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06/27/2005
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1) OSCE Parliamentarians to Debate International Security, Human Rights,
Karabagh Conflict
2) ARF’s Nalbandian at Party of European Socialists Meeting
3) Aliyev Links Higher Defense Spending to Russian Arms Relocation
4) Turkey Won’t Accept Any New EU Criteria
5) ARS Javakhk Fund to Renovate Akhalkalak School
1) OSCE Parliamentarians to Debate International Security, Human Rights,
Karabagh Conflict
COPENHAGEN–Nearly three-hundred parliamentarians from Organization for
Security and Cooperation in Europe’s (OSCE) fifty-five participating States
will meet in Washington, DC, July 1-5, to debate issues affecting the OSCE
area, including Mountainous Karabagh, Abkhazia (Georgia), trafficking in human
beings, gender equality and respect for human rights.
The head of Armenia’s delegation to OSCE Vahan Hovhannissian, who is also the
Deputy Chairman of the Armenian National Assembly, will be in Washington for
the session, which is expected to review Goren Lennmarker’s report on
Karabagh.
Lennmarker, OCSE’s rapporteur on Karabagh, reaffirmed in his March 2005
report
that Mountainous Karabagh’s status is of utmost importance, and that Azeri
arguments concerning refugees and territory are secondary.
“By bringing the Azeri refugee issue to the forefront, Azerbaijan must
realize
that the Armenian side has the right to raise analogous claims, that is, to
insist on the return of Armenians to Baku and Sumgaitwhich is hardly possible
as Armenians in Azerbaijan are doomed to a violent death,” Hovhannisian said.
Senior officials, including US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, and the
OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Slovenian Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel, will be
addressing the annual Session. The current President of the Assembly is US
Congressman Alcee L. Hastings of Florida.
OSCE parliamentarians from North America, Europe, the Caucasus, and Central
Asia will debate current issues based on resolutions prepared by the
Assembly’s
Rapporteurs on political, economic, environmental, and human rights issues
related to the Session’s theme ’30 Years since Helsinki: Challenges Ahead;’
supplementary resolutions on specific issues will also be presented.
Consideration will be given to topics such as piracy, trafficking in human
beings, standards of conduct by international humanitarian workers, combating
terrorism, trafficking in small arms, the Mountainous Karabagh conflict,
gender
equality, co-operation with Mediterranean states, Abkhazia (Georgia), money
laundering and corruption, Moldova, anti-Semitism, election observation
activities, and OSCE reform. The Final Document, to be adopted on the last day
of the meeting, will include recommendations on these and other issues.
Meeting for the first time in the United States, OSCE parliamentarians, will
also–for the first time–have the opportunity to meet and hear an address by
the newly appointed Secretary General of the OSCE Ambassador Marc Perrin de
Brichambaut. The Assembly will also honor Ukraine Television Channel Five with
the tenth OSCE Prize for Journalism and Democracy on the first day of the
Session.
The meetings of the Assembly will take place in the premises of the JW
Marriott Hotel in Washington, DC. All documents and forms for the Session,
including press applications, resolutions and other general information,
can be
found on the Assembly’s website: <;
The Parliamentary Assembly of the OSCE, created by the CSCE Summit in
Paris in
1990, is the parliamentary setting for the 55-nation Organization for Security
and Co-operation in Europe. The primary task of the 317 member Assembly is to
facilitate inter-parliamentary dialogue, in an overall effort to meet the
challenges of democracy throughout the OSCE area.
2) ARF’s Nalbandian at Party of European Socialists Meeting
YEREVAN (Yerkir)–The Council of Party of European Socialists (PES) marked its
first anniversary as an independent European political party on June 24-25,
when it met in Vienna to discuss European Union (EU) enlargement, as well as
the party’s organizational reforms.
Mario Nalbandian, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) Bureau’s
representative in the Socialist International, represented the party and met
with various party delegates to discuss issues related to Armenia.
The first session, “Our Europe,” reviewed the common vision of social
democrats on the role and direction of the EU. This debate was of particular
importance after the results of the referenda in France and the Netherlands.
The debates continued the next day with discussion on “Decent jobs for all: a
new growth and investment strategy for Europe,” and “Meeting Europe’s
demographic challenges.”
The council adopted a resolution on building a more visible and influential
PES, one which is democratic and involves both its members and partners. The
resolution, in part sates: “Today’s EU policy agenda is more active and
fast-paced than it has ever been. It has also never affected more parts of our
core social democratic agenda; the EU agenda is constantly evolving in areas
that influence the very heart of what we stand for. Conversely, we can set a
proactive, new, progressive agenda at European level if we mobilize ourselves
collectively with that purpose.”
Socialist parties of EU member states comprise PES. Its Council works to
strengthen the PES as a political actor at EU level and to champion the
priorities of European social democrats.
3) Aliyev Links Higher Defense Spending to Russian Arms Relocation
(AP)–President Ilham Aliyev said Saturday that Azerbaijan was increasing its
defense spending in response to the relocation of Russian weapons from Georgia
to Armenia.
Even though Moscow said weapons would remain under Russian military control
and would not be turned over to Armenia, the redeployment “requires adequate
steps,” Aliyev said in a speech before military school graduates.
“We have undertaken such steps, having increased our military spending, which
will continue to grow in the future,” Aliyev said. He said Azerbaijan’s
military spending was set to increase from $175 million in 2004 to $300
million
this year.
“Our army is the strongest in the Southern Caucasus,” Aliyev said. “We have
achieved superiority and will continue to strengthen it.”
Russia said it had redeployed the weaponry to Armenia under pressure to speed
up its military withdrawal from Georgia. Despite Russian assurances that the
move wouldn’t destabilize the region, Azerbaijan has remained strongly
critical
of the relocation.
Aliyev also said Saturday that Azerbaijan will also work to strengthen its
relations with NATO. Azerbaijan has taken part in NATO’s Partnership for Peace
program and it has presented a plan that would further foster cooperation with
the alliance, “bringing Azerbaijan-NATO relations to a new level,” Aliyev
said.
4) Turkey Won’t Accept Any New EU Criteria
ISTANBUL (AP)–Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the country
will not agree to any new conditions for European Union membership, adding
that
Turkey expects “honest politics” as it begins negotiations to join the bloc.
For EU membership talks to begin, Turkey must recognize Cyprus before the
talks open in October, show progress on Kurdish rights, improve the economy
and
limit the military’s influence in politics. Ankara is also expected to treat
ethnic and religious minorities equally and implement penal code reforms.
Still many European voters are balking at letting in the poor, predominantly
Muslim country of 70 million people, a decision that would extend the EU’s
borders to Iran.
EU Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said this week that the bloc
should have an open debate about Turkey’s candidacy. The country is scheduled
to start membership negotiations with the EU on Oct. 3.
“Turkey is not…renegotiating anything,” Erdogan told reporters late
Saturday. “If you impose new things on countries from one day to the next,
especially at a time when negotiations are about to start, that would not be
right,” he added. “We are used to honest politics, that’s what we expect and
want.”
Concerns about Turkey’s membership were highlighted by the recent
rejection of
the EU’s proposed constitution by French and Dutch voters, many of whom cited
Turkey’s bid as the reason they cast ballots against the charter.
Erdogan praised British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who this week urged the EU
to continue expanding. Blair warned that shutting the door to new members
would
give rise to nationalism and xenophobia in Europe.
“In politics, I like those who have a backbone…I don’t like the rest,”
Erdogan said.
5) ARS Javakhk Fund to Renovate Akhalkalak School
AKHALKALAK (A-info)–The Armenian Relief Society’s Javakhk Assistance Fund has
started renovation on Ghato village’s local school, located in the Akhalkalak
region. The school is one of the oldest in the region. Due to the efforts of
the ARS Javakhk Fund, the Akhlalkalak-based “Shinarar” organization has
undertaken the renovation of the dilapidated school, and is scheduled to
finish
work in September–in time for the 2005-2006 school year.
The ARS Javakhk Fund works in the Javakhk, Tsalka, Akhaltsikh, and
Ninotsminda
regions to renovate and repair not only local schools, but also clinics in
need
of care. With many projects already underway, the Fund also provides the
clinics necessary supplies.
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