The Information Channel Felist.Com -*-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dear frends! Arminfo news agency inform KARABAKH MOVEMENT FIRST CONTINUOUS STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM IN FORMER SOVIET UNION: US CONGRESSMEN STEPANAKERT, FEBRUARY 21. ARMINFO. The Karabakh movement was the first continuous struggle for freedom in the former Soviet Union. >From the very beginning US Congress stood up for the right of the Karabakh people to attain self-determination, say US congressmen Franck Pallone and Joe Knollenberg in their message to congratulate NKR President Arkady Ghoukassyan on the 16th anniversary of the historic session of the Karabakh deputies proclaiming NKR's independence. Neither the Armenian pogroms in Sumqayit (1988) and Baku (1990) nor the ethnic cleansing by the Soviet and Azeri authorities in the early 90s could crush the Karabakh people's aspiration to live independently. "Today we support you as strongly as in 1998," say the congressmen welcoming NKR's successful efforts to build stable democracy in a shaky region like the South Caucasus. Last year US Congress provided NKR with $5 mln for recovering after the Azerbaijan-imposed war. "We support your democracy and aspiration to live freely and welcome your commitment to establish peace and stability in the region." MANY PEOPLE IN RUSSIA FORGOT HOW IT ALL BEGAN IN KARABAKH YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 21. ARMINFO. The professor of the Diplomatic Academy of Russia's Foreign Ministry Tatyana Poloskova urges Azeri and Armenian experts to tightly cooperate on a solution to the Karabakh conflict. She says that the Armenians and Azeris of Moscow are on normal terms. She even knows cases when the children of Baku Armenians go to an Azeri school in Moscow. Russia's approaches to the problem have become more balanced lately which could be seen during the last visit of the Azeri president to Moscow. Armenian, Azeri and Russian experts should hold a dialogue which cannot yet be held by the authorities. This may result in a third way to settle the conflict. Poloskova says that the Karabakh conflict is the fruit of the reckless actions of those who broke down the Soviet Union without caring for its people. In this situation Russia should either remain an observer preserving the status quo or to take some step considered and approved by experts. Many people in Russia do not remember today how it all began in Karabakh. Poloskova supports the idea of meetings between the Armenian and Azeri communities of Moscow expressed by the director of the Human Rights Institute of the Academy of Science Rovshan Mustafaev during his recent meeting with the Links NGO (UK). These meetings will show who is actually interested in the settlement and who is not. These meeting may pave the way for the settlement of other problems too. Russian experts should join the dialogue as it can lead to a redistribution of forces in the South CAucasus meeting the interests of transnational corporations and particularly of Russia who is searching for alternative routes for transporting oil to Europe. HEADLINES OF FEBRUARY 21 AZERI NGOs TO RALLY OVER KARABAKH ISSUE THROUGHOUT 2004 BY 2005 AREXIM PLANS PROFITS AT $300,000 4,997 EXPORT CERTIFICATES ISSUED BY EXPERTIZA COMPANY IN 2003 1.8 TONS OF GOLD AND 4 TONS OF SILVER PRODUCED BY ARARAT GOLD RECOVERY COMPANY IN 2003 EU SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE ON SOUTH CAUCASUS DISCUSSES SITUATION IN REGION SEVAN SUGAR-REFINERY CAN PRODUCE 5,000 TONS OF SUGAR YEARLY IOCD TO PAY MORE ATTENTION TO ROAD SAFETY SERIOUS POLITICO-ECONOMIC PRECONDITIONS AVAILABLE FOR DEVELOPMENT OF ARMENIAN-RUSSIAN ECONOMIC COOPERATION: YEVGENY STROGANOV ARMENIA SUFFERED SERIOUS DIPLOMATIC DEFEAT IN KARABAKH SETTLEMENT: GRIGOR HATUTUNYAN ARMENIAN OPPOSITION RESOLUTE IN ISSUE OF CHANGE OF POWERS ARMENIAN POLITICIANS HAVE NOT MATURED YET FOR WELL-WEIGHTED DECISIONS, RUSTAM MAHMEDOV THINKS ARMENIA MAY SERVE AS BASE FOR RUSSIAN ECONOMIC PENETRATION INTO NEAR EASTERN COUNTRIES PACE RAPPORTEUR ON KARABAKH STARTS HIS VISIT TO ARMENIA AND KARABAKH YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 23. ARMINFO. PACE rapporteur on Karabakh Terry Davis is starting today his two-day visit to Armenia, Azerbaijan and Karabakh. In Stepanakert Davis is meeting today with NKR President Arkady Ghoukassyan, Speaker of the NKR PArliament Oleg Yesayan, the foreign and defence ministries, representatives of the local parties, civilians. Tuesday he is to go to Yerevan to meet with Armenia's President Robert Kocharyan, the Armenian delegates to PACE, FM vartan Oskanyan and the personal representative of Kocharyan at the Armenian-Azeri settlement talks Tatul Margaryan. Wednesday Davis is to go to Baku. ARTSAKHCOMMUNICATION REFUTES REPORTS BY AZERI MEDIA STEPANAKERT, FEBRUARY 23. ARMINFO. The director of the Artsakhcommunication company Suren Mirzoyan refutes the reports by the Azeri media that it premeditatedly broadcast programs in Armenian on the frequency of the Azeri TV company ANS from "a transmitter earlier belonging to Azerbaijan." Mirzoyan says that a few days ago the company actually put into operation a small transmitter in Shushi. But it was not an Azeri transmitter and the company planned to broadcast in NKR only. He says that the company is ready to consider all the moot questions with Azerbaijan. "Before raising a clamor they'd better discuss the problem with us," he says. SNOWFALLS BLOCK ROADS FROM AKHALKALAKI (GEORGIA) TO ARMENIA YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 23. ARMINFO. Heaving snowfalls and avalanches threats have led to the closure of several roads in Georgia including those leading from Akhalkalaki to Armenia. Also closed are the road from Kobi to Gudauri, one of the two ways from Georgia to Russia and the Batumi-Kobuleti one leading from Georgia to Ajaria and the Black Sea coast. At some sections snow drifts are 50-70 cm high. JUSTICE BLOC HOLDS RALLY IN BUREGAVAN, KOTAYK REGION YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 23. ARMINFO. Feb 21 the Justice opposition bloc held a rally in the village of Buregavan, Kotayk region. The bloc representatives say that the authorities did their best to wreck the rally: somebody heaped stones all over the venue - the central square of the village; Gevork Gevorkyan who was sent to inform people of the rally was arrested; the buses from Yerevan to Buregavan suddenly vanished on the day of rally; some people kept knocking at people's doors urging them not to take part in the action. Despite all the above obstacles the rally took place - many even walked from nearby settlements situated kms from the village. Almost all the representatives of the bloc were there. The key topic was the recent speech of Armenia's President Robert Kocharyan. MP Viktor Dallakyan said that in his speech Kocharyan did not say a single word about his people and sppke about force only. "He hopes that the military structures will defend him from the people who did not elect him. But if surround the parliament building and demand that the bill on confidence vote be adopted he will have to go." All the speakers stressed the "necessity of the people's support and liberation of Armenia from the Karabakh clan and its two ringleaders [Robert Kocharyan and Serzh Sargsyan]." "Those who will use arms against their people will answer before the law." "We'll persist till Kocharyan goes," the leader of the Republic party Albert Bazeyan said. The leader of the bloc Stepan Demirtchyan said that the situation in the country has aggravated in the past year: prices have gone up boosting poverty and social polarization. Concerning Kocharyan's speech, particularly, his words about the elections in Germany where a candidate won the ballot by only 1% lead, Demirtchyan said that "one can win by 1% lead and nobody will doubt his victory but one can also draw 90% and nobody will believe him." "I don't think they in Germany stuffed faked ballots and arrested over 200 citizens like the Armenian authorities did here." "We must get rid of this regime as soon as possible and we'll do that," Demirtchyan concluded. ACCORDING TO PRELIMINARY DATA, TWO ARMENIAN ELECTED TO IRAN'S PARLIAMENT YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 23. ARMINFO. According to preliminary data, on the results of the parliamentary elections in Iran on Feb 20, two Armenians were elected to the legislative body of Iran. PanArmenian agency reports with reference to Armenian-language newspaper "Alik" in Iran, as a result of the counting of votes in the electoral districts of Tehran and Northern Iran, the engineer Gevorg Vardian polled 87% of votes. Over 13,500 Armenians took part in the voting. The candidate from Armenians of the South Iran Robert Beglarian here polled over 95% of votes. ARMENIAN PATRIARCH OF CONSTANTINOPLE AND ALL TURKEY DISCHARGED FROM HOSPITAL AND WILL START HIS WORK YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 23. ARMINFO. The Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople and All Turkey, Archbishop Mesrop Mutafyan, who was injured in the road accident on Feb 1, has been discharged from hospital after recovering from operation. According to the Armenian newspaper "Marmara," doctors allowed Patriarch to start his work within the coming days. It should be noted that the bus, wherein besides the Patriarch, were 12 priests, failed to break. NATO SECRETARY GENERAL CONDEMNS MURDER IN BUDAPEST YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 23. ARMINFO. On February 23, Mr. Viguen Tchitetchian, Head of the Mission of Armenia to NATO met Mr. Jaap do Hoop Scheffer, Secretary-General of NATO to discuss the development of Armenia's cooperation with the Alliance in the framework of the PfP, the press-service of the Armenian Foreign Ministry told ARMINFO. During the meeting the Ambassador also addressed the tragic incident that took place at the PfP language training courses held in Budapest. The SG condemned the murder and asked that the Ambassador convey his sincere condolences to the family of Lieutenant Margarian. Ambassador Chitechian submitted to the Secretary General a letter from Armenia's Minister of Foreign Affairs. In his letter, the Minister expresses indignation over the brutal act committed by the Azeri officer, which has caused a great shock and outrage in Armenia. He states that such an act is "sad but also expected, as the consequence of the warmongering statements of those within Azerbaijan's government, old and new. Unfortunately, under the new President, such policy has been preserved and given new impetus. He points that "Armenia has considered - and considers - Partnership for Peace an effective framework and format for many things, including normalizing its relations with Azerbaijan." However, ":our approach to the Partnership has not been reciprocated by Azerbaijan - even prior to this unprecedented act." The Minister added that "there has been not a single PfP event that has not been used by official Baku for blatant and unsophisticated anti-Armenian propaganda and hysteria." The Ambassador reconfirmed that the commitments which countries undertake in the framework of the PfP are irrevocable and have to be fully respected as is demanded by the spirit of the Partnership. HEADLINES OF FEBRUARY 23 KARABAKH'S AUTHORITIES STIMULATE BIRTH RATE MOSCOW AND ANKARA HAVE GOOD PROSPECTS FOR JOINTLY IMPORTING ARMENIAN ELECTRICITY INTO TURKEY FRENCH SENATORS HOPES FOR POLITICAL RESOLUTION OF KARABAKH CONFLICT ARMENIAN MPs VISIT BELARUS NATURAL MONOPOLY COMMISSION OBLIGES POWER NETWORKS OF ARMENIA COMPANY TO ELIMINATE ALL CASES OF NONCONFORMITY TO ITS LICENSE OSCE HOLDS REGULAR MONITORING OF KARABAKH-AZERI CONTRACT LINE TURKEY DISPLAY POSITIVE INITIATIVE TOWARD ARMENIA: TURKISH NEWSPAPER YEREVAN MAYOR TO HEAD ARMENIAN DELEGATION AT MOSCOW BUSINESS FORUM "CONSTRUCTION & REPAIRS 2004" EXHIBITION OPENED IN YEREVAN 11,600 RESIDENTS FROM TWO REGIONS OF ARMENIA UNDERGO FREE OPHTHALMOLOGIC EXAMINATION ARMENIAN COMPANY CROWN CHEMICALS PLANS TO GAIN RUSSIAN MARKET MEETING AT YEREVAN MUNICIPALITY DISCUSSES PROBLEM OF CITY's ARCHITECTURE GROSS INTERNATIONAL RESERVES OF ARMENIA GREW BY $70.2 MLN DURING 2003 ARMENIAN FOREIGN MINISTER AND IRANIAN MINISTER OF INFORMATION DISCUSS IMPLEMENTATION OF JOINT ARMENIAN-IRANIAN PROGRAMS PACE RAPPORTEUR ON NAGORNY KARABAKH ARRIVES IN NKR SEMINAR "ELECTORAL REFORMS IN ARMENIA" TO BE HELD IN YEREVAN ON FEB 24-27 PACE RAPPOTEUR VISITS SHUSHI No information from Site can be used without prior permission of ARMINFO http://www.arminfo.am -*-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unsubscribe: http://felist.com/member/unsub?grp=media.arminfo&email= http://felist.com/ mailto:ask@felist.com