Author: Maghakian Mike

US ENVOY HOPES FOR NAGORNO-KARABAKH DEAL ON PRINCIPLES MID-JULY

Hurriyet
ish/world/11918503.asp?scr=1
June 22 2009
Turkey

ISTANBUL – International mediators hope to reach a deal between
Azerbaijan and Armenia on the principles of a peace deal on the
disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region at talks tentatively planned for
mid-July in Russia, the U.S. negotiator told Reuters in an interview
published Monday.

U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Matthew Bryza said he and
his fellow mediators from France and Russia were "shooting for"
a full framework agreement by the end of 2009.

But Bryza conceded the risk of a last-minute breakdown of the kind
that derailed earlier efforts to broker agreement between Azerbaijan
and Armenia.

"I don’t have any reason necessarily to believe that getting as far
as we have here — which is similar to how far the mediators and the
parties got both at Key West and before — that we’re going to get
further than they did," he told Reuters by phone from Washington at
the weekend.

"I do know that we’ve gotten very far now. What gives me some hope
that we will keep moving is logic," he added.

The conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia began in 1988 on Armenian
territorial claims over Azerbaijan. Since 1992, Armenian Armed Forces
have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan including the Nagorno-Karabakh
region and its seven surrounding districts — a frozen conflict legacy
of the Soviet Union.

The OSCE Minsk Group, set up in 1992 and co-chaired by the United
States, Russia, and France, is engaged in efforts to resolve the
conflict peacefully.

Armed clashes still occur regularly along the lines separating Azeri
and Armenian troops, although major hostilities ended.

Bryza said the Minsk Group mediators hoped to bring together Armenian
President Serge Sargsyan and Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan in mid-July,
the latest in a string of encounters fuelling speculation of a
breakthrough.

Vote on final status

"We hope that if they meet in the middle of July, they will have
agreed conceptually on all the elements of these basic principles,"
he said. The parties would then go line-by-line through the
three-and-a-half pages of text to agree the details.

"Once that happens, which we the co-chairs are shooting for by the
end of the year, then we could say, it would be true, that a framework
agreement has been reached," he said.

Bryza said the mediators were bridging the gap between the two
countries for an agreement, but that the final deal would likely
provide for a vote "that reflects the genuine will of the populations".

"What we are trying to do is incorporate self-determination through
a voting process on Nagorno-Karabakh’s final legal status, but in
a way that for the foreseeable future has no impact on Azerbaijan’s
territorial integrity."

Turkey-Armenia thaw

Turkey and Armenia agreed in April on a "road map" deal for U.S.-backed
talks that could lead to the normalization of ties and the opening
of their border, which Ankara closed in a show of support to Baku in
1993 after Armenian occupation of Azeri territories in the disputed
Nagorno-Karabakh region.

Turkish officials, however, have said Turkey will not open its border
with Armenia before the neighboring country ends its occupation of
Nagorno-Karabakh, reassuring Azeri leaders that Ankara’s efforts to
reconcile with Yerevan would not undermine the country’s interests.

Bryza, also closely involved in the Turkey-Armenia roadmap, said the
processes were separate, but running in parallel. Asked if Turkey
would only reopen the border once Armenia makes concessions on
Nagorno-Karabakh, he replied:

"I do not know if that’s right," he said.

But added: "Where there is unanimity, is that we all say we need to
see a breakthrough on Nagorno-Karabakh and significant progress as
soon as possible, and that’s the way to make sure all these processes
move forward smoothly."

MYASNIK MALKHASYAN REFUSES FROM HIS DEPUTY’S MANDATE
Siranush Muradyan

"Radiolur"
22.06.2009 18:18

How will the released Deputies continue their activity? Will
Hakob Hakobyan and Myasnik Malkhasyan continue their legislative
activity? What does the law say?

According to the by-law of the National Assembly, both MPs keep their
mandates until the Parliament takes a decision on their parliamentary
status, taking into consideration the number of the sittings they
have missed.

"They remain Deputies of the National Assembly until the Standing
Committee on State-Legal Issues takes a decision connected with there
absence in sittings during more than one session.," Rafik Petrosyan
from the Republican faction said.

"Proceeding from the fact that there is a verdict of "guilty," the
reasons of their absence will be considered inadequate. However,
the National Aseembly may decide not to deprive them of the Deputy’s
mandate even if the Committee on State-Legal Issues suggests so,"
Rafik Petrosyan noted.

Co-author of the by-law of the National Assembly Viktor Dallakyan
considers, however, that the reasons of their absence will not be
viewed as inadequate.

According to the Constitution, the Deputy keeps his mandate during
the judicial proceedings until the verdict is returned. The MP keeps
his mandate even in case an appeal is filed at the Courts of second
and third instance s.

After the amnesty it is for the National Assembly to decide the
question of the future activity of the Deputies. However, the decision
may apply only to Hakob Hakobyan, since Myasnik Malkhasayan has
declared about his refusal from his Deputy’s mandate.

Hakob Hakobyan does not refuse from the mandate, declaring that he
has been elected by people and is responsible for the 20 thousand
votes cast for him.

The Examiner, CA
June 20 2009

Official says Turkey called back its ambassador to Canada for
consultations

By: SUZAN FRASER (AP)

06/20/09 7:00 PM EDT ANKARA, TURKEY ‘ Turkey recalled its ambassador
to Canada, the Foreign Ministry said Wednesday, after government
ministers there reportedly took part in an event that labeled the
Ottoman-era killings of Armenians as genocide.

Ambassador Rafet Akgunay was called back for "thorough evaluations and
consultations," Foreign Ministry spokesman Burak Ozugergin said,
without saying why Akgunay was recalled or for how long.

Another government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in
line with government rules, said the ambassador was being withdrawn
temporarily to protest an event earlier this week in Canada
commemorating the deaths of Armenians at the end of World War I as
genocide.

The official said Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper sent a
message to the ceremony, which angered Turkey. Turkish news reports
said Canadian government officials took part in the event.

A spokeswoman for Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon
defended the country’s position.

"Canada’s position on the Armenian genocide is not an indictment of
modern Turkey, nor is Turkish Ambassador Rafet Akgunay’s temporary
return to Ankara for consultations, a break in our diplomatic
relations," Natalie Sarafian said in an e-mailed statement.

It is the second time that Turkey has recalled its ambassador to
Canada over the genocide dispute. In 2006, Turkey criticized Harper
for remarks he made in support of recognizing the mass killings as
genocide and briefly withdrew its ambassador. It also pulled out of a
military exercise in Canada in protest.

Historians estimate that up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed by
Ottoman Turks ‘ an event widely viewed by genocide scholars as the
first genocide of the 20th century. Turkey denies that the deaths
constituted genocide, contending the toll has been inflated and the
casualties were victims of civil war and unrest.

Lawmakers in the United States have also introduced a resolution that
would call the death genocide. If passed, the resolution could
undermine efforts by President Barack Obama’s administration to win
NATO ally Turkey’s help on key foreign policy goals.

U.S. legislators almost passed a similar resolution two years ago, but
congressional leaders did not bring it up for a vote after intense
pressure from the Bush administration.

Obama avoided the term "genocide" when he addressed Turkish lawmakers
during his visit a month ago. But he said, in response to a question,
that he had not changed his views. As a presidential candidate, Obama
said the killings amounted to genocide.

/ap/48685197.html

NUMBER OF PARISH COMMUNITIES OF ARMENIAN APOSTOLIC CHURCH IN RUSSIA REACHES 60

Noyan Tapan
June 19, 2009

MOSCOW, JUNE 19, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The number of parish
communities of the Armenian Apostolic Church in Russia has reached
60, Blagovest-Info reported, referring to Golos Armenii newspaper’s
interview with Bishop Yezras Nersesian, the Head of Nor Nakhijevan
and Russian Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church.

Bishop Nersesian said in the interview that during the first years
after his appointment as the head of Nor Nakhijevan and Russian
Diocese, the diocese had seven priests in 10 parish communities
registered at the Russian Ministry of Justice. Now 27 priests
serve in the parish communities. Bishop Nersesian considered the
construction of the Moscow church complex which began in 2006 as the
greatest achievement. The complex will become the biggest spiritual
educational and cultural structure of the Armenian Apostolic Church
outside Armenia.

According to Bishop Nersesian, the disocese includes not only Russia’s
parish communities from Vladivostok to Kaliningrad, but also those
in Baltic states, Belarus, Moldova and Central Asia. "During my
years as the diocesan head, 15 churches were built and consecrated
in cities where there had been no Armenian churches in the past,
namely in Barnaul, Krasnoyarsk, Yaroslavl, Volgograd, Samara, Tver,
Omsk, Vladivostok, Ulan-Ude, Sterlitamak, Saratov, Yekaterinburg,
and Rostov-on-Don," the bishop said, addressing the problem of the
preservation of Armenian identity. In his words, "our sacred duty is
to unify the Armenian people around our Church, to maintain and ensure
a link among the generations and between the present and the past,
to bring God’s Word to each parish, each human through the Gospel,
to open schools and educational centers for our children, for the
upbringing of the younger generation. The most important task is
unite the young persons around our national spiritual values. We
must prevent Diasporan Armenians from moving away from their roots,
and the faith helps preserve our identity".

TAX COLLECTION EFFICIENCY SHOULD BE RAISED IN ARMENIA

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
18.06.2009 19:58 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ RA prime minister Tigran Sargsyan at the sitting
on Thursday called on state agencies to support the Committee on
state revenues in tax collection. According to Mr. Sargsyan, first
nine month will be the most difficult, and at the end of the year
showings will improve.

Tigran Sargsyan noted, that there are considerable problems
with taxation in health, agriculture, construction, transport
and communication spheres. Besides, as prime minister mentioned,
the economic downturn in the country is conditioned mainly by the
decline in the construction sphere due to reduction of investments
from Russia and other countries. "We must take additional measures
to stimulate construction," Mr. Sargsyan said.

SYRIAN PRESIDENT WRAPS UP HIS VISIT TO ARMENIA

ARMENPRESS
June 18, 2009

YEREVAN, JUNE 18, ARMENPRESS: Farewell ceremony of Syrian President
Bashar al Assad and his spouse Asma al Assad took place today in the
residence of the President of the Republic of Armenia. Presidential
press service told Armenpress that before the farewell the presidents
of the two countries summed up the results of the visit.

SEMNEBY BELIEVES REAL PROGRESS IS BEING MADE IN KARABAKH PROCESS

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
18.06.2009 12:07 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ EU South Caucasus envoy Peter Semneby believes real
progress is being made in the Nagorno-Karabakh process.

"It is clear that if you look at the negotiating process, it is
intensifying," he told Reuters. "We had in a month two meetings and
there will be another relatively soon between the presidents."

Asked about the risk of conflict, Semneby said it would be foolish
to neglect it but he felt both sides understood the enormous costs
which would be involved in any large-scale military engagement.

"Even with this very dangerous posturing that we see sometimes and the
fact that the forces are not separated and there are incidents all the
time, the two sides are by now used to managing incidents," he said.

"If anything, the Georgia war (last year with Russia), demonstrated
the risks of military engagement … it was also a wake-up call to
both countries how vulnerable they are."

CONGRESSMAN BILIRAKIS CONCERNED OVER ONGOING PROSECUTION UNDER ARTICLE 301 IN TURKEY

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
18.06.2009 15:33 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ In a hearing yesterday before the Subcommittee on
Europe in the House of Representatives, Congressman Gus Bilirakis,
raised strong concerns regarding the Turkish government’s ongoing
prosecution of journalists and academics under the auspices of Article
301, which penalizes discussion of the Armenian Genocide.

Rep. Bilirakis asked Philip Gordon, Assistant Secretary for Bureau
of European and Eurasian Affairs at the Department of State, who
was testifying about the Administration’s policies in Europe, "In
light of Turkey’s continued prosecution of intellectuals who express
themselves, what steps will you outline with the Turkish government
to ensure greater freedom of press and expression in Turkey?"

Gordon replied, "The U.S., everywhere, and the Obama Administration,
is a strong proponent of freedom of expression, freedom of the media,
freedom of the press, free societies. Turkey took some steps last year
to revise Article 301 of its penal code, that made it more difficult
to have political prosecutions, that was an important step forward.

Turkey would do well to continue down that path and allow for more
freedom of expression. And we have a constant dialogue with the
Turkish government about these issues and we’ll continue to make that
view clear."

"The Assembly commends Congressman Bilirakis for his defense of the
truth. Whether it is Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code, highly paid
lobbyists arguing against the Armenian Genocide Resolution in Congress
or lawsuits filed in U.S. courts, such as the recent Massachusetts case
in which a federal judge upheld the Commonwealth’s decision to exclude
genocide denial materials in its curriculum, Turkey’s campaign of
denial continues," stated Assembly Executive Director, Bryan Ardouny.

The Atlantic Council
New Atlanticist
Policy And Analysis Blog

EU Must Intervene in Nagorno-Karabakh
Borut Grgic | June 16, 2009
STOCK – EU

It is now 17 years since Armenia and Azerbaijan began a full-scale war
over Nagorno-Karabakh, a south-western province of Azerbaijan. And it
is now 15 years since a ceasefire was agreed, with Armenian forces in
control of the territory. But it is a ceasefire that it is poorly
observed. There are regular shoot-outs across the line of contact,
regular explosions of mines, and more than 30,000 troops in
combat-ready mode.

The conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh is, then, far from frozen. Indeed,
Nagorno-Karabakh is probably a more dangerous frozen conflict’ than
those in Moldova and Georgia. Both sides continue to compete in an
arms race, making the region the most heavily militarised in
Europe. Azerbaijan is currently spending $2 billion (1.4 bn) on
military procurement, which is more than the state budget of
Armenia. In both countries, the animosity is very evident, and
hate-full propaganda appears each day. Peace remains a distant
prospect, with the Minsk Group’ talks being held under the aegis of
the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)
producing no visible results.

Leaders in Baku want Nagorno-Karabakh to remain in Azerbaijan and they
want Armenian troops to withdraw from the seven occupied
regions. Yerevan is asking for the right to self-determination. And
although the August 2008 Russian invasion of Georgia should have
demonstrated that war is a bad solution, Baku is growing increasingly
impatient with diplomatic efforts, which are producing no results.

A role for the EU

A war over Nagorno-Karabakh would have devastating regional
consequences. It would destroy the region’s fragile stability and it
would undermine and seriously threaten the security of energy supplies
from the Caspian to the international markets, including the prospects
of the southern gas corridor connecting the EU gas market with Caspian
producers. Turkey and Russia might find themselves supporting opposing
sides, while Europe and the US would be hard pressed to intervene. The
price of a conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh would be extremely high for
the European Union, as it has been in the case of Georgia and so it is
surprising how little attention Europe is giving to the conflict.

While the EU is actively engaged in the breakaway Moldovan region of
Transdniester and now also in Georgia, through the Geneva process, it
has no direct role in Nagorno-Karabakh. Although there is an EU
Special Representative for the South Caucasus, Europe has taken a back
seat to the Minsk Group, where France has its own representative.

There is also a lack of knowledge about the conflict within EU
institutions and reluctance on the part of some member states to see
the EU become more deeply involved. At the same time, there is growing
recognition of the strategic importance of this region, not least in
terms of energy security and diversification the major pipelines from
the Caspian to the west are mere 15 km from the ceasefire line, and
several pumping stations are exposed and vulnerable to
attack. Furthermore, there is a good chance that, if hostilities
resumed, the EU would be asked to deal with the aftermath (as was the
case in Georgia last year). And, if a peace deal were struck, the EU
would be well placed to oversee the deal’s implementation, given its
experience in other conflicts. It would therefore make sense for the
EU to stake out a greater role for itself now. Tasks for the EU

Firstly, the EU needs to integrate itself into the Minsk Group. If
Europe is to become the main implementer and guarantor of a peace
deal, Europe also needs to be a part of the deal-making process. That
means France will have to trade in its seat, and the new EU
representative in the Minsk Process would need a clear and strong
mandate, with room to negotiate on behalf of the twenty-seven member
states.

Secondly, Europe needs to decide whether it supports Azerbaijan’s
territorial integrity or not. There will also come a time when
Brussels will have to ask the Armenian government to withdraw its
troops from the occupied territories, and use leverage including the
threat of suspending talks on a free-trade agreement and an
association agreement if Yerevan refuses. It is impossible, on the one
hand, to laud Azerbaijan as an indispensable strategic ally in the
quest to improve Europe’s energy security while, on the other hand, to
fail to support Azerbaijan in its efforts to regain control over its
territory. Countless UN resolutions, NATO declarations and Council of
Europe positions have reaffirmed Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity.

Finally, the EU’s experience from the western Balkans can also be
relevant in the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process. Once the peace
framework is agreed, the EU could engage in de-mining projects, since
the region is one of the most heavily mined in the world; send a
mission to evaluate the security situation and damage on the ground in
the occupied territories; appoint a deputy to the Special
Representative who is a respected expert on the conflict trusted by
all sides and thereby able to facilitate contacts between the
communities of Nagorno-Karabakh and help identify solutions; bring
together youth groups to work on diverse projects such as restoring
historical monuments damaged during the war. The EU is also well
placed to take the lead in peacekeeping and reconstruction.

The EU’s new Eastern Partnership cites as its goal stability, security
and prosperity in the Eastern Neighbourhood. Without the resolution of
the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict this will never be achievable and the
region will remain a ticking time bomb. Therefore the EU needs to show
that it has learned its lesson in Georgia and become an active
peacemaker in the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Borut Grgic is a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic
Council. Amanda Akkoca is a policy analyst at the European Policy
Centre.This article previously appeared in European Voice as "Another
Peace Role for the EU."

-intervene-nagorno-karabakh

VELVET REVOLUTION ATTEMPT UNDERTAKEN IN IRAN

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
15.06.2009 18:41 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ An attempt of ‘velvet revolution’, a symbol of the
21st century, is undertaken in Iran like in other countries of the
region, an Armenian historian said. "Some 500 opposition activists are
reported to be in custody now but the situation is under control. The
wave of protest has been already labeled as ‘green revolution’, as it
was initiated by young people, who want to have a leader capable to
help the country out of the stalemate," Gohar Iskandaryan, member
of department of Iranian studies at the RA Academy of Sciences,
told PanARMENIAN.Net Touching on the Armenian-Iranian relations
she said that bilateral relations acquired new coloring since
Ahmadinejad assumed the office. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was re-elected
with 62.6 percent of the vote, against 33.7 percent for his main
rival Mir-Hossein Mousavi.