Author: Nadirian Emma

FRANK PALLONE TO FURTHER DEVELOPMENT OF RELATIONS BETWEEN U.S. AND ARTSAKH

PanARMENIAN.Net
24.11.2008 14:24 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Nagorno Karabakh President Bako Sahakyan met
Saturday in New York with Congressman Frank Pallone, the co-chair
of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues, to discuss the
Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict settlement process, recent developments
in the South Caucasus, Artsakh-U.S. ties, and socioeconomic situation
in the republic, the Central Information Department of the Office of
the NKR President told PanARMENIAN.Net.

Mr. Sahakyan appreciated highly the activities of the Congressman in
supporting and objective elucidating the Armenian issue and the Nagorno
Karabakh problem. For his part, Rep. Pallone expressed readiness to
further development of relations between Artsakh and the United States.

On the same day President Sahakyan met representatives of Eastern
U.S. Central Committee of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation Party
Hovsep Avagian and Karo Ketsemanian to discuss the situation in NKR,
the current stage and prospects of the ongoing talks on the conflict
settlement and development of Artsakh-Diaspora ties.

The NKR President noted the importance of giving a new impetus to
the relations with the Diaspora, particularly engaging Spyurk in the
homeland’s affairs.

He also visited Saint Gregory the Illuminator church of the Eastern
U.S. Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church and met representatives
of the Armenian community.

PanARMENIAN.Net

Armenian-Turkish dialogue should be uninterrupted
22.11.2008 15:32 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Armenian-Turkish dialogue should be
uninterrupted, according to a Turkish expert.

`All kinds of issue can be discussed and our dialogue must cover all
spheres, from the Armenian Genocide to the closed border. Only in this
case, Armenians and Turks can reach understanding,’ Aybars Gorgulu,
expert at Sabanci University and assistant program officer of TESEV
foreign policy program, told a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter.

At that, he noted that many in Turkey are unaware of the Armenian
Genocide in the Ottoman Empire.

`This period of not included history is not in the school
curriculum. People are surprised to hear that Turkey pursues a policy
of denial. That is why our dialogue is important,’ Gorgulu said.

COMMISSION COORDINATING ARMENIA’S COOPERATION WITH EUROPEAN STRUCTURES CONVENES A SITTING

armradio.am
21.11.2008 18:12

The interdepartmental commission coordinating the cooperation with
European structures held a sitting today chaired by the president of
the commission, Secretary of the National Security Council of Armenia
Arthur Baghdasaryan.

During the sitting the participants specified the processes and
emphases deriving from the objectives of the commission and discussed
the suggestions connected with their implementation.

The commission discussed the works carried out within the framework
of the Action Plan of the European Neighborhood Policy and summed
up the work done in the framework of the Armenia-NATO Individual
Partnership Action Plan.

The commission approved the 2009 program of actions envisaged by the
European Neighborhood Policy Action Plan.

LATVIA TO DEVELOP RELATIONS WITH ARMENIA

PanARMENIAN.Net
20.11.2008 13:55 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ In the framework of a formal visit to Baltic states,
Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian arrived in Latvia on
November 19, the RA MFA press office reported.

During a meeting with his Latvian counterpart Maris Riekstins, Minister
Nalbandian stressed the importance to develop the Armenian-Latvian
relations in various fields. "Yerevan will work hard to maintain the
high level of political dialog with Riga," he said.

Touching on the Armenia-EU relations, the Ministers exchanged views on
implementation of the ENP action plan. Referring to security issues,
they confirmed the necessity of peaceful resolution of conflicts.

On Mr. Riekstins’ request, the Armenian Minister briefed on the
current stage of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement process
and the steps Armenia undertakes to normalize relations with Turkey.

DIVERS’ GRIM DISCOVERY IN LINER SUNK BY U-BOAT

Western Morning News
November 18, 2008 Tuesday
Plymouth

Thousands of animal bones were discovered by divers inside the wreck of
a luxury liner sunk off the Cornish coast during the First World War.

The 9,000-tonne White Star liner Armenian had been carrying a cargo
of 3,000 mules, destined for the trenches of France, when it was
torpedoed by a German U-boat on June 28, 1915.

It was only hours from its Avonmouth destination after crossing the
Atlantic from Newport in the USA when it was sunk. Nine crew and 20
donkeymen were lost, though these were probably caused by shelling
before the ship was torpedoed.

The history of the Armenian will be the subject of a two-part
television show, ITV’s Deep Wreck Mysteries, which starts this week.

Specialist deep-water divers found the wreck in early April this year
after locating it using a combination of GPS and sonar technology. It
was found 100m underwater, 50 miles off the coast of Newquay.

The 160m wreck is still upright and intact, having survived the depth-
charges which destroyed many wrecks during wartime.

Dive boat skipper Chris Lowe, 46, has spent five years searching
for the "very prestigious wreck", which belonged to the company that
owned the Titanic.

He originally thought he had found the wreck three years ago after
the discovery of a sunken vessel containing animal bones, but the
bones turned out to be from beef cattle.

When wreck explorer Innes McCartney became involved with the search,
he suspected the location given for the stricken vessel may have
been wrong.

He said: "The position given by the captain of the ship when she
sunk was very inaccurate. The only way I put that right was to get
my hands on the log of the U-boat that attacked the Armenian. The
Germans were very meticulous with position keeping."

The team from the TV show, along with Mr Lowe, were able to pinpoint
three possible locations, with the first turning out to be the
Armenian.

The crew, who have done three dives on the wreck, confirmed the ship’s
identity after they found a dinner plate bearing the insignia of the
White Star Line. The bones were also identified by English Heritage
as belonging to mules.

The history of the Armenian will be shown in two parts on ITV1. The
first will be on November 20 at 7.30pm, while the second will be on
December 4, also at 7.30pm.

A LOT TO TALK ABOUT WITH SOMEBODY

Kommersant
Nov 18 2008
Russia

The second round of the Geneva talks on South Ossetia and Abkhazia
give no cause for even cautious optimism at first glance. The basic
differences between Russia and Georgia are too obvious. The situation
is especially difficult because it will not change in its essence,
even if radical changes occur in the highest leadership in Georgia. No
matter who replaces Mikheil Saakashvili as president of Georgia,
he will not choose a course toward reconciliation with Russia, and
Moscow should have no illusions about that. Even Igor Giorgadze’s
marionette party is in favor of Georgia’s territorial integrity. But
it is also illusory to hope that Moscow will reverse its recognition
of the two former Georgian autonomies.

The question logically arises about the expediency of continuing the
Geneva talks. It should be understood what problems can be solved in
their third, fourth or 25th rounds.

Leaving emotions aside, it is clear that, besides the legal status of
the "rebel" republics, there is a problem with violence to be solved
in two hot spots. I am referring to terrorist and partisan activities
in the Gali District of Abkhazia and the Leningori District of South
Ossetia. And the Moscow declaration on Nagorny Karabakh, made at the
beginning of the month and stating the principle that every conflict
should be settled exclusively through political means, without the
use of violence, will get nowhere without the final determination of
the status of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

That is what Moscow has been seeking from Tbilisi for the last four
years. The Geneva talks give it the opportunity to attain its goals
with the help of Western intermediaries.

The second issue is the presence of international monitors in and
around the conflict zones. After the August war in the Caucasus,
the internationalization of the two conflicts became a reality. It is
important for Moscow to see to it that the format of the international
presence, even though it is not in Moscow’s interests, is in a format
beneficial to it, since it cannot be avoided. Possible benefits for
Moscow from the Geneva talks may be the initiation of strategic talks
not with Georgia, but with the European Union.

Finally, participation by representatives of South Ossetia and
Abkhazia in the talks, even if they have the status only of experts,
is already partial international legitimization – if not as separate
states, at least as political units whose participation is necessary
of a settlement is to be reached. Discussion of the status of Kosovo
started similarly. Pristina was not built in a day.

Thus, Moscow has the opportunity to talk tete-a-tete with Europe in
Geneva on a wide range of issues of Caucasian security without engaging
in empty squabbles with Georgia. There is practically nothing to talk
with Tbilisi about today any way.

POT OF GOLD, AN ARMENIAN FOLKTALE

SouthCoastToday.com
http://www.southcoas ttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081118/LIF E/811180318
Nov 18 2008
MA

Once upon a time a poor peasant was just about to plow his fields
when he discovered that his ox had died. He was distraught, but he
did not want his field to go to waste, so he visited his neighbor
and made him an offer.

"Since I have no ox to pull my plough, I wonder if you would like to
lease my field," he asked.

The neighbor agreed, and so he and his ox ploughed the field that
spring.

As they were working, the plough suddenly struck something hard. The
neighbor bent down, expecting to find a rock in the dirt, but he
discovered instead a large copper pot. When he lifted the rusting lid,
he was amazed to discover the pot brimmed with hundreds of gold coins.

The neighbor ran at once to tell the peasant the wonderful news. "I’ve
discovered a pot of gold on your land," the neighbor said. "Come,
you must see this, for it is yours."

"Nonsense," the peasant argued. "You paid me to use the land. Whatever
you discover as you till the soil must certainly belong to you."

"Don’t be a fool," said the neighbor.

"You’re the one who’s the fool," the peasant said. "The gold is yours."

Together they went out to the field. The peasant was delighted to
see the gold, but then their argument continued, until at last they
decided they must take their quandary to the king. He would decide
who the rightful owner was.

At the palace the two men took their turns presenting their case to
the king.

Now when the king heard that a pot of gold had been discovered in his
kingdom, he knew exactly who must own that gold. He stood up and said,
"The gold is mine! After all, it was discovered in my kingdom, and
everything in this kingdom belongs to me."

The peasant and his neighbor bowed their heads, but they could not
argue with the king. Instead they told him where exactly he would
find the pot. The king at once set off with his servants to fetch it.

When they reached the field, the king dismounted his horse and knelt
down beside the old copper pot. He could not wait to touch those
marvelous coins. But when he opened the lid, he saw not a pot of
gold but a pot filled with hissing snakes. He quickly slammed the
lid closed.

He was furious. "Arrest the peasant and his neighbor," the king cried
to his servants. "Take them to the dungeon. I shall have their heads
for playing this trick on their king!"

The servants arrested the two men, but from their cells they cried
out, begging to talk to the king, and at long last they were brought
before him.

"We have done nothing wrong," they insisted.

"You sent me to a pot of snakes," the king said.

"Your majesty," said the neighbor, bowing low. "I beg your pardon,
but you must have looked in the wrong pot. The pot I found buried in
my friend’s land is a pot filled with gold. I saw it with my own eyes."

Now the king thought he must have found the wrong pot, and so he
ordered his servants to take the two men to the land. "You will watch
them look into the pot and return to tell me what is there."

The servants led the peasant and his neighbor to the spot. Sure enough,
when they reached the pot and opened the lid, there were hundreds of
shimmering coins.

The servants quickly returned to the palace. "Your majesty," they said,
"the men are right. The pot is filled with gold!"

"Take me there!" the king commanded, and so again he traveled to
the field. He opened the lid, but as before, the pot was full of
writhing snakes.

"What kind of fool do you take me for?" cried the king.

The servants could only look at the ground. "Your majesty, we saw
the gold. We cannot explain."

"Call the wise men," said the king. "I wish to hear what they
say. Bring the peasant and his neighbor, too."

The wise men came to the court and heard the tale. "Your majesty,"
they said, "you must promise not to punish us for what we are about
to tell you."

"Tell me!" the king roared. "I promise you shall not be punished
for wisdom."

And so the wise men began. "The farmers received a pot of gold for
their hard work and honest ways," said the wise men. "The gold is
their reward. Alas, anyone who tries to steal another’s fortune will
discover that reward will turn into punishment."

Now the king felt ashamed. Still, he had one more question. "And so
who rightfully owns the pot?" he asked.

"The landowner!" cried the neighbor who had tilled the earth.

"No, the man who does the work," argued the peasant.

The wise men held up their hands. "Quiet," they said. "Tell us
this. Which one of you has a son or a daughter?"

The neighbor smiled at the thought. "I have a beautiful daughter,"
he said wistfully, thinking of the child he loved so well who had
grown to be a bright and sweet-tempered young woman.

The peasant stood up proudly. "And I have a handsome son," he said,
thinking of his son who had grown to be a kind and thoughtful
young man.

Now the wise men whispered among themselves until they had reached
a decision.

"This is our answer, then," they said. "The pot of gold shall be a
wedding present to your son and your daughter."

The neighbor and the peasant looked at each other, their eyes
alight. They introduced their children to each other, and the peasant’s
son and the neighbor’s daughter happily fell in love.

They were married, and as a wedding gift, their fathers gave them
the big pot of gold, their reward for honest labor and true love.

ARTICLE 301, AGAIN!

Hurriyet
Nov 18 2008
Turkey

Is there anyone in Turkey who can say with absolute confidence
that Hrant Dink, editor of the Armenian-Turkish Agos weekly, was
not a victim of premeditated murder, committed despite police and
gendarmerie intelligence being tipped off about the preparations for
it, as early as a year before the heinous assassination was carried
out, allegedly by a young hit man, 17-year-old Ogun Samast?

Or, is there anyone with brains in Turkey who does not believe the
Jan. 19, 2007 Dink murder could have been prevented, if police and
gendarmerie intelligence worked properly and the Istanbul Governor’s
Office provided adequate security to our colleague, rather than
summoning him to a meeting with a deputy governor who warned him that
he should behave well?

Or, particularly, after all we have heard and read about the Dink
trial, revelations of the alleged hit-man, confessions of victims
of the intelligence fiasco, the inability to bring charges against
police and military officers who apparently, at least, neglected their
duty, can we say with confidence there is definitely not "official
involvement" in the Dink murder and nothing to make the Turkish state
responsible for the tragedy?

Is it not obvious to many of us who have following the Dink murder
trial, why the prosecution have failed, so far, to go further than
the hit man and bring to justice the culprits within the state who
masterminded this heinous crime, is it a demonstration of the fact
there is at least one gang within the state that is still untouchable?

An interesting interview Our journalist colleague Okan Muderrisoglu
reported Monday on an interview with Justice Minister Mehmet Ali
Å~^ahin. The minister was quoted as saying, over the last six months
prosecutors have filed 381 applications seeking ministerial approval
to launch court cases under the contentious Article 301 of the Penal
Code, which regulates penalties for insulting the Turkish state and
state organs. Out of these 381 applications, the minister said he
approved court cases to be opened in "only 47" of them, including
that of writer Temel Demirer.

Demirer is now risking up to five years imprisonment on grounds he
"insulted and degraded" the Turkish state, when after the 2007 murder
of Dink he said, "There is a genocide in our history. Its name is the
Armenian genocide. Hrant explained this reality to all of us at the
cost of his life and blood. I am now committing a crime and calling
everyone to commit a crime. Those who do not commit a crime against
this murderer-state are accomplices in the Dink murder. We have to
commit this crime so what happened to our Armenian brothers yesterday,
should not happen to our Kurdish brothers todayÃ~I"

Intellectual responsibility What Demirer said, immediately after the
country lived through the psychological trauma of the murder of Dink,
was unfortunately rather strong. But, he was revolting against the
untimely loss of a prominent member of our nation, in a cold-blooded
murder, just because he did not subscribe to some nationalist myth or
to an official version of history, which even today cannot concede the
tragedies and the immense sufferings the Anatolian population of all
ethnic backgrounds were subjected to during the dissolution years of
the Ottoman Empire. Minister Å~^ahin said no one can call the Turkish
state a "murderer" and as the Justice Minister, he would not allow
it because insulting the Turkish state by calling it a "murderer"
cannot be an exercise of freedom of speech.

What the minister said, indeed was not much different to what his
predecessor, Cemil Cicek, once told me as to why Turkey would not
scrap the contentious article all together and instead made cosmetic
changes to its text. "We cannot let people insult Turkey and get away
with it!" he said.

In democracies, people and the state must be accustomed to, even very
harsh, criticism and no one can be obliged to subscribe to a general
perception or the official version of anything. Yes, the state cannot
and should not be accused of being a murderer, but the state should
also be able to bring to justice those elements within the state who
have entrusted themselves with the duty and power of defending the
state the way they like against what they themselves perceive as a
threat to the state or to national security.

–Boundary_(ID_ilii0MjHl+T9tKM9WhZM1w)- –

MURILO PORTUGAL ASSESSES ARMENIA’S ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE AS VERY STRONG

armradio.am
19.11.2008 14:27

The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF)
has approved a three year, SDR 9.2 million (about US$13.6 million)
arrangement under the Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF) for
the Republic of Armenia to support the government’s economic program
through 2011. The decision will enable the Republic of Armenia to
draw an amount equivalent to SDR 1.31 million (about US$1.9 million)
from the IMF immediately.

Following the Executive Board’s discussion, Mr. Murilo Portugal,
Deputy Managing Director and Acting Chair, stated:

"After the successful conclusion of its third PRGF-supported
program in May 2008, Armenia’s economic performance has remained
very strong. High growth has been maintained and has contributed
significantly to the marked reduction in poverty. Inflation has
increased in the wake of rising international food and fuel prices
and growing domestic demand pressures, although it remains lower than
in other CIS countries. Adherence to prudent macroeconomic policies
and the progress made in structural reforms has helped to achieve
these results.

"The worsened global macroeconomic outlook has increased uncertainty,
but Armenia is in a strong position to withstand the impact of the
global economic downturn. A gradual deceleration of growth in Armenia
may help dampen inflationary pressures. It may also contribute to
reducing the external current account deficit, which has increased
on the back of rising imports and sluggish exports, despite strong
remittance inflows. Medium-term prospects, although highly uncertain,
remain benign in view of favorable investment opportunities.

"Continued sound fiscal and monetary policies remain key to maintaining
macroeconomic stability. Prudent policies are necessary to reduce
the current macroeconomic imbalances. Current challenges highlight
the need to strengthen policy frameworks. The floating exchange
rate regime continues to be the best option for Armenia, and the
authorities are encouraged to complete the transition to full-fledged
inflation targeting. At the same time, building capacity for fiscal
policy analysis will help strengthen the budgetary process and enhance
fiscal policy credibility, increasing its effectiveness as a demand
management tool. In addition, the authorities must be prepared to
adjust swiftly to a rapidly changing economic environment. A weakening
external environment might also increase Armenia’s financing needs
and possibly call for an early review of the situation.

"Improving external competitiveness requires a renewed push for
structural reforms. Focus should be on enhancing productivity,
improving the business environment, and boosting domestic
competition. In this regard, the completion of the unfinished
tax policy and administration reform agenda is particularly
important. These reforms would significantly reduce the cost of doing
business, particularly in the export sector, and contribute to leveling
the playing field, ultimately promoting private sector development,"
Mr. Portugal said.

MATTHEW BRYZA: "THE KARABAKH CONFLICT SETTLEMENT MUST TAKE INTO ACCOUNT BOTH THE ISSUE OF TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY AND THE RIGHT OF NATIONS FOR SELF-DETERMINATION"

Today.Az
y.az/news/politics/49064.html
Nov 18 2008
Azerbaijan

"Washington is impressed with the economic reforms, conducted by the
Armenian government", said US deputy assistant secretary of State
Matthew Bryza during the meeting with Armenian Prime Minister Tigran
Sargsyan, reports the press service for the Armenian government.

During the meeting, Bryza displayed interest with the process of
reforms and their further development.

The Prime Minister presented the process of reforms, held in the
tax and customs spheres, as well as a program of measures of the
government to soften possible influence of the world financial and
economic crisis on Armenia.

The sides also discussed possible assistance to Armenia in the
framework of the US technical assistance program/

The sides styressed important of expansion of the US-Armenian
cooperation and partner relations in different spheres.

As for the Karabakh conflict, Bryza, who is as the co-chair of
the OSCE Minsk Group, noted that any solution to the conflict must
consider both the issue of territorial integrity and the right of
nations for self-determination.

"The recent processes in the region again proved the inadmissibility
of the forced way of resolution", said Bryza.