Author: Badalian Vardan

ARMENIA STILL REBUILDING 20 YEARS AFTER EARTHQUAKE
By Hasmik Lazarian

Reuters
Sat Dec 6, 2008 7:07am EST

GYUMRI, Armenia (Reuters) – Zhora Azizyan felt lucky when he was
granted temporary housing made of concrete blocks rather than the
railway cars given to others after the earthquake that devastated
northwestern Armenia.

But that was 1988.

Now he struggles to paper over the cracks in the walls, and the
single gas stove is no match for winter temperatures of minus 30
degrees Celsius.

"After the earthquake, the Soviet Central Bank donated temporary
accommodation for two years, made of concrete blocks 10 centimeters
thick," he said. "We were very happy at the time. But then two years
became 20."

Sunday marks the 20th anniversary of the Spitak earthquake that
flattened towns and villages across swathes of then Soviet Armenia,
killing 25,000 people and leaving tens of thousands homeless.

For many in Gyumri, Spitak and other towns shattered by the magnitude
6.9 quake, the memory has faded. But for others it remains as real
today as it was when it struck at 11.41 a.m. (0741 GMT).

An estimated 7,000 families are still in the woeful temporary
accommodation given to them in the weeks after the quake. For them,
it has been 20 years of empty promises.

At the time, Soviet officials said the recovery would be quick. But
they struggled to cope with the scale of the disaster. Then the Soviet
Union collapsed.

War that followed with neighboring Azerbaijan over the breakaway
region of Nagorno-Karabakh is still proving costly and is slowing
recovery efforts in this mountainous and poor corner of the Caucasus.

Successive governments have promised to finish the recovery job. And
the current administration of President Serzh Sarksyan is no different,
pledging $250 million to finish rehousing the homeless and rebuilding
the region by 2012.

"The situation is not as we would like," said Albert Margaryan,
a senior official at the regional administration, overseeing
construction work. "But every day we can feel improvement, we can
feel the activation of local investment."

"We hope that by 2012 we will solve this problem thanks to the
government program to rehabilitate the disaster area."

Local officials say unemployment in the region stands at 60
percent. They promise to build an industrial park in the former
textile hub of Gyumri, invest in small and medium-sized enterprises
and create 5,000 jobs.

The homeless are given vouchers to buy property anywhere in Armenia,
but they complain only those with money to add can actually make use
of them because of high property prices.

Azizyan, 75, lost 12 relatives in the earthquake. Reports at the time
spoke of unimaginable destruction, coffins stacked in the streets.

Azizyan and his wife together receive 55,000 drams ($180) monthly
pension, plus 24,000 drams in government aid. The family of six lives
within 30 square meters.

"I haven’t lost hope," said Azizyan. "I’m sure that everything will
be good.

Without hope, life is not worth living."

His wife Zina shares his optimism. "I feel we’ll get an apartment
next year," she said. "We have to think about our grandchildren."

MOSCOW CALLS FOR KARABAKH PEACE TREATY

RT
December 4, 2008, 15:57

Military action is not the solution to the conflict in
Karabakh. Foreign Ministers of the OSCE Minsk Group meeting in Helsinki
discussed the need for a resolution to the long frozen conflict in
the South Caucasus.

"We call for both sides to reaffirm their devotion to a peace
settlement," the group said.

At the meeting, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that basic
principles of a peace treaty regarding the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
between Azerbaijan and Armenia must be formed.

"We urge the parties to make efforts jointly with the co-chairmen of
the Minsk Group to achieve an agreement within months on the basic
principles of the settlement, and then, on that basis, to pass over
to drafting a comprehensive peace agreement," Lavrov said at the
meeting of the OSCE Minsk Group.

The two countries came together last month in Moscow and agreed to
seek a peaceful solution to the conflict.

Lavrov reminded both sides about the agreement they signed in
November. "The declaration signed in Moscow opened a new promising
step in the restoration of peace in the region," he said.

Nargorno-Karabakh, a region in the South Caucasus, is technically
part of Azerbaijan. In 1988, the area voted to join with the Armenian
Soviet Republic. This action set off a conflict between Armenians
and Azerbaijanis.

After violence and conflict continued for several years, Armenians
in the region approved through a referendum the creation of an
independent state.

The referendum was rejected by Azerbaijan and conflict escalated.

The fall of the Soviet Union led to a power vacuum causing full-scale
war to erupt. By 1994, thousands had been killed and hundreds of
thousands displaced as a result. With Russia’s help, an un-official
cease-fire was reached in May 1994.

However, random spells of violence continued to plague the region
causing numerous deaths every year on both sides.

Today the region is under joint military control by Armenian and
Nagorno-Karabakh military forces. Armenia remains steadfast in its
commitment to bringing independence to the region while Azerbaijan
claims its territorial integrity must be respected.

The Minsk Group was formed by the OSCE and includes the US, Russia
and France. Its purpose is to encourage and negotiate a complete and
peaceful resolution between Armenia and Azerbaijan regarding Karabakh.

The efforts culminated on 2 November when the President of Azerbaijan,
Ilham Aliyev, and the President of Armenia, Serzh Sarkisyan, signed a
peace declaration at a meeting in Moscow arranged by Russian president
Dmitry Medvedev.

INTERVIEW-OSCE CHAIRMAN UPBEAT ON NAGORNO-KARABAKH DISPUTE
By Brett Young

Reuters AlertNet
Dec 2 2008
UK

HELSINKI, Dec 2 (Reuters) – Azerbaijan and Armenia have made progress
in resolving a long-standing dispute over a Caucasus mountain enclave
and the OSCE hopes for a regional declaration on the issue at its
annual meetings later this week, its chairman said on Tuesday.

"Things are looking quite good on Nagorno-Karabakh," Finnish Foreign
Minister Alexander Stubb, who is leading the Organisation for Security
and Cooperation in Europe under the Finnish chairmanship, told Reuters
in an interview.

"I think that we are moving away from a frozen conflict towards a
permanent solution, but of course we are not there yet, and it is
very important that the Minsk Group works on this," Stubb said.

The Minsk Group — co-chaired by Russia, the United States and France
— was established by the OSCE in 1992 to bring about a peaceful
resolution in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, where a Russian-brokered
ceasefire has held since 1994.

Nagorno-Karabakh’s mostly ethnic Armenian population broke away from
Azerbaijan as the Soviet Union collapsed in the 1980s and early
1990s. Some 35,000 people were killed in fighting and more than a
million wre forced to flee their homes.

The territory now runs its own affairs with support from Armenia. The
matter remains a serious source of tension in the volatile Caucasus
region. Stubb said talks among the 50 foreign ministers in Helsinki
on Dec. 4-5 for the annual meeting of Europe’s main security and
human rights body will be dominated by Caucasus disputes, including
Nagorno-Karabakh, along with the broader question of European security.

The August war between OSCE members Russia and Georgia over breakaway
South Ossetia has cast a shadow over the meeting, with military
monitors from the security and human rights organisation still unable
to return to the breakaway region.

POLITICAL DECLARATION

Stubb said he was "rather disappointed" monitors were not allowed back
in, and said talks on the impasse would continue in Moscow on Dec. 8.

"Hopefully we can solve it before the end of the year when the (OSCE)
mandate runs out," Stubb said. "(But) I won’t give any odds on that."

Stubb said he welcomed a new discussion on European security, an idea
first broached by Russia in October, as long as it did not seek to
eclipse the role of the OSCE.

"I will be happy if we have had a refreshing discussion on European
security, but one which confirms the existence and the future of the
OSCE as a vibrant organisation taking care of security, the economy
and democracy," he said.

"There are some key principles on which I think we should not even
being negotiations. They have to do with territorial integrity,
democracy, human rights, and the non-use of force in solving
conflicts," he added.

Stubb said he did not expect a regional declaration on a second
dispute, between Moldova and Transdnestria, during the meeting.

He said Finland was working hard on a political declaration reaffirming
OSCE principles and opening the door to a possible summit meeting in
2009 or 2010 that could be signed by all participants.

The last joint political declaration was signed in 2002 in Portugal,
and Stubb admitted it would be tough to achieve one this time around
given the tense atmosphere following the Russia-Georgia war.

"I am not yet at this stage very hopeful," Stubb said.

TURKEY RECEIVES PEACE PRIZE

Hurriyet
Dec 3 2008
Turkey

ISTANBUL – The "Peace and Sport" organization has awarded Turkey the
2008 "Peace and Sport Image of the Year" prize.

Turkey was chosen for the prize after President Abdullah Gul and
his Armenian counterpart Serzh Sargsian shook hands prior to a
World Cup qualifying match between Turkey and Armenia in Yerevan on
Sept. 6. Turkey will receive its prize Thursday from Prince Albert
II of Monaco.

PRICES OF NON-FOOD COMMODITIES FALL BY 1.7% IN ARMENIA IN NOVEMBER 2008

Noyan Tapan

Dec 1, 2008

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 1, NOYAN TAPAN. 1.7% fall in prices of non-food
commodities was recorded in Armenia in November on October 2008, on
which the fall of gasoline and diesel fuel prices (11.9% and 11.7%
respectively) had a direct impact.

According to the RA National Statistical Service, prices of domestic
electric appliances, furniture, detergents, and cultural goods fell
by 0.1-0.6% in November on October 2008. In parallel with this,
prices of fuel, kitchen utensils, cosmetics, building materials,
footwear, clothes and fabrics increased by 0.1-1.6%. The prices in
the other commodity groups under observation remained at the level
of the previous month.

, Turkey
Nov 28 2008

Heart of Turkey-EU talks "democratization": Lagendijk

Lagendijk referred to Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s remarks and
said that the major goal was to bring "first-class democracy" to
Turkey. Friday, 28 November 2008 15:39

A member of the European Parliament said Friday that the heart of
entry talks between Turkey and the EU was not economy or strategy but
democratization.

At a joint press conference with Turkish co-Chairman Yasar Yakis at
the end of the 60th meeting of the Turkey-EU Joint Parliamentary
Committee, co-Chairman Joost Lagendijk said that the heart of the
project to get Turkey closer to EU was democracy and higher democratic
standards.

Lagendijk referred to Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s remarks and
said that the major goal was to bring "first-class democracy" to
Turkey.

He also said that recent years witnessed less reforms in Turkey and
stated that the Union expected the Turkish government to be more
active and make more democratic reforms especially in freedom of
speech, minority rights, and military’s role in politics.

Lagendijk also said that the European Parliament welcomed Turkish
President Abdullah Gul’s visit to Armenian capital Yerevan and added
that the EU was monitoring steps for dialogue.

In his part, Turkish co-Chairman of the committee Yasar Yakis thanked
Lagendijk for his contributions to process between Turkey and EU as it
was the last meeting Lagendijk co-chaired during his committee
membership over the past seven years.

AA

EUROPEAN UNION SEES SOLUTION OF KARABAKH PROBLEM WITHIN FRAMEWORK OF
OSCE MINSK GROUP, HEAD OF EUROPEAN COMMISSION DELEGATION IN ARMENIA
SAYS

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 28, NOYAN TAPAN. During the November 28 meeting with
the Head of the European Commission Delegation in Armenia, Ambassador
Raul de Lutzenberger, the speaker of the RA National Assembly Hovik
Abrahamian underlined the importance of cooperation between the
European Union and the RA National Assembly. He assured R. de
Lutzenberger that the parliament is interested in deepening the
mutually beneficial relations which will contribute to the sucessful
implementation of reforms in Armenia. He expressed a high opinion about
cooperation with the EU, the Council of Europe, the UN, the OSCE and
the NATO, which allows Armenia to make reforms successfuly and
integrate into European structures. H. Abrahamian reasserted the
political will and readiness of Armenian authorities to see Armenia as
a democratic country.

According to the RA National Assembly PR Department, H. Abrahamian also
spoke about the steps taken in the foreign policy sphere, noting that
Armenia has always been in favor of maintaining normal relations with
neighbors and is ready to establish diplomatic relations with Turkey
without any preconditions. In connection with solution of the Karabakh
problem, he attached importance to adoption of the Mayendorf
Declaration and continuation of negotiations for the peaceful
settlement of the problem.

Raul de Lutxenberger in his turn said that the members of the European
Parliament’s Commission appreciate the relations with Armenia and the
National Assembly. In his words, the NA plays a great role in the
process of reforms in the country. He said that with the aim of
assisting Armenia with its reforms, advisors will be sent to Armenia,
including to the National Assembly.

Considering the Mayendorf Declaration as an important step for
resolutin of the Karabakh conflict, Raul de Lutzenberger noted that the
European Union welcomes the steps aimed at settling the conflict and
sees the peaceful settlement within the framework of the OSCE Minsk
group. He underlined the significance of regulating Armenian-Turkish
relations which will create new opportunities for regional development.

DOES ARMENIA NEED NORMAL RELATIONS WITH TURKEY AT THE EXPENSE OF HISTORICAL MEMORY LOSS?
Karine Ter-Sahakyan

PanARMENIAN.Net
25.11.2008 GMT+04:00

If Ankara should declare tomorrow that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
is the problem of exclusively Armenia and Azerbaijan, it would be no
surprise, even for Baku.

The latest visit of Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian to
Istanbul aroused even more questions than the September meeting of
Armenian, Turkish and Azerbaijani foreign ministers in New-York. During
the visit foreign ministers of both countries made a number of
sensational statements, the most shocking of which was the intention
of Ankara to send her ambassador to Armenia without establishing
diplomatic relations. If it were to happen anyway, it would be too
difficult to even imagine what it is going to look like in practice.

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Diplomatic regulations suppose mandatory presentation
of an ambassador’s credentials to the head of state. In case it
lacks, the ambassador, in the particular case that of Turkey,
will simply be an envoy on special missions, which can in no way
indicate establishment of normal diplomatic relations between the
two countries. As a matter of principle, some seeming euphoria
puts the Armenian side on its guard. The Turkish official press
reports that the Ministers did not refer to the Armenian Genocide
issue… If that’s the case, why does Turkey propose to send an envoy
to Yerevan in exchange for Armenia’s consent to form a commission
of historians to study the fact of the Armenian Genocide? Moreover,
a number of Turkish papers informed as if Edward Nalbandian had
agreed on forming such a commission. The Armenian Foreign Ministry,
however, vigorously rejected the news. Â"Foreign Ministry of the
Republic of Armenia refutes Turkish media reports that RA FM Edward
Nalbandian allegedly announced Armenia’s consent to form a commission
of historians to study the fact of the Armenian Genocide. In fact,
Minister Nalbandian emphasized that Armenia’s position on the Genocide
issue is unchangeable," declared Head of the RA MFA media relations
division Tigran Balayan.

But what is really essential is whether Armenia needs normal relations
with Turkey at the expense of historical memory loss. Probably
not. According to historian and diplomat Ara Papian, Armenia needs
diplomatic relations with Turkey, but Turkey needs them even more. That
is why Turkey is presently carrying out a political PR-campaign to
convince the whole world that Ankara is always disposed friendly
towards all the nations, and especially towards Armenians. In our
opinion, it is particularly important not to be under Ankara’s
thumb and not to rejoice ahead of time. After all, no one has a
guarantee that with the border open, Armenia will have to "import"
only Turkish goods.

However, in all this tar-barrel there is also a spoonful of honey:
the issue of Nagorno Karabakh is becoming more and more secondary
for Turkey and it can’t but delight us. Actually, if Ankara should
declare tomorrow that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is the problem
of exclusively Armenia and Azerbaijan it would be no surprise, even
for Baku. Though, on the other hand, it should be admitted that it
would be like pouring cold water on Azerbaijan, and we dare hope that
it would finally open the eyes of Baku, which have long been veiled
under oil shroud.

As a matter of fact, Turkey has launched the project of the Caucasus
Stability and Cooperation Platform, and Minister Nalbandian’s
visit to Istanbul would rather be regarded in this respect than
be viewed as an official participation in the summit of the Black
Sea Economic Cooperation. According to Russian Ambassador to Turkey
Vladimir Ivanovsky, representatives of five countries of the Platform
(Turkey, Armenia, Russia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan) are likely to begin
collective discussions at the end of this year. He believes that the
proposals submitted by Turkey are to Russia’s interests.

We wonder what fate the new regional union will have. GUAM, an
organization formed with active participation of the USA, hardly
functions now despite the declarations of Georgian and Azeri
politicians. This organization, in case it is authorized, will be
controlled by Ankara, and one should think that it awaits the same
fate as GUAM, since its members aim at too different targets.

–Boundary_(ID_95gcsvbkMXFDNuFaQ4L/ug)–

STATE AWARDS OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA TO CHESS OLYMPIC CHAMPIONS

armradio.am
27.11.2008 13:16

On November 26 the President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan signed a decree
on awarding Medals "For Services Contributed to the Motherland" of
the first rank to the head coach of the men’s chess team of Armenia,
International Grand master Arshak Petrosyan, International Grand
Master Levon Aronyan, International Grand Master Vladimir Hakobyan,
International Grand Master Artashes Minasyan, International Grand
Master Tigran Petrosyan and International Grand Master Gabriel Sargsyan
for their brilliant victory at the 38th Chess Olympiad, for properly
presenting Armenia on the international arena, and promoting the
development of chess in Armenia.

According to another presidential decree, Medals "For Services
Contributed to the Motherland" of the second rank were awarded to
Vice-Presidents of the Chess Federation of Armenia Levon Yolyan and
Smbat Lputyan, businessman Artak Sargsyan, Director of the Chess
House Hrachya Tavadyan for essential contribution to the development
of chess in the republic.

"MOSCOW DECLARATION" EXACTLY INDICATES THAT CONFLICTING SIDES ARE ARMENIA AND AZERBAIJAN, BUT NOT NAGORNO-KARABAKH: PRESIDENT OF AZERBAIJAN

Trend News Agency
Nov 27 2008
Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan. Baku, 26 November / Trend News / "Moscow declaration"
exactly indicates that the conflicting sides are Armenia and
Azerbaijan, but not Nagorno-Karabakh, said the President of Azerbaijan,
Ilham Aliyev, in his interview with RAI International TV channel.

"Firstly, the leadership of Armenia understands that the conflicting
sides are Armenia and Azerbaijan, but not Nagorno-Karabakh. It is
very important. The leadership of Armenia itself signed the document,
which exactly determines the conflicting sides," said the President.

"Secondly, it’s said in Declaration, that conflict must be solved
on the basis of international legal regulations and principles. It
means that the sides must respect decisions and resolutions of UN,
which demand unconditional withdrawal of Armenian forces from the
Azerbaijani territory," Aliyev stressed.

"Third important element of Moscow Declaration is the item which
specifies step-by-step resolution of Karabakh conflict. All these
three elements are new in the negotiations process, and I’m glad,
that the leadership of Armenia found a brave to sign the Declaration,"
the Azerbaijani President said.

Moreover, he said that "no one can find the obligation of Azerbaijan
to abstain from the military way" of the conflict settlement in the
declaration. "Therefore, hoping for the political solution, we also
must always be prepared for any measures, and military way hereby is
not and has been never excluded," said Ilham Aliyev.

The President said that the participation of Baku in the negotiations
process for a period of two decades testifies that Azerbaijan attempts
to find a peaceful way for the conflict solution.

The President expressed his hope that the international community will
strengthen attention upon the Karabakh problem, especially after the
recent events in Caucasus, which demonstrated how the peace in this
region is brittle. "This problem must be solved as soon as possible
in order to ensure peace in Caucasus," stated Ilham Aliyev.