Author: Kalantarian Kevo

BRIEF: AZERBAIJANI FM COMMENTS ON ARMENIAN PRESIDENT’S STATEMENTS
S.Agayeva

Trend
July 28, 2011
Azerbaijan

July 28–“A man whose hands are stained with blood and whose career
is based on a number of crimes has neither moral nor intellectual
right to comment on another head of state’s statement,” Azerbaijani
Foreign Ministry Spokesman Elkhan Polukhov told Trend.

Polukhov was commenting on Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan’s
statement at a joint press conference with the Polish President
in Yerevan.

“A man, who drove Armenia to economical and political impasse for
the sake of himself and his personal interests, and who does not
care about problems of its own population, discusses the values of
humanism and democracy forgetting to look at himself,” Polukhov said.

YEREVAN EXPECTS EU ASSISTANCE TO DEMOCRACY IN KARABAKH

Interfax
July 28, 2011
Russia

YEREVAN. July 28

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan expects EU financial and technical
assistance to Karabakh democratic reforms.

“Democracy is an absolute truth. We welcome the assistance of the
EU in the strengthening of democratic institutions in Karabakh,”
he replied to an Interfax question at a joint press conference with
Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski.

“Karabakh is waiting for such assistance,” Sargsyan said.

Presidential and parliamentary elections in Karabakh meet international
standards, and presidential power is not inherited, he said.

“EU assistance to Karabakh is absolutely necessary,” he said.

Komorowski said in turn that Poland has called for settling complicated
problems on the principles of territorial integrity and rights of
nations to self-determination.

DARCHINYAN VS. MBAMBA ON SEPTEMBER 3

BoxingNews24.com

July 29, 2011

By Dan Ambrose: Bantamweight Vic Darchinyan (36-3-1, 27 KO’s)
will be taking a break from taking on world class opposition to
fight little known Evans Mbamba (18-1, 9 KO’s) in a 12 round bout on
September 3rd at the Karen Demirchyan Sports and Concerts Complex in
Yerevan, Armenia. This is going to be a nice easy home fight for the
35-year-old Darchinyan to rest up from the bantamweight tourney that
he just finished taking part in.

Mbamba, 29, has faced mostly limited opposition with mediocre records
until 2008, when started stepping it up against B class opposition. He
was beaten by Tomas Rojas by a lopsided 12 round decision when he
tried to step it up a level in 2009, and then rebounded from that
victory recently against another C level opponent Michael Ramabeletsa.

Darchinyan recently defeated Yonnhy Perez by a 5th round stoppage
last April to capture the International Boxing Organization (IBO)
bantamweight strap. Before that, Darchinyan was outworked by Abner
Mares in a 12 round split decision loss in December 2010.

Darchinyan needs to seriously consider moving back down in weight to
the super flyweight or flyweight. He’s not the dominant fighter that
he once was since moving up to the bantamweight division in 2009.

Darchinyan is still among the best in the division but not the very
best fighter like he used to be when fighting at the lower weights.

WHO IS THE NEXT?

news.am
July 29, 2011
Armenia

The mainstream media focused attention on Turkish Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan’s “complex” about apologies”. In fact, this year the
Turkish PM demanded “apologies” from Germany, Israel and Armenia.

1.Germany

“Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan demanded an apology from
German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Friday over recent accusations
that Turkey is not taking sufficient steps toward resolving the Cyprus
issue,” Hurriyet Daily News and Economic Review reported.

“It is meaningful that the Chancellor of Germany carries her populist
politics into Cyprus. Those statements do not give the impression of
a leader with vision. We say that Merkel should revise her knowledge
of history and apologize,” Erdogan told his deputies during a Justice
and Development Party, or AKP, parliamentary group meeting in Ankara.”

“The harsh comments came after Merkel described the Turkish Cypriot
presence in northern Cyprus as an “invasion” during a recent visit
to southern Cyprus. She criticized Turkey and Turkish Cypriots for
not doing enough to reach a deal with Greek Cypriots.”

“Merkel’s statements not only hurt but they also reflect a lack
of historical knowledge and contradict statements she made in the
past,” Erdogan said. “Merkel showed how unfamiliar she is with Cyprus
dispute.”

Stressing that the European Union and the United Nations were
ultimately responsible for the negotiations, Erdogan said they were
still looking for a criminal and blamed Turkey. However, Turkey would
not give away a single gram of northern Cyprus, he said.

2.Israel

“Relations between Israel and Turkey continue to be cold as the report
on what happened on board of the Turkish-flagged Mavi Marmara vessel
pertaining to a flotilla that was heading for Gaza with humanitarian
help is about to be read on the floor of the United Nations,” Metrolic
reports referring to the confrontation between Israel and Turkey.

In spite of rumors about secret talks between Turkish and Israeli
leaderships to the purpose of thawing relations between two state that
used to have excellent relations, in a speech delivered on Friday to
the parliament Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Recep Erdogan gave no
sign of softening, and restated that there would be no improvement
in the relations between the two sides unless Israel presented an
apology for the loss of nine Turkish lives in the clash with the
Israeli Defense Forces during the boarding, on May 30, 2010.

Erdogan said that normalization was “unthinkable,” unless the Israelis
apologized for the “illegal act which is against international law,”
until payment was made to the relatives of those killed in “this
atrocious event,” and the embargo on Gaza was lifted.

The raising of the stakes by adding the lifting the embargo on Gaza
proves that Turkish Prime Minister feels that Israel may be in a
difficult spot right now and could consent to at least some of these
demands, though it is unconceivable that it would lift the blockade
on Gaza. Or maybe not.

Erdogan’s remarks in parliament come at the end of an European tour
Benyamin Netanyahu took to Europe, during which he visited France,
UK, Germany and two states in Eastern Europe: Romania and Bulgaria.

While in Bulgaria, Netanyahu practically promised the Bulgarians
something as big as a “merger” between the economy of Israel and that
of their country, signing more economic treaties and sealing off more
deals than Bulgarians had ever dreamt of.

Did he send a message to Ankara by proclaiming Bulgaria, one of the
poorest countries within the European Union, the strategic partner
of Israel in the Balkans, a place where Turkey has huge interests, or
was he just courting the Bulgarians for their vote in the U.N. General
Assembly in September in case Palestinians want to proclaim a state of
their one and demand official recognition? Or was he simply interested
in putting Bulgarian food on the table of the Israelis? Could have
been all three combined.

Israel agreed last year to pay compensations to the families of the
people killed in the IDF’s raid, and even to express regret for the
loss of their lives, but under no circumstance did it agree to offer
an apology, which would be in their eyes admitting that they had been
acting outside the frame of the international law, which they have
systematically denied.

Since the beginning of the inquiries in the case Israel affirmed that
the actions of the IDF were perfectly legitimate, though unfortunately
they resulted in loss of human lives.”

3. Armenia

“Israel can take solace that it is not the only country in the world
from which Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is seeking
an apology: On Wednesday he demanded one from Armenia as well,”
The Jerusalem Post reports.

“The Turkish news website Today’s Zaman, reporting on Erdogan’s current
trip to Azerbaijan, quoted him as saying that Armenian President Serzh
Sarksyan should apologize for calling on Armenian school children to
occupy eastern Turkey.

Sarksyan, asked by a student if Armenia would get back its “western
territories” along with Mount Ararat – an area of great historical
significance to Armenians – that’s now in Turkey, replied that
“it depends on you and your generation. I believe my generation
has fulfilled the task in front of us; when it was necessary in the
beginning of the ’90s to defend part of our fatherland – Karabakh –
from the enemy, we did it. I am not telling this to embarrass anyone.

My point is that each generation has its responsibilities and they
have to be carried out with honor.

The statement infuriated Turkey. According to Today’s Zaman, Erdogan
said Sarksyan’s behavior was a provocation and an attempt to fill youth
with hatred, which he said would lead Armenia’s youth into “darkness.”

“There cannot be such diplomacy. Sarksyan has made a very serious
mistake…. He must apologize,” Erdogan was quoted as saying.

Erdogan’s demand for an Armenian apology comes just a few days after
he threatened Israel with a “Plan B” – a further downgrading of ties –
if it did not apologize for last year’sMavi Marmara incident.

“What we see here is a pattern developing,” one Israeli diplomatic
source said of Erdogan’s most recent demand for an apology. “Who
is going to ask Erdogan to apologize for Turkey’s occupation of
northern Cyprus?”

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s senior forum of
eight ministers – a body known as the octet – met on Wednesday, but,
according to government officials, did not deal with the Mavi Marmara
issue because Strategic Affairs Minister Moshe Ya’alon was not present.

So, who is the next in the Turkish premier’s “list”?

ISRAELI DIPLOMAT: WHO SHOULD APOLOGIZE TO ERDOGAN FOR NORTHERN CYPRUS INVASION?

Panorama
July 29, 2011
Armenia

Turkish “Sondakika” news website informs that Israeli media have
made remarks on Armenian President’s viewpoint over the liberation
of Western Armenia and Turkish PM’s demands of apology.

Particularly, “Jerusalem Post” emphasized an Israeli diplomat as
saying: “And who should apologize to Erdogan for invading Northern
Cyprus?”

The Turkish media outlet highlights the irony of Israeli media, which
states Israel isn’t the only country, that Ankara demands an apology.

Armenia is also demanded to, which may console Israel.

GLOBAL INSIDER: IRAN-AZERBAIJAN RELATIONS

World Politics Review

July 29, 2011

Earlier this month, a clash between Iranian soldiers and Azerbaijani
border guards left one Azerbaijani guard dead. In an email interview,
Brenda Shaffer, a senior lecturer at the University of Haifa and a
visiting professor at the Azerbaijan Diplomatic Academy, discussed
Iran-Azerbaijan relations.

WPR: What has been the trajectory of Iran-Azerbaijan relations over
the past 10 years?

Brenda Shaffer: Iran’s policy toward Azerbaijan is one of the best
illustrations of the gap between Tehran’s ideological declarations and
its actual realpolitik-guided policies. Despite sharing a common Shiite
identity with Azerbaijan, Tehran has worked to undermine Azerbaijan’s
security since the latter’s independence.

Following the Soviet breakup, neighboring Armenia invaded Azerbaijan
in 1992, capturing 20 percent of its territory and turning more than
800,000 Azerbaijanis into refugees. Iran, in contrast to its official
ideology of solidarity with Muslims, is a close ally of Armenia,
having served as a critical supplier of food and fuel during the war
with Azerbaijan. In 2007, Iran opened a gas pipeline to Armenia,
an important lifeline for Yerevan, and has since built additional
common energy projects.

Iran supports Armenia in its conflict with Azerbaijan because it
fears that Azerbaijan could be a source of attraction to Iran’s
ethnic Azerbaijani minority, which comprises a third of the Iranian
population. Three majority ethnic Azerbaijani provinces in northwest
Iran border Azerbaijan. Iran does not allow its ethnic minorities,
which comprise 50 percent of its population, to educate their
children in their national languages, nor to use their language in
state institutions, such as courts.

In addition, to Iran’s chagrin, Azerbaijan maintains close security
cooperation with the U.S. and NATO. Since Azerbaijan borders Iran,
its role in nonproliferation policies toward Iran is quite important.

WPR: What are the main areas of cooperation and conflict in the
bilateral relationship?

Shaffer: Despite Iran’s fundamental opposition to Azerbaijan due to
its pro-U.S. policies and ethnic composition, on the surface both
Tehran and Baku are quite careful to maintain cordial diplomacy and
allow trade to develop between their peoples. For instance, Baku does
not make any formal overtures toward the ethnic Azerbaijanis in Iran.

On July 5, President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan convened a conference
of representatives of Azerbaijan’s diaspora communities. But as part
of its policy of not interfering in Iran’s internal matters, the
Azerbaijani government did not extend an invitation to representatives
of the Azerbaijani diaspora in Iran, the largest diaspora community
at 25 million.

In contrast, Tehran works to destabilize Azerbaijan through support for
radical Islamic groups in the country. In recent years, authorities
have uncovered a number of Iranian-sponsored cells in Azerbaijan
that have planned and attempted to conduct terrorist attacks against
government installations and foreign embassies in Baku.

In addition, Tehran openly opposes Baku’s official separation of
religion and state policies, as well as the fact that Azerbaijan has
not designated an official state religion, despite 90 percent of its
population being Shiite Muslims. Most recently, Iran has attacked
Azerbaijan’s policy of not allowing display of religious symbols,
such as girls’ head coverings, in schools. Ironically, Washington
and Tehran have found themselves on the same side on this issue,
with both condemning Azerbaijan’s domestic policy.

WPR: What are the wider regional and foreign policy implications of
the Iran-Azerbaijan relationship?

Shaffer: Washington may need to take a closer look at its policies
toward Azerbaijan. Baku pays a high price for its security cooperation
with the U.S. in terms of Iranian attempts to destabilize the country.

At the same time, Washington is often very critical of Baku’s
counterterrorism policies aimed at thwarting activities sponsored
from Iran and other external players.

The recent increase in tension between Iran and Azerbaijan, illustrated
by the border incident, has also had a negative impact on the
Nagorno-Karabagh peace process. This is due to the fact that Armenia
most likely views Azerbaijan as weakened by the Iranian threat. Thus
this development will encourage Armenia to harden its positions.

STIR RAISED BY OFFICIAL ANKARA MAKES MORE FUN THAN CONCERN – EXPERT

news.am
July 29, 2011
Armenia

YEREVAN. – Incessant stir raised by official Ankara makes more fun than
concern, former Karabakh FM Arman Melikyan told the journalists on
Friday commenting recent reaction of Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan
on Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan’s statement.

Sargsyan met with the students and answered their questions. In reply
to a question, he stated that the return of Western Armenia remains
for the coming generation to achieve. During his visit in Baku on
Wednesday, Turkish PM stated that Sargsyan’s speech was provocative
and demanded an apology from him.

According to Melikyan, Erdogan follows a certain objective and
independently of the political situations in which Turkey appeared
his steps reveal certain logic.

SERZH SARGSYAN: TRADE VOLUMES BETWEEN ARMENIA AND POLAND NOT SUFFICIENT

Panorama
July 29, 2011
Armenia

President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan and President of Poland Bronslaw
Komorowski have had a meeting on Thursday with Armenian and Polish
businessmen: “Similar meetings, conferences, panel discussions
contribute to establish new contacts and new waves for cooperation.

They effectively contribute to reinforcement of commercial relations,”
Serzh Sargsyan said.

President said the Armenian-Polish economic relations have been
efficiently developing within the recent 20 years, which is conditioned
by a number of bilateral agreements.

“We aren’t satisfied with the trade volumes – $32 million is a tiny
figure for our capacities. I think, mutual efforts should be put forth
to improve Armenian-Polish bilateral relations. I’m happy we could
record some progress during the recent two years – Yerevan and Warsaw
hosted inter-governmental committee sessions on economic cooperation,
Warsaw-Yerevan flight has been confirmed.”

US HIGHLY APPRECIATES ONGOING LEGAL REFORMS IN EXPORT CONTROLS IN ARMENIA

news.am
July 29, 2011
Armenia

YEREVAN. – U.S. highly appreciates the ongoing legal reforms in export
controls Armenia, as well as the application of relevant procedures,
Head of the Department for Arms Control and International Security at
Armenian MFA Samvel Lazarian stated at the meeting with U.S. Acting
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Non-Nuclear and Counter-Proliferation
Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation Ann Ganzer.

The meeting stressed the work on modernization of customs offices
in northern Armenia in accordance with international standards,
the press service of Armenian MFA informed Armenian News-NEWS.am.

The sides also discussed the further strengthening of effective
cooperation between Armenia and U.S. in the mentioned fields.

ISRAEL DOES NOT CONSIDER ARMENIA “DANGEROUS” COUNTRY

Israel Defense Forces have published the list of countries its
officers are barred to visit. Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey, Chechnya,
southern parts of Thailand, Kashmir, Egypt, Jordanian, and Tunis are
among the countries included in list of “banned” countries.

Armenia has been removed from the list, Israel-a-Jom newspaper reports.

At the beginning of the year, Armenia was included in the list of
“unfavorable countries for Israeli visitors” by Israeli national
staff for struggle against terror.