Author: Dabaghian Diana

FRENCH PARLIAMENT ENDS SESSION ON BILL CRIMINALIZING DENIAL OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE WITHOUT VOTING

Anatolian Times, Turkey
May 22 2006

PARIS – French parliament ended today’s session on a draft law which
proposes “any denial of Armenian genocide to be considered a crime”
without bringing it to voting.

French National Assembly President Jean-Louis Debre closed the session
without voting on the draft law. The issue will be taken up later.

French parliament sources said that a possible voting on the draft
law would not be held until new legislation term began in October.

ARMENIA: IPO PLANNED FOR ARMROSGAZPROM

Stratfor
May 22 2006

The Armenian-Russian energy company ArmRosgazprom is planning to hold
an initial public offering (IPO) in 2007-2008 in order to increase
resources for developing the company, ArmRosgazprom’s CEO Karen
Karapetian said May 22. ArmRosgazprom is owned 45 percent by the
Armenian government, 45 percent by Gazprom and 10 percent by Russian
private firm Itera. Karapetian said that Itera might sell its stake
in the company. Gazprom has stated that it is planning to increase
its shares in the company.

Vatican official calls on Azerbaijan, Armenia to compromise over Karabakh

ANS TV, Baku
21 May 06

[Presenter] The settlement of the Nagornyy Karabakh problem depends on
both sides. The sides should make some compromises, the Vatican’s
Secretary for Relations with States Archbishop Giovanni Lajolo, has
said. He wants displaced people to return to their homeland.

[Correspondent] The Vatican wants the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict to be
resolved soon and displaced people to return to their homeland,
Archbishop Giovanni Lajolo, who is in Baku on a visit, has said. He
said that the settlement of any conflict required compromises from the
sides.

[Archbishop Giovanni Lajolo, speaking in English with Azeri
voice-over] The Catholic Church feels sorry for people forced to leave
their homes and property. This is very dramatic for them [as heard].
We cannot say which way is the best to resolve the conflict. This is
up to the responsible people, to Azerbaijani and Armenian politicians
to decide. However, compromises and even s acrifices by both sides
are vital for the settlement of the conflict.

[Correspondent] Lajolo highly valued the fact that Muslims and
Christians live in conditions of religious tolerance in Azerbaijan and
said he would visit the site of a new Catholic church to be
constructed in Baku.

He did not forget Catholic Christians living in Azerbaijan and
attended a service at the Roman Catholic Church in Baku.

[Passage omitted: itinerary of Lajolo’s visit to Baku]

ARMEN ASHOTYAN: WE SHOULD ACCEPT AND APPLY THE EUROPEAN STANDARDS

ArmRadio.am
19.05.2006 16:05

“Moving in one direction is destructive, and it is very important to
take our mentality into consideration. As for the thunderous statements
about Armenia ‘s joining the European Union, these aim at gaining
political dividends,” NA Deputy, member of the Republican Party Armen
Ashotyan declared, turning to the prospects of Armenia-EU ties.

According to the Republican Deputy, the South Caucasus cannot joint
the European Union at least in the coming 50 years, since there are
standards, which should be met before speaking about membership in
the EU. In his words, first we should resolve all regional issues,
a common economic cooperation should be established, which is hard to
anticipate in the coming 20-25 years. Armen Ashotyan considers that
the Armenian economy is now free, but not competitive, although there
are certain achievements in this direction: according to the latest
data about liberalization of economy, Armenia is the 27th in the world.

In the Deputy’s opinion any country aspiring for Eurointegration
should meet the “Copenhagen standards.”

“We should admit and apply the European values not for joining the
European Union but for the sake of prosperity of our state and people,”
Mr. Ashotyan said.

RA PRESIDENT’S ADVISOR BAGRAT YESAYAN DISMISSED

PanARMENIAN.Net
19.05.2006 16:37 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ By Armenian President Robert Kocharian’s decree,
President’s Advisor for struggle against corruption, coordination of
activities of national minorities and NGOs Bagrat Yesayan was removed
from the office.

By another presidential decree Eduard Khurshudyan was removed from
the post of Armenian Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
to Kyrgyzstan. The office will be assumed by Levon Khachatryan,
the Armenian Ambassador to Kazakhstan (residence in Almaty).

AZERBAIJAN COMMEMORATES OCCUPATION OF LACHIN BY ARMENIAN MILITANTS

Azeri Press Agency
May 18 2006

The 14th anniversary of the occupation of Azerbaijan’s Lachin region
by Armenian military groupings was commemorated in the Martyrs’
Alley in Baku today (APA).

The commemorative event brought together the region’s executive power
officials and local residents. The participants visited the tombs of
the martyrs, read prayers and laid a wreath on their tombs.

Governor of Lachin Elbrus Tahmazov addressing the audience said that
Lachin had put up armed resistance against Armenian militants since
1988 but in the end was subject to treason in 1992. He stressed that
the region could have been prevented from being occupied.

The Garabagh Liberation Organization (GLO) members also visited the
Martyrs’ Alley today.

BBC NEWS:
2006/05/18 14:37:07 GMT
994434.stm

French MPs shelve ‘genocide’ vote

The French parliament has postponed debate on a bill that would make
it a crime to deny that the mass killing of Armenians in 1915 was
“genocide”. Turkish officials and businesses had lobbied French MPs
to shelve the bill, which relates to a thorny issue still plaguing
Turkish-Armenian relations. Turkey rejects Armenia’s claim that the
Ottoman Turks killed 1.5m Armenians. The French Socialist opposition
wanted a new law to impose fines in line with those for Holocaust
deniers. Anyone denying that six million Jews were killed by the
Nazis in World War II can be fined up to 39,064 euros (£26,500) and be
jailed for five years in France. Armenia says up to 1.5 million
Armenians were deported and died at the hands of the Ottoman rulers in
World War I. Turkey says a few hundred thousand died in a war which
also left many Turks dead. Diplomatic impact Ahead of the debate,
Turkish MPs had been lobbying their French counterparts, warning of
irreparable damage if the bill passed into law. It was set to be a
free vote for French MPs, but President Jacques Chirac said that
passing the bill would be a mistake.

Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy agreed, telling the National
Assembly: “The Armenian cause is just and should be defended and
respected. But the bill you have submitted today would, if passed, be
considered as an unfriendly gesture by a large majority of Turks,
whether you want this or not.” As the session ran out of time for a
vote to take place, there were reportedly angry scenes as MPs and
Armenian groups in the public gallery shouted: “Vote! Vote!” There
are some 400,000 people of Armenian descent in France, and the
Socialists have been accused of trying to win their favour ahead of
next year’s presidential election. Some European Union countries have
passed bills recognising the killings as genocide and the European
Parliament has backed a non-binding resolution saying Turkey must
recognise it as such before it can join the EU. The French bill will
now be shelved until October at the earliest.

RA FOREIGN MINISTER VARDAN OSKANYAN TO LEAVE FOR STRASBOURG

ArmRadio.am
18.05.2006 10:27

RA Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan will leave today for Strasbourg
to participate in the 116th session of the Committee of Foreign
Ministers of the Council of Europe. Together with his counterparts
the Minister will meet today Terry Davis, the Secretary General of
the Council of Europe. The meeting will be dedicated to the future
status of Kosovo. In Strasburg Vardan Oskanyan is scheduled to meet
also his Azeri counterpart Elmar Mamedyarov and the OSCE Minsk Group
Co-Chairs. The way the process of settlement of the Karabakh conflict
will be known after this meeting, since after the failed Rambouliet
meeting the talks have found themselves in an uncertain deadlock.

THE DISPATCHER DIDN’T INSULT THE ARMENIAN PILOT

A1+
[07:44 pm] 16 May, 2006

“The Russian dispatcher didn’t insult the Armenian pilot,” RA Attorney
General Aghvan Hovsepyan informed the reporter of “A1+”about it
opposing the claims of the Georgian side. According to him confusion
was aroused by an “insulting” phrase when the dispatcher said “those
Armenians are going to land” instead of saying “that Armenian pilot
is going to land.”

Asked whether the Adler dispatcher was drunk Mr. Baghdasarov answered
“he might be drunk or not.”

It is due to mention that Oleg Ermolov, deputy president of
intergovernmental aviation committee, mentioned in “Ayb-Fe” weekly
there was nothing indecent during the record of the Armenian pilot
and the Adler dispatcher’s talk whereas the Georgian side couldn’t
overhear the Russian dispatcher and the Armenian pilot’s talk.

TURKISH BODY CALLS ON FRENCH PARLIAMENT TO REJECT ARMENIAN “GENOCIDE” BILL

Anatolia news agency
16 May 06

Ankara, 16 May: The National Security and Strategic Studies Association
(UGSAD) sent a letter to French Parliament Speaker Jean Louis Debre
on Tuesday [16 May], and called on him to reject the draft law, which
was submitted to the French parliament with the aim of punishing
individuals who deny so-called Armenian genocide.

In its letter, UGSAD stressed that the draft was against human rights,
democracy and understanding of law.

“It is quite offensive if a parliament makes unilateral decisions on
issues concerning another country. Such a draft will overshadow the
friendly relations between Turkey and France. Scientific researches,
which were carried out on the basis of documents of western sources,
revealed that Armenian allegations were totally baseless. When we
compare Armenian population before 1914 and after the World War I,
we can easily see inconsistency of such claims that 1.5 million
Armenians were killed. Although Turkey has opened all its archives,
Armenia constantly refrains from opening its archives,” it said.

UGSAD emphasized that Turkey would never recognize so-called Armenian
genocide as it had never committed such a thing in its history.

“Historical facts cannot be changed through such laws. If the draft is
approved, it will inevitably play havoc with Turkey-France relations,”
it added.