Author: Karapetian Hovik

THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary

_
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 6, 2009

Readout of the President’s call with Armenian President Sargsian

The President called Armenian President Sargsian yesterday to commend
him for his courageous leadership and to encourage continued progress on
normalization of relations with Turkey. The President underscored the
U.S. position that the normalization talks should move forward without
preconditions and within a reasonable timeframe. President Obama
pledged his full support for a process that would result in
normalization of relations between the two countries and a brighter
future for all involved.

###

OLD DISPUTE COULD YET UPSET ARMENIA, TURKEY PEACE
By Matt Robinson

Reuters
October 6, 2009 12:45 PM

Failure on Karabakh could hurt Turkish-Armenian prospects

Young boys hold up placards during a demonstration outside the
Metropolitan Hotel in Beirut where Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian
is meeting members of the Armenian community on Oct. 6, 2009. Armenia
and Turkey are due to sign historic accords ending a century of
hostility on Saturday but a simmering territorial dispute could yet
complicate their plans, diplomats said.Photograph by: Ramzi Haidar,
AFP/Getty ImagesMOSCOW – Armenia and Turkey are due to sign historic
accords ending a century of hostility on Saturday but a simmering
territorial dispute could yet complicate their plans, diplomats said.

Christian Armenia and Muslim Turkey, at loggerheads since the World
War One mass killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks, plan to sign a
protocol in Zurich committing them to re-establish diplomatic ties
and reopen their common border.

An agreement would bolster Turkey’s credentials as a moderniser in the
West, boost Armenia’s poverty-stricken economy and improve security
in the South Caucasus region, a key transit corridor for oil and gas
supplies to the West.

But hanging over the talks is the spectre of one of the bloodiest and
most intractable conflicts sparked by the demise of the Soviet Union.

Armenia went to war with neighbouring=2 0Azerbaijan in the early
1990s over the mountainous territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, an ethnic
Armenian enclave located within Azerbaijan’s internationally recognized
borders. Some 30,000 people died.

The war ended with a 1994 ceasefire after Armenian-backed forces
seized control of Nagorno-Karabakh and districts around it, including
a corridor of Azeri land connecting it to Armenia.

The two sides have kept an uneasy ceasefire ever since, with
spontaneous clashes along the border.

International mediators have been putting pressure on Armenia to
negotiate with Azerbaijan over Karabakh as part of a wider attempt
to secure a lasting peace in the region.

"There are intensified efforts . . . to make sure that at some point,
relatively soon, there will be something from the Karabakh process
that could help the Turkish-Armenian process move forward," a senior
European diplomat told Reuters.

Officially, the Azeri-Armenia talks on Karabakh are separate from
the Turkey-Armenia rapprochement. In reality they are closely linked
because Turkey has close cultural ties with Muslim Azerbaijan and
closed its border with Armenia in 1993 in solidarity with Azerbaijan
over the Karabakh war.

In the latest diplomatic round, two days before the Swiss ceremony,
the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan will hold new talks on Karabakh
in Moldova’s capital Chisinau on Thursday.

The U.S. co-chair of the Minsk Group of m ediators on Nagorno-Karabakh,
Robert Bradtke, told reporters in Baku he hoped that the "positive
dynamics" between the Azeri and Armenian leaders would continue at
that meeting.

But, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity
surrounding the talks, the European diplomat added that he did not
expect any major announcement in Moldova, saying: "I think it’s going
to take longer than that."

A Turkish government official in Ankara said:

"We are not a part nor a side in the Nagorno talks, but we would
welcome any progress towards a comprehensive solution between Armenia
and Azerbajian."

Turkey has said it hopes to open its border with Armenia by the end of
the year, but progress in Ankara-Yerevan talks have been complicated
in the past by the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute.

After its expected signing in Switzerland, the Turkish- Armenian peace
protocol must be ratified by both parliaments before taking effect.

Progress in Karabakh talks could ease resistance to the Armenia peace
process in Turkey, where lawmakers fret about making concessions to
Armenia without any payback.

But it could complicate matters in Armenia — where there is still
deep suspicion about any rapprochement with Turkey and mistrust of
Azerbaijan, which has not ruled out using military force to retake
Nagorno-Karabakh if necessary.

Before Thursday’s talks with Armenian President Serzh Sa rksyan, Azeri
President Ilham Aliyev upped the stakes by saying "the negotiation
process (on Karabakh) is already in its final phase."

Observers believe Azerbaijan is pushing for at least a partial Armenian
withdrawal from seven Azeri districts that surround Nagorno-Karabakh
and were captured during the war.

"Armenia . . . wants to separate Karabakh from Azerbaijan, while
Azerbaijan intends to take back our own lands under our own control,"
Azeri Deputy Foreign Minister Araz Azimov said.

Armenian officials played down expectations. "To say that tomorrow
there will be a breakthrough, I don’t know where this kind of
expectation could come from," an Armenian foreign ministry spokesman
said.

Armenian analyst Richard Giragosian said the mediators would push for
a short statement by Aliyev and Sarksyan on Thursday committing to
the principles of a peace deal on Karabakh as a sign of progress,
"mainly for the Turks to use to move forward with the parliament
(ratification)."

But he was pessimistic about their chances — and failure at the
Moldova talks is likely to hurt the Turkey-Armenia peace.

The senior European diplomat, asked about the chances of Turkey
opening the border as planned by year-end, without progress on
Nagorno-Karabakh, replied: "Fairly slim."

RA PRIME MINISTER TIGRAN SARGSYAN RECEIVED A DELEGATION LED BY PROVENCE-ALPES-COTE D’AZURE REGIONAL COUNCIL CHAIRMAN, MEMBER OF FRENCH PARLIAMENT MICHEL VAUZEL.

Mond ay, 5 October 2009

Pleased with the current status and the dynamics of bilateral
relations, the Prime Minister spoke about the government programs
and the possibilities for implementation of joint projects.

The parties then looked at ways of developing cooperation between
Armenia’s Lori marz and the French Provence-Alpes-Cote d’Azure
region in the spheres of education and science, public health
care, information technologies inclusive of microelectronics and
telecommunications, in particular.

Tigran Sargsyan assured of his government’s support for the projects
to be implemented in Lori marz and expressed hope that they would meet
the Government’s strategic focus on harmonious territorial development.

LOS ANGELES: YOUTH INITIATE HUNGER STRIKE AGAINST TURKEY-ARMENIA PROTOCOLS

PanARMENIAN.Net
06.10.2009 14:57 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Over a dozen Armenian youth have decided to initiate
a hunger strike in front of the Armenian Consulate of Los Angeles in
protest over the proposed signing of Protocols between Armenia and
Turkey. The "Hunger Strike Against the Protocols" will begin with an
opening night candle light vigil to be attended by community leaders,
clergy, supporters, and Armenian youth.

The ‘Stop the Protocols’ campaign is made up of the ARF Shant Student
Association, Unified Young Armenians, Armenian Youth Federation,
UCLA Armenian Students’ Association, and Woodbury Armenian Student
Association.

ARMENIA PREPARES "NORTHERN GATE" TOURIST CENTRE PROGRAMME

11370
oct 03 2009, 09:00

The government of Armenia has announced the monastic complexes of
the Lori Region to be tourist centres, having named this region as
"Northern Gate". The Ministry of Economy was given 6 months for
drafting a development programme of this tourist centre and bringing
it to the government.

The priority tasks of this programme are in restoration of cultural
monuments; creation in the territory of the Akhtaly monastic complex
of an arms and medieval arts museum; coverage of the whole territory
of the centre with high-quality Internet communication; construction
of a helicopter landing platform in Odzun village; creation of a
park of fairy tales in the native land of the great Armenian writer
Ovannes Tumanyan -Dsekh village, and many other things.

The government has announced the monastic complexes Sanain, Akhpat,
Akhtala, Odzun, Kobair, Lake Tsover (included into the list of
UNESCO cultural heritage), located in the territory of the Lori
Region, and the rural and town communities, bearing same names,
to be tourist centres.

Meeting in Paris strengthened Diaspora’s trust in President
03.10.2009 17:59 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ RA President gave important answers to all questions
arousing concern in Armenian community of France, said Alexis
Govchyan, Coordinator of the Council of Armenian Organizations in
France (CCAF). `We did trust Armenia authorities before, and the
meeting strengthened our trust further, as President responded to all
questions, emphasizing all important moments ` Nagorno Karabakh issue
and Armenian Genocide,’ he said. CCAF Coordinator expressed belief
that after such discussions French-Armenians would continue joint work
with RA President and Government.

YAKOV KASMAN, DANIEL SZASZ, WEI LIU COMBINE FOR MESMERIZING TRIOS
Michael Huebner

al.com
The Birmingham News
September 30, 2009, 12:21PM

Yakov Kasman is Associate Professor of Piano and Artist-in-Residence
at UAB. He joined Alabama Symphony musicians Daniel Szasz and Wei
Liu for a Concertmaster & Friends event Tuesday.ALABAMA SYMPHONY:
CONCERTMASTER & FRIENDS

Daniel Szasz, violinist; Wei Liu, cellist;Yakov Kasman, pianist

Tuesday, Brock Recital Hall

What began five years ago as a diversion for Alabama Symphony musicians
has turned into a high-octane showcase for virtuoso chamber music,
and word has gotten around.

On Tuesday, all but a few seats were filled for a Concertmaster and
Friends event in the 300-seat Brock Recital Hall, the area’s premier
chamber for chamber music. The audience was shuttled on a darkly
romantic journey by way of seldom-heard piano trios from Russia
and Armenia.

Unlike, say, a string quartet, which strives for equilibrium and blend,
a piano trio allows for greater individuality. And that’s exactly
how violinist Daniel Szasz, cellist Wei Liu and pianist Yakov Kasman
approached these trios by Sergei Rachmaninoff and Arno Babadjanian.

This was as much an inner journey as a musical excursion to the
composers’ homelands. Much of Rachmaninoff’s "Trio Elegiaque" No. 2
in D minor, Op. 9, is a showcase for the piano, as might be expected
from that composer. Kasman, a faculty member at UAB, was clearly
in charge, defining tempos, exaggerating dynamics and otherwise
mesmerizing listeners with his fervor.

Kasman’s flamboyance could overwhelm Szasz and Liu at times, but who
could argue with the results? This was a titanic display — polished
technique driven by furious passion. Each movement ended softly,
the audience responding with breathless silence. Liu’s sweet-toned
lyricism surfaced on several occasions, but especially so in solos
and a lengthy duet with Szasz in the second movement.

Babadjanian’s Trio in F sharp minor exposes the strings mo playing
in the Andante was answered by Liu’s probing solos, then transferred
to Kasman. The finale was a rhythmic roller coaster ride, Szasz
and Liu harmonizing in double-stops, Kasman’s infectious playing
transmitting energy.

The printed program left out the Allegro Vivace finale, but it hardly
mattered. So absorbing was the trio’s playing, looking down at the
program might have broken the spell.

With world-class performances such as this, it is worth a reminder
that these musicians live in the Birmingham area. Then again, filling
a hall with chamber music on a weeknight speaks volumes. Perhaps it’s
not so surprising to find them here.

GENOCIDE MAIN COMPONENT OF DIASPORA ARMENIANS’ IDENTITY: ANALYST

Tert.am
29.09.09

The initiative of the Armenian president to visit major communities of
Diaspora Armenians with the purpose of discussing the establishment of
Armenian-Turkish relations is a correct step, albeit a little belated,
political analyst Alexander Iskandaryan stated today.

According to him, it is incorrect to speak about the Diaspora as
a general entity, as Diasporan Armenians are quite varied and not
necessarily united.

"The Genocide constitutes the identity of all Armenians. But for most
of the Diaspora, it is the main component of their identity. Generally,
diasporan communities are always more extreme than those in the
homeland," the expert stated.

"It is impossible to do so, so that all of them look up the
Armenian-Turkish process favourably, but it is necessary to work to
that end," concluded Iskandaryan.

OHIO ELECTIONS COMMISSION TO HEAR SCHMIDT V. KRIKORIAN "BLOOD MONEY" CASE

2009/09/30 | 14:44

The Miami Herald reports that the Turkish "blood money" case
alleging that Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-Ohio) accepted $30,000 in Turkish
contributions in exchange for opposing an Armenian genocide resolution
will be heard by the Ohio Elections Commission tomorrow.

The case, known as Schmidt v. Krikorian, began when David Krikorian,
Schmidt’s challenger, accused the incumbent of knowingly accepting
the hush money at a February 2008 event at a restaurant called Cafe
Istanbul, where participants included Turkish Coalition of America
President Lincoln McCurdy.

If the commission decides that Krikorian lied or spoke with
"reckless disregard" for the truth or falsity of his statements,
commissioners could reprimand him or forward the case for possible
criminal prosecution under an Ohio "false statement" law.

"This is not an acceptable way to campaign; you can’t just run out
and accuse people of taking bribes," Bruce Fein, an attorney with
the Turkish American Legal Defense Fund, said Tuesday.

"I’m not a student of history, and I’m still trying to figure it all
out," Schmidt repeated several times during an Aug. 24 deposition,
adding that, "I wasn’t there."

Krikorian, who ran as an independent last year but has since identified
himself as a Democrat, claimed that Schmidt’s opposition to the
Armenian genocide resolution was tied to her campaign contributions.

HERITAGE PARTY LEADER IN RESIGNATION U-TURN

-party-leader-in-resignation-u-turn/
Sep 30, 2009

YEREVAN (RFE/RL)-In a last-minute U-turn, opposition leader Raffi
Hovannisian said on Tuesday that he is withdrawing his unexpected
resignation from Armenia’s parliament which has sown discord within
his Heritage party.

The announcement came on the last day of a 15-day period set by
Armenian law for the entry into force of resignations tendered
by parliament deputies. They can reconsider their decision during
that time.

In a written statement, Hovannisian confirmed his associates’ claims
that he decided to quit the National Assembly in protest against
President Serzh Sarkisian’s conciliatory policy on Turkey. He said he
"felt betrayed by the actions of this administration" relating to
the normalization of Turkish-Armenian relations.

"Since that moment, however, I have been urged by compatriots both in
Armenia and in our broad Diaspora to take up the challenge and use the
limited forum that the National Assembly offers to speak in the name of
truth and justice no matter what the odds," added Hovannisian. "Hence,
in deference to this strong groundswell of support and urgency, I am
withdrawing my resignation and will resume my responsibilities as a
member of the Heritage faction."

Zaruhi Postanjian, another member of that faction, welcomed the move
and confirmed reports that she and other senior Heritage members
appealed to their leader not resign his parliament seat. "Our calls
and pleas also played a role in Raffi Hovannisian’s decision to
withdraw his resignation," Postanjian told RFE/RL. "We believe that
his presence in the National Assembly is a more effective means of
struggle at this point."

Hovannisian founded Heritage in 2002 and remains its de facto top
leader despite holding no formal leadership positions in what is now
a major opposition force. He has increasingly detached himself from
the party’s day-to-day affairs in recent years.

His intention to give up his parliament mandate, revealed to the
media on September 7, was followed by the expulsion from the party
ranks of three senior Heritage figures, including a parliament deputy
and a member of the Central Election Commission. The latter accused
the party’s nominal chairman, Armen Martirosian, of foul play and
secret collaboration with the Armenian authorities. Martirosian and
his allies, which dominate Heritage’s decision-making board, have
rejected the accusations.

In a statement circulated last week, Hovannisian refrained from taking
sides in the row, seemingly blaming both factions for the "mudslinging"
and castigating unnamed individuals motivated by "petty personal
interests." The U.S.-born politician is expected to explain his
position in greater detail at a news conference scheduled for Friday.