GOT ACQUAINTED
2/tigran-sargsyan
08:26 pm | September 22, 2009
Official
RA Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan participated today in the foundation
of the Matenadaran in the city of Echmiadzin which was headed by His
Holiness, Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II.
The Prime Minister toured the Matenadaran and got acquainted with
the construction.
The Matenadaran is being constructed with sponsorship by well-known
benefactors Vache and Tamar Manukyan.
ARMENIAN OPPOSITION PROTESTS PROTOCOLS WITH TURKEY
Interfax
Sept 22 2009
Russia
The Armenian opposition does not think that Turkey will ratify the
protocols on the establishment of diplomatic relations with Armenia,
or open the Armenian-Turkish border.
"Turkey will not ratify the protocols. Nor will it open the border
with Armenia until the Nagorno Karabakh conflict has been settled,"
leader of the opposition Armenian National Congress, Ex-President
Levon Ter-Petrosian said at a rally in Yerevan on Friday.
Armenia’s role in Armenian-Turkish reconciliation has been reduced
to that of a passive onlooker, because "a disadvantageous solution
of the Karabakh conflict has been forced on Armenia," he said.
"By signing the protocols on August 31 President Serzh Sargsyan cast
doubts on the fact of genocide of Armenians. Turkey has deceived him,
because it has not delivered on its promise to open the border after
the Armenian-Turkish roadmap was signed on April 22," he also said.
The outcome of the Karabakh conflict is pre-determined, he said.
"The latest statements by the Russian, U.S. and French presidents
indicate that the Karabakh settlement is in its final stage. They have
decided on the outcome of the conflict, and neither the Armenian nor
Azeri president will argue with them," Ter-Petrosian said.
Change of government would be a way-out of the current unfavorable
situation, he said.
"The change of government is possible either as a result of Serzh
Sargsyan’s resignation, or his impeachment, resulting from a national
wave of protest," the ex-president said.
Ter-Petrosian said he would not run for president if Sargsyan
resigns, if, of course ex-President Robert Kocharian does not bid
for presidency.
The opposition rally according to organizers, brought together some
5,000 people. The protestors are marching along the central streets
in Yerevan now.
Meanwhile, a hunger strike, started by representatives of the Armenian
revolutionary federation Dashnaktsutyun in the center of Yerevan to
protest the Armenian-Turkish protocols, is in its second day.
ARMENIA AND TURKEY: CREATING THEIR OWN GLOBAL WARMING?
by Sergey Markedonov
RusData Dialine – Russian Press Digest
September 21, 2009 Monday
Normalization of relations between Armenia and Turkey could be more
important than it seems
Normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations, without any exaggeration,
may be one of the most important events of the year. For the first
time, during a series of "behind closed doors" negotiations, instead
of being politically correct, courteous, and engaging in "football
diplomacy", Yerevan and Ankara began making concrete commitments in
order to establish diplomatic relations.
If successful, the reconciliation process of the two neighboring
countries could significantly alter the status quo in the Greater
Caucasus, which was established after the collapse of the Soviet Union,
on a scale comparable to the results of the Five Day War. The opening
of the Armenian-Turkish land border (which has remained closed,
even during the 1993 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict) will fundamentally
change Armenia’s geopolitical situation. If this decision is adopted,
Yerevan will no longer be as dependent upon the outcome of the two
regional conflicts, as it is today.
First – is the Russo-Georgian conflict (Armenia does not share a
land border with Russia; Russia is a strategic partner of Yerevan;
and Georgia became a strategic adversary of Moscow). Another is the
US-Iranian confrontation. For Armenia, Iran is the second "window"
to the world. The risk of Tehran’s entanglement in a serious
confrontation with Washington has also significantly aggravated
the already-difficult situation in Armenia. A new open border will
diversify Armenian policies even more than they are today. With the
appearance of Turkish business (which will inevitably happen with
the opening of the borders), Russia’s economic presence (according
to 2008 end-of-year data, Russia is Armenia’s largest investor)
will no longer be dominant. Moreover, with such a development, the
advisability of the presence of the Russian military base in Gyumri and
Russian border guards in Armenia will sooner or later be questioned.
In this case, Ankara’s appearance in the Caucasus will not simply
be a declaration of intent. Today, Turkey is demonstrating that
it has outgrown the level of an "elder brother" and protector of
Azerbaijan. Ankara is actively cooperating with Georgia and – unlike
all NATO members – conducting its policies in Abkhazia and trying
to play the role of an "honest broker" between the U.S., EU and the
Middle East.
The warming of relations with Turkey will theoretically enable Yerevan
to separate the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict from the general spectrum of
Armenian-Turkish relations. The two recently signed bilateral protocols
do not so much as contain a hint of "parallelism" between the solution
to the Karabakh conflict and Armenian-Turkish reconciliation. In this
case, Azerbaijan’s position will be weakened; it will basically be
deprived of even the theoretical prospect of military revenge. However,
some nuances exist here as well. If, today, Ankara is refraining
from discussing the problem, it does not mean that it has been
"buried". During the six-week national consultations, this question
can be raised by parliamentarians as well as community activists.
In considering the prospects for defusing tensions between Yerevan
and Ankara, the emphasis is still being placed on geopolitical
aspects. Will Russia’s position in the region be compromised with the
opening of the land border? How distant will Baku and Ankara become as
a result of successful negotiations between Armenia and Turkey? What
are the interests of the US administration? Meanwhile, the progress in
Turkish-Armenian relations does not solely rest upon the leaders of
the two countries and the position of the great powers. An important
element in this progress is the domestic political support of the
normalization process.
Clearly, in Armenia and Turkey, the rational arguments of the
supporters of reconciliation will not be well-received by many,
including politicians, experts and ordinary citizens. In both
societies, the level of mutual enmity has, over the years,
been at a "steadily high level". As a matter of fact, the current
Armenian-Turkish negotiation process is not unique. One should recall
how the Nobel Peace Prize award to the signatories of the Middle East
peace agreement was followed by the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin
(not by an Arab, but one of "their own", a Jewish terrorist) and a
surge of Islamist extremism in Palestine.
All of this could deter the necessary, yet complex, rapprochement
between the two countries. Thus, it is too early to celebrate. The
path toward peace is not a set of stairs but a winding road, full of
surprises and bumps, for which people must prepare in advance so as
to avoid high expectations and disappointments.
EXCHANGE OF DIPLOMATIC NOTES ENOUGH FOR OPENING ARMENIAN-TURKISH BORDER
/PanARMENIAN.Net/
21.09.2009 16:32 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Exchange of diplomatic notes is enough for
normalizing Armenian-Turkish relations and opening border without
preconditions, said Heritage party’s former leader Raffi Hovhannisyan
who was recently visiting NKR to participate in the consecration
of St. Minas church in Ak village. All other questions, according
to him, can be resolved later, based on the norms of international
law. Particularly, politician said that this might enable Armenia
to provide solution to problems concerning borderline, Armenians’
return to their homeland, reinstatement of rights to historical and
cultural heritage and elimination of consequences of Armenian Genocide.
TURKEY’S ‘HENRY KISSINGER’
GulfNews
350878.html
Sept 22 2009
UAE
The historian inside me sometimes muscles down the analyst, and I
tend to view political players as how history will judge them 10,
20 and 50 years from today.
Many politicians in today’s world might get front page coverage in
daily newspapers, but will receive no more than passing mention in
history books either because of no legacy, lack of charisma or minimal
achievements when judged by a historian’s yardstick.
Nobody in the Palestinian Territories, for example, measures up to
Yasser Arafat or George Habash. There are no Jamal Abdul Nassers
in today’s world, no Anwar Sadats, no King Hussains, no Khomeinis,
and even no Ariel Sharons.
Barack Obama is an exception to the rule and so is Hezbollah chief
Hassan Nasrallah – who, whether we love or hate them – have already
marched into their nations’ history books, earning the status of living
legends. Recep Tayyip Erdogan is another exception, and probably so
is newly appointed Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.
For years the professor turned politician served as the political mind
behind Erdogan’s foreign policy, which he describes as ‘soft power,’
towards the Middle East, Europe, the Balkans and the Caucasus.
For years Turkey’s foreign policy has been reactive – reacting to
regional developments rather than shaping them. Erdogan and Davutoglu
changed that when the Justice and Development Party came to power
seven years ago, transforming Turkey into an aggressive player –
in a positive sense – making its presence felt practically everywhere.
Over the past few years Turkey has played the mediator between Russia
and Georgia, between Israel and the Palestinians during the 2008 war
on Gaza, between Israel and Syria, and more recently between Iraq and
Syria. It has tried to turn pages in its troubled history with both
the Kurds and the Armenians, under the urging of Davutoglu who used
his influence to get President Abdullah Gul to make his groundbreaking
visit to Armenia in 2008.
Many believe that the man was the ‘shadow foreign minister’ long before
he took the job from his predecessor, Ali Babacan. Pragmatic and
Islamic, the man is accredited with the re-birth of neo-Ottomanism,
a term used by political scientists to label Erdogan’s strategy
to re-establish his country’s influence in former districts of the
Ottoman Empire.
Speaking to the Lebanese weekly Al Kifah Al Arabi this month,
Davutoglu challenged the claim, although he is always proud of his
Ottoman heritage, preferring, however, to characterise his strategy
as a ‘zero-problem policy’ or ‘more friends, fewer enemies’ for Turkey.
Davutoglu best sums up the change sweeping through his country saying:
"Turkey as an international player was previously seen as having
strong muscles, a weak stomach, heart problems and fair-to-middling
brain power. In other words it had a powerful army but a weak economy,
lacked self-confidence and was not good at strategic thinking". That
today, thanks to Erdogan and Davutoglu, is a thing of the past.
And because of that, seculars and Kemalists are furious with Davutoglu,
accusing him of steering Turkey into an Islamic orbit, minimising
chances of membership in the EU. Davutoglu strongly rejects that,
saying: "Turkey can be European in Europe and eastern in the East,
because we are both."
He sees absolutely no contradiction in being close to the US, Israel,
Syria, Hamas and Iran simultaneously. Semih Idiz, a journalist for
the Turkish daily Hurriyet, claims that it is an illusion to think
that Turkey can balance a relationship between all players, a-la
Erdogan and Davutoglu: writing: "What we have seen over the last one
or two years is not strategic depth but total confusion in the minds
of all concerned."
Those close to the foreign minister and prime minister argue otherwise,
claiming that only after reconciling with their Ottoman past – using it
to strengthen themselves from within – can the Turks impose themselves
on the new world order with ‘self-confidence’.
During a visit to Istanbul in 2007, I was invited to dinner with
Professor Davutoglu nearly two years before becoming his country’s
Foreign Minister. We spent the evening discussing the Turkish
Republic of Northern Cyprus and the EU’s 2004 decision to make Cyprus
a full-fledged member, while Turkey’s membership application has been
pending for years. We then shifted to the history of Syrian-Ottoman
relations, which Davutoglu claimed, were not as bad as history books,
film and television dramas have depicted them to be.
In recent months, I have watched Davutoglu grace the world stage with
a foreign policy that is aggressive and soft, pragmatic and Islamic,
earning him a reputation as the ‘Henry Kissinger of Turkey’. He comes
across as a shrewd statesman, and a hardcore Turkish nationalist who
will undoubtedly receive more than just a passing mention in Turkish
history books 10 years from now.
The years to come will prove if Davutoglu measures up Kissinger in
legacy – and not just age.
Press TV , Iran
Sept 18 2009
Iranian president to take religious minority MPs to UN General Assembly
18 September: In his upcoming appearance at the UN General Assembly,
Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinezhad is taking along the
parliamentary representatives of religious minorities.
Under Iran’s Constitution, recognized religious minorities have the
right to elect representatives of their own, while they can vote for
Muslim candidates as well.
The Parleman News website, belonging to the minority faction of the
Majlis (parliament), reported on Friday [18 September] that Jewish
lawmaker Siamak Moreh-Sedeq, Armenian-Christian lawmakers Robert
Biglerian and Giork Vartan, Assyrian and Chaldean Christian Yonatan
Bet-Kolia and Zoroastrian Esfandyar Ekhtyari will fly out to New York
with the president on 21 September.
In the past, Ahmadinezhad was accompanied by only one of the five
minority deputies.
As President Ahmadinezhad prepares to address the annual session of
the UN General Assembly during his visit to New York, the schedules of
the lawmakers have not been disclosed.
CONSULTATIONS ON ARMENIAN-TURKISH RELATIONS HELD IN YEREVAN
PanARMENIAN.Net
17.09.2009 13:38 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan is meeting with
leaders of political parties to discuss Armenian-Turkish relations,
specifically establishment of diplomatic ties and opening of the
common border.
RA Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian is also present.
The text of the agreement on ‘road map’ between Armenia and Turkey
was published on April 23, 2009, after several rounds of talks held
under Swiss mediation.
VARDAN KHACHATRYAN: THE PROTOCOLS CONTAIN THREAT
Karen Ghazaryan
"Radiolur"
16.09.2009 17:01
MP Vardan Khachatryan is assured that the ratification of the
Armenian-Turkish protocols will become a serious threat to Armenia. He
considers that Armenia will lose much. Vardan Khachatryan believes
that the ratification of the protocols will undoubtedly lead to the
deterrence of the international recognition of the Armenian Genocide
and aggravation of relations with the Diaspora.
Tomorrow the President of Armenia will convene consultations on
the Armenian-Turkish relations with the political parties. Can
such consultations change anything in the positions of the
parties? According to Vardan Khachatryan it is possible only in the
event the consultations shed light upon the agreements reached.
Assessing the acts of protest organized by ARF Dashnaktsutyun, the MP
said it’s time for abrupt steps and the public consciousness has to
wake up, since there is a threat of serious losses, and this should
not be ignored.
"I think that first of all it’s necessary to wake up the public
and inform people about the real danger those documents or their
ratification contain," he said.
HRANT DINK COULD BE 55 TODAY
PanARMENIAN.Net
15.09.2009 12:00 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Slain editor of Akos Armenian-Turkish newspaper
Hrant Dink could be 55 on September 15. His tragic death on the 27th
of January proved that human rights and freedom are not protected
in Turkey.
After two years of court process, no suspect was convicted. New details
are still being revealed, specifically complicity of Ergenekon in
the outrageous crime.
After Dink’s assassination, Nobel Prize winner Orhan Pamuk left Turkey.
According to Istanbul city administration, one of the streets adjacent
to the newspaper office will be named after Dink.
PRESIDENT OF ARMENIA NOT SCHEDULED TO MEET TURKISH PM
armradio.am
15.09.2009 11:35
Turkish media report that Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan may meet
the Prime Minister of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the United
States on September 21 within the framework of the political dialogue
targeted at the normalization of the Armenian-Turkish relations.
Asked to comment ion the information, President’s Spokesman Samvel
Farmanyan said: "The Armenia-Turkey political dialogue and the
aspiration to normalize relations envisage meetings between Armenian
and Turkish officials on different levels. However, the meeting with
the Turkish Prime Minister is not on the agenda of the President of the
Republic of Armenia. On September 21 Serzh Sargsyan will participate
in the traditional official reception dedicated to the Independence
Day of the Republic of Armenia."