Author: Hakobian Adrine

TURKISH CYPRIOT LEADER AGAINST OPENING OF PORTS AND AIRPORTS TO GREEK CYPRUS: ZAMAN

News from Armenia – NEWS.am
12:25 / 12/11/2009

"Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat has said he is opposed to
Turkey unilaterally opening its ports and airports to Greek Cyprus
because Greek Cypriots would think they could gain concessions
without agreeing to a peace settlement in Cyprus," Turkish Zaman daily
reports. "This is very dangerous. Opening of ports and airports should
be kept to either a solution or to lifting the isolation of Turkish
Cypriots simultaneously," Talat said.

"The EU has repeatedly asked Turkey to open its ports and airports to
traffic from Greek Cyprus. EU foreign ministers were meeting yesterday
in Brussels to discuss, among other things, Turkey’s refusal to comply
with the EU demand. Talat, who had talks with British Premier Gordon
Brown during his stay in London, said, "I believe that now we have a
good chance because (Greek Cypriot leader Dimitris) Christofias wants
a solution. Turkish troops will withdraw from Turkish Cyprus when a
lasting solution was found in the island. If the Annan Plan had been
accepted, troop withdrawal would have taken place," the source reads.

Cyprus was occupied by Turkish troops’ intervention in 1974. The Annan
Plan was a United Nation proposal to settle the Cyprus dispute of
the divided island nation of Cyprus as the United Cyprus Republic. It
incorporated the following elements:

A collective Presidential Council, made up of six voting members,
allocated according to population (4 Greek Cypriots and 2 Turkish
Cypriots).A President and Vice President, chosen by the Presidential
Council from among its members, one from each community, to alternate
in their functions every 20 months during the council’s five-year term
of office. A bicameral legislature: senate with 48 members, divided
24:24 between the two communities and Chamber of Deputies with 48
members, divided in proportion to the two communities’ populations
(with no fewer than 12 for the smaller community). A Supreme Court
composed of equal numbers of Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot judges,
plus three foreign judges; to be appointed by the Presidential Council.

ARMENIAN APOSTOLIC CHURCH DENOUNCES RELIGIOUS SECTS’ ACTIVITIES

Tert.am
17:00 ~U 09.12.09

There are about 50 religious sects active in Armenia, said Father
Shmavon Ghevondyan of St. Hovhannes Church, during a press conference
today. According to the priest, those sects primarily have Protestant
origins.

"They believe that our spiritual state is quite poor. And that
different aunts and uncles are coming to assist us, Armenia, which
accepted Christianity [as a state religion] in 301 AD/CE," noted
Father Ghevondyan.

Noting that these sects in Armenia engage in charitable activities,
assisting elders and children, Father Ghevondyan expressed surprise
at why those sects are allowed in childcare centres and seniors’
homes in the first place.

The representative of the Armenian Apostolic Church also referred to
the legislative aspect of the issue, stating that registration of such
religious organizations in Armenia is permissible by law. The only
precondition is that the number of members must not be less than 500.

As for financing those sects, Father Ghevondyan noted that "Financing
doesn’t come just like that; rather, they are working with the aim of
prospecting [that is, providing information in return for financial
compensation]."

PROMISING AGRICULTURAL PROGRAMME

NKR Government Information and
Public Relations Department
December 08, 2009

The NKR Government has made an attempt of collective land cultivation
in the zone of Amaras. The today’s conference, convoked by the NKR
Prime Minister Ara Haroutynyan, in which the Minister of Agriculture
Armo Tsatryan, heads of Martouni and Askeran regional administrations,
heads of agricultural divisions, community heads and property owners
being in possession of land in Amaras zone participated, was dedicated
to proceeding of this programme and further deeds.

This agricultural programme, which is under implementation in 1300
hectares of hailed territories promises good results, the Prime
Minister announced. Instead of rendering material or financial
compensation, a task was set to cultivate the damaged arable lands in
the best way by means of state companies, to receive a big harvest with
the aim of rendering it to property owners in corresponding shares.

At the same time it pursues an aim to set a good land cultivation
example and spread it in other zones of the Republic as well.

A.Haroutyunyan stated with heavy hart that land users conduct poor
quality cultivation, in strictly economic mode. The new experience
will allow to achieve incomparable crop capacity, and property owners
must hold an interest in it, the Prime Minister emphasized. It is
necessary that they become safe partners to companies entrusted with
land cultivation; assist in reaching the anticipated results. At
present stage the land users’ duty is to combat breeding of weeds and
field pests in arable lands. It is necessary to take strong measures
towards the land users disregarding these obligations,- the head of
the Government notified.

At the conference, the Prime Minister and the Minister of Agriculture
gave clarifications to those present with regard to issues arousing
their interest.

ERDOGAN RESISTS US CALLS FOR IRAN SANCTIONS

The Associated Press
Monday, December 07, 2009

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama has failed to persuade the prime
minister of Turkey of the need for sanctions against Iran.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan (REH’-jehp TY’-ihp
UR’-doh-wahn) stressed at a press conference following his White House
meeting, that persuading Iran to give up its nuclear ambitions should
be left to diplomacy.

He said that he expressed Turkey’s willingness to mediate negotiations
between Iran and the West. But he also criticized current sanctions
against Iran as being ineffective because of loopholes for Western
goods to reach the Iranian market.

The Obama administration may seek new sanctions against Iran in the
United Nations Security Council, where Turkey currently votes as a
non-permanent member.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further
information. AP’s earlier story is below.

WASHINGTON (AP) – Seeking more help in the war in Afghanistan,
President Barack Obama praised Turkey for its "outstanding"
contributions there.

Speaking in the Oval Office after a private meeting with Turkish Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Obama said Turkey’s commitments have
helped bring stability to Afghanistan. Turkey took over the rotating
command of the NATO peacekeeping operation in Kabul last month and
doubled its number of troops to around 1,750. However, it has resisted
repeated U.S. requests to send its troops on combat operations.

Last week, Obama ordered 30,000 more U.S. troops be sent to
Afghanistan. The administration expects its allies to provide up to
10,000 reinforcements.

Obama also expressed his condolences for a recent terrorist attack
in Turkey, and said the two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to
defeat terrorism "regardless of where it occurs."

At least five Turkish soldiers were killed and several others wounded
in an ambush Monday in central Turkey. Authorities have not identified
the attackers but Kurdish and leftist militants are active in the area.

Monday’s meeting between the two leaders comes at a time of rising
Turkish influence in the Middle East and Central Europe. Before
leaving for Washington, Erdogan said Turkey has already contributed the
"necessarynumber" of troops in Afghanistan, and that Turkish military
and police will train their Afghan counterparts and press ahead with
health, education and infrastructure projects there.

Turkey’s participation in the Afghan mission carries enormous symbolic
importance because it is the only Muslim country working with U.S.

troops to beat back the resurgent Taliban and deny al-Qaida a
sanctuary.

More broadly, however, the United States would like Turkey to use its
sway as a regional power and Muslim majority ally to help solve some
of America’s trickiest foreign policy problems. But the two sides
disagree on many of the important issues.

Turkey has sought to become a mediator for the United States with Iran
and Arab countries, but it is unclear whether the Obama administration
is eager for Ankara to play that role. The two sides disagree on
sanctions against Iran and the Obama administration is uneasy about
recent Turkish disputes with Israel.

Greater friction is looming as the Obama administration intensifies
pressure on Iran to end its nuclear ambitions. A U.S. push for
sanctions at the U.N. Security Council, where Turkey currently sits
as a nonpermanent member, will force Ankara to choose between a NATO
ally and an important neighbor.

The two allies also will need to navigate the perennial issue of an
annual U.S. statement on the World War I-era massacre of up to 1.5.

million Armenians by Ottoman Turks. Breaking a campaign pledge,
Obama has refrained from referring to the killings as genocide,
a term widely viewed by genocide scholars as an accurate description.

The Obama administration has said it is wary that the sensitive issue
could upset talks that could lead to reconciliation and a reopening
of the border between Armenia and Turkey. It remains unclear how the
administration will handle the issue in the future, especially if
talks between Turkey and Armenia falter.

Tensions have eased over cooperation in Northern Iraq. Turkish
complaints about a lack of U.S. help in rooting out Kurdish militants
launching attacks on Turkey from Iraq loomed over Erdogan’s White
House visit with former President George W. Bush in 2007.

Since then Turkey has boosted trade in the region and improved ties
with members of the Kurdish minorities living on both sides of its
border with Iraq.

LIBERATION OF AZERBAIJAN’S OCCUPIED LANDS IS PRIORITY ISSUE FOR TURKEY: TURKISH MP

Today.Az
08 December 2009 [15:17]

Turkey has a very clear position on the Turkish-Armenian protocols,
Chairman of Turkish-Azerbaijani interparliamentary friendship group,
member of the ruling Justice and Development Party Mustafa Kabakci
said.

"Turkish president, prime minister and foreign minister made very
clear statements, which were addressed not only to the Turkish
community. These statements were made in France, Switzerland and
Germany and also at the Azerbaijani parliament," he said.

"We are closely watching ongoing processes related to the Karabakh
issue. First article of the OSCE Athens meeting agenda was the
Nagorno-Karabakh problem. Foreign ministers seriously discussed this
issue. We will first monitor the processes in Karabakh and then decide
to put the issue to vote at the parliament or not," Kabakci said.

He said liberation of the occupied lands is priority issue for Turkey.

"Turkey was always together with Azerbaijan in the Karabakh issue
and will continue to do so," he added.

ERDOGAN’S VISIT TO U.S. SHATTERED ARMENIA’S HOPES: POLITICAL ANALYST
N. Abdullayeva

Today.Az
08 December 2009 [13:52]

"It is praiseworthy that while in Washington Turkish prime minister
focused on resolution of the Karabakh conflict and updated it in
its negotiations with the U.S.," Azerbaijani political expert Fikrat
Sadigov said. He was commenting on Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan’s visit to Washington.

"It is somewhat surprising that Turkish prime minister reacted to
resolution of the Karabakh conflict a bit late. This issue should
have been largely talked about in the period of signing of the Zurich
protocols. On the other hand, Turkey’s willingness to quickly resolve
the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict helps to deepen the Azerbaijani-Turkish
relations," Sadigov said.

"Of course, the fact that Erdogan raised the issue of Karabakh in
Washington points to importance of resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict. But this does not mean that after Erdogan’s statements
the U.S. will immediately make relevant conclusions. I am hopeful
that Washington will listen to the Turkish ministers’s words to some
extent," he added.

"Prior to Erdogan’s visit to Washington, Armenia had high hopes that
by signing the protocols with Turkey, it will step over Azerbaijan’s
interests, achieve ratification of the protocols and thus leave behind
settlement of Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict. But I think this visit
shattered Armenia’s hopes.

"I think that Armenians have understood that even if some people
in Turkey want to take this step, this is impossible. Because the
regional security in general is impossible without settling the
Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict. Washington should first and foremost
understand this as its interests are deeply connected with the South
Caucasus region," Sadigov said.

Azerbaijan’s Interior Troops build new military camp

03 December 2009 [15:51] – Today.Az

New military town of the Interior Ministry’s Internal Troops was
opened in Zagathala region of Azerbaijan on Dec. 3.

Interior Minister Ramil Usubov, commander of Internal Troops Zakir
Hasanov, representatives of the regional law-enforcement organizations
and local authorities attended the opening ceremony.

Minister Usubov said the military town was built upon President Ilham
Aliyev’s decree.

It was constructed in a short time – within 18 months.

The camp consists of four-storey headquarters and soldiers’ hostel,
five-storey officers’ hostel, 1000-place dining-hall, medical first
aid room, check-point, boiling rooms, armory and vehicle park.

Internal Troops’ unit in Zagathala was earlier located in Zagatala
fortress, a historic site.

ARMENIAN DEFENSE MINISTER AWARDS INCENTIVE TROPHIES TO RA MILITARY POLICE PERSONNEL

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
04.12.2009 20:20 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan visited RA
Military Police special operations battalion on Friday. At his visit,
the Minister was briefed on service conditions, personnel issues as
well as military construction-related problems.

RA Military Police special operations battalion personnel made a
demonstration of martial art skills. Armenian Defense Minister Seyran
Ohanyan awarded incentive trophies to RA Military Police personnel.

NA DEPUTY BY-ELECTIONS TO BE HELD ON DECEMBER 6 AT ELECTORAL DISTRICTS N 8 AND 25

NOYAN TAPAN
DECEMBER 4, 2009
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 4, NOYAN TAPAN. RA NA deputy by-elections will
be held on December 6 at Yerevan electoral district N 8 and Kotayk
region electoral district N 25.

One candidate is nominated for the vacant posts at each of the
mentioned electoral districts, respectively, non-partisan nominated
by RPA, lecturer of the Armenian-Russian (Slavonic) University Koryun
Nahapetian and Bargavach Hayastan (Prosperous Armenia) party member,
Executive Director of the Tsakhkadzor main sports complex Mkhitar
Haroutiunian nominated by Bargavach Hayastan.

According to the Electoral Code, in case one candidate is nominated
he is elected if he receives more than the half of the votes.

It should be mentioned that the deputy powers of Hakob Hakobian and
Sasun Mikayelian elected from those electoral districts in the 2007
parliamentary elections were suspended on September 15 of the current
year due to their being convicted on the March 1 case.

A SMARTER CAUCASUS POLICY
By Yevgeny Bazhanov

Moscow Times
Dec 3 2009
Russia

Events in the South Caucasus are like a throwback to the 19th century:
local clans are violently killing each other and the world’s leading
powers are trying to elbow their way into the region to colonize the
"natives." This is a particularly blatant anachronism considering
the 21st- century global movement in the opposite direction toward
cooperation and integration. The European Union is a good example. Its
members have adopted a constitution, instituted a single government
and established transparent borders.

Why don’t we see these positive trends in the South Caucasus as well?

The reason is obvious.The Soviet Union left behind chaos and disorder
after it collapsed. As a result, former Soviet republics have seen a
rebirth of old ethnic tensions that were buried deep under the carpet
during totalitarian Soviet rule, including Armenians opposing Azeris
and the Abkhaz and Ossetians opposing Georgians.

As successor to the Soviet Union, the Kremlin tried to exert control
over the new states as if they were still vassals and tried to keep
out foreign influences. Moreover, instead of fulfilling the function
of peacemaker among the various Caucasus nationalities, Russia
tended to favor one nationality over another. That only deepened
regional conflicts and prompted participants to search for support
and protection in other regions.

Meanwhile, the United States, inebriated with its Cold War victory
and unequaled power, rushed to fill the political and economic vacuum
that had developed in the South Caucasus. Washington initially did
not take Russia’s interests into consideration, assuming that Moscow
would soon swear its allegiance to the United States. When it became
evident that Moscow had no intention of towing Washington’s line
and was committed to retaining its natural leadership position in
the global arena, the United States tried to push Russia out of the
former superpower’s zone of influence.

Complicating matters further, Turkey and Iran have also become involved
in the Caucasus’ internal squabbles, pursuing their own religious,
ethnic and economic objectives.

All of these factors have culminated in a huge tangle of geopolitical
power struggles in the South Caucasus. The time has come to untangle
this web. Since Moscow and Washington are trying to "reset" relations,
the South Caucasus should be given a priority spot on the agenda.

The first step should be for Russia, the United States, the European
Union, Turkey and Iran to agree to stop trying to push each other out
of the region and to stop carving it up into pieces. Instead, they
should get serious about resolving the problems in Nagorno-Karabakh
and reaching a final territorial agreement between Georgia and the
independent states of Abkhazia and North Ossetia. The next step should
be to initiate a dialog on energy and to develop economic cooperation
with one another concerning the South Caucasus.

With regard to Russia’s policy on the South Caucasus and former Soviet
republics, the Kremlin should understand that young states going
through their difficult "teenager" stage of finding their self-identity
are generally preoccupied with strengthening their sovereignty. A
patronizing attitude from Moscow is perceived negatively and pushes
former allies away from Russia and toward other centers of power.

In addition, the Kremlin needs to come to terms with the fact that
former Soviet republics will seek to diversify their foreign contacts
to include other power centers — chiefly, Europe, the United States
and China. It is natural for newly independent states experiencing
social and economic difficulties to seek financial support from these
centers. In fact, Russia itself is looking for partnerships there
as well.

Russia should not use pressure tactics to gain influence in the former
Soviet republics. Instead, it needs to put its old stereotypes behind
it and concentrate on expanding trade with its partners in the region.

Interconnecting trade and investment ties between Russia and the
other former Soviet republics is the best way to build a strong,
long-term alliance and a new global power center.

Yevgeny Bazhanov is the vice chancellor of research and international
relations at the Foreign Ministry’s Diplomatic Academy in Moscow.