Month: November 2009

KILLING ANOTHER ARMENIAN

Today’s Zaman
5-109-centerkilling-another-armenian-bribyibr-orha n-kemalcengizcenter.html
Nov 13 2009
Turkey

I was originally only planning to write an entertaining story,
but then I came across a piece of news in Today’s Zaman. I said to
myself Turkey is like a family that has a psychopathic father who
does extremely disturbing things whenever the children feel happy —
all just to kill their happiness. Why I use this metaphor in which I
portray psychopaths as the father figure and myself as a child needs
to be analyzed separately.

Let’s turn to this "disturbing story." As you read in yesterday’s
issue of Today’s Zaman, Taraf columnist Sevan NiÅ~_anyan, a Turkish
citizen and an ethnic Armenian, published in his column "letters from
readers" sent to him in reaction to one of his previous columns in
which he rewrote Mustafa Kemal Ataturk’s "Address to Turkish Youth."

He changed Ataturk’s sentence "Your first duty is to preserve and to
defend Turkish independence and the Turkish Republic forever" into
"Your first duty is to be a human being." He made other changes of this
type to the original address. In reaction to his creative column, he
received more than 400 e-mails from readers, threatening to kill him,
swearing at him using extremely strong language, insulting him and so
on. He quoted a dozen of these messages as examples to give readers
a taste of the remaining messages. When you read these messages,
the most "decent ones," already quoted in yesterday’s Today’s Zaman,
clearly show that all attacks target his Armenian ethnicity. The
messages are written in the purest form of racist mentality, which
makes references to the killing of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant
Dink, to history and so on.

Reading these messages reminded me of something. In the summer of 2008,
I attended a course on genocide in Toronto. A dinner was held for
participants on the last night of the course. There were also people
from the Zoryan Institute, which organized this course. An Armenian
gentleman who was told I was from Turkey wanted to talk to me and sat
right across from me at the table. His Turkish was perfect. He then
told me his story. His family was originally from Van, a city by the
biggest lake of the same name in southeast Anatolia. His grandfather
was a wealthy man in Van.

There was a Kurdish clan leader in Van who used to invite rich and
prominent Armenians to his home every year for a special dinner. That
particular year, the Kurdish tribe leader, as usual, invited wealthy
Armenians to his home for dinner again. During the dinner this Armenian
gentleman’s father was playing games with children in the yard of the
house. Something unusual happened: The children were told to go to
their homes and were also told that their fathers were going to join
them later on. Later on, they learned that no Armenian who attended
this dinner left alive; they were all killed that night. The year was
1915. This Kurdish tribe leader most probably became a very rich man
after taking the possessions of the Armenians he killed.

Following this, the family formed a new life in Ä°stanbul, and this
gentleman received quite a good education there. When the time for
military conscription came, he had to make a choice: He was either
going to join the military or he was going to go abroad like many of
his Armenian friends living in Turkey did. He chose to join the army,
believing that a good life awaited him in Turkey after completing
military service.

Since he had already completed his graduate degree at the time, he
joined the military under the rank of second lieutenant. Apparently,
for many racist Turks, having an ethnic Armenian commander over them
was a very big insult. As soon as he stepped into the compound, they
started to hassle him. Every night a group of soldiers spoke of killing
him in front of the door to his room. There was no night he did not
hear conversations about how he was going to be killed. As soon as
he completed his military service, he sought asylum in Canada and has
been living there ever since. What a trauma for him and what a loss for
Turkey. He is a smart guy who received one of the best educations in
Turkey. Turkey indeed lost a great individual, a man who was determined
to live in this country despite everything. What a big loss for Turkey.

NiÅ~_anyan is one of this country’s brightest minds, and we are very
luck he did not leave Turkey. I am sure, like every other Armenian
living in Turkey, that he must have endured all kinds of racist
attacks of all types and forms during his life. But he did not leave
Turkey; he continues to live here and continues to contribute to the
democratization of this country.

Returning to the very beginning of this article, I used a metaphor
in which I portrayed psychopaths attacking NiÅ~_anyan as father
figures because I instinctively know that the deep state always has
a hand in these kinds of organized attacks. In Turkey, these kinds of
things happen in a much more organized way than people generally tend
to think. When I read about this hatemongering campaign targeting
NiÅ~_anyan, I could only think of JÄ°TEM as the conspirator behind
the scenes. JÄ°TEM is the illegal unit of the gendarmerie responsible
for many unsolved murders in southeast Turkey. I also believe they
were the real perpetrators of the Dink assassination and the 2007
Malatya massacre.

If a country does not confront its past, it is doomed to repeat it.

Unless we fully confront what happened to Armenians in 1915, we
will not be able to get rid of these fascist elements in the state
structure — nor will we be able to change this racist mentality.

Ergenekon and similar gangs should be handled with the utmost care, and
these cases should go wherever they can lead us. Finally, to prevent
a second Dink case, threats and other messages targeting NiÅ~_anyan
should be taken very seriously. To investigate these threats and to
find the real perpetrators behind them is the utmost moral and legal
obligation of this government. We should all keep a close eye on the
steps taken.
From: Baghdasarian

OYMEN’S DERSIM REMARKS DRAW IRE OF ALEVIS

Today’s Zaman
Nov 13 2009
Turkey

Republican People’s Party (CHP) Deputy Chairman Onur Oymen has angered
Turkey’s Alevi community by referring to the Turkish government’s
response to a 1937 rebellion in the predominantly Alevi city of
Tunceli, then known as Dersim, as an example of fighting terrorism.

During a speech he delivered on Tuesday in Parliament in criticism of
the government’s Kurdish initiative, which seeks to extend the rights
of Kurds in Turkey to alleviate and ultimately end the separatist
terrorism of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), Oymen said: "Didn’t
mothers also cry at the time of the Sheikh Said Rebellion? Didn’t
mothers also cry at the time of the Dersim Rebellion?" in response to
the phrase "Let no more mothers cry," frequently used by the government
as part of its efforts to end the PKK’s campaign of terrorism.

The rebellion took place in 1937 in Dersim, which had historically
been a semi-autonomous region. Dersim was renamed Tunceli after the
rebellion. The rebellion was led by Seyyid Riza, the chief of a Zaza
tribe in the region. The Turkish government of the time, led by Ä°smet
İnönu, responded with air strikes against the rebels.

Oymen’s reference to the Dersim rebels as an example of terrorism
drew anger and resentment from the country’s Alevis and Zazas.

Sinan Yerlikaya, a former CHP deputy from Tunceli who is currently
on the CHP party council, said the state’s suppression of the Dersim
Rebellion was "barbaric and cruel." He said there was nothing to
defend about how Turkey handled the rebellion.

Yerlikaya said: "The method of suppression cannot be defended in
any way. Some people might be against the order, but if these people
do not have the aim to destroy the state, all problems can be solve
through communication."

Ferhat Tunc, a folk singer from Tunceli, commented, saying: "I
watched that speech in horror. I see this as a racist, skull-measuring
approach. In my opinion, Onur Oymen committed a crime against humanity
with his discourse."

Enver Devletli, an official of the Tunceli Pir Sultan Abdal
Association, agreed, saying Oymen was a "racist." He added: "Oymen
made a statement in line with the general fascist approach of the CHP.

I condemn his words."

Baykal lashes out at Oymen

CHP leader Deniz Baykal was also angered by Oymen’s remark. Speaking
on Tuesday to his party’s Central Executive Board (MYK), Baykal
criticized Oymen’s statement, saying: "Such evaluations are open to
misinterpretations and might potentially damage the CHP’s policy of
peace and brotherhood. There is no logic in voicing such sentences
regarding sensitive topics."

He also said he had received many reactions from party members who
called him after Oymen’s speech. "The Dersim example wasn’t chic at
all. Citizens are very sensitive about this topic. I do not want such
statements again," Baykal said.

Meanwhile, CHP Tunceli-born Deputy Chairman Yılmaz AteÅ~_, Deputy
Chairman Mesut Deger and MYK member Sırrı Ozbek also harshly
criticized Oymen. CHP Tunceli branch leader Huseyin GuneÅ~_ defined
Oymen’s statement as "unfortunate." He also said they had received wide
complaints from all parts of Tunceli after the statement. "I will talk
about this face-to-face with the general headquarters administration,"
he said.

‘The CHP should apologize’

The events of 1937 in Dersim were tragic, and the violence employed by
the state came close to genocide, according to Celal Karagöz, deputy
chairman of Tunceli’s Hacı BektaÅ~_-ı Veli Culture Association. "If
he made this statement to mean that a similar method should be
employed in similar events after this date, this is a very unfortunate
statement."

Dogan Bernek, head of the Federation of Alevi Foundations, said:
"I was deeply saddened when I watched Onur Oymen’s speech. It was
a speech that well exceeded the intended purpose. He used the most
inappropriate arguments fit for a discussion."

Liberal Thought Society Alevi-BektaÅ~_i Research Center Director
Å~^enol Kaluc said the CHP should apologize for Oymen’s statements.

Tunceli Mayor Edibe Å~^ahin said living witnesses described the
handling of the Dersim Rebellion as a "massacre." She said: "We,
the residents of this place, duly note how the CHP sees what went on
here. It is time for the CHP to confront its own past and the truth."

Democratic Society Party’s (DTP) Tunceli deputy Å~^erafettin Halis
was also angry. "We were the victims of the rebellion in Dersim. We
were the ones who died, who were killed."

CHP parliamentary group Deputy Chairman Kemal Kılıcdaroglu, who was
born in Tunceli, was placed in a difficult position by Oymen’s words.

Kılıcdaroglu avoided commenting on the speech.

Part of CHP history

A harsh response to Oymen’s words about the Dersim Rebellion came from
Star columnist Ergun Babahan, who responded by saying: "Did any mother
cry in Dersim? No, none did because there was no mother left to cry.

All were killed along with their babies in their arms. Nobody knows
how many died or were killed in the incidents of 1937 and 1938."

Babahan quoted Muhsin Batur, a senior air force commander who
participated in the efforts to suppress the rebellion, from Batur’s
memoirs, saying: "We received orders and got to Elazıg by train. From
there on, we began the operations starting in Pertek [in Tunceli]. I
served in Dersim for close to two months. I apologize to my readers,
but I’ll avoid recalling this part of my life." Babahan said, "This
retired diplomat [Onur Oymen] is citing an era a former commander is
ashamed to speak of as an example."

Babahan also quoted former Foreign Minister and then Police Chief
Ä°hsan Sabri Caglayangil, who confessed: "They strangled the people
of Dersim like mice. They used gas." "This is the incident Oymen has
no guilty conscience about," Babahan added. He also said he found it
hard to grasp why Oymen did not defend teaching about this historical
event, which he considers exemplary, in schools. "Tell them about
the Armenian deportation, about Dersim. … You should do this as
part of CHP publications because those are an important part of your
party’s history."

He said what was done to the people of Dersim at the time was the
exact same thing that Saddam Hussein did in Dujail.

Oymen also spoke after the controversial statement, saying he
did not use any offensive expressions in his speech. "What I was
highlighting was that Ataturk never adopted the policy of talking to
armed terrorist organizations, unlike the Justice and Development Party
[AK Party]." Ä°stanbul Today’s Zaman

Alevis should be accepted as they are, say workshop participants

Participants of the fifth event in a series of seven workshops
organized by the government to evaluate the problems of Turkey’s
Alevi community have unequivocally stated their conviction that the
state should accept members of the Alevi creed as they are, without
trying to change them into something they are not.

The fifth workshop held on Wednesday focused on the representation
of Alevis in the media. Yeni Å~^afak columnist Ali Bayramoglu, who
participated in the workshop, said he believed the workshops could
play a crucial role in recognizing Alevi demands. He said: "It is very
important to see the Alevis and to develop awareness about them for
the improvement of democracy in Turkey. I pointed out three issues
in the workshop. These were the redundancy of forced categorizations
to define Alevis, that it is a mistake to try to make Alevis into
religious people and that the resolution should not be found under
the Religious Affairs Directorate."

A very clear message in that direction came from Etyen Mahcupyan,
editor-in-chief of the Agos weekly and a regular columnist of
Today’s Zaman, who said: "The state should not see Alevism as the
other party but the Alevis themselves. When we talk about laicite,
we always say the problem is that the state is not laic. But none
act in a secular way when we talk about finding a solution. Both
Alevism and the Sunni faith will become individualistic. It will be
seen that religion works that way everywhere in the world. It is not
logical to insist that there should be a single Alevism. It is wrong
to force obligatory religion classes on people. Even if there is a
single Alevi in the world, you cannot stop future generations from
having different preferences."

Oral CalıÅ~_lar, a columnist with the Radikal daily, said: "Both
state agencies and society should accept Alevis the way they define
themselves. We should stop trying to fit Alevis into clothes that we
sew among ourselves. It is wrong and dangerous to try to exploit the
differences among Alevis. The demands vocalized in workshops should
not remain on paper. These demands should be fulfilled and realized."

In the fifth Alevi workshop held on Wednesday, the participants,
including journalists from over 40 media organs, discussed Alevi
representation in the media. Some of the well-known journalists
who participated in the workshop were Bayramoglu, Mahcupyan,
CalıÅ~_lar, Ali Kırca, Ahmet Hakan, Ali Bulac, Can Dundar, Emre
Kongar, Erdal Å~^afak, Ergun Babahan, Ertugrul Ozkök, Fehmi Koru,
Hakan Albayrak, Ä°smail Kucukkaya, Mehmet Ali Birand, Mehmet Barlas,
Mustafa Karaalioglu, NeÅ~_e Duzel, Omer Laciner, Taha Akyol, Ugur
Dundar and Yigit Bulut.

Participants have also stated their hope that the workshops will
contribute greatly to solving the problems of Alevis.

ALIYEV DISCREDITS EFFICIENCY OF OSCE MG MISSION

news.am
Nov 13 2009
Armenia

In the course of his official visit to Belarus, Ilham Aliyev again
made warlike statements, casting doubt on efficiency of the current
negotiation stage on Karabkah issue settlement.

According to Haberleri information broadcasted by Azerbaijani Aztv,
speaking in the Belarus state university, Aliyev said that the
undertaken efforts on Karabakh peace process are ineffectual.

Aliyev underlined that Azerbaijani refugees still leave in inhuman
conditions, forgetting about "major economic upsurge and authorities’
care over Azeri people" that Azeri TV channels hourly report.

U.S. INDIFFERENT TO CHANGES IN TURKISH POLICY

news.am
Nov 13 2009
Armenia

Nov. 13, 2009 Assistant Secretary of the U.S. State Department for
Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs Philip H.

Gordon paid an official visit to Turkey. Armenia-Turkey reconciliation
and possible cooperation under the conditions of recent regional
processes are on agenda, Turkish Hurriyet Daily News reports.

According to TRT channel, Gordon already made a statement on change
of Turkish foreign policy track. "We are confident that Turkey will
remain our close partner for U.S., as well as West and Europe."

Gordon also touched upon Iranian nuke program in his speech. "This
process cannot take forever. If Iran does not sound serious alerts
by this year end, we will be forced to take new measures," Gordon
outlined.

In the meantime, according to some Turkish mass media, American
diplomat had a meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.

In the course of meeting the officials discussed NKR conflict
resolution. According to Hurriyet Daily diplomatic sources, this visit
is preparatory in advance of the December visit by Turkish Premier
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to the U.S. to meet with Barack Obama.

WASHINGTON DOUBTS ABOUT RATIFICATION OF PROTOCOLS AT TURKISH PARLIAMENT WITHOUT PROGRESS IN NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT SOLUTION

Trend
Nov 13 2009
Azerbaijan

Washington doubts that without progress in the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict solution, the Turkish-Armenian protocols will be ratified
by the Turkish Parliament, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Philip
Gordon said to press conference in Ankara, Turkish daily Milliyet
newspaper reported.

Turkish and Armenian foreign ministers Ahmet Davutoglu and Edward
Nalbandian signed the protocols on restoration of diplomatic relations
between Ankara and Yerevan in Zurich on October 10.

Diplomatic relations between Armenia and Turkey have been broken due
to Armenia’s claims of an alleged genocide, and its occupation of
Azerbaijani lands. The border between them has been broken since 1993.

According to Gordon, without progress in the Karabakh settlement,
the ratification of the protocols by the Turkish Parliament seems
difficult.

During his visit to Ankara, Gordon also expressed U.S. concern
over Turkey’s support for Syria and Iran. According to him, the
international community must work together in solving the Iranian
problem. Also, Gordon expressed Washington’s dissatisfaction with
that Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan did not recognize
the military action in Darfur crimes, while the International Criminal
Court issued arrest warrants for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir.

GREEK ORTHODOX SOLIDARITY IN FACE OF CRUCIFIX BAN
by Martin Barillas

EnerPub
rticle.asp?id=22552
Nov 13 2009

The Greek Orthodox Church is urging Christians across Europe to oppose
a ban on crucifixes in classrooms in Italy. The ban came as a result
of a November 3 ruling by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR)
in France that the presence of crucifixes violated a child’s right
to freedom of religion. The European Court of Human Rights found
that the compulsory display of crucifixes violated parents’ rights
to educate their children as they saw fit and restricted the right of
children to believe or not to believe. Immediately after the ruling,
Vatican spokesman Rev. Federico Lombardi said the crucifix was a
fundamental sign of the importance of religious values in Italian
history and culture and was a symbol of unity and welcoming for all
of humanity — not one of exclusion.

Perhaps fearing the Italian case could create a precedent, the Greek
Orthodox Church will hold a Holy Synod next week to discuss possible
actions.

In opposing the crucifix ban in Italy, the Greek Orthodox Church joins
in a rare act of ecumenism with the Roman Catholic Church. The two
have been estranged for 1,000 years. The secular threat to Christian
symbols and culture has apparently created common ground.

Archbishop Ieronymos, leader of the Greek church, shares Catholic
complaints that the court is ignoring the role of Christianity in
forming Europe’s identity. The archbishop said that majorities enjoy
rights, just as minorities do. A colleague, Bishop Nicholas from
central Greece, said without the religious icons young people will
not have any worthy symbols to inspire and protect them. Celebrities
and pop-tarts are poor substitutes, he added.

The Greek Church has intervened in this case in response to an appeal
by a Greek mother whose son is studying in Italy. But without doubt
it is concerned that its omnipotence in Greece is under threat. The
Muslim presence is growing in Greece, just as the memory fades of the
genocide of Armenians and Greeks at the hands of the Ottoman Empire
at the beginning of the 20th century.

A human rights group called Helsinki Monitor has demanded that Greek
courts remove icons of Jesus Christ from above the judge’s bench and
that the gospel no longer be used for swearing oaths in the witness
box. Helsinki Monitor is urging labor unions to challenge the presence
of religious symbols in Greek schools. The Socialist government in
Greece is also considering imposing new taxes on the Church, even
while it is asking for further expenditures of church resources to
aid immigrants and the poor.

Some experts fear that the decision by the ECHR could result in
the removal of all public displays of Christian symbols in public
buildings throughout the member countries of the European Union under
provisions of the newly-passed Lisbon Treaty. The ruling effectively
incorporates the European Convention on Human Rights into European
law. According to legal expert Neil Addison of the UK, given the
inter-relationship of the ECHR, the Lisbon Treat and the European
Convention on Human Rights, "unless the European Court of Human Rights
overrules itself on appeal, Italy, and indeed the rest of Europe,
has a serious problem." If an appeal by Italy to the ECHR fails,
Italy’s only resort would be an unlikely separation from the EU as
a whole. As it stands now, Italy must report back to the court as to
its efforts to remove the offending religious imagery from its public
classrooms, courts, and other public venues. A majority of Italian
politicians has come out against the ruling, citing interference by
the EU in Italy’s millennial Christian culture.

The Lisbon Treaty’s Declaration 17 says clearly that the EU would have
primacy over the laws of member states: "The Conference recalls that,
in accordance with well settled case law of the Court of Justice of
the European Union, the Treaties and the law adopted by the Union on
the basis of the Treaties have primacy over the law of Member States,
under the conditions laid down by the said case law." Some experts
fear that the ECHR’s decision could be used to prevent public schools
from putting on Nativity plays, and bring about the removal of icons
from Greek and Cypriot schools.

Martin Barillas is a former US diplomat, who also worked as a democracy
advocate and election observer in Latin America.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIAN BUSINESSMEN SAY ARE PLEASED WITH ARMPRODEXPO

Aysor
Nov 13 2009
Armenia

Participants of ArmProdExpo International Exhibition said they are
really very pleased with organization of exhibition. Businessman
Gevorg Abramyan, the owner of "Highland Tea" company, told Aysor’s
correspondent that such exhibitions provide opportunities for small
companies to display their products alongside with big companies.

"We have received some proposals to export and to cooperate," said
the businessman.

ArmProdExpo was held in Yerevan since November 10 and run on three
days. Nearly 65 local and foreign food companies participated in
the exhibition.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PHILIP GORDON: IT WILL BE DIFFICULT FOR THE TURKISH PARLIAMENT TO RATIFY THE PROTOCOLS SIGNED WITH ARMENIA UNLESS THERE IS IMPROVEMENT IN NAGORNO KARABAKH CONFLICT

APA
Nov 13 2009
Azerbaijan

Washington – APA. "It will be difficult for the Turkish parliament to
ratify the protocols signed with Armenia unless there is improvement
in Nagorno Karabakh conflict," US Assistant Secretary of State Philip
Gordon said, APA reports.

According to him, Washington is concerned over Turkey’s support for
Syria and Iran. Philip Gordon said the US calls on Turkey to cooperate
more closely, but Washington is concerned over the support of Erdogan
government for Syria and Iran.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

SINAN OGAN: NABUCCO MAP TO BE RE-DRAWN

news.am
Nov 13 2009
Armenia

In the light of recent Turkish-Iranian agreements, the Nabucco map
will be "re-drawn," Sinan Ogan, Chairman of the Turkish Center
for International Relations & Strategic Analysis, stated at the
Center for Strategic Studies under the President of the Republic
of Azerbaijan. He accounts for the amendments to the project by the
Turkish-Iranian agreement on gas supplies to Europe.

Formerly, the main aim of the West and Europe was to organize gas
supplies from Azerbaijan and Central Asia, whereas the issue of
receiving Iranian gas with further involvement of Iraq and Egypt in
transit has come to the forefront now. According to Ogan, the West
has started a subtler political game in the South Caucasus and the
neighboring regions, which, however, does not at all mean that the
West is not interested in Azerbaijani gas, especially as because an
infrastructure for gas transit from Azerbaijan to Turkey and further
to Europe is operating.

As regards the Azerbaijani-Turkish relations, Ogan once again
underlined their importance. He pointed out that the USA and Russia
are against a stronger Turkish-Azerbaijani alliance, doing their best
to impede the process. "Our states must establish a closer dialogue,
all the more so because serious tasks are to be accomplished next
year," Ogan said, mentioning impending problems in the context of the
Armenian Diaspora’s efforts to push an Armenian Genocide resolution
through the U.S. Congress.

"Faced with external threats and challenges, we must be ready for
new provocations, and our countries’ leaders must ensure mutual
understanding in order to jointly oppose the adversaries’ intrigues,"
Ogan said.

VISA-FREE TRAVEL BETWEEN AZERBAIJAN, TURKEY IS NATURAL: AZERBAIJANI POLITICAL EXPERT

Today
467.html
Nov 13 2009
Azerbaijan

Day.Az interview with renowned Azerbaijani political expert Rasim
Musabayov.

Day.Az: What are your view regarding the current talks between
Azerbaijan and Turkey to lift visa requirements between the two
countries? Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan recently stated
that the countries have almost agreed to establish visa-free travel.

Rasim Musabayov: Visa requirements for short-term travel have long
been lifted. It suffices to show Azerbaijani passport in Turkish
airports and border to be able to travel and stay in the country
freely for a month.

Turkish nationals are required to obtain a visa which is not cheap
at all. Apparently, they plan to extend term of visa-free stay for
Azerbaijanis while expecting Azerbaijan to respond by a similar step.

I believe that the visa-free regime between Azerbaijan and Turkey
would be natural and make life and business of large numbers of
people easier.

Q: Do you mean one should not think Turkey’s move is somehow related
to Iran’s recent step to unilaterally cancel visa requirements with
Azerbaijan?

A: There were much talks long ago that it is appropriate to establish
visa-free travel between Turkey and Azerbaijan. Practical steps in
this respect have already been taken.

Iran has persistently proposed to introduce a visa-free regime and most
likely unilaterally canceled visa regulations for Azerbaijan nationals
to facilitate the process expecting a follow up actions by Azerbaijan.

But the question is not simple given the complex relationship of
Tehran with the world and the availability of visa-free regime for
CIS member states.

Q: How will Turkey-Iran rapprochement benefit Azerbaijan?

A: There is no need to exaggerate Turkish-Iranian rapprochement. These
relationships do not go beyond what should be the norm for neighboring
states. Thank God, they have no sharp contradictions and unresolved
problems. Azerbaijan will only benefit from normal relations and
cooperation between Turkey and Iran.

Q: How do you assess current state of Azerbaijan-Iran relations? What
is the reason for recently intensified visits by Iranian senior
officials to Azerbaijan?

A: I do not think visits by senior Iranian officials to Azerbaijan have
become frequent. Such visits take place very often as Azerbaijan and
Iran are neighboring states. So, there is nothing surprising about
regular visits of Iranian officials.

Lack of such visits between neighboring states is not normal. As
for general state of the Azerbaijani-Iranian relations, then I would
describe them as reserved. For example, Iran has openly stated that it
disapproves Azerbaijan’s building relations with NATO and Israel. In
turn, Azerbaijan voices its concern over Iran’s nuclear program and the
response by major powers to this. Azerbaijan is not either satisfied
with Iran’s stance on the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict, in particular, warm relations between Tehran and Yerevan.

Q: What are your views about Armenian media reports that an "Orange
Revolution" led by former President Levon Ter-Petrosyan is planned
in the country?

A: I see no signs of preparations for "Orange Revolution" in Armenia.

On the contrary, the oposition forces grouped around former President
Levon Ter-Petrosyan in the Armenian National Congress have behaved
very discreetly. No demonstrations are held any more.

On one hand, LevonTer-Petrosyan is critics of Serzh Sargsyan and on
the other hand claims that the current president actually followed the
path in settlement of relations with Turkey and the Karabakh conflict
that Levon Akopovic was trying to implement at the end of the 90’s,
but was overthrown by Kocharyan and radical military.

In his current statements Ter-Petrosyan hints that he is ready to
support Serzh Sargsyan if he finally breaks away from Robert Kocharyan
and Dashnaktsutun ARF.