Author: Frangulian Shushan

news.am, Armenia
March 26 2010

Istanbul Armenian community leader met Erdogan

18:02 / 03/26/2010March 26, Turkish Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan met
with Bedros Sirinoglu ‘ Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Holy
Saviour (Surp Prgic) Armenian Hospital Foundation.

According to Radikal daily, answering the journalists’ questions,
Sirinoglu noted that his grandfather was killed during the tragic
events in the beginning of 20th century, however he prefers looking to
the future.

As NEWS.am reported previously, before his meeting with Erdogan,
Sirinoglu commented on Premier’s statement about deportation of
illegal Armenians. `We had to tell Premier that there are 70.000
Armenians ` citizens of Turkey and 30.000 Armenian citizens in the
country, however the incorrect number was told him and he trusting us
voiced that number, for which I beg his pardon. Meanwhile, I express
gratitude to Turkish premier for his confidence and know that his
words in London were not coming from heart,’ he said.

A.G.

SOGHOMONYAN WITHHELD COMMENTS ON KOCHARYAN’S RETURN TO POLITICS

news.am, Armenia
March 25 2010

The Armenian ex-president Robert Kocharyan’s Spokesman Victor
Soghomonyan refused to grant an interview and comment on the rumors
on Kocharyan’s possible return to politics.

March 23, RA former President publicly criticized the economic
policy implemented in the country. March 24, Artyusha Shahbazyan,
Secretary of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation Dashnaksutyun
(ARFD) faction, told journalists the ex-president is laying claims
to further political activities.

Rumors have it that Robert Kocharyan might be appointed RA Prime
Minister.

WHAT’S THE SOURCE OF CLINTON’S STATEMENT? ASKS ARMENIAN GENOCIDE MUSEUM-INSTITUTE DIRECTOR

Tert.am
16:20 ~U 25.03.10

"At this point, I haven’t received any [information on] specific
formats, suggestions, [or] assignments," said Genocide Museum-Institute
Director Hayk Demoyan, commenting on US Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton recent statement, made while in an interview with Vladimir
Pozner of Russia’s Channel One, that a commission of Armenian and
Turkish historians was already in the works.

If a proposal had been made, as an expert on the topic, I would’ve
been one of the first to receive news, he said.

Demoyan said he doesn’t know on what basis the US State Secretary
made such statements.

"I’m refraining from responding to that question since I don’t have
any answers to that question, especially the wording which is called
‘a commission of historians’," said the museum-institute director.

TURKISH AMERICANS URGE OBAMA TO BLOCK ‘GENOCIDE’ BILL

Today’s Zaman
March 24 2010
Turkey

A major Turkish-American group has urged US President Barack Obama to
discourage the passage of a resolution in the US Congress supporting
Armenian genocide claims by making a public statement expressing his
opposition to the resolution.

The Assembly of Turkish American Associations (ATAA) also called on
Obama, who will issue an annual message on the Armenian killings in
the early 20th century on April 24, to "remember and honor" the Ottoman
Muslims who also perished during an Armenian revolt in the final years
of the Ottoman Empire, the Anatolia news agency reported on Tuesday.

Turkey denies claims that 1.5 million Armenians were killed in a
genocide campaign, saying the death toll is inflated and many Ottoman
Turks were also killed during the fighting.

The US House Committee on Foreign Affairs passed a resolution — by
23 votes to 22 — on March 4 endorsing the Armenian version of history.

It is not clear whether the measure will reach the House floor for a
vote. The ATAA letter said further consideration by the US Congress
would both harm US-Turkish ties and the process of reconciliation
between Turkey and Armenia. Two protocols signed by Turkey and Armenia
in October to normalize their ties envisage, among other things,
the establishment of a commission of historians to study the World
War I events.

"The United States must speak with one voice on Turkish-Armenian
reconciliation. We can not simultaneously encourage ratification of the
protocols while prejudicing the outcomes of one of their elements —
the envisaged joint historical commission," the letter reads.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton reiterated her support for the
Turkish-Armenian agreement to create the commission of historians. "I
think that’s the right way to go, I think, to have the two countries
and the two peoples focusing on this themselves. I have said many
times we cannot change the past we inherit. All we can do is try
to have a better future," she said in an interview with a Russian
television channel, the text of which was published by the US State
Department on Monday.

DIFFICULT SEARCH FOR THE PEACE FORMULA; IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO SOLVE THE NAGORNO-KARABAKH PROBLEM BY A MILITARY BLOW
by Sergei Markedonov

WPS Agency
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
March 24, 2010 Wednesday
Russia

THE REASON FOR MILITARY RHETORIC OF AZERBAIJAN IS ABSENCE OF PROGRESS
AT NEGOTIATIONS ON THE NAGORNO-KARABAKH REGULATION?; At first
glance, the process of Nagorno-Karabakh regulation did not undergo
any significant transformations in 2010. All possible options for
resolving of the conflict have been already proposed and have been
discussed many times. It seems that it is impossible to hope for birth
of a salvation peace formula in the short term and even in the medium
term. More detailed consideration of the dynamic of the peace process
in Nagorno-Karabakh enables observers to say that the current stage
of regulation has a number of important differences.

At first glance, the process of Nagorno-Karabakh regulation did not
undergo any significant transformations in 2010. All possible options
for resolving of the conflict have been already proposed and have
been discussed many times. It seems that it is impossible to hope for
birth of a salvation peace formula in the short term and even in the
medium term.

Undermining of the status quo

More detailed consideration of the dynamic of the peace process in
Nagorno-Karabakh enables observers to say that the current stage of
regulation has a number of important differences.

For a long time Nagorno-Karabakh regulation was developing in
conditions of the first status quo formed in the South Caucasus after
1991. This time was characterized by "freezing" of the conflicts and
establishment of republics with disputable status.

The "winds of change" started blowing from Georgia. The team of Mikhail
Saakashvili started shaking all political and legal formats of peace
regulation in Abkhazia and South Ossetia methodically.

It provoked a war against the rebellious South Ossetian autonomy
(August of 2004) and there was the first restarting of hostilities in
the zone of the "frozen" conflict after 1992. In July of 2006, Georgia
breached the basic Moscow agreement on ceasefire and separation of
the forces inserted army units into the upper part of the Kodori Gorge.

What did Armenia and Azerbaijan learn from this? August of 2008
brought understanding to Baku that the West was too far. The Big
Caucasus is important for it but, unlike the Balkans, this region
is not a territory of "vital interests" for the European Union and
moreover so for the US. It was not accidental that after the "five-day"
war Azerbaijan did not have any militarist propaganda for a few months.

Yerevan got to understand the bad fact: the defeat of Georgia by
Russia created many new problems for Armenia (bearing in mind that
all logistic between the two allies in the Collective Security Treaty
Organization was done through Georgia). Understanding of the fact that
the "factor of the West" should not be overestimated force Yerevan
to seek for the ways to achieve compromises with neighboring Turkey.

Turkish factor

Thus, formation of the new status quo in the Caucasus is not limited by
recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, termination of diplomatic
relations between Russia and Georgia, growth of the role of Ankara in
the region and beginning of the Armenian-Turkish dialog. The latter
became a serious factor of influence on the process of Nagorno-Karabakh
regulation.

There is an obvious geopolitical paradox. The absolute majority of
supporters of normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations has spoken
(and keeps speaking) about the need to divide the two problems: the
peace process in Nagorno-Karabakh and the reconciliation between
Yerevan and Ankara. However, these two processes were combined in
reality. With assistance of multilateral pressure (especially on the
part of the US) Turkey was persuaded of the need to sign two protocols
on normalization of relations with Armenia without mentioning of
Nagorno-Karabakh and the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict at all. In
any case, without ratification by the parliament they will remain an
ordinary sheet of paper.

Meanwhile, this procedure turned out to be not very simple. This
resulted in stagnation of the rapidly started Armenian-Turkish
normalization.

The reason for belligerence

It is necessary to recognize efficiency of the Azerbaijani President
who has managed not to let the Nagorno-Karabakh problem to finally
digress from the Armenian-Turkish normalization.

Ilham Aliyev nearly threatened to start hostilities in case of
drawing up of negotiations. In his interview to television channel
Euronews in early February of 2010 he unequivocally announced that
his country had a right for regaining of its occupied territories. In
a conversation with the French Ambassador in Baku on February 27
Aliyev spoke in a more certain way, "Now it is the turn of war and
this threat is gradually approaching. If aggressive Armenia does not
liberate our territories, beginning of a big war in the South Caucasus
is inevitable."

Of course, big belligerence of official Baku is explained not by
the natural inclination of authorities and citizens of Azerbaijan
to war as a universal tool for solving of all problems. Many other
pressing problems appeared inside of Azerbaijan on the ethnic grounds
besides Nagorno-Karabakh during the post-Soviet period. However,
they were solved peacefully and constructively in general, although
not without excesses.

However, the loss of Nagorno-Karabakh and seven districts that surround
it is really a national trauma for Azerbaijan and many thousands of
refugees do not let it forget about it. Along with this, we could
not miss the fact that in the 1990s official Baku did not use all
resources available to it for peaceful resolving of the conflict.

All this makes Azerbaijan harsher and more intolerable, whereas Armenia
(together with the Armenian community of unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh
Republic) can afford a defensive position because the war has ended
favorably for it in 1993.

A non-idle question

In any case, is it possible to keep the militarist rhetoric within
strictly measured framework? Azerbaijani belligerence appeared on the
ground of disbelief in progress in peaceful resolving of the conflict.

Meanwhile, the quantity of rounds of negotiations is growing. Besides
the format of the Minsk group there also appeared the trilateral
presidential format (Russia-Azerbaijan-Armenia). In any case, all
this did not lead at least to a minimum success yet. Absence of even
small positive aspects in the process of conflict resolving creates
a solid basis for attempts to achieve revenge in a unilateral way.

Such scenario does not promise anything good to those who is
the first to start breaking the status quo. Quick solving of the
"Nagorno-Karabakh problem" by force is possible only in conditions
of blitzkrieg but chances for it are poor. The division line is well
fortified on the two sides and an attempt to change it will lead to
a drawn-out positional war and inevitable interference of external
forces. Unlike in the Balkan conflict, there will be unilateral
support of only one participant of the armed conflict there.

The Nagorno-Karabakh also differs seriously from the Georgian-Abkhaz
and Georgian-Ossetian conflicts. Two de facto states supported
by Moscow fought against Georgia. In this situation the interest
of Abkhazia and South Ossetia and their striving for independence
were either simply ignored by the US and EU, or viewed as miserably
small values.

In Nagorno-Karabakh Azerbaijan not only combats extremism but also
counteracts to Armenia, a recognized state that has a powerful support
in the West.

Azerbaijan will not be perceived as an outpost of the West unlike
Georgia. For Baku Moscow is an indirect opponent and Yerevan is a
strategic enemy. Hence, there will be no "bipolar model" there in
case of "unfreezing."

The fact that Armenia and Azerbaijan have an armament race against
each other is not favorable for transformation of military rhetoric
into hostilities. Although it may seem paradoxical, this "competition
between Baku and Yerevan may play a stabilizing role.

How long will this stability last? The question does not have a
definite answer yet. So far, the parties involved into the conflict
master the new realities and try to benefit (and, on the contrary,
to reduce the drawbacks) from the current situation.

Source: Voenno-Promyshlenny Kuryer, No. 10, March 17-23, 2010, p. 3

SERZH SARGSYAN LECTURED

syria
05:45 pm | March 23, 2010

President Serzh Sargsyan was invited to Syria’s oldest institutions
of higher learning-the University of Damascus on the second day of
his official visit to Syria. The RA President also met with Chairman
of the People’s Assembly of Syria Mahmud al-Abrash, discussed the
development of Armenian-Syrian inter-parliamentary relations and
cooperation within international organizations.

"Ahead of the 95th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, I would
like to take the opportunity to express the sincere gratitude of the
Armenian nation to our Arab brothers, residents of Syrian cities and
villages who did not tolerate the crime against humanity and provided
refuge to Armenian refugee survivors of the crime perpetrated by the
Ottoman government.

I am certain that it was the same faith and feeling of dedication
to humanity that motivated the fraternal Syrian nation to extend
a helping hand to our nation at the most difficult period in our
history when hundreds of thousands of Armenians were deported from
their birthplace and driven to the deserts of Der Zor. The Armenian
people will never forget that," said Serzh Sargsyan.

USAID BRIDGE COMPLETED 40 PROJECTS TOTALING $2.9 MILLION

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
23.03.2010 14:34 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The USAID Bridge Public Works Program marked the
completion of its 5-year activities in Armenia by highlighting
the program’s successes and the importance of public works in
fostering Armenia’s labor market. Head of State Employment Agency
Sona Harutyunyan and Social Sector advisor of the USAID/Armenia Social
Reform Office Volodimir Yatsenko opened the conference. The event was
attended by representatives of partner organizations, including the
Anoushavan Abrahamyan Educational Fund, the State Employment Services
Agency and World Vision among others.

The objective of the conference was to present the results to the
public, partners and donor organizations. Through its three components
of community mobilization, vocational training and public works, the
Bridge program aimed to assist vulnerable communities in achieving
greater self-sufficiency by providing them with vocational training
in construction skills as well as with employment opportunities on
public works projects that rehabilitated infrastructure items chosen
by the community.

Bridge worked in 20 towns in Tavush, Aragatsotn, Lori, Shirak,
Gegharkunik, Syunik and Vayots Dzor marzes. Specifically, the program
completed 40 projects totaling $2.9 million, generated more than 87
000 person days of employment, provided 1 240 people with short-term
labor opportunities, leveraged 16% matching contribution over the life
of the program, conducted 54 training in 5 different construction
trades, trained 734 unemployed persons, 70% of whom found jobs in
construction after the program completion and developed training
curricula for Riling, Wood Flooring, Painting and Plastering, Concrete
and Stone Masonry.

346 CASES OF SWINE PLAGUE DISCOVERED IN ARMENIA

Arminfo.
2010-03-23 16:28:00

Arminfo. The epidemic of African plague, which only swine can
have, has been proved by the Republican Veterinary Laboratory and
Republican Scientific Centre, the head of the Food Products Safety
State Inspection under Armenian Agriculture Ministry Grisha Baghyan
told journalists today.

He also added that the first case of swine mortality was fixed
on 26 February of the current year and 346 cases of sick swine
were discovered for less than a month, 44 of which died and 302
– were berried with all the safety measures. He said that plague
was discovered in Tavush and Lori regions, which were announced the
quarantine zones. He also said that Armenian prime minister charged to
set up the working group for the operative suppression of the epidemic
spreading. He called consumers to abstain from eating pork temporarily.

GROWING PAINS OF TURKISH DEMOCRACY

Today’s Zaman
March 22 2010
Turkey

In a recent op-ed piece, "Turkey’s Republic of Fear" (March 4,
2010), Soner Cagaptay, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute
for Near East Policy (WINEP), hurled cheap and unsubstantiated shots
at Turkey’s current ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party)
and the moderate, pro-democracy Fetullah Gulen movement.

First, let’s clarify who Mr. Cagaptay’s employers are: WINEP has its
roots in and is still closely affiliated with the American Israel
Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).

This raises the question of whether the powerful pro-Israeli lobby
group has an interest in seeing the global influence of Turkish
moderate Islam decreased and inflaming anti-Muslim sentiment.

Cagaptay falsely describes the Gulen movement as "ultra-conservative"
and accuses it of funding Hamas and Chechen terrorists. Yet he
presents no empirical data to support these extreme ideas; equating
the Gulen movement with radical Islam is like saying all members of
the Christian right are violent abortion clinic bombers.

Cagaptay, and anyone else who’s spent time in Turkey, knows the
truth about the nature of the Gulen movement: that the movement is
visible and transparent, seeks integration with society rather than
isolationism, is non-authoritarian in structure and does not reject
modernization in favor of traditionalism. With absolute certainty, it
is impossible to say that the Gulen movement has ever been associated
with radicalism.

Recognized internationally for promoting dialogue and global peace,
Mr. Gulen was invited to give the keynote address at the 2009 World
Parliament of Religions in Melbourne, Australia.

Mr. Gulen has always rejected the philosophy that violence is
a legitimate means to a justifiable end. After the London subway
bombings and suicide attacks in Israel, he criticized the terrorists
who condoned such acts. "Unfortunately some condone acts of suicide
bombings with the rhetoric of ‘they have no other means.’ If this
is the only means Muslims have, let that means be buried deep in the
ground together with the one who uses it," he said.

Then what motivates Mr. Cagaptay to be so brazen in his
misrepresentation of Gulen and the AK Party? Could a recent shift in
Turkish-Israeli relations be a motivating factor? I guess so! Mr.

Cagaptay mischaracterizes the AK Party reign as a republic of terror
when in fact, since voted into office in 2002, the AK Party has
facilitated major constitutional and legislative reforms, leading
toward greater democratization and preserving the secular structure
of the government while creating a space for religious freedom. One
shortcoming of the party is that Turkey has not yet been able to
align its military-civilian relations with European Union standards.

However, important changes have been made to the judicial system,
including the abolition of the State Security Court (DGM) system,
but the judicial system’s current structure and methodology continue
to present some difficulties.

Turkish civil society has grown stronger. Cultural rights for the
Kurds are beginning to be recognized — and the AK Party has made
progress on the Armenian issue. Finally, they have enhanced political
dialogue; Turkish foreign policy is contributing positively to
regional stability.

Some military generals thought that it was time to put a stop to
the AK Party’s burgeoning power; in countries like Turkey, democracy
operates differently. Whenever democracy gains traction, the military
grabs for power again. When the Democrat Party (DP) won 52 percent of
the vote in the first free elections in Turkish history, on May 14,
1950, Adnan Menderes became prime minister. He later won two more
free elections, one in 1954 and the other in 1957. No other Turkish
politician has ever been able to win three general elections in a row.

Then, in 1960, a coup d’état was staged by a group of Turkish army
officers; the tribunals ended with the execution of Prime Minister
Menderes, Foreign Affairs Minister Fatin RuÅ~_tu Zorlu and Finance
Minister Hasan Polatkan on İmralı Island on Sept. 16, 1961.

The ’70s were a time of political violence and economic uncertainty.

The 1971 coup d’état, carried out on March 12, was the second to
take place in the Republic of Turkey, coming 11 years after its
1960 predecessor.

In 1980, another junta was formed that instituted martial law and
abolished all political parties. The junta was dissolved because of
a new constitution, adopted in 1982.

On Feb. 28, 1997, the military pressured the democratically elected
government to resign and allowed another civilian government to
take power.

The Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) have always played a central role
in the nation’s political agenda. The military has long enjoyed the
privilege of an autonomous position because of its role as guardian
of the unitary republic, secularism and Kemalism.

And this brings us to the present: the latest coup attempt by the
TSK was revealed in leaked military documents that were recently
published in the liberal Taraf daily newspaper. The alleged plot aimed
to create an atmosphere of chaos in the country through a series of
violent acts that would eventually lead to a military coup.

While Mr. Cagaptay claims that the Turkish military denies the coup
allegations, in fact the top army prosecutor has already announced
that the coup documents are authentic and that the plans were staged
in 2003 without the official permission the Turkish General Staff.

Recent arrests of military generals in Turkey mark a milestone in the
nation’s democratic history. Four previous governments have been ousted
by the military, and not one coup leader has ever been convicted.

As the right-wing military leaders planned this coup attempt, they
failed to notice changes in Turkish civil society. A whistle-blower
within the military who believed in democracy leaked the documents to
the press. Meanwhile, the press has changed and diversified, making
the publishing of these damaging documents possible. And finally,
the common people, a broad-based electorate led by the Turkish middle
class, were able to stand up to the elites. These arrests in Turkey
are not signs of an authoritarian regime, but the healthy process of
a maturing democracy.

IS WATER QUALITY FAVOURABLE IN YEREVAN?

ter
05:23 pm | March 22, 2010

Social

March 22 marks the International Day of Water and it carries the motto
"Clean Water for the sake of the world".

One can understand the state of Armenian water supply system after
turning on the water tap. The opinion was sounded by specialists
of Armenian water sphere at today’s a round-table dedicated to the
International Day of Water.

The choice of the slogan is not accidental. According to the data
of World Water Council, secure water is unavailable for 17% of the
world’s population. 3,1 million people, mainly children under 5
annually die of diseases caused by low-quality water.

According to the Council, half of the world’s population will face
water insufficiency in 2025.

The participants in today’s round-table think that the water quality
allows for more concern in those settlements of the republic where
the extractive industry is developed.

Water quality is largely jeopardized in Syunik marz, where Kapan and
Kajaran extractive centres are located.

Talking to A1+, junior scientific associate Olga Belayeva notes that
industrial waterflows easily mingle with the surface waters infecting
the crop irrigated with the water.

"Many metals exceed the marginal permitted portions," Belayeva
emphasized. According to some sources, the infertility rate in Syunik
exceeds that of other marzes.

Representative of the RA Minister of Healthcare Aida Ketikyan also
noted many violations and drawbacks endangering water quality. Among
other shortcomings, she pointed out the worn-out water supply systems.

The ministry has defined penalties for violations. In 2009, in the
result of checkups in 45 businesses a penalty of 1 890 000 AMD was
imposed. Most deviations were revealed in the marzes of Aragatsotn,
Tavush and Syunik.