Author: Navasardian Karapet

A NUMBER OF ARMENIAN-LATVIAN INTERGOVERNMENTAL AND INTERDEPARTMENTAL AGREEMENTS SIGNED IN YEREVAN

NOYAN TAPAN
DECEMBER 10, 2009
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 10, NOYAN TAPAN. Agreements On Air Communication,
On Economic and Scientific-Technical Cooperation and On Cooperation in
Fighting Terrorism, Organized Crime and Illegal Circulation of Drugs,
Psychothropic Substances and Their Components and Other Crimes were
signed on December 10 in Yerevan between the governments of Armenia
and Latvia. An agreement On Cooperation in the Sphere of Environmental
Protection was signed between the Environmental Protection Ministries
of the two countries.

The documents were signed within the framework of Latvian President
Valdis Zatlers’ three-day state visit to Armenia.

POLITICAL IMPROVIDENCE AND APATHY OF ARMENIAN DIPLOMACY AROUSES INDIGNATION: DIARIO ARMENIA

News from Armenia – NEWS.am
12:08 / 12/11/2009

In the course of his last meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama,
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan baldly indicated that
Ankara’s position on Armenia-Turkey reconciliation remains unchanged.

It should be directly linked with the developments in Karabakh peace
process, Diario Armenia reads.

The daily underlines that Erdogan reaffirmed Turkey’s position
immediately after the meeting with Barack Obama.

"In this connection we would like to point out that Turkey takes any
chance to voice its claims, whereas Armenian diplomacy is inactive,
authorities prefer to stay low profile and watch the developments.

Several days ago, RA President Serzh Sargsyan made a slack warning to
Turkey on freezing of reconciliation. However, political improvidence
and apathy of Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandyan arouses indignation.

Erdogan regained victory, this time in U.S., thus confirming that
calls and warnings by Diaspora are not groundless. Armenian side
should have reacted imminently, however it did not happen. Both
Davutoglu and Erdogan not only twist around and see the prospects
of Armenia-Turkey relations from their viewpoint, but also seek to
sow discord between Armenia and Diaspora, claiming that the latter
should not interfere into the process. But even to this indiscretion
Armenian authorities failed to respond. Nalbandyan can and must
use all diplomatic techniques at his disposal as his opponents do,
including Diaspora institutions," Diario Armenia says.

AUCTION OF TREASURY MEDIUM-TERM BONDS WITH 36-WEEK MATURITY HELD ON DECEMBER 10

NOYAN TAPAN
DECEMBER 10 , 2009
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 10, NOYAN TAPAN. An action of state (treasury)
medium-term bonds (AMGN36265126 issue) with a 36-week maturity was
held on December 10.

The amount of bonds subject to placement was 1 billion drams, the
demand was 2 billion 749 million 685 thousand drams. The placement
of bonds made 1 billion drams. The revenues from placement amounted
to 986 million 847 thousand 680 drams. The weighted average yield of
the placement is 12.8945%, the limit yield is 12.9399%.

According to the press service of the RA Ministry of Finance, 5
dealers participated in the auction.

HANS GUNNAR ADEN: "EASTERN PARTNERSHIP" HAS FAR-REACHING GOALS

PanARMENIAN.Net
11.12.2009 16:14 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The EU has already provided the countries involved
in Eastern Partnership 175 million euros to implement institutional
reforms in 6 post-Soviet countries, Hans Gunnar Aden , Swedish
Ambassador to South Caucasus countries told the briefing in Yerevan
devoted to the Swedish EU Presidency.

As the Swedish diplomat said, Sweden intends to deepen and expand the
neighborhood policy with the Eastern partners in terms of security and
stability of the EU. "Eastern Partnership" has far-reaching goals. We
attach great importance to cooperation of these 6 countries with the
EU, and to their cooperation with each other," Hans Gunnar Aden said.

He recalled that the "Eastern Partnership" initiative offers 4
cooperation platforms. "The first one is the platform of democracy and
good public governance, the second one is the economic integration,
the third platform is energy security and the fourth one is a platform
that provides contacts between people and civil societies in these
countries," the Ambassador of Sweden said.

Eastern Partnership initiative does not offer a blueprint for conflict
resolution or liquidation of the crisis consequences, but it gives
partner countries an opportunity to approach to ideas and values of
the European family.

ARMENIA AND AZERBAIJAN TO RECEIVE NEW VERSION OF MADRID PRINCIPLES SOON: RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY

Tert.am
11:33 ~U 11.12.09

Russia, as an OSCE Minsk Group co-chair country, connects the
settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict with Azerbaijan and Armenia
reaching a speedy agreement on the basic principles of the settlement
of the conflict, said official representative of the Russian Federation
Ministry of Foreign Affairs Andrei Nesterenko during a briefing.

Nesterenko said that, taking into account discussions taken place
over the past two years by the conflicting sides, the Minsk Group
co-chairs have developed a new version of the Madrid Principles,
which will be made available to both parties in the near future.

"If the positive dynamics of the negotiating process continue, which
the parties have come to during the current year when 6 meetings
between Sargsyan and Aliyev took place, not counting the 3 three-way
meetings with Dmitry Medvedev, all the reasons are there to expect that
the Principles’ final agreement and the development of the text for
peaceful settlement based on those grounds will finally take place,"
noted Nesterenko.

Responding to a question by an Azerbaijani journalist, who stated that
Baku is dissatisfied with the Minsk Group’s activities, the Russian
Foreign Ministry representative said, "The Russian side has received
no response whatsoever from Azerbaijan’s leadership that would express
their dissatisfaction with the OSCE Minsk Group’s activities and with
the efforts implemented by the co-chairs. But gratification related
to the mediation efforts has been expressed, and not only once."

NGOS URGE AUTHORITIES TO DISCLOSE CIRCUMSTANCES OF MARCH 1 TRAGEDY VICTIMS’ DEATH

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
10.12.2009 14:52 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ On the International Day of Human Rights, several
Armenian NGOs (Helsinki Committee of Armenia, Armenian Committee of
Helsinki Citizens Assembly, Center of Freedom and Law) released a
statement voicing their concerns over the problems in the country’s
justice and law enforcement system.

The statement indicates law enforcement bodies’ unlawful conduct
in 2009, particularly extortion of evidence by use of force and
irregularities observed during court proceedings. "A fair example
is the March 1, 2008 tragic events and the subsequent developments,"
says the release.

According to the representatives of above mentioned state bodies,
the circumstances in which 10 people died during March 1 disorders
still remain undisclosed and over a dozen political prisoners are
kept under arrest.

In their statement, NGOs also urge Armenian authorities to disclose,
within the shortest time-limits, the circumstances of March 1 tragedy
victims’ death and hold the culprits accountable, as well release
all political prisoners.

Stepan Demirchyan: Permissiveness and injustice reigning in Armenia

NEWS.am
16:59 / 12/10/2009

Human rights protection is at an extremely low level in Armenia,
Chairman of the People’s Party of Armenia (PAP), which forms part of
the opposition Armenian National Congress (ANC), Stepan Demirchyan
told reporters. Together with the ANC leaders he participated in a
procession held in Yerevan today.

According to Demirchyan, permissiveness and injustice are reigning in
Armenia. He stressed that the people `are not going to put up with
this situation and will continue their struggle.’ Demirchyan is also
sure that all the political prisoners will be released in Armenia

Today on the occasion of International Human Rights Day, the ANC held
a procession in Yerevan. The participants paid homage to the memory of
the March 1 victims.

T.P.

INT’L COMMUNITY INCREASES PRESSURE ON AZERBAIJAN, ARMENIA TO REACH SOLUTION: BRITISH EXPERT

Today.Az
09 December 2009 [13:33]

"If there is no any progress in resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict, development of Turkish-Armenian relations will be difficult,"
British Chatman House expert Neil McFarlane said.

He said the protocols require ratification, which created difficulties
both in Armenia and Turkey.

McFarlane said the "genocide" issue was also a serious obstacle for
the Turkey-Armenia normalization.

The expert said he positively valued the process. In his opinion,
profiles of solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict are clear now.

"The international community increased pressure on the sides to
reach solution. The question is whether this pressure will lead to
the positive results."

McFarlane believes that the key to achieve peace in Nagorno-Karabakh
is to determine status of this territory.

He reminded that Azerbaijan promised has maximum autonomy, which
included local police, military forces, independent local tax system,
establishing of special relations with Armenia, rights for migration
control and international guarantee for that.

"I don’t think that Azerbaijan will accept this concept of autonomy,
but if the sides are interested in the agreement, it is possible to
find different options".

The expert said he didn’t believe the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh
will resume again.

As regard to Western interests in the South Caucasus, McFarlane said
Americans are interested much more in the relations with Russia
and they didn’t want it to be an obstacle for the developments in
the Caucasus.

He said Europe also had no a single approach to the region.

AZERBAIJANIS TAKE REVENGE ON UKRAINE FOR TRUTH ABOUT NAGORNY KARABAKH

ArmInfo
2009-12-09 12:31:00

ArmInfo. The camera crew of one of the Azerbaijani TV channels will
leave for Ukraine to prepare a 18-minute film about that country,
the Nezavisimaya Gazeta reported. In particular, the authors of the
project are going to visit Kiev, Western Ukraine, Transcarpathian
region, Eastern Ukraine and the Crimea. The TV group plans to present
Western Ukraine as historical territory of Poland and Lvov as a Polish
city. As for Eastern Ukraine, it will be presented as a historical land
of Russia and Kiev as the heart of the Russian culture of pre-Mongol
epoch, Transcarpathian region as the Hungarian land and the Crimea
as the Tatar land invaded by Russian emperors and illegal gifted to
Ukraine by Khruchev. The authors are going to revenge for the report
"Nagorny Karabakh – Territory Where Time Has Stuck" broadcasted by
the Ukrainian Inter TV. The "counter-report" will be translated into
foreign languages and broadcasted on several TV channels. It will be
available also in the web.

Armenian National Committee of America
1711 N Street, NW
Washington, DC 20036
Tel. (202) 775-1918
Fax. (202) 775-5648
Email. [email protected]
Internet

PRESS RELEASE

December 8, 2009
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918

LEVERAGING TURKEY-ARMENIA PROTOCOLS,
ERDOGAN PRESSES ADVANTAGE DURING DC VISIT

— Escalates Genocide Denial, Pushes Preconditions, Reinforces
Pressure on Nagorno Karabagh

— WATCH VIDEO:
leases.php?prid=1788

WASHINGTON, DC – Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan,
having secured at least temporarily, the silence of yet another
Administration on the Armenian Genocide, has used his U.S. visit to
further press Turkey’s advantage – dramatically escalating his
genocide denial rhetoric, reinforcing Turkey’s "Protocols"
preconditions for lifting its blockade of Armenia, and attempting
to use Ankara’s new found leverage in the Nagorno Karabagh peace
process to deliver a pro-Azerbaijani settlement of this conflict,
reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).

"Today, more than seven months into the silence of yet another U.S.
Administration on the Armenian Genocide, it’s painfully clear that
Erdogan has not, as President Obama had hoped, moved toward a full,
frank and just acknowledgement of the facts – but rather sprinted
in exactly the opposite direction, dramatically ramping up his
denial rhetoric and pressing more aggressively against U.S.
recognition of this crime," said Aram Hamparian, Executive Director
of the ANCA. "As we’ve said from day one, for Erdogan and his
government, the Protocols are not about peace. They represent
simply another tactic by Turkey to extend U.S. complicity in
Turkey’s denials from one April 24th to the next," added Hamparian.

In addition to escalating his Armenian Genocide denial demands,
Erdogan also made clear that his government would not respect
either of the two U.S. priorities for Turkey-Armenia normalization:
no preconditions and a reasonable timeframe. He continued to press
for both the two Turkish preconditions hardwired into the
Protocols, namely a historical "commission" and the confirmation of
borders, as well as a third unwritten precondition that the Nagorno
Karabagh issue be settled to Azerbaijan’s satisfaction. At the
same time, he firmly established that Turkey does not feel any
obligation to move forward in a timely manner.

Erdogan’s comments came during a press conference held at the
Willard Hotel, followed by a presentation at the Johns Hopkins
University School of Advanced and International Studies (SAIS) and
an evening speech at SETA-DC, touted as the only Turkish think tank
in Washington, DC. He will continue presentations on Tuesday at
the German Marshall Fund and later do a PBS television interview
with Charlie Rose.

During his think tank appearances, Prime Minister Erdogan
pontificated – often in a lecturing and self-righteous tone – on a
broad range of topics, from foreign policy to climate change and
world poverty. The formats of these presentations, which featured
highly controlled third-party participation, lent themselves to
this type of one-way communication. The only exceptions were the
few questions, submitted in writing, dealing with the Armenian
Genocide and freedom of speech in Turkey. Both of these topics
sparked angry and unscripted responses from Erdogan.

Asked during his Johns Hopkins presentation by ANCA Communications
Director Elizabeth Chouldjian about his thoughts on repeated
statements by President Obama that his views had not changed on the
"events on 1915," Erdogan descended into a strident diatribe of
denial of the Armenian Genocide, dismissing decades of scholarship
documenting the systematic destruction of the Armenian population
from 1915-1923. "My ancestors have never committed genocide,"
asserted Erdogan. "This is, in my opinion, not possible… Those
people who speak of genocide, I don’t know what documentation they
base it on."

Asked about recent Congressional rebuke of media repression in
Turkey, Prime Minister Erdogan denied that there are restrictions
on the press in Turkey, stating, "The press in Turkey is perhaps
freer than the press in the U.S. – much more so, in my opinion."

At SETA-DC, in response to a question on the ratification timeline
of the Turkey-Armenia protocols, Prime Minister Erdogan stated
that: "There are certain connections, which need to be taken into
consideration, the first one of which being the relations between
Azerbaijan and Armenia. There is at the moment this concern in the
Parliament and that’s why we called the MINSK group – the United
States, Russian Federation and France especially – to move forward
in this area. If they can work on the Nagarno-Karabakh problem
between Azerbaijan and Armenia, which has been ongoing for the last
20 years and if progress can be made towards a solution to the
problem of Nagorno-Karabagh, then not only will problems between
Azerbaijan and Armenia be resolved but also there will be a
positive contribution to the process between Turkey and Armenia,
whereby the parliaments will reflect upon their work, the good will
and progress in the issue of Nagarno-Karabagh, and this what we
would like to see happen."