Author: Kanayan Tamar

Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
Sept 5 2014

A mountainous conflict
5 September 2014 – 2:25pm
By The Economist

THROUGH a slit in a stone bunker, soldiers from the Nagorno-Karabakh
republic can see their Azeri foes just 150 metres away. In these
mountains between two former Soviet republics, there are echoes of
Ukraine. This summer was “more tense than before”, says an officer at
the front of this long-simmering conflict.

Nagorno-Karabakh is run by ethnic Armenians but is legally part of
Azerbaijan. Secession in 1988 led to a war that killed some 30,000
people. A shaky ceasefire ensued in 1994, with Azerbaijan losing 14%
of its territory. Exchanges of fire along the front have long been
common, but the clashes this year have been the worst since 1994.
Commando raids became frequent, adding to the usual sniper fire. And
the action has spread to the Armenia-Azerbaijan border, where
civilians have become targets. Each side blames the other. Heavy Azeri
losses at the start of August provoked bellicose rhetoric from the
president, Ilham Aliyev. “The war is not over,” he declared. “Only the
first stage of it is.”

Like a headmaster disciplining unruly students, Russia’s Vladimir
Putin summoned Mr Aliyev and his Armenian counterpart, Serzh Sargsyan,
for talks in Sochi in early August. Tensions cooled, but the parties
are no closer to a settlement. On September 2nd Mr Sargsyan
congratulated Nagorno-Karabakh on the 23rd anniversary of its
independence by calling the republic’s choice “an irreversible reality
now”.

But it is Ukraine that casts an ominous shadow, “reinforcing the
zero-sum mentality”, says Thomas de Waal of the Carnegie Endowment in
Washington. Trust in international mediators and security guarantees
has frayed. Officials in Baku, Azerbaijan’s capital, detect double
standards over sovereignty and self-determination. They wonder why the
West punishes Russia for annexing Crimea, but not Armenia for similar
behaviour in Karabakh. Many ask why the West approves of Ukraine using
force to restore territorial integrity, but insists on Azerbaijan’s
peaceful patience. As a result, Azerbaijan is “losing trust in the
ability of the West to maintain a deterrent or a peaceful ceasefire,”
says Matthew Bryza, a former American ambassador to Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan feels vulnerable. Russia provides a security guarantee for
Armenia, where it has a military base and 4,000-5,000 troops. Azeri
officials see the Western response to Ukraine as tepid, part of a
worrying pattern of disengagement.

This perceived indifference has favoured a crackdown in Azerbaijan.
Several anti-government activists have been arrested this year, some
charged with treason. The bank accounts of NGOs have been frozen.
International pressure was once a “brake mechanism” on Azerbaijan,
says Sabine Freizer, at the Atlantic Council, but it may no longer
work.

Azerbaijan’s new assertiveness has come with the weakening of two
restraints: its military disadvantage and the prospect of a diplomatic
settlement. Riding a wave of petrodollars, Azerbaijan’s annual defence
budget rose from $177m in 2003 to $3.4 billion in 2013. Purchases
include sophisticated weapons from Israel, Turkey and Russia. The
country has a new and inexperienced defence minister.

Armenia has built up its forces and defences too. Even so, Mr Putin
used its sense of vulnerability to persuade it to apply for membership
of the Eurasian union, his pet project. The risk of open war remains
low, but the militarisation of the borders and the willingness to use
violence creates “the risk of a war by accident”, says Richard
Giragosian, director of the Yerevan-based Regional Studies Centre. The
consequences would be disastrous, drawing in Russia, Turkey and Iran,
and potentially feeding unrest in the Middle East.

The framework of a peace plan exists, hinging on the return of seven
de jure Azerbaijani districts around Nagorno-Karabakh in exchange for
the republic’s right to decide its own status. But in Stepanakert, the
capital, leaders insist that a settlement is impossible without a seat
at the table for Karabakh, which is represented by Armenia. Even then,
a compromise that includes returning territory to Azerbaijan is
“unrealistic”, says Nagorno-Karabakh’s prime minister, Arayik
Harutyunyan.

Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
Sept 5 2014

Armenia loses competitive potential

5 September 2014 – 12:23pm

Armenia’s rank has changed from 85 to 79 in the Global Competitiveness
Report of 2014-2015. The report includes 144 countries. The situation
has got worse since the replacement of Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan
with Ovik Abramyan, AmenianReport reports.

The country rose 2 points in higher education and infrastructure and 1
points in technological readiness. The efficiency of the labour market
dropped to rank 24, development of the financial market to rank 21.

Kyrgyzstan and Ukraine made progress in the Global Competitiveness Report.

World Bulletin, Turkey
Sept 5 2014

Turkey remembers 2008’s ‘football diplomacy’

History was made six years ago when Turkey’s football team travelled
to Yerevan to play Armenia in a match charged with emotional and
political significance.

Six years ago tomorrow, the Hrazdan Stadium in the Armenian capital of
Yerevan erupted into a wall of noise as two unlikely opponents lined
out in the first World Cup meeting of Armenia and Turkey — a match
which became the first round of the so-called ‘football diplomacy’
between the two troubled neighbors.

Amid the flags, anthems, jeers and whistles, Turkey’s Abdullah Gul,
who recently stepped down as president, made a small piece of history.
By accepting an invitation from his Armenian counterpart, Serzh
Sarkisian, he became the first Turkish head-of-state to visit Ankara’s
smaller neighbor.

Gul’s visit was an uncharacteristic display of good neighborliness —
the two countries still do not have diplomatic ties, a situation with
roots in a longstanding and bitter dispute over events from the First
World War.

Turkey strongly rejects allegations by Armenia and several other
countries as well as some historians that the killing of an estimated
1.5 million Armenians during 1915 in the Ottoman Empire amounts to
“genocide,” saying the death toll is overblown and that many of the
fatalities were due to starvation and disease.

This provided the backdrop to the charged atmosphere in Yerevan for
the World Cup qualifier match. Amid fears of fighting between fans
Turkey’s coach Fatih Terim called for calm, saying: “This is only a
football game not a war. We cannot carry the weight of history on our
shoulders.”

“The match was definitely beyond a sport activity,” says Turkish
academic Ahmet Han from Istanbul’s Kadir Has University. “It was a
step of public diplomacy towards improving bilateral relations with
Armenia.”

This view is shared by the Turkish team’s then-trainer, Mufit Erkasap,
who tells the Anadolu Agency that the match — despite a 2-0 win for
the visiting Turks — contributed to improved relations between
Armenia and Turkey.

Erkasap says that the presence of the Turkish president at the match
gave his footballers the confidence to play better and feel better.

Team doctor Cengiz Dinc agrees: “That the president attended the match
helped us get rid of stress.”

Dinc says his players were stressed due to “disturbing stares at the
Turkish team” from the time their plane landed at Yerevan’s airport
until they arrived at their hotel.

“I felt the same stares in the street when we were walking around the
city,” he claimed, recalling a heightened sense of tension around the
capital.

“Despite all the negative feelings, however, I still believe that the
match was a significant step towards better relations between the two
nations because all kinds of sport also serve as a bridge that makes
people forget about their disappointment and hostility.”

The historical debate influenced many Armenian supporters during the 2008 match.

“Some fans were carrying banners about the 1915 killings and shouting
angrily to Turkish footballers,” Erkasap says, adding that the number
of Turkish fans at the match was less than 1,000, lost amid a sea of
Armenian supporters.

He said Armenian fans booed Turkey’s anthem at the start of the game
and that they also protested against Turkey by whistling.

Abdullah Gul’s visit also created nationwide controversy in Turkey.
Not everybody was pleased about the initiative, with many arguing that
the president should not go before problems between Armenia and Turkey
were resolved.

Gul’s visit also became a hot topic on Turkey’s emerging social media
scene at that time.

Erkasap claims that those discussions on Turkish media stressed the
footballers: “We helped them relax with psychological support,” he
says.

On the other hand, a statement on President Gul’s website which was
released prior to the match was full of hope. In it he said: “This
opportunity should be used in the best way. We believe that our visit
will contribute a lot to creating a new atmosphere of friendship in
the region… And the match will help clear the way for reconciliation
between the two sides who share a common history…”

Only one year later the Armenian president paid a visit to Turkey’s
northwestern Bursa province to join Gul at the second-leg of the World
Cup qualifier, which Turkey again won 2-0.

The meeting was regarded the latest round in the “football diplomacy.”

“Such organizations are vital in that they are the gestures of
goodwill, and they also help create awareness on these matters,” says
Han, who argues that the momentum from these ground-breaking events
was not maintained.

“However,” he continued, “we could not see any follow-up acts of
goodwill… In order for the countries to better establish faith in
each other, public diplomacy should be carried on with small but
continuous steps in a ‘baby-step approach,’ which will offer a safe
feeling of being in control and fully confident in each step.”

The legacy of these two games can been seen in the improved relations
between the two countries. Armenia sent its foreign minister, Eduard
Nalbandyan, to Ankara on August 28 to attend the presidential
inauguration of Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

However, the future depends on diplomacy dealing with difficult issues
like the relations between Azerbaijan (a Turkic country situated at
the crossroads of Eastern Europe and Western Asia) and Armenia — a
conflict which has strained Ankara and Yerevan’s reconciliation
process.

“Armenia must make peace with Azerbaijan before it can fix its
relations with Turkey,” President Erdogan said Wednesday in a joint
press conference with his Azerbaijani counterpart, Ilham Aliyev.

Nevertheless, for team doctor Dinc that night in Yerevan is something
which he will never forget: “Both the match and the visit to the
country was one the most interesting ones in my career, with mixed
feelings of excitement, stress about our historical debate and hope
for victory.”

AA

Orange County ANCA Meets with Senate Candidate Solorio

Friday, September 5th, 2014

Chris Guldjian, Baydsar Thomassian, Jose Solorio, and Garo Madenlian

SANTA ANA, Calif.–The Armenian National Committee of America Orange
County Chapter members recently welcomed Jose Solorio, candidate for
the 34th State Senate District, to the Orange County Armenian Center
where they gave the current Community College Trustee and former State
Assemblyman a tour of the facilities, and shared some historical
information about all the Armenian community organizations working out
of the Armenian Center.

After briefly discussing the ongoing community activities sponsored by
the various organizations, ANCA OC members and Solorio held a brief
meeting where they were joined by Baydsar Thomassian, Deputy District
Director for the Honorable Kevin De Leon, the recently named
California Senate President Pro Tempore.

During the informal meeting the parties discussed issues important to
the Armenian American community of Orange County, as well as two
important ANCA Western Region initiatives. AB 1915 commonly referred
to as the Genocide Education Bill adds Armenian Genocide survivor and
witness oral testimonies into the teachings of human rights in
California public school and encourages professional development
activities and resource development for educators to teach about the
Armenian Genocide; and of course AJR 32, the resolution where
California recognized the independence of Artsakh and called on the
United States to do the same.

Solorio pledged to work with the community and outlined his continued
support for Armenian American issues, most notably his unwavering
stance to recognize the Armenian Genocide. He then discussed his
election campaign in the 34th district and invited the ANCA OC to his
upcoming event.

ANCA OC members and Solorio then walked next door to Forty Martyrs
Armenian Church to the annual festival and blessing of the grapes
where the Armenian American community had an opportunity to personally
meet with the candidate. During the official program Mr. Solorio was
also introduced to the crowd of over 500 community members and invited
to the podium where he reiterated his support for community issues and
recognition of the Armenian Genocide.

Do Certain NGOs Play the Role of a ‘Trojan Horse’ in Armenia?

BY STAFF
– POSTED ON SEPTEMBER 3, 2014POSTED IN: APPO JABARIAN, COLUMN

By APPO JABARIAN
Executive Publisher / Managing Editor
USA Armenian Life Magazine (English-language edition)
Hye Kiank Armenian Weekly (Armenian-language edition)

In an August 28 article titled “Could a Euromaidan happen on Yerevan’s
Republic Square?,” Vestnik Kavkaza magazine wrote: “After the events
of the last decade in Georgia, Kyrgyzstan and Ukraine, experts have
started serious talks about color revolutions in the South Caucasus.”
Some analysts claim that the neo-cons in the West are angling certain
opposition media outlets, some NGOs and certain political operatives
to “open a new anti-Russian front in the Transcaucasus.”

Vestnik Kavkaza further wrote: “The term ‘democracy’ in Armenia has
long been exploited for information wars. For quite a while,
Washington has been hesitating whether to support President Serzh
Sargsyan or put bets on the opposition. After the victory of Sargsyan
in early presidential polls, it seemed that the power was in the hands
of a politician loyal to Moscow. However, it is hard to say that
Armenia has a pure pro-Russian position. Sargsyan himself is trying to
gain the support of both Russia and the U.S.”

According to the Center for World Journalism and Research, the work of
non-governmental organizations in Armenia has reached “a grand scale
in recent years.” The Justice Ministry has registered thousands of
NGOs.

The magazine also noted: “After the collapse of the USSR, the Armenian
Assembly of America, a structure related to the State Department … has
been in the avant-garde of American influence in Armenia.”

The article pointed out the fact that millions of dollars have been
dumped in Armenia to fund the activities of NGOs that are loyal to
western donors’ agenda. “Open Society Institute, a Soros Fund founded
in Armenia in 1997, has already spent over $24 million in Armenia. …
The Investigative Journalists got $187,400, the Asparez Journalist
Club got $58,650, and the Independent Network of Journalists got
$83,200 for creating a negative image of Russian-Armenian
cooperation.”

Back in 2012, I wrote: “Not all NGOs in Armenia are completely devoted
to their stated missions. Some of them have raised several ‘red flags’
because of their activities. They may have been set-up to pursue
hidden agendas that are detrimental to Armenia’s national security. …
Given the fact that sizable segments of the Armenian society continue
to be politically illiterate they can be easily influenced and
misguided by individuals or non-governmental organizations that may
present themselves as ‘well-meaning’ but in reality they can pursue
hidden goals. They may sound very empathetic towards the general
populace, yet they care less about Armenia and its future. They
publicly discuss burning issues and gain political mileage, yet their
main intention is not democracy as they claim to be.”

I further underlined: “Can Armenia mitigate the negative impact of
certain NGOs that play the role of Trojan horses from within? It can
and it should. Armenia Should Emulate Russia in Qualifying
Foreign-Funded NGOs as ‘foreign agents.’ … It would be strongly
effective if all NGOs whether engaged in political activities or
humanitarian endeavors be required to publicly present every year the
sources of their income and itemize their expenditures. Transparency
at NGO level can be utilized as a great example to follow.”

A few years ago, in an interview with the REGNUM News Agency titled,
“LOOK OUT! ETHNIC ESPIONAGE,” Igor Muradyan, a widely recognized
expert on the politics of the Caucasus region, stressed: “First of
all, you should take into account the continuing political struggle in
Armenia and view the stance of the Armenian Assembly of America also
in this light. I don’t think that ethnic NGOs enjoy full independence
in the US, but the point is that the Armenian Assembly of America is
more than dependent. Even more, the Assembly is functionally
dependent. The Assembly directors and employees don’t just look down
on Armenia’s political class and leaders; they look down on them with
disdain.”

He elaborated: “In 2001 the Assembly’s board decreed ‘to fight
Armenian nationalism.’ This implies suppression of any instance of
patriotism, especially over the Karabakh problem and Armenian-Turkish
relations. … Gathering information on the state of the armed forces of
Armenia, including armaments, information on senior officers, on the
import of military hardware (invoice numbers, payment terms,
transportation routes), receiving analytical notes on the fighting
capacity of the Armenian army, information and assessment of typical
conflicts inside the military command, the concerns and plans of
different groups in the military circles; gathering information on the
leaders and activists of political parties, the mass media and
political leaders of Armenia, including economic interests, ties with
foreign countries.”

He concluded: “Of certain interest is the impression I got personally
from such contacts. Strange but true: Assembly representatives get
openly malicious and bilious over the fact that the Armenian armed
forces are highly capable of discharging many combat operations on
their own. Would they be more comfortable if the army of their
‘historical homeland’ had other characteristics and was like the
armies of some other states? Altogether incompetent, the Assembly
representatives were as much annoyed to know that Armenia is not a
perishing country and is successfully developing economically.”

Many Armenia-based NGOs are well-organized and genuinely transparent,
and continue making transformational contributions to Armenia’s
present and future. Armenian society can achieve optimum results
through social, political, spiritual and economic activism. There is
no question that civil society in Armenia is in need of
non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

However, some NGOs can prove to be a curse if they are not regulated
properly and their activities watched closely.

Alarm Signal: Construction waste dumped into Hrazdan River (video)

16:04 | September 5,2014 | Social

A construction company in Armenia has turned the Hrazdan River into a
dumping-ground for the disposal of construction waste.

“They are ruining the river bed, and the trees and the environment,”
EcoLur raises an alarm signal on its Facebook page.

Environmentalists wonder whether the Ministry of Nature Protection is
not aware of the situation in the river.

California Senate’s support is a significant event in the history of NKR

September 4 2014

According to Karabakh public figures, the California Senate’s decision
may promote the recognition of NKR by other American states. What
impact may the resolution passed by Californian Senate have on the
international recognition of Nagorno-Karabakh and on the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement process? The discussion of this
question is underway since last week. “Aravot” asked the former NKR
deputy foreign minister, also Chairman of Public Council for NKR
Foreign Policy and Security, Masis Mayilyan, whether on the threshold
of the 23th anniversary of the independence of Nagorno-Karabakh, the
resolution passed by the California Senate regarding recognition of
the independence of Karabakh can be considered a signal aimed at
Azerbaijani authorities, towards whom the sentiments is becoming more
and more rigid associated with serious processes against the democracy
in this country. “California Senate’s decision tends to assess in the
overall progress as a recognition of Karabakh and approval of the
right of Artsakh people to self-determination by the legislative
bodies of the United States. As you know, California is already the
fifth state that passes the resolution about Artsakh. It is noteworthy
that California is one of the most influential entities in the United
States of America, and has the most developed economy. From this
perspective, the California Senate’s decision may promote the
recognition of NKR by other states of America. In addition, given
decision opens up great opportunities direct comprehensive cooperation
between Artsakh and the State of California,” mentioned Masis
Mayilyan. As for the influence of the resolution on recognition of
Nagorno-Karabakh’s independence by the California Senate on settlement
of Artsakh conflict, the former NKR deputy foreign minister said that
still in 2007, they had offered to put the for the
Karabakh settlement into operation. “In other words, to conduct an
active and targeted work on international recognition of NKR parallel
to the process of the OSCE Minsk Group talks. And on April of 2010,
the Public Council for NKR Foreign Policy and Security applied to
Diaspora Armenian traditional parties and lobbying organizations
urging to come up with a process aimed at international recognition of
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. I think that the progress in this direction
will facilitate the peaceful settlement of Azerbaijani-Karabakh
interstate conflict,” said Masis Mayilyan. Karen Ohanjanyan,
Coordinator of the Nagorno-Karabakh Committee “Helsinki
Initiative-92”, also Chairman of “Social Justice” political party, in
the conversation with “Aravot”, assessing the California Senate’s
resolution on recognition of the independence of Nagorno-Karabakh,
mentioned, “The assistance to the efforts of Karabakh expressed by the
California State Senate towards establishment of a free and
independent state, in my opinion, is a more significant event in the
modern history of the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh after the victory
in the war with Azerbaijan, for the ideas of self-declaration, freedom
and independence of Karabakh people. There are a number of factors
that have predetermined the adoption of such resolution on Karabakh by
supreme legislative body of the California state, and it is first of
all proportional with the work of the Armenian diaspora and Armenia’s
Foreign Ministry, but never with Nagorno-Karabakh and Karabakh
authorities who are not associated with the adoption of such
resolution in terms of the efforts for recognition of NKR
internationally.” According to Karen Ohanjanyan, the next factor is
associated with Azerbaijan. “Recently, the authoritarian regime in
Azerbaijan has started major attacks against the democratic
institutions of the country arresting a number of prominent civil
society leaders, which cannot cause a major concern to the
international community who are supports of ideas of freedom and
democracy, and finally, the recent close relations of Azerbaijan with
Russia causes an immense strategic and practical harm to the
geopolitical interests of the United States, and this risk affects the
European consumers for diversification of energy sources and
opportunities for Azerbaijan’s communication, which are used by the
United States and Europe for their political purposes,” mentioned the
Karabakh-originated human rights activist. Karen Ohanjanyan thinks
that with recognition of the independence of Nagorno-Karabakh by the
largest state of America, the U.S. has sent a clear message to
Azerbaijan and hinted on the reasons mentioned above. According to
Ohanjanyan, they “indirectly hope that Azerbaijan will understand the
reasons for such a move by the USA.” “At the same time, with regard to
recognition of the independence of NKR by different states, I’d like
to express a hope that like the NKR Foreign political ministry, so as
the current NKR leadership, will finally start working within the
format of commitments, which is granted to them by our people, and
like formerly, will start to become an outpost in negotiation process
on principles of Karabakh settlement, and will be able to one day de
jure formulate the historic victory of the Armenian nation,
internationally. In fact, not to forget to ultimately establish a
truly democratic state in Nagorno-Karabakh: on equality, freedom and
free economic grounds,” mentioned the Coordinator of the
Nagorno-Karabakh Committee “Helsinki Initiative-92”.

Emma GABRIELYAN
Read more at:

New York City Street Named After Sergei Dovlatov

One of New york streets will be named after Russian writer Sergei Dovlatov

(c) RIA Novosti. Victor Melnik
16:07 05/09/2014

MOSCOW, September 5 (RIA Novosti) — Sergei Dovlatov, a famous Russian
writer and Soviet dissident, will soon have a street named after him
in Forest Hills, New York City.

The organizers of the grass-roots campaign stated in their Change.org
appeal that they wanted “to commemorate Dovlatov’s legacy, to show
appreciation for his talent, and to express the enormous gratitude
from his readers.”

Their initiative started last December, and by April the group had
collected over 18,000 signatures and letters of support, which was
sufficient for the New York City Council to consider the application.
In June, the Council met and passed a bill to name a street after the
writer. On July 9, Mayor Bill de Blasio signed the bill into law. The
official opening ceremony will be held on September 7.

Dovlatov was born on September 3, 1941 in Russia to Jewish and
Armenian parents, grew up in St. Petersburg, and worked in a variety
of Russian and Estonian newspapers. He was friends with famous
dissident poets and writers, including Joseph Brodsky, Evgeni Rein and
Alexander Ney.

Dovlatov was expelled from the Union of Soviet Journalists for
publishing unauthorized literature. He soon immigrated to New York
City, where he wrote novels and short stories that were translated
into English. In the mid-1980s, The New Yorker magazine published
Dovlatov’s work, which resulted in him gaining notoriety and respect
among English-speaking readers.

His most famous books include non-fiction novels “The Zone”, “The
Suitcase” and “Sanctuary.”

Sergei Dovlatov is the first Russian writer to be honored with a
street named after him in New York City.

Austrian Foreign Minister due in Armenia

15:27 05.09.2014

Austrian Minister for Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs
Sebastian Kurz will pay an official visit to Armenia September 8-9 at
the invitation of Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian.

Sebastian Kurz will meet with Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan and
Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian. The meeting of the Foreign
Ministers of the two countries will be followed by a joint press
conference.

Within the framework of the visit the Austrian Foreign Minister will
visit the Tsitsernakaberd Memorial to pay tribute to the memory of the
Armenian Genocide victims.

He will attend the opening of the Office of the Austrian Development
Agency in Yerevan.

“Armenia Expo 2014” trade and industrial exhibition opens in Yerevan

15:08 05.09.2014

“Armenia Expo 2014” 14th annual universal regional commercial and
industrial exhibition opened at “Yerevan-Expo” hall today. Greeting
the participants of the expo, Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan said: “I
see the organization of such exhibitions as the best platform for
establishing ties and presenting Armenia on the international economic
market.”

The Prime Minister emphasized the importance of organization of
discussions parallel to the exhibition, which, he said, creates a
unique opportunity for local producers to establish new ties and set
the perspectives of cooperation. He voiced hope that the agreements
reached within the framework of the event would grow into long-term
and mutually beneficial business partnership.

The exhibition has brought together more than 70 local and foreign
companies, which represent Georgia, Russia, Iran, Turkey, Poland and
others.