Author: Chakhmakhchian Vatche

FOREIGN INFLUENCE MAY CREATE NATIONAL PROBLEMS IN IRAN

Yerevan, April 28. ArmInfo. The Iranian Azeris can hardly be involved
in the actions against Tehran, says the senior research worker of the
Institute of World Economy and International Relations of the Russian
Academy of Sciences Alexander Krylov The 20 mln Iranian Azeris are
deeply integrated in the social-political life of Iran and have their
representatives in the top echelons of the Iranian authorities. But
the political processes in the world show that foreign financial and
military influence may create national problems even in places having
no such problems before.

GLOCOMS GROUP SUBMITS BID FOR PARTICIPATION IN MILLENNIUM CHALLENGES COROPRATION ARMENIAN PROGRAM

Noyan Tapan
Apr 27 2006

YEREVAN, APRIL 27, NOYAN TAPAN. The Glocoms Group company (US) intends
to participate in the implementation of the Armenian program of the
Millennium Challenges Corporation (MCC). According to the company,
Glocoms Group has submitted a bid for participating in the tender
announced under this program – to act as a fiscal agent. The Glocoms
Group consulting company was founded in 1998. One of the important
spheres of the company’s activities is to be involved in programs
implemented by the World Bank in developing countries. In Armenia,
Glocoms Group has participated in 4 programs organized by the
Enterprise Incubator Foundation.

NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT MAIN PROBLEM FOR AZERBAIJAN -ALIYEV
by Andrei Sitov

ITAR-TASS News Agency
April 26, 2006 Wednesday 03:45 PM EST

Azerbaijani President Ilkham Aliyev said the conflict with Armenia
in Nagorno-Karabakh was the main problem for his country.

Speaking at the Washington-based Council on Foreign Relations during
his first official visit to the United States on Wednesday, Aliyev said
the current talks on Nagorno-Karabakh would “create opportunities for
just and lasting peace based on the principles of international law.”

“We hope that the United States, as a super power and a co-chairman
of the OSCE Minsk Group, will help to resolve the conflict,” he said.

He believes it should be a peaceful settlement achieved through
negotiations and based on international law.

“Territorial integrity of Azerbaijan has been recognised by the U.N.

and all countries of the world, except Armenia,” Aliyev said.

U.S. co-chairman of the OSCE Minsk Group Steve Mann told Itar-Tass
that he would travel to Moscow next week for a new meeting with
his colleagues.

He appears to be quite optimistic and thinks that an effective basis
for a compromise has been found.

Mann believes it important to give up attempts to try to solve all
problems once and for all. Instead the opposite approach has been
chosen: moving gradually step by step and leaving some of the complex
issues to be addressed in the future.

TURKEY “INSULTED” BY CANADIAN PM’S STATEMENT ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

PanARMENIAN.Net
26.04.2006 22:20 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ “We are insulted by the Canadian Prime Minister’s
comments, which promote Armenia’s accusations as regards the
genocide. These statements damaged relations with Turkey,” the Turkish
MFA said, reported Hurriyet Turkish newspaper.

To remind, the other day Canadian PM Stephen Harper welcomed the
events dedicated to the 91st anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. “As
you remember the Canadian parliament passed the Armenian Genocide
Resolution on April 21, 2004. Our party supported the document and
we keep on supporting this decision,” he said.

ARMENIANS MARK ‘GENOCIDE’ AT TURKISH EMBASSY IN TBILISI

Civil Georgia, Georgia
April 24, 2006

Dozens of representatives of the Armenian community in Georgia
gathered on April 24 outside the Turkish Embassy in Tbilisi to demand
recognition of slaughter estimated 1,5 million Armenians in 1915-1923
as genocide.

Armenians throughout the world are marking April 24 as a launch of
Armenian genocide by Ottoman Turkish government. But Turkey insists
that the number of those killed is inflated and the Armenians were
victims of World War I and not of genocide.

SEN. ALLARD TO HANG OUT WITH ROCK STARS
By M.E. Sprengelmeyer, Rocky Mountain News

Rocky Mountain News, CO
April 24, 2006

Concern over Armenian genocide is bringing together soft-spoken Sen.
Wayne Allard and one of the loudest heavy metal bands in the business
this week.

The Armenian-American group System of A Down, known for an eclectic
repertoire and rapid, screaming lyrics, is scheduled to visit Allard’s
office Wednesday afternoon.

The visit is to thank Allard for co-sponsoring symbolic legislation
casting a spotlight on the deaths of an estimated 1.5 million ethnic
Armenians under Ottoman Empire rule in the early 20th Century.

The band, known for political lyrics, has made remembering the Armenian
genocide a cause celebre, and its web site urges fans worldwide to
pressure their representatives to remember crimes against humanity.

On the surface, Allard and the band would seem to have little in
common.

While Allard is quiet and conservative, the band is, uhm, not.

Its song list includes the song “F— the System.” One song,
“B.Y.O.B.,” includes the lyrics “Why don’t presidents fight the war?

Why do they always send the poor?”

And then there are profanity-laced songs like “Cigaro,” which includes
bragging references to various male physical attributes and repeated
lines like, “My s— stinks much better than yours…”

(That’s one of the more family-friendly lines.)

So is the band’s music on Allard’s iPod?

“Sen. Allard does not yet own an iPod,” chief of staff Sean Conway
reports.

“Sen. Allard is aware the band is heavy metal and has strong ‘political
lyrics’ in their songs, but he admires the band members for their
standing up for what they believe in, and for their strong support
of the Armenian Genocide Resolution,” Conway said.

Armenpress

YEAR OF ARMENIA IN RUSSIA RECEIVES WARM WELCOME

YEREVAN, APRIL 21, ARMENPRESS: Vigen Sarkisian, an
aide to president Robert Kocharian, told a news
conference today that the audience in Russia is giving
a warm welcome to an extensive range of events held
there as part of the Year of Armenia in Russia.
He said the initiative to hold the Year of Armenia
in Russia should not be confused with what is known as
days of culture, because the Year of Armenia in Russia
is a broader idea encompassing also educational,
scientific programs to be added soon by athletic
events. He said the symphonic orchestra of the Russian
republic of Bashkortostan held a concert with invited
Armenian violinist Martin Yavryan and a singer Vahagn
Makvetsian. Moscow’s Pushkin Museum hosted an
exhibition of treasures from Etchmiadzin, the Russian
Center for International, Cultural and Scientific Ties
is hosting an Armenpress photo exhibition titled
‘Armenia: 15 Years of Independence.’ The exhibition
displays 110 photos shot by Armenia’s leading
photographers.
Saint Petersburg hosted an exhibition of paintings
of local artists of Armenian descent. The museum in
southern Russian Astrakhan is hosting an exhibition
titled ‘Famous Armenians of Astrakhan.’ As part of the
Year a n extensive Armenian delegation, headed by
territorial minister Hovik Abrahamian was in the
southern Russian province of Rostov on April 17-19.
Vigen Sarkisian said exchange visits of students
from sister schools in Yerevan and Moscow are expected
soon and in summer businessmen of both countries will
meet for a business forum in Moscow. Deputy foreign
affairs minister Gegham Gharibjanian said the Year of
Armenia in Russia is a good moral impetus for
thousands of Russian Armenians. ” We felt it during
all our meetings. They are sure that the Republic of
Armenia stands ready to support and defend their
interests,” he said.
Vigen Sarkisian said also the First Russian TV
Channel with the biggest audience will screen on April
24 Armenian-Canadian Atom Egoyan’s’ Ararat’, a film
about the genocide.

INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENTS ARE MERE PAPERS

Lragir.am
19 April 06

The demolition of Armenian khachkars in Nakhidjevan is cultural
genocide, announced MP Heghineh Bisharyan April 19, during the meeting
of the Commission on EU-Armenia Partnership. She mentioned that the
Armenian khachkars are part of the world cultural heritage. At the
same time Heghineh Bisharyan highly appreciated the role of the EU
and the European Parliament in the preservation of cultural values,
emphasizing the decision to send a fact-finding group of European
parliamentarians to the region. During the same meeting another
member of parliament Hranush Hakobyan announced that the European
parliamentarians should severely condemn the demolition of Armenian
cultural monuments and impose sanctions against Azerbaijan. Hranush
Hakobyan said doing nothing would inflict other similar crimes. Hranush
Hakobyan thinks that including the khachkars in the list of monuments
protected by Unesco would hardly prove effective. “The town of Ani is
one of these monuments, but the stones of the local Armenian churches
are freely removed,” stated Hranush Hakobyan. She finds that it is
impossible to return the lost monuments, and all Armenia can do is to
state facts, which means the international conventions and covenants
are mere papers, says Hranush Hakobyan.

LEONID IVASHOV: THREAT OF RESUMPTION OF HOSTILITIES IN KARABAKH QUITE REAL

PanARMENIAN.Net
17.04.2006 GMT+04:00

Interview

The South Caucasus has always been a place of collision of
superpowers. Due to the Nagorno Karabakh and Georgian-Abkhaz conflict
there is an impression formed that Russia is gradually being forced
out of the region. What is the actual state of affairs?

PanARMENIAN.Net asked first vice-president of the Academy of
Geopolitical Studies, Colonel General, Doctor of Historical Sciences
Leonid Ivashov, who headed Russian Army General Staff till 2001.

How serious are Azerbaijan’s statements on readiness to resumption
of hostilities on the Karabakh front?

Security issues should always be treated seriously.

Taking into account the complexity of the Nagorno Karabakh problem
security is the main task of the state and the major responsibility of
the President and government. Only via military balance it’s possible
to preserve political settlement. The threat of an armed conflict
and resumption of hostilities is quite real.

Keeping the situation within a political settlement is possible only
via balance of military potentials.

Domination of military force of one of the parties can result in a
new bloodshed.

Which is the Russia’s policy towards settlement of the Nagorno
Karabakh conflict?

The Russian leadership lacks a precise strategy on the South
Caucasus. In relations with Azerbaijan and Armenia Russia abides
by the balance of friendly interaction. This line helps to maintain
peace in Karabakh.

A notion is formed lately that Russia is trying to strengthen its
position in the South Caucasus resorting to means that are not
popular. Is this true?

Russia, in the person of the reasonable part of its leadership, is
trying to maintain its presence and influence in the Caucasus. It’s
important for Russia to prevent destabilization in the North Caucasus,
deployment of NATO military bases and projection of military force
inland.

In my opinion, Armenia is Russia’s monument point in the South
Caucasus. At the same time it is vitally important for Armenia to have
allied relations with Russia. If Armenia relies on promises made by
the West it will lose its state system and independence.

If Georgia and Azerbaijan escape the zone of Russia’s influence, will
not Armenia be isolated, hoping for Russia’s good will, which can act
in the same manner, as in 1921 by concluding an alliance with Ataturk?

Armenia has the right to establish relations with whom it wishes. But
if it conflicts with Russia’s interests Moscow can transform
cooperation into the level of mutually beneficial relations without
any political or economic preferences. However such situation will
conflict with Armenia’s national interests and will result in the
isolation of the republic and even in its collapse.

A large Armenian Diaspora lives in Russia. “I think it could make a
great contribution to the development of the Russian-Armenian allied
relations.

ARMENIAN FM OSKANYAN ACCUSES TURKEY FOR THE BILATERAL PROBLEMS

Journal of Turkish Weekly, Turkey
April 19 2006

Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanyan argued that Turkey should
take appropriate move to normalize relations with Armenia. According to
the Armenian Minister the only responsible in the relations is Turkey.

Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian said “Armenia sets no
preconditions for establishment of normal relations with Turkey”.

“Armenia was ready yesterday, is ready today and will be ready tomorrow
to establish neighbor relations with Turkey without preconditions
and have open borders with it,” the Armenian FM stated.

However Turkish expert Yesim Sahiner finds Oskanyan’s words ‘funny
word games”. “Armenia has no right to set no preconditions. It is
the Armenian side who occupied 20 percent of a neighbouring country”
she said.

According to Yesim Sahiner Armenia does not recognise Turkey’s
national borders:

“Armenian FM is playing. He is pretenting. He tries to show Armenia a
peacefull country and Turkey as an aggressive country. However Turkey
did not occupy anywehere. 20 percent of Azerbaijan is still under
the Armenian occupation. And Armenia did anything possible not to
speak with the Turks. Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan invited
them to Turkey and offer to establish a permenant dialogue. Armenian
side just rejected the kind invitations. Turkey does not need the
Armenian border for its economy. The side in need is Armenia and of
course they cannot set any precondition for dialogue.”

“We admit that problems exist but show me two states, especially
in Europe, experiencing no historical problems. However no state
practises the “instrument of closed borders” to force another state
to renounce its history,” the Armenian Minister said.

The Armenian Tashnak group on the other hand opposes opening of the
borders with Turkey. The Armenian diaspora in particular argue that
no relations should be established with the Turks.

Vartan Oskanian considers that Turkey doesn’t wish to develop bilateral
political relations and this excludes any progress.