Month: February 2012

THE TRUE STORY OF THE FIRST CRUSADE
BY PETER FRANKOPAN

The International Herald Tribune
February 22, 2012 Wednesday
France

The real story of the First Crusade is much more complicated, and
much more earthly, than most people recognize.

FULL TEXT No sooner had the knights of the First Crusade captured
Jerusalem from the Seljuk Turks in 1099 than writers began to
swoon over their achievements. Inspired by a call by Pope Urban II
at Clermont, France, four years earlier to rescue the Holy Land,
these first historians wrote, the crusaders and their conquest of
the eastern Mediterranean coast proved that God had smiled on Western
Europe and the authority of Rome.

That story, and the papal authority it underlined, shaped the next 500
years of European history. Even today, the idea at the center of the
crusades, that religion has long been at the heart of the East-West
divide, drives foreign policy from Washington to Islamabad. But the
real story is much more complicated, and much more earthly.

The subject of the crusades, in particular the first, has received
enormous attention from scholars over the centuries, to the point
that one leading historian wrote in a recent book review that there
was nothing original left to say.

Yet for all that work, distortions remain. The armchair historian
could be forgiven for thinking, for example, that Jerusalem fell
to the Muslims soon before the First Crusade set out to supposedly
rescue it. In fact, Jerusalem fell some 450 years earlier.

Perhaps the central question behind the First Crusade has never really
been asked: What happened at the end of the 11th century that made more
than 60,000 men head east? If the pope was powerful enough to be able
to unleash a huge force of knights, why had he never done so before?

The answer lies far from Western Europe, where the origins of the
crusade are always set. In fact, the First Crusade was an eastern
project, devised and inspired not by Pope Urban II but by Alexios I
of the Eastern Roman, or Byzantine, Empire.

The Byzantine Empire came under territorial pressure in the second
half of the 11th century, particularly at the hands of the Turks,
who had swept across Central Asia and made themselves masters of the
Middle East. Moving like “wolves devouring their prey,” in the words
of one contemporary commentator, the Turks supposedly brought chaos
to the Byzantine heartland in Asia Minor.

But claims of Turkish penetration and control of the Byzantine east
were much exaggerated. Material from long-forgotten and ignored Greek,
Arabic, Syriac, Armenian and Hebrew sources shows that things were
not as bad as some authors made out; if anything, relations between
Christian Byzantines and Muslim Turks were surprisingly cordial and
even collaborative.

That changed dramatically, however, at the start of the 1090s. A
catastrophic chain of events brought the empire to its knees:
Emboldened by the death of the sultan of Baghdad, a cluster of local
Turkish warlords seized control of some of Byzantium’s most precious
and sensitive territories, putting the capital itself at risk. With
pressure mounting, Alexios’s closest intimates turned on him. In a
showdown, the emperor forced a gathering of his opponents; it was
touch and go as to whether he would leave the meeting alive. Against
the odds, he bought himself one last roll of the dice.

He issued pleas for help across Western Europe, including one to Pope
Urban II, which brought with it the offer to unite the Catholic and
Orthodox churches once and for all.

What followed was less a war to protect the Holy Land than a defense
of the Byzantine Empire, taking back cities like Nicaea and Antioch,
places whose Christian significance was, at best, tangential. And,
rather than being under the command of the pope, the knights were
controlled by Alexios, to whom they swore solemn oaths over precious
Christian relics as they passed through Constantinople. They also
promised to hand over all the cities, towns and territories they
conquered.

But Alexios eventually lost control. The crusaders refused to give
over what they had conquered, which by the end included much of the
eastern Mediterranean region. The resulting crusader states lasted
for another 200 years.

As a result, a new story was needed. Alexios and Byzantium were ripped
from the heart of the narrative, while Pope Urban II was moved to
center stage. In short, the western knights’ glorious deeds provided
a cover story that only now has been revealed. Their bravery, heroism
and piety, fodder for countless medieval romances, really were too
good to be true.

IRAN VS. ISRAEL: BESIDES A-BOMB FEAR, COULD ISRAEL’S HUGE GAS FIND TRIGGER HOSTILITY?

International Business Times News
February 22, 2012 Wednesday 7:35 PM EST

A large pocket of offshore natural gas could shift Eastern
Mediterranean geopolitics on its head. As the threat of war looms
between Israel and Iran, the newly found gas could add extra friction
between the two countries.

Last year, Houston-based Noble Energy discovered vast tracts of
natural gas off the coast of Israel and Cyprus. It had been exploring
for 13 years.

So far, the find has been a bonanza, especially for energy poor
Israel. Noble has found 35 trillion cubic feet (tcf) of natural gas.

By September, this offshore find could yield as much as 100 million
cubic feet of gas a day.

“It is a great advantage for Israel,” Dilshod Achilov, assistant
professor of political science at East Tennessee State University,
said in an interview.

Investors have taken notice: the Tel Aviv 100 Index has gained more
than 4 percent so far this year. Shares of Noble Energy have nearly
doubled over the past year and are trading around their 52-week high
of $105.

Meanwhile, the price of a barrel of oil was $105.95 Wednesday as
fears of conflict in the Middle East continued.

For the first time since its founding in 1948, Israel could become
self-sufficient in energy and even an exporter. Israelis for years
joked that God made a mistake leaving them contemporary Israel as a
“promised land” when it was surrounded by oil-rich neighbors like
Saudi Arabia.

But now, Israel’s government is debating whether or not to set export
quotas, Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported. The country of 7 million is
also considering setting up a sovereign wealth fund for its citizens.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad in his repeated denunciations
of Israel has never mentioned this potential competition. Instead,
he’s focused on Iran’s plans to develop nuclear energy, which Israel
fears would lead to atomic weapons to threaten its security.

Possible Pipeline to Greece

Jerusalem expects to have an oversupply of natural gas which Israel
could use to forge international agreements within the Mediterranean
and with energy giants like China and Russia, Haaretz said. Israel
now enjoys excellent relations with both countries.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu traveled to Cyprus last week to talk
about energy. He met with Cyprus’s ethnically Greek President. The
island nation is planning to build a natural gas treatment plant that
would be jointly operated by Noble Energy and Israel’s Delek Group.

Last year, Netanyahu flew to Greece for discussions about possible
construction of an undersea pipeline. Now that the Athens government
has fallen as a result of the euro zone crisis, the status of any
tentative deal reached with former Prime Minister George Papandreou
remains unclear.

Delek, the Tel Aviv-listed vehicle of Isaac Tshuva, 64, a Libyan-born
immigrant to Israel who made his first pile in real estate and later
bought New York’s Plaza Hotel, is Israel’s biggest energy company.

Delek has energy investments worldwide. Its prominence has received
attention.

“The new findings do not only shift the geo-strategic balance in the
region, but also send a major strategic blow to Tehran,” said East
Tennessee’s Achilov.

How?

Iran has the world’s largest known natural gas reserves, second only
to Russia. As of January 2011, the country was said to have 1,046
tcf of gas, the U.S. Energy Information Administration estimated.

Iran now exports just a small fraction of that natural gas to Turkey
and Armenia via pipeline. If these countries start importing natural
gas from Israel, or decide to get in on the gas play themselves,
Iran’s natural gas exports could become irrelevant.

Israel enjoys excellent trade ties with both Turkey and Armenia.

Huge Undersea Gas Potential

The U.S. Geological Survey in March 2010 published its assessment of
the Levant Basin – the region offshore Israel, Lebanon and Cyprus –
and determined there is a 95 percent chance at least 50,000 billion
cubic feet of natural gas could yet be discovered. The USGS estimates
there could be as many as 227,430 billion cubic feet of natural gas
and 483 million barrels of oil offshore.

“In bigger context, this may instigate a large-scale regional
competition to search for oil and gas in the Eastern Mediterranean
as Lebanon, Cyprus, Syria and Turkey, may launch their own search
missions,” Achilov said. “Iran’s proxy in Lebanon, Hezbollah, will
probably act fast within the Lebanese government to push hard to seek
its share of the pie.”

Lebanon has technically been at war with Israel since 1948. So in the
wake of the Israeli finds, the country could stake a claim to some
of the Israel strike. The Israeli gas finds could very well extend
into Lebanese territory, but so far Noble Energy has not entered the
area for exploration.

Meanwhile, Iran would be shut out of the new gas bonanza. After years
of successive sanctions, Tehran hasn’t been able to fully develop
most of its natural gas resources.

Israel, which imported 40 percent of its energy from Egypt in 2008
and continues to obtain it despite last year’s fall of longtime
ally President Hosni Mubarak, will become energy independent, East
Tennessee’s Achilov predicted.

Israel could also sell its new gas to Iran’s traditional customers,
especially in Asia, like Japan and South Korea, which enjoy excellent
relations with the Jewish state.

Still, as with anything in the Middle East, there are wrinkles.

Potential Obstacle to Development

First, history teaches the Eastern Mediterranean is historically
earthquake prone. Noble Energy, Delek and other offshore drillers may
have to install extra precautions. Israel’s very active environmental
movement might sue to enjoin drilling on these grounds.

Next, Israel’s neighbors in the Levant Basin, Lebanon and the Palestine
Authority, might challenge Israel’s rights and demand their own share.

Achilov warned that Israel might risk possible conflict with Lebanon.

“In terms of energy politics, Israel will probably compete with Iran
indirectly. To be more precise, Israel will have to compete with the
Hezbollah-dominated Lebanese government,” Achilov said.

One reason is that Israel discovered gas close to the Lebanese border,
triggering conflict over undersea rights. “A possible conflict between
Israel or Hezbollah should not be discounted in the near future,”
the energy expert said.

Indeed, Israel and Hezbollah fought a 34-day war in 2006, which saw
Hezbollah’s rockets fall into Haifa and other cities as Israel Army
units invaded parts of southern Lebanon. The Israel gas search had
begun before that conflict.

But in general, Achilov said he is unsure that Iran could respond in
any direct fashion to stop Israel from exporting natural gas.

In the end, it all comes back to this: good neighbors promote good
business.

Israel could be just the alternative needed for other regional
exporters to become more agreeable to Western powers, said William
Martel, associate professor of International Security Studies at the
Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.

Western powers could be more enticed to purchase natural gas and oil
from a democratic Israel, Martel said, potentially being the catalyst
needed for certain regimes in the region to change their tone, or
lose business.

“I can only imagine that the competitive pressures will be exacerbated
in the region,” Martel said.

An energy exporting Israel could actually have a stabilizing effect
on the region. That’s because customers would buy from a democratic
supplier rather than an aggressive or totalitarian regime, the Tufts
expert said.

Of course, all bets are off should there be war between Israel and
Iran, Martel said.

“If this nuclear issue gets resolved,” said Martel, “[The natural
gas in years to come] will increase Israel’s regional geo-political
footprint.”

WAR WITH IRAN WOUD BRING UNCERTAINTY TO THE CAUCASUS
By Zaza Jgharkava

Georgia Today

Feb 23 2012
Georgia

Many Western politicians and experts believe that it is impossible to
resolve the nuclear stand-off with Iran without embarking on a land
operation. Failed terrorist attempts in Tbilisi and Baku confirm
these presumptions. In this context, many feel that to maintain a
friendship with the United States and Israel, the costs to Tbilisi
and Baku will be too high.

Zerkalo, a newspaper issued in Baku, directly writes about the threats
that Azerbaijan and Georgia may face in the case a military operation
launched against Iran. The publication notes that in this scenario,
Iran will attempt to damage the strategic interests of the West in
the region.

According to Zerkalo, Turkey and Israel are protected well with
anti-air systems. “In terms of security, Azerbaijan and Georgia are
the weak chains in the region. Strategic objects important for the
West are located on their territory,” the article explains. There is
also talk of oil and gas pipelines. “Neither Azerbaijan, nor Georgia
have the ability to prevent such attacks.”

The talk of possible war has become particularly acute after the failed
terrorist attempts at the Israeli Embassy in Tbilisi on February 13;
and after Azerbaijan’s security personnel foiled an attempt at killing
the Ambassador of Israel, the local Rabi and other prominent Jews
residing in Baku in the end of January.

The French publication Le Monde also draws attention to the threats
Georgia may face in the event of war with Iran. Le Monde points out
that a military operation against Iran may give reason to Moscow for
exercising its power in the region, which it considers to be within
its “sphere of privileged interest.”

The author of the article specifically underscores the military
exercises Caucasus 2012, a scenario in which, based on Russian sources,
envisages cutting-off the route to the Russian base located in Armenia
in the case of conflict. “Georgia remembers well the maneuvers of
2008, which were followed by the invasion and partial occupation of
Georgian territory,” Le Monde writes.

Many people understandably wonder whether Presidents Saakashvili and
Obama discussed the Iranian issue at the meeting in the White House at
the end of January. However, no official commentary was made regarding
the issue.

Nevertheless, the fact remains that as time passes, there are
increasingly dark clouds forming above Iran. U.S. aircraft carriers
are already drifting positioned in the Indian Ocean and the Persian
Gulf, and a French aircraft carrier will soon join them. Official
statements from Washington stating that the US and Israel plan to
act jointly on the issue of Iran, further add to the tension

Naturally, Iran is preparing for a possible confrontation. In response
to United Nations and EU resolutions, Iran has stopped oil export
to Europe and has begun its own naval trainings to demonstrate its
military potential.

Russia’s strategic trainings in the North Caucasus are planned for
autumn. Caucasus 2012 will be held in September and will be of a
strategic rather than of an operative-tactical nature. Various units
within the Russian Armed Forces, as well as law enforcement agencies
will participate in the trainings. The armed forces deployed on
the occupied territories of Georgia will also participate in this
training exercise.

These exercises aim to develop actions that can provide increased
intelligence capabilities, anti-air defenses and protect the rear
portion of the army. As Russia’s Nezavisimaya Gazeta writes, these
exercises illustrate the fact that Russia is working on a program
of maneuvers that envisage a possible war directed by US and Israel
against Iran.

Therefore, the main players in the region: the United States, Russia
and Europe, to say nothing of Israel and Iran, are organizing their
own military preparations throughout the South Caucasus.

Who should Georgia expect the major threat from? Looking at the
possible dangers, the only threat Georgia may face is from Russia,
which will use a military conflagration with Iran to boost its
influence in the South Caucasus. Despite the fact that such a
perspective is inevitable in the case of war with Iran, the Iranian
war perspective itself looks a bit exaggerated, especially due to
the ongoing conflict in Syria.

Waging war against Iran, even after solving the conflict in Syria seems
unnecessary, as there are better means than bombs to “bring Tehran
to its senses”. The sanctions put in place by the United States and
Europe has already brought the first results- the national currency
of Iran has fallen while prices on food products have increased. The
price for one kilogram of meat on the Iranian market reached 30 USD,
one kilogram of rice – 5 USD.

The average monthly salary in Iran is around 350 USD. In March,
parliamentary elections are planned in Iran. Thus, President
Ahmadinejad and his regime may exit the political arena without
the bombs.

MORE FDI IN AZERBAIJAN, ARMENIA THAN GEORGIA

The Messenger
Feb 23 2012
Georgia

Although the rate of foreign direct investment (FDI) into Georgia
has increased year-over-year, it still lags behind neighbouring
Caucasian countries.

In 2011, Azerbaijan received more than $3 billion USD in FDI. Within
this amount, $1.4 billion came from the UK. Substantial investment
also came from the United States, the European Bank for Reconstruction
and Development, and the Asian Development Bank. That same year,
Armenia received more than $1 billion USD.

Georgia’s National Statistics Office has so far not revealed the
final FDI figures for 2011. For the first three quarters of the year,
Georgia accumulated $643 million USD.

FRENCH COURT TO KEEP ‘GENOCIDE’ BILL: DIASPORA

Hurriyet Daily News
Feb 23 2012
Turkey

Franck Mourad Papazian, an influential figure of Armenian Diaspora,
says they are going to bring a new law before Parliament even if this
‘genocide’ law is annulled.

One of the leading figures of the Armenian diaspora in France,
Franck Mourad Papazian, said there was no likelihood of the country’s
constitutional court overturning the draft bill to criminalize the
denial of Armenian genocide allegations.

“The weight of the Constitutional Court would come under question
if the law were to be retracted. Most important of all, we are going
to sustain our efforts to bring a new law before Parliament even if
this law is annulled,” Franck Mourad Papazian, who is also a member
of the Dashnakszutyun Party, told the Hurriyet Daily News.

Following the French Parliament’s approval of the bill, some 65
deputies and 60 senators appealed to the country’s constitutional
court for a reversal of the decision. The ball still lies in the
court of a judicial commission in the constitutional body.

“I would not like to [think] the constitutional court would annul
this law […] Turkey has exerted great pressure on France since
the bill gained currency. More than anything else, the French people
would not [yield to] such an anti-French and anti-Armenian attitude,”
Papazian added.

France officially recognized the events of 1915 as genocide in 2001.

Some circles in France are debating whether that law would also be
imperiled if the bill criminalizing the denial of genocide claims is
overturned, but Papazian does not agree: “Absolutely not. The ‘denial
law’ and the bill in 2001 bear no connection to each other at all.

Some so-called experts have also brought up this issue, but that is
not possible,” he said.

From: A. Papazian

COURT’S REASONED OPINION ON DINK VERDICT UNSATISFACTORY, LAWYER SAYS

Today’s Zaman
Feb 23 2012
Turkey

An Ä°stanbul high criminal court on Thursday announced its reasoned
decision concerning an earlier ruling that there was no involvement of
an organized criminal network in the 2007 killing of Turkish-Armenian
journalist Hrant Dink, citing insufficient evidence to prove wider
involvement in the murder, which a lawyer for the Dink family says
is hardly convincing.

The Ä°stanbul 14th High Criminal Court said in its 216-page-long
reasoned decision, distributed to lawyers involved in the case on
Thursday, that the court could not establish the journalist was killed
by an organized criminal network. In what many said was a shocking
and frustrating ruling in the five-year-long trial of the Dink case,
the Ä°stanbul court last month cleared all suspects of charges of
membership in a criminal organization, angering lawyers and many
others who say the trial failed to shed light on alleged connections
between the suspects and state officials.

Cem Halavurt, a lawyer for Hrant Dink, told Today’s Zaman that the
court’s 210-page reasoned opinion was a confirmation of its verdict
listing all the evidence the court has for not establishing that
there is involvement of an organized crime network. “So the court is
listing all the evidence and we are listing all the evidence here,
and we see the clear involvement of a criminal network. The court
talks at length on why it failed to see evidence for suspecting an
organized network, but there is clear evidence indicating an organized
crime link, given what we know about the suspects. So this is about
interpretation or misinterpretation”

The court convicted Yasin Hayal, a major suspect in the killing of
Turkish-Armenian journalist Dink, of instigating a murder and sentenced
him to life in prison. Another suspected instigator, Erhan Tuncel,
was acquitted by the court.

“We have on our hands a situation in which it is unnatural for the
suspects to decide on and commit a murder on their own that would
bring about so many political consequences. This situation also
raises suspicion [of the involvement of a criminal organization
in the murder]. Suspicion is a rule of criminal law that should be
interpreted in favor of the suspect. Because of all these reasons,
it was necessary to acquit the suspects [of membership in a terrorist
organization] since the crimes of establishing, being a member of and
aiding a terrorist organization attributed to the suspects could not
be definitely proven with concrete evidence,” the court said.

The court added that the evidence on hand failed to establish when
and with what motive a criminal organization would have had a hand
in the murder.

Dink was shot dead on Jan. 19, 2007 by ultranationalist Ogun Samast
outside the offices of his newspaper in Ä°stanbul in broad daylight.

Even though five years have passed since his assassination, Dink family
lawyers and civil society organizations have long remained concerned
that evidence relating to the real perpetrators of the crime is still
being covered up and that even if the court’s ruling punishes the
hitmen, the public’s sense of justice will not be satisfied. The
assassination is suspected of being the work of Ergenekon, a
clandestine network whose suspected members — including generals,
military officers and many civilians — are currently in jail for
plotting a military takeover.

AZERBAIJANI MPS CONSIDER ZHIRINOVSKY’S STATEMENTS NOT SERIOUS AND ELECTION-RELATED

Trend
Feb 23 2012
Azerbaijan

Zhirinovsky’s statements are designed, first and foremost, to obtain
a large number of votes in the elections, MP Fazail Agamali told Trend.

“Zhirinovsky’s statements are mainly aimed at obtaining a large
number of votes, but on the other hand – they come from his political
principles. He is one of the politicians who have always has anti-Turk
and anti-Azerbaijani position,” Agamali said.

The head of the Liberal Democratic Party Vladimir Zhirinovsky,
a candidate for president of Russia, once again defended Armenia
noting that if Armenia requests Russia it will blow up everything to
the Persian Gulf.

We can’t expect other statement from Zhirinovsky, Agamali said.

Other applications can be expected from Zhirinovsky, said Azerbaijani
MP. “He protects Armenia at all levels. Armenia, being under the wing
of such Russian “politicians” as Zhirinovsky continues the policy of
aggression against Azerbaijan,” Agamali said.

It isn’t worth to pay attention to the words of Zhirinovsky MP Aydin
Mirzazade told Trend.

“Zhirinovsky is one of the few politicians whose words are not taken
seriously. He is notorious not only in Russia but also abroad,”
Mirzazade said.

PITY THAT “POLITICIANS” LIKE ZHIRINOVSKY ARE IN POWER IN RUSSIA

Trend
Feb 23 2012
Azerbaijan

The fact that politicians such as Zhirinovsky, is heading the
legislative body of the country is very unfortunate, political
scientist, Professor of Western University Fikret Sadikhov says.

“It is a great pity that a man like Zhirinovsky has gained credibility
among the political elite of Russia, a civilised and powerful country
which is friendly to Azerbaijan. It certainly doesn’t honour those who
create the conditions for the emergence of politicians like Zhirinovsky
whose clown type performances, behaviour externally, statements and
political programmes make him a real clown,” the professor told Trend.

The head of the Liberal Democratic Party Vladimir Zhirinovsky,
a candidate for president of Russia, once again defended Armenia
noting that if Armenia requests “Russia it will blow up everything
to the Persian Gulf. ”

Professor Sadikhov noted that Russian society which has grown strong
and wise policies were formed using a serious political and scientific
elite. Unfortunately, we have to endure someone such as Zhirinovsky and
his party which calmly responds to what he says in relation to other
countries and especially those that are part of a single Commonwealth
of independent States.

“We can only regret that people like Zhirinovsky is among those who
define the priorities of the country,” the analyst said.

The professor noted that a country that respects itself and its values,
its history and aspirations towards a civilised society should not
endure such individuals as Zhirinovsky. It is a very serious problem
and a big problem not only for those against whom he makes such
statements, but for the country which he unfortunately represents

“I am glad that the final decision of large questions of Russia’s
foreign and domestic policy doesn’t depend on Zhirinovsky, “a political
scientist said.

From: Baghdasarian

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE DESCRIBES KARABAKH CONFLICT FROM ARMENIAN POSITION

Trend
Feb 23 2012
Azerbaijan

A resolution proposed by some members of the Californian legislative
Assembly on the day of remembrance of the Karabakh conflict on
February 27, seriously distorts the historical facts It has a
one-sided view on the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict and seeks to
make California legislators take an unfair and biased position in
the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict according to a letter of the President
of the Azerbaijani-American Council Ismail Rustamov to members of
the Assembly.

Several members of the California Assembly submitted a draft of
resolution (ACR 96) on January 30, which is likely to be approved
on February 27, 2012, the day when victims of Armenian pogroms in
the Azerbaijani cities of Sumgait, Ganja and Baku in 1988-1990 will
be remembered.

The draft resolution deliberately ignores the mention of the Khojaly
massacre of Azerbaijani civilians, whose anniversary will be celebrated
on February 26, 2012, Mr Rustamov wrote in a letter.

According to the Human Rights Watch, the killing of 613 civilians
including 106 women and 63 children was a mass murder of civilians
during the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict.

The petition against the resolution which has more than 2500
signatures collected in two days was attached to the letter to
the congressmen. American media has already responded to the draft
resolution.

A bill introduced in the Californian Assembly describes the events in
the separatist region of Azerbaijan – Nagorno-Karabakh, a surprisingly
biased and U.S. view, the newspaper Monterey Herald said.

The bill does not mention that the Armenians killed 613 Azerbaijanis,
including 106 women and 63 children in the town of Khojaly four
years later, after 1988. Azerbaijanis have long been trying to draw
attention to this event by making it known throughout the world,
the newspaper said.

“The question arises: why is the California Assembly by studying the
events of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict only seeing it in terms of
recognition of the Armenian losses in this conflict and why now?” the
author of the article asks.

In his opinion, the ACR 96 bill reflects the overwhelming influence
of the Armenian population of California. The document does not seek
simply to organise a day of remembrance. It is an attempt to use
the tragic events as a political game surrounding the conflict. ACR
96 provoked an angry reaction from Azerbaijani representatives in
Washington and Los Angeles, the newspaper said.

“The legislature must remain impartial and find a peaceful solution,
recognising the views of both sides” the article says.

The Armenian military forces committed genocide in Khojaly on Feb. 26,
1992. Some 613 people were killed, including 63 children, 106 women
and 70 old men. A total of 1000 civilians were left disabled during
the genocide. Eight families were annihilated, 130 children lost one
parent and 25 lost both. Additionally 1275 innocent residents were
taken hostage, while the fate of 150 remains unknown.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 per cent of Azerbaijan since 1992,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven 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 peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council’s four
resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the
surrounding regions.

MEMBERS OF PUBLIC WANT TO CREATE A FAVORABLE ENVIRONMENT TO HELP TO RESOLVE THE NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT

Trend
Feb 23 2012
Azerbaijan

Delegation of Azerbaijan and Armenia participated in the opening
performance of the Musical Theater headed by Mikhail Shvidkoy in the
frame of recommendations made by Azerbaijani, Armenian and Russian
presidents on further development of humanitarian cooperation on
Feb.21. The Chairman of the Russian State Duma Sergey Narishkin,
famous art and culture figures, members of the public and the Diaspora
attended the event, Azerbaijani Embassy in Russia said.

A “round table” on The role of social and cultural cooperation in the
strengthening of inter-ethnic dialogue and conflict resolution with
the participation of the representatives of Azerbaijan, Armenia and
Russia was held at the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation on
February 22.

Azerbaijani Ambassador to Russia Polad Bulbuloglu, Rector of Baku
Music Academy named after Uzeyir Hajibeyli, people’s artist Farhad
Badalbeyli, rector of Baku Slavic University, Corresponding Member
of the National Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan Professor Kamal
Abdulla, rector of Azerbaijan State National Conservatory Siyavush
Kerimi and director of the State Philharmonic Hall Murad Adigozalzadeh
represented Azerbaijan at the meeting.

Armenian Ambassador to Russia Oleg Yesayan, Deputy National Assembly
of the Republic of Armenia Hermine Naghdalyan, Rector of State Theater
and Cinematography Institute Armen Mazmanian, editor-in-chief of Aravot
newspaper Aram Abramyan and director of Rolan Bykov Foundation Nune
Manukyan represented Armenia.

President’s special representative for international cultural
cooperation Mikhail Shvidkoy, first deputy chairman of the Public
Chamber Mikhail Ostrovskiy, head of the Public Chamber’s working group
on international cooperation and public diplomacy Alexander Sokolov,
member of the Russian Public Chamber’s commission for tolerance and
freedom of conscience Alla Gerber and member of the Russian Public
Chamber’s commission on support for mass media Andrey Dementyev
also attended the meeting, executive director of the Humanitarian
Cooperation Foundation of the CIS Armen Smbatyan represented Russia.

Deputy Secretary of the Public Chamber of Russia, Mikhail Ostrovskiy
greeted the participants of the “round table”. He informed the guests
about the structure, aims and objectives of the Public Chamber and
noted the importance and topicality of the theme that they would
discuss.

Dementyev said about the necessity of cultural dialogue between
the representatives of the independent states, which will promote
mutual understanding. Gerber supported Dementyev’s position and
said the organization of mutual funds, festivals, “round tables”
with participation of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia – will be a good
ground for mutual contacts.

Shvidkoy said it is the first meeting of Azerbaijani and Armenian
intellectuals after two years. And the Public Chamber, representing
different sectors of civil society, can become the platform for a
discussion on which they can act not as the warring parties, but
as opponents.

Thanking for the opportunity to host the meeting of delegations of
the two republics, Azerbaijan Ambassador Bulbuloglu said there are
representatives of civil society who do not make the task of resolving
political issues. “It is the prerogative of the presidents of both
countries and they do a great job in this direction. We, as members
of the public, want to create a favorable environment that would help
policy makers in dealing with conflict. Two neighboring nations still
live near each other and it is important that this coexistence became
possible. We can not allow the younger generation that grew up during
the conflict, experienced only enmity and hatred to each other,”
Bulbuloglu said.

Later, the ambassador recalled that the first trip was organized
between the representatives of the intellectuals of the two republics
and Armenian ambassador to Russia A.Smbatyan to the Nagorno-Karabakh,
Armenia and Azerbaijan in 2007. The meetings were held with the
presidents of both countries.

Then, Bulbuloglu said that it caused an ambiguous reaction in the
society. “Someone has supported them, but there were many critics.

They are not scared. The mission of public diplomacy reiterated its
trip along the same route in 2009. There were more supporters.

The tours of the Youth Symphonic Orchestra of the CIS countries headed
by outstanding musician Vladimir Spivakov to several Commonwealth
countries, including Azerbaijan and Armenia were organized by the
International Fund for Humanitarian Cooperation of CIS member states
in September of 2010. The public reaction of the two republics was
positive, confirming our position that these actions are necessary,
Bulbuloglu said.

The meetings with deputies of the two republics were also organized
in Moscow. They had quite a constructive dialogue. Editors-in-chief
of Azerbaijani and Armenian media managed to meet.

The ambassador stressed the role of Azerbaijani and Armenian media.

Unfortunately, it does not always form a normal background to conduct a
political dialogue. He stressed the importance of social responsibility
of the press in terms of the conflict, the inadmissibility of inciting
hatred and insulting. Bulbuloglu put forward the idea of a new meeting
of editors-in-chief of leading Azerbaijani and Armenian newspapers
and electronic media in Moscow.

Ambassador of Armenia Oleg Yesayan, Hermine Naghdalyan, and others
spoke from Armenian side. They supported the need for dialogue between
the representatives of two republics, conduction and participation
in joint activities and thanked the Russian side for provision of
the possibility to organize such meetings in Russia.

Civil society should take more active position professor Farhad
Badalbeyli said. He noted that in spite of everything it is necessary
to carry out cultural projects together, not retreating from each
other and go forward, because the hatred is the way to nowhere.

Kamal Abdulla said about the necessity for a dialogue that leads
to understanding.

Each of the participants of the “round table” made proposals aimed
at rapprochement and cooperation.

From: A. Papazian