Author: Tadevosian Garnik

Azerbaijan Awaits Positive Results from Astana Summit

Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
Sept 11 2004

Defense Minister, Colonel General Safar Abiyev received Russian
Ambassador to Azerbaijan Nikolay Ryabov on completion of his diplomatic
mission in the country on Friday.

Assa-Irada — General Abiyev noted that the Azerbaijani people expect
the meeting to be held between Azerbaijani and Russian presidents
Ilham Aliyev and Vladimir Putin within the Astana summit of CIS
countries to yield positive results and affect the settlement of the
Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Nagorno Karabakh.

Unveiling his stance towards the issue, Ambassador Ryabov stressed that
it is necessary to intensify talks between Azerbaijan and Armenia. He
wished the Russian-Azerbaijan military cooperation to develop in the
name of the two countries’ national interests.

DEPUTY FM MEETS NATO DELEGATION

ArmenPress
Sept 14 2004

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 14, ARMENPRESS: Armenian deputy foreign affairs
minister Tatul Margarian echoed today foreign minister Vartan Oskanian,
saying the NATO’s Supreme Command decision to cancel Best Cooperative
Effort maneuvers in Azerbaijan was “the loss of an opportunity for
regional cooperation.” He was meeting with a delegation of NATO
Parliamentary Assembly that brought to Armenia parliament members of
12 NATO and OSCE member countries.

Praising NATO for its efforts to help establish stability in the
region, Tatul Margarian, expressed hope that in the long-term
perspective NATO’s principled position will promote formation of
regional cooperation.

Margarian also spoke in detail about Armenia’s relations with its
neighbors, Karabagh conflict regulation process and Armenia’s drive
towards closer integration with Europe.

NATO’s decision was hailed also today by Armenian prime minister
Andranik Margarian, who said that the international community has now
realized the gap between what Azerbaijan’s leadership says and does.
“Azerbaijan has shown its true face,” he added.

The prime minister also referred to Azeri president Aliyev’s words
that his September 16 meeting with Armenian counterpart Robert
Kocharian would have a crucial significance in the Karabagh conflict
regulation. “There have been no crucial actions recently and neither
crucial positions have been voiced so as to have a sweeping effect
on the expected talks between the two presidents,” he said, adding
that the latest events show that even if crucial developments occur
they will not be in favor of Azerbaijan.

ARMENIA WILL SEND ITS SERVICEMEN TO IRAQ

Agency WPS
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
September 10, 2004, Friday

Armenia will be the second CIS country (after Ukraine) to send
its servicemen to Iraq. Armenian servicemen will be assigned to
the Polish contingent, presidents Robert Kocharjan (Armenia) and
Alexander Kwasniewski (Poland) decided on Kocharjan visit to Poland
this Monday. All 50 servicemen of the Armenian contingent will be sent
to Iraq within the framework of the security cooperation accord the
presidents signed in Warsaw. To quote Defense Minister of Armenia Serzh
Sarkisjan who accompanied Kocharjan on the visit, Yerevan is sending
its soldiers to Iraq because “size of our country and the distance
to Europe notwithstanding, Armenia regards itself as a part of Europe.”

Sarkisjan has always promoted a pro-Western course for Armenia and
its integration into Euro-Atlantic structures. It is Sarkisjan who
lobbies Armenia’s involvement in NATO programs. Yerevan has aspired
for participation in the Western peacekeeping operation in Iraq for a
long time now, and the latest developments are Sarkisjan’s achievement
to a considerable degree. There is a considerable Armenian diaspora
in Iraq – up to 25,000 people. Armenia counts on post-war restoration
contracts in Iraq, afterwards.

There is no saying at this point if Armenia’s involvement in the
Iraqi operation (following Ukraine’s involvement) may aggravate the
relations between Christian countries of the Commonwealth and the
Arab world. Religious discord in the world is deepening, and CIS
countries are undoubtedly a part of the process.

Source: Nezavisimaya Gazeta, September 8, 2004, p. 5

La discrimination est à l’origine du terrorisme, selon le président iranien

Xinhua News Agency – French
9 septembre 2004 jeudi 11:01 AM EST

MOSCOU — Le président iranien Mohammad Khatami a condamné mercredi la
tragédie de Beslan, indiquant que la discrimination était à l’origine
du terrorisme, selon une information parvenue à Moscou.

“Sans s’attaquer aux racines, il est impossible de combattre le
terrorisme”, a déclaré le président Khatami, ajoutant que ces racines
se trouvaient là où les forces de sécurité imposent une politique
discriminatoire et là où la population en souffre.

M. Khatami a tenu ces propos lors de ses entretiens avec son homologue
arménien Robert Kotcharian dans la capitale arménienne, Erevan.

“Incapables de trouver une réponse adéquate à cet affrontement, ils
(les personnes discriminées) auront recours à des moyens extrêmes.
C’est pourquoi lorsque vous condamnez le terrorisme, vous devez
également condamner la violence”, a-t-il poursuivi.

Le président Khatami s’est aussi indigné du fait que certains
terroristes veulent présenter leurs actes sous le masque de la
religion.

Armenian Generals Unhappy With Iraq Deployment
By Gevorg Stamboltsian 09/09/2004 09:12

Radio Free Europe, Czech Republic
Sept 9 2004

Two senior Armenian army generals have indicated their opposition to
Yerevan’s plans to join the U.S.-led occupation force in Iraq with
a small unit of non-combat troops by the end of this year.

“I am not delighted with the decision to send our troops there and
the war in general,” Lieutenant-General Yuri Khachaturov, a deputy
minister of defense, told reporters late on Tuesday. “Because of
that the Armenian community [in Iraq] and Armenians in general could
have problems in the future.” Khachaturov’s concerns were echoed
on Wednesday by Major-General Enrico Apriamov, deputy chief of staff
of Armenia’s Armed Forces. “I can’t comment on this because there is
an issue of peace keeping and an issue of aggression,” he said. “As
peacekeepers, we are ready to perform duties to our people for the
sake of our homeland.”

Asked whether he believes the U.S. invasion of Iraq was aggression,
Apriamov replied, “This question should be put to President George
Bush. [He should be asked] what he meant by sending troops to Iraq. I
am a military officer and am against war.”

The comments are a rare expression of personal views by members of
the Armenian army’s top brass and expose its serious misgivings about
the deployment plans reaffirmed by President Robert Kocharian during
a visit to Poland on Monday.

Kocharian formally offered his Polish counterpart Aleksander
Kwasniewski to send some 50 military doctors, sappers and truck drivers
to south central Iraq administered by a Polish-led multinational
division. Defense Minister Serzh Sarkisian accompanying Kocharian
argued that considers itself a “part of the European family” and feels
“obliged to participate in the efforts to assure security.”

The offer was accepted by and drew praise from the Polish government.
“Such decisions are very difficult, but necessary at the time of the
joint struggle against terrorism,” Kwasniewski said.

Lieutenant-General Artur Aghabekian, another deputy defense minister
seen as Sarkisian’s right-hand man, told RFE/RL late last week that
a team of Armenian military officials will visit Iraq this month to
prepare for the arrival of the Armenian troops. He said they will join
the Polish-led contingent “at the end of the autumn or the beginning
of the winter.”

Khachaturov claimed that the Armenian parliament may still block
the deployment by refusing to ratify it. His comments also give more
weight to fears that Armenia’s accession to the U.S.-led “coalition
of the willing” could make thousands of ethnic Armenians living in
Iraq a potential target of attacks by anti-American insurgents.

The negotiators: ‘Peace doctor’ respected by rebels, officials

Agence France Presse
Sept 4 2004

MOSCOW – Children’s doctor Leonid Roshal, who was attempting to mediate
a way out of the hostage crisis at a school in southern Russia before
it came to a bloody end yesterday, is a veteran of tense situations who
enjoys the trust of both Chechen rebels and the Russian authorities.

Dr Roshal, who arrived in the North Ossetian town of Beslan on
Wednesday and held several sessions of telephone talks with the
hostage-takers before the siege ended, negotiated the release of eight
children during the siege of a Moscow theatre in October 2002, after
a Chechen commando took some 800 theatre-goers and performers hostage.

‘The situation is serious. We have come up against very cruel people,’
Dr Roshal told relatives just hours before Russian special forces
stormed the school.

His worst fears came true later.

The white-haired doctor, aged 71 and known to the Russian media as the
‘peace doctor’, won the respect of Chechen rebels during the first
separatist war of 1994-96 when he provided medical care to wounded
Chechen children.

The media speculated that the hostage-takers in Beslan had called
specifically for Dr Roshal to mediate.

During the Dubrovka theatre crisis, in which he persuaded the
hostage-takers to allow water and medication into the building,
he operated on one of the rebels who had received a wound to the hand.

After working with the victims of the massive Armenian earthquake of
1988, Dr Roshal set up a team of doctors to work in war and natural
disaster zones.

He and his colleagues have provided care for children in war zones
in the former Yugoslavia (1991), Georgia (1991-92), Nagorno Karabakh
(1992) and Chechnya (1995).

Last year, during the US-led invasion of Iraq, he proposed a ‘green
corridor’ to evacuate children from the cities of Baghdad and Basra.

Dr Roshal, who was decorated by President Vladimir Putin for his
mediation efforts during the Dubrovka crisis, during which at least
129 hostages died, is also a member of the presidential commission
on human rights.

Schweizerische Depeschenagentur AG (SDA)
SDA – Service de base francais
31 août 2004

Développement Fin des tensions entre Berne et Ankara Voie ouverte
pour la visite de Micheline Calmy-Rey

Ankara (ats) Les tensions entre la Suisse et la Turquie au sujet de
la question arménienne appartiennent au passé, a indiqué le
conseiller aux Etats Peter Briner mardi à Ankara. La voie est
désormais ouverte pour la visite de Micheline Calmy-Rey sur les rives
du Bosphore.

A la tête d’une délégation de cinq parlementaires fédéraux, M. Briner
(PRD/SH) est arrivé lundi en Turquie. Les membres de la délégation de
la Commission de politique extérieure du Conseil des Etats (CPE-E) se
sont entretenus mardi avec le chef de la diplomatie turque, Abdullah
Gül.

Sujet réglé

Interrogé par l’ats, le conseiller aux Etats schaffhousois a expliqué
que la question arménienne avait été discutée “entre amis” lors des
entretiens officiels. Ce sujet est désormais réglé.

Suisses et Turcs sont d’avis que l’étude des événements de 1915 ainsi
que leur qualification sont du ressort des historiens arméniens et
turcs, selon M. Briner. M. Gül l’a assuré que les archives de
l’Empire ottoman sont ouvertes à tous les chercheurs, sans
discrimination.

Visite de Mme Calmy-Rey

Plus rien n’empêche donc la visite de la conseillère fédérale
Micheline Calmy-Rey en Turquie, a indiqué M. Briner. M. Gül a réitéré
son invitation lors des entretiens de mardi.

La cheffe de la diplomatie suisse “est bien évidemment la bienvenue”,
a déclaré le ministre turc des affaires étrangères, selon le
conseiller aux Etats. Les chancelleries des deux pays sont en train
d’agender une nouvelle date.

La visite de la cheffe du Département fédéral des affaires étrangères
(DFAE) en septembre dernier avait été annulée au dernier momement par
Ankara. Les autorités turques réagissaient à la décision du Grand
conseil vaudois de reconnaître le massacre des Arméniens par l’Empire
ottoman en 1915 comme étant “un génocide”, un terme qu’Ankara refuse
catégoriquement.

La visite de la délégation de la CPE-E aurait également dû avoir lieu
l’an dernier, en octobre. Ce déplacement avait finalement été
repoussé en raison des tensions diplomatiques entre les deux pays.

Droits de l’homme

Outre la question arménienne, les députés suisses ont évoqué les
récentes réformes entreprises par le gouvernement turc dans le
domaine des droits de l’homme. Ankara souhaite adhérer à l’Union
européenne (UE). Les Vingt-Cinq doivent décider en décembre de
l’opportunité d’ouvrir ou non des négociations d’adhésion avec la
Turquie.

La délégation suisse a également discuté de questions douanières
entre la Suisse et la Turquie, et de certaines “irritations” entre
Berne et Ankara, a indiqué M. Briner. Ces problèmes doivent être
réglés “au niveau technique”, a relevé le conseiller aux Etats sans
entrer dans les détails.

La délégation de la CPE-E effectue une visite de quatre jours en
Turquie. Outre M. Briner, elle est composée de Philipp Stähelin
(PDC/TG), Christiane Brunner (PS/GE), Theo Maissen (PDC/GR),
Maximilian Reimann (UDC/AG) et Françoise Saudan (PRD/GE).

Le programme prévoit également des rencontres politiques à Ankara et
des visites auprès de personnalités politiques locales, d’ONG ainsi
que de représentants de l’UE à Erzurum et Istanbul.

NOTE: dépêche entièrement remaniée. Dans le 2e paragraphe bien lire
lundi.

Armenian Assembly of America
122 C Street, NW, Suite 350
Washington, DC 20001
Phone: 202-393-3434
Fax: 202-638-4904
Email: [email protected]
Web:

PRESS RELEASE
August 26, 2004
CONTACT: Christine Kojoian
E-mail: [email protected]

ILLINOIS CONGRESSMAN JOHN SHIMKUS JOINS ARMENIAN CAUCUS

Washington, DC – The Armenian Assembly welcomed the official announcement
today that Congressman John Shimkus (R-IL) has joined the Congressional
Caucus on Armenian Issues, bringing the total Caucus membership to 136.

“I am very pleased to join the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues,”
said Congressman Shimkus. “Armenian-Americans in my district have always
been passionate, dedicated and informed advocates for the need for stronger
and better relations between our two nations. I am honored to help them to
achieve that goal by being a member of the Caucus.”

Congressman Shimkus currently co-chairs the House Baltic Caucus, which
assists the Baltic States of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in strengthening
their democracies and free market economies.

“The Assembly is delighted that Congressman Shimkus will continue supporting
Armenian issues through his membership to the Caucus,” said Assembly
Executive Director Ross Vartian. “During his tenure in Congress,
Representative Shimkus has repeatedly called for reaffirmation of the
Armenian Genocide. The Assembly looks forward to working with him on this
and other issues facing the community.”

Last year, Congressman Shimkus signed on as cosponsor of H. Res. 193, a
resolution which ensures that the lessons of the Holocaust and the Armenian
Genocide, as well as those in Cambodia and Rwanda are not forgotten. In
addition to his support of Genocide reaffirmation, Representative Shimkus in
April backed a congressional letter sent to House Foreign Operations
Subcommittee Chairman Jim Kolbe (R-AZ), outlining funding priorities for
Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh in Fiscal Year 2005.

Congressman Shimkus, currently serving his fourth term in office, represents
the 19th congressional district which spans from Springfield to Metropolis,
which borders Kentucky. He serves on the House Energy and Commerce
Committee and is vice chairman of its Subcommittee on Energy and Air
Quality. He is also a member of three additional Energy and Commerce
Subcommittees: Telecommunications and the Internet; Environment and
Hazardous Materials; and Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection.

The Armenian Caucus was formed in 1995 to provide a bipartisan forum for
legislators to discuss how the United States can better assist the peoples
of Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh. It is co-chaired by Representatives Joe
Knollenberg (R-MI) and Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ.)

The Armenian Assembly of America is the largest Washington-based nationwide
organization promoting public understanding and awareness of Armenian
issues. It is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt membership organization.

NR#2004-078

Photograph available on the Assembly’s Web site at the following link:

Caption: Congressman John Shimkus (R-IL.)

Six Armenian pilots on trial in Equatorial Guinea over alleged plot

Public Television of Armenia, Yerevan
23 Aug 04

Presenter Six Armenian pilots, who are accused of plotting to
overthrow the government of Equatorial Guinea, are on trial.

The Armenian leadership is sure that the Armenian pilots were not
involved in the plot. The Armenian Foreign Ministry said that the
pilots have already been appointed a local defence attorney. This is
(?Pansiano Mubombo Nubuen) who has already met the pilots and talked
to the Armenian ambassador to Egypt, Samvel Manasaryan. A spokesman
for the Armenian Foreign Ministry told “Aylur” news programme that the
attorney has promised to use all his skills to prove that the Armenian
pilots are not guilty.

Gamlet Gasparyan, spokesman for the Armenian Foreign Ministry,
captioned We have not yet any information about the trial because of
the time difference. Under the country’s laws, the local defence
attorney has been appointed. The attorney has met the pilots at the
end of last week. Our diplomats have met various officials of this
country and held talks with them to present Armenia’s position.

As you know the Armenian president Robert Kocharyan also sent a letter
to the Equatorial Guanine leadership. Armenia has taken various steps
and addressed various countries and international organizations,
asking them to assist our pilots. Armenia is doing its best in order
to solve this problem as soon as possible.

ARMENIA THIS WEEK
Monday, August 23, 2004

REFORMIST CANDIDATE PREVAILS IN STEPANAKERT MAYORAL ELECTION
In a development hailed as an important step towards full-fledged democracy,
Stepanakert voters rewarded a candidate running on a reform platform in a
run-off election held last Sunday. Non-partisan parliamentarian Eduard
Aghabekian collected nearly 55 percent of the vote scoring an upset victory
over the ruling party’s favorite, Pavel Najarian. The two mayoral candidates
went into the run-off election after none of the five candidates collected
more than 50 percent of the vote in Nagorno Karabakh Republic’s (NKR) local
self-government poll held on August 8.

Following the first round of elections, observers from the Stepanakert Press
Club and Artsakh Association for Defense of Human Rights praised the overall
conduct of the poll as fair and transparent. They credited the authorities
with creating a generally positive election atmosphere, while criticizing
instances of pressure on the media, unfair use of administrative resources
and inaccuracies in voter lists. In the second round, the authorities
campaigned hard for Najarian, but did not interfere with the vote count.

Najarian led in the first round with 43 percent, while Aghabekian was a
strong second with 35 percent. But Aghabekian’s supporters rallied before
the second round, receiving endorsements from other mayoral candidates,
including the outgoing incumbent Hamik Avanesian, the Armenian Revolutionary
Federation (HHD) and several other groups. Over 50 percent of Stepanakert’s
eligible voters came to the polls, up from 40 percent in the first round.
Aghabekian’s victory is the first major upset for the Democratic Artsakh
Union (ZhAM), which is the main political support base of President Arkady
Ghoukasian. Ghoukasian, himself, did not publicly endorse any of the
candidates.

In other municipal races, 134 out of 179 incumbent town and village heads
held their posts. Some 50 of these officials belong to ZhAM, 20 to HHD and
10 to Communist Party. While most of the rest are officially non-partisan,
observers saw a trend in favor of opposition groups, even before
Aghabekian’s second round victory. These observers suggest that gains in the
municipal elections have improved the local opposition’s chances at the
parliamentary elections due next spring.

In 1997, NKR became a first entity in the Caucasus to elect its local
administration officials and is the only regional entity, where the
capital’s mayor is chosen through elections. In a report last week, the
London-based Economist compared Karabakh favorably to other unrecognized
republics in the former Soviet Union. The newspaper noted that despite a
devastating war, Karabakh is close to being a normal society, with law and
order, a budding civil society, foreign economic investment and de-facto
unification with Armenia. The Economist sees a “decent future” for Karabakh
as long as the conflict with Azerbaijan is settled and points to the 2001
deal, when the late President Heydar Aliyev came close to agreeing to
de-jure unification of Armenia and Karabakh. (Sources: Arminfo 8-13, 21;
8-14, 23; Armenia This Week 8-9; The Economist 8-19;
Noyan Tapan 8-20, 21)

GOVERNMENT RENEWS PLEDGE TO END COMMUNICATIONS MONOPOLY
The Armenian government is determined to break Armentel’s monopoly on
communications, the official in charge of negotiations on the matter,
Justice Minister David Harutiunian said last Thursday. The government had
earlier planned to abolish the monopoly rights of the Greek-owned company on
cellular and Internet communications by June, but postponed the decision due
to ongoing litigation with the company.

Armenian officials have long accused Armentel of “abusing” its monopoly
rights by setting unusually high tariffs and failing to significantly
improve services it provides. Armentel had in turn claimed that state
regulators were “violating” the terms of the company’s 1998 privatization.
Both sides have now apparently agreed to reach an out-of-court settlement.

According to a report by an Armenian opposition daily, Armentel has already
agreed to competition in cellular communications, but in exchange it wants
to increase tariffs for fixed-line phone service. Government regulators had
blocked a similar hike last January.

According to a study conducted by Yerevan’s Armenian-European Policy and
Legal Advice Center (AEPLAC), Armentel is one of the largest companies in
Armenia. Armentel reported $35 million in profits in the first four months
of the year. In terms of sales and employment, it is second only to the
Electric Power Networks (EPN), another monopoly privatized last year.

AEPLAC surveyed trends in the Armenian economy in 2003, focusing on EPN,
Armentel, and eight other largest Armenian companies: Armenian Aluminum,
Yerevan Brandy Plant, Flash (fuel imports), Apaven (cargo), Armenian Copper
Program, Yerevan Jewelry Factory, Ararat Cement and Diamond Company of
Armenia. The study noted the fast pace of development of the private sector
in Armenia in terms of output and export (primarily to Europe). But it also
pointed to significant staff cuts in EPN and other companies, following
their privatization.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) estimates that
60 percent of the Gross Domestic Product and more than 70 percent of all
jobs in Armenia are provided for by the private sector. (Sources: Armenia
This Week 1-16, 3-5; Noyan Tapan 6-11, 7-21; Arminfo 6-28, 29, 7-10, 8-19;
RFE/RL Armenia Report 6-21, 7-28, 8-19; 8-5)

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