Author: Zaminian Bedik

Agence France Presse — English
August 29, 2008 Friday 3:46 PM GMT

Football: Turks without Hamit Altintop and Nihat

ISTANBUL, Aug 29 2008

Turkish coach Fatih Terim on Friday unveiled a 28-man pre-squad for
Group 5 World Cup qualifiers against Armenia and Belgium.

The Turks, who lost the semi-finals of Euro 2008 to Germany 3-2, will
be without Bayern Munich midfielder Hamit Altintop and striker Nihat
Kahveci of Villarreal as both are injured.

The Turks meet Armenia on September 6 at Yerevan and then host Belgium
four days later in Istanbul. Group 5 also contains European champions
Spain, Estonia and Bosnia.

Goalkeepers

Volkan Demirel (Fenerbahce), Serdar Kulbilge (Kocaelispor), Tolga
Zengin (Trabzonspor)

Defenders

Gokhan Gonul, Ugur Boral (Fenerbahce), Servet Cetin, Hakan Kadir Balta
(Galatasaray), Gökhan Zan (Besiktas), Ibrahim Kas (Getafe/ESP), Ugur
Kavuk (Antalyaspor), Mehmet Polat (Gaziantepspor), Caglar Birinci
(Denizlispor)

Midfielders

Kazim Kazim, Emre Belozoglu (Fenerbahce), Mehmet Topal, Ayhan Akman,
Arda Turan (Galatasaray), Serdar Ozkan (Besiktas), Selcuk Inan, Mehmet
Topuz (Trabzonspor), Mehmet Aurelio (Real Betis/ESP), Gokdeniz
Karadeniz (Rubin Kazan/RUS), Tuncay Sanli (Middlesbrough/ENG), Nuri
Sahin (Borussia Dortmund/GER)

Strikers

Gokhan Unal (Trabzonspor), Halil Altintop (Schalke 04/GER), Semih
Senturk (Fenerbahce), Mevlut Erdinc (Sochaux/FRA)

THEY ARE FOR BUT THEY ARE NOT IN A HURRY

Hayots Ashkhar Daily
30 Aug 2008
Armenia

NKR Councilors touched upon the issue of the recognition of South
Osatia’s, Abkhazia’s and Kosovo’s independence and said that the same
approaches employed towards those territories must be employed in case
of Karabakh issue.

The Councilors support the idea of the recognition of South Osatia’s
and Abkhazia’s independence by Nagorno Karabakh and said that it must
be done in the right time.

The issue will over again be discussed during NA autumn session.

SETTLING IN CAUCASUS
by Kira Latukhina

WPS Agency, Russia
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
August 29, 2008 Friday

PRESIDENT DMITRY MEDVEDEV SIGNED A DECREE RECOGNIZING SOUTH OSSETIA
AND ABKHAZIA AS SOVEREIGN STATES; The Russian Federation recognizes
South Ossetia and Abkhazia as sovereign states.

The decree on the recognition of South Ossetia and Abkhazia signed,
President Dmitry Medvedev urged foreign countries to follow suit. The
Kremlin has no information at this point on what countries are prepared
to recognize South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

With formal agreements not yet signed, it falls on the Russian Defense
Ministry to maintain peace in South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Peacekeepers
will remain where they are, and the establishment of military bases
depends on whether or not the republics themselves want any on their
territories, presidential administration official said.

Konstantin Kosachev of the International Affairs Committee of the
Duma is convinced that Russian military bases will appear in South
Ossetia and Abkhazia before long.

Russian Representative to NATO, Dmitry Rogozin, advised South Ossetia
and Abkhazia to emulate Kosovo and join international non-governmental
organizations and athletic federations.

Mikhail Margelov of the International Affairs Committee of the
Federation Council meanwhile points out that Kosovo should be among
the first to recognize the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia
but realizes that Kosovo will never be permitted to do so.

Vadim Gustov, Chairman of the CIS Affairs Committee of the Federation
Council, counts on the recognition of sovereignty of Abkhazia and South
Ossetia by the countries that signed the agreement on peacekeeping
forces in the Georgian-Ossetian conflict area in 2003 – Kyrgyzstan,
Tajikistan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Armenia, and Azerbaijan.

According to Duma deputy Arsen Fadzayev, residents of South Ossetia
and Abkhazia with Russian or Georgian passports will be entitled to
dual citizenship when these republics are recognized as sovereign
states, and that in its turn will necessitate amendments in the
acting legislation. The Russian citizenship legislation is not an
obstacle. Latvia issues its passports to residents of the Pytalovo
district of the Pskov region, Estonia to those of the Pechora district.

EUROPEAN PRESS REVIEW: RUSSIA’S RELATIONS WITH WEST IN FREE FALL

Deutsche Welle, Germany
,2144,3 596535,00.html
Aug 27 2008

European editorials are pessimistic about international security after
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev decided to recognize the Georgian
territories of South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states.

"Russia’s de facto incorporation of parts of another State is
brutal, but it is also unambiguous," wrote the Financial Times
Deutschland. "There will be no need for the EU to bother trying to
reach an amicable solution or discussing the deployment of peacekeepers
in the Caucasus at its upcoming emergency summit this week. After
yesterday, the subject is closed. There is simply no point trying
to negotiate with Russia, and it would be the wrong thing to do,
even if it there were. The EU cannot discuss easing visa restrictions
or economic cooperation when the other side is proving that it sees
international agreements as mere scraps of paper."

The Suddeutsche Zeitung wondered what the next development will
be. "It is unclear how Russian and the West will claw their way out
of the worst crisis (in relations) since the collapse of the Soviet
Union. Right now, they are in free fall. And that happened because
Moscow chose to demonstrate how it is possible for a government to win
a military victory at the same time as digging its political grave. For
weeks, Moscow has been working itself up into an isolationist frenzy,
venting all sorts of grudges believed to be long forgotten, with
the government and its leader burning all the bridges they had so
carefully built…"

The daily Berliner Zeitung condemned Medvedev’s decision:
"The Russian leadership has referred to the right of nations to
self-determination. It is worth reminding them that the 1989 census
in Abkhazia revealed that living alongside Armenians and Russians, 48
percent of the population were Georgian and only 17 percent Abkhaz. By
2005, there were 45 percent Abkhaz and just 6.5 percent Georgians. The
reason for this development: 200,000 of 250,000 Georgians either fled
during conflicts in the 1990s or were driven out. In South Ossetia,
only 29 percent of the population in 1991 were Georgian. They all
fled after Russia’s military strike on Georgia. So when the Abkhaz
and South Ossetians announce independence based ostensibly on a law
of nations, Russian recognition amounts to sanctioning an expulsion
of people that violates the law of nations."

"Anyone still wondering about the motives for Russia’s war against
Georgia must have realized what is going on by now," wrote Spain’s
center-right daily El Mundo. "Moscow made its decision long
ago. Protecting the Ossetians against massacre was just an excuse
to send its tanks into Georgia’s breakaway regions. Russia is using
military might to redraw the map in the Caucasus. The West is watching
this sorry spectacle unfold — this strategy of the fait accompli. But
Europe and its allies are obligated to defend Georgia’s integrity. The
EU must translate its words into action and take a hardliner stance
against Moscow."

In Paris, conservative daily Liberation was similarly convinced
that the West needs to get tough with Russia: "The Russian
president’s decision to recognize Georgia’s breakaway regions is
sheer provocation (…) These two "states" only exist thanks to
the petro-dollar and the Russian army. Whether in South Ossetia or
Abkhazia, thousands of Georgians in these regions have fallen victim
to ethnic cleansing. Their "governments" made up of collaborators are
mafia-like creations of the Russian secret service. The "ministers"
in South Ossetia are retired Russian generals. What can be done
about it? Moscow’s actions must be condemned, obviously. But first
and foremost, we need to see a debate about future relations between
the West and Russia."

But left-leaning British broadsheet The Guardian suggested that
Moscow might actually be playing straight into the hands of Mikheil
Saakashvili: "In defiance even of Germany and France, which adopted the
most even-handed approach to the Georgian conflict, Russian President
Dmitry Medvedev signed a decree recognizing the independence of South
Ossetia and Abkhazia. There was little pressure on him to do so. Both
provinces have been independent from Tbilisi since 1991, when the
last hothead Georgian president, Zviad Gamsakhurdia, tried to seize
them. Recognition will not make either the Ossetians or the Abkhaz
sleep safer in their beds. It will not do anything to stop the ethnic
cleansing of Georgian villages in these enclaves, which the Russian
foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, condemned yesterday….. Russia’s
actions are handing Georgia a military alliance with the west on
a silver platter. This is the glittering strategic prize for which
Mikheil Saakashvili, the nationalist Georgian president who ordered
his troops to attack Tskhinvali, has been toiling day and night. It
is a prize that he may consider to be worth the sacrifice of two
parts of his country."

FORMER ARMENIAN FM ON TURKEY’S PROPOSAL TO ESTABLISH CAUCASUS PLATFORM

Turkish Press, MI
Aug 26 2008

ANKARA – Armenia`s former foreign minister said on Tuesday that
Turkey`s proposal for the establishment of a "Caucasus Cooperation
and Stability Platform" was interesting.

In an article titled "The Caucasus Moment" published in International
Herald Tribune, former Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian
said that the concept of such proposal must be developed right and
implemented well.

"The proposal today, in this new tense environment, must be more
serious and sustained. It must marginalize no one," Oskanian said.

Recalling Turkish Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan`s recent visit to the
Azerbaijani capital of Baku, Oskanian said that Erdogan discussed the
Turkish plan there and publicly made reference to Armenia`s inclusion
as well.

"It is also a fortuitous coincidence that President Abdullah Gul of
Turkey has been invited by President Serzh Sargsian of Armenia to
watch the Turkey-Armenia FIFA World Cup qualifying match on September
6th together," he said.

Oskanian also said that such invitation offered an opportunity for
the two countries to discuss common security challenges and pave the
way for a region of peace.

RUSSIAN PRESIDENT DMITRY MEDVEDEV SIGNS DECREES ON RECOGNITION OF INDEPENDENCE OF SOUTH OSSETIA AND ABKHAZIA BY RUSSIA

arminfo
2008-08-26 16:29:00

ArmInfo. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has signed decrees on
recognition of independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia by Russia.

"Taking into account the free expression of the will of Ossetian and
Abkazian peoples, following the provisions of the UN Regulations,
the 1970 Declaration on Principles of International Law concerning
friendly relations between the states, the OSCE’s Helsinki Final Act
of 1975, and other fundamental international documents, I signed the
decrees on Russia’s recognition of independence of South Ossetia and
Abkhazia", the president said in his TV statement, Tuesday.

According to him, Russia calls on other states to follow its
example. "This is not an easy choice, but this is the only opportunity
to save human lives.

The Georgian troops’ night shooting in Tskhinvali caused death
of hundreds of peaceful citizens of Russia. Moreover, Russian
peacemakers, who completely carried out their duty of protecting
peaceful population, died", he noted.

"Tbilisi made its choice August 8, 2008 night. Saakashvili chose
genocide to solve his political problems. Thus, he crossed out with his
own hand all the hopes for peaceful existence of Ossetians, Abkhazians
and Georgians in one state. Peoples of South Ossetia and Abkhazia
have come out with the support of their republics’ independence at
referendums for several times. We realize that after what happened
in Tskhinvali and what was planned in Abkhazia, they have the right
to determine their fate themselves", Medvedev said in conclusion.

AMERIABANK PURPOSEFULLY PULLS AHEAD

arminfo
2008-08-26 14:37:00

ArmInfo. TDA Holdings Limited, the affiliated company of the
largest investment company in Russian Troika Dialog, the owner of
AMERIABANK, has purposefully capitalized the bank and propelled
it to the top. Hereby, it gave an opportunity to the bank to take
leading positions in the market of investment banking and universal
bank services.

He said that in August the bank held the second closed issue of shares
for 10.6 bln drams ($35.3 mln), in particular, 265 thousand ordinary
nominal shares with 40,000 drams face values each. The majority
shareholder of the bank acquired the whole package increasing its
stake to 99.6 percent. At preset, the authorized capital of the bank
is divided into 425,000 ordinary nominal shares with 40,000 drams face
values each. Total capital after the second issue was up to 18.6 bln
drams ($62 mln). Due to it, the bank rose from top ten to top five
leaders by the given indicator.

A. Anesyan said the third issue of shares for 1.2 bln drams ($4 mln)
is planned for October 2008, in particular, 30,000 ordinary nominal
shares with 40,000 drams face values each. Due to it, the bank
will increase the authorized capital to 18.2 bln drams ($61 mln)
which will fortify its leading positions in the banking market of
Armenia. Total capital will be increased due to replenishment of the
authorized capital and the expected growth of profit. Thus, the bank
will overfulfill the plan of strategic development for 2008. In future,
the bank will raise capital at the expense of profit for it envisages
over $5 million net profit for 2009.

He mentioned that the first 4.4 bln drams issue of shares was in
February 2008, which raised the authorized capital of the bank to 6.4
bln drams. As of June 1 2008, total capital of the bank was 7.9 bln
drams ($25 mln – 10th position), authorized capital was 6.4 bln drams
($20 mln- 6th position). The share of majority shareholder rose to
99.06%. Total number of the bank’s shareholders was 8 as of June 1
2008 including 4 legal entities and 5 individuals.

In September 2007 TDA Holdings Limited, the affiliated company of
the largest investment company in Russian Troika Dialog, acquired
96.15pct stake in Armimpexbank. In June 2008 Armimpexbank was renamed
into AMERIABANK. The new brand is based on a new concept of the bank’s
activity in the investment banking. AMERIABANK Director General Artak
Anesyan told ArmInfo the bank started providing factoring services
in mid August 2008 and financial leasing operations in June 2008
(leasing portfolio of the bank is 200 million drams). He said a
leasing company may be established when the is developed enough.

VICE-PRESIDENT CANDIDATE OF US DEMOCRATIC PARTY, PRO-ARMENIAN JOSEPH BIDEN IS ONE OF THE SUPPORTERS OF SECTION 907 OF THE FREEDOM SUPPORT ACT

Azeri Press Agency
Aug 25 2008
Azerbaijan

Washington. Husniyya Hasanova – APA. In the early 90s Chairman of
the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and Vice-President candidate
of US Democratic Party Joseph Biden played an active role along with
pro-Armenian senator Bob Dole in the adoption of Armenian Genocide
Resolution and Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act, which banned
U.S. assistance to Azerbaijan.

APA’s US bureau reports that Joseph Biden is also the author
of the resolution condemning the assassination of Hrant Dink
in Turkey. Therefore, Armenian politicians call Joseph Biden a
pro-Armenian politician.

But, Joseph Biden also supported the resolutions defending Azerbaijan’s
interests. He gave full support to the Silk Road Strategy Act
introduced by U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback in 1997. Joseph Biden makes
severe statements against Russia and accuses Moscow of supporting
separatist movements in the post-Soviet area. In his article published
in the Financial Times last year he said Russia’s supporting separatism
in Azerbaijan, Georgia and Moldova was inadmissible.

Regnum, Russia
Aug 22 2008

Nagorno Karabakh can be recognized by Armenia simultaneously with
Russia recognizing Abkhazia and South Ossetia

According to a REGNUM European diplomatic information source, the
official Yerevan may recognize the independence of the Nagorno
Karabakh Republic on August 25. `There is apprehension that Yerevan
may recognize Nagorno Karabakh independence simultaneously with Russia
recognizing Abkhazia and South Ossetia,’ the source said.

As it already was reported, the same day Russia might recognize the
independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. It will be recalled that
people of Abkhazia on August 21 appealed to the president of Russia,
the Federal Assembly and the State Duma to recognize the independence
of their country. An address on it by the Abkhazian president was
supported by the Abkhazian parliament earlier.

On August 20, North Ossetian MPs promulgated another appeal to Russian
federal authorities with a request for South Ossetia independence
recognition. President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev said before that
Russia would support any solution of the Abkhazian and South Ossetian
conflicts regulation if it was supported by nations of the
unrecognized republics.

The FINANCIAL, Georgia
Aug 23 2008

Merkel opens up new Russian front
23/08/2008 18:36

The FINANCIAL – German Chancellor Angela Merkel is calling for a
summit of Georgia’s neighbours in the volatile Caucasus region
following the recent conflict with Russia, a government spokesman said
Saturday, Framce Press reported.

Russia itself was not on the list of countries envisaged by Merkel —
which included Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan — but no country
should be excluded from participation, the spokesman said.

"It’s up to the French presidency of the EU to decide if this
conference will take place, as well as when and who will be invited,"
he said.

According to the latest edition of German weekly Der Spiegel, which
will be published on Monday, Merkel proposed the summit idea to French
President Nicolas Sarkozy, whose country holds the European Union’s
rotating presidency. Berlin reckons the theme of the summit should be
"reconstruction and stability in Georgia and the region," the German
government spokesman said.

THE German Cabinet, headed by Angela Merkel, last Friday approved a
draft law aimed at fending off undesired foreign takeovers, setting
limits on investment that reflect concern over the growing strength of
sovereign wealth funds, Irish Independent reported.

Germany said last year that it will follow the US and France in
thwarting investments that jeopardise the security of key industries
such as telecoms and ports.

Sovereign wealth funds controlled by countries including Russia and
China manage ?¬2.5 trillion, according to the IMF. That sum may
be as much as ?¬12 trillion by 2015, it says.

"The majority of foreign investments won’t be affected,” Economy
Minister Michael Glos said. "Germany remains open to foreign
investments.” The draft law gives a commission, headed by the Economy
Ministry, power to block bids for 25pc or more of a target company by
funds or companies whose majority owners are not EU nationals.