Author: Nargizian David

PanArmenian News
March 3 2005

TIME HAS COME FOR GEORGIA TO STIMULATE IMPLEMENTATION OF TRANSPORT
AGREEMENT WITH ARMENIA AND BULGARIA

03.03.2005 14:18

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ `Armenia and Bulgaria have ratified the agreement
on multi-modal transportation, however Georgia has not. The time has
come to stimulate the process,’ Bulgarian Ambassador in Armenia
Stephan Dimitrov stated, Arminfo news agency reported. In the
diplomat’s words, the agreement is not a trilateral, but an
international document and is open to everyone. Moreover, the
document will remain not viable, if a structure for its
implementation is not formed. Speaking of the exploitation of the
Burgas-Caucasus-Poti ferry route, Stephan Dimitrov said he thought
the effeciency of such a project should be decided by economists. `I
can only say that the Poti-Caucasus-Novorossiysk-Varna-Burgas ferry
route is much longer, than Poti-Burgas,’ the diplomat noted.

Turkish Daily News
March 2 2005

Turkish Press Yesterday

Research campaign for alleged genocide

Radikal said the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP)
will launch a campaign in Parliament to investigate the alleged
Armenian genocide, which is claimed to have occurred around the time
of the fall of the Ottoman Empire.

`Turkey has become bored with this business. Everyone should put
forward what he knows. The truth must be revealed,’ the newspaper
quoted CHP leader Deniz Baykal as saying when he proposed the
formation of a commission formed by both Armenian and Turkish
historians.

Radikal reported that the CHP’s Þükrü Elekdað has offered to send a
letter to the British Parliament asking them to admit that the
documents mentioned as proof of the alleged Armenian genocide are not
supportive of the allegation.

Armenian leader says Karabakh talks “more intense”

Golos Armenii
26 Feb 05

President Robert Kocharyan has said that Armenia’s negotiations with
Azerbaijan on the disputed area of Nagornyy Karabakh have become “more
intense and there is a slight hope for a result”. In a wide-ranging
interview with the newspaper Golos Armenii, he also called for
Karabakh’s involvement in the negotiations. Kocharyan said that he
would like to see a strong opposition in the country because “a weak
opposition corrupts power and stimulates apathy in society as people
have to compare bad with very bad”. The following is an excerpt from
Marina Lazarian and Lana Mshetsyan’s report by the Armenian newspaper
Golos Armenii on 26 February headlined “‘I would suggest to abandon
any comparison with Baku’, Armenian President Robert Kocharyan said”;
Subheadings have been inserted editorially:

A large number of questions was asked during a hotline with Armenian
President Robert Kocharyan. The questions were virtually from all
over Armenia, members of the diaspora, CIS countries as well as from
Azerbaijan. Alas, as always, this time too, we had failed to pass on to
the president all the questions received from our readers. Therefore,
we have chosen the questions only on “hot” topics. But we intend to
forward the remaining questions to the appropriate ministries and
departments. Thus, no question will remain unanswered or open.

[Artur Yesayan, teacher] Mr President, what kind of a status should
Nagornyy Karabakh have?

[Robert Kocharyan] Independence in the foreseeable future and part
of Armenia in the long run.

[Nikolay Markosyan, engineer] Mr President, what do you think of the
fact that there is a large number of Azeris with Iranian passports
in Yerevan at present? Is it not strange that the Iranian citizens
speak Armenian and marry Armenian girls? How would they react in Baku
if they see two Armenians speak Armenian in a public place?

[Kocharyan] Unfortunately, Armenophobia is part of the state
policy of Azerbaijan. The reaction of society in Azerbaijan to the
brutal murder of an Armenian officer in Budapest is a result of
that policy. Moreover, our nations are different in terms of their
perception of the world and in terms of our cultural traditions. The
Sumqayit events could have never happened in Armenia. This is our
strength and not weakness. For this reason I would advise you not to
make any comparison with Baku.

Karabakh

[Andranik Saakyan, engineer] Mr President, don’t you think that the
11-year-long negotiations on Nagornyy Karabakh ended in deadlock
because of Azerbaijan’s non-constructive position? What do you think
will happen next?

[Kocharyan] As long as no practical solution to the Nagornyy Karabakh
problem has been found, people will keep saying the negotiating
process is at a dead end. The world experience shows that such
conflicts cannot be settled quickly. We must work persistently and
consistently towards that end and this is what we have been doing. At
present, the negotiating process has become more intense and there
is a slight hope for a result.

[Internet-newspaper Patriot Day.az, Azerbaijan] Mr President, even if
we assume that Armenia’s military force now equals that of Azerbaijan,
in your opinion how long will this parity be preserved taking into
account the difference between the economic potential of the two
countries?

[Kocharyan] This is one of Azerbaijan’s propaganda arguments. It has
been used since 1989 with a different degree of intensity. This is
what made Azerbaijan start a large-scale war for Karabakh in 1992. It
is enough to have a retrospective look at the press and speeches by
Azerbaijani officials to see that. I think that the economic potential
in the modern world is defined not by the number of the oil barrels
produced, but by the efficiency of the economy. And here undoubtedly
Azerbaijan is lagging behind.

PACE

[Ardan Luros, Canada] Mr President, what do you think of David
Atkinson’s latest report on Karabakh in PACE?

[Kocharyan] That was the report by the former rapporteur Terry Davis,
inherited by Atkinson. Maybe for this reason there is a dichotomy
between David Atkinson’s remarks and the content of the report. There
are positive as well as negative sides in the report. [Passage omitted:
urges experts to prepare reports on conflicts based on facts] I would
suggest not to overestimate the significance of the document. The
real negotiations are being conducted within the framework of the
OSCE Minsk Group.

[Eduard Ayrapetov, physicist] Mr President, Armenia has repeatedly
been saying that the Nagornyy Karabakh Republic should become a party
to the talks in any format. Incidentally it is known that the NKR has
also something to say to Azerbaijan. David Atkinson’s latest report
seems to point to this aspect. How is Armenia going to react to the
“ray of light” in the “dark” report by the British MP? What has the
Armenian Foreign Ministry been doing for the NKR to get involved in
the negotiating process?

[Kocharyan] I think there is an incorrect perception of the NKR
participation in the negotiations. The negotiating process is much
broader than simply meetings between the presidents of Armenia and
Azerbaijan. I meet Arkadiy Gukasyan [the NKR president] regularly to
coordinate the negotiating positions. There are also regular visits
by the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmen to the region where they meet the
NKR leadership. By the way, this is the most comprehensive part of
the negotiation process. There are also visits by the OSCE incumbent
chairman’s assistant to the NKR. The NKR is actively involved in
all the processes. At my meetings with the president of Azerbaijan I
represent the interests of Karabakh as well. Certainly we would like
the NKR to be involved in this format as well.

[Passage omitted: reiterates the point, tells Nigar from Azerbaijan
that he has been to Baku and other Azeri towns in Soviet times, calls
for recognition of the Armenian genocide by the Ottoman Turkey,
says the CIS has future and urges better ties with Armenians in
Georgia’s Javakhk]

Russia

[Silva Karapetyan, musician] Mr President, the year of 2005 was
announced a Year of Russia in Armenia. What do you think of the
current level of Armenian-Russian relations?

[Kocharyan] Cooperation between Armenia and Russia in all spheres
continues to grow. The Russian president is expected to pay an official
visit to Armenia in the spring. This will give us a chance to discuss
what has been achieved and define our future cooperation plans.

[Liana Mikaelyan, geodesist] Mr President, has Armenia been
marginalized from many railway projects? What can you tell us about
Armenia’s involvement in the “North-South” transport corridor?

[Kocharyan] No railway project has been kept away from us. We discuss
the involvement in different projects. But we mean the projects that
demand big expenditure. The functioning railways pass though Armenia
and do not demand capital expenditure. They had been frozen due to
political constraints, but might start working at any moment. This
undoubtlessly is an advantage when looking at the figures in any
project.

[Passage omitted: more of the same, Kocharyan disagrees that the
influence of the Armenian Diaspora abroad is weakening and says that
40 per cent of the GDP is formed by small and middle businesses]

Opposition

[Vladimir Gromov, colonel] Mr President, a man as inexperienced in
policy as Stepan Demirchyan has become your real competitor for the
second term. Are you pleased with such an alternative?

[Kocharyan] I will refrain from replying in personal terms and try
to speak generally. The higher the level of the opposition the higher
the level of society. It is obvious that those in power should aspire
to appear better then their opponents. A weak opposition corrupts
power and stimulates apathy in society as people have to compare bad
with very bad. I favour a strong opposition, but not in the sense of
shamefulness or hysteria, but in the sense of a professional level
and organization.

[Passage omitted: generalities on the need to choose right people
for posts]

[Vera Azatyan, scientist] Mr President, the opposition promises to
stage a revolution in April, similar to the revolutions in Georgia
and Ukraine. But it is obvious that those revolutions were done
on order. Is there a danger of a revolution like that happening in
Armenia with the help of Western subsidies? How can we protect our
country from this?

[Kocharyan] An effective and energetic team, a targeted social policy
and a balanced foreign policy are the best guarantors of stability. If
the authorities are weak, there will always be somebody who will try
to undermine them even further. The existence of many unhappy people
would mean that somebody might decide to enlist their support.

[Passage omitted: talks more about Georgian and Ukrainian revolutions,
Kocharyan says he prefers to work more and talk less, the president
talks about gasification problems, natural resources and promises
more jobs and better economy and talks about the need for optimism].

Business

[Roza Babayan, musician] Mr President, why only sons of top officials
become successful businessmen in Armenia? Does that mean that all
the others are lacking in talent?

[Kocharyan] More than 50,000 businesses have been registered in the
country, more than 34,000 have been paying taxes. In 2004 1,500 new
firms were registered. I can assure you that there aren’t that many
children of the country’s top officials among the businessmen.

[Passage omitted: reiterates the point and denies corruption in the
education system.].

SECOND BIRTH OF SARIAN’S `ARMENIA’

Azg/arm
26 Feb 05

120th anniversary of great Armenian painter Martiros Sarian will be
celebrated on February 28. On this occasion we met with Shahen
Khachatrian,art critic, to learn about some news about the pieces of
the painter. At present, Shahen Khachatrian is preparing for
publishing his memoirs about the years of friendship with the great
painter. The book will help the readers see Sarian from another
viewpoint, to get familiarized with his worldview, philosophy and the
style of work.

We would like to touch upon the story of “Armenia” picture painted by
Sarian for the Armenian pavilion at the agricultural exhibition in
Moscow, 1939.

Sarian’s magnificent piece (50 square meters) made a great impression
on the visitors of the exhibition. Boris Ternovets, famous art critic,
organizer of all the foreign exhibitions, representative of the Soviet
pavilion at the Venice Exhibition 1924, wrote in the Soviet Art
magazine about Sarian’s picture: “One can often see landscapes as
decorative themes for the pavilions. We can point out a number of
interesting and successful solutions, but no one willever see such
inspirational and fascinating compositions as the ones created by
Sarian. The painter approached the theme with open hearth, freedom,
fresh feelings, that are born from deep love towards the native
land. His pictureis neither a mechanical reproduction of photographic
forms nor naturalistic depiction of separate landscapes. This picture
is a song of a great poet.

… Sarian could create a really profound image, the unique synthesis
of his nature land and the life.”

“When the agricultural exhibition closed we lost the picture. Once the
director of Sarian’s House Museum, I began to look for “Armenia”
fresco picture. I could find only a number of addresses, then I
applied to Tretyakov Picture Gallery in Moscow, but I failed to find
anything. Afterwards, I came acrossa photo that gave some idea of the
picture. Stalin’s monument that was in front of the photo hindered to
see Sarian’s “Armenia.” In 2003 I took the black and white photo to
Samara and Olga Knyazheva, one of the best specialists of Photoshop,
managed to restore the full view of Sarian’s piece aftera long and
hard work.

Certainly, I couldn’t find the original picture, unfortunately, butI
think that our art lovers will be glad to have at least the photo of
Sarian’s lost picture,” Shahen Khachatrian said.

By Melania Badalian

Agency WPS
The Russian Oil and Gas Report (Russia)
February 25, 2005, Friday

GEORGIAN GOVERNMENT SUPPORTS THE IDEA OF SALE OF THE LOCAL TRUNK GAS
PIPELINE

Georgian government supports the idea of selling the local trunk gas
pipeline. Minister of Georgia for Economic Reforms Kakha Bendukidze
is convinced that this does not threaten the energy security of the
country. Gazprom is considered a realistic buyer of the gas pipeline.

The US is averse to sale of the Georgian gas pipeline to Gazprom.
American representatives believe that control of the Russian gas
monopoly over the pipeline “will infringe on the interests” of the
gas pipeline from Shah Deniz which is under construction. This
pipeline will be built from Azerbaijan to Turkey via Georgia.
Americans are afraid that Russia will start supplying its gas to
Turkey through Georgia, which will make Azerbaijani gas
non-competitive. American experts warn the Georgian government that
selling the gas pipeline they will pose a threat for their own
national energy security.

The rightist opposition and Speaker of the Georgian parliament Nino
Burdzhanadze are against the sale of the trunk gas pipeline to
Gazprom too. They say that Bendukidze lobbies the Russian business
and political interests because “he is connected to Russia not only
with business but also with politics.”

Minister Bendukidze, who considers himself a “pure” economist
separated from politics, is uncompromising, “If this is sensitive for
the Shah Deniz gas pipeline, consortium for its construction may
become an equally realistic buyer of the Georgian trunk gas pipeline
as Gazprom. Both companies can hold the relevant negotiations with
the Georgian government.”

Intention of Georgia to sell the trunk gas pipeline to Gazprom has
been known for a long time. Back in July 2003, Gazprom and the
government of Georgia signed a memorandum on strategic cooperation
for the next 25 years, in the framework of which the Russian
corporation started gas supplies to the country.

In September 2004, a delegation from Gazprom visited Georgia, met
with Prime Minister Zurab Zhvaniya (now deceased) and Bendukidze.
Representatives of the company did not comment on results of the
meeting officially. Georgian mass media wrote with reference to
officials of the Georgian state office that the parties negotiated on
an agreement on establishment of Rosgruzgazprom joint venture on the
basis of the trunk gas pipeline from Russia to Armenia being 250
kilometers long and having capacity of 6 billion cubic meters a year.
Gazprom even allegedly assured the ministers that it was ready to pay
$300 million for control over the gas pipeline and to take part in
privatization of the gas distribution chain of Tbilgaz, supplying gas
to the region of Tbilisi. Representatives of Gazprom said that they
did not promise this and negotiations were long and difficult.

In December 2004, General Director of Gazexport (export subsidiary of
Gazprom) Alexander Medvedev visited Tbilisi. Medvedev described
results of his visit in a very vague manner, “Gazprom conducts gas
transportation operations and hence it is interested in maintenance
of the trunk gas pipelines of Georgia in good technical condition.
This is important for transit of Russian gas to Armenia and
Azerbaijan through the territory of Georgia.” Medvedev did not
explain on which terms Gazprom would agree to participate in the
project of reengineering of the trunk gas pipelines of Georgia.

Speaking about the export of Russian gas to Turkey via the territory
of Georgia Medvedev said that this issue was not on the agenda,
“Turkey already receives gas via two routes and has undertaken
obligations to buy natural gas from the Azerbaijani gas field Shah
Deniz.”

In December 2004, President of International Gas Corporation of
Georgia David Ingorokva, reported that in the course of negotiations
with Gazprom the parties discussed three options for participation of
the Russian company, namely complete or partial sale of the trunk gas
pipelines or establishment of a Georgian-Russian joint venture.

Only at the beginning of February, it was clear who was ready for
what and on what the parties disagreed. Price was the main problem.

Gazprom counts on acquisition of ten gas objects in Georgia.
According to Georgian laws, the trunk gas pipeline is not subject to
privatization but the Economic Development Ministry of Georgia does
not rule out that Georgian government may turn to the parliament with
a request to amend the law.

Georgian government invited Gazprom to buy several gas objects within
one package. For example, the government estimated the trunk gas
pipeline at $300 million, Tbilgaz at $100 million and three energy
generating units of the Tbilisi hydro power station, two of which
were not functioning, at $25 million. Gazprom considered the price
excessive. The company was not ready to pay even a half of the
required price for the pipeline. For Tbilgaz Gazprom offered $50
million. The parties reached an understanding only on the generating
units of the Tbilisi hydro power station. The parties preliminarily
agreed on the required price of $25 million.

With regard to the other objects, the parties agreed to continue the
consultations. Bendukidze’s statement can be considered recognition
of an agreement of the parties on the price of the trunk gas
pipeline.

The answer of the Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili to the
question about the fate of the gas pipeline asked by the Italian
newspaper La Stampa also shows that the problem is close to solving.
The President of Georgia said, “After all, this gas comes from
Russia.”

Source: gazeta.ru, February 23, 2005

PanArmenian News
Feb 24 2005

ARMENIAN PEACEKEEPERS BEING IN EL-KUWAIT TO START THEIR MISSION IN
IRAQ MARCH 1

24.02.2005 16:23

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian peacekeepers being in El-Kuwait will start
their mission in Iraq March 1, Arminfo news agency reported. It
should be noted that 46 Armenian peacekeepers will fulfill their
mission as part of the Polish contingent.

Newark Star Ledger, NJ
Feb 18 2005

Russian ‘Rendezvous’
It’s tough to get past the appetizers at bustling Manalapan
restaurant Rendezvous

BY S.J. GINTZLER
FOR THE STAR-LEDGER

Rendezvous brings an authentic taste of Russian cuisine to Manalapan.
Dine on black caviar with butter, crepes with sour cream and Uzbek
chuchvara (fried dumplings) in glittery surroundings.

Ambience:

Nightclub. Access the lengthy dining room via a snazzy glass-brick
vestibule. On Saturday nights (and some Fridays and Sundays), it’s
party time at this strip mall spot with a live band and filled
tables. It’s relatively tranquil on weekday evenings.

Staff:

Caring, courteous and attentive on uncrowded weekdays. Slow and
preoccupied on busy weekends.

Food:

Regional Russian. Dishes range from an assorted pickled vegetable
platter ($10.95) and Caucasian tomatoes ($6.95) to Uzbek shurpa (lamb
and vegetable soup, $6.95), samsi (puffy turnovers) with pumpkin
($3.95), chicken Kiev ($16.95) and beef stroganoff ($14.95).

We sipped our own Stoli and nibbled on crusty squares of Armenian
bread from the exposed brick oven. (The owners are Armenian, born in
Uzbekistan.) We could have made a meal of the excellent hot and cold
appetizers, which outnumbered the entrees two to one on the menu.
King’s herring with home style potatoes ($6.95) featured a mildly
pickled fish fillet alongside a stack of spaghetti-like, vinegary
onions and crisp golden spuds. The smoked fish platter was well worth
$18.95. It was an ocean’s worth of sliced sturgeon, turbot, salmon
and butterfish showered in black olives pin-wheeled about the plate.
Then came the dumplings: dainty balls of Siberian veal-stuffed
pelmeni ($6.95) and ravioli-like vareniki filled with sweet-sour
cherries accompanied by sour cream. Two Georgian dishes were
delicious — hachapuri ($4.95), cheese-stuffed, flaky turnovers that
melted in the mouth, and lobio ($5.95), a red kidney bean salad
tossed with crunchy dried beef and chopped pecans freshened with
cilantro. Ukrainian borscht ($5.95) was sweet, zesty and heavy on the
pork.

Two entrees were just right. Chicken tapaka ($15.95), a butterflied
whole chicken fried crisp in an iron skillet with a weighted lid, was
smothered in garlic and accompanied by a robust tomato sauce.
Calahach ($20.95), juicy baby lamb chops, also came with a rich
dipping sauce. Both dishes came with terrific fried potatoes.

Desserts, prepared by the owner’s wife, are not to be missed. The
honey cake was masterful, layer upon layer of chocolate, honey
filling, pastry and cream. The sweet pecan cake was addictive, as
were the creamy Napoleon and pear-stuffed, pencil-thin crepes
drizzled in chocolate and cherries.

Come to Rendezvous not only for top-notch Russian home cooking, but
for an unforgettable Saturday night wing-ding.

Food: ***

Ambience: ***

Service: ** 1/2

Overall: ***

MOSCOW NEEDS A MORE PRAGMATIC CIS POLICY

RIA Novosti, Russia
Feb 16 2005

MOSCOW, February 16 (RIA Novosti) – According to prominent political
scientist Andranik Migranyan, Russia should clearly formulate its
interests in the CIS, Politichesky Zhurnal reported.

According to Migranyan, Russia should officially recognize Abkhazian,
South Ossetian, Transdniestrian and Nagorno-Karabakh independence.
Doing so would pose no legal option because Russia is a legal
successor to Soviet legislation, which permitted the autonomous
regions of a republic withdrawing from the union the legal leeway to
declare independence.

The EU wants to convince Ukraine and Georgia that they should ally
themselves with Europe and not Russia. If their political ambitions
gain the necessary support in Kiev and Tbilisi, there will be
grounds for Russia to distance itself from the two countries. Let
Kiev formulate its own policy to its east, south and west.

Georgia will have a hard time maintaining intense, revolutionary
emotions because promises to restore territorial integrity remain
unfulfilled. Such a volatile situation could ensue in chaos.

The Turkmen totalitarian regime and Islam Karimov’s secular regime in
Uzbekistan have not worried the west yet, since both republics are
keen on cooperation. However, with the Kyrgyz and Kazakh opposition
structures, the west feels the need to be a beacon of freedom.

These republics were previously inclined to oppose Russia, but after
the events in Ukraine they realized that the Russian leaders are not
as pragmatic as their American counterparts.

Now Azeri, Kazakh and Kyrgyz opposition leaders will emulate the
Georgian and Ukrainian leaders and adapt pro-Western, and largely
anti-Russian, policies – all this in order to get financial and
political support from Washington and Brussels.

If Russia wants to retain its influence in the CIS, Moscow should
stop speculating on double standards. In politics, one must learn to
apply both double and triple standards.

Armenian New Times party poised to stage “national revolution”

Arminfo
9 Feb 05

Yerevan, 9 February: The Armenian New Times party intends to stage a
national revolution in spring this year, the board of the party said
in a statement released today.

The worsening domestic political situation in Armenia, which is the
result of rampant corruption, connivance and impunity, will lead to
a revolt, the statement noted. It was also said that the party would
start preparations for early parliamentary and presidential elections.

Despite our calls, with the authorities’ connivance, the domestic
political crisis was exacerbated further this year, which can be
clearly seen in the evident union of the criminal world and the ruling
political elite. Instead of carrying out structural reforms proposed
by us, the Armenian authorities have aggravated the political crisis,
suffering defeats both in domestic and foreign policy.

The New Times party said it was important to carry out a national
revolution and noted that in order to get out from the current critical
situation, this revolution should be implemented either by the “top
echelons” or the “lower echelons”.

Revolution by the “top echelons” implies the implementation of radical
reforms – the parliament should be dissolved and a new government
should be set up on the party principles.

“But since the radical reforms suggested by us are not being
implemented, the board of the New Times party states that a party
congress will be held in the end of March which will outline some
strategic tasks and the party will start carrying out the national
revolution with the participation of masses,” the statement said.

PanArmenian News
Feb 14 2005

ARMENIA FAR FROM EU MEMBERSHIP

14.02.2005 17:43

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The possibility of Armenia’s eligibility for EU
membership will not be subject to discussion for a long time, head of
the EU Commission in Armenia and Georgia Alexis Leber stated, Arminfo
news agency reports. However not being an EU member Armenia can join
the programs of trade relations with the EU. Thus, consultative
programs will encourage Armenian manufacturers to export goods, which
are in demand in the European market, Mr. Leber noted. In his words,
the implementation of New Neighborhood program does not provide for
Armenia’s EU membership. It is to establish a political and economic
dialogue between EU and Armenia. “The movement towards Europe does
not mean entry to the European Union”, he said noting at the same
time that the program will allow realization of projects directed to
the establishment of peace, development and prosperity in the South
Caucasus.