Ministers’ meeting cancelled at Azeri initiative, says Armenian source
Mediamax news agency
25 Mar 04
YEREVAN
The meeting of the Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers, planned
for 29 March, will not take place.
This was announced on 24 March by the Russian co-chairman of the OSCE
Minsk Group, Yuriy Merzlyakov, in an interview with Azerbaijani TV
channel ATV, Mediamax news agency reports. The mediator said that the
decision to cancel the meeting was taken as a result of the “wish of
one side”.
“Those who accuse the mediators of inactivity should pay attention to
the efforts of the conflicting sides themselves to settle the
conflict,” Yuriy Merzlyakov said.
An informed source in the Armenian Foreign Ministry today said in an
interview with Mediamax that the Armenian side did not ask the
mediators to cancel the Prague meeting.
On 17 March Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan said that the OSCE Minsk
Group co-chairmen and the Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers
would hold consultations in Prague on 29 March. Vardan Oskanyan
expressed the hope that “this meeting will help us understand how
exactly Azerbaijan wants to continue the negotiations”.
From: Baghdasarian

Azeri leader rules out Karabakh solution if Turkey opens Armenian border
ANS TV, Baku
24 Mar 04
[Correspondent at Baku’s Heydar Aliyev airport] Mr President [Ilham
Aliyev], the opening of the Turkish-Armenian border has recently been
on the agenda. The issue became topical again after Turkish Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to the USA. Is there any option
on the agenda? Are you aware of these issues as Azerbaijan’s
president? Can we assume that Turkey will take such a step?
[Ilham Aliyev speaking to microphone] I do not want to make assumptions.
I talked to Mr Erdogan on this subject when I visited Ankara as prime
minister. The prime minister and Foreign Minister [Abdullah] Gul
reassured me that Turkey will never open its border with Armenia until
the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict is resolved. This is enough for me. I
do not need any other explanation if I heard this myself. But I should
say that the European Union and some other fairly influential
countries in the world are exerting strong pressure on Turkey to make
it open the border. I have repeatedly told the meetings with relevant
sides that a Nagornyy Karabakh resolution will be generally impossible
if Turkey opens its border with Armenia. Because Azerbaijan will have
lost an important lever and then peaceful negotiations will generally
fail. This will stop the negotiations and lead to unpleasant
results. For this reason, if the sides interested in the issue want a
peaceful solution to the problem, then they should not put pressure on
Turkey. Turkey is a big and strong state. I am convinced that Turkey
will cope with all this pressure. Turkish-Azerbaijani fraternity is
above everything for us and the Turkish people.

Turkish MP in favour of opening border with Armenia
Public Television of Armenia, Yerevan
24 Mar 04
[Presenter] Better times in Armenian-Turkish relations will come very
soon, a Turkish MP and member of the ruling Justice and Development
Party, Salih Kapusuz, said. He is taking part in the 22nd session of
the Committee on Cultural, Educational and Social Affairs of the
Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (PABSEC),
which opened in the Armenian capital on 24 March. No Azerbaijani
delegation is taking part in the session.
[Correspondent over video of the session] No Azerbaijani delegation is
taking part in the meeting of the PABSEC Committee on Cultural,
Educational and Social Affairs. The vice-chair of the committee said
that the members of the Azerbaijani delegation were too busy in their
own country.
[Dumitru Buzatu, vice-chair of the committee, speaking in French with
Armenian voice-over] The members of the Azerbaijani delegation
notified us a couple of days ago and apologized saying that they
cannot take part in the session because they are too busy in their own
country.
[Correspondent] A Turkish delegation is taking part in the session.
[Salih Kapusuz, head of the Turkish delegation, speaking in Turkish
with Armenian voice-over] Armenia and Turkey are close neighbours and
members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic
Cooperation. Turkey wishes to develop relations with Armenia and we
look to the future with hope. I think that our leadership must not
concentrate on the past and should seek ways of developing future
relations. Our party and leader have set themselves a goal to expand
ties with all the neighbouring countries and you can be sure that
better times will come very soon.
As for the opening of the borders, I believe that positive steps will
be take n and our relations will develop.
Nune Aleksanyan, Aylur.

Azerbaijan to join international events in Armenia after liberation of lands
ANS TV, Baku
24 Mar 04

In response to Armenian reports that no Azerbaijani delegation has
attended a session of the Committee on Cultural, Educational and
Social Affairs of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic
Cooperation in Yerevan today because of a busy work schedule,
Azerbaijan has stated that it will join international events held in
Armenia only after its occupied lands are liberated, Azerbaijan’s
commercial TV channel ANS has reported.

Azeri minister blames OSCE Minsk Group for cancelled talks with Armenia
Azadliq, Baku
25 Mar 04
The meeting of the Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers,
scheduled for 29 March in Prague, has been postponed. This was
announced on 24 March by the Russian co-chairman of the OSCE Minsk
Group, Yuriy Merzlyakov, in an interview with Azerbaijani TV channel
ATV. He did not explain the reason, but said that one of the sides
wanted to cancel the meeting. In order to resolve the [Nagornyy
Karabakh] conflict, not only the Minsk Group, but Armenia and
Azerbaijan as well have to be more active.
In turn, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Vilayat Quliyev accused the
Minsk Group of being inactive and said that it was Baku which called
for the cancellation of the meeting.
Azerbaijan took this decision because the agenda of the meeting was
not specified. Quliyev blamed the Minsk Group for not putting forward
new proposals in the lead-up to such meetings to make them more
fruitful.

United Nations Development Programme Country Office in Armenia
14, Karl Liebknecht Street, Yerevan 375010, Armenia
Contact: Aramazd Ghalamkaryan
Tel: (374 1) 56 60 73
Fax: (374 1) 54 38 11
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:
UNDP COUNTRY OFFICE IN ARMENIA
24 March, 2004
UNDP SUPPORTS THE MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE TO ORGANISE AN INTERNATIONAL
CONFERENCE AND TO STRENGTHEN ITS COMMUNICATIONS CAPACITY
Yerevan, Armenia
Today, the Government of Armenia and the United Nations Development
Programme (UNDP) opened the Information and Training Centre at the
Ministry of Agriculture and signed a Memorandum of Understanding
outlining the support that UNDP will provide for the `First Agro-Forum’
International Conference. Mr. Samvel Avetisyan, Deputy Minister of
Agriculture of the Republic of Armenia and Ms. Lise Grande, UN Resident
Coordinator/UNDP Resident Representative presided over the event.
By supporting the Information and Training Centre, UNDP is assisting the
Ministry of Agriculture to strengthen its capacity in information
management. Internet services will be provided at the Information
Centre, helping the Ministry access the most up-to-date and important
information on agricultural issues from around the world, and training
will be conducted to ensure that Ministry staff have advanced
information skills.
In addition to supporting the establishment of the new Centre, UNDP is
also supporting the country’s `First Agro-Forum’ International
Conference, organised by the Ministry of Agriculture. The aim of this
important conference is to promote agricultural development in Armenia
by introducing the most progressive and innovative agricultural methods
from around the world. An official website is being developed for the
Conference and an information campaign will be conducted. The fourth
`AgroProdExpo’ International Exhibition will be held at the same time as
the Conference.
According to Ms. Grande: `The development of agriculture in Armenia
cannot be underestimated. A large part of the population lives in rural
communities and agriculture is the main source of income for many
Armenian families. By strengthening the capacities of the Ministry of
Agriculture and helping to promote agricultural development, we are
helping to reduce poverty and inequality in Armenia. We hope that the
Ministry staff will use this new Information Centre to successfully
communicate with the general public, including the mass media.’
Mr. Avetisian noted: `Our cooperation with UNDP has a long history, and
we are grateful that resolution of the problems raised by the Ministry
is always supported by our counterpart. The Information Centre, the
network and the website will promote the Ministry of Agriculture
worldwide, and we are confident that this will help us forge effective
partnerships with international and local organisations, bilateral
donors, foreign governments and private companies.’
The `First Agro-Forum’ International Conference and the fourth
`AgroProdExpo’ International Exhibition will be held in Yerevan on
October 28-29, 2004.
***
UNDP is the UN’s global development network. It advocates for change and
connects countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people
build a better life. We are on the ground in 166 countries, working with
them on their own solutions to global and national development
challenges. As they develop local capacity, they draw on the people of
UNDP and our wide range of partners.
***
For further information, please contact Mr. Aramazd Ghalamkaryan, UNDP
Armenia at [email protected].
***

A1 Plus | 19:15:53 | 25-03-2004 | Social |
DISCUSSION OF THE NEW LABOR CODE
Justice Ministry has today initiated an open discussion the new Labor Code.
“Armenian Labor Code was elaborated in 1972. It was amended in 1996 and
doesn’t correspond to the present life. A bill on labor code was worked. It
is now discussed in Parliament. There were many suggestions over it. It is
important to cause the public to be informed about it”, Justice Deputy
Minister Tigran Mukuchyan said.
Making a working contract with each employee was added in the new Code.
Under the Code, children over 16 can work, 14-16-year-old children can work
at agreement of the parents, and the children up to 14 are forbidden to work
at all.
According to Code, labor time makes 40 hours weekly, for 14-16-year-old
children 24 hours weekly, and 36 hours per week for 16-18-year-old ones.
Labor legislation applies to the citizens of Armenia, foreign citizens, and
juridical persons. It doesn’t apply to servicemen and the citizens in
correctional facilities.
—

A1 Plus | 21:38:13 | 25-03-2004 | Social |
MARCH WILL TAKE PLACE
The public is aware that a march and a rally will take place on April 2, the
2nd anniversary of “A1+” TV Company ceasing from broadcasting area.
Yerevan Mayor was informed about the measures but he decided not to sanction
the march and to allow the rally at the territory near Matenadaran and not
on the Liberty Square.
In response to Mayor’s “permission” the initiating group again informed in
written that the measures will be held under the program introduced
beforehand.
The executives of Police Department of Center Commune told initiating group
head Vardan Harutyunyan on March 24 that the march is illegal and they will
do their best to hamper it.
On March 25 “A1+” Chair Mesrop Movsesyan and the initiating group member
Tigran Ter-Esayan were told the same in the Police Department.
After persuasion of the law-enforcement bodies the initiating group decided
that the ungrounded refusal of the municipal authorities is unlawful. The
26th article of Armenian Constitution says: “Citizens have the right to hold
peace and unarmed meetings, marches and rallies”.
—

“What will happen to us?” – Emotional protest at the Melkonian
Cyprus Mail
Thursday, March 25, 2004
By By Alex Mita
MOST of the old graduates protesting outside the Melkonian School
yesterday could only utter a few words before bursting in tears when
asked how they felt at the prospect of it closing down.
The institute, founded in 1926, has been the centre of Armenian
culture on the island for nearly 80 years. Now, it appears set to
close next June after a decision by the US-based board that
administers the school.
A young boy stood next to his mother holding a sign asking: “what will
happen to me?”
Next to the gates of the school, an old woman sat watching what could
be the last generation of Melkonian students stand silently at the
gates in their red sweaters, holding signs asking why their school was
being closed down.
Hrip Titanian has cancer, but the pain of watching her life’s memories
sacrificed was harder to bear than that of her terminal disease. “I
lived most of my life here,” she told the Cyprus Mail as tears rolled
down her face.
“I got engaged here and I got married here. I have cancer, and the
decision to close this place down hurt me so much that I got out of my
bed and came here to protest against their decision to close the
school down.
“I was a student in 1945 and I lived here until 1965. My father worked
as a caretaker for 35 years. We were the ones that took care of this
school, that made sure everything was in order, and now?”
“That’s all I want to say,” she broke off.
Manouk Tachouchian graduated in 1956, and moved back to Cyprus after
spending most of his mature life in London. He could barely speak
about the memories of his time as a student, his friends and what the
school meant to him.
“This also used to be a church,” he said.
“How can they sell a church, I can’t explain it, it’s just sad and
illogical. “I have so many memories at Melkonian, I was here for five
years. We had people from all over the world, from Syria, from Egypt,
Lebanon and from Armenia.
“And when now we see each other after all these years we feel like we
are seeing our brothers and sisters.
Markar Sarafian is 75 and graduated from Melkonian in 1948. Born in
Istanbul, he came to Cyprus in 1939 barely speaking a word of English
or Greek.
“I am 75, but my heart beats like a young man, perhaps faster when
Melkonian is mentioned,” he said.
“I don’t want this centre of culture, which served the Armenian people
worldwide, this light of the Armenian community to be put out. “It
will be a disaster for the Armenian people, a black day for Cyprus if
this place is destroyed.
“But this will not end, we are all united to see that decision to
close it down is rescinded and the quicker it’s done the better,
because the mother organisation AGBU’s reputation will be in tatters.”
Copyright © Cyprus Mail 2004

Baku Today
Azeri, Armenian foreign ministers postpone meeting
Baku Today
25/03/2004 17:50
Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers will not meet in Prague on March
29, 2004, according to Trend News Agency.
The meeting of the two country diplomats under the auspices of OSCE Minsk
group chairmen has been postponed according to the foreign ministry of
Azerbaijan. A new timing of the meeting remains unclear, the agency said.
Azeri foreign minister Vilayat Guliyev and Armenian foreign minister Vardan
Oskanyan had met earlier in Bratislava during a wider Europe conference held
on March 18-19 in Slovakia.