Author: Chalian Meline

AZERBAIJANI YOUTH LEAVE THE COUNTRY DUE TO ALIYEV’S BELLICOSE STATEMENTS, ARF DEPUTY SAYS

Panorama.am
15:58 10/02/2010

ARF Dashnaktsutyun Party has "trustworthy" information over a great
mass of Azerbaijani youth leaving the country, ARF member Vahan
Hovhannisyan told a press conference today.

According to him, Azerbaijani youth leave for Russia and Ukraine and
this is due to the Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s and Defense
Minister Safar Abiyev’s bellicose statements.

"Due to Aliyev’s and Abiyev’s bellicose statements, a group of
Azerbaijani youth leave the country since during the war none wants
to serve in an army where officers kill soldiers and vice versa,"
ARF deputy said.

According to Hovhannisyan, Armenia and Azerbaijan face the hazard of
resuming the war unless they reach a clear peace agreement.

CRIME WAVE OBSERVED IN ARMENIA IN 2009

PanARMENIAN.Net
10.02.2010 17:21 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ A crime wave was observed in Armenia in 2009,
RA Police Chief said.

"The number of crimes committed in 2009 increased by 5068, exceeding
last year’s index with 54.7%," Major General Alik Sargsyan told
reporters on Wednesday.

He also informed that the police are developing a reform package for
further submission to European structures.

LITERARY MEETING OF ARMENIAN WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF CALIFORNIA HELD IN GLENDALE

Noyan Tapan
Feb 9, 2010

GLENDALE, FEBRUARY 9, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The literary
meeting of the Armenian Writers Association of California took place
on February 4 2010 in the hall of Glendale Public Library.

It was declared that the general meeting of AWAC will be held, board’s
account will be heard and discussed, as well as next board’s election
will be held in the current month. AWAC Chairman, poet Grish Davtian
reported that henceforth Association’s regular literary meetings will
be held in the evening of each month’s first Thursday.

According to AWAC’s report, writers Nikolay Stepanian, poets Gevorg
Kristinian, Nerses Ter-Mesropian and Garush Haryants, prosaist Poghos
Gubelian and others read new literary works at the meeting.

RA FINANCE MINISTRY: 9 AUDITORS GRANTED QUALIFICATION CERTIFICATES

PanARMENIAN.Net
09.02.2010 13:00 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Armenian Ministry of Finance has published
the results of auditor exams. 5 applicants are reported to get
qualification certificates.

124 auditors have qualification certificates in Armenia as of February
8, 2010.

DAVUTOGLU: THE PROCESS WILL FAIL IF WASHINGTON CONTINUES EXERTING PRESSURE

armradio.am
08.02.2010 15:22

The discussion of the recognition of the Armenian genocide by the US
Congressmen is an element of pressure today, Turkish Foreign Minister
Ahmet Davutoglu said, according to Hurriyet.

"However, everyone should know that Turkey is not a country that can
be spoken with in a language of pressure", Turkish FM Ahmed Davutoglu
told Turkish journalists.

The Turkish diplomat is assured that these are the links of one chain.

"At first the Constitutional Court of Armenia passes decisions
that fully contradict to the spirit of the signed protocols, then
Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan demonstrates unconstructive approach
in negotiations in Sochi and now the date has been appointed for
discussion of the genocidein the US Congress."

"Why do these events occur in this very period? When signing protocols
with Armenia, we have demonstrated the political will and started
rapprochement on a goodwill basis. They should not blackmail us with
April 24. If someone wants to put pressure on us, it will be useless.

Turkey is an independent state and it takes the decisions considering
its national interests," he said.

"If Americans use such methods, we declare officially that the process
of the Armenian-Turkish rapprochement will fail. This does not meet
the interests of either Washington, or Yerevan or Ankara. Therefore,
the United States should be more attentive to this issue and not
hamper this process by excessive efforts", he said.

KU, MILITARY EXPERTS TO DISCUSS SIGNIFICANCE OF BORDER BETWEEN TURKEY AND ARMENIA

Targeted News Service
February 3, 2010 Wednesday 5:28 AM EST

The University of Kansas issued the following news release:

The University of Kansas Center for Russian, East European and
Eurasian Studies, along with the departments of geography and
sociology, are teaming up with area military personnel to provide
a roundtable discussion titled "Turkish-Armenian Border: Challenges
and Implications of Change."

The roundtable, featuring presentations from KU faculty and
representatives of the Kansas National Guard and Fort Leavenworth’s
Command and General Staff College and Foreign Military Studies Office,
will be held from 3 to 5 p.m. Monday, Feb. 8, at Parlors A,B and C
in the Kansas Union.

The Kansas National Guard has been engaged in a long-term partnership
with the Republic of Armenia. Guard members have visited the country
in the South Caucasus to discuss policy issues as well as provide
on-the-ground assistance.

In 2009, civil engineers from the 190th Air Refueling Wing of the
Kansas Air National Guard in Armenia built a warehouse to be used
to store medical equipment and supplies, according to Public Affairs
Director Sharon Watson, of the Kansas Adjutant General’s Department.

The relationship has special significance now, since Turkey and
Armenia have agreed in principle to normalize the border between the
two countries.

Turkey closed its border with Armenia in 1993 when Armenians and
Azeris clashed over the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh. Home
to a network of oil and gas pipelines, the region continues to be an
area of vital concern to the United States.

Elif Andac, assistant professor of sociology, and Shannon O’Lear,
associate professor of geography, will take part in the two-hour
roundtable. O’Lear is involved in the Kansas National Guard Armenia
Partnership Program as a board member representing KU. She has traveled
to Armenia on an education initiative project with the Kansas National
Guard and continues to serve on the board by bridging the academic
and military communities.

Contact: Bart Redford, Center for Russian, East European and Eurasian
Studies, 785/864-4248

DIASPORA’S SELF-ORGANIZATION
Naira Hayrumyan

Lragir.am
05/02/10

The weekly "Business Week" published an article on February 4,
according to which "Armenians, who are citizens of Armenia, consider
that the Armenian Diaspora which for many years helped its historic
homeland is now not very concerned about its problems". The author
of the article is Ruzan Hakobyan, and she refers to the words of the
writer, publicist Perch Zeytuntsyan who says that the Diaspora is too
concerned about the issue of international recognition of the Genocide.

Publications about the possible split between Armenia and the Diaspora
appear in the press periodically starting from the moment when the
Diaspora voiced its disagreement with the process of establishment
of relations between Armenia and Turkey. The difference in approaches
to the issue of genocide between Armenia and the Diaspora is obvious:
Serge Sargsyan has repeatedly stated that Armenia has no territorial
claims against Turkey, with which disagrees the Diaspora. Perhaps
because of the reason that the attitude of a post-Soviet country to
land ownership is somewhat different than in other countries which
are based on ownership.

The first reaction of the Diaspora was outrage which was evidenced
during the pan-Armenian tour of Serge Sargsyan who almost always
met protests. Diaspora offered not to abandon the establishment of
relations with Turkey, but to bring it to reasonable demands. The
second reaction was the TV marathon, during which the Diaspora did
not actually even give money for the restoration of Shushi. Then came
time for self-organization. Apparently, the Diaspora is now trying to
assess the situation, to take adequate measures. Traditional methods
of cooperation with the Armenian government and its total disregard
exhausted themselves.

If previously, the diaspora could be considered as a political entity
only in tandem with Armenia, it is now attempting to organize as an
independent political unit. To achieve its goals, this unit can either
cooperate with the authorities of Armenia, and to act separately from
it and even contrary.

>>From February 28 to March 2, the international organization Policy
Forum Armenia (PHA) will carry out the second annual conference
"Relations between Armenia and Turkey" which will take place in
Washington.

Recall, a meeting between the U.S. Sate Secretary Hillary Clinton and
the representative of the Armenian organizations in the U.S. will take
place to discuss the Armenian and Turkish relations. The meeting will
bring together organizations that supported the government of Armenia
in the Armenian-Turkish issue, The Armenian Assembly of America,
Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU), Eastern and Western Diocese
of the Armenian Apostolic Church in the United States, The Knights
of Vardan and the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) .

However, ANCA Chairman Ken Khachikyan sent a letter to Clinton. "This
event, which deliberately excludes many prominent members and spiritual
leaders of our traditional community based on their attitudes and
values, will be an extremely negative precedent. Our participation
in this meeting in terms of such restrictions would not make sense",
emphasized Ken Khachikyan in his letter.

The Forum of Armenian Organizations in Europe voiced its support of
the course of the Armenian authorities. However, the most influential
organizations in Europe continue to present claims against Turkey.

The Russian Diaspora, as before, has an amorphous position on political
issues. Recently it was reported about the opening of Armenia TV
under the auspices of the Union of Armenians of Russia.

Regarding the position on the Armenian-Turkish relations, Ara
Abrahamyan many years suggests that we should apply for Turkey in an
international court and bring the genocide from the political to the
legal space.

Recall also that the California court has recently decided to pay
8 thousand dollars to descendants of victims as compensation to the
insurance company AXA. The Turkish government established the Ministry
of Diaspora which intends to fight with the Armenian Diaspora, which
is perceived by Ankara as enemy number one.

CADRE CLEANSING

Lragir.am
3/02/10

The head of the informational service "Haylur" of the Public
TV Harutyun Harutyunyan resigned. People who are aware of the
internal life of Haylur affirm that Harutyunyan tried to secure
some objectivity, to engage in the service relatively independent
correspondents, but met with constant resistance. They also say that
reports of "Haylur" cut out everything that could cause at least some
dissatisfaction with the "customers". And the audience is perceived
only as a mass to provide the necessary PR.

The "unexplainable" dismissal of Harutyunyan is a sign about the
processes happening in the governmental camp. First of all, it
is reasoned by the aspiration of people to "clean" the public and
informational field of people who can think and try to move their
affairs. Even those who are suspected not to be "one of them". By
the way, Harutyun Harutyunyan has relations with the ARF.

A bright confirmation of "cleansing" was the dismissal of two ministers
from the "Prosperous Armenia". Explanations of these layoffs are not
given, but there were rumors that they somehow did not please Gagik
Tsarukyan who is one of the "customers".

But the real "cleansing" started with the Heritage party. First,
Zaruhi Postanjyan was excluded from the main composition of the
Armenian delegation, and then Larisa Alaverdyan was forbidden to work
in the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly.

Moreover, the "clean sweep" was not conducted by a manual weeding,
but a bulldozer under which anyone may fall. Another could be, say,
the Minister of Agriculture of the "OYP" who is not sufficiently
protecting the interests of exporters of mutton. It is unlikely that
a number of "customers" includes Artur Bagdasaryan.

POWER PRODUCTION LAST YEAR DROPS BY 7.2% TO 5.671.2 BILLION KWH

ARKA
Feb 2, 2010

YEREVAN, February 2, /ARKA/. Armenian nuclear power plant produced
last year 2.5 billion KWh of electrical power, by 1.3% less than in
the preceding year, the National Statistical Service reported.

The amount of electrical power produced by thermal power plants
contracted by 38.4% to 1.128 billion KWh, while the volume of
electrical power produced by hydropower plants rose by 12.4% to 2.044
billion KWh.

The nuclear power plant accounted last year for 44% of all generated
power, thermal power plants accounted for 19.9% and hydropower
plants for 36.1%. A windmill in northern Armenia doubled its capacity
producing 4.3 million KWh.

In general, power production last year dropped by 7.2% from the
preceding year to 5.671.2 billion KWh. ($1 – 376.03 Drams)

U.S. INTELLIGENCE OFFICIAL TOUCHES UPON NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT DURING THE OPEN HEARING ON "CURRENT AND PROJECTED THREATS TO THE UNITED STATES"

APA
03 Feb 2010 07:34

Washington. Isabel Levine – APA. "The unresolved conflicts of the
Caucasus provide the most likely flashpoints in the Eurasia region",
Director of National Intelligence Dennis C. Blair told the US Senate
Select Committee on Intelligence at the open Hearing on "Current and
Projected Threats to the United States", on February 2nd..

According to APA’s Washington correspondent during the hearing Mr.

Blair touched upon the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, as well:

"Although there has been progress in the past year toward
Turkey-Armenia rapprochement, this has affected the delicate
relationship between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and increases the risk
of a renewed conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh" – he stated.

A top U.S. intelligence official says America’s relations with Russia
could suffer as the United States seeks closer ties with Georgia and
other former Soviet states.

"Moscow’s expanded military presence in and political-economic ties to
Georgia’s separatist regions of South Ossetia and sporadic low-level
violence increase the risk of miscalculation or overreaction leading
to renewed fighting", he said.

CIA Chief mentioned that president Dmitry Medvedev is viewing of
Moscow’s former Soviet neighbors as a "zone of privileged interests"
could undermine relations with Washington.

He added that, Moscow, moreover, has made it clear it expects to
be consulted closely on missile defense plans and other European
security issues.

On the whole, the CIA Chief stressed that, the strategic landscape
has changed considerably for US interests over the past year.

"We see some improvements, but also several entrenched problems
and slow progress in some areas for the foreseeable future. Several
large-scale threats to fundamental US interests will require increased
attention, and it is on one of these threats that I will focus our
initial discussion. We continue to assess that global climate change
will have wide-ranging implications for US national security interests
over the next 20 years because it will aggravate existing world
problems-such as poverty, social tensions, environmental degradation,
ineffectual leadership, and weak political institutions-that threaten
state stability".

Speaking about Iran, Mr. Blair mentioned that, the Iranian regime
continues to flout UN Security Council restrictions on its nuclear
program. There is a real risk that its nuclear program will prompt
other countries in the Middle East to pursue nuclear options.