Author: Baghdasarian Karlen

Turkish jet was downed in Syrian airspace, U.S. officials indicate

June 30, 2012 – 17:07 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – U.S. intelligence indicates that a Turkish warplane
shot down by Syrian forces was most likely hit by shore-based
antiaircraft guns while it was inside Syrian airspace, American
officials said, a finding in tune with Syria’s account and at odds
with Turkey, The Wall Street Journal reports.

The Turkish government, which moved tanks to the Syrian border after
the June 22 incident, says the debris fell in Syrian waters, but
maintains its fighter was shot down without warning in international
airspace. Ankara also has said the jet was hit too far from Syrian
territory to have been engaged by an antiaircraft gun.

Damascus has said it shot down the plane with an antiaircraft battery
with an effective range of about 1.5 miles.

“We see no indication that it was shot down by a surface-to-air
missile” as Turkey says, said a senior defense official. Officials
declined to specify the sources of their information. The senior U.S.
defense official cautioned that much remains unknown about the
incident.

A Turkish official said he wasn’t aware of the American doubts, and
reiterated the government’s position that a Syrian missile downed the
plane in international airspace.

The downing of the jet spurred fears of a widening regional conflict
and led the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, following a
presentation by Turkey, to condemn Syria’s action.

The use of antiaircraft fire would suggest the Turkish plane was
flying low to the ground, and slowly, U.S. officials said – though
Syria said the jet was traveling at 480 miles an hour. If hit by
antiaircraft fire, the jet likely came closer to the Syrian shoreline
than Turkey says, U.S. officials said.

According to the Journal, some current and former American officials
believe Ankara has been testing Syrian defenses. The version of the
Turkish F-4 Phantom that was shot down typically carries surveillance
equipment, according to U.S. defense officials.

A former senior U.S. official who worked closely with Turkey said he
believed the flight’s course was meant to test Syria’s response. “You
think that the airplane was there by mistake?” the former official
said.

“These countries are all testing how fast they get picked up and how
fast someone responds,” said a senior U.S. official. “It’s part of
training.”

From: Baghdasarian

CYBER-CRIMES INCREASED SHARPLY IN ARMENIA

news.am
June 30, 2012 | 01:05

YEREVAN. – The Chief Directorate for Combating Organized Crime at the
Police of Armenia disclosed 25 cyber-crimes for the first six months
of this year, and criminal cases were instigated against 16 of them,
police informs Armenian News-NEWS.am.

Four cases were disclosed and two criminal cases were instigated, as
compared for the same period last year, while only 13 and 20 cases as
a whole were registered for 2010 and 2011 respectively. The number of
Armenian users increased in the social networks, while crimes against
users increased as well. It is mainly observed by stealing password,
breaking web page, illegal transfer of money, fraud, spreading porno
material and the like.

From: Baghdasarian

AZERBAIJANI MP: LAW ON UNAUTHORISED VISIT TO NAGORNO-KARABAKH NEEDED

Trend
June 29 2012
Azerbaijan

During a meeting of the Azerbaijani parliament on Friday, MP Ganira
Pashayeva proposed a law on those who make unauthorised trips to
Nagorno-Karabakh.

“In recent years, parliamentarians, politicians, representatives of
business circles of different countries pay illegal visits to the
occupied territories of Azerbaijan, including Nagorno-Karabakh,”
she said at the meeting.

She said that during the summer session of PACE in connection with
the conflict with the French deputy arose.

“He, violating the international law, without the permission of the
Azerbaijani side, has paid an illegal visit to the Nagorno-Karabakh.

Of course, we spoke about it,” she added.

The MP said the so-called ‘elections’ will be again held in a short
time in the occupied territories.

“Therefore, we must once again bring to the attention of ambassadors,
permanent representatives of foreign countries, that every foreigner
who visits the occupied territories of Azerbaijan without obtaining
permission of Baku, will be declared in our country persona non grata,”
Pashayev said.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 per cent of Azerbaijan since 1992,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven 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 peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council’s four
resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the
surrounding regions.

From: Baghdasarian

POLITICAL ANALYST ALEXEY VLASOV: “THIS YEAR CAN BE A TEST YEAR TOWARDS SETTLEMENT OF NK CONFLICT”

APA
June 29 2012
Azerbaijan

“Key to the settlement of Nagorno Karabakh conflict is in hand of
Baku and Yerevan”

Baku. Anakhanum Hidayatova – APA. “This year can be a test year
towards settlement of Nagorno Karabakh conflict”, Director-General
of the Information and Analytical Center for Study of the Social and
Political Processes in post-Soviet space Alexey Vlasov said at the
press conference in Baku.

He said that the West was not showing direct interest to the settlement
of this conflict: “As you know, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
visited the South Caucasus region some time ago. She didn’t put
forward any clear proposal on the conflict’s settlement.

Taking into account Washington’s interest in the region, she might
have put forward a concrete proposal. As you see, the mediators have
serious problems on this issue”.

Vlasov said that though Russia is one of the important participants of
negotiation process on the settlement of Nagorno Karabakh conflict,
the sides that should agree to compromise are Azerbaijan and Armenia
only: “The positions of the sides doesn’t coincide, process reaches
a dead-end. Key to the solution of the problem is in hand of Baku
and Yerevan”.

From: Baghdasarian

NATO EXPANDS PRESENCE IN CAUCASUS AS BROADER WAR LOOMS
by Rick Rozoff

Center for Research on Globalization

June 29 2012

On the sidelines of the twentieth anniversary summit of the
Organization of Black Sea Economic Cooperation in Istanbul, Turkey
on June 26, Georgia’s President Mikheil Saakashvili met with his
Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gul and, according to Trend News Agency
of Azerbaijan, dscussed “Issues of regional security and stability… ”

The presidents also discussed regional – Transcaucasian and
Trans-Caspian – energy and transportation projects engineered by the
United States and several key NATO allies over the past twenty years.

President Gul also met with Azerbaijan’s president Ilham Aliyev
to deliberate over, among other matters, the increasingly volatile
situation on the borders of Azerbaijan and Armenia and Azerbaijan
and Nagorno-Karabakh, where over a dozen Armenian and Azerbaijani
soldiers have been killed in armed clashes this month.

The unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic is supported by Armenia
and although surrounded by Azerbaijan is near Armenia to its west and
Iran to its south. The fact that deadly hostilities have of late not
only occurred along Azerbaijan’s border with Nagorno-Karabakh but
with Armenia directly is cause for particular concern.

Standing immediately behind Azerbaijan in any war to “reclaim”
Nagorno-Karabakh, as Azeri officials from the president down constantly
threaten, is its ethnic and linguistic cousin and main military ally
Turkey. Having conducted ongoing armed incursions and air strikes
inside Iraq against the Kurdistan Workers Party, branded a terrorist
organization by Turkey, the U.S. and NATO, and actively preparing
for the same against Syria (which is defending its own territory),
there is no reason to believe that Ankara would sit on the sidelines
if Azerbaijan attacked Nagorno-Karabakh and in so doing triggered a
war with Armenia.

Armenia is, like Azerbaijan and Georgia, a NATO partner (all three
are members of the Partnership for Peace program, have an Individual
Membership Action Plan and have deployed troops to Afghanistan under
NATO command), but alone among the South Caucasus nations is also a
member of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, Russia’s only
security alliance in the former Soviet Union.

If a new and expanded conflict erupts between Armenia and Azerbaijan
and Turkey backs the second and Russia the first, the threat of a
direct confrontation between NATO and Russia would be a possibility
for the first time.

Three weeks ago Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visited all three
South Caucasus nations – Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia – and in
the third country pledged American assistance in training the armed
forces of the nation “to better monitor your coasts and your skies”
and committed Washington to “helping Georgia give its officers the
21st century training they need for today’s changing missions.”

She also reiterated the U.S. and NATO contention that independent
Abkhazia and South Ossetia (along with Nagorno-Karabakh and
Transdniester the so-called frozen conflicts in former Soviet space)
are part of Georgia and currently “occupied territories” ; that is,
occupied by Russia which has troops in both new nations.

In the aftermath of the five-day war between Georgia and Russia
in August 2008 following Georgia’s armed assault on South Ossetia,
Russian officials revealed that air and other bases in Georgian had
been prepared for prospective attacks against Iran. Georgia’s military
has been upgraded and transformed by the U.S. Marine Corps (and for
a brief period before that by Green Beret U.S. Army special forces)
over the past decade and 2,000 U.S.-trained Georgian troops served in
Iraq and soon 1,700 will be in Afghanistan. The Pentagon has prepared
the Georgian army for expeditionary operations in foreign theaters
of war and, as President Saakashvili has repeatedly emphasized,
made it a modernized, more battle-ready force for wars nearer home.

On June 25 Saakashvili asserted “we have real chances to become a
NATO member” at the next summit of the military bloc, stating:

~SThe next summit will probably take place in 2014 and I think that
Georgia will have a very good chance; I~Rve never been so sure about
it as I am now.~T

After meeting with what NATO refers to as aspirant countries – Georgia,
Bosnia, Macedonia and Montenegro – at the alliance summit last month,
Hillary Clinton vowed that those states and perhaps others were
candidates for full NATO membership, saying “I believe this summit
should be the last summit that is not an enlargement summit.”

When Georgia joins NATO the latter will be in an immediate de facto
state of conflict with Russia over Abkhazia and South Ossetia which,
recall, in Clinton’s words are Russian-occupied parts of Georgia.

On June 22 NATO’s Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Transformation,
Poland’s General Mieczyslaw Bieniek, visited Georgia for two days
and according to the Georgian Ministry of Defence stated, “Georgia`s
aspiration toward NATO has been once more confirmed at the Bucharest
and Chicago summits and Georgia is making a lot of efforts on its
way to NATO integration. ”

Bieniek toured the host country’s National Defence Academy, lecturing
students on the role of the U.S.-based Allied Command Transformation,
and met with the defense attachés of NATO member states in Georgia.

Three days before 28 U.S. soldiers graduated from a course at the
Sachkhere Mountain Training School, a NATO standard and NATO-supported
institution. The graduation ceremony was attended by leading Georgian
military officials and representatives of the NATO Liaison Office
in Georgia. The latter was opened in October 2010 and its purpose
is, as described by NATO, to “Provide advice and assistance to the
Government of Georgia in support of civilian and military reform
efforts required for NATO integration” and to “Conduct liaison with
Georgian, NATO, Allied, and Partner Authorities to enhance cooperation
and understanding in pursuit of the NATO/Georgia goal of Georgia
becoming a full NATO member.”

According to a statement issued by the Georgian Defence Ministry last
July, “Under PfP [Partnership for Peace] status the School will train
military units of NATO and its partner countries’ armed forces.”

It added:

“In September the instructors of the Mountain Training School
will conduct a mountain training basic summer course for military
servicemen of NATO countries. The essential part of the course
consists of practical exercises. Its aim is to provide soldiers with
the basic mountain-technical skills and master them in operating
under mountain circumstances. The exercise will be conducted in the
English language…

“Under the schedule military servicemen from Poland, the Czech
Republic, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia will undergo trainings in
the Sachkhere Mountain Training School as well.”

NATO Deputy Secretary General Alexander Vershbow, a former National
Security Council and Defense Department official and U.S. ambassador
to NATO, is paying a two-day visit to Georgia on June 28-29, where
he will meet with several major government officials, including the
defense minister, interior minister and national security advisor as
well as deliver a keynote speech at the Georgia Defence and Security
Conference on June 29.

The South Caucasus, composed of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia,
Nagorno-Karabakh, Abkhazia and South Ossetia, borders Iran, Russia
and Turkey and will not remain unaffected by military conflicts in
the general region, nor will hostilities between states in the region
not create the potential for far larger conflicts.

From: Baghdasarian

OVER PAST 5 YEARS ARMENIA INCREASED GREEN ENERGY OUTPUT FOR FOUR TIMES

Utility Products

June 29 2012

Over the past 5 years Armenia increased the electric power output
of small hydropower plants (HPPs) for four times, which is the main
achievement in the green energy production, Deputy Minister of Energy
and Natural Resources of Armenia, Areg Galstyan, told ArmInfo.

He said that four years ago the small HPPs of Armenia generated 120
mln KW/h of electric power, in 2011 – a bit more than 400 mln KW/h,
and in 2012 this index will approach 500 mln KW/h, which will be 8%
of the total energy output in the country. “This is a brilliant
result and it is the most essential achievement of Armenia in the
green energy production sphere for the past few years”, said Galstyan.

He pointed out that renewable energy is pollution-free energy, as the
small HPPs cause the least damage to the environment. Galstyan thinks
the economically demanded and grounded potential for the small HPPs
is about 300 mln KW/h for the next few years.

According to Galstyan, Armenia is trying to develop the renewable power
generation, and observes all the environmental requirements at the same
time. “We word out all our programs with due regard for environmental
standards”, he said. He also pointed out that the Ministry sees that
the HPPs are not built in national parks and sanctuaries.

He said that according to the strategy of the Water Code, it is
first of all necessary to supply the communities with drinking and
irrigation water, and only after that to use the water for electric
power generation. He added that the prime cost of electric power of
the small HPPs is comparatively low, though it is higher than the
prime cost of the electric power generated by the Nuclear Power Plant.

To note, since last year the maximum admissible capacity for the small
HPPs in Armenia has been increased to 30 MW against the former 10 MW.

There are over 100 small HPPs in Armenia.

From: Baghdasarian

5 UNDISCOVERED DESTINATIONS TO SEE BEFORE YOU DIE
Olivia Katrandjian

PolicyMic

June 29 2012

If you’re looking for an atypical vacation in a non-traditional
location, these five places are among the most beautiful in the world:

1. Nagorno Karabakh

If you’re looking for an adventure through largely unknown territory,
Nagorno Karabakh, a landlocked autonomous region between Armenia and
Azerbaijan, is the place to go. A country recognized by no one, it’s
the kind of place that’s so contested that not only does it not have
an embassy anywhere, but its “Office of Permanent Representation”
in Armenia doesn’t even ask if you want your visa pasted into your
passport. They know you don’t, so they just attach it with a paper
clip.

Once you make it to Karabakh (which is only accessible through
Armenia), stay at the recently built Armenia Hotel in the capital,
Stepanakert, and use the city as your base to explore the region.

Feast on shish kebob and grilled vegetables. Go to the local market
where an old Armenian woman will fry you a piece of jengyalov hatz,
a bread stuffed with 13 types of herbs, on a burning hot griddle.

While in Stepanakert, visit the Museum of Fallen Soldiers, where the
walls are lined with photographs of the Armenians who died during
the 1990-1994 war with Azerbaijan.

Don’t miss the Gandzasar Monastery, meaning “hilltop treasure,”
built in the 10th century. Visit at night when the lighting gives
this ancient church a ghostly presence.

To explore the countryside, use the Janapar hiking trail, which
will take you through snow-topped mountains and fields of yellow and
red flowers.

“Karabakh and Armenia have always had footpaths used by natives to get
from one village to the next, to monasteries and to trade routes,”
said Raffi Kojian, who designed the trail in 2007. “Shepherds have
created a network as well, to graze the animals. The Janapar is a
weaving of these many paths to form one long route for visitors who
want to experience some of the best Karabakh has to offer. Hikers
will meet lots of helpful and curious locals along the route, and no
doubt experience some of the legendary hospitality.”

The trail is designed to end at a different village each night, so you
can easily plan accommodations. If you’re staying with a local, don’t
be surprised if you’re offered homemade mulberry vodka with breakfast.

Drink up.

2. Carnival in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Every February, the beat of the samba drum spreads through the streets
and beaches of Rio de Janeiro like a disease, infecting all those
who flock to the city for the festivities with the spirit of Carnival.

Wings made of brightly-colored feathers glitter on the backs of women
wearing little more than jeweled bikinis. Bronze men in lipstick and
coconut bras down cans of ice-cold beer, called cerveja. Tourists
look on in amazement, stunned to see the biggest street party in the
world sprawled out in front of them.

Samba, which was born in the favelas, is now danced by all classes
during Carnival, from the ballroom of the Copacabana Palace to the
streets of the slums.

Members of Rio’s six best samba schools practice for months to compete
in the Samba Parade, one of the highlights of the festival. Each
school, made up of between 3,000 and 5,000 people, has 75 minutes to
dance, sing their theme song, and impress the judges and millions of
viewers with intricate costumes and floats.

The schools that don’t qualify for the competition take to the streets,
performing in block parties, called blocos. During Carnival, hundreds
of blocos take place in Rio, effectively shutting down the city.

Costumed strangers press up against each other in the crowded streets.

Beach volleyball and pick-up soccer games make way for groups that
parade down the beach. No one seems to tire.

3. Atacama Desert, Chile

The Atacama Desert in northern Chile may be one of the most
inhospitable places on Earth. “You would have to be mad to live here,”
said Fiona Martin of the Tierra Atacama, a hotel in the area.

Climatologists call it the driest place in the world, and some areas
have not seen rainfall in recorded history. But the sights the region
has to offer more than make up for having chapped lips and dry skin.

The town of San Pedro de Atacama is a stepping stone to the vast
desert that surrounds it. The dusty streets are lined with day-trip
operators who will take you to any of the area’s spectacular sights.

Go east to the Bolivian border, where you can climb the snow-capped
Licancabur Volcano. South is the Salar de Atacama, the largest
salt flat in Chile and the second largest in the world, where pink
flamingoes graze in clear blue lagoons against a backdrop of volcanoes
and the Andes Mountains. Go north to El Tatio, a field of more than 80
active geysers that erupt up to six meters high. Or turn west to walk
through the 23-million-year-old rock formations in the Valley of Death
(Valle de la Muerte) and the Valley of the Moon (Valle de la Luna),
where it’s so quiet you can hear the salt crack from the heat.

4. Luang Prabang, Laos

Skip Laos’ capital, Vientiane, and head to Luang Prabang, a city set
at the confluence of the Mekong and Khan rivers. The quaint city has
a laid-back charm and tranquility that exudes Laos’ motto: Please
Don’t Rush. A designated World Heritage Site, the city is filled with
golden Buddhist temples and colonial mansions that date back to the
French rule. If you’re up early enough, you’ll see monks in orange
robes walking down the main thoroughfare, collecting alms of rice or
fruit from townspeople.

A short tuk tuk drive away from Luang Prabang is the Kouang Si Falls,
a multi-level waterfall, beginning with a 60-meter waterfall and
spilling through several pools below. For a $2 entrance fee, you can
feel like a kid again, taking dips in picturesque gem-colored pools,
sliding down smooth rocks, jumping off waterfalls, or climbing a tree
and rope swinging into the water.

In the evening, head to the night market on Sisavangvong Road, where
you can find painted paper umbrellas and lanterns, colorful handbags
made by local tribes, handmade silver jewelry, and, of course,
spice-filled Lao street food. This market may be one of the only
places in Asia where you’re not hassled.

5. Cuba (Reporting provided by Whitney Sher)

If you don’t plan on working for the U.S. government or care to abide
by the U.S economic embargo, Cuba is where you should plan your next
trip. It will not be your typical Caribbean beach vacation or touristy
activities-laden trip but a more cultural and historical (i.e.

communist) experience.

To get there, you can fly using any non-American airline carrier via
Canada or Mexico on any passport to Havana. Get your tourist visa
ahead of time from the Cuban Consulate (in person in Washington, DC
or by mail). Stay at a casa particular every night. Like most things
in Cuba, this B&B style housing is highly regulated by the government.

You’ll get to stay with local families renting out an extra bedroom
and consume delicious eggs, toast, fresh milk and fruit, and freshly
ground coffee for breakfast.

Spend a day or two in Havana walking around this old cobblestoned
city and drink guarapo (freshly pressed cane juice) in the heat
of the afternoon, visit Ernest Hemingway’s old haunts for a real
Havana Club rum and coke, see the rations bodegas, eat ropa vieja
(shredded beef simmered in tomato sauce) for dinner, and have ice
cream, communist-style, at Coppelia’s.

Make sure to get your hand on some local currency, pesos nacionales,
instead of the tourist currency, the CUC or “convertible,” for a more
authentic use of your money. You’ll be able to buy the most delicious
fresh guava, mango, and papaya smoothies and street food.

Rent a car that comes with an almost-empty tank – to be returned as
empty as you wish – and pick up locals along the deserted highway to
have great friendly conversations during your drive. Go to Viñales, a
town famous for its wooden porches and rocking chairs, its huge caves,
and great luscious hiking landscape. On your way to Viñales, visit
the Orquideario de Soroa, the largest orchid gardens in the world.

Next, spend the day driving to Trinidad, famous for its Spanish
colonial architecture and beaches. Go snorkeling during the day in
the Casilda Bay or diving around sunken ships and salsa dance the
night away in the street to ever-present live music.

From: Baghdasarian

VAHE AVETYAN DIED

Story from Lragir.am News:

Published: 20:40:05 – 29/06/2012

At about 18:30 the military doctor Vahe Avetyan died.

Doctor Vahe Avetyan and another employee of the military hospital
Artak Bayadyan were brutally beaten by the security guards of Harsnakar
Restaurant owned by Ruben Hairapetyan in the evening of June 17.

Vahe Avetyan was in coma and did not wake up.

Avetyan was a military doctor, the head of ENT unit of the military
hospital. The doctor, 33 had severe brain injuries.

6 members of the security staff have been arrested. Human rights
activists say judging by the investigation everything is done to
cover up the case, particularly the owner of the restaurant though
press reported that he had ordered to beat.

From: Baghdasarian

THE EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW OF ARMENPRESS WITH PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE HERMAN VAN ROMPUY
Armen Ghazaryan

ARMENPRESS
29 June, 2012
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, JUNE 29, ARMENPRESS: President of the Council of Europe
Herman Van Rompuy will visit Yerevan next week. Prior the visit,
“Armenpress” interviewed Herman Van Rompuy on Armenia-European Union
relations, Nagorno Karabakh conflict and regulation processes of
Armenian-Turkish relations.

Mr. President, in the past few years Armenia and the European Union
have registered important progress in their bilateral relations. In
your assessment what further steps do the two parties need to enhance
the quality of these relations?

We are experiencing overall progress in the EU-Armenian relationship.

The Association Agreement is moving forward, and we have started
negotiations on the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area. Earlier
this year we also launched negotiations on Visa Facilitation and
Readmission Agreement. In addition to this, the European Union
provides different forms of support to Armenia including on institution
building. Let me underline that the European Union is in many ways a
community of principles and values.Armenia has, as a partner in the
Eastern Partnership, signed up to share these values.

Closer association between the EU and Armenia is directly linked
to this aspiration. I therefore encourage Armenia to continue on
the path of reform, towards strengthening democratic institutions,
promoting transparency, human rights and the rule of law. The stronger
Armenia’s commitment to pursue genuine reform, the more we will be able
to cooperate and support you. In this context, the EU welcomes the
efforts made by the Armenian authorities to deliver more transparent
and competitive parliamentary elections. This was an important step
forward, although there still are a number of issues that will need
to be addressed, as identified in the Final Report by the OSCE/ODIHR
Election Observation Mission. We trust that these issues will be
addressed before the upcoming Presidential elections.

How long, in your opinion, will it take to conclude Deep and
Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement between Armenia and the EU, and
in which particular ways can it be mutually beneficial for the parties?

There is no time limit for the negotiations. Their pace depends on the
willingness and readiness of the parties to advance. The outcome and
the results matter more than the speed of such negotiations. Three
rounds of negotiations have been scheduled for 2012 and given the
commitment presented by Armenia so far, the EU considers that the
negotiations could progress smoothly and rapidly. I expect that this
future agreement will open up many new opportunities for Armenia.

Exporters will be able to take advantage of the further opening of the
EU internal market for Armenian goods and services. It is known that
progress in Armenia-EU relations was mainly due to Eastern Partnership
initiative, in which six countries take part.

How do you assess the progress of this initiative and what countries
have registered the best results?

We launched the Eastern Partnership in 2009 with a clear aim to
support reforms in Eastern partner countries, and accelerate their
political and economic association with the European Union. Much has
already been achieved. Negotiations on Association Agreements with
Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Areas are very well advanced with
the Republic of Moldova, Georgia and, as I mentioned, Armenia. Similar
negotiations have already been completed with Ukraine though final
ratification will depend on the respect of the values Ukraine
signed up to through the Eastern Partnership. Selective justice and
criminalisation of the opposition are for instance not compatible
with these values. Negotiations on an Association Agreement are
also under way with Azerbaijan. We are also aiming to make travel
between the EU and partner countries easier for citizens, with visa
free regime as the ultimate goal. We already have a process with
the Republic of Moldova and Ukrainein place for visa liberalisation,
and we will soon start a similar exercise with Georgia. Negotiations
on visa facilitation and readmission agreements are under way with
Armenia and Azerbaijan and a comparable offer has been extended to
Belarus. The EU can also offer support to reinforce institutions, and
such co-operation is advancing well in Armenia, Georgia and Moldova.

Additionally, the Eastern Partnership provides a platform for
multilateral cooperation between the EU and all six partners to enhance
regional cooperation and exchange best practices. Civil society,
national parliaments and local and regional authorities are also
associated to these initiatives. The EU is determined to continue
support partners by sharing know-how, giving political support and
providing financial assistance. Nonetheless, this support is determined
by the pace of reforms.

The settlement of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is one of the priorities
of the EU in the South Caucasus. It was very often stated that
the EU wants to contribute to confidence building measures between
Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan. Could you please specify what are
those measures and in what other spheres the EU is ready to contribute?

I would like to underline that military force will not resolve the
conflict. Only a peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
will help transform the South Caucasus into a stable region and a
fully functioning gateway between Europe and Asia. This is clearly in
the best interest of our partner countries, Armenia and Azerbaijan,
and is also an important interest for the European Union. The EU has
reinvigorated its support to the work of the OSCE Minsk group. We
welcome all the considerable efforts, including the latest statement
at the G20 summit, of the Co-Chairs; France, theRussian Federation
and the United States of America. The responsibility to reach an
agreement is essentially in the hands of Armenia and Azerbaijan,
and we urge them to pursue a peaceful solution based on the Madrid
principles with vision, wisdom and courage. We are concerned at the
slow progress in the negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan to
resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. And it was with great concern
that I learnt about recent violence along the Line of Contact and the
border between Azerbaijan and Armenia. I deeply regret the tragic and
unnecessary loss of life. The European Union has repeatedly expressed
readiness to contribute to confidence building measures, where it can
help the work of the OSCE Minsk Group. In this regard, the European
Union is prepared to further promote the engagement of civil society
in confidence-building and contacts between the populations on both
sides. This will help foster trust and allow people affected by the
conflict to fully take part in the debates on perspectives for peace.

In addition, the EU conducts regular political dialogue with both
partner countries, and has also appointed the EU Special Representative
for the South Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia, Ambassador Phillipe
Lefort. We also support the OSCE-proposed mechanism to investigate
ceasefire violations and stand ready to share the EU’s relevant
experience and good practices in promoting conflict transformation.

Recently the European Parliament has adopted a resolution, expressing
the wish to have unconditional access to Nagorno-Karabakh. What were
the incentives for such steps? Can this be considered as a step in
the direction of de jure recognition of Nagorno-Karabakh ?

No, this does not constitute any form of recognition of
Nagorno-Karabakh. The Council of the European Union, as well as
the European Parliament, have underlined the need for unrestricted
access for EU representatives to Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding
regions. For the EU, this is a principled and pragmatic matter, as
it would help turn into action our readiness to support confidence
building measures now and to provide rehabilitation and reconstruction
assistance once a settlement is achieved.

The Armenian-Turkish border is the last one in Europe. Is it acceptable
to have closed borders in the 21st century in modern Europe, while
Turkey is still trying to impose precondition for the establishment
of Armenian-Turkish diplomatic relations?

The European Union encourages Armenia and Turkey to normalize
their bilateral relations without preconditions (from any side). We
believe that the full normalization of relations between Armenia
and Turkey would be an important contribution to security, stability
and cooperation in the Southern Caucasus. We call on both countries
to continue their dialogue and remain committed to the process. An
important first step would indeed be the opening of the border.

From: Baghdasarian

UZBEKISTAN’S WITHDRAWAL FROM CSTO WILL HAVE NO BEARING ON ARMENIA – POLITICAL SCIENTIST

news.am
June 29, 2012 | 15:19

YEREVAN. – Uzbekistan’s withdrawal from the Collective Security Treaty
Organization (CSTO) was neither accidental nor unexpected, Armenian
Analytical Centre on Globalization and Regional Cooperation Director,
political analyst Stepan Grigoryan told Armenian News-NEWS.am.

He reminded that this is the second time that Uzbekistan is leaving
the CSTO.

In Grigoryan’s words, different countries have different reasons
for withdrawing from the Organization, but, in Uzbekistan’s case,
they are very comprehensible. “Uzbekistan has very serious issues
with Tajikistan,” he said.

The political scientist also noted that the CSTO is an organization
which is not very effective, and this is apparent. And this, as per
Grigoryan, is conditioned on the fact that Russia has no resources to
help the other CSTO countries. “Uzbekistan’s problems are not solved
by remaining in the CSTO,” said the analyst.

But Stepan Grigoryan is convinced that this step by Uzbekistan will
have no bearing on Armenia as a CSTO member.

“We should not be naïve. No Central Asian country will help Armenia
during a conflict with Azerbaijan,” he said, and added that this also
refers to Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan because they, too, have their
own problems.

To note, after the termination of Uzbekistan’s CSTO membership,
Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Russia
remain as Organization members.

From: Baghdasarian