Author: Boshkezenian Garik

RUBEN SAFRASTYAN: SOONER OR LATER NEW ARMENIAN-TURKISH PROCESS WILL START

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
29.03.2010 17:40 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Turkey does not seek to ratify the Armenian-Turkish
protocols, Professor Ruben Safrastyan, Director of the Institute of
Oriental Studies of RA NAS told a news conference in Yerevan.

According to him, Turkey by its diplomatic steps drove the
Armenian-Turkish process to a deadlock.

"If this process does not find its logical conclusion, sooner or
later a new Armenian-Turkish process will start," Safrastyan said.

"It depends on Turkey, whether the Armenian-Turkish process to get
out of the deadlock or not," Ruben Safrastyan said. To process out
of the impasse, Ankara should take steps to demonstrate its interest
in continuation of that process, the expert concluded.

According to Ruben Safrastyan, Armenia should not be the first to
ratify the Protocols, and wait for Turkey’s action.

The Protocols aimed at normalization of bilateral ties and opening of
the border between Armenia and Turkey were signed in Zurich by Armenian
Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian and his Turkish counterpart Ahmet
Davutoglu on October 10, 2009, after a series of diplomatic talks
held through Swiss mediation. On January 12, 2010, the Constitutional
Court of the Republic of Armenia found the protocols conformable to
the country’s Organic Law.

The Protocols aimed at normalization of bilateral ties and opening of
the border between Armenia and Turkey were signed in Zurich by Armenian
Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian and his Turkish counterpart Ahmet
Davutoglu on October 10, 2009, after a series of diplomatic talks
held through Swiss mediation. On January 12, 2010, the Constitutional
Court of the Republic of Armenia found the protocols conformable to
the country’s Organic Law.

Itar-Tass, Russia
March 23 2010

Turkey, Azerbaijan suspend talks on Nabucco

23.03.2010, 15.26

ANKARA, March 23 (Itar-Tass) – The talks between Turkey and
Azerbaijan on the Nabucco gas pipeline project has been suspended,
Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yildiz told a news conference on
Ankara’s energy policy on Tuesday.

He stressed that the contacts with Baku on this project were suspended
`for political reasons.’

The Nabucco pipeline will run across Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkey,
Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Austria. It will pump gas from the
Caspian region to Europe bypassing Russia.

The project is estimated at almost 8 billion U.S. dollars. More than
one third of the pipeline will run across Turkey’s territory.

From Sydney to Las Vegas, world to go dark for Earth Hour
27.03.2010 14:31

Ruzan Khachatryan
`Radiolur’

Global landmarks from Sydney’s Opera House to the glittering Las Vegas
Strip, will be plunged into darkness on Saturday for the `Earth Hour’
starting from 8:30 p.m. Yerevan time.

The Armenian Ministry of Environmental Protection, the Yerevan City
Hall, the HSBC-Aremnia Bank, the Congress Hotel, a number of
organizations, as well as the UN Yerevan Office will join the action.

The United Nations will observe `Earth Hour’ at its Headquarters in
New York and other facilities around the world to show its continuing
commitment to action on climate change.

`As we watch the lights go out from continent to continent, let us
reflect on the fragility and importance of our natural heritage and
pledge to protect it for a sustainable future for all, UN
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said.

`By switching off non-essential lights for an hour, people will join a
symbolic display that can inspire the change we so urgently need,’ he
said.

Hundreds of millions of homes, in scores of cities scattered around
125 countries will also join the great Earth Hour switch-off.

Iconic structures like the Empire State Building and Egypt’s pyramids,
Sydney’s Harbor Bridge, the Bosporus Bridge in Istanbul, the Eiffel
Tower in Paris, the Buckingham Palace in London, the Roman Coliseum
will be plunged into darkness for an hour.

Beijing’s Forbidden City and Bird’s Nest Stadium will also go dark
along with dozens of cities in China, the world’s biggest carbon
polluter.

Earth hour was conceived by WWF and The Sydney Morning Herald in 2007,
when 2.2 million residents of Sydney participated by turning off all
non-essential lights. Following Sydney’s lead, many other cities
around the world adopted the event in 2008.

More than one billion people in about 6,000 cities around the globe
are expected to participate in the action this year.

Akcyz
March 26, 2010 Friday

Armenia: Philip Morris estimates market at 5.3bn cigarettes per year

ABSTRACT
According to a subdivision of Philip Morris International, Armenian
cigarette market totals 5-5.3bn items per year. Philip Morris’ goods
account for 18.3% of the market in the capital of the country,
Yerevan. In general, the presence index of the company’s trademarks is
lower in Armenia. Goods are mainly supplied from the company’s
enterprises in Ukraine and Russia. Products are represented in all
price segments. The company Vidis Distribution imports cigarettes to
Armenia. Import exceeded 920mn cigarettes in 2009.

Baku violates ceasefire over 100 times over past week

27.03.2010 19:11 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Baku violated ceasefire on NKR-Azerbaijan line of
contact over 100 times over past week (March 21-27).
According to NKR defense army provided data, leading troops of Azeri
army centered fire on Karabakh side’s positions located in south
-eastern, central and north-eastern directions of the line of contact.

`Specifically, on March 22-23 the rival centered fire on Karmiravan,
Namirli, Jraberd, Seysulan, Shurabad and Yamrja for 34 times. Azeri
side applied AK-type small arms, as well as special purpose sniper
rifles,’ NKR Defense Ministry press service told PanARMENIAN.Net.

After NKR defense army’s leading subdivision response, the rival
ceased fire. Karabakh side suffered no losses as a result of ceasefire
violation.

CZECH DEFENSE MINISTER DUE TO ARRIVE IN ARMENIA

Panorama.am
12:19 25/03/2010

Politics

On March 26 the delegation headed by Martin Bartak, Deputy Prime
Minister and Defense Minister of the Czech Republic, is due to arrive
in Armenia on an official visit. The Defense Ministers of Armenia and
the Czech Republic Seyran Ohanyan and Martin Bartak are expected to
have a face-to face meeting to be followed by a meeting of Armenian
and Czech delegations, according to Defense Ministry press department.

Document signing ceremony and a press briefing have been scheduled
in the Defense Ministry administrative complex.

Within the formwork of the visit, the Czech Defense Minister will
meet with the Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan and will visit
Tsitsernakaberd to pay tribute to the memory of the Armenian Genocide
victims.

SEARCHES CONDUCTED IN PENITENTIARY INSTITUTIONS

4/search
04:30 pm | March 24, 2010

Social

Thirty-nine liters of alcoholic beverage were found and confiscated
in Armenian penitentiary institutions.

The search also revealed 105 mobile phones, 75 piercing tools and
two cases of illegal drug turnover.

Two inmates have been hospitalized. Another three convicts have
returned from hospitals to penitentiary institutions, reports
Arsen Babayan, a spokesman for the Justice Ministry’s Department
of Penitentiaries

ARMENIAN COURT REFUSES TO BLOCK MINING PROJECT
Hasmik Smbatian

1992756.html
24.03.2010

An Armenian court on Wednesday rejected a lawsuit against a
controversial mining project which ecologists say would wreak further
havoc on Armenia’s shrinking green areas.

The environment protection group Ekodar asked the Administrative
Court earlier this year to annul recent years’ government decisions
allowing a private mining company to develop a massive copper and
molybdenum deposit in the northern Lori region.

The Teghut deposit is estimated to contain 1.6 million tons of copper
and about 100,000 tons of molybdenum. Its commercial exploitation
would result in the destruction of 357 hectares of rich forest,
including 128,000 trees.

In their 66-page lawsuit, Ekodar lawyers said the
Lichtenstein-registered company Armenian Copper Program (ACP) received
an official authorization to press ahead with the project in violation
of laws and government regulations relating to environment protection.

The Ministry of Environment and other government agencies sued by
the non-governmental organization deny this.

The court took the government’s side in the dispute, ruling that
Ekodar is not even entitled to taking legal action against the
Teghut-related decisions. The verdict came just one day after it opened
public hearings on the case. The presiding judge, Artsrun Mirzoyan,
controversially decided on Tuesday to adjudicate the dispute under
an "accelerated procedure" that bars litigants from making oral
presentations of their cases and asking each other questions in court.

Hayk Alumian, an Ekodar lawyer, said this was done to minimize public
resonance caused by the suit. "I knew that there is pressure on the
court and that the court will not agree to rule in our favor," he told
RFE/RL. "But at least I expected a public trial during which we would
present our arguments and hear the arguments of the opposite side."

Hrayr Savzian, the Ekodar chairman, expressed hope that the brief
court battle will nonetheless put the Teghut controversy under greater
international spotlight. He said the European Court of Human Rights
is already looking into a lawsuit filed by his organization.

The global economic crisis appears to have put the Teghut project on
hold. ACP has yet to attract an estimated $260 million in investments
needed for its implementation. A top ACP executive said last year that
the company has delayed the launch of large-scale open-pit operations
at Teghut until 2011.

ACP, which operates copper mines and a smelter elsewhere in Lori,
admits the heavy environmental cost of its plans but says that will
be more than offset by 1,400 new jobs which it has pledged to create
in the economically depressed area. It has also pledged to build new
schools and make other investments in the local infrastructure.

PROTOCOLS ARE UNLIKELY TO BE RATIFIED UNTIL APRIL 24: TURKISH POLITICIAN

news.am
March 23 2010
Armenia

Armenia-Turkey Protocols are unlikely to be ratified till April 24 –
95th anniversary of 1915 events, leader of Turkish Liberal Democratic
Party Cem Toker told journalists in Yerevan today.

He stressed that as was expected, Turkish government directly linked
Armenia-Turkey reconciliation with Karabakh peace process. Besides,
official Ankara uses RA Constitutional Court judgment that excludes any
possibility for Yerevan to renounce Armenian Genocide. "I think that
linkage of two processes is unadvisable. If Turkey settles relations
with Armenia, it will have more leverage to pressurize Baku and Yerevan
on Karabakh issue. However, Ankara has already linked these processes
and reverse is impossible. Presently we can assert that the Protocols
are frozen," Toker stated.

Turkish politician considers attempts of great powers to artificially
accelerate the reconciliation process incorrect. Toker believes it
is crucial to break stereotypes between the nations and intensify
dialogue between civil societies’ members. "This is how the real
normalization might be achieved. Turks and Armenians must initiate
dialogue on their own, whereas the pressure by world powers only
impedes the process. Our people live side by side for already 700
years and current level of relations is unacceptable," he concluded.

THE US HAS A MORAL STANCE

epan
06:06 pm | March 23, 2010

Political scientist Stepan Grigoryan believes Armenia and Turkey must
solve their issues tete-a-tete. "We must make Turkey recognize the
Armenian Genocide. I have a negative position on third powers trying to
reach recognition of the Armenian Genocide through pressure. After all,
no matter how many parliaments recognize the Armenian Genocide, we will
not get anything out of that as long as Turkey has not recognized it,"
the political scientist told "A1+" today.

According to Grigoryan, Turkey had to take into account that if it
didn’t ratify the Turkey-Armenia Protocols, third powers would take
advantage of that. "The US has a, to say the least, moral stance. The
US continues to touch upon the Armenian Genocide and in the end,
doesn’t recognize it. Presidential candidates feed the people with
their pledges and then don’t do anything."

Grigoryan is almost certain that Erdgoan will not accept Obama’s
invitation and leave for Washington being sure that he will be under
pressure because Serzh Sargsyan is also invited toWashington.

Grigoryan also doesn’t believe the resolution adopted by the US
Foreign Affairs Committee on the Armenian Genocide will reach the
plenary session of Congress.

According to the political scientist, Armenia must ratify the
Turkey-Armenia Protocols and not demand anything from Turkey for a
couple of months. "Turkey, with its population of 75 million people,
can’t know the truth in 3 years. Turkey needs time and we shouldn’t
rush the country. We can take a 3-5 month break."

The lack of ratification by both countries, according to Grigoryan,
is against the sides and in the interest of the third powers. "For
instance, the European countries that were against the signing of the
Turkey-Armenia Protocols were the ones that started recognizing the
Armenian Genocide, knowing that it would disturb the normalization
of relations between the two countries."

Grigoryan says the Turks also condemn Erdogan’s statement on deporting
illegal Armenians from Turkey.

"If we constantly focus on problematic issues, we will clearly lead the
ratification of the Turkey-Armenia Protocols to failure. For instance,
why don’t we talk about the fact that the Armenian community of Turkey
has an official status as a Christian community? Turkey returned
different properties, including buildings, territories and more,"
said Grigoryan.