Author: Hambardsumian Paul

POLITICAL ANALYST: MAIN PURPOSE OF INVITING ARMENIAN PRESIDENT TO U.S ASSOCIATED WITH SETTLEMENT OF NAGORNO-KARABAKH PROBLEM

Trend
April 6 2010
Azerbaijan

Azerbaijani political analyst said that the main purpose of inviting
the Armenian President to the United States, is also associated with
the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh problem.

"Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan invited to a conference on nuclear
safety, to be held in April, will be pressured to normalize relations
with Turkey," the Center for Political Innovations and Technology
chairman Mubariz Ahmadoglu said at an event held in the AMI Trend.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 surrounding districts.

Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994.

The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group – Russia, France, and the U.S. –
are currently holding the peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council’s resolutions
on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh region and the occupied
territories.

Ahmadoglu said that it is not ruled out that during a trip to the
United States the Armenian President will be pressured concerning
the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

He said that now Armenia is ready for the release of seven regions
surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh. "The number of those in Armenia who spoke
about the possibility of the return of lands to Azerbaijan increases,"
Ahmadoglu said.

Political analyst said that Azerbaijan’s position in relation to
the updated Madrid principles to resolve the conflict peacefully,
is positive. Armenians said that Azerbaijan is a strong point. Its
positions are rather strengthened. They say that, despite Azerbaijan
failed to bring some moments in accordance with its interests in the
new version of the Madrid principles, it managed to neutralize them.

Therefore, Sargsyan said that Armenia will be forced to sign a document
that promotes launching of the process to release seven regions around
Nagorno Karabakh, " he said.

‘BUSINESS’ OF AZERBAIJANI GENERALS PROSPERING ON PURCHASE OF TANKS WRITTEN OFF ON SCRAP METAL IN BELARUS

ArmInfo
2010-04-08 13:27:00

ArmInfo. "Business" of Azerbaijani generals is prospering on purchase
of the tanks written off on scrap metal in Belarus, Major General
Arkady Ter-Tadevosyan (Commandos), the Hero of the Karabakh War,
told media on Thursday.

"To prove my words I will just bring the latest purchase of tanks
from Belarus by Azerbaijan. The Azerbaijani Government approved 40
million dollars for purchase of new tanks from Belarus. Before selling
certain number of tanks to Azerbaijan, Byelorussians wrote them off
on scrap metal. Those tanks had occurred in Belarus after withdrawal
of the Soviet Army from Germany. I am convinced that Lukashenko
would not sell normal battle-worthy tanks," he said. Commandos said
the business plan of Azerbaijani generals is simple: they send the
purchased useless stuff to Tbilisi-based tank repairs plant. "Given
the limited possibilities of the plant, where nearly 3-4 tanks from
Azerbaijan are repaired yearly, one can easily draw conclusions on
the benefits from the given business," the general said.

AMBASSADOR TAN RETURNS TO US AFTER ‘GENOCIDE’ ROW

Today’s Zaman
April 7 2010
Turkey

Turkey’s ambassador to the United States returned to Washington
on Tuesday, a month after being recalled to Ankara in protest of a
congressional committee vote to endorse Armenian claims of genocide
at the hands of the late Ottoman Empire a century ago.

Speaking to reporters at Ankara’s Esenboga Airport before taking a
flight to Washington, Ambassador Namık Tan said the government’s
decision to recall him was a political message, which he said was
received by the US administration. Ankara in turn has received
satisfactory responses from the US, paving the way for his return
to Washington, Tan went on to say. "We have received the responses
that satisfied us. It is time for me to return to my post," he told
reporters.

Turkey decided to send back its ambassador to Washington last week
after US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had a one-hour talk with
her Turkish counterpart, Ahmet Davutoglu, on the phone. Tan’s return
to Washington came a week before a key nuclear summit in Washington,
which Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will also attend. "I will
meet the prime minister in Washington at the weekend," Tan said. He
hopes the positive atmosphere in Turkish-US ties will continue after
the nuclear summit.

Observers say Tan’s return is also aimed at lobbying in Washington
before April 24, when President Barack Obama will issue an annual
message to commemorate the Armenians who perished in eastern Anatolia.

He refrained from using the word "genocide" in his message last year,
but it is unclear whether he will do the same this year.

MANOUCHEHR MOTTAKI: "IRAN HAS PUT FORWARD ITS PROPOSALS TO AZERBAIJAN AND ARMENIA ON SOLUTION TO NAGORNO KARABAKH CONFLICT"

APA
April 7 2010
Azerbaijan

Baku. Suleyman Farzaliyev – APA. "We have put forward our proposals to
Azerbaijan and Armenia on the solution to Nagorno Karabakh conflict",
said Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki, APA reports.

The Minister expressed confidence that the sides will express positive
feedback on these proposals.

Noting that Iran is a supporter of peace and tranquility in the world,
Mottaki expressed hope for an early resolution of some conflicts in
the region.

Nevertheless, he refused to specify the details of the proposals.

FOREIGN MINISTER OF ARMENIA DRAWS OSCE ODIHR’S ATTENTION TO KINDLING RACE HATRED AND ANTI-ARMENIAN PROPAGANDA BY AZERBAIJAN

ArmInfo
2010-04-07 11:31:00

ArmInfo. On April 7, Foreign Minister of Armenia Edward Nalbandyan
received Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and
Human Rights Janez Lenarcic.

As Armenian Foreign Ministry press service reports, issues of
cooperation between Armenia and OSCE ODIHR were discussed during
the meeting.

E. Nalbandyan said that Yerevan attaches importance to cooperation with
ODIHR and is ready to continue close cooperation in this direction. The
parties also discussed the process of reformations in democratization
of Armenia and the steps being carried out in this direction.

E. Nalbandyan draws the attention of Janez Lenarcic to the kindling
race hatred and anti-Armenian propaganda by Azerbaijan, and emphasized
that this is direct violation of OSCE criteria.

AZERBAIJANI PROPAGANDA CLEAR VIOLATION OF OSCE NORMS: NALBANDIAN

news.am
April 6 2010
Armenie

RA Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian and Janez Lenarcic, Director
of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights
(ODIHR) discussed the course of democratic reforms during their April
6 meeting.

The sides also touched upon the issues on Armenia — OSCE/ODIHR
cooperation, RA foreign ministry press service informed NEWS.am.

Nalbandian noted that Yerevan is ready to continue close cooperation
with ODIHR office.

RA Foreign Minister drew OSCE official’s attention to Azerbaijan’s
anti-Armenian propaganda that sows national enmity, emphasizing that
it is clear violation of OSCE norms.

SERIOUS GAME HAS BEGUN IN ISOLATING AZERBAIJAN FROM ARMENIA-TURKEY RAPPROCHEMENT

Tert.am

Turkish daily Hurriyet, referring to Turkish Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan’s participation in the April 12-13 Nuclear Security
Summit and the possible meeting between Erdogan and Armenian President
Serzh Sargsyan in Washington, reports that a new stage has begun with
the aim of finally isolating Baku from the process of Yerevan-Ankara
reconciliation.

"The Obama administration wishes to implement the Armenia-Turkey
Protocols at any price. For that reason, it is searching for ways to
neutralize the influence of the Azerbaijan factor on Turkey. The Obama
administration has invited a number of countries’ presidents and prime
ministers to the Washington summit. Apart from Turkey, Georgia and
Armenia are also included in that list. However, Azerbaijan is not,"
reports Hurriyet.

In an interview with the Turkish daily, Turkish Armenian Business
Development Council Turkish co-chair Kaan Soyak noted that not only
the United States but also Russia have been working toward eliminating
Baku’s confrontation with the Armenia-Turkey Protocols, since the
Protocols stem from both Moscow’s and Washington’s interests.

Turkey aims to set up global apricot council

Sunday, March 28, 2010
BETÃ`L Ã?AL
ANTALYA – Hürriyet Daily News

The supplier of 80 percent of the world’s apricot production for an
annual revenue of more than $250 million, Turkey aims to establish a
World Apricot Council and an accreditation center to boost the
sector’s credibility and awareness. The goal is to raise the value of
the product, according to sector players, who urge the government to
support investments in high-tech processing facilities

FRUIT: Cultivated mainly in various countries with a Mediterranean
climate, apricots flourish in the eastern Turkish city of Malatya due
to its rich soil and favorable weather conditions. Hürriyet photo
Turkey leads the world’s fresh and dry apricot market with the highest
production figures in many years, but sector representatives say
revenue is lagging behind expectations due to a lack of credibility
and awareness.

Aiming to fortify its position in the market and create higher added
value, Turkey is seeking to establish and host a World Apricot Council
with the authority to set trends, boosting the country’s prestige
abroad.

Apricots are cultivated mainly in various countries with a
Mediterranean climate; they flourish in the eastern Turkish city of
Malatya due to its rich soil and favorable weather conditions. In
2009, the city, which supplies around 80 percent of the world’s
apricot production annually, obtained an export revenue of $276.2
million.

The amount of dry apricot processed by members of the Malatya Chamber
of Trade exceeded 200,000 tons in the same year for a value of 750
million Turkish Liras.

According to 2008 data from the Turkish Statistical Institute, or
TurkStat, Turkey produces 720,000 tons of apricot production on a
total area of 1 billion square meters. Its exports surpass those of
archrivals Spain, Italy, Iran, France and the United States.

Mehmet Å?ahin, the Malatya deputy from the ruling Justice and
Development Party, or AKP, said in a recent speech that the global
apricot market amounts to $2.5 billion per annum, adding that Turkey
should definitely grab a higher percentage of this pie.

In order to fulfill the sector aim of increasing annual apricot export
revenue to $1 billion in the near future, Å?ahin said, it is crucial to
take steps to raise the product’s value internationally. The formation
of a global council, he added, is one of these steps.

Accreditation center in Malatya

Noting that Malatya’s renowned apricot is not protected by laws or an
international accreditation center, sector authorities said the fruit
is undervalued.

İbrahim Bozkır, the owner of an apricot-exporting firm in Malatya,
said his company exports apricots at $2 to $3 per kilo, but retailers
abroad sell 200 to 300 grams for at least at $10.

This represents a loss of labor for the Turkish farmer and a loss of
currency and prestige for Turkey, Bozkır said, adding that it is
imperative to build a global apricot center in Turkey, with an
accreditation center in Malatya.

`It will give more professionalism and credibility to Turkey’s apricot
sector,’ he said.

The high sales prices of apricots in other countries is mainly
attributed to packaging expenditures. International importers tend to
buy raw apricot, either fresh or dry, process it in their facilities,
package it according to their own standards and sell it to consumers,
adding the cost of each stage to the final price.

Nejat BalmanoÄ?lu, an apricot exporter in Malatya, said Turkish
producers need high-technology apricot processing and packaging
centers.

`Fully processing this strategic product at home according to the
needs of the customer and exporting it in its final form abroad will
definitely give added value to Turkey,’ he said. `As we send the raw
product abroad and let somebody else process it instead of us, we
actually are creating rivals. Also, when the intermediaries rise in
number, it directly reflects on the price.’

The government should support investments in modern facilities and
open up the path for producers and exporters, BalmanoÄ?lu said.

ARMENIAN DRAM IS STABLE, SAYS UNION OF BANKS CHAIR

Tert.am
12:31 ~U 02.04.10

"An incomprehensible alarm took over the currrency market two weeks
ago. It quickly worked itself out. Today we’re registering that,
from the beginning of the year, the Armenian dram is in a pretty
stable condition," said RA Union of Banks Chair Ararat Ghukasyan,
referring to the fluctuations in dram-dollar rates.

According to Ghukasyan, it’s difficult to make forecasts in this
matter and it’s not realistic to define a precise value.

"In reality, that’s the result of proposal and demand. The passage
has been developed: it’s a limit of 380-400," said the Union of Banks
chair, adding that if the inflation of the dram takes place smoothly,
it’s normal and typical of Armenia’s economy.

Ghukasyan also predicted that this year there won’t be any fluctuations
in the economy.

PRICES FOR PETROL UP 4.1% IN ARMENIA IN MARCH

PanARMENIAN.Net
01.04.2010 15:15 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ 0.8% increase was recorded in prices for nonfoods
in March 2010, as compared with February.

According to the National Statistics Service of Armenia, this is
basically reasoned by 4.1% and 4.5% increase in petrol and diesel
fuel prices respectively.

The prices for petrol and diesel fuel increased by 37.6% and 28.3%
respectively in March 2010, as compared with the same period of 2009,
while they increased by 1.8% and 4.2%, as compared with December 2009.

The March rise in prices is reasoned both by international rise in
prices for fuel and by drop in the national currency exchange rate
to USD, Mushegh Elchyan, Deputy Director of Flesh LLC, one of the
largest oil traders in Armenia, told a PanARMENIAN.Net correspondent.