KARABAKH ABLE TO FIGHT OFF AZERI ATTACK – NKR Defense Minister

Hayastani Hanrapetutyun, Yerevan
8 May 04

Text of David Mikaelyan’s report by Armenian newspaper Hayastani
Hanrapetutyunni on 8 May headlined “‘If the army and society are
united, they are invincible,’ Seyran Oganyan says”

This is an interview with the defence minister of the Nagornyy
Karabakh Republic, Seyran Oganyan.

(Hayastani Hanrapetutyun correspondent) Mr Minister, the Azerbaijani
press often touches on the situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani
border and says that the Azerbaijanis are holding commanding positions
and making progress in those sectors of the border that are controlled
by the Artsakh (Karabakh) defence forces. Are these rumours true? And
what is the situation today?

(Seyran Oganyan) Since the 1994 armistice, i.e. over the past 10
years, no serious change of positions has taken place on the
Armenian-Azerbaijani border. First of all, I mean the contact line
with the enemy. I should say that our forces always control the
situation, and any attempt to violate the border is foiled. Until 1996
there were frequent active exchanges of fire on the border. Sometimes
there were even incursions by sabotage and reconnaissance groups. In
1996-2000, these incursions almost ended while positional exchanges of
fire continued. In recent years there has been certain activity by
sabotage groups. But they have always been defeated. The rumours
disseminated by the Azerbaijani mass media that the enemy (Azerbaijan)
has infiltrated our territory in some cases and that as a result of
their “progress”, they have taken the commanding positions are an
absolute lie. Naturally, this propaganda aims to carry out
psychological attacks and terrorize the peaceful population, to cause
a feeling of fear, hopelessness and panic among the people. But this
is doomed to failure.

(Correspondent) To what decree is a resumption of hostilities
possible?

(Oganyan) On the whole, the war can resume at any time. For this
reason, we should always be ready and on alert. But I do not think
that today Azerbaijan is ready to start the hostilities, especially as
we manage to maintain the correlation of forces. The process of army
build-up, in particular, the fulfilment of strategic programmes (the
strengthening of defence structures, positions, the renewal of modern
military equipment, measures directed at raising the fighting spirit
of soldiers, etc.) give us an opportunity to take realities into
account and at the same time, to analyse and assess the situation
soberly. I repeat once again that the fighting efficiency of the army
is on such a level that not only can we defend ourselves, we can also
carry out a counter-strike at the enemy. In recent years we have
carried out great work in the sphere of strengthening the link between
the army and the people. And if the army and society are united, they
are invincible.

(Correspondent) Representatives of the so-called “Karabakh Liberation
Organization” in Baku have been more active of late. They call for “a
peace march” to Shushi (Susa) on 9 May. Do you think that such
statements are serious?

(Oganyan) As is known, we are at war at the moment and war has its own
rules. We have a state border and they should have a visa for
crossing it. It is difficult to guess how they will manage to get this
right. If they have bellicose purposes, they will naturally get a
relevant response from our side.

(Correspondent) It is no secret that regular supplies play a decisive
role in the army. How do you settle the commanders’ problems and renew
the staff of officers?

(Oganyan) An army cannot be organized in one day and all problems
cannot be settled immediately. It is no secret that the staff of
officers is reinforced by people of different professions. Most of
them had participated in the war and had gained experience. But within
the framework of the personnel policy, we have been sending our boys
for higher education in military institutions of Armenia and other
countries since 1995. This process is continuing today and according
to an agreement, the staff of officers and commanders is reinforced by
relevant personnel. The state is taking care of improving social
conditions for its officers and their families.

(Correspondent) Mr Minister, what did the 10 years of the armistice
give us?

(Oganyan) First, I should emphasize that the armistice was a result of
the efforts of the whole Armenian nation. It gave us an opportunity to
switch to a peaceful life after long-lasting suffering, to seriously
deal with army build-up, to restore the economy, to gradually
strengthen the army, and to ensure the security of our country and
people. Unfortunately, it is impossible to restore spiritual values
and human losses. One should not forget that we are in a so-called
relative war. And the situation “neither peace nor war” compels us to
be on alert all the time.

KARABAKH IMPORTANT FACTOR IN CAUCASUS – NKR Foreign Minister

Hayastani Hanrapetutyun, Yerevan
8 May 04

Text of Galust Nanyan’s report by Armenian newspaper Hayastani
Hanrapetutyun on 8 May headlined “The NKR is an important factor in
the region”

This is an interview with the foreign minister of the Nagornyy
Karabakh Republic (NKR), Ashot Gulyan. The Bishkek agreement on the
armistice signed on 12 May 1994 will mark its 10th anniversary
soon. It does not contain any term, it only says that the armistice
should last until the signing of a peace agreement.

According to NKR Foreign Minister Ashot Gulyan, when the armistice
agreement was signed, the NKR was given the opportunity to start
peaceful life. “It is natural that the Karabakh party’s participation
in the signing of the armistice agreement, as well as in other
discussions, was one the most painful problems for Azerbaijan,” Gulyan
said.

Irrespective of everything, the most important thing is that they
reached such an agreement and it is still in force. According to
Gulyan, if the NKR as a party is responsible for maintaining the
armistice, so the NKR should logically be a full participant in the
Karabakh conflict settlement.

When several months ago the former foreign minister of Azerbaijan,
Vilayat Quliyev, said that Azerbaijan is ready to negotiate directly
with the NKR if Armenia walks out of this process, Ashot Gulyan says
that it was not serious readiness. This was simply a regular political
step on the part of Azerbaijan and aimed to find out what response it
will get.

“The NKR president, as well as numerous members of the NKR Foreign
Ministry, have repeatedly said that the Karabakh party is ready to
negotiate with Azerbaijan in any format without any pre-conditions,”
Gulyan said.

He also said that in the 10 years they managed to make quite serious
progress in the issue of creating and establishing an independent
state.

Gulyan said that thanks to these efforts, the NKR has really become an
important factor in the region. If earlier the NKR was seen in the
region only as a military and political factor, which had military
potential, today “I think that the level of the NKR’s economic and
public development allows us to say that Nagornyy Karabakh is really
an important factor in the region in all spheres,” Gulyan said.

As for the opening of the Armenian-Turkish border and the Nagornyy
Karabakh conflict in this context, Gulyan said that only Armenia and
Turkey can settle these relations. “I have the impression that the
Turkish government is hostage to the pre-conditions put forward by
Azerbaijan from time to time,” Gulyan said.

POLICE PREVENT AZERI PRESSURE GROUP’S MARCH TO KARABAKH

Lider TV, Baku
8 May 04

(Presenter) Today marks the 12th anniversary of Susa’s occupation. The
plans of the Karabakh Liberation Organization (KLO) to hold a peace
march to Karabakh have failed. The members of the organization, who
gathered at the Martyr’s Avenue at 1100 (0600 gmt), first commemorated
the martyrs and laid a wreath at the memorial complex.

(Video shows crowds of people visiting the Martyrs’ Avenue)

KLO chairman Akif Nagi said they would march as far as Karabakh and
that citizens from districts along the route would join them.

The march scheduled for 1200 (0700 gmt) did not take place. Police
officers did not allow the KLO members to hold their march. They
explained this by the fact that the action was unsanctioned.

The KLO members, who gathered at the Martyrs’ Avenue, agreed with the
police and gave up on the march in order to avoid a conflict on this
day.

RUSSIAN DAILY EXAMINES GEORGIAN LEADER’S “PEACE OFFENSIVE” AGAINST ABASHIDZE

Kommersant, Moscow
7 May 04

>From the very start of the clash between Georgian President Mikheil
Saakashvili and the now ex-Ajarian leader Aslan Abashidze few people
doubted that ultimately victory would rest with the leader of the
“Rose Revolution”. A scion of the old Soviet elite and a proponent of
the old mentality, Aslan Abashidze was in every respect a man of the
past, and a politician of that kind even at the level of an autonomous
republic, not to mention state level, has no historical future.
However, the Abashidze ruling clan seemed to be a nut that could not
be cracked straightaway or a rhizome that would be extremely hard to
uproot. Many people, including the writer of this article, thought
just a few days ago that a protracted standoff that could develop into
bloodshed might be a quite realistic scenario for Ajaria. Because
people like Aslan Abashidze do not go voluntarily.

But a miracle has all but happened. The fact that the denouement came
quickly and, importantly, painlessly came as a complete surprise. When
Eduard Shevardnadze was swept away in the same manner in November last
year, it was not so surprising. By then it was clear that Mr
Shevardnadze held little control within the Georgian state and he only
had to be given a slight nudge for his regime to collapse. But “strong
Abashidze”, who has maintained a grip on his state within a state for
so many years, seemed in some respects the exact opposite of the “weak
Shevardnadze”. Yet now he has suffered the same end. Why?

“Abashidze’s strength” proved toothless in the face of the peace
offensive from Mikheil Saakashvili, who refused to use force. And was
reluctant to have a punch-up, relying on his loyal personnel and his
best devoted soldiers. Abashidze probably also had troops of that
kind, and plenty of them. But the whole trick is that they were not
allowed to show their worth. There was no military offensive, which
would have allowed Aslan Abashidze to don a flak jacket, come out onto
the square, and say for all to hear “Ajaria is in danger!” rallying a
people’s militia around him. The Ajarian leader concluded simply that
“Tbilisi had scheduled a meeting” for him and, thus, made a fatal
error.

Why did a seemingly experienced politician allow himself to be outdone
by a novice? Possibly because for the past decade rebellious regions
have been dealt with in this way, by force, not only in Georgia but
also in other republics of the former USSR. Let us recall Abkhazia,
South Ossetia, Nagornyy Karabakh, and the Dniester region. Lastly, let
us recall Chechnya. The “Ajarian lion” decided that his republic had
the same fate in store. He blew up the bridges and prepared for
all-out defence. However, all these actions turned against him. He
lost the battle for the Ajarian people. As a result we have witnessed
the first experience in the post-Soviet area of a peaceful solution to
the problem of separatism. The Ajarian “sovereignty bandwagon” has
turned out to be not a military parade but a peaceful May Day
demonstration, whose participants were marching not with submachine
guns but with balloons.

AZERBAIJAN’S MILITARY MANOEUVRE ADVERSELY AFFECTS CASPIAN ISSUE, IRANIAN
DAILY SAYS

Shargh web site, Tehran,
2 May 04

The Republic of Azerbaijan is planning to perform a military manoeuvre
in the Caspian Sea in the coming days. Contrary to the remarks by the
commander of Azerbaijan’s Border Guards regarding the aims of the
manoeuvre in terms of evaluating the readiness of the border forces of
the Azerbaijan Republic in order to confront a possible violation of
its maritime borders, it seems that this military action is
commensurate with the deployment of NATO equipment in the areas close
to the northern borders of Iran and that the aims of the manoeuvres
are something else.

Holding military manoeuvres so soon after the recent Moscow
conference, during which the littoral states of the Caspian Sea
declared their verbal commitment to keep the Caspian Sea far from
militarization and help the establishment of a durable peace, is a
matter that can be studied from several points of view.

A long time ago, Aran and Shirvan were annexed forcefully by Tsarist
Russia and the name was changed to the Republic of Azerbaijan. The
policies of that republic in the later course of history were always
accompanied with the negation of the historical identities and always
affected the security of the northern borders of Iran. The leaders of
the Republic of Azerbaijan, which has fewer than 8 million population,
under the guidance of the late president of the Azerbaijan, Haydar
Aliyev, used the old doctrines of the former USSR to insist on the
common language of Azeris with Iranian Azerbaijan, as an element for
trying to separate this part of Iran from the rest of the country.

The Republic of Azerbaijan, since its independence from the 15
republics of the former USSR, has tried to regain old aims and has
tilted towards extraterritorial powers for financial and other
assistance. They have attracted 12.5m dollars from the White House and
Washington’s special budget to consolidate and equip the Azeri Navy
and bring it up to NATO standards, in line with the militarization of
the Caspian Sea. The military influence of the USA on the regional
countries around the Caspian Sea has been increasing under many
pretexts, like the training of military forces or holding
manoeuvres. For instance, every year we see the common manoeuvres by
the USA with regard to Kazakhstan. In order to increase the support
from the Republic of Azerbaijan, the USA has used its experience of
military and economic assistance programmes. The Americans have
presented warships and patrol boats to Azerbaijan. They are
consolidating their own presence in the region through a partner like
Azerbaijan to protect their oil interests. On the other side, the
Russian Federation, which had the reputation of a powerful military
presence in the Caspian Sea, has tried to enhance its military muscle
through holding naval manoeuvres. The great manoeuvre of the Russians
in the Port of Astrakhan, immediately after the summit of the littoral
states in Asgabat, was in the same line. The Russian Federation has
recently declared that it has to equip its forces in the Caspian Sea
with the latest military equipment.

Undoubtedly, Iran’s northern neighbours are taking advantage its
passive position. Relying on the great powers, they are trying to
enhance their military power in the Caspian Sea in order to gain more
advantages in there. They will be able to protect the security of the
pipelines under constructions, especially Baku-Ceyhan, which are
uneconomical routes designed to bypass Iran, as well as to pressure
Iran to go deeper into the passive mood and ignore its rights to oil
and gas in the Caspian Sea. This point gains importance when we notice
that four of the 14 main oil and gas fields in Azerbaijan are within
the 20 per cent limits that some Iranian politicians have set as the
acceptable share for Iran. Of course, Azerbaijan’s other allies, like
Turkey, which has 15 km of common border with Azerbaijan, and Israel,
are planning to expand the political, economic, and cultural influence
in the region, and they are supporting Azerbaijan from a military
point of view.

The reality is that, despite the failure of the repeated sessions and
conferences of the littoral states for devising a proper exploitation
plan in the Caspian Sea and the codification of joint military plans
in order to preserve the balance of naval power in the Caspian Sea,
can be followed by our authorities in order to protect the national
interests and facilitate the implementation of other plans. On the
other side, Iran’s power to affect the Karabakh and Talesh issues are
among Iran’s capacities that have not been used, and they can be
important in the preservation of stability along the maritime and land
borders and help Iran to play its natural and historical role.

Armenian leader stresses significance of 10 years of cease-fire

Arminfo
8 May 04

YEREVAN

Armenian President Robert Kocharyan has congratulated the country’s
citizens on the victory and peace day marked on 9 May.

According to the presidential press service, Kocharyan’s message says
that the end of World War II and the establishment of peace in the
whole world were of vital importance to Armenia and the Armenian
people. The country received the historical chance of peaceful
activities and comprehensive development. Today the state
commemorates the generation of grandfathers and fathers, whose heroic
representatives crowned their nation with glory on the battlefield.

The 9 May has become a double holiday for the Armenian people since
1992. After liberating the town of Shushi [Susa in Karabakh], the
holiday acquired a new sense. It symbolizes the people’s adamant will
to protect their rights, guarantee their security and free
development, Kocharyan’s message reads.

It is symbolic, the document says, that these days mark the 10th
anniversary of the cease-fire in the hostilities of the Nagornyy
Karabakh conflict. The fruits of the peaceful decade are
undoubted. “We realize the significance of this and will be faithful
in the future to the principles of a peaceful settlement to the
Karabakh problem,” Kocharyan’s statement reads.

Washington Post
May 8 2004

Trio That Doesn’t Work Well Together

Saturday, May 8, 2004; Page C03

The members of Trio Moskva, who hail from the former Soviet Union,
now make music in our metropolis. At the Corcoran Gallery of Art
Thursday night, the trio worked hard at giving authentic Russian
readings to two rather obscure works by their countrymen.
Unfortunately, the results were less than triumphant.

Armenian composer Arno Harutyuni Babadjanian’s 1952 Trio in F-sharp
Minor contained the most redeeming moments of the evening. The motif
of the first movement was tenderly plaintive. The high point was the
middle movement, in which the soulful violin solo alternated with the
cello, which in turn fluently produced emotionally rich solos. But
the rest of the program did not measure up to this standard. The
final movement of the Babadjanian, for instance, should have been
ballerina-light but stomped like a soldier.

While the performances of pianist Anna Ouspenskaya, violinist Olga
Yanovich and cellist Igor Zubkovsky were individually adequate, the
three never jelled as an ensemble. This was particularly evident in
the Piano Trio in D by Sergey Taneyev, a work that embodied the fluid
lines and rich harmonies of the late romantic era but was marred by a
lack of finesse. Propelled by Ouspenskaya’s pounding technique, the
group’s dynamics ranged from loud to louder, heading to a muddy
climax.

The experience was further tainted by several intrusive and nearly
inaudible announcements by the concert chairperson, an excessively
delayed start time, and an exorbitant admission price of $60.

— Gail Wein

London Free Press, Canada
May 8 2004

Couple building a new life here

NORMAN DE BONO, Free Press Business Reporter

They moved across the globe, gave up high-paying jobs in Washington
and miss their home and families in Armenia. For Hamayak Arazyan and
Yelena Stepanyan, it is worth it to build a life in London.

“We made a choice, we knew it would be a tradeoff but you live just
once and it’s not all about money,” says Yelena. “In the world,
Canada is seen as a country of immigrants. We really like it here and
we want to stay.”

It looks now, for the first time in years, as if the young couple
might finally get their wish. Hamayak (just call me Mike) this week
began his new job as account manager at the Business Development Bank
of Canada.

As for Yelena, his wife of seven years, she is in the MBA program at
the Richard Ivey School of Business and has just landed a summer job
at the financial services business, Highstreet Asset Management in
London.

They hope the positions mark the end of what has been a long road to
their new home.

“I decided to come to Ivey because of the reputation of the school,
but we were expecting London to be a much smaller city. It’s bigger
than we thought,” she said.

When they got here and saw that London is a mid-sized community, with
resources for families and children, they realized it was the kind of
city in which they wanted to raise their two children, Alexander, 20
months, and Victoria, 6.

“When we moved from Armenia to the U.S., we had in our minds we
wanted to stay in North America,” but they weren’t certain where.

“We talked to a lot of people (in Washington) and did some research
and realized that for family, for our kids, we wanted to live in
Canada.”

Hamayak and Yelena left Armenia for him to study for his MBA at the
University of Pennsylvania. After graduation in 2001, they moved to
Washington where he worked for the World Bank as a business and
financial consultant. She found work at the International Monetary
Fund, doing research in the Swiss Executive Office.

When Yelena decided she also wanted to study for her MBA, they
decided to combine that with a move to Canada.

As Yelena began her studies, Hamayak worked out of their London home
for the World Bank but craved an office environment and began looking
for work.

“I thought it would be easy to find a job,” said Hamayak, adding he
could have worked in Toronto. “But it’s not the same here as Toronto.
There may be three jobs here for every 200 in Toronto.”

The job search proved frustrating, and they were considering a move
to Toronto when managers at the Ivey school, who work closely with
MBA students, came to their aid, putting feelers out into the
business community to gauge job interest for Hamayak. Meetings with
John Kime, chief executive officer with the London Economic
Development Corp., were followed by a series of interviews at the BDC
beginning in January.

“If I did not find a job here, we would have had to move to Toronto,
there is such a small job market here,” he said.

Some local businesses also declined to hire him, saying that since
his wife was an MBA student, they are certain to leave the city.

“There was a lot of reluctance. One person came right out and said
‘you will not stay here.’ But we want to stay here,” he added. “Even
our daughter has said she thinks kids here are friendlier (than in
Washington).”

Hamayak was also offered a job with Highstreet, but declined it due
to the BDC offer — and asked if they could speak to his wife about
the position.

As for his new BDC job, “it went very well,” he said of his first
week. “They were very supportive. Everyone came in to say hello, ask
if they could help or if I had any questions. That’s the thing we’ve
noticed about London, the people here are very warm.”

In Armenia, Hamayak and Yelena also had good jobs. He was at the
U.S.-funded Armenia Foundation and she was at a European Union-funded
project, but the country is still struggling to rebuild after years
of Soviet rule and they wanted a new start.

“We had a very good life there, we were at the top of our fields and
we went to the U.S. not knowing what we would do after that — it was
a risky step,” said Hamayak. “But in Armenia, there was no place to
grow. We were limited.”

The only drawback to London, they say, is that there are no Armenian
schools for their children. In fact, there are only about 15 Armenian
families in London. Curious to connect to someone from their home
when they arrived, they went to an Alexanian Carpets store — it is
an Armenian name — to meet the owner. They also found three stores
in Masonville owned by Armenians.

“I care very much about the people there, but our family comes
first,” said Yelena. “If everything goes well, I hope we can return
to Armenia this summer for a visit, but I definitely want to come
back and stay in London, it’s my first choice.”

“Here, we can plan what we will do tens of years from now,” adds
Hamayak. “In Armenia, you could not do that.”

In addition to his work, Hamayak is also completing a certified
management accountant course at Carleton University in Ottawa.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Zaman, Turkey
May 8 2004

PMs Sow Seeds of Strategic Partnership

“Let’s not jeopardize our future with the petty calculations,” said
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to his Greek counterpart
Kostas Karamanlis. Erdogan’s is currently paying an official visit to
Athens, the first such visit for a Turkish Prime Minister in 16
years.

Erdogan and Karamanlis talked about a ‘united will’ for the solution
of various issues. Their joint message was, ‘a secure future’. Many
feel that Erdogan’s visit marks the beginning of a new page in
Turkish-Greek relations.

The two leaders came together for an inter-delegation talk. “Let’s
not jeopardize our future with petty calculations,” Erdogan said,
implying about the contentious Aegean continental shelf issue.

“Our future gains will be more than what we have lost in the past,”
replied Karamanlis.

Karamanlis discussed Turkey’s E.U. membership with Erdogan. “We
regard Turkey’s accession to the E.U. as strategically important. We
praise the steps you have taken in that direction. Implementation is
crucially important; however, after knowing your personality, I
believe this issue will be overcome as well.”

The Turkish Prime Minister offered help to Greece for the 2004 Athens
Olympic games if it is requested. He emphasized that it was a pity
not to have direct flights between Athens and Ankara. Erdogan also
voiced his discomfort for a local Greek minister ‘s participation in
a meeting concerning claims of the so-called Armenian genocide.
“Let’s leave history to historians and not make this a tool for
politics,” said Erdogan.

After the talks, both leaders held a press briefing. Erdogan replied
to a question about the Heybeliada Seminary by saying that the
studies are in progress, as are studies about the continental shelf
issue.

Meanwhile, the Greek press covered the visit on the front pages of
the newspapers and emphasized the start of a ‘new era’. Erdogan is
expected to visit Western Thrace today and make statements to bring
ease to both the Turkish people living in the region and Athens.

05.08.2004
Edip Ali Yavuz
Athens

Baku Today, Azerbaijan
May 8 2004

Police Stops Marching To Karabakh. Akif Naghi: `We Are Adamant To
Reach Frontline.’

Baku Today 08/05/2004 14:15

BAKU- Police cardoned off Martyr’ Alley on Saturday and prevented
several hundred members of the Karabakh Liberation Organization (KLO)
to start their unauthorized march to Shusha, a main Azeri-populated
town in Nagorno-Karabakh that was captured by Armenian troops on May
8, 1992.
`This once again displays the attitude of the Azerbaijani authorities
to the Karabakh problem,’ the KLO leader Akif Naghi, surrounded by
police officers, told reporters, while the marchers were chanting
`Karabakh!’ `Karabakh or Death!’ `Those who made the decision [to
stop the marchers] will feel sorry for this in the future.’
The KLO leader said that the Azerbaijanis driven out from their homes
by Armenians have a desire to return and no one can prevent them from
doing this.

`We should at the very least reach the frontline,’ the KLO leader
said, explaining the `march is not our goal but just a means to reach
our goal of liberating Karabakh.’

Naghi said now that the authorities prevented them to start the
action from Baku, they are planning to leave the city in smaller
groups and join somewhere outside of the capital to continue walking
towards the frontline.

The KLO leader said the peace negotiations mediated by OSCE’s Minsk
group since 1992 are aimed at making the Azerbaijani people gradually
forget Nagorno-Karabakh.

`Shusha and Karabakh mean the fate of the Azerbaijani state,’ Naghi
stressed. `Without these, there can be no statehood in Azerbaijan.’