Author: Chakhmakhchian Vatche

ALIYEV SAYS NO TO ‘SECOND ARMENIAN STATE’

AzerNews Weekly, Azerbaijan
June 1 2006

President Ilham Aliyev has said Azerbaijan will never come to terms
with the loss of its lands and with the establishment of the second
Armenian state on its territory. Azerbaijan is the victim of Armenian
aggression and has nonetheless made concessions by respecting the
ceasefire agreement signed 10 years ago.

In fact, it is Armenia who has occupied Azerbaijani lands and has
to vacate them now, Aliyev said in an address at the NATO spring
session in Paris on Tuesday. As originally anticipated, Aliyev mainly
focused on the Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh conflict. The president cited
specific facts and documentary evidence to support Azerbaijan’s cause
and accused Armenia of breaking international legal norms. Aliyev said
about 20% of Azerbaijani territory was under Armenian occupation and
that the country was home to more than a million refugees and IDPs.

This is a serious problem for Azerbaijan and a threat posed to the
entire region. The head of state added that all countries of the
world apart from Armenia had recognized Azerbaijan’s territorial
integrity. He stressed that this should serve as a vector for the
conflict settlement. President Aliyev reiterated that Azerbaijan was
interested in a settlement based on the principles of international
law. “Azerbaijan demands that Armenia withdraw its troops from the
occupied territories,” he said, adding that the OSCE fact-finding
mission had established the looting and desecration of cultural
and historical monuments and cemeteries on the Armenian-occupied
territories. Upper Garabagh, which is internationally recognized as
part of Azerbaijan, has both Azeri and ethnic Armenian population. It
was occupied by Armenia in early 1990s, along with seven other
Azerbaijani districts, after large-scale hostilities that killed up
to 30,000 people and forced over a million Azeris out of their homes.

The ceasefire accord was signed in 1994, but peace talks have been
fruitless so far and refugees remain stranded. The Azerbaijani leader
also drew comparisons between the rapid economic development in
Azerbaijan and the profound recession in Armenia, noting that the gap
would be even more abysmal in a matter of three to five years. Then
the floor was opened for a question-and-answer session. The head
of the Armenian delegation, Mger Shakhgeldian, said Azerbaijan was
continuously saying that it was in favor of a negotiated settlement
and asked the president whether Baku was prepared for compromise.

President Aliyev said Azerbaijan had not occupied any country’s
territories to make any compromises. “It is Armenia which has taken
over Azerbaijani lands. The fact that Azerbaijan has maintained a
ceasefire for 10 years is the biggest compromise we can make.” This
question by the Armenian delegation did not go down well with NATO
Parliamentary Assembly President Pierre Lelouche, who enquired why the
Armenian president was not attending the session. President Kocharian’s
presence could set the scene for the continuation of dialogue between
the two countries, he said and expressed regret at what he described
as timidity on the part of the Armenian leader.

PRESS RELEASE
Armenian Center for National and International Studies
75 Yerznkian Street
0033 Yerevan, Armenia
Tel: (+374 – 10) 52.87.80 or 27.48.18
Fax: (+374 – 10) 52.48.46
Email: [email protected] or [email protected]
Website:

May 30, 2006

ACNIS Hosts Policy Forum on Middle East Peace

Yerevan–The Armenian Center for National and International Studies (ACNIS)
today convened in its conference hall an off-the-record presentation and
panel discussion, entitled “Big Dream, Small Hope,” on the Middle East peace
process.

Addressed by visiting experts Professor Mohammed Dajani Daodi, director and
founder of the American Studies Institute at Al-Quds University and the
Jerusalem Studies and Research Institute, and Dr. Daniel Noah Moses of the
Harvard School of Education, the meeting brought together scholars, policy
specialists, diplomats, media commentators, political leaders and other
public figures. It was moderated by ACNIS senior analyst Hovsep Khurshudian.

Founded in 1994 by Armenia’s first Minister of Foreign Affairs Raffi K.
Hovannisian and supported by a global network of contributors, ACNIS serves
as a link between innovative scholarship and the public policy challenges
facing Armenia and the Armenian people in the post-Soviet world. It also
aspires to be a catalyst for creative, strategic thinking and a wider
understanding of the new global environment. In 2006, the Center focuses
primarily on civic education, conflict resolution, and applied research on
critical domestic and foreign policy issues for the state and the nation.
For further information on the Center and its activities, call (37410)
52-87-80 or 27-48-18; fax (37410) 52-48-46; e-mail [email protected] or
[email protected]

KARABAKH : CHIRAC REAFFIRME L’URGENCE D’UN REGLEMENT NEGOCIE DU CONFLIT

Agence France Presse
30 mai 2006 mardi 11:16 AM GMT

Le president Jacques Chirac a reaffirme mardi l’urgence d’un reglement
negocie du conflit sur l’enclave disputee du Nagorny Karabakh, en
recevant le president d’Azerbaïdjan Ilham Aliev, a rapporte l’Elysee.

Lors de cet entretien d’une heure, M. Chirac “a souligne qu’il n’y
avait pas d’alternative a un reglement pacifique negocie et a rappele
l’importance de la paix pour l’Azerbaïdjan, l’Armenie et toute la
region dans son ensemble”, selon l’Elysee.

L’Armenie et l’Azerbaïdjan se disputent la region du Nagorny Karabakh,
une enclave habitee en majorite par des Armeniens et qui a fait
secession de l’Azerbaïdjan après un conflit meurtrier debute a la
fin des annees 1980.

Un cessez-le-feu est intervenu en 1994 mais la situation reste tendue
en depit des efforts de mediation de l’OSCE.

M. Chirac “a fortement reaffirme les principes de la declaration
commune du groupe de Minsk reuni a Erevan le 25 mai”, a ajoute
l’Elysee.

Dans cette declaration, le groupe de Minsk de l’Organisation pour
la securite et la cooperation en Europe (OSCE), co-preside par les
Etats-Unis, la Russie et la France, avait souligne que “le temps
est desormais venu pour chaque partie d’arriver a un accord sur les
principes de base du reglement du conflit”.

La France avait accueilli en fevrier des pourparlers au château de
Rambouillet, près de Paris, entre Ilham Aliev et Robert Kotcharian,
le president armenien. Ces discussions a huis clos et en tete-a-tete
s’etaient soldees par une absence totale de progrès.

D’autre part, MM. Chirac et Aliev ont eu “un echange de vues sur la
situation regionale et notamment sur l’Iran”, l’Azerbaïdjan assurant
la presidence de l’Organisation de la Conference islamique (OCI),
a indique l’Elysee.

–Boundary_(ID_qfS+GtBxZqQqaOu4degSmw)- –

TRADE IS APPARANT IN THE POLITICAL SPHERE

A1+
[06:41 pm] 30 May, 2006

“The internal developments in Armenia have been determined by the
Karabakh conflict since 1988,” announced Aram Sargsyan, chairman
of the Armenian Democratic party today. He doesn’t expect any new
changes from the Aliyev – Kocharyan meeting as the expectations may
be only negative. According to him, Kocharyan will have to resist the
USA pressure and in case Bush succeeds to persuade Aliyev to use the
territory of Azerbaijan as a bridgehead against Iran, the Karabakh
conflict will be settled in Azeris favour.

“This is not the case when I shall laugh at Kocharyan’s
mistakes. Generally I am not delighted by the President’s mistakes,”
noted Aram Sargsyan. By the way, he also mentioned that though people
got tired of the Karabakh residents the Armenian society will support
the same Karabakh conflict once more and will demand the resignation
of the authorities in case the conflict is settled not in favour
of Armenians.

NA deputy Aram Sargsyan referred to the recent internal developments
and announced that they testify to the fact that the political,
economic and social crisis in the country is more profound than it
once seemed.

Aram Sargsyan respects the OYP decision to quit the Coalition but he
mentioned with regret that Arthur Baghdasaryan’s resignation and his
debate with the National Unity didn’t let the Parliament know about
“NA Speaker’s scandals with Robert Kocharyan which Arthur Baghdasaryan
announced himself.” Aram Sargsyan also noted that other representatives
of the Coalition didn’t comment on the OYP resignation.

According to Aram Sargsyan we shall face a severe phase of political
developments. The further political developments will be more
interesting starting from the September of 2007 when the parties will
convene sessions, party alliances will become known, and we shall
know which party cooperates with which one. Aram Sargsyan would
like parties to be united on ideological bases; and to be divided
into right and left alliances, but, “During the elections we shall
have business with such people who look down on others’ ideas and
suggestions who enter the political sphere to preserve their property,
thus the system won’t be changed.”

“The main fault of this system is that business in not independent in
it,” said Aram Sargsyan recalling Andranik Margaryan’s announcement
that “businessman may not countervail the authorities.” In Sargsyan’s
words though people are disappointed their attitude is the same. There
is a vast mass of people who are faithful to their principles, aren’t
sold and will vote guided by their heart remorse.

Aram Sargsyan claims that many people were eager to see “Justice”
bloc dissolved but their expectations blew up as the members of the
bloc are people who united on the ideological basis and who strive
to establish constitutional order in the country. And the bloc will
exist until it fulfills its objective.

NA new Speaker’s election has no political significance in his
words. “Armenia is a developing country. The Coalition doesn’t exist,
it has turned into a trade, and no political matters are solved in it,”
claims Sargsyan.

AZERI PRESIDENT RULES OUT CONCESSIONS TO ARMENIA

ANS TV, Baku
30 May 06

[Presenter] Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has delivered a speech
at the session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in Paris. Prior to
that, the head of state had a meeting with his French counterpart,
Jacques Chirac. Now over to Paris for more detailed information.

Joining us is ANS TV’s special correspondent Zamina Aliyeva. Zamina,
good evening. Could you tells us about the main points of the
president’s speech?

[Correspondent Zamina Aliyeva by telephone] Good evening, Natavan.

The Nagornyy Karabakh problem was the main point of the president’s
speech at the spring session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly. He
proved that Azerbaijan’s position on this issue was fair. The speech,
which was based on facts and arguments, was not only welcomed, it
also showed that Armenia has gone beyond the principles of NATO and
the international community. Ilham Aliyev said that the occupation of
20 per cent of Azerbaijan’s territory by Armenia and the existence
of more than 1m refugees were a big problem for the country and a
serious threat to the region.

He pointed out that Azerbaijan wants to solve the problem by means
of peace talks based on international law. He said that Azerbaijan’s
territorial integrity has been recognized by all states, except for
Armenia, and that the conflict must be settled only on the basis
of this principle. Saying that Azerbaijan is demanding that Armenia
withdraw its occupying troops from Karabakh, the president brought
to the attention of participants in the session that the report of
the OSCE fact-finding mission reflects the destruction of houses,
historical monuments and graves in the occupied territories. He said
that it was a humanitarian tragedy.

The president firmly said that Azerbaijan will never accept the
occupation of its territory and will not allow a second Armenian state
to be established on its territory. The settlement of the Nagornyy
Karabakh problem is important not only to Azerbaijan but also to the
region, end quote.

I should point out that in response to a question from the Armenian
delegation that it is not only the issue of Nagornyy Karabakh, but
Azerbaijan is also violating human rights, [changing tack] while
asking this question, a member of the Armenian delegation heard
a remark from Pierre Lelouche, chairman of the NATO Parliamentary
Assembly. Pierre Lelouche said that although [Armenian President]
Robert Kocharyan had been invited to the session, unfortunately he did
not attend it to participate in the dialogue. As for Ilham Aliyev,
he firmly told the Armenian representative that our position on the
Nagornyy Karabakh problem is not based on wishes and dreams.

The president said that we have no concessions to make to Armenia
because we have not occupied anyone’s territory and our problem is
not related to the population living in Karabakh, but to separatists.

The president said that today Karabakh has turned into a hangout for
drug trafficking and terrorism.

The Turkish delegation asked a question that supported Azerbaijan.

Asked whether he was pleased with the support of international
organizations on the Karabakh issue, the president answered that
although the Council of Europe resolution that describes Armenia as
an aggressor and the four UN resolution that demand an unconditional
withdrawal of occupiers from Azerbaijan’s occupied territories were
positive, several days ago Armenians celebrated the liberation
of Susa. There is a question – who was Susa liberated from? From
Azerbaijan? Unfortunately, international organizations have not
reacted to this issue.

[Passage omitted: Ilham Aliyev also spoke about Azerbaijan’s economic
development and the process of democratization in the country]

Another question was put to the president. This question stressed
that there were human rights abuses and political prisoners in
Azerbaijan. The president said that there were no political prisoners
in Azerbaijan and all reports about this were not true.

[Passage omitted: Ilham Aliyev’s speech was welcomed at the session]

Lawyer: youths kill Armenian teen while yelling ‘Glory to Russia!’ in Moscow
suburb

AP Worldstream; May 30, 2006

Prosecutors opened a hate crime investigation into the fatal stabbing of an
Armenian teenager at a Moscow suburban train station, a prosecutors’ official
said Tuesday.
Artur Sardaryan, 19, was killed Thursday in the latest in a string of
racially motivated attacks in Moscow and throughout Russia.
Yelena Rossokhina, a spokeswoman for Moscow regional prosecutors, said three
young men approached Sardaryan as he sat on a regional commuter train around
11:30 p.m. and stabbed him for no apparent reasons. He died later on the way
to a hospital, she said.
Lawyer Simon Tsaturyan told Ekho Moskvy radio that witnesses reported the
youths yelling “Glory to Russia!” and “Long Live Russia!”
Russia in recent years has seen an increase in racially motivated attacks on
foreigners and dark-skinned immigrants from the poorer Caucasus region and
Central Asia.
Last month, an apparent skinhead fatally stabbed an Armenian student on a
central Moscow subway platform.

PanARMENIAN.Net

Peter Burdykin: Vladimir Zhirinovsky `Expresses His Personal
Viewpoint’

26.05.2006 17:35 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Acting Charge d’Affaires of Russia in Azerbaijan
Peter Burdykin said the statement by Russian State Duma Vice-speaker
Vladimir Zhirinovsky on the possibility of Nagorno Karabakh’s
independence `doesn’t reflect the position of the RF leadership.’
Burdykin remarked that `a parliamentarian expressing his personal
viewpoint does not express the position of the state.’

He said the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement is a very subtle
issue and even mature members of the Russian and U.S. foreign
departments read their statement from paper, reported Day.az.

To remind, Russian State Duma Vice-speaker Vladimir Zhirinovsky stated
that unrecognized republics, which were formed in the territory of the
former Soviet Union, will follow the path of Montenegro, Russian State
Duma Vice-Speaker Vladimir Zhirinovsky had stated. `Abkhazia,
Transnistria and Karabakh will follow the path of Montenegro.
Referendum on declaring independence in Montenegro is a precedent in
the international law,’ he told journalists in Moscow before the third
congress of the Union of Armenians of Russia. `Time will come and
resolutions on referendums will be adopted in the South Caucasus,
e.g. Karabakh will acquire independence,’ Zhirinovsky added.
`Karabakh is fully entitled to become an independent state and for
Baku not to feel hurt, it may not join Armenia, having allied
relations with it,’ the Russian State Duma Vice-Speaker said.

DEMIRCHYAN IS OPEN TO COOPERATION

Lragir.am
26 May 06

Time will settle everything. Stepan Demirchyan, the leader of
Ardarutiun Alliance, is guided by this principle when he speaks about
the leap of the Orinats Yerkir Party from the coalition to the
opposition. Stepan Demirchyan says they accept the bid of Orinats
Yerkir to become opposition without panic. And generally, the word
`panic’ cannot be used to characterizetheir actions and
activities. `Time will settle everything. I should add only that we
are not suspicious. We think it is better to make a mistake when you
believe, than to make a mistake when you suspect,’ says Stepan
Demirchyan. According to him, it is wrong to make a fuss about
nothing.

`In the long run, the activities, and steps will show everything. Now
we do not consider whether it is false or not. Time will show,’ says
Stepan Demirchyan. He is even willing to cooperate with Orinats
Yerkir. Stepan Demirchyan asserts their willingness to negotiate
definite issues with all the forces which stress establishment of
constitutional order in Armenia and the removal of the illegal
regime. The leader of Ardarutiun Alliance mentions at the same time
that Orinats Yerkir is definitely responsible for the illegal
actionsof the government over the past years.

PARUYR HAYRIKYAN: THE STATE POLITICAL LIFE IS ACCOMPANIED WITH DISGRACEFUL EXPRESSIONS

ArmRadio.am
24.05.2006 17:30

Head of the National Self-Determination Union Paruyr Hayrikyan
evaluated today the events in the domestic political life of the
country, assessing these as dangerous steps for the Republic.

The state political life is accompanied with disgraceful expressions;
this is the way the Head of the National Self-Determination Union
characterizes the internal political events.

Paruyr Hayrikyan does not see anything unusual “Orinats Yerkir”
Party’s seceding from the coalition. At last, it is the party that
should decide where it must belong.

Paruyr Hayrikyan was discontent with the phenomenon of rat race. He
said these people do not know what a party means and what it is being
formed for. He considered it necessary to explain that a party should
either comprise part of the state or promote its creation.

According to him, the facts show that there are no parties, in reality
these are balloons.

The President of the National Self-Determination Union attached
importance to the choice of national symbols. “Choosing as an anthem
Aram Khachatryan’s melody of Communist era would mean breaking
ourselves,” Paruyr Hayrikyan said.

He will fight against the “shadow of Communism.

STAFF MANAGER OF YEREVAN BRANDY COMPANY HRANT BAGRATYAN TO RESIGN BY THE END OF JUNE

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
May 24 2006

YEREVAN, May 24. /ARKA/. Staff and Grape Purchase Manager of the
Yerevan Brandy Company (YBC), RA ex-Prime Minister Hrant Bagratyan
will resign by the end of June, upon his own application, according
to the Press Service of the YBC. Bagratyan has been Staff and Grape
Purchase Manager of the YBC since 1998.

“YBC Board of Directors expresses its gratitude to Mr. Bagratyan
for his service in establishment of good relations between the YBC
and wine-growers of Armenia, as well as for his contribution to
strengthening company’s authority and image in the republic, and
wishes success in future activities”, YBC press release says.

The Press Service also informed that the Administrative-Financial
Manager of the YBC from 1999 to 2006 Alexander Ghazaryan has been
appointed Regional Director of Pernod Ricard in Kazakhstan. His post
will be taken up by Ignaty Arakelyan, who has been Chief Accountant
of YBC since 1999.

In June 1998 YBC joined Pernod Ricard group international corporation
owner of a number of famous trade brands of spirits. Pernod Ricard
company obtained Yerevan Brandy Company at international tender for
$30 mln.