Author: Kajoyan Gevork

ARMENIA-NATO COOPERATION EFFECTIVE FOR MODERNIZATION OF ARMENIAN ARMED FORCES: ARMENIAN DEFENSE MINISTER

ArmInfo
2010-03-11 16:27:00

ArmInfo. Armenia-NATO cooperation is quite effective for modernization
of the Armenian Armed Forces, Armenian Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan
said in a press conference on security and stability in the South
Caucasus on Thursday.

Interaction of the Armed Forces of Armenia and NATO is both tactical
and strategic. For instance, revision of the Armenian defense strategy,
reforms in the military education, inclusion of the civil service
in the Armenian Defense Ministry system," he said. The minister
highlighted the Armenian peacemaking missions to Kosovo and Afghanistan
that leads to a full-fledged tactical interaction of the armed forces
of Armenia and NATO. In general, Seyran Ohanyan believes that balanced
foreign policy of Armenia and NATO constructive approaches to the
problems in the South Caucasus contributes to development of the
Armenia-NATO cooperation.

NO INTERIM AGREEMENT BETWEEN BAKU AND YEREVAN AVAILABLE: HURRIYET

news.am
March 10 2010
Armenia

"Two separate developments took place last Thursday at approximately
the same time which, at first sight, seemed totally unrelated. Indeed,
the fact that the Turkish Parliament’s ratification of the
intergovernmental agreement on the Nabucco project was followed
by the adoption of the resolution based on the Armenians’ claims
of genocide by the Foreign Affairs Committee of the United States
House of Representatives was a pure coincidence," Turkish Hurriyet
daily reports.

"Both developments that took place in two capitals, thousands of
miles away from each other, were monitored with the highest interest
in several capitals, like Vienna, Budapest, Rome, Baku and Moscow.

Because Turkish-Armenian relations and the issue of the recognition
of the 1915 killings of Armenians at the hands of the Ottomans as
genocide play an important role in the fate of the Nabucco project,
at least in the short term," the source says.

"If the Nabucco project, designed to bring Caspian as well as Middle
Eastern natural gas to Europe via Turkey and the Balkans is realized
sooner rather than later, it will reduce European dependence on Russia,
striking a blow against Russia’s dominant position in the European
market. Yet if the South Stream project, which will carry Russian gas
under the Black Sea to Europe, is realized before the Nabucco project,
then Moscow could take a deep breath," the source reads.

"Turkey’s ratification of the Nabucco agreement is expected to be
followed by Romania very soon, and thus, the ratification process of
the agreement will be completed. One of the next major steps is the
transit agreement between Turkey and Azerbaijan, which in the short
run will be the major supplier. Yet this is where the &’Armenian’
issue makes its entrance to the process. It is no secret that
Baku is extremely anxious about the prospect of normalization of
relations between Turkey and Armenia before there is a solution to
Nagorno-Karabakh, which is under Armenian occupation. Even an interim
agreement between Baku and Yerevan on Armenian withdrawal from Azeri
territories surrounding the Karabakh region does not seem in sight.

And Turkey does not want to pass the normalization protocols through
the Parliament unless there is some kind of progress on the Karabakh
issue," the daily informs.

"Baku has so far refrained from fully committing itself to the Nabucco
project. It wants to be sure that Turkey will not open its borders to
Armenia before there is progress on Nagorno-Karabakh. So the current
imbroglio is delaying the transit deal between Turkey and Azerbaijan
and thus slowing down the Nabucco project. But how long can Ankara
and Baku afford to wait before finalizing a deal?" the daily wonders.

BRITISH EXPERT THOMAS DE WAAL: OSCE MINSK GROUP IS NOT ABLE TO INDEPENDENTLY SETTLE THE NK CONFLICT

Today
63677.html
March 10 2010
Azerbaijan

Normalization of the Armenian-Turkish relations will facilitate
peaceful settlement of the Karabakh conflict, British expert Thomas
de Waal said at a conference entitled "Settlement of the Karabakh
conflict: the real and the unreal."

He believes that if there was no disagreement between Armenia and
Turkey, "the reconciliation between Armenia and Azerbaijan would be
more real."

According to de Waal, Baku is inclined to negotiate, but it does not
exclude the military solution to the conflict.

De Waal also noted that international experts should be involved with
the Karabakh process since organizations such as the OSCE Minsk Group
are not able to independently resolve the conflict.

In his view, EU must also step up efforts in this regard.

"The EU should be more actively involved in the settlement of the
Karabakh conflict, because in the case it aggravates, Europe will be
compelled to get involved in elimination of its consequences," said
de Waal, noting that Europe is particularly interested in production
and transit of energy.

The expert also stressed that the EU has a similar experience with
the countries of the Balkan region.

"Nevertheless, conflict resolution is impossible without direct
participation of public of the conflicting sides," he said.

The Economist
March 5 2010

The Armenian genocide: Past imperfect, present tense

Congress reconsiders America’s official position on the Armenian genocide

Mar 5th 2010 | NEW YORK | From The Economist online

TWO questions faced an American congressional panel on Thursday March
5th as it considered the mass killings of Armenians during and after
the first world war by forces of the Ottoman Empire. First, was it
genocide? The historical debate is as hot, and unsettled, as ever.
Armenians continue to insist that it was the first genocide of the
twentieth century, while Turks call the killings merely part of the
chaos of the break-up of empire.

But the second question on the minds of congressmen in the Foreign
Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives was more urgent.
What is more important, fidelity to history or concern for the
present? The vote took place as warming relations between Turkey and
Armenia have cooled again and those between Turkey and America are
under increasing strain over Iran, Israel and other affairs in the
region. Turkish diplomats and politicians gave warning before the vote
that the consequences would be felt across the range of issues of
shared concern to the two countries. In the end the panel narrowly
decided against pragmatism and chose to set straight the historical
records. A resolution recognising the killings as genocide was sent to
the House by a vote of 23 to 22.

When the same House committee passed a `genocide’ resolution in 2007
the White House urged that the vote be scrapped. But this year, it had
come with a twist; Barack Obama had promised during his election
campaign to recognise the event as genocide. But before the vote his
advisers said that while he acknowledges a genocide personally, he
urged unsuccessfully that official interpretation be left to the
parties involved. Congress is far more sensitive to lobbying than the
president and to small but highly motivated groups of voters.
Lobbyists working for both Armenians and Turks had been active before
the vote and Armenians are concentrated in several Californian
districts.

But no fashioner of foreign policy’among whom the president is by far
the most important’can ignore the strategic importance of Turkey. It
is a vital American ally and has the second-biggest army in NATO. The
country is home to an important American air base and is a crucial
supply route for America’s forces in Iraq. Relations were difficult
even before the beginning of the war in Iraq in 2003. The mildly
Islamist government denied the Americans the ability to open a second
front in Iraq through Turkey. Turkey’s relationship with Israel has
deteriorated too. Israel’s two recent wars, in Lebanon and Gaza, have
outraged Turkish public opinion. Mr Obama’s more even-handed approach
to the Israel-Palestine conflict has improved America’s reputation in
Turkey, but not by much.

Turkey itself is caught between forces that make the Armenia issue
potentially dangerous. The country’s secular, Western-oriented
politicians, among others, have been discouraged by the strict terms
offered by the European Union for eventual Turkish membership. In part
as a result there has been a gradual realignment in Turkish foreign
policy towards its more immediate neighbours. Turkey’s government
seeks peaceful relations with countries at its borders, which has
meant some cosying up to Iran, despite the fact that most of Turkey’s
NATO allies are pushing for more sanctions against the Islamic
republic over its alleged efforts to obtain nuclear weapons.

The vote comes at a sensitive time, too, for Turkey’s relations with
Armenia. The pair have been at odds since Turkey closed the border in
1993, during Armenia’s war with Turkey’s ethnic cousins in Azerbaijan.
Last year, protocols were agreed that foresaw an establishment of
diplomatic relations and an opening of the border. But Armenia’s
highest court then declared that the protocols were in line with
Armenia’s constitutionally mandated policy that foreign affairs
conform to the Armenian view of the genocide. Turkey responded with
fury and the protocols were endangered. The American vote will anger
Turkey further and perhaps make it even more inclined to turn away
from Europe, America and Armenia in favour of its Islamic neighbours.

One hope is that Turkish anger will subside if, as happened in 2007,
the House leadership stops the resolution from reaching a full vote.
It may do so again. Turkey recalled its ambassador after Thursday’s
vote just as in 2007. The Turkish government, in a spat with the
country’s nationalist army, may play the foreign-insult card to
bolster its domestic strength. But ultimately the Turks are unlikely
to weaken their relationship with America lightly.

ates/displaystory.cfm?story_id=15640909&source =features_box_main

World Politics Review
March 5 2010

Reading Turkey’s Signals
Judah Grunstein | 05 Mar 2010

Turkey’s decision to recall its ambassador in Washington for
discussions following yesterday’s passage of the Armenian Genocide
bill by the House Committee on Foreign Affairs is understandably
getting quite a bit of attention. But in what is likely to be the
overlooked counterbalance to that decision, Turkish Foreign Minister
Ahmet Davutoglu said today that Ankara remained determined to
normalize relations with Armenia, although he acknowledged that
parliamentary ratification of recently signed protocols was not
guaranteed.

The recall of the ambassador signals Turkey’s willingness to flex its
diplomatic muscles, which the Obama administration currently has need
of in addressing Iran’s nuclear program, as well as in Iraq. But the
move is mainly pre-emptive, and meant to test whether the Obama
administration is willing and able to keep the Armenian Genocide bill
from advancing further.

Davutoglu’s statement today indicates that whatever damage has been
done is limited and reversible. It also signals that rapprochement
with Armenia is in Turkey’s interests, independent of its bilateral
relations with the U.S.

/5229

GENOCIDE BILL PASSES

09:41:40 – 05/03/2010
ahos17053.html

With a vote of 23 to 22, the House Foreign Relations Committee
successfully passed House Resolution 252 (H. Res. 252) pushing the
Resolution in Congress for a final vote yet to be scheduled.

The Armenian Council of America would like to thank the members of
Congress who courageously supported H. Res. 252 with their votes on
March 4. House Resolution 252 calls upon the President to ensure that
the foreign policy of the United States reflects appropriate
understanding and sensitivity concerning issues related to human
rights, ethnic cleansing, and genocide documented in the United States
record relating to the Armenian Genocide.

`On behalf of the ACA I’d like to express my gratitude and applaud
the courageous members of Congress who voted for this crucial bill,’
said Sevak Khatchadourian, ACA Executive Board Member. `The majority
of the members voting for the bill believe that human rights and
justice takes precedence over the pressures and monetary contributions
of the Turkish government and lobbyist.’

Recently, the Texas branch of the ACA and the Armenian American
community of Texas actively campaigned in urging the Texas Members of
Congress on the Committee to vote for the Resolution. One of the key
votes that determined the favorable outcome of the Resolution was
coincidentally Texas Rep. Green’s vote.

The Armenian and Turkish protocols played another major factor in the
Committee debate. A growing number of Members who voted against H.
Res. 252 continuously stated the Turkish Armenia Protocols and its
historical commission as the primary reasons for voting no. `The
Armenian and Turkish protocols posed as the biggest threat to the
Resolution but we fought that battle with the truth on our side,’ said
Khatchadourian, `We are hopeful that the legislation will be soon put
on the House floor for a final overdue vote.’
Over 137 House Congressional Members have cosponsored this measure,
spearheaded by Representatives Adam Schiff (D-CA), George Radanovich
(R-CA), and Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chairs Frank Pallone
(D-NJ) and Mark Kirk (R-IL). A similar measure in the Senate
(S.Res.316) is led by Senators Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and John Ensign
(R-NV) and currently has 13 cosponsors.

COMMUNITY LEADER: ORDINARY ARMENIANS FROM NAGORNO-KARABAKH WANT TO LIVE IN AZERBAIJAN

Trend
March 4 2010
Azerbaijan

Ordinary Armenians in the Nagorno-Karabakh want to live in Azerbaijan,
Azerbaijani Community in Nagorno-Karabakh Chief Bayram Safarov told
Trend News today.

They experience great financial difficulties. Only 3-5 percent
live well, he said. The rest suffer. The population knows that
Nagorno-Karabakh is an Azerbaijani territory and sooner or later
these lands will be returned to their owner.

"I believe that 2010 will be a turning point in the resolution of
the Nagorno-Karabakh problem," he said.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 surrounding districts.

Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The
co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group – Russia, France, and the U.S. –
are currently holding the peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council’s four
resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh region and the
occupied territories.

Foreign nationals, including Armenian citizens, who travel to
Nagorno-Karabakh without Azerbaijan’s permission, violate the
country’s state border and the relevant actions must be taken toward
those individuals.

NO NEED TO BE HAPPY OR SAD

029.html
15:14:15 – 03/03/2010

The discussion of the resolution on the Armenian genocide in
the U.S. Congress aroused much enthusiasm among the Armenians,
said the head of the Armenian Ramkavar Liberal Party Harutyun
Arakelyan. According to him, the Turkish government turned to the
Jewish Lobbying organizations of the U.S. asking them to create
obstacles for the adoption of the resolution but the Jewish
organizations preferred remaining neutral.

Harutyun Arakelyan noted that we do not need to get excited or become
sad if the Armenian genocide issue enters the Congress or if Obama
pronounces or not the word "genocide". The HRAK head says that even
if all the countries recognize the genocide, it will only be a moral
victory and not legal.

As to the question whether the U.S. will recognize or not the genocide,
Arakelyan says it the problem of the U.S. The latter has interests in
Turkey and it is naïve to think that for the sake of a country which
does not have oil and gold reserves, neither a completed political
system and which is under the Russia’s influence, the U.S.

will sacrifice its interests.

NG: AZERBAIJANIS THEMSELVES QUESTION THAT CIVILIANS WERE KILLED BY ARMENIANS

PanARMENIAN.Net
05.03.2010 12:08 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Timed to the anniversary of Sumgait pogroms –
massacres of Armenians in the Azerbaijani Sumgait between 26 and 28
February 1988, Azerbaijan held events in memory of tragic events in
Khojalu of 1992 on 26 February, Sergei Zvyagin wrote in his article
"Khodjalu: truth and fiction" in Nezavisimaya Gazeta.

"The very definition of "Khojalu events" of February 1992 is not
correct. During suppression of firing points near the Khojalu
village there were virtually no casualties among civilians in the
village, since they had the opportunity to leave the village via the
corridor created by Karabakh for the unarmed civilian population. The
availability of that corridor never been questioned by observers,
including Azerbaijan.

Nearly a hundred dead residents Khojalu were found at 11-12 km from
the village, on the field between the Armenian village Nakhichevanik,
situated at the administrative border with the former Aghdam region
of Azerbaijan SSR, and the Azerbaijani positions near Aghdam. That
area then was fully controlled by the National Front of Azerbaijan
(NFA), being in opposition to pro-communist President Mutalibov.

Moreover, a day after journalists arrived at this place, including
foreign ones, some people again returned to the field to desecrate
some corpses before the visit of foreign media representatives,"
Zvyagin wrote.

"The massacre in Khojaly can be included in the "track record"
of the Azerbaijani militants," the newspaper wrote. It pursued two
aims: firstly, to remove from the political arena Ayaz Mutalibov,
unnecessary after the collapse of the Soviet Union, and secondly,
to obtain a pretext to start supported by Ankara a noisy campaign on
charging the Armenians in the inhuman methods of warfare.

"Today the promotion of "Khojali project" has different political and
ideological goals, while the means have remained unchanged: the lies
and falsification.

The massacre of Khojalu inhabitants near Aghdam is the same crime of
Azerbaijani national chauvinism, as pogroms of Armenians in Sumgait in
February 1988, in Baku in January 1990, the massacre in the Karabakh
village of Maraga in April 1992.

Unfortunately, these events have not received adequate legal, political
and moral assessment so far that leads to the cynical distortion of
reality in advocacy for official Baku," Sergei Zvyagin said.

The Sumgait pogroms (also known as the Sumgait Massacre or February
Events) was an Azeri-led pogroms of the Armenian population of
Azerbaijani Sumgait from 26 to 29 February 1988. On February 27, 1988,
large mobs made up of Azeris formed into groups that went on to attack
and killed Armenians both on the streets and in their apartments.

Sumgait pogroms lasted three days and were accompanied by widespread
violence, looting and murder. Sumgait events signaled the beginning of
another unprecedented wave of anti-Armenian persecutions and violence
in Azerbaijan, a new genocide. The victims of this of anti-Armenian
persecutions and violence were Armenians of Kirovabad, Kazakhs,
Khanlar, Dashkesan, Mingechaur, Baku and other towns and villages
of Azerbaijan. This has led to floods of refugees from Azerbaijan in
Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia.

POLISH AMBASSADOR PRESENTED HIS CREDENTIALS

3/credentials
04:24 pm | March 03, 2010

Official

The newly appointed Ambassador of Poland to Armenia Zdislav Rachinski
presented his credentials to President Serzh Sargsyan.

Congratulating the diplomat on new office, President Sargsyan said
Armenia was interested in deepening cooperation with Poland in
bilateral format and within international organizations.

Noting that the cooperation with the European Union is one of Armenia’s
foreign policy priorities, Serzh Sargsyan said he anticipates active
work in that direction. Ambassador Rachinski promised to do his best
to reinforce cooperation in different spheres.

The Ambassador stressed that Poland was the initiator of the Eastern
Partnership Program, and this could serve as a good basis for active
cooperation.

The interlocutors exchanged views on possible directions of
the Armenian-Polish cooperation and economic projects. President
Sargsyan attached special importance to the expansion of ties in the
humanitarian spheres. The parties agreed that the Polish Armenian
community bridges the two countries.

Sezh Sargsyan voiced support to the newly-appointed ambassador during
his tenure in office.