Author: Kanayan Tamar

LA CONSTRUCTION D’UNE NOUVELLE DIGUE D’ACCÈS EST EN COURS SUR LE LAC DE VAN
[email protected]

armenews.com
mercredi 7 septembre 2011

Vercihan Ziflioglu, Istanbul – Hurriyet Daily News

Le bureau du gouverneur de Van participe aux preparatifs de la seconde
divine liturgie dans l’eglise Sainte-Croix de l’île d’Aghtamar,
par la construction d’une digue d’accès qui permettra une meilleure
gestion des visiteurs attendus en nombre. D’autres amenagements sont
egalement en cours pour faciliter l’accès des invites qui assisteront
a la ceremonie du 11 septembre qui coïncide avec les fetes de la
Sainte-Croix de l’Eglise Apostolique Armenienne.

La construction d’une nouvelle digue d’accès est en cours sur le
Lac de Van pour la seconde divine liturgie qui aura lieu en l’eglise
Sainte-Croix.

Le bureau du gouverneur de Van a entrepris un ensemble de travaux de
preparation, dont fait partie la construction d’une nouvelle digue
d’accès dans le Lac de Van, pour la seconde liturgie qui se deroulera
le 11 septembre en l’Eglise Sainte-Croix de l’île d’Aghtamar. ”
Le bureau du gouverneur a entrepris la construction d’une grande
digue de la capacite qui convient [pour le nombre des visiteurs] en
remplacement de l’ancienne digue. En outre, des amenagements sont en
cours pour un meilleur service aux invites qui viendront sur l’île pour
assister a la divine liturgie”, a declare recemment Munir Karaloglu,
gouverneur de Van, a Hurriyet Daily News.

L’an passe, plus de 7 000 personnes ont assiste a la ceremonie, a
dit Karaloglu, ajoutant qu’on espère aussi pour la divine liturgie
de cette annee, un grand nombre de personnes.

“Cette annee, nous attendons egalement des Armeniens d’Iran. On
constate generalement en tous cas une augmentation [du nombre] des
touristes qui arrivent a Van depuis le mois d’août”, a dit Karaloglu.

“Bien sûr, ce ne sont pas seulement des Armeniens ; ils arrivent a
Van venus des quatre coins du monde. Par comparaison avec le record
[du nombre de touristes] de l’an passe, le nombre de visiteurs au
cours des six premiers mois de cette annee est plus eleve”, a-t-il dit.

Le Patriarche Suppleant Archeveque Aram Atesyan, qui presidera la
divine liturgie de cette annee, a dit dans un communique de presse
qu’aucune invitation officielle ne sera emise”, a dit Karaloglu,
ajoutant qu’une commission mixte avait ete creee avec le Patriarche
et que des preparatifs etaient en cours pour la divine liturgie.

La divine liturgie a Aghtamar se deroulera le 11 septembre, date
qui coïncide avec la celebration des fetes de la Sainte-Croix par
l’Eglise Apostolique Armenienne. Atesian sera charge de presider la
divine liturgie a la place du Patriarche Mesrop II, dont l’etat de
sante ne lui permet pas de remplir ses fonctions.

Lorsqu’on lui a demande si cette annee encore, les visiteurs seraient
loges dans des residences privees de Van, Karaloglu a repondu : “si le
besoin s’en manifeste, nous pourrons lancer une telle campagne. Mais
il n’y a cette annee aucune demande en ce sens.”

Evoquant la controverse de l’an passe autour de l’absence de croix au
sommet du toit, le gouverneur a dit : ” La diaspora disait qu’une autre
divine liturgie ne serait pas autorisee [en l’eglise Sainte-Croix]. Les
critiques etaient alimentees par le fait qu’on n’avait mis aucune
croix [sur l’eglise]. La croix etait mise en place après la divine
liturgie, comme vous pouvez le voir, et une divine liturgie a ete
autorisee pour la seconde fois”. Les debats de l’an passe au sujet
de la croix n’avaient pas lieu d’etre, a-t-il ajoute.

Le Monastère de Carpanak [en armenien, Kdutz] prochain sur la liste

Le gouverneur a aussi dit qu’un dossier avait ete depose auprès des
organisations internationales et que des fonds ont ete recus pour
restaurer plusieurs eglises et monastères situes a l’interieur des
limites de la province de l’est.

Les travaux de restauration du Monastère de Carpanak sur l’île du
meme nom commenceront dans quelques mois a dit le gouverneur, ajoutant
que le nom original du monastère armenien, qui date du 15ème siècle,
etait “Gduzs”.

“Lorsque la restauration sera terminee, Kdutz sera aussi ouvert aux
visiteurs comme musee,” a-t-il ajoute.

Traduction Gilbert Beguian

YEREVAN STATE UNIVERSITY LEADS IN THE REGION

news.am
Sept 6 2011
Armenia

YEREVAN. – The results published by Webometrics Ranking of World
Universities shows that according to the international ranking Yerevan
State University (YSU) is the leading university in the region.

Webometrics is one of the best raters in the world, it rates nearly
20,000 universities worldwide, including 5,000 European, 6,000 Asian,
and 7,000 American universities.

Four main criteria is taken into account: the number of official
website mentions in the Google, Yahoo, and MSN search engines; external
links to the universities website; the number of Adobe Acrobat (pdf),
Adobe PostScript (ps), Microsoft Power point (ppt) format files;
and links to the works of the university professors).

“The first three points describe the official website of the
university, and the forth one shows the real potential of the
professors, that is, how visible are their work on the website”
says the YSU Academic Affairs Vice-Rector Alexander Grigoryan.

A year ago YSU occupied 4,392th place, in the beginning of this year
it was on 4,651th place, however, in the summer it reached to the
2,856th place, and later YSU becomes the leader in the region.

Presently YSU occupies the 1,051th place among 20,000 universities.

Azerbaijan’s highest-rated “Khazar University” occupies the 6,211th
place, Baku’s state university the 11,736th place, and Georgia’s
leading “Ilia State University” has appeared on the 5,915th place. It
should be mentioned that the national universities of the neighboring
countries are significantly lower in their ranking than the private
ones.

AGRO DEAL INKED WITH ARMENIA

Zawya.com
Sept 6 2011

A memorandum of understanding on agricultural cooperation between
Iran and Armenia was signed on Monday.

According to MoU signed by Iranian Agricultural Jihad Minister Sadeq
Khalilian and Armenian Agriculture Minister Sergo Karapetyan, Iran
will share with Armenia its experience in agricultural insurance,
establishing cooperative units and market and processing farming
products, Mehr News Agency reported.

Iran is also ready for joint investment in sheep breeding and
dispensing desalting technology to Armenia by sending experts to
that country.

Based on the MoU, the two countries are expected to implement joint
research projects and establish agricultural, industrial and livestock
breeding units as well as industrial and semi-industrial greenhouses.

Iran also agreed to transfer its experience in establishing
slaughterhouse to Armenia.

The two countries will also cooperate for manufacturing of anti-hail
machines in West Azarbaijan province.

During a visit to East Azarbaijan Pegah Milk Company on Monday,
Karapetyan expressed satisfaction with the meetings he had with Iranian
officials and the agreements he signed with the head of Iran’s East
Azerbaijan Agricultural Jihad Organization, Masoud Mohammadian.

He hoped that the relations between the two countries will grow and
added that Iran-Armenia ties in the past two years have witnessed a
remarkable growth.

Karapetyan is currently on his three-day visit to Iran and he visited
East Azarbaijan province on Monday.

ARMENIA TRIPLES TRADE EXCHANGES WITH IRAN

Fars News Agency
Sept 6 2011
Iran

TEHRAN (FNA)- Armenian Agriculture Minister Sergo Karapetyan announced
that his country has increased its trade exchanges with Iran by 200
to 300 percent during the last few years.

“During the last two years the volume of exchanges between Iran and
Armenia has doubled or tripled,” Karapetyan said after meeting Iranian
Agricultural Jihad Minister Sadeq Khalilian in Iran earlier this week.

He described his visit to Iran as “fruitful” and “constructive”, and
said during the trip the two sides inked a Memorandum of Understanding
(MoU) to further expand their mutual cooperation.

Karapetyan said that the Iranian and Armenian officials have also
held negotiations to boost Tehran’s investment in Armenia.

Iran and Armenia have taken major strides to promote their bilateral
relations in the last few years. The bilateral trade volume between
the two states stands at nearly $270 million, a figure that is expected
to rapidly climb in a near future, according to officials.

Iran and Armenia have mainly expanded cooperation in power and gas
swap in recent years.

Iran mainly exports natural gas to Armenia and imports power supplies
from the Caucasian state through two transfer lines with a total
power transfer capacity of 220kw/ph at present.

Iranian Minister of Energy Majid Namjou announced in June that the
two countries would increase swap of electricity once the third power
transmission line is completed.

“The construction phase of the third power transmission line between
the two countries will start in the next two weeks,” Namjou told
reporters on the sidelines of a meeting with Armenian Energy and
Natural Resources Minister Armen Movsisian in June.

He added the new line will bring the volume of power exchange between
the two countries from the current 300mw to 500-800 mw.

The minister said that over $110million of funding is needed for the
construction of the new power transmission line.

ARMENIAN INTENDED TO INCREASE TRADE VOLUME WITH IRAN

Panorama
Sept 6 2011
Armenia

Armenia intends to increase the trade volume with Iran about 2-3 times,
Iranian “IRNA” news agency quotes Armenian Minister of Agriculture
Sergo Karapetyan as saying during his meeting with the governor of
Eastern Azerbaijan Ahmad Alireza Beygi.

Speaking about the trade volume between the countries in the past
five months, Armenian Minister said they formed $160 million.

According to the source Armenia and Iran recorded about $320 million
trade volume in the previous year.

ARMENIA C.BANK CUTS REFI RATE TO 8.0 PCT FROM 8.5 PCT

Reuters
Sept 6 2011

YEREVAN, Sept 6 (Reuters) – Armenia’s central bank on Tuesday cut
its key refinancing rate for the first time in five months to 8.00
percent from 8.50 percent as annual inflation moved to within the
government’s target range.

On a monthly basis, consumer prices fell 0.6 percent in August, the
bank said. Annual inflation in August stood at 4.8 percent, down from
6.3 percent in July and within the government’s target range of 2.5-5.5
percent. (Reporting by Hasmik Lazarian; Editing by Maria Kiselyova)

VANES MARTIROSYAN: “I’M CALLING OUT THE CHAMPIONS. NONE OF THEM ARE RESPONDING TO ME.”
By Anson Wainwright

SecondsOut

Sept 6 2011

It’s been a frustrating last couple of years for Vanes “The Nightmare”
Martirosyan. He only managed to see action once in 2010 and though
he’s fought twice so far in 2011 and hopes to fight in the fall,
he still can’t get what he craves most: a title shot in the light
middleweight division. Martirosyan’s even called out WBA middleweight
ruler Felix Sturm to no avail. Martirosyan, 25, boasts an impressive
30-0 (19) ledger since turning pro after a stellar amateur career that
saw him represent America at the 2004 Olympics as an 18-year-old,
only to lose to the eventual silver medalist. He’s currently ranked
in the top three by three of the sanctioning bodies and is backed by
powerful promoter Top Rank, who has high hopes for him. Hopefully,
that title shot isn’t too far away.

Anson Wainwright – First, you last fought on June 4 in L.A at the
Staples Center when you beat Saul Roman. What are your thoughts on
that fight?

Vanes Martirosyan – It was a good fight for me. It was a good test.

Roman is a tough fighter. He was in great shape, probably the best
of his life. Going into the fight, there was a lot of stuff going
on outside the ring. I went in there and dug deep, I went down in
the first round, got up. I showed what I had taking him out in the
seventh round and kept doing what I had to do.

AW – As you say, you were down in the first in such an action-packed
fight. How happy were you with your performance?

VM – I wasn’t happy with the performance but I was happy with the
result. The performance could have been a lot better.

AW – When can we expect to see you in action next?

VM – I don’t know. All the ’54-pounders don’t want to mention my name.

I’ve been calling everybody out. Nobody will say my name. Nobody
wants to fight. I don’t know what’s going on with the WBC where I’m
the mandatory [challenger for Saul Alvarez] or anyone else. People
are just avoiding me. I don’t know if I should go to middleweight. I
even called out [WBA champion] Felix Sturm; he hasn’t responded. So
I don’t know what’s going on. I have a manager I haven’t been talking
to for weeks. I’m just waiting to see what’s going on.

AW – You had fought in March when you stopped Bladimir Hernandez in
two rounds. How did you think you performed after nine months out?

VM – Bladimir was supposed to be a tune-up fight for me. He came in
overweight so I was forced to go to middleweight ’cause he couldn’t
make weight. I needed rounds but he didn’t give me rounds. He went
out early. It was a good fight though but it wasn’t what we wanted
but it was OK.

AW – Can you tell us about your team? Who is your manager, trainer
and promoter? Also, where do you regularly train?

VM – Well, my trainer is Freddie Roach, then Alex Ariza is [my]
strength-and-conditioning coach and Roma Kalantaryan and Edmond
Tarverdyan help. But for the last two fights, it’s been Edmond and
Freddie Roach. As far as manager…ah, like I said, we haven’t been
talking for weeks. That’s all I can say. My promoter is Top Rank. I
train at Wild Card, Freddie Roach’s gym. I also train at GFC Glendale
Fight Club and right now, I’m getting ready to go to Main Events
Sports Club. There both located in Glendale and Freddie’s gym is
located in Hollywood, as everyone knows.

AW – Can you tell us a little about what it’s like to be trained by
Freddie and have guys like Manny Pacquiao, Amir Khan, Julio Cesar
Chavez Jr. and now Jorge Linares all train at the same place?

VM – It’s a great experience. It’s a great feeling going into the
gym full of champions. Having the best teacher in the game, ’cause
Freddie’s not a coach; he’s a teacher. He teaches you. He’s the most
amazing person in boxing I’ve known, so loyal, so honest. That’s what
I think makes Freddie Roach. He’s so honest and loyal. That’s what us
fighters want is to be honest with and that’s what Freddie does. He’s
honest. If you’re good, he’ll tell you. If you suck, he’ll tell you.

That’s what helps you and makes you work harder and get better
next time.

AW – How long have you been with Freddie?

VM – It’s funny because when I was a kid, I was 12 years old; I
was training at Freddie’s gym and I wanted him to train me but he
wouldn’t. I’d look at him and my dad would say, “I think he’s somebody
big,” and I was like, “Yeah.” Then Freddie came to me and told me,
“You go make the Olympic team and when you’re ready to go pro, I’ll
be your coach.” So that’s exactly what I did. I make the Olympics
and returned to Wild Card again. I wish Freddie was my coach then
like he is with the Olympians now.

AW – You were born in Armenia but moved to California. Can you tell
us a bit about that journey and how things were for you growing up?

VM – I started boxing when I go to the USA. My father was a boxer
in Armenia and came to the US and with the help of my uncle,
Serge Martirosyan, who’s my dad’s brother. My dad’s name is Norik
Martirosyan. They pushed me and helped me reach the top. I had friends
who supported me and they still do. There were times I wanted to
quit but through my uncle and friends, they helped me through that
and pursue my goals and I’m grateful to them. I was four years old
[when I arrived in America] and started boxing at seven.

AW – You were a decorated amateur, fighting in the 2004 Olympics as
a teenager. Can you tell us about that experience? Also, what other
titles did you win in your amateur days? What was your final record?

VM – It was a great experience. I just wish I had Freddie Roach in
my corner then. I think I’d have won a lot of medals. You know, it’s
great. It’s the most amazing experience in the world, like winning
a world title in the pros. I can’t explain it; you have to be there.

When I was there, I was crying in the opening ceremony. It was like
a dream come true seeing all the world come together.

I was an eight-time National Champion in the amateurs before going
pro. I turned pro at 17. I won the Golden Gloves. I beat Austin Trout
three times. I beat Timothy Bradley. I beat Andre Berto. I beat all
those guys in the amateurs. I won the US box-offs, Western trials,
Golden Gloves. I went all the way to the final of the Silver Gloves,
the Showdown Champion a few times. I was unstoppable in the amateurs.

I beat everyone I lost to except the Cuban [Writer’s Note: Martirosyan
lost to Lorenzo Aragon at the 2004 Olympics]. I had 130 fights,
120 wins.

AW – The light middleweight division is white-hot at the moment
with several top fighters making a living there. What do you think
of the division and the current champions, the WBC’s Saul Alvarez,
the WBA’s Miguel Cotto, the IBF’s Cornelius Bundrage and the WBO’s
Sergiy Dzinziruk?

VM – I respect all those guys as fighters but I’m starting to not
respect them as much because they don’t want to fight. Everybody’s
looking for money fights, somebody to make money with. I’m calling
all those guys and none of them are responding to me. It says
something about them and I don’t think some of them are worthy of
being champions.

I sparred Sergiy Dzinziruk. I kicked his butt in sparring. I cut him
up in three rounds. They stopped the sparring ’cause he was bleeding.

It was right before the [Daniel] Dawson fight last May. Angulo has
come to the Wild Card. I’d love to fight him. I want to fight the
best. I’m saying that I’m willing to do it and none of them are
willing to step up.

AW – You mentioned if the opportunity arose, you’d happily go up
to middleweight. What about going the other way and dropping to
welterweight?

VM – Oh, it would be too much, I think. I probably could do it if I put
my mind to it, I just feel so strong at ’54. I make the weight easy. I
always come in a pound or two under. I don’t know it’s something to
think about. As far as 160, I’d love to go to 160. I can do 160 or 154,
no problem. I know I can beat some of those guys over there.

AW – There are several Armenian fighters who are doing very well,
Arthur Abraham and Vic Darchinyan, for example. Do you know them and
what can you tell us about Armenian boxing?

VM- With Vic Darchinyan, I’m more close than I am with Arthur. Vic’s my
boy. We talk with each other on the phone sometimes, every couple of
weeks. Vic’s a great guy. I’m really close with him. Arthur Abraham,
he came to Glendale, California and the first person he called was
me. I was surprised. I was like, “Who’s this?” and he was like,
“Hey, man, it’s my birthday. Come celebrate it with me.” I was like,
“Who is it?” [and he said] “Arthur Abraham.” So I put a suit on and
went and saw him. He’s a very nice guy, very humble. I’m also friends
with his brother, Alex Abraham. They’re all good guys. We train
together and wish each other the best. There’s other guys like Art
Hovhannisyan, who’s undefeated. He fought on ESPN and there’s “Gapo”
[Gabriel Tolmajyan, a featherweight who’s 10-1-1(3)]. There’s a lot of
other fighters that will come up soon. As far as me, Vic and Arthur,
we help each other. We’re like a hot-blooded culture. We like fights,
you know. The Vic fight in Armenia, we’re working on some plans for
me to go over and support my friend over there.

AW – If you’re not boxing, what do you like to do with your spare
time? What are your hobbies and interests?

VM – The last seven months, I’ve been taking care of my girl. We’re
having a baby. I like fishing, going out, running, basketball, tennis,
most athletic stuff. I watch a lot of movies with my girl.

AW – Who was your hero growing up and why?

VM – I like Muhammad Ali. I actually like Oscar [De La Hoya] ’cause
he went to the Olympics and I love how he was at the beginning of his
career. Guys like “Tito” Trinidad, guys like that who fought the best
and didn’t care about losing. I respect them and looked unto them. Now
the guy that I loved is the promoter of the guy I want to fight
(Saul Alvarez) and he just won’t let him fight me! It sucks! (laughs)

AW – Who do you like to watch today?

VM – Today, I love watching [Manny] Pacquiao fight. I love watching
[Floyd] Mayweather fight. Those guys are the guys who keep reaching
higher limits. It’s good to see them doing what other people aren’t.

Some fighters are looking for money fights. These guys, yeah, they’re
getting paid but they’re also putting on good shows. You have to
respect that. I just hope Mayweather and Pacquiao get it on already.

Right now, my favourite fighter is Pacquiao.

AW – What do you think happens if they fight?

VM – You know what I think? It’s a good fight. I think Mayweather can
pull it off. I’m not [picking Pacquiao] ’cause I’m with Freddie Roach.

No, I think Mayweather is very smart and can pull off the victory and
I think Manny Pacquiao can do the same. I think whoever comes in with
the best game plan can win. I’ve always been a fan of Mayweather. It’s
probably because when Mayweather went to the Olympics in ’96. he
fought the same Cuban I fought in 2004, Lorenzo Aragon. I would
love to spar with Manny too. I know I could drop Manny. One time,
I remember Freddie was telling us that there was a thousand-dollar
bounty on Manny’s head and I told him I’m gonna knock him out and he
was like “You’re not sparring, then!” (laughs)

AW – Finally, do you have a message for your fans?

VM – I want to thank you for taking time to listen to the Interview.

Keep supporting and following me on @Vanesboxing on Twitter and
on Facebook for my fight updates.

Thanks for the support.

GROUP B SHAKE-UP

Newstalk 106-108 fm

Sept 6 2011

Ireland’s hopes of playing at Euro 2012 are still alive after a
dramatic night of qualifying action in Group B. Inspired by heroic
performances from Shay Given and Richard Dunne, Giovanni Trapattoni’s
men produced a defiant rearguard action to snatch a scoreless draw
against Russia in Moscow. But Ireland’s hopes of escaping from Group
B were radically improved after Armenia shocked their hosts Slovakia
by four goals to nil in Zilina. Armenia scored four second-half goals
to move level on points with the Slovaks in third place in the group.

That result leaves Ireland in pole position to claim a play-off place.

Trapattoni’s side are now in second place in the standings on 15
points, two points behind leaders Russia, who must now face Slovakia
in early October. Armenia’s next game will see them play Macedonia
before their final round encounter with Ireland at the Aviva Stadium
on October 11th. The other result in Group B tonight saw Macedonia
beat our next opponents, Andorra by a goal to nil in Skopje.

RUSSIAN AND FRENCH FMS AND DEFENSE MINISTERS TO CONSIDER WAYS OF RESOLVING NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICTS

Trend
Sept 6 2011
Azerbaijan

Russian and French Foreign and Defense Ministers will consider ways
to resolve conflicts in Nagorno-Karabakh, Kosovo, and Transnistria,
and check approaches of establishing a peace process in Afghanistan,
RIA Novosti reported.

Russian and French Foreign Ministers Sergey Lavrov and Alain Juppe,
and Russian and French Defense Ministers Anatoly Serdyukov and
Gerard Longuet, plan on discussing the situation in Libya, Syria,
the problems of the anti-missile defense systems, and the Russian
Federation’s dialogue with the EU and NATO in Moscow on September 7.

Meetings will be held within the bilateral co-operation of the council
on safety issues.

Official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Alexander
Lukashevich said that the sides will discuss the situation in the
area of European cooperation, taking into account the cooperation
between Moscow and Paris in the UN and Security Council.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 surrounding districts.

Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The
co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group – Russia, France, and the U.S. –
are currently holding the peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council’s four
resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the
surrounding regions.

WIKILEAKS: ILHAM ALIYEV “CAN WAIT” IN SOLVING KARABAKH PROBLEM

AzeriReport

Sept 6 2011

WASHINGTON DC. September 6, 2011: The new WikiLeaks report discloses
the diplomatic cable from the US Embassy in Brussels to the US
State Department dated February 23, 2004. The diplomatic cable
reports about the meetings of the EU envoy Talvitie in Georgia,
Armenia and Azerbaijan. The portion of the report reflecting the EU
representative’s impressions about the president Ilham Aliyev has
interesting colors to it: “Boe noted that Ilham Aliev told EUSR
Talvitie during a recent visit (January 20 to February 5) to the
region that he (Aliev) could wait for a solution to NK. He was young
and not in a hurry like his father had been, Ilham reportedly said.

Boe said that it was unclear whether Ilham’s remarks signaled a shift
in policy or a sign of his weakness as he tries to consolidate power
in Baku. Boe also remarked that he and Talvitie had been hearing
conflicting stories about Ilham’s personal interest in power. “Some
say he wants power, and some say he only wants to play,” Boe said.

In either case, the Azeris seem to playing up the image of Ilham as
a professional by boasting to Talvitie that Ilham now shows up for
work at 9:00 every day.” Below is the full text of the cable:

“C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 BRUSSELS 000758

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EUR/ERA, EUR/SNEC, EUR/CACEN, EUR/ACE E.O. 12958: DECL:
02/20/2009

TAGS: PREL, PGOV, AM, AJ, GG, RS, EUN, USEU BRUSSELS

SUBJECT: US-EU COEST CONSULTATIONS PART 2: SOUTH CAUCASUS

REF: BRUSSELS 666

Classified By: USEU Poloff Van Reidhead for reasons 1.5 (b) and (d)

1. (C) SUMMARY: On February 9 in Brussels, EUR DAS Lynn Pascoe —
accompanied by EUR/ACE Deputy Dan Rosenblum and EUR/ERA Director
Kathy Allegrone — discussed US-EU cooperation in Central Asia and the
South Caucasus with the EU’s COEST Troika. This cable covers the South
Caucasus portion of the consultations. The discussion of Central Asia
is reported ref. A. — Wider Europe Initiative (WEI): Decision will
be made by end of June on whether to include South Caucasus in WEI;
Irish FM Cowen, EUSR Talvitie and Enlargement Commissioner Verheugen
all support South Caucasus inclusion, and are pushing others to
do so; EU remains concerned about Russian reaction and overly high
expectations of South Caucasus governments. — Georgia: EU remains
confident in Saakashvili’s efforts to reform public institutions;
EU has 30 million euros budgeted for assistance in 2004; US and EU
to enhance on-the-ground coordination even further. — Armenia:
Kocharian making positive strides toward meeting conditions of
Council of Europe membership; EU agrees that progress should be
made toward opening the Turkish-Armenian border, but doubts whether
this can happen without progress on Nagorno-Karabakh. — Azerbaijan:
Ilham Aliev tells EU he “can wait” on resolving Nagorno-Karabakh; EU
agrees that recent positive attention on Georgia creates an opening
for increasing pressure on Azerbaijan, which worries about being
forgotten after Georgia’s dramatic turnaround. END SUMMARY.

Wider Europe Initiative: Momentum Growing to Include South Caucasus

2. (C) COEST Troika members told Pascoe that moves to include the
three South Caucasus states in the EU’s Wider Europe Initiative (WEI)
were gaining ground. Commission rep Reinhold Brender said that a
decision would have to be taken by the end of June, and noted that
Armenian President Kocharian made a direct plea for WEI inclusion
during a visit to Brussels in December (at which time he also invited
Enlargement Commissioner Verheugen to visit Yerevan). The EU had
two serious concerns about expanding WEI into the South Caucasus,
he said: first, how would Russia react? And second, how could the EU
gently deflate the unrealistic expectations of the three countries
regarding benefits of WEI membership? The Council Secretariat’s Michael
Swann echoed this concern by explaining that the EU is nervous about
comments by Georgian President Saakashvili and Azeri President Ilham
Aliev that EU membership is an ultimate policy objective of their
countries. Wouldn’t inclusion in the WEI reinforce this unrealistic
objective? Pascoe replied that the EU should tell Russia that the
South Caucasus states are independent, and free to choose their own
sovereign policies. The benefit of expanding WEI into the region would
be too great to abandon just because the Russians might get upset. Of
the second concern, Pascoe said that the high expectations of regional
leaders was to be expected and provided a powerful impetus to reform.

There would be time to deal with these issues after WEI expansion
and as reforms proceed.

3. (SBU) Irish Presidency rep Barbara Jones said that maximizing
the WEI’s value as a point of leverage over included countries was
an issue of great concern to the EU. Council Policy Planning advisor
William Boe illustrated the concern by pointed out that Syria has been
in the WEI for over a year now, yet has made little progress. In that
context, he asked, why should the EU expect more of Armenia after WEI
inclusion? Jones noted that Commissioner Verheugen is briefing other
Commissioners on the issue this month. She said that while some FMs
remain wary — arguing that the EU “doesn’t need a policy driven by
enlargement” — many others are increasingly supportive of inclusion
of the South Caucasus in the WEI. Among the notable supporters of
inclusion were Irish FM Cowen (who “will manage the Council debate,”
she said), Enlargement Commissioner Verheugen, and EU Special Rep
Heikki Talvitie.

4. (C) COMMENT: The EU clearly has serious issues to resolve —
notably about scope, precedence, and managing expectations — before
signaling any decision to the region’s leaders. Yet based on signals
we have been receiving since December from Council, Commission and
member state officials, it seems clear that the EU’s momentum has
shifted from debates about whether to include the Caucasus in WEI,
to discussions about when, how, and to what end. Skeptics remain but
are rapidly being outpaced by advocates of WEI expansion. END COMMENT.

Georgia: A Success for US-EU Cooperation

5. (SBU) Jones said the EU remains optimistic about the new Georgian
administration and anticipates positive outcomes from the new reform
initiatives and the upcoming parliamentary elections. She said it
was important to maintain the momentum and to continue cooperating on
difficult issues like Abkhazia, Adjara and IMF restructuring. Pascoe
agreed, observing that Georgia represented a stunning success for
US-EU cooperation. On Russia, Jones said the EU was maintaining a
strong line with Moscow on the need to cooperate; Irish FM Cowen
told FM Ivanov in a recent meeting that Russia must take Georgia’s
territorial integrity more seriously. Pascoe agreed that Russia must
learn to deal with Georgia as a normal, sovereign country. Solutions
to difficult issues like Abkhazia would not be found without serious
Georgian progress and some Russian help. Quoting a statement by
NATO SYG de Hoop Scheffer that the South Caucasus were as much a
part of Europe’s near abroad as Russia’s, Pascoe urged the EU not to
acquiesce to Russia’s effort to treat Georgia as a privileged sphere
of influence. While recent public statements by Russian officials
seemed positive, it was important to maintain the pressure to keep
Moscow moving forward. Boe said that compromise would be the key to
resolving the Russian basing issues. The Russians know the proposed
payment of USD 500 million is a nonstarter, he said, and will probably
seek to use the presence of US forces (conducting Georgia’s train
and equip program) to their advantage during negotiations.

6. (SBU) Boe said that HiRep Solana and EUSR Talvitie are focused on
the development of basic state structures as the primary priority in
Georgia. He noted that the EU budgeted 30 million euros for assistance
to Georgia in 2004. Commission rep Brender said the EU currently
has 5 million euros available now for food security, and said the
2004 budget would provide for 12 million euros for the EU’s TACIS
(Technical Assistance to the CIS) program in Georgia, 12 million euros
for food security, 4 million euros for rehabilitation projects in South
Ossetia and Abkhazia, and 2.5 million euros for an EU initiative on
democracy and human rights. EUR/ACE Deputy Rosenblum noted that the
US FY2005 budget request for assistance to Georgia was higher than
the amount requested for any other FSU state. The US is prioritizing
revenue collection, anti-corruption, and job creation. He also noted
that the US is considering supporting projects we have never before
done in Georgia, such as helping mitigate the employment impact of
public sector reform, adding that in this area the US will follow
the World Bank lead. Rosenblum noted that the US contribution for
upcoming parliamentary elections will amount to about one quarter
of Georgia’s self-assessed need of USD 3.4 million. The US was also
looking for help from others to fund a USD 500,000 computerized voter
registration system, he said.

7. (SBU) Pascoe urged the EU to maintain the pressure on Georgia
to reform. We should not be any softer on Saakashvili than we were
on the last group, he said. Saakashvili’s positive start needed to
be bolstered, and outside pressure should be maintained to keep the
new government on track. Jones agreed, and said she would carry the
message to EU member states to “keep the spotlight on” Saakashvili
and his new administration. Pascoe said that US-EU cooperation on the
ground should be increased even further. We should build on our success
during the run up to the January election and carry our coordination
into additional aspects of regional assistance, he said.

Jones said the EU welcomed the enhanced coordination and would direct
its Missions to continue these efforts.

Armenia

8. (SBU) Pascoe noted that while the US continues to press Turkey
on the need to make progress with Armenia, Azeri President Ilham
Aliev continues to plead with Turkey not to abandon its defense of
Azeri interests in Nagorno-Karabakh (NK). Turkish PM Erdogan seems
interested in beginning discussions on opening the Turkish-Armenian
border, but is caught between Turkey’s commitments to Azerbaijan
and its partnerships with the West. Pascoe estimated that Armenian
President Kocharian will eventually compromise with the Azeris over
NK, but perhaps Ilham Aliev is not yet a strong enough Azeri partner.

Boe voiced skepticism that the that NK could be delinked from the
issue of Turkish-Armenian relations, and asked rhetorically how it
would be possible to open the Turkish-Armenian border without first
resolving NK. Pascoe said that the US and EU needed to set out a
series of arguments to push home resolution of NK as soon as possible,
rather than just letting it simmer on indefinitely.

9. (SBU) Jones assessed as positive Kocharian’s recent progress toward
meeting the conditions of Council of Europe (CoE) membership. Pascoe
agreed, underscoring that CoE membership remained a useful point of
leverage over Armenia.

Azerbaijan

10. (C) Boe noted that Ilham Aliev told EUSR Talvitie during a recent
visit (January 20 to February 5) to the region that he (Aliev) could
wait for a solution to NK. He was young and not in a hurry like his
father had been, Ilham reportedly said. Boe said that it was unclear
whether Ilham’s remarks signaled a shift in policy or a sign of his
weakness as he tries to consolidate power in Baku. Boe also remarked
that he and Talvitie had been hearing conflicting stories about
Ilham’s personal interest in power. “Some say he wants power, and
some say he only wants to play,” Boe said. In either case, the Azeris
seem to playing up the image of Ilham as a professional by boasting
to Talvitie that Ilham now shows up for work at 9:00 every day.

11. (C) Pascoe said the US was trying to strengthen Ilham and assist
him with reform efforts because, while far from perfect, he is
the most progressive figure available from a pool of unimpressive
candidates. Boe asked how we intended to do that. Pascoe responded
that the US was exploring ideas with Ilham and would want to discuss
these issues during Talvitie’s March 1-2 visit to Washington. Boe
pointed out that Georgia’s recent and dramatic progress — which
has the Azeris complaining that the Georgians are getting all the
attention lately — provided a useful point of leverage over Ilham.

Pascoe agreed that Georgia’s about-face had had a profound impact on
Azerbaijan, and said the US and EU should use this new leverage for
maximum benefit. Schnabel”