Author: Torosian Aram

Dancer turns wine importer
By SUSAN HOUSTON, Staff Writer

The News & Observer (Raleigh)
newsobserver.com
Wednesday, May 26, 2004 7:43AM EDT

When Edgar Vardanian finally hangs up his ballet slippers as a
dancer for Carolina Ballet, he has a second career all lined up:
wine importer.

And one of the first wines to be offered in the Triangle by his Ararat
Import Export company will be pomegranate wine from Vardanian’s native
Armenia. Pomegranate wine should be available in early June at Whole
Foods in Raleigh, with other locations to be announced later.

“It’s delicious. It’s very popular in Armenia and in Russia, but
because of the Soviet Union, nothing could leave the Soviet Union. Now
Armenia is separate, it can export the wine,” Vardanian said.

The wine is made from the pomegranate, a fruit grown throughout Asia
and the Mediterranean. About the size of an orange, the pomegranate
has a thin, reddish skin and hundreds of tiny seeds surrounded by
bright red pulp.

In Armenia, this pulp is pressed to extract the juice and a
light-colored red wine is made from it, Vardanian said. Pomegranate
wine has been imported to America before, but “now only goes to
California, because there are so many Armenians living there.”

Vardanian and his business partners — fellow dancer Vlad Bourakov
of Charlotte and importer Arnie Slutsky of Raleigh — are working
with two Armenian wineries to produce a wine that Ararat calls simply
“Pomegranate: Semi Sweet Red Wine.” Its colorful cubist-style label
was created by Vardanian’s uncle, an artist.

Vardanian hopes the novelty of wine made from pomegranates as well as
its health benefits (it is higher in cancer-fighting antioxidants than
red wine from grapes) will attract mainstream American wine drinkers.

Scott Brown, wine buyer for Whole Foods Market in Raleigh, is sold.

“We’ve all tasted and all really liked it,” said Brown, who
recommended serving pomegranate wine chilled. “It’s fairly sweet,
but not as sweet as Zinfandel or Riesling. It’s really refreshing,
a good white wine alternative.”

The wine will retail for about $9 a bottle.

Food editor Susan Houston can be reached at 812-4109 or
[email protected].

Europe exerts influence on region, conflict – separatist Karabakh spokesman

Golos Armenii, Yerevan
20 May 04

In an interview, separatist Nagornyy-Karabakh presidential advisor
Manvel Sarkisyan tells the De-Facto news agency about his view of
the new European-influenced politics of the South Caucasus. In
the ideological vacuum that followed the break-up of the USSR,
he says it is Europe that is now assessing and becoming involved
in the region. The Europeans’ view is that territorial claims and
ethno-political history can be destructive and that settlement of
conflict in the region should be based only on the principles of
“human rights and legality”. Following is a report from a De-Facto
news agency report in the Armenian newspaper Golos Armenii on 20 May
headlined “The human factor is a priority”

An interview with the NKR president’s advisor on political issues
Manvel Sarkisyan. He said that “symmetrical” assessments of the Minsk
Group have been revoked.

[De-Facto correspondent] Mr Sarkisyan, you have recently taken part in
a seminar in Stepanakert [Xankandi] dedicated to the 10th anniversary
of the cease-fire in the Karabakh conflict zone. Its theme – “European
integration as a guarantee of peace and stable development”, could not
help but become a reason of public interest, raising many questions
that are topical for the region as a whole, as well as for the Karabakh
settlement. How can you explain such an active introduction of European
structures into the political life of the region recently?

[Manvel Sarkisyan] After the USSR collapsed the nations of the South
Caucasus region, that started construction of independent states, did
not immediately understand their basic psychological and political
state. The ideological vacuum, that appeared against the background
of the collapse of communist ideology, immediately meant that since
proclaiming independence, national policy found itself under the
strong influence of the ethno-political ideas.

The Urgent desire of the nations to build a national state according
to their ethno-political traditions finally turned into bloodshed and
conflict. On the other hand, a gap appeared between the tendencies
to international integration and an age-long desire of the nations
to have independence. This widening gap had a destructive effect on
the regional processes. The situation created big complications for
Europe, which from the very beginning had declared this region in
its zone of interest. In addition, incompatibility of the political
outlook of the South Caucasus nations with the established values
and norms of the European political world, formed the attitudes of
European politicians towards the countries of the region.

The most typical European assessments is perception of the region as
“territorial illegality where the dictator’s power was established
on ethnic lines”. By the way, such assessments are not concerning
only the unrecognized states, but also the three recognized states.

[Correspondent] Let us nevertheless agree that there is truth in
these assessments, and it is not quite correct to accuse Europeans
of biased views. Naturally, a certain reaction to this should be
expected from the side of the political elite of the region. Was it
adequately accepted in the region?

[Sarkisyan] During the last two years the South Caucasus countries have
felt the real affect of the political factor of Europe. Just at that
time the European structures, first of all PACE, was determining the
course of many domestic political events in all the countries of the
region. As for the political elite of these countries, which always see
“Moscow’s hand” everywhere, they suddenly found themselves something
unusual for them – the interference of the European structures in
their interior affairs. The local politicians could not understand
whole range of changed realities in the region.

Insight, that gave birth to some confusion, came during last year’s
presidential elections in Armenia and Azerbaijan, as well as during
a changing of power in Georgia: it became clear that a new player had
entered the game – United Europe. A flow of harsh European resolutions
with strict assessment of the authorities actions and with no less
harsh demands, caught the political elite unaware. New rules of the
play have appeared that had to be taken into account. Along with
it they understood that Moscow, which was the traditional “owner
of state” in the region, is also starting to take these rules into
account, especially now that it is becoming more and more difficult
to explain its actions in the South Caucasus.

The relations of the region with Europe have become clear in connection
with the decision of the European Union to involve 10 new members
and an announcement about a project “New neighbours” of Europe. The
prospect of the future sight of integration of the South Caucasus
region into the European political space has become realistic. At the
beginning of this summer it will become clear if an agreement on “New
neighbours” of Europe will be adopted, and what they specifically mean
by this grandiose political project. Political regimes of the countries
of the region come across an increasing flow of demands stemming
from Europe. Testing, harsh rules and unusual values of the political
world that is attractive but has not yet fully disclosed itself.

[Correspondent] As the South Caucasus politicians start to try on
the suits made according to European designs, what can they and the
countries of the region expect from further development of events?

[Sarkisyan] It is not accidental that the first forms of established
relations of Europe with the countries of the region had a form of
uncompromising diktat in all the areas, though formally these relations
are called monitoring. It is not accidental either, that along with
practice of the legal ideas and norms being introduced into internal
life of the countries of the region, the European countries started
dealing thoroughly with the conflict zones in the South Caucasus. The
ethno-political traditions are the most destructive in the sphere of
conflict. And conflicts restrain not only economic development of the
region but also a process of state construction in the conflicting
countries.

It is not difficult to notice that the policy of the United Europe
towards the countries of the region has the following four strict
approaches:

cultivation of the European forms national legislation and stimulation
of the constitutional forms of domestic political relations;
stimulation of inter-parliamentary relations; development of business
at a regional scale; looking for means of conflict settlement on the
principles of human rights and legality.

Let us also add a strategic programme of attraction of the armies of
the region into joint international security programmes (“Partnership
for Peace”) – the purpose of the United Europe will become more clear:
to remove the ethno-political ideas from the national policy of the
regional countries. And this means that a traditional perception of
the national interests in the region may be changed substantially. It
is evident that the Western world will do everything to radically
transform the South Caucasus region. At the same time the opportunities
for choice for the countries of the region have reduced.

[Correspondent] A time has come to ask the main question: how can be
the Karabakh conflict settled against this background?

[Sarkisyan] What I said makes the Karabakh issue clear and the
conflict with Azerbaijan remains one of the key problems of the
South Caucasus. After the cease-fire the status-quo in the conflict
zone remains against a background of diplomatic settlement, within
the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group. In spite of the absence of
progress in the matter of a settlement, the Minsk Group has managed to
fulfil one of its important missions – preservation of the cease-fire
regime. But at the same time a “philosophy” of settlement, taken from
the very beginning, that makes an accent at a priority of territorial
component of the conflict, remains. The package as well the stage by
stage projects of settlement were based on the matter of control over
the territory of Nagornyy Karabakh and adjoining territories.

Since 2003 the Karabakh problem has become one of the main problems
of the Council of Europe. It was then that the first PACE rapporteur
on Nagornyy Karabakh was appointed. Later rapporteur were also
appointed in the European parliament. The PACE rapporteur Terry
Davies visited the region in the spring of 2003, but he did not dare
to visit Nagornyy Karabakh. That time he said that he would assess
the Minsk Group activity, that is, he made us understand that the
European initiative has its ideas about this conflict zone, that
differ from ideas of the Minsk Group.

Soon it became clear what he meant. In January 2004, in one of the PACE
resolutions the following wording appeared: “Nagornyy Karabakh and
other occupied territories of Azerbaijan”. This formula demonstrated
a sharp changing of positions of the European countries in assessment
to the key aspects of the Karabakh problem. I would like to point out
that in the resolution of the European parliament dated 11 March 1999,
they demonstrated a more balanced approach. Furthermore it became
evident that the even-handed assessments of the Minsk Group were
fully revoked in the European approaches.

[Correspondent] What do the European structures offer in an
exchange? What is the principle difference of their proposals?

[Sarkisyan] First of all I should say that the activity of the European
structures in the matter of the Karabakh conflict settlement has
risen sharply since the beginning of 2004.

[Passage omitted: Sarkisyan says that representatives of all the
political structures of the United Europe have started visiting the
region. If earlier they were avoiding direct meetings with the NKR
leadership, this time they were searching them out. The names of
officials are mentioned and the dates of their visit to the NKR.]

More over, the British “Linx” public organization started acting on
the region. It declared its main mission – activity on stimulation
of the societies of the conflicting countries to contacts.

Just at that period the key principle in the position of the
European structures was displayed. The formula of Terry Devis –
“I am not interested in territories, I am interested in people”,
has become an expression of a fundamentally new approach of Europe to
the conflict, an approach which may be called “humanitarian”. Further
activity on the matter of a settlement has confirmed the fact that
in their approaches they follow just these principles, based on the
principle of “human rights and legality”.

It is clear that the Minsk Group approach, which is usual for the
political elite of the region, and gives priority to the territorial
aspects of the conflict situation, has been rejected forever. So,
activation of the European structures in the matter of the settlement
of conflicts in the South Caucasus region has radically changed the
politics of the Karabakh problem. It has become evident that the
challenge of conflict settlement has been connected with the general
complex of problems of political development in the South Caucasus
region. A universal approach has been displayed towards all the key
issues of the region: state building, development of democracy,
economic and political integration. The era of a “traditional”
geo-political approach towards the region has been ended.

PRESS OFFICE

Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Contact: Jake Goshert, Coordinator of Information Services
Tel: (212) 686-0710 Ext. 60; Fax: (212) 779-3558
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:

May 21, 2004
___________________

FR. KABARADJIAN REMEMBERED

On Saturday, May 8, 2004, Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern), delivered the
eulogy during the funeral of V. Rev. Fr. Varoujan Kabaradjian, the
long-time pastor at the St. James Church of Evanston, IL, who passed
away on April 30, 2004, after a prolonged illness.

During the service the Primate also performed the last anointing on Fr.
Kabaradjian, who was born in a suburb of Istanbul and came to Evanston
after studying in the seminary of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem.

Dozens of clergymen and parishioners from the Chicagoland area attended
funeral services, which were sung by a choir made up of singers from the
local parishes and led by Maestro Khoren Mekanejian, coordinator of
music ministry for the Diocese. His Eminence Archbishop Yeghishe
Gizirian, former Pontifical Legate and Primate of the Armenian Church of
Great Britain, celebrated the Divine Liturgy and presided over the wake
service the night before, on Friday evening, May 7, 2004.

“It was about a year ago when we celebrated Fr. Varoujan’s long and
illustrious ministry in the vineyard of our Lord,” the Primate said.
“At that time we did not expect that he would leave us so soon. Fr.
Varoujan, through his ministry, listened and followed the commandment of
our Lord Jesus Christ, ‘Go forth and make disciples of all nations.'”

Before coming to America in 1958, Fr. Kabaradjian held various positions
at the St. James Monastery in Jerusalem. From 1958 until his retirement
in 2003, he served the Armenian community of Evanston. In addition to
his duties as pastor of the St. James Parish, he served as a visiting
pastor to a number of churches in the Chicago and Southern Wisconsin
areas.

“Over the past five decades, countless individuals have been touched by
his wisdom and kindness,” the Primate said during his eulogy. “And
these people will always reserve a special place in their heart for
their beloved teacher, pastor, and friend. His pastoral care
invigorated the life of our Diocese and his example inspired others —
both clergy and laymen — to answer the call of discipleship.”

On January 1, 1998, the Evanston Police Department assigned Fr.
Kabaradjian as one of its four police chaplains. On March 26, 2001, the
mayor and police chief of Evanston honored Fr. Varoujan in the Evanston
City Hall for services rendered to the city. The city of Evanston first
honored him on July 26, 1983. From 1973 to 1977, he was the only
Armenian clergyman in Illinois.

Evanston Mayor Lorraine Morton and Chief of Police Frank Kaminski spoke
during the services for Fr. Kabaradjian, which were organized by Fr.
Nareg Keutelian, pastor of the St. John the Baptist Church of
Greenfield, WI.

“Fr. Varoujan was equally admired and respected by the authorities and
fellow citizens of Evanston, whom he served in so many capacities,” the
Primate said. “The awards and honors bestowed on Fr. Varoujan by the
city of Evanston are a credit to the esteem they held for him.

“Fr. Varoujan took the gifts he was given by the Almighty and returned
them to his church, his people, his community, and, ultimately, to God,”
the Primate added.

— 5/21/03

E-mail photos available on request. Photos also viewable on the Eastern
Diocese’s website,

PHOTO CAPTION (1): The late Fr. Varoujan Kabaradjian, longtime pastor
of the St. James Church of Evanston, IL, was laid to rest on Saturday,
May 8, 2004.

# # #

CYPRUS, ARMENIAN FOREIGN MINISTERS DISCUSS TIES, REGIONAL ISSUES

Cyprus News Agency
20 May 04

Nicosia, 20 May: The Cyprus problem, Cyprus’ accession to the EU, the
Cyprus-Armenia relations, the problems in the Caucasus region and the
issue of Nagornyy Karabakh were on the agenda of discussions here today
between Cyprus Foreign Minister Yeoryios Iakovou and his Armenia’s
counterpart Vardan Oskanyan, who is paying a working visit to Cyprus.

In his statements after the meeting Oskanyan stressed the importance
of Cyprus’ accession to the EU for Armenia noting that “we see Cyprus
as a friendly country, as an insider in the EU and that we can rely
on its help to further advance our integration processes with European
structures and particularly with the EU”.

He also said that the reason of his visit to the island is “first of
all to advance and deepen our bilateral ties at all levels”.

Iakovou said “Armenia is a friendly country with very old ties with
Cyprus” and that their modern ties develop continuously at all levels
and mostly at the political level.

He referred to the presence of many Armenians in Cyprus that
participate to the economic, social and political life of the country
and noted they discussed various issues.

Iakovou said he briefed Oskanyan on the latest developments in the
Cyprus problem, Cyprus’ accession to the EU and the prospects created
by it while Oskanyan briefed him on the problems at Caucasus region
and Nagornyy Karabakh.

Oskanyan said during the past 12 years of Armenia’s independence
“we consistently upgraded our bilateral ties.”

“Our relations are at a very good level at this moment. We’ve been
closely working together in international organizations and we will
continue to do so in the future,” he said.

He added that he was extremely satisfied with his talks with Iakovou
and that their discussion was very useful.

“We’ve addressed our bilateral relations, we’ve assessed where we stand
today and we’ve talked as to how we can move forward,” Oskanyan said.

He also described “extremely helpful” the analysis and the explanation
of the Cypriot minister about the Annan unification plan and the
reasons behind the ‘No’ that the Greek Cypriot people expressed on the
24 April referendum, adding that “now I understand better the reasons.”

“Also the minister analysed and explained what are the expectations
for the future since truly the intention here is to see a unified
Cyprus as a member of the EU,” he added.

He said that on his part he briefed the Cypriot minister about the
talks on the Nagornyy Karabakh issue “where we stand and what are the
prospects for the peaceful resolution of this conflict in our region.”

“We’ve also talked about other regional matters, particularly Armenia’s
relations with its neighbours, Turkey in particular,” he noted, adding
“as a goal before us we have the normalization of ties between Armenia
and Turkey.”

He also said he very much hoped that the Cypriot minister will have
the opportunity to visit Armenia in the near future.

Asked if during his meetings here he discussed the issue of the
Melkonian Educational Institute, after the Armenian General Benevolent
Union’s (AGBU) which governs the institute decided to shut down,
Oskanyan said he discussed it both with Cypriot Minister of Interior
Andreas Christou and Nicosia Mayor Michael Zambelas.

“This is an issue that concerns the Government of Armenia and I simply
heard the views of the Cypriot government officials as to what they
think about the future of the school and I should also say that I met
with the community members yesterday and I focused on the Melkonian’s
closure,” he added.

“We in Armenia like to see a solution to this issue that will meet
the needs of everyone”, the Armenian Foreign Minister said and added
that Armenia was ready to offer its good offices, if it could be of
any help, to reach a positive conclusion to this issue.

Railway from Russia to Transcaucasia must be unblocked
By Lyudmila Yermakova

ITAR-TASS News Agency
May 14, 2004 Friday

SAMARA, May 14 — The railway from Russia to the Transcaucasia must
function again, holds Vadim Gustov, the chairman of the Committee
for CIS affairs of the Federation Council upper house of Russian
parliament.

“There is a need to look for the solution of this problem, and there
might be a non-standard decision”, Gustov said. He takes part in the
conference on interregional Russo-Armenian cooperation.

Nearly 90 percent of Armenia’s foreign trade cargoes are carried
along the Georgian railway. The transit of Armenian cargoes along
this territory and then through the ports of Poti and Batumi involves
certain problems, Gustov said. The cost of goods transportation over
the first 700 kilometres on the way from Yerevan to Moscow makes up
80 percent of the total transportation costs.

Gustov believes the MPs of the three countries concerned – Armenia,
Georgia and Russia – must participate in the solution of this
problem. “One of the ways is jointly to provide the funds for the
reconstruction of the destroyed part of the railway and then Armenia
might rent this stretch”, he said. Gustov proposes that the road be
guarded by peacekeepers so it could function properly.

“In this way the road will be unblocked and be open again to the
flow of goods to Armenia for the transportation of Georgian goods to
Russia”, Gustov noted. He believes this question should be discussed
in the by the interparliamentary assembly of the CIS countries.

Brussels offers favoured status to boost former Soviet republics
By Stephen Castle in Brussels

The Independent, UK
May 13 2004

The European Union reached out to three former Soviet republics in
the Caucasus yesterday, promising new ties to boost economic growth
and tackle illegal migration and organised crime.

The European Commission said Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia should
be given status as “near neighbours” which could develop into a
free trade pact. But they were also told they had no prospect of EU
membership for the foreseeable future. Belarus was singled out for
arms-length treatment because of its dictatorial government.

In 2007, the EU is due to expand again, admitting Bulgaria and Romania,
while Croatia is expected to start membership negotiations shortly. A
decision on talks with Turkey will be taken in December and a bloc
of Balkan nations is vying to join.

But the EU wants to dampen expectations that it can enlarge
indefinitely. The commissioner for enlargement, Günter Verheugen, said:
“With the exception of the Baltic states [which joined the EU on May
1], the western border of the former Soviet Union will be, for a very
long time, the eastern border of the EU.”Though Poland has invested
much in improving relations with Belarus, Mr Verheugen was scathing
about the leadership in Minsk. “I do not think it is time to discuss
contractual relations with an authoritarian government that does not
respect human rights and is violating European standards,” he said.

The EU already has a programme of co-operation with Russia, Ukraine
and a host of other nations.

Washington Post
May 8 2004

Trio That Doesn’t Work Well Together

Saturday, May 8, 2004; Page C03

The members of Trio Moskva, who hail from the former Soviet Union,
now make music in our metropolis. At the Corcoran Gallery of Art
Thursday night, the trio worked hard at giving authentic Russian
readings to two rather obscure works by their countrymen.
Unfortunately, the results were less than triumphant.

Armenian composer Arno Harutyuni Babadjanian’s 1952 Trio in F-sharp
Minor contained the most redeeming moments of the evening. The motif
of the first movement was tenderly plaintive. The high point was the
middle movement, in which the soulful violin solo alternated with the
cello, which in turn fluently produced emotionally rich solos. But
the rest of the program did not measure up to this standard. The
final movement of the Babadjanian, for instance, should have been
ballerina-light but stomped like a soldier.

While the performances of pianist Anna Ouspenskaya, violinist Olga
Yanovich and cellist Igor Zubkovsky were individually adequate, the
three never jelled as an ensemble. This was particularly evident in
the Piano Trio in D by Sergey Taneyev, a work that embodied the fluid
lines and rich harmonies of the late romantic era but was marred by a
lack of finesse. Propelled by Ouspenskaya’s pounding technique, the
group’s dynamics ranged from loud to louder, heading to a muddy
climax.

The experience was further tainted by several intrusive and nearly
inaudible announcements by the concert chairperson, an excessively
delayed start time, and an exorbitant admission price of $60.

— Gail Wein

ArmenPress
May 6 2004

ARMENIA WELCOMES END OF STANDOFF BETWEEN TBILISI AND AJARIA

YEREVAN, MAY 6, ARMENPRESS: Armenia welcomed today the end of the
standoff between the central authorities in neighboring Georgia and
its autonomous region of Ajaria. Hamlet Gasparian, a spokesman for
Armenian foreign ministry, told Armenpress that “Armenia is satisfied
that the confrontation between the central authorities of Georgia and
Ajaria ended without bloodshed and mainly peacefully.”
Gasparian said the end of the conflict is very important for
Georgia and therefore, for the entire South Caucasus on the way of
establishing stability and peace in the region. “Armenia welcomes the
consistent and decisive policy of the Georgian authorities that has
helped to overcome that serious obstacle,” Gasparian said.
Georgia’s standoff with Ajaria ended as Aslan Abashidze, the
leader of the defiant region, resigned Wednesday night and left the
country for Moscow. “Aslan has run away, Ajaria is free,”‘ Georgian
president Mikhail Saakashvili said in a broadcast early today from
the capital Tbilisi. “A new era has begun in Georgia’s history,” he
said. Before flying to Moscow Abashidze ordered his paramilitary
forces to lay down their arms.
Saakashvili later arrived in Ajaria’s capital, Batumi, where he
was greeted by crowds of supporters. Saakashvili who had given
Abashidze until May 12 to disarm local militias or have his
government dissolved, imposed direct presidential rule only hours
before Abashidze left. The end of the standoff was also welcomed by
the US State Department.
Abashidze had run Ajaria independently from the central government
in Tbilisi since the early 1990s.
“Georgian government will not persecute former supporters of Aslan
Abashidze. We have come here for love and not to separate the
nation,” Georgian prime minister Zurab Zhvania said in a televised
address.

The Moscow Times
Wednesday, Apr. 28, 2004. Page 2

Armenian Opposition Rallies, Halts Talks

The Associated Press Several thousand people rallied in the heart of the
Armenian capital, Yerevan, on Tuesday calling for the ouster of President
Robert Kocharyan, and opposition leaders said they have halted talks with
the governing coalition.

The rally, estimated at up to 7,000 people, was the latest in the weeks-long
series of protests that have raised political tensions in the country.

On Monday, opposition figures met with the speaker of parliament and other
governing coalition figures in an effort at easing the tensions, but Viktor
Dallakyan of the opposition Justice Party said Tuesday that the talks were
discontinued.

“The authorities are only pretending to be in the middle of a dialogue with
the opposition, but they are in fact continuing the policy of terror against
their own people,” Dallakyan said.

Dallakyan said that the next rally will be held May 4, after the situation
in Armenia is brought up at a session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the
Council of Europe.

Parliament Speaker Artur Bagdasaryan said the decision to halt talks was
mutual and was meant to give the two sides time to ponder each other’s
proposals.

Kocharyan won a second term in presidential elections a year ago that led to
mass protests, including nearly daily demonstrations between the first round
and the runoff.

Opposition groups alleged widespread violations in both rounds of the
election, which was followed by a parliamentary ballot in which the
pro-government party won the most votes.

Azeri, Armenian leaders decide to continue talks on Karabakh

ANS TV, Baku
28 Apr 04

[Presenter Qanira Atasova] The second meeting between Azerbaijani
President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian President Robert Kocharyan has
ended. The presidents said that the meeting was constructive.

It must be noted that after the meeting, Azerbaijani President Ilham
Aliyev was scheduled to meet the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmen. But
since the co-chairmen participated in the presidents’ meeting, no
further talks will be held. We are going live to Warsaw now. ANS’s
special correspondent Qanira Pasayeva is on the line. Hello,
Qanira. Could the presidents achieve concrete results at the meeting?

[Qanira Pasayeva, over the phone] Hello, Qanira. The talks between the
presidents, Ilham Aliyev and Robert Kocharyan, on the Nagornyy
Karabakh settlement, which lasted for an hour and a half, have ended.

[Passage omitted: Reported details]

After the tete-a-tete meeting, they did not answer questions. They
said that it had been decided to issue statements only. Here are their
statements.

First, President Ilham Aliyev said that the talks had been held in a
constructive mode. He said that their first meeting was held in
December. Some time passed, the co-chairmen paid visits and dozens of
meetings were held. Some time ago, the foreign ministers of the two
countries held a meeting. Today’s meeting was a continuation of the
talks. Ilham Aliyev said that the talks were continuing and that there
was a mutual interest in continuing the talks in a constructive
mode. The president expressed his hope that the constructive talks
would be continued in the future as well. He said that the Azerbaijani
side was interested in resolving the problem and that one could feel
the Armenian side’s interest as well. So he hopes that some progress
could be achieved through the talks to find a solution to the
problem. That was the end of the president’s statement.

Robert Kocharyan’s statement was shorter. He said that it had been
decided that the foreign ministers of the two countries should
continue the talks. A meeting was set for May. He said that they were
interested in holding more intensive talks. He said that we would
ourselves – he meant the presidents – take the opportunity [to meet]
at multilateral meetings, as he put it in Russian, at political
gatherings. He said they would use every opportunity to meet. His
final statement was that he was pleased with the nature and atmosphere
of the talks. He said – I cannot laud the results, we cannot be proud
of the results, but the nature and atmosphere of the talks were
satisfactory.

These were the statements. Kocharyan declined to answer ANS’s question
as to whether the step-by-step settlement was discussed during the
talks. The OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmen did not answer whether new
proposals or ideas were discussed during the talks. Steven Mann, the
US co-chairman, said it has been decided that if there are statements
to be made, these will be joint statements by the co-chairmen. They
did not make any statements.

A luncheon was also held here. South Caucasus leaders – Robert
Kocharyan, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili and the Azerbaijani
president – finished their discussions on Caucasus issues, which
lasted for an hour and a half. But no statement has been made so far.

At the moment, the Azerbaijani president and Georgian President
Mikheil Saakashvili are holding a meeting.

[Presenter] Thank you, Qanira, for the report.