Author: Andres-Papazian

ARMENIAN-TURKISH BORDER TO OPEN IN SEPTEMBER?

Panorama
July 7 2010
Armenia

It’s very likely that Turkey will open Armenian-Turkish border
in September, director of the Armenian Center for National and
International Studies (ACNIS), Richard Giragosian said during the
discussion in the center today.

According to the expert, it could coincide with the ceremony of the
holy mass to be served in St. Cross Church of Akhtamar on September
19. It has been foreseen to place a cross atop the church that day.

R. Giragosian said, official Ankara will thus respond to Hillary
Clinton’s regional visit.

“Of course, Turkey’s new plans are not agreed with Azerbaijan.

However, the only achievement of Armenia’s football diplomacy is that
it made a powerful blow to “one nation, two states” principle and
Turkish-Azerbaijani tandem. What really suffered from Serzh Sargsyan’s
football diplomacy is Azerbaijan,” he said.

Note that the same view was also expressed by another political expert
Alexander Iskandaryan at a press conference today.

“Before parliamentary elections in Turkey, Ankara should show that it
is taking steps to prove the process is not finally frozen,” he said.

From: A. Papazian

ARMENIA’S YEREVAN IS 2012 WORLD BOOK CAPITAL

Sify
July 7 2010
India

/WAM) Unesco has chosen Armenia’s capital Yerevan as the World Book
Capital for 2012 as part of the organisation’s efforts to promote
books and the reading habit.

Yerevan, Armenia’s largest city, was chosen for the quality and
variety of programmes it put on offer.

‘I congratulate the city of Yerevan, which has presented a particularly
interesting programme with many different themes, including freedom
of expression, as well as several activities for children, who will
be the readers and authors of tomorrow,’ Unesco Director General
Irina Bokova said.

The city chosen as the world book capital holds the distinction for
one year, beginning on the ‘World Book and Copyright Day’, observed
on April 23.

Yerevan is the 12th city to be designated after Madrid (2001),
Alexandria (2002), New Delhi (2003), Antwerp (2004), Montreal (2005),
Turin (2006), Bogota (2007), Amsterdam (2008), Beirut (2009), Ljubljana
(2010) and Buenos Aires (2011).

From: A. Papazian

ARMENIAN MUSICIAN CALLS FOR PEACE DURING ISTANBUL VISIT

Hurriyet
July 7 2010
Turkey

Ara Dinkjian, an Armenian-American lute virtuoso and composer, issues
a call for peace in the wake of a concert in Istanbul last week with
local group KardeÅ~_ Turkuler. Aiming to strengthen ties between Turkey
and Armenia, the musician hopes to end the enmity and hostility between
the two neighbors through greater cross-border artistic collaboration

Using a visit to Istanbul last week as a platform to sound off
on Turkish-Armenian relations, Armenian-American lute virtuoso and
composer Ara Dinkjian said it is time to end the “grudges and hatred”
between Turkey and its eastern neighbor.

“We should follow the oath of peace, not hatred,” Dinkjian told the
Hurriyet Daily News & Economic Review, directing his comments to
Turkish and Armenian societies following a well-received concert
in Istanbul.

Dinkjian dedicated his latest song to the long-running group KardeÅ~_
Turkuler, with whom he recently performed in Istanbul.

KardeÅ~_ Turkuler is renowned for its wide repertoire that includes
folk songs from all the ethnic and religious groups of Anatolia.

‘My dark place:’ a melody of deep grief

Dinkjian titled his song as “My Dark Place,” because “no matter where
we come from or which religion or culture we belong to, we all carry
deep grief in our hearts, even when we have a smile on our faces.”

Although he was born and raised in the United States, Dinkjian said he
had never lost his contact with Turkey, from which his ancestors came,
and is very eager to participate in projects with Turkish artists.

Dinkjian said the desire for such collaboration is unsurprising,
because “there is no discrimination in music. [Musical] notes do not
judge people by their race, religion or nation.”

Further displaying his links with Turkey, Dinkjian said that when he
was a child, his father had an unprecedented Turkish classical music
collection. “I grew up listening to that music,” he said.

Diaspora not monolithic

Although his family suffered during the 1915 events, he said:
“They never taught us to bear grudges or hatred. This is extremely
important.”

Asked about the Armenian diaspora, which is often known for its extreme
hostility toward Turkey, Dinkjian said it was wrong to define diaspora
as a homogenous whole.

“There is another ‘unmentioned’ diaspora where people still do speak
Turkish as their second language,” he said. “They sing in Turkish and
they still feel that they belong to these lands. They cannot belong
to where they live currently.”

Dinkjian said he Turkey and Armenia would establish close relations
similar to the relations now enjoyed between Turkey and Greece thanks
to the efforts of artists from both countries. “All we need is a
little effort and self-sacrifice.”

‘I teach my children love, not hatred’

Recalling the concert he performed last week together with KardeÅ~_
Turkuler, Dinkjian said thousands of people sang along with him and
gave him a standing ovation.

“It was an incredible experience, I will never forget this,” Dinkjian
said. “I truly believe that we can make it.”

He said he had also taken his kids to Turkey to let them sight see,
adding that he would not allow them to be poisoned with hatred. “I
of course do tell them about the painful events but I also advise
them to love all human beings without discrimination.”

When he visited the southeastern province of Diyarbakır, the home
of his ancestors, five years ago with his father, Dinkjian said he
felt like how a mother feels for her children.

“I cannot really express my emotions but if somebody kidnapped me and
took me to outer space and let me have one last look at the world,
I would pick the one spot on the blue globe – and that would be what
my grandfather and grandmother told me fairytales about, that is,
Anatolia,” he said. “That is where I belong.”

Dinkjian said he would not cut his ties with Turkey for as long as
he lives. “It is not even possible for me to do so.”

From: A. Papazian

“WE MUST FIND ALTERNATIVE FUEL”
Alexander Gushchin

RIA Novosti
07/07/2010

Ismail Agakishiev, PhD in History, Associate Professor at the History
Department of Moscow State University and the Russian State University
for the Humanities.

Hello, Mr. Agakishiev.

Hello.

The recent gas conflict with Belarus – and please correct me if I’m
wrong – was quite mild. We have become accustomed to more dramatic
developments – to protracted gas wars with malicious countries that
refuse to pay. Does this mean that the era of dramatic gas conflicts
is now a thing of the past?

You know, I think there is too much unnecessary political speculation
about these economic contracts, which clearly spell out the rights and
obligations of the parties. This is due primarily to the fact that
energy is the foundation for economic development. Energy shortages
are felt by every family, every apartment, and every home.

Another problem is that the media, for some reason, do not always
properly explain problems related to energy supplies. In reality,
energy supplies are a matter of contractual obligation, first
and foremost, which the parties must fulfill. Otherwise it would
be impossible to ensure the implementation of programs that are
stipulated in international contracts and are binding both for the
suppliers and buyers.

You are an expert in the field of energy, and one of your recent works
deals with precisely this subject. In your opinion, what presents
the greatest danger for energy supplies?

You know, there is always an element of danger, and not just when it
comes to energy supplies. We face danger everywhere. Even when we get
up in the morning, we don’t know if we are going to live through the
day. Anything can happen in the course of a day. Clearly, there are
always dangers when it comes to energy.

The delivery of gas or oil through a pipeline is inherently complex,
and it comes with a certain degree of risk. For example, there is the
landscape of the territory through which the pipelines are laid. This
must also be taken into account. But to be clear, for the most part
these risks are exaggerated by journalists and politicians.

The reality is that the main danger lies in the fact that the world is
extremely dependent on traditional sources of energy. They have become
the foundation of the modern economy. But these resources are limited,
especially oil. Therefore, we must find alternative sources of energy.

Getting back to the issue of pipeline routes: whether we’re talking
about the Baku-Novorossiysk route, Baku-Supsa, Baku-Ceyhan, or gas
supplies from Central Asia and Kazakhstan – all of these pipelines run
through regions where there is political instability or even armed
conflicts. In Russia, there was a conflict in Chechnya in the early
1990s. Disagreements have recently resurfaced between the Turks and
Kurds, there is instability in Georgia…

And in Karabakh.

Yes. At one point the possibility of creating a pipeline through
Karabakh was discussed with the former president of Armenia, Levon
Ter-Petrosyan. Had they managed to reach an agreement on this issue,
it would have provided an excellent opportunity to settle the Karabakh
conflict once and for all. A pipeline through Armenia would have been
one of the most effective and least costly routes.

The presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia, Heydar Aliev and Levon
Ter-Petrosyan, had an excellent opportunity to solve two regional
problems at once: the protracted Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the
economic problems of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and the region as a whole.

However, the opposition in Armenia, the so-called party of war, which
was actively seeking power at the time, was not interested in a deal.

The assassination of Karen Demirchyan, patriarch of Armenian politics,
forced President Ter-Petrosyan to resign, clearing the way for the
party of war to take power and nip the plans for a pipeline in the
bud. Armenia had a real opportunity to become a major oil and gas
transit country for Europe and to play an active role in this field.

This is a case where politics got in the way of economic development.

Yes, absolutely right. The same goes for the construction of a less
expensive pipeline through Iran, where strong U.S. opposition killed
the project. Washington blocked it.

You mentioned the need to find alternative sources of energy. How
soon should we start worrying about this? When will the oil and gas
run out? I’ve heard that there is enough for about another 100 years.

Well, some experts are optimistic and say that the current reserves
will last for many years to come, and if necessary even more reserves
can be found. But there is another view, which I wouldn’t call
pessimistic so much as realistic. Everything has its limit and sooner
or later everything comes to an end, including oil and gas. And we
need to be prepared for this. In my opinion, we should have started
looking for alternative sources of energy yesterday. We are very far
behind from where we need to be.

Is Russia falling behind or the world as a whole?

No, human civilization. After all, the energy resources that are the
foundation of today’s economy also played a huge role in the formation
of our civilization. We should acknowledge – while at the same time
not exaggerate – the fact that Europe’s prosperity is underwritten in
part by gas from Algeria, Norway and, of course, Russia. It would be
no exaggeration to say that without this gas, Europe’s economy would
not have reached its current level of development.

Mr. Agakishiev, thank you for sharing your time and your thoughts.

Thank you.

From: A. Papazian

A ‘PRIVATE’ VISIT TO A STATE MONUMENT
ARA KHACHATOURIAN

asbarez
Tuesday, July 6th, 2010

It was, indeed, a first for a US Secretary of State to visit
Dzidzernagapert Armenian Memorial Monument. What was, indeed, puzzling
about the visit was that it was dubbed a “private” visit by one of
the most visible-public-officials in the world.

While in Yerevan, Hillary Clinton visited Dzidzernagapert, laid a
wreath and paused for a moment of silence in what the US Embassy
officially described as “a sign of respect for the 1.5 million
Armenians who lost their lives in 1915.”

A curious and novel concept in diplomacy has emerged. A US secretary
of state makes a very public and official visit to a country and
opts to visit its most recognizable monument in “private.” I always
thought a private visit was exactly that-private. It did not accompany
photographs of her at the eternal flame, or videotape of her, in
which she is heard to be in awe of Mount Ararat.

Does this mean that Hillary Clinton “privately” recognizes the
Armenian Genocide but publicly-and officially-goes out of her way
to deny it? Or, did she think that the mere gesture of visiting
the monument would absolve the US from having to change course and
actually recognize the Genocide. Truly you jest Madame Secretary!

Let’s contrast her “private” visit to a very public tour of the
Schindler Factory Museum, which a news wire describes as capturing
“in stark images and artifacts the suffering of Jews at the hands of
Nazi Germany” two days before going to Armenia.

Her tour culminated in a very “public” announcement of a $15
million pledge by the US to the Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation to
help finance an endowment to preserve and safeguard the remains of
the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp.

The pledge “illustrates the significance of the Auschwitz-Birkenau
site, helps commemorate the 1.1 million victims who perished there,
and demonstrates America’s commitment to Holocaust education,
remembrance and research,” a State Department statement said.

“The preservation and continuation of Auschwitz-Birkenau is essential
so that future generations can visit and understand how the world can
never again allow a place of such hatred and persecution to exist. It
is also an important educational tool to show those who doubt that
the Holocaust ever existed that indeed, tragically, it did,” the
state department statement said.

Two different messages in one trip. And, who said the US was
inconsistent in its foreign policy?

Of course-and not surprisingly-the Armenian Assembly of America was
quick to thank Clinton for her visit and failed to point out that the
manner in which Clinton, the US Embassy and the State Department framed
this historic visit completely diminished its broader significance
to the specific issue of the Armenian Genocide and the broader issue
of US’s commitment to human rights.

This dual-messaging approach, which was articulated by President Obama
and is now being fostered by Secretary Clinton, creates dichotomies
in US policy. Clinton visits Dizidzernagapert “in private,” yet the
wreath she lays at the monument says that it is from “Secretary of
State Hillary Clinton.” In his April 24 message, President Obama is
quick to point out that his personal beliefs on the Genocide have
not changed, but falls short of setting the record straight.

This makes one wonder: Was Clinton’s Dzidzernagapert visit and her
comments about Turkey’s failure in fulfilling the Armenia-Turkey
protocols an effort to appease Armenia or an opportunity to articulate
the current US posturing on Turkey?

From: A. Papazian

KERKORIAN TO BUILD MORE SCHOOLS IN ARMENIA

Asbarez
Wednesday, July 7th, 2010

YEREVAN (RFE/RL)-Kirk Kerkorian, a U.S. billionaire of Armenian
descent, will provide $12 million for building and refurbishing
more schools in Armenia, a Yerevan-based representative of his Lincy
Foundation said on Wednesday.

The Nevada-based charity has already spent $22 million on financing
the first phase of a school infrastructure project launched by it in
2007. Ten public schools in Yerevan and other parts of the country
were reconstructed or built from scratch by the end of last year.

According to Hrayr Sargsian, the head of the project implementation
unit in Yerevan, the fresh Lincy funding will be channeled into six
schools in the northern Shirak and Lori regions.

“We started the works one month ago and, naturally, will not be
able to finish them in time for the start of the new academic year
[in September,]” Sargsian told a news conference. “According to the
construction schedule, they will take between 12 and 16 months.”

Sargsian said Lincy had planned to set aside nearly twice as much for
the second phase of the scheme but eventually cut the sum because of
the global economic crisis. But he said the charity may still increase
it later on.

The Lincy executive estimated that about half of Armenia’s 1,400 or
so secondary schools are in need of capital repairs. Some of them
are being renovated by the Armenian government.

Kerkorian, 93, is Armenia’s largest Diaspora benefactor, having
donated, through the Lincy Foundation, at least $240 million since
its independence. The bulk of the money has been allocated and spent
since 2001 on various infrastructure projects.

Those included the repair of 420 kilometers of major highways and
the construction of 3,700 new apartments in Shirak and Lori. The two
regions were devastated by a catastrophic earthquake that hit Armenia
in 1988.

Kerkorian, who ranked 41st on the “Forbes” magazine’s list of the
world’s wealthiest individuals before the global recession, was given
Armenia’s highest state award, the title of “national hero,” during
a rare visit to Yerevan in 2004. Then President Robert Kocharian
cited the reclusive tycoon’s “exceptional services” to the country
of his ancestors.

From: A. Papazian

‘LAST CHANCE FOR ARMENIA,’ THREATENS ALIYEV

Asbarez
Wednesday, July 7th, 2010

BAKU (Combined Sources)-“This is the last chance for Armenia to leave
the occupied lands voluntarily for the sake of its own future and its
own security,” threatened Azeri President Ilham Aliyev Tuesday during
the inauguration of a center for the so-called “Azeri Community of
Nagorno-Karabakh,” reported the Turan news agency.

The threat comes two days after Aliyev held talks with Secretary of
State Hillary Clinton, who urged both sides to refrain from “use of
force or the intention of use of force” to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict.

In his lengthy remarks, Aliyev said that Azerbaijan had accepted the
updated Madrid Principles drafted by the OSCE Minks Group that is
mediating the peace process.

He said the time had come for Armenia to adopt the principles,
accusing Yerevan of deliberately delaying the process.

The Azeri President said his country’s growing economic and military
potential and the strengthening of its position in the international
arena will help it restore its territorial integrity.

“Today our army is able to solve any task,” the Azerbaijani President
said. Aliyev, however, did not touch upon the mechanism of development
of the final legal status of Nagrono-Karabakh during his speech.

In related news, Azerbaijan has denied Armenian claims that Russian
President Dmitry Medvedev presented his Armenian and Azerbaijani
counterparts with a new international plan to end the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict at their meeting in Saint Petersburg last month, reported
Radio Free Europe.

Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian referred to them as “a new version
of the Madrid principles” of a Karabakh settlement at a joint news
conference in Yerevan with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
on Sunday.

President Serzh Sarkisian likewise spoke of “the latest version” of
the proposed framework accord as he met with the visiting French,
Russian and U.S. co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group on Saturday. A
statement by his office said the document was “presented in the course
of the Saint Petersburg negotiations between the presidents of Armenia,
Russia and Azerbaijan.”

The Azei Foreign Ministry dismissed these statements late on Monday.

“Even though Russia plays a large role in this process and the
Russian president has taken part in several meetings [between Aliyev
and Sarkisian,] proposals are drawn up only by the [Minsk Group]
co-chairs,” Azerbaijani news agencies quoted the ministry spokesman,
Elkhan Polukhov, as saying.

“Updated Madrid proposals exist only in the form of a document, and
they were submitted to both parties last year,” Polukhov said. “Only
various approaches were discussed in Saint Petersburg. The statement by
Nalbandian is only aimed at distracting the Armenian and international
publics from the essence of the issue.”

The three co-chairs made no mention of the Saint Petersburg in a
statement issued after their latest tour of the conflict zone. They
instead reiterated the U.S., Russian and French presidents’ joint calls
for the parties to “take the next step and move towards completing work
on the Basic Principles to enable the drafting of a peace agreement
to begin.” They also urged the sides to “strictly observe the 1994
ceasefire and exercise restraint along the Line of Contact.”

“During their visit, the Co-chairs also presented to the parties their
plan to undertake a mission to the occupied territories in this fall,
which was accepted in principle,” added the statement.

From: A. Papazian

OPINION: LACK OF PURCHASE MECHANISMS IN ARMENIA DRIVING PRICES FOR AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS UP

/ARKA/
July 7, 2010
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, July 7. /ARKA/. Armen Poghosyan, chairman of the Association
of Armenian Consumers, thinks that the recent surge in prices for
agricultural products was triggered by the lack of purchase mechanisms.

On Wednesday, speaking at a news conference, he said that farmers
themselves have to take care of transportation and sales.

“Special agencies are needed for transporting and selling agricultural
products,” Poghosyan said. He thinks that farmers burdened with
transportation expenses have to raise prices.

He finds it wrong to connect this price rise with bad weather.

Poghosyan also voiced concern over street trading in Yerevan.

“This phenomenon should be rooted out. The results of crackdown on
trading in Garegin Nzhde Square shows street trading can be prevented.”

Prices for foods, spirits and cigarettes went 1.2% down and those
for nonfoods slipped 0.9% in June, compared with May.

Index of consumer prices for foods was 129.6% and nonfoods 124.2%.

From: A. Papazian

WB VIEWS OVERLY RESTRICTIVE AND OBSOLETE LAWS AS IMPEDIMENT TO FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT

/ARKA/
July 7, 2010
YEREVAN

Overly restrictive and obsolete laws are an impediment to foreign
direct investment and their poor implementation creates additional
costs to investment, finds Investing Across Borders 2010, a new report
by the World Bank Group.

The report sent to ARKA News Agency by the WB Yerevan Office is the
first World Bank Group report to offer objective data on laws and
regulations affecting foreign direct investment that can be compared
across 87 countries.

According to the report, leasing industrial land in Nicaragua and
Sierra Leone typically requires half a year as opposed to less than
two weeks in Armenia, Republic of Korea, and Sudan.

In Angola and Haiti excessive red tape means it can take half a year
to establish a subsidiary of a foreign company.

Pakistan, Philippines, and Sri Lanka it can take up to two years to
enforce an arbitration award.

“Foreign direct investment is critical for countries’ development,
especially in times of economic crisis. It brings new and more
committed capital, introduces new technologies and management styles,
helps create jobs, and stimulates competition to bring down local
prices and improve people’s access to goods and services,” said
Janamitra Devan, Vice President of Financial and Private Sector
Development, World Bank Group.

The report finds that countries that do well on the Investing Across
Borders indicators also tend to attract more foreign direct investment
relative to the size of their economies and population. Conversely,
countries that score poorly tend to have higher incidence of
corruption, higher levels of political risk, and weaker governance
structures.

Investing Across Borders 2010 aims to help countries develop more
competitive business environments by identifying good practices in
investment policy design and implementation. It provides indicators
examining sector-specific restrictions on foreign equity ownership,
the process of starting a foreign business, access to industrial land,
and commercial arbitration regimes in 87 countries.

The World Bank Group is one of the world’s largest sources of funding
and knowledge for developing countries. It comprises five closely
associated institutions: the International Bank for Reconstruction
and Development (IBRD) and the International Development Association
(IDA), which together form the World Bank; the International Finance
Corporation (IFC); the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA);
and the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes
(ICSID).

From: A. Papazian

UNION OF HONORARY CONSULS TO BE CREATED IN ARMENIA

PanARMENIAN.Net
July 7, 2010 – 20:28 AMT 15:28 GMT

Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian received Honorary Consuls
accredited in Armenia.

The activity of honorary consuls was in the focus of the meeting.

The consuls said that they intend to create a union of honorary
consuls and asked for the Ministry’s assistance to this end.

Besides, Edward Nalbandian briefed the guests on recent processes in
Armenia’s foreign policy.

From: A. Papazian