Author: Kanayan Tamar

TURKEY DISPLAYED STRONG POLITICAL WILL TO NORMALISE RELATIONS WITH ARMENIA, TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTRY

Journal of Turkish Weekly
April 7 2010

Turkish Foreign Ministry said Turkey displayed a strong political
will in the normalisation process with Armenia.

Turkish Foreign Ministry Spokesman Burak Ozugergin told a press
conference Wednesday that Turkey played a strong political will,
from the very beginning, in the normalisation process in line with
its vision of regional peace and stability, noting that it did not
need third parties to interfere.

Ozugergin’s remarks came after the remarks uttered by Stefan Fule,
EU Commissioner for Enlargement, during a trip to Armenia, urging
Turkey to continue exerting efforts to normalise relations with this
country as a prerequisite for EU membership.

Ozugergin said the strong political will displayed in the rapprochement
with Armenia, was also a sign of Turkey’s belief in the need for
extensive peace and stability in the south Caucasus.

REPAIR OPERATIONS AT YEREVAN RAILWAY STATION

ArmInfo
2010-04-07 11:33:00

ArmInfo. Repair operations have started at Yerevan railway station.

The interior of the station building will be restored and different
communications will be replaced within the frames of these operations,
press service of South Caucasus Railway CJSC told ArmInfo.

In view of increase of the passenger traffic against 2009 by 53%,
it is scheduled to separate the stations halls into international
and inter-city ones, as well as install additional box offices. This
will allow to avoid checkout lines and will create more comfortable
conditions for acquisition of tickets for different kinds of
communication. Guest rooms will be built in the station building
for accommodation of both the railway employees and passengers of
international communication. The repair operations will also cover
the railway platform.

SCR CJSC is the 100 percent subsidiary of Russian Railways CJSC. In
February 2008 SCR obtained a concession of the state CJSC Armenian
Railway. The agreement of concession of the Armenian Railroad CJSC
for 30 years with a 10-year renewable period was signed in Yerevan
in February 2008.

DER SPIEGEL PREPARING TO MAKE A FEW CORRECTIONS IN SERZH SARGSYAN INTERVIEW: SPOKESPERSON

Tert.am

Certain inaccuracies have been found in well-known German weekly Der
Spiegel’s interview with Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan due to
cutting down text and corrections in translation.

Sargsyan, while referring to the Azerbaijani version of the settlement
of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, had particularly said the following:
"If Azerbaijan recognizes Nagorno-Karabakh’s independence, I think
that the issue can be solved in a few hours. Unfortunately, they
[Azerbaijan] still think they must return Karabakh. And returning
Karabakh to Azerbaijan would mean to completely depopulate
Nagorno-Karabakh of Armenians in a short period of time."

RA President’s Press Secretary Armen Arzumanyan told Tert.am that
Der Spiegel’s editorial staff has promised to correct this and a few
other inaccurate statements found in the published interview.

OSCE CO-CHAIRS HAVE NOTHING TO DISCUSS WITH AZERBAIJAN – FM

news.az
April 2 2010
Azerbaijan

Elkhan Polukhov Azerbaijan’s foreign ministry has commented on further
negotiation process.

"Azerbaijan considers that it accepts the renewed Madrid principles
with some exceptions and has in fact voiced solidarity with the
principles of the Karabakh conflict settlement proposed by the OSCE
Minsk Group co-chairs", said spokesman for Azerbaijan’s FM Elkhan
Polukhov.

He said one of the reason of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs failire
to visit Baku during their latest visit to the region is that they
have nothing to discuss on this issue with Azerbaijan.

"If Armenia accepts these principles, the parties can start working at
the preparation of a greater agreement. Thus, everything today depends
on the constructivism of the Armenian side. To create stability in
the region, it is necessary to root our the reasons creating this
instability, which means that the Armenian armed forces should leave
the occupied Azerbaijani lands in line with the norms of international
law", he said.

SWEDEN’S PM WELCOMES TURKISH AMBASSADOR’S RETURN

armradio.am
01.04.2010 11:09

Sweden’s Prime Minister on Wednesday welcomed the Turkish ambassador’s
return to Stockholm after being recalled to Anakara over the Swedish
parliament’s recognition of the Armenian genocide.

Fredrik Reinfeldt "welcomes that she is coming back to Sweden. It’s
good that our diplomatic relations are maintained," the prime
minister’s spokeswoman Roberta Alenius told AFP.

Ambassador Zergun Koruturk arrived in the Swedish capital Tuesday.

Before her departure, she told reporters in Anakara her return to
Sweden became possible after the Swedish government distanced itself
from the parliament’s decision.

Koruturk was summoned back to Ankara on March 11 after the Swedish
parliament voted to recognise the Ottoman massacres of Armenians during
World War I as genocide, despite the government’s advice not to do so.

ARMENIA’S MINISTER OF FINANCE LEAVES FOR MOSCOW

Aysor
April 1 2010
Armenia

Armenia’s Minister of Finance Tigran Davtian has left for Moscow
to participate in the fourth session of the CIS regular ministerial
meeting, a spokesperson for Ministry said.

The agenda for the April 1 meeting is a discussion of the current
macro-economical situation in the CIS states; ministers are also
expected to focus on the joint programs, aimed to overcome the global
crisis, as well as on the item related to the CIS Interstate Bank’s
activities.

Minister Tigran Davtian is also reported to participate in the April
1 session of the Eurasian Economic Cooperation, which’s agenda
consists of the items, related to the economical and financial
cooperation between the nations, included in the organisation, and
joint programs and activities of the Anti-Crisis Fund of the Eurasian
Economic Cooperation.

TREE PLANTING DEDICATED TO 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE TO LAUNCH MARCH 31

ang/en
2010-03-30

YEREVAN, MARCH 30, ARMENPRESS: The International Armenian Congress
and the Union of Russian-Armenians took the initiative to organize
the ‘In Memory of Innocent Victims’ movement, within the framework
of which the Armenian youth will plant 1.5 million trees. Mariam
Martirosyan, deputy chairman of the organization of congress’s youth
associations, told Armenpress that tree planting, dedicated to the
100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, will launch March 31. A
number of organizations, educational establishments, youth associations
and military units of the Armenian army joined the initiative.

Trees will be planted tomorrow at number 13 musical school, number 169,
163 schools, at number 174 kindergarten and in Nubarashen district.

Mariam Martirosyan called on the Armenian youth ‘to have an active
participation in the patriotic initiative and consider it not a must,
but a ‘call of heart’ and understanding of the public benefit’.

The initiators call on the Armenians of Diaspora (especially the youth)
to take every opportunity to arrive in the homeland and plant trees
in memory of their ancestors.

LE FBI DETIENT DES PREUVES DE LA CORRUPTION TURQUE REVELEES PAR SIBEL EDMONDS
par Jean Eckian

armenews
lundi29 mars 2010
USA

Des documents du FBI recemment rendus publics prouvent l’existence
d’enquetes criminelles et de Securite Nationale très sensibles sur
des ‘Activites Turques’ a Chicago avant le 11 Septembre 2001. Ils
confirment les accusations explosives de l’ancienne traductrice du
FBI Sibel Edmonds.

Ces documents viennent avec beaucoup d’autres au soutien des
accusations que l’ancienne traductrice du FBI Sibel Edmonds a
formulees, en public et devant le Congrès, depuis 2002. Les documents
ont ete rendus publics a la suite de la demande fondee sur le Freedom
of Information Act, (FOIA, Acte sur la Liberte de l’Information) dans
une organisation appelee Turkish American Cultural Alliance (TACA,
Alliance Culturelle Turque Americaine), une organisation mentionnee
a plusieurs reprises par Mme Edmonds comme etant complice des crimes
qu’elle a decouvert alors qu’elle etait traductrice au FBI.

Les documents rendus publics conformement au FOIA sont presque
totalement surcharges, mais confirment beaucoup de faits releves par
Edmonds, dont :

Un certain nombre d’enquetes très serieuses du FBI ont ete menees dans
un dossier d’ensemble "Activites turques a Chicago" visant diverses
cibles parmi lesquelles la TACA Ces enquetes etaient motivees entre
autres par la "Securite Nationale". Ces enquetes etaient considerees
sensibles au point qu’aucun document appartenant au dossier ne
devait etre charge dans le système informatique du FBI Des membres
du Congrès etaient impliques par la corruption Le FBI a organise de
facon repetitive une vraie "surveillance physique" de cibles turques
et americaines. Certaines de ces enquetes ont ete closes en 2001

Les documents consistent principalement en des messages EC (Electronic
Communications), internes au FBI transmis electroniquement entre
bureaux du FBI. La plupart de ces messages sont titres " Turkish
American Cultural Association " mais l’un d’entre eux date de fevrier
2000 a pour titre " Activites Turques a Chicago ", et indique qu’il y
avait au moins sept enquetes differentes en cours sur les activites
des Turcs a Chicago ; un autre document plus recent de juillet 2001
mentionne qu’il y avait au moins dix enquetes dans la seule TACA..

Le document le plus ancien est un message EC date de novembre 1999
de la Division de la Securite Nationale du FBI (NS-2D) aux bureaux
de terrain de Chicago, Washington DC, Los Angeles et New York
(bien qu’il y ait une reference a un message EC du NSD de septembre
1999). La chronologie est importante. Dans un article paru dans The
American Conservative (L’Americain Conservateur) de Phil Giraldi, Mme
Edmonds note que bien que des enquetes concernant la Turquie aient
ete ouvertes deja en 1996, l’essentiel de cette activite etait sous
le contrôle du Contre-renseignement, couvertes par des FISA warrants
[ mandats delivres par une autorite Speciale prevue pour en assurer la
legalite, le Foreign Intelligence Security Act ], les cibles etant des
etrangers, des enquetes ont malgre tout ete ouvertes en 1999 sur des
‘personnes des USA’ et ‘des micros ont ete installes chez des membres
du Congrès directement’.

L’attention du FBI etait a l’evidence attiree par des ‘donations de
campagne [electorales] ‘ payees par ces groupes aux Representants
au Congrès. Mme Edmonds s’est referee de nombreuses fois a certains
groupes faisant " differentes sortes de contributions de campagne –
legales et illegales, declarees et non declarees " a certains membres
du Congrès. Deux jours après qu’un message EC de la Division de la
Securite Nationale, Chicago passait en revue la base de donnees de
la Federal Electoral Commission (FEC, Commission Electorale Federale)
qui mentionne le detail des donations lors des campagnes d’elections
au Congrès. Chicago etait apparemment interesse par les donations
faites par "trois individus qui ont assiste a la reunion de la TACA ".

Le FBI s’interessait aussi a la direction de la TACA. Un message EC
mentionne que la TACA a tenu des elections en 2000 et comporte une
liste de tous les officiels nouvellement elus. Le message dit "que
le fait le plus significatif de l’enquete en objet est que surcharge
a ete surcharge." Nous savons que c’est Mehmet Celebi qui a ete elu
president lors de cette reunion. Mme Edmonds s’etait referee a Celebi
comme un acteur clef de la mafia turque aux USA, notant que la famille
Celebi etait impliquee dans le trafic des armes et de l’heroïne.

Celebi etait egalement vice-president de l’Assembly of Turkish-American
Associations (ATAA, Assemblee des Associations turco-Americaines), une
autre organisation citee par Mme Edmonds et d’autres comme impliquee
dans diverses activites criminelles.

En 2008, Celebi a attire l’attention pendant un moment ; il a ete
pour un temps un collecteur de fonds clef pour Hillary Clinton, et
a ete nomme l’un des delegues de Clinton de Chicago a la Convention
Democrate Nationale de 2008. Il a ete finalement ejecte de la campagne
Clinton après verification.

A cette epoque, Mme Edmonds avait dit : " En 2005, Vanity Fair avait
rapporte que Dennis Hastert avait ete corrompu par les interets turcs
(1). Si les gens veulent en savoir plus sur ce point, ils devraient
faire une demande au bureau local du FBI de Chicago fondee sur le
Freedom Of Information Act pour des informations sur Mehmet Celebi
a partir de 1997. Si le FBI est honnete, il y aura des boîtes et des
boîtes d’archives en reponse a ces demandes FOIA."

Le celèbre whistleblower (denonciateur) Daniel Ellsberg avait dit
une fois que "Sibel a dit que des valises d’argent liquide avaient
ete remises au president de la Chambre, Dennis Hastert, chez lui
près de Chicago, de sources turques, sachant qu’en grosse partie,
c’est l’argent de la drogue."

L’article de Vanity Fair precedemment cite, probablement pour ecarter
sa responsabilite du cadre d’une eventuelle action en justice, suggera
que " le contenu des enregistrements sur cassette decrit dans l’article
pourrait bien etre une pure provocation, et qu’il n’y a pas de preuve
qu’aucun paiement n’ai jamais ete fait a Hastert." Mais un message EC
de juillet 2001 ayant pour objet la " Statistique des Realisations "
dans le cas de la TACA relève qu’a treize missions de " Surveillance
Physique " dans le cas de TACA seulement, suggerant que le FBI pourrait
bien avoir des preuves de première main de ces crimes.

Un caractère fascinant de beaucoup de ces documents est que beaucoup
d’entre eux previennent sur un ton menacant de la sensibilite de
l’enquete. Un avertissement typique est redige : "Un soin extreme doit
etre mis dans la manipulation de l’information sensible contenue ici.

Aucun document appartenant a l’enquete en cours ne doit etre charge
dans un ordinateur. L’information concernant cette enquete surcharge ne
doit pas etre partagee avec le CID (Criminal Investigation Division,
Division des Enquetes Criminelles) sans que le FBIHQ/DOJ (Direction
Centrale du FBI/ Ministère de la Justice) ne l’autorise."

Mme Edmonds a souvent declare que ces enquetes sur les activites
illegales de la Turquie avaient ete arretees par la Maison Blanche
et le Departement d’Etat en 2001 et 2002, mais que le bureau de
Chicago du FBI avait man~uvre pour qu’elles restent ouvertes. Deux
des dix cas lies a la TACA ont ete officiellement clos par Chicago
en juillet 2001, mais meme les documents relatifs a ces affaires
‘fermees’ portaient encore la mention avertissant que l’information
exigeait un "soin extreme" et ne devait pas etre chargee ou partagee
avec le Bureau des Enquetes Criminelles.

Lorsqu’on lui a demande de commenter ces nouveaux documents, Mme
Edmonds a repondu : "Enfin ! Je l’ai repete pendant des annees, et a
present, nous avons finalement la preuve documentee du FBI de cette
activite criminelle basee a Chicago. C’est fantastique, mais meme cela
n’est que la partie emergee de l’iceberg. La question principale est
la suivante : pourquoi la Maison Blanche et le Departement d’Etat
ont-ils a ce point ete determines a clore ces enquetes ? Ils ont
clos ces enquetes au FBI et ils m’ont enfermee dans le States Secret
Privilège, [Privilège du Secret d’Etat, qui sur demande de l’Etat,
force le juge dans une affaire a rejeter une preuve, parce que sa
revelation au public pourrait nuire au pays].

Que cachent-ils ? Chicago etait le centre de tout ca, le centre des
activites etrangères d’espionnage, et le centre pour le blanchiment
de l’argent sale et aussi un centre de distribution d’heroïne majeur.

Celebi en etait un acteur clef, mais Dennis Hastert, Mayor Daley,
Robert Creamer et d’autres fonctionnaires federaux ont aussi participe
et aide ces activites. Quand les verrons-nous rendre des comptes ?.

C’est la question ultime. Nous avons maintenant encore plus de preuves
de ces crimes – mais il n’y a toujours aucun signe d’une quelconque
recherche de responsabilite. Que leur faut-il ?

17 mars 2010

(1) ancien President de la Chambre des Representants. Il avait fait
interrompre le vote sur la Resolution armenienne. Agent de l’etranger

ARMENIANS MAY PROVOKE WAR OVER KARABAKH

Day.Az
March 24 2010
Azerbaijan

About three years ago I was chatting with a military expert from a
country in the west who was an officer of an alliance of some kind,
not just an ordinary soldier, but someone who was certainly well
informed. He spent a long time complaining about "militarism". The
whole dreariness of the world community, which was supposedly
completely and utterly objective in its mediation and its desire to
resolve the Karabakh problem, was presented in all its glory.

We, of course, know that one of a journalist’s main qualities should
be to have an almost child-like curiosity. Looking at the expert
with all the innocence of the eyes of a 30-year old, I asked him:
"So, if there is going to be a war, who will win?" His reply came as
a surprise, even to me. He claimed that Azerbaijan had a minimum of
tens of thousands of assault troops (a precise number exists, but
I will maintain a discreet silence on that score), who are trained
at the highest level and could within two weeks reach the Armenian
border from the unoccupied part of Agdam or Fuzuli districts, unless,
of course, they were ordered to advance further. Let me repeat,
I am not talking about a regular army, but trained assault troops,
to whom it would not be appropriate to extend the principle "One at
altitude against five attackers from below".

I re-checked my companion’s information at official level. After the
usual silence it was later confirmed by independent experts and even
those who showed opposition at most to the authorities and at least
to the Defence Ministry.

I will not itemize all of Azerbaijan’s armaments and weaponry. It
was enough to have been in last year’s parade in Azadliq Square [in
Baku], but even then by no means everything was shown and not the
most terrible weapons. After all, the parade was for our benefit,
and not the Armenians. But recently I have come to understand the
hysteria of the Armenians with regard to "Azerbaijan’s bellicose
statements". But what can they do after all, the threat is a real,
a tangible one, so to speak.

Armenian war preparations

I wrote recently that the Armenians have been busy digging trenches in
Karabakh. Let me repeat, this information is 100-per cent accurate. An
Armenian counterpart, who has perfectly good eyesight, has seen this
new line of defence for himself. He said the reason for it was because
the Armenians are preparing to repel an attack, whereas I believe the
Armenians are preparing to de-occupy Azerbaijani territories. Whose
prediction will be proved true is a 50-50 question, but I would go
for mine.

The other day the [Armenian] Hraparak newspaper wrote that they
are busy preparing for war in Nagornyy Karabakh. It said that all
young people who had reached adulthood had already undergone medical
examinations, the basements of local hospitals had been cleared out
and beds laid out, first-aid medicines were being purchased and the
population was stocking up on food and water.

Those who agree with the idea of a forthcoming de-occupation believe
that the Armenian leaders are scaring all and sundry about a possible
war, so that if territories are returned the people can breathe easily:
the danger is over, peace is the main thing, is what they are saying.

More subtle specialists and near-experts believe that by declaring a
"patriotic war", in which not just the regular army will take part, but
the population as well, official Yerevan is covering up its inevitable
defeat should hostilities break out. The idea is that it would not be
[Armenian President Serzh] Sargsyan and the military junta as a whole
who would be defeated, but the whole nation. Another excuse for 95
years of mourning [since the 1915 Armenian genocide]?

They are tying to say that the Armenians are innocent, and all this
is the devilry of "cruel monsters" who beat the beautiful and the
misunderstood. So long as Sargsyan is in power a solution to the
conflict exists.

It was here that the experts analysing the "preparation for war"
apparently concluded their suppositions and restricted their
predictions. But I will venture to go further.

Not "hot air"

First, (proceeding from what has already been said), the Armenians do
have something and someone to fear. Azerbaijan’s "aggressive rhetoric"
is by no means just hot air. If they didn’t know, they wouldn’t be
afraid; if they weren’t afraid, they wouldn’t spread slander.

Secondly, at this precise moment we and the Armenians have reached the
crossroads: it’s either peace or war. We will decide this year. Time
is short.

Thirdly, aware of all this, the Armenian generals may turn to
provocation. We have always considered the option of a possible attack
by our troops on the occupying forces, but it is rare that anyone
contemplates the option of a strike from the other side. But it is a
real possibility. It cannot be ruled out that the Armenians will turn
to provocation. Of course, they are not guaranteed military success,
but the talks will be wrecked. And the junta, which has gorged itself
on a war, might choose this path, whether led by President Sargsyan
or without him.

Let us at least assume they will experiment. This very same officer
of the alliance claimed that within another week, that is a total of
three from the start of an attack, our troops could be in Yerevan. We
will speak about the CSTO [Collective Security Treaty Organization]
next time.

20 SCIENTISTS COMMEND THE ROLE ARMENIANS PLAY IN ARAB ECONOMIES

PanARMENIAN.Net
30.03.2010 19:04 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ 20 scientists from different countries attended the
3rd International Conference "Role of Armenians in the economies of
Arab countries" held on March 29 and 30 at the Centre for Armenian
Studies at Cairo University.

The conference was organized with support of the Cairo University’s
rector Proff.Hossam Kamel.

Conference participants were presented the congratulatory messages
from the Armenian Minister of Education and Science Armen Ashotyan
and Lebanese Minister of Industry Abraham Dedeyan.

The conference was attended by 20 scientists from Egypt, Syria,
Lebanon, the United States and Armenia. Reports of all scientists
focused on the role of Armenians in the economic development of Arab
countries. Speakers praised the role of Armenians in the development
of trade and economy in the Middle East. Conference proceedings will
be published in a book, the press office of the RA Ministry of Foreign
Affairs reported.