Author: Tigranian Ani

40TH ANNIVERSARY OF ARTSAKH STATE UNIVERSITY CELEBRATED

Noyan Tapan
Nov 16, 2009

STEPANAKERT, NOVEMBER 16, NOYAN TAPAN. On the occasion of the 40th
anniversary of the Artsakh State University, President of the Nagorno
Karabakh Republic Bako Sahakian on November 13 sent a message of
congratulation, which in particular reads:

"The major higher educational institution of Artsakh celebrates
its 40th anniversary. It is a holiday of our people and our
republic as during this period the university has been one of
the centers of preservation of our national identity. Thanks to
the reforms in 1992, it received status of university, which was
of both scientific-educational and political importance for our
newly-independent republic.

Today the Artsakh State University continues playing a key role in
the upbringing of our younger generation, personnel training, and
state building. The present conditions cause new problems for the
university, and their solution requires daily hard, consistent and
coordinated work. It is necessary to extend and deepen our relations
with other universities in Armenia and foreign countries and to use
each opportunity to constantly develop and improve. Our purpose is
to have a modern and competitive scientific-educational center in
line with international standards, and with state assistance, the
governing body of the university must do its best to achieve that".

TURKS THREATEN TARAF DAILY COLUMNIST FOR HUMANISTIC ADAPTATION OF ATATURK’S "ADDRESS TO TURKISH YOUTH"

PanARMENIAN.Net
13.11.2009 17:49 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Turkish Taraf Daily’s columnist, Sevan Nishanyan,
who wrote a humanistic adaptation of Ataturk’s "Address to Turkish
Youth," a patriotic speech calling on young people to protect
their country at all costs, published e-mails received from irate
nationalists and filled with threats and vulgar language in his column.

In his adaptation, Nishanyan replaced the first sentence of the
address, "Your first duty is to preserve and to defend Turkish
Independence and the Turkish Republic forever," with "Your first duty
is to be a human being." The sentences: "This is the very foundation
of your existence and your future. This foundation is your most
precious treasure. In the future, too, there may be malevolent people
at home and abroad, who will wish to deprive you of this treasure"
in the original were changed to: "The very foundation of being human
is love toward other human beings. All through your life, you shall
consider it a duty for yourself to teach beauty, reason and justice
to people. If you have knowledge, you will share it without expecting
anything in return." The rest of Nishanyan’s adaptation was a treatise
on the equality of all human beings.

However, the backlash from some among the Turkish youth was
spine-chilling. "We will make you write the correct version of the
‘Address to Youth’ with your own blood. … I’ll kill you like that
Hrant Dink dog," said one of the messages, most of whose text was
not suitable for replication, Asbarez.com reported.

VARDAN AYVZAYAN: STATE BUDGET OF 2010 RELEVANT TO SITUATION IN ARMENIA

PanARMENIAN.Net
12.11.2009 16:38 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenia’s draft state budget of 2010 is relevant to
the situation in the country, Vardan Ayvazyan , head of NA Standing
Committee on Economic Affairs, member of the Republican faction told
a press conference in Yerevan.

According to him, the whole structure of the 2010 budget does not
differ from the previous year’s budget. "There is a decline in
the budget revenues, which, of course, is the result of the global
financial and economic crisis," head of the parliamentary committee
said.

Vardan Ayvazyan assured that in respect of the social sphere the
government tried to adhere to the policy it announced and keep the
degree of responsibility at the same level.

NEWLY CONSTRUCTED SCHOOL REVITALIZES SPITAKASHEN

armradio.am
11.11.2009 14:58

The Hayastan All-Armenian Fund has built and furnished a school
in Spitakashen, a border village in Artsakh’s Martuni Region. The
construction and furnishing with a price tag of close to 200 460 000
AMD was co-financed by the fund’s Toronto affiliate and the government
of Artsakh.

The official inauguration of the school will take place in May 2010
conditioned by the visit of the sponsors and benefactors.

Attending the opening ceremony were Nagorno-Karabakh minister of
education Vladik Khachatryan, head of the Martuni administration
Lyudmila Azizyan, Hayastan Fund Executive Director Ara Vardanyan,
Deputy Director Ararat Khlghatyan, principal of the school Shiraz
Hayrapetyan, mayor of Spitakashen Armen Khachatryan, residents of
the Spitakashen.

The new building is immediately well distinguished within the rural
landscape background. In a few weeks the school will receive its 74
pupils with its well-equipped and heated classrooms, well-lit library,
beautiful events hall, and a large playground. The school designed
for 130 students, and if necessary, will accommodate students from
close-by villages.

"School construction is a major development goal of the Hayastan
All-Armenian Fund, which has already built more than 200 kindergartens
and schools throughout Artsakh and Armenia, and today this list
was replenished with a new project. I hope that down the years,
these children will contribute their knowledge to the welfare of our
homeland", said Ara Vardanyan, the Fund’s Executive Director.

"The old school built in 1935 had become not only terribly unsafe for
students and teachers but it also lacked almost all the elementary
facilities. In order to enter the school, the pupils had to pass
through the cultural center located on the ground floor of the
building. Today 74 students are able to attend a wonderfully appointed
and comfortable school, a fact that will have the added benefit of
raising the overall quality of education", said the school’s principal
Shiraz Hayrapetyan addressing his words of gratitude to the Artsakh
Government and Fund’s Toronto affiliate.

BAKU DETERMINED TO CHANGE ITS APPROACHES TO KARABAKH CONFLICT SETTLEMENT

PanARMENIAN.Net
11.11.2009 16:18 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian and Azeri Presidents’ upcoming meeting
scheduled for late November will continue in Athens on December 1-2 on
the margins of OSCE Foreign Ministers’ consultations, Azeri FM Elmar
Mamedyarov announced in Baku. He reiterated Baku’s commitment to phasal
settlement of Karabakh conflict, envisaging withdrawal of Armenian
troops and subsequent mine cleaning, recovery of infrastructures and
solution of social-economic problems.

With regard to Nagorno Karabakh status¸ Azeri official said the issue
will be discussed by both Armenian and Azerbaijani communities of
Karabakh. He also reiterated his country’s position on resolving the
problem in the frameworks of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity.

LULL IN ARMENIA-TURKEY DIALOGUE: PREPARATION FOR INTENSE EVENTS

PanARMENIAN.Net
11.11.2009 17:15 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The process of normalization of Armenia-Turkey
relations quietened down, but this calm is a preparation for intensive
events, Alexander Iskandaryan, Director of the Caucasus Institute,
political scientist told a press conference in Yerevan today.

He presented several options of ratification of the initialed
Protocols on normalization of Armenia-Turkey relations in the Turkish
Parliament. "Protocols can be ratified in January, the second, this
probably will happen by April 24 (Day of Remembrance of the Armenian
Genocide victims). Third and less probable option is ratification
behind the closed doors, and the fourth option – "suspension",
delaying the ratification," the political scientist said.

Alexander Iskandaryan mentioned that he often hears from Turkish
colleagues, that "if the Turkish political elite wants, it can smuggle
through Parliament anything".

"To do this, Ankara needs appropriate sticks and carrots. There is
already sticks, what would be the carrot, we will see ", Alexander
Iskandaryan said.

AZERBAIJAN HAS ALREADY REACHED LIMIT OF ITS CONCESSIONS TO ARMENIA: MP

Today
html
Nov 10 2009
Azerbaijan

Day.Az interview with member of Azerbaijani parliament Zahid Oruj.

Q: How do you assess the outlines of the Madrid principles on
resolution of the Karabakh conflict?

A: I believe that Azerbaijan should reveal all outlines of the Madrid
principles. We must make it clear what status for Karabakh is discussed
at the negotiations. If a status comparable with that of Tatarstan
in Russia is debated, I am personally against it. We must publicly
answer some questions, for example, how much money will be allocated
to restore the Karabakh region.

The most important is that we must clearly let all know that
Azerbaijan’s goal is not to return five regions surrounding Karabakh,
but liberation of all territories occupied by Armenia.

Q: May the European Union play more significant role in resolution
of the Karabakh conflict?

A: Many believe that the EU has more economic than political role in
the region. But economy sets conditions for politics in many respects.

Europe wants to take three South Caucasus republics under its wing.

This view is not replicated, but the EU wants to create something
like the Benelux in the Caucasus. Any region-wide cooperation is
impossible until all territorial disputes in the Caucasus are resolved

Q: During a recent visit in Yerevan, the EU Special Representative
for Caucasus Peter Semneby said that the current status quo in
Nagorno-Karabakh could no longer continue, and the sides must make
compromises. What are your views about these statements?

A: We need to understand that the present status quo was formed due
to the fact that Azerbaijan grew stronger and did not let opponents
to legalize the separation of Karabakh from Azerbaijan.

Otherwise, Karabakh would have been a part of Armenia long ago. There
is a conflict situation in which that none of the parties can
achieve preponderance in solving the Karabakh issue. So, Europe is
not interested in presence of this conflict and wants it to be solved.

But if the EU hopes that the Karabakh conflict can be resolved through
concessions by Azerbaijan, it is mistaken. Azerbaijan has already
reached the limit of its concessions to Armenia.

"SWINE FLU" REACHED ARMENIA?

PanARMENIAN.Net
09.11.2009 18:14 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "A suspected case of swine flu virus A/H1N1 infection
is registered in Armenia and currently the patient’s test sample
is sent to London for further examination," Chief Specialist of the
hygienic and epidemiological inspection of the ministry of health of
Armenia Liana Torosyan said.

She also reported that the patient who has been suspected in carrying
"swine flu" infection, is not a citizen of Armenia, and at this moment
it would be wrong to say that he is seek with "swine flu".

Liana Torosyan informed about the press conference of the Minister of
Health Harutyun Kushkyan tomorrow. Despite he called upon everybody
not to panic , people are already concerned about rumors of cases of
"swine flu" in Armenia, and actively purchase medical masks in Yerevan.

According to official figures, there has been no single case of "swine
flu" so far in Armenia. Nevertheless, in January 2010 the World Health
Organization will give Armenia a vaccine against swine flu.

Protocols to be ratified by Turkey either in February-March, or in a few years
07.11.2009 17:18 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ All decisions in respect to South Caucasus are made
by superpowers, not the region, the Armenian turkologist Artak
Shakaryan told a press conference in Yerevan today. In particular,
according to him, decisions over normalization of Armenia-Turkey
relations are made with permission of superpowers. "The President of
Armenia invited the Turkish president to football match in Moscow,
while the Armenian-Turkish protocols were signed in Switzerland. There
is "foreign trace" everywhere,? the Armenian turkologist said.

Open Armenian-Turkish border will have a positive impact on Armenia
only if there certain changes in tax, customs and immigration
legislation are made. Otherwise the country is not ready for the
opening of the border. "We need to establish direct contact with the
Turkish society. Turks should get information about us not through
Azerbaijani mass media," Armenian turkologist suggested.

?Ankara is not so easy to make concessions and will try to delay the
ratification process to avoid another April 24,? Artak Shakaryan said.
According to him, protocols will be ratified by Turkey either in
February-March, or in a few years. In 2011 parliamentary elections are
scheduled in Turkey. "The ratification of the protocols before
elections would be political suicide for the current authorities,?
Artak Shakaryan said.

ARMENIA MAKES NO EFFORT TO NORMALIZE TURKEY-ARMENIA RELATIONS: TURKISH PARLIAMENTARIAN

Today
litics/57267.html
Nov 7 2009
Azerbaijan

"Turkish government’s policy of normalizing ties with Armenia is
difficult to predict."

"I am concerned over initiatives of "progress" including "Armenian
progress"," Member of Turkish parliament from Republican People’s
Party Birgen Kelesh said.

"Armenian progress" has been initiated because of borders," she said.

"We back normalization of relation with neighbors. However, current
situation must also be taken into account," she added.

"Armenia’s claims of "genocide", territorial claims to Turkey and
occupation of Azerbaijani territories are basic facts that hinder
normalization of Turkish-Armenian relations. These factors have not
been eliminated and Armenia makes no effort to eliminate them. The
Turkish government has given two promises: one to Azerbaijan and
another to Armenia. I wonder which of the promises the government
will keep," the Turkish MP said.

"Armenia will never agree to Turkey’s mediation in peaceful resolution
of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict," the MP said.