Author: Nahapetian Zhanna

UN MAY ADOPT GUAM’S DRAFT RESOLUTION ON "FROZEN CONFLICTS"

PanARMENIAN.Net
31.07.2007 20:10 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ There exists a great possibility that the GUAM
proposed draft resolution on "frozen conflicts" will be adopted by the
UN General Assembly without voting, Assistant to Georgia’s permanent
representative in the United Nations Alexander Chelidze stated. The
diplomat said, currently active consultations are on the way in the
UN with GUAM’s allies. "We are holding intensive talks with a certain
group of countries, particularly with Baltic and Eastern European
states. And there exists a possibility that they will support our
resolution. As to key UN players they have repeatedly stated that
the main priority is the territorial integrity of states.

Thus, in his latest interview Russia’s permanent representative
in the United Nations Vitali Churkin noted that the territorial
integrity of states is not a subject for discussions. True, he was
speaking about the conflict in Kosovo, however, Churkin’s words
may be referred to all "frozen conflicts", Chelidze underscored. He
also reminded according to UN rules no consensus is necessary for
adopting this or that resolution in the General Assembly. The Georgian
diplomat says adoption of the draft resolution on "frozen conflicts"
is useful for two reasons. "First, it will draw the attention of the
world community to activities of a young organization, GUAM and will
create resonance. From the other hand, this document will introduce
necessary corrections in approaches of such structures like OSCE, which
are involved in conflict settlement processes," Chelidze underlined,
APA reports.

ARMAN BAKLACHYAN WON THE INTERNATIONAL BILLIARD CUP

armradio.am
30.07.2007 15:26

Arman Baklachyan of Yerevan won the International Billiard Cup
competition held in Moscow, featuring more than 50 sportsmen from
the Commonwealth of Independent States and Eastern countries. This
is his first victory of this scale.

Arman Baklachyan is the billiard champion of Armenia.

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister believes progress can be made by year end

armradio.am
28.07.2007 12:10

`Opportunities for the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict have
not run out and progress can be made by year-end,’ Azerbaijani Foreign
Minister Elmar Mammadyarov said in the interview to local TV channels.

The Minister does not agree with OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs who
consider that elections in Azerbaijan and Armenia in 2008 will impede
the process of negotiations.

Expecting good results from the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs’ meeting in
Moscow on August 2, the Minister said that American Co-Chair Mathew
Bryza will visit Azerbaijan after the meeting to present the Co-Chairs’
proposals.
`Everyone knows that it is a very delicate issue. I think if there is
political will, progress can be made,’ he said.

Noting that Matthew Bryza’s visit to Baku mainly aims at debating
bilateral relations, Elmar Mammadyarov underlined that the Karabakh
conflict will also be debated during his visit.

The Daily Telegraph (LONDON)
July 28, 2007 Saturday

Dark history, suffocating love and mouthwatering food

by Robert Colvile

The Bastard of Istanbul
by Elif Shafak
360pp, Penguin, pounds 16.99
T pounds 14.99 (plus pounds 1.25 p&p) 0870 428 4112

Over the years, I’ve read a few modern novels that could be described
as criminally bad – but The Bastard of Istanbul is the first that’s
got its author put on trial. Elif Shafak’s crime was to use, or
rather have her characters use, words such as "genocide” in relation
to the pogrom against the Armenians that accompanied the dawn of the
Turkish state. This, under Turkey’s nationalistic legal code, was
tantamount to denigrating Turkishness, although Shafak avoided a
three-year jail sentence when the judge dismissed the case for lack
of evidence. (Shafak was heavily pregnant during the trial.)

If it is shocking that authors can be put on trial for what they
write (as has happened to many other writers and journalists in
Turkey, most famously Orhan Pamuk), it is also oddly appropriate,
given the subject of this novel. The central question in The Bastard
of Istanbul is whether it is best to disinter the past, with all the
trauma and pain that entails, or cut ourselves off from it. It is a
dilemma personified by two girls just emerging from their teens –
Asya, the illegitimate Turkish child of the title, and Armanoush, an
Armenian-American whose divorced mother took up with a Turk – Asya’s
uncle – mostly to spite her former in-laws.

Both girls are smothered by the suffocating love of their respective
clans (Asya’s aunts, especially, are "a pack of female animals forced
to live together”). But they differ over their attitude to the past.
Armanoush, seeking to explore her Armenian identity and confront the
Turkish oppressors, makes a daring trip to Istanbul. Asya, with a
blank space where a father should be, prefers not to explore her
roots. Each attitude is reflected more widely: Armanoush is egged on
by a crew of embittered Armenian message-board buddies from the US,
whereas Asya’s friends in Istanbul’s Café Kundera can offer sympathy
but not remorse for the fate of the Armenians.

All this talk of history and identity might suggest that this is a
rather po-faced novel. In fact, Shafak is a sprightly author,
generous with the comic touches – I particularly liked the San
Francisco restaurant in which the dishes are arranged to resemble
great Expressionist paintings. Indeed, the narrative is laced with a
mouthwatering appreciation of food.

The atmosphere is rich and slightly off-kilter: the story of the
Armenians’ expulsion is narrated by Armanoush, but confirmed to
Asya’s soothsayer aunt by the djinn who sits on her shoulder. When
Armanoush says of her trip to Turkey that she feels "like I am in a
Gabriel García Márquez novel”, the sensation is familiar.

Towards the end, the novel swings from the political to the personal,
as Shafak reveals buried secrets and unexpected ties between the two
families, both of which feel rather clichéd. Things aren’t helped by
the re-entry into the narrative of Rose, Armanoush’s mother, who is a
caricature of the insular American – the kind of woman who will take
a cactus-shaped bottle of Mexican sauce to Istanbul in case the food
isn’t any good. But this is still an engrossing novel, and one can
only hope that its author’s courage in tackling this subject, and
defending herself from an unmerited prosecution, will hasten the
abandonment of an unconscionable taboo.

TURKEY WILL NOT LAUNCH LARGE-SCALE OPERATION IN IRAQ

PanARMENIAN.Net
27.07.2007 14:49 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Turkey will not launch a large-scale operation in
Northern Iraq, Director of the Institute of Oriental Studies at the
RA Academy of Sciences, Dr Ruben Safrastyan told a news conference
July 27. There are several political and economic reasons for it,
according to him.

"The commodity turnover between Turkey and Iraq makes $2,7
billion. Many deputies of the new parliament are of Kurdish origin,"
Safrastyan noted.

"Ankara will probably increase pressure on Baghdad and deploy troops
at the border but it will not launch a large-scale operation. Turkey
is a state with army, power, science and policy. However, the most
horrifying thing is that this state is connected to criminals whose
aim is to preserve Turkey as in Ataturk’s time," Dr Safrastyan said
adding that Agos editor Hrant Dink fell victim to this union, IA
Regnum reports.

ITALY HAMPERS ARMENIAN SPORTSMAN

A1+
[01:22 pm] 26 July, 2007

The Italian Embassy in Yerevan did not allow the Armenian national
girls’ basketball team (14-16 years) to leave for Italian Chieti city
to participate in European Championship. Earlier the Irish Embassy
in Moscow did not allow Armenian national hokey team to participate
in World Championship in Ireland.

The Armenian girls’ basketball team was to participate in European
Championship for the first time. The coach of the team Edik Vardanyan
said that the team was involved in Group D where they were to compete
with the national teams of Germany, Israel and Romania.

On 27 July Armenia was to play with Germany. The Embassy did not
motivate the reason of denial first, but when the FIBA interfered,
the employees of the Embassy explained that the passports of the
Armenian girls caused suspicion. The Armenian national team received
an invitation from the Italian Basketball Federation and Committee
of tournament. Armenia was obliged to take part in the tournament
which would promote the development of basketball in Armenia.

Vahagn Harutunyan, director of Armenian Basketball Federation,
mentioned that it was a shock for the team. "We wonder how they made
such a decision in 21-st century. This is a professional sport and
Armenia was obliged to take in part in the tournament. We were not
leaving as tourists; we were to participate in European Championship,
like other countries". Harutunyan mentioned that the girls were also
upset with it: "They were waiting for the tour impatiently, since they
were to participate in a European Championship for the first time".

TURKEY MUST MOVE FAST TO AVOID EU SETBACKS
By Paul Taylor

Gulf Times, Qatar
July 26 2007

BRUSSELS: Turkey faces a potential ‘triple whammy’ of blows to its
European Union membership bid later this year unless re-elected Prime
Minister Tayyip Erdogan moves quickly to enact human rights reforms,
EU diplomats say.

Ankara’s accession talks, launched in October 2005, have already been
slowed to a trickle by the suspension of part of the negotiations
over its refusal to open its ports and airports to traffic from EU
member Cyprus.

Now the Turks face a negative European Commission progress report,
renewed pressure from Cyprus, and French demands for the EU to discuss
setting final borders, with Turkey on the outside.

"Erdogan needs to push laws through the new parliament on freedom of
expression, the rights of religious minorities and other fundamental
freedoms quickly to give the Commission something positive to report,"
a senior EU official said.

Without that, the annual progress report due on November 7 is bound
to conclude that reforms have virtually ceased over the last year,
he said.

EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn made the point forcefully in
congratulating Erdogan on Sunday’s landslide general election victory
for his Islamist-rooted AK party.

"We need in particular to see concrete results in areas of fundamental
freedoms such as freedom of expression and religious freedom," he
told a news conference.

"I trust that the new government in Turkey will immediately relaunch
the reform process so we can produce results (before) our next progress
report in early November."

Joost Lagendijk, co-chairman of the EU-Turkey Joint Parliamentary
Assembly, said the top priority was to amend or abolish article 301 of
the Penal Code, used repeatedly to prosecute writers and journalists
for "insulting Turkishness".

That law was used to prosecute Nobel prize winning author Orhan Pamuk
and to convict Turkish-Armenian editor Hrant Dink, later murdered,
for expressing peaceful views on the mass killing of Armenians by
Ottoman Turks in 1915.

A long-stalled law on religious foundations giving more rights to
Christian and other minorities and better treatment to the Orthodox
Ecumenical Patriarch in Istanbul is another priority, Lagendijk said.

Turkish political commentators say Erdogan will face resistance from
a nationalist opposition, whose acquiescence he needs to get his
candidate for president chosen by parliament.

The presidency, though armed with few executive powers, is a potent
symbol of secularism for a conservative establishment that suspects
Erdogan of harbouring a secret Islamist agenda.

The prime minister must also tread carefully with a military suspicious
of his Islamist past and nervous about some EU-driven reforms. The
AK party has cut back the generals’ formal state powers under these
reforms, but they remain a force on the political stage.

Erdogan could win more European goodwill by withdrawing some troops
from northern Cyprus, making a concession on trade with Cyprus or
opening Turkey’s border with Armenia, but such moves seem unlikely
as they would inflame nationalist sentiment.

Diplomats said Cyprus and France would likely jump on a critical
European Commission report to demand further sanctions against Turkey
or a rethink of its candidacy. – Reuters

"IRAN IS READY TO PROVIDE ASSISTANCE TO NEGOTIATION PROCESS OF KARABAKH CONFLICT SETTLEMENT," MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN SAYS

Noyan Tapan
Jul 23, 2007

YEREVAN, JULY 23, NOYAN TAPAN. Serge Sargsian, the RA Prime Minister,
received Manuchehr Mottaki, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the
Islamic Republic of Iran and Co-Chairman of the Inter-Governmental
Commission for the Coordination of Armenian-Iranian Relations, and
the delegation headed by him on Juty 20. At the beginning of the
meeting Manuchehr Mottaki, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the
Islamic Republic of Iran, conveyed the greetings of Parviz Davudi,
the first Vice President of Iran and the re-affirmation of the visit
of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran
to the RA Prime Minister. The Foreign Minister expressed hope that
the RA Prime Minister will accept the invitation and that they will
receive the RA NA Speaker and the RA Prime Minister in their country
as guests by the end of the year.

Serge Sargsian thanked him and accepted the invitation, attaching
importance to the bilateral high ranking mutual visits from the point
of view of a further strengthening of Armenian-Iranian relations. The
Prime Minister congratulated on the occasion of organizing the seventh
sitting of the Inter-Governmental Commission for the Coordination of
Armenian-Iranian Relations, considering the circumstance of appointing
the Foreign Minister at the post of the Chairman of the Commission as
a step directed at making the work of the Commission more productive
and strengthening Armenian-Iranian relations. In case of active work,
according to the RA Prime Minister, the Inter-Governmental Commission
can play a considerable role in the increase of commodity circulation
between the two countries, implementation of mutually beneficial
and prospective programs in a number of spheres, and in bringing
the arrangements made by the Presidents of Armenia and Iran to life,
in particular.

M. Mottaki mentioned that the implementation of infrastructural
programs greatly contributes to the development of bilateral relations
and considered the cooperation in the sphere of energy as a model one
in this respect. He as well attached importance to the increase in
volume of commodity circulation and mentioned that currently Iran
has over 10 billion dollars worth of commodity circulation with
different countries of the world and that it imports goods of about
40 billion dollars. "We consider the increase in the import volumes
from Armenia to Iran in the sphere of foreign trade as primary for
Iran," Iran’s Minister of Foreign Affairs said and added that there
are a lot of opportunities and potential, that have not been used so
far. According to him, Armenia can also become a country re-exporting
to Iran. He also mentioned the fact that goods of different countries
costing over 11 billion dollars have been exported to Iran from the
Arabic Emirates only in 2006.

The Minister of Foteign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of
Iran attached importance to the conclusion of an agreement
concerning the free commercial regime between the two countries,
which has become a topic for discussion in the sitting of the
Inter-Governmental Commission as well: they have been ordered to
prepare the document for signing in a very definite period, that is,
during two months. M. Mottaki also spoke about the prospectiveness
of cooperation in the bank system and implementation of mutually
beneficial programs in the sphere of transport, and stressed with
regard to the latter that Iran entitles Armenia to a great role in
the North-South transport passage.

M. Mottaki also informed the RA Prime Minister about the process
of negotiations concerning the program of nuclear energy of Iran,
and stressed that his country is for the settlement of any problem
through negotiations.

As for the Karabakh conflict settlement, the position of Iran,
in the conviction of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, is the same,
and taking into consideration this position, Iran is ready to provide
assistance for the negotiation process if necessary.

Serge Sargsian attached importance to the establishment of peace
and stability in the region as soon as possible and mentioned that
Armenia has always stressed and appreciated the role of Iran, which
has adopted a balanced position in providing peace and stability in
the region. "The economic development of a region, which is full of
dangers, cannot be compared with the one in a stable and safe region,"
the RA Prime Minister said. He stressed that the approach of Armenia is
the same: it is for the settlement of the problem through negotiations
and compromises.

RA PRESIDENT IS SURE THAT COGNITION OF REGION WILL CONTRIBUTE TO SUCCESSFUL IMPLEMENTATION OF RUDOLF PERINA’S HIGH MISSION

Noyan Tapan
Jul 23, 2007

YEREVAN, JULY 23, NOYAN TAPAN. Ambassador Rudolf Perina, the
U.S. Co-Chairman of the OSCE Minsk Group and the Charge d’Affaires of
the United States in Armenia at present, is happy about the fact that
he is in Armenia again and is enjoying the opportunity to work in the
direction of the development of Armenian-American bilateral cooperation
this time. This statement was made by Rudolf Perina during the meeting
with Robert Kocharian, the RA President, which was held on July 20.

Robert Kocharian in his turn expressed confidence that the cognition
of Armenia and the region will contribute to the successful
implementation of Rudolf Perina’s high mission and expansion of
constructive cooperation.

According to the information provided to Noyan Tapan by the RA
President’s Press Office, the parties also discussed the agenda of
Armenian-American relations and touched upon regional issues during
the meeting.

MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA
—————————————— —-
PRESS AND INFORMATION DEPARTMENT
Telephone: +37410. 544041 ext 202
Fax: +37410. 562543
Email: [email protected]

State ment of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia
on presidential elections in Nagorno Karabakh
21-07-07

We welcome the presidential elections held in Nagorno Karabakh on July 19.
Nearly 80% of the people of Nagorno Karabakh participated in these
elections. These elections are the most recent in some dozen presidential,
parliamentary, and local election polls, as well as a constitutional
referendum, held since 1991.

This is just one expression of the commitment the people of Nagorno Karabakh
have made to democracy and rule of law. Legitimately elected authorities
have succeeded in securing the safety and stability of that region even in
the absence of a permanent settlement.

Various OSCE and other international documents clearly indicate that not
only should Nagorno Karabakh be a party to settlement negotiations, but that
their elected authorities should represent them.

To dismiss these or any elections is disingenuous and simply contrary to
modern political values. Further, rejection cannot be understood given the
fact that in other areas of the world, in places where final political
status and settlement are also absent, such elections are indeed supported,
promoted, observed and encouraged.

The people of Nagorno Karabakh remain committed to resolving the Nagorno
Karabakh conflict through negotiations to reach a peaceful, lasting
settlement.

Unlike in other conflicts, in Karabakh, the population has always had to
ensure its own security without the help of the international community. In
the same way, they have also succeeded in securing their own democratic
processes and domestic stability.