NEW UNHCR REPRESENTATIVE IN ARMENIA

ArmenPress
May 14 2004

YEREVAN, MAY 14, ARMENPRESS: UNHCR issued a press release informing
about the assignment of Mr. Peter Nicolaus as the new UNHCR
Representative in Armenia. He took up office on May 12, 2004.

Mr. Nicolaus holds a Doctorate in Law and has been working with UNHCR
since 1986. Before being appointed in Armenia Mr. Nicolaus was the
UNHCR Chief of Mission in Uzbekistan. He speaks English and German.

CAUCASIAN FOUR GATHERINGS TO RESUME

ArmenPress
May 14 2004

MOSCOW, MAY 14, ARMENPRESS: The chairman of the upper chamber of the
Russian State Duma (parliament), Sergey Mironov, announced today that
the traditional and regular meetings of parliament chairmen of the
so-called Caucasian Four (Russia, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia)
will resume soon.

Speaking to a news briefing Mironov said the meetings, held once in
three months, were stooped pending the end of Georgian parliamentary
elections on March 28.

“Now with the election results announced we can resume our meetings,”
he said, adding that the next gathering will most likely take
place in Tbilisi. According to Armenian parliament chairman, Arthur
Baghdasarian, one of the meeting’s topics will be discussions on ways
to end the Karabagh conflict.

Russian, Armenian leaders note progress in economic cooperation

Channel One TV, Moscow
14 May 04

[Presenter] A Russian-Armenian summit has taken place in the
Novo-Ogarevo residence outside Moscow. [Russian President] Vladimir
Putin met Armenian President Robert Kocharyan, who is in Moscow on
a three-day working visit.

The Russian president said he was satisfied with economic cooperation
between the two countries. But he said he thought there was room
for improvement.

[Putin, sitting next to Kocharyan] It is necessary to note that this
work is not just intensive but also fruitful. It is reflected mainly
in the pace of our economic cooperation. The trade turnover between
Russia and Armenia last year rose by more than 34 per cent. This is
a record. In my view, this is the best kind of evidence that we are
moving in the right direction.

[Kocharyan, in Russian] I think the impetus was the major
debt-for-property deal. Prior to that, we had only been discussing
the military technology factor in cooperation and had been saying
that the economic factor was lagging behind. I can now say with total
confidence that we have caught up and are now progressing together
in every field at a synchronized rate.

Russian president meets with his Armenian counterpart

AP Worldstream
May 14, 2004

Boosting trade between the two former Soviet republics topped the
agenda at Friday’s meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin
and his Armenian counterpart, Robert Kocharian.

Putin said that trade has increased 34 percent in recent years.

“This is a record indicator that we are moving toward the right
direction,” Putin said.

Kocharian recalled the major agreement last year under which
Armenia ceded control over its only nuclear power plant to Russia’s
state-controlled electricity monopoly in exchange for the cancellation
of US$40 million debts to Russian energy suppliers.

The start of true economic cooperation came with that “major agreement
of debt-for-property,” Kocharian said. “I would like to say with utmost
confidence that we started and are moving together on all issues.”

Putin and Kocharian have met frequently in recent years.

Armenian, Russian presidents discuss regional issues

Public Television of Armenia, Yerevan
14 May 04

[Presenter over video of meeting] The Russian and Armenian presidents
[Vladimir Putin and Robert Kocharyan] met an hour ago in Moscow
today. This is the fifth meeting of Vladimir Putin and Robert Kocharyan
in one year.

The strengthening of trade-economic relations was the main issue the
presidents discussed during the meeting. The volume of the commodity
turnover between the two countries increased by 34.5 per cent last
year.

The presidents also exchanged opinions on the main regional
issues. In this context, they talked about the settlement of the
Karabakh conflict.

Russian, Armenian leaders upbeat on bilateral cooperation

ITAR-TASS news agency, Moscow
14 May 04

Novo-Ogarevo, 14 May: Armenian President Robert Kocharyan believes
that the “major Russian-Armenian deal to write off debts in exchange
for property” has made it possible to develop not only military and
technical cooperation but also economic collaboration on the whole. He
said this today at a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“Very interesting events are taking place at present in the economic
sphere, for instance, a major Russian bank, Vneshtorgbank, has launched
its work in Armenia. A very interesting contract in the chemical
sphere has been signed: the chemical industry is being developed on
a major scale in Armenia with the help of Russian investments. There
are many examples of Russian businessmen’s active participation in
construction and other spheres,” the Armenian leader said.

According to Kocharyan, ” a major deal on writing off debts in exchange
for property has served as the starting point”. “We used to discuss
the military and technical components of cooperation all the time
before and outline what sectors of economy were lagging behind,” the
Armenian president said. “I can say with full confidence that there has
begun very synchronized progress regarding all the positions,” he said.

[In an earlier report at 0928 gmt the agency said that Putin was
satisfied with the development of cooperation with Armenia, but at
the same time he believed that there was a great potential for future
developments. “Moscow and Yerevan have many opportunities to work
even better and more efficiently,” the agency quoted Putin as saying.

The agency said in a separate report at 0938 gmt that Putin expressed
his hope the current visit would be useful for both sides. “I don’t
only hope, I am confident that your current working visit will be
beneficial for our collaboration and will help us to intensify our
links,” the agency quoted Putin as saying at the talks with Kocharyan.]

Iran’s presence in region of great importance – Armenian foreign minister

Public Television of Armenia, Yerevan
14 May 04

Since the first days of its independence, Armenia has attached great
importance to Iran’s presence in the region, which plays a balancing
role, Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan said during a meeting
with Iranian Oil Minister Bizhan Namdar-Zangeneh in Yerevan.

The Iranian official, who signed an agreement on the construction of
the Iran-Armenian gas pipeline yesterday, noted that this will be a
symbol of strengthening friendship between the countries of the region.

Minister Oskanyan received the Iranian oil minister three hours after
his return from Strasbourg.

Cooperation with Armenia in full swing, Russian premier

Mediamax news agency
14 May 04

Yerevan, 14 May: Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov said in
Moscow today that “Armenian-Russian relations are developing in
all directions”.

A Mediamax correspondent reports from Moscow that the Russian prime
minister made this statement today during a meeting with Armenian
President Robert Kocharyan.

Fradkov said that the meeting with the Armenian president would make
it possible to improve the effectiveness of bilateral cooperation.

Robert Kocharyan, in turn, said that while earlier Russia and Armenia
were more focused on military and technical cooperation, today their
bilateral relations cover all spheres, and the sides have accumulated
tremendous potential for economic cooperation.

Iran-Armenia gas pipeline no threat to Russia

Mediamax news agency
14 May 04

Yerevan, 14 May: The Iran-Armenia gas pipeline project does not cause
any anxiety in Russia.

A Mediamax correspondent reports from Moscow that this statement was
made by the chairman of the board of the Russian company Gazprom,
Aleksey Miller, during his meeting with Armenian President Robert
Kocharyan yesterday.

For his part, the general director of Armrosgazprom [Armenian-Russian
gas company], Karen Karapetyan, said that Armenian consumers would
continue using Russian gas even after the Iran-Armenia gas pipeline is
put into service. Karen Karapetyan explained that Iranian gas would be
used in the production of electricity which will be sent back to Iran.

Aleksey Miller said he had discussed the possibility of increasing gas
supplies to Armenia with the Armenian president. The head of Gazprom
added that the possible increase in the volume of supplies would not
affect the price of gas.

Aleksey Miller and Robert Kocharyan also looked into the prospects
for expanding the capacity of a subterranean gas storage facility in
Abovyan and issues related to the development of the gas transport
system in the region.

Turkey, Azerbaijan to entrap Armenia by stage-by-stage option – paper

Ayots Ashkhar, Yerevan
14 May 04

Text of Vardan Grigoryan’s report by Armenian newspaper Ayots Ashkhar
on 14 May headlined “Is the stage-by-state or package option a
trap?” and subheaded “What should Armenia do?”

To all appearances, the recent developments in the region have boosted
the hope of Azerbaijani diplomacy for the stage-by-stage option of
the Karabakh issue settlement.

Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov’s statements that the Istanbul
summit of NATO will give rise to Armenian-Turkish-Azerbaijani
trilateral talks with a resolution on “returning the seven districts
in return for the opening of the railway” testifies to this. In turn,
Ankara is continuing to express “its effusion of love” for Armenia,
and the circles that represent Turkish business have started a wide
propaganda campaign about serious prospects for Armenia if trilateral
Turkey-Armenia-Azerbaijan trade is restored.

Against the background of such developments, Armenia’s very
careful attitude to possible negotiations between Armenia, Turkey
and Azerbaijan also draws attention. And the most important thing is
that along with stressing the significance of Armenia’s cooperation
with NATO, President Robert Kocharyan declines to go to Istanbul due
to the fact that Armenian-Turkish relations are not good today.

We think that in order to understand the real reasons behind these
events, it is necessary to take the priorities of US policy as the main
engine that will change the regional status quo. In the regional sense,
the “sly step” of US policy is not at all a quick settlement to the
Karabakh issue, but a drastic change in the geo-political situation
in Armenia and in the whole region by opening the Armenian-Turkish
border. They often say that the Armenian-Turkish border will open
at the end of 2004, and this date coincides with the date for the
negotiations on Turkey’s entry into the European Union.

It is clear that the USA’s harshly-worded demands are added to the
demands of the European Union here. What does the fulfilment of such
a demand mean for Turkey, if it is not to lose its younger brother
Azerbaijan? So how to find a happy medium? It is clear and simple: to
connect the problem of opening the Armenian-Turkish border with the
settlement of the Karabakh issue. But how to set this settlement in
motion, if Azerbaijan, as a party that has lost the war, is not ready
for it because of the inevitability of serious losses it will have
according to any “package” [solution]. In any case, there is an option
called a stage-by-stage option under which Azerbaijan and Armenia
will cede something to each other, saving Turkey as a result. With
this aim, Azerbaijan (i.e. Turkey) is putting forward the idea of
returning the seven districts in return for the opening of the railway.

We are sure that under Turkey’s “pressure”, this figure may be reduced
even to “five districts in return for the opening of the railway”. But
this is not important. The most important thing is that before opening
the Armenian-Turkish border, the settlement of the Karabakh issue
should be connected with the process of improving Armenian-Turkish
relations. Because if tomorrow Azerbaijan puts forward new demands
against Armenia, Turkey will immediately agree with them on the basis
of trilateral arrangements. Turkey will do the same, for instance
by demanding that Armenia give up on the international recognition
of the Armenian genocide, and after that, Azerbaijan will deny the
stage-by-stage arrangements in the Karabakh issue, i.e. block the
railway and keep the liberated territories in its hands.

This testifies to the fact that by applying the stage-by-stage option
for settling the Karabakh issue, Turkish diplomacy is simply luring
Armenia into a trap. So President Robert Kocharyan’s refusal to go to
Istanbul was the right step no matter what the reasons behind it. It
is also correct that Armenia refuses to take part in the trilateral
meeting of the foreign ministers with the mediation of Turkey. But we
think that one cannot be satisfied with this, because any trilateral
meeting of the three countries’ foreign ministers, irrespective of
Turkey’s mediation, will be used for connecting the opening of the
Armenian-Turkish border to the Karabakh issue settlement.

Armenian diplomacy is obliged to draw up another formula against
the Armenia-Turkey-Azerbaijan trilateral format, which will be again
based on the idea of lifting the blockade of transport ways. In this
sense, the Armenia-Turkey-Georgia option is preferable, and Russia’s
involvement in the process is an ideal option, leaving the Karabakh
issue only to the OSCE Minsk Group.