Author: Baghdasarian Karlen

EP HOLDS CONFERENCE ON MASSACRES OF ARMENIANS IN DERSIM, DESPITE PRESSURE FROM ANKARA

PanARMENIAN.Net
19.11.2008 13:40 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ For the first time in its history, the European
Parliament welcomed a great conference on the massacres of Dersim
(Turkey, 1937-1938). This conference was organized on the occasion
of the 70th anniversary of these events and on the initiative of
Gesellschaft fur Wiederaufbau (union for renaissance) and of the
MEP Feleknas Uca (Confederal Group of the European United Left,
Germany), under the support of her political party, the European
Armenian Federation told PanARMENIAN.Net.

This conference was a huge success and was attended by more than 200
participants including European citizens and natives of Turkey. The
complete program of the day will soon be available here. Among the
other speakers, Hilda Tchoboian, the president of the European Armenian
Federation underlined the continuity of the genocidal tradition of
Turkey whose identity was built on the negation of the other. She
recalled that at the time of the Armenian genocide, Dersimis –
contrary to other Kurdish tribes – had abstained from any attacks
towards the Armenian populations and sheltered and protected them;
about 40,000 people had been saved and today, one out of four Dersimis
have Armenian ancestry.

This conference – and in particular the presence of two town
representatives of Turkey – Serafettin Halis, deputy of the province of
Tunceli and Songul Erol Abdil, mayor of the town of Tunceli (Dersim)
– caused a great agitation in the Turkish press, in particular by
their remarks on the genocidal tradition of Turkey. The presence of
Hilda Tchoboian to this conference was also interpreted by Ankara
like a proof of "the will of the European Parliament to dismember
Turkey!" During the conference, the lecturers and organizers
revealed that Ankara carried applied intense pressure to prohibit
this conference from taking place.

The conference revealed to Europeans that Turkey is not and never has
been homogeneous on an ethnic or linguistic point of view. The Kurds,
Dersimis, Zazas and innumerable other minorities have all their own
identity and collectively they compose the majority of the Anatolian
population.

"Turkey has never admitted this diversity of population and tried to
deny it by committing different mass killings. It is also this reality
which Turkey wants to hide from its own population and other States,"
said Hilda Tchoboian.

The conference was concluded by a Joint Declaration signed by Turkish,
Kurdish, Armenian and Assyrian-Chaldean organizations, representative’s
of populations who have all been oppressed or massacred by Turkey.
From: Baghdasarian

WHAT HAPPENED TO "HAYPOST" DIRECTOR WAS UNDESIRABLE

A1+
[07:15 pm] 18 November, 2008

"Investigation of "Haypost" director’s letter is underway," told
"A1+" today RA Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan.

After two assaults in Yerevan, Dutch director of "Haypost" Hans
Boon has left for his homeland and has presented his resignation to
Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan. Boon has undergone a medical exam in
Amsterdam and as a result, he has a major head injury which will take
two months to cure.

Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan said that such incidents are undesirable
for Armenia and that they are going to do their best to prevent
future incidents.

According to Sargsyan, he has personally received Hans Boon’s letter
and has assigned the control service to investigate.

"I have already assigned my subdivisions to check if the events that
he mentioned in the letter are true, conduct investigation and demand
notices, reports from all competent bodies and inform me," told "A1+"
Tigran Sargsyan and added that the results of the investigation will
soon be presented to the mass media outlets.

Minister of Economy Nerses Yeritsyan also considered the incident as
a bad precedent.

"As Minister of Economy, I wouldn’t want to see such a thing, but
everything will be clear after the investigation," told "A1+".

Let us recall that Hans Boon headed "Haypost" since July 25, 2007.
From: Baghdasarian

YURI MERZLYAKOV: "THE OSCE MINSK GROUP ARE SEEKING FOR SUCH A CONDITION, WHICH WOULD BE PROFITABLE FOR ALL KARABAKH CONFLICT PARTIES"

Today.Az
olitics/49066.html
Nov 18 2008
Azerbaijan

"It is necessary to define independence of which Karabakh is implied",
said Russian co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group Yuri Merzlyakov at a
press conference in Yerevan on November 17, answering the question
whether the possible exchange of lands in the negotiation process on
the conflict resolution is discused.

"The task of the OSCE Minsk group co-chairs is to find a condition,
which would be profitable for all Karabakh conflict parties", noted he.

Answering the question, whether he considers it first of all necessary
to settle the issue of Karabakh independence and then speak of lands,
Merzlyakov asked to specify which independence of which Karabakh is
implied – Nagorno Karabakh Autonomous Oblast within Azerbaijani SSR,
which declared sovereignty in 1991, or preset-day Karabakh, considering
the security zone.

"We should be realists", concluded the Russian co-chairman.
From: Baghdasarian

SC MEMBERSHIP, POSSIBLE PROBLEMS AHEAD

Hurriyet
Nov 14 2008
Turkey

Congratulations on our temporary membership to the United Nations
Security Council!

Sometimes we exaggerate things to such an extent they get out of
control. The United Nations Security Council temporary membership
is one such example. This news caused the whole country to
exalt. We hugged and congratulated each other on this unbelievable
achievement! As if that was not enough, the international public was
aroused and got in line to congratulate Turkey on its big triumph. The
prime minister was hosted in New York’s most famous restaurant,
everyone no matter whether their vote was for or against Turkey
applauded. Expenses were on the company.

If we are unable to slow down, we will pronounce that the world is
bowing before us.

A temporary membership to the Security Council is a nice thing but this
event needs to be kept within realistic dimensions. It would be nice
if we did not act as if we were pronouncing victory at Canakkale,
for there are two sides to the coin, and if we are not careful,
Ankara could encounter a lot of problems. Let us put exaggerated
celebrations to one side and look at the other side of the coin. Let
us have a look at problems we should expect.

First idea emerged in 2003 by two diplomats This idea was first brought
up in 2003 by Altay Cengizer, a permanent deputy representative of the
United Nations. Our permanent representative in New York, Umit Pamir,
saw the timing as perfect and sent a telegraph to then minister of
foreign affairs, Abdullah Gul.

Steps taken by the AKP with regard to Cyprus and the European
Community, despite the AKP breaking taboos as a pious party struggling
to integrate with the western world, were very effective during
that period.

The telegraph with ambassador Umit Pamir’s proposal caused Minister of
Foreign Affairs Abdullah Gul to give the order to activate all required
mechanisms. That day is today, Gul foremost, the staff of foreign
affairs and the Prime Ministry have put in a lot of effort. For five
years meetings were held. In the meantime, Turkey’s contribution to
peace in the Middle East, the president’s visit to Armenia and the role
played during the Georgian war directly influenced the positive result.

Turkey finally made it. Turkey has been elected as a temporary member
to the United Nations Security Council for two years. It will share
this duty with Austria. Now preparations for the celebration have
started. Yet we should put bragging to one side and start planning
what is necessary to act out the temporary membership in a decent way.

I talked to diplomats who formerly served as permanent representatives
in New York. I also talked to foreign diplomats who served in the
United Nations Security Council and I can see that Ankara is looking
at difficult times ahead. Upfront, the Turkish delegation consists
of eight to nine people, it needs to be increased to 15 to 20. It is
crucial these carefully chosen diplomats and secretariats be formed by
people who have a command of English and are skilled in foreign policy.

What is more important, is the team needs to be headed by a delegate
trusted by the prime minister and minister of foreign affairs, who is
able to act without waiting for authorization from headquarters for
every decision, or whoever it is that is appointed, should receive
the necessary authorization to act. The council’s work is progressing
at a fast pace and because of the time difference, Ankara’s habits
cannot continue. A bureaucracy that waits for confirmation from the
prime minister or who does not act on his own, does not work in New
York. You cannot tell the Security Council to "wait until we ask
the prime minister how to use our vote." The other important problem
is the upcoming conflict with regard to Ankara’s domestic politics,
and policies regarding the United States and European Community.

Turkey’s policies regarding Iran and the United Nations Security
Council’s enforcement preparations, are in conflict. What will Ankara
do when an enforcement decision leads to a poll? Will it support Tehran
or the U.S.-EU bloc? How will we use our vote in developments regarding
Russia-Georgia, or Sudan, or the Middle East? These possibilities
need to be taken into account, so our politics that do not match
other members of the Security Council, can be identified and a way
can be sought on how to find mutual ground. In other words, the other
side of the coin brings not only the Canakkale victory but also some
difficulties. The foreign affairs team is strong enough to handle
this. As long as the prime minister does not constantly try to govern
this matter via phone.
From: Baghdasarian

TURKEY READY TO MEDIATE BETWEEN U.S. AND IRAN

PanARMENIAN.Net
12.11.2008 15:29 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said
his country could mediate tensions between the United States and Iran.

"We are ready to mediate and we can be useful. Ankara is concerned
about the Iran-U.S. relations and stands for resolution of problems
through diplomatic talks. War is not a solution," he said, RIA
Novosti reports.

The U.S. and Iran broke off diplomatic relations in 1979. Presently,
Iran neglects U.S. demands to end its nuclear program.
From: Baghdasarian

ARMENIAN MINISTERS GET ACQUAINTED WITH SITUATION IN "AGARAK COPPER-MOLYBDENUM" AND "DINO GOLD MINING" COMPANIES IN SYUNIK

ARMENPRESS
Nov 11, 2008

KAPAN, NOVEMBER 11, ARMENPRESS: By the November 10 decision of the
Armenian prime minister, Armenian Minister of Energy and Natural
Recourses Armen Movsisian, Labor and Social Affairs Minister Arsen
Hambartsumian and Minister of Economy Nerses Yeritsian are in Syunik
province to get acquainted with the situation created in the "Agarak
Copper Molybdenum Factory" and "Dino Gold Mining Company".

The first stop of the ministers was in Agarak copper-molybdenum
factory, the workers of which went November 5 and 6 on strike demanding
resignation of the head of the company Georgi Devadze. They are
displeased with working conditions, low salaries and the upcoming
dismissals.

Today the ministers also visited the "Dino Gold Mining Company", where
mass dismissals of workers took place and continues. Moreover, the
chief director of the enterprise Robert Falleta stated on November 7,
that the number of workers will be reduced by 60%, and the salaries –
by 40% in connection with the reduction of prices of metals in the
world market. After the director’s statement nearly 80% of workers
went on strike from November 8.

After their visit to Syunik province the ministers must within two
days present suggestions on the solution of registered issues to the
prime minister.
From: Baghdasarian

8th INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION "ARMPRODEXPO" OPENS IN YEREVAN

Noyan Tapan

Nov 11, 2008

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 11, NOYAN TAPAN. The 8th international exhibition
"Armprodexpo" opened in Yerevan on November 11. It displays production
of more than 60 local and foreign companies: soft and alcoholic
drinks, confectionery, dairy produce, meat products, canned goods,
dried fruit, etc.

The opening ceremony was conducted by the RA prime minister Tigran
Sargsian.

Among the exhibition’s organizers are the RA ministry of foreign
affairs, the RA ministry of agriculture, the Chamber of Commerce and
Industry, and the Agrobusiness Development Center.

During a talk with reporters T. Sargsian noted that the quality of
agricultural products of domestic companies is not inferior to that
of foreign companies. According to the prime minister, the producers
assured him that this year their production grew by 15-20%, while next
year some companies even plan to increase their production by 60-80%.

The prime minister pointed out that the small and medium enterprises
participating in the exhibition have problems with the export of
their products so they need state assistance. "We should form such a
contractial field with developed countries that will make our domestic
goods recognizable abroad," T. Sargsian stated.

In his words, the amount of agricultural credits provided by
ACBA-Credit Agricole Bank has grown in recent years. He said that
in the past month the bank obtained new funds of nearly 100 million
dollars for agricultural crediting. "If the amount of credits in
the agricultural sector increases, it means that we will record an
agricultural growth next year," T. Sargsyan said.

The minister of agriculture Aramais Sahakian stated that the purpose
of the exhibition is to assist and encourage domestic producers and
to provide them with the opportunity to sign mutually beneficial
agreements with foreign organizations.
From: Baghdasarian

ARMENIA TO COOPERATE WITH NATO, BUT HAS NO AMBITION FOR EURO-ATLANTIC INTEGRATION: PRESIDENT

ARKA
Nov 11, 2008

YEREVAN, November 11. /ARKA/. Armenia is cooperating with NATO without
any ambition for becoming its member, RA President Serzh Sargsyan
told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

"We believe cooperation with NATO is part of our national security
strategy, but we do not want to integrate into the Allies, taking
into account the danger of changing boundary lines in the region,"
the president said, bringing as an example the Georgian war.

To the question whether Armenia’s neighbors should integrate into NATO,
Sargsyan said he had no intention to decide for others.

"For the past ten years, we heave tried to balance the interests of
the United States, Russia and NATO," the president said, adding it is
both extremely attractive and dangerous to try gain from contradictions
between those countries.
From: Baghdasarian

SERZH SARGSYAN: WE SEE THE KARABAKH SOLUTION WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF THE MINSK GROUP

armradio.am
07.11.2008 11:07

Within the framework of his visit to Belgium the President of Armenia,
Serzh Sargsyan, had a meeting with the President of the European
Commission José Manuel Barroso. Following the meeting the parties
gave a joint press conference, noting that they discussed a number
of bilateral and regional issues.

"I had a very interesting meeting with RA President Serzh Sargsyan. We
discussed both bilateral and regional issues. Armenia is on the way
of implementation of the Action Plan of the European Neighborhood
Policy. We express willingness to support Armenia in implementing joint
political and financial partnership programs," Mr. Barrroso said. He
appreciated the fact that the EU will soon send an advocacy group
to Armenia and expressed hope that it will have a real and positive
influence on the process of reform implementation. It was noted
that the European Commission appreciates the efforts of the Armenian
authorities targeted at implementing reforms in the judicial system
and the mass media and expects greater progress in this direction.

According to José’ Manuel Barroso, the European Union wishes to
facilitate the establishment of peace in the region, reinforce peace
and prosperity. "This is an important region to the European Union and
we spare no effort to coordinate our words and deeds," he underlined,
adding that he is satisfied with Armenia’s positive response to
Turkey’s initiative targeted at establishing peace in the Caucasus.

According to him, the dialogue between Yerevan and Ankara can have
a positive impact on regional security, including the resolution of
the Karabakh issue.

For his part, the President underlined that Armenia wishes to come
closer to Europe, and on this way it anticipates the support of
partners. "We wish our European partners to create more favorable
conditions for our trade and want our partners to see our economic
development and grant us the status of a market economy. We want the
citizens of Armenia and EU member states to be able to communicate
easier, we want to have a sub-commission, which will allow solving
the existing problems," Serzh Sargsyan stressed.

Asked how the Armenian President will react to the suggestion of the
Turkish President to meet with the President of Azerbaijan in Turkey,
Serzh Sargsyan noted that it would be somewhat strange if Turkey
made such an invitation, since he met the President of Azerbaijan in
Moscow just a few days ago and signed a joint declaration. "One of the
provisions of that declaration consolidates that we see the solution
of the Karabakh issue in the format of the Minsk Group Co-Chairs,
while Turkey is not a co-chair country although it is a member of
the Minsk Group," the President added.

Serzh Sargsyan expressed regret that he could not mention terms with
regard to the schedule of the Karabakh talks. "After our meeting
in Moscow, we agreed with President Aliyev to instruct our Foreign
Ministers to negotiate within the framework of the document called
"Madrid Principles." If we reach common points, I think we should
sign an agreement on principles which should be followed by the main
treaty. But I think we will need public discussions in this period."

–Boundary_(ID_Frscaf1bI2zpre8bKUJV VQ)–
From: Baghdasarian

MUST HAVE A TOUGH STANCE TOWARDS NKR ISSUE
Lusine Hovhannisyan

Hayots Ashkhar Daily
06 Nov 08
Armenia

Leader Of Armenian Democratic Party Aram Sargsyan Believes

"There are serious contradictions in the adopted declaration which
will hinder the settlement of the conflict. They have enshrined
that it must be a political settlement, anchored on the norms of
the international law. But there are two concepts in the diplomacy:
either political or legal. They can’t appear together.

Of course it would have been beneficial for us, if it were a legal
process.

As regards the political one, in my view it is not possible, because
one party states that it is their territory and the other side
states that it is not. This is a real deadlock," Leader of Armenian
Democratic Party Aram Sargsyan expressed this viewpoint in "Urbat"
club yesterday touching upon the settlement of NKR conflict and the
trilateral Armenia-Azerbaijan-Russia declaration.

In general the leader of the Democratic Party believes the trilateral
declaration is nothing more than a good will protocol. He doesn’t
share the standpoint of the political figures, political scientists
and analysts saying that the before mentioned process will bring
serious changes.

"The investigation of the past years display that the process will
take 10 more years."

As regards the trilateral format of the Moscow meeting and the
manifestations of "offence" by those who have their own interest in the
settlement of Karabakh issue (particularly Mathew Braise) Aram Sargsyan
firstly recorded that the negotiations, which took place in Moscow,
don’t imply any concrete fact and said that it is pointless for Braise
to take offence: "I don’t see any reason to take offence, especially
because trilateral meetings have already taken place in Key West."

As regards the fresh events in the USA, the presidential elections,
and Barrack Obama’s victory, Aram Sargsyan doesn’t consider Braise’s
paradoxical announcement essential, saying: "He is temporary. The US
President elect will soon pursue active policy in our region."

As regards the already pursued active policy by Russia in the Caucasian
region the leader of the National Democratic Party said: "For this
moment Russia has already solved its problem and will try to settle
the issue on its own (of course if they are allowed to do so).

We should add that according to the speaker: "Even if they try to
settle the issue based on Madrid principle, anyway it will take
long.’ Which means the freezing of the issue is the most optimal way
of the settlement.

I Don’t Imagine The Settlement By Means Of Returning The Territories

Touching upon the liberated territories and the topic of ceding
the territories he considered it unacceptable even to touch upon
that topic.

"I wonder what would Armenia cede in return for NKR’s status,
had Azerbaijan not started a war and had we not liberated our
territories. And they already cede the liberated territories in
exchange for the Armenian territories, which still remain under
Azerbaijan’s control."

In this context when we assess our losses and the victory, the
liberated territories, Aram Sargsyan says: "In such circumstances
we must display a tougher stance, otherwise it will turn out that we
really cede our territories and we don’t get anything in return.

A. Sargsyan attaches great importance to NKR’s participation in the
negotiations on the settlement of NKR conflict. "The conflict will
not be solved until Karabakh participates in the negotiation process
thus directly expressing the will and the stance of Arsakh people."
From: Baghdasarian