Author: Chilingarian Babken

Armenia and Azerbaijan Should Follow Europe’s Example

PanARMENIAN.Net
11.07.2006 15:12 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Everyone wants peace and it can be attained, Azeri
publicist and journalist Alekper Aliyev stated in a conversation with
a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter. For example, there are Armenian women
in Baku. These are those, who married Azeris and did not leave. The
Armenian party has already helped those women to meet with their
children, who are in Russia and other countries. It would be great
if the Azeri party did the same," he suggested. Aliyev added that
Azerbaijan should appear before the world with a human face, not a
people always busy with nurturing enemy image.

The publicist underscored he arrived in Armenia not to discuss
Karabakh or decide its status. "We are not betrayers, though some
people in Azerbaijan want to present the affair this way. We should
look at Europe and arrange good relations between neighbors. I want
prosperity in entire region," he said.

Alekper Aliyev also reported about decision adopted at the six-sided
working meeting of citizens and NGOs of the South Caucasus in
Yerevan. "We, the writers and publicists of Armenia, Georgia,
Azerbaijan, Nagorno Karabakh, Abkhazia and South Ossetia, made the
following decision: as no talks can help, obstacles are made for
peoples’ diplomacy, we are labeled as betrayers, we arrived at a
conclusion that our problems, wars and conflicts are not serious
and we deserve being laughed at, sneered at and even jeered at,"
the decision says.

BÝA, Turkey
July 10 2006

"Agos" Case A Stage of Violence Again

Case of journalists Hrant Dink, Engin, Seropyan and Arat Dink charged with
"attempt to influence a fair trial" was adjourned to December after the
hearing subsequent to a fight between lawyers. Lawyer Ceylan was punched in
face, his glasses were broken.

BIA News Center
10/07/2006 Erol ONDEROGLU

BÝA (Istanbul) – The trial of Armenian "Agos" newspaper journalists Hrant
Dink, Aydin Engin, Serkis Seropyan and Arat Dink charged with "attempting to
influence a fair trial" by way of criticizing a court verdict banning a 2005
Ottoman Armenians Conference in Istanbul continued this Tuesday with a fight
breaking out between lawyers before the hearing, a protest outside the court
house afterwards and heavy security measures that prevented neither.

Prior to the June 4 hearing at the Sisli 2nd Civilian Court of First
Instance a fight broke out between defence lawyers and attorneys of
complainants during which Deniz Ceylan, representing the defendants, was
punched in the face and his glasses were broken.

The case was later adjourned to December 12 by Chief Justice Hilmi Aslan as
a group of demonstrators gathered outside the courthouse to shout slogans in
protest of the defendants.

Serkis Seropyan was the only defendant who attended this weeks hearing to
testify.

Seropyan told the court that readers of his newspaper had reacted to a
sentence of Hrant Dink by another court and that the paper had covered this
story due to its news value. He asked to be acquitted.

About 30 lawyers including Fethiye Cetin, Yucel Sayman, Fikret Ilkiz, Erdal
Dogan, Bahri Bayram Belen and Filiz Kerestecioglu represented the defendants
while the complainants were represented by four lawyers .

Kemal Kerincsiz, an attorney for the complainants, told the court that the
defendants aimed to destroy the Turkish Republic and to hinder the judicial
system by making it ineffective.

The case was opened after Kerincsiz, a leading member of the right-wing
organisation of a group of Turkish lawyers who call themselves "The Unity of
Jurists" and nine other individuals filed a criminal complaint against the
journalists and they were subsequently charged under article 288 of the
Penal Code. If they are found guilty, each can be sentenced to up to 4.5
years imprisonment.

Cetin: This case is harmful

Evaluating the ongoing trial for bianet, jurist Fethiye Cetin said the fact
that this trial is taking so long was "a great disadvantage and even
harmful" for the economics of a trial. "All the court needs to do" she said,
"is to examine the articles and comments, and pass a verdict" (EO/AD/II/YE)

–Boundary_(ID_/KkS5oEzsnWuW4/7FG3C OQ)–

PRESS RELEASE
"Hayastan" All-Armenian Fund
Governmental Building 3, Yerevan, RA
Contact: Anush Babayan
Tel: 3741 52 09 40
Fax: 3741 52 37 95
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:

10.07.06

Tenders for the Mardakert Regional Development Project

Tenders for construction of 30 km long water pipe-line and 4,865 km
long section of Drmbon-Mardakert road were conducted on July the 4th
in the frame of the Mardakert Regional Development Project.

Construction of the drinking water pipe-line will be carried out in
two stages. 13 and 17 km long sections will be constructed.

Virage company was selected to carry out construction of 17 km
long section. According to the schedule the company will construct
the section in 330 days. The construction costs 490 million 956
thousand AMD. The tender for the 13 km long section of the pipe-line
was cancelled due to high prices offered by the participants. New
tender will be conducted for the section on August 1. The "Hayastan"
Fund has paid 40 million AMD to the NKR government for the design of
the water-main.

Karavan won the tender announced for the construction of 4,865 km long
section of the Drmbon-Mardakert road. It is scheduled to complete
in 480 days. Construction costs 459 million 696 thousand AMD. The
first tender for this section was conducted in March. But due to
high prices offered by the participants the tender was cancelled and
re-announced. Construction works in Mardakert will start in July.

Tahir Tagizade: "Nagorno Karabakh can not take part in negotiations at present"

Today, Azerbaijan
July 8 2007

08 July 2006 [10:45] – Today.Az

"Nagorno Karabakh can not take part in negotiations at present as
a side, the international community knows identity of talks and
conflicting sides," MFA Press and Information Policy Office Chief
Tahir Taghizade said.

According to APA he was responding the comment of so-called Nagorno
Karabakh parliament leader Ashot Gulyan related to the last statement
of OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs.

Azerbaijan MFA official stated that official Baku will work with
both communities in Nagorno Karabakh region after completion of first
stage of the regulation, restoration of ethnic composition of Nagorno
Karabakh like in previous time, and provision of security of people
in the region

This is also important on the base of Azerbaijani Constitution to solve
the status of Nagorno Karabakh region and for further development of
the region.

Tagizade said that only that time there will be necessity to talks:
"Taking use of the opinion said by Sabina Freizer ‘If co-chairs
are not willing to mediate the talks, sides should solve the problem
themselves’ involving Nagorno Karabakh to talks comes through interior
need, and does not bear constructive character."

URL:

AZADLIQ BLOC ISSUES STATEMENT ON SETTLEMENT PROCESS OF NK CONFLICT

Today, Azerbaijan
July 5 2006

On Wednesday Azadliq Bloc has issued a statement on recent process
of settlement of Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

The statement given to APA by Azadliq bloc press service says that
the bloc concerns about confidentiality of talks between Azerbaijani
and Armenian officials.

Azadliq bloc states that manipulation attempts at territorial integrity
of Azerbaijan are unacceptable. The bloc also expressed concern over
western countries’ recent stance on settlement of Nagorno Karabakh
problem.

Saying West preferring their economic interests are obviously seen
in their stance, oppositionists state that Azerbaijani people have
more and more serious lack of confidence in these countries’ stance
concerning the conflict.

URL:

CONSTITUTION STARTED TO FUNCTION: DAVIT HARUTUNYAN

Panorama.am
17:57 04/07/06

A person goes to restaurant and asks for "borshch".

They say they have no "borshch." He asks for another dish but they
did not have that one, too. The third dish turns out to be not
available too. So, the person gets angry and says, "is this a menu
or a constitution?"

Telling this anecdote at a ceremonial event dedicated to the day of
Constitution which is tomorrow, justice minister Davit Harutunyan said
constitution is traditionally regarded a piece of paper which is not
practically applied. But Harutunyan also said that after constitutional
reforms, our constitution started "to function and has not place to
stop." To accomplish that, one needs political wish and will, Human
Rights Ombudsman Armen Harutunyan said.

The Chairman of Constitutional Court Gagik Harutunian attached
importance to the fact that the constitutional court is entitled
to make decisions on its own. In the part, the CC had to reach a
decision in one month whereas replies from difference agencies on
their letters reached CC in three months, he said.

ARTSAKH WAR PARTICIPANTS CALL UPON ALL PATRIOTIC FORCES TO DEFEND ENDANGERED HOMELAND

Noyan Tapan
Jul 4 2006

YEREVAN, JULY 4, NOYAN TAPAN. "The country gained a victory, but has
no winner. People who fought, perished for the homeland and won,
have no status. The history of our Movement, the history of the
Liberation War is distorted," the July 4 statement of a group of
Artsakh liberation war commanders read.

The statement authors emphasize that people who won the war are in a
bad social position in Armenia and everything is done to discredit
them and the way passed by them in the society’s eyes. "People who
are not connected at all with this Movement and War evaluate the
merits of the war participants," the Artsakh war participants declare.

"We, Armenians, have liberated a small part of our lost homeland,
which is an Absolute value, it proves that it is given to the
enemy. Proceeding from the above mentioned, we declare that those
who will lift up their hand against even if the smallest part of our
homeland mechanically put themselves in the position of Turk invaders
with all consequences proceeding from this. We call upon all patriotic
forces to unite at this critical moment and to defend our homeland
that is in danger," the war participants declare.

The statement was signed by Mikael Apresian, Commander of the "Artsakh"
regiment, Manvel Yeghiazarian, Commander of the "Arabo" regiment,
Arkady Karapetian, Commander of troops of Artaskh self-defence,
Field Commander Voskan Gyulumian.

RUSSIAN EMBASSY IN ARMENIA THINKS XENOPHOBIA NOT EXCLUSIVELY RUSSIAN PHENOMENON

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
July 4 2006

YEREVAN, July 4. /ARKA/. Russian Embassy in Armenia is convinced
that xenophobia is not exclusively Russian phenomenon, it was said
during meetings in the Embassy with Armenian participants of the first
Forum of CIS Member Countries’ Intellectuals held on April 14 and 15
in Moscow.

The Embassy expressed regret at several cases of violence committed
by Russian citizens against Armenians.

It was said at these meetings that this evil is often seen in
multinational countries, even those having highly developed democratic
and social institutions.

Russian side also denied allegations appearing in media outlets that
Russian law enforcement agencies are deliberately slow in preventing
violence against Armenians. It also said that statements about some
officials’ complicity in the crime are completely groundless.

Russian diplomats said that many facts proved polar-opposite thing.

They pointed out Armenian community involvement in all areas and
institutions, including state governing bodies and said that this
involvement would be impossible without the reasonable policy pursued
by Russian authorities.

The press release received by ARKA News Agency from Russian Embassy
says that the meeting participants stressed the necessity of uniting
efforts to make ties between the two nations closer.

The meetings were held on June 23 and 30. Issues related to bi-lateral
ties were discussed at the meetings as well.

JERMUK MAYOR ELECTED

Panorama.am
13:20 03/07/06

Yesterday Vardan Hovhannisyan from Armenian Republican Party was
elected as the mayor of Jermuk at community head elections. He was
competing with two more candidates – Ashot Karapetyan belonging
to no party and Vachagan Hovhannisyan from Armenian Revolutionary
Federation. Vardan Hovhannisyan was elected with 2352 of votes from
total of 3480 participating voters.

AZERI DELEGATION TO ATTEMPT PUTTING NK ISSUE TO THE AGENDA AT PACE SUMMER SESSION
Author: J.Shahverdiyev

TREND Information, Azerbaijan
June 29 2006

We will do our best to have Nagorno-Karabakh issue discussed at PACE
summer session that takes place July 3 to 7 in Brussels, reportedly
said MP Eldar Ibrahimov, deputy head of Azeri delegation to PACE
and chairman of permanent commission for agrarian policy with Milli
Medjlis.

Goran Lenmarker, PACE representative for Nagorno-Karabakh, is currently
drawing the report. "Regarding the report, Mr Lenmarker addressed the
parties to submit their proposals. Upon reviewing these proposals and
reaching agreement, the issue will be out to the day agenda. It is
still difficult to say whether this issue will be included or not",
– Ibrahimov said.

The proposals conflict has arisen. "Armenians offer to establish
economic relations, open roads between Azerbaijan and Armenia and
only then discuss territorial integrity. We decisively said first
they shall leave occupied lands and only then we will talk of economic
relations", – Ibrahimov added.

At the session, Azeri delegation is going to prepare a speech
"Ensuring security for people in OSCE region". The theme will be
linked to Armenia’s occupation policy and Nagorno-Karabakh problem.

"We will say: if we cannot ensure security of citizens of states
within OSCE, Armenia goes on with its occupation policy on Azerbaijan
and over million of our compatriots left their homes, what security
can be talked of?", – Ibrahimov said.