Author: Khondkarian Raffi

Today.Az, Azerbaijan
Nov 15 2008

Reintegration of Karabakh into the common family of Azerbaijani people
is inevitability not a reason for psychological stress

15 November 2008 [11:55] – Today.Az

As Day.Az has already reported, OSCE Minsk group co-chair Matthew
Bryza said in his interview to Lider TV that "the status of Nagorno
Karabakh can not be defined unilaterally and the position of both
sides should be taken into account in this issue".

He said that "the conflict settlement must start with provision of the
territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and only after that the rest
issues can be discussed".

Day.Az voices regret that the reference to the norms of international
law by the US co-chair caused an unclear reaction in Armenia, which
allows to propose that this country does not follow the way,
envisioned by international legislation, but follows the direction,
known only to it. Otherwise, how can the basis of modern world order –
the principle of territorial integrity – cause an open resentment of
the UN member-state?

In particular, deputy of the Armenian parliament from the ruling
Republican party of Armenia Gagik Melikyan urged the powers and public
of their country not to take seriously the statements of US co-chair
of the OSCE Minsk group. It is unclear why Armenia takes part in the
talks in the OSCE MG framework, if an official representative calls
not to take seriously one of its most important co-chairs? Only clowns
in the circus can not be taken seriously, though even representatives
of this interesting professions seriously treat their hard work. If
the Minsk Group co-chairs should not be taken seriously, who should be
then? Perhaps, Ara Papyan or Zori Balayan?

In turn, deputy of Heritage opposition faction of the National
Assembly of Armenia Vardan Khachtryan is concerned that Bryza’s
statement may become a reason of "psychological stress for Karabakh
people". He said "one can imagine the state of the people, who having
a border with Armenia and residing peacefully, will suddenly face the
threat of isolation or self-determination within the Azerbaijani
borders".

Day.Az calls on compatriots of Armenian nationality not to yield to
the panic created by the deputy of the foreign parliament Vardan
Khachtryan. There are no grounds for stress. The self-determination
within the Azerbaijani borders is not too bad, especially considering
that this script is the only possible and therefore,
inevitable. Inevitable things must be perceived calmly and
phylosophically. Of course, the idea of "Miatsum" failed, the diaspora
representatives from abroad came and made once friendly communities of
Karabakh quarrel and went away. They have created the problem and did
not want to make us reconcile. The utopia, called "miatsum" that they
have brought to our region failed as the world did not recognize
it. The world also does not recognize another Utopian idea of
independence.

Peace in the region is possible only under reintegration of Karabakh
into the multinational family of Azerbaijani people, where Armenians
and Tats, Avars and Talishs, Kurd and Lezguins, Udins and Khinaligs,
Azerbaijani and Tsakhur, Rutul and Russians are friends.

The virus of "miatsum" is of imposed origin. Karabakh compatriots were
infected with this virus by foreign missioners, who carried it to our
wonderful and peaceful region. Before infection Karabakhis were
healthy. The integration of our cultures and numerous mixed marriages
is an example to it. The virus authors continue to live well abroad,
and they abandoned Karabakhis, who live in poverty neighboring the
flourishing Azerbaijan. This is the "fraternal" care of the
diaspora. It is possible to recover from virus only if our body wishes
to remove t. And the sooner the body starts to expel this infection,
the smoother will be the reintegration of the body into the family of
Azerbaijani people, especially because this script is the only
possible one.

/Day.Az/

URL:

ARMENIA, CYPRUS WILLING TO DEEPEN INTERPARLIAMENTARY COOPERATION

armradio.am
12.11.2008 17:24

On November 12 Hovik Abrahanyan, the President of the National assembly
of the republic of Armenia, received the delegation headed by Marios
Garoyan, the President of the House of Representatives of Cyprus.

Greeting the guests, Mr. Abrahamyan attached importance to the
deepening of interparliamentary ties, which will facilitate the
development of mutually beneficial cooperation with the Republic of
Cyprus in the trade-economic, scientific-educational and cultural
spheres. The Armenian Parliament Speaker emphasized the friendly
and warm attitude of the authorities of Cyprus towards the Armenian
community, noting that hosting thousands of Armenians at the turns of
the last century, Cyprus was one of the first countries to recognize
the Armenian Genocide in 1982.

Turning to the high-level relations between the parliaments of the two
countries, Mr. Abrahamyan attached importance to bilateral cooperation
and close collaboration within international organizations. The
Armenian Parliament Speaker said the Republic of Armenia backs the
solution of the Cyprus issue on the basis of a federal structure with
one government and citizenship.

Turning to the Karabakh conflict resolution, Hovik Abrahamyan reminded
that Armenia has always stood for the resolution of the issue via
peace talks within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group. In this
regard, the Speaker stressed the importance of the declaration
signed in Moscow between the President of Armenia, Azerbaijan and
Russia, which reconfirms the commitment to solve the issue in a
peaceful way. Speaking about regional issues, Mr. Abrahamyan noted
that Armenia is ready to establish diplomatic relations with Turkey
without preconditions.

President of the House of Representative of Cyprus Maris Garoyan
thanked for warm reception and said his great dream of visiting the
land of predecessors came true today. He expressed confidence that
the visit will contribute to the reinforcement of relations between
the two parliaments. Mr. Garoyan invited the Armenian Parliament
Speaker to pay an official visit to Cyprus.

The Cyprus House Speaker informed his Armenian counterpart about
the details of the Cyprus issue, noting that the issue should be
solved for the sake of preserving the unity of the island. He noted
that being a member of the European Union, Cyprus is ready to support
Armenia on the path of European integration and the Action Plan signed
within the framework of the European Neighborhood Policy provides
an opportunity to work in this direction. Mr. Garoyan expressed
willingness to contribute to the close cooperation between the
parliamentary delegations of the two countries within international
parliamentary organizations.

WHY THE CHURCH IS BEYOND DEFENDING
By Giles Fraser

Ekklesia
Nov 12 2008
UK

Every few years there’s an almightily punch up at the Church of the
Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. This year’s scrap was a classic. On
Monday 10 November 2008, monks from the Armenian and Greek Orthodox
churches were arrested by Israeli riot police for brawling in the
very place where Christ was supposed to have been buried.

Apparently, there was some infringement of the intricate rules that
govern the running of the place. For the denominations that share
responsibility for the church this was obviously a weighty matter –
though, to me, it seemed as inconsequential as the wrong monk being
in the wrong procession. Whatever the explanation, the scenes of
chaos were shaming to all.

So given the pugnacious reputation of the church of the Holy Sepulchre,
it was with some trepidation that I agreed recently to give a talk
to the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre. Founded around 1099,
at the conclusion of the incredibly bloody first crusade, the order
was set up to be a military presence at Christ’s tomb. However,
back in the nineteenth century, Pope Pious 9th gave the order a
new mission. No longer would its members be a religious army in the
Holy Land. Instead, they would guard Christ’s sepulchre by expressing
their solidarity with indigenous Christians. Today, this means raising
money to plant olive trees and supporting educational projects.

Pope Pious 9th was absolutely spot-on about how one defends the
church. One defends it best by not defending it, by not being obsessed
with it and instead by looking outward, looking towards the needs of
the others.

Jesus said that only those who are prepared to loose their life will
find it. The logic is counter intuitive. The more you give away the
more you have. The more your focus in life is outside of yourself, the
more your own soul will flourish. This is why the introverted piety
of churchyness is, in the end, a complete betrayal of the message of
the church – which is exactly what happened with those warring monks.

But surely also, there’s a lesson here for a huge number of us. For
many of us do spend a great deal of our time and energy, at work
and at home, defending some pathetic little patch of turf which,
in the great scheme of things, means precious little. If we’re not
careful we can easily find that we’ve invested our lives in battling
for some shrinking space that is, ultimately, as inconsequential as
the place of a monk in a procession.

How do we guard against becoming like this? The Christian answer is
that that we find freedom from the ego’s ever narrowing obsessions by
placing our centre of interest outside of ourselves. Indeed, this is
precisely the sort of freedom to which the monastic life is supposed
to point – and, at its best, it still does.

TURKEY, ARMENIA AND AZERBAIJAN TO HOLD NEW TALKS

Javno.hr
Nov 12 2008
Croatia

Nagorno-Karabakh`s ethnic Armenian population broke away from
Azerbaijan in a war as the Soviet Union fell apart.

Turkey, Armenia and Azerbaijan have agreed to a three-way meeting
to settle long-standing disputes in the Caucasus, Turkey’s foreign
minister said on Wednesday.

Turkey and Armenia have no formal diplomatic relations. Armenia and
Azerbaijan are at odds over disputed territory.

Several oil and natural gas pipelines flow through the Caucasus to
Western Europe.

The three foreign ministers had met on the sidelines of the
U.N. General Assembly in September.

"There is consensus to repeat the trilateral meeting … but the
schedule for that should be determined carefully so that concrete
results can be taken," Turkey’s Foreign Minister Ali Babacan said.

Babacan said he planned to visit Azerbaijan. Aremenia’s foreign
minister would visit Turkey as part of "busy diplomatic traffic".

"We hope to see positive developments in a plausible timeframe and
to solve these decades-old problems," Babacan said.

Turkey closed its border with Armenia in 1993 in a show of
solidarity with Azerbaijan, a Turkic-speaking ally which was fighting
Armenian-backed separatists over the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Nagorno-Karabakh’s ethnic Armenian population broke away from
Azerbaijan in a war as the Soviet Union fell apart.

Armenia and Azerbaijan have never signed a peace treaty, and Azerbaijan
has not ruled out using force to restore control over the territory.

Relations between Turkey and Armenia are strained by accusations
Ottoman Turks committed genocide when they killed ethnic Armenians
in World War One.

Russia has been pushing for Armenia and Azerbaijan to negotiate over
Nagorno-Karabakh. Turkey’s Babacan praised Moscow’s role.

"We expect Russia to make important contributions for the normalisation
of Azeri-Armenian relations," he said.

President Abdullah Gul became the first Turkish leader to visit
Armenia in September for a soccer match between Turkey and Armenia,
and Babacan said the two could meet again soon.

"There is no need to wait for another football game for a meeting
between (Armenian President Serzh) Sarksyan and Gul. I expect that
such a meeting could take place within months."

EU PLANS ON EASTERN PARTNERSHIP TO BE KNOWN IN DECEMBER

PanARMENIAN.Net
12.11.2008 16:47 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The European Union will announce its plans for
cooperation within the Eastern Partnership on December 3.

"When the decision is announced, the delegation of the European
Commission in Yerevan will furnish the essential information,"
Anahit Azatyan, a spokesperson for the EP Delegation in Yerevan,
told a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter.

The Eastern Partnership is a project which was presented by the foreign
minister of Poland and assisted by Sweden at the EU’s General Affairs
and External Relations Council in Brussels on 26 May 2008.

It is meant to complement the Northern Dimension and the Union for the
Mediterranean by providing an institutionalized forum for discussing
visa agreements, free trade deals and strategic partnership agreements
with the EU’s eastern neighbors, while avoiding the controversial
topic of accession to the EU.

The Eastern Partnership is supposed to include 27 member states of
the European Union as well as Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Armenia
and Azerbaijan.

ARDSHININVESTBANK (ARMENIA) ANNOUNCES FIRST COUPON BOND ISSUE

ARKA
Nov 12, 2008

YEREVAN, November 12. /ARKA/. On November 10, Ardshininvestbank
(Armenia) announced the first issue of nominal nondocumentary coupon
bonds to the amount of 1.5bln AMD.

"A 1.5bln AMD issue has no precedents in Armenia," Ardshininvestbank
Board Chairman Aram Andreasyan said at a presentation of the bonds.

He pointed out a complicated process of securities market formation
in Armenia now.

"The process is progressing due to the Central Bank’s active steps,
the first issue of Ardshininvestbank bonds being evidence thereof,"
he said.

A total of 150,000 bonds are to be placed, the nominal value of each
bond being 10,000 AMD. The subscription to bonds will last for 25
calendar days – November 10 to December 5, 2008. The maturity date
is December 5, 2009.

Quarterly payments of coupon yield will be effected during next year
– 250 AMD for each coupon. The first coupon payment is scheduled
for March 5, 2009, second for June 5, third for September 5, fourth
(redemption of bonds) for December 5, 2009.

Chairman of the Central Bank of Armenia (CBA) Artur Javadyan pointed
out that this is unique event in the context of international crisis.

"New instruments of this type in Armenia will allow the country to
attract not only domestic, but also foreign investors," Javadyan said.

Referring to Ardshininvestb ank Board’s decisions, the Sergey Virabyan,
Ardshininvestbank Board Vice-Chairman, pointed out that by means of
the issue the bank aims to increase the crediting of small & medium
size enterprises.

"The funds to be received from the placement of bonds will be doubles
due to the bank’s own funds and directed to SME soft crediting programs
– from an annual interest rate of 13%," he said.

Virabyan pointed out unique terms of the first bond issue.

"Particularly, during the circulation bonds are to be bought back by
the bank at a pre-fixed price," he said.

He reported that individuals’ investments in Ardshininvestbank stock
are considered to be a bank deposit and are secured by the RA Deposit
Insurance Fund.

"We hope, and are even sure, that the Armenian public and economic
entities will show a keen interest in our bonds, and they will give
an impetus to steady progress of both economy and the secondary
securities market," Virabyan said.

According to the information provided by Ardshininvestbank, during the
entire period of Armenia’s independence, 11 companies, including two
banks, have issued corporate bonds to the total amount of 6.91bln AMD
(17 bond issues). At present, nominal corporate bonds to the total
amount of 6.15bln AMD are in circulation.

Ardshininvestbank’s bonds are nonconvertible ones, their bond turnover
being 12 months and annual yield2010%.

The bank’s bonds will be listed on the Armenian Stock Exchange during
ten workdays after being placed. Under the bank-set terms, bonds will
be redeemed and coupon payments effected in terms of Armenian drams
by means of transfers to the bank account within two workdays from
the moment of redemption.

The Central Bank issued Banking License #83 to Ardshininvestbank on
February 27, 2003.

Ardshininvestbank principal stockholders are the Region investment and
financial corporation (86.82%) and, since late 2007, the International
Finance Corporation (10%).

The bank is an affiliated member of the international payment system
MasterCard/Europay, as well as a share holder in card operations
carried out in Armenia by the Armenian Card CJSC.

On September 30, the bank’s capital reached 22.7bln AMD, assets
119.2bln AMD, liabilities 94.5bln AMD, credit investments 79.8bln AMD,
retained earnings 4.1bln AMD. The bank has 55 branches, with six of
them located in the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR). The bank also
has a representative office in Paris.

Armenian National Committee – Western Region
104 North Belmont Street, Suite 200
Glendale, California 91206
Phone: 818.500.1918
Fax: 818.246.7353
[email protected]

PRESS RELEASE

November 11, 2008
Contact: Ani Garabedian

New Generation of Activists are Born at Annual ANC-WR Banquet

LOS ANGELES – When 11 year old Zareh Kaloustian approached his parents
last month to ask if he could attend the Armenian National Committee –
Western Region’s (ANC-WR) annual banquet, they were not surprised.
Zareh had heard that the banquet would be held at the Ronald Reagan
Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California and wanted to join his
parents at an event slated to honor, among others, U.S. Senator and
Vice-President Elect Joseph Biden.

Zareh Kaloustian is a fresh example of a new generation of Armenian
American youth who are interested in advancing the Armenian Cause and
joining the grassroots efforts of the ANC. Zareh was a student at
Holy Martyrs Ferrahian School up until the past year and is presently
a 6th grade student at Laurel Hall Junior High School. He is also an
active member of Homenetemen, where has taken a special interest in
basketball.

"The banquet was a great experience and I would love to attend again
next year," said Zareh. "Meeting the Mayor was very exciting and I
hope to have more experiences like that in the future," he added.

Similarly, 16 year old Haig Karapetian attended the annual banquet
after expressing his interest to support Hai Tahd. A junior at Holy
Martyrs Ferrahian High School, Haig was keen on meeting public
officials and as well as seeing first hand their support for the
Armenian American community. Having a keen interest in politics Haig
has participated in Model United Nations conferences at various
universities and high schools for the past three years. During the
2008 election campaign season, Haig paid close attention to
candidate’s speeches and debates, and also volunteered at the
Democratic Headquarters, encouraging families in the 43rd district to
re-elect Paul Krekorian as State Assemblyman.

"I will definitely remember the 2008 ANC banquet for years to come,
but one of the most significant moments throughout the event was Mayor
Villaragosa’s speech and getting to personally meet him," said Haig.
"Another highlight was the presentation of the Legacy Award to a great
humanitarian and activist in the Armenian community, Ashkhen
Pilavjian, whose continual contributions and support has strengthened
our schools and organizations," he added.

At the ANC banquet held on October 12, 2008 Zareh and Haig had a
chance to meet many of the public officials on hand, including Los
Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Congressmen Adam Schiff, Brad
Sherman, Ed Royce among others.

"The Armenian National Committee takes pride that our positive message
of activism and responsible civic engagement is resonating with
thousands of young Armenian Americans just like Zareh and Haig,"
commented ANC-WR Executive Director Andrew Kzirian. "Whether we are
reaching young people through YouTube, Facebook or other interactive
tools, the ANC is committed to passing the torch of the Armenian Cause
to a new generation," he added.

More than 1000 ANC-WR supporters gathered on Sunday October 12, 2008
at the organization’s annual banquet held at the Ronald Reagan
Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California to celebrate the
achievements of the past year.

The Armenian National Committee – Western Region is the largest and
most influential Armenian American grassroots advocacy organization in
the Western United States. Working in coordination with a network of
offices, chapters, and supporters throughout the Western United States
and affiliated organizations around the country, the ANC-WR advances
the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of
issues.

E. NALBANDIAN SAYS NEWS OF TURKISH PRESS ASCRIBED TO ARMENIAN OFFICIALS DISTORTED

ARMENPRESS
Nov 11, 2008

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 11, ARMENPRESS: "The recent news of the Turkish
press ascribed to the Armenian officials about the international
recognition of the Armenian Genocide are distorted and presented
upside down. I have stated many times and I want to repeat again that
Armenian officials have never expressed and will never express an idea
in favor of suspension of the process of international recognition of
Armenian genocide," Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian said,
referring to the publications of Turkish press about Armenia’s policy
connected with Armenian genocide.

He added that Armenia cannot tolerate any expression of denial of
the Armenian genocide.

TURKEY WELCOMES SWISS MEASURES AGAINST PKK

Nov 11 2008
Turkey

Turkey has appreciated recent measures taken by the Swiss government
against PKK, Turkey’s President Abdullah Gul said on Monday.

After a meeting with Pascal Couchepin, President of the Swiss
Confederation, Gul told a joint press conference that Turkey was
sure that Switzerland would put these measures into practice in the
best way.

Gul also recalled that it was the first ever visit by a Swiss President
to Turkey and said that the two countries established diplomatic
relations 80 years ago.

"Relations between Turkey and Switzerland have become stronger
recently," Gul said. "I believe that relations will be better."

In his part, Swiss President Couchepin said that some undesirable
tensions occurred between Turkey and his country, but confidence and
friendship between the two countries helped overcome these problems.

Couchepin said Swiss government had taken several measures recently
and exerted efforts to stop activities of the terrorist organization
PKK in Switzerland.

Asked about a Swiss law which makes it a crime to deny Armenian
allegations about the incidents of 1915, Couchepin said history
should be determined by historians. He said it should not be a tool
of politics.

Swiss president said that the law which was passed by the Swiss
parliament was a part of a reform wave, in that period of time,
against the Nazi genocide of the Jews.

In March 2007, a Turkish politician was found guilty of breaching
Swiss anti-racism laws by saying that the incidents of 1915 could
not be described as genocide.

Dogu Perincek, leader of the Turkish Workers’ Party, was ordered to
pay a fine of 3,000 Swiss francs (2,450 USD) and was given a suspended
penalty of 9,000 francs (7,360 USD).

INTERVIEW WITH GEORGIAN OPPOSITION LEADER

Spiegel Online
,1518,589586,00.html
Nov 10 2008
Germany

‘I Can’t Allow My Government to Lie to the World’

Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili has promised to redress
democratic shortcomings in his country. Nice words, says opposition
leader Nino Burdzhanadze in an interview with SPIEGEL ONLINE. But
she says it is time for real reform in the country.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Ms. Burdzhanadze, three months have now passed since
the beginning of the Russian-Georgian war. What do you think the
repercussions have been for your country?

Nino Burdzhanadze: Despite the assistance from the US and from the
European Union, for which we are grateful, Georgia finds itself in a
very difficult situation. In violation of the cease-fire agreement
negotiated by French President Nicolas Sarkozy, Russian troops are
still stationed on Georgian territory, including outside of South
Ossetia and Abkhazia. These are areas that Russia didn’t control
before.

AFP The opposition in Georgia has begun to find its voice after the
summer war with Russia.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Are you satisfied with the job the EU is doing in
monitoring the cease-fire agreement?

Burdzhanadze: We are grateful. But we observe that Russia has not kept
to an important part of the agreement, requiring all troops to return
to positions held prior to the beginning of the hostilities. Instead,
Russia is establishing large military bases in Abkhazia and South
Ossetia.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: What are the lessons for Russia, Georgia and the EU
from the five-day war?

Burdzhanadze: I’m not really sure if Russia is able to learn. Should
the country still feel like the victor, then they are kidding
themselves. The country’s image in the world has been badly damaged. In
addition, there is a growing uneasiness among Caucasian peoples within
Russia. Separatism is on the rise.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: And what about the lessons for Georgia and the EU?

NINO BURDZHANADZE APNino Burdzhanadze was head of Georgian parliament
from 2001 until 2008 and has twice served brief stints as Georgian
head of state, most recently at the end of 2007 when current
President Mikhail Saakashvili stepped down to run for re- election
in snap presidential elections. In October 2007, she announced that
she was setting up an opposition party called Democratic Movement-
United Georgia. Burdzhanadze: We also have to adjust our relationship
with Russia. Russia is our neighbor whether we like it or not. But
the territorial integrity of our country cannot be allowed to be
compromised. Europe made a large mistake by not becoming more involved
prior to the war. It is wrong to think that, because Georgia is far
away, it is of little concern to Europe. Brussels should intensify
its European Neighborhood Policy (ENP) activities with Georgia but
also with its Caucasian neighbors Armenia and Azerbaijan. You are
interviewing me here on the sidelines of a joint conference sponsored
by the Heinrich Böll Foundation and the Bertelsmann Foundation
where leading politicians from the region are discussing future
regional strategy with European diplomats and experts. Such events
are extremely important.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: The summit meeting between EU member states and Russia
takes place this week in Nice. What would you like to see from EU
leaders such as German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President
Nicolas Sarkozy and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown?

Burdzhanadze: Georgia must remain high up on the list of global
priorities. Europe needs to put pressure on Russia so that it withdraws
from South Ossetia and Abkhazia. And for that we need a unified Europe
that speaks with a single voice. Otherwise, Russia will have achieved
its aim. We want to see it made easier for Georgians to obtain visas
to travel in EU member states. Why was Russia granted such a relaxation
but we were not?

REPRINTS Find out how you can reprint this SPIEGEL ONLINE article in
your publication. SPIEGEL ONLINE: Should the European Union resume
talks on a political and economic pact with Russia — talks which
were broken off when the war in Georgia began?

Burdzhanadze: Europe should carefully consider how it wants to proceed
in its relations with Russia. And it needs to diversify its energy
supplies so as not to become overly reliant on Russia.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili has spoken
recently, including during his address before the United Nations
General Assembly in New York, about a "new wave of democratic
reforms." Do you believe him?

Burdzhanadze: Those are nice words, but ones, as has so often been the
case, that have not been followed by action. The only good thing about
such utterances is that it is an admission that we have deficits when
it comes to democracy. The measures that he has taken are cosmetic
in nature. He wants to construct an attractive facade.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Do you agree with Saakashvili that Georgia has
come further than most other countries that were part of the former
Soviet Union?

Burdzhanadze: That isn’t inaccurate. But we should be comparing
ourselves with Eastern European countries like Poland or the Czech
Republic, or with the three Baltic States.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: A year ago, President Saakashvili used violence to
break up an opposition demonstration and closed down a television
station that was critical of his government. Since then, he has often
said in interviews with the Western press that freedom of the press
is alive and well in Georgia and that there are three opposition
television channels. Is that accurate?

Burdzhanadze: Everyone who knows Georgia knows that this is not true. I
cannot allow my government to continue to lie to the world. To this
day, our people still don’t know the truth about the recent war. For
this reason I have sent a catalogue of 43 questions to President
Saakashvili and his government.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: What is it you would like to know?

Burdzhanadze: Why we allowed ourselves to be drawn into a Russian trap;
who gave the order for the military operation; why our army lost so
quickly. In what capacity my successor as parliamentary president
called on the population to engage in a guerrilla war against Russia
while at the same time the army was ordered to withdraw. Take a look
at the entire list. The government is lying to the Georgian people
about this war and they are cynical enough to say that Georgia won
because it resulted in more attention from the world. That is what
our citizens and our soldiers died for.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Have you received the answers you are looking for?

Burdzhanadze: So far I haven’t. Instead, the president undertook a
cosmetic reshuffling of his government. You might laugh, but the only
ones who had to resign were the culture minister and the environment
minister. The defense minister and the others who were responsible
for the war and the catastrophic defeat remain in office. In what
other democracy is such a thing possible?

NEWSLETTER Sign up for Spiegel Online’s daily newsletter and get the
best of Der Spiegel’s and Spiegel Online’s international coverage in
your In- Box everyday.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Given the democratic shortcomings you have
mentioned, how should the EU approach the government of President
Saakashvili? Should the Europeans cease paying out billions in
aid money?

Burdzhanadze: No. The aid shouldn’t cease. We need this money. But the
allocation should be tied to strict conditions and Europe needs to
closely monitor how the money is spent. It has to help the people,
not the government. It needs to go to the refugees from those
areas affected by the war. And it needs to go towards strengthening
democracy.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: You have just founded a party in an effort to displace
Saakashvili. But the opposition is fragmented and your prospects
don’t seem to be especially good.

Burdzhanadze: I don’t want to sound vain, but I am still rather
popular. We are demanding that new parliamentary elections be held
next spring.

–Boundary_(ID_V75QFQHz9oeQveDbY/zrqQ)–