Author: Hambardsumian Paul

MOTHERLAND WILL WAIT. BUT THE GOVERNMENT’S PATIENCE HAS LIMITS
Naira Mamikonyan

Aravot
Jan 24 2009
Armenia

The Armenian government made a decision at the end of 2008 to dissolve
the special combat operations department of the National Security
Service [NSS], abbreviated as the NSS’s "special forces". This
subunit was set up in the above entity in January 1994 on the
instruction of fist Armenian President Levon Ter-Petrosyan. The
purpose was to protect Armenia’s territory from foreign aggression
during the years of the Karabakh war; and the task of the subunit
was to organize various subversive operations up to 50 km inside
[Azerbaijani territory]. Incidentally, such entities exist within
the national security body of any country. That entity also had the
goal to ensure security in our country – for instance, the security
of the Armenian nuclear power plant and so on. At present, while the
Artsakh [Karabakh] war is not fully over and in general there is a
threat of foreign aggression, the people who served in this entity
(staffed with quite competent personnel, according to some experts)
and pundits believe that the dissolution of this subunit is a betrayal
of the state and nation. A former deputy head of Armenia’s State
National Security Department, Gurgen Yeghiazaryan, is one of those
who describe this decision of the Armenian government in this way.

According to an Aravot source, part of the servicemen and officers
of the dissolved subunit have been moved to border troops under the
NSS or to Armenia’s police troops. However, a significant part of the
officers refused to move to Armenia’s police troops or the "special
forces" to be established under the police.

The matter is that the national government has decided to set up
"special forces" of police. The police has this kind of forces only as
part of its general department for fighting organized crime. According
to information that we received, the future "special forces" will
comprise 1,000-1,500 servicemen, but not conscripts, like it was in
the case of the NSS, but exclusively contract-based servicemen. This
subunit will, naturally, serve to restrain, disperse, beat or kill
those participating in domestic political riots.

The matter is that the already former "employees of the special forces"
were less aggressive than police troops, "the special forces of the
6th [police department for fighting organized crime]", and bodyguards
of oligarchs during the 1 March 2008 post-election events and during
the "cleansing" of Freedom Square [the venue of opposition sit-in
protests in Yerevan], and thus they are no longer reliable. As we face
a financial crisis in the future and aggravation of social conditions,
social riots and activation of the opposition’s wide-scale protests
is possible. "Naturally, the concern of this government will not be
protection of the motherland. They now have the task of protecting
their power. Involving the NSS ‘special forces’ into domestic
political processes yet another time can cause a wider reaction,"
Yeghiazaryan said.

ARMENIA NEGOTIATING WITH ITS MAIN PARTNERS OVER LOANS TO SUPPORT ECONOMY UNDER CRISIS CONDITIONS

ARKA
Jan 23, 2009

Yerevan, January 23. /ARKA/. Armenia is negotiating with its main
partners over loans required to support the country’s economy under
the world economic crisis conditions, Armenian Minister of Finance
Tigran Davtyan said in his exclusive interview to ARKA Agency.

Earlier Russian Vice-Premier and Foreign Minister Aleksey Kudrin said
that Armenia applied to Russia for a stabilization loan to mitigate
the consequences of the global crisis.

Negotiations are held with principle trade-economic and financial
partners, including Russia, in both multilateral and bilateral formats
involving the World Bank and other international organizations,
Davtyan said.

There is nothing new in such negotiations, the Minister said adding
that Armenia has been always taking the advantage of external lending
on soft conditions acceptable for Armenian economy.

Davtyan refrained from mentioning an overall lending amount pending
the completion of the negotiations. Yet, it will be a substantial
volume allowing Armenian economy effectively coping with the possible
effects of the global economic crisis, he said.

It is also early to mention any amount of loan from Russia, the
Minister said adding that the things may be getting clearer within
the next weeks.

Particularly, the ministry is now clarifying the volume of lending
with the WB for the next four years.

"We are carrying on negotiations with various partners and they
are interconnected, but the loan support will be substantial,"
Davtyan said.

EU INTRODUCES CO-OPERATION, BUT NOT COMPETITION IN REGION: ARMENIA’S DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER

Trend
Jan 23 2009
Azerbaijan

The European Union enables to soften serious conflicts in Caucasus
region and its activity promotes to settle the conflicts, Arman
Kirakosyan, Armenia’s deputy foreign minister, said.

"It is obvious that the EU introduces co-operation, but not competition
in the region," Kirakosyan said in his interview with Mediamax agency.

The co-operation of the EU with the Caucasus countries is implemented
via European Neighborhood Policy (ENP), one of which direction was
"Eastern Partnership" program.

The EU Eastern Partnership program is based on the principles of ENP,
but gives it more application character with the help of concrete
mechanisms," Kirakosyan said.

Eastern Partnership can be considered not as part of ENP, but
as qualitative new and thorough continuation of the last one,"
Kirakosyan said.

Kirakosyan said that the most significant distinction of Eastern
Partnership from ENP is to set more exact parameters of co-operation
with its help.

The initiative of Poland and Sweden concerning Eastern Partnership of
the EU new policy was approved on Dec. 4 by the European Commission. It
stipulates closer co-operation of the EU with 6 post Soviet countries,
including Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Armenia, Moldova and may be
with Belorussia (upon its following the necessary democratic reforms).

Within the framework of the organization, talks concerning visa
abolition, introduction of free trade zones and conclusion of strategic
agreements will be held. Small projects on exchange of students,
protection of environment and energy supply will also be implemented.

According to Kirakosyan, the approaches of ENP and Eastern Partnership
to member countries are practically identical towards prospects
of the participating countries for the membership to the EU. The
participation in these initiatives doesn’t predetermine membership
of participating countries to the EU, he said.

Armenia has already begun to co-operate with the EU on two key issues
of Eastern Partnership, as the agreement on free trade zone and easing
of visa regime process, deputy minister said.

"LEADER OF PROSPEROUS ARMENIA NOT TO TAKE PART IN "BJNI" AUCTION"

Panorama.am
17:48 23/01/2009

"Gagik Tsarukyan has already announced that he is not going to
participate in the auction of "Bjni" mineral water Company," says Gagik
Tsarukyan’s press secretary Khachik Galstyan in a press conference.

Regarding the attack on the officer of Binding Implementation of
Judicial Acts, who was working on "Bjni" case, the press secretary
refused to give any comments. To the question whether Gagik Tsarukyan
could imagine such development of the situation when he recommended not
to take part in the auction, Mr. Galstyan answered that G. Tsarukyan
could not foresee such development.

Prosperous Armenia Party and Gagik Tsarukyan have definite position
in this period of world financial crisis, said Tsarukyan’s spokesman
reminding that their party has voted against the tax reforms. According
to him, they think that in this period those who earn their own
living themselves, who have their small business should not suffer
from tax system.

"Small and medium size business should be supported by the
Government. We thought that the legislation increased the tax burden
on people and voted against it to express our position," he said.

To the question what Tsarukyan’s position is on establishing ATM-s
in the fairs, Galustyan answered: "In this period of financial crisis
those people should be let free."

TURKEY TENSIONS TO PERSIST UNLESS ERGENEKON LEADERS ARRESTED

PanARMENIAN.Net
21.01.2009 15:44 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ With the Turkish political elite being divided into
Kemalists and Islamists, the current situation in Turkey is rather
complicated, an Armenian professor said.

"Kemalists, who are linked tightly to Ergenekon, are losing influence,"
professor Ruben Safrastyan, director of the Institute of Oriental
Studies at the RA Academy of Sciences, told a news conference in
Yerevan today.

"The ruling AK party pursues a more balanced policy that
Kemalists. Nevertheless, tensions in Turkey will persist unless
Ergenekon leaders are arrested," he said.

The investigation exposed links between Ergenekon and an armed attack
on the Turkish Council of State in 2006 that left a judge dead,
a bombing of a secularist newspaper, threats and attacks against
people accused of being unpatriotic and the 1996 Susurluk incident,
as well as links to the plans of some groups in the Turkish Armed
Forces (TSK) to overthrow the present government. Ergenekon is also
supposed to have a role in the murder of Hrant Dink.

AZERBAIJAN LIBERAL-DEMOCRATIC PARTY URGES TO REJECT MEDIATION SERVICES OF OSCE MINSK GROUP

Today.Az
50218.html
Jan 21 2009
Azerbaijan

The Liberal-Democratic Party of Azerbaijan, presided by Fuad Aliyev,
calls on the Azerbaijani authorities to reject mediation services of
the OSCE Minsk Group and settle the Nagorno Karabakh conflict in the
UN frames, reports Day.Az with reference to the press service for
the Party.

The statement says that the international organizations and the
countries, joining the OSCE Minsk Group have recently voiced
statements, contradicting to international standards.

Moreover, the supply of Russian military hardware of a total of $800
mln to Armenia also proves that this country is not interested in
the peaceful resolution of the Karabakh conflict.

"The Party has repeatedly stated that there is a need to transfer
the resolution process to the UN frameworks, taking UN resolutions
on Nagorno Karabakh as a basis.

OSCE is a "dead institute" for the conflict resolution and such a
position of the OSCE MG co-chairs again proves the application of
the policy of double standards towards Azerbaijan", says the statement.

SMBAT AYVAZYAN WAS ASKED OUT

A1+
[05:13 pm] 21 January, 2009

Today the presentees of the Court of Appeals welcomed Republic Party
member Smbat Ayvazyan with warm applauses. The latter didn’t stand up
when the judges entered the courtroom. Justice Grisha Melik-Sargysan
got indignant at this and reminded Smbat Ayvazyan of the relevant law
but Ayvazyan opposed to Grisha Melik-Sargysan saying he "doesn’t have
confidence in courts."

"You can announce your verdict and go away," said the defendant.

The judges decided to send Ayvazyan out of the courtroom for his
apparent disrespect for court.

"Do cheer up! They are criminals executing Serzh Sargsyan’s
order. Don’t become despondent!" Smbat Ayvazyan said to the presentees
before leaving the courtroom. The judges and prosecutor Hovsep Sargsyan
dashed away to avoid foul expressions in their address.

"The law says that a person must stand up in court. We should
differentiate between the terms "court" and "judge". Our society
seems to mix these two notions. Courts must be impartial, unbiased
and fair and they must act within the law. Our judges disregard their
duties and want the defendants to respect them," Advocate Lusine
Sahakyan gave her assessment to the judges’ behaviour. "The moment
judges carry out their duties Smbat Ayvazyan and the other political
prisoners will show respect for courts."

I think they fear lest the European Court should set serious demands to
Armenia. Therefore, they delay the trials so that people cannot appeal
to the European Court. Moreover, with the periodical adjournment of the
trials they make a rough breach of the European Convention and Armenian
Constitution. Actually, we have a right to appeal this decision but
since we are guided by the European Convention we shall apply to the
EC only after appealing to all relevant instances in Armenia.

Let’s remind that today the Court of Appeals was to hear the appeal
of Ayvazyan’s advocates against the Court of General Jurisdiction of
Kentron and Nork-Marash districts. On November 19, 2008 the Court
of General Jurisdiction had sentenced Smbat Ayvazyan to two years’
of prison for carrying illegal weapon and using violence against a
government representative.

The advocates demanded that the Court justify Smbat Ayvazyan who has
already been jailed for eleven months. Remind that Smbat Ayvazyan was
detained on February 24, 2008 when returning home from an opposition
rally at Liberty Square.

EBRD AND VTB BANK (ARMENIA) SIGN AN AGREEMENT WORTH $10 MLN

ArmInfo
2009-01-20 19:27:00

ArmInfo. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)
will provide VTB Bank (Armenia) with a $10 mln loan for financing
micro and small entrepreneurship (MSE). The relevant agreement was
signed in Yerevan between Head of EBRD Office in Armenia Michael
Weinstein and Director General-Chairman of Directorate of VTB Bank
(Amenia) Valery Ovsyannikov, Tuesday.

Chairman of the Central Bank of Armenia (CBA) Artur Javadyan also
attended the signing ceremony.

As Ovsyannikov said at a press-conference, the signing of the given
document is the continuation of close and long cooperation between the
VTB group and EBRD. "I think this is the first step of our further
cooperation",- he stressed. He said that the loan will be provided
to the bank in three tranches. It is envisaged to receive the first
tranche late in January. This program will give creditworthy micro and
small enterprises of Armenia an opportunity to make use of reliable
sources of mid-term financing.

The program is implemented within the frames of the Armenia Multi-Bank
Framework Facility II conception. The loan will be technically
supported by Armenia Microlending Programme organized to support
MSE by the program’s participant banks. Technical cooperation funds
were provided by Early Transition Countries Multi-donor Fund and
Shareholders’ Special Fund. At the same time, the head of the bank
said that the funds will be alotted at the interest rate of 16% per
annum. Ovsyannkov added that at the moment MSE crediting portfolio
of VTB Bank (Armenia) amounts to $10 mln.

For his part, CBA Chairman Artur Javadyan said that this is the first
deal in 2009 signed between a participant in the local financial
system and an international structure. "VTB Bank (Armenia) is one
of the largest banks of Armenia, and EBRD is one of the most active
participants in our market. The given deal is a large achievement in
the financial system of Armenia. I am sure we will witness numerous
such deals in 2009 ", – Javadyan stressed. He added that the volume,
quantity and quality of the programs implemented by EBRD allow to
say that Armenia has an excellent partner among the international
structures.

Javadyan pointed out that the signing of the agreement had disproved
the rumors about serious influence of the global financial crisis on
the financial system of Armenia. EBRD has suspended its activities in
a number of CIS countries and is providing loans only to the countries
with stable financial situation.

Weinstein said that the deal was quite significant for EBRD. It
is a big contract for Armenia. Besides, support of private sector,
particularly, micro, small and medium-sized business in Armenia is
an important step for EBRD and is the main direction of the bank’s
activities in the country. Weinstein said that private business was the
engine of economy and is especially important now that the economic
situation is getting increasingly complicated. Even though the deal
is private it proves that EBRD’s actions comply with the plans of
the Armenian Government concerning SME. Weinstein said that even if
the financial crisis had affected Armenia EBRD would have continued
its credit programs in the country.

According to VTB Bank (Armenia), in 2008 the capital of the bank grew
by 14.2% to 23.9bln AMD, assets by 43% to 99.2bln AMD, obligations by
55.5% to 75.4bln AMD, net profit by 3.7 times to 2.9bln AMD, credit
portfolio by 72% to 70bln AMD. The bank attracted 27bln AMD. The
owner of VTB Bank (Armenia) is VTB Bank (Russia).

EBRD is one of the biggest investors in Armenia since 1992. The bank
has so far implemented 52 projects worth 202mln EUR.

CHEAPENING CHANGE IN TURKEY

Asia Times Online
21Ak02.html
Jan 20 2009
Hong Kong

The ridiculous headline, "Hepimiz Keviniz " (We are all Kevin), used by
Turkey’s Star News to report Hollywood actor Kevin Costner’s starring
role in an ad for Turkish Airlines’ new first-class service, seems
a gross misappropriation of a phrase born to symbolize the Turkish
peoples’ empathy for persecuted people locally and across the globe.

The phrase Hepimiz (All of us) was made popular after the assassination
of the journalist Hrant Dink in January 2007. Dink was a talented
Armenian writer who had great faith in the Turkish people. He spent
most of his life working to create a tolerant environment for people
like himself who do not fit into the narrow state definition of
"Turkishness".

When his 16-year-old killer, Ogun Samast, ran from the scene shouting:
"I have killed the gavur" (foreigner or non-Muslim), the nation
responded with an outpouring of shame. Streets were flooded with
people and placards all defiantly proclaiming, "Hepimiz Hrant’iz,
hepimiz Ermeniyiz" (We are all Hrant, we are all Armenian).

The phrase has since become a rallying cry for anyone defending human
rights, free speech, equality, women’s rights and racial diversity.

In 2008, when the Italian peace campaigner Pippa Bacca was raped
and murdered while hitchhiking across Turkey wearing a bridal gown to
symbolize her desire to spread a message of "marriage between different
peoples and nations", her death was commemorated by supporters and
women’s groups with the words "Hepimiz Pippa’yiz".

Another example of the phrase has been in response to the savage
attacks on Gaza, which have prompted marches in Turkey under the banner
"Hepimiz Filistinliyiz" (We are all Palestinians).

The slogan made its first appearance in 2009, at the opening night
party of the film The Queen at the Factory. In the movie, Hande Yener,
the oft-touted Madonna of Turkish pop, plays the lead in the film
which revolves around a brother’s inability to accept his sister’s
homosexuality. Yener started the film’s party by proclaiming Hepimiz
Gay’iz.

When it first arrived the phrase was all encompassing, it seemed on a
par with John F Kennedy’s Ich bin ein Berliner, or the French response
to the September 11, 2001 attacks, Nous Sommes tous Americains. After
well-documented generations of distrust and dislike between Turks
and Armenians, some felt it was an important watershed of language
and symbolism between the two ethnic groups – something Dink himself
would have applauded.

Indeed, the phrase was born in the spirit of fighting racial
discrimination. The journalist Alaz Kuseyri, who was responsible
for first running the headline on the front page of the widely
read Nokta news magazine, was inspired by something he had seen two
weeks earlier. At a soccer match in Istanbul, he had watched fans of
Besiktas player Pascal Nouma hang signs around the stadium that said
"Hepimiz zenciyiz" (We are all black).

The Hepimiz movement is an encouraging small sign in a country
which has no national specialized body to combat racism and no
nongovernmental organizations to fill the gap. Conservatives say
Turkey has no race, but only economic, political or social problems;
liberals think differently, and recent legislation put in place under
the watchful eye of the ECRI (European Commission against Racism and
Intolerance) is a step in the right direction.

School textbooks are being evaluated to remove negative views of some
minority groups, especially Armenians. Judges and prosecutors have,
since 2003, undergone special training on the European Convention of
Human Rights. The new criminal code, adopted in 2004, stipulates a
jail sentence of up to one year for anyone who discriminates on the
grounds of language, race, color or religion in employment or access
to public services.

There have also been modifications to the notorious Associations Act,
which banned organizations formed to assert differences in class,
race, language or religion. The same act now prohibits associations
whose purpose is to "create forms of discrimination on the grounds
of race, religion, sect or region", however, it still maintains the
oppressive ban on those who "create minorities on these grounds and
destroy the unitary structure of the Republic of Turkey". But how
is one to truly differentiate an organization that claims a minority
exists with one whose purpose is to create a minority?

Optimists, as Hrant Dink was, like to believe that the citizens of
modern Turkey are the inheritors of the multi-ethnic, multi-cultural
and multi-lingual rainbow that was the Ottoman Empire. They think
that each separate ethnic group can be a tributary flowing into the
broad fluid stream of Turkish consciousness, yet this seems unlikely
in the short- to middle-term. Only weeks after Hrant’s killing the
"Hepimiz" that surrounded his death were divided; and once the initial
shock had passed, it seemed most people were happy to be Hrant, but
not Armenian. The head of the right-wing Milliyetci Hareket Partisi
party echoed many people’s thoughts when after Hrant’s funeral he
said; "What does that mean? We are all Turks, we are all Mehmets
(Turkish soldiers)."

In the 2005 ECRI report on Turkey, the most common complaint was
that while Turkey talked the talk – ie, passed the legislation – it
failed to walk the walk. Although the report recognized that "changing
attitudes is a much slower process than changing the law", it made
specific comment that there had been delays in implementing the reforms
and that administrative and judicial authorities often deliberately
expressed a contrary attitude to new anti-discriminatory provisions.

Television companies like Star, instead of belittling a hopeful idea
of unity by appending it to a Hollywood has-been, would do well to
promote it and the multicultural ideas that lie behind it. Turkey’s
future depends on new definitions of inclusiveness, and Hepimiz is
as good a place to start as any.

Fazile Zahir is of Turkish descent, born and brought up in London. She
moved to live in Turkey in 2005 and has been writing full time
since then.

BROKEN PROMISES AND AN UNFOLDING TRAGEDY
Robert Fisk

Independent.ie
Saturday December 27 2008

If reporting is, as I suspect, a record of mankind’s folly, then the
end of 2008 is proving my point. Let’s kick off with the man who is
not going to change the Middle East — Barack Obama — who last week,
with predictably, became ‘Time’s’ "person of the year". But buried
in a long and immensely tedious interview inside the magazine, Obama
devotes just one sentence to the Arab-Israeli conflict: "And seeing if
we can build on some of the progress, at least in conversation, that’s
been made around the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will be a priority."

"Building on progress?" What progress? On the verge of another civil
war between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority, with Benjamin
Netanyahu a contender for Israeli prime minister, with Israel’s
monstrous wall and its Jewish colonies still taking more Arab land,
and Palestinians still firing rockets at Sderot, and Obama thinks
there’s "progress" to build on?

I suspect this nonsensical language comes from the mental mists of
his future Secretary of State. "At least in conversation" is pure
Hillary Clinton — its meaning totally eludes me — and the giveaway
phrase about progress being made "around" the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict is even weirder. Of course, if Obama had talked about an
end to Jewish settlement building on Arab land, relations w ith Hamas
as well as the Palestinian Authority, justice for both sides in the
conflict, along with security for Palestinians as well as Israelis,
then he might actually effect a little change.

An interesting test of Obama’s gumption is going to come scarcely
three months after his inauguration when he will have a little promise
to honour.

Yup, it’s that dratted April 24 commemoration of the Armenian genocide
when Armenians remember the 1.5 million of their murdered countrymen on
the anniversary of the day in 1915 when the first Armenian professors,
artists and others were taken off for execution.

Bill Clinton promised Armenians he’d call it a "genocide" if they
helped to elect him. George Bush did the same. So did Obama. The first
two broke their word and resorted to "tragedy" rather than "genocide"
once they’d got the votes, because they were frightened of all those
bellowing Turkish generals, not to mention — in Bush’s case — the
US military supply routes through Turkey, the "roads and so ," as
Robert Gates called them, in one of history’s more gripping ironies —
these being the same "roads and so on" upon which the Armenians were
sent on their death marches in 1915.

So I bet you that Obama is going to find that "genocide" is "tragedy"
by April 24.

I browsed through Turkish Airlines’ in-flight magazine while cruising
into Istanbul earlier this month and found an article on the historical
=0 ATurkish region of Harput.

"Asia’s natural garden", "a popular holiday resort", the article calls
Harput. And you have to shake your head to remember that Harput was the
centre of the Christian Armenian genocide, the city from which Leslie
Davis, the brave American consul in Harput, sent back his eyewitness
dispatches of the thousands of butchered Armenians. But I guess that
all would spoil the "natural garden" effect. It’s a bit like inviting
tourists to the Polish town of Oswiecim — without mentioning that
its German name is Auschwitz.

But these days, we can all rewrite history. Take Nicolas Sarkozy, who
not only toadies up to Bashar al-Assad of Syria but is now buttering
up awful Algerian head of state Abdelaziz Bouteflika who’s just been
"modifying" the Algerian constitution to give himself a third term in
office. There was no parliamentary debate, just a show of hands — 500
out of 529 — and what was Sarko’s response? "Better Bouteflika than
the Taliban!" Not least when former Algerian army officers revealed
undercover soldiers as well as the Algerian Islamists (Sarko’s
"Taliban") were involved in the brutal village massacres of the 1990s.

Talking of "undercover", I was amazed to learn of the training system
adopted by the Met lads who put Jean Charles de Menezes to death on
the Tube. According to former police commander Brian Paddick, the
Met’s secret rules for "dealing" with suicide bombers were drawn up=2
0"with the help of Israeli experts". What? Who were these so-called
"experts" advising British policemen how to shoot civilians on the
streets of London? The same men who assassinate wanted Palestinians
in the West Bank and Gaza?

Not that our brave peace envoy, Lord Blair, would have much to say
about it.

He’s the man, remember, whose only proposed trip to Gaza was called
off when yet more "Israeli experts" advised him that his life might
be in danger.

Anyway, he’d still rather be president of Europe, something Sarko
wants to award him. That, I suppose, is why Blair wrote such a
fawning article in the same issue of ‘Time’ which made Obama "person"
of the year. "There are times when Nicolas Sarkozy resembles a force
of nature," Blair grovels. will Blair now tell us he’s going to be
involved in those "conversations" with Obama to "build on some of
the progress" in the Middle East? (© Independent News Service)

–Boundary_(ID_FiNeWNsNIRL4OlrME41m2w)–