Author: nina hovnanian

LE GRAND GROUPE PETROLIER AZERI INVESTIT MASSIVEMENT EN TURQUIE
Gari

armenews.com
mardi 12 juin 2012

La Compagnie petrolière d’Etat de l’Azerbaijan (SOCAR) envisage
d’investir massivement en Turquie, dans different projets d’environ
10 milliards de dollars, dans les sept ou huit prochaines annees,
a indique le vice-president de la compagnie. “Pour ce qui concerne
le projet de construction du gazoduc Trans-Anatolian Gas Pipeline
(TANAP), le montant total des investissements en Turquie pourrait
depasser les 17 milliards de dollars “, a precise Suleyman Gasimov
lors de la 19e conference internationale sur le petrole et le gaz de
la Caspiennne, qui se tenait a Bakou. L’Azerbaïdjan et la Turquie ont
signe un protocole d’accord sur la mise en place du consortium qui
construira le TANAP, qui devrait acheminer le gaz du gisement azeri
de Shah Deniz vers l’Europe en transitant par la Turquie. Botaþ, la
compagnie nationale turque, detient 20 % des parts dans le projet,
le reste des parts du TANAP etant detenu par la SOCAR.

EXPERT: THE INDEX OF BIRTHS IS HIGHER THAN THE INDEX OF DEATHS IN ARMENIA

11.06.12

Demographer Ruben Yeganyan and head of the department of statistics
and demographic Karine Kuyumjyan met journalists today and spoke
about current demographic problems in Armenia.

K. Kuyumjan presented the situation and noted that the level of the
births is reduced on the first part of this year (January-March).

“According to the initial index 9569 babies have born on January-March,
2012. 10.144 babies were born on the same term last year. This means
that the level of births has been reduces with 5.7 %”.

The speaker informed that the index of births is higher than the
index of deaths with 1.2 times which means that Armenia still has
natural temp of growth.

K. Kuyumjyan also informed that the level of birth is especially high
in Yerevan, Ararat and Armavir regions. The worst index is in Syuniq,
Lori, Gegharqunik and Tavush regions. In the last regions level of
deaths is higher that level of births.

The speaker also informed that girls are mostly named with names
Milena, Mari, Mane and boys are named mostly Narek, Davit, Gor.

Another speaker of the press-conference demographer Ruben Yeganyan
told in his turn that Armenia will face problem of birth drop in
coming seven years. According to him this problem is inevitable as
now the generation of 90s starts the reproduction and the level of
birth was reduced in 90s, as we know.

“Normally 2.1-2.2 children will be born in every family in order to
provide simple reproduction. This index was reduced in 1993-94”, R.
Yeganyan noted.

“Now the couples get married later as they think more before getting
married and it also has its influence on the level of births”, the
speaker concluded.

GEORGIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY: KARABAKH CONFLICT THREATENS SECURITY OF ENTIRE REGION

Trend
June 11 2012
Azerbaijan

The conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh is not conducive to security in the
region, deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia Nino Kalandadze
said at a news briefing in Tbilisi on Monday, answering a question
about the escalation of tensions on the border between Azerbaijani
and Armenian troops.

Kalandadze said the security situation in South Caucasus “is very
fragile” due to existing conflicts in the region.

“The international community knows it however and in the first place,
leaders of the three South Caucasus countries know about it,” the
deputy minister noted.

“I am confident that all parties fully understand how the Karabakh
problem is complicated, how serious the consequences of armed conflict
would be for the entire region and how difficult a situation in
the region it can be in terms of the development of our countries,”
she said.

Kalandadze noted that there is always a theoretical risk of an
escalation of tensions under current conditions to which all must
be sensitive.

“I am convinced that the both states are sensitive to this issue,”
Kalandadze said, stressing that the Georgian authorities are in
constant contact with Baku and Yerevan.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 per cent of Azerbaijan since 1992,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The
co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group – Russia, France, and the U.S. –
are currently holding the peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council’s four
resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the
surrounding regions.

PM, CHP LEADER PUT HEADS TOGETHER ON KURDISH ISSUE

Today’s Zaman
June 10 2012
Turkey

The leader of the Justice and Development Party (AK Party), Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, met with main opposition Republican
People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıcdaroglu on Wednesday in what
was the first attempt to jointly discuss the Kurdish question.

The meeting, which took place at the AK Party headquarters in Ankara,
was initiated by Kılıcdaroglu, who recently requested a meeting with
the prime minister to submit his party’s suggestions for a solution
to the Kurdish impasse. Reports said the CHP presented a 10-item plan
to the governing party.

The report, which details a 10-point plan, includes as its first
point a plan for the establishment of a parliamentary committee to
concentrate on the Kurdish question. The suggested name for this
committee is the Societal Reconciliation Commission, which the CHP
says in its report should function according to the principles of
equal representation and reconciliation.

AK Party Deputy Chairman Bulent Gedikli told Sunday’s Zaman that
it was highly significant that the two leaders met to discuss the
Kurdish question. “The mechanism that will be used for a solution is
as important as the roadmap that will be followed in the search for a
solution.” Speaking to reporters after the meeting, CHP Deputy Chairman
Faruk Logoglu said the meeting was “positive” and “productive,” adding
that officials from the AK Party highlighted during the one-hour
meeting that the contribution of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP)
is key to moving forward with establishing a commission composed of
all four parties in Parliament.

Logoglu said his party is prepared to do what is required as part of
the initiative, which he said is solely aimed at a resolution of the
problem. He added that the points in the proposal are not immutable
and could be subject to change if needed.

Logoglu told reporters that the most important next step is to form
a four-party commission and then proceed to establish a group of wise
men that will largely deal with sensitive issues, mediation or talks.

June 2, Saturday

Burhan Kuzu, the head of the parliamentary Constitution Commission
and a deputy in the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party),
said recent claims about a parliamentary plan to release suspects
imprisoned for being part of the Ergenekon and Balyoz (Sledgehammer)
coup cases do not reflect the truth.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused embattled Syrian President
Bashar al-Assad of being dishonest, noting that days dominated by peace
will hopefully come to Syria soon. “When there are mass killings in
Syria, Bashar al-Assad blames foreign sources. Assad has never engaged
in politics in his country until now. The latest elections allegedly
put the cards on the table but those were not election results. As the
elections were not fair, no one was interested in participating or in
the results, as the results disclose Assad’s interests,” Erdogan said.

June 3, Sunday

The specially authorized Ankara 12th High Criminal Court arrested
former Land Forces logistics commander retired Lt. Gen. Kamuran Orhon
of being part of the Feb. 28, 1997 process which forced a civilian
government to resign, popularly known as the “postmodern coup.”

A large number of women gathered in Ä°stanbul’s Kadıköy district to
protest against a government plan to restrict abortion in Turkey. Last
week, Prime Minister Erdogan declared that his government was preparing
a draft bill on banning abortion. The declaration sparked anger from
women’s rights groups and several female deputies, initiating a debate
on the government’s right to intervene in people’s choices. Women in
Ä°stanbul decided to stage a protest and created a page on Facebook
titled “Abortion is a right, which we do not discuss.

Our bodies belong to us.” Around 9,000 people pledged to attend the
protest. Protestors carried banners that criticized the AK Party
government’s anti-abortion stance.

June 4, Monday

A voice allegedly belonging to Gen. Bilgin Balanlı, a prime suspect
in the ongoing trial of the Sledgehammer coup plot, was heard
saying that the prime minister and president would pay for jailing
former and active members of the military as part of the ongoing
investigations, in a recording released anonymously. The recording,
uploaded on dailymotion.com, was disseminated through the Twitter
account ‘ses_tv.’ The voice, allegedly belonging to Gen. Balanlı,
said, “The price for all that has happened will be paid either at the
presidential or prime ministerial level.” The voice claimed that the
government would issue a general amnesty for coup plot suspects and
went on to say that he and other military personnel would make the
government pay for past grievances. “It is impossible for these people
[members of the government] to apologize. They will either have to
release us, prolong the trial period or issue a general amnesty.”

A special sergeant and a major were killed when they stepped on an
improvised explosive device laid by terrorist Kurdistan Workers’ Party
(PKK) militants in the Lice district of Diyarbakır. The two soldiers
who were killed in the explosion were Spc. Sgt. Abdullah Acıcı and
Maj. Ercan Kurt, according to Diyarbakır Governor Mustafa Toprak. A
military funeral ceremony was planned for the slain officers.

The head of Turkey’s Religious Affairs Directorate Mehmet Görmez added
his voice to ongoing debates over the issue of abortion in Turkey,
saying parents had no authority to end the life of a fetus, who has
its own right to life. Görmez shared his views on the much-debated
abortion issue during a meeting of provincial muftis in Sakarya.

Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arınc said the government has submitted
a bill that aims to revise an article of the Turkish criminal code
that gives special authority to courts and prosecutors to investigate
organized crime and coup plots. Arınc added that the bill, authored by
the Justice Ministry and approved by the Cabinet, had been submitted.

Prime Minister Erdogan had announced last week that the government
was working on an amendment to Article 250 of the Code on Criminal
Procedure (CMK), which gives prosecutors special authority and allows
them to investigate terrorist groups and crimes organized against
the constitutional order.

June 5, Tuesday

A report into the death of Col. Kazım Cillioglu, who allegedly
committed suicide in 1994, revealed that the gun found next to the
colonel’s body was not the gun that caused his death. Cillioglu was
found dead at a residential military complex in the eastern province
of Tunceli, where he served as commander of the local gendarmerie
brigade. His death was ruled a suicide. The report also noted the
position of the gun did not indicate suicide.

An article on popular news website Yahoo News has drawn widespread
criticism from Turkish theologians for its blasphemous content and
manipulation of fundamental Islamic principles. The controversial
article, written by Donald Pennington, refers to Islam in its headline
as “dangerous” and “outdated” and suggests that it should be rejected
by all. Referring to the sentencing of a Kuwaiti man, Hamad al-Naqi,
to a 10-year jail sentence for insulting the Prophet Muhammad, it
describes Islam as a threat to freedom of expression.

The West Study Group (BCG), a clandestine group formed within
the military during the days of the Feb. 28, 1997 military coup,
not only categorized individuals within Turkey according to their
religiosity and ideology but also Turks abroad, Today’s Zaman has
learned. The BCG, which categorized politicians, intellectuals,
soldiers and bureaucrats based on their religious and ideological
backgrounds, was formed within the military during the 1997 coup,
in which the military overthrew a coalition government led by the
now defunct conservative Welfare Party (RP). The BCG followed the
activities of several religious communities abroad and sent a report
to the Supreme Court of Appeals and the Constitutional Court about
these groups in order to ensure the RP would be closed.

Turkey is concerned about escalating tension along the border
separating Azerbaijan and Armenia, saying that Ankara is closely
following reports that five Azerbaijani and three Armenian soldiers
have been killed in clashes. “We are following the developments with
deep concern,” spokesman for the Foreign Ministry Selcuk Unal told
Today’s Zaman when asked about Turkey’s position. Tensions have flared
along the Azerbaijani-Armenian border. According to Azerbaijan’s
defense ministry, five of its soldiers were killed in clashes with
Armenian troops.

June 6, Wednesday

A key meeting between Prime Minister Erdogan and the main opposition
Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıcdaroglu on
the perennial Kurdish issue took place in a mainly “positive
atmosphere,” but the main opposition party must seek consensus
among other opposition parties for a successful outcome, officials
from both parties said. Speaking to reporters after the meeting,
CHP Deputy Chairman Faruk Logoglu said the meeting was “positive” and
“productive,” adding that officials from the ruling AK Party emphasized
during the one-hour meeting that the contribution of the Nationalist
Movement Party (MHP) is key to moving forward with the establishment
of a commission composed of all four parties in Parliament.

The case of the murder of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrank Dink
was sent to the Supreme Court of Appeals. The local court delivered
its controversial ruling in the murder case on Jan. 17, acquitting
all 19 suspects of charges of membership of any kind of criminal
organization. The court’s decision drew widespread ire in Turkey as
people took to the streets to protest the verdict. After the court
released its detailed ruling this week the case file, including
records of the hearings, petitions and defense of both sides, was
sent to the Supreme Court of Appeals.

Turkey reacted cautiously to a Russian proposal on Syria articulated
by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov calling for a broader international
meeting in which Turkey and Iran would be included. Turkish diplomatic
sources, who spoke to Today’s Zaman on the condition of anonymity, have
said they were already informed that Russia would come up with such a
proposal, and that Turkey is, in principle, ready to take part in any
initiative that seeks a solution to the humanitarian crisis in Syria.

June 7, Thursday

A Constitutional Court rapporteur submitted a report of his conclusions
regarding an appeal filed by the main opposition party to annul a law
on presidential elections, stating that incumbent President Abdullah
Gul’s tenure is seven years and that he can be re-elected.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has called on the
international community to come together to fight against terrorism,
saying, “We cannot fight against terrorism unless we join hands.” US
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, EU foreign policy chief Catherine
Ashton and other senior international politicians visited Turkey to
attend the Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF).

Contrary to the concerns of many people in Turkey, Prime Minister
Erdogan said a planned revision to Article 250 of the Code on
Criminal Procedure (CMK), which gives special authority to courts and
prosecutors to investigate organized crime and coup plots, will not
weaken the hand of Turkey in its fight against coups and coup plotters.

The parliamentary Constitutional Reconciliation Commission accepted
a bill excluding military actions from the jurisdiction of ombudsman
inspections, despite protests from opposition deputies.

June 8, Friday

Turkey’s ninth president and former Prime Minister Suleyman Demirel
told a parliamentary commission tasked with investigating past
coups that he regrets the 1960 military coup and that Turkey would
be different if the coup hadn’t happened, but also that he did not
think the intervention that took place in 1997 was illegal.

Ruling AK Party Ä°stanbul deputy Nimet BaÅ~_, who is also presiding
over the Parliamentary Commission to Investigate Coups and Military
Memorandums, told reporters that Demirel had stated to commission
members that coups are “bad in every way.” He reportedly regretted
the 1960 coup and said Turkey would be in a different situation if
it hadn’t undergone the coup and hanged Prime Minister Adnan Menderes.

An additional indictment prepared into the 2007 Zirve Publishing
House murders, in which three people who sold Christian literature
were brutally killed, points to retired Gen. HurÅ~_it Tolon as the
prime suspect in the case.

A voice recording published online on Friday allegedly features a
colonel telling young officers that all those responsible for jailing
military coup suspects will eventually be executed.

POLITIQUE-PEOPLE
Rachida Dati l’amie de l’Azerbaïdjan et de ses dictateurs
L’ex-garde des Sceaux régale ses amis de caviar…

Rachida Dati était il y a près de deux mois de passage à Marseille.
Lors d’un meeting elle fut interrogée par une personnalité arménienne
de la cité phocéenne à propos de ses relations étroites et son
lobbying en faveur de l’Azerbaïdjan. Rachida Dati a réfuté toutes ces
accusations. Pourtant, malgré ses déclarations, est bien l’amie de
l’Azerbaïdjan…

« Le Nouvel Observateur » dans son numéro 2482 (daté du 31 mai 2012)
consacre plusieurs pages à Rachida Dati avec le titre « Pourquoi elle
leur fait peur ? ». Dans l’article un petit encart est titré « People
et Azerbaïdjan » avec la photo de Rachida Dati posant avec Merhiban
Aliyeva, la première dame d’Azerbaïdjan. « Le Nouvel Observateur »
écrit « Le 15 septembre dernier, l’ancienne garde des Sceaux a
organisé un très chic diner de 350 couverts dans les jardins du Musée
Rodin, en l’honneur de l’Azerbaïdjan et de la femme de son président,
la très glamour Merhiban Aliyeva. Les convives, le couple Raffarin,
Alain Delon, Patrick Bruel, Yamina Benguigui, le PDG de Total
Christophe de Margerie, ou Christine Boutin, y ont dégusté un apéritif
agrémenté de grains de caviar. Amnesty International dénonce les
violations des droits de l’homme dans ce petit pays où les
journalistes et opposants sont régulièrement incarcérés sans jugement
et torturés. Le concours de l’Eurovision y a été, la semaine dernière,
l’occasion de dizaines d’arrestations de militants des droits de
l’homme ».

Krikor Amirzayan

dimanche 10 juin 2012,
Krikor Amirzayan ©armenews.com

Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey Sign Cooperation Declaration
Civil Georgia, Tbilisi / 9 Jun.’12 / 17:39

Foreign Ministers from Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey met on June 8 in
Trabzon on Turkey’s Black Sea coast and pledged to further boost `already
existing successful cooperation’ between the two countries.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet DavutoÄ=9Flu and his counterparts from
Azerbaijan and Georgia, Elmar Mammadyarov and Grigol Vashadze,
respectively, agreed to hold trilateral foreign ministerial meetings on the
regular basis.

The meeting resulted into a Trabzon Declaration, which outlines priority
areas of cooperation between the three countries ranging from mutual
support in international organizations to joint energy and transpiration
projects.

– Full Text: Trabzon Declaration

Georgian Foreign Minister, Grigol Vashadze, said that this format of
cooperation between the three countries `is not directed against anyone.’

`All the issues that are important for us are reflected in this
declaration, including, of course, respect towards territorial integrity
and sovereignty. This format is not directed against anyone; this is
directed towards protection of our countries national interests and towards
further deepening of our strategic relations,’ Vashadze said.

The declaration says that `protracted conflicts emanating from existing
occupations are the main obstacle to peace and stability in the South
Caucasus.’

It says that the three countries agree to `promote further development of
their relations in every field, especially in the field of trade, energy,
transport, finance and banking, environment by means of joint projects and
cooperation plans and if needed through trilateral cooperation mechanisms.’

The foreign ministers agreed to hold second trilateral meeting in Georgia
in the second half of this year and then in Azerbaijan in the first half of
2013.

Meanwhile in the city of Kars in eastern Turkey a second trilateral
Turkish-Azerbaijani-Georgian Business Forum is held on June 9.

Turkey to Build Largest Mosque in Diyarbakir, Radikal Reports

By Benjamin Harvey – Jun 7, 2012 12:01 PM GMT

Turkey will convert the Ataturk Stadium in Diyarbakir, a southeastern
city with a large Kurdish population, into the country’s largest
mosque, Radikal newspaper reported.

The mosque will be built to accommodate 20,000 people and will by
styled on the model of the Al-Masjid al-Nabawi mosque in Medina, Saudi
Arabia, the Istanbul-based newspaper said, citing Diyarbakir
provincial Governor Nimetullah Erdogmus.

Work on the mosque will begin after the state housing authority, known
as TOKI, completes a new stadium for the city, Radikal said citing
Erdogmus. The newspaper didn’t say when the work would be wrapped up.

Mashtots Park activists are fined

On June 8 Administrative Court has made decision to fine the activists
of Mashtots Park Manvel Sargysan, Karen Shikoyan and Karo Yeghukyan
with 50.000 AMD.

Court trial against Tigran Khzmalyan is in process and it will be
presented to the court on June 12.

Since the beginning of this year a group of activists and ecologists
were struggling for removing of the kiosks which were situated here
illegally. On the last day of the struggle the activists created a
brigade which tried to remove the kiosks by their own forces.

According to the administrative decision these people did not obey to
the police orders and overcame the reserved territories. The police
applied to the administrative court to bring them to responsibility.

09.06.12, 11:56

Trabzon Declaration
9 Jun.’12 / 17:28

Trabzon Declaration Of The Ministers Of Foreign Affairs Of The Republic
Of Azerbaijan, Georgia And The Republic Of Turkey

08 June 2012, Trabzon

At the invitation of His Excellency Mr. Ahmet DavutoÄ=9Flu, Minister of
Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey, and with the participation of
His Excellency Mr. Elmar Mammadyarov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the
Republic of Azerbaijan and His Excellency Mr. Grigol Vashadze, Minister of
Foreign Affairs of Georgia (hereinafter referred to as the `Parties’), the
First Session of the Trilateral Meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs was
held on 8 June 2012 in Trabzon, Turkey.

The Parties,

Celebrating their 20th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations;

Affirming their adherence to the Charter of the United Nations, the
Helsinki Final Act and the fundamental principles and norms of
international law, especially respect for sovereignty and territorial
integrity, peaceful settlement of disputes, inviolability of
internationally recognized borders and sovereign equality of states and
refraining from the threat or use of force against territorial integrity
and political independence of states;

Underlining the importance of stability and prosperity of the South
Caucasus region, located at the crossroads of energy, transport and
communication corridors between East and West and North and South, for the
regional and global stability and security;

Declaring their determination to build a better future for the region
characterized by peace, stability, cooperation and increasing wealth and
welfare;

Acknowledging that protracted conflicts emanating from existing occupations
are the main obstacle to peace and stability in the South Caucasus and
pointing out that resolution of these conflicts will help to build an
atmosphere of peace, stability and prosperity;

Believing that exemplary friendship and good neighborly relations among the
three countries, based on common cultural and historical heritage and
traditional spirit of solidarity, are in the interest of their peoples as
well as the peoples of the whole region;

Expressing their satisfaction with the current level of bilateral relations
and political dialogue among the three countries;

Reiterating their firm determination to explore the possibilities to
further expand their cooperation in political, economic, cultural and
humanitarian fields;
Expressing their commitment to the shared values of democracy, human
rights, rule of law, free market economy and reiterating the importance of
sharing the experience of successful reforms in the sphere of good
governance;

Noting the successful realization of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) Crude
Oil Pipeline Project, the Baku-Tbilisi- Erzurum (BTE) Natural Gas Pipeline
Project and the implementation of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars (BTK) Railway
Project as results of efficient, multi-dimensional and goal oriented high
level political dialogue and economic cooperation among the three countries;

Have agreed to:

Enhance the existing cooperative partnerships among the Parties to promote
common development and contribute to peace, security, stability and
prosperity of the region and the world at large;

Underscore the importance of exchanging views on regional and international
issues of common interest and to further enhance consultations through the
existing mechanisms and under the framework of the UN, OSCE, CoE, BSEC,
NATO, EU and other relevant organizations;

Exchange views on developments in the adjacent regions including the Middle
East;

Continue to support each other’s candidacies in international organizations;

Express their support to the Republic of Azerbaijan as a non-permanent
member of the UN Security Council to continue to contribute to common
interests of the region;

Support each other’s European and Euro-Atlantic aspirations and uphold the
inviolable right of States to choose their own destiny;

Stress the importance of continued cooperation within the Euro-Atlantic
Partnership Council, `Partnership for Peace’ program, and other areas of
cooperation with NATO;

Pay utmost attention the 20th Anniversary of the Black Sea Economic
Cooperation Organization (BSEC) and will ensure high level participation to
this special event which will take place in Istanbul on 26 June 2012;

Reiterate their commitments to strengthen their cooperation and
coordination within the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation
(BSEC) during the Turkey’s Chairmanship-in-Office which will start
from 1 July 2012;

Note the importance of the earliest resolution of the conflict in and
around Nagorno-Karabakh region of the Republic of Azerbaijan, and the
conflict over Abkhazia, Georgia and Tskhinvali region/South Ossetia,
Georgia on the basis of respect for the sovereignty, territorial integrity
and inviolability of internationally recognized borders of Azerbaijan and
Georgia respectively and emphasize the right to safe and dignified return
of the refugees and internally displaced persons to their places of origin;
Reiterate their commitment to strengthen their cooperation and coordination
in the fight against terrorism, extremism and separatism in all their forms
and manifestations, transnational organized crime and illicit trafficking
in narcotics and arms and trafficking in persons;

Promote further development of their relations in every field, especially
in the field of trade, energy, transport, finance and banking, environment
by means of joint projects and cooperation plans and if needed through
trilateral cooperation mechanisms;

Note the importance of the trilateral Turkish-Azerbaijani-Georgian Business
Forum (TAG-BF) in February 2012, in Tbilisi, Georgia and look forward to
the second TAG-BF to be held on 9 June 2012, in Kars, Turkey;

Continue to work together in boosting trilateral economic relations in
accordance with the recommendations made by the upcoming TAG-BFs;

Reaffirm their commitment to build a favorable environment for encouraging
the inflow of foreign direct investments;

Underscore the importance of tourism industry as a source of economic
benefit and employment, as well as a source for greater understanding and
networking among the peoples;

Recognize the importance of the agricultural sector for poverty eradication
and food safety issues and cooperate in the sphere of agriculture in terms
of exchange of experience and information on new technologies and
implementation of mutually beneficial projects;

Underline the need to improve the competitiveness of the Southern Transport
Corridor and in this regard note the need to diversify collaboration among
their relevant authorities;

Express their support for the TRACECA (Transport Corridor
Europe-Caucasus-Asia) and work towards restoration of the Great Silk Road
and the full-scale functioning of the Euro-Asian Transport Corridor as well
as other integrated trilateral transport projects consisting of highways
and railways in order to create trilateral economic integration and
contribute to socio-economic development;

Attach great importance to the timely completion of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars
Railway Project, which together with the Aktau-Urumchi railway connection
form `the Iron Silk Road of the 21st century’, and declare their
commitment to fulfilling their obligations and concluding their
undertakings as scheduled within the framework of the Project;

Acknowledge the construction of the new Baku International Sea Trade Port
which will become an important gate on the East-West Transport corridor
after the completion of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars Railway Project;

Highlight the key role of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway in the reverse
transit of personnel and cargoes from Afghanistan and note that the central
route via our region is the shortest and easiest one given the geography;
Emphasize the already existing successful cooperation between Azerbaijan,
Georgia and Turkey and underscore the importance of further deepening it
with the aim to realize new pipeline projects which would transport energy
resources of Azerbaijan and Central Asian countries to international
markets;

Recognize the importance of Southern Corridor initiative for the region;

Highlight the growing importance of the environmental issues as well as
their increasing impact on the sustainable development of the region and
the need to enhance the protection of environment, through cooperative
measures and urge for the continuation of endeavours on international level
in this regard for the prevention and elimination of the potential risks to
human health and environment;

Develop and strengthen co-operation in natural disasters which shall be
conducted considering the interests of the Parties on the basis of equality
and mutual benefit, as well as by strengthening their cooperation existing
within the framework of bilateral and/or multilateral international
instruments;

Continue to cooperate in the field of preservation of historical and
cultural heritage.

The Parties have also decided to set up a joint experts group to draft an
action plan for 2013-2015 to implement the agreed points to be presented
for approval to the three Ministers.

The Second Session of the Trilateral Meeting of Ministers of Foreign
Affairs will be held in the second half of 2012 in Georgia and the Third
Session will be held in the first half of 2013 in Azerbaijan.

Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkey

Trend, Azerbaijan
June 9 2012

Turkey not to establish relations with Yerevan until Armenia withdraws
from occupied Azerbaijani territories

Turkey, Kars, June 9 /Trend A.Taghiyeva/

Turkey is not going to establish diplomatic and economic relations
with Armenia until Armenia withdraws from the occupied Azerbaijani
territories, Turkey’s Economy Minister Zafer Caglayan said on
Saturday.

He noted that Turkey has always supported Azerbaijan in this matter.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 surrounding districts.

Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The
co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group – Russia, France, and the U.S. – are
currently holding the peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council’s four
resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the
surrounding regions.