Author: Kamalian Hagop

Azerbaijan proposes restoring traffic to Armenia through disputed enclave

.c The Associated Press

BAKU, Azerbaijan (AP) – Azerbaijan has proposed restoring traffic to
Armenia through the disputed enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh, the
country’s Deputy Foreign Minister Araz Azimov said Monday.

The made the proposal last week during a meeting of the two countries’
foreign ministers in Paris, Azimov said.

Azerbaijan “expects a positive response on this issue,” he told
reporters, pointing out that reopening traffic could act as a
confidence-building measure between the two adversaries.

The proposed road would pass through Nagorno-Karabakh into Armenia
proper and then end in the Azerbaijani enclave of Nakhichevan, which
borders Turkey, a close ally of Azerbaijan.

Nagorno-Karabakh has been under control of ethnic Armenians since a
six-year war against Azerbaijani forces ended with a 1994 cease-fire.
The war killed some 30,000 people and drove a million from their
homes. The enclave of Nakhichevan is legally part of Azerbaijan, but
is cut off from Azerbaijan proper by Armenia.

06/20/05 14:57 EDT

RESOLUTION ON GERMAN BUNDESTAG’S RECOGNIZING ARMENIAN
GENOCIDE INFURIATED POLITICAL FIGURES OF TURKEY

BODY:
YEREVAN, JUNE 18. ARMINFO. German parliament’s Armenian bill draws
Turkish ire. The CHP said that the bill was a fiasco on the behalf of
the government’s foreign relations policy.

As the Turkish NTV reports, the German parliament’s passing of a
motion recognizing claims that the Ottoman Empire had massacred many
of its Armenian community some 90 years ago will cast a shadow over
Turkish-German relations, the speaker of the Turkish parliament said
Friday. Parliamentary speaker Bulent Arinc has sent a letter to his
German counterpart saying that the bill, which also calls on Turkey
to acknowledge the allegations that Armenians were massacred in 1915,
was neither based on common sense or on facts. Also on Friday, Kemal
Anadol, the leader of the parliamentary group of the main opposition
Republican People’s Party (CHP), said that history and politics were
two terms that should not come together and slammed various
parliaments for passing resolutions without knowledge or
understanding of the facts. The leader of opposition True Path Party
(DYP), Mehmet Agir, was another to react to the bill, saying that by
this decision Germany had covered the head of history with a sack.

CAVES CAN BE DANGEROUS

A1plus

| 20:44:26 | 17-06-2005 | Social |

There are numerous interesting and exclusive caves in Armenia. One
of the most interesting peculiarities of them is the basalt doors
which is a unique phenomenon in the world.

Today in the Armenian National Architectural Museum the presentation
of the work of Samvel Shahinyan, head of the Armenian Speleological
Center, took place. According to Samvel Shahinyan, the book was
published with great difficulty, as the sum allotted by the state
was only 600 000 drams.

According to him, the caves of Armenia are of great interest for
the investigators, but when it comes to nature and culture, people
sometimes do not even refer to the caves.

“There are caves in Armenia which are greatly dangerous for people,
as the entrance is free and everyone can enter there not having any
idea of how they will get out”, says Shahinyan. He is convinced that
only specialists must investigate the caves.

Mr. Shahinyan mentioned that one of the unique caves is the underground
cave of Ani, “After investigating the cave a Turkish specialist sent
us a letter saying that Ani is really the treasure of the Armenian
nation”.

Armenian minister notes “certain progress” in Paris talks on Karabakh

Interfax news agency, Moscow
17 Jun 05

Yerevan, 17 June: Armenian and Azerbaijani Foreign Ministers Vardan
Oskanyan and Elmar Mammadyarov discussed in Paris on Friday [17 June]
a number of issues related to the current stage of the settlement of
the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict, the Armenia Foreign Ministry press
service has told Interfax.

The co-chairmen of the [OSCE] Minsk Group for the settlement of
the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict attended the ministers’ meeting,
the report said.

“A certain progress has been achieved in one of the main issues of
the Karabakh settlement,” Oskanyan said.

The Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers have held a series of
talks for a settlement of the conflict since the second half of the
year 2004 which is known as the Paris process.

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT SATISFIED WITH INTENSIFICATION OF
ARMENIAN-INDONESIAN COOPERATION WITH INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

YEREVAN, June 17. /ARKA/. The newly appointed Ambassador of
Indonesia to Armenia Alexander Laturiuv (residence in Kiev, Ukraine)
presented his credentials to RA President Robert Kocharyan. During
the meeting the RA President expressed his is satisfaction with the
intensification of Armenian-Indonesian cooperation within international
organizations. Speaking of the possibilities of expanding bilateral
relations, the sides pointed out the priority task of creating a
necessary contractual basis. They also pointed out the importance
of exchanging information and of business contacts in encouraging
bilateral business ties. The Armenian President wished the Indonesian
people success in eliminating the aftermath of a devastating tsunami
that shocked the entire world several months ago. P.T. -0–

NEGOTIATING WITH ARMENIA AZERBAIJAN RECOGNIZES KARABAKH AS PART OF ARMENIA

A1plus

| 20:13:48 | 16-06-2005 | Politics |

“On the one hand the international forces pressure Azerbaijan to
accept that Karabakh (and probably Lachin, too) should be joined to
Armenia, and on the other hand they pressure Armenia to accept that
the liberated territories should be returned to Azerbaijan. I don’t
believe there is an Armenian who wants the liberated territories
to be returned”, Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) Bureau
representative Hrant Margaryan told at a conference today.

He noted that the issue can be touched upon during the talks process
for tactical reasons. As for Armenia’s discussion the issue despite
Arkady Ghukasyan’s strict position, H. Margaryan said it has its
positive aspects. “The fact that Azerbaijan negotiates with Armenia
proves that it recognized Karabakh as a part of Armenia. If it doesn’t
it should demand negotiations with Karabakh”, he resumed.

YEREVAN ACCUSES BAKU IN VIOLATING CONVENTIONAL ARMED FORCES IN EUROPE TREATY

Pan Armenian News
16.06.2005 03:51

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenia has accused Azerbaijan in not observing the
Conventional Armed Forces in Europe Treaty, reported RFE/RL. Chief of
the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Armenia Mikayel Harutyunyan
stated that Azerbaijan possesses a number of tanks, which exceeds the
one allowed by the Treaty 1.5-2 times. The quantity of artillery units
is 2-2.5 times more that that the Treaty provides for, the Armenian
party asserts. The response of Azerbaijan to this statement is not
known yet.

Iran: Iran to build first wind power plant in Armenia

Based on the accords signed by Iran and Armenia recently, SANIR
Co will construct four units of wind power plant in Armenia in the
next two months, Ali Kadkhodaii, managing director of SANIR Co said,
MNA reported.

The capacity of the power plant is 2.5 MW experimentally and it is
the first of the power plant that Iran is to construct outside its
borders, he added.

Iran and Armenia signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) here on
Saturday to bolster bilateral cooperation in the field of electricity.

The MOU was signed by Iran’s Energy Minister Habibollah Bitaraf and
his Armenian counterpart Armen Movsisyan.

Under the MOU, Iran and Armenia reached consensus to implement the
third 400-kW two-circuit transmission line project, valued at 90
million dollars.

The two countries are also slated to implement the second phase of
Iran-Armenia pipeline project valued at 130 million dollars along
with the complementary project of the fifth unit of Harazdan thermal
power plant.

Under the framework of the agreement, Iranian companies of the Iran
Power Plant Projects Management Company (MAPNA) and SANIR are due to
add a new unit of gas power plant, capable of being transformed into
combined cycle, to Armenia. The project is worth 150 million dollars.

Parade Magazine

Sunday, May 29, 2005

Turkey Gets Tough With The Red Fox

We feel bad for Turkey, a nation whose name is synonymous with a bird that
gets stuffed each Thanksgiving. But we think Turkey is a bit oversensitive
about animal names.

Its native red fox and wild sheep are getting new monikers because the old
ones refer to Kurdistan and Armenia. (Turkey opposes Kurdish separatists and
has rocky relations with Armenia, which accuses the Turks of killing 1.5
million Armenians in the years 1915-23.)

The fox, Vulpes Vulpes Kurdistanica, is now just Vulpes Vulpes; and the
sheep, Ovis Armeniana, is now Ovis Orientalis Anatolicus. Turkey says the
old names were given `with ill intentions.’

Pan Armenian News

KAZIMIROV: BAKU WILL HAVE TO AMEND STATEMENTS ON SOLUTION OF CONFLICT BY
FORCE

09.06.2005 04:59

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ One cannot even approach the stepwise settlement of the
Nagorno Karabakh conflict Azerbaijan stands up for without reliable
commitments of the parties to resist the temptation of using force, stated
former Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group Vladimir Kazimirov, Day.az reported.
In his words, only a large dose of naivete may allow any of the parties to
count at resumption of hostilities from more favorable positions. Both
material guarantees in the conflict zone (demilitarization of the regions
being liberated, etc.) and inclusion of weighty international guarantors.
`One should not think Armenia will return the 7 regions situated around
Nagorno Karabakh without serious guarantees by Azerbaijan, as well as
superpowers and international organizations. First of all Azerbaijan will
have to amend its public statements over deciding the issue by force. In
their turn Armenians should give up the attitude of `liberated territories’
that is based on power and is fallacious in its essence,’ Kazimirov summed
up.