Armenian minister, Council of Europe leader discuss regional cooperation
Noyan Tapan news agency
5 Jul 04
Yerevan, 5 July: The secretary-general of the Council of Europe, Bruno
Haller, briefed Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan on 5 July on
his meetings with representatives of the Armenian authorities,
political parties, opposition and public organizations. He said that
the main aim of his visit was to familiarize himself with what was
going on in Armenia, especially in the light of PACE’s April
resolution. [In April PACE gave Armenia until September to sort out
its domestic political problems; this included ensuring freedom of
speech and assembly.] Haller expressed his hope that the authorities
and opposition would be able to find a way out of the current
situation before the National Assembly’s September session in order to
continue parliament’s normal work.
At the PACE secretary-general’s request, Oskanyan briefly touched on
Armenian-Turkish bilateral meetings in Istanbul during the NATO summit
and trilateral meetings of the foreign ministers, with the
participation of Azerbaijan, the Armenian Foreign Ministry press
service told Noyan Tapan news agency.
The meeting also touched on the Nagornyy Karabakh settlement process.
Oskanyan noted the importance of measures to foster trust and of
regional cooperation programmes, supported by the Council of Europe,
to develop the South Caucasus. In response, Haller stressed the need
for cooperation between the regional parliaments, adding that his
mission was to stimulate interparliamentary dialogue.

Armenian PM calls for political accord in holiday address
Noyan Tapan news agency
5 Jul 04

YEREVAN
“In adopting the constitution in 1995, our state and people showed the
civilized world our country’s readiness and determination to follow
the path of integration, of strengthening democratic values and of
creating a civil society,” Armenian Prime Minister Andranik Markaryan
says in his Constitution Day congratulatory message.
The prime minister said that over recent years the constitution had
enabled the establishment of an independent state in very difficult
conditions and had also guaranteed the country’s internal and external
stability. “However, life moves on, new realities make their demands
of society and the state, which of course should be fixed in the basic
law.” Andranik Markaryan notes the importance of constitutional
reforms being made in an atmosphere of political accord and says that
they should be completely accepted and supported by society. The prime
minister is convinced that, only if this is the case, “will the
Constitution of the Republic of Armenia fulfil its main role in
ensuring the well-being of citizens, defending the human rights and
freedoms of citizens in accordance with universal principles and
norms, and will it enable the fulfilment of pan-national dreams and
goals”.
In the address, sent by the government’s press service to Noyan Tapan
news agency, Andranik Markaryan expresses his certainty that “as a
result of reforms put into action by joint efforts, we will at the end
have a constitution which will be the main guarantor of our state’s
prosperity”.

RIA Novosti, Russia
July 6 2004
RUSSIA-ARMENIA RELATIONS ARE ON THE RISE, RUSSIAN MP SAYS
MOSCOW, July 6 (RIA Novosti) – Russia-Armenia relations are on the
rise, believes Andrei Kokoshin, chair of the CIS Affairs Committee in
the State Duma, or the lower Russian parliamentary house.
In a RIA interview after his meeting with Vardan Oskanyan Tuesday,
Kokoshin said that the Armenian Foreign Minister’s visit had
demonstrated yet again that the two countries were steadily improving
their relations, as befit strategic allies.
“If all states of the region built their national security systems
within the framework of the Collective Security Treaty, like Armenia
does, peace would be much more durable here,” the Russian MP argues.
According to Kokoshin, his detailed talks with Oskanyan covered a
whole number of issues relating to bilateral Russo-Armenian relations
as well as international security issues of mutual concern, including
the situation in the South Caucasus, economic cooperation, and
Armenia’s involvement in integration processes inside the
Commonwealth of Independent States.
Russia and Armenia stand close on issues concerning the threat of
Georgia’s internal conflicts spilling over to neighboring countries,
Kokoshin said. He expressed hope that Russia and Armenia would
continue to develop their economic and humanitarian cooperation.

RIA Novosti, Russia
July 6 2004
RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER WELCOMES ARMENIAN-AZERI STRIVING FOR
KARABAKH SETTLEMENT
MOSCOW, July 6 (RIA Novosti) – Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov
has welcomed Armenia and Azerbaijan’s striving for the Nagorny
Karabakh (a region in Azerbaijan populated mainly by Armenians)
settlement.
“We discussed the settlement issues and are satisfied with the
resumption of contacts between the Armenian and Azeri leaders and
ministers and promotion of the OSCE Minsk group’s activities,” Sergei
Lavrov told journalists following the talks with his Armenian
counterpart Vardan Oskanyan.
Speaking about the work of the OSCE Minsk group on the Nagorny
Karabakh settlement, the Russian minister said that the recent
meetings in this format prove that the sides are ready to search ways
to solve this problem.
The minister did not give practical settlement mechanisms. “The sides
agreed to continue discussion. It would be wrong to disclose details
of the talks,” Mr. Lavrov noted.
The Russian Foreign Minister positively assessed Vardan Oskanyan’s
first official visit to Russia.
According to Sergei Lavrov, Armenia and Russia boast long-term
friendly relations and are members of the Collective Security Treaty
Organization. Relations with Armenia is a priority of Russian policy,
he added.
The Russian and Armenian Foreign Ministers focused on the development
of economic and investment cooperation. Sergei Lavrov came out for
elaboration of additional economic projects. Moreover, they
considered transport development and Russia promised political
support to Armenia in this sphere, Sergei Lavrov said.

Armenian army chief praises army
Arminfo
6 Jul 04
YEREVAN
The borders of the Republic of Armenia “are locked”, the chief of the
General Staff of the Armenian armed forces, Col-Gen Mikael Arutyunyan,
told journalists today.
He said that the Armenian armed forces are battleworthy and have the
necessary material and technical resources, armaments and are fully
staffed with soldiers and officers who are ready to fulfil all the set
targets. The general stressed that 96 per cent of the command staff
are graduates of the Vazgen Sarkisyan Military Academy of the Armenian
Defence Ministry.
Answering a question about the Azerbaijani army he noted that it is
also strengthening the state of its army’s combat effectiveness. It
would be wrong to say that it remained at the level of 1990, the
colonel-general said.

Armenian State TV and Radio Committee joins European media union
Public Television of Armenia, Yerevan
5 Jul 04
Armenia’s first TV channel has taken its first step towards
integration into Europe. The Armenian State Television and Radio
Committee became a member of the European Broadcasting Union
(EBU). Seventy one companies from the world’s 52 countries are members
of the EBU.
[Passage omitted: EBU background].

Armenian minister in Moscow may discuss withdrawal from Azeri land – daily
Ekho, Baku
6 Jul 04

Text of N. Aliyev and R. Orucov report by Azerbaijani newspaper Ekho
on 6 July entitled “Yerevan stated its readiness to liberate seven
districts”, and subheaded “Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul
disclosed details of negotiations between foreign ministers of
Azerbaijan, Armenia and Turkey”
Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan flew to Moscow for an
official visit yesterday. During the visit “special stress” will
probably be laid on the Karabakh problem, Ekho has reported.
To all appearances, Oskanyan has really got something to talk about
with his Russian counterpart. Especially in the light of an article
published in Turkey’s Zaman newspaper. In an article headlined
“Yerevan gives the first sign of surrender”, the newspaper notes that
Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan, who was in Turkey last week
for the NATO summit, hinted that Armenian forces could leave all the
occupied Azerbaijani territories, except Karabakh itself.
Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul gave this information to Zaman.
According to him, Oskanyan said: “We can free all the territories
except Karabakh.” Moreover, Azerbaijani [Foreign] Minister Elmar
Mammadyarov reacted positively, Gul said. “An important step has been
taken in resolving the Armenian problem,” Gul announced.
The press service of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry refused to
comment on this topic yesterday, saying that the Istanbul negotiations
of the three foreign ministers were confidential.
In turn, Novruz Mammadov, head of the international relations
department of the Presidential Executive Staff, considered it
premature to give an assessment of the Zaman statements.
“The tripartite negotiations in Istanbul took place behind closed
doors,” Mammadov said and advised us to wait for the return of
[Foreign Minister] Elmar Mammadyarov, a direct participant in the
meeting. The latter is currently at NATO headquarters in Brussels,
where cooperation between the North Atlantic alliance and Azerbaijan,
within the framework of a fresh individual cooperation programme, is
being considered.
MP Samad Seyidov, head of the Azerbaijani delegation in the
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, finds the
information, published in the Turkish paper, in full conformity with
the overall situation. “Events around the Armenian-Azerbaijani
conflict are developing in the right way. That is to say, the
international community is extraordinarily interested in the
integration of Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia into economic and
political organizations with a Euro-Atlantic orientation.
“Analysing the situation in our region, they conclude that the state
of affairs here is indeed rotten. A country states that it adheres to
democratic values, but in fact has destroyed all possible and
impossible values that are in place in the Western and European
world.”
But the West is ready to accept the region only in conformity with its
own interests and values.
“Therefore, concrete examinations started after the emergence of this
interest. And this is connected with the possibilities of taking
decisions on our conflict. And the approval of their decisions by our
sides will be compulsory,” Seyidov said.
The MP believes that that the occupied territories will sooner or
later be returned to Azerbaijan. “As for Nagornyy Karabakh directly,
we have frequently said that there can also be no talk about these
territories. The matter boils down to the fact that the problem must
be resolved stage-by-stage, first, the liberation of the occupied
territories around Nagornyy Karabakh, and then the discussion of its
status. This is completely natural and this is that stage-by-stage
settlement to the conflict about which we have always spoken.”
Therefore, Samadov said, “the fact that now Turkish, European papers
and Oskanyan himself, to a certain extent, hint at this option shows
once again that our position is correct”.

Armenia’s Tavush District comes under Azeri fire
Arminfo
6 Jul 04
YEREVAN
Armenia’s Tavush District in Noyemberyan Region came under fire from
assault rifles from the Azerbaijani positions in the past 24 hours.
The Armenian side returned fire and it all ended, the chief of the
General Staff of the Armenian armed forces, Col-Gen Mikael Arutyunyan,
told journalists today. He stressed that the overall situation on the
Armenian-Azerbaijani border is more or less quite.
Commenting on the peaceful situation along the border as a result of
the balance of power, he said that had the Armenian army been weaker
than the Azerbaijani army, the war would have started a long time ago.
Whoever starts the war first will lose, the chief of the General Staff
of the Armenian armed forces said.

Armenia’s speaker, Council of Europe leader discuss regional cooperation
Arminfo, Yerevan
6 Jul 04
YEREVAN
Armenian National Assembly Chairman Artur Bagdasaryan and the visiting
secretary-general of the Council of Europe, Bruno Haller, have
discussed the prospects for developing cooperation between the
Armenian National Assembly and the Parliamentary Assembly of the
Council of Europe (PACE). The head of the PACE secretariat, (?Wojtech
Savitskiy) and an executive director of the secretary-general of PACE,
(?Peter Sich), took also part in the meeting, the press service of the
Armenian parliament told Arminfo news agency today.
The participants noted during the meeting that the Armenian parliament
is doing its best to meet Armenia’s commitments to the Council of
Europe in the set period. Artur Bagdasaryan noted the importance of
the opposition’s participation in the constitutional and electoral
reforms and the opposition’s return to legislative activity. For his
part, Bruno Haller noted that PACE never welcomed boycotts in any
country and has called and is always calling for a return to
legislative work in similar cases. The prospects of developing
regional cooperation, holding joint consultations and forums between
Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan at various political levels and
elaboration and implementation of joint programmes were discussed at
the meeting.
Cooperation of the standing commissions and administration of the
Armenian National Assembly with PACE were also discussed, as was Artur
Bagdasaryan’s initiative to hold under the PACE aegis a forum on
European integration in 2005, to mark the 10th anniversary of the
Armenian National Assembly, which, Bagdasaryan said, will undoubtedly
reinforce democratization and cooperation.

Azeri MP calls for European sanctions against Armenia at Scottish talks
ANS TV, Baku
5 Jul 04

[Presenter] The Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict over Nagornyy Karabakh
is currently being discussed at a session of the OSCE Parliamentary
Assembly in Scotland today. The assembly’s chairman and
secretary-general are now delivering their reports.
[Correspondent over video of the building of the OSCE Parliamentary
Assembly] The 13th annual session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly
has opened in Scotland’s Edinburgh. The session is entitled
“Cooperation and Partnership: Coping with New Security Threats”.
A report by the special representative of the OSCE Parliamentary
Assembly on Nagornyy Karabakh, Goran Lennmarker, was discussed jointly
by the Armenian and Azerbaijani delegations, Sattar Safarov, a member
of the Azerbaijani delegation, told ANS.
[Safarov, on the phone] The report said that [Azerbaijan’s] occupied
lands should be liberated and cleared of mines. Refugees and displaced
persons should return to their lands. It denounced aggression and
ethnic separatism. We started to discuss these issues. The
Parliamentary Assembly should impose economic and political sanctions
against the aggressor state.
[Correspondent] The Armenian side had its own arguments.
[Safarov] In support of their position, Armenia’s representatives said
that Karabakh was made part of Azerbaijan in the past. The talks were
proceeding very seriously. The Armenian side tried to justify their
aggressive policy. In turn, we criticized Armenia’s aggressive stance.
[Correspondent] The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly chairman and
secretary-general delivered their reports after the discussions [as
heard].
Afat Telmanqizi, ANS.