Author: Toneyan Mark

TURKEY, ARMENIA: FOOTBALL DIPLOMACY

Monday Morning
Sept 15 2008
Lebanon

Armenia’s President Serzh Sarkissian (right) gestures as he meets
his Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gul in Yerevan on September 6. Gul
traveled to Armenia to attend the match between the two countries in
a visit expected to ease relations between them

Turkey’s President Abdullah Gul returned from Armenia last week with
hopes of "normalizing" troubled ties, boosted by the announcement
from Yerevan of an official high-level meeting in New York.

As Turkish newspapers warned against squandering the opportunity
presented by Gul’s landmark visit, the first by a Turkish leader,
his attendance at a World Cup qualifying football match between the
two countries paid an early dividend.

A day after the talks with his Armenian counterpart Serzh Sarkissian,
Armenia announced on September 8 that the foreign ministers of both
countries would meet formally on the sidelines of the UN General
Assembly later this month.

Armenia’s Eduard Nalbandian and Turkey’s Ali Babacan would meet in
New York, a statement from the Foreign Ministry said.

"The Armenian and Turkish ministers have expressed their willingness to
normalize bilateral relations. They have underlined that all necessary
measures should be taken towards that end", the statement added.

Speaking to reporters on his return flight, Gul said a major obstacle
to talks had been overcome with his trip.

"I believe my visit has demolished a psychological barrier in the
Caucasus", Gul was quoted by the Anatolia news agency as saying. "If
this climate continues, everything will move forward and normalize".

Turkey and Armenia have no diplomatic ties and their border has been
closed for more than a decade.

Their relationship has been taken hostage by deep differences over
the treatment by the Ottoman Turkish authorities of Armenians during
World War I.

Armenians say up to 1.5 million of their people were systematically
killed by the Ottoman Turks in an act of genocide between 1915 and
1917 as their empire fell apart — a claim supported by several
other countries.

Turkey rejects the genocide label, arguing that 300,000-500,000
Armenians and at least as many Turks died in civil strife when
Armenians took up arms for independence in Eastern Anatolia and sided
with invading Russian troops.

Gul said neither the dispute nor the closed border figured in his
meeting with Sarkissian, in a sign that the two leaders were careful
to avoid contentious issues.

Gul said his Armenian host made no reference to "the so-called
genocide claims".

The Turkish press ran jubilant headlines on Sunday, with the
conservative Zaman newspaper described the visit as "new era" in
bilateral ties and the popular Milliyet speaking of "a beginning full
of hope."

"Double victory in Yerevan," the mass-circulation Sabah said, in
reference to the talks and the Turkish national team’s 2-0 victory
over Armenia in the World Cup qualifier.

"It is obvious that history cannot be forgotten… But what is
important is not to be taken hostage by history or the pain of the
past", commentator Hasan Cemal wrote in Milliyet.

Political analyst Cengiz Candar warned that a failure to live up to
raised hopes could worsen the mood.

"There will be great disappointment if the rapprochment triggered by
football is not followed by the establishment of diplomatic ties and
the opening of the border", he said.

"It would be much more difficult to cross the chasm created by that
than the current difficulties," he added.

Even though Turkey was one of the first countries to recognize Armenia
when the former Soviet republic declared independence in 1991, Ankara
has refused to establish diplomatic ties on account of Yerevan’s
campaign to have the 1915-1917 massacres recognized as genocide.

In 1993 Turkey shut its border with Armenia in a show of solidarity
with its close ally Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh — an
Armenian-majority enclave in Azerbaijan which declared independence —
dealing a heavy blow to the impoverished country.

EU BACKS AID PUSH, MONITORS FOR GEORGIA
By David Brunnstrom

Reuters
Sept 15 2008

(Adds Belarus step, naming of EU special representative)

BRUSSELS, Sept 15 (Reuters) – The European Commission said on Monday
it would provide Georgia with up to 500 million euros ($700 million)
by 2010 to aid its recovery after its conflict with Russia and hoped
this would be matched by EU member states.

Separately, EU foreign ministers sought to maintain pressure on
Russia to withdraw its troops from Georgia by rubber-stamping plans
to send at least 200 ceasefire monitors there next month in line with
a ceasefire deal, an EU official said.

As part of EU efforts to bolster ties with neighbours that share a
border with Russia, ministers further held out the prospect of lifting
sanctions on Belarus and increased contacts depending on the conduct
of Sept. 28 elections there.

EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner said the
"stabilisation and growth package" would go towards helping internally
displaced people (IDPs), post-conflict rehabilitation and economic
recovery and towards new infrastructure.

"It will be 500 million of community money and we do hope by the way,
this is normally the case, it will be matched by member states,"
she told a news briefing as European Union foreign ministers met in
Brussels to discuss the Georgia crisis.

"We will want to address the concrete results of the conflict — that
means damage to infrastructure but particularly also help to IDPs and
the knock on effects on the economy…on the economic confidence,"
she said.

Georgia has requested up to $2 billion in international aid to repair
and develop infrastructure in the wake of the conflict in August,
when Russia invaded in response to Tbilisi’s attempt to retake one
of its separatist provinces.

The United States has already pledged $1 billion in humanitarian and
economic assistance to help rebuild Georgia.

The International Monetary Fund has warned of the risk of damage to
investor confidence and has agreed in principle to lend Tbilisi $750
million to soften the economic impact of the conflict, which the
government has said may slash growth to less than half its 2007 rate.

HELP THE NEIGHBOURS

Ferrero-Waldner said EU funding for this year would be 100 million
euros and that the EU executive wanted to help stage an international
donors’ conference for Georgia. Officials see the event taking place
in Brussels next month.

She added it would be necessary to support states whose economies had
been indirectly hit by the conflict, such as Armenia and Azerbaijan,
and Moldova and Ukraine.

"What we do will be crucial in recalibrating the partnership with a
more assertive Russia and in supporting Georgia."

Ministers meeting in Brussels also picked French diplomat Pierre
Morel as EU special representative to Georgia. He already holds the
same post for Central Asia.

Russia sent in troops early last month after Georgian forces tried to
retake South Ossetia, a breakaway pro-Russian region. Moscow said it
acted to prevent "genocide" there, but Western states accused Russia
of a disproportionate use of force.

Russian bombing raids hit mainly military targets, but Georgia also
reported considerable damage to civilian infrastructure and risks to
economic growth and investment.

The EU monitors will initially be stationed in Georgia proper but the
European Union hopes eventually to station them in the separatist
areas of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, which the bloc insists are
part of Georgian territory despite Russian recognitions of their
independence. (Editing by Richard Balmforth)

RIA OREANDA, Russia
Sept 12 2008

VivaCell-MTS Helps Khachik with Water Supply

Yerevan. ">OREANDA-NEWS . September 12, 2008. VivaCell-MTS aims as
always at supporting vital projects and resolving pending issues and
building infrastructure in border villages. Khachik is one of Vayots
Dzor villages sharing 27 km of common frontier with Azerbaijan.

In addition to building a 1,400 meters long drinking water pipeline
and its 2,400 meters long internal distribution network with
respective 28 distribution centers, the village was provided with an
off-highway ambulance to serve the rural ambulatory/health
center. Along with the above mentioned, the leading mobile operator of
Armenia made a nice present for the village children provided funds
for building a playing ground and a swimming pool with an area of
1,000 squre meters, with greenery planted around there.

VivaCell-MTS the Armenian corporate citizen that is committed to its
corporate social responsibility made sure that less peopel are
homeless thus contributed to the building of 4 houses in Khatchik
village with Fuller Center for Housing/Habitat Armenia.

On September 12, the General Manager of VivaCell-MTS Ralph Yirikian
and marzpet of Vayots Dzor marz Vardges Matevosyan visited the village
of Khachik to observe the activities accomplished.

We are more than service providers, we are Armenian citizen committed
to supporting Armenian borders all vital veins and border villages are
of utmost importance to our nation because besides serving as the
fundament of the nation as any other village, border village acts as
the guard of the nations protecting its living space, said
VivaCell-MTS General Manager.

We help the village to improve its infrastructure to help it keep its
inhabitants in the village. As the sons and daughters of Armenia, our
Company gives back a part of its revenues to those people who are
living here and ensure our frontiers are strong and well-protected, he
added.

ArmInfo News Agency (in Russian), Armenia
Sept 12 2008

Armenian leader, Czech speaker discuss ties, regional situation

Yerevan, 12 September: Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan today meet
Czech Speaker Premysl Sobotka, who is in Armenia on an official visit.

At the meeting, Sargsyan noted the importance of developing both
bilateral and multilateral relations with the Czech Republic, the
presidential press service has told Arminfo. He expressed his hope
that the current visit by the high-ranking official from the Czech
Republic would be an important step in the development of bilateral
relations.

For his part, the Czech speaker pointed out that he was visiting
Armenia for the second time this year. He said that he had
participated in Sargsyan’s inauguration ceremony which testified to
the Czech Republic’s interest in Armenia.

The two men also discussed the recent events in the South Caucasus
region. Sargsyan said that it was necessary to respect all the main
principles of international law and that people’s aspiration to
self-determination should not be a reason for ethnic cleansing.

Business forum for earthquake-affected regions to be held in Armenia

YEREVAN, September 12. /ARKA/. A business forum to be held in Armenia
is expected to encourage investments in the regions affected by the
Spitak earthquake in 1988.

The RA State Commission for the 20th anniversary of the Spitak
earthquake held a sitting where RA Minister of Economy was instructed
to submit the forum agenda to the Commission’s next meeting.

The devastating earthquake in Spitak, Armenia, on December 7, 1988,
claimed 25,000 lives, leaving 140,000 disabled and 500,000 homeless.
P.T. `0–

Le Temps, Suisse
Vendredi 12 Septembre 2008

Relations à nouveau au beau fixe entre la Suisse et la Turquie

DIPLOMATIE. Les fcheries sont oubliées. Micheline Calmy-Rey a signé à
Berne un accord prévoyant l’intensification des relations avec Ankara.

par D. S. Miéville

La visite de travail jeudi à Berne du ministre turc des Affaires
étrangères, Ali Babacan, témoigne que les relations entre la Suisse et
la Turquie sont entrées dans une phase de net réchauffement, si ce
n’est de franche collaboration. Elle prélude à une intensification des
contacts entre Berne et Ankara, où Doris Leuthard, puis Pascal
Couchepin se rendront cet automne. La visite du second s’inscrira dans
le cadre du quatre-vingtième anniversaire de l’établissement des
relations diplomatiques entre les deux Etats.

On est loin des incidents et des bouderies qui avaient assombri les
relations à partir du début des années 1990, à cause des activités du
PKK en Suisse, puis de la polémique autour des évènements de 1915 en
Turquie. La reconnaissance du génocide arménien par le Grand Conseil
vaudois puis par le Conseil national en 2003 avait jeté un froid et
conduit l’annulation des visites officielles agendées pour Micheline
Calmy-Rey et Joseph Deiss. En 2007, la condamnation par un tribunal
vaudois de l’activiste turc Dogu Perincek, avait suscité une nouvelle
montée de tension.

Relchement sur la question du génocide des Arméniens

Les Turcs se sont depuis l’été 2007 singulièrement décrispés sur la
question arménienne. La visite du ministre turc des Affaires
étrangères intervient à la veille de l’ouverture, à Winterthour, d’un
nouveau procès qui voit trois de ses compatriotes accusés à nouveau de
négation du génocide, sans que cela émeuve leur
gouvernement. Interrogé à ce sujet, Ali Babacan a répondu que la
Turquie avait proposé que des historiens des deux pays se réunissent
pour étudier la question. L’histoire doit être étudiée par les
historiens et pas par les politiques, a-t-il lancé, «on ne peut pas
voter sur l’histoire dans les parlements». Il ne l’a pas précisé, mais
l’on sait par ailleurs que les Turcs se sont intéressés, à titre
d’exemple, aux travaux de la commission Bergier sur la politique de la
Suisse pendant la Seconde Guerre mondiale.

Ali Babacan et Micheline Calmy-Rey ont également aplani les
difficultés à propos du PKK, reconnu comme mouvement terroriste par
l’OTAN, l’UE et les USA, alors que la Suisse ne connaît pas ce genre
de classification. Les deux interlocuteurs ont convenu d’intensifier
leur collaboration dans la lutte contre le terrorisme.

C’est, d’une façon plus générale, l’ensemble des relations qui promet
de s’intensifier entre les deux pays, notamment dans les domaines de
la politique énergétique, de l’environnement, des migrations, de la
lutte contre le crime organisé, de la coopération judiciaire et de la
culture, avec des rencontres plus fréquentes à tous les niveaux. Cette
évolution ne peut que sourire aux milieux économiques, qui ont de tous
temps déplorés les fcheries politiques. On compte 400 entreprises
suisses installées en Turquie, qui occupent plus de 10000
personnes. Un accord de double imposition a été signé ce printemps.

L’intérêt est également évident sur le plan diplomatique de collaborer
avec un partenaire occupant une position clé entre l’Orient et
l’Occident, très au fait de la situation au Sud-Caucase et au
carrefour des circuits de l’énergie.

LEVON ARONIAN BEATS VISHVANATAN ANAND IN THE 8TH ROUND OF "GRAND SLAM"

ARMENPRESS
Sep 11, 2008

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 11, ARMENPRESS: Grand master Levon Aronian beat
Indian Vishvanatan Anand in the 8th round of the "Grand Slam" held
in the Spanish town of Bilbao.

In the other games of the round, Ukrainian Vasili Ivanchuk beat Teymur
Rajabov from Azerbaijan, Bulgarian Vesselin Topalov beat Norwegian
Magnus Karlsen.

After this round the leader is V. Topalov having 13 points, second
comes L. Aronian with 12 points. V. Ivanchuk and M. Karlsen are sharing
3-4 places having 11 points each, and V. Anand and T. Rajabov share
5-6 places with 6 points each.

A DOCUMENTAL FILM ABOUT DISTURBED RIGHTS OF INHABITANTS OF SETTLING AREA IS SHOT

Panorama.am
18:45 11/09/2008

There had been shot a film in Armenia narrating about disturbed rights
of inhabitants of settling area in Yerevan. The film will presently
be shown by the "Shogakat" TV-channel. The director of the public
organization "Victims of national needs" Sedrak Baghdasaryan told
the correspondent of Panorama.am about it.

"The author of the film is a writer, publicist Tigran
Paskevichyan. When we were shooting this film there were so many aims
and so much material that we decided to shoot the second part of the
film too," – mentioned Baghdasaryan, adding that yet only the first
part of the movie will be shown.

Baghdasaryan assured that the shooting staff had been trying hard to
give as objective mark as it was possible as they clearly recognized
that everything could be done within the bounds of Law, taking as a
basis the rights and the interests of the citizens of the country.

According to the preliminary information, the film will be broadcast
on the 20th of September.

THERE ARE ALL LEGAL BASES TO INVALIDATE PREFECT’S ELECTIONS IN ARABKIR, ARMEN MARTIROSIAN SAYS

Noyan Tapan

Se p 9, 2008

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 9, NOYAN TAPAN. In the September 7 elections of
head of Yerevan’s Arabkir community the prefect was not elected but
"became" with electoral bribes and acts of violence. Armen Martirosian,
the head of the RA National Assembly Zharangutiun (Heritage) faction,
stated at the September 9 press conference. In his words, expertise
data are evidence that newly elected prefect, renowned businessman
Albert Yeritsian has spent several million dollars in the elections.

According to A. Martirosian, the outcome of the elections was
decided by stabbing, but it did not hinder the elected prefect to
celebrate his victory with fireworks in the midnight by violating
the RA Constitution. "Bloody incidents and fireworks, that was the
magnificence of these elections and it is a pity that the authorities
do not draw any conclusions from these elections," he said. At the
same time A. Martirosian said that if there is political will there
are all legal bases to invalidate the elections in Arabkir.

OSCE MG: GUL’S MEDIATION BETWEEN ARMENIAN AND AZERBAIJANI PRESIDENTS MAY PROVE USEFUL

PanARMENIAN.Net
10.09.2008 14:43 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Turkish President Abdullah Gul’s mediation between
the Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders may prove useful for resolution
of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, said Russian Co-chair of the OSCE
Minsk Group.

"As a member of the Minsk Group, Turkey could mediate between the
sides. However, it depends on their attitude," Yuri Merzlyakov told
a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter.

Gul said that the OSCE Minsk Group failed to produce effect during 17
years of its mediation. "Turkey-Armenia and Azerbaijan-Armenia issues
are not only bilateral but also territorial. The situation in the
region has changed. Resolution of conflicts will lead to political
and economic stability," he said.

Meanwhile, Azeri media keeps discussing "replacement" of the MG. The
other day, Bakililar.az reported that the Russian and Azerbaijani
Foreign Ministers considered the issue.

The Russian Foreign Ministry, however, refuted the information.