Author: Chaltikian Arsine

Armenia-Turkey rapprochement tendency raises serious concerns in Baku
22.11.2009 15:50 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Obviously, recent aggressive statement of Azeri
President is an attempt to pressure Armenia and blackmail
international mediators. Azerbaijan’s actions are explained by the
fact that Munich meeting is the first one after protocol signing
ceremony in Zurich, NKR Foreign Policy and Security Social Council
Chairman Masis Mailyan told PanARMENIAN.Net reporter.

`Armenia-Turkey rapprochement tendency, in isolation from NKR conflict
settlement, raises serious concerns in Baku. Also, the statement on
withdrawing from negotiation process was voiced during the meeting
with South Artsakh settlers. I believe Armenia has to continue talks,
trying to achieve trilateral negotiation format and developing
effective principles for conflict settlement. Should Azerbaijan
dislike the results of consultations, it will have to withdraw from
the process, assuming full responsibility for the decision taken,’
Mailyan emphasized.

Hurriyet Daily News, Turkey
Nov 20 2009

The way to peace

Friday, November 20, 2009
HASAN CEMAL

BOSTON ` The Sevan Bakery is located in Watertown, where the Armenian
population is high. As you enter the store, you feel as if you are in
a grocery store in Anatolia.

Harry’s father is from Bünyan in Kayseri, a central Anatolian
province. `I was born in this house. My dear father was sitting
beneath this tree and thinking about the homeland. We were eating the
best pastrami,’ he says, pointing at a photograph.

Zadik, Varujan, Armenians in Istanbul… They are a total different story.

When I was about to wrap up my speech at a sports arena in Watertown,
during a panel organized by the Friends of Hrant Dink, a tall, old man
with gray hair and a beard approached me. He had liked my speech. The
man was from Bünyan, Kayseri.

He spoke without letting go of my hand after the handshake:

`I was in primary school in Bünyan. I think it was 1942 or 1943. There
were flag ceremonies at school. I enjoyed these ceremonies. One day I
wanted to hold the flag. But the headmaster didn’t allow me. `You are
not a Turk, you cannot hold it,’ he said. I was so offended that I’ve
never forgotten this story. My heart was broken. Toward the end of the
1950s, we moved here…’

As a journalist, I try to write people’s stories so that they are able
to pour their hearts out, to penetrate each other’s lives and to
understand each other’s pain and sorrow, so that, I think, we can live
in a better world. But having a dialogue is not easy. It is difficult.
I know that the pains of the Armenians are deep. Especially in the
diaspora, the feeling gets deeper… Such sorrow shouldn’t lock them
in the past, but some Armenians are living in the past.

It is as though they don’t want to open the door to the future. That
feeling should be defeated. On Monday evening, as we were in a
discussion session following the panel at Harvard, a handsome young
man took his turn. He said that he is a Turk from the city of Denizli
and is studying economics.

`I see, I understand, that my ancestors did terrible things to
Armenians in the past… But what do they want from me today?’ he
said. Laughter broke out in the hall.

The question this naïve and sincere young man asked actually
underlined the facts about Turkey. Turks are unaware of the Armenian
question, just like they are of the Kurdish conflict. They are in the
dark.

This is the way they have been taught. Some problems are kept from
them. For this reason, I believe, everyone should light a candle and
look into the dark instead of cursing the darkness.

That’s why I place importance on dialogue and cultural dialogue
programs. That’s why the Friends of Hrant Dink association established
in Washington is so important. During the book-signing event at the
arena, someone asked: `Will Turkey accept the genocide?’

Another added: `Will Turkey give a piece of land?’

Yet another one continued: `If there hadn’t been any ASALA, the
Armenian question wouldn’t have been on the agenda. We couldn’t get
anywhere with peaceful demonstrations.’

I remember another question from a conversation at Harvard:

`We are moderate Armenians. You tell us, would it be better or worse
if the genocide bill is adopted in the U.S. Congress?’

There is more than one diaspora!

Conversations and the questions asked have revealed this. There are
many Armenian diasporas. The common denominator is, without a doubt,
`genocide.’ However, they have serious differences of opinion on how
they should deal with Turkey and which direction they should take.
Hrant Dink’s death and developments such as the Turkish apology
campaign have made them confused. The diaspora seems confused and
split.

For instance, some of them have placed a great deal of importance in
the protocols signed between Turkey and Armenia in Zurich last month,
while some have reservations and some completely refute them. That’s
OK. Change is not easy!

Turks will change too. So will Armenians. This is a painful process.
In order to feel less pain, in order to facilitate the process, we
must have plenty of discussions. We have no other way but to stare
into each other’s eyes and communicate if we want to transform the
dark into daylight… The past will, of course, not be forgotten.

But we cannot bury ourselves into the past if we want to build a peace
for the future. Let’s not forget: The path to peace and democracy
involves destroying some walls…

* Hasan Cemal is a columnist for daily Milliyet, in which this piece
appeared Friday. It was translated into English by the Daily News.

MOTHER OF ARMENIAN-CAPTURED AZERBAIJANI SERGEANT SENDS LETTER TO HER SON

APA
Nov 17 2009
Azerbaijan

Baku. Kamala Guliyeva – APA. Representatives of Berde office of
the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) visited Naila
Mammadova, mother of the Azerbaijani sergeant Anar Hajiyev captured
by Armenia, to take the letter she had written to her son. Mammadova
told APA that ICRC representatives said they would soon visit Anar
Hajiyev and deliver the letter to him.

Anar Khanbaba Hajiyev, 19, was drafted from Goranboy. On May 10,
he was captured by Armenian Armed Forces. ICRC representatives last
visited him on October 23.

ANDREY KONDRASHOV: ARMENIANS AND RUSSIANS ARE HAPPY PEOPLE – NO ONE PREVENTS US FROM CALLING EACH OTHER FRIENDS

PanARMENIAN.Net
17.11.2009 21:29 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "Our presidents maintain friendly relations, we have
common policy and position on global issues. Armenians and Russians are
happy people -our politicians share no differences, no one prevents us
from calling each other friends. Here’s a striking example of policy
affecting relations between peoples," Vesti informational program
presenter, political observer Andrey Kondrashov stated.

He noted that Armenians and Russians understand each other, and can
communicate using the same language. "Armenian colleagues share the
same problems as we do. During out meeting with Armenian journalists
we spoke about censorship, social responsibility and coverage of
official events in Russia and Armenia. "Our countries are so alike,
one wonders why we live is different states," Andrey Kondrashov noted.

OSCE-ZONE CONFLICTS TO BE RESOLVED

news.am
Nov 17 2009
Armenia

Conflicts in OSCE zone (Nagorno-Karabakh, Transdniestria, Kosovo)
should be settled according to the format approved earlier, RF Foreign
Minister Sergey Lavrov said at the press conference following a
meeting with his Kazakh counterpart Kanat Saudabayev.

Lavrov expects Kazakhstan to "tackle the problem accordingly,"
meanwhile expressing confidence that "Kazakhstan will take with due
responsibility the issue"

As Kazakhstan holds the OSCE presidency starting 2010, it will be
the first time that a post-Soviet country assumes the post.

The Foreign Ministers also discussed the Caspian Sea legal status,
having Lavrov emphasizing that there will be no standstill on the
matter.

Underlining that Kazakhstan and Russia were driving engines in the
Caspian Sea issue, Saudabayev added, "Despite that resolution of
the problem does not solely depend on our states, but also other
countries, however Russia and Kazakhstan standpoints demonstrate
readiness to intendment."

"TURKEY FOLLOWING ATATURK’S FOREIGN POLICY, NOT PURSUING NEO-OTTOMANISM"

Today’s Zaman
Nov 17 2009
Turkey

Professor Ali Arslan, a lecturer at the department of history at
Istanbul University who specializes in the history of the Turkish
Republic, says it is wrong to regard Turkey’s current foreign
policy, which is geared toward the Middle East, as neo-Ottomanism
as its current direction signifies a return to the foreign policy
followed during the time of the country’s founder, Mustafa Kemal
Ataturk. "The prime minister criticizes not the Israeli state, but
the Israeli government," he says, referring to Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan’s recent remarks about Israel.

In an exclusive interview with Today’s Zaman, Professor Arslan
discussed the new era of relations between Turkey and the Middle East.

Underlining that the history of the Middle East during the past 200
years has to be studied in detail in order to correctly analyze the
current relations between Turkey and the Middle East, Arslan asserts:
"Currently, there is a foreign policy strategy which is very similar
to the multifaceted foreign policy practices employed during the time
of Ataturk. Ataturk contacted the countries in the region as the UK
was leaving the region. Now, the US is pulling out of the region, and
Turkey is contacting the countries in the region in the same manner."

Pointing out that after the end of the bipolar world, Turkey expended
all of its energy on trying to enter the European Union, Arslan
argues, "However, the EU has alienated Turkey, and now Turkey is
taking advantage of the emerging opportunities."

How do you see Turkey’s increased interest in the Middle East?

Although Islam is generally regarded as the religion of Arabs, it was
the Turks who made it a global religion. Islam is a global religion
and a global power today thanks to the Turks. The Turks took this
religion out of the Arab Peninsula where it was contained and carried
it to Central Asia, the Caucasus and the Balkans. Arabs always asked
for help from the Turks when they encountered difficult situations.

The Turks always protected Islam against external threats. The Crusades
mainly tried to destroy Arab Muslims.

So you say that Turks have turned Islam into a global religion?

It was the Turks who saved the Arab world from the Crusades in 1092
and prevented the Crusaders from achieving political domination in
the region. After 1492, Spain and Portugal turned their eyes to the
Middle East. In 1508, the Portuguese conquered Hormuz and Muscat. They
even attempted to move the Prophet’s grave to Europe in 1512. Faced
with the Portuguese conquering Medina and Mecca, Turkey took action.

Realizing that the Portuguese, who were trying to take hold of the
Suez region, would beat the Mamluks, Ottoman Sultan Yavuz Sultan Selim
started a military campaign against Egypt. Meanwhile, it should be
noted that the Mamluks cooperated with the Venetians.

Looking at Turkey’s foreign relations today, is this the first time
since the Ataturk period that it has achieved the correct balance
of relations?

Yes. Turkey seized another big chance after the end of World War II.

In 1945, Egypt, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Yemen
set up the Arab League. Turkey welcomed this step, and the Arabs
appreciated Turkey’s stance. No problems arose when Syria became
independent. In fact, during that time there was not even any mention
of the Hatay problem. Syria said it accepted any agreement signed by
France on its behalf, and Turkey instantly recognized Syria.

Why did relations start to change?

The Cold War era ruined this climate. The Union of Soviet Socialist
Republics’ [USSR] demands for Turkish lands and rights concerning the
Bosporus Straits pushed Turkey into the arms of the US. Stalin made
one of the biggest mistakes in his life, and until March 1, 2003,
Turkey was never able to act independently of the US.

Do you think the rejection of the March 1 bill — when the Turkish
Parliament rejected a motion to allow the US to base troops in Turkey
in order to wage war in northern Iraq — was a milestone?

The March 1 bill had a huge role in these developments. Ever since
the 1950s, Turkey constantly generated a foreign policy that was
oriented toward the US. March 1 was the first time Turkey took a stance
against the US in an incident that involved the US. The rejection of
the bill renewed the image of Turkey in the eyes of the Arab world,
which had seen Turkey as the US’s second partner in the Middle East
after Israel. Turkey showed for the first time that it could act
independently.

Looking back, would you say there was a change in this foreign policy
after the end of the Republican People’s Party’s [CHP] single party
administration?

No. [Ä°smet] Ä°nönu’s policies were continued by the Democrat Party
[DP]. Meanwhile, as NATO was being established, there were plans to
set up a command post in the Middle East. While the UK wanted this
post to be in Egypt, the US wanted it to be set up in Turkey.

Unfortunately, at this time Turkey was still siding with the UK.

Turkey failed to choose the right side once again. When problems
started in Cyprus in 1954, Israel opposed Greece’s interest in the
island. But instead of allying with Israel, Turkey moved away from
Israel. During the Suez Crisis, France and the UK attacked Egypt.

Turkey announced that the UK and France had violated the law but
held Egypt responsible. That’s not all; Turkey also had a negative
reaction toward Israel.

How do you explain Adnan Menderes’ rapprochement with Russia?

Menderes is someone who paid the price of adopting an anti-Soviet
policy domestically while strengthening relations with the Soviets
in the realm of foreign relations at time when Turkey’s relations
with the Arab world were deteriorating with his own life. Between
1960 and 1980 Turkey was very confused about its foreign policy.

How long did this confusion last?

After the 1974 Cyprus peace movement, Turkey developed a new
foreign policy and defense doctrine. The reason for this was the
arms embargo imposed by the US. This doctrine, which was prepared by
[Bulent] Ecevit, aimed to free Turkey from its dependency on a single
source in the field of defense. Ecevit decided that developing good
relations with neighbors was the most powerful method of defense,
instead of investing heavily in arms. Ways to develop joint weapons
production with Iran and Libya were sought. Turkey tried to free
itself from dependency on a single source until 1983. Even Kenan
Evren, who staged a coup with support from the US, went to Moscow
for weapons negotiations.

Is that what gave birth to the idea of a Turkish defense industry?

Turkey started taking steps to produce its own weapons in 1983 with
Turgut Ozal, who appeared to be a pro-American figure. Ozal applied
to the customs union saying: "Since you see me as inside the Western
bloc then I want to be represented in an all-Western institution. I
want a right to speak." His application was denied in 1989. Turkey
signed its biggest water agreement with Syria in 1987.

What does Turkey want to do now?

In fact, Turkey wants to take advantage of the chance it has. Turkey,
which has been focused on its EU membership bid since the end of Cold
War, has been deliberately kept away from this club by the EU itself.

The US sought to become influential in the region; but its attempts
failed. The US now has no power to control the region. It is
encountering serious problems; the new power balance in the Pacific
significantly affects the US. A Southeast Asian union is being
created. This new formation will include China, Japan, South Korea,
Australia and India. When this entity fully emerges, a new economic
basin will be dominant. The US is not in a position to show interest
in the Middle East.

But the opposition parties argue that this role of engaging with the
Middle East has been given to Turkey by the US?

Is Turkey doing all this hand-in-hand with the US? No. To me, Turkey
is seizing the opportunities presented to it. The US explained that
it will withdraw [from Iraq]. During this withdrawal, everything in
the region will concern Turkey. There is some correlation between
Turkey’s eagerness to be involved in regional affairs and the US’s
intention to withdraw. But this does not necessarily mean that the void
is being filled. The US is reducing its influence in the region, but
its sphere of influence will not disappear entirely. Maybe someday it
will re-emerge. I think the foreign policy pursued by this government
has some similarities with the style followed by Ataturk. The strength
and power of every actor in the region has been taken into account,
and a constructive relationship based on the recognition of mutual
interests is being developed with every country in the region. Turkey
is aware that without good relations with countries such as Iraq,
Syria and Iran, it will experience negative impacts resulting from
the developments taking place there.

What the West fears of most is the rapprochement between Turkey
and Iran.

This relationship should not be misinterpreted. Any development
regarding Iran may affect Turkey; Iran is a critical country, any
move of which may affect the entire region. This is not acceptable
to Turkey; for this reason, Turkey is taking measures [to improve
relations with Iran], Iran needs us and Turkey needs Iran.

What would you say about the deteriorating relations with Israel?

It is not true that Turkey has given up on Israel. Turkey points
to the wrongful actions by the Israeli government, not the state
of Israel. The prime minister threatens the Israeli administration,
not the Israeli state. He made some protests against its evil actions.

Reasonable officials and authorities in Israel say what our prime
minister says. Turkey will never try to destroy the Israeli state. It
is the only Jewish state in the region. Its actions imply that it does
not want the survival of any state in the region other than Israel.

This is the actual source of the problem. Turkey wants the creation
of a Palestinian state that will survive.

Have you observed a growing anti-Israeli sentiment among the public?

It is impossible that anti-Semitism will emerge in Turkey because
of cultural reasons. This is just impossible. Turks embraced 500,000
Sephardic Jews in 1492. They did Jews the greatest favor in the early
1900s. In Europe, Jews were viewed as members of a nation that should
be totally annihilated; they were subjected to inhumane treatment
and persecution, including exile. The British and the French carried
out such brutal campaigns. Most people believe that only the Germans
committed massacres against the Jews. However, the others engaged in
ethnic cleansing before the Germans. Even though the Ottoman state was
aware of the Jewish community’s ambition to have a separate state,
the Ottoman Empire reserved living spaces for the Jews in Bursa,
Ä°zmir and other areas. The current public reaction against Zionism
in Turkey is due to the Palestinian question. However, this reaction
cannot be viewed as anti-Semitism.

Do you think the EU’s attitude is also influential in Turkey’s
eagerness to become more active in the region?

The status of privileged partnership offered by some EU countries
resulted in disappointment for Turkey. Turkey is not a country
that will agree to second-class membership. The EU actually pushed
Turkey away with these actions. It would not be proper for Turkey to
accept this offer. The EU has made Turkey suffer; most EU countries
still oppose Turkey’s fight against terrorism. Even the US wants the
[Kurdistan Workers’ Party] PKK’s second-highest ranking man because of
his involvement in drug smuggling — not for crimes of terrorism. In
such an environment, Turkey is pursuing a multidimensional foreign
policy consistent with the current state of the world. And it does so
quite properly; so Western actors have no right to argue that Turkey
is giving up on the West. In such a case, Turkey is entitled to even
launch an Antarctica initiative because it has realized that it has
to act this way in a global world.

Some call this neo-Ottomanist policy…

Neo-Ottomanism is not realistic; there is neither the will nor the
power to conduct neo-Ottomanist foreign policy. The Ottoman Empire
was dominant in the region because of global competition. The peoples
in the region needed the Ottomans. Currently, Turkey has no potential
to become a global actor. Also, the Middle Eastern countries looked at
the Ottoman state through the lens of an Islamic perspective. However,
the same countries now have a nationalistic perspective and approach.

Most of these countries enjoy large oil revenues. It is not feasible to
expect that these countries will embrace Turkey as they did the Ottoman
state. For this reason, neo-Ottomanism is not an achievable goal.

Currently, Turkey relies on tactical Ottomanism. If it pursues an
Ottomanist policy, Turkey will be unable to expand its sphere of
influence. However, because there is no other argument that will
put an emphasis on cooperation, the Ottoman state has become the
main frame of reference; the countries in the region have a common
past and history. Making reference to the coexistence in the past is
not neo-Ottomanism.

Who is Professor Ali Arslan?

Professor Ali Arslan, a professor of history at Ä°stanbul University’s
faculty of letters, is a prolific academic and author of a number
of books, including: "Turk Cumhuriyetleri ile Turk Topluluklarından
Turkiye’ye Gelen Ogrenciler" (Students Coming from the Turkic Republics
to Turkey); "Osmanlı Devleti’nde Rum Basını" (The Greek Press in
Ottoman State); "Kısır Döngu Turkiye’de Universite ve Siyaset"
(The Vicious Cycle: University and Politics in Turkey); "Kutsal Ermeni
Papalıgı Ecmiyazin Kilisesi’nde Stratejik SavaÅ~_lar" (Strategic
Wars at Ecmiyazin Church, Sacred Armenian Papacy); "Osmanlı’dan
Cumhuriyet’e Rum Basını" (The Greek Press from the Ottoman State to
the Republic); "Balkanların Anahtarı: Onemi Bilinmeyen Ada TaÅ~_öz"
(The Key of the Balkans: TaÅ~_öz, an Unappreciated Island); and
"Avrupa’dan Turkiye’ye Ä°kinci Yahudi Göcu" (The Second Jewish
Migration from Europe to Turkey).

AUCTION OF TREASURY SHORT-TERM BONDS WITH 39-WEEK MATURITY HELD ON NOVEMBER 17

NOYAN TAPAN
NOVEMBER 17, 2009
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 17, NOYAN TAPAN. An action of state (treasury)
short-term bonds (AMGT39178106 issue) with a 39-week maturity was
held on November 17. The amount of bonds subject to placement was 1
billion drams, the demand made 1.25 billion drams. The placement of
bonds made 1 billion drams, the revenues from placement amounted to
937 million 556 thousand 223 drams. The weighted average yield of
the placement is 8.7828%, the limit yield is 9.2050%.

9 dealers participated in the auction, the press service of the RA
Ministry of Finance reported.

PRESS RELEASE
Nov 16, 2009
Support Committee for Armenia’s Cosmic Ray Division
For more information:
Anahid Yeremian
(650) 926-4444, or
Joseph Dagdigian
(978) 772-9417

CRD EXPANDS SPACE WEATHER MONITORING ON MT. ARAGATS

The Cosmic Ray Division (CRD) of the Yerevan Physics Institute (YerPhI)
operates one of the largest cosmic ray monitoring networks at its
research stations on Armenia’s Mt. Aragats. CRD scientists are currently
adding two new categories of monitors in cooperation with their
international research partners.

**Magnetic Field Monitoring
—————————

The magnetic field surrounding the earth is usually thought to be
constant. However magnetic field disturbances in the interplanetary
space (the space between the sun and the planets) can alter the magnetic
field surrounding the earth. Interplanetary magnetic field disturbances
occur due to violent processes at the sun, such as the ejection of large
volumes of hot and charged matter known as Coronal Mass Ejections (CME).
The interplanetary magnetic field variations add to the earth’s own
magnetic field often severely changing the magnetic field surrounding
the earth. This phenomena is known as a Geomagnetic Storm. Depending on
its severity, it can induce damaging current surges in electrical power
lines causing widespread blackouts, induce currents in pipelines
accelerating their corrosion, play havoc on satellite electronics, and
cause astronauts to be subjected to excess radiation requiring them to
take cover in special compartments aboard the International Space Station.

The Lviv Space Research Institute of the Ukrainian Academy of Science
and the Cosmic Ray Division of YerPhI are partnering with each other to
establish LLEMI-417 Magnetometric Stations on Mt. Aragats to measure the
variations in magnetic field around the earth. This summer the first
magnetometric station was installed at CRD’s Nor Ambert research station
at 6,000 foot altitude on Mt. Aragats. A similar geomagnetic field
monitoring station will also be installed at CRD’s Aragats Research
Station at 11, 000 foot altitude.

This new instrumentation will allow the CRD scientists and their
partners to directly correlate cosmic ray and geomagnetic data to better
understand Space Weather. The accumulated measurements from Nor Amberd
will enhance CRD’s ability to forecast major geomagnetic storms and
issue reliable space weather alerts.

Solar Radio Signals
——————–
While Coronal Mass Ejections contribute to geomagnetic storms, they also
generate characteristic radio signals which, travel at the speed of
light reaching the earth before the CMEs and the characteristic magnetic
fields that accompany them. Accurate measurement and characterization of
these weak radio signals can give valuable advance warnings on the
impending CME’s and geomagnetic storms. Professor Gemmeke from the
Karlsruhe Research Center in Germany introduced an antena to measure
these very weak radio signals to the CRD in the Fall of 2008. Capturing
the data from these antenas require very sophisticated electronics.
CRD’s electronic engineers posess just such expertise. They demonstrated
the feasibily of collecting data from such an antena and in the summer
of 2009. Three antennas with the associated electronics were installed
at CRD’s Nor Ambert and Aragats research stations. Data from these
antenas proved that the radio measurements have sufficient precision to
enhance Space Weather Forcasting techniques. Continual monitoring
started this Autumn with equipment supplied by Karlsruhe.

Future plans include manufacturing these antenna systems at YerPhI and
deploying them at locations around the world to improve Space Weather
forecasting. The network of antennas will also be very useful to
investigate lightning storms. Recent research indicates Cosmic Ray
phenomena are well correlated with the occurance of lightning and
thunderstorms. Mt. Aragats is an ideal location for this research
because of its existing infrastructure and the frequent storms that
occur during the summer.

Correlation of geomagnetic data from the magnetometers with radio
signals from the antennas and the data from cosmic ray particle
detectors on Mt. Aragats will aid the CRD to develop enhanced techniques
for accurate and reliable prediction of damaging Space Weather events.

AAA WELCOMES JOHN MACCAIN’S SUPPORT OF ARMENIA’S APPROACH TO NORMALIZE RELATIONS WITH TURKEY

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
13.11.2009 10:51 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ In a letter sent today, the Armenian Assembly of
America (Assembly) thanked Senator John McCain for affirming the
historical truth regarding the Armenian Genocide and for his support
of a new chapter in Armenia-Turkey relations.

During Senator McCain’s interview with Voice of America’s Georgian
service, Senator McCain acknowledged the Armenian Genocide and also
expressed his support for the Armenia-Turkish rapprochement.

"We strongly believe that U.S. affirmation of the Armenian Genocide
should not be held hostage to the normalization process and as such
welcome Senator McCain’s remarks," stated Assembly Executive Director
Bryan Ardouny. "The Assembly has also consistently expressed its
support for normalization of relations between Armenia and Turkey
without preconditions," added Ardouny.

In the Assembly’s letter to Senator McCain, Ardouny highlighted the
need to redouble America’s efforts to reaffirm the Armenian Genocide
in the face of continued campaign to deny its very occurrence and
quoted Archbishop Desmond Tutu who has stated: "It is sadly true what
a cynic has said, that we learn from history that we do not learn
from history. And yet it is possible that if the world had been
conscious of the genocide that was committed by the Ottoman Turks
against the Armenians, the first genocide of the twentieth century,
then perhaps humanity might have been more alert to the warning signs
that were being given before Hitler’s madness was unleashed on an
unbelieving world."

The Assembly letter also urged McCain to cosponsor S. Res. 316, the
Armenian Genocide Resolution introduced by Senators Robert Menendez
and John Ensign.

IT IS HARD TO NEGOTIATE UNDER SUCH CONDITIONS: AZERBAIJANI FM

Today
tml
Nov 11 2009
Azerbaijan

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has agreed to hold a next meeting
with Armenian counterpart Serzh Sargsyan in one of the European
capitals, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov said.

"The venue and date of the meeting will be set in a couple of days,"
the minister said.

He said no new proposals on conflict resolution have been made.

"We have discussed basic principles for the last five years.

Unfortunately, Armenian side raises issues that were debated and
negotiated earlier," Mammadyarov said.

"It is hard to negotiate under such conditions. Therefore, we must
consider whether Armenian side is ready or willing to achieve momentum
or they are simply negotiations," the minister said.