The annual international conference which started today in hotel “Armenia-Marriott” was devoted to the tendencies of political, social and economic development and events in the countries of Northern and Southern Caucasus.

The complaint of the deputy group “Supreme Council” about the violation of their rights of observers during the 2003 Parliamentary elections has been accepted by the European Court of Human Rights. The suit had been sent to the Court in March 2004.

In the Greek village Edikilisia a scuffle was initiated by Armenians and Greeks on the one hand and by Svans on the other hand. The scuffle was motivated by the toasts of Armenians and Greeks drunk to their nations which wasn’t approved by Svans.

The close session of “17+1” Format has just finished. There were two key issues on the Format agenda. First of all the participants analyzed the recent encroachment on the parties and their leaders, and then the admission of the final document at the middle of May and the check of the civil movement details. After the session the Format Coordinator Garnik Margaryan agreed to tell “A1+” some information.

The key issues of today’s roundtable in the club “Mirror” were the recognition of the 1915 genocide and the present phase of the Armenian - Turkish relations. In connection with the genocide and the party’s foreign policy the member of the party Armenian National Movement (ANM) Aram Manukyan announced that the party always guided with the following motto, “There are not eternal enemies, relatives and interest”.

The NKR NA deputies cannot be involved in the PACE Armenian delegation. RA NA deputy Speaker Tigran Torosyan announced about it in the capital of the NKR after the Armenia - Karabakh intergovernmental committee session hold in Stepanakert.

“Karapetyan’s incident was a complicated one,” according to the “New Times” party chairman Aram Karapetyan’s sources Robert Kocharyan said these words after the assault on his bodyguards and drivers.

“First of all in my opinion, Armenia didn’t win the war; perhaps Armenia had certain advantages in the first battle with the assistance of other countries. Everybody knows that Armenians would never be able to occupy our territories lest the Russian army helped them. And that support had vital and fatal importance. Yet, the war still continues,” this is a quotation from Ilhalm Aliev’s speech. At present the latter is in the USA on official...

On the eve of a visit to St Petersburg, the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), René van der Linden, today called for a new impetus for a partnership between Russia and the rest of Europe.

The reason that US President George Bush did not use the word «Genocide» in his April 24 message again is Iran. At least this is the opinion of Ruben Safrastyan, head of the department of Turkey of the RA National Academy of Science.

The republican Board of the Armenian Democratic Party condemned the NSS “operation” implemented against the Chairman of the party “New Times” Aram Karapetyan and his party members.

The RA Foreign Deputy Minister Arman Kirakosyan gave an interview to the Turkish newspaper “Zaman” which was also introduced in the site “mediadialogue.org”. “You demand Turkey to open the borders with Armenia. Does it mean that you recognize the Kars treaty made in 1921 and the borders?”

Hearings on subject “Karabakh problem: settlement perspectives” took place in the Nagorno Karabakh Republic National Assembly. Besides NKR NA deputies, a parliamentary delegation from Armenia headed by Chairman of the Permanent Commission on Foreign Relations of the RA National Assembly Armen Roustamian, a number of Armenian political scientists and experts, representatives of the NKR non-governmental sector took part in the hearings.

Several hours ago the bodyguards and drivers of Aram Karapetyan, leader of the “New Times” party, were set free by the National Security Service. At about 01:00 PM they were arrested. By the way, the National Security Service made a statement today about arresting “the bodyguards of newly-made revolutionary Aram Karapetyan suspecting them of keeping weapon.”

Armenia would be content with the precedent if the Foreign Ministry of Azerbaijan really positively answered the announcement of the Armenian Foreign Ministry considering is constructive. At least this is what the RA FM press secretary says, as “It could stimulate positive developments in this issue.”

«What took place was nothing else but an act of terror». The political council of the party «Fatherland and Honor» qualified the actions of the National Security Service against leader of the «New Times» Party Aram Karapetyan and his bodyguards with those words.

Today the NKR Parliament will start hearings about the Karabakh conflict. As a result of the hearings the NKR Parliament will clear up its approaches towards the settlement of the conflict. Asked the question how the decisions of the NA will affect the settlement of the conflict NKR President Arkadi Ghoukasyan mentioned, «We highly appreciate the opinion of our NA».

Today at about 01:00 PM near the Police Erebouni department twelve armed and masked unknown people stopped the car of Aram Karapetyan, leader of the «New Times» Party. They got the drivers and bodyguards out of the cars and took the cars to the National Security Service. The aim of the check-up was to find out weapon.

«The Great Armenian Genocide was realized by Russia and Turkey», announced historian Rafael Hambardzoumyan during the press conference organized by the Union for National Self-Determination.

In today’s Government session presided over by President Robert Kocharyan a decision was made to liquidate the NAS “Medical Genetic Centre” the chief of which was the NAS ex chairman Fadey Sargsyan’s daughter.

Before the Kocharyan - Aliev meeting in Rambouillet the NKR President Arkadi Ghukasyan said he didn’t have great expectations from the meeting. The OSCE co-chairs are also concerned with the inefficiency of the two Presidents’ meetings. The OSCE Minsk group French co-chair Bernard Fassier recently stated this fact in Yerevan.

>“We have never been the first to violate the cease - fire regime. We only respond in order to prevent them,” the RA Defense Minister Serge Sargsyan announced in the press conference after the finish of the NKR 2006 military trainings.

The RA Foreign ex Minister Alexander Arzumanyan commented on Vardan Oskanyan’s announcement made yesterday in which the latter mentioned that “in case Aderbaijan launches a war Armenia will recognize the independence of Karabakh and it will be accepted on the international level”.

The 2007 Parliamentary elections will be quite tense as the President will release his office after them,” this prediction was given by the NA vice-chairman and the member of Dashnaktsutyun Bureau Vahan Hovhannesyan in today’s press conference.