Month: November 2009

TIGRAN SARGSYAN: GRAND CANDY SUCCESSFULLY DEVELOPS ITS BUSINESS

PanARMENIAN.Net
24.11.2009 15:57 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan has visited
Grand Candy company to get familiarized with production process, RA
Government’s press service reports. "Grand Candy successfully develops
its business. It has a thousand workplaces, and mainly purchases local
raw materials, boosting the development of several economic spheres,
particularly agriculture," he said.

>From that point of view, Mr. Sargsyan estimated company’s perspectives
as positive considering that lowered cost prices create competitiveness
advantages.

AZERI PARLIAMENT CONFIRMS BAKU COULD USE FORCE IN KARABAKH SETTLEMENT

Interfax
Nov 23 2009
Russia

Baku advocates a peaceful settlement of the Karabakh conflict, but
if Armenia continues dragging the settlement out, Azerbaijan will
be compelled to liberate the occupied territory with military force,
Azerbaijan’s first deputy parliamentary speaker Ziyafet Askerov said.

"If Armenia indefinitely drags out the peaceful settlement of the
problem of Nagorno Karabakh, Azerbaijan will have to liberate its
occupied territory, using military force," Askerov said.

Askerov was speaking to British House of Lords member, John Desmond
Forbes Anderson Waverly in Baku on Monday, the press service of the
Azeri parliament has reported.

"Armenia is interested in perpetuating the status quo and it does not
implement the four resolutions of the UN Security Council and defies
international norms and principles," he said.

Over its history of 18 years, the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe’s Minsk Group has not achieved the result set,
he said.

Lord Waverley in turn said that in order to settle the conflict,
Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity must be insured first, and then
refugees and forced migrants must be brought back to their homes and
the security of Armenians residing in Nagorny Karabakh guaranteed.

STUDENTS DEMAND LEGAL STATUS FOR ARMENIAN CHURCH IN GEORGIA: PROTEST AT GEORGIAN EMBASSY

Tert
Nov 24 2009
Armenia

Students from various higher educational institutions in Yerevan
organized a protest demo in Republic Square demanding the Georgian
authorities and the Georgian church to designate legal status to the
Armenian Apostolic Church Diocese in Georgia, to return Armenian
churches, and to respect and protect the cultural values of the
Armenian people.

>>From Republic Square, the students, along with some members of
the clergy, marched to the Georgian Embassy in Armenia. Three youth
submitted a letter to the Georgian ambassador that was addressed to
the Georgian governing leadership and the Georgian Orthodox Church.

The letter, in part, stated:

"We, the participants of this protest, children of the Armenian
Apostolic Church, members of different organizations raise our voices
in protest of the destruction of St. Gevorg Church of Mughnetsi,
constructed in Tbilisi in 1356."

There is also concern noted in the letter that the efforts of the
Armenian side didn’t lead to results, and the designation of legal
status to the Armenian Apostolic Church Diocese in Georgia and the
return of historic Armenian churches in Tbilisi to the Diocese didn’t
get resolved through dialogue and mutual agreement.

While some of the students were submitting their letter, the youth
carrying flags and posters in front of the Georgian Embassy were
chanting "No White Genocide," "We demand," and so on.

During the demonstration, numerous police officers were making sure
order was maintained. They didn’t hinder the youth rally.

Coming out of the embassy, the youth told demo participants that
the ambassador promised to pass the letter on to Georgia’s governing
authorities personally.

The students also stated they will be sending a similar letter to
the United Nations.

CSTO SEC. GEN. SLAMS ALIYEV’S BELLICOSE STATEMENTS

PanARMENIAN.Net
24.11.2009 15:58 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ CSTO Secretary General Nikolay Bordyuzha reiterated
his negative attitude about statements on resolution of conflicts by
use of force.

"I am hopeful that the Azerbaijani President’s recent statement was
just an attempt to speed up an agreement with Armenia," he told a
news conference in Yerevan on Tuesday.

Mr. Bordyzha also remarked that the talks for the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict settlement have been intensified recently.

"A STRONG WILLINGNESS HAVE BEEN DISPLAYED IN FINDING THE WAYS OF SOLUTION ON THE NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT SETTLEMENT"-AMERICAN CO-CHAIR ROBERT BRADTKE

Trend
Nov 23 2009
Azerbaijan

A strong willingness have been displayed by the presidents of
Azerbaijan and Armenia, in a finding the ways of solution on the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement, the U.S. co-chair of the OSCE
Minsk Group Robert Bradtke said.

"I think today was impressive the way, that two presidents worked with
us, their willingness to discuss the points that are quite difficult
and quite controversial and I think, as someone who is relatively
new to this process, that is what impressed me the most," he added.

The meeting of presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia in the residence
of the French Consul General in Munich was organized on the initiative
of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmen Yuri Merzlyakov (Russia), Bernard
Fassier (France) and Robert Bradtke (USA). The talks held with the
participation of foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia, Elmar
Mamedyarov and Edward Nalbadyan, as well as the personal representative
of the OSCE Andzei Kasprzyk.

The talks held with the participation of foreign ministers of
Azerbaijan and Armenia, Elmar Mamedyarov and Edward Nalbadyan, as
well as the personal representative of the OSCE Andzei Kasprzyk.

The negotiations held on Sunday in Munich between Presidents of
Azerbaijan and Armenia, Ilham Aliyev and Serzh Sargsyan to resolve
the Nagorny- Karabakh conflict made "important progress", but still
"some difficulties" have been identified in the negotiation process. ,
French co-chairman of the OSCE Minsk Group on Nagorny- Karabakh
Bernard Fassier said

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.

ARMENIAN-TURKISH BORDER TO OPEN SOONER THAN SETTLEMENT OF NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT: AMERICAN ANALYST

Tert
Nov 24 2009
Armenia

The Armenian-Turkish border will most likely open sooner than the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict will be settled, stated American analyst
Jeffrey Mankoff, who deals in international affairs, in an interview
with Azerbaijani news source Day.az.

According to Mankoff, Armenia has an economic interest in opening
the border. He stated that for the Armenian Diaspora, which doesn’t
directly deal with consequences of Armenia’s economic and political
isolation, it is easy to criticize this arrangement, which doesn’t
settle the Nagorno-Karabakh issue. But for residents of Armenia,
the benefit from that step is indisputable. For its part, Turkey,
in opening the border, may increase Ankara’s weight in the region,
including in its negotiations with the European Union.

According to the American analyst, the only way which Armenia
and Turkey can reach at least a limited deal is by putting the
Nagorno-Karabakh issue aside.

Taking into consideration the pressure, which the Armenian government
was experiencing, it’s unlikely that Yerevan will make any concessions
in the Nagorno-Karabakh issue. Turkey, too, must retain some leverage
with Azerbaijan, who is concerned about Armenian-Turkish relations. It
will take time to analyze these Protocols and to discuss their
perspectives in Armenia’s and Turkey’s parliaments. And registering
progress in the Nagorno-Karabakh issue, which is more complicated by
its very nature, will take more time, the analyst concluded.

TIGRAN MARTIROSYAN BRINGS ANOTHER SILVER MEDAL TO ARMENIA

PanARMENIAN.Net
24.11.2009 16:17 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Tigran Martirosyan , two-time European champion,
Olympic games bronze medalist won a silver medal at the weightlifting
world championships in Goyang, South Korea. Bringing the second silver
medal to the treasury of Armenia, Tigran scored total of 370 kilograms.

The first silver medal was won Arakel Mirzoyan (w/c 69). In the team
event, Armenia ranks 6th.

Besides Martirosyan, following Armenian weightlifters will perform
in Goyang:

Women’s Team of Armenia:

Meline Daluzyan (w /c 63 (November 25) Nazik Avdalyan w/c 69 (November
27) Hripsime Khurshudyan w/c 75 (November 28)

Men’s team:

Tigran V. Martirosyan w/c 85 (November 26) Gevorg Pogosyan w/c 85
(November 26).

TURKPA SHOULD PROTECT TURKIC INTERESTS: OFFICIAL

Trend
Nov 23 2009
Azerbaijan

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Turkish-speaking countries (TurkPA)
must develop efficient mechanisms to work within international
organizations to address issues affecting the interests of Turkic
peoples, Azerbaijani Parliamentary Vice Speaker Bahar Muradova said at
a summit of the European Azerbaijani Congress and Azerbaijani-Turkish
Diaspora Organization Coordination Council, the Azerbaijani State
Committee for the Diaspora said today.

The European Azerbaijani Congress and Azerbaijani-Turkish Diaspora
Organization Coordination Council held a joint meeting in Frankfurt
Nov. 21-22.

Azerbaijani Parliamentary Vice Speaker Bahar Muradova and Azerbaijani
Presidential Administration Social and Political Department head
Ali Hasanov participated at the meeting, as well as State Committee
for Diaspora Activities Chairman Nazim Ibrahimov, Azerbaijani
MPs Sabir Rustamkhanli and Fazil Mustafayev, several Turkish MPs,
scientists and intellectuals from the European Azerbaijani Congress
and Azerbaijani-Turkish Diaspora Organization Coordination Council.

According to Muradova, TurkPA member countries must bring the structure
to an international level, forming a parliamentary assembly composing
all such organizations across the world.

Muradova said the assembly must organize activities to form a unified
position on matters that affect the interests of Turkic-language
countries.

However, Azerbaijan’s and Turkey’s solidarity is at the moment of
the utmost importance, she said. According to the official, foreign
countries are attempting to influence their relations.

Turkish and Armenian foreign ministers Ahmet Davutoglu and Edward
Nalbandian signed the Ankara-Yerevan protocols in Zurich Oct. 10.

Diplomatic relations between Armenia and Turkey were broken due
to Armenian claims of an alleged genocide and its occupation of
Azerbaijani lands. Their border closed in 1993.

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.

Representatives of the Turkish government have repeatedly stated the
impossibility of opening the Turkish-Armenian border until Azerbaijani
lands are de-occupied.

SERZH SARGSYAN SHOULDN’T HAVE PARTICIPATED IN MUNICH NEGOTIATIONS: VAHAN HOVHANNISYAN

Tert
Nov 24 2009
Armenia

The statement made by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev before
Sunday’s meeting in Munich was not from a series of simple statements,
it was a threat in the manner of an ultimatum, after which Armenian
President Serzh Sargsyan should have made the only correct step; that
is, not to have gone and participated in the negotiations in Munich.

This opinion was expressed by Armenian Revolutionary Federation
(Dashnaktsutyun, or ARF-D) bureau member, ARF-D parliamentary faction
leader Vahan Hovhannisyan during a press conference today. He is
sure that everything is done today for Armenia to make concessions
on Nagorno-Karabakh so that Turkey’s parliament ratifies the
Armenia-Turkey Protocols.

After Aliyev’s bellicose statements, Hovhannisyan thinks, the
clauses which are advantageous for the Armenian side in the
Meindorf Declaration are devalued. According to the declaration,
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict should be settled without war. Moreover,
the ARF-D MP also considered dangerous Meindorf Declaration "author"
Russia’s role in the processes of Armenia-Turkey reconciliation and
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement.

As an aside, Hovhannisyan noted that in his opinion, passing the
Armenian Genocide resolution in the US Congress will have a very
positive influence on the Armenian-Turkish process, but whether it
will be passed or not the ARF-D member can’t predict.

TURKEY SOLVES ARMENIAN ISSUE: TURKISH PRESIDENT

Trend
Nov 23 2009
Azerbaijan

Ankara has resolved the Kurdish and Armenian issues, Turkish President
Abdullah Gul said in an interview with the Italian newspaper La Stampa,
the Turkish newspaper Yeni Chag reported.

Turkey has resolved the Armenian and Kurdish problem, Gul said.

Turkish and Armenian foreign ministers Ahmet Davutoglu and Edward
Nalbandian signed the Ankara-Yerevan protocols in Zurich Oct. 10.

Turkey and Armenia in talks mediated by Switzerland reached an
agreement to launch "domestic political consultations" Aug. 31 to
sign the Protocol on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations and
Protocol on the Development of Bilateral Relations, the Turkish
Foreign Ministry reported.

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.

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.

Ankara will never take steps against Azerbaijan’s interests, Turkish
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in an interview with local
press Oct.10.

The occupied Azerbaijani territories should be liberated.

The day after signing the protocols Davutoglu called the liberation
of the occupied Azerbaijani territories an important condition for
establishing relations with Armenia in an interview with the TRT1
Turkish television station.

According to Gul, Ankara has done everything in its power to improve
relations with Armenia and now expects the same from Yerevan.