Month: July 2009

ARMENIA: PRESIDENT WILL VISIT TURKEY ONLY IF BORDERS ARE OPENED

EurasiaNet
July 29 2009
NY

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan says he will accept Turkish President
Abdullah Gul’s invitation to visit Istanbul for a World Cup qualifying
match between Turkey and Armenia only if the two countries first
reach an agreement about reopening their border.

"I will leave for Turkey only if the Armenian-Turkish border is opened,
or [is] on the threshold of its unblocking," Sargsyan told a July 28
news conference. "On the eve of the Armenia-Turkey football match,
Armenia expects from Turkey constructive moves taken in the immediate
term."

He added that Turkey is making efforts to facilitate his attendance
at the October 14 match, but did not elaborate. Fifteen years
after Turkey closed its border with Armenia to support Turkish ally
Azerbaijan in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Gul made an historic
visit to Armenia in September 2008. [For background see the Eurasia
Insight archive]. A diplomatic rapprochement is the ultimate goal of
the so-called "football diplomacy" campaign between Ankara and Yerevan.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

TURKEY REITERATES DETERMINATION TO NORMALIZE TIES WITH ARMENIA

Xinhua

July 30 2009
China

ANKARA, July 29 (Xinhua) — Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu
said Wednesday the Turkish government is still resolute to normalize
relations with neighboring Armenia, the semi-official Anatolia news
agency reported.

The top Turkish diplomat told a press conference after his meeting
with visiting Bosnian Foreign Minister Sven Alkalaj that the Turkish
government is hopeful about the normalization of ties with Armenia.

"We believe that the most extensive normalization would be seen in
our region in the coming period," Davutoglu said.

"But at the same time, it is important for us to see the same
determination from the international community and especially from
Armenia on the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan," he added.

On July 24 last year, the then Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan
expressed Ankara’s willingness to normalize relations with Yerevan.

Turkish President Abdullah Gul travelled to Armenia in September
2008 to watch 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier match between the two
countries upon an invitation by Armenian President Serzh Sarkisyan.

Turkey and Armenia are to play another qualifier in the largest Turkish
city of Istanbul in September 2009, but Sarkisyan said Tuesday he
would only accept an invitation to the return match if Turkey takes
"real steps" to open their border.

Turkey and Armenia have no diplomatic or economic ties since Armenia
declared its independence in 1991 and Turkey closed its border with
Armenia in 1993 to support Azerbaijan during its conflict with Armenia
over the Upper Karabakh region.

Armenia claims that more than 1.5 million Armenians were killed in
a systematic genocide in the hands of the Ottomans during World War
I before modern Turkey was born in 1923.

But Turkey insists that the Armenians were victims of widespread
chaos and governmental breakdown as the 600-year-old empire collapsed
before 1923.

SARKSYAN: NO TURKEY VISIT IF BORDER REMAINS CLOSED

Today’s Zaman
July 30 2009
Turkey

Armenian President Serzh Sarksyan said he will not attend the
Turkey-Armenia 2010 World Cup qualifying match in Turkey if the border
between Armenia and Turkey remains closed.

Turkish President Abdullah Gul went to the Armenian capital city
of Yerevan in September to watch the Armenia-Turkey 2010 World Cup
qualifying match, accepting Sarksyan’s invitation with the hope of
ending the century-old hostility between Armenia and Turkey. Sarksyan
was invited to watch the Turkish leg of the Turkey-Armenia 2010 World
Cup qualifying match during Gul’s visit to Yerevan.

"We expect to witness constructive steps soon, by which our colleagues
will try to provide a suitable environment for the return visit of the
Armenian president," Sarksyan told a news conference after meeting
his Serbian counterpart Boris Tadic. Turkey and Armenia announced
in late April that they agreed on a roadmap to normalize relations
between them. The roadmap, not announced to the public, is believed
to include the gradual opening of the border and the establishment
of diplomatic ties.

However, since the roadmap was announced, there have been very few
steps taken to implement it due to Azerbaijan’s strong opposition to
negotiations to normalize relations between Turkey and Armenia. "I
will accept the invitation only in the event that the agreements
reached are fulfilled, if we see real steps. I will go to Turkey if
we already have the border open, or we are on the threshold of the
blockade being lifted," he said.

Turkey was unable to take further steps to improve relations with
Armenia due to Azerbaijan’s opposition to the normalization of ties
between Turkey and Armenia. To address concerns raised by Azerbaijan
over a possible Turkish-Armenian rapprochement, Turkish Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdogan paid a visit to Azerbaijan on May 13. In a speech
delivered before the Azerbaijani parliament at the time Erdogan
assured deputies that the border will remain closed if there is no
significant breakthrough vis-a-vis the problem of Nagorno-Karabakh —
a self-declared but internationally unrecognized republic — which
was a battleground between Azerbaijani and Armenian military forces
in early the 1990s.

LONG WAY TO GO BEFORE KURDISH BECOMES OFFICIAL LANGUAGE

Today’s Zaman
July 30 2009
Turkey

According to a study by the Turkish Parliament’s research center,
some changes should be made in the Constitution and in 18 relevant
articles of law to enable the government to allow the use of an
official language other than Turkish. The prospects of such changes,
however, appear far away at the time being.

In Turkey there are many laws stating that the official language of
the country is Turkish. In the case of allowing languages other than
Turkish to be used, laws regulating political parties, elections
and associations would need to be amended as they contain strong
prohibitions on the use of any other language.

Parliament decided to conduct a study of official languages used in
the world’s parliaments after a controversy was sparked by a speech
delivered by Democratic Society Party co-chairman Ahmet Turk, partly
in Kurdish, during a parliamentary group meeting on Feb. 24, 2009.

The report was based on research into countries such as the US,
France, Armenia, Algeria, Estonia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia
and Latvia. In many countries, only one official language is used,
and this is stipulated by law. In some countries, such as Algeria,
even computer hardware and equipment which does not allow printing
in the Arabic typeface are forbidden from being imported. In India,
Canada, Ireland and Finland two official languages are used. But even
in such countries, there are still some strict rules about using two
official languages. It seems the country most comfortable about its
official languages is Canada.

No regulations exist in either the constitution or law about
the official language in Germany but diverse German dialects are
used. Belgium, whose official languages are Dutch, German and French
because of its three-region state structure, and Switzerland, whose
official languages are German, French, Italian and Romansch, were
not in the scope of the research.

Here is the Parliament research center’s summary regarding the
countries’ official languages and their usage:

US: Although the English Language Unity Act has been drafted, this
law is still being debated in Congress. No language other than English
is used in official correspondence.

GERMANY: There is no definition of Germany’s official language. No
laws about official language exist as it is accepted that language
should maintain its own development. There is a custom of using
regional languages in the federal parliament.

ALGERIA: There is a special law to extend the use of Arabic. It is
obligatory to use Arabic in all public corporations and associations
and in the names of media organizations and in international
agreements.

ARMENIA: According to its official language law, Armenia’s official
language is Armenian. Minorities living on the border of Armenia
are free to use their mother tongue. The language used in education
is Armenian, but minorities taking compulsory Armenian lessons are
authorized to learn their mother language. For representatives of the
country, knowing Armenian and using it in international meetings is
obligatory, and public agencies are forbidden from communicating in
any other language.

ESTONIA: According to the Republic of Estonia’s language law, the
official language is Estonian. All languages except Estonian are
given the status of foreign languages. Public enterprises, local
authorities and associations with an autonomous status are obliged
to use Estonian. During the EU process, minorities were granted the
right to use their mother tongue.

FINLAND: According to its language law, Finland’s official languages
are Finnish and Swedish. Law courts, government agencies, local
authorities and autonomous organizations use both Finnish and
Swedish. The choice of how and which of the official languages will
be used is determined by population density. Finnish is used in
publishing and in legislation.

FRENCH: On the basis of the constitution and in accordance with the act
concerning the use of the French language, French is used in official
corporations and associations. It is obligatory to use French when a
product is produced, named and exhibited and it is forbidden to use
any other language in audio-visual advertisements. It is imperative to
use French in meetings held in public areas and in public corporations
and associations as well as public transportation vehicles. French
translations of all kinds of magazines and news published in different
languages are compulsory. French is the language of education and
examinations. In addition to this, using a language other than French
is restricted in the judicial sphere.

INDIA: According to the Official Languages Law, English and Hindi
are the official languages. English is used in official acts and
parliamentary activities. Correspondence between federated states which
do not have Hindi as an official language and the central states which
do are written in English. Hindi is used both in correspondence with
countries which accept Hindi as an official language and with countries
which do not, although translations are made in this case. In public
associations and in parliament, both languages are used.

IRELAND: According to the official language law, while Irish or Gaelic
is the priority language, English is accepted as a second official
language. Official language authorities appointed by the president
officiate over the use of Irish in public institutions to guarantee
the use of the language.

CANADA: In Canada, the official languages are English and French. In
parliamentary business, both languages are used, as they are in
international correspondence and court procedures.

LATVIA: The official languages act states that Latvian is the official
language. In respect of this act, in which there are some regulations
about the protection of the language, minorities are not prohibited
from using their mother tongue although it is compulsory for them to
learn Latvian. It is obligatory to use Latvian in public enterprises
but not in unofficial correspondence, communication and services
which are religion-based.

LITHUANIA: According to the language laws of the Republic of Lithuania,
the official language is Lithuanian. To use this official language is
obligatory in official corporations and associations, courts and local
governments. Those who do not know enough Lithuanian cannot work in
public corporations. Within the scope of the Lithuanian Parliament,
there is a Language Commission which checks public bodies to determine
whether or not they are using Lithuanian.

POLAND: According to the Polish language act, the official language
is Polish. Special laws exist to protect the Polish language, and it
is obligatory to use Polish in public corporations and associations.

SLOVAKIA: According to an act of the Republic of Slovakia, the
country’s official language is Slovak. In religious ceremonies and
rituals the language determined by the church or other religious
associations is used. The government is obliged to teach Slovak to
all citizens. The codification of the official language is the task
of the Ministry of Cultural Affairs.

MINSK GROUP DISCUSSING PROPOSED CHANGES TO "MADRID PRINCIPLES"

Interfax
July 28 2009
Russia

The co-chairmen of the Minsk Group, a body appointed by the
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe to mediate in the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, will hold a few meetings on the revision
of the "Madrid principles" proposed by mediator countries, French
co-chairman Bernard Fassier said.

Fassier told Armenian state news agency Armenpress he would visit
Armenia and Azerbaijan early in September, that the group’s American
co- chairman, Matthew Bryza, would visit the two countries in August,
and that all the co-chairmen would visit the region late in September.

Fassier said all visits by the group’s co-chairmen are aimed at
promoting dialogue between Armenia and Azerbaijan and at having them
bring their positions closer together.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

TO NATO VIA NABUCCO
by Oleg Nikiforov

WPS Agency
What the Papers Say (Russia)
July 28, 2009 Tuesday
Russia

GEORGIA, AZERBAIJAN, AND OTHER POST-SOVIET COUNTRIES ARE PROMISED A
CHANCE AT NATO MEMBERSHIP; Nabucco vs South Stream: an update.

As soon as Turkey and four EU countries signed an agreement on
Nabucco in Ankara, some media outlets in the West began hailing it
as a triumph over Gazprom’s South Stream. Was it a triumph indeed?

Reinhard Mitschek, managing director of Nabucco Gas Pipeline
International, advised hotheads to hold their horses in his interview
with Radio Deutsche Welle. He said that the final investment
agreement on construction of the gas pipeline would only be signed
in 2010, i.e. after the signing of agreements with future suppliers
and consumers. Investments will be made only when gas shipment and
procurement contracts have been signed, he said. It will be the point
of no-return. Where the gas for the pipeline will be found and how
much gas will be needed remains to be seen yet.

Iraq, Egypt, and Azerbaijan were initially regarded as
suppliers. Turkmenistan joined this prospective list at a later
date. These days, some African countries like Nigeria are regarded as
potential participants in the project too. Still, Gazprom Enhanced
Coverage LinkingGazprom -Search using: Company Profile News, Most
Recent 60 Days is already there, discussing the matter with these
countries.

Participants in Nabucco are going out of their way to secure gas for
the future pipeline. RWE of Germany got a gas prospecting license
in the Turkmen sector of the Caspian Sea. RWE CEO Jurgen Grossman
and Turkmen President Gurbankuly Berdymuhammedov signed the treaty
in Turkmenbashi (former Krasnovodsk) three days after the agreement
signing in Ankara.

In any event, economic factors are not all that ought to be taken
into account. It is necessary as well to bear in mind the tricky
political situation in the Caucasus. It is made tricky by tension in
the relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh and
Georgia’s confrontation with Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Not exactly
theaters of operations at this point, all these areas remain sites of
latent conflicts – this is apparently why some promoters of Nabucco
say that Russia is welcome to join the project too.

Nabucco is scheduled to bring the first gas to customers in 2014. The
Russian-Italian Blue Stream is expected to become functional by that
time too. Rivalry between them promises to be vicious until then even
without big-time politics interfering. It is common knowledge after all
that the United States has been promoting Nabucco precisely in order
to keep the increase of Russia’s influence with Europe in check. It
means that Georgia and perhaps Azerbaijan too will be offered to join
NATO by artificially mitigated procedures. It is military-political
considerations and selection suppliers and customers that will then
become vital in determination of the future outcome of the race of
the two projects.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

KARABAKH AUTHORITIES FULLY TRUST ARMENIAN LEADER – POLITICIAN

Mediamax
July 28 2009
Armenia

Yerevan, 28 July: The Nagornyy Karabakh authorities fully entrust the
negotiating process to Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan, a member
of the Pubic Council and the leader of the Christian Democratic
Party, Khosrov Harutyunyan, said after a meeting with officials and
representatives of public organizations of the NKR [Nagornyy Karabakh
Republic] in Stepanakert.

Harutyunyan pointed out today that Nagornyy Karabakh’s desire to
directly participate in the negotiations does not mean that there is
distrust towards the Armenian authorities. Harutyunyan said that in
any case, the resolution of the conflict will not come into force if
it does not suit Nagornyy Karabakh.

Speaking about the "Madrid principles", Harutyunyan noted that there is
significant progress in these principles in terms of a fair resolution
of the conflict, however, certain provisions need to be discussed.

Commenting on bellicose statements by the Azerbaijani side, Harutyunyan
said that "the Armenians in Nagornyy Karabakh are confident about their
military potential, and this is not self-confidence, but confidence
based on the facts".

SERBIAN PRESIDENT MEETS ARMENIAN COUNTERPART IN YEREVAN

Public Television of Armenia
July 28 2009

Serbian President Boris Tadic is in Armenia on an official visit
at the invitation of Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan. Following
an official reception at the presidential palace, a meeting between
Tadic and his Armenian counterpart, Sargsyan, started today. A meeting
is also expected to be held between the delegations at an expanded
format. The Armenian president will give an official dinner in honour
of his Serbian counterpart.

Tadic will also meet Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan and
Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II. The Serbian president will
visit the Matenadaran museum of ancient manuscripts, the Genocide
complex and the monument to Serbian pilots killed in a plane crash
during the Spitak earthquake [in 1988].

The Serbian ministers of foreign affairs and trade and services are
also among the delegation led by President Boris Tadic.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIAN LEADER URGES ‘REAL STEPS’ FROM TURKEY ON MENDING TIES

Agence France Presse
July 28, 2009 Tuesday 3:37 PM GMT

Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian said Tuesday that he will not
accept an invitation to visit neighbouring Turkey unless Ankara takes
"real steps" at mending fraught ties.

As part of recent efforts aimed at ending decades of enmity between
the two neighbours, Turkish President Abdullah Gul Enhanced Coverage
LinkingAbdullah Gul -Search using: Biographies Plus News News,
Most Recent 60 Days has invited Sarkisian to attend a World Cup
qualifying football match between the countries’ national teams in
Turkey in October.

Gul attended a first match between the teams last year, becoming the
first Turkish leader to visit Armenia.

"I will only accept this invitation if previously made agreements
are fulfilled, if there are real steps. I will visit Turkey if we
have re-opened the borders and if we are on the verge of an end to
the blockade," Sarkisian said at a press conference with Serbian
President Boris Tadic.

"We expect that we will soon see constructive steps our (Turkish)
colleagues will make to create the conditions for the Armenian
president’s visit," he said.

Gul’s visit to Armenia last year kicked off a flurry of diplomatic
activity aimed at normalising relations.

After months of talks, Armenia and Turkey said in April that they
had agreed to a road map for normalising ties, but there have been
few signs of progress since the announcement.

Turkey has refused to establish diplomatic links with Armenia over
Yerevan’s efforts to have World War I-era massacres of Armenians
by Ottoman Turks recognised as genocide — a label Turkey strongly
rejects.

Turkey also closed its border with Armenia in 1993 in solidarity with
ally Azerbaijan over Yerevan’s backing of ethnic Armenian separatists
in the breakaway Nagorny Karabakh region.

Washington has backed the reconciliation effort, with President Barack
Obama calling on Armenia and Turkey to build on fence-mending efforts
during a visit to Turkey earlier this year.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY TO DEBATE NEW AZERI RESOLUTIONS ON KARABAKH

Asbarez
Jul 29th, 2009

UNITED NATIONS (Trend.az)-The 64th session of the United Nations
General Assembly may debate two Azeri drafted resolutions on the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the Azeri Trend News Agency reported,
quoting the UN Press Office.

The two resolutions to be brought to the floor for a vote are
named:"Protracted conflicts in the GUAM area and their implications
for international peace, security and development" and "The situation
in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan", the UN Press Office
told Trend.

According to Trend, the press office said the two resolutions were
been considered by the General Assembly at its 63rd session, and thus
remain on the agenda for the upcoming session. Their inclusion in
the provisional agenda of the 64th session is subject to any action
the Assembly may take on it at its 63rd session and the exact time
at which these resolutions are to be discussed will be determined at
the end of September.

Azerbaijan has long sought to exploit its alliances in the United
Nations to pass resolutions in the UN favoring its position on
Karabakh. Baku hopes to bolster its case in the peace process by
establishing a paper trail of relevant documents supporting its
alleged claims to Karabakh.

On March 14, as Armenia was in a state of emergency, Azerbaijan
succeeded in p ushing for an adoption of a resolution "reaffirming
the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, demanding withdrawal of all
Armenian forces from all occupied territories there."

The non-binding resolution was adopted by a vote of 39 in favor to
7 against. The US, Russia and France voting against the resolution,
and stressed the importance of continued mediation efforts through the
OSCE Minsk Group, which they co-chair. They were joined by Armenia,
Angola, India, and Vanuatu in voting against it. Over 150 countries
abstained or did not vote.

Armenia’s then foreign minister, Vartan Oskanian, condemned the
resolution as "bogus" and "hypocritical." Armenia has long maintained
that the UN is not the proper venue for discussion or resolution of
the Karabakh conflict as it is under mediation by the OSCE Minsk Group.