Category: News

US court frees Armenian MP

Arminfo, Yerevan
12 Mar 04

A US court has released Armenian MP Tatul Manaseryan, clearing him of
all charges. Manaseryan was detained in the USA on 15 January over a
child custody dispute with his former wife.

PRESS RELEASE
Executive Board, Hayastan All Armenian Fund
Contact: Arman Saghatelyan, Head of Public Relations Department
Government Building #3
Yerevan, Armenia 375010
Phone: +374 1-52-0940, +374 1-52-6474
Fax: +374 1-52-3795
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:

March 13.03.2004.

HAYASTAN ALL ARMENIAN FUND INAUGURATED A RESIDENTIAL HOUSE IN THE EARTHQUAKE
ZONE

Today the ceremony of inauguration of newly constructed residential
building took place in Spitak town of Armenia in the presence of
Marzpet of Lori Marz, Mr. H. Kochinyan, Mayor of Spitak,
Mr. V. Asatryan and Hayastan All Armenian Fund Executive Director,
Mrs. N. Melkoumian.

The building #4 of the Spitak ” Erankiuni ” (Triangle) district is the
sixth one out of twelve buildings planned for construction by Hayastan
All Armenian Fund within its global programme of earthquake zone
rehabilitation.

The ” Erankiuni ” (Triangle) district construction project was
initiated by the Fund in 1999 and aimed at providing permanent shelter
to 78 families left homeless as a result of 1988 Spitak Earthquake. 30
families have already received the apartments since the beginning of
the project, and 6 more households will be sheltered by the newly
constructed house.

The construction was funded by the Great Britain Armenian Community in
person of benefactor Pargev Kassardjian – Sis. The donor has
contributed 132 thousands US dollars for the building construction.

Since the beginning of its operations in the earthquake zone Hayastan
All Armenian Fund has either built or renovated 95 residential
buildings and houses in the earthquake zone for more than 1,000
families, built 35 educational and cultural facilities, as well as
health institutions.

Currently the construction works are continued at the “Erankiuni”. Two
more buildings are soon to open their doors to the beneficiaries of
the project.

Azeris picket Armenian embassy in Moscow

ANS TV, Baku
13 Mar 04

[Presenter Leyla Hasanova] Representatives of the Azerbaijani diaspora
living in the Russian capital today picketed the Armenian embassy in
Russia. The pickets demanded an end to Armenia’s aggressive policy and
the urgent withdrawal of its armed groups from the occupied
Azerbaijani territories. ANS Moscow bureau correspondent Vuqar Sukurov
has the details.

[Sukurov on the phone] Armenia has to pull out of Azerbaijan’s
occupied lands and end its aggressive policy against Azerbaijan. These
demands were voiced during a protest action outside the Armenian
embassy in Moscow today. This action was organized by the Movement for
Azerbaijan. Nearly 40 Azerbaijani intellectuals and businessmen living
in Russia took part in it. Addressing the pickets, the chairman of the
Movement for Azerbaijan, Ilqar Qasimov, read out a letter to Armenian
President Robert Kocharyan. The letter demands the fulfilment of UN
Security Council resolutions No 822, 850, 874 and 884, unconditional
withdrawal from the occupied territories, the recognition of
Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity and the payment of financial
compensation for damage inflicted on Azerbaijan. The text of the
letter was submitted to the Armenian embassy. No confrontation was
registered during the hourlong action.

Vuqar Sukurov for ANS, Moscow.

Azeris surprised at Kazakh minister’s letter on Armenian officer’s killing

ANS TV, Baku
13 Mar 04

Kazakh Foreign Minister Kasymzhomart Tokayev has sent a letter of
support to his Armenian counterpart, Vardan Oskanyan. Tokayev assured
Oskanyan in his letter that Kazakhstan had taken the tragic news about
the murder of an Armenian officer [at a NATO course in Hungary] with
concern and pain. We condemn this inhumane and savage incident and
believe that such actions cannot be justified.

The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry is at least surprised at Astana’s
lopsided position on this dubious case which is being investigated.
This position is rather cold-blooded with regard to Armenian
atrocities on Azerbaijani territory and the Xocali genocide [massacre
of Azeris in Karabakh].

As for the Kazakh embassy in Azerbaijan, it has no details of Mr
Tokayev’s letter.

Azeri leader, US general discuss stability in Caucasus

Space TV, Baku
13 Mar 04

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev received a delegation led by the
deputy commander of the US European Command, Gen Charles Wald, a short
while ago.

Welcoming the guests, Aliyev said that bilateral US-Azerbaijani
cooperation has been successfully developing in all fields. Aliyev
regretted that there was instability in the Caucasus as a result of
the Armenian occupation of Azerbaijani lands and other regional
conflicts. These conflicts have resulted in the eviction of a large
number of refugees from their native lands.

Aliyev expressed his confidence that it would be possible to urgently
settle the conflicts and achieve stability in the region as a result
of the international community’s efforts.

In turn, Wald said that Aliyev’s leadership and efficient policy would
bring about positive changes in the settlement of the
Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict.

Radioactive material seized on Georgian-Armenian border

Kavkasia-Press news agency
13 Mar 04

TBILISI

[Georgian] border guards have detained a citizen of Armenia at
Sadakhlo checkpoint on the Georgian-Armenian border as he tried to
smuggle radioactive material into the country.

Kavkasia-Press was told by the border agency’s press office head,
Shalva Londaridze, that according to preliminary information, a
citizen of Armenia had been detained. The border agency has launched
an investigation into the matter, Londaridze said. [Passage omitted]

Military aid to Azerbaijan to guarantee Caspian security – US official

Trend news agency
13 Mar 04

BAKU

Trend correspondent S. Agayeva: As a co-chairman of the OSCE Minsk
Group for the Nagornyy Karabakh settlement, the USA cannot take
anyone’s side in the conflict, and it is impossible to use US military
aid in the conflict, Trend news agency has quoted US Assistant
Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Elizabeth Jones
as saying.

Jones said that US military aid to Azerbaijan is to guarantee the
security of the Caspian Sea. “There is a danger today that the Caspian
Sea may turn into a transit area for terrorists, a route for the
transportation of materials to produce weapons of mass destruction and
other transnational threats. We have to increase the possibilities of
Azerbaijani marine border guards to carry out a struggle against these
threats,” she said.

According to Jones, the modernization of an Azerbaijani air base,
which is used by US aircraft for flights to Afghanistan, is another
purpose of military aid. All this is to help the USA’s fight against
terrorism, she added.

Jones believes that Armenia should not protest against military aid to
Azerbaijan. “Neither Armenia, Russia nor any other regional state
wants the Caucasus to be used for helping terrorists,” she said.

The US Department of State proposes to the Congress to allocate 8m
dollars to Azerbaijan and 2m dollars to Armenia as military aid in the
fiscal year 2004.