Author: Varosian Antranik

AZG Armenian Daily #088, 17/05/2005

Armenia-CE

APPROACHES OF KOCHARIAN AND ALIYEV ‘ARE VERY DIFFERENT IN A NUMBER OF
ISSUES’

Meeting of Armenian and Turkish Leaders Within the CE Summit Framework Not
Arranged

On May 16-17, the 3d summit of the Council of Europe in the Polish capital
is hosting presidents, prime ministers or foreign ministers of CE member
states. This is an important gathering for Armenia as within its framework
RA President Robert Kocharian will probably meet the Azerbaijani President
and the Turkish Prime Minister. The first meeting has already taken place,
the second one is unlikely to happen.

Armenia and Azeri President Do Not Discuss Any Concrete Document

The next meeting of Robert Kocharian and Ilham Aliyev to discuss Nagorno
Karabakh issue was held Sunday evening. The Russian and French foreign
ministers, Sergey Lavrov and Michel Barnier, were present during the first
20 minutes of get-together. Tete-a-tete of Kocharian and Aliyev continued
around 2 hours.

The presidents said nothing for the media after the meeting. Only the Azeri
foreign minister gave scant information on Nagorno Karabakh regulation
process. Elmar Mamediarov stated that the presidents summarized the results
of Prague Process.

“There is no concrete document put for discussion. Problems are connected
with details. There are many issue that we agree over, but there are still
issues over which we have very, very different approaches”, Elmar Mamediarov
said.

Kocharian-Erdogan Meeting Is Not Arranged

Turkish officials and press were optimistic about the meeting of Armenian
President and Turkish Prime Minister in Warsaw. But most likely the meeting
of Kocharian and Erdogan at the summit will not take place. RA President’s
spokesperson told us that there was no such arrangement.

Numerous bilateral meetings are taking place during the summit. Kocharian,
in particular, will hold talks with Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili
as well as the leaders of Lithuania, Slovakia and Cyprus. Meeting with the
European Commission commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner is envisaged.

Yesterday, Azeri President Ilham Aliyev had a closed-door meeting with
Turkish PM Erdogan.

‘We Feel to be Part of Europe’

The 46 CE member states of are represented at the summit mainly by
presidents and prime ministers. Presidents of Russia and France, Vladimir
Putin and Jacques Chirac, as well as British Prime Minister Tony Blair did
not arrive in Warsaw.

Reports of the heads of national delegations are accompanying the summit. RA
President noted in his speech yesterday that Yerevan intends deepen
relations with the European Union within the framework of “European
Neighborhood” policy.

“We feel to be part of common (united) Europe”, Kocharian said, assuring,
“Armenia is at the start of difficult road to European integration. We shall
fulfill all obligations before the CE by the end of the current year”.

Kocharian said in his speech that people of Armenian believe in Europe with
open borders, without refugees and blockade, he emphasized that Europe
should avoid new demarcation lines.

“We believe in Europe where human rights and the right of people’s choice
are respected, where the present is built based on the objective evaluation
of the past”, Kocharian said adding, “This is the perspective from which we
look at Nagorno Karabakh regulation”.

Armenian President considered Nagorno Karabakh “a de fact state”, reminded
of the Genocide of 1915 saying, “We are commemorating the 90th anniversary
of those tragic events”.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan had his speech before Kocharian. Turkish PM will issue
another report today as well. Late in the evening yesterday, the European
leaders were to listen to president of another “democracy-pursuing”
Caucasian state – Ilham Aliyev.

The Anarchists

Despite the security measure in Warsaw, European anarchists do not lay their
arms. They hold campaigns and announce that the Council of Europe is an
organization of schizophrenics and hypocrites. To prove the point they
indicate the Iraqi war, oppression of Chechens and Kurds in Russia and
Turkey.

P.S. Polish embassy to Armenia supported publication of this article

By Tatoul Hakobian in Warsaw

THE OFFICIAL MESSAGE OF NKR NATIONAL STATISTICS SERVICE

Azat Artsakh – Nagorno Karabakh Republic [NKR]
13 May 05

In the first quarter of 2005 the GDP of NKR totalled 8019.8 million
drams increasing by 1080.4 million drams in comparable prices against
the same period of 2004. The economic growth was 15.6 per cent. The
rate of growth of production of goods was 14.9 per cent, production of
services 15.3 per cent, net taxes on goods and import 25.6 per
cent. 2.8 percentage points of the economic growth was provided by
industry, 1.2 building, 3.2 transport and communications.

AA.
13-05-2005

UNION GENERALE ARMENIENNE DE BIENFAISANCE
ARMENIAN GENERAL BENEVOLENT UNION

Communiqué de l’UGAB France
11, square Alboni, 75016 France
Tél. : 01 45 24 72 75
Fax : 01 40 50 88 09
Email : [email protected]

_____

Un tribunal fédéral américain classe sans suite l’action intentée
contre l’UGAB

NEW YORK, NY. 22 avril 2005 – Par décision en date du 5 avril 2005, le
juge Manuel L. Real, du Tribunal Fédéral de Première Instance de Los
Angeles a rejeté sans possibilité de réintroduction de la procédure
l’instance engagée par le Patriarche de Constantinople, l’archevêque
Mesrob Mutafian, contre l’Union Générale Arménienne de Bienfaisance
(UGAB), au sujet de la fermeture de l’Institut d’Education Melkonian
de Nicosie à Chypre ainsi que l’allégation d’une prétendue relation de
type fiduciaire.

«L’UGAB est satisfaite de la décision du Tribunal Fédéral de
Californie », a affirmé Berge Setrakian, Président de l’UGAB. « Le
changement est toujours difficile, mais nous avons pris l’engagement
de servir avec dynamisme les besoins de la Nation Arménienne et de
nous adapter à leur constante évolution. L’UGAB assume la vision des
frères Melkonian et continuera à exécuter leur noble dessein en faveur
des Arméniens, où qu’ils soient, y compris la communauté de Chypre.»

Setrakian a ajouté que l’UGAB se réjouit de la perspective de
travailler avec Sa Béatitude Mesrob Mutafian au service d’objectifs
nationaux communs, comme elle collabore avec les chefs religieux
Arméniens depuis sa création.»

L’UGAB a la conviction que l’Eglise demeure l’une des plus importantes
institutions au service de la Nation Arménienne, et l’Union continuera
de contribuer au renforcement de la foi chrétienne chez le peuple
Arménien.

Armenpress

NO CONCRETE ARRANGEMENT YET ABOUT KOCHARIAN-ERDOGAN MEETING IN WARSAW

YEREVAN, MAY 12, ARMENPRESS: Armenian foreign minister Vartan Oskanian
said today there was no arrangement yet about a meeting between Armenian
president and Turkish prime minister, who Turkish press reports claim are
supposed to meet in Warsaw later this week on the sidelines of a Council of
Europe summit.
Speaking to reporters today in Yerevan, Oskanian said none of the sides,
nor a third party had asked officially for the meeting. “At this moment the
possibility of a meeting is being discussed only by media,” Oskanian said.
In response to a question about if the meeting takes, anyway, place what
the two presidents may discuss Oskanian said: “The positions of Turkey and
Armenia are very clear and definite… If Turkey agrees to discuss
normalization of relations, opening of borders without preconditions, the
presidents may focus on bilateral relations and if Turkey drops its policy
of making normalization of relations contingent on a third party, I believe
this may open good prospects for a progress.”
Oskanian said he will meet with OSCE Minsk group cochairmen from USA,
France and Russia on May 14 in Polish Krakow. He said the agenda will have
issues which are being discussed in the format of so-called Prague Process.
“The agenda includes all issues-beginning from Karabagh political status and
ending with security issues,” Oskanian said. Oskanian reminded that the
international peace brokers are not going to present any document to both
countries’ presidents. “The process has not yet reached a point to give
birth to such a document, “Oskanian said

A1plus

| 13:33:17 | 12-05-2005 | Politics |

US PRESIDENT MET WITH NATIONAL MINORITIES IN GEORGIA

During his visit to Tbilisi on May 10 US President George Bush met with the
representatives of the national minorities of Georgia. Armenians, Azeris,
Greeks, Ossetians, Abkhazians, Russians, Ukrainians, Jews and Yezids were
present at the 40-minute meeting.

The meeting participants discussed the issues referring to the involvement
of the national minorities in the social and political life of the country,
their integration, prevention of conflicts as well as the gender problems.

President Bush pointed out to the important role of the national minorities
for the unity of Georgia and also thanked Georgia for sending troops to
Iraq, A-info agency reports.

EU envoy urges Armenia, Turkey to open border

Arminfo
10 May 05

YEREVAN

Turkey has problems not only with Armenia but also with other European
countries with regard to the European Union membership issue, Torben
Holtze, head of the EU delegation in Armenia and Georgia, has told an
Arminfo correspondent.

Turkey’s accession to the EU is a matter of time for this country to
conduct reforms and develop, he stressed, pointing out that the issues
concerning Armenia, in particular, the opening of borders, are not
included in Turkey’s obligations towards the EU.

The border between Armenia and Turkey is not closed completely. “The
Armenian-Turkish border is partially open. I have seen numerous
lorries with Turkish state number plates and the fact that there are
charter flights from Armenia to Turkey is further evidence of this,”
Holtze said.

Meanwhile, he stressed that Armenia and Turkey want to open the
border. The ambassador noted that Turkish entrepreneurs also have a
great interest in opening the borders. He went on to say that the
process of opening the entire border between the two countries should
be implemented gradually – opening one part of the border and then the
other.

Holtze noted that the existing status quo in Armenian-Turkish
relations is not in the interests of Armenia or Turkey. Therefore,
both countries should make efforts to normalize their relations.

OSCE envoy calls on Azerbaijan, Armenia for “responsibility” over Karabakh

ANS TV, Baku
10 May 05

[Presenter] The permanent representative of Belgium in the OSCE,
Bertrand de Crombrugghe, has called on Azerbaijan and Armenia to show
responsibility.

[Correspondent] The Belgian embassy in the OSCE will mediate between
the Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents at a meeting on [the sidelines
of] the second summit of the Council of Europe member states in Warsaw
on 15-16 May, Bertrand de Crombrugghe has said. He is visiting Armenia
and Azerbaijan to familiarize himself with the two countries ahead of
the summit.

[Bertrand de Crombrugghe, shown speaking to reporters in English with
Azeri voice-over] Belgium will act as an honest broker. It will find
out what the sides think about the issue in detail and will make its
own position public. In general, the OSCE is doing its best to
encourage dialogue and talks. I think both sides should take
responsibility.

[Correspondent] Bertrand de Crombrugghe has started his visit to our
country from Qazax District. First of all, he wanted to find out about
the current situation on the border with Armenia.

The Armenian army has been firing on the Azerbaijani villages
bordering Armenia, in particular on the village of Mazam, almost every
day over the past few months, the Azerbaijani side told the OSCE
representative. They said local residents had built fortifications
made of bags of sand along a road that is clearly seen from Armenian
positions.

They said that seven villages in Qazax District have been under
Armenian occupation for 15 years now, 161 local residents have been
brutally killed and 120 tortured by Armenians.

Bertrand de Crombrugghe made an appeal to both sides. He asked the
sides to use pastures and irrigation channels along the border areas.

[Bertrand de Crombrugghe] The OSCE is acting as an instructor in the
political, economical and human rights spheres. It is trying to bring
changes to these spheres. But the sides should resolve the conflict
themselves.

[Correspondent] Bertrand de Crombrugghe also commented on the truce
violations.

[Bertrand de Crombrugghe] We are aware that the cease-fire is being
broken. Our special representative Andrzej Kasprzyk is collecting
information about this to make sure that both sides accept these
reports. This is a very important process. [Regular] monitoring is
held [on the contact line] and reports are being prepared. But you
have to understand that the OSCE is not an arbiter and its task is to
monitor the process of resolving the conflict.

[Passage omitted: Bertrand de Crombrugghe also met NGO representatives
in Qazax District]

Turkish Press
May 10 2005

Erdogan: If Armenia Fulfills Its Duties, Turkey Will Do What Is
Required For A Fair Solution

ANKARA (AA) – Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, ”if
Armenia fulfills its duties, Turkey will do what is required for a
fair and lasting solution in terms of balances in the region.”
Erdogan arrived in Russian capital Moscow late on Sunday to
attend ceremonies marking the 60th anniversary of end of the World
War II upon the official invitation of Russian President Vladimir
Putin.
Prior to his departure for Russia, Erdogan told reporters at the
airport that he would have meetings with Putin, and heads of state
and government who would participate in the ceremonies in Moscow.
When asked whether he would have a meeting with Armenian
President Robert Kocharian, Erdogan said, ”there is not a scheduled
meeting now. There is not such a demand.”
”As you know, Turkey is one of countries which recognized
Armenia after disintegration of the Union of Soviet Socialist
Republics. But there are no diplomatic relations between the two
countries. If Armenia fulfills its duties, Turkey will do what is
required for a fair and lasting solution in terms of balances in the
region,” he stressed.
Indicating that they opened Turkish air space to Armenia and
flights between Yerevan and Istanbul started, he said, ”we have a
positive attitude towards Armenian citizens in the country. We expect
Armenia to overcome its problems with Azerbaijan.”
Recalling that the Minsk Group of the Organization for Security
and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) which undertook the mission of
mediation in the process to solve the Upper Karabakh issue, Erdogan
said, ”we hope that they will reach positive results on this
issue.”

Student is fried in fraud
BY KATE MEYER, GREG B. SMITH and CORKY SIEMASZKO

New York Daily News –
DAILY NEWS WRITERS
Saturday, May 7th, 2005

A New York University student who should have majored in crime was
nabbed yesterday for concocting a $43 million international bank
fraud scheme, authorities said.

Hakan Yalincak sobbed in a New Haven court after a federal judge
ordered him jailed until a hearing next Thursday.

“I have a graduation on Wednesday,” the 21-year-old math major wailed.

Yalincak allegedly deposited fake certified checks totaling $25
million into a Greenwich, Conn., account and $18 million into a Swiss
bank account.

He then allegedly tried to cash in by transferring $2.5 million from
the Swiss account to the bank account in Greenwich and withdrawing
$1.7 million.

But bank executives – who had caught on to his scheme – froze the
account and told authorities.

Yalincak, a Turkish citizen, faces up to 30 years in prison and a $1
million fine if convicted of the bank fraud charges. The suspect’s
parents – and NYU – may soon be crying, too.

In a separate civil case, Omer Bulent Yalincak and his wife, Ayferafet,
are being sued by two investors who claim the couple and their son
conned them into putting $2.9 million into a nonexistent hedge fund.

Some of the dough was part of a huge donation to NYU that the
university hailed as a “remarkable $21 million gift from the Yalincak
family,” the suit states.

An NYU spokesman said the university has received $1.25 million of
the gift and would return any ill-gotten gains.

The Yalincaks declined to comment at their expansive home in the
tony Westchester town of Pound Ridge, where a Mercedes sat in their
four-car garage. Federal agents searched the property yesterday.

“He’s a smart kid,” said Hakan Yalincak’s lawyer, Robert Chan. “He
has some gift in investing and people had confidence in him.”

The stunning arrest comes seven months after NYU sent out a press
release announcing the Yalincaks’ donation to pay for an Ottoman
studies professorship and a new home for the general studies program.
NYU even pledged to name the general studies center after the family.

The alleged crook enrolled at NYU through its two-year general studies
program before getting accepted into its more prestigious four-year
bachelor’s degree program.

“It’s very shocking,” said NYU student Jia Liu, 21. “He should go
to jail.”

Former student Tracey Herman, 22, laughed and said: “Obviously,
they’re teaching them something at NYU.”

Investors Joseph Healey and Arthur Cohen have sued the Yalincaks and
an alleged accomplice, charging they ripped them off by getting them
to invest in a bogus fund.

Hakan Yalincak allegedly told the investors that after the fund rose
to $5 million, his parents would kick in $20 million.

In February, the investors said, they were warned by a “law agency”
to pull out the $2.9 million they’d invested. They tried, but got
back only $1.1 million, they said.

The investors also claim the Yalincaks blew $68,000 on a Porsche and
$57,000 at Tiffany’s.

Investigators allegedly found that the $20 million check deposited
by Yalincak’s parents bounced.

With Kerry Burke

The Armenian problem (I)

OPINIONS

TDN editorial by Yusuf KANLI
Saturday, May 7, 2005

A few years ago it was difficult to discuss, even in private, what
happened in Turkey during and immediately after World War I to the
Armenian population of this country. There was prejudice and an
official dogma of history that no one dared challenge. There was a
veil of silence, as if there was something that this country and this
nation were trying to hide.

Armenian terrorists were virtually and mercilessly hunting Turkish
diplomats abroad, and the Western allies of the country were giving
covert and open support to Armenian claims of genocide and demanding
that Ankara “face its history.” Some of Turkey’s allies were even
erecting monuments in remembrance of the victims of the so-called
genocide and choosing places of symbolic importance — like the
square in front of the building where the Sevres document, carving
out ethnic states from the Ottoman Empire and leaving Ankara and the
environs for the Turks, was produced — for such hostile actions.

Under such conditions, naturally, in full conformity with the “There
is a reaction to every action” rule of physics, as opposed to the
rise of Armenian nationalism based on distorted historical hearsay
(since there was no concrete evidence to support the claims), there
was a rise in Turkish nationalism. Again, as a natural consequence
of efforts to create “nationalist history” on both sides, all the
avenues of settling what ought to be a purely historical issue have
become an intractable political problem.

In the meantime, there was no Armenian state that Turkey could
accept as a negotiating partner, and the genocide issue had become a
gigantic industry in the hands of the Armenian diaspora. After the
dissolution of the Soviet Union and after Armenia, together with
other new republics, became an independent state, the nationalist
sentiments prevailing in Yerevan at the time prevented again a
possible rapprochement as the declaration of independence of the
Armenian republic included expansionist designs on Turkish territory.

Changing international conjecture, Turkey’s European Union bid as
well as the general improved atmosphere in Turkey regarding freedom of
speech and thought is now once again pushing the Armenian issue into
the forefront of issues on Turkey’s agenda. Though some provocative
statements are temporarily spoiling the atmosphere as well as the new
rise in nationalism causing some concern, it can easily be said that
there is more freedom of speech on this issue in Turkey than in many
other European countries — where saying that there was no Armenian
genocide is prohibited by law.

The issue being discussed now is not what happened during those
years. No one is yet focusing or trying to understand the immense
suffering of the entire population, especially around the eastern
border regions. Armenia and the Armenian diaspora maintain that
the genocide was a fact, while Turkey and its official historians
maintain that there was no genocide but rather that many people,
including Turks, Armenians and others, lost their lives due to war
conditions, illnesses and such.

Both sides to this problem must concede the fact that immense human
suffering was experienced during those years and that whatever might
have been the size of it at that time, during the foundation of the
Turkish Republic there were around 300,000 Armenians living in these
lands — a figure that has unfortunately dwindled to as low as 30,000
in the present day.

The Russians, the British or the French might have exploited the
nationalist sentiments of the Armenians; they might have collaborated
with the enemy, Russia. But whatever the explanation might be, they
were subjected to forced exile and uprooted from their ancestral lands.

We shall continue this topic in tomorrow’s editorial.