Author: Nahapetian Samvel

Armenia purchases 10 SU-25 fighters from Slovakia

Noyan Tapan news agency
7 Sep 04

Yerevan, 7 September: Azerbaijan newspaper Zerkalo has reported that
Slovakia has sold Armenia 10 SU-25 military jets. A Noyan Tapan
correspondent has tried to get details of the deal from the head
of the Armenian community of Slovakia, Ashot Grigoryan, who is on a
business visit in Armenia.

Grigoryan said that the deal was struck in August but fell through
at the initial stage, and the issue found its way into the Slovak
press since there were suspicions that the deal breached the law. In
particular, the major Slovak TV company Markiza carried reports in this
regard for several days in a row. The things reached a point where the
Ministry of Economy of Slovakia revoked the licence of the company
selling the planes and the government instructed the State Control
Committee to investigate terms of the deal and its legal aspects.

Grigoryan started negotiations on all official levels to renew the
deal. As a result, he received the consent of the Ministries of Defence
and Economy of Slovakia to strike the deal. Grigoryan said that after
the purchase of 10 (not 12) planes, Azerbaijan sent a note of protest
to the government of Slovakia.

Some interested parties put pressure on Slovakia at the initial stage
to sell the planes to Azerbaijan rather than Armenia. Thus, Armenia
has not only purchased modern military aircraft but also strengthened
political and economic ties with Slovakia, and disagreements between
Azerbaijan and Slovakia have aggravated. Doubtless this is the result
of Armenian-Slovak relations that have been steadily developing
recently.

ARMENIAN, AZERI AND TURKISH FMs TO MEET IN NEW YORK

ArmenPress
Sept 6 2004

BAKU, SEPTEMBER 6, ARMENPRESS: Azerbaijani Azertag news agency said
Armenian, Turkish and Azeri foreign ministers will have a trilateral
meeting in New York later this month on the sidelines of the UN
General Assembly session that starts September 21.

The agency quoted Azeri foreign minister Elmar Mamedyarov as saying
that the meeting will focus on ways of resolving the Karabagh problem
and Turkey’s role in these efforts.

Meantime a spokesman for Armenian foreign ministry, Hamlet Gasparian,
told Armenpress that minister Vartan Oskanian is planning to travel
to New York on September 29 only.

ON SEPTEMBER 5 THE RA PRESIDENT TO LEAVE FOR POLAND WITH AN OFFICIAL VISIT

ARKA News Agency
Sept 3 2004

On September 5 the President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan will
leave for Poland with an official visit by the invitation of Polish
President Aleksander Kwasniewski. According to the RA President’s
Press Service Department, meetings with the President of Poland,
the Leadership of Sejm and Senate as well as the Prime Minister of
Poland are planned within the framework of the visit. Also, Bilateral
agreements on military cooperation and joint fight against organized
crime as well as a memorandum on cooperation between the Union of SME
of Poland and the RA Ministry of Trade and Economic Development are
to be signed. The main goal of the visit of the Polish delegation
to Armenia, which will last till September 7, is to stimulate the
development of intergovernmental relations, define the priority
directions and tasks for the economic cooperation between the two
countries, as well as exchange opinions regarding the most actual
goals of an international interest.

The diplomatic relations between Armenia and Poland have been
established since Feb 26, 1992. In 1998 an Armenian Embassy was
opened in Warsaw, and the Polish Embassy in Armenia – on Jan 27,
2001. The first visit of the RA President Robert Kocharyan to Poland
took place on July 13-15, 1999. The visit of the Polish President
Aleksander Kwasniewski to Armenia took place on November 14-16, 2001.

According to RA National Statistics Service, the trade turnover
between Armenia and Poland in Jan-July 2004 made $2068,6 thsd. versus
$2042 thsd during the analogous period of 2003. At that, the volume of
export made $28,1 thsd. for the first 7 months of 2004 (in 2003 -$129,5
thsd.), and import -$2040,5 thsd. (in 2003-$1912,5 thsd.). A.H.–0–

Azer Tag, Azerbaijan State Info Agency
Sept 2 2004

MEETING AT FOREIGN MINISTRY
[September 02, 2004, 14:58:37]

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan Elmar Mammadyarov received
Ambassador Plenipotentiary and Extraordinary of Germany in Baku Klaus
Grewlich in connection with completion of his diplomatic mission
in Azerbaijan.

Mr. Grewlich expressed gratitude to Azerbaijani side for assistance and
fruitful cooperation during his activity in Azerbaijan, and stressed
his confidence in further expanding of the friendly relations between
the two countries.

Minister E. Mammadyarov noted for his part that he stands for
strengthening and expanding the friendly Germany – Azerbaijan
relations, and continuation of the fruitful cooperation between the
two countries.

Touching on the Armenia-Azerbaijan, Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,
he pointed out the importance of adherence to the principles
of territorial integrity, state sovereignty and inviolability of
borders while discussing the issue in the framework of international
organizations.

In conclusion, the Minister wished the Ambassador every success in
his further activities.

Putin says Turkey and Russia should cooperate in Caucasus, Central Asia
BY SUZAN FRASER; Associated Press Writer

Associated Press Worldstream
September 1, 2004 Wednesday

ANKARA, Turkey — Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview
broadcast Wednesday that Turkey and Russia should avoid competing for
influence in the Caucasus and Central Asia and increase cooperation,
especially regarding the soaring trade between the two countries.

Putin was speaking before a two-day visit to Turkey that starts
Thursday – a first by a Russian leader since the Soviet collapse.

Bilateral trade, currently standing at US$6.8 billion ([euro]5.6
billion), has increased sixfold since 1992, Putin said in an interview
broadcast on CNN-Turk television. The interview was conducted in the
Russian resort of Sochi on Monday.

Turkey and Russia have been rivals for centuries, competing for
influence in Central Asia, the Caucasus and the Balkans. That
competition increased after the fall of the Soviet Union and the
independence of Turkic states in Central Asia and the Caucasus.

But recently rivalries have subsided and the two countries have been
concentrating on trade.

Turkey and Russia “are moving toward cooperation and welfare…
Russian and Turkey are neighbors. We have common interests,” Putin
said in the interview. His remarks were broadcast dubbed in Turkish.
A Russian transcript was not immediately available.

“I certainly believe that today and in the future, we can cooperate
and reach wider targets,” he said, referring to past Turkish-Russian
projects, including a 446-kilometer (278-mile) natural gas pipeline
that runs beneath the Black Sea to Turkey.

“I believe that if we want to solve the problems along regional
interests, we have to especially avoid competition,” Putin told
CNN-Turk television.

“Both Russia and Turkey are two states that wish, more than anyone
else, for stability in the region and for the situation to return to
normal. We know the problems there better than anyone else,” he said.

Putin and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan are expected
to discuss trade but also contentious issues such as the Caucasus,
where Turkey is allied with Azerbaijan and Russia is friendly with
Azerbaijan’s rival, Armenia.

The conflict in Chechnya – also in the Caucasus – is on the agenda
too. Turks sympathize with their fellow Muslims in Chechnya, and
many Turks trace their ancestry to the Caucasus. Russia has called
on Turkey to crack down on Turkish charities that it claims have
provided support to Chechen rebels.

Russia provides some 60 percent of Turkey’s natural gas imports,
and Putin said his country was also considering selling oil to Turkey
and exporting fuel to other countries via Turkey.

Turkey is expected to stress during Putin’s visit that the narrow
Bosporus Strait dividing Istanbul cannot handle further Russian oil
exports. The Turks are expected to press for other ways of exporting
Russian oil, such as pipelines through Turkey.

Putin will be accompanied by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov
and Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov. Putin’s predecessor, Boris Yeltsin,
attended a regional security summit in Istanbul in 1999.

Agence France Presse — English
August 30, 2004 Monday 11:11 AM GMT

Court in Azerbaijan sentences NATO protesters

BAKU

A court in the former Soviet republic of Azerbiajan handed out prison
sentences Monday to protesters who had tried to storm a conference of
NATO officials in the Azeri capital two months ago.

The court found six protesters guilty of public order offences and
resisting arrest, and ordered that they should be sent to prison for
terms ranging from three to five years.

The protesters had been demonstrating about the presence at the NATO
meeting of two officers from Armenia’s armed forces.

Armenia and Azerbaijan fought a war in the early 1990s over the
disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh. The two neighbouring
countries remain at a state of war, though there is no large-scale
fighting.

Among those sentenced Monday was Akif Nagi, leader of the hardline
Karabakh Liberation Organisation, which favours new military action
against Armenia. He was given five years in jail.

Supporters and relatives of the convicted men staged a protest in the
courtroom when the sentences were handed down but they were dispersed
by police.

The NATO meeting, which took place in the capital, Baku on June 21,
was briefly disrupted as the protesters scuffled with police and
smashed windows outside the conference venue.

Many people in Azerbaijan sympathised with the protesters —
evidence, observers said, of growing public support for a renewal of
hostilities over Nagorno-Karabakh.

The war there displaced a million civilians and left some 35,000
people dead.

Azeri leader to meet US secretary of state in Athens

MPA news agency, Baku
26 Aug 04

Baku, 26 August: Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s visit to Germany
will end on 26 August. MPA news agency learnt from the Azerbaijani
Foreign Ministry that Aliyev had met German Foreign Minister Joschka
Fischer today. The sides discussed expanding bilateral political
relations and the settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict.

On 26 August Aliyev will leave for Athens to take part in the closing
ceremony of the Olympic Games. Aliyev is expected to meet US Secretary
of State Colin Powell, who is in Athens.

$140M NECESSARY FOR RECONSTRUCTION OF YEREVAN TPP WILL BE GIVEN BY
GOVERNMENT OF JAPAN BY THE END OF THE YEAR, RA MINISTER OF ENERGY
HOPES

YEREVAN, August 25 (Noyan Tapan). The program of reconstruction of
Yerevan TPP isn’t delayed. Armen Movsisian, RA Minister of Energy,
reported this to journalists on August 25. He expressed a hope that by
the end of the year the government of Japan will make a decision about
the corresponding financing (about $14m) necessary for the
reconstruction of the TPP. Co-financing of the Armenian side will make
$25m. To recap, by the program of reconstruction of Yerevan TPP it’s
envisaged to build a super-modern steam-gas energy bloc working by a
combined cycle and with natural gas. The basic capacity of the energy
bloc will reach 230 mWt. The presence of the bloc will permit to spend
only 158-226 grams of gas for production of electricity of 1 kWt/h
instead of the current 372 grams. So, only on the part of fuel Armenia
will economize $19.4m a year.

Reuters
Aug 25 2004

Gardner Unable to Defend His Olympic Title

By Ori Lewis

ATHENS (Reuters) – U.S. heavyweight Rulon Gardner lost his Olympic
title Wednesday after being beaten in the semi-final stage of the
120kg Greco-Roman wrestling event by Georgiy Tsurtsumia of
Kazakhstan.

In a bout which went into overtime, the bigger and stronger-looking
Tsurtsumia held on for a 4-1 scoreline after the two men tied at 1-1
at the end of the mandatory six minutes.

Gardner, 33, narrowly escaped death when stranded in temperatures of
minus 25 degrees Celsius after his snowmobile broke down in a forest
in Wyoming in 2002.

He lost a toe to frost bite and last year also suffered a dislocated
shoulder in a motorcycle accident.

The articulate American had no regrets about his tactics in the bout.
He said: “I gave 100 percent, I have no bad feelings. I was trying to
score a point to win the match but he countered me and beat me. I
tried.”

Tsurtsumia stands at 6-foot-4 and towered above Gardner, whose
physique is much stockier and who stands at about 6-foot-1.

Gardner said that all his opponents had studied his technique closely
and knew exactly what was needed to beat him.

“These people (my opponents) have come here having learned each
set-piece. They saw what I can be worked on, where I’m weak,” he
explained.

Gardner beat the seemingly invincible Russian Alexander Karelin to
win the 130kg gold medal at the Sydney Games in 2000 but that
category has been dropped in Athens to make room for the women’s
wrestling events.

Gardner now meets Iranian Sajad Barzi for the bronze. Tsurtsumia’s
opponent for gold will be Russia’s Khasan Baroev.

In the other finals to be contested Wednesday, Russia’s Alexei
Michine will fight for gold in the 84kg division against Sweden’s
Armenian-born former world champion Ara Abrahamian.

In the 66kg class Farid Mansurov of Azerbaijan will meet Turkey’s
Seref Eroglu, while in the 55kg category Istvan Majoros of Hungary
will battle Gueidar Mamedaliev of Russia.

Elimination bouts in the three other Greco-Roman weight categories
(60kg, 74kg and 96kg) began Wednesday with medal bouts set for
Thursday. The freestyle competition begins on Friday in a
corresponding format to the Greco-Roman event.

ArmenPress
Aug 19 2004

OREGON CONGRESSMAN EARL BLUMENAUER JOINS ARMENIAN CAUCUS

Washington, DC – The Armenian Assembly welcomed the official
announcement today that Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) has joined
the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues, bringing the total to
133. The news follows an August 10 district meeting with the Armenian
Assembly held August 10 in Portland, Oregon.
“As the congressional representative of many Armenians in
Portland, I’m proud to be the latest member of the Congressional
Caucus on Armenian Issues, an ever-growing group of those of us in
Congress who want to give these issues the attention they deserve,”
said Congressman Blumenauer.
“I look forward to working with my colleagues and the members of
the Armenian community in my home town and around the world on issues
of importance to Armenians,” he continued. Assembly Western Office
Director Lena Kaimian, who led this week’s meeting, said: “We welcome
Congressmen Blumenauer’s membership to the Armenian Caucus. He brings
experience, enthusiasm and commitment to the Caucus and we look
forward to working with him and his congressional colleagues on
issues pertinent to the community.”
“Assembly supporters worked closely with our Los Angeles staff to
encourage the Congressman’s membership to the Caucus,” Kaimian
continued. “I would especially like to thank activists Greg Geokjian
and Les Margosian for participating in this meeting and advocating on
behalf of our issues.”
Congressman Blumenauer, who has represented Oregon’s Third
Congressional District since 1996, is a well-known supporter of
Armenian-American issues. As such, he has urged President George W.
Bush to appropriately acknowledge the Armenian Genocide, voted to
maintain Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act and supported the
Humanitarian Aid Corridor Act.
The Congressman also serves on the International Relations
Committee and is a member of the Transportation and Infrastructure
Committee. He joins fellow Oregon lawmaker, Congresswoman Darlene
Hooley (D-OR) in representing Armenian-American interests on the
Caucus.