Author: Kalantarian Kevo

KARABAKH STATUS QUO CANNOT LAST LONG – BAKU OFFICIAL

news.az
Sept 6 2011
Azerbaijan

A top Azerbaijani official has said that the situation of “neither
peace, nor war” in the Karabakh conflict cannot go on indefinitely.

Ali Hasanov, head of the public policy department at the Presidential
Administration, made the comments to journalists in Baku on Tuesday.

He was responding to remarks by Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan on 1
September that “the people of Nagorno-Karabakh made full use of their
right to self-determination and gained the right to independence at
the expense of their blood”.

The presidential official restated Baku’s position that the conflict
could be solved only through Karabakh remaining part of Azerbaijan.

“We have stated many times that there is a simple formula in the
process of the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict: the
problem must be solved within the norms of international law,” Ali
Hasanov said.

“The Azerbaijani president has spoken about this formula many
times and stated what issues are on the agenda for negotiations:
i.e. the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan in Nagorno-Karabakh
must be restored and the national and ethnic civil rights of all the
population and peace in Nagorno-Karabakh must be secured. These norms
are known and the negotiations have been continuing on these norms for
several years. To put it simply, Armenia’s absence of will or the fact
that it does not depend on its own will or its non-constructiveness
or compulsion to non-constructiveness delay these processes.”

The head of the department said a solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh
problem would have to be found sooner or later. “The situation
of ‘neither war, nor peace’ cannot continue for long in the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The internally displaced people cannot
live in temporary settlements for a long time.”

He said that Azerbaijan was ready to continue talks to settle the
conflict.

“Azerbaijan does not think that the potential of negotiations on a
settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict has been exhausted.

The Azerbaijani president has stated many times that ‘if I feel that
the potential of negotiations has ended and they are continuing
only for their own sake, Azerbaijan will give up the negotiations
and restore its territorial integrity by other means,'” Hasanov
told journalists.

He said that Azerbaijan could not say for sure that the potential
had been exhausted. “The OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs, as well as other
institutions that participate in international peacekeeping processes,
allow us to think that this problem can be resolved peacefully through
pressure on Armenia.”

Hasanov said he could say nothing specific about the next meeting
between the Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents. There has been
speculation that the leaders will meet later this month on the
sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.

Hasanov criticizes the press

Addressing a training course in election rights for local officials
at the Central Election Commission on Tuesday, Ali Hasanov criticized
the quality of newspapers in Azerbaijan.

“Unfortunately, today newspapers in the country have lost their
position in terms of information. Now people believe information from
the TV and radio. Someone who reads the same news in a newspaper does
not believe that information without hearing it from the TV or radio.”

Hasanov accused newspapers of writing positive or negative information
about the same person for material interests. He said that they
wrote postively about a person if paid to do so, and negatively if
the person did not pay.

There are newspapers that “arrest” the most important ministers 10
times, and “sack” them 15 times, Hasanov continued.

He said that the law should be the basis of any work and underlined
the importance of transparency.

MILLIYET. DRAFT OF LAW ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE WILL BE SUBMITTED TO KNESSET

Panorama
Sept 6 2011
Armenia

Israel will surely prepare a counter attack against Turkey following
Turkish performance over UN report on “Mavi Marmara”. According to
Turkish “Milliyet” Israel will include the draft of law on recognition
the Armenian Genocide into its agenda again.

Referring to Israeli media, “Milliyet” informs Israeli officials are
angry with Turkey for dispelling Ambassador of Israel from Turkey
saying Turkey must answer for it and as for the Israeli soldiers
wounded during “Mavi Marmara” incident must get compensations.

“As soon as the parliament resumes its activities a draft of law
will be submitted on recognizing Armenian Genocide,” Arie Eldad,
Israeli MP said.

H. SAHAKYAN: AZERBAIJAN ESCAPES ANY DISCUSSION ON NK CONFLICT

Panorama
Sept 6 2011
Armenia

“Do the international community and Azerbaijan really have common
dispositions over the issue of Nagorno-Karabakh? Why does Baku keep
ignoring the appeals of that society? Maybe they have too in common
positions that Baku recommends dozens of proposals,” said Hovhannes
Sahakyan, a Member of Parliament from Republican faction.

According to the MP Azerbaijan escapes any meeting, discussion on NK
issue, that country directly or indirectly refuses recommendations
by the mediators.

“The world is tired of shows produced by Azerbaijan which surely
isn’t in favor to the conflict reconciliation,” said the official.

WIKILEAKS. ARF, THE PROTECTOR OF SAMTSKHE-JAVAKHETI

yerkir.am
12:23 – 06.09.2011

With the publication of all WikiLeaks cables from the US State
Department and its diplomatic missions wordwide, interesting
information has become available regarding many issues of concern to
Armenia and Armenians. One of these issues is the situation in Javakhk,
the Samtskhe-Javakheti administrative region in the south of Georgia,
bordering the Republic of Armenia.

WikiLeaks published cables with references to Javakhk, from US missions
in Tbilisi, Yerevan, Moscow, Ankara and Baku, as well as the State
Department number around one hundred.

The cables from the Ankara and Baku embassies are mainly regarding
the Kars-Akhalkalak-Baku railroad construction. There are references
to this railroad in cables from the US diplomatic missions in Yerevan
and Tbilisi.

12 February 2004 (Identifier: 04YEREVAN347)[i], about the official
openning ceremony in Yerevan of the Armenian Revolutionary
Federation-Dashnaktsutyun 29th World Congress. In the cable US
Ambassador Ordway writes: “Dashnak Party Chairman Hrand Margarayan’s
February 6 comments on relations with Turkey, N-K, and Georgia’s
Armenian population sparked renewed controversy among Armenia’s
political elite. Margaryan declared during his address to the
Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF or “Dashnaksutyun”) 29th
World Congress that the GOAM should not entertain closer relations
with Turkey, endorsed permanent independent status for all geographic
regions involved in the N-K conflict and called for autonomy for the
Armenian enclaves in Georgia’s Javakheti region. FM Vartan Oskanian,
who himself addressed the meeting before Margaryan’s speech, was
quick to distance himself and the GOAM from these statements during
press opportunities this week.”

Amb. Ordway goes on: “The most unexpected part of Margaryan’s. He
fell short of calling for an independent state and clarified that an
autonomous Armenian region should exist within the Georgian state.

Margaryan claimed that the Armenian Diaspora was increasingly
supportive of the ARF’s approach to Javakheti.” According to the
Ambassador, the “Speech creates headaches for the GOAM.” Oskanian
did not criticize Margaryan’s comments, but went to great lengths
to categorize them as ARF opinions that ‘do not reflect Government
of Armenia policy. November 2006 (Identifier: 06YEREVAN1645)[x],
US Embassy in Yerevan CDA Godfrey reports: “Georgia’s predominantly
Armenian Samstkhe-Javakheti (S-J) region periodically makes news in
Armenia, colored by the local perception here that Georgians treat
their Armenian minority shabbily. Armenian government officials
have not generally complained on this theme, but others, including
the governing-coalition Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF)
‘Dashnaktsutyun’ party, bemoan what they view as Georgian neglect of
the impoverished and isolated community. Working together, Yerevan
and Tbilisi poloffs recently interviewed the ARF, an Armenian-based
Javakheti advocacy group, and local analysts to assess the issue from
a Yerevan perspective”. “RUN-OF-THE-MILL POVERTY OR POLITICAL NEGLECT?

Giro Manoyan, a member of the nationalist ARF’s party secretariat
(or “Buro”) said that while the Armenian community’s situation has
improved under President Saakashvili, conditions in S-J remain worse
than that of other poor, but ethnically Georgian, regions.

ARMENIAN BAR ASSOCIATION HOSTS ‘RISING STARS’ AWARDS CEREMONY

asbarez
Tuesday, September 6th, 2011

ABA chairman Edvin Minassian with 2011 “20 Rising Stars Under 40”
honorees

PASADENA-The Armenian Bar Association held its inaugural “20 Rising
Stars under 40” awards ceremony on July 28 at the Pandora on Green
restaurant in Old Town Pasadena.

The Rising Stars award recognizes 20 Armenian legal professionals
under the age of 40 who have distinguished themselves in their
professions and who have made a meaningful impact on their respective
communities. This year’s honorees span the globe, coming from Toronto,
Boston, Hong Kong and Los Angeles, among other locations.

Master of Ceremonies Garo Hovannisian introduced each honoree to
enthusiastic applause. He noted that “each of the award recipients
has a remarkable story. Their accomplishments in their professions and
their commitment to community and Armenian interests set them apart.”

Hovannisian added that “we’re excited not only for their
accomplishments thus far, but for the prospect of what lies ahead for
each of them, both professionally and in terms of their contributions
to the advancement of the Armenian communities worldwide.”

Armenian Bar Chairman, Edvin Minassian, followed Hovannisian’s
introductory remarks. He noted that “Today’s Rising Stars award
recipients represent the best in the Armenian legal community. When we
honor them we likewise honor the profession we have chosen, one that
ultimately stands as a bulwark against arbitrary government and assures
that the rights of the individual shall remain at the forefront. By
the same token, today’s honorees are not only individuals to whom we
in the Armenian community may point with pride.

They are also, and ultimately more importantly, individuals who have
already made their professional mark in the larger society as well.”

The Bar Association’s Vice Chairman, Garo Ghazarian, also encouraged
the recipients to stay the course and continue to excel, both
professionally and with regard to their commitment to the Armenian
community.

The 2011 Rising Stars award recipients are Ani E. Ajemian (Sherin &
Lodgen, Boston, MA), Armen Akaragian (Mardirossian & Associates, Inc.,
Los Angeles, CA), Michael R. Amerian (Office of the Los Angeles City
Attorney, Los Angeles, CA), Henri Arslanian (UBS Investment Bank,
Hong Kong), Ara A. Babaian (Ervin Cohen & Jessup LLP, Beverly Hills,
CA), Nareg Gourjian (Gourjian Law Group, Glendale, CA), Annie P.

Marandjian-Hovanessian (Vulcan Materials Company, Los Angeles, CA),
Ara Jabagchourian (Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy LLP, Burlingame, CA),
Raffi Kassabian (Reed Smith, LLP, Los Angeles, CA), Lara Kayayan
(Home Savings of America, Los Angeles, CA), Karnig Kerkonian (The
Kerkonian Law Firm, LLP, Evanston, IL), Alex Khachaturian (White &
Case LLP, Washington, DC), Hovanes Margarian (The Law Office of Hovanes
Margarian, Sherman Oaks, CA), Armen S. Martin (Liner Grode et al.,
Los Angeles, CA), Mampre Pomakian (LAUSD, Office of General Counsel,
Los Angeles, CA), Suzanne J. Prysak (Jenner & Block, LLP, Chicago,
IL), Chris K. Safarian (Safarian & Choi, Los Angeles, CA), Nicole J.

Simonian (Bryan Cave LLP, Santa Monica, CA), and Fernand Vartanian
(ACE INA Insurance, Toronto, ONT, Canada).

More than 200 guests attended the gala awards ceremony. Among the
many prominent attendees were Zaven V. Sinanian (Judge, Los Angeles
Superior Court), Chahe-Philippe Arslanian (Judge, Superior Court,
Toronto, ONT, Canada), Antranig Kasbarian (Chairman, ARF Central
Committee, Eastern U.S., and Executive Director, Tufenkian Foundation),
Garo Mardirossian (immediate past president of the Consumer Attorneys
Association of Los Angeles), and Steven Dadaian, Esq., (Senior policy
advisor, Armenian National Committee). On a more personal note,
the ArmenBar is particularly gratified that so many family members
chose to accompany honorees, many traveling considerable distances
to participate in the ceremony. Their presence and obvious exuberance
added a measure of sparkle to what was an altogether enjoyable evening.

STEPAN GRIGORYAN ON KREMLIN’S INABILITY TO RESOLVE KARABAKH ISSUE

Tert.am
22:56 06.09.11

RIA Novosti has interviewd Stepan Grigoryan, an active participant
in the Karabakh national-liberation movement, member of the Karabakh
Committee at the Yerevan Physics Institute, deputy of the Armenian
Supreme Soviet in 1990-1995, one of Armenia’s most prominent political
scientists and head of the Analytical Centre on Globalisation and
Regional Cooperation.

Question: Why was the independence of the NKR proclaimed in September
1991?

Answer: To answer this question we should recall what happened in
the late 1980s. Perestroika intensified democratic attitudes in major
Soviet cities and evoked hopes for the restoration of justice regarding
the many national minorities in the country’s outskirts.

Thus, Armenians who were in the majority in the NGAR demanded its
return to the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic (ASSR) and the
restoration of usurped political, economic, and social rights.

These demands were strong enough in Armenia to produce a powerful
Armenian national movement in February 1988. This political force
broke the Armenian Communist Party’s long-standing monopoly on power.

Since its birth, the Karabakh movement carried a powerful democratic
impetus. Armenia was the first Soviet republic to adopt a new law on
elections in the middle of 1989. It allowed every Armenian citizen to
run for the elections to the Armenian Supreme Soviet by collecting
signatures of other citizens (before, the monopoly to nominate
candidates belonged to the Armenian communists) and have their own
elected representatives at all constituencies.

In May 1990, Armenia held free democratic elections to its Supreme
Soviet (now the National Assembly of Armenia) that allowed it to form
a multi-party parliament. It was this parliament that adopted laws
on the freedom of the media, on parties and public organizations,
and freedom of religion. It also endorsed a package of laws for the
transition to the market economy.

Regrettably, the communist Kremlin reacted negatively to all
initiatives set forth by Armenia and Nagorny Karabakh. The Kremlin
fully controlled the media and used it to flare up ethnic hate in the
South Caucasus. Many remember reports on the Karabakh conflict in the
Vremya TV program and articles in the newspapers Pravda and Izvestia.

It was impossible to understand anything from them except that
“extremists are staging rallies and marches” and that “people of
different nationalities were killed” during clashes. This was reported
at the time when peaceful rallies of several hundred thousand people
gathered on Freedom Square in Yerevan in 1988-1990. Apart from the
Nagorny Karabakh issue, they discussed the democratization of Armenian
society, freedom of speech, human rights, and fair and free elections.

According to the established Soviet, or rather imperial tradition,
the Kremlin decided to control the situation by turning different
ethnic, religious, and social groups against each other. When the
extraordinary session of the NGAR Soviet of People’s Deputies made
a political decision on February 20, 1988 to request the region’s
withdrawal from the Azerbaijan SSR and inclusion into the Armenian
SSR, it was the Kremlin personified by the CPSU Central Committee
Politburo rather than Azerbaijan that had a sore reaction to it and
later resorted to force. It is enough to recall Operation Ring that
special units of the Soviet Interior Ministry forces held with the
use of armor under the pretext of fighting illegal armed formations in
May-August 1991 in Armenian villages in the north of Nagorny Karabakh,
the Shaumyan district and the Getashen sub-region of Azerbaijan. This
operation led to the deportation of Armenians from these villages.

These actions consolidated the positions of the forces in Armenia and
Nagorny Karabakh that did not believe in the communist government’s
ability to resolve the Karabakh issue in a peaceful and fair way or
to reform the political system. Therefore, the Supreme Soviet of
Armenia adopted a declaration of independence on August 23, 1990,
a year before the State Committee on the State of Emergency (GKChP)
staged a coup. Its neighbors in the Caucasus passed similar documents
a year later.

The GKChP coup could not change anything in the position of the new
Armenian political elite with modern democratic views. Moreover,
the events around the Nagorny Karabakh issue led to the exodus of
Armenians from Azerbaijan after 1988. They showed the Kremlin’s
inability and likely reluctance to resolve the extremely serious
issues facing the nation.

There was a demonstrative difference in the approach of Armenia and
Nagorny Karabakh. Stepanakert linked more hopes with the central power
but after the Operation Ring and the end of the coup spearheaded by
the Karabakh leaders with hopes that Moscow will resolve the Nagorny
Karabakh issue.

Nagorny Karabakh decided to secede from the Azerbaijan SSR in full
conformity with the Soviet Constitution. I’d like to mention one
important fact that Baku wants to keep silent about. On August 30,
1991, the Azerbaijan Supreme Soviet adopted a resolution on restoring
the political independence of the Azerbaijan Republic based on the
proclamation of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (ADR), on May 28,
1918. The resolution makes modern Azerbaijan the legal successor of
the ADR. But at that time Nagorny Karabakh was not part of the ADR. I
think it wold be logical to assume that having proclaimed itself the
legal successor of the ADR, Azerbaijan thereby agreed to Karabakh’s
cessation. It’s important to also take into account the fact that
the League of Nations declared Nagorny Karabakh a disputed territory
in 1918.

Armenia was the only Soviet republic to gain its independence according
to Soviet laws (a republic wishing to secede had to make notice about
the start of the procedure a year in advance). During the coup, the new
leaders of Armenia had their concerns but they were bent on holding a
referendum on independence. It took place as planned on September 21,
1991, and 94% of Armenia’s population voted for its independence.

On December 10, 1991, in two months and a half and just a few days
before the Soviet Union’s official disintegration, the overwhelming
majority of the population in Nagorny Karabakh – 99.89% — voted at a
referendum for its complete independence from Azerbaijan. This event
was followed by large-scale military actions, which, as a result,
paved the way for Nagorny Karabakh’s independence, but this is a
whole different story.

EU STATEMENT ON HUMAN RIGHTS, FUNDAMENTAL FREEDOMS AND THE RULE OF LAW IN AZERBAIJAN

AZG DAILY
07-09-2011

On September 1 the European Union issued a statement on human rights,
fundamental freedoms and the rule of law in Azerbaijan. The statement
reads as follows:

“The European Union continues to closely monitor the situation of
human rights, fundamental freedoms and the rule of law in Azerbaijan.

We would like to express our concern about the recent demolition
of houses and the expropriation of property in the Baku area. In
particular, the EU is worried by the demolition on 11 August 2011 of
the Institute for Peace and Democracy’s office in Baku. The issue has
been aggravated by the fact that the destruction took place in spite
of a valid Court Judgement of 24 May 2011. We call on Azerbaijan
to thoroughly investigate this case and to honour respective legal
provisions in the domain of property rights. The EU will monitor
developments related to property rights in Azerbaijan and offers its
co-operation to discuss the best international practices that can be
used in this area.

The EU also remains concerned about the situation of political
prisoners in Azerbaijan. We have been alerted by the fact that on
25 August 2011, six citizens of Azerbaijan have been sentenced to
prison terms between 18 months and three years on the basis of their
participation in demonstrations that took place on 2 April 2011 in
Baku. Eight more defendants are awaiting trial. We take note that human
rights defender Mr Vidadi Iskenderov has been sentenced to three-year
imprisonment on 26 August and that he will appeal the verdict on the
basis that court proceedings in his case did not comply with fair
trial standards.

In this context, the EU calls on the Azerbaijani judiciary to
ensure fair, transparent and evidence-based trials, including
appeal processes. We call upon the Azerbaijani authorities to avoid
politicisation of the judicial process and to ensure that it is
respected. Moreover, recalling our statement of 19 May 2011, we are
concerned about the situation of the now imprisoned youth activists and
bloggers Bakhtiyar Hajiyev and Jabbar Savalan. We regret that on 15
August the Azerbaijani Ministry of Justice denied the German Federal
Government Commissioner for Human Rights Policy and Humanitarian Aid
visiting Azerbaijan access to Mr Hajiyev. The

EU is also disappointed to learn that the appeal courts in the cases
of both Hajiyev and Savalan have ruled to uphold the imprisonment
sentences. We welcome the intervention of the Representative on
Freedom of the Media in these two cases.

The EU expects Azerbaijan to fulfil its international obligations in
the field of human rights, including those stemming from the European
Convention on Human Rights. We call on the government of Azerbaijan to
extend an invitation to the Rapporteur of the Parliamentary Assembly
of the Council of Europe on Political Prisoners.

Finally, stressing that full respect for human rights, fundamental
freedoms and the rule of law is at the heart of the OSCE commitments,
as well as of the framework for co-operation within the Eastern
Partnership, we remain committed to assisting Azerbaijan in fulfilling
its respective commitments, particularly those assumed within the
OSCE framework. The EU invites Azerbaijan to provide updates on
developments with regard to all the matters we have raised today.”

FATHER AND UNCLE OF THE SOLDIER DRIVEN TO MADNESS IN ARMY ARE READY TO DEMAND JUSTICE IN THE REPUBLIC SQUARE

arminfo
Tuesday, September 6, 16:08

Father and uncle of the soldier of the NKR Defense Army Hovhanness
Vardanyan, who has proved in the psychiatric hospital, are ready to
take posters and rally in the Republic Square to get justice.

The video posted on Youtube by the initiative group “We will not keep
silent!” tells that the
comrade of Hovhaness Vardanyan informed the family of the soldier that
their son was taken to psychiatric hospital 9 days ago. Vardanyan’s
father tells that his son underwent medical examination twice and was
drafted by the Ararat Territorial Military Commission. He was healthy
and went for sports. He served normally a year and 2 months before
he had a quarrel with an officer. Hovhaness’s father was informed of
the incident with a delay of 17 days.

The territorial military commission called the incident a
misunderstanding. Vardanyan’s father phoned the commander of his son
to get more information on the incident. The commander explained
nothing. The Defense Ministry has not responded to the statements
of the soldier’s relatives since August 3. Vardanyan’s father tells
that when he visited the son in the hospital, he was given certain
documents saying that his son was excused from duty. The documents
tell nothing about the incident in the army. He was told that his
son got a fright and a shock. Vardanyan’s father declares that his
son was beaten up in the army and there are still signs of violence
on his legs and back. “I sent a healthy boy to army, and has got him
back from Karabakh in such state,” the father cried out.

The soldier in the video just repeats separate phrases going to and
fro, rolling on the ground and saying that he served well in Karabakh
but he was beaten up and raped. The uncle of the soldier Aram Virabyan
expressed indignation at the negligence of the higher instances to
the incident. “This negligence makes us leave for Karabakh and settle
accounts with the offenders. We are ready to rally in the square with
posters,” he said.

FRANCE WILL SUPPORT STATUS QUO

Lragir.am News

16:09:32 – 06/09/2011

Political scientist Igor Muradyan commented on Philippe Lefort’s
appointment as EUSR for South Caucasus

The newly-appointed EUSR for South Caucasus and the Crisis in Georgia
is going to pay a visit to the region, which aroused much interest
in the countries of the region.

Philippe Lefort used to serve as Head of the General Directorate of
the Continental Europe at the French Foreign Ministry, earlier he
worked as French ambassador to Georgia. Once, his visits to Abkhazia
as French ambassador aroused great interest, as well as, later as
Foreign Ministry official along with this German counterpart.

Philippe Lefort’s visit to Turkmenistan in connection with the
political and geo-economic problems was interesting too. According to
the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of the
European Union, Catherine Ashton, Philippe Lefort is an experienced
diplomat, he knows the region very well and perfectly fits this office.

We have to note also that the French diplomat is an excellent analyst
and subtly understands most delicate parts of politics in the South
Caucasus and other regions. It is difficult to say for sure why a
Frenchman was appointed to the post of EU Special Representative for
South Caucasus, but we can offer some considerations on this subject.

First of all, we should note that France has been a Co-Chair of OSCE
Minsk group for many years, as well as, France played a unique and
excellent role in the normalization of the Georgian-Russian war. But,
apparently, there are more principled factors of the appointment of the
French diplomat to this post. Perhaps, some key events happened which
have not been adequately reflected in the public debate – namely, the
current and potential capabilities and intentions of the United States
and Russia in the Black Sea and South Caucasus have been clarified.

Briefly, Russia demonstrated an evident failure in the regional
politics and its dreams on “equidistance” from Armenia and Azerbaijan
faded away and in this stage, Russia did everything to hold away
Armenia and the Armenian nation, at the same time, it will not get
anything from its relations with Azerbaijan and Turkey.

United States returned to the original plans to strengthen its presence
in the interior regions of Eurasia and began to ignore Russia’s
interests and positions in all functional and geopolitical lines. But,
despite the fact that the U.S. position seems to be more active than
Russia’s, the Americans do not feel any enthusiasm for the nomination
of any new initiatives to resolve conflicts and problems in the region.

In a way, Russia’s policy during the last 10 years greatly contributed
to establishing and strengthening of the U.S. positions which is
satisfied with the current situation of all countries and the general
alignment of forces in the South Caucasus. In the current situation,
appeared the demand for a “third” party, which can only be the
European Union, but rather, France, which represents the interests
of Europe. It is quite clear that, unlike the U.S. and Russia, the
Europeans do not have the necessary operational capabilities needed
for the influence in a region like the South Caucasus, but this does
not mean that Europe assumes a passive role in the politics of the
region and prefers to just watch the regional processes.

In order to understand the positions of France and its partners
in Europe in the regional policy, it is necessary to attentively
consider the political events in the Arab countries, first of all,
in Libya and Syria. At the same time, it is necessary to focus on
the positions of both leading European partners of France, Germany
and Great Britain, which means combination of more moderate and at
the same time sufficiently proactive policies.

There is no doubt that France has developed its policy regarding
Eastern Europe and South Caucasus, which would require consideration
of new developments in the politics of Turkey, Iran and Russia. As
you know, France has taken a tougher stance against Iran and holds a
very delicate, almost latent, but an effective policy towards Turkey,
where the tactics of France and the U.S. are very similar, which is
reflected in the policy of “containment” of Turkey’s foreign policy
ambitions in the region.

It is yet difficult to define quite thoroughly and confidently the
policies of France in relation to the South Caucasus, moreover,
presenting on behalf of Europe, which actually, is happening, Paris
should take into account the stances and positions of its European
partners. There are several signals that the Europeans, and first
of all, France, prefers not initiating new ambitious projects on any
“normalization”.

Rather, France and Europe would prefer to encourage the policy of
maintaining the “status quo”, with successive promotion of mutual
understanding between the parties to conflicts. Apparently, this is
not just a political style, but very pragmatic policy, which certainly
has reasons, as the repetition of “principles” of the “settlement”
has not yet led to anything but increase of the tension.

BAKO SAHAKYAN VISITED THE CONSTRUCTION SITE OF THE “ARTSAKH”

Noyan Tapan
06.09.2011 | 18:01

Economy

(Noyan Tapan – 06.09.2011) On 6 September President of the Artsakh
Republic Bako Sahakyan visited the construction site of the “Artsakh”
dwelling district being built in capital Stepanakert and convoked a
working consultation dedicated to the carried out activities.

Minister of municipal engineering Karen Shahramanyan delivered a
corresponding report.

The Head of the State noted the importance of maintaining high working
paces in the final stage of the construction and putting into operation
a district corresponding to modern standards.

Premier Ara Haroutyunyan and other officials partook at the
consultation.