Author: Torgomian Varazdat

September 12, 2008
Press Release
Western Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America
H.E. Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, Prelate
6252 Honolulu Avenue
La Crescenta, CA 91214
Tel: (818) 248-7737
Fax: (818) 248-7745
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:

PRELATE TO CELEBRATE THE FEAST OF THE EXALTATION OF THE HOLY CROSS AT HOLY
CROSS CATHEDRAL

Sunday, September 14 is the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy
Cross, the last of the five major feast days of the Armenian Apostolic
Church. It is also the name day of Holy Cross Cathedral in Montebello.
On these occasions H.E. Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, Prelate,
will celebrate Divine Liturgy, deliver the sermon, and preside over the
blessing of madagh at Holy Cross Cathedral.
By the ordinance of the Prelate, Very Rev. Fr. Muron Aznikian will
celebrate Divine Liturgy and deliver the sermon at Holy Trinity Church in
Fresno, and Very Rev. Fr. Barthev Gulumian at the Armenian Apostolic Church
of Colorado and the Rocky Mountain Region.
The 93rd Anniversary of the battle of Musa Dagh will also be
commemorated on this day with Divine Liturgy and the blessing of Herissa by
Archpriest Dr. Khoren Habeshian at Camp Arev.

ARMENIA FUND CHAIR MARIA MEHRANIAN VISITS THE PRELACY

On the morning of Wednesday, September 10th, H.E. Archbishop
Moushegh Mardirossian, Prelate, welcomed Chair of Armenia Fund U.S. Western
Region Mrs. Maria Mehranian to the Prelacy.
Mrs. Mehranian met with the Prelate to discuss the current projects
and activities of Armenia Fund, specifically the upcoming annual Telethon
which will take place in November. They also discussed a number of key
issues which are to be examined in more detail at the next corporate board
meeting on September 16th, which Executive Council representative Mr. Meher
Der Ohanessian will attend.
The Prelate thanked Mrs. Mehranian for the update and praised the
active participation of the organization in the progress of the Armenian
homeland.

PRELATE CONVEYS HIS CONDOLENCES TO THE THREE PRELATES OF IRAN FOLLOWING
TURKEY BUS CRASH

On the morning of Tuesday, September 9th, a bus crash in Eastern
turkey claimed the lives of sixteen Armenian tourists and resulted in the
injury of dozens more. H.E. Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, Prelate, sent
a letter of condolence to the three Prelates of Iran, H.E. Archbishop Sebouh
Sarkissian, H.G. Nshan Topouzian, and H.E. Papken Tcharian expressing his
sympathy on the loss of their parishioners.
In his letter sent on behalf of Prelacy clergy and councils, the
Prelate conveyed his condolences to the victims’ families stating, "We pray
for God to accept the souls of the victims in His heavenly abode, for the
Holy Spirit to comfort the families who are mourning their loss, and for the
speedy recovery of those who were injured in this tragedy."

BLESSING OF TWO PRELACY OFFICES

On the afternoon of Saturday, September 6th, H.E. Archbishop
Moushegh Mardirossian, Prelate, conducted the blessing of two offices at the
Prelacy headquarters. The ceremony began with a prayer service in the "St.
Dertad and St. Ashkhen" Chapel, during which the Prelate asserted that the
sponsors of the headquarters have remained faithful throughout all the
phases of the construction of the new building, from the blessing of the
foundation by H.H. Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, to the
official opening ceremony. He then once again expressed his gratitude to
all the supporters and grand benefactors of the Prelacy.
The Prelate emphasized that the support of the sponsors continues
long after the official opening in May of 2007, which is evidenced by recent
sponsorships by Dr. Armen Kassabian (Accounting Department, in memory of his
uncle Harout Neshan Kazandjian), Ms. Asdghig Keuylian (Christian Education
Department, in honor of her mother Mrs. Berjouhi Krikorian), Mr. and Mrs.
Hovsep and Elizabeth Boyajian (Vestry), and Mr. and Mrs. Hovig and Seta
Aghaian (Archives Department).
At the conclusion of the Chapel service, the Prelate blessed the
Christian Education and Accounting Department offices, which culminated in
the cutting of the ribbons by the sponsors. The blessing and official
opening of the Vestry and Archives office will take place in the near
future.
Also participating in the ceremony were Rev. Fr. Gomidas Torossian
and Rev. Fr. Ashod Kambourian. Executive Council member Mr. Garo Eshgian,
benefactors Mr. and Mrs. John and Asdghig Bedrosian, and members of the
Bedrosian, Kassabian, Keuylian, Krikorian families, as well as the Ladies
Auxiliary and staff were also in attendance.
A reception followed the ceremony.

PRELATE TO CONVEY HIS BLESSING TO
MAESTRO HOVHANNES TCHEKIDJIAN

On the evening of Sunday, September 14th, Maestro Hovhannes
Tchekidjian, permanent director and chief conductor of the State Academic
Choir of Armenia will be honored at an event to take place at Glendale
Presbyterian Church. Various artists as well as the Ararat Choir, under the
direction of Alenoush Yeghnazar, will perform at the event.
The Prelate will convey his commendation and blessings to Maestro
Tchekidjian. Rev. Fr. Ardag Demirjian will also be in attendance.

PRECONDITIONS TO BE SET BY ARMENIA
Nayira Khachatryan

Hayots Ashkhar Daily
11 Sep 2008
Armenia

Being yesterday’s guest-speaker of "Urbat" (Friday) club, ASHOT
MELKONYAN, Head of the History Institute of the National Academy
of Sciences, expressed his viewpoints on the prospects of the
Armenian-Turkish relations.

A. Melkonyan finds that Mr. Gul’s visit was an attempt by the Turkish
diplomacy to mitigate the atmosphere of distrust in Turkey. "In all
the international formats, Armenia has always been against Turkey’s
participation in any process, particularly the settlement of the NKR
conflict, because Turkey has always assumed a prejudiced, partial and
an accentuated pro-Azerbaijani stance. But this time, the Turkish
diplomacy was successful enough to gain some elements of trust in
certain political circles of Armenia."

Turkey’s proposal on ensuring stability and establishing a platform of
cooperation and peace in the Caucasus is not something new, according
to the historian. "The Caucasian idea is not a new idea. It has
existed since 1918-1920. After signing the Batumi Treaty in 1918,
the Turkish diplomacy viewed the proclamation of the three newly
established states as a great favor on its own part; particularly,
as far as Armenia was concerned.

I would like to refer to the words of Nuri Pasha who said, ‘In 1918,
we created an Armenia which was in a sack, and the mouth of that sack
is in our hands. At any moment, we may tie the mouth of the sack so
that Armenia will suffocate.’ "

The speaker believes that Turkey, which has made a proposal on
establishing a platform of stability, does not have a vivid picture
of its further plans.

"The platform, as a document, has not yet been developed, in my
opinion.

When Russia took practical steps towards restoring its weight on
the regional and why not – the global level, Turkey became strictly
concerned by that. Besides, Russia is exerting various forms of
pressure upon Turkey to prevent it from opening a new railroad with
Armenia, because as a result of the realization of such plans, the
Kars – Akhalkalaki railroad will no longer be as important, and even
the possibility of constructing it will vanish.

In such circumstances, Turkey’s haste in terms of proposing a platform
of stability is quite natural."

The Turkish proposal was not rejected by the Armenian authorities, and
that was a right step, as characterized by A. Melkonyan. "The Turkish
side advanced the proposal on establishing a platform, and it didn’t
open the brackets. Naturally, if the Armenian party had rejected the
approach, it would have found itself in a very inconvenient situation,
so to say.

That’s why I believe that welcoming the proposal was the right thing
to do. As t o what it is, and what the platform implies, we do not
know that.

I understand the idea in the following way: strengthening the Turkish
influence in the region and acquiring a certain degree of trust
in Armenia.

Our diplomacy was persistent enough to achieve Mr. Gul’s arrival in
Yerevan, and the fact was viewed as a diplomatic success. But the
further steps are going to be more difficult. When you go into detail,
there emerge a lot of problems."

CZECH BUSINESSMEN INTERESTED IN THE ARMENIAN MARKET

armradio.am
12.09.2008 15:49

On September 12 the Armenia-Czechia Second Business Forum was launched
in Yerevan. Opening speeches were delivered by the Speaker of the
national assembly of Armenia Tigran Torosyan and the President of
Senate of the Czech Republic PÅ~Yemysl Sobotka.

According to Tigran Torosyan, this forum is of special importance for
the future development of cooperation between the two countries. In
his opinion, the Armenian-Czech parliamentary relations have turned
more active over the past two years, and this should be reinforced
by practical steps.

President of the Czech Senate PÅ~Yemysl Sobotka noted that the
cooperation between Armenia and Czechia can embrace various
spheres. According to his assessment, the visit will contribute
to the soon realization of all the intentions and projects. He
attached importance to economic cooperation with Armenia, noting that
politicians should reinforce economic ties, as well.

Director of the Armenian development Agency Robert Harutyunyan noted
that the Armenian-Czech economic relations have got rather active
over the past five years and the commodity turnover between the two
countries currently makes $37 million. The businessmen of the two
countries cooperate in the fields of energy, machinery, tourism,
banking and finance.

"Both political and economic relations between the two countries
are stably developing. The20Armenian Government attaches importance
to the activity of foreign companies in our country and is ready to
support their initiatives," Robert Harutyunyan noted. He added that
Czech businessmen are interested in the Armenian market and wish to
make investments in our country.

–Boundary_(ID_P4nyfMgRNPkLJ5iWu/gSdg)–

TURKEY IS ONE OF FOREMOST COUNTRIES THAT DISPLAY UTMOST CARE FOR AZERBAIJAN’S INTERESTS, PRESIDENT GUL

Today’s Zaman
Sept 10 2008
Turkey

President Abdullah Gul said Wednesday that Turkey is one of the
foremost countries that display utmost care and make efforts for
Azerbaijan’s interests.

Speaking to reporters prior to his departure for Baku at Ankara’s
Esenboga International Airport, Gul stressed that no one should doubt
Turkey’s utmost care for Azerbaijan.

"We pay high attention to exchanging viewpoints with Azerbaijan on
bilateral, regional and international developments," Gul said.

"Turkey is a country that shows care and make efforts for the interests
of Azerbaijan. This approach has been a part of our foreign policy. My
second foreign trip, after having become the Turkish president last
year, took place in Azerbaijan. This shows the importance I attach
to Azerbaijan," Gul noted.

Gul’s first trip abroad, as the Turkish president, was made to the
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC).

"With this understanding, we have conducted high level visits between
our two countries. During the days of tension in the region recently,
our prime minister paid a visit to Baku along with the Turkish foreign
minister on August 20th, 2008. On August 29th, the foreign minister of
Azerbaijan came to Turkey to hold talks. The last time I met with the
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev was during the foundation laying
ceremony of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars Railway Project in July," Gul said.

"During my talks with Aliyev (today), we would hold talks on our
region following the incidents in Georgia last month. One of the
topics we would discuss is Turkey’s proposed ‘Caucasus Stability and
Cooperation Platform’," Gul said.

"Naturally, I would convey to Aliyev my impressions on my recent
visit to Yerevan, Armenia. Furthermore, I would find an opportunity
to discuss issues related to our two countries in the region with
Aliyev," Gul said.

Asked if he expects feelings of offense from Azerbaijan on his recent
trip to Yerevan, Gul said that he does "not expect such a reaction
from Azerbaijan. Every country has independent policies. As I stated
earlier, Turkey is a country that supports Azerbaijan in related
matters. No one has any doubts on this."

Gul would be paying a one-day working visit to Baku on Wednesday. He
would return back to Turkey later on Wednesday night.

LILIT MKRTCHIAN DROPS OUT OF STRUGGLE AT WOMEN’S WORLD CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP

Noyan Tapan

Se p 9, 2008

NALCHIK, SEPTEMBER 9, NOYAN TAPAN. The second games of the
quarter-finals at Women’s World Knockout Chess Championship were
held in Nalchik, the capital of Kabardino-Balkaria, on September
8. Armenian GM Lilit Mkrtchian was beaten by Hou Yifan of China and
lost the right to continue further struggle.

WAR UNDER THREAT: WHAT ESCALATION OF TENSION OVER IRAN MAY RESULT IN
by Igor Dmitriyev

WPS Agency
What the Papers Say (Russia)
September 9, 2008 Tuesday
Russia

WAS THE ATTACK AGAINST SOUTH OSSETIA AN ELEMENT OF WASHINGTON’S
DESIGNS FOR IRAN?; Military experts suspect that only Russia’s swift
reaction to the Georgian aggression against South Ossetia prevented
the American strike at Iran in late August.

Some prominent military experts in Russia and abroad suspect that
the Georgian attack against South Ossetia was in fact an element of
the designs for Iran charted by American strategists.

Georgian aggression against Tskhinvali and blistering reaction of
the West to recognition of South Ossetia and Abkhazia by Moscow
distracted attention of the international community from the reports
that the United States, Great Britain, and France sent a great deal
of naval assets to the Persian Gulf. Once they all are in place,
the group will include five aircraft-carrying detachments totalling
40 warships. This is the first time after the war in Iraq that any
such armada will be sailing the Persian Gulf.

According to The Middle East Times, the United States dispatched
its USS Theodore Roosevelt, USS Ronald Reagan, and USS Iwo Jima to
meet with the USS Abraham Lincoln and USS Peleliu in the Persian
Gulf. The Brits and the French have Ark Royal (aircraft-carrier),
some escorts, and Amethyst (submarine) in the area. In late June,
this armada already ran Operation Brimstone off the US Atlantic coast,
a drill of the naval blockade of Iran.

Iranian nuclear program presents the allies with a perfect excuse to go
to war. Iranian Ambassador to Russia Golamreza Alsani once said that
the nuclear power plant in Busher – the first such object in Iran –
might go on line before the end of 2008. President Mahmud Ahmadinejad
in the meantime said Iran already had 5,000 centrifuges running.

In other words, the Islamic Republic of Iran is making fast progress so
that its objective, uranium enrichment techniques, is nearly within
reach. Official Washington nevertheless claims that it is nuclear
weapons that Tehran is really after.

US President George W. Bush went public to say once that he did
not rule out the possibility of a military strike at Iran. The US
Congress passed the Iran Freedom Support Act, a document that calls
for "bringing the existing regime to account for its threatening
behavior". The New Yorker ran a piece titled "Forthcoming War"
implying that Washington was planning strikes at the nuclear power
plant in Busher but also at nuclear sites in Isfahan, Natanza, and
so on. Located deep below the surface as they are, these sites are
only vulnerable to high-precision missiles or airbombs weighing over
half a ton each.

US Army will be deployed after that, more likely than not to occupy
the so called energy security zone in the oil-rich south of the
country. It will put the United States in control over production
of 60-70% of all Iranian oil. A puppet government will be installed
there in no time at all, one to sign an oil production and export
agreement with the Americans.

The Jerusalem Post and The Daily Telegraph report that AIVD (Dutch
intelligence) recalled is agents from Iran in late August when it
became alerted to the American plans to subject the target country
to a drone strike. It is known that AIVD shares information with
CIA. There is, however, a catch. Where will the strike be delivered
from? In Afghanistan, the United States only controls Kabul itself
and the zone adjacent to the US military base in Bahram. Sending
strategic bombers like B-52s from there to Iran will be risky
(there are Afghani guerrillas wielding portable missile launchers to
consider). Same goes for Pakistan, Turkey, and Iraq. Western part
of Pakistan constitutes the so called Pushtu Tribal Zone where the
Taliban movement calls the tune… Neither can the Americans rely
on the Arab states of Arabia. "It’s certainly different from what it
was like in 2003 when some Arab countries all but blessed the United
States poised to strike at Iraq," Muhammed Said Idris of the Center
for Political and Strategic Studies (Cairo, Egypt) said. "These days,
support of the attack against Iran will be regarded as treachery." A
lot of Arabs are convinced that Iran needs nuclear weapons to serve
as an adequate counterweight to Israel.

All these considerations leave the northern vector of attack against
Iran for the Americans to consider. Washington cannot rely on neutral
Turkmenistan or pro-Russian Armenia. Azerbaijan denied its military
bases to the Americans – fearing negative reaction from its own Shi’ah
population. It leaves Georgia, a country conveniently located on the
Black Sea coast. This is where the main strike will be launched from.

Ruslan Pukhov, Director of the Center for Analysis of Strategies and
Techniques, is convinced that "… yes, the Americans desperately
need Georgia and its waters as a bridgehead."

Deputy Chief of the General Staff Colonel General Anatoly Nogovitsyn
admits that "… Russia is upset by activeness of NATO’s naval forces
and their buildup in the Black Sea." Indeed, NATO had 9 ships in the
Black Sea on August 25 (including USS Mount Whitney, 6th US Fleet
flagship) and will have 18 (!) in just a few days. Washington keeps
telling everyone that the ships are ferrying relief aid to Georgia
but nobody is that gullible.

Hence the suspicions that the Georgian attack against South Ossetia
was actually an element of preparations for an operation against
Iran and eventual deployment of an American contingent, say, on the
pretext of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline protection. Military
expert Igor Boschenko even suggested that the events around South
Ossetia were actually a cover for preparations for the American strike
at Iran scheduled for late August. Russia’s swift reaction, however,
threatened to expose the preparations (and the military infrastructure
set up in the process) and the operation was aborted.

Russia stands for a political and diplomatic settlement of the conflict
over the Iranian nuclear program. Activization of the Russian-Iranian
nuclear cooperation may serve as a response to the Western community’s
threats to Russia itself. Quite symptomatic, but Leonid Reznikov of
Atomstrpoieksport (the structure building nuclear power plants abroad)
visited Busher for the first time the other day.

As for Iran, it never misses a chance to tell the international
community that any attack against it will cause Iranian retaliation
with all forces and means available. Shahab-3 strategic missiles with
the range in excess of 1,500 kilometers were tested in this country
not long ago. Shahab-3s will reach as far as NATO bases in Turkey,
Israel, and Pakistan.

>From the standpoint of weapons and military hardware, the Iranian army
is way ahead of any other military in the region. Its Air Force is
expecting new Azarakhsh (Lightning) and Saegheh (Thunder) fighters
in the near future. The Iranian Navy includes a nuclear submarine
now… In short, the American escapade in Iran has every chance to
become a war of attrition at best, and World War III at worst.

16 IRANIAN TOURISTS KILLED IN TURKEY BUS CRASH

Gulf News
.html
Sept 9 2008
United Arab Emirates

Istanbul: Sixteen Iranian tourists were killed and 32 injured in a
bus crash in eastern Turkey, state news agency Anatolian reported
on Tuesday.

According to media reports, the driver lost control of the bus,
sending it careening off a bendy road in Agri province late on Monday.

The tourists, Iranians of Armenian descent, had spent a week in eastern
Turkey visiting historical sites as part of a 90-person group, Vatan
newspaper reported.

TO OVERCOME PSYCHOLOGICAL BARRIER

Hayots Ashkhar Daily
09 Sep 2008
Armenia

In his interview given to the Turkish journalists during his return
from Armenia, Turkish President Abdullah Gyul announced that by his
visit to Armenia the two sides managed to overcome the psychological
barrier between Armenia and Turkey and Caucasus in general.

Emphasizing that he got great pleasure from his visit to Armenia
and the attention of Armenian President Serge Sargsyan towards him,
Gyul said that for Turkey the issue of Nagorno Karabakh is the most
important problem in Caucasus, regarding which they had detailed
discussions in Armenia. "I didn’t expect that Serge Sargsyan will
discuss Karabakh issue with me in such details," he said.

Underscoring that they didn’t discuss the issue of opening Turkish
-Armenian border President Gyul said: "In case we manage to maintain
the warm atmosphere between Ankara and Yerevan, everything will be
normalized. At the moment there is no conversation about opening
the border."

"I believe my visit to Armenia destroyed the psychological barrier
in Caucasus," the Turkish President announced.

ARMENIA STARTS TO SHOW ELEMENTS OF INDEPENDENCE: ARMENIAN POLITICAL EXPERT

ArmInfo
2008-09-08 17:22:00

ArmInfo. Armenia has finally started to show the elements of
independence, Head of the Analytical Center on Globalization and
Regional Cooperation Stepan Grigoryan said at today’s international
conference in Yerevan ‘Situation in the Caucasus. Role of NATO and EU’.

‘I positively consider RA President Serzh Sargsyan’s refusal to
recognizer the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, though in
this issue, Armenia was undoubtedly pressed by Kremlin’, he said.

The political expert thinks that this step of the Armenian president
is very important as Armenia has finally demonstrated that it has
its national interests and viewpoint which the republic is ready to
stand for.

‘All the allies of Russia on SCO and CSTO acted in a similar way and
we have not become an exception in this aspect as unsettled Nagorno
Karabakh conflict available makes our authorities to show an utter
degree of caution concerning recognition of Abkhazia, South Ossetia
and Kosovo’, the political expert resumed.

Earlier, on September 4, during the meeting with the Armenian
ambassadors and permanent representatives of the republic in
international organizations, RA president explained the republic’s
position on recognition of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. "Today,
a question periodically sounds why Armenia does not recognize the
independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

The reply is clear: under Nagorno Karabakh conflict available, Armenia
cannot recognize another formation in a similar situation until it
did not recognize Nagorno Karabakh Republic", RA president said.

Sunday’s Zaman, Turkey
Sept 7 2008

TSK’s `institutional’ visit to incarcerated Ergenekon suspects draws ire

A visit paid last Wednesday by a member of the Turkish Armed Forces
(TSK), Kocaeli Garrison Commander Lt. Gen. Galip Mendi, to two
suspects in the Ergenekon terrorist organization case, retired
Gen. Å?ener Eruygur and retired Gen. HurÅ?it Tolon, who
have been under arrest since July for alleged involvement in the
Ergenekon gang, has sparked a debate on whether the TSK was trying to
influence the judicial process in an ongoing legal case.

"This visit, paid to two retired generals who had served in the TSK
for a long time, was made on behalf of the TSK," said a statement from
the General Staff, issued just minutes after Gen. Mendi’s meeting with
the two terror suspects. "As is known, today, as in the past, the TSK
fully respects and trusts the judiciary," the statement said. The
TSK’s visit to the two terrorism suspects took place just hours before
a meeting between Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ErdoÄ?an and newly
appointed Chief of General Staff Gen. Ä°lker
BaÅ?buÄ?. The Ergenekon terrorist organization was
allegedly planning to instigate a coup in 2009, during which
Gen. BaÅ?buÄ? would be the chief of general
staff. Ergenekon suspects, according to various documents seized
during the operation, thought that former Chief of General Staff
Gen. YaÅ?ar Büyükanıt was not warm to the
idea of a coup. Critics said that with this visit, the TSK stood up
for the Ergenekon suspects and that its attitude is very likely to
influence the course of the Ergenekon case. The retired generals,
Eruygur and Tolon, are accused of being members of the Ergenekon gang
which is suspected of orchestrating various murders and attacks with
the intention of creating chaos that would trigger a coup.

Aug. 30

Turkey celebrated the 86th anniversary of Aug. 30, Victory Day. A
parade was held at the Atatürk Culture Center in
Ankara. President Abdullah Gül, Parliament Speaker
Köksal Toptan, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ErdoÄ?an,
Chief of General Staff Gen. Ä°lker BaÅ?buÄ? and
other state officials observed the parade.

Turkey threatened to restrict imports from Russia in a trade dispute
that has seen hundreds of Turkish trucks carrying exports held up at
the Russian border for weeks. Turkish Justice Minister Mehmet Ali
Å?ahin complained about the restrictions on Turkish exports to
Russia and suggested his country could do the same to Russian
exporters. "Reciprocity is essential in foreign affairs," Å?ahin
was quoted as saying by state-run media. "If another country is
engaged in unfair conduct against us, that gives us the right to do
the same thing."

The government announced the price floor for hazelnuts: YTL 4 for this
year’s harvest — nearly YTL 1 lower than last year — leading to
harsh criticism from more than 750,000 farmers in the Black Sea
region, who find the price "unacceptable." Minister of Agriculture and
Rural Affairs Mehdi Eker announced the new pricing at a press
conference in Ankara.

Aug. 31

Four Turkish soldiers and two outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK)
terrorists were killed after PKK terrorists launched a rocket attack
on a military outpost in the eastern province of Bingöl.

Georgia’s Foreign Minister Eka Tkeshelashvili arrived in
Ä°stanbul to meet with his Turkish counterpart. Turkey’s Foreign
Ministry says Tkeshelashvili and Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan
were to discuss the "latest developments in Georgia, regional issues
and bilateral ties between Turkey and Georgia."

Sept. 1

Close to 1 million first graders and 700,000 kindergarten students
began the new school year, one week before older students, to
participate in an orientation program meant to ease adaptation to the
school environment.

Turkish exports in August surged by 27.5 percent over July to $10.9
billion, bringing the 12-month total to $129.5 billion. The
industrial, agricultural and mining sectors recorded the highest
volume of exports, while iron and steel manufacturing saw the biggest
increase in exports, followed by the chemical and machine components
sectors.

The Ä°stanbul edition of the Human Race — the world’s biggest
daylong event, sponsored by Nike and held in 25 locations around the
world — took place in Ä°stanbul. State Minister Murat
BaÅ?esgioÄ?lu started the race on the Asian side of the
Bosporus Bridge in Beylerbeyi, and about 10,000 runners participated
in the 10-kilometer run, which ended in KuruçeÅ?me on the
European side.

Some 22 individuals with suspected links to Islamic militant group
al-Qaeda who were detained in simultaneous operations across
Ä°stanbul last Friday were ordered to appear in court. The
suspects were sent to the courthouse in BeÅ?iktaÅ? after
they were interrogated at the Ä°stanbul police counterterrorism
department.

Sept. 2

The Transportation Ministry and General Directorate for Highways
completed preliminary studies to determine the spot for a third bridge
over the Bosporus to link Ä°stanbul’s Asian and European
sides. The government had previously announced that a location for the
third bridge had been determined but was not released so as to avoid
any land speculation. According to a report that the highways
directorate sent to the Prime Ministry, the third bridge will be
constructed between Tarabya on the European side and Beykoz on the
Asian side, north of the two current bridges.

A non-combatant US ship steamed through the Turkish Straits, heading
toward the Black Sea, only hours after one of two US Navy ships that
last month transited the straits to carry humanitarian aid to Georgia
sailed back toward the Mediterranean late on Monday.

Turkey’s Naval Forces Commander Vice Adm. Metin Ataç met with
Adm. Vladimir Vysotsky, commander of the Russian Navy, on Monday
morning, the Turkish General Staff announced in a brief statement
posted on its Web site. The meeting took place on the frigate TCG
Kemalreis, which was navigating in international waters on the Black
Sea, the statement said. "The parties exchanged opinions concerning
issues that interest both countries’ naval forces and recent
developments in the region," it added.

A prosecutor in Ankara started an investigation into a raid of the
headquarters of the Workers’ Party (Ä°P) as part of a probe into
the Ergenekon crime gang, accused of orchestrating various murders and
attacks with the intention of creating chaos that would trigger a
coup. Prosecutor Abbas Ã-zden said judicial procedures,
specifically Article 134 of the Code on Criminal Procedure (CMK), were
ignored when computers in the Ä°P office were confiscated as
backups were not made and given to Ä°P officials.

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs Mehdi Eker said trucks
transporting Turkish produce have not had a problem getting through
Russian customs at the border. Eker said there is no indication of
Turkish produce trucks being delayed at Russian border crossings and
that his ministry had never given confirmation of such delays. Eker
noted that some Turkish trucks may have recently been delayed at the
border but said this was temporary.

Turkey and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in Jeddah signed a
memorandum of understanding (MoU) that will provide for cooperation in
the economic, political and security spheres. The signing of the MoU
took place at the first foreign ministerial-level meeting during which
a "senior level strategic dialogue" mechanism between Turkey and the
GCC was put into force.

Two Turkish troops were killed and at least two were injured when PKK
terrorists attacked a gendarmerie outpost in the eastern province of
Bingöl’s KiÄ?ı district with long-range weapons.

Sept. 3

A moderate earthquake rumbled through eastern Turkey, causing damage
to buildings in the southeastern province of Adıyaman. The
quake registered 5.1 on the Richter scale and occurred at 5:22
a.m. (0222 GMT) with its epicenter in Samsat. There were no reports of
casualties.

A third US Navy ship carrying humanitarian aid transited the
Dardanelles on its way to Georgia. The USS Mount Whitney is the third
US Navy vessel to take supplies such as blankets, hygiene kits and
baby food to Georgia following its war with Russia over South Ossetia.

Turkish and Greek Cypriot leaders launched talks for reunification of
the divided island, saying they were hopeful that it would not take
too long to reach a settlement. "We are confident we will succeed in
concluding a comprehensive agreement as soon as possible, and
hopefully this year," Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat told
reporters after meeting with Greek Cypriot leader Dimitris Christofias
for nearly two hours in the UN buffer zone dividing Nicosia. He said
he was confident because the talks did not start from scratch. "I
don’t think the negotiations will last long," he said.

Kocaeli Garrison Commander Lt. Gen. Galip Mendi paid a visit to
retired generals Å?ener Eruygur and HurÅ?it Tolon, both
terror suspects in the Ergenekon case. A statement issued by the
General Staff underlined that the visit was made "on behalf of the
Turkish Armed Forces."

President Gül announced that he will watch a World Cup
qualifying game between the Turkish and Armenian national teams in
Yerevan on Saturday.

Sept. 4

Turkey announced that it sent two military observers to South Ossetia
to participate in the Organization for Security and Cooperation in
Europe’s (OSCE) mission there.

Both the European Union, which Ankara aspires to join, and Turkey’s
NATO ally the United States welcomed President Gül’s decision
to respond favorably to Armenian President Serzh Sarksyan’s invitation
to visit Yerevan to watch a match between the national football teams
of the two estranged neighboring countries. Both Brussels and
Washington also expressed expectations of a complete normalization of
relations between Armenia and Turkey, which have not had diplomatic
ties since the early 1990s.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ErdoÄ?an received praise for
Ankara’s efforts to broker peace talks between Syria and Israel at a
four-way summit in Damascus to discuss the Middle East peace, attended
by Turkish, French, Syrian and Qatari leaders. Syrian President Bashar
Assad, host of the summit, said Turkey was the only country taking an
initiative to initiate indirect talks between Syria and Israel after
an eight-year freeze. French President Nicolas Sarkozy also praised
Turkish efforts for peace between Israel and Syria. He said Ankara has
done an excellent job and expressed European backing and
acknowledgement for the Turkish initiative.

Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov refrained from criticizing
President Gül for making a visit to Armenia, saying it is a
decision that should be left up to Turkish authorities. "It is not
possible for Azerbaijan to get involved in this issue one way or
another," Mammadyarov told reporters.

Sept. 5

Prime Minister ErdoÄ?an expressed satisfaction over President
Gül’s acceptance of an invitation from his Armenian counterpart
to watch a World Cup qualifying soccer match between the Turkish and
Armenian national teams in Yerevan. "President Gül’s decision
to accept or reject an invitation from Armenia will have a
considerable impact on the improvement or deterioration of Turkey’s
image in the international arena. If he had declined to go to Yerevan,
everyone would have criticized Turkey for refusing to improve ties
with Armenia. If Armenia had ulterior motives when inviting Gül
to the soccer game, then Gül spoiled their plan by accepting
the invitation," stated ErdoÄ?an, who spoke to reporters on a
plane en route to Ankara from Damascus.

07 September 2008, Sunday