Month: November 2009

news.am, Armenia
Nov 21 2009

Turkish schoolboy in France denies Genocide

17:35 / 11/21/2009A Turkish high schooler of a French school, who
refused to write a composition about Armenian Genocide in Ottoman
Empire, reasoning that `Even if it did happen, Armenians deserved it’
had agreed to put that all genocides ever are the result of injustice,
CNNturk informs.

As NEWS.am informed earlier, the law on denial of Armenian Genocide
providing a persecution will be adopted in France. Mustafa Dogan, a
13-year-old Turk, was expelled from a school in Nancy after insisting
that there was no Armenian Genocide, Nov. 18. Dogan’s history teacher
asked a question about the events of 1915 and the `Armenian Genocide’
in a written exam. Having previously argued with the teacher over the
matter, the Turkish schoolboy got angry and wrote, `Even if it did
happen, they deserved it.’

Mehmet Dogan ` Mustafa’s father, accused the principal of racism. `I
wish he hadn’t written `Even if [the genocide] did happen, they
deserved it.’ This made them angry,’ he said.

Later, Today’s Zaman contacted the principal of the Jacques Marquette
secondary school, Francis Vignola and asked to comment on the case.
`Vignola said he supported the sanctions placed on Mustafa Dogan,’ the
source concludes.

news.am, Armenia
Nov 21 2009

Munich meeting to change nothing: Guluzade

16:35 / 11/21/2009Azerbaijani political analyst Vafa Guluzade is
pessimistic and aggressive about the meeting of Azerbaijani and
Armenian Presidents in Munich on November 22. `I do not think that
there will be any change in the course of upcoming meeting,’ said
Guluzade, adding that the document on table is pro-Armenian and does
not meet Azerbaijani interests. Political analyst underlined that
great powers turn blind eye to the situation in the `occupied’
territories, as cooperation with Azerbaijan is a business for them.
According to him, Christian states are keener to back Christian
Armenia, than contribute to the conflict settlement advantageous for
Islamic Azerbaijan.

`Armenia is instructed by Moscow not to agree to any settlement and
demand Karabakh independence from Azerbaijan. It is merely Russia’s
geopolitical issue and it wishes to develop relations with Azerbaijan
not being involved in Karabakh peace process,’ he stated.

Commenting on the statements by Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet
Davutoglu, namely `Turkey intends to change status quo of Karabakh’,
Guluzade pointed out that these are also abstract statements.

news.am, Armenia
Nov 21 2009

Unpacific statement of Azerbaijani President

13:15 / 11/21/2009On the threshold of the meeting with RA President
Serzh Sargsyan on Karabakh conflict settlement, Azerbaijani President
Ilham Aliyev made a regular warlike statement.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of a new settlement for refuges, near
Veyisli village, Aliyev newly voiced doubt about effectiveness of
negotiation process, OSCE Minsk Group efforts in conflict resolution,
as well as UN Security Council activities.

`UN Security Council adopted 4 resolutions. There is no structure
above it around the globe. But if its decisions are not carried out,
it means either Council’s influence is depreciated, or the norms of
international law do not work. If that is the case, everyone should
know what to do. If international law does not work, then we should
know where we stand. We just want to do it by means of negotiations,
diplomatically. On the other hand, it is not right to be tolerant of
the current situation. If Armenia considers that we will permanently
hold the talks, it is a fallacy. We do it as log as hope that the
issue will be settled and up to the moment till we hope for success.
But if we see that Armenian side is merely protracting the process and
wishes to &`perpetuate’ the issue, the talks will break off,’ Aliyev
stated.

Commenting on the upcoming meeting with RA President, Aliyev
underlined that recent meetings `were unproductive’, blaming on
Armenian side as usual, that according to him demonstrated `absolutely
deconstructive position.’ However this time, Azerbaijani President
emphasized, this will be a `decisive meeting’: `We go to the meeting
having our program. The meeting should play a pivotal role in the
negotiation process. If it yields no result, our hope for talks will
end.’ In this case, Aliyev did not rule out the possibility that
Azerbaijan will prefer military showdown, if loses hope for diplomatic
solution. `If the hope for talks comes to an end, we will have no
choice. We should be ready to this too,’ Aliyev said, outlining that
the country `is justified in liberating its territories by coercive
methods.’

Aliyev said the reason for Armenia’s `deconstructive position’ is the
intensification of Armenian-Turkish diplomatic relations through
negotiations. However, Azerbaijani leader expressed confidence that
Armenian-Turkish border will not open: `The current developments prove
it will not happen. Both Azerbaijan’s set-foot stance and that of
Turkish society, statements by Turkish authorities, their pledges
given to us ` all this proves that Armenian-Turkish relations cannot
be normalized without Karabakh conflict settlement.’

At that, he underlined that `Azerbaijan will never agree to
Nagorno-Karabakh independence.’

news.am, Armenia
Nov 21 2009

Alexey Ostrovsky: Escalation on threshold of Aliyev-Sargsyan meeting
will affect results

16:48 / 11/21/2009Political dialogue is the only acceptable way of
settling territorial disputes in the 21st century, Alexey Ostrovsky,
Chairman of the Committee for CIS Affairs , RF State Duma, told
NEWS.am, commenting on Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s statement
on November 20. The Azeri leader stated that Azerbaijan will be free
to withdraw from the negotiations and resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh
problem by force unless the forthcoming Armenian-Azerbaijani
presidential meeting in Munich fails.

A military way of settling the conflict runs counter to the interests
of the Armenian and Azerbaijani peoples, Ostrovsky said. He stressed
that escalating the situation on the threshold of the Aliyev-Sargsyan
meeting will certainly affect the results. The Russian parliamentarian
urged the sides to show restraint in making statements. `No matter
which of the sides has greater military or financial potential, war
results will be disastrous for everyone,’ Ostrovsky said. He stressed
that the Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders could have reached a
compromise long ago but for the nationalist forces’ pressure.

As regards the meeting scheduled for November 22, he stressed that,
with the best will in the world, the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs will
never get any results without the Armenian and Azerbaijani
authorities’ political will.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Aysor, Armenia
Nov 21 2009

No coalition in the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia

Yesterday the chairman of the Armenian Football Association Ruben
Hayrapetyan stated that it would be better if the chairman of
Prosperous Armenia Party Gagik Tsarukyan instead of predicting the
destiny of the Armenian football team was to go to Bursa and to fan
for the Armenian football players.

On this occasion Suren Surenyants the member of the political board of
the Republic Party mentioned that `Ruben Hayrapetyan has never been
noticed for his correct statements.’

To the question what does this situation predict about the ARP ` PAP
conflict Surenyants mentioned that the ARP is conducting the country
by monopole principles, there is no coalition and it’s not excluded
that PAP will have many contradictions and will even quit the
coalition.

He mentioned once again that it is not right to speak about the
coalition as, in reality, it doesn’t exist.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

news.am, Armenia
Nov 21 2009

Arman Melikyan: Aliyev’s bellicose statements attempt to pressure Armenia

15:07 / 11/21/2009`Ilham Aliyev’s bellicose statements on the
threshold of his meeting with Serzh Sargsyan are a mere attempt to
exert pressure on Armenia. This means that Azerbaijan is concerned
over something. It may be the Armenia-Turkey normalization process,’
Armn Melikyan, the ex-foreign minister of the Nagorno-Karabakh
Republic (NKR) told NEWS.am.

On the other hand, he believes that the meeting is a necessity, and
the Armenian side must plainly state its hard line. `I have repeatedly
stated that the negotiation process took an illogical course, which
has never contributed to the settlement of the conflict. The parties’
positions remain incompatible. Any appreciable results are difficult
to achieve unless the logic of the process changes,’ Melikyan said.

He also pointed out that the Madrid principles are complicating the
process, as they contain `unfeasible provisions and lack the potential
for settling the conflict.’ `A realistic view of the issue should be
taken: the problem to be discussed must cover the period from the
February 1988 ethnic cleansing, rather than from the military
operations, up to now,’ Melikyan said.

`Since Soviet times Azerbaijan has not changed its policy. Both then
and now that country tries to resolve its problems with Armenia by
force,’ he said.

news.az, Azerbaijan
Nov 21 2009

President of Azerbaijan left to Munich to meet with Armenian counterpart
Sat 21 November 2009 | 13:04 GMT Text size:

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev left for Germany with working visit.

As News.Az informed earlier, on 22nd of November Munich will host
another round of negotiations between presidents of Azerbaijan and
Armenia over the settlement of Karabakh problem.

It should be reminded that just one day before this visit Ilham Aliyev
stated that `It this meeting is unproductive too, our hopes in the
negotiations will be exhausted. And if our hopes in the negotiations
are exhausted, we will be left with no alternative. We have to be
ready for this too. The work over the past few years on building the
army has a purpose of course. We are spending billions, strengthening
our army, buying new weapons, hardware, reinforcing our positions on
the contact line. We are doing this because we have never ruled out
and do not rule our this option. We have the full right to liberate
our lands militarily’.

Leyla
News.Az

news.am, Armenia
Nov 21 2009

NKR delegation holds meetings in U.S.

13:57 / 11/21/2009The meetings of NKR delegation, headed by Premier
Ara Harutyunyan within the framework of `Hayastan’ All Armenian Fund’s
annual Telethon to U.S. continue. This year the event will be held in
LA on Nov. 26.

As NEWS.am was informed by NKR Government Information and PR
department, Harutyunyan visited head offices of Boston Globe and
Hayrenik newspapers. In the course of the meeting with journalists,
Karabakh peace process, Armenian-Turkish reconciliation as well as
socioeconomic situation in NKR were canvassed.

That day Ara Harutyunyan met with Armenian Aid Union (AAU) leadership.
Through spacebridge, Heads of AAU branches in Canada and California
also joined the meeting.

Harutyunyan hailed successful the organization’s progress and its
contribution to the preschool system development in Karabakh. He also
expressed hope that the cooperation will progress and AAU will keep on
expanding its activities in NKR. Over 500 representatives of Armenian
community attended the Nov. 20 reception held in honor of NKR
delegation. At the event, Nagorno-Karabakh Premier awarded Raffi
Festekjian, Chairman of `Hayastan’ All Armenian Fund a commemorative
medal for the assistance to various projects’ implementation in NKR.

Leader of Artsakh Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church Archbishop
Pargev Martirosyan, Spokesman to the NKR President David Babayan and
NKR Permanent Representative to U.S. Robert Avetisyan attended the
meetings as well.

Aysor, Armenia
Nov 21 2009

The international community must respond to the statements of Aliev

The statemnt of the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliev is a threat to
the regional stability, `Interfax’ was told by Armen Minasyan the
chairman of Yerevan `Democracy and Peace Center’ and political
scientist.

`If we approach the statement of Aliev seriously then we can think
that first of all there should be the reaction of the international
community. Actually besides Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh the president
of Azerbaijan threatens also the whole world promising to destabilize
the situation in the region. The countries and the organizations
pursuing interests in our region shouldn’t ignore this statement’, –
Minasyan said.

Last Friday Ilham Aliev stated, if the meeting of the Azerbaijani and
Armenian presidents in Munich on November 22 was fruitless the war in
the region would be resumed.

Focus News, Bulgaria
Nov 21 2009

Azerbaijan President threatens to use military force to return control
over Nagorno-Karabakh

21 November 2009 | 22:01 | FOCUS News Agency

Baku. Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev has threatened to use military
force to return control over Nagorno-Karabakh, RBK informed. In his
words he is planning very soon to hold talks on the issue with
Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan.
Aliyev warned that if they do not reach results at the meeting
Azerbaijan is ready to use its armed forces. He noted Baku wants
peaceful resolution of the conflict but it would not wait forever.