EXHIBITION OF SPEARHEADS AND ARROWS IN STEPANAKERT
KarabakhOpen
07-11-2007 16:54:07
A collection of spearheads and arrows found in NKR is currently
displayed at the Nreni Souvenir Shop in Stepanakert. The special
thing about the collection is that the objects were not found in
graves or kurgans. Those are arrows which were shot and lost and
found many years later.
KOREAN DEPUTY AMBASSADOR PARK SAN HOON: ARMENIAN-KOREAN RELATIONS BECOME STRONGER STEP-BY-STEP
By Gohar Gevorgian, translated by L.H
AZG Armenian Daily #204
07/11/2007
The diplomatic relations between Armenia and Korea were established
in 1992. The Korean Consulate of Armenia has been acting since 2004.
On Friday, in the National Academic Theatre after Gabriel Sundukian was
held a concert program by the Korean Ech Shon National Ensemble devoted
to the 15th Anniversary of Armenian-Korean diplomatic relations.
For that purpose Korean Deputy Ambassador to Russia and Armenia Park
Sang Hoon, First Secretary of the Embassy Kim Dzey Hyoon arrived
in Armenia.
"We keep relations with Armenia at diplomatic, economic and cultural
levels. The performance of the Korean National Ensemble is a nice
occasion to present the Korean culture. The comprehension between
our two nations will strengthen due to cultural events.
Armenian-Korean relations become stronger step-by-step", said Deputy
Ambassador Park Sang Hoon.
Korean Consul of Honor to Armenia Armen Abrahamian qualified the
Armenian-Korean relations good, but at the same time he thinks that
the relations has more potential to develop.
KURDISH CRISIS BOXES IN NEOCONS
by Muriel Mirak-Weissbach
Global Research
Tuesday, 6 November 2007, 11:24 am
When Secretary of State Condi Rice descended the stairs of her plane
in Ankara on November 2, she must have been thanking her lucking stars
that her security detail was shielding her from the massive groups
of Turkish demonstrators, who were wielding aggressive signs, some
showing her face as the backdrop for a target practicer’s bulls-eye,
and others saying, "Terrorist Condi: Hands Off Turkey." Condi may
have been spared the embarrassment, but the signs and pickets were
prominently shown on international television news stations. And public
opinion polls reported that the popularity of the US among the Turks
is about as low as that of the US Congress among American voters.
The reason for the rising tide of anti-Americanism in Turkey is simple:
Washington is seen as the sponsor of the Kurdish terrorists who have
been killing Turkish soldiers, from their safe haven in US-occupied
northern Iraq.
Turkey is a long-term US ally and staunch NATO member, whose Incirlik
military base has functioned as a vital launching pad for US operations
into Afghanistan and Iraq. Thanks to the insanity emanating from
the Bush-Cheney cabal in Washington, this crucial regional ally has
turned into not only a leading critic of their botched Iraq policy,
but potentially also a "break-away ally" who will challenge the US
in the region, in pursuit of aims it rightly defines as in its own
vital national self-interest.
"Kurdistan"
The name of the game is "Kurdistan." Since the terrorist Kurdish
Workers Party, known as the PKK, has recently initiated a new wave
of attacks against Turkish targets, killing dozens of soldiers in
southeastern Turkey and abducting others, the conflict between the
Kurdish insurgents, who aim at establishing an independent "Kurdistan"
in a region overlapping Turkey, Iran and Syria, on the one hand, and
the sovereign Turkish nation, on the other, has reached such a point
that memories of the tragic 23-year-long struggle and its 30,000 dead,
have been vividly awakened. No one in Turkey wants that deadly process
to be repeated.
This time around, however, the conflict takes on a strategic dimension:
it is not "only" Turkey vs. a domestic insurgent force–the PKK–, but,
potentially, a new conflict in Southwest Asia as a whole, vectored
on war-torn Iraq. For, the PKK, which has recently raised its ugly
head again, is operating not out of Turkey, but out of northern Iraq,
in what is known as the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG). And this
region, which enjoys relative autonomy, is under the control of the
United States, the occupying power. Thus, since the PKK renewed its
terrorist attacks against Turkish military targets, {from inside Iraq},
the government of Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the military establishment,
have demanded that the US intervene to disarm the PKK, apprehend its
leading figures and extradite them to Turkey.
Paying demonstrative lip service to the fable that the Iraqi government
be "sovereign," Ankara has also pressed the government of Nouri
al-Maliki to move against the PKK.
The crisis reached an initial climax in mid-October, when, following
PKK killings of Turkish troops, the Turkish parliament voted to approve
a government plan to organize cross-border incursions into northern
Iraq, in hot pursuit of the terrorists. Impetus for the vote had been
provided by passage of a resolution in the US House Foreign Relations
Committee, on October 10, which acknowledged the 1915 massacres of
Armenians in Turkey as "genocide." Turkey saw the committee vote
as an affront, as demonstrating an "irresponsible attitude" which
could jeopardize US-Turkish relations, and responded by recalling its
ambassador from Washington. Furthermore, it was mooted that Turkey
could close the vital Incirlik base to US operations.
After another 17 Turkish soldiers were killed by PKK terrorists on
October 21, the Turkish cabinet went into emergency session. Prime
Minister Erdogan, under tremendous domestic pressure to move against
the threat, told the London {Times} on October 22, that his country
would move to smash the PKK in northern Iraq. "The target of this
operation," he explained, "is definitely not Iraq’s territorial
integrity or its political unity. The target of this operation is the
terror organization based in the north of Iraq" which "must be driven
out … its training camps … dismantled and its leaders … handed
over." Erdogan minced no words regarding the US reponsibility. "In
northern Iraq," he said, "we feel that both the terrorist organization
and the [Kurdish regional] administration there are sheltering behind
America." He went on to speak about a "trilateral mechanism" which
had been discussed, among the US, Iraq and Turkey to deal with the
problem, but lamented that it had led nowhere.
The decision by the Turkish parliament to approve cross-border
incursions into northern Iraq, sounded an alarm bell in Washington. The
well-grounded fear among government officials was that, if Turkey
were to make good on its threats of incursions into northern Iraq,
that would provoke a reaction of the part of the Kurds inside
Iraq. Not only: Kurds in Iran and Syria (as well as Turkey) could
join forces with their compatriots in Iraq, and strive to establish
their independent state, Kurdistan. This would be the realization of
a nightmare vision hatched by the 1916 British-French deal known as
the Sykes-Picot Treaty, which carved up the Ottoman Empire among the
imperial powers in the aftermath of World War I. The ethnic Kurdish
population, dispersed among the regions to become newly defined
"states" of Syria, Iran, Iraq and Turkey, would come together in
an entity, whose emergence would challenge the very existence of
those states.
The Founding Fathers of Kurdistan
If Sykes-Picot were the result of a rotten deal between imperial
France and Britain, the threat of a Kurdish entity in the region today
must be chalked up to imperial-thinking factions in Britain and the
United States. It is now an open secret, which the Bush crowd thought
it had been able to keep under wraps, that W. and his crew have been
long-term sponsors of the PKK, and worshipped as such by the terrorist
group itself. On October 30, the {International Herald Tribune} ran an
article reporting on the fact that supplies for the group are allowed
to pass through a government checkpoint in Raniya. Former American
Ambassador to Turkey Mark Parris was quoted saying, "That couldn’t
have happened without their permitting them to be there. That’s their
turf. It’s as simple as that." The IHT piece went on to report how the
PKK-linked Kurdistan Democratic Solution Party (KDSP), which operates
freely in Raniya and Sulaimaniya, has a leader, Fayik Muhamed Ahmad
Golpi, who is an outsp oken fan of George W. Bush. After the 2004 US
elections, Golpi sent W. a letter, congratulating him and wishing him
luck in his plans for transforming the Middle East. The IHT article
also noted the role of the Party for a Free Life in Kurdistan (PJAK),
the branch of the group seeking independence from Iran.
Turkey has long accused the US of supporting the PKK and allied
Kurdish separatists, on the obvious grounds that the terrorist group
has lived and flourished under American occupation in Iraq. It is a
well-documented fact that, since the 1991 Desert Storm war against
Iraq, the US had set up the notorious "no fly-zones" in the north
(and south), which provided air cover to the Kurds (and the PKK). On
July 20 of this year, then-Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul reported on
Turkish television, that PKK terrorists had been arrested in possession
of weapons manufactured in the US. Gul said, "US officials told us
those were the weapons they handed over to the Iraqi army.
1,260 weapons captured from the PKK," he said, "are American made. We
documented it to the US." According to the {New York Times} in August,
US Defense Department officials confirmed that weapons provided by the
US to Iraqi military and police trainees in 2004 and 2005 had indeed
ended up in the hands of the Kurds. On October 28, Iranian Foreign
Minister Manouchehr Mottaki joined with his Turkish counterpart,
Ali Babcan, in a press conference, to denounce the foreign sponsors
of the Kurdish groups threatening to detonate an explosion in the
region. Mottaki cited the PKK, the PJAK (or PEJAK) and the MEK/MKO
(Mujahideen e-Khalq), an Iranian terrorist group operating also from
Iraqi soil against the Islamic Republic.
In November 2006, investigative journalist Seymour Hersh had reported
to the {New Yorker} that "In the past six months, Israel and the United
States have been working together in support of a Kurdish resistance
group known as the Party for a Free Life in Kurdistan. The group has
also been conducting clandestine cross-border forays into Iran."
Ankara: US, Iraq Must Rein PKK In
The Turks have rightly demanded that the US, as the occupying power
in northern Iraq, take action to curb the PKK, and have asked the
allegedly sovereign Iraqi government to do the same. They have
also stated that the KRG, led by Massoud Barzani, has protected the
PKK. Erdogan was quoted by {Hurriyet} as saying outright, "[Barzani]
is in a position of aiding and abetting the terrorist organization in
that region." For his part, Barzani has repeatedly refused to hand
over PKK elements to Turkey, "no matter what the cost." Orders to
the KRG to close all PKK offices have been cheerfully ignored.
However, as it became evident in late October, that the Turks would
make good on their threats to send some of the 100,000 troops they
had amassed on the border, into northern Iraq, to seek out and kill
PKK terrorists, the Iraqi Kurdish authorities changed their tune. One
reason is that Turkey made good on its threat to impose economic
sanctions on northern Iraq. Flights between Istanbul and Irbil were
stopped beginning November. As reported by {BBC}, Turkish Deputy
Prime Minister Cemil Cicek said after a cabinet meeting October 31,
that they had started "military, political and diplomatic measures"
against the PKK. "The targets of these measures are the terrorist
organization and those groups which are supporting, aiding and
abetting it," he said. Though no details were released, the measures
could entail a boycott of the Kurdistan Regional Government. This
could mean a cutoff of food imports, electricity supplies, and other
imports. Iraqi Foreign Minister Zebari announced a t the same time,
that checkpoints were being set up on the Turkish-Iraqi border to
cut off the PKK supply lines.
Not surprisingly, the PKK began to cry uncle. Falah Mustafa Bakir,
the head of foreign relations for the KRG, said November 2, that
he hoped Turkey would "reconsider its position and work for a
peaceful solution." He claimed the KRG did not support PKK terrorist
activity. On November 2, it was reported that a PKK leader, Abdul
Rahman al-Chadirchi, was calling on Turkey to present a peace plan
to overcome the crisis. This came after Turkish troops had succeeded
in hunting down and killing dozens of PKK elements in Turkey.
Whether or not Turkey will move militarily into northern Iraq, will
be decided officially, only following talks that Prime Minister
Erdogan will hold with President Bush in Washington on November
5. Statements made by Rice, as well as US Ambassador to Iraq Ryan
Crocker, on November 2, stressed Washington’s desire that the Turks
desist from any such military cross-border incursions. Ankara, however,
has argued: if the US waged war on Afghanistan and invaded Iraq, on
grounds that elements from those distant countries had been involved
in terror attacks against the US, why should Turkey not do the same in
a country on its borders? Speaking at a parliamentary group meeting
of his Justice and Development Party (AKP) at the end of October,
Erdogan said that he would ask President Bush to "clearly define
[the US] road map" to deal with the PKK. He said it was a "test of
sincerity, and that if the US failed to act, "we will do our own job"
i.e. invade Iraq and mop up the PKK.
Regional Peace Efforts
The dangers inherent in a Turkish military incursion across Iraq’s
borders, are best appreciated by Turkey’s immediate neighbors, Iran,
Syria and Iraq itself. These three countries host Kurdish minorities
who could be catapulted, by a Turkish attack, into a military campaign
to establish an independent Kurdistan, thus detabilizing all three
nations. It is for this reason, that the three have taken steps
to defuse the crisis before it blows up. In a coordinated effort,
Syria and Iran have been consulting to eliminate the PKK threat,
preferably without Turkish military action inside Iraq.
On October 28, Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan was in Tehran to
discuss his country’s option of invading Iraq to pursue the PKK. The
Iranians told him they did {not} support such a military move. This
was an important move, since Tehran had earlier supported Turkey’s
military moves, and even participated in joint attacks against the
Kurdish terrorists. On October 29, Iranian Foreign Minister Manuchehr
Mottaki visited Damascus for talks with President Bashar al-Assad,
and his counterpart Walid Muallem. The latter stated after the talks,
"The Iranians have initiated efforts which complement those of Syria,
because we want to give a political solution a chance." Mottaki
was quoted by the {Turkish Daily News} saying, "The PKK terrorists
threaten not only Turkey but also Iran and Syria," and added, "The
terrorist operations from the north of Iraq create a destabilizing
effect throughout the region." Mottaki went on to Baghdad, for
talks there A meeting was held in Istanbul November 2-3, of the
foriegn ministers of the region, and included all Iraq’s neighbors,
plus the permanent members of the UN Security Council, and some G8
members. It is in this context that Condi Rice travelled to Turkey. As
of this writing, the meeting is taking place, and no results have been
announced yet. However, it was expected that Iran could play a major
role. Mottaki had announced that Iran would present a plan to solve
the c risis. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, after meeting with
Mottaki in Baghdad October 31, "urged Iran to help defuse the border
crisis between Turkey and the PKK and to give its entire support at
the Istanbul conference," according to a statement from his office,
reported by {Tehran Times}. At the same time, Iraqi Foreign Minister
Zebari said he and Mottaki agreed that the conference should not be
"highjacked" by this issue, and should address Iraq’s security overall.
Significantlz, Zebari also called on the US and Iran to continue the
tripartite (Iran, Iraq, US) talks which had taken place in Baghdad at
the ambassadorial level. Mottaki, according to a report in the Lebanese
paper {Daily Star}, said the reported "readiness of the Americans for
a new round of talks" was something Iran did "consider positively." It
was in this congtext that Mottaki announced that Iran would "deliver
a plan regarding the situation in Iraq," at the Istanbul meeting.
This would be key, since the US is the occupying power and chief ally
of the Kurds. If the Kurdish terrorist threat is to be eliminated
and therefore a Turkish military move prevented, the US must shift
gears and move credibly against the PKK. Thus far, the US has merely
claimed it is "sharing intelligence" with Ankara. On November 1,
Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morell was quoted by the IHT saying,
"The key for any sort of military response, by the Turks or anybody
else, is actionable intelligence. We are making efforts to help them
get actionable intelligence." But such claims lack credibility, given
past performance. As Erdogan complained in an interview to the {Times}
of London on October 22, a "trilateral mechanism" had been set up
among the US, Iraq and Turkey to deal with the problem, but it "yielded
absolutely no results." Essentially the same point was made by former
NATO supreme commander in Europe Ralston, who said on October 29, that
a diplomatic effort which h e had led, to stop the terrorist PKK, had
failed. During his one-year tenure functioning as special envoy on the
PKK issue, Ralston had tried to set up such a tripartitie mechanism,
but failed, and this prompted his resignation. Iranian sources have
told me that intelligence Tehran had supplied to Baghdad, on the PKK
(presumably "actionable") had been welcomed, but that the Iraqis had
been prevented by the US from acting on it.
Thus, the key to defusing the Kurdish crisis, which threatens to blow
up the entire region, lies in Washington, and in US willingness to
cooperate with Iran, the regional power with considerable influence
in Iraq as well as Turkey. The simmering Kurdish crisis, therefore, is
putting the neocon cabal in Washington on the spot. It cannot have its
cake and eat it too. It cannot maintain the PKK and the entire Kurdish
separatist apparatus as an asset, and at the same time ask Turkey to
continue its role as a regional ally. It cannot pretend that Iraq
be stabilized, and at the same time demonize and threaten military
action against Iran, the key regional power capable of contibuting
to stability. In Washington, the chickens have come home to roost.
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ARMENIA’S DEFENCE EXPENDITURES INCREASE BY 25.1% IN JANUARY-SEPTEMBER
2007 ON SAME PERIOD OF LAST YEAR
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 3, NOYAN TAPAN. Out of budgetary expenditures of 379
bln 862.7 mln drams (about 1 bln 84 mln USD) in January-September 2007,
expenditures in the defence sector amounted to 67 bln 493.3 mln drams,
which exceeds by 25.1% the index of the same period of last year. The
ratio of defence expenditures to Armenia’s GDP made 3.3% in the first
nine months of 2007 against 3.1% in the same petiod of last year.
According to the RA National Statsitical Service, budgetary
expenditures on public order protection, national security and judicial
system made 31 bln 24.1 mln drams in January-September 2007, exceeding
by 15.9% the index of the same period of last year. Their ratio to GDP
made 1.5% against 1,6% in the same months of last year.
Expenditures in education and science spheres amounted to 62 bln 38 mln
drams (19.7% growth on January-September of last year), their ratio to
GDP increased from 3% to 3.1%. 45 bln 419.9 mln drams was spent on
social security and social insurance (20.2% growth), their ratio to GDP
increased from 2.2% to 2.3%. Expenditures in health care sector made 29
bln 326.3 mln drams (23.8% growth), their ratio to GDP grew from 1.4%
in January-September 2006 to 1.5% in the same months of 2007.
28 bln 690.8 mln drams was spent in transport, road and communication
sectors in January-September 2007 (25.8% growth), while the ratio of
these expenditures to GDP declined from 1.5% in January-September 2006
to 1.4% in the same petiod of this year.
THEY DEMAND TO CHANGE AUTHORITIES
A1+
[02:56 pm] 01 November, 2007
On 8 November, on the day of the Government’s session, the victims
of the state needs will gather in front of the Government building
and demand to change the authorities.
"We will not leave, they will leave", announced Vachagan Hakobyan,
head of the "Protection of Property Rights" NGO in front of the
Government building.
Today the residents of Main and North avenues, Buzand and Aghbyur
Serob Streets demanded to reinstate their rights.
Vachagan Hakobyan says that they will collaborate with those political
powers which "promise to solve our problems and will make this country
a rule of law country".
"I have been living on Abovyan 1/2 Street for 54 years, and now I want
enough money to buy an apartment in the suburbs. Is this a country or
not? I am deprived of my house at the age of 70", said Rima Nazaryan.
The victims of the state needs have sent letters to all NA parties and
have not received any answers from them. "Only the "Republican Party
of Armenia" is to blame for this situation", said Vachagan Hakobyan.
By the way, the demonstrators went to the UN office in Yerevan to
leave another letter of complaint there.
CHARLIE BOGHOSIAN SELLS DEEP FRIED CHICKEN, VEGETABLES, COOKIES AND MANY OTHER TREATS
CHICKEN CHARLIE ‘CAN DEEP FRY JUST ABOUT ANYTHING’
By Rebecca Lee
10 October 2007
It’s conceivable that Charlie Boghosian is single-handedly responsible
for America’s growing health problems.
Known as "Chicken Charlie" to his many fans, Boghosian, a 38-year-old
San Diego native, believes that everything, and he means everything,
tastes better when fried.
Boghosian is so serious about his passion for all things crispy that
he takes his fryer on the road for five months every year, traveling
to county and state fairs all across California.
"I can deep fry just about anything," he said.
Boghosian backed up that statement this past weekend at Big Fresno
Fair in Fresno, Calif. He was selling fried concoctions by the vatful,
and his mother, a traditional Armenian cook, still can’t get her head
around it.
"My mother thinks I’m crazy," he said. "She never in her wildest
dreams thought she would eat a deep-fried Oreo cookie or a deep-fried
avocado."
But deep-fried Oreos and veggies are just the tip of the iceberg for
this master of the double wide. To date, Chicken Charlie’s arsenal
of heart-attack inducing treats runs about 25 deep. Boghosian batters
up everything from cheesecake, cheese balls and hot dogs to s’mores,
Twinkies, and, as of last year, his famous Krispy Kreme chicken
sandwich, a piece of chicken nestled between two halves of a Krispy
Kreme donut.
But this year, he debuted his craziest concoctions ever — deep-fried
frog legs, deep-fried Coca-Cola, and, Elvis’ favorite, deep-fried
peanut butter, honey and banana sandwiches.
"I love peanut butter, bananas and honey. I grew up eating that and
I thought I’d just deep fry that sandwich," Boghosian said. "We’re
taking regular, ordinary items, mixing them together, dipping them
in different types of batter and frying them for just a couple of
minutes so that they ‘crispen’ up and then we put toppings on them
which even add to the calorie count."
But those extra calories don’t seem to be hurting Chicken Charlie’s
business. According to Boghosian, his trailer grosses approximately
$1.5 million every year. By his estimates, in the last five to six
years he has sold close to 100,000 Twinkies, about 200,000 Oreos,
at least 10,000 Krispy Kreme chicken sandwiches since their debut two
years ago, and approximately 300 to 400 of two of this year’s newbies
— s’mores and peanut-butter and banana sandwiches — every day.
With prices ranging from $1.75 per chicken wing to $11.75 for the
fried frog legs, Boghosian’s fare doesn’t come cheap.
"We get really busy," said the deep-fried guy. "We’ve got seven cash
registers. We sell between three and five thousand orders per day."
Despite the prices and the health hazards, these fried delicacies are
"worth dropping dead for" proclaimed one Fresno fairgoer. It seems
many people are willing to overlook hundreds, even thousands of
calories for a quick trip to fried food heaven.
"Everything that will kill me, it’s all wrapped up in one," said
another fair attendee ,holding up one of the Elvis-inspired treats.
"It’s great!"
Chicken Charlie’s is not health food. On the contrary, Boghosian
prefers to think of his creations as soul food — treats that, like
the fairs he frequents, make people happy and are associated with a
sense of fun and lightheartedness. Also, he added, people know what
they’re getting into when they order his decadent delicacies.
"They come out and they say, ‘How many calories does this have?’ And
we joke around with them and then they say, ‘Give us three,’" he
said. "They could care less."
With this year’s fair season drawing to a close, Chicken Charlie is
already testing out new recipes to find next year’s addition to his
fried food roster.
"We’re going to make chardonnay and Spam, dip it in batter, and deep
fry it," said Boghosian, sitting down to try his very first bite.
"Let’s try it out. Let’s see what happens.
"I’m sure there’s some stuff I haven’t thought of, but I love this,"
he said. "I’m young. I think we’ve got a lot of time. I’m going to
be deep frying a lot more things in the future."
For now, Boghosian will keep peddling his fried Coca-Cola and peanut
butter, honey and banana sandwiches, day in and day out, until the
hot days and bright lights of California’s fairs give way to shorter
days and cooler temperatures.
Maybe next year he’ll figure out how to deep fry a snow cone.
WHERE ARE TURKISH AMERICAN RELATIONS HEADING TO?
By Mehmet SeyfettÝn Erol*
Today’s Zaman
Oct 31 2007
Turkish-American relations are at a critical turning point because
of terrorism and the so-called Armenian genocide.
The crisis that emerged through the Sept. 11 attacks following the
disappointments during the post-Cold War period took the relations to
a crucial point of development since the March 1 motion. The crisis
is so deep that the US and Turkey have no common interests in an
area stretching from the Black Sea to Basra, from Iran to Russia. The
conflict of interests between the parties forces Turkey to make choices
in its foreign policy. Meanwhile, the US seeks to keep Turkey as an
ally through a controlled strategy. However, it is not certain how long
this strategy will last and whether it will work out. This situation
is taken by both sides as a willingness to sustain the partnership
between the two countries. This also implies that it is difficult to
end a six-decade-old strategic partnership. For a better analysis
on the future of Turkish-American relations, the factors that have
brought relations to the current point need to be evaluated.
The first crisis in bilateral relations between Turkey and the US
was the decision to dismantle the Jupiter missiles based in Turkey
following the negotiations between the US and the USSR in relation to
the Cuban missile crisis. This was the starting point for the lack of
confidence in Turkish-American relations. Similarly, Turkey strongly
reacted to the US attitude when US President Lyndon B. Johnson implied
that they would block NATO’s involvement in a possible confrontation
between Turkey and the USSR if Turkey took action vis-a-vis the
Cyprus question.
This was the strongest reaction to the US administration following the
Menderes government. For the first time, the reaction revealed that
Turkey might change its alignment and take part in the opposition
camp. Later, the US attempted to punish Turkey through economic
embargos during the 1974 military operation in Cyprus. The intervention
made despite the US opposition had important consequences that still
affect current affairs. Turkey demonstrated that it had the necessary
determination and capability to make up for its past mistakes and
stand by the protection and preservation of its inherent rights
and interests. This attitude took Turkey to a different category
of alliance from Washington’s perspective. The details of this new
situation became clear with the arrival of the post-Cold War period.
Attempting to redefine the bilateral relations with accommodation
of its national interests during the new era, Washington received an
unexpected reaction from Turkey. This national reflex, which became
visible in Turkey during the reign of Turgut Ozal, remained alive
because of internal dynamics. For this reason, the US has been unable
to implement joint projects with the participation of Turkey since
Sept. 11. As a consequence of this, the US sought to punish Turkey.
To this end, it implemented a new strategy to create a de facto
Kurdish state in northern Iraq despite Turkey’s objections.
Meanwhile, it also initiated an indirect aggression against Turkey by
supporting the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). Consequently, Turkey
was left with "a hidden war." The US administration — which reminded
Turkey of the Armenian genocide card when the latter expressed its
strong reaction once more — attempted to punish Turkey as a country
guilty of genocide. Of course, the frequent and strong references to
the Armenian genocide at this stage are not related to the Armenian
question alone. The US administration carries out psychological
operations through which it indirectly implies that Turkey will commit
genocide against the Kurds as it did with the Armenians. There is one
thing that should not be overlooked — the US attempts to eliminate
the interest in the Pax Ottomana by the people of the region.
But what are the reasons for the US eagerness to put pressure on Turkey
through use of the Armenian genocide card and the PKK terrorist
organization? Undoubtedly, the major reason is the developing
bilateral relations between Iran and Turkey. The initiation of
a bilateral process between the two countries which made a few
important deals in the field of energy and Turkey’s unwillingness to
take part in a possible US operation against Iran created an unnamed
crisis in Turkish-American relations. This stance of Turkey despite
US demands angered the latter. The anger was visible in the visit by
the US delegations and the visit paid by the Turkish prime minister
to Washington. The diplomatic attempts of Turkey despite the clear
American opposition and the strengthening Syrian-Turkish relations
also triggered outrage in Israel and the US.
The elevated troubles of Israel in its relations with Turkey and the
abortion of the Jewish lobby card in regards to the case of Armenian
genocide claims marks Israel’s inability and despair. Turkey’s
determination to stand firm against US demands in regards to the
Iraqi case and the regional opposition to formation of a Kurdish
state placed Turkey at a critical point in regards to the US.
Apparently, Turkey’s slow motion towards becoming the leader of
the Turkish-Islamic world in the post-Sept. 11 world bothers the
US. In other words, Turkey’s growing importance in the region and
its potential role to resolve the regional problems makes it a key
actor in the "New Game" staged by the US. Turkey’s new position and
potential support for the American project as crystallized in Iraq and
Afghanistan is of particular importance for the US. On the other hand,
Turkey’s emphasis on a "Strategic Depth Project" in response to the
Greater Middle East Project forced the US to employ very different
tools vis-a-vis Turkey’s new direction.
Meanwhile, the particular importance and attention paid by Turkey to
the US in the current stage seems to be Turkey’s biggest mistake.
Unless it abandons its concerns about probable reactions of the US
to its actions, Turkey may not become comfortable in its domestic and
foreign policies. Turkey should immediately abandon this approach and
rely on strong language in speaking to the US authorities. Turkey
should follow such a resolute strategy that the US will develop
concerns over Turkey’s probable responses to its actions. Turkey has
the necessary strength and historical experience to do this. What
is missing is confidence. The latest statements by the Turkish Armed
Forces (TSK) are noteworthy. The remarks by Commander of Turkish Land
Forces Gen. Ýlker Baþbuð noting that Turkey increased the US costs
in the region are exemplary. What could be the price for a firm
stand against the US for Turkey? Under the current circumstances,
the price will be dramatically low in comparison to the US losses.
Dr. Mehmet Seyfettin Erol is a lecturer at Gazi University’s department
of international relations 31.10.2007
–Boundary_(ID_Oo2Q5EUthq5NDI7Dfwr97w) —
THE PRISONERS OF MEMORY
James Hakobyan
Lragir
Oct 31 2007
Armenia
If Levon Ter-Petrosyan had started his address with self-criticism,
everything would have been different, Hrant Margaryan, member of the
ARF Bureau, told Radio Liberty. In fact, it turns out that the ARF
Dashnaktsutyun is also reminding the first president of the past.
Meanwhile, Levon Ter-Petrosyan and the ARF Dashnaktsutyun were said
to have agreed in their meeting to forget about the past and debate
about the future. Especially Dashnaktsutyun should not remind anything
after this agreement. Meanwhile, Dashnaktsutyun seems to have changed
their mind, at least it is felt from Hrant Margaryan’s words. Perhaps
Dashnaktsutyun did not believe first that Ter-Petrosyan would be
nominated, and when reaching agreement on not remembering the past
in a meeting with him they perhaps expected that the cease-fire with
Levon Ter-Petrosyan would raise the rating of the ARF Dashnaktsutyun,
not ruling out that some of Ter-Petrosyan’s supporters would be
touched and vote for Dashnaktsutyun. In other words, if a few weeks
ago Ter-Petrosyan was a guest for the ARF Dashnaktsutyun whom they
received nicely and forgave a lot of things, now Levon Ter-Petrosyan
is an opponent to the ARF Dashnaktsutyun.
Like in the joke when an Armenian gets caught by cannibals, and when
they are playing the drums before eating him, the Armenian notices
that one of them is playing the drum in an Armenian manner. "Are you
an Armenian?" he asks. "Yes I am hungry," the answer is.
Levon Ter-Petrosyan is already an opponent, including for the ARF
Dashnaktsutyun, consequently, their agreement will be gradually
forgotten because in political struggle in Armenia, no matter how
ideological it is, the memories of the past have a core importance.
They are reminding the All-Armenian Movement and Levon Ter-Petosyan of
the years of the energy crisis, robbery, defensiveness and all those
events that Levon Ter-Petrosyan himself enumerated during the rally
on Octover 26. They are reminding Dashnaktsutyun of the past, from
1918’s getting the public money and running away till now when they
are again getting the public money but not running away yet, probably
waiting until they get all of it. They are reminding the Orinats Yerkir
party how its leader supported Ter-Petrosyan, then Robert Kocharyan,
then joined the coalition. They are reminding the National Solidarity
party about its leader’s communist career, career as mayor, support
for Robert Kocharyan in 1998. They are reminding Vazgen Manukyan about
his office as prime minister in 1991, the privatization of land, the
unrest in 1996, the heads of Babken Ararxian and Ara Sahakyan. They
are reminding Robert Kocharyan and Serge Sargsyan about their party
committee and young communist careers, then All-Armenian Movement
affiliation, then the coup in 1998, then October 27.
There is much more that the political forces are reminding each
other through the political struggle, point by point, case by case,
hour by hour, minute by minute. No doubt each political activist
in Armenia keeps a diary, like teenagers, but instead of lyrical
feelings he puts down the detailed description of their and others’
actions. As soon as one competes with another, he opens the diary,
although he knows the opponent has opened his own notes. Hence,
the Armenian political sphere is unable to rid of the past and at
least reach the present. For them, the present is for "enriching"
the past rather than building the future, which is quite normal when
no mechanism of political responsibility works in the country.
ARMENIAN AMBASSADOR TO RUSSIA SHOULD BE REPLACED
Lragir, Armenia
Oct 29 2007
The president of the Writers’ Union of Armenia Levon Ananyan set
forward a proposal October 29 at the Hayeli Club regarding the people
leaving Armenia for Moscow. In connection with the murder of another
Armenian young man in Moscow Levon Ananyan said these murders are
usual for such an immense crater as Moscow, so we need to think of
steps to insure our citizens, compatriots.
"In this connection, I think the embassy should revise its passive
attitude and take pro-active steps, because its primary function
is to protect the rights of our citizens in Russia, in this case,"
Levon Ananyan says. Besides, Levon Ananyan proposes handing out
memo-guides to our citizens leaving for Moscow, containing tips on
what, what actions, what places to avoid in Moscow not to become
victims of nationalists.
Ruben Hakhverdyan, composer, partly shares Levon Ananyan’s opinion.
Ruben Hakhverdyan was also hosted at the Hayeli Club. He says
memo-guides cannot fix the problem. Meanwhile, the Armenian ambassador
to Russia should be replaced, he thinks. "For the ambassador who
is called Armen Smbatyan. I rather think he is improving his own
relations, for whatever reason, the Armenians are hilarious to receive
Luzhkov or Kobzon in Armenia. They have bought the Dvin Hotel, I don’t
know what else. What are they so delighted about? What do Luzkkov or
Kobzon mean to them, they are just citizens of another country? The
Armenians have some Asian flattering attitude toward some Russian
masters, and this is not the best thing about our people. I think a
person such as Armen Smbatyan, if they appointed him ambassador to
Russia, nothing else should be expected. He is a common conformist, he
is solving his problems. I think he used to work at the Conservatoire
of Yerevan, he is now enjoying the money of the Conservatoire," Ruben
Hakhverdyan says, adding that the Conservatoire which used to be the
second in the Soviet Union has no top professional teachers now because
everyone prefers abroad to teaching here for 15 to 20 thousand drams.
As to the Armenian and Russian relation, particularly the murders of
Armenians in Moscow, Ruben Hakhverdyan says Russian chauvinism is not
something new, especially now when Putin is trying to boost national
morale, and is using different propaganda methods, that they should
not drink, they should have many children not to get assimilated.
"You know, I applaud to the Georgians, for their proud attitude toward
Russia. I like their negligent attitude more than the flattery of
the Armenians, that embassy [he means the Russian embassy to Armenia]
which reminds of the cult of phallus," Ruben Hakhverdyan says.
The ambassador carries out the government policy, if he fails, he
should be replaced, if they have not replaced, it means the government
approves, says Karine Hakobyan, publicist, chair of the Reform NGO,
who was also hosted at the Hayeli club. According to her, the problem
is different. Karine Hakobyan points to the mission of a government,
saying that one of its missions is to protect its citizens abroad. "All
the problems, if you have noticed, are solved at a public level. For
instance, the pilots were arrested in Africa, Ara Abrahamyan helped
to release them, who represents a non-governmental organization. The
problem should be considered in its full depth, and the government
must acknowledge its mission and function," Karine Hakobyan says.
They think the Armenian intelligentsia voicing concern for the murder
of Armenians in Russia should address the Armenian government rather
than the Russian government, for the Armenian government should be
more responsible for the security of its citizens. Ruben Hakhverdyan
proposes an extreme way. He says the aliens killed in Russia for their
ethnic identity should come together and give an adequate response
to the Russians. Henrik Garukyan, a painter, says a big church is
being built at the center of Moscow. If they are strong enough to
build a church, why are they unable to protect our compatriots,
the painter asks?
INISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA
—————————————— —-
PRESS AND INFORMATION DEPARTMENT
Telephone: +37410. 544041 ext. 202
Fax: +37410. 565601
Email: [email protected]
PRESS RELEASE
30-10-2007
Minister Oskanian` s visit to Bulgaria
Armenia’s Minister of Foreign AffairsVartan Oskanian completed an official
visit to Bulgaria.
In Sofia on October 29, Minister Oskanian met with Bulgarian Foreign
Minister Ivailo Kalfin. The colleagues agreed that the historically and
culturally rich and traditionally friendly relations between the two peoples
can only serve as a catalyst for more dynamic political dialogue.
Regarding improving economic relations, the upcoming visit of Bulgaria’s
Prime Minister will help place trade and technological issues on more solid
footing, they said, especially if this is followed by organized meetings
between businessmen from the two countries.
The two also exchanged views about conflicts in the Balkans and the
Caucasus – especially focusing on the Nagorno Karabakh and Kosovo issues.
Following the meeting, the two ministers signed the protocol on cooperation
between the Foriegn Mnistries of Armenia and Bulgaria.
Earlier in the same day, Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov received
Armenia’s Foreign Minister. President Parvanov, who had visited Armenia in
2004, discussed Armenia-Bulgaria relations as well as cooperation within
international organizations. President Parvanov indicated his willingness to
share his country’s experience in the process of European integration.
In Sofia, Minister Oskanian also saw Armenia’s new embassy building. There,
he met with the leadership of Sofia’s Armenian community, and presented
10-year passports to Armenia’s new Honorary Consul in Plovdiv, Bulgaria –
Mr. Eliazar Ouzounian and his wife.
The Minister also spoke with the editors of Bulgaria’s "Yerevan" Weekly
newspaper.-0-