PanARMENIAN.Net
Italy: EU impossible without Turkey
28.02.2009 17:37 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Italy’s Ambassador in Ankara Carlo Marsili expressed
support for Turkish membership in the European Union (EU).
"As the Italian state, we know well that EU is impossible without
Turkey. We extend special support for Turkey’s accession to the
Union," Marsili said.
The Italian ambassador also urged the Union to live up to its promises
to Turkey, the Anatolia Agency reports.
Hurriyet, Turkey
Feb 28 2009
"Turkey-Armenia relations at historic point, border could be opened"
The relations between Turkey and Armenia are at a historic turning
point and the developments could result the opening of the border of
two neighboring countries, a U.S. congressman said late on Friday.
Robert Wexler told the U.S. Foreign Affairs Committee it seemed
relations between Turkey and Armenia were at a point of historic
opportunity, adding the relations could be normalized and border gates
between Turkey and Armenia could be opened, the state-run Anatolian
Agency reported Saturday.
Wexler, co-chair of the Turkish friendship group in the U.S. House of
Representatives, paid a visit to Turkey and held a series of talks
with high-level officials last week.
Turkey and Armenia have no diplomatic relations and their border has
been closed for more than a decade, as Armenia presses the
international community with the backing of the diaspora to admit the
so-called "genocide" claims, instead of accepting Turkey’s call to
investigate the allegations, and over Armenia’s invasion of 20 percent
territory of Azerbaijan.
A warmer period began in relations when Turkish President Abdullah Gul
paid a landmark visit to Yerevan in September to watch a World Cup
qualifying football match between the two countries on the invitation
of Sargsyan. The two countries have been holding contacts at the
ministerial level since.
TENSIONS ON EVE OF YEREVAN RALLY
By Karine Asatrian
Institute for War and Peace Reporting
Feb 27 2009
UK
Armenia braces for protests commemorating violent break-up of
opposition demonstration.
Opposition activists will defy the authorities on March 1 to mark
the anniversary of a police crackdown on protesters last year that
left ten people dead.
Both sides of the political divide hope there will be no repeat of
last year’s violence, but observers say there has been no significant
easing of the tensions that caused the mass protests a year ago.
Last year’s protests were the result of opposition anger over the
results of February 19 presidential elections, which they say were
stolen by now-president Serzh Sargsian.
The then president imposed a state of emergency after the
demonstration, restricted the media, and sent in troops and armed
police – resulting in the deaths of eight opposition protesters and
two policemen.
"The political crisis in Armenia has still not been overcome," said
Alexander Iskandarian, director of the Caucasus Institute in Yerevan.
Indeed, opposition anger has been heightened by the police
investigation into the events. Prosecutors say they have opened 90
criminal cases against 110 people. Courts have already ruled on 97
cases involving 101 people, and five people remain on the run.
The most high-profile detainees, seven opposition leaders, remain
behind bars, awaiting trial. Their cases have been repeatedly
postponed. No police have been charged in relation to the deaths.
"The Armenian authorities’ response to the March 1 events has been
one-sided," said Human Rights Watch in a damning report published
earlier this month.
"While they have investigated, prosecuted, and convicted dozens of
opposition members, sometimes in flawed and politically motivated
trials, for organising the demonstration and participating in violent
disorder, they have not prosecuted a single representative of the
authorities for excessive use of force. The Office of the Public
Prosecutor has also dismissed all allegations of ill-treatment and
torture in detention as unfounded."
The opposition says its supporters were engaged in lawful protests
on March 1 and were subjected to an unprovoked attack, despite calls
from the international community for a peaceful resolution of the
political crisis.
The authorities, however, say they were forced to act after receiving
information that weapons had been distributed among the demonstrators
and that "mass riots" were planned.
The trouble began early on the morning, when police moved in on several
hundred protesters sleeping in tents pitched on Freedom Square in
central Yerevan. They cleared the square quickly, but subsequent
protests continued all day, culminating in the state of emergency
being proclaimed.
The government has promised a full probe into the events, and
prosecutors have occasionally reported on the results of their own
investigations, but have come no closer to announcing arrest warrants.
"I am not accusing anyone. I just want to know who killed my son. I
want to know the truth," said Aghasi Tadevosian, whose son Hamlet
was one of the policemen killed in the clashes.
His words were echoed by the bereaved parents of those on the other
side of the lines.
"Leaving political convictions aside, Armenians were killed by their
fellow-countrymen. I am sure that the time will come when all those to
blame for the crimes of March 1, as well as those before and after that
day, will be punished," said Robert Harutiunian, whose son Samvel died.
Under pressure from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of
Europe, the government has agreed to alter two controversial articles
in their criminal code under which the seven detained opposition
leaders are charged, but most opposition figures say nothing of
significance has changed in the last year to prevent protests bursting
out once more.
"Dialogue required actions, and not just promises. If the authorities
were genuinely prepared for this, then first of all they would
free the political prisoners, which must be their side of the
dialogue. Secondly, we must uncover the circumstances around the deaths
of ten innocent people, specifically the murderers and who gave the
orders," said Armen Martirosian, the leader of the Heritage Party’s
Parliamentary group, the only opposition presence in parliament.
"There are already experts who could be deployed quickly to uncover
the crime. But they have not done this, which means they do not want
to solve these murders."
City hall refused to give opposition parties permission to protest on
the anniversary of the crackdown. Artak Zeynalian, representative of
the opposition Armenian National Congress, said 58 political prisoners
remained in prison and that the Yerevan authorities had already turned
down 100 requests to hold protests about it.
He said that the opposition activists would gather at 3 pm in central
Yerevan on March 1 anyway, and that they had warned police of their
intentions.
Eduard Sharmazanov, a member of parliament from the ruling Republican
Party, said he expected the demonstration to pass peacefully, and
hoped the police would allow the protesters to express their views.
"I am far from the opinion that we must have an exclusive ruling
class. If we are a country without a strong opposition, we won’t have
a strong government," he said.
DOES MOSCOW CONSIDER BAKU ITS PRINCIPAL PARTNER IN THE SOUTH CAUCASUS?
PanARMENIAN.Net
27.02.2009 20:07 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "Azerbaijan is our principal regional partner ,
both in the economic and political spheres", Head of RF President’s
Staff Sergey Naryshkin said. "Russia- Azerbaijan relations can be
characterized as strategic collaboration. Russia aims to expand its
cooperation spheres with Azerbaijan. Within the recent years Russian
and Azerbaijani leaders have conducted the most productive dialogues,
which allow to develop our cooperation in the political, humanitarian
and military spheres", 1news.az cited Naryshkin as saying.
FIRUDUN SADIGOV: "THE ARMENIAN HELD CAPTIVE IN AZERBAIJAN PERSONALLY APPLIED FOR ASYLUM IN ANOTHER COUNTRY"
APA
Feb 25 2009
Azerbaijan
Baku. Kamala Guliyeva – APA. "According to the international law,
the Azerbaijani captive and Armenian captive must not be equated.
The Azerbaijani was doing his military service in his country, but
the Armenian was drafted, deceived and sent to Karabakh. Measures are
being taken to return both captives," said head of the Working Group
of the State Commission on Prisoners of War, Hostages and Missing
Persons Firudun Sadigov when asked whether Azerbaijani soldier held
captive in Armenia Rafig Huseynov and Armenian Paruyr Simonyan held
captive in Azerbaijan might be exchanged, APA reports.
He said according to the international law, it is forbidden to send
a captive back to his country by force.
"We have reports that the Azerbaijani captive feels normal. Of course
all details will be known after he returns. Measures are being taken
for Rafig Hasanov’s returning. As regards the Armenian captive,
he personally applied for asylum in another country," he said.
Sadigov said the reports that Rafig Hasanov underwent torture in
Armenia were not true.
"Sometimes, strange reports spread in media. Some persons announce
themselves military experts and spread information about the captives
held in Armenia. The State Commission has information that 783 people
were captured by Armenians during the operations in 1992-1995. Let
these experts give information about these people, if they can. Such
media reports, of course, aim to create sensation," he said.
ARMENIA FUND FINANCES DEVELOPMENT OF WEBSITE FOR ARTSAKH PUBLIC TELEVISION AND RADIO
armradio.am
26.02.2009 12:07
The Hayastan All Armenian Fund is financing the development
of a state-of-the-art website for Artsakh Public Television and
Radio. Through the four-month project, the company will be provided
with two Internet servers and a computer system, while technical and
administrative staff will receive training from E-works in web-content
generation and site management.
The initiative was designed following a technical-needs assessment
earlier this year, conducted by a Hayastan All Armenian Fund work
group.
When the project is completed in June 2009, the site will feature
programs broadcast by Artsakh Public Television and Radio, as well as
breaking news and information about Nagorno Karabakh. The site’s audio
and video clips will also be accessible through Google and YouTube.
"With its support to this vital project, the Hayastan All Armenian
Fund will enable Nagorno Karabakh to have its voice heard across the
world," said Ara Vardanyan, the fund’s acting executive director.
The continued development of Artsakh Public Television and Radio has
been a priority for the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund. In December 2008,
it donated a variety of cutting-edge technical equipment to the Artsakh
Public Television and Radio, significantly enhancing its newsgathering
capabilities and broadcast quality. The project, worth U.S. $100,000,
was sponsored by the Armenia Fund U.S. Western Region.
BAGIS SAYS DEVELOPING TIES WITH ARMENIA IS IMPORTANT
Today’s Zaman
Feb 25 2009
Turkey
State Minister and chief EU negotiator Egemen BagıÅ~_ has said that
Turkey attaches importance to developing ties with Armenia within the
scope of the country’s policy of friendly relations with its neighbors.
"In this respect, we see the Armenian community in Turkey as an
essential vehicle for this strategy," he said at a meeting at the
Private Pangaltı Armenian School with administrators, directors and
other representatives of schools run by Armenian minority foundations
in Ä°stanbul.
BagıÅ~_ gave a speech thanking everyone for a warm welcome and saying
that he brought Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s good wishes
to them. "For centuries, we have shared our bread and water in these
lands. We have been together in our good and bad days," he added.
Recalling that he was appointed the chief EU negotiator for Turkey
on Jan. 8, BagıÅ~_ said: "Today, Recep Tayyip Erdogan has become
not only the prime minister of Turkey, but also the voice of the
conscience of the world. We attach great importance to developing
relations with Armenia as part of our policy for having good ties
with our neighbors. We know that Turkey has increased its foreign
trade with its neighbors 400-fold. We seek to improve political,
economic and social relations with Armenia. Recent developments are
reinforcing our hopes. I am hopeful. We see the Armenian community
in Turkey as an important bridge in this respect because there are
many contributions you can make to this friendship."
Minister BagıÅ~_ noted that hatred and animosity cannot
continue forever, as the two nations have lived in peace for many
years. "Whenever we cooperated with common enthusiasm and common
desires, we all won. Now we share common enthusiasm and common desires
once again. This common enthusiasm is EU membership," he said.
UMBA PRESIDENT ASSESSES GOVERNMENT’S ANTI-CRISIS PROGRAM AS DARING
Hasmik Dilanyan
"Radiolur"
24.02.2009 14:26
"Daring steps." This was how the President of the Union of
Manufacturers and Businessmen of Armenia, Arsen Ghazaryan,
characterized the Government’s anti-crisis program. Those steps are
targeted at promoting the business programs. "Serious government
support alongside the free market is noticeable," the President of
the Union said.
Arsen Ghazaryan hopes that if businessmen review their programs,
Armenia will come out of the crisis, building a strong economy.
Representatives of the opposition say the Government’s steps,
especially the legislative initiatives, are belated. President of the
Union of Manufacturers and Businessmen of Armenia does not share the
opinion, adding that all spheres need support.
"It would be if the steps were taken a few years ago. But today the
economic policy is radically changing because of the current situation.
Assistance will be provided to all spheres, which will submit seriously
worked out programs," Arsen Ghazaryan said.
AZG DAILY #30, 21-02-2009
Javakhk Update: 2009-02-21 00:05:30 (GMT +04:00)
GEORGIAN AUTHORITIES COMMIT DEMOGRAPHIC TERRORISM IN JAVAKHK
Javakhk benevolent organization, Mitq analytical center and Yerkir
Union have issued a joint statement on occasion of Georgian Foreign
Minister Grigol Vashadzeâ??s visit to Yerevan.
The statement says that the ongoing arrests of Armenian activists in
Javakhk, grave violations of human rights in the trial of Vahagn
Chakhalyan and his family members, obstacles the Georgian checkpoint
officers pose at the Armenian-Georgian border leads to drift of the
population away from the region.
"The policy pursued by the Georgian authorities is nothing but
demographic terrorism, which aims at assimilation of Georgian
Armenians, neutralization of Armenian public organizations and
establishment of full control over the region," it says.
"The Armenian leadership should urge Georgia:-to put an end to
repressions and criminal prosecution of Javakheti Armenians and to
release Vahagn Chakhalyan, Grigor Minasyan, Sargis Hakobjanyan and
Grisha Avagyan.-to allow to use the Armenian language in public life
and administrative bodies of Samtskhe-Javakheti and Tsalka regions-to
establish an Armenian-Georgian university in Akhalkalaki to prevent
migration of young people-to officially register the Armenian
Apostolic Church and return appropriated Armenian churches.
Respect for the right of Armenians is the only way to maintain lasting
and sustainable development of the Armenian-Georgian relations," the
statement says, according to PanArmenian.net.
WILL THE MANIAC STRIKE AGAIN?
The Messenger
Feb 20 2009
Georgia
The results of the Geneva talks are encouraging at first glance. If
international law and order are observed the agreement reached in
Switzerland will provide the foundation for security guarantees around
the Russian occupied zones.
However the question arises: Will the maniac strike again? Certain
Russian analysts predict that Russia will launch a repeat attack
on Georgia as soon as the snow melts in the Caucasus roads and
passes – that means sometimes around May. Among these pessimists is
Pavel Felgengauer, who was the first to predict the previous Moscow
aggression and did so long before August, giving almost the exact
dates of the attack.
Why does Russia need to do this? The first reason is: to satisfy its
maniacal desire to control the South Caucasus. It is also obvious that
Russia wants to detract its population’s attention from Russia’s own
internal problems: everything will be alright if Georgia has caused
all the trouble and can thus be neutralized. But this therefore
brings us to the ultimate reason: Russia wants to destroy Georgia’s
statehood. Snatching two pieces of its territory did not do much to
satisfy Moscow’s imperialistic sentiments and appetite. Only swallowing
a whole country, a recognized sovereign state such as Georgia, will
be able to do that in the short term.
Felgengauer highlights Russia’s presence in Armenia in particular
to support his argument. During the August ceasefire Russia’s
strategically important bases in Armenia were detached from
Russia, as the land connection between the two countries is no
longer viable. Spare parts and arms cannot be supplied to the
bases through either Azerbaijan, Georgia or Turkey. The only
remaining land connection is through Iran, but this is via a very
long road. Air transport would be very costly and some items just
cannot be transported by air, therefore in two-three years the
equipment in these Russian bases will be obsolete and there will be
no opportunity to reequip them as the road connection is too long and
hazardous to negotiate. Therefore the bases will obviously lose their
function. "Russia will thus have defaulted on its obligation to take
care of its strategic ally and its ambition to control the entire
South Caucasus will be frustrated," thinks the Russian expert. As
is known, all the equipment from the old Georgian-located Russian
military bases had been transported to Armenia’s Russian bases by 2007.
The situation around the zones occupied by Russian is very tense
and at any moment could be aggravated. Serious confrontation could
flare up instantly. Russia is capable to provoking this at any moment
and then putting all the blame on Georgia, as it does concerning the
August war: it did everything to provoke Georgia into taking serious
military steps and then sprang its trap. Furthermore the compromised
attitude of the EU towards Russia most probably gives the impression
to Moscow that Europe silently acknowledges Russia’s claims that it
has the right to use force in the Caucasus. Of course it has taken the
only position it can in practical terms, but Russia’s unpredictable
and irresponsible moves mean that Europe cannot make the rules and
expect Russia to obey them.
How can Georgia prevent these developments? First of all it
should modernize and train its military forces so they can protect
their own country. US military commanders have already admitted
that Georgian soldiers were trained for international peacekeeping
missions, not domestic tasks, and now they will be trained to protect
their country. The Pentagon is already devising relevant training
programmes. The second step should be to make diplomatic efforts
outside the country to attract the EU’s attention to what is going
on in the Russian-occupied territories.
There is one more possible scenario however: this time Moscow might
direct its aggression not against Georgia but Ukraine. The situation in
Crimea is becoming hot, as the Kremlin is taking similar measures there
to the ones it took in Georgia. It is distributing Russian passports
and granting Russian citizenships to the local population. Furthermore
the international community, which has seen all this before, remains
silent as it did in Georgia, only believing there is a problem when
people start to die.
Conflict in Ukraine will not be much relief for Georgia, considering
the good relationship between Georgia and Ukraine. However it will
split Russia’s attention, thus making it a potentially softer aggressor
for a while. Georgia should not have to wait for Russia to attack
another country to obtain relief from its own troubles however.