Author: Nanijanian Alex

PARMA HOSTS FIFTH MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE ON ENVIRONMENT AND HEALTH

PanARMENIAN.Net
10.03.2010 19:20 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Representatives of 53 WHO Member States will gather
in Parma, Italy, on 10-12 March 2010 to review the impact of national
and cross-border environmental policies on the health status of the
population of the WHO European Region: over 890 million people. The
three-day Fifth

Ministerial Conference on Environment and Health is the latest
milestone in an intergovernmental process that started in 1989.

The event will bring together over 800 participants from countries
across the European Region, including ministers of health and
of the environment, representatives of the European Commission,
intergovernmental and nongovernmental stakeholders, scientists and
youth delegates.

Governments of countries in the European Union (EU) and other parts
of the WHO European Region are expected to adopt a declaration
reinforcing their commitment to reducing major environmental risk
factors (including unsafe water and sanitation, contaminated air and
dangerous chemicals) and emerging global threats (such as climate
change). The declaration, to be signed on 12 March 2010, will commit
governments to achieve clear goals in the next 10 years.

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT CONGRATULATES WOMEN ON INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY

Tert.am
08.03.10

Armenian President Serzh Sargysan has issued a note of congratulations
to women in honour of International Women’s Day on March 8.

The note, in part, reads:

"In honour of this beautiful holiday for women, I am sending our
mothers, wives, sisters, daughters and female colleagues words of
special praise and honour. Heartfelt and with pleasure, I congratulate
you, dear women, in honour of this wonderful spring holiday.

"Our nation has always honoured women. Even during the most difficult
periods of history, women have supported us, have given hope and faith
to our people. Today it’s hard to find an area where the exquisite and
tender presence of women and the undeniable trace of their activities
are not felt…

"Dear women, once again I congratulate you in honour of women’s day.

Let love, warmth and happiness be with you always."

Azad Azarbaycan TV
March 5 2010

Armenian army holding drills in Karabakh

The Armenian army today launched a military exercise at a military
base in occupied [villages] Goytapa, Kangarli and Uzundara in Agdam
[Nagornyy Karabakh]. The exercise involves firing from tanks, cannons,
and Grad complexes at massifs. Residents in the areas near the contact
line can clearly hear the sound of the military exercise. The exercise
is continuing at the moment.

Edward Nalbandyan: Armenia to come off the Armenian-Turkish process
with win in any case

2010-03-06 12:31:00

ArmInfo. Armenia will come off the Armenian-Turkish process with win
in any case, Foreign Minister of Armenia Edward Nalbandyan said in an
interview with Public TV of Armenia on March 5.

"One should just read the publications in the Turkish and
international press, listen to the statements by different countries
and international organizations, as well as read the analytical
publications in order to prove it once again. One who acts fairly,
always comes off the situation with win, and Armenia has always acted
just in this way in relations with Turkey, that is testified by
co-chairing-countries", he said. According to E. Nalbandy an, Armenia
has always did what it said, and if Turkey has some ulterior motives,
he would not like to comment on the possible consequences just for
Turkey in case if Ankara fails the Armenian-Turkish process. "If,
nevertheless, Turkey fails the process, Armenia will go back to the
positions before the events of September 6, 2008, in the worst
possible case, but having more strengthened its international
authority", Nalbandyan resumed.

The two countries lack diplomatic relations and their border has been
blocked since 1993. The ice in the relations broke up in September,
2008, when Turkish President Abdullah Gul visited Yerevan at the
invitation of Armenian president Serzh Sargsyan to watch Armenia vs.
Turkey match on Sept 6 2008. For his part the Armenian President
accepted the proposal of his Turkish counterpart to watch a return
match on October 14 2009.

Today, Azerbaijan
March 6 2010

Azerbaijani analyst: Armenians were aware that adoption of "Armenian
genocide" resolution will thwart Zurich protocols

06 March 2010 [13:35] – Today.Az

Day.Az interview with Azerbaijani political analyst Vafa Guluzade.

In your opinion, what is the reason that necessitated the move by the
U.S. Congress House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs to
pass the `Armenian genocide’ resolution?

Firstly, this time President Obama gave a go ahead to the "genocide"
because he had no other choice. Actually, he voted for recognizing the
"Armenian genocide" in the Congress in 2007. And what is the balance
of power now? Besides him, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and
Speaker of Congress Nancy Pelosi, outspoken supporter of the
Armenians, also back recognition of the "Armenian genocide".

I met with Pelosi twice in the 1990s. She is impregnable person who
ignores any arguments. She is just bought by Armenians and she cannot
simply vote for others. That is, in this issue we are dealing with the
realities of the United States. Today the U.S. considers it possible
for itself to act meanly towards its ally Turkey for the sake of some
selfish interests of President Obama.

There is also another explanation. In principle, the United States, as
a Christian country, has a negative attitude towards Turkey as a
Muslim country. Therefore, the States support a small Armenian lobby
in this country. And let them not try to explain us omnipotence of the
lobby.

I watched the very vote in the committee on foreign affairs carefully
on live television. Votes not to recognize the "genocide" have been
fully provided. The preliminary vote was 22 for non-recognition and 18
for recognition. But the chairman of the Committee on Foreign
Affairs, who is a supporter of the Armenian lobby (she voted for the
recognition), extended the time for voting almost an hour.

The time expired, and they were to disperse. But they all waited for 7
Jews Congressmen who had not voted. The very hour was devoted to these
men. That is why they ensured votes for the "genocide" at first at 19,
then 20, and later at 22 and finally at 23. All this was carried out
brazenly in violation of all regulations. That’s all.

Now Turkey itself must take appropriate measures and make adjustments
in its policy toward the United States.

What impact this decision can have on Turkey-Armenia relations?

Very bad, of course. But what is interesting is that Armenians do not
care about the whole thing. Armenian ambassador, Armenian MPs who were
in the hall during the vote was lobbying for recognition of the
`genocide". They understood that if this is recognized, it will thwart
the Zurich protocols. But the Armenians did not care about these
protocols. They do not need it.

It was all a game to accuse Turkey of all – the "genocide" and that
Turkey has not signed the protocols. This is the entire
Armenian-American dirty game.

May the Congress committee’s move cause a new tensions in our region?

Can there be anything beyond what we witness at the moment? Positions
of Azerbaijan’s armed forces are constantly under fire. And our
Americans `friends" and Europeans do not react to it. Armenians fire
at Azerbaijan’s non-occupied lands from Azerbaijan’s occupied lands.

In your opinion, what step Armenia will take inspired by such a news?

Armenia will do nothing. And what it actually can do? Nothing yet.

R. Mehdiyev

URL:

Vic Darchinyan beats Rodrigo Guerrero in super-flyweight bout

07.03.2010 16:27 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ On Saturday night at the Agua Caliente Casino in
Rancho Mirage, California, Darchinyan did his part to keep the hopes
for rematch with Filipino Nonito Donaire alive, boxing to a commanding
unanimous decision win over 22-year old challenger Rodrigo Guerrero
(13-2-1, 9 KO) of Mexico City, Mexico.

Darchinyan weighed in for the bout at the division limit of 115 lbs.,
Guerrero a pound under at 114. It was Darchinyan’s third successful
defense of the title he unified in 2008, only the second time
Darchinyan has been the twelve round distance in fourteen title
fights, and the first victory over that span of rounds.

Darchinyan boxed with confidence down the stretch even as Guerrero
continued to press forward, a model for the heart and desire every
challenger ought to bring to a chance at the top of the world. He
clearly fell short, the unanimous decision scores lopsided at 118-110,
117-111, and a shutout 120-108 for Darchinyan, but he also clearly won
the respect of the champion, boxingscene.com reported.

Sunday’s Zaman, Turkey
March 7 2010

US and Turkey: Time for the trading to begin

by AMANDA PAUL

Once again storm clouds have formed over US-Turkey relations. The
approval of the Armenian `genocide’ resolution by the US House Foreign
Relations Committee has left Ankara furious and on the warpath.
Turkey immediately launched an aggressive campaign, pointing the
finger at US President Barack Obama and making all sorts of threats.
Within the first 24 hours, Foreign Minister Ahmet DavutoÄ?lu warned of
a realignment of Turkish policy, accused Washington of a lack of
strategic vision and of not wanting the Turkey-Armenia rapprochement
to succeed and pulled Turkey’s ambassador out of Washington for
`consultations.’ While to many it may seem that Turkey is punching
above its weight, at the same time, one cannot underestimate the
importance of Turkey for the US in its foreign policy given that four
problems out of five on the US government’s agenda are related to
Turkey: the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq, Iran’s nuclear
program, the AfPak issue, energy security and the turbulent Caucasus
region. Therefore Turkey feels quite unconcerned about its `bully boy’
approach toward the world’s only superpower.
Obama now finds himself in a rather uncomfortable position. Prior to
his election, he promised Armenians that he would recognize the
genocide, but once in office realities had to be faced. His need for a
strong relationship with Turkey outweighed this promise, and it seemed
he wanted it to disappear. So it is hardly surprising that during his
visit to Turkey in 2009, while he made it clear he had not changed his
mind on the 1915 events, he also threw his weight behind Turkey’s
normalization process with Armenia in the belief that success would
offer a way out from this genocidal cul-de-sac. As we know, the best
laid plans frequently go awry, and this one has certainly gone off
course. Unfortunately, now that the normalization process seems to be
on the rocks, `the g-word’ has come back to haunt Obama. Turkey has
deviated from the original framework of the agreement. Within a couple
of days of signing the protocols in October 2009, Turkey’s leadership
began openly linking ratification to the resolution of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. There is no doubt that the US supports the
peace process between Turkey and Armenia, but the big powers, the US
and Russia, have been clear from the beginning: The two processes are
separate, and they are not going to start pressuring Armenia to
withdraw its forces from Azerbaijani provinces. In fact, Turkey’s
approach is not only holding back the rapprochement, but it is also
having a negative effect on the Karabakh peace talks, as Armenia does
not want to be seen as doing anything that could be viewed as making
concessions on Karabakh in order to have its border opened with
Turkey.

In addition, Turkey has shot itself in the foot by shouting so loudly
over the decision of the Armenian Constitutional Court. The US did not
support Turkey in its complaints, but instead, Assistant Secretary for
European and Eurasian Affairs Philip Gordon stated that the US did not
see it as an obstacle to progress. Turkey has overreacted to the court
decision, making it even more difficult to move ahead and making it
look like Turkey is scratching around for any old excuse not to
ratify. This is all very bad for Turkey’s credibility.

The weeks leading up to April 24 will be full of tension and drama.
However, even though the committee has adopted the resolution, it is
very unlikely that it will be brought to the House floor, as was the
case in the past. Because the US badly needs Turkey on a whole host of
issues, the US cannot afford to alienate such a strong ally. Therefore
Obama, Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden will pull out all the stops —
but they will not do it for free, no matter what threats pour in from
Ankara. Turkey will need to deliver something in return — as has been
the case in other years. There is always some sort of trade off. The
US may ask Turkey to support it in the UN Security Council on Iran and
continue to insist that Turkey move ahead on the ratification of the
protocols in the Turkish Parliament — one way or another. If Turkey
does not move, Yerevan may decide to move first and ratify first,
which would leave Turkey in an even more difficult position.

And what about Azerbaijan in all of this? While I have sympathy for
Azerbaijan, I also strongly believe that Ankara should move ahead and
ratify. Further damaging the relationship between Turkey and Armenia
is in no way useful to Baku, contrary to what they may say. While
Turkey and Armenia are talking and engaged, it gives Turkey a voice
and a foot in the door. The alternative means the slamming of the
door, and Azerbaijan will be left alone on Karabakh again. Building
trust between Turks and Armenians should in the long term help
Armenians feel safer and less isolated, which could have a positive
impact on their relations with Azerbaijan and the peace talks. It’s
time to be brave and do the right thing and move to a future beyond
the past.

07.03.2010

day/yazarDetay.do?haberno3562

Earthtimes (press release)
March 5 2010

Turkey-US relations strained after Armenian ‘genocide’ bill passed

Posted : Fri, 05 Mar 2010 08:44:08 GMT
By : dpa

Istanbul – Turkey called on the US Friday to correct a "historical
mistake" after a Congressional committee passed a resolution that
recognizes the mass murders of Armenians during World War I as a
"genocide.""We expect and hope that the US Congress will correct this
historical mistake soon," Turkish media Friday quoted Turkish Speaker
of Parliament Mehmet Ali Sahin as saying.

Armenians contend that up to 1.5 million of their people were
systematically killed by the Ottoman Turks during World War I.

Turkey has long denied the genocide claim, saying the number of
Armenians killed is much lower and that the deaths were the result of
violent turbulence that also affected other groups at the time.

Ankara also recalled its ambassador to Washington after the Foreign
Affairs Committee of the US House of Representatives passed the
resolution in a 23-22 vote on Thursday.

"We condemn this resolution accusing Turkey of a crime that it had not
committed," the Turkish Prime Ministry said in a written statement
issued soon after the vote.

"Our Ambassador to Washington Namik Tan was recalled tonight to Ankara
for consultations after the development,"the statement said.

Ankara had warned that the bill’s passing could lead to a rupture in
relations with Washington and could harm an already endangered
reconciliation process between Turkey and Armenia.

"Turkish-US relations are experiencing their most successful period in
history," Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Tuesday. "I
hope that they will not be damaged by such initiatives."

The non-binding resolution calls on US policy and President Barack
Obama to formally refer to the World War I mass killings as a
"genocide." Speaker Nancy Pelosi must now decide whether the bill
passed by the committee will be sent to a full vote in the House.

The US has approximately 1 million citizens of Armenian descent.

Read more: ,tur key-us-relations-strained-after-armenian-genocide- bill-passed.html#ixzz0hKZXAaau

Daily Record, Scotlans, UK
March 5 2010

Turkey recalls ambassador from America as US government ponders
branding WWI massacre of Armenians as ‘genocide’
Mar 5 2010

TURKEY angrily withdrew its US ambassador after a government committee
backed a resolution branding the First World War-era killing of
Armenians genocide.

The House of Representatives’ Foreign Affairs Committee approved the
resolution, which Turkey, a key Muslim ally of the United States, sees
as a historical affront, over the objections of President Barack
Obama.

The 23-22 vote sends the measure to the full House, where prospects
for passage are uncertain.

"I declare such a decision that was taken with political concerns in
mind to be an injustice to history and to the science of history,"
Turkish president Abdullah Gul said in the capital Ankara.

"Turkey will not be responsible for the negative results that this
event may lead to."

Historians estimate that up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed by
Ottoman Turks around the time of the First World War, an event widely
viewed by scholars as the first genocide of the 20th century.

Turkey denies that the deaths constituted genocide, saying the toll
has been inflated and those killed were victims of civil war and
unrest.

The reconciliation agreement reached in October between Turkey and
Armenia calls for a panel to discuss "the historical dimension" of the
killings and Turkey says US politicians should stay out of the issue.

The committee’s vote is awkward for Mr Obama, who pledged as a
presidential candidate to recognise the Armenian deaths as a genocide.
The administration reversed course, as secretary of state Hillary
Clinton acknowledged yesterday.

"Circumstances have changed in very significant ways," she told
reporters travelling with her in Costa Rica.

She said the US supported a Swiss effort to resolve the historical dispute.

"We think that is the appropriate way to manage the problems that have
stood in the way of normalisation between the two countries," Mrs
Clinton said.

She said that the Obama administration was concerned the resolution
could harm the talks between Turkey and Armenia.

"We do not believe that the full Congress will or should act upon that
resolution and we have made that clear to all the parties involved,"
she said.

Turkey, a Nato ally with a pivotal role for US interests in the Middle
East and Afghanistan, has warned that the resolution’s approval could
jeopardise US-Turkish co-operation and set back negotiations aimed at
opening the border between Turkey and Armenia.

Turkey also currently holds one of the rotating seats on the United
Nations Security Council that will have to approve sanctions against
Iran.

"I believe that Turkey values its relations with the US at least as
much as we value our relations with Turkey," chairman of the House
Foreign Affairs Committee, Rep Howard Berman, a Democrat, said, in
urging his colleagues to pass the measure.

In April, Mr Obama failed to brand the killings genocide in an annual
White House statement on the day marking Armenian remembrance. He said
that while he had not changed his personal views, he did not want to
upset promising talks between Turkey and Armenia on improving
relations and opening their border.

Turkey sealed the border in 1993 to protest at Armenia’s war with
neighbouring Azerbaijan.

The White House reiterated that Mr Obama’s views of the killings had
not changed.

White House spokesman Mike Hammer said Mr Obama had thanked Turkey on
Wednesday for efforts to resolve the dispute and urged Turkey to
quickly ratify the deal reached in October with Armenia that would
open the border between the two countries.

The deal must be approved by the Turkish parliament, and Turkish MPs
have warned that the committee’s vote could stall progress.

Armenian-American groups have sought congressional affirmation of the
killings as genocide for decades.

The Foreign Affairs Committee approved a similar genocide measure in
2007, but it was not brought to the House floor for a vote following
intensive pressure by then-President George Bush.

Following the 2007 committee vote, Turkey promptly recalled its
ambassador and US officials feared the Turks might cut off American
access to a Turkish air base essential to operations in Iraq.

news/2010/03/05/turkey-recalls-ambassador-from-ame rica-as-us-government-ponders-branding-1915-massac re-of-armenians-genocide-86908-22088149/

11:46 05/03/2010 » Region
Turkey’s Gul released official statement against approved Armenian
Genocide Resolution

Turkey’s Abdullah Gul released an official statement on the U.S. House
Committee on Foreign Affairs approving the resolution 252 recognizing
the Armenian Genocide. The official message, which is available on
Turkish President’s official web site, states:

`I consider the decision unreasonable and I regret it. It lacks
respect to the Turkish nation. The adopted resolution is far from the
historical realities and is incompatible with Armenia-Turkey
relations. The decision will significantly damage the stability and
peace in Caucasus, as well as the nations’ efforts to establish
long-term good-neighborly relations. I see this decision, following
the political configuration, as injustice to history. After this
voting, Turkey does not claim responsibility for negative results in
any sphere,’ Gul said.

Source: Panorama.am