UKRAINE IS READY TO SEND PEACEKEEPERS TO NAGORNY KARABAKH
UNIAN , Ukraine
Sept 8 2006
Addressing students and professors of Slavic University of Baku on
Friday, Victor Yushchenko said Ukraine was ready to send peacekeepers
to Azerbaijan to help settle the lasting conflict in Nagorny Karabakh,
according to the President’s press-office.
Ukraine believes it is necessary to recognize the territorial integrity
of the Republic of Azerbaijan and to withdraw troops from the occupied
territory, he said.
“The use of force and pressure yields no results and dead-ends the
conflict,” he opined.
The Head of State also said he believed it was important to let
refugees return to their homeland and later decide the status of the
Karabakh autonomy at a national referendum.
He said peacekeeping effort in the region could help stabilize the
situation, adding Ukraine was ready to participate under the aegis
of OSCE or the UN Security Council.
“I told Ilham Aliyev at our meetings Ukraine was ready to offer
peacekeepers to resolve the conflict,” he said.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
Author: Emil Lazarian
Armenian Editor Jailed For 4 Years
ARMENIAN EDITOR JAILED FOR 4 YEARS
By Hovannes Shoghikian
Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
Sept 8 2006
The young editor of an Armenian newspaper critical of the government
was found guilty of illegally avoiding military service and sentenced
to four years in prison by a Yerevan court on Friday.
The court backed prosecutors’ claim that Arman Babajanian of
“Zhamanak Yerevan” used fake documents to win exemption from the
two-year compulsory duty in 2002. But the presiding judge, Mnatsakan
Martirosian, dismissed as “unfounded” a separate accusation that
Babajanian stole the documents from an Armenian couple based in
California.
Still, the jail sentence is only six months shorter than the one
demanded by the prosecutors. It is also quite harsh for individuals
convicted of draft evasion in Armenia. They usually get between two
and three years in jail. Babajanian’s defense counsel is therefore
likely to appeal against the verdict.
The 30-year-old editor looked resigned to going to prison as he
delivered his final court remarks two hours before the announcement
of the ruling. “Whether I will be in jail or at large, my homeland
Armenia will remain my dearest place,” he said. “It looks as though
I have to lose liberty in order to win back my right to again live
in the homeland. If this is so, I will pay the price and duly accept
any prison sentence set by the court.”
Babajanian added that he resorted to fraud after failing to extend
the deferment of his military service and study in a U.S. university.
He claimed that military authorities repeatedly rejected medical
documents testifying to his poor health.
Under Armenian law, virtually all young men aged between 18 and 27
must serve in the armed forces for two years. Those who are admitted
to state universities before coming of age have to be drafted after
finishing their studies.
Babajanian used to study in an Armenian religious seminary and had
his service deferred until 2001 before moving to the United States in
1998. He was arrested in June just weeks after returning to Armenia
and starting to publish the newspaper in Armenia. In a subsequent
statement released from his prison cell, he accused the authorities
of trying to muzzle an “independent and incorruptible media outlet
supporting the removal of the illegal regime and the establishment
of a legitimate government in Armenia.”
The “Zhamanak Yerevan” staff say Babajanian would not have been
prosecuted had his paper supported the government, a claim dismissed
by the prosecutors.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
BAKU: Azerbaijan To Host GUAM Meeting To Establish Peacekeepers
AZERBAIJAN TO HOST GUAM MEETING TO ESTABLISH PEACEKEEPERS
Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
Sept 8 2006
GUAM (Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Moldova) meeting for
establishing peacekeeping forces of the alliance will be held in
Azerbaijan.
The issue is being discussed at the level of deputy chief of General
Staffs of the member states, Ivan Androsenko, Ukrainian Defense
Ministry International Military Cooperation Department chief told
the APA exclusively.
“Measures are being implemented in establishing joint peacekeepers
of GUAM member countries after the Tbilisi meeting at the level of
deputy chief of General Staffs. Prior to that meeting, we had met in
Kyiv in June. The deputies chief of General Staffs are working out the
scheme of establishing peacekeeping contingent,” Mr.Androsenko, said.
He said they are considering the UN and OSCE proposals on the matter,
and the results will be sent to them. Now the yare discussing issues
on management and structure of the peacekeepers.
“The peacekeeping forces will operate under the auspices of the UN
and OSCE,” he said.
Androsenko also said GUAM peacekeepers might be dislocated in Nagorno
Garabagh only after the UN and OSCE decisions.
He also said there is a high level bilateral military cooperation
between Azerbaijan and Ukraine. Defense Ministers of the two countries
had a fruitful meeting in Baku May this year.
“This meeting gave impetus to the development of military and military
political spheres between out countries. It opened a new door for
military-political dialogue,” he said.
He also added that two countries are discussing the cooperation on
personnel training and other issues.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
BAKU: OIC Info And Press Ministers To Gather In Jiddah, Saudi Arabia
OIC INFORMATION AND PRESS MINISTERS TO GATHER IN JIDDAH, SAUDI ARABIA
AzerTag, Azerbaijan
Sept 8 2006
DELEGATION OF AZERBAIJAN WILL ATTEND THE EVENT
The Sixth Conference of the information and press ministers of the
Organization of Islamic Conference is due in the city of Jiddah of
the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, 9 September. The delegation headed by the
head of socio-political department of Administration of the President
of Azerbaijan Republic Ali Hasanov will take part at the event.
On action, discussed are expected the questions, concerning wider use
of opportunities of press and telechannels for cultural and information
exchange among the OIC member states, events of the international
value, and also ways of more effective and coordinated realization
of propagation of peace and the humanism peculiar to Islamic religion.
At the Conference, the Azerbaijan delegation will make a number of
practical offers to provide forming of common information policy of
these countries, improvement of information exchange among mass media
with the purpose of increase in the world of authority of people of
the Islamic countries, maintenance of operative and unbiased coverage
of occurring events, bringing up to world community of the truthful
information on the facts of aggression, pressure and threat against
the Islamic countries.
The delegation of Azerbaijan is going to call ministers of the
information and press of the Organization of Islamic Conference to
support Azerbaijan in the cause of coverage and bringing up to world
community of the realities connected with the Armenia-Azerbaijan,
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
At the conference to last until 14 September, the conferees will
adopt a joint Declaration and communique on necessary questions.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
BAKU: "Echo": Official Baku Doesn’t Believe That Ankara Will Open Fr
“ECHO”: OFFICIAL BAKU DOESN’T BELIEVE THAT ANKARA WILL OPEN FRONTIERS WITH ARMENIA
Ïðaâî Âûaîða, Azerbaijan
Democratic Azerbaijan
Sept 8 2006
Despite of all difficulties, Turkey won’t open frontiers with Armenia
neither it recognizes false genocide. Milli Mejlis deputy representing
ruling party and member of Azerbaijani delegation to PACE, Aydin
Mirzazade, informed “Echo”. Otherwise, as deputy holds, Turkey would
deny its history, roots and primarily its national dignity. At the
same time, accordingly to Armenian mass media, EU draft report on
Turkey, discussed and adopted September 4 on the part of commission
on foreign relations of European Parliament, urges Ankara to open
frontiers with Armenia.
Following Armenian mass media document says that Turkey should take
all necessary measures to establish diplomatic and good-neighbor
relations with Armenia without precondition, including frontiers
opening accordingly to resolutions of European Parliament of 1987-2005.
A casual remark on recognition of genocide of Armenian in 1915 is made
in the draft report – governments of Armenia and Turkey are urged to
“continue the process of reconciliation for adoption of mutually
beneficial proposal”.
As deputy, Aydin Mirzazade, points out the issue on opening of
frontiers with Armenia is political but not juridical. Deputy reminds
that in the course of whole period of its existence EU presented
no demand to any future member-state. “Now issues, which have to be
dealt by historians and scholars, are focused on”, deputy holds.
Armenian diaspora plays its role in this connection, deputy believes.
“However, sooner or later Europeans will have to review their
positions as it is impossible to imagine Europe without Turkey,
being its integral part”, deputy insists.
“Within last 14-15 years Turkey has been steadfastly showing its
brotherhood with Azerbaijan. Ankara severed diplomatic relations
with Yerevan for the first time after Khodjali genocide committed by
Armenians in Nagorni Garabagh.
Azerbaijan will never forget heroic deed of Turkey, its faithfulness
to friendship and cooperation with our nation”, Mirzazade stresses.
However, deputy recognizes that there are some forces in fraternal
country, ready to open frontiers with Armenian aggressors for the
sake of their own interests.
“But I don’t think that any Turkish government will do so”, deputy
supposes. In this case, following deputy, they will have to answer
before Turkish nation, which at one with Azerbaijan.
As political scientist and co-founder of Azerbaijani national and
public committee on European integration, Leyla Aliyeva, says,
open frontiers is one of EU principles. “But Armenia is not EU
member”, she stresses. That is why it is not right to put forward
such conditions before Ankara. In this connection EU uses different
pressure instruments with respect to Turkey. “Some issues concerning
historical past are focused on and it is particularity of EU-Turkey
relations”, political scientist, Aliyeva holds.
Accordingly to her, there are many anti-Turkey forces in EU,
particularly, Greece and Cyprus. At the same time respond of Ankara
to EU requirements on frontier opening will depend on internal
situation in Turkey. “If European perspective of Turkey is getting to
be realistic and everything depends on frontier opening with neighbor
state, then who knows…” It’s not easy to predict steps of Turkish
government, Aliyeva says.
Chief of Administration on Information Policy of Ministry of Foreign
Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Tair Tagizade, particularly
underlined for “Echo” that Turkey and Armenia have number of issues,
apart from Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict, which aggravate inter-state
relations. “At the same time Azerbaijan highly appreciates principal
adherence of Turkey to international law showed by Ankara with regards
to Garabagh conflict”, T. Tagizade concluded.
–Boundary_(ID_sjZhP5czgCmoUobEOf/h0Q) —
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
Lebanon’s Armenians Denounce Turkish UN Force
LEBANON’S ARMENIANS DENOUNCE TURKISH UN FORCE
By Jocelyne Zablit
Burj Hammud, Lebanon
Agence France Presse — English
September 8, 2006 Friday 12:33 PM GMT
Lebanon’s Armenians, who have not forgotten the massacres their
people suffered under Ottoman rule, demonstrated Friday against
Turkish troops set to take part in a UN peacekeeping mission.
Waving Lebanese flags and banners denouncing Turkey as a murderous
state, several hundred gathered in the Beirut suburb of Burj Hammud,
heavily populated by Armenians, and appealed to the United Nations to
reconsider Turkey’s participation in an expanded UN force in Lebanon.
“Genocide, massacre, deportation: Turkey’s definition of peace,”
read one banner.
“No to the participation of Turkish forces among UN troops coming to
Lebanon,” read another.
“We had 1.5 million of our people slaughtered under the Turks and
you expect us to welcome them?” asked Arous Ghougassian, the owner
of a home furnishing business.
“I can assure you that I won’t sell them anything if they come into
my shop,” she said.
Hagop, an employee at the Basterma Mano food store, raised his fists
in anger when asked about the Turkish UN force.
“Look at my arms, I get goose bumps when you refer to them,” he said.
“If they dare come into our neighborhoods we’ll deal with them.”
Garo Hovsipian, a shopkeeper, said he could not put to rest the
massacre of his uncle and grandparents by the Turks in 1915.
“I somehow become a fanatic when I hear the word Turkey,” he said,
drawing on a cigar. “It brings back memories of my ancestors, our
history, the massacres.
“Still if I encounter any soldiers I will treat them as guests because
we are more civilized than them.”
Lebanon’s minority Armenian community, which numbers about 140,000
people, has objected to Turkey taking part in the UN force because
of mass killings of Armenians by Turks in 1915.
“Turkey, which carried out horrible crimes against humanity, cannot
take part in any peace process until it recognizes the massacre of
the Armenian people,” Jacques Choukhadarian, a former MP and minister,
told Friday’s gathering.
Representatives of the community have sent letters to UN Secretary
General Kofi Annan and to Western embassies in Beirut urging them
to reject Turkish participation in the UN Interim Force in Lebanon
(UNIFIL) set to number 15,000 troops from various countries.
Religious leaders has also issued a statement calling the Turkish
participation in UNIFIL “morally unacceptable”.
The Turkish parliament voted after fierce debate at an extraordinary
session Tuesday to authorize the government to send troops to take part
in the UN force to monitor the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.
Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul has said the number of soldiers
is not likely to exceed 1,000.
Under the old Ottoman empire, an estimated 1.5 million Armenians are
said to have been killed or died after being forcibly driven from
their homes in Turkey between 1915 and 1917.
Ankara rejects all accusations of genocide, estimating the number of
Armenian deaths at 300,000 and arguing they were not a consequence
of deliberate extermination but a combination of war, disease, famine
and ethnic conflict.
Armenian Servicemen Will Take Part In NATO Exercises In Kishinev
ARMENIAN SERVICEMEN WILL TAKE PART IN NATO EXERCISES IN KISHINEV
PanARMENIAN.Net
09.09.2006 13:25 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Three officers of the Armed Forces of Armenia under
the command of Hakob Melikyan will take part in the Cooperative Longbow
2006 exercises, to be organized within the NATO Partnership for Peace
Program in Kishinev September 10-21. According to the Armenian MOD
Press Service, another 11 Armenian servicemen under the command of
Karapet Salabashyan will take part in NATO Cooperative Lancer 2006
exercises, to be held in Kishinev September 18-29.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
Derbyshire Town Named ‘Most English’ Place In The Country
DERBYSHIRE TOWN NAMED ‘MOST ENGLISH’ PLACE IN THE COUNTRY
Brussels Journal, Belgium
Sept 10 2006
Grey Wolves in Politics: The Immigrant Far-Right Joins the European Left
>From the desk of Paul Belien on Sun, 2006-09-10 21:21
The immigrant vote is becoming ever more important in Europe. In
many countries foreigners are allowed to vote in local elections
(in addition to thousands of immigrants who have been granted
citizenship). In last spring’s municipal elections in the Netherlands
the immigrant vote tipped the balance clearly in favour of the Left.
Indeed, immigrants in Western Europe, who often migrated in order to
enjoy generous welfare benefits, are rentseekers who vote in favour
of maintaining the welfare systems of the states that invited them in.
Pim Fortuyn tilted Dutch politics to the Right, but I think this was
only a temporary phenomenon, and would have been temporary even if
Fortuyn had not been assassinated. Pieter Dorsman pointed out that,
contrary to what the mainstream media write, Dutch politics has not
turned Right, but I doubt whether the main causes are the divisions
among the Right following Fortuyn’s assassination and the disastrous
handling of the Hirsi Ali case. I suspect that European politics will
swing dramatically to the Left in the coming decades, owing to the
growing influence of an immigrant vote eager to retain and expand
the welfare benefits.
Of course, the immigrants will not be able to remedy the economic
flaws of the welfare state. Hence, there is no doubt that the welfare
systems will collapse. Moreover, the immigrant electorate will thwart
any attempts to gradually remedy Europe’s economic catastrophe through
abandoning the self-defeating welfare politics. This makes it even
more likely that the system will collapse in chaos, possibly even
(as Fjordman fears) in violence when the rentseekers will use force
instead of the vote to grab what they feel they are entitled to. Many
indigenous Europeans are considering emigration. Partly because they
no longer feel secure and at home in their own country, and partly
because the welfare state claims most of their income, while they
have little hope that this will change in the future.
In last Spring’s municipal elections in the Netherlands, 92% of the
non-indigenous electorate voted for parties of the Left. Moreover,
they voted almost exclusively for candidates of their own ethnic
groups on the parties’ electoral lists, driving out indigenous
candidates. Instead of starting their own parties immigrants have
begun to take over existing ones.
Belgium is holding municipal elections on October 8th. It is striking
that in immigrant neighbourhoods, such as the Turkish Antwerp district
of Old Berchem, one only sees posters of candidates from the ethnic
background specific to the neighbourhood. As the immigrants voters
constitute a growing segment of the population, especially in large
and middle-sized cities, all parties, except the “islamophobe”
Vlaams Belang (VB, Flemish Interest), have begun to put forward
foreign candidates. Filip Dewinter, the VB leader in Antwerp, told
the newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws this weekend that his party (which
is currently the largest in town with 33% of the vote) might win
the elections again this year, but cannot continue to do so. “I am
a realist. The number of potential voters for our party is declining
year by year. Currently a quarter of the population are immigrants.
These people do not vote for us. Every year 4,000 indigenous
Antwerpians move out and 5,000 immigrants move in,” he said.
“In ten years’ time the number of new [naturalized] Belgians in
Antwerp has doubled to 55,000 [Antwerp has 460,000 inhabitants] –
half of whom are Moroccans. […] If the number of foreigners in
Antwerp continues to grow by 1.5% a year, as it currently does, then
in twenty years from now there will be more people of foreign than
of indigenous extraction in this city. […] Our party has foreign
members, but I do not want to be a hypocrite. At present we do no
put forward ‘alibi Ali’ candidates. But I know that it is bound to
happen some day. We extend our hands to welcome every foreign-born
person who wants to become a Fleming among the Flemings.”
It is doubtful, however, that many rentseeking immigrants, even those
who are situated ideologically on the far-right, would want to join
a party that is generally perceived as being opposed to the European
welfare system. Belgian parties had to submit their electoral lists
this week. Ironically, Belgian establishment parties such as the
Socialist Party and the Christian-Democrat Party, who both claim to
abhor the far-right, have put forward Turkish candidates who belong
to far-right, islamist and anti-Socialist groups.
This is ironic in two respects. Firstly because these same parties
solemnly announced that, even if the VB wins on 8 October, they will
refuse to form local coalitions with the VB because they consider the
VB to be… far-right. And secondly, because far-right immigrants,
who belong to groups that hate Socialists and Christians at home, are
joining Socialist and Christian parties in their European host country.
Mehmet Ozcelik, a member of the Socialist Party caucus in Berchem,
is close to the Grey Wolves, an extremist group which denies the
1915 Turkish genocide of 1.5 million Armenians and which is accused
of assassinating political adversaries. The Grey Wolves are also said
to have organised the anti-Kurdish riots and raids on Kurdish shops in
Brussels in 1994 and 1998. Last April 8th, Mr Ozcelik was present at a
Brussels meeting of the Turkish far-right Nationalist Movement Party
(Milliyetci Hareket Partisi, MHP) in honour of the late Alparslan
Turkes, a Turkish Fascist and racist who founded the MHP.
Mesut Yucel is another Antwerp Socialist candidate for the October
elections. Mr Yucel is a party hopper, who entered politics six years
ago on the list of the far-left Green Party. Like Mr Ozcelik, he is a
member of the Belcika Turk Federasyonu (BTF, Association of Turkish
Organisations in Belgium), a group which links various Grey Wolves’
cells in Belgium.
In Ghent, another city with a large concentration of Turks, one of
the Christian-Democrat candidates is Fuat Korkmazer. Mr. Korkmazer
was the chairman of Turk Ocagi (TO), a cultural organisation of the
Grey Wolves. He only resigned from his function as TO chairman last
Friday, after having been exposed in the Flemish press. According
to the papers he had been appointed TO chairman at a BTF meeting
attended by Devlet Bahceli, the current party president of the
far-right MHP. On April 8th. Mr Korkmazer, too, attended the BTF
meeting in Brussels in honour of the late Alparslan Turkes.
Pierre-Yves Lambert, a Brussels police officer, told the Belgian
newspaper De Morgen last week that political parties must be careful
whom they recruit. “The Parti Socialiste in [the Brussels borough
of] Schaarbeek also has a Grey Wolf within its ranks,” he said,
“while the second candidate of the MR [Francophone Liberal Party] in
[the Brussels borough of] Sint-Joost-ten-Node withdrew his candidature
after it was revealed that he had told a Turkish paper that he would
make his party revise its position on the [Armenian] genocide.”
The leading Turkish politician in Brussels is Emir Kir, a Socialist
member of the Brussels regional government. Mr Kir is the Brussels
secretary for public monuments and is campaigning for the demolition of
the Brussels monument commemorating the 1915 genocide of the Armenians.
20
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
Rights & Concerns Of The Lebanese-Armenian Community
RIGHTS & CONCERNS OF THE LEBANESE-ARMENIAN COMMUNITY
Elias Bejjani
Global Politician, NY
Sept 10 2006
The LCCC (Lebanese Canadian Coordinating Council) strongly denounces
the Lebanese Government’s unjust refusal to call off the Turkish Army’s
participation in the UN Peacekeeping forces (UNIFIL) mandated by
the UN Security Council to deploy in South Lebanon in the aftermath
of the devastating 34-day long Israeli-Hezbollah war. The denied
request was made officially by Lebanon’s Armenian community in all its
denominational, political and social sectors and representatives. The
same appeal was made to the UN General Secretary, Mr. Kofi Annan.
The government’s refusal of the request is not merely a harsh
response of indifference and an act of condescendence in dealing
with one of Lebanon’s basic eighteen communities that make up the
multicultural and multiethnic Lebanese society, but it is in fact a
blatant infringement on a central article of the Lebanese constitution
that states: “No authority violating the common co-existence character
shall be legitimate”.
Alienating the Armenian community, ignoring its genuine concerns and
keeping a blind eye on its painful history hinders Lebanon’s national
unity, indicates plainly and sadly that the Saniora government is
ruling with the same oppressive strategies of marginalization and
discrimination inflicted by the Baathist Syrian regime on numerous
Lebanese communities during Syria’s 29-year long horrible occupation
that came to an end 16 months ago.
The Lebanese Armenian’s community cry for justice is well understood
and well supported by the majority of the Lebanese people. This
well-respected community does not believe that the Turks should be
allowed under any given circumstances to be a part in any peacekeeping
mission before their state admits publicly the genocidal massacres
the Turkish Ottoman rulers committed in 1915 against the Armenian
people. 1.5 million Armenians were brutally murdered in cold blood
by the Ottoman Turkish Army in 1915 and many territories of their
country were confiscated and still are.
This is besides the fact that the Turkish Army is not qualified to play
a neutral role between the parties involved in the current conflict
unfolding on the Lebanese soil. The Turkish Parliament has made the
participation of its troops in UNFIL conditional on not taking part
in any assignment aiming to disarm Hezbollah.
Meanwhile the Lebanese people did not yet forget the hardships,
oppression, starvation, displacement, torture and humiliation
committed by the Ottomans during their 400 years of bloody and criminal
occupation of Lebanon and neighboring countries that ended with World
War I.
The LCCC appeals to both the Lebanese Government and the United Nations
to call off immediately the participation of the Turkish Army in the
peacekeeping mission of UNIFIL in Lebanon, and to block any other
UN similar task involving the Turks before the Turkish Government
publicly and officially admits the Genocide Massacres the Ottomans
committed in 1915 against the Armenian people and accepts all ethical,
moral and legal responsibilities.
The LCCC affirms the fact that any marginalization of any of Lebanon’s
eighteen distinct cultural, ethnic and religious communities is in
effect a flagrant infringement on the Lebanese constitution, the
principle of shared living, consensual democracy, national unity and
the UN Human Rights Charter.
We salute the Lebanese Armenian community in its longing for justice
and fully support its legitimate request submitted for both the
Lebanese government and the UN.
Elias Bejjani is a human rights activist, journalist & political
commentator. He is the Spokesman for the Canadian Lebanese Human
Rights Federation (CLHRF) and the Media Chairman for the Canadian
Lebanese Coordinating Council (LCCC) E-Mail: [email protected]
LCCC Web Site: com/articledes.asp?ID=2129&cid=2&sid=5
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
BAKU: False Armenian Maps Claiming To NK And Nakhchivan On Sale In T
FALSE ARMENIAN MAPS CLAIMING TO NK AND NAKHCHIVAN ON SALE IN TAIWAN AND HK
Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
Sept 9 2006
“False maps, globes and school textbooks showing Azerbaijani
regions-Nakhchivan and Karabakh- as Armenian territories are on sale
in East and Southeast Asia,” Akbar Huseynli, an Azerbaijani living
in Hong-Kong, told APA.
He said that these school facilities are sold in Hong-Kong, Shankhay
and Taiwan.
“African, European, Arabian nations and even Armenians have a number
of economic and cultural societies in Hong-Kong and Taiwan. Most of
people living here are unaware of Azerbaijanis and Azerbaijan”.
He said that articles on Azerbaijani oil have recently spread in
media but Southeast Asia is not well known here.
“The reason may be that Taiwan has no political-economic ties
with Azerbaijan. It is a pity that Azerbaijan plays no part in the
activities of here- the most competitive trade center”.
He regretted that there is no Azerbaijani Diaspora in Southeast Asia
while there are about 17 diasporas in Belgium and the Netherlands. A
lot of Azerbaijani businessmen are active in China but they have not
gathered together to form a Diaspora”.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress