Author: Torgomian Varazdat

The Messenger, Georgia
Jan 24 2007

Increased EU involvement in conflict zones
By Diana Dundua

German Ambassador Patricia Flor
and EU diplomats Per Eklund and
Peter Semneby say the EU wants to
help build confidence between the
conflicting sides in Georgia

European Union officials concluded a trip to Georgia on January 22
which included visits with separatist authorities in breakaway South
Ossetia and Abkhazia. The delegation was exploring ways to extend the
EU Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) Action Plan to help build bridges
between the sides in Georgia.

Head of the European Commission’s (EC) Delegation to Georgia and
Armenia HE Per Eklund, EU Special Representative for the South
Caucasus Peter Semneby and German Ambassador to Georgia HE (EU
presidency) Patricia Flor all participated in the visit headed by
Hugues Mingarelli, the European Commission Director for Eastern
Europe.

According to Eklund, one of the purposes of the mission’s visit was
to see what more the European Commission could do in the conflict
areas to assist conflict resolution and confidence-building measures.
The EU is one of the most active donors both in South Ossetia and
Abkhazia.

"We are already active in rehabilitation, the health and education
sectors, NGO support, and civil society support," Eklund stated at
the press conference on January 22.

During the mission’s visit, the participants met with OSCE and UNOMIG
representatives as well as government representatives in Tbilisi,
travelled to South Ossetia and Abkhazia and also met with the of the
de facto authorities and international NGOs in Abkhazia.

"The purpose was not to reinvent the wheel, because there are already
many EU instruments in place. The mission focused on developing and
building upon what the EU is already doing in Georgia. This includes
most importantly the European Neighbourhood Policy and the financial
instruments for supporting this policy. But it also includes for
example the border support team that has been in place in Georgia and
has been working here within the European Commission premises for
almost two years," stated Semneby adding, "The purpose is to extend
these programs, which are applying to Georgia, to Abkhazia and South
Ossetia in order to encourage contacts to increase confidence between
the parties."

The delegation only met with de facto Abkhazian officials of Sergey
Bagapsh’s government and breakaway South Ossetian officials of Eduard
Kokoity’s administration in South Ossetia. They did not meet with the
Dmitri Sanokoyev’s alternative government in South Ossetia, nor
travel to the seat of the Abkhaz government-in-exile in the Kodori
Gorge; however, Malkhaz Akishbaia, the head of the
government-in-exile was present at their Tbilisi meetings.

"None of the two alternatives [in South Ossetia] we consider
legitimate," Eklund said on January 22.

De facto Abkhazian foreign minister Sergey Shamba said after talks
with the EU delegation on January 18 that "despite disagreements in
political issues," the Abkhaz side considers EU-funded programs
"useful," Apsnypress news agency reported.

"The European Commission is financing several projects in Abkhazia.
But this does not mean that we reject our key interests and
independence," Shamba said, reports Civil Georgia.

He also said that Sokhumi wants to establish a dialogue and "direct
links with the European Union" without the mediation of Tbilisi.

"Abkhazia is a part of Europe and we have the right to integrate into
European society… I do not think that linking Abkhazia with Europe
will be effective through Georgia or through any other state. It is
necessary to establish direct ties," Shamba said.

German Ambassador HE Patricia Flor said at the press conference that
the EU supports Georgia’s territorial integrity within its
internationally recognized borders and at the same time it is
important to build bridges between the secessionist territories and
the rest of Georgia, stressing that it is vital to bring people
together.

Semneby explained that the mission’s findings would be discussed in
Brussels within the next few weeks and then concrete recommendations
would be worked out. The mission’s findings would include the areas
of civil society development, exchange programmes, economic
rehabilitation, infrastructure rehabilitation, issues related to
customs and trade as well as also confidence building measures.

Funeral of Hrant Dink, Istanbul, 23/01/07

Words: Jerome Taylor,

The Independent – United Kingdom
Published: Jan 24, 2007

The crowd

In an extraordinary outpouring of public grief and spontaneous protest
against militant Turkish nationalism, more than 100,000 mourners march
through Istanbul in a funeral procession for the slain Turkish-Armenian
writer and editor Hrant Dink, who was gunned down last week outside
his office.

The media

The assassination of Hrant Dink has caused a media sensation in Turkey.
Just four weeks ago, media buses like these were placed across the
country’s capital to record Turkey’s notoriously buoyant New Year
celebrations. Now they capture a very different national mood: anger
and defiance.

The mourned writer

One of Turkey’s best known Armenian writers, Dink paid the ultimate
price for encouraging reconciliation between his country’s Turkish
and Armenian populations. His insistence on recognising the Armenian
genocide not only landed him in court, but also, it appears, infuriated
ultranationalists enough to want
him dead.

The family

Dink’s immediate family follow directly behind the hearse as it winds
its way through the streets of Istanbul. His daughter Sera marches in
front of the coffin carrying a portrait of her father, as the former
editor’s close friends
and colleagues link arms to f lank the hearse.

The flowers

Crammed on to every overpass and bridge lining the funeral route,
thousands more people clap as the procession goes by and throw
blood-red roses on to the
hearse. Roses have come to symbolise Dink’s assassination, and shrines
bearing his portrait bedecked with the f lowers have sprung up across
the city.

The flagless protest

In a country where Turks are taught from a young age to revere their
country, its f lag and their secular, nationalist founder Kamal
Ataturk, the procession’s anti-nationalist stance is noticeable for
its lack of Turkish f lags, a symbol found f luttering on f lagpoles
across the country.

The placards

Mourners hold placards and wear T-shirts with provocative slogans
(including "We are all Armenians" and "Shoulder to shoulder against
fascism") in Armenian, Turkish and Kurdish. Such condemnation of Dink’s
murderers is astonishing in a country where the use of non-Turkish
languages is controversial.

The route

The procession travels through five miles of unusually traffic-free
Istanbul. It began at the bilingual Turkish-Armenian newspaper where
Dink was editor, winding through Taksim Square and over the Golden
Horn to a small Armenian church, passing some of the city’s most
iconic tourist spots along the way.

Karabakh Issue Is Not a Part of Opposition Between U.S. and Russia

PanARMENIAN.Net
23.01.2007 17:56 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Nagorno Karabakh problem is not a part of
opposition between the U.S. and Russia, quite the contrary, there
is an understanding and consent in it, said RIA ‘Novosti’ Expert
Council member Nikolay Zlobin, the Director of Russian and Asian
Program Institute of World Security. In his words, unlike Abkhazian,
South-Ossetian and Transdnestrian conflicts, there is no opposition of
state interests between Moscow and Washington in the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict. That’s why those countries have opportunity to come to
common positions. "This is a positive factor. With all disagreements
and differences in the positions generally the U.S. and Russia occupy
a common stance on that problem. Though there exist pro-Armenian and
pro-Azeri politicians in this or that country, there isn’t anyone who
would support military solution of the problem," stressed the expert.

Alongside, in Zlobin’s opinion, there is an understanding that the
keeping of status quo has its historical limits. "The U.S. position
can be less often, if this problem becomes theoretical, and,
moreover, practical cause for destabilizing the situation in the
region. The solution of this conflict will be difficult, long
and contradictory. There won’t be any impulses from outside in
the settlement process the coming two years," the American expert
underscored, ‘Novosti Azerbaijan’ reports.

CRIME COMMITTED AGAINST HRANT DINK WAS EXPECTED, NOR ZHAMANAKNER PARTY
CONSIDERS

YEREVAN, JANUARY 22, NOYAN TAPAN. Connecting the murder of renowned
public figure, publicist widely known in the world, editor-in-chief of
Agos newspaper, Hrant Dink with the purpose of violating stability
in Turkey is the result of simple imagination of this country’s
anti-popular forces. According to the statement of Nor Zhamanakner
(New Times) party Board, "indeed, such destiny of the journalist
promoting active public activity was predetermined by ill-fated Article
301 of Turkish Criminal Code, registering the accusation of "insulting
the Turkish identity." And it was natural that continual assertions on
Armenian Genocide by Hrant Dink convicted to six months’ conditional
imprisonment by the very above mentioned article as early as in 2005
could be a reason for such deliberate and impudently committed crime."

Assassination Of Hrant Dink – Number Of Detainees Rises To 8

Anatolian Times, Turkey
Jan 22 2007

ISTANBUL – Number of people, who were detained in connection with
the assassination of Hrant Dink, editor-in-chief of bilingual
Turkish-Armenian weekly Agos, rose to 8, it was reported on Saturday.

Istanbul Governor Muammer Guler said, "we have been assessing the
developments about the incident. We will review the information with
the related ministers and make necessary statements."

HRANT DINK : ARMENIAN COMMUNITY & CHURCH COUNCIL OF GREAT BRITAIN

_ ()

On behalf of the British Armenian Community of the United Kingdom we
would like to extend our deepest sympathies and condolences to Hrant
Dink’s wife and family for their tragic loss.

Hrant Dink will also be missed by his extended family of the Armenian
Community worldwide of which he was a prominent and respected member.

As a Turkish Citizen, whose family have had roots in Turkey for many
generations, Hrant Dink belonged to that group of Turkish
intellectuals, together with people such as Orhan Pamuk and Ragip
Zarakolu, who strived for the emancipation of the Turkish people, the
introduction of freedom of expression in Turkey and the development of
Turkey into a State which would qualify for entry into the European
Union.

As a Turkish Citizen Hrant Dink’s vision of an enlightened Turkey
included the ability of Turkish people to look at their history and
recognise the mistakes and crimes committed in the past. Instead of
blind denial of historical truths, to allow for free discussion in the
Turkish Press and the recognition and condemnation of the Armenian
Genocide.

If Hrant Dink was assassinated because of his progressive ideas for
the good of Turkey, then that is a loss for Turkey. Until
free-thinking people like Hrant Dink, Pamuk and Zarakolu are allowed
to express their opinions without legal restraints in Turkey, then
Turkey cannot claim to be part of the Free World.

If Hrant Dink was assassinated because he was an Armenian and for his
active efforts for Turkey to allow free discussion of the Armenian
Genocide, then he has become a victim of Turkish Racism and Extreme
Nationalism. Hrant Dink’s life will have become simply one more
Armenian life to be added to the 1.5 Million murdered Armenian lives
for which Turkey is responsible and for which it must give proper
account. Turkey must address the undeniable historical facts,
recognizing the crimes of its predecessors and must condemn them as
Genocide.

Until that day arrives, every Armenian in this World is another "Hrant
Dink" demanding justice for the crimes committed upon their people in
Turkey.

If the outpouring of grief and anger of the demonstrators in Istanbul
immediately following the assassination of Dink is indicative of a
potential change of mental attitudes, then there may be hope for
Turkey yet.

ACCC.

IN TURKOLOGIST’S OPINION, MURDER OF HRANT DINK RELATED TO ITENSIFIED
POLITICAL STRUGGLE IN TURKEY

YEREVAN, JANUARY 20, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. Hrant Dink’s
murder is related to the intensified political struggle in
Turkey. Ruben Safrastian, Director of the RA NAS Institute of Oriental
Studies, Turkologist, expressed this opinion at the January 20 press
conference.

According to him, quite a complex political situation has formed in
Turkey on the threshold of presidential elections. The current prime
minister Recep Erdogan, who heads the pro-Islamic "Justice and
Development Party" has a great opportunity to win these elections. He
may replace the current president Ahmad Necdet Sezer, who is the last
Kemalist in the highest echelons of the Turkish leadership. Hrant
Dink’s assassination was committed at the time when there are open
talks about a military coup in Turkey. Safrastian noted that it can
be assumed that this murder was specially prepared for this political
moment in order to strain the home political situation even more, at
the same time increasing the pressure on Turkey from European circles.

R. Safrastian noted that a "deep state" or a state within the state
exists in Turkey. This is a group of high-ranking state officials
whose name are unknown but they make important state decisions and
have the opportunities for their implementation. According to some
press reports on the day of the murder, although those who committed
it are probably representatives of the Grey Wolves nationalist
organization, the decision was taken by this deep state which does
everything possible to maintain the Kemalist state in the country.

Al-Bawaba, Jordan
Jan 19 2007

Turkey: Prominent journalist shot dead

Posted: 19-01-2007 , 17:33 GMT

EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn condemned the assassination of
journalist Hrant Dink in Turkey Friday. "I am shocked and saddened by
this brutal act of violence," he said in a statement. Dink was shot
dead Friday at the entrance to his newspaper’s offices, police said

"Hrant Dink was a respected intellectual who defended his views with
conviction and contributed to an open public debate. He was a
campaigner for freedom of expression in Turkey," he said.

Rehn called on the Turkish authorities to fully "investigate this
crime and will bring the perpetrators to justice."

Dink, 53, faced many threats and legal proceedings as one of the most
prominent voices of Turkey’s Armenian community. He had gone on trial
numerous times for speaking out about the mass killings of Armenians
by Turks at the beginning of the 20th century.

In October 2005, Dink was convicted of trying to influence the
judiciary after his newspaper Agos ran stories criticizing a law
making it a crime to insult Turkey, the Turkish government or the
Turkish national character. He was given a six-month suspended
sentence.

AzerTag, Azerbaijan
Jan 19 2007

AZERBAIJAN, SAUDI ARABIA: RELATIONS DEVELOP
[January 19, 2007, 22:15:35]

Deputy foreign minister of Azerbaijan Khalaf Khalafov has met with
the delegation led by Dr. Khaled Al-Angari, minister for higher
education of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, 19 Jan.

The relations between two countries are high level in all spheres,
Khalaf Khalafov underlined. He stressed necessity of further
strengthening of these ties.

Deputy foreign minister said the official visit of the Azerbaijan
President to Saudi Arabia in 2005 and mutual visits of the
governmental delegations were useful from the point of view of
development of bilateral relations.

Saudi Arabia unambiguously supports fair position of Azerbaijan in
the Armenia-Azerbaijan, Nagorno Karabakh conflict, Mr. Khalafov
emphasized and expressed gratitude for support rendered in the frame
of UN, Organization of Islamic Conference and other international
structures. He thanked to the Saudi Government for assistance to the
refugees and IDPs of Azerbaijan.

Dr. Khaled Al-Angari recalled the personal friendly ties between the
heads of states of both countries, estimating it as a solid ground
for further expansion of political, cultural, economic and
humanitarian cooperation. He highly assessed the MoU signed between
education ministers of two countries in Baku.

The parties had comprehension exchange of views on a number of other
issues of mutual interest.

BBC NEWS
Saturday, 20 January 2007, 04:33 GMT

Armenian anger at Turkish murder

The Armenian government has condemned the murder in Istanbul of a prominent
Turkish journalist of Armenian descent.

The speaker of Armenia’s parliament said the murder showed that Turkey
should not even dream about joining the European Union.

Hrant Dink’s murder on Friday sparked a protest by thousands of people where
he was shot near his newspaper’s offices.

He had written extensively about the massacre of Armenians during the final
days of the Ottoman Empire in 1915.

Armenian President Robert Kocharian said: "The killing of this well-known
Armenian journalist in Turkey raises numerous questions and deserves the
strongest condemnation.

"We hope that the Turkish authorities will do everything possible to find
and punish the culprit strictly in accordance with the law".

The speaker of Armenia’s parliament, Tigran Torosyan went even further.

"Following the murder, Turkey should not even dream about joining the
European Union," the Armenian news agency Arminfo quoted him as saying.

Journalists and politicians in Turkey have expressed outrage at the killing,
which many described as a political assassination, while the US, EU, France,
and several human rights groups also voiced shock and condemnation.

Police said Hrant Dink was shot twice. Late on Friday, Turkish media quoted
Istanbul’s governor as saying three people were in custody over the killing.

Hrant Dink was found guilty in October 2005 of insulting Turkish identity
after he wrote an article which addressed the mass killings of Ottoman
Armenians nine decades ago.

Dink was one of Turkey’s most prominent Armenian voices and despite threats
on his life, he refused to stay silent.

The killings of hundreds of thousands of Armenians by the Ottoman Turks is a
sensitive subject in both Armenia and Turkey.

Many Armenians have campaigned for the killings to be recognised
internationally as genocide.

Turkey denies any genocide, saying the deaths were a part of World War I.

The two countries still have no official relations since Armenia gained
independence after the break up of the Soviet Union in 1991.