Russian air base in Armenia ready to open fire at NATO planes – TV report

Channel One TV, Moscow
4 May 04

Presenter Back in Soviet times airborne troops stationed in
Transcaucasia served as a reliable defence of the country’s southern
borders. In the mid-1990s Russia’s airspace in the area was left
without any defence. Armenia alone met Russia halfway and allowed for
the Russian Airborne Troops to remain on its territory.

Correspondent Aleksey Artemyev Fighters at the Russian air base
Erebuni have six minutes and not a second more to take off for a duty
flight and intercept a target that has illegally entered Armenia’s
airspace. The end of the runway and the border with the neighbouring
country are separated by a distance of 15 km. The neighbouring country
is Turkey, a NATO member state, with a great number of air bases
stationed on its territory, including those belonging to the USA.

Two years ago Russian pilots cut short an attempt by a high-speed spy
plane to enter Armenia’s airspace from Turkey. One should always be on
alert here. All interceptors on combat duty here are equipped with
four air-to-air missiles. The two bigger ones are located closer to
the fuselage and are capable of hitting a target within a distance of
up to 80 km. The two smaller ones are intended for close combat, they
are capable of hitting any target within 30 km. The equipment is
completely ready for combat.

NATO intelligence is monitoring the Russian air base in Armenia round
the clock. Two sites for direct tracking are situated on a slope of Mt
Ararat. The Turkish Air Force are trying to have every Russian pilot
under control.

Valeriy Ded, captioned as fighter pilot We do not normally meet them
in the air. At times we spot them on our radar screens, both on board
and on the ground. They know every pilot of ours, our voices, if not
our names.

Correspondent The Erebuni air base is part of the Russian air defence
complex situated in Armenia, the only one remaining in Transcaucasia,
protecting Russia’s southern borders. The main air defence forces are
located high up in the mountains, not far from Gyumri, formerly
Leninakan. There are four launch pads for air defence missile systems
Kub and S-300 there.

We were the only TV crew that was given a chance to film a Russian air
defence command post on alert duty.

Unidentified officer This facility allows us to see the sites where
the air defence batteries are stationed as well as the sectors they
are facing. We can give them the whereabouts of a target to hit.

Correspondent This radar station is able to operate within a radius of
300 km. The nearest NATO airfields in Turkey are situated at a
distance of about 200 km. In other words, the Russian command post is
able to spot any plane takeoff from any of the airfields.

Aleksey Gorskiy, captioned as commander of the combat command and
control division In May 2001 we began our test alert duty. We did not
have a right to open fire at trespassers. The Turks used to fly along
the border all the time. After the alert duty started in earnest in
October ?2001 , in other words when we were allowed to open fire, they
hardly ever appear here now.

Correspondent All the Russian air defence divisions stationed in
Armenia are working in close coordination with each other. In everyday
life pilots and anti-aircraft gunners are rivals. The air base is
proud of its unique barracks, containing fish water tanks,
mantelpieces and even a small zoo of their own. Meanwhile, the air
defence system command division claims that they have the best cook
and cuisine.

Passage to end omitted: interview with cook.

Senior politician hails Russia’s role in avoiding bloodshed in Ajaria

Radio Mayak, Moscow
6 May 04

Presenter Russian Federation Council speaker Sergey Mironov emphasized
in an interview with our radio station that Moscow had always
supported Georgia’s territorial integrity.

Mironov The political changes in Ajaria are an internal affair for
Georgia. Russia has always spoken out consistently, as a matter of
principle, in support of Georgia’s territorial integrity. I have to
say, with satisfaction, that it is in a large part thanks to Russia’s
efforts that bloodshed was avoided in Ajaria and that former Ajarian
leader Aslan Abashidze’s resignation took place peacefully. Talking
about Abashidze’s future, I think that it is now a personal matter for
him.

Most importantly, a powerful positive impulse has appeared in our
relations with Georgia. I hope that Georgia and our diplomats make
effective use of this impulse. Nevertheless, it is important to state
that the way in which Abashidze’s resignation happened in Ajaria is
not acceptable either in Abkhazia or in South Ossetia. All in all, I
have to say that the standoff between Georgia and Ajaria ended well
because there were no casualties. Now, against the background of these
events, with the Georgian foreign minister Salome Zourabichvili
visiting Russia, there is an opportunity to move forward in many
aspects of our agreements. I would like to repeat that the Federation
Council regards what has happened as a positive event.

Presenter Meanwhile, political experts do not rule out the possibility
of changes to Ajaria’s status as an autonomous region within
Georgia. Konstantin Zatulin, the director of the Institute of CIS
Countries, had this to say on the matter.

Zatulin Now, a major blow has been dealt to the self-government that
Ajaria enjoyed during the entire period of Abashidze’s rule. In the
immediate future all questions relating to the region’s development
will be resolved in the Georgian capital Tbilisi.

I think that the only rational step for Georgian President Mikheil
Saakashvili to take is to preserve Ajaria’s autonomy and so to avoid
any reproaches from the guarantor countries of the Moscow and Kars
treaties of 1921 – these were Soviet Russia and Turkey. In signing
these treaties, they guaranteed the existence of an autonomous
Ajaria. It was only for these reasons and under these conditions that
Turkey agreed to pull its troops out of Batumi, to be replaced by
Soviet troops.

Formally, Ajaria will remain autonomous, but it will have no real
autonomy from Tbilisi. I don’t know what this will lead to in the long
term, but one thing is clear: even now it could bring about an
explosion of enthusiasm and attempts to suppress all national
differences in other Georgian regions. This will not just be in
Abkhazia and South Ossetia, over which Tbilisi has lost all control,
but, for example, in Samtskhe-Javakheti Region, which is located next
to Ajaria and has a predominately Armenian population.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Split within Azeri ruling team over Cyprus – opposition paper

Azadliq, Baku
6 May 04

Text of unattributed report by Azerbaijani newspaper Azadliq on 6 May
headlined “We have became enemies with Turkey as well” and subheaded
“the Turkish press has named Azerbaijan an enemy state”

As was expected, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s Cyprus adventure
has caused, to put it mildly, the cooling in the relations between
Azerbaijan and Turkey. Of course, one cannot suppose that it will turn
from the problem of relations between the two countries’ authorities
to the problem of the relations between publics.

However, the worse thing is that the official relations established
with Turkey during the past 12 years of Azerbaijan’s independence have
been seriously stained. The worst thing is that this resulted from
clumsy diplomatic manoeuvres by the individual who claims the title of
Azerbaijani president.

On the other hand, it has become obvious that there is a split in the
political leadership of Azerbaijan, which is in a state of war with
Armenia . That is very dangerous. For example, Ilham Aliyev himself
can give clear comments neither on his statement in Turkey that “we
will recognize the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus”, nor on his
statement in Strasbourg that “we cannot recognize Cyprus”, or on
Azerbaijani MPs’ behaviour at the PACE Parliamentary Assembly of the
Council of Europe . Following this lack of position, various groups
inside the authorities voice different comments on the issue.

Circles linked to Ilham Aliyev regard the recent events from the point
of view of “Azerbaijan’s national interests”, whereas circles close to
chief of the presidential staff Ramiz Mehdiyev put them down as
irresponsibility. For example, the statement which the Foreign
Ministry issued yesterday presents the events within the framework of
the country’s “state interests”. At the same time, TV channels close
to Mehdiyev call these event a “disgrace” and drop a clear hint to the
opposite side that “diplomacy is a serious political business and
serious politicians should deal with it”.

The conflict inside the authorities resembles a brawl between mafia
groups. However, as these groups have seized the possibility of
deciding the country’s political fate, the Azerbaijani state is
receiving serious blows.

The Azerbaijani authorities are to blame for the fact that Turkey’s
main newspapers started publishing insulting articles about
Azerbaijan. How many times can it be recalled that when a national
leader visits a foreign country or addresses an audience, he should
not make statements just to please that country or audience. If we
look at all Ilham Aliyev’s foreign trips, it can be clearly seen that
he is busy making statements fitting the interests of audience he
addresses. We wonder, whether he will be able to accurately define
Armenia’s interests at a meeting with President Robert
Kocharyan?… ellipses as published

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIAN COALITION LEADER SLAMS OPPOSITION OVER ITS METHODS

Hayots Ashkarh, Yerevan
5 May 04 p3

Text of Vahan Vardanyan interview with chairman of the parliamentary
group Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) Galust Saakyan in which he
criticizes the opposition in the light of the Council of Europe
resolution on Armenian issues by the Armenian newspaper Hayots Ashkarh
on 5 May headlined “I consider that betrayal”

(Hayots Ashkarh correspondent) Mr Saakyan, do you expect any changes
in the working style of the opposition after the resolution published
by the Council of Europe?

(Galust Saakyan) At the moment no. Our opposition colleagues will have
a theme connected with the resolution for discussing it during ten
days. But I think they understood that the Council of Europe is not
the political bureau of the USSR or Lenin’s mausoleum, so that they
can come and conduct revisions after complaining about the
authorities.

In fact, they were given an answer to the problems that were being
speculated more than a year. First of all, it was fixed that a vote of
confidence was only a proposal but not a decision of the
Constitutional Court. At the same time it is obvious that European
structures accept the results of the presidential and parliamentary
elections and there is no problem to revise them. The call for
dialogue, fixed in the resolution, is not principally a new thing
either. We have been saying the same for a year, but unfortunately
there is still nobody to listen to us.

Let us see what final conclusion our opposition colleagues will make
after the CE resolution. Today there is still a tendency to say what
they were saying before. But it is really becoming boring for the
society. It is unacceptable that by their working style in some sense
they are opening a door for interference by foreign forces in the
domestic political life of the country. Naturally, this cannot but
cause a counteraction.

(Correspondent) You accuse the opposition of making our country
vulnerable to foreign forces? But in its turn the opposition denies
this, especially an accusation that during recent PACE session they
cooperated with the Turkish-Azerbaijani delegation.

(Saakyan) Nobody says that there are not people with fair intentions
within the opposition. We also do not say that they especially went
and made an arrangement with the Turks and Azeris. But during the
discussion of the Armenian issue, the Turkish and Azerbaijani
delegations demonstrated serious proactivity. And representatives of
our opposition were those who put this issue forward. The decision
was adopted with difference of only six votes, and it is principally
clear that the problem of putting on the agenda a matter on the Turks
and Azeris voting was a decisive one. If our opposition colleagues did
not put forward this problem, they could not make use of the
situation. I condemn this phenomenon. Not only specific persons but on
the whole opening of the door to foreign interference. I consider that
betrayal.

(Correspondent) By giving such an assessment does the coalition not
close an opportunity for dialogue? (Saakyan) No, it does not. We said
many times that we are ready to talk but without preconditions. By
means of their actions the opposition transferred the political
developments to the judicial field when implementing any action they
come across the law. I agree that we should start a reverse process:
to discuss political problems in the political field and find
decisions. But nevertheless the coalition is not the opposition’s
nurse, so they always call for agreement to their demands, always call
for a dialogue and they always refuse because of some reason. If they
are going to continue their actions with illegal manifestations, the
law should act here. By the way, it is also mentioned in the
resolution of the CE that the opposition must not demonstrate
violence, that is, it should act within the framework of the law. All
this is becoming silly. They organize rallies, then they tell the
people to go home and come at the decisive day. This is a working
style which will be exhausted sooner or later.

NO TRUCE VIOLATION OBSERVED ON ARMENIAN-AZERI CONTACT LINE BY OSCE MISSION

Mediamax news agency
6 May 04

YEREVAN

An OSCE mission held routine monitoring today on the contact line
between the armed forces of the Nagornyy Karabakh Republic (NKR) and
Azerbaijan in the village of Seysulan of NKR’s Mardakert District.

Mediamax news agency’s correspondent reported from Stepanakert
(Xankandi) that the monitoring was carried out within the schedule. No
incidents or truce violations were recorded.

The monitoring group from the position of the NKR defence army was led
by Andrzej Kasprzyk, personal representative of the OSCE
chairman-in-office.

Kasprzyk held meetings with the NKR foreign minister, Ashot Gulyan,
and the defence minister, Seyran Oganyan, in Stepanakert on 5
May. They discussed the situation on the contact line and the
prospects for a settlement of the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

NEW PAPER ON KARABAKH PRINTED IN AZERBAIJAN

Assa-Irada, Baku
6 May 04

BAKU

The first issue of Qolos Karabaxa (Russian: Voice of Karabakh)
newspaper is out. The newspaper is founded by the Foundation for the
Protection of the Rights of Migrants, Refugees and Displaced Persons
in Azerbaijan.

The primary goal of the publication is to inform foreign embassies in
Baku and guests who arrive in the country for different reasons about
the fate of 1m people who were expelled from their native lands. Also
the background to the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagornyy Karabakh problem,
the aggressive nature of the Armenians, and their activities against
the Azerbaijani people over the idea of Greater Armenia.

Since the newspaper primarily targets foreign readers, it is published
in Russian and an English version is planned. It must also be noted
that in order to disseminate information more widely about the nature
and content of the conflict, newspaper stories will also be posted on
the foundation’s Internet site in the Azerbaijani, Russian and English
languages.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

BC-Voice of America TV calls Armenia
Magazine show, 30-minutes of p’gramming added
By Pamela McClintock

NEW YORK — Voice of America on Monday launched a daily
Armenian-language TV feed for Armenians in their own country and for
those dispersed across Europe and the Middle East.

VOA, which is partnering with Armenia TV, recently ended its
Armenian radio broadcasts, saying a TV feed would reach more people.

Armenia TV will air “Amerikai dzain herustahandes” (VOA TV
Magazine) during its weekday newscasts, as well as a 30-minute block
of VOA programming on Saturday.

VOA director David Jackson said the feed was especially important
as Armenia developed into a more “open and democratic civil society.”
VOA is the U.S. government’s chief propaganda arm overseas.

According to a recent survey, 97% of Armenians rely on television
for news. Armenia TV reaches 52% of viewers between the ages of 25
and 50.

It is also available via satellite in Western Europe and the
Middle East, including the U.K., France, Germany, Switzerland,
Holland, Bulgaria, Romania, Spain, Portugal, Cyprus, Greece,

Armenian National Committee of America
888 17th St., NW, Suite 904
Washington, DC 20006
Tel: (202) 775-1918
Fax: (202) 775-5648
E-mail: [email protected]
Internet:

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 6, 2004
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918

ARMENIA ELIGIBLE FOR MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE ACCOUNT FUNDING

— Secretary Powell Announces List of 16 Countries Invited to
Submit Proposals for Multi-Billion Dollar Aid Program

WASHINGTON, DC – The State Department announced today that Armenia
has been chosen to be among a select group of 16 countries eligible
for Millennium Challenge Account funding, a new multi-billion
dollar U.S. program designed to provide assistance to low-income
countries that demonstrate a strong commitment toward good
governance and economic growth and reform, reported the Armenian
National Committee of America (ANCA.)

“We welcome the State Department’s decision to include Armenia in
the first tier of countries to participate in the MCA,” said ANCA
Chairman Ken Hachikian. “The funds will create important
opportunities for strengthening the Armenian economy and helping
the Armenian people overcome the ongoing, multi-billion dollar
impact of the dual Turkish and Azerbaijani blockades. We look
forward to working with Armenian Government officials and the
Millennium Challenge Corporation to assist in the funding process
ahead.”

The complete list of 16 countries eligible to apply for MCA funds
includes: Armenia, Benin, Bolivia, Cape Verde, Georgia, Ghana,
Honduras, Lesotho, Madagascar, Mali, Mongolia, Mozambique,
Nicaragua, Senegal, Sri Lanka, and Vanuatu.

President Bush first announced his intent to create the MCA in
March, 2002. The program is based on the premise that economic
development succeeds best where it is linked to free market
economic and democratic principles and policies. Eligibility under
this program, which is only open to selected low-income countries,
is conditioned upon sound policy performance and accountability by
recipient nations. This performance in measured by sixteen
quantifiable criteria in the areas of 1) ruling justly, 2)
investing in people, and 3) economic freedom.

Overall funding for MCA is will be $1 billion for Fiscal Year 2004,
and is expected to rise to $5 billion by Fiscal Year 2006. Although
there are no guaranties that its grant proposals will be funded,
Armenia’s annual share from this new foreign aid program could be
as much as $75 million a year.

Secretary of State Colin Powell, who serves as chairman of the
Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), developed to oversee the
implementation of the Millenium Challenge Account funds, stated,
“This is a historic day for the Millennium Challenge Corporation.
The President’s vision has come to pass, and today’s decision by
the Board of Directors is a major step in implementing the vision
of the MCC.”

An ANCA study prepared in September of 2003 showed that Armenia was
well-positioned to receive MCA funding based on the 16 criteria set
out by the MCC. The study was distributed widely to Members of
Congress and the Administration as well as to representatives of
the Armenian Government. In the months that followed, the ANCA
tracked Congressional hearings dealing with MCA, where Members of
Congress including Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), Brad Sherman (D-CA) and
Joseph Crowley (D-NY), spoke in support of Armenia’s participation
in the program and questioned early assertions that Armenia may not
receive first tier funding.

Upon learning of the MCC announcement earlier today, Rep. Schiff
stated, “I am delighted to see that Armenia is included in the
first group of nations eligible to receive funding under the
Millennium Challenge Account. As a struggling democracy that is
economically isolated by an injurious blockade, Armenia is a prime
candidate for MCA assistance. This is welcome news for Armenia and
a good judgment by the MCA Board and State Department.”

MCA eligibility was among a series of topics brought up in high
level meetings between Armenian Government officials and an ANCA
delegation including Chairman Ken Hachikian, held in conjunction
with an Armenian Foreign Ministry Armenian Advocacy conference,
held in Yerevan on May 3rd and 4th. The ANCA provided specific
recommendations about the development of grant submissions to the
MCA to ensure that Armenia, if selected, would receive a
significant share of the first year MCA awards.

According to the MCA Website (), eligible countries will
work with the MCC to develop a compact proposal for “achieving
sustainable economic growth and poverty reduction.” Succesful
proposals would be designed to:

a) Engage a broad array of its society in coming up with its
development priorities;
b) Identify the measurable objectives that it wants to achieve;
c) Include a plan for achieving those objectives with targets to
assess progress;
d) Develop transparent mechanisms to measure and evaluate whether
targets are being met and to ensure financial accountability; and
e) Provide a plan for sustaining progress after the MCA compact
ends.

The extent to which a country’s proposal meets the above
requirements will help determine whether and how much the MCC will
invest in the country.

#####

ITAR-TASS, Russia
May 6 2004

Georgia denies existence of Adzharian scenario for Abkhazia

Speaking at a news conference at the Itar-Tass agency, Zurabishvili
expressed doubts that “somebody in Abkhazia was planning to blow up
bridges.”

The approach to the so-called “frozen conflicts” — both in Abkhazia
and Nagorny Karabakh — is important within the context of the
Abkhazian issue, she said.

There is an understanding in Georgia that frozen conflicts impede the
development of democracy,” the foreign minister said.

It is up to all Caucasian peoples to decide whether their region will
lag behind or become a place in the world where everybody would like
to live, Zurabishvili underlined.

Azat Artsakh – Republic of Nagorno Karabakh (NKR)
May 5, 2004

DEADLINE OF OPERATION OF CASINOS WITHIN COMMUNITIES

Last year the National Assembly adopted the law on gambling and
playhouses according to which the owners of casinos were to move
casinos from the territories of the communities. This article of the
law is enacted since July 1, 2004. Before the adoption of the law
casinos operated in Karabakh, and their activity was regulated by
other legislative acts. Before the adoption of the law the National
Assembly raised the question of playhouses in Karabakh, which work
without licence and therefore do not pay state taxes. After the
adoption of the law we were informed at the Ministry of Finance that
after the payment of 600 thousand drams of licence fee the playhouses
received licences. According to the vice minister of finance Maxim
Hakobjanian, all over Karabakh 8 licenses were granted to 5 subjects.
The legal person wanting to open casinos at different places,
according to the law, pays the state levy and receives the licence for
each playhouse. Besides, if the casino will operate after 24:00, the
owner must pay additional 400 thousand drams state levy. According to
the head of the department of finance and economy of the City Hall of
Stepanakert Nairi Harutiunian, the additional fee was paid by 4 legal
persons. According to the article 169 of the Code of Administrative
Lawbreaking, illegal entrepreneurship is controlled by the tax
agencies. Against the 7 licenses granted in Stepanakert we counted
eight playhouses (which have signs), one of them does not operate. We
do not know how many playhouses operate without signs,
i.e. illegally. According to the law, operation without licence is
fined five times over the licence fee (5 x 600 thousand drams). By the
way, those legal persons who acquired licence presently, were not
fined although everyone knew that they operated before the autumn of
2003. Casinos are profitable business, therefore the owners must pay
adequate taxes to the state and the community budgets. However, people
are more interested in the risk of addiction to gambling than their
fiscal activities. Therefore the National Assembly maintained that
persons under 21 cannot enter a playhouse. People under 21 should be
refused entrance. We found out that the Ministry of Finance will
regulate this procedure. There is another circumstance. As it has
already been mentioned, July 1 is the deadline after which arcade
games and casinos may not operate within the territories of the
communities. We know that several owners of casinos have already
started the construction of new buildings outside the town. According
to the head of the architectural department of the City Hall of
Stepanakert Nwer Mikaelian, after the adoption of the law no area was
provided in Stepanakert for building casinos. The head of the NA
committee of finance and economy M. Danielian informed that not only
the casinos but also separate game machines will be forbidden to
operate in Stepanakert.

NAIRA HAYRUMIAN