Armenian leader vows to fulfil European commitments
Public Television of Armenia, Yerevan
23 Jun 04
Presenter President Robert Kocharyan took questions from MPs after his
speech in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe PACE.
There were Turkish and Azerbaijani representatives among them as
well. Robert Kocharyan also held some important meetings in Strasbourg
this morning 23 June .
Correspondent Lilit Setrakyan from Strasbourg by telephone Good
evening Lilit, you are on the air.
Correspondent The Armenian president’s working visit to Strasbourg
started with official meetings. He first met the Norwegian prime
minister. PACE President Peter Schieder also met the Armenian
president. They talked about Armenia’s democratization and election of
Terry Davis as secretary-general of the Council of Europe which took
place yesterday. Peter Schieder welcomed Armenia’s steps towards
democratization under President Kocharyan and spoke highly of our
country’s commitments to the CE.
Today Robert Kocharyan also visited the European Court of Human Rights
(ECHR) and met the president of this organization, Luzius
Wildhaber. They discussed the improvements in the Armenian court
system and judiciary, without which, according to Robert Kocharyan,
there can be no democracy in the country. After the Armenian
president’s speech in the PACE, the MPs asked him questions. The
questions were mainly about Armenia’s integration into the European
Union, a settlement of the Karabakh conflict and regional cooperation.
Asked by PACE’s co-rapporteur on Armenia Jerzy Jaskiernia as to when
Armenia plans to implement its commitments regarding the electoral
code and constitutional reforms, President Kocharyan answered that
they will be ready by the end of this year.
The Turkish and Azerbaijani representatives also asked questions. The
Turks were mainly interested in the opening of the Armenian-Turkish
borders and the president’s opinion about the possibility of
cooperation and relations. Robert Kocharyan reiterated that relations
should be built without any conditions attached and called for
regional cooperation. The Azerbaijanis, as always, made use of this
opportunity and, like a broken record, once again talked about the
occupied territories and refugees. The hall applauded Robert Kocharyan
when he said that he had led the Karabakh movement since 1988 and that
he was proud of this.
The Armenian president again announced our country’s position that
they should develop regional cooperation, which according to Robert
Kocharyan will create a favourable atmosphere for the settlement of
the conflict. Generally speaking, judging by the applause, the
Armenian president’s speech was accepted positively by the PACE.
After the PACE session the Armenian president held a news conference
which was a good opportunity for Turkish and Azerbaijani journalists
to meet the Armenian president. There were mainly questions about
Karabakh. President Robert Kocharyan said that the Turkish and
Azerbaijani journalists should study and get familiarized with the
laws according to which Nagornyy Karabakh by referendum was declared
an independent state.
Speaking about Azerbaijan’s claims for 20 per cent of the occupied
territory and the problem of refugees, Robert Kocharyan said that
Azerbaijan should bear responsibility for everything since it was the
one to start the hostilities in a territory which did not belong them,
hoping that they would win.
Robert Kocharyan is now holding a meeting with the newly-elected
secretary-general of the Council of Europe, Terry Davis which is about
to end.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

AZERI OFFICIAL, MEDIA UNION CHIEF AGAINST JOINT RADIO PROJECT WITH ARMENIA
Ekho, Baku
23 Jun 04
Text of T. Alili report by Azerbaijani newspaper Ekho on 23 June
headlined “The Armenian-Azerbaijani radio wave” and subheaded “A
possible joint radio project is being examined”
Radio journalists from Xankandi (Stepanakert) will be engaged in a
joint Armenian-Azerbaijani project. The non-governmental organization
Conciliation Resources has joined a consortium which has drawn up a
project financed by the British government and numerous international
funds to assist a solution to the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict and
create an atmosphere of trust in the region. The organization is
working with the mass media.
It is scheduled within the framework of the project to create radio
journals which Armenia, Azerbaijan and the Nagornyy Karabakh region of
Azerbaijan could exchange. TV journalists Karine Musayelyan and Anait
Mirzoyan who attended a seminar organized by the Conciliation
Resources returned to Xankandi from Tbilisi a few days ago. The
preparations are still under way, however, the organization intends to
launch the project this summer.
The deputy executive secretary of the ruling New Azerbaijan Party
(NAP), Mubariz Qurbanli, is indignant that the journalists from
Xankandi joined the project as representatives of an independent
entity.
“Why is Nagornyy Karabakh engaged in the project as a separate entity,
not as part of Azerbaijan? The participation of our journalists in the
project is inexpedient. Broadly speaking, it aims to ”reconcile”
Azerbaijanis and Armenians. Then what to do with our refugees or the
occupied lands? I think there is no need for such projects and for
creating “such an atmosphere of trust”. The Karabakh separatists are
trying to come out of isolation in all possible ways. Projects of
this kind help them in this issue,” Qurbanli said.
He thinks that participation in mutual projects together with the
Karabakh separatists has become a bad tradition.
“Certain organizations and people who are ready to get grants
immediately appear as soon as an international organization announces
a competition or carries out a project in order “to establish
contacts” between Azerbaijanis, Armenians and the Karabakh
separatists. These people are obliged to think about the negative
consequences of their steps and the reaction of the country’s public,”
the NAP spokesman said.
The secretary-general of the Confederation of Azerbaijani Journalists
(CAJ), Azar Hasrat, called on the Azerbaijani journalists who are
going to join the Conciliation Resources project “to think again how
an occupier, separatist or terrorist can be trusted. Armenians from
Armenia and Nagornyy Karabakh cannot be trusted. Why are our
compatriots going to join the project? International organizations
want us to forget Nagornyy Karabakh. International bodies know that
journalists can help to shape public opinion. But I urge my colleagues
not to become a tool for Armenian separatism, the CAJ
secretary-general said.

SECURITY TREATY MILITARY COMPONENT TO BE BEEFED UP, SAYS BELARUSIAN DEFENCE
MINISTER
Interfax-AVN military news agency web site, Moscow
24 Jun 04
MINSK
The military component of the Collective Security Treaty Organization
(CSTO) will be enhanced, Belarusian Defence Minister Leonid Maltsev
told Interfax referring to the recent CSTO summit in Astana.
“The CSTO was meant to be a workable tool in the provision of regional
and global security,” he said.
Maltsev said that the CSTO combined air defence system would become a
single entity.
The CSTO is made up of Belarus, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,
Armenia and Tajikistan.

AZERI COURT JAILS FIVE FOR PICKET AGAINST ARMENIAN PRESENCE AT NATO MEETING
ANS TV, Baku
24 Jun 04
In accordance with the petition of the Nasimi district prosecutor’s
office, the Nasimi district court today sentenced the chairman of the
Karabakh Liberation Organization, Akif Nagi, and another four members,
Rovsan Fatiyev, Manaf Karimov, Mursal Hasanov and Ilkin Qurbanov, to
two months’ imprisonment.
The five men were arrested on 22 June in a picket outside the Hotel
Europe in protest against the presence of Armenian military officers
at a Baku-hosted seminar held within the framework of NATO’s
Partnership for Peace programme. The four were found guilty under the
Criminal Code article on hooliganism and putting up resistance to the
police, and Akif Nagi was found guilty under the article on inciting
people to illegal actions. They are being held at a temporary remand
centre in the Nasimi district for the time being. They will be
transferred to the Bayil prison tomorrow.
Firudin Mammadov, deputy chairman of the Karabakh Liberation
Organization, has been summoned to the Nasimi district prosecutor’s
office and is still being held there. According to information from
the prosecutor’s office, Firudin Mammadov has been asked to testify on
the 22 June incident.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

AZERI OFFICIAL, EXPERTS OUTRAGED BY ARMENIAN LEADER’S KARABAKH REMARKS
Turan news agency
24 Jun 04
BAKU
“One can only regret these absurd utterances which the Armenian
president (Robert Kocharyan) made from the Council of Europe’s
rostrum,” the head of the Azerbaijani presidential administration’s
foreign relations department, Novruz Mammadov, has told Turan news
agency.
“The address of the Armenian president was based on lies and he did
not even feel ashamed to lie to the European MPs,” Mammadov said,
commenting on Kocharyan’s speech at the summer session of the
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) yesterday.
He wondered how a serious politician can say that Karabakh has never
been part of Azerbaijan and had status equal to that of Azerbaijan
within the USSR. Mammadov regarded as scandalous Kocharyan’s
confession that he had taken part in the occupation of Azerbaijan’s
territories and described him as a separatist.
Political expert Rasim Musabayov described Kocharyan’s speech as “the
behaviour of an impudent man who does not understand where he is and
how one should behave at an international forum”. I think that many
European MPs were shocked by Kocharyan’s tricks, Musabayov said.
Political expert Zardust Alizada saw nothing new in Kocharyan’s
address. “Kocharyan’s behaviour testifies to the failure of
Azerbaijani diplomacy”, he said.

ARMENIAN LEADER “CREATING TENSION” TO COVER HIS OWN FAILURE – AZERI TV
ANS TV, Baku
24 Jun 04
(Presenter) Hostilities on the Armenian-Azerbaijani front line have
become a daily routine over the past month. Armenian attacks are
gradually taking on a more protracted nature.
(Passage omitted: A round-up of latest incidents on the front line)
(Reporter) There are grounds to say that intensive activities by the
Armenians have a number of reasons. First, Georgia and Azerbaijan made
statements on a number of serious economic projects earlier this
month. One of the projects that will ensure the Armenians’
international isolation is the construction of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars
railway link. If this project materializes, Armenia will lose its last
chance of linking to international communication lines.
The second is the continuing domestic political crisis in Armenia. On
14 June when another opposition rally was brutally dispersed in
Yerevan, the Dashnaks fired at the village of Mazam in Qazax District
(northwest Azerbaijan) on the front line.
It seems that Armenian President Robert Kocharyan wants to counter
Azerbaijan’s success in the international arena and his own failure in
Armenia by creating tension on the front line. In this context, his
radical statement from the rostrum (of the Parliamentary Assembly of
the Council of Europe) in Strasbourg on 23 June is no coincidence.
(Kocharyan said that Karabakh has never been part of independent
Azerbaijan and that Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity has nothing to
do with the Nagornyy Karabakh Republic)

RIA Novosti, Russia
June 24 2004
ARMENIAN PRESIDENT’S SPEECH IN STRASBOURG POSITIVE
YEREVAN, June 24, 2004 (RIA Novosti) – Armenian President Robert
Kocharian believes regional cooperation in the South Caucasus is a
good start for settlement of ongoing conflicts. He voiced his
viewpoint on a session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council
of Europe in Strasbourg.
The presidential press service said Robert Kocharian had spoken for
development of regional cooperation in the South Caucasus aimed at
“both harmonization of legislations and restoration of the
transportation network and implementation of joint energy projects.”
According to Mr. Kocharian, “the South Cucasus as a single economic
space is more valuable than each South Caucasian state may dream of
alone.”
The South Caucasus has always been sesnsible to external impact. The
South Caucasus is the place where civilizations meet, with due
account of its energy and transportation potential it has always lain
in the interests of third countries. It is the very thing that made
us follow comprehensive foreign policy,” Mr. Kocharian stressed.
“We are responsible for stability in the region and we must take
actions to smooth over the problems, not to escalate them. Due to
such an approach we now have confidential relations with the USA, the
European Union and Iran; we have traditional close relations with
Russia as well,” – he added.

ArmenPress
June 24 2004
OPPOSITION MEMBER COMMENDS KOCHARIAN
YEREVAN, JUNE 24, ARMENPRESS: A senior opposition member commended
today president Robert Kocharian for “voicing, for the first time, a
clear cut position on Nagorno Karabagh conflict, by saying (at PACE
session on June 23) that Karabagh has never been part of independent
Azerbaijan.”
“At last Robert Kocharian said that by deciding to break off from
Azerbaijan Nagorno Karabagh did not violate its territorial
integrity,” Aram Sarkisian, the leader of the Democratic party, told
a news conference today
“At the time of collapse of the Soviet Union two states were
formed: the Azerbaijani Republic on the territory of Azerbaijani
Soviet Socialist Republic and Republic of Nagorno Karabagh on the
territory of the Nagorno Karabagh Autonomous Region. Establishment of
both these states has similar legal grounds. The territorial
integrity of Azerbaijan, henceforth, has nothing to do with the
Republic of Nagorno Karabagh,” Kocharian said in Strasbourg.
Sarkisian also praised Kocharian for saying that Armenia is ready to
discuss the issue of settling that conflict in the legal domain, but
added that he could not understand why then Kocharian spoke
enthusiastically about the Key West arrangement, “as it contains a
set of points which are unacceptable for both Armenia and Karabagh,
like automatic return of all occupied Azeri regions that would have
fatal consequences for Karabagh.” He went on to argue that neither
the “step-by-step” regulation option, advocated by Azerbaijan nor the
“package” one, supported by Armenia are feasible. Therefore,
according to him, there should a third option, a combination of both.
Concerning concessions on part of Armenia, Sarkisian said Armenia
must establish a ceiling not to go beyond it. He concluded by saying
that the regulation process will see vigorous efforts after the end
of US presidential election.

ArmenPress
June 24 2004
ARMENIA AN ORGANIZED AND STABLY DEVELOPING PARTNER COUNTRY
BERLIN, JUNE 24, ARMENPRESS: The working visit of Armenian prime
minister to the Federal Republic of Germany continues. The
German-Armenian Economic Cooperation Day Conference opened at the
German Center of Industrialists yesterday morning. Armenian
Ambassador to Germany, Karine Ghazinian, delivered the opening
message stating that it is difficult to overestimate the significance
of this meeting, the evidence of which was a high-ranked delegation,
headed by Armenian prime minister. The ambassador thanked the German
Development Agency, German Industry and Commerce Chamber, German
ministry of economic cooperation and development, as well as Eastern
Commission of the Technical Cooperation for support in organizing the
conference. Hoping that the conference will present Armenia as a
reliable partner ambassador Karine Ghazinian wished a fruitful work
to the conference participants.
Armenian prime minister Andranik Margarian also greeted the
participant. In his speech he said in particular,
“Ladies and Gentlemen, dear friends,
I would like to welcome all participants and guests of the
“Armenian-German Economic Cooperation Day” Conference on behalf of
the government of the Republic of Armenia and myself, wishing us all
productive work both in the course of plenary sessions and individual
business meetings.
I am confident that this Conference will provide a good
environment to achieve its main objective-to deepen and further
develop the economic cooperation between the Federal Republic of
Germany and the Republic of Armenia and give a new incentive to
enlargement and consolidation of the existing ties between the
business communities of the two countries.
The ongoing political, economic and social reforms, launched after
Armenia declared its independence, have penetrated over the recent
years into quite a different qualitative phase. Ensuring full and
effective operation of all public administration bodies of
independent Armenia, anchored on democratic values and combined with
apparent achievements of the country’s economic policy, allows us to
qualify today the Republic of Armenia as the most organized and
harmonized developing country in the region.
Notable is the fact that the cornerstone of these economic
achievements is the developments of export-oriented branches of
economy, producing competitive goods and services for international
markets, which is the main priority of all programs, implemented by
the government of Armenia. Worth mentioning, in this context, is the
importance of financial, technological and human investments,
implemented in Armenia by companies from our partner countries. It
should also be registered that currently the European Union is the
biggest trade and economic partner of Armenia. I hope that the
European Union’s enlargement by another ten members in last May,
expansion of cooperation and a future harmonized increase in the
overall trade turnover volumes that will certainly mark a significant
progress, will serve as a new impetus to maintaining and
consolidating this position, having in mind that Armenia has taken
the path of European integration and its desire to build a state in
compliance with European political and economic criteria. In this
respect we emphasize the enlargement of bilateral trade and economic
relationships with EU member countries, which is promoted also by
initiating and organization of businesses forums. I am pleased to
have the opportunity to point out the volumes of cooperation
projects, which we started to implement with the Federal Republic of
Germany since 1993, the importance of the involved branches and their
efficiency. The total volume of projects, implemented within the
frameworks of Technical and Financial Cooperation, and since 2001 in
the frameworks of the regional Caucasian Initiative Program, in terms
of money, has exceeded 150 million euros. Among these projects worth
mentioning are the project for the Support to Small and Medium-Sized
Entrepreneurship (18.9 million euros), creation of Bank Deposits
Guarantee System (4 million euros), Urgent Assistance to Energy
System (17.9 million euros) and Rehabilitation of Utility
Infrastructures (37.4 million euros). This Conference will provide a
practical opportunity to representatives of business community of
both countries to revise their bilateral business potentials, to seek
for new approaches from the viewpoint of making economic cooperation
between Germany and Armenia as effective as possible. The reports to
be made at the Conference by the Armenian side will provide an
in-depth look into various sectors of Armenian economy that will
become an additional incentive for German businessmen to invest in
the Armenian economy and establish new business contacts. In
conclusion I would like to once again welcome this very important
initiative wishing all its participants successful work.”
Greeting the participant , South Caucasus German Parliamentary
Group Chairman Christopher Bergner expressed his pleasure for the
composition of Armenian delegation. He also wished a successful work
to conference participants expressing belief that Armenian German
economic relations will enjoy not only the support of the parliament
but the political forces, too. In his message he said in particular,
“I am happy that Armenian prime minister assessed so highly the
Caucasian Initiative project. The prime minister justly noted that we
should think about European enlargement, when speaking about economic
relations. European countries thought it necessary to include South
Caucasus countries in the Wider Europe: New Neighbors project and
have succeeded in their efforts. We should not devalue its
significance in this conference because it can open up new
privileges.” He also said in his speech that a delegation of German
parliamentary visited South Caucasus a month ago and was assured that
the project is giving good fruits. The European Commission is
developing different projects for implementing Wider Europe: New
Neighbors scheme, but the commission should not be alone in its
efforts, he said. During the day the Andranik Margarian visited
Potsdam Plaz, Zezilienhof complex which is in Potsdam, the capital of
Brandenburg, where a dinner was organized in the honor of Armenia
prime minister on behalf of German minister of education and science
Stefan Reiche. During the dinner the sides discussed issues on
cooperation in the field of education and culture. Andranik Margarian
greeted the efforts of Brandenburg education and science ministry for
including truthful facts about the Armenian Genocide in the history
textbooks of educational establishments. He also discussed the
possibility of recognizing Armenian Genocide by separate regional
landtags. The prime minister thanked Brandenburg regional government
for supporting the reconstruction of the exhibition hall after
Johannes Lepsius. He voiced his hope that after the reconstruction
Lepsius’s dream of having German-Armenian academy will come true,
stating that the Armenian government, Armenian Academy of Sciences,
and Matenadaran are ready to provide information and scientific
support to the establishment of the academy. Andranik Margarian
thanked Brandenburg regional educational minister for his support in
recognition of Armenian genocide and invited him to participate in
the 90-th international conference devoted to Armenian genocide which
will be held in 2005 in Yerevan. The minister thankfully accepted the
invitation. Andranik Margarian also visited historical monuments of
Potsdam accompanied by regional justice minister on European issues
Barbara Rikhchstein. In the evening a reception was organized by
German Center of Industrialists in the honor of the participants of
Armenian-German Economic Day conference.

ArmenPress
June 24 2004
AHKTAMAR FILM RELEASED
YEREVAN, JUNE 24, ARMENPRESS: The Yerevan-based Moskva cinema
house will screen on June 27 the first showing of a new film, called
Akhtamar, based on the same name poem by Armenian poet Hovhanes
Tumanian. The music is composed by an Istanbul-based Armenian
composer Sirvard Garamanuk.
The film is about a young man, who attempting to cross the water
to get to his lover Tamar, living on an island in the middle of Lake
Van (in Turkey) ultimately succumbs to the waves in the night, “after
their secret love was revealed by some jealous enemies, who put down
the light, that served for him as a beacon and all frustrated were
his hopes to see the familiar light in the dark. Pulling all his
strength together, in vain he tried to find his way”.
The film was shot by a combined crew of producer, director and
cameramen from Armenia and New York on Lake Sevan . “The idea of the
film is to introduce the young generation to classical and
traditional Armenian art, ” film producer said today.