Month: December 2008

SOLANA: TODAY’S IMPULSE IN KARABAKH PROCESS SHOULDN’T BE LOST

PanARMENIAN.Net
23.12.2008 14:14 GMT+04:00

The European Union supports all forms of regional cooperation and
constructive dialogue meant to intensify relations between countries
in the region, the EU Common Foreign and Security Policy chief said.

"The EU welcomes the Moscow declaration of November 2 and the Helsinki
declaration of December 4, which confirm the sides’ aspiration for
a peaceful resolution of the Karabakh conflict," Javier Solana said.

Solana called on the sides to continue the constructive dialogue.

"Today’s impulse should not be lost. Progress in Karabakh talks will
also help normalization of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia,"
he said, Trend Azeri news agency reports.

MOSCOW, TBILISI HOLDING SECRET TALKS?

PanARMENIAN.Net
23.12.2008 14:33 GMT+04:00

Georgia has had secret talks through intermediaries with Russian
officials about restoring direct flights and diplomatic ties after
the August war, the Kommersant daily reported Tuesday.

The newspaper said that the key intermediary in the talks has been
Mikheil Khubutia, the head of the Union of Georgians in Russia, who
the paper said met Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili on November
21 in Munich.

"I spoke recently to Saakashvili," Khubutia told the newspaper, without
confirming the date of his meeting with the president or that he had
met Russian officials.

"We discussed restoring flights between Georgia and Russia and
restoring diplomatic relations," he said. "He seems disappointed
that Georgia has not been given an action plan for NATO membership
and that he has not received the due support from Europe," he added.

However talks on a resumption of ties would be a major turnaround amid
the current war of words between Moscow and Tbilisi in the aftermath
of their August conflict over Georgian pro-Russian breakaway regions.

Kommersant also quoted sources close to the Russian presidency as
saying that there was no hope for a solution as long as the pro-Western
Saakashvili remained in power.

"He understands that himself. He needs to vacate his post rather than
trying to find a way out of this dead end."

AZERBAIJAN’S LOBBYIST LEAVING KNESSET

PanARMENIAN.Net
23.12.2008 14:58 GMT+04:00

Yosef Shagal, Russian-speaking lobbyist of the Israeli-Turkic strategic
alliance announced that he gives up politics and returns to journalism.

A Baku native, Shagal became leader of the Azerbaijan-Israel
International Association in April 2007 to "cement ties between the
two states."

In spring 2008, Yosef Shagal opposed discussion of the Armenian
Genocide in Knesset, describing it as a threat to relations with
Turkey and Azerbaijan.

Shagal will not enter the history of Israeli parliamentarianism but
his activities were significant for Israeli presence in the post-soviet
area and for the development of the South Caucasus vector to neutralize
the Iranian threat, Turtsia.ru reports.

ARMENIAN, RUSSIAN, KAZAKH, KYRGYZ, TAJIK LEADERS TO ESTABLISH JOINT FOUNDATION

PanARMENIAN.Net
23.12.2008 15:30 GMT+04:00

The Presidents of Kazakhstan, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and
Tajikistan discussed a wide scope of issues during the informal summit
in Astana on December 19 and 21.

The leaders decided to form CSTO collective force of fast response
and to establish a joint foundation, with 10 billion USD as financial
capital, which will function to help world crisis relief efforts. They
also agreed to establish a high technology center to deal with
implementation of innovation projects, says the report on Kazakh
President’s website.

GEORGIAN MINISTER OF DIASPORA AFFAIRS WAS SURPRISED TO KNOW ABOUT 200-400 THOUSAND ARMENIANS LIVING IN HIS COUNTRY

PanARMENIAN.Net
23.12.2008 16:08 GMT+04:00

Armenian Minister of Diaspora Affairs Hranush Hakobian met Tuesday
with his Georgian counterpart Yulon Gagoshidze to familiarize the
guest with the activities of the Ministry, specifically the project
envisaging organization of TV space bridges and Internet discussions,
reported the press office of the RA Ministry of Diaspora Affairs.

Attending the CIS division of the Ministry, Mr. Gagoshidze was
surprised to know about 200-400 thousand Armenians living in his
country and showed interest in the repatriation program which can be
useful for the Georgian government as well.

Briefing on the situation of refugees, he remarked that Armenians,
Greeks, Jews, Tatars and representatives of other nations ever living
in Georgia are viewed as members of Georgian Diaspora.

ARMENIAN APOLOGY CAMPAIGN ORGANIZERS THREATENED

PanARMENIAN.Net
23.12.2008 16:44 GMT+04:00

Turkish nationalistic forces create tension in the country by
threatening to use force against the Turkish intellectuals who signed
the Armenian Genocide apology petition, independent French journalist
Jean Eckian told PanARMENIAN.Net.

Nevertheless, initiators of the campaign believe that the Turkish
government is capable to overcome the crisis.

Mr. Eckian reminded that many Turkish intellectuals are still
persecuted for statements referring to the Armenian Genocide.

Mehmed Ali Varis, assistant to publisher Ragip Zakaroglu, was
imprisoned for "insulting Turkishness" because he was unable to pay
a $15000 fee.

Over 20 thousand Turkish intellectuals, authors, journalists,
scientists and musicians have already signed the online petition which
reads, "My conscience does not accept the insensitivity showed to and
the denial of the Great Calamity that befell the Ottoman Armenians
in 1915. I reject this injustice and for my share, I empathize with
the feelings and pain of my Armenian brothers. I apologize to them."

GUL FILES SUIT AGAINST TURKISH PARLIAMENTARIAN WHO CLAIMED THAT HIS MOTHER IS OF ARMENIAN ORIGIN

PanARMENIAN.Net
23.12.2008 17:23 GMT+04:00

Turkey’s President Abdullah Gul has filed a lawsuit against
Republican People’s Party (CHP) deputy Canan Aritman, who claimed
that Gul’s mother is of Armenian origin. "Aritman, who has political
motivations, caused doubts about the performance of the president,
who has non-political responsibilities," the petition states.

"The defendant’s claim, which is based on racism and discrimination,
is a heavy assault on the client’s personal and family values,
honor and reputation." The 1 YTL lawsuit petition submitted by the
president’s lawyer, Omer Kucukozcan, refers to Aritman’s claims.

The petition states that Gul stands at an equal distance from all
citizens in his current position and that in his previous duties as
a Deputy Foreign Minister, Deputy Prime Minister, Prime Minister
and President, he expressed his ideas openly at the national and
international platforms on the topic and on Turkish-Armenian relations.

"My client’s views have been distorted and it was suggested that he
has ethnic ties on his mother’s side, as if he stands closer to a
part of society because of that," the petition states.

The petition also states that according to the news reports, CHP head
Deniz Baykal has been uneasy about Aritman’s statements.

"It would be impossible to compensate for the damages that occurred
because of this issue; however, we demand a compensation of 1 YTL only
to identify the injustice," the petition states, Today’s Zaman reports.

Last week, member of MHP, parliamentarian Canan Aritman "reminded" of
the Armenian origin of the President’s mother. "Abdullah Gul should
be the president of the whole Turkish nation, not of his ethnic
origin. Investigate the ethnic origin of the president’s mother,
and you will see," she said.

In response, President Gul announced that his mother’s side, the
Satoglu family from Kayseri, and his father’s side, the Gul family
also from Kayseri, are Muslim and Turkish, according to centuries of
written genealogy records.

"I respect the ethnic background, different beliefs and family ties of
all my citizens and see this as a reality and also the wealth of our
country with its imperial history. I also would like to emphasize
that all my citizens are equal to one another regardless of any
differences. No one has any superiority whatsoever over another
one. Everybody has the equal and same rights under the guarantee of
our Constitution," Gul said. "I am proud of our country, which has
reached this level of understanding."

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

EU, ARMENIAN STAND ON KARABAKH CONFLICT RESOLUTION COINCIDE

PanARMENIAN.Net
23.12.2008 17:33 GMT+04:00

The statements by Javier Solana, EU High Representative for the
Common Foreign and Security Policy, accord with the position of
Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian, a diplomatic source
told PanARMENIAN.Net.

"The EU welcomes the Moscow declaration of November 2 and the Helsinki
declaration of December 4, which confirm the sides’ aspiration for a
peaceful resolution of the Karabakh conflict," Mr Solana said Tuesday.

His words prove that the European Union and official Yerevan’s
positions on resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict coincide,
the source said.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

HEAD OF WORKING GROUP OF ARMENIAN STATE COMMISSION FOR POWS, HOSTAGES AND THE MISSING TO COMPLAIN TO ICRC FOR PUBLICATION OF CONFIDENTIAL LETTER BY POW IN AZERBAIJANI PRESS

ArmInfo
2008-12-23 14:17:00

Armen Kaprielyan, the Head of the Working Group of the Armenian State
Commission for POWs, Hostages and the Missing is going complain to the
ICRC for publication of a confidential letter by Azerbaijani soldier
Rafig Hasanov in the Azerbaijani press. R. Hasanov is currently in the
Armenian territory. A. Kaprielyan told ArmInfo of his intention when
commenting on the publication of the above letter by Azerbaijani APA
agency and the comments by an anonymous military expert. An interview
with R. Hasanov was published earlier wherein he declared that he
had crossed the boundary consciously and had no intention to return
to his motherland.

‘Nonsense and regular provocation. Indeed the Azerbaijani party was
to respond to developments with Rafig Hasanov somehow… Referring
to anonymous expert, a certain mister X, one can write everything
and everywhere. The author of the idea had probably pined hopes with
public response forgetting about the content of this propagandist
nonsense. The last chapter containing ‘the conclusion’ of the secret
military agent was just silly. In response, I’d like to say that public
and international organizations dealing with humanitarian issues
are well aware how POWs are treated here in Armenia and how they
are treated in Azerbaijan. I can mention four Azerbaijani soldiers
who had crossed the boundary voluntarily because of humiliating
treatment of juniors over the last two years: Vusal Garakayev,
Eldaniz Nuriyev, Samir Mamedov and now Rafig Hasanov. I can imagine
the faces of some Azerbaijani officials who were informed that another
Azerbaijani soldier purposefully deserted to the Armenian party and
refused returning to his motherland. The developments with Mamedov
had an effect of a ‘red rag’. After Mamedov’s leaving for a third
country, Azerbaijanis do their best to give us an adequate, as they
think, response by launching a large-scale information war through
elementary lie, misinformation and sometimes even an open blackmail’,
A. Kaprielyan said. He mentioned that once Azerbaijan tried to
present Armenian hostages Valery Suleymanov and Hambatsoum Asatryan
as deserters. ‘To persuade us that our soldiers refuse to return to
Armenia, they resorted to any methods to influence on the POWs, even
Azerbaijani national security agents visited H. Asatryan presenting
themselves as ICRC officers’, he said. But they failed regarding
these two and the Azerbaijani party started inventing a fairy tale
around Paruyr Simonyan. But this was not enough for them and they are
trying to shuffle their sins on us, allegedly we torture our prisoners
of war and make them not to return to their native land. All this is
barefaced lie. But we cannot wait for something more clever from the
relevant authorities of our neighboring state. Instead of irradiation
of the reason of wilful transferring of their soldier to our side,
i.e. establishing order in their army, they are going ‘to fight’
the results of this lawlessness, trying to blame us for the broken
destiny of these soldiers’, – Kaprielyan said. He also emphasized that
ICRC delegations visited Ragif Gasanov many times: ‘It is no secret
that this boy is kept in the conditions which fully meet the norms
of International Humanitarian Law and International Human Rights Law’.

‘As for the letter, the scanned copy of which was published in the
article, even if this document really exists and its text is authentic
to the original, I wonder how the letter, written at the form with
an official label of ICRC and considered confidential, appeared in
the hands of Azerbaijani journalists. For this reason I am going to
immediately apply to the local office of ICRC’, – Kaprielyan said.

JAVIER SOLANA CALLS ON ARMENIA AND AZERBAIJAN TO CONTINUE CONSTRUCTIVE DIALOGUE

ArmInfo
2008-12-23 14:24:00

The EU supports any regional cooperation and constructive dialogue,
which intensify relations between countries in the region, Javier
Solana, EU High Representative for the CFSP, said in an interview
with Trend.

Touching on the Karabakh conflict settlement Javier Solana said:
‘We welcomed the Moscow declaration of Nov. 2 and the declaration of
Helsinki of Dec. 4, as they confirmed that all sides sign up to the
need for a peaceful solution’. ‘Today’s impulse should not be lost’,-
Solana said and added that progress in resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict will also facilitate the normalization of relations between
Azerbaijan and Armenia.

To recall, the Moscow declaration signed by Presidents of Azerbaijan,
Russia and Armenia at the meeting on Nov. 2 and envisages stirring
up of activity by the sides in order to reach peace within the OSCE
Minsk Group in the region.