Author: Tavakalian Edgar

EBRD SAYS ARMENIA SUPPORTS TURKEY BID

Agence France Presse
September 24, 2008 Wednesday 4:55 PM GMT

Armenia has voiced its support for plans within the European Bank for
Reconstruction and Development to invest in Turkey, a bank spokesman
told AFP on Wednesday.

The EBRD’s board of directors voted overwhelmingly to support Ankara’s
request that its status within the bank be changed to a country of
operations from a shareholder state.

A source close to the bank, who declined to be identified, told AFP
that the sole dissenting vote was that of Armenia.

But according to an EBRD spokesman, Armenia "made clear" on Wednesday
that it backed Turkey’s bid.

Turkey has been a shareholder of the EBRD since its inception in 1991,
when it was created to encourage former Soviet countries to adopt
market economies. Ankara asked in April that its status within the
bank be changed.

Its application for the change said the EBRD could contribute to
market-promoting initiatives that would be "immensely beneficial for
the Bank as well as for Turkey."

The EBRD board, which represents the bank’s 63 governors, reached its
decision after a "strategic review of the implications of investment
in Turkey" and the issue will now go before the bank’s governors at
the end of next month.

The London-based bank has shareholders comprising 61 national
governments, including the United States and Turkey, as well as the
European Community and European Investment Bank.

The bank currently invests in 28 countries in central and eastern
Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).

Turkey has refused to establish diplomatic ties with Armenia because
of its international campaign for the recognition of the mass killings
of Armenians under the Ottoman Empire during World War I as genocide.

Turkish President Abdullah Gul became the first Turkish head of state
to visit Armenia when he travelled to Yerevan this month to watch a
World Cup qualifying football match between the two countries on an
invitation by Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian.

RA PRESIDENT DEPARTING FOR BISHKEK FOR CIS SUMMIT

PanARMENIAN.Net
09.10.2008 12:23 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan is departing for
Bishkek Thursday to attend the CIS summit.

The Armenian delegation includes Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian,
Armenia’s permanent representative to CIS, Ambassador to Belarus Oleg
Yesayan and other officials, the RA President’s press office reported.

A separate meeting of the heads of state will be followed by expanded
talks to focus on CIS economic development, energy cooperation and
other issues.

The Armenian President will also attend a meeting of EurAsEC
intergovernmental council where Armenia has an observer status.

ARMENIAN ATHLETES WIN 18 MEDALS IN INTERNATIONAL KARATE-DO TOURNAMENT

ARMENPRESS
Oct 8, 2008

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 8, ARMENPRESS: The athletes of Armenia’s karate-do
team, headed by the chairman of the national federation Grigor
Mikayelian, won 18 medals – 11 gold, 6 silver and 2 bronze – in the
international tournament held in the U.S. town of Glendale.

In November the athletes are expected to participate in another
international tournament in Tokyo.

RUSSIAN PRESIDENT: U.S. UNDERMINING INTERNATIONAL SECURITY

PanARMENIAN.Net
08.10.2008 17:37 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The United States’ self-styled role as the world’s
dominant power was undermining international security, Russian
President Dmitry Medvedev said in addressing the World Policy
Conference in Evian, France.

"A desire by the United States to consolidate its global domination
led to it missing a historical chance … to build a truly democratic
world order," Medvedev said of U.S. actions since the Sept. 11 attacks
in 2001.

He said Russia’s war with Georgia in August showed that the security
mechanism in Europe, which he said was based around NATO and the
United States, needed a major overhaul.

The Kremlin leader proposed a new security pact that would ban the
use of force or the threat of its use, and would make clear no single
country, including Russia, would have a monopoly on providing security
for the continent.

In an unusually emotional speech, Medvedev said the United States
passed up an historical chance for a new partnership after the Sept. 11
attacks on U.S. cities, when Moscow offered to join Washington in
fighting terrorism.

But the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq and Washington’s plans to station
elements of a missile defense shield in eastern Europe – a project
fiercely opposed by Moscow – scotched that partnership, Medvedev said.

"After toppling the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, the United States
started a series of unilateral actions," he said. "As a result, a
trend appeared in international relations towards creating dividing
lines. This was in fact the revival of a policy popular in the past
and known as containment."

ERGENEKON SUSPECT JOINS ANTI-GOV’T PROTEST

Today’s Zaman
09 October 2008, Thursday
Turkey

A man who was briefly detained earlier this year during the
investigation into Ergenekon, a shady crime network accused of
plotting against the government, participated in an anti-government
protest yesterday.

President of the neo-nationalist Turkey Youth Union (TGB) Adnan
Turkkan, who was briefly detained but released without charges, joined
a demonstration protesting the government’s higher education policies
in front of Ä°stanbul University yesterday. The protestors, accusing
the government of cronyism and clientelism in university appointments,
shouted slogans against the Justice and Development Party (AK Party)
and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The protesters, a group of approximately 30 TGB members, were in
front of the faculty of sciences at Ä°stanbul University, where the
2008-2009 academic year started yesterday. Making a statement to
the press on behalf of the group, Turkkan claimed that the AK Party
government was trying to overtake Turkey’s universities using the
Higher Education Board (YOK) as its instrument.

He accused the AK Party government of being the "co-president" of US
President George Bush’s "Greater Middle East Project."

General Eruygur to stay in hospital

Meanwhile, retired Gen. Kenner Eruygur, an Ergenekon suspect
released from prison last month for health reasons, will remain
in the hospital. Eruygur, who suffered from a cerebral hemorrhage,
was partially paralyzed following brain surgery at the Kocaeli State
Hospital.

Eruygur’s doctors said he needs to be monitored for an indefinite
period of time. Eurygur has been in the intensive care unit of the
hospital for 22 days.

The chief physician at the hospital, Nazım Mutlu, said Eruygur has
not fully recovered. "He can recognize his wife, he can understand
what doctors say, but he hasn’t regained full consciousness. He
is partially paralyzed on his right side, but he appears to be
improving. He still has respiratory problems," Mutlu informed the
press at the hospital yesterday.

Nearly 90 people will stand trial starting Oct. 20 in the Ergenekon
case. The investigation into Ergenekon, a behind-the-scenes network
attempting to use social and psychological engineering to shape the
country in accordance with its own ultranationalist ideology, began
in 2007, when a house in Ä°stanbul’s Umraniye district that was being
used as an arms depot was discovered by police.

Over the course of the investigation, the case was expanded to reveal
elements of what in Turkey is called the "deep state," finally proving
the existence of the Ergenekon network, which is currently accused
of trying to incite chaos in order to trigger a coup against the
government. The indictment, made public last month, indicates that
Ergenekon was behind a series of political assassinations over the past
two decades. The group is also suspected of being behind the murder
of Hrant Dink, a Turkish-Armenian journalist killed by a teenager in
2007. Eighty-six suspects, 47 of whom are currently under arrest,
are accused of having suspicious links to the gang. Suspects will
start appearing before the court on Oct. 20 facing charges including
"membership in an armed terrorist group," "attempting to bring down
the government," "inciting rebellion against the Republic of Turkey"
and other similar crimes.

–Boundary_(ID_pt9s5hHDaDLU1uLmdAVdmg)–

ORANGE SA: TELECOMMUNICATION MARKET OF ARMENIA HAS A POTENTIAL FOR EXPANSION FIRST AND FOREMOST DUE TO NEW SERVICES

Arminfo
2008-10-06 22:22:00

ArmInfo. The telecommunication market of Armenia has a potential for
expansion, Director for International Business in Europe and Eurasia
of Orange SA company (France Telecom’s branch) Jean-Michel Serre told
ArmInfo correspondent. According to him, the Armenian market can be
expanded due to not only the subscribers’ base, but also new services,
particularly, cellular communication with wideband internet.

To recall, Orange SA operates in 23 countries. The total volume of the
company’s investments in these countries totalled 7 bln EUR in 2007,
(approximately 30% of the total profit), 900 mln of them were spent
on research.

JORDAN: HISTORY AND A PRO-INTEGRATION VIEW
By Ulises Canales

Prensa Latina
Oct 6, 2008
Cuba

Amman, Oct 6 (Prensa Latina) The home of tribes and civilizations,
with a legacy of thousands of years of history, Jordan currently stands
out for its pacifist vocation in the Middle East and a pro-integration
view, which transcends its geographical environment.

The fact that it is also home to sacred sites and events
for Christians, Jewish, Muslim and other peoples may explain the
atmosphere of peace, stability and fraternity which dazzles those
who come from abroad.

Located in the historic Fertile Crescent region, the annals refer to
this country since a bout 2000 BC, when Semitic Amorites settled in
the margins of the Jordan River, in the area known as Canaan, which
is often cited in the Bible.

Later, Hittites, Egyptians, Israelites, Assyrians, Persians,
Babylonians, Greeks, Nabateans, Romans, Arabs, Christian Crusaders,
Mameluks and Ottoman Turks joined the list of cultures and beliefs
that gave birth to the Jordan we know today.

Current Jordan was founded by King Abdullah I after World War I. Since
then, his son, King Hussein, and his grandson, current King Abdullah
II, have tried to give it a well-known though often controversial
prominence in the Middle East.

At home, it was less traumatic to conciliate the respect for the vast,
ancient culture with the ultramodernity that can be witnessed in Amman,
the capital. However, abroad, several Arab neighbors criticized the
peace pact signed with Israel in October 1994.

Ancient Transjordan (as it was named until 1950) and Egypt are the
only Arab countries which have diplomatic links with the Jewish State,
a controversial step, but perceived here as a matter of security and
a premise for stability and economic take-off.

Besides, the fact that it shelters the largest community of
Palestinians refugees, encourages peace talks between Palestinians
and Israelis and is a valid interlocutor in negotiation processes in
the area, have underpinned the prominence of this tiny country.

As well as its ever increasing economic growth, which is obvious in
the construction and foreign investment sectors, Jordan is identified
as an Arab and Islamic country, and its authorities are very careful
in acting accordingly.

Official figures indicate that over 92 percent of Jordanians are
Sunni Muslims, and six percent are Christians, mostly belonging to
the Greek Orthodox Church.

Small communities of Roman Catholics, Syrian Orthodox, Coptics,
Armenians, and some Protestant denominations, and small groups of
Siite and Druse Muslims also coexist in this country.

Undoubtedly, equal veneration for relics of high significance to the
three Monotheistic religions of the region shows the value granted by
the Jordan monarchy to ethnic and religious diversity and tolerance
of its population.

However, according to Jordanian authorities, besides seeking a greater
rapprochement with its natural environment, the country is interested
in consolidating its economic, commercial links with Europe and the
United States, and has set its sights on Latin America, an emerging
area with which Amman plans to establish strategies for economic,
political and cultural cooperation.

U.S. AMBASSADOR: ARMENIAN-TURKISH RELATIONS AND KARABAKH CONFLICT TO BE SETTLED SOON

PanARMENIAN.Net/
02.10.2008 15:07 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Armenian-Turkish relations and Karabakh conflict
will be settled in the near future for the glory of the Armenian
people and the entire region, the U.S. Ambassador to Armenia said.

"The U.S. welcomes all regional initiatives meant for stability and
economic welfare. My duty is to spare no effort for implementation of
our plans," Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch said during her first-ever
news conference in Yerevan today.

"Ambassador is any state is a person who enjoys the confidence of the
President and I will work to justify this confidence. As to possible
change of Ambassador after the November presidential election, it’s
premature to speak of it yet," she said.

The new Ambassador arrived in Armenia on September 17. The position has
been vacant since John Evans was recalled over his public recognition
of the Armenian Genocide. The nomination of Marie Yovanovitch was
approved by the Senate in August 2008.

RUSSIA, KAZAKHSTAN TO CONDUCT JOINT WAR GAMES ON OCT. 3

RIA Novosti
19:12 | 30/ 09/ 2008

ASTANA, September 30 (RIA Novosti) – Troops from Russia and Kazakhstan
will conduct joint maneuvers near the Kazakh city of Almaty on October
3, the Central Asian country’s Defense Ministry said on Tuesday.

The drills, named Aldaspan-2008, will include command-and-staff
exercises and tactical maneuvers. They will engage Kazakh staff
officers and airmobile troops, as well as Russian Air Force officers
and aircraft, and a special-purpose group of the General Staff.

The two countries, both members of the Collective Security Treaty
Organization (CSTO), are set to conduct joint naval anti-terrorism
exercises in the Caspian Sea in 2009.

The CSTO is a security grouping also comprising Armenia, Belarus,
Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.

Russia has recently been strengthening military ties with Eurasian
allies amid growing tensions over NATO expansion and U.S. missile
shield plans for Central Europe.

PEACE AND STABILITY ARE IMPORTANT VALUES FOR ARMENIA, RA DEFENCE MINISTER SAYS

Noyan Tapan

Se p 29, 2008

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 29, NOYAN TAPAN. The format and the wide geography
of the present participants of the Cooperative Longbow/Cooperative
Lancer exercises held in Yerevan are evidence of the significance
and contemporaneity of the exercises. RA Defence Minister Seyran
Ohanian said this on September 29, at the solemn opening ceremony
of the exercises. "In this relation, I could only express my regret
that our neighboring countries, participants of EAPC, due to different
reasons do not participate. Unfortunately, once again it demonstrates
to us that the security situation in the South Caucasus is fragile,"
he said. S. Ohanian assured that peace and stability are important
values for Armenia, and the Armenian side views these exercises as
an important confidence building measure in the region.

According to the Minister, Armenia hosts any international exercise
such as within the framework of the Collective Security Treaty
Organization, Partnership for Peace or the U.S. European Command with
great willingness.

According to him, the exercises pursue a single goal, to raise
interoperability capabilities in the peacekeeping sphere, to improve
their realization mechanisms, to gain experience and train units,
which are engaged in exercises. "This goal is reiterated by the
Republic of Armenia, as a full member of international community,
through readiness to fulfil its commitments in ensuring international
security," S. Ohanian said.