Author: Badalian Vardan

ARMENIAN DEFENSE MINISTER RECEIVES NEWLY APPOINTED GREEK AMBASSADOR AND MILITARY ATTACHE

ARMENPRESS
Sep 9, 2008

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 9, ARMENPRESS: Armenian Defense Minister Seyran
Ohanian received today newly appointed Greek ambassador to Armenia
Ioannis Korintios as well as newly appointed military attache,
Colonel Anastasios Meletughli.

Spokesman for the Defense Ministry Seyran Shahsuvarian told Armenpress
that during the meeting S. Ohanian congratulated the ambassador on his
appointment and expressed hope that during his tenure the military
and military-political cooperation between the two countries will
expand more.

The minister said that he is glad that another experienced officer
has been appointed as military attach? to Armenia who will do his
best for the further development of cooperation.

During the meeting S. Ohanian pointed out that Armenia, adopting the
European way of development, views Greece as its primary partner with
who the development of cooperation has a great importance.

The sides noted that the cooperation established in 1993
is expanding. Referring to the current level of military,
military-political cooperation the sides underscored the necessity
of boosting it more. The interlocutors said that the expansion
of cooperation is notable particularly in military education and
peacekeeping missions: starting from 1993, 75 officers graduated from
Greek military educational establishments fulfilling the rows of the
Armenian Armed Forces.

S. Ohanian also added that the support of the Greek side in
formation of Armenian peacekeeping platoon, their education and
material-technical support is invaluable.

On his part the ambassador said that he is glad of the high level of
preparedness of the Armenian peacekeepers who are carrying out their
mission in Kosovo.

Speaking about the Karabakh conflict regulation issue, the sides
underscored the peaceful regulation of the conflict.

During the meeting the sides also discussed a number of issues
referring to the regional security and stability.

ARAB EX-KNESSET MEMBER HIGHLIGHTS DIMINISHING US ROLE IN WORLD AFFAIRS
By Elias Sakr and Eugene Yukin

Daily Star
Sept 10 2008
Lebanon

BEIRUT: The world’s changing power dynamics during the Bush
administration era were the focus of a lecture by former Arab-Israeli
MP Azmi Bishara before a full audience at Hamra’s Al-Madina Theater
on Monday evening. In his lecture – entitled "What’s the role for
America after Bush?" – Bishara noted that the United States remains
the world’s sole superpower but has seen its role diminish since 2005
with the emergence of Russia and China among other countries as rising
world powers willing to guard their interests.

Bishara said this change in the world’s power dynamics began in the
late 1990s before it was brought to a halt following the September 11,
2001, attacks.

According to Bishara, US military spending, which constitutes 45
percent of total global expenditure on armament and only 4 percent
of the country’s gross domestic product, enforces its status as a
super power.

Bishara highlighted the Russia-Georgia crisis as an indication of
Moscow’s determination to firmly defend its interests.

"The process of regaining that sense of national pride and greatness
started in 1999 when [Prime Minister] Vladimir Putin harshly crushed
all opposition in Chechnya, making it clear Russia wouldn’t tolerate
any independence movement," he said, adding that China also guarded
its interests in Sudan recently by opposing US foreign policy.

Bishara noted that China’s disregard for human rights by enforcing
child labor and its harm to the environment resembles Europe’s history
during the rise of colonialism.

He stressed that unlike the Cold War period, today’s confrontations
between the United States and other rising powers indicate conflicting
interests, not ideologies.

"Today no one claims that he’s trying to spread an ideology aiming
to better humanity, fight evil and preserve the welfare of people,
it’s only a matter of interests," said Bishara.

Furthermore, he added that before 2005 the American neoconservatives
had embraced the communist view of spreading change around the world
and claimed "nation building" as a pretext to change foreign regimes
by force.

Bishara also emphasized that the globalization process had bad
consequences on developing countries.

"Economic help brought by capitalist states to Third World countries
on condition of imposing reforms such as privatization and tax-barrier
abolition was of disastrous results," he said.

Given the dreadful position of Arab countries on the political
and economic map, Bishara blamed the lack of strategic planning by
the Arab world’s leaders and urged them to care for their nation’s
interests as the sole means to bring positive change and growth.

Bishara pointed to Turkey’s recent efforts to reconcile with Armenia
and Azerbaijan in order to build a new oil pipeline reaching the
Mediterranean Sea without the need to pass though Russia’s territory.

"Turkey presents an example that Arab states should follow," he said.

Following his visit to Syria in 2006 Bishara was charged by Israeli
prosecutors with treason and espionage.

He fled Israel in April 2007 amid allegations that he had advised
Hizbullah and met with foreign agents during the summer 2006 war
in Lebanon.

Bishara denied spying for Hizbullah and recalled his criticism of
the group’s shelling of Arab villages in Israel.

Bishara, who headed the small National Democratic Assembly (Balad)
party, was Israel’s first Arab citizen to run for the post of premier
in 1999.

Concerning the upcoming US presidential elections, Bishara said he
believed that an Obama victory would not lead to any significant
changes regarding American policy toward the Arab world and the
Palestinians.

Bishara’s lecture was the first in a series of gatherings that
Al-Madina Theater is organizing this month to commemorate the 60th
anniversary of the Nakba. The events will include a movie screening
and a poetry night.

RANGE OF PROPERTY AND INCOME STATEMENT SUBMITTING PERSONS TO BE
EXTENDED IN 2009

Y EREVAN, SEPTEMBER 4, NOYAN TAPAN. Starting from January 1, 2009, the
range of those submitting income and property statements will be
extended in Armenia, including not only state servants but also all
citizens whose incomes exceed the threshold envisaged by the law. In
particular, those with an annual income exceeding 8 million drams
(about 26.5 thousand USD) and those concluding deals of over 50 million
drams must declare their incomes and property. State servants must
continue declaring their property and incomes irrespective of the
amount of their incomes and deals. Announcing this after the September
4 sitting of the Armenian government, the deputy head of the State
Revenues Committee Armen Alaverdian added that the form of property and
income statements was approved at the sitting. The citizens must make
statements from January 1 to April 15.

In the words of A. Alaverdian, if a mass media outlet wants to get
information, the tax body may provide data about place of employment,
annual income, sold or purchased real estate and movables of the given
person.

The system of income and property declaration has been in force in
Armenia for 6 years, but so far it has been only used with respect to
high-ranking state officials and civil servants, whose annual number
makes 45-50 thousand.

Despite desire of the West Kosovo will become precedent for other
unrecognized republics, Armenian political expert thinks

2008-09-06 15:18:00

ArmInfo. Despite desire of the West Kosovo will become precedent for
other unrecognized republics, Armenian political expert, rector of
Linguistic University after Bryusov told journalists today.

He also added that in this context the West will try to accelerate the
process of similar conflicts settlement.

‘I think that certain hardening of US position regarding Nagornyy
Karabakh is explained just by this circumstance and the last quite
sharp statements of the OSCE MG American co-chair Matthew Bryza in
favour of the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan are the direct
evidence of US position’, – Zolyan concluded.

Turkey’s Gul makes landmark Armenia visit
Reuters,
Guardian/UK
Saturday September 6 2008
By Paul de Bendern

YEREVAN, Sept 6 (Reuters) – Turkish President Abdullah Gul flew into
neighbouring Armenia on Saturday to attend a soccer match he said could
help end almost a century of mutual hostility and aid security in the
broader Caucasus region.
Attack helicopters escorted Gul’s jet on its arrival, and police and
demonstrators lined the traffic-free streets as his motorcade sped
through downtown Yerevan.
Gul is the first Turkish leader to visit Armenia. Ankara and Yerevan
have no diplomatic ties but a relationship haunted by the question of
whether ethnic Armenians killed by Ottoman Turks during World War One
were victims of systematic genocide.
Gul was invited to attend Saturday’s match at the Hrazdan stadium by
his Armenian counterpart Serzh Sarksyan, who called for closer ties in
a region rocked last month by Russia’s war with Georgia. The brief
conflict raised fears for the security of energy supplies from the
Caspian Sea to western Europe.
Departing Ankara, Gul said he hoped the first match between the two
national sides would aid a "rapprochement".
"This match is important beyond being the first match between the
Turkish and Armenian national teams," Gul told a news conference. "It
has a significance that will present important opportunities."
"I hope today’s match will contribute to removing barriers to the
rapprochement of two peoples with a common history, and contribute to
regional peace and stability."
Turkey has never opened an embassy in Armenia and in 1993 Ankara closed
their land border in a show of solidarity with Azerbaijan, a
Turkic-speaking ally which was fighting Armenian-backed separatists
over the Nagorno-Karabakh region.
But Russia’s decision last month to send its forces into Georgia, an
ex-Soviet state which borders both Armenia and Turkey, has convinced
many that it is time for Ankara and Yerevan to put their differences
aside.
SOCCER SYMBOLISM
"We saw a month ago how unresolved issues in the Caucasus threaten
peace in the region," Gul said. "Making this trip at such a time makes
it especially important."
Talking to reporters on the plane, Gul praised Sarksyan’s "brave"
decision to invite him to the game, and said he hoped it would create a
climate for future dialogue.
In Yerevan, streets around the stadium and the presidential office were
closed to traffic. The nationalist Dashnaktsutyun party said it would
protest against the visit, demanding Turkey recognise the World War One
killings as genocide.
Activists lining the streets held banners that read: "1915 – Never
Again", and "We Demand Justice".
Armenia says 1.5 million Armenians died at the hands of Ottoman Turks.
Armenians accuse Turkey of genocide, but Ankara says Turks and
Armenians alike were killed in partisan warfare.
If they can move beyond the soccer symbolism to re-establish normal
relations, it could have huge significance for Turkey’s role as a
regional power, for energy flows from the Caspian Sea and for Western
influence in the South Caucasus.
Landlocked Armenia, a Soviet republic until 1991, could also derive
enormous benefits from the opening of the frontier with its large
neighbour and the restoration of a key rail link.
Western-backed pipelines shipping oil and gas from the Caspian Sea to
Turkey’s Mediterranean coast bypass Armenia and bend north instead to
go through Georgia.
With that route looking vulnerable after the Russian intervention,
Armenia could be an attractive alternative route.
For a blog, click on:
h-armenian-soccer-diplomacy/

Trend News Agency, Azerbaijan
Sept 5 2008

Armenia: Does Game of Light Stand for Ankara?
05.09.08 16:55

Vagif Sharifov – Trend Capital , director

Under the conditions of the close economic partnership of Turkey and
Azerbaijan, official Ankara will lose greater than it will acquire
from re-establishment of railway communication and actually opening
the land border with Yerevan, which has been closed for already 15
years. The media actively comments on the news onhe forthcoming visit
of the President of Turkey, Abdullah Gul, to Armenia and the parallel
statements of official Yerevan regarding the plans of renewal of the
railway Kars (Turkey) – Gumri (Armenia).

Turkey, being the importer of fuel from many sources, obtains transit
tariff from the transportation of Azerbaijani oil via
Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, buys gas via Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum
pipeline, builds railway Baku-Tbilisi-Kars together with
Azerbaijan. The State Oil Company of Azerbaijan invests in the
creation of large petrochemical complex in Turkey. Ankara lays large
hopes also for Kazakhstan oil, which will pass by transit through the
territory of Azerbaijan, and gas pipe Nabucco, of which beginning will
be established in Turkey, will be filled up with the Azerbaijan gas
and fuel from central Asia, which will pass through Baku.

Because of its aggressive policy with regards to Nagorno-Karabakh,
which is integral part of Azerbaijan, Armenia was found in the total
dependence on three countries: Iran, Russia and Georgia, which mainly
acted as transit country for delivery of Russian goods to Yerevan. The
present desire of Armenia to re-establish activity of the route
Kars-Gumri is completely explainable: Georgian-South Ossetian
conflict, which burnt in August, made Armenia more dependent on the
import, but now already only on one source – Iran. The recent rupture
of diplomatic relations between Georgia and Russia actually means that
Russian goods can not arrive in Yerevan through Tbilisi, but there is
no other economically attractive route.

This means that according to elementary market laws, the Iranian goods
will grow in price for Armenia, whose economic position even will more
deteriorate in light of the last events in Caucasus. Due o the
situation created in Caucasus, the question of diversifying the import
of energy resources critically stands for Armenia, and the statements
of official Yerevan regarding the plans of renewal of railway
communication with the partner country for Azerbaijan ` Turkey `
proceed from this. Official Ankara hardly will go to such in the
essence political step.

Opening roads – indicating relaxation of the 15-year position of
official Ankara, will allow Turkey to trade only with Armenia because
Turkish goods can not fall to the market of Russia through Georgia
because of the recent conflict and break of diplomatic
relations. Moreover, Turkey does not need to trade with Iran or
Georgia through Armenia because Turkey has state borders with these
countries and economic operations have been fixed long ago.

According to the data provided by US Energy Information Administration
(EIA), the fuel consumption in Armenia from 1992 to 2007 averaged
34,000 barrels per day (1.7mln tons per year). According to data by
EIA, Armenia does not have own oil refinery, own production of
hydrocarbons and main oil pipelines. Armenia repeatedly declared its
desire to construct oil refinery in its territory, with a capacity of
7mln tons per year, which is estimated at $2bln. However, no one will
buy gasoline from this refinery because it will prove to be very
unattractive because of the high prime cost of oil refining. Imported
Kazakhstan or Turkmen oil (by transit via the territory of Iran) for
the refinery in Armenia will cost very expensive, and export and
distribution of oil products are complicated by the absence of main
oil product pipelines and, as a consequence of this, by high transport
expenditures. Yerevan will not be able to buy Iranian oil because
Teheran itself buys raw material from Russia, Turkmenistan and
Kazakhstan for its oil refineries, located on the north of the
country,.

Azerbaijan has solid geo-political position in South Caucasus,
possessing convenient and infrastructurally fixed transit territory
for exporting both its hydrocarbons and from central Asia to
Europe. Due to the present high prices for oil and gas, Turkey obtains
significant benefits from the co-operation with Azerbaijan, whose raw
material goes to the Port of Ceyhan.

And Kazakhstan will supply part of its own oil from Kashagan Field via
Baku- Tbilisi-Ceyhan. Kazakhstan possesses oil terminal in the Port of
Batumi in the Black sea in Georgia, loads for which are supplied
through the territory of Azerbaijan. Economic factor and solid fixed
partner agreements with Azerbaijan, in all likelihood, must be more
accepted by Turkey against the background of the possibility of
opening borders with Armenia.

how=news&newsid=1287259&lang=EN

PRESIDENT TOOK PART IN THE ANNUAL ASSEMBLAGE OF DIPLOMATS

Panorama.am
13:30 04/09/2008

President Serzh Sargsyan took part at the annual assemblage of
top executives from the central apparatus of RA Ministry for
Foreign Affairs and the heads of diplomatic missions and consular
establishments accredited in RA.

During his speech the president referred to the essential tasks and
missions of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and also spoke about the
situation of the region and the consequences it had raised.

According to Mr. Sargsyan, the recent conflicts which had caused
death of hundreds of people and raised tensions through the whole
region also damaged the economy of Armenia. Therefore, for successful
development of RA economic system there should be established stability
and security in Caucasus.

The present situation has at least three essential problems for
Armenia: the resolution of the so called "freezed conflicts", the
transit roads and the rise of tensions in international relations,
the president said while answering the questions of the diplomats.

ELMAR MAMMADYAROV: "AZERBAIJAN CANNOT INTERFERE IN TURKISH PRESIDENT’S VISIT TO ARMENIA"

Azeri Press Agency
Sept 4 2008
Azerbaijan

Baku. Tamara Grigoryeva-APA. "The visit of Turkish President
to Armenia is a domestic affair of Turkey", Elmar Mammadyarov,
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister said, APA reports.

"Turkey will pass a decision on it. Azerbaijan cannot interfere in
it in any case" said the Minister.

Mammadyarov commented on Caucasus Stability Pact persuaded by Turkey
and stressed that Azerbaijan assessed this initiative and noted that
if there was stability in South Caucasus, it would be positive for
countries in the region. Azerbaijan will also conduct negotiations
with Georgia and Russia. It is early to say in which platform it will
be approved", he said.

The Minister took stance on discussions conducted by Armenian and
Russian presidents on Nagorno Karabakh in Sochi and added that it is
early to forecast about the results of negotiations.

"We will continue negotiations with Armenia by mediation of
co-chairs. Azerbaijan considers unambiguously that stability and peace
should be achieved within the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan
soon…" he said.

Asked how developments in South Ossetia influence on situation in
Nagorno Karabakh, Mammadyarov stressed the importance of solution
to all conflicts within the international legal norms. The Minister
noted that the next meeting of OSCE MG co-chairs proposed to be held
in September during the meeting with Armenian foreign minister held
on August 1.

"There is not any information from co-chairs. We want to be informed",
he said.

CAUCASUS ALLIANCE TO FURTHER OPENING OF ARMENIA’S BORDERS WITH NEIGHBORS

ARKA
Sep 3, 2008

YEREVAN, September 3. /ARKA/. Turkey’s initiative to establish
an alliance in the Caucasus can help open Armenia’s borders with
neighbors, said Hayk Demoyan, director of the Armenian Genocide
Museum-Institute.

Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Ergogan proposed on August 11
establishing the so-called Stability and Cooperation Platform, which
would comprise Turkey, Russia, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan and the
United States.

"The Caucasus alliance will guarantee open borders and free trade
turnover," Demoyan told Novosti-Armenia.

He stressed the vital importance of the issue for Armenia’s future,
taking into account the recent conflict in the region. Demoyan said
he recalled vividly Turkish ex-President Suleiman Demirel’s attempt
to establish a similar alliance in the region some eight years ago.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan will meet with his Russian
counterpart Sergey Lavrov to discuss the initiative.

CAN ARMENIANS AND TURKS BE ON FRIENDLY TERMS?

A1+
[01:43 pm] 03 September, 2008

Today the main theme of discussions in Armenia’s political circles
is Turkey’s President Abdullah Gul’s upcoming visit to Armenia. A1+
tried to know our fellow-citizens opinion on Gul’s arrival.

"Turks have always been our enemies. They always hated us and felt
disgust towards Armenians. What is the use of inviting them to
Armenia today? Do we really need them?" said 69-year-old Knarik. Her
grandfather was murdered by Turks in 1915.

In the main, old-age people agree with Grandma Knarik saying that
Turkey will never be on good terms with Armenia.

"Turks are fraudulent people. No matter how much our president tries
to reconcile the sides his efforts will surely fail doing harm to
Armenia," said 62-year-old Vardan.

Unlike elderly people youth welcome the authorities’ step. "They simply
want to better the tense bilateral relations," said 24-year-old Hasmik
who wants to live in peace.

"Surely we should forget neither the Genocide nor its perpetrators. And
yet, we shouldn’t allow our countries to speculate the matter for
their good. Armenia and Turkey had better solve their problems with
joint efforts," said 20-year-old Hayk.

18-year-old Alina says her friends from Iran write to her every day
and scold for the invitation. "They say they don’t live in Armenia
because of the Turks."

37-year-old Vigen doubts that Armenia and Turkey can ever reconcile.

"They instill hatred in Turkish children towards Armenians still in
cradles. How can Turks love us?" wondered 37-year-old Vigen.

"The youth of the 21st century are against wars. We are ready to
conciliate with Turks. We do believe that Turkish youth will agree
with us," said 19-year-old Laura.