Author: Hakobian Adrine

Trend, Azerbaijan
Feb 14 2009

The Turkish organizations in the US sent a letter to Barack Obama
13.02.09 23:35

The 53 Turkish organizations in the United States of America sent a
letter to the US President Barack Obama in which they have expressed
the false "Genocide" allegations of Armenian lobbies putting pressures
on the official Washington, AzerTag reported.

The leeter says: "We evidently see the pressures coming on us in
Washington, and it is because of the false Armenian allegations that
as if during Ottoman Empire Turkish people have genocided them."

Besides, the letter said Armenian historians have so easily distorted
the history that has circulated during the I World War. Furthermore
Armenians have tried to forge a new history as if saying that they had
had a lot of victims during those events.

However, while Armenians lived in the territory of the great Ottoman
Empire they have often aroused riots against the all Turkish
nation. Armenian historians should clear the history telling the truth
before the eyes of international community. This can also overcome
other interventions and the fake allegations to all Turkish nation.

CHARLES AZNAVOUR AGREES TO BECOME AMBASSADOR OF ARMENIA TO SWITZERLAND

ArmInfo
2009-02-13 10:57:00

ArmInfo. The world-famous French singer of Armenian origin Charles
Aznavour agreed to become Ambassador of Armenia to Switzerland at
the suggestion of the Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan.

‘At first, I doubted as I thought that this is a hard work. Then
I thought what is important for Armenia must be important for all
of us. So, I have gladly accepted this proposal’, C. Aznavour said
in an interview with the Public TV of Armenia. To recall, "Liberty"
Radio station earlier reported with reference to ‘El Pais’ Spanish
newspaper that Aznavour declined this proposal. ‘I felt pride and I
was happy that day. However, the next day, I though if I accept the
proposal I will loose the freedom. If I does not like some proposal
of the government I will feel bad. I cannot loose my freedom for a
title of honour’, the French singer said.

To also recall, Charles Aznavour is a National Hero of Armenia and
he was endued with citizenship of Armenia in December, 2008.

ARMENIA’S 2008 BUDGET DEFICIT REMAINS BELOW PLAN
by Venla Sipila

World Markets Research Centre
Global Insight
February 11, 2009

According to figures from the Armenian Ministry of Finance, the state
budget of the country (excluding financing through external assistance
programmes) registered a deficit of 1.4 billion dram ($4US.6 million)
for the whole of last year, ARKA News reports. This result comes below
the targeted annual deficit of 25.3 billion dram. Including external
financing, the budget posted a surplus of 24.4 billion dram, which
compares to the planned amount of 24.9 billion dram and to the 2007
result of 15.4 billion dram. Budget revenues reached 759.2 billion
dram for the year, rising by 16% from 2007 and overshooting the
annual target by 0.4%. Specifically, tax incomes increased by 18.8%
over the year, their total of 598.8 billion dram over-performing the
originally budgeted amount by 0.3%. Revenue from the value-added tax
(VAT) accounted for over 53% of the total tax intake. At the same
time, expenditures amounted to 760.6 billion dram, gaining 21.2%
from the previous year and remaining 0.6% short of the budgeted total.

Significance:The nearly balanced budget was achieved although, at 6.8%,
annual GDP growth last year came in clearly below the expansion rate
of 10% projected in the fiscal plan. This year’s budget projects a
deficit of 40 billion dram, or 1.0% of GDP (seeArmenia: 1 December
2008:). As opposed to last year’s fiscal results, this year is not
likely to see the targets overshot as the GDP growth projection used
as a basis for the budget seems overly ambitious. In light of slowing
growth and the connected increased pressure on the fiscal balance,
as well as the budget’s continued reliance on foreign assistance,
additional progress in improving tax administration remains as vital
as ever.

ARMENIAN LEADER SLAMS SENIOR POLICE OFFICIAL’S MURDER

Armenian Public TV
Feb 5 2009

[Presenter] Today [5 February] President Sargsyan convened a meeting
regarding the [3 February] killing of the deputy chief of Police, Col
Gevorg Mheryan. Serzh Sargsyan demanded that a detailed report be given
to him about work being done to solve the crime, the circumstances
of the murder and theories being discussed.

[Sargsyan, speaking at the meeting] I was constantly in touch
with you from Moscow. In general, I am aware of work being done to
investigate Gevorg Mheryan’s killing. Now I expect a detailed report
about things that have been done, theories we have, the circumstances
of the crime and assistance that you need. It is obvious that this
crime caused pain, indignation and insult in dozens of thousands
of people because the bullet of the criminals was pointed not only
at a specific person, an official, but at the entire system, the
entire Police, the entire legal and judiciary system. Irrespective
of the motive [of the killing], we should perceive this crime as
such. Gevorg Mheryan’s activities during last months were aimed at
fighting corruption mechanisms, and we should realize this as well. We
should realize this and respond appropriately. We should realize this
and our actions should proceed from this circumstance.

PROGRESS MADE IN TALKS WITH ARMENIA, SAYS FM

Hurriyet
Feb 9 2009
Turkey

ISTANBUL – Foreign Minister Ali Babacan yesterday said talks to
normalize relations with Armenia had advanced during a meeting with
Armenian President Serge Sarkisian in Munich over the weekend.

"We have a platform where we discuss our bilateral problems," Babacan
said at a press conference in Germany, where he attended the 45th
Munich Security Conference, reported the Anatolia News Agency.

"We made progress in talks on how to normalize relations," he said,
referring to the meeting with Sarkisian, who was accompanied by
Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian.

Recent talks between Armenia and Turkey were the most important and
intensive since World War I, said Babacan, adding he was warm to the
possible contribution of third parties in the process. Sarkisian on
his part, said important developments could happen in Turkish-Armenian
relations in the second half of the year, the agency reported. Armenia
aimed at improving cooperation with all regional countries to make
southern Caucasus an alternate route of transportation, he added.

Babacan also said that NATO and the European Union could succeed
in creating common values and ideals in the Balkan countries where
different religious faiths and cultures co-existed.

"The EU should pursue an opening policy towards the Balkans. We
support Serbia’s membership to the EU. Macedonia should become a
member of NATO as soon as possible," he said at a panel discussion.

Serzh Sargsyan to take part in 45th Munich Conference on Security Policy

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 6, NOYAN TAPAN. RA President Serzh Sargsyan leaves
for German Federation on a working visit on February 6 to take part in
the 45th Munich Conference on Security Policy. According to the report
of RA President’s Press Office, bilateral meetings are also envisaged
within the framework of the visit.

‘THE WINNER OF DAVOS’

AzerNews Weekly
Feb 4 2009
Azerbaijan

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan`s tough stance against
Israel`s military action in Gaza voiced at the World Economic Forum
in Davos, Switzerland last week has been widely acclaimed in the
Islamic world.

A row was sparked as Erdogan clashed with Israeli President Shimon
Peres during discussions on the situation in the Gaza Strip and
subsequently left the event after a heated exchange.

Addressing the five-day forum, Peres staunchly defended Tel-Aviv`s
latest military action. He claimed Hamas was to blame for the
outbreak of violence in the Middle East and that there was no other
way out. "If 100 rockets were fired upon Istanbul every day, what
would you do?" he queried.

The Israeli leader`s emotion-filled statement was applauded by a group
of participants. The Turkish premier, who witnessed such a reaction,
blamed those welcoming the utterances for a bias.

Erdogan tried to respond to President Peres, but the host`s frequently
interjecting his reply angered him. Erdogan, who was able to speak
for only 12 minutes, compared to Peres`s 25 minutes, said the rules
of the forum had been violated.

In response to the Israeli president, who spoke in a high tone, Erdogan
said: "Honorable Mr. Peres, you are older than me. You are talking
very loud, which suggests a psychology of being guilty. You know
quite well how to kill. You are killing children. And the whole world
witnessed you kill innocent people. I know some ministers in Israel
who said when Israeli tanks entered Gaza that they felt very happy."

Further, Erdogan cited a quote from the Jewish holy book, the
Torah. Article 6 of the book calls on Jews "not to kill."

In conclusion, the Turkish premier said, "Davos is over for me. I am
not coming here again," and left the premises.

The Turkish Prime Minister`s spouse, Emine Erdogan, left the room
crying. She told reporters afterwards that her husband`s address had
been interrupted, while Peres`s remarks were completely based on lies.

Erdogan told a news conference that his criticism did not target the
Jewish people and he had only asserted that the Israeli government`s
actions committed in Gaza were a crime against humanity.

After the clash, the Israeli leader reportedly called Erdogan and
extended an apology. He noted that he was very disappointed with the
incident, claiming that he was speaking loud only because his voice
could not be heard well in the room. Peres also emphasized that Israel
and Turkey were maintaining strong bonds and expressed hope that the
incident would not tarnish them.

However, a spokesperson for the Israeli president refuted reports
that Peres had apologized to Erdogan. "They talked over the phone,
and it was a positive conversation. But, despite what the Turkish
media reported, our president was not apologizing."

The Israeli leader, himself, voiced hope that the bickering would
not have any bitter ramifications.

"We don`t want a conflict with Turkey, we have a conflict with
Palestinians," news agencies quoted him as saying in Davos.

"I don`t see either a personal or state problem here. Our relations
can stay as they are. My respect [for Erdogan] remains unchanged. That
was an exchange of opinions, and opinions are just opinions."

Erdogan, who returned home late that day was greeted in Turkey as a
hero. About 5,000 people gathered outside the airport and applauded
him upon arrival. The supporters of the Turkish premier were holding
the flags of Turkey and Palestine as well as posters backing the stance
he expressed in Davos. They called Erdogan "the winner of Davos."

Addressing the crowd, Erdogan said he had been insulted during the
forum in the Swiss city.

Erdogan`s leaving the event after a strongly worded debate with
the Israeli president has been widely praised in Gaza. A rally was
held Friday in the Gaza Strip to show support to the Turkish head of
government, the Turkish Zaman newspaper quoted the Hamas spokesman,
Fawzi Barhoum, as saying.

Hamas has lauded Erdogan`s cause. "We bow to the courageous move
by Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan who defended in Davos the victims
of the Zionist battle targeting our children and women," it said in
a statement.

Hamas added that it considered Erdogan`s leaving the room as support
for those who have been subjected to a massacre by the Zionists.

The Mayor of Tehran, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, has awarded Erdogan
with an "honorary citizen" title due to his courageous move taken in
Davos, CNN Turk TV channel reported. Ghalibaf said he saw the Turkish
people as a benefactor of the Palestinians.

Iranian President Ahmadinejad has also thanked the Turkish premier. He
said Erdogan was advocating for the sentiments of not only the Turkish
people but also the nations of the entire region and the world.

It is noteworthy that the Erdogan-Peres discussions were moderated by
Washington Post editor David Ignatius, an ethnic Armenian US citizen
who is well known in the Middle East as a supporter of Israel.

According to the Turkish media, Ignatius was born to an ethnic
Armenian family who moved to the U.S. in 1920. The journalist, who
maintains close ties with the Armenian lobby in the U.S., is known
for his stories critical of Erdogan and Turkey, and in particular of
Ankara`s foreign policy.

Ignatius is also the author of a novel that was at the core of the
Body of Lies film starring Leonardo di Caprio and Russel Crow, the
most remarkable scene of which is a terror act perpetrated at the
Incirlik military base in Adana, Turkey.

Turkey was one of the first countries to decisively condemn
Israel`s military operations in the Gaza Strip and began undertaking
initiatives to assist the Palestinian population. Therefore, Erdogan`s
harshly-worded statement cannot be only linked to the moderator`s
behavior, which was rather crude. Relations between Israel and Turkey
are currently experiencing tough times compared to the period of joint
projects carried out in the 1990s. The reason for the coolness is not
merely the latest Gaza developments. Rather, Ankara`s policy toward
Tel-Aviv cooled down after the Party of Justice and Development came
to power in this country in 2002. The Turkish government, headed
by the party`s chairman, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, started pursuing
a political course aimed at a more active rapprochement with the
rest of the Islamic world. Certainly, this couldn`t but pre-define a
change in its attitude toward Israel, in particular, after the latest
developments in the Middle East. It is common knowledge that Israel`s
actions as early as the second Lebanon war in 2006 drew fire from
Turkey. Then, the human rights commission of the Turkish parliament
labeled Israel`s military action in Lebanon as "state terror and
genocide." Moreover, all lawmakers representing the ruling party
seceded from the inter-parliamentary group of friendship with Israel
to condemn Tel-Aviv`s actions. MPs from the opposition People`s and
Republican Party followed suit.

As for the tough stance taken by the Turkish premier in Davos, this
is undoubtedly another indication of Ankara`s aspiration to play an
important role in the Islamic world, analysts say. The point is that
Turkey has its own interests in finding a solution to the Palestine
conflict, as it has been striving to act as a regional powerhouse in
the Middle East. Turkish officials insist on the need to follow the
"road map" and UN resolutions in dealing with issues concerning a
solution to the many-decade-long conflict. Turkey remains committed
to the idea of a "two-state solution." On the other hand, Turkey
has reaffirmed that its military-strategic partnership with Israel
does not imply that it is ready to "sacrifice" its relations with
other Muslim nations. Thus, such cooperation, which mainly envisions
Israel`s arms supplies to Turkey, does not guarantee Ankara`s support
for Israel`s policies in the Middle East.

As for Israel, this country deems it critical to maintain good
relations with Turkey, which has considerably strengthened its clout
in the Muslim world and could be a connecting bridge for forging ties
with moderate Islamic governments. Israel is working hard to rebuild
its relations with Turkey to the greatest extent and to return them
to their previous level.

It is likely that any worsening of relations with Turkey would lead
to the Jewish state`s isolation in the Middle East and it appears
that Israel knows this well. Even David Ben-Gurion, a founder of
the Israeli state and its first prime minister, had set out a goal
of achieving a maximum rapprochement with non-Arab Muslim countries
in the region, thus playing the card of differentiating between the
Arab and non-Arab states to ensure that Israel would not face pressure
from all Islamic countries at once. This strategy allowed Tel-Aviv to
establish close relations with Ankara, particularly in the military
field, which was and still is benefiting the Turkish army.

Moreover, the Israeli side has assured Turkey of support in its bid for
European Union membership. Israel also demonstrates understanding of
Ankara`s position regarding Turkey-Armenia relations that have been
marred by history-long tension. Israel is even ready to assist in
lifting the economic isolation of the unrecognized Turkish Republic
of Northern Cyprus. Therefore, the Israeli leader`s statement that
the Davos incident would not tarnish bilateral relations and that
his country does not want a conflict with Turkey should be considered
sincere.

PACE SHOULD BE A PLACE OF POLITICAL DIALOGUE AND NOT OF USING SANCTIONS, RUSSIAN DELEGATION’S MEMBER CONSIDERS

Noyan Tapan

Feb 5, 2009

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 5, NOYAN TAPAN. The stormy discussion over Armenia at
the PACE January session was due to the fact that the Council of Europe
made many demands to the RA authorities. Sergei Markov, a member of
the Russian delegation in PACE, expressed such an opinion during the
TV bridge organized on February 5 by the Novosti Armenia information
agency. According to him, both the large-scale advertising company
of the opposition led by first President Levon Ter-Petrosian and the
March 1 events’ subject in Armenian media influence upon Council of
Europe officials studying Armenia’s situation.

S. Markov emphasized that the Russian delegation supported Armenia’s
interest at the Assembly, as Russia in general considers wrong to
deprive any state of the vote. "Even Georgia, where the elections were
rigged and Mikheil Saakashvili’s regime is criminal, should not be
deprived of the vote," A. Markov said. According to him, PACE should
be a place of a political dialogue and not of using sanctions.

RA NA ARFD faction head Vahan Hovhannisian, in his turn, said that
countries getting independent after the collapse of the USSR had
much expectations from European structures, but later they got
disappointed. According to V. Hovhannisian, a question emerges:
how much are the European structures objective and skilful? The ARFD
figure meanwhile added that some structures nevertheless work well
giving the example of the OSCE Minsk Group. "It is thanks to that
group that a second war did not break out in Azerbaijan," he said.

MUBARIZ AHMEDOGHLU: "ARMENIANS WERE ENVIOUS ABOUT THE FACT OF AZERBAIJANI EXPEDITION IN THE ANTARCTIC"

Today.Az
/politics/50517.html
Feb 5 2009
Azerbaijan

Organization of the Azerbaijani expedition to the Antarctic, headed
by Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources Huseyn Baghirov, caused
a strong rush in Armenia, said chief of the center of political
innovations and technologies Mubariz Ahmedoghlu at a press conference
on the political results of January.

He said the agiotage around this event could be easily observed
in publications in Armenian mass medias and statements of Armenian
experts and analysis.

"It can be said that Armenians were envious about the fact of
organization of an expedition in the Antarctic, establishment of
a bronze medal with photos of national leader of Azerbaijan Heydar
Aliyev and President Ilham Aliyev", said he.

RUSSIA TO PROVIDE A $500 MILLION LOAN TO ARMENIA
Anna Nazaryan

"Radiolur"
05.02.2009 16:33

Under the conditions of the global financial crisis Russia is ready
to support Armenia by providing a stabilization loan. "Russia never
leaves its close friends at difficult moments, and when there is an
opportunity, it will, certainly, support Armenia," Russian Ambassador
to Armenia Nikolay Pavlov told a press conference today. According
to him, Russia will provide a loan of about $500 million. "Russia
implements the policy of helping its partners, which is evidenced by
the fact that Russia has provided another loan to Kazakhstan equal
to $300 million," he underlined.

"The statements about the provision of armaments to Armenia worth
$800 million are false and do not correspond to reality," Ambassador
Pavlov stated, commenting on the reports of Azerbaijani media.

In case of Abkhazia and South Ossetia Russia is guided by the principle
of the right of nations to self-determination. Asked why Russia does
not demonstrate the same approach with regard to the Karabakh issue,
Nikolay Pavlov noted that Russia is the guarantor of the agreements
reached on the settlement of the Karabakh conflict. "Russia has
declared that it will become the guarantor of the agreements reached
on Nagorno Karabakh: Russia acts as co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group,"
he said.

Speaking about Armeni a-NATO relations, Ambassador Pavlov stated
that Armenia is a sovereign country and builds its foreign policy
itself. "Armenia and Russia are strategic partners and the fact that
Armenia builds relations with the United States and NATO does not
excide envy or jealousy in me as Russian Ambassador," he concluded.