Author: Kajoyan Gevork

FORUM OF AZERBAIJANI INTELLIGENTSIA GOES AFTER ILHAM ALIYEV’S GOVERNMENT

BAKU. November 26, 2012: The Forum of the Azerbaijani Intelligentsia
(FIA) issued a statement condemning the government campaign
against this organization. FIA, representing well-known members of
the Azerbaijani intelligentsia and public figures such as Rustam
Ibrahimbayov, Jamil Hasanli, Rafig Aliyev, Ramiz Rovshan and many
others, also called on the Azerbaijani government to carry out urgent
reforms. FIA statement calls the media statements of the government
officials against this organization as deliberate measures aimed at
defaming the members of this organization as well as distracting
the public opinion from the exposed cases of corruption among the
senior government officials of this country. The government is trying
to divert the public opinion from the fact that the recent media
reports, including the scandalous video materials show that “almost
all branches of Azerbaijan – the legislative, executive and judiciary –
have become the preserve of criminal groups, and the political system
based on cronyism and corruption, has lost any signs of legitimacy,”
reads the FIA statement.

The Azerbaijani government is also trying to divert public opinion
from the fact that the recently adopted amendments to the draconian
laws are aimed at creating a “legal” basis to conduct broad crackdown
on the government critics, reads the FIA statement.

The Azerbaijani government wants to avoid answering the questions
about the sources of the money the senior government officials used to
purchased dozens of houses in the Middle East and Europe, dozens of
companies in the offshore areas were designed for the relatives and
people close to the country’s leadership. Some of these questionable
purchases are made on behalf of the underage children of the senior
government officials of Azerbaijan.

The ruling elite, in fact, privatized and obtained the ownership of or
the financial over almost everything in Azerbaijani lands, completely
subordinating the economy to their own financial interests. The
authorities wish that the society would forget about the scandals with
Eurovision, the World Internet Forum, exposing the “caviar diplomacy”
in the Council of Europe, which clearly showed that not only in the
political life, but also on the international scene, they finally
lose credibility.

“Indiscriminately accusing members of the Forum of Intellectuals of
the ‘mythical’ links with Dashnaks, the authorities want to hide from
the public that their unprofessional and shortsighted steps actually
gave carte blanche to the Armenian side to launch the campaign for
the recognition of the independence of the Mountainous Garabagh,”
reads the FIA statement.

The authors of the statement consider the upcoming presidential
elections in Azerbaijan to be a fateful event because the problems of
Azerbaijan cannot be solved without having “the right people in the
government.” Therefore, the Forum drafted a set of measures which, if
adopted, could ensure a broad public control and transparency during
the upcoming presidential elections in 2013. FIA also reported that
it was working on a number of political programs aimed at helping
the post-Aliyev government. The FIA said it would make a separate
presentation of those programs disclosing them to the Azerbaijani
public in the nearest future (Turan).

MOST READ LAST WEEK ARTICLES OF “ARMENPRESS” ABOUT FLORA MARTIROSYAN

20:43, 27 November, 2012

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 27, ARMENPRESS: Most read articles of Armenian
state news agency “Armenpress” published last week are about prominent
Armenian singer Flora Martirosyan. This fact speaks for itself proving
that Flora Martirosyan indeed has been very popular and loved by
the public.

In accordance with the decision of the Prime Minister of the Republic
of Armenia Tigran Sargsyan a special committee has been already created
for the organization of the civil funerals and burial in Armenia. All
the expenses of the funerals will be covered by Armenian government.

People’s Artist of the Republic of Armenia Flora Martirosyan died in
the United States of America. The cause of death was the difficulties,
which arose after she was operated on for her gall-bladder. Flora
Martirosyan was born in Gyumri on February 5, 1957.

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT HAILS SULEIMAN, SAYS SECURITY IN LEBANON LINKED TO MIDDLE EAST

NaharNet
Nov 26 2012
Lebanon

by Naharnet Newsdesk 26 November 2012, 07:11

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan praised on Saturday the efforts
exerted by his counterpart Michel Suleiman locally and in the Middle
East to boost peace and stability, stressing that Lebanon’s security
is linked to the situation in the region.

“Lebanon will advance,” Sargsyan told reporters in a joint press
conference with Suleiman at the Baabda Palace.

The Armenian president said that talks with Suleiman were “fruitful,”
pointing out that the two officials discuss improving the ties between
the two countries.

“I discussed with Suleiman the importance of cooperation on
international levels,” he told reporters.

Suleiman and the first lady, Wafaa, welcomed Sargsyan accompanied by
his wife, Rita, at the Baabda Palace.

Concerning the situation in Damascus, Sargsyan expressed concern
regarding the Syrian people, noting that that his country rejects
“bloodshed and violence.”

“The crisis can be only solved through dialogue,” he added, hailing the
mission of U.N. envoy Lakhdar Brahimi to promote stability in Syria.

For his part, Suleiman said that talks focused on the developments in
the Arab world, stressing the importance of seeking a swift solution
to the Arab-Israeli conflict.

Asked about the March 14 alliance’s decision to boycott the national
dialogue session, which is set to be held on Thursday at the Baabda
Palace, Suleiman said that “any decision to boycott the session is
a democratic right.”

However, he said that “democracy indicates that we should all sit at
one table and listen to what others’ have to say.”

Suleiman and Sargsyan inked a number of agreements at the end of
their meeting.

Sargsyan arrived in Beirut on Monday on a three-day official visit
to meet senior Lebanese officials, including Speaker Nabih Berri and
Prime Minister Najib Miqati.

He then headed to the Grand Serail where he met with the premier,
who called for removing “all obstacles that are obstructing the
development of Lebanese-Armenian bilateral ties.”

He stressed the importance of joint cooperation between the two
countries, adding that Sargsyan’s visit is a “sign of his keenness
on these ties.”

For his part, Sargsyan noted that visits between officials from
Armenia and Lebanon are important in developing bilateral relations.

He also hoped that Lebanon would be able to overcome the difficult
regional situation.

Sargsyan will attend on Tuesday a lunch banquet in Ain el-Tineh,
held in his honor by Berri, in the presence of lawmakers from both
the March 14 and March 8 coalitions.

Berri had canceled a parliamentary session that was scheduled to be
held on Tuesday during which Sargsyan was planned to address MPs.

The speaker instead invited lawmakers to attend the lunch banquet in
honor of Sargysyan.

Berri explained that the invitation is “personal.”

Sharp differences surfaced recently between the March 14 coalition and
Berri after the opposition accused the speaker of luring it to attend
parliamentary sessions despite vows by the coalition to boycott all
legislative activity.

The alliance rejected attending the session and another one planned
to show solidarity with the Palestinian people against the Israeli
aggression on the Gaza Strip.

The opposition decided to boycott parliamentary activities after the
assassination of Internal Security Forces Intelligence Bureau chief
Brig. Gen. Wissam al-Hasan in October.

The alliance accuses the Syrian regime of being behind the murder
and blames Miqati’s cabinet for covering the crime.

TURKEY’S WEAKEST EXPORT

TURKEY SAYS IT WANTS TO BE A MODEL FOR DEMOCRACY IN THE MIDDLE EAST.

BUT SO FAR ITS ACTIONS LAG BEHIND ITS ACHIEVEMENTS.

BY GAMZE COÅ~^KUN | NOVEMBER 21, 2012

The Arab Spring has prompted a lot of talk about Turkey’s possible
role as a model. Turkey’s recent economic success and the relative
liberality of its institutions have made it a point of reference to
many in the Middle East.

Let’s leave aside for the moment the issue of whether the Arabs really
need a role model, since they’re perfectly capable of establishing
their own system without copying either Turkey or the West. Being a
model is not only about having a well-functioning democratic system
but also having the capacity to be able to foster it domestically
and internationally and to be able to put rhetoric and aims into
action. Does Turkey really offer a useful template for democratic
values and institution building?

First of all, it’s worth taking a look at Turkey’s capabilities.

While there has been considerable discussion of Turkey’s role in the
region, a look at the country’s diplomatic, economic, and soft-power
resources is sobering. Though Turkey has 25 diplomatic missions in
the Arab countries, at last count only six of the 135 staffers in
these missions actually spoke Arabic. Needless to say, this says
a lot about Turkey’s ability — and perhaps its willingness — to
develop wide-ranging diplomatic relationships throughout the MENA
(Middle East and North Africa). Furthermore, although Turkey’s trade
relations with the region are frequently cited, most of its exports
are based on natural resources and low-technology (56 percent),
followed by medium-technology goods (40.5 percent). Its share of
high-tech exports to the region remains low (3.5 percent in 2010).

This suggests that Turkey is not necessarily one of the main economic
competitors in the region, a factor that will tend to limit its
influence.

My previous employer, the Turkish think tank USAK, has published a
report offering some useful data for assessing Turkey’s capacity as
an economic and diplomatic actor in the Arab world. A USAK report —
which includes the data mentioned above — shows that there is much
that needs to be done if Turkey wishes to increase its credibility
as a regional role model. Currently, Turkey is far from having the
capabilities to take action in line with its rhetoric. This doesn’t
exactly inspire confidence in Ankara’s ability to project its influence
into more dysfunctional Middle Eastern states.

Let’s take “soft power” for a moment. The report notes that, while
Turkish state TV began Arabic-language broadcasting to the Arab
countries in 2010, its presence on the airwaves still lags far behind
other Arabic satellite broadcasters — not to mention Arabic-language
broadcasting from the western countries, Russia, and Iran. (The report
also notes that Turkish TV dramas are highly popular around the region
— though some polling figures suggest that more conservative segments
of local populations often regard these shows as a bad influence.) Of
the 9,374 foreign students who chose to study in Turkey in 2011,
a mere 1,123 (12 percent of the total) were Arabs.

This suggests that the talk of Turkish soft power influence might
require a bit of qualification.

Despite its structural shortcomings, Turkey has undeniably been
working hard to develop its political and economic ties within the
broader region. (The photo above shows Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan arriving in Cairo for an official visit on Nov. 17.)
Yet Ankara has offered little in the way of concrete measures to
promote democracy or safeguard human rights. Generally the Turkish
government prefers to stick to the principle of non-intervention and
non-interference in other countries’ internal affairs. Although this
so-called zero problems policy has helped Turkey to establish good
relations with the MENA countries, the non-intervention aspect of
this policy has somewhat hindered Turkey’s open emphasis on democracy
promotion. Most notably, the cases of Syria and Libya have exposed
the contradiction between Turkey’s claim to support democracy and
its reluctance to undertake actions that would amount to concrete
support for pro-democracy forces within specific countries.

And that, perhaps, is somewhat symptomatic of a larger problem. When
Turkey mentions the subject of democracy promotion at all, it usually
does so in the context of cooperation with its partners in the West.

While this is understandable in light of Turkey’s underdeveloped
capacity, such talk is also likely to undermine that entire
undertaking. Some segments of Arab society already perceive Turkey
as a tool of the United States and Europe — in conjunction with a
widespread notion among Arabs that Turks tend to be “Western-minded”
whether they are liberals, Islamists, or conservatives. If cooperation
with the West is a given, then Turkish policymakers need to devise
clear strategies for neutralizing such accusations.

Not everything has to be done by the government, of course. In addition
to putting forth a clear national agenda, civil society organizations
can also play a key role in expanding Turkey’s influence. Yet even
these options currently remain starkly limited.

Turkish non-government organizations lack the relevant know-how
and skills to exercise influence in the region. Notwithstanding
their well-meaning rhetoric about respect, dignity, sympathy, and
understanding, all too often Turkish NGOs seem to have difficulties
developing concrete plans or agendas and making them more public and
affecting the policy-makers.

Still, there is great potential for NGOs and the rapidly growing
civil society sector in Turkey to cooperate with the Arab countries.

NGOs can organize events on political, economic, and social topics,
share their experiences, and shape public opinion. They can identify
the needs of societies and even can help to find out the best policies
for the newly emerging governments to address the problems.

These kinds of efforts may also help to change mutual misperceptions
as well as sharing relevant Turkish experience of democracy and civil
liberties that can help both sides to foster their own democratic
transformations.

Turkey still has a long way to go in developing its own democratic
institutions. We still face enormous challenges in protecting
civil liberties and reforming our judicial system, to name but two
crucial elements on the path toward genuine democracy. There is still
considerable debate within Turkey about the extent of press freedom,
the imprisonment of dissidents, and so forth. This is unavoidable,
given that the road toward democracy is never perfect. But such issues
invariably create doubts about the consistency of the Turkish model
in the international community.

Turkey also faces problems when it comes to projecting its political
influence. Turkey still lacks an in-depth understanding of the
internal dynamics of the MENA countries (even if its knowledge of
the region is still better than that of its partners in Europe or
the United States). A major factor is the ongoing Kurdish conflict,
which creates an additional constraint in Turkey’s dealings with Syria,
Iraq, and Iran. This not only makes it harder for Ankara to implement
its agenda, but also ends up creating many misperceptions about its
policies in the Arab world.

In short, Turkey faces many serious obstacles when it comes to
advertising the advantages of its system. Its pro-Western image,
its limited capacity to project influence, and the divide between
rhetoric and reality are all part of the problem. So, too, are its
social and political differences from the Arab countries in respect
to the understanding of society, ideology, secularism and Islam,
and so on. While I think it’s basically true to assume that Turkey’s
Muslim identity will help it to argue the virtues of democracy to the
Arab countries, these fundamental differences in culture are sure to
complicate matters.

There is no doubt that Turkey can make an impact and has a role to play
in the region. But its inherent weaknesses mean that actual ability to
become a role model and source of inspiration will remain constrained
for some time to come. Turkey has to analyze itsdeficiencies in this
respect if it seriously aims to have a credible regional role.

I believe that our country does have a constructive role to play
in the region. But its influence is likely to remain minimal unless
Turkey makes a much more concerted effort to assert its credibility
and effectiveness in the Middle Eastern transition process. The Arab
countries are unlikely to be impressed by high-minded Turkish rhetoric
unless we offer effective action to back it up.

/AFP/Getty Image

[arr-indent.gif] SUBJECTS: POLITICS, DEVELOPMENT, HUMANRIGHTS,
RELIGION, ECONOMICS, GLOBALIZATION, MEDIA, CULTURE,ISLAM, DIPL OMACY,
RACE/ETHNICITY, INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS, TURKEY, DEMOCRACY, DEMOCRACY
LAB, ARAB WORLD

Gamze CoÅ~_kun is an Ankara-based freelance researcher on the Middle
East.

RAFFI HOVHANNISYAN IN BAKU PROCLAIMS SOVEREIGNTY AND INTEGRITY OF NAGORNO KARABAKH

armradio.am
12:58 26.11.2012

Raffi K. Hovannisian, chairman of the Heritage Party and Armenia’s
first minister of foreign affairs, has returned from Baku, Azerbaijan,
where he took part in the 7th General Assembly of the International
Conference of Asian Political Parties (ICAPP) between November 21
and 24. The meeting brought together 250 delegates representing 60
political parties from 25 Asian nations, together with a host of
Azerbaijani functionaries, Press Service of the Heritage Party informs.

The full text of his speech, which keynoted the first plenary session
on November 23, follows.

“Mister Chairman, distinguished colleagues:

I shall speak but once, so let it be crystal clear.

In a critical but good-faith search for peace, security, and
reconciliation in Asia, I came to this beautiful city ofBaku, where
hundreds of thousands of Armenians once lived before they were forcibly
dispossessed and expelled in January 1990 and whose erstwhile presence
has been reduced to one remnant church which has been shut down and
transformed to foreign purpose. Virtually none remains today, and
although our Azerbaijani colleagues make reference to the existence
of several thousand ethnic Armenians, I have seen no evidence of
that claim. I have asked the authorities here to arrange for me a
meeting with even one Armenian who dares to identify himself as such
in current-dayBaku.

I came here with a different, dialogue-driven spirit and intent, but
have immediately faced a stark but expected reality of partisanship,
selective propaganda, repetitive rhetoric, unparalleled l xenophobia,
and an untruthful presentation of parochial positions-not only in
society and political circles but also at the presidential level.

Everything that stands against the precepts and principles of ICAPP.

There can be no peace, security and reconciliation in our region as
long as:

1) Azerbaijan launches a failed war of aggression against Mountainous
Karabakh and its freedom-loving people, as well as against its own
minorities living in its midst, and then blames the self-defenders
for that failure;

2) Azerbaijan pursues an official policy of intentional destruction of
cultural heritage, and most particularly the daylight destruction in
December 2005 of thousands of hand-crafted khatchkars (cross-stones) at
the medieval Armenian cemetery at Jugha, Nakhichevan-not as collateral
damage of war, but 11 years after the ceasefire and hundreds of
miles away from the conflict zone-and ever since has blocked all
international missions to the site of this shameful desecration;

3) Azerbaijan continues to release and glorify convicted axe-murderers
for the sole reason that the victim is Armenian, without even one
voice of condemnation of this cowardly act of hatred in what the
founder of ICAPP has referred to as “this inclusive democracy”; and

4) Azerbaijan, in a redundant war of words and terminologies, throws
about at meetings such as this the loaded language of “occupation,”
when in reality it was liberation, decolonization and everybody’s right
to self-determination, and when “occupation” in fact applies most
appropriately to Azerbaijani and Turkish control-through genocide,
ethnic cleansing, and then the shame of official denialism-of large
swathes of the Armenian patrimony from Shahumian and Nakhichevan to
the western reaches of the Armenian Plateau.

Peace, security, and reconciliation are possible, however, when we
all live by the same standards:

1) achievement of good, self-critical governance, public
accountability, and the assumption of responsibility for safeguarding
the equal civil rights and human dignity of our own constituents,
opposition parties, non-governmental organizations, and minorities;

2) empowerment of the average citizen, civil society, and true
democracy, not rule by dynasty or dictatorship;

3) recognition of the liberty, sovereignty, and integrity of all
states, old and new, including the Republic of Mountainous Karabakh,
whose return to the status quo ante is impossible, but rather
whose recognition within its constitutional frontiers will enable a
simultaneous, multilateral, and reciprocal right of return for all
refugees of all nationalities-not only the displaced Azerbaijanis,
but also the more than half million Armenian deportees from Shahumian,
Nakhichevan, Artsvashen, and Azerbaijan proper, together with the
descendants of the victims and survivors of the great genocide and
national dispossession of the Armenian people;

4) protection of all cultural heritage and condemnation of all
desecration of that heritage, whether Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish,
Christian, or other;

5) prevention and punishment of all genocides and crimes against
humanity; and

6) the exercise of humanity and upholding of the common understanding
that pain and suffering are universal and, in this connection,
due remembrance of the thousands of righteous Turkish neighbors who
demonstrated these virtues in saving Armenian lives, including my
grandmother’s, during the Genocide of 1915, as well as the hundreds
of Azerbaijanis of good conscience who attempted to do the same during
the anti-Armenian pogroms in Sumgait and Baku decades later.

For this I am grateful. And hopeful for a better day for the sake of
our generations to come.

I thank you for your kind invitation, hospitality, and attention to
the whole truth, however terrible or uncomfortable it might be.

HOW TO AVOID INCOMPLETE LAWS, THE OMBUDSMAN CALLS A ‘CONCILIUM’

Factinfo
Mon, 11/26/2012 – 14:05

Days ago the RA Government approved 16 projects with respect to making
changes and additions in the laws of the taxation sphere, which concern
such issues as taxation relations with respect to VAT, calculation and
payment of the excise tax of some products, incorporation of the new
income tax system, the change of taxation system for the subjects and
other issues. ‘Pastinfo.am’ was informed about it from the HRD Office.

In 2011 report the Ombudsman already addressed the rapid legislative
changes in the sphere of taxation and without sufficient public
discussions, which cause serious problems for businesses.

In order to avoid incomplete laws in future as well as taking
into account that the above-mentioned law package concerns the
social-economic rights of women, Ombudsman Karen Andreasyan suggests
to all factories, private entrepreneurs and other interested people
presenting their written complaints and/or suggestions with respect
to the indicated legislative changes and additions until December 10
to the HRD Office by the address of the Ombudsman [email protected].

One can also get familiarized with the package of legislative changes
at the HRD website

ARMENIA, LEBANON ABOLISH VISA REQUIREMENTS

HETQ
17:01, November 26, 2012

Resulting from Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan’s official visit to
Lebanon, the two countries agreed today to abolish visas between the
two countries and to mutually recognize college diplomas.

Sargsyan and Lebanese President Michel Sleiman signed the two
agreements at Baabda Palace upon the arrival of the former to Lebanon.

A In a joint news conference at Baabda Palace, Sargsyan said he held
“productive talks” with Sleiman and discussed ways to widen the scope
ties between Lebanon and Armenia.

“This year marks 20 years since we began bilateral relations,” Sargsyan
said. “We have signed 30 agreements since then and we will add two
more with this visit,” he added. Sargsyan also thanked Lebanon as
a people and government for granting Armenians shelter and allowing
them to incorporate into society.

The two leaders discussed regional problems as well. Regarding Syria,
they agreed that the optimal way out for the 21-month-old crisis was a
political solution based on dialogue without any military intervention.

Sargsyan will also meet Prime Minister Najib Mikati later today.

Speaker Nabih Berri will hold a lunch in honor of the Armenian official
in his Ain el-Tineh residence.

Photo: The Daily Star/DalatiNohra

SERZH SARGSYAN: LEBANON’S GROWING PRESENCE IN OUR ECONOMY IS NOTICEABLE

Panorama.am
19:15 26/11/2012 ” POLITICS

Lebanon’s growing presence in our country’s economy is noticeable
recently, visiting Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan told reporters
in Lebanese capital Beirut.

The Presidents of Armenia and Lebanon discussed bilateral and regional
issues during a meeting prior to their joint press conference.

President Sargsyan stated that high level relations have been
established between the two countries, the evidence of which is
the Lebanese President’s official visit to Armenia in 2011 and the
Armenian President’s subsequent visit to Lebanon.

“The frequency of these visits shows that we have a high level
dialogue, high level relations, and we are willing to develop our
relations. We reached an agreement to use all possibilities for
boosting bilateral economic cooperation,” the President concluded.

ARMENIANS, CHECHENS FASTEST GROWING NATIONS IN RUSSIA

tert.am
U 26.11.12

Russian Slon website reports that during the past 21 years the number
of Armenians and Chechens has increased in Russia the utmost.

The number of Armenians reaches 650 thousand and Chechens – 532
thousand.

The remarkable thing is that during the same period the number of
Russians and Ukrainians has reduced.

As to the aging population of Russia, among them the websites notes
Jewish, Ukrainians and Belarusians.

NAIRIT PLANT EMPLOYEES PICKETING PRESIDENTIAL RESIDENCE DEMANDING THEIR SALARIES

arminfo
Monday, November 26, 12:26

Nairit Plant employees have organized a picket in front of the Armenian
president’s residence demanding their salary.

The picketers marched along the central streets in Yerevan up to the
presidential residence. They told ArmInfo that Nairit Plant has not
paid their salary for 11 months. They no longer pin hopes with the
Nairit leadership and demand president’s interference to settle the
problem with arrears.

The Presidential Administration representatives told the picketers
that President Serzh Sargsyan is currently in Lebanon, but promised
to contribute to at least partial payment of their salaries. They
promised a salary for 3 months till the end of December. However,
the picketers demand salaries for at least 6 months.

Nairit Plant regularly faces problems with arrears of wages. The
employees have used to get their salaries through pickets and protest
actions. By some Mass Media rumors, Leader of Prosperous Armenia Party
Gagik Tsarukyan is going to buy he plant. However, among potential
buyers of Nairit Plant is also Itera Company, which offers a higher
price. The company is currently negotiating with the Government of
Armenia for trust management of the plant.

Earlier Itera Group held a 10% stake in ArmRusgasprom CJSC and sold it
to Russian Gazprom. Nairit plant was the only producer of chloroprene
rubber in the USSR. In 1989 it was closed due to ecological reasons.

The plant re-started its operations in 1992-1993. In 2001 production
capacities necessary for the production of chloroprene rubber were
separated from “Nairit”. In 2006, 90% of the shares of “Nairit”
were sold to British Consortium Rainoville Property Limited for 40
million US dollars. Rhinoville Property Limited holds 89,999% shares
in the plant, the Armenian Ministry for Energy and Natural Resources –
4.496%, and ArmRusgasprom – 3.569%, Yerevan TPP – 1.907%.