DISCORDS OVER BAKU-TBILISI-AKHALKALAK-KARS PROJECT
AZG Armenian Daily
07/06/2006
Georgian side participating in the project of
Baku-Tbilisi-Akhalkalak-Kars railway construction says there are
misunderstandings concerning the project.
According to Irakli Uzugbaya, head of Georgian Railway Company,
dissatisfaction is connected with how Turkey addresses
technical-economic tasks in the project.
It is the future goods transportation handling that concerns Tbilisi.
YEREVAN PREPARES TO MEET ITS CHAMPION CHESS PLAYERS ON LATE JUNE 5
Noyan Tapan
June 05 2006
YEREVAN, JUNE 5, NOYAN TAPAN. Members of the Armenian men chess
players team got title of champion of the World Olympiad finished on
the previous day in Turin and of the women team performed with success
will arrive in Yerevan at 22:00, June 5, by the Paris flight. As RA
Prime Minister Andranik Margarian informed journalists at the NA on
the same day, the champions will soon be rewarded from the state
budget according to the Government’s decisions, additional awards
will also be. According to the Prime Minister, just after the chess
player’s arrival, a glorifying event is envisaged for them on the
Freedom square of Yerevan.
ANOTHER KOCHARYAN-ALIEV MEETING POSSIBLE BY THE END OF THE YEAR
ArmRadio.am
06.06.2006 16:40
“The situation in the negotiations over Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
settlement continues to remain a peculiar pressure over Armenia. I
think than in the upcoming talks a good base will be created for
signing a final agreement between the parties,” said today Novruz
Mamedov, Head of the Foreign Relations Department of the Executive
Staff to the President of Azerbaijan.
He noted that the talks between Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan
were held both in an enlarged format, featuring OSCE Minsk Group
Co-Chairs and Foreign Ministers, and tête-a-tête.
“The meeting continued for two days. The first day it lasted 3.5
hours, the second day it continued for over an hour. The talks were
held in an extremely tense atmosphere,” he noted, adding that although
agreements were reached on certain issues, no common result exists so
far. Mamedov reported that although no precise date of the next meeting
of Presidents has been set, it can be held by the end of the year.
–Boundary_(ID_HCDfJIKQXyj0fbNA3EKFig)–
BULGARIA’S KALFIN: NATO, EU “NATURAL PARTNERS” IN BLACK SEA REGION
BTA website, Sofia
5 Jun 06
Bucharest, 5 June: NATO and the EU are natural partners in the Black
Sea region. The Black Sea is already part of the alliance’s zone of
responsibility, Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister
Ivaylo Kalfin said, addressing a Black Sea Dialogue and Partnership
Forum, the Information, PR, and European Communication Directorate
of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a press release Monday
[5 June].
“We hail the EU’s enhanced interest and are ready to assist in the
further formulation of a comprehensive approach to the region,”
Kalfin also said.
According to Bulgaria’s deputy prime minister, Bulgaria is paying
special attention to the development of economic cooperation, transport
and energy infrastructure projects and the deepening of interculture
dialogue between the Black Sea countries.
The meeting, which was opened in Bucharest Monday, is attended by
the presidents of Armenia, Russia, Moldova and Ukraine. Greece and
Turkey are represented by their ministers. The Forum is also attended
by representatives of the OSCE, the EU, NATO, the Council of Europe,
the UN, the Stability Pact and regional and European banks.
The purpose of the meeting is to set up a framework for discussing the
problems of the Black Sea region as part of the process of formulating
common priorities and deepening cooperation between the countries of
the region, the press release says.
RUSSIAN SENATOR PROTESTS INNOCENCE AFTER BRIBE VIDEO
Ekho Moskvy radio, Moscow
5 Jun 06
Russian Federation Council member Levon Chakhmakhchyan (also referred
to in some reports as Chakhmakhchan) has denied any wrongdoing after
appearing in a video described by Russian Channel One TV on 4 June as
a sting carried out two days earlier by the Federal Security Service
(FSB). In comments heard on Ekho Moskvy radio on 5 June, Chakhmakhchyan
said FSB officials had confronted him after he had visited Aleksandr
Pleshakov, the board chairman of the airline Transaero. The ethnic
Armenian senator said Pleshakov had asked him for help in getting
elected vice-president of the Association of Russian-Armenian Business
Cooperation.
“Knowing that the honorary president of the association is the
president of the Republic of Armenia, Robert Kocharyan, he [Pleshakov]
was attempting to join the association and asked me to nominate him
to its board as vice-president,” said Chakhmakhchyan.
“In Pleshakov’s office, in token of my friendly disposition, I gave
him a small souvenir, a teaspoon. In return, Pleshakov gave me two
models of aeroplanes, one small in a plastic bag, the other big in
a box. When we were leaving, Pleshakov indicated a briefcase to my
associate. In my view, my associate reckoned that the briefcase held
one of the souvenirs.
“Once the two of us were out of Pleshakov’s office, we were detained
by FSB officials. The reasons for the detention were not given to me.
My demands for release and arguments that I am a member of the
Federation Council were ignored. The agents behaved rudely and
cynically, used physical violence, treated me with contempt, including
by permitting themselves comments of nationalistic nature.
Only two-and-half hours later was I released,” Chakhmakhchyan said.
Ekho Moskvy said it had no immediate comment from Transaero.
KILLING ON A COMMUTER TRAIN
by Rustam Taktashev
RusData Dialine – Russian Press Digest
May 31, 2006 Wednesday
Armenian youngster killed in another racist attack
A group of young men yelling “Glory to Russia” stabbed an Armenian
teenager to death last week on a crowded commuter train, prosecutors
and the lawyer of the victim’s family said Tuesday. Prosecutors are
classifying the fatal attack as a hate crime.
Artur Sardaryan, 19, was on the train at about 11 p.m. Thursday when
he was approached by the assailants and repeatedly stabbed in the
chest with a knife, said Yelena Rossokhina, a spokeswoman for the
Moscow region prosecutor’s office. There were thought to be about
20 people on the train, heading from Moscow to the city of Pushkino,
at the time of the attack.
No suspects had been detained as of Tuesday.
“According to witnesses, the killers were yelling, ‘Glory to Russia’
and ‘Long live Russia,'” said Simon Tsaturyan, the Sardaryan family’s
lawyer. Tsaturyan said the attackers pulled the train’s emergency
lever after stabbing Sardaryan and fled the scene. Sardaryan died
on the spot, Tsaturyan said. The lawyer added he did not know why it
took the authorities five days before issuing any public statements
about the stabbing. Rossokhina did not comment on the time lag.
Sardaryan was a Russian citizen.
The killing came one month after a 17-year-old ethnic Armenian was
stabbed to death on the platform of the Pushkinksaya metro station
in central Moscow. There have been numerous hate crimes across the
country in recent months, with victims including Africans, Central
Asians and other dark-skinned people. President Vladimir Putin,
in his Victory Day speech earlier this month, linked skinheads and
other violent extremists with the fascists of the previous century.
ARMENIAN CHESS TEAM REINFORCES ITS LEADING POSITION
ArmRadio.am
01.06.2006 12:32
In the 10th round of the World Olympic Games held in Turin men’s chess
team of Armenia scored 2.5:0.5 against the Chinese team. Grand Master
Vladimir Hakobyan won Van Vonn. The three other gamed ended a draw.
Gaining 29 points the Armenian team reinforced its leading position
even more. The team of China is the second with 27 points. Teams of
Russia and Czech Republic share the 3rd-4th places with 26.5 points. In
the 11th round our team will meet the Czechs.
The 11th round will be held on June 2. The tournament will come to
an end on June 4.
THIRD ECHELON LOADED WITH MILITARY EQUIPMENT WITHDRAWN FROM RUSSIAN BASE IN GEORGIA ARRIVES IN AZERBAIJAN AT 7P.M
Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
May 30 2006
Third echelon loaded with military equipment withdrawn from the
Russia’s 62nd military base in Akhalkalak, Georgia, set off in Salka
railway station today.
The troop train going to Russia through Azerbaijan has been loaded
with 15 self-propelled artillery facilities.
The next troop train loaded with weapons and military equipment will
set out to Armenia from Akhalkalak tomorrow. Withdrawal of weapons
and military equipment of Russian 12th base in Batumi, Georgia, will
be launched from 1 June Azerbaijan’s State Railway told APA that the
echelon set out from Akhalkalak arrived at the Boyuk Kasik station
of Azerbaijan at 7p.m today. The train will be delivered to Russia
at Yalama station at 11.00 tomorrow.
The loaded echelon is protected by the railway military security
group and the commandant. The echelon will pass through Azerbaijan
without a stop.
ONE DEAD AS A RESULT OF THE BREACH OF THE CEASE-FIRE BY THE AZERI SIDE
ArmRadio.am
29.05.2006 10:36
At 21.30 May 27 breach of the cease-fire by the Azeri side was
registered.
Soldier Levon Adamyan born in 1985 was wounded and died on the way to
hospital in the result of the fire in the direction of the military
positions of Noyemberyan.
Times of Oman, Oman
May 28 2006
HM greets presidents of Ethiopia, Armenia, Azerbaijan
MUSCAT – His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said has sent a cable of
greetings to Girma Woldegiorgis, president of the Federal Democratic
Republic of Ethiopia, on the occasion of his country’s National Day.
His Majesty wished the president good health and happiness and his
people further progress and prosperity.
HIS Majesty the Sultan has also sent a similar cable to Robert
Kocharian, president of the Republic of Armenia, on the occasion of
his country’s National Day. His Majesty expressed his best wishes to
the president and his people.
HIS Majesty the Sultan has sent a cable of greetings to Ilham
Haydar Aliyev, president of the Republic of Azerbaijan, on the
occasion of his country’s National Day. His Majesty wished him good
health and his people further progress and prosperity. – ONA