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IF ARMENIA RATIFIES PROTOCOLS, DOESN’T MEAN TURKEY WILL AS WELL: TURKISH MP

Tert.
10:30 11.02.10

If Armenia’s parliament ratifies the Armenia-Turkey Protocols,
that doesn’t mean that Turkey’s parliament will also do so, said
Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party MP, and director
of Turkey-Azerbaijan friendship group, Mustafa Kabakci.

"Even if the Armenian parliament ratifies the protocols, the
Turkish parliament will not ratify them without the settlement
of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict as Azerbaijan is more important
[strategic partner] for Turkey than Armenia," Kabakci said, according
to Azerbaijani news agency Trend News.

DAVUTOGLU REAFFIRMS ANKARA’S WILL TO NORMALIZE RELATIONS

Today’s Zaman
Feb 11 2010
Turkey

Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has firmly rejected arguments
suggesting that there has been deterioration in Turkey’s political
will to normalize relations with its estranged neighbor Armenia.

Davutoglu’s remarks came on Wednesday at a press conference ahead of
his departure to Kazakhstan for a three-day official visit when he
was reminded of certain claims made in the wake of Ankara’s uneasiness
over an Armenian court ruling which the Turkish capital says threatens
protocols signed to normalize relations with Yerevan.

"Our strong political will regarding all types of efforts in the
direction of the constitution of permanent peace and stability in
the Caucasus exists," Davutoglu said, adding that Turkey’s efforts
are based on its strong resolve to contribute to the maintenance
of peace and stability, which will continue in the coming period
with the country making bold moves. After months of Swiss mediation
and US encouragement, Turkey and Armenia signed two protocols in
October 2009 to establish diplomatic ties and reopen their shared
border. However, the process hit rocky ground after an Armenian court
upheld the legality of the protocols but underlined that they could
not contradict Yerevan’s official position that the alleged Armenian
genocide must be internationally recognized.

Turkey accused Yerevan of trying to rewrite and place conditions on
the deals. Armenia’s president and foreign minister have warned that
the rapprochement is under threat of collapse.

Ankara attaches importance to the advancement of this strong political
will within the framework of the initial perspective which put forth
such will, Davutoglu said, echoing Ankara’s view that the Armenian
court’s decision contains preconditions and restrictive provisions
that go against the letter and spirit of the protocols.

Calling on every related party to play its part to achieve peace and
stability, Davutoglu noted that the international community’s support
on this issue has been continuing. Davutoglu’s visit to the Kazakh
capital of Astana is taking place at the invitation of his Kazakh
counterpart, Kanat Saudabayev.

Recalling that Kazakhstan’s one-year chairmanship of the Organization
for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) formally began last
month and that Turkey will take over the term presidency of the
Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia
(CICA) in June from Kazakhstan, which has held the presidency since
it was established in 1993, Davutoglu said the two countries would
be assuming the presidencies of two of the most important security
organizations in Europe and Asia for around one year.

Noting that this would be his first visit to Kazakhstan in his
capacity as foreign minister, a position he assumed in May of last
year, Davutoglu said he planned to visit other Central Asian countries
as well.

"Central Asia is a region which constitutes one of the most strategic
backbones of our foreign policy. It is a region to which we are
attached by cultural ties, beyond being in the same neighborhood,
although we are not immediate neighbors. We are determined to develop
these relationships by deepening them further in the coming months."

Ankara believes that Kazakhstan’s one-year chairmanship of the OSCE
will offer an opportunity to create synergy between the 56-nation
transatlantic security body and the CICA due to close coordination
between Turkey and Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan is the first former Soviet
state to chair the OSCE, after making promises to carry out democratic
reforms.

AZERBAIJANI HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVISTS INVITED TO ARMENIA

news.az
Feb 11 2010
Azerbaijan

The International Human Rights Federation has invited the
representatives of the Human Rights Center of Azerbaijan for
participation in the forum.

The forum of human rights to be held in Armenia on April 6-8 of this
year, according to coordinator of the women programs of the center
Zalikha Tagirova.

She said it is unclear whether the human rights activists of the
center will participate in the forum. The plans will be defined only
in mid March.

The forum is expected to be attended by delegates from 30 countries,
as well as members of the international and European structures. The
forum will be organized within the framework of the 37th international
conference of the organization.

The Institute of Civil Society is the member of the international
federation from Armenia.
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From: Katia Peltekian <[email protected]>
Subject: BAKU: Azerbaijani human rights activists invited to Armenia

news.az, Azerbaijan
Feb 11 2010

Azerbaijani human rights activists invited to Armenia
Thu 11 February 2010 | 12:33 GMT Text size:

The International Human Rights Federation has invited the
representatives of the Human Rights Center of Azerbaijan for
participation in the forum.

The forum of human rights to be held in Armenia on April 6-8 of this
year, according to coordinator of the women programs of the center
Zalikha Tagirova.

She said it is unclear whether the human rights activists of the
center will participate in the forum. The plans will be defined only
in mid March.

The forum is expected to be attended by delegates from 30 countries,
as well as members of the international and European structures. The
forum will be organized within the framework of the 37th international
conference of the organization.

The Institute of Civil Society is the member of the international
federation from Armenia.

1 news.az

TURKISH GOVERNMENT’S POLICY WENT FLOP, SAYS BAYKAL

Aysor
Feb 10 2010
Armenia

April 24 is coming soon with Turkey to be suppressed again and again.

This means that government’s policy, ‘Zero Problems Plan’, went flop.

Nothing gained, while much was lost. Friendly relations with Azerbaijan
were lost. Announcing "Zero Problems Plan" the government didn’t
solve problems in relations with Armenia, but gained problems with
Azerbaijan," said leader of the oppositional Republican People’s
Party of Turkey, Deniz Baykal, APA agency reports.

"Armenia – is our neighbor. Turkey was one of the first countries
who had recognized Armenian Republic," he said adding that the
Armenia-Turkey border was closed after those heavy losses that
Azerbaijan suffered in the war when the NKR Armed Forces had defeated
Azerbaijani soldiers.

"The government again says of ‘zero problems’ with neighbors. But if
we have got a solution to the conflict then it means that the problem
was either challenged by us or that we swallowed a problem which had
been created by other side."

AZERBAIJAN IS WAGING TOTAL INFORMATION WAR EVEN IN FIELD OF HUMAN RIGHTS PROTECTION, RA OMBUDSMAN SAYS

NOYAN TAPAN
FEBRUARY 10, 2010
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 10, NOYAN TAPAN. Azerbaijan is trying to turn the
field of human rights protection into one of the main dimensions
of its information war, and in many cases the Ombudsman of Armenia
has to become, in some sense, a national and political figure at
international organizations instead of speaking about human rights.

The Ombudsman of the Republic of Armenia Armen Harutyunian stated this
during the February 10 press conference. "We are at total information
war, and I appeal to the public to take it into account and to act
as one fist," he said, adding: "Willy-nilly, each of us must also
support our national interests because human rights and the national
and state interests are interwoven."

At the same time A. Harutyunian underlined that this unity should not
be mechanical: the state machinery should really address the needs of
ordinary citizen. He reminded that months ago the ombudsman of Nagorno
Karabakh had become a member of the European Ombudsman Institute, after
which Azerbaijan, through its ambassadors, friends and parliaments
of other countries, "launched serious attacks", seeking cancellation
of the Karabakh ombudsman’s membership, but in vain.

"This prompted us to discuss a version of membership for ombudsmen
of the other unrecognized states, as human rights are above current
politics," A. Harutyunian said, stressing that the de facto formed,
but de jure unrecognized states also face human rights problems so
there is necessity to discuss and solve them.

SERZH SARGSYAN: ARMENIA WILL RATIFY PROTOCOLS AS SOON AS TURKEY DOES

news.am
Feb 10 2010
Armenia

Armenia did not hurry to launch the Armenia-Turkey reconciliation
process and id ready to continue it, "and if the clock of history
could be turned back, I would have initiated the process again,"
RA President Serzh Sargsyan stated at his meeting with journalists
at the Royal Institute of International Affairs "Chatham House"
in London, on February 10, NEWS.am correspondent reported.

"We should ask Turkey if it is ready to continue the process. I am
surprised why Turkey has focused its attention on the verdict of the
Armenian Constitutional Court. It does not contain any preconditions,
only Turkey sees them," the Armenian leader said.

Serzh Sargsyan pointed out that the Armenian Parliament will ratify
the Armenian-Turkish protocols as soon as Turkey does it. "Otherwise,
we can find ourselves in a situation when we ratify, but they do not.

The unpredictability of the Turkish Parliament’s decision is a subject
of continuous talks in Turkey," the Armenian leader stated.

Responding to a remark made by a representative of the Turkish Embassy
in Great Britain that the RA Constitutional Court’s verdict still
contains preconditions that are an obstacle to the process, President
Serzh Sargsyan said: "There are not preconditions. If Turkey thinks
we will give up the Armenian Genocide problem or agree to unacceptable
concessions on Nagorno-Karabakh – we did not promise that."

It is noteworthy that, while introducing the Armenian President at
the Chatham House, the NATO former Secretary General George Robertson
stated that the Armenian leader boosted hopes for peace and stability
in the Caucasus by his football diplomacy. He stressed he is looking
forward to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s participation in the
reopening ceremony of the Armenian-Turkish border, which was promised
by the Armenian President. On behalf of everybody, Robertson voiced
hope for Armenian-Turkish reconciliation.

RA President Serzh Sargsyan arrived for a working visit to Great
Britain on February 9. Speaking at the Royal Institute of International
Affairs "Chatham House" in London, the Armenian leader gave a detailed
account of the Armenia-Turkish reconciliation process.

He pointed out that the RA Constitutional Court’s verdict is presently
at his disposal, and all the relevant documents are ready to be
submitted to Parliament. He stated that, after his meeting at the
Chatham House, he would order the RA presidential staff to send the
documents to the Armenian Parliament for ratification.

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT: WHENEVER ONE REFERS TO THE MOUNTAINOUS KARABAKH CONFLICT, THE NOTION OF TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY SHOULD NOT BE EMPHATICALLY UNDERLINED

ArmInfo.
2010-02-10 20:41:00

ArmInfo. I urge everyone to exercise utmost caution when making
public statements on the problem of Mountainous Karabakh, President
of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan said during his speech in the Chattem House
British Royal Institute of International Affairs.

He also said that one should take into account all the dimensions,
possible consequences, and the perceptions of the sides, and always
rely on the positions of the organizations that are familiar
with the details of the problem and specialize in its peaceful
resolution: in this case, it would be the OSCE. The problem can only
be resolved in the context of the international law principles of the
self-determination of nations, territorial integrity, and the non-
use of force.

All the stakeholders now realize this truth. Whenever one refers to
the Mountainous Karabakh conflict, the notion of territorial integrity
should not be emphatically underlined, especially that even if that
notion is perceived to be the only one applying in the case of the
Mountainous Karabakh conflict, it would not lead to its application
in the form envisioned by Azerbaijan.

I would pose a rhetoric question to all who consider themselves
advocates of territorial integrity. Where were they when the
Soviet Union collapsed and the borders changed? Where were they
when Yugoslavia was falling apart? Why do you think that Azerbaijan
could secede from the USSR, but Mountainous Karabakh could not? Why
do you think that large empires should disintegrate, but small ones
should persevere? What is the basis? Instability? I cannot perceive
it. I do not accept it. Because unfair decisions are the very cause
of instability.

Azerbaijan has exhausted the resources of trust in terms of autonomous
status for minorities within its boundaries. It was not and is not
capable of providing guarantees of even internal security to such
autonomies. There was once another Armenian autonomy in Azerbaijan:
Nakhijevan. What happened to it? Not a single Armenian is left in
Nakhijevan. Can such guarantees be taken for granted?

You might say Azerbaijan was different then, and is different now.

During the last 18 years of that "difference" more Armenian and
Christian monuments were destroyed than in the preceding 70 years.

ARMENIA IS PREPARING FOR INTERNATIONAL MATHEMATICAL COMPETITION ‘KANGAROO-2010’

ArmInfo
2010-02-10 15:32:00

ArmInfo. The international mathematical competition "Kangaroo-2010"
will start in Armenia on March 18.

The press-service of the "Ayb" educational fund told ArmInfo that the
deadline for applications from Armenian schools is February 24. The
competition participants are to do logical and amusing sums. This
year the sums will be in both Armenian and Russian. A total of 5 mln
pupils from 50 countries participate in the "Kangaroo" annually. It is
noteworthy that the competition starts in all countries simultaneously.

The general partner of the competition is VTB Bank (Armenia).

NABUCCO PROJECT GETS SECOND WIND

PanARMENIAN.Net
10.02.2010 16:45 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Nabucco project hasn’t failed yet, according to
Ruben Mehrabyan, expert at the Armenian Center of Political and
International Studies.

"Russia has succeeded in putting obstacles to implementation of
the project but this country is no longer the regional monopolist,"
he told a news conference on Wednesday.

Although, Mr. Mehrabyan added, Russia is "historically responsible
for the Caucasus."

The Nabucco pipeline is a proposed natural gas pipeline from Turkey
to Austria diversifying the current natural gas suppliers and delivery
routes for Europe. The pipeline attempts to lessen European dependence
on Russian energy. The project is backed by several European Union
states and the United States and is seen as rival to the planned
Gazprom-led South Stream pipeline project. At the same time there
are some doubts concerning viability of supplies. The main supplier
is expected to be Azerbaijan in cooperation with Turkmenistan, Iraq
and Egypt.

Preparations for the Nabucco project started in 2002 and the
intergovernmental agreement between Turkey, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary
and Austria was signed on 13 July 2009. The project is developed
by the consortium of six companies. The pipeline is expected to be
operational by 2015 and it will carry 31 billion cubic meters of
natural gas per year.

EUROPEAN ARMENIANS’ LETTER TO DAVUTOGLU
By Hovik Afyan

AZG DAILY
11-02-2010

International

Forum of Armenian Associations of Europe addresses an open letter
to the Foreign Minister of Turkey, Ahmet Davutoglu saying, "During
the two presentations you gave in London this January, in answer to
the questions put forward to you by the representative of the Forum
of Armenian Associations of Europe (FAAE), you stated twice that
Turkey was not prepared to ratify the Turkey-Armenia protocols if
Armenians did not give up their campaign for the recognition of the
Armenian Genocide of 1915 and return to Azerbaijan the territories
liberated by blood during the war. Thus, the very fact numerous
Armenian organisations in Europe and around the world pointed out –
i.e. that despite the fact that Armenia respecting the agreement
did not incorporate any preconditions within the protocols, whereas
Turkey breaching the agreement will attempt to create preconditions
both for the Genocide as well as an issue between a third country
and Armenia – has today turned out to be accurate. Hence Turkey
is not prepared to stop the blockade of the Armenian border and is
not prepared to establish good relations as a normal neighbour and
a country adhering to European standards and thus resolve problems
accumulated over a century with its important neighbour. Meanwhile,
Turkey presents itself as a country following the path to democracy
with great ambitions having taking upon itself the important role of
resolving many of the key issues in the region". "…if Turkey does
not ratify the Armenian-Turkish protocols in the next few weeks,
the international community will objectively assess that fact and
the European Armenian organisations will enhance even further their
struggle for the recognition of the Armenian Genocide by more and
more countries, thus enlarging the geography of countries that have
recognised the Armenian Genocide. What is more, the FAAE will review
its position on Turkey’s accession to the EU and will take a firm
decision against it", the letter stated.

But one thing is unclear – why the European Armenians’ organizations
continue their traditions of blackmailing Turkey with the Armenian
Genocide and what prevents them, and not only them, from widening
the geography of the genocide’s internationalization parallel to
the Armenian-Turkish processes, when the dialogue between the two
countries may set up a base for it.