Author: Nanijanian Alex

Azerbaijan continues the investigation for Eurovision votes

armradio.am
29.08.2009 16:43

The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has received responses from
Azerbaijan regarding allegations that telephone voters in Azerbaijan
who voted for the Armenian song in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest
were interrogated by security police.

Ictimai, the EBU’s Azeri Member which broadcast this year’s Song
Contest from Moscow in May, has confirmed its commitment to free and
fair voting. While two individuals had been invited to the Ministry of
National Security, Ictimai said, the Ministry of National Security had
given assurances that nobody had been questioned, either officially or
unofficially, on voting in the competition itself.

The EBU’s Director General, Jean Réveillon, said he took note of the
statements. However, he stressed that the freedom to vote for any song
except the one of the country where you are watching is one of the
cornerstones of the contest. `Any breach of privacy regarding voting,
or interrogation of individuals, is totally unacceptable,’ he added.

The EBU committee responsible for running the Song Contest will examine
the matter at a meeting in Oslo on 11 September 2009.

Earlier in the Azeri press released information that the Ministry of
National Security of Azerbaijan called for questioning 43 people who
voted in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 for the Armenian singers20Inga
and Anush Arshakyan. Azerbaijani officials have denied this fact.

THE AGE OF BLUFFING
Hakob Badalyan

mments&pid=14981
13:44:29 – 25/08/2009

Perhaps it is not a secret to anyone that the behavior of the
Armenian government in the past few months has been mostly or only
based on bluff, imitation, propaganda. Even the pro-government
political experts and analysts understand what they present for
the honest intentions or wishes of the government. In this sense,
a funny situation has occurred in the process of normalization of
the Armenian and Turkish relations, which was initiated by Armenia,
according to the official information. The Armenian government tries to
convince the society through its political experts and analysts that
Turkey is in a difficult situation and the only way out is to improve
relations with Armenia or at least open the border. Surprisingly,
Turkey is not waiting impatiently for Serge Sargsyan to arrive but
Armenia is anxiously discussing to go or not to go.

And Armenia, according to the same political experts and analysts,
has already reached its goal, and the world saw that we have good
faith for the relations with Turkey and generally the world has
started speaking about us. As if before Serge Sargsyan’s invitation
the world accused Armenia of the absence of this faith, or many people
thought that a few reports and articles on the relations of Armenia
and Turkey indicate the attention of the world. But of course, this
is not the problem. If this was the goal of Armenia, we will assume
that Armenia has reached it. But how can one make such superficial
judgments about the Armenian and Turkish relations, especially if we
involve the world as well? Is demonstrating something to the world
an attainment for Armenia when every episode of the relations with
Turkey has strategic importance to Armenia, economically, politically,
historically or culturally?

Can we say that it was an attempt that was made, failed but was
worth making? No attempt in diplomacy disappears, it leaves a mark on
further attempts and process, no matter you want it or not. Meanwhile,
Armenia’s attempt if it was Armenia’s in reality, has brought about
nothing except for "good name". Meanwhile, for Turkey, even if it
has brought about only "good name", it is already an achievement
since Turkey needed it, meanwhile Armenia does not seem to need it
when the internal reality is not concerned, of course. It is another
problem that Serge Sargsyan needed reputation. But in that case his
personal need should not be identified with the public need of Armenia.

Besides, the problem is that after the Armenian-Turkish attempt the
April 22 announcement remained to Turkey, Obama’s non-use of the word
genocide on April 24 remained with Turkey, as well as the fact that
the process of Karabakh was connected, at least in parallel, with
the Armenian and Turkish process, enabling Turkey to make statements
about the process, aspire to assistance, and even Armenia announced
for several times that the improvement of the Armenian and Turkish
relations may foster the settlement of the Karabakh conflict. All
this remained to Turkey. As to what remained to Armenia, let the
political experts and analysts of the government say, besides "good
name", of course, because they have already spoken and continue to
speak because nothing else is left to Armenia but something is left
to Serge Sargsyan – Matthew Bryza stated clearly that Serge Sargsyan
is the president they need.

By the way, if the same had been announced about an oppositionist,
the same pro-government school of political experts and analysts
would allege them as foreign spies and Masonic lodges. But this is
not surprise. Simply such are the rules of thinking based on bluffing,
which are becoming more and more rooted in the Republic of Armenia.

ANKARA FREEZES NEGOTIATIONS WITH ARMENIA, BUT YEREVAN NOT REACT

PanARMENIAN.Net
27.08.2009 17:59 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ ARF Dashnaktsutyun has repeatedly stated that Turkey
has suspended talks on normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations
and Armenia should inform the international community, Giro Manoyan
, head of the Central office of Hay Dat in Political Affairs told
journalists in Yerevan today.

According to him, "Ankara creates an impression that negotiations
with Yerevan continue. But in fact, the process is frozen. We do not
react to it and allow world’s actors to continue exerting pressure
on Armenia and demanding from us concessions,~T Giro Manoyan said.

As an example of such pressure Giro Manoyan called the upcoming
visit of the of the OSCE Minsk Group to the region in fall, which,
according to him, is intended to compel Yerevan and Baku to adopt
the updated Madrid principles.

"MINAS HAS NAIVELY USED THE COLOR SYNTHESIS"

Aysor
Aug 28 2009
Armenia

One of the walls of the museum dedicated to Minas in Djadjur is already
decorated with the Minas’ fresco of "The birth Toros Roslin". Yesterday
the Italian restorers Lorenzzo Kasameti and Fabrizzo Yakupini finished
the reconstruction that lasted one year.

The director of the museum the son of the Minas, Arman Avetisyan told
the journalists during the meeting that in our reality the easiest
things turn to be unsolvable and many unsolvable problems can be
solved easier than ever. One of them was the reconstruction of the
fresco though as he assured there were also many difficulties.

The fresco "The birth of Toros Roslin" had impressed the Italian
restorers from the very first moment. Kasameti noticed that they
didn’t had an opportunity to study the works of Minas beforehand they
got acquainted with Minas’ works right here and the problem and the
surprise was because of the colors used.

"We are impressed with the fact that Minas like a naïve painter
has used the synthesis of colors, but in the same time has used such
transparency of colors are characteristic to the great painter", –
said L. Kasametin.

Yakupin too told their work was "excellent" and mentioned that there
were difficulties especially while cutting the fresco.

The official opening ceremony of the fresco will take place in Djadjur
by the initiation of RA Culture Ministry, the latter will transport
all those who wish to be present to Djadjur. The presentation of the
film dedicated to Minas will be held in October in Gyumri, and then in
Yerevan, after which the exhibition of Minas will be opened in Moscow,
the film will be shown there too.

THE BURDEN OF INDEPENDENCE
Ivan Sukhov

RusData Dialine – Russian Press Digest
August 27, 2009 Thursday

Russia’s gains from recognizing ex-Georgian territories turn to losses

A year ago, in the wake of the so-called five-day war with Georgia,
Russia officially recognized two of the country’s breakaway regions –
South Ossetia and Abkhazia – as independent states. Having taken the
two republics under military protection, Russia replaced its limited
peacekeeping forces there with permanent military contingents. Russian
strategists insist that this "buffer" is especially important
because of

Georgia’s NATO accession plans, even though postponed. That the small
victorious war boosted Russians’ national confidence is certainly a
plus. But it has also added to the overconfidence of Russia’s political
elite, which has successfully tested the international community’s
tolerance limits. Ever since August 2008, Russia has been making
every effort to confirm its regional superpower status and its right
to influence the political fates of at least its closest neighbors.

It was also important to demonstrate military might to the residents
of southern Russian regions bordering on South Ossetia; they have
always followed the events with predictable interest to see whether
Russia stands up for Abkhazia and South Ossetia or gives them up.

However, some of the apparent benefits have turned out to be
losses. Having shut the two republics’ borders with Georgia,
Russia disrupted its own land transport with South Caucasus –
a region comprising, along with the Western-oriented Georgia, the
friendly Armenia. Armenia cannot use the roads leading to Russia
across Azerbaijan because of the Nagorny Karabakh conflict. These
logistic problems have already prodded Armenia into growing
contacts with Turkey. If the situation leads on to the opening of the
Armenian-Turkish border, currently blocked, this would mean Armenia’s
geopolitical turnaround.

As for Nagorny Karabakh, Moscow cannot afford to be consistent here
and recognize the region as well, for fear of losing Azerbaijan,
which has already shown concern over its oil traffic, affected by last
summer’s hostilities. On the other hand, to show all-out support for
Azerbaijan would mean a break-up with Armenia.

Russia is also as far as it has ever been from control over Georgian
sections of existing or planned pipelines from Central Asia to Turkey
and Southern Europe.

Russia’s recognition of the two former Georgian territories has
immediately revived similar sentiments in the North Caucasus, and not
only in Chechnya, which has in fact fought twice for independence
from the "colonial power" – the region is historically a seat of a
whole bunch of latent ethnic movements.

ARPI VARDANYAN: DECISION BY AMERICAN COURT MAY GIVE IMPULSE TO FINALRECOGNITION OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE BY USA

ArmInfo
2009-08-28 13:38:00

ArmInfo. The decision by the Federal Court invalidating the Law of
California State allowing the successors of the Armenians killed
during the Genocide in the Ottoman Empire to receive life insurance
policies of their relatives may give impulse to the issue of final
recognition of the Armenian Genocide by the USA, Arpi Vardanyan,
the director of Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh offices of the Armenian
Assembly of America told ArmInfo.

"This decision which was essentially wrong may draw even more attention
to the problem and became a measure on final recognition of the
Armenian Genocide by the USA," Vardanyan said. She mentioned that a
number of insurance companies including New York Life Insurance have
recognized the fact of Genocide and paid relevant indemnities. These
companies are unlikely to demand the paid policies back, she said.

"Denying Genocide of Armenians the court acted immorally and deserves
condemnation. The heirs of the people who survived the Genocide of
Armenians must get advantage of the situation to raise the issue at
the top level," Vardanyan said.

ISRAEL ATTEMPTS TO MAKE RUSSIA MAJOR PLAYER IN MIDEAST
Lamiya Adilgizi

Journal of Turkish weekly
Aug 29 2009

Israel’s close relations with Russia and Turkey’s decreasing role in
Israel’s foreign policy have marked the transformation of Russia into
a considerable power in Middle Eastern affairs.

A recent meeting between Israeli President Shimon Peresand his Russian
colleague, Dmitri Medvedev, in Sochi supported this point.

On Aug. 18, the Israeli president, during his meeting with Medvedev,
expressed his confidence in Russia’s role in the Middle East peace
process, for which there has yet to be a solution. The Russian
president said conflicts persisting in the Middle East should be
solved as quickly as possible and Russia, as a part of a quartet of
international mediators, is ready to assist in this solution.

However, regional experts disagree with this statement. Adjunct senior
research fellow Shlomo Gazit from the Institute of National Security
Studies (INSS), a think tank based in Israel, told Sunday’s Zaman
that although he highly regarded Turkey’s ambitions to help bring
about reconciliation between Israel and Syria after their long-lasting
territorial dispute, he is not optimistic about the results of these
efforts. Commenting on the Israel-Syrian indirect talks, Gazit,
a prominent expert on Israeli foreign policy, said: "I am a strong
supporter of Israeli-Syrian peace talks, and I would like very much
to see a political settlement between our two countries. From this
point of view, I highly appreciate the present Turkish initiative,
which tried to bring peace between Israel and Syria."

"We have enormous respect and great appreciation for Turkish
efforts. But they have not succeeded — not because of the Turks,"
Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon stated on Tuesday. This
does not necessarily mean that Israeli-Syrian talks have failed under
Turkish auspices. "Nevertheless," Gazit continued, "I am afraid the
present Turkish approach has no serious chance for success."

Stating that the Turkish negotiation efforts were ambiguous and their
success seemed improbable, Gazit also noted that Israel no longer
trusts Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan after his outspoken
criticism at Davos concerning Palestinians. "Turkish [Prime Minister]
Erdogan is not presently considered in Israel as an honest broker,
following his attitude and statements during the recent military
encounter in the Gaza Strip," he noted. Moreover, the expert believes
direct negotiations are imperative between Israel and Syria.

The Israel-Syria indirect talks began with Turkey’s mediation to secure
the return of the Golan Heights, occupied by Israel since 1967, to
Syria. Despite over a year of negotiations, the two sides failed to
reach a clear solution. Ayalon said on Tuesday that Israel will no
longer continue talks with Syria under Turkish mediation. He stated
that direct talks are a prerequisite to continue the negotiations.

Huseyin Sumer, an independent analyst based in Ä°stanbul, speaking
with Sunday’s Zaman, stated that he does not think Israel is trying to
bypass Turkey and replace Turkey with Russia. "This case is similar
to Azerbaijan-Turkey relations when Turkey attempted to normalize
relations with Armenia so Ä°lham Aliyev, the president of Azerbaijan,
went to Moscow," Sumer said. According to the expert, Turkey has begun
to undertake proactive policies. He thinks that Turkish foreign policy
became more influential, which strained relations between Israel and
Turkey. Mentioning the problems between Israel and Turkey, Sumer says
these problems should not be the reason for stalled relationships
between the two countries. "There are unnamed thousands of Israeli
companies currently operating in Turkey. Turkey and Israel have
bilateral military agreements with each other." Referring to these
facts, Sumer concludes that Israeli-Turkish relations are unlikely
to worsen in such a way.

International Strategic and Research Organization (ISRO) head Sedat
Laciner told Sunday’s Zaman, "Israel wants to take a position to
protest Turkey by sidelining with Russia." "However," he immediately
pointed out, "they cannot get any tangible results out of this. Russia
blamed Israel, saying it sold weapons to Georgia during the August
2008 conflict between Russia and Georgia. Russia also has a close
relationship with Iran and Syria. This means that Russia cannot be
like Turkey in mediating the talks. Israel, in fact, lost much by
keeping Turkey out of the talks."

Comparing Russia and Turkey, the expert says Turkey and Russia are not
similar countries. "Turkey became a natural broker between Syria and
Israel due to its increasing role in the Middle East. Israel gained
much from Turkey, and it was Turkey that brought Israel and Syria
together," Laciner said, adding that Israel cannot find a country
like Turkey and Turkey wants the best both for Syria and Israel.

TURKISH DIPLOMAT SUGGESTS ARMENIAN PRESIDENT CAN TRAVEL BY AIR TO WATCH FOOTBALL GAME IN TURKEY

Yerkir
25.08.2009 16:05

Yerevan (Yerkir) – Speaking to the Baku-based ANS TV, Turkish
ambassador to Azerbaijan Hulusi Kilic has said that Armenian President
Serzh Sargsyan, if he wishes so, can visit Turkey to watch the
football game between the Turkish and Armenian national teams. His
comment referred to an earlier statement by Sargsyan that he he would
visit Turkey in case the border has been opened or some improvements
are made.

Some 50 days remain before the game and if the Armenian president
wants, he could do that, Kilic said, suggesting that Sargsyan could
travel by air.

Commenting on the possibility of the land border being opened, Kilic
said: "If there is progress in the Azerbaijan-Armenia talks on Nagorno
Karabakh, Turkey-Armenia relations will also improve."

MIKHAIL BAGDASAROV: "WE HAVE NO PROBLEMS: WE FLY AND WILL FLY"

PanARMENIAN.Net
25.08.2009 18:11 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armavia meets all international standards. We
have new planes, Armavia meets all the requirements of IATA," the
president of Armavia Mikhail Bagdasarov said, commenting on the recent
decision by EU to include Armavia in the list of air carriers, which
flights may be banned in 2012 in the EU airports due to environmental
considerations. Under the new EU legislation, which will come into
force on January 1, 2012, all airlines flying into the EU must reduce
emissions of carbon dioxide.

Mikhail Bagdasarov informed, that the EU list includes four thousand
air carriers, such as Lufthansa, KLM and others, so it’s not just a
question of Armavia, it is the issue of all airlines.

"This problem applies not only to the airlines, but it is the problem
of aviation in general," Mikhail Bagdasarov said. "We have no problem,
-we fly and will fly," he said, press-service of Armavia reports.

ARMENIAN POLITICAL EXPERT: TURKEY STRIVES TO PLAY THE LEADING ROLE IN SOUTH CAUCASUS REGION

ArmInfo
2009-08-24 18:46:00

ArmInfo. Turkey is striving to play the leading role in the South
Caucasus region by participating in a number of energy projects,
Director of Caucasus Institute Alexander Iskandaryan said at a
press-conference.

According to him, at the moment the so-called "Turkish gas
complementary policy" is observed, when Ankara is conducting an
active policy with respect to both the USA and Russia. "Turkey wants
to become a gas bundle between Russia on the one hand, and Europe
– on the other hand",- the political expert said. In this context
he added that the course shaped by the Turkish foreign ministry is
restricted to the idea "0 problems with neighboring countries". "It
will be uneasy to implement this taking into account the imperial
past of Turkey and the difficult relations with Greece, Bulgaria,
Syria and Armenia as a consequence of this past",- Iskandaryan said.