Author: Andres-Papazian

Turkish and Azerbaijani investments will bring to muslimization of
Armenian Javakhk

YEREVAN, March 12. /ARKA/. Investments of Turkish and Azerbaijani
companies in the Armenian populated Georgian region
Samtskhe-Javakhetia will bring to muslimization of the region,
historian-expert Vane Sargsyan considers.

The region Samtskhe-Javakhetia (historical Armenian name – Javakhk) is
located on the border of Georgia, Armenia and Turkey where the
majority of population are Armenians – 91%.

`Today hydro-power stations are being built on the main two rivers of
Javakhk – Parvana and Kur. The main shareholders are Turkish companies
and the road construction is implemented by Azerbaijani company
`Azertash’ which won the tender of the program of American corporation
`Millenium Challenges’. All this create Muslim oases in Javakhk’, said
Sargsyan in the pres-conference on Saturday.

If at the beginning of the century in south Georgia, in the region
Kvemo-Kartli Muslims made only 20-25 thousand people, now they are
350-400 thousand. `It is a real threat for north borders of Armenia.
If it continues this way, Armenia will have to locate troops in the
Armenian-Georgian border’, said Sargsyan.

In the region Tsalka the majority of population are Armenians. In
Soviet times there were four Azerbaijani villages and now – seven.

He mentioned the policy of relocation of Turks-Meskhetins. `Now in the
city Akhaltskha there live only 30 families of Turks-Meskhetins. Due
to the liabilities of Georgia towards European Council, their return
(about 90 thousand people) is actual today. It will be a catastrophe
for Javakhk’, he said.

For the solution of this problem it is necessary to promote
investments of Armenian companies in Javakhk, for which the
authorities should develop state strategy regarding Javakhk.

`Otherwise, Armenians will leave the region which will be a very
serious problem for Armenia as strategic importance of Javakhk and
local Armenian community is highly appreciated’, said Sargsyan.

According to census of population 2002, the number of Armenians in
Javakhetia is about 90.4 thousand people. –0–

From: A. Papazian

The Irish Times
March 12, 2011 Saturday

Opinion:
Modernisers, or atavistic Islamists?

by PATRICK SMYTH

WORLD VIEW: Journalists arrest has put the nature of Turkey s ruling
part back in the spotlight

SINCE IT came to power in 2002, Turkey s Justice and Development Party
(AKP) has been, depending on your perspective, the poster boy for the
successful accommodation of Islamism to democracy and pluralism, or a
stalking horse plotting at the heart of Turkish society to undermine
its cherished secular state.

A party determined to embrace Turkey s place in the EU, successfully
to modernise a booming economy, state and society? Or an
authoritarian, backward-looking, veil-wearing, enemy of western
values?

Now the worrying arrests over the last two weeks of six journalists,
bizarrely alleged to belong to terrorist organisations and to have
been part of two conspiracies to overthrow the government,
Sledgehammer and Ergenekon , has brought the differing interpretations
of the party s true nature to centre stage again at a sensitive time.

It matters, and not only to Turkey. In Germany the arrests have fed
right-wing anti-Turkish EU accession propaganda. While in the wider
Middle East, where Turkey is playing a stronger diplomatic and
mediating role than at any time since the days of the Ottoman Empire,
they undermine the aspirations of moderate Islamist groups, not least
in Egypt, to promote the democratic Turkish way.

Prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan insists the AKP played no part in
the arrests while the secularist opposition, in whose view Erdogan s
party can do no right, sees them as a further attempt to stifle
dissent ahead of elections, a tightening noose on the country s
already pressured media.

But even the country s AKP president, Abdullah Gul, has expressed his
concern over the arrests, describing them as developments that the
public conscience cannot accept , while the European Parliament this
week expressed strong concerns about media freedom.

The existence of plots against the government should not be
discounted. The army, with allies in the deep state apparatus and the
academic and legal establishments, has overthrown four governments
since 1960. And although its leadership professes now a commitment to
democracy, many generals and senior officers still hold extremist
views and are quite capable of the alleged plotting first unveiled in
the Ergenekon case in 2007.

It is the first time in Turkey s history that the generals have faced
this sort of judicial probing, albeit in special courts, and there are
hundreds of defendants in the two slow-moving trials, mostly from
within the state security apparatus, but also now some 60 journalists.

Supporters of the controversial trials believe they are essential to
establishing the rule of law in Turkey and ending the traditional
culture of impunity in the military.

Yet there are real questions now from liberals and those outside the
hardline secularist opposition about whether the state is overreaching
itself and in doing so damaging a worthwhile process. Two of the
journalists arrested last Friday, Nedim Sener and Ahmet Sik, have
strong records of uncovering human rights abuses and exposing the deep
state the group they now stand accused of working for. Thousands took
to the streets in protest after the arrests.

Sener received the International Press Institute s World Press Hero
award last year, for his book about the 2007 assassination of
Armenian-Turkish journalist Hrant Dink. In it he sought to expose
links between the murder and state security forces.

Sik s most recent book probed the Ergenekon case and asked whether
prosecutors had lost the run of themselves by concentrating too much
on

plots and not enough on actual crimes of the past involving the military.

And at the time of his arrest he was about to publish a book on the
role within the police of an influential Islamic brotherhood led by
Fethullah Gulen, a Pennsylvania-based imam. They are reported also to
be close to the AKP. Whoever touches [them] burns, Sik shouted as he
was led away.

Confused? You thought the plotters were secularists? Well, join the
bewilderment shared by most Turks at their murky security world of
mirrors.

The chief Ergenekon prosecutor insists Sener and Sik were arrested for
other activities , not their writing, but leaked transcripts of their
interrogation show the prosecutor s preoccupation with questions about
their attitude to the Gulemists.

What is also not clear is the extent to which the latest prosecutions
are the direct work of the AKP, or of its allies within the
notoriously independent state prosecution or legal divisions. Though
deeply regrettable, are they perhaps better seen as a symptom of
precisely the challenges faced by the party in reforming the country s
dysfunctional state?

They are certainly damaging the fraught Turkish bid for EU membership.
Turkey has so far opened 13 chapters in its accession talks with the
EU but they are widely seen as going nowhere, courtesy of German and
French foot-dragging. Turkish exasperation has seen Erdogan recently
upping anti-EU nationalist rhetoric. If they do not want Turkey in,
they should say this openly . . . and then we will mind our own
business and will not bother them.

Election talk? Or another straw in the wind hinting at the AKP s true nature?

From: A. Papazian

Newcastle Evening Chronicle, UK
March 11, 2011 Friday

I COULDN’T EVER IMAGINE GOING BACK WITH OUT MY PARENTS

A COUPLE and their children could be torn apart if their appeal for
asylum is rejected.

Kamo and Nonna Manukyan have lived in Wallsend, North Tyneside, for
nearly four years with their children Lusi, 20, and Arsen, 21.

The family were recently refused asylum and faced deportation to
Armenia and Uzbekistan.

Now, following an appeal in the High Court Kamo and Nonna have
obtained an injunction – which will allow them to stay in the country
temporarily. But because Lusi and Arsen have turned 18, they are
forced to make independent claims for asylum, meaning the family could
be split up at any time.

Lusi, who scored top grades at A level and won places to study
medicine at Newcastle and St Andrew’s universities, said: “There is
every chance that we could be split up. I couldn’t ever imagine going
back to that country without my parents. I don’t think I would
survive.

“It’s our culture to stay with our parents until we are married, and
no young person would be expected to leave the family home until
then.”

This week the High Court in Leeds granted Kamo and Nonna the
injunction, which prevented them from being removed from the country.

But Lusi and Arsen were forced to travel to Croydon, Greater London,
to make fresh and independent claims for asylum as an immediate
deportation order hung over them.

Lusi said: “The court gave my mum and dad an injunction, which meant
that they were allowed to stay. But because my brother and I had no
right to be in the country, we had no choice but to make an
independent claim for asylum or we would have been forced to leave
there and then.”

The family fled Uzbekistan in 2007 after persecution. But since
finding a home in the North East they have become pillars in the local
community and have done thousands of hours of volunteering between
them.

Lusi and Arsen are part of several youth drama and music groups, and
parents Kamo and Nonna volunteer at the Age Concern cafe at Mea House,
Newcastle. This week Lusi will receive a national award at a ceremony
in Warwick for her volunteering work in Newcastle. And yesterday, as
the family faced an uncertain future, the local community showed their
support. Labour MP for North Tyneside Mary Glindon said: “Since being
here the family have built up strong friendships and made themselves
pillars in the community. They have proved not only they want to be
here but that they want to make a difference to the area.”

Solicitor Mandy Wilson, who works for Brar and Company said she
couldn’t believe the High Court decision.

She said: “I have never seen anything like this before. It seems
irresponsible that they would go to that length to split a family up.
For all Lusi and Arsen are over 18, they are still part of a family
unit.”

Wallace Wilson, deputy director for the UK Border Agency in the North
East said: “Mr and Mrs Manukyan have lodged a judicial review into the
UK Border Agency decision to remove them from the UK. Lusine and Arsen
Manukyan have now submitted their own, separate, applications, which
we will consider fully.” To support the Manukyan family, visit their
Facebook page – Manukyan family must stay.

From: A. Papazian

Newcastle Evening Chronicle, UK
March 11, 2011 Friday

WHY CAN’T THEY STAY?

TIME and time again the absurdity, not to mention bureaucracy, which
surrounds Britain’s asylum laws continue to be baffling.

Of course there are illegal immigrants who should be subject to
criminal proceedings and deportation, but the vast majority of
refugees and asylum seekers are here looking for a safe haven.

And this newspaper has highlighted in recent weeks some proposed
deportations which on the face of it are grossly unfair.

Families who have made a life here, with the full backing and support
of the communities in which they live, working and making a positive
contribution to society.

Kamo and Nonna Manukyan have lived in Wallsend for nearly four years
with their children Lusi, 20, and Arsen, 21. The family were recently
refused asylum and faced deportation to Armenia.

While they have yet another temporary stay, at any time the family
could be split up due to the fact the children are now adults and so
have to make their own independent applications for asylum.

Aside from a vocal and at times violent minority, Britain and this
region in particular has a proud history of providing safe sanctuary
for those fleeing danger and persecution from their own countries.

Government policy is unfair, unsatisfactory and loaded against decent
families like the Manukyans.

In most people’s minds there seems no valid reasons as to why they
shouldn’t stay in a place where they feel safe and secure, have made
friends and regard as home.

From: A. Papazian

ITAR-TASS, Russia
March 11, 2011 Friday 4:03 PM EST

Azerbaijan’s foreign minister urges to withdraw Armenian troops

YEREVAN March 11

The withdrawal of Armenian troops from Azerbaijan’s territory “will
create an utterly different situation in the region,” Azerbaijan’s
Foreign Minister Elmar Mamedyarov said on Friday.

After it is done “we will be able to speak of the situation’s
predictability, of re-opening communications, and restoring
confidence,” he said in an interview with Armenia’s Mediamax news
agency.

“It is difficult to say about any confidence, when they are,
regrettably, in a state of undeclared war,” he said.

Touching on a referendum on the status of Nagorno-Karabakh that is to
be held in line with a draft peace agreement, Mamedyarov said the
referendum should be proceeded by “enormous preparatory work.” “It is
necessary to melt the ice in relations, to re-build confidence, to
have people return, to create conditions for their safe co-existence,”
he said.

He described Armenia’s statement on its commitment to the
mediator-suggested three principle and six elements of the Karabakh
settlement as “a comforting fact.” In his words, “it may open
possibilities for work on a detailed peace agreement, which must be
limited in time in order not to be tempted to indulge in endless talks
and avoiding changes in the actual situation.”

“The three principles and six elements are underlying the Madrid
document, which was officially handed over to Armenia and Azerbaijan
in 2009 at a meeting of the OSCE Council of Foreign Ministers in
Athens,” the Azerbaijani foreign minister went on. “Regrettably, we
have wasted more than a year, although on March 5 at a Sochi meeting
between the presidents [of Russia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan] there were
certain positive tendencies towards a detailed peace agreement.”

From: A. Papazian

JOINT COMMENTARY BY THE PRESS SERVICES OF THE MINISTRIES OF FOREIGN
AFFAIRS AND DEFENSE OF THE NAGORNO KARABAKH REPUBLIC

Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic

2011-03-12 18:18

The Azerbaijani official propaganda continues aggravating the
situation on the occasion of the Azerbaijani boy’s death in the
frontier village of Orta Karvend, intensively spreading false
accusations against the Karabakh party.

Careful investigation of the case can discover some facts testifying
to the fabricated accusations of official Baku.

During the March 10 monitoring conducted by the OSCE Mission in the
noted place, the Karabakh party drew the attention of the monitoring
group to the following facts:

1. The distance between the front positions of the NKR Defense Army
and the village of Orta Karvend makes 1400-1500 meters, i.e. to hit a
man with adjusted fire from a SVD sniper rifle is impossible in this
case;

2. The relief of the noted section doesn’t allow adjusted firing from
the positions of the NKR Defense Army towards the opponent, as the
latter has height privileges;

3. According to reliable sources, for more accurate firing at the NKR
Defense Army’s positions from Orta Karvend, the Azerbaijani soldiers
climb the houses’ roofs. The very houses, in the yards of which `boys
play’;

4. In the frontier villages, people usually settle in the middle or
back, i.e. the safer area of the settlement and not in its front
section. And according to the Azerbaijani mass media information,
everything is just the contrary in Orta Karvend, and the yards, where
‘children play’, are, for some reason, situated as close to the front
line as possible;

5. Even if the child was killed by firing, still it should be
established who and from what side fired. It isn’t excluded that Fariz
Badalov could be a victim of firing by the Azerbaijani pointsmen
between the villages of Orta Karvend and Shykhlar;

6. It isn’t excluded either that the boy could have perished as a
result of careless handling of unexploded ammunition, which often
happens in the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict zone, on both sides of
the contact-line;

7. If the shot was not fired straightly at the target, but up
on-the-mitre, so the bullet, shot from a simple gun, could not fly so
far. High calibre machineguns can fire at such a distance. But,
according to the Azerbaijani mass media information, the child died on
the way to the hospital. If the shot had been fired from a high
calibre gun, so it would have merely smashed the child’s head.

Unfortunately, the Azerbaijani official propaganda doesn’t disdain any
methods, even cashing in on children’s life and death. The Armenian
parties are strangers to fascist methods used by Azerbaijan – killing
children, asleep men, and hostages, making subversives and terrorists
national heroes, and others.

Every time, after the Presidents’ meetings or before a visit of the
OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmen to the region, the Azerbaijani propaganda
machine increases the tension on the contact-line. Another example was
the March 10 death of 19-year-old soldier of the NKR Defense Army
Arthur Aghababian as a result of the firing from the Azerbaijani side.
The incident took place almost immediately after the OSCE monitoring
of the NKR and Azerbaijani armed forces’ contact-line. This is rough
violation of the agreements on confidence building measures achieved
on March 5 in Sochi as a result of the Armenian, Russian, and
Azerbaijani Presidents’ meeting. While, on the initiative of the
Armenian parties, the mediators once again offer drawing off snipers
from the front line, official Baku doesn’t only block this initiative,
but also intensifies the sniper war and with its provocative actions
reduces to zero the efforts of the international community on peaceful
settlement of the Karabakh conflict.

The international community must strictly condemn similar actions of
the Azerbaijani leadership and apply corresponding sanctions against
it.

From: A. Papazian

The Fund `Millennium Challenges-Armenia’ expects to get $19.9 million
in the 2nd half of 2011

YEREVAN, March 12. /ARKA/. The Fund `Millennium Challenges-Armenia’
expects to get $19.9 million from corporation `Millennium Challenges’
in the 2nd half of 2011.

Relevant application to be submitted to the corporation was approved
in the board meeting of the Fund headed by the prime minister of
Armenia Tigran Sargsyan.

According to the documents attached to the application, $19.5 million
of the total amount will be allocated to the activities implemented in
the frames of sub-program `Irrigative agriculture’ and the remaining
part for monitoring, assessment, control and management expenses of
the program.

The Board discussed and approved also extension of the deadline of the
agreement by the first package on rehabilitated water canals in the
frames of the component `Irrigation infrastructures’.

Deadline of the agreement on the conduction of qualified analysis on
the main components of the program of the Fund was also prolonged.

Board members presented information on the repair of the dam
rehabilitated by pump-station `Noyemberyan-1′ and on the process of
approving the package of legal acts and changes ensuing from the
development of irrigation strategy component of the program `Water to
Market’.

The program of American corporation `Millennium Challenges’ started on
September 29, 2006 in Armenia. According to the agreement signed on
March 2, 2006, 235 million US dollars was allocated to the Government
of Armenia for 5 years.

The grant was envisaged for the reduction of poverty level in rural
areas in Armenia, rehabilitation of rural roads and irrigation
systems. –0–

From: A. Papazian

Today, Azerbaijan
March 10 2011

Georgian expert Giorgi Khutsishvili: Thinking of Armenia-Azerbaijan
conflict I feel the reality of war

10 March 2011 [13:00] – Today.Az

“We can not establish the comfort in our house. We have gained
experience after deeply investigating our problems” said Georgian
expert Giorgi Khutsishvili yesterday at the conference on topic
“Georgia’s mediation in the settlement of Armenia-Azerbaijan
conflict”:

“We can not settle our conflict, how can we propose to settle the
conflict of the other nation. It is possible to learn many things from
the mistakes made in this sphere. Thinking of Armenia-Azerbaijan
conflict I feel the reality of war. That’s why every opportunity must
be considered. I want to note that Georgia made less effort for the
settlement of the conflict in Azerbaijan. That’s why it is needed to
take advantage of diplomatic ties, the powers of international
organizations”.

/APA/
URL:

From: A. Papazian

Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Armenia

March 12 2011

The Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian met with the EU
Ambassadors accredited in Armenia

On March 11, the Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian met with
the EU Ambassadors and Head of the Delegation of the European Union
accredited to Armenia in the format of a working lunch.

The Armenian Foreign Minister and European Ambassadors exchanged views
on the activities implemented in the frames of the existing
cooperation and development between Armenia and European Union. They
also outlined the scheduled steps, touched upon the processes of the
negotiations over the Association Agreement, visa facilitation and
creation of the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area.

Upon the request of the EU Ambassadors, Minister Nalbandian presented
the recent developments in the settlement of the Artasakh
(Nagorno-Karabakh) issue. A wide range of issues of international
agenda was discussed.

From: A. Papazian

news.am, Armenia
March 12 2011

No plans to evacuate Armenian citizens from Japan, Armenian Foreign
Ministry says

March 12, 2011 | 15:49

Armenian Foreign Ministry does not plan to evacuate Armenian citizens
from Japan, Spokesman for Armenian Foreign Office Tigran Balayan told
Armenian News-NEWS.am.

Balayan stressed the Armenian citizens are far from the affected zone
in Japan. According to the recent information, 30 Armenian citizens in
Japan were not affected by the massive quake.

As Armenian News-NEWS.am reported earlier, on March 11, the biggest
earthquake (8.9 magnitude) in the recent years hit the northeast of
Japan, triggering a 10-meter tsunami and followed by several powerful
aftershocks. The epicenter is located 373 to north-east from Japan’s
capital, Tokyo at the depth of 24 kilometers.

At least 1000 people were killed. There is a growing risk of a
significant radiation leakage at a Japanese nuclear power plant.

From: A. Papazian