Author: Chalian Meline

STATEMENT BY THE COUNCIL OF MINISTERS OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE ORGANIZATION FOR DEMOCRACY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT – GUAM

AzerTag, Azerbaijan
Dec 5 2006

The GUAM Council of Ministers of Foreign Affaires expresses its serious
concern over a so-called "constitutional referendum" scheduled on
December 10, 2006, in the Nagorno-Karabakh region of the Republic
of Azerbaijan.

The Council emphasizes that holding the so-called "referendum" violates
the Constitution of the Republic of Azerbaijan as well as relevant
norms and principles of the international law, and, thus, shall have
no legal effect and its results shall be considered as null and void.

The Ministers underline that the so-called "referendum" interferes
with an ongoing peace process, is designed to impose a fait accompli
situation in the region and misleads the international community.

The GUAM Council stresses that such an act runs contrary to the
universally recognized standards and values of democracy, rule
of law and human rights. Any constitutional document envisaging a
self-rule for the population of the Nagorno-Karabakh region can only
be elaborated through a legal, democratic and peaceful process with
a full, equal and direct participation of the entire population of
the region consisting of the Armenian and Azerbaijani communities.

The GUAM Council of Ministers of Foreign Affaires calls on the OSCE
participating States and other international organizations to condemn
such an illegal act and to support the ongoing efforts aimed at finding
a peaceful resolution of the conflict on the basis of the territorial
integrity of Azerbaijan within its internationally recognized borders.

ARGENTINA DESIGNATES APRIL 24 AS DAY OF TOLERANCE AND RESPECT AMONG PEOPLES

Armenpress
Nov 30 2006

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 30, ARMENPRESS: By a vote of 175 to 2 the parliament
of Argentina passed on November 29 a draft law to designate April 24
as the Day of Tolerance and Respect Among Nations. The date- April 24-
was chosen in memory of the Armenian Genocide.

The Armenian National Committee of South America said the bill will
be sent to the approval of the Senate. The bill was motioned at the
initiative of the Armenian National Committee of South America and
was promoted by several parliament members from different parties.

NEW PARTNERSHIP WITH EUROPEAN UNION PROMPTS HOPES IN ARMENIA
Haroutiun Khachatrian

EurasiaNet, NY
Nov 30 2006

Armenians have welcomed the recent launch of a program to foster
stronger ties between the European Union and Armenia, Azerbaijan
and Georgia, but questions persist in Yerevan about what will be the
actual results of this new partnership.

The November 14 adoption of the European Union (EU)-Armenia Action
Plan for the bloc’s European Neighborhood Policy (ENP) program is one
of the few recent topics that has met with apparent satisfaction from
both the government and the opposition.

The plan sets eight priority areas to be addressed as part of Armenia’s
cooperation with the EU over the next five years: strengthening
democracy and rule of law; enhancing respect for human rights;
continuing economic development and poverty reduction; improving the
climate for private investors; streamlining economic policy and policy
administration; creating an energy strategy that would include the
decommissioning of the Medzamor nuclear power plant; working towards a
peaceful resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict with Azerbaijan;
and expanding opportunities for regional cooperation.

While the schedule for implementation of Armenia’s Action Plan will not
be completed until January 2007, the government is already emphasizing
its commitment to cooperation with the EU. Most notably, the Respublika
Armenii (Republic of Armenia) newspaper, a Russian-language government
mouthpiece, wrote in its November 15 issue that Armenia has asked
the EU to monitor its implementation of the Action Plan once a year,
instead of once every two years, as is standard.

The plan notes that "[t]he level of ambition of the relationship will
depend on the degree of Armenia’s commitment to common values as well
as its capacity to implement jointly agreed priorities, in compliance
with international and European norms and principles."

Already, though, the government is focusing on the possible rewards
for demonstrating that commitment. In a recent interview given to the
Noyan Tapan news agency, Deputy Foreign Minister Armen Baibourtian
noted that a free trade agreement with the EU could be one of the
results of the Action Plan. The Armenian government does not rule out
that such an agreement could be signed even before the completion of
Armenia’s Action Plan in 2011, the deputy minister said.

The potential economic benefits of closer ties with the EU have
attracted widespread support, but, not unexpectedly, many ordinary
Armenians have also displayed special interest in how the documents
signed in Brussels will address the question of Nagorno Karabakh.

While in Brussels, Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan and
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov met to discuss the
Karabakh conflict as a precursor to a November 28 encounter between
Armenian President Robert Kocharian and Azerbaijani President Ilham
Aliyev during the Commonwealth of Independent States summit in Minsk.

While President Aliyev has stated that the negotiations have now
entered their final phase, Armenian media reports about the meeting,
held at the Russian embassy in Minsk, imply that no progress was
made. The meeting was the third between the two leaders this year.

The Armenian and Azerbaijani Action Plans include almost identical
language about goals for resolving the Karabakh conflict. The
Armenian plan cites a "[c]ontinuing strong EU commitment to support
the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, drawing on the
instruments at the EU’s disposal … and in close consultation with
the OSCE [Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe]." One
distinction could be cause for future debate: the Actions section
of the Azerbaijani agreement mentions accomplishing this task while
observing "the relevant UN Security Council resolutions," but the
Armenian document mentions negotiation on the basis of international
law, "including the principle of self-determination of peoples."

During a November 18 public discussion on Armenia’s ties with the
European Union held at the Urbat (Friday) Club in Yerevan, analysts,
however, were not optimistic about the impact of the Neighborhood
Policy on the conflict. At best, they said, the EU could act as an
"extinguisher" for tensions between the two sides.

One analyst, however, expressed concern that, in other regards, Armenia
may find itself left behind in building a strong relationship with the
EU, compared to Georgia and Azerbaijan. Georgia may secure more rapid
integration because of its government’s strong pro-West orientation,
contended Washington-based political analyst Richard Giragosian, while
Azerbaijan could prove attractive because of its energy resources.

Giragosian, however, saw geopolitical benefits for the EU in extending
its European Neighbor Policy to the South Caucasus. The program
allows the EU to bypass Turkey, a regional player whose EU membership
ambitions have proven problematic, and to have contact with Iran,
potentially via Armenia, a long-time Iranian ally. "The formula is:
‘One step beyond Turkey, one step closer to Iran’," Giragosian said.

Some observers saw other distinctions. Considerable attention has
focused recently on Georgia’s ambitions to join the North Atlantic
Treaty Organization (NATO). One opposition leader, Shavarsh Kocharian,
head of the National Democratic Party, suggested at the discussion
that Georgia might, in fact, try to use its NATO membership campaign
to advance its ambitions to join the EU.

Strengthening democratic development could prove a surer way to advance
Armenia’s relationship with the EU, Kocharian continued. Like other
opposition members, however, Kocharian expressed doubts that the
government would fulfill its pledges to strengthen democracy and the
rule of law along with economic growth. Other discussion participants
worried that Armenia’s opposition is not strong enough to press for
such changes.

Political analyst Giragosian shared Kocharian’s viewpoint, saying
that the West may reach the limit of its patience with Armenia
if the country’s spring 2007 parliamentary elections fail to meet
democratic standards. "Armenia now faces greater expectations for
clean elections. The key question is whether the Armenian authorities
understand that that the expectations of the West are higher this
time," he said.

At a July 2006 Republican Party of Armenia conference, Defense Minister
Serge Sarkisian predicted that the May 2007 vote will prove Armenia’s
"best elections" to date.

Editor’s Note: Haroutiun Khachatrian is a Yerevan-based writer
specializing in economic and political affairs.

UK EMBASSY IN ARMENIA TO INTRODUCE BIOMETRIC DATA REGISTRATION SYSTEM FROM DEC 1, 2006

Arka News Agency, Armenia –
Nov 29 2006

YEREVAN, November 29. /ARKA/. The UK embassy in Armenia will introduce
the registration system for biometric data. The embassy’s press service
reported that this innovation is implemented to inculcate the global
system of human identification, aimed at protecting people’s identity
and facilitating the process of entry to the United Kingdom.

Beginning from December 1, all who want to receive a UK visa should
go to the embassy in person and submit their fingerprints.

The fingerprints will be inputted in the database by a scanner.

"Those who refuse to submit their fingerprints will not be eligible
to receive a visa," reported the UK embassy’s press service.

AZERBAIJANI PRESIDENT CONSIDERS THAT IN GENERAL, MEETING WITH Armenian Head Went Normal
Author: A.Ismaylova

TREND, Azerbaijan
Nov 29 2006

The prestigious international organizations expressed their attitude
towards the settlement of Nagorno-Karabakh within the framework of
keeping the territorial integrity, the President of Azerbaijan Ilham
Aliyev stated in an interview with AzTV as a result of the Summit of
the CIS State Heads.

The State Head said that generally the activities of the international
organizations over the recent period satisfy Azerbaijan. "Of course,
it strengthens our position. In general each question can be resolved
in certain frameworks – international law, norm and principles. No
question can be resolved outside these frameworks, and beginning
of any precedents in the future may impose serious problems for
other countries. Therefore, we once again stress that the principal
position of Azerbaijan remains unchanged – the territorial integrity
of the country should be restored. The population living in the
territory of Nagorno-Karabakh will be presented the highest status
of self-governance within the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan,"
the State Head said.

According to him, for already three years, the negotiations regarding
the settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
have been held within the Prague process. "Within this period, many
meetings took place at the level of Foreign Ministers and Presidents
of the two countries. Naturally these meeting focused on the ways
of resolving the problem. There were stages when we came to the
concluding results of the negotiations, and it is possible to say that
the positions of the sides have fully reformed. We are at the level
when the future negotiations depend on our negotiations. In this plan,
I consider the results of the recent meeting as normal," Aliyev said.

In addition, he said that the recent meeting in Minsk took place in
a constructive manner and the disputable questions were discussed.

"Over the recent period, we have achieved the solution of several
questions and agreed upon previously uncoordinated issues. But
principal issues representing difference still remains. Both Presidents
hold talks around this aspect," Aliyev said.

Touching on the position of Azerbaijan, he said that the position of
Azerbaijan remains unchanged. "Azerbaijan insists on the solution of
the problem within the territorial integrity of the country. Each of
the 4 Resolutions of the U.N. Security Council should be implemented,
the occupied territories of Azerbaijan should be released and more
than one million Azerbaijanis should return to their native lands,"
the President of Azerbaijan said.

PRESS RELEASE
American University of Armenia
300 Lakeside Drive, 5th Floor
Oakland, CA 94612
Contact: Maggie Mead
Tel: 510-987-9125
Fax: 510-208-3576
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:

The American University of Armenia celebrates its 15th Anniversary with a
Gala Banquet

LOS ANGELES – As Armenia commemorates its 15th year of independence as a
republic, the American University of Armenia also celebrates the 15th
anniversary of its own founding. The University hosted a gala banquet to
honor the efforts of all who have contributed to the rapid development of
the University. In particular, a moving tribute was given to Gerry & Pat
Turpanjian, and the late Vartkes Barsam and his wife, Jean Barsam, all
dedicated supporters of AUA since its founding. The banquet took place on
November 12th at the Sheraton Universal Hotel in Universal City, California.

AUA has truly filled a niche in Armenia, by providing Western-quality
graduate education that prepares the region’s youth for leadership in social
and economic development. AUA anticipates a largely increased enrollment due
to the institute’s candidacy for accredition by the Western Association for
Schools and Colleges. Proceeds from the 15th anniversary banquet will
support the completion of an earthquake-reinforced educational facility,
which will house additional classroom, lecture hall, and laboratory space to
accommodate the University’s growth.

The evening began with an introduction by Charles Ghailian, Master of
Ceremonies, after which both the American and Armenian national anthems were
played. The Invocation was given by Father Bartev Gulumian, representing
Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian. Welcoming words were offered by Sinan
Sinanian, the banquet committee chair and CEO of Sinanian Development of
Tarzana. Following this was a warm greeting from Dr. Rory Hume, Provost of
the University of California system and the new Chairman of the AUA Board of
Trustees. AUA was honored to welcome Dr. Hume and include him as a speaker
in the evening’s program.

Dr. Haroutune K. Armenian, the President of AUA, presented an emotive speech
on the theme of excellence and integrity in education. He concluded that,
"Our motto at the AUA will continue to be excellence through relevance to
the broader Community.. Thus, AUA is not just about the youth in Armenia,
but is of relevance to your own children and grandchildren. Soon it will be
possible for them to attend a university in Armenia that is US accredited. "

Keynote speaker, the former California Governor George Deukmejian, addressed
the banquet guests after dinner by lauding AUA’s commitment to its original
goals and taking a visionary look at the future. He spoke of the Turpanjian
Rural Development Project to expand educational opportunity across Armenia,
as well as the numerous opportunities now open to AUA as a result of its
accreditation candidacy. The audience responded to Deukmejian’s words with
rousing applause and enthusiasm.

The honorees of the evening’s festivities were then introduced by Dr.
Haroutune Armenian and AUA President Emeritus, Dr. Mihran Agbabian. Jean
Barsam and her son, Charles Barsam, on behalf of Vartkes Barsam, and Gerry
and Pat Turpanjian graciously accepted honorary plaques and framed State of
California resolutions as symbols of appreciation for their service. Charles
Barsam and Paul Turpanjian, sons of the honorees, offered a personal
response on behalf of their family members. A stirring video captured the
spirit of the unflagging energy and care given by these individuals to the
cause of AUA. Archbishop Hovnan Derderian then invited Gerry and Pat
Turpanjian to the podium and read the encyclical of His Holiness Karekin II,
Catholicos of All Armenians, praising them for their benevolence, and he
pinned on their lapels the Medal of Saint Gregory the Illuminator. The
touching ceremony was brought to a close with a message and benediction by
His Eminence.

The banquet was organized and staged by a hard-working volunteer committee
based in Los Angeles. Its members included Sinan Sinanian, Charles
Ghailian, MC, Elizabeth and Mihran Agbabian, Nellie Arslanian, Charles
Barsam, Flora Dunaians, Vahe Imasdounian, Hermine Janoyan, Silba Karayan,
Lori Muncherian, Aline Patatian, Savey Tufenkan, Dr. Harout Yaghsezian, and
Jenny Yazedjian. Other contributors included Arno Yeretzian, video
production; Arpiar Janoyan, decorations; Varujan Markarian, music; Roubina
Begoumian, reception; and Tony and Lisa Truisi, who donated banquet gifts
and memorabilia.

—————————–
Attach ment:
Text of Dr. Haroutune Armenian’s speech at the AUA 15th Anniversary Banquet

As a new student at the American University of Beirut I was applying for a
partial scholarship that needed a faculty sponsor. I approached Professor
Khosrov Yeramian. He asked to see me and he agreed to recommend me for the
scholarship. However, he had a word of advice "As an Armenian student – he
said – you do not have to be good to succeed but you have to be better".

I remembered Professor Yeramian’s advice two months ago during our AUA WASC
Accreditation review process. The first formal meeting of the distinguished
review panel is with the University President and I was asked by the
Chairman of the WASC panel President Jim Appleton to explain our
understanding of excellence. In my response I said we achieve quality by
getting to a level of an established standard in structure and process, but
that excellence is a moving target and should be judged not just by
structures and processes but by outcomes and results. I said our motto at
the AUA will continue to be excellence through relevance to the broader
Community.

As I ponder about the future of Armenia and Armenians in general, I have
come to realize that if we have to survive as a nation worthy of its
forefathers, then we need to be beyond standard quality and aim for
excellence. We need to move away from some of the mediocrity that we see
mushrooming in some sectors. Armenia can be once again, a country with a
well defined niche in the world economy and an effective contributor to the
development of human civilization. And in order to achieve it we need to
invest in excellence. During our recent expedition to climb Mount Ararat and
the subsequent visit to the area of Lake Van, organized by my wife Sona and
colleagues from the AUA, we discovered that the two masterpieces of Nareg
and Aghtamar, Nareg in poetry and philosophy and Aghtamar in architecture
and visual arts, were produced within a couple of miles of each other and
within a few decades at the end of the first millennium. A fascinating
confluence in time and place.

The American University of Armenia breeds excellence whether in Armenia or
beyond. Its first 15 years have demonstrated that it can achieve beyond
standard quality within a relatively scarce resource environment. For our
accreditation review we produced a document that lists the contributions of
the AUA that were firsts in Armenia, it is a document which is more than a
dozen pages of single line listing. Of this long list AUA’s contribution to
Armenia through its graduates is probably the most significant. It is such a
sheer joy to sit with some of the over 1500 masters’ degree graduates of the
AUA and hear of their daily achievements. The two persons we are honoring
this evening; Jirair Turpanjian and Vartkes Barsam, have treasured and
witnessed the role that AUA has played and will continue to play in the
future of Armenia and Armenians everywhere.

Of the long list of achievements beyond our graduates, I would like to
highlight the Digital Library of Classical Armenian writings. Today, thanks
to the AUA we can be proud as a nation to have completely digitized our
literature from the fifth to the seventeenth centuries. The importance of
having that literature in electronic format is equivalent to the work done
over three hundred years when that literature was transformed from the
manuscript format to the printed expression. Recently, this idea was picked
up by Mr. Jirair Turpanjian, and through his sponsorship, we have embarked
to digitize over the next two years the equivalent of 60,000 pages of
Western Armenian and Diasporan literature. AUA has been able to make the
best expressions of Armenian culture available to people everywhere and for
all times. The Armenian digital library will be part of the life of your
children and grand children. We are removing the problem of access to our
literature and culture for all times.

Thus, AUA is not just about those kids in Armenia but is of relevance to
your own children and grandchildren. Soon it will be possible for them to
attend a university in Armenia that is US accredited.

AUA has helped to achieve excellence because it is an institution that can
be sustained and a fortress of integrity. AUA is not a one person show it is
a model institution that others continue to emulate.

This talk is about excellence but in order to achieve excellence we need to
invest in time and money. Proceeds of this evening’s event will go to
complete the Avedisian Building at the AUA. This excellent facility has
already introduced a number of firsts to Armenia in architecture and
construction technology. We have a valuable naming opportunity in this
unique building from small classrooms to major halls and Centers. Let us all
participate in building the future and let us give to AUA generously.

ARMENIAN POLITICAL FORCES HAVEN’T CHANGED THEIR OPINION ABOUT DRAFT REFORMS A YEAR AFTER CONSTITUTIONAL REFERENDUM IN ARMENIA

ArmInfo News Agency, Armenia
Nov 27 2006

A year has passed since the draft constitutional reforms were adopted
in Armenia. Even a year later, the political forces have not changed
their opinion about the draft constitutional amendments. The opposition
keeps on thinking that the draft amendments passed with mass violations
and the referendum didn’t reflect the electorate’s will, and the
ruling coalition is convinced that the constitutional referendum was
call of the times and the adoption of amendments introduced essential
positive changes in the public and political life of the country.

Speaker of the Armenian Parliament, Deputy Chairman of the Republican
Party Tigran Torosyan told journalists that the constitutional reforms
had an exclusive importance for the country from the democratic point
of view. He noted that one shouldn’t dissemble the positive tendencies
after the constitutional referendum, and it is simply unreasonable to
speak of the voting fraud. He stressed that the draft reforms were
approved at the referendum, and the items of the document should be
implemented now.

T.Torosyan also emphasized that the parliamentary elections in
2007 should correspond to international standards. He qualified the
opposition’s statements about early parliamentary and presidential
elections as meaningless.

Speaking of the constitutional referendum, Grigor Harutyunyan, the
Secretary of the "Justice" opposition bloc, once again said that
the referendum passed with numerous violations, no more than 200-250
thousand people took part in it, but the authorities assert that 1.5
mln voters participated in the plebiscite.

ARMENIAN AND AZERI LEADERS MAY ANIMATE KARABAKH PROCESS

PanARMENIAN.Net
27.11.2006 17:19 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Azerbaijani and Armenian Presidents will breathe life
into efforts to resolve the long-running Nagorno Karabakh conflict
when they meet tomorrow in Minsk on the sidelines of a Commonwealth
of Independent States (CIS) summit, reports Turkish Daily News. The
new round of top-level diplomacy may be a surprise to many, since it
comes at a time when Armenia is bracing for parliamentary elections,
scheduled for May 2007. Few expected the two leaders to meet again
after their high-hope February talks behind closed doors at Rambouillet
Castle near Paris failed to produce any visible progress. International
pressure and Armenia’s growing isolation in the region may be the
key reason it is opting for a fresh diplomatic drive on the Nagorno
Karabakh conflict, diplomats and analysts say.

Hartford Courant,
Nov 25 2006

Opening Eyes To Plight Of Assyrians
November 25, 2006

By LORETTA WALDMAN, Courant Staff Writer

Growing up in Iran, Sharokin Betgevargiz remembers diving into ditches
at the sound of approaching MiGs during the Iran/Iraq War. In the
apartment she shared with her parents in a Tehran suburb, shelter was
found under beds and in doorways. Black tape crisscrossed the windows
in case of flying glass.

Now 36, Betgevargiz lives in New Britain and teaches the history of
graphic design at Central Connecticut State University. She has not
forgotten her childhood terror, nor how she says it felt growing up
as a Christian in a mostly Muslim world.

That is how she explains her passion for calling attention to the
plight of Assyrians: a less visible, seldom mentioned group than the
Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds now caught up in the bloodshed ravaging
Iraq.

Yet these mostly Christian descendants of the ancient Mesopotamians
are frequent targets of fundamentalist Islamists who see them as the
face of the West. Abductions and beheadings are common, she says. Men
go to work and never return. Women are terrified to leave their
homes.

"We equal George Bush" in the eyes of the enemies, said Betgevargiz.

She and other Assyrian Americans living in New Britain have organized
events on Sunday and Monday to highlight the struggles of Assyrians
in Iraq. Both events will feature films by Lina Yakubova, an Assyrian
ethnographer and documentary filmmaker living in Armenia.

The first, scheduled Sunday at 12:30 p.m., is at the Assyrian St.
Thomas Cultural Center, 92 McClintock St., New Britain. The second is
set for Monday at 7 p.m. at the Torp Theater at Davidson Hall at
CCSU.

New Britain has one of the largest Assyrian communities in the
Northeast, with 250 households. In Connecticut there are about 5,000
Assyrians, representing about 10,000 estimated to be living in the
region, according to the Assyrian National News Agency.

Nationwide, there are an estimated 300,000 Assyrians, the agency
says. Most are concentrated in Chicago, Detroit and California. Many
are doctors, lawyers, engineers and other professionals who have fled
the numerous conflicts in the Middle East since World War II.

Atrocities against Assyrians in the latest Iraq war include the
decapitation of a priest last month, the abduction and murder of 15
women and the crucifixion of a 14-year-old boy, according to news
reports and local Assyrians.

The origin of the community in New Britain dates to the arrival of 70
Assyrian families sponsored by Presbyterian missionaries at South
Church in 1904, Betgevarigiz and others say. Today, this thriving but
low-profile community boasts a church, St. Thomas Church of the East,
and its own cemetery.

The events Sunday and Monday are part of an effort to establish a
safe zone in northern Iraq. A march in Washington is planned Dec. 4;
Assyrians from throughout the U.S. are expected.

"When you talk about Iraq, it’s not just Muslims," Betgevargiz said.
"These are real people with real differences. I don’t just want
Assyrians to come to these talks. I want everyone."

125.artnov25,0,3414998.story?coll=hc-headlines-loc al

The Telegraph, United Kingdom
Nov 25 2006

The West is losing patience with Putin
Last Updated: 12:01am GMT 25/11/2006

There is, as yet, no evidence linking the poisoning of Alexander
Litvinenko to the Kremlin. While many commentators believe that there
is a connection – the former spy had been consorting with exiled
opponents of the Putin regime – hearsay does not constitute proof.

We do not know for sure that Mr Litvinenko was murdered and, if he
was, the deed may have been done by his ex-KGB colleagues acting
without higher authority. It is important to make this qualification
because, if Mr Litvinenko was indeed assassinated on the orders of
the Russian state, the consequences will be huge.

We are talking, after all, about a man living under the Queen’s
peace. When one government deliberately uses lethal force in
another’s jurisdiction, it commits an act of terrorism – arguably of
war. Libya and Sudan were bombed in retaliation for such ingressions,
Afghanistan occupied.

advertisementVladimir Putin’s regime is not, of course, in the same
category as those of Gaddafi, Omar Bashir or the Taliban. But it is
showing increasingly autocratic tendencies. Opposition figures are
jailed on pretexts. Independent television stations have been
virtually eliminated. Just weeks ago, a respected journalist, Anna
Politkovskaya, was gunned down in broad daylight after criticising
the president.

Abroad, too, Mr Putin is throwing his weight about, meddling in
Ukraine and in the dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan. He is
conducting a bestial war against Chechen separatism, but is happy to
sponsor South Ossetian separatism in Georgia.

Why this new-found swagger? Because Russia is suddenly, as Mr Putin
likes to remind us, "an energy superpower". His defence minister is
even more direct: "In the contemporary world, only power is
respected." Perhaps. But, in any commercial transaction, power lies
ultimately with the customer – in this case, Western Europe. Until
now, the West has tended to overlook Mr Putin’s authoritarianism,
largely for the sake of a quiet life. But there must come a point
when our patience runs out. It is one thing to tyrannise your people;
quite another to presume to do so on British territory.