PACE RESOLUTION ON NAGORNY KARABAKH DOES NOT SHOW POSITION AND DESIRE
OF ARMENIAN PARTY IN ISSUE OF KARABAKH’s CONFLICT SETTLEMENT: GALUST
SAHAKYAN

YEREVAN, JANUARY 26. ARMINFO. Resolution of the Parliamentary Assembly
of the Council of Europe (PACE) on Nagorny Karabakh will not affect
the process of Karabakh’s conflict settlement within the framework of
the OSCE Minsk Group, Leader of Republican Party of Armenia Galust
Sahakyan told ARMINFO, commenting on the PACE resolution on NK adopted
the day before.

Sahakyan noted that the PACE resolution does not show the position and
desire of the Armenian party in the settlement of the Karabakh
conflict, however, it should be noted, that a final version of the
document, in comparison with an original, is rather moderate. He
considers positive that the document calls on Azerbaijani authorities
to start negotiations with the NK communities on definition of its
status. According to him, it is a result of successful activity of
Armenian delegation to PACE. -R-

ARMENIAN PREMIER IN POLAND TO MARK AUSCHWITZ LIBERATION ANNIVERSARY

Arminfo
26 Jan 05

YEREVAN

An Armenian government delegation led by Prime Minister Andranik
Markaryan today arrived in Poland (Krakow) on a three-day official
visit, the Armenian government’s press service has told Arminfo.

According to the source, on 27 January the Armenian delegation will
take part in a ceremony to mark the 60th anniversary of the liberation
of the Auschwitz concentration camp prisoners.

(Passage omitted: Other details of the visit)

Azeri leader wants Iran to exert economic pressure on Armenia – TV

Excerpt from report by Azerbaijani private TV station ATV
25 January

[Presenter] The second day of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s
official visit to Iran has ended. In the morning, the president met
Iranian Majlis Speaker Gholam Ali Haddad-Adel and Chairman of the
Expediency Council Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. In his talks with
Rafsanjani, the head of state expressed the wish that official Tehran
exert economic pressure on Armenia.

[Passage omitted: known details]

[ATV correspondent] Rasad Huseynov has the details from Tehran.

[Correspondent, by phone] The meeting between the former Iranian
president and incumbent chairman of the Expediency Council, Akbar
Hashemi Rafsanjani, and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev focused on
the Nagornyy Karabakh problem. Aliyev said the fact that Azerbaijani
territories were under occupation posed a threat to the whole
region. The president said that the talks which have been going on for
more than 10 years are fruitless. He spoke highly of official Tehran’s
position on the conflict. Asked by Rafsanjani how Iran could help
Azerbaijan deal with the conflict, Aliyev said: We would like Iran to
continue to maintain the position on Nagornyy Karabakh that it has
expressed within the framework of international organizations. At the
same time, we want official Tehran to exert economic pressure on
Armenia.

[Passage omitted: known details]

Bulgarian MP assures Azeri Speaker of support in Karabakh issue

ANS TV, Baku
25 Jan 05

[Presenter] Bulgaria, which supports Azerbaijan’s territorial
integrity, will not back down on its position on the Nagornyy Karabakh
problem, members of a Bulgarian-Azerbaijani interparliamentary
delegation have told a meeting with Azerbaijani Speaker Murtuz
Alasgarov.

[Correspondent, over video of the meeting] Speaker Murtuz Alasgarov
told the meeting with the Bulgarian-Azerbaijani interparliamentary
delegation led by Remzi Osman that 20 per cent of our lands had been
occupied as a result of Armenia’s aggression and over 1m people had
become refugees.

He complained that four UN resolutions [on Nagornyy Karabakh] have not
yet been implemented and that some states and international
organizations employ double standards in their position on the
Nagornyy Karabakh problem.

[Alasgarov, speaking in Russian with Azeri voice-over] The talks are
still continuing. We hope the talks will yield results in the near
future and change the situation. The OSCE Minsk Group which has
undertaken the mediation mission should speed up its efforts.

[Correspondent] Alasgarov said once again that the OSCE Minsk Group
should exert pressure on the aggressor state and demand that Armenia
adhere to international legal norms.

The speaker also welcomed Bulgaria’s position on the Nagornyy Karabakh
problem.

The head of the Bulgarian-Azerbaijani interparliamentary delegation,
Remzi Osman, said that the state he represents will not back down on
its position on the Nagornyy Karabakh issue.

[Osman, in Bulgarian, with Azeri voice-over] Bulgaria recognizes
Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity. It supports a peaceful solution to
the Nagornyy Karabakh problem provided that Azerbaijan’s territorial
integrity is observed. Bulgaria will not change its policy.

[Correspondent] Osman also said that Bulgaria hopes for a speedy
solution to the problem through talks.

Macedonia to take part in NATO Crisis Management Exercise

Makfax news agency, Skopje
26 Jan 05

Macedonia will take part in the regular annual NATO Crisis Management
Exercise (CMX 2005), from 26 January to 1 February 2005.

In addition to the 26 NATO nations, nine partner nations have been
involved in the planning and execution of this NATO CMX as Troop
Contributing Nations. This has provided them with an opportunity to
familiarize themselves with crisis management procedures and will
strengthen cooperation between NATO and its partners in the
Political-Military Framework for NATO-led Partnership for Peace (PfP)
operations.

Other countries included in CMX 2005 are Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan,
Finland, Ireland, Croatia, Sweden and Switzerland.

Participants in CMX 2005 will include civil and military staffs in
national capitals, at NATO Headquarters, and in both Strategic
Commands. Representatives from the UN, EU and OSCE will be invited as
observers.

No troops will be deployed in the exercise.

The scenario will depict an UN-mandated and NATO-led crisis response
operation deployment outside the Euro-Atlantic area in order to reduce
tension between two fictitious states. The environment includes the
risk of conventional conflict and an asymmetric dimension such as the
threat of terrorism and the use of weapons of mass destruction (WMD)
against deployed NATO-led forces and in troop contributing nations.

CMX 2005 will last one week, involving a total of 1,250 personnel.

COUNCIL OF EUROPE’S KARABAKH RESOLUTION HAS NO LEGAL IMPACT – ARMENIAN MP

Arminfo
26 Jan 05

YEREVAN

The resolution of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
(PACE) on Nagornyy Karabakh cannot have a legal impact on the
settlement of the Karabakh conflict, but it may have a political
influence on it since it reflects PACE’s official position, the head
of the parliamentary commission for defence, national security and
internal affairs and deputy chairman of the Orinats Yerkir
(Law-Governed Country) Party, Mger Shakhgeldyan, said in an interview
with our Arminfo correspondent commenting on the Nagornyy Karabakh
resolution adopted by PACE yesterday.

Of course, the document contains many provisions that are undesirable
for the Armenian side, but at the same time, it also includes points
that proceed from the interests of the Armenian side, he pointed out.

Among them, the MP named the provision that “the territory can gain
independence if its population is striving for that on the basis of
democratic processes”. The people of Nagornyy Karabakh gained their
independence in a democratic way. Moreover, the document says that no
forcible decision can be thrust upon the people of Nagornyy Karabakh,
which also meets the interests of the Armenian side.

COUNCIL OF EUROPE RESOLUTION NOT TO AFFECT KARABAKH SETTLEMENT – ARMENIAN MP

Arminfo
26 Jan 05

YEREVAN

The resolution of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
(PACE) on Nagornyy Karabakh will not reflect on the process of
settling the Karabakh conflict within the framework of the OSCE Minsk
Group, Galust Saakyan, head of the faction of the Republican Party of
Armenia, said in an interview with our Arminfo correspondent while
commenting on the PACE Nagornyy Karabakh resolution adopted yesterday.

Of course, the PACE resolution on Nagornyy Karabakh does not reflect
the position and desires of the Armenian side on the issue of settling
the Karabakh conflict, but it should be noted that the final version
of the document is somewhat softer than its initial one, Saakyan
said. The positive thing is that the document contains a call to the
Azerbaijani authorities to start negotiations with the communities of
Nagornyy Karabakh to determine its status, the MP believes. This is a
result of the Armenian delegation’s successful work in PACE, Galust
Saakyan said.

RUSSIAN EMBASSY IN ARMENIA PLANS EVENTS TO CELEBRATE 60TH ANNIVERSARY
OF WWII VICTORY

YEREVAN, JANUARY 26. ARMINFO. The Russian Embassy in Armenia is
planning a series of events in Yerevan and the regions to celebrate
the 60th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War.

Involved in the celebrations will be Armenian and Russian artists,
scientists and other intelligentsia representatives. Festivities will
be held May 8-9 in the central parks and squares with the
participation of veterans and schoolchildren. Also planned are
scientific-historical conferences, archive exhibitions, university and
school contests on the subject.

The Embassy is convinced that the celebrations will contribute to the
further strengthening of the Armenian-Russian friendship. The
festivities in Moscow will show the whole significance of the victory
over Fascism for the present-day world.

Armenian veterans will also be presented at the Moscow
celebrations. The May 9 Victory is a great historic event for not only
Russia but all the CIS nations who made their personal contributions
to the overall defeat of Fascism. This date is important for the whole
world especially now that humanity is facing new threats and
challenges. On the initiative of Russia and the CIs countries the UN
General Assembly has proclaimed May 8-9 as Days of Memory and
Reconciliation.

Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
Jan 26 2005

PACE passes resolution condemning Armenian aggression

The draft resolution on Upper Garabagh, based on the Parliamentary
Assembly of the Council of Europe rapporteur David Atkinson’s report,
was unanimously passed at the PACE winter session after heated debate
on Tuesday.
Atkinson stated during the discussions that if a nationwide poll was
held in Upper Garabagh today, most of the population would
undoubtedly vote for independence. However, in this case Azerbaijani
residents in Upper Garabagh would not be able to cast their votes, as
they do not currently live in their native land and were subject to
ethnic cleansing as a result of Armenia’s aggression.
Atkinson indicated three ways for settling the conflict. One of them
is military action by Azerbaijan, which implies that the country will
no longer be a member of the Council of Europe. Another alternative
is granting full independence to Upper Garabagh, which will
jeopardize security in the region. The third option is a peace
settlement, which is the only way to ensure co-existence of the two
peoples.
A representative of Armenia Armen Rustamian stated that adopting the
resolution would complicate the conflict resolution. He said that the
fact the `occupation’ and `separatism’ concepts were used in the
document will allow Azerbaijan to put forth an ultimatum to Armenia.
Following heated discussions accompanied by mutual accusations, PACE
considered the proposed changes to the draft resolution. The entity
rejected the Armenian MPs’ proposal on amending the section that says
`considerable parts of the territory of Azerbaijan are still occupied
by Armenian forces’, by the overwhelming majority of votes.
Only two amendments were introduced to the resolution. One of these
changes stipulated that Azerbaijan is to hold talks with both the
Azerbaijani and Armenian communities of Upper Garabagh without
preconditions, while the other one envisioned making technical
changes to the document.
The resolution was further placed on voting and passed by 123 votes,
with only 7 voting against it.
Head of the Azerbaijani delegation at PACE Samad Seyidov says the
resolution passed is of great importance for Azerbaijan.
`This shows that European countries have confirmed that Armenia is an
aggressor and that Upper Garabagh is controlled by separatist
forces.’
The resolution also says that both sides should refrain from military
action and consider using the UN International Court of Justice if a
conflict resolution fails.
So far most international organizations have exercised a double
standard approach to the Garabagh conflict. The Council of Europe is
therefore the only entity that passed a document reflecting a fair
and impartial position on the issue.
Analysts regard the fact that the resolution was adopted in this
composition as a victory of Azerbaijan’s diplomacy.*

Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
Jan 26 2005

World Azerbaijanis urge PACE to deprive Armenians of deputy mandates

The World Azerbaijanis Congress (WAC) has urged the Council of Europe
(CE) to impose sanctions on Armenia and deprive the Armenian
parliamentarians attending the sessions of the Parliamentary Assembly
of the CE of their deputy mandates.
The WAC stated in its appeal to the PACE leadership and the member
states’ parliaments that `if the CE wants to achieve sustainable
peace in the region, it must take unbiased position on the Upper
Garabagh issue and urge Armenia to implement the UN resolutions and
PACE decisions’.*