Author: Khondkarian Raffi

Azerbaijan Business Center
Dec 26 2009

Azerbaijani President made statement to fellow citizens and
compatriots on occasion of Solidarity Day of World Azerbaijanis

Baku, Fineko/abc.az. Ilham Aliyev, the President of Azerbaijan, has
made statement on the occasion of Solidarity Day of World Azerbaijanis
celebrated annually on 31 December.

In the statement he points out that Azerbaijan pays close attention to
strengthening unity and solidarity of Azerbaijanians residing in
different countries of the world, and their turning into organized,
mobile and efficient force. Considering it an important challenge, the
government gives its all-round support to the process.

`Work conducted in the area of building of Diaspora has been giving
its positive results. Today our compatriots integrate into
socio-economic, socio-political and cultural life of country of
residence, render active assistance to expansion of our country’s
international links. Our diaspora organizations play an indisputably
significant role when familiarizing the world with Azerbaijani
realities, propaganda of our rich and multifaceted cultural legacy,
prevention of hostile ideological activity of Armenian nationalists,’
the President emphasized.

He also indicates that the country entered in a quality-new stage of
its development.

`The reforms conducted in the past few years have led to creation of
stable and steady political and legal system, powerful economic
potential. Now we state decisively that country’s period of transition
from socialist economy to system of market relations has been finished
and problems surrounding this stage tackled. All that creates
favorable conditions for raising prosperity of our people, meeting its
social needs, progress of science and culture, reliable provision of
rights and freedoms of citizens,’ the statement says.

In the president’s opinion, Azerbaijan is able to overcome
successfully all difficulties it encounters.

`The only problem that concerns us is unsettlement of
Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict on Nagorno Garabagh and violation of
territorial integrity of our country. We take all necessary measures
to obtain peaceful and just solution of its difficult and painful
issue. I think that fast settlement of this problem being the main
obstacle on the way of development of our young republic, is an
important challenge not only before Azerbaijan but also before all our
compatriots around the world. That is why Azerbaijanians of the world
whose hearts beat with love to their Motherland should activate their
efforts in this direction, conduct more task-oriented activity to make
the governments and the public of foreign countries and international
organizations aware of the problem essence,’ the statement says.

news.am, Armenia
Dec 26 2009

Yerevan theatres launch Christmas season

12:44 / 12/26/2009Christmas is coming ` the most favorite holiday for
kids. Thus, all Armenian theatres are getting ready for festive shows.
Each time on New Year Eve local theatres expand their repertoire and
present one or two shows that kids are eager to see.

Traditionally, this year all Yerevan theatres are playing new festive
shows. NEWS.am correspondent surveyed the prices, repertoires and
other issues. Hence, State Puppet theatre plays festive shows since
December 18, in Young spectator’s theatre ` since December 22 and in
Russian Dramatic theatre `December 24. As for ticket prices, they vary
from 500 to 700AMD, that will enable to have the capacity houses.

NEWS.am correspondent also learnt that all spaces are heated, so the
little spectators will fell comfortable in any theatre.

S.T.

AHMET DAVUTOGLU: "WE ARE VERY CLOSE TO PEACE IN THE CAUCASUS"

APA
Dec 25 2009
Azerbaijan

Baku – APA. Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov, who is
paying an official visit to Turkey, met with his counterpart Ahmet
Davutoglu. APA reports that following the meeting the ministers held
a press conference.

Ahmet Davutoglu said they had discussed the development of the
bilateral relations and situation in the region, particularly
settlement of Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

"We think we are very close to peace in the Caucasus. Everybody
should try not to lose this opportunity. Minsk Group should do its
best to increase the dynamics to solve the conflict. Our policy aims
to end occupations in the region and open the close doors. There is
all-round cooperation and coordination between Azerbaijan and Turkey
in all issues," he said.

Elmar Mammadyarov said they had discussed the urgent issues and
problems.

"First of all we discussed the most serious security problem in the
region, Nagorno Karabakh conflict. We believe that occupation and
the problem of refugees is the biggest obstacle for the stability
and development. How can we speak about peace and security while 20
percent of Azerbaijan’s territories are under occupation?" he said.

Elmar Mammadyarov noted that Turkey-Azerbaijan relations were on the
highest level.

"Our presidents often meet, talk, the meeting of the intergovernmental
commission will be held next year," he said.

Then the ministers responded the questions of journalists. APA
correspondent reminded about Prime Minister Erdogan’s statement in the
United States on the dependence of ratification of the Turkish-Armenian
protocols on the parliament and asked Davutoglu about the fate of
protocols. Davutoglu said the Turkish parliament’s will is superior:
"The Prime Minister explained the policy of our government toward
this issue for many times. The issue was also discussed in the United
States and our position was explained there. We sincerely wish to
normalize relations with Armenia".

Turkish journalist asked about the recent misunderstandings between
Azerbaijan and Turkey stressing that Davutoglu has visited Azerbaijan
for four times since his appointment to the ministerial post, but
Mammadyarov visits Turkey officially for the first time. Davutoglu
said they would never allow misunderstandings between Turkey and
Azerbaijan. "We are regularly holding consultations and meeting
frequently, sometime we are talking with Mr. Mammadyarov everyday.

There is a principle of "One nation, two states" for that. We can
solve any discord by the talks. The historic ties between Azerbaijan
and Turkey will never be cut".

Mammadyarov also confirmed his colleague’s ideas and reminded
that Turkey was the first country recognizing the independence of
Azerbaijan. "Azerbaijani state and people always feel the support
of Turkey. It is some ridiculous to evaluate the relations for
the number of visits. I frequently visit Istanbul to be on transit
during my travels abroad. This is not my first visit to Turkey. I
have been on working visits to Turkey for many times. We are talking
as the brothers".

PRESS RELEASE
United Nations Development Programme / Armenia
14 Petros Adamyan St., Yerevan 0010
Contact: Mr. Hovhannes Sarajyan, Communications Associate
Tel: +37410 566 073
E-mail: [email protected]<mailto:hovhannes.sa [email protected]>
Web site:

Economic Journalists Club Presented a Guide-book on How to Cover
Crisis-Related Issues

Yerevan, 24 December 2009 – Today the United Nations House in Armenia
hosted the launch of a guide-book for the journalists on how to cover
the global economic and financial crisis-related issues produced by
the Economic Journalists Club (EJC) NGO. The project was supported by
the Government of Norway and the UN Development Programme (UNDP) in
Armenia.
The participants of the event were addressed by Ms. Alla Bakunts, UNDP
Democratic Governance Portfolio Analyst, Mr. Ashot Markosyan, Deputy
Head of State Property Department under the RoA Government, Mr. Gagik
Makaryan, Executive Director of the Union of Manufacturers and
Businessmen (Employers) of Armenia, Ms. Anna Baghdasaryan, Executive
Director of EJC and Mr. Armen Melikyan, Director of NASDAQ OMX.
Welcoming the participants, Ms. Alla Bakunts said, "In the time of
crisis, it is even more important for the media to be able to transmit
reliable and professional information to public on possible effects of
the crisis, on-going processes and government policies. In such a
situation an effective link and a dialogue between public and
officials become even more critical because it will help identify
solutions and reduce possible social tension."
To respond to country challenges in view of the growing impact of the
economic and financial crisis, UNDP in Armenia, together with other UN
Agencies, international and national stakeholders held a conference on
social impact of the global economic crisis on Armenia to discuss
measures to mitigate the social impact of the crisis. Among other
measures, UNDP in Armenia considered as a priority strengthening the
capacity of the media to monitor government programs and present to
public crisis-related issues, as well as policy level discussions and
solutions.
To address that, UNDP supported the EJC to conduct a series of
trainings for the print, electronic and broadcast media on economic
subjects with participation of government officials and independent
experts, including representatives from the International Monetary
Fund and the World Bank. The programme included media monitoring and
analysis and preparation of a guide-book for the journalists on how to
cover crisis-related issues.
###
UNDP is the UN’s global development network, advocating for change and
connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help
people build a better life. We are on the ground in 166 countries,
working with them on their own solutions to global and national
development challenges. As they develop local capacity, they draw on
the people of UNDP and our wide range of partners. UNDP in Armenia was
established in 1993 and supports the Government of Armenia to reach
its own development priorities and the Millennium Development Goals by
2015.

OSCE CONDEMNED MURDER OF A TURKISH EDITOR-IN-CHIEF AND CALLED ON ANKARA TO DO MORE TO PROTECT JOURNALISTS’ LIVES

PanARMENIAN.Net
23.12.2009 18:52 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Organization for Security and Cooperation in
Europe on Tuesday condemned the murder of a Turkish editor-in-chief and
called on the government in Ankara to do more to protect journalists’
lives.

"I am deeply disturbed by this cowardly attack against a journalist
who was doing his job by trying to expose wrongdoing," the OSCE’s
representative on freedom of the media, Miklos Haraszti, said in a
statement. "Turkey has to send a strong signal so that journalists
can exercise their duty without fear for their lives and well-being."

Also on Tuesday, the International Press Institute, a media freedom
group, condemned Monday the murder of a Turkish editor-in-chief and
said government criticism of journalists encouraged such attacks.

Cihan Hayirsevener, 53, was shot Friday as he left the offices of
the Guney Marmara’da Yasam (Life in Southern Marmara) newspaper in
the western town of Bandırma. He died later in the hospital.

He had been investigating a local corruption scandal and had received
death threats, the Vienna-based International Press Institute said
in a statement.

It called on Turkish authorities to arrest the killers as soon as
possible "because people who want to silence journalists should not
be encouraged by too lengthy a trial."

"We think that the climate enforced by the authorities when attacking
and criticizing the media with very harsh words encourages the
perpetrators of such acts," said IPI, which has previously raised
concern about media freedom in Turkey.

Eighty journalists have been killed so far this year because of
their profession, according to an IPI "death watch" that does not
include Friday’s murder. Sixty-six were killed in 2008, it says,
Asbarez.com reported.

YEAR OF 2009 MARKED BY ARMENIA’S "GEOPOLITICAL CAPITALIZATION", MARKEDONOV

news.az
Dec 23 2009
Azerbaijan

Sergey Markedonov Armenia’s "geopolitical capitalization", as titled
by economists, grew in 2009. This country has formed principal issues
for regional agenda.

Last year Armenia for the first time after gaining independence
agreed to sign legally binding documents with Turkey, says Russian
political scientist Sergey Markedonov in his article "The year or
three aggravations", posted on gazeta.ru newspaper.

The two protocols on normalizing ties with Ankara have become not
only a giant step of the two neighbor countries. They have created
provisions for serious transformation in the whole region.

These include Georgia’s loss of a status of a country of exclusive
transit, weakening of Baku-Ankara strategic axe, changes in Turkey’s
role in the region (its distancing from the role of the junior
brother for the United States and senior brother for Azerbaijan,
its formation as an independent regional Caucasus superpower),
significant diversification of Armenia’s external policy.

And though ratification of protocols have been protracted and the
prospects of their complete passage in the parliament are not seen,
these documents have already caused significant progress in the
South Caucasus.

Considering the whole complexity of reconciliation with Armenia for
Turkey, the leading world players (especially, the United States and
Russia) have accelerated the peacekeeping process on Nagorno Karabakh
(to compensate for Ankara’s loss of a role of Baku’s geopolitical
patron and a concerned party in the conflict). A document that
has no less importance for the whole South Caucasus than the
two Armenian-Turkish protocols appeared in July 2009. These are
the so-called renewed Madrid principles (named in honor of the OSCE
Madrid summit of 2007). Unlike the old principles, the renewed variant
was signed not by three diplomats co-chairing the OSCE Minsk Group
but by three presidents leading the mediating countries. Meanwhile,
the acceleration of the Karabakh peace process is motivated not only
because of the Caucasus interests of the United States and Russia
but also wider geopolitical and even personal reasons of these states.

Russia should show its western partners that the revisionism of
the times of the "five-day war" is a situational event and it will
not be used for other points in the former USSR. For the United
States, Nagorno Karabakh is among the numerous fields for possible
"reloading" of ties with Russia and testing a "new coarse" of the US
foreign policy.

And though the renewed Madrid principles are a crude document which has
inner discrepancies, it is important as it sets frames for the future
resolution of the conflict. This is a disavowal of maximalistic demands
of the sides and the proposal of the veiled formula of peace and status
of Karabakh in exchange for lands. In fact, the coordination of details
(especially possible implications for the image of the two presidents)
might take much time.

GREAT CONCERNS AMONG SEPARATIST CIRCLES, MILITARY EXPERT

news.az
Dec 23 2009
Azerbaijan

Uzeir Jafarov A great discontent with political and military leadership
is growing in Armenia, military expert Uzeyir Jafarov.

The fact that the Armenian political and military leadership has
recently made very loud statements shows that there is a very big
concern in Armenia and among separatist circles that the developments
are not in their favor, said military expert Uzeir Jafarov, commenting
on the statement by Seyran Ohanyan that Armenia is ready not only to
respond but also to take a definite action.

According to Uzeyir Jafarov, considering that Seyran Ohanyan and
others came to power on Karabakh wave, their concerns are clear.

"The statement from Seyran Ohanyan that CSTO will assist them has
not been confirmed. A great discontent with political and military
leadership is growing in Armenia. Therefore, Seyran Ohanyan has
recently made such statements. I was really surprised by the approach
of the so-called colonel general. He should take into account the
quantitative indicators of population of Azerbaijan and Armenia and
other opportunities of both countries", said the military expert.

The expert noted that it would be enough to gather and appear on the
contact line for Armenians to run away from the occupied lands.

"Merely the Armenian leadership surrounded by security guards travels
and makes all sorts of statements that are designed for internal
audience. Azerbaijan is not the same it was in the 90’s. Our army
and other security agencies are ready to give the due rebuff to the
Armenians. The Armenian side should be prepared for the worst script.

We should not pay attention to such statements and deal with the
internal affairs. We must prepare the army properly so that it was
perceptible during the negotiation process. Then such people as Seyran
Ohanyan would be more cautious in their statements", he said.

GEORGIA WANTS TO RESUME AIR COMMUNICATION WITH RUSSIA

PanARMENIAN.Net
21.12.2009 22:42 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Georgia has sent an official note on resumption of
air communication with Russia. The Russian Ministry of Transport said
the note is under consideration but no decision has been taken yet.

Responding to journalists’ questions on December 9, Russian President
Dmitry Medvedev described resumption of air communication as "normal
issue for discussion". "I do not see obstacles, as the matter concerns
ordinary people who have meainted frisdnly relations," he said,
Itar-Tass reported.

AZERI MEDIA PERSIST IN DISSEMINATING DISINFORMATION

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
21.12.2009 20:40 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Azeri media persist in disseminating misinformation.

First, an Armenian woman aged about 50 was reported to have crossed
the contact line in Aghdam direction.

"Crossing the line, the woman approached Azerbaijan’s armed positions.

That was followed by violation of ceasefire regime, and the woman
was shot dead," Azeri media reported, accusing Karabakh of the
woman’s death.

Such information was refuted by Senor Asatryan, Head of NKR Defense
Army’s press service.

Later reports came to reveal that the murdered woman was Azeri citizen
Sadaget Pasha-gazi Mamedova who left her home two days ago and never
returned.

UN PASSES RESOLUTION ON UNIVERSAL REALIZATION OF THE RIGHT OF PEOPLES TO SELF-DETERMINATION

ArmInfo
2009-12-21 10:54:00

ArmInfo.The UN General Assembly passed a Resolution on universal
realization of the right of peoples to self-determination on the 64th
Session on December 18.

Armenian Foreign Ministry told ArmInfo over 50 UN member-states
including Armenia and Azerbaijan are the co-author of the Resolution
that confirms the universal realization of the right of peoples
to self- determination and highlights the facts of violation
of this right. Many UN member-sates are sure that the right to
self-determination is one of the major bases of the International
Law timed to the conditions of the present-day political movement
and considered one of the pillars of the international system, the
source reports.