Author: Andres-Papazian

POLITICAL ANALYST: AZERBAIJAN MAY PUT FORWARD AN INITIATIVE TO EXAMINE THE FULFILLMENT OF UN SECURITY COUNCIL’S FOUR RESOLUTIONS ON NAGORNO KARABAKH CONFLICT

Milaz.info , Azerbaijan
Nov 2 2011

APA’s interview with political analyst Farhad Mammadov.

– Beginning from 2012, Azerbaijan will be directly involved in
adoption of important decisions at the UN Security Council in two
years. Azerbaijan is a country, which tries to strengthen its position
at the international arena. What do you think will membership at the
UN Security Council be effective for Azerbaijan?

– It will depend on the skills of our diplomacy. I think they will
do it. The question is that the mission at the Security Council has a
number of difficult tasks, including the solution of peace and security
problems in the world. Azerbaijan is neighboring with Russia in north
and with Iran in south. Of course, we have to take different regional
and global interests into consideration. For example, the problem
of Syria can be raised at the Security Council. There are forces
pressing for it, first of all, the West. But there are countries,
which don’t desire it, for example Russia, Iran and others….

– By the way, during the elections to the UN Security Council, a
Western diplomat told foreign newspapers that they fear that the new
members like Azerbaijan will not support the West in the questions
of Iran and Syria. What do you think is it possible to derive benefit
from such situation?

– Yes, it is possible. The question is that you become a player there.

The UN Security Council adopts decisions with majority of 9 votes of
15. But five permanent members have the right of veto. If, for example,
Russia uses the right of veto in the issue of sanctions against Iran,
the vote of Azerbaijan will not be significant. If Russia doesn’t
use the right of veto, in that case, Azerbaijan’s position will
be decisive. The important side of this issue for us is that some
countries will try to establish good relations with Azerbaijan due
to its representation at the UN Security Council.

– As Azerbaijan was elected to the UN Security Council, many in Baku
began to view this issue from the prism of its possible impact on the
solution to Nagorno Karabakh conflict because this issue is the most
important nationwide issue for Azerbaijan. Could the UN play any role
in moving the Nagorno Karabakh issue from deadlock?

– First of all I would like to note that during the 24 months of
Azerbaijan’s representation at the Security Council, the chairmanship
will be handed over to us for two times. Every chairmanship will
continue for one month. But the chairing country doesn’t determine the
agenda independently. It puts proposals and recommendations to vote
in order to include them in agenda, which is composed after the voting.

If Azerbaijan puts forward an initiative that “Armenia is an invader
and lets recognize it”, veto will be put by such countries like
Russia and France. Thus it will be impossible to include this issue
in agenda. These countries will not support including of Karabakh
issue in agenda and will say that it is under the mandate of the OSCE
Minsk Group. But what can Azerbaijan do? Azerbaijan can include the
examination of fulfillment of UN Security Council’s four resolutions
on Karabakh in agenda. Thus it is possible to put forward an initiative
to examine the fulfillment of these four resolutions. But be confident,
they will not recognize Armenia as an invader country.

Just remember Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act which is still
in force. It must be considered that Armenia is a second country
after Israel for per capita US financial aid. It reflects America’s
position. But anyway, Azerbaijan can raise a question on the reason
of non-fulfillment of 4 resolutions. The Armenians hope that this
issue will be dropped from the international agenda and consequently
the occupation will be legalized. Azerbaijan can prevent it in the
tribune of the Security Council.

– Are there countries which can be a partner and ally of Azerbaijan
during the discussion of issues related to Azerbaijan in the Security
Council?

United Kingdom is one of the prestigious members of the Council.

Britain has wide relations with Azerbaijan and the British companies
invest many capitals to Azerbaijan. The United Kingdom has deep
interests in Azerbaijan and Caspian Sea region. Besides, Pakistan is
also a member of the Security Council and this country has allied
relations with our country. A potential partner and ally issues
will depend on the ability of our diplomacy. Azerbaijan’s image,
geographical positions, resources, successes in various spheres extends
our country’s “background” list and has direct impact on its political
position in the world.

From: A. Papazian

OSCE SUPPORTS TRAINING FOR LAWYERS AND JUDGES ON FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION IN ARMENIA

States News Service
November 1, 2011 Tuesday

The following information was released by the Organization for Security
and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE):

Two OSCE-supported workshops for legal counsel and judges aimed to
promote freedom of expression in Armenia started today in Yerevan.

The event was designed in response to the increasing number of court
cases filed against Armenian media representatives on defamation
charges. It aims to enhance the legal awareness of Armenian lawyers
and judges on international freedom of expression standards, in order
to ensure better implementation of the right to freedom of expression
in Armenia. The discussions focus on defamation and insult, privacy,
regulation of freedom of expression in the context of elections,
contempt of court and court reporting.

The workshops are conducted by a senior legal expert from the
London-based non-governmental organization ARTICLE 19, a top barrister
from the UK, and a team of legal experts from the non-governmental
organization Europe in Law Association (ELA).

Addressing the event participants, Carel Hofstra, the Deputy Head of
OSCE Office in Yerevan, noted: “The decriminalization of defamation
in Armenia in May 2010 was a significant step forward in advancing
free speech. However, the practice of the law implementation shows
that more needs to be done to achieve effective judicial protection
of the right to free expression, and this is what the OSCE-supported
seminars target at.”

“Any attempt to restrict the free flow of information and ideas in
matters of legitimate public debate can lead to the violation of the
freedom of expression and must be carefully scrutinized by the courts,
Gavin Millar, the UK expert, said. “Speech should only be interfered
with when a pressing social need to do so has been convincingly
established, and all penalties for speech must be proportionate. I
hope the workshops launched today will help the lawyers and judges
to fully understand these important principles and to carry them into
practice in the Armenian courts.”

Boyko Boev from the ARTICLE 19 said: “Lawyers and judges play a key
role in a rule-of-law-based society. Individuals who believe to have
been defamed turn to lawyers and judges to protect their reputation.

Likewise, journalists need competent and independent judiciary to
protect their right to free expression.” How to balance between
conflicting interests, such as reputation and expression, and
contribute to better use of legal safeguards for free and independent
media, will be discussed at the event, he added.

The events are organized by the ELA with the support of the OSCE
Office in Yerevan, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media,
the U.S. Embassy in Armenia, and the Armenian Representative Office
of the American Bar Association CEELI Inc.

The workshop is the third major activity supported by the OSCE to
enhance the level of protection of freedom of expression in Armenia.

It follows a similar workshop held for journalists and the launch of
a website (), which offers a useful database of materials
related to freedom of expression matters, including summaries of more
than 60 European Court of Human Rights cases in Armenian.

From: A. Papazian

STATUE OF ATATURK AND TURKISH FLAG BURNED IN TURKEY

Panorama, Armenia
Nov 2 2011

Turkey-based Kurdish “Peace and democracy” party has delivered a
statement referring to the killed PKK soldiers by the armed forces
of Turkey. The party then has taken the streets to hold a march,
but the police officers banned it saying it was illegal.

According to Turkish “Haber 3” paper the police and rebels have then
clashed. A group of rebels has burned the statue of Ataturk and the
flag of Turkey. An investigation has been launched.

From: A. Papazian

YEREVAN HAS 1 MILLION 125.6 THOUSAND POPULATION

Panorama, Armenia
Nov 2 2011

National statistical service says the number permanent population of
Armenia is 3 million 270 thousand as of October 1.

According to the source 2 million 93.3 thousand live in the cities
of the country, including Yerevan which has 1 million 125.6 thousand
population, and 1 million 176.7 thousand lives in rural communities.

From: A. Papazian

KNESSET SPEAKER WORKS ON RECOGNIZING ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

news.am, Armenia
Nov 2 2011

Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin said Monday that he wanted to convene an
annual parliamentary session of the full Knesset to mark the Armenian
Genocide, Asbarez writes.

“It is my duty as a Jew and Israeli to recognize the tragedies of
other peoples,” Rivlin told Israel-based Haaretz newspaper.

The newspaper wrote that Rivlin stressed the diplomatic considerations,
important as they may be, should not deter us from recognizing a
tragecy experienced by another people.

The recognition of the Genocide and issues related to commemorating
April 24 will be debated in coming weeks by the relevant committees of
the Knesset, said Armenian National Committee of Jerusalem chairman
Hagop Sevan, saying that the legislature has reconvened following a
long summer break.

From: A. Papazian

ISTANBUL-ARMENIAN NEWSPAPERS TO ATTEND DISCUSSIONS ON TURKEY’S NEW CONSTITUTION

news.am, Armenia
Nov 2 2011

ISTANBUL. – Turkey’s Grand National Assembly Speaker Cemil Cicek
invited representatives of the country’s four national minority
newspapers to take part in a conference devoted to the preparation
of a new Constitution.

Chief editors or directors from 5 news agencies, 29 newspapers,
and 25 television companies are invited to this event, CNN Turk news
agency reported.

Invitations were also sent to the Armenian “Agos” and “Jamanak,”
the Jewish “Shalom,” and the Greek “Apoyevmatini” newspapers.

From: A. Papazian

EUROPEAN VALUES WERE PRESENT IN KARABAKH, 1,500 YEARS AGO – NEWSPAPER

news.am, Armenia
Nov 2 2011

YEREVAN. – Preaching European values in Armenia has become
new-fashioned in recent years. But experience has shown that those
preachers simply are not aware of the political and juridical heritage
of their own people, Azg daily writes.

By the initiative of King Vachagan Barepasht (“the Pious”) of Karabakh
(Artsakh) and Utik, a Constitution was adopted 1,500 years ago,
in the early 500s, whose rewritten version, which was prepared
in 1288, is still kept at Armenian capital Yerevan’s Matenadaran
(Armenian ancient manuscript museum). At the initial phase, the draft
Constitution was sent to different dwelling areas, where meetings and
discussions were held, the people gave their consent, and subsequently
the King convened a large national congress, and only after which
the Constitution was adopted through a referendum. At the same time,
the congress was chaired by a rank-and-file soldier. These methods
emerged in Europe 800-1,000 years later.

The First Armenian Constitution is the most vivid example of the
fact that, if the natural development of our (Armenian) statehood
had not been interrupted by 600-700 years, perhaps we would have
been the locomotive of those values which today are the foundations
of western democracy.

From: A. Papazian

ARMENIA’S FOREIGN MINISTER MEETS WITH DELEGATION OF EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT

Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
Nov 2 2011

Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian has received a delegation
of the Parliamentary Committee on cooperation between the parliaments
of Armenia and the EU, led by Milan Tsabrnoh, Armenpress reports.

The Office of Press, Information and Public Relations of the Foreign
Ministry reported that during the meeting Edward Nalbandian expressed
his satisfaction with progress in terms of cooperation development
and stressed the importance of inter-parliamentary contacts as a
significant format of bilateral cooperation.

The parties stressed the importance of Euronest as a parliamentary
platform for cooperation between the EU and its “eastern neighborhood”
in the framework of the Eastern Partnership policy.

From: A. Papazian

EUROPEAN AMBASSADORS VISITED ARMENIAN-AZERBAIJANI FRONTLINE

Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
Nov 2 2011

The ambassadors and representatives of the embassies of the European
Union member states toAzerbaijanvisited the frontline regions,
APA informs.

According to the source the visit was initiated by the EU Delegation
to Azerbaijan.

Representatives of the embassies of
theUK,Latvia,Germany,France,Lithuania,Greece,Norwayand other countries
visited Varanda (Fuzuli) region on October 31 ~V November 1.

The diplomats met with the local authorities, residents, internally
displaced persons, concerned themselves with the situation in the
frontline region.

Diplomats spoke about the frequent violations of the ceasefire on
the contact line.

The diplomats have already returned to Baku.

From: A. Papazian

ARMENIA’S AMBASSADOR KOCHARYAN MEETS LEBANESE MINISTERS

Tert.am
23:56 02.11.11

Armenia’s Ambassador to Lebanon Ashot Kocharyan has met the Lebanese
Foreign Minister Adnan Mansur and the Minister of Industry Vrezh
Sapunjian.

According to a press release by Armenia’s Foreign Ministry, at the
meeting with Adnan Mansur Ambassador Kocharyan discussed a wide range
of issues relating to bilateral ties.

Both sides highly appreciated mutual visits and highlighted the
importance of updating the existing legal field, enhancing cooperation
within international organizations and enlivening trade and economic
ties.

They also expressed conviction that high-profile mutual visits would
lead the existing friendly and warm relations to a new qualitative
level.

Adnan Mansur, in turn, highly appreciated the role the Armenian
community in Lebanon is playing in the country’s political,
socio-economic and cultural life.

On November 2 Ambassador Kocharyan also met Lebanese Minister of
Industry Vrezh Sapunjian and discussed issues regarding bilateral
trade and the prospects of their development.

They stressed the importance of organizing mutual visits among business
circles, as well as business forums and cooperation between the trade
chambers of the two countries.

Ambassador Kocharyan briefed Sapunjian on the economic developments
in Armenia, the country’s economic priorities and investments
opportunities.

From: A. Papazian