Author: Kajoyan Gevork

EU, US BACK COUP PLOT INVESTIGATIONS IN TURKEY

Asbarez
-investigations-in-turkey/
Feb 24th, 2010

ANKARA -Both the European Union and the United States have released
statements backing adherence to the law in the investigation into the
alleged "Sledgehammer" coup plotters, reiterating once again their
support for Turkish democracy.

The EU and US both stated on Monday their belief that actions
proceeding from this week’s detention of 49 military officers, almost
half of them retired or active duty generals and admirals, over links
to the alleged Sledgehammer coup plan should be made transparently
and in accordance with Turkish law.

European Commissioner Stefan Fule and US Assistant Secretary of State
for Public Affairs Philip J. Crowley both expressed their views on
the historic detentions of those high-ranking officers. While Fule
backed the functioning of the law in Turkey and said Turkish citizens
have the right to learn the truth there, Crowley told reporters that
the US does not have any specific concern over the detention of top
commanders as part of investigations into alleged coup plots.

On Monday, 50 military officers, both retired and active duty,
were detained over alleged links to the Sledgehammer plot. Among the
detainees were 17 retired generals, four admirals, 27 other officers
of various ranks and a noncommissioned officer.

Speaking at the Turkey-EU Joint Parliamentary Commission meeting in
Brussels on Monday, Fule described the allegations of some officers’
intentions to stage a coup as worrisome.

"Alleged attempts to destabilize Turkey which involved some military
personnel are worrisome. It is the right of all Turkish citizens
to learn all of the realities concerning this case. That means the
construction of trust and the rule of law and democracy. These are
vital bases," said the commissioner.

He added that they are carefully following the ongoing Ergenekon case,
in which defendants are standing trial accused of plotting to topple
the democratically elected government and asked Turkey to advance
its democratization efforts, noting that the military is still not
under control of the civilian administration in the country.

Fule listed the European Commission’s priorities for Turkey in that
respect as "judicial and constitutional reform and civilian oversight
over the military."

Crowley answered reporters’ questions at the US State Department’s
daily press briefing. In response to a question asking whether the
US had any concern about potential political instability in Turkey
in light of the recent detentions of alleged coup plotters, he said
the State Department did not have any specific concerns.

"These issues in the evolution of politics and society in Turkey
are not new. I don’t think we have any specific concerns. Obviously,
any action taken should be in accord with Turkish law and should be
transparent," Crowley said.

Crowley also labeled the US-Turkey alliance as the "most successful
alliance in history" and said the two are working closely with each
other on a variety of issues from Middle East peace to the situation
in Cyprus and the situations in Iraq and Iran.

POLICE PROMISE TO RETURN MEGAPHONES

02/24/sargis-gevorgyan
07:11 pm | February 24, 2010

Politics

Young activist of the Armenia National Congress (HAK) Sargis Gevorgyan
taken to the Kentron Department of RA Police after the HAK rally of
February 19 was called to the police station today.

"There was no mention in the summons as to why I was invited to
the police. It only said that I was invited to the police to give
elucidation on the law violation during the HAK rally," Sargis
Gevorgyan told A1+ after returning from the police station.

Sargis refused to give explanation in the police. He inquired why the
megaphones belonging to the Congress and confiscated on February 19
had not been returned to the owners.

"In reply to my question the inspector told me the megaphones would be
returned as soon as the head of the department was back," said Sargis.

Six demonstrators were beaten and detained for organizing and holding
a mass meeting on February 19. Head of the Kentron Department of
RA Police promised the youngsters to punish the culprits but the
following day the police issued a statement saying the rally was held
with rough breaches of law and violation of public order. Following
the statement the young activists were presented with summons.

R. SAFRASTYAN SAYS TURKEY MAY USE THE INNER-POLITICAL STRAINED SITUATION AS AN EXCUSE FOR DRAGGING OUT THE RATIFICATION PROCESS OF ARMENIAN-TURKISH PROTOCOLS

91401/lang/en
2010-02-23

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 23, ARMENPRESS: Turkey may use its inner-political
strained situation as an excuse for dragging out the ratification
process of the Armenian-Turkish protocols, Director of the Oriental
Studies Institute of the Armenian National Academy of Sciences Ruben
Safrastyan said today at a meeting with journalists. According to him,
the inner-political situation has strained in Turkey to the extent of
war situation. The Kemal and Islam-inclined groups fight against each
other. "Armenia has appeared in the center of this inner fight. It is
obvious that this strained situation can influence on the regulation
process of Armenian-Turkish relations," R. Safrastyan said.

He is of the opinion that a military revolution in Turkey is less
possible noting that there will be victims of a great number, and the
local forces do not want that. Taking into consideration all that,
soldiers are still kept away from politics. R. Safrastyan noted that
the officer staff in the Turkish armed forces is not homogeneous;
there are many people of different political viewpoints and with
religious education.

Referring to the pressures exerted on Turkey by international
institutions for the ratification of the protocols, R. Safrastyan
did not exclude their weakening to some degree."Today Turkey is
in inner-political strained situation. In this circumstance it is
difficult to make forecasts for the further process. I think in
the current stage it is not excluded that the pressure on Turkey by
international institutions will be smoothened," he said.

According to R. Safrastyan, nevertheless, the Armenian-Turkish process
continues to present importance for international institutions and
big states. There is a group of intellectuals in Turkey, which stands
up for the regulation of relations with Armenia, as well as for the
continuation of the policy directed toward distorting the fact of
the Armenian Genocide.

UNIVERSAL PUBLIC SERVICES FUND TO BE ESTABLISHED IN ARMENIA

Noyan Tapan
Feb 22, 2010

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 22, NOYAN TAPAN. A Fund of Universal Public
Services will be established in Armenia for provision of e-services
(communication, Internet access and other services) in Armenian marzes
(provinces). Samvel Arabajian, a member of the RA Public Services
Regulatory Commission, announced this at the February 22 press
conference. In his words, the fund is currently at the establishment
stage, and it will finance the formation of e-service packages in
marzes, ensuring access of means of communication to the population.

S. Arabajian said that with the World Bank’s support, international
experience was studied, similar studies are also conducted in Armenia.

The structure of the fund and its aims will be determined by late
2010. By preliminary information, the fund will be financed through
big operators, and the direction of its measures will be determined
by the board of trustees.

AZERBAIJANI PARLIAMENT SPEAKER MEETS WITH IRAN’S PRESIDENT, FOREIGN MINISTER AND OTHER TOP OFFICIALS

APA
Feb 22 2010
Azerbaijan

Baku. Suleyman Farzaliyev – APA. Speaker of the Azerbaijani parliament
Ogtay Asadov met with the president of the Islamic Republic of Iran
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad within his visit to Iran.

They discussed the development of relations between the two
countries, APA reports quoting AzerTac news agency. Peace talks
over the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno Karabakh conflict, ways of
the development of economic relations between Azerbaijan and Iran,
extension of cultural and humanitarian relations and other issues
were also in the focus of attention.

Ogtay Asadov said liberation of Azerbaijani lands occupied by the
Armenian military forces would be key factor in long-term peace and
stability in the region. He said the conflict could be solved by three
ways. First way is implementation of the norms of international law
as a result of efforts by the international organizations, second
method of economic pressure and the regional countries have large
opportunities in this field. The last way is the solution by use
of force.

Azerbaijan advocates for the peaceful solution to the conflict and
continues its efforts in this direction.

According to Iran’s ISNA agency, Ahmadinejad said other factors had no
influence on the Azerbaijani-Iranian relations. The Iranian president
emphasized good prospects of development of relations between the two
countries and said ceasing of visa regime for Azerbaijani travelers
to Iran is an "expression of respect to the Azerbaijani people".

The Azerbaijani parliament speaker met with the Iran’s foreign
minister Manuchehr Mottaki as well. According to the Iranian media,
they discussed bilateral relations between the countries. The Iranian
foreign minister said the third countries had no relation to the
Azerbaijani-Iranian relations.

Regional and bilateral relations, as well as inter-parliamentary
relations were on agenda during the Asadov’s meeting with the Iranian
parliament speaker Ali Larijani. They talked about the historic
friendship between Azerbaijani and Iranian people and discussed the
Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

The Azerbaijani parliament speaker met with the Secretary General of
the Iran’s Supreme Council of National Security Said Jalili.

The speaker also visited Azerbaijan’s embassy in Tehran.

Prime-Tass English-language Business Newswire, Russia
February 19, 2010 Friday 12:38 PM EET

Armenian Cos to build jewelry, diamond cutting plants in Russia

YEREVAN Feb 19

Armenian businessmen plan to invest U.S. $5 million in the
construction of a jewelry factory and a diamond cutting factory in
Russia’s Ulyanovsk Region, Armenia’s Commerce and Industry Chamber
President Aram Vardanyan said Friday.

The Armenian businessmen, who were not identified, discussed these
projects with Russian colleagues during their visit to the Ulyanovsk
Region earlier this week, Vardanyan said.

They also offered to take part in the investment in the construction
of a large hotel with an exhibition complex in the city of Ulyanovsk,
Vardanyan said.

Skeptik Sinikian: 40 Days of `Vosp’ – My Journey Through Lent Begins

ian-40-days-of-%e2%80%98vosp%e2%80%99-my-journey-t hrough-lent-begins/
By Asbarez Staff on Feb 19th, 2010

`I won’t eat anything that had a face or a mother,’ the late Linda
McCartney once said. Her and her husband Paul (of Beatles fame) were
ardent supporters of a vegetarian lifestyle and had also never tasted
my uncle’s famous Armenian style barbecue (khorovadz.) But Linda’s
quote has become the motto of many vegetarians and animal rights
activists around the world and couldn’t be a term that worse describes
my own personal carnivorous diet. In fact, if I really like how a
particular cut of meat or meal tastes, I’m liable to find its siblings
and parents and see if the succulence is hereditary. And thank God
(literally) that I’m Christian because I could not live in any culture
or society that judged me for eating pork.

I dig on pig along with cattle, buffalo, goat, sheep, chicken, turkey,
fish, shellfish and anything else that can be raised, sold (legally)
and cooked. Which makes what I’m about to do one of the hardest things
I have ever done. Starting on Wednesday (February 17, 2009) and for
the following 40 days after Fat Tuesday (Poun Paregentan in Armenian)
I shall not eat any animal product. I’ve decided to do something that
many of my friends don’t believe I can do – honor our Armenian
heritage and observe Lent.

`You’ll never do it,’ commented one friend. `You’ve never met a piece
of meat you didn’t like!’ This is only partially true. I once got sick
off some bad chee kofte (Armenian steak tartare) at a friend’s New
Year’s party during the serving of appetizers and swore off eating
meat completely. I got so sick that my face turned greener than the
Chicago River on St. Patrick’s Day. But that only lasted until the
main course when plates of lule kebab came sizzling hot on a plate of
lavash bread that had been soaking all of the grilled meats juices and
oils – well, you get the picture. Giving up meat is going to be hard
and will require every ounce of will power I have. I It will take more
willpower than the time I resisted the urge to let the air out of the
tires of the Range Rover that stole my parking spot at the Glendale
Galleria (actually, she took two spots because she learned how to park
from an instructor who apparently suffered from a severe case of
astigmatism.) Or the urge to tell the middle aged fake blonde mother
on her cell phone who was driving said Range Rover that her makeup and
hair made her look like someone spilled a can of peroxide and
cosmetics on her head during a hurricane. Don’t even judge me for that
– you’ve had the exact same thoughts.

But this isn’t just about being an observant Armenian Christian who
wants to keep a pure Lenten diet. I want to do this to prove to myself
that I’m able to deprive myself of something that I have every day
without caving in. I’m approaching this with the dedication and
attention to detail of an explorer preparing for an expedition. I’ve
stocked up on rice and bulgur and even have a box of this Incan or
Peruvian grain called quinoa. I have cans of fava and garbanzo beans
lined up in my cupboard and have bought a big bag of lentils (black
and orange). I’ve got a canister of olive oil and potatoes and onions.
So I have the basics and figure I’ll buy fresh fruits and vegetables
on a weekly basis so they won’t spoil too quickly. I’ve come up with a
schedule of when to visit Super King market and how to do all my
shopping and avoid the meat and seafood sections of the store. On
Tuesday night I had my last Zankou chicken(s) and feel that I’m now
prepared to take this challenge head on.

I’m not going to change anything about my lifestyle. I’ll still go to
Raffi’s Kebab when my Persian Armenian friends want to go out or to
Carousel when my Beirutsi friends who want to get their kebab fix or
to any Armenian banquet hall when invited to an event. The goal is
going to be to see how an Armenian who is trying to observe Lent and
keep his traditions alive can possibly survive in a society dominated
by … OTHER ARMENIANS! Will my own people look at me weird when I
refuse to order the Sultani plate with the barg (filet) and koobideh
(ground meat lule style)? Will my friends think I’ve lost my mind when
I don’t have the Sultan Ibrahim (fried red mullet fish) plate with
filet mignon on the side and a glass of tan (yogurt and mint beverage)
to wash it all down? It’s going to be interesting to see if Armenians
will take kindly to my militant vegan choices and whether I’ll be able
to make it to 40 days without losing my mind.

All I ask is that you send me your best, most satisfying recipes and
ideas for Lenten dishes. I know there are some crazy people out there
who still believe in our traditions and I want to hear from you. I
also know that our Armenian kitchen is a treasure trove of vegetarian
and vegan delights so please share your wisdom and experience with me.
We’ll keep each other posted on our progress and see how long I can
last. In the meantime, I’m going to try to find a place that can make
a falafel shaped like a 16 oz. rib eye steak.

Skeptik Sinikian plans on doubling his meat consumption after Lent and
Easter to make up for lost time. He will eat anything as long as it’s
not endangered or illegal. You can reach him at
[email protected]

Yerevan Police Chief – `I haven’t instructed cops to shop at my son’s
supermarket’
2010/02/19 | 17:17

soc iety

Ararat Davtyan
Yerevan Police Chief confessed today, when questioned by reporters,
that his son was the owner of the `Moskvichka’ supermarket chain. It
seems that a newspaper had hinted that Chief Nazaryan had advised mid
and low-level police employees to do their family shopping at the
`Moskvichka’ stores.

The newspaper in question went so far as to imply that mechanisms were
enacted to single out cops who heeded the call of their boss and that
sales receipts were posted in a police registry. Chief Nazaryan denied
the allegations and said that he `wouldn’t stop so low as to force
police officers to shop at those stores.’

Aysor, Armenia
Feb 20 2010

RA government and World Bank discuss possibilities of cooperation

Yesterday the Armenian PM Tigran Sargsyan has received the World Bank
delegation headed by the regional director Asad Alam.

According to the information and public relations department the two
have discussed a series of issues concerning the RA Government and the
World Bank cooperation. They have touched upon the realization of the
North ` South project and the possible participation of the World
Bank. They have attached importance also to the reconstruction of
Tatev temple.

The two have exchanged opinions about the model of the future economic
development.

TURKEY’S ‘UNOFFICIAL’ PREREQUISITE IS ACTUALLY OFFICIAL: ZAMAN

news.am
Feb 18 2010
Armenia

"We thought that the Armenian initiative was linked to Nagorno-Karabakh
issue and that the Turkish side had shelved the protocols until
a &’worthwhile’ development, we found ourselves in another mess
with Armenia sending the protocols to its constitutional court for
approval," Today’s Zaman analyst Aline Ozinian reports.

"The protocols cannot contradict the Armenian Constitution and
Paragraph 11 of the Declaration of Independence of Armenia. Paragraph
11 provides for the Republic of Armenia to lend support to the efforts
for the international recognition of the 1915 incidents in the Ottoman
Empire as genocide," the source reads.

"Turkey obviously does not like this article, but was it added
&’secretly’ to the Declaration of Independence after Oct. 10, or were
Turkish Foreign Ministry and government officials not aware of this
document when they went to Zurich? Or did they assume that after the
signing of the protocols, the &’poor’ Armenians would forget about
genocide or tear up the declaration since it is not liked by their
neighbors? Those who can read diplomacy correctly know well that
the process was not halted by the Armenian constitutional court’s
decision on the protocol’s conformity with the constitution but by
the Turkish government, which expects a &’concrete’ development with
respect to the Nagorno-Karabakh issue," the daily informs.

"Aside from the strangeness of the negative perception of the
constitutional conformity decision, it is unfortunate for Turkey
to try to gain time by ensuring its &’unofficial’ prerequisite —
which is actually official, but was not reflected in the protocols,"
the analyst says.

"If we ask why parliamentary approval was needed to open the common
border between Turkey and Armenia or to establish diplomatic relations,
we understand that it was needed just for this reason: to introduce
delays to the process or find an excuse for our failure — such as
saying that we did everything but parliament had the final say,"
the article concludes.