Author: Karagyozian Lena

Kurds Tend to Occupy Serious Stand in Azerbaijan’s Economy

PanARMENIAN.Net
10.07.2006 14:41 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Discrepancies proceeding from regionalism in
the Azeri powerful structures are not a secret, Armenian political
scientist Levon Melik-Shahnazaryan told a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter when
commenting on the recent arrests and prosecution of Azeri officials. In
his words, the process was launched by Heydar Aliyev, the first
secretary of the Communist Part Central Committee of Azerbaijan,
who flooded the ruling structures with natives of Nakhichevan. "In
his time Ayaz Mutalibov managed to reduce the number of Nakhichevanis
in the leadership.

However Aliyev coming to power again restored status quo. For his
part Aliyev junior strengthened the positions of Nakhichevanis in the
republic, especially in the middle administration sector. Meanwhile
the positions of "yerazes" protected by disgraced Rasul Ghuliyev were
still strong in Azerbaijan," the political scientist said.

He also remarked that during the recent months the unified clans of
Pashayevs (the kin of first lady Mehriban Aliyeva) and Nakhichevanis
push the "yerazes" out of state posts. "As for the Kurds, they really
take serious positions in Azerbaijan’s economy. Almost all of them are
natives of Nakhichevan and are assimilated into the Turkic community,"
Melik-Shahnazaryan said.

RESIDENTS OF KOND COMMUNITY TO GET 50 M DRAMS

Lragir.am
10 July 06

The residents of Kond Community will get a recovery of 50 million
drams each, Vano Vardanyan, Deputy Mayor of Yerevan, said to news
reporters July 10, reports the news agency ARKA.

"Assessment of housing space in Kond is over. Currently the recovery
is being paid out," said Vardanyan. He noted that the residents of
the pulled down houses in Kond were put up by their relatives, but
soon they will get recovery and will be able to buy apartments. Vano
Vardanyan said no complaints for the size of recovery have been lodged
with the City Hall so far.

Press Release
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Contact: V.Rev.Fr.Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Officer
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:

PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon

Armenian version:

EDUC ATION CONFERENCE TO BE HELD IN ANTELIAS

His Holiness Aram I has invited an education conference in Antelias on
August 24-26. The conference will be the second in its type, following the
August 2004 meeting entitled "Armenian education in the Diaspora".

The initial conference had come to several decisions that emphasized
encouraging children’s literature and reorganizing the teaching of Armenian
language, history and religion in Armenian schools.

In regard to children’s literature, a special committee has already been
formed due to the efforts of the Pontiff and the director of the Department
of Armenian Affairs of the Gulbenkian Foundation, Dr. Zaven Yegavian.

The second pan-Armenian conference will thus focus on the teaching of
Armenian language, history and religion. Participants will include experts
in this field, including teachers, authors of textbooks and representatives
of educational committees, around 40 people in total from the various
dioceses of the Catholicosate of Cilicia.

The conference will examine the current situation of these taught topics and
draw out guidelines for their reorganization in all aspects. A preparations’
committee has already been appointed under the guidance of His Holiness Aram
I. Its members include Vosgeperan Arzoumanian, Yervant Pamboukian, Bebo
Simonian, Kevork Kandaharian, Jirayr Tanielian and Sarkis Giragossian.

##
The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of
the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the history and
mission of the Cilician Catholicosate, you may refer to the web page of the
Catholicosate, The Cilician Catholicosate, the
administrative center of the church is located in Antelias, Lebanon.

TREND Information, Azerbaijan
July 7 2006

Azeri FM still in Germany

Source: Trend
Author: S.Agayeva

07.07.2006

The official visit of Azeri Foreign Minister Elmar Mamedyarov to
Germany is on. Head of press and information policy with Foreign
Ministry Tahir Tagizadeh told Trendon the second day of the visit
Mamedyarov took part in the meeting arranged by Marshall Fund.

At the meeting were also taking part representatives of Germany
government, NGOs, research institutes, as well as ambassadors of
foreign countries, mass media representatives and so. Speaking at the
meeting, Azeri minister provided detail on the current economical
and political development of Azerbaijan, implemented economic
projects, including oil and gas pipelines Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan,
Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum, planned railroad Baku-Tbilisi-Ahalkalaki-Kars,
the country’s integration with Euro-Atlantic space and its
participation in the EU and so.

The most of his speech Azeri diplomat devoted to Azerbaijan’s most
complicated problem – peaceful settlement of Azeri-Armenian conflict.
Stating the tragic consequence of Armenian aggression, minister said
the conflict prevents ensuring peace and security in the region. He
also said Armenians adhere to illegal settling and ethnic cleansing
policy on Azerbaijan’s occupied grounds, Azerbaijan’s culture
and historical monuments in Armenia and in Nagorno-Karabakh are
demolished and set on fire.

On the same day, Mamedyarov met with members of German-Caucasian
friendship group with Bundestag of Germany. The group chairman Stefan
Reichel informed the minister of enlarging the group, estimating this
as an increase of interest in Azerbaijan. In turn, Azeri Minister
stated his satisfaction with dynamic development of mutual relations
between Germany and Azerbaijan, underlined the necessity in further
collaboration.

Within the visit, Minister attended the new building of Azeri Embassy
to Germany. The same day, at the invitation of Prime Minister of
Baden-Wurttemberg Federal Land Mamedyarov visited the reception at
the Land’s representation in Berlin.

The Azeri Foreign Minister’s visit to Germany is going on.

ROTATION OF ARMENIAN PEACEKEEPERS IN IRAQ TO TAKE PLACE LATER IN JULY

ArmRadio.am
07.07.2006 16:00

Rotation of Armenian peacekeepers in Iraq will take place at the end
of the current month, Commander of the Peacekeeping Division of RA
Ministry of Defense Artak Tonoyan told "Arminfo" Agency

In his words, because of technical reasons the exact date of the
rotation has not been set so far. Most probably, it will occur after
July 25.

To remind, the third group of Armenian peacekeepers, consisting of
45 people, is currently in Iraq. Armenia has been participating in
the peacekeeping operation in Iraq since January 2005.

IRAN, ARMENIA HOLD ENERGY, TRANSPORT TALKS

Mehr News Agency, Iran
July 6 2006

TEHRAN, July 5 (MNA) – Negotiations were held here on Wednesday between
a high-ranking delegation from Armenia headed by its President Robert
Kocharian and officials from the Islamic Republic of Iran led by
President Mahmud Ahmadinejad.

During the meeting, Ahmadinejad stressed the need for the two countries
to make use of the huge potential for expanding bilateral ties in
various fields.

The Islamic Republic of Iran welcomes and supports the development
of ties with Armenia in various areas particularly in energy fields
as well as transportation, sports, and tourism, he noted.

Ahmadinejad stated that so far six successful sessions have been
held by the Iran-Armenia joint cooperation committee, adding that
new documents will be signed between the two countries during the
Armenian president’s stay in Iran.

Iran and Armenia also enjoy good cooperation on regional and
international issues, the president said, adding, "I hope the Armenian
president’s trip to Iran would serve as an important step toward the
development of all-out ties between the two countries."

For his part, Kocharian expressed pleasure with his visit to Tehran
and recalled the good memories of his last visit to the country.

Fortunately, Iran and Armenia enjoy extended ties and have signed as
many as 90 documents on mutual cooperation, he said.

He added that the countries should take new steps to implement
previous agreements.

Kocharian expressed his country’s readiness to develop ties with Iran
in the fields of energy and transportation particularly in a project
to connect the two countries’ railway systems.

He also called for efforts to increase the power transmission capacity
between the two neighboring countries.

Kocharian invited Ahmadinejad to pay an official visit to Armenia
for inaugurating joint projects.

The two presidents were to sign new agreements in a special ceremony
Wednesday afternoon in Tehran.

Iran is building a pipeline to supply Armenia with needed natural gas,
much of which now comes from Russia.

Earlier this spring, OAO Gazprom (GSPBEX.RS) announced a deal that
would give the Russian state-controlled gas monopoly ownership rights
to the Armenian segment of a planned pipeline; Armenian officials
denied they were turning control of the pipeline over to Gazprom.

President Kocharian arrived here at the head of a high-ranking
politico-economic delegation for a two-day official visit Wednesday
morning.

Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian, Minister of Energy Armen
Movsisyan and Deputy Foreign Minister Armen Kirakosian are accompanying
the president in this visit.

The Armenian president, during his two-day stay here, is scheduled
to hold separate meetings with senior Iranian officials including
Foreign Minister Manuchehr Mottaki.

DELEGATION HEADED BY RA PRIME MINISTER ANDRANIK MARGARYAN TO LEAVE FOR GEORGIA

ArmRadio.am
06.07.2006 17:13

July 7 RA Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan will leave for
Georgia to participate in the 5th sitting of the Armenian-Georgian
intergovernmental Economic Cooperation Commission to be held in
Batumi, Ajaria.

The delegation headed by the Prime Minister comprises RA Minister of
Finance and Economy Vardan Khachatryan, Deputy Foreign Minister Gegham
Gharibjanyan, President of the State Custom Committee Armen Avetisyan,
Deputy Minister of Energy Areg Galstyan, Adviser to RA Prime Minister
Stepan Margaryan, Executive Director of the "Armenian Railway" CJSC,
Ararat Khrimyan, Heads of Governmental MFA Agencies, other officials,
Information and PR Department of RA Government informs.

During the visit Andranik Margaryan is scheduled to meet his
Georgian counterpart Zurab Noghaideli. During the sitting of the
Armenian-Georgian intergovernmental Economic Cooperation Commission
reference will be made to the Process of accomplishment of the
decisions taken at the previous sitting, the current state of economic
cooperation and prospective directions of cooperation, including issues
connected with the cooperation in the spheres of agriculture, energy,
nature protection, healthcare, transport and communication, culture,
education, tourism, etc. The sitting will be followed by the joint
press conference of the Prime Ministers of Armenia and Georgia. The
delegation headed by RA Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan will return
to Armenia on July 10.

KOCHARIAN GEARS UP FOR IRAN VISIT
By Ruzanna Khachatrian

Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
July 4 2006

President Robert Kocharian will fly to Tehran Wednesday on a two-day
visit which officials in Yerevan hope will cement Armenia’s close
economic and political ties with Iran.

Kocharian is scheduled to hold his first face-to-face talks with
Iran’s controversial President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and meet other
senior Iranian officials. A statement by his press office did not
list the Islamic Republic’s powerful supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali
Khamenei, among them.

The statement said a number of unspecified "bilateral agreements" will
be signed during the trip. Kocharian’s spokesman Victor Soghomonian
could not give their details, telling RFE/RL only that the Armenian
leader will discuss a "broad range of issues" in Tehran.

The presence in the Kocharian-led Armenian delegation of Energy
Minister Movsisian, who visited Iran as recently as in late May,
suggests that growing Armenian-Iranian cooperation in the energy
sector will be high on the agenda. Movsisian and Armenian Deputy
Foreign Minister Arman Kirakosian were already in Tehran on Tuesday,
making last-minute preprations for Kocharian’s arrival.

According to the Armenian Foreign Ministry, Movsisian met with Iran’s
Oil Minister Vaziri Hamaneh and Energy Minister Parviz Fattah to
discuss multimillion-dollar Armenian-Iranian energy projects, notably
the ongoing construction of a pipeline which is due to start pumping
Iranian natural gas to Armenia next year.

"The Tehran Times" daily reported on June 13 that Yerevan and
Tehran will soon sign an agreement to build a third high-voltage
transmission line that will connect the power grids of the two
neighboring countries. The paper said the $80 million project will
be financed by a state-run Iranian bank.

The Iranian government t has already provided a separate $35 million
loan to finance the ongoing construction of Russia’s state-run
gas monopoly, Gazprom, announced earlier this week plans to buy the
Armenian section of the pipeline which was supposed to ease Armenia’s
strong dependence on Russian energy resources. The issue may also be
discussed during Kocharian’s visit.

VARTAN OSKANIAN: DOCUMENT PROPOOSED BY CO-CHAIRS IS NOT A PERFECT ONE, BUT THERE ARE ENOUGH SOLID AND BALANCED PROVISIONS, WITH RIGHT TRADE-OFFS ON THE MAIN ISSUES

Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Jun 29 2006

YEREVAN, JUNE 29, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. "The actual
negotiating document on the principles that is on the table today
is all-encompassing. It covers all the principles affecting the
resolution of the conflict. It includes the core issue of status of
Nagorno Karabakh, territories, refugees, security issues, peacekeeping
and every other conceivable issue that is necessary in order to
arrive at a lasting resolution of the conflict." The Armenian Foreign
Minister Vartan Oskanian stated this, when commenting, at the request
of the mass media, on the June 22 statement of the OSCE Minsk Group
Co-Chairs. In his words, "only after full agreement on all these basic
principles would the parties, as the actual negotiating text says, "in
cooperation with the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk group to begin work
on the elaboration of an agreement on the settlement of the Nagorno
Karabakh conflict. In other words, the agreement on principles will
be comprehensive. The final agreement may envision implementation
over time."

Asked about what the co-chairs’ "special modalities" for Kelbajar
and Lachin are ( "the principles include the phased redeployment of
Armenian troops from Azerbaijani territories around Nagorno Karabakh,
with special modalities for Kelbajar and Lachin districts"), Vartan
Oskanian replied:

"This formulation is indeed very broad, and for a reason. This
issue has two layers. One is the issue of Lachin, where the actual
negotiating text on principles provides clear language stating that
there will be "a corridor linking Nagorno Karabakh to Armenia." For
Armenia, it’s very clear that this corridor must have the same status
as Nagorno Karabakh. The second layer is the issue of Kelbajar. For
Armenia, this also is clear: based on security concerns, Kelbajar can
be returned only after the referendum is conducted and the final status
of NK is determined. Azerbaijan’s position is different on Kelbajar.

That’s the disagreement that the co-chairs are addressing in their
statement.

The co-chairs’ language in the actual negotiating text, with regard
to this issue, is generally in line with our approach."

The co-chairs say that there will be a referendum / popular vote
"to determine the final legal status of Nagorno Karabakh," but they
don’t say who will vote. According to the Armenian foreign minister,
" the actual negotiating text on principles clearly specifies that
"the final legal status will be determined through a referendum /
population vote by the population of Nagorno Karabakh."

The co-chairs also say "certain interim arrangements for Nagorno
Karabakh would allow for interaction with providers of international
assistance." In the words of V. Oskanian, "this is only one element
of a much more detailed section in the actual negotiating text
which addresses interim status for Nagorno Karabakh." "We think the
co-chairs have emphasized international engagement, because that’s
a major problem for the people of Nagorno Karabakh. Their current,
unrecognized, de-facto status, has not allowed them to benefit
from the generosity of international organizations. In the actual
negotiating text, the provisions address such rights as control over
their political and economic viability and security, upholding their
personal privileges and freedoms, the right to democratically elect
officials to govern Nagorno Karabakh, the authority to effectively
legislate and administer the internal affairs of Nagorno Karabakh,"
the Armenian foreign minister noted.

In response to the question about what Armenia’s overall assessment
of the content of the document is, Vartan Oskanian stated: "This not
a perfect document. For anyone. However, there are enough solid and
balanced provisions, with the right trade-offs on the main issues –
status, territories and security – that we are prepared to continue
to negotiate on the basis of these principles. In today’s context,
Azerbaijan’s rhetoric about autonomy and desperate calls for
militarization surprise us. We have at hand a real opportunity to
resolve all issues, including the much-maligned issue of refugees. But
Azerbaijan must revert to real situations and real opportunities,
rather than illusory maximalist hopes. Today, we hope that Azerbaijan
will realize that we have a chance to resolve the conflict and achieve
a lasting peace."

VAHE VOSKANIAN ARRESTED FOR FALSIFICATION OF DOCUMENTS AND FINANCIAL EMBAZZLEMENT IN USA

Yerevan, June 29. ArmInfo.As of June 23, RA Public Prosecutor’s
Office was informed by RA National Security Service that RA citizen
Vahe Voskanian tried to steal $15 thousand from "Bank -f America"
by means of falsifications in Los Angeles. He was detained by the US
law enforcement forces.

RA Public Prosecutor’s Office instituted a suit on the given case on
June 23, 2006. Voskanian was released on bail and managed to escape to
Armenia. At present, he is announced wanted in USA. Only on June 24,
2006, by court decision Voskanian was sentenced to imprisonment.

It’s worth mentioning that Voskanian is the son of Gagik Voskanian,
the head of RA Control House.