Author: Chakhmakhchian Vatche

RPA URGES AZERBAIJANI FM STOP BUILDING CASTLES IN AIR

news.am
March 17 2010
Armenia

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov’s statements on a
phased settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict are nonsense,
Press Secretary of the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) Eduard
Sharmazanov told NEWS.am, commenting on the Azeri FM’s interpretation
of the Madrid document.

"I would like to call on the Azerbaijani Foreign Minister to stop
building castles in the air. Nagorno-Karabakh’s future status can by
no means be inferior to its present status," Sharmazanov said.

He said that Baku wants to settle the conflict, but Azerbaijan
must first withdraw its troops from the occupied territories of
Nagorno-Karabakh (Shahumyan, Getashen and Martunashen) and allow
Armenian refugees to return there.

As regards Turkish Premier Recep Erdogan’s "nervous statements,"
Sharmazanov said that they are one more proof that Turkey cannot
"find the strength" to admit historical facts – the way to Europe is
closed to her as it is.

Commenting on the Turkish Premier’s threats to expel Armenians from
the country, Sharmazanov said that the more states recognize the
Armenian Genocide the more significant the Armenian factor will
be for Erdogan. "Erdogan spoke of 5,000 Armenians in Turkey, then
about 70,000 an now the figure is 100,000. It is time for Ankara to
understand that Yerevan is not to be talked to in terms of ultimatums.

Ankara had better deal with the ratification of the protocols instead
of making senseless statements," he said.

IRAN READY TO MEDIATE IN KARABAKH DISPUTE: AMBASSADOR

Tert.am
11:33 ~U 16.03.10

Iranian ambassador to Azerbaijan Mohammad Baqer Bahrami said that
Iran is ready to mediate to help resolve the territorial dispute
between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh region.

"Iran has announced its readiness to help the crisis in this region,"
Bahrami was reported as saying to Tehran Times on March 15.

The ambassador added that Azerbaijan and Armenia have asked Iran to
mediate in the dispute.

"The two sides have accepted that Iran (must) utilize all the potential
which exists in the region to help resolve the crisis in this region,"
he said.

Commenting on plans to abolish visa requirements for the citizens
of Iran and Azerbaijan, the ambassador pointed out that Azerbaijani
officials have announced that they are preparing to eliminate visa
requirement for Iranians.

ARMENIA-TURKEY RAPPROCHEMENT IS NOT DEAD: ABDULLAH GUL

Tert.am
14:40 ~U 16.03.10

The Armenian-Turkey normalization process is not dead, and this is
a period of silent diplomacy, said Turkish President Abdullah Gul
during his official visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo.

According to Turkish daily Today’s Zaman, he condemned the adoption
of resolutions on recognizing the Armenian Genocide by different
countries, adding it affects the Armenia-Turkey rapprochement
negatively.

"We will continue working consistently on the matter. Sometimes
tough issues are resolved through silent diplomacy," said the Turkish
president.

Gul also said Turkey was ahead of Armenia in terms of ratifying the
Armenia-Turkey Protocols, since, unlike Yerevan, Ankara immediately
sent the Protocols to parliament for ratification.

AZERBAIJAN WRECKS OSCE MONITORING

PanARMENIAN.Net
16.03.2010 18:05 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ On March 16 the OSCE mission had to conduct scheduled
monitoring of the NKR and Azerbaijani armed forces’ contact-line in
the Askeran direction according to the earlier achieved agreement
with the Nagorno Karabakh Republic authorities.

However, the monitoring was wrecked by Azerbaijan, which didn’t lead
the OSCE Mission members to the earlier agreed monitoring site.

Earlier, the Karabakh party three times urged to hold monitoring
just in this section of the contact-line, where gross violations of
the cease-fire regime by the Azerbaijani armed forced had repeatedly
taken place, NKR MFA press office reported.

AZERBAIJANI FM: MINISTER WILL DISCUSS OSCE STATEMENTS IN YEREVAN

Trend
March 15 2010
Azerbaijan

At the earliest opportunity, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry and
Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov will discuss with OSCE Minsk Group
Co-Chairman Bernard Fassier (France) statements that he made in Yerevan
after which Azerbaijan will determine its position on the question,
ministry spokesman Elkhan Polukhov said.

"At the first opportunity, the minister will speak to Fassier about
his recent statements," Polukhov told journalists.

Azerbaijan cannot win in the case of a war in Nagorno-Karabakh,
Fassier said in Yerevan Friday.

"Azerbaijan’s victory in the case of a renewed war is impossible
because I personally know about the bravery of the Armenian and
Karabakh warriors," he said at the "Rose-Roth" NATO Parliamentary
Assembly workshop, Novosti-Armenia reported.

Fassier believes that the war will not bring benefit to Azerbaijan,
as it will cause substantial harm to its financial interests and oil
trade. The co-chair explained that international investors investing
in the Azerbaijani economy will not want to have their funds at risk
and will refuse to invest.

FINANCIAL SECTOR IN THE FOCUS OF CONSUMER RIGHTS ADVOCATES IN 2010

PanARMENIAN.Net
15.03.2010 14:02 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The motto for World Consumer Rights Day 2010(WCRD)
celebrated on March 15 is ‘Our money, our rights’ and it highlights
consumer issues in relation to financial services, Melita Hakobyan,
Chairperson of the National Association of Consumers of Armenia told
a press conference in Yerevan.

She said the association has been a member of the Consumers
International for 12 years.

In 2009-2010, the Association has been working with the Central Bank
of Armenia to improve the quality of financial services offered to
the citizens. The Association prepared a handbook on consumer’s rights
to be introduced in schools.

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY WITH YEREVAN PICKS UP SPEED

Today’s Zaman
March 15 2010
Turkey

Collaboration between Armenian and Turkish civil society organizations
has helped to ease the recent tension in Turkish-Armenian relations
as various civil society organizations from Turkey continue meeting
with their counterparts in Yerevan.

The Economic Policy Research Foundation of Turkey (TEPAV) is working on
reconstructing a historic Silk Road bridge along the Turkish-Armenian
border, while the Turkish-Armenian Business Development Council
(TABDC) is calling on Turkish investors to start up businesses in
Armenia through a series of conferences on the issue.

The Caucasus Strategic Research Center (KAFKASSAM) and Fatih University
are organizing cultural activities to bring the two nations closer
together.

An improvement in relations with Armenia started when President
Abdullah Gul visited the country to watch a soccer match between
Turkey and Armenia in 2008. This was followed by two protocols signed
by the two countries last year to improve relations between them.

However, while the Armenian Constitutional Court upheld the legality
of the two protocols in January, it underlined that they could not
contradict Yerevan’s official position that the alleged Armenian
genocide must be internationally recognized. The US House Committee
on Foreign Affairs also passed a resolution recognizing the 1915
mass killings of Armenians at the hands of the Ottomans as genocide,
which further damaged the process. Experts believe these developments
have been caused by Turkey’s limited success in terms of public
diplomacy and explaining its own position internationally. However,
civil society organizations have continued to visit Armenia.

TEPAV’s Burcu Gultekin, who is responsible for the Caucasus region,
says the organization has been working on reconstructing the bridge
over the Arpacay River, which was part of the Silk Road. The Arpacay
River marks part of the border between Turkey and Armenia. She said
TEPAV is very happy about President Gul’s support for the project. The
ancient bridge, built under the auspices Armenia’s Bagratid Dynasty,
will, at least symbolically, cover the political distance between
the two countries, TEPAV hopes.

Gultekin added that the foundation is also working on two new projects
that are likely to contribute to the region economically as well as
having symbolic value. "The Turkish-Armenian border might not have
been opened yet, but the walls are already coming down," she said,
noting that a tourism cluster project for Turkey’s eastern Anatolian
region and Armenia is also in the works and is supported by the
Armenian diaspora.

TABDC Co-Chairman Kaan Soyak says it is time for peace in the
Caucasus. He says the TABDC tries to answer Turkish companies’
questions about starting to do business in Armenia and has held various
seminars on this topic. The TABDC has also started an international
business forum called "The Bridge." Soyak said they have been talking
to their Armenian counterparts about the business opportunities that
may emerge when the Southern Caucasus railroad and another railroad
connecting Turkey’s border town of Kars and Armenia’s Gymru start
functioning. Soyak also said they have been discussing possible
investments in Armenia with World Bank representatives.

"The people of Armenia want to see good relations established with
Turkey with no preconditions," according to KAFKASSAM President Hasan
Oktay, whose organization is offering vocational training courses to
young people in Armenia. Another of KAFKASSAM’s projects involves
Turkish and Armenian artists expressing their vision of Ä°stanbul
through art. Oktay said KAFKASSAM frequently conducts polls in Armenia
to find out the Armenians’ perception of Turkey as well as engaging
in networking activities to bring the two nations together.

Fatih University’s Cafer Ulu says bilateral projects between the
two countries should be increased in number. Ulu recently met with
female Armenian deputies in Yerevan as part of a project titled
"Contributions of Turkish and Armenian Women to Turkish-Armenian
Relations." Ulu said he attached great importance to communication
between individuals who are considered opinion leaders on both sides.

Ulu said that however insignificant they might seem, such projects
can be very influential, especially at times when the two countries’
relations are in crisis.

GATES LABELS ‘GENOCIDE’ VOTE AT CONGRESS A ‘MISTAKE’

Today’s Zaman
March 15 2010
Turkey

US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has expressed regret over a
US House committee’s labeling killings of Anatolian Armenians as
genocide, while voicing awareness of probable "damaging" impacts of
the US House committee’s resolution on Turkey-US relations.

During an interview with the Al Arabiya television channel broadcast
on Friday, Gates was asked about whether he was worried, given that
Turkey withdrew its ambassador to the US in reaction to the March
4 vote and that Turkey may have threatened to withhold military
assistance to the United States.

"I am worried about it. I will say that it was just one committee of
the House of Representatives that voted on this resolution," Gates
responded, according to the transcript of the interview posted on
the Defense Department’s Web site.

"We very strongly feel that the resolution is a mistake. Turkey and
Armenia are making progress toward a reconciliation. Protocols have
been drafted along those lines. That’s the process that we think
ought to be used. A resolution of this kind could be very damaging to
US-Turkish relations, and we certainly hope that the Congress and the
House of Representatives take this measure no further," Gates added.

Armenia and Turkey signed two protocols in Zurich on Oct. 10 — the
"Protocol on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations" and the
"Protocol on the Development of Bilateral Relations." The deals,
seen as crucial to obtaining long-term peace in the volatile South
Caucasus, must be ratified by the parliaments in Ankara and Yerevan.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton — who had urged the House
Foreign Affairs Committee not to hold the vote on March 4 — said on
March 5: "We are against this decision. Now we believe that the US
Congress will not take any decision on this subject."

NOVRUZ MAMMADOV: "WESTERN COUNTRIES PUT PRESSURE BOTH ON AZERBAIJAN AND TURKEY"

APA
March 15 2010
Azerbaijan

Baku. Elnur Mammadli – APA. "I see strong pressure towards
both on Azerbaijan and Turkey at all steps on so-called Armenian
genocide", said Chief of the International Relations Department of
the Presidential Administration Novruz Mammadov in his interview to
YAP’s website, APA reports.

He said that Chief of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on
Foreign Affairs had instructed congressmen beforehand and called them
to obligatory voting: "The analogical step has been taken at Swedish
Parliament too: it has been passed by a margin of one vote. But such
steps mustn’t be taken. Processes mustn’t be so politicized in the
framework of the west’s interests. There can’t be any justification.

These are only pressures on Azerbaijan and Turkey. How can such
defence and patronage towards Armenia be explained? These show the
total character of justice crisis in today’s international relations.

But it is impossible to dishearten Azerbaijan and Turkey in such
cases. Azerbaijan and Turkey aren’t simple states. The main feature
of these states is that they are friendly and brotherly countries,
unity of nations with leaders is strong".

Mammadov noted that Azerbaijani and Turkish diasporas act together
to prevent the propaganda of so-called Armenian genocide.

REMAINING FAITHFUL TO ITS POLICY, YBC KEEPS ON CONTRIBUTING TO IMPROVEMENT OF SOCIAL- ECONOMIC WELFARE OF ARMENIAN REGIONS

ArmInfo
2010-03-15 10:41:00

ArmInfo. Under redolent influence of a noble and celestial drink, the
Armenian brandy, residents of the town of Berd of Tavush region marked
the official opening of a distillation workshop in the local branch of
Yerevan Brandy Company on March 14. Taking into account the necessity
and importance of the industry development in near-border regions
of Armenia, YBC plans to extend its production capabilities having
built an ageing workshop here. "We shall do our best for no bunch of
grapes to remain on the land and for the region residents to be able to
cultivate and sale their harvest without difficulties", Yerevan Brandy
Company Executive Director Ara Grigoryan said at a pres-conference
in Berd dedicated to the official opening of a distillation workshop
which has been operating since November 2009. Despite the negative
impact of the global financial and economic crisis, YBC purchased about
3000 tons of grapes out of 6000 tons from the local farmers in 2009,
having exceeded the indicator of 2008 by over 700 tons. The price
per 1 kg made up 120 drams, being the highest one as compared to the
price fixed by other plants operating in the territory of Armenia.

The plant will be able to considerably increase the grape purchase
volumes with the opening of a new distillation workshop.

Governor of Tavush region Armen Gularyan welcomed the initiative of
YBC management and emphasized the high social and economic importance
of YBC Tavush branch for both the residents of Berd and the whole
Tavush region.

According to the governor, in the conditions of a great number of
unemployed, opening of this workshop will create a source of stable
income for the town dwellers and solve the problem of employment in
the region. He added that grapes cultivation is an ancillary craft
for the major part of the Tavush population.

As A. Gularyan said, operation of the new workshop already gives its
positive results and inspires confidence in the region residents. The
governor expressed confidence that implementation of such projects
will allow to recover the bygone traditions of Tavush which was
glorious by cultivation of high-quality and eco-friendly products. YBC
director said at a press-conference that contracts will be signed with
winegrowers in the next few days. To note, YBC currently cooperates
with over 5,000 winegrowers. As for the grape prices, A. Grigoryan
said the Company aims to maintain the last-year volumes of brandy
production and preserve the last-year grapes procurement prices. YBC
acquired special equipment for Tavush branch for the cognac spirit
quality improvement – 3 distillation facilities, imported from France
and made of copper, that attaches unique taste to the brandy.

The Armenian brandy has an "individuality" due to the kinds of
grapes being grown in Armenia only. This quality distinguishes the
local brandy from all the others, including the French brandy, YBC
production director said.