Author: Chakhmakhchian Vatche

Pittsburgh Tribune Review
October 22, 2008 Wednesday

Teen cellist Haknazaryan will solo at WSO opener

by Bob Karlovits

Cellist Narek Haknazaryan is pleased at the acclaim he is getting at
age 19, but says it does not reflect how he wants to shape his work.

"It is nice to hear who you play like," the Armenian says, "but I
don’t want to play like Yo-Yo Ma or (Msistislav) Rostropovich. I want
to play like Narek Haknazaryan."

He will be doing that Saturday when he solos on Peter Ilyich
Tchaikovsky’s "Rococo Variations" at the season-opening concert of the
Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra.

Music Director Kypros Markou has not worked with Haknazaryan before,
but says his talent is "quite exceptional." The performance was put
together through the orchestra’s work with Young Concert Artists in
New York City, and he calls it a "good choice."

Reaction to Haknazaryan’s talent has been similar elsewhere. He took
first place in the 2006 Aram Khachaturian International Competition in
Armenia, first in the 2006 Johansen International Competition in
Washington, D.C., and fifth in the 2007 Tchaikovsky International
Competition in Moscow.

His appearance in Greensburg is flanked by recitals at Zankel Hall in
New York City and at the Kennedy Center’s Terrace Theater in
Washington, D.C.

Those concerts are part of eight he is doing this month, which also
included a stop at St. Vincent College in Latrobe earlier in October.

Haknazaryan says he is shaping his performance style around close
study of what a composer wants, and presenting those works with that
dedication.

He is in the third year of work toward a performance degree at the
Moscow Conservatory, and says he is glad "they don’t mind" his
balancing a concert schedule with educational work.

"That is, after all, what I do," he says,

The concert will feature works that provide a different kind of
balance, that of styles.

On the first half with the "Rococo Variations," Markou says, will be
Johannes Brahms’ "Variations on a Theme By Haydn."

Both works are looks at classical-era styles by composers better known
for works from the romantic period.

The second half, he points out, is made up of Tchaikovsky’s "Capriccio
Italien," a work more similar to those for which the composer is
known. It is joined by a suite from the opera "The Mother’s Ring," by
Manolis Kalomiris (1883-1962).

That Greek composer was greatly influenced by Tchaikovsky, Markou
says, and those two works fit together in their "graceful, elegant,
rich, lush sounds."

FOUR ARMENIAN TEAMS COMPETE AT EUROPAN CHESS CLUB CUP

Noyan Tapan
Oct 20, 2008

KALITHEA, OCTOBER 20, NOYAN TAPAN. The European Club Cup with the
participation of 64 men’s teams and 9 women’s ones started in Kalithea
(Greece) on October 17. The Swiss-system tournament will last until
October 23.

4 Armenian teams compete at the European Club Cup. 3 rounds have
been held.

Men’s "Mika" club with 6 points shares 1st-6th positions, "Bank King"
with 4 points is in 13th posistion, and "FIMA" club with 2 points is
in 45th place.

Armenian women’s team "Mika" earned 3 points and shares 8th-11th
positions.

OPINION: U.S. COULD LEARN A THING OR TWO FROM TURKEY’S SOFT-POWER DIPLOMACY
By Trudy Rubin

San Jose Mercury News
October 16, 2008 Thursday
California

ANKARA, Turkey Americans who explore the wonders of Istanbul rarely
visit Turkey’s capital, deep in the plains of Anatolia. Ankara
is known mainly for two things: a stunning museum that highlights
Turkey’s ancient Anatolian past, and the vast hilltop mausoleum of
Ataturk, Turkey’s founder, whose stern face is visible on huge banners
throughout the city.

But Ankara is becoming known for something else that’s of great
strategic interest to Americans: an active foreign policy that may
help resolve conflicts in critical regions where the United States
has faltered. That includes the troubled Caucasus region, where Russia
just warred with Georgia, and the Middle East.

"If you list the key issues which Turkey and the United States pursue,
you’d be amazed by how many parallels there are," Turkey’s president,
Abdullah Gul, Enhanced Coverage LinkingAbdullah Gul, -Search using:
Biographies Plus News News, Most Recent 60 Days told a small group
of visiting U.S. journalists and think-tank experts in an interview
in his office this week.

At the crossroads

Indeed, almost every foreign crisis on the U.S. agenda is also a
concern for Gul. Turkey sits at the crossroads of Asia and Europe,
bordering not only the European Union, but also Georgia, Iraq, Iran
and Syria. It has been adversely affected by growing Mideast chaos
since the Iraq war.

Turkey also sits at an energy crossroads. Efforts to build new oil
and gas pipelines from Central Asia and the Caucasus pipelines that
will circumvent Russia and make Europe less dependent on it all rely
on Turkey.

Instability in its environs has prompted Turkey to become more active
in conflict resolution. "In regional foreign policy, we had numerous
problems with our neighbors," Gul said. "They must be resolved,
or there cannot be peace."

Turkey’s emphasis has been, for the most part, on soft power and
diplomacy. It is the only country with fair to good relations with
every country in neighboring regions: close ties to Israel as well
as to Arab states; good relations with Iran and carefully managed
relations with Russia; and close ties to Georgia.

Two of Turkey’s many mediation efforts could have a positive impact on
key concerns of the United States. First is Turkey’s recent overture
to Armenia. The two nations have deep disagreements over how 1 million
Armenians were killed in the early 20th century; Armenians call it
genocide, while Turkey insists it was the result of warfare.

In September, Gul became the first Turkish president in history to
visit Armenia. Gul had sent congratulations to Serge Sargsyan upon
his election as Armenia’s president, and Gul in turn was invited
to attend a soccer match between the Turkish and Armenian teams in
Yerevan. Both leaders faced strong domestic opposition to the visit.

"Of course, I didn’t just go to watch soccer," Gul said.

Conflict mediation

The goal is to work toward normalizing relations between Armenia and
Turkey and opening their border. Turkey also may be able to mediate
the poisonous split between Armenia and a third Caucasus country,
Azerbaijan.

Progress on resolving these conflicts could have a positive spillover
for the Russia-Georgia standoff and prospects for new pipelines.

A second example is Turkey’s mediation of peace talks between Syria
and Israel. "We’ve worked hard to bring peace in the region," Gul
said. "Recently, that work became more visible."

At a time when the United States preferred to isolate Syria, Turkey
worked to get Syria and Israel back to the table. Four rounds of
private talks have taken place; they are now on hold as Israel forms
a new government.

A Syria-Israel peace would end the current alliance between Syria and
Iran and undercut Hezbollah, forcing Tehran to rethink its policies
in the region.

The bottom line: The next U.S. president should encourage Turkey’s
mediation and take a cue from its soft-power efforts. Turkey’s
diplomacy has opened up new possibilities for its U.S. ally.

Trudy Rubin is a columnist and member of the Philadelphia Inquirer"s
editorial board.

ARMENIANS’ TIES TO TRASH HAULING ARE DEEP-ROOTED
By Amanda Baumfeld

San Gabriel Valley Tribune
October 19, 2008 Sunday
California

MONTEBELLO – For a portion of the Armenian community, trash hauling
is a serious family business with deep roots in the past.

Most of the city’s independent haulers took over rubbish and trash
yards that their ancestors started when they migrated to the city
more than 100 years ago.

Their roots and their ties to family and employees run deep.

Many of these men and women attended Montebello High School. They
attend church in the city, eat at local restaurants. And, most
importantly, they pick up trash.

Like most haulers, Aron Petrosian has much pride in the family
business.

"Few people really know about the industry," Petrosian said. "I was
always proud of my father being a trash man and some people would
laugh about it. But all these small haulers are part of the community
and we have such a dramatic impact on Montebello."

But some haulers like Petrosian say their livelihood is in jeopardy
over an exclusive trash hauling contract their hometown recently
signed with Athens Services.

The 15-year agreement, worth $7.8million annually, grants Athens
exclusive rights to all trash hauling in the city. It phases out
contracts with the 13 independent haulers who currently collect trash
in commercial areas.

The issue has divided many in the city with trash haulers fighting
for a shot at bidding on the same contract that was granted to Athens.

The division stings, because Athens’ owners, the Arakelian family,
sprang from the same roots.

"This has turned out to be Athens verses these independent haulers,"
said Musid Minasian, an Armenian resident. "None of these guys have
disrespect towards Athens. Athens is trying to put themselves in front
of the Armenian community and they are trying to take someone’s roots
away from them."

The Arakelians did not comment for this story.

Many of Montebello’s Armenian families belong to the Holy Cross
Armenian Apostolic Cathedral in Montebello.

One man inside the church, who only referred to himself as Carl,
explained how divisive the issue has become in recent weeks.

"Both sides belong to the church," Carl said. "They are very good
people. The Arakelians are a great family."

The Armenian community’s strong ties to the trash industry began in
the early 20th century.

For example, Denise Hagopian, owner of Heavenly Choices, recalled
how her grandfather immigrated to Los Angeles in 1906. He worked as
a laborer and eventually became a farmer raising hogs and chickens.

"The first rubbish was picking up leftover food from a restaurant
to feed to the cattle," said Hagopian. "They would pick up all the
leftovers, that’s how rubbish hauling started."

Then packaged food began appearing in the early 1940s along with
paper plates, plastic silverware and that created more rubbish,
said Hagopian.

"Already having a route picking up rubbish, they picked up the
next things," Hagopian said. "It was just a natural progression
of business."

Petrosian, of Commercial Waste Services, says his family businesses
started with raising hogs. As a fourth generation resident, he has
formed many relationships in the city.

"Our social circle is in Montebello; that’s our community," Petrosian
said. "Me and the rest of the haulers, we all have relatives here
and central ties in the city."

Jack Topalian of Nasa Services said he believes Montebello’s entire
economy will suffer if the traditional trash haulers no longer did
business in town.

"Just the local business that we do," Topalian said. "We do a lot
with local auto shops, the fuel we purchase; there would definitely
be a major trickle down effect that would happen."

Despite the recent debate, many in the Armenian community remain
hopeful that they will be able to stay close to their Montebello roots.

"It’s the most precious thing to the Armenians to maintain their
culture," Hagopian said. "But if you don’t have business in the city
you have to move and you lose those bonds that are hundreds of years
old. What a terrible thing to lose."

CENTRAL BANK OF ARMENIA PERMITS ARDSHININVESTBANK TO PARTICIPATE IN VISA INTERNATIONAL PAYMENT SYSTEM

ARKA
Oct 21, 2008

YEREVAN, October 21. /ARKA/. The Central Bank of Armenia (CBA)
permitted Ardshininvestbank closed joint stock company to participate
in VISA International payment system, the CBA Press Service reports
that the respective decision was adopted at a sitting of the CBA
Council yesterday.

Ardshininvestbank got its license (N 83) from the Central Bank of
Armenia on Feb 27, 2003. "Region" investment financial corporation
is holding 86.82% of the bank’s shares. The International Financial
Corporation became one of the main stockholders of the bank at the
end of 2007 and holds 10% of the shares.

The bank is an affiliated member of MasterCard/Europay international
payment system and a stockholder of Armenian Card closed joint stock
company – a card transaction system on the territory of Armenia.

By the end of September of this year, the bank’s capital had totaled
22.7bln Drams, assets – 119.2bln Drams, liabilities – 94.5bln Drams,
credit assets – 79.8bln Drams and non-distributed profit – 4.1bln
Drams.

Ardshininvestbank has 55 branches, including 6 branches on the
territory of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. The bank has its
representative office in Paris. ($1=307.14Drams).

COAF AFTER-SCHOOL PHOTO CLUB BRINGS LIGHT TO VILLAGES THROUGH THE DARK ROOM
by Leah Kohlenberg

Armenian Reporter

ndex.cfm?objectid=237BE7F1-3FF3-752C-2BE8F44BB5582 D00
October 22, 2008
Armenia

A Lernagog student during a photo session in Newman’s Photo Club room.

New school buildings jump-start educational potential in COAF cluster
villages

COAF-Heifer cooperation aims to fight poverty one cow at a time

New medical clinics, equipment in COAF villages go hand-and-hand with
professional, public health training

COAF repairs ambulance station and kindergarten in Lernagog DALARIK,
Armenia – When Armenian graphic designer Armen Karapetyan was
approached by an Italian ceramic company in 1992 looking for new
designs, he turned to a group of disabled teens and young adults,
who he thought were best able to deliver.

"I thought they would have a unique way of looking at a cup, for
example," he said. "And I was right."

Karapetyan spent five years with the group of 18-20 disabled people,
turning them into a crack design facility for products ranging from
dishes to automobile steering wheels. He showed them how to create
a product, from the sketching of the original design to transferring
that design and finishing it on the computer to creating samples of
the product and finally, selling the designs to various companies.

At the time he was employed with a major Russian advertising firm,
in Moscow. When he returned to his hometown of Yerevan in the late
1990s he looked for another project where he could teach job skills
and unlock artistic creativity.

That’s when he came across the Children Of Armenia Fund (COAF), and
began last year teaching photography and design skills to about 45
people enrolled in after-school programs offered at the Lernagog and
Dalarik schools.

The after-school program is an excellent example of how COAF directed a
special grant from Newman’s Own Foundation (a charitable organization,
founded by actor, Paul Newman) towards equipping the schools with
computers, cameras, equipment for two photo studios, and staff for
the program.

"I really love working with the people in the village," said
Karapetyan, a 39-year-old father of two. "You see them open up and
begin to express themselves. Some of them take better pictures than
the professionals."

"Here, look at this," he continued, beckoning to his laptop, displaying
work from the club’s first year, a collection of portraits the students
took of each other. As the photos flash by, both the professionalism
– the lighting is sophisticated, the composition flawless – and the
individualism of the subjects portrayed is striking.

"This is the quality of a professional advertisement," he said,
pointing to a photograph of a beaming young woman with tousled hair.

In fact, it is – taken by a 22-year-old hair stylist in the
village, the young woman wanted to learn photography to create
her own advertising materials, from brochures to print ads. An
important element of the after school club is that it isn’t limited
to schoolchildren, but also includes adults up to 30-years-old. He
says the adults add a professional element, while the children add
their own unique perspective to the mix.

"It’s really, really progressive for these kids in the villages to
know how to use a sophisticated program like Adobe Photoshop," says
Serob Khachatryan, COAF’s Education Program Manager. "In the major
cities you can get this kind of training, but it’s uncommon out here."

"They all get along quite well together," he said, smiling
broadly. "You just have to keep everyone busy on different projects,
then they all inspire each other."

After learning professional portraiture and Adobe Photoshop,
Karapetyan assigned a second topic: life in the villages before and
after COAF. That’s where the real creativity began to soar, he said,
flipping through more photos on the laptop.

Among the most compelling is a simple, stark photo of two chairs
side-by-side: one is the dilapidated remnant of a chair common in
the days before COAF came to the village and rebuilt the school. The
other is one of the newly built chairs COAF commissioned from local
furniture makers. It was taken, Karapetyan says, by a 14-year-old boy.

"It’s really amazing what children will capture from their
surroundings," he said.

This year, Karapetyan hopes to introduce the club to the world of
film. The assignment will be for each member to create and edit a
short film about their village, either by highlighting an unusual
person or a situation.

"I am waiting for something really special," he says. "Who knows what
it will be, or who it will come from?"

"They have first success on the national level. Smbat Petrosyan,
student from Dalarik won a special prize in national photo
competition", concludes Serob Khachatryan.

"RUSSIA HAS EVERY RIGHT TO REACT AND INVESTIGATE"
by Ivan Sukhov

WPS Agency
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
October 8, 2008 Wednesday
Russia

INTERNATIONAL CRISIS GROUP VICE PRESIDENT ALAIN DELETROZ ABOUT THE
FUTURE RUSSIAN-EU RELATIONS FROM THE STANDPOINT OF THE GEORGIAN CRISIS
RESOLUTION; An interview with Alain Deletroz, Vice President of the
International Crisis Group.

The first round of international consultations over Abkhazia and South
Ossetia stipulated by the Medvedev-Sarkozy plan begins in Geneva
on October 15. Alain Deletroz, Vice President of the International
Crisis Group (a conflict-prevention non-governmental organization with
headquarters in Brussels and missions in more than 140 countries,
it analyzes conflicts and offers recommendations to the involved
governments), met with this correspondent and answered some questions
on future relations between Russia and the European Union from the
standpoint of the Russian-Georgian crisis resolution.

Question: Your opinion of the debates at the Parliamentary Assembly
over the situation in Georgia?

Alain Deletroz: The Parliamentary Assembly is an important organization
but rather symbolic. I’m convinced that all principal issues will
be handled and settled at the meeting in Geneva. What happens there
will be of paramount importance for the security of the southern part
of the Caucasus and for the future relations between Russia and the
European Union.

Question: What will the format of the meeting be?

Alain Deletroz: There is no saying at this point. I’ve completed
three-day consultations in Moscow, mostly with the Foreign
Ministry. I’m scheduled to discuss it with the French in several days
and I hope that Paris being the locomotive force behind the whole
process will have some ideas on that score.

The way I see it, the stand Moscow takes at the consultations will be
decisive. If Russia comes to Geneva with a constructive suggestion of
some sort of international mechanism for crisis resolution in Georgia,
then everything will be all right. If, however, it comes with its mind
firmly set, with the attitude that there is nothing more to discuss,
that Russia will cope, thank you very much for the 200 observers… it
will be different, of course. Then the deterioration of the relations
that is setting in may last years.

Question: What constructive discourse can we expect from the two
concerned parties with polar opinions on the situation? Russia
recognized Abkhazia and South Ossetia as sovereign states and the
European Union did not. What kind of compromise is possible here?

Alain Deletroz: If the status of Abkhazia and South Ossetia is
what we begin with, then the negotiations will be as good as over
before they really begin. We should start with discussing the actual
situation and the problems. Russia for example tends to draw parallels
with Kosovo. In Kosovo, however, a great deal of human, military,
and financial resources are expended by NATO, the EU, and the UN to
preserve Serbians in their enclaves there. In South Ossetia on the
other hand, not a single surviving Georgian is to be found anymore.

Question: And yet, reports made by independent observers paint a less
bleak picture from the conflict area. They say for example that some
Georgians did remain in the villages and hamlets the conflict spared,
the ones where neither side had outposts. Though a great deal of
Georgians did escape, of course. Who do you mean when speaking of
refugees? Just the Georgians from South Ossetian villages or also
those who had been driven out of their households in Abkhazia in 1993?

Alain Deletroz: I mean them all. I mean refugees. The International
Crisis Group has never advocated recognition of sovereignty of these
two republics. It follows that the term "refugee" applies to every
person who found him- or herself out of Georgia. It applies to the
Georgians, Ossetians, and Abkhazians living beyond the territory
of Georgia. Mostly in Russia, that is. All the rest are displaced
persons. Anyway, we should be talking about all of them, both refugees
and displaced persons. That’s a colossal problems. The Ossetians who
fled inner Georgia in the early 1990s encounter colossal difficulties
and problems with recognition of their ownership rights. The same
goes for the Georgians from Abkhazia and South Ossetia. If Russia
and the European Union really want a solution to this problem, then
they should pool efforts in seeking a way out. Relations between the
European Union and Russia are different from the relations between
the United States and Russia. We live on one and the same continent,
so it all affects us equally. So, if we have the will to develop
new relations, then we should be focused on specific mechanisms and
solutions to the problems that plague a specific region.

Question: Leaving the matter of the status aside?

Alain Deletroz: Leaving the matter of the status for later. Russia
recognized the sovereignty of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, we all
know it. This is, however, what I believe. There were provocations in
conflict areas. They happen every summer as we all know, and not in
Georgia alone. In Nagorno-Karabakh, the situation takes a definite turn
for the worst every summer, and there are but six foreign observers
posted along quite lengthy a front there. It is always difficult in
conflicts such as these to find out who did what and who did not do
anything. There is, however, one important nuance. Reaction of the
Georgian government on August 7 and 8 was disproportional. Russia
with its peacekeepers in South Ossetia had every legitimate right to
react and investigate. We cannot understand why Russia didn’t bloody
the Georgian nose right away but within the administrative borders
of South Ossetia and not a step beyond them. Or why it wouldn’t
follow with convening a special meeting of the UN Security Council or
OSCE Council to launch an international process… But Russia went
beyond the conflict areas, right to the towns of Poti and Senaki
in Georgia and to Gori in South Ossetia. Russia established buffer
zones there. That’s why we keep saying that Moscow’s reaction was
disproportional too.

Besides, the unilateral recognition of sovereignty, all on one’s own
and without international processes paid even lip service to… it was
another move we of the European Union cannot understand. Moreover,
some EU members, particularly former Socialist states, took it as a
frightening development.

Question: Do you advocate evolution of NATO’s mission into that of
civilian and humanitarian cooperation rather than military?

Alain Deletroz: Yes. Among other considerations, it would have made
obsolete NATO’s expansion practically to the Russian borders. Actually,
Russia would have been directly involved as a participant in this
case. After all, we live in a fairly chaotic world where being together
with others is preferable to standing all alone.

Question: Yes, it is, but the subject of NATO’s expansion with Russia’s
participation became history years ago…

Alain Deletroz: And what shall we do then? The Russian president and
prime minister plainly says that Russia does not want to see NATO on
its borders. People in the West therefore ask why NATO should include
Russia then and invest in it the veto power in internal affairs of the
Alliance… These are two visions and two truths. Meanwhile, is there
a point to the escalation of tension and confrontation? Wouldn’t it be
better for all concerned if we launched a different discussion instead,
one over what kind of security we wanted on the continent? Your
President Dmitry Medvedev suggested it already, and so did you Foreign
Minister Sergei Lavrov.

Question: The impression is that this discussion is unlikely to be
constructive in the light of the Georgian situation…

Alain Deletroz: It may be made constructive. Sure, Europe is strongly
distrustful and suspicious of the Russian leadership these days. Europe
is as distrustful of the Kremlin – or perhaps even worse than that
– as it was of Bush’s Administration in 2003 and 2004. So, it’s up
to Russia really. It may emulate Bush and say "to hell with these
midget Europeans" the way he did then. But consider what happened
then, consider the situation in which Bush found himself in Iraq. He
discovered to his dismay that America was all alone in Iraq, with
allies like Nicaragua standing by it. Well, perhaps, not exactly like
Nicaragua. Argentine did dispatch some ship or other there… We all
have approached the moment when it is still possible for Russia to
say: OK, it’s difficult for us to accept what you did in Kosovo. Same
thing with acceptance in Europe of what Russia did in Georgia. Let
us then look for constructive factors to develop.

Question: It is hard to find a constructive solution when Georgia’s
firm determination to join NATO was one of the factors that decided
Russia to interfere in the Georgian situation. Russia decided that
it needed South Ossetia and Abkhazia to station its military in…

Alain Deletroz: Come on. You probably know better. Russia has its
embassies throughout the world. Russia cannot help knowing of the
heated debates taking place within NATO over expediency of granting
membership to Georgia and Ukraine. Yes, Bush would dearly like to
throw NATO doors open for them. Most serious NATO members in the
meantime have a different opinion. I’m talking NATO countries that are
prepared to send their military hardware and soldiers into harm’s way
when it is necessary, not the countries with regular armies 10,000
men strong. (And that does not mean neophytes alone, there are NATO
veterans with countries like that.) We all know that Bush’s time is
up and that he has bare weeks. In other words, his opinion carries
weight of course but it is not decisive at all.

Question: But Russia’s behavior in Georgia altered the positions
even of some of its traditional partners in Europe. Like Germany,
for example. NATO veterans are no longer unanimous.

Alain Deletroz: They are not unanimous, as long as the matter does
not concerned membership in NATO for Georgia. Yes, Germany has some
serious questions to Russia and its behavior. On the other hand,
public opinion in Germany and the German media are quite understanding
and sympathetic with Russia. German general public normally stands by
Russia because of a simple fact, namely that Russia withdrew from the
DDR when the Cold War ended. Yes, Germany has questions to Russia but
they are not restricted to its behavior in the Caucasus alone. There
are questions concerning Kosovo as well. It’s another side of the
matter, right? The contact group for Kosovo took its time to discuss
the matter. The debates were even extended on Russia’s request. So,
in the long run, Russia became the only country in the contact group of
six that objected to recognition of Kosovo as a sovereign state. Russia
impeded the process enormously. It killed the motion to turn Kosovo
over from the UN to the European Union. Why, when the UN is notoriously
short of funds and cannot even scrap up enough for missions elsewhere
was the European Union prepared to pay out of its own wallet? Some
observers believe that Russia views the international law and the
territorial integrity principle it includes as inviolate. It is
understandable. Russia itself is a federation. Other observers,
however, suspect that Russia refused to recognize Kosovo not because
it cared about the international law but because it was playing some
strategic game of its own, because settlement of this conflict in
the middle of Europe interfered with its strategic ends.

Question: I’d say rather it was quite consistent. After all, it went
public questioning the territorial integrity of Georgia (something
non-existent for over 15 years already) only after recognition of
Kosovo by a group of countries of the West.

Alain Deletroz: Yes, but the European Union remembers that there
was a draft resolution of the UN Security Council on Kosovo in 2006
plainly stating that Kosovo was not to serve as a precedent for
other regions. Its adoption would have voided separatist aspirations
elsewhere but Russia killed this document.

Question: And how would you have explained it to the population of
other regions? They’d have inevitably demanded to know why something
was all right for Kosovo but not for them.

Alain Deletroz: It would have been explained. Twenty-two EU members
out of 27 would have encountered no problems with explaining to
their respective population why it was done in Kosovo and not, say,
in Somalia or Chechnya. It was possible to explain what was making
Kosovo a unique case. But Russia interfered and had this phrase omitted
from the text of the resolution. It fomented suspicions that that was
what Russia intended to pull off in the Caucasus at some later date.

The way I see it, Russia should go to Geneva on October 15 with
some set of constructive proposals that will pose no threats to its
positions in Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Instead, they will show that
it cares for all victims of this conflict and not just Ossetians and
Abkhazians. I dare say that the Europeans will be happy to meet Russia
halfway then.

Question: Russia wants representatives of Abkhazia and South Ossetia
present at the consultations. What is the opinion of the European
Union?

Alain Deletroz: The European Union is understandably cautious. Russia
recognized Abkhazia and South Ossetia an sovereign states. It
automatically raises the question of their delegations’ status. And
forms of address, and whatever else. I believe that representatives
of these republic should be there. I believe that the European Union
should advance its relations with these republics. Isolating them
will be wrong. The International Crisis Group is firmly convinced
that the new EU aid package to Georgia must include Abkhazia and
South Ossetia too, even despite Saakashvili’s displeasure. After all,
it is not Saakashvili who decides how the European Union should spent
its own finances.

Question: Your appraisal of the outcome of Russia’s interference in
the situation with Abkhazia and South Ossetia in August 2008?

Alain Deletroz: To be frank with you, Russia’s military operation was
no surprise. For me, that is. But the speed with which it recognized
sovereignty of these republics was. I thought Russia would be more
prudent because of the general situation in the Caucasus.

Question: Does it occur to you that the military operation all but
made it an inevitability?

Alain Deletroz: No, I’m convinced that this situation before
recognition was a much more formidable card in the Russian diplomatic
hand. Moscow chose to play this card, and did so without considerable
success. Look who recognized South Ossetia and Abkhazia in Russia’s
wake – Nicaragua and Somalia. Had Kim Jong-il been all right, North
Korea might have recognized them too. As things stand, even Belarus
hesitates to recognize these republics, and so do Moscow’s neighbors
in the Commonwealth and partners in the CIS Collective Security Treaty
Organization and Shanghai Cooperation Organization. Did you see the
Shanghai Cooperation Organization declaration? President Medvedev
said he had encountered understanding at the summit, but when the
final text of the official document includes but a single phrase
concerning how the Shanghai Cooperation Organization was disturbed by
the situation in Georgia, then I cannot help start wondering… Well,
perhaps all that was done was great as an image-builder for the new
president. From the standpoint of international relations, however,
it looks like a diplomatic defeat of Russia.

Question: What do you think it may mean for the Caucasus?

Alain Deletroz: Russian autonomies as such might start wondering why
something is permitted Abkhazia and South Ossetia but denied them. The
situation in some republics of the Caucasus is quite volatile. In
Ingushetia, for example. When the matter of self-determination is
brought up, reaction of neighbor countries of the region is difficult
to anticipate. They are not particularly happy as we all know. What
if some irresponsible people get elevated to power there? How will
they react to a situation analogous to what happened in Chechnya in
the middle of the 1990s? God forbid we have to discover it the hard
way, of course.

10 COUNTRIES LEAST AFFECTED BY THE US FINANCIAL CRISIS

BusinessPundit
October 8, 2008 Wednesday 2:00 PM EST

Oct. 8, 2008 (BusinessPundit delivered by Newstex) — It’s official:
The United States financial crisis has reverberated around the
world. Wall Street’s supernova imploded into a black hole, swallowing
up the national economy, then destabilizing most locations reachable by
commercial jet. That is to say, everything, everywhere. Nonetheless,
some countries are faring better than others in this stage of
the crisis. While Spaniards offer […]It’s official: The United
States financial crisis has reverberated around the world. Wall
Street’s supernova imploded into a black hole, swallowing up the
national economy, then destabilizing most locations reachable by
commercial jet. That is to say, everything, everywhere. Nonetheless,
some countries are faring better than others in this stage of the
crisis. While Spaniards offer banks their house keys, Malaysians
shrug. While Americans talk nonstop about the Second Great Depression,
Dubai investors are enjoying one of the biggest real estate booms in
the tiny United Arab Emirates’ history. Thailand sighs with relief
at its sizable reserves, and Armenia finally thanks the heavens above
for its obscurity. Here are ten countries suffering 80-100% less than
the United States: 10. China I was surprised to learn that China may
not be dramatically affected by the United States financial crisis.

As it turns out, we in the US rely far more heavily on China than
she does on us. China owns roughly 19% of US treasuries; if needed,
it plans to use its sizable budget surplus to snap up even more. In
addition, the United States gobbles up the majority of Chinese-made
goods, meaning a decrease in consumer demand here will make for
a chilly Chinese export market. However, China is not solely
dependent on the United States for financial stability. A host of
new trade agreements mean China has a number of potential suitors
waiting for vast quantities of goods. Domestic demand is also on the
up-and-up. Finally, China’s financial system has been closed for many
years, protecting it from shady assets. Though the country will feel
the international slump, its banking system is probably safe. Its
high domestic demand, huge pile of capital, and numerous other major
trading partners will counter the effects of US contagion. Bad News:
China would be badly hurt by a downturn in export demand from the
United States and Europe. It may yet be seriously affected. Good News:
They can rely more on domestic demand and demand from less-affected
countries, such as Brazil. They’re also sitting on a mountain of cash,
which they are using to help bail out the United States. 9. Brazil
Latin American economies have boomed over the past few years. Brazil,
unlike some of its neighbors, stabilized its domestic economy while
positioning itself for increased foreign investment. The United States
is currently Brazil’s biggest trading partner, but is looking to boost
transactions with China and India, other major partners. Bad News:
The United States is Brazil’s biggest trading partner. Good News:
Brazil is positioned to take advantage of trade agreements and foreign
direct investment from India and China, two economies at the top of
the world ladder. 8. Romania Romania’s banks are barely exposed to
international lenders.

Therefore, any economic slowdown it feels will be a secondary result of
global patterns. No shocks have occurred in the country itself. Known
by its own journalists the "tiger of the east," Romania’s economy
has been growing rapidly for the past few years. Though heavily
embroiled in the EU’s economy, especially Italy’s, Romania is one
of the world’s biggest military equipment exporters. Bad News: High
exposure to the EU and foreign direct investment subject Romania to the
general effects of the coming global recession. Good News: The country
remains a hot FDI destination for European companies looking for a
good deal. Its strong IT services sector–like a mini-India for the
EU–is especially attractive. And then there’s that military thing,
a sure winner in today’s conflict-rich world society. 7. Thailand
AIG’s gigantic Thailand subsidiary, AIA Thailand, has more than half
of the Thai market cornered. It’s also sitting on 286.67 billion baht
worth of reserves (about 8.3 billion US dollars), 383 billion baht
($11.1 billion) worth of assets, and capital funds worth roughly 1100%
of the legally required minimum. Foreigners affected directly by
the US financial crisis may have outstanding loans in Thailand. The
country, however, isn’t worried, because the amount of these loans
is relatively small. Bad news: Thailand’s largest insurance company
is an AIG (NYSE:AIG) subsidiary. Good news: It’s sitting on a pile
of cash. 6. North Korea Although the country has recently enjoyed
burgeoning trade ties with South Korea and China, both vulnerable
to the US financial crisis, North Korea remains isolated enough to
limp through the financial crisis relatively unscathed. Bad News:
No stranger to famines and subsistence farming, people living in this
brittle Communist relic may lose hope as foreign direct investors from
affected countries stall capital inflows. Good News: North Korea’s
economic isolation will, for once, come in handy. 5. Iran Longstanding
sanctions have kept Iran’s economy relatively insulated from foreign
investment outside of a select few sectors. One of those sectors is
oil–and China is one of its biggest trading partners. A fortuitous
arrangement for all. Bad News: Iran trades a lot with Europe, which
is moldering under the financial crisis. Good News: Iran does not
trade with the United States. It does, however, provide petroleum
to oil-hungry China, a business that should float the country for at
least another decade. 4. Malaysia This Southeast Asian country hosts
a number of multinational manufacturing facilities. Though some of
these companies are in the United States, experts say that bad times
will promote more offshore production in bargain-rich Malaysia,
not less. Malaysia is also gaining a reputation as a good China
alternative in manufacturing circles. It’s rumored to be slightly
more expensive, but produces higher quality goods, and is easier to
deal with. Malaysia is also gaining a reputation as a solar energy
hotspot. Bad News: Malaysia does a lot of business with the United
States. Good News: Companies looking to cut costs come to Malaysia,
making it an even more likely outsourcing destination for leaner
businesses. 3. Morocco Moroccan officials claim not to be affected by
the United States financial crisis because their banks don’t contain
any subprime assets. But that notion only scratches the surface of
why Morocco will survive the shakeup. Its resource and agricultural
assets are the real keys to its invulnerability. For one, this stable,
slow-growth economy relies heavily on agricultural assets, such as
almonds. It could feed its entire domestic population with the food
it produces, beneficial in a world of rising food prices. Half of
its income comes from valuable phosphate mines–32% of the world’s
reserves"a commodity whose prices have increased 700% during the past
two years (triggering talk of "peak phosphorus"). Bad News: Morocco
is heavily involved in foreign direct investment, especially from
France, and tourism to boost its economy. These two assets will likely
diminish because of the United States crisis. Good News: Morocco’s
natural assets, including its coveted phosphate, will keep its economy
greased enough to offset any losses. 2. Armenia This small Eurasian
country hasn’t involved itself much in foreign affairs. Banking is
no exception. Its relatively undeveloped financial market has so
few interests in the outside world that the crisis didn’t make a
blip. Bad News: Integration with outside markets means development
for small countries like Armenia. Officials hunger to expose it more
to external markets. Good News: That same lack of exposure protected
Armenia from the US crisis. It could be argued that Armenia is the
least affected country of all. 1. The United Arab Emirates Driven
by regional oil exports, the United Arab Emirates boasts one of the
world’s fastest-growing economies. The UK’s Guardian calls it the home
of the "Arabian Dream," the world’s new version of the spent American
dream. Dubai’s free trade zone, exalted commercial real estate market,
and financial services make it an international powerhouse. This
growth was fueled by oil revenues, but now has a momentum of its
own. Bad News: The UAE’s international problems revolve more around
money laundering than the US financial crisis. Good News: Almost
everything. The place is booming. If anyone reading this post lives
in the countries mentioned above, please comment and let us know what
things are looking like from the inside. Newstex ID: BPUN-0001-28623752

FROM THE BALKAN PACT TO THE CAUCASUS STABILITY PACT
by Mehman Aliyev

Zerkalo
Sept 27 2008
Azerbaijan

On 11 August 2008, at the height of the military-political crisis in
Georgia, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan put forward an
initiative to form the Caucasus Stability and Cooperation Platform
on the basis of the OSCE principles. The Turkish prime minister made
shuttle trips to Moscow, Tbilisi and Baku. He also familiarized
Iranian President Ahmadinezhad with the initiative, while Turkish
President Abdullah Gul familiarized his Armenian counterpart Serzh
Sargsyan with the initiative during a "football trip" to Yerevan.

There were different, mainly critical, comments on Erdogan’s
initiative. Washington even voiced its surprise at Ankara’s initiative
to form the Caucasus Stability and Cooperation Platform. "We thought
that Turkey and the USA follow a coordinated policy in the South
Caucasus. However, Ankara did not inform Washington about the issue
and we were really surprised with the actions of our partner,"
Matthew Bryza, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, said archly.

However, it is unlikely that Americans, who are "forefathers" of
this project, were unaware of the planned initiative. First time the
idea of creating a regional security system in the South Caucasus
was put forward at the NATO anniversary summit in Washington in
1999. US representatives suggested establishing peace in the Caucasus
through economic cooperation and put forward an initiative to create
a Caucasus cooperation forum involving the three South Caucasus
countries, naturally under the aegis of the USA and without Russia’s
and Iran’s involvement.

[Passage omitted: details of similar proposals put forward in the
recent years]

After a failed attempt to stop the Western invasion into the region
through its incursion to Georgia, Moscow has eased destructive levers
of influence a bit that has created advantageous prerequisites
for the implementation of the idea of the Caucasus house which is
being viewed as a "construction" where peace, stability and progress
reign. These prerequisites are the consolidation of international
democratic community with regard to policy in the Caucasus, a threat
of isolation of Russia and the provoked crisis in Russia’s economy,
the arrival of NATO’s navy in the Black Sea and of EU peacekeeping
forces in Georgia, the handover of a settlement format of the Abkhaz
and South Ossetian conflict under international control, and the
start of Turkish-Armenian and Turkish-Azerbaijani peace dialogues.

Another main prerequisite is that the peaceful settlement of conflicts
(e.g. the Karabakh conflict) within the stability pact dovetails with
the proposals of the OSCE Minsk Group (that involves Russia) that
provide for a stage-by-stage settlement of the problem: liberation of
the occupied territories, return of refugees, establishment of all
types of cooperation in the region and discussion on the issue of
status in the future, in new and favourable conditions. The latter
mean the formation of democratic governments elected through free
and fair elections; NATO’s, the EU’s membership for countries of the
region etc. In other words, that means the transfer of negotiations
from distrust and offence to confidence and mutual respect.

The pact creates unique possibility for all countries in the region to
get out of a difficult and dangerous situation that developed after
the Georgian crisis. First of all, it applies to Russia, the key
player in the region that has temporary fallen out from the process
of Euro-Atlantic cooperation, which has caused grave consequences for
the country. At the same time, Russia’s involvement in the Caucasus
Stability and Cooperation Platform jointly with the USA and the EU,
which is inevitable, would give an impetus to conciliation not only
in the South Caucasus but also in the disturbed North Caucasus.

Unfortunately, Iran, another influential regional player, will be
outside the South Caucasus peace process despite its striving to be
involved in it. That is mostly because of the nuclear aspirations of
clerical authorities in Tehran and their open enmity to the US global
leadership. Taking into account a unified position of the UN Security
Council member states on Iran’s nuclear claims, Russia and other
possible participants in the stability project in the Caucasus will
not insist on involving the Islamic Iran in the Caucasus peace process
within Erdogan’s plan. However, Iran’s involvement in the stability
project will become inevitable in the future, after democratic reforms
are carried out in that country.

FILM BRIEF: MY GRANDMOTHER & A TRIP TO KARABAKH

Metro (UK)

October 13, 2008 Monday

What: Two wildly different films from Georgia, beginning with My
Grandmother, Kote Mikaberidzes utterly barking, delightful 1929 silent,
which uses slapstick, puppetry, animation and stop-motion trickery
to send up the absurdities of Soviet bureaucracy. The authorities
were less than amused by its release and it was banned in the Soviet
Union until 1976. Then its into Georgias troubled modern age with
Levan Tutberidzes 2005 comedy drama, A Trip To Karabakh, following
the misfortunes of two slackers. Why: It offers a timely reminder of
the existence of a long Georgian cinematic tradition thats often been
overshadowed by its Russian neighbour. Mikaberidzes film comes over
like a gloriously goofball variation on Serge Eisensteins earnest
agit-prop, while Tutberidzes is a modern history lesson for the
stoners at the back of class. Jim Burke Tonight, The Cube Microplex,
Dove Street South, off King Square, Bristol, 7pm and 8.30pm, £4,
£3 concs, £5, £4 concs. Tel: 0117 907 4190.

–Boundary_(ID_MzkdsAOlz8r1J9fgDsMHog)–