Author: Navasardian Karapet

WILL KOSOVO INDEPENDENCE INFLUENCE ON KARABAKH?

AZG Armenian Daily
31/01/2008

Karabakh conflict

"Influence of Kosovo independence on Karabakh conflict is
unpredictable", announced Council of Europe Secretary General Terry
Davis.

Touching upon the issue of Karabakh conflict settlement the Council of
Europe Secretary General mentioned, "Resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict depends on the Armenian and Azerbaijani Presidents. OSCE
Minsk Group can help, but the settlement of the conflict depends on
the two countries’ governments and peoples. So, I recommend Azerbaijan
and Armenia to continue efforts in that sphere".

AGGRESSIVE ANNOUNCEMENTS AS ATTEMPT TO ACHIEVE PEACE?

AZG Armenian Daily
29/01/2008

Karabakh conflict

In his interview to Azerbaijani news agencies OSCE MG Co-chair Matthew
Bryza mentioned, "Many aggressive announcements are made by Azerbaijani
side, but I perceive them as an attempt of peaceful settlement. At
the same time those announcements show that Azerbaijan will test every
possible means of pressure to reach the best peaceful agreement. I feel
that the two sides try to conciliate and reach a complete agreement…"

Mr. Bryza also announced that during the visit he saw the sides’
inclination to achieve peace.

He also considered the forecasts of International Crisis Group about
the restart of Karabakh war after 2012 as "speculative".

Anatolia News Agency, Turkey
Jan 27 2008

Turkey hopes to become top 10 economies by 2013 – foreign minister

Davos, 27 January: Turkish FM Ali Babacan said thanks to the reforms
implemented in the last five years Turkey underwent major changes in
areas of economy and politics. He said this has resulted in Turkey
becoming a dynamic, transformed and stable state.

Babacan delivered a speech at a panel discussion titled "Turkey’s
Challenges," on Saturday [26 January].

"Turkey’s goal now is to be one of the top 10 economies by 2023, the
100th anniversary of the Turkish Republic’s founding," said Babacan.

FM Babacan said Turkey wanted to completely normalise relations with
Greece. He recalled that Greek PM Karamanlis visited Turkey – as the
first Greek PM to visit Turkey in 49 years – and said this was the
beginning of a new era in relations between the two countries.

Babacan said they would pursue an active foreign policy in 2008 and
noted that they wanted to open 10 embassies in Africa.

Babacan said Turkish community did not have a prejudice against
Armenian people and recalled that other than the Armenians people
that lived in Turkey, 70 thousand Armenians visited Turkey every
year.

Also Suzan Sabanci Dincer, Board Member and Managing Director of
Akbank TAS, Hanzade Dogan Boyner, Chief Executive Officer of Dogan
Newspaper Publishing delivered speech at the discussion panel.

On the other hand, after the panel discussion, Babacan held an
exclusive meeting with the foreign press.

Answering questions on Turkey’s combat with terrorist organization
PKK [Kurdistan Workers’ Party] and the cross-border operations in to
PKK camps in the north of Iraq, Babacan said a military operation
targeting civilians was out of the question.

JOE BIDEN COSPONSORS ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RESOLUTION

armradio.am
24.01.2008 10:45

The highly regarded and influential chairman of the Senate Foreign
Relations Committee, Senator Joseph Biden (D-DE), a longtime supporter
of US recognition of the Armenian Genocide, officially announced his
support yesterday for the Armenian Genocide Resolution (S.Res.106),
reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).

"Armenian Americans – and all those committed to forever ending
the cycle of genocide – welcome Chairman Biden’s principled support
for Congressional reaffirmation of the Armenian Genocide, and thank
him for his years of leadership in helping to put America back on
the right side of this compelling moral and foreign policy issue,"
said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian.

Chairman Biden has long been a supporter of proper US reaffirmation
of the Armenian Genocide, cosponsoring legislation in successive
sessions of Congress. Last year, he introduced legislation "condemning
the murder of Turkish-Armenian journalist and human rights advocate
Hrant Dink and urging the people of Turkey to honor his legacy of
tolerance." The resolution, S.Res.65, noted that Dink was "subjected
to legal action under Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code for
referring to the 1915 massacre of Armenians as genocide." Chairman
Biden also led Senate Foreign Relations Committee efforts to uncover
the circumstances surrounding the firing of former US Ambassador to
Armenia John Evans, for properly characterizing the Armenian Genocide
as a clear case of genocide.

The Armenian Genocide Resolution calls upon the President to ensure
that the foreign policy of the United States reflects appropriate
understanding and sensitivity concerning issues related to human
rights, ethnic cleansing, and genocide documented in the United States
record relating to the Armenian Genocide. Senator Biden’s decision
yesterday brings the official Senate cosponsor list to 34.

Introduced by Assistant Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) and
Sen. John Ensign (R-NV), the legislation has the support of key
Senate leaders including Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV)
and presidential candidate Hillary Clinton (D-NY). Earlier this week,
Senator Barack Obama (D-IL), called for Congressional adoption of the
legislation. "America deserves a leader who speaks truthfully about
the Armenian Genocide and responds forcefully to all genocides. I
intend to be that President," noted Sen. Obama.

MASS DEPARTURE OF ARMENIANS FROM TURKEY NOT EXPECTED

PanARMENIAN.Net
24.01.2008 16:33 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Assassination of Agos editor Hrant Dink, employees
of Zirve Christian edition in Malatia and assault on Catholic priests
aroused anxiety among the Armenian community of Istanbul, said Diran
Bakar, the attorney of the Armenian community. According to him,
the Armenian community can leave Turkey at any time, The Caucasian
Knot reports.

However, Agos newspaper representative in Yerevan Talin Sujian said
the hearsay is not a novelty. "Of course, after the assassination of
Hrant Dink the Armenian community lives in fear but mass departure
is not expected even under circumstances," she told a PanARMENIAN.Net
reporter. "Armenians in Istanbul refrain from clashes with the Turkish
authorities," she said.

Hrant Dink was gunned down on January 19, 2007 nearby his newspaper
office by an ultranationalist Ogun Samast, who was arrested several
hours after the assassination.

Samast and other 18 suspects will stand trial February 2, 2008.

US NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSIONER VISITS ARMENIA

armradio.am
23.01.2008 16:13

US Nuclear Regulatory Commissioner Doctor Peter B. Lyons visited
Armenia January 21-22 to familiarize himself with the status of the
nuclear power plant at Metsamor and Armenia’s plans for building a
new power plant to replace the Metsamor facility.

Dr. Lyons also explored with Armenian officials ways that the
Nuclear Regulatory Commission can help Armenia to develop the
regulatory infrastructure needed in order to license a new nuclear
power plant. During the course of his visit, the Commissioner met
with officials from the Ministry of Energy, the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, the Ministry of Nature Protection and the Armenian Nuclear
Regulatory Agency. He also visited the Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant.

ARMENIA TO COOPERATE WITH CIS COUNTRIES IN UPGRADING SPECIALISTS’ QUALIFICATION

ARKA News Agency
Jan 22 2008
Armenia

YEREVAN, January 22. /ARKA/. Armenia is to cooperate with CIS countries
in upgrading specialists’ qualification.

The cooperation is envisaged by norms of the appropriate agreement
on the training of specialists in Commonwealth of Independent States.

The agreement was approved Wednesday by Constitutional Court of
Armenia.

Armenian Education and Science Minister Levon Lazarian, presenting
said that the document’s aim is to speed up technological reforms in
the Commonwealth’s countries.

"Armenian Justice Minister thinks the agreement signed by Armenia
imposes no obligation on it to amend current laws or adopt new ones",
he said.

The minister said referring to Armenian Finance and Economy Ministry’s
conclusion that the agreement ratification imposes no additional
financial obligations on Armenia.

The agreement will be sent to Armenian National Assembly for
ratification.

The agreement was signed on May 25, 2007, in Yalta. The agreement
was signed by Armenia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and
Turkmenistan.

The agreement is to take force after settlement of all necessary
procedural matters inside the country.

ARMENIAN-AZERBAIJANI INVASION WAS PREVENTED IN MOSCOW

Lragir
Jan 22 2008
Armenia

The police of Moscow has arrested over 20 citizens of Armenia and
Azerbaijan who were going to fight with nationalist Russian young
men on January 21, RIA Novosti reports. According to the police
information, several dozens of young people of Caucasian origin
gathered on Ryazanski Avenue in the evening of January 21. Patrols
arrived at the stage and arrested about twenty young men for
hooliganism. The detainees were fined, charges were brought against
one of them for stabbing a policeman with a knife.

DENMARK DOES NOT OFFICIALLY RECOGNIZE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE IN OTTOMAN EMPIRE

arminfo
2008-01-21 09:43:00

ArmInfo. Denmark does not officially recognize that Ottoman massacres
of Armenians during World War I constitute a "genocide", Danish Foreign
Minister Per Stig Moeller said in a written parliamentary answer.

As AFP reports, "In the government’s opinion, this is a historical
question that should be left up to the historians," Moeller wrote in
a written parliamentary answer, indicating that Denmark would not
follow the lead of some 20 other pro-armenian countries, including
France, that have labeled the killings "genocide" despite the position
of historians.Moeller’s note came in response to a question from
extremist parliamentary member Morten Messerchmidt, of the far-right
Danish People’s Party and close to armenian lobby in Denmark, on
whether "Denmark had officially recognized this genocide.""It is
unfortunate that the Danish government refuses to join other countries
in recognizing this genocide," Messerschmidt told AFP.

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
Jan 17 2008

Unemployment rate reduced from 7.2% to 6.7% in Armenia in 2007

YEREVAN, January 17. /ARKA/. In 2007 the unemployment rate in Armenia
reduced from 7.2% in the beginning of the year to 6.7% at the end of
the year, the Chief of `State Employment Service’ agency of Armenia’s
Ministry of Labour and Social Issues Sona Harutiunian reported.

As of December 31 2007 about 100,000 people attended consultation at
the regional centres of the agency. 89,300 of them were registered as
job seekers, including 75,000 that receive status of unemployed.

Women constitute 73.6% of the unemployed and men – 26.4%, she said.
The Minister also pointed out the growing number of young people
applying to the agency (18.7%).

The Minister reported that 8,322 people got jobs in 2007; temporary
employment was provided to some 9,100 people. She pointed out that
the demand for the existing vacancies is not met in the country
because of the poor work conditions.

`Labour force is demanded in Yerevan, whereas in the regions there is
need for doctors, lawyers and teachers,’ she said. N.V. -0–