Author: Maghakian Mike

WE WILL PROTECT AZERBAIJAN’S INTERESTS AS TURKEY’S: TURKISH PM

Today.az
22.html
Oct 20 2009
Azerbaijan

"We will protect Azerbaijan’s interests as Turkey’s," Turkish Prime
Minister Receb Tayyib Erdigan said at a meeting of the ruling Justice
and Development Party (AKP), the CNN Turk reported.

Turkey will protect Azerbaijan’s interests as its own, Erdogan added.

Erdogan also said that he is loyal to his statements made at the
Azerbaijani parliament.

Turkey will never take steps contradicting Azerbaijan’s interests,
Erdogan said.

Some forces within Turkey want to harm the Turkey-Azerbaijan relations,
Erdogan said.

"I want to tell the Azerbaijani people that your joy is Turkey’s joy
and your grief is Turkey’s grief," Erdogan added.

Erdogan asked not to believe those who want to undermine the
Turkey-Azerbaijan relations.

Erdogan also mentioned that he had a very sincere meeting with
Azerbaijani MPs.

PROTOCOLS TO END TURKISH BLOCKADE ARE SIGNED AS TURKEY LINKS IMPLEMENTATION TO KARABAKH
by Vincent Lima

ticle/2009-10-15-protocols-to-end-turkish-blockade -are-signed-as-turkey-links-implementation-to-kara bakh&pg=2
Thursday October 15, 2009

Yerevan – The foreign ministers of Armenia and Turkey on October 10
signed a historic accord that promises to end the 16-year Turkish
blockade of Armenia, even as Ankara insisted that implementation was
unlikely without major Armenian concessions to Azerbaijan. Armenia
has ruled out such concessions as a precondition for proceeding with
the agreement.

Under the terms of the accord, which consists of two protocols and a
timetable, the border would be opened two months after ratification
by the parliaments of the two countries.

The agreement was the outcome of "soccer diplomacy" initiated by
President Serge Sargsyan of Armenia, who seized the opportunity of a
Turkey-Armenia World Cup qualifying match in September 2008 to invite
his Turkish counterpart, Abdullah Gul, to Armenia. Taking up Mr. Gul’s
return invitation, Mr. Sargsyan on October 14 went to Turkey to watch
the return match and press for prompt ratification of the protocols.

Foreign Ministers Edward Nalbandian of Armenia and Ahmet Davutoglu
of Turkey signed the protocols in Zurich. Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton and her Russian, French, EU, and Swiss counterparts were on
hand to witness the signing. But they were called upon to engage in a
frantic diplomatic intervention as last-minute objections threatened
to derail the signing. The ceremony took place three hours after the
scheduled time.

The diplomats have declined to describe the issues that arose, but
it appears that the Turkish side planned to make a post-signing
declaration that would link implementation of the protocols to
"progress" in the resolution of the Karabakh conflict, and the Armenian
side objected.

Mrs. Clinton told reporters later that Armenia and Turkey each had
objections to the other’s prepared statement to be delivered after
the signing. In the end, no statements were made at the ceremony.

"There was an agreement that the protocols should speak for
themselves," Mrs. Clinton said in a press briefing soon after the
signing. "They have been carefully, painstakingly negotiated over
many months…. People are free to say whatever else they want,
but let the protocols be the statement."

Under the protocols, the sides agree to establish diplomatic relations,
open the border, and "implement a dialogue on the historical
dimension with the aim to restore mutual confidence between the
two nations, including an impartial scientific examination of the
historical records and archives to define existing problems and
formulate recommendations." For this dialogue, an intergovernmental
commission with a sub-commission "on the historical dimension" is to
be established. The proposed sub-commission is controversial because
it could give credence to the Turkish contention that the jury is still
out on whether the events of 1915-17 or 1915-23 constituted genocide.

The parties also confirm "the mutual recognition of the existing
border between the two countries as defined by the relevant treaties
of international law."

Signing statement In a televised address just a few hours before the
signing ceremony, President Serge Sargsyan had presented Yerevan’s
official interpretation of the protocols in what amounted to a
signing statement.

After arguing that there is "no alternative to the establishment of the
relations with Turkey without any precondition," the president strongly
reaffirmed Armenia’s commitment to the universal affirmation and
condemnation of the Armenian Genocide, ruled out any linkage between
the implementation of the protocols and the resolution of the Karabakh
conflict, and warned Turkey against dragging its feet on ratification.

He also took the position that the protocols left the matter of
the border between Turkey and Armenia "to be resolved through the
prevailing norms of international law."

The prepared statement that Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian was
supposed to deliver in Zurich presumably made some of the same points.

According to the Turkish daily Hurriyet, Foreign Minister Ahmet
Davutoglu of Turkey objected to a reference in the statement to
the Genocide.

Karabakh linkage Turkey closed the border with Armenia in 1993 in
solidarity with Azerbaijan, as Turkish-supported Azerbaijani troops
suffered setbacks in their efforts to thwart the independence of
Nagorno-Karabakh. Since then, Turkey has insisted on the withdrawal
of Armenian forces from disputed territories as a precondition for
opening the border.

The protocols unveiled on August 31 and signed on October 10 make no
reference to Karabakh and Azerbaijan. But Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan of Turkey has consistently held that Turkey would not open
the border unless that precondition is met. Armenia categorically
rejects any linkage between the two issues.

If the Karabakh conflict is resolved, "our people will quickly
adopt the normalization of Turkish-Armenian relations," Mr. Erdogan
announced after a high-level meeting of his ruling Justice and
Development Party (AKP) on October 12. "I want to reiterate once
again that Turkey cannot adopt a positive attitude unless Armenia
withdraws from occupied Azerbaijani territories," he added.

In his prepared statement for Zurich, Mr. Davutoglu was almost
certainly going to make the same point. According to Hurriyet, Mr.

Nalbandian found that unacceptable.

International reaction

President Barack Obama reportedly called Mrs. Clinton to congratulate
her on helping the parties find a way to sign notwithstanding their
objections to the statements. Both Mr. Obama and Mrs. Clinton have
called for the normalization of relations in a reasonable timeframe
and without preconditions.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called the signing a "historic
decision" that "constitutes a milestone toward the establishment
of good neighborly relations." He expressed hope that the protocols
would be "swiftly ratified by the Parliaments of Armenia and Turkey
to ensure full normalization of their bilateral relations."

The Armenian delegation in Zurich included Armenia’s ambassador to
Switzerland, Charles Aznavour.

"THE NEW TIMES’" OPEN LETTER TO EDWARD NALBANDIAN

Aysor
Oct 19 2009
Armenia

The "New Times" party has sent an open letter to the RA Foreign
Minister Mr. Edward Nalbandian where is particularly said:

"There are gossips around the obviously anti-Armenian protocols
signed on October in 2009 in Zurich by you, saying that there are
new proposals added which were absent in the pre-signed documents.

In the following circumstances based on the corresponding articles of
the RA Constitution (Chapter,1 articles 1,2,3,5,6,7) and taking into
consideration that in that document the interests of each Armenian
from Armenia or Diaspora are touched we demand to publish the final
view of the protocols signed on October 10 in 2009 in Zurich by you",
– informs the "New Times" party.

Agence France Presse
Oct 16 2009

Turkish police chief demoted over journalist killing: report

ANKARA, Oct 16 2009

The head of the Turkish police intelligence department, under
investigation over the 2007 killing of Turkish-Armenian journalist
Hrant Dink, has been removed from office, media reports said Friday.

Ramazan Akyurek was demoted to a lower post in a different department
to ensure an objective investigation over his alleged misconduct in
handling prior intelligence of the murder, they said.

In a report prepared last year on Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan’s orders, Akyurek was accused of failing to act on tip-offs on
plans to kill Dink that police received a year before the murder.

Akyurek was at the time police chief in the Black Sea city of Trabzon
from where the self-confessed killer of Dink and most of his
accomplices hail from.

The report also accused Akyurek of abuse of office for failing to
provide Dink with bodyguards during his term as the head of police
intelligence even though the journalist was clearly a possible target,
and called for disciplinary action.

Lawyers for Dink’s family have accused the security forces of
withholding and destroying evidence to cover up the killing.

One of them, Fethiye Cetin, hailed Akyurek’s demotion Friday, but said
that "this step was taken too late."

Dink, 52, hated by Turkish nationalists for calling the World War I
massacres of Armenians a genocide, was gunned down on January 19,
2007, outside the offices of his Agos newspaper in central Istanbul.

The gunman and 19 suspected accomplices went on trial in Istanbul in 2007.

Armenia negotiating with Russia for reduction of natural gas tariff
starting April 1 2010

2009-10-16 15:23:00

ArmInfo. Armenia is negotiating with Russia for reduction of the
natural gas tariff from the present $200 per 1,000 cu meters to $180
starting April 1 2010, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources of
Armenia told media on Friday.

He said the contract with Gazprom on the gas tariff for $200 per 1,000
cu meters was signed last year. "Armenia hopes for certain reduction
of the tariff though Russia is not ready yet to exceed the frameworks
of the agreements reached." The minister refuted the reports by
Russian media that Russia will allegedly reduce the tariff in exchange
of the exclusive construction of the new nuclear power plant in the
country. A. Movsisyan said no such negotiations have been made with
Russia and the idea of monopoly construction of the NPP contradicts
the policy of the Armenian Government. "We hope to use the best
international experience but no country is able to build an up-to-date
NPP independently. We know that good reactors are produced in Russia,
good automatic equipment is in the West and good turbines are in
Europe. Therefore, we are goring to use the best experience of all
countries. An international consortium involving all the countries
interested will probably be set up," the minister said.

SAMAD SEYIDOV: "WE RETURN FROM TURKEY WITH GREAT HOPES"

APA
16 Oct 2009 18:44

Ankara – APA. A group of Azerbaijani parliamentarians held a press
conference on the results of their visit to Turkey.

Head of the Azerbaijani delegation to PACE Samad Seyidov said "they
return to Azerbaijan with hopes that the Turkish government and
opposition will not take any action damaging Azerbaijan’s interests",
APA reports quoting CNN Turk. Replying the question "If Turkey doesn’t
keep its promise, what Azerbaijan will do", member of the delegation
Fazail Aghamali said: "It will end the brotherhood, friendship and
strategic partnership between Azerbaijan and Turkey and Turkey will
become an ordinary neighbor country for Azerbaijan. What Turkey will
feel, if Azerbaijan establishes relations with PKK. Armenia hurt
Azerbaijan more than PKK". Member of the Azerbaijani delegation to
PACE Gultekin Hajibeyli said Azerbaijani-Turkish brotherhood would
never end. "This is genetic and everlasting brotherhood". MP Ganira
Pashayeva reminded that "Sari Gelin" was introduced as an Armenian
song when the Turkish-Armenian relations came to agenda. "This song
has special meaning in Azerbaijan. It saddened Azerbaijani people that
"Sari Gelin" was introduced as an Armenian song. We ask you to stop
it", said Pashayeva.

DAVID HAKOBYAN: ARMENIA NEEDS A NEW LEADER

PanARMENIAN.Net
15.10.2009 16:09 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ By signing RA-Turkish Protocols, Armenia lost
its last trump card – Armenian Genocide, Marxist Party leader David
Hakobyan told a news conference in Yerevan. The main concern, in his
opinion, is that Diaspora might try to achieve recognition of Armenian
Genocide independently, without Armenia’s involvement.

Commenting upon U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s statement on
the impossibility of maintaining long status quo in Karabakh conflict,
Hakobyan said that statement has already received Azeri President’s
response that the problem of 5 regions is already resolved. Â"Another
concern is that Karabakh may follow Diaspora’s example and express
willingness to resolve conflict without Armenia,Â" he stressed.

Marxist party leader also commented on recent Turkey-Armenia match,
saying that defeat was suffered not only by soccer team, but also
national doctrine, "Pan-Armenian National Movement is an outdated
category. The country needs a new leader, an ‘architect’, who
will create a new political and economic concept," Hakobyan said,
characterizing Republican Party as the prototype of Pan-Armenian
National Movement.

IRANIAN PRO-OPPOSITION WEB SITES REPORT AYATOLLAH ALI KHAMENEI DEAD

PanARMENIAN.Net
15.10.2009 17:31 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Opposition-run Web sites in Iran have released
information on the death of country’s religious leader Ayatollah Ali
Khamenei. As it is known, Khamenei this Monday lost his consciousness
and was hospitalized. He is now reported in coma, Russian Vesti says.

The editorial office of Tehran-based "Alik" newspaper reported to a
PanARMENIAN.Net correspondent that rumors have spread in town on the
death of religious leader, however, there is no official information
in that regard. The atmosphere in Iranian capital is quiet, with no
signs of mourning, said newspaper reporter.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 70, has been religious leader 1989. Before
that, he was the country’s President.

CLINTON LAUDS IRISH PEACE PROCESS, URGES MORE PROGRESS
By Sonja Pace

Voice of America
12 October 2009
London

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has praised the peace process
in Northern Ireland, saying it serves as an example for other conflict
areas that bitter enemies can resolve differences peacefully. Secretary
Clinton was addressing the Northern Ireland Assembly in Belfast,
during a stop during her five-day trip to Europe and Russia.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (C) leaves Stormont Castle
in Belfast with Northern Ireland’s First Minister Peter Robinson
(L) and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness (R), 12 Oct 2009 US
Sec. of State Hillary Clinton (C), N. Ireland’s 1st Minister Peter
Robinson (L), Deputy 1st Minister Martin McGuinness (R) leave Belfast’s
Stormont Castle, 12 Oct 2009 Speaking to a packed chamber at Stormont,
the Northern Ireland Assembly, Hillary Clinton praised lawmakers for
progress made in a long and often arduous peace process.

"Today, Northern Ireland stands as an example to the world of how even
the staunchest adversaries can overcome differences to work together
for the common and greater good," she said.

For decades Northern Ireland was engulfed in sectarian violence, in
which nearly 4,000 people were killed. It pitted the mostly Catholic
Republicans, who want Northern Ireland free of British rule, against
the predominantly protestant Unionists, who want to remain part of
the United Kingdom.

Mrs. Clinton’s husband, President Bill Clinton helped mediate a
peace deal, the Good Friday Accord, in 1998. And, in May 2007 a new
power-sharing government took over administration of Northern Ireland
with bitter foes agreeing to sit together.

Since then, disagreements and suspicion have often kept the two sides
from moving forward.

Secretary Clinton said no doubt progress had been difficult and
divisions remain, but she urged the lawmakers to keep moving ahead.

"Even today many Catholics and Protestants live segregated lives;
separate schools, separate neighborhoods, e still divided by walls. But
given time and given the leadership that each of you can provide,
the torn fabric of society will be woven together, stitch by stitch,
choice by choice," she said.

Secretary Clinton warned against those seeking to disrupt the peace
process, referring to dissident republicans who killed two British
soldiers and a policeman earlier this year.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton leaves as she speaks with
Armenian FM Edouard Nalbandian (R) at the University in Zurich, 10 Oct
2009 US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton leaves as she speaks with
Armenian FM Edouard Nalbandian (R) at the University in Zurich, 10 Oct
2009 Clinton’s visit to Europe began Saturday in Zurich, Switzerland
to attend another reconciliation meeting – between long-time enemies
Turkey and Armenia. The two countries agreed to establish diplomatic
ties and re-open their borders.

Hostilities between them stem from the mass killing of Armenians by
Ottoman Turkish forces during and after World War One.

Clinton also held talks in London, where Iran and Afghanistan figured
prominently. She said the United States and others are willing to
listen to Iran, but she warned patience would not last forever.

In an interview on British radio, Clinton said Washington remains
committed to the goals set out for Afghanistan, but she also said
much more is expected of the Afghan government.

Secretary Clinton heads to Moscow for talks with Russian leaders.

AUTHOR MICHAEL BOBELIAN MET WITH THE PRIMATE
by Michael Bobelian

ichael-bobelian-met-with-the-primate/
Oct 02 2009

On Friday, September 26, author Michael Bobelian visited the Western
Diocese of the Armenian Church to present a copy of his new book,
Children of Armenia: A Forgotten Genocide and the Century-Long Struggle
for Justice, to His Eminence Abp. Hovnan Derderian.

Michael’s book was published by Simon & Schuster earlier this month and
he is currently on tour in California. The first book to chronicle the
aftermath of the Genocide, this pioneering work recounts the Armenian
struggle for justice in the face of a century of silence and denial.

Starting in 1915, the Ottoman Empire drove two million Armenians
from their ancestral homeland, slaughtering 1.5 million of them
in the process. After an immediate groundswell of support for the
"starving Armenians" led by President Woodrow Wilson, the atrocities
were wiped from the public’s consciousness and the perpetrators were
never held accountable.

This groundbreaking book explains how and why the Genocide disappeared
from memory and reveals, for the first time, the Armenian response
to Turkey’s recalcitrant denial of its crimes, taking readers from
massive demonstrations, to the halls of Congress, to courtroom battles.

During years of research, Michael interviewed more than 65 people,
from former Presidential candidate Bob Dole to Gourgen Yanikian’s
jury foreman to demonstrators from the 1960s who reignited the
Armenian cause, to provide a detailed, insider’s account of the
Armenian story. A mountain of research at libraries and archives
across the nation uncovered a host of information never before seen,
revealing the battles between Turkey, the American government, and
Armenian advocates.

"This powerful and gripping account of a people’s century-long struggle
for justice is long overdue."

– George Deukmejian, 35th Governor of California

Michael will be speaking at the Glendale Public Library on September
29 (7pm), the Fresno Public Library (Fig Garden Branch) on October 1
(7pm), the Ararat-Eskijian Museum on October 18 (4pm), and Chaucer’s
bookstore in Santa Barbara on October 27 (7pm).