Author: Nahapetian Lilit

AZERBAIJAN IS RELUCTANT TO RESOLVE THE PROBLEM

Lragir.am
22-06-2007 20:23:07

The factions and groups of the National Assembly will stand an
opportunity to express their common stance on the Karabakh issue,
Speaker Tigran Torosyan stated June 22.

"But I will say what I have told our colleagues who have recently
visited Armenia. First, I am sure that Azerbaijan is reluctant to
resolve the problem of Karabakh. The statements on solving the problem
through war, immediate return, etc., are false patriotic statements
aimed to settle certain problems," Tigran Torosyan said. He draws
attention to the circumstance that the political forces of Azerbaijan
have recently been endorsing Aliyev’s policy more intensively.

"It is obvious that elections are coming up, and they will be kindling
the Karabakh issue. The other problem, the propaganda of hatred is
not weakening in Azerbaijan. The most natural and for me the most
important measurement of the real moves and reluctance to solve the
Karabakh issue is the attitude towards the neighboring people and
the neighboring state.

Whatever happens in Azerbaijan shows that they have no wish to resolve
the problem, otherwise they must at least reduce this anti-Armenian
propaganda and prepare their people for the settlement because they
know that Karabakh will never become part of Azerbaijan again, and
they must prepare their public," Tigran Torosyan says.

EDUCATION MINISTER SETS UP COMMITTEE TO MANAGE UNIVERSITY ACCEPTANCE PROCESS

Panorama.am
17:20 19/06/2007

Armenian education and science ministry press services say Republican
Acceptance Committee (RAC) has been set up by minister decree to
organize acceptance process at higher educational establishments. RAC
is chaired by Levon Lazarian, minister of education and science.

Several top education ministry officials as well as university rectors
are RAC members.

MIKHAIL MARGELOV: KARABAKH SETTLEMENT IMPOSSIBLE WITHOUT ARMENIA AND RUSSIA

ArmRadio.am
20.06.2007 14:31

The Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee of the Council of
Federation of Russia, Mikhail Margelov, considers it is impossible
to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict without the participation
of Russia and Armenia.

"It is impossible to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict without
the involvement of Armenia and Russia in the talks. In addition,
it is impossible to resolve the problem of Trasnniestria and South
Osetia without the participation of the mediators in person of Russia
and UN," he stressed.

The issue of ‘frozen conflicts’ in former Soviet countries was
discussed on the 19th of June in Baku at the GUAM summit, featuring
the leaders of Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Moldova.

Margelov told "Trend" that it will be impossible to resolve the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict only within GUAM and if such efforts are
made the situation may become more complicated and result in open
confrontation."

ARMBUSINESSBANK INTENDS TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF AUTOMATIC CURRENCY EXCHANGE FACILITIES BY 30 NEW DEVICES BY THE END OF 2007

ArmInfo
2007-06-20 17:59:00

The ArmBusinessBank (ABB) is planning to increase the number of
automatic currency exchange facilities to 36 by the end of 2007.

Karen Khachatryan, Head of the ABB department of plastic cards,
told ArmInfo correspondent that the bank has recently acquired 20
new devices, 10 of them are already in Armenia. To note, ABB is
the first and only commercial bank in the country which has devices
automatically converting foreign exchange into AMD. He noted that
the bank is currently negotiating with the Sigma company (Italy) on
purchase of 10 similar devices. At the same time, K.Khachatryan noted
that ABB has installed 6 devices, but one of them is operating at the
moment. Two devices are installed in Stepanakert, Nagorno-Karabakh
capital. He added that the automatic currency exchange device in the
Mashtots Avenue carried out 1549 transaction in May 2007.

According to K.Khachatryan, 108 thsd USD, 15 thsd EUR, 130 thsd RUR,
200 GBP, 2 thsd UAH and 300 CHF were converted into AMD in May. He
pointed out that 3-5 thsd USD, 500-1.2 thsd EUR, 1 thsd-8 thsd RUR
at the mean are converted into AMD every day. "Transactions are most
actively carried out in the afternoon when the branches of the banks
are closed and the rate drops at the exchange points," he stressed.

To note, ABB’s main shareholders are the Ukrprombank (Ukraine, 35%),
the Alpha Grant insurance company (Ukraine, 35%), and the Christie
Management company (Great Britain, 30%). As of the beginning of 2007,
ABB’s assets made up 16.6 bln AMD. The bank is an active participant
in the market of consumer crediting.

YEREVAN TO CONTINUE COOPERATION WITH TEHRAN: ARMENIAN FM

Islamic Republic News Agency IRNA, Iran
June 19 2007

Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian said on Tuesday that his
country will continue cooperation with Iran in different fields.

Oskanian also told reporters that bilateral relations between Iran
and Armenia have always been transparent, adding there is no reason
for the US to be concerned about such cooperation.

He further referred to the negotiations between Armenia and the US on
different political, economic and security issues, saying that the
two countries have no differences including on Armenia’s relations
with Iran.

The US Charge d’Affaires to Armenia Anthony Godfrey expressed his
country’s concern about the expansion of cooperation between Tehran
and Yerevan.

"Washington has conveyed its concerns about the issue to the Armenian
officials," he said.

COPYRIGHT AGENCY: WE HAVE NOT BEEN REPLIED TO OUR APPEAL REGARDING PIRACY OF ARMENIANS

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
June 19 2007

We have not yet received reply of international organization – World
Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) to our appeal on removing
piracy of Fikrat Amirov’s "Kor arabin mahnisi" by Armenians. The time
allotted for investigation of the appeal will end in late June. If we
achieve no result, we will appeal again, Azerbaijan Copyright Agency
law department’s chief Khudayat Hasanli told the APA.

Hasanli saying that international organizations have not yet taken
measures regarding the piracy of Armenians stated that famous
Azerbaijani composer Fikrat Amirov’s "Kor arabin mahnisi" is not
only sacrifice.

"Armenians pirated our several national songs, for example, Brilliant
Dadashova’s "Vokaliz". International organizations have not yet taken
measures on it," he said.

CONFERENCE HELD IN ARGENTINA ON "ARMENIANS AND PROGRESSIVE POLITICS"

ArmRadio.am
15.06.2007 10:18

Progressive activists and intellectuals from North and South America
gathered in Buenos Ayres on June 1-2 for a conference entitled
"Armenians and Progressive Politics in the 21st Century." Organized
by the ARF’s "Armenia" Cultural Association, the conference sought
to build on the enthusiastic discussions generated by last year’s
"Armenians and the Left" project begun in New York and Boston. The
conference was held in conjunction with the ARForganizations of
the Eastern and Western US, and included prominent Armenian and
non-Armenian participants from throughout South America.

The program began with an opening plenary on Friday, June 1, featuring
renowned journalist Fabian Bosoer. A columnist for the Clarin newspaper
of Buenos Aires, Bosoer explored what a progressive politics might
mean today, focusing especially on South America. He especially noted
that "progressivism" is not a fixed, static concept, but fluid and
changing depending on the social context at hand. Bosoer’s comments
were well-received by the largely Armenian audience, which stayed to
discuss these points during a reception held afterward.

The bulk of the program took place in three panels held on Saturday,
June 2, at Buenos Aires’s Cultural Center for Cooperation. The first
panel was entitled "Progressivism in the US: Agendas, Protagonists,
Perspectives," and featured US-Armenian panelists who spoke in English
with simultaneous translation into Spanish. Moderated by Antranig
Kasbarian, the panel featured topics including 1) Neoliberal Economics
and their Impact; 2) Armeno- Turkish Dialogue; 3) Globalization and
US Hegemony; 4) US Development Assistance; and 5) The Role of the
Armenian Diaspora. These were presented, respectively, by scholars
Ara Khanjian, Dikran Kaligian, Levon Chorbajian, Markar Melkonian,
and Razmig Shirinian, who offered views alternative to–and sometimes
scathingly critical of–US-led mainstream approaches.

The second panel dealt with "Progressive Politics in Latin America,"
and featured South American panelists who spoke in Spanish with
translation into English. Moderated by Khatchik Derghougassian, the
panel featured topics including 1) Argentina’s Socioeconomic Collapse
and the Progressive Political Solution; 2) Electoral Processes in
Latin America; 3) The Political Experience of the "Frente Amplio"
Party in Uruguay; 4) The Political Experience of the "PT" Party
in Brazil; and 5) Social Movements in Latin America. These were
presented, respectively, by Jorge Halperin, Wilfredo Penco, Armen
Garo Sarkissian, Onnig James Tamdjian, and Julio Gambina, who are
affiliated with various academic and governmental bodies in Argentina,
Brazil, and Uruguay.

The third panel dealt with "Armenian Participation in Progressive
Politics," featuring many of the same participants as above. Here was
a wide-ranging discussion of strategic and organizational issues in
building movements on both continents–relating both to Armenian causes
and to the wider politics in which they are embedded. Discussion was
followed by energetic and sometimes contentious audience participation.

The conference closed with summary remarks by Pedro Tateossian of the
host committee. He underlined that the conference served as a link in
an ever-widening chain of outreach and discussion. With this in mind,
organizers are now considering a publication based on the conference,
as well as a larger, international gathering to be held in North
America next year.

RA FOREIGN MINISTER RECEIVES EU SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE TO SOUTH CAUCASUS

Noyan Tapan
Jun 15 2007

YEREVAN, JUNE 15, NOYAN TAPAN. Regional problems, Armenian-Turkish
relations were discussed at the June 15 meeting of RA Foreign Minister
Vartan Oskanian and EU Special Representative to the South Caucasus
Peter Semneby.

Touching upon the parliamentary elections in Armenia, EU Special
Representative emphasized that EU evaluates the elections as a
progress and expects that this tendency will be kept in the upcoming
presidential elections.

As Noyan Tapan was informed from RA Foreign Ministry Press and
Information Department, the interlocutors exchanged thoughts about
the meeting between Armenian and Azerbaijani Presidents held in St
Petersburg within the framework of the negotiations process of Nagorno
Karabakh settlement.

THE USA TRIES TO SETTLE NKR ISSUE BEFORE KOSOVO
A. Hovhannisyan

Hayots Ashkharh Daily – Armenia
12 June 07

Politician Levon Melik-Shahnazaryan was the guest of "Pastark" club
yesterday. And the conversation was mainly about the regulation of
Karabakh conflict.

Levon Melik-Shahnazaryan said, "The active stage of the negotiation
phase came to an end up to 2009. To all appearances it is not very
easy to bring this phase to a close, because both the mediators (Minsk
group co-Presidents) and OSCE leadership exert great pressures both
on Armenia and Azerbaijan."

According to the politician, it was clear for everyone that at the
moment there was a window of around one and a half month. After which
the pre-election phase of the presidential elections will start in
Artsakh, in Armenia and Azerbaijan. And no essential decision can be
made during this period of time. However why were the mediators in
such a hurry? Why is it so essential to reach agreement in the fixed
short period of time?

"I think it is connected with the events taking place in Balkan
Peninsula, in Kosovo." Levon Melik-Shahnazaryan said. "The USA has
taken a rough decided, that Kosovo must be independent."

In conformity with it Kosovo issue must have been settled after
Artsakh.

Anyhow they were trying to reach an agreement to mitigate the passions
in our region. But the two Presidents failed to reach agreement
anticipated by the mediators. The politician said, this fact is more
beneficial for us and it was obvious that the negotiations were not
going to show any good results from the very beginning.

According to the politician it is a double mistake on the part
of Azerbaijan, to say that at the moment their citizens live in
Artsakh. Why, because in Soviet times Azerbaijan didn’t use to have any
citizens and after getting independence Nagorno Karabakh didn’t use
to make part of Azerbaijan. Moreover we should also underscore that,
in 1921, due to an illegal party-decision not only Nagorno Karabakh
Autonomous Province but also Karabakh, on the whole, has been given
to Azerbaijan. That is to say, the fact of returning or better to
say presenting the lands to Azerbaijan is out of question.

Touching upon V. Putin’s well-known proposal to the USA regarding
the cooperative operation the radiolocation station in town Gabala, L.

Melik-Shahnazaryan first underscored that the name of this town used
to be Tutkashen and not Gabala and that it was inhabited by Armenians.

He also said Russia made the before mentioned proposal, based on
personal interests.

"I called it a detector of lie for Bush," L. Melik-Shahnazaryan
said. "If you used to lie up to the moment, then here is a better
proposal," because Tutkashen radiolocation station is the most
powerful in the world. But hardly will the USA agree to operate it
cooperatively because this radiolocation station keeps the whole
world under control except the territory of ex-Soviet Union. And the
principle goal of the USA is that territory and not to defend itself
from the Iranian rockets."

Anyway should they start to cooperate the radiolocation station
cooperatively it will be favorable for the consolidation of stability
in our region.

"Because it is not very far from us and we can bombard it any time.

But the importance of this station is great. If at the moment only
Russia is interested in the stability around the radiolocation station,
in case of cooperation the interests of the two superpowers will
match. But in my view the USA will refuse the proposal."

On the one hand the USA roughly defends Kosovo’s independence, on
the other hand, judging from all sets restrictions to Karabakh’s
independence. Responding to this question the politician said that
double and even triple standards are very characteristic of the US
policy. L.

Melik-Shahnazaryan said the USA is doing its best and most probably
this year will start the procedure of the recognition of Kosovo’s
independence. Meanwhile the USA is doing its best to hamper the
recognition of Karabakh’s independence.

"The thing is, the more Serbia deteriorates, the more the USA becomes
powerful in the territory," the politician said. "I don’t mean Balkan
Peninsula only, but the whole Eastern Europe. The more Azerbaijan
deteriorates, the more the USA positions weaken in our region. This
is from where double standards appear."

He said the issue lacks legal approach; the latter is barely political,
manifested by the USA, which is based on its personal interests and
overlooks international right.

PRESS RELEASE
Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, Information Services
Address:  Vagharshapat, Republic of Armenia
Contact:  Rev. Fr. Ktrij Devejian
Tel:  +374-10-517163
Fax:  +374-10-517301
E-Mail:  [email protected]
Website: 
June 12, 2007

Celebration of the Feast of Holy Etchmiadzin

On Sunday, June 10, the worldwide Armenian Church and nation celebrated the
Feast of the Universal Church of Holy Etchmiadzin.  The annual celebration
commemorates the founding and establishment of the mother cathedral of the
Armenian people in 301 A.D.  The preceding day, the Armenian Church
celebrated the Deliverance of St. Gregory the Illuminator from the Pit,
which commemorates the patron saint’s liberation from the deep dungeon and
the beginning of the conversion of the noble house of Armenia to
Christianity.

In the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, the feast was commemorated with the
celebration of a special Divine Liturgy, presided over by His Holiness
Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians.  His Grace
Bishop Arshak Khatchatrian, Chancellor of the Mother See, celebrated the
liturgy.

On Saturday, during Evening Services, the relics of St. Gregory the
Illuminator were placed in the center of the Cathedral next to the Holy
Altar of Descent, and were venerated by the faithful throughout the night,
into the next morning and throughout the day of the feast.