Month: March 2007

Today, Azerbaijan
March 26 2007

Matthew Bryza says only concern is Armenia can” express its stance
on GUAM frozen conflicts draft

26 March 2007 [14:53] – Today.Az

U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian
Affairs, OSCE Minsk Group American co-chair Matthew Bryza doesn’t
object to the initiative by the GUAM countries to consider the frozen
conflicts at the U.N. General Assembly.

He told APA Bureau that the co-chairs’ only concern is that Armenia
can’t present its stance on the GUAM draft resolution [for the
protracted conflicts] because it is not a member of this group.

He said participation of the United States, Russia and France, as UN
members, in voting on the draft might question the neutrality of the
mediators as Armenia doesn’t have a part in this process and this is
a technical problem.

Mr. Bryza, pointing to OSCE fact-finding mission sent to Nagorno
Karabakh, added that any chosen format should satisfy the interests
of the both sides.

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RIA Novosti, Russia
March 26 2007

Armenia president accepts govt. resignation after PM death
13:20 | 26/ 03/ 2007

YEREVAN, March 26 (RIA Novosti) – Armenian President Robert Kocharyan
has accepted the government’s resignation following the death of
Prime Minister Andranik Markaryan, a government spokesman said
Monday.

PM Markaryan, 55, the leader of the Republican Party, part of a
ruling coalition, died of a heart attack March 25.

"The head of state has directed Cabinet members to continue with
their duties until a new Cabinet of Ministers is formed," the
spokesman said.

Under Armenia’s Constitution, the president can accept the
government’s resignation if the post of prime minister becomes vacant
for any reason.

A new prime minister is to be appointed within 10 days, while a new
government is to be formed within 20 days following the prime
minister’s appointment.
From: Baghdasarian

RIA Novosti, Russia
March 26 2007

Over 100 migrants seized in central Moscow – FMS
13:11 | 26/ 03/ 2007

MOSCOW, March 26 (RIA Novosti) – More than a hundred illegal migrant
workers have been detained in a police raid in central Moscow, the
Federal Migration Service said Monday.

"More than a hundred illegal foreigners were detained by police in a
flat in Moscow," the service said. "Most of them are from Armenia and
Kyrgyzstan, and are in breach of rules governing the stay of foreign
citizens in Russia".

This raid was part of a recent campaign to tackle illegal migration
in Russia, which is suffering from an illegal "migration boom" mainly
by those from former-Soviet republics arriving in Moscow and other
major cities in search of work.

According to the Federal Migration Service, over 20 million people
come to Russia every year and half are in the country illegally.

In January, Russia toughened its migration policy, reducing to 40% of
the total workforce the number of migrants allowed to work in
markets.

>From April 1, 2007, migrants will be banned from working in markets
entirely, a move designed to bring order to the sector and curb a
wave of ethnically motivated crimes in the country.

Some one and a half million civil cases were filed for violations of
migration laws in 2005, and approximately 57,000 illegal immigrants
were deported.

Interfax, Russia
March 26 2007

Armenian government steps down

YEREVAN. March 26 (Interfax) – Armenia’s government has resigned
after Prime Minister Andronik Margarian’s death, in line with the
constitution.

Final formalities related to the Cabinet’s resignation were settled
at an emergency Cabinet meeting chaired by President Robert Kocharian
on Monday, sources in the Republican Party told Interfax.

The Republican Party controls the post of prime minister and six
ministerial portfolios.

ITAR-TASS, Russia
March 26 2007

Armenian Cabinet resigns after PM death

26.03.2007, 11.27

YEREVAN, March 26 (Itar-Tass) – The Armenian government has sent in
its resignation following the death of Prime Minister Andranik
Margaryan on Sunday. The new prime minister will be appointed in ten
days, one of the ministers told.

The minister said it had been announced at an emergency Cabinet
session, chaired by President Robert Kocharyan. Under the Armenian
Constitution, the Cabinet resigns after the death of the prime
minister.

Under the Constitution, after the president accepts the resignation,
Cabinet members continue performing their duties until the new
Cabinet is formed.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

RA Deputy FM to participate in a conference in Tbilisi

ArmRadio.am
27.03.2007 17:10

On March 28 RA Deputy Foreign Minister Gegham Gharibjanyan will leave
for Tbilisi to participate in the two day conference on `The Black Sea
region against global challenges: Drug trafficking and international
terrorism.’ Press and Information Center of RA Ministry of Foreign
Affairs told ArmInfo that the conference will take place on March
29-30.

F-16.net
March 26 2007

Turkey suspends F-16 purchase from US over Cyprus ban

Turkey has reportedly suspended negotiations with the US over the
purchase of an additional 30 F-16 fighters after Washington set the
condition that they not be flown over the divided Mediterranean
island of Cyprus.

Military sources close to the Turkish Air Force Command (THK) told
Today’s Zaman that US technology restrictions, including a ban on
their usage by Turkey over Cyprus, irked Ankara. "The US condition
that fighters should not be used over Cyprus made us mad," said a
source at the THK.

The US has not imposed any such restriction on the around 300 F-16s
already in Turkey’s inventory, said the same sources, adding that the
possible adoption of an alleged Armenian genocide bill by the US
Congress sometime in April has no direct links with Turkey’s
suspension of talks over the F-16 purchase.

Turkey and the US have also been in dispute over the price of the
F-16s, estimated at around $2.9 billion. The US Congress approved
earlier this year the sale of an additional 30 advanced F-16 Block 50
aircraft as well as associated equipment and services under Foreign
Military Sale (FMS) credit to Turkey.

US’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), when it notified the
US Congress in late September last year of the Turkish decision to
buy additional F-16s, said, "This proposed sale will not adversely
affect either the military balance in the region or US efforts to
encourage a negotiated settlement of the Cyprus questions." The
island of Cyprus has been divided into a Turkish north and Greek
south since 1974.

According to well-informed military sources, the Turkish Armed Forces
(TSK) have been attaching great importance on the attitude of the US
over Turkey’s outlawed terrorist organization the Kurdistan Workers’
Party (PKK), reported to have been preparing for attacks inside
Turkey in their bases in neighboring northern Iraq.`Rather than
Armenian genocide bill, the PKK issue has the potential to turn
upside down Turkish-US strategic relations on the part of Ankara. If
the US does not take action against the PKK in northern Iraq or allow
the Turkish military to stage a cross-border operation, the THK may
even consider to abandon the idea of buying around 100 JSF fighters
from the US,’ stated one air force source.

During the American-Turkish Council (ATC) meeting due to start in
Washington early next week, both the PKK and the Armenian genocide
bill are expected to top the agenda, in addition to the F-16 and JSF
purchases.

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Sofia News Agency, Bulgaria
March 26 2007

Turkey Arrests Right-Winger for Ethnic Armenian Journalist’s Killing

26 March 2007, Monday

Turkish police detained late on Sunday a right-wing politician in
connection with the murder of high-profile Turkish-Armenian
journalist Hrant Dink.

The police detained Yasar Cihan, head of the local branch of the
conservative and nationalist Great Unity party in the Black Sea port
city of Trabzon, private NTV television reported.

According to NTV, police were still looking for another leading
member of Great Unity, Halis Egemen.

Hrant Dink, 53, was shot dead in broad daylight outside his Istanbul
offices on January 20.

Dink, who stirred up anger in nationalists for his comments over mass
killings of Armenians by Turks during the First World War, is
reported to have been shot three times in the neck.

The attack raised tensions in a country where politicians have been
courting the nationalist vote ahead of May’s presidential elections.

Ogun Samast, a 17-year-old suspect, was arrested after he was
identified by his father from CCTV images taken near the scene of
Friday’s killing in Istanbul.

Kazakhstan Today
Gazeta.KZ, Kazakhstan
March 26 2007

Kazakh Prime-Minister commiserated to Armenia people because of
Armenian Prime-Minister death

ASTANA. March, 26. Kazakhstan Today. Kazakh Prime-Minister Karim
Massimov has sent a telegram of condolence because of Armenian
Prime-Minister Andranik Markaryan sudden death, reported Kazakh
Prime-Minister press-service.

"With deep regret I have found out the sudden death of Armenian
Prime-Minister Andranik Markaryan. Competent politician left the
life. He was for sure honest and respectable person. Armenia lost its
true son who contributed a lot in economic and political development
of the country. I announce my deep regrets to Andranik Markaryan’s
relatives and all Armenian people", – stated in the telegram.

As reported earlier, Andranik Markaryan who led the Government since
May 2000 died Sunday morning at the age of 56. By tentative data,
death came as a result of infarct.

University of Texas – The Daily Texan, TX
March 26 2007

Lectures examine Ottoman influence in 21st century
Empire’s history, policy actively inform today’s multicultural world

By Josh Haney
Though rumors of the Turkish population being lecherous and violent
barbarians were widely accepted through most of the 19th and 20th
centuries, the lectures given at the Joe C. Thompson Conference
Center this weekend depicted a considerate population that made
noticeable efforts to reach out to people of all religious and ethnic
backgrounds.

Professors and researchers from around the world convened at the
center this past weekend for a symposium examining the historical
diversity and tolerance of the Ottoman Empire.

"These principles, which go back to the prototypical Islamic
community, constitute the Ottoman spirit and could productively
inform the multicultural world of the 21st century," said Bernadette
Andrea, chair of the Department of English, Classics and Philosophy
from the University of Texas at San Antonio.

Proof of their efforts can be seen in the Ottoman policies regarding
the employment of Christians in high positions and the implementation
of certain Byzantine organizational techniques, said Linda Darling,
an associate history professor from the University of Arizona.

Not all who attended the conference shared the perspective that the
Turks valued diversity to the extent that the lecturers reported.
Taleen Asadourian, a Plan II Honors senior, said the Turkish
government sponsored deportation of the Armenian population and
killed more than 1 million people.

"This was a very productive dialogue that we had here this weekend,"
said Rasul Iskander, a biology senior. "It is very important to look
to the past and learn from it. Over time, things get politicized, and
these things can become barriers between communication."