Author: Khondkarian Raffi

news.am, Armenia
Nov 7 2009

Armenia and Azerbaijan fight for supremacy on the board: The Guardian

12:15 / 11/07/2009Though World Chess Federation FIDE comprises over
150 nations, `team supremacy on the board is currently being fought
out by two small Caucasian republics,’ reads The Guardian, adding that
`In the process the pair have humilated their big neighbour Russia.’

The daily comments on recent victories of Armenian chess players, such
as Olympiad 2006 that was nothing but `a surprise one-off’, however it
did not seem so after the victory of Armenian team in 2008. `On both
occasions the top-seeded Russians failed,’ the article reads.

At the last week’s European championship Russia was again seeded
first, however `they blew it yet again. Russia managed only 2-2 with
Spain and the Azeris clinched the gold medals when a Dutch GM
blundered in a drawn rook ending.’

The Guardian recalls about both countries’ `chess traditions from
Soviet times.’ `The battle now moves to next year’s world title
candidate matches,’ the Guardian concludes.

ALEXEY VLASOV: UNSETTLED KARABAKH CONFLICT SHOWS THE USELESSNESS OF INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

news.az
Nov 6 2009
Azerbaijan

Alexey Vlasov Interview News.Az with Alexey Vlasov, director of the
Russian Center on Post-Soviet Area Studies.

Baku and Yerevan are accusing each other of the unwillingness to make
compromises. Is the situation in the conflict area dangerous as the
negotiation process is delayed?

The situation is really very complex and it is difficult to make any
unambiguous predictions over prospects of its further development. If
the settlement process is lingered, it will inevitably lead to the
further growth of the threats of conflicts in the region. But even
if the issue of the return of five regions of Azerbaijan is settled
soon, this step will create a visibility of deep advancement in the
resolution of the conflict only for a short period.

UN seems a more amorphous and passive structure

Alexey Vlasov Azerbaijan tries to keep the Karabakh problem the
center of UN’s constant attention, thus causing Yerevan’s concerns
about Baku’s attempts to withdraw the negotiation process from the
OSCE format. How can the United Nations contribute to the resolution
of this conflict?

I think it is time for political negotiations to be enriched with a
wider format of public dialogue between Yerevan and Baku. A systematic
involvement of not only EU and OSCE but also the United States is
more possible in this context. As for the practical influence on the
situation, OSCE has more instruments than the United Nations. Another
question is that these instruments should be used correctly and the
systematic differences between the main participants of international
organizations should be removed.

What is the problem of non-execution of the four well-known resolutions
of the UN Security Council on Karabakh, to your mind?

In this sense, the UN seems a more amorphous and passive structure.

However, this is an ideal area for political declarations that
is maximally used by Azerbaijan’s leadership. But as Kazakhstan
will chair the OSCE next year, I suppose Astana in the face of its
President Nursultan Nazasbayev will have to use the potential of the
organization more effectively, which is proven by his recent statement
over Nagorno Karabakh.

Baku is criticizing the position of the mediating countries in the
Karabakh settlement "agree and we will support the solution". Does such
conflicts settlement have prospects without elements of forcing the
parties to execute the established norms, principles and resolutions
of international organizations?

In fact, Azerbaijan’s claims are absolutely clear as it is tired of
numerous resolutions, negotiations and discussions that prove to be
ineffective. But we should take into account that the mediators also
have no single views. And, probably, the formula that you listed above
is a result of the clear understanding of impossibility to attain the
desired end on basis of consensus. It is unclear how to act further.

Therefore, they first followed the logics of a frozen conflict and
after the Armenian-Turkish rapprochement, the mediators seemed to
transfer the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement to the sphere of
lobby agreements. But then you can ask – what is the importance of
the international organizations that must engage in the resolution
of such conflicts? Here, we make a conclusion that the architecture
of international security and institutions, that ensure it, fail to
catch up with the changing state of affairs and the situation around
Nagorno Karabakh is just worsening it.

EUROPEAN ARMENIAN FEDERATION CALLS UPON THE UK GOVERNMENT TO RECOGNISE THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

armradio.am
07.11.2009 12:22

Internationally-recognised human rights lawyer Geoffrey Robertson
QC released a legal opinion slamming the Foreign and Commonwealth
Office (FCO) for having deliberately misled the British Ministers,
Parliament and People about the Armenian Genocide.

Taking ground on the declarative value of the 1948 Convention, Mr
Robertson categorically rejects the foundations of the official British
position which are deceitfully supported by the FCO and especially
the allegation according to which there is no written document
giving evidence of any governmental decision to exterminate the
Armenians. With the help of the jurisprudence from the International
Criminal Tribunals for Rwanda and former Yugoslavia, Mr.

Robertson recalls that such documents are absolutely not required in
establishing the genocidal intent and that it is generally impossible
to provide these kinds of documents, even for the Holocaust.

On this point, the lawyer blasts the FCO’s manipulation which would
require "sufficiently unequivocal evidences", as a "meaningless"
concept forged to be never complied with and which encroaches the
clear principles of both the civil and criminal standard of proof.

Examining the FCO’s internal documents, Mr Robertson shows that by
appeasing the Turkish State’s campaign of denial, the genuine concern
of British diplomacy is "to evade truthful answers because the Truth
would discomfort" Turkey where UK has economical interests, Turkey
being "neuralgic" to the whole genocide issue.

Mr. Robertson ends his analysis by recommending the UK to end this
denial policy and by clearly calling upon it to recognise the Armenian
Genocide. Mr Robertson concludes "if these same events occurred today,
in a country with a history similar to Turkey’s in 1915, there can
be no doubt that prosecutions for genocide would be warranted and
indeed required by the Genocide Convention".

The legal opinion shows that in giving priority to economical
considerations, the FCO departed from its mission and severely warped
its objectives.

"If true, the United Kingdom must seriously discipline this
administration" stated Laurent Leylekian. "This is the international
credibility of UK as a State of Law which is challenged by this legal
opinion" he added.

Furthermore, this study is an outstanding disavowal of the official
British position about the Armenian Genocide.

"We call upon the British government to recognize the Armenian Genocide
and to clearly state that this recognition by Ankara is a condition
for the continuation of the negotiations between Turkey and the EU"
concluded Leylekian.

ARMENIA AND AZERBAIJAN VIE FOR SUPREMACY AT RUSSIA’S EXPENSE
Leonard Barden

The Guardian
7 November 2009

More than 150 nations are affiliated to the global chess body Fide,
yet team supremacy on the board is currently being fought out by two
small Caucasian republics. In the process the pair have humilated
their big neighbour Russia, for long the undisputed No1.

When Armenia won the 2006 Olympiad, the success was reckoned a surprise
one-off. Then its squad retained the crown in 2008, sparking street
celebrations in Erevan and the presidential plane home for the winning
team. On both occasions the top-seeded Russians failed, as they had
behind Ukraine in 2004.

These results infuriated politicians and grandmasters in Azerbaijan,
which has an ongoing acrimonious border dispute with Armenia. At last
week’s European team championship, the men from Baku came with a new
manager, a highly rated team and ambitious zeal. Russia were again
No1 seeds and at the start of the final round they led Azerbaijan by
a point, with easier opponents. But they blew it yet again. Russia
managed only 2-2 with Spain and the Azeris clinched the gold medals
when a Dutch GM blundered in a drawn rook ending.

Both nations have chess traditions from Soviet times. Erevan boasts a
statue of Tigran Petrosian, the Armenian world champion, while Garry
Kasparov was raised in Baku by his Armenian mother.

The battle now moves to next year’s world title candidate matches,
as Azeris and Armenians haggle with Fide over venues, qualifiers
and wild cards. The Azeris have three GMs in the world top 20, led
by Vugar Gashimov, 23, their Euro team star whose subtle play below
gives White first a strong pawn centre, then a winning attack.

V Gashimov v M Roiz

1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 a6 4 Ba4 Nf6 5 O-O Be7 6 Re1 b5 7 Bb3 d6 8 c3
O-O 9 d4 Bg4 10 d5 Na5 11 Bc2 c6 12 h3 Bc8 13 dxc6 Qc7 14 Nbd2 Qxc6 15
Nf1 Re8 16 Ng3 Be6 17 Ng5 Bd7 18 a4 Nc4 19 b3 Nb6 20 a5 Nc8 21 Bd2 Bd8
22 Bd3 Ne7 23 c4 Qb7 24 Nf3 b4 25 c5 dxc5 26 Nxe5 Bc7 27 Nxd7 Nxd7 28
f4 Nf8 29 Bc4 Rad8 30 e5 Nc6 31 Nf5 Nxa5 32 Rxa5 Bxa5 33 Qg4 g6 34 Nh6+
Kg7 35 f5 Ne6 36 fxe6 Rxd2 37 exf7 Rf8 38 e6 Bd8 39 Nf5+ Kh8 40 Qg3 1-0

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT SERZH SARGSYAN CONDUCTED CONSULTATION OVER ISSUES ON SEVAN LAKE

ARMENPRESS
Nov 5, 2009

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 5, ARMENPRESS: Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan
was today in the Armenian province of Gegharkunik on a working visit.

The first stop of the president was in "Sevan" national park where
he got acquainted with the activity of the park, then conducted
consultation with the participation of the members of the commission
dealing with the issues of Lake Sevan. Vice prime minister, Territorial
Administration Minister Armen Gevorgyan, Transport and Communication
Minister Gurgen Sargsyan also participated in the consultation.

Presidential press service told Armenpress that Nature Protection
Minister Arman Harutyunyan and chairman of the commission dealing with
the issues of Lake Sevan Vladimir Movsisyan presented the works and
results of studies made in the "Sevan" national park. The participants
discussed the works which must be carried out in parallel with the
increase of the level of the lake.

Highlighting the issue of the increase of the level of Lake Sevan
the president pointed out that a great attention must be paid to the
purity of the water so that bogs will not created.

The president assigned that the voiced suggestions be sent to
the government so that working programs be approved. "But these
programs must be realistic, must be agreed with all the ministries
and correspond to our gradual opportunities," the leader of the
country said.

Afterwards Serzh Sargsyan visited the sector of Sevan-Martuni-Getap
highway which is being reconstructed. The works started from May 2009
and will be finished in 2010.

In the village of Litchk, the president visited the newly-built private
"B-B-G" medical center. In Tsovasar village the president visited newly
built ambulatory built with the order of the Armenian Health Ministry.

NATO: IN FACT RUSSIAN TROOPS AND NATO TROOPS SHARE COMMON BORDER WHEN WE HAVE THREAT SITUATION NOT A PARTICULARLY DIFFICULT ISSUE

ArmInfo
2009-11-06 12:25:00

ArmInfo. "We have said for a long time that we do not see any
individual country and Russia included as a threat," Robert Simmons,
NATO Secretary General Special Representative for South Caucasus and
Central Asia, told ArmInfo.

"It is the only point for instance in Norway the Russian troops and
the Norwegians troops, NATO troops had always had a border. So, the
fact, that in fact Russian troops and NATO troops share common border
when we have threat situation when we had 20 years ago since the end
of the Cold War means that is not a particularly difficult issue,"
Simmons said.

ARTHUR ABRAHAM: I HAVE 31 VICTORIES IN 31 FIGHTS, I HOPE THEY WILL CONTINUE

PanARMENIAN.Net
02.11.2009 18:31 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The fight with Jermain Taylor was quite heavy,
the former world middleweight champion, Armenian boxer Arthur Abraham
told a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter.

"Taylor cannot continue his participation in the Super Six World
Boxing Classic tournament, because after such KOs athletes has not
been allowed to fight for 6 months, " Abraham said.

According to him, Taylor could be replaced, but is not yet clear who
will take his place.

His next fight Abraham will hold in the United States on January
23 with the American Andrew Direlem. "Direl won all his battles,
but I have 31 victory in 31 fights. Hope, this will continue ",
Arthur Abraham said.

VIDEO: TURKEY – ARMENIAN GENOCIDE TODAY

EuropeNews
Nov 2 2009

>From Journeymans Youtube Channel: Journeyman apologises for any
offensive or vulgar comments left by viewers of this film – obviously
they have nothing better to do!

The eviction and slaughter of over a million Armenians in Anatolia
began in 1915. There’s little doubt Turkey was behind this massive
ethnic cleansing. Yet the Turkish government denies the historical
facts.

Almost a century later, any mention of the genocide is still taboo. A
law designed to protect ‘Turkishness’ is used to sue those who
challenge the official version. Nobel Prize winning author Orhan
Pamuk was sent to prison for speaking out about his country’s guilt.

More tragically, Armenian journalist Hrant Dink was recently murdered
for his efforts to bridge the divide between both people. The father
of his alleged killer claims that his son was only led astray "because
he loves his country and his nation."

Tens of thousands protested against nationalist violence after Dink’s
murder, but ultra-nationalism is still rife. Turkish MPs consider
any hints to the genocide ‘insulting’ and authorities turn a blind
eye to nationalist excesses.

The argument over the Armenian genocide stretches beyond Turkey’s
borders. As the country is a key ally in the Middle East, the US has
avoided taking a clear stance on the subject. For the Armenian Foreign
Minister, "the sense of tragedy is being exacerbated with every passing
day Turkey continues to deny." Although it has caused enough sorrow,
this festering hatred keeps claiming lives.

Watch video at Produced by ABC
Australia Distributed by Journeyman Pictures

See also:

Destroyed Armenian churches in occupied territories

sevag1974:

this video is dedicated to the UN and all the human race around the
glob ! for the first time you are about to see some Ancient churches
from Nakhichevan one place where any ARMENIAN can NOT put foot in
,the pictures are taken between 1965 & 1987.Today from hundreds of
Ancient churches in Nakhichevan nothing is remained all are leveled
to the ground , no journalist are allow to inter ,no EU parliament
member too .the Azeri government do all this barbaric Taliban regime
style demolition on our Ancient monument and clams the opposite that
the Armenians are destroying their monument which is NOT true.

Azerbaijan is a new formed country they do not have any Ancient
monuments in our historical occupied lands ,HOW COULD WE DEMOLISH it ?

when there is NON ??

if UN can not protect other nations historical monuments from
demolition than why continuing to exist ?

PETER SEMNEBY: ARMENIAN-TURKISH RELATIONS AND THE KARABAKH CONFLICT ARE TWO DIFFERENT ISSUES

armradio.am
02.11.2009 13:41

"The current situation between Armenia and Turkey cannot last
forever, everyone has to adapt to the perspective of normalization
and opening of the border. It’s necessary to consider how to protect
and develop own interests in the region under the new situation. The
war in Georgia showed that there is a threat of proceeding of
territorial conflicts. These developments gave a new dynamism to the
Armenian-Turkish relations," EU Special Representative for the South
Caucasus Peter Semneby said in an interview with Russian "Vremya
Novostey" newspaper.

Asked whether Russian influence in the Caucasus fines down due to
normalization between Armenia and Turkey, Peter Semneby said "as far
as Russia invests in Armenia’s infrastructure and builds railways it
can benefit only from open borders."

Is the Armenian-Turkish reconciliation an achievement of the Armenian
diplomacy? Has Armenia really managed to separate the issue of
normalization of relations with Turkey and the Karabakh issue?

"This process started moving not only thanks to Armenia. It’s clear
that this process in Armenia’s interest. The discussions are under
way in Turkey, as well. They have an impression that Turkey might play
a greater role in the region, only in case the problems with Armenia
were solved. Turkey’s conflict with Armenia limited its opportunities
and influence in the South Caucasus," Semenby said.

As for the link between the Armenian-Turkish relations and the
Karabakh conflict, the EU Special Representative said "those are two
different issues, which should never be tied; otherwise the process
of normalization may stop."

"Nevertheless, it is obvious that the development of any of the
issues affects the overall atmosphere. So it’s necessary to provide
basis for their positive influence on each other. We believe that
Armenian-Turkish reconciliation provides mew visions for settlement
of Karabakh issue.

PURCHASE AND SALE TRANSACTIONS OF 568 THOUSAND DOLLARS CARRIED OUT AT NASDAQ OEMEX ARMENIA ON NOVEMBER 2

NOYAN TAPAN
NOVEMBER 2, 2009
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 2, NOYAN TAPAN. Purchase and sale transactions of
568 thousand dollars at the weighted average exchange rate of 387.5
drams were carried out at Nasdaq Oemex Armenia OJSC on November 2.

According to the press center of the Central Bnak of Armenia, the
closing price was 387.5 drams.