Author: Badalian Vardan

GIRLS EQUAL IN BRITISH THRONE SUCCESSION

ARMENPRESS
October 28, 2011
YEREVAN

Sons and daughters of any future UK monarch will have equal right to
the throne, after Commonwealth leaders agreed to change succession
laws.

The leaders of the 16 Commonwealth countries where the Queen is head of
state unanimously approved the changes at a summit in Perth, Australia.

It means a first-born daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge
will take precedence over younger brothers.

The ban on the monarch being married to a Roman Catholic was also
lifted.

Under the old succession laws, dating back more than 300 years, the
heir to the throne is the first-born son of the monarch. Only when
there are no sons, as in the case of the Queen’s father George VI,
does the crown pass to the eldest daughter.

Announcing the changes had been agreed, Prime Minister David Cameron
said they would apply to descendents of the Prince of Wales. They
will not be applied retrospectively.

“Put simply, if the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were to have a
little girl, that girl would one day be our queen,” he said.

“The idea that a younger son should become monarch instead of an elder
daughter simply because he is a man, or that a future monarch can
marry someone of any faith except a Catholic – this way of thinking
is at odds with the modern countries that we have become.”

Australia’s Prime Minister Julia Gillard said it was an extraordinary
moment: “I’m very enthusiastic about it. You would expect the first
Australian woman prime minister to be very enthusiastic about a change
which equals equality for women in a new area.”

She said the changes appeared to be straightforward. “But just because
they seem straightforward to our modern minds doesn’t mean that we
should underestimate their historical significance, changing as they
will for all time the way in which the monarchy works and changing
its history.”

But the campaign group Republic – which wants an elected head of
state in Britain – said “nothing of substance” had been changed.

“The monarchy discriminates against every man, woman and child who
isn’t born into the Windsor family. To suggest that this has anything
to do with equality is utterly absurd,” spokesman Graham Smith said.

On scrapping the ban on future monarchs marrying Roman Catholics, Mr
Cameron said: “Let me be clear, the monarch must be in communion with
the Church of England because he or she is the head of that Church.

But it is simply wrong they should be denied the chance to marry a
Catholic if they wish to do so. After all, they are already quite
free to marry someone of any other faith.”

Scotland’s First Minister Alex Salmond welcomed the lifting of the
ban but said it was “deeply disappointing” that Roman Catholics were
still unable to ascend to the throne.

“It surely would have been possible to find a mechanism which would
have protected the status of the Church of England without keeping
in place an unjustifiable barrier on the grounds of religion in terms
of the monarchy,” he said.

“It is a missed opportunity not to ensure equality of all faiths when
it comes to the issue of who can be head of state.”

In her opening speech to the summit, the Queen did not directly mention
the royal succession laws, but said women should have a greater role
in society.

“It encourages us to find ways to show girls and women to play their
full part,” she said.

The BBC’s royal correspondent, Nicholas Witchell, said this was a
hint that the Queen herself backed the change.

PUTIN’S NEW POLICY UNCLEAR YET – ARMENIAN POLITICIAN

Tert.am
28.10.11

At his Oct. 28 meeting with journalists, Arman Melikyan, the former
foreign minister of Nagorno-Karabakh, stressed Russia’s pivotal role
in the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process.

“Russia is the only nation present in the region that is Armenia’s
strategic partner,” he said.

He pointed out ups and downs in Armenian-Russian relations – on some
occasions Russia presented Armenia with ultimatums.

Vladmir Putin’s return features a new policy, Eurasian partnership,
“we do not yet have a proper idea of.”

“We must be well aware of what it means and how we should act. Some of
our political forces hailed the idea. However, we cannot know anything
about Eurasian partnership until Putin comes and begins translating
the idea into reality. Russia is showing signs of chauvinism in the
context of this idea – they can be felt in Putin’s rhetoric. If the
Eurasian partnership follows Putin’s scenario, it is better for us
to become part of the Russian Federation. If it follows Nazarbayev’s
scenario, it may be more attractive. On the other hand, it poses some
risks – Turkey will enhance its role. So we should think it out and
be realists,” Melikyan said.

TURKEY PLANS TO TAKE ACTION AGAINST ARMENIA’S NUCLEAR PLANT

Tert.am
28.10.11

Turkey’s Energy Minister Taner Yildiz has said he ordered the country’s
nuclear authority to measure radioactivity in the east after the deadly
earthquake in Van province for fear of leaks Armenia’s Nuclear Power
Plant, Hurriyet Daily News reported.

“I asked the Turkish Atomic Energy Authority to immediately conduct
tests,” Yildiz told a group of journalists in Ankara while speaking
at a reception to mark the 50th anniversary of the Turkish publication.

Turkey is preparing to take legal action against all superannuated
nuclear power plants across the world, including Metzamor in Armenia,
the minister said.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will receive from Turkey
complaints about dozens of nuclear plants across the world that have
already exceed an age of 40, Yildiz said.

“Some countries are announcing that they are putting an end to nuclear
power and closing superannuated plants, but they are continuing to
build new ones,” he said. “This is not right.”

However, the minister declined to specify any country by name.

Siemens, Germany’s biggest nuclear energy company, was turning the
page on nuclear energy, the group’s chief executive told the Der
Spiegel weekly in September.

The government in Germany had earlier announced it will withdraw from
nuclear energy after the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster in Japan
caused by an earthquake and tsunami on March 11 that took more than
20,000 lives.

Turkey’s to-be-built nuclear plant near the town of Akkuyu in the
southern province of Akkuyu would be “the strongest building in the
country,” Yıldız said. As risk grows, security measures grow too,
he said.

“We will invest some $20 billion there. It will become an important
part of the overall energy system and we will still bear risks. Sorry,
but neither the state nor the private sector would take such a risk.

One should be crazy, otherwise. We will not let it happen. No need
to worry about it.”

Russian state-owned nuclear power company ROSATOM is the contractor
for the project.

The country plans two more power plants, one in the northern province
of Sinop and another in the Thracian region but talks with contractors
for these projects were interrupted by the Fukushima accident.

L’ARMENIE VA ACHETER DE LA VIANDE A CINQ SOCIETES INDIENNES
Stephane

armenews.com
vendredi 28 octobre 2011

L’Armenie va acheter de la viande de bison a cinq societes indiennes
a annonce Grisha Baghian, premier vice-ministre de l’agriculture.

En 2010, le gouvernement d’Armenie a approuve une procedure speciale
pour l’importation de viande de buffle d’Inde. Un an plus tôt un
groupe de travail a ete mis en place par le Premier ministre pour
aborder la question et plusieurs delegations armeniennes ont visite
les usines de viande en Inde.

Le vice-ministre a declare que les delegations sont venus a la
conclusion que l’Armenie doit acheter de la viande qu’auprès seulement
de cinq societes indiennes.

Selon lui, afin d’assurer le plein contrôle sur ce processus,
le gouvernement a nomme un specialiste pour travailler en Inde en
collaboration avec ces societes et accorder des autorisations aux
entreprises armeniennes pour acheter de la viande.

La viande de bison d’Inde est utilisee en Armenie pour la production
de saucisses.

En lien avec la decision du gouvernement, seuls les entreprises
indiennes qui ont au moins dix ans d’experience, ont leurs propres
abattoirs, des usines de transformation et de congelation repondant
aux normes mondiales pourront exporter de la viande en Armenie.

KARDES TURKULER TO SING FOR VAN AT NYC CONCERT

Today’s Zaman
Oct 27 2011
Turkey

Turkey’s well-known ethnic music ensemble Kardeþ Turkuler is joining
in relief efforts for earthquake survivors in the eastern province
of Van with a concert in New York City in November, news agencies
reported Thursday.

The group, joined by famous percussionist/composer Arto Tuncboyacýyan
and Armenian oud master Ara Dinkjian, will take to the stage on Nov.

13 at the Merkin Concert Hall in New York’s Kaufman Center, reported
the Anatolia news agency. All proceeds from the concert will be donated
to relief campaigns aimed at Van quake survivors, Anatolia said.

The concert is organized by the Moon and Stars Project, a cultural
enterprise under the auspices of the New York-based American Turkish
Society.

Made up of vocalists Feryal Akkaya, Fehmiye Celik and Vedat Yýldýrým,
Ayhan Akkaya on bass, Tevfik Cekic on violin, Barýþ Guney on baðlama,
Selda Ozturk and Burcu Yankýn on percussion and Saro Usta on accordion,
Kardeþ Turkuler will be accompanied by Tuncboyacýyan in percussion
and vocals and Dinkjian on oud and cumbuþ during the concert.

Kardeþ Turkuler released its most recent album this spring on the Kalan
Music label. A 16-song collection recorded under the musical direction
of Tuncboyacýyan, “Cocuk (H)aklý” (The Kid is Right/The Kid’s Mind)
features original songs in Armenian, Turkish, Arabic, Kurmanji and
Laz. Tuncboyacýyan, dubbed “Mr. Avant-garde Folk” in music circles, is
also credited as songwriter for several of the songs on the new album.

ISTANBUL TO HOST INTERNATIONAL EVENT ON NORMALIZATION OF TURKEY-ARMENIA RELATIONS

APA
Oct 27 2011
Azerbaijan

Baku – APA. An international workshop on “Normalization process of
Turkey-Armenia relations: revival perspective” organized by Middle
East Technical University (ODTU) and TOBB University of Economics
and Technology and supported by the Center for Strategic Studies of
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkey will be held in Istanbul,
on October 29-30 2011.

Center for Strategic Studies told APA that the topics such as current
state of the normalization process of Turkey-Armenia relations and its
development perspectives, regional view on the bilateral relations
between these two countries, development dynamics of political
situation in South Caucasus will be discussed in the event with
participation of experts from Azerbaijan, Turkey and Armenia.

SAM’s expert Zaur Shiriyev will participate in the discussions and
deliver a speech about the position of Azerbaijan in the process
and the importance of solution of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in this
context in the panel titled “Regional and International Aspects of
Normalization of Turkey-Armenia Relations”

Professor of George Washington University, Cory Welt, Deputy Head
of Turkish International Strategic Research Organization professor
Kamer Kasim, Sabina Frazier from International Crises Group as well
as several Armenian experts will deliver reports in the conference.

Normalization process of relations between Turkey and Armenia will
be discussed in Istanbul

An international workshop on “Normalization process of Turkey-Armenia
relations: revival perspective” organized by Middle East Technical
University (ODTU) and TOBB University of Economics and Technology
and supported by the Center for Strategic Studies of the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs of Turkey will be held in Istanbul, on 29-30
October 2011.

The topics such as current state of the normalization process
of Turkey-Armenia relations and its development perspectives,
regional view on the bilateral relations between these two countries,
development dynamics of political situation in South Caucasus will be
discussed in the event with participation of experts from Azerbaijan,
Turkey and Armenia.

SAM’s expert Zaur Shiriyev will participate in the discussions and
deliver a speech about the position of Azerbaijan in the process
and the importance of solution of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in this
context in the panel titled “Regional and International Aspects of
Normalization of Turkey-Armenia Relations”

The professor of George Washington University, Cory Welt, the deputy
head of Turkish International Strategic Research Organization professor
Kamer Kasim, Sabina Frazier from International Crises Group as well
as several Armenian experts will deliver reports in the conference.

EU SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE: “WE ARE READY TO SHARE THE EUROPE’S EXPERIENCE IN POST-CONFLICT STAGE AND RECONSTRUCTION WITH MINSK GROUP”

Milaz.info
Oct 27 2011
Azerbaijan

The main reason of unsettlement of Nagorno Karabakh conflict is the
lack of confidence of the sides to each other, and may be, the mutual
fear”, said European Union’s Special Representative for the South
Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia Philippe Lefort at the briefing
in Baku, APA reports.

Lefort said that the EU supported the OSCE Minsk Group’s efforts
towards the settlement of Nagorno Karabakh problem: “We cooperate
with the Minsk Group. We are ready to share the Europe’s experience
in post-conflict stage and reconstruction with Minsk Group”.

The Special Representative expressed hope that the sides of Nagorno
Karabakh conflict would achieve compromise and the problem would be
settled: “I said that same words in Yerevan”.

Lefort said that within the visit he held discussions with Azerbaijani
President Ilham Aliyev on Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

Within the visit to Azerbaijan, Lefort met with Foreign Minister
Elmar Mammadyarov, exchanged view with MPs and representatives of
civil society.

IMF: IN 2012 AZERBAIJAN’S GDP TO EXCEED ARMENIA’S GDP 5.86-FOLD

Azerbaijan Business Center
Oct 27 2011

Baku, Fineko/abc.az. In its Regional Economic Outlook : Middle East
and Central Asia IMF notes Armenia and Georgia’s increasing underrun
from Azerbaijan in terms of economic development quality.

IMF reports that in 2011 Azerbaijan’s nominal GDP will make $68,5
bn and in 2012- $80,8 bn. Despite the fact that in 2011 real GDP
growth in Azerbaijan will not exceed 0,2%, and in 2012 – 7,1%,neither
Armenia nor Georgia will be able to approach the country on the level
of economic development.

In 2011 Armenia’s nominal GDP will total only 10,2 bn and in 2012-
$13,8 bn. The forecast for Georgia is $10,5 bn. and $14,8 bn
respectively.

As a result in 2011 Azerbaijan will exceed Armenia on GDP level
5.86-fold and Armenia and Georgia together- 2.83-fold.

SHELTER SHORTAGE FORCES TURKEY TO ACCEPT FOREIGN AID
Thomas Seibert

The National

Oct 27 2011
UAE

ISTANBUL // In a turnaround triggered by a drastic shortage of shelter
for victims of last weekend’s earthquake in eastern Anatolia, Turkey
has decided to call for international support and has even asked Israel
and Armenia, two countries whose ties with Turkey have been strained,
for help, diplomats said yesterday.

In the immediate aftermath of Sunday’s devastating quake in the
province of Van that killed more than 450 people and left tens of
thousands homeless in freezing temperatures, the Turkish government
rejected international offers of help, saying the country had enough
resources to handle the catastrophe on its own.

But protests against a shortage of emergency shelter, chaotic scenes
at distribution points as desperate survivors fought for tents and
reports of tents being sold on the black market forced the government
to reconsider. Almost 30 countries had offered help in the form of
temporary shelter, Turkish media reported.

“We had not anticipated such a huge demand for tents,” Besir Atalay,
the deputy prime minister in charge of the aid operation, told
parliament on Tuesday. Following the admission, the prime minister’s
crisis centre asked the foreign ministry to contact the countries
that had offered help, diplomatic sources said yesterday.

Israel and Armenia were among those approached by Ankara, they said.

“We returned to all [the countries offering aid] saying that we would
be ready to receive those items,” a source said, referring to tents,
prefabricated houses and container shelters.

The Israeli government confirmed the Turkish request.

“Turkey has asked us for caravans for the homeless after the
earthquake,” Yigal Palmor, Israel’s foreign ministry spokesman, told
the AFP news agency. “We accepted immediately and we will quickly
see what we can supply.”

Israel’s defence ministry said the first planeload of mobile homes
was due to fly to Turkey late yesterday.

The move followed direct high-level contacts between Turkish and
Israeli officials. The two countries have not been on speaking terms
since Turkey expelled the Israeli ambassador last month over Israel’s
refusal to apologise for the death of nine Turkish activists during
an Israeli raid on a ship carrying aid to the Gaza Strip last year.

After the earthquake, Shimon Peres, Israel’s president, called
Abdullah Gul, the Turkish head of state, and Benjamin Netanyahu,
the Israeli prime minister, called his Turkish counterpart, Recep
Tayyip Erdogan. In his conversation with Mr Erdogan, Mr Netanyahu
mentioned Turkey’s help to combat a wildfire in Israel last year
despite strained relations and said Israel was ready to help Turkey,
according to Turkish news reports.

It was not immediately clear if Turkey’s decision to accept Israeli
aid may lead to a political rapprochement. Ankara insists relations
with its former partner can only return to normal if the Israeli
government apologises for the activists’ deaths and compensates their
families. Israel has rejected the demands.

In a newspaper interview before the turnaround on aid become public,
Ahmet Davutoglu, the Turkish foreign minister, said the issue of
emergency support was humanitarian, not political, telling the Posta
newspaper in the interview published yesterday that “Israel helping
or not helping does not change our position” .

Relations between Turkey and neighbouring Armenia are burdened by a
bitter dispute over the death of hundreds of thousands of Armenians
during the final years of the Ottoman Empire in 1915. Armenia calls
the killings genocide, a term rejected by Turkey. Relations are also
soured by the bloody conflict between Armenia and Turkey’s ally,
Azerbaijan, over the disputed mainly ethnically Armenian region of
Nagorno-Karabakh.

Ankara and Yerevan have no diplomatic relations and there has been
no attempt at reconciliation since efforts to rebuild ties failed
two years ago.

In the earthquake-hit region itself, Turkish rescuers continued
their search for survivors. Their morale was boosted yesterday when a
27-year-old woman was plucked from the rubble in the town of Ercis,
66 hours after the quake. A two-week-old baby girl, her mother and
her grandmother were found alive on Tuesday.

While the rescue operation still produced success stories, efforts
to house and feed tens of thousands of survivors encountered serious
problems, with the lack of tents becoming a symbol for a perceived
failures of the authorities. News reports said some villages in the
affected area had yet to receive any tents.

Mr Erdogan said in a speech yesterday almost 18,000 tents had been
sent to the earthquake zone. “This is sufficient, but with things
getting out of control, it turned out to be not enough,” he said in
reference to chaotic scenes at some distribution points where fights
broke out among quake victims trying to secure a tent.

With aftershocks continuing, authorities have warned people not
to return to homes that may have been damaged. Thousands have been
living in the open since Sunday and have been trying to keep warm by
lighting fires.

Mr Atalay, the deputy prime minister, and other officials said while
thousands of heatable tents had reached the region and several tent
cities had been erected on football pitches and other open spaces,
many survivors refused to move into those shelters and insisted on
pitching their own tents next to their damaged or destroyed homes.

“There is a war for tents going on here,” Mehmet Ali Birand, a Turkish
television host and columnist, wrote in a Facebook message from the
earthquake zone. “There are terrifying scenes.”

Television footage showed survivors fighting over tents wrapped in
white canvas bags.

Mr Birand said there were other problems as well.

“There are people trying to get two or three tents, not just one. Some
are selling tents, some use tents as shelter for their animals,”
he wrote.

QUAKE COULD CHANGE DYNAMICS OF ARMENIAN-TURKISH RELATIONS – ANALYST

news.am
Oct 27 2011
Armenia

YEREVAN. – The earthquake could change the dynamics of Armenian-Turkish
relations, Regional Studies Center Director Richard Giragosian stated,
during a press conference on Thursday, adding that an Armenian-Turkish
conference will soon be held in Istanbul.

“It is clear that everyone waits for Turkey. All expectations are
upon Turkey, not Armenia. Armenia has done all that it could, and
even more. The conference’s timing is noteworthy: after the tremor in
Van and the opening of St. Giragos [Armenian] Church [in Diyarbakir,
Turkey],” the analyst noted.

Reflecting on Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan’s offer to provide
Turkey earthquake relief, Giragosian said: “Armenia offered its
humanitarian aid very quickly. This also shows that Armenia is ready
and able to become the deciding party in the process.”

In his words, Armenia could do very little in bilateral relations, and
the Turkish foreign policy in recent periods is marked by challenges
and losses.