Author: Baghdasarian Karlen

Azerbaijan against foreign investments in Karabakh
Public Television of Armenia, Yerevan
1 May 04
[Presenter] Azerbaijan is jealous of economic development in
Karabakh. The Azerbaijani press concerned by the impressing indicators
of the economic development in Artsakh [Karabakh] clarified that
foreign investments have played an important role in this work. Some
officials demanded clarification from those countries’ embassies whose
citizens are the Armenian businessmen engaged in business in Karabakh.
Bahar Muradova, MP of the Azerbaijani Milli Majlis, accused the
Diaspora Armenians, in violation of the Azerbaijani laws, in that they
must pay profit revenues to the Azerbaijani budget.
[Correspondent over video of Karabakh plants] The Azerbaijanis are
attentively following after the Nagornyy Karabakh economic
achievements and were very concerned by the recent results. Announcing
that the Artsakh Armenians have achieved 40 per cent GDP growth during
one year, as the Azerbaijani Zerkalo newspaper noted foreign
investments from various countries have played an important role in
this achievement. These are the USA, France, Switzerland, Australia,
Lebanon, Russia and neighbour Iran. The newspaper is writing about the
Sasun company which is producing polyethylene plastics, whose director
is the Iranian Armenian, Hovnan Avetyan. The Iranian Armenians are
also planning production of construction materials in Susa [Shusha]. A
correspondent of Zerkalo, in order to ask for clarification, called
the Iranian embassy in Baku. The Iranian ambassador noted that Tehran
is not keeping tabs on all its businessmen. But the Iranian
businessmen saw that the investments in Karabakh are very profitable
and therefore they are going to Karabakh.
The chairman of the Karabakh Liberation Organization, Akif Nagi,
announced that protest rallies will be soon staged outside the
embassies of those countries from which investments are flooding to
Nagornyy Karabakh. Akif Nagi also announced that protest rallies will
be staged against the Iranian companies in Baku. They will demand the
authorities to stop the activities of these companies. The deputy
executive secretary of the ruling New Azerbaijan party, Bahar Muradova
also defended Akif Nagi’s opinion. She called the investors’ moves a
violation of Azerbaijani territorial integrity. The Iranian and other
countries’ citizens must respect the law, she said. Neither Nagi nor
MP Muradova said that they in Azerbaijan will boycott the activity of
the American and European companies which are working with
Karabakh. If they did, then who would be working in Azerbaijan at all?
From: Baghdasarian

Ottoman rule: Islamic state

Muhammed Salahetdinov,
from the materials of Badr Publishing House
Kavkaz-Center 2004-04-27 00:21:56
By mid-13th century the dynasty of Abbasid Caliphs ceases to exist. At
the same time the process of collapse is being observed in the Seljuk
state, which the Abbasid Caliphate used to be a part of. Osman, son of
Ertogrul, takes over for his father and becomes a ruler in one of the
provinces located between the cities of Bursa and Ankara. Osman sees
how separated the Islamic world is and how it is being torn to
pieces by the enemies attacking from all sides, and by internecine
wars inside, and wishes to fix this unattractive situation. He takes
actions aimed at the formation of a state system that will be supposed
to unite the Muslim world in the future, which will be based on
Islamic principles commanded by Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
In 1299 he invites prominent Islamic scholars and says to them, `I
have enough power and might for Jihad, and I am charging you with the
task to mobilize all your knowledge to form the social system of
Muslim community based on Islamic principles’.
And that was the time when the process of creation of new society
started, which was supposed to continue the relay race of the Islamic
rule of Ummah (Muslim nation worldwide) based on the Koran, Sunnah and
Ijtihad (decisionsmade by Muslim elders in the spirit of the Koran and
Sunnah).
The process of expansion of the state was under way, when methods of
Javaat, enlightenment, diplomacy and armed confrontation are used. The
life of citizens and the structures of the state system are built by
the eternal laws of the Most High on the new vast expanses of the
state. As a result, new state entity gets a status of a Caliphate
founded on the institution of Shura (Council). In this state the
authority of Sheikh al-Islam becomes indisputable for the rulers as
well for the subjects. Starting from the period of rule of Selim I,
who subdued the entire East Anatolia, Armenia, Kurdistan, Northern
Iraq, Syria, Palestine, Egypt, and Hijaz, Ottoman rulers stick to the
principle that regional and provincial rulers must demand that the
subjects obey the orders of the Caliph, who in turn coordinates his
orders with the Sheikh al-Islam, who determines whether the orders
agree to the Islamic canons. The Shura (Council) known as Divan
Humayuni, consisting of ministers, influential people, and prominent
Islamic scholars was the legislative body representing justice. One of
the graphic confirmations is this episode from the Ottoman
history. Caliph Muhammad Fatih (Mehmet the Conqueror, Sultan Mehmet
II) oppressed one of his fellow believers, who in turn appealed to a
Judge with a complaint. The Judge appointed the day and subpoenaed
both claimant and the Caliph to court, where the Caliph had to obey
the Court. So, Islamic Shariah draws no distinctions among people: the
rulers and the subjects are all equal before the justice.
It must be mentioned that in the dynamic and multinational state all
nationalities: whether Turks or some other Muslims, Christians or Jews
wereOttomans first of all. They were a part of one flexible entity,
which was beyond such things as ethnic background, religion or
nationality. Flemish diplomat and scholar Ogier Ghiselin de Busbecq
described his visit to the camp of Sultan Suleiman in 1555: `The
Sultan’s headquarters was filled with his assistants including higher
officials. None of those present showed any superiority, but everyone
was trying to show their virtues and bravery; none was bragging about
his birth, for here honour is in accordance with the post and the
nature of duties thereof. Thus there is no fight for seniority;
everybody knows where he belongs and the functions he is supposed to
perform. Sultan himself is the one to assign duties and posts, and to
evaluate the merits and the levels of claims that his subordinates
might have, without looking at the wealth or importance».
`Each person has the opportunity to be promoted. Top posts are often
held by children of shepherds. And they are proud of their birth
instead of being ashamed. Our method is different from theirs; we have
everything depending on the birth and all higher posts are distributed
solely in this connection’.It is a know fact that Hayreddin Pasha
At-Tunisi was an ordinary servant, but he became Governor of Tunisia
and was granted the seal of the Caliph of Istanbul for his
efforts. Egyptian Province sent an inquiry to the capital (Istanbul)
requesting to send an economist to organize a program for the
region’s economic development. Armenian Christian Nubar Pasha
was the one to be sent.
The Ottoman Empire was the only superpower that recognized all three
monotheistic religions. Thanks to the first Sultans, the Turks revived
and reunited the Islamic world on its Asian territories, and then
thanks to the Ottoman Dynasty they brought the European lands of the
Eastern Christian world backto life. While uniting the East and the
West, the Ottomans filled the vacuum that was formed after the
collapse of the Caliphate in Asia and Byzantine Empire in Europe, in
order to be developed within the same space in the form of a new
Muslim civilization. The superpower stayed in this form all the way
until the end of the 19th century, when it reached its decline due to
various reasons. The last Islamic sovereign was Abdul-Hamid II. Muslim
scholars say it was the time of the decline of the last Caliphate.
So what were the reasons why that process had started? Such a huge and
mighty state as the Caliphate was lacking in maneuverability and
mobility when technical revolution started in Europe. And as a result,
we can now see that the European states, which are smaller in size and
have a lot less population, are ahead of the Ottoman state in the
level of technical advancement. This is the reason why the process of
Westernization (Europeanization) started, when one civilization
started replacing the other. This process was initiated by the
educational reforms. Pro-Western moods got stronger during the rule of
Abdul-Hamid, when many young people were going to the European
countries tostudy and returning with the new foreign approaches on
building the country. At that time foreign influence in the Ottoman
state was quite active everywhere. This is when the middle class was
being formed, which in turn started bringing new ideological idea of
Pan-Turkism.
Western historian Arnold J. Toynbee wrote that the loss of flexibility
caused the decline of the Ottoman system, which was most fatal in the
history of the Ottoman society. Ottomans were unable to challenge the
call of the West by rapidly changing their social institutions on
time. After resorting to self-defense, the Ottomans had to look for
salvation by using other methods. For two and a half centuries they
had to be undergoing Westernization.
The so-called Committee of Union and Progress was founded in the very
beginning of the 20th century. Lord Albert Kinross, British historian
and writer says that the members of the Committee enjoyed secret
support from organized groups of Free Masons, Jews and Donme (Jews
converted to Islam), and were more determined in their actions than
members of the Paris organization were, which the Committee merged
with in 1907. The Committee was also supported by some of the
officers, which Sultan never expected. In 1909 Sultan Abdul-Hamid I
was forced to resign and his brother Rishad was appointed instead of
him, but at the same time he was stripped of all of his
authorities. The Committee of Unionand Progress starts fully running
the country. The godly slogan of the Ottoman Caliphate `There is no
deity but God and Muhammad is His Messenger!» was replaced with the
slogan of the French Revolution: `Freedom, Equality and
Brotherhood’. And now the policies of Pan-Turkism started becoming
official in Turkey.
In practice it would mean imposing the Turkish language on other
non-Turkish Muslims. Nationalist tendencies among the Turks are now
getting stronger. Such phenomena in Europe, like searching for
national and ethnic roots, are gradually being manifested in the
political and cultural advancement of Pan-Turkism.
The end to the Islamic rule and to the Islamic influence in the state
is coming to an end. The final touch in the drama in the collapse of
the Ottoman Caliphate was the creation of the Turkish Republic in
1924, when the religious government was totally replaced by secular
one.
From: Baghdasarian

ZAMAN Turkey
April 23 2004
Three-Way Meeting on Karabag to be Held at NATO Summit
Turkey is preparing for a three-way meeting to discuss the re-opening
of the Turkish-Armenian border and a solution for the Nagarno-Karabag
(Karabakh) issue during the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
summit to be held in Istanbul this June.
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul invited his Azerbaijani and Armenian
counterparts during his trip to Baku last week. Meanwhile, Armenian
Foreign Minister, Vartan Oskanyan, announced that Armenia supports a
three-way meeting on the condition that they take up “regional
issues.” Oskanyan argued that a meeting only on the Karabakh issue
would be meaningless since Turkey cannot be a moderator.
Now, with Turkey’s involvement in the Nagarno-Karabakh issue, a
multi-phased transition plan will be the focus. Thus, Armenia will
retreat from the five regions that it occupied, the
Azerbaijani-Armenian border will be re-opened, and Turkey will
overcome the border issue with Armenia using the Syrian model.
04.23.2004
Salih Boztas
From: Baghdasarian

Daily Nexus
April 23 2004
Event Recognizes Armenian Genocide
By Vinicio Field – Reporter

Students and the community were invited to attend a commemoration of
the Armenian genocide Thursday night at Embarcadero Hall.
More than 50 people attended the event – hosted by the Armenian
Student Association (ASA) – which was held in remembrance of the
genocide perpetrated against Armenians by Turkey in 1915. The
commemoration began at 8 p.m., and included a lecture, videos and
photographs addressing the refusal of many countries to officially
recognize that the genocide actually occurred. Armenian Genocide
Remembrance Day officially takes place worldwide Saturday.
According to estimates made by online information centers such as
TheForgotten.org, around 1.5 million Armenians – 80 percent of the
Armenian population in Turkey at the time – were murdered during the
genocide. Event co-organizer Ara Keshishian of the ASA said the goal
of the event was to force people to remember what history has
forgotten.
“Imagine if your grandma were shot in front of you and no one
recognized it,” he said.
A number of audience members had tears in their eyes as Mariette
Soudjian sang both the U.S. and Armenian national anthems to begin
the commemoration.
Global and international studies visiting professor Richard Falk gave
a speech about the implications of the genocide’s lack of
recognition. Falk said he believed that official acknowledgement of
the incident would be crucial to the healing of Armenian people.
“The denial of the genocide of the Armenian people persists as an
open wound,” Falk said. “It is as important to overcome the Turkish
denial as it is for those of Armenian descent to receive the apology
in order to heal their wounds.”
Falk encouraged the audience to question whether any progress has
been made toward stopping genocide around the world.
“We have to ask ourselves: Is the world safer now?” Falk said. “How
far has the legal development against ethnic cleansing come when the
Armenian genocide is not even recognized; where countries, including
the United States, have ordered their bureaucrats not to use the word
‘genocide’ regarding events in places like Rwanda?”
Falk then recited portions of a poem written during the genocide
entitled “The Dance,” by a German eyewitness named Siamanto. The poem
details rape, torture and women being burned alive after being
ordered to dance nude. ASA members Carolyn Lee and Hermine Barseghian
also read from “The Dance,” and violinist Hagop Barseghian played a
song in tribute.
Diana Magpapian, ASA member and political science graduate student,
echoed Falk’s desire for acknowledgement of the genocide.
“Our presentation is not about money, it’s not about anything except
recognition. Most countries officially deny or ignore the Armenian
genocide. Denial is ignorance. We are trying to correct ignorance and
stop the denial,” Magpapian said.
ASA president and psychology major Talin Nazarian said he especially
wanted scholars to recognize the historical significance of the
genocide for the Armenian people.
“Armenians exist on all sides of the globe, but the genocide isn’t in
textbooks,” Nazarian said. “Until our history is in textbooks, it is
important for us to show the history of our people.”
From: Baghdasarian

Chinese Envoy To Un Criticizes US On Failed Human Rights Resolution
Xinhua news agency, Beijing
15 Apr 04
(New China News Agency)
Geneva, 15 April: China has, once again, foiled an anti-China attempt
brewed by the United States when a “no-action ” motion it tabled was
passed by voting here Wednesday (14 April) at the 60th session of
the United Nations Commission on Human Rights.
This is China’s 11th victory over the US-led anti-China bid since 1990.
With 28 votes for, 16 against and 9 abstentions, the 53-member
commission approved the Chinese motion, thus rejecting the US draft
resolution against China before it was put to the vote.
In his statement before the vote, Chinese Ambassador Sha Zukang said
that if the logic of the United States – the human rights situation
in China “worsened sharply” – holds any truth, China would have
already backslid to the primitive stage. “Facts have shown that far
from backsliding, the human rights situation in China has advanced
significantly. Reacting from disappointment and jealousy, the US
came up with this anti-China resolution,” Sha told more than 500
participants at the meeting.
“The truth is that China is now under a new generation of leadership
who is inspired by the ideal of building a people-centred government
and is committed to do all it can in the interest of the people. Under
this government, the Chinese people have successfully overcome the
SARS epidemic and achieved an annual GDP growth rate of 9.1 per cent,”
he said.
A recent United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) report has
acknowledged the enormous progress made by China in achieving the
Millennium Goals and predicted that China could realize most of the
goals in the Millennium Declaration by the year 2015, he said.
Ambassador Sha described the US claim that China lacks basic freedoms
as pure distortion of facts and outright lying. “The truth is that
the Chinese people enjoy freedoms of speech, assembly, association,
religion and belief that are guaranteed by law,” he said.
“It is particularly noteworthy that last March the National People’s
Congress incorporated the concept of ‘the state respects and protects
human rights’ into the Chinese constitution, thus marking an important
milestone in China’s cause for promoting and protecting human rights,”
he added.
He briefed the session on China’s cooperation with international
human rights mechanism as well as human rights exchanges and dialogues
between China and more than a dozen countries.
Since the US has repeatedly refused visits by special rapporteur on
torture and other special mechanisms of the Human Rights Commission,
Sha said: “The US has no qualification to find fault with China and
nitpick China’s human rights situation.”
Although the United States claims that the resolution this year is
very mildly-worded, Ambassador Sha said: “It is only obvious that
the US resolution is nothing but a sugar-coated bullet. And even
masquerading as a mild resolution, its true purpose of obstinately
interfering in the affairs of other countries in order to serve its
domestic interests cannot be concealed.”
“Appointing itself as a ‘human rights defender’, the US picks on the
human rights situations of other countries at will, but says nothing
about its own disastrous human rights records. I cannot imagine how
such a grand superpower could be so cowardly,” he said.
Sha reiterated that China welcomes well-intentioned criticisms and
suggestions from other countries, but the US anti-China resolution
is “for the sole purpose of serving the interests of its domestic
presidential election, rather than that of genuine concern for human
rights”.
Of the 53 members now seating on the UN Commission on Human Rights,
those who voted for China’s no-action motion included Bahrain, Bhutan,
Brazil, Burkina Faso, Congo, Cuba, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia Gabon,
India, Indonesia, Mauritania, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Qatar, Russia,
Saudi Arabia, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Swaziland,
Togo, Ukraine, Zimbabwe and China.
Those who voted against the motion were Australia, Austria, Costa Rica,
Croatia, France, Germany, Guatemala, Honduras, Hungary, Ireland Italy,
Japan, Netherlands, Sweden, Britain and the United States.
And those voted with abstentions were from Argentina, Armenia, Chile,
Dominican Republic, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Republic of Korea and
Uganda.
From: Baghdasarian

NEVER IN THE PAST 50 YEARS
Azat Artsakh–Nagorno Karabakh Republic (NKR)
14-04-2004
The cold weather in the republic in the past week caused great damage
to agriculture, especially the private farmers. Vladimir Zakiyan, head
of the department of land farming of the NKR Ministry of Agriculture),
touched upon this problematic matter. – For many years already I have
been working inthis sphere and such a situation, i.e. frost in April,
has not occurred in the past 5 decades. Of course, there were cases
when the temperature fell to zero degree but 7 degrees below zero is
an exceptional phenomenon. If you remember the temperature before the
frost was high, 22-25 degrees. Early blossoming trees, pear, peach,
apricot trees were damaged from too low temperature on these days. The
vineyards were “provoked” by early warm weather and then were
completely frozen.
NIKOLAY BAGHDASSARIAN.
14-04-2004
From: Baghdasarian

PRESS RELEASE
National Association for Armenian Studies and Research
395 Concord Ave.
Belmont, MA 02478
Phone: 617-489-1610
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:
Contact: Marc A. Mamigonian
NAASR TO PRESENT EAST COAST PREMIERE
OF `GERMANY AND THE SECRET GENOCIDE’
The National Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR) will
present the East Coast premiere of award-winning filmmaker J. Michael
Hagopian’s documentary Germany and the Secret Genocide on Friday evening,
April 23, 2004, at 7:30 p.m., at Belmont (Mass.) High School, on Concord
Avenue in Belmont. This special event is in commemoration of the 89th
anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.
The film, which chronicles the involvement of Germany with its ally the
Ottoman Empire in carrying out the Armenian Genocide, has been hailed by the
Los Angeles Times as a `revealing, notable, persuasive work … a rigorously
researched and damning indictment.’ Hagopian, a pioneer in the effort to
document the Armenian Genocide through films such as The Forgotten Genocide,
The Armenian Case, Where Are My People, and Voices from the Lake, will
attend the screening and take part in a panel discussion following the
showing.
Distinguished Panel to Discuss Film
In addition to Dr. Hagopian, the panel will include Prof. James R. Russell,
Mashtots Chair of Armenian Studies, Harvard University; Prof. Sharon Rivo,
Director, National Center for Jewish Film, Brandeis University; Dr. Suzanne
Moranian, historian and author; and John Shattuck, former Assistant
Secretary of State and current Chief Executive Officer, John F. Kennedy
Library Foundation.
Germany and the Secret Genocide follows the final footsteps of Armenians who
were led to their deaths in Turkey during the Armenian Genocide beginning in
April 1915. Hagopian weaves together filmed interviews and letters written
by American and European survivors of the Armenian Genocide with the
testimony of witnesses and experts in the field to examine Germany’s
involvement in the mass killings of Armenians.
It is shown in the film that Germany had the power to stop the Armenian
Genocide but opted to do nothing and became complicit in what the Allied
governments proclaimed a `crime against humanity’ by assisting in the
covering up of the Turkish government’s actions. In addition, the
involvement of a number of Germans who were among the early members of the
Nazi party under Hitler is explored.
Hagopian demonstrates throughout the film that the Genocide was a
well-thought-out extermination of an entire culture – complete with a
pre-arranged train schedule for the transportation of Armenians out of their
ancestral homelands.
Acclaimed and Pioneering Filmmaker
Born in Kharpert-Mezreh in Historic Armenia, Hagopian has explored his roots
and the history of his people through the medium of film and won critical
acclaim, including two Emmys for the writing and production of The Forgotten
Genocide, the first full-length feature on the Armenian Genocide. In all,
Hagopian’s work encompasses nearly 400 `witness’ interviews and twenty years
of research.
In 1979, Hagopian founded the non-profit Armenian Film Foundation to
document Armenian culture and instill pride in Armenian youth worldwide.
Since then, he has been leading the effort to raise funds and create the
`Witnesses’ trilogy on the Armenian Genocide. The first film, Voices From
the Lake, provided a case study of the Genocide’s impact on one community,
Hagopian’s birthplace of Kharpert-Mezreh.
Hagopian holds a doctorate in international relations from Harvard
University and an undergraduate degree from University of California,
Berkeley. Having left Armenia as an infant, he grew up in Fresno,
California, before moving to Los Angeles as a teenager.
Tickets are available in advance at the NAASR Headquarters and will be on
sale at Belmont High School on the night of the film showing. Advance
purchase is recommended. Ample parking is available at the Belmont High
School building and in adjacent areas on Concord Ave.
More information about the film showing is available by calling
617-489-1610, faxing 617-484-1759, e-mailing [email protected], or writing to
NAASR, 395 Concord Ave., Belmont, MA 02478.
From: Baghdasarian

Armenian protesters outside parliament, close to presidential palace
A1+ web site
12 Apr 04
A procession of protesters stopped outside the Armenian parliament.
The rest of the way leading to the presidential palace, which is only
100-120 metres away, is blocked by barbed wire with soldiers behind.
It is calm outside parliament. Music is being played. The protesters
are holding their hands up. A few minutes ago they started to chant
unanimously “Kocharyan, go”.
Academician Rafael Kazaryan is going to make a speech.
From: Baghdasarian

Armenian official urges opposition to end “undesirable political processes”
Arminfo
12 Apr 04
YEREVAN
The Armenian opposition should do everything possible to cut short
undesirable political processes or slow them down, Artashes Tumanyan,
head of the Armenian presidential administration, has said in an
interview with Armenian Public TV.
The opposition should not refuse to do legislative work. Although in a
political minority, it should try “to push through” certain bills. It
would be normal and civilized for the opposition to act so, Tumanyan
said. He disagreed with the view that the opposition had no other way
out but boycott the parliament sessions.
Speaking about the main opposition demands, he explained the first
point by a less than perfect electoral system. It is no secret that
since 1995 all the elections in Armenia have been “vulnerable” due to
various reasons. Until now, no amendments were made to the electoral
system, and here lies a broad area for the legislative activities. But
for reasons unknown, the opposition is not debating that despite the
fact that the views of the president and the coalition often coincide
with the initiatives put forward by the opposition. The latter had
repeatedly spoken about its readiness for dialogue.
The paucity of the opposition MPs does not mean at all that any
proposals by the opposition will be rejected, Tumanyan said.
From: Baghdasarian

Azat Artsakh, Republic of Nagorno Karabakh (NKR)
April 8 2004
RUMOURS EXAGGERATED
The messages of the recent days remind those made before a war.
Threats and answers are made once from the Armenian party, and once
from the Azerbaijani. In Karabakh, however, there is no sign of war.
People think if there is, in fact, such threat why nobody reacts to
it. It means the tensions are provoked deliberately hoping that
something will explode somewhere. In this case for whom are these
tensions favourable? On March 29 negotiations were to take place
between the Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers in Prague with
the participation of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmen. The
negotiations were cancelled because the Azerbaijani party refused to
take part in them. The Armenian newspaper `Haykakan Zhamanakâ’
writes that Baku generally refuses to negotiate with
Armenia. According to the newspaper, the maintenance of the deadlock
situation in the negotiation process is, as usual, favourable for
Russia. In his interview to the newspaper `Azg’ NKR minister of
foreign affairs Ashot Ghulian said, `The very first months of office
of Ilham Aliev showed that the prospect of the process of negotiations
is blurred. Perhaps for them the Karabakh problem has stopped being a
priority, and only vague militarist expressions are made, such as
starting negotiations from the beginning, complaining of the
activities of the international organizations and in particular the
Minsk Group,’ emphasized A. Ghulian. Although, maybe, the talks in
Prague failed because Ilham Aliev was going to relieve minister of
foreign affairs Vilayat Guliev from his post. The corresponding
decision was signed on April 2, 2004 and Elmar Maherram Oghli
Mamediarov was appointed minister of foreign affairs of Azerbaijan. It
is obvious that the process of negotiations is rolling
backward. Apparently this was the reason for active militarist
propaganda. Moreover, now in Baku, on the one hand, they say that
Azerbaijan cannot get reconciled with the loss of the territories, and
on the other hand, the resumption of the military actions is
favourable for the government of Armenia which prefers this to a civil
war. `As long as the Azerbaijani territories are occupied, the war
with Armenia may start at any moment,’ told the Azerbaijani minister
of home affairs Safar Abiev to the Azerbaijani agency `Trend’. `You
know what the situation in Armenia is, as long as the Armenian armed
forces are in our territory, the danger of resumption of war exists,’
stressed S. Abiev. Member of parliament of the Azerbaijani Mili Mejlis
Anar Mamedkhanov announced that the parliaments of Armenia and the
Republic of Nagorni Karabakh are going to legalize the occupation of
the Azerbaijani territories within one or two months. And the
Baku-based newspaper `Zerkalo’ foresees that in the upcoming days
additional points may be introduced in the military doctrine of
Armenia concerning the security of Nagorni Karabakh. `According to one
of the points of the doctrine, in case of military threat or
announcement of martial law the armed forces deployed in Nagorni
Karabakh pass under the military commandment of Armenia.’ Russia is
also worried by the danger of resumption of the military actions in
the conflict area of Karabakh. The Russian news agency `Regnum’
headlined the materials concerning Nagorni Karabakh last week `Will
the USA manage to prevent war in Karabakh?’. As to the USA, it will do
anything for the settlement of the Karabakh conflict. This statement
was made by the deputy secretary state of the US Richard
Armitage. According to the newspaper `Turkish Daily News’, Armitage
cited the example of the recent events in Kosovo, adding at the same
time that such collisions are possible in Nagorni Karabakh too, writes
the newspaper `Azg’ and mentions that in the recent months the
skirmishes at the border between the Armenian and Azerbaijani forces
have become frequent. The head of the director of plan and defence of
the US European command, major general Jeffrey Kohler announced that
the appeals of Washington for peaceful settlement refer to both
Azerbaijan and Armenia. According to him, before the years 2001-2002
the US government imposed sanctions against the Armenian and
Azerbaijani parties, which may be imposed again in case of new
confrontations at the border. At the same time he announced that the
USA does not intend deploying new military installations in
Azerbaijan. The opening of the Armenia-Turkey border also has a
special role in the relationships of Armenia with Azerbaijan. This
topic was touched upon the during the meeting of Richard Armitage with
Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliev; the latter was against, as,
according to him, opening the border with Turkey will render the
conflict impossible to settle, because Azerbaijan will lose an
important lever for putting pressure in Armenia. In his turn foreign
minister of Armenia Vardan Oskanian appealed to the government of
Ankara to make corresponding conclusions from Aliev’s statements who
considers Turkey as a lever in its hand against Armenia. On April 6 a
group of journalists representing the leading mass media of Azerbaijan
moves to the Armenian-Turkish border for the action `Turks Supporting
Turks’. The main slogan of the action is `No to Opening Border with
Armenia’. The action will start in the towns Igdir and Kars in the
northeast of Turkey and will end in Ankara. The participants of the
action will address a message to the government of the brotherly
country appealing to oppose the tension on the part of a number of
countries in this matter. The Azerbaijani journalists and the local
inhabitants will create a symbolic wall between the territories of
Armenia and Turkey. What is this if not a provocation of
tensionsâ’
NAIRA HAYRUMIAN
From: Baghdasarian