Author: Jhanna Virabian

IF TURKEY OPENS BORDERS TODAY, IT WILL PUT ITSELF IN A DIFFICULT STATE, MP
Aliyah Fridman

news.az
Jan 13 2010
Azerbaijan

Asim Mollazade News.Az interviews Asim Mollazade, deputy of Azerbaijani
parliament and chairman of the Party of Democratic Reforms.

The Constitutional Court of Armenia recognized the Armenian-Turkish
protocols as valid. How do you assess the situation that established
in this respect?

The implementation of these protocols is very important for Armenia.

Therefore, the Constitutional Court mostly represented by Sargsyan’s
supporters is loyal to his policy. Today Armenia is in a desperate
search of the way out of this economic and social deadlock to which it
has driven itself. Therefore, these protocols are mostly salutary for
it. For this reason, we expected the Constitutional Court to ratify
them and pave way for the protocols to be submitted in the parliament
for ratification

How will Armenia behave in relation to Turkey? Yerevan is always
trying to push Ankara to accelerating the process of normalizing the
bilateral relations.

Yerevan will try to ratify the protocols in the parliament to present
this fact before Ankara saying Armenia has fulfilled everything and
it is now Turkey’s turn. In turn, Ankara should seriously ponder over
this step, because if Ankara opens the border before Armenia withdraws
from the occupied lands, it will put itself in a very difficult state.

It will lose its influence in the region and certainly, in this case
Azerbaijan will think about…

However, we want to believe that the prime minister, the speaker and
the chairman of the external ties committee of the Turkish parliament
will keep their promises to the Azerbaijani parliament and Azerbaijani
people. Therefore, I think Armenia must withdraw from the occupied
Azerbaijani lands. In this case there will appear a chance for
development, for stability and Yerevan will have an opportunity to
advance to turn from a military outpost into a normal country.

Does it mean that you do not believe Turkey will open borders with
Armenia without the settlement of the Karabakh conflict?

We would like to trust to the Turkish leadership and I think Armenia
should act in line with the international law. It should take steps
to withdraw its troops from the occupied lands and to settle the
conflict. Only in this case will Armenia be able to establish normal
relations with all its neighbors and have an opportunity to recover
from the deep economic and social crisis.

RPA: PROTOCOLS DO NOT CONTAIN PRECONDITIONS

PanARMENIAN.Net
12.01.2010 13:37 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Secretary of the parliamentary group of the
Republican Party of Armenia, Eduard Sharmazanov supposes that it’s
quite natural that the Constitutional Court annexed ARFD’s juridical
conclusion to the Armenian-Turkish protocols case.

"It will be a good foundation for a multifaceted discussion," he said,
refraining, however, from making any forecasts.

Asked by a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter whether a public discussion of
the protocols would be more expedient, Mr. Sharmazanov said that
"it’s up to the CC to decide."

"Our party has numerously stated that the Protocols do not contain
preconditions and that Armenia will not give up the policy calling
for worldwide recognition of the Armenian Genocide," he said.

The Protocols aimed at normalization of bilateral ties and opening of
the common border between Armenia and Turkey were signed in Zurich
by Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian and his Turkish
counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu on October 10, 2009, after a series of
diplomatic talks held through Swiss mediation.

The Republican Party of Armenia is a national conservative political
party in Armenia. It was the first political party in independent
Armenia to be founded (2 April 1990) and registered (14 May 1991). It
is the largest party of the centre-right in Armenia, and claims to have
140,000 members. The party controls most government bodies in Armenia.

At the 2003 parliamentary elections on May 25, the party received
23.5% of the popular vote, winning 31 out of 131 seats. At the last
parliamentary elections on May 12, 2007, the party received 33.91%
of the popular vote, winning 64 out of 131 seats. The former Prime
Minister, Andranik Markaryan, was the leader of the party. Currently,
President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan is the chairman of HHK board.

The Armenian Genocide in Ottoman Empire (1915-23) was the deliberate
and systematic destruction of the Armenian population of the Ottoman
Empire during and just after World War I. It was characterized by
massacres, and deportations involving forced marches under conditions
designed to lead to the death of the deportees, with the total
number of Armenian deaths generally held to have been between one
and one-and-a-half million.

The date of the onset of the genocide is conventionally held to be
April 24, 1915, the day that Ottoman authorities arrested some 250
Armenian intellectuals and community leaders in Constantinople.

Thereafter, the Ottoman military uprooted Armenians from their homes
and forced them to march for hundreds of miles, depriving them of
food and water, to the desert of what is now Syria. Massacres were
indiscriminate of age or gender, with rape and other sexual abuse
commonplace. The Armenian Genocide is the second most-studied case
of genocide after the Holocaust.

The Republic of Turkey, the successor state of the Ottoman Empire,
denies the word genocide is an accurate description of the events. In
recent years, it has faced repeated calls to accept the events as
genocide.

To date, twenty countries and 44 U.S. states have officially recognized
the events of the period as genocide, and most genocide scholars
and historians accept this view. The Armenian Genocide has been also
recognized by influential media including The New York Times, BBC,
The Washington Post, The Associated Press.

The majority of Armenian Diaspora communities were formed by the
Genocide survivors.

ARMENIAN GOVERNMENT APPROVES F BILLS FOR SHIFTING TO UNIFIED TAXATION SYSTEM

ARKA
Dec 24, 2009

YEREVAN, December 24, /ARKA/. The government of Armenia has approved
today a set of bills designed to change gradually taxation of some
goods, which were levied fixed taxes. Under the proposed changes
their taxation will be moved into the general taxation field.

Finance minister Tigran Davtian said these goods are petrol, diesel
fuel and cigarettes which pay fixed taxes, including VAT, excise tax
and customs due.

The minister explained that the taxation policy is aimed, along
with gradual improvement of administration, at shifting to unified
taxation system.

‘By this package of changes we actually propose to make the first
step towards levying VAT by general principles so that to shift in
future to the unified taxation system’ the minister said.

Prime minister Tigran Sarkisian said the approval of the proposed
changes starts debates on this issue because ‘shifting to the unified
taxation system is inevitable and the problem is when that may happen.’

‘We need to discuss with parliament members, International Monetary
Fund and our business partners members when we shall be able to
enforce these changes,’ he said.

PRIME MINISTER’S AWARDS TO POWER ENGINEERS

Tu esday, 22 December 2009

On completion of Iran-Armenia gas pipeline construction and on power
engineers’ professional holiday, a number of Armenian power engineers
have been presented with the premier’s commemorative medals and
letters of appreciation. During a ceremonious event, Prime Minister
Tigran Sargsyan handed in the awards.

Speaking about the reform and the accomplishments of the energy
sector, the head of government stated in part: "This event has brought
together outstanding personalities with important contribution to the
energy sector. The system faces highly challenging tasks: firstly, the
construction of a new nuclear reactor which has economic and political
dimensions and is supposed to change the situation drastically;
secondly, the thermal power plant project which is nearing completion
and, finally, the other major projects."

Highly appreciative of the efforts made by Armenian power engineers,
the Prime Minister assured of his government’s readiness to back any
energy-related project. He wished them all the best in the New Year
and expressed hope that the year 2010 will be blessed with sustained
development and every success.

PETROSSIAN WINS READERS’ CHOICE AWARD FOR BEST CAVIAR RETALIER

Luxist
November 30, 2009 Monday 10:02 AM EST

Nov. 30, 2009 (AOL Weblogs delivered by Newstex) — Petrossian is
the winner of the Readers’ Choice award in the Best Caviar Retailer
category.

Perhaps the most storied of caviar’s purveyors, Petrossian traces its
roots to a pair of Armenian brothers who brought their love of roe
from the shores of the Caspian Sea to the edge of the Atlantic in the
1920s. Melkoum and Mouchegh Petrossian migrated from Eastern Europe
to Paris to continue their studies in law and medicine, but found
the City of Light woefully devoid of their favorite Russian delicacy.

Since then, Petrossian has grown to become the premier buyer and
importer of Russian caviar worldwide. Its Tsar Imperial label graces
some of the finest Beluga, Ossetra and Sevruga on the market. To
this day, the company insists that members of the Petrossian family
personally select the best of every Russian caviar catch.

Fortunately for those whose appetite for adventure doesn’t outweigh
the appetite for quality caviar, accompanying modern-day Petrossians
on a Russian fishing scow isn’t the only way to enjoy their caviar.

The company offers delivery, as well as restaurant locations in Los
Angeles, Las Vegas and New York.

Founded in 1984, New York’s Petrossian restaurant is a special treat.

Ideally located for opera goers of discerning taste, it’s housed in
the historic Alwyn Court Building on Manhattan’s West Side, one block
from Carnegie Hall and four blocks from Lincoln Center. Melkoum and
Mouchegh would most certainly be proud.

ARMENIAN FOREIGN MINISTER NALBANDIAN DISCUSSED AZERBAIJAN’S STATEMENTS IN JAPAN

Tert.am
13:37 ~U 27.11.09

In Tokyo for an official visit yesterday, Armenian Foreign Minister
Edward Nalbandian met with Crown Prince Naruhito, heir apparent to
the Japanese throne, reports the RA Ministry of Foreign Affairs press
and information department.

Nalbandian asked Naruhito to pass on RA President Serzh Sargsyan’s
greetings and well-wishes to Emperor Akihito and noted Armenia’s wish
to strengthen and develop relations with Japan.

During the second half of the day, Nalbandian made a detailed speech
about Armenia’s foreign policy at the Japan Institute of International
Affairs. During the speech, responding to questions directed at him,
the Armenian foreign minister discussed Armenia-Japan relations
and Armenia’s initiatives directed toward the development of these
relations, as well as discussing efforts toward establishing peace
and stability in the Caucasus.

Asked about the continuous bellicose statements made by Azerbaijan,
Nalbandian said, "Perhaps those [statements] are made with the
expectation of applying pressure, naturally, that cannot impress
neither Armenia nor Karabakh. Those attempts leave a flat-out negative
impression about Azerbaijan on the international community."

Before his speech, Nalbandian met with the institute’s President
and Director-General, Ambassador Yoshiji Nogami, during which time
issues related to the RA Ministry of Foreign Affairs diplomatic
school and cooperation with the Japan Institute of International
Affairs was discussed.

DAVUTOGLU TO LEAD TURKISH DELEGATION AT OSCE MEETING

PanARMENIAN.Net
26.11.2009 18:06 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu will
head the Turkish delegation that will attend the 17th Organization
for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Ministerial Council
meeting in Athens, Greece on December 1 and 2, AA reported.

The OSCE Ministerial Council is the Organization’s central
decision-making and governing body.The Foreign Ministers of the 56
participating states meet towards the end of the year to review and
assess the OSCE’s activities. The Ministerial Council is hosted by the
country holding the annually rotating Chairmanship of the Organization.

EURASIA PARTNERSHIP FOUNDATION ARMENIA PRESENTS THE RESULTS OF SOCIOLOGICAL RESEARCH ON FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION IN ARMENIA

ArmInfo
2009-10-22 17:28:00

ArmInfo. Today the Eurasia Partnership Foundation Armenia presented
the results of the sociological research held in the framework of
the Freedom of Expression Project.

Sociologist Gayane Kazaryan says that the objective of the research
was to encourage discussion on freedom of expression and to enhance
public interest in this matter.

The survey has shown the extent of the public’s awareness of the need
for freedom of expression. There are three categories of respondents:
conservative, political and liberal. Most of the respondents do not
think that Armenia needs freedom of expression in the politics. They
prefer freedom in economy. Only small percentage advocates struggle
for freedom of expression in the political field. The respondents
mention three categories of states: Islamic countries with limited
freedom of expression, post-Soviet states, except Latvia, Lithuania
and Estonia, and the West.

GEOPROMINING ACQUIRING NEW PIT EQUIPMENT FOR AGARAK COPPER AND MOLYBDENUM PLANT

ArmInfo
2009-10-20 17:44:00

ArmInfo. GeoProMining Group has launched another stage of the
anti-crisis program as part of the commitments to the Government of
Armenia, GeoProMining told ArmInfo. The source reported that 5 mine
trucks BelAz with bearing capacity of 55 tons have been delivered to
Armenia for exploitation at Agarak copper and molybdenum plant CJSC
(subsidiary of GeoProMining). Delivery of other necessary equipment
BelAz is expected within the coming months. Acquisition of pit
equipment is part of the anti-crisis program of the plant aimed
to improve recovery and increase competitiveness of the plant’s
production.

The visiting session of the Government in Syunik region on June 26
approved a $14 million credit to CJSC Agarak copper and molybdenum
plant. The half-yearly interest rate is Libot+8 and maturity is 4
years. The plant produces 2.5 thousand tons of cooper concentrate
with 26% content of cooper and 40 tons of molybdenum with 51% of
molybdenum content yearly.

FOREIGN OFFICE: TURKEY-ARMENIA ACCORD PROVIDES HOPE FOR PEACE

Israel News
,7340,L-3788429 ,00.html
10.11.09, 17:18

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement regarding the
recently signed peace accord between Turkey and Armenia. "The agreement
proves yet again that open and fearless negotiation is the only way
to overcome differences and past events," the statement read.

"Israel hopes that the peace accord will lead the entire region
to a prolonged period of peace and cooperation," the statement
continued. (Roni Sofer)