Author: Hovhannisian John

TURKISH PRESIDENT APPRECIATES MEETING BETWEEN PRESIDENTS OF AZERBAIJAN AND ARMENIA

Trend
May 8 2009
Azerbaijan

Turkey appreciates the meeting between the presidents of Azerbaijan
and Armenia in Prague on May 7, the CNN Turk quoted Turkish President
Abdullah Gul as saying.

"The Nagorno-Karabakh problem cannot be resolved through one
meeting. However, there is a progress at the negotiations [Armenia
and Azerbaijan]," said Gul.

Gul said that each side should take every effort to resolve Karabakh
conflict, as the problems in the Caucasus, the conflict between
Azerbaijan and Armenia, problems between Turkey and Armenia re
interconnected.

The negotiations between Ankara and Yerevan to improve the relations
are underway, he said.

During the EU summit Eastern Partnership in Prague, Presidents of
Azerbaijan and Armenia held meetings in the U.S. Embassy and discussed
the issue on resolution of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Yesterday’s meeting on the highest level was the 4th meeting between
Presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia Ilham Aliyev and Serzh Sargsyan
on resolution to Karabakh conflict. The previous meeting was held in
Zurich on Jan. 28, 2009. The first meeting was held in St.Petersburg
in June and second in Moscow in November 2008.

TURKEY SEEKS FOUR-WAY SUMMIT ON KARABAKH CONFLICT

Asbarez
ey-seeks-four-way-summit-on-karabakh-conflict/
May 8th, 2009

ANKARA (Today’s Zaman)-Turkey is seeking a summit of Turkish, Russian,
Azerbaijani and Armenian leaders to discuss endeavors for a resolution
to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan,
sources quoting President Abdullah Gul as saying Friday.

Since negotiations to normalize relations between Armenia and Turkey
began last September, Ankara’s has sought to align its conflict
with Armenia with the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, paving the way for
its inclusion into the Karabakh peace process. This is seen by many
commentators and analysts close to the issue as a way to make the
merger of the two separate processes seem like a practical option
for an international community desperately seeking a quick solution
to both issues.

Gul planned to step up efforts for the four-way summit after he met
with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian President Serzh
Sarkisian in Prague on Thursday.

His meetings came two weeks after Ankara and Yerevan announced that
they had "identified a roadmap" for establishing diplomatic relations
and reopening the Turkish-Armenian border.The roadmap, kept largely
secret from the public, is reported to include a series of conditions
Armenia must meet before diplomatic relations are established between
the two countries. Those requirements call for the establishment of a
joint commission of historians, the recognition of Turkey’s territorial
borders, and the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Gul revealed his plans to Devlet Bahceli, the leader of the Nationalist
Movement Party (MHP), during a meeting on Wednesday, sources at the
MHP told Today’s Zaman.

According to Zaman, Gul told Bahceli that Aliyev is constantly kept
informed about the talks with Armenia and reminded the nationalist
leader that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan plans to visit Baku
next week for talks with Azerbaijani leaders.

Gul also said that Russia also plays a key role in the region and that
it cannot be excluded from efforts to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict. Russia, which has been unusually silent on the issue,
is one of the three co-chairing countries of the OSCE Minsk Group
mediating the conflict.

Erdogan is scheduled to visit Russia for talks with his Russian
counterpart, Vladimir Putin, on May 16. Before the prime ministerial
talks, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu is expected to meet with his
Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, in Washington on the sidelines of a
ministerial meeting of UN Security Council member countries. Erdogan’s
visit to Russia is expected to be a main issue on the agenda of
the talks.

Gul said the venue and date of the proposed four-way summit
will become clear after the talks Gul and Erdogan will have with
Azerbaijani, Armenian and Russian leaders. If realized, the summit is
also likely to tackle Russian-Georgian ties. The tension between the
two countries, which fought a brief war over the breakaway region of
South Ossetia last summer, has recently escalated again due to NATO
military exercises in Georgia that kicked off this week. Armenia,
which was slated to participate, pulled out of those exercises days
before they kicked off.

Erdogan, meanwhile, is expected to meet with political leaders and
representatives of opposition parties during his visit to Baku. He has
also told Aliyev that he wants to address the Azerbaijani parliament
and give the lawmakers first-hand information about the normalization
process with Armenia.

TIGRAN SARGSYAN DISMISSES KARLEN GEVORGYAN FROM DEPUTY URBAN MINISTER OFFICE

ARMENPRESS
May 7, 2009

YEREVAN, MAY 7, ARMENPRESS: Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan
dismissed Karlen Gevorgyan from the office of the deputy urban minister
of Armenian, governmental press service reported.

ARMENIAN GOVERNMENT MAKES DECISION TO SELL THE STATE SHARE IN AMERIABANK’S CAPITAL

ArmInfo
2009-05-07 14:05:00

ArmInfo. The government of Armenia has made a decision on privatization
of the state share in the capital of Ameriabank (former Armimpexbank)
at a price of 52 mln drams ($140,000). The draft decision was
introduced in the government on Thursday by Finance Minister of
Armenia Tigran Davtyan.

He said the shares cost should be transferred to the state budget
during 7 banking days and added that 1175 ordinary shares at par value
of 40,000 drams each will undergo privatization. (As of January 1,
2009, the bank’s authorized capital has been divided into 455,000
ordinary registered shares at par value of 40,000 drams each – ed.).

As Ameriabank told ArmInfo, TDA Holdings Limited Company, affiliated
with the Russian Investment Company "Troika Dialogue" became holder
of 96,15% of the bank’s block of stock in September, 2007. In June,
2008, Armimpexbank was renamed to Ameriabank, moreover, the new
concept of the bank’s activity with focus on the investment banking
lied at the root of this brand. During 2008, the bank carried out
three emissions of shares: in February – to 4.4 bln drams, in August
– by 10.6 bln drams, in October – by 1.2 bln drams), as a result
of which the authorized capital grew from 2 bln drams to 18.2 bln
drams (the first position in the banking system), and the share of
majority stockholder grew to 99,7%. As of January 1, 2009, the bank’s
shareholders totaled 7, in particular, 3 legal persons (with 99,93%
total share) and 4 individuals (with 0,07% total equity interest).

CALLING ON ARMENIAN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS
LALAI MANJIKIAN

Gibrahayer

For the past 14 years, the Hamazkayin Student Cultural Forum has
been bringing young Armenian university students from all over the
world together to discover and share their Armenian heritage directly
from the source. Students from North and South America, Australia,
Europe, Armenia, and Artsakh (Karabakh) converge in Yerevan for an
intense two-week journey through the immensely rich cultural landscape
of Armenia.

This summer program, specifically tailored for university students
of Armenian descent, entails complete cultural immersion and exposes
the participants to the creme de la creme of Armenian art and culture,
both classic and contemporary. Guided visits include trips to various
Armenian monasteries dating from medieval times, museums such as
the National Gallery of Armenia, National History Museum, Genocide
Museum, Aram Khachaturian Museum, Parajanov Museum, and Martiros
Saryan House-Museum. The Hamazkayin Forum even offers special access
to performances by the National Opera or by such ensembles as the
Sayat Nova folkloric music ensemble. Such unique events are followed
with a question and discussion period, allowing participants to more
closely learn about traditional Armenian culture.

Official visits to both the American University of Armenia and
Yerevan State University are also included in the program, allowing
the students to discover the college scene in the homeland. Daily
lectures by prominent Armenian scholars from the diaspora and Armenia
create opportunities to analyse and engage with questions such as
Armenian identity, language, religion, and history.

A visit to Armenia’s army battalions grants participants a rare glimpse
into the country’s military. Other excursions include the Tsakhkadzor
Summer Camp for children and the Armenian village of Aramous, where
Hamazkayin actively participates in the development of the village
and its school. After catching a play or concert, the participants
are bound to have a good time at one of Yerevan’s many restaurants,
where live Armenian music and dancing make the night complete.

Forum participants from various parts of the diaspora, as well as
from Armenia and Artsakh, bring their individual perspectives and
backgrounds to various issues, while new friendships and bonds are
created–all in an unforgettable and dynamic social atmosphere. The
sheer amount of local cultural and artistic talent found in Armenia is
at once mind-boggling as it is inspiring. And the Hamazkayin Forum
succeeds in exposing these treasures to the Armenian youth, who
undoubtedly leave with a renewed sense of their cultural identity,
ready to broaden their own interest and commitment towards Armenian
culture throughout the world.

This summer, come join the Hamazkayin family, along with fellow
Armenian university students from all over the Armenian Diaspora,
in Yerevan from July 13 to 16.

Students from Cyprus have been participating in the Forum since
1995. If you would like to participate in the Hamazkayin Forum, please
contact the committee of The Hamazkayin "Oshagan" Cyprus Chapter.

NKR DELIGATION VISITED SHIRAKI PROVINCE

NKR Government Information and
Public Relations Department
May 06, 2009

On May 5, by the invitation of the RA Government the NKR delegation
headed by the Prime Minister Ara Haroutyunyan were on a two days visit
to Shiraki province within the framework of cooperation between the
administrative regions of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic and provinces
of Armenia.

It is expected that the NKR Prime Minister will pay tribute to the
victims of the Earthquake, meet with students of Gyumri, be present
at the joint concert of ensembles of culture of Artsakh and Shirak,
which will take place in the dramatic theatre after Vardan Adjemyan.

On May 6, the RA Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan will join the
delegation of Artsakh. A conference with participation of heads of
the RA provinces will be conducted; possibilities and spheres of
cooperation with the NKR regions will be discussed.

In the context of the Disaster Area house-building programme, the
delegation of Artsakh with the Prime Minister at the head will visit
one of residential areas being under construction by the Glendale
Hilzee organization and will get familiarized with construction
process, as well as will visit the 10 th century construction,
Marmashen ecclesiastical complex.

ARMENIA HAD REASONS TO REFUSE FROM PARTICIPATION IN NATO-LED EXERCISES
Marianna Gyurjyan

"Radiolur"
06.05.2009 18:42

Armenia does not participate in the NATO-led "Cooperative
Longbow/Lancer military exercises in Georgia because of certain
circumstances, the Defense Minister of Armenia, Seyran Ohanyan,
told reporters today.

"One of the circumstances is that speaking about the settlement of
the Karabakh issue during a meeting with the President of Azerbaijan,
the Secretary General of NATO noted that it has to be solved on
the basis of the principle of territorial integrity. However, the
OSCE Minsk Group and other international organizations engaged in
the resolution of the Karabakh conflict state that the issue should
be solved on the basis of territorial integrity and the right for
self-determination of peoples,: Seyran Ohanyan said.

FETHULLAH GULEN: THE NEO-OTTOMAN DREAM OF TURKISH ISLAM
Geries Othman

Asia News
1818
May 6 2009
Italy

In just a few decades Gulen, the son of an imam, has generated an
Islam-based cultural, religious and economic revival. Backed by
PM Erdogan he is disliked by secularist. He preaches dialogue with
Christians against atheism and dreams that Turkey can be a key player
from the Balkans till Central Asia.

Ankara (AsiaNews) – Ataturk’s secularism and the social order
guaranteed by the military appear to be teetering in Turkey today. This
is due to the government of Prime Minister Recep Erdogan, backed by
a moderate Islamist party, but especially to the fact that despite
the secular constitution, religion appears to be taking root in
society. This trend in turn is supported by one of the best known and
more controversial figures in today’s Turkey, Fethullah Gulen, who
is seen a the most important modern Muslim theologian and political
scientist today.

Son of an imam, Gulen was born in Erzurum in south-eastern Turkey, in
1938. A great disciple of Said Nursî, a mystic of Kurdish origin who
died in 1960, he is in favour of a conservative and orthodox vision of
Islam without rejecting modernity which he believes must be addressed.

In the 1970s he organised summer camps in Izmir to teach Islamic
principles, setting up the first student or ‘light’ hostels. Still
tolerated by the state he began building his first schools, then a
university, mass media, groups and associations to breathe life into
"modern Turkish Islam" whereby religion and nationalism could be one.

Because of some statements, Turkey’s National Security Council
condemned in 1998 for "trying to undermine the country’s secular
institutions, concealing his methods behind a democratic and moderate
image." For this reason he has been living in voluntary exile in the
United States since he was sentenced in absentia.

>From his headquarters in Philadelphia (Pennsylvania), he continues to
build his empire, which includes a network of more than 300 private
(Islamic) schools in Turkey and 200 abroad (from Tanzania to China,
Morocco to the Philippines and former Soviet Republics with large
Turkic minorities), a bank, various TV stations and newspapers,
a 12-language website and many charities, a virtual business empire
worth billions of dollars.

The key to his success lies in the work of thousands of members of his
movement, who are willing to volunteer their time and energy promote
education, especially where there are few institutions and limited
economic means. Indeed Gulen’s ideas have attracted intellectuals
and diplomats who have become his promoters because they see him as
a promoter of peace and inter-faith dialogue.

In the 1950s Gulen’s mentor Said Nursî preached that Muslims should
join Christians against atheism, trying to contact Pope Pius XII and
Patriarch Athenagoras. Following in Nursî’s footsteps, Fethullah
Gulen began promoting inter-faith dialogue in Turkey. Stating that
his only goal was to "honestly serve humanity," he developed ties
with all Christian Churches in Turkey, including relations with the
Greek Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew I and Armenian Patriarch Mesrob
Mutafyan. He sought an audience with Pope John Paul II which was
held in Rome in 1998, and met the Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem,
Eliyahu Bakshi-Doron.

Officially his movement has about a million followers, including tens
of thousands of public sector employees in Turkey who are protected
by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan (one of Gulen’s best known
sympathisers).

In 2006 a Court in Ankara acquitted him from charges of creating
an illegal organisation for the purpose of overthrowing Turkey’s
secular state and replacing it with one based on the Sharia. But
despite that and his large following, he has been criticised by a
large number of secularists who believe that underneath a veneer of
humanist philosophy, Gulen plans to turn Turkey’s secular state into
a theocracy.

Secular Kemalists have compared him to Khomeini and fear that his
return to Turkey might turn Ankara into another Tehran. The governments
of Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan are also weary and
suspicious of his "Turkish schools promoted by Islamic missionaries."

At the basis of Gulen’s teachings is the notion that state and religion
should be reconnected as they were in Ottoman times and that Turkey
should play the role of beacon for the Balkans and the republics in
the Caucasus. Through him a "neo-Nur" philosophy is integrated into
Turkish, if not pan-Turkic nationalism, which explains his success
among ethnically related Turkic peoples in post-Soviet Central Asia.

Through hundreds of private schools operating in the Central Asian
republics the Gulen movement is giving Turkey a new strategically
significant cultural and economic role and leading communities who
lost their own identity with the fall of Communism back to their
cultural and religious roots in Turkish culture and Islam.

Following this approach Turksoy, an "International Organisation
for Development of Turkic Culture and Art", was set up in Ankara
in 1993. Created by the Turkish Ministry of Culture its goal is to
sponsor and coordinate initiatives within the "Turkic world." It came
into existence after the culture ministers of Turkey, Turkmenistan,
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkish Republic of Cyprus as well as the
autonomous Russian republics of Tatarstan and Bašqortostan signed
an agreement of cultural cooperation.

According to the agreement, the new organisation was established
as a function of new emerging international relations in order to
back cultural restructuring in the Trans-Caucasus region and around
the world. More specifically, Turksoy’s goals are: to establish
friendly relations among Turkish-speaking peoples and nations;
explore, disclose, develop, and protect the common Turkic culture,
language, history, art, customs, and traditions as well as pass them
down to future generations and let them live forever; and develop
an environment that allows Turkic peoples to use a shared alphabet
and language.

Given Turkey’s predicament today, the country appears even more divided
between secularism and political Islam, torn between a desire to turn
towards Europe and the dream of becoming a pan-Turkic regional power.

ARMENIAN CHURCHES IN JERUSALEM ARE NOT TAKEN DOWN

PanARMENIAN.Net
05.05.2009 17:35 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian churches in Jerusalem are not taken
down, Head of Hay Dat Jerusalem Bureau Georgette Avakyan told a
PanARMENIAN.Net reporter.

Azg Armenian daily reported, citing Maan Palestinean Information
agency, that recently Jerusalem City Authorities passed a decision to
bring down an Armenian Catholic church in the Ð~^ld City. "Israeli
authorities’ step is considered as an encroachment on Old City’s
shrines, and is explained by oncoming visit of Roman Pope Benedict
XVI. The decision, directed against catholic church, aims to strengthen
domination of Jews in the Old City," the agency reported.

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT MEETS WITH THE HEADS OF STUDENTS’ COUNCILS OF THE UNIVERSITIES

ARMENPRESS
MAY 5, 2009
YEREVAN

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan met today with the heads of students’
councils of the Armenian higher educational establishments.

The Presidential press office told Armenpress that greeting the
young guests the President underlined the commitment of the Armenian
authorities in the issue of establishment of strong students’
councils. According to Serzh Sargsyan, during the education
years the student must not only make steps towards the science and
scientific world but also be educated as a future citizen. Among the
issues existing in our reality pointing out to the imperfectness of
mechanisms of self-organization of the society and lack of traditions
of self-organization the President stressed that this is in reality
an important sphere and is related to the necessity of formation of
a new culture.

Establishment of strong students’ council has a function which fosters
the self-organization of the society. Here the young people for the
first time learn to combine over a general aim, organize themselves,
make joint decisions and fight for the personal rights.

This is a separate culture the rooting of which can greatly contribute
to the development of abilities to juxtapose powers of the society
in different spheres.

According to President Sargsyan "if mighty students’ councils are
established, it means that tomorrow mighty condominiums, mighty trade
unions and why not also mighty parties can be established".

Reminding the famous proverb which says "Future belongs to the young
people", the President said: "We do not want people to understand
that "the present does not belong to the young people" under this
saying. Of course the experience is an important thing and no clever
person must refuse from the experience. But at the same time we must
also understand and take into account that the experience can be
positive as well as negative. An experienced official is of course
a good and useful citizen for our country. But regrettably in many
cases the experienced official is also experienced in abuses. Thus
the most correct way is that we are able to successfully juxtapose
the experience and the juvenile enthusiasm. We are ready to do that
but we must also see young people ready to that".

Mentioning the example of the chess S. Sargsyan noted: "Up to the
latest years aged, experienced chess players were decisive in the
chess world. But today the young chess players have taken up the role
of the leader. Already now the 8, 9, 10 year old children successfully
play against experienced grand masters; leaders of the world cup are
exclusively young people which once more speaks about the fact that
today the world needs fresh ideas and non standard solutions.

And for this reason the opportunities of young people become
limitless. There is a limitless field of activity for the youth
in our country as well. We need initiative state officials, young
initiative scientists. And you must solve this issue. Your previous
generations implemented their historical mission with honor: thanks
to your grandparents Armenia became a state of general intelligence
and education and educated people are regarded with honor in Armenia.

Your fathers, mothers and sisters could built and create a free
and independent Armenia and now you should be able to continue the
process but it is impossible to be done without knowledge and active
social position".

Noting that the youth faces many issues the President Sargsyan singled
out some of them.

"First, the young people must permanently deal with the consolidation
of our independent statehood. Without an active youth we will not be
able to have a strong statehood and without a strong statehood the
development of our state is impossible.

Second, the youth are obliged to be the creators and establishers
of new science. We have a great need of young scientists in all the
spheres started from the Armenology and finished with exact sciences.

Third, our youth must be free citizens of a free state. If a person
does not feel free he cannot conduct great works and no one doubts
that our country needs great works".

After the President’s speech a concerned discussion and exchange
of thoughts on the issues the studentship is concerned with took
place. Particularly a refer has been made to the process of educational
reforms, state-order – labor market relationship, social issues, the
post-graduate education and staff preparation as well as the military
patriotic education of the youth. On the request of the students the
President has also spoken about the urgent foreign political issues.