WE ARE NOT DIZZY OF OUR ACHIEVEMENTS

Azat Artsakh – Nagorno Karabakh Republic (NKR)
28 Jan 05

On January 26 the press conference of NKR minister of defence Seyran
Ohanian took place. Seyran Ohanian regularly meets with journalists
because, as he said, he feels obliged to inform people through the
mass media what happensin the Defence Army. As a rule, at the end of
every year the results of work is summed up at all the military units,
and before answering the questions of journalists the minister of
defence briefly presented the results of work in NKR armed forces in
2004 and the plans for 2005. According to Seyran Ohanian, in 2004 also
the effectiveness of the army was improved. The problem of great
importance in present relationships with the enemy – sentry duty- was
in the center of attention. The minister of defence emphasized that
the previous year for the Defence Army was a year of improvement of
effectiveness and fortification. The minister gave a low assessment
for the effectiveness of the army as there were drawbacks. It was
mentioned that in 2005 more determined and effective actions would be
taken. Recognizing the importance of fortifying the front line the
engineering works which started after the cease-fire and gather
momentum year by year were continued in 2004 for improving security
and living conditions. Today the command of the army reports with
pride that owing to the skillful organizational work of commanders of
all the levels and the conscientious service of the military personnel
they managed to fulfil all the tasks set before them. At the same time
the minister of defence thinks that achievements in engineering works
will have a continuous development in 2005. According to Seyran
Ohanian, the life in the army in 2005 will be the logical continuation
of the year 2004. Teaching will be in the center of attention of the
command.` Through intensive training, overcoming of difficulties,
determined work andgood knowledge in the field of military actions we
will achieve significant success,’ said the minister. `The military
exercises in August showed that the level of mobilization readiness of
the command and the military units is 99 per cent. This means that
the men who formerly fought and the personnel who started service in
the postwar years are well-aware that continuous accomplishment of the
army is a vital necessity,’ said Seyran Ohanian. He added that the
army-people relationship strengthening year be year shows that the
army andpeople are unified and thereby invincible. As to education and
discipline, the minister mentioned that in the past three years there
is progress in this sphere too. The cases of emergency in 2004 had
decreased since the previous year. The drawbacks in this sphere are
the consequences of the actuality that being`a family of men’ army
involves young men with various characters whose ardour, feeling of
self-assertion create obstructions in getting adjusted to army
realities. As a result there are emergency cases which worry the
command. Among the achievements the significant improvement of the
social conditions of servicemen was mentioned. Since January 1 the
salaries of officers, corporals and serviceman on contractual basis
were increased. The volume of building increased by about 300 million
drams. A separate sum of 750 million drams will be provided for
improvement of housing conditions of officers. Like the previous year
this year too 300 million drams will be provided for improvement of
housing conditions of the families of killed and disabled
soldiers. `The social problems of commanders are among the priorities
of the army. The army officers must be sure that the rear is safe in
order to work freely in the military units leading ahead our army,’
said the minister of defence of NKR. For the Defence Army the year
2005 was announced year of `Improvement of effectiveness and
strengthening of discipline’. And the motto of the year `Intensive
training,military skills and stable progress’ show that education in
the army is in the first place. ` The army command is glad but not
dizzy of the achievements. We seek to discover the faults, eliminate
them and take measures to prevent them. The fewer faults there are,
the more effective the army will be. There is progress every year and
not only the command says this but also regular checking shows,â=80=9D
said NKR minister of defence Seyran Ohanian.

LAURA GRIGORIAN.
28-01-2005

NO PROBLEM CAN BE SOLVED WITHOUT PEOPLE AND AUTHORITIES OF NAGORNY
KARABAKH: ARKADY GHOUKASSIAN

YEREVAN, JANUARY 28. ARMINFO. No problem can be solved without the
people and authorities of Nagorny Karabakh. President of
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic Arkady Ghoukassian told journalists in
Yerevan, Friday.

Answering the question on the different variants of settlement of the
conflict, the president reminded that the NKR authorities have
declared more than one that the phased approach is illogical, “as it
is not clear what do we expect in future”. “We have always advocated
the package version, though we don’t exclude settlement of several
problems step by step. But only few problems, the president
stressed. As regards the initiative of “phased package”, Arkady
Ghoukassian mentioned that is an abstract concept, and that’s why “at
the negotiations table we must make clear what does it
mean”. Answering the question may be this initiative supposes, first
of all, clarification of the status of Nagorny Karabakh, the president
mentioned it would be the most local approach. It is necessary to
begin from the reason, and not the consequences of the conflict,
Arkady Ghoukassian stressed. Because the conflict was then when there
were neither refugees yet, nor <occupied territories>, he
reminded. “Solving the problem of the status, we shall simplify
resolution to the remaining problems”, the president mentioned.

As regards the informations of the Azerbaijani side on the exchange of
fire, the president mentioned, unfortunately, exchange of fire take
place quite often. “As a rule, just the Azerbaijani side violates the
agreement on cease-fire. But the matter concerns local
skirmish. There are not any active military operations here, and
nothing serious takes place on the border”, Arkady Ghoukassian
informed.

Agence France Presse — English
January 28, 2005 Friday 3:36 PM GMT

OSCE to probe Azeri claims of illegal Armenian settlements in
Nagorno-Karabakh

BAKU

The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) said
Friday that it had sent a team of investigators to Armenian-occupied
territories in and around Nagorno-Karabakh to verify Azerbaijan’s
claims that Armenia is illegally settling the area which it considers
to be its own.

“The Azeri side raised the issue at the UN and all agreed to verify
the Azeri claim, to see what is actually happening,” the OSCE’s
representative on the dispute, Andrzej Kasprzyk, told AFP.

Azerbaijan has accused Armenia of illegally settling areas its
neighbor captured during a 1990s war for control of the mountainous
region, internationally recognized to be a part of Azerbaijan.

The OSCE mission, which from Sunday will tour Karabakh and seven
other Azeri regions under Armenian occupation, represents the first
international effort to document Armenian settlement of the areas.

The Karabakh war erupted before the fall of the Soviet Union in 1988
and escalated after Armenia and Azerbaijan became independent, ending
in a ceasefire in 1994 with over one million people displaced and
25,000 killed.

The tense standoff is frequently punctuated by cross-border
shootouts. Azeri media reported that Armenian forces fired on an
Azeri position Thursday, while on Wednesday one Azeri soldier was
reported killed.

Azerbaijan has fought for international recognition of Armenia as the
“aggressor party” to the Karabakh conflict, a charge that Armenian
authorities deny.

“Armenia argues that those territories do not historically belong to
Azerbaijan,” Azeri deputy foreign minister Araz Azimov said Friday.

Azimov called the settlement of the occupied territories a
“calculated plan that is being put into practice with the help and
participation of Armenia.”

Foreign ministry officials gave the OSCE mission a sheaf of documents
including video footage and photos they hope will verify Armenian
settlement of the area at a meeting in Baku.

The Vienna-based OSCE, which includes the United States as well as
European and central Asian nations, is particularly active in
monitoring elections.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

La Padania, Italia
venerdì 28 gennaio 2005

NO ALLA TURCHIA NELL’UNIONE EUROPEA, IL LEADER ARMENO RINGRAZIA LA
LEGA

«Cancellare il genocidio degli armeni. Questo è lo scopo di alcuni
gruppi di pressione favorevoli all’ingresso della Turchia nell’Unione
Europea per ragioni economiche». Di questo hanno parlato l’onorevole
Edouard Ballaman e il presidente armeno Robert Kocharian ieri in
visita ufficiale in Italia. È lo stesso Ballaman a raccontare dei
colloqui avuti con la massima carica politica armena in un clima di
perfetta intesa. «Abbiamo discusso delle responsabilità di Ankara
sullo sterminio che nel 1915 portò al massacro di un milione e mezzo
di armeni residenti in territorio turco – spiega il deputato leghista
-. Proprio in questi giorni si parla della shoah ed ho l’impressione
che per alcuni esistano dei genocidi di serie A ed altri di serie B».
«Il presidente Kocharian mi ha parlato di come negli ultimi anni
abbia registrato uno stallo nell’apertura di alcuni Paesi europei
verso l’Armenia – prosegue l’esponente del Carroccio -. Questo a
causa di una lobby economica favorevole all’ingresso di Ankara in Ue
che mira a cancellare ogni traccia della `questione armena’.
Ricordiamo, tra l’altro, che la Turchia continua a negare le proprie
responsabilità sul genocidio. La storia armena è la storia di un
popolo che ha comunità in tutto il mondo ma ciononostante ha
mantenuto una propria identità culturale ed una profonda memoria
storica che non deve essere dimenticata, anzi, nel caso del
genocidio, deve essere riconosciuta e resa conoscibile a tutti».

Kataweb, Italia
venerdì 28 gennaio 2005

ARMENIA: PAPA, PACE E GIUSTIZIA IN NAGORNO KARABAGH

L’auspicio che “sorga una pace vera e stabile nella regione del
Nagorno-Karabagh” e’ stato formulato oggi dal Papa al termine
dell’incontro con il presidente della Repubblica di Armenia, Robert
Kocharin, che, come ha ricordato Wojtyla nel suo discorso, proviene
proprio dal Nagorno-Karabagh. La pace nella regione, ha spiegato
l’anziano Pontefice “potra’ scaturire dal rifiuto deciso della
violenza e da un paziente dialogo tra le parti, grazie pure ad
un’attiva mediazione internazionale”. E ricordando cosi’ anche il
“genocidio dimenticato”, degli armeni massacrati dai turchi alla fine
dell’800, il Papa ha concluso: “la Santa Sede, che nel corso dei
secoli non ha mancato di denunciare la violenza e difendere i diritti
dei deboli, continuera’ a sostenere ogni sforzo teso a costruire una
pace solida e duratura”. (AGI)

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ANSA Notiziario Generale in Italiano
venerdì 28 gennaio 2005

PAPA: RICEVE PRESIDENTE REPUBBLICA DI ARMENIA KOCHARIAN ;
AUSPICA PACE VERA E STABILE NEL NAGORNO KARABAK

CITTA’ DEL VATICANO

(ANSA) – CITTA’ DEL VATICANO, 28 GEN – Il Papa ha ricevuto
il presidente della Repubblica di Armenia, Robert Kocharian,
accompagnato dalla moglie e dal seguito.

All’udienza, che si e’ svolta nella biblioteca privata e
durante la quale si e’ parlato in russo, Giovanni Paolo II e
apparso in forma e molto sorridente.

Al presidente armeno papa Wojtyla ha rivolto un discorso in
russo, del quale ha letto la prima e l’ultima frase, affidando
la lettura del testo completo a un collaboratore. Ricordando che
il presidente e’ originario del Nagorno-Karabak, il Papa ha
auspicato “che sorga una pace vera e stabile” in quella
regione. “Cio’ – enuncia il discorso papale – potra’ scaturire
dal rifiuto deciso della violenza e da un paziente dialogo tra
le parti, grazie pure ad un’attiva mediazione internazionale”.

Kocharian ha offerto in dono un calice liturgico piuttosto
grande, e il Papa ha ricambiato con le medaglie del pontificato
e i rosari per le signore. Con molta cordialita’ ha salutato la
figlia diciannovenne del presidente armeno, studentessa in
giurisprudenza.

Prima di lasciare il Vaticano il presidente Kocharian si e
fermato all’esterno della basilica di san Pietro per vedere la
statua di san Gregorio armeno istallata la scorsa settimana in
una delle nicchie della chiesa.(ANSA).

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

RIA Novosti
January 28, 2005

RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER TO DISCUSS KARABAKH PROBLEM IN BAKU

MOSCOW, January 28 (RIA Novosti) – Russian Foreign Minister Sergei
Lavrov is to discuss the problem of the Nagorny Karabakh settlement
during his visit to Azerbaijan on February 1-2, the information and
press department of the Russian Foreign Ministry reported.

“Russia hails further Azeri-Armenian dialogue at different levels,
above all, between the two countries’ presidents,” the department
stressed.

Moscow believes that “the conflicting sides should achieve mutual
understanding to settle the old conflict.” “Russia is ready to render
them active assistance at the bilateral level and as the cochairman
of the OSCE Minsk Group and to act as the guarantor of the agreement
achieved,” the Russian Foreign Ministry assured.

The forthcoming Russian-Azeri talks will also focus on the
development of anti-terrorist interaction and economic cooperation,
in particular, in the fuel and energy sphere. Moreover, the sides
will discuss the legal status of the Caspian Sea and prospects to
hold the second summit of the five Caspian states (Russia,
Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and Iran).

[The first summit was held in Turkmenistan’s capital Ashkhabad in
April 2002 and ended with a zero result. Tehran was expected to be
the venue of the second summit in January 2005. However, according to
Kazakhstan’s Foreign Minister Kasymzhomart Tokayev, the event was
postponed because the sides have serious problems in connection with
their different approaches to the legal status of the Caspian Sea.]

Relations with Azerbaijan have recently become “strategic partnership
and are characterized by positive development dynamics,” the Foreign
Ministry noted. “It is symbolic that Sergei Lavrov’s first official
visit to Baku is held in the beginning of 2005, Azerbaijan’s Year in
Russia,” the Foreign Ministry said.

RIA Novosti
January 28, 2005

NO MONEY SHOULD BE SPARED ON REGIONAL CONFLICT MEDIATION-PRESIDENT
PUTIN

MOSCOW, January 28 (RIA Novosti) – No money should be spared on
mediation in regional conflicts, Russian President Vladimir Putin
believes.

Speaking at a session of the National Security Council Friday, Mr.
Putin highlighted the need to encourage neighboring countries to
cooperate with Russia by providing them with “tangible preferences
and privileges.”
Russia should offer to its partners “more or less competitive
solutions to shared problems” in economics, politics, the
humanitarian sphere, and security, the President said. He said he was
talking specifically about the settlement of regional conflicts, the
enhancement of border control, protection from shared threats,
technical upgrading, and training of personnel for national armies.

These areas are too important to economize on, Mr Putin pointed out.
He recalled the government’s recent decisions concerning personnel
training programs and the sale of arms at domestic prices to fellow
members of the CIS Collective Security Treaty Organization (besides
Russia, this alliance includes Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan).

“Our partners have hailed these decisions,” Mr. Putin said. On
January 25, he told about Russia’s initiatives to Kyrgyz President
Askar Akayev during this latter’s routine visit to Moscow. The
Russian leader spoke out in favor of preferential treatment for
allies when it comes to security issues, saying that “we should
continue efforts to find out more about our allies’ needs.”
Mr. Putin proposed raising the topic of Russia-EU security
cooperation at one of the forthcoming National Security Council
sessions. “I would like to request Security Council Secretary Igor
Ivanov that he put security cooperation with EU on the agenda of
future sessions,” he said.

EU member countries are reviewing their security policies now, the
Russian President remarked. Russia “maintains dialogue with its
[European] partners,” he said, stressing the need to make that
dialogue meaningful, systemic, and productive.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ITAR-TASS News Agency
TASS
January 28, 2005 Friday

OSCE Minsk Group vows to intensify Karabakh settlement efforts

By Sevindzh Abdullayeva, Viktor Shulman

BAKU

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev received a special mission of the
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Baku on
Friday. The mission was formed to investigate settlements on
Azerbaijani occupied lands.

The president hopes that the mission, which will visit the occupied
lands and familiarize with the local situation, will help to put an
end to Armenian illegal activities. He said these activities “are one
of the biggest obstacles on the way of lasting peace in the Karabakh
conflict.”

Materials about settlements on the occupied land, which the mission
has received from Azerbaijan, are very important for the work of OSCE
experts, Russian Cochairman of the OSCE Minsk Group for
Nagorno-Karabakh Yuri Merzlyakov said. He vowed that the Minsk Group
would intensify Karabakh settlement efforts.

The mission will visit Armenia, Nagorno-Karabakh and another seven
occupied areas of Azerbaijan outside the Karabakh limits. The mission
will make a report to the OSCE Vienna headquarters.

ITAR-TASS News Agency
TASS
January 28, 2005 Friday

Armenian activities on occupied lands affect talks – diplomat

By Sevindzh Abdullayeva, Viktor Shulman

BAKU

Intensified actions of Armenia on the occupied Azerbaijani lands
“have a negative effect on the negotiations,” Deputy Foreign Minister
and special representative of the Azerbaijani president to the
Karabakh settlement negotiations Araz Azimov said at a Friday
briefing in Baku.

He said the question of illegal settlements on occupied lands, which
Azerbaijan had raised at the United Nations, was very important.
Azerbaijan “raised the question not for the sake of political
speculations but proceeding from international legal norms,” he said.

“We are ready for negotiations with Armenia but we think that
activities on the occupied lands have a negative effect on the
negotiations. So we suggest stopping these activities,” Azimov said.

He said materials on settlements and economic activities on the
occupied lands had been transferred to the OSCE mission made up of
experts of Russia, the United States, France, Germany, Sweden,
Finland and Italy.

The mission will go to the occupied lands in a day to familiarize
with the local situation, verify facts received from Azerbaijan and
draft a report. The report as such “will not solve the problem,” the
diplomat said. “Our main goal is to stop activities of the occupied
territories.”