Author: Hovhannisian John

IRAN, ARMENIA AGREE TO ACCELERATE IMPLEMENTATION OF PROJECTS

Islamic Republic News Agency, Iran
July 6 2006

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said here Wednesday afternoon Iran and
Armenia have reached an agreement to accelerate implementation of
joint projects.

In a joint press conference with visiting Armenian President
Robert Kocharian, Ahmadinejad described his counterpart’s visit to
Tehran ‘positive’ adding the two countries have agreed on different
cooperation fields, including legal, cultural, economic and investment
issues."

He expressed hope that the visit can be a big step in developing
bilateral ties and pointed out that in the meetings mutual relations
and world issues have been discussed and bilateral cooperation in
different fields have been reviewed.

Ahmadinejad described Iran-Armenia relations historical, friendly,
sustainable and comprehensive and added there are a lot of
commonalities which connect us and we are determined to develop
our ties.

Armenian president appreciated Iran’s government and nation for their
warm hospitality as well as friendly meetings he had in Tehran and
good bilateral agreements and said seven agreements have been signed
which are complementary to former agreements.

Kocharian said there have been one hundred agreements between the two
countries so far, which prepared an appropriate ground to develop ties.

He stressed that although the two countries have cultural and
historical commonalities, but the new round of relations have started
since 15 years ago, and in this concern both countries have tried
hard to prepare a desirable and proper situation to develop relations.

Armenian president arrived in Tehran on Wednesday morning at the head
of a high ranking politico-economic delegation.

During his 2-day official visit, Kocharian is scheduled to meet with
Iranian senior officials.

BAKU: ‘KARABAKH CAN BE RETURNED ONLY PEACEFULLY, BY APPROBATION OF KARABAKH ARMENIANS’

Yerkir
06.07.2006 18:39

YEREVAN (YERKIR) – Â"Azerbaijan cannot return Karabakh by force and
we do not have and will not have power to rebuff the Russian-Armenian
alliance,Â" political scientist Hikmet Hajizade told the Zerkalo
Baku newspaper.

His conviction is that Â"Karabakh can be returned only peacefully,
by approbation of Karabakh Armenians.Â"

As of NKR referendum, the scholar noted that inclusion of that
referendum into the framework agreement is a big defeat of the Azeri
diplomacy. Â"Even if Azeri leaders manage to refuse from signing
a peace treaty, the referendum issue will loom in all other peace
settlement plans in the future,Â" Hajizade said.

He reaffirmed the 2006 will not be the year of settlement of the
Karabakh issue. Â"By the highest standards it is not a conflict
between Azerbaijan and Armenia, but that between Azerbaijan and the
Russian-Armenian alliance, even between West and Russia. If Azerbaijan
agrees to OSCE conditions, luckily for us, under the pressure of
Russia Karabakh and Armenia will refuse that plan.

In its turn the West want to fight against Russia instead of us. The
Karabakh peace may occur, when the West and Russia settle their
global discrepancies, one of which – not the most important one –
is Karabakh,Â" Hajizade emphasized.

The political scientist also considers that the West wishes to
conclude the Karabakh peace as soon as possible for Â"continuing
pumping out energy resources of Azerbaijan and using the territory
for strategic goals.

For the sake of that objective they are ready to support any unfair
peace.

Some groups in the West are trying to present the affairs as if
Karabakh is not an occupied, but a disputed territory. They say
Abkhazia and Ossetia are Georgian lands, but Karabakh is a totally
different case,Â" he said.

–Boundary_(ID_1S9WQPIawo+d7QgMpjc6Zw)–

ARMENIAN-GEORGIAN ECONOMIC TASK FORCE TO MEET IN BATUMI TOMORROW

PanARMENIAN.Net
06.07.2006 14:46 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ July 7-10 the fifth session of the Armenian-Georgian
Interstate Commission for Economic Cooperation will be held in
Batumi. Georgian and Armenian PMs Zurab Nogaideli and Andranik
Margaryan will chair the meeting. According to the Department of Press
and Information of the Georgian MFA, priorities of bilateral economic
and humanitarian cooperation between Armenia and Georgia are planned
to be determined at the session. Urgent issues, including enhancement
of the contractual basis between the two states will be considered as
well. Within the framework of the meeting a business forum of Georgian
and Armenian businessmen will be held with Participation of Nogaideli
and Margaryan, reports IA Regnum.

GEORGIA ABLE TO FUND ITS SHARE OF KARS-AKHALKALAKI-BAKU RAILWAY

PanARMENIAN.Net
06.07.2006 15:15 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Georgia will finance its share in the building
of Kars-Akhalkalaki-Baku railway on its own, Georgian Premier Zurab
Nogaideli said in Baku. In his words, if Georgia ever had some problems
in financing projects like this, these are solved now.

"Georgia will fund its entire share in the Kars-Akhalkalaki-Baku
railway on its own," Nogaideli said, reports AzerTaj.

NKR PRESIDENT DOES NOT CONSIDER REALISTIC NKR’S PARTICIPATION IN NEGOTIATIONS PROCESS IN FUTURE

Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Jul 6 2006

STEPANAKERT, JULY 6, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. "Karabakh’s
position has not changed and will not change. Irrespective of
revelations to be made by this or that person, our position remains
the same, as it is exact," NKR President Arkady Ghukasian declared
after the solemn sitting dedicated to the 13th anniversary of Martakert
liberation held on June 28 in NKR, the "168 hours" newspaper writes.

In response to the question, "after disclosing the details of the
Nagorno Karabakh settlement negotiations by OSCE Minsk Group American
Co-chair Matthew Bryza how much probable is NKR’s participation in the
negotiations as a negotiations part", NKR President said: "I think,
this is not realistic in these days and in the nearest period, either,
as we all see Azerbaijan’s position and destructive approaches. I do
not consider this will be real today and Azerbaijan will be ready to
negotiate with Karabakh. A wrong impression is formed that this is
necessary for Karabakh. This is necessary for the process. I do not
think that to take part in the negotiations is an end in itself for us.

Of course, it would be good but not for us but for the process."

Touching upon the issue regarding the role of Azerbaijan’s oil factor
in the conflict settlement, A.Ghukasian said: "I do not think that
victories are decided by a country’s being poor or rich. If you
remember, in 1991-1992 we had incomparably poorer resourses than
Azerbaijan and the war result is exact and unequivocal. I do not
suppose that Azerbaijan’s hopes to strengthen its army with the
resources of oil are realistic, I do not think this is a solution to
the issue or some decisive factor. I consider the Azerbaijani people
does not want a war and we do not want, either. And, in general, there
is no people that wants to solve any issue through a war." A.Ghukasian
considered ridiculous the statements of Azerbaijani leadership, as,
according to him, "such statements are made by people who not only did
not defend their homeland in 1992-1994, but also kept their children
away from the war."

"I think we have no occasion for being afraid, our army is able
to defend our homeland, our borders. And such statements should
be condemned by the international community, which, unfortunately,
is not done and this is unintelligible for us. But I hope this will
take place," NKR President declared.

BASE FOR SETTLEMENT OF NK CONFLICT IS TALKS BETWEEN NOT PRESIDENTS, BUT FMS OF AZERBAIJAN AND ARMENIA
Author: S.Agayeva

TREND Information, Azerbaijan
July 4 2006

The base of the talks’ process on Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict is the consultations between the foreign ministers of the
two countries, but not presidents, Tahir Tagizade, the head of the
press and information policy department of Azeri Foreign Ministry,
told Trend.

He expressed his surprise at the final statement of co-chairs of
OSCE Minsk Group where it was stated the necessity of meeting of the
presidents so that they take the initiatives into their hands. "But
it is clear that the base of the talks process is the contacts and
negotiations between foreign ministers. They should discuss all
aspects of issues, work out a base for possible future meetings and
discussions of the presidents," Tagizade told.

Besides, he mentioned the equality of the approaches stated in
the statement of co-chairs of OSCE Minsk Group and official Baku
calling for partly settlement of the conflict. The partly solution
in the release of Azerbaijan’s all occupied territories around
Nagorno-Karabakh, withdrawal of Armenian armed forces, implementation
of mine, returning of internally displaced persons and provision
of their security, restoration of communications, etc. Then, after
the restoration of the pre-war composition of the population of
Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan Republic, their security will
be ensured. Within democratic and legal process, Constitution of
Azerbaijan Republic and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, it is
possible to define the legal status of Nagorno-Karabakh region.

Besides, Tagizade expressed his surprise at the final statement of
Armenian foreign minister V.Oskanyan. According to the statement,
it is clear that Armenian side offers to look for a new base for the
discussions, told Tagizade.

TIGRAN TOROSIAN: APPLICATION OF SELF-DETERMINATION RIGHT BECOMES MORE AND MORE ACCEPTABLE FOR PACE DEPUTIES

Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Jul 3 2006

YEREVAN, JULY 3, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. On July 3, NKR
National Assembly Speaker Ashot Gulian met with RA National Assembly
Speaker Tigran Torosian. Ashot Ghulian told him about his meetings
with officials, deputies and representatives of analytical centers
during his visit to the U.S. He said that these meetings were mutually
efficient and useful.

Tigran Torosian informed NKR NA Speaker about the discussions of
PACE summer session in Strasbourg touching upon the discussions on
prevention of forest fires the Azerbaijani delegation was trying to
turn into one more speculation, the first foreign sitting of PACE
Sub-committee on Nagorno Karabakh to be held in NKR, as well as
the forthcoming visit of Leo Platvoet, Reporter on Missing People
in Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan of PACE Committee on Migration,
Refugees and Ethnography, to Nagorno Karabakh. It was mentioned that
though during the discussion of the report on the results of the
independence referendum in Montenegro those speaking tried not to make
comparisons with other countries, it was obvious that the application
of the right of self-determination becomes more and more acceptable
for PACE deputies. Torosian also said that during the discussion
of the report on countries not having ratified the convention on
death penalty liquidation it was registered that death penalty was
liquidated in Nagorno Karabakh, unlike other conflict zones.

According to RA NA Public Relations Department, at the meeting they
also touched upon the work of the RA-NKR Interparliamentary Commission:
the Commission’s regular sitting will take place in autumn in Yerevan.

Panorama.am

16:15 30/06/06

ONE MORE AIR GATE MODERNIZED IN ARMENIA

One more air gate is modernized in Armenia, namely, Shirak airport in
Gyumri. Particularly, the dispatcher tower is put into commission in a
ceremonial opening today. Hayaironavigation CJSC concluded a contract
with Check ERA in 2004 to import P3D system in Armenia, particularly
in Gyumri Shirak airport. According to specialists, the system works
well especially in mountainous regions because it ensures better
visibility.

Hayaironavigation CJSC director Eduard Mulsoyan mentions that the
installation of the system is implemented exclusively on the incomes
of the company. According to him, about USD 700,000 is invested,
including USD 200,000 on Check equipment and USD 500,000 for
reconstruction of the facilities.

The unit has 40 employees. Four of them have passed training in Check
Republic and Great Britain. At the moment, Gyumri airport complies
with international norms in terms of dispatcher and navigation
services./Panorama.am/

TALK ABOUT RECAPTURING KARABAKH BY FORCE NOT HELPFUL

Yerkir
30.06.2006 17:01

YEREVAN (YERKIR) – "I was not surprised it caused a stir to tell you
the truth, because we knew — the co-chairs knew — and my predecessor
Steven Mann, the co-chair before I assumed responsibility on the very
day of that interview, knew that what they had just announced at the
OSCE was significant and would, well, make people think twice, and
would spark, as we like to put it, a robust debate in the region. I
was simply in the unenviable position of having been on this newest
assignment for an hour and I was the guy that got to explain the
decision that others had made before me.

No, I wasn’t surprised that a robust debate was sparked. What did
surprise me though was that people spoke so quickly in reacting to
the interview without reading the publicly available document that
the co-chairs issued at the OSCE in Austria, which laid out in much
greater detail everything," the U.S. diplomat said.

"Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan and their Foreign Ministers
did not agree on the core principles that were developed over the
course of two years by the co-chairs," Bryza said. However, in his
words, talk about recapturing Karabakh by force or any use of force
by any party is simply not helpful. "My predecessor, Steven Mann, and
my current fellow co-chairs, have exerted all of the creativity and
all the negotiating energy that they could and they have gotten this
framework of core principles as honed as possible in their judgment,
such that the presidents, in their mind, need a little time to think
things over and decide whether or not they can accept or adjust
this framework.

But what we’re saying in the statement is that there is no more room
for diplomatic creativity to make this piece of metal shine a little
bit more brightly. It’s honed and you have to decide whether you
want it or not, or the trade-offs that would have to be made are so
significant politically that it requires the head of state to make
the trade-off. So we’re saying OK, it’s yours now," Bryza said.

"Even though I didn’t have a hand in drafting the statement, I
can say particularly because I didn’t, I think it’s an excellent
statement. It’s very clear, and lays out in a lot of detail what
exactly the overall set of trade-offs would be.

Demilitarization is the phrase used for troop pull-back, and that, as
the framework indicates, should be, or could be, accompanied by some
sort of process that would lead to a population vote, or a referendum
vote on the future status of Karabakh.

I think that’s, in the Armenian mindset, extremely important, so
that’s what the Azerbaijani side would have to offer the Armenians,
along with the other things within this statement to which I refer you.

On the Azerbaijani side, I think that they are willing to consider the
possibility of some type of a vote on the status of Nagorno Karabakh
if many other elements of this overall package are present. What gets
difficult is how you correlate the withdrawal, or the redeployment,
of Armenian troops with the timing of a vote on the future status of
Karabakh," Mr Bryza resumed.

OSCE MINSK GROUP CO-CHAIR: US STRATEGIC INTERESTS ON CAUCASUS ARE TRI-DIRECTIONAL
Author: R. Abdullayev

TREND, Azerbaijan
June 27 2007

Matthew Bryza, Assistant to Us Secretary of State, OSCE Minsk Group
Co-chair, said ‘US President George W Bush stated US closing to the
positions of president Ilham Aliyev, which will positively influence
the progress of democratic reforms in the republic’.

Trend reports referring to Azadlyg radio, Mr Bryza said US interests
on Caucasus relate to three spheres: energy, security and democratic
reforms.

"Indeed, we have some energy interests, and we do not restrain from
statements about them. The United States also have traditional
interests in a security sphere. Firstly, this concerns fighting
terrorism, prevention of nuclear weapon distribution, reduction of
conflicts and preservation of territorial integrity of countries in
the region".

Mr Bryza said also all the conflicts in the region shall be settled
with account for territorial integrity of countries.

"Stating Georgia’s example, one may see that conflicts in this country
shall be settled with account for its territorial integrity.

As to Nagorno-Karabakh, US position is well-known. We support
Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity", Bryza said.

American diplomat said US maintain economic and democratic reforms in
the countries of the region. He said security is based on legitimacy
that calls for both democracy and economic welfare.

Mr Bryza stated White House’s serious interest in democratic reforms
in Azerbaijan. "We feel positive changes in the republic ion this
respect" , – he added.