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TURKISH LEADERSHIP IS BEING MORE AND MORE OF NO TRACTABLE SPIRIT IN ITS STATEMENTS, ARMENIAN DEPUTY THINKS

ArmInfo
2010-02-18 12:45:00

ArmInfo. ‘Not having an adequate reply from the Armenian party the
Turkish leadership is becoming more and more of no tractable spirit in
its statements’, – deputy of the National Assembly from the Heritage
faction, Stepan Safaryan, said at today’s press-conference.

He thinks that the ‘football diplomacy’ has led to the unprecedented
activation of Turkey in the Karabakh settlement. Safaryan added that
the Armenian party as well as the world community make Turkey hurry
in the matter of ratification of the Armenian-Turkish Protocols, for
which Turkey requires progress in settlement of the Karabakh conflict.

‘Earlier Turkey’s mediation in the Karabakh conflict was limited only
by blockade of Armenia. At present the situation has changed and
official Ankara does not lose a chance to protect interests of its
‘younger brother’, – Safaryan said and added it would be wrong to think
that activeness of Turkey will be of permanent nature. ‘The way out
from the present situation is in the adequate responds of the Armenian
party to different statements of Turkish officials’, – he concluded.

NATO REJECTS VALIDITY OF RUSSIAN-ABKHAZIAN PACT

Yerkir
18.02.2010 13:52

Yerevan (Yerkir) – NATO has hit back at Moscow for signing a deal
with Abkhazia for the construction of a military base in the Black
Sea enclave.

The alliance swiftly urged the Kremlin to reverse what it called its
"invalid" agreement, saying it violates restrictions on military
forces set in a 2008 peace accord.

"The North Atlantic Council has condemned the decision by the Russian
Federation to recognize the Georgian regions of Abkhazia and South
Ossetia and calls on it to revoke this decision," the alliance
spokeswoman Carmen Romero said.

RUSSIA KEY PLAYER ON KARABAKH – US ANALYST
Aliyah Fridman

news.az
Feb 18 2010
Azerbaijan

Ronald Grigor Suny News.Az interviews Ronald Grigor Suny, Charles
Tilly collegiate professor of social and political history at the
University of Michigan.

Will Kazakhstan’s chairmanship of the OSCE help to bring about a
Karabakh settlement?

The intractable Karabakh problem cannot be solved without comprise
between Armenia (and Karabakh) and Azerbaijan. Neither side is really
able to make concessions, given public opinion and the limited
legitimacy of the two governments. Therefore, outside powers will
decide ultimately, as in the conflict between the Israelis and
Palestinians, whether there will be a resolution of the conflict.

Kazakhstan might play a positive role as a mediator, but in the final
analysis Russia is the key player.

What do you think of Russia’s activity on a Karabakh settlement? How
sincere are Russia’s efforts?

Russia is the most important power, but the question is, does it have
positive incentives to settle the issue at this time.

Do you think that the US really is interested in stability in the
South Caucasus and a Karabakh settlement?

The United States has been weakened in the region after the
Russo-Georgian War; Turkey has more pressing issues, as does Iran.

Could Azerbaijan’s membership of NATO help to enhance stability in
the South Caucasus?

Any move of any South Caucasian state toward NATO will be looked
upon negatively by Russia and would jeopardize its position in the
final resolution of the Karabakh conflict. Russia should consider
that settling this issue through compromise (de facto Armenian rule
with de jure Azerbaijani sovereignty) would put the issue of NATO on
the back burner.

Ronald Grigor Suny is director of the Eisenberg Institute for
Historical Studies and Charles Tilly collegiate professor of social
and political history at the University of Michigan; he is also
emeritus professor of political science and history at the University
of Chicago.

ARMENIA MUST RATIFY ARMENIA-TURKEY PROTOCOLS FIRST, SAYS BEKARIAN

Aysor
Feb 17 2010
Armenia

Chairman of the European Integration NGO, Karen Bekarian, said
he thinks Armenia must ratify Armenia-Turkey relations first and
without delay.

"We haven’t got any reasons for not ratifying the protocols. The
protocols come into force at the very first day of the month followed
after exchanging the letters. So, if one of parties didn’t ratify
the protocols, then the documents wouldn’t come into force," said
Karen Bekarian.

The process of ratification will probably end in February or March,
according to Karen Bekarian who pointed that after the protocols pass
the ratification, some other processes would set off. He also said
that any lost second today will cost years later.

It’s worth mentioning, that Armenia-Turkey protocols after hearings
at Constitutional Court were delivered by Armenia’s President to
Parliament. The documents are reported to be discussed by the standing
committee for foreign affairs.

MANVEL GRIGORIAN RE-ELECTED CHAIRMAN OF YUV BOARD

NOYAN TAPAN
FEBRUARY 17, 2010
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 17, NOYAN TAPAN. The 8th convention of the Yerkrapah
Union of Volunteers (YUV) took place on February 16.

Following the opening ceremony, the election of chairman and members
of the commissions, and approval of the agenda, Cahirman of YUV Manvel
Grigorian presented the activities of the union. According to him,
by uniting around a true idea, the yerkrapah voluntary detachments,
which were formed on the battlefield, carried out their task with
honor and then left the arena to the regular armed forces. However,
if necessary, the yerkrapahs (defenders of the land) will again take
up arms and stand beside Armenian soldiers. M. Grigorian called on
the Armenians around the world to unite in order to overcome jointly
all the challenges.

Armenian Minister of Defence Seyran Ohanian stated that it was
a great honor for him to meet with his comrades-in-arms. "While
making our modern history, we all proved efficient by following the
principle of transforming our words into deeds. It is necessary to
value comradeship. The situation in the region makes us united. We
built together the fondations of our state, and now we must overcome
together the problems facing Armenia and we must struggle for further
progress and developent," S. Ohanian said.

The Information and PR Department of the RA Ministry of Defence
reported that after the speeches, the vote on candidates for the YUV
Board and control commission was held. M. Grigorian was unanimously
re-elected Cahirman of the YUV Board.

LA TRAVEL SHOW IS ‘ABUZZ’ BY ARMENIA’S STRONG FIRST APPEARANCE

Armradio.am
17.02.2010 10:41

Armenia and Karabakh made their first appearance at the LA Times
Travel and Adventure Show last week and were greeted by a two-day
throng of more than 40,000 people, according to show organizers.

Representatives of the two countries distributed travel information
and staffed a booth that showed video clips about Armenia and
Karabakh. Armenian dance groups in native attire performed folk dances
on each day of the show. And a travelogue and slide show by the authors
of an Armenia travel guide attracted a standing-room-only crowd.

"We couldn’t have hoped for a better debut reception," said Zaven
Kazazian, the president of the Armenian American Chamber of Commerce
(AACC).

News of Armenia’s participation at the LA travel show-which is the
largest travel show in the US– generated excitement even before the
show doors opened, according to Kazazian.

"Everyone was abuzz" about Armenia and Karabakh even before we arrived,
he said. And on the first morning of the show "there was a traffic jam"
of people at the booth, he added.

The Armenian American Chamber of Commerce (AACC), of Glendale, Calif.,
and the Consulate General of the Republic of Armenia, in Los Angeles,
co-sponsored Armenia’s participation at the travel show in close
collaboration with the Armenian Tourism Development Agency (ATDA)
based in Yerevan, Armenia.

On the first day of the show, which was held at the massive Los
Angeles Convention Center, every person received upon entry a flyer
that exclaimed "Welcome to Armenia" and which promoted traveling to
Armenia and Karabakh to see their natural beauty, history, and culture.

The distribution of the flyer to such a large crowd of potential
tourists was part of the AACC’s objective of introducing Armenia to
everyone, including to those for whom ‘Armenia’ might not have been
on the tip of their tongues, according to Nick Hacopian, who is a
member of the AACC and the Chair of the committee that organized
Armenia’s participation in the travel show.

"We’re putting Armenia on the map for a lot of people who might never
before have thought of traveling there," he said. People have to
think about Armenia, generally, before they will think about actually
traveling there, he added.

Armenia made a dynamic first appearance at the travel show through
its sponsorship of several cultural performances. The country
was represented on the "Global Beat Stage" with music and dance
performances by the Gevorkian Dance Academy, which performed modern
and folk dances in traditional attire. The Lilia Dance Group performed
Armenian folk dances on the second day of the show, as well.

Armenia and Karabakh also sponsored a "Destination Workshop" that
featured a slide show travelogue. This slide show, entitled "Welcome
to Armenia: Ancient Nation, New Republic," was presented by Matthew
Karanian and Robert Kurkjian, the authors of Armenia’s first-ever
commercial travel guidebook dedicated solely to Armenia and Karabakh.

The show attracted a standing-room-only crowd of more than 120 people
at the Convention Center’s "Destination Theatre."

The authors’ guidebook on Armenia, "The Stone Garden Guide: Armenia and
Karabagh," is the best-selling guide to the country and also highlights
the environment and conservation. It is the winner of three national
book awards, and has been featured on National Public Radio.

Armenian Consul General Grigor Hovhannissian attended the show and
said he was pleased to see the interest and enthusiasm that greeted
the Armenian presence at the show. "Tourism is a priority sector for
the country’s economic development," he said. "And the interest that
was generated by Armenia at the LA show is a very encouraging sign,"
he added.

Hovhannissian noted that approximately 650,000 tourists traveled to
Armenia in 2009-a ten-fold increase over the number who visited just
a decade ago. More than a million visitors are projected to annually
travel to Armenia by 2020.

Representatives of Levon Travel and Sidon Travel-two Los Angeles travel
agencies that offer tours to Armenia– were at the Armenia booth each
day to explain the logistics of traveling there. And several tour
operators traveled to Los Angeles from Armenia to be at the booth,
including Armenia Travel M; Elitar Travel; and Nueva Vista Travel.

IMF FORECASTS HIGH INFLATION IN ARMENIA

news.am
Feb 17 2010
Armenia

The goal of the IMF delegation, which arrived for a visit to Armenia
on February 4, 2010, is signing a U.S. $74m credit agreement with
the RA Government after the third stage of the stand-by program has
been checked.

The IMF is to allocate over U.S. $800m to Armenia. The country has
received half of the funds, with the rest to be provided by next June.

Mark Lewis, Head of the IMF’s mission, pointed out that external
factors account for the high inflation rates in Armenia last year.

Although high inflation rates are expected during the next one or two
months, inflation is expected to go down in the latter half of 2010.

Mark Lewis forecasts an inflation rate of 6% in Armenia for this year
against 7.5% last year. Despite the expected price rise in Armenia,
inflation will be falling, he said.

KARABAKH PRESIDENT MEETS WITH ABKHAZIA ARMENIANS

Yerkir
15.02.2010 12:25

Yerevan (Yerkir) – Nagorno-Karabakh President Bako Sahakyan met
representatives of Abkhazia’s Armenian community at a Sukhum school
on February 12.

At the meeting, Sahakyan presented the social-economic situation and
development programs in the NKR to the participants, as well as the
current stage and prospects of the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict
settlement, NKR President Office Central Information Department
has said.

He also spoke about the issues related to the further strengthening
of ties between the Motherland and Diaspora, and answered the
participants’ questions.

Armen Isagulov, an adviser to the NKR president, and others
participated in the meeting.

CULTURE FESTIVAL DEDICATED TO ARMENIA

STA – Slovenska Tiskovna Agencija
;id= 1481104
Feb 16 2010

Ljubljana, 16 February (STA) – The Cankarjev dom arts centre in
Ljubljana will dedicate this year its traditional festival of foreign
cultures to Armenia. The festival will kick off with an exhibition
on Wednesday, followed by a number of concerts, theatre performances,
film screenings, literary events and three other exhibitions.

KAZAKHSTAN’S PROPOSALS ON NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT RESOLUTION

AZG DAILY
17-02-2010

Karabakh conflict

Kazakhstan’s President Nursultan Nazarbayev has presented a package
of measures to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict to Azerbaijani
President Ilham Aliyev, Chairman of the Kazakh Foreign Ministry’s
Committee of International Information Roman Vasilenko told media,
according to Interfax Azerbaijan.

According to the source, Kazakhstan’s President said
OSCE-Chairman-in-Office Kanat Saudabayev passed on the proposals
to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev while on an official visit
to Azerbaijan.

Vasilenko declined to specify details of the proposal.

"Kazakhstan is an honest broker and an impartial mediator. We support
the OSCE peacemaking efforts and the OSCE Minsk Group mediators,"
he said.