Armenian president appoints new head of mission to NATO

Mediamax news agency
10 Sep 04

Yerevan, 10 September: The Armenian president has appointed Samvel
Lazarian head of the Armenian mission to NATO.

Mediamax news agency reported that by another decree of the Armenian
president, the Armenian ambassador to the Benelux countries and the
European Union, Vigen Chitechyan, has been dismissed from the post
of head of the Armenian mission to NATO.

Samvel Lazarian headed the European department of the Armenian
Foreign Ministry until his appointment to the post of head of the
mission to NATO.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Armenian premier pleased with results of Iranian leader’s visit

Public Television of Armenia, Yerevan
9 Sep 04

[Correspondent over video of meeting] Catholicos of All Armenians
Garegin II received the Iranian president [Mohammad Khatami] at the
Holy See of Echmiadzin today. The visit to this holy place lends a
meaning to our official visit to Armenia, Khatami said.

The Armenian catholicos expressed gratitude to the Iranian authorities
for their attention to and care about the Armenian community and
outlined that relations between Armenia and Iran are developing
and progressing.

The Iranian president’s first official visit to Armenia has ended. As
the Armenian side stressed, the two-day visit was very useful and
important in the political, as well as in the economic spheres.

[Armenian Prime Minister Andranik Markaryan, seeing off Mohammad
Khatami at the airport] The agreements signed during the visit showed
once again how serious our relations are. The documents signed not only
in the political, but also in the economic spheres laid the foundations
for the implementation of these programmes in the near future.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Armenian official denies Azeri statement on OSCE’s new Karabakh proposal

Mediamax news agency
10 Sep 04

Yerevan, 10 September: Official Yerevan has denied the Azerbaijani
foreign minister’s statement that the co-chairmen of the OSCE Minsk
Group will submit an idea to the Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents
for consideration. According to the idea, the status of Nagornyy
Karabakh will be discussed only after the return of the occupied
territories and refugees.

“If the Azerbaijani media has not exaggerated Mr Mammadyarov’s words
and he has really made such a statement, then I am obliged to declare
that this is wishful thinking on the part of Azerbaijan,” the spokesman
for the Armenian Foreign Ministry, Gamlet Gasparyan, said.

On 9 September, Baku’s Trend agency quoted Azerbaijani Foreign
Minister Elmar Mammadyarov as saying that an idea according to which
the occupied territories must be liberated and the displaced persons
must be returned to their places of residence will be submitted
to the Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents for consideration. Only
after this, can the status of Nagornyy Karabakh be discussed, the
Azerbaijani foreign minister said.

Discrimination causes terrorism: Iranian president

Xinhua, China
Sept 9 2004

MOSCOW, Sept. 8 (Xinhuanet) — Iranian President Mohammad Khatami
on Wednesday condemned the Beslan hostage tragedy and said the root
causes of terror could be found in the “discrimination” of peoples,
according to reports reaching here.

“Without looking at the roots it is impossible to fight terrorism. The
roots can be found in the same places where security forces impose
a discriminatory policy and people suffer from this,” Khatami said
following talks with his Armenian counterpart Robert Kocharian in
Armenia’s capital Yerevan.

“Unable to find an adequate response to this fight they (discriminated
people) take harsh steps. This is why when you condemn terrorism you
must also condemn violence,” he added.

Khatami also spoke out against the way certain terrorists want to
present their acts under the mask of religion. “They besmirch the
religions that preach peace and humanism.” Enditem

ARMENIAN CONSTITUTIONAL COURT DELEGATION TO VISIT LITHUANIA

Baltic News Service
September 7, 2004

VILNIUS, Sep 07 — A delegation of the Armenian Constitutional Court
is to come to Lithuania on the first official visit on Wednesday.

The Constitutional Court has reported that President Valdas
Adamkus will receive the Armenian Constitutional Court delegation
on Wednesday. On Thursday, the guests will visit the Lithuanian
Constitutional Court, the Supreme Administrative Court, and are
scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Algirdas Brazauskas.

During the four-day visit, the Armenian Constitutional Court delegation
will also meet with Justice Minister Vytautas Markevicius and Vilnius
University rector Benediktas Juodka. The guests will also have an
opportunity to meet with members of Lithuania’s Armenian community.

The Lithuanian and Armenian constitutional courts have been
cooperating since 1998. For the past six years, judges of the
Lithuanian Constitutional Court have annually attended international
conferences in Yerevan, arranged by the Armenian Constitutional Court
and the European Commission For Democracy through Law.

IFAD HELPS RESTORE ARMENIA IRRIGATION SYSTEM AND COMMUNITY ROADS

ArmenPress
Sept 8 2004

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 8, ARMENPRESS: The International Fund for
Agricultural Development (IFAD) has released $8.7 million for
restoration and construction of 43 irrigation systems across Armenia
between 2001 and 2004. Some $2.3 million of that money was utilized in
the first eight months of this year providing around 10,000 hectares
of lands and orchards with effective irrigation.

Reconstruction of some other irrigation systems continues at the
moment and when accomplished they will give water to another 11,500
hectares of land.

IFAD has also given money for a major repair of a 6.1 km long section
of a road connecting Voskevan and Barekamavan villages in Tavush
province, expected to be over by the end of September. IFAD will
also release funds for repair of the two other sections of the road
to companies that will be announced winners of a relevant tender to
be announced later this year.

Seoul hopes to boost economic relations with Russia soon
By Vladimir Kutakhov

ITAR-TASS News Agency
September 8, 2004 Wednesday 3:01 AM Eastern Time

SEOUL, September 7 — South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun supports the
proposal for further advancement of Russian-South Korean cooperation
within the framework of the bilateral Business Council, Head of
the Russia-South Korea Business Council Ara Abramyan, who is also
President of the World Armenian Congress and Deputy Chairman of the
Russian-Korean friendship society, said in an interview with Itar-Tass.

He said the South Korean Roh Moo-hyun would pay an official visit to
Russia from September 20-23 at the invitation from Russian President
Vladimir Putin.

The head of the Republic of Korea believes that it is necessary
to enhance the significance of the Business Council and intensify
cooperation between the business communities of the two countries.

With this in view, the South Korean president plans to meet the
business leaders of the two countries during his visit to Moscow.

The Korean want Roh Moo-hyun’s forthcoming meetings in Moscow to impart
“a serious impulse to the development of economic relations between
Russia and South Korea, Ara Abramyan said.

“I can say that there are no differences on principle between the two
countries. President Roh Moo-hyun has promised to support Russia in
its efforts to join the World Trade Organization (WTO).

The president of the Republic of Korea liked the Russian idea of
bringing together one hundred North and South Koreans for a visit to
Russia, Ara Abramyan noted. This would provide them with an opportunity
to spend two weeks together and communicate at their convenience.

“This idea has been supported in Seoul and it is now up to North Korea
to define its stance. The Russian foreign affairs ministry has also
promised assistance,” Mr. Abramyan said.

“I assess positively the outcome of our meeting with President Roh
Moo-hyun,” he said.

The head of the Republic of Korea had received on Tuesday, September
7, the Russian delegation to the meeting of the co-chairmen of the
Russian-Korean commission for economic, scientific and technological
cooperation. Russian Transport Minister led the delegation and Ara
Abramyan took part in the meeting with the South Korean president.

During the meeting, the project of linking the Trans Siberian railway
line to the Trans Korean railway road was discussed and the head
of the South Korean administration supported the Russian proposal
for running a freight train with containers for the first time from
the South Korean port of Pusan via North Korea and along the Trans
Siberian railway line to Western Europe.

This proposal will be discussed in greater detail at the forthcoming
tripartite meeting in Pyongyang in October at which the North Korean
party is expected to state its position.

Armenia praises Iran for balanced policy
By Tigran Liloyan

ITAR-TASS News Agency
September 8, 2004 Wednesday

YEREVAN, September 8 — Armenian Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan
praised Iran’s balanced policy and constructive role in the resolution
of regional conflicts.

“Today Iran is considered an important factor of stability and peace
in the region,” the prime minister said in a meeting with visiting
Iranian President Sayed Mohammad Khatami on Wednesday.

In his words, trade and economic ties between the two countries include
elements of regional cooperation and were open for the participation
of other countries in the region.

The two sides welcomed the agreement on the construction of a gas
pipeline from Iran to Armenia and discussed projects to build the
Kajaran-Meghri tunnel in southern Armenia and design a hydropower
plant on the border river Araks.

More intl humanitarian aid comes to Beslan

ITAR-TASS News Agency
September 8, 2004 Wednesday

MOSCOW, September 8 — Humanitarian supplies from all parts of the
world continue to arrive in the North Ossetian town of Beslan.

An An-12 plane brought from Azerbaijan five tonnes of medicines,
Russia’s Emergencies Ministry told Itar-Tass on Wednesday.

Two hundred kilograms of donor blood were delivered from Armenia.

Some 50 tonnes of relief supplies have been brought to Beslan over
the past three days. These include medicines, IT and burn-treatment
equipment and X-ray units, the Ministry said.

Planes with humanitarian supplies from Norway and Greece are expected
to land at the Beslan airport within the next few hours, spokesman
for North Caucasian regional border department Sergei Livantsov said.

Bishop Feofan of Stavropol and Vladikavkas called upon the clergy
and secular authorities to build a temple, on whose walls the names
of the Beslan victims should be inscribed.

The bishop arrived in Beslan on the first day of the hostage taking
drama and has remained there since, officiating at funerals.

Regional lawmakers donated their one-day wage to the victims’
relatives. They urged their colleagues from local self-rule bodies
to follow suit.

Armenia, Iran can jointly build road to North, Khatami says
By Tigran Liloyan

ITAR-TASS News Agency
September 8, 2004 Wednesday

YEREVAN, September 8 — Armenia and Iran can jointly build a road to
the North and step up bilateral and multilateral trade and economic
cooperation, Iranian President Sayed Mohammad Khatami said.

In a meeting with Armenian Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan
on Wednesday, Khatami, who is in Yerevan on an official visit,
expressed the hope that experts of the two countries would find the
best decisions on how to connect the North and the South.

In his view, well-maintained roads in Armenia and, in the future, a
Kajaran-Meghri tunnel in the southeast of the country could be useful.

The president stressed that the development of individual countries
and the region as a whole was possible only if there is peace,
stability and security.

“We consider Armenia our neighbour and a friendly country, and we want
to make our friendship an example for others to follow,” Khatami said.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress