Month: October 2008

RUSSIAN FM: RUSSIA WILL NOT SACRIFICE RELATIONS WITH BAKU TO TIMESERVING POLITICAL BENEFITS

PanARMENIAN.Net
03.10.2008 13:54 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Success of the Turkish Caucasus stability initiative
implies consistent movement toward resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict, Russia’s Foreign Minister said.

"I am hopeful that further meetings will help the sides to advance,"
Sergei Lavrovtold a news conference in Yerevan today.

Commenting on Baku’s recent statements in support to Georgia’s
territorial integrity, he said, "I haven’t heard such. On the contrary,
Azerbaijan has assumed a balanced position. This country is our partner
and Russia will not sacrifice relations with Baku to timeserving
political benefits."

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIA TO LAUNCH NEW NPP CONSTRUCTION SOON

PanARMENIAN.Net
03.10.2008 14:14 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ It’s time for Armenia to implement major economic
projects, the RA President said.

"Such projects help resolution of strategic problems and create a
possibility to boost employment. Construction of the Iran-Armenia
gas pipeline proved that brave initiatives can be realized thanks
to consistent work and self-confidence," Serzh Sarsgyan said in his
address to the parliament and the nation.

He named three projects which will in focus during the next several
years. "First, it’s construction of a new nuclear power plant. Second,
it’s construction of Iran-Armenia highway. And third, it’s formation
of an All-Armenian bank and investment fund which will sponsor major
projects," the Armenian President said.

LAVROV: RUSSIA NOT TROUBLED BY ARMENIA-NATO RELATIONS DEVELOPMENT

PanARMENIAN.Net
03.10.2008 14:24 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Russia is not troubled by development of the
Armenia-NATO relations, RF Foreign Minister said.

"It’s not dangerous that NATO and its partners combat
challenges. Russia maintains the existing format of relations with
all member states of the Alliance. If NATO develops the way it says,
we do not see any menace," Sergei Lavrov told a news conference today.

He also said that Russia welcomes development of trade and economic
relations between Armenia and Georgia and hopes that the agreements
achieved by governments of both states will help to avoid crisis.

TURKEY’S ACTIVITY FIZZLES OUT BECAUSE OF AZERBAIJAN

PanARMENIAN.Net
03.10.2008 14:36 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Turkey’s Caucasus Platform seems to be an attempt
to steal a march on the United States by offering its scenarios
to restore peace in the South Caucasus after the August events,
according to a Russian expert.

"However, Turkey’s activity fizzled out because of Azerbaijan, it ally
and friend, has assumed a position of non-interference," Vladimir
Zakharov, head of the Center of Caucasus Studies at Moscow State
Institute of International Relations, told a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter.

"Ilham Aliyev doesn’t want to spoil relations with his friend, Mikhail
Saakashvili. He doesn’t want to draw Azerbaijan into the anti-Georgian
campaign. His love for Russia is a show. Aliyev is a mature player. He
knows how to harm Russia, without ever getting to be at loggerheads
with it. He made Turkey stop any kind of assistance to the victims
of the armed conflict in South Ossetia but doesn’t have the courage
to make a public statement. Besides, Turkey understood that it won’t
be able to implement its projects, so there is nothing to do but make
the best of a bad job," Zakharov said.

KARABAKH TALKS SHOULD BE SPEEDED UP, U.S. SAYS

PanARMENIAN.Net
03.10.2008 14:43 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The U.S. stands for peaceful resolution of the
Nagorno Karabakh conflict, Deputy Secretary of State John D. Negroponte
said at a meeting with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov.

The Nagorno Karabakh talks should be speeded up, according to him.

For his part, Mr Mammadyarov said that the conflict can be resolved
in the framework of Azerbaijan’s "territorial integrity."

The two also referred to bilateral cooperation and its prospects,
Trend Azeri news agency reports.

U.S. SENATE APPROVES JAMES JEFFREY AS NEW U.S. AMBASSADOR TO TURKEY

PanARMENIAN.Net
03.10.2008 15:12 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The United States Senate approved the appointment
of James Jeffrey as the new U.S. ambassador to Turkey on Thursday.

"I am pleased that the Senate confirmed Jim Jeffrey to be the United
States Ambassador to Turkey. Jim is a man of intellect, integrity,
and commitment. His work as my Deputy National Security Advisor, as
United States Ambassador to Albania, and in three previous assignments
to Turkey make him superbly qualified to represent the United States to
our friend and NATO ally. I thank Jim for his continued service to our
Nation and congratulate him and his family on today’s confirmation,"
Senate President Dick Cheney said his statement posted on the White
House’s website.

James Jeffrey, in response to questions from Senate Foreign
Relations Committee Chairman and Vice-Presidential candidate Joe Biden
(D-DE), affirmed that official U.S. diplomatic reports by Ambassadors
Morgenthau and Elkus and other Armenian Genocide-era U.S. diplomats in
the Ottoman Empire did, in fact, describe the attempted extermination
of the Armenian population.

"Although falling far short of a clear and proper recognition of the
Armenian Genocide, Ambassador Jeffrey, in his response to Senator
Biden’s questioning, moved U.S. policy in the right direction by
publicly agreeing – after long years of official disregard, disrespect,
and dismissal of Ambassador Henry Morgenthau’s proud legacy – that our
nation’s diplomatic representatives to the Ottoman Empire did, in fact,
document the Ottoman government’s clear intent and systematic campaign
to destroy its Armenian population," said ANCA Executive Director
Aram Hamparian. "We want to thank Chairman Biden for his thoughtful
inquiries that led to this reaffirmation of the American record,
and to, once again, express our appreciation to Senators Menendez
and Kerry for their incisive lines of questioning during the Foreign
Relations Committee’s confirmation hearing earlier this week."

In questions submitted to the Amb. Jeffrey, Sen. Biden asked: "Do
you dispute that U.S. diplomats serving in the Ottoman Empire during
the Armenian Genocide documented a systematic, government-sponsored
campaign ‘with intent to destroy, in whole or in part’ the Armenian
population?"

Ambassador-Designate Jeffrey provided the following response: No. I
have read many of the historical records from 1915-1916 related
to U.S. diplomatic reporting on these events in Turkey, and I do
not dispute that Ambassador Morgenthau, Ambassador Elkus, and other
diplomats during that time period reported on what they described as
an attempt to exterminate the Armenian population.

U.S. NGO TO OPEN OFFICE IN IRAN

PanARMENIAN.Net
03.10.2008 15:23 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The United States has granted permission for a
U.S. non-governmental organization to open an office in Iran, the
U.S. State Department said on Thursday, but said Washington’s Tehran
policy remained unchanged.

In a rare move, the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Asset
Control (OFAC) granted a license to the Princeton, New Jersey-based
American-Iranian Council (AIC) to operate in Iran.

A U.S. official said the decision to allow the NGO to go to Iran was
"carefully reviewed" within the U.S. government.

"We want to encourage this kind of cultural exchange and mutual
understanding" between the U.S. and Iranian people "while trying
to isolate the regime," said the official, speaking on condition of
anonymity, Reuters reports.

The United States is at loggerheads with Tehran on a range of issues,
including Iran’s nuclear program, which the West suspects is aimed
at building an atomic bomb. Tehran argues it is for peaceful power
purposes.

The two nations have been antagonists since the Islamic Revolution in
Iran in 1979 and the seizure of the U.S. embassy in Tehran. Switzerland
handles U.S. interests in Iran as Washington has no diplomatic ties
with Tehran.

NKR MFA: EACH AZERI ELECTION RESEMBLES A SHOW

PanARMENIAN.Net
03.10.2008 15:59 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Every time elections in Azerbaijan resemble a
performance, NKR Foreign Minister’s Advisor Ara Puluzyan said when
commentting on the current situation in Azerbaijan.

"In addition, everything looks extremely false, as the most important
factor – democratic process, without which fair elections are
impossible – misses. Even Saddam Hussein, before the U.S. attacking
Iran, organized "elections" in his country and as a result polled
90 per cent of votes. However, that did not help him. Azerbaijan is
also doomed to defeat in this sense: it successively moves to the
dictatorship," he said.

It is dangerous to see only what is happening on the stage titled
"Presidential elections in Azerbaijan". It is more important to
examine what is going on behind the scenes, according to him.

"Pluralism of opinions does not exist in Azerbaijan and the main
oppositional parties’ refusal to participate in the elections is a
striking illustration of this. What condition the poor opposition has
been driven to that it boycotts the elections from the very beginning,
without entering into a struggle?! This means that it is completely
deprived of any opportunity to express its own opinion and that it
does not want to be satisfied only with an episodic role in this
performance.

Being a person, dealing with the problems of Iran, where presidential
elections are also going to be held in summer, I would like to mention
that the situation in this country is incomparably better. Here
we can see struggle of opinions, there are no persons beyond the
criticism, there are mechanisms, the use of which averts the coming
of dictatorship. Unfortunately, similar mechanisms do not exist
in Azerbaijan.

Unfortunately, some European structures, which neglect the
anti-democratic processes in Azerbaijan, and do not show similar
attitude to the analogous problems in Azerbaijan and, for example,
in Iran, Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh, obviously connive at the
aggravation of the situation. The use of double standards, Euro
structures’ flirting with the Azeri authorities, the recognition of
the election results in any state of affairs, do not stimulate the
development of the civil society in this country. By the way, in the
NKR, in spite of its non-recognition by the international community,
the elections are held more transparently and democratically, which
is testified, at least, by the parties’ active participation. An
alternative and an opportunity of a choice exist in our republic,
unlike our "recognized" neighbors.

Democratic institutions should function in a normal country. And
democracy is not merely elections; it is a complex and multilateral
process, which is achieved only by successive and purposeful
steps. Against the background of a complete absence of any signs
of democracy, a "game" of elections looks unconvincing, absurd and
dangerous for the Azeri nation as well," Ara Puluzyan said.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

SARGSYAN, LAVROV DISCUSS KARABAKH PROCESS

PanARMENIAN.Net
03.10.2008 16:11 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan met Friday with
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to discuss bilateral relations,
recent developments in the Caucasus, efforts for establishment of
regional stability and the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement
process, the RA leader’s press office told PanARMENIAN.Net.

The Armenian President made special mention of developing strategic
cooperation between Armenia and Russia.

CAUCASUS PLATFORM INDICATES TENSIONS BETWEEN TURKEY AND U.S.

PanARMENIAN.Net
03.10.2008 17:14 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Turkey’s Caucasus Stability and Cooperation Platform
is not a novelty, said a contributing analyst at Jane’s Information
Group.

"Ankara decision was prompted by the South Ossetia events and Russia’s
increasing authority in the region," Richard Giragosian said during
a round table discussion today.

"Turkey just wants to strengthen its positions in the Caucasus. It
wants to cut its electricity dependence from Georgia and seeks for
alternative delivery ways. At the same time, Turkey wants to be less
dependent on the United States. In my opinion, its Caucasus Pact
indicates tensions between Turkey and U.S. It’s evident that Turkey
turned from West to East," he said.