Author: Topchian Jane

ADAMS URGES TO HEAL SOCIAL DIVISIONS

A1+
[04:08 pm] 16 May, 2008

U.S. Assistance Coordinator for Europe and Eurasia Thomas Adams is
in Armenia May 14-17, in his final visit to our country in that
capacity. Adams was accompanied by his deputy, Daniel Rosenblum,
who has been designated to succeed him as Coordinator in the upcoming
months.

The delegation held fruitful discussions with the President, the Prime
Minister, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Minister of Finance,
the Minister of Economy, the Minister of Agriculture, and the Minister
of Energy and Natural Resources.

Mr. Adams addressed a wide range of important issues in his
conversations with his hosts from the Armenian government. He learned
about the status of democracy and human rights issues in Armenia, in
light of the post-election political difficulties. He urged Armenian
authorities to take prompt action to heal the social divisions that
have arisen as a result of the political conflict. Adams also discussed
with Armenian officials a number of other important bilateral issues,
including ongoing cooperation programs in energy and agriculture,
Armenia’s economy, measures to improve Armenia’s attractiveness to
foreign investment, and Armenia’s important efforts to combat illegal
trafficking in persons.

During his visit, Mr. Adams met with the Board of the American Chamber
of Commerce in Armenia, as well as key leaders and stakeholders of
the Millennium Challenge program in Armenia. The delegation also
visited a number of project sites implementing U.S. ,assistance
programs, including the Armenian-American Wellness Center, Arcolate
Chocolate Company, Arzni Medical Ambulatory in Kotayk Marz, and a
school in Nork, which was refurbished with the financial support of
the U.S. Government.

ARMENIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: WORKING GROUP ENGAGED IN IMPLEMENTATION OF PACE RESOLUTION’S REQUIREMENTS HAS CHOSEN THE RIGHT PATH

arminfo
2008-05-15 16:33:00

ArmInfo. The working group, which is engaged in implementation of the
PACE resolution’s requirements, has chosen the right path, Armenian
Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandyan told journalists in parliament,
Thursday.

He said it is very important that real steps are already being taken to
implement the resolution’s requirements. "The working group includes
representatives of various structures", he noted. Nalbandyan added
that the relevant structure, which made these requirements, will
appreciate the efficiency of the working group’s activity.

To recall, on April 17 PACE adopted the resolution "On Functioning
of Democratic Institutions in Armenia" concerning the March 1 events.

14 YEARS OF CEASE-FIRE IN THE KARABAKH CONFLICT ZONE

PanARMENIAN.Net
13.05.2008 GMT+04:00

The initiator of the cease-fire was Russia, which wanted to spoil
the relations with Azerbaijan.

On May 12, 1994 the Bishkek Protocol about the cease-fire in the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone was signed, and on May 16 the meeting
of the Minister of Defence of Armenia Serge Sargsyan, the Minister of
Defence of Azerbaijan Mamedraffi Mamedov and the NKR Army Commander
Samvel Babayan took place on May 16 in Moscow. During the meeting the
agreement on cease-fire which had been reached earlier was confirmed. A
document "Agreement on the order of the realization of the Protocol
of February 18 of 1994" anticipating the raising of the troops of
Karabakh and Azerbaijan, and the establishment of the buffer zone
between the countries, was also prepared.

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The document was signed by the Ministers of Defence
of the Russian Federation and Armenia Pavel Grachev and Serge Sargsyan,
as well as the army commander of the NKR Defence Samvel Babayan.

Yet the Minister of Defence of Azerbaijan Mamedraffi Mamedov did not
sign the document – he was urgently called to Baku. The document was
signed a bit later in Baku. Regardless this, the long-term cease-fire
was ensured in the zone. The cease-fire, firstly, was necessary for
Azerbaijan, which in the result of impetuous offensives of the Army of
the NKR Defence lost one position after another. Baku realized that if
they do not stop the Armenians, they may lose the Gandzha Airport,
which is the second important airport in the Caucasus, miss the
control over many territories, and perhaps the war would reach Baku.

Heydar Aliyev would not let this happen. Aliyev was well aware of
the fact that only Russia could stop the Armenian offensive. The
fact that Azerbaijan has feared the offensive of the Armenian Army
was obvious before and now. The Ambassador Vladimir Kazimirov, who
was in 1992-96 the head of the Russian mediation mission, as well
as the Nagorno-Karabakh representative of the RF President and also
the participant and the co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, opened a
little secret. In the article published in the newspaper "News Time"
he wrote: "The stubborn battle of the spring 1994 at Terter, which
is to the north of Stepanakert, was fraught with new troubles for
Azerbaijan. The Armenian outlet to the River Kur would cut off the
north-western prominence of Azerbaijan (this is exactly what happened
in the southwest in 1993 with their outlet to the River Arax). Baku
did not insist on its preconditions any more and was ready for a
long-term cease-fire."

The initiator of the cease-fire was Russia, which wanted to spoil
the relations with Azerbaijan.

According to the Russian political scientist Alexander Mzareulov,
the relations of Russia with Azerbaijan, the richest county of the
Caucasus, turned out to be spoiled because of the events of Sumgait
in 1988. "The national course of President Elchibey also had rather
negative outcomes. The relations were damaged, but not completely
spoiled. We did not take part in the conflict from the part of
Armenia. We did not take up the function of establishing peace,
this is OSCE’s role and our troops have nothing to do here.

Objectively speaking Azerbaijan is at the moment interested in good,
but not allied relations with Russia (particularly after the calming
down in Chechnya). This has its many reasons; they are the economical
interests of the huge Azeri Diaspora in Russia (about 3 million),
the joint "game" in the oil market, the problem of the Caspian Sea
and others.

Regardless the declarative urge to be integrated in NATO, today
Azerbaijan for us is a relatively neutral country," he says. Mzareulov
also mentioned that the Karabakh problem, of course, remains the
biggest problem, but "the decrease of the tension also depends on
successful progress in other regional conflicts and first of all in
Georgia and also on whether the Russian authority as a big peacemaking
power grows or falls in the region."

However for Armenia signing the Protocol was also a positive step. The
Bishkek Protocol about the cease-fire between the Nagorno-Karabakh
and Azerbaijan is the first document, where the Nagorno-Karabakh was
mentioned as the official party of the conflict. The Protocol was
signed by the Ministers of Defence of NKR, Azerbaijan and Armenia
as a guarantor of the safety of Karabakh. "Thus on May 12, 1994 the
Nagorno-Karabakh became full member involved in the negotiations. The
peaceful agreement, if it is signed in the near future, must be signed
by the Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan," says the political scientist
Levon Melik-Shahnazaryan.

According to the Director of the Caucasian Institute of Mass Media,
political scientist Alexander Iskandaryan, the Bishkek Protocol itself
is not as important as the fact that it is 14 years that between the
conflicting parties the cease-fire regime has been maintained. "The
current stage of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict may be quailed as
"peaceful". I do not agree with those who call the negotiation stage
"no war, no peace". If there are no shootings, it means that there
is peace. The Bishkek Protocol was the document which fixed the
situation between the Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan in 1994. And
this situation continues till today," mentioned Iskandaryan.

2007 BUDGETARY ALLOCATIONS FOR NATIONAL ASSEMBLY STAFF PARTLY SAVED

Noyan Tapan

Ma y 13, 2008

YEREVAN, MAY 13, NOYAN TAPAN. Out of 2.9 bln drams (about 9.5 mln USD)
envisaged by the 2007 state budget for the RA National Assembly staff,
about 2.6 bln drams was used, the RA chief treasurer Atom Janjughazian
stated at the May 13 joint sitting of the National Assembly standing
committees.

According to him, 2.3 bln drams was envisaged for the activities of
the staff and deputies, while 2.08 bln drams was actually spent. 406
mln drams envisaged for construction of administrative facilities
was fully used.

Besides, the NA implemented a program of joining international
organizations, with 71.8 mln drams allocated for this purpose being
fully spent.

The head of the NA staff Hayk Kotanian said that the 2007
budget-envisaged sum was saved by about 12% due to the fact that
expenses on business trips and representative expenditures were
reduced because of the elections. The sum for repairs of the NA hall
of sittings was also saved because the start of the repair work was
delayed. As for the new building of the National Assembly, the 2007
sum for its construction was fully spent.

AZERBAIJANI ARMED FORCES FIRE AT DEFENSIVE BASES NEAR VILLAGE OF BAGANIS AND INJURE SHEPHERD

arminfo
2008-05-12 18:18:00

ArmInfo. Azerbaijani Armed Forces fired at defensive bases near of
Armed Forces of Armenia near the village of Baghanis, Tavush region,
Armenia approximately at 11:00am Monday.

Press Secretary of Armenian Defense Minister Colonel Seyran
Shakhsouvaryan told ArmInfo that a resident of the village of Baganis,
shepherd Lorik Avagyan (1957) was injured. It was possible to take
Avagyan out of the fire line only at about 12:40pm. L. Avagyan is
hospitalized. His health is in the state of moderate severity.

COOPERATION AGREEMENT SIGNED BETWEEN STEPANAKERT AND KOLCHUGINO, RUSSIA

DeFacto Agency
May 12 2008
Armenia

YEREVAN, 12.05.08. DE FACTO. Cooperation agreements were signed
between Stepanakert and Kolchugino, as well as between Artsakh and
Vladimir State Universities. The documents were signed in the course
of the visit of a delegation of the Vladimir region, Russia, headed
by academician Victor Katushev, the head of the Kolchugino regional
administration, to the Nagorno-Karabakh.

Academician Vladimir Kechin, pro Rector of Vladimir State University,
leader of the regional innovation centre, Hrachja Avakian, the
President of the Adamand Union, and Kamo Gasparian, the head of the
Vladimir region’s Armenian community, were within the delegation.

In the course of a meeting with the NKR President Bako Sahakian the
interlocutors discussed perspectives of cooperation between Artsakh
and Vladimir region in economic, cultural and educational spheres.

Today’s Zaman, Turkey
May 10 2008

Brussels reporters fed up with Armenian lobby

Brussels reporters aren’t happy with the volume of e-mails, press
releases and newsletters sent to them by Armenian lobbyists, a poll
has revealed.

In an online survey conducted by global communication consultancy APCO
Worldwide in cooperation with API and Journalists@YOURSERVICE,
Brussels reporters were asked to pick the worst public relations pitch
of the last year. Activities of Armenian lobbyists were voted the
sixth-worst. Reporters complained of too many e-mails from Armenian
associations, spamming inboxes. The number-one in the worst 10 is a
`commercially oriented but disguised-as-politics briefing approach.’
The second-worst was `GMO crops are good for the environment and help
to beat hunger in the world.’ In the top 10 on the best practices
list, reporters most admired the new EU broadband statistics, setting
up 27 short separate national interviews with each country’s
press. The second in the top 10 is Manchester United’s 50th
anniversary match for the EU.

Media corps wants Juncker as president

Asked who they would vote into the EU presidency if given the chance
— a hotly debated topic these days — the Brussels press corps made
it clear they were rooting for Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean Claude
Juncker. Juncker received 35 percent of press members’ votes, German
Chancellor Angela Merkel garnered 21 percent and Tony Blair, 18
percent. Some argue that Juncker, the long-time prime minister of one
of the smallest EU members, will never be taken seriously in
negotiations with countries like Russia, the US or China. As for Tony
Blair, his chances are getting slimmer, as French President Nicholas
Sarkozy has withdrawn his support for the former British prime
minister. According to the Lisbon Treaty, the EU should elect the
first EU president in December at the latest, as she or he must begin
in their post on Jan. 1, 2009. The first-ever president of the club
will be elected by the leaders of the 27 members with a qualified
majority.

At a time when Barroso has been roundly criticized by a segment of the
Turkish press for demanding `democratic secularism,’ the majority of
Brussels reporters believe European Commission President José
Manuel Barroso is doing a good job. Fifty-six percent say Barroso is a
good president while 28 percent disagree. However Brussels reporters
do not want to see him as the first EU president.

The most-read paper by Brussels correspondents is The Financial Times;
46 percent of them read it, while 33 percent read the Euobserver, an
online EU daily.

The survey was sent to 1,614 journalists in Brussels and elsewhere who
cover European affairs. Of these, 121 responded, corresponding to
roughly 10 percent of the Brussels press corps.

10.05.2008
SELÃ?UK GÃ`LTAÅ?LI BRUSSELS

Armenia Foundation has launched only one project in Martuni

10-05-2008 13:22:19 – KarabakhOpen

This year the bulk of activities of the Rebirth of Artsakh Program of
Armenia Foundation must be implemented in the region of Martuni. For
this purpose about 15 million dollars was raised in November in the
telethon of Los Angeles.

According to the director of the Artsakh programs of Armenia Foundation
Michel Tancrez, the foundation has launched only one project in
Martuni, the project of water supply of the village of Spitakashen, the
value of which is 270 thousand dollars. The contractor, the Karavan
Company, committed to completion by December.

We learned from Mr. Tancrez that now the costs of renovation of the
schools in Chartar, Karmir Shuka, Gishi and Martuni, as well as the
nursery schools in the villages of Sos and Machkalashen are being
estimated. In Sos there is also a water supply problem, said the
director of programs.

MG Co-chair: We are not in the phase of work on the proposals on the
Karabakh issue

10-05-2008 13:22:53 – KarabakhOpen

The meeting of the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan in
Strasbourg was important for the acquaintance of the ministers, also it
was the first meeting after three months of halt in the talks for the
settlement of the Karabakh conflict because of the presidential
elections in Armenia, stated the French co-chair of the OSCE Minsk
Group Bernard Fassier in an interview with the Azerbaijani agency APA.

As a result of the meeting the ministers committed to continuing the
talks. It may happen in the upcoming weeks and months, which may
facilitate a meeting of the presidents, Fassier said, adding that the
meeting of presidents is possible if the presidents think it is
important. Fassier said the visit of the co-chairs to the region
depends on when the presidents will be able to meet. Now the main issue
is when the presidents will consider the meeting necessary, Bernard
Fassier noted.

The co-chair also said presently there are no new proposals on the
agenda. According to him, after the meeting in Madrid there are written
proposals on the table, and it is necessary to bring more clarity about
some details, to see how the sides will respond to the proposals, and
what should be added or changed. He said it is necessary to work on the
proposals but they are not in that phase now. According to him,
presently the most important issue is the acquaintance of ministers and
presidents. He said afterwards they will work on the proposals
determining the direction of work and clarifying the points which need
clarification.

PanARMENIAN.Net

Does Azerbaijan deny the US assistance in holding election?

Baku does not seem willing or does not want to
understand that one cannot fool the entire world with
numbers and fake reports.
06.05.2008 GMT+04:00

On the first sight Azerbaijan’s behavior in its
foreign political scene becomes more and more
unpredictable. Here the statement of Ramiz Mekhtiev;
the Head of the Executive Personnel of the President,
would be appropriate to mention. "The allocation of
the US funds for holding democratic election in
Azerbaijan is interference in the internal affairs of
the country," he had said in a press-conference in
Baku.
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Yet, this is not as interesting as
the further statements of Makhtiev: "the words of the
US Secretary General Condoleezza Rice in address to
Azerbaijan are extremely unfounded. This means that in
Georgia and in Armenia the public-political situation
and other issues are very well solved, and Azerbaijan
is considered the only backward country in the
region." Baku does not seem willing or does not want
to understand that one cannot fool the entire world
with numbers and fake reports: the journalists do not
move, there is no opposition in the country, and the
Azeri delegation in PACE remembers about the human
rights factor only when they are reminded to do so.
The truth is though that even in this case it acts in
the habitual methods: "you are the fool". "Fool" of
course refers to the Armenians. But this is already a
different story; however, Baku has lately started to
simply force the Armenian party to answer back to
their insinuation filling the entire Azeri press. Is
it possible that the Personnel of Ilham Aliyev and the
president himself are so naïve that they think that
the whole world including the USA will consider their
opinion only because at this moment Azerbaijan is of
some importance to the big powers? Yet, there may be
another interpretation to Mekhtiev’s words, i.e. three
million is not
enough, give us some more.

The US Embassy in Baku did not fail to response to the
statements made by Ramiz Mekhtiev. Azerbaijan, having
been mentioned by Bush, as one of the countries where
the number of the convicted journalists is the
highest, and this numbers are concrete and true. These
numbers concern the year of 2007. By the end of the
year half of the journalists have been released and
now the situation is a bit different. That is why the
numbers given by the US President for the year of 2007
are correct," said the Head of the Department for
Public Affairs Jonathan Hennik. "There is no need to
search for something blameworthy in the allocation of
the $ 3 million that the USA has assigned for holding
democratic election in Azerbaijan. This money is meant
to ensure democratic election, and give chance to all
the organizations to
carry monitoring of the election. This is not a
financial support to certain political organizations,
but assistance to the entire process of
democratization of the country," he said.

Each country chooses its destiny regardless whether it
has adopted the democratic or any other from of
government. But each country must respect the
international community and not impose its rules. Yet,
these rules are not for Baku. Having adopted the
historical anti-Armenian propaganda, which is of
course encouraged by Turkey, and receiving big money,
the Azeri elite wants the whole world obeys them. For
example the 90% of the information disseminated by the
Azeri press if is not a mere lie, is quite close to
it. This particularly concerns various comments and
opinions, which are made by the foreign experts. And
perhaps it has never occurred to them that their
words, being torn away from the context, will be
delivered like ideas of foreign experts "who are
exceptionally for the territorial integrity of
Azerbajian". Anyway, this is the topic that has been
discussed too much, that it does not interest anyone
any more. There is something else, which is of more
danger: the neighboring countries which have to play
with the rules set by Baku, will participate in the
dirty game. and then, the ruin of the region is
inevitable. Maybe the USA needs this to keep all the
three
countries of South Caucasus in its control. However,
it should not be forgotten that the future President
of the USA may be democrat. The basic trends of the
American foreign policy will not change, but the world
will be viewed differently. There are no doubts that
Azerbaijan will adjust to the new conditions as well,
but will it have enough oil and power, is a quite
different question.
«PanARMENIAN.Net» analytical department