ARKA News Agency, Armenia
Jan 24 2005

Iran is ready to cooperate with Azerbaijan and Armenia on Karabakh
issue

RA President receives EU Special Representative

RA Minister of Defence: Armenia should become a full member of the
European family

RA PM to leave for Poland on Jan 27

Armenians of Europe: the Atkinson report is the report of Azerbaijan

No Azeri prisoners kept in penitentiary institutions of Nagorno
Karabakh – NKR CCI Director

85% of respondents consider the statement of US Secretary of state
assistant Elizabeth Jones reflecting opinion of the US authorities

Delegated of the Armenian Apostolic Church participated in the
meeting of Ancient -East Orthodox churches

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IRAN IS READY TO COOPERATE WITH AZERBAIJAN AND ARMENIA ON KARABAKH
ISSUE

YEREVAN, January 24. /ARKA/. Iran is ready to cooperate with
Azerbaijan and Armenia on Karabakh issue, according to RIA Novosti it
was stated by the President of Iran Mohammad Hatami at the meeting
with the President of Azerbaijan Ilkham Aliev who arrived in iran
with official visit. `We are sure that it is wrong to use force in
Karabkah settlement. Splits should be overcame by dialogue, mutual
understanding, logics and law’, Hatami stated. L.D. -0 –

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RA PRESIDENT RECEIVES EU SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE

YEREVAN, January 24. /ARKA/. RA President Robert Kocharian received
EU Special Representative to South Caucasus Heikki Talvitie,
president’s press service told ARKA. The parties discussed EU policy
in South Caucasus, namely related to `Expanded Europe: New Neighbors’
program. The parties also discussed Karabakh conflict settlement,
Armenian-Turkish relations. L.D. -0 –

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RA MINISTER OF DEFENCE: ARMENIA SHOULD BECOME A FULL MEMBER OF THE
EUROPEAN FAMILY

YEREVAN, January 24. /ARKA/. We consider ourselves Europeans, and our
goal is to become a full member of the European family, as stated the
RA Minister of Defence, Secretary of the National Security Council of
Armenia adjunct to RA President Serge Sargsyan in the course of
today’s meeting with a delegation headed by a special representative
of EU to the South Caucasus, Ambassador Heiki Talvitie, according to
the Press Secretary of the RA Ministry of Defence, Colonel Seiran
Shakhsuvaryan. Speaking of Nagorno-Karabakh problem, Sargsyan noted
that he had always adhered to peaceful settlement of the conflict and
expressed his firm belief that the issue would be settled exactly in
that way.
In his turn H. Talvitie greeting such a position of the RA Minister
of Defence and expressed hope that in the near future real progress
will be in the process of peaceful settlement of Nagorno- Karabakh
conflict. According to Talvitie, one of his functions is the
establishment of good basis for cooperation in the process of
development of relations between EU and Armenia, aimed at settlement
of conflicts. Talvitie added that as a result of the program on
individual partnership in the framework of the initiative of EU `New
Neighbourhood’, all South-Caucasus countries will be evaluated
commensurate with their real possibilities.
According to the press-release, the delegation headed by Talvitie
consists of the Chief of the delegation of European Commission on
Georgia and Armenia Torben Holts, representatives of the European
Commission Viliam Boen and Harry Kamarainen as well as GB Ambassador
Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Armenia Thorda Abbott-Watt.
A.H. – 0 –

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RA PM TO LEAVE FOR POLAND ON JAN 27

YEREVAN, January 24. /ARKA/. On January 27 RA Prime Minister Andranik
Margarian will leave for Poland for participation in the activities
dedicated to 60th anniversary of liberation of concentration camp
Osventsim, RA Government press office told ARKA. Armenian delegation
will take party in international conference `Let My People Live’ that
will open in Krakow.
Armenian delegation includes RA Deputy Foreign Minister Ruben
Shugarian, heads of Government’s and MFA’s apparatus.
Margarian will meet with Armenian community of Poland and Archbishop
of Krakow, Cardinal Franchisek Makharsky. L.D. -0 –

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ARMENIANS OF EUROPE: THE ATKINSON REPORT IS THE REPORT OF AZERBAIJAN

YEREVAN, January 24. /ARKA/. ` The Atkinson report is the report of
Azerbaijan’, according to the Executive Director of the European
Armenian Federation Laurent Leylekian. As ARKA was informed from the
federation, according to the report by Atkinson, which will be read
tomorrow at a regular session of PACE, `the significant part of the
Azerbaijani territory is still occupied by the Armenian forces ‘, and
`separatist forces still control the region of Nagorno-Karabakh’.
Atkinson notes that `if the negotiations under the auspices of the
co-chairs of the Minsk group fail, the conflict between Armenia and
Azerbaijan should be settled in the framework of UN International
Court of Justise’. According to Leylekian, `shifting the
institutional framework Baku believes to turn its crimes into virtues
‘. ` Without the fight for self-determination led by the
Karabakhiots, there would be no more Armenians on these historically
Armenian territories, as it is the case in Nakhitchevan or in
Turkey’, he emphasized.
Before that RA minister of Foreign Affairs Vartan Oskanian called the
initial report by Atkinson as `usual’,at that noting that `the
document contains wording that doesn’t reflect the reality
truly’.A.H.-0 –

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NO AZERI PRISONERS KEPT IN PENITENTIARY INSTITUTIONS OF NAGORNO
KARABAKH – NKR CCI DIRECTOR

STEPANAKERT, January 24. /ARKA/. No Azeri prisoners kept in
penitentiary institutions of Nagorno Karabakh, Director of NKR Center
for Civil Initiatives Albert Voskanian told ARKA commenting recent
statement of Azeri mass media that NKR prisons have Azeri prisoners
of war.
According to Voskanian, regular report of CCI on result of monitoring
of penitentiary institutions at the territory of NKR are provided to
more than 100 international organizations, including OSCE, CE, UNHCR
and even Azeri organizations. He added that each report mentions that
Artsakh prisons keep only Armenians. L.D. -0 –

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85% OF RESPONDENTS CONSIDER THE STATEMENT OF US SECRETARY OF STATE
ASSISTANT ELIZABETH JONES REFLECTING OPINION OF THE US AUTHORITIES

YEREVAN, January 24. /ARKA/. Vox Populi Center conducted a poll on
Jan 20-21 related to the statement of Elizabeth Jones. The poll was
conducted among 107 experts, including 21 political figures,
including 9 deputies of RA Parliament, 20 art figures, 22 media
representatives, 23 state servants, 21 representatives of public
organizations. According to the results of the poll, 85% of
respondents consider the statement of US Secretary of State Assistant
Elizabeth Jones reflecting opinion of the US authorities, 8% consider
that the statement was personal opinion of Jones, 7% could not
answer.
75% of respondents sure that the statement was basically directed to
Armenian authorities, 11% think that it was directed to Russian
authorities, 3% – to Nagorno Karabakh, 9% – to all parties of the
conflict, 2% – could not answer. 70% of respondents agreed with
opinion of some political figures and mass medai representatives that
statement of Jones is a signal from US on beginning of the process of
power shift in Armenia on the example of Ukraine and Georgia. 14% of
respondents did not agree with this opinion and 16% – could not
answer. L.D. -0 –

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DELEGATED OF THE ARMENIAN APOSTOLIC CHURCH PARTICIPATED IN THE
MEETING OF ANCIENT -EAST ORTHODOX CHURCHES

YEREVAN, January 24. /ARKA/. Delegated of the Armenian Apostolic
Church participated in the meeting of Ancient -East Orthodox churches
that was held in Rhodes Greek island on January 10-17. According to
St. Etchmiadzin Department for inter-church relations,
representatives of Catholicosats of All Armenians and those of the
Kilikian Great House, Koptsk, Assyrian, and Ethiopian Orthodox
Churches and Indian Malabarka church participated in the meeting.
Some actual issues as well as issues connected with the beginning of
joint work with the Bible association were discussed at the meeting.
According to the press-release, the Armenian side was represented by
the bishops Yeznik Petrosyan and Narek Alemezyan, the responsible for
inter-church relations of St. Etchmiadzin and Catholicosats of
Kilikian Great House. A.H. – 0–