Author: Andres-Papazian

YOUNG EDITOR TO TAKE HELM OF TURKISH-ARMENIAN WEEKLY

Hurriyet
June 17 2010
Turkey

The Turkish- and Armenian-language newspaper previously helmed by
assassinated journalist Hrant Dink has been assigned a new editor in
chief, young journalist Rober KoptaÅ~_.

KoptaÅ~_, 32, was previously a columnist at weekly Agos and will take
over the top editorial spot as former Editor-in-Chief Etyen Mahcupyan
moves into a new role as publishing consultant. The change, Mahcupyan
said, will start with this week’s issue of the paper.

“We will hold a press conference together with KoptaÅ~_ next week
and make a joint statement. It would be inappropriate for me to speak
prior to the press conference without his presence,” Mahcupyan said,
refusing to answer further questions.

Longtime journalist Mahcupyan took the job with the Dink family’s
consent after his predecessor was assassinated in 2007 and kept a
lower profile than the slain editor.

Mahcupyan told the Hurriyet Daily News & Economic Review that he will
honor Dink’s legacy and the founding principles of the newspaper in
his new role while allowing a young editorial team to bring Agos into
the future.

According to sources close to the Dink family, the paper may hire
additional new staff in the near future.

Agos is an Armenian weekly newspaper published in Istanbul. It was
established on April 5, 1996. The paper has pages both in Armenian
and Turkish as well as an online English edition.

From: A. Papazian

KEVORK KHATCHERIAN – LEBANESE JEWELLERY DESIGNER DREAMS OF BREAKING INTO UK MARKET
David Morgan

Global Arab Network
June 17 2010

The Arab-British Chamber of Commerce was pleased to host an exhibition
of fashion jewellery from the collection of well known Lebanese
fashion designer Kevork Khatcherian.

Kevork’s hand-made rings, necklaces and bracelets in a range of shapes,
colours and sizes represent a celebration of the artistry, creativity
and sophistication of the Arab World. His dream is to break into the
UK market.

Opening the exhibition, which ran from 8-10 June, Dr Afnan Al Shuaiby,
Secretary General & CEO of the Arab-British Chamber of Commerce, said
“The Chamber performs a unique role in fostering closer relations
between Britain and the Arab countries through the promotion of
business and trade in their widest sense.

“We recognise that the cultural and the creative industries, of which
art and design are a part, are increasingly important aspects both
of the modern economy and the strong and diverse relations enjoyed
by our countries.

“The Chamber is very pleased to be able to play its part in helping
bring these products of his unique collection of jewellery to the
attention of a wider audience here in London,” Dr Afnan Al Shuaiby
concluded.

Kevork Khatcherian is a leading practitioner of the craft and artistry
found among jewellery manufacturers in the Arab World.

The jewellery industry is an extremely lucrative business and the
Arab World constitutes one of the largest jewellery markets in the
world after the United States, China and India with 10 percent of
the world total.

Globally the market for jewellery is valued at approximately $146
billion annually of which the combined GCC market value represents
$14.5 billion.

Across the Arab world shopping is serious business and the appetite
for jewellery remains undiminished despite recent global economic
difficulties.

While top quality jewellery made with gems and precious metals
are always in huge demand, there is also a growing market for
sophisticated art jewellery which is prized for its originality of
design and creativity.

Kevork’s work under the brand name Arvesti reflects the richly
diverse cultural history and heritage of Lebanon, the country of his
birth, where jewellery making has a strong heritage and which today
constitutes one of the country’s major export industries.

For over 20 years, he has specialised in the creation of hand-made
fashion accessories such as necklaces, bracelets and rings designed
with fine craftsmanship. His aesthetic creations have won many
appreciative customers around the Middle East and the Gulf in
particular.

The event at the ABCC was Kevork’s second major exhibition in London
but his first as a lone exhibitor, he told us; the first occurred
two years ago at the Kensington town hall as part of a Lebanese
cultural festival.

Kevork says that he was originally inspired to start designing
jewellery as a youth when he heard family stories about his grandfather
who was a celebrated silversmith in Turkey before the First World War.

His family only possessed one treasured artefact, a silver dining
fork, crafted by his grandfather since he had to flee Turkey under
the deeply tragic circumstances as part of the forced removal of
fellow Armenians, Kevork recalled.

His designs are now exclusively for women and Kevork says that his
inspiration is to please his customers and make them look beautiful.

He started his own business when he was in his early 20s working
alone and selling his products in the local souk. Gradually he gained
a reputation for originality and established his present company
Arvesti some 15 years ago.

Kevork continues producing the original designs for his exclusive
products, but the jewellery is now manufactured by a small dedicated
team of five skilled craftsmen at the company’s factory in Beirut,
he says.

The jewellery is made out of semi-precious stones and copper, which
Kevork says is a flexible metal to work with; the copper is protected
and gold plated to preserve the colour and quality of the merchandise.

The company obtains its regular supply of materials from Austria and
the Czech Republic which allows it to meet orders and produce items
for different markets.

Gold remains the preferred metal for jewellery bought by customers in
the Middle East, while silver was more popular in Europe, Kevork says.

Arvesti is now renowned for its range of costume jewellery which is
much sought after and worn on social occasions such as the weddings
of wealthy families in the Middle East as well as royal families in
the Gulf.

Kevork tells us that his most expensive creation was a wedding dress
studied with jewels and pearls which was made for a princess at a
cost of $20,000.

He is proud that he has attracted some big customers in the Arab
World including the Lebanese singer Feyrouz, the Beirut theatre and
the Miss Lebanon competition.

Kevork Khatcherian is a household name across the Middle East and he
is a well known personality on the Arab media and in the social and
cultural life of his city Beirut.

Over the last eight years he has gradually been making inroads into the
highly competitive European market and his work is now increasingly
popular among the fashion industries in Rome and Paris, where he now
exhibits every year.

Concluding, Kevork says that his big “dream” is to break into the
London market.

Global Arab Network

This report appears in Arab-British Business, the fortnightly bulletin
of the Arab-British Chamber of Commerce.

From: A. Papazian

TURKEY EXPANDS INFLUENCE IN MIDDLE EAST

The Australian

June 18 2010

ON June 9, Turkey voted against increased sanctions on Iran in the
UN Security Council. This action confirmed the fears of many Western
pundits, already inflamed by harsh denunciations of the Israeli attack
on the Gaza flotilla, that the only Muslim-majority member of NATO
had defected to the enemy camp – militant Islamism.

In fact, the changes in Turkey’s foreign policy over the past few years
owe nothing to “clash of civilisation” dynamics and instead reflect the
governing AK Party’s pragmatic pursuit of Turkey’s national interests.

Turkey’s new activism startles some observers because it marks
a dramatic change from decades of an inward-looking orientation
encapsulated in founder Kemal Ataturk’s phrase “peace in the world,
peace at home”. After expelling Greek invaders backed by Europe’s
great powers following World War I, Turkey avoided entanglements
in the neighbouring states that the Ottoman sultan in Istanbul had
ruled for centuries. Finding itself on the front line of the Cold War,
Turkey fought in Korea and joined NATO. For decades, Turkey followed
the US’s lead in the Middle East.

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Since the first Gulf War in 1991, US handling of affairs in the Middle
East has hurt Turkey’s interests. With sanctions against Iraq, in a
stroke it lost its second-biggest trading partner and 500,000 Kurdish
refugees streamed into Turkey. In 2003, the parliament defied the
AKP leadership and voted against allowing the US to invade Iraq from
Turkish territory.

On Istanbul’s Independence Boulevard at the time, Turks were delighted
by their parliament’s unwonted assertion of sovereignty. These
revellers were not Islamists, but patriots.

Such people had grown tired of watching their leaders go along with
whatever policies emerged from the shifting governments in Washington,
Europe and Israel, and now applaud Ankara’s new assertiveness. The
AKP government has used requirements attached to its EU candidacy
to achieve further-reaching reforms, including women’s rights and
cultural rights for Kurds, than any government in Turkey’s history.

But Greek-Cypriot rejection of a UN-drafted peace agreement has
crippled Turkey’s EU accession hopes, while Swedish and American
resolutions on the Armenian genocide have complicated implementation
of an agreement to normalise relations with Armenia. These moves,
along with other rebuffs, have reminded Turks that they cannot afford
to put all their eggs in the European basket.

Ahmet Davutoglu, now Foreign Minister, once explained to me the roots
of the AKP’s current activism. Turkey, he said, couldn’t very well
justify leaving management of affairs in the region to Western powers
when it was clear that those powers weren’t doing a very good job
of it. Hard to argue with that. Turkey’s vote, along with Brazil’s,
against sanctions on Iran, was based on Ankara’s not wanting to find
itself on the front line of a new cold war and its recognition that
US-led efforts to isolate Iran had delivered no progress.

A recent report by the International Crisis Group quotes a senior
Turkish official: “Our approach is very simple. We want stability. We
suffered most. We were importing lots of security problems from the
Middle East, arms, terrorist training. We have decided that we cannot
remain indifferent.”

Turkey’s new activism has already paid enormous dividends. After
years of tensions with Syria and Iraq, relations with both are now
flourishing commercially and politically. Turkey’s economy is the
17th biggest in the world.

Having good relations with Syria and Iraq opens up markets with 50
million consumers. Improvements with Syria date back to 1998, years
before the AKP came to power, when the military lost patience with
Damascus providing refuge to PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan.

Despite the PKK launching attacks from the Kurdish region of northern
Iraq, relations between Ankara and the regional government have
continued to flourish.

Turkey brokered five rounds of indirect talks between Israel and
Syria, which succeeded in drawing Damascus out of isolation. The
process broke down due to Israel’s invasion of Gaza in 2008.

On Iran, Turkey is pursuing a policy of continuous engagement. Turks
have more regular access to the Iranian leadership than any other
diplomats, which helps prevent Tehran from feeling cornered. Last year,
Davutoglu tried to broker a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

Turkish criticism of Israeli policy is nothing new; while in terms of
trade, tourist arrivals and diplomatic contact, 2008 – under the AKP
government – marked the high point of Turkish-Israeli relations. Many
Turks who protested against the attack on the flotilla off Gaza were
renowned secularists and critics of the government.

Turkey’s Western allies benefit from its increased engagement in the
Middle East. For its part, Turkey’s stature in the region depends as
much on its links to the West as to its size and prosperity. While
not all its initiatives are equally successful, Turkey’s interests
have been advanced by its new activism.

Given Australia’s own geopolitical position, we should be the last
people to see diplomatic activity through a narrowing East-West lens.

As with Australia, Turkish diplomacy is driven by its need to protect
its own security and economic interests in a big, fickle world.

Whit Mason is director of the Justice in Peacebuilding and Development
project at the University of NSW’s Centre for Interdisciplinary
Studies of Law

From: A. Papazian

THE MEETING OF THE PRESIDENTS HAS BEEN POSTPONED BY 20 MINUTES

Aysor
June 17 2010
Armenia

The meeting of the Armenian, Russian and Azerbaijani Presidents
Serzh Sargsyan, Dmitry Medvedev and Ilham Aliev in St. Petersburg
is postponed.

It was previously stated that the meeting will take place at 19:00
in Armenian time.

From: A. Papazian

THE SUMMER OF AZERBAIJAN AND ARMENIA’S DISCONTENT

EurasiaNet.org
June 17 2010
NY

Azerbaijan and Armenia have accused one another of all the mortal sins
since they launched into battle over the separatist region of Nagorno
Karabakh, but the list of assumed misdeeds at times seems endless.

Now Baku says Armenia is a compulsive arsonist, who apparently runs
through Azerbaijani wheat fields, throwing lit matches left and right.

The blaze has destroyed wheat crops in the occupied region of Tartar
and, with temperatures rising, the fire threatens to destroy some
1,300 hectares of farm land.

A representative of the army of Armenia-backed, separatist Nagorno
Karabakh has angrily denied the accusations that Armenia is to blame.

The Azerbaijani-Armenian conflict may have stemmed from deep-seeded
differences, but the chronic bickering between the two countries has
long become reminiscent of iconic writer Nikolai Gogol’s The Tale of
How Ivan Ivanovich Quarreled with Ivan Nikiforovich. The two Ivans are
good neighbors, but one unfortunate incident sparks a never-ending,
excruciating squabble that no arduous mediation by their well-meaning
community can resolve. The two country gentlemen reach the point of
no return after one has the indiscretion to call the other a silly
“goose.”

By comparison, such a mild insult, if delivered by one side or the
other in the 22-year Azerbaijani-Armenian conflict, would most likely
rank as an improvement in dialogue.

From: A. Papazian

TRILATERAL MEETING OF PRESIDENTS OF AZERBAIJAN, RUSSIA AND ARMENIA TOOK PLACE

Trend
June 17 2010
Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev
and Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan held a joint meeting at the
Konstantinovsky Palace in Saint Petersburg on June 14, AzerTAj state
news agency reported.

“It is already our sixth meeting, trilaterally we have met for six
times already, it is a lot,” Medvedev said at the opening of the
meeting, RIA Novosti reported.

In the presence of journalists, the talks of the presidents of the
three countries dealt with the weather. The Russian president noted
with regret that now it is not very warm in St. Petersburg.

“At this time, usually cold snap is coming for some reasons, although
it was warmer. May was very warm, just it is abnormally warm in Moscow
and St. Petersburg,” he said.

After this, the journalists covering the beginning of the meeting
left the room of negotiations.

From: A. Papazian

SARGSYAN-MEDVEDEV-ALIYEV MEETING COMPLETES IN SAINT PETERSBURG

news.am
June 17 2010
Armenia

The meeting of Armenian, Russian and Azerbaijani Presidents – Serzh
Sargsyan, Dmitry Medvedev and Ilham Aliyev completed in the Constantine
Palace in Saint Petersburg,

OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs Igor Popov (Russia), Bernard Fassier
(France) and Robert Bradtke (U.S.) did not participate in the meeting,
though they arrived at the palace, NEWS.am correspondent reports. The
Co-Chairs also refused to answer Armenian journalists’ questions.

It is the sixth meeting of the presidents. The first talks in this
format were held on November 2, 2008 in Barvikha (Russia), the second
– on June 4, 2009 on the sidelines of Saint Petersburg International
Economic Forum. The last trilateral meeting took place in Sochi on
January 25, 2010.

June 17, RA President Serzh Sargsyan arrived on a working visit to
Saint Petersburg.

From: A. Papazian

TURKEY HAS NOTHING TO DO IN KARABAKH PEACE PROCESS, EXPERT SAYS

news.am
June 17 2010
Armenia

Most of the points in the Madrid Principles are unacceptable to
Armenia, which accounts for rarer meetings between the Armenian and
Azerbaijani Presidents in 2010, Chairman of the European Integration
NGO Karen Bekaryan told journalists on June 17. According to him,
the Armenian side considers the principles a working paper, not an
“axis of the talks.”

A Sargsyan-Medvedev-Aliyev meeting to be held in St. Petersburg is
indicative of the fact all the parties, including the international
community, realize Turkey has nothing to do in the Karabakh peace
process.

“Personally, when I learnt a trilateral meeting was planned, it was
clear to me Turkey had no chance in all aspects, which was clear to
Azerbaijan as well,” Bekaryan said.

According to him, the meeting will differ from the previous ones, as
the Armenian side will present the status of Karabakh as a priority
in the peace process. “The recent statements by the RA President
and Foreign Ministers have been clear enough. They have repeatedly
stated Nagorno-Karabakh’s status is the most important for Armenia,”
the expert said. He added he does not expect anything from the meeting,
as Karabakh is not involved in the talks.

From: A. Papazian

WHERE ARE THE PROTESTS?

The Australian

June 18 2010

ON May 18 last year the long, bitter war between the Tamil Tigers and
the Sri Lankan government came to an end. After tens of thousands of
deaths over decades, it is believed, 40,000 Tamils died during the
final few days.

On January 17 this year, in Nigeria, about 300 Muslims were slaughtered
by Christians. In March 500 Christians were slaughtered by Muslims. On
March 26, North Korea torpedoed a South Korean ship, killing 46.

On May 28, in Lahore, Pakistan, 95 members of the Ahmedi Islamic sect
were killed in an attack on a mosque because they were blasphemous. A
few days later six “police” machine-gunned the survivors, killing 12.

Detailed lists of this year’s suicide bombings in Iraq, Afghanistan,
Pakistan and India are not available, but readers will be aware that
barely a week passes without suicide bombers causing the deaths of
hundreds of innocent families. It has been one continuous slaughter
for almost a decade. Then there were the hundreds massacred after
last year’s Iranian elections and the 400,000 killed in Darfur in
recent years.

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The question that comes to mind is, did anyone notice? Most of these
massacres received only a cursory glance from the media but few asked
questions. Nobody demanded an independent inquiry.

There was some tut-tutting but little else. Where were the
demonstrations, protests, marches and letters to the editor by those
compassionate souls who demonstrate whenever brutal Western regimes
commit an action of which they disapprove? They were nowhere to
be seen.

Which brings us to Gaza, and the flotilla of “peace activists” who we
had known for weeks would attempt to break the Israeli and Egyptian
blockade of Gaza.

A little background is essential. Israel had no desire to run Gaza. It
wanted to get out and let the Gazans run it themselves, which is what
Ariel Sharon did in 2005.

In the election that followed, Hamas, committed to the destruction of
Israel and the killing of all Jews, won comfortably. They consolidated
their position with open warfare with Fatah and about 2000 Palestinians
were killed. If they’d do that to fellow Palestinians, imagine the
fate of Israelis.

Having established a brutal totalitarian regime, they concentrated
their efforts to bring about peace by firing 7000 rockets into
Israel, killing 20 Israelis. The inaccuracy of the rockets was little
consolation for those who, daily, had rockets whistling over their
heads. Finally, Israel decided it had had enough. Hence Operation
Cast Lead resulting in 1300 Gazans and 13 Israelis killed.

Those who had remained silent as thousands of rockets were lobbed
into Israel suddenly crawled out from under their rocks screaming
“disproportionate”. Some of us had the bad manners to remind them that
“disproportionate”, had rarely been used during World War II when
the Americans bombed Tokyo, Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the Allies
flattened Germany, killing 670,000. Not much proportionality there.

Israel decided not to reoccupy Gaza but to ensure that it did not
become a repository for rockets and more sophisticated missiles being
smuggled in from Iran and Syria. They placed a blockade on Gaza to
ensure that any humanitarian aid came through Ashdod (Israel) or El
Arish (Egypt). Hamas did not take kindly to these restrictions, which
brings us to the “peace flotilla.”As the story unfolded it became
clear that Israel’s chief mistake was to assume that the flotilla’s
main goal was to deliver humanitarian aid and that those on the six
ships were genuine peace activists caring only for the plight of the
Palestinians. Some were, but there was no shortage of thugs spoiling
for a fight on the lead boat, the Mavi Marmara.

Flotilla organisers had been told that if they wanted aid to reach
Gazans they should go through Ashdod or El Arish. One, Greta Berlin,
admitted the flotilla’s aim was to break the blockade.

Much of the media went into overdrive to condemn Israel, with the
loudest cries screaming that the blockade was illegal. Those with a
knowledge of maritime law said this was nonsense, recounting the
American blockade of Nazi Germany and Japan and president John
Kennedy’s blockade of Cuba during the October 1962 missile crisis.

Israel has already stopped hundreds of tonnes of guns and missiles
from entering Gaza.

What was uncharacteristic was for the Israelis to believe that they
were dealing with followers of Gandhi. If not, why had they chosen as
their weapon of choice paintball guns? Let me run that past you again;
paintball guns. The miracle is that no Israelis were killed. They were,
however, brutally beaten with iron bars. Naturally the usual suspects
in the left-liberal media screamed “disproportionate”. What should
the Israelis have done? Allowed themselves to be beaten to death or
brought out their Monopoly boards?

Israel’s critics forget that Hamas is at war with Israel. The hypocrisy
is breathtaking. But the prize for the hypocrite of the century must
surely go to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. He accused Israel
of “state terrorism, a bloody massacre” and called the attack as being
“like 9/11 for Turkey”. That is obscene! All this is a bit rich coming
from a country that refuses to acknowledge or have an inquiry into
the alleged genocide of one million Armenians during World War I.

Nor did he mention the nonstop war between Turkey and its Kurdish
minority that has resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of
the latter.

Israel is not perfect and it makes mistakes but it is not alone. When
it does the wrong thing it deserves to be criticised. Anyone who
reads the Israeli press would be aware that its severest critics
are in Israel. Criticise Israel, by all means, but spare us from the
hypocrisy of those whose hands are 100 times more bloodied.

Barry Cohen was a minister in the Hawke government.

From: A. Papazian

S. SARUKHANYAN “THE MILITARY COLLISION IS EXCEPTED”

Aysor
June 17 2010
Armenia

Today on the meeting with the journalists the deputy director of the
“Noravanq” fund, expert of Iranian Studies Sevak Sarukhanyan said
that one of the biggest sanctions of the UNO against Iran is the
limitation of exportation of some technologies, “The sanctions are
being changed, and countries join which Iran includes in its black
list of historical enemies.” By the way according to the speaker
Armenia is not on that list.

According to the expert of the Iranian studies the military collision
is excepted. For Israel’s attack there can only be suppositions,
“Iran thinks that there can be no serious sanction against it and
makes the situation more tensed to bring its nuclear projects to end.”

Sarukhanyan thinks that it is Iran’s conscious that it will not be
punished that creates tension in the region.

From: A. Papazian