Author: Harutyunian Christine

US VICE PRESIDENT CHENEY STARTS EX-SOVIET STATE TOUR

Moscow News
Sept 5 2008
Russia

US Vice President Dick Cheney on Wednesday arrived in the Azerbaijani
capital Baku for talks on energy, his first stop on a tour of
ex-Soviet nations.

Cheney touched down in Baku at about 10:00 am (0500 GMT), an AFP
correspondent travelling with him reported.

His brief tour of the region would also see him offer support to US
allies Georgia and Ukraine, amid chilly relations with Russia over
its military conflict with Georgia. He would also attend an economic
forum in Italy.

Cheney was scheduled later Wednesday to have talks with Azerbaijani
President Ilham Aliyev, whose country sits on substantial oil and
gas reserves and is also part of a major corridor for energy pipelines.

The Georgia leg of the trip was being seen as a key sign of support
for the US ally after Russian tanks rolled into its smaller neighbour
in early August followed by a five-day war over the Moscow-backed
rebel region of South Ossetia.

A Russian security official says U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney is
seeking U.S. access to oil and gas during a trip to the resource-rich
Caucasus.

Nikolai Patrushev says the goal of Cheney’s visit to Azerbaijan,
Georgia and Ukraine is to trade U.S. support for energy supplies.

He says the U.S. had to ensure these countries had "corresponding
regimes" in order to make that happen.

Patrushev is the head of Russia’s powerful presidential Security
Council, and is in the Armenian capital of Yerevan for a meeting of
a Moscow-led bloc called the Col­lective Security Treaty Organization.

Patrushev said Wednesday that the seven-member bloc had unanimously
backed Russia’s actions in its short war with Georgia last month.Russia
has withdrawn some forces but left others deep inside Georgian
territory, serving in what Moscow describes as a peacekeeping
mission. Tbilisi has labeled them an occupying force.

–Boundary_(ID_PN9/BLcFDWh8s8HZqbS3QA)–

ARMENIAN, RUSSIAN LEADERS DISCUSS REGIONAL SITUATION IN SOCHI

ArmInfo News Agency (in Russian)
Sept 2 2008
Armenia

Yerevan, 2 September: The Armenian and Russian presidents, Serzh
Sargsyan and Dmitriy Medvedev, have discussed a wide range of
bilateral, regional and international issues.

At the meeting, the Russian president expressed his opinion about
international issues and foreign policy, the Armenian presidential
press service has reported. Medvedev pointed out that the Collective
Security Treaty Organization [CSTO] member countries will elaborate
their positions on the South Ossetian developments at a forthcoming
CSTO summit in Moscow.

In turn, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan said that meetings
between the Armenian and Russian presidents in Sochi had became a
good tradition. He added that this created an opportunity to discuss
issues of bilateral and multilateral cooperation in a calm atmosphere.

"I would like to discuss economic issues and the issues concerning
the expansion and strengthening of our relations within the CSTO
framework. This is our first meeting after the developments in South
Ossetia and Abkhazia. I want once again to express condolences
on numerous human losses, the killing of Russian citizens and
peacekeepers. I deeply regret that the events developed in this way and
I wish that the results of the humanitarian catastrophe be eliminated
as soon as possible," the president said. He added that Armenia had
been waiting for schoolchildren from South Ossetia for two weeks.

CSTO SECURITY COUNCIL SECRETARIES MEET IN YEREVAN

armradio.am
03.09.2008 16:02

The sitting of the Committee of the Security Council Secretaries of the
Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) member-states (Armenia,
Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan)
opened in Yerevan today. Greeting the guests, Secretary of the National
Security Council of Armenia Arthur Baghdasaryan expressed hope that
that the sitting will be productive.

The participants discussed the trends of development of the
military-political situation in CSTO countries, the 2008-2009 program
of raising the effectiveness of the organization’s further activity,
as well as issues targeted at neutralizing the challenges and threats
to collective security. The Secretaries of Security Councils of
SCTO member states discussed the package of documents targeted
at the formation of the system of neutralizing the challenges and
threats. An agreement on a privileged regime of training cadres for
law-enforcement bodies, fire ad rescue services, as well as special
services of the member states was signed.

Reference was made to the situation in South Ossetia. The participants
of the sitting were informed about the steps Russia is taking to
restore the ruined settlements in South Ossetia.

During the sitting Armenia assumed teh presidenc of teh Committee.

RUSSIA DENIES PUNISHING TURKEY OVER GEORGIA

USA Today
Sept 2 2008

ISTANBUL, Turkey (AP) — Russia’s foreign minister insisted Tuesday
that strict new import measures were not aimed at punishing NATO-member
Turkey for allowing U.S. warships to steam through its waters to
deliver aid to Georgia.

Sergey Lavrov said Turkey was not being "singled out" for stringent
checks at border checkpoints. Turkish officials say hundreds of trucks
taking exports to Russia have been held up since Russian authorities
began closely scrutinizing consignments about a month ago.

"This is not an action directed against Turkey. Turkey is not being
singled out," said Lavrov at a joint news conference here with his
Turkish counterpart, Ali Babacan. "There can be no politics involved
in trade."

Two U.S. ships laden with humanitarian aid for Georgia last month
passed through the Turkish straits, connecting the Mediterranean to
the Black Sea.

One of them, the guided-missile destroyer USS McFaul, sailed back
through the straits toward the Mediterranean late Monday, the Anatolia
news agency reported.

FIND MORE STORIES IN: Russia | Georgia | Mediterranean | Black
Sea | South Ossetia | Azerbaijan | Anatolia | Armenia | Caucasus |
Lavrov | USS McFaul Russia suggested Monday that U.S. ships that
took humanitarian aid to Georgia’s Black Sea coast could also have
delivered weapons. Turkey, a NATO member and close US ally, has helped
train and equip Georgia’s military, which lost a brief war with Russia
last month over the separatist region of South Ossetia.

The talks between Lavrov and Babacan came after Turkey suggested
it would retaliate with its own stricter trade rules but drew back
from the threat Monday, saying it wanted to resolve the dispute
through talks. Russia is Turkey’s top trading partner and supplier
of two-thirds of its natural gas.

Lavrov said the stricter border controls were imposed because
unspecified countries breached customs regulations. He said the two
countries were trying to solve the dispute.

Lavrov also Tuesday backed plans for a group of regional nations to
try to overcome the Georgia crisis and stabilize the Caucasus region.

The Turkish-proposed group would include Turkey and four nearby
Caucasus nations: Russia, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia.

"The countries of the region should solve their own problems. Other
countries should be supportive, but not impose their own
prescriptions," Lavrov said.

Georgia said it would only join the group after Russian forces
completely pulled out of the country after last month’s war.

"Turkey will continue its efforts in solving problems through peaceful
means and dialogue, under any condition," Babacan said.

RUSSIAN, ARMENIAN PRESIDENTS TO DISCUSSION SITUATION IN CAUCASUS

ITAR-TASS
Sept 2 2008
Russia

MOSCOW, September 2 (Itar-Tass) – Presidents Dmitry Medvedev of Russia
and Serzh Sargsyan of Armenia meet in the Black Sea resort city of
Sochi later Tuesday to discuss the current situation in the Caucasus
and new large-scale bilateral cooperation projects.

"The sides will consider joint projects in the processing industry and
transport that will facilitate a doubling of Russian capital investment
in Armenia over the next few years," a Kremlin source told Itar-Tass.

Medvedev and Sargsyan took the offices of president in their respective
country this year with an interval of a month from each other.

Sargsyan made trips to Moscow March 24 and June 24 and a trip to St
Petersburg June 6 where he attended an informal summit of the CIS.

"This meeting will become yet another event in the meaty and
trustworthy dialogue between the two countries that aim develop their
versatile strategic partnership," the source said.

"The sides will exchange opinions on the situation in the Caucasus and
on some pressing issues of the Russian-Armenian agenda, and Medvedev
will also tell Sargsyan about Russia’s assessment of the situation
that has taken shape in the wake of Georgia’s aggressive actions,
which brought about the only possible decision to recognize the state
sovereignty and territorial integrity of South Ossetia and Abkhazia,"
he said.

"Russia has a definitive leading position among Armenia’s foreign trade
partners," the source said adding that bilateral trade had grown 40%
in 2005 and 70% in 2006.

The tendency was fortified by a further 66% increase of trade to 821
million U.S. dollars in 2007.

>From January through July this year, trade grew almost 20% versus
the same period of 2007 and stood at 400 million U.S. dollars.

"Russian companies become the largest foreign investors in Armenian
economy, as their accumulated investment has exceeded 1.3 billion
U.S. dollars," the source said. "The bulk of this investment streams
to the energy sector, the banking business, mining and metallurgy,
the construction industry, telecommunications, and information
technologies."

"However, the energy sector remains the focal point for investors,"
he said. "Work is underway to draft a medium-term agreement on Russian
natural gas supplies to Armenia from 2009 through 2011, and efforts
continue to set up a united economic facility on the basis of the
operating and new units of the Razdan hydro power plant."

"Russian lending institutions show interest towards greater presence in
Armenia’s banking system, and their share in the aggregate registered
capital of Armenian banks has gotten over a 25% mark," the source said.

"In August 2007, the Russian diamond corporation ALROSA and the
Armenian government signed an agreement on cooperation in diamond
cutting and jewelry making, and special steps will be made this year
to develop cooperation in that area," he said.

"Cooperation in the nuclear power industry is moving to a quality
new stage," the source said. "Along with assistance to ensure safe
operations of the Armenian nuclear plant, Russian companies are
ready to take part in the supplementary prospecting and development
of uranium ore deposits and construction of a new power unit at
the plant."

"Our cooperation in the humanitarian sphere is developing dynamically,
too, as cultural festivals in the format of the Year of Armenia in
Russia and the Year of Russia in Armenia have turned into feasts of
communication between the two peoples," the source said.

He added that Armenia is taking part in the programs of diversified
humanitarian cooperation in the CIS format.

RUBEN SAFRASTYAN: IMPORTANCE OF GUL’S VISIT TO ARMENIA SHOULDN’T BE EXAGGERATED

PanARMENIAN.Net
01.09.2008 16:03 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Turkish President Abdullah Gul’s decision to arrive
in Yerevan is conditioned by drastic changes in the geopolitical
situation due to Russia’s recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia,
Director of the Institute of Oriental Studies at the RA Academy of
Sciences, prof. Ruben Safrastyan told a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter.

"In an attempt to resume the normal course, Turkey offered a ‘Caucasian
platform’. Moreover, it wants to gain a foothold while Russia increases
its presence in the Caucasus. That is why Gul agreed to pay a visit
to Yerevan. However, the basics of Turkey’s policy toward Armenia
will not be changed," he said.

The importance of Gul’s visit to Armenia shouldn’t be exaggerated,
according to him.

"The Armenian President has done right. Under the circumstances, Turkey
just tries to pursue a more flexible policy towards Armenia. I do not
think that Ankara will sacrifice its national interests to relations
with Azerbaijan. Furthermore, don’t forget about the Armenian Genocide
resolution that is likely to be put on agenda again, with Democrats
coming to power," prof. Safrastyan said.

As to the possibility of Gyumri-Kars railroad startup, he said, it’s
quite real, because Russia is interested in the project, which will
somehow suspend Kars-Tbilisi-Baku initiative.

GUL’S ARRIVAL IN ARMENIA CONFIRMED

AZG Armenian Daily
02/09/2008

Armenia-Turkey

Yesterday Turkish Prime Minister R. T. Erdogan stated during a press
conference that President Gul might have actually decided to accept
the invitation of Armenian President Serge Sarkisian to visit Yerevan
for the football match between Armenia and Turkey.

As the World Bulletin reported, Erdogan expressed hopes for positive
outcome of the visit. He also added that Turkey’s Foreign Minister
Ali Babacan would accompany Gul during the trip in order to discuss
relations with Armenia.

MOLDOVAN PARTY CONDEMNS RUSSIAN RECOGNITION OF SOUTH OSSETIA, ABKHAZIA

Infotag news agency
Aug 29 2008
Chisinau, Moldova

Chisinau, 29 August: The unilateral recognition of independence of
Georgia’s rebel regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia by Russia may
generate new tension in conflict zones such as [Moldova’s breakaway]
Dniester region, [Azerbaijan’s] Nagorny Karabakh, [Russia’s] Chechnya
and [Ukraine’s] Crimea, the Democratic Party believes.

In a statement for the media, the parliamentary Democratic Party said
that Moscow’s actions jeopardize the entire system of international
relations that has existed in Europe since the signing of the 1975
Final Helsinki Act. The Democratic Party believes that Kremlin’s
decision to recognize the independence of the two breakaway republics
endangers not only bilateral relations in the Black Sea region but also
Russia’s relations with Western and even CIS partners. The Democratic
Party calls on the Moldovan government to adopt a clear position on
the conflict in the Caucasus region. The party invites local political
parties to a round table to discuss the situation in the Caucasus
and its possible impact on the settlement of the Dniester conflict.

SEYRAN OHANYAN HOSTED COMMANDER OF THE KANSAS STATE NATIONAL GUARD TOD BANTING

p;p=0&id=634&y=2008&m=08&d=29
27.0 8.08

On August 27, 2008 RA Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan received the
delegation headed by Commander of the National Guards of Kansas State,
Adjutant-General Tod Banting. The meeting was attended by U.S. Chargé
d´Affaires Joseph Pennington.

Greeting the guests, RA Defense Minister S. Ohanyan noted that the
regular visits of the delegations of the Armenian Ministry of Defense
and the Kansas State National Guard speak about the importance of the
five year cooperation between Armenia and Kansas. This cooperation
embraces concrete spheres: peacekeeping, de-mining, military medicine
and military education, which are considered priority directions today.

For his part, Mr. Banting conveyed to Seyran Ohanyan the greetings
of the Governor of Kansas.

Turning to the doubling of the number of the Armenian peacekeepers in
Iraq, Tod Banting noted that it contributes to Armenia’s involvement
in international processes, the improvement of Armenia’s international
rating.

During the meeting Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan underlined that
he gives a special importance to the cooperation especially in the
field of peacekeeping, anticipating the continuous support of the
American side.

Minister added that a peacekeeping mission for Armenia carries
not only military-political but also military meanin g, because
representatives of armed forces of RA gaining great skills serving
in the international subunits.

At the end of the meeting RA Defense minister passes his greetings
to the Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius.

–Boundary_(ID_+At0VGel1hNYHK0WBo3uxA)- –

ARMENIAN FORMER FOREIGN MINISTER: IF THE NEGOTIATING PROCESS FAILS ARMENIA WILL NO CHOICE BUT TO RECOGNIZE THE NKR

arminfo
2008-08-29 15:45:00

ArmInfo. Armenian former foreign minister Vardan Oskanyan said in
an interview with Azg daily he is sure that Yerevan cannot occupy
the correct position on Russia’s recognition of South Ossetia and
Abkhazia without impartial assessment of the present situation.

He means Russia-USA and Russia-Europe relations and division of the
influence zone. As for Russia’s decision, Oskanyan said it was a
surprise for everybody including to the Russian politologists close
to the Kremlin.

‘Armenians’ negotiating position need not be changed, but ought
to be even more clearly and loudly articulated and reinforced than
ever. Armenia has to make clear very quickly that the only reason
Armenia has not thus far recognized Nagorno Karabakh’s independence
or asked others to is because at core of the ongoing negotiations
is the issue of the self-determination of the people of Nagorno
Karabakh. If this process fails, Armenia should make clear that it
will have no choice but to recognize Nagorno Karabakh. What the
military and political conflict of the last two weeks brought to
the fore is this: One, that the issue of use of force to resolve
ethnic conflicts is unacceptable. Second, a country’s sovereignty
and territorial integrity have become an even greater focus of
attention. This newly emerged situation is a double-edged sword
for Nagorno Karabakh because on the one hand, there will be far less
tolerance for military rhetoric and military action. On the other hand,
we should expect a toughening of the line on self-determination issues
by the international community. Still, just as we’ve said all along,
the Nagorno Karabakh conflict is not like any other conflict. It
has evolved down its own path. Our right to self-determination is
founded not just on legal, historical and political foundations,
but also on the fact that Azerbaijan has repeatedly used force to
impose its jurisdiction on the people of Nagorno Karabakh. We will
continue to defend their rights’, – Oskanayn said.