VOLUME 4, No. 5-6

Liberation of Shushi Celebrated

(Continued from page 1)

Shushi.  The liberation of Shushi later allowed the NKR Defense Army to establish a land connection with Armenia, which serves as Karabakh's only road to the outside world. 
Ghoukasian also said that throughout Shushi's tragic history, Turkish and Azeri soldiers have continuously attacked the Armenian population of Shushi, a town known as one of the centers of Armenian culture and arts in the 19^th century.  In

March 1920 for example, armed forces of Azerbaijan slaughtered 20,000 Armenians in Shushi, leaving Armenians, with their houses ruined, as a minority in Shushi.   
"The cease-fire in the region is holding thanks only to the balance of forces", Ghoukasian said in his speech.  The Azerbaijani side hopes to 'solve' the conflict militarily, by means of crushing Nagorno Karabakh with an overwhelming force and drive Armenians out of

Karabakh.  "In this situation, we cannot forget about the importance of our armed forces in ensuring peace on our borders.  The NKR Defense Army is an army of peace.  Our army will never encroach on the peaceful life and prosperity of our neighbors.  The main task of our army is to resist an outside aggression and to protect the citizens of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic", Ghoukasian said.

ARF Central Committee Members of France Visit Nagorno Karabakh

Stepanakert, May 10.  President Ghoukasian received members of the Central Committee of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF Dashnaktsutiun) of France Vardges Miroyan, Hakop Mkrtchian and Murad Papazian.  They were accompanied by the ARF representative in Nagorno Karabakh Vahan Badasian.  Ghoukasian briefed the guests on economic development, reforms in the agricultural sector and the creation of a favorable investment climate in Nagorno Karabakh.  ARF members informed the President that fund-raising events for the construction of an emergency department in Stepanakert's future general hospital are underway in France.

General Director of Sukhoi to support education programs

Stepanakert, June 22.  President Arkady Ghoukasian received the General Director of the Sukhoi Aircraft Military and Industrial Complex (Russia) Mikhail Poghosian and his deputy Yuri Tarasov.  Poghosian expressed readiness to support the education of a group of Nagorno Karabakh students in Russian technical universities and become a sponsor of one of the local schools.  Ghoukasian thanked Paghosian for his commitments to help post-war reconstruction in Nagorno Karabakh. 

Stepanakert, June 18.  President Arkady Ghoukasian received the coordinator of the Stepanakert Health Center project, Aline Durian.  Sponsored by the All-Armenian "Hayastan" Fund, the Center will consist of a polyclinic, hospital and diagnostics clinic.  Durian briefed Ghoukasian on tender process, recently announced for the construction of the Center, acquisition of furniture and modern medical equipment.  She also said that a group of medical personnel to be employed at the Medical Center is currently undergoing training in Nagorno Karabakh. The sides agreed to hold a ceremony of laying the first stone in the foundation of the Stepanakert Health Center in early August of this year.