Author: Nalbandian Albert

GOVERNMENT DELEGATION FROM ARMENIA MEETS WITH PRELATE AND EXECUTIVE COUNCIL

Public Radio, Armenia
Nov 21 2006

His Eminence, Archbishop Khajag Hagopian, Prelate, and the Armenian
Prelacy of Canada’s Executive Council met with a government delegation
from the Republic of Armenia at the Prelacy.

The delegates, Mr. Alexan Karapetyan, National Assembly Deputy and
Secretary of Faction for "National Unity" and Mr. Aramais Grigoryan,
Head of the Standing Committee on Defense, National Security and
Internal Affairs, took some time after their conference in Quebec
City to visit Montreal’s Armenian community center.

During the extensive meeting, Prelate Hagopian, Prelacy Council members
and the delegates discussed many topics, including issues and projects
related with Armenia and Armenian Diaspora, which topped the agenda.

The delegates also took the opportunity to tour the Prelacy and
familiarize themselves with the Prelacy’s mission, objectives and
projects.

WASHINGTON TRIES TO PREVENT BREAK IN EU-TURKEY TALKS

PanARMENIAN.Net
16.11.2006 18:43 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The United States intensified its meetings with
Brussels at a critical time for Turkey-EU relations. Following the
visit of U.S. State Department Assistant Secretary Daniel Fried in
late October, Deputy Assistant Secretary Matthew Bryza held official
meetings in Brussels on Tuesday. Bryza’s visit will be followed
by the arrival of Douglas Silliman, Director of Southern European
Affairs Bureau at the U.S. State Department, in Brussels to meet EU
authorities. Adopting a cautionary policy line to avoid the impression
that it is interfering in European affairs, Washington is also trying
to prevent the interruption of membership talks with Turkey. The
United States, expressing its opposition to the Austria-backed
possible suspension of EU negotiations, urged for the continuation
of the negotiation process.

Sources note that in case the Cyprus issue remained unresolved,
it would be a better option to keep the negotiation chapters
open. U.S. authorities believe that the parties to the Cyprus issue
may come together under the auspices of EU term president Finland at
the end of November, reports zaman.com.

RUSSIA STEPS UP ECONOMIC PRESENCE IN ARMENIA
Emil Danielyan

EurasiaNet, NY
Nov 16 2006

Russia is boosting its economic presence in Armenia, and recent
acquisitions are raising new questions about the nature of Yerevan’s
close relationship with Moscow. Armenian President Robert Kocharian’s
administration is downplaying domestic opposition claims that Russia’s
growing economic presence poses a threat to Yerevan’s sovereignty.

"I don’t consider [these developments] dangerous," Defense
Minister Serzh Sarkisian, who also co-chairs a Russian-Armenian
intergovernmental commission on economic cooperation, told reporters
on November 6. "Because I have still not seen the Russian side use
its economic levers in Armenia [for political aims.]"

Reports that Russia’s state-run Gazprom monopoly will raise its stake
in ArmRosGazprom (ARG), a Russian-Armenian joint venture running
Armenia’s gas infrastructure, from 45 percent to 58 percent were
confirmed by Kocharian during his latest visit to Moscow. The ARG
chief executive, Karen Karapetian, explained in late October that the
deal involves the circulation of $118 million worth of new ARG shares,
all of which will be bought by Gazprom.

The Armenian government has until now also possessed 45 percent stake
in ARG, with the remaining 10 percent controlled by the private Russian
energy firm, ITERA. The increase in the Armenian gas distributor’s
charter capital will dilute the government’s share to just over 30
percent. Karapetian confirmed that it is part of a complex April 2006
agreement that allowed Armenia to avoid a doubling of the price of
Russian gas to $110 million until January 2009. In return, authorities
in Yerevan controversially agreed to hand over more energy assets
to Gazprom. Those included the incomplete fifth unit of Armenia’s
largest thermal power plant located in the central town of Hrazdan.

Armenian officials have indicated in recent weeks that the April deal
also allows the Russian conglomerate to gain control of a gas pipeline
from neighboring Iran, currently under construction. Prime Minister
Andranik Markarian told reporters in late October that the pipeline,
whose first Armenian section is slated for completion this winter,
will likely be incorporated into ARG, arguing that "it would be
illogical to have two gas distribution networks in Armenia."

All this will give the Russians a near total control over the Armenian
energy sector. Gazprom is currently Armenia’s sole gas supplier,
and already owns the four other operating units of the Hrazdan
plant. Another state-run Russian company, the RAO Unified Energy
Systems (UES) utility, owns a cascade of hydro-electric plants north
of Yerevan and manages the finances of the nuclear power plant at
Metsamor. As recently as September 26, UES formalized its $73 million
takeover of Armenia’s electricity distribution network. [For background
see the Eurasia Insight archive].

Receiving Kocharian in the Kremlin on October 30, Russian President
Vladimir Putin bluntly described as "shameful" the fact that his
country is only the third largest investor in the Armenian economy.

Three days later, a leading Russian mobile phone operator,
Vimpel-Communications, announced the purchase of a 90 percent share
in Armenia’s national telecommunications company, ArmenTel, from
the Greek firm OTE. Armenian state regulators gave the green light
to the deal on November 14. "Putin has no reason to be unhappy,"
commented the Yerevan newspaper 168 Zham. "His country has received
80 percent of the energy sector, the backbone of the Armenian economy,
and many other facilities as gifts from its strategic partner."

Interestingly, the latest Russian takeovers come amid Yerevan’s
continuing efforts to forge closer political and security links with
the West. Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian was in Brussels
on November 14 to sign a detailed plan of actions stemming from the
European Union’s European Neighborhood Policy program that entitle
Armenia to a privileged relationship with the economic bloc. A day
earlier, Sarkisian flew to Iraq on a visit aimed at showing support
for a small contingent of Armenian troops stationed there. Analysts
believe the influential defense chief, widely seen as a Kocharian
successor, is thereby trying to enhance his pro-Western credentials.

Economic dealings with Russia are one of the least transparent areas of
governance in Armenia, with Kocharian and Sarkisian believed to make
all key decisions without outside input. Both men have repeatedly
stated that the controversial deals cut with Moscow are purely
commercial, infusing the Armenian economy with badly needed capital
investments. But Armenian opposition leaders and many local analysts
claim that their main motive is to ensure the Kremlin’s support
for their continued hold on power. Hmayak Hovannisian, a maverick
parliamentarian sympathetic to Russia, insisted on November 6 that
the Kocharian-Sarkisian duo has served as the catalyst for the deals.

"The Russians have a good proverb: Accept what you are given, run
when you are beaten. If the Armenian authorities are ready to easily
present strategic facilities, why should Russia refuse to accept
them?" Hovannisian told a roundtable discussion in Yerevan.

Whatever the real motives of its two top leaders, Armenia is beginning
to face the possibility of disruptions in Russian gas supplies as a
result of the festering confrontation between Russia and neighboring
Georgia. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive]. Adding a
new twist to the standoff are Gazprom’s threats to drastically raise
the price of its gas for Georgia from $110 to $230 per thousand cubic
meters unless the pro-Western government in Tbilisi follows Yerevan’s
example and cedes some of its own energy assets, notably the sole
gas pipeline running from Russia to Armenia.

[For details, see the Eurasia Insight archive].

"If no agreement on gas deliveries is signed with Georgia [before the
end of this year], gas will be delivered through Georgian territory
to Armenia only," the Russian ITAR-TASS news agency quoted Gazprom
Deputy Chairman Aleksandr Medvedyev as saying November 7.

There are mounting fears in Yerevan that Georgia could retaliate
against what its leaders have denounced as "political blackmail"
by siphoning off the gas intended for Armenia and thus forcing the
Russians to stop the supplies altogether. It is also unclear what
the gas price will be for Armenia from January 2009, when nothing
will prevent Gazprom from charging Yerevan as much as it seeks from
Tbilisi. The asset handover to Russia may thus have brought only
temporary relief to Armenian consumers.

Editor’s Note: Emil Danielyan is a Yerevan-based journalist and
political analyst.

FRANCE RESPONDS TO TURKEY PULLING MILITARY TIES

Men’s News Daily, CA
Nov 16 2006

France offered a low-key reaction to Turkey’s announcement it is
suspending military ties over a recent Armenian genocide vote in the
French parliament.

At the heart of the dispute is the recent approval by French deputies
of legislation making it a crime to deny an Armenian genocide took
place in Turkey a century ago. The bill needs to be passed by the
French Senate and approved by French President Jacques Chirac before
becoming law.

But the matter has sparked anger from Turkey, which denies an Armenian
genocide took place.

Wednesday, a Turkish general announced Ankara had suspended military
ties with France. But a French foreign ministry spokesman says France
has received no official word from Turkey.

French defense officials say they doubt Turkey’s move will
fundamentally hurt diplomatic relations.

But analyst Jean-Francois Daguzin, of the Foundation for Strategic
Research in Paris, believes the impact may be more severe than has
been suggested.

Daguzin says Turkey’s reaction to the French legislation is among
the strongest to date. He says Ankara traditionally makes countries
who fall out of favor pay a steep political price and the suspended
ties could affect military cooperation.

Turkish and French troops are stationed and work together in
Afghanistan, Lebanon, Kosovo, Bosnia and the Democratic Republic of
Congo. In addition, French and European companies supply Ankara with
a significant amount of military equipment.

Recently Turkey’s relations with the European Union have been rocky.

Ankara wants EU membership, but it has yet to fulfill a number of
European conditions for accession talks, including opening trade with
EU member Cyprus.

e-responds-to-turkey-pulling-military-ties/

COMBAT ACTIONS WON’T START IN THE NKR ZONE SOON, DEFENSE MINISTER OF ARMENIA

ArmInfo News Agency, Armenia
Nov 16 2006

Serzh Sargsyan, Secretary of the National Security Council at the
President of Armenia and the Minister of Defense of Armenia, at the
meeting with relatives of the military men serving in Gyumri, said
that combat actions in the zone of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict won’t
re-start soon.

Notwithstanding the militarist calls of Azeri authorities, "Azeris
can’t commence military actions today, they won’t succeed in it and
it is not a secret to anybody", said the Minister. He explained the
militarist statements of Azeri authorities with their intention to
justify their huge military budget and to draw grounds for it.

S. Sargsyan said that the one who starts the war first will lose. He
pointed out that Azeris will abstain from military actions because
of the pressure from international community. The one who breaks the
present ‘non peace non war’ conditions will lose because negotiations
on settlement of the conflict are in the progress now.

TURKISH ASSOCIATION HEAD ACCUSES ARMENIAN DIASPORA OF AIDING KURD REBELS

Anatolia News Agency, Turkey
Nov 16 2006

Erzurum, 16 November: "Armenian Diaspora supported and expended
large amounts of financial assistance to terrorist PKK [Kurdistan
Workers’ Party] to weaken and fragment Turkey," Associate Professor
Savas Egilmez, the Chairman of Association on Fight Against Baseless
Allegations of Genocide, said on Thursday [16 November].

In an exclusive interview with the A.A correspondent, Egilmez said:
"We have been carrying out intensive efforts in the national and
international platforms to explain that so-called allegations of
Armenian genocide is a lie."

"Despite the affirmative responses, we started to get negative
reactions recently. We have assessed that supporters of the terrorist
organization is the source of the reactions that were sent through
e-mail," he noted.

Egilmez indicated that Armenian-PKK relationship was once again
revealed with the reactions, noting that "upon the reactions in the
world in 1980’s, the Armenian terrorist organizations changed tactics
and cooperated with the PKK terrorist organization".

Egilmez said terrorist PKK organization in 1980 proclaimed 21-28
April the week of "Red Week" and remembered 24 April as the so-called
genocide day of the Armenians.

"Another remarkable example regarding Armenian-PKK relationship is
the meeting in Beirut between 6 and 9 January1993. Lebanese Armenian
Orthodox Archbishop, Armenian party executives and 150 youngsters
attended the meetings that were held in two separate churches. At
the meeting, the archbishop underlined that the Armenian society
was growing gradually and strengthened in economic means. He said
so-called genocide was started to be known better in the world thanks
to the propaganda activities," Egilmez said.

"The Archbishop unveiled their real faces by saying, ‘Armenian state
was established and broadens its territories day by day. The support
to PKK activities in Turkey rises. Thanks to this support, Turkish
economy will drop to zero, the country will be dragged into chaos,
and Turkey will enter fragmentation process. Turkish territories will
be in the hands of Armenia tomorrow’," Egilmez said.

PKK-Armenian agreement

Egilmez said the Armenian diaspora in Lebanon made an agreement with
the terrorist organization in 1987.

"A decision was made in the agreement that Armenians would get training
in PKK. It was also decided that Armenians would pay 5,000 dollars
to PKK for each person," he said.

Egilmez said: "It was also decided in the agreement that Armenians
would make the intelligence in the activities against security forces
in Turkey. It was even stated in this agreement that the territory
that would be seized after fragmentation of Turkey would be shared
equally. Armenians also pledged to meet 75 per cent of the costs of
camps of the terrorist organization."

US and others

Underlining that the United States and the European countries accepted
PKK as terrorist organization, Egilmez said: "The US and European
countries know about the relations of the Armenians with PKK. Those
who want to accuse Turkey should not forget this fact."

IRAQ CONVOY ATTACKERS CAUGHT BY POLISH FORCES – POLISH PREMIER

Polish Radio 1, Poland
Nov 14 2006

[Announcer] Perpetrators of the attack on a convoy in Iraq, in which
a Polish soldier died, have been caught. This has been reported by
Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski. Sergeant Tomasz Murkowski, 30,
died on Friday to Saturday night in an attack near the locality of
Al-Kut. A Slovak soldier also died. Another Pole and an Armenian were
wounded. The perpetrators fired at the vehicle which was taking the
soldiers back to base.

The prime minister said all of the attackers were now in Polish
servicemen’s hands.

[Kaczynski] Four are being questioned. One has pleaded guilty. The
work of our services which deal with the Polish units’ security in
Iraq is good.

[Announcer] The head of government reported that pensions would be
paid to the families of soldiers killed in Iraq. Defence Minister
Radoslaw Sikorski added that injured soldiers would have priority in
medical care. They will also be exempted from paying for medicines.

President Lech Kaczynski and the head of MON [Ministry of National
Defence] will take part in Sergeant Murkowski’s funeral tomorrow.

DID WE WIN OR LOSE THE AMERICAN ELECTIONS?
Ali H. Aslan

Zaman, Turkey
Nov 14 2006

With the Democrats taking control of Congress by overpowering the
incumbent Republicans last Tuesday in the mid-term elections, the
political landscape in Washington has changed. A new era is beginning
in America. The reason for President Bush’s defeat is another analysis
entirely. So how will the current picture affect Turkey?

Ankara has been trying to repair the relations with the Republican
Bush administration that were seriously strained during the Iraq war.

However, giving precedence to strengthening relations with the party in
power didn’t allow for the establishment of necessary communications
with the Democratic opposition. Until now, a big part of the work
was handled with the help of the lobbying firm of former Republican
leader Bob Livingston. But now the Congress is in the hands of the
Democrats…

Should Turkey take on an air of "the old king is dead; long live
the new king"? I think not, because although the Republicans have
lost the majority, close to half the Congress and the White House
are still in their hands. Consequently, even if they are weakened,
they still have power that shouldn’t be underestimated. On the other
hand, there is no reason why Ankara shouldn’t show the Democrats
flexibility in advancing relations. Even if we’re a little late,
we haven’t missed the train completely…

Most of the Democratic leaders who will hold key positions in
Congress’ foreign policy have problems with Ankara for different
reasons. Future Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Senate Leader
Harry Reid, Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee Joe Biden,
and House International Relations Committee Chairman Tom Lantos can
all be included in this category. It is important to dissipate the
chilliness with key Democratic leaders. If Prime Minister Erdogan
had been able to realize his Washington visit after January 2007,
and had been able to meet with Democrats instead of coming during the
election campaign period when Congress was on vacation, it would have
been much more productive…

The Democrats’ general viewpoint on the issues of Iraq and the
alleged Armenian genocide, which carry near-future crisis potential
in Turkish-American relations, is rather far from Turkey’s. They may
not be able to decisively implement everything they said before the
elections. However, many influential Democrats have become dangerously
engaged with the Armenian lobby regarding their genocide claims. When
it comes down to the bottom line, President Bush will interfere again,
but it’s questionable as to how effective the Republican White House’s
request to the Democratic leaders in Congress will be. An important
factor of most Democratic campaigns was Turkey’s not looking favorably
on an immediate pull-out of troops from Iraq because of its anxiety
about its leading to increased chaos. It is known that some like
Senator Biden support possibilities that even include Iraq’s being
divided into three different states.

If the Armenian resolution passes Congress in April, if steps are
taken in Iraq to deepen Turkey’s concerns, and if concrete measures
are not taken against the presence of the PKK, we might very well
find ourselves in a new Turkish-American crisis in the spring. Just
the Armenian genocide issue alone is enough to poison Turkish-American
relations. Imagine how the already Washington-sensitive Turkish public
opinion and ruling establishment would respond. Fears of the eastern
part of the country being divided between the Armenians and Kurds would
hit the roof. The perception that the U.S. is not Turkey’s friend would
be strengthened. With Ankara entering an election atmosphere, it would
not be easy to find a brave knight to stand up for Turkish-American
relations. And the common strategic vision between the two countries
could be seriously damaged.

Let’s look at the bright side. The tracks Democratic President
Bill Clinton left behind in Turkish-American relations are an
important legacy. The Democrats’ adopting a more internationalist
and world-harmonious image than the Republicans is an advantage for
Turkey. It is expected that the Baker-Hamilton Commission, which has
turned into a vehicle for salvaging the situation for both parties,
will recommend mechanisms that make Iraq’s neighbors a part of the
solution. Consequently, our quotient of being listened to in Washington
can increase. The Democrats will try and draw a more realistic and
pragmatic foreign policy line than the idealistic, surrealistic
and maximalist line represented by the neocons. They might want to
put the breaks on democratization in the Middle East and partially
return to former pro-stability policy and spread reforms out over a
longer period of time. Most Democrats see diplomatic engagement with
Syria and Iran as more suitable to American interests. They want to
rejuvenate the peace process in the Middle East. All of these are
compatible with Ankara’s line.

The change in the political picture in America can lead to tactical
variation in its foreign policy, but its general strategic stance
won’t change much. It is a strategic necessity that the United States
not offend an important regional power like Turkey. Turkey can not
be taken for granted as before. If Turkey becomes offended, it can
not make a sufficient contribution to straightening out the grave
position of the U.S. and Israel in the Middle East, and the hands of
the radicals would be strengthened in the war against terror.

Turkish-American strategic relations should not be sacrificed to
internal political concerns in both countries. Train-wrecks could be
avoided by intense dialogue.

TOP DIPLOMATS FROM ARMENIA, AZERBAIJAN MEET IN BRUSSELS FOR TALKS ON DISPUTED TERRITORY
The Associated Press

International Herald Tribune, France
Nov 15 2006

YEREVAN, Armenia: The foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan
met in Brussels Tuesday for talks aimed at resolving the long-running
conflict over the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, Armenia’s
Foreign Ministry said.

A ministry statement said talks between Armenian Foreign Minister
Vardan Oskanian and his Azerbaijani counterpart, Elmar Mammadyarov,
took place in a "constructive atmosphere" and said international
mediators planned to travel to the two South Caucasus nations in the
coming weeks to arrange a possible meeting of the two presidents.

There was no comment from Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry on the talks.

Nagorno-Karabakh is a region in Azerbaijan that has been under the
control of Armenian and ethnic-Armenian Karabakh forces since a 1994
cease-fire ended a six-year separatist war that killed about 30,000
people and drove about 1 million from their homes.

Today in Europe

The region’s final status remains unresolved, and years of talks
under the auspices of international mediators have brought few
visible results.

Arabian given Valley’s Fernando Award for volunteerism
BY ERIC LEACH,
Staff Writer

LA Daily News Article Last Updated:11/10/2006 10:10:39 PM PST

WOODLAND HILLS – Former California Supreme Court Justice Armand Arabian
received the 2006 Fernando Award at a ceremony Friday night honoring him with the
San Fernando Valley’s highest honor for volunteerism.
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announced the award at the Warner Center Marriott
Hotel.
"Congratulations, Judge Arabian," Villaraigosa said. "You have a great
story. I salute all the finalists – all your stories are an inspiration to us."
Arabian, who will be feted at a dinner in February, said it was a beautiful
feeling to be recognized for something done without any expectation of
praise.
"Then you know you have touched someone and made a difference," he said.
Arabian and the four other finalists were honored at the $100-a-plate dinner
attended by hundreds of business and government leaders. Besides Arabian,
the finalists were prominent community volunteers Jill Banks Barad, Dorothy
Jean Jauck, Ed Rose and Pauline Tallent.
Arabian of Tarzana has been a Municipal and Superior Court judge in Van
Nuys, an associate justice to the Court of Appeal and a member of the California
Supreme Court. He created the sexual assault victim counselor privilege now
embodied in the California Evidence Code and adopted by 28 other states.
Barad of Sherman Oaks is the founder and chairwoman of the Valley Alliance
of Neighborhood Councils.
Jauck of West Hills has volunteered for 40 years, working with the Girl
Scouts and YMCA and contributing to efforts to document the history of the San
Fernando Valley.
Rose of Mission Hills is the co-founder of Meet Each Need with Dignity, a
nonprofit social service agency in the northwest Valley that distributes 1,000
food baskets to the poor each Christmas.
Tallent of Winnetka is a three-time Fernando Award nominee who has worked
with the U.S. Marine Corps’ Toys for Tots program and helped establish the
Winnetka Community Foundation Inc.
The award was established in the late 1950s to recognize the contributions
made by Valley residents, and it has been presented each year to leading
business and community leaders who have dedicated themselves to helping the
community.
Brad Rosenheim, president of the award foundation, said each of the nominees
have dedicated decades of their lives to helping others – and their work
represents the heart of the Valley.
"The number of outstanding volunteers who give of themselves to the San
Fernando Valley is truly remarkable," he said.
[email protected]_ (mailto:[email protected])
(805) 583-7602