Author: Kanayan Tamar

OSCE MINSK GROUP URGES BAKU, YEREVAN TO COORDINATE SETTLEMENT BASICS

Interfax
Dec 4 2008
Russia

The foreign ministers of Russia, France and the United States –
countries represented by the cochairmen of the OSCE Minsk Group –
have urged parties to the Karabakh conflict to build up confidence
and to draft a peace agreement, the Armenian Foreign Ministry told
Interfax on Thursday.

The foreign ministers called for "using the constructive and positive
impulse given by the Moscow meeting of the Azerbaijani, Armenian and
Russian presidents on November 2, 2008," the ministry said.

They also suggested that parties to the conflict should pool efforts
with the Minsk Group cochairmen "in order to complete the coordination
of settlement fundamentals within the next few months and to begin
the drafting of a peace agreement on that basis," the ministry said.

"We reaffirm our opinion that the Karabakh conflict cannot have a
military solution and urge the sides to confirm their adherence to
the peace settlement," the ministers said in a joint statement.

Birmingham Star, AL
Dec 3 2008

Azerbaijan balancing strategic interests

Birmingham Star
Wednesday 3rd December, 2008

The newly reelected President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, was sworn
in for a second term last month after winning the October 15th
election with 89 percent of the vote.

Opposition parties boycotted the election, and monitors from the
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe criticized the
poll’s shortcomings, especially during counting and tabulation.

But whatever the shortcomings of the election, President Aliyev enjoys
enormous popularity in his own country, according to Paul Goble,
Director of Research and Publications at the Azerbaijan Diplomatic
Academy in Baku. Speaking with host Judith Latham of VOA News Now’s
International Press Club, Goble says, even if the election had been
fully free and fair with all the major parties taking part, the
Azerbaijani President would still have been reelected with a
significant majority.

The Azerbaijan perspective

Mr. Aliyev’s election victory cemented his family’s long grip on power
in Azerbaijan. He was elected in 2003 following the death of his
father, Heydar Aliyev, who himself dominated politics in the country
for 30 years. Paul Goble says that stability has been an important
factor in one of the most dangerous and unstable parts of the world. A
key reason is Azerbaijan’s strategic position on the pipeline carrying
crude oil from the Caspian Sea through Georgia and Turkey. Goble notes
that Azerbaijan sits at a unique juncture of a north-south, and an
east-west, axis of influence. Therefore, he says, Azerbaijan almost
has to pursue what President Aliyev has called a `balanced’ foreign
policy, taking into account the views of Russia, Iran, Central Asia,
Turkey, Europe, and the United States. And as Goble points out, the
recent war in Georgia demonstrated that the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan
pipeline is not absolutely secure.

A Georgian Perspective

Georgian journalist and political analyst Ghia Abashidze in Tbilisi
agrees. Abashidze says the war with Russia in August made the issue of
energy supplies in the Caucasus abundantly clear to
everyone. According to the latest reports, Abashidze says, the
pipeline is not working at its full prewar capacity, and it is unclear
when it will. And that’s not only because of the world economic crisis
but also because of the aftermath of last summer’s war. There are
still Russian troops on Georgian soil, so investors are reluctant to
restart the pipeline at its full capacity, Abashidze says.

Nonetheless, Ghia Abashidze says the Georgian leadership sees
Azerbaijani President Aliyev’s reelection in a positive light. People
there remember how Azerbaijan helped Georgia in recent years when
Russia cut off gas and energy supplies, he says, so Georgians expect
that friendly relations with Azeris will continue.

An Armenian Perspective

However, relations between Baku and Yerevan are fraught with tension
because of a long-standing struggle between Azerbaijan and Armenia
over the separatist region of Nagorno-Karabakh. According to Paul
Goble, Moscow has not played a very helpful role there, despite the
new Russian President’s overtures to both sides.

The reality is that the Russian government has not wanted an agreement
between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Goble says. He suggests that President
Dmitri Medvedev may have invited the presidents of Armenia and
Azerbaijan to go to Moscow last month for negotiations partly as a way
of demonstrating Russia’s preeminent position vis-a-vis the other
Minsk Group countries. Goble says that, if Moscow decides it is in its
greater interest to back Azerbaijan, there will be in his words a
`possibility of movement.’ But, he adds Russia’s geopolitical
calculations in the southern Caucasus have clearly changed.

Emil Sanamyan, Washington editor of the Armenian Reporter, agrees with
Paul Goble that the Kremlin might have ulterior motives in last
month’s meetings. Sanamyan says Russia’s brokering of talks does not
necessarily aim at resolution and agreement, but rather is an attempt
to recapture the dominance it used to have in the region. And in fact
Armenian President Serge Sarkissian made the point that, after Georgia
failed in its recent attack on South Ossetia, Azerbaijan would
probably think twice about using military options in
Nagorno-Karabakh. Sanamyan suggests that factor alone may improve the
prospects for a peace deal.

U.S. Policy Perspective

According to Paul Goble, Azerbaijan is critically important to
Washington as well as to Moscow. First, he says, there is an interest
in access to oil and gas. Second, he notes there are strategic
considerations and making sure that Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Armenia
understand that the `east-west line’ is more beneficial to them. And
third, Goble cautions, progress toward democracy in the region should
not be sacrificed in the name of geo-strategic or economic interests.

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Today’s Zaman, Turkey
Dec 3 2008

Babacan to meet with Azerbaijani, Armenian foreign ministers

Foreign Minister Ali Babacan is scheduled to meet separately with his
counterparts from Azerbaijan and Armenia today in Helsinki on the
sidelines of a gathering of the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

Officials say there is no formal decision to have three-way talks
similar to the one the three ministers had at this year’s UN General
Assembly in September, though observers still expect trilateral talks
today. In addition to separate talks with Babacan, Azerbaijani
Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov and Armenian Foreign Minister
Edward Nalbandian are expected to have a bilateral
meeting. Representatives from Russia, France and the United States,
co-leaders of the OSCE’s Minsk Group, working for a peaceful
settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute, will also be attending the
meeting.

The main item in the talks is the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute, which
poisons not only Azerbaijani-Armenian ties but also relations between
Ankara and Yerevan. Turkey severed its diplomatic ties and closed its
border gate with Armenia in 1993 in protest of the occupation of
Nagorno-Karabakh in Azerbaijan by Armenian forces. Ankara is pursuing
a policy of rapprochement with Yerevan but the Nagorno-Karabakh
dispute is one of the main obstacles to reconciliation.

04 December 2008, Thursday
SERVET YANATMA HELSINKI

ARMENIAN GOVERNMENT UNDERTAKES MEASURES TO OVERCOME CONSEQUENCES OF FINANCIAL-ECONOMIC CRISIS

Noyan Tapan

Dec 4, 2008

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 4, NOYAN TAPAN. Within the frame of work to overcome
the negative consequences of the global financial-economic crisis,
instructions were given to all the ministries, departments and regional
administrations, as well as a request-proposal was submitted to the
National Academy of Sciences so that the indicated structures will
present proposals on business development, and indentify the current
economic potential and programs which can be implemented with the
government’s assistance. The RA prime minister Tigran Sargsyan stated
this at the December 4 sitting of the government. A commission was
set up to coordinate this work. The commission is headed by the
prime minister.

According to T. Sargsyan, all the departments and ministries were
instructed to summarize the proposals received from the private
sector. The proposals will have two directions: one is that enterprises
should have skilful and well-trained management that will present
definite programs with the desription of all existing difficulties
and the proposals on how the state can help these enterprises overcome
the difficulties. The second direction is that if an enterprise lacks
the respective level of management, the state should help it develop
and implement business programs. In this connection, as the prime
minister said, the participation of the state in such enterprises
is no ruled out, thanks to which the state will get some levers for
efficient implementation of the indicated programs.

"That is, all the instruments we propose are very flexible and
multiform. We expect the private sector to also make efforts for
getting prepared to overcome all the negative consequences, while
the state has enough opportunities and resources to help them,"
T. Sargsyan said.

PACE TO CONSIDER IMPLEMENTATION OF RESOLUTIONS 1609 AND 1620

A1+
[04:29 pm] 03 December, 2008

Co-rapporteurs George Columbier and John Prescott will present the
implementation of PACE Resolutions 1609 and 1620 at the opening of
a January 29 session /at 3:00 p.m. local time/.

Remind that under Resolution 1620 the Assembly will review the
suspension of the rights of the Armenian delegation at its winter
session in case "Armenia doesn’t meet its requirements."

The Resolution says that by January, 2009,

4.7.1. the cases still under investigation should be closed or
promptly brought before courts to ensure the right to fair trial
within a reasonable time in compliance with the case law of the
European Court of Human Rights;

4.7.2. the cases under Articles 300 and 225 of the Criminal Code
should be dropped unless there is strong evidence that the accused
have personally committed acts of violence or ordered, abetted or
assisted to commit them;

4.7.3. a verdict based solely on a single police testimony without
corroborating evidence cannot be acceptable

4.7.4. the National Assembly should take into account the negative
opinion of the Venice Commission on the proposed amendments to Articles
225, 2251, 301 and 3011 of the Criminal Code.

According to the Resolution Armenia should ensure freedom of meetings,

The Assembly reiterates its demand that freedom of assembly should
also be guaranteed in practice in Armenia. It therefore insists that
the Armenian authorities should ensure that no undue restrictions are
placed on rallies organised by the opposition in compliance with the
law on Conducting Meetings, Assemblies, Rallies and Demonstrations,
especially with regard to the venues requested.

There is also a reference to freedom of expression in Armenia.

The Assembly recalls that there is a need for a pluralistic electronic
media environment in Armenia and, referring to the decision of the
European Court of Human Rights concerning the denial of broadcasting
license to A1+, calls on the licensing authority to now ensure an open,
fair and transparent licensing procedure, in line with the guidelines
adopted by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe on 26
March 2008 and with the case law of the European Court of Human Rights.

Note that the PACE winter session scheduled for January 26-30 will
refer to the recent war between Russia and Georgia at the opening of
its January 2009 part-session.

ARMENIAN-TURKISH TALKS TO BE HELD IN FINLAND

De Facto
Dec 1, 2008

YEREVAN, 02.12.08. DE FACTO. Armenian-Turkish talks on the
establishment of relations between the two countries will be held
in Helsinki.

According to the information DE FACTO received at the RA MFA Press
Office, a bilateral meeting of Armenian FM Edward Nalbandian and
Turkish FM Ali Babacan will be held in Helsinki, within the frames
of a sitting of FMs of the OSCE member countries.

To note, Edward Nalbandian’s visit to Helsinki starts on December 3
and will last till December 5.

VISAS TO BE RECEIVED EASILY?

A1+
[04:22 pm] 27 November, 2008

Next week the European Commission will propose member countries ways
to improve relations with Eastern European countries, according to
head of the European Commission’s Delegation in Armenia, Ambassador
Raul de Luzenberger.

According to him, this cooperation does not substitute for the European
Neighborhood Policy. The main components of the document are the same,
but in this case, the European Union will show more willingness and
resoluteness.

The first component is the willingness to open a European market,
which is also stated in the European Neighborhood Policy. In this
case, however, the market will be open through free trade, territory
and zones and a treaty will be signed with each member country.

"This is not new to Armenia because it has already reached that point,"
said head of the European Commission’s Delegation in Armenia.

The second component is even more in the interest of Armenia. According
to that component, the EU must facilitate the process of obtaining
visas in the framework of the migration management and recovery
treaties.

"This is a very fragile sphere and that proposal is especially
important for the European Union. In order to accomplish this, there
has to be rational level of protection within EU borders," said Raul
de Luzenberger.

The third component is the increase in level of dialogue. According
to Raul de Luzenberger, member countries are complaining about lack
of attention.

ARMENIA NEAR TO REFUSE CONDITION OF TURKEY’S RECOGNITION OF ARMENIAN "GENOCIDE"

Trend News Agency
Nov 27 2008
Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan, Baku, 25 November /corr. Trend News E.Tariverdiyeva / The
improvement in the diplomatic relations between Ankara and Yerevan
can bring unexpected results. It seems Armenia is prepared to soon
refuse the condition of Turkey’s recognition of Armenian "genocide"
in order to save its brittle economy. "The relations between Armenia
and Turkey will inevitably improve also without Turkey’s recognition
of the Armenian "genocide", because the 1915 genocide is descriptive,
but the hunger, which can be in Armenia, is completely real," said
the Russian expert on Caucasus, Vladimir Zharikhin.

After 15 years absence of diplomatic relations, closed borders and
mutual claims, Turkey and Armenia decided to re-establish diplomatic
relations. "We support the beginning of a new process in the relations
with Armenia, and directed a message to the new government of this
country, in which we noted that we are open for the dialogue with
them," Ali Babajan, Foreign Minister of Turkey, said on Monday,
СNN-Turk reported.

For many years, official Yerevan and numerous Armenian diasporas
have been attaining world countries and parliaments’ adoption of the
resolutions, which confirm "genocide" of the Armenians and which
call present Turkey to recognize the destruction of 1.5mln ethnic
Armenians. Turkey refutes these accusations, and since 1993, has
broken up diplomatic relations and blocked the borders with Armenia,
which were important transport artery for Yerevan.

During the visit of Armenian Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian to
Turkey, which took place yesterday, he highlighted the preparedness
of his country for the normalization of relations with Turkey without
the preliminary conditions. "Genocide is a black page of our general
history, and we must together overturn it and build up our stable
future," said Nalbandian in an interview with Mediamaks agency.

Moreover, now even it became possible to research the "genocide" of
Armenians by a friendly commission, created by Armenia and Turkey,
about which official Yerevan did not want to hear formerly, the
Foreign Minister of Armenia said, Turkish Zaman newspaper reported.

In 2006 the Prime Minister of Turkey, Rajab Tayyip Erdogan, directed
a proposal to the President of Armenia, Robert Kocharyan, regarding
establishment of the joint commission of historians for studying
the "genocide" of Armenians. However, the Armenian side refused
this proposal, and stated that does not put the fact "genocide" of
Armenians under doubt.The observers say that this friendly behavior
of official Yerevan is explained simply: Armenia is located in such
a geopolitical situation, with which simply it will not survive if
it does not establish relations with Turkey.

If Armenia does not restore transport connections with Turkey,
then Yerevan, which has lame transport connections, will not have
other possibilities any longer, said the Russian expert Zhirikhin
. "Therefore, retreat from its principles is observed, while it deals
with the negotiations without preliminary conditions," Deputy Director
of Institute of CIS Countries, Zhirikhin, told TrendNews.

Turkish political scientist Altan Tan considers that Turkey and Armenia
are equally interested in the development of bilateral relations,
and the creation of the Commission for studying the fact of genocide
will finally make it possible to establish truth and to understand,
how many people died in this war – both the Armenians and the Moslems.

"The creation of this commission will temporarily freeze the question
of "genocide", at least for a period until the Turkish- Armenian
relations are at a proper level," Tan told TrendNews by telephone
from Istanbul.

However, Armenian establishment does not share the opinion that the
commission can master the problems of "genocide".

"Making a proposal to establish joint commission of historians for
studying genocide of Armenians, Turkey knew that Armenia will refuse
this proposal, since it does not subject the fact to doubt. Thus,
Ankara wanted to prove to the international community that Yerevan
rejects the study of this problem," director of the museum-institute
of "genocide" of Armenians, Ayk Demoyan, said to press conference in
Yerevan today, News Armenia reported.

According to him, this step of the Turkish side is "information
call" to Armenia. "If Turkey indeed wanted to study this question,
then demonstrating good will, it would ensure participation of
the independent historians in the commission, who would not incur
pursuit and with respect to whom criminal cases would not be
filed in compliance with the article 301 of the Criminal Code of
Turkey, and would also ensure participation of the third side in the
commission. But it is understandable that all this do not correspond
to the interests of Ankara," said Demoyan.

The opening of borders and establishment of direct diplomatic relations
with Turkey, overcoming almost century-long myth about so-called
"genocide" of Armenians become the priority, almost obtrusive idea
of official Yerevan, said the President of the Azerbaijan Social
Developments Fund, political scientist Rashad Rzakuliyev. He said
that this is connected with the prospect for the complete isolation
of Armenia in view of the changing world political situation after
five-day war in Georgia.

R.Hafizoglu ( Baku), R.Agayev ( Moscow) contributed to preparation
of the material.

–Boundary_(ID_MSZ6ADXe1srPByo++JveNQ)- –

ARMENIAN MEN’S NATIONAL TEAM RETAINS CHAMPION’S TITLE AND WOMEN’S TEAM CONCLUDES STRONGEST SIX IN CHESS WORLD OLYMPIAD

Noyan Tapan

Nov 26, 2008

DRESDEN, NOVEMBER 26, NOYAN TAPAN. The solemn closure ceremony of
the 38th World Chess Olympiad took place on November 25 in Dresden.

The Armenian men’s national team including Levon Aronian, Vladimir
Hakobian, Gabriel Sargsian, Tigran L. Petrosian, and Artashes Minasian
took the first place with 19 points in the competition of 154 teams by
gaining the title of the champion for the second time uninterruptedly
and receiving Olympiad’s gold medals. Thus, Hamilton-Russell Cup again
returned to Armenia. Vladimir Hakobian (8 out of 11 possible points)
and Gabriel Sargsian (9 points) representing the second and third
boards in Armenia’s national team received gold medals.

The teams of Israel (18 points) and the U.S. (17 points) took the
next prize places.

In the last, 11th tour the Armenian women’s national team beat the
Indian women’s national team with the score of 2.5 to 1.5 and took the
6th honorary place with 16 points in the competition of 114 teams. The
Armenian women chess players (Elina Danielian, Lilit Mkrtchian, Nelly
Aghinian, Lilit Galoyan, Siranush Andriasian) improved their results
by 2 places. Lilit Mkrtchian performed excellently by gaining 8 out
of 11 possible points and gained a bronze medal.

The Georgian national team (with the additional index of 18 points)
gained the title of the champion in the women’s tournament. The
delegates of the Ukraine (18 points) and the U.S. (17 points) took
the next prize places.

Katerina Rohunian and Tatev Abrahamian gained a bronze medal in the
national team of the U.S. Varuzhan Hakobian received a bronze medal
in the men’s national team of the U.S.

It should be mentioned that RA President, Chairman of the Republican
Chess Federation Serzh Sargsyan followed Armenian chess players’
last tour’s games.

SHARJAH RULER MEETS SUPREME SPIRITUAL LEADER OF ARMENIAN CHURCH

UAE Daily News

Nov 24 2008

His Highness Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, UAE Supreme
Council member and ruler of Sharjah received today the Supreme
Spiritual and Administrative leader of the Armenian Church His Holiness
Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians. The
Supreme Patriarch is currently on a visit to UAE.

At a meeting held at the Ruler’s office, they stressed the need to
encourage the interfaith dialogue, creating among people the trait
of respecting other’s faiths and cultures. This, they said, will pave
the way for the humanity to live in peace and harmony.

Sheikh Sultan expressed his happiness over the presence of the Armenian
community in UAE, and said that the emirate of Sharjah is keen on
giving the followers of various faiths, cultures and ethnicities all
respect and concern. He specially praised the Armenian community for
their love for knowledge.

His Holiness Karekin II expressed profound gratitude to the support
extended by the Sharjah Ruler to the Armenian Church and the Armenian
community in the emirate. The Supreme Patriarch praised UAE’s policy
of tolerance as encouraged by President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa
bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and the Supreme Council Members and Rulers of
various emirates.

A number of Armenian Church pontiffs and other officials attended
the meeting.