Author: Chakhmakhchian Vatche

GO, KARABAKH!
Yeghisheh Metsarents

comments&pid=14964
15:19:09 – 20/08/2009

Almost all political, scholarly and other judgments on the Karabakh
settlement often miss perhaps the most crucial, central and
significant factor of the resolution – the human factor, life with
all its aspects. Meanwhile, events take place and there are phenomena
in this sphere, which display a lot to the international community
and thereby condition the stance of the "international community"
regarding the settlement of the Karabakh issue.

The basketball team of Stepanakert had arrived in Armenia to
participate in the pan-Armenian games. The city hall of Stepanakert
had assured to supply the team with necessary equipment. The city
hall did not keep its promise. Moreover, the team left Yerevan long
before the end of the games, perhaps for economy.

It is notable in this economy context that the president of Karabakh
Bako Sahakyan has gone on holiday abroad, in a resort which is no way
cheap. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan calls the Armenians
to travel to Karabakh. This is by the way.

The main problem is that on the human level Karabakh appears or is
set to appear as an enterprise rather than a state, and the head
of the enterprise cannot spend his vacation inside the office of
the enterprise, therefore he leaves to rest from the routine of
the enterprise.

In the meantime, the international community is demanded to recognize
the independence of Karabakh or to treat Karabakh as an established
state and accept it back to the table of the talks. An established
state is not bridges decorated with flowers, nor is the terms
president, member of parliament, government, minister, army or
Constitution. And there is no need to reproach Bryza or others for
not treating Karabakh the way it wants to be treated. It is necessary
that they be the first to treat Karabakh the way Karabakh would wish,
and afterwards demand from others. Moreover, in that case perhaps
there would be no need to demand from others because even though
others are guided by geopolitical interests, they nevertheless take
into account the fact, accept what is there.

DEPUTY FINANCE MINISTER PREDICTS 12%-15% ECONOMIC DECLINE FOR 2009

ARKA
Aug 19, 2009

YEREVAN, August 19, /ARKA/. A deputy finance minister Vardan Ajemian
said today the country’s full-year economic contraction could range
between 12%-15% this year.

Speaking at a news conference he said this forecast should be taken
into consideration by the government while it is planning the recovery
measures.

According to him, the sooner the financial injections of the government
are utilized by different sectors of the economy the less the economic
downturn will be. According to official figures, the Armenian economy
contracted by 16.3% in the first six months of the year, dragged down
by construction sector and industry that plummeted 53.5% and 11.5%
respectively.

‘As a matter of fact, the economy plunged deeper than we had
predicted,’ the deputy finance minister said, noting that the global
economic downturn was likewise deeper than anticipated. According to
him, the economic fall in the European Union in the second quarter
fell 6% from a year earlier.

Vardan Ajemian said this instability forces experts and major
international lending organizations, particularly, the International
Monetary Fund (IMF), to reconsider their economic outlooks. For
example, the IMF has revised its economic forecast for EU five times
this year.

"Forecasts are being reconsidered not because the situation is
worsening but because the fall was deeper t han predicted. Therefore,
economic developments in Armenia are fully in tune with global trends,’
he said.

THE POLITICS OF TIGHT-ROPE WALKING

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12:58:57 – 17/08/2009

When Armenia engaged in its football diplomacy and invited Mr Gul to
attend that match in Yerevan , a beautiful red , ripened and juicy
apple fell in Turkey`s hands to flaunt it to the world as a token
of goodwill in its dealings with its neighbours and a proof of its
readiness for democracy and its worthiness for membership of the
European Union.

That visit became the God-sent occasion for Mr Gul to receive President
Obama in an apparently "clean house" , where all spiders webs , dirty
linen , boarded windows and locked cupboards full of skeletons had
been expertly hidden and out of public sight – as housekeepers often
do before the visit of an important guest .

Mr Obama , with a broad smile , praised Mr Gul for attending that
match , assigned to his host the responsibility to deal with what he
labelled "the Medz Yeghern" and called for Turkey and Armenia to go
forward in friendship and cooperation .

In retrospective , Mr Gul " had to be praised" for he needed great
courage to visit the very country whose borders he has closed because
of a third country`s claims , whose genocide , committed by his
ancestors , he denies and whose usurped land he occupies . Great
courage , impunity and unsensitivity .

The Authorities in Armenia , concerned only to better the situation for
the Armenian people, engaged in their football diplomacy genuinely
believing what had been promised to them and had become already
the subject of worldwide speculation : the opening of its borders
" without any precondition" . Speculation which should have been
replaced – worldwide- by the prosecution of Turkey for violation of
Human Rights in keeping closed the borders with a neighbour country.

It is interesting to note that up to President Obama`s visit , Mr Gul`s
friend , Mr Aliyev, kept silent and obeyed the order of the day : " do
not rock the boat".Turkey became the darling of Europe and although not
a full member of the Union, even assigned itself as its representative
and offered to act as a goodwill negotiator between the West and Iran .

I attended a meeting organised by the British-Iranian Parliamentary
Group on 28th April 2009 in Committee Room 5 of the House of Commons
( British Parliament) ,entitled : Briefing by His Excellency Mehmet
Yigit Alpogan Turkish Ambassador to the Court of St James`s on : "The
Turkey-Iran Relationship; is Ankara key to the West`s engagement with
Iran?" where 17 Members of the British Parliament and a large number
of the Turkish Ambassador`s entourage attended , exchanging smiles and
congratulation , but where – although this meeting had been organised
to address an issue concerning Iran – not even one Iranian was to be
seen. It was blatantly evident that this was a meeting to be kept "
in the family" !

The international media reported that Turkey was emerging as the Major
Power in the Caucasus , millions of dollars poured in to help Turkey
in its "exercise of democracy" and ,world-wide , Armenians believed
and hoped that the barbed wires at the borders would be cut , that the
barriers would be removed and that diplomatic relations will resume .

The football diplomacy was working in full for Mr Gul and was bearing
results beyond his imagination and wildest expectations.

President Obama returned home, Mrs Clinton dictated a new Agreement ,
the Major Powers , hastily , drew a Map which would protect their
" oil and gas routes" and Mr Aliyev received the green light to
"rock the boat now" and insist on the Karabagh issue to become the
precondition for opening the borders.

A tight rope ( very tight indeed ) had been woven .

Can and will anyone walk on it .. and not fall?

WE NEED TO TAKE THE TELEVISION
Naira Hayrumyan

rahos||country&pid=14928
13:41:07 – 14/08/2009

The preparative works for the 1917 revolution in St. Petersburg were
described in the following way in the old schoolbooks: the Bolsheviks
first took under control the bridges, the post and the communications,
and only after, they attacked the Smolny Institute. Bridges for
St. Petersburg are important: if they are moved apart, troops cannot
move in the city. But the post and telephone are more important,
because politics and revolution are carried out through information.

In modern conditions, the force, which is going to make policy, must
first "take" the TV. According to the Armenian TV channels, there is
no political opposition in the country. A person not having access
to other media means, who every evening watches TV, is convinced that
everything in our country is very well, and even if there are problems,
we successfully overcome them. Our president speaks on the phone
with Joe Biden and Dmitry Medvedev, Gagik Tsarukyan communicates with
Lukashenko as equals, banks give loans to everyone who wants, and only,
what the hell, the hail does not rest, and wolves keep attacking sheep.

The fact that there is a large group of people in the country, with
their own vision of world, who are not afraid of thinking and even
dreaming, the TV viewers do not know. Neither about the fact that
one may be freer and not to be afraid of traffic police officials,
judges, the mayor’s office, bosses, dogs in gateways. These people
have access only to the pages of some print newspapers, and a pair
of electronic sites. Altogether, the number of readers of newspapers
and websites does not constitute the 1 per cent of the number of TV
viewers in the country. And, mostly those, who write for the sites,
read the Internet sites. As a friend of mine said, we write, we read.

The situation was somewhat rescued by the radio "Liberty". The evening
news of the "Liberty", station may be heard in public transport almost
every evening. People listen to "other" news, and then discuss them
in full buses. Then they listen to the same news on TV and think that
it is about another country.

The political and civil forces, which intend to change the
situation in the country, should first think about opening an
alternative television. It is not by chance that the power is doing
everything for no one be able to go on the air on an independent
television. Television is the power. Activities of opposition and
civil society are possible only in case of the presence of a private
TV channel and this should be the first goal.

It seems that in case of a focused and hard struggle with the
assistance of international organizations one may achieve the
elimination of the deprivation of citizens’ rights to television. Only
this decision of the parliament is enough to announce the government
undemocratic. When the opposition (meaning not only the Armenian
National Congress) will have its own channel, it will be possible to
make policy.

Now an Armenian man has to listen to carefully selected news from the
global flow of information messages, watch TV and faceless shows and
record the numbers of "passionate girls".

ARMENIAN YOUTH TO BE ACTIVELY INVOLVED IN PUBLIC PROCESSES

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
12.08.2009 16:47 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Today, on August 12, the World Youth Day, RA minister
of sports and youth affairs Armen Grigoryan met with graduates of
the Young Leaders School of Armenia.

He congratulated all young people with International Day of Youth
and wished them to become actively involved in public processes.

He told the graduates about the programs of state support to young
people, especially young families. "The first program, which is ready
for implementation is the purchase of affordable housing and a car
for young families in the mortgage lending with state redemption of
20 per cent of mortgage in Yerevan, 30 per cent – in regions, and 40
per cent – at borders of Armenia, Armen Grigoryan said.

School of the young leaders of Armenia was founded in 2006 under
the auspices of the ministry of sports and youth affairs to meet
educational needs of young people involved in different public
entities.

HULIQ , SC
Aug 9 2009

Turkmenistan Bigger Problem For Azerbaijan Than Karabakh

The leadership of Azerbaijan keeps insisting that it wants the Nagorno
Karabakh problem be solved keeping the territorial integrity of the
country intact. Now an expert from Turkey says that the territorial
dispute in the Caspian Sea with Turkmenistan is a bigger worry for
Azerbaijan than Nagorno Karabakh.

As the talks and negotiations have increased between Armenia and
Azerbaijan, the later has not missed a single opportunity to remind
the international community that the Nagorno Karabakh issue should be
solved within the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and making the
right for self-determination of the Nagorno Karabakah Armenians
inferior to that. However, come and see that the international borders
of Azerbaijan are also disputed by Turkmenistan, which will take a
dispute with Azerbaijan over Caspian oil and gas fields to the
International Court of Arbitration.

Speaking to Sunday’s Zaman, the head of the Center for International
Relations and Strategic Analysis (TÃ`RKSAM) Sinan OÄ?an
called the issues between Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan "a bigger
problem." He said that Turkmenistan’s decision to sue Azerbaijan in
the last minute over the status of the Caspian Sea can create a
problem for the Nabucco pipeline’s gas supply. `It seems it will be a
problem,’ he concluded.

This growing problem will be another headache for Azerbaijan and as
TURKSAM expert from Turkey called it may create a problem for the
Nabucco’s gas supply. The feasibility of the Nabucco gas pipeline
project depends mostly on the ability to use the Caspian gas.

On July 24, speaking at government meeting, the president of
Turkmenistan Gurbanguli Berdymukhamedov slammed Azerbaijan for its
"intransigence." "For a long time, mainly because of Azerbaijan’s
stance, the issue of settling seabed borders, dividing natural
resources and defining the boundary line between the two countries has
not been resolved," Berdymukhamedov said in televised comments.

According to Turkish newspaper Hurriyet the president of Turkmenistan
instructed its Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov to examine the legality
of Azerbaijan’s claims to disputed offshore fields. He said the case
would be taken to the international body and "we will accept any
decision on this questions made by the International Court of
Arbitration." Azerbaijan has begun unilateral development of disputed
oil and gas fields, and is seeking rights to other deposits in the
Caspian, Berdymukhamedov said.

Azerbaijan has been in another territorial dispute with Nagorno
Karabakh’s Republic, which used the right of self-determination and
has declared independence after a national referendum. United States,
France and Russia are mediating a process hoping to bring about a
peace agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia. To this date
Azerbaijan’s actions are hindering the peace process because the
country is not willing to recognize the right of self-determination of
the people of Nagorno Karabakh. However, prolonging the conflict and
making occasional war-like statements and now being involved in a new
territorial dispute with Turkmenistan (which according to the Turkish
political expert is a bigger problem for NABUCCO) will weaken
Azerbaijan’s position and it may lose more than what the country can
achieve today by making honorable peace with Armenia based on mutual
compromise.

Otherwise, while Azerbaijan’s leadership has not so far explained how
a war can bring back Nagorno Karabakh it may seriously endanger its
another big project: the NABUCCO. Many European countries are hopeful
on NABUCCO’s gas supply and will be interested to see Azerbaijan to
solve these two disputes in peaceful and swift way.

Written by Armen Hareyan

rtturkmenistan-bigger-problem-azerbaijan-karabakh

SUNCHILD IN TSAKHKADZOR

16:06:46 – 07/08/2009
LRAGIR.AM

More than 50 young nature lovers from all marzes of Armenia and
Karabakh gathered together in Tsakhkadzor from July 28th to August
30th to participate in `Sunchild’ summer camp.

`Sunchild’ summer camp is being organized every year by the
‘Foundation for the Preservation of Wildlife and Cultural Assets in
the Republic of Armenia’ (FPWC) together with Armenia’s leading mobile
operator VivaCell-MTS for the members of `Sunchild’ eco-clubs.

This year the organization of the summer camp is also being supported
by GTZ and UNICEF.

>From 10 to 15 years old young people after a year of studies gather
to sum up what they have learned and to get ready for a new school
year through intensive courses of studies.

During the summer camp children learned biodiversity in general and
particularly biodiversity of Tsakhkadzor, learned how to manage hard
domestic waste, assembled an instrument that accumulates solar energy,
went on tours and learned the prospects of eco-tourism development,
listened priest Minas’s Green Theology lessons, and danced national
dances. During journalism and photo/video courses ecological problems
of Tsakhkadzor were revealed and sounded in a film.

On 6th of August children presented the results of their 10 days’ work
in an ecological EXPO, which took place in the House of Writers in
Tsakhkadzor. Guests had the possibility to observe little ecologists’
work in every booth: paper recycling, testing of the instrument which
accumulates solar energy, learned skills of «life», watched a
film and leart to dance.

These children, who came from different villages and cities of
Armenia, have been brought here by the Nature and the danger that all
those good and kind things that surround us may disappear tomorrow by
a slight touch of human hand.

news.am, Armenia
Aug 8 2009

South Ossetian war made self-determination issue urgent

15:27 / 08/08/2009The August war in South Ossetia brought the issue on
self-determination to the forefront. Artsruni Aghajanyan, Secretary of
the Orinats Yerkir (Country of Law) parliamentary faction told
NEWS.am.

According to him, the international community did not consider
territorial changes necessary, but the August war proved the
significance of the issue. Kosovo was the first to exercise the right
of nations to self-determination and some time is required for the
international community to accept the process.

Commenting on OSCE MG Co-Chair Matthew Bryza’s statement that Kosovo
cannot serve as a precedent for Nagorno-Karabakh, as Serbia was
recognized as an aggressor, Aghajanyan said: `Any process has main and
related aspects. As to Kosovo, the main aspect is self-determination,
the rest are just related ones. Self-determination cannot be
recognized in one case, and not taken into account in
another. Conflicts between peoples cannot be settled differently,’ he
stated. Aghajanyan added that Russia and West strive to maintain their
influence over the region and their interests clash in the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. `Both sides seek only to a peaceful
settlement of the conflict,’ he said.

Commenting of RF President Dmitry Medvedev’s statement expressing
concern over Georgia’s repeated threats to restore its territorial
integrity by force, Aghajanyan pointed out that the Armenian side
should not be concerned over the fact that the Russian leader did not
mention similar warlike statements made by Azerbaijan. `He was
speaking of the August war and singled out Georgia. But Russia has not
forgotten the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and that country has
repeatedly pronounced for a peaceful settlement of the conflict,’ he
said.

AZERBAIJAN TO "FORCE ARMENIA TO PEACE" IF TALKS FAIL – ENVOY

ANS TV
Aug 5 2009
Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan will have to "force Armenia to peace" should the latest
round of Russia-brokered talks fail, Azerbaijan’s ambassador to Russia
has said.

"If this issue still remains unresolved after Russia’s intervention,
Russia’s and personally Mr Medvedev’s reputation will be at
stake. Therefore, they [Armenians] should think about it," Polad
Bulbuloglu said in a telephone interview with ANS TV.

"In recent years, forcing to peace is used as a political term. If
the talks yield no results, it seems that [Azerbaijan] too will have
to use this… I do not see any other option," Bulbuloglu said.

"Forcing to peace" was the term Russia used in its war against Georgia
in August 2008.

NOTHING TO CEDE ANY MORE

LRAGIR.AM
13:36:07 – 06/08/2009

The head of the Union of Political scientists, Hmayak Hovhannisyan,
dwelling on the Karabakhi issue stated that the Karabakhi people have
already solved this issue.

Hmayak Hovhannisyan stated that we must not make any concession
to Azerbaijan, because all the possible concessions have already
been done. In particular, Armenia is left out of energetic plans of
the region.

According to the politician, when Robert Kocharyan was the president
of Karabakh, it was in a very expedient situation, even in 1995,
the Russian state Duma held hearings on the issue of Nagorno-Karabakh
and Kocharyan as the NKR president was invited to those hearings.

But now, the situation is tragic, because Karabakh stopped
participating in the negotiations. The politician recalled what Mathew
Bryza had stated lately, that Armenia took the responsibility to lead
the negotiation, leaving out Karabakh from it.

Just like in case of the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, as in case
of the collapse of the USSR, all the nations are in favor except the
Armenian one. Hmayak Hovhanisyan brought the example of Abkhazia
and Southern Ossetia, which showed that they were able to become
independent on international level. He thinks that we need one of the
geopolitical centers, U.S., Europe or Russia recognize the Karabakhi
independence.

In this situation, Karabakh has to show that it is a republic apart
from Armenia, stated Hmayak Hovhannisyan.