Author: Toneyan Mark

PRESIDENT OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA RECEIVES THE AMBASSADOR OF IRAN

National Assembly of RA
July 14 2009
Armenia

On July 13, Mr. Hovik Abrahamyan, President of the National Assembly of
the Republic of Armenia received the Plenipotentiary and Extraordinary
Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) to Armenia Mr. Seyed
Ali Saghaeyan.

During the talks the sides debated a wide framework of issues, related
to the Armenian- Iranian relations, regional security, settlement of
the core issue of Artsakh and internal-political situation of Iran.

‘SAFE HARBOR’: A NOVEL
Santa Monica

PR Newswire
July 7, 2009 Tuesday 8:25 AM GMT

SANTA MONICA, Calif., July 7 /PRNewswire/ — Recently, President Barack
Obama was in Turkey and talked about the issues of Turkey blockading
Armenia and how Azerbaijan was still at war with Armenia, a country
that continues to exist in spite of those not wanting it that way. This
presidential visit offered hope to Leonard Howard and David Deranian,
authors of "Safe Harbor" (published by iUniverse). The authors believe
that for far too long the world has forgotten about Armenia and, more
importantly, its people. They decided to write about it in novel form.

There are a number of non-fictional accounts written about the Armenian
Genocide, but "Safe Harbor" chronicles the Armenian experience by
putting a face on the harsh and horrid reality. The story depicts one
man’s journey from historical western Armenia, the site of the Armenian
Genocide in 1915, to Fresno, California, a place for survivors of the
genocide to reclaim their lives and back to eastern Turkey to find a
lost sister in 1944, to Karabakh, historically Armenia, and a place
of contention with the Azeri Turks in 2008.

The authors’ decision to write "Safe Harbor" was to let people know
that Armenia survived, in spite of the fact that in the 20th century
the Armenians experienced the first genocide of the 20th century
where they were meant for extinction. The Nazis learned their trade
from helping the Turks in this nightmare, one that orphaned author
David Deranian’s grandfather. The novel records a tragic history of
a people who were not meant to survive the evil done to them. It is
also a universal story that appeals to the basic human question of
being able to find meaning from tragedy. Anyone interested in history,
the Middle East, espionage, human rights and an adventurous story
that gives a voice to a painful past will want to read this novel.

About the Authors

Leonard Howard is an electronic engineer, originally from England
and now from California, who designs and writes software. Due to his
career as a software engineer he has worked with police departments
throughout the United States to develop software that tracks gangs
and trains police. He is married with one child.

David Deranian is a writer and film producer who has a desire to
explore truth over a range of subjects from nuclear physics to Middle
Eastern history. For David, it is writing that provides a gateway to
imagination and the truth that waits to be discovered. He is single
and makes his home in Santa Monica, California. Both authors are
available for interview.

"Safe Harbor"

Available from: , and

ISBN: 978-1440128769 – 6 x 9 – Paperback – 324 pages – $19.95

iUniverse offers a variety of publishing services to help individuals
publish, market and sell fiction, poetry and nonfiction books. The
company utilizes print-on-demand technology, and is one of the
largest self-publishing companies in the U.S. iUniverse is based in
Bloomington, Indiana.

Contact: Carol Hoenig Personal Media Publicist
[email protected] 516-435-7545

This release was issued through eReleases(TM). For more information,
visit

AZERBAIJANI, ARMENIAN PRESIDENTS’ MOSCOW MEETING TO ENABLE TO ENTER FINISH LINE: OSCE MG RUSSIAN CO-CHAIR

Today.Az
cs/53699.html
July 10 2009
Azerbaijan

The Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents’ Moscow meeting will help
to reach finish line of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement,
the Russian Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, Yuriy Merzlyakov,
said at a news conference in Baku on July 10.

"Our visit to the region was devoted to organizing the presidents’
meeting in Moscow and during the preparation we have continued to
exchange views on a number of the outstanding basic principles for
the settlement of the conflict," said Merzlyakov.

"We are satisfied with meetings with the presidents. The conversation
was very constructive and I felt the presidents’ positive mood for
the upcoming meeting," said the diplomat.

"We hope to conclude negotiations on at least on two issues to resolve
the conflict, and then open a new debate on the topic which has been
discussed only in general terms so far," French Co-Chair Bernard
Fassier said.

The diplomat expressed his hope that if they could achieve both
presidents’ approval on the basic principles by late 2009, then it
will be possible to continue the work and transform it into a treaty
next year.

AZERI, ARMENIAN RUSSIA ENVOYS VISIT GARABAGH

AzerNews Weekly
July 8 2009
Azerbaijan

The Azerbaijani and Armenian ambassadors to Russia, Polad Bulbuloghlu
and Armen Smbatian, jointly visited, along with the head of Russia`s
Federal Agency on Culture and Cinematography, Mikhail Shvydkoy, Upper
(Nagorno) Garabagh, an Azerbaijani region under Armenian occupation.

The diplomats crossed to the Armenia-occupied territories through
Shikharkh village in Azerbaijan`s northwestern Terter district,
Armenian media reported.

The Azerbaijani delegation accompanying Bulbuloghlu on his visit
included two parliament members Asim Mollazada and Rovshan Rzayev,
as well as composer Siyavush Karimi.

During their visit to Khankandi, the center of the breakaway
republic, the ambassadors met with Bako Saakian, the leader of the
self-proclaimed Upper Garabagh republic. Armenia`s Tert.am news
website quoted the separatist leader as saying he welcomed the visit
and describing it as "public diplomacy."

The Azerbaijani ambassador made clear after the meeting that the
visit to Garabagh was not meant to be a substitute for talks between
Presidents Ilham Aliyev and Serzh Sarkisian. Rather, it would speed
a rapprochement between the two nations that have lived side by side
for many years.

Mollazada, an opposition-leaning lawmaker, said "any bad peace is
better than war." He emphasized that his visit to Khankandi proved
that not only the Azerbaijani ruling party, but also the country`s
opposition, is interested in reaching peace.

On the same day, the Azerbaijani representatives left Upper
Garabagh for Yerevan where they met with Armenian President Serzh
Sarkisian. According to Tert.am, Bulbuloghlu told a news briefing
after the discussions that the talks had been constructive.

"Our meeting with Sarkisian was quite constructive. It is really good
that he approached our proposal and initiative with a great deal of
attention, comprehensively and commendably," Bulbuloghlu said.

Mikhail Shvidkoy, who also took part in the meeting, confirmed
Bulbuloghlu`s statement made in Garabagh on Friday. "If Armenians
and Azeris are able to coexist, work and do business together while
in a foreign land, why shouldn`t this happen in Garabagh?"

The Armenian ambassador, Armen Smbatian, said the mission had only
cultural and peacemaking goals and had no bearing on political or
military talks.

"No one has cancelled the neighborhood institute yet," he said. "We may
or may not accept each other, but we have to forge ties anyway. And men
of culture from both communities and other influential representatives
could play a great role in creating a reliable environment."

On the same day, the group of the two countries` intellectuals arrived
from Yerevan in Baku where they met with President Ilham Aliyev. The
Armenian representatives included editor of the Arovot newspaper;
director of the Mediamax news agency; a reporter of the Novoye Vremya
(New Time) newspaper; lawmakers; a football player; the directors of a
museum and a public organization; a medical worker from Upper Garabagh.

During the meeting, President Aliyev reaffirmed Baku`s intransigent
stance, saying the conflict with Armenia must be settled strictly
within the territorial integrity and inviolability of Azerbaijan`s
borders, while granting Upper Garabagh the status of high autonomy.

A group of Azerbaijani and Armenian intellectuals visited Khankandi
and the two countries` capitals for the first time in June 2007.

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov considers
intelligentsia`s visit to Garabagh as necessary.

"Upper Garabagh is Azerbaijani land. But representatives of the
Armenian community living there are Azerbaijani citizens. We must prove
during meetings that, in case of the return of lands to Azerbaijan,
they will live better…I think that these initiatives are necessary
and must continue," Mammadyarov told the press in Azerbaijan`s
northwestern city of Ganja on Monday.

The self-proclaimed republic operating in Upper Garabagh has welcomed
the visit to the Armenia-occupied region.

The separatist regime`s "foreign ministry" said in a statement that
the visit meets its interests.

"This visit is particularly commendable for the reason that Azerbaijani
representatives are working with this state again," it maintained. "At
the same time, such visits create good conditions for the recognition
of the Upper Garabagh Republic on the international scale."

Garabagh Armenians claimed further that the route of the visit and
the make-up of the Azerbaijani delegation had been altered upon
their demand.

"The route of the visit and who will be visiting had been agreed
beforehand. Upon the demand of the Garabagh side, parliament member
Havva Mammadova and Chingiz Ismayilov, known for their anti-Armenian
statements, were excluded from the delegation," the statement alleged.

Also, the self-proclaimed entity interpreted the Azerbaijani
delegation`s visit as Baku`s attempt to negotiate directly with itself,
without mediators.

MP Asim Mollazada is unaware that the make-up of the delegation
had been changed. The lawmaker said further that he had heard
disagreement with the visit route from Armenians, who protested at
the delegation`s traveling to Khankandi from Azerbaijan. However,
the issue was later resolved, and the representatives entered there
from the Terter district.

In the meantime, Azerbaijan`s hard-line Garabagh Liberation
Organization (GLO) condemned the visit to the occupied land.

"Another visit by Azerbaijani intellectuals to the occupied territories
serves to legitimize the self-styled regime in these territories and
grant Upper Garabagh to Armenia forever," it claimed in a statement.

The GLO believes that the visit was made at Moscow`s behest.

"Russia is trying to show, by organizing this visit, that settlement
of the conflict is strictly under its control… Russia is using
Azerbaijani diplomats and intellectuals as puppets on this issue. It
is disappointing that they are creating conditions for being
used. Azerbaijani authorities are confining themselves to observing
the process from the outside, as idle observers," the group alleged.

The GLO warned it would launch protests to counter what it called
an anti-national policy, while calling on the political and public
forces in the country to join efforts in this regard.

Upper Garabagh has been occupied by Armenia since a 1994 cease-fire
ended separatist hostilities that killed an estimated 30,000 people
and ousted about one million Azerbaijanis from their homes. Armenia
continues to occupy Upper Garabagh and seven other Azerbaijani
districts in defiance of international law. Years of peace talks have
resulted in few tangible results.

Another meeting Azerbaijani and Armenian intellectuals are expected
to hold their next meeting in Moscow on July 20. The joint delegation
is expected to be broader this time, Azerbaijani political analyst
Rasim Musabayov, who will take part in the upcoming meeting, has told
Radio Liberty.

Musabayov reminded that Presidents Ilham Aliyev and Serzh Sarkisian
are due to hold a meeting July 17-18 to discuss settlement to the
Garabagh conflict. "In support of the peace process, intellectuals
representing both sides will meet afterwards."

Elkhan Polukhov, the spokesman for the Azerbaijan Foreign Ministry, has
confirmed Baku`s intent to hold another meeting of the two countries`
intellectuals.

IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO SIGN FRAMEWORK AGREEMENT AT PRESIDENTS’ MOSCOW MEETING: OSCE MG U.S. CO-CHAIR (UPDATE)

Today.Az
09 July 2009 [16:13] – Today.Az

"It is impossible to sign a framework agreement during the upcoming
meeting of the presidents in Moscow.

I hope for turning point in Moscow relying on the development in
St Petersburg", OSCE Minsk Group US Co-Chair Matthew Bryza told
journalists in Baku. Bryza said the signing of framework agreement
is a long process and it would take much. "In any case, the progress
depends not on us, but on the presidents. Relying on the atmosphere
we saw in Armenia yesterday and President Aliyev’s latest statements,
I can say that there is a hope".

Bryza said positive change in the atmosphere in Armenia is related
with the latest statement by the President of Azerbaijan. "I believe
these statements are important to prepare Azerbaijani population for
the framework agreement as well".

15:53 Armenia’s mood concerning the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
settlement has been considerably improved,the OSCE Minks Group
U.S. Co-Chair Matthew Bryza said.

The statement came before his visit to Baku from Yerevan, where the
mediators held the talks on the Karabakh settlement yesterday.

"I think it will lead to some progress in the talks. I hope the U.S.,
French and Russian presidents will express their opinion on this
issue at the G-8 summit," Bryza said.

Bryza said the Azerbaijani president’s statement is fertile ground
to develop a "framework agreement" to resolve the conflict. "We have
designed a" framework agreement", some points of which do not satisfy
Armenia, but there are also some points with which they agree,"
the co-chair said.

Advance observed in the Karabakh settlement indicate that the two
presidents and two ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan are very
serious about their work, and each of the countries supports peaceful
resolution of the conflict, Bryza said.

The next negotiations between the Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents
will take place in Moscow, he said.

"The constructive negotiations were held in Yerevan and we hope
for such negotiations in Baku which will enable to achieve the next
progress," Bernard Fassier, the French Co-Chair told journalists.

WB MANAGEMENT FAMILIARIZES WITH PROGRAMS OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT IN ARMENIA

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
09.07.2009 18:36 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Regional Director of World Bank for the South
Caucasus, Asad Alam, currently on a working visit to Armenia, and
the Director of the WB Yerevan Office Aristomene Varduakis visited
4 villages of the Aragatsotn region: Akhtsk, Vardenut, Ara, Mulki on
July 8 to get familiar with the implemented work in the frames of 3
projects supported by the World Bank.

PRESIDENT HOPES PUBLIC COUNCIL WILL NOT BECOME A "CLOSED CLUB"

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
09.07.2009 20:52 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ RA President Serzh Sargsyan has today met with
members of Public Council. In his welcoming speech, President wished
good luck to the newly-formed public structure consisting of 36
members. "We are willing to discuss any initiative, considering
your opinion. That will be one of components of our joint work,"
President said, expressing hope that Public Council would become a
decision-making structure attentive to society’s problems.

Working discussion focused on issues concerning science and education,
culture, environment and economy, as well as Armenia’s representation
in information sphere. President proposed that Public Council elaborate
concrete recommendations for achieving solution of the problems above

LAUGHING ALL THE WAY TO THE BANK

Aljazeera.Net
Thursday, July 09, 2009
16:12 Mecca Time, 13:12 GMT

The G8 summit will likely examine exit strategies, but what will the
new financial order look like?

Samah El-Shahat, Al Jazeera’s resident economist, will be writing a
regular column analysing key elements that have contributed to the
global financial downturn and its impact across the world. If you have
any questions on the G8 summit in L’Aquila (July 8-10), Samah will
be hosting a live debate on Livestation on Thursday, July 9 at 16G.

Download the console player at Livestation.com to join the discussion.

Business as usual, but even better!

Roll up. Roll up. Roll up. Wall Street and the City of London –
the world’s two major financial centres – declare it is "business as
usual" again… They are hiring, poaching each other’s staff and their
profits are soaring. "Even the Bank of America’s investment banking
arm, which includes the once very sick Merrill Lynch, is expected
to make good money this year," reports the Wall Street Journal this
week. And, of course, bonuses are back. Even at the supposedly UK
government-controlled Royal Bank of Scotland; the bonus is back with
a vengeance.

In depth Al Jazeera’s coverage of the G8 summit

Stephen Hester, chief executive since November, is believed to be
getting $16 million per year alone. And that is in a government
quasi-nationalised institution – imagine what is happening
elsewhere. Is this not the pre-crisis era all over again? Actually,
let me answer this. It isn’t the pre-crisis era. It’s WAY better
than that for banks. This is "back to business as usual" with bells
on. The financial crisis has been the best thing that could happen
for these banks. Yes, even I can’t believe it. Our watershed moment
to change the world economic system has not just been squandered,
we have inadvertently reinforced the same structures and institutions
that have created the mess in the first place. Firstly, in our rush
to regulate our financial system we have created a system that is
much worse than before. How? Well, we rewarded the ‘zombie’ banks by
making them too dead to die… oops, sorry, too big too fail. The new
regulations give them legitimacy and protection, as well as failing
to curb just how much debt they can take on relative to their assets.

Taxpayers’ cash As Robert Hunter Wade, professor at the London School
of Economics, told me this week; regulation is now coming into play
that will allow banks to become even more reckless with taxpayers’
money, because they have become too big for any government to allow
them to fail.

Read more columns Money and power makes for a toxic bond Why America
is a bank-owned state Banking time bombs Greed and low wages

There were 15 big global banks before the financial crisis hit. During
the crisis, however, the collapse of Lehman Brothers led governments
to encourage other banks – by means of large amounts of taxpayers’
cash – to buy up the not-so-well banks. The Bank of America’s purchase
of Merrill Lynch is a case in point. So we went from having 15 banks
to having around six. And these remaining banks have more power as
their importance is now set in regulatory stone – and they know it.

Instead of bringing the banking sector to heel – we have given it
a kiss of life and pumped it with steroids. And these steroids are
financed by the taxpayer. Secondly, we have strengthened that other
financial institution that directly affects almost every home and every
individual in the developing world – the International Monetary Fund
(IMF). G20 consensus

"IMF policies have been, despite the heartache, the wrecked lives,
the savaging of countries’ agriculture, education and institutions,
granted legitimacy during this crisis"

During the G20 meeting held in London in April, the one consensus
all the countries could reach, beside agreeing on regulation that
led to the "too big to fail" disaster, was to provide a lifeline to
the IMF that it didn’t deserve. We bolstered IMF funds by something
close to $1 trillion. This call for fortifying the role of the IMF
will be repeated in this week’s G8 summit. The IMF was used to force
neoliberalism – that poisonous cocktail of financial deregulation,
free markets, privatisation and the rolling back of the state – on
developing countries. IMF policies have been, despite the heartache,
the wrecked lives, the savaging of countries’ agriculture, education
and institutions, granted legitimacy during this crisis. So, all in
all, our leaders multilateral solutions to the crisis have been about
entrenching the existing world economic order rather than changing it.

But where does this leave us? You know, us in the real economy.

Well, the banks haven’t yet started lending. All the money, as you
will see from my previous posts, remains constipated within the new
banking behemoths. The level of toxic debt on their balance sheets
is still unknown and, because of that, we will never get a recovery.

Prolonged recession It is becoming obvious that this is going to
be a prolonged recession, as indicated by last week’s US employment
report. Half a million Americans lost their jobs in the month of June
alone. This was much worse than anticipated. Manufacturing output is
still dropping in America, Britain and elsewhere. And please disregard
those people who are high on the idea of economic "green shoots" –
mostly bankers and their spokespeople, aka the governments of the
world’s G8 these days.

Around half a million Americans lost their jobs during the month of
June alone [EPA]

They are seeking to convince you that unemployment is a "lagging
indicator" – meaning its takes a longer to catch up with the good
news that the economy is actually rebounding. No. Unemployment levels
are not the party poopers here, serving only to rain on the financial
sectors’ good news and our leaders’ attempts to inspire "confidence".

Unemployment is adding a dose of much needed reality into their very
convenient delusion. And why wouldn’t they be deluded, they’re doing
pretty well feasting on taxpayer’s money. We need our governments to
agree a better stimulus package to stem this unemployment haemorrhage,
otherwise, as the economist Paul Krugman predicts, this global
recession could turn into the Great Depression all over again. At the
same time, for people in less developed countries, the IMF is stopping
them from even contemplating fiscal stimulus packages. Armenia,
Latvia, Romania and Guatemala – who are all in receipt of IMF loans –
have been told to roll back the state and reduce their budget deficits.

And before you say it, I know it is the direct opposite of the advice
the IMF is giving America and others. Could these decisions that have
simply reinforced the old guard, possibly lead to such a ferocious
tipping point that real change in the way the IMF does business in
the future is inevitable? That depends on how much you and I – the
taxpayers – are willing to stomach. Samah El-Shahat also presents
Al Jazeera’s People & Power programme. The views expressed in the
above column are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Al
Jazeera’s editorial policy.

KING BANAIAN: ARMENIA WILL RECOVER FROM CRISIS PRETTY SOON

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
09.07.2009 13:18 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenia will recover from crisis pretty soon,
according to King Banaian, professor and chairman of the Economics
Department of St. Cloud State University, member of International
Policy Research Group (AIPRG). Comparing the situation in Armenia with
recession in Asian countries, prof. Banaian said Armenia’s economy
suffered less losses that Indonesia’s, for example. "Indonesia was too
late with devaluation of the national currency," he said. Dwelling on
the ways Armenia can combat the crisis, prof. Banaian said, "I suppose,
Armenia should develop trade relations with other countries. It’s
also essential to assist families, which suffered from reduction
of transfers."

SITUATION IN UKRAINE COMPLETELY CONTROLLED BY AUTHORITIES, RA MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS ASSURES

NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY
JULY 8, 2009
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, JULY 8, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. According to the
information received by the Embassy of the Ukraine in Armenia and
Embassy of Armenia in the Ukraine, the situation in the Ukraine is
completely controlled by the authorities. Spokesperson of RA Ministry
of Foreign Affairs Tigran Balayan informed Noyan Tapan about it
on July 7. According to him, the Embassy of Armenia in the Ukraine
always keeps in touch with the local authorities and state government
bodies. According to the data of the RA Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
about 15 cars were damaged in consequence of the anti-Armenian events.

To recap, an Armenian, resident of the city of Marganets,
Dnepropetrovsk region, for domestic reasons struck a death-blow with
a knife to an Ukrainain police officer, after which anti-Armenian
activities and a brawl broke out.