Author: Toneyan Mark

TENSE PHONE CALL BETWEEN NALBANDIAN AND DAVUTOGLU

Asbarez
on Jan 20th, 2010

Armenian Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian and Turkish Foreign
Minister Ahmet Davutoglu shake hands after signing the Turkish-Armenian
Protocols on Oct. 10, 2009

YEREVAN-The foreign ministers of Armenia and Turkey had what appeared
to be a tense phone conversation Wednesday that further dimmed
prospects for the normalization of Turkish-Armenian relations,
reported Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

The conversation, initiated by Armenia’s Foreign Minister Eduard
Nalbandian, was in response to Tuesday’s Turkish Foreign Ministry
statement, which claimed that last week’s Constitutional Court ruling
on the Armenia-Turkey protocols placed "preconditions and restrictive
provisions which impair the letter and spirit of the Protocols."

Nalbandian was quick to respond Tuesday, pledging a phone call to
his counterpart to express "bewilderment" of the Turkish position,
since from the onset of the normalization process, Turkey has imposed
preconditions saying that the process would not move forward without
a Karabakh peace deal that favors Azerbaijan.

According to the Armenian Foreign Ministry, Nalbandian told Davutoglu
that such statements are "creating the impression of a search for
artificial pretexts" for Turkey’s refusal to establish diplomatic
relations and open its border with Armenia, reported RFE/RL.

A ministry statement said he urged the Turks to stick to "the
letter and spirit of the protocols" and "move forward fast." It
said Nalbandian insisted that the Constitutional Court ruling only
testifies to the Armenian side’s desire to have them implemented
"without undue delays."

Davutoglu stood by this claim during the phone call with his Armenian
counterpart. A Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman was reported to
say that Davutoglu also claimed that the ratification process is at
a far more advanced stage in Turkey than in Armenia, reported RFE/RL.

On January 12, Armenia’s high Court ruled that the agreements were
in line with the country’s Constitution. The Court also said that
the protocols could not have any bearing with the ongoing Karabakh
peace process nor should they impede the international recognition of
the Armenian Genocide. To reinforce the latter point, the court cited
Article 11 of Armenia’s 1990 Declaration of Independence which states:
"The Republic of Armenia stands in support of the task of achieving
international recognition of the 1915 Genocide in Ottoman Turkey and
Western Armenia."

Despite Turkey’s claims to the contrary, the Turkish Foreign Ministry
statement aims to further Ankara’s preconditions on the protocols
and find an escape route from its commitments in the international
community, Armenian Revolutionary Federation Political Affairs Director
Giro Manoyan told a press conference in Yerevan Wednesday.

"The decision of the Armenian Constitutional Court and the
subsequent statement by the Turkish Foreign Ministry will lead to new
developments," said Manoyan who did not rule out the possibility of
phone calls to Armenia’s leadership by the Secretary of State or the
Vice-President to "secure assurances."

He also presumed that Turkey may take action toward ratification of
the Protocols in March-April 2010. "If Turkey drags out the process,
Armenia will have to say it quits negotiations."

Manoyan asserted that the Constitutional Court could have used the
same provisions to rule the protocols unconstitutional, adding that
the points outlined by the Court could serve as a basis for the
parliament to not ratify the documents.

The ARF leader said that the party’s parliamentary faction was prepared
to introduce legislation, which would require the inclusion of the
Court’s rationale in the wording of the protocols.

ARFD WORKS TOWARDS INCLUDING RA CC RATIONALE IN PROTOCOLS

PanARMENIAN.Net
20.01.2010 15:59 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ ARF Dashnaksutyun believes it would be more
reasonable for RA Constitutional Court to confirm non-conformity of
Armenia-Turkey Protocols with the RA Constitution.

"Nevertheless, the CC rationale is a convincing argument against
ratification of the Protocols by the RA National Assembly," said
Kiro Manoyan, ARF Dashnaktsutyun Bureau Hay Dat and Political Affairs
Office director.

"ARFD parliamentary group will press for introduction of legislative
changes to allow inclusion of RA Constitutional Court’s rationale in
the Armenian-Turkish Protocols," he said.

The Protocols aimed at normalization of bilateral ties and opening of
the border between Armenia and Turkey were signed in Zurich by Armenian
Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian and his Turkish counterpart Ahmet
Davutoglu on October 10, 2009, after a series of diplomatic talks
held through Swiss mediation.

On January 12, 2010, the Constitutional Court of the Republic of
Armenia found the protocols conformable to the country’s Organic Law.

AZNAVOUR TO RECORD MUSIC VIDEO IN SUPPORT OF HAITI

Armenian Weekly
January 18, 2010

PARIS, France (A.W., AFP)-Dozens of French rappers and pop stars are
joining renowned singers Charles Aznavour and Youssou N’Dour to record
a music video on Jan. 22 to raise funds for quake-stricken Haiti. "A
Gesture for Dear Haiti" (Un geste pour Haiti cherie) will be widely
distributed to French television stations, appealing to viewers to
make a donation for quake relief.

Aznavour talking to the Armenian Weekly editor at the Nokia Theatre in
Dec. 2009. (Photo by Chris Agazaryan) Hip hop duo Neg’Marrons wrote
the music and each of the 40 odd artists would contribute a line to
the lyrics of the song that would be recorded in a Paris studio, said
a spokesman for Trace TV music channel. Slam poet Grand Corps Malade,
rappers Passi and Stomy Bugsy were among the big names taking part
along with 85-year-old Aznavour, who is French-Armenian, and N’Dour,
of Senegalese origin. Haitian-born stand-up comic Anthony Kavanagh,
who lives in Canada, separately called on French artists to organize a
fundraising telethon for Haiti, where tens of thousands are feared dead
from the quake. "We have to do something. We have to send money. There
is nothing left there, but abysmal misery," said Kavanagh.

Rapper Kery James, whose parents are of Haitian origin, will be giving
a charity concert while leading French playwright Robert Hossein
said all proceeds from a theatre performance next week will go toward
medical relief, AFP reported.

Aznavour launched a similar initiative in the aftermath of the 1989
earthquake in Armenia. He collaborated with dozens of famous French
singers and released the song "Pour Toi Armenie," raising funds
for relief. In the following years, he continued raising funds for
reconstruction efforts in Armenia through his own organization.

Charles Aznavour has appeared in more than 60 movies, composed about
1,000 songs (including at least 150 in English, 100 in Italian,
70 in Spanish, and 50 in German), and sold well over 100 million
records. In 1998, Charles Aznavour was chosen as Entertainer of the
Century by CNN and users of Time Online from around the globe. He was
recognized as the century’s outstanding performer, with nearly 18%
of the total vote, edging out Elvis Presley and Bob Dylan. He has
sung for presidents, popes, and royalty, as well as at humanitarian
events, and is the founder of the charitable organization Aznavour
for Armenia along with his long-time friend and impresario Levon Sayan.

Aznavour started his global farewell tour in late 2006, which continues
through this day. In 2009, he was appointed as Ambassador of Armenia
to Switzerland, as well as Armenia’s permanent delegate to the United
Nations at Geneva.

Sarkisian sends letter of condolences to the President of Haiti

Last week, Armenian President Sarkisian sent a letter of condolences
to the President of Haiti Rene Garcia Preval. The President said
Armenia was ready to provid assistance to the victims of the disaster.

NEWSPAPER EDITOR-IN-CHIEF GETS 13 YEARS IN JAIL IN AZERBAIJAN

Today.Az
15 January 2010 [18:28]

The Court of Grave Crimes finalized a hearing on the case of Nazim
Guliyev, founder and editor-in-chief of the Ideal newspaper.

The court declared verdict on Jan. 15.

Nazim Guliyev was sentenced to 13 years and three months in jail with
confiscation of property.

He will serve the term of sentence in a special penitentiary.

According to the indictment, Guliyev faced charges of extortion,
extortion with use of force, extortion with a purpose of appropriating
large size of property, hooliganism and illegal manufacturing,
purchase, storage, transportation, transfer or selling of narcotics.

EDITORIAL: MANAGEMENT, LABOUR & EMPLOYMENT IN THE CIS

Who’s Who Legal
Jan 15 2010

Our research identifies a total of 26 leading lawyers.

We feature two professionals from Aequitas in Kazakhstan. Yulia
Chumachenko has extensive experience in corporate and contract
relations while Semion Issyk is highly recommended for his work
advising international financial groups and institutions.

Russia contains a large pool of talent with 13 lawyers recognised by
our research. ALRUD Law Firm has two representatives listed. Irina
Anyukhina heads the labour law practice and is an "expert" while
Vassily Rudomino is "one of the best" in the region for dispute
resolution. At Baker & McKenzie, the "brilliant" Evgeny Reyzman is
head of the CIS labour and employment practice group and specialises
in advising major multinational corporations on Russian labour
law. At Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP we identify two lawyers:
Michael Schwartz is "one of the top guys" with over 10 years of
experience in the country, while Olga Chislova specialises in a range
of areas including disciplinary actions, employment termination and
employment by foreign companies and individuals. From Goltsblat BLP,
Anna-Stefaniya Chepik is a "leading lawyer" with a wide range of
experience in litigation and out-of-court settlements advising at
a senior management level as well as drafting recommendations for
domestic and foreign companies. At Linklaters LLP, Henry Rutstein is a
"great" lawyer while at Pepeliaev Goltsblat & Partners, Julia Borozdna
heads the employment law practice and has great experience as counsel
to Russian and multinational companies in litigation and out-of-court
settlements. From PricewaterhouseCoopers CIS Law Offices, Gennady
Odarich is highly rated while Marina Ryzhkova at Salans established
and heads the firm’s employment practice in Russia. At Salomons Anton
Klyachin is "superb" and Timur Beslangurov from Vista Foreign Business
Support provides "highly astute" counsel for foreign companies entering
the Russian market. From Beiten Burkhardt Rechtsanwaltsgesellschaft
mbH, Elena Balashova is also highly recommended.

In Belarus, Denis Aleinikov from Law Group Argument is a "highly
skilful" lawyer and is general counsel of the CIS Economic Court. From
Magisters, Anna Rusetskaya has substantial experience in advising
domestic and international clients while at Vlasova Mikhel & Partners
senior partner Liliya Vlasova has a "renowned" practice. At Sorainen
Law Offices Kiryl Apanasevich is a "very prominent" lawyer and
from Stepanovski Papakul and Partners Ltd, Tatiana Ignatovskaya is
"outstanding".

In Ukraine Armen Khachaturyan at Asters is "world class" and advises
financial groups at a managerial level. Margarita Karpenko is a
managing partner of the Kiev offices of DLA Piper Ukraine LLP and
she advises clients in a range of industries including oil and gas,
media, financial services, consumer products and real estate. From
Volkov Koziakov & Partners, Oleksandr Aleksyeyenko is a "highly
impressive" lawyer while Oksana Voynarovska at Vasil Kisil & Partners
is "tremendous".

>>From Kalikova & Associates Omurgul Balpanova is based in Kazakhstan
and is "first rate". At Karakhanyan & Partners Law Office LLC in
Armenia senior partner Aram Karakhanyan has been highly recommended
and is a "very intelligent" lawyer.

/article/19728/editorial-management-labour-employm ent-cis/

CITY BLOCKS CEMETARY FOR CRITIC
By Kevin O’Flynn

The Moscow Times, Russia
Jan 15 2010

The Moscow city government deliberately blocked the funeral of an
important cultural figure and outspoken critic of their building policy
in a prestigious cemetery, organizers of the funeral alleged Thursday.

David Sarkisyan, head of the Shchusev Architecture Museum and a
figurehead for the preservationist movement in Moscow, died at the
age of 62 on Jan. 7.

Funeral organizers wanted to bury Sarkisyan — born in Yerevan,
Armenia — in the Armenian Cemetery, part of the Vagankovskoye
Cemetery, not far from Belorusskaya metro station.

"He did so much for the city and made the museum famous around the
world," said Natalya Samover from preservation movement Archnadzor,
"The city did not consider that worthy enough."

The cemetery is full, but burials can take place there with the
permission of the city or if the owner of a plot sells one. Georgy
Garanyan, a famous Armenian jazz musician, was buried Thursday in
the Armenian Cemetery.

Organizers, who include Deputy Culture Minister Pavel Khoroshilov,
asked Deputy Mayor Vladimir Resin, acting mayor while Yury Luzhkov is
on vacation, to give permission for the burial, but they were refused,
despite the request being backed by the Armenian Church. Resin ranted
about how Sarkisyan had held up progress in the city, one organizer
alleged.

Sarkisyan was a vocal critic of the city’s construction policies,
accusing them of barbarianism that put greed ahead of the city’s
heritage.

Luzhkov was consulted about the decision, organizers alleged Resin
said, and the burial was refused.

An appeal was made by the city’s chief architect, but the decision
remained unchanged.

"He defended historical heritage, and Luzhkov was against David even
after his death," one of the organizers said. "He did not want to
forgive him."

They then raised more than $100,000 to buy a plot in the cemetery,
but the city then specifically contacted the cemetery, ordering them
not to allow the burial to take place.

"The director of the cemetery said that he got a very direct order
not to allow the funeral to take place," one organizer said.

Organizers spoke off the record because they feared that if their
names were published they would face problems in the future.

A third organizer, architect Yury Grigoryan, confirmed that Sarkisyan
would not be buried in the Armenian Cemetery but did not go into
details, saying: "It is not a big issue. The important thing had been
to save his life."

Sarkisyan instead will now be buried Friday in the Troyekurovskoye
Cemetery, where a number of Moscow’s most famous citizens, such as
writer Vasily Grossman, are buried and which is located on the edge
of the city.

Resin’s press service said the matter concerned his work as acting
mayor rather than his work as head of the construction department and
directed questions to the Moscow mayor’s press office. A secretary
who answered the phone at the Moscow city press service said the press
spokesman was on holiday and refused to connect or give a number for
his deputy. She then hung up.

The Culture Ministry is helping organize the funeral, said Natalya
Uvarova, a spokeswoman for the ministry, but she would not comment
on whether or not the city had blocked the funeral. The ministry has
arranged for the Kultura television channel to repeat an interview
with Sarkisyan at 7 p.m. on the day of his funeral. Khoroshilov could
not be contacted Thursday.

It was not lost on organizers that Sarkisyan, who made the museum
a base for the grass-roots movement for preservation during his 10
years in charge, would have enjoyed the fact that city leaders were
still dealing with him.

"He would be quite happy because even when he is dead they are still
afraid of him," an organizer said.

article/city-blocks-cemetary-for-critic/397420.htm l

SESSION OF SUBCOMMITTEE ON KARABAKH TO BE HELD WITHIN PACE WINTER SESSION

news.az
Jan 14 2010
Azerbaijan

PACE Azerbaijani delegation will prepare a number of documents on
the Karabakh conflict before the PACE winter session.

The session of the Subcommittee on Nagorno Karabakh will be held within
the framework of the winter session of the Parliamentary Assembly of
the Council of Europe.

According to head of the Azerbaijani delegation in PACE Samad Seyidov,
the new chairman of the committee has not been elected yet after
the death of Subcommittee chairman Lord Russel Johnson, therefore,
this issue will also be discussed within the framework of the session.

"The issue on this committee was discussed in the bureau and it
was decided to return to this issue at the winter session. As the
negotiation process on the resolution of the Karabakh conflict has
recently intensified, the Council of Europe should also intensify
its activity", Seyidov noted.

According to the delegation chairman, Azerbaijan always says that
the Karabakh issue must remain on the CE agenda.

"It is a pride that we have attained this. Moreover, the results of
occupation are always on the CE agenda", he said.

Meanwhile, Seyidov added that the Azerbaijani delegation will prepare a
number of documents on the Karabakh conflict before the winter session.

THE CRANE AS A SYMBOL OF 2010

armradio.am
15.01.2010 17:00

The Crane is considered `Bird of 2010` in Armenia. That is the result
of public opinion poll, undertaken by `the Armenian Society for the
Protection of Birds` NGO. With the assistance of LOLO youth magazine,
the poll was held within Yerevan, as well as in the localities that
has been situated within Important Bird Areas. IBA custodians, who
oversee the condition of above-mentioned areas, undertook the poll
in the regions.

The number of questioned people was 1025 total. 481 of them, or 47%,
spoke for the benefit of Crane. Golden Eagle (297 votes, 29%), and
Kestrel (184 votes, 18%), became properly second and third.

In Armenia, Crane is a very rare bird. It nestles only in Southern
and South-Western provinces. The condition of population is really
critical: according the current data, only from 2 to 6 cranes’
couples have remained within the surroundings of Arpi Lake.

"There can be no doubt", emphasizes Luba Balyan, ASPB National IBA
Coordinator, "that cranes merit serious attention and care. If proper
measures are not undertaken, Armenian fauna can completely lose this
unique species of birds in nearest future".

Election of Crane as a `bird of the year` becomes particularly topical,
because the Gray Crane inhabiting in Armenia recently was picked out
as a separate subspecies. By a number of characteristics, this form
strongly differs from Western and Eastern Gray Cranes: it different
colour of beak, colour spots on his way are situated in a different
way; adult specimen differ by dazzling white spots behind eyes,
and they have no red "crown" on their heads, as well.

According to available data, the subspecies nestles only within the
Armenian Plateau, and in adjacent provinces of Georgia and Turkey.

ARFD ALREADY COLLECTED 70 THOUSAND SIGNATURES AGAINST RATIFICATION OF PROTOCOLS

PanARMENIAN.Net
13.01.2010 22:03 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ ARF Dashnaktsutyun launched signature campaign
against ratification of RA-Turkish Protocols as it expected the
Constitutional Court to pass positive decision, member of the ARFD
Supreme Body Armen Rustamyan says.

"I am ready to personally meet with every single MP to talk him out of
voting for Protocols," he told Wednesday a news conference in Yerevan,
adding that the party has already collected 70.000 signatures.

Mr. Rustamyan also criticized Armenian National Congress (ANC) for
accusing ARFD of alleged cooperation with authorities.

The protocols aimed at normalization of bilateral ties and opening of
the common border between Armenia and Turkey were signed in Zurich
by Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian and his Turkish
counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu on October 10, 2009, after a series of
diplomatic talks held through Swiss mediation.

The Armenian Revolutionary Federation Dashnaktsutyun (ARFD) is an
Armenian political party founded in Tiflis (Tbilisi, the capital of
Georgia) in 1890 by Christapor Mikaelian, Stepan Zorian, and Simon
Zavarian ARFD has the largest number of members from the political
parties present in the Armenian Diaspora, having established affiliates
in more than 200 countries.

The party led the effort toward the establishment of the first Armenian
Republic in 1918 and was the party in power for the duration of
its existence. Following the Sovietization of Armenia in 1920, the
ARF-Dashnaktsutyun was banned by the Communists and its leadership
exiled.

In the Diaspora, the ARF Dashnaktsutyun fought Soviet rule over
Armenia and championed the cause of Armenian rights and independence;
it played a leading role in organizing a social and cultural framework
aimed at preserving the Armenian identity.

The ARF Dashnaktsutyun officially re-emerged in Armenia during the
dissolution of USSR, in 1990.

On December 28, 1994, the activities of the ARF-Dashnaktsutyun were
"temporarily suspended" by the Armenian authorities. In view of
the political nature of the anti-ARF interdictions by the Armenian
authorities, the ARF continued to operate in Armenia. On February 9,
1998, less than a week after the resignation of the then President
Ter-Petrosyan, the Justice Ministry lifted the ban on the ARF
Dashnaktsutyun.

‘ARMAVIA’ SUSPENDED YEREVAN-TBILISI-YEREVAN FLIGHTS

ArmInfo
2010-01-14 15:23:00

Arminfo. The national air carrier ‘Armavia’ has suspended
Yerevan-Tbilisi-Yerevan flights.

As press-secretary of ‘Armavia’ Nana Avetisova told Arminfo
correspondent, the flights were suspended because of damping of
demand. ‘The damping of demand depends on the seasonal factors
peculiar for the winter season’, – Avetisova said and added the
company will inform about resumption of the flights. To note,
Yerevan-Tbilisi-Yerevan flight was opened in March 2009. At present
Armavia implements about 250 flights per month in more than 30
directions.