Author: Kalashian Nyrie

ACCORDING TO THE RESOLUTION OF THE FORUM TAKEN PLACE IN STEPANAKERT ARMENIA AND TURKEY ARE COMMITTED TO ESTABLISH NATURAL RELATIONS AND THE FINAL REGULATION OF THE ARTSAKH ISSUE IS THE PEACEFUL NEGOTIATION WAY

ARMENPRESS
JULY 13, 2009
STEPANAKERT

The "Artsakh issue" and "Armenian-Turkish relations" forum held July
10-11 in Stepanakert has adopted a joint resolution. Presenting it the
member of Armenian Revolutionary Federation Bureau Aghvan Vardanian
noted: "The preservation of our Armenian identity, the future of two
Armenian states and our nations are dependent upon the development
and troubleshooting of our two agenda issues.

We are decisive through all the possible and impossible means to
protect our national and state interests and rights and to ensure
our self dependent and dignified place in the family of civilized
nations. We demand for self-confidence, realism and political will
from today’s and tomorrow’s Armenian and Nagorno Karabakh authorities
in these two fatal issues to be exclusively guided by the interests
of the Armenian nation and responsibility towards the generations,"
he said.

According to A. Vardanian based on these concepts, the forum has
recorded that as neighboring states Armenia and Turkey are finally
committed to establishment of natural relations.

"Armenian initiative to start a non-preconditioned diplomatic relations
and open the borders was already a compromise, an experience of a good
will towards Turkey. But by now within more than a year’s period Turkey
has not equivalently reacted to the unilateral readiness of Armenia,"
A. Vardanian said.

The member of ARF bureau noted that the present tendency of enforcing
rapid solutions to the Artsakh issue by the power centers of the
world is dangerous because with it they promote the process of
Armenian-Turkish relations in a way Turkey wishes.

According to A.Vardanian the forum has also recorded that the status
quo established in the region is a result of Azerbaijani policy of
forceful suppression of the right to self-determination of the Nagorno
Karabakh people, unleashing war and losing it.

"Artsakh not only could defend its right to live, but also
established a democratic state relevant to all the norms, which
consolidates and develops in its natural order. Today and tomorrow
Artsakh’s self-dependency and security are directly connected with
the dignity of Armenia and the Armenian community, its existence and
prospects. Some tendencies of rapid regulation of the issue and the
Azerbaijani warlike statements force us to permanently be watchful,
keep the issue under our national agenda and in case of necessity to
exclude the opportunity of unfair solution of the issue through all
Armenian powers," the resolution says.

"Thereby the forum finds that the final way of Karabakh conflict
regulation is the peaceful negotiation process, where the distorted
format should be changed and enable the NKR to perform as a full
party. In the negotiation process the fact of the self-determination
of Artsakh people should be adopted as a base and be guided by the
results of the 1991 referendum of independence and 2006 Constitution.

The negotiations must aim at giving a primary solution to the
Nagorno Karabakh independence and its security and must not bypass
the conquered Shahumian, Getashen, Martakert and Martuni sectors as
well as thousands of Armenians expatriated from Azerbaijan.

The forum regards the adoption of any international document without
a direct participation of the Nagorno Karabakh authorities as
condemnable, inadmissible and deprived of the legal force. The forum
has confirmed that through all the means Armenia must guarantee the
Nagorno Karabakh security and independence and achieve international
recognition of this status.

The participants of the two-day forum on the Artsakh issue and
Armenian-Turkish relations reconfirmed our unity and decisiveness in
the national-state issues.

"Independent Armenian Republic, free Artsakh, organized Diaspora
permanent rights of our nation are supreme values for us," the
resolution says.

ARMENIA WELCOMES STATEMENT BY OSCE MG CO-CHAIR-COUNTRIES

ArmInfo
2009-07-13 13:45:00

Armenia welcomes the statement by OSCE MG co-chair- countries, Foreign
Minister of Armenia Edward Nalbandyan said at July 11 joint press-
conference with Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg.

‘I welcome the attention paid by OSCE MG co-chair-countries to the
conflict settlement. Their contribution to the conflict resolution
and rapprochement of the parties’ positions is great’, the Armenian
FM emphasized.

To recall, the presidents of France, USA and Russia made a joint
statement on Nagorno Karabakh, where they instructed their mediators
to present to the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan an updated
version of the Madrid Document of November 2007, the Co- Chairs
last articulation of the Basic Principles, as well as urged the
presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan to resolve the few differences
remaining between them and finalize their agreement on these Basic
Principles, which will outline a comprehensive settlement. According to
E. Nalbandyan, the details of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement
include the provisions on which the Armenian party insisted. He
said some details of the recently published Madrid Principles are
already discussed by the parties, and some of them are still to
be discussed. ‘The important points, which Armenia has been long
claiming about, are as follows: future determination of the final
legal status of Nagorno Karabakh through a legally binding expression
of will; a corridor linking Armenia to Nagorno Karabakh; an interim
status for Nagorno Karabakh providing guarantees for security and
self-governance; and international security guarantees that would
include a peacekeeping operation.

"These are the elements Armenia has been multiply claiming about as
a basis for the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement", E. Nalbandyan
emphasized and added that Armenia will keep on making efforts towards
peaceful settlement of the conflict based on the principles of the
peoples’ rights for self-determination, territorial integrity and non-
use of force.

Interfax, Russia
July 10 2009

Nagorno-Karabakh ready to defend its independence – Saakyan

STEPANAKERT July 10

Attempts made by the authorities in Baku to portray Nagorno-Karabakh
as part of Azerbaijan are unacceptable, said the president of the
self-proclaimed republic, Bako Saakyan.

"Our position has always been clear and remains unchanged: the
independence of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic is a fact which cannot
be debated," Saakyan said in Stepanakert on Friday, addressing an
Armenian forum on Armenian-Turkish relations and the Karabakh problem.

The event involves more than 130 representatives from 20 countries.

"Any attempt to present the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic within the
territorial integrity of Azerbaijan is totally incomprehensible and
unacceptable" to the authorities in Stepanakert, he said.

"It both disregards the ongoing process of life’s natural development
and history and contradicts the realities of the past," Saakyan said.

Azerbaijan’s political leaders keep speaking about their "right" to
solve the Karabakh problem through military methods, he said.

Nagorno-Karabakh is ready to "give a fitting rebuff to any incursion
by an adversary," he added.

tm rp

TURKMENISTAN TO PARTICIPATE IN NABUCCO PROJECT?

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
11.07.2009 12:59 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Turkmenistan has enough gas reserves for
the realization of Nabucco project aimed at delivering Caspian
basin natural gas to Europe, Turkmenistan’s President Gurbanguly
Berdimuhamedov finds.

In an enlarged government session, President said that the country
had colossal gas reserves, as shown by last year’s independent audit
of natural gas fields and Turkmen geologists’ recent findings.

Speaking about tank gas surplus, President said that it might be
realized by consumers on state border.

"All that will enable us to implement various projects, including
Nabucco," President said.

Resumed early this year after the outbreak of Russian-Ukrainian gas
conflict, negotiations over Nabucco provide long-term guarantees for
gas supply. It is planned to launch pipeline construction in 2011 and
start gas delivery in 2014. Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Iran
and Iraq are among potential energy sources within project frameworks.

Objecting to Iran’s participation in Nabucco, United States is in
favor of gas delivery from Iraq.

On July 13, representatives from Turkey, Austria, Bulgaria, Hungary
and Romania will meet in Ankara to sign intergovernmental agreement
over Nabucco project.

Nabucco project (estimated $7,9 billion) is aimed at delivering
natural gas to European countries via Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey,
Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Austria. Forming the continuation of
Baku-Tbilisi-Erzrum pipeline, it will deliver 20-30 cubic metres of
gas annually.

EU allocations to Nabucco were initially estimated $250 million but
the sum was later reduced to $50 million, Novosti-Azerbaijan reports.

FOREIGN POLICY DOCTRINE DEVELOPED IN ARMENIA

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
10.07.2009 20:32 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ RA foreign policy draft doctrine will be submitted
within coming days, Shavarsh Kocharyan, Deputy Minister of Foreign
Affairs of Armenia said in Stepanakert, PanARMENIAN.Net reports from
Nagorno Karabakh. According to Mr. Kocharian the concept will clearly
set out principles that will build the Armenian-Turkish relations
and lead towards the solution of the Karabakh problem.

KARABAKH ISSUE SURFACES AT G-8 SUMMIT: US, FRANCE AND RUSSIA CALL ON ARMENIA, AZERBAIJAN TO RESOLVE THE REMAINING DIFFERENCES

armradio.am
10.07.2009 16:09

The United States, France and Russia called mutually Friday for the
leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan to settle a long-running dispute
over the Nagorno-Karabakh region.

In a statement released from Group of Eight summit in Italy, the
three countries that co-chair a committee of the Organization for
Security and Cooperation in Europe said they "affirm our commitment"
to efforts by Armenia and Azerbaijan to finalize "the basic principles
for settlement" of the conflict, the Associated Press reported.

The statement the Minsk Group put out Friday from the G-8 summit said,
"We are instructing our mediators to present to the presidents of
Armenia and Azerbaijan an updated version" of a proposed peace outline
brought forward in the Madrid Document of November 2007.

"We urge the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan to resolve the few
differences remaining between them and finalize their agreement on
these Basic Principles, which will outline a comprehensive settlement,"
the statement said.

BAKU REFUSES TO WITHDRAW SNIPERS FROM CONTACT LINE

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
08.07.2009 22:39 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ A proposal to withdraw snipers from contact line
was accepted both by Armenian and NKR leaders. The same can’t be said
for Azeri leaders, MG OSCE Russian Co-Chair Yuri Merzlyakov told a
news conference in Yerevan.

In his turn, French Co-Chair Bernard Fassier noted that the mediators
haven’t yet managed to reach agreement with Azeri leaders. "Still,
we hope Azeri authorities will agree to withdraw snipers from contact
line, which is one of the most important conditions for security
provision," Fassier emphasized.

On December 4, 2008, 3 Foreign Ministers of MG OSCE member states
proposed to withdraw snipers from contact line to increase mutual
trust.

EUROPEAN ANALYST SAYS SUSPENSION OF EU NEGOTIATIONS UNLIKELY

Today’s Zaman
08 July 2009, Wednesday

Turkey’s EU bid would progress more easily if talks between Turkish
Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat and Greek Cypriot leader Dimitris
Christofias lead to a settlement, according to Chislett.

Turkey will face a "crunch point" in December as its status
is reviewed in the upcoming European Union summit evaluating the
country’s membership, but a suspension of negotiations is not likely,
a European analyst has said.

William Chislett, a former Financial Times journalist who has written
extensively on Spain and Turkey for the Elcano Royal Institute,
Spain’s leading think tank, stated in his recent report, "Turkey’s
EU Accession Reaches an Impasse," that talk of the suspension due to
Turkey’s failure to open its ports and airports to Greek Cypriot ships
and aircraft is "most unlikely" because it would require a unanimous
vote by all 27 EU countries. "Several of the big EU nations, such as
the UK and Spain, would not be prepared to go so far," he wrote.

In the best-case scenario, probably the most likely, he added, Turkey
would be warned about the consequences of not meeting its obligations
and given more time as both the Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot
presidents are negotiating about the reunification of the island.

"A successful conclusion to these negotiations could lead to another
referendum in 2010 on the issue, and a ‘yes’ vote on both sides
would undoubtedly make it much easier for [Turkish Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip] Erdoðan to implement the protocol," he stated. If this
happens, the eight chapters blocked by the European Commission as of
December 2006 would be opened, he added. In 2006, the EU suspended
negotiations on eight chapters due to Turkey’s refusal to open
its ports and airports to traffic from Greek Cyprus. The relations
further soured in the run-up to the European Parliament elections in
June when conservative and far-right politicians gained strength in
their opposition to Turkey’s membership. Chislett noted that French
President Nicolas Sarkozy, backed by the German Chancellor Angela
Merkel wants Turkey to have a privileged partnership with the EU.

"The partnership idea, which has never been fully spelled out and
is rejected by Turkey, may gain momentum as a result of the greater
share of seats in the European Parliament won by extreme right-wing
parties in June’s European elections," he pointed out. "It is assumed
that under a partnership deal Turkey would be integrated in European
defense, security and foreign policy mechanisms, with eventual full
membership in the relevant decision-making bodies."

However, Chislett stated as a member of NATO Turkey has already spent
57 years defending Europe and stated that it doesn’t offer Turkey
any privileges. "A privileged partnership offers no new privileges
to Turkey and by excluding it from decision-making enforces the
growing feeling in Turkey that the most the country can expect is to
be treated as a second-class European citizen because it is poor,
large and Muslim." He also noted that Turkey has already spent 46
years in the "EU’s anteroom," since becoming an associate member
of the then European Economic Community in 1963. "Failure to make
Turkey a full member, assuming it meets all the criteria one day,
like all other countries that have negotiated their membership,
would also erode the EU’s credibility by showing to the world that
it does not keep its word. The basic principle of Roman law -pacta
sunt servanda (agreements must be kept)- is part of the European
cultural heritage." ‘Ergenekon case: historic opportunity’ In
his 32-page report Chislett explores such issues as politics, the
reform process, the results of March’s local elections, relations
with Armenia, the Kurdish issue, Turkey’s foreign policy, economy,
and the trial of Ergenekon, which is accused of fomenting chaos to
trigger a coup to overthrow the government. "This case represents
an historic opportunity to confront what is known in Turkey as the
‘deep state,’ a state within a state, and assert civilian control
over the army," he stated. He also evaluated Erdoðan’s ruling Justice
and Development Party (AK Party), which has adopted a much slower
pace of reform compared to its reformist first three years after it
won the 2002 general election. "Once accession negotiations began
in earnest, after October 2005, and the economic and political cost
of EU reforms began to be felt, the AK Party’s initial enthusiasm
waned, sapped, to some extent, by the anti-membership statements
coming out of Paris and Berlin and a feeling that however hard it
might try, the door would never be opened." As another reason that
may have influenced the AK Party’s stagnancy in adopting reforms,
he brought up the European Court of Human Rights’ decision in 2005
to uphold Turkey’s ban on headscarves on university campuses. "It
is said to have marked a turning point for Erdoðan [whose wife wears
the headscarf] as he had hoped a favorable ruling would have enabled
him to relax the rigidly secular norms and usher in more personal
religious freedom in the public space." He also noted that support
for the EU in Turkey is declining, from as much as 71 percent in 2004
down to 42 percent in 2008 according to Eurobarometer surveys. The
full report is available at the Web site of the Elcano Royal Institute.

GEVORG PAPOYAN TAKES 8TH PLACE IN WATER JUMP EUROPEAN YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIP

ARKA/
July 8, 2009
BUDAPEST

BUDAPEST, JULY 8, NOYAN TAPAN. Water Jump European Youth Championship
was held between July 1 to 5 in Budapest. Sportsmen from 28 countries
took part in it. Representatives of Armenia Gevorg Papoyan and Melik
Hovhannisian performed in tower jump. 15-year-old G. Papoyan taking
the second place passed to the final, where he took the 8th place in
the competition between 12 best sportsmen. And M. Hovhannisian did
not pass to the final and took the 14th place.

ARMENIAN PRIME MINISTER TIGRAN SARGSIAN MEETS MORE THAT 20 REPRESENTATIVES OF TOURISM AGENCIES

ARMENPRESS
JULY 8, 2009
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, JULY 8, ARMENPRESS: Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsian
met today more than 20 representatives of tourism agencies and
discussed issues related to the tourism with them.

Public relations department of Armenian Government told Armenpress
that during the meeting further clarification of the joint state policy
for the development of tourism in Armenia, expansion of inner tourism
geography, improvement of infrastructures, providing of corresponding
social guarantees, efficient implementation of the taxation in the
sphere and rooting of tourism culture have been stressed as important.

The "Small budget rest and trips to Artsakh" package which intends
to promote the flow of tourists to Artsakh has been presented to
the discussion of the participants aimed at development of the
prospective tourism sphere in the Nagorno Karabakh Republic in a
number of respects.

As a result of the discussion a three-day cognitive visit to Artsakh
has been proposed to be organized to get more detailed acquainted with
the opportunities of the state and prospects of tourism development.