Ex-Soviet Republics to Boost Cooperation
By BAGILA BUKHARBAYEVA
The Associated Press
06/18/04 17:16 EDT
ASTANA, Kazakhstan (AP) – Russian President Vladimir Putin and leaders
of several former Soviet republics agreed Friday to step up economic
ties and expand military cooperation, restoring some of the links
severed by the Soviet collapse.
Russia has been seeking closer military and security ties with several
Central Asian nations, apparently in response to the deployment of
U.S. troops in the region to back Washington’s anti-terror campaign
in neighboring Afghanistan.
“We are creating real instruments of integration. It’s not just talk,”
Putin said after summits of the Russia-dominated Collective Security
Treaty Organization and the Eurasian Economic Community.
Putin and the leaders of Kazakhstan, Armenia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan
and Tajikistan discussed regional security and agreed to intensify
military contacts, increasing the Collective Security Treaty’s rapid
reaction forces, Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev said.
The alliance now has nine battalions based in Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan,
Kazakhstan and Russia and plans by 2010 to form a mobile force intended
to quickly respond to security threats to its members.
Nazarbayev said they also agreed on a mechanism for participation in
international U.N.-led peacekeeping efforts. He said it was “a new
area of cooperation,” but did not give details.
Last year, Russia opened a military base in Kyrgyzstan under
the Collective Security Treaty to provide air support for future
anti-terrorist operations.
The leaders of Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan
also signed agreements on adopting unified laws, circulation
of securities and regulating banking activity among the Eurasian
Economic Community.
The group was created in 2000 to restore lost economic ties after
the 1991 Soviet collapse. Members plan to form a customs union by
2006 and are working on creating unified transport and energy systems.
The countries also agreed Friday to set unified railway tariffs
on transportation of grain and other goods through one another’s
territory.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said Russia provided
information on its negotiations to enter the World Trade Organization,
breaking its silence on the issue – which would aid other countries
in their talks to enter the trade body.
Kyrgyzstan is already a member of the WTO, which regulates
international trade rules. Russia has sought WTO membership for years.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Karabakh minister hails Armenian diaspora’s role in Karabakh settlement
Mediamax news agency
18 Jun 04
Yerevan, 18 June: The authorities of the Nagornyy Karabakh Republic
[NKR] are ready to participate in negotiations in any format and
search for ways to resolve the conflict without damaging the vital
interests of the Karabakh people.
The NKR foreign minister, Ashot Gulyan, told a meeting in Stepanakert
[Xankandi] with a group of young Armenian specialists from the USA,
the press service of the NKR Foreign Ministry has reported.
Gulyan highly assessed the role of the Armenian diaspora in maintaining
Karabakh’s interests, including in the postwar restoration of the
republic. Saying that the Karabakh leadership is facing major tasks
for the socioeconomic development of the NKR, the minister expressed
his confidence in the further support of the Armenian diaspora in
these issues.

Armenian political representatives from parliaments abroad meet in Yerevan
Public Television of Armenia, Yerevan
17 Jun 04
The Armenian MPs of 25 counties’ parliaments around the world and their
colleagues from other nationalities assembled in the Armenian capital
[on 17 June]. A session of the Armenian Assembly of [Deputy] Friendship
will be held for the first time in Armenia, on Friday [18 June].
President Robert Kocharyan received the MPs who had arrived from
abroad at his residence on Thursday [17 June]. He expressed the hope
that this event will continue.
We have gained a working experience with those countries where there
is an Armenian Diaspora and have many friends there. We are interested
in consolidation of friendly relations and will enrich them by various
means. The participants of the Yerevan assembly are sure, irrespective
of the results, that the assembly itself is a significant start for
Armenia-Diaspora political relations.
[Video showed the meeting.]

Armenian servicemen yet to apply for visas for Baku NATO conference
Noyan Tapan news agency
18 Jun 04
Yerevan, 18 June: The Armenian servicemen will apply for entry visas to
Azerbaijan at its embassy in Tbilisi on 21 June, in order to leave for
Baku the next day, to take part in the [22 June] planning conference
of the NATO Cooperative Best Effort-2004 exercises, a spokesman for
the Armenian Defence Ministry, Seyran Shakhsuvaryan told a Noyan
Tapan correspondent.
Previously Mr Shakhsuvaryan said that the Armenian officers must apply
to the Azerbaijani embassy in Georgia on 16 June. He said that similar
information was obtained from the NATO leadership, which ensured the
visas for the Armenians.
Col Shakhsuvaryan could not answer the question of whether the
Armenian servicemen will succeed in getting to Baku this time. To
recap, the Armenian military delegation could not participate in the
previous conference.
The Azerbaijani newspaper Ekho, quoting the Azerbaijani embassy in
Georgia, wrote that two to three days are necessary to obtain visas,
but in exceptional cases it is possible to do it within one day.

Armenian foreign minister says Turkey wants to open its border
Mediamax news agency
18 Jun 04
Yerevan, 18 June: The political dialogue between Armenia and Turkey
is continuing, however, it has not resulted in a positive improvement
yet, Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan told reporters in
Yerevan today.
He added that the programme of the Armenian delegation which will
participate in NATO’s Istanbul summit does not envisage a meeting
with his Turkish opposite number Abdullah Gul.
Vardan Oskanyan said that no great importance should be attached to
various reports about the impending opening of the Armenian-Turkish
border. At the same time, the minister noted the importance of this
problem for Armenia and did not rule out that the opening of the
border was also “Turkey’s desire”.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Armenian president welcomes CIS security body’ cooperation with NATO
Interfax-Kazakhstan news agency, Almaty
18 Jun 04
Astana, 18 June: The member states of the Collective Security
Treaty Organization (CSTO) [Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,
Tajikistan and Russia] may actively cooperate with NATO in a bilateral
and multilateral format, Armenian President Robert Kocharyan believes.
“The organization reacts to this calmly and positively assesses
the possibility for cooperation between the states (of CSTO –
Interfax-Kazakhstan) and NATO, as well as in the NATO-CSTO format,”
Kocharyan said, answering questions from journalists at a news
conference in Astana today, which was given jointly by the leaders
of all the CSTO member states.
Kocharyan also noted that on the same day the CSTO member states
signed a basic document regulating partnership with NATO on a wide
range of issues, specifically, on the fight against terrorism, drug
trafficking and WMD proliferation.
Kocharyan stressed that the document provided for specific mechanisms
for cooperation.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Armenian official upbeat on fight against human trafficking
Ayots Ashkhar, Yerevan
17 Jun 04
An interview with the head of the Armenian government’s Migration
and Refugees Department, Gagik Yeganyan. He comments on the Armenian
section of the latest annual US State Department report on human
trafficking.
[Gagik Yeganyan] The fact that according to the US State Department,
Armenia is among the countries of the second group is satisfactory. It
is also good for Armenia that the report said if Armenia continues
its fight against trafficking in the same way and with the same
consistency, it cannot be ruled out that the country may be included
in the first group in the future. The countries which fight this
phenomenon with all their possible means are included in this group.
[Passage omitted: Details of the report]
[Ayots Ashkhar correspondent] Mr Yeganyan, what kind of work has been
launched in Armenia to organize a fight against human trafficking?
[Yeganyan] In the report drawn up four years ago, our country was in
the third group. This assessment of Armenia was like a cold shower,
as their approach was very strict and unexpected. In any case, we
were not disappointed ending up in such a situation, but were given
an incentive and concentrated all our efforts on making the fight
against trafficking more organized. The point is that inclusion in
this or that group is not determined by the volume of trafficking. The
assessment depends on the effectiveness of steps taken against this
evil. Slave trade was annihilated in the previous century. This is
why isolated cases of this phenomenon are considered to be a slap in
the face of all mankind.
In Armenia, the fight against human trafficking started with the
formation of an interdepartmental group on an instruction from
the prime minister. The group was instructed to develop a national
strategic programme of the fight against trafficking. The document was
ready this January and was approved by the government. Systematized
approaches form the basis of the fight, which makes it possible
not only to eliminate the consequences of trafficking, but also to
stamp it out, to take relevant retaliatory steps and to rule out the
conditions that generate it.
It is clear to the world that in Armenia, not only do we understand
the importance of fighting trafficking, we also take certain effective
steps. Naturally, in parallel with our country’s integration into
European structures, progress will become more evident, which is why
doubts about its irreversibility may not be well-founded.
[Correspondent] What are the signs of human trafficking in Armenia?
[Yeganyan] About 600,000-800,000 people are involved in the trafficking
process in the world every year. Human trafficking is aimed mainly at
the sexual exploitation of women and children. Only isolated cases
have been registered in Armenia. In fact, in our country there is
no stratum or a group which would use the results of trafficking. In
our country, there is no stratum of people who would want to pay for
such services. Just two cases of trafficking have been registered
in our country: a group of Uzbek women using false passports tried
to cross the border of the United Arab Emirates from Armenia. They
did not manage to do this and decided to work as prostitutes in our
country. The second group was also from Uzbekistan – young girls
decided to work as prostitutes in our country. Fortunately, Armenia
is not the best country for such activities. Three years ago, the
International Organization for Migration carried out research and
discovered 58 cases when Armenians were trafficked mainly in Arab
countries and Turkey. I am sure that not all the registered cases may
be regarded as human trafficking. Many people understand why they
go there. Simply people involved in such conditions, when they are
exposed, present the situation as trafficking.

Armenian army reportedly seizes Azeri village road, residents evacuated
ANS TV, Baku
17 Jun 04
War is continuing on the contact line of the armed forces [of Armenia
and Azerbaijan]. Quoting Qazax residents [western Azerbaijan] as
saying, the Ganca bureau of ANS TV reports that the Armenian army
took control of a road leading to the village of Mazam last night.
The village has come under intensive fire. Our regional correspondent
reports that Mazam residents are being moved to safer areas. Our
correspondent Sahla Abdinova is on the scene and we are trying to
contact her.

Karabakh official calls on Armenian journalists to fight “information war”
Golos Armenii, Yerevan
17 Jun 04
Journalists in Armenia and Karabakh should improve their reporting
of the conflict with Azerbaijan and present Armenia’s case more
clearly, a media official from the self-declared Nagornyy Karabakh
Republic has said. The official called on the Armenian media to
stop their “information pacifism” and make it clear that Azerbaijan
is a “genocidal state” where hatred of Armenians has become state
policy. He said that “Azeri journalists are leading us not to peace
but to war”. The following is the text of De Facto agency director
Karen Zakharyan’s interview with Aleksandr Grigoryan, head of the
NKR president’s main information council, as published by Armenian
newspaper Golos Armenii on 17 June and headlined “To fight means to
fight”; subheadings inserted editorially:
An interview with Aleksandr Grigoryan, head of the NKR [Nagornyy
Karabakh Republic] president’s main information council.
[De Facto agency director Karen Zakharyan] Mr Grigoryan, we have
recently seen a new round of political activity by international
structures, in particular European ones, in the South Caucasus. It
is clear that this increase in activity, irrespective of the reasons
for it, cannot take place in isolation away from the eyes of the mass
media. Do you, as an experienced journalist and also a state official,
think that the Armenian and NKR media have responded appropriately
to this increased activity?
[Aleksandr Grigoryan] Thanks to the media, including the Armenian
media, you learned about the increased activity. Now about the
appropriateness. Its level is defined first of all by social demand,
second by the corporate interests of the media and third by the
professionalism and level of education of journalists. As all these
parameters are not the same in all media, their “appropriateness”
is different. For instance, if today Armenian society is more worried
about domestic political than foreign policy problems, so the media
of Armenia will prefer domestic political issues. Is this approach
appropriate to the increased activity in the South Caucasus? Yes and no
at the same time. Yes – regarding society in Armenia, the interests of
which are today focused mainly on the authorities’ domestic policy. No
– regarding the regional realities, the significance of which far
exceeds the problems within Armenia. That is, under the concept
of “appropriateness” first of all I understand social order. As
for appropriateness in terms of content, the media individually
usually reflect and explain issues stemming from the order of their
proprietors, be they their “benefactors” who may be grant donors,
different parties, the current authorities, ambitious businessmen,
etc. It is another matter whether this benefits society.
Armenian media coverage of Karabakh conflict poor
[Correspondent] Much may be said about the content of the Armenian
mass media. This is a theme for another discussion. As for social
demand, it is directed inwards, rather than towards the problems that
largely define everything else, including domestic problems. How do
you assess coverage of the Karabakh conflict by the Armenian mass
media? Are there differences in coverage of the conflict in Armenia
and the NKR? Why is this?
[Grigoryan] I should say that the level of the Karabakh conflict
coverage by the mass media of Armenia and the NKR is not high. This
applies to almost all the mass media of recognized Armenia and the
unrecognized NKR. If we take the pro-government mass media, they deal
only with advertising specific steps by the leadership to settle
the conflict. On the contrary, the opposition mass media obstruct
the actions of the authorities. And the so-called “independent”
press thinks more about its material prosperity than about the
Karabakh problem. For this reason, the latter often put forward
diametrically opposing thoughts under the cover of what they call
acquainting their consumers with different viewpoints. They may not
agree with me, but I do not see a definite position of the Armenian
mass media on the problem. I do not see a fair interest in coverage of
the problem. Otherwise the mass media would at least try to present
to us the viewpoints of serious politicians and political scientists
from outside Armenia and Karabakh. Moreover, sometimes we come across
material, the authors of which have forgotten that the war with
Azerbaijan has not finished yet. It has simply been transferred to
another plane, the political and economic and information field. The
motherland is protected not only on the battle field. And betrayal
takes place not only at the front. Azeri journalists have learned this
truth very well. We should not forget it either. I am saying this as
a man who has worked for many years in the mass media of Armenia and
Karabakh, as well as Azerbaijan.
Azeri journalists “leading us to war”
[Correspondent] You reluctantly touched on a “painful” theme:
coverage of the Karabakh conflict by the Azerbaijani press. Different
falsifications in the Azeri press on the Karabakh issue have already
set teeth on edge. Nevertheless they are continuing and, to be honest,
sometimes we do not know how to respond to impudent lies, if not to
keep silence. What do the mass media of Armenia need to fight properly
against the Azeri insinuations? It is clear that censorship or any
coordination centre may not be set up – times have changed. But what
then? How can Karabakh be protected from malicious attacks?
[Grigoryan] Azeri journalists are leading us not to peace, but to
war. If somebody is fighting you, you should either fight or surrender,
recognizing that the enemy is right. Different insinuations by the
Azeri press are the tactics of the Azeri mass media. You might object
and say that the Armenian press is also fighting, but it does it
in another way – by means of calling on their Azeri counterparts
to build bridges of trust. But do you not agree that the more we
and our Western sponsors talk about the need to build bridges, the
more aggressive are the attacks of our Azeri counterparts. We have
been so silent that by means of the Azeri mass media, a viewpoint
has been formed about us in the world as “occupiers”, “terrorists”
and other outcasts of the world community. We have to remember: as
long as the top leadership of Azerbaijan aspires to recognize Armenia
as an “aggressor”, we do not have the right to deal in unilateral
information pacifism. Any cease-fire, including an information one,
envisages at least two opposing parties.
I have said several times that the Armenian information machine
has to call things by their names. The realities are the following:
Azerbaijan is a genocidal state; aggressive Armeno-phobia has reached
the level of Azerbaijani state policy; official Baku is fighting the
whole Armenian nation, not only Armenia and Karabakh. Tell me please,
may a Russian or Turkish citizen of Armenian origin, who has nothing
to do with Karabakh or Armenia, buy a ticket in Moscow or Ankara and
go to the capital city of Azerbaijan and walk freely along the streets
of Baku? Certainly he cannot. Official Baku does not even allow state
leaders of Armenian origin to attend any international events taking
place there. “We do not knock at the door of the enemy, but the enemy
aspires to come to us,” one of the top officials of Azerbaijan said
recently. How can we pay compliments to the enemy in the information
field when there are such realities? Whether we want it or not,
by means of our information peacekeeping we are confusing the world
community, which has forgotten why the Armenians of Karabakh want to
separate themselves de jure from Azerbaijan, and believes more in the
fairy story about Armenian “aggression”. Freedom of speech should be
kept everywhere, but not during coverage of our enemy’s behaviour,
if we intend to conti nue to prove to the world why the Karabakhis
opted for self-determination.
[Correspondent] It stems from your words that journalists of Armenia
and Karabakh should become like their Azeri counterparts. By the way,
I used to meet them at events organized by the NKR Foreign Ministry
in Stepanakert. They are pleasant, nice boys, who are interested in
talking and drinking vodka. Do you not think that an “information
war” concept is not appropriate, if we aspire to a real settlement
of the conflict?
[Grigoryan] The Baku members of the KVN [satirical comedy team]
were also pleasant when they performed with our boys. But this did
not stop the captain of the Baku team, Anar Mammadxanov (by the way,
a deputy in parliament) announcing recently that Armenians should be
killed in Karabakh. I would like to be understood correctly. I am
not talking about comparing our journalists to the Baku ones. I am
saying that our information machine should make the Azeri one prove
every time that Azerbaijan is not a genocidal country, that Armenians
can any time come to Baku and walk along the Baku seafront. If the
mass media of Azerbaijan will start proving this to us, Armenians,
in that case the time for an information cease-fire will have come
and the information war will stop. But at the moment not they, but we
are trying to prove to the world the known truth that we do not wish
anything bad on Azerbaijan. Moreover, there are people among us who
from time to time try to “explain” to Azeris why Armenians allegedly
are not inclined to compromise. Where is the way out? The way out
is in the behaviour of each of us, workers in the Armenian mass
media. The way out is in knowing the mentality of Azeri journalists,
in knowing political thought in Azerbaijan, finally in knowing oneself
as a journalist and in defining one’s own priorities, irrespective
of the domestic political juncture in Armenia and Karabakh and the
size of external grants. Azerbaijan also gets grants, but they have
not promoted love for Armenians.
Balance needed in information war
[Correspondent] It is clear. Nevertheless I would like to know the role
of the information field as one of the main means of influencing the
conflict. Recently a page has appeared on the BBC web site specially
dedicated to the Nagornyy Karabakh settlement. To be honest, judging
from the talk of professional journalists and ordinary people on the
problem of the Karabakh settlement, I do not hope for an information
armistice in future. But the organizers of the page seem to hope for
one. They may be understood, but are they not naive in their noble
aspirations? What hampers the realization of these aspirations? How
can the “information support” of the BBC and other such initiators
promote settlement of the problem?
[Grigoryan] To be honest, I do not trust the effectiveness of such
measures as “sites of support” or “TV bridges” when we speak about
today’s Azerbaijan. If those measures were useful, one could use them
all the time and settle the problem. The realities are diametrically
opposite. The reality is that such an authoritative and respected,
decent journalist, Mais Mammadov, who earlier was the USSR central
TV correspondent on Azerbaijan, and who visited Karabakh many
times and really knows our problems, today comes forward in the Baku
pro-government press with a call for war against Armenians. “Today we
need titanic efforts to return Karabakh,” Mais Mammadov says “We again
have to prepare ourselves for a possible war. Because as the ancients
say, this is the shortest way to peace.” Mais Mammadov’s words mean
to me the end of hope for an armistice on the information and other
fronts. It is important for me that such people as Mais Mammadov, but
not dubious Azeri human rights protectors speak about peace, as they
have no authority in Azeri society. It is necessary that [authors]
Anar, Rustam and Maqsud Ibrahimbayov speak about bridges of trust,
because the Azeri nation trusts them. KVN captain Anar Mammadxanov and
finally Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, but not [rights activists]
Eldar Zeynalov or Arzu Abdullayeva should speak about bridges of trust.
[Correspondent] Does it mean war again?
[Grigoryan] If today the cease-fire is kept by the balance of forces,
there should also be a balance in the information war as well. Breaking
the balance in the information war will unavoidably lead to breaking
the balance in the public consciousness of Armenian and Azeri society,
which in its turn may lead to imbalance in the military sphere as
well, that is, to a new war. I think this is the main role of the
influence of the Armenian mass media on their own and other nations
while we have a conflict with our irreconcilable neighbour.

Armenian leader urges regional cooperation at Kazakh summit
Public Television of Armenia, Yerevan
18 Jun 04
[Presenter] A summit of the leaders of the member countries of the
Collective Security Treaty Organization [CSTO] is taking place in
Astana [Kazakhstan]. Armenian President Robert Kocharyan is also taking
part in the summit. President Kocharyan today delivered a speech
in the Kazakh capital during a forum called Eurasian Integration:
Contemporary Development Tendencies and Globalization Challenges of
the Eurasian Economic Community. He stated that the Eurasian Economic
Community promotes the re-establishment of severed ties and creates
a new level of cooperation, which will have a positive influence
on the development pace of the countries. He noted that for speedy
development, it is necessary to ensure not only domestic and economic
stability, but also security.
[Correspondent Lilit Setrakyan from Astana] This is the second day of
the visit to Astana by the presidents of Armenia, Russia, Belarus,
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. This morning they took part
in an international forum of the Eurasian Economic Community, which
discussed this organization’s preliminary tasks. Belarus, Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan established this organization –
the Eurasian Economic Community (EurAsEc) – in 2000.
To recap, Armenia is participating in EurAsEc as an observer. President
Kocharyan welcomed the forum’s work and noted that the Eurasian
Economic Community promotes the re-establishment of severed ties
and creates a new level of cooperation. Robert Kocharyan stressed
that Eurasia is a crossroads of civilizations, cultures and state
traditions. This is a serious factor in intergovernmental relations,
which opens new horizons and at the same time, requires efforts to
bring different countries’ economies closer to each other.
President Kocharyan also touched upon Armenia’s economic situation
and stated that like most of the Eurasian countries, our country
has already overcome the difficulties of the transition period
thanks to the current political and economic reforms, which places
new tasks and obligations on the countries. One of them is regional
cooperation. President Kocharyan stressed the importance of regional
organizations’ integration, first of all in the sphere of energy and
transport communications.
The Armenian president noted that the conflicts in the South Caucasus
are an obstacle to the development of the region as a whole and its
countries. Regional cooperation and integration processes could provide
regional security, stability and a settlement to current conflicts.
The leaders of the six countries continued to discuss Eurasian issues
after the summit during a session of the security council. Regional
and international security and world issues were on the agenda. The
leaders of the member countries will also discuss cooperation in
the foreign political, military and military-technical spheres. The
presidents’ joint news conference is expected after the session. The
delegation led by Robert Kocharyan will return to Yerevan tonight.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress