Month: May 2008

PanARMENIAN.Net

Normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations unlikely in foreseeable future
07.05.2008 16:26 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ I wouldn’t say that normalization of
Armenian-Turkish relations possible in the foreseeable future,
chairman of Mitq analytical center, historian Eduard Abrahamyan said
in an interview with PanARMENIAN.Net.

`The fact is that Turkic solidarity is gaining weight. Turkey is not
interested in independence and uncontrollable Armenia. During the
soviet era, Ankara was trying to weaken Russia’s influence and cement
the Turkic bloc and Islamic fundamentalism,’ he said.

`As to Georgia, it has to put up with the economic expansion of
Turkey, which under supervision of its Western allies keeps on
developing various scenarios of so-called Turkish projects where
Armenia is perceived as a temporal political entity, completely
yielding to Azerbaijan.’

`However, despite political confrontation, I can’t rule out official
economic ties between the two states, especially because informal
economic contacts has existed and developed since Armenia proclaimed
independence,’ the expert said.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PanARMENIAN.Net

OSCE MG proposals promise progress in Karabakh process, RA Foreign
Minister says
07.05.2008 16:31 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenia’s Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian met in
Strasbourg Tuesday with CoE Secretary General Terry Davis and PACE
President Lluis Maria de Puig to discuss the Armenia-CoE cooperation
as well as strengthening of democracy and rule of law in the republic,
the RA MFA press office reported.

`The PACE resolution is in focus of the Armenian authorities,’
Minister Nalbandian said. `By the President’s edict, a working group
was formed to coordinate fulfillment of PACE recommendations.’

The Minister briefed on the current stage of the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict settlement process and noted that the OSCE MG proposals allow
to fix progress in talks.

During a meeting with AGO Group, Mr Nalbandian expressed satisfaction
with bilateral cooperation and confirmed Armenia’s readiness to meet
all commitments to the Council of Europe.

PanARMENIAN.Net

Official Yerevan should recognize both Kosovo and Nagorno Karabakh
07.05.2008 16:45 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ One of the priority tasks for
Armenia’s should be settlement of liberated
territories in Nagorno Karabakh and support to NKR’s
foreign policy, an Armenian expert said.

`The Armenian-Azeri so-called consultations produced
no effect. With creation of the Kosovo precedent,
official Yerevan should recognize both Kosovo and
Nagorno Karabakh. With densely populated NKR, it will
be possible to prevent a new war between Karabakh and
Azerbaijan,’ chairman of Mitq analytical center,
historian Eduard Abrahamyan said in an interview with
PanARMENIAN.Net.

Another key task is cooperation with NATO and Shanghai
Cooperation Organization (SCO), which claims to become
the major military-political bloc and a counterbalance
to the Alliance, according to him.

`Our neighbor Iran has already announced intention to
join the SCO. Yerevan’s joining the Organization will
open new horizons and possibilities to participate in
global economic projects. Moreover, contrary to
pro-western Azerbaijan, Armenia can become an
alternative for many Asian gas exporters and act as
transit country,’ he said. `However, it doesn’t mean
that we should stand up against NATO. What we should
do is to assess the situation and decide on the
benefits we can gain from cooperating with the blocs.’

`Strengthening of ties with states which are Armenia’s
military and strategic partners is also important. To
be self-sufficient we should get rid of the complex of
`a helpless nation’ and develop viable projects for
consolidation of Armenian state system in the South
Caucasus,’ the expert said.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PanARMENIAN.Net

World Armenian Congress to adopt resolution on Karabakh
07.05.2008 19:50 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ On occasion of the 20th anniversary
of the Karabakh movement, the World Armenian Congress
intends to organize meetings and events in the
Armenian communities in 30-40 countries.

`The purpose of the action is to create a common
Armenian position on the Karabakh issue, what will
become a basis for lobbying Armenian interests
throughout the globe,’ said Aram Sargsyan, the deputy
chairman of WAC and chairman of Democratic Party of
Armenia

`There is a dire necessity to resist Azeri propaganda
by adopting a joint doctrine on the Karabakh issue. We
should be more resolute,’ he said, Novosti Armenia
reports.

PanARMENIAN.Net

Azerbaijan strives for complete isolation of Armenia
07.05.2008 19:53 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Azerbaijan is becoming a state
developing aims and objectives for strengthening its
influence in entire Middle East, an Armenian expert
said.

`This country has always pursued a balanced and
cautious policy toward Iran. Exploiting the factor of
Southern Azerbaijan, Baku is aspired to cause a split
in the Iranian society, thus playing in Washington’s
hands, which views the situation as a good platform to
be used against Tehran,’ chairman of Mitq analytical
center, historian Eduard Abrahamyan said in an
interview with PanARMENIAN.Net.

`However, Baku also tries to cooperate with Iran in
energy and commutation fields in order to isolate
Armenia from regional projects,’ he said.

PanARMENIAN.Net

Moscow doesn’t view Karabakh as tool of pressure on Azerbaijan
07.05.2008 17:11 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Presently, the Russia is not
deciding `to be or not to be’ in the South Caucasus,
chairman of Mitq analytical center, historian Eduard
Abrahamyan said in an interview with PanARMENIAN.Net.

`Moscow has been trying to strengthen its influence in
the region so far. The point is that Russia has two
tools of pressure in Georgia and none in Azerbaijan.
It’s quite obvious that the Kremlin has for a long
time Karabakh as a pressing factor. Now, due to
Artsakh’s complete isolation from Azerbaijan, the
situation has changed,’ he said.

`Possibly, national tensions in north of Azerbaijan
and Baku’s aggressive policy toward Dagestani-speaking
population can offer Moscow a chance for creating an
alternative factor.

However, Russia’s unawareness of mentality and
capabilities of North Caucasus nations often resulted
in paralyzing of ethnic problems. This problem may be
viewed as omission by Armenia, which in the course of
15 years made no effort to convince Moscow of its
determination to finally resolve the `Azeri issue’.
Today, in the light of the U.S.-Turkey tensions, some
Russian forces speak out for stabilization of
relations with Ankara,’ he said.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PanARMENIAN.Net

Armenia lacks possibility to weaken Georgia’s anti-Armenian position
07.05.2008 19:54 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenia could play a more important
role in the region, irrelative of the NKR issue or
blockade imposed by Turkey, chairman of Mitq
analytical center, historian Eduard Abrahamyan said in
an interview with PanARMENIAN.Net.

The role of our state is badly demanded over the lack
of flexibility in the foreign policy, according to
him.

`Armenia proves unable to suppress the growing
anti-Armenian moods in Georgia. But as a matter of
fact, our republic could be an unofficial guarantor of
sustainable development of Armenian-inhabited Samtskhe
Javakheti and strengthen Armenian economic and
political influence on Ajaria via promoting political
and territorial autonomization of Samtskhe Javakheti.
It would force Georgia to consider Yerevan’s opinion.
Ajaria and Samtskhe Javakheti make the outlet toward
to the Black Sea which is the solution to the problem
of blockade,’ he said.

`Let’s look how Baku pursues its policy in Kvemo
Kartli, where plants and enterprises are established
with the Azerbaijani capital. Furthermore, political
consolidation of Azeri population in Georgia has
started with formation of regional political bodies
like the Azeri national assembly and the Party of
Azerbaijanis of Georgia,’ the expert emphasized.

`To avoid a calamity, the new leadership of Armenia
should prevent Georgian assimilation and outflow of
Armenians from Samtskhe Javakheti via direct
investments in its economy and its transformation into
a political entity,’ he resumed.

PanARMENIAN.Net

Baku uses energy sources as extra political tool
07.05.2008 20:06 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Baku has always viewed the energy
and communication sources as an extra political tool
for gaining maximal political concessions from its
economic companions, chairman of Mitq analytical
center, historian Eduard Abrahamyan said in an
interview with PanARMENIAN.Net.

`It specifically refers to the Karabakh issue and
Azerbaijan’s influence in the region. Nevertheless,
many European states eye Azerbaijan as a country which
supplies energy sources bypassing Russia and often
satisfy its whims despite obvious unwillingness to do
so. Presently, Azerbaijan is by all means trying to
gain maximal benefits from Nabucco project which will
offer a possibility to leave Armenia behind,’ he said.

PanARMENIAN.Net

Does Azerbaijan deny the US assistance in holding election?

Baku does not seem willing or does not want to
understand that one cannot fool the entire world with
numbers and fake reports.
06.05.2008 GMT+04:00

On the first sight Azerbaijan’s behavior in its
foreign political scene becomes more and more
unpredictable. Here the statement of Ramiz Mekhtiev;
the Head of the Executive Personnel of the President,
would be appropriate to mention. "The allocation of
the US funds for holding democratic election in
Azerbaijan is interference in the internal affairs of
the country," he had said in a press-conference in
Baku.
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Yet, this is not as interesting as
the further statements of Makhtiev: "the words of the
US Secretary General Condoleezza Rice in address to
Azerbaijan are extremely unfounded. This means that in
Georgia and in Armenia the public-political situation
and other issues are very well solved, and Azerbaijan
is considered the only backward country in the
region." Baku does not seem willing or does not want
to understand that one cannot fool the entire world
with numbers and fake reports: the journalists do not
move, there is no opposition in the country, and the
Azeri delegation in PACE remembers about the human
rights factor only when they are reminded to do so.
The truth is though that even in this case it acts in
the habitual methods: "you are the fool". "Fool" of
course refers to the Armenians. But this is already a
different story; however, Baku has lately started to
simply force the Armenian party to answer back to
their insinuation filling the entire Azeri press. Is
it possible that the Personnel of Ilham Aliyev and the
president himself are so naïve that they think that
the whole world including the USA will consider their
opinion only because at this moment Azerbaijan is of
some importance to the big powers? Yet, there may be
another interpretation to Mekhtiev’s words, i.e. three
million is not
enough, give us some more.

The US Embassy in Baku did not fail to response to the
statements made by Ramiz Mekhtiev. Azerbaijan, having
been mentioned by Bush, as one of the countries where
the number of the convicted journalists is the
highest, and this numbers are concrete and true. These
numbers concern the year of 2007. By the end of the
year half of the journalists have been released and
now the situation is a bit different. That is why the
numbers given by the US President for the year of 2007
are correct," said the Head of the Department for
Public Affairs Jonathan Hennik. "There is no need to
search for something blameworthy in the allocation of
the $ 3 million that the USA has assigned for holding
democratic election in Azerbaijan. This money is meant
to ensure democratic election, and give chance to all
the organizations to
carry monitoring of the election. This is not a
financial support to certain political organizations,
but assistance to the entire process of
democratization of the country," he said.

Each country chooses its destiny regardless whether it
has adopted the democratic or any other from of
government. But each country must respect the
international community and not impose its rules. Yet,
these rules are not for Baku. Having adopted the
historical anti-Armenian propaganda, which is of
course encouraged by Turkey, and receiving big money,
the Azeri elite wants the whole world obeys them. For
example the 90% of the information disseminated by the
Azeri press if is not a mere lie, is quite close to
it. This particularly concerns various comments and
opinions, which are made by the foreign experts. And
perhaps it has never occurred to them that their
words, being torn away from the context, will be
delivered like ideas of foreign experts "who are
exceptionally for the territorial integrity of
Azerbajian". Anyway, this is the topic that has been
discussed too much, that it does not interest anyone
any more. There is something else, which is of more
danger: the neighboring countries which have to play
with the rules set by Baku, will participate in the
dirty game. and then, the ruin of the region is
inevitable. Maybe the USA needs this to keep all the
three
countries of South Caucasus in its control. However,
it should not be forgotten that the future President
of the USA may be democrat. The basic trends of the
American foreign policy will not change, but the world
will be viewed differently. There are no doubts that
Azerbaijan will adjust to the new conditions as well,
but will it have enough oil and power, is a quite
different question.
«PanARMENIAN.Net» analytical department

A1+

NO ONE ORDERED TO OPEN FIRE?
[06:41 pm] 07 May, 2008

`The March 1 events were neither expected nor
anticipated,’ RoA President’s Adviser Garnik Isagulian
said to A1+. He thinks that the responsibility of the
events lies with everyone, including him `Mass media,
opposition and authorities were to realise the
seriousness of the moment and foresee further
developments and their outcome in the country. Being
an Armenian parliamentarian I should have foreseen
such a turn of events and expect the worst,’ he adds.

No instance had made a decision to disperse the
peaceful demonstrators. We feared lest the opposition
should take drastic steps and use arms before the
Constitutional Court made a final decision. We
possessed such information.

I spoke to the President about the March events. I
also kept in touch with opposition representatives.
Our main concern was to avoid provocations. Before the
CC made a decision the authorities let people crowding
at the square as they saw no menace,’ says Garnik
Isagulian.

Asked who had ordered to open fire at people,
Isagulian said, `The Law on Police stipulates that
policemen can fire a shot whenever necessity requires.
Thus, each policeman acted spontaneously guided by the
Law. It is within a policeman’s powers,’ said the
President’s Adviser laying the main responsibility on
the police.

Anyway, Isagulian is sure that shooting wasn’t planned
beforehand.

In reply to our question who had reported President
Kocharian on the situation and on what grounds he
declared a state of emergency, Isagulian said, `I
think nobody doubts the importance of the emergency
state. When a president learns that the situation in
the country is getting out of control and cars are
being burnt to ashes, he has nothing else to do than
to recover the situation.’

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress