Ten-year ceasefire marked in Karabakh conflict

Deutsche Presse-Agentur
May 12, 2004, Wednesday

Yerevan/Stepanakert — The Armenian enclave of Nagorny- Karabakh on
Wednesday marked a shaky ten-year ceasefire in its unresolved conflict
of independence with Azerbaijan.

Unlike in other regional conflicts, the sides have avoided renewed
serious clashes without intervention by international peacekeepers,
the foreign minister of the unrecognized Nagorny-Karabakh republic,
Ashot Gulyan, said in the capital Stepanakert.

The 4,400-square-kilometre mountain territory is formally part of
Moslem Azerbaijan but is populated mainly by Christian Armenians.

At least 20,000 people died and 750,000 Azeris became refugees during
the 1992-1994 war between Azerbaijan and the Karabakh Armenians
assisted by troops from neighbouring Armenia.

The sides called a ceasefire on May 12, 1994, with help from other
former Soviet republics, but attempts to find a lasting solution to
the conflict failed.

There were no serious clashes since then along the demarcation line
although frequent exchanges of fire persist, Nagorny-Karabakh’s
defence chief Sergei Oganyan said Wednesday.

Landmines killed at least eight people in the region this year alone,
according to the British mine-clearing organization Halo Trust. dpa
fk na sc

Russia, Armenia mull opportunities to boost cooperation
By Vitaly Kuchkin

ITAR-TASS News Agency
May 11, 2004 Tuesday

MOSCOW, May 11 — Russia and Armenia consider opportunities to boost
cooperation, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Yakovenko
said on Tuesday.

Two-way trade increased by almost 35 percent last year. At the present
time, Moscow and Yerevan exchange views regarding the prospects
for implementing the property- against-debt agreement, as well as
interaction in the sphere of energy and investments, Yakovenko said.

The parties attach an important significance to the solution of
transport problems, in particular by resuming the railroad service
between Russia and Armenia through Georgia.

Special attention is paid to the coordination of efforts aimed at
normalizing the situation in the Caucasus, and the opening of the
potential of multi-lateral cooperation, including within the framework
of the Caucasian Four.”

This includes the prevention of new conflicts and the settlement of
old ones such as in Nagrony Karabakh, Yakovenko said.

He said interaction within the frameworks of the Commonwealth of
Independent States (CIS), the Collective Security Treaty Organization
(CSTO), and Eurasian Economic Community where Armenia received the
status of observer, was an important sphere of cooperation between
the two countries.

“Russia and Armenia are resolved to make task-oriented moves in the
fight against terrorism,” the diplomat said, adding that “the political
interaction in the sphere of anti-terrorist fight is strengthened by
effective practical cooperation between secret services.”
From: Baghdasarian

Ukraine-Armenia trade grows 14 times in 2003
By Vitaly Matarykin

ITAR-TASS News Agency
May 11, 2004 Tuesday

KIEV, May 11 — The Ukraine-Armenia trade enlarged by 1.4 times in
2003, and doubled in January-March 2004 as compared to the first
quarter of last year, Ukrainian Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovich
said at a joint press conference with Armenian counterpart Andranik
Margaryan on Tuesday.

The press conference followed a sitting of the bilateral cooperation
commission.

Yanukovich said trade had intensified within a brief period. Ukraine
is interested in the construction and modernization of industrial
facilities in Armenia, he said.

Armenia will buy or lease several dozens of Ukrainian tractors before
the end of this year, Margaryan said. Yerevan will also consider
using Ukrainian cargo planes. Armenia and Ukraine will intensify
cooperation in tourism.

Trade between Ukraine and Armenia neared $60 million in 2003.

Russia, Armenia and South Africa to Set up Diamond Venture

RusData Dialine – BizEkon News
May 12, 2004 Wednesday

SOURCE: NOVYE IZVESTIA

Russia, Armenia and South Africa are negotiating to set up a
jointventure to mine and polish diamonds.

Russia, Armenia and South Africa are negotiating to set up a joint
venture to mine and cut diamonds.

The venture will offer the full range of services – from mining
proper through to the marketing of finished jewelry articles. Armenia
is sixth in the world in terms of diamond polishing. In 2003, its
cutting factories turned out about USD 250 million worth of polished
stones. Experts have recently been forecasting increased demand for
and rising prices of diamonds. In Russia, the first auction this
year to sell diamonds weighing from 10.8 carats up on the domestic
market, to be held May 18, has already received bids from 50 Russian
processing plants. Novye Izvestia recalls that Botswana tops the
world’s diamond production league – 32% of all diamonds valued at
USD 2.3 billion. It is followed by Russia, with 22% of world output
worth USD 1.6 billion. Third is Canada, followed by South Africa and
Angola. Russia and South Africa are the main suppliers of gem-quality
diamonds.

Armenian sides to have dialogue on resolving tensions, parliament speaker says

Associated Press Worldstream
May 11, 2004 Tuesday

YEREVAN, Armenia — Armenia’s opposition parties, which have been
demanding the resignation of President Robert Kocharian in weeks of
large demonstrations, have agreed to start a “political dialogue” with
the government side, Parliament speaker Artur Bagdasarian said Tuesday.

In a statement, Bagdasarian said an agenda for the discussions will be
worked out on Thursday. Further details on the talks, including their
format and whether any issues were off-limits, were not immediately
available.

“As speaker of the Armenian National Assembly, I express the hope
that the representatives in parliament of all political forces will
do everything possible to establish a new political situation in the
country and by the path of political dialogue reach a resolution of
the current difficult questions,” Bagdasarian said.

Weeks of demonstrations have raised political tensions in Armenia.

Kocharian won a second term in presidential elections a year ago that
sparked mass protests. Opposition groups alleged widespread violations
in both rounds of the election.

Words About War and Peace on Karabakh Anniversary

Moscow Times
May 13 2004

BAKU, Azerbaijan — On the 10th anniversary of the truce that ended
fighting Azeri-Armenian fighting over Nagorny Karabakh but left its
status in limbo, Azerbaijan’s president on Wednesday pledged support
for peaceful resolution of the dispute but raised the prospect of
military action.

Nagorny Karabakh, an ethnic Armenian enclave within Azerbaijan,
for the past decade has been under control of an internationally
unrecognized ethnic Armenian government backed by forces who also
occupy parts of Azerbaijan adjoining the enclave.

Because of the dispute over the enclave’s final status, the
Armenia-Azerbaijan border is closed. Failure to resolve the issue is
seen as having discouraged investment in both countries because of
concern that another war over the enclave could erupt.

Armenian and Azeri officials, including the country’s presidents, have
met repeatedly to discuss Nagorny Karabakh, but with little visible
progress despite a wave of sessions in 2001 that many observers
believed foreshadowed an imminent settlement.

Azeri President Ilham Aliyev underlined that Azerbaijan insists
Nagorny Karabakh remain part of that country and that a resumption
of fighting could not be excluded.

“We are supporters of a peaceful resolution of the conflict, but the
Azeri people will not submit to the loss of its territory. If talks
do not give results, we will free our land at any cost,” Aliyev said.
“Our army is capable of freeing occupied territory at any moment.”

Armenian President Robert Kocharyan, in a statement marking the
cease-fire’s 10th anniversary, said, “We will observe the principle
of a peaceful regulation of the Nagorny Karabakh conflict.”

Aliyev made his statements in a speech at a military institute in
Nakhichevan, an Azeri exclave separated from the rest of the country
by Armenian territory. “Azerbaijan is in a condition of war, our
territorial wholeness is violated and the army can undertake steps
to restore the wholeness,” he said.

Armenia wants comprehensive settlement for Karabakh
By Vitaly Matarykin

ITAR-TASS News Agency
May 11, 2004 Tuesday

KIEV, May 11 — Armenia stands for comprehensive settlement of
the Karabakh problem, Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan replied to
Itar-Tass at a joint press conference with Ukrainian counterpart
Viktor Yanukovich on Tuesday.

“We object to any preliminary conditions in the solution of that
problem,” he said. “We want a comprehensive settlement. We do
not want the liberation of lands to come first and the status of
Nagorno-Karabakh to be considered later.”

The Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers will discuss the
problem on Wednesday, Margaryan said.

He thinks that the opinion of Karabakh residents must be taken into
account in the settlement.

Azerbaijan suggests pulling out Armenian servicemen from seven
districts, which do not belong to Nagorno-Karabakh, as a goodwill step.
From: Baghdasarian

Kazakh, CIS security leaders discuss fighting “modern threats”

Interfax-Kazakhstan news agency, Almaty
12 May 04

Astana, 12 May: Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev and CIS
Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) Secretary-General
Nikolay Bordyuzha discussed preparations for the next session of the
organization in Astana on 12 May.

The session will be held at the level of the presidents of the CSTO
member states in Astana on 18-19 June this year.

“I briefed the Kazakh president on the results of the CSTO’s activities
in 2003 and on the preparations for the organization’s next session
which is due in Astana on 18-19 June,” Bordyuzha told journalists
following the meeting with Nazarbayev.

The CSTO secretary-general noted that he and the Kazakh president had
discussed “adapting the CSTO’s activities to modern challenges and
threats”, prospects for the organization’s development, including the
coordination of the member states’ foreign policies, and aspects of
“perfecting the military components” within the CSTO.

At the same time, Bordyuzha stressed that “the main and priority
direction” for cooperation among the CSTO members is fighting common
challenges and threats: terrorism, drugs business, political extremism
and separatism.

The CSTO members are Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia
and Tajikistan.

CIS security chief in Kazakhstan urges “uniform standards” for armed forces

Interfax-Kazakhstan news agency, Almaty
12 May 04

Astana, 12 May: Service in the CSTO Collective Security Treaty
Organization; members are Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,
Tajikistan and Russia member states’ armed forces should be based
on uniform standards, the secretary-general of the CSTO, Nikolay
Bordyuzha, told journalists following the meeting with Kazakh President
Nursultan Nazarbayev in Astana on 12 May.

Speaking about military cooperation within the CSTO, Bordyuzha
stressed that it was necessary to perfect the system of Collective
Rapid Deployment Forces CRDF in Central Asia. In particular, he
clarified, this is about the need to introduce uniform standards
for the armed forces of the CSTO member states, including military
equipment, and boost military-economic cooperation.

“We should perfect the CRDF in Central Asia as well as regional forces
existing today. We are talking about the necessity to introduce uniform
standards, we are talking about giving an impetus to military-technical
cooperation,” Bordyuzha said.

Passage omitted: background on the CSTO

Turkey wants good relations with Armenia – spokesman

Anatolia news agency, Ankara
12 May 04

Ankara, 12 May: Turkey wanted good relations with Armenia, Turkish
Foreign Ministry spokesman Namik Tan said on Wednesday 12 May .

Tan told a weekly press briefing that the Caucasus and Armenia were
important regions for Turkey.

Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Tan stated that there were chronic
problems in the region.

Everybody should fulfil his responsibilities, Tan noted. Tan added
that only Turkey’s efforts would not be sufficient to overcome those
chronic problems.