Author: Emil Lazarian

TURKEY’S TIES WITH FRANCE UNRAVEL OVER ARMENIA DISPUTE
International Herald Tribune, France
The Associated Press
Nov 16 2006
Ankara lashes back over law on Armenia
Turkey has suspended military relations with France in a dispute over
whether the mass killings of Armenians in the last century amounted
to genocide, the land forces commander said Wednesday.
The move was the latest backlash against French legislation that, if
approved by the French Senate and president, would criminalize denial
that the World War I-era killings of Armenians in Turkey were genocide.
France and Turkey, both NATO members, have previously had close
military ties, and Turkey has been a buyer of French-made weaponry.
But the Turkish military has also blacklisted several French companies
in the past in similar disputes over the mass killings of Armenians.
Today in Europe
Efforts to integrate Russians in Latvia stoke tensions French
Socialists to pick presidential candidate Germany criticized for its
training of Afghan police The Turkish commander, General Ilker Basbug,
announced the suspension to reporters at a reception in Ankara,
according to the state-owned Anatolia news agency. The lower house
of the French Parliament approved the genocide-denial legislation
in October.
“Relations with France in the military field have been suspended,”
Anatolia quoted Basbug as saying. Asked whether there had been any
cancellation of military visits, Basbug said: “There are no high-level
visits between the two countries.”
Turkey sees the French bill as a hostile, anti-Turkish move, and has
said that the lawmakers’ vote has already deeply harmed Turkish-French
relations. The French bill still needs the approval of the upper
house and the signature of President Jacques Chirac to become law.
Turkey vehemently denies that it committed genocide against Armenians,
though many nations have classified the killings as such.
Turkey acknowledges that large numbers of Armenians died in mass
expulsions and fighting, but says the number of dead is exaggerated
and that most were killed in ethnic conflicts as the Ottoman Empire
collapsed.
Armenians and many nations say about 1.5 million Armenians were killed
in a genocidal campaign devised and carried out by Turkish leaders.
The European Union and the European media have criticized the French
bill, saying it is not in line with the principle of free expression
and does not promote dialogue with Turkey, which wants to join the
EU. The United States also criticized the bill, saying that it got
in the way of Turkish-Armenian dialogue.
The Armenian issue is one of the most divisive and emotional in
Turkey. Those who classify the killings as genocide are often accused
of treason.
EU rebuffed over Cyprus
Turkey will not succumb to European Union “blackmail” in the dispute
over the divided island of Cyprus and its bearing on Ankara’s prospects
of joining the bloc, the Turkish foreign minister said Wednesday,
according to The Associated Press and Reuters in Nicosia.
The EU has told Turkey it must open its seaports and airports to ships
and planes from Cyprus to avoid a breakdown in EU membership talks,
but Ankara does not recognize the government of Cyprus.
“We won’t bow to blackmail, in the same way that we did not bow to
blackmail in the past,” Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul of Turkey said in
a speech on the Turkish Cypriot side of the island’s capital, Nicosia.
Cyprus has been split between the Greek Cypriot south – whose
government is recognized by the international community – and the
Turkish Cypriot north since 1974, when Turkish forces invaded in
response to an attempted coup by military officers who were trying to
unite the island with Greece. Only Ankara recognizes the Turkish-run
north.
On another issue that has clouded Turkey’s ties to the EU, meanwhile,
officials said Wednesday in Ankara that it planned to amend a law
that the EU asserts curbs freedom of expression in time for an EU
summit meeting in December.
The law, Article 301, which makes it a crime to insult “Turkishness,”
has been used by nationalists to prosecute writers and intellectuals,
although most cases have ended in acquittals. The Justice Ministry
is exploring new forms of wording that would make it more difficult
for politically motivated lawyers to open cases.
Turkey has warned the EU not to try to arbitrate in the dispute,
saying the 25- nation bloc could not help secure a balanced solution
because Cyprus is already one of its members.
Gul said that the United Nations should play the role of mediator.
“To expect concessions from Turkey by moving the question from the
United Nations to the EU is a dead-end road,” Gul said.

GENERAL BASBUG: TURKISH-FRENCH MILITARY RELATIONS ARE SHELVED FOR NOW
Hurriyet, Turkey
Nov 16 2006
The top commanding officer of the Turkish Land Forces, General Ilker
Basbug, has said that following the French Parliament’s decision to
approve a bill calling for jail time and monetary fines for people
publicly denying Armenian genocide allegations, that high level visits
between his officers and French land forces officers are no longer
on the docket.
Basbug commented yesterday that relations between Turkish and
French military officials are currently “shelved” in the wake of the
controversial French parliamentary decision. Basbug’s comments came
during a reception in honor of the founding of the Northern Cypriot
republic.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

OSCE IS IDEAL FORUM TO CONTINUE SETTLEMENT NEGOTIATIONS BETWEEN AZERBAIJAN
AND ARMENIA ON NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT: U.S. MINSK GROUP CO-CHAIR URGES
Author: A.Mammadova, E.Huseynov
TREND, Azerbaijan
Nov 16 2006
U.S. Ambassador Matthew Bryza, the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair, stated
in an exclusive interview for Trend that the OSCE is the ideal forum
from which to continue the settlement negotiations between Azerbaijan
and Armenia on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. He was commenting on
the possible involvement of other international organizations, such
as the Council of Europe, United Nations and other organizations in
the peaceful resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh.
The diplomat stressed that statements by other international groups and
bodies that reinforce the OSCE Minsk Group process and the Co-Chairs’
Basic Principles may certainly be helpful. The leaders of the G8
countries issued such a statement in St Petersburg in July, he added.
Bryza recalled that more recently, the UN and OSCE worked together to
bring about an OSCE-led assessment mission of the wild fires in and
around Nagorno-Karabakh with joint participation of Azerbaijani and
Karabakh-Armenian experts. “I consider that kind of co-operation to be
a positive sign, and I hope we’ll see the two sides agree to more of
these kinds of confidence-building measures in the future,” he stated.
‘We were encouraged by the positive mood and open-minded spirit of
the two Foreign Ministers in their recent discussions, as well as
their commitment to continue discussions based on the Co-Chairs’
Basic Principles,” he said.
The diplomat voiced his belief that the basic principles represent a
fair, balanced, workable solution for the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,
and hoped that the two sides will embrace those principles – perhaps
with some minor modifications and improvements based on their own
input – as the basis for enduring peace in the region.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ANKARA AIMS TO AMEND ARTICLE 301 BEFORE SUMMIT
Gulf Times, Qatar
Nov 16 2006
ANKARA: Turkey plans to amend a controversial law condemned by the
European Union for curbing freedom of expression in time for an EU
summit in mid-December, officials said yesterday.
Article 301 makes it a crime to insult “Turkishness” or state
institutions. Nationalist lawyers have used it to prosecute writers
and intellectuals, including Nobel Prize winner Orhan Pamuk, although
most cases have ended in acquittal.
In its annual report on Turkey’s reforms last week, the European
Commission repeated its criticism of the article and urged the
government to amend or repeal it.
“This amendment has to be made and benefit is seen in making it as
soon as possible. We aim to pass the amendment through parliament
in the first week of December,” an official from the ruling AK Party
told Reuters on condition of anonymity.
EU leaders will discuss the fate of Turkey’s EU candidacy at a December
14-15 summit after concern over a slowdown in reforms and a row over
Cyprus, whose government Ankara does not recognise. Turkey began EU
entry talks a year ago.
Political analysts say Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who faces
elections next year, hopes that by amending article 301 he can gain
credit in Brussels and make the EU less willing to punish Turkey over
its Cyprus policy.
AK Party sources said they and the Justice Ministry were exploring
new forms of wording that would make it more difficult for politically
motivated lawyers to bring cases to court.
The aim of the amendment will be to protect people’s legitimate right
to criticise while discouraging insults that upset Turkish public
opinion, AK Party officials said.
Non-governmental organisations, including business groups and trade
unions, are also drawing up joint proposals for changes they plan to
submit to the government by tomorrow.
The head of the Turkish Doctors’ Union, one of the NGOs involved, said
his group favoured complete abolition of the article but added: “The
government is not planning change of that magnitude at this point.”
Speaking in Stockholm yesterday, Turkey’s EU chief negotiator Ali
Babacan noted the strength of opposition to change inside parliament,
despite the AK Party’s big majority, and said the support of the NGOs
would be crucial.
“If a serious, concrete demand comes from civil society it will be
easier for us to look into this situation,” he said.
Pamuk was charged under article 301 over comments he made about the
alleged genocide of Armenians by Ottoman Turks during World War I.
Pamuk’s case collapsed on a technicality.
Turkey strongly denies the genocide claims. It says large numbers
of Christian Armenians and Muslim Turks died in a partisan conflict
accompanying the fall of the Ottoman Empire.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

KOCHARIAN AND ALIYEV TO MEET IN MINSK NOVEMBER 28
PanARMENIAN.Net
16.11.2006 12:54 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The recurrent meeting of Armenian President Robert
Kocharian and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev will be held in Minsk
November 28 within the framework of the CIS summit. The agreement
was achieved at the meeting of the Armenian and Azerbaijani FMs with
the OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairs in Brussels, head of the department
of press and information policy at the Azeri MFA Tahir Taghizade
told reporters. The talks of the Foreign Ministers were hard but
constructive, he said. The Ministers discussed the details that had
not been coordinated before. Taghizade described the discussion
of the components and elements of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict
settlement process as positive. November 21-23 the OSCE MG Co-chairs
are expected to visit the region, said the Azeri MFA official,
reports Trend news agency.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

OSKANIAN PRESENTS DETAILS OF HIS BRUSSELS MEETINGS
By Harry Tamrazian in Brussels
Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
Nov 16 2006
Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian spoke of ‘some little progress’ made
at the Armenian-Azeri ministerial talks in Brussels earlier this week,
but said the “moderate expectations” from the meeting with his Azeri
counterpart Elmar Mamedyarov were not fully met.
“A general outline of agreement around the proposals and thoughts
voiced during the Moscow meeting and discussed in Paris began to
emerge, though I cannot say that this is some complete agreement,”
Oskanian told RFE/RL after the meeting on Monday. The minister added
that “negotiations should be continued.”
Oskanian found it reassuring that after listening to the sides the OSCE
Minsk Group cochairmen suggested that the two countries’ presidents
should meet on the sidelines of the CIS summit due later this month.
“They are likely to have seen some positive moments in our discussions
and based on that made a decision to invite the presidents to such
a meeting,” Oskanian said.
“Of course, the presidents will decide whether to accept the invitation
or not after listening to their ministers. And for this very reason the
cochairmen will pay a visit to the region next week,” Oskanian said,
adding that the international negotiators are expected in Yerevan on
November 21.
The minister reiterated that the expression of the Karabakh people’s
will remains a key principle for Armenia at the talks.
“This is one of the key issues, and, of course, it is essential to the
Armenian side,” Oskanian said. “Whether it is done through a referendum
or in some other way, the right of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh to
self-determination must be stated in the document that should serve
as a means for resolution.”
To the question whether he felt any change in Azerbaijan’s tough
position during the meeting, the minister said: “I can say only that
the atmosphere was quite positive. It was a constructive meeting,
some serious discussion went on, some thoughts were expressed.”
“I cannot say that we made concrete arrangements, but the bottomline
of those discussions is that positions have in some way moved closer
together,” Oskanian said. “We want to consider it to be a flexible
approach, a compromise, I don’t want to give qualifications. I can
only state that some general outline of agreement appeared to have
emerged during that meeting.”
Assessing Russia’s role in the Karabakh peace process, the Armenian
minister praised this country’s constructive position. “Russia’s
approaches have always been consonant with those of the other
cochairmen,” he said.
Evaluating the Armenia Action Plan as part of the EU new neighborhood
policy, the minister emphasized that “with the adoption of this
document Armenia has raised its relations with the European Union to
a qualitatively new level.”
“It holds out serious prospects before us to move towards closer
integration in that structure and deepen our relationship,” Oskanian
said. “This program has a five-year duration, it has a solid financial
basis, it well serves its purpose, and, indeed, Armenia can benefit
from it immensely if it implements it properly.”
“I’ve said on many occasions that if we manage to take full advantage
of the opportunities offered by this program, in five years Armenia
can be a politically and economically different state,” the minister
underscored. “And we, indeed, must be consistent in its realization.”
Speaking about the upcoming parliamentary and presidential elections
in Armenia, Oskanian said: “One of the key questions raised during
the meeting of the EU-Armenia Cooperation Council was our future
elections. Our future elections have been high on the agenda of any
bilateral meeting I’ve had in the past few months. It has been so
much talked about that we, indeed, have no room for mistake this
time around.”
The minister urged all political forces and the public to work
together to hold qualitatively better elections, as otherwise, he says,
‘Armenia has much to lose’.
“Armenia’s further democratic development largely depends on
the upcoming parliamentary and presidential elections,” Oskanian
emphasized.
While in Brussels, Oskanian also participated in the closed meeting
of the foreign ministers of the three South Caucasus states with EU
representatives. He said the whole spectrum of issues in the region,
including the continuing standoff between Russia and Georgia, was
discussed by the parties.
According to Oskanian, Armenia has friendly relations with both Russia
and Georgia and wants to preserve its impartial attitude. At the same
time, the Armenian minister is concerned over more tensions emerging
in the relations between these two countries, which, according to him,
is against Armenia’s political and economic interests.
“We want to see good relations between Russia and Georgia in the
interest of the whole region,” Oskanian stressed. He denied that
Russia has exerted any pressure on Armenia to cooperate with it
against Georgia.
“Such thoughts may have been voiced within public circles in Russia
that expected Armenia to cooperate on that matter. But I assure you
that no such position was officially expressed to Armenia. Armenia
has not taken sides in this standoff and will continue to appear from
neutral positions,” the Armenian minister concluded.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIAN, AZERI PRESIDENT EXPECTED TO MEET IN MINSK
Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
Nov 16 2006
A meeting between the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan will take
place on November 28, in Minsk, on the sidelines of the summit of
the Commonwealth of Independent States, Russian co-chair of the OSCE
Minsk Group Yuri Merzlyakov told ITAR-TASS in Vienna on Thursday.
According to him, such an agreement was reached between the two
countries’ foreign ministers in Brussels two days ago.
Earlier, Armenia’s Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian told RFE/RL that
the issue of the presidents’ meeting will be finally specified after
the visit of the international negotiators to the region planned for
next week.
On behalf of the OSCE Minsk Group cochairmen Yuri Merzlyakov urged the
two countries’ presidents to take the unique opportunity and agree on
principles of the Karabakh conflict settlement, since, according to
him, no such opportunity will be offered in the coming year. He said
that elections will be held in Armenia and Azerbaijan in 2007-2008,
which, according to him, will have a negative impact on the process
of negotiations.
“Besides, key political figures that have participated in the
negotiations during the last ten years from the Armenian side will
start to drop from the negotiating process next year.” Merzlyakov did
not expand on whom particularly he means. In the past several years
Armenia’s president and foreign minister have participated in the
high-level talks around the Nagorno-Karabakh issue. The presidential
election in Armenia is due in 2008.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

OFFICIAL BOASTS OF CIVIL INTEGRATION POLICY ON TOLERANCE DAY
Civil Georgia, Georgia
Nov 16 2006
Georgia is building a state where its citizens’ identities will
be based “not only on their blood and ethnic background, but on
the idea to build united strong state,” Chief of the President’s
Administration Giorgi Arveladze said on November 16, which is
celebrated as International Day for Tolerance.
Arveladze was speaking at a launching ceremony of the National
Integration and Tolerance in Georgia (NITG) – the USAID funded 4-year
program, run by UN Association of Georgia (UNAG), and implemented in
partnership with the Georgia government in an attempt to increase the
sense of tolerance and national unity among Georgian citizens. The
event was attended by the U.S. Ambassador in Georgia John Tefft.
Arveladze said that the Georgian authorities spare no efforts to put
an end “to infrastructure collapse” in some of the regions, which
is hindering process of civil integration. Arveladze was referring
to Samtskhe-Javakheti region populated with large group of ethnic
Armenians.
“The U.S. assistance is of special importance in this regard, I mean in
frames of Millennium Challenge Account [USD 295 million aid program]
large part of which will be spent on infrastructure rehabilitation
projects,” Arveladze said.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

TURKEY SEVERS MILITARY TIES WITH FRANCE
United Press International
Nov 16 2006
ANKARA, Turkey, Nov. 16 (UPI) — Turkey has severed military ties
with France over a century-old dispute involving the alleged slaughter
of Armenians.
At issue is the French Parliament’s adoption of a draft bill that
makes it a crime to deny Turks committed genocide against Armenians
in the late Ottoman period during World War I, the Cihan news agency
reported Thursday.
While the bill still requires the approval of the French Senate and
president to become law, Turkish Land Forces commander, Gen. Ilker
Basbug said he was following the Turkish parliament’s lead.
“There are no high-level (military) visits between the two countries,”
Basbug said.
Last month, Turkey’s Grand National Assembly issued a declaration
denouncing France’s insistence of genocide.
“The French National Assembly has not only inflicted great damage on
bilateral ties but has also dealt a blow to efforts to normalize our
ties with Armenia,” the declaration said.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

VIMPELCOM CEO: ARMENIA, GEORGIA CAPEX IN LINE WITH STRATEGY
Cellular-News, UK
Nov 16 2006
NEW YORK, Nov 16 (Dow Jones) — Capital expenditure plans for Georgia
and Armenia will generally follow OAO Vimpel Communications’ pattern of
investment in second-tier countries, Chief Executive Officer Alexander
Izosimov told Dow Jones Newswires on Wednesday.
That is to say $100 per subscriber, Izosimov said. He added that the
company could reach one million subscribers – and $100 million in
expenditures – in both countries in about 36 months.
Izosimov said he couldn’t disclose more specific numbers or timeframes
at the moment.
In the case of Armenia, the deal in that country has just won approval
from the Armenian government and it is too early to talk about set
numbers, Izosimov said.
“We are very happy to see the Armenian government give its blessings,”
he said. “We have yet to finalize a capex plan.”
VimpelCom last week bought 90% of Armenian operator Armentel from
Greece’s Hellenic Telecommunications Organization SA or OTE, for
EUR341.9 million in cash and EUR40 million in debt. The deal met
official approval last week.
Izosimov was in New York to celebrate the company’s 10th anniversary
of listing in the New York Stock Exchange. VimpelCom, as it is more
commonly known, is Russia’s No. 2 mobile phone provider after OAO
Mobile TeleSystems, or MTS.
“We already entered key markets” outside Russia, such as Ukraine,
he said. “We’re now going through the second-tier (countries)” and
Armenia and Georgia are important for the company’s strategy in the
Caucasus region, Izosimov said.
In terms of measuring its growth, the company is now focusing on
“real, quality subscribers” rather than raw subscriber numbers based
on phone card sales.
Real subscribers are people who not only buy mobile phone cards but
also use them in a chargeable transaction in three months’ time,
he said.
“Our aspiration is leadership,” Izosimov said. “We are very close,
we are a stone’s throw from closing the gap.”
Izosimov said relations between Russia and Georgia aren’t interfering
with company’s business in Georgia.
Relations between the two countries have become strained, with Georgia
recently vowing to reduce its dependence on Russian gas and in an
apparent effort to counteract pressure from its neighbor.
“It has not affected at all. We enjoy great support from the (Georgian)
government,” he said.
In September, VimpelCom posted a 23% rise in second-quarter net
profit, driven by price increases and tight cost controls. Net profit
increased to $194.9 million from $158.8 million a year earlier,
and revenue rose 46% to $1.12 billion from $769.8 million.
Shares of VimpelCom in New York were down 0.2% at $66.50 in early
afternoon trade Wednesday, when most Russian American Depositary
Receipts were seeing red.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress