Author: Khondkarian Raffi

MINSK GROUP HOPEFUL OF KARABAKH ‘BREAKTHROUGH’
By Liz Fuller

ISN – International Relations & Security Network
/Security-Watch/Detail/?ots591=4888CAA0-B3DB-1461- 98B9-E20E7B9C13D4&lng=en&id=103199
July 13 2009

Ambassadors Bernard Fassier of France (left), Matthew Bryza of the
US and Yury Merzlyakov of Russia (right), the Co-Chairmen of the OSCE
Minsk Group Speaking in Baku, Russian co-Chairman Yury Merzlyakov said
the co-chairs are hopeful that next week’s meeting between the two
presidents could lead to a breakthrough, Liz Fuller reports for RFE/RL.

The visit by the French, Russian, and US co-chairmen of the OSCE
Minsk Group to Yerevan and Baku may have brought a formal settlement
of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict one step closer.

Meeting with the Minsk Group co-chairs on July 8 and 10, respectively,
the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed to meet in Moscow on 17
July. That meeting will be the sixth between Armenian President Serzh
Sarkisian and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in just over a year.

Speaking in Baku on 10 July, Russian co-Chairman Yury Merzlyakov said
the co-chairs are hopeful that next week’s meeting between the two
presidents could lead to a breakthrough. But he said it is unlikely
that any document will be signed at that meeting.

French co-Chairman Bernard Fassier said in Yerevan on 8 July that
the conflict parties have agreed on almost all the 15 or so points
of the Basic Principles for resolving the conflict.

He said they still have to reach agreement on the future status of
Nagorno-Karabakh and on security guarantees for its predominantly
Armenian population.

Azerbaijan’s President Aliyev told a Russian television channel
last weekend that the final status of Nagorno-Karabakh could remain
undecided for 10 or even 100 years.

Armenia and Azerbaijan still disagree over whether Nagorno-Karabakh
should join the peace talks. Aliyev said this is unnecessary and
would be "disruptive."

But Russian Minsk group co-chairman Merzlyakov told journalists in
Yerevan on 8 July that the co-chairs would like Nagorno-Karabakh
representatives to join the talks after the signing of the Basic
Principles.

Snipers

Speaking today at a conference in Stepanakert, de facto
Nagorno-Karabakh leader Bako Sahakian said no peace agreement is
possible without Karabakh’s participation.

"Karabakh, which is the main party to the Azerbaijan-Karabakh conflict,
has been left out of the negotiations, and we must achieve the return
to this important principle. It is impossible to realize any solution
without the consent of the people of the Nagorno-Karabakh republic,"
Sahakian said.

The co-chairs hailed on 8 July the stated readiness of both
Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia to withdraw the Armenian snipers deployed
along the Line of Contact that separates Armenian and Azerbaijani
forces. Snipers kill dozens of servicemen on both sides every
year. Azerbaijan, however, has not yet agreed to withdraw its snipers.

A further potential sticking point is the timeframe for the withdrawal
of Armenian forces from seven districts of Azerbaijan they currently
control. The Basic Principles require a withdrawal from five of those
districts and the deployment of international peacekeepers in the
other two, which lie between Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia.

Karabakh Defense Minister Lieutenant General Movses Hakopian was quoted
on July 9 as saying no one has asked Karabakh to withdraw from those
districts, and that the unrecognized republic’s leadership does not
intend to give them up.

The French, Russian, and US presidents issued a statement on 10 July
at the G8 summit in Aquila calling on the presidents of Armenia and
Azerbaijan to resolve the remaining differences and complete the
conflict resolution process.

RFE/RL’s Armenian and Azerbaijani services contributed to this report.

Trend, Azerbaijan
July 10 2009

Zbigniew Brzezinski believes in new opportunities in Karabakh talks

The United States, Washington, July 10 /Trend News, N.Bogdanova/

Former advisor on national security at the U.S. President Jimmy
Carter’s administration believes in possibility of creating new
realities in the negotiation process on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

"I must say that I believe in the possibility of creating new
realities in the negotiation process on the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict," Former Adviser in the President Jimmy Carter’s
administration and Professor of the Johns Hopkins University Zbigniew
Brzezinski told Trend News on July 10.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 surrounding
districts. Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in
1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group – Russia, France, and the
U.S. – are currently holding the peace negotiations.

"The Moscow meeting of the U.S. and Russian presidents is the fact
that they have discussed the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, not only
enhanced the international significance of this issue, but also
strengthened the parties’ faith to the conflict. This kind of talks
between Russia and the United States are opening new opportunities for
the region," Brzezinski said.

AMERICAN JEWS ATTEMPT TO IMPEDE US ASSISTANCE TO KARABAKH

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
09.07.2009 17:12 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "To the best of my knowledge, US has already
started talking Senate out of adopting a resolution on assisting
Karabakh. Armenians hurry too much, and I don’t think they will easily
manage to push forward with their initiative," leader of European
Jews Genadi Zelmanovich said.

"After Israeli President Shimon Peres’ visit to Baku, the world
changed its attitude to Azerbaijan. Many Jewish organizations abroad
are now keen on considering Azerbaijan as Israel’s friend country. I
believe American Jews will unite with their diaspora representatives in
Azerbaijan for making relevant response to Armenian lobby," 1news.az
quotes Peres as saying.

On July 9, US Senate’s Appropriation Committee will hold voting over
the issue of providing foreign aid. Armenian National Committee of
America (ANCA) called upon Senate Committee Chair Daniel Inoy to
support the bill on providing $70 million to Armenia and $10 million
– to Nagorno Karabakh, as well as restore the parity in providing
military aid to Armenia and Azerbaijan.

ANCA reported earlier that US President’s Administration had proposed
to cut aid to Armenia by 38% and increase military assistance to
Azerbaijan.

House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations has already
put the bill to vote. Committee members have voted for allocating
$48 to Armenia and $10 million – to Karabakh. Congressmen also voted
in favor of maintaining parity in providing military aid to Armenia
and Azerbaijan.

"AZERBAIJAN IN GLOBAL POLICY: FORMATION OF FOREIGN POLICY" PRESENTED

APA
[ 08 Jul 2009 18:00 ]

Baku. Lachin Sultanova – APA. "Azerbaijan in global policy:
formation of foreign policy", a book published on the occasion of 90th
anniversary of Azerbaijani diplomacy was presented on Wednesday. Editor
of the book, Spokesman for the Azerbaijan Diplomatic Academy Fariz
Ismayilzadeh said the book contained information about history of
Azerbaijani diplomacy, articles by the Azerbaijani officials and
foreign analysts, prospects of the state’s foreign policy and its
development.

US editor of the book Alexandros Petersen called the book very valuable
publication and said it contained information about many-sided foreign
policy of Azerbaijan and oil diplomacy, formation of the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs, analysis on the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

Chairman of the parliament foreign relations committee Samad
Seyidov spoke about the successes of the Azerbaijan’s diplomacy
and said Azerbaijan turned its cooperation with leading
countries of the world to the partnership. He said protection
of the national interests and solution of the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict were priorities of the Azerbaijan’s foreign policy

DIMITRIS CHRISTOFIAS: "IF TURKEY RECOGNIZES ARMENIAN GENOCIDE, IT WILL BE NOT AGAINST BUT FOR TURKEY"

NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY
JULY 8, 2009
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, JULY 8, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. If Turkey becomes
a European Union member, Armenia expects neighborhood with European
standards from this country. RA President Serzh Sargsyan mentioned it
at the July 6 joint press conference of the Presidents of RA and Cyprus
within the framework of President of the Republic of Cyprus Dimitris
Christofias’ state visit to Armenia. He emphasized that disrespectful
attitude towards mutual arrangements leads to deepening of distrust,
barrier, necessity of making more efforts in the future. The
country head mentioned at the same time that Armenia is for Turkey’s
membership to the European Union as in this case Turkey will be more
"predictable, more safe and more corresponding to our ideas," and
in case of Turkey’s membership Armenia can become a direct neighbor
of the EU. The President of Cyprus is also for Turkey’s membership,
but he is for membership of a developed, changed Turkey, corresponding
to the European standards.

The President of Cyprus welcame Serzh Sargsyan’s experience in
the direction of improving the relations with Turkey: "It is very
difficult to negotiate with Turkey, but there is no alternative way,
one must move only in the way of peace," he said. Cyprus was the
first to condemn the Armenian Genocide, therefore it considers that
if Turkey recognizes the Armenian Genocide, it will be not against
but for Turkey.

PROCREDIT BANK ISSUES VISA CARDS ON SPECIAL CONDITIONS

ArmInfo
2009-07-06 21:25:00

ArmInfo. ProCredit Bank makes a new special offer on international
VISA chip cards till August 31, 2009. Now they are issued with 50%
discount for the first year service fee and are served free of charge
in ATMs of ProCredit Bank Georgia. In the framework of the special
offer the service fee of VISA Classic cards, compared to the old
fee of AMD 8000, is now fixed in the amount of AMD 4000 and for VISA
Electron – AMD 2000 compared to the old fee of AMD 4000.

ProCredit Bank VISA international cards are served in more
than 1mln. ATMs and 500 thousand Pos terminals throughout the
world. ProCredit Bank’s cards are smart ones, equipped with newest
microprocessor chip technology with high level of security against
their falsification.

Founders of ProCredit Bank are such well-known international
organizations as:

ProCredit Holding AG – 67.49% shares EBRD – 16.67% shares KfW –
15.84 % shares.

ADDITIONAL BUDGET FINANCING IN ARMENIA TO TOTAL $800MLN IN 2009

ARKA
July 7, 2009

YEREVAN, July 7. /ARKA/. Additional budget financing to Armenia has
been set at $800mln, RA Minister of Finance Tigran Davtyan was quoted
as saying on Tuesday.

He cited four sources that were to allocate extra funds for Armenia’s
state budget, including the World Bank ($60mln), Asian Development
Bank ($80mln), International Monetary Fund (around $155mln) and Russia
($500mln).

The loan programs of international organizations are an attempt to
boost Armenia’s economy amid the global financial recession, the
minister added.

Thus, WB and IMF four-year allocations to Armenia reach $545mln and
$823mln respectively, with two-year assignment of ADB and Russia
totaling $140mln and $500mln respectively.

According to Davtyan, Armenia has successfully competed negotiations
with the four financial partners and will be able to draw the funds
in a couple of months.

With the country receiving the IMF two-year loan worth $305mln, WB
has approved another loan agreement with Armenia, the minister said,
adding ADB has approved a new loan program for Armenia.

Davtyan believes "the agreements will enable Armenia to fulfill budget
expenditures, as well as eliminate the tangible deficit."

Being optimistic about this year’s results, the minister stressed
that Armenia possesses enough financial resources to fulfill budget
expenditures.

According to Davtyan, part of the credit funds will be included in
the 2010 budget expenditures program.

This year, Armenia will spend some $305mln from the WB loan, carrying
forward $150mln from 2009 to 2010. Next year, the government will
earmark some 24bln drams from the Russian loan for reconstruction of
the 1998 quake-hit areas. ($1- 362.37 drams)

International tourism rate decreased by 8% in January-April 2009
04.07.2009 16:09 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ According to World Tourism Organization – provided
data, a decrease in people planning a holiday abroad has been
registered within the first four months of 2009. International tourism
rate decreased by 8% in January-April 2009, compared with last year’s
results. Number of tourists to Europe decreased by 10%.
Recent data made International Tourism Organization review tourism
development forecast for 2009. They believe that the number of foreign
tourists will decrease by 4-6% compared with 2008.
Financial crisis is the reason for problems in tourism sphere.
In the first quarter of 2009, number of tourists to Armenia increased
by 2,8% (85 000 people) compared with the same period in 2008

OSCE CHAIRPERSON-IN-OFFICE TO FAMILIARIZE WITH SOUTH CAUCASUS PROBLEMS

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
02.07.2009 23:47 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ On June 2 Hovik Abrahamyan, RA NA speaker received
OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis.

Greeting the guest, RA NA speaker emphasized the significance of
the visit of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office to South Caucasus and
expressed hope, that Dora Bakoyannis will get familiar with problems
from original sources. Hovik Abrahamyan highly estimated the role of
OSCE in establishing peace and stability in the South Caucasus and
OSCE space.

The officials also discussed the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict, normalization of the Armenian-Turkish relations and issues
of security in the South Caucasus, press office of the RA NA reports.

SASSUN MIKAYELYAN’S CO-THINKER MADE SUICIDE ATTEMPT

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
03.07.2009 18:36 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "A man who attempted to commit self-arson is a former
serviceman from Sassun Mikayelyan’s detachment. All his actions were
a sign of protest against former Commander’s not being released,"
ANC press secretary Arman Mousinyan told a news conference.

At yesterday’s meeting, an unknown man attempted to commit suicide
through self-arson. The act which provoked a clash among demonstrators
was a sign of protest against Sassun Mikayelyan’s arrest. On June 22,
the first instance court of Kotayk region sentenced ANC activist to
8 years in prison.