Month: February 2012

BAKU DOWNPLAYS ETHNIC TENSION IMPACT ON BID

Around the Rings

Feb 21 2012

Ongoing ethnic tensions will not impact the Baku 2020 Olympic bid,
the Azeri National Olympic Committee vice president says.

In western Azerbaijan near the Armenian border sits the disputed
Nagorno-Karabakh region. Populated primarily by Armenians despite
being in Azerbaijan, Nagorno-Karabakh exercises some autonomy. In 1994,
a war between Azerbaijan and Armenia broke out when the region tried
to become part of Armenia.

However, Chingiz Huseynzade, AZNOC VP said there are examples of the
Games going to other cities with recent histories of violence.

“Based on this logic, the IOC should not have given permission for
the Olympic Games in London, given the conflict in Northern Ireland,
or in Seoul, which has uneasy relations with North Korea, and many
such examples,” he was quoted as saying.

“The main criterion in selecting the candidate country is the decree
it is prepared to undertake such large-scale sporting events.”

International peace negotiations regarding the Nagorno-Karabakh region
fell apart last summer.

TURKISH OFFICIALS IGNORED DINK MURDER PLOT -REPORT
By Jonathon Burch

Reuters

Feb 21 2012

* Report on journalist death commissioned by president
* Says officials should be tried for negligence
* Rights groups had long criticised Turkey over murder (Adds quotes,
background)

ANKARA, Feb 21 (Reuters) – Turkish state officials failed to protect
prominent Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink, murdered in 2007,
despite knowing of the plot to kill him, a report commissioned by
the president has concluded.

President Abdullah Gul ordered Turkey's State Supervisory Council
(DDK) to investigate the case after accusations from Dink's
family, lawyers and rights groups that state officials had been
complicit in the murder.

The investigation into the murder of Dink, former editor of the
bilingual Turkish-Armenian weekly Agos and Turkey's best known
Armenian voice abroad, was viewed as a test of democracy and human
rights in European Union candidate Turkey.

In a 650-page report, the conclusion of which was posted on the
president's website late on Monday, the DDK said security forces
failed to act on tip-offs about a plan to murder Dink and called for
the negligent officials to be investigated and tried.

Last month, an Istanbul court sentenced a man to life in prison for
involvement in Dink's murder but acquitted 17 other defendants,
sparking large protests and criticism from rights groups.

A juvenile court had already sentenced Dink's assassin, Ogun
Samast, to 22 years and 10 months in jail last July. He was 17 when
the killing took place.

Many Turks believe Dink was the target of arch nationalists because
of articles he wrote about Armenian identity and references he made
to a Turkish “genocide” of Christian Armenians in 1915 – an accusation
Turkey strenuously denies.

STRUCTURAL PROBLEMS

The report said the failure to prevent Dink's murder showed the
need for reforms to the security system.

“The first issue to be expressed regarding the failure to protect
Hrant Dink's right to life is that some structural problems exist
within the security sector … regarding the collection and evaluation
of intelligence and providing public and personal security,” the DDK
said in the report.

“It is essential first to look at the need for reform on the matter
and a number of problems in institutional structures and practices,”
it said.

Public confidence in the judicial system had been undermined by the
way the case had been handled, it added.

“On the one hand, a result to a case that does not satisfy the public
conscience has emerged and, on the other hand, the credibility of all
the public institutions has been brought into question,” the DDK said
in the report.

In 2010, the European Court of Human Rights ordered Turkish authorities
to pay 100,000 euros ($132,600) to Dink's family in compensation,
saying authorities had failed to protect Dink even though they knew
ultra-nationalists were plotting to kill him.

Seven security officials have already been convicted for failing to
relay information on the plot that could have prevented the murder.

In a statement ahead of last month's verdict, Amnesty
International said authorities had still not investigated the full
circumstances behind Dink's murder.

Dink had been repeatedly prosecuted for insulting “Turkishness” under
the infamous article 301 of the penal code, which was later amended to
placate EU criticism that Turkey was violating freedom of expression.

Armenia, backed by many historians and parliaments, says 1.5 million
Christian Armenians were killed in what is now eastern Turkey during
World War One in a deliberate policy of genocide ordered by the
Ottoman government.

Ankara denies the killings constitute genocide and says many Muslim
Turks and Kurds were also put to death as Russian troops invaded
eastern Anatolia, often aided by Armenian militias. (Writing by
Jonathon Burch; Editing by Robin Pomeroy)

From: A. Papazian

AZERBAIJAN WON’T ATTACK ARMENIA – EXPERT

Vestnik Kavkaza
Feb 21 2012
Russia

Azerbaijan won’t attack Armenia, Azerbaijani political analyst Fikret
Sadykhov told VK, commenting on the recent statement by the CSTO chief.

The chairman of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, Nikolay
Bordyuzha, recently said that the organization would back Armenia in
case of military aggression.

According to Professor Sadykhov, there will be no need for such
intervention as Azerbaijan has no plans to attack Armenia.

GELBAKHIANI SURRENDERS AT ARMENIAN BORDER
By Gvantsa Gabekhadze

The Messenger
Feb 21 2012
Georgia

On Monday, wanted Georgian opposition figure Valeri Gelbakhiani
surrendered to law enforcement at the Georgia-Armenia border, after a
four-year search. Gelbakhiani, who was tried for treason in absentia,
has been wanted by police since February 4, 2008.

Gelbakhiani was charged with plotting to overthrow the constitutional
order. He previously served as the chief of staff for the late Georgian
presidential candidate Badri Patarkatsishvili.

According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Gelbakhiani and former
judge Marina Gabunia conspired to violently overthrow the government
through protests and riots across Georgia. Their plot also included
bribing government officials to gain access to, and detain, the
Minister of Internal Affairs.

The plan was allegedly agreed upon with the consent of
Patarkatsishvili.

Gelbakhiani’s decision to return to Georgia and turn himself in
was influenced by his mother’s poor health. According to his son,
Irakli, who was with his father at the border, Gelbakhiani is currently
being held in Gldani prison #8. “He hopes that political parties, the
diplomatic corps, and society reacts to his detention and assists him.

He also hopes that sees his mother either alive or dead,” the younger
man remarked, noting that his grandmother is resting in a Sachkhere
hospital.

Government representatives commented that this issue is the domain
of law enforcement. “I can only say that all issues related to
Gelbakhiani’s detention… are the competence of the prosecutor’s
office and the court, thus making any comment by me would be
[inappropriate],” majority member of Parliament, Pavle Kublashvili,
said.

Leader of the Christian Democratic Movement, MP Giorgi Targamadze,
demanded the immediate release of Gelbakhiani, saying that his party is
ready to post bail. He called the arrest “a political pursuit carried
out by the current regime and not a legal action”. Targamadze also
noted that any Georgian would return home, regardless of criminal
charges, if their mother’s health was at stake.

MP Jondi Baghaturia also believes that Gelbakhiani and Patarkatsishvili
are innocent, but criticized the Christian-Democrats for failing to
support his earlier calls for investigation.

Opposition movement The Whites have also come out in support of
Gelbakhiani, saying that the government’s allegations are groundless
and that the authorities regularly threaten their opponents with
similar actions.

Movement Georgian Dream, also expressed interest regarding the issue
and mentioned that its lawyers would observe the process.

WORLD BANK PREDICTS 4.3% GROWTH IN ARMENIA

The Messenger
Feb 21 2012
Georgia

The World Bank’s Yerevan office has predicted that the Armenian
economy will achieve 4.3% economic growth in 2012.

After the shock of 2008, Armenia’s foreign debt increased, although
recently the Armenian government has adopted procedures to monitor
and regulate the re-payment of loans. The country also had to lower
export prices to encourage economic growth.

One of the most important sources of income is remittances from the
sizeable Armenian Diaspora. Any economic difficulties in sending
countries therefore also influences Armenia’s national economy.

CSTO TO BACK ARMENIA IN CASE OF MILITARY AGGRESSION

Vestnik Kavkaza
Feb 21 2012
Russia

The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) will back Armenia
in case of military aggression, the body’s press service says.

The organization’s Secretary General Nikolay Bardyuzha said in a
statement that the body will support Armenia if the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict leads to a war.

At the same time, Bordyuzha underlined that the CSTO is not currently
involved in the conflict.

SOURCE UNVEILS AZERBAIJAN’S ROLE IN SPREADING NARCOTICS IN REGION

Fars News Agency

Feb 21 2012
Iran

TEHRAN (FNA)- An informed source dismissed the recent charges raised
by Azerbaijan about Iran’s involvement in drug-trafficking in the
country, and disclosed Baku’s key role in protecting poppy farms in
Afghanistan and spread of illicit drugs in the region.

“Promotion of narcotics is a serious policy of some official circles
in the Azerbaijan republic,” an informed source, who asked to remain
anonymous, told FNA on Tuesday.

The source said that Azeri soldiers in collaboration with the US
occupying troops are protecting poppy farms in Afghanistan.

“The Azerbaijan republic has relocated part of its soldiers from
the contact lines in Karabakh to Afghanistan in a bid to protect
the poppy farms, which are a source of income for the occupiers,”
the source noted.

The revelation comes after Azeri security forces arrested an Iranian
journalist on suspicion of drug possession in Azerbaijan., prompting
a warning from Iran’s embassy.

The Azeri media claimed that the reporter, Anar Bayramli, who
worked for Iranian TV, has been detained in Baku on charges of drug
possession.

Meantime, Bayramli’s brother told contact.az that he had no doubts
that the drug was planted by the police.

A former Iranian civil defense official took the US and the Zionist
regime responsible for detaining the reporter who works for the
Iranian television in Azerbaijan.

“The pressures of the Zionists and the US had a role in arresting the
IRIB’s reporter by the Azeri government,” Former Director-General of
Iran’s Civil Defense Davoud Ahmadinejad told FNA on Monday.

He referred to the efforts made by some reporters in revealing the
relations between the Zionists and a number of regional governments,
and said such states do their best to keep their ties with Israel
hidden.

On February 12, the Iranian Foreign Ministry summoned Azeri Ambassador
to Tehran Javanshir Akhundov to protest at Baku for sheltering several
Mossad-trained terrorists who had assassinated the Iranian scientists.

The director-general of the Iranian foreign ministry’s office for
commonwealth and Caucasus affairs voiced strong objection to the
presence and unrestricted activity of Mossad intelligence agents
in Azerbaijan, who are involved in espionage activities against the
Islamic Republic.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry also criticized the anti-Iran campaign
on state-controlled Azeri news outlets and the degrading behavior of
Azeri customs officials towards Iranian truck drivers.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

AZERBAIJANI DEMANDS THAT CSTO HEAD GIVE EXPLANATIONS

Vestnik Kavkaza
Feb 21 2012
Russia

Nikolai Bordyuzha, Secretary General of the Collective Security Treaty
Organization, has been making unauthorized statements, Aydyn Mirzazade,
a member of the Azerbaijani parliamentary committee for security and
defense, said, Trend reports.

The Azerbaijani official said that the CSTO Charter demands fulfillment
of security obligations of its members. Nagorno-Karabakh is a territory
occupied by Armenia, he says.

Mirzazade said that Azerbaijan would not give away an inch of its
territory. He expressed pity that the secretary general, being a
representative of Russia, made such statements. Azerbaijan may restore
its territorial unity via diplomatic or military means. Azerbaijan
will choose the most suitable way, the Azerbaijani MP notes.

Vestnik Kavkaza reported earlier that CSTO Secretary General Nikolai
Bordyuzha promised at a press conference in RIA Novosti to support
Armenia in case the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict intensifies.

EU TO LAUNCH FREE TRADE NEGOTIATIONS WITH ARMENIA

Business Recorder

Feb 21 2012

The European Union plans to launch negotiations on a free trade area
(FTA) with Armenia soon in order to boost trade and investment with
the Caucasus country Talks will cover market access EU conditions,
as well as bringing rules in other countries closer to those in the
EU so their local manufacturers meet EU standards.

The moves are aimed at helping Armenia integrate more with the “The
EU is Armenia’s first trading partner,” EU Trade Commissioner Karel
De Gucht said in a statement.

“A deep and comprehensive free trade area will give Armenia a more
favourable access to the European Single Market thereby helping to
boost economic growth in the country.” It did not say when the talks
would start.

The EU has been negotiating a broader Association Agreement with
Armenia since July 2010, a type of agreement the EU uses to persuade
third countries to make commitments to political, economic, trade,
or human rights reform.

Armenia has made significant reforms recently in technical regulations,
sanitary measures and the protection of intellectual property, the
Commission said.

The EU was Armenia’s biggest trading partner in 2011, with bilateral
trade amounting to 960 million euros.

The country already benefits from low import duties to the EU.

From: A. Papazian

IS IRAN OPPRESSING CHRISTIANS?
By Damaris Kremida

Opposing Views

Feb 21 2012

ISTANBUL, Turkey — Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence has ordered the
last two officially registered churches holding Friday Farsi-language
services in Tehran to discontinue them.

Emmanuel Protestant Church and St. Peter’s Evangelical Church were
the last two official churches offering services on Fridays in Tehran
in Iran’s primary language, according to Middle East Concern (MEC).

Officials issued the order on Feb. 10.

Emmanuel and St. Peter’s, both Presbyterian churches, are among
Tehran’s few registered churches that mainly serve the Armenian and
Assyrian communities. The churches’ Armenian- and Assyrian- language
services are typically held on Sundays.

In 2009, authorities had ordered an Assemblies of God congregation,
Central Church of Tehran, to close its multiple Friday Farsi services.

Friday services in Tehran attracted converts to Christianity as well
as Muslims interested in Christianity, as Friday is most Iranians’
day off during the week. Authorities told the churches they can hold
the services on Sunday, a working day when most Iranians are not able
to attend.

“This decision means that there are now no Farsi-language services
on Fridays in any officially registered church in Tehran,” Middle
East Concern (MEC) stated in a mid-February report.

An Iranian Christian who requested anonymity told Compass Direct
News that government officials cannot stop the three churches from
operating because they belong to minority groups. But, the source
said, officials are doing what they can to limit both the churches
and the spread of Christianity to Farsi speakers.

“Authorities want church operations to stop, but because these
churches are established by Armenians and Assyrians and their leaders
are Armenian and Assyrian, they can’t stop them,” the source said,
“but they can stop the Farsi-speaking services.”

The source said the restrictions have cut attendance at Emmauel and
St. Peter’s by half.

The MEC report stated that “the order to stop Farsi services is
consistent with the authorities’ policy of restricting Christian
activities to these traditional communities,” indicating that Tehran is
determined to eradicate access to Christian worship for the country’s
growing number of Christian converts.

Authorities have prohibited musical worship and Bible distribution at
the Central Church of Tehran, the largest and most visible Assemblies
of God congregation in the country. Last December, officials also
enforced a policy under which only invited guests could attend Central
Church’s Christmas service.

Authorities recently have pressured leaders of Emmanuel and St.

Peter’s to turn over the national identity numbers of Christians,
the Iranian Christian source said. As a result, many Christians from
these churches as well as Central Church have lost their jobs.

“We have some people who were fired from their jobs,” the Christian
said. “The authorities pushed the bosses to fire their Christian
employees.”

The source explained that this is a new tactic by the government to
discourage Iranians from becoming Christians and to deter Christians
from being involved in church.

“‘If I have too many difficulties in my life, I won’t have time to
be involved in church, and people will see how difficult it is to be
a Christian,'” the source said of the government’s pressure. “This
is not a good face for the Christians. The others see and say, ‘Oh,
they became Christians and God stopped His blessing to them.'”

Most Iranian Christian converts attend underground house churches
that belong to various networks. For their own protection, these
Christians often do not know about other house church networks.

Authorities often detain, question and apply pressure on converts from
Islam, viewing them as elements of Western propaganda set against
the Iranian regime. As a result, the converts are forced to worship
in secret.

Also in mid-February, news surfaced of the arrest in Tehran of an
Assemblies of God leader, Masis Moussian of the Narmak AOG church.

Mohabat News reported that his arrest was a result of “waves of
anti-Christian pressures and distribution of unsubstantiated reports
by regime-supported media regarding the AOG churches of Iran.”

According to these reports, members of the AOG church in Tehran are
“extreme Christians” trying to recruit new members, and particularly
youth, across the country.

Moussian is being held at the Rajaei-Shahr prison and is not allowed
visitors. His family has not been able to obtain information on his
condition in prison.

On Feb. 8, authorities also arrested about 10 Christians who had
gathered for worship at a house in the southern city of Shiraz. A
report by Mohabat News stated that authorities mistreated the
Christians in attendance and searched the house, confiscating Bibles.

The Christians still remain in an unknown location.

The new report identified two women, three men and a teenager by their
first names. Another was identified as Mojtaba Hosseini. Authorities
had arrested Hosseini in 2008 along with eight other Christian converts
on charges of being Christians, according to Mohabat.

Among those being detained is a 17-year-old boy named Nima, along with
his mother, Fariba, and father, Homayoun. Another woman was identified
as Sharifeh, and two men were identified as Kourosh and Masoud.

Authorities searched the homes of those arrested and seized CDs,
Bibles, Christian materials, computers, fax machines and satellite
receivers, according to Mohabat.

Iran applies sharia (Islamic law), which dictates that converts from
Islam to other religions are “apostates” who can be punished by death.

Although judges rarely sentence Christians to death for leaving Islam,
one Christian, Yousef (also spelled Youcef) Nadarkhani, is appealing
such a decision in the northeastern city of Rasht.

Nadarkhani has been in prison since October 2009. A Rasht court found
him guilty of leaving Islam and handed him the death sentence in
September 2010. Remaining in prison also are Farshid Fathi in Tehran;
Farhad Sabokroh, Naser Zamen-Defzuli, Davoud Alijani and Noorollah
Qabitizade in Ahwaz; and Fariborz Arazm and Behnam Irani in Karaj.

There are an estimated 350,000 Christian converts from Islam in Iran.

“I believe 100 percent the whole movement in Iran is in God’s hand,”
the Christian source told Compass. “This pushing [of the government]
can stop the church buildings but they cannot stop the Kingdom of God.