Author: Jalatian Sonya

AMENDMENT TO BE INTRODUCED IN AGREEMENT ON MOTOR-CAR COMMUNICATION
BETWEEN ARMENIA AND GEORGIA

YEREVAN, August 12 (Noyan Tapan). During the August 12 session the RA
government approved the proposal on signing the Protocol “On the
Introduction of Amendments in Agreement on International Motor-Car
Communication” signed between the governments of Armenia and Georgia
on May 3, 1997. Noyan Tapan was informed about it from the RA
government’s press service. According to the agreement reached during
the bilateral meeting between representatives of the RA Ministry of
Transport and Communication and the Department of Motor-Car Transport
of Georgia held on June 29, 2004 with the purpose of stimulating an
increase in transportation volume, a provision is added to the
agreement, in accordance with which the sides do not impose duties for
arrival and departure (including traveling payments and customs
duties) and do not collect taxes for cargo transportation carried out
within the framework of multilateral quotas of the European Conference
of Transport Ministers.

The Daily Star, Lebanon
Aug 12 2004

Lebanese students travel to Spain to raise awareness of Armenian
genocide
Youths gathered at annual festival use venue for open discussion

While agreement is not always achieved, openness and mutual respect
abound

By David Munir Nabti
Special to The Daily Star
Friday, August 13, 2004

BARCELONA, Spain: Close to 10,000 young people have gathered in
Barcelona for the 3rd World Youth Festival, holding intense
discussions on complex and controversial global events, interspersed
with friendly encounters, social gatherings and music and dancing
from around the world.

However, despite feelings of solidarity and cooperation that are
clearly evident among most of the young people participating in this
event, conflict and controversy is unavoidable at an event of this
size, populated with active, engaged and energetic young people from
all corners of the globe.

Taline Ladayan, a sociology student at Universite St. Esprit Kaslik
in Lebanon, is one of several Lebanese attending the Festival. Back
in Beirut, when she’s not engrossed in her studies, she works with
other Lebanese of Armenian descent to draw attention to the treatment
of Armenians in the early part of the 20th century, in the waning
years of the Ottoman Empire.

“We are trying to let the world know about the Armenian genocide,”
Ladayan explained. “We want Turkey to recognize the atrocities,
because that is a step closer to peace, to a peaceful world, and
making sure something like that doesn’t ever happen again.”

Ladayan came to Barcelona to help spread that message to young people
from other parts of the world, to try to build awareness and
understanding for a largely unknown situation, and to “help build a
world with more peace and justice.” Different perspectives and
challenging opinions, however, are a prevalent aspect of this
gathering.

Several Turkish youth took issue with some of the materials and
information that Ladayan and her group were distributing.

Esra and Sebnem, both 21 and studying at the Middle East Technical
University in Ankara, Turkey, were open to discussion and wanted to
explain their views, but did not want to give their last names.

Esra explained that she and her friend “are not nationalists and we
know that many bad things happened under the Ottomans, but we are
against the references to Turkey, the word genocide and the numbers
they are giving are really exaggerated,” referring to the statistic
of 1.5 million Armenians killed under Ottoman rule during World War I
in an effort to ethnically cleanse Armenians from the Ottoman empire.

Even more frustrating for Esra and Sebnem is the feeling that, as
Turkish people are trying to improve their country, the issue of the
treatment of Armenians in the past constantly hinders their movement.

“We do not deny our heritage, but whenever Turkey becomes more
qualified in the eyes of the global community,” Sebnem said,
“Armenians say that Turkish history is very bad. Turkey is then
denied any sort of advancement. These actions support the backward
attitudes in Turkey.”

Esra added that “in the process of joining the European Union many
things are changing, but many people cannot see that. Turkey has a
lot of problems, we do not deny this. We are not in the Middle East
and we are not in Europe. We are something different.

“Armenian people always say we are doing bad things, and we do not
have a strong lobby, we do not explain ourselves well,” she said.

Ladayan appreciated the frustration that Esra and Sebnem were
voicing, and again offered a suggestion as to how to resolve the
conflict.

“The long-standing conflict between Turkey and Armenians should end,”
Ladayan said. “Turkey should recognize and pay for the suffering they
caused, and then we can move on.”

After a heated discussion, Ladayan agreed to change her materials
referring to Turkey, and instead have them refer to the Ottoman
empire. Beyond that, however, they mostly agreed to disagree. The
encounter was positive, though.

Ladayan said she spoke with another Turkish participant earlier in
the day, and after their heated conversation, “We were nice to each
other. We were friends. We even shook hands at the end.”

Hovig Kouyoumdjian, another Lebanese student attending the Festival
and working with Ladayan, said these encounters are important, even
if most disagreements are not resolved on the spot. “I see in this
event the leaders of the future,” Kouyoumdjian said.

“Reconciliation starts in places like this. It is in the hearts and
minds of people.”

NKR Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Aug 7 2004

INFORMATION
OF THE NKR STATE COMMISSION ON ISSUES OF PRISONERS OF WAR,
HOSTAGES AND MISSING PEOPLE

On August 6, 2004, in the north-eastern section of the state border
of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic, the servicemen of the NKR Defense
Army detained serviceman of the Azerbaijani armed units Samedov Anar
Misha Ogli, the native of Baku, born in 1983, when he was passing the
demarcation line.

In the frameworks of its international obligations of the Nagorno
Karabakh Republic in the sphere of human rights, the NKR State
Commission on Issues of Prisoners of War, Hostages and Missing People
informed the International Committee of Red Cross and OSCE Offices,
accredited in the NKR, on the incident.

Currently, the Republic’s coresponding bodies conduct investigation
events for finding out the circumstances and reasons of the violation
of the NKR border by the Azerbaijani serviceman.

The Republic’s authorities granted the ICRC representatives free
access to A.Samedov. The ICRC office was also informed about the the
NKR authorities’ readiness to pass A.Samedov to the Azerbaijani party
in case of getting its consent to accept their serviceman.

Associated Press Worldstream
August 7, 2004 Saturday 8:25 AM Eastern Time

Nagorno-Karabakh warns Azerbaijan against military solution

YEREVAN, Armenia

A top military official in the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave on Saturday
warned Azerbaijan against using military action to try to regain
control over the territory.

“If military activity began, Azerbaijan would suffer serious losses,”
said Movses Akopian, head of Nagorno-Karabakh’s army headquarters.

Nagorno-Karabakh, an ethnic Armenian enclave within Azerbaijan, has
been de-facto independent since its Armenian-backed forces drove out
Azerbaijan’s military in 1994. Despite a cease-fire, the two
countries continue to face off across a demilitarized zone, and
shooting occasionally erupts. No final settlement has been reached,
and the conflict continues to aggravate economic troubles and
threaten unrest in this already volatile region.

In recent months, Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliev has repeatedly
expressed frustration with the decade-long stagnation over the
enclave and has raised the prospects of military action.

“There is no point in paying any attention to threats from Baku (the
Azerbaijani capital) about a military solution to the Karabakh
problem,” Akopian said.

Earlier this week, Nagorno-Karabakh launched a 10-day military
exercise that Azerbaijan warned could further hamper peace process.

RosBusinessConsulting, Russia
aug 6 2004

Inflation in CIS reported

RBC, 06.08.2004, Moscow 12:44:19.Inflation amounted to 10
percent on average in the CIS in the first half of this year against
the corresponding period in 2003, the Interstate Statistical
Committee of the Commonwealth of Independent States reported.

The highest inflation rate in the first half of 2004 was in
Belarus, namely 20.8 percent; the lowest rate was in Kyrgyzstan (4.1
percent). As far as growth in consumer prices is concerned Russia is
the third with 10.4 percent. Inflation rate reached 7.5 percent in
Armenia, 7.4 percent Ukraine, 6.6 percent in Kazakhstan, 6 percent in
Azerbaijan, 5.5 percent in Georgia and 5.2 percent in Tajikistan.

Agence France Presse
August 4, 2004 Wednesday

Elections au Karabakh dimanche, critiques du Conseil de l’Europe

EREVAN, 4 aout

BODY: Le Nagorny-Karabakh, territoire azerbaiedjanais peuple
majoritairement d’Armeniens organisera dimanche des elections
locales, a annonce mercredi la commission electorale, alors que le
Conseil de l’Europe a critique la tenue de ce scrutin.

Les habitants de la republique doivent elire les chefs des
communautes et le maire de Stepanakert, “capitale” du Karabakh, lors
d’elections organisees pour la troisieme fois depuis la proclamation
de l’independance de ce territoire en 1991, a precise mercredi a
l’AFP le president de la commission Sergueie Davdian.

260 bureaux de vote ont ete mis en place a cette occasion, selon la
meme source.

“La tenue des elections est tres importante pour creer la societe
civile”, a souligne le “ministere des Affaires etrangeres” du
Karabakh.

“Les elections ne sont pas contraires aux normes juridiques
internationales”, affirme le ministere.

Le secretaire general du Conseil de l’Europe Terry Davis a regrette
mercredi que “des elections soient a nouveau prevues au Haut Karabakh
le 8 aout”.

Le Conseil de l’Europe soutient les efforts du groupe de Minsk
(Etats-Unis, Russie, France) qui s’efforce de trouver une solution
pacifique au conflit entre l’Armenie et l’Azerbaiedjan sur la
question du Nagorny-Karabakh, a-t-il souligne.

Enclave a population majoritairement armenienne en Azerbaiedjan, le
Nagorny-Karabakh a ete le theatre d’un conflit sanglant au debut des
annees 90. Il reste depuis un cessez-le-feu en 1994 sous le controle
des Armeniens qui l’avaient emporte sur le terrain.

Des negociations de paix se deroulent par intermittence depuis dix
ans avec la mediation du groupe de Minsk, qui opere sous le mandat de
l’Organisation pour la securite et la cooperation en Europe (OSCE).

NATURAL CALAMITY AGAIN CAUSES DAMAGE TO BORDER VILLAGES OF TAVUSH MARZ

IJEVAN, August 4, Noyan Tapan. On August 3, at around 19:00 pm, the
border villages of Baghanis, Voskevan and Jujevan in Tavush marz were
hit by a violent wind, strong hail and torrents that lasted for about
20 minutes and caused a lot of damage. As Nver Hakobian, the head of
Baghanis village, told to Noyan Tapan correspondent, the hail damaged
110 ha of not yet reaped grain land in the village, as well as areas
sowed with tobacco and vegetables. The violent wind cut off the energy
supply and telephone connection of the village, which were restored
only the next day. As a result of torrents the inter-state highway
passsing through Baghanis was covered with heaps of stones. The damage
done by the disaster to Voskevan and Jujevan villages is also great.

AS LONG AS THE ARMENIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES KEEPS SILENCE TURKEY’S FRAUDS
WILL REACH THE AIM

Azg/am
31 July 2004

International Organizations Disoriented by Turkish “Proofs”

In their issues of July 20 two Turkish newspapers Milliet and Eni
Shafak citing Anatolu news agency informed that scientists from
Armenia and Turkey exchanged 100 documents on the Armenian Genocide
during Vienna meeting of July 16. The Milliet together with two other
Turkish publications, Radical and Turkish Daily News, addressed to the
meeting once again on July 21.

The Turkish press gave no name of Armenian scientist participating at
the meeting but, instead, emphasized that the meeting was arranged by
the Armenian-Turkish platform of Vienna, was presided by the Vienna
University professor Mr. Biehl and that the Turkish delegation was
headed by Prof. Halachoghlu, president of the Organization of Turkish
History.

While most of the Turkish newspapers were evading the Armenian
delegation, Radical wrote, referring to the president of the Institute
of Armenian Studies of the Eurasian Military Research Center Hasan
Okta, that the Armenian sidewas represented by the president of the
Museum-Institute of Armenian Genocide and by a professor of the
Armenian National Academy of Sciences.

The Azg Daily has posted the abovementioned articles without adding
any comment. Dr. Hasan Okta rushed to inform Azg Daily that never
mentioned the president of the Museum-Institute and the professor of
the academy in his interviewed to the Radical and that the newspaper
was mistaken.

Ashot Melkonian, president of the Institute of History of the National
Academy of Sciences, wrote to Azg Daily saying that the Turkish
informationabout the Armenian scientists participating in the Vienna
meeting was a blatant lie, and the president of the Museum-Institute
of the Armenian Genocide Dr. Lavrenti Barseghian wrote about the
translations from the Turkish press that “the journalist published
false materials of the Anatolu news agency without checking them out.”

It is out of doubt that Dr. Hasan Okta would not have turned to Azg
Daily to refute the misleading information of the Turkish press unless
Azg Daily hadn’t published the Turkish coverage of the Vienna
meeting. We wouldn’t have had Ashot Melkonian’s and Lavrenti
Barseghian’s response to Turkish deception either.

We should mention that the Turkish press didn’t aim at Azg Daily but
rather intended to disorient interested international
organizations. Consequently, referring to the Turkish publications,
Azg Daily only disclosed the plot.

Though the lie is unmasked, there still remains a major question: is
the international community aware of this? Armenia should immediately
find out the names of Armenian scientists participating in the
meeting, then inform the University of Vienna of the fraud and demand
that both the Armenian-Turkishplatform and the university, as the
organizer of the meeting, speak publicly over the issue.

It should be the initiative of the Armenian Academy of Sciences to
inform and demand explanation from the Vienna University as the latter
had turned to the Academy and received its consent over arranging an
Armenian-Turkish meeting in Vienna.

The present attitude of the Armenian Academy is just amazing to
us. Are they unaware of what is going on, are they indifferent? It is
hard to say. But we know for sure that Turkey takes advantage over
Armenia in the issue of the Armenian Genocide and presents its false
facts to the Vienna University andother international organizations
whereas the Armenian Academy of Sciences is reluctant to act.

Although the falsifications cannot stop the process of the Armenian
Genocide acknowledgment, they may hinder it. The fact that the
Genocide acknowledgement is a first priority for our state should not
be a secret for our scientific organizations especially for the
National Academy of Sciences.

By Hakob Chakrian

ACCORDING TO PUBLIC OPINION POLL, 72% OF NKR POPULATION TO PARTICIPATE
IN ELECTIONS OF LOCAL SELF-GOVERNMENT BODIES

STEPANAKERT, July 28 (Noyan Tapan). 46% out of 300 participants of the
public opinion poll held upon the initiative of the Journalists’ Union
of Artsakh hold the opinion that the institute of local
self-government bodies of the republic formed through elections can’t
be considered established. A large percent of the respondents thinks
that the legislation doesn’t precisely define the functions of the
supreme power bodies and communal government bodies. More than a half
of the participants of the poll is sure that the current system of
formation of local self-government bodies doesn’t correspond to
principles of democracy. 54% consider that the elections of local
self-government bodies in Artsakh aren’t fair and transparent.
Meanwhile 72% of the respondents intend to participate in the
forthcoming elections. To recap, the elections of local
self-government bodies are scheduled for August 8 and will be held in
200 NKR communities. There are 6 candidates for the post of
Stepanakert Mayor.

Azer News, Azerbaijan
July 29 2004

President dismisses another minister

President Ilham Aliyev has dismissed the National Security Minister
Namig Abbassov. The presidential order did not give any reason for
sacking Abbasov. He is the third minister to have been fired by
Azerbaijan’s 42-year-old president. Earlier this year, Aliyev sacked
the ministers for communications and foreign

affairs. Any changes in the government are closely watched in
Azerbaijan, where, according to analysts, reformers led by President
Aliyev are engaged in a behind-the-scenes power struggle with
conservatives inside the government. Abbassov is one of the biggest
figures to lose his job in Azerbaijan since Aliyev succeeded his
father, Heydar Aliyev, as president late last year.

The outgoing minister had served under Heydar Aliyev since 1994 and
was widely seen as a key figure in the ruling elite. The minister is
to be replaced by Eldar Mahmudov, a senior official from Azerbaijan’s
interior ministry. Mahmudov, born in Nakhchivan’s Sharur region in
1956, is a police colonel and has headed the Interior Ministry’s drug
enforcement department since February 2004. Prior to that he headed
the Interior Ministry’s department on combating economic crimes,
which was subsequently abolished. On the same day, the President
granted him the title of General Major. This is the first time for an
Interior Ministry official to serve as national security minister.
The appointment came as a surprise and the reasons behind it are not
clear yet. So far, National Security Ministry workers were
transferred to the Interior Ministry to strengthen this organization,
while presently the opposite is taking place. Some observers explain
this unexpected decision by the successful attempt of Armenian
national Ispir Gazarian to come to Baku from Moscow on July 23.
Gazarian’s identity was verified only after he arrived at the Baku
Airport. Several months ago a similar incident occurred, as two other
Armenians, fleeing the unbearable living conditions in their country,
came to Baku. No explanations were provided to the Azerbaijani public
as to how they succeeded in entering the country. The public
interpreted the two incidents as the weakness in the activity of
national security agencies. Regardless of the reasons for the two
incidents, they explain the President’s intention to reshuffle his
team. As for the future activity of Colonel-General Namig Abbasov, it
remains unclear at this point. The presidential order indicating the
dismissal of Abbasov from the minister’s position did not specify
whether he will still head the state commission on POWs, hostages and
missing persons. Unconfirmed reports suggest that Abbasov, while
visiting a European country, was unaware of his dismissal until the
presidential decree was issued. Foreign Minister Vilayat Guliyev was
dismissed in a similar manner. Abbasov was one of the only
Azerbaijani officials appreciated by the public. After the last
presidential election Abbasov refuted the statements by some members
of the ruling elite that secret services from some Western countries
were involved in the October 2003 developments, which ultimately
targetted a coup d’etat. Shortly before and after the presidential
election the then Minister Abbasov tried to remain impartial in the
unfolding internal political struggle. Undoubtedly, in the present
situation in Azerbaijan, any attempt of a government official to be
independent is not encouraged by the higher leadership. In short,
Abbasov had a lot of opponents both in and outside Azerbaijan. Their
number further increased after his explicit statement about the
presence of PKK units in Azerbaijan. Official Moscow and Tehran were
interested in the dismissal of Abbasov, as he was widely known for
his pro-Western position. On many occasions, he made anti-Russian and
anti-Iranian statements. However, Abbasov may be offered another
position, for instance, the post of the security council secretary to
the President. Besides, the President is also likely to fire the
current Interior Minister Ramil Usubov soon. The latter’s position is
likely to be taken by the chief of Surakhan district police
department Etibar Gazibayov. Namig Abbasov’s dismissal came as a
surprise to many analysts who predicted changes in the government
agencies. The ex-minister was one of the last officials included into
the president’s “black list”. The unexpected dismissal of Abbasov
also signals that other key figures in the government hierarchy may
also lose their job in the foreseeable future…