Author: Hambardsumian Paul

FROM THE BOSPHORUS: STRAIGHT – THE UNBEARABLE LIGHTNESS OF OUR ATTENTION SPAN

Hurriyet
Sunday, January 24, 2010

A dilemma that surfaced in our afternoon news meeting Wednesday is
not a bad metaphor for what is perhaps the principle policy challenge
in Turkey: the ability to focus.

The front page is always tough. It is a group effort of subjective
judgments made in service to the goal of objectivity. What is most
important? The imminent collapse of diplomatic talks between Turkey
and Armenia? Growing furor in the allegations sweeping through the
media about "Operation Sledgehammer?" A pending court ruling on the
separation of civil and military judicial authority? A fast-developing
storm set to paralyze the largest city in Europe? A hunger strike
by state workers in the capital? Or the ongoing anguish of Haiti,
more mass burials and Turkish efforts to aid a people toward which
our empathy is great?

We did the best we could against the laws of headline physics. And
then an editor asked: What about the shipwreck? A storm-swept freighter
had gone aground in Kilyos on the northern edge of Istanbul.

No fatalities, but it was literally split in two, with clean-up crews
en route. And we had no room left on the front page.

As circumstances would have it, a Danish journalist was a guest in
the meeting. She was aghast that a Turkish newspaper could consign a
shipwreck to the inside pages. In Denmark, this would dominate front
pages across the country for days. Under the influence of our Danish
colleague, we contrived an "announcement" to at least draw readers’
attention to the news inside. And we returned to the issue in the
weekend newspaper, seeking a few days later to give the issue of
maritime safety its due.

We mention our little discussion in our little meeting at our modest
newspaper only because we think it illustrates a much larger issue.

This is that so many issues get scant attention – from violence against
women to collapsing agricultural productivity to street children to
a crisis in education – simply because they are swept from the public
mind by subsequent events.

When our reporter Aslı Saglam looked further into the shipwreck,
here is some of what we learned: The clean up crew says the bay at
Kilyos will be back to normal in 10 days. Yeah, right. After being
bathed in 96 tons of fuel oil and 25 tons of diesel. The new shipwreck
actually rests atop another. This is just routine, say locals, as
queuing at the mouth of the Bosphorus and a sandy sea bottom add up
to anchor dragging in any storm. Turkey ranks among the world’s top
10 for shipping accidents. The waterway, including entrances from the
Black and Marmara seas, has seen 500 accidents in the past 50 years.

Meanwhile traffic has grown to nearly 50,000 ships a year, which
transport more than 100 million tons of oil.

Certainly seems like an issue that should get more of our attention.

And Turkey’s. But how to focus?

Armenia’s anti-trust body to launch thorough examination of government
procurement practices

YEREVAN, January 22, /ARKA/. Chairman of Armenia’s anti-trust body
said today his agency will launch a thorough examination of government
procurement practices.

Speaking at a news conference, David Harutyunian, head of the State
Commission for Protection of Economic Competition, said his agency and
the ministry of finance signed last year an agreement on supervision
of government procurement process. He said the focus will be on
tracking down any conspiracy among bidding companies.

`There are many temptations for public companies and organizations to
slip their hands into the government’s pocket . We have, particularly,
exposed many instances of inflated prices by bidding companies,’ he
said.

He also said the entire methodology of conducting government
procurement will be revised and a joint group will be established from
representatives of the finance ministry and the Commission to
supervise it. -0-

.S. Praises Armenian Court Ruling On Protocols
Asbarez

Jan 22nd, 2010

WASHINGTON (RFE/RL)-The United States welcomed a ruling by Armenia’s
Constitutional Court late on Friday, effectively dismissing Turkey’s
claims that it runs counter to the Turkish-Armenian fence-mending
agreements.

`We view the court decision as a positive step forward in the
ratification process of the normalization protocols between Turkey and
Armenia,’ U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Philip Gordon said in
written comments sent to RFE/RL. `The court decision permits the
protocols, as they were negotiated and signed, to move forward towards
parliamentary ratification, and does not appear to limit or qualify
them in any way.’

`We are confident that both Turkey and Armenia take their commitment
to the protocols seriously, and we urge timely ratification of the
protocols by both countries,’ added Gordon.

Despite Gordon’s upbeat statement on the court ruling, the situation
remains tense with the vast majority of Armenians-especially Armenian
Americans-opposing the protocols. The Armenian National Committee of
America responded to Asst. Secretary Gordon’s interpretation of the
accords.

`Assistant Secretary Gordon, rather than constantly arm-twisting
Armenia, this time in the form of public statements misreading the
Armenian Constitutional Court’s decision on the Protocols – or, more
precisely, reading the State Department’s interests into its legally
binding limits and qualifications – should leave decisions regarding
the rights, security, and future of the Armenian nation to the
Armenian people,’ said Aram Hamparian, Executive Director of the ANCA.

`The constant drumbeat of State Department pressure on Armenia to
accept these one-sided accords is profoundly troubling to Armenian
American voters, particularly in the wake of the Obama-Biden
Administration’s broken pledge to recognize the Armenian Genocide, its
dramatic cuts in economic aid to Armenia, its efforts to tilt the U.S.
military aid balance in favor of Azerbaijan, and its drive to impose
the patently undemocratic Madrid Principles on the Nagorno Karabagh
Republic,’ Hamparian added.

The comments followed a reported phone conversation between U.S.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet
Davutoglu. The Anatolia news agency quoted an unnamed Turkish Foreign
Ministry official as saying that Davutoglu reiterated Ankara’s claims
that the Armenian court’s interpretation of the protocols’
implications contradicts their `essence and substance.’ Davutoglu said
earlier on Friday that he will urge his U.S. and Swiss counterparts to
put pressure on the Armenian leadership.

Washington’s reaction to the Turkish claims represents a significant
boost to Yerevan’s position in the row which has raised more questions
about the success of the U.S.-backed normalization process. U.S.
officials have repeatedly urged Armenia and Turkey to implement the
landmark agreements without preconditions and within a `reasonable’
period of time.

`Our position remains the same,’ said Gordon. `We support the
normalization process, which we believe contributes to peace and
stability in the Caucasus. What is critical is to keep the parties
focused on the vital importance of moving ahead.’

A Policy of Consistent Deceit

Ara Papian

Head, `Modus Vivendi’ Center
19 January 2010

When the highest officials of Turkey – the president, the prime
minister, the foreign minister -linked the Armenia-Turkey protocols
(the ill-omened nature of which is becoming clearer and clearer) to
`progress on the issue of Nagorno-Karabakh’ at every political turn,
our authorities either remained silent, or said that such
pronouncements `were aimed at a domestic audience’. Of course, such a
claim is meant for the naïve, as international law (in particular,
clause 2(a) of article 7 of the Vienna Convention on the Law of
Treaties) manifestly codifies the unqualified rights in the area of
foreign policy to a country’s president, prime minister and foreign
minister. That is to say, their powers with regards to foreign policy
are so widespread that, without any additionnal authority, they hold
the capacity to sign treaties on behalf of the state, to say nothing
of making declarations. In a word, the statements of these three
officials can never be viewed simply as `only for domestic
consumption’.

Now let’s have a look at what we have today. The Constitutional
Court of the Republic of Armenia – in accordance with the constitution
of our state – has taken a decision on the two protocols signed by the
foreign minister of our country. In this case, we may truly say `for
domestic consumption’, as the legal position expressed in the decision
will have no application or significance in foreign relations unless
it be included in the instruments of ratification. It is another
matter that the president of the Republic of Armenia is obliged to
take the legal position of the Constitutional Court into consideration
and his representative likewise is obliged to present the protocols in
question, now with reservations, to the National Assembly for
ratification. Not to do so would be to violate the decision of the
Constitutional Court itself, a court whose decision is mandatory both
for the president of the Republic of Armenia and for the foreign
minister. Nevertheless, the decision itself of the Constitutional
Court of the Republic of Armenia has absolutely nothing to do with any
foreign country. It is our right and a requirement of our
constitution, a purely internal affair.

Turkish diplomacy bears certain characteristics, some of which are
worthy of emulation. For example, the provision of corresponding
resources to deal with the issues being faced by the foreign ministry.
Even in its most difficult early years, the Turkish Republic would not
treat its foreign ministry as some illegitimate child. However, the
most revealing feature of Turkish diplomacy is its consistent deceit.
It is necessary to bear in mind always that the traditions of the
diplomacy of the Republic of Turkey, even before its recognition, have
been based on holding hostages and on freeing war criminals in
exchange. In 1919, the Kemalists, having dismissed the obligations
borne by their country by the Armistice of Moudros (of the 30th of
October, 1918), treacherously captured more than sixty members of the
British observer mission (including their families, as well as Colonel
Sir Alfred Rawlinson, who had negotiated at Erzurum), who were then
exchanged for more than 150 war criminals in custody on Malta. The
process of negotiations and especially their implementation are worth
studying. Although on the 16th of March, 1921, the British and the
Kemalists signed an agreement whereby the Turkish side would
`immediately’ release the British captives,1 the last Briton was let
go almost six months later, on the 31st of October, 1921. At the same
time, regardless of the tentative agreement – that the same number of
Turks would be released for 64 British hostages – it turned out that
the British released them all, and even ended up somewhat behind. And
just how did that happen? Very simply. The British, in accordance with
the agreement, would release the corresponding captives, while the
Turks, in their consistent deceit, would not only renege on their
promise, but would raise new demands each time. The script seems
familiar, doesn’t it? We might call them preconditions today. Do you
remember a statement from Turkey, that `there were no preconditions
when we signed, but Armenia must now show progress on the
Nagorno-Karabakh issue for our parliament to ratify the protocols’?
This is a policy of consistent deceit at work. Nothing and no-one can
be forgotten. To rely on any promise made by Turkey, whether verbal or
written, implies standing on the same razor’s edge every time.

Today’s Turkey is carrying out that very hostage policy. It’s just
that, this time, instead of holding a group of people in custody,
Turkey has held captive an entire state, a whole people. Despite that,
Turkey is allowing itself to teach us a lesson.

The statement by the foreign ministry of Turkey on the decision by
the Constitutional Court is simply a direct and crude intervention in
the internal affairs of the Republic of Armenia. As long as that legal
position has not moved from the area of constitutional law to
international law, the decision is solely a domestic matter. Has our
foreign ministry ever officially declared anything on the necessity of
reforming the criminal code of Turkey, without which it would be
impossible to fulfill the obligations to be borne by the protocols?
The principles of reciprocity and equal rights are among the key
pillars of international relations.

If the highest authorities of the Republic of Armenia do not provide
an equivalent response to the foreign ministry of the Republic of
Turkey, it would mean that we accept the Turkish policy of treating us
as a colony. If we don’t put Turkey in its place today, we shall
regret it all the more tomorrow, as Turkey has evidently not given up
on its policy of consistent deceit.

The News International – Pakistan
Jan 23 2010

Preston University holds roundtable on Azerbaijan

Saturday, January 23, 2010
Islamabad

Preston University organised a routable on `The Foreign Policy of
Azerbaijan: Affecting Factors and Strategic Priorities,’ at the
Islamabad campus of the university Friday, says a press release.

Eminent educationalists and experts in international and regional
affairs presented papers on the topic of the seminar. Eynulla Madatli,
ambassador of Azerbaijan was the chief guest on the occasion.
Ambassador of Jordan Dr. Saleh Al-Jawarneh graced the event as the
guest of honour.

In his keynote address, as the chief guest, the ambassador of
Azerbaijan, highlighted various aspects of the foreign policy of
Azerbaijan. He said on the occasion that Naghorno Karabagh is the
biggest problem confronting Azerbaijan today, because Armenia has
illegal occupation over Naghorno Karabagh. He said that Armenia has
full backing of Russia vis-¡-vis this issue. He said that 20th of
January is marked as a black day in the history of Azerbaijan. Twenty
years ago, on this day. The Soviet forces attacked the capital of
Azerbaijan, in which 137 citizens were killed, over 700 people injured
and 800 people was arrested without any reason.

In his brief remarks on the occasion, the Ambassador of Jordan. Dr.
Saleh Al-Jawarneh said that unity among the Muslim countries is the
need of the hour. Resolution of the Kashmir issue and Naghorono
Karabagh lies in the unity in the ranks of the Muslim world, he said.

Earlier in his welcome address, Dr. Abdul Basit, Chancellor Preston
University expressed his profound gratitude to the guests.

Speaking on the subject, Dr. Basit emphasised that due to its
strategic geographic location Azerbaijan enjoys a special place in the
comity of world nations. He informed the participants that Turkey and
Pakistan were the first countries of the world which recognised
Azerbaijan as an independent state.

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HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH: ARMENIAN AUTHORITIES HAVE NOT YET PROPERLY INVESTIGATED THE TRAGIC EVENTS OF MARCH 1, 2008 IN YEREVAN

ArmInfo
2010-01-21 13:17:00

ArmInfo. The Armenian authorities have yet to ensure meaningful
investigations into excessive use of police force during March
2008 clashes with opposition supporters protesting alleged fraud
in the previous month’s presidential election, and address related
allegations of abuse in police custody. The report by Human Rights
Watch – 2010 says.

The organization recalls that the clashes resulted in at least 10
deaths, including two security officials and eight protestors. Soon
after the March events the police dismissed several top officials,
although none was charged in relation to the violence. Officials
claimed to have opened 200 internal inquiries into police conduct,
but only four police officers have been charged in two separate cases
for excessive use of force.

In September 2009 a parliamentary commission investigating the March
2008 events and dominated by the ruling Republican Party concluded
that despite isolated incidents of excessive force, law enforcement
actions had been "largely legitimate and proportionate." A separate
fact-finding working group, with opposition participation, had been
dismissed by President Serzh Sargsyan in June.

More than 50 civilians were prosecuted in relation to the March
violence, with some sentenced to lengthy prison terms. Although a
June 19, 2009 presidential pardon released many, local human rights
groups maintain that 17 opposition supporters remain imprisoned on
politically motivated charges.

HRW also touches on the case of Levon Gulyan who died in the Police
building in 2007. "Despite a June 2008 court order to reopen the
investigation into the May 2007death in custody of Levon Gulyan,
prosecutors closed the case again in April2009. Gulyan was found dead
after police arrested and interrogated him. The authorities allege that
while being held for questioning, Gulyan jumped from a second-story
window of a police station while trying to escape, a claim denied by
Gulyan’s relatives who believe he was tortured", the report says.

As for the municipal elections held in May 2009 in Yerevan, HRW says
that although election observers from the Council of Europe’s Congress
of Local and Regional Authorities (CLRAE) stated that the May 31,
2009 Yerevan City Council elections were broadly in compliance with
European standards, they also documented cases of intimidation of
party proxies and domestic observers by unidentified persons.

Unidentified assailants attacked opposition newspaper journalists Gohar
Veziryan (IV Estate), Tatev Mesropyan (Hayq), and Marine Kharatyan
(Zhamanak), and prevented them from accessing polling stations. The
journalists complained to police, and the investigation is still
ongoing.

As regards the media freedom, Human Rights Watch recalls of the
attacks at Nver Mnatsakanyan, anchor for the private television station
Shant, Argishti Kvirikyan, editor for the Armenia Today online news
agency and Edik Baghdasaryan, the editor of the online news magazine
Hetq. HRW notes that in April 2009, the Organization for Security
and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) representative on freedom of the
media, Miklos Haraszti, urged the authorities to swiftly investigate
the attacks.

The organization also touches on the case of ‘A1+’ and emphasizes
that despite the decision made by the European Court in June 2008 in
favour of this TV Company, it does not get license for broadcasting.

HRW thinks the authorities continue to restrict freedom of assembly
by frequently denying requests to hold rallies, usually on technical
grounds. Out of 84 opposition requests for demonstrations and rallies,
only 28 were granted. The Organization also recalls of the attacks
at youth activists of the oppositional Armenian National Congress.

ARMENIANS SHARE CHRISTMAS CHEER
By David Laurell

Burbank Leader
Jan 20 2010
CA

Members of the Burbank Chapter of the Armenian National Committee
recently joined Armenians worldwide to celebrate their traditional
January observance of Christmas and stage their annual holiday
reception and dinner.

"Within the Armenian community, we always kid one another about being
on Armenian time," laughed Michael Kiaman, who emceed last week’s
event at the organization’s downtown Burbank facility. "Armenian
time just means you’ll be late, so I guess it’s fitting that we also
celebrate Christmas later than everyone else."

While most Christians celebrate Christmas in late December, Armenians
do so in early January. The reason for this stems back to the end of
the 3rd Century when Roman Christians decided to recognize the birth
of Christ on Dec. 25, to coincide with a pagan holiday. This decision
was not accepted by the Armenian Church, and Armenian Christians
continued to maintain the ancient tradition of celebrating the birth
and baptism of Christ on Jan. 6.

Welcomed by the organization’s chairman, Hrant Dostounian, the
committee’s members were joined at last week’s reception by local
elected and appointed officials and representatives of the Burbank
business community.

Among the special guests in attendance were the Rev. Komitas Torosian,
Western Diocese Very Rev. Father Dajad Yardemian, Rabbi Richard Flom
and his wife, Lynn Kronzek, Mayor Gary Bric, council members Dave
Golonski, David Gordon and Jess Talamantes; school board members
Ted Bunch, Dave Kemp and Roberta Reynolds; City Manager Mike Flad,
Assistant City Manager Joy Forbes, former Mayor Mary Lou Howard,
Burbank Fire Battalion Chief Ron Barone, Police Commissioners Hagop
Hergelian and Elise Stearns-Niesen, park board members Garen Yegparian
and Steven Ferguson.

Also enjoying the evening were Glendale school board members Greg
Krikorian and Nayiri Nahabedian, interim Community Development
Director Greg Hermann, Ania Alexandrian, Annette Kargodorian, Shoushan
Boyadjian, Haig Hartounian, Greg Krikorian, Silva Kechichian, Gaidzag
Shahbazian, Todd Neisen, Ara Boyadjian, Vahe Shahinian and Talin
Mangioglu, who represented Sen. Carol Liu.

The Burbank Chapter of the Armenian National Committee is a grass-roots
public affairs organization established to inform, educate and act on a
wide range of issues concerning Armenian Americans throughout the area.

The Burbank committee has a long and growing tradition of serving
the local Armenian American community and has drawn its strength from
its dedicated members who have been successful in unifying Burbank’s
Armenian Americans behind a common and positive agenda.

ENVOY: NO STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN TURKEY, RUSSIA

Hurriyet
Jan 19 2010
Turkey

Turkey and Russia are getting closer and strengthening economic ties.

It is not a ‘strategic partnership’ but a result of ‘common interests,’
Ambassador Vladimir Ivanovskiy outlines.

Ambassador Vladimir Ivanovskiy

Although Turkey and Russia are fostering closer relations and economic
ties, the developments are not due to a "strategic partnership"
but "common interests," according to Russian Ambassador Vladimir
Ivanovskiy.

The term "strategic partnership" has been echoed in diplomatic circles,
especially after U.S. President Barack Obama’s use of the term during
a visit to Ankara last year. The United States has traditionally
considered Turkey a vital ally in maintaining its influence in a
region where rival Russia is strongest.

"It was part of the Cold War era," said Ivanovskiy, speaking about
the changing balance during a Tuesday interview with the Hurriyet
Daily News & Economic Review.

"Looking at the real interests that are common in the Black Sea,
Middle East and Central Asia, Turkey and Russia are becoming good
partners, especially in the field of energy," the ambassador said.

"There is no political motivation behind boosting energy cooperation
but bilateral economic interests," he added. "I don’t like the term
‘strategic partnership.’"

Russia feels no jealousy toward the U.S.-Turkey strategic partnership,
said Ivanovskiy, adding: "Moscow and Ankara have been tailoring their
own cooperation. I believe Russia and Turkey will be two key economic
actors on the global stage as strong partners."

Retired ambassador Murat Bilhan, the deputy head of the Turkish-Asian
Center for Strategic Studies, or TASAM, also believes cooperation
does not mean a strategic partnership.

"Though bilateral relations have been boosted, Russia has a fixed
policy when it comes to Yerevan, which is Moscow’s closest ally in
the southern Caucasus. It does not want to lose it and that’s what
lies behind the pro-Armenia remarks," Bilhan told the Daily News.

Returning from Moscow last week, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan claimed his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, had agreed
on the urgent need for a solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute.

According to Erdogan, Armenia should withdraw from the seven occupied
Azerbaijani provinces in a show of sincerity.

Putin, however, had earlier said, "It is unwise from both a tactical
and a strategic point of view to package these problems together,"
directly contradicting Erdogan.

Many analysts find Erdogan too optimistic about any emerging strategic
partnership and believe existing frozen conflicts serve Russia’s
interests in the Caspian energy fields.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also urged Turkey to expedite
the ratification of the normalization protocols during his visit
to Yerevan. "To try and artificially link those two issues is not
correct," he told reporters Jan. 14.

"We have been playing honestly since the beginning. What Lavrov said
in Yerevan is the same as what Putin and Medvedev told Erdogan in
Moscow," Ivanovskiy said.

Russia will not put pressure on Armenia to withdraw from the occupied
territories, the ambassador added. "As the Turkish side already
knows, we will not take part at the side of any party. We will not
put pressure on anybody in order to solve the problem," he said. "Such
pressure may result negatively."

According to the ambassador, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Obama
have expressed similar views as well. The Minsk Group co-chaired by
Russia, the U.S. and France has, however, thus far failed to find a
solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute.

Diplomatic sources said Moscow agrees on Ankara’s policy, but cannot
officially affirm it due to its position in the region. "Did you ever
think why the Minsk Group has recently intensified its efforts? No
disappointment exists on our side," a source told the Daily News.

Foreign ministers Ahmet Davutoglu and Lavrov held a phone conversation
Jan. 15.

"We have progressed considerably. A total solution to all frozen
conflicts in the southern Caucasus will be a relief for everyone.

Putting pressure on Turkey to ratify the normalization protocols
before a specific deadline will not pave the way for a solution,
but will bypass a permanent settlement," Davutoglu warned Lavrov,
according to a source close to the issue.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian President Serge
Sarkisyan will meet in Moscow next month as part of the Minsk peace
process.

KRILOV: ARMENIAN-AZERBAIJANI RECONCILIATION NOT TO COME SOON

Panorama.am
18:44 19/01/2010

"We see that the Armenian and Azerbaijani societies have preserved
the same dispositions they had 20 years ago. Azerbaijani insist
that Armenians give them territories, Armenians are not ready to
give Karabakh, even if the Armenian-Turkish border opens. To me,
the perspectives for Armenian-Azerbaijani reconciliation are not
many," leading expert of Moscow Institute of International Economy
and International Affairs Alexander Krilov said in his address during
the conference on Baku pogroms of 1990 held in Yerevan.

According to him, still long-years’ work is required so that
the societies reconcile and only after this one can speak about
agreements. The expert is convinced that MG suggestions have a drawback
– they are made not taking the public opinion into account.

Krilov is sure the reconciliation is not to come soon.

"If it goes about compromises, surely, these are to take tens of
years," the expert said.

"Status quo is not that bad either for Armenia or Azerbaijan,"
he highlighted.

ROBERT BRADTKE VIEWS IT VERY IMPORTANT TO VISIT KARABAKH TO LISTEN TO POSITIONS OF BOTH POPULATION AND AUTHORITIES

ArmInfo
2010-01-18 10:08:00

ArmInfo. OSCE MG American Cochairman Robert Bradtke, being in the
Nagorno Karabakh within the frames of a regional visit, said he
was very glad to be in Karabakh. According to him, he arrived to the
region to start preparing for the visit of the Azerbaijani and Armenian
presidents to be held this week. As for his personal preparation for
this meeting, he considered it very important to arrive in Karabakh
to listen to the positions of both the population and the authorities.

According to R. Bradtke, the USA strongly focuses on achieving progress
in the activity aimed at solution of the Karabakh problem. R.

Bradtke said the USA will do its best to assure peace, prosperity
and good life of the Karabakh people in 2010.