Author: Kafian Jirair

Preparations For Construction Of Baku – Tbilisi – Kars Railway
Published: 3/5/2008

BAKU – Preparations are almost completed to construct Baku-Tbilisi-Kars
railway, stated officials from Azerbaijani Transportation Ministry.
The railway line will significantly boost transportation and trade between
Turkey and Azerbaijan.
Officials said that meetings of related commissions and state committees
regarding the project will be held in Baku on March 6th and 7th.
Ministry officials added that construction of Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway will
start in the end of March or beginning of April.
2008 Anadolu Agency.

Russia Cashes in on Kosovo Fears

Time
Saturday, Mar. 08, 2008

By YURI ZARAKHOVICH/MOSCOW

By splitting the West and the wider international community, the
U.S.-backed declaration of independence by Kosovo has given Russia an
opening. Countries concerned with separatist problems of their own,
from Spain or Cyprus to China, have been unable to follow the U.S. lead
in recognizing Kosovo’s breakaway from Serbia. And Russia has sought to
exploit the gaps that have emerged as a result.

In Serbia, itself, Russia capitalized literally, on the standoff over
Kosovo. In Belgrade, just a week before he became Russia’s
President-elect, Dmitri Medvedev supervised Serbia’s signing up to a
prospective Russian Southern Stream natural gas pipe-line. Serbia also
sold to Russia a 51% stake of Naftna Industrija Srbija (NIS), a much
prized national oil company for $614 million and the promise of a
further investment of $770 million. Russia plans build a major gas
storage facility in Serbia, making the country a key base for Russian
energy supplies to Europe. This consolidation of ties with Serbia
achieves two Russian strategic goals: taking over national energy
assets of European countries; and keeping erstwhile allies of the
Soviet Union from being drawn into the Western fold. To emphasize
warming ties, travel between Russia and Serbia will no longer require
visas.

The Balkans is not the only theater in which Moscow is strongly
reasserting its presence. This week, just as Georgia’s breakaway
provinces of Abkhazia and South Ossetia formally appealed to Russia,
the U.N., the E.U. and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) a
loose association of post-Soviet countries to recognize their
independence. Russia has pointedly abandoned the economic sanctions,
clamped on Abkhazia in 1996 to punish its separatism. The Parliament of
the Russian Republic of Alania-North Ossetia already voted to
incorporate South Ossetia. Next week, the Russian Duma will consider
Abkhazian and South Ossetian appeals to join Russia.

South Ossetia and Abkhazia broke away from Georgia in the 1990s in the
wake of bloody ethnic wars. Much as those wars were ignited by the then
Nationalist Georgian authorities, Russia fanned the flames by giving a
brazen support to the separatists. It was the Russian army that won
their wars against Georgia.

Although Russia pays lip service to Georgia’s territorial integrity, it
has tacitly supported breakaway provinces, just as it has done in
Trans-Dniestria ‘ a province that broke away from Moldova back in the
1990s. Russia deploys its peace-keepers in all the three separatist
provinces, and these serve to counter any thoughts of forcible
re-integration by Georgia or Moldova. Moscow has also granted Russian
citizenship to some 90% of the Abkhazian and South Ossetian
populations, giving it grounds to intervene whenever Russia deems it
expedient, on the basis of ensuring the security of its citizens.

"Russia is smartly playing a more subtle game then just formally
recognizing breakaway provinces," comments Tedo Japaridze, former
Georgian Foreign Minister. Indeed, Russia could never openly annex
South Ossetia or Abkhazia. That would have been very much in conflict
with Russia’s harsh suppression of Chechnya’s independence, or fears of
separatism in non-Russian ethnic regions. Annexing Abkhazia and South
Ossetia was also "a red line" drawn by the U.S. But Russia has become
the de facto power in both territories without formally annexing them.
Chairman of the Chechen Parliament Dukvakha Abdurakhmanov blurted out
last week that "Abkhazia has long been a part of Russia’s Southern
Federal District." Recently, Russia tacitly deployed units of its
Chechen Vostok battalion in Abkhazia to beef up its force there as a
deterrent against any Georgian move to regain the territory.

Leonid Slutsky, First Deputy Chair of the Russian Duma’s Foreign
Relations Committee, told Itar-Tass on Friday that "So far, Russia
doesn’t have plans of recognizing Abkhazia and South Ossetia." However,
he said, "Should Georgia try using force there, the situation will
cardinally change. The same concerns Georgia’s plans of joining NATO."

For its part, NATO, long eager to grant Georgia membership, has
backpedaled, saying that Georgia isn’t yet ready to join. The Kosovo
opening may indeed encourage a resurgent Russia to go beyond simply
exercising de facto control over Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

Another after-effect of Kosovo’s independence is Moscow’s rallying of
its hitherto reluctant CIS partners against the West. Oil-rich
Azerbaijan, for example, had long begun inclining towards the West, but
may be pushed back into Moscow’s orbit because of Nagorno-Karabakh, a
province that broke away in the 1990s and has de facto integrated with
Armenia. Last week, for the first time in years, Azeri and Armenian
forces clashed in a full scale fighting in Karabakh.

Even a staunchly pro-Western Georgia, furious as it is with Russia,
might finally be forced back into Russia’s orbit because of Kosovo.
"It’s indeed surrealistic," quips Japaridze darkly: "How it happens
that in terms of the ‘Kosovo Precedent’ we, Georgians, Azerbaijani,
Moldovans, have to support Russia’s position and go against the West?!"

Interfax News Agency, Russia
Russia & CIS Military Newswire
March 6, 2008 Thursday

NATO has its interests in S. Caucasus – NATO PA leader

BAKU. March 6 (Azerbaijan) – NATO has its interests in the South
Caucasus, said Jose Lello, president of the NATO Parliamentary
Assembly.

The measures being taken by the alliance prove this, he told
journalists on Thursday. It shows that we have our own interests in
this region, he said.

South Caucasus countries are taking quite an active part in NATO
events, Lello added.

At the Rose-Roth seminar in Baku, we will discuss frozen conflicts,
including Karabakh, South Ossetia and Abkhazia, he said.

The Rose-Roth seminar will be attended for the first time by
officials from Central Asia, in particular from Kazakhstan,
Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, he said.

The NATO PA played and is playing a significant role in preparing
candidate countries and their parliaments to join the alliance, Lello
said. For the first time NATO is expanding its interests to a wider
format. We are now paying attention to the Balkans, countries in the
South Caucasus, Central Asia, Afghanistan and the Middle East, he
said.

UNION OF THEATRICAL FIGURES OF ARMENIA TO PROVIDE FUNDS TO YOUNG
PRODUCERS FOR THEM TO STAGE PERFORMANCES

YEREVAN, MARCH 7, NOYAN TAPAN. On the occasion of the International
Theater Day, March 27, a new performance made on the basis of one of
William Saroyan’s works will be presented on the changed and repaired
stage of the Union of Theatrical Figures of Armenia. 1.5m out of 2m 300
thousand drams gained from the concert-telethon organized by the Union
of Theatrical Figures of Armenia as far back as on December 3 of
previous year has been allocated to producer Armen Elbakian for
carrying out the staging work of that play.

As Hakob Ghazanchian, the Chairman of the Union, said in his interview
to Noyan Tapan correspondent, the last floor of the Union building, the
hall, and the stage have been repaired with the resources of the fund
of the Union of Theatrical Figures of Armenia. According to H.
Ghazanchian, henceforth for the purpose of making performances on the
stage of the Union of Theatrical Figures of Armenia the fund will
provide money to all those, who will express willingness and will
present a program. H. Ghazanchian said that any producer or actor at
any moment can use the stage for rehearsals or staging new
performances. Besides, the fund will provide money to young producers
for staging performances.

"Staging performances will be exclusively free, there will be no
censorship. A commission will be just created from representatives of
different theaters, which will study the presented programs and will
provide some money," the Chairman of the Union of Theatrical Figures of
Armenia emphasized.

Besides, the fund will assist the gifted students of Yerevan Institute
of Cinema and Theater, the authors of course and graduation papers: the
Union will take these works and will make an attempt to stage them on
the Union stage. "This is a measure of strategic significance for the
theater, as many students in the years of studying have interesting
works, but they are lost afterwards. We should assist such young people
and give them a possibility to work," H. Ghazanchian said

OSCE SEES PRECEDENT BETWEEN KOSOVO AND NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICTS

Trend News Agency
March 6 2008
Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan, Baku, 6 March /corr. TrendNews S.Agayeva / The
representative of the OSCE sees precedent between Kosovo and
Nagorno-Karabakh problems. "Irrespective of the difference between
Kosovo and Nagorno-Karabakh conflicts, the Kosovo model of settling
the conflict may be a precedent for the Nagorno-Karabakh problem,"
the chief consultant of the OSCE, Dov Lints, said in Baku on 6
March, while giving a speech at the international seminar of NATO
Parliamentary Assembly which took place in Azerbaijan’s capital.

"The problems should be resolved. Otherwise new victims would appear
and actions with the separatist mood would be carried out," the OSCE
envoy said.

According to him, the conflicting sides need to sit behind the table
of talks and fully isolate the separatist-mood forces.

On 17 Feb, Kosovo declared its independence. Belgrade described the
declaration illegal and called on the international community to
annul it, as it contrasts with the international law.

PACE REPRESENTATIVE TO ARRIVE IN ARMENIA FOR INTENSIVE CONTACTS WITH THE AUTHORITIES AND THE OPPOSITION

Mediamax
March 5, 2008

Yerevan /Mediamax/. On March 6-7, Head of Observation Mission of
the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) during
the presidential elections in Armenia John Prescott will pay a visit
to Armenia.

As Mediamax was told in the press service of the parliament, John
Prescott’s visit aims at assessing the post-electoral situation
in the country and explore possibilities for defusing the current
political crisis and promoting dialogue between the authorities and
the opposition.

On March 6, John Prescott will be received by Armenian President
Robert Kocharian.

The same day, the meeting of John Prescott with the Speaker of the
parliament Tigran Torosian and the Chairman of the Armenian delegation
to PACE Davit Harutyunyan will take place.

On March 6, John Prescott will also hold meetings with Armenian Prime
Minister Serzh Sarkisian, Chairman of the Constitutional Court Gagik
Harutiunian, Chairman of the Central Electoral Commission Garegin
Azarian and Council of Europe member-states’ Ambassadors.

John Prescott will also meet the Ex-President of Armenia Levon
Ter-Petrosian and representatives of public organizations.

On March 7, Head of PACE Observation Mission will meet the leadership
of "Orinats Yerkir" and "Heritage" parliamentary factions, Prosecutor
General of Armenia Aghvan Hovsepian, Chief of Armenian Police
Hayk Harutiunian, Chairman of the National Commission on Radio and
Television Grigor Amalian, as well as with the Chairman of the Board
of Public TV and Radio Company Aleksandr Arzumanian.

Minnesota Daily
University of Minnesota
March 5, 2008

Holocaust center director dies
Stephen Feinstein was 65.

By Andy Steinke

Stephen Feinstein, director of the Center for Holocaust and Genocide
Studies at the University, died Tuesday night after suffering a brain
aneurysm. He was 65.

Feinstein, who was speaking during a Jewish film event, was taken to
Abbott Northwestern Hospital last night.

Feinstein had been the director of the Center for Holocaust and
Genocide Studies since 1999. Prior to that, he was a history professor
at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls for 30 years.

He was a member of the Phi Alpha Theta History Honor
Society. Feinstein also received two Human Rights Awards and a
McKnight Grant during his career at the University. He was named
Volunteer of the Year by the Jewish Community Relations Council of
Minnesota and the Dakotas in 1987.

Feinstein’s funeral service will be held Friday at 2 p.m. at the Beth
El Synagogue in St. Louis Park.

-Mike Rose contributed to this report

ROMANIA LOBBIES FOR FRENCH INCLUSION IN NABUCCO

Today’s Zaman
March 4 2008
Turkey

The recent exclusion of Gaz de France (GDF) from the $7.3 billion
Nabucco pipeline project made the agenda yesterday in talks between
visiting Turkish President Abdullah Gul and his Romanian counterpart,
President Traian Basescu, with the latter urging Gul for inclusion
of GDF in the project.

Turkey’s BOTAª and Romania’s Transgaz are partners in the Nabucco
consortium, which confirmed in early February that Germany’s
second-largest utility company RWE will join the project aimed at
transporting gas from the Caspian to Europe, lessening dependence
on Russian gas. Meanwhile, GDF was excluded from Nabucco in favor
of Germany’s RWE, becoming the latest victim to suffer from ongoing
bitter political disputes between France and Turkey.

The consortium is now equally owned by RWE and oil and gas companies
in countries the pipeline passes through — Austria’s OMV, Hungary’s
MOL, Turkey’s BOTAª, Bulgaria’s Bulgargaz and Romania’s Transgaz.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s will for having the GDF included
in the Nabucco project was voiced by Basescu during his meeting with
Gul at the presidential Cotroceni Palace. In response, Gul said the
issue would be considered by Turkey, without giving a positive sign.

In early February, Sarkozy paid an official visit to Bucharest where
he said France would make energy one of its top priorities when it
takes over the European Union presidency in the second half of 2008.

Basescu said after meeting with Sarkozy that Romania would support
the involvement of GDF in EU-backed the Nabucco project. France has
long been Romania’s closest ally in the West and has major business
interests in the country, including car maker Renault. France is
Romania’s third largest trade partner. Romania joined the European
Union in 2007.

"Being aware of the close relationship between Turkey and Romania,
the French president is lobbying through the Romanian side. This
kind of lobbying is often done for significant energy projects,"
a Turkish official, who wished to remain anonymous, told Today’s Zaman.

When he was asked at a joint press conference following his meeting
with the Romanian president whether Basescu had been able to persuade
him about GDF’s involvement in the Nabucco project, Gul briefly said:
"Nabucco is very important for us. We hope that it is completed in
the shortest time. We are very open-minded on this issue."

Turkey has been angered by France’s objections to its bid to join the
EU and by French moves to make denying Armenian genocide allegations a
crime. Turkey rejects the label genocide and insists the mass killings
of Anatolian Armenians at the start of the last century were the
result of the chaos of war.

Nabucco’s construction is scheduled for as early as this year, with
operations starting in 2012. The cost of the project is estimated to
be 5 billion euros.

Meanwhile, ahead of the joint press conference by the two presidents,
Romania and Turkey signed the "Agreement for Mutual Encouragement and
Protection of Investments," the "Maritime Agreement," the "Agreement
on Early Notification of Nuclear Accidents" and the "Cultural Exchange
Program," during the visit which will last until tomorrow.

Turkey and Romania are each other’s biggest trade partners in the
Balkans — the trade volume between the two countries reached $6.7
billion by the end of 2007. The goal set for bilateral trade volume as
of 2010 is $10 billion. Currently, there are more than 10,000 Turkish
company registered in Romania. The 68 Turkish contractor companies
in Romania have already taken on 103 projects, which are together
worth $3.1 billion.

Ankara states that there are many opportunities for cooperation between
Turkey and Romania, especially due to Romania’s membership in both NATO
and the European Union, it being one of the leading regional economies
and being a founding member of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation
(BSEC). During Gul’s visit, Basescu reiterated his country’s support
for Turkey’s full EU membership.

While in Bucharest, Gul also met with Turkish people living in the
country, calling on them to hold on to their moral values.

"Turkish and Islamic cultures have always lived together in Balkans.

If they are separated, then you’ll forget your identity," Gul told
an audience at the Intercontinental Hotel. He also urged the Turkish
community in Romania to show loyalty to their country of citizenship.

–Boundary_(ID_9CcHzbG5/1pwhaLwmJvFR A)–

AZERBAIJAN MAY USE FORCE IN KARABAKH AFTER KOSOVO
By Lada Yevgrashina

Reuters
March 4 2008
UK

BAKU, March 4 (Reuters) – Azerbaijan’s president said on Tuesday his
country was ready to take back breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh by force
if need be and was buying military equipment and arms in preparation.

President Ilham Aliyev linked his comments to the newly-declared
independence in Kosovo which he said had emboldened ethnic Armenian
separatists in Nagorno-Karabakh.

In a sign of disapproval of Kosovo’s independence Azerbaijan’s
parliament later voted to withdraw a 33-strong Azeri peacekeeping
team that has been serving there under NATO command since 1999.

Former Soviet Azerbaijan has been trying to restore control over
Nagorno-Karabakh, where ethnic Armenian separatists threw off Azeri
rule in the 1990s in a war that killed about 35,000 people.

"We have been buying military machinery, airplanes and ammunition to
be ready to liberate the occupied territories, and we are ready to
do this," Turan quoted Aliyev as saying.

He added the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict with neighbouring Armenia
could be resolved only on the principle of Azerbaijan’s territorial
integrity.

The fragile peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia has held thanks to
a ceasefire announced in May 1994 whan large-scale hostilities ended.

But as Aliyev spoke, local television channels reported that two
Azeri soldiers died in an exchange of fire near Nagorno-Karabakh’s
border earlier on Tuesday.

Armenian Prime Minister Serzh Sarksyan, who will become the next
president after winning a Feb. 19 election, blamed Azeri soldiers for
attacking Armenian forces but said he hoped for a peaceful solution
to the stand-off.

"I’m full of hope that normal and civilised logic will prevail in
the end," he told reporters in the Armenian capital.

"The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict will be solved by peaceful means and
I rule out a military solution to this conflict."

"ILLEGAL" PRECEDENT

After mainly ethnic Albanian Kosovo declared independence from Serbia
last month, Nagorno-Karabakh said this would help its own drive for
international recognition.

The United States, major European Union powers and Azerbaijan’s close
ally Turkey have all backed Kosovo’s independence, but Baku views it
as illegal.

"You see how norms of international law are violated in the world,"
Aliyev was quoted as saying.

"And this has a negative impact on the settlement of the
(Nagorno-Karabakh) conflict. The force factor remains decisive,
and we will achieve this (Nagorno-Karabakh’s reintegration)."

An Azeri official acknowledged that the pull-out of peacekeepers had
clear political overtones due "to the changed political situation"
after Kosovo’s independence.

Azerbaijan’s economy, propelled by windfall revenues from booming
Caspian Sea oil exports, has shown double-digit growth, and Aliyev
said the nation’s $1.3 billion military budget was set to expand
further in the years to come.

Aliyev said he believed Azerbaijan’s growing military could nudge
talks towards a diplomatic breakthrough. "A time will come when the
Armenians will agree to that (settlement)," he said.

Armenian National Committee – Western Region
104 North Belmont Street, Suite 200
Glendale, California 91206
Phone: 818.500.1918
Fax: 818.246.7353
[email protected]

PRESS RELEASE
March 4, 2008
Contact: Ani Garabedian

ANC-WR and SF Bay Area Activists Spread Word about Armenian American
Issues at California Republican Party Convention

San Francisco, CA – The Armenian National Committee-Western Region
traveled to San Francisco to attend the California Republican Party’s
(CRP) annual spring convention which took place from February 22nd
through the 24th. ANC-WR Community Relations Director, Haig Hovsepian,
led a group of local San Francisco Bay Area ANC activists as well as
ANC-WR interns to the convention.

"The ANC-WR works to raise awareness and promote understanding of our
community, its values and concerns," stated Hovsepian. "Along with our
local ANC activists, we are here to make sure that the California
Republican Party faithfully continues to address issues of concern to
the Armenian community in California," said Hovsepian.

SF Bay Area ANC board member Mark Markarian as well as SF Bay Area ANC
Executive Director Matt Senekerimian were joined by SF Bay Area ANC
activists Rita Astoor, Shant Hagopian and Christopher Yemenidjian, as
well as ANC-WR interns Christine Semerdjian and Carina Khanjian.

"The workshops were informative and gave us an inside look on how the
Republican Party operates," said Hagopian. "The experience was proof
positive of how grassroots outreach can make a difference – in
addition to raising awareness of our community’s concerns with current
and future elected officials," Semerdjian added.

The group had the opportunity to interact with California Republican
Party delegates, members, and leaders. Several of the volunteers
attended convention workshops which included issues regarding youth
involvement in the Republican Party as well as the changing face of
the California electorate. The convention also featured discussions
about the party’s platform for the next year as well as an election of
a Republican National Committee member.

The Armenian National Committee – Western Region is the largest and
most influential Armenian American grassroots advocacy organization in
the Western United States. Working in coordination with a network of
offices, chapters, and supporters throughout the Western United States
and affiliated organizations around the country, the ANC-WR advances
the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of
issues.

###

Photo caption: (from L-R) Former ANC interns Chris Yemenidjian, and
Shant Hagopian join Haig Hovsepian and current ANC-WR interns Carina
Khanjian and Christine Semerdjian at the California Republican Party
spring convention this past weekend.