had noted there are extremist criminal elements here
in the districts bordering with Russia. “I know the geography and I
don’t think that the matter concerned Nagorny Karabakh – we know what
districts and elements she meant”, the American diplomat said.
He noted also that the USA has given humanitarian aid to Nagorny
Karabakh for a long time. This assistance is also provided by the USA
budget this year, at that the USA is one of the two countries of the
world which provides such an aid to Nagorny Karabakh. Those, who
wrongly comment on the statements of Elizabeth Jones, tries to damage
the Armenian-American relations, which are at not bad level, and it is
very important, John Evans said.

AGREEMENT ON CONSTRUCTION OF THERMOELECTRIC POWER PLANT WITH USE OF
BIOGAS TO BE SIGNED IN YEREVAN BY THE END OF 2005
YEREVAN, JANUARY 21. ARMINFO. A Japanese company Shimizu will sign an
agreement on construction of a 1.5 megawatt thermoelectric power plant
with use of biogas in Yerevan by the end of 2005,> Nature Protection
Minister of Armenia Vardan Ayvazyan told ARMINFO, Friday.
He said that TPP would be built in the territory of Nubarashen dump on
the funds of the Japanese party. The project will cost $4.5 mln. The
Japanese State New Energy and Industrial Technology Organization will
finance the construction of bio-TPP. Tariff for the electricity
received due to use of biogas (marsh-gas) is established at 8 cents
for 1 kW/h by the Commission for Regulation of Public Services Sphere.
The minister thinks that besides production of electricity, the
construction of the plant will contribute to solution to ecological
problems in the capital. This project is favorable for Armenia and the
given technologies have already been successfully used in Japan, the
minister says.
Nubarashen dump in the outskirts of Yerevan started forming in 60s and
some 800-900 cubic meters of garbage are daily accumulated there. The
dump occupies some 60 ha.

Armenian National Committee of America
Western Region
104 N. Belmont Suite 200
Glendale, CA 91206
Tel: (818) 500-1918
Fax: (818) 246-7353
E-mail: [email protected]
Internet:
PRESS RELEASE
January 21, 2005
Contact: Armen Carapetian
Tel: (818) 500-1918
REP. LINDA SANCHEZ LATEST ADDITION TO CONGRESSIONAL ARMENIAN CAUCUS
— Two term Congresswoman has been active on Genocide Recognition
and U.S.-Armenia Economic Relations Issues
GLENDALE, CA – Southern California Democrat Linda Sanchez (39th
Dist.) is the most recent in a line of Representatives who have
become members of the Congressional Armenian Caucus. She joins
Representatives Ben Chandler (R-KY), Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), Jerry
Moran (R-KS), and Joe Schwarz (R-MI), all of whom have added their
names to the Caucus over the past three weeks.
Since her election to Congress in 2002, Rep. Sanchez has
consistently been active on issues of concern to the Armenian
American community. In the 108th Congress, she was a cosponsor of a
measure, which granted permanent normal trade relations status
(PNTR) to Armenia. She has also been vocal in urging President
Bush to properly commemorate the Armenian Genocide, joining over
160 of her colleagues in cosigning letters to the President
regarding the topic in April 2003 and 2004.
“We appreciate Rep. Linda Sanchez’s leadership and advocacy on
issues of concern to her Armenian American constituency,” commented
ANCA Western Region Executive Director Ardashes Kassakhian. “It is
through exemplary leadership like hers that we will see the
membership of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian issues continue
to grow.”
An attorney by profession prior to her election to office, Rep.
Sanchez currently serves on the House Government Reforms, Small
Business and Judiciary Committees. She convincingly defeated
Republican Tim Escobar in the 2004 Congressional elections,
garnering 61% of the vote.
Established in 1995 and co-chaired by Representatives Frank Pallone
(D-NJ) and Joe Knollenberg (R-MI), the Congressional Armenian
Caucus is a bipartisan forum for the discussion of policies to
foster increased cooperation between the United States and Armenian
governments and to strengthen the enduring bonds between the
American and Armenian peoples.