Month: August 2008

Hye-Tert, Turkey
Aug 9 2008

VAFA GULUZADE OFFERS AZERBAIJAN TO FOLLOW GEORGIA’S EXAMPLE?

Kaynak: armtown.com
Yer: Armenia
Tarih: 9.8.2008

Georgia has done right to restore its territorial integrity, an Azeri
political scientist said. "My forecasts are coming true. Moscow leaves
the region permanently. It’s incapable to defend its creatures in
South Ossetia," Vafa Guluzade said. "Saakashvili gambled on the
U.S. and NATO and proved right. With NATO’s help, he formed a strong
army. I have numerously stated that Russia will leave the region but
many treated my opinion with skepticism. Now I do say that in order to
return Karabakh, Azerbaijan should be closer to the U.S. and NATO.

With their support, we will free Karabakh from separatists. You will
witness Russia’s shameful leaving of Armenia soon. After events in
South Ossetia, Armenians will understand that Russia will betray
them," he said, 1news.az reports.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Journal of Turkish Weekly, Turkey
Aug 9 2008

CIS Leaders’ Reactions Mixed To South Ossetia Fighting

Saturday , 09 August 2008

Leaders of former Soviet states have reacted to the escalating
violence in Georgia’s breakaway province of South Ossetia.

Some have called on Russian forces to withdraw, saying they support
Georgia’s right to control its sovereign territory.

Speaking from Beijing where he is attending the Olympic Games, Russian
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin called on the countries of the
Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) to close ranks and prevent
Georgia from taking further military action.

At a meeting with Kazakhstan’s president, Nursultan Nazarbaev, on
August 8, Putin said that "an appropriate assessment" of Georgia’s
action was needed from the CIS.

Nazarbaev criticized Georgia for not raising the alarm before
hostilities broke out.

"I think the Georgian leadership has not done the right thing here, by
not alerting anyone ahead of time, by not highlighting any rise in
tensions. I think, in any case, that there is no alternative to a
peaceful resolution of this issue," Nazarbaev said.

In Yerevan, Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Gegham Gharibjanian
called for a peaceful resolution but did not take a side.

"Armenia is in the region where the conflict is at this moment and
there is no doubt it worries us. We really hope that a solution will
be found very quickly because at this moment it is true that no
solution has been found in the area of security, but I think the
problem must unequivocally be resolved by peaceful means,"
Gharibjanian said.

The Armenian Foreign Ministry said its embassy in Tbilisi was prepared
to assist any Armenian citizen in Georgia who wished to return to
their home country.

In Belarus, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Vanshyna expressed deep
concern over the mounting civilian casualties but, like Armenia, did
not align her country with either the Russian-backed separatists or
Georgia.

Support For Georgia

Among those CIS countries speaking out in support of Georgia has been
Azerbaijan. Foreign Ministry spokesman Xazar Ibrahim told RFE/RL’s
Azerbaijani Service that Georgia has "every right" to restore its
territorial integrity to South Ossetia.

"Azerbaijan supports Georgia’s territorial integrity, and the South
Ossetia conflict should be solved only [within] this framework. At the
same time, Georgia has [every] right to restore its territorial
integrity, provided by the norms and principles of international law,
including the UN Charter. And therefore, all the steps taken by
Georgia in this direction are in accordance with international law,"
Ibrahim said.

Vitalia Pavlicenco, the leader of Moldova’s pro-Western, opposition
National Liberty Party, told RFE/RL’s Moldovan Service that his
country must support Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, not
Russia. He noted that Moldova is a member of GUAM, the regional
organization of ex-Soviet states that also includes Ukraine,
Azerbaijan, and Georgia.

Iurie Rosca, the vice president of the Moldovan parliament, said
Russia’s action seemed aimed at Georgia’s NATO aspirations.

"These provocations are aimed to destroy Georgia’s strategic plans to
become a full-fledged member of the North Atlantic alliance in a few
years," Rosca said.

Ukraine’s acting foreign minister, Vladimir Handogy, who was meeting
with the Russian charge d’affaires in Kyiv on August 8, also expressed
his country’s support of Georgia’s territorial integrity.

He said Ukraine is prepared to assist international efforts to bring
about a peaceful resolution, and he urged Russia to not become a party
to the conflict.

August 08, 2008
By RFE/RL

Today.Az, Azerbaijan
Aug 9 2008

Azerbaijani Georgians not to keep out of war with Ossetians

09 August 2008 [12:55] – Today.Az

It is the third day that war for restoration of territorial integrity
has started in neighbor Georgia.

The politicized part of Azerbaijanis is worried and keeps a
wait-and-see position: supporting Georgia’s intentions, people make a
provision: "let’s see what Russia will do".

The heaviest emotional spirit is in Qakh and Zaqatala regions of
Azerbaijan, partially settled by ethnic Georgians. Both regions are
said to account for 50,000 Ingiloy Georgians. These people have close
ties with Georgia, often visiting it and having relatives there. Their
children usually study at Georgian high schools.

According to Novosti-Azerbaijan, ethnic Georgians-citizens of
Azerbaijan in Qakh – worriedly wait for the news from Georgia, getting
information about war in South Ossetia from both official mass medias,
as well as telephones, directly from the subscribers of the neighbor
country.

There is a transport communication between our countries, and
according to the Qakh Georgians, who wished to stay unknown, some
young people of Georgian nationality have already crossed the
Azerbaijani-Georgian border with a firm intention to help Georgia to
restore its territorial integrity.

By Azerbaijani laws, such behavior is considered a crime, as it falls
under the law, banning illegal military formations, but these people
can not be stopped by it. On the other side, Georgian young people,
having Azerbaijani citizenship, study at the high schools in Georgia,
which means that they will not preserve aloofness, if their
fellow-students go to fight in Ossetia.

"Our guys were protecting the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan in
the war with Armenia. They are also ready to sacrifice their lives for
our mother Georgia", said Gergi Japaridze, resident of Gakhengilov
village of Qakh, Azerbaijan.

URL:

Los Angeles Times, CA
Calendar Live
Aug 9 2008

The Armenian Navy Band sets sail for America

The Armenian Navy Band may have a jokey name, but its music is
seriously alluring.

By Agustin Gurza, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

When music promoter Debbie Ohanian calls from her home in Miami Beach
to tip me to some great new band, I always listen. In the past decade,
she was one of the pioneers in bringing cutting-edge Cuban bands to
the U.S., sometimes at personal risk, as when she staged the first
concert in Miami for Los Van Van, despite violent protests.

With the Cuban scene fading, I hadn’t heard from Ohanian in a while —
until she called to rave about something that was totally foreign to
me. She hadn’t been so excited about music since those Cuban bands had
rocked her world.

She was talking about the Armenian Navy Band, a 12-piece folk-fusion
ensemble she had heard live for the first time in 2006 during a visit
to her family’s ancient homeland, a country with its own language and
alphabet and a culture that predates the birth of Christ. "It was one
of those life-changing moments," says Ohanian of the concert she
attended in Yerevan. "I thought to myself, ‘I feel sorry for anybody
who’s not sitting here tonight.’ "

L.A. audiences won’t have to travel 7,000 miles to share in Ohanian’s
epiphany. Next week, the Armenian Navy Band makes its U.S. debut at
Disney Hall in a benefit concert sponsored by Artists for Kids, a
Glendale-based nonprofit advancing the arts among youth. The band is
relatively unknown on these shores, though it’s been around for a
decade and has accumulated accolades throughout Europe.

It’s led by songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Arto Tunçboyaciyan,
who was born in Turkey but who has lived in this country for more than
a quarter-century. Arto, as he is known, dubs his sound "avant-garde
folk," a blend of traditional Armenian styles and modern elements,
including touches of jazz improvisation.

The music has that plaintive quality you also hear in flamenco or the
blues that comes from people surviving centuries of repression,
rejection and exile. Armenians carry in their collective DNA the
memory of what they consider a genocide by the Turks in the early 20th
century.

Arto’s voice sounds warbly, wounded and nasally. Yet it carries such
stunning power and spirituality it seems to rise right from the slopes
of Mt. Ararat, the dramatic snow-covered peak where Noah’s Ark is
believed to have come to rest and which overlooks Armenia with a
mystical presence.

The music features beautiful, alluring melodies as well as entrancing
percussion, thrilling brass and gentle strings. Come to think of it,
the sound has all the elements of Afro-Cuban music, though its
instrumentation is unique, including the traditional duduk, zurna and
kamancha. Anahit Artushyan, the only woman in the band, plays the
kanun, an ancient Middle Eastern string instrument. American listeners
may hear strains of Russian or Middle Eastern music in this Armenian
mix, not unexpected for a country that borders Turkey, Iran and
Georgia.

The band’s name is satirical, since Armenia is land-locked. Arto is
fond of explaining the moniker metaphorically. "Armenia has no seas,"
he says in heavily accented English, "so how are you going to move a
boat without water? If you are honest and respectful in your ideology,
you can move because, when people receive us in their heart, they are
becoming our sea."

Arto has lived mostly in New York and New Jersey, where he keeps a
home with his wife, Delia, who is half Colombian, half Greek, and
travels frequently to Armenia. I met him at his second-floor apartment
in Burbank, where he’s staying while planning a permanent move to Los
Angeles. He was preceded here by his grown children — Valantin, a USC
communication student, and Seto, an aspiring rapper who has recorded
with his father.

As we approach his modest building, Ohanian (here for the show) looks
for other Armenian names — characterized by "yan" and "ian" endings
— on the directory. She spots one, and mentions it later to Arto
during a discussion of the Armenian diaspora, which led to large exile
communities in Argentina, Venezuela and California, especially
Glendale. But any Armenian who expects to hear uncritical cultural
cheers in Arto’s music would be disappointed. In one CD, "How Much Is
Yours?" from 2005, he raises pointed questions meant to challenge what
he perceives as the errors of his people’s ways.

In person, his critiques are less delicate. He criticizes fellow
Armenians for materialism and corruption. He labels as wannabes the
Armenian teenagers who speed around in souped-up black BMWs in a
reckless drive to quickly attain and flaunt the American dream. But
perhaps most pointedly, he slams his countrymen for exploiting the
public’s sympathy for the genocide, saying mockingly, "If I cry a
little bit more, maybe they give me more money."

He has some advice for the young Armenians and Latinos who have at
times had violent confrontations considered ethnically
motivated. "It’s really sad because in reality they both are coming
from the same type of life," he says. "Their anger is because somebody
else overpowers them. Instead of fighting with each other, they should
come together and create positive art."

Arto says he doesn’t feel close to the local Armenian community. In
fact, he has invented his own country, "Artostan," the title of a solo
CD from 2005, which reflects the idea that he marches to his own
drummer.

"I am a mirror everywhere, and some people don’t like to see
themselves," he says with a knowing smile.

Of course, the music is as much celebratory as satirical. There’s the
sheer joy in melody and rhythm, highlighted by his show-stopping
performance with just a Coke bottle and a tambourine. But he also
writes songs extolling respect for nature, the joy of cooking with
family and the need to respect all the world’s cultures.

With a stocky build and a baseball cap covering his bald head, Arto
doesn’t have the look of a star. But his hands have the mark of a real
musician. His thick, knobby fingers show the ravage of constant
percussion practice, which brought complaints from downstairs
neighbors. Arto now beats on a slab of granite he set up on a
chair. The pain of smacking stone with his bare hands is the price he
pays to preserve the peace, love and respect he promotes as his core
values.

"Look, I left my body to represent everybody," he says. "Meaning, I am
not living life as an Armenian. I am living life as a human being,
like everybody else."

et-culture9-2008aug09,0,5057642.story

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Today.Az, Azerbaijan
Aug 9 2008

Boris Berezovski: "It is now clear to all that Dmitri Medvedev is an
absolute puppet and Putin’s clan continues to control Russia"

09 August 2008 [11:32] – Today.Az

Day.Az interview with famous Russian entrepreneur and political figure
Boris Berezovki.

– How would you comment on the situation in the region of the
Georgian-South Ossetian conflict?

– There are no principal differences in this issue. Georgia has a
right to restore its territorial integrity and it uses its right. The
lawless actions of Russia, which attempts to prevent official Tbilisi
from using its legal right by all means, are obvious. Unfortunately,
we all witness Russia’s policy not only towards Georgia, but also
towards all the North Caucasus republics, particularly, Ingushetia and
Dagestan.

But at the same time it is necessary to note that Georgia chose the
forced way of the conflict resolution in South Ossetia only after
feeling support of the United States, which try to fulfill its
geopolitical tasks in the South Caucasus region.

In the conclusion, I would like to note that the situation causes
colossal damage to Russia, Georgia and the world society.

– Why do you think the majority of announcements and the stiffest ones
were made from the side of the Kremlin to Georgia, which executes its
right for restoration of the territorial integrity, were made not by
President of Russia Dmitri Medvedev but by country’s Prime Minister
Vladimir Putin?

– Because after formal presidential elections, which were farce,
Dmitri Medvedev was, in fact, appointed, not elected, the President of
the country.

It is now clear to all that Dmitri Medvedev is an absolute puppet and
Putin’s clan continues to control Russia. For this reason, both Russia
and the whole world society have problems.

– In this case, how do you see the future of Russia?

– I think the working leadership of Russia underestimates the power
and strength of the West. Russia’s oil revenues euphoria makes it lose
the sense of reality and control over the situation. I do not doubt
that Russia will be defeated not only in its counteraction with the
West but also in the case of Georgia.

– Can Azerbaijan chose the way of the forced restoration of the
territorial integrity by Georgia’s pattern?

– Most unsettled territorial conflicts in the former USSR area have
much in common. There are common features between the Georgian-South
Ossetian and Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict in Nagorno Karabakh. In
particular, the role of Russia, which held and still continues its
empire policy for preserving conflicts everywhere, by applying the
thesis "divide and rule", is felt in both of them. Russia is still
able to torpedo all territorial conflicts, which emerged after the
USSR collapse. It should be always taken into account.

/Day.Az/

URL:

Fresno Bee, CA
Aug 9 2008

Armenian sister church’s dance troupe to perform

The Escada Dance Troupe of the Evangelical Church of Gyumri in Armenia
will perform at 2 p.m. Aug. 17 at Pilgrim Armenian Congregational
Church, 3673 N. First St.

Pilgrim Armenian Congregational Church is sponsoring the dance troupe
from its sister church in Armenia. The elite group, made up of 14
girls ages 12-14, has won festival competitions throughout
Armenia. Gyumri, capital city of the Shirak province, is the
second-largest city in Armenia.

The event will begin with lunch at 12:30 p.m. Details: (559) 229-2915.

HULIQ (press release), NC
Aug 9 2008

Obama Wrong On Georgia’s Territorial Integrity

Barack Obama today released a statement about the Georgia Russia
conflict in the region of South Ossetia in which he calls for
restrating and says "Georgia’s territorial integrity must be
respected…" But how do you expect the people of South Ossetia to
live under Georgia in one state when Georgia attempted ethnic
cleansings there? If something is right for Kosov it’s right for all
who love freedom.

However, first let’s see Barack Obama’s statement on South Ossetia
conflict.

"I strongly condemn the outbreak of violence in Georgia, and urge an
immediate end to armed conflict. Now is the time for Georgia and
Russia to show restraint, and to avoid an escalation to full scale
war. Georgia’s territorial integrity must be respected. All sides
should enter into direct talks on behalf of stability in Georgia, and
the United States, the United Nations Security Council, and the
international community should fully support a peaceful resolution to
this crisis."

The reason that authonomus region is called South Ossetia is because
Joseph Stalin has devided this region and into two parts putting the
Northern part under Russian (in Russia there is Northern Ossetian
Republic) and the South Ossetia under Georgia. Stalin made many grave
mistakes at time, such as giving Nakhichevan and Nagorno Karabakh to
Azerbaijan, taking these regions from Armenia, and giving the region
of Javakheti to Georgia again taking it from Armenia. Stalin also made
this policy of mixing nations in Prednistrovie, Besarabia and in
Central Asia.

Now these nations either want to reunited with the rest of their own
people like the two Germanies deserved and reunited, or, like in the
case of Nagorno Karabakh and Abkhazia they want freedom from opression
and ethnic cleansing like Kosovo has.

When Mr. Obama is speaking in Berling he presents himself as the Agent
of Change against the unjust establishment and appeals to the freedom
loving people of the world.

Therefore, I think it’s not a good strategy to make such a statement
about the integrity when these people prefer to fight and put their
lives then Ossetians living under Georgia and Armenias of Nagorno
Kharabakh living ander the oppressive regime of Azerbaijan in one
state.

Kosovo loved freedom and deserved it. The result: today we have peace
in the balkans.

The international community and the major powers should look to the
model of Kosov as key in solving other inter ethnic
conflicts. Immediate recognition of Akhazia, Nagorno Karabakh and
South Ossetia as independent republics would bring peace in the region
within 3 years. It took less for Kosovo and Serbia.

The freedom is right and sweet not only for the select and for the
friends of the West, but for ALL. The West would ge more friends and
supports in the world if it adopted single standards, not double
standards by providing favoritism and the gift of freedom only to its
friends.

The people of South Ossetia, Nagorno Karabakh and Abkhazia have the
same thing as it’s in China called "Saving Face." The would rather put
their lives and loose their face and honor by living obediently under
the oppressive regimes of Georgia and Azerbaijan.

Barack Obama knows that freedom is right for all.

RussiaToday, Russia
Aug 10 2008

Abkhazia starts war with Georgia

Abkhazia’s army has launched a military operation to try to force
Georgian troops out of the upper part of the Kodori Gorge. It started
with the use of artillery and air strikes against Georgian forces.

Abkhazia has announced that it has moved its troops into the Gali
district which borders Georgia.

The breakaway republic has provided a humanitarian corridor for
residents of the disputed Kodori Gorge. However the breakaway
republic’s officials say they don’t know whether people will use this
passageway to safety.

Earlier, Russia’s Interfax news agency reported that Russian ships
prevented Georgian military vessels from nearing Abkhazia.

Thousands of Russians are on holiday in the picturesque republic with
a long coastline. They fear a conflict could result in innocent blood
being spilled.

But RT correspondent Aleksandr Luchaninov says Russians are not ready
to leave the area just yet.

"Those I spoke to said they are very concerned, and in case of trouble
they are prepared to leave the region immediately," he said.

For several days Georgian troops have been massing on the
border. Abkhasia’s president, Sergey Bagapsh, said the breakaway
republic’s troops are in contact with peacekeeping forces in the
region.

The atmosphere in the capital Sukhumi is tense, and officials are
anticipating Georgian aggression.

"Today it’s South Ossetia, tomorrow it might be Abkhasia," said
Bagapsh, explaining his decision to move the troops.

Meanwhile, the situation in South Ossetia is affecting neighbouring
countries, according to reports from the Armenian-Georgian border
(WATCH THE VIDEO).

Sunday’s Zaman, Turkey
Aug 10 2008

Iron silk road may become giant highway between East and West

Regional cooperation between the South Caucasus and Turkey has moved
into a new phase as the deal over Baku-Tbilisi-Kars (BTK) railway
finally concludes. Nicknamed "the iron silk road," the railroad will
connect Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey while bypassing Russia and
Armenia.

This project has formulated and clarified power relations among these
countries. Although it took longer than expected for Georgia to join
due to pressure from the Armenian lobby on American foreign policy to
halt the project, the railway is scheduled to be completed by 2010 at
an estimated price of $500 million.

The occupation of northern and southern routes by so called
"problematic" countries Iran and Russia drew American and European
attention to the South Caucasus, particularly Azerbaijan, as a
potential bridge between East Asia and Europe. Azerbaijan, Georgia and
Turkey stepped forward to serve as a protected corridor for Europe and
to strengthen transportation between Asia and Europe via the BTK
railway.

At a July 24 ceremony in Kars, Turkish President Abdullah G?Ã?¼l said,
"The line not only links three countries, it links China and London."

"This project is putting trilateral cooperation in the region one step
ahead," said Zeyno Baran, senior fellow and director of the Hudson
Institute’s Center for Eurasian Policy. Speaking to Sunday’s Zaman,
Baran said that the railroad, in allowing direct access from China to
Europe, is important in terms of stability and economic
development. According to Baran, a project of this kind is unique in
the region. "Contributions from the West were huge in oil and gas
projects; however, BTK is completely a result of the visions of the
leaders of these three countries," she said.

Transit railways linking Europe to Asia crossed through Armenia to
Turkey in three routes until Azerbaijan and Armenia went to war over
the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh. One route passed through
Kars-G?Ã?¼mr?Ã?¼-Ayrum -Marneuli-Tbilisi, finishing in Georgia. The other
two traveled via Icevan-Kazakh-Baku and Kars-Yerevan-Nakhchivan-Baku.
Armenia has also closed all routes to Central Asia, Russia and
China. Thus the only trade connection that Armenia has left open is
through Iran.

Construction of the final section of the BTK railway, connecting Kars
with the Georgian border, began in July with a ceremony in which the
leaders of all three countries participated. 105 kilometers remain
left to build, 76 kilometers within Turkey and the remaining 29
between the Turkish border and the city of Ahelkeleki in
Georgia. Georgia also plans to rehabilitate rail between Ahalkeleki
and Tbilisi.

The railway is expected to transport 1.5 million passengers and 3
million tons of freight per year. Forecasts predict that by 2034 it
will transport 3 million people and more than 16 million tons of
goods. The total cost of the project is estimated at $500 million,
with $200 million to be covered by Georgia and the remaining cost to
be covered by Turkey. Georgia will also receive support from
Azerbaijan and the US.

In an interview with Sunday’s Zaman, Professor Rovshan Ibrahimov,
chairman of the international relations department at Qafqaz
University in Baku, said this project is crucial for all three
countries involved. "It is noteworthy that this is not the first
regional project uniting political and economic interests of the three
countries," he added.

An expert on political science and international relations in
Azerbaijan, Dr. Ibrahimov optimistically puts this trilateral relation
in a special setting. "The realization of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil
pipeline and the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum gas pipeline, as well as their
successful exploitation, provided the groundwork for ideas for
Azerbaijan, Turkey and Georgia to further deepen their relations, the
result of which was the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railroad project."

He added, "It is noteworthy that President G?Ã?¼l, during his official
visit to Azerbaijan, said that it is time to think about setting up a
special economic zone between the three regional countries."

The project had stalled, but it accelerated after the three countries
agreed on the deadlines for the railroad to be finished in Tbilisi on
Nov. 29 of last year and subsequently in Kars on July 24.

After the signing ceremony in Tbilisi, Erdo?Ä?an said the venture
would be a model for regional cooperation and that each of the
railway’s stations would send messages of peace and friendship to the
world. He stressed that the railroad would revive the historic Silk
Road and would serve the interests of all three regional
countries. ?Ä?°lham Aliyev, the president of Azerbaijan, in turn,
stressed that the new railroad would strengthen stability and resolve
issues in the region.

Considering that the railway will connect China with the West,
interest in the project is increasing. Ibrahimov said, "This project
has already attracted the interest of such countries as Kazakhstan and
China, which have expressed a desire to use the BTK railway to
transport their goods to European markets." Essentially a train from
London will pass without interruption to China. In this sense, the BTK
railway will play a significant role in East-West trade.

Dr. Vakhtang Maisaia, the chairman of the Foreign Policy Association
of Georgia, said: "The 21st century begins with the realities of new
geopolitics for world society. Globalization and economic
interdependence are making international relations more prudent and
dynamic. Global integration is no longer a pure realization of
enormous political and economic projects, but simple regional ones."
Speaking to Sunday’s Zaman, Maisaia added that "the BTK railroad fits
into that dimension in that it further promotes one of the efficient
East-West transport and energy corridor systems."

Pointing out that the BTK railroad will deepen regional integration,
Dr. Maisaia goes on to say, "The railroad newly implies the full
integration of the South Caucasus region into the world globalization
process and of the developing potential of the involved parties
[Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey] for true strategic cooperation, not only
with such a global economic zone as the EU but also with the remote
ASEAN [Association of Southeast Asian Nations] and the Pacific Forum."

While the three countries of the region are trying to establish a
common area for trade and suitable conditions for the exchange of
goods, the plan to exclude Armenia from all regional projects has been
a consistent policy of Azerbaijan and Turkey. Dr. Ibrahimov asserted:
"Because of the conflict with Azerbaijan and the historic dispute with
Turkey, Armenia in fact does not have any economic relations with its
closest neighbors. Because of the unresolved Karabakh conflict, the
Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline and the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum gas
pipeline were built bypassing Armenia, although its territory would
provide the shortest route. In the event of the completion of the
construction of the BTK railway, Armenia will be finalized in the
economic impasse."

Similarly, Professor Kamer Kas?Ä?±m from Abant ?Ä?°zzet Baysal University
in Bolu classifies Armenia as the only unsatisfied country. "This
project means that Armenia will be out of both transit routes and
energy projects," he said.

President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili noted at the July 24 ceremony
in Kars that, through the project, Georgia had opened a window to
Europe. In this regard it was not surprising that Armenia would employ
its strong lobby in the US to try and block funding for Georgia. Thus
the expected deal was twice interrupted. At last on Nov. 21 of last
year President G?Ã?¼l went to Georgia and signed the deal. Azerbaijan
promised to fund some part of the project on the Georgian side.

The railway is also significant for Georgia in that, as it attempts to
behave more independently in the South Caucasus, Georgia’s recent
problems with Russia will require new projects in order to decrease
Russian dominance. "The one who benefits the most out of the regional
cooperative effort is certainly Georgia," argues Ilyas Kamalov, expert
on Russia and Ukraine at the Ankara Strategic Research
Center. According to Kamalov, energy-poor Georgia is planning to pay
its energy needs and carry out its projects independent of Russia.

Azerbaijan estimates that through this project, trade relations will
advance as well as long distance transport of goods will be replaced
by railway, which in turn will affect the efficiency and quality of
transportation. Kazakhstan also agreed to connect itself to the
railway. China and Kazakhstan signed support protocol agreements with
these three countries in 2006. According to Musa Panahov, deputy
minister of the Azerbaijani Transportation Ministry, Kazakhstan stated
that they would always be ready to support the railway. "According to
initial news, Kazakhstan is planning to transport 10 million tons of
goods a year," said Panahov during a press conference in March of last
year in Baku.

"The project will establish a direct link between Turkey and
Azerbaijan. It is crucial that all shipping in the region reach Europe
and Asia via Turkey," explained Turkish Transportation Minister Binali
Y?Ä?±ld?Ä?±r?Ä?&#x B1;m at the July 24 ceremony in Kars.

This giant project will contribute hugely to the development of trade
between East and West as well as deepen the economic, social and
cultural integration in the region.

10 August 2008, Sunday
MAH?Ä?°R ZEYNALOV ?Ä?°STANBUL

The Post, Ireland
Aug 10 2008

Georgian leader chose his moment

10 August 2008

Seamus Martin examines the background to the conflict between Russia
and Georgia.

The volatile Caucasus region is strategically important as a transit
route for oil from the east. Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili
is, without question, the region’s most volatile leader.

His decision to shell the South Ossetian city of Tshkinvali while most
world leaders were in Beijing for the opening of the Olympic Games has
threatened to cause the biggest crisis in Europe for almost two
decades. His action appears to have been a calculated gamble at a time
when world attention is focused elsewhere.

Saakashvili, who is ostensibly pro-western, gambled correctly that
Russia would respond in such away that it would leave itself open to
allegations of expansionism and invasion. In fact, Russia’s new
president, Dmitry Medvedev, had little option but to send in the
tanks. The bombing of the Georgian town of Gori, Stalin’s birthplace,
is less excusable.

Saakashvili has also gambled that the west will come to his aid
militarily in any conflict with Russia. He is likely to lose that
second bet. Concerted peace efforts by Europe, the US and the
international community, in general, appear to be the only hope of
avoiding catastrophic warfare in the area and the main catastrophe
could be on the Georgian side.

These efforts will, on the one hand, need to take the form of strong
pressure on Saakashvili, since he is the party in this conflict most
likely to be open to western influence. On the other hand, calm
requests to Russia to accept a negotiated ceasefire will need to be
made.

Saakashvili’s continuous and consistent tweaking of the Bear’s tail
has finally brought a serious response with Russian tanks rolling into
South Ossetia. In a technical sense, Russia can be seen as invading
Georgian territory, but South Ossetia has been independent of Georgia
on a de facto basis since the early 1990s.

Another and perhaps more serious situation could now arise in
Abkhazia, a second area that broke away from Georgia in 1993.

Known throughout Georgia simply as `Misha’, Saakashvili came to power
in the name of democracy during the Rose Revolution of 2003 that
ousted former Soviet foreign minister Eduard Shevardnadze from the
Georgian presidency.

His democratic credentials were damaged by ill-treatment of opposition
supporters, and media censorship then began to erode his support in
the west. His continuous and sometimes baseless allegations of Russian
aggression have not helped relations with Moscow, which has
traditionally been a major trading partner.

Georgia inherited two major ethnic problems from the dissolution of
the Soviet Union. To the north of the capital, Tbilisi, lay South
Ossetia an enclave of ethnic Ossetes, a group historically supportive
of Russia.

They wanted unity with their compatriots in the Russian area of North
Ossetia, the people whose children were later tome massacred by
Chechens in the school at Beslan.

To the west was the incredibly beautiful region of Abkhazia, where the
Caucasus Mountains reached the coast of the Black Sea. Early in the
Soviet era Abkhazia had become a Constituent Republic, a status that
would have automatically given it independence on the dissolution of
the USSR. But the area was later granted to Georgia by Stalin who was
a Georgian.

A fierce war raged in Abkhazia in 1993, during which the region’s
ethnic Georgians were driven off their land. Ethnic Greeks and
Armenians also fled the area leaving the Abkhaz people almost on their
own.

Although technically part of Georgia, the two regions, with Russian
help, gained de facto independence. The original ethnic reasons for
separatism added to by the near collapse of Georgia’s economy. As the
years passed, they settled into what has become known in international
affairs as `frozen conflicts’.

The shelling of Tskhinvali has ensured that the conflict in South
Ossetia is no longer frozen. While many former Soviet states, notably
Russia itself, improved their economies and the living standards of
their various peoples, Georgia descended into a tumult of clan and
inter-ethnic hostilities upon the dissolution of the USSR.

These conflicts, allied to serious corruption, militated against
economic development. Infrastructure crumbled, unemployment soared,
and energy sources dried up and the political jokes so prominent in
the Soviet era began to resurface.

One told of a typical Georgian apartment in which the macho husband
sat on the balcony drinking wine while his wife prepared to burn the
furniture in a stove in order to cook dinner. Suddenly there was a
flicker and the electric light came on. Then a hiss and the gas
returned. The wife ran to the balcony shouting: “I have very bad
news. I think the communists are back.’

Under Shevardnadze’s rule there was little progress towards settlement
of the two separatist issues and on the economic front he failed to
improve matters. Saakashvili and his supporters took to the streets
successfully to force Shevardnadze from power.

The Rose Revolution and its supporters were, paradoxically, allowed
virtually free rein on the streets of the country’s ancient and
beautiful capital, Tbilisi. They triumphed in the name of democracy,
and Saakashvili was elected president by an overwhelming majority of
the voters.

When, four years later, those opposed to Saakashvili’s presidency took
to the same streets they were met with a brutal response from special
police forces armed not only with conventional weaponry but also with
modern sonic devices designed to disorient them.

Opposition protests continued and Saakashvili called an early
presidential election in January of this year at which he was
re-elected with a massively reduced majority.

Europe’s main election watchdog, the Office for Democratic
Institutions and Human Rights, a section of the Organisation for
Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), while noting that the vote
was the first genuinely contested election since Georgian
independence, also verified allegations of intimidation on public
sector employees and opposition activists.

Its report also noted that “the distinction between state
activities” and the campaign of Saakashvili was “blurred”,
shorthand for the use of the state’s resources by Saakashvili in his
election campaign.

These election tactics and the earlier brutal treatment of opposition
protesters by the US-educated Saakashvili caused some western
governments to question the almost unqualified support they had given
the Georgian president. His major aim – to succeed in gaining
membership of Nato for Georgia – was believed to have been badly
damaged in the process.

Even his blatant sycophancy in naming the main road from Tbilisi
Airport to the city centre as George W Bush Avenue had begun to wear
thin in Washington political circles. He may not be able to count any
support greater than strongly worded statements, such as that issued
by US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice, who called on Russia to
respect Georgia’s territorial integrity.

Seamus Martin is a retired international editor and Moscow
correspondent of the Irish Times. His memoir, Good Times and Bad, was
published earlier this year

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