Author: Chakrian Hovsep

Hranush Hakobyan: CC decision reflects the Diaspora concerns
16.01.2010 14:36

Nvard Davtyan
`Radiolur’

`The Constitutional Court adopted a document that reflects the
concerns of the Diaspora and further unites our compatriots,’ Minister
of Diaspora Affairs Hranush Hakobyan told a press conference today.

According to Mrs. Hakobyan, the Court clearly stated that the
Armenian-Turkish relations have nothing to do with a third country –
Azerbaijan. The Genocide issue is not subject to discussion, either.

`The Constitutional Court noted that the protocols solve two issues –
opening of the border and establishment of diplomatic relations. All
other questions require agreements, which should grow into documents
and be ratified after months and years of negotiations,’ Hranush
Hakobyan said.

CONSTITUTIONAL COURT IS AN ACCOMPLICE IN ANTI-ARMENIAN CONSPIRACY, HERITAGE PARTY DECLARES

Noyan Tapan
Jan 15, 2010

YEREVAN, JANUARY 15, NOYAN TAPAN. Heritage party believes that the RA
Constitutional Court’s December 12 decision, by which the commitments
to be assumed by Armenia under the Armenia-Turkey protocols conform to
the RA Constitution, is anti-constitutional, illegal, anti-state and
antinational document adopted not in the name of Armenia and Artsakh,
but against these republics, their citizens, and the Armenians around
the world – is said in the party’s statement issued on the same day.

The statement notes:

"By the two Armenia-Turkey protocols signed under compulsion and by
means of trickery in Zurich on 10 October 2009, Armenia in particular
assumes commitments, that is to confirm "the mutual recognition of
the existing border between the two countries as defined in relevant
treaties of international law", to establish an intergovernmental
bilateral commission which shall include a sub-commission "on the
historical dimension with the aim … of an impartial scientific
examination of the historical records and archives to define existing
problems and formulate recommendations". The assumption of the first
commitment paves the way for solution of the argument about Turkey’s
territorial integrity and the legal and actual border between Armenia
and Turkey – not in favor of Armenia, as well as undermines the
foundations of the unexercised rights of the Armenian nation. The
adoption of the second commitment creates conditions for calling in
question the fact of the Armenian Genocide recognized by many countries
through an impartial approach. The fulfillment of these commitments
under the international and interstate obligations "to refrain from
pursuing any policy incompatible with the spirit of good neighborly
relations" and "to respect and ensure respect for the principles of
equality, sovereignty, non-intervention in internal affairs of other
states, territorial integrity and inviolability of frontiers" will
pave the way for imposing the Madrid Principles in the Artsakh problem.

The above mentioned facts alone should have been sufficient grounds for
the Constitutional Court to make a decision that the commitments to be
assumed by Armenia under the Armenia-Turkey protocols do not conform
to Articles 1 and 2 of the RA Constitution. Yet the Constitutional
Court’s decision shows that as a state government body, it is not a
bearer of delegated sovereignty of the people, moreover, it took a
criminal approach.

Heritage party states that:

– It will not accept the falsification now "being legalized" with
the participation of the Constitutional Court,

– The Constitutional Court is an accomplice in the anti-Armenian
conspiracy for yet another deprivation of Homeland,

– The Constitutional Court shares the responsibility for contributing
to the dangerous developments around Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh as
a result of the realization of the Armenia-Turkey protocols,

– The responsibility for the crucial dangerous developments, decisions
and the Constitutional Court’s ruling as their completion lies with
Armenia’s presidencies that are behind all this, as well as with the
political forces backing their policy,

– Serge Sargsyan and his regime have exceeded all bounds of resignation
and responsibility".

YEREVAN HOSTS "ETHNIC CLEANSING IN AZERBAIJAN: BAKU 1990" ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION

PanARMENIAN.Net
15.01.2010 14:40 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The office of the Armenian Ombudsman has initiated
"Ethnic cleansing in Azerbaijan: Baku 1990" roundtable discussion in
Yerevan on Friday.

"The purpose of the event is to remind the international community
about the ethnic cleansing perpetrated by Azerbaijan," said Armen
Harutyunyan, the Ombudsman of the Republic of Armenia.

"We have no intention to propagandize hatred but we can’t forget what
happened to 600 thousand Armenians in Azerbaijan," he said.

Twenty years ago the Azerbaijani authorities instigated the pogroms
of Armenian population in Baku. 400 Armenians were killed and 200
thousand were exiled in the period of January 13-19. The exact number
of those killed was never determined, as no investigation was carried
out into the crimes.

On January 13, 1990 a crowd numbering 50 thousand people divided into
groups and started "cleaning" the city of Armenians. On January 17,
the European Parliament called on EU Council of Foreign Ministers
and European Council to protect Armenians and render assistance to
Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh. On January 18, a group of U.S. Senators
sent a letter to Mikhail Gorbachev to express concerns over the
violence against the Armenian population in Azerbaijan and called
for unification of Nagorno Karabakh with Armenia.

TURKEY’S REFUSAL TO RATIFY PROTOCOLS A BETRAYAL OF INTERNATIONAL COMMITMENTS, SAYS ICG EXPERT

Asbarez
Jan 15th, 2010

YEREVAN (ArmRadio)-Turkey will have betrayed its commitments to
Armenia and the international community if it fails to quickly
ratify fence-mending agreements signed with Armenia last October,
according to an analyst at the International Crisis Group (ICG),
the Azeri Trend News Agency reported Friday.

"If Turkey doesn’t pass the protocols in Parliament in the coming
months, but Armenia does, it will look like Turkey betrayed its
commitments," explained Sabine Freizer, ICG’s Europe Program Director.

The two countries’ foreign ministers signed two protocols for
establishing diplomatic relations and opening borders on October 10,
2009. The documents, which require Armenia to agree to a historical
commission on the Genocide and recognize its de-facto border with
Turkey, have been highly unpopular among Armenians in the homeland
and Diaspora.

The Armenian Constitutional Court on January 12 ruled in favor of
the agreements, paving the way for Armenia’s parliament to begin
debates on their ratification. Turkey, however, continues to holdup
ratification of the documents, saying that Armenia must first agree
to a settlement of the Karabakh conflict in Azerbaijan’s favor before
it’s parliament can debate the protocols.

Ankara needs to make progress on its relations "because of the linkage
that Turkey, but not Armenia, is making between the protocols and
Nagorno-Karabakh," Freizer said.

According to Freizer, however, progress on the Karabakh issue is
extremely important for Turkey because of "the promises it has made
to Azerbaijan not to open its border with Armenia until there is
progress on Karabakh."

But Turkey’s continued stonewalling of the agreements will undermine
its entire foreign policy agenda, which ostensibly aims to secure
peace and stability in the South Caucasus, she said, adding that the
situation is made all the more complicated because Turkey has also
"committed to Armenia to open the border in the two protocols signed
last October."

Freizer believes this is why Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan implicitly urged the Russians to do more to broker a Karabakh
settlement during talks on Wednesday with Russian counterpart Vladimir
Putin. Erdogan told the Russian Premier that Russia can become "the
most important actor" in the Karabakh peace process.

Putin in response, publicly told Erdogan during a press conference
that Turkey should not link the normalization of its relations with
Armenia to further progress in international efforts to resolve the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. He did, however, reaffirm Moscow’s support
for Turkey’s rapprochement with Armenia, his country’s main regional.

"Russia’s ability to actually push through an agreement is perhaps
the strongest among all international players, but remains limited,
Freizer said. "It is only when the two countries and the two societies
are ready to accept these basic principles that there would be an
agreement."

Freizer said Turkey needs to understand that Russia does not have all
the keys to the problem. She pointed to a largely hollow agreement
between Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia in 2008 as an example of
Russia’s limitations in influencing a peace.

"The Russian Leadership did step in and was successful in getting a
signature from the two presidents, but this did not change anything
on the ground or get the sides closer to a comprehensive agreement,"
she said, adding that a real solution on the basic principles for
peace will only come from within Armenia and Azerbaijan.

"I think it is good if there is more high level involvement from the
OSCE countries including Russia, but again it needs to be accompanied
by a broader debate in Azerbaijan and in Armenia about the basic
principles, because it is only when the two countries and the two
societies are ready to accept these basic principles that there would
be an agreement," Freizer explained.

"So, the principles cannot be forced upon Armenia and Azerbaijan
from Russia or from the US, the societies also need to agree on them
themselves," she added.

ARMENIA TO ACQUIRE INCREASINGLY IMPORTANT ROLE IN REGION AFTER OPENING BORDER WITH TURKEY

PanARMENIAN.Net
14.01.2010 16:30 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ After ratification of Protocols and opening of
borders, Armenia will acquire an increasingly important role in the
region, according to Stepan Grigoryan, Head of Analytical Center for
Globalization and Regional Cooperation.

"Turkey is very much interested in the ratification of protocols since
following the August 2008 war the situation in the region changed,
making Turkey review its policy towards South Caucasian countries,"
he told Thursday a news conference in Yerevan.

At that, he noted that Armenia will assume a leading role, becoming
a transit route in South Caucasian countries’ Euro-integration process.

The protocols, according to Armenian expert, will be very probably
ratified before April 24. "Before the ratification of the documents
and opening of Armenian-Turkish border, Armenia must prevent third
forces from linking Armenian-Turkish process with Nagorno Karabakh
issue," he stressed.

The protocols aimed at normalization of bilateral ties and opening of
the common 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.

2010 A YEAR OF UNCERTAINTY IN NAGORNO-KARABAKH ISSUE, SAYS RUSSIAN ANALYST

Tert.am
15:08 ~U 13.01.10

"2009 left us with numerous positive expectations. The latest
developments surrounding the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict inspire great
hopes. And despite Baku’s negative response to the signing of the
Armenian-Turkish Protocols, in my opinion, that was one other way to
force Armenia to make a step in the issue of the Karabakh conflict,"
said Russian analyst Alexander Karayev in an interview with 1News.az.

The analyst isolated two points in the issue where there is
uncertainty: the first is whether the Protocols will be ratified
by the two countries’ parliaments and how Armenia will respond to
Turkey’s moves. The second point is connected with two OSCE Minsk
Group co-chair countries: the U.S. and Russia. In Karayev’s opinion,
these two superpowers can either influence or exert pressure on one
of the parties, so that the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict is resolved
this year. However, perhaps neither Moscow nor Washington will spark
such a move.

"So, if we were to summarize, it seems to me that 2009 became a year
of unforeseen activities and positive expectations, while 2010 will
become a year of uncertainty. And if during this year we don’t see
clear activities from Armenia, as well as from other countries who
can influence the settlement of the conflict, that is, from Turkey,
Russia and the U.S., then we will appear before the same issue in
which the conflict developed in 1994. This means that a resurgence
of military actions is not excluded," noted Karayev.

Asked what position the U.S. and Russia will occupy if military actions
resume, the analyst said that will become clear only after the war has
begun. "First, it’s unknown when such a development of events will
become a reality. Second, if war begins, then in all likelihood,
it will take place during that time when the current presidents’
terms have expired. It is for that reason that it will be possible to
speak about Russia’s and the U.S.’s positions only once war has begun."

Referring to the Putin-Erdogan meeting, Kareyev noted that one can
have certain expectations from that meeting; however, the subject of
the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict will in no way be the main subject of
their agenda.

RUSSIA OFFERS TURKEY ASSET SWAPS, AID IN ARMENIAN RELATIONS

RIA Novosti
January 13, 2010
Moscow

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that Russia
and Turkey could swap their energy assets and suggested Moscow help
Turkey improve its ties with ex-Soviet Armenia.

"Russia has been a reliable supplier of energy resources to Turkey,"
Putin told a news conference following talks with his visiting Turkish
counterpart Tayyip Erdogan, which focused on the two countries’
joint oil, gas and electricity projects.

Putin said Russian companies wish to take part in the privatization
program being carried out by the Turkish government. Russia’s
Stroytransgas engineering construction company was earlier reported
to be in talks on a stake in Istanbul’s gas distribution company.

Putin said Wednesday’s talks were dominated by the South Stream and
Blue Stream natural gas pipelines as well as the Samsun-Ceyhan oil
pipeline, describing the former two as "most important for Russia
and Turkey, as well as the whole continent."

Turkey gave preliminary approval in August 2009 for Russia to use
its sector of the Black Sea for the South Stream pipeline to pump
Russian and Central Asian gas to Europe, bypassing Ukraine.

Russia agreed to join a consortium to build the Samsun-Ceyhan oil
pipeline from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean. The two states also
agreed to expand the existing Blue Stream gas pipeline for possible
shipments via Turkey to Cyprus and Israel.

The agreements support Turkey’s drive to become a regional hub for
gas and oil transits while helping Moscow diversify supply routes and
potentially maintain its monopoly on natural gas shipments from Asia
to Europe.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin, in charge of the energy and
fuel sector, said ahead of the talks on Wednesday that Russia plans
"a proactive role" in the oil consortium, adding its share in the
project is being discussed at the moment.

Putin said Russia also seeks to build conventional and nuclear power
plants in Turkey.

The two countries signed a joint statement on Wednesday regarding
plans to build a nuclear power plant on Turkish soil.

Erdogan said his country was completing preparations for the signing
of a formal agreement on the construction of a nuclear power plant
on its territory. Putin said Russia had "significant advantages over
other competitors" in the deal.

Speaking about Turkey’s ties with Armenia, Putin said their improvement
should not be linked to the settlement of its fellow Muslim ally
Azerbaijan’s dispute with Armenia over the Nagorny Karabakh region.

Turkey and Armenia agreed to restore diplomatic ties and improve
bilateral relations last October, but some politicians in Ankara said
the historic agreements can only be ratified after the Karabakh issue
is resolved.

Ankara also demands Yerevan drop its campaign to have the mass killings
of Armenians by Ottoman Turks in 1915 internationally recognized
as genocide.

"Since Nagorny Karabakh and Turkish-Armenian relations are complex
issues, I do not think they should be addressed in one package," Putin
told the news conference, adding that this would delay the solutions.

Armenia and Azerbaijan have been locked in the dispute even before
the breakup of the Soviet Union. Russia has been driving efforts to
reach a settlement in the conflict over the ethnic-Armenian region
in Azerbaijan, which has been de facto independent since the 1990s.

Putin pledged further efforts to resolve both problems in a bid to
improve the situation in the South Caucasus region.

Russia, which traditionally backed Armenia in its disputes with
Azerbaijan and Turkey, has recently stepped up economic ties with the
latter two nations. Russia is home to millions of ethnic Azerbaijanis
and Armenians.

Speaking at the news conference, Erdogan said Turkey and Russia are
preparing to switch to national currencies in mutual payments to
avoid reserve currency fluctuations.

Erdogan also said the two states could annul travel visas by spring,
when Russian President Dmitry Medvedev is due to visit Turkey.

Russians, many of who spend their vacations at Turkish resorts,
currently enjoy simplified visa regulations, and can buy visas at
airports upon arrival.

FILM ABOUT HRANT DINK TO BE SCREENED IN ISTANBUL

PanARMENIAN.Net
13.01.2010 18:41 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ In the framework of film festival the film "From
19 January to 19 January", devoted to the editor-in chief of the Agos
newspaper Hrant Dink will be screened on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at the
Istanbul Technical University. The film directed by Umit Kıvanc will
be shown as a part of Istanbul’s Osmanlı Bank Museum’s film program.

Hrant Dink was killed on January 19, 2007 by the nationalist Ogyun
Samast near the office of the Agos newspaper in Istanbul. Under Turkish
law, Samast can be sentenced to life imprisonment, since at the time
of the killing, he was already an adult. Earlier the Turkish press
said that at the time of the killing Samast was 17 years old.

Ergenekon is ultra nationalist organization in Turkey with ties to
members of the country’s military and security forces. The group
is accused of terrorism in Turkey. It is named after Ergenekon,
a mythical place located in the inaccessible valleys of the Altay
Mountains. Alleged members have been indicted on charges of plotting
to foment unrest, among other things by assassinating intellectuals,
politicians, judges, military staff, and religious leaders, with the
ultimate goal of toppling the pro-Western incumbent government in a
coup that was planned to take place in 2009. Turkey has already been
through four "successful" military coups since democratic elections
were first held in 1950.

2 HOMICIDES COMMITTED IN ARMENIA WITHIN LAST 13 DAYS

news.am
Jan 13 2010
Armenia

>From January 1-13, 2010 criminal statistics in Armenia is as follows:
2 homicides, 1 robbery and 4 frauds. All committed crimes were
completely solved.

According to RA Police Press Service statement, 24 thefts, as well
as 5 out of 6 hooliganisms were cleaned.

One fraud case, one robbery and an assault related to robbery of
earlier committed crimes were solved. Overall 75 road accidents were
registered killing 7 and wounding 118 people within the recent 13 days.

NAGORNO-KARABAKH SETTLEMENT PROCESS REMAINS AT STRATEGIC STANDSTILL: U.S EXPERT

Trend
Jan 13 2010
Azerbaijan

The profound historic and material mistrust between Armenia and
Azerbaijan is the single most decisive factor in the stalled process,
expert at the State Department’s Foreign Service Institute John
Sitilides said.

This is compounded by Russia’s strategic interest in consolidating and
enlarging its influence in the Caucasus, as well as the increasingly
lucrative energy grid expanding across the region," DC and chairs
the Woodrow Wilson Center Southeast Europe Project, Sitilides told
Trend News.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 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 the peace negotiations.

"The Nagorno-Karabakh settlement process remains at a strategic
standstill, even as Turkey aspires to engage Russia in pressuring
Armenia, as well as legislative procedures in Ankara and Yerevan
to ratify the protocols normalizing their bilateral relationship,"
Sitilides said.

Turkish and Armenian foreign ministers Ahmet Davutoglu and Edward
Nalbandian signed the Ankara-Yerevan protocols in Zurich Oct. 10.

Diplomatic relations between Armenia and Turkey were broken due
to Armenian claims of an alleged genocide and its occupation of
Azerbaijani lands. Their border closed in 1993.

Yerevan will further point to the OSCE Minsk Group process and related
statements in late 2009 reiterating that no linkage exists between
improving Turkey-Armenia relations and resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict, Sitilides said.

The U.S-Russia cooperation is an unlikely prospect, as the United
States and Russia have divergent visions of how the Caucuses should
develop politically and economically, expert said.

"The critical factor here may well be Turkey, which is asserting its
strategic independence from the U.S. and NATO, and is increasingly
keen to cooperate with Russia in the Black Sea and Caucasus regions
in pursuit of its own interests," Sitilides said.