Author: Nahapetian Zhanna

THERE WAS NO AZERI PROTEST ACTION AGAINST ARMENIAN FM VISIT TO SWEDEN

PanARMENIAN.Net
10.11.2008 12:27 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ There was no action organized by the Azeri community
of Sweden to protest the visit of Armenian Foreign Minister Edward
Nalbandian, the RA MFA press office told PanARMENIAN.Net

Azeri media has circulated misinformation which surprised both Armenia
and Sweden, it said.

As reported by some Azeri media, on the eve of the meeting, "the Azeri
diaspora gathered to protest the visit of Edward Nalbandian. After the
action, the demonstrators handed a statement on Armenian aggression
against Azerbaijan to the Swedish MFA."

QUOTES OF THE WEEK

Agence France Presse
November 7, 2008 Friday 12:55 AM GMT

WHAT’S IN A NAME?

"When I was a candidate with an impossible name in 1983, the Communist
Party said: ‘Devedjian is an alien’".

— The leader of French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s UMP party, Patrick
Devedjian, who is of Armenian origin, on the chances of a candidate
of foreign origin in French politics.

PRESIDENT SARGSYAN VISITED ARARAT MARZ

RIA OREANDA
Nov 6 2008
Russia

Yerevan. OREANDA-NEWS . On November 01, 2008, President Serzh Sargsyan
conducted a working visit to Ararat marz, reported the Official
website .

The President of Armenia visited the sturgeon and trout raising farms
of Unifish LLC, situated on the territory of Sayat-Nova and Ranchpar
communities. He toured the premises and familiarized with the quarters
for sturgeon and trout breeding.

Serzh Sargsyan discussed with the leadership of the company and the
marz the possibilities of increasing the production and the export
opportunities.

The President of Armenia visited also Noramarg community of Masis
region. Here the works on the cleaning of the Hrazdan river bed and
enforcement of its banks, which were launched in May, have reached
the point of conclusion. The President observed the works, and talked
to the flood-stricken residents of Noramarg.

Serzh Sargsyan visited also the Artashat Can Factory, toured its
facilities, and observed the processing works. Through the efforts
of the Factorys management, the can factory in Ayrum also resumed
its operations in August of this year.

At the conclusion of his visit, the President of Armenia held a
working meeting at the administrative center of Ararat marz with the
participation of the leadership of the relevant state structures and
the processing companies, related to the development of the agro and
processing system.

ACCORDING TO MKRTICH MINASIAN, MOSCOW DECLARATION BROUGHT PRINCIPLES OF TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY AND SELF-DETERMINATION OF NATIONS TO FIELD OF EQUALITY

Noyan Tapan

Nov 7, 2008

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 7, NOYAN TAPAN. In the opinion of Mkrtich Minasian,
member of the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) and the National
Assembly "RPA" faction, the Moscow Declaration has brought the
principles of territorial integrity and self-determination of nations
to a field of equality. As he said at the November 7 press conference,
no preference should be given to either of these principles. "If you
remember, some time ago there were discussions that the president
Serzh Sargsyan would sign a document with a point about Azerbaijan’s
territorial integrity. However, thank God, no such document was
signed," the RPA member said.

The other positive aspect of the Declaration, according to him,
is that the sides agreed to settle the conflict exclusively in a
peaceful way. M. Minasian pointed out the provision about continuing
the negotiations in the format of the OSCE Minsk Group as the third
favorable point for Armenia.

In response to the question about who of the RPA members will be
included in the fact-finding group on inquiry into the March 1 events,
M. Minasian replied that 2-3 candidacies are being discussed but he
declined to name these persons.

SIMONIAN TO CONDUCT PARSIAN IN VIVALDI’S "FOUR SEASONS"

Tehran Times
Nov 5 2008
Iran

TEHRAN — Iran’s Parsian Orchestra will perform Vivaldi’s "The Four
Seasons" under the direction of Armenian guest conductor Merujan
Simonian at Tehran’s Vahdat Hall on November 6 and 7.

In a press conference held here on Monday, the spokesman for the
orchestra elaborated on the program and said, "The string ensemble,
established in 2002, so far has performed works by Iranian and
foreign composers and we are pleased that after these few years we
have established a reputation such that Iranian and foreign conductors
want to collaborate with us."

"Violin soloist Khachik Babaiian and harpsichord soloist Zarmik
Babaiian are among the group’s members who will perform Antonio
Vivaldi’s ‘The Four Seasons’ (Italian: Le quattro stagioni)," he added.

He also explained that they were planning to give a three-night
performance but since performing the piece is a difficult task for
the soloists, it was reduced to two performances.

Simonian was the next to speak and said, "I was invited to conduct
the Parsian Orchestra a while ago and since I had no idea about it,
I asked several friends to provide me with some albums by the ensemble.

"After listening to their performances, I became interested in
collaborating. I did not think there would be such an accomplished
string ensemble like this in Iran," he noted.

He also added that Iran has always given great assistance to Armenian
society, "I hope I can compensate for part of their kindness through
cooperating with this orchestra."

Maestro Maziar Zahireddini also remarked that the Parsian Orchestra
only gives three or four performances every year and this is the
reason they don’t feel the need to have a permanent conductor.

EU MOBILIZING ON NABUCCO
Barcin Yinanc

Turkish Daily News
Nov 4 2008
Turkey

European Commissioner for Energy Andris Piebalgs is set to tour
countries that can supply the gas for the notorious Nabucco pipeline;
the project European Union hopes will ease its dependence on Russian
energy sources.

Piebalgs will go to Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan. He will also come
to Ankara tomorrow, the day EU’s progress report on Turkey will
be released, and Thursday he will hold talks with Hilmi Guler, the
Energy Minister. He might also meet with President Abdullah Gul as
well as Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, since he has asked for
an appointment with both of them. I am pretty sure he will be accorded
these appointments since the meeting of the leaders of long-time foes
Azerbaijan and Armenia in Moscow should have sounded the alarm bells
in both Brussels and Ankara.

There has been very little progress on the Nabucco pipeline project,
which is intended to transport Caspian energy resources to Europe
via Turkey. The EU has been blaming Turkey for the disagreement on
the pricing mechanism. Turkey, on the other hand, has been blaming
the EU for the absence of a common energy policy, which has led to a
lack of political will toward Nabucco. The fact that some of the same
countries in the Nabucco project have also been flirting with Russia
regarding alternative pipeline routes has led to question marks on
the EU’s commitment to Nabucco.

The Russian assault in Georgia, seen as a disproportionate reaction
to Georgia’s offensive, is also perceived by Europeans as an effort
to control oil and gas supplies to Europe. The war seems to have
served as an eye opener for the need of diversification. According to
Turkish officials, the EU has started to focus again on Nabucco and
work has picked up to finalize the intergovernmental agreement on the
legal framework for the project by the end of the year. A technical
delegation from the EU was in Ankara 10 days ago, prior to the visit
of Piebalgs.

Unable to have a unified stand against Russia during the summer
conflict, it remains to be seen to what degree they can pull their
act together on Nabucco. And even if this time they decide to give
the project more momentum, the recent mobilization on the part of the
protagonists for the Nabucco project might mean too little, too late.

The talks between Azeri and Armenian leaders convened by Russia’s
president to settle the dispute over Nagorno-Karabagh is not just a
result of Moscow’s affection for peace in its near abroad. Russia’s
mediation effort is rather based on its effort to control the oil
and gas supplies to Europe by re-establishing its influence in the
crucial energy corridor. After having exploited energy-rich former
Soviet republics, Gazprom has told Azerbaijan as well as Turkmenistan
that it was ready to pay higher European market prices for their gas.

They are now offering another incentive to the Azeri leadership: a
solution to the Nagorno-Karabagh problem. With its latest diplomatic
and economic offensive, Russia seems to be leading in the energy
game. Then again, this is a game too complicated to predict the
winners in advance.

HURRIYET DAILY NEWS: TURKEY AND AZERBAIJAN SEEM WILLING TO RESOLVE THEIR POLITICAL DIFFERENCES WITH ARMENIA

PanARMENIAN.Net
04.11.2008 17:59 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Two regional allies, Turkey and Azerbaijan, seem
willing to resolve their political differences with neighboring
Armenia, as they prepare to review the policy of rapprochement with
Yerevan, writes Fulya Ozerkan, an observer for Hurriyet Daily News

"Ankara is readying to host re-elected Azerbaijani leader, Ilham
Aliyev, on Wednesday, when the two allies will discuss measures to
bring stability to the Caucasus, along with a rapprochement with
Armenia.

Turkey’s diplomatic move follows the latest agreement in Moscow between
the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan to intensify efforts for a
resolution of their dispute over Nagorno Karabakh.

The meeting in Ankara is expected to give rise to political
consultations in the region in search of a final settlement to the
Nagorno Karabakh conflict. Foreign Minister Ali Babacan will soon
travel to Moscow, sources say.

Analysts yesterday praised Turkey’s "facilitator" role in the Caucasus,
on top of the world agenda last August during the Russia-Georgia war
and said that the upcoming months could see a diplomatic opening in
ties between Ankara and Yerevan," the article says.

That would not be a surprise, according Hasan Kanbolat, a Caucasus
expert at the Ankara-based Center for Eurasia Studies.

"Ankara wants the gradual pullout of Armenian troops from Azerbaijani
territory and recognition by Armenia of Turkish territorial
integrity. The current leadership in Yerevan is ready for a
compromise," said Kanbolat.

A possible normalization in Turkish-Armenian relations is believed to
have positive implications over the Nagorno Karabakh problem, already
negotiated under the Organization for Security and Cooperation in
Europe’s Minsk Group

"The Nagorno Karabakh conflict is standing as an obstacle before the
Caucasus policy of Russia and the United States," said Sedat Laciner,
president of the International Strategic Research Organization. He
underlined the Russian-led initiative would not be enough for a final
solution to the problem.

Kanbolat said the latest agreement in Moscow was only a reflection
of Russia’s rising political influence in the Caucasus region and
agreed that the dispute could not be peacefully resolved.

The Russia-Georgia war has accelerated diplomatic traffic in the
Caucasus for a peaceful resolution to the problem. Turkey has come
up with a Caucasus plan in the wake of the war to bring conflicted
parties around a single table. But the Moscow declaration shows
Russia’s involvement as a broker in resolving frozen conflicts in
the former Soviet Union.

"Turkey, Armenia and Azerbaijan cannot challenge Russia in the
Caucasus," said Laciner. "Turkey is playing a policy of balance
between the United States and Russia," he said, underlining that
Ankara cannot act as a mediator in the Nagorno Karabakh conflict
since it has defended the Azerbaijani thesis since the very beginning.

PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Contact: V.Rev.Fr.Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Officer
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E- mail: [email protected]
Web:

PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon

Armenian version: nian.htm

"IT IS NOT MY SERVICE THAT IS BEING PRAISED TODAY, IT IS THAT OF THE
CATHOLICOSATE OF CILICIA"

SAYS HIS HOLINESS ARAM I DURING THE EVENT DEDICATED TO
THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY OF HIS SPIRITUAL SERVICE

As part of his official visit to Iran, His Holiness Aram I presided over the
grand ceremony held in the "Sasountsi Tavit" hall of the "Ararat" complex in
Tehran in celebration of 40 years of his unwavering service as a servant of
the Armenian Church.

The event was launched with the Lord’s Prayer following by Bishop Papken
Tcharian’s (Primate of the Diocese of Isfahan) welcoming remarks. The Bishop
presented His Holiness Aram I in the words of an utterly grateful son. "Your
children surround you today with deep-held feelings of gratitude to bear
witness that you have fulfilled their hopes and dreams with your spiritual
leadership, your cultural achievements, your activities in our church and
national life. The Armenian church and Armenian life are richer today with
your presence; the Armenian church glows with further radiance today in
foreign countries and in the families of other churches," said the Primate.

The Primate of the Diocese of Azerbaijan, Bishop Neshan Topouzian spoke
about the Pontiff’s spiritual service through a brief biographical sketch.
Said Bishop Topuzian: "During the past decade, the kind and loyal servant in
the first instance decorated and beautified the home closest to his heart,
the Mother Church of the Catholicosate of Cilicia in Antelias, the Bikfaya
Seminary and all the structures adjacent to the Catholicosate. The words of
the late Catholicos Zareh I were put into action and Antelias did not turn
become immobile because you are its heart and spirit."

The Primate of the Diocese of Tehran presented a lecture on the work of His
Holiness Aram I. "One of the most important characteristics of His Holiness
Aram I’s personality is his dedication to hard work. This feature not only
became an indivisible part of his life, but also its pivot. It accompanied
him from his years as an elementary student to his Pontifical enthronement.
I remember from our years as students, Bedros, the acolyte, the Deacon Aram
Apegha, the Vartabed, Bishop, Archbishop and Catholicos transformed his life
into unwavering, continuous and steadfast work, which was naturally the
result of his faith, attachment and commitment to his faith and mission. In
the thought of His Holiness Aram I, work is one of the most noble mission by
which human beings give meaning to their lives," he said.

A well organized cultural program was put on with the participation of the
"Armenian woman" union , the "Zvartnots" Choir of the "Anahit" Union under
the artistic guidance of Edig Tamrazian and the "Ararat" Choir under the
artistic guidance of Rebecca Ashoughian. Nayiri Tilanian recited Vahakn
Tavtian’s "Zerouyts Naregatsou Hed."

The chairwoman of the Diocesan Council of the Diocese of Tehran, Dr. Aida
Hovhannissian, addressed the crowd with welcoming words on behalf of the
national councils of the three dioceses in Iran.

Taking to the stage, His Holiness Aram I highly praised the organizers of
the event and expressed his gratitude for the kind feelings and words
expressed during the event. However, he considered all that praise to be
directed towards the Catholicosate of Cilicia more than towards him
personally. He dedicated the tribute to his person to the Holy See of
Cilicia. "We are not gathered here today to glorify a person. Glorifying a
person runs counter to the principles of the Catholicosate of Cilicia. A
person becomes a value to the extent that he dedicates himself to the
achievement of holy values and purposes. A person’s service becomes true and
permanent when it is complemented by collective service through collective
life. The words of Antelias became its deeds, its deeds became its service;
the faith and vision of Antelias became its service and the idea of a free
and independent Armenia, the vision of an Armenia with the Armenian tricolor
flag became the spirit, path and purpose that carved the Catholicosate of
Cilicia’s mission of faith and national service. Today we bow in front of
our Holy See’s service and we should do so. All those who served with this
same spirit, with this same faith for 40 years, some of them left this world
and are gone but others continue to work with the same spirit, the same
vision. We will continue the course of our service always in the same spirit
of unity," said His Holiness Aram I.

Prior to the event His Holiness Aram I preceded over the opening of an
exhibition of photographs from Holy scriptures. The exhibition is being held
in the "Vatchig Gharapegian" Hall of the "Ararat" complex, on the occasion
of the Year of Christian Education.

##
View the photos here:
tos/Photos320.htm
*****
The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of
the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the dioceses of
the Cilician Catholicosate, you may refer to the web page of the
Catholicosate, The Cilician
Catholicosate, the administrative center of the church is located in
Antelias, Lebanon.

Armenia’s Choice: The Inalienable Diaspora
By Aram Adamyan MSc, MBA, ACCA, Toronto,

31 October 2008

Since the soccer match between the Armenian and Turkish teams in
Yerevan on September 6, 2008, diplomatic talks are conducted with an
unprecedented pace about a resolution over Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Following his return to Ankara, President Gul announced that he was
under the impression that President Sargsyan was ready to return
territories around Nagorno-Karabakh – areas that are currently under
the control of Armenian forces. Armenian authorities did not refute the
Turkish claim.

Sergey Lavrov – the Minister of Foreign affairs of Russia – after
returning from his recent visit to Yerevan, provided an interview to
the Russian newspaper Rossiyskaya Gazeta. He stated that the Armenian
economy greatly suffered from the unresolved Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,
because the borders with Turkey and Azerbaijan were closed. He went on
saying that it was very important for Armenia to find a solution to the
conflict. Lavrov, being the top diplomat of one of the three co-chair
countries of Minsk Group, also told that the document for the
resolution of the conflict is almost ready – only minor issues remain
to reach an agreement.

It is worth mentioning Russia’s prior stance of always maintaining its
acceptance of any resolution that was agreeable to all conflicting
parties. However, after recognizing the independence of South Ossetia
and Abkhazia, Russian authorities announced that they would acknowledge
the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. Another co-chair of the Minsk
group, representative of USA Matthew Bryza also mentioned that the
solution of the conflict is possible based on the territorial integrity
of Azerbaijan. In addition to above announcements by various diplomats,
Turkey actively participated in negotiations between Armenia and
Azerbaijan. Furthermore, it was one of the players during the
tripartite meeting in New York to discuss matters of common concern.

This was in contrast to previous tripartite talks in which Artsakh,
Armenia and Azerbaijan were involved. Nagorno-Karabakh, then, was
officially recognized as a party in its own right. Currently, however,
instead of Nagorno-Karabakh Turkey appears to be holding `the third
seat’ in negotiations. This trend is supported by both the West and
Russia; and within this context it makes sense why the Council of
Europe is so slow in its assessments of democratic principles and their
implementation by the Armenian Government – an issue that was initiated
after the brutal March events following the presidential election in
Armenia.

Russia had always harbored intransigence towards development of any
kind of cooperation between Armenia and its neighbors in the past.
Whereas, today, Russia is interested in opening the Armenian-Turkish
border. There are two interrelated reasons. First, after the recent war
the border with Georgia was closed. That effectively curtailed
Russia’s access to its Army base in Gyumri, Armenia. The alternatives
are through Iran, Azerbaijan or Turkey. The Iranian route is possible,
but it is costly; furthermore it is not reliable because of the
potential of USA striking Iran for its nuclear program. Thus, Russia is
seriously interested in the other two options which may even
materialize together. Incidentally, the Armenian railway network is run
by the Russians and Armenia has railway access both to Turkey and
Azerbaijan.

The second, and probably the overriding reason of Russia’s interest in
opening Armenian-Turkish border is the possibility of developing
pro-Russian stand in South Caucasus from Turkey and Azerbaijan. In
return, Russia will agree to Azerbaijani-Turkish approach in resolving
the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Prior to the Russo-Georgian war Armenia
having a good neighbourly relations with Turkey was viewed as an
impediment to Russia’s influence in South Caucasus; and stability in
the region could lead to an alternative route for transiting resources
to Europe. Following the war Russia found a window of opportunity of
expanding its influence at the expense of Armenia.

What are Armenia’s options while dark clouds are gathering? If
Armenians return the territories surrounding Karabakh then the security
of Artsakh as well as its contacts with Armenia will be seriously
damaged. It is rumored that international peacekeeping forces may be
deployed instead of Armenian forces in the area; that does not preclude
presence of Turkish Army units. What would Armenian’s reaction be?

Armenian lives were sacrificed to achieve a security zone sandwiched
between Armenia and Artsakh. Expecting Armenia to return those lands,
is asking almost the impossible. Is it illogical to counter such
expectations by the demand of implementing the Sevres treaty when
Azeris are expecting the return of territories through only diplomatic
measures? Will the Armenian authorities muster the courage and resolve
to oppose the grand players who are concocting a plan for capitulation?

Turkey has assumed the role of an `assistant’ and has inserted itself
into the fray. If the resolution supposes the return of Azerbaijani
refugees to their homes in Nagorno-Karabakh, why the same right is not
afforded to millions of Armenians to return to their ancestral lands in
Turkey? Why Armenia doesn’t widen the scope of the diplomatic
discourse, take advantage of a seemingly frustrating situation, and
turn the tables against forces that are squeezing Armenia into a
corner? After all, what is there to lose more than what already has
been sacrificed? Why are the Armenian authorities reacting to a
situation, instead of forging long-term policies of their own?

Why Armenians have to agree to the return of only several thousand
Azeri refugees back to Nagorno-Karabakh when there is no mention of
three hundred thousand Armenians driven out of Baku, Gandzak or
Sumgait? Why Armenians have to return any land to Azerbaijan while the
Shahumyan district of Nagorno-Karabakh, the villages Getashen and
Martunashen just north of Nagorno-Karabakh, as well as the enclave
village Artsvashen belonging to Armenia remain under Azerbaijani
control? If Russia, Turkey and the West insist on the territorial
integrity of Azerbaijan even after the events of Kosovo, South Ossetia
and Abkhazia, why Armenia does not recognize the independence of
Artsakh?

Armenians all over the world are asking these questions and rightly so.
The Diaspora is the only reliable partner that Armenia has. With its
widespread contacts and untapped soft-power it will show its active
unity with the Homeland and will be able to save Karabakh. Armenia has
a unique opportunity today to bring in the Diaspora into play to
counter the enormous pressure that it faces. All attempts to undermine
that unity will fail.

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
Nov 1 2008

Russian, Azerbaijani and Armenian Foreign Ministers discuss
preparation for meeting of Presidents of three countries in Moscow

[ 01 Nov 2008 12:11 ]
Baku. Lachin Sultanova `APA. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov,
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov and Armenian Foreign
Minister Edward Nalbandian have met in Moscow yesterday evening, APA
reports

Russian Foreign Ministry reported that the meeting debated preparation
for the meeting of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Armenian
President Serzh Sargsyan and Russian Minister Dmitry Medvedev on the
settlement of Nagorno Karabakh to be held in Moscow on November 2.

Foreign Ministers of three countries will today conduct consultations
with OSCE MG Co-Chairs Yuri Merzlyakov (Russia), Bernard Fassier
(France), Matthew Bryza (the US), Andrzey Kasprzyk, Personal
representative of OSCE Chairman-in-Office, who are mediators in the
settlement of the conflict.