Author: Kanayan Tamar

CONCESSIONARY MANAGER OF ARMENIAN RAILWAY GUARANTEES COMPLETE
FULFILMEMT OF ITS OBLIGATIONS

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YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 20, NOYAN TAPAN. The current state of the Armenian
raliway and its development prospects were discussed at the September
19 meeting of Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan and Valdimir Yakunin,
the CEO of Russian Railways company – the concessionary manager of the
Armenian railway system. Noting that Armenia has great expectations
that the country’s railway will become a modernised and efficiently
functioning infrastructure under the management of the Russian company,
S. Sargsyan at the same time attached importance to the transparency of
its operation and the proper control of the investment program’s
implementation.

V. Yakunin said that the Russian side now makes an inventory of the
whole system and analyses the situation with the aim of increasing the
efficiency of management. He guaranteed a timely and complete
fulfilment of the obligations assumed by their company.

According to the RA presidential press service, the problem of
alternative communication routes was also discussed at the meeting.

TIGRAN SARGSYAN: IT’S HARD TO IMAGINE THE COUNTRY’S FUTURE WITHOUT DEVELOPMENT OF SCIENCE

armradio.am
19.09.2008 16:48

RA Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan today received the representatives
of the sphere of astrophysics, who arrived in Armenia from different
countries to participate in the celebration of 100th anniversary of
Viktor Hambartsumyan.

Thanking the guests for accepting the invitation and for their
participation in the celebration of the great scholar’s birthday,
the Prime Minister noted that Armenia attaches great importance to
Viktor Hambartsumyan’s jubilee, since it will be hard to imagine
the future of the country without the development of science. He
underlined that the jubilee of a world famous scientist like Viktor
Hambarsumyan is a good occasion for waking love and interest towards
science among the society, especially the youth.

The scientists from the United States, Russia, france, Belarus
and other countries noted that Viktor Hambatsumyan is one of the
exceptional individualities not only in the former Soviet Union,
but also world science.

NEW APPOINTMENTS AT RA GOVERNMENT

armradio.am
17.09.2008 15:10

According to RA Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan’s decision, Khachatur
Avalyan was appointed Assistant to the Prime Minister of the Republic
of Armenia.

According to another decision of the Prime Minister, Ashot Martirosyan
was appointed President of the State Committee on Nuclear Security
adjunct to the Government of the Republic of Armenia.

NEW U.S. AMBASSADOR TO TAKE UP POST IN ARMENIA

Hurriyet
Sept 17 2008
Turkey

The U.S. will once again have an ambassador in Armenia, more than
two years after the previous one had his tour of duty cut short.

The U.S. Embassy in Yerevan said Marie Yovanovitch is to arrive
Wednesday night to take up her new post, the AP reported.

A career diplomat, she had previously served as the U.S. ambassador
in Kyrgyzstan.

The last ambassador was withdrawn in 2006 after he referred to the
1915 incidents as "genocide". This was in defiance of U.S. policy.

Armenia, with the backing of the diaspora, claims up to 1.5 million
of their kin were slaughtered in orchestrated killings in 1915. Turkey
rejects the claims, saying that 300,000 Armenians along with at least
as many Turks died in civil strife that emerged when Armenians took
up arms for independence in eastern Anatolia.

In 2005, Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan took a first step
towards resolving the issue by proposing a joint commission of
historians launch an investigation and publish their conclusions,
but the proposal was rejected by Yerevan.

At her confirmation hearings, Yovanovitch explained U.S. policy but
would not comment on whether she believed "genocide" had occurred.

THE RUDE AWAKENING: EU LEADERS BELIEVED RUSSIA’S ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT WOULD MAKE IT MORE EUROPEAN. NOT ANYMORE.
By Stefan Theil

Newsweek
September 15, 2008
International Edition

The criticism of the European Union’s weakly worded resolution on
the Russian-Georgian conflict–warning Russia to withdraw its troops
from Georgia without naming specific consequences should Moscow fail
to comply–was as predictable as it was seething. "Europe can keep
sucking our oil and gas," mocked the Moscow tabloid Tvoi Dyen. Western
commentators likened Europe’s message to Robin Williams’s spoof of
unarmed British cops: "Stop! Or we’ll say ‘stop’ again!"

Once again, the limitations of Europe acting as one on foreign policy
were painfully obvious. The one measure the 27 leaders could agree on
at their emergency summit in Brussels was to suspend talks on a planned
EU-Russia agreement regulating such things as trade and visas–a
largely symbolic act considering the talks have been stalled for more
than a year. But the more interesting news was how closely aligned EU
members were compared to the last emergency summit in 2003, when the
continent’s split over the Iraq War led to the worst foreign-policy
crisis in the EU’s history. This time, they unanimously agreed that
there had been a red line, and that Russia had crossed it by invading
Georgia and unilaterally declaring two of its provinces independent.

What’s more, the lack of tough action was more a reflection of
coolheaded realism than of disunity. "Europe’s short-term options
are close to zero," says Jan Techau, an analyst at the German
Council on Foreign Relations. Fighting a nuclear-armed Russia over
Georgia? Forget it. Trade sanctions would hit Europe with a painful
backlash–its citizens depend on Russian deliveries for 25 percent of
their oil and gas consumption, and its companies are heavily invested
in Russia. Given Russia’s phobias about Western conspiracies and
encirclement, threats would likely harden Russian policies. Even
if it wanted to take a tougher line, says Techau, the EU hasn’t
even begun to develop strategic options for a more bellicose Russia,
instead choosing to live comfortably with the narrative that Russia’s
economic integration would align it with a soft-power, multilateral,
postconflict Europe.

The Russian-Georgian war has shot down this illusion. "Georgia shows
that a military conflict in Europe is not as unlikely as it seemed
just a short time ago," says Klaus Reinhardt, a retired Bundeswehr
general and former NATO commander. The real test of Europe’s resolve
is how it intends to deal with these threats in the future. That would
start with uncomfortable questions of how the bloc would react if
one of its members were threatened. Several EU countries (including
Estonia and Latvia) have sizable Russian minorities, which Russian
President Dmitry Medvedev said two weeks ago Moscow has the right to
"protect." It would include turning rhetoric into action on cutting
Europe’s growing energy dependence on Russia–finding new suppliers,
building new pipelines, boosting alternative energy and nuclear
power–and getting serious about a European energy market that would
make it harder for Russia to play off one country against another. And
it would include finally getting serious about resolving exploitable
frozen conflicts from Moldova to Armenia.

That assumes that the EU can find the will. The weakest link may
be Germany, despite Chancellor Angela Merkel’s shuttle diplomacy
that kept the bloc unified last week. Germany has traditionally
nurtured a special relationship with Russia, and there is a strong
undercurrent in public opinion blaming the United States (and its
Trojan-horse allies like Georgia and Poland) for any trouble with
Russia. In recent weeks, Russian diplomats and lobbyists, including
former chancellor Gerhard Schrider, seem to have been on a propaganda
offensive to boost public opposition to any robust EU reaction. The
emerging divide between the pro-Russian Social Democrats and Merkel’s
more hawkish Christian Democrats also threatens to draw Russia policy
into next year’s national-election campaign.

So far, though, the biggest effect on Europe of Russia’s actions is
a tenuous unity. Europe’s leaders seem desperate to avoid the fracas
that divided them over Iraq–or, for that matter, over the former
Yugoslavia in the 1990s, another conflict that battered Europe’s
illusion of itself as a soft-power superpower. Now there seems to be
growing agreement that Russia will be a more uncomfortable neighbor
in the future. Whether that is the catalyst for the EU to develop a
common strategy and effective foreign policy remains to be seen.

ARMENIA WELCOMES REGIONAL COOPERATION INITIATIVES

PanARMENIAN.Net
15.09.2008 14:13 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian met
Saturday with OSCE Minsk Group U.S. Co-chair Matt Bryza to discuss
the ways to resolve the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, recent regional
developments and the Armenian-Turkish relations, the RA MFA press
office told PanARMENIAN.Net.

The Armenian Minister said that Abdullah Gul’s visit to Yerevan can
help the dialogue between the two states.

As to Turkey’s Caucasus Stability & Cooperation Pact, Minister
Nalbandian said, "Yerevan welcomes the initiatives meant to ensure
development of cooperation in the region."

At the guest’s request, the Minister briefed on the outcomes of his
Georgian visit.

The two also touched upon some international and regional problems.

Today’s Zaman, Turkey
Sept 15 2008

Court ruling on 301 case stresses criticism benefits public

An Ä°stanbul court has ruled that penal code Article 301 —
which prohibits insulting Turkishness and state institutions — must
be evaluated in its entirety when deciding whether a crime has been
committed or not.

Istanbul’s Bakırköy Court of 2nd Instance, which
acquitted two defendants in April of this year over charges of
insulting the Gendarmerie General Command (JGK) under Article 301 of
the Turkish Penal Code (TCK), recently released its justification and
reasoning for the verdict.

The court ruled that the article, when evaluated in its entirety,
falls within the limits of freedom of expression. The article has been
harshly and aggressively criticized.

The court further reasoned that it is important to set a precedent for
other cases. It emphasized that criticism leveled against some members
of the JGK was made to help reform state institutions and that this
did not violate Article 301.

The Bakırköy Court of 2nd Instance acquitted journalists
Lale SarıibrahimoÄ?lu and Ahmet Å?ık in its
second court hearing on April 3 of this year, but only recently
released its detailed reasoning behind the decision.

SarıibrahimoÄ?lu is a columnist for both Today’s Zaman
and the Taraf daily as well as the Turkey correspondent for the
UK-based Jane’s Defence Weekly.

The Turkish courts’ practice of releasing detailed reasons for their
verdicts weeks or months after the verdict is rendered is also
problematic. A Western diplomat told Today’s Zaman that courts should
release justifications for their decisions the moment that they make
their ruling.

Nevertheless, the case hinges on remarks made by
SarıibrahimoÄ?lu to the now-closed Nokta newsweekly
political magazine during an interview with journalist
Å?ık that were published in the Feb. 8, 2007 edition
under the heading `The military should withdraw its hand from internal
security.’

SarıibrahimoÄ ?lu criticized images used by the media in
which both gendarmerie and police officers posed with the alleged
murderer of Armenian-Turkish journalist Hrant Dink, who was
assassinated in January of last year.

`While police officers were suspended, military personnel were only
transferred to other posts. When you examine this picture, you see a
concern for protecting not only the personnel, but an institution —
moreover, a mentality. … We saw it once again with the Dink
investigation; there are sordid and rotten ones in each of the three
institutions that should be removed,’ SarıibrahimoÄ?lu
said.

The prosecutor at the time accepted the complaint filed by the JGK on
grounds that she allegedly insulted one of the country’s security
organizations. The court case against her was then opened, based on
the infamous Article 301 of the TCK, which penalizes the denigration
of `Turkishness’ and state institutions, including the Turkish Armed
Forces (TSK).

When a complaint is filed by the TSK, prosecutors — out of
psychological fear — act immediately against those critical of their
country’s institutions, Lawyer Ã`mit KardaÅ?, a retired
military judge, told Today’s Zaman.

Appearing in court with her lawyer, KardaÅ?,
SarıibrahimoÄ?lu rejected accusations leveled against
her. `I don’t accept the accusations. I’ve been a journalist for 30
years. During the interview I indicated to Å?ık that some
parts of our interview were off the record and I had a friendly chat
with him, but he published off-the-record parts as well. However, I
was critical of some institutions in the interview, and when it is
taken into consideration as a whole, it aims to give suggestions for
the improvement in these institutions. Nevertheless, only a paragraph
has been picked out to wrongly accuse me. I had no intention of
denigrating any institution, and the accusation is based on that
premise. I don’t accept it. I’m not guilty,’ she said.

The prosecutor demanded a sentence of up to three years in prison.

In the meantime, KardaÅ? noted that over 30 pending 301 cases
have been approved by the Justice Ministry and will be heard by courts
even though an amendment with some improvements was made to the
article several months ago.

`This proves that the amended version of Article 301 is window
dressing and that it did not improve Turkey’s image on human
rights. Article 301 should have been eliminated altogether,’
KardaÅ? said.

As part of attempts to meet the democratic criteria of the European
Union, Parliament passed a law amending Article 301, necessitating
that permission be given by the Justice Ministry before any cases
based on Article 301 can be opened.

15 September 2008, Monday
TODAY’S ZAMAN ANKARA

USA continue humanitarian assistance to Nagorno Karabakh

2008-09-13 11:54:00

ArmInfo. The USA keep on rendering humanitarian assistance to Nagorno
Karabakh at a governmental level, OSCE MG American Cochairman on
Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement Matthew Bryza said in Stepanakert
when asked by ArmInfo correspondent whether the USA will continue the
humanitarian assistance to the NKR.

He said that it is important for us together to determine how to use
this assistance. He added that these are the money of our tax payers,
our ordinary citizens and they should be used as intelligently as
possible. However, the American cochairman said he is unaware of the
assistance specific amount.

ARMENIA TO ESTABLISH EMBASSY IN HELSINKI IN 2009

ARMENPRESS
Sep 11. 2008

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 11, ARMENPRESS: Armenian Foreign Minister Edward
Nalbandian received today newly appointed Finn ambassador to Armenia
Petri Salo who handed over the copies of his credentials to the
minister.

Armenian Foreign Ministry press service told Armenpress that during
the meeting the interlocutors discussed prospects of development of
bilateral relations and pointed out the necessity of their activation
and organization of high-level contacts between the two countries.
Minister Nalbandian informed that Armenia is going to establish an
Armenian embassy in Helsinki in 2009.

E. Nalbandian highly assessed the steps undertaken during the
chairmanship of Finland in OSCE directed towards establishment of
stability and security in the territory of the OSCE member states.

Referring to the visit of the Turkish President Abdullah Gul to
Yerevan, the foreign minister reiterated Armenia’s readiness to
establish relations with Turkey without pre-conditions.

On his part the ambassador greeted the political will of the two
counties to reach solution of the existing issues and establish peace
and atmosphere of trust in the region.

COMPLAINTS ACTION AT PREVIOUS OFFICE BUILDING

A1+
[06:23 pm] 11 September, 2008

The wives of political prisoners were not aware that the Armenian
Office of Committee of Europe, already ten days, is relocated from
David Anhaxt Street to Zarubyan Street. About this change they were
told by the neighboring security guard of the French University.

The wife of the former Foreign Affairs Minister Alexander Arzumanyan,
Melissa Brown said that they were not informed about that change
in purpose, in order not to approach the Office today. Earlier the
participants of the action had informed the Office about their support
action for today.

"This is very strange, anyway, I do have the email address of the
Office and I will send our letter by email, or I will find the new
building and turn in the letter in person. When any store is relocated
they put the new address on the doors, this is very strange situation",
assures Mrs. Brown.

Their letter was addressed to the Council of Europe Commissioner
for Human Rights, Thomas Hammerberg, in which is noted that the
Armenian authorities do not initiate any actions in revelation of
the culprit of events on March 1st, moreover they violently make
obstacles for demonstrators to express their complaints on behalf of
their politically imprisoned relatives and they act the same against
the leaders of the Opposition.

In the letter they exposed the fact about the recent event in North
Avenue, and mention that our country turns into a police force country,
our authorities talk beautifully, but they do not make step ahead to
reveal what happened on March 1st. "Instead they judge our husbands,
and imitate that if our husbands are responsible, that it was their
guilt in what happened on March 1st", added Brown.

By the wives of political prisoners, they trust Hammerberg, as if he
is a wise and kind person, and therefore they encourage the Monitoring
Committee of the Council of the European Union, to take seriously his
report about the performance by Armenia the treaties of the Council
of the European Union.

By the way, with this action was in collaboration the chief commander
of Special Division of Shushi, Jirair Sefilyan. He mentioned that
they have great expectations that Hammerberg will call the things by
their names. "We will see, if he will he do that. The problem is that
we are going to make sure not only this regime, but the world that
our nation is not going to accept these illegalities. Our struggle
is going to be continuously", added he.