CYPRUS VISIT AIMS AT STRENGTHENING OF INTERSTATE TIES
PanARMENIAN.Net
21.11.2006 13:12 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ November 22-25 Armenian President Robert Kocharian
will be paying a state visit to Cyprus on invitation of President of
the Republic of Cyprus Tassos Papadopoulos, reported the RA leader’s
press office. The main purpose of the visit is to strengthen the
interstate ties, determine priority ties of the Armenian-Cypriot
cooperation, exchange views on issues of mutual concern and impart
a new quality to the traditional friendly relations between the
two peoples.
The tete-a-tete meeting of the Presidents will be followed by the
Armenian-Cypriot talks in an expanded composition. Robert Kocharian
will also meet with chairman of the House of Representatives Demetris
Christofias, Archbishop Chrysostomos and the Mayor of Nicosia. Besides,
the Armenian President will attend the Church of the Blessed Virgin
Mary, lay a wreath to the monument to the Armenian Genocide victims
and meet with the Armenian community. The delegation led by the
President will also visit Larnaca and take part in the ceremony of
laying a stone in the place where a monument to the Genocide victims
will be inaugurated.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

MINSK GROUP TWO CO-CHAIRS TO ARRIVE IN ARMENIA
A1+
[01:43 pm] 21 November, 2006
Today the OSCE Minsk group Co-Chairs will hold a number of meetings
in Yerevan.
They will meet with RA President Robert Kocharyan and Foreign
Minister Vartan Oskanian. The key issue of the discussion will be
the possibility of the Armenian and Azeri presidents’ next meeting.
By the way, the Russian and the French Co-Chairs will suggest Robert
Kocharyan holding a meeting with his Azeri counterpart Ilham Aliev
in the nearest future.
The Co-Chairs will then leave Yerevan for Baku.
To note, Mettew Bryza, the Minsk group American Co-Chair, will not
participate in the coming meeting.

“TELETHON-2006” CONCLUDED
A1+
[08:19 pm] 20 November, 2006
Pan-Armenian fund “Armenia” concluded the results of the annual
telethon. This year the sum gathered was larger than that of last
year – 35 million AMD, instead of 27.
On November 15-17 the workers of the fund phoned a number of large,
medium and small enterprises in Armenia and asked to make their
contribution to the development of the Hadrut region. 29 million AMD
has already been transferred to the bank account of the fund. After
the November 23 “TV marathon – 2006” the donations will serve the
realization of the program dedicated to the development of the NKR
Hadrut region.
In comparison to the results of last year, the sums gathered during
the European telethons have grown too.
The telethon was held on November 16-19 in France, Belgium, the
Netherlands, Switzerland, and Germany.
This year more than 13 thousand families and organizations have
participated in the action with a result of 1 million 100 thousand
Euros, in comparison with last year’s 11 thousand and 976 million
respectively.
The telethon in Argentina gathered 40 thousand USD.

REPUBLIC SQUARE TO HAVE A STATUE AT THE PLACE OF PRESENT BOARD
Panorama.am
13:08 20/11/06
The results of a competition will decide in mid December what statue
will be erected in the middle of Republican Square at the place
where a board stands now. During the Soviet era, this was the place
of Proletariat leader, Vladimir Lenin’s statue. Samvel Danielyan,
chief architect of Yerevan, said architects have submitted more than
two dozens proposals. The architect said he is prone to support any
suggestion that will be compatible with the architectural outlook
of the square. “Let’s wait and see which proposal will be accepted,”
he said.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARA ABRAHAMYAN: MORE PEOPLE OF OTHER NATIONALITIES KILLED IN RUSSIA THAN ARMENIANS
Panorama.am
15:01 20/11/06
“Arthur Harutunyan, Murmansk branch head of the Union of Armenians in
Russia (UAR) may have been killed because of clash of interests in
business,” Ara Abrahamyan, chairman of UAR, told a press conference
today.
Abrahamyan excluded the possibility that it may be a murder
based on national identity. He said no official verdict has been
released. Abrahamyan said UAR is in close contact with investigation
bodies and he will meet with the prosecutor every tenth day to find
out details.
Reminder: 42-years-old Arthur Harutunyan, a businessman in Russia,
was murdered on November 16 late evening in Murmansk, not far away
from his home.
Non-official sources say he was shot twice in face.
Harutunyan was a big business figure in Murmansk, owning 70.054 percent
of shares at Murmansk Social Commercial Bank. The rest of the shares
of the bank belong to the Russian government.
Speaking about the murder of 15-years-old Narek Kocharyan, who was
reportedly killed in Russia recently, Abrahamyan said he was killed
not because he was Armenian but because he was different. “Armenians
are murdered less in Russia than people of other nationalities. This
does not mean we must not do anything,” Abrahamyan said. He believes
Russian authorities never encourage such crimes.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

TENSE TIME FOR TURKEY: EU TO DECIDE ON ITS FUTURE, POPE MAKES CONTROVERSIAL VISIT
by Peter Goodspeed, National Post
National Post (Canada)
November 20, 2006 Monday
All but Toronto Edition
Turkey’s relations with Europe are at a crucial turning point. Not
since the Polish King Jan Sobieski sent Pope Innocent XI news of his
triumph over the Ottoman Turks at the gates of Vienna in 1683 have
the civilizations of Europe and Turkey clashed so completely.
Early next month, as European Union leaders gather for their annual
summit meeting in Brussels, the European Commission will decide
whether to continue negotiating with Turkey over its lengthy bid to
become accepted as part of the European Union.
The decision, which could totally transform the West’s relations
with the Muslim world, comes amid a flurry of cultural and political
clashes that are fuelling mutual suspicions and contributing to a
growing sense of crisis between Turkey and Europe.
An unresolved 32-year conflict with Greece over Cyprus, concerns over
Turkish censorship and complaints over official attempts to deny the
Armenian genocide have collided with passionate disputes over religion
and racism to disrupt relations.
Even Pope Benedict XVI’s Nov. 28 to Dec. 1 visit to Turkey — his
first as Pope to a Muslim country — is expected to increase tensions.
The Pope’s pilgrimage was rooted in his desire to meet the spiritual
leader of the world’s Orthodox Christians, Ecumenical Patriarch
Bartholomew I. But it has been transformed into a major fence-mending
exercise after the Pope outraged Muslims two months ago in a speech
to his old university in Germany in which he quoted remarks critical
of the Prophet Muhammad by a 14th-century Byzantine emperor.
The controversy erupted almost a year after a wave of similar violent
demonstrations swept the Muslim world in response to cartoons of the
Prophet published by a Danish newspaper.
In Turkey, the Pope’s speech had an additional sting. It reminded
people that, before he became Pope, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger staunchly
opposed Turkey’s admission to the EU.
“Turkey has always represented a different continent, always in
contrast with Europe,” he said in a 2004 interview with the French
newspaper Le Figaro. “Europe was founded not on geography, but on a
common faith.
“It would be an error to equate the two continents … Turkey is
founded upon Islam … Thus the entry of Turkey into the EU would be
anti-historical,” he added.
At other times, the Pope has criticized Europe’s reluctance to
acknowledge its Christian roots for fear of offending its growing
population of Muslim immigrants.
The Pope’s comments struck a chord with a rising opposition to
Turkey’s EU membership in countries like France, Austria, Denmark
and the Netherlands, where there is wariness at admitting a poor
overwhelmingly Muslim country of 70 million people.
Similar sentiments have led several EU members to suggest Turkey
should be granted “privileged partnership” rather than full membership.
The fact that only 3% of Turkey’s land mass actually lies in Europe
spurs continental skeptics who feel Europe is already struggling to
integrate 12 million Muslim immigrants.
Jose Manuel Barroso, the EU President, has suggested it may take more
than 20 years for Turkey to gain admission.
This month, the EU issued a report that was highly critical of
Turkey’s progress in accession talks. After a year, only one of the 33
“chapters” Turkey must negotiate on has been closed, it said.
“Further efforts are needed in particular on freedom of expression,”
the report says. “Further improvements are also needed on the rights
of non-Muslim religious communities, women’s rights, trade union
rights and on civilian control of the military.”
The EU had a long list of complaints: Senior members of Turkey’s armed
forces meddle in politics; Turkey lacks an independent judiciary;
corruption is widespread; allegations of torture and ill-treatment
outside detention centres are common.
Still, the most pressing problem remains Cyprus.
Turkey refuses to open its ports to Cypriot planes and ships until an
international embargo against the Turkish-occupied portion of Cyprus
is lifted.
Greece and Cyprus, both EU members with the power to veto Turkey’s
entry, are threatening to block future EU talks with Turkey until
the issue is resolved.
Finland has proposed a last-minute compromise, suggesting the EU
reduce some restrictions on Turkish-run northern Cyprus in return
for Turkey opening its ports to Greek Cypriots.
If Ankara fails to agree, the EU may decide as early as Dec. 14 to
suspend all talks with Turkey.
Philippe Douste-Blazy, the French Foreign Minister, has already told
parliament the process should be “rethought,” while Angela Merkel,
the German Chancellor, has warned Turkey’s refusal to act on Cyprus
will be “very, very serious.”
In the meantime, Turkey’s relations with individual EU members continue
to deteriorate.
This week, Ankara angrily suspended military ties with France, a major
partner in NATO, in retaliation for a new French law that would make
it illegal for anyone in France to deny the Armenian genocide of 1915.
In addition, Turks themselves are having second thoughts. The latest
public opinion poll by the Pew Research Center says their support
for the EU has plunged to 35%, half of what it was two years ago.
With national elections due next fall, that raises the possibility
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish Prime Minister, could walk away
from the talks to avoid any further embarrassment. That could lead
to a permanent rupture with the West that will dramatically change
the Middle East.
“How much longer will this secular democratic Muslim country look
westward to a European future, instead of turning east?” asks Denis
MacShane, Britain’s former Europe minister.
A frustrated Turkey could easily align itself with Iran and Russia.
But even more ominous, its tradition of secularism and its democratic
ambitions may come under renewed attack from Islamist radicals.

TURKEY: GOVERNMENT DISCLOSES PLAN TO TAKE ARMENIAN ISSUE TO COURT
Milliyet, Turkey
Nov 15 2006
BODY:
[Report by Utku Cakirozer: “Armenian Initiative”]
Turkey is preparing for a great surprise in its Armenian policy.
Foreign Minister [Abdullah] Gul, declaring that [the government] may
take the genocide claims to an international court, has said: “The
accusation will be the most important problem in the decade ahead.”
It has emerged that, following its proposal, in the face of the
Armenian genocide claims, for the establishment of a historical
commission, to be composed of international historians, Turkey is
preparing to take yet another very significant initiative.
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul has announced that they may take the
genocide allegations before an international court.
CHP [opposition Republican People’s Party] Istanbul Parliamentary
Deputy Sukru Elekdag, who spoke during yesterday’s discussion of the
Foreign Ministry budget in the TBMM [Turkish Grand National Assembly]
Planning and Budget Committee session, proposed that Turkey take
recourse to the method of “international arbitration” in order to
prevent the Armenians’ claims from gaining legitimacy. Elekdag spoke
as follows:
“Will Show We Are in the Right”
“Turkey should announce that it will accept the incidents of 1915
being assessed in accord with the provisions of the UN Convention
on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, and for
this purpose should propose referring the matter to international
arbitration. The Armenians will reject this, but this announcement
will be an indication of Turkey’s being in the right morally and
legally, and will in large measure limit the issue’s being exploited
politically against Turkey.”
Gul as well, noting that he ascribes very great importance to
Elekdag’s viewpoint and support, said: “I see the danger of these
Armenian accusations and distortions harming our relations with third
countries as one of the most important problems of the next decade.”
Pointing out that Turkey has been engaged in a sincere effort for the
historical reality to emerge, and by changing the parameters for the
first time and taking a new initiative, has made the proposal for a
joint historical commission, Gul said: “A good many countries have
supported this thesis of ours. We are also engaging in careful work
aimed at taking other steps as well. We are considering everything,
including taking the judicial route. We are getting opinions not just
from our own legal experts, but from legal experts abroad as well.”

TURKEY: COLUMN CENSURES LAND FORCES’ DECISION TO SUSPEND RELATIONS WITH FRANCE
Yeni Safak, Turkey
Nov 17 2006
[Column by Ali Bayramoglu: “Do the Soldiers Make the Decisions?”]
There have been two incidents that have drawn my attention in
recent days. The first of these was what Rahsan Ecevit [wife of the
recently deceased former Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit] said about the
organization of her husband’s funeral in the interview that she had a
few days ago on NTV with Can Dundar. Mrs Ecevit said: “When General
Staff Chief [Yasar] Buyukanit, when he came to express condolences,
said that the commanders had met together regarding the arrangement
of the funeral, I deferred to them, and the military arranged the
funeral.”
For the state ceremony to have been organized directly by the military
is, to put it frankly, a rather strange state of affairs.
In parallel with this, the second such incident occurred the day
before yesterday.
Ground Forces Commander General Ilker Basbug announced that “all
military relations with France have been suspended in response to the
French Parliament’s passage of a bill that punishes the denial of the
‘Armenian genocide’.”
The very next day, that is, yesterday, a response to this announcement
came from the French Ministry of Defence; it declared that the French
Defence Ministry “did not see Turkey’s decision to suspend its military
ties with France as the sign of a crisis or an important problem
between the two countries.” Additionally, French Defence Ministry
Spokesman Jean-Francois Bureau, stating that they had “taken note of”
the statement made by Ground Forces Commander Ilker Basbug, said:
“This was not a statement by the political authorities.”
What had attracted my attention was thus evidently noticed and utilized
by the French…
They are saying that the statement did not come from the Turkish
Ministry of Defence, and that they have their doubts as to whether
the statement reflects Turkey’s political will.
Certainly the natural thing is just what the French have done… The
response to Ilker Basbug’s statement did not come from the [French]
Ground Forces Commander or the Chief of the General Staff. The
response was given by the Defence Ministry, which has both the
political authority and the responsibility for this matter.
Let us now pose the question:
How is it that, on a topic that involves Turkey’s official stance, and
thus requires political will, and consequently on a topic that entails
bearing political responsibility on the basis of the decision made,
the military bureaucracy makes this decision and then so comfortably
announces it?
How, and with what right?
Just yesterday, we were talking about the existing “confusion in
authority, responsibility, and legitimacy”, which blocks the natural
lines of communication in Turkey. Even if some of the decisions
taken are proper ones, the way in which they are taken, or else the
situation in which those who take them are not “responsible”, contain
clues regarding the direction the regime is going to hold to in the
days ahead.
The decision in question -and let us assume it was the right one,
since a good many of us believe it was -is of this sort; it is of an
essentially political nature.
Because it is a decision that could have an impact on, and determine
the orientation of, Turkey’s international relations. And the
institution that according to the laws possesses the authority to
take steps in this regard is the institution that has the obligation
and responsibility to account for the steps that it takes, that is,
the political administration.
For this reason, the subordination of both the military authority
and the civilian bureaucracy to the political administration is one
of the most fundamental principles of democracy.
Otherwise, the mechanism of representation, authority, and
responsibility is impeded.
But in this country, everything runs backwards…
Since those who bear no responsibility for the political decisions
that they make are able to make them, we are unable to get out of
our difficulties, and the country is unable to escape from chaos…
What statement is the Ministry of National Defence going to make now,
I wonder?
It will probably say that the statement by the military was known
to it.
But it seems that this game no longer convinces even the French…
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

A “COLD WAR” BETWEEN NATO MEMBERS
by Petr Iskenderov, Victor Volodin
Source: Vremya Novostey, November 17, 2006, p. 5
Agency WPS
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
November 20, 2006 Monday
Is The Conflict Between Turkey And France Beneficial For Russia?;
Like Turkish authorities had promised, resolution of the lower house
of the French parliament on criminal liability in France for denial of
genocide of Armenians punished by a year of imprisonment and penalty
of 45,000 euros did not remain without consequences.
Like Turkish authorities had promised, resolution of the lower house
of the French parliament on criminal liability in France for denial
of genocide of Armenians punished by a year of imprisonment and
penalty of 45,000 euros did not remain without consequences. General
Ilker Basbug, commander of the ground forces and the second person
in the military hierarchy of Turkey, reported that his country would
freeze all military relations with France saying that “relations with
France in the military field are suspended” and “mutual visits on a
high level are abolished.” Turkey refuses to consider the death of
Armenians during World War I to be genocide saying that the matter
is about events of wartime when the number of killed Turks was not
less than the number of Armenians. Turkey denies the figure of 1.5
million killed Armenians speaking only about 300,000.
Decision of Turkey will deal a blow on development of relations with
France. Along with Germany and the US, France is the leading military
partner of Turkey.
The Turkish-French conflict promises benefits to Russia. Major General
Alexander Vladimirov, comments, “Turkey stopped military technological
cooperation with a NATO member state and Russia may occupy the vacant
spot. Moreover so that the issue of Russian armament supply to Turkey,
for instance, supply of tanks, has already been considered.”
Alexei Arbatov, correspondent member of the Russian Academy of
Sciences, does not quite agree with Vladimirov. Arbatov remarks,
“We do not need to be glad about weakening positions of NATO due to
stopping military technological cooperation by Ankara with France. Of
the two evils Russia will receive the bigger one. Membership of
Turkey in NATO (there are 26 countries there now) is unpleasant for
us but its breakup with NATO may happen in circumstances that will
result in unpleasant consequences for Russia.” Arbatov predicts,
“The process of cooling down relations between Turkey and NATO began
a long time ago. In a more distant future NATO will most likely lose
Turkey. Withdrawal of American forces from Iraq and beginning of a
civil war there between Kurds and Arabs, may serve as a precondition
for this. Turkey is afraid that struggle for independence in Kurdistan
will lead to beginning of a civil war in Turkey. If this happens a
radical Islamic government may ascend to power in Turkey.”
In this case “influence of the militant Turkish Islamic radicalism
will be spread to the entire Caucasian region including the North
Caucasus where Islamic structures have been established with assistance
of Turkey.”
The candidacy of Turkey for entrance in the European Union encounters
strong resistance in France. However, among the reasons the French
party names not the genocide of Armenians but contemporary problems.
In its recently published report the European Commission blames
Turkey for slowdown of reforms, inability to guarantee main rights
and liberties to its citizens and to settle relations with Cyprus. In
the latter aspect Paris acts as one of the main opponents of Ankara.
Arbatov presumes that “on the part of France the matter of genocide
of Armenian people was initiated as an obstacle for entrance of Turkey
into the European Union because the response reaction was predictable.”

THEY SAT DOWN TO WORK ON MILITARY DISTRICTS AGAIN
by Vladimir Mukhin
Source: Nezavisimoe Voennoe Obozrenie, No. 42, November 17-23, 2006, p. 5
Agency WPS
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
November 20, 2006 Monday
The first regional command will be in the southern direction
IN A FEW DAYS THE PRESIDENT WILL APPROVE LOCATION OF THE HEADQUARTERS
OF REGIONAL COMMAND SOUTH; Officials of the General Staff hope
that in a few days the President will approve location of regional
command South.
Officials of the General Staff hope that in a few days the President
will approve location of regional command South. According to available
information, this will evidently be Samara where the staff of the
Volga Military District was located in the past. Thus the Defense
Ministry transits to real fulfillment of plans for new military
administrative division of Russia.
Now the country is divided into six military districts. It is planned
to establish three united commands instead of them and to subordinate
all branches of the Armed Forces to them. They will be named West,
South and East.
According to Lieutenant General Yury Netkachev, former deputy commander
of the group of Russian forces in Transcaucasia, the Volga-Urals
Military District (probably not the entire district because its
eastern territories will be subordinated to command East) and the
North Caucasian Military District will be subordinated to territorial
military command South. Command South will also command foreign
groups and objects of the Armed Forces deployed in Central Asia and
Transcaucasia. The main attention will be focused on them because the
military bases in foreign countries have already become inter-branch
groups of forces including not only the Ground Forces units but also
units and formations of the Air Defense Forces and Air Force.
In Armenia this group already appeared. A similar group is being
established in Central Asia. Recently, Air Force Commander Vladimir
Mikhailov announced that an air base would be established in Tajikistan
on the military airfield Aini near Dushanbe in 2007, and this base
would be organizationally included in the 201st military base of
the Ground Forces. Observers do not rule out that the air base in
Kant (Kyrgyzstan) will also be subordinated to command of the 201st
military base and through it to command South to appear soon in Samara.
This is confirmed by the recent visit of Chief of the General Staff
Yury Baluevsky to Samara. According to the plan for buildup of the
Armed Forces between 2006 and 2010, approved by President Vladimir
Putin, it is the General Staff that is responsible for conduction of
an experiment for transition from the district principle of troops
command in the strategic directions to command of an inter-branch
regional group of forces.
This experiment was conducted in the Siberian and Far Eastern military
districts since July 2006.
Now it is known that the headquarters of the new regional command in
the East Siberian strategic direction will be in Ulan-Ude. Chief of
the General Staff Yury Baluevsky commanded the military staff command
exercise Baikal-2006 from there in July 2006. In Soviet times, Ulan-Ude
was already the headquarters of the East Siberian strategic direction
and has proven its capability.
The experiment for command of the troops in the East Siberian strategic
direction will be accomplished in 2007. According to officers of
the General Staff, already now there is a big probability that it
will be successful. The preconditions are already being prepared for
spreading the experiment to other regions of the country, of course,
first of all to the south from where the main military threat to the
country’s security comes according to the Security Council.