Author: Nahapetian Zhanna

OPPOSITION LASHES OUT AT PEACE MOVE

Today’s Zaman
Oct 22 2009
Turkey

The Kurdistan Workers’ Party’s (PKK) groundbreaking move of turning
over 34 of its members to Turkish authorities at the Habur border
gate on Monday has changed the course of the government’s democratic
initiative to settle the country’s decades-long Kurdish issue,
strengthening hopes that the PKK may lay down its arms.

Yet, although for many the PKK turning over some of its members
signifies a move toward peace, the opposition, which has remained
highly critical of the government’s efforts since the day the
initiative was first announced in July, argues that it was a result
of bargaining between the ruling Justice and Development Party (PKK)
government and the PKK. During their parliamentary group meetings on
Tuesday, main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Deniz
Baykal said the surrender of PKK members has revealed that jailed
PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan has a major role in the initiative while
Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli once again
said the best method to end PKK terrorism was armed struggle. Both
statements have been criticized by many analysts.

"The ruling party seems to have kicked off a win-win scenario. If the
‘game’ ends with a satisfactory result, both Turkey and the party will
win as it will receive political gains and an election victory. The
two main opposition parties, on the other hand, favor the continuation
of the game in a lose-lose situation," says Ä°smet Berkan from the
Radikal daily. Noting that this is the cause of the current tragedy
in Turkey over the Kurdish issue, Berkan says the CHP and the MHP
are frantically defending the status quo at all costs although they
know it cannot be maintained and the game will be lost in the end. "I
cannot understand how can such arguments can be termed ‘patriotism’,"
Berkan says.

Quoting remarks from Bahceli, who said while referring to the
PKK groups that those who were met with applause were not pilgrims
returning from Mecca, Fehmi Koru from the Yeni Å~^afak daily says that
if the country awaited the group like they were pilgrims returning
from Mecca, it is due to the stance of politicians like Bahceli on
the Kurdish issue. "If a government that is brave enough to find a
solution to this [Kurdish] issue and to end terrorism had not appeared,
we would turn into a country whose number of martyrs would be equal
to the number of its pilgrims," he says.

Star’s Ahmet Kekec has a hard time figuring out Baykal, who calls
himself a "social democrat." "He opposes a democratic constitution, he
opposes an Armenian initiative, he opposes the Kurdish initiative …

What are we going to do with you? Tell us something in favor of this
country, bring a proposal and constructive criticism and that’ll be
the day!" he implores Baykal.

ARMENIAN NATIONAL CONGRESS: INVOLVEMENT IN KARABAKH PEACE PROCESS IS TURKEY’S ONLY GOAL IN RELATIONS WITH ARMENIA

ArmInfo
2009-10-22 15:42:00

ArmInfo. Turkey pursued a distinct goal when initiating the process of
normalization of relations, Representative of the Armenian National
Congress Commission for External Relations Vladimir Karapetyan told
journalists.

According to him, despite the fact that Armenia was the first to start
this process, Turkish President Abdullah Gul’s visit to Armenia showed
that Turkey has serious goals. "It took me some time to understand
what goal Turkey pursues. And the only goal is to get involved in
the Karabakh peace process",- Karapetyan said. He added that Turkey
has been trying to do this for 16 years. "It failed to do this as
the arguments in Armenia were very strong, we used to say that this
country subjects Armenia to blockade, which is equal to hostility,
consequently, it cannot be a mediator",- Karapetyan said. He added
that earlier the Turkish public was not concerned with the Karabakh
problem, and they practically didn’t refer to it. "Today Turkey is an
equal mediator with official members of the OSCE Minsk Group official
members",- Karapetyan said. He pointed out that after signing of the
Protocols, Turkish official representatives mentioned the Karabakh
problem in the conversation with the US and Russian colleagues.

"Turkey has never been so deeply involved before, and its participation
will cause numerous problems, particularly, will increase the
pressure",- he stressed.

SOUTH CAUCASUS SENSITIVE TO GEOPOLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS

PanARMENIAN.Net
21.10.2009 18:27 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The South Caucasus region is directly involved
in the sphere of strategic interests of Russia, the U.S., EU, OSCE,
NATO and the Collective Security Treaty Organization and sensitive
to changes in the relationship between these centers of power, Hayk
Kotanjyan told a Black Sea Security Basin conference the Head of the
Institute for National Strategic Studies of the RA Defense ministry.

In his opinion, the prospects for peace and security in the Caucasus
are Madrid principles of the Karabakh settlement based on "the paradigm
of war."

He stressed that Armenia participating in various organizations
of international security has adopted a balanced approach, its
foreign policy initiatives are aimed at increasing the capacity for
international support for the stability in South Caucasus.

"The encouraging factor of non-renewal of war in Karabakh, which would
undermine the regional security, is the consent of the conflicting
parties with the proposal of the OSCE Minsk Group to adopt three
main provisions of the UN Charter as basic principles of resolution
of the Karabakh conflict: nonuse of force, territorial integrity and
self-determination of nations.

The peaceful process in the South Caucasus is affected by the
continuous dialogue between heads of states of Armenia and Azerbaijan,
and support of presidents of Russia, the United States and France,
as well as advice from the co-chairs of the Minsk Group.

Paradigm of war " rather than" the paradigm of peace is in the basis
of the settlement and resolution of the Karabakh conflict, he said.

This approach keeps the peaceful resolution of the conflict in the
counter-format "the threat of renewed war". To a large extent this
can be explained by the fact that the Azerbaijani side as the basic
compromise submits its willingness not to resume hostilities.

"This approach, based on "the paradigm of war", lacks incentives
for Azerbaijan to counter equivalent compromise aimed at realistic
advancement towards lasting peace. This may explain the repeated abuse
of the Azerbaijani side of the ceiling of offensive arms established by
the CFE Treaty, as well as the open propaganda of intensive preparation
of the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan to the resumption of war, not only
for the domestic audience, but also at the international tribune,
" Mr. Kotanjyan said.

However, he stressed that uninterrupted dialogue between Serzh Sargsyan
and Ilham Aliyev is an important tool to resolve the Karabakh conflict,
in regard to establishing the atmosphere of mutual understanding and
trust in the region.

"A productive dialogue between the U.S. and Russia, President Barack
Obama and Dmitry Medvedev, on the basis of "a paradigm of peace "
and the principle of "smart power " opens a unique opportunity for
the South Caucasus countries to contribute to the construction of
balanced regional security, creating conditions for lasting peace
secured through the equivalent mutual compromise, as well as programs
for regional and trans-regional cooperation, " Hayk Kotanjyan stressed.

ARARATBANK TO OPERATE A MINI SALE CENTERS IN YEREVAN

PanARMENIAN.Net
21.10.2009 18:39 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Araratbank which, over the past 2 years, increased
the number of its branches from 2 to 27, is now planning to broaden
its network by operating mini sale centers in Yerevan communities
and Armenian regions, the bank’s press service reports.

"Establishment of mini sales centers is aimed at making bank services
accessible to all groups of population, exempting them from visiting
Araratbank’s central office or large branch," says the bank release.

Mini centers will be equipped with high quality banking technologies,
facilitating client operations, including money transfers, utility
payments, plastic card operations etc.

TURKEY SCRAMBLES TO SOOTH AZERBAIJAN AFTER ARMENIA DEAL

Agence France Presse
Oct 19 2009

Turkey Monday gave strong assurances that its support for close ally
Azerbaijan in the Nagorny Karabakh conflict with Armenia remains
unchanged despite reconciliation efforts between Ankara and Yerevan.

"Azeri soil is as sacred for us as our own and liberating this soil
from occupation is one of our primary national issues," Foreign
Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told reporters.

"Even if the skies fall down, Turkey’s position will not change… Our
policy on ending the occupation… will continue until the problem
is resolved," he said.

Azerbaijan, linked to Turkey with close ethnic and economic bonds, has
slammed the two protocols Ankara and Yerevan signed this month to end
decades of hostility, establish formal ties and open their border, wary
that Turkish support for its own dispute with Armenia will now wane.

Ankara sealed its border with Armenia in 1993 in a show of solidarity
with Baku after ethnic Armenian separatists, backed by Yerevan,
seized the Nagorny Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts
from Azerbaijan in a war that claimed an estimated 30,000 lives.

Turkish media at the weekend quoted Azeri President Ilham Aliyev
as saying that Baku was no longer happy with selling natural gas to
Turkey at low prices and would consider routes other than Turkey to
ship gas to Europe.

Reports also said Turkish flags were removed from a Baku cemetery,
where Turkish soldiers who fought for Azerbaijan in the early 20th
century are buried.

Commenting on Aliyev’s remarks on gas, Davutoglu said: "The
negotiations are continuing… I believe we will reach a positive
outcome."

He also said that Azeri authorities had told Ankara that Turkish flags
at the cemetery were taken down temporarily as part of maintainance.

Ankara’s bridge-building with Yerevan faces strong opposition also
at home, with nationalists accusing the government of selling out
Azerbaijan, whose alliance with Turkey is often described as "one
nation, two states."

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that progress in resolving
the Nagorny Karabakh conflict will be a determinining factor in the
Turkish parliament’s ratification of the deals with Armenia.

The protocols, which will take effect only after they are ratified
by the legislatures of both countries, are expected to be submitted
to Turkey’s parliament this week, but a vote is unlikely soon.

ONLY 2 MORE DAYS LEFT: INTERNATIONAL MUSIC FESTIVAL IN YEREVAN

Tert
Oct 20 2009
Armenia

Third International Music Festival held at Komitas Chamber Music Hall
in Yerevan will present a chamber music concert on October 22 with the
participation of Armenian and foreign renowned musicians, including
pianist Ashley Wass (Great Britain), violinist Dayshin Kashimoto
(Japan), altist Alexander Chaushyan (Great Britain), as well as
Nikoghayos Vardanyan, Karen Kocharyan, Mary Margaryan and others.

Music by Chaushyan, Shutakovich and Brams will be included in the
concert program.

On October 23, Ashley Wass, Dayshin Kashimoto and Alexander Chaushyan
will perform with the accompaniment of the state philharmonic orchestra
at Aram Khachatryan hall presenting works by Beethoven, Harutyunyan
and Profokyev. This will be the closing concert of the festival.

MILITARY DRILLS ARE OVER

tary-drills
09:07 pm | October 16, 2009

Official

Serzh Sargsyan followed up on the final phase of the "Cooperation 2009"
military drills organized by the Rapid Reaction Collective Forces
of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) held at the
"Maribulak" range in Kazakhstan.

The military drills held on October 12-16 in Kazakhstan were the first
drills after the creation of the Rapid Reaction Forces. Armenia took
part in the drills with one battalion and officers, making up a total
of 110 soldiers.

The CSTO command headquarters and the command staff of the military
drills praised the Armenian soldiers’ participation and their combative
readiness.

Following up on the final phase of the "Cooperation 2009" military
drills were the presidents of the CSTO-member countries, including the
Republic of Armenia, the Russian Federation, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan
and Kyrgyzstan.

The heads of member states praised the results of the military drills
and underlined once again that the creation of the Rapid Reaction
Collective Forces conveyed new content to the Collective Security
Treaty Organization.

The delegation headed by Serzh Sargsyan returned to Yerevan today in
the evening.

ARMROSGAZPROM AUTHORIZED CAPITAL STOCK REACHES $1 BILLION

PanARMENIAN.Net
20.10.2009 14:07 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ ArmRosgazprom’s authorized capital stock has reached
$1 billion, the company’s chairman of the board said.

"Investments in the company totaled $700-750 million during past 4
years," Karen Karapetyan told a news conference on October 20.

At that, he noted that such results became possible thanks to
consistent and successful implementation of three-year $548.8 million
emission campaign.

RA PRIME MINISTER TIGRAN SARGSYAN RECEIVED CO-CHAIR OF THE ARMENIA-UKRAINE INTERGOVERNMENTAL COMMISSION ON TRADE AND ECONOMIC COOPERATION, UKRAINIAN MINISTER OF INDUSTRIAL POLICY VLADIMIR NOVICKI

Frid ay, 16 October 2009

In greeting the guest, the head of government indicated that there
is a good outlook for bilateral trade considering that much of the
existing potential remains unused.

The Prime Minister stressed that the intergovernmental commission
needs extra momentum which in turn can boost bilateral ties. Mindful
of developing direct linkages between individual regions, Tigran
Sargsyan highlighted Kharkiv governor’s recent visit to Armenia.

Notwithstanding the global crisis-caused downturn in bilateral
trade turnover as recorded in the first semester of 2009, commodity
circulation was said to be short of the actual economic potential
of our two countries. It was stressed that intergovernmental
commission-backed efforts should be taken to expand them in future.

Mechanical engineering, aviation, agriculture, transport, information
technologies, science and education, culture and health care were
cited on either side as priority areas of improved cooperation.

The head of the Armenian government expressed hope that by stepping up
its efforts, the intergovernmental commission may help boost economic
interaction to the mutual benefit of the two nations.

ANKARA RELUCTANT TO BE BAKU’S ETERNAL HOSTAGE

PanARMENIAN.Net
19.10.2009 16:47 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "If we take an optimistic view, we can say that
Armenian-Turkish rapprochement and border opening may contribute
to settlement of Karabakh conflict. That may break Armenian
society’s stereotypes in relation to Turks," Conciliation Resources
organization’s Caucasus Project manager Laurence Broers told a
PanARMENIAN.Net reporter.

Even though Turkey has for many years supported Azerbaijan’s position
on Karabakh conflict, it is necessary to realize that Ankara does
not want its foreign policy to be Baku’s hostage. "It’s hard now to
estimate Azerbaijan’s influence upon Turkey. Signing of Protocols on
the normalization of Armenian-Turkish ties showed that the pressure
was not so strong as it seemed," he noted.

Expert also stressed the importance of establishing contacts between
Armenian and Azerbaijani societies, noting that civil society
discussions in both countries would produce their results.