Author: Ekmekjian Janet

ARMENIAN FM TO PARTICIPATE IN "CASPIAN PROSPECTS 2008" CONFERENCE

ARMENPRESS

YEREVAN, AUGUST 25, ARMENPRESS: Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan
Oskanian is going to participate in the "Caspian Prospects-2008"
conference which will be conducted August 27-28 in Bled, Slovenia.

The conference is organized by the joint efforts of the Slovenian
Foreign Ministry and Ljubljana’s Strategic Researches Institute.

Armenian Foreign Ministry press service told Armenpress that during
the conference which is dedicated to the EU-South Caucasus relations
a discussion will be held over the geo-political, economic, strategic
and political prospects of the South Caucasian and Caspian regions.

Heads of states, foreign ministers, NATO and EU special representatives
in the South Caucasus, international experts and political analysts
are going to participate in the conference. During the conference
Armenian foreign minister is expected to deliver a speech.

KARABAKH SOLDIER IS WOUNDED AS A RESULT OF ARMISTICE REGIME VIOLATION
ON CONTACT LINE OF AF OF NKR AND AZERBAIJAN

Yerevan, August 25. ArmInfo. A soldier of NKR AF is wounded as a
result of violation of armistice regime on the contact line of Armed
Forces of NKR and Azerbaijan.

As a competent source told ArmInfo correspondent, the soldier was
wounded in the shoulder. The armistice regime violation happened in
Martakert direction.

U.S. AMBASSADOR TO ARMENIA TO RESIGN IN SEPTEMBER

RIA Novosti, Russia
Aug. 22, 2006

YEREVAN, August 22 (RIA Novosti) – America’s ambassador to Armenia
announced Tuesday he would be leaving his post in September, after
only two years on the job.

John Evans, who was sworn in as ambassador in August 2004, courted
controversy in 2004 and 2005 for public comments he made on the 1915
Ottoman Empire’s massacre of ethnic Armenians, which the United States
neither denies nor officially recognizes as genocide.

Evans, who was publicly rebuked by the State Department, said: "The
Armenian Genocide was the first genocide of the twentieth century."

The ambassador later said he was expressing his personal viewpoint
and not the position of the United States government.

While the U.S. State Department has said the ambassador’s resignation
was not related to his comments, some members of the Senate Foreign
Relations Committee have expressed doubt.

Last month, Senators Joe Biden (D-DE) and Christopher Dodd (D-CT) sent
separate letters to U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice expressing
concern that the ambassador was fired for articulating a view of the
Armenian massacre not in keeping with administration policy.

The American-Armenian community has also expressed misgivings.

Armenian Assembly of America Executive Director Bryan Ardouny said:
"We have a fundamental policy disagreement with the administration,
and we will not stop work until the U.S. unequivocally affirms the
Armenian genocide."

On May 23, U.S. President George Bush named Richard Hoagland to
replace Evans as American ambassador to Yerevan. But the Senate’s
Foreign Relations Committee has postponed considering his candidacy
until September.

Testifying before a committee meeting in July, Hoagland, a career
Foreign Service officer and the current U.S. ambassador to Tajikistan,
said: "The State Department has not directed me to make or avoid
specific statements about the tragic events that occurred at the end
of the Ottoman Empire."

"The U.S. believes that the question of how to characterize these
horrific events is of such enormous human significance that it should
not be determined on the basis of politics, but through heartfelt
introspection among academics, civic leaders and societies," he said.

ARMENIAN PREMIER SAYS MAJOR PROGRESS ACHIEVED AFTER INDEPENDENCE DECLARATION

Arminfo
22 Aug 06

Yerevan, 22 August: Armenian Prime Minister Andranik Markaryan has
issued an address on the occasion of the day of adoption in 1990 of
the Declaration of Independence of the Republic of Armenia, which is
marked on 23 August.

The message, in particular, noted that with the signing of the
Declaration of Armenia’s Independence, Armenian people showed
adherence, accumulated through centuries, to the aspirations and goals
put into life a year later in September as a result of a referendum
on independence, the press service of the Armenian government told
Arminfo.

"Thus, the history of the established independent Armenian state is 15
years old now and we are going to solemnly celebrate this anniversary
with our compatriots," the Armenian politician noted.

He added that the Armenian state had overcome difficulties and achieved
considerable progress over the past 15 years. "These difficulties
did not break the will, nor did they devalue the most important
achievement – the very idea of independence which is consistently
strengthening, including in the work with the young generation,
towards consolidation of statehood, improvement in the welfare of
Armenian society, resolution of vital problems and integration into
the civilized world on the path of the establishment of civil society,"
the prime minister noted in the address.

FOURTH MONASTIC CONGRESS CONTINUES WORK AT VAZGENIAN SEMINARY OF SEVAN

SEVAN, AUGUST 18, NOYAN TAPAN. Two regular meetings of the fourth
monastic congress, which opened in the Mother See of Holy Echmiadzin
the day before, were held at the Vazgenian Seminary of Sevan on August
17. During the meetings, Archmandrite Mkrtich Proshian, inspector of
the Vazgenian Seminary, made the report "The Monk as a Teacher of
Belief", and Archmandrite Komitas Hovnanian (Marseilles, France) –
the report "The Monk as a Preacher". The participants discussed the
problems addressed in these reports. According to the information
system of the Mother See of Holy Echmiadzin, following the meeting,
the monks participated in the evening divine service held in Surb
Arakelots Monastery of Sevan.

GUAM Countries Establish Their Own Military Unit

ArmRadio.am
17.08.2006 18:30

Establishment of a joint military unit by the Organization for
Democracy and Economic Development — GUAM has been discussed at
a meeting of representatives of defense ministries and general
staffs of Armed Forces of Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan in Tbilisi
on August 17. Moldavian military officials do not participate in the
discussion. The country’s foreign ministry explained it by a number
of technical reasons.

As Spokesman for the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry Viktor Matko says,
the GUAM meeting is dedicated to further development of military
cooperation in the framework of Guam. According to him, it goes about
establishing a joint military unit, to which each country will send
its troops. In his turn, Ukraine’s Defense Minister Anatoly Gritsenko
noted that GUAM peacekeeping corps in case it is established will be
fulfilling tasks under a UN or an OSCE mandate, Regnum reported.

GOLDEN POMEGRANATE ANNUAL TRADE FAIR OF ARMENIAN PRODUCTS TO BE HELD IN MOSCOW ON SEPTEMBER 9-10

Arka News Agency, Armenia
Aug. 17, 2006

YEREVAN, August 17. /ARKA/. "Golden Pomegranate" annual trade fair
of Armenian products will be held in Moscow Revolution square on
September 9-10. The representation of Yerevan in Moscow informed
ARKA News Agency that Armenian producers of industrial products and
foodstuffs had been informed to take part in the fair. Jewelries and
souvenirs, different makes of national and art will be exhibited at
the fair. By tradition Armenian producers will present to the visitors
of the fair products of the Armenian national cuisine, which will be
available for tasting for everybody.

In the scope of the program citizens and guests of Moscow will be
able to enjoy a rich cultural-entertainment program: performances
of stars of Armenian and Russian stages, children’s and adults’
folk collectives, dance and instrumental groups.

"Golden Pomegranate" trade fair is held within the framework of
implementation of the agreement on trade-economic cooperation between
the governments of Moscow and Republic of Armenia. "NEVA-EXPO" jsc
authorized by the RA government is the organizer of the fair.

The fair will be held with the support of the RA government, Armenian
Embassy in Russia, Moscow city government, Yerevan municipality,
representation of Yerevan municipality in Moscow, consumer market
department of Moscow, department of food resources in Moscow and
Moscow prefecture.

LIVNI: WAR NOT OVER, WE ARE FIGHTING DIPLOMACY BATTLE
By Shlomo Shamir and Yoav Stern, Haaretz Staff and Agencies

Ha’aretz, Israel
Aug. 17, 2006

NEW YORK – Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, in New York yesterday to meet
with United Nations officials, called on the international community
to help uphold the UN-brokered cease-fire agreement and to prevent
the replenishment of Hezbollah’s arms.

In opening remarks to the Conference of Presidents of Major American
Jewish Organizations, Livni said the Security Council resolution that
brought about the cease-fire is a first step toward peace, but that
"the war is not over yet."

Livni met with UN Secretary General Kofi Annan yesterday to discuss
the importance for Israel of a speedy deployment of the 15,000-strong
UN force, her spokesman Mark Regev said. The foreign minister accused
Hezbollah of being a pawn for Iran’s larger goals for the region.

"Hezbollah, which is a terrorist organization, represents the Iranian
interest in the region, the Iranian hatred, the Iranian ideology
against the West and its values," she said.

Calling Hezbollah weaker after the Israeli offensive, Livni underscored
the importance of enforcing the arms embargo on Hezbollah, as is
called for in the resolution.

The foreign minister also called for the closure of the Syrian and
Lebanese border, in order to hamper any aid from reaching Hezbollah.

Livni reiterated her call for the unconditional release of two Israeli
soldiers kidnapped by Hezbollah on July 12, also stipulated in the
council resolution.

"The fact that these soldiers are being kept by Hezbollah is in
violation of the Security Council resolution," Livni said. "Before
I came here, I met the families … and I promised we are not going
to rest until these soldiers come back to their families."

Meanwhile, the upgrading of the present peace-keeping force in Lebanon
from 2,000 to 15,000 soldiers, as called for in the UN resolution,
has been delayed. Sources at UN headquarters told Haaretz Monday that
no official agreement had yet been reached with any of the members the
UN had approached on the matter. UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told
Haaretz that the UN is in talks with 40 countries that have expressed
willingness to take part in the force, but conceded that at present
"none of the countries have given official agreement."

Dujarric also said that UN Secretary General Kofi Annan had spoken by
phone with European Union representatives for foreign and security
affairs, and with senior French government officials, in order to
deploy the force as quickly as possible. The French are expected to
send thousands of soldiers.

Other countries named as possible members of the force include Italy,
Germany, the Scandinavian countries, Indonesia, Malaysia and Turkey.

However with regard to the latter, Turkey’s Armenian political party
Tashnak released a statement announcing its opposition to Turkey
joining the peace-keeping force in Lebanon. The party said Turkey had
committed genocide against the Armenian people in the last century,
and that 4 percent of Lebanon’s citizens are Armenians, who the party
said have no real political power. Tashnak said its opposition also
stemmed from the fact that Turkey had military agreements with Israel.

Sources in New York said building a peace-keeping force normally takes
a few months. However this time, the sources said, the Security Council
resolution required quick deployment – meaning that some procedures
had to be detoured.

RULING PARTY AGAIN LINKED WITH ‘CRIMINAL ELEMENTS’
By Anna Saghabalian

Radio Liberty, Czech Republic
Aug. 16, 2006

The ruling Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) faced on Wednesday more
opposition allegations that it is increasingly relying on "criminal
elements" to retain and bolster its strong presence in the government.

Representatives of leading Armenian opposition parties said at a
roundtable meeting in Yerevan that the recent influx of more wealthy
and influential individuals into the HHK bodes ill for the freedom
and fairness of the forthcoming parliamentary elections.

"Pro-government forces have, of course, used criminal elements
before," said Stepan Zakarian of the opposition People’s Party of
Armenia (HZhK). "Now they are merging with those elements within the
framework of that party."

"An attempt is being made to drive ideology out of the political
field," he added.

"The political field is infested with criminal thinking, not to mention
criminal elements," agreed Paruyr Hayrikian, a prominent Soviet-era
dissident and veteran politician who leads a smaller opposition party
called the National Self-Determination Union.

The statements echoed serious concern voiced by former parliament
speaker Artur Baghdasarian at the weekend about what he described as
a growing involvement of reputed crime figures in political processes
in Armenia. He was understood to refer to individuals that joined
the HHK this summer along with Defense Minister Serzh Sarkisian.

Most of the new HHK recruits are wealthy businessmen reliant on
government connections. Some are notorious for their nicknames that
have long sullied their reputations. Their political and economic
clout is seen as an additional boost to the HHK’s plans to secure
victory in the 2007 elections.

Mher Shahgeldian, deputy chairman of Baghdasarian’s Orinats Yerkir
party, claimed that they represent an additional obstacle to
Armenia’s democratization. "We must fight against that," he told
fellow oppositionists.

Hayrikian, who initiated the discussion, called for the creation of
a broad-based alliance of "ideology-carrying parties." He said he is
"surprised" by the absence of representatives of another governing
party, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun), among
roundtable participants.

Dashnaktsutyun leaders have repeatedly expressed concern at the
increased role of "apolitical elements" in government affairs. The
HZhK’s Zakarian warned that the nationalist party will risk being
"forced to serve those criminalized forces" if it fails to cooperate
with the Armenian opposition.

AZERBAIJAN FORWARDED RESOLUTION PROJECT TO UNO REGARDING FIRES IN NK – AZERI DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER
Author: E.Javadova

TREND, Azerbaijan
Aug. 14, 2006

Azerbaijan has forwarded a resolution project to the United Nations
Organization regarding the fires committed by Armenians in Azerbaijan’s
territories occupied by Armenian armed forces, the deputy foreign
minister of Azerbaijan Araz Azimov told journalists, Trend reports
with reference to "Lider" TV.

"In relation with fires, Azerbaijan will take additional measures
together with international organizations. But it needs to take
into consideration that it is impossible to achieve something in
this direction, using the potential of one organization. Therefore,
there is a need for the support of UNO, OSCE and other organizations,"
Azimov told.