Author: Emil Lazarian

TURKISH MP: ARMENIA SHOULD OBSERVE THE U.N. RESOLUTION AND QUIT THE SEIZED AZERI TERRITORIES

Journal of Turkish Weekly, Turkey
June 8 2006

Turkey wishes to have open border with Armenia, member of the BSEC
PA committee on legal and political issues, member of Republican
People’s Party (CHP) of Turkey Mehmet Sevigen told journalists.

In Mr. Sevigen’s words, Turkey does everything depending on it
to open the border with Armenia, but the latter should also take
essential steps.

“Armenia should observe the U.N. resolution and quit the seized Azeri
territories,’ Sevigen said.

When touching upon Turkey’s acknowledgement of the Armenian claims
regarding the Ottoman Empire in 1915, Sevigen stated that the “events
of 1915 were not genocide but so-called genocide.” “Armenia should
surrender its claims for recognizing these events as genocide.

Historians should deal with the issue. Turkey has opened all its
archives of those times and invited all historians concerned. When
everything clears up we will see that matters do not stand the same
as politicians describe,” Sevigen said, reported IA Regnum.

More than 500.000 Turkish and Kurdish people were massacred by the
Armenian nationalists during the First Wolrd War.

GEOPOLITICAL DIARY: A RUSSIAN MESSAGE FOR NATO

Stratfor
June 8 2006

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Wednesday in a speech
to the Duma that “Every country has the right to make sovereign
decisions…. At the same time, the acceptance into NATO of Ukraine
and Georgia will mean a colossal geopolitical shift and we assess
such steps from the point of view of our interests.” This is pretty
blunt language for a diplomat. Russia does not want to see a colossal
geopolitical shift, and that’s what it thinks is happening.

The Russian Foreign Ministry also condemned Ukraine’s decision to
bar several senior Russian lawmakers from Ukraine. One of these,
Vladimir Zhirinovsky, is a fairly notorious Russian nationalist. The
Russian Foreign Ministry doesn’t much care for Zhirinovsky, but it
also obviously doesn’t care for Ukraine barring Russian legislators
— even if, as the Ukrainians put it, he was known for “insulting
statements about Ukraine.” At the same time, a Ukrainian diplomat
was also refused entry to Russia.

Both Ukraine and Georgia clearly want to join NATO. There are
multinational joint military exercises scheduled for July in Ukraine,
to include U.S. forces. These have met with protests by pro-Russian
Ukrainians, whom the Ukrainian government claims are being stirred
up by the Russians. At the same time, Georgia announced that it will
build a NATO-compliant military based in Gori, to join the one already
built in Senakskaya.

As we have said, NATO’s expansion to Ukraine would be the break
point for Russia. Adding to that a NATO base in the Caucasus would
absolutely convince the Russians that the United States is planning
to encircle them. Russia has been busy trying to demonstrate the cost
of this strategy to NATO and the United States. It has intruded into
U.S. areas of interest in the Middle East, particularly regarding
Hamas and Iran. It has not intruded as aggressively as it could,
still signaling Washington that things are not past the break point.

Nevertheless, as NATO accession looms for Ukraine and Georgia, things
will get less pleasant.

There is a fundamental difference in NATO’s admitting Georgia and
Ukraine from the admission of other former Soviet bloc nations. NATO is
a military alliance. Bringing in Hungary or the Czech Republic meant
little from that point of view; there is no real, immediate threat
for NATO to protect them from. Admitting Ukraine and Georgia would
mean entering into a formal alliance with countries that face serious
regional threats. It would mean making a commitment to defending those
countries and therefore, in some way, to assuring their stability. It
is hard to defend an unstable country.

Every other expansion of NATO has been notional. By that we mean that
it amounted to a political signal, far more than a serious political
commitment. That is not the case with these two countries. In fact,
that is the point the Russians are working very hard to make. The
Russian statement today was a message. Russia regards Ukrainian and
Georgian membership in NATO as a major, unwelcome geopolitical shift.

As such, Moscow will resist this process — and failing that, will
consider these two countries a threat to Russia.

Geographically, the defense of either of these countries against a
major regional power — which Russia certainly is — is a significant
burden. Neither country can defend itself. Moreover, each country has
other regional antagonists that NATO would be committed against — such
as, in Georgia’s case, Armenia. That is quite a tangle to get into.

What is attracting Washington is the opportunity to guarantee, by
surrounding it with NATO members, that Russia will not re-emerge as
a superpower. The Russians see this move as that, plus a threat to
the long-term territorial integrity of the Russian Federation. The
Russians do not believe that they can simply accept this as a fait
accompli, as they accepted other NATO expansions. Therefore, this
will trigger Russian responses in the region and more broadly.

The most important thing to watch here is relations between Russia
and China. China has been very careful not to get entangled with
anti-American alliances. It has important economic issues to deal
with. However, given recent U.S. statements on how it views China,
access to Russian military technology becomes more important to
Beijing. And Russia knows it does not, by itself, have the weight to
counter the United States. Therefore, the logic here, over the coming
months, is closer ties between Moscow and Beijing. When this happened
last, in 1948, Washington found itself in an uncomfortable position.

Therefore, it has to calculate how quickly it can move and consolidate
its position via NATO before the Russians can act.

And then there is also the question of the European members of NATO —
particularly France and Germany — whose acceptance of NATO expansion
up to this point has been a signal to Washington of a willingness
to cooperate. On the other hand, NATO is going to a complicated
and dangerous place. Paris and Berlin may not have the appetite for
Washington’s game.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

VARDAN OSKANYAN: DELAY OF EU-ARMENIA TALKS ASSOCIATED WITH PROBLEMS OUR NEIGHBORS ARE FACING

ArmRadio.am
08.06.2006 15:13

RA Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan declared today in Yerevan that
the delay of EU-Armenia talks on the Actions Plan in the framework
of the European Neighborhood Policy is associated with “some problems
our neighbors are facing.”

“All questions were agreed upon during the second round of EU-Armenia
talks early in May, and we see no necessity of another round of
negotiations,” the Foreign Minister noted.

Vardan Oskanyan mentioned that the reason of the current situation
is that the European Union has not taken the decision to establish
individualized relations with South Caucasian countries and aspires
to adopt the Actions Plans with Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan
simultaneously.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

SENATORS KERRY AND KENNEDY DEMAND ANSWERS ABOUT EVANS FIRING

ArmRadio.am
08.06.2006 11:17

Senators John Kerry and Edward Kennedy joined the growing list of
legislators demanding answers from the Administration regarding the
recall of US Ambassador to Armenian John Evans over his honest and
accurate public statements about the Armenian Genocide, reported the
Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).

In a June 5th letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, the two
Massachusetts Senators conveyed their concerns regarding reports that
the Ambassador was dismissed “due to the use of the word ‘genocide’
when describing the atrocities that were committed against the Armenian
people in 1915.” They added that, “Reports from diplomats at the time
make clear that genocide accurately described these events. Henry
Morgenthau, then our Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, described
these actions as a campaign of racial extermination.” They closed
their letter by noting that, “Allegedly the Government of Turkey
was dismayed by Amb. Evans’ remarks and expressed this to the US
Government. We would like clarification as soon as possible about
Amb. Evans’ premature dismissal after 35 years of exemplary service
to the United States Government.”

The letter was sent in the wake of the May 23rd White House
announcement nominating Richard Hoagland to serve as the new Ambassador
to Armenia.

Ambassador Evans will be replaced in Yerevan after Hoagland’s Senate
confirmation process is completed.

“We join with Armenians throughout Massachusetts and around the nation
in thanking Senators Kennedy and Kerry for demanding an explanation of
the circumstances of Ambassador Evans’ firing – particularly as they
relate to the role of the Turkish government,” said ANCA Executive
Director Aram Hamparian.

“Despite repeated Congressional inquiries dating back more than three
months, the Administration has yet to respond to a single question,
to provide any meaningful explanation of its actions, or to release
even one of the diplomatic cables from the Turkish government on
this matter.”

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

RUSSIA’S VIMPELCOM AND SISTEMA BID FOR OTE’S 90 PCT STAKE IN ARMENTEL REPORT

AFX Europe (Focus)
Jun 08, 2006

ATHENS (AFX) – Russia’s VimpelCom and AFK Sistema are bidding for
Hellenic Telecom’s (OTE) 90 pct stake in ArmenTel, according to
Russian news agency Novosti.

It said VimpelCom will take part in the first stage of the tender,
but will not reveal any details until the tender results are announced.

OTE said in April it wanted to sell its stake in Armenia’s leading
mobile operator. The Armenian government holds 10 pct in ArmenTel,
which has about 330,000 customers.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

TURKISH AUTHOR STANDS TRIAL ON CHARGES OF TURNING TURKS AGAINST MILITARY SERVICE
Suzan Fraser

AP Worldstream
Jun 07, 2006

Turkish author and journalist Perihan Magden went on trial Wednesday,
charged with turning people against military service after she defended
the rights of a conscientious objector in a weekly magazine column.

Magden is the latest in a string of writers and journalists to stand
trial for expressing their opinions despite heavy pressure from
the EU _ which Turkey hopes to join _ to scrap repressive laws and
improve freedoms.

In her column published in weekly Yeni Aktuel magazine in December,
Magden defended conscientious objector Mehmet Tarhan who was sentenced
to a record four-year term in a military prison for disobedience after
refusing to wear his military uniform. Turkey, she wrote, needed to
establish a civilian service as an alternative to compulsory military
conscription.

At an Istanbul court on Wednesday, Magden denied that she was trying
to turn people against military service.

“I only argued that conscientious objection is a human right. It is my
right and duty to defend conscientious objection,” she said, according
to CNN-Turk television. The trial was adjourned until July 27.

Conscription in Turkey is obligatory for men over 20, and the country
does not recognize the right to conscientious objection. Objectors
have been prosecuted on charges of turning people against the military.

Magden could face up to three years in prison if convicted of the
charge of “alienating the people against military service.”

Conscientious objections find few supporters in Turkey where the
military is revered, conscription has widespread support and young
men are sent off to do their military service amid celebrations.

Magden, the author of “Two Girls,” and “The Messenger Boy Murders”
faced a group of nationalists who jeered her as she entered the
courthouse Wednesday, the Anatolia news agency reported. Security
forces moved the group _ made up of mostly of veterans and families
of soldiers killed in fighting against Kurdish rebels _ away from
Magden and her supporters.

In the most high-profile case, novelist Orhan Pamuk stood trial earlier
this year on charges of insulting “Turkishness” for commenting on the
mass killings of Armenians by Turks around the time of World War I,
which a number of governments and scholars have said were the first
genocide of the 20th century.

The charges were dropped amid intense international pressure.

Turkey vehemently denies that the mass killings were genocide, saying
the death toll is inflated and Armenians were killed in civil unrest
as the Ottoman Empire collapsed.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government has made clear
it has no plans to change laws used to prosecute Pamuk and others,
saying the charges are eventually dropped and defendants are acquitted.

EU officials argue, however, that even if the charges are dropped the
threat of prosecution remains as a deterrent against people wishing
to express opinions.

In an interview with Milliyet newspaper published Wednesday, Hansjoerg
Kretschmer, the EU’s representative in Turkey, criticized Magden’s
trial and similar trials.

“If you think that the right for conscientious objection should exist,
why shouldn’t you be able to say so?” the paper quoted Kretschmer as
saying. “These are things that are unacceptable in Europe.”

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

BLACK SEA BUSINESS DAY IN BAKU

The Messenger, Georgia
June 8 2006

The Black Sea Trade and Development Bank (BSTDB) will host Black Sea
Business Day, on 12 June 2006, in Baku.

The main goal of the conference, bank officials say, is to facilitate
contacts between economic decision-makers in BSTDB countries, as well
as to promote regional cooperation and investments in the Black Sea
region in general and in Azerbaijan in particular.

The Black Sea Business Day, which is an annual event, will address
the role of the financial sector in economic development, investment
opportunities in agribusiness and food processing, and infrastructure
development on a regional scale.

The Business Day is organized under the auspices of the Azeri
government and will be inaugurated by the President of Azerbaijan,
Ilham Aliyev.

High-ranking officials of BSTDB member-states, international
institutions, investors and businessmen are expected to be among the
participants, including Azerbaijani Minister of Economic Development,
Heydar Babayev; President of BSTDB, Hayrettin Kaplan; Minister of
Finance Samir Sharifov; Country Director for the Caucasus, Moldova
and Belarus of EBRD, Michael Davey; and Senior Regional Director of
German KfW Group, Oskar von Maltzan.

The Georgian delegation at the conference includes the President
of the National Bank of Georgia, Roman Gotsiridze, as well as the
Deputy Minister of Finance, Lasha Gotsiridze. The Executive Director
of Chamber of Commerce & Industry of Georgia, George Kakabadze,
will deliver a speech at the event.

Last year’s BSTDB Black Sea Business Day was held in Yerevan,
Armenia and the participants then discussed the role of international
institutions, the investment potential of the Caucasus, assistance
to SME sector development, and financial sector development.

BSTDB is an international financial institution established by
Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Moldova,
Romania, Russia, Turkey, and Ukraine. With an authorized capital of
approximately USD 1.3 billion, the bank supports economic development
and regional cooperation in the region by providing trade and project
financing, guarantees, and equity for development projects supporting
both public and private enterprises in its member countries.

The Messenger’s Christina Tashkevich will travel to Baku to cover the
event and her stories about the conference will be available in next
week’s Messenger issues.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

STEVE POUND MP TO DEBATE ARMENIAN AND ASSYRIAN GENOCIDES

Assyria Times, CA
June 7 2006

Steve is putting the Genocides of Armenians and Assyrians on the
agenda with an adjournment debate tomorrow (Wednesday, 7th June)
from 4pm in Westminster Hall.

Steve has long held an interest in this issue and it is a particularly
poignant point for many Ealing residents who are Assyrian or of
Armenian descent. Steve has raised these issues before in parliament
during debates about the Christian community in Iraq.

You can watch the debate live online via

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

OSCE MEDIATORS REGRET ARMENIA, AZERBAIJAN FAIL TO REACH AGREEMENT

Mediamax news agency
6 Jun 06

Yerevan, 6 June: The OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmen today described the
peaceful settlement of the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict as “urgent and
achievable”, the mediators today said in a statement on the results
of the meeting between the Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents in
Bucharest on 4-5 June, Mediamax reports.

“The co-chairmen continue to keep to the opinion that a peaceful
solution is urgent and achievable and that 2006 remains a comfortable
‘window’ for such progress. The co-chairmen continue to consider
that the main principles of the settlement, which they identified and
submitted to the conflicting parties, are a basis for the settlement
that meets the interests of both sides. The co-chairmen regret that
the parties have not reached agreement on these principles yet,”
the statement reads.

PAWN QUEENS
By Caroline Davies and Malcolm Pein

The Daily Telegraph/UK
Filed: 07/06/2006

It was a most unorthodox opening move for a grandmaster intent on
vanquishing his opponent, but then this was on a dance-floor and not
a chessboard.

When Danny Gormally, 30, one of Britain’s leading chess players, spied
his Armenian rival and the world’s No 3 at the Turin Chess Olympiad
jiving with a beautiful chess queen, usual tactics were abandoned.

In a spectacular strategic blunder, Mr Gormally allegedly moved in
with clenched fist and sent Levon Aronian, the 23-year-old Armenian
national hero, sprawling.

As gambits go, it was to prove one of the worst. Not only did
Mr Gormally sacrifice both his dignity and place in the team,
but the following day found himself at the wrong end of a beating
as Mr Aronian’s hot-headed team-mates weighed in with a forceful
counter-attack.

Yesterday Mr Gormally, a professional player, was at his Durham flat
refusing to discuss the incident. The rest of the chess world was,
however, abuzz.

According to insiders, the catalyst for this whole sorry affair was
the appearance on the dance floor of attractive Australian female No
3, Arianne Caoili, 19, whom Mr Gormally’s team-mates believed him to
be fond of.

Neither shy nor retiring, Miss Caoili, of Filipino descent and who
aspires to be a professional singer, is clearly intent on enjoying
life. Her website lists her likes as “getting up to no good”, “fine
food and fine boys”, “Edward Norton and Johnny Depp” and “Pina coladas,
vodka, red wine, Kahlua, dwarfs and the odd Cuban cigar”.

Apart from improving her chess, which she has been playing since she
was five, her ambitions include earning “giant gobs of money”.

Clearly a party girl, she had a reputation, according to one source
on the chess circuit, “for coming back at 2am and waking people up,
then having recharged her batteries, leaving again at 5am”.

Mr Gormally is understood to have been in e-mail contact with her
prior to the Olympiad. However, he is not alone in being drawn, if
drawn he is, by her allure. For Miss Caoili is currently voted No 7
in the Top Ten Women’s Chess Beauty Contest on a website dedicated to
the charms of chess’s female finest in terms of looks if not always
in terms of rankings.

Lest anyone decry the site for being sexist, these women actually
apply to be on it, submitting their often risque photographs and
urging surfers to vote for them. Among them is Maria Manakova, a
32-year-old Serbian grandmaster, who has posed nude for magazines
and turned up at tournaments in skimpy clothing and towering heels.

She is currently at No 9 in the beauty contest. Another chess beauty,
though she has not chosen to take part in the contest, is Russia’s
Alexandra Kosteniuk, 21, currently No 3 in the Women’s World Chess
rankings, who became a grandmaster at 14 and is now a model whose
photograph has graced many a magazine cover. All of which rather
belies the traditional view of chess.

The Gormally incident took place at the “Bermuda Party” at the
nightclub, Hiroshima Mon Armour, one of many parties hosted during
the Chess Olympiad.

>From accounts that have emerged, most agree that Mr Gormally punched
Mr Aronian for innocently dancing with Miss Caoili.

Allan Beardsworth, the England team captain, said the following day
the England team promptly apologised.

It was hoped that a diplomatic incident could be averted, and all
could get on with the business of playing chess.

However, Armenia may be a small country, but it’s big on chess. And Mr
Aronian enjoys a similar level of hero-worship to, say, David Beckham.

Mr Gormally’s second strategic blunder was taking tea with some
team-mates on the pavement outside a cafe.

Had he not been so visible, perhaps Mr Aronian’s aggrieved colleagues
would not have found him. But, find him they did with one taking a
swing at Mr Gormally.

It was left to Jon Speelman, an England grandmaster who speaks Russian,
to intervene and calm the situation down.

Mr Gormally subsequently left the tournament and returned home.

Yesterday Mr Speelman was reluctant to elaborate on his role as
peace-maker. “I think it is a somewhat unfortunate story. Happily
there was more or less closure without anybody being hurt and I am
very grateful for that,” he said.

Mr Beardsworth was of a similar opinion. “I feel sorry for Danny. I
feel sorry for the whole incident. I feel sorry for the sport” he said,
stressing that Mr Aronian had been an innocent victim.

“The Olympiad is a very friendly event where nationalities from all
around the world come together. It’s just a great shame that this
one will be remembered for one little punch in a nightclub.”

One source said: “The Armenians won the Gold Medal so it didn’t affect
them too much.”

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress