Author: Takmazian

TURKISH JOURNALISTS KEEP ON MAKING REQUESTS FOR NKR AUTHORITIES

Panorama.am
17:12 30/09/2009

Despite Baku’s ballyhoo in connection with the Turkish NTV film
crew visit to the NKR and the Azerbaijani pressure on the political
leadership of Turkey apropos of this, Turkish journalists keep on
making a request for the NKR authorities to grant them entry visas
to the republic for covering the current events here, NKR MFA press
service reports.

Following the democratic principles and treating with understanding
the journalists’ aspiration to fulfill their professional duty by
getting information from the primary sources, the NKR leadership does
not only raise difficulties, but even support their activity.

The Nagorno Karabakh Republic is open to journalists, irrespective
of the country they represent. The NKR authorities also proceed from
the fact that an objective and detailed presentation of the situation
in the republic to the world will only contribute to the peaceful
settlement of the conflict with Azerbaijan and to the international
recognition of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic.

Antarut: Where the Expression "We Don’t Have" Rolls Off the Tongue
Grisha Balasanyan

2 009/09/28 | 18:06

By looking at this photo, one would hardly imagine that this houses
the community municipality and that local self government decisions
in the name of the Republic of Armenia are adopted here.

After I first spotted this iron-clad hut, located in the middle of
the Andarut village in Aragatzotn, it occurred to me that maybe one
of the community’s poorer families called the place home, especially
since there was no flag hoisted on the building nor it have any sign
on the outside as to its function. Local villages joke that their
municipal office is in a miserable state, just as they are.

Andarut is located a few kilometers north of Byurakan and up till 1991
was part of that community. However, for the past 18 years it has been
cut off and all municipal services have remained behind in Byurakan.

Not only does the village lack a municipal building, but there is no
medical clinic or kindergarten. Heaven forbid if a local resident dared
to get sick. They would have to be taken to the clinic in Byurakan
some four kilometers away. Otherwise, the patient would have to wait
till Thursday when a nurse from Byurakan comes to the village and
makes her rounds.

Villagers refuse medical check-ups

Even though the nurse sets up shop to receive new patients once
a week in the village, no one from Antarut ever bothers to show
up. The reason they don’t go for medical check-ups is because they
have no health issues. The doctor sees the patients in the iron
framed building that passes as the municipality. But none of the
sick will allow themselves to be examined in a room where both the
doctor and mayor sits, in addition to other staff members. Here,
the term "medical exam" is quite a relative concept. In the best of
conditions, the visiting physician may check the patient’s pressure,
heart and lung functions and prescribe some drugs. The doctor can do
no more since the only equipment he brings along is a stethoscope.

Rouzanna Haroutyunyan, Director of the Byurakan ambulatory clinic,
confessed that no one from the village shows up on the days that the
doctor is in town. "You know, I understand what the concerns of the
villagers are. That isn’t a clinic but a municipal office." She said
in the beginning the patients would gather in one of their neighbor’s
homes but that the owner broke off the agreement because he no longer
wanted his place to be converted into a health clinic. "I petitioned
the community mayor on several occasions to allocate one room for
the patients but he hasn’t responded," added Ms. Haroutyunyan.

Antarut Mayor Samvel Hovhannisyan said that the municipality just
doesn’t have the resources to build a clinic. "I even don’t have the
luxury of thinking about the municipality building itself. I’m more
interested in bringing in gas to the village."

No funds to supply village with gas

Antarut, with a population of 273, is a village with a long laundry
list of problems. In fact the expressions, "there isn’t" and "we don’t
have" roll off the tongues of local residents quite easily. Antarut
has no irrigation water and so the villagers don’t bother working the
fields they own. "The village has no irrigation water and folks use the
snow melt and rain water. They only irrigate the fields up till July.

Then they wait for the rainy season. If we had irrigation water coming
in that would really allow us to cultivate large tracts of land that
go fallow. At least the villagers would earn 60-70% of their yearly
budget," noted Mayor Hovhannisyan.

Antarut has 221 hectares of land of which 50 hectares are
privatized. These fields are mostly used to grow fodder grass since
there’s no irrigation water. Fields located closer to the homes are
mostly cultivated but grazing land is scarce. Thus, animal husbandry
is slowly vanishing as a livelihood since the villagers can’t afford
to buy grass during the winter and there is no place to keep the
animals during the summer.

When it comes to the question of supplying the village with natural
gas, it would appear that the government has washed its hands of the
matter as well and pulled out. Some 550 meters of gas pipe has been
laid by the village itself but the funds have dried up and so has
the work to complete the project.

"We’ve petitioned Minister of Territorial Affairs Armen Gevorgyan for
assistance but haven’t heard back from him yet. I really don’t know
what to expect. If we got another 500 meters of pipe then I could
say that 50% of the village’s gas problem had been solved. It would
be a great boost for the village. Without government assistance,
we’d be forced to tackle the job on our own but we just don’t have
the resources to finish it," stated Mayor Hovhannisyan.

HERITAGE APPEALS TO HIGHER EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION

28/heritage
06:13 pm | September 28, 2009 | Politics

The Heritage Party has sent a letter to the heads of 17 state and
intergovernmental higher educational institutions of Armenia.

The letter says in part: "We do not hide our disappointment over public
and political discussions, as in many instances they are superficial
and public majority, namely its active strata – youth and the students
remain uninvolved to the processes of direct bearing on the future of
Armenians, the Republic of Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh. We request
you to organize meetings with the students till October 10 to enable
ourselves and other political forces to present the students our
stance and discuss the matters of their concern. We are hopeful to
get your written proposals on the location and timing of the meetings."

Court hearing adjourned

/tigran-arakelian
02:57 pm | September 25, 2009 | Politics

Armenia’s Appellate Court adjourned the litigation of opposition
activist Tigran Arakelian on September 25. Judge Armen Afadian and
investigator Hrachia Sargsian did not show up at today’s sitting.

The Court was to hear the advocate’s appeal against a Yerevan court
which extended the defendant’s restraint for another two months.

"We shall finally lose Tigran. First, they must transfer Tigran to an
ordinary hospital and render him proper treatment and then prove his
guiltiness or innocence," says Advocate Varduhy Elbakian.
Currently, Tigran is at the "Convicts’ Hospital."

On September 18, the representative of the Armenian National Congress
(HAK) youth wing Tigran Arakelian underwent an eye examination at the
Malayan Optic Center and was diagnosed with eye nerve infection.

The advocate says the illness may have a grave outcome and lead to
blindness.

"The illness appeared after his detention, on July 1, and progresses
at a terrific speed," says Mrs. Elbakian.

Remind that Tigran Arakelian and some other HAK activists were
confronted by a group of plainclothes police officers in downtown
Yerevan on July 1 while publicizing a rally held by the main
opposition Armenian National Congress (HAK) the next day.

Arakelian and two teenage HAK supporters were injured in the incident
and required hospitalization. They said they had been punched, kicked
and even pistol-whipped for informing Yerevan residents about the
rally.

Later, Tigran Arakelian was charged with hooliganism (Article 258 of
the Criminal Code).
The next court sitting is scheduled for September 28.

G20 LEADERS DISCUSS WORLD CRISIS IN AMERICAN PITTSBURGH

17:31 24/09/2009
Panorama.am

American Pittsburgh hosts G20 summit joining world’s leaders. The
highlights of G20 summit are going to be economic issues, including
struggle against world crisis, development of economy, drafting of
strategy.

G20 is going also to host a record number of reporters to cover the
event. It is said that 3.5 thousand reporters are going to travel to
Pittsburgh to be present at the summit and to cover it.

American Pittsburgh is the first city which is not a capital but will
host the G20 leaders.

AZERBAIJAN’S OPINION SHOULD BE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT: CONSUL GENERAL IN LOS ANGELES

Today.Az
24 September 2009 [12:09]

Azerbaijan’s Consul General in Los Angeles Elin Suleymanov spoke to
Day.Az in an interview.

Day.Az: Recently, media in many European countries, including almost
all the leading ones, pay great attention to Armenian-Turkish relations
and the coming signing of the protocols scheduled for mid-October. What
kind of reaction to this can be seen in the U.S.?

Elin Suleymanov: Prospects for normalization of Turkish-Armenian
relations really are of great interest worldwide. In general, there
is very positive attitude to the Turkish-Armenian dialogue in the
United States. This is natural, because it was the United States and
European countries that have been pushing Ankara to reopen borders and
establish diplomatic relations with Armenia. Besides, a dialogue and
the normalization are perceived positively from a purely philosophical
point of view in the West, if only this normalization does not affect
any real interest.

Meantime, there are some concerns that hasty moves could lead to
undesirable consequences. Today, Azerbaijan is a key country in the
region, therefore, the country’s opinion should be taken into account.

The basic position of the country’s leadership clearly based on
national interests of Azerbaijan, did not leave any doubt in this
regard. That is, as a result of the balanced foreign policy by
President Ilham Aliyev, our country acts not based on emotion, or a
dictation from the outside persuasion, but on long-term interests of
Azerbaijani people as it should be an in independent, sovereign state.

Of course, the bilateral dialogue between Turkey and Armenia is a
sovereign matter of these countries. The question is how it will impact
the region as a whole. After all, unresolved Armenian- Azerbaijani
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict continues to remain the reason behind the
current situation.

The fact that Turkey closed its border in response to Armenia’s
occupation of Kalbaj de effects and symptoms will not hurt, but
without solving the fundamental problem one can hardly expect major
changes. In fact, normalization of relations with Turkey as well as
with Azerbaijan is the best way to promote development and regional
integration of Armenia. In this case prospects of Armenia’s development
in the regional context can be debated.

I think the United States and Turkey are deeply interested in
Azerbaijan and realize importance of contribution of Turkish-Armenian
dialogue to the complex resolution of challenges of the region,
but would not be a potential factor of destabilization. Moreover,
precisely such a comprehensive approach that includes the need for
speedy settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict primarily
meets American, Turkish and even Armenian interests.

Q: What is the attitude of the Armenian diaspora, known to be very
skeptical of establishment of diplomatic relations with Turkey without
any recognition of the so-called "Armenian genocide", to this matter?

A: Often there is a very negative reaction towards the Turkish-Armenian
dialogue from certain circles of the Armenian diaspora. Moreover,
it is not only about the events of 1915 in the Ottoman Empire, but
a whole spectrum of territorial, financial and political demands
against Turkey. Many Armenian activists believe that protocols
discussed between Ankara and Yerevan can put an end to their claims.

As to the previous question, it is interesting that some members
of Congress who have close ties with Armenian lobby were against
the protocols.

There are some Armenian diaspora organizations that generally welcome
Turkey-Armenia normalization. To some extent, attitude to this process
by the Armenian organizations are likely to reflect the degree of their
radicalism. Opponents of Turkish-Armenian dialogue often are guided
not by real interests based on self-isolation of Armenia, but rather
by ideological symbolism, based on the unilateral interpretation of
the past.

Such outdated symbolism has nothing to do with t ealities. In this
case the main point is not to what degree details of the negotiations
contribute to the overall regional normalization, but rejection of a
Turkish-Armenian dialogue,and the Azerbaijani-Armenian talks guided
by solely narrow ethnic views.

Q: As a diplomat, how can you describe the work of the Armenian Foreign
Ministry recently? I am referring to the contradictory statements
by the Armenian side concerning approval of the Madrid principles,
then, on the contrary, their rejection.

A: I would like to refrain from assessing activities of the Armenian
Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The main thing is that negotiations
continue in the right direction in accordance with basic principles.

Q: You are going to take part in discussions on the
Azerbaijani-Armenian conflict in Boston. It is not the first such
experience for you…

A: Indeed, a symposium on the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict
will be held in the heart of Law and Diplomacy in Fletcher,
Boston. Both Azerbaijani, Armenian and American experts will deliver
speeches. Representatives of the Diplomatic Academy and the Center
for Strategic Studies under the President of Azerbaijan are also
expected to address the symposium.

I will also deliver a speech as Fletcher graduate. I hope the
discussion will be held in a constructive and healthy environment.

CONTROL OF ECONOMIC ENTITIES’S ACTIVITIES TO BE TIGHTENED IN 2010

NOYAN TAPAN
SEPTEMBER 24, 2009
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 24, NOYAN TAPAN. The 2010 program was discussed at
the September 24 sitting of the RA State Commission for the Protection
of Economic Competition. The program presents the republican policy
on competition, the definition of the competition environment
and situation in various branches of the economy, and the economic
competition control mechanisms aimed at promoting competition in the
current conditions.

The Commission Chairman Ashot Shahnazarian told reporters during a
briefing that next year the Commission is going to tighten control of
the activities of economic entities and use stricter penalties against
entities that commit violations. The Commission also envisages to
take a number of measures: to expand the database, reveal, prevent
and ban anticompetitive agreements, cases of unfair competition,
violations by economic entities with a dominant position in the market,
raise the awareness of the population, and improve the legislation
on competition. The Commission will continue to actively cooperate
with international organizations.

Speaking about the 2009 programs, A. Shahnazarian said he does not
consider the results of this year satisfactory because the global
crisis has affected their implementation. To encourage work of
economic entities, the government has decided to temporarily suspend
inspectorial checks at small and medium enterprises.

This year the Commission in cooperation with international bodies
has done work on the development of legislative drafts and the
improvement of the current methodology. According to A. Shahnazarian,
the Commission will soon submit several legislative drafts to the
government for discussion.

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF ART CRITICS TO BE HELD IN YEREVAN

Tert
Sept 23 2009
Armenia

At the initiative of International Association of Art Critics (AICA)
and AICA-Armenia, an international conference of art critics will
be held in Yerevan from September 29-30. The conference is called
"Between the Past and the Present: Does Art Criticism have a Future
in De-territorialized contexts?".

About 20 art critics, historians, and art theorists from the Near
East, Central Asia and South Caucasus will be participating in the
conference. There will also be participants from Turkey, Iran, Russia,
and Europe.

>From Armenia, Vardan Azatyan, Ruben Arevshatyan, Hrach Bayadyan,
Ara Nedolyan, Vardan Jaloyan, and Nazareth Karoyan (President of
AICA-Armenia) will make presentations and conduct seminars. The
panels will be open to the public; languages of presentations
will be in English and Armenian (simultaneous translation will be
provided). Visits to museums and educational institutions, as well
as meetings with local art practitioners and cultural workers, will
complement the conference.

Important issues related to contemporary art criticism are on the
conference’s agenda. For more information, visit the website at

RA-EU COOPERATION SESSION LAUNCHED IN YEREVAN

Panorama.am
18:18 22/09/2009

Republic of Armenia – European Union cooperation tenth session has been
conducted in Yerevan today. The session has been chaired by Armenian
Minister of Economy Nerses Yeritsyan, European Commission Foreign
Affairs general office of Eastern Europe department director Gunar
Vigand, Trade General House of Europe and Central Asia department
of bilateral relations Ms. Eva Sinovich, director of Eastern Europe
department of Sweden Foreign Ministry Mr. Johan Frizel.

During the session the sides have discussed the process of
implementation of RA-EU acting project of European neighborhood policy,
issues of reinforcement of Armenia-EU relations in the framework of
Eastern Partnership.

It is reported that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict resolution,
normalization of Armenian-Turkish ties and EU support and cooperation
have been highlights of the session also.

"FOOTBALL" DIPLOMACY BETWEEN ARMENIA AND TURKEY ONCE AGAIN SLIDING INTO IMPASSE

World Markets Research Centre
Global Insight
September 21, 2009

As Armenia celebrates its 18th year of independence today, large
crowds are expected to join the protestors who have been demonstrating
for the past week in front of the foreign ministry in the capital,
Yerevan–some of whom are on hunger strike. They are demanding that
the Armenian government rethinks controversial concessions made to
Turkey as part of the Armenian-Turkish preliminary protocols signed
earlier this month (seeTurkey – Armenia: 1 September 2009:). The
government insists that no concession was made and that the border with
Turkey will open soon. However, last Friday (18 September), Armenian
foreign minister Eduard Nalbandian acknowledged in a press release
that Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan had effectively
retracted from the protocols by stating that Turkey would not open
its borders before the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Significance:Armenian-Turkish relations are experiencing a tentative
thaw. On 23 April, the Armenian government made significant concessions
to the Turkish government by signing a preliminary protocol,
just a day before the commemoration of the Armenian genocide (a
definition that is not universally recognised) during the First World
War. The move signified a temporary softening in Armenia’s pursuit
of international recognition of the genocide. Opening borders with
Armenia is a precondition for Turkey’s European Union membership,
and would also clear a major roadblock to the economic development
of Turkey’s eastern regions. Erdogan’s backtracking shows the
controversy of the protocols at home; the military in particular
is opposed to making any concessions in Turko-Armenian ties. His
statement effectively stalls the diplomatic process, and makes the
planned visit of Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian to Turkey in
October much more unlikely. Turkey and Armenia will most probably
decide to delay their upcoming meeting and try to calm nerves at home.