Author: Badalian Vardan

STATE DEPARTMENT: U.S. REMAINS FIRMLY COMMITTED TO ASSISTING SIDES IN NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT RESOLUTION

Trend

March 15 2012
Azerbaijan

As a Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, the United States remains
firmly committed to assisting the sides in the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict reach a lasting and peaceful settlement, the U.S. State
Department reported on its website.

“There is no military solution to this conflict. We urge the sides
to prepare their populations for peace, not war, and to refrain from
any provocative rhetoric or actions on the ground,” the U.S. State
Department said.

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 7 surrounding districts.

Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The
co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group – Russia, France, and the U.S. –
are currently holding the peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council’s four
resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the
surrounding regions.

THE KHOHANOTZ: MIJINK, OR ARMENIAN SWEET BREAD

ianyan magazine

March 15 2012

When it’s time to cut the Mijink bread, all family members must be
present. They must stand around, in anxious anticipation watching
the knife glide across the top of the pastry in the form of a cross
before being cut up and divided, each piece with the potential to
house a dime that was covered in foil and put in the dough before
baking. If you receive it, you’re bound to have a good and fruitful
year. If not, better luck next time.

It’s an age old tradition celebrated by Armenians every Easter.

Mijink, or Median Day of Lent is celebrated in honor of the first
half of Lent that has passed. In the Armenian Apostolic Church,
where it is custom to abstain from any and all animal products for
the entire 40 day duration until Easter, Mijink is a welcome treat.

This year, we decided to make our own instead of buying ready made
pastry. It was a rewarding challenge that made us wonder, among
other things, how anyone managed to knead dough for so long before
the invention of the mixer?

The recipe, adapted from the staple Persian cookbook, “New Food of
Life” by Najmieh Batmanglij, is mostly the same for other Armenian
treats known as “Gata,” as well as the Azerbaijani pastry known as
“Kete” or “Ketah.”

Perhaps what makes Mijink so delicious is the soft, melt-in-your-mouth
filling, comprised of butter, flour, sugar and a hint of vanilla. And
what makes it so special, is that little coin you hope to receive.

When covered, the inside filling stays warm and moist, and goes down
delicious with a piping hot cup of tea.

What gives Mijink is beautiful golden brown facade is an egg wash
that is generously spread all over before baking. It is also customary
to give your cake a design. Here we used mini cookie cutters and the
back of a fork, though we’ll be careful to indent harder next time,
as well as stretch our dough as much as possible, as the design
sometimes manages to disappear while baking.

The best time, in our opinion, to devour some Mijink bread is a
few minutes after it makes its glorious debut from the oven. Oh,
and don’t forget the tea.

Mijink Pastry

1 packet of dry yeast

1 cup sour cream

1 cup unsalted butter

1 egg

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tbsp white distilled vinegar

3 cups all purpose flour, sifted

Filling

1 cup melted butter or margaine

2 cups all purpose flour

1 1/4 cups sugar

1/2 tspn of vanilla

Glaze

2 eggs yolks, beaten

~U Combine yeast with sour cream in a bowl, setting aside for 10
minutes

~U Add butter, mixing well

~U Add egg, oil and vinegar, mixing well

~U Add the sifted flour, one cup at a time, while continuing to mix.

~U Knead dough until it’s smooth and firm, and doesn’t stick to your
hands. [If you’ve got the hand power and muscle, by all means use
them. If you’re a mere mortal like us, best to keep the contents in
your mixer and change the attachment to a hook, which will seamlessly
transform your dough in about 20 minutes to what it is meant to
look like.

~U Prepare a floured surface and transfer your dough, which should at
this point not be sticking to your hands, to the surface shaping it
into two balls. The amount of dough this recipe provides can easily
make two Mijink breads, so feel free to divide it four times. Wrap
the dough and leave in the fridge overnight, or if you don’t have
that much time to spare, at least for two to three hours.

~U In the meantime, turn on your oven to 350 degrees F and prepare
the filling by mixing 1 cup of melted butter with 2 cups of flour,
then adding the sugar and vanilla. Stir constantly, until the mixture
does not stick your hands and becomes smooth and even.

~U When your dough is ready to be removed, prepare another lightly
floured surface for it and roll each ball out to as thin as possible,
in any shape you like.

~U Somewhere between the filling and dough, decide where you will be
inserting your coin, usually a dime or something similar. Wrap it in
foil and go to town.

~U Spread the filling onto one rolled out dough. [Since the dough can
pretty heavy, it might be a good idea to transfer the first dough, once
it is rolled, onto the surface and/or flat pan you plan to bake it in.]

~U Carefully put the other dough on top, taking care to seal the
sides, either by folding/tucking under or using the back of a fork
for sealing, creating a design.

~U Now you can get creative – use mini cookie cutters or simple
kitchen tools to imprint desired design on your Mijink bread.

~U Brush the surface with egg wash.

~U Bake the bread for around 20 minutes, or until golden brown

ARMENIAN COACH DISPLEASED WITH FREESTYLE WRESTLERS

PanARMENIAN.Net
March 15, 2012 – 17:53 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Chief coach of Armenian freestyle wrestling team
Araik Bagdadyan expressed discontent with performance of his sportsmen
at European Championships in Belgrade. David Safaryan (66 kg) was
the only Armenian representative to win bronze.

As Mr. Bagdadyan told a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter, Arthur Arakelyan (60
kg) was unfairly judged, Mihran Jaburyan (55 kg) and Musa Murtazaliev
(74 kg) committed tactical mistakes, while Ruslan Basiev dropped out
of the championships due to the head injury.

The squad currently trains in Yerevan. From March 17-30 it will
continue team practice session in Vladikavkaz jointly with the North
Ossetia’s team.

REPRESSION IN TURKEY

Mar 17th 2012

Enemies of the state

Four journalists are released from prison. Dozens are less lucky

Sener is smiling, but unhappy

“HOW can I be happy when so many of my colleagues are not free?” The
question was asked by Nedim Sener, an investigative journalist who
this week was freed on bail, along with three other journalists, after
spending more than a year in an Istanbul prison on thin charges that
he was part of a conspiracy to overthrow Turkey’s ruling Justice and
Development (AK) party.

He is right to ask. At least 100 journalists are behind bars in
Turkey, more than in any other country. Most are held on terrorism
charges. But under Turkey’s nebulous anti-terror laws, even covering
a press conference by the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy party could
get you locked up. The pro-Kurdish DIHA news agency says 27 of its
reporters are in jail. Journalists who criticise Recep Tayyip Erdogan,
the prime minister, face the sack at the hands of timid media bosses.

Mr Sener was arrested last year with Ahmet Sik, a journalist who built
his career uncovering human-rights abuses. Mr Sener dug into alleged
police complicity in the 2007 murder of Hrant Dink, an Armenian-Turkish
newspaper publisher. Both men wrote books that were fiercely critical
of Turkey’s most influential Islamic movement, led by Fethullah
Gulen, a reclusive imam who lives in America. Many think that under
AK rule the “Gulenists” have infiltrated Turkey’s police force and
judiciary, and the journalists sought to prove this. “Those who touch
[the Gulenists] burn!” Mr Sik cried as he was arrested last year.

Pressure from the European Union and various human-rights groups
helped secure this week’s releases. And there are encouraging signs
that Mr Erdogan may soon resume the reforms which once endeared him
to Turkish liberals and his Western friends. These, Mr Sener noted,
ought to include dealing with Turkey’s prisons. Hundreds of minors
had to be shipped out of one in the southern province of Adana this
month following allegations of physical and sexual abuse.

Life was not that bad for Mr Sener, although he did lose 30kg (66lb)
inside. It was harder, he said, on his eight-year-old daughter, who
was forced to remove her skirt when visiting him (its studs set off
a metal detector). Police scoured her school notebooks for “evidence”
against her father. “She kept asking, ‘Am I a terrorist?’,” Mr Sener
said. In the eyes of Turkish prosecutors, she may well be.

SAFAR ABIYEV: “WE MUST STRENGTH OUR ARMED FORCES AND LIBERATE OUR LANDS FROM THE OCCUPATION”

APA
March 13 2012
Azerbaijan

“We strength our army to be able to speak with invaders in their
language, when peaceful means end”

Baku – APA. “The Nagorno Karabakh conflict keeps the region in tense
situation for years and Armenia, pursuing an aggressive policy, doesn’t
want to establish peace in the region. The Iranian people also know
what means occupation and war from their recent history. That’s why we
believe that the Iranian government and people will deeply show its
position for ending injustice against Azerbaijan and the liberation
of Azerbaijani lands from the occupation”, said Defense Minister of
Azerbaijan, Colonel-General Safar Abiyev at the press conference in
Tehran, press service of the Defense Ministry told APA.

He said today, the fate of more than one million refugees, as
well as villages, towns and cities, material, cultural and moral
monuments destroyed by the aggressors have become the hostage of
double standards: “In such case, we must strength our Armed Forces and
liberate our lands form the occupation. 20 percent of the Azerbaijani
lands are under occupation. In order that, we strength our army
to be able to speak with invaders in their language, when peaceful
means end”.

TURKEY WILL ALWAYS SUPPORT AZERBAIJAN, SAYS DEPUTY PM BOZDAg

Today’s Zaman
March 14 2012
Turkey

Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag on Tuesday said during an official
visit to Azerbaijan that Turkey will always stand by Azerbaijan on
both regional and international issues.

During a visit to the Azerbaijani capital of Baku with his delegation,
Bozdag said Turkey strongly supports the Azerbaijani position on the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Nagorno-Karabakh, an Azerbaijani territory, has been under Armenian
control since a 1994 cease-fire in a war that began in the late
’80s and has killed some 30,000 people.

Explaining Turkey’s stance, Bozdag said Nagorno-Karabakh was not only
an Azerbaijani area, but also Turkish land occupied by Armenia.

“Our [Turkey’s] only desire is to see the return of our lands
[Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent territories],” Bozdag told
journalists in a press conference held in Baku, Azerbaijan’s Trend
news agency reported on Tuesday.

Bozdag also mentioned that the normalization of Armenian-Turkish ties
relies on the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

“As long as Armenia does not leave Nagorno-Karabakh, the rights of
Azerbaijanis in the region will not be restored and Turkish-Armenian
relations will not be normalized. We want to resolve this conflict
peacefully and in a short time, and we will continue our efforts in
this direction,” Bozdag said.

A historic reconciliation process that Turkey and Armenia launched
by signing twin protocols in 2009 was not received positively in
Azerbaijan. These protocols signed in Zurich to establish diplomatic
relations between Turkey and Armenia strongly shook Turkish-Azerbaijani
friendship, as the Nagorno-Karabakh territorial conflict between
Armenia and Azerbaijan has yet to be peacefully settled. In 1993,
following the occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent
territories by the Armenian Armed Forces, Turkey closed its border
with Armenia, to support its strategic ally, Azerbaijan, which in
fact strained diplomatic relations between Turkey and Armenia.

PM TELLS SARKOZY NOT TO INCITE TO ISLAMOPHOBIA

Today’s Zaman
March 13 2012
Turkey

PM Recep Tayyip Erdoðan claimed on Tuesday that French President
Nicolas Sarkozy is inciting racism and Islamophobia in France in order
to get re-elected in the upcoming presidential elections. Erdoðan said
resorting to xenophobia, particularly Islamophobia, to win elections
is very irresponsible.

Depicting a recent bill Sarkozy’s center-right UMP initiated seeking to
penalize the denial of Armenian claims of genocide at the hands of the
Ottoman Empire in 1915 as an act inciting the French to xenophobia,
Erdoðan said the current president adopted a more aggressive stance
after the bill was passed into law but then overruled by the French
Constitutional Council, which deemed it unconstitutional. Erdoðan said
the council had corrected a historic mistake by cancelling the law.

Valerie Boyer, a deputy from the UMP, initiated the genocide bill
criminalizing the denial of the so-called Armenian genocide in
December 2011. The bill was approved in the lower house of the
French Parliament and in the French Senate in January. However, the
constitutional council deemed it unconstitutional, stating that it
violated the freedom of expression.

“Sarkozy is making xenophobia a matter of domestic politics, and
issuing threatening remarks against foreigners in his country. This is
in violation of the EU’s universal values and fundamental principles,”
Erdoðan said. The French presidential elections will take place
between April and May.

AZERBAIJAN AND GEORGIA: VISIONARY ‘CAUCASIAN TANDEM’?

Today’s Zaman
March 13 2012
Turkey

Georgia and Azerbaijan are “more than strategic partners,” declared
Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili in a speech at the Azerbaijani
parliament during a visit to Baku last week.

His remarks focused on the history of fruitful relations between the
two countries and how past experience might provide a useful template
for the future development of the South Caucasus region. The speech
made reference to “Ali and Nino,” a famous Azeri novel that ends with
Ali bey’s death in a battle against invading Bolshevik (Russian)
troops, the immediate precursor to the fall of the Azerbaijani
Democratic Republic. Saakashvili proposed writing a happy ending to
this well-loved tragedy.

The main target of his remarks was Russia, and his use of the
Azerbaijani parliament as a platform for his criticism raised
concerns among some Azerbaijani members of parliament worried about
the potential damage to Azerbaijani-Russian relations. However, in
light of the recent return of Vladimir Putin to the Russian presidency,
Saakashvili’s speech received particular attention from both the local
and international media. Putin’s personal hatred for his pro-Western
Georgian counterpart Saakashvili is no secret and has been the source
of significant tensions between their two countries.

Generally speaking, local and international experts alike believe that
the decline in US interests in the Caucasus has left the region to
Moscow’s hands. However, former US National Security Advisor Zbigniew
Brzezinski made the excellent point that “American decline would leave
Georgia totally vulnerable to both Russian political intimidation
and military aggression” (Brzezinski, “Strategic Vision, America
and Crisis of Global Power”). This is the main reason that President
Saakashvili was keen to get Baku’s perspective on Putin’s Eurasian
Union proposal — also, bearing in mind that he visited Baku after
visiting Washington, D.C., some local experts believe that Saakashvili
carried a US message.

Moreover, Saakashvili emphasized once again that the future of the
Caucasus must belong to the European Union and NATO. To address this
point, the current plans for a Eurasian Economic Union are still
far too ambitious and, moreover, the timeline — which sees the
creation of such a union by 2015 — is unrealistic. It is also worth
recalling that Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu called for
the establishment of a similar union across the Eurasian region back
in February 2010, a suggestion that seems largely forgotten. For
its part, Azerbaijan will consider the whole picture, but its
initial focus remains a solid foundation for the settlement of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The political establishment in Baku is
cautious about how Putin’s return will affect the format of the
regular trilateral meetings between Azerbaijan, Armenia and Russia
on the conflict. In this regard, Turkey’s move either towards or
against Putin’s Eurasian Union initiative will influence Azerbaijan’s
decision — though at this point it is important to note that in any
case, Azerbaijan has still not joined the free-trade zone between
the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries. Until the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is resolved, Azerbaijan does not support
any economic integration with Armenia.

Saakashvili’s other message was a call for dedicated work on a “Common
Caucasus.” Clearly, President Saakashvili is a strong supporter
of this concept, but, in fact, the theoretical basis for a “Common
Caucasus” has existed since April 8, 1996, following the signing of
the “Tbilisi Declaration on Peace, Security and Cooperation in the
Caucasian Region” between then-Azerbaijani President Heydar Aliyev
and then-Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze. The declaration has
been an essential component of the vision for the region’s future, but
given the lack of progress on conflict resolution across the region,
this integration model has not worked. For similar reasons, Turkey’s
Caucasus Stability and Cooperation Platform remains unrealized. With
regards to the role of the EU and NATO, Azerbaijanis were upset by the
EU’s feeble efforts to assist Georgia in developing its membership
ambitions and its failure to support Georgia in asserting itself
before Russia. Thus, Azerbaijan is looking for integration models in
the neighborhood; the outcomes of Turkey and Georgia’s aspirations
will be important for Baku.

After the collapse Soviet Union — the “prison of nations” —
Azerbaijan and Georgia became the “prisoners of 3Gs”: geography,
geo-economics and geopolitical competition. However, the two countries
turned those obstacles into advantages with the help of neighborly
relations. Thus Azerbaijan gained direct access to the Black Sea; the
Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) oil pipeline and the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum
gas pipeline were built; the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway will soon be
completed; and, most importantly, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkey have
essentially formed a geopolitical team with significant support from
the US. The Azerbaijani-Georgian relationship was not merely born of
“geopolitical necessity” or “historical destiny.”

The 2008 August War between Russia and Georgia reaffirmed the future
of the Baku-Tbilisi tandem; during the war, Azerbaijan retained
a neutral stance with regards to Moscow-Tbilisi tensions, but, in
reality, Georgia felt the support of Azerbaijan, especially through
economic cooperation. The energy supplies and support from Azerbaijan
were key to Georgia maintaining its internal functionality. The State
Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR), the largest taxpayer in Georgia,
has invested $1 billion in Georgia since forming its local affiliate,
SOCAR Georgia, and controls 80 fuel service stations nationwide.

During President Saakashvili’s visit, both sides agreed to form a
joint bid to co-host the 2020 European Football Championship.

There are no existing political or economical problems between the
two countries, but, in a broader sense, there is one common shared
concern besides protracted conflicts. The primary concern in the
broader sense is the future of GUAM. Azerbaijan and Georgia are the
main facilitators of this structure, which has enabled them to realize
their ambition for a Western-oriented regional organization.

Established in 1997, GUAM unites countries that have common interests
in preserving territorial integrity — Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and
Moldova. At the moment, GUAM’s future is largely dependent on increased
support from the West. Its vision remains rooted in the 1990s paradigm,
and it needs to develop a comprehensive agenda for the future.

The 3G structure that characterizes this Caucasian Tandem (geopolitics,
geo-economics and geography) has strengthened a fourth dimension —
geostrategic vision — that is vital for the future of the region.

PROMINENT TURKISH JOURNALISTS FREED, BUT TRIAL CONTINUES

Cumhuriyet
March 13 2012
Turkey

An Istanbul court on Monday ordered two prominent journalists to be
freed, a year after their arrest for allegedly plotting against the
Islamist-rooted Turkish government, TV reports said.

ISTANBUL- Nedim Sener and Ahmet Sik as well as a dozen other suspects
have been charged with abetting a purported secularist network,
named Ergenekon, that allegedly plotted assassinations and bombings
to destabilise the governnment and prompt a military coup.

Sener received the International Press Institute’s World Press Freedom
Hero award in 2010 for a book that blamed the security forces for
the 2007 murder of ethnic Armenian journalist Hrant Dink.

Two other detainees were also released, NTV and CNN-Turk television
networks said.

They will now be able to follow upcoming hearings of their trial
as free men. The journalists face prison terms of up to 15 years if
found guilty.

Critics charge that the investigation, launched in 2007, has
degenerated into a campaign to bully critical media and the opposition.

A government spokesman hailed the court decision.

“We cannot but rejoice at their release,” said Bulent Arinc, quoted
by the Anatolia news agency. “The fact that our friends, who are
also journalists, spent 375 days, or more than a year, in preventive
detention is reason for sadness.”

Media watchdog IPI has said that more than 100 journalists are
currently being detained in Turkey.

ARMENIAN GENOCIDE ADDRESSED ON ‘KHLOE & LAMAR’ AS LAMAR CONSIDERS MOVE TO TURKEY
By Carina Adly MacKenzie

Zap 2 It

March 13 2012

Kardashians rarely address serious issues on their various reality
shows. “Serious issues” in the Kardashian-Jenner-Odom-Humphries family
tend to revolve around just how hot the wax can be without burning your
lady-business, or whether someone else is jealous of someone’s Bentley.

But on Sunday night’s episode of “Khloe and Lamar,” a very serious
issue was discussed — the Armenian genocide, a hot topic of debate.

When Lamar is made an offer to play basketball in Turkey, he and Khloe
are presented with the option of relocating to Istanbul so that he
could avoid the boredom of the NBA lockout.

Concerned about not being able to stay in shape without playing,
Lamar definitely considers the offer. “Too much time off kind of
works against you,” Lamar says. “I always wanted to go play in Europe,
so I think this is a great opportunity.”

Khloe wasn’t particularly enamored of the idea of moving away from
her family at the drop of a hat, but moving to Turkey, specifically,
complicated things even more. “You know, there was a big time incident
against the Armenians,” Rob told Khloe sarcastically. “It was called
a genocide.”

“That adds so much more stress to me, because of my family history,”
Khloe says in a voice-over. “The Armenian genocide is such a
controversial and very sensitive issue because the Turkish and the
Armenian people disagree on the facts about what actually happened.

The Armenians say that between 1915 and 1918 over 1.5 million Armenians
who called Turkey their home were either killed or deported by the
Ottoman Empire. But the current Turkish government refuses to call
the kiddings genocide, and estimates the death toll to be much less.”

Khloe expressed concern that she would be betraying her Armenian
ancestry and legions of Armenian fans if she and Lamar moved to
Turkey, since the Kardashian family are such high-profile Armenian
celebrities. “I do not hold today’s generation of people, either
Armenian or Turkish, accountable,” she said.

Rob and Khloe did some Wikipedia-ing to learn more about the tragedy
before she made her decision. She also confided in Kim. “Just
be careful, to be honest with you, because you’re Armenian,” Kim
said. “I don’t think you understand. When I did the cover of Cosmo
International, Turkey picked it up on the month of April issue, which
is the month of the genocide, and I got a lot of backlash for it. I
had to literally write my fans letters.”

Kardashian problems!

Lucky for Khloe, she ultimately didn’t have to make a decision,
because the lockout ended before she and Lamar ever came to a definite
conclusion about the issue. It would have been interesting to see
what she would have done had it not.