TURKS OBJECT TO DROPPING COURT CASE
Hurriyet
Feb 5 2009
Turkey
ANKARA – A group of Turkish citizens have raised an objection to a
court decision rejecting a request for the criminal prosecution of
initiators of the Armenian apology campaign.
The office of the Ankara Public Prosecutor last week dropped the case
against a group of Turkish intellectuals, who launched a petition
apologizing for the 1914 incidents. The group delivered their objection
to the Sincan Criminal Court.
RARE VISITS TO ARMENIAN MUSEUMS DUE TO LACK OF EXHIBITION HALLS: MINISTER
ARKA
Feb 4, 2009
YEREVAN, February 4. /ARKA/. The reason for rare visits to museums
is lack of exhibition space in Armenia, with the country’s museums
being replenished with 7,543 exhibits last year, said RA Minister of
Culture Hasmik Poghosyan.
The average annual rise in museum visits is 3% – a low rate, the
minister added.
In 2008, visits to Armenia’s museums rose 7.3% year-on-year to 312,500,
due to opening of six new museums.
"The Ministry of Culture aims at opening new museums and exhibition
halls, as well as building mobile stands," Poghosyan added.
Armenian museums are no more able to store new exhibits, gifts and
archeological finds in the overfilled archives, the minister said,
stressing the importance of digitalization of museum archives.
The security and safety issue of all museums will be settled this year,
Poghosyan concluded.
REPUBLICANS CAME TO COMBAT AIDS
A1+
[06:33 pm] 02 February, 2009
Today the Armenian Parliament began its sitting with the national
anthem. Only the members of the Heritage faction joined in the
singing. The other MPs looked at each other and smiled.
At the beginning of the sitting the Speaker of the National
Assembly Hovik Abrahamyan presented the agenda for the four-day
session. He left after the adoption of the agenda followed by most
parliamentarians. Ten out of the 50 legislative initiatives put on
the agenda were discussed within an hour. Only the Heritage faction
participated in the discussion.
Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Armen Movsisyan presented the
draft law on ratification of agreement on establishment of Eurasian
Development Bank proposed by Serzh Sargsyan.
Highlighting the agreement the Minister noted that the authorized
capital stock is 1, 5 milliard dollars, 1 milliard of which belongs
to the Russian Federation and the other half – to Kazakhstan.
"Entering into the agreement, Armenia will have its part of the capital
stock aimed at promoting to the implementation of programs in the
spheres of energy, mineral resource industry, chemistry, metallurgy
as well as in agriculture", said Armen Movsisyan. Armenia is going
to make an investment of 100 thousand dollars at the expense of its
reserve fund. Heritage MP Larissa Alaverdyan noted that the issue was
to be raised by the Minister of Finances and not by the Minister of
Energy and Natural Resources.
Today the National Assembly also referred to the draft law on "military
police" presented by Deputy Defence Minister Ara Nazaryan. According
to the draft amendments the military police is empowered to police
delivery, conduct outer observation and eavesdrop on telephone
conversations.
As expected only the Heritage spoke against the draft bills.
"After the March 1 unrest, the telephone talks of some political
figures were deciphered. We shall vote down the bills which aim
to eavesdrop on the conversations of political figures and publish
them in the press," said Armen Martirosyan. "Our law-enforcers warn
servicemen’s parents against attending opposition rallies if they
care for their sons’ future," he added.
The NA hall filled during the discussion of the draft law on "the
combat against illnesses caused by human immunodeficiency virus
(HIV)." Republican MPs rushed to the hall elbowing each other,
"Let’s go and see what they say about AIDS," they said to each other.
PEOPLE LIVE IN TUMBLEDOWN BUILDING
A1+
[12:16 pm] 02 February, 2009
Residents of Armavir’s Likashin community have reached an
"impasse." They say they can no longer live in their homes as the
building is on the verge of collapse. The balconies keep going forward,
and the residents fear the building may ruin one day.
"I am filled with horror as we use our balcony as a kitchen. Our
ten-member family usually gathers in the kitchen, and I know that
one day we shall get into trouble," said one of the inhabitants.
"I feel the second floor will fall onto the first one," said another.
Eight families live in the tumbledown building. There are two other
dilapidated buildings in the commune. They were built by Americans
in 1924 as orphanages.
People live in them with constant fear of menacing disaster. They have
applied to the municipal council and marzpetaran (local municipality)
but all in vain. They were told to "tackle the issue on their own."
Village Head Panos Khorozyan says at least 50 million drams are needed
to handle the issue. But they cannot afford the sum at present.
ON THE POLICY OF RUSSIA ON POST-SOVIET TERRITORY
Sargis Harutyunyan
tics&nid=1583
27 January 2009
Though the new treaty, which was signed between Russia and Ukraine,
generally settled the matter of Russian gas supply to Ukraine and
its transmission to the EU, but the issue still remains open.
The point is that Moscow and Kiev have not come to an agreement about
long-term price on natural gas1. And this means that parties have not
also come to an agreement about long-term price for gas transmission
to Europe through the territory of Ukraine2. Hence, one thing is
clear that the causes of the crisis are not excluded yet. Though
the parties have clarified the rules of the game for this year,
the crisis may be repeated in the long term.
The question is why Russia have decided to use its energetic
capabilities for the first time since 20063 although Moscow and Kiev
had a contract of gas delivery to Ukraine and its transmission to
Europe and on this occasion situation did not differ essentially from
that of winters of 2006-2007 and 2007-2008.
Situational analysis The main innovation of this gas crisis between
Russia and Ukraine was that Moscow implemented an important change
in the energetic policy with Kiev.
Russia had never suspended gas delivery, particularly to Ukraine,
before. If in 2006 Russia had reduced gas delivery to Ukraine for
several days, then in this ca se they had completely suspended gas
delivery since January 7th.
If we try to formulate somehow all what happened, then we shall get
the following picture: Russia shifted from the threat of use of its
energetic capabilities to the implementation of that threat. We can
draw a parallel with the war between Russia and Georgia in August
2008. The threat of use of Russian military and political pressure
towards Georgia (this had been speculated for many years since 2003)
transformed into the implementation of that threat last summer and
it is for the first time since Saakashvili came to power (in 2003).
It is essential to see "the true value" of those changes. If those
corrections caused the change of status quo4 in South Caucasus, then
all above mentioned tells us that in the case with Ukraine Kremlin
is not going to be satisfied with the positional achievements. The
decision of Moscow to move from threats to a implementation of
energetic capacities or in other words to cross "the red line" means
that even on the back of Putin-Timoshenko gas agreements Ukrainian
issue remains open for Russia, and in this regard Russia has passed to
"warfare". There is almost no doubt that in the near future serious
developments expect Ukraine and in the mid-term it will be difficult
to implement its "balances policy", which has been formed after 1991.
The only question without res ponse is whether Russia will succeed
to bring Ukraine back under its control and if they cannot do that
on the whole territory of the country then which part of Ukrainian
territories Kremlin will recognize "independent".
One more remark. As in the case of South Caucasus, in the Ukrainian
direction Russia also tries to gain the assistance of one regional
leader.
If in South Caucasus Turkey tried to take over that role then in
the case with Ukraine that role was taken over by Germany5. And this
is not far from geopolitical solutions implemented by Moscow in the
first half of the 20th century6.
Conclusions Time factor plays great role in all above mentioned.
>From strategic point of view it is important for Russia to make the
most of the US involvement in Middle East, which consumes diplomatic,
military, economic and ideological resources. This circumstance not
only restricts capabilities of American policy on the post-Soviet
territory, but it also opens "the window of possibilities" for Russia
to regain their positions after the breakup of the Soviet Union. The
decision of the USA to "leave" Iraq and to initiate new strategic
projects in Eurasia (e.g.
in the line of India – Central Asia), may be a signal for Russia,
which shows that "the window of possibilities" may shut down soon. This
conditioned the resolute steps of Kremlin in the lines of Georgia a
nd Ukraine.
As for Ukrainian issue, time factor is also important here. It is
not a secret that in the end of 2009 presidential elections will be
held in Ukraine. The decision of Moscow to use their gas factor to
put pressure upon (for the first time since 2006) is supposed to be
connected with the elections in Ukraine. It is not a mere chance that
during the crisis Russian informational policy considered president
Viktor Yushenko to be the main person who was guilty for that,
and gas contract they have signed with his opponent, prime-minister
Yulia Timoshenko and this contributed to the growth of her authority
in the domestic policy. It is not excluded that Kremlin will support
the chairman of "Regions party" Viktor Yanukovich on the elections in
Ukraine, but today the main aim of Moscow is to except the reelection
of president Yushenko7.
1The following fact speaks in favour of that conclusion. The parties
do not tell the market price of natural gas for Ukraine, which is
going to be establish on January 1st, 2010. On January 18th after the
negotiations between Putin and Timoshenko the parties stated that they
would pass to the international, European high prices from January
1st 2010. The same prices will be established for the transmission
of gas to the EU. As for 2009, it was mentioned that Russia would
sell gas to Ukraine with 20% concession and the latest would let
Russia supply gas =0 D to Europe through the Ukrainian territory on
low prices. It is known that the EU countries bounded with Ukraine
pay $470 per one cubic meter of gas.
In 2008 Ukraine paid $179,5.
2It is known that Ukrainian party connects the price of Russian natural
gas they buy with the price for its transmission to the third parties.
3To be exact it was in 2006 when the first large-scale gas war between
Russia and Ukraine broke out.
4We also mean the recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia
independence, which means that Russia made definite changes in its
policy in South Caucasus and this is not quite clear for us yet.
5Our conclusion is not only based on the monitoring of German position
in the course of gas crisis between Russia and Ukraine, but also on
some significant change which can be noticed in the foreign policy
of Berlin. The latest illustrative example was the open letter
by vice-prime minister, the minister of foreign affairs and virtual
leader of one of the ruling coalition parties (Social-democratic party)
Frank-Walter Steinmeier to Barak Obama printed in the 13th issue of
German "Der Spiegel" magazine.
Steinmeier called the new president of the US to take into account
Russian interests in international policy.
6It is possible that the instability in the former Soviet Baltic
republics (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania) is caused by the same
solutions and some American and British sources blame20Moscow for it.
7The results of the opinion pole, held by on of the centers of the
National Academy of Science of Ukraine (January 13, 2009) show that
Viktor Yanukovich has 30,3%, Yulia Timoshenko 16,7%, and president
Viktor Yushenko 2,9%.
PRESIDENT SARGSYAN’S BILATERAL MEETINGS ON THE MARGINS OF THE WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM IN DAVOS
armradio.am
29.01.2009 17:27
In the evening of January 28 the President of Armenia, Serzh Sargsyan,
participated in the solemn opening ceremony of the World Economic Forum
in Davos, following which president and founder of the Forum Claus
Shwab gave an official dinner in honor of the high-ranking guests.
President Sargsyan also participated in the reception organized by
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.
This morning President Serzh Sargsyan started his bilateral meetings
in Davos.
The Armenian President had a meeting with the Executive Director of
the International Atomic Energy Agency Muhammed El Baradey. During
the meeting the parties highly appreciated the current level of
cooperation between the International Atomic Energy Agency and the
Republic of Armenia.
The parties discussed issues related to the construction of a new
nuclear power plant in Armenia. Muhammed El Baradey rated high the
steps taken by the Armenian authorities in the direction of building a
new energy unit and expressed willingness to provide expert assistance
at different stages of program implementation. The Executive Director
of the International Atomic Energy Agency also hailed the steps
the Armenian authorities took to raise the security of the Metsamor
Nuclear Power Plant.
For his part, President Sargsyan thanked Muhammed El Baradey for
coordinating the efforts of international donors in this direction
and for the advice.
President Serzh Sargsyan had a meeting with the President of the Asian
Development Bank Haruhiko Kuroda. Serzh Sargsyan expressed gratitude
to the President of the Asian Development Bank for implementation
of joint programs, assessing those as effective. President Sargsyan
expressed satisfaction with the assistance the Bank has provided to
our country in the fields of governance and infrastructure development
and expressed hope that the cooperation will continue in the future.
Haruhiko Kuroda, in turn, rated high the steps taken by the Armenian
authorities in the sphere of state governance and noted that the Asian
Development Bank is interested in developing long-term partnership
relations with the Republic of Armenia, attaching importance to
the combination of all existing tools to promote the development
of Armenia.
Today President Sargsyan will have meetings with the Prime Minister
of Russia Vladimir Putin, the President of the Swiss Confederation
Hans Rudolf Merz. Late in the evening Serzh Sargsyan is expected to
meet Turkish Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
ARMENIAN PRESIDENT AND RUSSIAN PRIME MINISTER MET IN DAVOS
ArmInfo
2009-01-29 17:24:00
ArmInfo.A short meeting of the Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan and
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin was held in Davos, foreign mass
media report.
No details of the meeting are given.
According to the data of the same sources, S. Sargsyan will expectedly
meet Prime Minister of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan. To recall,
the Turkish PM told journalists yesterday before leaving for Davos
that he could meet the Armenian president during the International
Economic Forum in Davos. ‘There are no obstacles which could hinder us
to meet with S. Sargsyan, we can meet’, Erdogan said and added that
the meetings between the Turkish and Armenian diplomats periodically
continue at a low level and their level should be gradually enhanced.
ARMENIAN STOCK EXCHANGE RENAMED NASDAQ OMX ARMENIA
ARKA
Jan 28, 2009
YEREVAN, January 28. /ARKA/. Armenian Stock Exchange (Armex) open
joint stock company was renamed as NASDAQ OMX Armenia open joint
stock company.
Marketing and Communication Department of NASDAQ OMX Armenia reported
that the legal name change was recorded by the Central Bank of Armenia
and became effective as of January 27 2008.
"The legal name change is another logical step towards the full
integration of Armex and CDA into the global family of NASDAQ OMX
companies – with all benefits that this process will have for the
Armenian market," says the report.
Back in summer 2008, the Armenian Stock Exchange and the Central
Depository of Armenia (CDA) replaced their old logotypes with the
NASDAQ OMX logotype.
"NASDAQ OMX Armenia will carry on with its efforts to improve
the exchange trading environment and services rendered to market
participants and issuers – to establish a trusted and liquid
marketplace that meets the needs of customers in Armenia and beyond,"
the report says.
In January 2008, Nordic exchange operator OMX Group acquired 100%
of shares of the Armenian Stock Exchange (Armex) and the Central
Depository of Armenia (CDA). After the combination of NASDAQ and OMX
in March 2008, Armex and CDA have become fully owned by the NASDAQ
OMX Group, Inc.
The NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc. is number one in worldwide listin gs among
major markets – currently the number of companies is over 3,900 and
it keeps growing. NASDAQ OMX technology supports the operations of
over 60 exchanges, clearing organizations and central securities
depositories in more than 50 countries. ($1=305.17Drams).
RUSSIA TO VOTE AGAINST APPLYING SANCTIONS BY PACE TOWARDS ARMENIA
ArmInfo
2009-01-26 13:15:00
ArmInfo. PACE will not come to exclusion of Armenia from the poll,
Head of the Russian delegation to PACE Konstantin Kosachyov said
in Strasbourg today upon completion of the session of the Bureau
– the charter body of the Assembly. As RIA Novosti repots, when
commenting on the future of the Armenian delegation at PACE winter
session, Kosachyov said ‘we shall vote against if the matter concerns
discussion of this issue’. He also said "the situation in Armenia has
changed". Moreover, Kosachyov called "such thoroughgoing measures,
namely, exclusion of the delegation from the poll" unreasonable.
Today’s Zaman, Turkey
Jan 24 2009
Jewish groups urge ErdoÄ?an to address anti-Semitism
Leading US-based Jewish groups have sent a joint letter to Turkish
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ErdoÄ?an expressing concern over "a
wave of anti-Semitism" in the aftermath of Israel’s devastating
offensive in the Gaza Strip.
Both Turkish leaders and the public reacted harshly to the offensive,
which Israel said was meant to rout Gaza’s Hamas leaders and stop the
group’s homemade rockets, which have killed around 20 people since
2002. The offensive, which ended with a truce on Sunday, killed 1,284
Palestinians — 894 of them civilians, including 280 children and
teenagers — according to a Palestinian human rights group. The death
toll and scale of destruction in Gaza provoked international outrage,
but in Israel the war was widely seen as a legitimate response to
Hamas’ attacks. Thirteen Israelis were also killed, 10 of them
soldiers.
"Many recent incidents are gravely distressing to us. Protestors
besieging the Israeli Consulate in Ä°stanbul have expressed
their hatred of Jews. Billboards around Ä°stanbul are full of
anti-Jewish propaganda posters. The door of a Jewish-owned shop near
Ä°stanbul University was covered with a poster that said, `Do
not buy from here, since this shop is owned by a Jew.’
The defacing of an Ä°zmir synagogue has brought about the
temporary closure of all but one of that city’s synagogues," said the
letter, signed by leaders of the American Jewish Committee, the
Anti-Defamation League, B’nai B’rith International, the Conference of
Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations and the Jewish
Institute for National Security Affairs.
"To be sure, we disagree with your government’s view of the situation
in the Gaza Strip and with some of your own harshest statements. We
firmly believe that responsibility for the conflict lies with the
terrorist group Hamas, and that Israel is permitted, indeed obligated,
to exercise its right of self-defense. We should certainly agree,
however, that such differences of opinion do not justify any display
of anti-Semitism in Turkey or elsewhere," continued the open letter on
the Web site of the American Jewish Committee.
"Turkey rightly prides itself on many centuries of coexistence with
Jews. But today, our Jewish friends in Turkey feel besieged and
threatened. A connection is clearly perceived between the inflammatory
denunciation of Israel by Turkish officials and the rise of
anti-Semitism," it said.
While constantly criticizing Israel for its Gaza offensive, which led
to the killings of hundreds of civilians, ErdoÄ?an labeled
Israel’s assault "a crime against humanity." However, he also said
publicly that anti-Semitism, too, is a crime against humanity.
In a speech delivered in Ankara last week, the prime minister referred
to an incident in which members of the Federation of Osman Gazi
Cultural Associations posed with placards on which they had written
"No Jews or Armenians allowed here" and "Dogs allowed," apparently in
response to the ongoing Israeli military offensive in Gaza, and added:
"Everyone who is under the flag of this country is our first-class
citizen. The Jewish citizens in my country have an honorable stance on
this issue. All minorities, Armenians, Jews, Greeks and Christians are
under the protection of the Turkish Republic and the government. It is
not correct to emotionally attack such citizens of our country."
Meanwhile, in its report about the letter, the Jewish Telegraphic News
Agency, an online news portal, noted that "the organizations that
signed on to the letter declined to support a 2007 US congressional
resolution recognizing the Armenian genocide, concerned that such
legislation could harm the relationships between the United States and
Turkey and Israel and Turkey."
24 January 2009, Saturday
TODAY’S ZAMAN ANKARA