Author: Boshkezenian Garik

AZERBAIJAN URGES TO RELEASE DISSENTING JOURNALIST FOR WRITING ABOUT KHOJALU

Tert.am
23.04.10

Amnesty International has urged the Azerbaijani authorities to free
a journalist jailed on trumped up charges of terrorism and defamation
after the European Court of Human Rights ruled he had been wrongfully
imprisoned.

The Court said on Thursday that Eynulla Fatullayev, jailed in April
2007 after writing a series of newspaper articles critical of the
authorities, should be released immediately.

"Azerbaijan should take this opportunity to show it is willing to
bring to an end its reputation for silencing dissenting voices and
imprisoning those that speak out against the government," said Natalia
Nozadze, Amnesty International’s researcher on Azerbaijan.

Eynulla Fatullayev was convicted of defamation after writing two
articles that disputed the official account of the 1992 mass killings
of Azerbaijani civilians in the town of Khojaly, during the conflict
between Azerbaijan and Armenia in the Nagorno-Karabakh region.

He was subsequently convicted on terrorism charges for publishing
an article discussing the possible consequences for Azerbaijan of
a US-Iranian war, which the Azerbaijani authorities regarded as a
threat of terrorism. The article criticized foreign policy decisions
made by the Azerbaijani government.

The European Court verdict stated that Eynulla Fatullayev’s convictions
on charges of defamation and terrorism violated his rights to free
expression. It found that he had been unfairly tried and that there
was "no justification for the imposition of a prison sentence."

If not contested the Court’s verdict becomes final after three months.

Amnesty International said it believed Eynulla Fatullayev’s
imprisonment was an attempt to silence his reporting and considers
him to be a prisoner of conscience.

As a state party to the European Convention on Human Rights, Azerbaijan
is obliged to adhere to the court’s final judgement. "The authorities
should release Eynulla Fatullayev without delay." said Natalia Nozadze.

TURKEY COOL TO ARMENIA’S DECISION TO HALT RATIFICATION OF PROTOCOLS

Hurriyet Daily News
ey-cool-to-armenia8217s-move-seeks-ways-to-capital ize-it-2010-04-22
April 22 2010
Turkey

Yerevan’s call to halt ratification of an accord on normalizing ties
has Turkey evaluating the possible legal and political repercussions,
and prompted the country’s leader to reiterate his commitment to the
normalization process.

"It is up to them to decide how they want to move with the ratification
process," Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters
in Ankara on Thursday. "I have expressed our loyalty to the protocols
on numerous occasions. We will press ahead with the process on the
principle that treaties are binding."

The prime minister’s remarks came as Armenia’s ruling coalition
announced earlier Thursday that it was halting ratification of
the peace accord on account of Turkey’s refusal to ratify the text
"without preconditions and in a reasonable timeframe."

Soon after the coalition parties’ statement, Armenian President Serge
Sarkisian confirmed his country’s freezing of the ratification of
the protocols with neighboring Turkey.

The coalition, which holds the majority in the Armenian parliament,
described as "unacceptable" recent statements by Erdogan linking the
process of ratifying the protocols to the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute
between Armenia and Azerbaijan, according to a report by Agence
France-Presse. The declaration was made by the ruling Republican,
Prosperous Armenia and Country of Law parties.

In Tallinn, a spokesman for the Turkish Foreign Ministry said the
government had not yet received any official statement about the
accords.

"What we are doing now is evaluating the content of this statement,"
ministry spokesman Burak Ozugergin told the Hurriyet Daily News &
Economic Review in the Estonian capital, where Foreign Minister Ahmet
Davutoglu was attending a NATO meeting. Ozugergin added that Turkey
is also discussing what steps it could take in the upcoming period.

Following the Armenian statement, Davutoglu called Erdogan to inform
him about the developments. In Ankara, Erdogan said his country’s
stance concerning the ratification of the protocols is clear. "How
the ratification process could move forward and how a comprehensive
peace objective can be achieved in the region has been explained to
the parties concerned."

Turkey and Armenia signed a deal in October to establish diplomatic
ties and open their border in a step toward ending decades of
hostility over Armenian allegations that Ottoman Turks committed
genocide against Armenians, a claim that Turkey rejects.

The deal, comprised of two protocols, needs parliamentary ratification
to take effect. The reconciliation process has since stalled, with
both sides questioning each other’s commitment to peace.

Three points

Early analyses made by Turkish diplomats on the ruling Armenian
coalition’s decision are based on the timing of the announcement as
well as its legal and political dimensions.

The statement came just two days before April 24, the day Armenians
mark the events of 1915, which they consider genocide. On the same
day, a number of countries, including the United States, issue annual
statements to commemorate the Armenian deaths.

"The timing of the statement is important. They are trying to force
Obama to be straighter in his statement," a senior Turkish diplomat
told the Daily News. Last year, U.S. President Barack Obama did not
use the word "genocide" in his April 24 statement, but described the
1915 incidents as "one of the great atrocities of the 20th century."

Following a meeting with Obama last week in Washington, Erdogan said
he was sure that the U.S. president would not use the word "genocide"
in his statement this year.

A group of experts at the Turkish Foreign Ministry have already begun
to look into the meaning of the statement and how it could affect
Turkey’s legal position.

Political consequences will be felt in the ongoing normalization
process, but the move could also be a tactical one to mobilize
opposition parties to force the government in Turkey to withdraw the
protocols from Parliament.

‘Right decision’

A senior official from the Dashnaktsutyun party, which left the
ruling coalition over its opposition to the normalization efforts,
hailed the move, saying, "the Sarkisian administration finally made
the right decision."

"Armenia will never yield to Erdogan’s preconditions, and never
back down on the Karabakh issue or the international recognition of
genocide," Vahan Hovanesian told the Daily News in Yerevan.

David Shahnazarian from the Armenian National Congress also criticized
what he called Turkey’s "never-ending" pre-conditions. "Under the
influence of Azerbaijan, Turkey cannot make progress on the protocols."

Ruben Safrastian, the director of the Institute of Oriental Studies
at the Republic of Armenia’s National Academy of Sciences, said the
protocols had already come to a halt and put the responsibility for
that on Turkey. "We have missed the historic opportunity between Turkey
and Armenia. We must initiate a new process urgently, otherwise the
Turkey-Armenia relationship will head to an irreversible period,"
Safrastian told the Daily News.

Davutoglu was scheduled to meet Thursday with U.S. Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton in Tallinn on the sidelines of the NATO foreign
ministers’ meeting. A senior diplomat confirmed that Davutoglu
was planning to raise this issue during the meeting. "It is equally
important to see how Americans interpret this statement," the diplomat
said. "That will help us complete our own analyses."

ARMENIAN RULING COALITION PROPOSES WITHDRAWAL OF ARMENIAN-TURKISH PROTOCOLS FROM NATIONAL ASSEMBLY’S AGENDA

/ARKA/
April 22, 2010
YEREVAN

Armenian ruling coalition proposes to cease the process of ratification
of Armenian-Turkish protocols in National Assembly.

Relations between Armenia and Turkey, tense until recently, have
started improving, and on October 10, 2009, Armenian and Turkish
foreign ministers – Edward Nalbandyan and Ahmet Davutoglu – signed
the protocols on establishment of diplomatic ties between the two
countries and development of bilateral relations.

The protocols are waiting for ratification by the two countries’
parliaments.

At their joint statement available on Armenian Parliament’s website,
the governing parties say that Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan,
supported by National Assembly’s majority, have taken certain steps
to improve Armenian-Turkish relations without any preconditions.

The United States, Russia, France, Switzerland have contributed a
great deal to this process.

Many countries have welcomed this initiative and stressed its
importance for regional stability.

"The constructive steps taken by Armenia and expectations of the
international community came across inconsistency, maneuvering and the
preconditions put forward by Turkish side. That is why the process of
ratification of Armenian-Turkish protocols has reached a deadlock,"
the ruling parties said in their joint statement.

They also say that the majority at Armenian National Assembly finds
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s recent statements
unacceptable.

Armenian lawmakers think that these statements make ratification
directly dependent on settlement of Karabakh conflict.

"Turkish side’s refusal to ratify the protocols unconditionally and
in reasonable terms makes their ratification in Armenian National
Assembly senseless," the parties say.

That is why the majority of Armenian legislators finds it necessary
to cease the ratification process in Armenia and withdraw it from
the Parliament’s agenda until Turkey becomes ready for unconditional
continuation of the process.

After 2008 presidential elections a ruling coalition was formed
in Armenia.

The coalition member parties are Republican Party of Armenia, Orinats
Yerkir and Prosperous Armenia.

At its latest session convened on April 6, Armenian National Assembly
put discussion of Armenian-Turkish protocols on the agenda again.

Armenian Parliament Speaker Hovik Abrahamyan has said that the
protocols will be put on the National Assembly’s floor, but only
after their ratification by Turkish Parliament.

THE RA MINISTER OF DEFENCE RECEIVES THE AMBASSADOR OF THE PRC TO THE RA

;p=0 &id=1296&y=2010&m=04&d=22
20.04.10

On the 20th of April, 2010 the RA Minister of Defence Seyran Ohanyan
received the newly appointed ambassador of the People’s Republic of
China to the Republic of Armenia Tian Changchun.

Congratulating him on the new diplomatic post and underlining the high
level of the Armenian-Chinese relations, the Minister of Defence hoped
that during his administration the bilateral relations will become even
stronger and will include new spheres of cooperation. Stating that
in the previous years the Armenian-Chinese relations were effective
from the development and strengthening angel, particularly in the
sphere of military and military technological cooperation, Seyran
Ohanyan thanked the Government of the PRC and the commanders of its
army for the support they have shown to Armenia up to now.

During the conversation it was emphasized that the cooperation based
on the mutual understanding and high political dialogue continues to
develop in defence sector, as well as in social, economic and cultural
different spheres.

The RA Minister of Defence expressed his condolences to the ambassador
and the Chinese people for the victims of the recent earthquake in
China. The two sides also discussed matters related to the present
state of the bilateral relations in the military sector and its
prospects.

RA MoD Department of Information and Public Affairs

MEDVEDEV AND SARKISYAN DISCUSS NAGORNO-KARABAKH PROBLEM

APA
April 20 2010
Azerbaijan

Baku-APA. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev began a meeting with
Armenian President Serzh Sarkisyan. Dmitry Medvedev told about
periodically meetings of heads of states and proposed to discuss
bilateral cooperation issues and international problems. APA reports
quoting Vz.ru web-page.

"Such systematic works that we are doing is very important for building
trust and understanding between our countries, as well as the spirit
of strategic partnership", – Medvedev noted.

In turn, Sarkisyan proposed to discuss the question of Nagorno-Karabakh
settlement.

ARMENIAN AMBASSADOR TO GREECE MET WITH SPEAKER OF THAT COUNTRY’S PARLIAMENT PH. PETSALNIKOS

ARMENPRESS
APRIL 19, 2010
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, APRIL 19, ARMENPRESS: A meeting was held on April 15 in
the Greek parliament between speaker of the parliament Philippos
Petsalnikos and Armenian Ambassador to Greece Gagik Ghalanchyan.

Armenian Foreign Ministry press service told Armenpress that the
parties discussed issues concerning the further consolidation of
the Armenian-Greek cooperation. It was noted that a history of many
centuries dating back to the ancient times up to our days links the
Armenian and Greek people, and that the two friend countries today
have an opportunity of deepening the already established efficient
cooperation in economic, commerce, cultural ties, and of activating
the contacts of Armenian and Greek societies.

The parties attached importance to strengthening of the
inter-parliamentary ties and cooperation, for which good prerequisites
have been established by setting up a group of Armenian-Greek
friendship in the Greek parliament lately. The visit of the Armenian
National Assembly Speaker will surely contribute to moving that
cooperation to a practical stage, which is intended in the second
half of the running year.

The interlocutors also referred to the current stage of the regulation
process of Armenian-Turkish relations.

Expressing gratitude to the speaker of the Greek parliament for warm
reception and readiness of expanding the bilateral cooperation, the
Armenian ambassador noted at the end of the meeting with deep gratitude
that 14 years ago inside the walls of the Greek parliament – in these
April days, the resolution on recognition of the Armenian Genocide by
Turkey and on defining a commemoration day was unanimously adopted,
and that this year, too, the Armenians and Greek will jointly take
part in inspiration and commemoration events organized on the occasion
of the 95th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.

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PRE SS RELEASE
KCET Los Angeles
CONTACT:
Diana Barraza, KCET (323) 953-5707; [email protected]
Cathy Williams, KCET (323) 953-5243; [email protected]

KCET AIRS `ARMENIAN EXILE’ AND `MY SON SHALL BE ARMENIAN’ AS
PART OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE MEMORIAL DAY ON APRIL 24

Los Angeles, CA – March 30, 2010 – KCET, public media for Southern
and Central California, presents a special live night of programming
featuring back-to-back documentaries by filmmaker Hagop Goudsouzian in
observance of Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day on Saturday, April 24.
Goudsouzian, a Canadian filmmaker, and Larry Zarian, Vice Chair of the
California State Transportation Commission and former mayor of Glendale,
host the evening, which begins with Armenian Exile at 7:00 p.m.,
followed by My Son Shall Be Armenian at 8:30 p.m.

In Armenian Exile, Goudsouzian paints a self-portrait in which he
pursues a greater understanding of his cultural roots.

In 1988, Nagorno-Karabakh’s war for independence was in the headlines
worldwide. Halfway across the world in Canada, Goudsouzian’s peaceful
world was suddenly shaken: `I had forgotten I was Armenian, until I
saw the courage of these people who had never forgotten who they were
and knew what they had to do.’

Then, again in 1991, the independence of Armenia triggered a new
beginning for Goudsouzian. At this point, he embarked on what he
considers his most important adventure – to touch this mythical land
in search of his roots.

In Armenian Exile, Goudsouzian travels to Armenia for the first time, in
search of the ultimate connection with his forgotten and sometimes
ignored identity. Seeking clarity of both history and self,
Goudsouzian’s reflection on Armenian identity is also at the heart of
his next installment, My Son Shall Be Armenian.

My Son Shall Be Armenian follows Goudsouzian and five Montreal men and
women of Armenian descent to Armenia in search of survivors of the 1915
Armenian Genocide. Through interviews with elders and the touching
accounts of his fellow travelers, Goudsouzian crafts a dignified and
poignant film on the need to make peace with the past in order to turn
toward the future. This documentary is broadcast in French with English
subtitles.

Encore broadcasts of Armenian Exile and My Son Shall Be Armenian will
air on Sunday, April 25 at 1:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m., respectively.

ARMENIANS OF SWEDEN CALL TO LIGHT CANDLE IN ARMENIAN GENOCIDE COMMEMORATION

PanARMENIAN.Net
April 19, 2010 – 15:56 AMT 10:56 GMT

The Armenian community of Sweden has initiated Light the Night
campaign. Head of the Armenian Association of Sweden Vahagn Avedian
said that the community encourages to "Light the Night" by lighting
a candle through the night of April 23rd and into the morning of the
24th, in remembrance of 1.5 million victims of the Armenian Genocide.

"Through lighting a candle in the window, we will show that the
victims’ memory will live forever and that we pursue justice and
peace," Avedyan stated.

ISRAEL BANS ARMS EXPORTS TO TURKEY: CAN FRAYING RELATIONS BE MENDED

Daily Mail Post

April 19 2010

Turkey recognized Israel in the aftermath of the decline and breakup
of the Ottoman Empire when 500,000 Arab soldiers under the guidance
Lawrence of Arabia defected and Arab provinces revolted against the
Ottoman Sultanate.

Many think that Mustafa Kamal Pasha brought secularism to Turkey. It
is pedagogical to note that the secularists were, in practical terms
running the country and had been crowning and replacing sultans
starting with Mehmet V as puppets of the secular regime.

After eliminating Abdul Hamid they were extremely powerful. At his
funeral even his adversaries wept. Otto von Bismarck had once remarked
that "90% of intelligence is in the head of Sultan Abdul Hamid, 5% in
my head, and the remaining five in all the heads of the politicians."

A miscalculating alliance with Germany (Autro-Hungarian EMpire)led to
the collapse of not only the Empire, but also of the centuries-old
alliance between Turkish and Arab societies, mainly as a result
of British incitement of Arab nationalism. The last Ottoman caliph
Abdul Majid II had been offered a grand sum of money if he allowed
the creation of a Jewish state in the heart of the Middle East. The
Turks refused.

After the demise of the Ottoman empire, the secularists recognized
Isreal and maintained relations with it.

Eight years ago the religious AK Party was elected to power in over
Ankara, and things began to change. The Turks turned down $38 billion
from America and refused them overflight rights so that the US could
attack Iraq.

Since 2002 Turkey has been moving away from Tel Aviv and has been
critical of its policies.

At the European Economic Summit in Davos, the Turkey’s prime minister
stormed off the stage after a heated debate on Gaza with Israel’s
president. Recep Tayyip Erdogan clashed with Shimon Peres, whose
voice had risen as he made an impassioned defence of Israel’s actions,
jabbing his finger.Mr Erdogan said Mr Peres had spoken so loudly to
conceal his "guilt".

Recently the US Congress passed a resolution criticizing Ottoman
policies against the Armenians. This chagrined the Turks to no end.

Now the Israelis have imposed sanctions on Turkey.

In January of this year the Turkish Foreign Minister surely set the
stage for things to come

Turkey’s Foreign Minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, has made his strongest
criticism yet of Israel and its policies. After talks with his British
counterpart David Miliband at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in
London, the two ministers held a joint press conference during which
Mr Davutoglu answered questions about his country’s lukewarm relations
with Israel. Asked whether Turkey’s criticism of Israel was attributed
to a policy of "Islamisation", Mr. Davutoglu denied the existence of
any such policy and said that Turkey had worked actively for regional
peace; indeed, until 2008 Turkey had had very good relations with
Israel, even to the point of bringing it to the same table with Syria.

The war in Gaza a year ago changed this, said Mr. Davutoglu. "By
attacking Palestinians in Gaza, Israel ruined our peace efforts and we
cannot tolerate this. Attacking children and women is unacceptable,"
he added.

Davutoglu emphasised that his country’s relations would not be
normalised as long as Israel is occupying and attacking Palestine. "If
Israel ends its occupation and unacceptable treatment of Palestinians,
then we will be ready the next day for normalised and good relations,"
he said. "Turkey’s foreign policy is based on equality both with its
neighbouring countries and others. A Jewish kid is not superior to a
Palestinian kid. Both should be treated as equal. This is our vision
for the region."

The Israeli reaction to Turkey is hardly unexpected.

â-¦Israel imposes partial arms embargo on Turkey â-¦"Ties with Turkey
will never be the way they once were" â-¦Diplomatic relations between
the two countries declined in the aftermath of Israel’s 2008-09
conflict with Hamas in the Gaza Strip â-¦More disharmony followed
Turkey’s decision to forbid Israel Air Force strike aircraft to be
deployed in Turkey Israel will temporarily freeze sales of advanced
military platforms to Turkey over concerns about the perceived
mounting anti-Israel rhetoric from Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan,
reported UK-based Jane’s Defence Weekly.

According to a story Jane’s published on April 16, Israel’s defense
assistance and export organization, SIBAT, has decided to evaluate
Turkish requests on a case-by-case basis; one case under review is a
Turkish request for Israeli-made electronic warfare systems. Turkey has
also expressed interest in Rafael’s Spike non-line-of-sight (NLOS)
anti-tank guided weapon as well as Israel Aerospace Industries’
(IAI’s) Barak 8 theatre-defense missile system for its navy and the
Namer heavy infantry fighting vehicle.

"Ties with Turkey will never be the way they once were," a defense
source told Jane’s on April 14. "We are being very careful which
systems we sell them due to the growing Islamic trends in the country."

Diplomatic relations between the two countries declined in the
aftermath of Israel’s 2008-09 conflict with Hamas in the Gaza
Strip because Turkey was among the harshest critics of the Israeli
offensive. They deteriorated further with the delay in deliveries by
IAI of six Heron unmanned aerial vehicles and still further with the
decision to cancel the October 2009 Anatolian Eagle exercises.

More disharmony followed Turkey’s decision to forbid Israel Air
Force strike aircraft to be deployed in Turkey, where they have held
numerous joint exercises in recent years. Israel has instead turned
to Europe for training, aiming to bolster a 2006 agreement to allow
strike aircraft to be deployed in Romania, reported Jane’s quoting
its Tel Aviv correspondent.

According to Jane’s, Israel and Turkey have, however, maintained
a cautious business relationship, jointly discussing with Colombia
the sale of upgraded M60 main battle tanks (MBTs). Israel Military
Industries (IMI) and Turkey’s Aselsan on April 7 handed over the last
of 170 upgraded General Dynamics M60A1 MBTs to the Turkish military
at a ceremony attended by a top Colombian general, said Jane’s.

Turkish Defense Minister Vecdi Gönul was not available to answer
Today’s Zaman’s questions on the issue. 19 April 2010, Monday,
TODAY’S ZAMAN ANKARA

Turkey has been rebuffed by the Jewish President of France Mr.

Sarkozy. France has pretty much told the Turks that it should stop
dreaming about joining the European Union.

Turkey has since then been looking East towards its former provinces
in Central Asia and towards Pakistan. Relations have been very warm
and Turkish Pakistani relations have been instrumental in bringing
about a consensus on Afghanistan.

The latest Isreali-Turkish tiff has huge repercussions on the entire
area. The Turkish Army has been the harbinger of Turkish secularism
and its relations with Israel. Will it intervene? Can Turkey and
Isreal mend their relations?

GALUST SAHAKYAN: TURKEY LOOKING FOR PRETEXT TO OPEN BORDER WITH ARMENIA

PanARMENIAN.Net
April 15, 2010 – 15:21 AMT 10:21 GMT

Head of the Republican Party of Armenia parliamentary group said
that currently the process of the Karabakh conflict settlement
goes on calmly enough, while Azerbaijan uses warlike statements and
speculations as a method of work.

At the same time, Mr. Galust Sahakyan emphasized that the clamor
raised by the Azerbaijani leadership is meant for the Azeri public.

Referring to the Armenian-Turkish normalization, he noted that
after the Armenian President’s visit to Washington the international
community will make new conclusions in Armenia’s favor.

"There is certain progress, since the Azerbaijani President admitted
that the Armenian-Turkish process refers to Armenia and Turkey only,"
he said, adding that in his opinion the Armenian-Turkish border
will open.

As for the initiative of Mevlut Cavusoglu on resumption of the activity
of PACE subcommittee on Nagorno Karabakh, Mr. Sahakyan assessed it
as a naive coquetry, which doesn’t need any reaction.

"Naturally, Turkey is still trying to poke its nose into the Karabakh
conflict. Meanwhile, statements that the border will be opened only
if Armenia returns Aghdam and Fizuli to Azerbaijan clearly indicate
that the Ankara needs a pretext to open the border," the Armenian PM
noted, adding that Armenia will never make concessions in Karabakh
process for the sake of opening of the Armenian-Turkish border.