MIGRATION AGREEMENT WITH ARMENIA
MOSCOW, May 16. /ARKA/. The RF Government has approved and submitted to
the RF State Duma for ratification a Russian-Armenian intergovernmental
protocol on prolongation of the agreement on regulation of voluntary
migration. The press service of the RA Government reports that RF
Premier Mikhail Fradkov signed a relevant resolution.
The agreement was signed on August 29, 1997 and prolonged in Yerevan
on March 4, 2004. P.T. -0–
ITAR-TASS News Agency
TASS
May 15, 2005 Sunday 9:19 AM Eastern Time
Minsk Group planning Warsaw meeting of Azeri, Armenian chiefs
By Ksenia Kaminskaya, Yuri Kozlov
VIENNA
The OSCE Minsk Group cochairmen – Russia, France and the United
States – plan to organize Karabakh settlement negotiations between
the Azerbaijani and Armenian president within the framework of the
Warsaw summit of the Council of Europe, Russian Foreign Minister
Sergei Lavrov said on Sunday.
“The leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia will attend the Council of
Europe summit, and their meeting is probable,” he said.
Earlier in the day Lavrov, who is visiting Vienna to attend
celebrations of the state treaty’s 50th anniversary, laid a wreath to
the Soviet military memorial in downtown Vienna. He commemorated
27,000 Soviet servicemen, who died for the liberation of Austria in
spring 1945, with a minute of silence. The memorial is a
20-meter-high pillar with a soldier’s figure atop. It was unveiled in
August 1945.
Today, Azerbaijan
May 14 2005
Yuri Merzlyakov: “Observing the ceasefire suits the both sides”
13 May 2005 [13:30] – Today.Az
Yesterday 11 years have passed since signing the agreement about
ceasefire in the Azerbaijan-Armenia front line.
The Russian co-chairman of the Minsk Group of OSCE Yuri Merzlyakov
considers that the both sides won observing the ceasefire.
Yuru Merzlyakov informed in his explanation given to APA that “If the
battles continue then both sides will have grievous losses,
destructions and new sorrows”. He also expressed his regret about not
signing the Peace Agreement for solving and eliminating the results
of the conflict during the passed period: “When the agreement about
the ceasefire signed it was supposed that the peace agreement will be
achieved in short period”.
Worked as a deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Tofik Zulfigarov gave
analogical explanation to APA as well. According to the words of the
ex-deputy minister, when the agreement about the ceasefire signed, it
was supposed that in 2 months the peace agreement would be signed for
solving the conflict.
“The ceasefire period gave an opportunity to achieve the peace
agreement, but to achieve such agreement there should be a political
wish for this, too. It is a pity that Armenia uses the ceasefire for
winning the time. I think that the co-chairmen of the Minsk Group
should demonstrate a political will and to force the invader side to
eliminate the results of the violation”.
Tofig Zulfugarov informed that France being a member of the European
Union has more opportunities to act in regulating the Nagorno
Karabakh conflict.
URL:
Pan Armenian News
YURI MERZLYAKOV: KOCHARIAN-ALIYEV MEETING TO BE HELD IN WARSAW MAY 15
13.05.2005 03:32
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The recurrent meeting of Azeri and Armenian Presidents
Ilham Aliyev and Robert Kocharian will take place in Warsaw on May 15, OSCE
Minsk Group Russian Co-Chair Yuri Merzlyakov stated, 525 Azeri newspaper
reported. In his words, on the eve of the meeting the Co-Chairs will hold a
meeting with Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian. To remind, the talks
between the Co-Chairs and Azerbaijani FM Elmar Mamedyarov took place on
April 27. When informing of the format of the Presidents’ meeting Yuri
Merzlyakov said that according to the tradition the Co-Chairs will first
hold a joint meeting with both Presidents to exchange opinions on the
current situation. Then the Presidents will continue the meeting in private.
Upon completion of the conversation the Co-Chairs will be informed of the
outcomes and the parties will outline new directions of the negotiation
process. Yuri Merzlyakov noted that the mediators have high expectation for
the upcoming meeting. `Last time the Presidents met in September, 2004. To
date, a number issues demanding discussion have accumulated. We will present
the agenda of the meeting to the Presidents. They may accept it or not’, the
Russian diplomat noted.
IRNA, Iran
May 12, 2005 Thursday 1:43 PM EST
Aram I visits Iran
Tehran, May 12, IRNA Leader of World’s Armenians Aram Keshishian
arrived in Tehran early Thursday at the invitation of the head of the
Islamic Culture and Communications Organization Mohammad Mohammadi
Iraqi.
Armenian minister calls on Turkey not to set preconditions for establishing
ties
Arminfo
12 May 05
YEREVAN
As of today, there has been no official statement from Yerevan, Ankara
or from any third side on a meeting between Armenian President Robert
Kocharyan and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the
sidelines of the Council of Europe summit in Warsaw [16-17 May],
Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan has told journalists.
“Should there be a meeting between Kocharyan and Erdogan, it might be
effective only in the event Ankara focuses on normalization of
bilateral relations without any preliminary conditions,” Oskanyan
said.
Bright prospects will open up on normalization of Armenian-Turkish
relations in case Turkey agrees to discuss the issue without any
preliminary conditions, without linking this issue with the position
of a third country, the minister said.
MOSNEWS, Russia
May 12 2005
Russia Denies Involvement in 1999 Armenian Parliament Shooting
MosNews
The Russian embassy in Armenia has denied reports that Russian
special services were involved in the shooting at the Armenian
parliament in 1999 that killed eight people including the then
Armenian prime minister.
The embassy issued a statement quoted by the ITAR-TASS news agency
`in connection with recent press articles about the alleged
involvement of the Russian special services in the tragic events at
the Armenian parliament on 27 October 1999.’
`This kind of claim, which has nothing to do with reality, is being
spread by people who are well-known for their hatred of Russia’s
democratic reforms,’ the embassy noted. They `are pursuing certain
provocative objectives aimed at creating a negative image of the new
Russia in the eyes of the world community.’
The embassy described the claims as `a doomed attempt being made to
undermine the centuries-old relations between the Armenian and
Russian people.’
Former Federal Security Service (FSB) agent Alexander Litvinenko said
in various interviews that the Main Intelligence Directorate of the
General-Staff of the Russian armed forces had organized the terrorist
attack in the Armenian parliament. Litvinenko fled to the UK from
criminal charges brought by the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office.
The embassy called him the `boss’ to Nairi Unanyan who led the group
of gunmen that attacked the parliament.
The statement said Litvinenko `is patronized [in the UK] by a
well-known oligarch’, an allusion to Boris Berezovsky.
The gunmen killed the Armenian prime minister Vazgen Sarkissian, the
parliament speaker Karen Demirchan and six ministers and deputies.
New York Times, NY
May 11 2005
Rock Review | System of a Down
Being Brash to Stir Things Up
By JON PARELES
Published: May 11, 2005
System of a Down doesn’t mind taking some cheap shots. The band
played Irving Plaza on Monday night fresh from its appearance on
“Saturday Night Live,” where its leader, Serj Tankian, used a
four-letter word and caused the predictable brouhaha, which gave him
something to brag about onstage.
Forum: Popular Music
Televised profanity was just the thing to stir some interest in the
band’s brief new album, “Mezmerize” (American/Columbia), to be
released on Tuesday, but didn’t get much exposure in the band’s set,
which drew mostly on its 2001 album, “Toxicity” (American/Columbia).
Mr. Tankian’s other stage banter was about sex, drugs and pumping up
a crowd that had already turned the floor into a bruising mosh pit.
The music was made for that: thrashing, stop-start rock that slowed
down and got melodic just long enough to give fans a breather before
the next blast of fast power chords and strobe lights. In concert,
System of a Down’s songs are like throttles governing the speed and
impact of the crowd. But for all its muscle, the band has more on its
mind than brute force.
System of a Down, whose members are Armenian-American, sings about
genocide, war, religion, oppression and freedom. Between the salvos
of speed metal, the songs switched – sometimes instantly – to
minor-mode tunes that hinted at Eastern European origins, and the
nasal bark that Mr. Tankian used for fast passages turned to a
sustained, almost mournful tenor.
For all his sardonic vocal mannerisms, Mr. Tankian rarely jokes; even
“Cigaro,” the hyperbolic sexual boast from “Mezmerize,” turned out to
be about greed and overconsumption: “Burning through the world’s
resources, then we turn and hide.” System of a Down can get away with
slinging a lot of messages as long as the music keeps pummeling.
A1plus
| 20:58:02 | 10-05-2005 | Social |
FAMILY FROM CALAMITY ZONE ASKING FOR HELP
The fate of the 15-year-old Vardan Ghoukasyan cannot but touch people’s
hearts. The family of Ghoukasyans who have seen the terrors of the
earthquake can lose their last child. He needs urgent operation. Only 5000
dollars are missing to start it. `A1+’ has started an action to save this
boy. In the Spitak branch of ArmEconomBank accounts have been opened –
163178150153 for USD, 163178150161 for EURO and 163178150179 for AMD. Many
of our compatriots have already responded to the call to help Vardan. But
the necessary sum has not been collected. We think that by joint effort we
can soothe the pain of the family from Spitak and save Vardan. We thank all
those who were not indifferent to the pain of the family from the calamity
zone.
The boy in the picture is one of the many children born in post-earthquake
Spitak to soothe the pain after the earthquake. 15-year-old Vardan Ghukasyan
knows his elder brother who died in the disastrous earthquake of December 7,
1988, at the age of 14, only by photos.
Vardan grew up with his other brother, but this did not last long either.
The other elder brother went to serve in the army and three months before
coming on May 18, 1998 was killed in Karabakh by Azeris. From the three sons
only one remained in the Ghukasyan family.
After a recent investigation the doctors learned that the boy has the
illness called `glomerulonephritis’, and the family learned that soon they
will lose their last child. The two kidneys of the child are quickly losing
the ability to perform their function. Living in temporary houses in the
calamity zone greatly hastened the development of the illness.
Today the doctors do not have any means to cure the child. The only way to
save him is to transplant a kidney. The operation is to be made in the
«Arabkir» medical center, and the donor has been already found. It will be
the father of the child. The Ghukasyans living in the calamity zone do not
have the money necessary for the operation, and the doctors claim that the
child must be saved within the coming months.
For his age, 15-year-old Vardan Ghoukasyan has great plans for future.
Sending his articles to different newspapers in Spitak and participating in
a competition he has already won a computer. Although it is an old one,
Vardan is sure that it is the «instrument» of his future, as the future
journalist needs equipment.
We call everyone and ask everyone to help the calamity zone one more time
and to save the life of the child symbolizing hope with his birth after the
disaster.
For information you can call (0255) 2-20-65 in Spitak, or 58-54-27 to «A1+»,
and write to [email protected].
Kommersant, Russia
May 10 2005
Teary-Eyed Summit
// Putin undergoes the trials of hosting
Friendship of the Nations
Moscow is the center of the world for the next few days. More than 50
heads of state are here for the 60th anniversary of the end of World
War Two. Along with the celebration, a CIS summit and high-level
Russia-European Union meetings are planned. There are a host of
controversies hiding behind the festive facade and Russia’s honored
guests have brought complaints along with their congratulations.
There has never been a larger-scale celebration in Moscow. More than
50 present and former world leaders are in attendance, as well as the
general secretary of the UN and general director of UNESCO, and each
has come with a retinue, often of dozens of people. Several millions
of dollars have been spent on security and accommodations. The
inconveniences experienced by local residents are inconsequential
compared to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s desire to show Russia
in the light of world power.
There is another side to the events beside the festivities. The world
community is nowhere near as united as this event would indicate. The
refusal of Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus and Estonian President
Arnold Ruutel to attend was the most obvious sign of this. They said
that, for their countries, the war did not end in 1945, but 45 years
after that, when they declared their independence, the USSR crumbled
and the `Soviet occupation’ ended. To entice them, Moscow signed a
number of important agreements with them, including ones on borders,
which the new members of the EU need desperately. The two presidents
remained unmoved however.
Turkmen President Saparmurat Niyazov has long ignored all events that
do not touch him or his family personally. Therefore, his absence
went practically unnoticed. Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili
gained a lot of attention though. On Friday, Georgian Foreign
Minister Salome Zurabishvili announced that Saakashvili would not be
present at either the CIS summit on May 8 or the May 9 festivities.
`Because we have not made progress in unresolved issues. Because we
have not agreement on a timetable for the closure of [Russian]
military bases in Georgia, Mikhail Saakashvili will not come to
Moscow,’ Zurabishvili stated after negotiations in Moscow. The
Georgian president himself on Friday evening in Batumi said only that
`Today I am in a good mood and don’t feel like commenting. Tomorrow I
will have a comment.’
The CIS summit is to be a balm for the soul of Russian authorities.
Moscow made it clear in the lead-up to it that, as the leader of that
organization, it is ready to take charge of its reform. They hope to
raise its prestige and effectiveness by doing so. The summit will not
shore up Moscow’s faltering leadership nor serve as a display of the
unity of the former Soviet peoples. Not long ago, a summit of the
other post-Soviet regional organization, GUUAM, was held in Chisinau.
Its current members are Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Moldova,
whose leaders made it clear there that the only other organizations
they are interested in are the EU and NATO. They spoke of the CIS in
the past tense there, when they mentioned it at all.
The decision of Uzbekistan to withdraw from GUUAM was small comfort
for Moscow. Tashkent made that decision official last Thursday and
Uzbek President Islam Karimov sent a message to Moldovan President
Vladimir Voronin. `Considering its geographical location, Uzbekistan
sees no possibility of realizing its economy and security interests
within the new initiatives and projects announced by GUUAM,’ he
explained.
Observers are sure that the real reason for Uzbekistan’s withdrawal
was the revolutionary mood among the other GUUAM members.
Saakashvili, speaking in Chisinau, called for the beginning of a
`third wave of revolutions’ in the former Soviet Union. Lithuanian
President Valdas Adamkus accompanied Saakashvili to Chisinau as an
observer. They proposed a resolution in support of freedom and
democracy in Belarus. Even though the proposal was rejected, the
impression remained. Now Belarus, Uzbekistan and other CIS member
states see Moscow as their only savior from the `Orange plague.’ But,
since the rest of the world sees orange as the color of freedom,
Moscow may find itself in the role of suppressor of freedom once and
for all.
The day before the summit, the brotherhood of Slavic peoples was rent
when Ukrainian citizens were arrested in Belarus for taking part in
an opposition demonstration. Russians arrested at the same time were
quickly released, but the Ukrainians were sentenced to prison for
public disturbance. That action by Belarusian authorities elicited a
stormy response in Ukraine. This incident has become a serious
diplomatic scandal and Minsk is already threatening to close its
embassy in Kiev. In spite of that, Ukrainian President Viktor
Yushchenko stated his intentions of demanding an explanation from
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko at the summit in Moscow.
Against this background of Slavic disunity, it is not surprising that
one of Moscow’s peacekeeping initiatives. Moscow’s idea of
reconciling Azerbaijan and Armenia on Victory Day failed. Moscow had
long sought to settle that dispute, one of the oldest in the former
Soviet Union. The intended settlement was to raise Russia’s prestige
and the CIS’s authority. However, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev
refused to participate in the summit. Kremlin analysts had called it
wrong and the peace agreement was not as attractive as Moscow thought
it would be. May 8 was not the best date for it either. On May 8,
1993, Armenian forces seized the Azerbaijani city of Shusha, which
for the Azerbaijanis was as bad as if the Germans had taken
Leningrad. It would have been a risk for Aliyev to spend that day
with occupier, even though he attended the Victory parade the next
day.
Putin’s friends from farther abroad let him down as well. British
Prime Minister Tony Blair excused himself from coming to Moscow,
saying that he was unable to leave the country so soon after the
parliamentary elections, in which his Labour Party was victorious.
Worse still for Russian sensitivities, Putin’s friend U.S. President
George W. Bush came by a route that was worse than a refusal to come
at all. His two-day stopover in Riga on the way was a clear sign of
American political leanings. Worse yet, Bush repeated emphasized in
Riga that the U.S. never acknowledged Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia
as territories of the USSR. Bush did, however, soften the blow by
speaking about the need to heed the rights of ethnic minorities in
the Baltic, which is an issue for the Russian-speaking population
there. `Democracy carries with it definite obligations: the supremacy
of law and the protection of the rights of minorities,’ he lectured.
But that was not enough to save the situation, especially since
upcoming conversations between Putin and Bush will touch on not only
the Baltic, but the troubled question of human rights in Russia.
On the European front, it is still worse. Putin can expect Polish
President Aleksander Kwasniewski to demand an apology from Russia for
the killing of Polish officer in Katyn Forest just before the Soviet
entry into the war. The European Union, taking advantage of Russia’s
desire to enter the WTO by the end of the year, has been making
increasing demands on Russia recently in exchange for its support for
Russia’s WTO membership. Therefore, Putin’s talks with Chairman of
the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso are not likely to be
easy, nor is the Russia-EU summit scheduled for May 10.
by Alexander Reutov