Author: Frangulian Shushan

EXPERTS: AZERBAIJAN MILITARY BUILD-UP FOR DIPLOMATIC, DOMESTIC ADVANTAGE
Rovshan Ismayilov

EurasiaNet, NY
July 3 2007

As Azerbaijan’s military spending reaches $1 billion, the country’s
leadership has revived rhetoric about using force to resolve the
19-year Nagorno-Karabakh conflict with Armenia. But for all the war
worries sparked by bellicose statements, experts in Baku stress that
they have more to do with diplomatic maneuvering and domestic politics
than an actual desire to trade talks for tanks.

Over the past month, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has
repeatedly indicated that Baku’s patience with years of start-and-stop
negotiations is running thin. The last such encounter, a June 10 tete –
a – tete with Armenian President Robert Kocharian in St. Petersburg,
did nothing to move peace talks forward. [For details, see the Eurasia
Insight archive]. News agencies have reported Aliyev as attributing
the failure of the talks to "Armenia’s unconstructive and insincere
position."

Instead, a new tact is being taken – at least in words. "We are close
to the liberation of Karabakh. We are powerful enough to liberate our
lands," Aliyev said during a July 2 police academy graduation ceremony
in Baku. "Azerbaijan is the [most] powerful country in the region,"
he went on to say, APA news agency reported. "No one wants a new war
again, [but] Azerbaijan is prepared [for] any military operations
any time. It would be better if Armenia understands it and pull[s]
out the troops from our territories."

Speaking at a Baku reception on June 25, Army Day, Defense Minister
Safar Abiyev warned that if Armenia failed to do so, "[the] Azerbaijani
Army will do it itself."

In Armenia, many interpret these statements as a sign that Azerbaijan
is ready to use force to regain control of the disputed region and
seven bordering territories occupied by ethnic Armenian troops.

Azerbaijan’s first National Security Concept, signed by Aliyev on May
24, emphasizes a need to improve the country’s defensive capabilities
in order to better respond to separatism and regional conflicts.

In Azerbaijan, however, some local observers contend that Aliyev’s
remarks have less to do with a rumbling toward war, and more to do
with a strategic game plan.

The ability to outspend Armenia in an arms race is one of the few
instruments that Baku could use to pressure Yerevan into making
diplomatic concessions, specifically concerning Azerbaijan’s
territorial integrity, commented independent political analyst Rasim
Musabekov. "And Aliyev is using this trump card vocally," he said.

[For background see the Eurasia Insight archive].

Much of Baku’s current military spending, made possible by booming
energy revenues, is related to reforms to align the Azerbaijani
military more closely with North Atlantic Treaty Organization standards
by the end of 2007. Speaking on June 25, Defense Minister Abiyev
detailed programs ranging from the modernization of naval vessels to
the creation of a training school for army sergeants.

Azerbaijan also plans to start manufacturing its own military materiel,
with trial samples expected by the end of 2007.

"[H]is statements mean that if somebody hopes that Azerbaijan will
agree with the status quo that was imposed by force, they have to
take into consideration current realities, too," said Musabekov,
referring to Azerbaijan’s de facto loss of Nagorno-Karabakh to
separatists and Armenian forces in 1994. "Azerbaijan has many more
resources to build-up its military than does Armenia."

One military expert, however, notes that the Azerbaijani build-up
still does not give it a clear-cut superiority over Armenian forces.

Hints about use of force have more to do with politics, commented
Uzeir Jafarov. As occurred during the 2005 parliamentary election
campaign, "[w]e will hear a lot of similar statements closer to the
2008 presidential elections," said Jafarov. No definitive signs exist
that "would prove Azerbaijan is really preparing for war."

Meanwhile, a "good cop-bad cop" scenario appears to be emerging. A
so-called "coordinated" difference on Karabakh has long existed between
Azerbaijan’s defense and foreign ministries. As the Defense Ministry
talks about the military’s willingness to resolve the 19-year conflict
by force, the Foreign Ministry insists on the need to continue talks
with Armenia.

A recent surprise mission to Armenia and Karabakh underlines that
difference. Three days before Aliyev’s speech to police graduates,
Azerbaijani Ambassador to Russia Polad Bulbuloglu co-headed a cultural
delegation that traveled to Karabakh to meet with de facto President
Arkady Ghukassian and to visit the town of Shushi, which holds strong
cultural symbolism for ethnic Azeris. The one-day trip also included a
meeting with Armenian President Robert Kocharian in Yerevan. Armenia’s
ambassador to Russia, Armen Smbatian, was the other co-leader of
the delegation.

According to Ambassador Bulbuloglu, "more productive and long-lasting
mutual visits between the two countries" are intended, the Azerbaijani
news agency APA reported.

Aliyev also met the delegation in Baku. Media outlets, however, have
said little about his comments. The pro-government Trend news agency
quoted Aliyev as telling the delegation that the Karabakh conflict
"could only be solved on the basis of the principles of territorial
integrity of Azerbaijan and inviolability of borders, with granting
a high level of self-governance to Nagorno-Karabakh."

For now, at least officially, that language of diplomacy is the only
one Yerevan maintains it can hear. According to local media reports,
Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian said at a July 2 press
conference in Yerevan that "Ilham Aliyev rattles the saber for
internal use."

Editor’s Note: Rovshan Ismayilov is a freelance journalist based
in Baku.

ARMENPRESS

RESULTS OF `YEREVAN IN 5 DAYS’ YOUTH CIVIL EDUCATION
PROGRAM SUMMED UP

YEREVAN, JUNE 29, ARMENPRESS: The results of the
`Yerevan in Five Days’ Youth Civil Education Program
held in Yerevan from June 25-29 were summed up today.
Within the framework of the program around 31 young
people from ten Armenian provinces visited a number of
state establishments and got acquainted with their
activity.
The young people met with the representatives of
the President’s staff, National Assembly, courts,
Foreign Ministry, Sport and Youth Affairs Ministry,
visited `Armenpress’ news agency and Central Bank.
They also participated in interactive
workshop-meetings and had an opportunity to exchange
ideas with each other.
The program is being carried out within the
framework of `Youth and Community Action Program’
(`YCAP’) which kicked off in September 2004 and is
being carried out by the Academy for Educational
Development (AED) funded by USAID.
The head of the `Youth and Community Action
Program’ Nicolas Bruno said that the main aim of the
program is to increase the civil activity of the young
people, as well as expand the involvement of residents
of communities in the process of regulation of public
issues. He noted that this program is being carried
out for the second time and has tendency for becoming
a traditional one.
The participants of the program said that during
the past five days they not only acquired new
knowledge and ideas but also new friends and
acquaintances. One of them said that though the issues
of their communities are different, similarities
exist, and this program, according to him, gives
opportunity to unite and solve the issues by joint
efforts.

Backgrounder: Armenian editor murder trial raises key issues in Turkey

BBC Monitoring research
29 Jun 07

Backgrounder by Lewis Macleod of BBC Monitoring on 29 June

The trial of 18 accused in the murder in January 2007 of Hrant Dink, a
Turkish journalist of Armenian descent, has become a focus for the
often troubled issue of Turkish-Armenian relations.

The trial begins on 2 July and the indictment calls for life sentences
for two alleged ringleaders and 18-24 years in jail for the 17-year-old
accused of carrying out the shooting.

Issues

The issues raised by Dink’s death and the upcoming trial of those
accused of killing him are critical for Turkey’s future. Damage to
Turkey’s long-standing application to join the EU and its reputation as
a Muslim majority country that is both secular and democratic are
thought to be among the potential consequences.

New French President Nicolas Sarkozy has said that he sees no place in
Europe for Turkey and advocates a form of partnership instead.

Pressure groups such as the New York-based Committee to Protect
Journalists condemned the assassination as an affront to press freedom,
while others saw the killing as a warning to minority groups in Turkey,
whose Armenian community numbers around 60,000.

Article 301

Dink was the editor of Agos, an Istanbul-based newspaper, which despite
its small print run had an influence far in excess of its circulation
of around 6,000.

Despite being regarded as an Armenian champion in Turkey, Dink always
stressed that the country had to move on from what he called the
"1915-metre deep well" of relations between Armenia and Turkey which
derive from Ottoman-era allegations over massacres in that year of
Christian Armenians by Muslim Turks.

Dink argued that a secular approach was needed that was in keeping with
both countries’ aspirations to join the EU and a more modern liberal
approach. He also spoke out for women’s rights and the rights of the
Kurdish minority in Turkey. By publishing Agos in both Turkish and
Armenian, the only paper in Turkey to do so, Dink had sought to open a
channel of communication to Turkish society at large and encourage
dialogue.

But he was put on trial and found guilty for "insulting Turkishness" in
2005. Dink was given a six-month suspended sentence, which he called a
"bad joke". Article 301 of Turkey’s Penal Code makes it a crime to
insult Turkish identity in a country where nationalism is a strong
political undercurrent.

At his trial, ultra-nationalist Turks demonstrated outside the
courtroom, and Dink said that his computer was full of death threats.
Dink had appealed to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg
on the grounds that Article 301 was discriminatory and in violation of
citizens’ rights to freedom of expression. With his assassination on 19
January 2007 outside the offices of Agos, the case was closed.

Reaction to killing

Reaction to the killing was profound. Turkish Prime Minister Recep
Tayip Erdogan said: "The dark hands that killed him will be found and
punished", condemning the assassination as an attack on Turkey’s unity.
President Ahmet Necdat Sezer spoke out strongly against "this ugly and
shameful act". The Turkish Foreign Ministry in a statement "offered
condolences to the people of Turkey, its press, and particularly to the
Armenian community and Dink’s family".

The leading Hurriyet daily said "the murderer is a traitor" and
Milliyet said "it was Turkey that was shot dead". Many newspapers
blamed the killing on the nationalist atmosphere created by the media
around Dink’s trial. Over 100,000 people attended his funeral, some
chanting "we are all Armenian, we are all Hrant Dink," according to the
BBC.

The trial will again highlight the troubled relations between Turkey
and Armenia in the international arena, and place issues such as the
rule of law, tolerance and the treatment of minorities under renewed
scrutiny.

ARMENIAN RIGHTS GROUP CONDEMNS ‘DEADLY POLICE TORTURE’
By Ruzanna Stepanian

Radio Liberty, Czech Republic
June 26 2007

An Armenian human rights group joined on Tuesday the family of a
young man who died in police custody last month in alleging that he
was brutally tortured by police interrogators.

Levon Gulian was found dead on May 12 at the headquarters of
the Armenian Police Service’s Directorate General of Criminal
Investigations. He was questioned there as a presumed witness of a
deadly shooting that took place outside his restaurant in Yerevan’s
southern Shengavit district on May 9.

The police claim that he fell to his death while attempting to escape
from a second-floor interrogation room of the police building in
downtown Yerevan. Gulian’s relatives reject this, saying that that
the 31-year-old father of two was tortured to death before being
thrown out of the window.

The high-profile case has attracted a strong public resonance,
forcing the chief of the Armenian police, Hayk Harutiunian, to order
an internal investigation. The Office of the Prosecutor-General,
for its part, opened a separate criminal case in connection with the
incident. The law-enforcement authorities also agreed to an independent
examination of Gulian’s body by two European medical experts.

"I officially state that Levon Gulian was murdered," charged Mikael
Danielian, chairman of the Armenian Helsinki Association (AHA).

Ruben Martirosian, a forensic expert who works for the AHA, echoed
the allegation. "Over the past ten years I have had to take part in
300-350 autopsies, including autopsies on tortured bodies," he said.

"To be honest, I have not come across a body tortured to such an
extent before."

"So I will declare for certain that what happened was a murder preceded
by torture," added Martirosian. He admitted that he arrived at such
a conclusion after seeing only a photograph of the corpse.

The accusations came amid continuing uncertainty surrounding the
findings of a German and Danish medics that examined Gulian’s body
in a Yerevan mortuary in late May. The two men reportedly sent
their report to the Gulian family and Armenian prosecutors earlier
this month. The latter assert that the European experts essentially
endorsed the official version of events.

Excerpts from that report published by two Armenian newspapers
on Tuesday contained no definitive verdict on the precise cause of
Gulian’s death, something which was emphasized by the dead man’s wife,
Jemma Hakobian.

"We have no concrete answers," she told a joint news conference with
Danielian and Martirosian. "The report says that before his death
Levon suffered violent injures that left traces on his body."

Hakobian, who wore a black T-shirt emblazoned with a picture of her
late husband, also said that the family will publicize the full text
of the extensive report after it is translated to Armenian.

ARMENIAN AMBITIONS AS A REGIONAL FINANCIAL CENTER
By M. Alkhazashvili
(Translated by Diana Dundua)

The Messenger, Georgia
June 27 2007

Armenia could position itself as the financial center of the South
Caucasus, announced Armenian Prime Minister Serj Sarkisian at an
annual banking conference.

The prime minister says that the banking industry is one of the most
developed aspects of the Armenian economy. International standards
and corporate governance are well established in the country’s
banking industry, he added, and consumer trust in domestic financial
institutions is on the increase.

However, Sarkisian says, the banks’ participation in Armenian economic
growth and loans is below where it should be. It is vital that Armenian
banks do more to provide businesses and social services with loans,
the news agency Regnum reports Sarkisian as saying.

According to the prime minister, banks are located almost entirely
in Yerevan, leaving their services out of the reach of much of the
population. He came to the table with a plan to increase banks’
reach, whilst benefiting more Armenians. Sarkisian offered banks the
selection of a smaller city in Armenia, such as the northern resort
town of Dilijan, which they could then transform into a national
financial center leaving only branch offices in Yerevan.

"If this idea is put into practice it will be followed by regional
development," the prime minister suggested.

APPLICATION CONCERNING ARMAN BABAJANIAN’S CASE SENT TO EUROPEAN COURT OF HUMAN RIGHTS

Noyan Tapan
Jun 27, 2007

YEREVAN, JUNE 27, NOYAN TAPAN. The new lawyer of Arman Babajanian,
the editor-in-chief of the "Zhamanak Yerevan" newspaper, who has been
detained, applied to the European Court of Human Rights with the
fact of a free speech violation. Nikolay Baghdasarian, the lawyer
of Arman Babajanian, informed journalists on June 26 that they are
implementing discrimination towards his defendant, as the law on
alternative service adopted since 2003 by the resolution of the RA
Government has not been enforced in his case, "whereas, law is equal
for everybody and the above mentioned law has already been enforced
for 2067 citizens avoiding military service."

It should also be reminded that Arman Babajanian was detained on
June 26, 2006. A criminal case was filed against him for simulating
documents and avoiding the levy of military service term through
fraud. Later the court condemned Arman Babajanian to a 3 and a half
year imprisonment. N.

Baghdasarian also mentioned that the defensive side has applied to
the Court of Appeal and been refused without any grounds.

Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region
104 North Belmont Street, Suite 200
Glendale, California 91206
Phone: 818.500.1918 Fax: 818.246.7353
[email protected]

PRESS RELEASE
Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Contact: Haig Hovsepian
Tel: (818) 500-1918

Latina Congresswoman Speaks Truth to Power on Armenian Genocide

Los Angeles, CA – A powerful Latina Congresswoman from Los Angeles is
working in the Halls of Congress to end the Turkish Government’s denial of
the Armenian Genocide. Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA-34), has
joined forces with over 210 cosponsors of the Armenian Genocide resolution
(H. Res. 106) to set the record straight on a crime against all humanity
that has been denied for far too long. This week, the Congresswoman
diligently worked with her colleagues to gain additional cosponsors for H.
Res. 106.

"The growing support for H. Res. 106 reflects the call for strong moral
leadership that Americans demand from their elected officials,"
Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard said. "Passage of the Armenian Genocide
Resolution is an essential official acknowledgment of the genocide. This
resolution honors those killed during this dark period, and sends a message
about the importance this country places on the lives of every man, woman,
and child around the globe," the Congresswoman added.

Congresswoman Roybal-Allard, a longtime friend of the Armenian National
Committee of America – Western Region (ANCA-WR), became a cosponsor of
H.Res.106 on January 31, 2007. Her leadership on issues of importance to
her constituents, especially on human rights issues, is widely admired and
respected by the Armenian American community living in and around the 34th
Congressional District.

"I greatly respect Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard," commented Peklar
Pilavjian, a prominent downtown Los Angeles business and civic leader who is
knowledgeable of her support on the genocide legislation pending in the
House Foreign Affairs Committee. "Her leadership on this human rights issue
is yet another example of why I am proud to call the Congresswoman a friend
and ally of the Armenian American community in Washington, DC," Pilavjian
added.

The 34th Congressional District which the Congresswoman represents includes
downtown Los Angeles, East Los Angeles, and nine southeast cities of Los
Angeles County. A political pioneer, in 1992, Congresswoman Roybal-Allard
became the first Mexican-American woman elected to Congress. Before that,
she represented the 56th Assembly District of California for six years.

Presently, the Congresswoman serves as a Member of the House Appropriations
Committee, one of the most powerful and distinguished committees in
Congress. She is the first Latina in U.S. history to be appointed to the
Appropriations Committee, which controls the purse strings of the federal
government. The congresswoman serves on three influential subcommittees —
the Subcommittee on Homeland Security, the Subcommittee on Transportation,
Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies and the Subcommittee on
Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education.

Widely known and respected on Capitol Hill and in her district as a
consensus builder, Congresswoman Roybal-Allard also served as chair of the
California Democratic Congressional Delegation in 1997 and 1998. In assuming
this position, she became the first woman, first Latina and the first Member
to achieve this role through election rather than seniority. Later, during
the 106th Congress in 1999 and 2000, she went on to become the first female
Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, which is a coalition of Hispanic
Members of Congress.

Congresswoman Roybal-Allard was born and raised in Boyle Heights,
California. She is the eldest daughter of Lucille Beserra Roybal and the
late Congressman Edward R. Roybal, a Member of Congress for 30 years. The
1965 graduate of the California State University at Los Angeles is married
to Edward T. Allard, III. Together, they have four children: Ricardo, Lisa,
Angela, and Guy Mark; and six grandchildren.

The Armenian National Committee of America is the largest and most
influential Armenian American grassroots political organization. Working in
coordination with a network of offices, chapters, and supporters throughout
the United States and affiliated organizations around the world, the ANCA
actively advances the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad
range of issues.

ARMENIAN AND TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTERS DISCUSSED BILATERAL RELATIONS

ArmRadio.am
26.06.2007 10:31

June 25 RA Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian participated in the
summit of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization, where he
came forth with a speech.

The Minister had a number of bilateral meetings on the sidelines of
the summit. During the meeting with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign
Minister of Turkey Abdullah Gul the agenda and future programs of
BSEC were discussed. Turning to bilateral issues, Minister Oskanian
reconfirmed Armenia’s position to normalize relations without
preconditions.

The interlocutors discussed the latest developments in the negotiations
on the Karabakh conflict settlement. The Turkish Foreign Minister
noted that his country is interested in the rapid and just solution
of the conflict.

Minister Oskanian’s next interlocutor was the newly appointed Foreign
Minister of Serbia Vuk Geremich. The Foreign Ministers discussed the
perspectives of development of bilateral relations, regional issues,
as well as the processes of settlement of the Karabakh and Kosovo
conflicts.

Minister Oskanian had short meetings with the Foreign Ministers of
Georgia and Greece Gela Bezhuashvili and Dora Bakoyanis.

On the sidelines of the summit Vartan Oskanian gave a press conference,
featuring representatives of more than 40 Turkish and foreign media.

TERRI DAVIS: WHATEVER DECISION ON STATUS OF KOSOVO IS, THIS REGION REMAINS PART OF EUROPE

PanARMENIAN.Net
26.06.2007 16:30 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Council of Europe will support any decision
made by the UN Security Council on the status of Kosovo, Secretary
General of the Council of Europe Terry Davis stated. "The Kosovo
problem is being settled in New York and we respect it and support
UN Security Council’s decisions," he stated to a press conference in
Strasbourg. T. Davis reminded this January the Parliamentary Assembly
of the Council of Europe (PACE) was going to discuss a report on
the current situation around region’s status. During preliminary
discussions a decision was made to postpone debates, since the UN
Security Council has not started works over that issue yet. "Whatever
the decision on the status of Kosovo is, this region remains a part
of Europe," Terry Davis underlined, RIA "Novosti" reports.

Last Friday the UN Security Council launched closed consultations on
the draft resolution, which automatically grants Kosovo independence
after 120 days assigned for talks between Belgrade and Prishtina.

During the current summer session PACE will discuss a report
on investigating crimes, which fall under jurisdiction of the
International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. Prosecutor
Karla Del Ponte will have a speech during discussions.

ALIEV AGAIN MAKES UNCLEAR STATEMENTS

Panorama.am
19:20 26/06/2007

15th summit of Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization (BSECO)
closed after one-day discussion in Istanbul today adopting a
declaration reflecting cooperation among member states in economy,
politics, culture and social fields. The summit separately discussed
organized crime and fight against terrorism.

The declaration also suggests that BSECO joins World Trade Organization
in order to eliminate restrictions between them.

In his speech, Azeri president Ilham Aliev said that Azerbaijan will
fulfill its obligations in terms of oil and gas supply. "Armenia has
occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan and has caused 1 000 000 Azeries
to migrate." "If the conflict is not settled by peaceful means,
it will be settled by other means," Aliev said.

Armenian foreign minister did not react to these high statements made
by Azerbaijan. Instead, he said lifting Armenia-Turkey border is the
best way to settle Armenian-Turkish relations.