Author: Nadirian Emma

RA MINISTER OF DIASPORA CALLS ARMENIAN ARCHITECTS FOR UNITING AROUND ARMENIAN PROJECT IN SHANGHAI EXPO 2010 EXHIBITION

NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY
OCTOBER 1, 2009
YEREVAN

RA Minister of Diaspora Hranush Hakobian with an open letter calls
Armenian architects for taking part in the Shanghai Expo 2010 big world
exhibition where Armenia presents The City of the World project. Below
is letter’s text completely:

"Dear Armenian Architects,

The international Shanghai Expo 2010 will be held in China from
May 1 to October 31, 2010 with the focus on the theme Prosperous
City, Prosperous Life. The exposition will host participants from
192 countries and representatives from 50 major international
organizations. It is expected to have approximately 100.000.000
participants. In addition, for the first time in the history of the
World Expo exposition, all the pavilions will be available virtually,
making it possible for everyone to visit the exposition online.

Armenia will represent The City of the World project at the Expo
2010. The main concept of the project is to build a new city in
the Ararat valley of Armenia, during which representatives from all
parts of the world will present their national district projects. It
is expected to build from 5 to 7 multi-functional zones which will
include hotels, houses, trade centers, recreation and health camps and
cultural centers. This is a perspective project, which will express the
Armenian architectural thought at its best and will provide Armenians
with an opportunity to appear in front of the world once again as a
nation of creators.

The City of the World, which will be designed virtually and implemented
in real space-time, will turn into a place for cooperation of
civilizations, a reliable guardian of national cultural achievements,
a favorable environment for investments in the sphere of advanced
technologies and a convenient residential area for everyone.

Dear Architects, we would like to invite you to participate in
the planning of the national districts of the World City project
and encourage your contribution to this highly important and
patriotic endeavor. Please visit the following website to confirm
your participation at [email protected] [email protected]
or [email protected]. All of the submitted projects will be
consolidated under the World Exposition theme and after the exposition
they will be moved back to Armenia where they will be exhibited
permanently. In addition, upon confirmation of the establishment of
the World City, each architect will be provided with an opportunity
to oversee the entire implementation of his/her proposed project. Dear
fellow Armenians, the presentation of a similar project at the Shanghai
exposition is a marvelous opportunity for Armenians around the world to
prove once again the creative spirit of the Armenian nation, as well
as build the world’s national districts on the Armenian land. This is
a unique way to show our gratitude to all those countries that have
showed compassion towards our nation and stood by our country’s side
during its difficult times. I am sure that the participants of the
Pan-Armenian Forum of Architects and other Armenian architects will
also participate in this marvelous and unique exposition that will
go on to become one of the best expositions in Shanghai.

We look forward to your participation and we hope to hear from
you soon."

ACCORDING TO BAGRAT YENGIBARIAN, ARMENIA STRIVES TO BECOME LEADER IN IT MARKETS

NOYAN TAPAN
OCTOBER 1, 2009
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 1, NOYAN TAPAN. Armenia strives to become a
leader in IT markets and to have an advanced information society
and a knowledge-based economy, Director of the Enterprise Incubator
Foundation Bagrat Yengiarian said at the October 1 press conference,
adding that Armenia is in the front line in the IT sector, but it
ranks low in the world in terms of the society’s awareness. "We must
try to be among the best in all respects," B. Yengibarian stated.

According to him, the Concept of the Development of Information
Technology Sector approved by the Armenian government envisages
such measures as the creation of an infrastructure of information
and communication technologies in line with the best international
standards, an increase in the number of IT companies, a 3-4fold growth
of jobs, and a twofold growth in productivity by 2018. "These are the
goals, thanks to which the Armenian economy will undergo considerable
development," he pointed out.

Speaking about this year’s indices in the IT industry, B. Yengibarian
said there was a growth under conditions of the global economic crisis,
but the exact figures will be released by January 2010. According to
him, more than 120 companies currently operate in Armenia’s IT sector,
thanks to which an annual growth of 30% is recorded.

TURKISH JOURNALISTS KEEP ON MAKING REQUESTS FOR NKR AUTHORITIES

AZG DAILY
01-10-2009

Nagorno Karabakh

Despite Baku’s ballyhoo in connection with the Turkish NTV film
crew visit to the NKR and the Azerbaijani pressure on the political
leadership of Turkey apropos of this, Turkish journalists keep on
making a request for the NKR authorities to grant them entry visas
to the republic for covering the current events here, NKR MFA press
service reports, according to panorama.am.

Following the democratic principles and treating with understanding
the journalists’ aspiration to fulfill their professional duty by
getting information from the primary sources, the NKR leadership does
not only raise difficulties, but even support their activity.

The Nagorno Karabakh Republic is open to journalists, irrespective
of the country they represent. The NKR authorities also proceed from
the fact that an objective and detailed presentation of the situation
in the republic to the world will only contribute to the peaceful
settlement of the conflict with Azerbaijan and to the international
recognition of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic, the source reports.

NO HOPE IN AUTUMN

s15318.html
14:37:22 – 28/09/2009

In the current fall, no one has to hope that the PACE or other European
structures will dwell on the Armenian democratic issues. Its reason,
according to the Head of the Heritage faction Stepan Safaryan, is the
Armenian-Turkish relations to which Europe attaches more importance
than to the Armenian or Turkish domestic democratic issues. He says
the Armenian and Turkish home issues are very important in the context
of integration processes, but Europe, like the U.S. considers more
important the geopolitical interests in the Armenian and Turkish
relations, than the Armenian and Turkish democracy.

Stepan Safaryan thinks some international high-ranking representative
will be present at singing the Armenian and Turkish protocols who will
be the "godfather". By the way, Stepan Safaryan said regardless the
Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan said on these days that the singing will
take place on October 10 and the foreign ministers of both countries
will sign, nevertheless, they have information from reliable sources
that in reality the presidents are going to sign. Stepan Safaryan
does not insist saying that time will show.

US PRODS ARMENIA; CLINTON TO ATTEND PROTOCOLS SIGNING

s-armenia-clinton-to-attend-protocols-signing/
Sep 28, 2009

NEW YORK -Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Monday pressed
Armenia and Turkey to follow through on their commitment to normalize
relations after decades of hostility.

In separate meetings on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly,
Clinton told the foreign ministers of the two countries that they
should proceed apace and not get bogged down by political opposition
to a deal, which they hope to seal by mid-October.

Normalization "should take place without preconditions and within
a reasonable timeframe," Clinton said as she met Armenian Foreign
Minister Edward Nalbandian. She later delivered a similar message to
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, U.S. officials said.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced on Sunday that
Turkey and Armenia would sign a deal to establish diplomatic ties on
Oct. 10.

The Swiss NZZ online reported Monday that Clinton is scheduled to
attend the signing ceremony of the Armenia-Turkey Protocols scheduled
for October 10 in Zurich.

She has yet to official confirm her participation at the event,
however, the reservation at the hotel has already been made, the
paper said, adding that the Armenian and Turkish Foreign Ministers
are also set to arrive in Switzerland the same day.

Before the agreements can take effect, they must be approved by the
countries’ parliaments.

The top U.S. diplomat for Europe, Philip Gordon, said the United
States was eager for the deal, which also foresees the reopening of
the Turkish-Armenian border, and was anxious that it happen quickly.

"This is a difficult process that faces some political opposition in
both places and it’s hard for both governments," he told reporters
after Clinton’s meetings. "It shouldn’t wait for other things to get
done, or be linked to other things. It should go ahead."

Gordon also said the United States supported what has become known as
"soccer diplomacy" between the two countries and would like to see
Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian visit Turkey for an Oct. 14 World
Cup qualifier between Turkey and Armenia.

Turkish President Abdullah Gul attended a World Cup qualifier in
Armenia last year in what was hailed as a breakthrough but Sarkisian
has said he’ll only go to the game in Turkey if there’s progress
toward opening the border.

Gordon said Sarkisian should attend the match regardless. "It would be
a good sign and further evidence of the two countries coming together
if he went to the football match."

TURKEY, ARMENIA AND THE FRUITS OF GENOCIDE
Rose Pallone
Raffi K. Hovannisian

key-armenia-and-the-fruits-of-genocide/
Sep 28, 2009

Governments and commentators have hailed the two recently-announced
protocols between Turkey and Armenia. If signed and ratified, they
will provide a timetable for the opening of the Turkish-Armenian
border and the establishment of full diplomatic relations.

Unfortunately, the exuberance in Western capitals is based on energy
routes, geopolitics and the desire to smooth the way for Turkey as
a regional power and EU aspirant. It ignores the sinister aspects of
the deal.

Certainly, Armenia has long pushed for an end to the Turkish blockade
of Armenia, an open border and diplomatic relations with Turkey without
precondition. This has also been the stated U.S. and European position.

This approach acknowledges that the Armenian-Turkish relationship
is complicated and burdened by the Armenian Genocide. Open borders,
diplomatic relations and people-to-people contacts must come first
before Turkey and Armenia can begin to sort out a very difficult
legacy, issues of restitution and reparations and to what extent
Turkey should continue to enjoy the fruits of genocide.

The proposed protocols, however, will serve to meet two long-standing
Turkish preconditions to normalization of relations with Armenia. The
first is to forestall further progress in formal international
recognition of the Armenian Genocide. The second is to confirm and
help remove the juridical cloud from the Turkey Armenia frontier.

This frontier, which, under the Turkish blockade, is the last closed
border in Europe, lacks legal status. It is an important issue for
Turkey. The day after the protocols were announced, Turkey’s Foreign
Minister stated that recognition of the current boundary was a basic
element of the proposed agreements, without which, "we cannot talk
about being neighbors."

Turkey’s strategy to shirk its obligations to Armenia under
international law is to marginalize Armenia and to deny the Genocide,
in which 1.5 million Armenians were killed and the survivors
dispossessed of most of their 3,000 year-old homeland. Turkey uses
its growing strategic and economic power to enlist American and
European support for these initiatives. The offending provisions in
the proposed protocols are part of this process.

Armenia is small, land-locked and vulnerable. It previously resisted
Turkish preconditions to normalization. However, after elections marred
by fraud and political violence, the current Armenian administration
has been susceptible to Turkish, European and American pressure on
this issue. Given the legacy of the Armenian Genocide, European
and American roles in promoting, rather than objecting to, these
preconditions is outrageous.

In the aftermath of the Armenian Genocide, President Woodrow Wilson
fixed Turkey’s boundary with Armenia in an arbitral award issued under
U.S. presidential seal. This remains the only binding demarcation of
the Turkish-Armenian frontier in accordance with an agreement between
sovereign and independent Turkish and Armenian states.

Although the de jure border and the award of these territories to
Armenia continue to be legally valid, the 1920 invasion of Armenia
by Kemalist and Bolshevik forces sealed these lands in Turkey and
gave us the current de facto border.

The great irony is that a significant stretch of the energy and
transport routes that are the sources of an emerging Turkish power
pass through these territories, which were also the killing fields
of the Armenian Genocide. The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline and
the parallel natural gas South Caucasus Pipeline do. So will the
proposed Nabucco pipeline project. These territories and projects,
so vital to Turkey’s goal to become a major international energy hub,
are the fruits of genocide. And Armenia enjoys none of their political
and economic benefits.

Sadly, open hatred of Armenians is everywhere in Turkey, in
official and semi-official media, in the state school system, in
state-sanctioned discrimination and elsewhere in and out of government.

Of course, the pinnacle of this hatred is genocide denial, which
genocide scholars tells us constitutes the final stage of genocide. But
consider the Turkish Defense Minister who asks rhetorically whether
the present Turkish nation state would have been possible without
the elimination of the Armenian population or the Turkish President
who charges an opposition Turkish parliamentarian with defamation
for alleging he has Armenian roots. Remember the murder of the
Turkish-Armenian journalist, Hrant Dink, or the planned attacks on
Turkish-Armenian community leaders by Ergenekon, the ultranationalist
organization associated with what in Turkey is referred to as the
"Deep State."

With the demonization of Armenians in Turkish nationalist ideology,
an official policy of genocide denial and Ankara’s proven hostility
to the reborn Armenian state, that the West does not actively oppose
Turkish preconditions should give everyone pause.

The enduring legacy of the Armenian Genocide is not just a challenge
for Turkey and Armenia. It is also a challenge for Europe and
America. The West, despite growing Turkish power and influence, should
encourage Turkey to take responsibility for the Armenian Genocide,
not assist Turkey in compelling Armenia to agree to preconditions
that humiliate the victimized party and prejudice the integrity and
outcome of any future genuine reconciliation process between Turkey
and Armenia.

Ultimately, the Turkish-Armenian conversation must include two thorny
issues: first, to what extent Turkey should continue to enjoy the
fruits of genocide and second, the integrity of the border it shares
with Armenia.

Raffi Hovannisian was independent Armenia’s first minister of foreign
affairs.

APA

Mehmet Ali Sahin: Turkey- Armenia protocols won’t pass our parliament
as long as Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is unsolved

[ 26 Sep 2009 19:57 ]

Baku – APA. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev met on Saturday with a
Turkish delegation led by Speaker of Turkey’s parliament Mehmet Ali
Sahin.

Mehmet Ali Sahin expressed his satisfaction with the fact that he paid
one of his first foreign visits to Azerbaijan.

He also underscored the significance of the first meeting of the
Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic-Speaking Countries which will be held
in Baku.

According to him, the expansion of inter-parliamentary ties plays a
vital role in the further development of relations between nations.

Ilham Aliyev said the first official visits between Azerbaijan and
Turkey after elections, a tradition started by heads of state and
continued by speakers of parliaments, is the an indicator of the
preference in foreign relations.

Referring to the first meeting of the Parliamentary Assembly of
Turkic-Speaking Countries, he expressed his hope for the success in
the future expansion of relations in this format.

He also added that the summit of Turkic-speaking states which will
take place in Nakhchivan in a few days will contribute to the
strengthening of friendship and solidarity among the Turkic peoples.

Mehmet Ali Sahin stated that the protocols between Turkey and Armenia
to normalize relations will not pass the Turkish parliament until the
long-drawn-out Nagorno Karabakh conflict between Azerbaijan and
Armenia is not solved.

Azerbaijani President thanked the speaker of Turkey’s Parliament for
this position and approach.

WHY DID AFYAN NOT CALL?

s15308.html
11:45:49 – 26/09/2009

The report of the NA temporary commission to study March 1
interestingly dwelt also on the coordinator of the Armenian National
Congress Levon Zurabyan. `The commission considered strictly
unacceptable the behavior of the organizer of the mass event Levon
Zurabyan with which the latter failed the arrangement between the
Police and the organizer of the event David Shahnazaryan to continue
the event in some other place’, is written in the report of the
commission. Our interview with the HAK coordinator Levon Zurabyan
dwells on this topic.

How do you assess the report of the NA temporary commission to study
March 1? Did it justify public’s expectations?

We have already given our assessment through the statement of the
Armenian National Congress. From the beginning, the public did not
have any expectation from those people who had to serve assassins and
lawbreakers. They are completely immersed in crimes and naturally did
what they were ordered to do: they kept the malicious crimes of the
regime.

This report dwelt also on your actions and the commission considered
unacceptable that you with the help of your behavior failed the
arrangement between the Police and David Shahnazaryan.

I am very much pleased with such a behavior of the commission. Any
criticism in my address from such defamed and dishonorable people only
enhances my rating in the eyes of the public. As to the concrete
episode, so even this small episode shows the whole breach of the
commission. In reality, they do not know or they did not want to learn
or they mutated the facts on purpose. The reality is the following:
when on March 1 near 12 o’clock I reached the statue of Miasnikyan,
there already was some arrangement between the Police and David
Shahnazaryan, though Mr. Shahnazaryan was not a member of the
headquarter and could not negotiate in the name of the headquarter. I
was forced to annul all the arrangements. And started to negotiate
with the Police and in the end we came to the same agreement to lead
people to Matenadaran. But when I announced about it the public,
nonetheless, insisted that they were ready to listen only to Levon
Ter-Petrosyan. When I throw a look back I understand that the
government wanted to involve the public into a trap and what they did
in the evening of March 1 with the help of their provocateurs, shop
plunder etc, they planned to do when taking people to Matenadaran.

After, I turned to the deputy head of Police Sashik Afyan telling him
that people do not obey the headquarter and in fact we lost control
due to the actions of the Police because the audio technique is taken
away, many leaders of the opposition are arrested and the president
Levon Ter-Petrosyan was taken by force to his house. I proposed to
Sashik Afyan to procure me a meeting with Levon Ter-Petrosyan because
the president was under home arrest and his house was blockaded. He
procured me a car, but we met obstacles at every step, and every time
had to call Sashik Afyan for him to tell them to free the way for
us. I finally met Levon Ter-Petrosyan and he told me to go back and to
inform Afyan that the president was ready to make proposals to solve
the situation. I came back told the people to stay there because we
were trying to solve the situation through negotiations for further
actions. I gave Afyan Levon Ter-Petrosyan’s number and he agreed to
call him with pleasure. I considered that the situation could be saved
in this way. After half an hour Levon Ter-Petrosyan called me and
asked where Afyan was. I went to the Police department and there
Aghasi Kirakosyan connected with Afyan and I talked to him for a long
time. He was found out not to have called Levon Ter-Petrosyan unlike
our previous arrangements to change the situation with joint
efforts. I tried for long to explain to him that the situation is very
tense and he was wrong not to call Levon Ter-Petrosyan. But he said he
did not have such instructions. I did not manage to convince him. We
started negotiations with the government through an international
diplomat. Levon Ter-Petrosyan was calling me, I – the international
diplomat, they were calling Robert Kocharyan staff. They were
protracting time to organize their bandit groups, to take the army
there. It was already 9 o’clock and when the international diplomat
called me the first fires were heard. And in fact, the negotiations
were not over but the government started its assault at people. T!
he most i
is topic in the press and everyone knows, the Police have videos which
were shown on H1 TV also. With all this no one responded or called me
for an interrogation. It is another question how I would answer but
they had to call me. They did not because they knew I would reveal
their breaches.

Alongside with the NA temporary commission an oppositional public
group was also working engaged in the study of the March 1
events. Will this group continue its activities or it stopped working?

There is not need today. This task was put on the fact-finding group
by Serge Sargsyan’s order. But even the abolishment of the group, it
continues working. Who waned to reveal the truth now continues working
and releasing relevant reports. The members of the fact-finding group
will release new reports. This group is the only source of truth.

But for whom are they going to work? Whom are they going to present
their reports if the NA temporary commission does not exist any more?

We never expected such a thing and we have never said that the only
mission of the fact-finding group was to provide the NA commissions
with reports. I am saying this because we did not have any expectation
from the NA commission, and providing reports was a necessary but a
useless task from the point that it never revealed anything. The
fact-finding group has a wider mission. It presents its reports, its
facts to the public and to the international public. And if today some
truth on March 1 has been revealed, it happened thanks to the members
of the fact-finding group.

Interview by ARMAN GALOYAN

Turkish Daily News

Government steps timely but not risk-free, analysts say

Friday, September 25, 2009

FULYA Ã-ZERKAN – Ä°ZGÄ° GÃ`NGÃ-R

ANKARA – Hürriyet Daily News

Despite opposition, Ankara has taken consecutive steps toward
resolving the Kurdish, Armenian and Cyprus issues. Political analysts
say leaving the three problems unresolved would result in more serious
consequences rather than any kind of advantage

The government’s policy to settle the three challenging and drawn out
questions, namely the Armenian, Kurdish and Cyprus issues, is
considered `proactive’ and `timely’ given the current global
conjecture under the new U.S. administration, but it is not risk-free,
according to political analysts.

On the Kurdish front, Ankara has pledged to resolve the long-lasting
issue through a combination of short-, medium- and long-term projects
in defiance of the opposition. On the Armenian front, it has launched
a process to normalize ties with Yerevan, which also revived
international talks under the Organization for Security and
Cooperation of Europe’s Minsk Group for a final settlement to the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. And on the Cyprus front, the government
campaigned for a `yes’ vote for a U.N.-backed peace plan and despite
the plan’s failure, Ankara encourages the current negotiations between
the Cypriot leaders, who are readying for the give-and-take stages in
October.

`What are the common denominators of the three problems? As long as
the three remain on Turkey’s agenda, they will all have a negative
impact on the country’s domestic policy, which is a source of
instability,’ veteran diplomat and former Foreign Ministry
Undersecretary Ã-zdem Sanberk told the Hürriyet Daily News &
Economic Review.

He said international conjecture was also suitable for the
government’s `proactive policies’ on the three fronts, adding that the
United States, the EU and Russia remained agnostic or neutral, meaning
they neither gave open support nor blocked the efforts.

`Under the current only two options for the government: either leaving
the frozen conflicts as they are or, despite the lack of support,
taking further steps to overcome them,’ said Sanberk. `The government
chose the second option and demonstrated the will for peace, though I
see the chances of success on the three issues as low,’ he said.

The government’s steps to solve the three issues have all met with
harsh criticism from opposition parties and even threatened friendly
relations with Azerbaijan on the Armenian front, for example.

`If all three problems could be resolved spontaneously depends on the
government’s will and determination,’ said retired ambassador
Yalım Eralp.

`On the Armenian issue, the normalization of ties depends on Armenia’s
relations with Azerbaijan, while on the Cyprus problem, the prospects
for a solution became weaker due to Turkey’s own complicated EU
process,’ he said. `The content of the Kurdish plan is not yet clear,
so it is hard to make an assumption.’

Conjecture appropriate

Fuat Keyman, professor of international relations at Koç
University, said the ball was in Turkey’s court, stressing that the
government should utilize the positive atmosphere initiated by the
Obama administration.

`I believe the government will catch some extent of success. There are
risks but I think the advantages outweigh the disadvantages if Ankara
manages to turn them into positive results,’ he said.

On the Kurdish issue, he said public support was on the rise despite
the political opposition, adding that recently established cooperation
mechanisms with both Syria and Iraq, both of which have Kurdish
populations, were also a plus.

`Regarding Armenia, there are problems, but even if Parliament gives
conditional support to the planned protocols with Yerevan, the process
has already started,’ he said. On Cyprus, Keyman said he believed the
proactive policy would bear fruit in the end, referring to the Turkish
prime minister’s address to the U.N. Security Council in New York.

Mensurt Istanbul’s Kültür University, said the three problems
were separate with different interlocutors and solution models.

`Unilateral moves and goodwill will not be enough for a solution to
the Armenian and Cyprus problems,’ said Akgün. `If the
pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party [DTP] insists on its current
approach, the problem will remain unresolved. The Armenians should be
flexible with the Nagorno-Karabakh problem. Regarding Cyprus, whatever
action Turkey takes, it is a challenging problem that can only be
solved with contributions from both Cypriot communities,’ he said.

Opening of Armenian-Turkish border to have positive impact on
Armenia’s economy
25.09.2009 10:55 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Opening of Armenian-Turkish border will have
positive impact on Armenia’s economy, Ameriabank’s Development
Department Director Tigran Jrbashyan told today a PanARMENIAN.Net
reporter. `Such impact will not assume large scales, as many
specialists claim, because market integration between two countries
will take certain time.’ The principal advantage, according to him,
consisted in lowering prices due to reduced transportation costs and
weakening Georgian carriers’ monopolistic bonus. `Transportation costs
which currently make up 25% of our products’ price which can be
reduced twice,’ expert said.

Besides, he noted, that Armenia hasn’t closed its borders for Turkish
products, so there’s no need to fear damping policy. `Maximum gain for
Turkey will be exemption from paying bonus to Georgian transit
carriers. Armenia has been always open for Turkish products which were
represented on our markets, competing with local and Russian goods,’
he added.

Ameriabank’s Development Director believes border opening will create
great potential for cooperation in many spheres, particularly energy,
construction materials, tourism and chemical production (in
Turkey-Armenia direction).

Besides, Jrbashyan finds it natural that `Local manufacturers should
have fears, since border opening will intensify competitiveness. If we
are afraid of Turkish manufacturers on local market, how can we
compete with them on European level?’ According to him, `Fair
competition has always promoted investments, and that’s normal because
manufacturers who can compete with Turkish producers on local market
should give chances to those who cannot. That will increase the
country’s investment attractiveness,’ expert said.