Author: Vanyan Gary

Interfax, Russia
April 10 2009

Sargsyan opposed to preliminary conditions in settlement with Turkey

YEREVAN April 10

Relations between Armenia and Turkey should be sorted out as soon as
possible and without any preliminary conditions, Armenian President
Serzh Sargsyan told a news conference on Friday.

"We have repeatedly announced our readiness to establish relations
with Turkey without any preliminary conditions. During the settlement
process with Turkey, Armenia does not plan to put forth any
preliminary conditions, including the issue of Armenian genocide
recognition," Sargsyan said.

"I believe that Turkey does not view objections to recognition of this
genocide as a preliminary condition. We need to sort out our
relations," the Armenian head said.

Sargsyan said he hopes that the Armenian-Turkish border will be opened
before a football match between the two countries’ national teams in
October 2009.

"I think the border will be opened, or we will come close to opening
it, before I go to watch this football match," he said.

Addressing the possibility of Washington recognizing the Armenian
genocide, Sargsyan said that "the U.S. does not need us to decide
whether or not to recognize this genocide."

"We are not making the U.S. recognize the Armenian genocide," he said.

The deliberate and systematic destruction of the Armenian population
in the Ottoman Empire in 1915, during which, according to various
reports, more than 1.5 million people were killed, has been recognized
as an act of genocide by a number of countries. Turkey, however,
refuses to recognize it and demands a solution to the Nagorno-
Karabakh conflict based on the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.

tm dp

APA, Azerbaijan
April 11 2009

Deniz Baykal: No one in Turkey can ignore betrayal with respect to
Azerbaijan, no government can do it

[ 11 Apr 2009 15:56 ]

Ankara ` APA. Chairman of Republican People’s Party of Turkey Deniz
Baykal made a statement for media on the reopening of Turkey-Armenia
borders, Turkey’s Caucasus policy and Nagorno Karabakh conflict before
the party’s meeting in Ankara, APA reports.

In his one-hour speech Baykal criticized the Caucasus policy of
Turkish government and underlined that it might cause serious results
for the country. Deniz Baykal noted that Turkey closed the borders
with Armenia after the latter occupied Azerbaijani territories and
said it had nothing to do with the so-called genocide, Yerevan’s
refusing to recognize Turkey’s borders.
`The major part of our relations with Armenia is the occupation of
Azerbaijani territories. Such issues as genocide allegations,
non-recognition of our territorial integrity may be solved later,
these are not the vital issues for Turkey. Once Syria had claims for
Hatay. What happened later? Now we have warm enough relations with
Syria. Turkey is a great self-confident state. Our problems with
Armenia may be solved gradually, Turkey need not worry about it or
feel obligation to take any step. The main thing is the release of the
occupied Azerbaijani territories,’ he said.

Deniz Baykal said the occupation of Azerbaijani territories was not
only the claim of Turkey and Azerbaijan, the fact was confirmed in the
international documents. He mentioned that the UN Security Council had
adopted four resolutions concerning it and briefed the content of the
resolution to the journalists. Deniz Baykal said UN General Assembly
and PACE had also passed decisions on the occupation of Azerbaijani
territories. Baykal said Turkey closed the borders with Armenia in
1993, during Suleyman Demirel’s presidency and noted that all the
following governments were committed to that policy, only AKP
government had recently begun to give up that policy, the official
position of the state with respect to Armenian policy had been removed
from the official website of the Foreign Ministry. He underlined that
the foreign pressures on the government might cause serious results
for Turkey’s foreign policy and image of the state.
`A part of the attention paid to the Middle East and Arab countries,
should be paid to the Caucasus and Central Asia. Otherwise, pressures
on Turkey will increase and everybody will see that they can achieve
whatever they want by pressures. This is very dangerous. It will also
damage the confidence in Turkey. it should be prevented,’ he said.

Deniz Baykal said Armenians had occupied not only Nagorno Karabakh,
but also the surrounding regions and named the seven regions.
`As a result of the occupation, about one million people were
displaced,’ he said.
Turkey’s opposition leader underlined Azerbaijan’s importance in the
region.
`Azerbaijan is the most important and biggest country of the
Caucasus. Turkey’s Caucasus policy is impossible without
Azerbaijan. Turkey should pursue its Caucasus policy together with
Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan is very important in terms of energy strategy
of Turkey and even of the European Union and is an important part of
Nabucco project. In this respect, losing Azerbaijan may increase the
power of Russia and Iran in the region,’ he said.

Deniz Baykal said Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s statement that
the borders will not open unless Azerbaijani territories are released
is not enough.
`Those who had secret talks with Armenia in Switzerland should say
what
they had discussed. Obama came and said it openly, nobody said
anything. The
government should make serious statements. Prime Minister tries to
console us. It is unacceptable,’ he said.

Deniz Baykal said Armenia should demonstrate that it ends the
occupation, plan should be prepared in line with the UN resolutions,
Armenians should begin to leave Azerbaijani territories within this
plan.
`Only after that the borders can be reopened. But there is no such a
plan, instead the reopening of the borders is being discussed. For
what? They say a joint commission of historians will be set up. First,
the borders will be reopened, after that the commission will be set
up. This is a very dangerous way. As I have already said, the issue on
borders has nothing to do with the genocide. The only stipulation is
the release of Azerbaijani territories. Turkey had undergone pressure
before, but displayed patience. We can tolerate it, too. Azerbaijan’s
concern is right,’ he said.

Deniz Baykal said the Republican People’s Party attaches great
importance to Azerbaijan.

`No one in Turkey can ignore betrayal with respect to Azerbaijan, no
government can do it. Azerbaijani people need the support of Turkish
people. Our party will send a delegation to Azerbaijan in connection
with this,’ he said.

YOUSEFIAN LOSES CITY COUNCIL RACE
By Charles Cooper

Crescenta Valley Sun
April 10 2009
CA

One of the more controversial figures in Glendale city government will
be exiting the scene as a result of Tuesday’s election. Bob Yousefian
finished fourth in the balloting for Glendale City Council with 6,654
votes, as a newcomer to the council ran first for the second election
in a row.

Former city commissioner Laura Friedman topped the list with 8,497
votes in complete semi-official returns, topping incumbent Ara Najarian
by 31 votes. Najarian received 8,466, while incumbent Frank Quintero
ran third with 8,120 votes. Two years ago, now Mayor John Drayman
finished first.

Friedman, who formerly chaired a design review commission, is a small
business owner. She will be the first woman on the council since the
retirement of Ginger Bremberg in 2001.

Yousefian, now completing his second term, was informally censured
by his colleagues for public comments in the past. He had briefly
considered running for treasurer before deciding to run for reelection.

He drew public attention for a verbal altercation with city manager
Jim Starbird at the end of a public council meeting and proposed to
his wife from the council dais during his first meeting as mayor. He
also cast a symbolic "No" vote on the budget last spring. advertisement

Mayor John Drayman said Wednesday he was very happy with the election
results. He praised Friedman for running a positive campaign, and
saluted Yousefian for his eight years of service to the city.

Drayman said the Crescenta Valley was very active for the second
election in a row, adding that he was pleased to see local residents
recognizing the importance of city government in their lives.

Some of the more active candidates in the election didn’t fare that
well when city residents cast their votes for three seats. Former
Pasadena police chief Bruce Philpott finished fourth, activist Chahe
Keuroghelian fifth and Vartan Gharpetian sixth.

The rest, in order of finish, included Lenore Solis, Aram Kazakian,
Michael Teahan, Edward Lafian and Aramazd Stepanian.

Former mayor Rafi Manoukian’s bid to return to the scene as treasurer
apparently fell short, as he lost by 823 votes to incumbent Ron Borucki
after leading much of the evening. City clerk Ardashes Kassahkian
was unopposed for reelection.

Measure U, a restructuring of the city utility tax, passed easily
with 10,774 yes votes and 5,250 voting no. City officials maintain
that the measure is revenue neutral and protects some $8 million in
city revenues against legal challenge.

A total of 866 provisional ballots remained to be counted Wednesday
morning, along with a number of mail votes dropped off at polls
on Wednesday. A total of about 55,000 votes were counted Tuesday,
representing about 18,000 voters casting their three votes for council.

ON TURKISH SOIL, PRESIDENT STANDS BY POSITION AND RAISES THE POLITICAL ISSUE OF GENOCIDE
By Seto Boyadjian, Esq.

_4/10/2009_1
Friday, April 10, 2009

In politics only the possible is achievable, because politics is the
art of the possible.

As such, our expectations should be grounded on that which is
possible. Our expectations of President Obama for his recognition of
the Armenian Genocide fall within that realm of possibilities.

There are many factors in support of this claim. It’s true we can
conjure up the absence of the use of the word "genocide" during
the President’s recent visit to Turkey as a negation of that
possibility. It is also true that, while in Turkey, the President
missed an excellent opportunity to fulfill his pledge for recognition.

We may lament the loss of this opportunity, yet at the same time we
have to ask ourselves about the realism of our expectation of its
happening on Turkish soil.

But when we place the form and substance of Obama’s Turkish visit
in its true context, we will be able to assess the unprecedented
achievement that the President’s bold conduct provided to the
Armenian Cause.

Simply put, while in Turkey President Obama’s expressed statements
and maintained position elevated the Armenian Genocide recognition
issue to a political level as opposed to Turkish efforts of confining
it to the historical context.

The fact of the matter is that on two official occasions, the
President, with his distinctive style, referred to the Armenian
Genocide in political terms.

At a press conference in the Cankaya palace, President Obama,
with Turkish President Abdullah Gul at his side, in a marked and
perhaps even prearranged manner, fielded the first question in the
press conference to Christy Parsons, a reporter from his hometown
newspaper, "The Chicago Tribune." And the question was about Obama’s
acknowledgment of the Armenian Genocide and whether he has now changed
his position on the issue.

The President answered unwaveringly, "Well, my views are on the record
and I have not changed views."

Let’s look at the portents of this statement–in Turkey itself, at the
presidential palace and in the presence of the Turkish president–the
American President confirmed that what happened against the Armenian
people is genocide.

The President was just as bold in his speech to the Turkish
parliament. In his message to Turkey’s parliamentarians and members of
government, the first political issue that Obama raised was about the
historical past (that is, the Armenian Genocide) and the normalization
of Turkey-Armenia relations. In the written text of the speech, four
paragraphs are devoted to this issue compared to the three paragraphs
for the next Israel-Palestine issue.

The President’s message was very clear. He said: "History, unresolved,
can be a heavy weight. Each country must work through its past. And
reckoning with the past can help us seize a better future. I know
there are strong views in this chamber about the terrible events of
1915. While there has been a good deal of commentary about my views,
this is really about how the Turkish and Armenian people deal with the
past. And the best way forward for the Turkish and Armenian people
is a process that works through the past in a way that is honest,
open and constructive."

Thus, inside the Turkish National Assembly a "foreigner" for the
first time confirms the "terrible events of 1915" and urges the
Turkish people and its leaders to overcome the past through "honest,
open and constructive" ways. In doing so, President Obama impressed
that this is not about his and U.S. position regarding the fact of
the Armenian Genocide, rather this is about the attitude of Turkey
and its people in overcoming that issue.

In other words, beyond the recognition of the Armenian Genocide,
the issue lies in its resolution. In this respect, while in Turkey,
President Obama, without uttering the word "genocide", transported
the Armenian Genocide issue into its proper political context.

Naturally, despite all this, it is our expectation that President Obama
issue in the coming days his presidential statement acknowledging
the Armenian Genocide. So far, we do not detect any signs negating
our expectation. On the contrary, all factors indicate that on this
issue the final word lies in the White House.

For instance, in spite of heavy pressures from influential pro-Turkish
American circles, the Departments of State and Defense–in contrast
to their blatant opposition in the near past–now do not dare
express their opposition to the process of genocide recognition. Both
Departments, when asked to comment on the issue, suffice by pointing
that this issue lies within the jurisdiction of the White House.

And the White House so far is signaling that the President has not
changed his position.

82% OF FRENCH OPPOSE TURKEY ACCESSION TO EU

PanARMENIAN.Net
09.04.2009 16:13 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ According to the poll conducted by Le Figaro
newspaper, 82% of the French citizens oppose accession of Turkey to the
European Union, InHomage.com editor Jean Eckian told PanARMENIAN.Net.

The survey was conducted two days after U.S. President Barack Obama
announced support to Turkey’s EU bid.

Only 18 % said Europe needs Turkey.

During the previous poll conducted on October 8, 2005, 75.3 percent
of French people opposed Turkey’s accession

TURKEY’S KEY FOREIGN POLICY ADVISOR ON ARMENIA, NATO-EU TIES

April 8 2009
Turkey

Ahmet Davutoglu, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s key foreign
policy advisor, appeared in Al Jazeera TV for a special interview.

Ahmet Davutoglu, who is the key foreign policy advisor to PM
Erdogan said historians should examine 1915 Armenian incidents,
not politicians.

Ahmet Davutoglu, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s key foreign
policy advisor, appeared in Al Jazeera TV for a special interview.

Davutoglu said "Turkey was in a war and lost many people in the
first period of the 20th century." "1915 events should be assessed
by emphasizing that historical facts in mind," Davutoglu stressed.

NATO and EU separate issues

Answering on a question related to the pressure from Turkey to NATO
about Secretary-General, Davutoglu said "European Union is a political
formation, but to defend our security policies in NATO is our right,
these two shoud not be mingled."

"By implementing promised reforms, Turkey works in the way of EU
membership" said Davutoglu, adding "union membership will not damage
the relationship in the Muslim world."

APPOINTED AS APPEALS COURT JUDGE

A1+
12:13 pm | April 09, 2009

Official

On April 8 Serzh Sargsyan issued a decree appointing Anatoli Matevosyan
as Judge of the Civil Appeals Court and terminated his authorizations
as judge of the Civil and Administrative Chamber of the Cassation
Court, according to information of the presidential press service.

ARMENIA BECOMES THIRD EDB MEMBER – BANK’S STATEMENT

Kazakhstan General Newswire
April 6, 2009 Monday 12:41 PM MSK

Armenia became a full member of Eurasian Development Bank (EDB).

"Republic of Armenia has paid its share in the charter capital of
the EDB by transferring $100,000 to the bank’s account.

Therefore, Armenia has completed all necessary procedures and is now
a third full member of the bank," the bank said in a statement.

In December 2008 the Council of the Eurasian Development Bank (EDB)

considered applications by Tajikistan, Belarus and Armenia and
approved the entrance of these three countries to the Bank, as well
as conditions of their membership in the bank in accordance with the
aforesaid applications.

"The membership in the Bank will enable Armenia to stimulate
the implementation of infrastructure projects in its territory",
said Sergei Ryabov, Deputy Chairman of the EDB Executive Board,
"and participate in major EDB investment initiatives, particularly,
in the hydropower and industrial sectors".

In early February, Armenian parliament ratified the Agreement
Establishing the Eurasian Development Bank. The draft law on
ratification of the Agreement was signed by the President of Armenia,
and now has the force of law.

The next important phase of co-operation between Armenia and the EDB
will be execution of an agreement on the EDB’s presence in the Armenian
territory. At present, the Bank prepares to open its representative
office in Yerevan and selects necessary personnel.

The Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) is an international financial
institution founded in order to foster economic growth and integration
processes in the Eurasian region.

The Bank was founded by intergovernmental agreement that was signed
in January 2006 by the Presidents of the Russian Federation and the
Republic of Kazakhstan. The initiative for establishing the Bank came
from the two Presidents.

The Bank’s charter capital is $1US.5 billion. At present, the
EDB’s charter capital is fully paid in by its founders, the Russian
Federation ($1 billion) and the Republic of Kazakhstan ($500 million).

I AM OVERCOMING THE CRISIS

LRAGIR.AM
16:52:10 – 07/04/2009

Today, at the Media centre of the Armenian government a press
conference of the head of Armenian governmental staff David Sargsyan,
the director of the Mediamax news agency Ara Tadevosyan and the head
of the Central Bank financial and monetary policy department Artur
Stepanyan took place.

At the press conference, the guests presented their joint competition
entitled "I am overcoming the crisis" and announced its start.

Students of the economy departments of the Armenian universities may
partake in the competition, where that have to write papers within
the scheduled terms and on the given topic.

The 3 best works which will win in the competition will get monetary
awards from the central bank.

ARMENIAN COMMERCIAL BANKS CAN RECONSIDER LOAN ISSUE CONDITIONS

PanARMENIAN.Net
07.04.2009 12:44 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Central Bank of Armenia has discussed new
conversion rules.

"New rules allow commercial banks to reconsider loan issue conditions,
including mortgages," CB chairman Arthur Javadyan told PanARMENIAN.Net.

"Commercial banks can change the schedule and terms of credit repayment
and monthly payment amount," he said.