Author: Andres-Papazian

BAKO SAHAKYAN MET OSCE MINSK GROUP CO-CHAIRS

Times.am
Sept 8 2010
Armenia

On September 8 President of the Artsakh Republic Bako Sahakyan met
OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs of the Robert Bradtke (USA), Igor Popov
(Russian Federation) and Bernard Fassier (France).

A wide range of issues related to the current stage and prospects of
the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict settlement were discussed during
the meeting.

It was mutually noted that any scenario of military solution of the
conflict is absolutely unacceptable. At the same time Bako Sahakyan
underlined that recent frequent violations of the cease-fire regime
by Azerbaijan generate concern and pose a serious threat to regional
peace and stability as well as to the efforts by the OSCE Minsk
group’s co-chairs directed to peaceful settlement of the conflict.

Within this context the Head of the State called upon the co-chairs to
use their potential and bring Azerbaijan into the constructive stream.

Both sides underlined that the Artsakh issue should be settled within
the frameworks of the OSCE Minsk Group and any attempts by Azerbaijan
to transfer the issue into other instances did not contribute to the
settlement of the conflict, the Artsakh Republic president office’s
Central information department reported.

Artsakh Republic foreign minister Georgy Petrosyan and personal
representative of the OSCE chairman-in-office Andrzej Kasprzyk were
present at the talks.

From: A. Papazian

THE SPOKESMAN OF THE MFA RA TIGRAN BALAYAN ANSWERS TO THE QUESTION OF THE PRESS AGENCY “MEDIAMAX”

Times.am
Sept 8 2010
Armenia

According to Azerbaijani mass media, the Minister of Foreign Affairs
of Georgia has announced that the Russian military bases in Armenia
danger the independent of Armenia.

The press agency “Mediamax” asked Tigran Balayan to comment on this
announcement.

The answer was the following. “we don’t share this opinion. Our
government has told his attitude about Russian military bases for many
times. We think, that this information contents some disinformation
too,as the often see in Azerbaijani mass media.

Anyway, an official from other country doesn’t have any right to
analyse our security problems.

Today a phone-conversation will be between the ministers of Foreign
Affairs Armenia and Georgia”.

From: A. Papazian

TO GO TO STEPANAKERT BY CROSSING THE CONTACT LINE IS AN INCIDENT OF ITSELF, BERNAR FASSIER

Times.am
Sept 8 2010
Armenia

“We came to Nagorno Karabakh directly from Baku, by crossing the
contact line. As you know, it is the only fact within last 9 years”,
French co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group Bernar Fassier told to
journalists.

“To go to Stepanakert by crossing the contact line is an incident
of itself. I cannot speak about conducted negotiations. Tomorrow we
will visit Yerevan and meet with Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan
and Armenian FM Edward Nalbandian”, he said.

From: A. Papazian

RUSSIA TO SIDE WITH ARMENIA IF THE ANOTHER KARABAKH WAR BREAKS OUT?

Today

Sept 8 2010
Azerbaijan

“I think, first of all, Dmitri Medvedev’s [recent] Baku visit was
intended to show Russia’s interest in normal relations with Azerbaijan
and South Caucasus as a whole, demonstrate that the country pursues no
imperial ambitions here and does not intend to threaten the strategic
and national interests of Azerbaijan,” member of the Defense and
Security Committee of the Azerbaijani Parliament Zahid Oruj said.

Russia is concerned over growing anti-Russian sentiments in the
region. Moscow is aware that the mood of the Caucasus is formed in
Azerbaijan, and hopes to involve Azerbaijan in its own organizations
for military security in future, the MP added.

“Medvedev’s visit was intended to strengthen Russia’s position in
Azerbaijan. But the most important outcome of this visit for us,
I believe, is that the Russian foreign policy circles and political
elite are now giving up a previous condescending attitude towards
the Caucasus and Azerbaijan in particular. This is kind of foreign
policy victory for the leadership of our republic,” the MP noted.

“Even at times when the border was not delimitated between the two
countries, there was no single armed conflict. Now Russia, recognizing
the inviolability of its borders with Azerbaijan, finally recognized
our status as a sovereign independent state,” Oruc said.

With regard to self-assured anti-Azerbaijani statements the Armenian
side made after the extension of Russian military base’s stay in
Armenia, the MP said, in his opinion, the political leadership of
Armenia and in its analytical circles are trying to divert attention
from the growing confrontation between the people and government.

“Sargsyan’s regime knows that they have nothing to introduce to their
people as a grand victory other than this agreement. They claim Russia
will act against Azerbaijan, which does not purport to violate the
territorial integrity of Armenia and is ready only to liberate its
territory from the occupying army,” Oruj noted.

The MP expressed confidence that extending this agreement Russia
does not intend to somehow counteract Azerbaijan, and for Russia the
presence of a base in Gyumri is a kind of barricade to the spread of
Western influence and NATO.

“So I do not think that if Azerbaijan starts to liberate its
territories one day, the Russian military will immediately side
with Armenia as it once happened. I am confident that Russia will
seek by all means to prevent the outbreak of the conflict. Russia
wants to get the conflict resolved through peaceful means because
Moscow is well aware that its participation in such a conflict means
inevitable arrival of the West in the Caucasus and the global growth
of anti-Russian forces in our region. So I definitely say Russia will
not let itself to be drawn into any anti-Azerbaijani machinations by
Armenia. And I’m sure that during the talks in Baku, Medvedev gave
clear guarantees about that,” the parliamentarian said.

From: A. Papazian

OSCE MINSK GROUP CO-CHAIRS CROSS CONTACT LINE OF AZERBAIJANI, ARMENIAN ARMIES

Today

Sept 8 2010
Azerbaijan

OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs Robert Bradtke (USA), Igor Popov (Russia),
Bernard Fassier (France) and Personal Representative of the OSCE
Chairman-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk ended their meetings in Barda
region of Azerbaijan and crossed the contact line on Wednesday.

The Co-Chairs crossed the contact line to the opposite side in
direction of Aghdere region of Azerbaijan and later they will visit
Khankendi.

The Co-Chairs are planning to hold meetings in Khankendi on Wednesday
and in Yerevan on Thursday. French Co-Chair Bernard Fassier said they
would issue a statement on the results of their visit. The Co-Chairs
met with the President of Azerbaijan, Minister of Foreign Affairs
and leaders of the Public Union of Azerbaijani Community of Nagorno
Karabakh in Baku yesterday.

They visited Barda region of Azerbaijan and met with the local
authorities today and got information about the situation in the
region. Bernard Fassier told journalists that they got very interesting
information from the primary sources.

From: A. Papazian

DUTCH PARLIAMETARY SPEAKER: KARABAKH CONFLICT MAKES IT DIFFICULT TO ADDRESS A NUMBER OF ISSUES IN REGION

Today

Sept 8 2010
Azerbaijan

The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict makes it difficult to address a number of
issues in the region, Dutch Parliamentary Speaker Rene Van der Linden
told journalists today. He said the Netherlands stands for a peaceful
settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

“Azerbaijani President demonstrates a constructive position on this
issue,” Linden said.

Linden has today visited the Alley of Honors to lay a wreath at the
tomb of Azerbaijan`s national leader Heydar Aliyev. He also visited
the Alley of Martyrs to commemorate Azerbaijani heroes who gave their
lives for the country`s independence and territorial integrity.

From: A. Papazian

AKDAMAR CHURCH TO GET A CROSS, ARMENIAN DEPUTY PATRIARCH SAYS

Today’s Zaman
Sept 8 2010
Turkey

Turkey recently allowed a religious service to be held at the
historic Sumela Monastery for the first time in 88 years. Now the
Armenian church on Akdamar Island will be holding its first religious
ceremony in 100 years. The church currently does not have a cross,
but it will soon get one, Archbishop Aram AteÅ~_yan, deputy patriach
of the Armenians Patriarchate of Turkey, has said.

On Sept.19, Armenian Church members will hold a service at the
Armenian church on Akdamar Island, in Van. However, the Armenian
diaspora has been using the day to fuel another kind of propaganda,
stressing that the church does not have a cross on it because the
Turkish government hasn’t given permission for it. They feel that
the cross must be there for a church service to be organized.

AteÅ~_yan however, is confident that there will eventually be a cross
on the church. “The installation of the cross has been postponed for
after the service. They said they couldn’t do it due to technical
reasons. My state has promised me that the cross will be put up after
the service. That’s assurance enough for me.” He said the cross has
already been transported to the island and will be exhibited inside
the church during the ceremony. AteÅ~_yan thought the Van Governor’s
Office may have technical difficulties, given that the cross and its
stone base weigh close to 200 kilograms. “So this stone and the cross
have to get there. This is something that might technically take time.”

The spiritual leader did not particularly want to comment, but he did
say that he was not without suspicions that the referendum process
might have delayed the installation of the cross. He noted there are
claims that some circles might exploit the pictures of the huge cross
on the church. The service was initially considered for Sept. 12,
the day of the referendum, but was later scheduled for Sept. 19.

Meanwhile, Catholicos Karekin II, the current head of the Holy Armenian
Apostolic Church, has changed his mind about sending a representative
to the service. About 5,000 people were expected to participate,
but now Turkish Armenians say the number will be much lower due to
Karekin II’s decision.

From: A. Papazian

MAN KILLS CHILD, SHOOTS WIFE, BEFORE COMMITTING SUICIDE

Daily Star

Sept 9 2010
Lebanon

BEIRUT: A man killed his daughter and shot his wife before committing
suicide on Tuesday, according to a security source.

A man of Armenian origin, identified as 60 year-old Zaven, shot and
killed his 6-year-old daughter Julie and shot his 40 year-old wife
Hazmik in the leg, before killing himself.

The source said emotional and personal reasons were behind the murders
that occurred around 9:30 pm. The source added the man suffered from
psychological problems.

The source explained that Zaven had been having a dispute with his
wife, who allegedly cheated on him while he was away working in the US.

The source said Zaven also lived a double life, married with two
children in the US.

“Every time he came to Lebanon he had a disagreement with his wife
Hazmik. When he came back a week ago, he told her that he brought
her a gift from America,” the source added.

“He asked her to make some coffee and when she returned from the
kitchen he pointed a gun at her and said, ‘I’m going to make you cry
and make your heart burn for your daughter.’ He then shot her four
times and one shot hit the leg … It took one shot to kill the child.”

The bodies of Zaven and his daughter were transported to the Serhal
Hospital in Rabieh, where Hazmik is currently being treated.

Security forces were not able to locate any relatives of the victims
and the Armenian political party Tashnag has been contacted for help.

– The Daily Star

From: A. Papazian

AHMADINEJAD ANGERS PARLIAMENT
Maryam Sinaiee, Foreign Correspondent

The National
Sept 9 2010
UAE

TEHRAN // The recent appointment of four special envoys by President
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad violates Iran~Rs constitution and should be
withdrawn, nearly half of the members of Iran~Rs parliament say.

A written statement signed by 122 of the parliament~Rs 290 legislators
on Tuesday said the president must follow the guidelines by the
supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who warned the government
last week against ~Sparallel action in various fields, including
foreign policy.~T

Mr Ahmadinejad on August 22 designated the four envoys to handle
presidential diplomacy in the Middle East, Asia, Afghanistan and the
Caspian Sea. Ayatollah Khamenei has the last say in matters of foreign
policy, and foreign ministers are never appointed without his approval.

The president~Rs critics believe Mr Khamenei~Rs remarks last week
showed his disapproval of Mr Ahmadinejad~Rs attempts to form his own
foreign policy team. The president had chosen his foreign minister
largely to gain a parliamentary vote of confidence in his government.

~SWe hope that Mr Ahmadinejad explains whether he doesn~Rt trust the
foreign ministry, which is apparently the reason he has appointed
special envoys so that certain messages are to be delivered by
such envoys outside of the accepted diplomatic [channels],~T the
conservative legislator, Hossein Kanani Moghaddam, the Fararu news
portal quoted him as saying on Sunday.

According to a report issued Sunday by the parliament~Rs research
office, the president is entitled under the constitution only to
appoint special envoys ~Sin special cases~T or ~Sif required by need~T
and not in general fields such as ~SAsian affairs~T.

Such appointments require cabinet approval and parliamentary input
to ensure their compatibility with Iranian law. Mr Ahmadinejad~Rs
appointments had neither, the report said.

Critics of the president are also concerned that two of his
appointments – chief of staff Esfandiar Rahim Mashaie as special envoy
for Middle East and the head of Iran~Rs Cultural Heritage and Tourism
Organisation, Hamid Baghaie, as special envoy for Asian Affairs –
lack experience in foreign policy and are not qualified for the posts.

A few days after Mr Baghaie~Rs appointment was announced, he caused an
outcry in Turkey when he made a reference to ~Sgenocide of Armenians
by the Ottomans~T at a seminar in Tehran titled ~SIran: The Bridge
to Victory~T.

After strong editorial protests in Turkish newspapers, Cultural
Heritage and Tourism Organization said August 28 that the remarks of
its director had been distorted.

Turkey~Rs foreign minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, also called his Iranian
counterpart, Manouchehr Mottaki, for an explanation of Mr Baghaie~Rs
comments.

~SRemarks such as those ~E weaken the Iranian diplomacy machine. It
is not clear based on what authority and from what position Mr Baghaie
has made such crude remarks,~T Mr Mottaki told reporters on Sunday.

Whether Mr Ahmadinejad cancels the appointment of special envoys is
a test of his loyalty to Ayatollah Khamenei, conservative critics say.

~SIndifference to the wishes of the Supreme Leader and religious
authorities ~E can have very high costs for the players in this scene,
however capable they may think they are,~T the conservative Alef news
portal warned the president on Monday.

From: A. Papazian

RENE VAN DER LINDEN MEETS WITH MEMBERS OF AZERBAIJANI PARLIAMENT’S COMMITTEE ON INTERNATIONAL AND INTERPARLIAMENTARY RELATIONS

APA
Sept 8 2010
Azerbaijan

Baku. Rashad Suleymanov – APA. On September 8, the President of the
Senate of the Kingdom of the Netherlands Rene van der Linden met with
members of Azerbaijani Parliament’s Committee on International and
Interparliamentary Relations, press service of the Parliament told
APA. Chairman of the committee Samad Seyidov said that deputies of
Azerbaijan’s and Netherlands’ parliaments cooperated productiveky in
international organizations. Recently, a group of Dutch Parliament
visited Azerbaijan, held important meetings.

Speaking about the purpose of his visit to Azerbaijan, the President
of the Senate said that he would exchange views on development of
relations in political, economic and in other spheres.

The importance of increasing of pressure over Armenia by international
organizations for soonest regulation of Nagorno Karabakh conflict
was noted at the meeting.

From: A. Papazian