Month: November 2009

ARMENIA MEDIATES RUSSIA AND GEORGIA

news.am
Nov 4 2009
Armenia

The opening of "Upper Lars" checkpoint between Georgia and Russia
will be economical for both sides and constitutes no danger, considers
Georgian Foreign Minister Grigol Vashadze.

According to him, talks with Russia directly are not held, but the
issues are discussed under Armenia’s mediation.

"Georgian side deals with Armenia as a mediator and Armenia further
negotiates with Russia. There was one meeting on technical matters
only," GHN news agency quotes Vashadze.

The Georgian FM underlined that as of today none of the sides lays
down any precise conditions, also no preparation for any agreement
is being made.

As NEWS.am reported previously, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili
proposed to bring up for discussion in National Security Council
the opening of frontier checkpoint on Russian-Georgian border "Upper
Lars". The checkpoint is not functioning since July, 2006. Officially,
the need for repairing and development in conformity with up-to-date
standards was the cause for the closure. This transit route was closed
also for Armenia.

In May 2009, Georgian MFA stated that Moscow informed Tbilisi of its
readiness to open Kazbegi-Upper Lars checkpoint. However, no precise
decision was made thereafter.

OSCE MINSK GROUP CHAIRMANSHIP IS OPEN FOR TURKEY: ARMENIAN MP

Today
html
Nov 4 2009
Azerbaijan

"European politicians link the Armenian-Turkish relations with the
solution to Nagorno Karabakh conflict", – leader of the opposition
Heritage faction of Armenian parliament Stepan Safaryan said after
his meetings with EU officials in Brussels and Strasbourg.

He said Europe welcomes Turkey as a sunrise of the region and OSCE
Minsk Group co-chairmanship is open for this country.

Safaryan said there was no single attitude to the Armenian-Turkish
relations and called the protocols a deadlock for Armenia.

"Turkey aims to achieve solution to Nagorno Karabakh conflict until
April, 2010 and to prevent recognition of "Armenian genocide" by
the U.S. Congress. The second minimal goal is the making Turkey the
regional leader", – he said.

"For that reason, Turkey will delay ratification of the protocols.

Ankara is trying to solve the Karabakh conflict in line with interests
of Azerbaijan using its diplomatic opportunities", – the Armenian
MP said.

FUNNY STORIES ABOUT ARMENIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY: INTERNATIONAL LAW LESSON OR A MAGIC WEAPON
By Nurani

Today
204.html
Nov 4 2009
Azerbaijan

Edward Nalbandyan stared at Shavarsh Kocharian.

"We ruined our relations with Semneby before he reached Armenia,
and thanks to your interview. Now no Armenian cognac will make them
better," Nalbandyan said.

– I’m just bored of silence in the country! We are silent while Turks
are making statements. Azerbaijanis "warn" our president not to go
to Karabakh any longer, but we are still silent. Now this European
will tell us about the status quo and we will keep silent again?

Personally, Lavrov did not order me to be silent. He stepped on
Nalbandyan’s sore toes. "I will not be silent this time!"

Minister waved his hand:

– Ok, you may go…

Arman Kirakosyan entered the cabinet next.

– What should we do with Kocharyan? Nalbandyan inquired. Have you
read his interview? He ruins our relations with European partners! Of
course, we can explain to Kocharyan that no one except us recognizes
the Karabakh referendum. Today we lack power to dictate terms. He
will not understand this anyway and will even blab about "a spirit
of defeatism" in the Foreign Ministry. Unless we not tell him, he
will keep on doing it.

– Wouldn’t be it better if he continues? Kirakosyan suddenly asked.

– In what way will he continue? He makes interviews as though we can
make the whole world dance under our duduk*! He makes a laughing-stock
of us and you dare to say let him continue.

– Of course. Someone may believe him, especially in Yerevan. He
is our secret weapon! Dou you remember when all believed in Berlin
in 1945 that Reich would obtain "a magic weapon" to make a turning
point in the war in own favor? But there was not any magic weapon. If
Shavarsh today teaches Semneby international law, someone might think
that we are strong in fact! It helps people to remain steadfast and
optimistic. So let him go on!

Nalbandyan got lost in thoughts.

– Well. Let him go on. Battle spirit should be preserved.

Suddenly, Nalbandyan grew cold with terror when Kiraskosyan closed
the door: What if Shavarsh Kocharian is the main magic weapon of the
country? Simply, he was not explained how bad the things are ..

— *Azerbaijan’s national wind instrument that Armenians try to
describe as belonging to them

ISRAELI AMBASSADOR IN TURKEY PELTED WITH EGGS
by Hillel Fendel

Arutz Sheva
Nov 4 2009
Israel

(IsraelNN.com) Turkish police prevented a mob of students from breaking
into a car carrying Israel’s Ambassador in Turkey, Gabi Levy.

The incident occurred on Wednesday afternoon in Trabzon, a city on
the Black Sea coast of northeastern Turkey.

Despite police efforts, the students succeeded in throwing eggs at
Levy, who was unhurt.

Tensions between Turkey and Israel have risen dramatically over
the past month, beginning when Turkey called off a joint military
exercise with Israel and then held one with Syria. In addition,
Turkey’s president has made some anti-Israel remarks, and even met
with and praised Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinajad.

Turkish television recently broadcast a fictional series depicting
IDF soldiers as cold-blooded murderers, prompting official protests
from Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Avigdor
Lieberman.

Anti-Israel protests have been held in Turkey of late, featuring the
burning of Israeli flags and the waving of Palestinian Authority flags.

Israeli Tolerance

Despite the above, the new Turkish Ambassador to Israel spoke this
past Sunday to an Israeli audience in Be’er Sheva, nearly without
incident. Marking the conquest of the Negev city from the Turks by
Great Britain in 1917, Ambassador Ahmet Oguz Celikkol was interrupted
only by two men carrying signs. The signs were addressed to Turkish
Prime Minister Erdogan, and read, "Remember the Holocaust you
[perpetrated upon] the Armenian people!"

Before his speech, Ambassador Celikkol said there is no anti-Semitism
in Turkey, and that "every relationship has its ups and downs; I am
sure we can rehabilitate the relations between us."

ANTALYA STILL ATTRACTS ARMENIAN TOURISTS

news.am
Nov 4 2009
Armenia

In 2009, Turkish Antalya was more popular among Armenians as compared
with recent years. Even calls of Armenian Revolution Federation
Dashnaktsutyun (ARFD) did not impact those preferring Turkish resorts
to others.

However, Russians are the leaders amidst Antalya fans. Despite global
crisis, the number of Russians visiting Antalya reached 2 million
for 10 months period, Antalyahaber.com reports.

According to the Russian Consul in Antalia Mirdzhalol Husanov, over
10 000 RF citizens are residents of the city.

It is noteworthy, that the number of Israeli tourists has decreased
dramatically due to recent Turkish-Israeli political differences.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIA HAS ADVANTAGE IN INFORMATION WARFARE

Aysor
Nov 4 2009
Armenia

Danger which comes from Turkish media is same to danger related to
Azerbaijani media, told journalists Vice President of Armenian Public
Relations Association Arman Saghatelyan.

"There are some differences in development terms. While Armenia
and Azerbaijan over post-soviet phase have somehow or other common
development terms, Turkey is a much larger state referring to finance
or media. The biggest advantage of Information Warfare is that neither
state-size nor its financial ability really matter. Here a mechanism
of resonance comes into effect. Injecting small investments you can
bring into being more payoff than if you used three tank divisions,"
said Arman Saghatelyan. According to him, this is the advantage of
Armenia since Information Warfare a creative process, not mechanical
one, so chances and opportunities are great.

It is possible that Armenia’s answers are not enough, says the expert
adding that "We are not passive. You shouldn’t say the silence is
exactly wrong action. Sometimes it’s for the better."

Director of Helix Consulting, Aram Mkhitaryan, in his turn, praised
the importance of "speaking" Turkish Armenian on-line media.

TURKISH OFFICIALS HAVE SHORT MEMORY FOR HISTORY

news.am
Nov 4 2009
Armenia

Rize city (North Turkey) was a first stop in the regional tour of
Mr. Pinhas Avivi, Israeli Ambassador to Turkey. The meeting between
Israeli diplomat and Halil Bakirci, Mayor of Rize, was chilly, Iha
e-source informs. Bakirci said that the locals are worried about
Israeli tourists staying in the countryside, bypassing the city.

Avivi stated that Israeli-Turkish relations have stable basis,
although they presently go through hard times.

"Israel carries out expansionist policy and opinion of Turkish people
about it will remain unchanged. Due to this, as a governor I am
concerned over the matter, as Israeli tourists might face challenges
while visiting the country. Preventive measures are taken in this
regard," Bakirci stated.

Israeli Ambassador insisted that there is no alternative to his
country but to do so, adding that Turks would act likewise if find
themselves in a similar situation.

Bakirci maintained, "I do not speak on behalf of the country but on
my own. While at war, Israel will fail to achieve peace. For peace
establishment in the region Israel should end the war. Indeed, Rize
residents will defend themselves in case of threat, but in now way
killing children," emphasized Bakirci.

The dialogue broke off, as this sharp standpoint astonished Israeli
Ambassador and his entourage.

Accusing Israel of committing crimes in Palestine, Rize Mayor forgot
to mention Turks’ ability to perpetrate the massacre of a whole
nation while "defending themselves". In any case, raving about the
murdered Palestinian children, the Turkish official withheld how
Turks slaughtered Armenian children during the Genocide in 1915.

RF DEPUTY FM COMMENTS ON ARMENIAN-TURKISH RELATIONS

news.am
Nov 4 2009
Armenia

Evidence of Russia’s positive attitude to the natural Armenian-Turkey
normalization process is RF Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s
participation in the signing ceremony of the Armenian-Turkish protocols
in Zurich, RF Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Grigory Karasin stated
in his interview with the Respublika Armenia (Republic of Armenia)
newspaper. He stressed Moscow welcomes the positive changes in the
Armenia-Turkey contacts.

"Both Armenia and Turkey are friendly countries for us, and we are
interested in good neighborly relations between them," Karasin said.

According to him, the improvement of Armenian-Turkish relations will
ease tension, strengthen peace, security and stability in the South
Caucasus, as well as revive bilateral economic contacts, which will
improve the socio-economic situation in both the states.

"No point in the Armenian-Turkish agreements can be interpreted as
damage to a third side," Karasin said. According to him, the signing
of the protocols is the result of the Armenian and Turkish partners’
consistent and pragmatic work to settle complicated issues, which
confirms the Armenian and Turkish leaders’ determination to establish
good neighborly relations.

Russia, for its part, is ready to support the process through further
implementation of cooperation projects with Armenia and Turkey.

"First, these are electric energy, and transport and communication
sectors. The Russian Inter RAO EES Company, which has energy
generating facilities in Armenia, is exporting electric energy to
Turkey. The Russian Railway CJSC is ready to ensure uninterrupted rail
communication between the two countries through the Dogukapy-Akhuryan
checkpoint," Karasin said. He pointed out other long-term projects,
which can be of benefit to both Armenian and Turkish population.

ARMENIAN-TURKISH RELATIONS DISCUSSED IN EUROPE

aysor
Nov 4 2009
Armenia

"Armenian-Turkish relations are discussed in Europe providing
opportunities to learn these countries’ position related to this
process," told journalists head of Heritage Parliamentary Faction,
Stepan Safaryan. In his opinion, European states welcome process
of normalization relations with Turkey, but "have no clear approach
or views on involvement in this process." And this indetermination
raises a number of issues.

"It is in Armenia’s interest Europe to express its position. In this
case, Armenia could smooth out the relations and move some issues to
European agenda."

EAST JERUSALEM: JEWISH SETTLERS SEIZE PALESTINIAN HOMES BY FORCE

AsiaNews
Nov 4 2009
Italy

Israeli courts are increasingly ruling against Palestinian families,
ordering them to leave their homes. The Israeli government is
also doing its part in evicting Palestinians by demolishing their
allegedly "unauthorised" homes. Since 1967, some 2,000 houses have
been demolished; another 15,000 are on the ‘to be demolished’ list.

Jerusalem (AsiaNews/Agencies) – A group of 40 Jewish settlers have
taken over by force another Palestinian house in East Jerusalem’s
neighbourhood of Sheikh Jarrah. The settlers stormed the building
with the assistance of security guards. The 29 members of the al-Kurd
family who lived in the house found themselves in the street, their
belongings thrown out of the windows.

Police moved in to stop settlers clashing with Palestinians and their
Israeli supporters, but eyewitnesses reported that they arrived late,
allowing the settlers to continue their attack.

Palestinian and Israeli human rights activists from the Grassroots
Jerusalem organisation have called for a vigil tonight in Sheikh Jarrah
to protest the attack and the growing number of forced expropriations
in Arab Jerusalem. The al-Kurd family case is in fact but the latest
in a series that have occurred in the past few months.

On 30 October, the Salah family of Beit Safafa suffered a similar
fate. About ten settlers forced their way into their house, claiming
that had bought it from an alleged Armenian owner.

According to the Palestinian News Network, the Salahs have papers
showing they owned the house since 1966, but a sentence by Israel’s
High Court ordered the family to leave the premises.

As a result of the scuffle that followed, all five members of the
Palestinian family ended up in hospital, including Sheha and Ali
Ibrahim, respectively 89 and 100 years old.

In addition to home evictions, Palestinians are also confronted with
demolitions by Israeli authorities.

The latest ones took place on 27 October in Shuafat, Zur Baher,
Silwan and Jabel Mukabar where bulldozers flattened five houses
allegedly built without a permit.

Since 1967, about 2,000 Palestinian homes have been demolished in
Jerusalem, 400 in 2008 alone. About 15,000 "unauthorised" houses are
waiting to be demolished.

Since the Six Day War, Israel has placed 190,000 settlers in the Holy
City in violation of international law, which bans Israeli settlements
on the Occupied Territories.

Rabbi Yehiel Grenimann, of Rabbis for Human Rights, said that the
al-Kurd case is "just another step-by-step way of pushing them (the
Palestinians) out"

Unlawful Israeli settlements on Palestinian territory, in East
Jerusalem and the West Bank, are the main obstacle to renewed peace
talks.

The Palestinian National Authority has called for a freeze on
settlement activities, or at least a 9-12 month moratorium to granting
building permits in the West Bank.

However, the Israeli government has rejected any halt to construction,
and is actually planning more. About 2,500 building sites already
in operation will continue their scheduled work. Israel’s government
approved another 455 units in September.

US Secretary Hillary Clinton’s recent visit to Jerusalem has further
complicated matters (See Joshua Lapide, "Hillary Clinton’s visit to
Israel triggers the Third Intifada," in AsiaNews, 2 November 2009)

Last Friday, after her with Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu,
Ms Clinton said that the peace process could start again even if Israel
did not freeze its settlement activities in the Occupied Territories.

This represents a complete turnaround for the United States with
regard to the position taken by the US President Barack Obama and
his Mideast envoy George Mitchell.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress