Author: Baghdasarian Karlen

Turkish Navy to buy large landing ship for overseas missions

Sunday, March 28, 2010
Ümit Enginsoy
ANKARA – Hürriyet Daily News

The Turkish Navy is preparing to buy its first landing-platform dock
able to carry up to eight helicopters as it seeks to gain the
capability for overseas amphibious force deployment as part of NATO
and peacekeeping efforts.

The prime contractor for the $500 million project will be a local
company, but because of the high degree of technology transfer
required, there will also be heavy foreign-industry involvement,
procurement officials said.

The Undersecretariat for the Defense Industry, or SSM, Turkey’s
defense-procurement agency, opened a competition in late February
among seven domestic companies that are expected to establish
partnerships with foreign counterparts, including Italian, South
Korean, Spanish, Dutch, French, British and German firms, according to
procurement officials and business sources familiar with the program.

The landing dock will be required to be able to deploy a
battalion-sized force of up to 1,000 troops and personnel, eight
utility helicopters, three unmanned aerial vehicles, 13 tanks and 81
armored vehicles. The expected price tag of more than $500 million for
the landing dock does not include the helicopters to be deployed on
the ship.

Decision expected next year

The Defense Industry Executive Committee, Turkey’s top decision-making
body on defense procurement, is expected to select a winner of the
competition next year. The committee’s members include the prime
minister, the defense minister, the chief of the Turkish General Staff
and the SSM chief.

A landing platform dock, or LPD, is an amphibious warship that
transports elements of a landing force for expeditionary warfare
missions.

`We have long needed this capability for NATO rapid deployment and
peacekeeping missions overseas, from Bosnia to Somalia and
Afghanistan,’ said one defense official.

Presently, the navies of more than 10 countries, including Britain,
China, France, India, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and the United
States, have the LPD capability.

Turkey is expected to spend slightly more than $4 billion on defense
procurement this year. In recent years, it has focused on Navy
programs, including multibillion-dollar efforts for the joint
production with Germany of six modern submarines and the mostly local
manufacture of 12 corvette warships.
From: Baghdasarian

Trend, Azerbaijan
March 26 2010

Nagorno-Karabakh conflict discussed in Brussels

Azerbaijan, Baku, March 26 / Trend News /

Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia Alexander Grushko, Director of the
Policy Unit of the General Council Secretariat of EU Helga Schmid and
director-general at the European Commission’s external relations
department Joao Almeida discussed the Armenian-Azerbaijani
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in Brussels March 25, the Russian Foreign
Ministry reported.

Also during the meeting they discussed a wide range of issues: the
partnership for modernization, the course of negotiations on a new
basic agreement of the EU and Russia, the prospects for introducing
visa-free regime between the EU and Russia, as well as other actual
issues of cooperation between Russia and the EU.

The sides exchanged opinions on actual international issues, including
the situation in the BWM, the process of the Geneva discussions, the
situation in Sudan and around it and so on. Special attention was paid
to issues of strengthening security and stability in the area from
Vancouver to Vladivostok.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 surrounding districts.
Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The
co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group – Russia, France, and the U.S. – are
currently holding the peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council’s four
resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh region and the
occupied territories.
From: Baghdasarian

British Government Should Recognize Armenian Genocide, Says Baroness Cox

By Asbarez Staff on Mar 25th, 2010
nt-should-recognize-armenian-genocide-says-barones s-cox/

LONDON-British Baroness, Caroline Cox, on Tuesday wrote an op-ed piece
for ePolitix.com calling on the British government to recognize the
Armenian Genocide. Her piece was submitted ahead of her asking an oral
question to the House of Lords about the Armenian Genocide. We present
her piece in its entirety below:

British Government Should Recognize Armenian Genocide

BY BARONESS CAROLINE COX

I am asking HMG whether it will reconsider its position on the
recognition of the Armenian Genocide sadly, without any hope of a
change in the British government’s consistent policy of refusal to
acknowledge the truth.

However, the question is timely for three reasons:

1. The recent recognition by the Swedish Parliament of the
state-organized massacres of 1.5 million Armenians by Turkish
authorities, beginning in 1915, as genocide the latest in a long line
of Parliaments and other official bodies, such as the Vatican, to do
so.

2. The publication last October of `Was there an Armenian Genocide?

Geoffrey Robertson QC’s opinion with reference to Foreign and
Commonwealth Office documents which show how British ministers,
Parliament and people have been misled’.

3. This year marks the 95th anniversary of the beginning of the
genocide and recognition is long overdue. Every genocide which remains
unrecognized is, in effect, condoned and can serve as an encouragement
to other potential perpetrators of subsequent genocides. This was most
infamously illustrated by Hitler’s reference to the Armenian Genocide
before he embarked on the extension of the Holocaust in Poland:
`Who, after all, speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians?’

Whenever initiatives are taken to encourage recognition of the
systematic slaughter and deportation of between one and two million
Armenians as genocide, the Turkish government becomes extremely active
in attempting to prevent this, through intimidating political pressure
and threats of economic boycott.

This response is tragic for at least three reasons:

1. Refusal to acknowledge the truth inevitably prevents any
possibility of healing for the Armenian people, and of genuine
reconciliation between Armenia and Turkey.

2. It would be healing for the Turkish people themselves for the truth
of their history to be acknowledged. When I was in Turkey, talking to
professional Turkish colleagues, many said they wished their
government would acknowledge the genocide. They knew the reality and
felt deeply unhappy at being forced to hide the truth and to live a
lie.

3. As already stated, refusal to recognise historical reality of any
genocide can serve as an encouragement to other potential
perpetrators, who will believe that they can get away with similar
genocides with impunity.

Geoffrey Robertson QC’s concluding paragraph claims:

`HMG’s real and only policy has been to evade truthful answers to
questions about the Armenian Genocide, because the truth would
discomfort the Turkish government. It can be predicted that any future
question on the subject will be met with the same meaningless formula
about `insufficiently unequivocal evidence’, disguising the simple
fact that HMG will not now come to terms with an issue on which it was
once so volubly certain, namely that the Armenian massacres were a
`crime against humanity’ which should never be forgiven or forgotten.

Times change, but as other civilised nations recognise, the universal
crimes of genocide and torture have no statute of limitations.’

This debate offers HMG an opportunity to join other civilised nations.

I greatly fear that it will fail to do so, and perpetuate Britain’s
dishonour. But at least it will provide an opportunity for the truth
to be recorded once again in the British Parliament, for British
citizens to make up their own minds and, as the Welsh Assembly has
already done, to its great credit, to acknowledge and proclaim the
historic truth.

Swedish Parliament to re-run vote on Armenian Genocide Resolution

14:30 / 03/25/2010The Swedish Parliament will hold a second vote on
the Armenian Genocide resolution in 2011, Swedish Foreign Minister
Carl Bildt stated in his March 25 interview with Turkish NTV.

It is wrong to adopt political decisions on the events which took
place 100 years ago. What should be in question now is 2015, when
Turkey may become a full-fledged EU member, rather than 1915, Bildt
said.

He expressed a hope the resolution-complicated Turkish-Swedish
relations will shortly be normalized. Minister Bildt gave assurances
that that Sweden is a friendly state to Turkey, RIA Novosti reports.

On March 11 the Swedish Parliament approved an Armenian Genocide
resolution. A week before, the U.S. House of Representatives Committee
on Foreign Affairs approved a similar resolution. Turkey recalled its
Ambassadors to the U.S and Sweden in protest.
From: Baghdasarian

Bilateral agreement to be signed

294
12:13 pm | March 25, 2010 | Official

On March 26, the delegation led by Deputy Prime Minister of the Czech
Republic, Defense Minister Martin Bartak will be on an official visit
to Armenia.

The signing of a bilateral agreement and a briefing are scheduled to
be held at the administrative complex of the Ministry of Defense.

During his visit, on March 26, Martin Bartak will meet with RA
President Serzh Sargsyan and will pay a visit to Tsitsernakaberd to
pay tribute to the victims of the Armenian Genocide, as reported by
the department of information and public relations of the RA Ministry
of Defense.
From: Baghdasarian

Nagorny Karabakh Republic Constitution cannot prevent surrender of

2010-03-26 16:11:00

ArmInfo. Unfortunately, the Constitution of the Nagorny Karabakh
Republic is unable to neutralize the danger of surrendering the five
region around the NKR to Azerbaijan despite the fact that these
territories are assigned to the NKR in compliance with the
Constitution, said Suren Surenyants, a member of the Republic Party
Political Council, in a press conference on Friday in response to
ArmInfo’s question.

""Thanks to" the 10-years of Robert Kocharyan’s government, the NKR
was withdrawn from negotiation process with all the consequences that
came with that. Unfortunately, I have to say that the world community
no longer listens to opinion of the Karabakh authorities," Surenyants
said. He said that Serzh Sargsyan confirmed that the parties to the
conflict are only Armenia and Azerbaijan when he signed the Maindorf
Declaration with President of Azerbaijan in Nov 2008.
From: Baghdasarian

DES LECTEURS DE TARAF RECONNAISSENT LE GENOCIDE
par Jean Eckian

armenews
mercredi24 mars 2010

TURQUIE

Dans le numero du quotidien turc Taraf, date du 22 mars, figure une
declaration conjointe signee par 14 lecteurs de l’intelligentsia
turque, dans laquelle ils reconnaissent le genocide armenien.

Cette declaration, selon l’Agence turque Haber, a seme la confusion
chez les journalistes et dans les milieux politiques du pays, accusant
Taraf d’absence de patriotisme.

Le texte de la declaration des lecteurs, determine en particulier,
qu’ " en 1915, les Armeniens ottomans ont subi un grand carnage,
et notre conscience ne nous permet pas de le nier. Nous condamnons
cette injustice et partageons la douleur de nos frères armeniens."

Les lecteurs du journal accusent le Premier ministre Recep Tayyip
Erdogan, eu egard a ses declarations sur l’eventuelle expulsion du
pays de 100 mille Armeniens. "Nous protestons contre l’utilisation
du chantage d’Erdogan en prenant les Armeniens comme otages, et nous
pensons que sa declaration est immorale".

C’est Taraf qui le premier avait denonce le plan visant a renverser
le gouvernement Erdogan "Sledgehammer", une conspiration fomente par
les membres de l’organisation secrète "Ergenekon".
From: Baghdasarian

IT DIDN’T OCCUR TO US THAT ARMENIA’S PRESIDENT WOULD ALSO ABANDON KARABAKH: STEPAN SAFARYAN

Tert.am
10:38 ~U 25.03.10

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan’s proposal to return the security
zone around the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh (NKR) to Azerbaijan
strongly goes against Heritage Party’s approach to the settlement of
the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, head of Heritage Party’s parliamentary
faction Stepan Safaryan told Tert.am.

"Armenia’s proposal flatly opposes Heritage’s approach to the
settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and we condemn it,"
said Safaryan, citing Sargsyan’s comments in a recent interview with
Syrian local daily Al Watan.

According to Safaryan, such a solution benefits neither the Republic of
Armenia nor the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh and it will not establish
peace in the region.

"Moreover, mutual concessions should not be spoken about at a time
when the other side is keeping its finger on the trigger.

Azerbaijan should not be allowed to think that Armenia is afraid of
its bellicose statements and based on that is raising the issue of
a peace agreement that’s not worthy of merit," Safaryan mentioned.

In his words, they had said in the past too that certain territories
bordering NKR’s former autonomous province would be left unprotected.

"But it didn’t occur to us that Armenia’s president would also abandon
Armenia and Karabakh in this issue," concluded Safaryan.
From: Baghdasarian

ARONIAN BEAT GRISCHUK IN AMBER CHESS TOURNAMENT

Tert.am
10:52 ~U 25.03.10

After numerous games that ended in a draw, Levon Aronian finally
celebrated a victory in the 19th Amber Blindfold and Rapid chess
tournament. In Round 10, the Armenian Grandmaster beat Alexander
Grischuk, who’s representing Russia, 1.5-0.5.

Aronian won the blind match (1-0), but scored even with Grischuk in
the rapid match (0.5-0.5).

The Armenian Grandmaster, with a combined score of 9.5, is now in
9th place in the tournament.

The Amber chess tournament, held in France, runs till March 25.
From: Baghdasarian

TURKEY’S PM TALKS TO GERMAN MEDIA AHEAD OF MERKEL VISIT

worldbulletin.net
March 25 2010
Turkey

Erdogan denied accusations that the reform process in Turkey slowed
down.

Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the "privileged partnership"
proposed to Turkey by German chancellor Angela Merkel and French
President Nicholas Sarkozy in stead of full EU membership, had no
place in EU treaties.

In an exclusive interview with German weekly newspaper "Die Zeit",
published on the eve of Merkel,’s upcoming visit to Turkey, Erdogan
said he would not allow Merkel to bring up the "privileged partnership"
issue once again, adding that she already knew well Turkey’s position.

Erdogan said Turkey carried out negotiations with the EU for full
membership, adding that they would not accept any other option.

"You can not, all off a sudden, change the penalty rules during a
soccer game. We are playing the game according to EU’s rules and we
are making progress on our path," said Erdogan.

Erdogan denied accusations that the reform process in Turkey slowed
down, adding that they established a special ministry for EU works,
and a special EU office in all the ministries.

Erdogan said a new constitutional reform bill would be submitted to the
parliament next week which would change the structure of the Supreme
Court, and pave the way for trial of military officers in civil courts.

Commenting on the Armenian resolutions adopted in the U.S. and Sweden
on the incidents of 1915, Erdogan said parliaments of third countries
took an interest in an issue that did not concern them in anyway.

"Third countries should not adopt such resolutions. This is nothing
but the propaganda of the Armenian diaspora, and the parliaments are
allowing these subjective views to be expressed," said Erdogan.

In response to a question as to why Turkey did not open its border with
Armenia, Erdogan said the border was closed as a reaction to Armenian
invasion of Upper Karabakh region of Azerbaijan, noting that Turkey
was ready to open the border once Armenia withdrew from this region.
From: Baghdasarian

SYRIAN PM, ARMENIAN PRESIDENT PLEDGE TO BOOST BILATERAL COOPERATION

People’s Daily Online
March 24 2010
China

Syrian Prime Minister Mohammad Naji Otri Tuesday held talks with
the visiting Armenian President Serzh Sarksyan on boosting bilateral
cooperation, the official SANA news agency reported.

The two leaders agreed to increase trade and investments in a bid to
strengthen economic ties.

They also agreed that the two governments will explore potentials
for expanding friendly relations between the two countries.

Otri said Syrian-Armenian relations are important and necessary,
adding Syria is exerting all efforts to enhance them.

Later on Tuesday, Syrian and Armenian officials inked nine agreements
and memos of understanding (MOU) for cooperation, including justice,
higher education, scientific research, industry, electricity, renewable
energy, sport and remote sensing, according to SANA.

The Armenian president started on Monday a three-day official visit
to Damascus.
From: Baghdasarian