Author: Baghdasarian Karlen

HOW TO STAY SAFE IN THE SOUTH CAUCASUS?

Turan Information Agency, Azerbaijan
May 19, 2014 Monday

“The South Caucasus and some questions of regional security and
conflict resolution” is the theme of the round table organized on
May 19 by the German Friedrich Naumann Foundation in Baku.

Opening the discussion, the representative of the Fund Yuergen Vickert
noted that the search for security in the South Caucasus is complicated
by “uneasy neighborhood” in the region.

Keynote speaker, head of the Research Center Atlas, Elkhan Shahinoglu
recalled that the conflicts in the region – Karabakh, Abkhazia and
South Ossetia, for 20 years have not been resolved, but some have
become more acute after the Georgian- Russian war in 2008

Achieving regional security is prevented by contradictions between
constituents of the regional formats: Azerbaijani-Georgian-Turkish
and Russian-Armenian-Iranian.

At the time, Turkey took the initiative of creating a semblance of a
“regional OSCE.” However, this initiative was torpedoed by Russia
unwilling equal partnership with the countries of the region.

Russia makes destructive effect on Armenia, which was actually forced
to renounce the Association Agreement with the EU. Now Yerevan is on
the verge of joining the Customs Union.

A new trend in regional cooperation is best triple partnership between
Azerbaijan, Turkey and Turkmenistan based on energy interests.

However, according to Shahinoglu, the EU does not provide adequate
support for the Trans-Caspian pipeline project.

He noted that if the West made a timely assistance to Ukraine, now
these tragic events could have been avoided. The West did not give
the $ 15 billion needed for Ukraine’s entry into the Association
Agreement and now the West has to provide much more for that.

According to the Director of Turan News Agency, Mehman Aliyev, events
in Ukraine are the beginning of the global changes in the Eurasian
space, which will not pass side also the South Caucasus.

This year will be launched the railway Baku-Tbilisi-Kars and the
active phase of negotiations on the Trans-Caspian gas pipeline will
enter. The President of Turkmenistan last month ordered the government
to speed up work on the project and in the coming days a summit of
the leaders of Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Turkmenistan will be held.

According to Aliyev, after the presidential elections in Ukraine
major changes should be expected in this country and other regions
of the former Soviet Union, including the South Caucasus.

These processes will be positively influenced also by the normalization
of relations between the West and Iran.

The head of the Research Center East-West, Arastun Orujlu noted that
the settlement of the Karabakh conflict is negatively affected by
internal factors.

In particular, the illegitimate authoritarian corrupt regimes of
Armenia and Azerbaijan turned the conflict into a factor of domestic
and foreign policy.

Despite the serious impact of external factors, the parties could, if
desired, take steps to a peaceful settlement. But in Armenia that is
prevented by aggressive anti-Azerbaijani and anti-Turk nationalism,
while in Azerbaijan the order is to avoid any, even interpersonal,
contacts with the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Orujlu considers permissible the visits of Karabakh separatists to the
regions adjacent to Nagorno-Karabakh. In his opinion, NK residents
should be offered Azerbaijani citizenship and access to government
assistance programs in the social and educational sphere.

Orujlu also believes that the policy of isolation of Armenia has led
to the fact that it has evolved into a military outpost of Russia,
and the opening of borders between Turkey and Armenia would help to
bring these countries and reduce dependence on Russia.

The Deputy Chairman of the Unified Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan,
Elchin Mirzabeyli believes that neither Armenia nor Karabakh
separatists are able to make independent decisions. A proposal
to establish contacts with the separatists is an unjustifiable
“hypocritical policy of the West.”

According to Mirzabeyli, the West does not have support for the
territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, which it does for Ukraine,
and earlier – for Georgia.

Therefore, for the settlement of the Karabakh conflict, mechanisms
of international law should be used and sanctions should be imposed
against the aggressor.

Many other participants also pointed manifestation of “double
standards” of the West regarding the Karabakh conflict. -06c –

Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info).

From: Baghdasarian

JOSEPH ASSADOURIAN’S THE BULLPEN TO BEGIN PERFORMANCES OFF-BROADWAY ON 6/12

Broadway World, NY
May 20 2014

May 20

Actor/playwright Joseph Assadourian, like Charles Dutton and Lead
Belly before him, discovered his theatrical voice while serving time
behind bars. His new one-man play, The Bullpen, which he wrote and
stars in, will begin an open-ended Off-Broadway engagement at The
Playroom Theater (151 West 46th Street between Broadway and 6th Avenue)
on Thursday, June 12th. Richard Hoehler directs this black comedy,
which features Assadourian in 18 different roles. Opening night is
set Sunday June 22nd.

In The Bullpen, a man is arrested, arraigned and put on trial for
a crime he claims he did not commit. Consequently two systems of
jurisprudence judge him – one a jury of his peers in the courtroom
and the other: the fascinating and hilarious denizens of the bullpen
in which he is being held. Mr. Assadourian mercurially transforms
from character to character and from court to court.

Joseph Assadourian was released from prison in 2013 after serving
12 years for attempted murder. Two years before his release, he
reluctantly became one of two-dozen inmates who joined a theatre
workshop at Otisville Correctional Institution in upstate New York.

Actor/director Richard Hoehler, a volunteer at the institution, used
acting techniques to guide inmates through the rehabilitation process.

Joseph, who had never before even seen a play, quickly discovered
his special skills and, with Hoehler’s guidance, began creating an
8-minute scene that incorporated characters he had met during his
incarceration. The Bullpen evolved from that short sketch into a
full-length production, which was developed at Otisville Correction
Facility; upon his release from prison, Assadourian performed the
completed, full-length at the Fortune Academy (The Castle) – a
residence in NYC for formerly incarcerated men and women. Producer
Eric Krebs saw the show there and realized it needed to be seen by
a wider audience.

Assadourian received the 1st Place PEN Prison Writing Award for
his play, Heaven and a 2nd Place PEN Award for Joey Shakespeare,
co-written with Brandon Cochrane, which was featured at the New Work
Now reading series at The Public Theater and subsequently presented
by The Collective Theatre in Miami. He is also the author of a
full-length play, Deliberation, a modern recounting of the Armenian
Holocaust. As an actor, Joe has appeared in Race by David Mamet,
Tuff Love (including works by Sam Shepard and John Patrick Shanley)
and Inside Out, an original theatre piece co-written with the inmates
at Otisville Correctional Institution.

Richard Hoehler has premiered three original solo shows Off-Broadway,
New Jersey-New York, Working Class (OOBR Best Solo Performance)
and Human Resources (Best of the Fest, MITF). He was the founding
Artistic Director of the American Line Theatre Company that premiered
over forty new plays. His original play Fathers and Sons opened
Off-Broadway in 2009. As an actor he has performed in New York,
regionally and abroad. He’s also been featured on “Law and Order,”
“NYPD Blue,” “Third Watch,” and “The Black Box.” Richard is also the
creator and director of Acting Out, a professional acting class and
performance workshop for at-risk teens and adults that is in residence
at the Fortune Society and Otisville Correctional Facility.

Eric Krebs has been a theatrical producer as well as a professor for
over 40 years. On Broadway he produced Electra, It Ain’t Nothin’ But
the Blues, Bill Maher in his Victory Begins at Home, Avery Brooks
in Paul Robeson and Neil Simon’s The Dinner Party. His Broadway
productions have received 10 Tony Award nominations. Off-Broadway, he
produced over 40 productions, including Sam Shepard’s Fool For Love,
Neil LaBute’s Bash, The Capitol Steps, etc.

The Fortune Society is a non-profit social service and advocacy
organization, founded in 1967, whose mission is to support successful
reentry from prison and promote alternatives to incarceration, thus
strengthening the fabric of our communities. Fortune works to create
a world where all who are incarcerated or formerly incarcerated can
become positive, contributing members of society.

Performances will be Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings
at 8PM and Sunday at 3PM. Special Matinees Friday June 20th at
4PM and Saturday June 21st at 3PM. Tickets, which are $20, are
available online at or by calling toll-free
866-811-4111. Performances take place at The Playroom Theater at 151
West 46th Street (between Broadway and 6th Avenue).

For more information, visit at

From: Baghdasarian

PUBLIC CONSULTATIONS ON CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM IN ARMENIA

States News Service
May 19, 2014 Monday

VIENNA, Austria

The following information was released by the Organization for Security
and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE):

A series of public consultations on a draft concept paper on
constitutional reform in Armenia, will be held in Yerevan on 20,
21 and 29 May 2014.

The consultations are organized by the Specialized Commission on
Constitutional Reforms under the President of the Republic of Armenia,
in co-operation with the OSCE Office in Yerevan and the USAID’s
Support to National Assembly Programme. The debate aims to raise public
awareness and participation in the constitutional reform process.

The consultations will cover the following subjects, and will be
presented by the members of the Specialized Commission:

May 20: Human Rights and the Rule of Law

May 21: Separation and Balance of Powers

May 29: Judiciary

The Chairman of the Constitutional Court, the Dean of the Law Faculty
of the Yerevan State University, high-level representatives from the
Justice Ministry, and representatives of international organizations
will attend the event.

All the media are invited to participate in, and cover the meetings
on 20, 21 and 29 May 2014. The meetings will start at 10:00 am at
the Ani Hall of the Ani Plaza Hotel, Yerevan.

For more information please contact Ms. Gohar Avagyan, National Public
Information Officer, OSCE Office in Yerevan, at (+374 10) 22 96 10/
11/12/13/14 ext. 5406, cell (091) 436389.

From: Baghdasarian

THE EXTERNAL DYNAMICS OF THE PM’S STATMENT ON 1915

Today’s Zaman, Turkey
May 19 2014

by Alin Ozinian* May 18, 2014, Sunday/ 16:10:29

A written statement by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan shortly
before April 24 attracted a great deal of attention in the domestic
and international media.

While the statement and subsequent developments are something we are
familiar with, they still deserve further consideration. Some referred
to the statement as a historic step forward, whereas others considered
it as a manipulative move or an insult to Turkish history. But it
should also be noted that some remarks and comments on this statement
were a little bit exaggerated and extreme.

By this move, the Turkish side gave the message that Turkey has done
its part and that now the Armenian side should take constructive
action. Some Turkish media outlets argued that the next step would
be recognition of citizenship rights to some Armenians abroad and
that some further steps would be taken in case Armenia withdrew from
Nagorno-Karabakh. But none of these arguments was confirmed by the
Turkish state.

A diplomatic statement consisting of some “innocent” words and notions
that do not refer to the Armenian genocide in 1915, fails to admit
that what happened back then was a planned action for the complete
destruction of the Armenian nation and admits the responsibility of the
state is neither an acknowledgement nor an apology. The statement is
in fact a message by which the Turkish government offers condolences
to all peoples who have suffered extensively during World War I in
Ottoman lands.

The content of the statement is not new because the attempts and
efforts by the Foreign Ministry years ago to create a common memory
have been based on references to war casualties. What is being said is
not novel because it refers to some serious errors in the historical
archives (the Turkish archives are open to all) or some old-fashioned
clichés suggesting the creation of a joint commission of history
as spelled out in the protocols signed in Zurich in 2009, which were
never implemented due to the Nagorno-Karabakh issue. It should also
be noted that this message, which does not satisfy the Armenians,
was delivered 99 years later.

The dissatisfaction of the Armenians in Turkey, the Armenian diaspora
and Armenia with this insufficient and delayed message of condolence
should be understood given that they have been suffering from the
impact of the denial during this lengthy period. It is also necessary
to take a look at how the 1915 incidents have been framed so far. If
we consider this year alone, we will see that Bulent Arınc made a
statement in which he noted that they were making serious efforts
to deal with the “Armenian genocide allegations” and to influence
the international community’s view on this matter, adding that they
created a special unit within the Office of the Prime Minister to
address this issue. I should also note that the Turkish Historical
Society (TTK) has been preparing for the 100th anniversary of the
Armenian genocide in 2015. People should also recall that Erdogan
made a statement this year that they should be ready for 2015 and
urged Turkish diplomats to “tell the truth” about the 1915 incidents
in their respective countries.

The most important thing is this: This statement was made by the
prime minister of a country where Armenians were insulted in a period
of republican history, where people were provoked to become enemies
of the Armenians, the murderers of Hrant Dink, Sevag Balıkcı —
who was killed by his “friend” during military service — and of
old Armenian women were not prosecuted and “Talat Pasha Committees”
were established the day before April 24.

As people who heard after the murder of Dink that mercy from God is
not asked for an Armenian, we believe that the statement offering
condolences to the victims of the Armenian genocide is insufficient
but important; it is a humane approach; it is a first. It should also
be noted that the politicians who find this statement insufficient
have made no such move before. This statement should of course be
criticized, but it should not be neglected. It should not be ignored.

In sum, this message could be considered important as a turning point
in terms of writing a critical Turkish-Armenian history in the future
as a point of departure for a lengthy process of how the wounds of the
1915 genocide would be healed and of how the reasons and repercussions
of this genocide should be investigated and properly identified.

However, the opposition’s argument suggesting that a statement by a
prime minister who lost his legitimacy in the international arena to
polish his image abroad is another version of denying the genocide.

This sort of opposition, while serving as motivation for strong
denialists like Yusuf Halacoglu, Å~^ukru Elekdag, Dogu Perincek and
Kemal Kerincsiz, will be forgotten in a very short time.

Diaspora and the Armenians in Turkey

The desire and success of the civil society in Turkey in recent years
to share the pain of the Armenians and to spread this sentiment to
other segments of society cannot be overlooked, and of course the
popular support for the Dink case should also be remembered. However,
it should be noted that what forced the prime minister to make this
statement is actually the external dynamics.

Even though the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) obviously
contradicts with the usual republican reflexes and dynamics that
we are accustomed to and makes some risky moves in critical times,
it is apparent that the background of this message has been prepared
by the lobbying activities of the Armenian diaspora abroad.

After his statement where he offered condolences, Erdogan further
clarified his remarks noting that we did not offer condolences to
Armenians alone but also to Turks, Bosnians, Albanians and others
who were Ottoman citizens. In an exclusive interview with famous
correspondent Charlie Rose, Erdogan also said, “What happened to
Armenians cannot be called genocide because there are now Armenians
in Turkey.”

It is proper to argue that particularly some Armenians in Turkey,
out of strong admiration for Erdogan, praised his remarks. The
Patriarchate of Armenians in Turkey made a statement where they
referred to Erdogan’s remarks as commendable; some Armenians argued
that the prime minister should be awarded a Nobel prize; an Armenian
even sponsored an ad in which he thanked the prime minister for his
condolences in a newspaper that has “Turkey belongs to the Turks”
as its motto.

This “humanist” who proves to be a real person on a TV program where
he argued that Erdogan embraced the Armenians was not a virtual
character. Otherwise, he would have known Erdogan a little bit given
that in the said ad he made the following remarks: “You are a real
man, a man of honor and integrity. And I believe that after Ataturk,
you are the greatest statesman in these lands.”

There is always a need for statements and gestures by the religious
representatives and leading figures of the Armenian community in
Turkey in such delicate matters and issues. They are expected to
support the government’s decision and to stand against the policies
of the diaspora; these circles and figures realize what they are
expected to do in such cases. This support is considered crucial
because this provides further legitimacy for the domestic policies
by the Armenian community in Turkey. This support gives the message
and impression that “we are happy here; we have no problem with each
other; the diaspora is bad and ill-intended and ‘poor’ Armenia tries
to destroy peace and happiness.” And this approach is considered a
remedy for every problem in Turkey.

But what is really sad is the Armenian minority in Turkey who are
trying to live with their wounds and even complexes are excluded by
the Armenian diaspora for their conversion into “Turkishness.” It is
also sad to observe that the foreign minister joined the visit by the
Armenian patriarch, the only official institution and representative of
the Armenian community in Turkey, to the prime minister. The foreign
minister attended this visit because the Armenian minority issue is
still considered a foreign policy issue in Turkey. This remains the
case even if the prime minister of the Republic of Turkey offered
condolences to the grandsons and granddaughters of the victims of
the Armenian genocide in 1915 in Ottoman lands.

________________________________

*Alin Ozinian is an independent analyst.

From: Baghdasarian

ARMENIA DISCUSSES CONSTITUTIONAL REFORMS

Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
May 19 2014

19 May 2014 – 6:59pm

Public discussions of the preliminary concept of constitutional
reforms have been initiated in Yerevan. Discussions will be held on
May 20, 21 and 29. Discussion are organized by the expert commission on
constitutional reform under the Armenian President with the assistance
of the OSCE Yerevan Office and the USAID, the OSCE Office in Yerevan
announced, Armenia Today reports.

The purpose of the discussions is to increase public awareness and
encourage greater involvement in the process of constitutional reform.

From: Baghdasarian

Bako Sahakyan: Return to the past both in terms of status and borders
is impossible

Today – 14:46
18/5/14

On 18 May Artsakh Republic President Bako Sahakyan received co-chairs
of the OSCE Minsk group. Central Information Department of the Office
of Artsakh Republic President informs about this.

At the beginning of the meeting the President congratulated the newly
appointed French co-chairman Pierre Andrieu for taking over the high
post, expressing hope that he would continue active participation in
the process of the Azerbaijani-Karabagh conflict’s peaceful
settlement.

Bako Sahakyan expressed gratitude to the former French co-chairman
Jacques Faure for impartial and efficient work.

Referring to the Azerbaijani-Karabagh conflict settlement process
President Sahakyan underlined that the official Stepanakert was
committed to its peaceful settlement within the framework of the Minsk
Group.

The President stressed that freedom and independence are exceptional
values for Artsakh and return to the past both in terms of status and
borders is impossible.

The current situation along the border line and regional trends were
touched upon too.

NKR foreign minister Karen Mirzoyan and other officials partook in the meeting.

From: Baghdasarian

What Will Principle of Lay-Out of New Borders Be?

Igor Muradyan, Political Analyst
Comments – Wednesday, 14 May 2014, 17:25

There are too many indications of ongoing global stage of
`perestroika’, and this time highlighting of perestroika of state
borders is one of the trends of corrections in the balance of forces.

Any global matter, including political ones, has an incubation and
latent period, which may last from several days to centuries, but one
way or another, the problem is actualizing and receiving the right to
citizenship. It is hard enough to mention categories or criteria which
would indicate that the incubation and latent period is over, and an
active period of layout of state borders has started. The best
indication, however, is the process itself.

The great powers of the world were, in fact, aligned to prevention or
conservation of this process which is, first of all, related to the
goals of the national liberation fight, the fight of the nation for
its political rights. The international communities tried long to
replace the rights of a nation with human rights, which has ended up
in disasters for many nations, their deprivation of their natural
historical and human rights, as well as serious security challenges to
more or less well-off states and continents.

The ongoing U.S.-Russia confrontation over the Ukrainian developments
has any hidden motive except annexation of Crimea. Little attention is
paid to how fast and readily the international community forgot about
annexation of Abkhazia and South Ossetia by Russia and its reluctance
to use these developments as political games.

The confrontation between the West and Russia has other reasons and
has nothing to do with the violation of principles of international
law. Modern forms of international relations do not enable conducting
an open and legitimate policy of the next division of the world to
spheres of influence? Why? Because the West does not allow for such an
approach and supposes expanding its influence all over the world. Some
countries undergo isolation and blockade as a zone where the society
is put on rehabilitation.

However, on the one hand, a breakthrough in this issue by the United
States and Russia, almost simultaneously, as the most interested
states, proves the legitimacy of this process. On the other hand, an
unpleasant picture is outlining ` lack of systemic approaches and
tricks in the performance of specific goals. Propaganda and
counterpropaganda are increasingly inefficient because some actions
are overwritten by others, analogical ones.

At the same time, the United States holds a controversial position on
new `perestroika’, or rather geopolitical `perestroika’. The United
States is, no doubt, satisfied that Russia demonstrates precedents of
`perestroika’ but at the same time is reluctant to give Russia a
chance to come up with relevant initiatives. Speaking about system as
such, a systemic stalemate is concerned.

However, arrangements on `perestroika’ are impossible and useless
because arrangements mean emergence of a system similar to that of
Yalta and Potsdam, which is not handy for anyone.

But why is the price of just a right of a nation so high? No rights
are concerned. The problem is that the current state borders is a
factor of new wars and conflicts, it is the most serious threat to
international and global security. The world cannot and will not exist
with its current borders. If the `geopolitical perestroika’ does not
happen downward, it will be done upward but the cost will be
incomparable, there will be bloodshed, economic and political losses.

Perhaps, it would be too original but, in any case, one needs to
suppose that they may go as far as revision of criteria and meaning of
state sovereignty. In other words, some states, maybe most states, may
be deprived of an internal independent status. They may focus on Max
Weber’s ideal type, including of `states’.

Several dozens of states demonstrate that their peoples and societies
are repelled by statehood, and they would like to revise their
sovereign status. However, the problem is not the wish of these
peoples but that `failure states’ are growing dangerous and are used
by other countries to achieve their goals. And in international
competition there is no place for blank spots and vacuum, everything
must be filled in.

For some great powers annexation or incorporation of such states by
others appears to be more acceptable than their indefinite and
vulnerable existence. However, it may take place only if `perestroika’
matures and the time for considering legitimacy comes, especially that
the demographic situation in the world is changing not in favor of the
Western community, and it somehow needs to cope with threats coming
from the `Third World’ which exists objectively and continues to make
claims.

– See more at:

From: Baghdasarian

AZERBAIJANI DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER: “THE ARMENIANS HAVE TRIED TO PAVE THE WAY TO KARABAKH AND OCCUPY LACHIN FOR 200 YEARS”

APA, Azerbaijan
May 15 2014

[ 16 May 2014 13:39 ]

Baku. Ramiz Mikayiloghlu – APA. “While speaking about Lachin the first
thing we think about is bravery. It is not surprisingly that Khosrov
bey Sultanov defeated the troops of Andranik when they wanted to pave
the way to Gorus, Lachin, Shusha, Khankendi.

And the valley where the battle occurred is now called Bloody Valley”,
Deputy Prime Minister, Chairman of the State Committee for Work with
Refugees and IDPs Ali Hasanov said at the event held on the occasion
of the 22nd anniversary of Lachin’s occupation, APA reports.

Hasanov noted that Armenians have tried to pave the way to Karabakh
and occupy Lachin for 200 years. “Unfortunately, after the collapse
of the Soviet Union and dismissal of Heydar Aliyev from his position,
Armenians temporarily occupied Lachin with support of Armenian Diaspora
around the world. Lachin residents have lost neither their bravery
nor their courage in this period”, he said.

Before starting the event, the martyrs who fought for our lands and
the victims of the coal mine explosion in Turkey were commemorated
with a minute of silence.

Following it, a film called “Esirlikde gala galmaz” (No tower can
remain in captivity) was displayed.

Currently 73, 330 Lachin residents are settled in 58 regions and
towns of Azerbaijan.

From: Baghdasarian

NOTHING NEW IN JAMES B. WARLICK’S PRESENTATION

Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
May 16 2014

16 May 2014 – 10:07am

Orkhan Sattarov, the head of the European Bureau of Vestnik Kavkaza

A discussion about suggestions for a settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict recently presented by the American co-chair James B. Worlick
will take place on May 16th at the visit of co-chairs of the OSCE
Minsk Group to Armenia and Azerbaijan. The Armenian side criticized
Worlick’s suggestions, as they require withdrawal of troops from
the occupied territories around Nagorno-Karabakh. Baku reacted more
positively. According to the Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan, Elmar
Mamedyarov, the six principles suggested by Worlick are not new and
have been voiced previously. At the same time, the minister noted
that the Azerbaijani side agreed to work on a peacemaking treaty
for settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. “The status quo is
unacceptable even for the Armenians. The country doesn’t develop;
there are serious demographic problems. We call on the Armenian side
to settle the problem together,” he said.

Mathias Dornfeld, associative member of the Center for Studying Energy
and Environment of the Caspian Region under the Free University of
Berlin, commented on Worlick’s suggestions for Vestnik Kavkaza: “I
have read Worlick’s speech attentively and concluded that it contains
nothing new.” According to the political scientist, the statement by
the American co-chair should be considered in the context of the 20th
anniversary of the Bishkek Protocol on the cease-fire regime between
Armenia and Azeraijan.

“Worlick’s suggestions are a reference to the Madrid Principles
and other requirements of the OSCE Minsk Group. As Worlick is a new
co-chair of the Minsk Group, he is trying to gain a foothold in a
new quality,” the expert noted.

We should emphasize that recently James B. Worlick was heavily
criticized by top Azerbaijani officials, including the special
envoy of Azerbaijani President for the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,
Araz Azimov, for his sharp statements on Twitter, which annoyed
Baku. From this point of view, the German expert is right that he is
trying to gain a foothold. It seems that when the Baku authorities
actually cast aspersions on the “professionalism” of the American,
Washington decided to rehabilitate the diplomat, voicing well-known
principles in a new form on behalf of Worlick.

Dornfeld points out that Worlick didn’t mention other regional
conflicts in his speech and didn’t touch on the crisis over Ukraine and
Crimea in general, even though American diplomats use every opportunity
to discuss the topic. According to the political scientist, it shows
that Washington is deploying double standards.

“Moreover, it is clear that after the Crimean crisis and the silent
approval of Crimea’s merger into the Russian Federation by the West,
a settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is not a priority,”
Dornfeld concluded.

He thinks that the OSCE MG’s influence on the settlement of the
conflict is insignificant, and there will be no reform of the structure
in the near future. Thus, Mathias Dornfeld, as well as Heiko Langner,
see nothing new in Washington’s statement.

From: Baghdasarian

IRAN WINS GRECO-ROMAN WRESTLING WORLD CUP

Sport Desk

On Line: 16 May 2014 16:13
In Print: Saturday 17 May 2014

TEHRAN – Iran’s national Greco-Roman wrestling team won the 32nd
edition of the World Cup in Tehran on Friday.

The Iranian team beat defending champion Russia in the final 6-2 to
claim the title for the fourth time.

Iran beat Azerbaijan, Finland, and Armenia before smashing South
Korea in the pre-final match.

A total of 10 teams participated in the 2014 World Cup of Greco-Roman
Wrestling, which kicked off in Tehran on Thursday.

Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, congratulated
the Iranian team and “thanked the champions for bringing joy to the
Iranian nation.”

MA/MS/HG

From: Baghdasarian