Month: November 2009

ARMENIA REPORTEDLY AGREES TO WITHDRAW FROM FIVE OCCUPIED AZERBAIJANI DISTRICTS

news.az
Nov 26 2009
Azerbaijan

Map of Azerbaijan Turkey’s Hurriyet newspaper has quoted "informed
diplomatic sources" as saying that Armenia has agreed to withdraw from
five of the Azerbaijani districts it occupies around Nagorno-Karabakh.

Progress really was made during the negotiations between the Armenian
and Azerbaijani presidents in Munich, Hurriyet reported on Wednesday
evening.

"Armenia has agreed to withdraw from five occupied districts of
Azerbaijan and to continue negotiations on definition of the status
of Karabakh," "informed diplomatic sources" told Hurriyet.

"Armenia has also agreed to withdraw its troops from the other
two occupied districts – Kelbajar and Lachin – but only after the
definition of the status of the corridor, linking Nagorno Karabakh and
Armenia. The sides also agreed to continue negotiations to conclude
a framework agreement between the parties," the source said.

Kelbajar and Lachin lie between Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia.

ARMENIA, TURKEY, AND THE TERRIBLE TRUTH OR OBAMA, ERDOGAN, AND DECEMBER 7
By Raffi K. Hovannisian

Online Journal
ticle_5312.shtml
Nov 26 2009

Turkey has always had its share of decent folks.

One close example is the righteous family who, during the great
genocide and national dispossession of 1915, risked its own to save
my grandmother Khengeni from certain death in the coastal town of Ordu.

The stories of thousands like them have not been told because of the
Turkish state’s official dialectic of denial.

Apart from the remnant 50,000 of the established Armenian community,
at least 2 million people in today’s Turkey draw lineage from an
Armenian grandparent who was orphaned, stolen or saved — but in all
cases Turkified — in the killing fields of Ottoman-occupied historic
Armenia. Voiceless and in another kind of denial, these progeny of
mixed marriages are only now taking their first tentative steps in
search of their real identity.

In the wake of Hrant Dink’s still unsolved assassination by Turkey’s
deep state and its racist speech laws, a new class of conscientious
and independent-thinking Turks has begun to form amid a belated
realization that Turkey can never graduate to the free world unless
it faces the unprecedented evil in its historical closet. Still
far from the mainstream, these brave new Turks know that their
republic was founded not only on the deaths of millions of Armenians,
Assyrians, Greeks and Kurds, but more viscerally on the systematic
and complete erasure of the Armenian nation and its civilization from
their ancestral heartland. They deserve full faith and credit in their
quest to liberate their country from nearly 90 years of false pretense,
fraudulent education, and exclusivist nation-building.

* * * * *

That is why the world’s movers and shakers have little ground for
the kind of euphoria that they have widely been deploying to applaud
the recent signature by the Turkish and Armenian governments of two
protocols that promise, upon parliamentary ratification, to lead to
Ankara’s ultimate agreement to open diplomatic relations with Yerevan
and then to lift its long-standing blockade against it.

Superficial and feel-good formulations about the historic import of
this development, whether they issue from Washington, Brussels or
Moscow, seem purposefully to hide a few fundamental truths.

The current Armenian administration has no legitimate public standing
to speak in this seminal matter on behalf of the Armenian people.

Having come to power in 2007-08 through fraud, forgery, and
the blood of scores of citizens, it now seeks to shore up its
legitimacy deficit by reference to foreign policy offerings which
sound good to Western ears but which in fact seek surrogate rewards
for authoritarian demeanor. Once again, the "international community"
has moved dangerously to trump democratic principles and due process
by its strong-armed resort to problem-solving geopragmatism.

The current Turkish administration is the successor to the Young Turk
government that premeditated and executed the Armenian genocide and
the corollary killing of homeland under the cover of World War I. It is
the successor to the Kemalist movement which in 1920-21 entered into a
creative complicity with Russia’s Bolsheviks to overturn US President
Woodrow Wilson’s arbitral award respecting Armenia’s de jure frontiers
through their occupation and partition of the newly-independent
Republic of Armenia; to delimit a de facto boundary between Soviet
Armenia and Turkey which amounted to a surgical usurpation of most
of the Armenian patrimony; and to alienate the Armenian territories
of Karabagh and Nakhichevan to Soviet Azerbaijan.

This was the precursor to Molotov-Ribbentrop a generation later.

The Turkish-Armenian draft protocols presently being considered
and congratulated include references to asserting the illegal de
facto border without simultaneously resolving issues of redemption,
restoration, and return which arise from the underlying crimes
against humanity: both the Genocide and the ensuing Turkish-Russian
conspiracy. Hence, they are ab initio invalid, immoral, and impolitic.

Most unfortunately, the papers on the table, as well-intentioned as
they might be, and the PR posturing and point-scoring associated with
them do not constitute the basis for a full and enduring regulation of
the Turkey-Armenia relationship and a truly historic reconciliation
between their peoples. They are pleasant — and deceptive — window
dressing and nothing more.

* * * * *

When Turkey, Armenia, and the community of nations grow up to the
gravity of the watershed challenge at hand, they will shift their
gears, deliver on democracy and the rule of rights, and confront and
correct history and its legacies of injustice. In this spirit, and far
from positing resolution on Mountainous Karabagh as a precondition
to Turkish-Armenian normalization, they will ultimately recognize
its God-given, legitimate right to post-Stalinist decolonization,
liberty, and sovereign statehood.

And only in this way will we forge and then witness the region’s
first post-genocide partnership.

Now is the time for President Obama — and the Turkish prime minister,
whom he is set to receive shortly in Washington — to grasp that this
is the final solution. Not the other one.

Raffi Hovannisian, the American-born leader of the opposition Heritage
party in Parliament, was independent Armenia’s first minister of
foreign affairs.

PLOTTERS PLANNED TO OVERTHROW GOVERNMENT BY USING US, SAYS BARTHOLOMEW

Today’s Zaman
Nov 26 2009
Turkey

Greek Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew has said dark forces planned
to use minorities to overthrow the government as revealed in the
investigation into Ergenekon, a clandestine organization accused of
attempting to create chaos and undermine the stability of the country
in order to trigger a coup d’état.

Based in Ä°stanbul, the spiritual leader of the world’s approximately
300 million Orthodox Christians, Bartholomew was referring to the
latest revelations of a devious plan, called the Cage Operation
Action Plan, by a group of members of the Naval Forces Command aimed
at intimidating the country’s non-Muslim population by assassinating
some of their prominent figures and in this way undermine the power
of the ruling party. Recent incidents in Ä°stanbul’s KurtuluÅ~_
neighborhood and Adalar district suggest that the alleged plan had
already been put into operation. Speaking on Tuesday, the Orthodox
religious leader recalled that a meeting of the Association of the
Zografyon High School Alumni was raided about four years ago.

Patriarch Bartholomew is hopeful that the revelations related to the
‘Cage Operation Action Plan’ aimed at pitting the country’s non-Muslim
population against nationalist forces will lead to solving more
problems in the country

"When the Cage Plan was revealed, we thought that the raid could be
part of that plan," he said. "At the time we thought that they were
just trying to scare us." The patriarch said nobody was detained
in relation to that incident. Patriarch Bartholomew is grateful to
the security forces which uncovered the "dark plans." "It is a very
satisfactory development that the Turkish police and the prosecutors
have been revealing those dark plans so the responsible people are
captured and tried."

The patriarch is hopeful that the troubles of the Greek minority and
other minorities in Turkey will soon be resolved. And for that he
trusts the government’s democratic initiative, which aims to grant
more rights to citizens, even though it was mostly associated with the
Kurdish initiative since it was one of the first steps. "We are very
positive about the initiatives of our government. It is imperative
all over the world that minorities should be treated with goodwill."

In addition, the patriarch said all the initiatives involving Kurdish
and Alevi citizens and efforts to establish diplomatic relations
with Armenia will help Turkey’s European Union accession process. "It
gives us a lot of hope that Turkey is moving toward the West and the
European Union with the initiatives. Those moves make us fell better
while we are living in Turkey. God willing, the rest of our problems
will be solved and we will be treated as equal citizens."

Bartholomew hopes that the main school of theology of the Eastern
Orthodox Church, the Halkı seminary, closed in 1971, will be reopened.

The seminary was closed under a law that put religious training under
state control. EU officials and the United States have repeatedly
called on Turkey to open the seminary, which has trained generations
of Orthodox leaders, including Bartholomew.After its closure, the
patriarchate tried to train future leaders of the church by sending
them to schools of theology abroad.

‘Sevgi Erenerol injured us a lot’ Patriarch Bartholomew said they
would like to use legal avenues in order to get three Greek churches
given to the self-declared "Turkish Orthodox Patriarchate" run by the
Erenerol family back. As part of the investigation into Ergenekon,
several people with links to Turkey’s "deep state" were arrested
and among them was Sevgi Erenerol, the "media and public relations
officer of the independent patriarchate."

She is the granddaughter of Father Eftim, founder of the so-called
"Turkish Orthodox Patriarchate." "Sevgi Erenerol hurt us a lot. She
was talking against us. It has been revealed that they had meetings in
those churches against us, the state and the [Justice and Development
Party] AK Party. It’s a pity that a place of worship was used for
such purposes," the patriarch said.

Father Eftim was a village priest from the Turkish-speaking Karamanlı
Greek community of Cappadocia in Anatolia who supported the Turks
during the War of Independence. He then became the leader of the
"patriarchate" in Kayseri in 1922 under the name of the "Independent
Patriarchate of the Turkish Orthodox."

Eftim and his family were exempted from the population exchange
between Greece and Turkey, but his small congregation moved out of the
country. Without any congregation, Eftim moved to Ä°stanbul in 1924,
together with the "patriarchate." Eftim had some followers in Galata,
an area with a large Greek population. Eftim’s son Turgut succeeded
his father and called himself Patriarch Eftim II. Then came Turgut’s
brother, and then they brought PaÅ~_a [Sevgi Erenerol’s brother]
from the US to assume the role of the "patriarch." They have all been
excommunicated by the Orthodox Church.

Eftim and his sons call themselves "patriarchs." Patriarch Bartholomew
said nobody elected them."Father Eftim was married, so it was not
possible for him to be a patriarch or bishop. He acted against
the Patriarchate. He was excommunicated but he declared himself
‘patriarch.’ Nobody recognizes the ‘Turkish Orthodox Patriarchate.’
They don’t even have followers. But they received state support. Eftim
and his men came to the Patriarchate and raided it in the 1920s. After
his demise his son took over. Indeed, patriarchs are elected and
it is not a position to be passed from father to son. In the end,
their relations with Ergenekon have been revealed."

In the pages 971-980 of the Ergenekon indictment, there are
explanations about the actions of Sevgi Erenerol and "Turkish
Orthodox Patriarchate." On Oct. 28, 2005, some platforms such as the
Nationalist Businesspeople Association, the Noel Baba Foundation and
the Turkish Orthodox Patriarchate held a protest in front of the Greek
Orthodox Patriarchate and shouted, "The patriarchate should go to
Greece." Ergenekon suspect Kemal Kerincsiz and Noel Baba Foundation
President Muammer Karabulut delivered speeches at the protest, which
were attended by also Sevgi Erenerol and Zeki Yurdakul Cagman. They
left a black wreath at the gates of the Patriarchate.

‘We are citizens of Turkey’ Patriarch Bartholomew, whose initiatives
include advancing religious tolerance among the world’s religions
have been widely noted, although received with suspicion by some
in Turkey, said the number of the Greek-Turkish citizens living in
Turkey is decreasing every day.

"Democratic initiatives will prevent the rest from leaving," the
patriarch said.

"It is sad to hear that our foundations have been referred as
‘foreign.’ We are Christians but we are born here and we were raised
here. I was born in Gökceada. I love my country and village. I did
my military service for two years. I pay my taxes. Our only difference
is our religion. But we are equal citizens under the Constitution."

Records of Greek conference were stolen

On Aug. 12, 2006, all the records belonging to the Greek Conference,
which was organized by the Association of the Zografyon High School
Alumni, were stolen from the association’s Taksim office. The
association’s president, Laki Vingas, said nothing but the hard-disc
which contained the records of the conference was stolen.

"We had three locked rooms in the office. The thieves did not
even bother to unlock these doors, they just took the hard disc,"
Vingas said.

"There was somebody in the conference room who was constantly
recording. I asked the person what television channel he represented.

He said he was an official. He recorded the whole conference and
asked for the participation list. We gave the list to them. Some
people might have broken into our offices to scare us."

In the conference which brought together Greek people from Ä°stanbul
who were dispersed all over the world, the problems of the Greek
community in Ä°stanbul were discussed. Patriarch Bartholomew had
opened the conference called "Meeting in Ä°stanbul: Today-Tomorrow."

CULTURAL FEAST FOR CHAMLIAN STUDENTS
By Max Zimbert

Glendale News Press
09/11/25/news/gnp-turkey112609.txt
Nov 26 2009
CA

LA CRESCENTA — An Armenian Thanksgiving menu hedges closely to
the American tradition, especially the generous portions of turkey,
mashed potatoes, corn and cranberry sauce.

Students at Vahan & Anoush Chamlian Armenian School went home full
after chowing down on a feast Wednesday and celebrating the American
cultural and dining wonder that is Thanksgiving.

"Giving thanks is good," said Matthew Ghazarian, a third-grader. "I
get to celebrate with my family [and] I love the food."

Students and parents had collected donations to benefit the Salvation
Army and the Armenian Relief Society.

"Thanksgiving celebration is a long-standing tradition at Chamlian,"
Vice Principal Rita Kaprielian said. "Our first- and second-graders
learn about the origin .â~@~B.â~@~B. of the special day through
various reading, writing and art activities."

The food was prepared in the school facilitates with parents arriving
at 8 a.m. Wednesday to finish organizing preparations that began
last week.

Vast pots of corn stewed on the stoves while teams of parents prepared
sides of cranberry sauce. Between 25 and 35 parents were divided into
shifts, with one group serving 200 students and the next shift about
260, and teachers, too.

The preparations resembled an assembly line — there was no other
way to deal with preparing 37 turkeys, parents said.

"We’re like Santa’s helpers," said Sossy Guekguezian, whose status
as lead organizer was denoted by a chef’s hat.

Students donned costumes for their lunch. The boys wore brown
construction paper hats with a yellow paper belt, and the girls wore
similar white paper bonnets with yellow trim.

"It’s fun to celebrate an American holiday," said Elita Nazearteian,
a first-grader.

Students celebrate mostly Armenian holidays throughout the year.

Christmas, for instance, is celebrated in January on the Armenian
calendar.

"We are trying to raise our kids to know we are part of the community
around us, but we respect our culture," said Armineh Dilanian, whose
daughter is in second grade.

Thanksgiving plays an important role to bridge an American language
and cultural education with American traditions and character.

"They get the best of both worlds," said Claudia Khodadadi, whose
daughter is a third-grader.

"Molly’s Pilgrim," a novel about a Russian Jew’s first Thanksgiving in
America, was read and discussed in class. The story coveys Thanksgiving
themes like tolerance and embracing cultural differences rather than
dividing along them.

"Students learn about Plymouth Rock, too," said Taline Porichis, a
second-grade teacher. "We teach strong Armenian and American values,
and Thanksgiving let’s us do both."

One lesson drawn from "Molly’s Pilgrim," as well as the Armenian
diaspora, is the notion of modern pilgrims. Many Chamlian parents
immigrated to the U.S. and consider themselves the latest chapter of
immigrants making a better life for themselves in America.

"We bring the good from any tradition and add a little Armenian,"
said Liliane Arejian, whose three children are in grades sixth,
fourth and second. "Being thankful is good any time in any place."

Like his peers outside Chamlian, Harout Abrahamian, a third-grader,
favors the time away from schoolwork.

"We get to have vacation and relax with family," he said. "That’s
the good part for me."

FOLLOWING ORDERS OR ORDERING FOLLOWERS?

Hurriyet Daily News
Nov 26 2009
Turkey

A former diplomat was telling me of the days when the power of the
Secretariat General of the National Security Council, or the MGK
was at its height. "We did not know whether to laugh or cry when we
received a message from the Secretariat General," he told me. Once,
all of Turkey’s consuls general were asked to get in touch with the
municipalities of the cities where they were posted, in order to
erect a statue of Talat Pasha, the interior minister who is widely
believed to have given the order that resulted in the killings of
Armenians during World War I. This proposal was within the "plan of
action to fight against the baseless Armenian claims of genocide."

Those who prepared the proposal could not see the absurdity of a
Turkish consul general posted in a French or American city with a large
Armenian community going to the mayor and asking for the erection of a
monument to the Turkish personality most hated by the Armenians. The
problem is that the consuls could not ignore these "instructions,"
since they were asked to report back about the progress they made on
the issue.

On another occasion, the diplomats were asked to tell the Turks
living in cities abroad to form a lobby. It is only after telling
the military that a functioning lobby can not be formed within three
months that the MGK extended the deadline to one year.

The obvious tragedy is the fact that the foreign ministry will
just operate like a post office and send these instructions to its
diplomats with a simple note, saying, "Attached is the message from
the Secretariat General of the MGK."

When talking about the role of the military in politics, spotlights
usually turn on the MGK. Yet, MGK is not the most significant platform
from which the army intervenes in politics.

The Secretariat General of the MGK used to be able to require
information from almost all public institutions in Turkey and saw
itself as authorized to issue instructions. "We used to see similar
messages from the military at the desk of the education attaché in the
embassy," said the former diplomat. You can be sure that the military
representatives in civil institutions like the Higher Education Board,
or YOK were not just sitting in the meetings silently.

Unfortunately, Turkey lacks a clear and well defined concept of
"national security." The national security policy document which
is kept secret is very general. We know about it thanks to Å~^ukru
KucukÅ~_ahin, a colleague that published it in the daily Hurriyet a
few years ago. When the concept is penned vaguely, it gives way to
broad interpretations, so that everything can be treated as related to
"national security." As a result, the military has a say in almost
everything.

But as the authority of the Secretariat General of the MGK has been
curbed, since its head, traditionally from within the military, was
replaced by a civilian. The army started to lose its main organs to
execute its power over civilian institutions. The Secretariat General
has stopped sending instructions. The fact that the military is no
longer represented in civil institutions like YOK has further limited
its room to maneuver.

MGK influence is decreasing

Attending two separate, recent panels in Istanbul on civil-military
relations organized by think tanks, I got the impression that the
European Union reforms undertaken in Turkey to reduce the role of
the military in politics were not sufficiently appreciated.

Some argue that the changes made are not sufficiently reflected in
practice. Again the spotlights are trained on the MGK. The fact that
the MGK holds its meeting once every two months instead of once a
month and that the number of civilian representatives has increased
does not mean that the military no longer has a say in politics,
argue the pessimists.

But let’s look to the practice then. Most of us know that if the view
of the military regarding the northern Iraqi Kurds had prevailed, then
relations with northern Iraq would not have progressed to the point
they are at now. The government executed its policy on northern Iraq,
despite the military’s objection which was no doubt voiced during
MGK meetings.

In this respect, it will not be wrong to say that the military has
lost it former power under the framework of the MGK.

Obviously, I am not trying to say that the military is under civilian
control and that the army no longer plays a role in Turkish politics.

But there is significant progress and we should now also concentrate
on addressing the question of "how civilians can assume more
responsibility in the domain of national security."

As emphasized by Ali Bayramoglu, a columnist for the daily Yeni
Å~^afak, a total demilitarization is going to take a long time. This
is not just because the military is unwilling to give up its authority,
but also because civilians are lacking an alternative national-security
strategy. The most recent report of TESEV penned by Hale Akın, which
offers proposals to that effect, could make for a good starting point.

AFTER CENTURIES OF HATE, THE GREEN SHOOTS OF PEACE
by Chris Hennemeyer

The National
rticle?AID=/20091126/OPINION/711259947/1080/NATION AL
Nov 26 2009
UAE

While much is made in some political and media circles of tensions
between the cross and the crescent, a quiet rapprochement is occurring
between two of the world’s most hostile neighbours, who have long been
glaring at one another over the Abrahamic fence. If stubborn domestic
opposition can be overcome, the parliaments of Christian Armenia
and Muslim Turkey will soon ratify protocols that will re-establish
diplomatic relations and re-open their borders.

The bad blood between these countries can hardly be overstated,
stemming as it does from centuries of Ottoman abuses, followed by
the 1915-16 genocide – there is no other word for it – inflicted
on Turkey’s Armenian population. According to the International
Association of Genocide Scholars, more than a million people perished,
and the scars of that crime are carried today by every Armenian,
especially in the eight million strong diaspora.

Outnumbering those in the home country by three to one, many Armenians
abroad have made victimhood a cornerstone of their identity and are
not about to concede anything to the Turks without a fight. As one
homegrown Armenian put it to me: "For us the genocide is part of our
make-up, but for them [the exiles] it’s the centre of their being."

It is for that reason that the president, Serzh Sargsyan, recently
made a tour of Armenian communities in Lebanon, France, Russia and
the United States. While many, like the noisy protesters who shouted
"traitor" in Paris and Los Angeles, were deaf to his conciliatory
message, others were willing to listen to the benefits of a resumption
of relations with Turkey. Chief among these are economic, for Armenia
is by any reckoning a poor country; per capita GDP is $6,300, about
the same as El Salvador’s and less than half that of Botswana.

Further clouding the country’s future is continued rapid migration.

Since independence in 1991, the population has dropped from 4 million
to at most 2.9 million, and may in fact be closer to 2.5 million.

Astonishingly, tens of thousands of Armenians are even to be found
working illegally in Turkey. This kind of human haemorrhaging is
unsustainable. To make matters worse, with the Turkish border closed,
the country’s only legal trade goes through Russia, Georgia and Iran –
hardly the kind of economic links an aspiring western democracy should
be forced to have.

While Turkey and Armenia are finally concluding that peace will serve
their common interests, in neighbouring Azerbaijan the festering sore
of Nagorno-Karabakh threatens to poison the entire process. Karabakh
is Azeri territory, but long claimed by Armenia and occupied by Yerevan
since 1994, after a bitter war that resulted in at least 20,000 deaths.

Given the strong ethnic and religious links between Turks and Azeris,
it’s not surprising that the latter are appalled by talk of detente
and the government has reacted with a worrying combination of panic
and pugnacity. Only last week, for example, the Azeri president Ilham
Aliyev held "peace" talks with his Armenian counterpart Sargsyan, but
preceded the discussions with a threat to use war to liberate Karabakh.

Commendably, Mr Sargsyan, who himself is originally from Karabakh,
has not reacted to these provocations, and the Turks have avoided
explicitly tying progress on the issue to ratification of their accords
with Armenia. Nonetheless, all parties understand that there will be
no permanent stability in the region until Karabakh is resolved.

The US administration has thus far handled the Turkey-Armenia
rapprochement dexterously, judiciously applying stick and carrot to
encourage both sides. Unfortunately, some of Armenia’s many supporters
in the US Congress have been less than helpful, casting doubts on the
Turkish deal and insisting that Ankara first recognize the genocide.

Of course, such politicians have long been in the habit of taking
their policy cues unquestioningly from some representatives of the
Armenian-American community who tend to be long on sentimentality and
short on reality. The eternal issue of recovering "lost Armenian lands"
in eastern Turkey may, for example, strike a powerful emotional chord,
but it is unlikely that the Armenian flag will soon fly again over
Mount Ararat.

Certainly the Armenians are at the very least entitled to a formal mea
culpa from the Turkish state for the genocide, and it is probable that
will happen within the next decade. However, acknowledging great crimes
often takes a great amount of time. It wasn’t until 2008 that the US
Congress finally expressed regret for slavery, and what remains of the
Herero and Nama people of Namibia are still waiting for compensation
from the German government for their virtual extermination at the
hands of the Kaiser’s troops more than a century ago.

In the meantime, Armenia has serious, pressing problems to resolve,
including corruption, political intolerance, crime, migration and the
economy. Re-engaging with its neighbour Turkey will present it with
a new set of challenges, but it will also force Armenia to face its
future rather than live in its sad, isolated past.

Chris Hennemeyer is a vice president of Bridging the Divide,
a development organisation for underprivileged communities in the
Middle East and Africa

H. ABRAHAMYAN TO VISIT KOREA

news.am
Nov 26 2009
Armenia

November 26, 2009 RA National Assembly Speaker Hovik Abrahamyan
received Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic
of Korea to RA Le Kyu-Hyung (residence-Moscow).

In the course of the meeting officials canvassed the issues on
Abrahamyan’s forthcoming visit to the Republic of Korea scheduled Dec.

2-6, RA Parliament’s PR and Information department informed NEWS.am.

Taking into account the fact that it is the first visit of Armenian
high-ranking official to Korea lately, the parties expressed confidence
it will further the development of bilateral cooperation.

In that context, they made a point of the enhancement of trade and
economic collaboration, as well as the promotion of contacts of the
two countries’ businessmen.

THE ARMENIAN PM AND THE MAYOR OF YEREVAN EXECUTIVE MEMBERS

Aysor
Nov 26 2009
Armenia

The Armenian PM and the Mayor of Yerevan executive members of the"Every
conference has its meaning and the logic of the "changes of elite"
can’t be thought to be the logic of the conference", – Galust Sahakyan
head of the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) faction said.

G. Sahakyan explained that the RPA permanent executive body consists
of 12 members but by the suggestion of the executive body both the
PM and the Yerevan Mayor’s candidacy will be presented for being
included in the executive body.

"By that way the executive body will be staffed and the storage
of the questions and the discussions that will be presented to the
executive body as an agenda will be discussed more thoroughly", –
G. Sahakyan said.

The head of the faction mentioned that the decision of making the new
candidates member of the executive body who during the conference
will express their point of view with close voting. As a result if
the offer will be accepted the executive body will have 14 members.

AZERBAIJANI MPS WANT NAGORNO KARABAKH REPORT

Trend
Nov 26 2009
Azerbaijan

Azerbaijani MPs want the foreign minister to issue a report on the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

"Parties in parliament should be informed about the situation, as well
as talks on the settlement of the conflict," said Great Establishment
Party Chairman Fazail Mustafa said at a parliamentary session.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 surrounding districts.

Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994.

The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group – Russia, France, and the U.S. –
are currently holding the peace negotiations.

Mustafa said closed hearings should be held on the talks with
parliament and the foreign minister and deputy foreign minister.

"To resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in accordance with
Azerbaijan’s interests, we should establish an even closer relationship
with Russia," Unified Popular Front Party Chairman Gudrat Hasanguliyev
said.

He added that Azerbaijan could join the Collective Security Treaty
to settle the conflict.

"I think that in this way we would have the ability to influence
Armenia’s position via Russia. If necessary, we could agree to place
Russian’s military bases in Azerbaijan," he said

"There is no need to submit to parliament a report on talks to resolve
Nagorno-Karabakh, " said MP, Deputy Executive Secretary of the ruling
New Azerbaijan Party Mubariz Gurbanli. "The president has constantly
voiced the position of our state on the highest level."

He added that parliament should only consider the adoption of a law
related to the occupied territories.

"Passing this law, we would have restrictions on international
organizations’ and companies’ visitng Nagorno-Karabakh," Gurbanli said.

OBAMA, TURKISH PM WILL DISCUSS KARABAKH – AZERBAIJANI MP
Tamilla Sencaply

news.az
Nov 26 2009
Azerbaijan

Fazail Agamali News.Az interviews Fazail Agamali, chairman of the
Ana Vatan (Motherland) Party and deputy of the Milli Majlis.

US President Barack Obama will meet Turkish Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan on 7 December. What do you think will they discuss?

The meeting will focus not only on cooperation between Turkey and the
United States but also regional issues. Turkey has recently intensified
efforts and is seeking to strengthen not only its relations with
neighbouring countries but also its influence in the Caucasus.

People in Turkey understand that opening the borders with Armenia
should run in parallel with the settlement of the Karabakh conflict,
otherwise, they may lose the Caucasus. Ankara officials understand
that they will not move further without the settlement of this issue,
as this may create a number of problems for them in future. I think
special attention will be paid to the Karabakh issue during the
meeting. Naturally it is difficult to predict the outcome of the
meeting.

Could this meeting be decisive for the Karabakh settlement?

We hope Turkey will stick to its positions, and that statements made
in Azerbaijan’s parliament and at meetings in Ankara that it would
not open the border until the occupied territories of Azerbaijan are
liberated will come true.

Negotiations on the settlement of the Karabakh conflict have recently
intensified. Can this conflict be settled in the near future?

It is difficult to set a date or time when Armenia may withdraw
from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan. After all, despite
the negotiations Armenia is sticking to its position and in these
circumstances there is only only thing we can do – Azerbaijan should
be prepared for a military solution to the conflict.

President Ilham Aliyev has said many times that the country should be
prepared for war. Armenia is an occupier, but it is regrettable that
the leading countries of the world accept this and close their eyes to
it. In turn, Armenia makes use of it. The processes in the world show
that ultimately we will have to settle the Karabakh conflict by war.

To this end, there is a need to strengthen our army and its material
and technical potential.