Armenian opposition bloc denies rumours of disagreement
Arminfo
20 Jul 04
YEREVAN
The existence of different approaches to one or another issue cannot
be regarded as disagreement in the Armenian opposition camp. There are
no fundamental disagreements on important issues between the National
Unity Party [NUP] and the Justice bloc, Koryun Arakelyan, deputy
chairman of the NUP, told an Arminfo correspondent while commenting on
some media reports.
The political forces within the united Armenian opposition can have
different views on the tactics of their further actions, which is an
absolutely normal phenomenon, he said. “The development of the
situation will bring answers to the questions that have been raised,”
Arakelyan said.
“Constant attempts have lately been made to cause discord in the ranks
of the Armenian opposition. We understand very well who is doing this
and why, however, there is no point in looking for something that does
not exist,” Ruzanna Khachatryan, press secretary of the Justice bloc,
told Arminfo.
The existence of several different approaches to some tactical issues
cannot be a reason for disagreements between the Justice bloc and the
NUP, she said.
[Passage omitted: reiterating the same views]

Armenian foreign minister welcomes CIS leaders’ criticism of OSCE
Arminfo
20 Jul 04
YEREVAN
The statement by the heads of CIS countries regarding the activities
of the OSCE has been issued in time, Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan
Oskanyan has told Armenian Public Television.
He said although the statement contains criticism, it would be wrong
to describe it as criticism. Analysts who believe that Armenia’s
support for the statement will produce negative consequences are
probably not keeping abreast of the current processes inside the OSCE,
the Armenian foreign minister thinks.
He said that the timeliness of the CIS leaders’ statement is explained
by the fact that serious debates are under way in the OSCE. “The task
is to make this organization transparent, effective and successful.
The aim of the statement is to help reforms,” the minister said.
The minister also expressed discontent with the opinion that the
criticism of the OSCE could reflect on the negotiations on the
Nagornyy Karabakh settlement. “There is no link here,” the Armenian
foreign minister stressed.
In conclusion, the minister said that it was also necessary for
Armenia to contribute to the reformation of the organization. At the
same time, the minister pointed out that the biggest task is to
reconsider the well-established tradition of taking decisions behind
the scenes on some issues which are not put on the agenda of plenary
sessions and for all to hear. The voices of small countries get lost
during this process.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Armenian leader, Filipino envoy discuss ways of developing ties
Arminfo
20 Jul 04
YEREVAN
The Filipino ambassador to Armenia, Ernesto V. Llamas, (headquarters
in Moscow) presented his credentials to Armenian President Robert
Kocharyan today.
At the meeting, the president congratulated the Filipino diplomat on
his appointment, the presidential press service told Arminfo news
agency.
Speaking about the future development of bilateral relations, the
sides noted that despite big potential for cooperation, it is still
not being used effectively. The sides expressed their readiness to
make the necessary efforts for the implementation of
mutually-beneficial economic programmes.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Armenian foreign minister upbeat about relations with Georgia
Arminfo
20 Jul 04
YEREVAN
Relations between Armenia and Georgia are becoming more interesting
with every passing day and the agenda is deepening, Armenian Foreign
Minister Vardan Oskanyan has told Armenian Public Television,
commenting on the upcoming visit of Georgian Foreign Minister Salome
Zourabichvili to Armenia.
At the same time, the minister said that serious conceptual tasks were
added to the issues to be discussed. “The expansion of NATO is taking
place around us, and Georgia clearly wants to join this organization,”
the minister said.
He added that they also need to discuss such conceptual issues as the
expansion of the European Union, a gas pipeline and railway
communication. It is necessary to coordinate our work to avoid the
emergence of any dividing lines in the Caucasus, the Armenian foreign
minister said.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Armenia favours cooperation with CIS bloc and NATO – minister
Arminfo
20 Jul 04
YEREVAN
For Armenia, activities within the framework of the Collective
Security Treaty Organization and the deepening of ties with NATO do
not contradict, but supplement each other, Armenian Foreign Minister
Vardan Oskanyan has told Armenian Public Television.
Armenia pursues a policy of complementarity, both organizations and
their members, including the USA and Russia, are aware of this and
this policy applies to security tasks, the minister recalled.
The minister said that NATO’s expansion is inevitable, and the task
here is whether Armenia will voluntarily remain outside these
processes or will be involved in them and defends its interests. “At
present, our decision is to deepen relations with NATO without joining
the alliance,” the minister said.

Armenia wants better ties within CIS – minister
Arminfo
20 Jul 04
YEREVAN
Commenting on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s statement on the need
for improving cooperation within the CIS, Armenian Foreign Minister
Vardan Oskanyan has told Armenian Public Television that the CIS
should become a more active and successful organization.
The commonwealth has been in existence for many years now and the need
for improving its activities has always been on the agenda, Vardan
Oskanyan said. According to the minister, a lot here depends on
Russia itself which is obvious from the statement of the Russian
president.
The Armenian minister thinks that in an organization such as the CIS,
one country should always be the leader and should unite the other
countries around itself. In this context, he attached special
importance to the prospects for the creation free trade zones. “If we
manage to succeed in this, then every country will be satisfied with
concrete economic benefits. Given this, the CIS future will be
promising,” Vardan Oskanyan added.

Armenia looks at US Millennium Challenge Account aid spending
Arminfo
19 Jul 04
YEREVAN
The Armenian government today held a sitting of the board of trustees
under the Millennium Challenge Account [MCA].
It was said at the sitting that the priority of the programme, planned
to be realized from the MCA fund, was the subject matter of the
discussions with broad sections of society from regions and community
administrations and public organizations, Arminfo news agency learnt
from the governmental press service.
Moreover, some fresh proposals on the programme were initiated and
discussed. The report said that the information on the MCA programme
had been placed at web site of
the Finance and Economy Ministry [of Armenia].
Let us recall that within the framework of the MCA, the USA is
planning to give Armenia about 350m dollars in 2004-07.

Azeri opposition urges government to refuse OSCE’s Karabakh mediation
Interfax news agency, Moscow
20 Jul 04
BAKU
The Democratic Azerbaijan opposition bloc has called on the country’s
authorities to refuse the mediation of the OSCE Minsk Group in
settling the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict, Samir Asadli, a
representative of the Civic Solidarity Party, which is part of the
bloc, told Interfax.
“We think the position of the OSCE Minsk Group is pro-Armenian. At the
same time, it is widely known that it was Armenia that occupied 20 per
cent of Azerbaijan’s territories,” says a statement from Democratic
Azerbaijan.
“The OSCE Minsk Group is supposed to take action, not make
statements. The co-chairmen are not doing anything to settle the
Karabakh conflict. It should be noted that one of the Minsk Group’s
co-chairmen is a representative of France, a country that recognized
the so-called Armenian genocide,” the statement says.
“This is why the Azerbaijani authorities should refuse the OSCE’s
services and attempt to resolve the problem on their own,” the
statement says.
Baku lost control of Nagornyy Karabakh and seven adjoining districts
in a conflict with Armenia in the 1990s. The UN Security Council has
denounced the occupation of Azerbaijani lands and has demanded that
Armenia withdraw its forces. The US, Russian and French co-chairmen of
the OSCE’s Minsk Group are working to settle the conflict.

Armenia-Iran gas pipeline requires 140m dollars – Russian company official
Noyan Tapan news agency
19 Jul 04
YEREVAN
The Russian company Gazprom has completed a feasibility study for a
gas pipeline from Iran to Armenia, Aleksandr Ryazanov, deputy chairman
of the company’s board, told journalists on 19 July. Prior to that,
Ryazanov held a meeting with Armenian President Robert Kocharyan to
discuss future cooperation between Gazprom and Armenia.
Ryazanov said that under their proposal it will take about nine years
for any pay off from the gas pipeline to be felt. “Some sources of
financing have now emerged and once we decide on them, we will have no
problems with the construction,” he said. About 140m dollars are
needed to build it. He said that the construction could either be
funded from interstate credits or at the expense of Russia. It is
possible of course that the pipeline will be constructed at the
expense of Gazprom, but the company sets “tough conditions”. The
construction of the Armenia-Iran pipeline is of strategic importance
as the gas pipeline going through Georgia is in a bad technical
condition and is in need of repairs,” Ryazanov said.
He said that an agreement had been reached with Armenian President
Robert Kocharyan to continue working on the document about the gas
pipeline. A Gazprom delegation is expected to arrive in Armenia soon
to discuss specific issues regarding the project.
An Armenian-Russian intergovernmental agreement on cooperation in the
gas industry will be probably drawn up soon.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Azeri leader vows to liberate Armenian-occupied territories at any cost
Turan news agency, Baku
20 Jul 04

QUBA
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, who is visiting the town of Quba
(170km north of Baku), talked to local residents, listened to their
complaints and took their written messages today.
Speaking about the recent rise in minimum wages, Aliyev said that the
government would continue taking social security measures in the
interests of the population. He also pointed to the implementation of
regional development programmes and the creation of new jobs.
The head of state touched on the issue of army build-up as
well. According to him, additional funds have been allocated to that
end. With regard to the Karabakh theme, Aliyev said that Azerbaijan
would liberate its occupied territories at any cost.