Author: Karagyozian Lena

MESROB II: INITIATIVES TO BOOST MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING NEEDED

Anatolian Times, Turkey
Oct 10 2006

ISTANBUL – "There should be initiatives to boost mutual understanding
and dialogue," Armenian Patriarch in Turkey Mesrob II said in regard
to French bill which aims to criminalize denial of so-called Armenian
genocide that will be voted in the French parliament (on October 12th).

Releasing a statement, Mesrob II underlined that all countries,
especially Turkey and Armenia, should make necessary arrangements to
discuss and examine the matter (so-called Armenian genocide).

Indicating that all efforts hampering freedom of expression would harm
the process of dialogue between Turkish and Armenian communities,
Mesrob II stressed: "initiatives to boost mutual understanding,
dialogue and empathy should be undertaken without wasting time."

NATO INFORMATION CENTER TO OPEN IN YEREVAN OCTOBER 11

PanARMENIAN.Net
10.10.2006 13:53 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ October 11 NATO Special Representative for the
South Caucasus and Central Asia Robert Simmons will be present at
the opening ceremony of the NATO Information Center in Yerevan. The
Center will start fully functioning on November 1. The opening of
NATO Information Center is one of Armenia’s commitments within the
NATO Individual Partnership Action Plan (IPAP). Armenian Center of
Trans-Atlantic Initiatives NGO is the founder of the Center in Armenia.

TURKEY AND AZERBAIJAN WILL NOT MANAGE TO ISOLATE ARMENIA

PanARMENIAN.Net
10.10.2006 17:56 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The fact that Turkey and Azerbaijan are trying to
isolate Armenia is not a secret, Armenian FM Vartan Oskanian stated in
an interview with the Hayastani Hanrapetutyun (Republic of Armenia). In
his words, another matter is that they will not succeed. "We struggle
against it as far as possible. The international community helps us
in that respect – at least in the political plane," he said.

In his words, the US Congress has already passed an exact resolution
against the building of Kars-Akhalkalaki railway, the EU is not going
to support that project financially or politically.

"However, it is not necessary for Turkey, Azerbaijan and Georgia. If
they got the funding, they may implement the project. However, we
think it is excessive waste of money, time and energy and it will not
promote confidence in the region. However, if they decide to take
that way I am sure it will not harm Armenia, but will have serious
political consequences for Turkey," the FM said.

Answering a question whether the building of Kars-Akhalkalaki railway
is possible, the Minister said, "I find it difficult to say for
sure. There is no European or American financial support, however
oil finances are so abundant that I do not rule out that they will
find the means from their financial sources and may resort to that
step only to isolate Armenia."

TURKEY WANTS EU TO OPPOSE GENOCIDE BILL

The News – International. Pakistan
Oct 10 2006

ANKARA: Turkey called upon the European Union to oppose French
legislation that would outlaw denials that World War I-era killings
of Armenians amounted to genocide.

Lawmakers in France, which has some 400,000 citizens of Armenian
origin, have introduced a bill to penalize Armenian genocide denial
with fines and jail terms.

Turkey, which says the deaths came during a period of civil unrest
and don’t constitute genocide, asked the European bloc it seeks to
join to weigh in on its side.

"We expect the European Union to express its opposition against
such a development that restricts freedom of expression in France,
because it contradicts key values of the EU," said Justice Minister
Cemil Cicek, who also serves as the government’s spokesman.

Armenians claim that as many as 1.5 million of their ancestors were
killed between 1915-1923 in an organized campaign to force them out
of eastern Turkey and have pushed for recognition of the killings
around the world as genocide.

Turkey acknowledges that large numbers of Armenians died, but says
the overall figure is inflated and that the deaths occurred in the
civil unrest during the collapse of the Ottoman Empire.

Turkey Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has sought the help of
French companies doing business in Turkey to prevent the approval
of the bill and tensions between Turkey and France have been rising
before Thursday’s debate by French lawmakers in the lower house.

Under the bill, people who contest that there was an Armenian genocide
would risk up to a year in prison and fines of up to $57,000.

In May, French lawmakers had caved in to pressure from Turkey and
put off the sensitive debate on the issue in the lower house.

At the time, Turkish legislators also froze a retaliatory bill, which
said anyone who denied that the French committed genocide in Algeria,
a former French colony, could be put in jail and fined. Turkish
lawmakers are now scheduled to re-debate that bill Wednesday.

Earlier, a Turkish legislator Koksal Toptan called for a boycott of
French goods.

ARMENTEL SOLD FOR $600 MLN: UNCONFIRMED INFORMATION

ARMINFO News Agency
October 9, 2006 Monday

ArmenTel telecom company has been sold for $600 mln, report sources
close to the Armenian Government. They say that of the 4 contenders –
two Russian and two Arab companies – the owner of 90% of ArmenTel’s
shares, OTE (Greece), has selected the Arab consortium Emirates
Telecommunications Corporation (ETISALAT) / Istithmar PJSC / Emergent
Telecom Ventures (ETV).

To remind, OTE started receiving price offers in early Oct and the
Arab consortium is said to have offered the best price.

To remind, in 1997 OTE paid for Armentel $142.5 mln and has invested
almost $300 mln since then. In late 2005 the number of ArmenTel’s
fixed telephony subscribers totalled 600,000 and of mobile phone
subscribers 260,000.

PRESS RELEASE
Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, Information Services
Address:  Vagharshapat, Republic of Armenia
Contact:  Rev. Fr. Ktrij Devejian
Tel:  (374 10) 517 163
Fax:  (374 10) 517 301
E-Mail:  [email protected]
Website: 
October 8, 2006

His Holiness Karekin II Blesses Foundation of New Church in the City of
Abovian

The city of Abovian with approximately 45,000 residents, near the capital of
Yerevan, is one of the largest settlements of Armenia without a house of
prayer.  Developed to a great extent during the Soviet years, the town grew
from a small village to become the fourth largest city in Armenia at the
time of the collapse of the Soviet Union.

On the eve of the 15th anniversary of Independence for the Republic of
Armenia, His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All
Armenians presided during the Service for Blessing the Foundation of the
first church to be built in Abovian in the past 100 years.

Construction on the church to be named St. Hovhannes began earlier this
spring and is scheduled to conclude in two years.  The benefactor of the
church is Mr. Gagik Tsarukian, a member of the National Assembly of
Armenia.  He is also the benefactor of the construction of the church of
Holy Astvatsatsin in Arinj.

Present during the service were His Grace Bishop Arakel Karamian, Primate of
the Diocese of Kotayk; Mr. Tsarukian and his family; K. Shahgaldian,
Governor of the Kotayk Region; K. Israelian, Mayor of Abovian; members of
the Brotherhood of Holy Etchmiadzin; clergy from the Diocese of Kotayk; and
more than 3,000 faithful.

Sixteen `Godfathers’ placed consecrated stones, bearing the image of a cross
and washed with water and wine, in the foundation of the new church
underneath each of the sixteen columns, and dedicated to the twelve
apostles, evangelists and St. Gregory the Illuminator.

Nagorno-Karabakh settlement to be discussed

ITAR-TASS News Agency
October 5, 2006 Thursday

The Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers, Elmar Mamedyarov and
Vartan Oskanyan, on Thursday arrived in Moscow to discuss matters of
Nagorno-Karabakh settlement.

The meeting will be held on Friday, October 6, at the Russian Foreign
Ministry with the participation of Russia’s foreign minister, Sergei
Lavrov, a Russian diplomat told Itar-Tass.

"It is not accidental that Moscow has been chosen as the venue of the
trilateral meeting, as Moscow historically played an important role
in the Transcaucasia, specifically, in the solution of the problem
of Nagorno-Karabakh," said the source. He said the quest for new ways
of settling the Karabakh conflict would be central to the trilateral
meeting.

"The parties are striving to find acceptable, mutually advantageous
ways in the matter and pin much hope on the Moscow meeting," the
diplomat said.

The arrangement to hold the meeting of the Armenian and Azerbaijani
foreign ministers in Moscow was reached as a result of the meetings
the co-chairmen of the Minsk group of the OSCE for Nagorno-Karabakh
(representatives of Russia, France and United States) held in Baku and
Yerevan, Yuri Merzlyakov, the Russian co-chairman of the Minsk group,
said earlier.

RA DM VISITED 14TH INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION OF DEFENSE COMPLEXES "DEFENDORY INTERNATIONAL"

ARMINFO News Agency, Armenia
October 5, 2006 Thursday

The Secretary of the National Security Council under RA President,
RA Defense Minister, Serzh Sarkissyan, has participated, October
3, in the ceremony of opening the 14th International Exhibition of
defense complexes "Defendory International" and got acquainted with
the latest defense armament samples.

As the Defense Ministry’s press-secretary, Seiran Shahsuvaryan, told
ArmInfo, the DM also visited the pavilion of a joint Armenian-Greek
enterprise "LT-PIRKAL", which is a daughter enterprise of the
Greek EBO-PIRKAL. Here the Minister has met with the managers of
the enterprise’s Greek part and discussed the issues related to the
present and future activities of the enterprise. The same day, the
delegation, headed by S. Sarkissyan, visited the Military Academy
of Lad Forces of Greece, where he met with the Academy’s management
and a group of Armenia’s AF servicemen, studying in the Academy. The
delegation has also visited the Military Museum of the National Defense
Ministry of Greece. After the meeting with the Museum’s management and
acquaintance with the exhibits, the sides have preliminarily agreed
to hold an exhibition in the museum in 2007, devoted to the history
of Armenia’s Armed Forces.

A meeting of S. Sarkissyan with his Greek colleague, Evangelos
Meimarakis, was held October 4. During the meeting, the present level
and prospects of Armenian-Greek military relations was discussed,
an agreement on extension of Armenian- Greek cooperation in the area
of military education and peace-making activities was reached.. S.

Sarkissyan met with the representatives of the country’s Armenian
community the same day in the Embassy of Armenia in Greece. The issues,
concerning increase of education level of students , studying in Greek
Military Establishments, as well as improvement of life conditions
were discussed during the meeting, after which S. Sarkissyan held
a press-conference with the community’s representatives, where he
summed up the visit.

TURKISH TO BOYCOTT ELECTION OVER ARMENIAN ‘GENOCIDE’

Expatica, Netherlands
Oct 5 2006

AMSTERDAM – A large section of the Turkish community in the Netherlands
is planning to boycott voting at the 22 November national elections.

The director of Turkish lobby group IOT, Ahmet Azdural, said primarily
young Turkish immigrants feel that the nation’s political parties
don’t listen to other opinions.

Turkish voters are reacting to decisions from Labour PvdA and
the Christian Democrat CDA to dump Turkish politicians from their
candidate lists.

The decision was taken after they refused to accept that genocide
was committed in the mass murder of Armenians by Turkey in 1915.

The controversy will cost the left-wing opposition parties PvdA,
green-left GroenLinks and Socialist PS a lot of votes.

A poll of immigrant voters indicated two weeks ago that the three
parties could count on 60 percent of immigrant votes.

The poll was conducted when the Turkish candidates Ayhan Tonca and
Osman Elmaci (CDA) and Erdinc Sacan (PvdA) were still listed as
candidates for the Lower House of Parliament elections.

National Turkish organisations and politicians will now meet on Sunday
in Capelle aan den Ijssel to decide on a joint course of action to
prevent the Armenian issue damaging the relatively large voter turnout
rate for the Turkish community.

Turkish student groups protested in Amsterdam, The Hague and Groningen
and in front of the PvdA office in Amsterdam on Thursday.

PvdA MP Nebahat Albayrak said on Wednesday it was right to discuss
genocide and that Turkish immigrants in the Netherlands and Europe
must be prepared to enter debate about the mass murder of the Armenian
population.

Despite Turkey’s denials, Albayrak said it was right to describe the
mass killings as genocide. But she also said Turkey has the right to
dispute the use of the international legal term ‘genocide’.

AZERI AND ARMENIAN FOREIGN MINISTERS TO MEET IN MOSCOW
Author: A.Ismayilova

TREND Information, Azerbaijan
Oct 4 2006

Matin Mirza, the speaker for the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry told
Trend that the Azerbaijani Foreign Minister, Elmar Mammadyarov is
to meet with his Armenian counterpart Vardan Oskanian, in Moscow,
Trend reports.

According to Mirza, a meeting of the Azerbaijani and Armenian
Foreign Ministers was scheduled for 6 October, as the OSCE Minsk
Group co-chairs had proposed. Oskanian also gave his consent for the
meeting to take place, as stated to a news conference in Yerevan by
the Russian Ambassador Yuriy Merzlyakov, the OSCE Minsk Group co-chair.

In 10 days the Ministers may hold one more meeting. In his turn
the French Ambassador Bernard Fasie spoke of the possibility of
conduct of talks between the Azerbaijani and Armenian President in
the near future.

The OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs, who arrived in Baku on 2 October,
visited Yerevan and now plan to leave for Nagorno-Karabakh.