Author: Andres-Papazian

SOURCE: PRESIDENTS OF AZERBAIJAN AND RUSSIA TO DISCUSS NAGORNO-KARABAKH PROBLEM AND GAS TRANSPORTATION ROUTES

Trend
Nov 17 2010
Azerbaijan

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev will discuss with his Azerbaijani
counterpart Ilham Aliyev the Nagorno-Karabakh problem and the options
for energy resources transportation routes from oilfields in the
Caspian Sea in Baku on Thursday, a source in the Russian delegation
reported.

Medvedev will attend the third summit of the Caspian Sea littoral
countries, which will be held in Baku on Nov.18. Medvedev will also
hold several bilateral meetings, including meetings with leaders of
Kazakhstan and Iran.

“I think the main theme of the meeting with President Aliyev will
certainly be problems of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement,”
the source was quoted as sayings by RIA Novosti.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 surrounding districts.

Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The
co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group – Russia, France, and the U.S. –
are currently holding the peace negotiations.

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

Over the past two years, seven trilateral meetings of the leaders of
Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia took place. At the last meeting held
on Oct.27 in Astrakhan, the parties agreed to exchange prisoners
of war and return bodies of the dead during the conflict. According
to Medvedev, now there are still questions on the principles of the
settlement, which later should be the basis for a peace agreement,
but if the parties work well in the next month, it will be possible to
achieve the agreed version of the general principles of the settlement
by the OSCE summit in Kazakhstan scheduled for Dec.1-2.

According to the source, the second theme, which will be discussed
at the Aliyev-Medvedev meeting, refers to the fuel and energy complex.

“The leaders may mull the issue of energy transportation routes from
the fields located on the Caspian Sea. It is possible that the leaders
can raise the Nabucco topic. How it will be filled, if Azerbaijan
and Turkmenistan will not supply oil,” he said.

Nabucco gas pipeline project is worth (EURO)7.9 billion. Construction
of gas pipeline is planned to be launched in 2011, the first supplies
– in 2014. Maximal capacity of the pipeline will hit 31 billion cubic
meters per year.

Construction of the Nabucco pipeline will be implemented in two main
phases. The first phase of construction (2011) includes laying a new
pipeline length of 2,000 kilometers, starting at the Turkish border
and ending in Austria’s Baumgarten. The second phase (2014-2015 year)
includes the construction of the remainder of the pipeline on the
border between Turkey and Georgia, as well as Turkey and Iraq.

Construction of the first section of Nabucco length of 2.730 kilometers
will begin in the southern part of Ankara (Turkey) and will continue
in the western direction to the Bulgarian border through Central
Anatolia and the Marmara Sea. 75 percent of the route will pass
through existing pipelines.

Nabucco participants are the Austrian OMV, Hungarian MOL, Bulgarian
Bulgargaz, Romanian Transgaz, Turkish Botas and German RWE. Each has
an equal 16.67-percent share.

From: A. Papazian

ARMENIA LEADER CREDITS RUSSIA WITH MAJOR MEDIATING EFFORTS IN NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT

Interfax
Nov 17 2010
Russia

President Serzh Sargsyan of Armenia has credited Russia with major
mediating efforts in the Armenian-Azeri conflict over Azerbaijan’s
disputed Armenian-speaking enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh and with having
“always played an important role in the Caucasus.”

“I would like to thank you for your efforts. Russia has always
played an important role in the Caucasus. I hope that your efforts
will finish soon and produce positive results,” Sargsyan said at a
meeting at the Kremlin with his Russian counterpart, Dmitry Medvedev.

“Armenia seeks peace and stability in the Caucasus, and this is what
determines its efforts to find a peaceful and long-term solution to
the Nagorno-Karabakh problem,” Sargsyan said.

He and Medvedev argued that their countries have a special
relationship.

Medvedev said his frequent meetings with Sargsyan enabled the two
leaders to “compare their positions on bilateral issues and on
regional problems, talk about the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process,
and set guidelines for the future.”

Sargsyan mentioned that the two nations reached a series of agreements
during a visit by Medvedev to Armenia in August. “We decided then
that we would meet at the end of autumn and sum up the work done in
implementing those agreements,” Sargsyan said.

From: A. Papazian

MEDVEDEV, AZERI LEADER TO DISCUSS NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT

Interfax
Nov 17 2010
Russia

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev is due to have a meeting with his
Azeri counterpart, Ilham Aliyev, to mainly discuss the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict and energy issues.

The two leaders will meet during a Caspian summit.

“[Medvedev] is beginning his visit to the summit by meeting with
President Aliyev of Azerbaijan,” said Sergei Prikhodko, an aide to the
Russian president. Medvedev also plans to meet with Kazakh President
Nursultan Nazarbayev during the summit, Prikhodko said.

A source in the Russian delegation to the summit said the
Nagorno-Karabakh problem would be the dominant subject at the
Medvedev-Aliyev meeting.

“Another subject is cooperation in the fuel and energy industry,
including in the Caspian region. I expect that the issues to be raised
include routes for the transportation of energy from deposits in the
Caspian and around it. It cannot be ruled out that the Nabucco issue
and the issue of the Caspian Gas Pipeline may be raised as well,”
the source said.

Nabucco is a proposed pipeline that would take gas from Turkey to
Austria, bypassing Russia and Ukraine.

From: A. Papazian

TEHRAN WANTS TO HELP BAKU, YEREVAN SETTLE KARABAKH CONFLICT – AHMADINEJAD

Interfax
Nov 17 2010
Russia

Iran’s offer to broker the Karabakh settlement remains in force, said
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.”Iran stands ready to help settle
this conflict. Our proposal always remains in force,” Ahmadinejad said
after talks with Azeri President Ilham Aliyev in Baku on Wednesday.

“Iran’s desire and position is that the Karabakh conflict be settled
on the basis of justice and within Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity,”
he said.

Ties between Baku and Tehran are at a very high level, he said,
adding that there are no deep disagreements between the two countries.

Aliyev in turn said that he had briefed his Iranian counterpart
on the current stage in the settlement. “Azerbaijan will restore
its territorial integrity. To attain this goal we must become even
stronger, of course,” he said.

Aliyev said trade between Azerbaijan and Iran will increase
significantly after the signing on Wednesday of a memorandum of
understanding in energy and transport.

The memorandum encompasses important joint transport projects, the
construction of a North-South corridor, he said. In this connection,
additional measures have been planned to build joint electricity
capacities, to link up electric power lines, to cooperate in the gas
sector and to implement other transport and energy projects.

Aliyev said cooperation in the gas sector must be broadened, noting
that the two countries are in talks on new projects.

From: A. Papazian

TOUGHER PENALTIES FOR ILLEGAL HUNTING AND FISHING

news.am
Nov 18 2010
Armenia

Illegal hunting and fishing are punishable by Administrative Code
in Armenia. However, the size of the administrative penalty is so
small that people hunting and fishing illegally prefer to pay fines
and continue as if nothing had happened. This is facilitated by the
fact that the income from illegal hunting and fishing is much higher
than the amount attributed to administrative fines.

Today November 18, the Armenian government, adopted a legislative
initiative, under which stipulated penalties almost doubled, although
they still remain quite small.

From: A. Papazian

ALIYEV RECALLED RESOLUTIONS ON KARABAKH

news.am
Nov 18 2010
Armenia

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev stated that Dmitry Medvedev’s
personal contribution plays positive role in resolution of the Karabakh
conflict, advancing the peace process.

In the course of presidents’ meeting in Baku, Azerbaijani leader
noted certain progress is registered in talks, stressing that “the
conflict can be resolved only based on norms of the international
law and resolutions on Karabakh adopted by the international agencies.”

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev arrived in Baku to participate in
the Third Caspian Summit.

From: A. Papazian

HARD TIMES FOR AZERBAIJAN’S INITIATIVES, ARMENIAN MP SAYS

news.am
Nov 18 2010
Armenia

Azerbaijan will not be able to easily put on the agenda and adopt
documents on Nagorno-Karabakh at NATO Parliamentary Assembly under the
presidency of Karl Lamers. The Armenian delegation actively cooperated
and will go on doing so with him, Head of the Armenian delegation to
NATO PA Karen Avagyan told a press conference on Thursday, summing
up results of NATO PA fall session in Warsaw, on November 12-16.

As for Azerbaijan-initiated draft resolution on Nagorno-Karabakh,
the consideration of which has been put off, Avagyan said both the
Armenian delegation and Azerbaijani MPs insisted on it, reasoning
their busy schedule during the campaign for parliamentary elections
in Azerbaijan. “The leadership of Parliamentary Assembly offered to
postpone consideration of the document. We hope this resolution will
not be considered at NATO PA at all. Even if the document is placed on
the agenda, the Armenian delegation is ready for debates and will bring
their stance to the attention of Assembly deputies,” Avagyan noted.

Moreover, NATO PA is not actively involved in Karabakh peace process
and at any opportunity refers to OSCE Minsk Group. Avagyan hailed
positive that a principle for nations’ right to self-determination is
stressed along with a principle of territorial integrity during the
recent discussions on Nagorno-Karabakh at international agencies. “It
was not mentioned before,” the MP underscored.

In his turn member of the Armenian delegation, Head of Heritage
parliamentary faction Stepan Safaryan stated Azerbaijani parliamentary
elevations were discussed at one of NATO PA sessions. “The keynote of
the discussions is the organization does not disclose true facts on
Azerbaijani elections in the person of Azerbaijani parliamentarians ,
not to lose further cooperation with them,” Safaryan stressed. He
drew a parallel with elections in Nagorno-Karabakh, recalling the
MPs they were transparent and democratic In this regard, Armenian
MPs offered Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights to
send observers to NKR elections. “However, the answer was definite:
it is impossible unless Nagorno-Karabakh is recognized. We should not
give up and should raise the issue at other international instances,”
Safaryan mentioned.

He also empathized NATO Parliamentary Assembly adopted a resolution
on Georgia, containing tough wordings on Russia and self-determined
republics – Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Besides, Russia-NATO relations,
situation in Afghanistan and preparations for NATO Summit in Lisbon
were also canvassed.

From: A. Papazian

LEVON ARONIAN WINS WORLD CHAMPION’S TITLE AT WORLD BLITZ CHAMPIONSHIP 2010

news.am
Nov 18 2010
Armenia

On November 18, Armenian Grandmaster Levon Aronian won World Champion’s
title at World Blitz Championship 2010 in Moscow. Aronian scored 24.5
points and left behind Azerbaijani Teymur Rajabov (24).

Magnus Carlsen took the third place.

From: A. Papazian

ARMENIA’S PRESS RELATIVELY FREE AS COMPARED WITH NEIGHBORING STATES, RACZYNSKY SAYS

news.am
Nov 18 2010
Armenia

Democracy is an absolute notion, but there is not a single state
where absolute democracy rules, Polish Ambassador to Armenia Zdzislaw
Raczynsky told the journalists today.

“As compared with the neighboring countries, Armenia’s press enjoys
considerable freedom, political parties are working in the country,
and all the political forces can take part in the elections held in
a fairly normal way,” the Ambassador said, adding that several rival
candidates take part in the presidential elections as well. “Of course,
all of us want pluralism, we would like some local TV channels to
cover news without imposed censorship,” Raczynsky noted.

From: A. Papazian

NOTHING CRUCIAL REGARDING KARABAKH TALKS WILL HAPPEN IN ASTANA, POLISH AMBASSADOR SAYS

news.am
Nov 18 2010
Armenia

We hope that there will be a certain process accelerating the Karabakh
talks at the OSCE Summit in Astana, Polish Ambassador to Armenia
Zdzislaw Raczynsky told the journalists today.

According to him, nothing crucial will happen, as resolution of a
conflict is a long process demanding much time.

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan will also attend the summit scheduled
for December 1-2.

As NEWS.am reported earlier, summit participants will discuss
protracted conflicts, including situation in the Caucasus. The
summit will bring together presidents and heads of governments of
56 member states, 12 OSCE partner countries, as well as heads of 68
international organizations.

From: A. Papazian