ITAR-TASS News Agency
TASS
December 1, 2004 Wednesday
Russia is stabilizing factor in Transcaucasia – view
By Syuzanna Adamyants
MOSCOW
The deputy speaker of the Armenian parliament said on Wednesday that
Russia is a stabilizing factor in Transcaucasia.
“Russia is a Caucasian superpower, and its presence is necessary in
Transcaucasia,” Vaan Ovanesyan stressed. “Russia and Armenia are old
friends and allies,” said Ovanesyan, who is co-chairman of the
Russian-Armenian inter-parliamentary commission. “These are not just
emotions, but a basis for strategic partnership,” the top
parliamentarian added.
He said a Moscow session of the commission had considered political
and military cooperation between Russia and Armenia. According to
him, the two sides stressed “a high level of political and military
cooperation between Russia and Armenia”. “That meets the national
interests of the two states, while a military union is a key element
of national security in the Caucasus,” he added.
A decision was reached at the session that the two countries should
encourage integration in the military industry between two countries’
enterprises with an aim to develop economic cooperation in the sphere
of military technologies.
The next session of the commission is due in Yerevan in May 2005.
The main aim of the inter-parliamentary commission, set up in the
late 1990s, is to create a strong legal basis for the integration
between Russia and Armenia.
The two states have signed 160 agreements. During political
consultations they exchange opinions on the entire range of bilateral
relations, on major international and regional issues.
Particular attention is paid to the improvement of the situation in
the Caucasus, to the development of multi-lateral cooperation,
including within the framework of the Caucasus Four group, to fight
against terrorism and prevention of conflicts, as well as to
cooperation within the CIS and its Collective Security Treaty,
EurasEC and other international organisations. Armenia has got an
observer status in EurasEC.

ITAR-TASS News Agency
TASS
December 1, 2004 Wednesday
Russian-Armenian commission meets in Moscow
By Suzanna Adamyants, Natalia Simorova
MOSCOW
Southern regions of Russia and the independent Caucasian states “need
full-scale and mutually advantageous integration in the interests of
the expansion of economic relations,” Chairman of the Federation
Council Sergei Mironov said on Wednesday at the opening of a regular
meeting of the Russian-Armenian cooperation commission, formed by the
upper chamber of the Russian parliament and the Armenian National
Assembly.
Russia and Armenia are “a sort of supporting pillars of a new stage
of the integration process,” Mironov continued. An intensive
political dialogue has been going on between Moscow and Yerevan over
the past several years.
“We have entered a period, in which regional integration plays an
important role. It depends a great deal on the development of a
political situation in Europe and on the American continent,” Mironov
said.
He stressed that “the work of the interparliamentary commission is
characterised by pragmatism and constructive approach to the problems
it tackles.” The unification of national legislations, which makes it
possible to settle legal, economic and administrative problems, is
its most important goal.
Vaan Ovanesyan, Armenian co-chairman of the interparliamentary
commission, pointed to a special importance of the consultations in
conditions of the worsening of the situation in the Caucasus.

Economist
November 30, 2004 Tuesday
Growing pressure for a fresh vote;
Ukraine’s political crisis
As Ukraine’s supreme court hears the opposition’s accusations of
widespread fraud in the presidential election, pressure is growing
for a new vote to be held-this time, a clean one
Growing pressure for a fresh vote
UKRAINE’S supreme court continued to hear allegations of widespread
fraud in the country’s presidential election on Tuesday November
30th, and its parliament debated a motion to sack the supposed
winner, Victor Yanukovich, from his current job of prime minister.
Meanwhile, the supporters of the pro-western opposition candidate,
Victor Yushchenko, kept up their big street protests. The chances of
a partial or full re-run of the election have continued to grow. On
Monday, the incumbent president, Leonid Kuchma, who had backed Mr
Yanukovich, conceded that a new election might be the best solution
to the country’s deep crisis. On Tuesday, the German government said
that the Russian president, Vladimir Putin-who is the pro-Moscow Mr
Yanukovich’s most important backer-had agreed with Chancellor Gerhard
Schroder that the outcome of any new election would be respected.
Mr Yanukovich himself now says that, if the supreme court upholds the
opposition’s claims of ballot-stuffing in his Russian-speaking
strongholds in the east of the country, he would accept either a
re-run of the election’s second round, just in those regions, or a
completely new election-but with different candidates. He said he
would also be bringing some complaints of his own, about the counting
of votes in Mr Yushchenko’s Ukrainian-speaking strongholds in the
west.
Mr Yushchenko’s supporters had begun to lift their blockades of some
public buildings in the capital, Kiev, but on Tuesday afternoon one
of his aides called for them to be reimposed, with the parliament
being spared to “give it a chance to make a decision” on sacking Mr
Yanukovich. The parliament has already cheered the opposition
supporters by voting to declare invalid the election, in which Mr
Yanukovich supposedly beat his rival by a margin of three percentage
points. Though the parliament does not in fact have the power to
overturn the election, its vote may influence the supreme court’s
decision.
Mr Yanukovich’s hopes of upholding his dubious claim to the
presidency received a further blow on Monday, when one of his most
important aides appeared to jump ship. Serhiy Tyhypko, the governor
of the country’s central bank, who has been doubling up as Mr
Yanukovich’s campaign manager, announced he was quitting both jobs.
Late last week, Mr Kuchma, high-level envoys from the EU and Russia,
and the presidents of Poland and Lithuania held talks with the two
candidates to try to broker a solution. The talks ended with only an
agreement to hold more talks, and a joint renunciation of violence
from the two rivals. The international mediators-including the EU’s
foreign-policy chief, Javier Solana-were due to return to Kiev on
Wednesday for fresh talks. The European Union and America have backed
the opposition leader’s calls for a re-run of the election.
Backers of both sides have continued to raise the stakes. Regional
governments in some of Mr Yanukovich’s eastern strongholds have begun
moves towards declaring autonomy from Kiev if Mr Yushchenko gains the
presidency. Though Mr Yanukovich has distanced himself from these
moves, Mr Putin’s envoy to the crisis talks, Boris Gryzlov, said that
he could see no other outcomes than either the break-up of Ukraine or
bloodshed. On Monday, one of Mr Yushchenko’s closest aides gave Mr
Kuchma 24 hours to sack Mr Yanukovich as prime minister, or they
would press for criminal proceedings against Mr Kuchma and impose a
blockade on his movements.
The opposition’s blockades and both sides’ intransigence threaten to
turn Ukraine’s political crisis into a financial meltdown. On Monday,
Mr Kuchma gave a warning that the country faced financial collapse
“like a house of cards” within days. The next day, to avert a
collapse in the banking system, the central bank imposed restrictions
on withdrawals. Ukrainian bond prices have plummeted.
A rapid and clear decision by the supreme court might bring about a
speedy resolution of the conflict. But the court may still take some
days to arrive at a ruling-and even then, there is no guarantee that
it will come down clearly on one side or the other. Ukraine does not
have much of a tradition of an independent judiciary, though its
supreme court has been known to rule against the authorities.
If Ukraine starts to enjoy western-style human rights and prosperity,
voters in Russia itself might begin to ask why they cannot have the
same
The outcome of the conflict in Ukraine-the second-largest economy in
the former Soviet Union-could affect the fate of the rest of eastern
Europe, including Russia itself. Mr Putin has strongly backed Mr
Yanukovich in the hope of reasserting Moscow’s grip on Russia’s “near
abroad”. Since the fall of the Berlin Wall, several of Russia’s
former satellites have broken away to join both the EU and the
American-led NATO defence alliance. Mr Yushchenko proposes that
Ukraine do the same, while his rival has argued for maintaining
strong links with Russia. If Ukraine does now go West, so to speak,
it may trigger similar movements in those remaining bits of the “near
abroad” that still cleave to Moscow. Furthermore, if Ukraine starts
to enjoy western-style human rights and prosperity, voters in Russia
itself might begin to ask why they cannot have the same.
Mr Yushchenko’s supporters hope for a repeat of last year’s “rose
revolution” in Georgia, in which huge but peaceful protests forced
the country’s then president, Edward Shevardnadze, to resign
following dubious parliamentary elections. In the ensuing vote for a
new president, the country’s pro-western opposition leader, Mikhail
Saakashvili, emerged victorious.
However, some less rose-tinted precedents have recently been set by
other former Soviet states. Only two months ago, Belarus’s president,
Alexander Lukashenka, “won” a rigged referendum to allow him to run
for re-election. The EU decided last week to tighten its sanctions
against those in his government it blames for the ballot fraud.
Azerbaijan and Armenia also held flawed elections last year, in which
the incumbent regimes stayed in power.
While the turmoil continued in Ukraine at the weekend, presidential
and parliamentary elections were held in Romania-another former
eastern-block country that is seeking to move westwards. The centrist
opposition claims there has been Ukrainian-style ballot-stuffing and
implausibly high turnouts in the strongholds of the governing
ex-communist party, and is demanding a re-run. But, unlike in
Ukraine, international observers declared the election to have been
largely fair (though they did say the reports of irregularities
should be investigated). Also unlike in Ukraine, both of Romania’s
main parties are in favour of their country joining the EU, which is
expected to happen in 2007-long before Ukraine ever might.

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 1, 2004
CONTACT: Christine Kojoian
Email: [email protected]
ARMENIAN ASSEMBLY ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR 2005 SUMMER INTERNSHIP
PROGRAMS IN WASHINGTON, YEREVAN
Washington, DC – The Armenian Assembly of America announced this week
that it is accepting applications for the 2005 Terjenian-Thomas
Assembly Internship Program in Washington, DC and the Summer
Internship Program in Yerevan. Both internship programs provide
college students of Armenian descent an opportunity to work in those
cities while taking part in a full schedule of educational, cultural
and social activities.
Students who are accepted into the Washington program will be placed
as interns in various offices including congressional, think tank,
media and governmental agencies. Interns also have the opportunity to
meet with U.S Representatives, Senators, other government officials
and noted academians through the Capitol Ideas and Lecture Series
programs. Students will also be exposed to the wide variety of social
activities and networking opportunities that are planned throughout
their eight week stay.
Similarly, students enrolled in the Yerevan program are placed in
Armenian governmental offices and inter-governmental agencies. If
accepted, they will have the opportunity to experience life in their
ancestral homeland while gaining valuable work experience.
At the end of their eight-week stint in our nation’s capital, some
students, like 2002 intern alum and George Washington University
graduate Leslie Azarian of Old Tappan, New Jersey, leave with the
confidence of having gained valuable work experience and life-long
friendships.
“The internship program in DC surpassed all of my expectations,”
Azarian said. “I was offered a full-time job during my senior year of
college and still keep in close contact with members of my internship
class. Without this summer experience, none of this would be
possible.”
Like Azarian, 2004 intern alum Christine Heath of Bloomfield Hills,
MI, currently a junior at the University of Michigan, said, “The
Armenian Assembly has given me a gift that I will carry throughout my
life. I will always cherish the excitement and stimulation of living
and working in our nation’s capital.”
And like her Washington counterparts, 2004 Armenia intern alum Eliz
Agopian’s experience was also inspiring. “Prior to coming to Armenia,
I felt removed from Armenia and my cultural heritage. I had heard
many stories that made me fearful that I might be disappointed from my
visit. Instead, Armenians amazed me with their hospitality,
cheerfulness and intelligence. I realized that Armenia faces some
substantial challenges, but also shows incredible potential.”
Since its founding in 1977, the internship program has welcomed more
than 800 talented college-aged Armenian-Americans to Washington, DC.
Following the success of the Washington program, the Assembly launched
a similar program in Armenia in 1999 to give students an opportunity
to work in Armenian government agencies, meet with Armenian and
Nagorno Karabakh officials and tour historical sites throughout the
region.
To learn more about the Terjenian-Thomas Assembly Internship Program,
download application forms or apply online, go to the Assembly Web
site at Partial and
full housing scholarships are available to qualified applicants on a
competitive basis. The deadline for completed Washington, DC program
applications is January 15, 2005 and February 15, 2005 for Armenia.
For additional information or assistance with the application process,
please contact Alex Karapetian, Intern Program Manager, at
202-393-3434 ext. 245 or via e-mail at [email protected].
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#2004-103
Photographs available on the Assembly’s Web site at the following
links:
CAPTION: Left to Right: Assembly Intern Program Manager Alex
Karapetian with 2004 summer interns Talar Beylerian, Joe Piatt and
Taniel Koushakijian on Capitol Hill.
CAPTION: Armenia Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian flanked by 2004
Yerevan program participants Alexandra Kazarian, left, and Marina
Nazarbekian.

Associated Press Worldstream
December 1, 2004 Wednesday 11:18 AM Eastern Time
Trade, tanker-jams, Chechnya on agenda in Putin’s Turkey visit
ALEX NICHOLSON; Associated Press Writer
MOSCOW
Trade, tanker-jams in the Bosporus Strait and the thorny subject of
conflict in Chechnya are expected to dominate talks when Russian
President Vladimir Putin makes a state visit to Turkey on Sunday –
the first by a Russian leader since the Soviet collapse.
The two-day visit had been slated for September, but was postponed
when Chechen and other rebels seized a school in southern Russia in
an attack that ended with more than 330 people dead, mostly children.
Putin is to meet with Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer and Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Turkey and Russia have been rivals for centuries, competing for
influence in Central Asia, the Caucasus and the Balkans. That
competition increased after the fall of the Soviet Union and the
independence of Turkic states in Central Asia and the Caucasus.
But recently, rivalries have subsided and the two countries have been
concentrating on trade.
Bilateral trade is expected to exceed US$10 billion ([euro]7.5
billion) this year, Russia’s Industry and Energy Minister Viktor
Khristenko said recently. He said that tourism, construction and
commerce by small-time “shuttle traders” who buy Turkish goods for
sale in Russia boosts trade volume to more than US$15 billion
([euro]11 billion).
Turkish companies are active in Russia in retail, construction and
brewing, and investment to date totals US$2 billion ([euro]1.5
billion), Khristenko said.
Energy issues are likely to play a major role in the talks. In an
interview with CNN-Turk television in September, Putin said that his
country, which already provides some 60 percent of Turkey’s natural
gas imports, was considering selling oil to Turkey and exporting fuel
to other countries via Turkey.
Turkey is expected to push Russia to commit to a costly
Turkish-proposed Trans-Thracian pipeline that would run from the
Black Sea to the Aegean. Turkish officials warn that traffic in the
narrow, 21-mile Bosporus has soared by some 30 percent in the past
two years — and that it can’t handle more Russian oil tankers.
Much of the increased traffic is from Russia’s Black Sea port of
Novorossiisk, and exports to the Black Sea via the Caspian pipeline
from Kazakhstan are only set to grow.
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.
There could also be tension over Chechnya. Turks sympathize with
their fellow Muslims in the war-ravaged Russian region, and many
Turks trace their ancestry to the Caucasus. Russia has called on
Turkey to crack down on Turkish charities that it claims are doing
too little to stop funds, weapons and new cadres from reaching terrorists.

ArmenPress
Dec 1 2004
TWO ARMENIAN MPs MEET WITH TURKISH PARLIAMENT SPEAKER
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 1, ARMENPRESS: Two members of the Armenian
parliament met with the chairman of the Turkish parliament when they
were attending a meeting of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC)
in Turkish Antalya on November 23-25.
Vladimir Badalian and Mekhak Mkhitarian, the two Armenian
lawmakers, said today in Yerevan the 30-minute meeting had been
initiated by Bullent Arinc, the chairman of Turkish parliament, who
spoke about the obstacles preventing the opening of the border with
Armenia and lifting its decade-long blockade.
The Armenians quoted Arinc as saying that he regretted the tragic
events that had occurred at the beginning of the 20-th century but
disagreed with Armenians’ classification that it was a genocide. He
said Armenians use the term excessively to portray it in a manner
that suits their interests, which cannot be accepted by Turkey.
Another obstacle preventing normalization of ties with Armenia,
according to Bullent Arinc is Armenia’s unwillingness to pull out its
troops from the occupied Azeri regions. Incidentally, he accused the
OSCE Minsk group chairmen of inactivity, adding also that Turkey
stands ready to get involved in the Karabagh conflict regulation
process.
Arinc said Turkey wants friendly and warm relations with all its
neighbors, including also Armenia, which was hailed by Armenian
lawmakers, who said Armenia too is interested in such relations.
Vladimir Badalian said they argued that prior to normalization of
relations both countries should establish diplomatic relations. They
also disagreed with Arinc’s arguments that the OSCE Minsk group has
failed to carry out its mission, saying they could not see any other
international peace brokers that could work more effectively.
Armenians also argued that the return of Azerbaijani territories
could not be put forth as a precondition for normalization of ties,
emphasizing the importance of all-level contacts between
representatives of the two nations. They also said that though the
international recognition of the genocide is on the agenda of
Armenia’s foreign policy Yerevan does not make its recognition by
Turkey as a condition for normal ties, adding also that in general
Armenia is not against Turkey’s EU membership.

ArmenPress
Dec 1 2004
ARMENIAN DIPLOMATS WORK TO SECURE THE RELEASE OF SIX PILOTS FROM
EQUATORIAL GUINEA’S PRISON
MALABO, DECEMBER 1, ARMENPRESS: Armenian foreign ministry said two
government officials who flew to Malabo, the capital of Equatorial
Guinea, to monitor the trial of a group of alleged mercenaries,
including six Armenian pilots, accused of being involved in a plot to
overthrow that country’s president are still in that West-African
state discussing with its authorities the possible ways to secure the
release of their country fellows, sentenced to lengthy prison terms.
In a statement after the verdict was announced the Armenian
ministry had said it will continue to make “every effort” to secure
the release of its citizens. The Guinean defense lawyer of the pilots
also said he would lodge an appeal against “the unfair verdict” with
the Supreme Court.
Captain Ashot Karapetian and five members of his aircrew were
sentenced to 24 and 14 years respectively. All of them pleaded not
guilty to the accusations.
“We are absolutely convinced that the Armenian pilots had nothing
to do with any action directed against Equatorial Guinea and its
government, and the court has not brought any compelling evidence
against them,” the Armenian foreign ministry said in a statement.
The ministry said the two Armenian diplomats, a former Armenian
ambassador to Egypt Sergey Manaserian and head of a government
division Gevork Petrosian were allowed to visit the jailed pilots.
The diplomats had already a meeting with Filiberto Entutumo, the
leader of the ruling party and will meet also with top officials of
that country’s foreign ministry to present the Armenian government’s
request to review the case of the pilots.
The diplomats are also maintaining everyday contacts with the
pilots’ lawyer, who has not yet been given the written decision of
the court in order to take the case to the Supreme Court.
Lawyers for South-African nationals as well as representatives of
the Amnesty International have not been either given the written
verdict.

ArmenPress
Dec 1 2004
FRENCH AUTHORITIES OPEN CRIMINAL CASE INTO A CLASH BETWEEN ARMENIANS
AND TURKS
PARIS, DECEMBER 1, ARMENPRESS: French authorities have opened a
criminal case into a recent clash between Armenian and Turkish young
men in the town of Valence. Four Armenians are still in hospital and
two Turks are in custody.
Five young Armenians were injured in Valance, France by a group of
Turks on Monday. In an effort to protest Turkey’s possible entry to
the EU, French Armenians placed a display about the genocide in the
Valance municipality square, and were collecting signatures
supporting the pre-condition of genocide to Turkey’s EU bid. A group
of Turks reportedly made offensive remarks toward the Armenians,
threw bottles at them, and eventually resorted to violence. Four of
the five Armenians were taken to hospital with injuries.
Armenian ambassador in France Edward Nalbandian said not only the
material but also the moral damages sustained by Armenians should be
restored. “French citizens of Turkish origin have violated a French
law that recognizes the right of its citizens to free expression of
their opinions,” he said.
The attack on Armenians was condemned by many members of the
French parliament. Armenian organizations in France published a
message condemning this activity. In a letter addressed to the
minister of internal affairs, they demanded that the criminals face
justice.

ArmenPress
Dec 1 2004
GEORGIA’S FIRST LADY ARRIVES IN ARMENIA
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 1, ARMENPRESS: Georgia’s First Lady, Sandra
Roulofs, is arriving today evening in Yerevan at the invitation of
Armenian First Lady, Bella Kocharian. She will spend here four days.
In Yerevan Sandra Roelofs will visit the national cancer care
center, the Red Cross Rehabilitation Center. She will also talk to
the faculty and students of Yerevan State University. Her itinerary
includes also a visit to Genocide Memorial, where she will lay a
wreath to the monument of the 1915 genocide victims.
She will meet also Catholicos Karekin II and visit historical and
cultural sites in Armenia.

Baltic News Service
December 1, 2004
LITHUANIAN DEFENSE MINISTRY EXPERTS GOING TO AZERBAIJAN
VILNIUS
A delegation of the Lithuanian Defense Ministry’s experts is going to
Azerbaijan next week to meet with officials of the Defense Ministry
and General Staff.
According to the press release, the Dec. 3-6 visit is scheduled to
address issues of bilateral cooperation, regional security in South
Caucasus, studies of Azerbaijani officers at the Lithuanian War
Academy and the Baltic Defense College in the Estonian city Tartu,
participation in international operations and the course of defense
reforms.
The visit is held as an additional measure in the framework of a
program to ensure support and security in countries of the South
Caucasus. According to the press release, the visit is expected to
assess Azerbaijan’s needs in the light of NATO integration and other
fields.
A bilateral cooperation plan for 2005 should also be signed during
the visit.
Earlier this fall, Defense Ministry experts attended
political-military consultations with Georgia, Armenia and Ukraine. A
decision was made to proceed with cooperation in the field of
military education, offer advice in NATO integration, invite them to
international war games Amber Hope 2005 and exchange visits of
experts.
The Lithuanian Defense Ministry decided to continue financing studies
of these countries’ officers at the War Academy in 2005, as well as
pay for Armenian, Azerbaijani and Georgian students at the Baltic
Defense College in Tartu. Lithuanian army experts agreed to hold
practical consultations at the Armenian peacekeeping battalion.