Month: August 2008

ITAR-TASS
Azerbaijani territorial integrity vital in Karabakh settlement
05.08.2008

BAKU, August 5 (Itar-Tass) — The Karabakh conflict must be resolved within
the territorially integral Azerbaijan, President Ilham Aliyev said at the
Tuesday meeting of the national government.
`The main essence of the settlement negotiations is the restoration of the
territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. We do not discuss any options outside
this framework,’ he said.
It is possible to discuss the future status of Karabakh, the president said.
`However, no status is possible without consent of the Azerbaijani state.
Azerbaijan will never grant Karabakh with any status outside its territorial
integrity. This is known by Armenia and the OSCE Minsk Group Cochairmen
[Russia, the United States and France],’ he said.
There is no document at the negotiations, which could make Karabakh
independent, Aliyev said. `There is no mechanism of Karabakh’s secession
from Azerbaijan, and there cannot be any,’ he said.
The problem can have only a legal solution, the president said. `Azerbaijan
will not waive its rights an inch. It will mobilize all the resources and
work on the soonest settlement with due account of all international norms,’
he said.
Aliyev said they should intensify diplomatic, political, economic,
propaganda and military efforts in order to resolve the Karabakh problem as
soon as possible.
The Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers held consultations with the
OSCE Minsk Group cochairmen in Moscow on Friday, August 1.
It is still a long way to the Karabakh settlement, Azerbaijani Foreign
Minister Elmar Mamedyarov said after the consultations.
`We attentively listened to the Armenian side. It is still a long way to a
breakthrough, but we have agreed to continue negotiations,’ he said.
`The negotiations were useful. We discussed remaining problems,’ the
minister noted.
Mamedyarov said that the Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents might hold
another meeting. `Everything depends on consultations between the two
foreign ministers,’ he said. `If we find a common ground, nothing will be
impossible.’
Armenian Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian did not go into the meeting’s
details. `If we tell details to the media, it will be hard to make further
progress,’ he said. `There are delicate issues, and we must be careful in
order not to create additional impediments. The Moscow meeting confirmed
that the sides were trying to create proper conditions for further
negotiations.’
The sides agreed that the problem must be resolved gradually, Mamedyarov
said. `We are neighbors, and we must resolve Karabakh problems,’ Nalbandian
said. `I am sure we can resolve any problems with political will. The spirit
of the negotiations is positive and constructive.’
The OSCE Minsk Group cochairmen lauded the Moscow meeting of the Armenian
and Azerbaijani foreign ministers.
`The meeting was very constructive. Both ministers were satisfied,’ Russian
Cochairman Yuri Merzlyakov said. He abstained from forecasts about the
possible Karabakh settlement deadline, but lauded the activity of the OSCE
Minsk Group. `That was the third meeting of the ministers in the past three
months,’ he said.
U.S. Cochairman Matthew Bryza said that it was possible to resolve the
Karabakh problem in case of a political will of both sides. He said their
mission was to build up confidence and to promote the negotiations.
Bryza said that the Karabakh situation was still difficult but some progress
had been made. He recalled the Madrid proposals of the OSCE Minsk Group,
which started current consultations. Bryza also said that the possible
Karabakh sovereignty would be a question of referendum.

IRAN TO BUY GAS FIELD FROM AZERBAIJAN

Jomhuri-Ye Eslami
Aug 4 2008
Iran

Tehran, 2 Aug: During some discussions with Azerbaijan, the oil
minister [Gholamhoseyn Nowzari] said that we have announced our
readiness to buy a section of Shah Deniz field’s natural gas. He said:
A while ago, during a meeting that was held in the Oil and Gas Company
of the Republic of Azerbaijan, some discussions were made regarding the
second phase of Shah Deniz gas field. These discussions will continue.

He added: It seems that we may have a chance to compete with other
companies, because of Iran’s closeness to the Republic of Azerbaijan
and the lower costs of natural gas transfer.

According to his remarks, based on a scheduled plan, the development
of the second phase of Shah Deniz gas field will be operational after
four years, and by then it would be possible for us to buy gas.

Emphasizing that in currently the gas swap is made from the Republic
of Azerbaijan to the Republic of Naxcivan, the oil minister said:
One million cubic meters of natural gas, enters Iran from Azerbaijan
on a daily basis and based on Armenia’s need, 600-700 thousand cubic
meters are transferred to this republic.

Referring to the Oil Ministry’s charter, Nowzari reminded: The
works in the Oil Ministry have been finalized and presented to the
Cabinet. However the changes which have been made in the Oil Ministry
have not been finalized in the Cabinet yet. According to a report
by ISNA, referring to the fact that by using the gas of phase 7 of
the South Pars we would provide the gas for either phase 9 or 10 in
the refinery.

He said: At the moment, the drilling operation for wells conducted
by the National Drilling Company has been completed on the said
platform. Some final details related to the digging operations have
remained for completion. This is the job of digging contractors and
is not related to the National Drilling Company.

Referring to the development and completion of the operations of
Dorud Field [name as published], by Total [company] he merely said
that the Iranian Offshore Oil Company, instead of Total, is taking
over the installations of this field.

BRYZA IS WRONG IN TAKING THE IDEA OF A VOTE ON THE STATUS OF NK

Day.Az
Aug 2 2008
Azerbaijan

Matthew Bryza is wrong in taking the idea of a vote on the status of
the mountainous part of Karabakh out of the entire context of talks

Day.az interview with Azerbaijani political analyst Ilqar Mammadov

[Interviewer] How would comment on the statement by the US co-chairman
of the OSCE Minsk Group, Matthew Bryza, that the status of Nagornyy
Karabakh should be determined by voting either through a plebiscite
or a referendum of the people in that region.

[Mammadov] This statement reflects only part of the well-known topics
which are now on the negotiating table. The parties do not have full
agreement on all of them. For example, there is agreement between
Baku and Yerevan to discuss the idea of determining the status of the
mountainous part of Karabakh on the basis of a certain vote. But there
are questions here, such as: what does "the population" mean? When,
where and on which procedure is the votesupposed to take place? Baku
believes that the population of the mountainous part of Karabakh also
includes Azerbaijanis who were driven out of that region, the vote can
be conducted only after long-term co-existence of these Armenians and
Azerbaijanis in that region is ensured and the vote must take place
only on the status of the region within Azerbaijan. But Yerevan says
that a referendum on independence should be conducted as soon as
possible and only ethnic Armenians [of that region] must vote.

That is why it is impossible to say that Bryza has said something
new. But he or the media quoting him is wrong in taking the idea
of a vote on the status of the mountainous part of Karabakh out of
the entire context of the talks. I do not think that the Azerbaijani
authorities took a right step in agreeing four years ago to discussing
the idea of such a vote.Moreover, those who speak about it must take
into account all conditions of such agreement.

[Interviewer] But it is evident that the number of ethnic Armenians
in Nagornyy Karabakh was much bigger than that of ethnic Azerbaijanis
due to the known reasons before the conflict started.

[Mammadov] First, most of the Armenians have already left
there. Second, most of the Azerbaijanis driven out of Karabakh have
made families and children. If all of them return to the former
Nagornyy Karabakh Autonomous Region, the Armenians may not have the
demographic advantage in this part of Azerbaijan they once had after
the occupation of those lands by the Tsarist Russia. In addition,
procedural issues are also important. For example, a "referendum" has
recently been held in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, which
required a two-third of votes to validate the outcome of the vote.

[Interviewer] Even if we ensure the equality of the ethnic composition
in Nagornyy Karabakh in some means, the Armenians may attempt to
influence the outcome of the vote due to their favourite policy of
illegal settlements in the territories they did not own before the
referendum.

[Mammadov] The Azerbaijani side can also resort to similar methods
if the developments go that way.

[Interviewer] Mathew Bryza is noted for his habit of denying many big
statements on the settlement of the Karabakh conflict. May the American
diplomat say this time again that journalists misunderstood him?

[Mammadov] I think that this statement indeed reflects Matthew Bryza’s
thoughts. It is another question that the position of the co-chairmen
to the problem is extremely unfair. Unfortunately, our government
indulges them. For example, why is the population of Karabakh entitled
to a vote, but the population of Zangazur [an Armenian region that was
home to ethnic Azerbaijanis before the start of the Karabakh conflict]
is not? Do the co-chairmen really recognize that the successful use
of violence by the authorities in the Republic of Armenia against the
Azerbaijani population of Zangazur creates some rights for Karabakh
Armenians and deprives the rights of Azerbaijanis of Zangazur, who
were three times more at the start of the conflict? Do they really
think that Baku is to blame for failing to use effective force against
Karabakh Armenians? Then, this is a direct call to war.

Or, let us take a definition called "the corridor between Karabakh and
Armenia", which Bryza also mentioned earlier. There will not be peace
in the South Caucasus if we think about it in the way of corridors like
"a corridor or not a corridor". We need real regional integration, but
not temporary corridors from war to war. If we talk about corridors,
then the corridor to Naxcivan is a sacred right of Azerbaijan. Why
did Bryza forget about it?

[Interviewer] In any case, Bryza’s statement has caused a lot of
fuss outside the conflict region. In particular, the leader of the
Abkhaz separatists, Sergey Bagapsh, welcomed the statement of the US
co-chairman. Hearing from the US diplomat about the decision to hold
a referendum in Nagornyy Karabakh, Bagapsh called on the USA to take
on board the outcomes of voting in Abkhazia and South Ossetia. What
do you think about this?

[Mammadov] As can be seen, Bagapsh did not even understand what
Matthew Bryza meant. He did not say who would take part in a supposed
vote. If the Georgians who were driven out of Abkhazia return there,
the idea of independence of Abkhazia will fail in the referendum.

TETE OU DEDE?
Sylvie Kerviel

Le Monde
3 aout 2008 dimanche
France

L’ambiance est decontractee, le ton volontiers blagueur, le rythme
nonchalant… En voiture pour un " road music ", selon la formule du
musicien Andre Manoukian (Dede pour ses fans), qui presente, avec le
chanteur compositeur et musicien Tete, ce nouveau rendez-vous estival
de France 5. Du 7 au 28 août, ils sillonneront les Etats-Unis pour
une decouverte de la diversite musicale du pays.

Un duo inattendu entre le musicien de jazz, connu du grand public
pour son rôle de juge aux reparties philosophico-hilarantes dans la "
Nouvelle star " de M6, et le chanteur francais ne au Senegal, devenu
une vedette depuis le succès de son album A la faveur de l’automne
en 2004.

" Quand Marie-Claire Margossian, auteure et realisatrice de la serie,
que j’ai connue a l’occasion d’un film qu’elle faisait sur la diaspora
armenienne, m’a contacte pour ce projet, j’ai suggere d’etre accompagne
par Tete, que j’avais rencontre dans un studio de France Inter lors
d’un numero du "Pont des artistes", raconte Andre Manoukian. Je trouve
qu’il parle très bien de la musique, ce qui n’est pas evident quand
on fait ce metier. "

Leur periple a travers la " terre promise de la musique " (l’expression
est de Manoukian) s’organise autour de quatre destinations, chacune
marquee par une couleur musicale particulière : electro-pop, jazz,
bossa-nova, rock, salsa, reggae, soul, etc. A New York, où debute
leur balade, les deux compères, le grand Noir degingande coiffe d’un
mini feutre et le brun quinquagenaire au blouson de cuir ajuste,
partent a la rencontre de Moby, " le pape de l’electro-pop ", qui vit
dans Nolita, quartier a la mode du sud de Manhattan. La promenade se
poursuit a Harlem, sur les traces de Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald
ou James Brown, avant un entretien feutre avec Keren Ann, que Manoukian
accompagne de quelques notes au piano.

Entre deux rencontres, la camera filme les deambulations du tandem
a travers Manhattan, l’ecran etant divise facon carte postale, et
des images d’archives font revivre des moments mythiques de la scène
musicale new-yorkaise. De temps a autre, les deux guides animateurs
livrent quelques informations ou anecdotes. A chacun son domaine : jazz
ou piano pour Manoukian, soul rock et guitare pour Tete. Manoukian
agace parfois avec son parler ado, mais la bonne humeur du duo et
la passion pour la musique qui les anime, ainsi que la qualite de la
bande-son donnent envie de les accompagner tout au long de l’ete.

–Boundary_(ID_O+EShUxYLbvTGYYCTPwleg)–

WEST THREATENS AZERBAIJAN WITH "ORANGE" SCENARIO

PanARMENIAN.Net
04.08.2008 14:26 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The U.S. doesn’t need the stability Aliyev has
maintained for many years in Azerbaijan, RBC reports.

"Ilham Aliyev is undoubtedly the favorite for the October 15
presidential election while the opposition forces announce that
they boycott the election. The Communist Party and Azaldyg bloc has
already refused to join the campaign. If Democratic Party follows
their example, the republic will face a serious political crisis. The
fact is that the U.S. needs an unstable Azerbaijan on the threshold
of war with Iran," the article says.

Aliyev was officially nominated by Yeni Azerbaijan party last Saturday.

According to expert Alexey Vlasov, Baku is considering a possibility
to empower Aliyev with lifelong presidential commission. "The project
of referendum is being elaboration," he supposes.

"Ilham Aliyev has secured Azerbaijan’s pro-western line, what forced
the U.S. and Europe to turn a blind eye to authoritarian regime. Now,
the U.S. needs destabilization, according to Oktay Aksoy, analyst at
Foreign Policy Institute.

"Preparing for a war with Iran, the ideas of formation of Great
Azerbaijan are treated seriously. Aliyev, who doesn’t wish to plunge
into adventures, can be threatened with an orange scenario," the
article says.

ARMENIAN LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE DEPARTMENT TO OPEN IN NEVSHEHIR UNIVERSITY, TURKEY

PanARMENIAN.Net
04.08.2008 14:57 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Turkish High Certifying Commission granted
permission to the university of Nevshehir city to open the Armenian
Language and Literature Department after coordinating it with the
Turkish Foreign Ministry. The permission was granted at the appeal
by professor Metin Hulagu, the dean of the Literature faculty of
this university.

According to the professor, the establishment of this department
will enable to improve bilateral relations and to cover the country’s
demand in relevant specialists. Taking into consideration the lack of
teachers, the Nevshehir University has appealed for assistance to II
Mesrob, the ecclesiastical head of the Armenian community in Turkey. He
did not exclude the possibility to invite teachers form Armenia.

Earlier, professor Metin Hulagu, visited Armenia, where he established
relations with teachers of the Yerevan University. Admittance of
students to the Armenian Language and Literature Department of the
Nevshehir University will begin in 2009 school-year. At present the
Armenian language is taught in the Bogazichi Istanbul University.

Nevshehir city is located in the central Turkey, where the world-known
Kappadokiya tourist centre is situated. The university in Nevhshehir
city was established on 17 May 2007, Trend Azeri news agency reports.

BAKU CALLS TO NEGLECT BRYZA’S STATEMENTS

PanARMENIAN.Net
04.08.2008 16:24 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Speaking about referendum is impossible, since it
will result on complete loss of Karabakh, according to Azeri political
scientist Vafa Guluzade.

"One should not pay attention to Bryza’s statements. Sometimes he talks
rot and makes you doubt whether he has got a higher education or he was
just brought to the White House to speak of something," Guluzade said.

The OSCE Minsk Group offers the Azerbaijani leadership to accept the
loss of territories and meet Armenia halfway. One of concession
it offers is Azerbaijan’s agreement to referendum in Nagorno
Karabakh. Thus, the MG wants to Azerbaijan to relinquish Karabakh,"
he said.

The OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairs are planning a dodge by proposing a
referendum 10 years after return of "occupied territories" around
Nagorno Karabakh. Unfortunately, our leaders speak of referendum
in 15 years. They do not understand that such a referendum will
mean tearing away a part of Azeri lands. The Constitution says
that Azerbaijan is a unitary state, where the organic law can be
changed through a referendum. Peaceful talks are a delusion for the
Azeri public. Nagorno Karabakh’s only status is inseparable part of
Azerbaijan," Guluzade said, 1news.az reports.

TURKEY HOPES KARABAKH CONFLICT SIDES WILL REACH AGREEMENT

PanARMENIAN.Net
04.08.2008 18:20 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Turkey supports the OSCE Minsk Group activities for
resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, Turkish Foreign Minister
Ali Babacan said.

Turkey’s possible accession to the EU won’t influence the settlement
process, according to him.

Babacan also reminded about the Sargsyan-Aliyev meeting in Saint
Petersburg.

"Democratic changes in the region, events taken place during the
past years should be taken into account. We support the process
in the framework of the OSCE Minsk Groups and hope that the sides
will reach agreement," the Turkish Minister said, Radikal Turkish
newspaper reports.

ARE CO-CHAIRS LAYING THE CARDS ON THE TABLE?

PanARMENIAN.Net
02.08.2008 GMT+04:00

Bryza’s statement can hardly be assessed as a diplomatic slipup. Most
likely it is an intentional "pour-out" in anticipation of response
from the conflicting parties, namely Baku and Stepanakert.

After the meeting between the Armenian and Azeri Foreign Ministers
in Moscow, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State and Co-Chair of
the OSCE Minsk Group Matthew Bryza issued a really sensational
statement. "Nagorno-Karabakh residents will decide for themselves
whether the republic will return under the Azeri control or it will be
recognized independent. There will be held a referendum for the people
of Nagorno-Karabakh to express their will," Bryza told the journalists.

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The fact that Bryza made this statement neither
in Yerevan nor in Baku, but in Moscow especially, suggests that
the Co-Chairs are already fed up with the endless repetition of one
and the same line of events and they have decided to put the cards
on the table. In spite of his modest position Deputy Assistant
Secretary of State has rather an influential role in the State
Department and, as a rule, he says what neither Condoleezza Rice
nor Daniel Fried can speak of. It is quite probable that before
the Presidential Elections of Azerbaijan the mediators, as well as
all the parties concerned should be stirred from the dead point of
conflict settlement. Roughly speaking, Ilham Aliyev will have to
sign a certain document. In exchange he may be promised absence of
criticism on the elections, which, irrespective of energy supply,
cannot be considered free and democratic. But here a question rises:
"What will Armenia be faced with?"

Naturally the problem of 5 or 7 regions and return of refugees
will come to the fore. However, in reply Armenia can demand back
the regions of Shahumian and Getashen, as well as Artsvashen that
was disgracefully conveyed to Azerbaijan in 1993. Thus, territorial
claims of Nagorno-Karabakh are rather many.

Baku’s reaction to the U.S. diplomat’s statement was not something
unexpected. "The referendum on defining the Nagorno-Karabakh status
in the territory of the Azerbaijani Republic is possible only in 15-20
years’ time. These processes can be implemented only after liberation
of the seven occupied regions and after return of the Azeri refugees
and forcedly displaced people to their permanent residence," declared
Novruz Mammadov, Head of President’s administration international
relations department. Note that Bryza made no mention of refugees, but
the Azeri agitation and propaganda department could not do without it.

However we should not forget that the U.S. policy towards Azerbaijan
has changed, especially since the beginning of the year. The Republican
Party may lose in the elections and democrat Barack Obama may be
elected a new U.S. president, who, preserving the main priorities,
would treat foreign developments more sufficiently. It concerns the
Caucasus too, not to mention Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan. In fact,
Matthew Bryza has nothing to lose – it is almost unlikely that under
a new administration he will remain in the Department of State, but
who knows? As for Azerbaijani energy supply, Europe needs it more
than America does. However, Europe decides almost nothing in the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict regulation. The issues of Azerbaijani oil
and gas are rather problematic too. For years official conferences
have been held on defining the status of the Caspian, from where Baku
has been drawing oil. The status not defined, Turkmenistan and Iran
have been repeatedly accusing Baku of appropriating the oil stations.

And what if everyone is bored with the warlike statements of Ilham
Aliyev, with blackmail and threats against the world community? After
all, the states of the Southern Caucasus are not so powerful as to
dictate the world what to do and how to do. They are too dependent
on dozens of external factors: Azerbaijan – on oil price, Georgia –
on NATO, Armenia – on her neighbours and isolation risk. Even Saudi
Arabia and Kuwait, which boast much more oil than Baku does, are
unable to impose their will on the world powers. The only exceptions
are Iran and Libya, with some stipulations though. However, the thing
is not even in the dictatorship of world powers but in the reality;
the potential of state stability has never been dependent on oil. The
latter is not a minor factor, but it is among many others, such as
faithfulness to authentic human values and democracy. It is what
Azerbaijan presently lacks and the time for its acquisition is still
a question.

Bryza’s statement can hardly be assessed as a diplomatic slipup. Most
likely it is an intentional "pour-out" in anticipation of response
from the conflicting parties, namely Baku and Stepanakert. In the
current phase observations of Official Yerevan are superfluous.

AUGUST 11 DAY OF ARMENIA IN BEIJING

ARMENPRESS
Aug 4, 2008

YEREVAN, AUGUST 4, ARMENPRESS; Armenian delegation to the Olympic
Games in Beijing and Armenian embassy in China will organize Day of
Armenia on August 11.

Sport and Youth Affairs Minister Armen Grigorian told Armenpress that
they expect many visitors to the event who will have an opportunity
to learn about Armenian sport, culture, traditions, history and
its present.