Author: Madatian Greg

ARMENIAN CATHOLIC BISHOP FROM EGYPT CALLS ON TURKEY TO RECOGNIZE GENOCIDE

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
14.10.2009 10:48 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ An Armenian Catholic bishop from Egypt,
Krikor-Okosdinos Coussa of Alexandria, has called on Turkey to
recognize the Armenian Genocide.

"In 1915, the Ottomans … killed the Armenian people in Greater
Armenia and Lesser Armenia (Turkey). One and a half million people
perished during this genocide," Coussa told a synod of African bishops
taking place in Rome.

The killings drove the Armenians from Turkey to the Middle East and
throughout the world, he noted.

"The leaders of the Armenian State and the heads of the Armenian
Churches (Catholic, Orthodox and Evangelical) are performing an act
of public pardon towards the Turks.

"We do so while appealing to the Turks to recognize the genocide,
to pay homage to the martyrs and to grant Armenians their civil,
political and religious rights," Coussa said.

In an apparent reference to an agreement signed last weekend between
Turkey and Armenia normalizing ties, Coussa stated: "The path of
reconciliation between the two States has begun."

Armenians protest the accord, saying the normal relations can only be
founded on truth and justice. The document signed on Saturday calls
for a historical commission to investigate the Armenian Genocide –
a fact already acknowledged my historians and genocide scholars,
Vatican City press-service reported.

AMERIABANK TO PROVIDE LOANS FOR RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES

PanARMENIAN.Net
13.10.2009 14:17 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ In the last quarter of 2009, Ameriabank plans
to launch new loans for renewable energy sources in Armenia,
Ameriabank’s corporate banking director Levon Arevshatyan told
journalists Tuesday. "The new loan program in the sphere of renewable
energy shows that the bank is making its investment in country’s
private sector development and enhancement of economy on the whole,"
Arevshatyan said, adding that bank had already concluded agreement
with international organizations for providing credit in the amount
of USD 20 million. Loans will be paid for the term of 8 years, with
3 years’ grace period. Interest rate comprises 11%.

New loan program, Arevshatyan said, will help fund small hydro-power
stations which need reconstruction and expansion, as well as wind power
mills. According to corporate banking director, Armenia already has a
highly developed infrastructure of hydro power plants, but windmills
cannot be said to be equally developed considering Armenia’s geographic
peculiarities (mountainous areas with no plains). At the same time, he
added, that environmental protection is international organizations’
requirement within the frames of projects the bank collaborates
with. Â"Ameriabnak will be the first Armenian bank to introduce the
new environmental risk assessment system,Â" he noted, adding that
development of renewable energy would help replace traditional energy
sources, producing a positive environmental impact on country level.

Clinton’s Europe tour under way

Story from BBC NEWS:
europe/8300376.stm

Published: 2009/10/10 16:15:50 GMT

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has arrived in Switzerland at the
start of a five-day tour of Europe.

In Zurich, she will witness the signing of a historic pact between
Turkey and Armenia to normalise relations after a century of hostility.

She is to meet British Prime Minister Gordon Brown on Sunday in London,
where the Afghan war is expected to be high on the agenda.

On Monday, she will address the Northern Ireland assembly in Belfast.

Visiting Russia for the first time as chief US diplomat, Mrs Clinton
will hold talks on Iran’s disputed nuclear programme with Russian
President Dmitry Medvedev in Moscow on Tuesday.

She is expected to press the Russian leader for a strong commitment for
tough new sanctions on Tehran.

Officials say she will also raise other issues, including arms control,
missile defence, and cooperation to convince North Korea to abandon
nuclear weapons.

Mrs Clinton returns to Washington late on Wednesday, after visiting
Russia’s mainly Muslim city of Kazan.

But her first order of business is to attend the signing ceremony in
Zurich of the Turkish-Armenian normalisation pact.

The US State Department said Mrs Clinton had been closely engaged with
the parties to move the process along and was attending the ceremony to
show Washington’s support for the historic agreement, says the BBC’s
Kim Ghattas.

SAMVEL BABAYAN: BORDER WILL NOT BE OPENED WITHOUT PROGRESS IN THE KARABAKH ISSUE
Lusine Vasilyan

"Radiolur"
09.10.2009 18:10

"Even if the Armenian-Turkish protocols are signed, their
implementation will be impossible," ex-Defense Minister of Nagorno
Karabakh Samvel Babayan is confident. Speaking about the Armenian
Turkish relations, he urged to closely follow the process of settlement
of the Karabakh issue.

According to Samvel Babayan, the Armenian Turkish border will not
be opened without Karabakh settlement. He considers that the threat
of concessions in the Karabakh issue will become more tangible after
the protocols are signed and ratified.

TURKEY SPLITS ARMENIAN NATION:VAHAN HOVHANNISYAN

News.am
15:29 / 10/09/2009

Turkey is implementing a program of splitting the Armenian nation and
succeeding in many ways, Head of the ARF faction Vahan Hovhannisyan
stated at the Oct. 9 briefing in the National Assembly.

According to him, Ankara’s calls to ignore the Armenian Diaspora’s
approaches are, strangely enough, resonating in Armenia. "Thus, many
prominent politicians consider the Diaspora representatives who dare
to oppose Armenia-Turkey Protocols ‘traitors’. But the swearword is
the last weapon of the weak, those unable to present arguments in a
civilized manner.

The representatives of the current regime using such terms are
reminiscent of the former President Levon Ter-Petrosyan who once
stated: "He who is not with me is a traitor and weed," Hovhannisyan
stated. The reason is the lack of political culture in Armenia. This
accounts for Vice-Chairman of the ruling Republican Party Razmik
Zohrabyan’s statement that the Armenian National Congress is a
weightier political force than the ARF. "For Zohrabyan ‘weight’ is
determined by the ability of a political force to use foul language,
he simply got used to it. If ANC speaks this language, it is a strong
organization. If ARF does not use swearing in the political dialogue,
this points to its weakness. What mentality our politicians have,"
Hovhannisyan concluded.

UAR WAITS FOR SERZH SARGSYAN’S RESPONSE

PanARMENIAN.Net
08.10.2009 18:48 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Meeting between RA President and Diaspora community
representatives was very constructive, UAR (Union of Armenians of
Russia) Vice President Gegham Khalatyan told a PanARMENIAN.Net
reporter, commenting on the outcome of President’s meeting with
Russian-Armenians in Rostov-on-Don.

Union is not against normalization of Armenian-Turkish ties and
re-establishment of diplomatic relations, but Protocols contain
clauses bearing no relationship to the process, he noted.

Since during the meetings, parties exchanged views and expressed their
position on Protocols, Khalatyan believes that "President is already
is aware of our opinion, so we have to wait for his response." He
also added that Diaspora’s only claim consisted in removing Protocol
clauses containing preconditions.

GETTING TO A BREAKTHROUGH

AZG DAILY
09-10-2009

Nagorno-Karabakh

According to the International Crisis Group’s report, Armenia and
Azerbaijan should endorse a document on basic principles to end
stalemate on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict by the end of the year,
or they will face an eventual return to full-scale hostilities.

Nagorno-Karabakh: Getting to a Breakthrough,* the Group’s latest policy
briefing, examines the two-decades-old conflict and concludes there
is reason for optimism that the political stalemate can be broken in
today’s more supportive regional environment. However, it also warns
that both governments and the international community must step up
their efforts, as the status quo is increasingly untenable.

"Although a deliberate military offensive from either side is unlikely
in the near future, the ceasefire that ended active hostilities
fifteen years ago is increasingly fragile", says Lawrence Sheets,
Crisis Group’s Caucasus Project Director. "There has been a steady
increase in the frequency and intensity of armed skirmishes that
could unintentionally spark a wider conflict".

The dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the territory of
Nagorno-Karabakh intensified following the breakup of the Soviet
Union in 1991. However, the two countries are now in substantial
agreement on the framework of basic principles first outlined by the
Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group
in 2005. This framework revolves around three fundamental principles:
non-use of force, territorial integrity and self-determination.

As a first step to conflict resolution, Presidents Sarkisian of
Armenia and Aliyev of Azerbaijan must prepare their publics for a
possible peace deal. At present, there is a danger of a backlash,
especially among Armenians, that could derail any basic principles
agreement. After this agreement is signed, Nagorno-Karabakh’s de
facto authorities and the Nagorno-Karabakh Azeri representatives
should be se of a multi-layered format, including direct contacts
between Azerbaijan and Karabakh Armenians to help promote dialogue.

The international community, in particular the U.S., France and
Russia as co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, should intensify efforts
to encourage Armenia and Azerbaijan to formally endorse the basic
principles document and then open negotiations on a conclusive peace
accord. The co-chairs should take advantage not only of their own
productive collaboration, but also of current positive movement
towards Armenia-Turkey rapprochement.

"There are encouraging signs the sides are inching towards agreement",
explains Sabine Freizer, Crisis Group’s Europe Program Director. "But
differences still remain between Armenia and Azerbaijan on the
specifics of a final deal, most seriously over Nagorno-Karabakh’s final
status, and there is mutual distrust between the societies. Though
a definitive settlement may still be years away, this window of
opportunity to make genuine progress and support sustainable regional
peace must not be missed".

REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA PRIME MINISTER TIGRAN SARGSYAN ATTENDED THE 30TH JUBILEE SESSION OF THE CIS INTERSTATE COUNCIL ON ANTI-MONOPOLY POLICY IN YEREVAN

Wedn esday, 7 October 2009

Republic of Armenia Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan attended the 30th
jubilee session of the CIS interstate council on anti-monopoly policy
in Yerevan.

Addressing those present, the head of government said it to be
important that such a key gathering is being held in Armenia and added
in particular, "We are concerned about the existence of monopolies in
the Armenian economy which are caused by the black economy and limited
access to international markets due to logistical bottlenecks. Small
and medium-size entities cannot afford to bring in goods only through
Georgia and Iran as they are too expensive, and the field proves to
be left to major actors.

Armenia’s geopolitical situation is another impediment to economic
competition inside the country."

The Prime Minister stressed that the crisis may create serious
incentives for the conduct of anti-monopoly policies and
implementation of ambitious programs. According to him, the
government’s internationally hailed anti-crisis action seeks to
diversify the national economy, prop up small and medium-size
businesses by enabling broader access to borrowed funds.

Much has to be done yet in the field of tax and customs reforms. The
countr y’s overall competitiveness was said to have been maintained
in spite of the fall caused by the ongoing financial and economic
downturn.

The meeting was attended by public stakeholders from Belarus,
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, the Russian Federation,
Tajikistan, Ukraine, as well as from other such agencies or
competitiveness-handling entities of some non-member countries.

FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTER WELCOMES PROCESS OF ESTABLISHMENT OF RELATIONS BETWEEN ARMENIA AND TURKEY

Noyan Tapan
Oct 8, 2009

PARIS, OCTOBER 8, NOYAN TAPAN. RA Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian,
being in Paris on a working visit, met with French Foreign Minister
Bernard Kouchner on October 7. This was their second meeting this
year. The interlocutors appreciated the friendly, close relations
formed between Armenia and France, attached importance to undertaking
of further steps to develop comprehensive cooperation between the
two countries. The Foreign Ministers of Armenia and France had a
detailed talk over Armenia – European Union relations and their
development prospects.

The interlocutors also discussed the process of Nagorno Karabakh
settlement.

E. Nalbandian appreciated constructive involvement of France as an
OSCE Minsk Group co-chairing country.

E. Nalbandian and B. Kouchner also exchanged thoughts over the
normalization process of Armenian-Turkish relations. B. Kouchner
welcoming the process of establishment of relations between Armenia
and Turkey expressed the hope that it will have perceptible results
in the future.

Before the meeting the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and France signed
an agreement between the RA government and French government on
eliminating the demand of having an entrance visa for people having
diplomatic passports.

That agreement is the first step on the way of facilitating the
procedure of receiving entrance visas to EU countries.

According to a report by the RA Foreign Ministry Press and Information
Department, the same day E. Nalbandian took part in the 35th
General Conference of UNESCO on discussion of the main directions
of activity to be carried out by the organization in the coming two
years. E. Nalbandian gave a long speech at the conference touching upon
Armenia-UNESCO cooperation, UNESCO’s role in preservation of cultural
heritage. The RA Foreign Minister condemned the policy of destruction
of Armenian cultural heritage carried out by Azerbaijan at the state
level, against UNESCO’s principles and called the international
community for undertaking joint steps to prevent such actions.

E. Nalbandian met newly elected UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova in
Paris and expressed satisfaction with programs and events implemented
in Armenia with UNESCO’s participation.

E. Nalbandian finishing his working visit to Paris in the October 7
evening left for Kishinev.

AZERBAIJANI FLAGS TO BE BANNED IN TURKISH CITY OF BURSA

Panorama.am
13:02 07/10/2009

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan is expected to visit Turkey to
watch Armenia-Turkey football match, due in the Turkish city of Bursa
October 14.

Turkish President Abdullah Gul urged the city authorities to show "good
hospitality" and to prevent sabotages, Internethaber reported. Police
will strengthen security measures, Azerbaijani flag, political posters
and slogans will be banned during the match.