Author: Toneyan Mark

BOSNIA DEFENDER EMIR SPAHIC MATCH FIT FOR ARMENIA CLASH

Goal.com
Sept 4 2009

The defender has recovered from swine flu…

Montpellier defender Emir Spahic has recovered from swine flu in
time to take part in Bosnia’s World Cup qualifiers against Armenia
(Saturday) and Turkey (Wednesday).

According to French newspaper L’Equipe, Spahic underwent tests last
weekend that confirmed he no longer has the virus. The 29-year-old
defender had been sidelined for about a week.

Spahic has been one of the key figures at Ligue 1 outfit Montpellier
this season since joining them from Lokomotiv Moscow. The defender
has scored twice in his fist three league matches.

Bosnia have collected 12 points after six matches in Group 5 and
currently sit second in the table. They trail table-toppers Spain by
six points, but have a comfortable four-point lead on third placed
side Turkey.

NALBANDIAN SAYS ‘DON’T PANIC,’ WHILE DAVUTOGLU EYES KARABAKH
By Ara Khachatourian

albandian-says-%e2%80%98don%e2%80%99t-panic%e2%80% 99-while-davutoglu-eyes-karabakh/
Sep 2, 2009

As Armenia’s foreign minister, Eduard Nalbandian told reporters
Wednesday that there was no need to panic over the Turkey-Armenia
roadmap protocols, his Turkish counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu promised
a swift resolution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

In fact, Nalbandian brushed aside legitimate concerns about
national issues, and in a rather pedestrian move used yet another
animal analogy. When asked whether the provision on recognizing
present-day borders amounted to Armenia’s acceptance of the Kars
Treaty, Nalbandian said: "Don’t look for a calf under a bull." This,
coupled with his "don’t fish in murky waters" from several weeks ago
demonstrates the level of sophistication of Armenia’s chief diplomat
and the indifference with which this new page in Armenian history is
being treated.

This non-chalance-or arrogance-further exasperates matters, as Turkey,
having raised its position through the provisions of the protocols,
is moving forward and engaging stakeholders and players to garner a
resolution on Karabakh.

"To be able to turn this normalization [between Turkey and Armenia]
into permanent peace, we are expecting a forthwith settlement on the
dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan with the contributions of the
international community," Davutoglu told reporters late Tuesday.

Turkey has already launched a new diplomatic initiative for mobilizing
international actors in this regard, according to sources. Davutoglu
held a long phone conversation with the foreign ministers of France
and the United States, two members of the Minsk Group. The issue was
already largely discussed with Russia.

Prime Minster Recep Tayyip Erdogan will also be a harbinger for a quick
fix to Karabakh when next month he attends the UN General Assembly,
of which Turkey is a permanent member.

So, assurances by President Sarkisian and Nalbandian do not silence
the alarm that was sounded after Monday’s announcement. Nor, does it
reassure Armenians around the world that their very national interests
are not up for grabs for the myriad nebulous benefits the opening of
the border is said to bring.

What has become crystal clear since Monday is that continued insistence
by Armenia’s leaders that they have demanded no preconditions in the
negotiation process was misleading at best and a lie at worst.

Unless the definition of the word "precondition" has changed since
April 22 when the so-called "roadmap" agreement was announced,
the provisions on the establishment of relations between Armenia and
Turkey are peppered with preconditions that corner Armenia into making
concessions and pose an extreme threat to our national interests,
security and future. Clearly, Turkey is not wasting any time.

The Sarkisian administration’s self-righteous posturing and hollow
promises signal that they are either truly out of touch or are the
stranglehold on Armenia is so tight that they are unable to catch up
with the paradigm shifts that have occurred since that ill-fated day
in Moscow in 2008 when Sarkisian extended the invitation and kicked
off the so-called "soccer diplomacy" fiasco.

>From the onset this process was doomed and the administration did not
ask for or seek national consensus, instead it turned away allies,
alienated a significant portion of the Diaspora and polarized the
entire nation.

The upcoming six weeks are a critical time for Armenia and
Armenians. The protocol-mandated six week domestic political vetting
period leading up to the return soccer match in Istanbul and the
OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs visit at the end of this month with the
revised Madrid Principles will test how adeptly we, as a nation,
can maneuver this crucial turning point in history.

Political forces and organizations in the Diaspora must come together
to ensure that their decades-long struggle is not pushed to the side
in favor of a defeatist agreement and the Armenian government, with
its president, foreign ministry and Diaspora ministry should rally
the entire nation toward an uncompromising national solution.

Statement on the protocols regarding the establishment of Armenian-Turkish relations

hak
10:15 am | September 02, 2009

Politics

1.The normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations is in line with the
interests of both states and peoples, as well as those of regional
peace and stability.

2.The protocols on the establishment of diplomatic relations and the
development of bilateral ties between Armenia and Turkey represent
a considerable shift in that direction.

3.The provision about the creation of an intergovernmental
subcommission of historians is unacceptable, because it casts doubt
on the historical veracity of the Armenian genocide.

4.The condition stipulating ratification of the aforementioned
documents by the parliaments of the two states is a cause of concern,
because it allows Serge Sargsyan to share the responsibility for the
creation of the historians’ subcommission with the parliament and
makes it possible for Turkey to drag the ratification process using
the unresolved state of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict as an excuse
and thus delaying the opening of the Armenian -Turkish border.

TURKISH FM: RECOGNITION OF BORDERS WITH ARMENIA INITIAL STEP TO ESTABLISH TIES TURKISH FM: RECOGNITION OF BORDERS WITH ARMENIA INITIAL STEP TO ESTABLISH TIES

Xinhua General News Service
September 1, 2009 Tuesday 10:25 PM EST
China

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu Tuesday said the recognition
of borders between Turkey and Armenia is "an important element"
for the normalization of bilateral ties.

"The most important aspect of good relations between two neighbors
is that they should recognize each other’s borders," said Davutoglu
in a televised interview with Turkey’s private news channel NTV.

"We know that normalization will be a prolonged process, but every
such process starts with an initial step, which is the recognition
of borders in this case," Davutoglu said.

Turkey and Armenia said in a joint statement Monday that they agreed
on starting internal political consultations on the establishment of
diplomatic ties and development of bilateral relations.

Under the protocol inked by Turkey and Armenia, the two countries
agreed to open the common border within two months after the entry
into force of this protocol.

The foreign minister also underscored the importance of the settlement
of the Azerbaijani-Armenian dispute as "a parallel process" to the
normalization of Turkish-Armenian relations.

"An individual normalization process cannot live unless a comprehensive
normalization is achieved in the wider region. Frozen conflicts are
like bombs ready to go off in our hands," Davutoglu said.

He said Turkey had shared information with Azerbaijan at every step
of the negotiations between Turkey and Armenia.

Turkey and Armenia have had no diplomatic or economic ties since
Armenia declared its independence in 1991. Turkey closed its border
with Armenia in 1993 to support Azerbaijan during the latter’s conflict
with Armenia over the Upper Karabakh region.

Armenia also claims that more than 1.5 million Armenians were killed
in a systematic genocide in the hands of the Ottomans during World War
I before modern Turkey was born in 1923. But Turkey insists that the
Armenians were victims of widespread chaos and governmental breakdown
as the 600-year-old Ottoman Empire collapsed.

In a landmark visit, Turkish President Abdullah Gul travelled to
Armenia in September 2008 to watch a 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier
match between the two countries, invited by Armenian President Serzh
Sarkisyan.

WHY I WENT TO ARMENIA
by Tom Cavanagh

Sherbrooke Record (Quebec)
August 31, 2009 Monday

My family has never been keen about my overseas projects and the
latest one to Armenia was no exception. I’m getting older, my health
is not as great as it used to be, and Armenia is a place with new and
different challenges in about every sense imaginable. It borders Iran,
Turkey, Georgia and Azerbaijan which says quite a bit in itself. I
will need a translator and there is no guarantee about conditions and
amenities in Armenia. Yet they chose me, and as I said to my wife,
this will probably be my last one. Probably. Her reply: "Now where
have I heard that before?"

Well, for those who can recall that wonderful children’s classic The
Wind in the Willows, Mr. Toad of Toad Hall – and Mole, Badger and
the others also had periodic urges to break away from the sameness
and routines of life. "Let us away to a life of Adventure in faraway
places," Mr. Toad might cry – or something like that. Let us drink to
opportunities for discovery and change. The chances do not come often
and once gone they can never be taken back. Like Badger and Mole,
Toad never followed his dream but he was great at rhapsodizing.

Those who never experienced The Wind in the Willows may remember
comparable thoughts expressed in a more nuanced manner by poet’s like
Robert Frost whose famous work "The Road Not Taken" ends with these
three lines:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

I apologize for such a roundabout route to explain why I chose
to go to Armenia on a CESO (Canadian Executive Services Overseas)
project. It was a chance to break away from the quotidian, it was a
short assignment, it looked fairly straightforward, and I had always
wished to visit that part of the world. But like every project I have
been on, there were difficulties. There are always problems – and
sometimes they are incredibly huge. I used to think it was a matter of
bad luck but there is more to it than that. I now finally accept that
serious difficulties are part and parcel of overseas work. Something
will go wrong. If it was a straightforward and problem-free issue,
the requesting country would probably never have contacted CESO in
the first place.

When I arrived at Gugark Summer Camp in Armenia two plus weeks
ago there were over 200 campers ranging in age from about seven
to sixteen. During my few weeks there, the camp was winding down
operations and in just a few more days (August 31) the 2009 Summer
Camp operations will be finished.

Armenians are a friendly people and there were waves of young
campers periodically climbing onto departing trains or buses during
my visit. Campers came for various lengths of time – two weeks,
one month, two months. Hugs and kisses are the order of the day when
the time comes to say goodbye. Even a few tears were in evidence as
campers bade farewell to old friends and new, and to the unexpected
late arrival, Mr. Tom (that’s me). On Sunday morning last, before the
remaining one hundred or so campers lined up at attention with their
hands on their hearts, I raised the flag myself at morning assembly
with the national anthem blasting out behind me. Then a few words
of salutation and goodbye (translated into Armenian), followed by
singing and dancing which is an essential characteristic of Armenian
society. Finally I am in the car and away to the capital city and
my flight home. The sun sparkles brightly as we pass through the
forested canyons, crowded happy memories fill my mind – and all’s
right with the world. A memorable two weeks which came and went too
quickly. They always do. And I am so glad I came.

There is one relativity new reason for turning down the other road –
the one not taken – the one with the better claim "because it was
grassy and wanted wear." When I was very young, I loved going to
our local library and looking up stories of exploration. I was even
frustrated that just about every place in the world had already been
discovered and explored. How unfortunate I had not been born in an
earlier time I used to think (in the forties no one – at least no one I
ever encountered – dreamt of exploring the moon and outer space). But
there were always those magical names of places that someday I might
visit myself. There actually was a song titled Far Away Places With
Strange Sounding Names. One brief quote from a childhood song for
those readers who have stayed with me this far.

"Goin’to China, or maybe Siam I want to see for myself Those far
away places I’ve been readin’ about in a book that I took from the
shelf. I start getting restless whenever I hear the whistling of
a train, I pray for the day I can get underway and look for those
castles in Spain … "

Well, that partially explains why traveling to foreign lands is
something I cannot resist. But I did mention an additional more recent
reason that has come into my life: retirement and aging. I could
extrapolate on and on about these items, but there is a simpler and
shorter way to do so. I turn to another writer, Henry James, who in
just a few words explains it all. In his later years he volunteered
to raise money and visit and talk to wounded soldiers during World
War I. When asked, he said it made him feel less irrelevant, "less
finished and doddering when I go on certain days and try to pull the
conversational cart up the hill for them." Finished and doddering
are not admirable qualities. But making an effort to avoid them is
in order. It is worth the effort. I helped no wounded soldiers but
there was the sense of involvement – the bringing of your gift.

What was I actually doing in Armenia? A subject for another article.

BERNE, YEREVAN, ANKARA

d
10:52 pm | August 31, 2009

Official

PRESS RELEASE BY THE SWISS FEDERAL DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS,
THE MINISTRY OF FOREIGN OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA AND THE MINISTRY
OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE REPUBLIC OF TURKEY

Berne, Yerevan, Ankara, 31 August 2009

The Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Turkey have agreed to
start their internal political consultations on the two protocols –
the "Protocol on the establishment of diplomatic relations" and the
"Protocol on the development of bilateral relations" – which have
been initiated in the course of their efforts under Swiss mediation.

The two Protocols provide for a framework for the normalization of
their bilateral relations within a reasonable timeframe. The political
consultations will be completed within six weeks, following which
the two Protocols will be signed and submitted to the respective
Parliaments for the ratification on each side. Both sides will make
their best efforts for the timely progression of the ratification in
line with their constitutional and legal procedures.

The normalization of bilateral relations will contribute to the
regional peace and stability. The Republic of Armenia and the Republic
of Turkey are committed are pursuing their joint efforts with the
assistance of Switzerland.

TURKMENISTAN TO ESTABLISH NAVAL BASE IN CASPIAN SECTION OF COUNTRY

PanARMENIAN.Net
31.08.2009 22:02 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ President of Turkmenistan Gurbangulu Berdimuhamedov
tasked all the law-enforcement ministries to organize a reliable
protection of the Caspian Sea borders from attacks by the smugglers
and terrorist groups.

Berdimuhamedov decided to establish a naval base in the Caspian section
of the country by 2015, which will be supplied with modern monitoring
equipment and ships with missiles on board. Also, an order was signed
to establish a naval training institute in the town of Turkmenbashi.

"Turkmenistan, preserving constant neutrality, does not intend to
use the naval base to solve territorial issues," Interfax cited
Berdimuhamedov as saying.

Turkmenistan borders with Azerbaijan on the Caspian. Territorial
disputes around oilfields were circulating between the states. In 2009,
the issue was submitted to international justice for consideration. The
issue could impede EU’s plans for Nabucco pipeline construction,
which Turkmenistan intended to join upon cessation of gas supplies
to Russia in April 2009.

PRIME MINISTER VISITS SCHOOL IN NORAVAN VILLAGE

ARMENPRESS
Sep 1, 2009

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 1, ARMENPRESS: Armenian Prime Minister Tigran
Sargsyan visited today Noravan village of the Armenian province of
Noravan where he participated in the opening of the building of the
new secondary school. The government released 275 million AMD for
the construction of the school.

The prime minister walked in the school, get acquainted with the
development programs and issues. Tigran Sargsyan said that the school
building is under limelight of the Armenian government.

OFFICIAL LITHUANIA REJECTS AZERBAIJANI WEB SITE

Panorama.am
17:36 31/08/2009

Deputy Foreign Minister of Lithuania Evaldas Ignatavichus answered
to the Armenian Ambassador to Lithuania Ashot Galoyan’s request
on Lithuanian Ambassador to Azerbaijan Kiastutitas Kudzmanas’
assessments given to Azerbaijani "1news.az" web site on 10 August,
over the Nagorno-Karabakh problem.

According to the content of the answer Azerbaijani media is faithful
to its style falsifying the official disposition of the Lithuanian
Ambassador. The message writes:

"Regarding the falsifications made by some mass media representatives
over the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, I would like to stress our
disposition over this issue which has significance for Armenia and
Azerbaijan.

Lithuania has relations with conflicts in South Caucasus and Moldova
Republic. Especially, regarding the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,
Lithuania supports the principles and norms of international right
emphasizing excluding of force implementation, territorial integrity
and self-determination right of nations. We cordially hope that
both Armenia and Azerbaijan could find a decision in favor of both
states. In 2011 under the presidency of Lithuania to the OSCE we
support Minsk Group efforts addressed to the peaceful dialogue and we
are sure as soon as the solution is found, the international society
including the European Union will make efforts to help the sides to
implement it."

TUMBLEWEED "POLITICAL THOUGHT"
Hakob Badalyan

mments&pid=14988
13:07:19 – 26/08/2009

The Karabakh issue has become something like litmus for the political
forces and figures of Armenia, although many of them do not know
what litmus is. But it does not matter. Most of them do not know
more important things but they know that they must always approve
the government’s wishes for their wishes or at least part of their
wishes to come true too. In this respect, the Karabakh issue is very
illustrative for the political sphere of Armenia.

As one listens to judgments on the settlement of the Karabakh
conflict, the judgments of political figures, political experts,
various analysts, one can give the precise definition or diagnosis
of the Armenian political sphere: tumbleweedomania. The tumbleweed
is a plant which has such weak roots that the wind easily blows it
from one place to another.

In Karabakh, the Armenian political and the adjacent thoughts are
in a tumbleweed state. They say one thing one day, then they think
that what they said does not match with what the government wants,
they say something else, then they doubt that they did not explain it
clearly to the government and they say it again. Perhaps the government
starts doubting why they say the same thing twice, and whether they
think the government is dumb or whether they say it for someone else.

The opposition forces and figures say the opposite but with the same
meaning. In other words, they say that the territories should be ceded
but not the way the government wants and not to the extent and not
those territories which the government wants to cede, and particularly
not, although generally yes. And so tumbles the 21st century Armenian
political thought with its politico-analytical accessories, acting
as a staunch negotiator one day, as a stock broker the other day,
and constantly threatening the society that otherwise there will
be war. And it turns out that if what the government wants and says
does not come true in Karabakh, the end will be war, and if what the
opposition wants and says happens, the end will be war. Here are two
fears, and two fears are one death, the saying runs. That is why the
Armenian political thought, especially with regard to the Karabakh
issue, is dead. Two fears, pro-government and opposition, would not
lead elsewhere.

Elsewhere would be a multi-layered political debate on the Karabakh
issue, the parties having equal freedom to express. This debate should
shape public opinion although prior to that it should shape idea,
perception of the real essence of the Karabakh issue, explain to the
society that the Karabakh issue is not a burden to rid of but an issue
of security which must be solved. It seems that all these are primitive
judgments, trivial truths, which sound naive. But the problem is that
in the current situation in Armenia regarding the Karabakh issue it
seems necessary to begin with the primitive and the trivial not to let
the worry about concession of territories sound as a "provincial fear"
or not to explain the absence of likelihood to surrender in Azerbaijan
by "our victory", that "we won" so we speak about concession whereas
the Azerbaijanis lost so they do not want to cede.

This judgment would be true for street football when the score is
15 to 2 and it is meaningless to score twice more because the score
would be 15 to 5, not more. However, it is not only unacceptable but
also dangerous to judge about official, public stances on Armenia in
terms of street football.

I have already written, and I repeat that the approach of keeping
the land is not always determined by the national romanticism "not a
patch of land". The territories are a geographic, political, economic,
military, strategic factor. Therefore, even if the issue of ceding them
is to be discussed publicly, it must get a profound and comprehensive
discussion based on adequate research on all the mentioned spheres.

Otherwise, the entire state may be threatened by tumbleweedomania,
if of course the threat is still a little far.