Author: Andres-Papazian

Agence France Presse
July 16, 2010 Friday 1:46 PM GMT

EU launches association talks with Azerbaijan

BAKU, July 16 2010

The European Union on Friday launched talks with Azerbaijan on an
association agreement that would boost ties between the bloc and the
energy-rich ex-Soviet republic.

“The preparation and signing of an association agreement is another
important step in relations between the EU and Azerbaijan. It promotes
integration of our country into Europe,” Azerbaijan’s deputy foreign
minister Mahmud Mamedguliyev told a news conference in Baku.

The head of the EU’s negotiating team, John Kjaer, said that the
eventual association agreement would promote democracy and economic
prosperity in the bloc’s Eastern neighbourhood.

“Europe is strategically interested in stability and democratic
development of its eastern neighbours,” Kjaer said.

Association agreements are treaties between the bloc and non-EU
countries that create a framework for cooperation on political and
economic issues. Negotiations on agreements usually take from one to
four years.

Azerbaijan has not sought as close links with the EU as neighbouring
Georgia, which launched similar talks with the bloc on Thursday, but
is an important partner for Europe in terms of energy cooperation.

Azerbaijan is a key partner in Western-backed projects to deliver oil
and gas from the Caspian Sea through Turkey to Europe, bypassing
Russia. It is also considered a crucial potential supplier for the
EU’s flagship Nabucco gas pipeline project.

Association agreement negotiations are also taking place with Ukraine
and Moldova and are due to be launched on Monday with another South
Caucasus republic, Armenia.

Six ex-Soviet states — Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia,
Moldova, and Ukraine — are also part of EU’s Eastern Partnership
initiative designed to foster democracy, security and economic reforms
in Europe’s eastern neighbourhood and deepen political and economic
ties.

From: A. Papazian

Anadolu Agency, Turkey
July 16 2010

Turkey’s foreign minister urges Armenia to accept “friendly hand”

Ankara: Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Friday that
Turkey took significant steps in elimination of problems with its
neighbours however Armenia remained as a missing part of that picture.

“It is obvious that refusal of the friendly hand offered by Turkey
will give the most damage to Armenia itself,” Davutoglu told a written
statement as response to a parliamentary question submitted by
opposition Nationalist Movement Party (MHP).

“The protocols signed with Armenia formed the initial steps of the
normalization which Turkey considers as a long-term process.
Definitely, continuation of this process will depend on Armenia’s will
to solve problems,” he said.

Davutoglu said Turkey was endeavouring to boost its relations with all
its neighbours on the basis of mutual respect and good neighbourly
relations.

Turkish foreign minister said solution of current political conflicts
in the Southern Caucasus was the main condition of ensuring a
sustainable security and peace.

Davutoglu said another important condition for establishment of a
comprehensive peace in Southern Caucasus was solution of Upper
Karabakh problem.

He said Turkish government was of the opinion that normalization
process between Turkey and Armenia would have an affirmative impact on
efforts for a solution.

“We saw that negotiations carried out between the presidents of
Armenia and Azerbaijan gained momentum after normalization process,
and the two presidents had 9 talks,” he said.

From: A. Papazian

Anadolu Agency, Turkey
July 16 2010

Turkey “discreetly” assessing Armenian border opening for NATO exercise

Ankara, 16 July: The spokesman for the Turkish Ministry of Foreign
Affairs (MFA), Burak Ozugergin, said [on] Friday [16 July] the opening
of the Turkish-Armenian border temporarily for passage of equipment to
be used in a NATO military exercise between 11 and 17 September was
being evaluated discreetly.

Answering a question on the NATO military exercise, Ozugergin said
that the Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre (EADRCC)
of NATO conducted a military exercise for extraordinary circumstances
every year.

In 2010, the EADRCC military exercise will take place in Armenia with
the participation of around 20 countries. Turkey is expected to join
the military exercise. The military exercise is designed to fight
against natural disasters. We are discreetly evaluating opening the
Turkish-Armenian border temporarily in the event a request comes for
the passage of equipment to be used in the military exercise,
Ozugergin also said.

From: A. Papazian

Islamic Republic News Agency IRNA, Iran
July 16 2010

Armenian defence minister due in Tehran on 16 July

Text of report in English by Iranian official government news agency
IRNA website

Moscow, July 16, IRNA – Armenian Defence Minister Seyran Ohanyan is to
pay an official two-day visit to Iran as of Saturday to hold talks
with Iranian officials.

Armenian Defence Ministry Press Office reported on Friday that Ohanyan
will visit Iran on an official invitation by his Iranian counterpart
Ahmad Vahidi.

Issues of mutual, regional and international concern will be raised
during the Iranian and Armenian ministers’ meetings and talks.

From: A. Papazian

Edmonton Journal (Alberta)
July 16, 2010 Friday
Final Edition

Egoyan working hard on thank-you to film festivals

by Katherine Monk, Postmedia News
FRIDAY MOVIES; Pg. D13

Atom Egoyan is looking at a picture of himself standing next to Sonny
Bono, and reminiscing.

The flashback is not pharmacology-related. Egoyan is thinking about
the bizarre connections and friendships you make on the festival
circuit, an increasingly focused group of filmmakers who are finding
themselves pushed to the fringes once again.

After enjoying two decades in the sun, thanks to the commercially and
critically successful careers of Quentin Tarantino, Christopher Nolan
and Paul Thomas Anderson, independent filmmakers are now looking at a
much different picture. As studios continue to minimize risk while
maximizing returns, the place for new and original voices continues to
shrink.

That’s why Egoyan was looking forward to awarding the next Golden
Apricot, top prize at the Yerevan International Film Festival in
Armenia this week, where the Torontobased director will be leading the
jury alongside the likes of one-time Italian bombshell Claudia
Cardinale and director Claire Denis.

It’s also why Egoyan is working hard on a new “crazy little movie”
that will be part of the opening festivities for the Bell Lightbox,
the new home of the Toronto International Film Festival when it opens
in September.

Festivals lit the fuse on Egoyan’s career with Family Viewing and The
Adjuster. Now, he wants to give back.

“The reality is that (festivals) may well represent the last form of
theatrical exhibition for certain kinds of filmmakers,” Egoyan says.
“It used to be you’d go to a festival to make a sale and get a wider
distribution deal. Now, the festival circuit is the means of
distribution.”

Egoyan speaks in a matter-of-fact tone. Able to transcend the pettier
concerns of a frequently petty industry, thanks to a sophisticated
world view, trenchant sense of humour and healthy dose of Canadian
humility, Egoyan sees the shifting business model as the result of
technological change and financial trepidation.

“I noticed the shift really started happening in the mid-’90s, when
independent movies became the new American dream,” he says.

Egoyan says the romantic ideal of making a movie motivated by personal
expression — not commercial pressure — got wound up with the
American ethos and quickly became a beacon for wannabes.

“Very quickly, things became oversaturated,” says Egoyan, whose own
career rose above the flood with the success of The Sweet Hereafter.
“(The movement) made people really excited about independent film, but
often without the attendant education (in film).”

Egoyan says filmmakers have to be creative and collaborative if they
want to stay afloat in the tidal pool. He points to Chloe, his last
feature starring Amanda Seyfried, as a case in point.

Chloe was based on a French movie called Nathalie that did well in
Europe, but never made the trans-Atlantic flight with any great
success.

“It was a different movie in a lot of ways, and when I got the script,
I just couldn’t abide the ending. The original has (Liam Neeson’s)
character going to the house and killing her. That’s it.”

Without unveiling the end in Egoyan’s reel, Seyfried’s character does
find a splinter of redemption by the final credits. A young prostitute
who develops a frightening fascination for a female doctor (Julianne
Moore), Chloe could have been a standard femme fatale: hauntingly
beautiful, eerily sexy and absolutely icy in every part of her life
except the boudoir. Egoyan warms her up by seeing Chloe as a social
victim.

“Sex workers have an incredibly difficult job. It’s hard to remove
yourself from a moment in order to do the work you need to do … but
Chloe succumbs to something with Catherine.”

When Egoyan cast Seyfried in the part, she was unknown. Mamma Mia! had
yet to hit theatres and Letters to Juliet was still ink in the pot.

“I look like a genius, because she’s the hottest actress in the world
right now. But she wasn’t well-known. I cast her as Chloe because she
felt real.”

For now, Egoyan says he’s focused on wrapping 8-1/2 Screens, one of
several shorts commissioned for the Bell Lightbox opening.

“It’s a fun project. Guy Maddin is also doing (a short). They’ve given
me the run of an empty theatre, which is great. The whole facility is
pretty impressive. It’s one of the best I’ve seen of its kind,” says
Egoyan of the new multiplex in downtown Toronto. “Expectations are
pretty high. We need this. We need the shared experience of watching
together.”

From: A. Papazian

TendersInfo
July 16, 2010 Friday

Fresh Armenian-Iranian Energy Projects Set For Launch

Armenia announced on Wednesday the impending launch of three more
joint energy projects with neighboring Iran that are estimated to cost
more than $700 million.
Energy Minister Armen Movsisian said the two nations will start
building this year a third high-voltage transmission line connecting
their power grids, a hydro-electric station on the Arax river marking
their border, and a pipeline that will pump Iranian oil products to
Armenia.

The Armenian and Iranian governments have spent years negotiating on
these projects and preparing for their implementation, which would
give a massive boost to their economic ties.
With a projected capacity of 140 megawatts and an estimated cost of
$350 million, the hydro-electric station is to be constructed by
Iranian firms. According to Movsisian, the Armenian side will pay half
of the bill with supplies of electricity to the Islamic Republic.

Movsisian told journalists that the two governments will also equally
co-finance the $180 million construction of the pipeline which he said
will get underway this fall. It will enable Armenian fuel companies to
import petrol and diesel fuel at prices well below the international
level, he said.

Movsisian added that the two sides will also start within
approximately one month work on the third power transmission line. He
said earlier that it will take 18 months.

The facility will allow for large-scale exports of Armenian
electricity to Iran to be mainly generated by Iranian natural gas.
Armenia began importing it, in modest amounts, through a newly
constructed gas pipeline in May last year. The volume of these
deliveries is due to increase drastically to at least 2 billion cubic
meters per annum in the next few years.

Armenia is pressing ahead with these projects despite tougher
sanctions which the U.N. Security Council imposed on the Islamic
regime in Tehran last month over its controversial nuclear program.
The sanctions do not directly target the energy sector, the main area
of Armenian-Iranian economic cooperation.

Official Yerevan said on June 10 that it is closely monitoring the
intensifying standoff between Iran and the West and hopes for its
peaceful resolution. Visiting Germany two weeks later, President Serzh
Sarkisian urged Western powers to address Tehran s sense of being in
danger and reckon with its geopolitical interests in the region.

From: A. Papazian

Trend, Azerbaijan
July 16 2010

Party: Azerbaijan to continue fighting for Karabakh during elections

Azerbaijan, Baku, July 16 / Trend M. Aliyev /

Azerbaijan will continue fighting to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict during the upcoming elections. The country will continue its
efforts in this direction, ruling New Azerbaijan Party Deputy Chairman
Ali Akhmadov told media.

“It is time to end the occupation of Azerbaijani territories,” he
said. “Patience has been exhausted. In this context, one can expect
significant results from the meetings in Almaty.”

Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers Elmar Mammadyarov and
Edward Nalbandian are expected to meet and discuss the conflict in
Almaty at the OSCE Ministerial Council July 16-17.

“We expect that the negotiations in Almaty will go down in history as
an important stage in the resolution process,” Akhmadov said.

He added that Azerbaijan previously proposed a phased model for
settling the conflict.

“Finally, these proposals were reflected in the updated Madrid
principles,” Akhmadov said. “This package of documents reflects
Azerbaijan’s interests. We hope the conflict will be resolved in the
nearest future.”

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 seven surrounding districts.
Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994.

The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group – Russia, France, and the United
States – are currently holding the peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council’s
resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh region and the
occupied territories.

From: A. Papazian

Interfax, Russia
July 16 2010

Nalbandian does not plan to discuss return of occupied areas with Mammadyarov

YEREVAN July 16

Armenian Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian has said that he is not
going to discuss the handover of the Lachin and Kelbadzhar districts
to Azerbaijan at a meeting with Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Elmar
Mammadyarov.

“Armenia has never discussed the handover of the Lachin and Kelbadzhar
districts with Azerbaijan. Nor was this issue discussed at the
presidents’ meeting in St. Petersburg,” Nalbandian said on Public
Television of Armenia.

Mammadyarov said earlier that at the upcoming meeting with Nalbandian
he expects to clarify when Armenia is going to withdraw troops from
the Lachin and Kelbadzhar districts.

Baku lost control over Nagorno-Karabakh and seven neighboring
districts as a result of a conflict with Yerevan in the 1990s, which
forced nearly one million Azeri people to flee their homes.

The UN Security Council has adopted a number of resolutions condemning
the occupation of Azerbaijan’s territories and demanding the
withdrawal of Armenian servicemen from the region.

Azerbaijan and Armenia have been negotiating a solution to the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict through third-party mediators from the U.S.,
Russia and France, which co-chair the Organization for Security and
Co- operation in Europe Minsk Group.

From: A. Papazian

Agence France Presse
July 15, 2010 Thursday 9:06 AM GMT

Turkey may open Armenia border for NATO exercise: diplomat

Ankara, July 15 2010

Turkey is considering whether to temporarily open its border with
Armenia for a NATO disaster relief exercise in September, a Turkish
diplomat said Thursday.

“We will be taking part in the exercise,” to be held in Armenia on
September 11-17, the diplomat told AFP on condition of anonymity.

“We are looking into the possibility on whether the border may be
opened if such a necessity arises…. There has been no decision yet,”
she said.

The frontier has been sealed for 17 years due to political tensions
between the two neighbours, long estranged over Armenian allegations
that their kin were the victim of genocide at the hands of Ottoman
Turks during World War I.

The diplomat said the authorities were looking into whether the
infrastructure of the border area was suitable for use during the NATO
drills, to be based on a scenario of civil emergency after an
earthquake.

Re-opening the border was a key item in a historic deal Turkey and
Armenia signed in October to establish diplomatic ties.

But the process stalled in April when Yerevan halted ratification of
the accord on the grounds that Ankara was not truely committed to its
terms.

The Today’s Zaman newspaper reported Thursday that Ankara was in
favour of opening the frontier for the exercise.

“During technical discussions at NATO headquarters in Brussels a while
ago, when such a possibility was raised by NATO officials, the Turkish
side responded favorably,” unnamed sources told the daily.

The drills will be held in Armenia’s Kotayq region with up to 1,000
participants from NATO member and partner countries, according to
NATO’s Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre, which
organises the event.

Asked about suggestions the border might remain open to allow Armenian
pilgrims to cross shortly afterwards for a mass at a historic Armenian
church in eastern Turkey, the diplomat told AFP that “this is out of
the question.”

Hundreds are expected to travel to Turkey for the September 19 mass at
the Church of the Holy Cross, a 10th-century edifice on a lake island
in Van province, which is currently a museum.

Ankara gave permission for the service in a gesture of good will to Armenians.

Turkey sealed its border with Armenia in 1993 in a show of solidarity
with Azerbaijan after Yerevan-backed ethnic Armenian separatists
seized the Nagorny Karabakh region from Baku in a war that claimed an
estimated 30,000 lives.

From: A. Papazian

ANSAmed , Italy
July 15, 2010 Thursday 10:07 AM CET

DEFENSE: TURKEY TO TAKE PART IN NATO EXERCISES IN ARMENIA

ANKARA

(ANSAmed) Turkish representatives will take part in military and
humanitarian training operations organized by NATO which are to be
held in September in Armenia, Turkish daily Radikal reports.

According to Radikal, the names of Turkish servicemen have already
been added to the list of Alliance soldiers who will go to Armenia to
participate in these exercises. In addition, the newspaper says that
there are plans to open the Armenian-Turkish border for a limitless
passage of servicemen for a time period. The exercise is expected to
involve servicemen from 19 member-states and NATO partners. Azerbaijan
has rejected participation in the trainings. The decision to hold
military exercises in Armenia was adopted by NATO member-states,
including Turkey. They will be held on from September 11 to 17.

According to diplomatic sources, a temporary opening of the
Turkish-Armenian border will ensure the passage of military units for
humanitarian purposes, but does not mean that the state border between
Turkey and Armenia will be declared open.

From: A. Papazian