Le Point
24 juin 2004
Nice – Patrimoine vivant; Histoires de familles
AUTEUR: Christophe Courau
Le Bottin de Nice est un livre d’histoire. Les patronymes des grandes
familles, certaines établies depuis le Moyen Age, y côtoient des noms
de lignées immigrées du Piémont, réfugiées de Russie ou rapatriées
d’Algérie – sans parler des Français « de l’intérieur ». Autant de
tribus à convoquer pour raconter la saga de cette ville à part.
Ils sont tous niçois. Sacristain, médecin, employée municipale,
avocat à la retraite, ou responsable des chauffeurs de la ville,
chacun d’entre eux porte un nom illustre. Ce sont les descendants des
« consuls », ces quelque 340 familles qui ont dirigé Nice pendant
quatre siècles, du XVe au XVIIe.
La plupart de ces patronymes renommés figurent toujours dans le
bottin local.« Les consuls n’étaient pas confinés à un cercle social
» , observe Hervé Barelli, chargé de mission Patrimoine et Culture
régionale auprès du sénateur-maire. Celui qui se définit en souriant
comme« chargé des affaires autochtones » récuse toute idée de
dynasties.« S’il fallait vraiment caractériser ces familles, il
vaudrait mieux utiliser le mot de tribus , assure-t-il.On serait,
pour la plupart d’entre elles, bien incapable de retracer avec
certitude leurs liens avec les consuls qui portaient leur nom. Mis à
part certaines familles nobles, bien identifiées. » Mais une partie
de la noblesse locale est issue de la bourgeoisie :« Les bourgeois
qui ont bien servi les intérêts du prince de Savoie, chef de l’Etat
du comté de Nice jusqu’en 1860, ont été anoblis » , rappelle
l’historien.
Grands ancêtres
L’histoire a ainsi retenu le nom de la famille Peyre. Etablie à Nice
depuis au moins 1333, elle devient l’une des riches familles
marchandes du XVIe siècle. Le grand ancêtre s’appelle Guido. Il aura
quatre fils, dont les diverses branches participeront régulièrement à
la vie de la cité. Le fils aîné, Honoré, sera consul en 1756 et son
propre fils, Jean-Baptiste, le sera à son tour en 1610. Le deuxième
fils, Guido, sera trésorier de la ville entre 1569 et 1576. Parmi ses
descendants, on note un certain Pierre-Jean, docteur ès lois et
avocat au sénat de Nice, mais aussi Louis-François, consul en 1707,
ou encore Ange-Louis, coseigneur de Chteauneuf.
Le troisième fils de Guido, Lancelot, exercera la fonction d’avocat
et l’un de ses héritiers, Emmanuel Philibert, poursuivant la
tradition juridique de la famille, sera au XIXe siècle avocat général
du royaume de Savoie. Enfin, le dernier rejeton de Guido Peyre, Jean,
sera anobli en 1617. La nombreuse descendance de ce riche commerçant,
devenu marquis de Chteauneuf, donnera à de nombreuses reprises des
consuls à la ville. En 1828, le dernier descendant du marquisat
disparaît sans héritier. Le titre passera, de fille en neveu, jusqu’à
la famille de Cessole.
Noblesse savoyarde
Cette dernière famille est, elle aussi, issue du commerce. Joseph
Spitalieri, négociant, s’établit à Nice au début du XVIIIe siècle.
Son fils, Honoré-François, sera consul à deux reprises et acquiert le
fief comtal de Cessole, dans le Piémont. La famille Spitalieri de
Cessole restera active dans la vie politique niçoise tout au long du
XIXe siècle. En 1937, le dernier des Cessole, Victor, fera don de sa
bibliothèque à la ville.
Parmi ceux qui ont eu la chance d’être anoblis par les Savoie avant
1860 figurent aussi les Avigdor. Cette famille d’origine juive
s’installe à Nice au XVIIe siècle. Isaac Samuel, né à Nice en 1694,
démarre un florissant commerce d’étoffe. Un siècle plus tard, Avigdor
Aîné et Fils constitue l’une des plus importantes sociétés de négoce
de Méditerranée. Les Avigdor se lancent alors dans la banque et
créent une filature de soie.
Un Avigdor deviendra officier municipal en 1800, puis consul de
Prusse. Son fils, Moïse-Jules, député au parlement de Savoie, sera
anobli par le duc de Savoie. La dernière représentante de la famille,
qui habitait encore New York il y a une dizaine d’années, n’oubliera
pas sa ville d’origine : elle a légué sa collection de tableaux au
musée des Beaux-Arts de Nice.
Nouveaux notables
Avec le rattachement définitif du comté de Nice à la France, la
plupart des grandes maisons aristocratiques partent pour l’Italie, où
le duc de Savoie va devenir roi d’Italie. Ne restent à Nice que des
familles bourgeoises, dont quelques-unes seront anoblies par Napoléon
III. Peu importe. Au milieu du XIXe siècle, la particule n’est plus
indispensable à la notabilité.
Ainsi, François Maulausséna (1844-1882), fils de notaire devenu
avocat puis membre du conseil communal en 1855, choisira de se
rallier à la France. Devenu maire, puis député, il s’efforce de faire
valoir Nice auprès des autorités parisiennes. La fin de l’Empire le
prend par surprise et Malausséna démissionne. Son fils reprendra la
tradition en devenant à son tour député.
Une simple recherche dans l’annuaire du nom de Malausséna donne
aujourd’hui encore 58 réponses pour la seule ville de Nice. De même,
le nom de Baréty est encore porté le long de la baie des Anges.
Alexandre Barety (1844-1918) exerce la profession de médecin. Il
fonde l’Academia nissarda, avant d’entrer en politique. Il finira
vice-président du conseil général. Son fils Léon Barety (1883-1971)
est, lui, président du conseil général des Alpes-Maritimes. Député,
plusieurs fois ministre, il plaidera inlassablement pour l’expansion
française outre-mer.
« Définir aujourd’hui les grandes familles niçoises reste très
compliqué » , souffle Hervé Barelli. Selon l’historien, celles
d’avant 1860 se sont alliées sans difficultés aux immigrants
italiens. Ces « vieux Niçois » se regroupent au sein de l’Academia
nissarda, dont les membres doivent prouver que leurs parents et leurs
grands-parents étaient niçois. Principalement catholiques, ils se
retrouvent aussi au sein d’associations religieuses comme
l’archiconfrérie de la Sainte-Croix (les pénitents blancs). Quant à
la présence israélite, elle a toujours été importante à Nice.« Au
départ, elle est principalement constituée des juifs chassés de
France ou d’Espagne qui se sont installés ici pour fuir les
persécutions. Aujourd’hui, la grande majorité d’entre eux sont des
rapatriés d’Afrique du Nord » , explique le chargé de mission. Malgré
une présence ancienne, peu de Russes sont devenus des notables
niçois.
C’est à peine si l’on compte un docteur, Michel Rosanoff, dont une
rue rappelle l’attachement à la ville.
Arméniens et Italiens
En revanche, les 2 000 à 3 000 familles arméniennes implantées dans
le quartier de la Madeleine se sont assimilés rapidement aux
immigrants italiens. Ils partageaient leurs conditions économiques
difficiles et se sont mis à parler lalengua nissart . Plus tard, les
pieds-noirs, qui viendront s’installer en grand nombre, pèseront d’un
poids politique et social non négligeable dans la vie de la cité. On
n’oubliera pas non plus la grande diaspora corse, toujours importante
en ville.« Nice a longtemps été l’université la plus proche de Corse,
avant la création récente de Corte » , rappelle Hervé Barelli.
Mais Nice est aussi peuplée de « Français de l’intérieur », attirés
par la douceur de vivre de la Côte d’Azur. Une autre tribu bien
difficile à cerner. La maison des provinces, dans le vieux Nice,
regroupe d’ailleurs une vingtaine d’associations de néo-Niçois venus
des quatre coins de France, Bretons ou Berrichons de Nice…« Puisque
ces associations continuent d’exister, peut-être que ces gens ne se
considèrent pas comme des Niçois à part entière… » , s’interroge
Hervé Barelli.

Ukrainian defence minister welcomes passage of military reform bill
Den, Kiev
23 Jun 04
Parliament’s vote to pass a military reform law on 22 June means that
the armed forces can move forward, Ukrainian Defence Minister Yevhen
Marchuk has said. Speaking in a newspaper interview, Marchuk said that
there is finally a realization that it is not numbers of soldiers that
are the main factor in ensuring security, but the quality of the armed
forces. Ukraine’s aim of joining NATO is now part of the country’s
official military doctrine, Marchuk said. The following is the text of
the interview Marchuk gave to journalist Oleh Ivantsov entitled “Rules
and calculation of military reform defined. At last” published in the
serious Ukrainian daily Den on 23 June; subheadings have been inserted
editorially:
Ivantsov Defence Minister Yevhen Marchuk commented on the adoption
yesterday of the “legislative package” of military reform by telephone
to Den.
What opportunities does yesterday’s 22 June parliamentary vote open
up? What should now be expected?
Marchuk The formation of a hierarchy of legal provision for military
reform has been completed. Today (yesterday – Editor) apart from the
fact that parliament voted, the president Leonid Kuchma signed the
Strategic Defence Bulletin. And this means that the defence review
has been completed. To put it more simply, Ukraine has completed
deciding what military structure exists today. It may look a bit
strange, but unfortunately that’s exactly how it is. To be sure, we
are not in a unique position here: almost all post-Soviet countries
have travelled this path. On the other hand, the adoption of these
documents precisely today – the law on numbers and the Strategic
Defence Bulletin – answers the question: what military threats is the
state facing today? And the second thing – what should the priorities
be for the armed forces in connection with this?
Apart from that, the reform process has to be well-calculated,
primarily in the interests of the servicemen themselves, to make sure
that the military do not suffer, first the people who will be
dismissed from the armed forces, and second to ensure that there will
be a substantial improvement in provision for servicemen who will be
serving in the army in future. For this, a government resolution has
confirmed forecast indicators for funding the armed forces in 2005. It
set out in detail the funding connected with armed services reform,
the budget and the growth in GDP and social payments.
How the overall average wage will increase in the state, what will be
the evolution of pensions, GDP and inflation – these are not data
“plucked from the air”. They were very painstakingly calculated: it
took three sittings of the state commission headed by the prime
minister Viktor Yanukovych to achieve the agreed indicators. The
document was signed by the prime minister, the finance minister Mykola
Azarov , the defence minister and so on.
Today the reform of the armed forces, or more accurately their
reconstruction, has a scientific basis. After all, the reform
programme was developed by scientific specialists, specialists in
military science and civilian experts. The reconstruction also has a
financial basis that was calculated fairly accurately. Third, there is
a very important document – the law on social protection – which has,
I would say, social guarantees for servicemen unparalleled in all the
years of independence. After all, servicemen had been dismissed
previously – 13,000 last year, 15,000 the year before and 45,000 in
1999. But they did not have substantial social guarantees.
Importance of military budget changes
The main thing is that all these decisions make it possible to bid
farewell to the old, very offensive structure of the military
budget. Next year our budget package in the Finance Ministry, the
government and parliament will differ substantially from this year,
because in next year’s budget there will be the possibility of
investing big funds in the development of the armed forces, the
development of new weapons, raising salaries and finally raising the
reputation of military service.
Ivantsov On the eve of the NATO summit in Istanbul, can it be claimed
that the passing of laws on army reform and the signing of the
Strategic Defence Bulletin mean that questions of military reform have
been solved before the summit?
Marchuk It can be said that the legal, organizational and financial
road has been opened for radical reconstruction of the armed
forces. Now it is all about implementation. I would not say that
reform is primarily needed for us and our armed forces before the
summit or after the summit. We are confirming that our declarations
last year about reform of the armed forces are real and fairly
concrete. It is also very important that all of this year’s budget
targets, which include articles connected with reform, were met in the
first half of the year. And the second half, in connection with
certain increases, gives a full guarantee that everything planned for
army reform in the social and financial dimension will be
fulfilled. This means that we, as firm partners, have not just made
declarations, but have done everything possible to start serious
reconstruction of the armed forces and move towards the armed forces
of the future.
Ivantsov How would you comment on the opponents of military reform, in
particular the parliamentary opposition?
Marchuk The factions that voted against last time, voted against this
time as well. In the ideological and political sense, the position of
centre-right opposition bloc Our Ukraine is surprising. Their
activists understand very well that reform of the armed forces is
connected with confirmation of our Euroatlantic integration. An
important aspect that should be noted is to remember that it was
certainly not easy to get these important documents through
parliament, the Security Council and the government. Not easy in the
sense that new realities had to be recognized. It was very difficult
for many people to abandon the idea that we cannot build or leave our
armed forces for circular defence.
Collective security
There are two collective defence systems around us, in which the
principle of “one for all and all for one” applies. It was very
difficult to give up stereotypes and the traditional understanding
that numbers define the might of the armed forces. All Eastern
European countries, even our neighbours, have outgrown that
anachronism. The recognition that in today’s world military security
for the state is provided not by the numbers, but the quality of the
armed forces of the state was very painfully taken on board. And not
only among the military, but also in society.
And the second important aspect that was also difficult to get through
in an evolutionary way concerns the fact that Ukraine, both in the
military doctrine and in the Strategic Defence Bulletin, confirmed the
fact that it is moving in the direction of joining a system of
collective defence and security, understanding that by itself it is
almost impossible in today’s world to guarantee its security, first
and foremost military. This is all in the documents; they are now
national documents, but we spent almost a year getting there in
complex discussions.
The little Czech Republic is a hundred times better defended than
Ukraine, because it is defended by a collective defence
system. Another military political bloc – the Tashkent agreement that
includes Russia, Belarus, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and Armenia – also
has the principle of collective defence. Therefore, the change towards
realizing that we need to move towards a collective defence and
security system is a higher level of guarantee of security as a whole,
in particular military.
Ivantsov Is the aim of joining NATO written only in the Military
Doctrine?
Marchuk In the Strategic Bulletin as well. What is more, adaptation
and evolution of military organization and the armed forces to NATO
standards are defined as an aim. If the final aim has been set to join
the NATO collective defence and security system in future, then we
should approach that time as serious partners with achievements in the
military sphere, i.e. as a military organization that would be
compatible, even in language – from the linguistic and mentality point
of view. Not to mention the actual structure of the armed forces.

Newly-formed agency to ensure security of Armenian MPs
Mediamax news agency
24 Jun 04
YEREVAN
Beginning from 1 July the Armenian National Assembly building’s
security will be provided by employees of the state guard service
(SGS), the chairman of the standing parliamentary commission on
defence, national security and internal affairs, Mger Shakhgeldyan,
said today.
The parliamentarian said that the SGS is being formed on the basis of
the 10th department of the National Security Service under the
Armenian government, which is responsible for the security of the
president, parliament speaker, prime minister and other top officials.
According to Shakhgeldyan, the SGS is formed in accordance with the
law “On provision of security for persons subject to special state
guard” adopted at the end of last year.

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.