ARMENIA THIS WEEK
Monday, June 13, 2005

In this issue:

Armenia calls for greater U.S. role in lifting Turkish blockade
Armenia submits Individual Partnership Action Plan (IPAP) to NATO
Azeri agent confesses to plotting terror attacks in Armenia

ARMENIAN FOREIGN MINISTER CALLS FOR GREATER U.S. ROLE IN TURKEY
DISPUTE
Armenia urged the U.S. to be “more assertive” in its calls on Turkey
to lift the 12-year blockade of Armenia, Foreign Minister Vartan
Oskanian said at a press-conference following his meetings with
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and the President’s National
Security Advisor Stephen Hadley. Oskanian said the talks with U.S.
officials focused on growing bilateral cooperation in security
matters, including Armenia’s deployments in Iraq and Kosovo, as well
as plans for the Millennium Challenge assistance to Armenia.

Oskanian reaffirmed the Armenian government’s readiness to establish
diplomatic relations with Turkey without preconditions. Oskanian also
dismissed the notion that Turkey’s ongoing blockade may force Armenia
to end its support for the international affirmation of the Armenian
Genocide or lead to unilateral concessions in the Karabakh conflict
by stifling Armenia’s economy. Oskanian noted Armenia’s strong
economic growth of recent years and added that Armenia will continue
to successfully develop with or without the Turkish border opening.
“We are not desperate” to have the border open, Oskanian said, but
such an opening would benefit both Armenia and Turkey. He also
objected to the Azerbaijani-initiated proposal to build a new
railroad between Georgia and Turkey, estimated to cost some $600
million, while there was an existing rail link between Turkey and
Armenia.

In meetings with Rice and Hadley, Oskanian also raised Armenia’s
domestic political issues, including the governing coalition’s plan
to reform the country’s Constitution, in line with Armenia’s Council
of Europe obligations. U.S. Ambassador to Armenia John Evans
reiterated America’s commitment to work with the Armenian government,
political parties and civic groups to advance Armenia’s democracy
before national elections set for 2007 and 2008. (Sources: Armenia
This Week 6-7; Mediamax 6-10; R&I Report 6-10; Associated Press 6-11;
Regnum.ru 6-13)

ARMENIA SUBMITS ACTION PLAN ON PARTNERSHIP WITH NATO
Defense Minister Serge Sargsian officially submitted Armenia’s
Individual Partnership Action Plan (IPAP) to the North Atlantic
Treaty Organization (NATO) leadership in Brussels last week. Meeting
with the NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, Sargsian
discussed Armenia’s expanding relations with the Alliance. Armenia’s
Ambassador to NATO Samvel Mkrtchian described the IPAP submission as
“a serious step that raises relations with NATO to a new level.” An
analysis by the Armenian Mediamax news agency described the
development as a “real breakthrough” in Armenia-NATO partnership, as
part of which Armenia commits itself to further security and
democratic reform.

NATO began offering IPAP to the Partnership for Peace (PfP) allies
following its 2002 summit. The plan is essentially a two-year
schedule of cooperation that aims to increase interoperability
between NATO and PfP partners. Last year, Armenia ratified the Status
of Forces Agreement (SoFA) with NATO that provides a legal framework
for joint exercises and deployments under NATO command, such as that
of Armenia’s peacekeepers in Kosovo.

Last April, the Armenian Defense Ministry announced plans to develop
a proposal for long-term reform of the Armenian military with NATO
help. The plan will be ready for consideration by Armenia’s next
Parliament, due to be elected in 2007. According to Mediamax, the new
Armenian President to be elected in 2008 will be positioned to decide
whether to seek membership in NATO. (Sources: Armenia This Week 4-12;
RFE/RL Armenia Report 6-10; Mediamax 6-11)

AZERI AGENT CONFESSES TO PLOTTING TERROR ATTACKS IN ARMENIA
An Armenian citizen pleaded guilty to charges of treason and
conspiracy to commit terrorist attacks on behalf of the Azerbaijani
Ministry of National Security (MTN), according to reports from court
proceedings that got underway last Friday in Yerevan. According to
prosecution’s indictment, Andrey Maziyev, who had worked as an
engineer at Yerevan’s Zvartnots airport, provided the Azeri MTN with
pictures he took of the Armenian President’s airplane, security
procedures at the airport and on the way to the President’s
residence, as well as of various buildings throughout Yerevan,
including those of the U.S. and other embassies.

In his pre-trial testimony, Maziyev said that he believes that the
Azeri operatives were preparing terrorist acts against specific
targets in Armenia. Other former Azeri operatives had previously
conceded to undertaking a series of terror attacks against
Armenia-bound infrastructure in Georgia, civilian targets in Armenia
and in Diaspora communities. Last month, a former official with the
Azeri Interior Ministry Colonel Alekper Ismailov publicly claimed
that he was in charge of anti-Armenian terror operations through
1995.

According to Maziyev’s testimony he was recruited by MTN operatives
after being detained on the Georgian-Azerbaijani border in October
1999, because he was carrying an Armenian passport. Since then he had
between 17 and 18 meetings with MTN operatives in the Kazakh
district, on the border with Armenia and Georgia, receiving some
$2,500 for his services through January of this year. He was arrested
last February. (Sources: Mediamax 2-9; Armenia This Week 5-10;
Arminfo 6-9, 13; Noyan Tapan 6-9)

Note to Readers: For issues dating back to 1997 visit

A WEEKLY NEWSLETTER PUBLISHED BY THE ARMENIAN ASSEMBLY OF AMERICA
1140 19th Street, N.W., Suite 600, Washington, D.C. 20001 (202)
393-3434 FAX (202) 638-4904
E-Mail  info@aaainc.org WEB 

–Boundary_(ID_layAi76krkiSoas31l+RXw)–