Author: Zargarian Hambik

BRINGING THE THREAT OF WAR TO RUSSIA’S BORDERS IS HAVING WIDE-RANGING REPERCUSSIONS
By Eric Walberg

Online Journal
May 18, 2009, 00:19

As Russian troops marched to celebrate the victory over Nazi Germany
8 May, NATO troops — 1,300 of them from 10 member countries and
six "partners" — were beginning their month-long Cooperative
Longbow/Lancer war "games" on Russia’s southern border.

In deference to Moscow, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Moldova and Serbia decided
not to participate in the NATO exercises, preferring to send their
diplomats to Red Square in homage to the untold Russian sacrifice in
pursuit of world peace.

According to Russian MP Sergei Abeltsev, the NATO decision to hold
the drills in Georgia during the WWII Victory Day celebrations was a
"total revision of the history of the Great Patriotic War."

The games were greeted by Georgian troops with a coup attempt against
their beleaguered president, Mikheil Saakashvili, though there
is speculation that this was something dreamed up by the Georgian
president himself (he has done stranger things, like declaring war
on Russia). This latest bizarre twist, the argument goes, gives him
ammunition in his battle with protesters — they have been demanding
his resignation for over a month and vow to keep protesting unyil
he’s gone. Lucky for Saak, riot police are still loyal to him and
broke up an anti-NATO rally by thousands converging on parliament on
the eve of the games.

According to Russian Ambassador to NATO Dmitri Rogozin, Saakashvili
"has long been aiming to bring Georgia’s domestic conflict to the
international level. It’s for this reason that he shot down our
military — to draw us into the August war. It’s for this reason that
he wanted American marines to come to Georgia, to draw Americans into
that war. This man is dangerous for the world."

In support of Saakashvili, the US darling, Democratic Senator John
Kerry and Republican Congressman David Dreier (note the bipartisan
unity) are calling for a free trade eorgia.

NATO is busy as a bee these days. Apart from its centrepiece,
Afghanistan, where deaths of both Afghans and occupiers are increasing
daily, and practising for God-knows-what in Georgia, it was recently
flexing its naval muscle in neighbouring Turkey, where delegates
from 27 countries just wrapped up NATO’s annual Maritime Commanders
Meeting (MARCOMET 2009). Its theme this year was "The Future Security
Environment — Implications for Navies" and was focused on terrorism,
piracy and conflicts deriving from energy and resources issues. No
doubt it will be deploying forces on the Horn of Africa soon, pursuing
those pesky pirates.

Prague is also a hive of activity these days. It hosted a meeting
of the Eastern Partnership (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia,
Ukraine and Moldova ) 7 May, followed by a summit dubbed "Southern
Corridor — New Silk Road of European and Central Asian countries,"
seeking a non-Russian route for gas imports from Central Asia. The
summit participants included Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan,
Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Egypt, Iraq and Turkey. The Czech EU
official said that after years of wavering, Europe had no time to
lose in securing alternatives to Russian gas.

If the intent in all this is to make Russia angry, it is working. On
the first day of the Georgian military exercise, Russia expelled
two NATO envoys. Rogozin stated that his country would not attend a
NATO military meeting planned for this week. Russian lawmaker Sergei
Abeltsev has floated the idea of a response to the NATO move that would
entail Cuba and Venezuela taking part in "large-scale drills" in the
Caribbean Sea on 2 July. Nicaragua intends to buy Russian aircraft
and helicopters for its armed forces, and will be sure to join in.

The battleground between East and West these days thus includes not
only Georgia, but the Czech Republic, Poland and the Baltics. Not only
is US President Barack Obama continuing Bush’s policy of provoking
Russia in Georgia, but he made no indication in his first 100 days
Czech Republic and Poland. Fortunately, grassroots Czech opposition to
the proposed base resulted in the defeat of the conservative government
and it looks like the Czech base will not go ahead. Strong opposition
in Poland has so far not managed to make a similar political inroad.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused the US of using the
Iran issue as a pretext to set up its missile shield in Russia’s
backyard. "The way it is designed has nothing to do with Iran’s nuclear
programme. It is aimed at Russian strategic forces, deployed in the
European part of the Russian Federation," Lavrov told Euronews. "We
are being very frank about this with our American colleagues and hope
that our arguments are heard. Iran’s nuclear programme is a separate
issue. We approach it according to a key principal — preventing the
spread of weapons of mass destruction."

As if the Czech government’s anti-Russian conferences and the war
games aren’t enough, the Czech air force is now "protecting" the
airspace of the three Baltic NATO members, the first time that the
Czech military’s tactical air force has been deployed in a foreign
operation since the end of WWII. The Czech aircraft will be ready to
take action in case of a military threat to the Baltic countries and
to provide them with help.

But what "threat" is there in the Baltics, other than one invented by
trigger-happy NATO planners playing yet more war "games" with Russia ?

This scheming has not gone unnoticed by Moscow. "We are not afraid
of anything, including the prospect of a new Cold War, but we don’t
want one," Russian President Dmitri Medvedev said recently. In The
Grand Chessboard (1997) Zbigniew Brzezinski predicted that the only
countries Russia could convince to join a defence pact might be Belarus
and Tajikistan. But the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO)
founded in 2002 in reaction to NATO expansion eastward now includes not
only Belarus and Tajikistan, but Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Armenia.

It, along with he Eurasian Economic Community (EurAsEC), the
Russia-Belarus Union State and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation
(SCO) are natural developments by countries concerned about what the
US and NATO are really up to. Russian General Leonid Ivashov, vice
president of the Academy of Geopolitical Science, says there is a need
"to neutralise the spread of NATO’s influence not only to Central
Asia but also to East and Southeast Asia," adding that this "won’t
be of an aggressive or offensive nature; it will be a deterrent."

Relations with the SCO are developing, and just a few months ago, it
was reported that the CSTO will have its own Joint Rapid Reaction Force
which could be used to protect its members from military aggression,
defend critical infrastructure and fight terrorism and organised
crime. Russia and Kazakhstan are the key movers in the CSTO and
managed to obtain a 25 percent growth in this year’s budget.

There are problems. First, the standoff between Armenia and Azerbaijan,
with the latter inching towards NATO membership in reaction to Russian
support for the former. And then there’s Uzbekistan. President Islam
Karimov was initially very pro-US and anti-Russian, but after being
spurned by the West over the brutal suppression of demonstrations
in 2005, he quickly made up with Russia and even joined the CSTO in
2006. However, human rights have never interfered with US strategic
thinking in the past, and there are signs that Karimov is flirting
with the West once again. He has also signed a military cooperation
agreement with Azerbaijan, and is withdrawing from EurAsEC, adding
to the confusion.

What Moscow would really like is for Ukraine to join the CSTO. And
why not? If such pacts are truly defensive, then this makes perfect
sense. What conceivable role does NATO play so far from the Atlantic,
except as a forward base for the US? Ukraine in the CSTO would give it
clout where it counts — with its big and vital neighbour. Ukraine
in NATO can only be a serious cause of tension with Russia. As
Egy ~] While things look grim these days from Moscow, the EU/NATO
machinations are far from yielding results. Euro "partners" Armenia
and Azerbaijan are in a state of war; Belarus and Moldova leaders have
no illusions about Euro intentions and did not attend the EP fest in
Prague, despite the 600 million euros being thrown around. And signs
of reaction to NATO’s nosiness are setting in. In a poll by the US
government-funded International Republican Institute (IRI) only 63
percent of Georgian respondents back NATO accession, down from the
87 percent the IRI recorded last September. Keep in mind the bias of
an organisation like the IRI and imagine likely statistics if such
a poll were carried out by a real NGO like, say, the Campaign for
Nuclear Disarmament or StopNATO. What is telling in the IRI poll is
the massive shift away from NATO membership in the past six months.

And then there’s Ukraine. The district council of its second
largest city, Kharkov, has just called for a ban on all NATO-related
organisations and activities pending a nationwide referendum on Kiev’s
membership in the alliance. A statement circulated by the council
last week denounced any violations of Ukraine’s bloc-free status. The
protest by the deputies followed the opening in April this year of
a Euro-Atlantic cooperation (read: NATO) centre at Economics and Law
University in Kharkov .

Obama has yet to make any of the hard choices he faces. He caved
in to the bankers, and his health plan is being vetted by the
health insurance industry to prevent the single-payer system, by
far the cheapest and most comprehensive. He appears to be letting
the Bush torturers off the hook and continuing their wars in Iraq
and Afghanistan. But he can’t finesse Russia so easily. Russia will
not cooperate on Afghanistan or arms treaties if he continues the
foolish and dangerous meddling in Eastern Europe under the pretense
of supporting "democracy and freedom." The current games can only be
interpreted by Moscow as a replay — hopefully farcical — of e to
keep the enemy at bay.Eric Walberg writes for Al-Ahram Weekly. You
can reach him at geocities.com/walberg2002.

KHOSROV HARUTYUNYAN: THE PUBLIC COUNCIL IS A NON-POLITICAL STRUCTURE
Karen Ghazaryan

"Radiolur"
18.05.2009 17:17

"The public is alienated from political processes, from participating
in the decision-making," member of the Public Chamber Khosrov
Harutyunyan told a press conference today. He considers that one of
the main missions of the Council is to have the public participate
in the decision-making process.

Khostov Harutyunyan is optimistic. He is assured that the Public
Council will play a useful role in the formation of civil society,
"while what is useful cannot be rejected by the public," member of
the Public Council declared. He informed that all 12 committees of
the Public Council have been formed, and the first results of their
activity are expected to be visible in September.

The Public Council has a broad spectrum of activity. However, in
response to the question about the possible relationship with the
forthcoming elections for the Yerevan City Council, Khosrov Harutyunyan
said: "The Public Council is a non-political structure, i.e. it cannot
come forth with statements that have direct political implication. The
Public Council cannot make statements that might lead to political
consequences. However, the Council can consider the Law on Local
Self-Government Bodies in Yerevan and submit proposals for amending
it. This will, undoubtedly, lead to political consequences, but the
0D motivation cannot be a political one, it should be exceptionally
professional," he added.

As for the activity of the Public Council, Khosrov Harutyunyan said
it could become the platform where specialists not included in state
governance bodies could participate in public lie by working out
professional proposals on this or that issue. These proposals may
overlap with or contradict the position of the government. However,
it’s no important, according to Khosrov Harutyunyan. "The most
important is that, actually, the society gets an opportunity to get
involved in the process of working out important decisions," he said.

PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Contact: V.Rev.Fr.Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Officer
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E- mail: [email protected]
Web:

PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon

ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY WOMEN COMPLETED THE 2009 RELIGIOUS STUDIES COURSE AT
THE CATHOLICOSATE IN ANTELIAS

For the past several years the Religious Education Department of the
Catholicosate has been organizing lecture series for women with the aim of
deepening their knowledge of the church, its theology and the place of the
Bible in the Church. This year as well His Holiness Aram I met with the
participants during the first and last sessions of the course. The theme of
the course of this year was "Outstanding People in the Bible".

On Tuesday 12 May 2009, the last day of the course, group met with His
Holiness Aram I at the Main Hall of the Catholicosate. Referring to the
people in the Bible His Holiness said: "God speaks to us either through
special persons or events. God’s plan is to save humanity and help them
build His Kingdom. The Church as the Body of Christ continues God’s work by
making Salvation the goal of its mission. The church is the ‘people of God’.
We are therefore commissioned by God to imitate the life of Jesus Christ and
reflect through our lives the values he established through His Death on the
Cross.

Catholicos Aram I expressed his satisfaction on the growing number of men
and women taking part in the activities organized by Religious Education
Department, because it was a sign of spiritual growth within Church. This
spiritual growth would sustain when there is stronger relationship between
the faithful and the clergy. It is therefore a joy to see women being
enabled to contribute to this spiritual growth in the church.

##
View the photos here:
tos/Photos383.htm
*****
The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of
the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the
jurisdiction and the Christian Education activities in both the
Catholicosate and the dioceses, you may refer to the web page of the
Catholicosate, The Cilician
Catholicosate, the administrative center of the church is located in
Antelias, Lebanon.

HAYASTAN ALL ARMENIAN FUND INTENSIFIES ACTIVITIES IN NKR

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
14.05.2009 13:53 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ NKR President Bako Sahakyan met Thursday with
Hayastan All Armenian Fund’s delegation which includes heads of
various branches of the Fund.

President Sahakyan handed state awards to delegation members for
implementation of projects in Artsakh.

Touching on further cooperation with the Fund, he stressed the
importance of establishing a branch in NKR for more efficient
cooperation.

The delegation members thanked Mr. Sahakyan for the awards and pledged
to intensify activities for the glory of Artsakh, reported the chief
information department of NKR President’s office.

IRAN-ARMENIA GAS PIPELINE TO COME ON STREAM THIS WEEK

Mehr News Agency
May 10 2009
Iran

Tehran: National Iranian Gas Export Company [NIGEC] Managing Director
Seyyed Reza Kasa’izadeh announced on Sunday [10 May] that Iran will
start shipments of natural gas to Armenia this week.

Kasa’izadeh told PIN that he would be leaving for Armenia tomorrow
at the head of a delegation to attend the opening ceremony for the
Iran-Armenia gas pipeline.

According to the deal signed in May 2004, Armenia will pay for the
gas with electricity it produces at a Soviet-era nuclear power plant.

The NIGEC managing director said the pipeline has a diameter of
30 inches and runs for 113 kilometres from Tabriz, East Azerbaijan
Province to the Iran-Armenia border.

The two countries had originally agreed to finalize the project
in January 2007, but the Armenians later said they were not ready,
Kasa’izadeh added.

He explained that the volume of gas exports could rise to 4 million
cubic meters a day in 2011 and to 6.3 million cubic meters a day
afterwards.

AZERBAIJANI SERGEANT YIELDS HIMSELF HOSTAGE TO KARABAKH ARMY

ArmInfo
2009-05-11 13:00:00

ArmInfo. Nagorny Karabakh Republic Defense Ministry press- service
reported that on May 10 2009 at 9:45 am a sergeant of the 702nd
motorized rifle brigade of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces, Anar
Khanbab-oghlu Hadzhiyev, arbitrarily left the observation post,
crossed the southern border of the contact-line of the NKR and
Azerbaijan armed forces and yielded himself hostage to Karabakh army.

During the preliminary interrogation, the Azerbaijani sergeant said
he had to go on such step because of humiliating treatment of juniors.

e-Haber Ajansi , Turkey
May 9 2009

Turkey and Armenia Mountain chess
09 Mayıs 2009 Cumartesi – 17:48:21

A HIGH-STAKES chess game is being played out in the south Caucasus. It
involves America, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia and Turkey. Unlike
chess-players, though, all the participants can win in this game, it
is hoped, if they agree on a common aim: peace between Turkey and
Armenia, which would help to thaw the frozen conflict between Armenia
and By Elektronik Haber Ajansı (e-ha) Azerbaijan over the (mainly
Armenian) territory of Nagorno-Karabakh.

It almost seemed possible on April 23rd, when Turkey and Armenia
declared that they had agreed on a `Road map’ to establish formal ties
and reopen the border. This was sealed by Turkey in 1993 to show
solidarity with Azerbaijan, which had just lost 20% of its territory,
including Nagorno-Karabakh. If the border were open, Armenians could
then climb their sacred Mount Ararat. Friendship with Armenia might
give Turkey the muscle to push through a deal on Karabakh, as well as
securing it a bigger role in the south Caucasus. And that would give
Turkey’s friends a fresh reason to promote Turkish membership of the
European Union.

The most immediate benefit, though, was meant to be dissuading Barack
Obama from keeping his campaign promise to call the mass slaughter of
Ottoman Armenians in 1915 genocide. In the statement he issued on
April 24th, the day when the world’s Armenians commemorate the
tragedy, the American president tried to please everybody. He plumped
for "medz yeghern", Armenian for "great catastrophe". (Cynics noted
that the Turkish- Armenian deal, though initialled a month ago, had
been announced only a day earlier.) And he praised Turkey’s and
Armenia’s peacemaking efforts. Hardliners in Armenia and the diaspora
were furious, accusing Mr Obama of reneging on his promise. Yet in
Turkey the opposition complained that he had simply swapped Armenian
for English to say the same thing.

A bigger obstacle to a deal may be Azerbaijan. It is threatening to
turn towards Russia and to increase the price of the natural gas it
sells to Turkey. This may explain why the Turkish prime minister,
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has reverted to the traditional line that,
unless Armenia makes peace with Azerbaijan, Turkey will not make peace
with Armenia-even though the text they initialled reportedly does not
mention Nagorno-Karabakh at all.

Some say he is posturing, to force Armenia to withdraw from some of
the seven regions of Azerbaijan that it occupies outside
Nagorno-Karabakh. Azerbaijan’s president, Ilham Aliev, and his
Armenian counterpart, Serzh Sargsyan, are due to meet in Prague next
week, before an EU eastern-partnership summit. But Mr Sargsyan, whose
image was marred by a disputed presidential election in April 2008, is
unlikely to bend further. One admittedly puny coalition partner has
already walked out over the deal with Turkey. The financial crisis is
starting to bite, too. Armenian migrant labourers are returning from
Russia in droves. Oil and gas prices have shot up. The Armenian dram
has lost over a third of its value against the dollar.

The real spoiler may turn out to be Russia. Armenia is the only
country bordering Turkey, a NATO member, in which the Russians have
troops and a base. Peace with Turkey could lead to their withdrawal,
as Armenia leans westward. The trade-off, say some, could be for
Russian peacekeepers to defend the corridor linking Armenia proper to
Nagorno-Karabakh. But Russia is also said to be bullying Azerbaijan
for more gas. If it gets it, that may kill the planned Nabucco
pipeline to carry Central Asian and Azerbaijani gas to Europe via
Turkey, leaving Europe more dependent on Russia for its energy.

(e-ha) Huseyin Kinay

?haber=6124

RUSSIA’S FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE CHIEF PAYS VISIT TO ARMENIA, MEETS WITH PRESIDENT

Axis Information & Analysis
cle=1818
Eurasian Secret Services Daily Review
May 6 2009

President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan received Mikhail Fradkov, Chief
of the Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) of the Russian Federation,
Armenian Public Radio reports, referring to Armenian President’s
Press Office.

Both sides discussed a broad framework of issues related
to Armenian-Russian cooperation and exchanges views on
regional developments and security questions, according to the
radio. Simulataneously came the news from the Interfax news agency
that Armenia has refused to participate in the NATO military exercises
which started in Georgia today.

Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs declares retaliation sanctions on
expulsion of Russian diplomats from Brussels AIA already wrote that the
experts practically unanimously named the head of the NATO Information
Office in Moscow, Dr. Isabelle Francois, the most likely candidate who
would be deprived of accreditation in Moscow. One more employee of the
NATO Information Office was also believed to be expelled from Russia.

Today, a source in the Russian Foreign Ministry gave a short statement
to the news agency Interfax, noting that Moscow regrets that the head
of the NATO Information Office in Moscow, Isabelle Francois, leaves
Russia. The source pointed out that she had done much for progress
of relations between the Russian Federation and the North Atlantic
Alliance. Attaché of Canadian embassy also working for the NATO
Information Office, Mark Opgenort, has been also announced persona
non grata by Russian Foreign Ministry.

It became known, that the ambassador of Canada in Russian Federation
Ralph Lisitshin was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
of Russia where he was handed over the note about deprivation of
accreditation of Isabelle Francois and one more employee of NATO
office, according to radio Ekho Moskvy. This measure became the answer
to deprivation of the NATO accreditation of two Russian diplomats,
Viktor Kotchukov and Vasily Chizhov, employees of the Permanent
representation office of the Russian Federation.

END IN SETTLEMENT OF NAGORNO KARABAKH CONFLICT…APPROACHING? – ANALYSIS

APA
May 6 2009
Azerbaijan

The first results of the six-party political dialogue within the
framework of the Roadmap on the settlement of the conflict will be
known at Prague meeting of presidents

Baku. Vugar Masimoglu – APA. For the first time after the Key
West talks, so much intensity is observed in the negotiations on
the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. For the first time all the parties
having interests in the region except Iran participate in the
diplomatic process. Visits of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs to the
region within the past month, caused to surmise that an "X" process
started. Improvement of Turkey-Armenia relations, statements of
influential politicians and statesmen welcoming "the improvements
in the settlement of Nagorno Karabakh conflict" and "steps taken
to normalize Turkey-Armenia relations" , recent intensive process
of diplomacy formed an obscure public opinion: "It seems that some
steps are being taken for the settlement of the conflict."

Actually, the situation was made clear by former Foreign Minister of
Turkey Ali Babacan last year. But the known incident in Azerbaijan
State Oil Academy cast shadow on these statements. (It would not
be bad to assess the terror attack against the background of the
process on the settlement of Nagorno Karabakh conflict) Actually,
Ali Babacan announced the details of the roadmap on the settlement
of Nagorno Karabakh conflict and the political dialogues of the
past week confirmed that multilateral dialogue began basing on the
roadmap. Saying "New diplomatic process will begin soon for the
normalization of Turkey and Azerbaijan’s relations with Armenia"
, Babacan noted that along with the above-mentioned states, US,
Russia and Switzerland would participate in the process. Analysis of
Babacan’s statements gives ground to come to the conclusion concerning
"X" process.

a) The process aims not only to normalize Turkey-Armenia relations,
but also to solve the problems between Azerbaijan and Armenia. So,
the opening of Turkey-Armenia borders in the new multilateral
format takes place in parallel with the solution to Nagorno Karabakh
conflict. Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov also confirmed
after meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that both
processes were taking place in parallel.

b) For the first time US, Russia and Switzerland will participate
in the diplomatic process consisting of bilateral and multilateral
negotiations. Participation of Switzerland in the process arouses
interest. This country will very likely realize the mediation
mission in the initial stage of Turkey-Armenia and Azerbaijan-Armenia
diplomatic relations. Switzerland had before realized similar mission
between Georgia and Russia through its embassies in Tbilisi and Moscow.

c) "Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents achieved important improvements
in the negotiations". This statement had been made on various levels
before Ali Babacan. It gives ground to say that there is serious
improvement in the process of negotiations. For long years it has
been stated that the parties should demonstrate political will, but
for the first time Turkey’s Foreign Minister did not say "there is a
need for political will", but said "the messages from both countries
show that the political will allow to solve the problem". It means
that the barrier of political will in the settlement of the conflict
has been overcome.

d) The most interesting points in the recent processes are the
diplomatic messages that the process of the settlement of Nagorno
Karabakh conflict will end soon. The first such a message was made by
President Ilham Aliyev at the joint briefing with Russian President
Dmitry Medvedev in Moscow. "I hope the Nagorno Karabakh conflict will
be solved soon enough. No one can ignore the progress in the process of
negotiations, this progress raises our hopes that the conflict will be
solved soon". Similar statements were made by Russian President. "If
contacts continue, I am sure the conflict can be solved taking into
account the prepared proposals IN A Short PERIOD TIME in accordance
with the interests of both peoples". And finally Ali Babacan said "The
possibility of solution is observed, and this is not the process to
last for many years". Judging from these views, the conflict will be
very likely solved and in a short period of time. Taking into account
the news of the Kommersant on the eve of President Ilham Aliyev’s
visit to Moscow on April 17, "Azerbaijani and Russian Presidents
will discuss the draft summit on the Nagorno Karabakh conflict",
then it is impossible not to see how serious the situation is.

e) What principles are discussed at the negotiations over
the Nagorno Karabakh conflict? It is partly made clear in the
statements of Ali Babacan or Russian President Dmitry Medvedev,
who has loaded word in the solution to the conflict. Turkish
foreign minister said the details would be specified during the
bilateral and multilateral dialogues within the hexangular of
US-Russia-Switzerland-Turkey-Azerbaijan-Armenia . "We target to achieve
"Win-Win" results". It is clear that the question is the winning by
both parts based on the mutual compromises. The main probability
is that there is a solution on the table based on the exchange
of territory. It can’t be out of view that Russian president also
declared clearly for the first time "It is necessary to base on the
norms of international law, UN and OSCE resolutions in the solution
to the conflict". Azerbaijani president also said at a briefing "We
hope that we will achieve in the next few months the solution moved
the process forward, within the interests of both peoples, within the
territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and based on the strengthening of
international norms and principles in the region", that leads us to
a conclusion: "The alternative of solution made both parts to win,
based on the norms of international law, UN and OSCE resolutions
(Dmitry Medvedev), within the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan
(Ilham Aliyev) is on the table of negotiations". One point has to
be mentioned. For the first time there is not a point about the
inviolability of borders in the statements made at the different
levels. It increases probability that the dialogue is about the
solution based on exchange of territory because the exchange of
territory is contrary to the principle of inviolability of borders.

f) If so many progresses were made in the diplomatic talks over the
solution to the conflict, what factors can break the process? Ali
Babacan emphasized the overcoming of one of the main obstacles –
the barrier of political will of the parts to the conflict, but
there is some hesitation in the Babacan’s statement: "If the OSCE
Minsk Group co-chairs Russia and the United States also express their
will the problems can be resolved". Russian president Dmitry Medvedev
underlined "the third, but very complicated factors for both sides to
show restraint and to see the prospects". So the fundamental solution
to the conflict depends not only on the political will of Azerbaijan
and Armenia, but also on the analogical will of Russia and the United
States, as well as third factors’ influence on the process. "The third,
but very complicated factors" means that the societies are unready
for the mutual concessions and establishing of atmosphere of mutual
trust. The societies have objective reasons, like mutual hate and
historic enmity, to be unready for "Win-Win" model and the Russian
president considers just these factors calling it as "complicated’.

The bilateral diplomatic talks over the Nagorno Karabakh conflict have
already begun according to the "road map", which details announced by
Ali Babacan. The Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents’ visit to Russia
last month, meeting of foreign ministers of both countries with US
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan’s visit to Azerbaijan on May 13 and to Russian on May 16, the
meeting of Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents in Prague on May 7, as
well as tripartite meeting between Turkish, Azerbaijani and Armenian
presidents in Prague show that the process of multilateral dialogue
has already been started. The important point of the dialogue will be
the presidents’ meeting in Prague. It is important that what position
Armenia will show despite that both parts expressed readiness to
demonstrate political will. The statements made by Azerbaijani Foreign
Minister Elmar Mammadyarov in Washington make conclusion that Armenia
still hesitate in the solution to the conflict and the Prague meeting
will show will the process started with high hopes give results or not.

It is still not possible to predict the results of the process
despite the optimist statements of the diplomats. We compared the
new multilateral dialogue over the Nagorno Karabakh conflict with
Key West talks. Failure of the Key West negotiations delayed the
settlement of the conflict for at least 10 years. If the dialogue
process started today and which is more comprehensive and larger
than Key West talks will also fail the solution to Nagorno Karabakh
conflict will be delayed for 10 years more. At least!

HAYASTAN FUND DONATES COMPUTERS TO SEVERAL INSTITUTIONS IN ARMENIA AND ARTSAKH

armradio.am
05.05.2009 13:03

The Hayastan All Armenian Fund donated 120 computers to a multitude
of schools, municipalities, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs)
in Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh.

The project, sponsored by Armenian-American benefactor George
Asadorian and the U.S.-based Educational Association of Malatia,
aims to foster institutional modernization and boost productivity,
particularly within the framework of the Hayastan All Armenian Fund’s
ongoing educational-assistance efforts and Rural Development Program.

Recipients of the project include major educational institutions such
as Yerevan State University, Artsakh State University, and Yerevan
State University of Architecture and Construction; elementary and
secondary schools (the Khachaturyan Art School in Sisian, Nerkin Karmir
School in Tavush, and Our Lady of Armenia Poghossian Educational
Center in Gyumri); and rural municipalities in the Tavush Region
(Apaga, Choratan, Chinari, Aygedzor, Tavush, Lusahovit, and Norashen).

NGOs that have received computers include the Astghavard, Huys Kyank,
and Pilatelpia organizations – all of which are dedicated to improving
the lives of disabled children – as well as the UNDP HIV/AIDS Country
Joint Program’s information centers in the Lori and Shirak regions.

"I hope that our fist collaborative effort with the Educational
Association of Malatia will grow into a lasting partnership, as
our shared goal is to advance educational excellence and sustainable
economic development in our homeland," said Ara Vardanyan, the Hayastan
All Armenian Fund’s acting executive director.

Vardanyan’s sentiments were echoed by Mr. Asadorian, who said he is
much honored by the fact that two newly established computer labs,
at Artsakh State University and Yerevan State University’s Economy
Department, will be named after him.