Author: Madatian Greg

Archpriest Father Shahe Semerdjian, 88; ministered to Armenians
by Jack Williams, STAFF WRITER

The San Diego Union-Tribune
May 26, 2004 Wednesday

To a growing Armenian community in San Diego County, Archpriest
Father Shahe Semerdjian represented a new beginning.

Answering a demand for a place of worship, he conducted the first
official Armenian church service and divine liturgy in the San Diego
area in 1965 at St. Andrew Episcopal Church in La Mesa.

During the next decade, while holding afternoon Armenian services
each month at the rented St. Andrew parish, he helped raise funds to
build an Armenian church.

When St. John Garabed Armenian Apostolic Church moved into its
permanent site on 30th Street in Normal Heights in November 1977,
Father Semerdjian officiated in its first service.

Father Semerdjian, who based his ministry on building a bridge
between generations of Armenian-Americans of varying backgrounds,
died Saturday at his home in Las Vegas. He was 88.

The cause of death was a heart attack, said his son, Dick.

In November 1951, Father Semerdjian arrived at Ellis Island in New
York from Cyprus at the invitation of the archbishop of the Western
Diocese of the Armenian Church of North America.

“He had $10 in his pocket and two suitcases,” Dick Semerdjian said.

Father Semerdjian, along with his wife and two children, traveled
west to Fresno by train.

Assigned to St. Gregory Armenian Church in Fowler, he worked to
expand and reorganize the parish and founded a monthly publication,
“The Orchard.” Although he conducted services in Armenian, he
developed fluency in English as he became assimilated into the small
Central Valley community.

In 1962, Father Semerdjian was assigned to St. Peter Armenian Church
in Van Nuys, where he was based for the next 30 years.

When time permitted, he would address the needs of Armenians in San
Diego County, providing the impetus for organized services and the
founding of St. John Garabed Armenian Apostolic Church.

“Father Semerdjian was a very gentle, understanding person — an
inspirational and devoted clergyman,” said the Rev. Father Datev
Tatoulian, parish priest at St. John Garabed. “He visited San Diego
often, for anniversary celebrations and special occasions.”

When St. John Garabed parish celebrated its 14th anniversary, Father
Semerdjian was honored as a special guest.

Born in Antieb, Turkey, Father Semerdjian and his family were among a
wave of Armenian refugees who in 1925 were exiled from Turkey and
landed in Syria.

Father Semerdjian attended elementary school in Aleppo, Syria, and
high school and seminary in Lebanon. During World War II, he was
assigned a secretarial position in the British Army.

He was ordained into the priesthood in 1949 in Nicosia, Cyprus.

After moving to the United States, he embraced generations of
parishioners intent on preserving their religious heritage. “They
ranged from immigrants from the old country to an influx from the
Soviet Union,” Dick Semerdjian said. “There were American-born
Armenians and those who didn’t speak English.

“His ministry tried to bring them all together, especially in the Los
Angeles and San Diego areas.”

After retiring in 1992 as pastor emeritus in Van Nuys, Father
Semerdjian moved to Las Vegas, where he helped develop the newly
formed Armenian Apostolic Church.

He maintained a second home in Pacific Beach for many years, Dick
Semerdjian said.

The weekend before his death he had attended granddaughter Lindsey
Kellejian’s graduation ceremony at San Diego State University.

Survivors include his wife, Yeretzgin Alice; sons, Gregory of Tacoma,
Wash., and Dick of Carmel Valley; daughters, Mary Kellejian of Solana
Beach and Nanette Makaelian of Tarzana; a brother, Hagop Semerdjian
of Toronto; sister, Vahanoush Iskanian of Allepo, Syria; and 10
grandchildren.

Services are scheduled for 10:30 a.m. tomorrow at St. Peter Armenian
Church in Van Nuys. A graveside service is scheduled for 10:30 a.m.
Friday at El Camino Memorial Park, San Diego.

Donations are suggested to the Father Shahe Avak Kahana Semerdjian
Foundation, 101 W. Broadway, Suite 810, San Diego, CA 92101.

Abelyan turns up the heat ahead of fight with Harrison

ic Lanarkshire.co.uk, UK
May 27 2004

WILLIAM Abelyan has turned up the heat ahead of his WBO World
Featherweight title fight with Cambuslang’s Scott Harrison.

They are set to meet on June 19 at the Braehead Arena, and the
tough Armenian is riled by comments he read on the internet from the
champion, stating that he would give Abelyan a “hammering”.

The WBO mandatory challenger, speaking from his training camp in Las
Vegas, said: “Harrison’s got a big mouth and I’m going to shut it
for him.

“I’ve read what he’s been saying on the internet and he’s talking a
lot of garbage.

“He’s scared – that’s why he’s talking big but I’ll be over there
for the fight soon and we’ll see if he talks just as big when he’s
face to face with me.”

The 25-year-old claims his training has not been disrupted despite
the second postponement of the fight following Harrison’s injury.

“I’m ready to fight Harrison right now,” he said.

“If my team said to me ‘William we’re going to Scotland tomorrow to
fight Harrison’ I would be straight on the plane. I have never been
up for a fight more than this one.”

Originally from Yerevan in Armenia, Abelyan moved to America when he
was nine years old and now lives in California.

He says it’s the glory of being world champion, not the money, that
is motivating him to dethrone Harrison.

“It’s the world title and the fame I want, not the money,” he said.
“After I win the title, I will return to Armenia a hero.

“I have never been back since I moved to America because I wanted to
achieve something spectacular before I returned. I will be the first
world champion boxer to ever come out of the country.”

Abelyan added: “The boxing ring is my house and Harrison is not
welcome.”

Tickets purchased for the original date of May 29 will remain valid
for the rescheduled date of June 19.

Tickets, priced at £30, £50, £75 and £125, are available from Keith
Prowse Ticketing on 0870 906 3839, Braehead Arena Box Office on 0870
444 6062 and online at

6 SOCIAL ORGANIZATIONS SUPPORTING POLITICAL PRISONERS

A1 Plus | 13:48:54 | 26-05-2004 | Politics |

6 social organizations and “Republic” Party partook in the picket near
General Office of Prosecutor supporting Vagharshak Harutyunyan today.

According to Eleonora Manandyan, picket organizer and Chair of “New
Armenia” social organization, members of People’s Party of Armenia
take part in the picket from time to time, too.

Miss Manandyan couldn’t say whether the members of National Unity
Party took part in the picket since she didn’t know them.

Today is the 10th day of the picket for political prisoners. 5533
citizens have signed for release of them.

Tomorrow’s picket will be held supporting Lavrenti Kirakosyan. He is
the man whose wife had a miscarriage because of his arrest.

Eleonora Manandyan said it had been planned to hold the picket on
Monday for Aramazd Zaqaryan, member of “Republic” Party political
board but Office of Prosecutor passed ahead and released Aramazd.

KARABAKH ABLE TO FIGHT OFF AZERI ATTACK – SEPARATIST MINISTER

Ayastani Anrapetutyun, Yerevan,
8 May 04

Text of David Mikaelyan’s report by Armenian newspaper Ayastani
Anrapetutyun on 8 May headlined “‘If the army and society are united,
they are invincible,’ Seyran Oganyan says”

This is an interview with the defence minister of the Nagornyy Karabakh
Republic, Seyran Oganyan.

(Ayastani Anrapetutyun correspondent) Mr Minister, the Azerbaijani
press often touches on the situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border
and says that the Azerbaijanis are holding commanding positions and
making progress in those sectors of the border that are controlled
by the Artsakh (Karabakh) defence forces. Are these rumours true? And
what is the situation today?

(Seyran Oganyan) Since the 1994 armistice, i.e. over the past
10 years, no serious change of positions has taken place on the
Armenian-Azerbaijani border. First of all, I mean the contact line
with the enemy. I should say that our forces always control the
situation, and any attempt to violate the border is foiled. Until
1996 there were frequent active exchanges of fire on the border.
Sometimes there were even incursions by sabotage and reconnaissance
groups. In 1996-2000, these incursions almost ended while positional
exchanges of fire continued. In recent years there has been certain
activity by sabotage groups. But they have always been defeated. The
rumours disseminated by the Azerbaijani mass media that the enemy
(Azerbaijan) has infiltrated our territory in some cases and that as a
result of their “progress”, they have taken the commanding positions
are an absolute lie. Naturally, this propaganda aims to carry out
psychological attacks and terrorize the peaceful population, to cause
a feeling of fear, hopelessness and panic among the people. But this
is doomed to failure.

(Correspondent) To what decree is a resumption of hostilities possible?

(Oganyan) On the whole, the war can resume at any time. For this
reason, we should always be ready and on alert. But I do not think
that today Azerbaijan is ready to start the hostilities, especially as
we manage to maintain the correlation of forces. The process of army
build-up, in particular, the fulfilment of strategic programmes (the
strengthening of defence structures, positions, the renewal of modern
military equipment, measures directed at raising the fighting spirit of
soldiers, etc.) give us an opportunity to take realities into account
and at the same time, to analyse and assess the situation soberly. I
repeat once again that the fighting efficiency of the army is on such
a level that not only can we defend ourselves, we can also carry out a
counter-strike at the enemy. In recent years we have carried out great
work in the sphere of strengthening the link between the army and the
people. And if the army and society are united, they are invincible.

(Correspondent) Representatives of the so-called “Karabakh Liberation
Organization” in Baku have been more active of late. They call for
“a peace march” to Shushi (Susa) on 9 May. Do you think that such
statements are serious?

(Oganyan) As is known, we are at war at the moment and war has its
own rules. We have a state border and they should have a visa for
crossing it. It is difficult to guess how they will manage to get
this right. If they have bellicose purposes, they will naturally get
a relevant response from our side.

(Correspondent) It is no secret that regular supplies play a decisive
role in the army. How do you settle the commanders’ problems and
renew the staff of officers?

(Oganyan) An army cannot be organized in one day and all problems
cannot be settled immediately. It is no secret that the staff of
officers is reinforced by people of different professions. Most of
them had participated in the war and had gained experience. But within
the framework of the personnel policy, we have been sending our boys
for higher education in military institutions of Armenia and other
countries since 1995. This process is continuing today and according
to an agreement, the staff of officers and commanders is reinforced
by relevant personnel. The state is taking care of improving social
conditions for its officers and their families.

(Correspondent) Mr Minister, what did the 10 years of the armistice
give us?

(Oganyan) First, I should emphasize that the armistice was a result of
the efforts of the whole Armenian nation. It gave us an opportunity to
switch to a peaceful life after long-lasting suffering, to seriously
deal with army build-up, to restore the economy, to gradually
strengthen the army, and to ensure the security of our country and
people. Unfortunately, it is impossible to restore spiritual values
and human losses. One should not forget that we are in a so-called
relative war. And the situation “neither peace nor war” compels us
to be on alert all the time.

Relations with Turkey might hinder Armenia-NATO cooperation – agency

Mediamax news agency, Yerevan
24 May 04

Relations with Turkey might hinder Armenia-NATO cooperation, Armenian
news agency Mediamax has reported. Armenian President Robert Kocharyan
has refused to attend a NATO summit in Istanbul in order to once again
draw the alliance’s attention to problems in relations between Yerevan
and Ankara. The USA promised to mediate Armenian-Turkish dialogue
back in 1999, but with no results so far, the news agency said. But
“how far-sighted is the Yerevan government when it puts its relations
with Turkey and NATO on the same scale”, the agency questioned. The
following is an excerpt from the report in English by Armenian news
agency Mediamax headlined “Will the Armenian-Turkish border become
a separation line between Armenia and NATO?”; subheadings inserted
editorially:

On 10 May, the Armenian president’s press secretary Ashot Kocharyan
announced that [President] Robert Kocharyan would not take part in
the NATO summit in Istanbul in June. The reason for Robert Kocharyan’s
decision is the “current state of Armenian-Turkish relations”.

The Armenian president took part in the two latest summits of NATO and
the Council of Euro-Atlantic Partnership in Washington and Prague, so
the reasons making him refuse to participate in the Istanbul summit
must be really serious. At the same time, if viewed from different
aspects this decision seems quite controversial.

USA promised to mediate Armenian-Turkish dialogue

Robert Kocharyan’s critics recall that not only did the Armenian
president take part in the OSCE summit in Istanbul in the autumn of
1999, but he also met Turkish President Suleyman Demirel within the
framework of the summit. The Armenian president’s opponents note that
the state of Armenian-Turkish relations at that time left much to be
desired as well. However, few people remember that Armenia decided to
take part in the Istanbul summit of the OSCE after the international
community, and the United States in the first place, had convinced
Yerevan to give up the intention to impose veto on the decision to
hold the summit in Turkey.

Meanwhile, the Yerevan government seriously considered using the
right of veto in order to draw attention to the fact that Turkey
is the only OSCE member-state that refuses to establish diplomatic
relations with Armenia. The Americans managed to persuade Yerevan
promising to influence Turkey thus making it change its position as
regards the normalizing of relations with Armenia. US President Bill
Clinton discussed this issue during his talks with the Armenian and
Turkish presidents on the sidelines of the Istanbul summit of the
OSCE in 1999. Asked by Mediamax then whether the USA could become a
mediator between Armenia and Turkey, Robert Kocharyan said: “I think,
yes. The United States has been trying to play this positive role
for already several months.” As to the plans to veto the decision
on holding the OSCE summit in Istanbul, Robert Kocharyan noted that
such a step could throw back the development of bilateral relations
for at least several years.

Nearly five years have passed since that. During this time,
the United States has really made and is continuing to make many
efforts in order to achieve the normalization of relations between
Yerevan and Ankara. But no tangible results have been achieved –
there are no diplomatic relations, the border is closed, and the
improvement of relations is linked to the settlement of the Nagornyy
Karabakh conflict. Against this background, Armenian President Robert
Kocharyan’s decision to refuse to attend the NATO summit in Istanbul
seems righteous, and most likely pursues the aim to remind the USA
of the promises made five years ago. On the other hand, a question
emerges – how far-sighted is the Yerevan government when it puts its
relations with Turkey and NATO on the same scale?

Armenia does not ignore NATO summit

It is no secret that NATO’s policy in the South Caucasus will be one
of the central themes at the alliance’s summit in Istanbul.

[Passage omitted: Armenia signed several accords with NATO recently]

There is no doubt that certain forces both inside Armenia and outside
it are trying to present Robert Kocharyan’s non-participation in the
NATO summit in Istanbul as “Moscow’s private order”. However, such
hints have already been voiced – one of Yerevan’s opposition newspapers
wrote that Robert Kocharyan made the decision not to go to Istanbul
after the recent meeting with Vladimir Putin, though the statement by
the president’s press secretary about not taking part in the summit
was made three days before Kocharyan’s working trip to Moscow.

On the other hand, Yerevan is not going to ignore the NATO summit –
the Armenian delegation in Istanbul will be headed by Foreign Minister
Vardan Oskanyan. The only problem is that the Armenian president’s
absence and the Georgian and Azerbaijani leaders’ presence at the
summit may create a certain political background, which is not
desirable for Armenia at all today when it has taken a number of
steps which ought to prove that Armenia presents its own interests
in the region and not those of Russia.

There is another aspect too, which casts doubts upon the efficiency
of the Armenian leader’s decision, the main aim of which is to draw
NATO’s attention to the problem of Armenian-Turkish relations. The
alliance’s leaders have repeatedly stated during the last few years
that they do not intend to act as mediators between Yerevan and Ankara.

[Passage omitted: quotes NATO chief George Robertson’s 2001 interview]

Thus, the Armenian president’s absence at the summit in Istanbul might
not only fail to contribute to the normalization of Armenian-Turkish
relations, but it will also deprive Yerevan of an opportunity to make
another step to get close to NATO.

New tactics

Three or four years ago, Armenian diplomats said in private talks that
they were intentionally using the “Turkish factor” as a lever at talks
with NATO, making emphasis on the fact that the absence of diplomatic
relations with Turkey negatively affected the alliance’s image in
Armenia. It is difficult to say what results could be achieved by such
policy but it is obvious that Yerevan has recently adhered to different
tactics the essence of which is to demonstrate its readiness to take
part in all NATO-led events which are in one way or another connected
with Turkey or Azerbaijan, thus pushing forward the idea about the
necessity to start regional cooperation in the South Caucasus.

[Passage omitted: on Armenian army chief’s visit to Brussels in
May 2004]

It is unlikely that the Armenian president’s refusal to take part in
NATO’s Istanbul summit can be considered as the rejection of this new
tactics, during the realization of which Yerevan, unlike the policy of
the past years, uses NATO as a “bridge” for establishing at least some
kind of contacts between Armenia and Turkey. But, on the other hand,
Armenia’s adversaries can interpret Robert Kocharyan’s refusal to
arrive in Istanbul as the refusal to adhere to regional partnership,
including within the PfP [NATO’s Partnership for Peace programme]
framework.

Armenian-Turkish ties might hinder cooperation with NATO

Finally, we would like to directly touch upon Armenian-Turkish
relations. While in 2003, both sides made optimistic statements about
the possibility to achieve some progress, the first five months of
2004 buried all the hopes.

Last year, the Armenian and Turkish foreign ministers, Vardan Oskanyan
and Abdullah Gul, held three meetings. Commenting on the results of
his latest meeting with Gul in Brussels on 5 December 2003, Vardan
Oskanyan said it “differed qualitatively from the two previous
ones. We are about to make the first step. Although it is still
early to make definite statements, I should say that this meeting
has become an important stage, and I think that within the next few
months we will get the first positive result concerning the issue of
the Turkish-Armenian border,” the Armenian foreign minister said.

Late in April 2004, Vardan Oskanyan said in an interview with German
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung: “The start of our relations with the
new Turkish government was good. Since last year, I have had three
meetings with Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul. The first meeting
was good, the second less good, and the third one was bad. First,
we concentrated on bilateral issues. During the second meeting,
we discussed the Nagornyy Karabakh issue as well, and during the
third one the Karabakh issue became a precondition for normalizing
relations. Thus, we remained on the same positions we were during
the former Turkish government.”

One thing remains quite unintelligible – why did the Armenian minister
give a different assessment of his latest meeting with Abdullah Gul
only half a year later? No matter what the problem is the situation
will not change – Armenia deprives itself of an opportunity to be
represented at a high level at an extremely important NATO summit
in Istanbul because of the absence of relations with Turkey. If
in the next years events develop according to the same scenario,
the Armenian-Turkish border will become that very separation line
between Armenia and NATO, which is so feared by Yerevan.

Azeri spiritual leader denounces “destruction of shrines” in Iraq

ANS TV, Baku
20 May 04

(Inserting missing words “religious rites” in third paragraph. A
corrected version of the item follows:)

[Presenter] The chairman of the Board of the Muslims of the Caucasus
[BMC], Sheikh ul-Islam Allahsukur Pasazada, issued a statement on the
destruction of the holy shrines of the Muslims in military operations
in Iraq.

[Correspondent over video of Pasazada] The destruction of the holiest
shrine of the world Shi’is, the Imam Ali mosque, by US troops, should
not only worry the Muslim states.

[Pasazada] In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate. We
would not like it if our shrines were the targets of fire, and were
destroyed or damaged. I am calling on both sides, the Western states,
if they want to earn the respect of the Muslim world, and restore
democracy there, they should those religious rites and holiest shrines
[as received – changes tack] because, today Imam Ali [the Lord of
the Faithful, the first Shi’i imam] not only belongs to Shi’is, he
is the greatest pearl for the world. Pasazada considers that what is
going in Iraq is also affecting Azerbaijan’s interests.

[Pasazada] There is a cemetery and currently military operations
are underway near it, tanks are around, there is destruction, may
be, there Azeris lay there too, there lie the tombs of our greatest
ancestors. If we speak about Karbala, we should also think of [Azeri
poet of 16th century, Mahammad] Fizuli.

[Correspondent] The sheikh fears that the Iraqi people, waiting for
democracy, may be facing a blood-stained democracy and this gift may
rebound on the coalition forces.

[Pasazada] Together with the killings of people, people’s confidence
is also lost, i.e. those forces which say I want to come with democracy
[changes tack], every such bullet means a weakening of democracy. Every
bit of damage, every single bullet, fired at the shrines of Imam Ali,
Prophet Husayn, every single step against it [changes tack], I call
it a stick democracy.

[Correspondent] The chairman of the Board of the Muslims of the
Caucasus (BMC), Sheikh ul-Islam Allahsukur Pasazada, has already spoken
to the US ambassador to Azerbaijan about these issues. He called on the
coalition forces to observe peace and the Muslims to show solidarity.

[Pasazada] There is another point that worries me deeply. The voice
of these democracies is coming from Iraq, it may come from Syria
tomorrow and other places. Because its foundation was laid in Xocali
[Azeri settlement razed to the ground by Armenian and Russian troops
in 1992]. However, there was no support from the Arab states, they
did not say that I missed such [tragedy] in Xocali and it hit you. Now
we do not know whom it will hit after Iraq.

[Correspondent] The sheikh added that together with the holiest
shrines, Iraq is in need of repair, both from statehood and a spiritual
point of view.

Zamina Aliyeva, Elxan Huseynov for ANS.

PREVENTIVE ARRESTS

A1 Plus | 17:40:25 | 20-05-2004 | Politics |

This morning preventive arrests have been made in Armenia. Under
the information we possess Opposition activists were arrested in
Artashat, Charentcavan and other cities. Some of them were “judged”
at the scene and isolated for 10 days. Members of “Republic” and
People’s Party of Armenia are mainly arrested.

For the time being 15 people are in detention. Many are pursued. In
particular PPA member, Artashat regional head of PPA Aramayis
Barseghyan has been kept an eye on for 2 days. Policemen in civil
clothes were ambushing near his house to kidnap him after he comes
out. But Barseghyan managed to elude and to get the Party Office
in Yerevan.

PPA member Smbat Eghiazaryan, “Republic” Party Secretary Artak
Hakobyan, “Republic” Party member and Echmiadzin regional head of
“Republic” Sayad Tumanyan and many other men whose names are made
more accurate are in the same state.

Talk Is Cheap Blasts Abelyan
By Chris Roberts, PA Sport

The Scotsman, UK
sportinglife.com, UK
May 19 2004

William Abelyan has hit back at WBO world featherweight champion Scott
Harrison and vowed to shut the Glaswegian’s mouth at the Braehead
Arena on June 19.

The Armenian started the war of words before the original fight date
but he has been riled by the Scot’s bold prediction that he is going
to dish out a hammering.

“Harrison’s got a big mouth and I’m going to shut if for him,” said
the WBO mandatory challenger from his training camp in Las Vegas.

“I’ve read what he’s been saying on the internet and he’s talking a
lot of garbage.

“He’s scared, that’s why he’s talking big, but I’ll be over there
for the fight soon and we’ll see if he talks just as big when he’s
face to face with me.”

The 25-year-old insists his training has not been disrupted despite
the second postponement of the fight following Harrison’s recent
wrist injury.

“I’m ready to fight Harrison right now,” he stated. “If my team said
to me ‘William we’re going to Scotland tomorrow to fight Harrison’
I would be straight on the plane.

“I have never been up for a fight more than this one.”

Originally from Yerevan in Armenia, Abelyan moved to America when he
was nine and now resides in California.

“It’s the world title and the fame I want not the money,” he added.

“After I win the title I will return to Armenia a hero. I have
never been back since I moved to America because I wanted to achieve
something spectacular before I returned.

“I will be the first world champion boxer to ever come out of the
country.

“The boxing ring is my house and Harrison is not welcome.”

Azerbaijan: EU Keen To Get Involved In Nagorno-Karabakh Peace Process
By Ahto Lobjakas

RFE/RL
May 18, 2004

On his first visit to Brussels, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev
today visited European Union headquarters for talks with the
president of the European Commission, Romano Prodi. Prodi took the
opportunity to underline the commission’s recent decision to include
the three South Caucasus countries in the EU’s European Neighborhood
Policy. However, Prodi also indicated the EU will be taking a closer
interest in resolving the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia
in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Brussels, 18 May 2004 (RFE/RL) — Being made a “new neighbor” by the
European Union involves both privileges and obligations.

The bloc holds out the offer of near-total economic integration and
political dialogue. In return, it asks for reforms and — above all —
stability and a readiness to peacefully defuse conflicts.

In the case of the South Caucasus, this is taking the EU into
uncharted waters. So far, the bloc has sat back and let Russia,
the United States, the United Nations, and the Organization for
Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) do the mediating in the
region’s so-called frozen conflicts. “Azerbaijan’s strategic policy
towards integration into European structures continues, and today’s
visit confirms that once again. We made that choice 10 years ago,
and Azerbaijan is moving very actively and quickly into the more
active integration with Europe” — President Aliyev

However, as today’s visit to Brussels by Azerbaijani President Ilham
Aliyev indicated, the greater integration with the EU also means
greater EU involvement in trying to resolve the conflicts.

European Commission President Romano Prodi made clear today that
bilateral relations between the EU and Azerbaijan — as well as
Armenia — should be seen against the backdrop of the neighborhood
program. Prodi said that what he called the EU’s “ring of friends”
cannot tolerate conflicts.

Prodi said the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh has gone on too long. He
strongly hinted that greater EU involvement may be needed.

“We’re worried that the [peace process] has stopped since 10
years. [There was] an armistice 10 years ago, [but] no peace. Clearly,
[EU nations] don’t want to interfere with the Minsk Group, but we’re
urging and pushing that the Minsk Group has some result. I expressed
my will to be at the disposal of the two nations in order to help the
Minsk Group [under the aegis of the OSCE] find a solution,” Prodi said.

Prodi said there is “urgency” felt within the EU for a solution,
and that the bloc could help “speed up the solution.”

However, he acknowledged that the EU “cannot make positive proposals
at this stage,” as it has not been asked to get involved. The EU,
Prodi said, has “complete respect” for the political autonomy of
Azerbaijan and Armenia.

After meeting Prodi, Aliyev welcomed the extension of the EU’s
neighborhood program to Azerbaijan and the rest of the Southern
Caucasus. He promised continued improvement through political, social,
and economic reforms, as well as closer political dialogue with the EU.

“Azerbaijan’s strategic policy towards integration into European
structures continues, and today’s visit confirms that once again. We
made that choice 10 years ago, and Azerbaijan is moving very actively
and quickly into the more active integration with Europe,” Aliyev said.

However, Aliyev stopped short of endorsing full EU involvement
alongside the Minsk Group, which is chaired by Russia, the United
States, and France.

He stressed that the Minsk Group will continue to retain the mandate
for mediation, adding he hopes it will become “more active.” Asked
by RFE/RL what precise role Azerbaijan would like the EU to play,
Aliyev said he had simply asked the EU to more actively support
international efforts.

“We already asked [the EU] and during today’s meeting once again,”
he said. “Of course, we all understand that [the] Minsk Group has a
mandate from the OSCE, and nobody is going to question that mandate,
and the Minsk Group is trying to do its best to find a peaceful
resolution. But at the same time, we think that European organizations,
[the] European Union, [the] Council of Europe, European public opinion
can also be involved in the process.”

Aliyev then added: “We do not mean that any country or institution
can be an alternative to the Minsk Group.”

Aliyev said Azerbaijan is seeking a peaceful resolution of the
conflict, but said such a resolution must be based on international
law.

“Of course, the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict was
one of the topics of our discussions. Azerbaijan [intends] to continue
its policy to a peaceful resolution of the conflict. But at the same
time, this resolution must be based on the recognized principles
of international law. The territorial integrity and sovereignty of
Azerbaijan must be restored,” Aliyev said.

He added that the immediate withdrawal of Armenian troops from
Nagorno-Karabakh and other occupied territories is “one of the major
conditions for finding a peaceful resolution.”

Aliyev said dialogue with Armenia is continuing, but warned that if
no concrete issues remain on the agenda, it is “not right to continue
[and] imitate negotiations.”

Armenia to continue cooperation with ITERA

Gateway 2 Russia, Russia
May 17 2004

Armenian President Robert Kocharian met with Igor Makarov, head of the
ITERA group. Mr. Kocharian expressed interest in further cooperation
with ITERA. The agenda was dominated by natural gas supplies to the
republic and cooperation in the energy sphere. Armenian President
praised ITERA’s performance in Armenia in the past years. He said the
company was Armenia’s long time partner, which met its obligations,
and expressed confidence that mutually beneficial cooperation would
continue.

Mr. Kocharian visited Russia on May 13-15. During the visit, he met
with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov
and Alexey Miller, head of the Gazprom company.

Armenia’s energy sector relies heavily on imported gas. ITERA
supplied gas to the republic from 1996 to 2004. Until 2002, it fully
satisfied Armenia’s natural gas needs. Since 1996, the company has
supplied about 9bn cubic meters of natural gas to the republic.
Gazprom resumed gas supplies to Armenia in June 2003, and it is the
only gas supplier now. In 2003, Gazprom supplied 288.4m cubic meters
of gas to Armenian consumers, and ITERA – about 1bn cubic meters of
gas. This year, Gazprom plans to deliver about 1.4bn cubic meters of
gas to the republic.

ITERA has a 10 percent stake in Armrosgazprom, set up in 1997. The
Armenian government and Gazprom have each 45 percent in the project.
Armrosgazprom controls the entire gas distribution system in Armenia.
It supplies natural gas and generates electricity.