Author: Vasilian Manouk

ARMENIA IS THE ONLY REGIONAL COUNTRY PROVIDING TRADITIONAL MEDICINE MA COURSE

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
13.10.2009 21:21 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Established in 1991, Traditional Medicine University
of the Republic of Armenia, offers a 2-year MA course.

"The curriculum meets the requirements of the World Health
Organization and Bologna convention," head of Iranian Traditional
Medicine department Ali Namavar told a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter. "It
includes 4 major sectors of traditional medicine: reflexotherapy,
Iranian Traditional Medicine, Armenian Traditional Medicine and
integrative medicine."

The students gain theoretical and practical experience during two
years. There is also a special course for nurses, orthopaedists,
obstetricians. Besides, various international conferences are held.

TIGRAN SARGSYAN RECEIVES THE DELEGATION OF "GALUST GYULBENKYAN" ESTABLISHMENT

ARMENPRESS
OCTOBER 13, 2009
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 13, ARMENPRESS: Armenian Prime Minister Tigran
Sargsyan received today the delegation of "Galust Gyulbenkyan"
establishment headed by the inspector of Board of Directors, head
of the Great Britain, Ireland and Armenian communities department
Martin Yesayan.

Governmental press service told Armenpress that greeting the guests
the prime minister said that the activity of Galust Gyulbenkyan and
his contribution are highly assessed among us and his kind work has
turned into a teachable example and experience.

The head of the government highlighted the work of the fund and
the contribution "Galust Gyulbenkyan" establishment brings to the
preservation of Armenian identity and development of Armenian sciences.

Tigran Sargsyan was interested in the activity of the fund and
opportunity of supporting Armenia. The prime minister said it is
necessary to create opportunities for cooperation especially in the
sphere of educational programs. In this pre-context the educational
programs of "Louys" foundation were presented.

The head of the government expressed hope that the visit of the
officials will give new impetus to the development of cooperation.

AZERBAIJANI FOREIGN MINISTRY ISSUED STATEMENT ON ARMENIAN-TURKISH PROTOCOLS

AZG DAILY
13-10-2009

Armenia-Turkey

According to Azerbaijani media, Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry issued
a statement on Sunday after the signing of Armenian-Turkish protocols
in Zurich.

Expressing its concern over the signing of protocols, the statement
cites from the Tayyip Erdogan’s speech made on May 14, 2009 in
Milli Majlis of Azerbaijan Republic: "Turkey closed its border with
Armenia after its "occupation" of Azerbaijani lands. The borders
can be opened only after the "occupation" is put an end. As long as
the requirements of our Azerbaijani brothers will not be satisfied,
we will not retreat one step from this position. It is interconnected
and can not be considered separately"

The Foreign Ministry also refers to the statement by the Turkish
prime minister on September 17 made to the Turkish media: "We can
not open the borders until the long-drawn conflict between Azerbaijan
and Armenia is resolved… We can not take this step without solving
this problem."

"As we have repeatedly noted, establishing relations of one state with
another is a sovereign right of each state. However, normalization
of relations between Turkey and Armenia before the withdrawal of
Armenian forces from "occupied Azerbaijani" territory is in direct
contradiction with the interests of Azerbaijan and overshadows the
spirit of brotherly relations between Azerbaijan and Turkey built on
deep historical roots. Taking into account the importance of opening
all borders and communications in the region, Azerbaijan believes
that the opening of Turkish-Armenian border unilaterally call into
question the architecture of peace and stability in the region ",
the statement said..

PRESS RELEASE
Armenian Library & Museum of America
65 Main St., Watertown, MA. 02472
Tel: 617-926-2562
Web:
Email: [email protected]

Dear friends,

I invite to the Armenian Library & Museum of America (ALMA) on Thursday,
October 15th for a lecture by Dr. Simon Payaslian, the Kenosian Chair in
Modern Armenian History and Literature at Boston University. The
lecture, titled "Human Rights in Armenian History" will place the
development of human rights in Armenia within a long historical
perspective and will contend that human rights values and customary
practices require centuries of development.

The topic of this lecture is very timely! How much has the absence of
statehood and absence of social and political institutions protecting
human rights affected the outcome of political elections, economic
strategy of modern Armenia and the day-to-day life of ordinary Armenian
citizens?

The lecture is scheduled for 7:00 PM at ALMA’s Contemporary Art Gallery
(65 Main Street in Watertown, Mass.); free parking is available in the
municipal lot on Church Street (located directly behind ALMA’s
building). There will be coffee and refreshments following the
presentation. The Museum galleries will be open until 9 PM for those
interested to visit exhibits currently on display.

For the latest information on this and other ALMA events and exhibits,
please visit ALMA’s website, <; .

Sincerely,

Mariam Stepanyan

Executive Director

Armenian Library & Museum of America, Inc.

65 Main Street

Watertown, MA 02472

Phone: 617-926-2562 ext. 3

Fax: 617-926-0175

Website:

LOBBING BATTLE OVER GENOCIDE RESOLUTION GO ON IN US CONGRESS

PanARMENIAN.Net
12.10.2009 20:31 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Don’t expect the perennial lobbying battle over a
contentious genocide resolution to subside this Congress with Armenia
and Turkey signing protocols to reestablish relations Saturday after
close to a century of hostility between the two. The resolution’s
lead sponsor, Rep. Adam Schiff, intends to move forward with the bill
despite the two countries meeting in Zurich, Switzerland, on Saturday.

"We intend to push forward with the recognition of the genocide,"
Schiff told The Hill, hoping Turkey will "come to grips with the past."

Despite Armenia and Turkey officially reconciling, lawmakers are still
signing onto Schiff’s bill. Seven House members have added their names
to its co-sponsor list since the two countries announced on Aug. 31
the protocols they intended to sign. Two lawmakers Brian Bilbray and
Darrell Issa – joined others in supporting the resolution this past
week, bringing a total of 134 co-sponsors for the legislation.

Schiff said he was not sure on when the resolution would come before
the House Foreign Affairs Committee for approval and then moved
onto the floor for a vote. Nevertheless, the California Democrat can
expect support from Armenian advocacy organizations, who have mounted
a grassroots campaign this year to get it passed in Congress, as he
pushes for his resolution.

Nabi Sensoy, Turkey’s ambassador to the United States, said moving
forward with the resolution in Congress now could harm his country’s
normalization process with Armenia.

The Turkish Embassy will have ready a stable of PR operatives and
lobbyists to beat back the resolution this Congress.

Sensoy believes Saturday’s agreement between the two countries will
help Turkey’s case against the resolution in Congress by bolstering
its ties with U.S. lawmakers, The Hill daily reported.

WHY IS THE ARMENIAN GOVERNMENT SILENT?
Hayk Aramyan

os15518.html
15:42:06 – 12/10/2009

The Armenian high-ranking officials do not comment on the signing
of the Armenian and Turkish protocols but only our foreign ministry
issued a short statement noting that the process "may be useful for
the Armenian and Turkish people if the documents are fulfilled as
arranged: without preconditions and in reasonable terms". The ceremony
of singing is described in the statement but the circumstance that it
was delayed for about 4 hours neither its reason is mentioned. While
the Armenian responsible figures in this connection keep silent, the
Turkish press is overwhelmed with information that Turkey tried to make
changes in the protocols in particular include the Karabakh issue as
a precondition. The Armenian side neither declines nor affirms this
fact and the Armenian journalists in Zurich have to learn information
from the journalists of other countries.

Anyway, after 4 hours, the protocols were signed without changes. In
other words, in the form they were presented to the Armenian society
on August 31. What happened? What were Edward Nalbandyan and Hillary
Clinton discussing? However, everyone had happy expressions on their
faces during the singing ceremony except Edward Nalbandyan. The
Armenian side explained this fact by minister’s tiresome. But
surprisingly, there was no sign of such tiresome on Hillary Clinton’s
face who according to reporters was engaged in almost "shuttle"
diplomacy in Zurich visiting Nalbandyan and Davutuglu by turn.

By the way, the latter was also happy though his traits are always
expressing happiness. All this created grounds for the Armenian and
Diaspora societies to think that though nothing is changed in the
protocols, but there is some secret arrangement that the Armenian
army has to withdraw from the 5 regions by the end of the year. In
turn, right after the singing, the Turkish prime minister and the
foreign minister rushed to assure Azerbaijan that their stance has
not changed that the border will not open until the Armenian army
is not withdrawn from "the occupied Azerbaijani lands including
Karabakh". The Azerbaijani foreign ministry expressed hope that the
spirit of brotherhood of the Azerbaijani and Turkish people will not
be shadowed and Turkey will maintain its word.

What happened in Zurich? What is the reason of the delay? If they try
to seize concessions from Armenia to Turkey is difficult to say. Maybe
all this was a spectacle for calming the Azerbaijan down, or to show
to Turkey that not everything may be so easy. But these protocols
were expedient most of all for Turkey which, we may say, becomes a
"legitimate country" because it starts a process of solving a number
of important problems.

Maybe one day the society will learn about it. But before, the
Zurich events showed that a seriously prepared political group
is needed for such political issues which must be ready for any
situation. Not the texts of the protocols decide everything but the
process of their fulfillment, the process of further negotiations,
the level of preparedness of the sides.

Is the Armenian current government ready for this?

President Sargsyan’s address on the occasion of signing of the
Armenia-Turkey protocols

armradio.am
10.10.2009 16:54

The President of the Republic of Armenia, Serzh Sargsyan, issued an
address to the nation on the occasion of signing of the protocols
between Armenia and Turkey. The President said, in part

`Dear compatriots,

Over the past few weeks the attention of Armenia and all Armenians has
been focused on the current process of normalization of the
Armenian-Turkish relations and the two pre-signed protocols. All parts
and layers of the Armenian nation responded to the call to publicly
discuss the documents and got involved in the debates.

Today we are trying to normalize relations with a country, which
carried out a policy of annihilation of our nation during the Ottoman
rule. The wounds of genocide do not cicatrize. The memories of the
victims and the future of our generations demand that we have a stable
and strong statehood, a powerful and prospering country, a motherland
of our dreams. We consider that one of the most important steps on this
way is the establishment of normal ties with all neighbors, including
Turkey.

Independence demands will and resoluteness to take important decisions,
requires realism and a consistent work. This is the path I have chosen.
I have chosen it with a deep feeling of responsibility and a great
faith in the future of our people.

There is no alternative to the establishment of relations with Turkey
without preconditions. It is the imperative of time. It’s not this
necessity that has given way to a variety of opinions. The concerns of
separate individuals and political forces are connected with different
comments on some provisions of the protocols to be signed and the
historical mistrust in Turkey.

Having realistically assessed this factor, and being confident in the
necessity and correctness of the steps taken, I reiterate that:

1. Any relation with Turkey cannot call into question the fact of the
genocide of the Armenian people. This is a well-known fact, which
should be recognized and condemned by all humanity. The corresponding
sub-commission of the intergovernmental commission is not a commission
of historians.

2. The issue of borders between Armenia and Turkey is a question to be
solved in line with international law. The protocols do not provide for
more than this.

3. These relations are in no way connected and cannot be connected with
the settlement of the Karabakh issue, which is an independent and
separate process. Armenia does not view the issues of territorial
integrity and inviolability of borders as a remark connected with the
Karabakh issue.

4. The delay of the ratification of the protocols by Turkey or the
possible suggestion of new conditions of ratification will face a
corresponding attitude of the Armenian side. Armenia does not assume
any unilateral commitment under these protocols. Armenia signs these
protocols with a view of establishing normal relations between the two
countries. Therefore, if Turkey fails to ratify the protocols within
reasonable timeframe or to accomplish its provisions in due time,
Armenia will undertake corresponding measures in accordance with
international law.

Following the signing of the protocols, we’ll enter the stages of their
ratification and implementation. All the concerns and possible risks
that were brought about during the discussions will be necessarily
taken into consideration, and we must be able to prevent any
development countering the national objectives. I’m more than confident
today that we’ll be able to do that. We’ll do it together. Today we are
not the same as a few months ago. This is already a fact.

I believe in the wisdom of our people. I believe that together we’ll
inherit a thriving and peaceful motherland to our generations. I’m sure
this is going to be the case.

God bless us!’

Ratification of Armenian-Turkish protocols to become a tool of pressure on RA
11.10.2009 00:22 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Turkey and Azerbaijan are jointly working against
Armenia, according to Yuri Navoyan, chairman of Russian-Armenian
Commonwealth NGO.

"The Protocols contain Turkey’s preconditions, these being recognition
of Turkey’s present-day borders and the Armenian Genocide issue.

Ratification of the Protocols will oblige Armenia with one more
precondition – resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict," Navoyan
told a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter.

He emphasized that the Protocols are the most complicated way to
establish diplomatic relations. "If Turkey really wanted to normalize
relations with Armenia, it would have chosen another way. Protocols
are a service we render to Switzerland, which is instructed by
superpowers.

Neither Yerevan nor Ankara were active participants in reconciliation
talks," he said.

Navoyan said that the 3-hour protraction of the signing means that
some amendments, which satisfied Turkey but displeased Armenia, were
introduced in the document. "Armenia’s behavior was unworthy," he
said, adding that the Protocols are the reflection of the Treaty of
Kars.

Clinton uses diplomatic muscle in Turkey-Armenia row
Sat Oct 10, 2009 8:47pm EDT

By Jeff Mason

LONDON (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had just
left a hotel for a historic signing ceremony between Turkish and
Armenian leaders on Saturday when her caravan stopped and she headed
back.

A decades-old conflict, stemming from the World War One mass killing of
Armenians by Ottoman forces, needed a few more hours to simmer, it
seemed, before resolution could begin.

Clinton, President Barack Obama’s most prominent foreign policy
adviser, played a key role in getting the long-term enemies to sign,
hours late, protocols to establish diplomatic ties and open borders,
U.S. officials said.

She drove back to the hotel where Armenian Foreign Minister Edward
Nalbandian was ensconced, spoke to him and Turkish counterpart Ahmet
Davutoglu by phone, and persuaded both sides to meet at the university
where the signing was to take place, bringing the Armenian along in her
sedan.

The holdup? A disagreement over what the leaders would say at the
ceremony. The solution? Pledging, in the end, to say nothing — at
least on site.

"There was an agreement that the protocols should speak for
themselves," Clinton told reporters on her plane later in the evening
as she made her way to London.

"They’ve been carefully, painstakingly negotiated over many months and
at the end of the day that was what the substance of this is about."

Critics say Clinton is sidelined in Obama’s administration on big
issues such as Iran, Afghanistan and Middle East peace, but her
European trip to Switzerland, Britain, Ireland and Russia underscored
areas in which she has taken the lead.

The former senator’s role in the Turkey-Armenia dispute, which also
featured foreign policy heavyweights from Russia and the European
Union, illustrated her negotiating muscle several months after she
swapped her political job for that of top U.S. diplomat.

"It’s just what you sign up for," Clinton said when asked whether this
was one of the hardest diplomatic challenges she had faced in her short
tenure as secretary of state.

"When you’re trying to help people resolve long-standing problems
between themselves, it is a very challenging process."

Clinton declined to identify the sticking points in the talks, though
some analysts said Armenia had probably sought to use the word
"genocide" when referring to the killings while Turkey may have planned
to refer to a dispute between ally Azerbaijan and Armenia over the
enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh.

"There were concerns on both sides," Clinton said. "So there were
several times when I said to all of the parties involved that this is
too important, this has to be seen through, you’ve come too far."

Obama, who has also been personally involved in encouraging both sides
to sign the protocols, called Clinton as she drove to the airport later
to congratulate her, one adviser said.

(Editing by Tim Pearce)

THE TURKISH VIEW: NOBEL GOES TO HOPES, NOT ACTIONS

Today’s Zaman
10 October 2009, Saturday

US President Barack Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize not quite because
of what he has done so far, but for what he will hopefully do to
promote global peace, according to Turkish analysts.

Obama managed to reverse, though only to a certain extent, the
widespread anti-US feelings among the Turkish public when he made
his first foreign bilateral visit to Turkey in April, a charm
offensive which included top-level talks on the Middle East with
government officials and an address to Parliament, as well as a
visit to Ä°stanbul’s famed Blue Mosque and a lengthy meeting with
Turkish youth. The visit convinced the Turks that Obama is not his
predecessor, George W. Bush, who had record-low popularity rates in
Turkey, but most remained skeptical over whether he would live up to
his promises for change.

"This award is not for what Obama has done," Onur Oymen, a deputy
chairman of Turkey’s main opposition party, the Republican People’s
Party (CHP), told Today’s Zaman. "This award is for what he is expected
to do; it is for hope and for expectations of change. The world has
huge expectations of him."

Asked what actions he has actually taken so far that could have made
him a nominee for the Nobel, Oymen cited his attempts to close down
the Guantanamo prison and his positive messages for dialogue with
the Muslim world.

The Norwegian Nobel committee’s decision is likely to please
the Turkish government, which is working in tandem with the US
administration in its efforts to normalize relations with neighboring
Armenia. The Obama administration has also taken up a positive stance
toward Turkish initiatives to strengthen dialogue with Syria, Iran
and Palestinian groups, including the radical Hamas — actions that
were criticized by the previous administration.

"We certainly welcome that the leader of a country which we view
as our ally was given the Nobel Peace Prize, particularly given the
fact that he paid one of his fi Ministry official, speaking on the
condition of anonymity.

The Nobel Peace Prize for Obama may indirectly bolster Turkey’s
negotiating powers in talks with Armenia or in efforts to resolve the
Cyprus dispute, two objectives supported by the Obama administration,
according to Ozdem Sanberk, a former foreign minister and an esteemed
foreign policy analyst.

"It is obvious that it is Armenia and the Greek Cypriots who are less
enthusiastic about resolving the disputes. The Nobel Peace Prize award
for Obama indirectly supports efforts to solve the Cyprus problem and
achieve Turkish-Armenian reconciliation because Obama clearly supports
both goals," Sanberk said, noting that the Nobel committee’s decision
will increase pressure on Greek Cyprus and Armenia if they reject a
settlement. "Those who oppose a solution will have to know that they
do so at the expense of confronting a US president whose commitment
to peace was honored by the Nobel committee," he added.

The Nobel Peace Prize is itself a message that the international
community wants peace and that it supports the new US administration
in its efforts to reverse those Bush-era policies that hardly promoted
peace, according to Sanberk. "This award is an encouragement for US
diplomats working for the peaceful resolution of the Iran nuclear
dispute or for settlement in the Middle East," he said.

What has he done?

But criticism over the choice of Obama for the prestigious peace
prize, expressed most widely in the Middle East, was echoed in Turkey,
too. "I don’t think it was an unusual decision to choose Obama for
the prize since this is a message of support for what Obama promised
to do. But I can’t say that criticism which points to the fact that
he has actually done nothing to deserve it is completely wrong,"
Mehmet Altan, the chief columnist for the Star daily, said.

"What has he done? Has he brought peace to Afghanistan or
Palestine? Has he resolved the Cyprus problem or the [outlawed
Kurdistan Workers’ Party] PKK threat?" asked Husnu he AkÅ~_am daily
with a Syrian background. "He does not give any hope at all, and he has
done nothing. Those who pin hopes on him will be sorely disappointed,"
he said.