Author: Chilingarian Babken

Regnum, Russia
Oct 13 2006

NATO special representative visit to Armenia marked by launch of IPAP
– Oskanyan

Visit of NATO Special Representative for the South Caucasus and
Central Asia Robert Simmons to Armenia was marked by the launch of
the NATO Individual Partnership Action Program (IPAP), Minister of
Foreign Affairs of Armenia Vardan Oskanyan informed at a joint press
conference with Robert Simmons Oct 12 in Yerevan. REGNUM
correspondent reports the minister to inform that IPAP is being
implemented in all directions. Robert Simmons also pointed to the
progress in implementing the NATO program.

Answering a question, whether the NATO and EU programs complement
each other, Vardan Oskanyan said that the Armenian `Euro-trend
consists of the three items: NATO, the EU, and liabilities before the
Council of Europe.’ `Hence, a Coordination Council was created
according to the decision of Robert Kocharyan that is designed to
ensure that same items are not repeated in different programs.
However, the NATO and EU partnership programs are so extensive that
they complement each other.’

Robert Simmons informed that NATO mainly concentrates on the issues
of security and reform in the Armenian armed forces. Economic issues
and the human rights field are in the focus of EU and CE. The Council
of Europe is also actively engaged in organizing and running
monitoring missions during elections. Each organization has its own
priorities that, however, complement each other, the NATO special
representative explained.

KEY PREREQUISITE FOR EDUCATION REFORMS IN ARMENIA IS CONCENTRATON OF EFFORTS AND COMMITMENT TO COOPERATION

ARMINFO News Agency
October 10, 2006 Tuesday

The key prerequisite for effective education reforms in Armenia is
concentration of efforts and commitment to cooperation, say the
participants in the Day of Information, an event held in Yerevan
State University (YSU) today under the Tempus Tacis project. The
organizers are Armenian Education and Science Ministry, European
Commission Delegation to Armenia, Tempus project office in Armenia.

During their speeches the director of the project, the representative
of the EC Delegation to Armenia Irina Movsissyan, the rector of the
YSU Aram Simonyan, the deputy education and science minister Ara
Avetissyan, the representative of the European Commission Education
and Culture Directorate General Klaus Koerner pointed out the key
role of universities in social reforms. Universities should be less
bureaucratic and more enterprising. They should be oriented towards
labor market and should establish active contacts with the government,
local administrations, businessmen and NGOs. The speakers noted
that by joining the Bologna Process, Armenia has committed itself
to reform the whole education system. Armenian universities – both
governmental and private – have yet much to do to integrate into the
European education system.

To remind, Tempus is a program adopted by the EU Council of Ministers
in 1990. It has been prolonged for three times and will be finished
this year. The objective of the program is to intensify EU cooperation
with partner states in supporting higher education reforms. Armenia
joined the program in 1995 and since then has carried out 28 long-term
projects worth a total of 4.5 mln EUR. 9 state Armenian universities
– YSU, Engineering University, Medical University, Architecture and
Construction University, Economics University, Agricultural University,
Linguistic University and Pedagogical Institutes of Gyumri and Vanadzor
– as well as some private universities have taken part in the project.

PARTIES CLASH IN GEORGIA IN POST-ELECTION FIGHT

Panorama.am
19:03 11/10/06

Shirak Torosyan, the leader of "Javakhk" Union, an NGO of compatriots
from Javakhk, said it is unclear that local self-government elections
were held in Georgia on October 5 despite of being planned in late
November and December. He thinks the Georgian authorities in power
did it on purpose in order not to allow the opposition to organize
itself, Torosyan said referring to Georgian media sources.

Speaking about post-election situation, Torosyan said, "Industry will
save Georgian" Party, which collected 30% of votes, was provoked to
organize a protest action.

On October 9 pro-government United National Movement, which collected
70% of votes, and "Industry will save Georgia" clashed and Akhalkalak
police head was beaten. Torosyan said before the clash both Georgian
and Russian channels knew that something was going to happen and had
their cameras ready. Therefore, Torosyan thinks that the conflict
was planned.

NATO PA OFFICIALS TO VISIT AZERBAIJAN
Author: J.Shahverdiyev

TREND Information, Azerbaijan
Oct 10 2006

The Chairman of the Ad Hoc Committee of the NATO Parliamentary
Assembly for Defense and Security Fran Kook will stay in Baku from
16 to 18 October, and the Chairman of the Ad Hoc Committee of NATO
Parliamentary Assembly for Possibilities of the Future Security
and Defense Vahid Erden – from 15 to 18 October, the member of the
Azerbaijani delegation in NATO PA Zahid Oruj told Trend.

He stressed that Kook and Erden will hold meetings with the Chairman
of the Azerbaijani Parliament and the heads of the force bodies.

"Debates will be organized on the reforms with regard to defense,
Azerbaijani and NATO relations," Oruj underlined.

Within the visit, Erden plans to discuss security and defense in
Azerbaijan, reforms, Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
and energy security.

NEGATION GENOCIDE ARMENIEN: AMENDEMENT DEVEDJIAN "INOPPORTUN" (MASSE, PS)

Agence France Presse
9 octobre 2006 lundi

Le rapporteur de la proposition de loi socialiste reprimant la
negation du genocide armenien, Christophe Masse, a qualifie lundi
d’"inopportun" l’amendement du depute UMP Patrick Devedjian visant
a exclure les historiens du champ d’application de cette loi.

"Cet amendement denature complètement le texte en exonerant d’emblee
les historiens d’une eventuelle negation du genocide", a estime
auprès de l’AFP le depute des Bouches-du-Rhône. "Je lui demande de
le retirer", a-t-il ajoute.

Car "la negation a souvent ete exprimee a partir de leurs rangs",
a-t-il souligne. "On nous taxe de vouloir atteindre a la liberte
d’expression, mais la loi Gayssot n’a jamais empeche les historiens
de travailler sur la Shoah", a-t-il insiste.

Pour M. Masse, "il s’agit simplement de completer par un volet penal
la loi reconnaissant le genocide armenien qui n’en contient aucun".

Le depute a toutefois indique que si l’amendement de M. Devedjian
etait adopte lors de l’examen de la proposition jeudi par les deputes,
le groupe socialiste voterait "quand meme le texte ainsi amende".

Plusieurs deputes UMP dont M. Devedjian, un proche de Nicolas
Sarkozy, ont depose un amendement excluant les "recherches scolaires,
universitaires ou scientifiques" du champ de la repression de la
negation du genocide armenien.

–Boundary_(ID_5PlfWktJv1mZ+sLujXWQ8A)- –

EXPERTS OF "MITQ" ARE AGAINST THE POLICY OF SAHAKASHVILI

A1+
[04:51 pm] 09 October, 2006

Youth analytical center "Mitq" considers the policy of Georgian
President Sahakashvili unacceptable.

According to them, it can result in a conflict between the two
countries.

The experts of the center made an announcement in "Pastark" club
according to which they call on the political and non-governmental
organizations of Armenia, as well as the RA Government to be stricter
towards our neighbor and to protect the interests of our compatriots.

The center enumerated a number of procedures in Georgia which are
anti-Armenian. For example, the Armenian schools in villages are
closed down; Armenian officials are deprived of their posts because
of not knowing Georgian, etc. Expert Edward Abrahamyan noted that the
collisions between the Georgian police and Armenians have become usual.

"All this testifies to the fact that Tbilisi follows an anti-Armenian
policy. Another proof is that during the October 5 elections of local
governing bodies they allowed a number of fabrications against Armenian
candidates", Mr. Abrahamyan said.

By the way, the experts of the center do not have anything in common
with Georgia; they have carried out the analysis according to media
coverages.

RA NATIONAL ASSEMBLY GIVES POSITIVE RESPONSE TO UN ANTI-CORRUPTION CONVENTION AT

AZG Armenian Daily #191, 07/10/2006

Home

In 2003, UN General Assembly adopted the Anti-Corruption
Convention. 140 UN member states signed the convention. Armenia joined
this list last year. Yesterday, the convention was discussed at RA
National Assembly. RA Justice Minister David Harutyunian stated that
the ratification of the convention will be another step for development
of the legislative field of Armenia. It will also help apply new
measures for anti-corruption struggle. The convention’s regulation
includes many issues: aversion of corruption, legal and criminal
prosecution of corruption and others. Besides, Armenia’s participation
in the convention envisages a number of legislative initiatives,
which will soon be submitted to RA National Assembly. In general,
the deputies gave positive evaluation to the convention. The document
is likely to be ratified in the course of the coming four days.

By Nana Petrosian

STEPAN DEMIRCHYAN REMINDED

A1+
[08:16 pm] 04 October, 2006

The rapporteurs who were in Armenia last week have represented their
impressions in the PACE monitoring session, member of the Armenian
delegation Stepan Demirchyan informed "A1+".

Demirchyan himself made a speech in that session. He reminded the
members of the Monitoring group that the opposition of Armenia demands
to punish those who fabricated the 2003 elections and to reopen
"A1+", but nothing has been done so far. He also reminded that the
Constitutional referendum was also fabricated.

"And yet they speak about the fairness of the coming elections",
Stepan Demirchyan said.

During the session the amendments to the RA Electoral Code were also
found important. In connection with this Stepan Demirchyan hinted that
the 2003 Electoral Code was quite normal according to the experts and
observers, but it did not prevent the elections from being fabricated.

Tomorrow Stepan Demirchyan will address the PACE session.

"I will naturally speak about the Armenian Genocide. I will mention
that the fact that the Armenian Genocide was not condemned on
time resulted in new crimes", Stepan Demirchyan informed "A1+"
from Strasbourg.

SOME TURKS CHANGE RELIGION TO SEEK TICKETS WEST
By Nicolas Cheviron

Assyrian International News Agency AINA
Oct 4 2006

ISTANBUL — Turkey’s few Muslim converts to Christianity, of which
the hijacker Tuesday of a Turkish airliner claimed to be one, are
a motley, marginal group that includes people on personal spiritual
quests, as well as those in search of more material benefits.

Hakan Ekinci, 28, who hijacked a Turkish Airlines Tirana-Istanbul
flight to Italy on Tuesday, presented himself in an internet blog
adressed to Pope Benedict XVI as one such convert who did not want
to serve in "a Muslim army."

Whether he actually belongs to any of Turkey’s Christian churches,
however, has come under doubt with the appearance of several articles
in the Turkish press Wednesday saying he has a criminal record for
fraud, in addition to two spells in the stockade for desertion.

Most of Turkey’s "new Christians" — who only number about 1,000 in
a population of 73 million that is more than 99 percent Muslim —
belong to a score of evangelical parishes scattered across Turkey.

"We have about a thousand followers in our churches, mostly Turks,
but also a few foreigners and, when there is only one church in town,
some Armenian Orthodox and Catholics as well," explained Sait Cakir
of the Ankara Evangelical Community.

The evangelical churches, which are not recognised by the strictly
secular laws of Turkey, are mainly in the three biggest cities —
Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir.

"The fact that we are open to everyone means that we get some strange
followers," said Ihsan Ozbek, the evangelical pastor for Ankara. "Some
come looking for women, others for money, yet others for visas to
the west."

Bulent, who works for an international organisation in the Turkish
capital and will not reveal his last name, said his conversion was
the result of an arduous quest for his roots.

"My father always said we were descendents of Turkmens from Central
Asia," he said. "But one day, I learned that we were in fact a family
of Jews who had converted to Islam."

After mulling this over for a while, he finally opted in 1993 to join
the Syriac church, in memory of the many tales his grandmother used
to tell him of the Christians of southeast Anatolia, where her family
originated from.

Ferda, who also did not want to give her family name, said she too
felt uncomfortable with her identity as a Turk.

She was raised in a community of Muslim Greeks who were deported to
Turkey during the population exchanges of 1923.

"But when I went to high school," she said, "I suddenly realised what a
stranger I was to Turkish culture" — so she converted to Catholicism.

But conversions to the Roman church, as to the other mainstream
churches in Turkey — mostly Armenian and Greek orthodox — remain
the exception.

EU SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR THE SOUTH CAUCASUS: OSCE MG SHOULD SETTLE NK CONFLICT

Regnum, Russia
Oct 3 2006

"I would not like to comment on Azerbaijani initiative on putting on
the UN General Assembly’s agenda Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement,"
EU special representative for the South Caucasus Peter Semneby stated
to the press in Yerevan.

"From the direction of the EU I may say; OSCE Minsk Group should
settle Nagorno Karabakh conflict. We fully support efforts of OSCE
MG co-chairs," Peter Semneby stated.

It is worth stressing; international mediators stay in frames of
their regional visit in Baku; on October 3, the OSCE MG co-chairs
will arrive in Yerevan.