Author: Baghdasarian Karlen

ARMENIAN RHAPSODY
by Andrew Renton, North Shore News

Canwest News Service
August 7, 2011 Sunday 12:00 PM EST
Canada

STALIN once said: “Churchill worries more about his shipment of
Armenian brandy than he does about the war!”

Travelling overland from eastern Turkey to Armenia is a chore. Maybe
one day the Turks will admit to the Armenian genocide and the border
between the two countries will open again.

First, I must take a bus over the mountains into Georgia where regular
marshrutkas (minibuses) make the six-hour run from Tbilisi to Yerevan.

I wrap my long legs around a pile of overstuffed plastic bags.

Truckers and traders grow rich hauling Turkish goods through Georgia
to sell in Armenia.

Crossing the border here is a snap. Fill in the form – hand over $20
and bingo! We are soon heading for the driver’s favourite lunch stop.

A reasonable looking place offering freshly grilled kebabs. I visit
the kitchen, a shack just large enough for a BBQ and an unmade bed.

Two cats purr optimistically from the dirt floor. I settle for an
ice cream.

Armenia is a small, landlocked country with a big heart and a tough
history. Sandwiched between Georgia, Russia, Turkey, Azerbaijan and
the breakaway state of Nagorno Karabakh, it was the first country to
adopt Christianity in AD 301. It has fought losing battles with most
of its neighbours and declared independence from the USSR in 1991.

Yerevan, the capital, is an odd mix of delapidated Soviet apartment
buildings, modern stylish hotels, office blocks and trendy pedestrian
walkways. Water and gas pipes zigzag through the city like fat strings
of spaghetti, arching over intersections then dropping back to street
level – another tasteless Soviet touch.

Chic young women compete for shabbily dressed young men, but with a
ratio of four to one – well it’s an unfair world. Clothing stores
cunningly plant coolly clad mannequins on the sidewalk to tempt
passersby. It’s hot and water sellers do a brisk trade. The “enthroned”
toilet attendant knits socks between customers.

After dark, couples stroll around Republican Square. Floodlit fountains
“dance” in sync with piped-in music. A crescendo in “Land of Hope
and Glory” manages to soak the crowd. Chi chi restaurants, discos,
and outdoor cafes do a roaring trade. I grab an ice cold beer from
a sidewalk cooler, pay the vendor and continue on my way.

Across Haghtanak Bridge, the Ararat Brandy Company has been an
iconic institution since 1887. I’m on a mission to sample Churchill’s
favourite tipple – he was so impressed with Stalin’s gift of a few
cases that he committed to an annual shipment of 300 bottles. I hope
he shared them!

I hand over 2,500 Armenian drams – Around $6, and join a tour in the
tasting room. Each participant receives a snifter.

“We will start with a five year old,” announces the official pourer.

My glass is liberally filled – a definite triple. I follow the crowd
and swirl it around in my sweaty outstretched palm before taking the
obligatory sniff. Then – Glug. Yum. Pretty darned good!

A 10 year old follows, but of course the piece de resistance is the
20 year old. By this time I am feeling dizzy and, noting the lack
of a spittoon or a convenient potted plant, I surreptitiously donate
the rest to my neighbour, an ample, red-faced Bulgarian.

I find Anan through Sati Tours, a travel agency chosen at random
from my guidebook. He has a black belt, a pregnant wife, and a Ford
SUV. I have negotiated his services for a three-day allinclusive trip
to the countryside.

Small towns, once humming with industry in the Soviet era, have become
derelict junkyards filled with tangled steel and lifeless brick
chimneys. Houses are boarded up, abandoned to the elements. Owners
have either drifted into the capital or left the country.

Armenia’s churches, dating back 1,000 years, are the real highlight
of the countryside. After years of communist rule, religion is on
the rise. We find majestic monasteries in picture perfect villages.

Stonemasons and roofers volunteer their services for free.

Making a living is tough here and only the enterprising survive. The
rocky northern plains are dotted with wildflowers and small
settlements. A cluster of tents is the summer home to a group of
herders who have cunningly hooked a wire into the hydro pole and
enjoy the luxury of free lighting and TV.

An isolated beekeeper stacks his hives well off the ground – away
from meddlesome wolves, he says. Are they after him, in his tiny
fetid bunkroom, or his bees? His wife drops by with supplies from
time to time.

We drive into the Kurdish village of Rya Taza. Anan is in a bad mood.

His wife has called for the third time begging him to come home. He
turns off his cellphone and floors the car – without noticing the
deep pothole that cracks our heads on the roof.

Neat piles of cow dung patties dry in the sun – fuel for baking
flatbread. Freshly shorn wool hangs on a line. Newborn calves peer
forlornly through an iron-barred stable gate. Chickens and ducks are
on the loose. I note to avoid the outhouse with a serious lean. The
best views of Mount Aragats are from the cemetery where homes for
the dead outshine shacks for the living.

Three laughing ladies invite us in for tea. My favourite has a
permanent giggle, even when she is showing off her father’s military
medals. Which war I wonder?

Anan eyes the gas gauge nervously. No sweat, the ultimate entrepreneur
is parked just around the corner with an ancient Soviet tanker truck
sporting two gas pumps on the side. Will it be Regular or Premium?

Our bed and breakfast is in the mountain resort of Dilijan. Calling
itself the Switzerland of Armenia is a bit of a stretch but the air
is fresh and cool and it’s a favourite spot for burned-out Yerevanites
to hike, camp or just chill.

We zig-zag up the hill passing tiny wheezing buses, powered by rooftop
propane tanks. Our hostess, a young widow with three sons, produces
a massive stack of delicious cabbage rolls for dinner and I start
to relax. “What more churches? But we’ve just arrived,” I plead,
but Anan is already heading for the car.

“Ski Armenia” is not necessarily at the top of every aficionado’s
bucket list when dreaming of a winter paradise. Pretty Tsaghkadzor,
a resort boasting four lifts, was built to train Soviet skiers for
the 1988 Olympics – hey, you can even check the web cams online. Most
summer tourists at the Hotel Russia are here to see the 11th century
Kocharis Monastery, rent an ATV or hike the mountain trails.

Mount Ararat appears through the mist as we approach Yerevan.

I return Anan to his anxious wife. No, he will never leave Armenia. It
is his home. The place where his heart lies. He lifts his shirt to
show off a bullet wound from the war with Azerbaijan. He is ready to
fight again should his country need him.

Armenia has shed many people over the years but most of them remain
passionately patriotic. $5 billion in annual remittances is a serious
part of the economy. Contributions from the likes of billionaire
Armenian/American Kirk Kerkorian have helped to rebuild the country’s
infrastructure. Armenian/French singer Charles Aznavour was given
the title of “National Hero,” a free bus pass and a barrel of Ararat
brandy for his charitable donations.

I spent six rewarding days in Armenia and a week in Georgia. Two
small Christian countries carrying lots of emotional baggage. Both
trying to rebuild after decades of Soviet rule.

IF YOU GO:

Getting there: The easiest way is to fly direct from London Heathrow
on BMI.

Safety: I never found any problems. Costs: A little higher than
Georgia. I paid $80 for a good central room in Yerevan. My three days
with Anan cost $300 including accommodation and food.

Why go: Yerevan is a modern happening city with great restaurants and
nightlife. The countryside is beautiful. The churches are spectacular.

The people are kind and friendly and many speak English. For a truly
unique holiday combine Georgia and Armenia.

From: Baghdasarian

ARMENIAN FM CRITICIZES SARKSYAN OVER TURKISH-ARMENIAN NORMALIZATION PROCESS

Today’s Zaman

Sept 3 2011
Turkey

Former Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian reportedly
criticized Armenian President Serzh Sarksyan over mishandling the
entire normalization process between Turkey and Armenia, claiming
that the attempt at reconciliation made it difficult to solve the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

In a cable released by the whistle blower web site WikiLeaks on Sept.

1, Oskanian restated his concerns about the future of Armenian-Turkish
rapprochement during his meeting with US Ambassador to Armenia, Marie
Yovanovitch on Febr. 10 last year. US ambassador and Oskanian met
to discuss the current state of Armenia-Turkey relations, prospects
for ratification of protocols on normalization of relations and
establishment of diplomatic ties, and efforts to resolve the Nagorno
Karabakh conflict.

The cable said Oskanian criticized the manner in which Sarksyan has
handled the entire reconciliation process and that in his view,
the president “put the cart before the horse.” Oskanian did not
understand why Sarksyan began the process with Turkey so publicly,
and how unprepared he was for the negative public reaction.

According to Oskanian, prior to embarking upon normalization with
Turkey, the Armenian government had a document for solving the Nagorno
Karabakh conflict — the Madrid Principles — that was promising to
both sides. He said the president should have expended his political
capital with Armenian citizens and the diaspora to persuade them
that some of the Nagorno-Karabakh territories must be returned to
Azerbaijan, adding that with Nagorno-Karabakh settled, he could have
then turned to the issues with Turkey.

Oskanian said this had been his plan as foreign minister: first reach
agreement on Nagorno-Karabakh, and then bring in Turkey.

Turkey and Armenia signed twin protocols in 2009 to bury a century of
hostilities but the two countries did not have enough political will
to move forward with the protocols. Turkey insisted after the signing
of the protocols that there should be a meaningful breakthrough in
the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict as a condition for Turkey to ratify the
protocols. Armenia suspend the ratification process on April 22 last
year, accusing Turkey of hampering the normalization.

When asked by the ambassador on how to move the process forward,
Oskanian responded that there must be some movement from Turkey,
and that the protocols cannot be left in abeyance while the parties
shift their attention to the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. He believes
the Turkish government must be the first to take action, perhaps
opening the border for limited movement of pedestrian traffic or
third-country nationals.

The cable revealed that based on Oskanian’s conversations with his
Turkish contacts, the Turkish government is not offering room to
maneuver and they are not interested in moving the process forward.

Oskanian suggested that communication between Turkey and Armenia
should not be occurring through the media or third parties and that a
reset to this process is needed, with additional high-level meetings
between the presidents that would be kept confidential and focused
on reaching an oral agreement.

According to the cable, while Oskanian believes that the Armenian
government will not ratify the protocols unless it is assured that
Turkey will follow suit, he believed it would be best for Sarksyan to
use his majority in the Armenian Parliament to ratify the protocols
now, while there is still some support and there are no explicit
links between the protocols and Nagorno Karabakh.

Oskanian: Military balance in favor of Azerbaijan The cable
revealed that Oskanian thought the increasingly bellicose rhetoric
from Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev is not helping matters with
Turkey. Oskanian said Turkey and Azerbaijan are “tightening the screws”
on Armenia from both sides.

The ambassador wrote while a new war over Nagorno-Karabakh would be
a risky proposition for Azerbaijan, Oskanian sees two elements that
indicate the situation there is worsening: 1) people are losing hope
in the diplomatic process to settle the issue; and 2) the military
balance in the area is shifting in favor of Azerbaijan.

Oskanian claimed in the cable that the Turkish-Armenian protocols are
preventing any resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict and if not
for the protocols, Oskanian said he could see Sarksyan pushing for
the return of five of the seven Nagorno-Karabakh regions to Azerbaijan
while keeping the remaining two for future discussions.

Oskanian said yet now it would be “political suicide” to do so because
such a move would be seen as giving credence to the conspiracy theories
that claim there is a hidden provision in the protocols that link
them to concessions on NK.

American ambassador: Armenia not moving forward on Madrid Principles
The ambassador wrote that she reiterated the position of the American
administration that it is more beneficial to continue to move forward
than to stop completely, which is what it appears Armenia is doing.

Oskanian said if the Armenian government does not like the revised
wording of the Madrid Principles, then it should propose its own
revisions and not simply reject the principles out of hand. In
Oskanian’s view, the Armenian government should write its own proposal
in such a way that is “logical,” and so the Minsk Group Co-Chairs
will understand that Armenia is committed to the process even if the
proposed revisions would be unacceptable to Azerbaijan.

He said he sees pressure growing on Aliyev to take action on
Nagorno-Karabakh. In his view, Azerbaijan will not accept indefinitely
what it sees as an occupation of its territory. As for the original
Madrid Principles, Oskanian said Armenia had been satisfied with the
wording, and it would not have been the end of the world if Armenia
had been forced to accept it.

From: Baghdasarian

‘DEMOCRACY IS NOT A GOOD TO EXPORT,’ SAYS TOP EXPERT
Barcın Yinanc – [email protected]

Hurriyet
Sept 2 2011
Turkey

Turkey is a stategic medium size power which can punch above its weight
using the risks and opportunities provided by its geography, according
to Professor Baskın Oran, the editor of the book ‘Turkish Foreign
Policy: 1919 – 2001’. The English edition of the book, including a
summary of the period 2001-2006, was published by Utah University Press

Washington’s support for the opposition in Libya shows an improved
understanding of how democracy spreads, according to Professor
Baskın Oran.

“Democracy is not a commodity to export. If there are intellectuals to
import democracy in [a country], then this can happen. This is what
[Turkish Republic founder Mustafa Kemal] Ataturk did. He imported,
he cloned the system,” he said.

The English edition of Oran’s two-volume book “Turkish Foreign Policy,
1919-2001,” which includes a summary of the period between 2001 and
2006, was published last year by Utah University Press. He is currently
working on the third volume, which will cover the 2001-2011 period,
with a focus on human rights.

“Turkey’s foreign policy is linked to human rights,” Oran told the
Hurriyet Daily News in a recent interview in the Aegean town of Bodrum.

Why are human rights so closely linked to Turkey’s foreign policy?

As long as Turkey won’t treat its own citizens humanely, it won’t be
treated properly. This has been so ever since the Cold War ended. The
U.S. used to support dictators for its policies but this is no longer
possible. There is a need to respect human rights. Meanwhile it also
became apparent that occupations are very costly and detrimental. [Due
to the lessons learned in Iraq, the U.S.] did not attempt occupation
in Libya. They supported the opposition. Democracy is not a commodity
to be exported; it can only be imported if there are importers in
the country.

You were very anti-American during the Cold War era. When you look
back, what do you think of Turkish-U.S. relations during that time?

The U.S. strategy at that time was to make Turkey a key element of
the anti-communist shield. This was deflecting Turkey from its most
important foreign-policy objective.

Turkey is a medium-range power, a country that can influence the
international system only marginally but carries weight in its region.

But Turkey goes beyond this by being a strategic medium-range power,
which can punch above its weight using the opportunities and risks
provided by its geography. Such a country can do what a medium-range
country cannot as long as it stays regional. But for that the
precondition is to be relatively autonomous, which requires not having
anyone – neither the United States nor Russia – dominate the region.

By implementing its anti-communist policies during the Cold War,
the U.S. was taking away that characteristic from Turkey.

This idea seems to be converging with Foreign Minister Ahmet
Davutoglu’s current rhetoric.

Davutoglu says something else. He says: “Everything that happens on
our frontier has an effect on us. So we need to act proactively and
prevent those events from taking place. And this can happen with the
‘zero problems with neighbors’ policy.” This is a right policy in
its own rationale. But we saw in the Syrian case that this is not
something that depends only on Turkey.

But this policy did not start with Davutoglu. It started when the
end of the Cold War converged with globalization. The transfer of
certain industries to third countries enabled some semi-periphery
states to rise. Turkey is among these rising countries. Davutoglu
was successful because he caught this international wave.

The first two volumes of the book has eight chapters, which seem to
correspond to turning points in modern Turkish foreign policy.

The 1919-1923 era is the war of liberation. This is an extraordinary
period. 1923-1939 is the first period of relative autonomy. We call
it relative because strategic medium-range countries are relatively
autonomous when international relations enable them to be so. In
this period, Western Europe, which dominated the world, became so
entangled in problems that Turkey gained relative autonomy.

1939-1945 corresponds to the second relatively autonomous period.

1945-1960 is the period when Turkey starts entering into the Western
orbit. 1960-1980 is also a period of relative autonomy. From 1980
onwards Turkey goes back to the Westren orbit. Between 1990 and 2000
Turkey enters the globalization phase. It learns how to swim by jumping
into the ocean. [Late President Turgut] Ozal made Turkey pass from
being an import substitute country to [employing an] export strategy.

The U.S. looked almighty until it attacked Iraq in 2001. Its hegemony
then started to decline and BRIC countries and those like Turkey
started to rise.

What do you think of the parallels some draw between Ozal and current
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan?

Ozal made the transition from a state based on the acquisition of
territories to a trading state. This is the basis of the current
proactive policies. The Anatolian bourgeoisie first emerged during
Ozal’s time.

Turkey has been accused of drifting apart from the West during the
rule of Justice and Development Party, or AKP.

This period is extremely different from the rest. Turkey’s relative
autonomy in this period has increased because it has been sailing
with the tide of the globalization rather than against it. Turkey
is rising not in spite of globalization but because it is adapting
to globalization.

The accusation that Turkey is shifting its axis is not being made for
the first time. Similar claims were made during Ataturk’s, or former
prime minister Demirel’s times as well.

Do you now hear any claims of shifting axis?

No. When [the West] realized Turkey is not doing anything different
than they are doing, they stopped [making such claims]. Turkey is
seeking space in the sun. And as [the West] realizes that it will
not overshadow them, they are making room [for Turkey].

Some are now claiming that the EU has lost its attraction for Turkey.

Turkey’s orientation has always been to the West and it will remain
so, for many reasons, be it geographical or cultural, as I explain
in the book. Since Turkey is a country seeking to be a strategic
medium-range power, it should not jump into EU membership. But there
is no alternative to the West. Our Westward orientation will not be
disrupted. This can only happen if we migrate to another planet.

Turkey siding with a just cause

Turkey has declared itself the protector of the wronged and is taking
the side of justice, said Professor Baskın Oran, editor of the book
“Turkish Foreign Policy 1919-2006.”

“Turkey is right to enter into this contention with Israel. But looking
from the point of Realpolitik, it would be better if Turkey pursued
its policy with the support of certain countries,” he said Friday
after the Turkish government decided to sever its ties with Israel
after Tel Aviv declined to apologize for the killing of nine Turkish
citizens in 2010 when Israeli soldiers attacked a Gaza-bound flotilla.

“The United States might create some problems, as it supports Israel
unconditionally,” he said, adding that pursuing an effective policy
vis-a-vis a country like Israel requires Turkey to have no shortcomings
of its own.

“I am referring to the Kurdish problem domestically and the Armenian
problem and Cyprus issue internationally,” he said.

‘Objective book with facts, documents and maps’

The 968-page English edition of “Turkish Foreign Policy, 1919-2006”
exhausted its editor, Professor Baskın Oran, more than the Turkish
edition, which was first published in 2001.

Finding a translator proved to be very difficult and at the end it was
entrusted to retired ambassador Mustafa AkÅ~_in, whose last post was
Turkey’s U.N. representative. The book is objective, said Oran. “We
avoided using expressions like ‘our country,’ but preferred to use
‘Turkey.’ We made sure the other country’s views were also reflected.

If we talked about the Aegean problems, we provided the arguments
of Greece next to Turkey’s,” he said. There are facts, documents and
comments, as well as maps, he added.

Another feature is that the book may be read vertically in
chronological order or horizontally, according to themes. “One can
read about Turkish-Greek relations uninterrupted from 1919 until the
present. Or one can read all about Turkey’s relations in one specific
period,” he said.

The 14 authors were selected according to the subject. “Instead of
having a particular author write about a certain period, each subject
has been entrusted to an expert,” he said.

Who is Baskın Oran?

Baskın Oran graduated from Ankara University’s Political Science
Department in 1968, later receiving his doctorate from the school
as well. He spent a year in Geneva for post-doctoral studies on
international minorities. Oran later joined Ankara University’s
teaching staff but he was forced to leave the school in 1983 by the
military, which had taken charge of the country three years earlier.

Following judicial procedures, he was able to return to his position
at the school in 1990, becoming a professor in 1997. He ran as
independent leftist candidate in the 2007 elections, but did not win
a seat in Ankara.

Oran is also one of the originators of the apology campaign called
“We apologize to the Armenians,” which has been signed by many
intellectuals. His articles appear in Turkish-Armenian weekly Agos
and daily Radikal.

From: Baghdasarian

EUROPEAN COURT EXPECTED TO DROP MINORITY PROPERTY CASES

Today’s Zaman
Sept 2 2011
Turkey

Dozens of court cases filed against Turkey at the European Court of
Human Rights (ECtHR) over Turkey’s unjust confiscation of property
and real estate belonging to non-Muslim minority groups in the 1930s
will be dismissed, following a government edict that was issued last
week promising the return of all property confiscated from religious
minorities.

Turkish religious minority groups have been seeking compensation
amounting to billions of lira in a number of cases filed against the
Turkish government at the ECtHR. Kezban Hatemi, a lawyer who has been
representing minority foundations in property cases for 25 years, said
one important ongoing case at the court involves a building which was
formerly a Greek elementary school in Ortakoy. Hatemi says that this
building was expropriated by Turkey, but since the government’s new
regulations include paying compensation for property that has been
expropriated or sold to third parties, the cases at the ECtHR will
most likely be dismissed.

Hatemi said the new regulation will help non-Muslim groups in Turkey
feel at home for the first time. “The minorities will see for the
first time what it means to be equal citizens and to have confidence
in the state.” She said non-Muslim groups have had to go through many
an ordeal in Turkey, such as the “asset tax” of the 1940s, when higher
taxes were levied upon religious minority groups, and the Sept. 6-7
pogrom of 1955, against Ýstanbul’s Greeks and Armenians. “Now we have
entered a brand new era. Of course there will some deficiencies,
but now it is a fact that we have the awareness of being a solid
country within the rule of law.”

There are thousands of pieces of real estate in Turkey whose rightful
owners are religious minority associations, most of them in the more
expensive neighborhoods of Ýstanbul, such as Osmanbey, Niþantaþý,
Bebek, Taksim and Arnavutkoy. A significant number of properties are
also owned by religious minorities in Mardin and Diyarbakýr.

The new government edict, a decree that has the power of law,
allows minorities to register confiscated property with land
registry directorates within 12 months. In addition to buildings,
other edifices, such as fountains or cemeteries, will be returned to
religious foundations. The market value of property expropriated or
sold to third parties will be repaid to the original owners by the
treasury or relevant general directorate.

From: Baghdasarian

KARABAKH CONFLICT TO BE SOLVED WITHIN AZERBAIJAN’S TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY – PACE

news.az
Sept 2 2011
Azerbaijan

PACE committee chairman Christos Pourgourides said he was pleased
with close cooperation between PACE and Azerbaijan.

Chairman of the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights of the
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) Christos
Pourgourides and committee member Elsa Papadimitriou have met
Prosecutor General of Azerbaijan Zakir Garalov.

In his remarks at the meeting, Garalov said European integration is
priority of Azerbaijan’s policies and that PACE-Azerbaijan relations
are developing rapidly.

“The approval of the National Action Plan on Human Rights Protection
in Azerbaijan Republic marks a new stage in protection of human rights
and freedoms, democracy and rule of law in our country.

“The country takes specific measures to implement European Convention
on Human Rights and study precedent right of European Court. The
Prosecutor General’s Office works to protect human right and implement
the National Action Plan,” Garalov added.

In turn, PACE committee chairman Christos Pourgourides said he was
pleased with close cooperation between PACE and Azerbaijan.

“I appreciate judicial and legal reforms and joint action taken
with the Council of Europe under the legislative acts that serve
more reliable protection of human rights. Armenia-Azerbaijan
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict should be solved in a just manner within
the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan,” Pourgourides noted.

From: Baghdasarian

U.S. AIRMEN HONORED AT ARMENIA CRASH SITE

Armenialiberty.org

Sept 2 2011

A U.S. Air Force general thanked residents of a village in
western Armenia on Friday for honoring the 17-member crew of a
U.S. reconnaissance plane that was shot down near Sasnashen by Soviet
fighter jets 53 years ago.

Major General Mark Zamzow, deputy commander of an Air Force base
stationed in Germany, marked the crash anniversary together with
Armenia~Rs First Deputy Defense Minister Davit Tonoyan and dozens of
Sasnashen villagers.

The C-130 Hercules aircraft was downed while flying a reconnaissance
mission near Soviet Armenia~Rs border on September 2, 1958. According
to the U.S. military, it was attacked by MiG jets after straying into
Soviet airspace. All 17 crewmen on board the plane were killed.

According to the U.S. Embassy in Yerevan, Sasnashen residents have
for decades commemorated this date as they believe the crew maneuvered
the aircraft to avoid the village and thus saved locals~R lives. They
erected a memorial at the nearby crash site in September 1993, less
than two years after the break-up of the Soviet Union.

U.S. – The gravestone in Arlington National Cemetery of the 17-member
crew of a U.S. reconnaissance plane that was shot down over Soviet
Armenia on September 2, 1958.

~SI was deeply touched when I heard that the citizens of Sasnashen
still remember this event, and have conducted a memorial remembrance
every year since 1958 to commemorate the aircrew that died that day,~T
an embassy statement quoted Zamzow as saying at the commemoration
ceremony.

~SThe manner in which you conduct this ceremony, and the way in which
you maintain this memorial, speaks volumes for your strength as a
community,~T he told the villagers.

Zamzow also paid tribute to the U.S. airmen~Rs ~Sfinal act of
bravery,~T saying that they spared civilian lives as the C-130 crashed
to the ground.

The Soviet Union returned the partial remains of six of the crewmen
later in 1958. It was not until 1993 that a U.S. Army team went to the
site of the crash and recovered the rest of the remains, including
more than 2,000 bone and tooth fragments, life support equipment,
personal effects and aircraft wreckage.

The remains were interred in a single grave in the Arlington National
Cemetery in 1998.

More personal effects of the dead servicemen were returned to U.S.

officials during Friday~Rs commemoration. Some of their relatives
also attended it.

In what appears to be a gesture of gratitude, the U.S. Department of
Defense has financed infrastructure upgrades in and around Sasnashen
in recent years. Zamzow inaugurated on Friday a newly renovated
kindergarten in the village and a policlinic in the nearby town
of Talin.

From: Baghdasarian

EU SHOULD PROVIDE ARMENIA, AZERBAIJAN AND GEORGIA MEMBERSHIP OPPORTUNITY – EUROPEAN EXPERT

news.am
Sept 2 2011
Armenia

Russia has been actively mediating in Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
settlement, while EU is too passive, the former head of the OSCE
Parliamentary Assembly on the South Caucasus Goran Lennmarker told
Azerbaijani APA agency.

According to him, EU should provide the strongest support implying
possibility of affiliation to the Union of the three South Caucasus
countries.

“I agree that EU acts too passively. Europe has a unique experience
in peace building, establishment of prosperity and democracy after
numerous wars between nations that are now EU members. I believe that
EU should provide the strongest support, which implies the possibility
of the three South Caucasus countries’ membership to the Union.

Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia are all sovereign countries and if
they wish to become part of European integration, and comply with its
standards, then this opportunity should be open for them. I’m sure it
will bring lasting peace and stability to the region,” said Lennmarker.

From: Baghdasarian

PRESIDENT OF ARMENIA VISITS STEPANAKERT MEMORIAL

news.am
Sept 2 2011
Armenia

STEPANAKERT.- President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan marched to the
Stepanakert memorial on Friday accompanied by NKR President Bako
Sahakyan, former Armenian President Robert Kocharyan, former NKR
President Arkady Ghukasyan and Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II.

President Sargsyan paid tribute to the memory of soldiers who
sacrificed their lives for independence of Nagorno-Karabakh, laid
wreath at the memorial to the first President of NKR Supreme Council
Arthur Lazarian and soldiers- liberators.

From: Baghdasarian

LEVEL OF LAKE SEVAN REDUCED IN JULY

news.am
Sept 2 2011
Armenia

YEREVAN. – The level of Lake Sevan reduced by 5 cm in July, reported
the Armenian National Statistical Service.

The Lake was above sea level by 1900.42 meters on July 31, while it
was higher by 23 cm as compared with the same day last year.

The main reason for the reduction of the level in July is irrigation.

Water quantity taken for this reason from the lake made 71.199 cubic
meters in 2011.

From: Baghdasarian

NONE OF KARABAKH CONFLICT SIDES WILL GET ALL DEMANDS SATISFIED – EUROPEAN EXPERT

news.am
Sept 2 2011
Armenia

Former head of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly on the South Caucasus
Goran Lennmarker does not believe that a new war will break out in
South Caucasus.

“War is easy to begin and difficult to end. Taking into consideration
that military actions do not always go right, it is pretty hard to
predict their consequences. For example, air superiority is crucial,
it depends on the skills, principles, strategies and tactics that are
difficult to assess. The outbreak of war would also lead to the deaths
of most young men and civilians, many people will get injured and
gravely mutilated. State economies will be destroyed. I am sure that
the responsible leaders of the two countries, whom I met, would not go
for such fateful steps,” Lennmarker told Azerbaijani APA news agency.

According to him, public opinion in both countries must understand
that peaceful solution implies a compromise.

“None of the parties will satisfy all their demands. However, the
peaceful solution that offers OSCE Minsk Group is beneficial for both
parties. For instance, hundreds of thousands of migrants and refugees
will return to their homeland, perhaps into their homes. It is also
important for them to be able to visit the graves of their relatives,”
he added.

From: Baghdasarian