Month: December 2008

Interfax, Russia
Dec 12 2008

Eurasian Development Bank’s council approves adopting 3 new members

ALMATY Dec 12

The Eurasian Development Bank’s council has approved the adoption of
three new members: Armenia, Belarus and Tajikistan, the bank said in a
statement.

"The council of the Eurasian Development Bank met on December 11 and
after considering applications from Tajikistan, Belarus and Armenia
approved the entry of these countries to the bank," the statement
reads.

The council approved increasing the charter capital in line with the
procedure of adopting new members through an additional issue of the
bank’s shares, which will be distributed among the new participants
proportionally to their donations to the capital, it reads.

"Now the charter capital of the Eurasian Development Bank, which was
fully paid by its founders, Russia and Kazakhstan, is $1.5 billion.

As a result of buyout of the additional issue, it will grow by $15.6
million thanks to contributions of Tajikistan, Belarus and Armenia,"
the statement reads.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Prime-Tass English-language Business Newswire
December 12, 2008 Friday 6:00 PM EET

Tajikistan, Belarus, Armenia to join Eurasian Development Bank

MOSCOW Dec 12

The council of the Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) has approved
Tajikistan, Belarus and Armenia joining the bank, EDB’s press office
said Friday.

The three countries will contribute a total of U.S. $15.6 million to
the bank by purchasing newly issued shares.

The EDB was established by Russia and Kazakhstan in 2006 to boost
investment across the former Soviet Union.

WPS Agency, Russia
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
December 12, 2008 Friday

PRESIDENT’S SIGNATURE AND DOUBLE MEANING;
Who is prepared to ruin peaceful solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh
problem?

by Vladimir Kazimirov

BAKU RESORTED TO THREATS TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM OF KARABAKH BY SHEER
STRENGTH OF ARMS; Azerbaijan does not appear to be too hot on finally
finding a solution to the problem of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Addressing the parties involved in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict at
the conference of OSCE foreign ministers that ended in Helsinki on
December 5, chairmen of the OSCE Minsk Group (Russia, United States,
France) urged them to reiterate allegiance to a peaceful solution.
What was that? The heads of Russia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia had signed
the Moscow Declaration on November 2. Why would the OSCE Minsk Group
repeat the call?

August events in the Caucasus generated second thoughts in the
capitals that had often threatened to solve the problem of Karabakh by
sheer strength of arms. Signature on the Moscow Declaration stifled
aggressive rhetorics from Baku but not for long. President Ilham
Aliyev told Italian television in late November that the Moscow
Declaration did not detract from "Baku’s right to settle the conflict
by military means." "There is nothing about the Moscow Declaration
that might be interpreted as commitment to refrain from the military
solution," Aliyev said.

Great interpretation of an international document and one’s own
signature on it! In other words, one is free to declare anything and
do something altogether different all the same. How can peaceful
settlement of a conflict fail to rule out a military solution? How can
an "explanation" such as this and appropriate course of action be
expected to promote improvement of the situation, security and
stability, not to mention measures of trust?

Moreover, a lot of Baku’s arguments are anything but unarguable. That
Nagorno-Karabakh has been the focal point of the whole conflict is
beyond doubt. It is difficult if possible at all to chalk everything
off to "Armenian aggression" in the late 20th century because there is
considerably more to the conflict that this. It is quite
understandable that Baku refuses to put up with occupation of seven
Azerbaijani districts but some of the blame for it rests with the
Azerbaijanis themselves. Had Azerbaijan been less persistent in its
efforts to avoid a cease-fire and truce in 1992-1994, it would have
been safe and whole now.

It is wrong to interpret the right to self-defense in so cavalier a
manner. It is Baku’s threats and its unwillingness to facilitate
security of Nagorno-Karabakh that enable the Armenians to put off
withdrawal from the seized territories. The Azerbaijanis and Armenians
should cast aside the age-old confrontation and enmity. Another
bloodshed is the last thing they need. The Moscow Declaration offered
a solution but requires sincerity from the warring sides. The document
is about there being no alternatives to a political settlement of the
conflict.

Source: Vremya Novostei, December 9, 2008, p. 5

Translated by Aleksei Ignatkin

ANS TV, Azerbaijan
Dec 12 2008

Azeri TV’s website resumes work after alleged Armenian attack

A website of the Azerbaijani private television channel ANS has
resumed operation, the channel has said.

The TV said that the website anspress.com resumed operation at 1000
local time (0600 gmt) on 12 December. It added, however, that all
archive material dating from 22 November 2008 had been erased from the
website.

In the meantime, the website day.az quoted the ANS Press
editor-in-chief, Aytan Safarova, as saying that they were sure that
site had been hacked by Armenians. She added that the website was
operating as normal, despite minor glitches, and that they managed to
resume the operation of the website together with Americans.

On 9 December ANS said that the website had come under heavy attack by
Armenian hackers after the premiere of a movie produced by ANS
president Vahid Mustafayev. The movie, called "The Distinguished", is
about the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, which are
technically at war over Nagornyy Karabakh. The Nagornyy Karabakh
region broke away from Azerbaijan in a separatist war in the early
1990s.

ANS TV, Azerbaijan
Dec 12 2008

Azeri official says conflict with Armenia should be resolved

An Azerbaijani official has said that the ongoing conflict with
neighbouring Armenia over Nagornyy Karabakh should be resolved, but
this does not mean forgetting tragedies of the past.

In remarks shown by the private TV station ANS on 10 December,
Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesman Xazar Ibrahim said: "Naturally,
Xocali, Susa [towns in Karabakh] and our martyrs have not been
forgotten and can never be forgotten. We have no right to do so. The
point is that we should resolve the conflict. We have no right to
leave the conflict unresolved."

The spokesman added that "after the conflict is resolved, after
Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity is restored, we should preserve
peace and stability in the region". Ibrahim said that Azerbaijan and
Armenia could establish ties after this, stressing that neighbours
cannot avoid each other.

Commenting on French mediator Bernard Fassier’s remarks on a precise
schedule of the conflict settlement, according to which a peace
agreement should be drafted by late 2009, Ibrahim said: "In any case,
we would like the co-chairs [of the OSCE Minsk Group] to take steps on
their part for the implementation of the noted theses and therefore,
they should send appropriate messages to Armenia. Azerbaijan is ready
for the resolution and we have taken steps on our own part. If the
point is about any schedule, I again note that we have stated that the
conflict should be resolved stage-by-stage within the framework of
Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity."

Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA) , Iran
Dec 13 2008

Iran to open cooperative chamber offices in Azerbaijan, Armenia

Orumiyeh, West Azarbayjan Province, 13 December: The secretary of the
West Azarbayjan Province Chamber of Cooperatives, Malek Asadzadeh, has
said that the country’s northwestern provinces will set up offices of
their cooperative chambers in Azerbaijan and Armenia.

Malek Asadzadeh noted that opportunities for economic-cooperative
activities available in neighbouring Azerbaijan and Armenia make it
possible to open offices of the chambers of cooperatives of Ardabil,
West Azarbayjan and East Azarbayjan provinces, ISNA reported.

According to Asadzadeh, export of products and exchange between
cooperative agencies will be possible in this way.

"Coordinating work has been carried out with relevant centres and the
final stage will be implemented following the approval of necessary
measures. Now powerful production cooperatives are operating in
various parts of the three provinces," he added.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

EuroVisionary, Denmark
Dec 13 2008

System Of A Down to Represent Armenia?

Posted 13 December, 2008 – 10:40 by Serkan Uluçay

Newspapers in Armenia have speculated that famous hard-rock group SOAD
(System of a Down) will be representing Armenia in the next Eurovision
Song Contest, which will be held in Moscow, Russia in 2009.

System of a Down is a hard-rock group who is known very well
worldwide. The group is well known for political songs and the lyrics
the group has written include lots of swear words. With these facts,
it’s also written that the group will represent Armenia with a
sarcastic and political song in the Eurovision Song Contest.

The group was founded by the lead singer Serj Tankian, and the group
released their first album in 1998 with Sony BMG Music Entertainment
Co, and the group still has an arrangement with the company. The group
has released six albums:

Hypnotise (2005)
Mezmerize (2005)
Steal This Album! (2002)
Toxicity (2001)
System of a Down (2000)
System of a Down (1998)

It would be expected that there would be an EBU – SOAD diplomacy about
the Eurovision Song Contest against a possible political based
song. The last time there was diplomacy between the EBU and a
singer/band against political lyrics was in 2007; with the Israeli
group Teapacks and their competing song Push the Button.

Armenia has competed three times in the Eurovision Song Contest ,and
the best result was achieved by Sirusho with 4th place last year.

NKR PRESIDENT SAHAKYAN DELIVERED A WELCOMING ADDRESS TO PARTICIPANTS..

Azat Artsakh Daily
12 Dec 08
Republic of Nagorno Karabakh [NKR

On 9 December NKR President Bako Sahakyan delivered a welcoming address
to participants of the `Human Rights Protection in the Practice of
Constitutional Justice’ conference, which is held at the sitting hall
of the NKR National Assembly. In his speech the President said the
following: `Dear participants of the conference, I welcome
holding in Stepanakert the authoritative conference in connection with
the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and
the Day of the NKR Constitution. It is very important that the event is
organized on a very high representative level and is academic in its
nature. The people of Nagorno Karabagh have been always dedicated
to the principles of liberty and democracy as well as to creating such
a jural state where the dignity and freedom of the human being and the
citizen are of utmost value. The adoption of the NKR Constitution has
confirmed once again the irreversibility of this process, the will and
aspirations of our people to realize the right to live in free and just
society that secures equal development opportunities for everybody.
This conference is a good pretext to value the achievements of the NKR
in protecting human and citizen rights and freedoms as well as in
forming democratic an
d civil society. The state as the most important
guarantor of human and citizen rights protection will keep being
consistent and will further activate its efforts in this sphere. I
wish success and effective work to the participants of the conference.’

NKR PRESIDENT SIGNED A DECREE ACCORDING TO WHICH FOR EXCLUSIVE…

Azat Artsakh Daily
12 Dec 08
Republic of Nagorno Karabakh [NKR

On 10 December NKR President Bako Sahakyan signed a decree according to
which for exclusive services to the Nagorno Karabagh Republic and in
connection with the anniversary of the adoption of the NKR
Constitution, the second President of NKR Arkady Ghoukasyan is awarded
with the highest title of the Nagorno Karabagh Republic, the `Hero of
Artsakh’ and the Golden Eagle Order.

Russia sets condition for normalizing NATO ties

press tv
Sat, 13 Dec 2008 08:30:38 GMT

The Russian foreign minister says a review of the Caucasus conflict
will be necessary for the normalization of Russia-NATO relations.

"Before us lies an extremely difficult process of normalization, in
which it will be necessary to return to a discussion of the Caucasus
crisis, which our partners declined to have in August," Sergei Lavrov
said in an interview with the Interfax news agency published on
Saturday.

NATO said in early December the alliance would resume a ‘conditional
and graduated’ dialogue with Russia. The two sides suspended talks
following the August military conflict between Moscow and Tbilisi.

An EU-brokered peace deal ended the five-day war, which began when
Georgian forces attacked South Ossetia to bring it back under Georgia’s
control. This prompted Russia to send its troops to South Ossetia,
where most of the residents hold Russian citizenship.

Lavrov said the conflict resulted in ‘the strengthening of the EU’s
role and the weakening of NATO-centrism’.

"It has become clear that NATO cannot aspire to have a solid role in
Europe without productive contacts with Russia…. It seems that in the
North Atlantic alliance they are beginning to understand this," he
added.

Georgia, along with Ukraine, has sought to join NATO, but the alliance
is deeply divided on the subject.

Moscow strongly opposes Tbilisi and Kiev’s ambitions to join NATO, and
some NATO members, such as France, Germany and Italy, fear their entry
would provoke Russia, a key energy supplier.