Author: Zaminian Bedik

IS THE APPOINTMENT OF GOVERNMENT BASED ON PROFICIENCY OR THE POLITICAL PRINCIPLE?

Karabakh Open
Oct 6 2007

Appointments to executive posts continue in Karabakh. Yesterday
President Sahakyan appointed deputy chiefs of the National Security
Service and the Police.

The president also replaced his opponent in the election, the deputy
foreign minister Masis Mayilyan, and appointed the assistant to
president Edward Atanesyan.

In accordance with the Karabakh legislation, the appointment of
government posts is not based on the correlation of forces in the
parliament. The appointment of government is based on proficiency,
and the president of Karabakh has stated this. Nevertheless, it
is obvious that the appointments took into account the affiliation
of ministers with political parties which supported Bako Sahakyan
during the election campaign. For instance, the new prime minister Ara
Harutiunyan was the leader of the Azat Hayrenik Party, which supported
considerably Bako Sahakyan. Arthur Mosiyan, the representative of the
ARF Dashnaktsutyun Karabakh, was appointed minister of justice. His
party also had supported Bako Sahakyan.

There are also members of the Democratic Party among the ministers.

However, the most political move was the dismissal of Masis
Mayilyan who was the main opponent to the acting president. After
the pronouncements of the president on the necessity to proceed from
proficiency in appointments this move is difficult to interpret –
Masis Mayilyan has been working for the NKR MFA since its creation
and is one of the few professional diplomats in Karabakh.

Besides, according to the law, the deputy ministers are appointed by
a government order and not by a decree of the president.

The chair of the State and Legal Committee Yuri Hairapetyan said since
according to the Constitution, the affirmation of the government is
the prerogative of the president, the deputy ministers can also be
appointed by the president.

ARMENIA BECOMES NEXT CSTO PRESIDENT, MOSCOW TO HOST NEXT SUMMIT

Central Asia General Newswire
October 6, 2007 Saturday 4:36 PM MSK

It was announced at the summit of the Collective Security Treaty
Organization (CSTO) currently under way in Dushanbe that Armenia will
be the next president of the organization.

CSTO member states also made a decision that the next CSTO summit will
take place together with a summit of the Eurasian Economic Community
(EurAsEC) in Moscow.

DeFacto Agency, Armenia
Oct 5 2007

HAYASTAN ALL-ARMENIAN FUND TO ALLOCATE $600,000 FOR CONSTRUCTION OF
MARTAKERT REGIONAL HOSPITAL

Hayastan All-Armenian Fund is ready to allocate about $600, 000 for
the construction of Martakert regional hospital.
According to the information DE FACTO got at the Nagorno-Karabagh
Republic government’s press office, the issue referring to the new
hospital’s construction had been discussed by NKR PM Araik
Harutyunian in the course of a meeting held in Martakert October 4.
Hayastan All-Armenian Fund Deputy Executive Director Ararat
Khlghatian, who participated in the meeting, noted the
above-mentioned sum was not enough for the completion of the object’s
construction and equipment, so NKR government’s financial and
organization assistance was required.
Araik Harutyunian assured that NKR government was ready to allot the
rest of the sum and assume the responsibility for the hospital’s
final planning and construction.
The future hospital’s are will be 2, 800 square meters; it will be
fit out with modern medical equipment and will simultaneously serve
250 people.
The construction is planned to be completed within two years.

06.10.2007 13:28:20

We should Develop Relations between Azerbaijan, Turkey and Israel:
Turkish diplomat

Israel, Jerusalem / corr Trend R.Mammadov / Trend’s interview with
Namik Tana, the Turkish Ambassador to Israel

Question: You were one of those who supported the establishment of
Diaspora organizations like the Congress of Azerbaijanis in Near East.
What are your views on prospects of this idea?

Answer: Relations with Azerbaijan are of strategic importance for us
like the relations with Israel. We should develop and encourage
relations and cooperation on trilateral basis. Azerbaijanis are our
brothers worldwide, including in Israel. Though several years ago we
did know each other, now we speak and understand each other in the
same language. It indicates to historical heritage of our nations and
we are proud of that. I see real and loyal representatives of the
Turkish lobby in the Congress, who are prepared to protect interests
of Azerbaijan and Turkey in the region. As an ambassador of Turkey to
Israel I am prepared to render all assistance to support prospective
projects of the organization which will promote trilateral cooperation
and partnership between Turkey, Israel and Azerbaijan.

Question: What are your views on the prospects of entrance of
Azerbaijan energy resources to the world markets via Turkey and
Israel?

Answer: Currently, Turkey is an important transit place in the world.
Many energy pipelines, running to the West, are passing via Turkey.
The strategic pipeline Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan also runs through my
country’s territory. From this aspect, I want to say that there is a
strategy of multiprofile pipelines with respect to Israel. On this
strategy, the energy resources running from the Black Sea are
delivered to Ashkelon, south Israel, and from Ashkelon to Eylat, where
the pipeline has existed for many years. There is a real and
perspective opportunity in Eylat to supply Azerbaijani energy
resources to the market of Middle East, China and India. Along with
this pipeline strategy, we will witness connection of the Black and
Red Sea. This a huge project, but very relevant, profitable and
global. In this respect, Benjamin Ben-Eliezer, the Israeli
Infrastructure Minister, is expected to visit Turkey at the invitation
of the Turkish Energy Minister. Indeed, the above described ambitious
project will be one of the top issues during the future talks.

Question: How did the decision by several Jewish lobby organizations
based in the United States on recognition of the so-called ‘Armenian
genocide’ affect the strategic partnership between Israel and Turkey?

Answer: To tell the truth, the decision of Anti-defamation League,
known as pro-Israeli lobby group, shocked and distressed us. For many
years we have had very kind and trustful relations with large Jewish
lobby organizations. I think the decision was taken under pressures of
the Armenian lobby in the United States. Obviously, we could not
accept that decision. Every time when we met with our Israeli friends
we stressed that they should influence pro-Israeli lobby organizations
in the United States. From this aspect, the position of the Israeli
political establishment satisfied us adequately. Thus, Israeli
President Shimon Peres commenting on the so called ‘Armenian genocide’
said that the matter should be researched by historians and the
politicians are to define the horizons of future. Proceeding from
Israel’s such clear position, Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan offered
Armenian authorities to establish a joint commission on historical
researchers to study the issue. From this standpoint, we appreciate
Israeli authorities’ clear and rational approach to the problem. We
merely ask our Israeli friends to make it clear for their American
compatriots that history must not be written on the basis of momentary
political bias. Besides, we also try to inform our friends in
pro-Israeli lobby organizations about our position. We do that both
through our diplomatic representations and efforts of the Turkish
Diaspora in the United States. In this respect we want Israel to help
and support us.

Question: How do You assess the current level of the strategic
co-operation between Turkey and Israel?

Answer: Currently it is fact that serious and comprehensive strategic
co-operation is in existence between Turkey and Israel. This
partnership covers all spheres of our co-operation. The two countries
politically co-operate at a very high capacity and carry out permanent
political-military co-operation. In addition, there are deep human
relations. It is testified by the fact that each year Turkey receives
500.000 Israeli tourists. We are very glad for this fact. There are
good cultural relations between Israel and Turkey. Presently we are
establishing a Turkish Culture Center in the building which formerly
belonged to Ottoman Imperia. The Mayor of Tel-Aviv and Foreign
Ministry of Israel make a significant contribution to us in this
issue. There are high level economic relations between Turkey and
Israel, but I think that the potential between the two countries have
not been fully used. Currently the trade turnover between Turkey and
Israel amounts to $2.5bln and I believe that this figure will increase
up to $5bln over the next five years. Turkey’s Trade Minister visited
Israel at the beginning of 2007, with accompany of more than hundred
Turkish business people. This visit further assisted in strengthening
the business and economic relations between the two countries and it
its turn, it help enhance and expand strategic partnership.

Question: In connection with the Turkish foreign Minister’s visit to
Near East countries, some media reports wrote about ‘Turkey’s new Near
East peace initiative’…

Answer: Turkey has an only objective to achieve peace, stability and
security in the Near East. We support any peace initiatives. Turkey
regards the resolution of the conflict between Israel and Palestine as
key in the resolution of many near east problems. From this aspect, we
support any diplomatic efforts directed at the resolution of the
problem.Thus, at the end of October it is planned to hold a peace
conference in Anapolis, the US, under the chairmanship of the US
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. However, the issues to be
discussed and a list of countries to be invited to the meeting are yet
to be defined. We are prepared to participate and make an important
diplomatic contribution in this meeting. At the same time we are for
the peaceable resolution of many issues which Near East faces. It is
also a problem of North Iraq, where the Kurdish terrorists reign,
problem of Iran and Syria, resolution in Afghanistan.

Source: 038527&lang=EN

GOLD MEDAL: ARMENIAN AND EUROPEAN COURT COOPERATON A GOOD SYMBOL

Panorama.am
17:33 04/10/2007

Today in Armenia the president of the European Human Rights
Court, Jan Paul Kosta, was received by the Armenian Constitutional
Court. Constitutional Court president Gagik Harutyunyan considered the
cooperation between the two courts as traditional and lasting, saying
he hoped this would continue for some time to come. He considered the
visit as symbolic, as Armenia is the first country being visited on
the Kosta’s trip.

Hautyunyan pointed out that applications to the European Court have
increased, the reason he thinks being the higher level of justice in
the country, as well as good cooperation between the two courts.

The Human Rights Court president said that nearly 100,000 applications
have been received, and that if this court didn’t exist that the
conditions of people in many countries would be far worse.

According to the human rights president, during the past 20-30 years
the number of decisions reaches has grown, and that this has given
satisfaction to many victims of injustices, as well as given member
countries a chance to take another look at their legal systems.

The Constitutional Court of Armenia decided to gift their guest a
gold medal. They joked as to whether it was real gold, and Harutyunyan
said the matter would be looked into further.

Whatever. The guest said he considered the gold medal a symbol of
the excellent cooperation between the human rights court and Armenia.

We remind that the court delegation will participate tomorrow
in the assembly of protection of human rights cooperation in the
international arena.

ARMENIA NEEDS REFORMS IN WORK WITH SMALL, MEDIUM BUSINESS

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
Oct 5 2007

YEREVAN, October 5. /ARKA/. The work with small and medium business
must be reformed at the state level, RA minister of Trade and Economic
Development Nerses Yeritsyan stated at his meeting with teachers and
students of Armenian State University of Economy.

According to him, the Government should pay more attention to small
and medium business.

"An increase in the number of cases of know-how has been recorded in
Armenia over the last few years, which is decisive for determining
the most promising industries," Yeritsyan said.

He pointed out that the sector is now developing well, serious
organizations are being established able to create up to 300 jobs
and ensure rapid development due to the introduction of modern
technologies.

"Small and medium business may become the important engine that will
show us the most secure directions of industrial development and
ensure Armenia’s global competitiveness," he said.

The RA National Center for Small and Medium Business Promotion reports
that the share of small and medium business in Armenia’s GDP was 40.3%
in 2006 against 39.8% in 2005. The share of small and medium business
in Armenia’s exports was 16.9% in 2006 against 16.4% in 2005.

A total of 350mln AMD were budgeted in 2006 for the implementation of a
government program of small and medium business promotion, with about
110mln AMD attracted under programs of cooperation with international
organizations and local government bodies. ($1 – AMD 332.87).

ARMENIA SET TO BUILD NEW NUCLEAR PLANT BEFORE CLOSING OLD ONE – MINISTER

ArmInfo Agency, Armenia
Oct 3 2007

Yerevan, 3 October: The issue of constructing a new nuclear power plant
in Armenia is more topical than that of closing down the current one,
Armenian Minister of Energy Armen Movsisyan told Arminfo on 3 October.

He said that currently the Armenian government focuses its attention
on fund-raising to establish alternative power capacities. We will
think about closing down the old nuclear power plant after we build
a new one, said the minister. In this connection, the Armenian
government is not yet considering the Euroatom’s recent suggestion
to provide Armenia a preferential loan of 200m euro for closing down
the currently operating nuclear power plant, said Movsisyan.

The resources of exploitation of the operating second energy block of
the Armenian nuclear power plant will run out in 2016. Before that the
Armenian government intends to build a new modern nuclear power plant
with capacity of 1000 MWt with the required budget of 2bn dollars,
according to estimates. The technical and economic assessment of the
new nuclear plant is currently being prepared.

Russia, USA and the IAEA [the International Atomic Energy Agency]
are providing technical and consulting support to Armenia concerning
this issue.

PRESS RELEASE
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia
Contact: Information Desk
Tel: (374-10) 52-35-31
Email: [email protected]
Web:

Minister Oskanian Addresses UN Assembly on Interfaith and Intercultural
Dialogue

Minister Vartan Oskanian addressed the UN High-Level Session on
Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue. Sponsored by the Phillipines and
Pakistan, the session was dedicated to the need to promote dialog between
cultures and religions for the purpose of securing peace.

Armenia’s Foreign Minister joined several dozen ministers and high-level
government officials to address the session.

REMARKS BY
H.E. VARTAN OSKANIAN
MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA
UN INTERFAITH AND INTERCULTURAL HIGH LEVEL DIALOGUE
NEW YORK
Oct 4. 2007

Dear Colleagues,

As an ancient people, serving as the perennial buffer between empires, on
the most trampled path on earth, Armenians have become living witnesses of
the benefit of dialogue between and within cultures. We have been engaged in
that international exchange for ages. Today, we in Armenia are among its
greatest promoters, especially in our neighborhood.

Our geography has compelled us to seek bridges with peoples and cultures
different from our own. If we have an independent state today, it is because
we succeeded in perpetuating our identity even as we interacted and
exchanged with societies around us.

It is because of our experience that we feel compelled to continually search
for non-traditional ways to approach the overarching issue of our time:
living at peace in a pluralist world.

Not only have we lived in a pluralist neighborhood, we have, because of
genocide and dispersion, had to set up homes and shops in nearly every
country on earth. This began when Armenian genocide survivors were welcomed
and happily integrated into the fabric of the Arab Middle East. Religious
differences did not preclude inclusion. Our Diaspora, living as it did
across borders became both the means and the beneficiary of international
exchange and dialogue.

We are living witnesses then to the fact that religious and linguistic
differences need not translate to enmity and exclusion. It is intolerance —
from its simplest form to its most complex — a rejection of individuals¹
human dignity, that causes ruptures in and between societies.

To build a peace atop pain and destruction, it is clear that solutions can
only be found through the genuine and universal acceptance and application
of basic, fundamental individual and collective human rights.

Those rights include the right to determine one¹s destiny, to live free of
security and oppression. The struggle of our brothers and sisters in Nagorno
Karabakh is exactly that – a struggle for the most basic human right, the
right to live free. It is not a struggle against anyone¹s religion or
culture. The effort to seek support against their struggle by relying on
ethnic and religious solidarity belies the universality of their claim –
that people everywhere – whether Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh,
Palestinians, or the people of Darfur – all deserve to live freely and in
dignity.

As societies which had experienced pain and suffering at the hands of
oppressors, we must teach and rely on the moral, ethical, social and
political benefits of tolerance and cooperation, and not feed the fears of
otherness and exclusion.

The frustrations, the resentments and the hostilities of victims of
xenophobia and racism, should not be underestimated or dismissed. The
Security implications of pent-up anger, of daily humiliations and
hopelessness cannot be exaggerated. These must concern us all, for reasons
of principle as well as enlightened self-interest.

Our objective is a country and a world where the rights of individuals and
groups are respected, where each neighborhood and each community, each city
and country, each region and continent, are safe havens for all who live or
travel there. Religion is used to tear people apart, as are economic
disparities, language and ideology. But the frustrating and fascinating
contradiction is that it is faith and humanity that also bind people
together.

ARMENIAN MINING GIANT TO START WORK ON MAJOR COPPER DEPOSIT
By Astghik Bedevian

Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
Oct 2 2007

A leading Armenian mining company said on Tuesday that it is pressing
ahead with the development of a massive copper and molybdenum
deposit in the country’s north despite strong resistance from local
environmentalists.

Gagik Arzumanian, chief executive of the Armenian Copper Program (ACP),
was confident that the Liechtenstein-registered company will soon get
final government clearance to start work on the Teghut deposit. He
said it is already making preparations for open-pit operations in
the wooded area estimated to contain 1.6 million tons of copper and
about 100,000 tons of molybdenum.

"We know of no circumstances that can call into question the project’s
implementation," Arzumanian told RFE/RL.

Buoyed by record-high international prices for non-ferrous metals,
ACP plans to spend $270 million on turning the wooded area located
in the northern Lori region into a huge mine. It intends to extract
more than 30,000 tons of copper and molybdenum ores there per annum
starting from 2012.

The project, if implemented, will lead to the destruction of 357
hectares of rich forest, including 128,000 trees. Hence, the outcry
it has sparked among Armenian environment protection groups. They say
that the Teghut mine would wreak further havoc on Armenia’s forest
that have already shrunk dramatically since the 1990s.

Hakob Sanasarian of the Armenian Union of Greens warned on Tuesday
that crop-growing and other agricultural activity in the area close
to Georgia would also be hit hard. "Even in nearby forests, which
are not supposed to be chopped down, it will be dangerous to collect
fruits and berries," he said.

ACP admits the heavy environmental cost of its plans but says it will
be more than offset by 1,400 new jobs which it has pledged to create in
the economically depressed area. The company has also pledged to build
new schools and make other investments in the local infrastructure.

The Armenian government clearly accepts ACP’s arguments, with the
Ministry of Environment formally giving its mandatory go-ahead to
the Teghut project earlier this year.

"It is beneficial for the state because new jobs will be created, more
taxes will be paid to the state budget, and local infrastructure will
be upgraded," said Gagik Haroyan, a senior official at the ministry’s
Geological Agency. "If there is a deposit of natural resources,
it must be exploited."

Non-ferrous metals and ores are currently Armenia’s main export
products. The local mining sector is dominated by ACP and the
German-owned Zangezur Copper-Molybdenum Plant operating in the
southeastern Syunik region.

ANC OF OHIO JOINS HUMAN RIGHTS GROUPS FOR CINCINNATI BENEFITSCREENING OF "SCREAMERS"

AZG Armenian Daily
02/10/2007

First screening at National Underground Railroad Freedom Center with
featured guests Carla Garapedian and Nick Clooney

Cincinnati, OH- The Ohio premiere of the movie "Screamers," will
take place on October 10th and 11th at various locations including
The Freedom Center in Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky University, The
University of Cincinnati, and the Esquire Theater in Clifton reported
the Armenian National Committee of Ohio (ANC of OH). Co-Sponsoring this
event with the ANC of OH are The Center for Holocaust and Humanity
Education, The Franciscan Network, The Genocide Intervention Network
(GI-Net), Not On Our Watch, and the Just Community Initiative at the
University of Cincinnati.

Directed by the award-winning, humanitarian activist Carla Garapedian,
"Screamers" is an internationally produced documentary that covers
the history of modern-day genocide and genocide denial, beginning
with the Armenian Genocide in 1915, and how the world’s failure to
act has led to repeated crimes against humanity. Throughout the movie,
Garapedian works with the Grammy Award winning rock band, System of a
Down- all grandchildren of Armenian genocide survivors- who through
their music and passion work to educate and motivate their fans to
become upstanders and not bystanders when it comes to genocide.

"I can’t be more pleased that "Screamers" will be showcased at The
Freedom Center in Cincinnati — a true symbol for human rights all
over the world," commented Carla Garapedian, producer of the film.

"This benefit screening is for "Not on Our Watch" which is bringing
humanitarian aid to Darfur. I am especially happy that Nick Clooney,
who has personally witnessed the suffering in Darfur, can be our
special guest. Our film is about empowering people, letting them
know that genocide is something they can do something about. As Serj
Tankian says in our film, ‘we can all be screamers.’"

Hosting the first screening, The Freedom Center is a symbolic choice
because it reveals stories about freedom’s heroes, from the era of the
Underground Railroad to contemporary times, challenging and inspiring
everyone to take courageous steps for freedom today.

"It is a sad but true fact that we as a nation care more about saving
wildlife from extinction than we do human beings from genocide. The
cycle of genocide is increasing in frequency. Then will our leaders
take meaningful action to stop the slaughter of women and children in
Darfur? When will the US have the courage to recognize the Armenian
Genocide? The time for each is now," commented ANC of Ohio Chairman
David Krikorian. Earlier this year Krikorian took part in a two-day
advocacy campaign organized by the ANCA and GI-Net to help End the
Cycle of Genocide in which activists met with their representatives
to discuss important issues, such H. Res. 106 and Darfur Divestment
legislation. Krikorian was also instrumental in having Governor
Strickland, and Mayors Michael B. Coleman of Columbus, Frank G. Jackson
of Cleveland, and Mark Mallory of Cincinnati issued proclamations in
recognition of the Armenian genocide making Ohio the 40th state to
do so.

"Screamers" debuted at the American Film Institute Film Festival on
November 2nd and won the coveted AFI Audience Award. On hand for the
opening were Garapedian, "System Of A Down" band members Serj Tankian,
John Dolmayan and Shavo Odadjian, producers Pete McAlevey and Tim
Swain, sponsor Raffy Manoukian of the Raffy Manoukian Charity and a
host of genocide recognition and prevention activists from the ANCA,
Save Darfur, and other groups. Since then, the movie has shown in
various cities including New York City, Boston, Chicago, Providence,
Los Angeles as well as international screenings in London and Armenia.

The Freedom Center is located at 50 East Freedom Way, Cincinnati,
Ohio 45202. The first screening will take place on October 10th at
6pm, with reception to follow, suggested donation $25 to benefit
the organization Not on Our Watch (for reservations please call
877-869-8105). Additional screenings will take place on October 11th
at Northern Kentucky University at 9AM, University of Cincinnati at
2pm, and the Esquire Theater at 7:30pm. Following each screening,
a question and answer segment will take place with producer Carla
Garapetian and other featured guests.

For additional information visit

Karine Birazian, Armenian National Committee of America, Eastern
Region Executive Director