Author: Tvankchian Parkev

US Welcomes RA Constitutional Court’s Ruling

Tert.am
12:54 – 23.01.10

Despite Turkey’s complaints, the US Department of State sees a
positive step forward in the Armenian Constitutional Court’s ruling
over the Armenia-Turkey Protocols. According to the ruling, the
Protocols do not run counter to the Constitution of Armenia, reports
Azatutyun ("Freedom") Radio.

`We view the court decision as a positive step forward in the
ratification process of the normalization protocols between Turkey and
Armenia,’ U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Philip Gordon said.

`The court decision permits the protocols, as they were negotiated and
signed, to move forward towards parliamentary ratification, and does
not appear to limit or qualify them in any way,’ he has mentioned.

Gordon has also said that there is no change in the US stance on this issue.

`Our position remains the same. We support the normalization process,
which we believe contributes to peace and stability in the Caucasus.
What is critical is to keep the parties focused on the vital
importance of moving ahead,’ Gordon said, adding that `they are
confident that both Turkey and Armenia take their commitment to the
protocols seriously, and that they urge timely ratification of the
protocols by both countries.’

Armenia asks Russia for $100 mln loan to revive diamond industry

MOSCOW, January 23 (RIA Novosti)
Alexander Lyskin |

Armenia asked Russia to provide it with a $100 million loan to develop
the Transcaucasia state’s diamond industry, which was the country’s
major economic locomotive in early 2000th, but has plunged in recent
years, a Russian Finance Ministry spokesman said on Saturday.

"The request has been received, we are considering it," Konstantin
Vyshkovsky, who heads the ministry’s state loan department, said,
adding the decision would be taken "within a reasonable time."

The Armenian Finance Minister Tigran Davtyan, who visited the Russian
capital, Moscow, on January 20, announced earlier on Saturday the
republic’s intention to spend some $100 million of loan funds to buy
Russian rough diamonds. Other $20 million of loan are expected to be
spent on the development of cooperation between Armenian diamond
producers and Russia’s largest diamond miner Alrosa.

Armenia’s diamond output accounted for 40% of exports in early 2000th.

Alrosa, which accounts for 97% of Russian and 25% of global diamond
output, said in December it sold diamonds worth $2.19 billion in 2009,
including $2.13 billion worth of rough diamonds and $60 million worth
of cut diamonds.

OSCE MG CO-CHAIRS DISCUSSED KARABAKH ISSUE WITH SAUDABAYEV

news.am
Jan 22 2010
Armenia

OSCE Minsk Group hopes to bring the conflicting parties to the
necessity of early accord on principles of Karabakh conflict resolution
through the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Kazakh Foreign Minister Kanat
Saudabayev. OSCE MG Co-Chair Yuri Merzlyakov stated after the Jan. 22
meeting with Saudabayev.

According to Merzlyakov, prior to Saudabayev’s visit to South Caucasus,
the Co-Chairs presented him their viewpoints on the situation and
prospects of Karabakh peace process.

He also underlined that mediators will be able to convey positions
of co-chairing countries and OSCE Chairman to the conflicting parties.

According to Merzlyakov, their position is reaching early accord on
the fundamentals of Karabakh conflict settlement proposed by OSCE MG
Co-chairing states.

Russian Co-Chair called meeting with Saudabayev "interesting
and productive", saying that the officials agreed to meet after
Saudabayev’s visit to the region.

As NEWS.am reported earlier, the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office intends
to visit South Caucasus in February. First Saudabayev will arrive in
Azerbaijan, thereafter-to Armenia and Georgia.

ARTAK DASHYAN WAS ACTIVE AGAIN

Aysor
Jan 20 2010
Armenia

The team "Metalurg" of Donetsk competed with the champion of Russia
"Rubin". The first team to have success was "Kazan", but on the 18th
minute Kingsli equaled the account.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan, football player of Armenian National team was
in the main staff of the group. On the 66th minute he was replaced
by Tanasan. On the second half Henrikh could dubble the difference
of the balls, but the goalkeeper of the "Rubin" managed to make the
threat vanish.

And the football player of "Banants" team Artak Dashyan who was on
probation period in Donetsk team, on the 80th round was replaced by
Yankovin. As the official site of "Metalurg" informs, Dashyan was
very active and useful during the game. He has prepared good chances
for Tanasa and Ivanko, but the rivals couldn’t use that moment.

ALEXANDER SOTNICHENKO: ARMENIA PLAYS INTERESTING DIPLOMATIC GAME

PanARMENIAN.Net
20.01.2010 16:24 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenia’s Constitutional Court shouldn’t have passed
a single-package decision over RA-Turkish Protocols, according to
Alexander Sotnichenko, leading analyst at St. Petersburg Center for
Contemporary Middle East.

"I don’t think the CC decision is impossible to find on the Internet,"
he told a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter.

At that, he noted that Turkey disapproves RA Constitutional Court’s
decision to distinguish primary and secondary clauses in Protocols.

"The most vulnerable moment for Turkey is that the Constitutional Court
gave primary role to border opening and establishment of diplomatic
ties," the Russian expert said, adding that Armenia actually refuses
to recognize Turkey’s territorial integrity, unless these conditions
are met.

Criticizing Turkish Foreign Ministry’s statement, Sotnichenko said
Ankara should closely study RA CC decision and indicate the clauses
it disapproves.

"Armenia’s playing an interesting diplomatic game. RA CC decision
proves that the country is ready for ratifying the Protocols, with
Turkey being responsible for procrastinations," he noted, adding that
Armenia conducts wrong diplomacy in relation to Turkey.

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.

In its official comments on RA CC decision over Armenia-Turkey
Protocols, Turkey’s Foreign Ministry states that the document contains
preconditions and restrictions which violate the letter and spirit
of the Protocols.

"On January 12, Armenia’s Constitutional Court found the Protocols
conformable to the country’s basic law. The decision, available in
short text format, undermines the essence and objective of current
negotiations. Such approach cannot be acceptable to us," says the
statement posted on Turkish Foreign Ministry’s Web site.

CHILDREN OF ARMENIA ORGANIZES TRAININGS FOR PSYCHOLOGISTS

PanARMENIAN.Net
20.01.2010 18:21 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Under the fund’s program, 8 psychologists received
6-month qualification trainings.

The Children of Armenia Fund (COAF) announced today the completion of
the most recent addition to its program in Child and Family Support
Services-a pilot project designed to train future school psychologists
in the villages constituting COAF’s Model Cluster.

The eight participants from the village communities of Armavir region
received six months of intensive training at COAF’s Child and Family
Support Center.

During the ceremony of handing certificates, program manager Naira
Karakhanyan said, "COAF is always ready to initiate and support any
innovative idea that may be useful in rural communities. We are just
at the beginning of a new direction and this is a good start."

In his turn, Mr. Koryun Makaryan, Lernagog School Principal noted,
"I attach great importance to psychological services and look forward
to the trained psychologist’s work in our school, and to the early
detection and prevention of problems."

Children of Armenia Fund is a charity organization implementing poverty
eradication projects in Armenia’s rural communities. Over the five
years of its existence, the fund implemented programs totaling USD
7.5 million. Due to the fund’s program 11 buildings (4 schools, two
kindergartens¸ 3 out-patient clinics, house of culture and sports
complex) in Armavir region were repaired and an 18 km. irrigation
channel was reconstructed.

Under Children of Armenia fund’s program, 8 psychologists from Armavir
region received 6-month qualification trainings.

The Children of Armenia Fund (COAF) announced today the completion of
the most recent addition to its program in Child and Family Support
Services-a pilot project designed to train future school psychologists
in the villages constituting COAF’s Model Cluster.

The eight participants from the village communities of Armavir region
received six months of intensive training at COAF’s Child and Family
Support Center.

During the ceremony of handing certificates, program manager Naira
Karakhanyan said, "COAF is always ready to initiate and support any
innovative idea that may be useful in rural communities. We are just
at the beginning of a new direction and this is a good start."

In his turn, Mr. Koryun Makaryan, Lernagog School Principal noted,
"I attach great importance to psychological services and look forward
to the trained psychologist’s work in our school, and to the early
detection and prevention of problems."

Children of Armenia Fund is a charity organization implementing poverty
eradication projects in Armenia’s rural communities. Over the five
years of its existence, the fund implemented programs totaling USD
7.5 million. Due to the fund’s program 11 buildings (4 schools, two
kindergartens¸ 3 out-patient clinics, house of culture and sports
complex) in Armavir region were repaired and an 18 km. irrigation
channel was reconstructed.

STREET NAMED AFTER HRANT DINK AFTER COMMEMORATION

Hurriyet Daily News
et-named-after-hrant-dink-after-the-commemoration- 2010-01-19
Jan 19 2010
Turkey

A couple of people climbed the pole at the corner of the Pangaltı
crossway in Istanbul’s central Å~^iÅ~_li district Tuesday and removed
the "Ergenekon Street" sign. They replaced it with another sign:
"Hrant Dink Street."

This was just after a couple thousand people gathered in Å~^iÅ~_li
to commemorate Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink, who was shot
to death in front of his newspaper Agos’ building in Å~^iÅ~_li three
years ago.

Ergenekon is also the name of an alleged gang that is accused of aiming
to topple the government by creating turmoil in society and that is
alleged to be connected to the "deep state." Dink’s assassination is
also linked to the "deep state," according to allegations.

A group called Art for Peace organized changing the street signs. The
group requested a meeting with Å~^iÅ~_li Mayor Mustafa Sarıgul to
officially change the name of the street, but the meeting will be
possible only after Jan. 19, the group said in a leaflet it distributed
to the crowd in Å~^iÅ~_li.

Without waiting for the appointment, the group members changed the
name of the street themselves.

Rage against judicial process

This year’s slogan during the commemoration was "We know the killer,
we want justice." Despite the cold and the snow and heavy rain, many
people participated in the commemoration. Rage was arguably the main
emotion of the crowd.

"I am eminently enraged," retired teacher Semra Tugcu said as she
stood in the crowd.

She said she was not hopeful about Dink’s murder case. "I am a Turk,
but this does not mean that I am not a minority in this country,"
she said. "I feel like a minority, too."

Hrant Dink’s wife, Rakel Dink, and their son and daughter were also
at the Agos newspaper office.

Arat Dink, Hrant Dink’s son, spoke to the crowd. "Were those kids
[those suspected of murdering Dink] alone while they were making fun
of us in the court? … I do not trust justice in this country. But
being here for the last three years with you makes me hopeful,"
Arat Dink said.

Dink’s speech was frequently cut by slogans from the crowd such as,
"Murderer state will give account," "Despite fascism, you are my
brother Hrant," and "Either all together, or none of us, there is no
salvation alone."

TURKEY MADE ITS DECISION

Lragir.am
19/01/10

Interview with the coordinator of the Armenian National Congress
Levon Zurabyan

After the visit of the OSCE Minsk group American co-chair Robert
Bradtke to the region, Serge Sargsyan left for Moscow to meet with
Medvedev. A regular Aliyev-Sargsyan meeting is scheduled in the end
of January. What would you say in connection of this activation in
the NKR issue?

All our predictions become reality. In his speech at the rally on
September 17, 2008 Levon Ter-Petrosyan said that Serge Sargsyan
pledged to go on a package solution and to solve in the same package
the Armenian-Turkish and the Karabakh issues. All the assurances of
the authorities that these issues are not linked are nothing. The
views we have heard from the leaders of the United States and Russia
that we do not need to link these issues do not mean a thing too. It
is obvious that it is Turkey to open the border and to establish
relationships which explicitly links these problems. And since Turkey
is not under political pressure, it is obvious that these issues are
indeed intertwined. But U.S. and Russia’s leaders are simply trying
to save the image of their Armenian counterparts.

Which is the reason why they want to save the image of the Armenian
leadership?

The government has always deceived people saying that those issues
are not tangled. But as they undertake that step, just from propaganda
point, they need the assistance of the international community. This
is the reason why Putin and Obama make such statements. While, it
is evident that these two issues are linked, that the singing of
the Armenian and Turkish protocols aroused some activation in the
NKR issue. As well as, the whole international society is evident to
have repressed the Armenian and Turkish process and now it is aimed
at the settlement of the Karabakh conflict.

The RP affirms that Turkey’s statements are aimed at getting
concessions from the international society in connection with other
issues. That is they make those statements for other purposes having
enough levers to force Turkey to solve the Armenian and Turkish issue
without the settlement of the NKR conflict.

We do not need to take seriously such statements of the Republican
Party moreover they were wrong in their predictions in December
when saying that Erdogan’s visit to Washington would not take place
if the Turks did not ratify the protocols. Only fools may believe
their predictions.

Will there be any break in the NKR issue in result of the upcoming
Aliyev-Sargsyan meeting?

After the Armenian and Turkish protocols were signed, repressions in
connection with the Karabakh issue started.

Do you think that signing of a declaration in relation to the NKR
issue will happen before the ratification of the Armenian-Turkish
protocols or after it?

It is difficult to speak about this matter simpler and more
systematically, than it was done by Turkey which claims that the
protocols will not be ratified until some progress in the Karabakh
settlement. It is obvious that either the Karabakh problem will be
solved, or the process will be re-frozen. If the Armenian government
is so naïve to believe that these two processes can be divided from
each other we have only to grief for our leaders. But I am sure they
are not so naïve and understand what they do by deceiving people.

Can the international community exert pressure on Turkey?

If the authorities think that the international community can exert
pressure on Turkey, they are mistaken. It is obvious that Turkey now
has the same importance for the U.S. as the United States for Turkey.

The U.S. challenges in the Middle East, and the partnership with Turkey
is a key factor for their safety, especially against the background of
failures, which the United States suffers in Iraq and Afghanistan. So,
the U.S. will not put pressure on Turkey. The same is true for Russia,
which, on the contrary, sees in the face of the Turkish state, one
with which it may have common interests.

Unfortunately, to achieve common goals, there will be pressure exerted
on Armenia.

Interview By Arman Galoyan

REASONABLE TERMS FOR TURKEY’S RATIFICATION OF PROTOCOLS EXPIRE ON APRIL 24

PanARMENIAN.Net
18.01.2010 18:19 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Reasonable terms for Turkish parliament’s
ratification of Protocols expire on April 24, 2010, RPA parliamentary
group member Gagik Minasyan said.

As Gagik Minasyan told a news conference in Yerevan, should Turkey
fail the rapprochement process, international community will hold
it responsible.

According to the parliamentarian, despite statements voiced by Turkish
officials, Turkey’s parliament will ratify the Protocols. "By dragging
out the ratification, Turkey aims to gain more from the process,
which is unacceptable to us," Gagik Minasyan stressed.

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.

"KARABAGH-TELECOM" TO BE ACTIVELY INVOLVED IN PROGRAMS IN ARTSAKH

PanARMENIAN.Net
18.01.2010 20:54 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ On 18 January President of Nagorno Karabakh Republic
(Artsakh) Bako Sahakyan met with the "Karabagh-Telecom" president
Pierre Fattouch and director general Ralph Yirekian.

Issues related to the current and perspective programs of the
company in Artsakh were discussed at the meeting. The president
of Artsakh underlined the important role of the "Karabagh Telecom"
in the socioeconomic development of the country and expressed hope
that the company would continue its active participation in different
programs in Artsakh.

NKR prime minister Ara Haroutyunyan, vice-prime minister, finance
minister Spartak Tevosyan and other officials partook the meeting,
Central Information Department of NKR President’s Office reported.