Author: Greg Madatian

Armenpress News Agency, Armenia
 Friday
"Never Again" should not be just a slogan: Madagascar's foreign
minister visits Armenian Genocide Memorial
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 23, ARMENPRESS. As people full of respect towards
humanity we have a constant obligation to the memory of the innocent
victims who just wanted to live, Henry Rabary-Njaka - minister of
foreign affairs of Madagascar, wrote in the Honorary Guest Book of the
Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute, reports Armenpress.
The minister arrived in Armenia over the organization issues of the
visit of the President of Madagascar to the upcoming Francophonie
summit which will be held in Yerevan in autumn.
“As people, who respect humanity, we also have a constant memory
obligation to the memory of the innocent victims, to the children,
adolescents, youth, women and men who were just asking for allowing
them to live. The whole humanity should learn lessons from these
terrible events so that the history will no longer be repeated in this
direction. “Never Again” should not be just a slogan, we should live
like that. We pay tribute to the memory of all Armenian victims”,
Henry Rabary-Njaka said.
The delegation members of Madagascar’s foreign ministry laid flowers
at the Eternal Flame in the Tsitsernakaberd Memorial, then toured the
Museum-Institute and got acquainted with the history of the Armenian
Genocide committed by the Ottoman Empire in the early 20th century.
The foreign minister told reporters that before visiting Armenia he
got acquainted with these events and said with regret that today as
well similar terrible events repeat throughout the world.
In response to the question of ARMENPRESS according to which “Armenia
assumed the leader’s role in prevention of genocides, how can
Madagascar assist our country in this regard”, the foreign minister
said: “The current leadership of Madagascar shows a great respect to
human rights, humanity, of course, the fact that now we are in our
friendly country already means that we share the same values with
Armenia”.
English – translator/editor: Aneta Harutyunyan

Turan Information Agency, Azerbaijan (Opposition)
 Wednesday
Presidential elections with the Karabakh background
by  Turan Analytical Service
Two components could also be distinguished in the foreign policy
component. The first is the attitude of the leading world players to
the fact of the very transfer of presidential elections and the
nomination of Aliyev for a fourth term.
In this regard, many observers note that the US, in its official
reaction to the upcoming events, has limited itself to calling on the
Azerbaijani authorities to act within the framework of the current
constitution, which, in fact, means acknowledging the transfer of
choice and nomination for a fourth term.
In this sense noteworthy is an unexpectedly successful and important
visit of Nursultan Nazarbayev, the president of Kazakhstan, to the
United States. The top meetings clearly demonstrated that the priority
of the Trump Administration in the world and in the post-Soviet space
will be geopolitical interests of the United States, and in choosing
partners for cooperation he will not be guided by the criterion of the
presence or absence of the level of democracy, or the protection of
certain declared principles, as it was before.
Why can Nazarbayev's visit be considered a landmark for Azerbaijan?
The answer is obvious: Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan are similar countries
due to the peculiarity of their political and economic institutions,
established structures of power and traditions of governance. And if
Kazakhstan is important for the US as a neighbor of Russia and China,
then Azerbaijan is the most important Western ally and neighbor of
Iran in the context of the escalating crisis of Iranian-American and
Iranian-Israeli relations.
Russia's traditionally restrained reaction to the postponement of the
election and the nomination of Ilham Aliyev as a presidential
candidate shows that President Vladimir Putin is satisfied with the
way Aliyev demonstrates his readiness to take into account Russia's
interests in the region.
And, of course, the second in the list, but the most important issue
on the foreign policy agenda of Azerbaijan is the situation connected
with the current state of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict.
Assess the situation with the conflict only by the state of the
intensity of the negotiation process, today, unfortunately, it is not
necessary. The 25-year history of the Minsk process, and especially
the last period after the April events of 2016, led to the fact that
the effectiveness of these negotiations by the public of Armenia and
Azerbaijan is perceived as zero.
And periodically repeating rounds of negotiations cause ridicule over
participants, both in a press, and in social networks.
Therefore, it is difficult to assume that the negotiation process in
this format and with the old participants, both in the propaganda plan
and in terms of effectiveness, will be successful after the
presidential election campaigns in Azerbaijan, Russia and the
elections of the Prime Minister in Armenia.
Analysis of the speeches of the Armenian political elite and, in
particular, President Serzh Sargsyan in the Parliamentary Assembly of
the Council of Europe shows that the radicalization of Armenia's
position has reached its maximum.
Several years ago in the speeches of the Armenian leaders it was
possible to meet the idea that the liberation of some occupied
territories around Nagorno-Karabakh is possible in exchange for some
concessions on the part of the Azerbaijani side, but now
Nagorno-Karabakh and the territories around it are, in the opinion of
the Armenian side, "the territory of the sovereign state of Artsakh",
the borders of which cannot be subject to negotiations.
In the Azerbaijani society, the opinion was strengthened that the
reason for such radicalization and a source for the confidence of the
Armenian elite is the activity of Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who
is an ethnic Armenian. He is considered the spokesman, coordinator and
executor of the pro-Armenian policy of Russia towards Azerbaijan.
Russia's actions in April 2016 and after showed that the Russian state
opened the "security umbrella" not only for the territory of the
Republic of Armenia, but also de facto over the territories occupied
by Armenians around Nagorno-Karabakh. This is confirmed by the fact of
demand for an immediate suspension of the successful Azerbaijani
offensive in April, accelerated arms supplies to Armenia and a
declaration of Russia's intentions to ensure the balance of the
defense capabilities of the two countries in the conditions of the
continuing occupation of Azerbaijani lands.
All of the above means that the negotiation process and attempts to
imitate its intensity did not have, and will not have a positive
public resonance in Azerbaijan. This situation creates problems
primarily for the Azerbaijani leadership, as the public, in the
absence of effective negotiations, raises questions and claims to the
authorities because they cannot ensure the de-occupation of the
territories and the return of hundreds of thousands of displaced
persons to their homes. Under such circumstances, it should not be
ruled out that today's practice of suppressing these problems in
relations with Russia cannot continue indefinitely.
The current tactics of the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry can
only act as a temporary means for the prolongation of the current
state, but it cannot lead to a solution of the problem, the main one
of which is the threat of a spontaneous resumption of military actions
of high intensity and scale. In this situation, Russia will be forced
to accept and support one of the parties to the conflict, which is
guaranteed to lead to the destruction of the entire construction of
the system of multi-level ties aligned with the countries of the
region for many years, or at least one of them that will feel hurt.
It should be noted that the progressive evolution of the defense
capabilities of Armenia and Azerbaijan has led to the fact that the
resumption of hostilities "on the basis of the domino" principle can
cover the entire territory of both states in a short time. Moreover,
the important enclave factor of Nakhichevan will provide Azerbaijan
with the opportunity to strike at the center of the Armenian capital
in case Armenia applies medium-range missile weapons, as it says. It
should be noted that Aliyev's recent statement on the need to
implement the strategic task of "returning Azerbaijanis to Yerevan"
has become a landmark. Now, the statement of the Armenian side on the
impossibility of releasing any occupied territories of Azerbaijan and
the possibility of strikes against Baku and the need to destroy the
Azerbaijani state only means that the Karabakh issue and the
Nagorno-Karabakh region itself becomes part of the overall panorama of
the conflict between the two states for the entire operational-
tactical and strategic depth of their territories.
In this regard, it should be mentioned that the inclusion of the
problems of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict in the agenda of the
talks between Erdogan and Putin means that Turkey has practically made
it clear that the solution of this problem is part of its national
interests system, and it will not stand aside directly or indirectly
in case of resumption of hostilities.
Proceeding from this and other factors listed above, it becomes
obvious that Russia will in every possible way avoid the possibility
of resuming military operations between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Therefore, with a greater share of the probability, it can be argued
that the situation with the settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani
conflict will directly be related to how elections will be held in
Russia and who will be personally entrusted with the implementation of
mediation. In this connection, many analysts note that the meeting of
the Presidents of Russia and Azerbaijan in Sochi and the "non-public
consent" of Putin (pro-government press, only in Azerbaijan wrote
about "the presence of a third force under the leadership of S.
Lavrov, engaged in undermining Russian-Azerbaijani relations") with
the fact that the person of S.Lavrov is not able to ensure progress in
the process of settling the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict became an
important basis for predictions about the post-election personnel
transformation.
Speaking of Western interests, the settlement of the
Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict can, and most likely, become one of the
elements of the confrontation system between the West and Russia. The
present passivity of the West should be perceived only as a temporary
tactic, which has the goal, first of all, not to hinder the
destructive activity of the Russian Foreign Minister, who monopolized
the settlement process. In fact, they confined themselves to the fact
that they did not prevent Russia from pursuing a policy that was
erroneous from the point of view of its interests. And after waiting
for the imminent collapse and crisis, they will come "on stage" as a
just and impartial mediator who wants to reconcile all. Correction of
the current tactics of the West is possible only if the situation with
Russian mediation changes, after the Russian elections and in the
event of a radical transformation of the team.

Armenpress News Agency , Armenia
 Wednesday
Int'l modern arts exhibition in Armenia to strengthen cultural ties with Italy
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 14, ARMENPRESS. The Armenia 2018 international
modern art exhibition will include all types of arts – painting,
graphics, sculpting, decorative-applies arts, conceptual arts etc.
Various cultural events will be held simultaneously.
The exhibition will be held September 25 – October 25.
Culture Minister Armen Amiryan told reporters February 14 that the
festival doesn’t have theme restrictions, and artists from all over
the world can take part.
Ambassador of Italy to Armenia H.E. Giovanni Ricciulli said he is
happy and pleased that their idea is getting realized, and it is
important for two cultural countries like Armenia and Italy.
“We often speak about our past, but during the festival we will also
speak about the present in the language of culture”, he said.
According to deputy foreign minister Robert Harutyunyan, Armenia will
be able to presents its modern art to foreigners during the event.
“The festival coincides with the La Francophonie Days, and we expect
to involve numerous guests”, he said.
Shaula International cofounder Alberto Cagliostro commented on the
symbol of the exhibition, which depicts people seemingly hugging each
other. He mentioned that Armenia is such a hospitable country that it
takes you to its hug.
Stefano Apuccio, director of the Italian Modern Arts Foundation, said
that the program was initiated as a result of cooperation between
Armenia and Italy. “Two nations having centuries old history and
culture, which are also cradles of Christianity”.

Azeri-Press news agency (APA)
 Monday
Azerbaijan to blacklist European Parliament member for illegally
visiting its occupied lands
The visit of a member of the European Parliament from Sweden, Lars
Adaktusson, to the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, where the
bloodthirsty ethnic cleansing against more than one million people,
including the crime against humanity and the Khojaly genocide were
committed by Armenia, on the eve of Holocaust means to support the
aspirations of occupation, aggression and bloody ethnic cleansing,
Hikmat Hajiyev, spokesman for Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry, told APA.
This illegal visit violates the laws of Azerbaijan and norms and
principles of international law, as well as harm the efforts of the
OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs towards a peaceful solution to the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, noted Hajiyev.
'It is extremely shameful that MEP Lars Adaktusson's visit took place
with the participation and funding of head of the Brussels-based
Armenian lobby, who is engaged in money laundering and dirty diamonds
trade,' he said.
'At a time when the EU member states themselves suffer from tendencies
of aggressive separatism, when the EU and the European Parliament
express support for territorial integrity and sovereignty of the
Eastern Partnership countries, Lars Adaktusson's illegal visit to
Azerbaijan's occupied territories and his contacts with the criminal
regime established there are not understandable,' stressed the
spokesman.
Instead of supporting aggressive separatism and the consequences of
occupation, Lars Adaktusson, as a member of the European Parliament,
could, by sharing and promoting the experience of the Åland Islands, a
successful model of autonomy between Sweden and Finland, contribute to
the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,
added Hajiyev.
Lars Adaktusson's name will be included in the list of undesirable
persons of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan, noted the
spokesman.