Author: Nanijanian Alex

AZERI OFFICIAL BLASTS MINSK GROUP CO-CHAIRS OVER ‘MISINFORMATION’

AzerNews Weekly
May 13 2009
Azerbaijan

An Azerbaijani official has strongly criticized the OSCE Minsk Group
(MG) co-chairs brokering settlement to the Armenia-Azerbaijan Upper
Garabagh conflict, blaming them for spreading false information about
the current state of peace talks.

Novruz Mammadov, head of the President’s Office international relations
department, said Yerevan was very non-constructive during the last
meeting of Presidents Ilham Aliyev and Serzh Sarkisian held in Prague
on May 7.

"The Armenian side was unwilling to take even a step toward a
conflict settlement and once again demonstrated that it had claims
to Azerbaijani territories. Nonetheless, despite the lack of mutual
agreement, the co-chairs issued a statement supporting the position of
the Armenian leader, and, it turns out, that of their own, without any
prior consultations with the Azerbaijani president. Providing erroneous
information to the US president and secretary of state, and the leaders
of other states, they indicated that peace talks are allegedly going
very well and the positions of the sides are drawing closer."

Following the Aliyev-Sarkisian meeting in the Czech capital, the MG
co-chairs issued a joint statement claiming "significant progress"
had been achieved in Garabagh settlement.

"We don’t understand what the purpose of saying all this is," Mammadov
continued. "It seems to me that all this once again shows that bias
toward aggressor Armenia persists and the process of defending its
interests continues. On the other hand, the co-chairs are interested
in this process stalling, for them to come and go on official trips
and fulfill their duties, as if this is their career. Or else,
it could be that Mathew Bryza [the US MG co-chairman], himself,
has an interest in advancing his career, his job, and so forth,
by misinforming Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. That’s the only
presumption that comes to my mind," Mammadov concluded.

Azerbaijan and Armenia have been locked in conflict for nearly two
decades. The MG, co-chaired by the United States, Russia and France,
is brokering the peace process. Peace talks kicked off after a lengthy
war that ended with the signing of a cease-fire in 1994, but have
brought little tangible result so far. Armenia continues to occupy
Upper Garabagh and seven other Azerbaijani districts in defiance of
international law.*

NKR PRESIDENT MEETS THE DELEGATION OF THE HAYASTAN FUND

armradio.am
14.05.2009 13:33

On May 14 NKR President Bako Sahakyan received the delegation of
All-Armenian Fund "Hayastan" led by acting executive director Ara
Vardanyan. The delegation was composed of the chairmen of the Fund’s
Affiliates member of the control committee of the Fund’s Board of
trustees Vahe Jazmadarian, Central Information Department of the
Office of the NKR President reported.

At the beginning of the meeting Bako Sahakyan awarded a group of the
Fund’s members with NKR state medals for active participation in the
implementation of the Fund’s projects in Artsakh.

The President answered the questions of the delegation. Bako Sakakyan
expressed satisfaction with the opening of the Fund’s office in Artsakh
considering it better way to carry out activities more efficiently
and effectively.

Speaking about the further expanding and deepening of cooperation with
the Fund, the head of the stare underlined the necessity of ensuring
high quality of the works and construction culture. In this context
the President considered important the involvement of the intellectual
potential of the Diaspora in the professional development of personnel
in the different spheres of our republic.

The members of the delegation expressed gratitude to the NKR President
in connection with granting high awards and confirmed their readiness
to continue provid ing assistance in th renewal and prosperity
of Artsakh.

ISSUES OF COOPERATION BETWEEN ARMENIAN AND BRITISH NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCILS DISCUSSED

ARMENPRESS
May 14, 2009

YEREVAN, MAY 14, ARMENPRESS: Secretary of the Armenian National
Security Council Arthur Baghdasaryan received today special
representative of Great Britain to the South Caucasus Bryan Pole.

Press service of the council told Armenpress that during the meeting
the interlocutors discussed issues on the program of 2009-2011 events
ensuring the implementation of the "Armenia-EU Action Plan" program
of the EU Neighborhood policy.

Arthur Baghdasaryan noted that reforms are intended in different
spheres in Armenia and the support of the EU member countries is
expected in the process.

With the request of the guest A. Baghdasaryan presented the structure
and activity of the National Security Council. The sides also discussed
the necessity of development of bilateral ties between Armenia and
Great Britain.

The sides also referred to the Armenian-Turkish relations and Karabakh
conflict regulation process.

GEORGIA SUPPORTS OPENING OF ARMENIAN-TURKISH BORDER

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
12.05.2009 19:25 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The most important thing for Georgia is peace
and stability in the region, therefore official Tbilisi’s stance on
Armenian-Turkish border opening is quite comprehensible. According
to available information obtained from Georgian diplomatic sources,
economic cooperation among Georgia, Armenia and Turkey will be to the
benefit of all three states. "We never objected to border opening
purely with economic considerations, as Georgia will get less for
freight delivery. On the contrary, we have always supported the idea,
because this is an alternative route for both Armenia and Georgia. Our
countries have chosen the path towards European development. This
necessarily implies open borders between neighboring states," our
interlocutor stressed.

He also noted that Armenian and Georgian societies have perception
stereotypes that must be overcome. "The accepted stereotype in
Armenia is that Tbilisi has more positive attitude to Azerbaijan
than to Armenia. But this isn’t true. Armenians and Georgians are
two Christian nations, and we mustn’t allow anyone to cause a clash
between us," he said.

YEREVAN TO HOLD INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM DEVOTED TO GERMAN STUDIES

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
12.05.2009 19:32 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Despite the difference between their language
standards, German and Transcaucasian languages maintain close
ties. International experts are scheduled to meet on May 14 and 15,
2009. The meeting is aimed at promoting further linguistic research,
developing German studies and international cooperation of Armenian
linguists.

The main topic to be discussed on the second day of symposium will be
devoted to language didactics problems. Apart from Armenian and German
representatives, the symposium will also be attended by researchers
from Azerbaijan and Iran.

The symposium will be presided over by Mattias Fritz, Professor at
Yerevan State Linguistic University after Brusov. He has been appointed
as long-term lecture in Armenia by German Academic Exchange Service.

The event is funded by DAAD and German Embassy in Armenia.

FOR THE FIRST TIME ARMENIAN FILMS TO BE PRESENTED AT THE FILM MARKET OF CANNES FILM FESTIVAL

Noyan Tapan
May 12, 2009

Yerevan, May 12, Noyan Tapan. Armenia for the first time will
officially participate in the Film Market to be held between May 13
and 22 at the Cannes 62nd International Film Festival. The National
Cinema Center, a legal successor of "Hay Film" will represent Armenia.

As Gevorg Gevorgyan, director of the Cinema Center told a press
conference on May 8, with support of Armenia’s ministry of culture, the
Center will present in a separate pavilion of Cannes Film market two
dozens of Armenian films, including live-action, full-length and short
films, animation, documentaries. Particularly, "Priestess" by Vigen
Chaldranyan, "Border" by Harutyun Khachatryan, "Tangled parallels"
by Hovhannes Galstyan, "Sunrise of a mourn street" by Albert Lazarian
will be demonstrated at the most cinematically sophisticated public.

"Refuge" of Martun Harutyunyan will also be screened during the
festival.

According to Gevorkyan, the year of 2009 has been favorable for
the Armenian cinema, as during this year Armenian films are also
to be screened in a number of international festivals as well. As
administration of the "Golden Apricot" film festival told a Noyan
Tapan reporter, Armenian films will possibly be demonstrated during
a documentary film festival in Turky this November and at the
International Istanbul festival next April.

ARMENIANS OF JAVAKHK DISSATISFIED WITH SAAKASHVILI’S POLICY
Alisa Gevorgyan

"Radiolur"
12.05.2009 14:46

Which political forces do Javakhk Armenians favor against the
background of the internal political tension in Georgia? President
of the Javakhk Patriotic Union, MP Shirak Torosyan told a press
conference today that Armenians of Javakhk are very dissatisfied with
Saakashvili’s policy, "since the issue of ethnic discrimination has
added up to the social problems existing in the region, but neither
are there serious expectations from the opposition leaders."

"No opposition leader has ever declared what policy they are going
to assume with regard to the ethnic minorities of Georgia if they
come to power. The Javakhk Armenians are very discontent today. Some
of them attend the meetings, but there is no mass participation,"
Shirak Torosyan said.

Goal.com
May 9 2009

Kenya’s Allan Wanga Quits Angola For Armenia

The Kenya international striker has disclosed he is on way to Armenia
in the summer.
9 May 2009 15:05:21

Top Armenian club, FC Pyunik, are set to snap up Allan Wanga from
Angolan club Petro Atletico of Luanda.

`Despite much resistance from Petro, the club officials have finally
agreed to negotiate with the interested club. Initially they would
hear nothing of a move for me,’ said Wanga.

"The talks are ongoing after I asked Petro to release me from the club
during the transfer window next month [June]. It’s just a matter of
time that the deal will be sealed.

"The President [of Pyunik] called to ask me to attend a three-day
formality trial. He has been corresponding with my agent as well as
another agent from Russia to have me terminate my contract at Petro
and move over to FC Pyunik."

He added: "I admit that I know nothing much about Armenian football
but the interest is too much for me to ignore. The deal from FC Pyunik
is simply irresistible."

In two years at Petro, Wanga’s stock has risen, from a player with a
price tag of $50,000, when he moved from Kenyan club Tusker FC at the
close of 2007, to one who now is priced at $350,000.

In 2007, he netted 21 goals in 23 games to help Tusker grab their
first Premier League title since 2000, and he was promptly snapped up
by Angola’s Petro Atletico on a four-year contract.

Last year, Wanga made 22 league appearances in the 26-game Angolan
Premier League, and his five goals and crucial assists led Petro in
re-claiming the Angolan League title ` the Girabola – for the first
time since 2001.

This year, the tall striker has featured in six of the 10 league games
to enable his team remain unbeaten thus far this season. Petro have a
record of nine wins and a draw in the 10 games.

Samm Audu, Goal.com

TURKISH CONSUL’S ALLEGED ANTI-GERMAN COMMENTS SPARK TEMPEST

Assyrian International News Agency AINA
May 8 2009

Dusseldorf (DPA) — It all began with a private lunch on February 22
attended by Hakan Kivanc, Turkey’s consul general in Dusseldorf. The
envoy is alleged to have made some very undiplomatic comments about
Germans at the time, and the ensuing brouhaha keeps growing.

The parliamentary group of Germany’s co-governing conservatives has
demanded that Kivanc be recalled. The German Foreign Ministry has
decided to intervene.

Turkish immigrant groups in Germany are dividing into pro- and
anti-Kivanc camps. Turkish newspapers say he is being smeared.

Kivanc himself denies the accusations.

At the centre of the controversy is the ongoing campaign to save
one of the world’s oldest Christian monasteries, Mor Gabriel, in
south-eastern Anatolia, where the Orthodox institution is enmeshed
in a land dispute with local villagers. Supporters of the monastery
invited Kivanc to the lunch.

Despite a request that the meeting be kept confidential, participants
made a record from memory, in which Kivanc is quoted as saying that
if Germans had their way, they would tattoo a "T" on everyone from
Turkey and do to them what the Nazis did to the Jews. If you cut open
a German, Kivanc is alleged to have said, the spilled blood would be
brown – the colour associated with Germany’s Nazis.

Kivanc is said to have concluded that Germans should not be trusted,
and that Turkey was the only country that would protect all the
Turkish people living in Germany.

The comments became public in late April through Action Mor Gabriel,
an association of six Germany-based activist groups from Turkey aimed
at mobilizing and coordinating support for the monastery. The group
demanded that Kivanc be removed from his post immediately.

Two participants in the February meeting recently filed affidavits with
a lawyer’s office in Frankfurt affirming Kivanc’s alleged comments.

German conservatives then seized on the issue.

Hans-Peter Uhl, a member of the Christian Social Union (CSU) and
domestic policy spokesman for the conservatives’ in Parliament,
and Kristina Koehler, a member of Parliament from Chancellor Angela
Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) with responsibility for
issues involving extremism, urged the German Foreign Ministry to ask
Turkey to recall the consul general.

A spokesman said the ministry would approach Turkey "immediately"
to decide what to do about Kivanc.

The spokesman for Action Mor Gabriel, Kubilay Demirkaya, a local
CDU politician in Cologne, defended publication of Kivanc’s alleged
comments.

"It was our civic duty to publish them," he told the German Press
Agency dpa.

Demirkaya, who was not present at the meeting with Kivanc, said he had
later asked some of the participants for a record of the proceedings
and merely polished several quotes.

The controversy touches the delicate relations between Christians
and Muslims in Turkey.

Christian minorities from Turkey living in Germany, such as Assyrians
and Armenians, as well as minority Alevi and Kurds, by no means see
Turkey as a protecting power.

One participant in the meeting, Turkish-born artist Ismail Coban,
on Thursday condemned Demirkaya’s release of the alleged comments.

"It harms the action committee, it harms the consulate, it harms us
all," Coban told dpa.

He said in an open letter that Demirkaya had "made a statement with
invented falsifications for the sake of personal advantage." To attain
his goals, Coban charged, Demirkaya was conducting a smear campaign
against the Turkish state and its diplomats.

Other Turkish immigrant groups have been taken aback by the
accusations, which make Kivanc look like a nationalist. The consul
general is described as Western-oriented and having good contacts in
German society.

Some Turks suspect the controversy was stirred up to harm Turkey’s
efforts to join the European Union.

ARMBUSINESSBANK TO START PROVIDING VISA CARDS STARTING MAY 15

ArmInfo
2009-05-09 00:20:00

ArmInfo. ArmBusinessBank (ABB) will start issuing and serving
plastic cards of VISA International payment system. To recall,
earlier Chairman of ABB Board Ara Kirakosyan said in his interview
with ArmInfo correspondent that on December 4, 2008, the bank has
become an affiliated member VISA Int. System, and in this connection,
it intends to issue VISA cards (Electron, Classic, Business and
Gold). Speaking of development of the card business, Kirakosyan said
that to diversify services, the bank is working out new products with
foreign companies. "We intend to offer new card services to the market,
which are lacking in Armenia",- he assured.

According to the data as of April 1, 2009, ABB shareholders are the
Ukrainian Ukrprombank (35%), Ukrainian insurance company Alpha-Garant
(35%), and Chrystie Management Inc. (30%).