Author: Boshkezenian Garik

GEORGIAN POLICY OF OSTRICH

Panorama.am
17:14 23/02/2009

The National Assembly deputy Shirak Torosyan, the President of
"Djavakhq" Union labeled the Georgian policy towards the Georgian
Armenians as "an ostrich policy" and the evidence to that, according to
the deputy, is the statement made by the Foreign Minister of Georgia
Grigol Vashadze, during his working visit to Armenia, that "there
is no conflict of Djavakhq. There is a social-economic problem of
Samtskhe-Djavakhq, as a region of Georgia where the social situation
has become worse after the Russian aggression."

"By hiding, slurring over and veiling the problem they will not
find any solution to it, quite the opposite, they will feed the
problem," said the NA Deputy and added that there are political,
cultural-education and national problems in Djavakhq either. According
to him, it is quite natural that Djavakhq suffers a social-economic
problem, because Georgia also suffers it.

"It is important to express a political will and to give solutions to
those problems that Georgian Armenians face. Then Armenian-Georgian
relations will be more improved," he said.

NO CHANCE FOR KARABAKH CONFLICT SOONEST RESOLUTION

PanARMENIAN.Net
20.02.2009 16:55 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Nagorno Karabakh conflict will not be resolved in
the near future, Alexander Iskandaryan, director of Caucasus Institute,
told a news conference today.

"The optimism demonstrated by OSCE Minsk Group Co-chair Matt Bryza is
a responsibility of his," he said, adding that one of the mediators’
major tasks is to maintain information channel between the sides in
the conflict.

A MEMORANDUM OF COOPERATION IN THE SPHERE OF MERGING WITH EUROPE SIGNED BETWEEN ARMENIAN AND POLISH FOREIGN MINISTRIES

ARMENPRESS
Feb 17, 2009

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 17, ARMENPRESS: The visit of Armenian Foreign
Minister Edward Nalbandian to Poland kicked off February 16 with the
meeting with Polish Foreign Minister Radoslav Sikorski.

Media relations division of Armenian Foreign Ministry told Armenpress
that after the face to face talk of the Foreign Ministers of the two
states extended negotiations were held during which a wide circle
of issues on Armenian-Polish relations, regional and international
problems were discussed.

Ministers E. Nalbandian and R. Sikorski stressed the importance of
conduction of regular consultations between the Foreign Ministries
of the two states as another format of efficient cooperation.

They have discussed steps which will be undertaken in the direction
of expansion of the cooperation in economic, educational and cultural
spheres.

Particularly ideas have been exchanged on the ways of development of
trade economic relations and implementation of cultural exchanges.

Armenian and Polish Foreign Ministers also had a saturated conversation
on the process of cooperation between Armenia and EU and the steps
to be undertaken in that sphere.

Greeting the EU Eastern cooperation proposal Minister E. Nalbandian
stressed the importance of the steps of signing an agreement of free
trade with EU as well as making the visa regime with EU countries
easier as well as the possible support of Poland in that issue.

E. Nalbandian presented the latest developments over Karabakh conflict
regulation and the opportunities of regulation of Armenian-Turkish
relations. The sides noted that the peaceful political regulation of
Karabakh issue has no alternative.

Accepting Edward Nalbandian’s invitation to visit Armenia, Radoslav
Sikorski noted that he intends to visit Armenia during 2009.

After the meeting the Ministers signed a memorandum on cooperation
between Armenian and Polish Foreign Ministries in the sphere of
merging with Europe.

The meeting of the Foreign Ministers was followed by a joint press
conference. In the evening R. Sikorski served an official supper in
honor of E. Nalbandian.

On the same day Armenian Foreign Minister visited the Warsaw university
where he delivered an extended speech on Armenia’s foreign policy.

Today Edward Nalbandian is expected to meet with Polish President
Lech Kachinski, Speaker of the parliament Bronislav Komorovski and
the head of Senate Bogdan Borusevich.

A CYNICAL USE OF MORALITY
By Haaretz Editorial

Ha’aretz
pages/1064446.html
Feb 16 2009
Israel

Two outrageous new developments have worsened the already tense
relations between Israel and Turkey. Gen. Avi Mizrahi, the head of
the Israel Defense Forces’ Ground Forces issued a tongue-lashing to
Turkey’s prime minister to remind the country of past atrocities. It
goes without saying that as an army man, Gen. Mizrahi is not tasked
with formulating Israel’s foreign policy, nor does he appraise other
countries. But even more grievous is the liberty he took to denounce
and preach morality to a strategic ally, causing a stir in relations
between Israel and Turkey.

At the same time, Israel’s Foreign Ministry pulled out a long
worn-out card, threatening to label the massacre of Armenians in
1915 as genocide. It is hard to believe that the Foreign Ministry
had a sudden attack of morality regarding the Armenians. For years
the ministry has avoided adopting the word holocaust or genocide
regarding the massacre of Armenians, not only because Israel seeks
to preserve its exclusivity over the word holocaust. Mainly, it
knows that adopting the word genocide in the Armenians’ case would
be tantamount to a diplomatic showdown with Turkey, one that would
in all likelihood result in a severing of ties.

This time the Foreign Ministry apparently decided that the Turkish
prime minister’s blunt statements about Israeli policy deserve a
fitting Israeli response, or at the very least the threat of such a
response. The debate is not whether to define the killing of Armenians
as genocide or a holocaust. This is a moral issue that obligates us to
re-examine history and offer a value-based judgment. The criticism is
aimed at Israel’s trying to make political use of the Armenian issue to
"punish" Turkey for daring to be so insolent as to condemn the military
operation, whose results are a matter of controversy even in Israel.

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Turkey is one of Israel’s most important allies even if its prime
minister does not always express an understanding of our policies or
resorts to insulting language. The Foreign Ministry’s main efforts
should thus be geared toward containing the dispute and restoring
the relationship to its proper course. If Israel seeks to alter its
stance on the question of the murder of the Armenians, it would be
wise to do so at a more appropriate time, from a worthy position
of morality and not as a way to make threats. It shouldn’t happen
whenever a disagreement erupts with Turkey.

As for Gen. Mizrahi, perhaps the chief of staff should let his
subordinates know when they are overstepping the bounds of their
authority. In a different era, one would have expected the general
to be relieved of his duties because of his comments.

TURKEY WON’T FOLLOW ANYONE’S INSTRUCTIONS, ERDOGAN SAYS

PanARMENIAN.Net
16.02.2009 18:29 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Chairman of the Justice and Development (AK) Party
and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that "following
what happened in Davos recently, certain circles are making comments
that Turkey has lost its mediating role in the Middle East and is
becoming ineffective and lonely."

Speaking at a political rally in the northern province of Sinop,
Erdogan said that everyone must know that Turkey doesn’t have any
problem in determining its aims.

"No one should try to damage Turkey’s multi-dimensional relations and
limit its regional activities. Turkey is a big country that can’t be
driven to a corner," Erdogan said.

"The Turkish government will never wait for the directives from other
states," he added, Anatolia Agency reports.

The Calgary Sun, Canada
Feb 15 2009

Capturing Obama

Photographer Scout Tufankjian spent two years chronicling Barack
Obama’s road to the White House

By MARIE-JOELLE PARENT, SUN MEDIA

NEW YORK — She knows every wrinkle in his face, his expressions, his
quirks, his habits.

Scout Tufankjian is the only photographer to have followed Barack
Obama throughout the two years of his election campaign. Her photos
have run in the biggest newspapers and her new book, Yes We Can, is
already a bestseller.

In the fall of 2006, Tufankjian had just returned from Gaza where she
worked for four years as a photographer. Her agency wanted her to
cover a book signing in a New Hampshire bookstore for a guy named
Barack Obama.

"I didn’t want to hear about it. It was five hours away and I didn’t
know if the photos would be sold. I was sure it was going to be
totally boring," Tufankjian told Sun Media at the Brooklyn gallery
that is showing her work near her apartment.

The light bulb went on for Tufankjian when she saw the crowd’s
hysteria as Obama entered the room.

"They exploded! I couldn’t believe it, especially in New Hampshire
where they have a reputation for not caring about politics," she
said. "I knew at that point that he would be an important political
force."

She phoned her boss and told him she wanted to follow Obama, even
though the Illinois senator hadn’t yet announced his candidacy.

Tufankjian had a sixth sense in this case, and in following Obama and
his supporters with her Nikon D3, she recorded some of the key moments
of the 21st century.

She took a slew of shots of Obama and kept about 12,000 of them.

"It’s incredible. I know all the details of his face, more so than my
own boyfriend or my father," she said.

Is he photogenic? "Yes, very. He makes a lot of funny faces and he’s
very expressive. But he has a few nervous tics. It’s impossible to
photograph him when he’s speaking at a microphone because he holds it
in front of his mouth."

With her eyebrow ring, short bangs, mischievous nature and bubbling
energy, Tufankjian, which means "son of a gun" in Armenian, is
well-suited to her last name.

Born in a small town in Massachusetts, she studied political science
at Yale and moved to New York seven years ago. Her love affair with
photography began on a trip to Northern Ireland where she saw a riot
break out in the middle of the street. Since then her photos have run
in Newsweek, Time, The New York Times, The Guardian and Rolling Stone.

Tufankjian, 30, had privileged access during the campaign even though
she’s an independent photographer. But there were still rules to
follow.

"We couldn’t photograph him when he was wearing sports clothes, which
was totally stupid. He tucks his sweatshirt into his pants so we can’t
see his skinny legs and it makes him look a bit ridiculous. Untuck
your sweater, dude. It’s going to be OK," she said while
laughing. Obama’s daughters, Sasha and Malia, were also off-limits
when they were not with their father.

She said her best photos came from South Carolina. "That’s where I
really saw what he represented for people. I talked to seniors who
grew up under the Jim Crow laws and young people who had never waved
an American flag. They were getting back hope for their country."

Her favourite picture was taken in South Carolina, one that shows five
little girls jumping for joy when they see Obama.

Tufankjian is now turning to other subjects and is thinking about
going back to Gaza.

15/8399031-sun.html

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THEY DO NOT KNOW HOW TO RETURN TO ARMENIA
[02:10 pm] 13 February, 2009

Many Armenians living in the Russian Federation cannot return to their
Homeland because of the world financial crisis. This mainly refers to
Armenians having some property in Russia ` abode, cars, shops, etc.

Armenian small and medium-size businessmen living in the Russian town
Velikii Novgorod are in a no-go situation. `Since we had few orders I
had to close my furniture workshop operating for 15 years. I am at a
loss. I am going to sell everything and return to Armenia but, as you
know, today no one buys anything. I cannot even sell my car,’ said a
Novgorod citizen Karen Baghdasaryan.

The owner of a Novgorod-based restaurant Arthur Mesropyan is also
`driven into a corner.’

‘ `Our customers are getting fewer and fewer. Mostly, they drop in on
Saturdays and Sundays to drink a glass of beer or a cup of
coffee. There is no point in running the restaurant any longer. I
would like to sell the restaurant, my flat, cars and property and
start a business in Yerevan but¦,’ sighs Mr. Mesropyan. `If the
crisis gets any deeper my desire will turn into a cherished dream,’ he
adds.

Car mechanic Hovhannes Darbinyan living in the town for more than 18
years has already put his flat and car for sale.

I am looking forward to returning to my native town Hoktemberyan but I
cannot sell my flat and car. God grant that they are sold tomorrow.

Our interlocutors say that Armenians having temporary residence in
Velikii Novgorod have already returned to Armenia.

POLITICAL SCIENTIST: GOAL OF ESTABLISHMENT OF CSTO COLLECTIVE RAPID REACTION FORCE IS TO SUPPRESS SOCIAL REVOLTS

Noyan Tapan

Feb 11, 2009

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 11, NOYAN TAPAN. The real goal of establishment of
CSTO collective rapid reaction force is to suppress social revolts
in the CIS territory. Political scientist Manvel Sargsian expressed
such an opinion at the February 11 press conference. According to him,
15 thousand soldiers will be included in the above mentioned forces,
and "such a small army is not an army but police." "Our authorities
are ready to bring detachments consisting of Uzbeks into the capital
regiment, as a foreigner better disperses mass actions than one’s
own troops," M. Sargsian said.

JUDGE DID NOT VIEW PRAYER

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[01:40 pm] 11 February, 2009

On February 11, the Criminal Court of Yerevan resumed the hearing
on the case of Vardan Jhangiryan, the brother of Armenia’s ex Deputy
Prosecutor General Gagik Jhangiryan. The defendant was again unable
to appear before the court because of his poor health.

The defence motioned the court to let Jhangiryan undergo examination
and treatment in Germany. Judge Mnatsakan Martirosyan said the prayer
couldn’t be considered without the defendant.

Remind that Vardan Jhangiryan is charged with violence
against a government representative. He suffers from vertebral
tuberculosis. Jhangiryan’s health aggravated after receiving a missile
wound during the detention on February 23.

Armenian doctors are unable to help Jhangiryan. The advocates have
filed a few motions to dismiss the case all of them have been denied.

The next hearing is scheduled for 11:00 February 27.

SAMAD SEYIDOV: "PACE NEW SUBCOMMITTEE ON CONFLICTS WILL STUDY NAGORNO KARABAKH CONFLICT AS WELL"

APA
Feb 10 2009
Azerbaijan

Baku. Lachin Sultanova-APA. Head of the Azerbaijani delegation to
the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) Samad
Seyidov’s interview with APA

– What case of necessity forced the Parliamentary Assembly of the
Council of Europe to establish the subcommittee for learning the
conflicts and what will its activity cover?

-The subcommittee was established for special researches and
investigations to prevent the conflicts between the member countries
and its growing to the war after the Georgia-Russia conflict. Its
necessity was seriously raised in PACE and in its January session,
the bureau decided to establish the special subcommittee to prevent
the conflicts between the member countries. British parliamentarian
David Wilshire was appointed the chairman of the subcommittee. It
will determine its concrete activity in the April session. According
to the rule of the Council of Europe, the subcommittees hold their
meetings within the PACE sessions because it is difficult to hold
the meetings in the intersession period. Of course, we will follow
the subcommittee’s activity, when it will begin in the April session
and if it is necessary we will actively participate in its work.

– Will the subcommittee address the Nagorno Karabakh problem? PACE
already has its subcommittee for Nagorno Karabakh.

-Of course, anyway issues on Nagorno Karabakh conflict will be
discussed. There will be relations between this subcommittee and the
subcommittee on Nagorno Karabakh. We support this. We are ready to
help the committee so that the subcommittee can organize its activity
normally and properly.

– David Wilshire said the subcommittee will hold various meetings
in connection with the conflicts. Will any event on Nagorno Karabakh
be held?

-As I have said, there is no concrete, con firmed action plan. But
various meetings, talks and conferences are held when a subcommittee
is set up. This is their style. The working principle of subcommittees
is to hold roundtables, conferences and other events. Nagorno Karabakh
conflict has been discussed in PACE several times, conference on the
"frozen conflicts" was held in Berlin last year. Earlier, heads of
Azerbaijani and Armenian delegations and members of the subcommittee
had talks in the subcommittee on Nagorno Karabakh.

– Will anyone from Azerbaijani delegation be elected to the new
subcommittee?

-Every PACE member can participate in the work of subcommittees when
important issues, problems arise. Only one PACE committee – Monitoring
Committee holds closed meetings. The meetings of other committees are
open. Subcommittees do not hold closed meetings at all and everyone,
who is interested, can participate in its work. There is no limit here.