Author: Karabekian Emil

‘Azerbaijani issue’ discussed at Bush-Kaskiv meeting

02.03.2005 13:26

YEREVAN (YERKIR) – U.S. President George W. Bush and Vladislav Kaskiv,
the head of the Ukrainian movement Pora, have discussed the “Azeri
issue” at their Bratislava meeting last week, according to the
Azerbaijani newspaper Echo.

Kaskiv, whose organization backed the “orange revolution” in Ukraine,
reportedly told Bush that Ukraine set a good example for the whole
region and that Azerbaijan is among the countries where there are good
grounds for using the Ukrainian example. Besides, the paper wrote, a
Center of experts will open in near future to support democratic
movements in Russia, Belarus, Moldova and Azerbaijan.

According to Pora’s press service head Anastasia Bezverkhova, a group
of Pora activists have sent letters to the leaders of several CIS
countries, warning them against possible repetitions of the “orange
revolutions” in their respective countries unless they pushed ahead
democratic reforms.

The organization has urged Ilham Aliyev to ensure fair and democratic
parliamentary elections in autumn, otherwise the Ukrainian
revolutionaries threatened to apply their experience in Azerbaijan,
Bezverkhova has told the Azeri paper.

AZERI PRESIDENT THANKS KAZAKHSTAN FOR CONSTANT SUPPORT IN KARABAKH ISSUE

YEREVAN, MARCH 1. ARMINFO. Azeri President Ilham Aliev has thanked
Kazakhstan for its constant support of “Azerbaijan’s fair position to
settle the Nagorny Karabakh conflict in compliance with the principles
of the international law,” reports 525th newspaper (Baku).

In a meeting with Kazakh Prosecutor General Rashid Tusupbekov Aliev
said that Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan have always supported each other
in all political processes inside and outside the region, under global
economic projects and on international issues.

Tusupbekov said that Kazakhstan gives high importance to its relations
with Azerbaijan. He said that social political stability in both
countries is an engine for their further economic development.

Bulgaria becomes transit point for international organized crime, officials
warn

AP Worldstream
Mar 02, 2005

NEVYANA HADJIYSKA

Bulgaria is a main transit point for international criminal gangs
targeting Western Europe, local and British experts warned Wednesday,
calling for greater international efforts to combat organized crime.

“Bulgaria is a key European ally in fighting organized crime _ it’s
geographic situation makes it an increasingly attractive gate to
foreign investment … but also to other, less welcome enterprise,”
said British Home Office Minister Caroline Flint at a Sofia forum on
combatting organized crime.

Bulgaria’s top police official, Gen. Boiko Borisov acknowledged that
the Balkan country is turning into a center of organized crime, and
called for assistance from all European institutions.

“Unfortunately, Bulgaria is located on such a place that we have
Albanian, Serbian, Chechen, Armenian, Georgian, Russian, Moldovan,
Ukrainian, and whatever mafia groups you can imagine,” Borisov said.

Officials said Bulgarian authorities were making progress in reining
in organized criminal activity, including by adopting key legislation
for confiscation of criminal assets and by implementing a number of
projects aimed at curbing corruption.

“Bulgarian legislation on assets recovery is a very, very important
step forward … and your task now is to implement it vigorously,”
Flint said.

“Along with police efforts, (Bulgaria) needs effective work by the
prosecution and the judiciary,” said William Hughes, director-general
of Britain’s new Serious Organized Crime Agency. The agency is to
begin work officially in April 2006.

In December, EU Justice and Security Commissioner Franco Frattini
insisted that Romania and Bulgaria take tougher measures against
corruption and organized crime as they prepare to join the EU in 2007.

In Sofia, Hughes also called for a “global strategic alliance against
organized crime,” urging countries to grant more powers to foreign
anti-crime liaison officers and to remove legal barriers before
international intelligence exchange.

Bulgarian and British officials were unable to produce exact figures
on the number of organized criminal gangs operating through Bulgaria,
or on the damage for local and European economies.

Hughes, however, said that in Britain alone, harm caused by organized
criminal activity was estimated at Aâ=82¬13 billion (US$17 billion)
annually.

Azerbaijan accuses Armenia of sending settlers to disputed enclave
By SUSANNA LOOF

The Associated Press
02/28/05 17:21 EST

VIENNA, Austria (AP) – Azerbaijani officials on Monday accused
Armenia of conducting an orchestrated settlement campaign in an
attempt to claim the disputed enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh and the
surrounding area.

Parviz Shahbazov, a counselor at the Azerbaijani Embassy in Vienna,
said Armenia had illegally sent 23,000 settlers to Nagorno-Karabakh
and adjacent territories, which are under control of ethnic Armenian
forces.

Azerbaijanis living in the area fled during the six-year war in the
1990s and now live in camps in the rest of Azerbaijan in “very hard
and difficult conditions,” Shahbazov said.

Armenian officials were not immediately available for comment.

The Armenian settlement policy appeared aimed at preventing the return
of those displaced, he said.

“Such steps of Armenia represent a blatant violation of international
humanitarian law and totally contradicts the Geneva conventions,”
Shahbazov told news conference.

Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding areas have been under the control
of ethnic Armenian forces since the mid-1990s. A cease-fire in the
conflict was reached in 1994, but Nagorno-Karabakh’s political status
remains unsettled. Its ethnic Armenian government is not recognized
internationally.

Shahbazov argued that Armenia’s settlement policy also hindered the
peace process.

The settlements are “goal-oriented, planned, organized and are carried
out with the immediate participation of the government of Armenia,”
Shahbazov said.

Embassy officials showed grainy video clips and satellite images
of the area they said proved that Armenia had sent settlers there,
built them new houses and provided them with cows and other means to
make a living.

“All this has only one purpose: to consolidate the results of
aggression by Armenia against Azerbaijan – the ethnic cleansing
and occupation of the Azerbaijani territories,” said Fariz Rzayev,
an embassy official.

The Vienna-based Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe
in early February ended a fact-finding mission dispatched as part
of efforts to resolve the conflict. The mission investigated, among
other things, whether ethnic Armenians were settling in the area.

The mission’s report was to be released to the so-called Minsk Group
– which includes OSCE member countries involved in trying to resolve
the conflict – on Monday.

Shahbazov said some mission members had made premature statements ahead
of the release of the report that appeared to justify the settlement
of Armenians and diminish the scale of the settlement campaign.

“Such claims do not and cannot excuse the policy of the transfer of
the population,” he said.

OSCE spokesman Richard Murphy refused to comment on the Azerbaijani
allegations.

The Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers are set to meet
Wednesday in Prague, the Czech Republic, to continue peace talks.

PanArmenian News
Feb 28 2005

ANDRZEJ KASPRZYK TO PROPOSE TO INCREASE NUMBER OF MONITORINGS AT
CONTACT LINE OF AZERI AND KARABAKH ARMED FORCES

28.02.2005 13:41

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Members of the special commission on examining “the
facts of illegal settling of the seized Azeri territories bordering
with Nagorno Karabakh will gather in Prague on February 28, Caucasian
knot reports. The commission members are to discuss the outcomes of
the monitoring conducted at the mentioned above territory. All the
Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group as well as special representative
of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk will take part in the
discussions. To note, Mr. Kasprzyk is expected to propose to increase
the number of monitorings at the contact line of the Azerbaijani and
Karabakh armed forces, as violations of cease-fire regime became more
frequent lately. He has already addressed to the Armenian and Azeri
Foreign Ministers as well as the OSCE MG Co-Chairs on this occasion.
Besides the commission members will familiarize the Azeri and
Armenian FMs, who are to arrive in Prague on March 2, with the
outcomes of the meeting.

PanArmenian News
Feb 26 2005

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT: OWING TO HIGH ECONOMIC GROWTH RATE TENS OF
THOUSANDS OF NEW WORKPLACES CREATE IN ARMENIA ANNUALLY

26.02.2005 13:41

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Within the past 4 years 11.7% average Gross
Domestic Product (GDP) growth is observed in Armenia. The small and
medium business is accountable for 40% of the GDP, “these are many
thousands of enterprising and energetic people,” Armenian President
Robert Kocharian stated in an interview with the Golos Armenii
newspaper. In his words, 50 thousand enterprises are registered in
the country, over 34 out of these operate and pay taxes. Over 1.5
thousand new firms were registered in 2004 only, R. Kocharian noted.
As noted by the Armenian leader, owing to the high economic growth
rate tens of thousands of new workplaces are annually created in
Armenia. “Today we experience critical shortage of qualified workers
on a whole range of professions. The issue of restoration of
professional technical education is urgent for us. We are not in time
for a range of branches of economy,” R. Kocharian noted. Besides, the
President noted that the information technology share in the GDP
today makes 1.7%. “Ireland has the best indicator of 8% and we will
work for it,” R. Kocharian added. Answering a question that many
projects of laying railways avoid Armenia, the Armenian President
noted that “no rail project has passed us by yet.” “The possible
various building projects are considered. However the matter concerns
the discussion and projects that demand huge expenses. The operating
railways are linked with Armenia and do not demand capital spending.
They are frozen due to political reasons and can really become
working at any moment. It is an undoubted advantage when counting the
economy of a project. There is no alternative to the Armenian railway
when passing through the North-South corridor. Thus building of new
ones has been actively spoken about. By the way, I do not see any
tragedy in case these are built – our route will be competitive,” R.
Kocharian added.

Evangelical Times, UK
Feb 25 2005

News in Brief

Charity for `forgotten’ sufferers

Baroness Cox of Queensbury, a leading human rights activist and
upholder of moral causes in Parliament, has launched a new
humanitarian aid charity in the UK. The `Humanitarian Aid Relief
Trust’ will provide aid to those who are, or who have recently been,
suffering persecution and oppression in the `forgotten’ countries of
the world – such as Sudan, East Timor, Burma and Nagorno Karabakh.

CANADIAN CORPORATION TRANSEURO ENERGY STARTS PREPARATION WORKS FOR
SEARCH OF OIL AND GAS IN ARMENIA

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 23. ARMINFO. A Canadian corporation Transeuro Energy
(the former Indusmin Energy) has started preparation works for search
of oil and gas in the so-called second licensed bloc embracing the
territory of Armavir region, Armenia, says Head of the Department for
Fuel and Energy Recourses, the Armenian Energy Ministry, Candidate of
technical sciences Andranik Aghabalyan in his interview to ARMINFO.

He says that due to good weather conditions, the corporation will
start field works to determine the place of the first well. Transeuro
Energy has concentrated its efforts on the search of natural gas
resources taking into account the infrastructures of industry in
Armenia. He explains that Armenia is the only country in the territory
of the former USSR that lacks oil-processing facilities, at the same
time having a well-developed gas transport system. In this connection
gas recovery for industrial purposes is more perspective than oil.
During the first five years, the corporation pledges to invest in
search of gas and oil in Armavir region at least $10.5 mln, Aghamalyan
says. He adds that as to the second licensing bloc, Transeuro Energy
has become a legal successor of the Armenian-American geological
survey company having purchased its rights and obligations;
continuation of the started work is in question.

It should be noted that the contract of the Armenian Government and
the Armenian-American geological survey company on the second licensed
bloc was signed yet on 27 January 1997 and came into effect 6 February
1997. Active field works were carried out within the first three years
in Armavir. After the owner of the company Alen Polsen died in July
2000, the works were suspended and the company was just processing the
received data and seeking for financial partners. In 2004 Canadian
Indusmin Energy renamed into Transeuro Energy in the autumn of 2004
has become its legal successor. Later the company opened its office in
Armenia.

EU signs deal with Moldova offering closer political, trade ties

AP Worldstream
Feb 22, 2005

The European Union signed a new action plan with Moldova on Tuesday to
establish closer trade and political ties aiming to stabilize the
former Soviet Republic.

EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner urged
Moldova to “demonstrate its commitment to our shared values” of
democracy and human rights.

“It must take up the challenge and set the pace,” Ferrero-Waldner said
in a statement after the EU talks with the European neighbor.

She urged Moldova to ensure that upcoming elections are “free and
fair.” The 25-nation bloc plans to send observers to monitor the March
6 parliamentary vote there.

The EU and the United States have expressed concern about the fairness
of the elections, saying the campaign was being marred by biased media
coverage and police harassment of opposition candidates.

Tuesday’s signing of the so-called action plan is part of the EU’s new
“neighborhood policy,” which aims to boost political and trade ties,
but not offer eventual membership.

Moldova has been locked in a dispute with the eastern region of
Trans-Dniester, which broke away after a 1992 war that left 1,500
people dead. Its separatist government is not recognized
internationally, but receives strong support from Russia.

The EU signed a similar deal with Ukraine on Monday.

EU diplomats hope the policy would help bring peace, stability and
prosperity beyond the EU’s new eastern borders.

Other countries included in the policy include the Caucasus states of
Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia; as well as Morocco, Mauritania,
Tunisia, Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, the Palestinian
Authority and Israel.

Over the next three to five years, these countries will be offered
closer political ties, access to EU research, education and other
programs, better trade terms and transport links and EU help in
fighting organized crime, illegal drugs and immigration.

ArmenPress
Feb 22 2005

OSKANIAN MEETS EQUATORIAL GUINEA OFFICIALS, DISCUSSES EXTRADITION
AGREEMENT

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 22, ARMENPRESS: Armenian foreign ministry said
minister Vartan Oskanian arrived February 20 in Equatorial Guinea to
press for the release of six Armenian pilots jailed by a local court
for lengthy prison term on charges of involvement in a coup to topple
its president.
A spokesman for the ministry, Hamlet Gasparian, said the minister
had a series of meetings with Equatorial Guinea officials on February
21, particularly with his counterpart Bill Micha Ondoy, to discuss
prospects for development of bilateral relations in various areas,
including also interaction within international organizations, as
well as chances to start cooperation in education area.
Oskanian and his counterpart signed a memorandum on holding
consultations between the two countries’ ministries and also an
arrangement was reached on appointing ambassador to each of the
countries.
Minister Oskanian was received also by prime minister Miguel Abia
Biteo Boriko, state secretary Viktoriana Nchama Okomoy, and by chief
prosecutor Olo Obonoy to discuss drafting and approval of a set of
legal documents to back up bilateral cooperation.
A special focus was on the fate of the six Armenian pilots and the
both sides agreed to start talks on signing an extradition agreement
that would pave way for their repatriation. Oskanian also met with
jailed Armenian pilots. He is expected to Yerevan on February 23
morning.
The pilots are the crew of an Armenian transport plane that was
hired by a German airfreight company a year ago to ship cargo to
Equatorial Guinea. They were arrested in last March and sentenced to
between 14 and 24 years’ imprisonment on November 26 on charges of
involvement in a reported plot to topple Teodoro Obiang Nguema, the
president of the that country.
All Armenian pilots pleaded not guilty to the accusations
throughout their trial which was described by Amnesty International,
a leading global human rights group, as “grossly unfair.”