Author: Zaminian Bedik

SERGEY KHACHATRYAN AT WIGMORE HALL
Neil Fisher

The Times
March 20, 2009
UK

It’s the hardest lesson to master, because it can’t be taught. Sure,
the musician has found out how to play Bach, Brahms or Beethoven,
but has he found his own voice, too — the one that ultimately draws
the audience to come back to him?

When it comes to Sergey Khachatryan, the answer is a huge, huge yes.

There’s a big, glossy heap of talented violinists at the moment,
but what separates this young Armenian from the pack isn’t just the
rich sound of his Strad (the 1708 "Huggins", if you’re interested in
such things); it’s how forcefully, how individually he deploys it. By
the end of this recital, delivered with another Khachatryan (Lusine,
his sister) at the piano, I felt so convinced that his way was going
to be the right way that what the critical pen was scribbling on the
critical notebook seemed pretty irrelevant.

Perhaps the biggest surprise about Khachatryan is that his choices
aren’t the obvious ones: he’s not one of those firecrackers who
confuse pace and volume with energy and intensity. Opening with Bach’s
unaccompanied D minor Partita he shirked anything to do with lean,
limber Bach and went for old-fashioned, spacious Romanticism. But there
was a wealth of expressive detailling here: the Courante was driven and
tense; an intimat e Sarabande breathed into life like a whisper in the
dark. And then that mighty Chaconne, in Khachatryan’s hands a restless
search for beauty that felt like an epic but never felt overwrought:
it drew you in, rather than reaching beyond Bach’s natural austerity.

Brahms’s Violin Sonata No 1 came next, introducing a sibling
partnership that clearly thought the same way: reflection over
showmanship. Violinist and pianist handled it with rapt affection and
the sort of noncholant, natural charm that could only mean hours in
the practice room.

Then, another demon of the repertoire, Beethoven’s Kreutzer sonata,
and another surprise. Its obsessive rhythms and repeated refrains
normally scream high-octane drama, but it was the soulful tang of
Khachatryan’s Strad that led the way, and what stayed in the mind was
actually the soft, middle movement, a tender set of variations served
up with sprung, silken elegance. A spell-binding encore, an arrangement
of Rachmaninov’s Vocalise, rounded things off. By then, the notebook
had long been abandoned: one for the personal archive instead.

MASTERS OF THE CASPIAN: AZERI DYNASTY STRENGTHENING GRIP

Agence France Presse
March 18, 2009 Wednesday 11:42 AM GMT

Masters of vast Caspian oil wealth, Azerbaijan’s Aliyev family is set
to strengthen its dominance at a referendum on Wednesday on lifting
presidential term limits.

President Ilham Aliyev, who can look forward to an indefinite period of
rule if constitutional amendments go ahead, is the scion of a family
that rose from Soviet obscurity to being feted by world leaders as
the key to the Caspian Sea and its Central Asian hinterland.

Praised by supporters for bringing stability and wealth to this
impoverished nation on the west coast of the Caspian, the Aliyevs
were instrumental in energy deals that have made Azerbaijan one of
the world’s fastest-growing economies.

But opposition critics accuse them of crushing dissent, jailing
opponents and stifling the media, while others point to a vast gap
between haves and have-nots in this country of eight million people.

Heydar Aliyev, still affectionately called "Baba" or "Grandfather"
by many Azerbaijanis, was born in 1923 in the dirt-poor Azerbaijani
region of Nakhchivan to a railway worker and his wife.

Driven to improve his lot, he joined the KGB, the dreaded Soviet secret
police, and rose quickly through the ranks of the Communist Party.

In 1969 he was appointed first secretary of the Azerbaijani Communist
Party and in 1982 was also called to Moscow to become the first Muslim
to sit on the Politburo, the Soviet Union’s ruling body.

When he was fired from the Politburo in 1987 as part of Mikhail
Gorbachev’s perestroika reforms, many believed his political career
was over.

Biding his time in Nakhchivan, he watched as the Soviet Union collapsed
in 1991 and waited for an opportunity to return to power in newly
independent Azerbaijan.

It came in 1993, with Azerbaijan in the midst of a disastrous war
with Armenia over the Nagorny Karabakh region and then-president
Abulfaz Elchibey facing a mutiny by his army.

Heydar Aliyev returned to Baku and within weeks became caretaker
president. Elected in a landslide in 1993, he signed a controversial
ceasefire with Armenia and neutralised the rebellious army officers.

A year later he negotiated the so-called "deal of the century" that
would see Western energy firms pump hundreds of millions of dollars
into developing Azerbaijan’s oil industry.

He ruled Azerbaijan for the next decade, though his re-election
in 1998 and parliamentary polls in 2000 were marred by allegations
of vote-rigging.

Opponents also accused him of tolerating widespread corruption among
his supporters while the majority of Azerbaijanis lived in poverty.

When Heydar Aliyev’s health began to deteriorate, his son Ilham at
first appeared an unlikely successor. Tainted with the image of a
playboy and gambler from the 1990s, Ilham Aliyev seemed to lack his
father’s toughness and political savvy.

He was nonetheless elected president in 2003, a few weeks before his
80-year-old father died. Confounding expectations, Ilham consolidated
his hold on power and became Heydar’s undisputed heir.

He continued his father’s policies, balancing Azerbaijani diplomacy
between Russia and the West, seeking out new opportunities for
energy contracts and, as oil money flooded in, overseeing huge
economic growth.

But any hopes that the younger Aliyev was reform-minded were quickly
dashed. Authorities were again accused of fixing parliamentary
elections in 2005 and condemned after riot police used truncheons,
tear gas and water cannons to disperse thousands protesting the result.

Last October, Ilham Aliyev won re-election with nearly 89 percent
of ballots cast in a vote the opposition boycotted as unfair. The
country’s increasingly marginalised opposition did not even attempt
to protest the result.

Ilham Aliyev has said little about Wednesday’s referendum, though
his Yeni Azerbaijan party is behind the initiative.

Analysts say there is little doubt the move is aimed at extending
his rule and that if 47-year-old Ilham reaches his father’s age,
Azerbaijan could be looking at another three decades with the Aliyev
family in power.

RESULTS OF REFERENDUM IN AZERBAIJAN ARE MODEST, FAIRLY DEMOCRATIC
Karine Ter-Sahakyan

PanARMENIAN.Net
19.03.2009 GMT+04:00

Long stay in power dulls the ability to adequately perceive the
reality and react to the changes in outward things.

Results of referendum in Azerbaijan are modest, fairly democratic:
92.17% of voters balloted against exclusion from the Constitution
Clause 5 of Article 101, saying "No one can be elected a president
of the Republic of Azerbaijan more than two consecutive presidential
terms". Out of 4.9 million voters of Azerbaijan 3.478.571 people took
part in the elections, or 71.08%.

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The amendment will allow the current President of
Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev to preserve his seat as leader of the country
for an indefinite period. Aliyev was elected to his first term in
2003 and was reelected last October with 88.73% votes.

As a matter of principle, the overall results, or rather the figures
could be different; instead of 92%, they could, for example, be 100%
or even 105%, as it was at the time of the elections of Georgian
President Mikhail Saakashvili. Of course, Ilham Aliyev is more
democratic than Saakashvili for the mere reason that unlike Georgia,
he has gas and oil. It isn’t important that the oil reserves are too
modest; the essential thing is that they can be gambled on. Baku is
always forgetting that the world has changed after Barack Obama was
elected a president. It has changed so much that even "brotherly"
Turkey is reconsidering her policy towards Azerbaijan. As noticed,
long stay in power dulls the ability to adequately perceive the reality
and react to the changes in outward things. This was the main reasons
that after 4 consecutive presidential terms of in fact great President
Franklin Delano Roosevelt the USA, anyway, put restrictions on the
term of office of US presidents. The amendment to the US Constitution
was adopted in 1951. Eight years is nearly an optimal period, but
not for the Aliyev clan, which, to all appearances, will be governing
Azerbaijan for good, or, at least, until the carbohydrates are up.

And before it in sultanate – Azerbaijan cannot be called otherwise –
there will be held another referendum, which will ensure lifelong
power for Aliyev and his offspring. One could say Heydar Aliyev’s
dream has come true or, at least, it is on its way…

The amendments include another interesting detail: the presidential
term can be prolonged if conduct of military operations during wartime
makes it impossible to hold regular presidential elections. In this
case, the term is prolonged till the end of the operations. That is,
only for the sake of permanent governing Ilham Aliyev can simply
declare war against Nagorno Karabakh, which, in its turn, may result
in the collapse of both Azerbaijan and the Aliyev dynasty.

It is not difficult to predict the further steps and statements of the
Azerbaijani leadership: first, for decency, the new sultan will "thank
the people who love him", then he will do away with the opposition,
and… afterwards will meet the President of Armenia. But there is
still enough time till May 7, the assumed meeting in Prague, for
Azerbaijan to manage a couple of statements, like "The Azerbaijanis’
patience is coming to an end", "Territorial integrity of Azerbaijan
is firm", etc.

In all this story of the referendum there is one more fact that
casts doubt on "Azerbaijan’s democratic state and correspondence
to international standards", as well as "full approval" of the
observers. To all appearances, it’s all the same to the observers
from various international organizations what outcome elections in
post-Soviet states will have, since they are defined as falsified
from the very beginning. They cannot be democratic or open; simply,
they can sometimes not live up to the expectations of the West and the
USA. Only in this case, there begin accusations and threats, followed
by sanctions. And it’s rather interesting: this play to the audience
sometimes works. It was the case with the presidential elections
in Armenia. Politicians had allegedly scrupulously calculated what
dreadful results Armenia would face after separation from PACE, the
Program "Millennium Challenges". But, in reality, it is just twisting
of arms of the authorities so that they would not be independent –
no matter of whom. Among all the examples the case with Azerbaijan is
the worst: people swallowed the results of the referendum; opposition
did not stir a finger, and Mehriban Aliyeva gained a reputation of a
"kind" first lady by submitting the draft Law on Amnesty. Naturally,
Ilham Aliyev could not turn her down.

It is almost impossible to imagine a lifelong president in
Armenia. After all, it is pointless too: Baku has her policy, we
have ours.

EDWARD NALBANDIAN OPENS YEREVAN GARDEN IN PARIS
Jean Eckian

Gibrahyer
March 12, 2009
Paris

In front of a thousand people, the orchestra of the Municipal police
of Paris played the Armenian anthem while Armenian Foreign Minister
Edward Nalbandian together with Charles Aznavour and The Mayor of Paris
Bertrand DelanoÃ"un unveiled the plate marking the site of the Â"
Jardin d’Erevan Â" (Garden of Yerevan), located behind the memorial
of the Armenian Genocide.

This green area is bordered of two lines of large trees, along the
edges of the Seine on 255 meters of length and 25 meters in width.

Bertrand DelanoÃ" and Edward Nalbandian are mutually happy of the
fraternal friendship which united Yerevan and Paris. In addition, the
mayor of Paris wished that the Armenian and French people share their
know-how in the fields of culture, education and health. Moreover,
he put the emphasis on the intolerable denial of the Armenian Genocide
which prevails in Turkey and even in France.

Many personalities of Armenian descent were present at this event:
singer Hélène Segara, MP Francois Rochebloine and the Minister André
Santini, archbishop of Paris Norvan Zakarian, the king of caviar in
Paris Armen Petrossian, film producer Alain Terzian, Pierre Terzian,
Chairman of Armenian Funds of France.

LEADING HOLOCAUST HISTORIAN AND SCHOLAR TO DELIVER LECTURE

Targeted News Service
March 16, 2009 Monday 5:07 AM EST

Clark University issued the following press release:

Bauer will explore the view of the Holocaust as possibly the most
extreme form of genocide, and he will assess comparisons between
the Holocaust and recent genocidal situations. Bauer is Professor
Emeritus of Holocaust Studies at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem,
Academic Advisor to Yad Vashem, and a member of the Israel Academy of
Science. He is also the Honorary Chairman of the International Task
Force on Holocaust Education. He has authored 14 books and some 90
articles on the Holocaust.

Bauer’s talk serves as the keynote address at the first-ever
International Graduate Students’ Conference. The conference was
collectively envisioned by the Center’s Ph.D. candidates to provide a
forum for students from around the globe to present original research
on the Holocaust and other genocides to an audience of peers and
scholars. Their purpose is to foster an international community of
future scholars.

The conference also celebrates the centennial of Sigmund Freud’s
visit to Clark University, the sole American University where he
lectured. Freud, who famously escaped Nazi persecution, delivered five
lectures at Clark as part of a series that recognized the University’s
twentieth anniversary of graduate education. The doctoral conference
honors Freud’s visit and marks the Strassler Center’s 10-year
anniversary of offering doctoral education.

The mission of the Strassler Family Center for Holocaust and Genocide
Studies reaches beyond the boundaries of the University: to educate
professionals of many fields about genocides and the Holocaust;
to provide a lecture series free of charge and open to the public;
to use scholarship to address current problems stemming from the
murderous past; and to participate in the public discussion about a
host of issues ranging from the importance of intervention in genocidal
situations today to the significance of state-sponsored denial of
the Armenian genocide and the well-funded denial of the Holocaust.

Dedicated to teaching, research, and public service, the Center trains
the next cadre of Holocaust historians and genocide studies scholars
of the future, teachers, Holocaust museum directors and curators, and
experts in non-governmental organizations and government agencies. The
establishment of this Ph.D. program has been acclaimed by experts in
the field as the most decisive step to date in furthering scholarship
about the Holocaust and other genocides, particularly the Armenian
Genocide.

For more information about the lecture and the conference, call
508-793-8897.

CASPIAN PROSPECTS: LAVROV TESTED IN BAKU THE SOIL FOR THE FORMATION OF A NEW REGIONAL ALLIANCE
by Sokhbet Mamedov

Nezavisimaya Gazeta website
March 13 2009
Moscow

Russia is hoping to use the Qabala radar even after 2012

Baku – Caspian topics and also the first results of implementation
of the Declaration of Friendship and Strategic Partnership Between
Russia and Azerbaijan of 3 July 2008 underlay the negotiations that
were held on Thursday [12 March] in Baku by Russian Foreign Minister
Sergey Lavrov. The negotiations were held as part of a two-day visit
to Azerbaijan.

Lavrov spoke about the purposes of his visit to Baku in a lengthy
interview for several Azerbaijani press agencies on the eve of
his arrival in Baku. "I hope during the scheduled meeting with the
president of the Republic of Azerbaijan to hear the opinions of the
Azerbaijani head of state on the present state and prospects of the
development of relations between our countries," Lavrov said. He
observed here that "I am geared up for a comprehensive discussion
with Foreign Minister [Elmar] Mammadyarov on the entire range of key
issues of the bilateral agenda, including political cooperation and
interaction in the economic and humanitarian fields."

Specifying what he had said, the minister announced that "the foreign
policy component of the talks will be very full, naturally. Russia
and Azerbaijan, as allied states and active regional players, have
many subjects for discussion. Among them, of course, are Caspian
affairs, including determination of the legal status of the Caspian,
the formation of a multilateral mechanism in support of security in
the Caspian, and the organization of Caspian economic cooperation".

We should note that the local press has for several days now been
giving extensive coverage to the visit to Azerbaijan of the leader
of Russia’s foreign policy department. Since not all nuances of the
negotiations will be made public, the senior political pundits are
pointing in their commentaries to the presence of two main topics,
at a minimum. Mubariz Ahmadoglu, director of the Centre for Political
Innovation and Political Technology, says there may be no doubt that
the main topic was a settlement of the Karabakh conflict.

"Russia is unwilling as yet to hand over to anyone the initiative
in a settlement of this problem. The United States and France are
not involving themselves in our conflict in full strength, you could
say. And I believe that Russia will take advantage of this situation,"
the political pundit told NG [Nezavisimaya Gazeta].

Eldar Valiyev, columnist of the Zerkalo newspaper, believes that it is
most likely that Lavrov will in Baku test the soil for the formation
in the region of an anti-American alliance. "Russia is the sponsor
of the formation of a multilateral mechanism in support of security
in the Caspian and a new regional structure – the Caspian Economic
Cooperation Organization (OKES). Moscow believes that the formation
of a new regional organization in the Caspian would strongly boost
a convergence of the positions of the countries of the region and
permit them to more confidently defend their foreign policy interests
internationally. For Russia this means the start of an active offensive
against the policy of the United States in the South Caucasus and
Central Asia," the columnist observes.

Few people are noticing against this background the presence of
such topics of considerable importance as Iran and the Nabucco gas
project. Lavrov’s visit to Baku in the immediate aftermath of the
Tehran session of the Economic Cooperation Organization should hardly
in this sense be considered a mere coincidence. Consequently, this
subject could not have been avoided at the meeting with the president
of Azerbaijan.

First, Iran is exhibiting unprecedented assertiveness for
participation in implementation of the Nabucco project, contemplating
the transportation of gas by its territory from Turkmenistan
included. Second, Tehran, like Moscow, is not a supporter of the
increased presence of the United States and Western countries in the
Caspian. Both these topics are, one way or another, the focus of the
attention of Russian foreign policy, which would like to win over
Azerbaijan, which makes no secret of its endeavour to integrate in
Euro-Atlantic structures, also. In a word, Russia’s foreign minister
had more than enough topics for discussion in Baku. But it will be
some time, to all appearances, before the specifics of results of
the negotiations here are known.

Sergey Lavrov also discussed the prospects of Russia’s use of the
Qabala radar in Azerbaijan even after 2012, when the agreement on its
lease expires. "The Russian Federation is interested in cooperation
with the Azerbaijanis in the use of the Qabala radar and will
materialize this interest through arrangements with our Azerbaijani
colleagues," Lavrov said about the results of the negotiations with
Elmar Mammadyarov.

ARMENIA PARTICIPATING IN 29TH PARIS BOOK FAIR

PanARMENIAN.Net
16.03.2009 14:00 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ For the first time, a delegation of the Armenian
Ministry of Culture attended the 29th Salon du Livre Paris 2009
(Paris Book Fair), freelance French journalist Jean Eckian told
PanARMENIAN.Net.

The books presented are in the Armenian, English and French languages.

The Armenian stand is reported to be very popular. Among the other
books, "History of Armenian people" by academician Gerard Dedeyan is
represented in the Private Editions sector.

EurasiaNet, NY
March 12 2009

GEORGIA FREES ALLEGED ETHNIC ARMENIAN "SPIES"
3/12/09

Georgian police have released on bail two ethnic Armenian community
activists who were charged with espionage and attempting to set up a
paramilitary organization in the predominantly ethnic Armenian region
of Samtskhe -Javakheti. Reasons for the release were not immediately
clear.

Grigol Minasian and Sarkis Hakopianian were freed on a 2,000 lari
(roughly $1,181) bail and a one-year suspended prison sentence,
Armenia’s Public Radio reported on March 12.

The two men, arrested in January, had pled guilty to espionage, but
denied trying to set up an armed group, the pair’s lawyer, Nino
Andriashvili told EurasiaNet last month. [For details, see the Eurasia
Insight archive].

In a separate interview, a Samtskhe-Javakheti police official, who
asked not to be named, told EurasiaNet that the two had admitted to
cooperating with Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB). Speaking
with Public Radio of Armenia, Minasian said that the pair had promised
Georgian Interior Ministry officials "not to give details and reveal
the details of the case."

"Armenia and Georgia are two parts of my heart and my activity was not
consciously targeted against their interests, but [the] investigation
has shown that I have committed a crime," Minasian went on to
say. Minasian and Hakopianian had reportedly been paid to fill out a
survey by the Belarus-based Association for Legal Assistance to the
Population.

The pair’s arrest sparked an outcry in Armenia, where some
parliamentarians accused Georgian authorities of bullying the
country’s Armenian minority. Despite repeat allegations that Russia is
trying to stir ethnic tensions within Georgia, Georgian Interior
Ministry officials have released little information about the case.

A1+

New MCC Board of Directors Reviews Partnerships to Combat Global Pover
[07:43 pm] 12 March, 2009

Board expresses significant concern on Armenia and Nicaragua and
calls for extraordinary interim session to review progress

Washington, D.C.’The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Board of
Directors held its quarterly meeting today, the first chaired by
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and attended by new
Board member Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Geithner, to discuss
MCC programs generally and review in detail MCC’s current partnerships
with Armenia and Nicaragua.

Given ongoing concerns about governance issues in Armenia and
Nicaragua, the Board decided to convene an extraordinary interim
review session prior to its June meeting to assess its partnerships
with these countries. The new Board will make a final determination
regarding MCC’s ongoing engagement in these two countries once it has
had time to assess the current status.

`During this turbulent economic time, MCC remains committed to
performance-based foreign assistance as an effective `smart power’
tool to reduce poverty through economic growth,’ said Acting MCC Chief
Executive Officer Rodney Bent. `We are pleased to welcome our new
Chair, Secretary Clinton, along with the other new Board
members. Their vision and vigorous advocacy for development in
advancing America’s global engagement is energizing.’

As a result of today’s meeting, MCC will continue its suspension of
assistance for certain activities under the $175 million MCC compact
with Nicaragua. In December 2008 ` in response to the government of
Nicaragua’s manipulation of municipal elections and a broader pattern
of actions inconsistent with the MCC eligibility criteria ` MCC
suspended assistance for all new activities not yet under contract and
the property regularization project, which was being implemented by
the government of Nicaragua. MCC called on the government of Nicaragua
to address credible allegations of fraud during the November 2008
municipal elections and to demonstrate a clear commitment to
democratic principles by taking concrete steps to restore the
legitimacy and transparency of Nicaragua’s electoral process. To date,
the government of Nicaragua has not taken any meaningful steps to
address these policy concerns.

The continued suspension sends a strong message to the government of
Nicaragua that now is the time for serious and sustainable reform, and
that the responsibility for these actions lies with the
government. MCC’s commitment to poverty reduction and economic growth
in Nicaragua will continue through MCC assistance for a rural business
development project benefiting small and medium agriculture-related
enterprises, including some 30,000 people in rural areas. The Board
will review the current suspension under the compact at a special
session prior to the June Board meeting. `Aid accountability and good
governance are founding principles of MCC. The government of Nicaragua
has failed to reaffirm its commitment to democratic principles and
practices since its suspension in December,’ said Bent. `MCC’s primary
mission is to support sustainable poverty reduction, which requires
MCC to partner with country governments committed to democracy and the
rule of law. The government of Nicaragua must find a Nicaraguan
solution to restore citizens’ faith and confidence in their system.’

As a result of the meeting, the Board reiterated its concerns about
the status of democratic governance in Armenia and will not lift the
hold on MCC assistance for the rehabilitation of rural roads, while
allowing the government of Armenia to fund construction. MCC will
continue to provide assistance for irrigation infrastructure, which is
well underway and assists Armenian farmers. The Board will review the
current hold on funding road activities at a special session prior to
the June Board meeting.

`The Board’s decision today signals to the government that it has
failed over several years to address concerns raised not only by MCC
and other U.S. Government agencies, but the international community as
well. It’s now incumbent upon the government of Armenia to restore the
Board’s confidence to its commitment to democracy and good
governance. MCC has given the government of Armenia every opportunity
to make meaningful reforms and will continue its direct communication
about its expectations moving forward,’ said Bent.

The Board also reviewed the progress and emerging results from MCC’s
partner countries implementing poverty reduction and policy reform
programs worldwide. Although MCC’s funding level was reduced in the
FY2009 Omnibus Appropriations Act, ongoing compact and threshold
programs will not be affected by these cuts. MCC also will continue to
work with partner countries to develop compact proposals to reduce
poverty.

The Board discussed the status of MCC’s compacts in development with
Moldova, Senegal, Jordan, Malawi, and the Philippines. In addition, it
discussed the compact development process for Colombia, Indonesia, and
Zambia, the three new countries selected by the Board in December as
eligible for MCC compact assistance.

The Board also received an update on MCC’s threshold programs. Liberia
and Timor-Leste were selected as eligible for MCC’s threshold program
by the Board in December. The threshold program assists countries that
have shown progress and commitment toward policy reform. These
countries are considered for assistance to further improve their
performance on the indicators that comprise the MCC eligibility
criteria. To implement the threshold program, MCC works
collaboratively with other U.S. Government agencies, primarily USAID.

`MCC has developed a strong relationship with these countries, which
present real opportunities to address critical policy issues and
reduce poverty in Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, Africa, and
Eastern Europe,’ said Bent. `These countries include some of the most
populous and poorest countries in the world and contain striking
pockets of poverty.’ Bent added that, `MCC’s ability to support
countries vitally depends on substantial funding from Congress.’

The Millennium Challenge Corporation is a unique government agency
that includes private and public sector members on its Board. The MCC
Board of Directors is chaired by Secretary Clinton and also includes
Vice-Chair Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Geithner, Acting
U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Peter F. Allgeier, Acting
Administrator of USAID Alonzo Fulgham, Acting MCC CEO Rodney Bent, and
four private sector members appointed by the President of the United
States with the advice and consent of the U.S. Senate: Former Senator
Bill Frist, Catholic Relief Services President Ken Hackett,
International Republican Institute President Lorne Craner, and
Greycroft, LLC founder Alan Patricof.

PanARMENIAN.Net

Armenian-Turkish border likely to be opened
13.03.2009 16:41 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The talks regarding the opening of the
Armenian-Turkish border have quite intensified recently, and it is
most likely to be opened, an Armenian expert said.

`Opening of the border depends on two factors: the first factor is the
Municipal elections in Turkey scheduled for March 29. At the
forthcoming elections the ruling AK Party must ultimately strengthen
its positions in the field of domestic policy,’ Alexander Iskandaryan,
political scientist, head of the Caucasus Institute, told a
PanARMENIAN.Net reporter.

`The other factor is related to the United States: whether President
Barack Obama will use the term Genocide in his April 24 statement or
not,’ Iskandaryan said, adding that the Karabakh issue is, in fact,
not a key condition for Turkey in regulating the relations with
Armenia.

Star Turkish newspaper quoted a source in the ruling AK Party as
saying that the opening of Armenian-Turkish border is expected in
April.