Author: Tadevosian Garnik

ABGAR YEGHOYAN DOES NOT RULE OUT THAT UNREASONABLE INFLATION MAY FOLLOW PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS

Noyan Tapan
Jan 25, 2008

YEREVAN, JANUARY 25, NOYAN TAPAN. "Protection of Consumer Rights" NGO
(PCR) in December 2007 presented the problems raised by the NGO to
all the candidates for the RA presidency with a proposal to include
their solutions in their pre-election programs, the chairman of PCR
Abgar Yeghoyan said at the January 25 press conference.

According to him, PCR has attached special importance to the formation
of a fair economic competition environment in the consumer goods
market, the necessity to combat unreasonable inflation, the creation
of a system of protection of consumer rights and fair tariffs in the
public services sector, as well as to food safety. In the words of
A. Yeghoyan, these are problems that create a serious obstacle to
development of the Armenian economy today.

A. Yeghoyan announced that they received information from the
pre-election headquarters of Serge Sargsian and Vahan Hovhannisian
that these issues have been included in the pre-election programs of
these candidates. Besides, according to A. Yeghoyan, the problems of
elmininating the monopolies are reflected in the programs of almost
all the candidates. In particular, in his pre-election campaign
Artur Baghdasarian mainly addresses the fight against monopolies,
while Arman Melikian addresses issues related to food safety.

"We urge consumers to take into account, when making a choice,
what the given presidential candidate promises regarding solution
of consumer problems," A. Yeghoyan said. He did not rule out that
unreasonable inflation may again follow the elections.

TURKISH GENERAL ARRESTED OVER SUSPECT IN DINK MURDER COMPLICITY

PanARMENIAN.Net
23.01.2008 16:03 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Istanbul police department on combating terrorism
arrested 50 people including retired General Vali Kicik, Aksam
newspaper employee Guler Komurcu, lawyer Kamal Kerincsiz and
spokesperson for Orthodox Church of Turkey Sevgi Erenerol.

They are suspected in complicity in the murder of Agos editor Hrant
Dink, armed attack against judges, explosion in Cumhurriyet newspaper
premises, attempt on two monks’ life in Trabzon and Izmir.

Kicik and others accused of membership in illegal radical nationalist
groups are interrogated in Istanbul Police Department. It’s not known
yet whether they were incriminated. Dengir Mir Mehmet Firat, one of
the leaders of Justice and Development Party (AKP) stated that police
carried out a huge operation and he is eager for the results.

Vali Kichik, member of World Azerbaijanis Congress Management Board
was detained last year but was released soon afterwards, APA reports.

Radio Netherlands, Netherlands
Jan 19 2008

Hrant Dink remembered

Published: Saturday 19 January 2008 16:25 UTC
Last updated: Saturday 19 January 2008 16:25 UTC

Istanbul – Thousands of people have gathered in the Turkish city of
Istanbul to commemorate the ethnic Armenian journalist Hrant Dink who
was shot dead a year ago today in front of his newspaper offices.
They also gathered to protest his murder and against the slow pace of
justice. The chief suspect in the case is a 17-year-old
ultra-nationalist. A total of 19 people are being tried in connection
with Mr Dink’s murder.

Amnesty International has called on Turkey to fully examine the
circumstances of the murder and widen the scope of the investigation.
The human rights organisation says Ankara must investigate the role
of law enforcement officials who failed to act on death threats made
against the journalist. Amnesty disputes the official version of
events which says the culprit acted alone.

Mr Dink worked to reconcile Turks and Armenians. He was well known
for writing articles about the mass killings of Armenians by Ottoman
Turks between 1915 and 1917. He campaigned for the mass killings to
be recognized as a genocide and was convicted under Turkey’s
controversial article 301, which makes ‘insulting Turkishness’ a
crime.

Today, Azerbaijan
Jan 18 2008

Bernard Fassier: "It is time for Azerbaijan and Armenia to assess the
proposals of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmen on the whole, along
with details"

18 January 2008 [19:02] – Today.Az

Facts of discrepant announcements by Azerbaijan and Armenia prove the
righteousness of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmen, who decided to
define basic principles first and then to pass to the conflict
settlement.

The due statement was made by French representative Bernard Fassier
during a press conference on results of the visit of the co-chairmen
to the region.

He noted that on this stage the co-chairmen try to bring the
positions of the parties closer.

At the same time, the co-chairman of France compared the basic
document, proposed to Azerbaijan and Armenia, with the work of art.

"We have been trying to paint a specific picture through three years.
The co-chairman have recently handed it to the conflicting parties.
It is time for Azerbaijan and Armenia to assess the proposals of the
OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmen on the whole, along with details", he
said.

URL:

CASUALTY CAN’T BE JUSTIFIED BY CONFLICT

PanARMENIAN.Net
17.01.2008 18:03 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The monitoring at the contact line of the NKR and
Azerbaijani armed forces proceeded without incidents, OSCE Minsk Group
Russian Co-chair Yuri Merzlyakov told a news conference in Yerevan.

Monitorings will be held constantly, according to him.

For his part, Ambassador Bernard Fassier said everything possible
should be done to prevent casualties at the frontline. "30 people
died last year. Casualty can’t be justified by conflict," he said
appreciating the endeavors of Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk, Personal
Representative of the OSCE CiO.

HOW MUCH PAID

Panorama.am
20:29 16/01/2008

Central Electoral Committee published the prices of broadcast the
candidate are allowed to use. Not a single candidate announced how
much they are going to pay for the broadcast.

Artashes Geghamyan the president of the National Unity party and the
president candidate said that the staff did not yet discussed the
issue and they should announce about it in January 21. The members of
Geghamyan’s electoral staff said that the amount is closely connected
with financial means they have.

The response we get from National Concorde party’s leader and the
president candidate Aram Harutunyan.

The other candidate Arman Melikyan is in the same condition or even
worse, as he said that he might use only what is provided by law.

Armenian Revolutionary Federation and its leader Vahan Hovhannisyan
did not decide either how to use their financial means. Vazgen manukyan
the head of National Democratic Union said that their financial means
are little and they prefer live communication with people.

Thus they did not decide finally either.

The former president of RA Levon Ter-Petrosyan and Country of Laws
party’s leader Arthur Baghdasaryan said that they would spend their
money on media which has large spectrum of audience.

Serzh Sargsyan’s electoral staff announced that they have not yet
decided the exact amount of the broadcast but they will do everything
taking into account the law.

Note that the Central Electoral Committee provided to the candidates
60 minutes TV and 120 minutes Radio broadcast free of charge.

ARMENIA AGAIN AMONG PARTLY FREE COUNTRIES IN FREEDOM HOUSE’S REPORT

Noyan Tapan
Jan 16 2007

NEW YORK, JANUARY 16, NOYAN TAPAN. In a regular report of the Freedom
House authoritative human rights organization Armenia already
for the seventh year running has been classed among partly free
countries. Nagorno Karabakh was also classed to the same category.

According to Radio Liberty, among the neighboring states, Turkey
and Georgia have been also classed among the group of partly free
countries. However, Georgia, which was characterized as "one of the
comparatively light spots of CIS" by the international organization
last year, this time has went back by one point both by indices of
political rights and political freedoms.

Azerbaijan is estimated as a non-free country for the fourth year
running, at that, with a tendency of falling back.

Among the CIS states, only the Ukraine has been estimated as
free. According to Chris Walker, the Director of Studies of Freedom
House, after "orange revolutions" a number of elections were held in
that country, and all of them were peaceful, the participants accepted
the results, which is a very rare phenomenon in the CIS territory,
where elections and electoral processes more often have a tendency
of being ruled and being subjected to manipulations."

On the whole, according to Freedom House, 90 countries are free in
the world, 60 are partly free, 43 non-free.

ANM WANTS ‘TO PURGE AND WHITEWASH ITSELF’ SADOYAN SAYS

ARMENPRESS
Jan 16 2007

YEREVAN, JANUARY 16, ARMENPRESS: A former parliament member Arshak
Sadoyan claimed today that small political groups and sympathizers
supporting former president Levon Ter-Petrosian’s presidential bid
have failed to understand that the former president and his close
allies have joined the presidential race ‘to purge and whitewash
themselves of their past sins."

Arshak Sadoyan, who supports another presidential candidate, Vazgen
Manukian, continued that the ultimate goal of the former ruling
Armenian National Movement of Ter-Petrosian is to rehabilitate itself
by ‘throwing dirt’ at other opposition groups and portray itself as
the leading opposition party.

"All political leaders who have rallied around Ter-Petrosian do not
realize that they will be used and thrown away after the election,"
Sadoyan claimed.

Arshak Sadoyan, who is chairman of a minor National Democratic Alliance
party, alleged further that the ANM has never proved its commitment
to questions of all-national significance.

According to Sadoyan, Vazgen Manukian is one of few Armenian
politicians with a clean record, a man that has never been marred by a
scandal and whose election program would guarantee continued progress.

Aram Manukian a senior member of the Armenian National Movement,
said if Vazgen Manukian succeeds in wining a run-off his party will
support him in the second round.

He said all political groups which have rallied around the former
president, trust him looking at him as a leader who would take Armenia
towards the road of close European integration.

"Vazgen Manukian is well aware that he stands actually no chances of
winning the election.

Therefore, it would be more reasonable for his supporters join us,
especially that the platforms of Ter-Petrosian and Vazgen Manukian
do not differ much,’ Aram Manukian said.

TREND Information, Azerbaijan
Jan 14 2008

US Senator Does not See Solution to Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict
14.01.08 19:58

Azerbaijan, Baku, 14 January /corr. Trend A.Ismaylova /Influential US
Senator, Republican Richard Lugar, said in Baku on 14 January that
currently he does not see a solution to the conflict. Answering the
questions regarding the strengthening of the position of the
international community in settling the conflict, Lugar replied
`settling the conflict is important for the USA and I see general
efforts towards it’. He highlighted his optimism regarding the
peaceful solution of the conflict.

In addition, Lugar touched upon the activity of the Armenian
diasporas in the USA, which lobby recognition of the so-called
`Armenian genocide’. `The Armenian diasporas are more than Armenians
in Armenia,’ he said.

The conflict between the two countries of the South Caucasus began
in 1988 due to the Armenian territorial claims against Azerbaijan.
Since 1992, the Armenian Armed Forces have occupied 20% of Azerbaijan
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and its seven neighbouring
districts. In 1994, Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire
agreement which ended the active hostilities. The Co-Chairs of the
OSCE Minsk Group ( Russia, France and US) are currently the holding
peaceful negotiations.

Milliyet, Turkey
Jan 12 2007

TURKEY MOVING AWAY FROM EU

Should the question in the title be asked? Various circles view
President Abdullah Gul’s visit to the United States as Turkey’s new
inclination or preference. That has been outlined in the studio
debates that were broadcast by some of the television networks.

At first glance, it is possible to assume that the contacts and
cooperation between Turkey and the United States increased, the pace
in Turkey’s relations with the EU weakened, and the pointer in
Turkey’s foreign policy is turning towards Washington. But, would
that really mean that Ankara has deviated from its main approach? In
other words, would it mean that it has given priority to the United
States in its relations?

We do not think that the government is acting with such an intention.
And, it should not do so. The United States and the EU have occupied
important but separate and different places in Turkey’s foreign
policy for many years. National interests require that this balanced
and multisided strategy be maintained. So, neither the United States
nor the EU should be seen as an alternative in Turkey’s relations
with the two sides. Viewing them as complementing each other will be
useful.

Cooperation With USA

The outcome of President Gul’s talks in Washington showed that the
relations between Turkey and the United States are improving. Leaving
aside the question as to whether or not the relations between them
can be described as "strategic partnership," it can be easily said
that they have agreed to cooperate on many important issues in
accordance with their common interests. The struggle against the PKK
[Kurdistan Workers’ Party] in northern Iraq is the most important of
them. It seems that a similar common understanding was also reached
between the two sides on many regional problems, particularly those
related to Iraq and energy.

The relations between Turkey and the United States fluctuated for
many years. They began to weaken after 2003. However, they seem to be
improving at the present time. But that does not mean that the upward
trend will always exist in their relations on all the problems.
Ankara and Washington might differ on developments in many fields
(from the draft relation on Armenian claims to the approach on Iran).
But the recent talks in Washington showed that a strong political
determination exists in the two sides to maintain good relations and
keep their cooperation alive. That is because they need each other.
They do not want to lose each other’s friendship and support.

Lack of activity in Turkey’s relations with EU

This determined approach brought the relations between the two sides
to the forefront. However, inactivity continues to exist in Turkey’s
relations with the EU. Although the process of talks is maintained,
the path that will lead Turkey to join the organization as a member
seem to be blocked. That is what has made some of the commentators to
believe that Turkey’s ambition to join the EU weakened and Ankara is
gradually moving towards the United States.

As we said earlier, that is not what the Turkish diplomats decided to
prefer (a decision to change course was not made). However, it must
be agreed that our relations with the EU weakened and slowed down
(because of the known reasons for which Turkey cannot be blamed).
Nevertheless, relations with the EU should not be pushed back because
the values of the organization and the opportunities it can provide
are important for our country.

There is no reason for Turkey to move away from the EU while it draws
closer to the United States.

[translated]