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07/18/2005
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1) Putin, Erdogan Discuss Regional Stability from Caucasus to Cyprus
2) Cypriots Warn against Rapprochement between Unrecognized Northern Cyprus
and
Azerbaijan
3) Yerkir Media Recognized for Political Analysis, Freedom of Speech Efforts
4)Armenia’s Main Cellphone Network Paralyzed
5) Armenian Soccer Team in European Championships

1) Putin, Erdogan Discuss Regional Stability from Caucasus to Cyprus

SOCHI (RIA Novosti)–Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed stability in the Caucasus, the
situation in Iraq and Iran, and the Cyprus problem. “We focused on the
issue of
strengthening stability in the Caucasus and the Black Sea basin,” Putin said,
at a press conference in Sochi after talks with the Turkish Prime Minister.
Putin gave assurances that Russia would continue to help resolve the Cyprus
problem. “We are absolutely convinced that the UN Secretary General is moving
in the right direction,” he said.
Putin also said everyone knows how the situation is developing on Cyprus.
“First, we must resolve the problem of the economic isolation of a part of the
island, create conditions for normal relations between the two parts, and on
this basis fully normalize the situation in the interests of all people living
there,” he said.
“We will think about what can be done by Russia and the island’s two parts to
resolve these issues,” the Russian president said.
Putin and Erdogan said it was necessary to address the conflict over
Mountainous Karabagh.
“I was satisfied to hear the Russian position that it was time to start
settling the Nagorno-Karabagh conflict,” Erdogan said.
He added that he and Putin also discussed the situation in Iraq, Iran, and
anti-terrorism efforts.
“We expressed once again our resolve to fight international terrorists, who
are carrying out attacks against innocent people, defenseless women, and
children,” Erdogan said.

2) Cypriots Warn against Rapprochement between Unrecognized Northern Cyprus
and
Azerbaijan

ISTANBUL (Combined Sources)The government of Cyprus said that direct flight
between Nicosia and the capital of Mountainous Karabagh Republic (MKR)
would be
established if Azerbaijan does not abandon plans to forge tight relations with
Turkish Republic of Northern Republic (TRNC).
Turkish prime minister Recep Erdogan said last month that Turkey was ready to
do everything possible “to help it [Northern Cyprus] surmount its
international
isolation,” saying a direct flight between Baku and the unrecognized republic
could be the first move.
A prive Azeri airline Imair announced last week it would begin regular
flights
to Turkish-occupied northern Cyprus, becoming the first non-Turkish carrier to
fly direct to the internationally isolated enclave.
Last month Azerbaijan became the second state, after Turkey, to recognize
Turkish Cypriot passport.
Most of Azerbaijan’s eight million population are of Turkic origin, and the
country has very close cultural and political ties with Ankara.

Azeri Delegation in Turkish Cyprus
The first official delegation from Azerbaijan to visit the Turkish Northern
Cyprus arrived in Lefkosa over the weekend to take part in ceremonies marking
Peace and Freedom Day on July 20.
Erdogan said that the visit signifies de facto recognition of the Turkish
Cypriot state.
The eight-person delegation, six of whom are deputies of the Azeri
parliament,
were met by Turkish Cypriot officials at Ercan Airport.
The delegation will be holding discussions with TRNC officials, with a second
delegation scheduled to arrive soon that will be holding talks with Turkish
Cypriot businessmen. Trade issues are also listed to be discussed during a
visit by a third Azeri delegation between July 28 and 31.

3) Yerkir Media Recognized for Political Analysis, Freedom of Speech Efforts

Yerkir Media TV Company clenched two prizes on Monday, at an annual awards
ceremony marking the 10th anniversary of the Yerevan Press Club. Yerkir Media
was recognized for providing outstanding political analysis as well as its
efforts to promote freedom of speech.
The Yerevan Press Club is a non-governmental, non-profit organization, that
aims to create conditions to promote the development of free and responsible
media in Armenia.
Its Chairman Boris Navasardian stressed during the awards that though
Armenia’s mass media has made significant progress in the last decade,
self-censorship still remains a problem.
Navasardian went on to praise journalists for “their readiness to rally in
support of specific issues and fight for their rights.”
He said there still remains a great deal to accomplish in order to help
universities prepare journalists who meet western-style reporting and writing
standards.

4)Armenia’s Main Cellphone Network Paralyzed

YEREVAN (RFE/RL)–Armenia’s Greek-owned telecommunications monopoly claimed on
Monday to have so far failed to fully determine the cause of an almost
three-week mysterious paralysis of its wireless network which has left
hundreds
of thousands of mobile phone users fuming.
The Armenian government, meanwhile, appeared to be losing patience with
ArmenTel’s inability to remedy the situation quickly, with officials speaking
of “sanctions” that could be imposed on the deeply unpopular operator.
The network’s sudden collapse began on July 1, coinciding with the
long-awaited launch of Armenia’s second wireless system, VivaCell. ArmenTel
promptly flew in telecom engineers from Greece and Germany to inspect its
facilities but has still not provided a full and clear explanation for the
breakdown.
ArmenTel’s Thursday statement cited a “flurry of phone calls” which it said
followed a steep reduction of phone tariffs effective from July 1 and put the
network under greater strain. The statement urged the increasingly furious
subscribers to use their handsets more sparingly.
Critics say ArmenTel, which is owned by Greece’s OTE telecom giant, is paying
the price of its gross underinvestment in mobile telephony that has left
Armenia lagging behind neighboring Azerbaijan and Georgia where the service
has
been more affordable and of higher quality.
The Armenian government demanded official explanations from ArmenTel earlier
this month and assured the public that everything is done to get the cellphone
back into shape. Transport and Communications Minister Andranik Manukian
announced on Thursday that the problem will be solved within days.
“It’s hard for me to speak about this,” Manukian said on Monday with a sigh.
“I am now in an awkward situation. I [wrongly] stated that the situation
improved and the crisis is coming to an end.”
The quality of mobile phone service provided by ArmenTel left much to be
desired even before the unprecedented network failure. It was the main reason
why the government decided to partly open the sector to competition last
year.
Exclusive rights to all forms of telecommunication were a key term of
ArmenTel’s 1998 sale to OTE, one of Europe’s largest telecom firms. Some
former
government officials who helped to negotiate the $200 million deal later
admitted that granting the Greeks the monopoly was a serious mistake.

5) Armenian Soccer Team in European Championships

IRELAND–Armenia lost 2-0 to Norway on Monday at the UEFA Under-19 European
Championships underway in Northern Ireland.
It is the first time Armenia is participating in the Semi-Finals of these
championships, and will play England on Wednesday.
Team coach Samvel Petrosian said that his team participation in the final of
the European Football Championship is a great honor and a new experience.
“It is a great football challenge for the small nation we are,” he said.
Group A matches resulted in a 4-2 win for Serbia & Montenegro over Germany,
while Northern Ireland lost 0-1 to Greece. In Group B, France and England drew
1-1. Armenia is playing in Group B.

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