Author: Andres-Papazian

TURKEY WANTS PEACE IN REGION AND IN WORLD, PARLIAMENT SPEAKER SAYS

Today’s Zaman
June 1 2010
Turkey

Speaker of Turkish Parliament Mehmet Ali Å~^ahin said Tuesday Turkey
wanted peace in its region and in the world.

Å~^ahin received Organization for Security and Co-operation in
Europe Parliamentary Assembly (OSCE PA) President Joao Soares and an
accompanying delegation in Ankara on Tuesday.

Speaking to reporters while receiving Soares, Å~^ahin said that Turkey
had no aim to be in quarrel with any country.

Nonetheless, it is a reality that we are going through a serious
problem with Israel, Å~^ahin underlined.

The OSCE PA plays a crucial role for dialogue between the East and
the West since its establishment 18 years ago. It has an important
mission in carrying democratic relations between OSCE member states
to the level of parliaments. One of the important tasks of the OSCE
is to observe elections. This raises confidence in elections. Turkey
pays high attention to Asian countries and it would be beneficial to
include them in the OSCE PA, Å~^ahin said.

Racism and xenophobia still exist in many parts of the world. Innocent
people suffer from such acts. We have an obligation to take a step
in this field, Å~^ahin said.

Joao Soares, in his part, said that the Republic of Turkey continued
its policies based on the peaceful line introduced by its founder
Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.

This line is being followed by the present leadership of Turkey,
Soares stressed.

Turkey is a country that works for peace in its region and the world
as a secular country, Soares said.

I want to express my appreciation of Turkey for the recent nuclear
swap agreement with Iran, Soares underlined.

We follow Turkey-Armenia relations and favor a solution. Turkey could
assume important roles for other countries in the Caucasus region,
Soares said.

Reminded about his comments that the Turkish parliament might issue
a declaration on Israel’s attack of early Monday, Å~^ahin said that
political party groups at the Turkish parliament would have a chance
to talk about Israel’s attack on Tuesday.

I believe that it would be appropriate for the Turkish parliament to
issue a declaration displaying our sensitivity on Israel’s attacks
at the end of group talks, Å~^ahin said.

Issuing a declaration will be a decision of the Turkish parliament. As
the speaker of parliament, I thought that it would be appropriate
to issue such a declaration. It is at the discretion of the Turkish
parliament to issue such a declaration, Å~^ahin stressed.

Asked if the reactions to Israel were sufficient, Å~^ahin said that
many entities, including the United Nations Security Council and the
European Union (EU), expressed their sensitivity.

What took place is completely a human tragedy. The attack on people
carrying aid materials can in no way be accepted. International
organizations and countries of the world must react so that similar
acts are not repeated in the future, Å~^ahin said.

In response to a question on future Turkey-Israel relations, Å~^ahin
said that “we want peace in our region and the world”.

Turkey does not want to be in quarrel with any country. Nevertheless,
there are certain rules and traditions in the development of
international relations. All countries must abide by international
agreements that they have signed or accepted. As long as countries
act in accordance with international laws, our diplomatic relations
with each of them shall continue. However, it is a reality that we
are now experiencing a serious problem with Israel, Å~^ahin also said.

From: A. Papazian

HOLLYWOOD CELEBRITY COUPLE SHOWS INTEREST IN KARABAKH CONFLICT SETTLEMENT

news.az

June 1 2010
Azerbaijan

Ashton Kutcher Famous Hollywood celebrity Ashton Kutcher is going to
visit Baku .

Famous Hollywood celebrity Ashton Kutcher is going to visit Baku
and support Azerbaijan’s position in the Karabakh conflict, said
actor’s friend, regional director of MTV on Eurasia Matthew Goldstein,
currently visiting Baku.

“Kutcher, who is the UN goodwill ambassador, will visit Baku in
September and take part in a festival on the opening of MTV channel
in Azerbaijan. In Baku Ashton Kutcher will hold a news conference on
the Karabakh conflict. He knows about the four UN resolutions urging
Armenia to withdraw its troops from the occupied Azerbaijani lands. I
have already spoken to Ashton’s wide Demi Moore who also expressed
wish to visit Azerbaijan”, Golstein said.

Ashton Kutcher, 32, is a popular Hollywood actor famous for his cast
in “The Butterfly Effect”, “Open Season”, “What Happens in Vegas”,
“Toy Boy”, “My boss’s daughter”.

The title of the UN goodwill ambassador is awarded from 1954 to
celebrities who are indifferent to the problems of humankind. Among
them are Antonio Banderas, Angelina Jolie, Christina Aguilera, Julia
Ormond, David Backham and others.

From: A. Papazian

ANKARA HOSTS INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON NGOS’ ROLE IN NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT SETTLEMENT

Today
June 1 2010
Azerbaijan

An international conference has been held in Ankara on the role of
the Turkic world’s NGOs and Diaspora organizations in resolution of
the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

The event was co-organized by the Turkish Centre for International
Relations and Strategic Analysis (TURKSAM) and Cooperation Centre of
Azerbaijanis and other Turkish language peoples with support of the
Council of State Support to NGOs under the Azerbaijan President.

The conference brought together parliamentarians, representatives of
the Turkish and Azerbaijani governments and NGOs.

Opening the event, director of TURKSAM Sinan Ogan said today the
Turkic world faces serious challenges, and concrete steps should be
taken to solve them.

He noted NGOs must react quickly to media reports and parliamentary
decisions on the Nagorno-Karabakh, Cyprus, Karkuk and other problems.

“Why we should not make a documentary on the Khojaly genocide which
was committed in our modern history, while Armenians shot a film
narrating on the events which happened 100 years ago?” “NGOs and
Diaspora organizations must be active in this issue,” he added.

Ilham Ismayilov, head of the Cooperation Centre of Azerbaijanis and
other Turkish language peoples spoke of President Ilham Aliyev’s
efforts towards peaceful settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

He underlined because of the non-constructive position of Armenia
and its patronages, the conflict still remains unresolved.

“We have a powerful state and army, and the Azerbaijani people are
capable of liberating their territories which are under Armenian
occupation.”

Member of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey Senol Bal called on
his Turkish and Azerbaijani counterparts and NGOs to increase their
efforts to inform the world community about the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict and fight the so-called Armenian genocide propaganda.

He also drew the attention to the resolution adopted recently by the
European Union which urges Armenia to leave the occupied territories
of Azerbaijan.

From: A. Papazian

MACRI HITS OUT AT TURKISH NO-SHOW
By Michael Soltys, Herald staff

Buenos Aires Herald

June 1 2010
Argentina

Admits to sensitivity over Armenian Genocide

City Mayor Mauricio Macri yesterday described Turkish Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s decision to cancel his two-day visit here as
“incomprehensible.” Such a strong reaction to the suspension of
a ceremony concerning a monument had taken City Hall by surprise,
Macri insisted, adding that his mayoral administration “has always
taken a very clear stance with respect to the feelings of the Armenian
community and all the pain caused by genocide.”

But informed sources yesterday gave the Herald a very different story.

The initiative to inaugurate a monument to Mustafa Kemal Ataturk,
the founder of the modern Turkish Republic, began last November as an
idea to celebrate this year’s centenary of Turco-Argentine diplomatic
relations on the basis of information supplied by former foreign
minister Adalberto Rodríguez Giavarini that there was already a
bust requiring restoration. Most of the summer passed before Turkish
Ambassador Hayri Hayret Yalav met with City Environment Minister
Diego Santilli to discuss this idea (on February 4) but Santilli’s
approval of the idea was confirmed in a subsequent April meeting
with Macri himself, according to the sources. Only on May 28 did City
Hall notify the Turkish Embassy that the ceremony could not go ahead,
thus triggering Erdogan’s decision the next day not to come.

Santilli adduced two further reasons for denying the ceremony a green
light — that the bust to be restored did not in fact exist and that
any initiative for new monuments required legislative approval.

City Hall’s stance was not backed at national level — President
Cristina Fernández de Kirchner telephoned Erdogan to apologize
for the episode, excusing her own administration by saying that
it could not override the City’s autonomy. At the same time Foreign
Minister Jorge Taiana blamed the cancellation of the official visit on
“Erdogan’s disgust over the decision of Macri’s government.” According
to a Turkish Embassy press release, the Turkish Foreign Minister
approached Taiana in Rio de Janeiro last Friday and asked Argentina
to honour its commitment.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry’s openly voiced suspicions that the
withdrawal of permission for the Ataturk ceremony was “due to the
opposition of Armenian sectors” seemed to be confirmed by Macri’s
remarks yesterday about “genocide.” But Macri was not being strictly
accurate if he was linking Ataturk directly to the 1915-17 Armenian
genocide. As any history of the First World War will bear witness,
the month of April, 1915 (when the massacres began) found Ataturk on
the Gallipoli peninsula as a senior Turkish officer under the command
of the German General Liman von Sanders, preparing to meet the ANZAC
and other Allied landings — Turkey was then still the Ottoman Empire,
not a Republic, and its political master was the Young Turk leader
Enver Pasha.

Macri is assumed to be sensitive not only to the “feelings of the
Armenian community” but also their votes since they number some
130,000. Ironically enough, this vote would be completely swamped by
the two or three million turcos living in Argentina were it not for
the fact that hardly any are ethnically Turkish — they are virtually
all Lebanese or Syrian Arabs who acquired their name because they
arrived here with Ottoman passports.

Another irony was that Erdogan’s visit would still have been
accident-prone if it had gone ahead — yesterday’s Israeli attack
(see front page) prompted Erdogan to cut short his visit to Chile
and would undoubtedly have complicated his stay here.

Despite all these adversities, Ambassador Yalav told the Herald that
he was optimistic about Turco-Argentine relations, pointing out that
Erdogan and CFK met only last week in Rio de Janeiro and would continue
to meet at all G20 summits.

From: A. Papazian

LEVON ARONIAN TO PARTICIPATE IN RAPID CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP IN SPAIN

Aysor
June 1 2010
Armenia

Armenia’s Grand Master Levon Aronian will participate in the Rapid
Chess Championship, which is reported to take place on June 4-6 in
Spanish town of Leon, a spokesperson to the Armenian Chess Federation
said.

Aronian will play against Boris Gelfand from Israel, Lener Dominguez
Perez from Cuba, and Francisco Vallejo Pons from Spain.

From: A. Papazian

TURKEY: FROM REGIONAL PLAYER TO GLOBAL ONE
Messenger Staff

The Messenger
June 1 2010
Georgia

Head of Armenia’s strategic research centre Richard Kirakosian stated
on May 26 that Armenia should pay paticular attention to Iran and its
nuclear programmes. Now that Turkey has increased its significance
as a global player by achieving a deal on nuclear power issues with
Iran, Kirakosian thinks that Armenia should get more involved in the
discussion of different issues as policy is more serious than just
signing protocols.

From: A. Papazian

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT’S RESOLUTION CONTAINS DANGEROUS PROPOSALS

Aysor
June 1 2010
Armenia

Armenian authorities must pay an attention to two dangerous trends
that Euro Parliament’s Resolution 2216 contains, told media leader
of the ARF Dashnaktsutyun Vahan Hovhannisian.

He said that there is a danger in a proposal on replacement of a
presidency of France in the OSCE Minks Group. According to politician,
this will destroy a balance in the organisation and will lead to
negative consequences for Armenia.

Vahan Hovhannisian also pointed at the proposal to establish a Black
Sea Union with Russia and Turkey on the key positions. “We aware of
historical examples of consequences of rapprochement between Russia
and Turkey,” he said pointing that Armenian authorities should be
careful and not participate in the Black Sea Union.

From: A. Papazian

RUSSIA AND ARMENIA PRESIDENTS HOLD WORKING MEETING

news.az
June 1 2010
Azerbaijan

Serzh Sargsyan Russian President Dmitriy Medvedev met with Armenian
counterpart Serzh Sargsyan visiting Rostov-on-Don to discuss the
economic and regional problems.

“Right now we are holding meetings to exchange views on the current
situation, especially because it requires this from us. There are, of
course, economic issues, which are always discussed during your visits
(to Russia) and my visits to you ( Armenia ) “, said Dmitriy Medvedev.

He also said that he intends to share the results of some of his
meetings with European colleagues, including the situation around
the Turkish-Armenian settlement. “There is something to tell and
something to share,” said Dmitriy Medvedev.

He thanked S. Sargsyan for participation in the celebrations of the
65th anniversary of Victory in Moscow. According to Dmitriy Medvedev,
it shows the “degree of closeness of our countries and the progressive
development of strategic relations”.

S. Sargsyan, in turn, noted the importance of working meetings between
the two presidents and stressed that he was proud to take part in
the celebrations of the 65th anniversary of victory.

“I was proud. And the grand parade is a wonderful reminder of our
common history and our military brotherhood”, said the president
of Armenia.

He said he plans to meet with the Armenian diaspora on Tuesday night.

“A good Armenian in the diasporais a good Russian citizen in demand”,
said S. Sargsyan.

From: A. Papazian

IN ARMENIA, A LANGUAGE BARRIER
By HASMIK HAMBARDZUMIAN

Bellingham Herald

June 1 2010
WA

YEREVAN, Armenia In an echo of the debate over bilingual education
that raged in the United States for years, writers, opposition groups
and nationalists are protesting plans to allow Armenian schools to
conduct classes in English.

These opponents claim that the move would relegate the Armenian
language to second-class status.

“This presents a great danger to the independence of Armenia. Armenian
will become a domestic language, and our independence will exist only
on paper,” said Vahan Ishkhanyan, an influential blogger and former
editor of Ankax newspaper.

Current law requires that Armenian be used in all classroom
instructions.

But Ruben Vardanyan, an ethnic Armenian billionaire, wants to change
that. Vardanyan has proposed building a major financial center in the
town of Dilijan. For his plan to succeed, he needs a large number of
workers who are proficient in English.

A bill to allow the use of English in schools has already been
introduced in parliament.

Education Minister Armen Ashotyan has promised that only a small
number of non-Armenian language schools could be opened under the law.

In addition, Armenian would be a compulsory subject even in all-English
schools and only children 10 and older would be allowed to enroll in
English schools He also stressed that such schools would be privately
financed.

“The logic of the law is to give the possibility to investors,
organizations or individuals who want to open such schools,” he said.

But those who oppose the bill see another type of logic.

“A slow but irreversible process will start, where parents looking
for the best education for their children will prefer instruction in a
foreign language. These pupils, receiving a more successful education,
will get into the best universities, take the leading positions in
the private and public sectors, and form a foreign-language elite,
which will at best only know conversational Armenian,” said an open
letter by opponents to the principal of a school in Dilijan.

Among groups opposing the initiative are the President’s Public Council
and the Union of Writers of Armenia, as well as the opposition parties
Heritage and the Armenian National Congress.

Marine Petrosyan, a writer whose work has appeared in numerous
literary publications, thinks the government will quickly abandon
plans to open foreign-language schools.

“I think the government is clever enough to remove this proposal,”
she said. “It is clear that opposition in society is very strong
… the government could end up paying dearly if it goes against the
will of the public,” she said.

ABOUT THE WRITER

Hasmik Hambardzumyan is a reporter in Armenia who writes for The
Institute for War & Peace Reporting, a nonprofit organization
that trains journalists in areas of conflict. Readers
may write to the author at the Institute for War & Peace
Reporting, 48 Grays Inn Road, London WC1X 8LT, U.K.; Web site:
For information about IWPR’s funding, please go to

This essay is available to McClatchy-Tribune News Service subscribers.

McClatchy-Tribune did not subsidize the writing of this column; the
opinions are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent
the views of McClatchy-Tribune or its editors.

From: A. Papazian

ARMENIA’S ECONOMIC CLAIMS
Messenger Staff

The Messenger
June 1 2010
Georgia

Armenia is ready to implement reforms which will make the country a
market economy, its President Serzh Sarkisian said during negotiations
in Brussels with the EU authorities on economy and finance. The sides
discussed macro financing support to Armenia and trade and economic
relations between Armenia and the EU.

Armenia’s President stated that the improvement of relations with
the EU and granting it GSP + status from January 1, 2009 have already
yielded positive results. He said that the country is ready to claim
the status of a market economy country, which will further increase
the country’s economic potential.

From: A. Papazian