Author: Dabaghian Diana

TURKISH CULTURAL SEASON IN FRANCE VIEWED FROM LYON
By Andrea Giambartolomei

cafebabel.com
22/10/08
France

Fre d Bassier and Faik Sardag, bass player and singer of French-Turkish
band, Fake Oddity (Image: AG)

The cultural and political relationship between France and Turkey is
ambivalent. Events such as France’s recognition of Armenian genocide
and Sarkozy’s opposition to Ankara’s entry into the EU make 2009 a
pivotal year focus

‘Certain political choices have had very negative effects,’ states
Ugur Hukum, journalist for Radio France International and Paris
correspondent for the centre-left daily Cumhuriyet. ‘Sarkozy’s
stance and that of his colleagues and the National Assembly on the
Armenian genocide have made Turks more suspicious towards Europe,
and France especially,’ he continues. Has Turkey become stigmatised
in the opinion of the French public? The ‘Year of Turkey’ starts in
July 2009 and ends in March 2010. Co-organised by the French culture
ministry, it will justifiably be looking to restore the tarnished
image of the Turkish people, with the help of a series of initiatives.

In the Pentes de Croix Rousse Quarter On the premises of an association
located near the Pentes de Crois Rousse district in Lyon, immigrants
meet, sip the national drink cay and play okey, a Turkish tile
game. They smoke, despite the ban imposed at the beginning of the
year ‘This event will promote good relations,’ says Ilyas, 52. ‘Our
culture is vast. Its history is ancient: you have only to think of
the Ottoman Empire.’ ‘The French know Turkey and the Turks well,’
continues Mustapha, 28. ‘Even Sarkozy knows it, but he doesn’t want
it in the EU. Turkey has 70 million Muslims: perhaps he is scared.’

‘Turkey has 70 million Muslims: perhaps Sarkozy is scared’ The two
men state that Turkey is already at the heart of several events. ‘In
Lyon, some cultural centres organise Whirling Dervish performances,
oriental parties and debates,’ says Ilyas. Mustapha asserts, without
any pretensions, that he is unsure of whether ‘Turkish singers coming
here can really promote good relations and integration.’ How many
French people visit the Franco-Turkish association? ‘Sometimes someone
who has taken a trip to Turkey will come and have a cup of tea and
chat for a bit,’ says Ilyas. ‘Then there are those …’ He repeats
himself, as if to reassure himself that occasionally a visitor can
shyly penetrate this little corner of Anatolia.

Turkey: yes, no, don’t care?

The association in Lyon | (Image: Andrea Giambartolomei)If you look
at the culture industry, the French are definitely attracted by and
curious about Turkey. ‘In the last five years, editors have translated
and published many Turkish authors. In a well-stocked bookshop you can
find works by thirty Turkish authors,’ asserts Hukum. ‘We can remember
the success of Nobel Prize winner Orhan Pamuk and that of poets like
YaÅ~_ar Kemal and Nazim Hikmet, and of romance novelists such as Nedim
Gursel and Elif Å~^afak.’ The list is long: ‘In music, there is Fasil
Say who, with his album and his Mozart pieces, has had great success in
the last six years. In cinema, Nuri Bilge Ceylan took away two prizes
at Cannes, and there is the young German-Turkish director, Fatih Akin.’

Fake Oddity is a band in Lyon whose singer, Faik Sardag, is originally
from Turkey. ‘People could get along just fine, but the media blocks
any possibility of making connections,’ he says. With his band he
recorded his latest album Runfast in Istanbul, where they also had
several concerts. This experience enabled the French members of the
group to learn a little bit about the country and its inhabitants.

This project is directed at young rock enthusiasts An example of
successful integration and the potential for cultural exchange, they
have decided to get involved in the Turkish cultural season. ‘We
have suggested an exchange between Lyon and Istanbul, with some
Turkish bands coming to play here, eventually accompanied by other
artists,’ explains drummer Fred Bassier, who is busy organising
this project. ‘This project is directed at young rock enthusiasts,
but we would also like to organise events with Turkish story-tellers
for children and parents.’

–Boundary_(ID_cLgEFubgbCisZwlhDBoTzQ)- –

EU STATES AND ARMENIA ENTERED NEW ERA OF COOPERATION

RIA Oreanda
Oct 17 2008
Russia

Yerevan. ">OREANDA-NEWS . October 17, 2008. RA Prime Minister Tigran
Sargsyan received a delegation led by Head of European Commission
Foreign Relations General Directorate Eneko Landaburu. The delegation
comprised Sesary Bardinsky who is responsible for Armenia with the
European agency, Victor Andres Maldonado, Head of South Caucasus and
Central Asia Department and Raul Lutzenberger, Head of EU Delegation
in Armenia.

Eneko Landaburu said that the EU States and South Caucasian countries
inclusive of Armenia have ushered in a new era of cooperation. The
Head of EC Foreign Relations General Directorate offered to build up
a new framework for multilateral collaboration well above maintaining
the ongoing ties of cooperation. Mr. Landaburu said to be confident
that the European Union and the Government of the Republic of Armenia
share in the same values and that a prompt shift to a new level of
relationship should to be made in order to push ahead on the path
of stability, democracy and progress. In turn, the head of the RA
government expressed determination not only to continue implementing
the standing agreements, but also to proceed to new proposals.

According to Eneko Landaburu, the European Union wishes to stand by
Armenia and other South Caucasian States during the modernization
process by establishing a dialog with Western Europe and South
Caucasus. The EU is prepared to assume a more active role in the
region as this is supposed to boost democracy in South Caucasus.

Next, the parties discussed the negative effect experienced by
Armenia’s economy due to the well-known standoff between Georgia
and Russia, as well as the eventual EU assistance in the light of
the arrangements reached with the World Bank and the International
Monetary Fund.

In conclusion, the interlocutors touched upon regional security issues.

CONSENSUS OVER KARABAKH ISSUE SEEMS ATTAINABLE – AZERI THINK-TANK GROUP

Turan News Agency
Oct 9 2008
Azerbaijan

Problems in the Southern Caucasus are again in the spotlight of the
interested sides and international organizations, a piece from the
analytical service of Azerbaijani independent agency has written. The
latest events in Georgia served a lesson for superpowers and they
do not want a repeat of similar events in the Armenian-Azerbaijani
conflict over the Karabakh problem, the report said. In a comment
on optimistic statements from the USA and Russia about the need for
resolving the conflict within the framework of Azerbaijan’s territorial
integrity and international laws, the Azerbaijani official described
them as positive signs. The report also concludes that the Turkish
initiative on a new stability platform in the Caucasus seems getting
positive reactions from the regional countries. The following is the
text of Turan’s analytical service report by private Azerbaijani news
agency Turan on 9 October headlined "Intensification of the Karabakh
problem"; subheadings have been inserted editorially:

The latest known events in Georgia have been conducive to a sharp
concentration of attention and the intensification of the diplomatic
activities of all the interested powers and international organizations
to problems and the future of the South Caucasus region. The
highest accumulation of interest has become apparent in the extreme
intensification of the Nagornyy Karabakh (the Armenian-Azerbaijani)
conflict settlement.

Protracted Karabakh problem again comes under the spotlight

The preservation of this conflict in a frozen and indefinite ("up in
the air") state for a long time seemed suited everyone: both the OSCE
Minsk Group and the mediating countries (the USA, Russia and France)
and even the conflicting countries (official Yerevan and Baku), who
did not show an excessive zeal for the resolution of the problem. For
this reason, the negotiations process proceeded in a tedious and
drooped regime with a periodical imitation of brief intensification
and without any serious breakthrough enabling the sides to count on
quick achievement of positive results.

The events in Georgia have unexpectedly and sharply brought up to
date the problem of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict and a powerful
impulse to stepping up peacekeeping and mediation efforts (both in
a previous and a new format) in order to secure a quick solution to
the Karabakh problem.

In essence, all the interested countries (the USA, Russia, France and
Turkey) despite the "post-Georgian" tension and the rivalry in the
relations, they suddenly started to demonstrate a surprising solidarity
with regard to the necessity of a quick and peaceful resolution to
the Karabakh problem within the framework of the international laws
and the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.

The impression is that a certain geopolitical consensus has already
been achieved over the necessity of a quick resolution of "the Karabakh
knot" although models of resolution most likely will differ. Anyway,
the Karabakh problem is again cherishing optimistic expectations.

The plenipotentiary representative of the president of the
Parliamentary Assembly of PACE, Goran Lennmarker, has recently
said that 2009 will be a decisive year for the resolution of the
Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict. Commenting on these remarks, the head
of the department for international relations under the Presidential
Executive Staff, Novruz Mammadov, also seemed optimistic: "The need
for the settlement of the conflict is obvious for everyone for the
neighbouring powers, Armenia, the US administration, the Minsk Group
co-chairmen and members of the Council of Europe. Proceeding from this,
one should expect concrete and substantial steps for the resolution of
this conflict next year. With a delay in the resolution of the problem,
Armenia is losing a lot and in fact, brings its future into question."

Consensus seems possible among key players

A short while earlier the US OSCE Minsk Group co-chair, Matthew Bryza,
said in Baku: "The Georgian events testify to the need for a quick
resolution to the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict." At the same time,
he emphasized that "the resolution of the Karabakh conflict starts
from the principle of the territorial integrity, taking into account
international experience and laws".

They are not only conditional upon the fact that Russia may in this
or that form repeat the Georgian scenario in Azerbaijan but also with
the fact that by always resorting to similar blackmail, Moscow can
noticeably hammer out or correct in a necessary vein geopolitical,
regional and energy plans of the South Caucasus countries (first of
all of Baku). After the Georgian separatist conflicts were temporarily
"removed" from the agenda, the Karabakh problem has turned into a key
risk factor and a leverage of manipulating with the situation in the
South Caucasus which stimulates an interest of the West to resolve
the problem.

However, though strange, Moscow also started to demonstrate a similar
interest. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s interview with
Rossiyskaya Gazeta was filled with optimistic forecasts in this regard:
"Our feeling, as one of the three mediators, is that the upshot is
completely possible. It goes without saying that it is up to Armenia
and Azerbaijan to resolve [the problem] within the framework of
direct agreements, but the mediators: Russia, the USA and France,
who understand all the subtleties of this process, see a chance of
resolving it."

Speaking about Armenia’s difficulties, which "has a few geographical
and political connections [with outer world]" except for de-blocking
relations with Turkey and Azerbaijan, Lavrov also notes an "absolute
need and urgency for a quick resolution" to the Karabakh problem. True,
without considering it important to note again the need for the
resolution of the problem within the framework of Azerbaijan’s
territorial integrity.

Briefly, all the interested sides (the USA, Russia, Turkey, the
European Union, the OSCE Minsk Group and the sides to the conflict
themselves) are united on the need for a quick resolution of the
conflict and express a certain optimism about the matter. It is
noteworthy that all the sides express full support for the diplomatic
activities and a peaceful initiative of Turkey for the realization
of the Caucasus Peace and Stability Platform, viewing it as a real
way of resolving many problems of the region, in particular, the
Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict.

This circumstance allows us to assume the presence of a certain
preliminary consensus about Turkey’s initiative within the framework
of which a breakthrough is also possible in the Karabakh settlement.

IL PETROLIO PUò FAR RICONCILIARE TURCHI E ARMENI DI ALESSANDRO LITTA MODIGNANI

L’Opinione
22-10-2008
Italy

Il processo di riavvicinamento fra Turchia e Armenia sta attraversando
un’improvvisa fase di accelerazione. Se è vero che "90 minuti di
calcio non possono cancellare 90 anni di odio", come ha facilmente
osservato qualcuno, è anche certo che grazie alla "diplomazia del
pallone" si stanno aprendo scenari inediti, inimmaginabili fino a
pochi mesi fa. L’incontro fra le nazionali di calcio dei due paesi,
il 7 settembre scorso, ha portato alla storica prima visita a Erevan
del presidente turco Abdullah Gul. Il dialogo fra i due paesi potrebbe
portare, gia entro la fine di quest’anno, a un’intesa fra l’Armenia
e l’Azerbaijan per la questione del Nagorno-Karabakh, la regione del
Caucaso meridionale abitata in prevalenza da armeni, che Stalin volle
attribuire all’Azerbaijan e tornata adesso sotto controllo armeno,
dopo i furibondi scontri dei primi anni ’90. Il 26 settembre delegati
turchi, azeri e armeni si sono incontrati a New York.

Crescono le voci che Ankara e Baku offrano all’Armenia di partecipare
al progetto dell’oleodotto Nabucco, che dovrebbe portare il petrolio
dal Mar Caspio fino a Vienna, in cambio di una soluzione del
contenzioso. L’Armenia sinora si è battuta per l’indipendenza della
regione, che considera carne della sua carne; i mediatori propongono di
cessare il conflitto e rinviare la soluzione definitiva a un futuro
referendum. La Turchia ripete che l’Armenia deve sgombrare al più
presto i territori occupati dal ’94, ma Gul ha aggiunto di recente
che "questo permetterebbe anche una proficua collaborazione economica
nella regione".

In questa direzione preme l’Unione Europea, interessata al progetto
Nabucco che porterebbe il petrolio dall’Asia centrale nel cuore del
vecchio continente, bypassando il territorio russo. Anche gli Stati
Uniti si sono attivati: il vice-presidente Dick Cheney è stato a Baku
per una visita-lampo, il mese scorso. Mosca non vede certo di buon
occhio l’iniziativa, che avvicinerebbe l’Armenia all’Occidente. Proprio
il timore di una "prospettiva georgiana", però, potrebbe indurre
le parti a un compromesso: quel "Patto per la stabilita e la
cooperazione nel Caucaso", auspicato dalla Turchia, che favorirebbe
le economie di tutta l’area. Attualmente le frontiere turco-armene
sono chiuse. Secondo alcuni osservatori, un accordo potrebbe arrivare
presto, dopo le "elezioni" in Azerbaijan di mercoledì scorso, che
hanno visto la scontata riconferma dell’attuale presidente Ilham Aliyev
con quasi il 90% dei voti. Anche in questo quadro ottimistico, fra
Turchia e Armenia resterebbe comunque da sciogliere il nodo storico,
cioè il riconoscimento del genocidio del 1915, sempre negato da
Ankara. Molta acqua dovra passare sotto i ponti, prima che i turchi
chiedano scusa e gli armeni arrivino a perdonare. Però fra un anno,
il 14 ottobre 2009, ci sara la partita di ritorno in Turchia e forse
vedremo per la prima volta un presidente armeno ospite nella terra
che vide il suo popolo sterminato. L’interesse reciproco potrebbe
indurre turchi e armeni a una storica pace.

–Boundary_(ID_HtGMQBOLxJcJ0aaa5gFWBQ)–

TURKISH ANALYST: SOUTH CAUCASUS IS A NEW TARGET FOR NATO AND EU

PanARMENIAN.Net
22.10.2008 18:31 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Caucasus had been on the agenda in the first
half of 2008 due to the instability in the region during and after the
elections in Armenia and Georgia. The Caucasus dominated the world’s
attention in the second half of 2008 with its elections issues,
their potential impact on Azerbaijan, and solution initiatives for
the frozen conflicts, analyst Mitat Celikpala wrote in an editorial
in the Turkish Daily News.

"Taking into account Russia’s desire to be more active in the political
arena, and the expansion of the NATO/transatlantic security zone to the
Caucasus alongside these developments, it is clearly evident that the
rivalry has acquired a global dimension. The Caucasus – particularly
Georgia – has become an active war zone with the constant potential
as a hot conflict within the framework of the global quest for power.

The whole world is closely following the developments in the Caucasus,
and common solutions are being sought for the regional problems. The
connection between the interests of parties and the solutions to
problems has given the struggle for a balance of power a new global
dimension.

Since their independence, the Caucasian republics have tried to
form reliable and sustainable state structures that prioritize the
protection of this independence. While Georgia, from the beginning,
perceived Russia as a threat to its national existence and sought to
become part of the Western world and its institutions, Armenia forged
a full alliance with Russia to protect its security and territorial
integrity. Meanwhile, Azerbaijan has preferred to pursue a more
balanced policy, reflecting its wealth of natural resources and the
diversity of its problems.

In this context, the main factor determining regional countries’
positions and policies is essentially global processes. It is evident
that fundamental change has occurred in the perception and policies of
the transatlantic world – primarily the EU and NATO – of and towards
the region. The new target of these organizations, which are about
to complete the process of political integration with Eastern Europe
and the Western Balkans, is the Caucasus," the article says.

ARMENIAN STUDENTS STUDY ABROAD GETTING SCHOLARSHIPS

Panorama.am
19:25 20/10/2008

In the frames of scholarship programs 76 Armenian students study in
Russia, 6 in Romania, 7 in China, and 1 in Syria, said Vahe Grigoryan,
the head of international cooperation and Diaspora department of the
Ministry of Education and Science.

According to him scholarship programs are organized in basis of
international contracts. Current countries have sent announcements
for students to study in local universities in the beginning of the
educational year.

V. Grigoryan said that Armenia also announces scholarships for
foreign students. In particular 30 foreign students from China, Syria,
Russian and Egypt study in Armenia.

PUBLIC SERVICES REGULATORY COMMISSION ADOPTS DECISION TO GIVE PRELIMINARY LICENSE TO FRANCE TELECOM

ArmInfo
2008-10-17 14:42:00

ArmInfo. Armenian Public Services Regulatory Commission [PSRC] has
adopted a decision to give preliminary license to France Telecom,
the third mobile communication operator in Armenia.

FTA Telecom is an Armenian structure of the Orange SA, which is
within the France Telecom group. On 7 October 2008 Orange SA won the
tender to have a right of giving the mobile services in Armenia and
registered the local company in the republic FTA Telecom, which will
use the brand Orange in Armenia.

As director of telecommunications department of PSRC Gevorg Danielyan
said at the sitting of the commission, according to the procedure
set by the law, over 4 weeks participants in the competition can
appeal its results. After successful ending of all the procedures
FTA Telecom will be given the final license for activity, he said.

Director of FTA Telecom Christian Boinot said the company will start
giving service before winter of 2009. He also added specialists of
France Telecom will arrive in Armenia soon to study the problem of
mobile communication net construction in Armenia. He also said the
FTA Telecom is going to op[en 42 service centres in Armenia.

‘ARMROSGAZPROM’ CJSC TO INVEST ABOUT $20 MLN TILL LATE, 2008, IN REGULATION OF GAS SUPPLY REGIMES IN YEREVAN

ArmInfo
2008-10-15 16:49:00

ArmInfo. Within the frames of the programme of regulation of gas
supply regimes in 2008, "ArmRosgazprom" CJSC will invest over 6 bln
drams (about $20 mln), the Company’s message says.

According to the source data, the investments will be directed to
enhancement of the diameters, the flow capacity and cross-feeding of
the operating gas pipelines, installation of 185 cabinet-type gas
control points, as well as for construction of the new fourth gas
distribution station (GDS-4) which assures additional gas supply of
Yerevan consumers.

The main gas supply scheme, which is matched up with the capital’s
general layout and takes into account the city’s development till
2020, has been drawn-up for Yerevan. In the capital, "ArmRosgazprom"
CJSC carries out repair, relaying and construction of overland
and underground gas pipelines of average and low pressure, as
well as the system reconstruction works directed to regulation of
regimes and enhancement of the gas supply quality. At present, the
works on reconstruction of the gas distribution network have been
almost completed, that makes up over 60% of the envisaged volume of
investments, and the works on construction of GDS-4 (40%) will be
completed till late, 2008. As the Company said, the gas distribution
system of Armenia has been designed and built in compliance with
gas consumption standards in a Soviet period. As a result of sharp
growth of the natural gas consumption in the republic over the last
years it has become necessary to carry out a work for regulation of
gas supply regimes. Taking into account the real opportunities of the
gas distribution network and to assure normal gas supply to consumers
this winter, "ArmRosgazprom" CJSC started carrying out the required
works for settlement of these problems.

SERIOUS TENDENCY OF REAL ESTATE PRICES CORRECTION IN ARMENIA

ArmInfo
2008-10-13 14:02:00

ArmInfo. Real estate prices have started falling at the end of summer
in Yerevan. According to the monthly report of Cadastre Real Estate
Committee, the average price for 1 sq/m of an apartment in Yerevan
has fallen by 1,8% in August. The number of the real estate bargains
also reduced in August by 15% if compared with July and by 22% if
compared with August 2007.

As Director of Armenian Real Estate Market Artem Pribylsky said,
prices falling tendency has been preserved, and they fell by
1-3% in September and at the beginning of October. He also added
that the world economic crisis has affected the situation at the
Armenian real estate market. ‘Armenians of the Diaspora and the local
residents, which receive transfers, are the main buyers of the primary
accommodation. For this reason because of worsening of the economic
situation in the transfer-donor states (Russia and the USA) inflow
of cash reduces as a result of which buying ability is also reducing.

Pribilsky also said no rush sale of real estate has been noticed at the
market because of real estate proces falling. But this does not rule
out rush at the mortgage market, where the real estate prices will fall
much but the mortgage bank rate will grow because of liquidity falling.

According to the data of ArmInfo analysts, Armenian banks have made
the conditions of the mortgage credits giving more severe of the
last months.

The world liquidity crisis has not yet touched on the banking system of
the country since there are no big volumes of the sums attracted from
abroad in the liabilities, but the danger of its possible affecting
Armenia make the banks to increase ‘liquidity pillow’. Thus, certain
reduction of the mortgage crediting volumes in the country is reducing
real estate demand level in some sense and is no more able to keep
prices. Moreover, one should take into account that the real estate
sector, the ‘locomative’ of the Armenian economy, which almost fully
depends on foreign money inflow, still remains the weakest and the most
affected by foreign crisis tendencies. The domino effect may work in
other sectors of economy as well, in case of stagnation. Nevertheless,
as analysts say, today the long-awaited correction of prices has
been notices of the real estate market, which have risen up to the
inadequate level thanks to foreign money inflow over the last years.

AGBU Press Office
55 East 59th Street
New York, NY 10022-1112
Phone: 212.319.6383, x118
Fax: 212.319.6507
Email: [email protected]
Website:

PRESS RELEASE

Monday, October 13, 2008

AGBU Virtual College Presented To Armenian Public

On Sunday, September 28, 2008, hundreds of individuals gathered in
Yerevan, Armenia’s Aram Khachaturian Concert Hall to watch the
presentation of AGBU’s highly anticipated educational resource, the AGBU
Armenian Virtual College (AVC), which is slated to launch in January
2009.

The AVC presentation was attended by various high-ranking members of the
Armenian government, including Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan, Education
and Science Minister Spartak Seyranian, Culture Minister Hasmik
Poghossian, AGBU President Berge Setrakian, and various AGBU donors,
including London-based Armenian benefactor Vatche Manoukian,
American-Armenian philanthropist Albert Boyadjian, and members of the
AGBU Central Board Vasken Yacoubian and Ruben Keshishian. The event was
also attended by a host of local Armenian intellectuals and academics
with a particular interest in scientific and educational innovation.

The AVC presentation was jointly organized by AGBU and Public Television
of Armenia and the event was hosted by commentator and spokesman Artak
Alexanian. During various breaks in the evening’s presentation, audience
members were treated to performances by various renowned Armenian pop
stars, including Lilit Pipoyan, Arsen Grikorian, Hayko, Shushan
Petrossian and the Empiray rock group.

AVC Coordinator and AGBU Silicon Valley Chairman Yervant Zorian was on
hand to make an extensive presentation about the online program about
its significance for AGBU’s educational mission.

AVC is an Internet-based accredited distance learning program that aims
to facilitate Armenian studies through new technologies. AVC provides
Armenian courses in history, language and culture (architecture,
geography, fine arts and music) and allows participating students to
choose from six languages of instruction: Western and Eastern Armenian,
English, Russian, French and Spanish. AVC will tailor lessons to suit
each student’s needs, thus ensuring that Armenians from around the
world, regardless of their age, country of residence or knowledge level,
will benefit from the resource.

During the presentation, the audience was treated to live online chats
with potential AVC students in Moscow, San Francisco and Damascus, which
demonstrated the program’s remarkable potential to serve the global
Armenian community.

In addition to AGBU’s extensive support of AVC, the program was also
made possible through the involvement of computer programmers and
Internet specialists from Yerevan State University and the National
Academy of Sciences of Armenia. For more information about AVC, please
visit

Established in 1906, AGBU () is the world’s largest
non-profit Armenian organization. Headquartered in New York City, AGBU
preserves and promotes the Armenian identity and heritage through
educational, cultural and humanitarian programs, annually touching the
lives of some 400,000 Armenians on six continents.