Author: Kharatian Ani

IRAN MINISTER DISCUSSES REGIONAL DEVELOPMENTS WITH GEORGIAN PRESIDENT

Islamic Republic News Agency
Sept 17 2008

Tehran, 17 September: Iranian Foreign Minister Manuchehr Mottaki
in a meeting with Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili discussed
issues related to the Caucasus region and how to implement peace and
stability in the region.

According to an IRNA correspondent in Tbilisi, Mottaki referred to
recent incidents and the human casualties. He said: We are saddened
by the recent bitter incidents and human casualties. We follow up
incidents carefully and are sensitive to peace and stability of
the region.

The minister of foreign affairs of our country described the recent
diplomatic moves made by the Islamic Republic of Iran on the Caucasus
incident. He said: We have had constructive and useful consultation
with various involved parties in the region concerning how to find
appropriate solutions to the present situation and to identify
appropriate methods to restore peace and security.

Referring to his consultations with officials in Moscow, Baku, Berlin
and Armenia, he stressed: We had useful consultations with Russian,
Azeri, Armenian and German officials on how to find a mechanism to
restore peace and security in the Caucasus within the framework of
regional interests and approaches. Today in Tbilisi in line with the
same consultations, the background events that led to the incident
and the methods to get out of the crisis were discussed. We hope that
by identifying solutions to the crisis, we can take positive steps
to achieve peace and security in the Caucasus region.

Our foreign minister also discussed bilateral issues with the Georgian
president.

Mikheil Saakashvili, the Georgian president, also referred to the
position of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the region and stressed:
Iran enjoys an important position in the region.

He added: We attach great importance to the deepening of our ties
with the Islamic Republic of Iran, and Georgia is indebted to Iran.

He also called for constant consultation between Tehran and Tbilisi
to achieve this objective.

The Georgian president described the current dispute in the region
and said that the dispute is destructive. He expressed the hope that
regional consultation and the moves by the Islamic Republic of Iran
would pave the way for the restoration of peace and security in the
Caucasus region.

He stressed: We are ready to cooperate with any regional power that
is capable of normalizing the situation.

IRAN SAYS NATO INTERFERENCE IN CAUCASUS UNPRODUCTIVE

RIA Novosti
20:06 | 16/ 09/ 2008

TEHRAN, September 16 (RIA Novosti) – Iranian President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad said Tuesday that the Caucasus does not need NATO
interference in the region in the wake of the recent conflict in
Georgia.

"Countries in the Caucasus region can solve their own problems without
the interference of NATO or others," Ahmadinejad said at a meeting
with Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandyan in Tehran.

"Such interference will only worsen the situation in the Caucasus,"
he added.

NATO chief Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, heading a delegation of envoys from
all 26 members of the Western military alliance, arrived in Georgia
on Monday to discuss plans for Tbilisi’s possible NATO membership
and met with President Mikheil Saakashvili.

Russia and Georgia fought a five-day war in August after Georgian
forces had launched an attack on South Ossetia. Two weeks after
the conclusion of Moscow’s military operation to "force Georgia to
accept peace," Russia recognized South Ossetia and Abkhazia, another
separatist republic, as independent states.

The West heavily criticized both the recognition of the rebel
regions and what it called Russia’s "disproportionate" response to
the Georgian attack.

Russia and NATO have since frozen cooperation.

Ahmadinejad said the times of a unipolar world are over and called
for a new world order that could provide stable peace and friendship
among nations.

The Islamic Republic itself is in political standoff with the West
over the country’s nuclear program.

Iran is currently under three sets of relatively mild UN Security
Council sanctions for defying demands to halt uranium enrichment, which
it says it needs purely for electricity generation despite Western
accusations that the program is geared toward weapon production.

AZERBAIJAN: ALIYEV KEEPS BAKU’S OPTIONS OPEN DURING MEETING WITH MEDVEDEV
Shahin Abbasov

EurasiaNet
Sept 16 2008
NY

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s visit to Moscow on September
16 was notable mostly for what he did not say. Russia has
pressed Azerbaijan to sell a large volume of natural gas to the
Kremlin-controlled conglomerate Gazprom. But Aliyev and his Russian
hosts did not announce a gas purchase deal following their talks.

Aliyev met with President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir
Putin during his daylong stay in Moscow. Medvedev indicated that the
discussions were merely informational. Azerbaijan has been a Western
ally so far in the Caspian Basin energy game. [For background see
the Eurasia Insight archive]. The Kremlin is trying hard to woo Baku
away from the West. "We had to check positions taking into account
problems which appeared in the Caucasus after Georgian aggression. I
informed the Azerbaijani president about steps that Russia undertook
to provide security in South Caucasus," Medvedev said. [For background
see the Eurasia Insight archive].

Aliyev, like other regional leaders, is trying to avoid being backed
into a situation where he would have to declare his preference for
one side or the other. In Moscow, he was careful not to say anything
that might offend Moscow. "There is necessity to consolidate efforts
in order to provide peace and predictability," he said. "We need to
diminish tension. All problems have to be solved peacefully."

Aliyev avoided commenting generally on Georgian-Russian tension,
and specifically refrained from any comments concerning Russia’s
decision to recognize the separatist territories of Abkhazia and
South Ossetia. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive].

Baku’s sensitivities are heightened by concern over its own separatist
enclave, Nagorno-Karabakh. [For background see the Eurasia Insight
archive]. Some Azerbaijani officials are evidently concerned that if
Baku expressed support for Georgia, then Azerbaijan’s own efforts to
regain control of Karabakh would suffer.

During the Moscow visit, Russian officials reassured Aliyev that he
need not be concerned about Karabakh – yet. Medvedev stressed that
the Kremlin did not see a connection between Karabakh and Georgia’s
separatist entities. "Russia’s position has not changed," Medvedev
said, referring to the Karabakh peace process. "We also support
continuation of direct talks between Azerbaijani and Armenian
presidents."

Neither Aliyev nor Medvedev touched on the possible Russian large-scale
purchase of Azerbaijani gas. Experts in Baku believe that Aliyev’s
administration has yet to reach a decision on the matter, and is
playing for time.

On September 12, Elshad Nasirov, the vice president of Azerbaijan’s
State Oil Company (SOCAR), said that "Azerbaijan tries to fully
depoliticize the issue of export destinations for "large gas"
which is expected after 2013." According to Nasirov, Azerbaijan’s
choice will mostly depend on commercial factors. "All destinations
[of gas export] are equally possible and we will mostly consider
the net-profit for SOCAR and its partners," he said. Gazprom’s is
reportedly willing to pay Baku $300 per 1.000 cubic meters. Nasirov
added that Western Europe, Russia and Iran all remain possible export
destinations. He added that exports to Asia via Turkmenistan could
become a fourth option.

Aliyev and Medvedev also had no comment on a Turkish initiative to
establish a "Caucasus platform for security and cooperation." That
concept was raised by Turkish President Abdullah Gul during his
recent visits to Yerevan and Baku. [For background see the Eurasia
Insight archive].

Reflecting on the visit, some Baku experts said they did not expect
Baku to make up its mind on the gas-purchase question until after
presidential elections in the fall. "Aliyev is hardly ready to answer
these questions," said Rauf Mirgadirov, a political columnist for
the Zerkalo newspaper, referring to the issues of gas purchases and
Azerbaijan’s security cooperation with the West.

Indeed, to try to maintain room for maneuver, Baku continues to explore
ties with NATO. Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov went
to Brussels on September 16 to take part in discussions over NATO
representatives. After that, he was scheduled to travel to London to
meet with the British Foreign Minister David Miliband.

Editor’s Note: Shahin Abbasov is a freelance correspondent based
in Baku.

COMMISSIONER HAMMARBERG UPDATES PACE MONITORING COMMITTEE ON SITUATION IN ARMENIA

armradio.am
15.09.2008 16:26

The Commissioner of the Council of Europe for Human Rights, Thomas
Hammarberg, briefed the PACE monitoring committee, at its meeting in
Paris on 11 September 2008, on developments concerning the inquiry into
the events of 1 March 2008 and the people deprived of their liberty in
connection with those events. He welcomed progress on the first issue,
but remains concerned about the question of detainees – virtually
all of them opposition supporters or prominent opposition figures –
and the criminal justice process in relation to the 1 March events.

The Commissioner’s proposal to set up a group of independent experts,
to establish the facts of 1 March, met with a positive response
by the relevant actors in Armenia. Consultations on this issue are
ongoing. The Commissioner believes that establishing the facts would be
one contribution to healing the severe trauma experienced by Armenian
people as a consequence of the 1 March events. It is therefore very
important that the report of the expert group be made public.

Seven people remain in preliminary detention, trials concerning
14 detainees are in progress, and 39 people have been sentenced to
prison terms. Some 41 people have been sentenced to non-custodial
measures, i.e. probation or fines, mostly in the context of fast trial
proceedings. Prosecution cases against 19 people were based solely
on police testimony. The Commissioner observed that the letter by the
Head of the Special Investigation Service issued in early March 2008
to some regional prosecutors, requesting them to collect information
on participants in opposition rallies, rather than information on
specific acts, raises questions about the intent and nature of the
investigation. According to the Armenian authorities, all preliminary
investigations have been completed.

The Monitoring Committee took note of the information provided by the
Commissioner. The issues will be on the agenda of the next meeting
of the PACE Monitoring Committee in Strasbourg, during the week of
the PACE session (29 September to 3 October 2008).

Today’s Zaman, Turkey
Sept 13 2008

Caucasian conflict improves Russia-Turkey relations

by ALEXANDER KRYLOV*

MOSCOW — Russia’s recognition of the independence of Abkhazia and
South Ossetia has provoked an international crisis. It has also
changed its relations with the European Union and the United States
and destroyed the unipolar world order that emerged after the collapse
of the Soviet Union.

On the other hand, we can say the situation has created major problems
for the key international players, or even pushed them into
deadlock. The West cannot allow itself to push the crisis too far,
because its socio-economic situation is far from perfect and it is
heavily dependent on Russia for energy resources. The West could
possibly use sanctions to pressure Russia, in particular ban the
export of machinery, foods, electronic and other goods to Russia, but
Russia could easily buy these goods from other countries.

Furthermore, Europe would find it very difficult to replace Russian
energy imports. Some Western European countries buy between 40 percent
and 60 percent of their energy resources from Russia. Therefore,
Europe has no alternative to Russia as an energy supplier.

These considerations are keeping the conflict within reasonable
bounds. After a long period of reviewing their relations, the sides
will regard each other differently. The West will have more respect
for Russia’s interests and opinions.

I don’t think this will reignite other conflicts over unrecognized
states and breakaway territories. Take Cyprus, where the Cypriot
government and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (KKTC) have
resumed negotiations and seem to be moving towards a compromise
settlement.

The example of Cyprus shows that recognition of independence does not
solve all problems. Turkey recognized the KKTC but has not prevented
it from negotiating a compromise with the Cypriot community. The
problem will be solved only when the Cypriot and Turkish sides hammer
out a solution, and the recognition of the KKTC by Turkey will not be
an insurmountable obstacle.

The same can be said about the conflicts in Abkhazia and South Ossetia
and Russia’s recognition of their independence.

Breakaway republics in other regions have not become more active,
either, although Azerbaijan initially tried to add fuel to the fire in
Nagorno-Karabakh, a territory disputed by Azerbaijan and Armenia.

On Aug. 8, when Georgia attacked South Ossetia, the Azerbaijani
Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying that Azerbaijan had the
right to follow Georgia’s example and to use force to solve the
Nagorno-Karabakh problem. But it later did nothing to aggravate the
situation there, and as far as I know Turkish diplomacy had a big role
to play in that decision.

Could the current situation in the Caucasus influence relations
between Russia and Turkey? Well, it could improve them, as evidenced
by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s recent visit to Turkey.

The situation in the Caucasus and the surrounding region, including in
Iraq and Iran, worries above all the countries that border on the
region. The parties situated further away, such as the US and the EU,
have little incentive to consider their moves carefully. In fact,
their moves often run contrary to the interests of Turkey, Iran and
Russia.

Take the situation in Iraq, where American actions aggravated Turkey’s
problems with Kurdish separatists.

The trend is also evident in the Caucasus, where a misguided US policy
provoked the latest eruption of hostilities and created big problems
for Russia.

This means that the countries bordering the Caucasus (Russia, Iran and
Turkey) should coordinate their policies to normalize the
situation. Their coordinated or separate actions would be more
positive and fruitful than the actions of more distant countries, such
as the US and the EU.

The delicate aspect of this situation is that Turkey is a NATO
member. But has Russia criticized Turkey, a NATO member, for the fact
that NATO warships have entered the Black Sea?

Not at all, because Turkey honors all the provisions of the Montreux
Convention regarding the regime of the Turkish Straits, and so did not
let American warships pass until the deadline stipulated in the
convention.

Turkey acted as a responsible state that honors its international
commitments and behaves reasonably and constructively.

* Political analyst Alexander Krylov is a staff member of the
Institute of World Economy and International Relations of the Russian
Academy of Sciences.

13 September 2008, Saturday

SteelGuru, India
Sept 14 2008

Iran and Armenia gas pipeline to boost capacity

According to Mr Armen Movsisyan minister of Armenia’s Energy & Natural
Resources, Iran-Armenia gas pipeline’s capacity will increase to 2.5
billion cubic meters a year as of November 2008.

Mr Movsisyan said that this was possible owing to an increase in the
capacity at the Kadzharan-Yerevan section of the pipeline. Mr
Movsisyan added that the main construction work on this section had
already been completed and testing would soon commenced there.

He said that if necessary Armenia could use Iranian gas until the
start of regular supplies. This would happen if Russian gas supply to
Armenia is either limited or suspended for any reason.

He added that the Iran Armenia gas pipeline is an alternative route to
the northern trunk pipeline, through which Armenia currently receives
gas from Russia via Georgian territory.

In accordance with the agreement as of 2009, Iran will supply Armenia
with 1.1 billion cubic meters of gas a year. This supply will increase
to 2.3 billion cubic meters as of 2019. Armenia will pay for this gas
with electricity at 3 KWH per cubic meter. Surplus gas could be used
to meet Armenian needs. CJSC ArmRosgazprom is the general contractor
for the construction of the Iran-Armenia gas pipeline.

ARARAT ZURABIAN SURE OF HIS VICTORY IN PREFECT ELECTIONS

Noyan Tapan

Se p 12, 2008

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 12, NOYAN TAPAN. No matter how hard the authorities
try to hinder the people’s movement they will not be able to stop
the wave of people’s discontent, and without fail very many people
will take part in the opposition rally fixed for September 15. Ararat
Zurabian, the Board Chairman of the Armenian National Movement party,
stated at the September 12 press conference. He reported that the
Armenian National Congress is going to hold a number of well-organized
events in the near future.

As regards prefect elections of the Kentron Yerevan community to
be held in late September, A. Zurabian said that his decision to
run for prefect’s post is conditioned by the circumstance that this
community is a small model of the whole country, therefore victory
in these elections acquires much significance. He stated that he has
a large electorate and is sure of his victory. In response to the
question of whether he will manage to keep the votes received in the
elections, A. Zurabian said: "Unfortunately, Armenia has a problem
of keeping votes, which is evidence that the authorities not enjoying
population’s confidence falsify the results of the elections. We will
try to do our best to secure our victory."

ANCA CALLS ON CONGRESS TO LOOK AT TURKEY’S TRUE INTENTION AND REAL-WORLD ACTIONS

Noyan Tapan

Se p 12, 2008

WASHINGTON, SEPTEMBER 12, ARMENIANS TODAY – NOYAN TAPAN. The Armenian
National Committee of America (ANCA) today called the attention of
Members of Congress to statements and actions by Turkish leaders
following the September 6th "soccer- diplomacy" match in Yerevan
that directly undermine the prospects of moving toward an enduring
Armenia-Turkey peace based on truth and justice.

Attached to each "ANCA Memo to the Hill" was a copy of the two-page
September 4th ANCA letter circulated to Members of the House and
Senate outlining the Armenian American community’s hopes, concerns,
and reservations regarding Turkey’s approach to this matter.

Among its points, the ANCA Memo spotlighted Turkey’s post-soccer
match prosecution of noted Turkish writer Temel Demirer, who had
condemned the 2007 assassination of the Armenian-Turkish editor of
the Akos weekly Hrant Dink because of his statements recognizing the
Armenian Genocide. Demirer’s lawyer called to Turkey’s promises to
improve human rights "fairy tales."

The ANCA memo to Congressional offices reads: "In a troubling September
10th Associated Press article, Turkey’s Foreign Minister Ali Babacan
revealed Turkey’s expectation that Turkish President Abdullah Gul’s
acceptance of Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan’s invitation to
Armenia to watch a soccer match will serve Turkey’s long-standing
policy to deny the Armenian Genocide."

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT RECEIVES DELEGATION HEADED BY CHAIRMAN OF CZECH SENATE

ARMENPRESS
Sep 12, 2008

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 12, ARMENPRESS: Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan
received today delegation headed by the chairman of the Czech Senate
Prshemisl Sobodka which is in Armenia on an official visit.

Presidential press service told Armenpress that during the meeting the
president underscored the development of bilateral and multilateral
relations and the partnership within the frameworks of European
establishments. Serzh Sargsyan expressed assurance that the visit of
the high-ranked Czech official will be an important step in boosting
relations between the two countries.

Chairman of the Czech Senate said that it is the second time he
visits Armenia this year. During the first one he participated in
the inauguration ceremony of President Sargsyan.

Pointing out the high level of political relations between the two
countries, the sides noted that the economic ties do not correspond
to the existing potential, though the volume of the trade turnover is
annually increasing. In this respect they underscored the activation
of business ties.

Speaking about the recent developments in the region and the tension,
the interlocutors agreed that all the disputes must be regulated in
a peaceful way, through negotiations excluding the usage of force.

According to Armenian president, all the main principles of the
international norm must be equally respected and the strive of the
people to self-determination must not become a reason for national
racism. The president highly assessed the balanced policy of Czechia
in our region. The sides expressed hope that bilateral relations
will effectively develop within the frameworks of EU, taking into
consideration that Czechia will assume the chairmanship of EU from
January 1, 2009.

RA FM BRIEFED EU AMBASSADORS ON OUTCOMES OF GUL’S VISIT

PanARMENIAN.Net
10.09.2008 12:34 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ RA Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian met Tuesday
with heads of EU missions in Armenia.

Minister Nalbandian briefed on the outcomes of Turkish President
Abdullah Gul’s visit to Armenia and confirmed Armenia’s willingness
to establish relations without preconditions, the RA MFA press office
told PanARMENIAN.Net.

The diplomats also referred to regional developments and resolution
of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.