Author: Andres-Papazian

Institute for War and Peace Reporting IWPR, UK
No. 558
Sept 12 2010

ARMENIAN FARMERS FACE RUIN IN CREDIT CRUNCH

Interest rates on repayments have gone through the roof.

By Siranush Gevorgyan

Taguhi Gevorgyan dreamed of a prosperous future when she took out a
bank loan to build a greenhouse and grow vegetables in her home
village of Vanand in western Armenia.

The 56-year-old mother of three has now been left ruined and
dispossessed after failing to meet demands for sky-high interest
payments on the loan she took out.

Gevorgyan lost the home she built with her late husband 20 years ago
because she put it up as security, and now lives in an empty house
belonging to a cousin.

`The problem was the high interest rates demanded by the bank, and my
own inexperience which meant I wasn’t able to grow and sell a good
crop. And we spent some of the money on other essentials,’ she told
IWPR.

She asked for the bank she dealt with not to be named, to avoid
causing problems for other people in similar situations.

As a result of the global economic crisis and its impact on Armenia,
the money problems that hit Gevorgyan are now common.

In a country where half the population works on the land, many people
took out loans to develop their farms at a tine when interest rates
were low.

After the global financial crisis struck, however, interest rates
spiked, leaving farmers struggling to pay the banks what they owed.
Officials say rates are twice what they were before the crisis.

The justice ministry says that in the first six months of 2010, nearly
8,500 legal applications for repossession were decided in favour of
commercial banks, totalling 5.9 billion drams or 16 million dollars,
while credit organisations won 1,300 cases they brought for
non-payment, for a total of 389 million drams.

Most cases were in the Kotayk, Ararat, Armavir, Lori and Aragatsotn
regions, all of which have large farming populations.

Local officials are often reluctant to talk about such matters,
preferring to avoid drawing attention to their areas.

`What do you want to write about that for? Our village could end up
being blacklisted by banks,’ said Vachik Adilkhanyan, head of the
village administration in Geghanist, a village in the Ararat region
where many farmers borrowed to built greenhouses and are now
struggling with debts.

Another official in the village said farmers were only just managing
to pay for the gas they needed to heat their greenhouses, and were
falling further and further behind with interest payments.

Farmers are increasingly concerned by the situation. Hrachya
Berberyan, chairman of the Agrarian-farmer Union, accused the banks of
charging excessive interest rates.

He said World Bank money that had been lent to Armenia `almost
interest-free’ was distributed to the banks so that they could issue
loans.

`The banks said they’d offer finance to farmers at interest rates
around 15 per cent,’ he said. `However, the fact is that villagers are
paying 2.5 or three per cent a month on their loans. How can they
develop their businesses when they’re paying 30 per cent a year?’

Berberyan said the banks must carry some of the blame for recent price
rises affecting potatoes, fruit and other produce. Aside from bad
weather this year, supply has been reduced because the area of land
sown with vegetables, grain and other crops has shrunk as farmers are
forced out of business.

IWPR was unable to obtain interviews with the main banks that lend to farmers.

Mariam Yesayan, head of the Aregak credit organisation, was prepared
to speak, but since her company specialises in microcredit that is not
secured by property, she could not comment on the problem of
repossessions. She said her company had seen only 65 loans go unpaid
in the 12 years of its existence.

The government has regularly declined to intervene in such affairs,
although a question was asked in parliament in May by independent
member Lyova Khachatryan, about why banks could charge high rates on
money that originated in very low-interest loans from international
organisations.

The credit squeeze looks set to drive more farmers off the land.

Taguhi Gevorgyan’s son Sergey has been forced to leave home and travel
to Russia to earn money in hope that the family can start again.

`My son told me, `Mum, I will work for a couple of years, and we’ll be
able to build a new house’,’ Gevorgyan said.

Siranush Gevorgyan is a correspondent for Armenianow.

From: A. Papazian

Today, Azerbaijan
Sept 17 2010

“Appointment of UN Special Representative can positively influence
peaceful outcome of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict”

17 September 2010 [16:46] – Today.Az

The appointment of a UN Special Representative for Nagorno-Karabakh
would positively impact settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani
conflict over the region, the Belgian Senate Honorary Chairman,
Anne-Marie Lizin, said today.

“The OSCE Minsk Group, which has the mandate of the mediator in
resolving the conflict, still has not achieved results. I think that
both sides [Armenia and Azerbaijan] must urgently work in this
direction and achieve the appointment of a UN Special Representative
for Nagorno-Karabakh, whom the conflicting parties, and all interested
countries, including Russia, will listen to,” said Lizin, who is also
a board member of the international advisory group YES.

/Trend/

URL:

From: A. Papazian

Today, Azerbaijan
Sept 17 2010

“Turkey seeks to play active role in Nagorno-Karabakh conflict resolution”

17 September 2010 [13:15] – Today.Az

Being one of the initiators of the peace process to resolve the
Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Turkey has sought to
play an active role in its settlement, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet
Davutoglu said in an interview with CNN Turk.

Davutoglu expressed concern about the situation in the Caucasus
region, which hurts both parties.

“The status-quo in the region has been overcome, because it did not
meet the interests of both countries [Azerbaijan and Armenia].
However, the current situation can not remain unchanged,” Davutoglu
said.

Ankara does not want to become a competitor to other
countries-mediators in the conflict, Davutoglu said.

Davutoglu one more time expressed hope for signing a peace treaty,
which is possible under the condition of patient, calm and careful
approach to solving problems. Speaking on the normalization of the
Turkey- Armenia bilateral relations, Davutoglu reaffirmed Ankara’s
desire to establish full diplomatic relations with Yerevan, stressing
that this is possible only after signing of the armistice between
Azerbaijan and Armenia.

“Sooner or later, relations with Armenia will become neighborly,” he added.

/Trend/

URL:

From: A. Papazian

Today, Azerbaijan
Sept 17 2010

“Initiative to appoint UN Special Representative for Nagorno-Karabakh
must be welcomed”

17 September 2010 [11:45] – Today.Az

The initiative to appoint a UN Special Representative for
Nagorno-Karabakh must be welcomed the deputy speaker of the
Azerbaijani parliament and head of the parliamentary delegation to the
OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, Bahar Muradova, said in an interview with
the website of the ruling New Azerbaijan Party.

Even if the initiative does not replace the OSCE Minsk Group tasked
with finding a resolution to the Azerbaijan-Armenia territorial
dispute, the appointment may affect the activity of the group,
Muradova added.

The former Latvian president Vaira Vike-Freiberga, on a recnt visit to
Azerbaijan, proposed the appointment of UN Special Representative for
Nagorno-Karabakh in an interview. Muradova said that it was the UN
that gave the mandate to the OSCE Minsk Group to mediate settlement of
the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

“Despite the fact that the responsibility lies on the Minsk Group,
other international organizations have also declared about their
position to settle the conflict, adopt the relevant documents. We have
never doubted that the work in other areas, which may affect the
settlement of the conflict, is important. But some concerned people
argue that a positive result in the peace negotiations can be achieved
only with the participation of the Minsk Group. This is our consistent
position,” she said.

Muradova said that Azerbaijan has made efforts to adopt various
documents by parliamentary assemblies in other international
organizations, including the UN General Assembly and has achieved it.
These efforts demonstrate our country’s position.

“So, I appraise the words of the Latvian ex-president, a person who
has a specific position in the UN. If more international efforts and
initiatives of goodwill are made to resolve the problem, the
responsibility of the Minsk Group in fulfilling its responsibilities
and its efforts in advancing the process to resolve the problem will
increase. We saw this when we discussed the latest draft resolution
put forward by Azerbaijan. This project has caused concern and panic
from the Armenian side. Moreover, the fact of even greater
responsiveness and attentiveness of the organization, whose mission is
to advance the peace process negotiations, is in the center of
attention”, Deputy Speaker said.

/Trend/

URL:

From: A. Papazian

Today, Azerbaijan
Sept 17 2010

Ilham Aliyev: International practice and international law support
Azerbaijan’s position on Nagorno-Karabakh conflict – UPDATE – PHOTOS

17 September 2010 [11:38] – Today.Az

The 10th summit of the Turkish-speaking countries’ Heads of State was
held at the Ciragan palace in Istanbul, Turkey on September 16.

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev wrapped up his visit to Turkey
on Thursday. At the Istanbul Ataturk Airport decorated with the
national flags of Azerbaijan and Turkey, President Ilham Aliyev was
seen off by top Turkish state and government officials. Later the same
day, the Head of State returned home.

At the Heydar Aliyev international airport, President Ilham Aliyev was
welcomed by Prime Minister Artur Rasizade, Head of the Presidential
Administration Ramiz Mehdiyev and Baku Mayor Hajibala Abutalybov.

X X X

President of Turkey Abdullah Gul hosted an official dinner in honor of
the heads of state in Istanbul.

X X X

Following the 10th summit of the Turkish-speaking countries’ Heads of
State in Istanbul, the presidents held a press conference. Turkish
President Abdullah Gul praised the summit`s work, saying it discussed
`a vide range of important questions’.

Mr. Gul said the summit participants decided to establish Cooperation
Council of Turkish-Speaking Countries. The Turkish leader said
Istanbul would be home to the Council’s secretariat. According to Mr.
Gul, the Council will contribute to strengthening the relations among
the member nations. The Turkish President said Turkish diplomat Halil
Akinci was appointed as secretary general of the Council`s
secretariat.

Mr. Gul said the heads of state decided to hold next year`s summit in
Kyrgyzstan, an initiative of the Kyrgyz President. He expressed
gratitude to the presidents for participating in the summit,
emphasizing `such high-level meetings contribute to strengthening
contacts between the brotherly nations’.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Kazakh President Nursultan
Nazarbayev, Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymuhammedov and
Kyrgyzstan`s President for transition period Roza Otunbaeva thanked
the Turkish leader for hospitality and the well-organized summit.
The heads of state, including Azerbaijani leader Ilham Aliyev,
answered questions from journalists.

X X X

The first summit was held in Ankara in 1992. In 1994 the event was
hosted by Istanbul, in 1995 by Bishkek, in 1996 by Tashkent, in 1998
by Astana, in 2000 by Baku, in 2001 by Istanbul, in 2006 by Antalya,
and in 2009 by Nakhchivan.

Presidents Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan, Nursultan Nazarbayev of
Kazakhstan, Gurbanguly Berdymuhammedov of Turkmenistan and President
of Kyrgyzstan for transition period Roza Otunbaeva were welcomed by
Turkish leader Abdullah Gul. Turkey`s President made opening remarks.
President Ilham Aliyev addressed the event.

The following are excerpts from the speech:

`Esteemed Mr. President, my dear brother Abdullah Gul!

Dear friends, esteemed heads of state!

First of all I would like to express my deepest pleasure to be in
brotherly Turkey again. My dear brother Abdullah Gul, thank you very
much for the high-level organization of today`s summit. Thank you once
again for the hospitality you have been showing to us. I believe the
summit will have good results, and our countries will continue
developing their cooperation and friendly and brotherly relations.’

`Last year`s summit in Nakhchivan, an ancient land of the Turkish
world, was a remarkable event. And one year which passed since then
marked the rapid development of our bilateral relations, which
considerably strengthened both on the bilateral and multilateral
formats. On the eve of the last year`s summit the Parliamentary
Assembly of the Turkish-speaking countries (TurkPA) held its first
plenary meeting. TurkPA`s General Secretariat was established in Baku,
which is today successfully working. At the same time, Azerbaijan put
forward a proposal at the Nakhchivan summit to create a TURKSOY fund.
And I thank my esteemed counterparts for supporting this initiative.
The necessary preparatory work is already underway. The Fund will be
established in the nearest future and Azerbaijan will ensure all the
necessary financial support for the project. I believe the fund will
contribute to preserving and reconstructing all cultural monuments
across the Turkish world. And it must also contribute to developing
friendly, brotherly relations among our nations in the field of
culture.’

`We are bound together by ties of history and culture. For centuries
our peoples have been living together. And I’m happy that today our
countries are independent states, which are successfully cooperating
in all spheres of life, supporting each other.’

`Unfortunately, we’ve not yet achieved any result in finding a
solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Azerbaijan’s most painful
problem. For long years Azerbaijan`s some twenty 20% of lands are
under Armenia`s occupation. Over one million Azerbaijanis have been
expelled from their homelands as a result of an ethnic cleansing
policy. It is a big injustice. All international organizations, the
world`s leading organizations have been supporting Azerbaijan`s just
cause. Four resolutions of the UN Security Council still remain
unfulfilled. These resolutions demand an unconditional withdrawal of
the Armenian armed forces from Azerbaijan`s lands. Azerbaijan`s
territorial integrity must be restored. Similar resolutions were
adopted by other international organizations as well, including the
Organization of the Islamic Conference, the European Parliament, the
Council of Europe, demanding international law-based settlement of the
problem.’

`The Nagorno-Karabakh is an ancient Azerbaijani land. For centuries
Azerbaijanis have been living and working there. Azerbaijan`s
territorial integrity is recognized by the international community.
Azerbaijan`s territorial integrity must be restored, and we want to
achieve this by peaceful means. Azerbaijan is a multinational country.
Representatives of different nations and religions are peacefully
co-existing in our country. There has never been a religious or
national conflict in Azerbaijan. The rights of all nations living in
our country are protected. And, of course, the Armenians have also
been living in the territory of Azerbaijan. They live here today, and
their rights are also protected.’

`The international practice and international law support our
position. The Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict must be solved on the basis
of Azerbaijan`s territorial integrity, with the Armenian minority
receiving a high status of self-governance and autonomy within
Azerbaijan. This is what the international law requires.’

`The Turkish world is a very big world. Separation of the Zangazur
region, an ancient and integral part of the Turkish world, which was
then given to Armenia, broke the geographical link within the Turkish
world.’

`But the geographical coordinates are not the only factor linking us.
We are bound by our relations, our brotherhood, our common past and
present. For twenty years our countries have been living as
independent states. Today, countries like Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan make Turkey stronger, just
like, Turkey, in its turn, makes us stronger. Our strength is in our
unity.’

`I would like to emphasize the development of the relations between
Azerbaijan and Turkey, which signed a very important document
yesterday. We signed a Joint Declaration `On establishment of the
Council for high level strategic cooperation between the Republic of
Azerbaijan and the Republic of Turkey’. I believe the Council will be
a success. We must increase efforts to boost our relations in all
fields. Additional measures must be taken to encourage and expand our
mutual trade and economic cooperation. We must explore opportunities
of making mutual investment.’

`My dear brother Mr. Gul has today mentioned that we are working
together on energy issues. The Turkey-Azerbaijan relations are very
important in this regard. The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan and
Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum oil and gas pipelines have been making a
tremendous contribution to the region`s energy map, making it richer.’

`Opening of these corridors allowed us to deliver the natural
resources of the Caspian to the world markets. Oil and oil products
from Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan are being exported to the world
markets, including Turkey, through the territory of Azerbaijan.’

`We are also working on a railway project. The Baku-Tbilisi-Kars
railway will not only link Turkey with Azerbaijan, but also connect
Turkey with Central Asia and Europe with Central Asia. This railroad
is very attractive from the economic point of view, and it will also
link friendly countries. And I believe the number of such projects
will increase in the future.’

`I would like to once again emphasize the importance of today`s
summit. I`m very happy that we have revived a tradition, which once
was broken. The summit was held last year, we hold it this year, and,
I believe, we will hold it next year as well.’

X X X

Other heads of state also made remarks, which were followed by the
signing of a final document. They decided to hold the next summits in
Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan in 2011 and 2012 respectively. The heads of
state appointed the chief of the Secretariat of the Turkish-speaking
countries` Cooperation Council.

/AzerTAc/

URL:

From: A. Papazian

Los Angeles Daily News
Sept 17 2010

For Armenians, helping others is a way of life

By Susan Abram, Staff Writer

The women wore pretty dresses and stared into the camera with
expressions of determination as their legacy was recorded for history.

Few may have realized it when the black-and-white photograph was taken
in 1930, but those dozens of women were among the matriarchs of the
100-year-old Armenian Relief Society.

“Many people don’t know this, but the Armenian Relief Society is the
oldest existing Armenian women’s philanthropic organization in the
world,” said Nyree Derderian, regional executive and vice chairwoman
for the Armenian Relief Society of Western USA Inc.

The photo is one of many displayed inside the Armenian Relief
Society’s Western USA headquarters in Glendale.

Founded as the Armenian Red Cross in 1910 in New York City, the
international organization evolved into the Armenian Relief Society.
With 15,000 members in 26 international chapters, it provides social,
economic and educational assistance to Armenians throughout the world.

The nonprofit organization celebrated its centennial in May with a
gala and will hold a symposium today at the University of Southern
California featuring speakers from across the nation. They will
discuss the society’s history, its work in preserving the Armenian
culture, its philanthropic mission, and the role of women in the
organization.

“The dedication and perseverance of its members have propelled this
organization that so many of us hold near and dear to our hearts
through the past century, and we are looking to build on that stable
base as we evolve during the 21st century,” Arous Melkonian, chairman
of the Armenian Relief Society of Western USA said in a statement.

In October, members of the society will travel to Armenia, Syria and
Nagorno-Karabakh. They will plant trees in their homeland and
reinstate the Bowl of Food campaign, which provides meals to orphaned
children.

Derderian said she sifted through decades of photographs and documents
and found that while time has passed, the society has never wavered
from its mission to serve Armenians and others in need.

“Our bylaws were rewritten maybe 10 times, but our goals have always
remained the same,” she said. “What we’ve added was the concept of
human rights.”

Since it was founded, the Armenian Relief Society has proven itself in
some of the most extreme circumstances. The group’s work intensified
as the conflict that came to be known as the Armenian Genocide
unfolded in 1915. Members of the society worked to care for survivors
– the refugees and orphans left behind after the massacres that
claimed the lives of 1.5 million people.

The society’s mission continued decades later, during the civil war in
Lebanon when Armenians also were displaced. In 1988, it rebuilt
villages, started schools and cared for 7,000 orphans after a
devastating 6.9-magnitude earthquake that shook the northwestern
portion of the Republic of Armenia.

>From its Western headquarters in Glendale, the agency serves 40,000
people each year, helping them find jobs, apply for citizenship, learn
English and care for elderly residents.

Some say Glendale, Hollywood and the San Fernando Valley are home to
the largest Armenian community outside of Armenia itself.

The last U.S. Census counted almost 300,000 nationwide, but most agree
the figures are low. Some estimate there are anywhere from 500,000 to
2million Armenians living in the United States, the majority in the
western portion of the nation.

“It’s very helpful here,” said Hranush Frangyan, 33, who immigrated to
the U.S. when she was 26 and now lives in Glendale. A teacher in her
homeland, she has since earned an additional college degree and has
found employment with help from the center’s job counselors.

“I came here today for help filling out my citizenship papers,” she
said during a visit earlier this week. “I could fill them out, but I’m
not as proficient and these papers are important.”

What many don’t realize about the organization is that the help
extends beyond Armenians, said Talar Aintablian, secretary at the
headquarters.

“We’re here for anyone in need,” she said.

The society’s Western Region raised $10,000 for Haitian relief after
this year’s earthquake, and money after Hurricane Katrina pummeled the
Gulf states and for other countries after other natural disasters.

During a recent morning, English instructor and social worker Lena
Karagueuzian taught her class of more than 30 senior citizens such
popular phrases in English as “nice to meet you,” and “my name is…”

“They try their best to learn because they want to talk, to be
independent,” she said of her elder students, many in their 70s.

Karagueuzian said she feels good when students come to her beaming
with pride for learning how to print their name in perfect English.

“They are so happy when they know how to pay their own bills and write
their own checks,” she said. “They tell me, they are happy they don’t
have to bother their children.”

From: A. Papazian

news.az, Azerbaijan
Sept 17 2010

Baku may agree on placement of peacekeepers in Karabakh conflict
Sat 18 September 2010 05:07 GMT | 09:07 Local Time

Aydin Mirzazade News.Az interviews Aydin Mirzazade, deputy chairman of
the parliamentary committee of defense and security of Milli Majlis.
Representative of NATO Secretary General in the South Caucasus and
Central Asia Robert Simmons has recently admitted possibility of
placement of peacekeepers in Karabakh with the consent of Azerbaijan
and Armenia at a news conference in Yerevan. Can this statement be
viewed as NATO’s plan for the nearest future?

Naturally, this may come from the good intentions of NATO but at the
same time this does not mean the resolution of the problem.
Unfortunately, the NATO representative did not touch upon the problem
of occupation of Azerbaijani lands by Armenia, did not confirm the
need to comply with norms of international law and did not demand the
withdrawal of occupational troops. In which form will NATO place its
peacekeepers in the occupied lands? It wants to do it to perpetuate
occupation or create visibility of settling the conflict… I regret
that Simmons did not say anything in his statements which could be
assessed from the viewpoint of settling the Karabakh conflict.

Is the placement of NATO troops in the conflict area?

On the whole, I consider that the consideration of the placement of
NATO troops on the border between Azerbaijan and Armenia could be a
real help in the resolution of the Karabakh conflict, because we are
speaking of forcing Armenia to respect toward the territorial
integrity of its neighbor state rather than reconciliation of the
conflict parties.

Is the composition of the peacekeepers important if it consists of
mostly the NATO or CSTO troops or will possibly be mixed?

The composition of peacekeepers can be defined only at the overall
consent of Azerbaijan and Armenia. Anyway, the resolution of the
Karabakh conflict must be reached before this, that is the placement
of peacekeepers in the region, which means that Armenian side must
agree to withdraw its troops from the occupied lands. Considering
this, the composition of the peacekeeping troops which can be placed
between Armenia and Azerbaijan is not of utmost importance. The
composition of peacekeeping troops will be technical in case there is
a political solution.

Then can there appear differences between Azerbaijan and Armenia about
the composition of peacekeepers?

The composition of peacekeepers must not be critical either for
Azerbaijan or Armenia when the big peace agreement is reached. The
resolution of the Karabakh conflict within the framework of norms of
international law is important in this issue.

In which case can Azerbaijan agree on placement of peacekeeping troops
in the conflict area?

Baku can agree to it only in case the principal agreement is reached
about the withdrawal of Armenian troops from the occupied lands of
Azerbaijan. At the same time, Azerbaijan can agree to it only for a
limited time in case of provision of peacekeepers with definite
powers.

Which status is expedient for the peacekeepers in terms of attainment
of peace in the Karabakh conflict?

I believe both the police and military function can be used for the
set goal. The dominance of one function over another can create
vagueness. Naturally, the powers of peacekeepers are set in line with
the nature of the conflict. In this respect, the powers of the
peacekeepers and their functions can be defined by Azerbaijan and
Armenia in a peace agreement which they will sign.

U.U.
News.Az

From: A. Papazian

news.am, Armenia
Sept 17 2010

No agreement on Karabakh without Stepanakert’s signature, Opposition Leader says

September 17, 2010 | 21:20

New reality has formed in the South Caucasus – the Nagorno-Karabakh
peace process will be within the Russia-Azerbaijan-Turkey format, the
Leader of the Armenian National Congress (ANC), Levon Ter-Petrosyan
stated at the ANC-held rally in Yerevan on September 17.

According to him, the OSCE Minsk Group will be preserved not to
irritate the West. Ter-Petrosyan reminded the participants that it is
Russia that has the key to settlement. In the context of the Russian
military base’s longer presence in Armenia and the sale of the Russian
S-300 systems to Azerbaijan, Russia has strengthened its positions and
enhanced its role in the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process. According to
Ter-Petrosyan, Russia and Azerbaijan are now strategic partners.
Armenia has lost its monopoly – being Russia’s principal partner in
the region. According to the first Armenian President, he forecast all
this back in 1988. Under the circumstances, the only thing for the
Armenian authorities to do is to reign themselves to the fate and seek
fortune in Moscow or Ankara or, to be precise, at the
Russian-Turkish-Azerbaijani supreme bodies. Although the U.S
Administration was the only one to challenge Serzh Sargsyan’s
legitimacy in the 2008 elections, the U.S. has been supporting Serzh
Sargsyan for two years and a half.

`What is the aim? No comments. It should be stressed that illegitimacy
and corruption are the leverage the West has used to get the promises
and concessions on the Armenian-Turkish relations and Nagorno-Karabakh
peace process. But if the promises fail to be kept, the leverage will
be used in a different direction. And this time seems to be coming,’
Ter-Petrosyan said. The incumbent authorities must do the following:
ensure domestic political liberalization, establish democracy, release
political prisoners, ensure respect for human rights in Armenia and
Stepanakert’s return to the negotiating table. `Serzh Sargsyan does
not do any of these things,’ Ter-Petrosyan said. Although the ANC is
for the speediest settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, it
state that `any decision made without the NKR’s participation or one
that will not be signed by official Stepanakert will not be accepted
by the Opposition.’ Moreover, the agreement on Nagorno-Karabakh must
be submitted to a referendum both in Armenia and in Nagorno-Karabakh.
The Opposition is also against ratification of Armenian-Turkish
protocols unless the point on an Armenian-Turkish committee of
historians is removed from them.

In this context, Ter-Petrosyan noted that Serzh Sargsyan has no public
mandate to make any concessions. First, in his election program he did
not promise to form a committee of historians nor did he promise that
Nagorno-Karabakh will remain outside the negotiation process. He did
not promise the opening of foreign-language schools in Armenia. `He is
not elected President. The agreement and laws signed by him have no
legal force’ Ter-Petrosyan said. On the other hand, the Opposition
believes there are still opportunities for a dialogue with the
authorities. `However, the main condition for this dialogue is,
besides the release of political prisoners, is a proper investigation
of the March 1 2008 murders and punishment of those guilty,’
Ter-Petrosyan said. The only subject of the dialogue is a peaceful
handover of power to the people. `This is the only possible by means
of early elections – first presidential and them parliamentary,’ the
Opposition Leader said. Change of power is a matter of principle,
rather than an end in itself, for the Opposition, he concluded.

From: A. Papazian

Armenialiberty.org
Sept 17 2010

Turkey Demands Armenian `Gestures’ On Karabakh

18.09.2010
Karine Simonian

Turkey continues to link the implementation of its normalization
agreements with Armenia with significant progress towards the
resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, a Turkish Foreign
Ministry official said on Friday.

Speaking to RFE/RL’s Armenian service in Ankara, the official, Selim
Yener, indicated that Ankara would settle for a partial Armenian troop
withdrawal from Azerbaijani territories surrounding Karabakh.

`It is a sensitive matter for both Armenia and Turkey, and we hope
that there could be gestures and some movements on the Armenian side
so that our parliament can go ahead and approve this important
document,’ he said, referring to the two `protocols’ signed by the
Armenian and Turkish foreign ministers in Zurich a year ago.

`We do hope that if Armenia could take some steps with regard to
removing some of its troops from certain regions, I think this would
be extremely helpful,’ added Yener. `This would show that Armenia is
taking peace efforts seriously and that it is going in the right
direction.’

Official Yerevan is bound to reject this precondition. Armenian
leaders have argued all along that neither protocol makes any
reference to the Karabakh conflict, a view shared by the United
States, the leading international backer of the Turkish-Armenian
rapprochement.

Visiting Yerevan in July, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
urged Ankara to unconditionally implement the normalization deal. `Now
the ball is in the other court,’ she said.

Turkish officials insist, however, that the protocols contain an
implicit linkage between their parliamentary ratification and the
Karabakh issue. `We have to think of everything in a context,’ said
Yener. `The protocols were not signed in isolation from reality.’

From: A. Papazian

Tehran Times , Iran
Sept 18 2010

Armenia, Iran set to start power plant construction

Iran will start building two major hydro-electric stations on their
border in the coming weeks and possibly days, Armenian Energy Minister
Armen Movsisian announced on Thursday.

Movsisian said he and his Iranian counterpart Majid Namjou will
inaugurate the start of construction work on the Arax River separating
the two countries immediately after signing a relevant agreement in
Yerevan.

The dates of Namjou’s upcoming visit to Armenia are still being
`clarified,’ he said. Other officials told RFE/RL’s Armenian service
that the Iranian energy minister will likely arrive before the end of
this month.

The Armenian government formally approved the agreement and authorized
Movsisian to sign it at a meeting earlier in the day. Prime Minister
Tigran hailed the impending launch of the `important’ commercial
project that will give a major boost to Armenian-Iranian commercial
ties.

The agreement envisages that the two power plants will be built on
either side of the Armenian-Iranian border and have a capacity of 130
megawatts each. They both are to be built by an Iranian company,
Farad-Sepasad, in the next five years.

According to Movsisian, Armenia will finance its share of the project,
which he estimated at $323 million, with future electricity supplies
to Iran. `The Iranians will build, exploit the facility (located on
the Armenian side of the border) and recoup their investments with
electricity to be generated there,’ he told RFE/RL’s Armenian service.

`We need will 15 years to pay back the (Iranian) investments with
electricity supplies,’ he said, adding that the plant will then become
property of Armenia.

`This is going to be a cascade (of two hydro-electric stations) whose
first facility will be located in Armenia,’ explained Movsisian. `That
is, water will first flow to and be used on the Armenian side and only
then reach to the Iranian plant.’

Energy has been the focal point of Armenian-Iranian economic
cooperation. It gained momentum in late 2008 with the inauguration of
a natural gas pipeline connecting the two countries. Armenia began
receiving modest amounts of Iranian gas through that pipeline in May
last year. The volume of those deliveries is expected to soar in the
next few years.

Movsisian said in July that the planned construction of a third
high-voltage transmission line connecting the Armenian and Iranian
power grids and another Armenian-Iranian fuel pipeline will also get
underway by the end of this year. The minister did not comment on
these projects on Thursday.

(Source: azatutyun.am)

From: A. Papazian