Author: Kajoyan Gevork

STREET IN YEREVAN TO BE NAMED AFTER HENRY VERNON

03:56 pm | Today | Official

A delegation headed by Yerevan Mayor Taron Margaryan arrived in
Marseille on June 21 to participate in the events marking the 20
anniversary of the friendship and cooperation treaty between the
two cities.

Upon the arrival, the Yerevan mayor was received by his Marseille
counterpart Jean-Claude Gaudin. The latter stressed that the
cooperation between the two cities must be comprehensive and equivalent
to the high-level relations.

Mr. Gaudin said they highly assess the friendly relations between
the two cities and promised to take all necessary steps to further
deepen these relations.

Taron Margaryan, in his turn, expressed gratitude for the official
invitation saying that the 20-year long cooperation is another
testimony of ancient-long friendship between Armenia and France.

On the same day, the Yerevan mayor met with the representatives of the
French-Armenian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and representatives
of business community.

Talking to Patrick Malakian, the son of French Armenian film director
Henry Vernon, the Yerevan Mayor said the municipality is considering
the issue of renaming a street in Yerevan in honour of the prominent
film director. Patrick Malakian promised to assist projects underway
in Yerevan.

Marseille has been a sister city with Yerevan since 1992.

BULGARIA’S AMBASSADOR PRESENTS CREDENTIALS TO ARMENIAN PRESIDENT

ARMRADIO.AM
22.06.2012 13:57

The newly appointed Ambassador of Bulgaria to Armenia, Georgy
Karastamatov, presented his credentials to Armenian President Serzh
Sargsyan, President’s Press Office reported.

The President congratulated the Ambassador on starting his diplomatic
mission in our country and voiced hope that he would contribute to
the reinforcement of Armenian-Bulgarian relations and would succeed
in all his endeavors targeted at the development of cooperation in
different spheres.

The parties stressed that the centuries-old friendship and warm
attitude between the Armenian and Bulgarian peoples is a favorable
basis for the continuous development of relations.

President Sargsyan and Ambassador Karastamatov attached importance
to the expansion of the legal framework, active reciprocal visits
on different levels, intensification of the activity of the
Armenian-Bulgarian Intergovernmental Commission on Trade-Economic
and Scientific-Technical Cooperation, which will promote the growth
of commodity turnover between the two countries.

The interlocutors stressed the importance of cooperation within
international organizations.

“INTEGRATION OF AZERBAIJAN INTO EUROPE” MULLED IN PARIS

TODAY.AZ

22 June 2012

Paris has today hosted the conference entitled “Integration of
Azerbaijan into Europe: challenges and prospects.”

Chairwoman of Organization of Integration of Azerbaijani Youth into
Europe ( (AGAT) Gulsel Safarova opened the conference by saying that
the event on “Integration of Azerbaijan into Europe: challenges and
prospects” was co-organized by the AGAT, the Embassy of Azerbaijan
in France and France-Azerbaijan Youth Association by the support of
“Gazelli” and “AG Bank.”

AGAT chairwoman Gulsel Safarova informed the guests about her
organization and said they are working for the development of
Europe-Azerbaijan relations, intensification of youth activity in this
field and strengthening cooperation with the European organizations.

AGAT founded in 2007 has so far implemented joint projects with
the European Union, COuncil of Europe and European foundations. The
organization joined the France network in 2010 and managed to reailzed
a number of projects in Azerbaijan, Paris and Strasbourg.

Azerbaijani Ambassador to France Elchin Amirbeyov spoke about
the integration of Azerbaijan into Europe. Minister recalling the
historical connection of Azerbaijan and Europe in the economy, culture
and humanitarian spheres said that today Azerbaijan was completely
sharing the values of Europe and Euro-Atlantic institutions. He
informed the audience about the establishment of Azerbaijan Democratic
Republic in 1918, its loyalty to democratic values and the close
cooperation between Europe and the first democratic republic in the
East. After that he made a short historic excursus on the cooperation
with European institutions after the restoration of independence of
the Republic of Azerbaijan. Diplomat also stressed that the main
obstacle for Azerbaijan is the Armenian occupation of Azerbaijani
lands and non-solution of Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

Amirbeyov also touched upon Azerbaijani-France relations and underlined
the significance of development of friendly relation between Azerbaijan
and France within the European integration program.

Representative of the Center of Strategic Studies under
the Presidential Administration Gulmira Rzayeva told about the
Azerbaijan’s oil and gas policy toward the integration into Europe
and its contributions to European energy security.

Law Professor of Baku State University Fazil Zeynalov spoke about
the legal aspects of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict and Armenian
occupation policy.

Then the participants of the conference discussed other common
themes. The participants shared different ideas and thoughts on such
items as the role of Azerbaijan in South Caucasus, the relations with
Turkey, Russia, Iran, and Georgia, as well as relations with France
and Europe in educational sphere, the obstacles in the solution of
Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

UNIVERSITE GALATASARAY : ” REUNION DE REBELLES DU PKK ”

Publié le : 21-06-2012

Info Collectif VAN – – En avril 2012, le
journal islamiste turc Yeni Akit (et ses variantes telles que
Haber Vaktim ou Sonsayfa), connu pour ses invectives xénophobes et
antisémites, fustige l’Université Galatasaray et le professeur
Ahmet Insel. Ce dernier Рancien Vice-Pr̩sident de Paris 1,
maître de conférences d’Economie a Galatasaray et a Paris 1 –
aurait fomenté une ” Réunion de rebelles du PKK ” (sic) dans les
locaux de la faculté. Le Collectif VAN propose la traduction de cet
article et met a disposition un dossier de quatre articles traitant
du partenariat entre l’Université Paris 1-Sorbonne et l’Université
Galatasaray d’Istanbul.

Légende photo: Université Galatasaray d’Istanbul (Turquie)

Dossier pr̩par̩ par le Collectif VAN Р18 juin 2012 sur le
Partenariat ” Université Paris 1-Sorbonne/Université Galatasaray
” d’Istanbul

ARTICLE 1

Sonsayfa*

Le 25 avril 2012

Une invitation de l’Université de Galatasaray adressée au PKK

Le représentant d’Akit a Ankara, Yener Dönmez, a démasqué le DPI
(NdT : Democratic Progress Institute), l’organisation-vitrine du groupe
terroriste PKK, en train de préparer une réunion le 28 Avril dans
les locaux de l’Université de Galatasaray.

La liste des participants a cette réunion scandaleuse, fermée a la
presse, est tombée entre les mains de HaberVaktim [NdT : organisation
annexe d’Akit].

D’après les informations fournies par Dönmez, une réunion d’une
organisation soi-disant internationale, le DPI, est prévue le 28
avril. Elle doit avoir lieu a l’Université de Galatasaray, réputée
pour ses membres appartenant a la confrérie des francs-macons.

Le DPI est une organisation vitrine du KHRP (Kurdish Human Rights
Project) : les deux associations ont leur siège a la même adresse
en Angleterre. Kerim Yildiz, le directeur du DPI, est l’organisateur
de la réunion. Kerim Yildiz est en même temps le président du
KHRP. Le KHRP a été fondé par Kerim Yildiz et Stuart, l’avocat
d’Abdullah Ocalan.

Le KHRP suit tous les procès contre la Turquie intentés par le PKK
auprès de la Cour Européenne des Droits de l’Homme. Sur son site
web, il y a la carte du Kurdistan avec ses territoires a cheval sur
la Turquie, la Syrie, l’Iran et l’Irak.

Voici comment la vérité sur cette réunion a été révélée

On a appris qu’a la tête de la branche pour la Turquie de
l’organisation DPI se trouvait Ahmet Insel, connu comme partisan des
thèses défendues par les Arméniens.

D’ailleurs, Ahmet Insel, qui avait initié la campagne “Nous nous
excusons auprès des Arméniens” en relation avec le prétendu
génocide arménien, a participé hier a la commémoration du 24
avril a Erevan.

Les réactions pleuvent de la part des familles de martyrs [NdT :
victimes de la guerre contre le PKK]

Une information importante concernant cette “réunion du PKK” est
qu’elle sera fermée a la presse.

HaberVaktim a recu la liste des participants a cette scandaleuse
réunion, fermée a la presse.

Il y a des noms intéressants dans cette liste.

Pour essayer d’obtenir le soutien du gouvernement, le DPI a également
invité des journalistes proches de l’AKP [NdT – Parti islamiste
au pouvoir].

A cet égard, il y a des noms particulièrement intéressants dans
la liste, les uns plus curieux que les autres.

Ceci dit, la participation de ces personnes a la réunion de
l’Université de Galatasaray ne sera connue que le 28 avril!

Une liste-choc sera publiée dans HaberVaktim une fois que toutes
ces personnes auront été contactées individuellement.

Traduit du turc par O.M et A.A pour le Collectif VAN – 18 juin 2012 –
07 :00 –

Titre original en turc : ” G.Saray Universitesi’nde PKK’lılara
davet ”

* Articles de même nature sur:

Lire aussi:

Université Galatasaray : Ethem Tolga donne des gages aux islamistes

Turquie : Journalisme de caniveau et liberté académique

Huffington Post : ” Les liaisons dangereuses de nos universités ”

Retour a la rubrique

Source/Lien : Sonsayfa

AZERBAIJANI GOVERNMENT PLOTS AGAINST UNION OF AZERBAIJANI CINEMATOGRAPHERS

Azerireport

BAKU. June 21, 2012: Today, a group of well known actors, film
directors and film producers of Azerbaijan established the Union
of Azerbaijani Cinematographers. A union of cinematographers under
a similar name already exists and is headed by Rustam Ibrahimbeyov,
famous Azerbaijani writer and author of many successful movie screens,
including the “Burnt By the Sun” which received the Academy Award
under the foreign movie nomination in 1994. Rustam Ibrahimbeyov
had a fallout with the Azerbaijani government after he started
participating in the work of the Forum of Intelligentsia which sharply
criticized the authoritarianism and corruption in Azerbaijan. The
Azerbaijani government expressed its discomfort with the fact that
Rustam Ibrahimbayov voiced dissent while heading a quasi-state
organization which was intended to trumpet the propaganda line of
the Azerbaijani government. This discomfort was expressed in the
government owned newspapers, the TV channels and Radio, where the
people who described themselves to be “the true intelligentsia”
attacked Rustam Ibrahimbeyov’s credentials. The establishment of
the new organization under the same name of the Union of Azerbaijani
Cinematographers followed the unsuccessful attempts of the Azerbaijani
government to unseat Rustam Ibrahimbeyov in the existing Union of
Azerbaijani Cinematographers.

The actress Shafiga Mamedova was elected a chairman of the new Union
of Azerbaijani Cinematographers. The Board membership includes Ayaz
Salayev- screenwriter, director of channel “Medeniyet” Jamil Guliyev,
director of “Space” TV channel, Vagif Mustafayev, film director
Oktay Mirgasimov, screenwriter Ramiz Fataliyev, artists and Mais
Agabekov and Yusif Guliyev, composer Siyavush Karimi, director of
the film studio “Azerbaijanfilm” Mushfik Khatamov , director of the
film studio “Narimanfilm” Nariman Mammadov. The local press was not
invited to the event but the Azerbaijani government was represented
by the Deputy Prime Minister Elchin Efendiyev and the Minister of
Culture Abulfaz Garayev.

Turan News Agency reports that in his speech at the constituent
assembly of a new organization, Vagif Mustafayev, a film director
and the board member of the newly established union, criticized the
Union of cinematographers led by Rustam Ibrahimbeyov and justified
the need for the establishment of an alternative structure.

Turan News Agency attempted to talk to Oktay Mirgasimov to find out
about his position. Mirgasimov said he could not give a comment on
the phone, and promised to do it later. At the same time, he justified
the creation of a new organization, described the existing situation
in the Azerbaijani cinema as “crisis” and expressed a hope that the
situation in the Azerbaijani cinematography would improve.

Another participant of the event, Ayaz Salayev told Turan, that he
was not the initiator of this meeting. “I was invited, and I went,
because I have hopes that the new alliance will bring the development
of the Azerbaijan cinematography,” he said.

Turan News Agency managed to get some comments from Rustam Ibrahimbeyov
on this topic. Rustam Ibrahimbeyov said he was not surprised to see
this development and added the following: “Creating another Union at
present is irrational. Moreover, the meeting of a union on creative
activities was attended by the members of the Azerbaijani government,
suggesting the involvement of the authorities in this scheme.”

Answering the question if a new union was established as an alternative
to his organization, Ibrahimbeyov said he could not rule out that the
establishment of a new organization was meant to serve that purpose. He
said that it is easy to establish an organization, but the main
thing is the goal of the organization. “Now, if the new union helps
to raise cinema, we will be happy, ” he said. “They (the Azerbaijani
government -ed.) did not allow us create a school of filmmakers, the
festival and other initiatives. If the new organization succeeds in
doing all of this, let them do it by all means,” said Ibrahimbeyov.

Speaking on how he regarded the transfer of his colleagues to the new
Union, namely the participation of Oktay Mirgasimova, Ayaz Salayev and
several others in the new organization, Ibrahimbeyov said everyone was
free to make a choice. “It is not a question of law; it is a question
of conscience. To be honest, I was surprised by their actions. But as
for Vagif Mustafayev, I am not surprised. Ten years ago, we excluded
him from the Union for unethical behavior,” said Ibrahimbeyov

RUSSIA INTENDS TO PROTECT ITS INTERESTS IN CAUCASUS – PAPER

tert.am
22.06.12

While the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) is preparing
for its Caucasus 2012 drills, trainings involving military equipment
and armament have been launched in Russia’s south and Armenia, says
the Russian newspaper Nezavisimaya Gazeta.

“The exercises are thought to fall within the routine plan. But judging
by all, they bear a direct relationship to the increased geopolitical
and military tension in the Caspian region, Iran and Syria, as well
as the Karabakh conflict,” it comments.

According to the publication, the Southern Military District has
confirmed its plan to hold special tactical exercises in its shooting
gallery, Sernovodsky. “While they are in process, the troops will be
working to find the clues to secret governance, by using up-to-date
information technologies and radio equipment,” says the paper, adding
that the exercises will attract the South Ossetian and Abkhazian
subdivisions, as well as the Russian military base stationed in
Armenia’s second largest city of Gyumri.

The author of the article, Vladimir Mukhin, has quoted Defense
Minister Seyran Ohanyan’s statement promising to enhance the forces’
combat readiness.

“Such military trainings, expecting to see the Russian paratroopers’
visit to Armenia, cause, mildly speaking, a vigilant reaction by the
neighboring Georgia and Azerbaijan,” he says, noting that exercises
involving the Caspian navy are now being held in the Caspian Sea.

“The Russian authorities are, in this manner, paying an increased
attention to the strengthening of defense in the Caspian region
and the Caucasus. As for the region’s demilitarization, that’s not
absolutely at issue. Moscow intends to resort to different methods,
including force, to protect its interests,” Mukhin adds.

The Cold War Between Turkey And Iran – Analysis

By: Published by the Foreign Policy Research
Institute

June 21, 2012
By Can Kasapoglu

With American clout in the Middle East on the decline, the historic power
struggle between Turkey and Iran has intensified, each attempting to fill
the vacuum in the region by expanding its influence. Syria and Iraq have
become the battlefields between Turkey and Iran. In Syria, a proxy war is
underway, with Iran supplying weapons to its Alawite client and Turkey
actively arming the opposition. In Iraq, Turkey and Iran vie for political
influence along Sunni-Shiite fault lines. In neither arena is Turkey seen
as the regional leader it aspires to be.
NEO-OTTOMANS VS. PERSIANS ON A MIDDLE EAST CHESSBOARD
[image: Iran – Turkey Relations]

Iran – Turkey Relations

The US withdrawal from Iraq, and its corresponding decline in regional
influence, has left a power vacuum in the Middle East. Two historic rivals,
Turkey and Iran, have stepped into the fray; each hoping to extend its
influence at the expense of the other. With Syria and Iraq serving as the
battlefields, the lines of battle have been drawn mostly along Sunni-Shiite
sectarian divisions.
In Syria, where the Sunni majority is struggling to overthrow the Alawite
Assad regime, Turkish-Iranian differences can have dire consequences for
Arab lives. A proxy war has effectively developed, with the Iranians
supplying weapons to their Alawite clients and Turkey actively arming the
opposition.

The victims of the recent massacre in Houla, who numbered more than 100,
half of whom were children, served as pawns in the regional game between
the ancient rivals. Tehran sided with the Assad regime in claiming that the
murders were perpetrated by terrorists and foreign forces. Whereas Ankara
demanded that Syria withdraw its diplomats from Turkey within 72 hours. The
Turkish foreign ministry also threatened to take further `measures’ if
such
crimes against humanity continued in Syria.

In contrast with the Syrian scenes of carnage, the Turkish-Iranian showdown
in Iraq includes less bloodshed and more political maneuvering. Ankara and
Tehran each has its favored political groups and personalities. The pro-
Iran Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and the pro-Turkish Sunni Vice
President Tarek Hashimi each serves as a respective `man in Baghdad.’

Under pressure from the Iran-aligned Maliki, an arrest warrant was issued
for Hashimi on charges of running death squads against Iraqi Shiites.
Interpol subsequently issued its own arrest warrant for Hashimi. However,
the erstwhile vice prime minister has found refuge in Turkey, and Ankara
has made clear that it is not about to hand over its man in Baghdad.

Clearly, a Cold War has developed between Turkey and Iran in the Middle
East. While so far tensions have remained relatively stable, there is a
real possibility of things heating up.
SYRIA: THE PROXY WAR

In Syria, the dictatorship of Bashar al-Assad is coming under increasing
pressure from an expanding insurgency. Ankara has offered sanction and
armed and moral support to the opposition.

Turkey’s Hatay province has become the headquarters of the Free Syrian
Army, while the Friends of Syria, which is critical of Assad held a meeting
in Istanbul on April 1, 2012.

Turkey’s Foreign Minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, has told the Turkish Parliament
that Damascus has the blood of innocents on its hands, and that Turkey
`would not offer its hand to such a regime unless it cleans itself up.’

In contrast, Iran continues to support the Baathist regime politically and
militarily. Iran even acknowledges that its Quds Forces, the arm of the
Revolutionary Guards tasked with overseas operations, has conducted
operations in Syria. Ismail Gha’ani, the deputy head of the Quds force, has
claimedthat,
`Before our presence in Syria, too many people were killed by the
opposition but with the physical and non- physical presence of the Islamic
republic, big massacres in Syria were prevented.’

There is also reason to believe that Iran’s Lebanese ally, Hezbollah, has
played a supportive role in the bloody crackdown.
Syria has become the test field of Ankara’s and Tehran’s proxy war
capabilities. Iran is much more experienced in waging proxy wars in a wide
array of areas, ranging from Afghanistan to Lebanese Hezbollah and
Palestinian radical Muslims. However, as atrocities similar to the Houla
massacre continue to mount, there is increasing risk that the low intensity
conflict could provoke a military intervention.

The scenario of an intervention would be a game changer. Currently, Iran
can leverage its superior experience in proxy warfare. However, Turkey
holds the advantage with regard to conventional warfare capacity. Thus,
Iran can have the upper hand as long as the Syrian crisis does not force a
military intervention by the West and/or Turkey.
IRAQ: THE POLITICAL CONTEST

Ever since the American departure from Iraq, Turkey and Iran have each
tried to use their weight to affect the political makeup of the country and
extend their influence. The competition first surfaced in the parliamentary
elections of 2010 when Ankara supported the relatively secular and Sunni
dominated Iraqiya party, which included Hashimi’s Renewal List. Tehran on
the other hand, stood behind the State of Law Coalition, which included
Maliki’s Islamic Da’awa Party, and other Shiite Islamist groups which
gathered under the National Iraqi Alliance bloc.

Although the Sunni Iraqiya garnered two seats more than the State of Law
Coalition in the elections, Maliki managed to keep his position as prime
minister by consolidating his power with the more radical, pro-Iran Shiite
groups of the National Iraqi Alliance, including the Sadrists and Supreme
Iraqi Islamic Council. Maliki has gradually seized greater personal control
over the country by simultaneously retaining multiple critical posts, such
as acting interior minister, defense minister and national security affairs
minister.

It was under these circumstances that the pro-Ankara Vice President Hashimi
was forced to flee the country. Hashimi first took refuge with the regional
government of Northern Iraq, and then travelled to the Sunni Gulf states
before settling in Turkey.
In Iraq, the regional Sunni-Shiite fault lines are clearly visible. Baghdad
has aligned itself with Iran in support of the Alawite regime in Syria. It
has blocked an attempt by the Arab League to adopt a harsh resolution
against Assad’s crackdown.

The formation of a Shiite bloc has corresponded with a Turkish-Iraqi
divergence, which peaked in April 2012, when Maliki labeled Turkey `a
hostile state.’ This statement was made in response to Prime Minister
Erdogan’s accusation against the Maliki administration of fomenting
sectarian tensions in Iraq.

Ankara responded to the Shiite bloc by deepening its ties with Sunnis and
with Kurds in northern Iraq, in addition to hosting Tarek Hashimi in
Istanbul.

Turkish-Iraqi, and sectarian, tensions have simmered to the point that they
have been manifest on the street. On May 19 there were anti-Turkey
demonstrations and a burning of the Turkish flag in Basra, a Shiite
province. These acts infuriated the Turkish public.
TURKISH REGIONAL LEADERSHIP?

Adherents of the Turkish foreign policy doctrine, the so-called Davutoglu
Doctrine, wish to see Turkey as the rising star of the region; as the
leader of a regional `spring.’ Turkish Foreign Minister Davutoglu has
declared that, `Turkey will lead the change in the Middle East as its
master and servant.’

However, in Syria and Iraq the `Arab Spring’ has turned into the sectarian
winter of the Islamic world, with Turkey as a problematic protagonist, not
a leader. Early on, Davutoglu promoted a ‘zero problems with neighbors’
foreign policy, which aimed to enhance Turkey’s power in the historical
Ottoman territories and promote integration for making national borders
meaningless -all in an attempt to restore Turkish (Ottoman) regional
hegemony. Yet Turkey’s involvement in Shiite-Sunni conflicts renders this
doctrine an unattainable utopia. None of the local players see Turkey as
the regional leader it aspires to be.

Author:
Can Kasapoglu, who holds a Ph.D. from the Strategic Research Institute at
the Turkish War College, is a visiting post-doctoral researcher at the
Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies. This essay is reprinted with
permission from BESA Perspectives, No. 172, June 11, 2012, published by The
Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies.
About the author:

Published by the Foreign Policy Research
Institute

Thousands Protest Arrest and Dismissal of Van Mayor

hetq
14:59, June 20, 2012

Thousands took to the streets on Saturday to protest the dismissal of
Van Mayor Bekir Kaya of the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) from his
post by the Turkish Interior Ministry.

The Ministry of Interior relieved Van Mayor Bekir Kaya of his duties
after authorities arrested him as part of the ongoing probe into the
Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK) in the eastern province of Van.

Interior Minister �°dris Naim ��ahin approved the decision to relieve
Mayor Kaya of his duties despite the fact that his grace period to
appeal had not yet expired.

The letter sent to the Van Governor’s Office said Mayor Kaya had been
arrested on the charge of “membership in an armed organization” by
order of a court decision dating to June 10, 2012 and that it would be
appropriate to dismiss him.

“It has been decided to relieve Van Mayor Bekir Kaya of his duties as
an interim measure based on the authority granted upon the Ministry of
Interior in accordance with the fourth sub-clause of the
constitution’s 127th article and the 47th article of the 5393rd
Municipality Law, if deemed suitable,” the letter said.

International Organizations Sharply Criticize Repressions in Azerbaijan

BAKU. June 17, 2012. Major international organizations have issued
statements sharply criticizing the Azerbaijani authorities for
persecution of photo-reporter Mehman Huseynov, journalist Anar
Bayramli and others. These arrests are seen as the post-Eurovision
crackdown against civil society activists and the press that was
expected by many observers.

The Freedom House statement on this issue expressed “serious concern”
with these arrests and harassment. “The Azerbaijani authorities are
obliged to follow their obligations to the international community and
their own laws and respect the freedom of speech and expression,” said
Representative Susan Cork.

The International Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) called on
authorities to immediately stop the criminal case against Mehman
Huseynov. They regard his arrest as an outright suppression of the
rights and freedoms of the press. CPJ notes that after the Eurovision
Contest, officials announced a hunt for those involved in the project
“Sing in the name of democracy’ and those who denounced the violation
of human rights and freedoms, and called for a boycott of the ESC in
Baku. The command for an attack on civil society activists and the
press was unprecedented in its nature and came in a public speech
given by the main ideologue of the Presidential Administration, Ali
Hasanov, when he openly called for expression of `public hatred’
against the dissidents in Azerbaijan.

Another organization – Human Rights Watch – said in a statement that
the prosecution of Huseynov by the authorities was a response to the
campaign “Sing for the sake of democracy” and criticism of Eurovision,
as well as publications in the media of photo materials about police
violence against the opposition. Criminal cases and arrests of
Huseynov and others were a message from the authorities to other
opposition activists to punish them, crush their will to demand their
rights and defend freedom in the country, according to Human Rights
Watch. In this regard, the organization called on international
partners, in particular the European Broadcasting Union, to demand
that Azerbaijani authorities put an end to this vicious practice, and
to prevent further prosecution of the opposition. (Turan)

Al Ahram, Egypt
June 23 2012

France to regain access to Turkish energy industry

French companies may regain partial access to Turkey’s energy sector,
including its nuclear industry following the resumption of diplomatic
ties between the two countries

Turkey’s resumption of diplomatic ties with France means French
companies may regain some, if not full access to Turkey’s energy
sector, including its nuclear industry, Turkey’s Energy Minister Taner
Yildiz said on Friday.

After a meeting between Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and new
French President Francois Hollande, Ankara announced on Thursday it
would restore ties with France after a six-month hiatus in a dispute
over the 1915 mass killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turks.

Ankara cancelled all economic, political and military meetings with
Paris in December after France’s lower house of parliament voted
overwhelmingly in favour of a draft law to make it illegal to deny
that the killings amounted to genocide.

France’s highest court overturned the law two months later but the
Turkish measures, which included restrictions on French military
aircraft and ships landing or docking on its territory, have remained
in place.

Yildiz said the government expected an improvement in relations with
Hollande in power.

“I believe that this burden will be taken out or removed after the
meeting (Hollande) had with his excellency Erdogan,” Yildiz told
reporters during an economic forum in St. Petersburg, Russia.

“As the energy sector we are ready for a variety of cooperation with
France, although our projects and our business is really large and we
can not separate them from the international politics,” he said.

“Therefore we cannot ignore some political approaches that will affect
our industry. I believe that from now on the prospects will be much
better compared to the time of (Hollande’s predecessor Nicolas)
Sarkozy.”

Armenia, backed by many historians and parliaments, says about 1.5
million Christian Armenians were killed in what is now eastern Turkey
during World War One in a deliberate policy of genocide ordered by the
Ottoman government.

Turkey says there was a heavy loss of life on both sides during the
fighting in which Armenian partisans supported invading Russian
forces.

Ties weakened during Sarkozy’s term in office, when the former French
president was also an outspoken opponent of Turkish membership in the
European Union.

IRAN TIES

Noting Turkey’s relationship with Iran was “not like the relationship
of any European countries with Iran,” Yildiz said Turkey would
continue to import some Iranian crude oil after its sole refiner cut
imports of Iranian crude by 20 percent.

The EU itself has largely banned intake of Iranian crude from July 1.
Iran’s oil buyers around the world have been cutting imports to avoid
U.S. financial sanctions which aim to stop Iran’s nuclear programme
through effective limits on dollar transactions.

Washington is pressing Turkey to cut Iranian supplies over the next
six months or face sanctions, but the 20 percent cut has earned Ankara
a 180-day exemption from financial sanctions, during which Halkbank
can make payments for imports.

“The oil trade being done with Iran right now is not illegal. So trade
operations are being implemented within all of those laws and
regulations,” Yildiz, said, adding it was able to pay for oil in
Turkish lira.

He said the lost Iranian volumes would be replaced by Libyan and Saudi
Arabian crude, which have been in greater supply through increased use
of Saudi spare capacity and the recovery of the Libyan energy industry
from a violent uprising which ousted Muammar Gaddafi.