Author: Chavushian

YEREVAN MUNICIPALITY INTENDS A NUMBER OF EVENTS WITHIN THE FRAMEWORKS
OF EREBUNI-YEREVAN CELEBRATIONS

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 24, ARMENPRESS: The Yerevan municipality intends a
number of events within the frameworks of Erebuni-Yerevan
celebrations.
Public relations department of Yerevan municipality told Armenpress
that in the morning October 11 a holiday marsh will take place leaded
by the Mayor Gagik Baglarian, which will start from the Yerevan
municipality through the Grikor Lusavorich street to the Mashtots
avenue, then through the Amirian street to Republican square.
After the holiday marsh the Mashtots Avenue will turn into a sport
arena and a race competition will be held. In the Karap Lake a contest
of wind-surfing will be organized, a show-contest of national kokh
will also take place. The participants of Para Olympic games will show
the sport skills, a cycling race will also be organized.
The North Avenue will turn into "Master’s town". In the workshops
under the open sky the masters will make sculptures from clay, the
artists will transfer the holiday atmosphere to the canvas. On the
streets decorated with holiday posters episodes from old Yerevan will
be performed. The eastern market and the life of old Yerevan will
rebirth for one day.
On October 11 the parks of the Center will turn into open concert
halls.
Events will be organized in the Children’s park, and dance groups
will perform on the Mashtots Avenue. In the Moscow Park open air
performances will be organized for theatre addicts.
On October 11 the Yerevan municipality will also organize donation,
on the means of which the Erebuni historical archeological
reserve-museum will be reconstructed.

OSCE IMPORTANT STRUCTURE FOR CONFLICT PREVENTION

PanARMENIAN.Net
24.09.2009 13:55 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Karine Ghazinyan
met Wednesday in Yerevan with Ambassador Herbert Salber, Director of
the OSCE Conflict Prevention Center, and the delegation led by him.

The sides discussed ways to raise OSCE efficiency. They also referred
to the Corfu process, the forthcoming meeting of Foreign Ministers
in Athens and a number of regional issues.

"OSCE is an important structure for prevention and resolution of
conflicts," Mrs. Ghazinyan said.

RUZAN ARAKELYAN: DASHNAKTSUTYUN’S POSITION IS NOT AN END IN ITSELF

PanARMENIAN.Net
24.09.2009 14:49 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ This is a historic moment for Armenia when the
country is facing a serious challenge, ARFD MP Ruzan Arakelyan told
a press conference in Yerevan. At that she noted that Dashnaktsutyun
faction has not introduced its position on Protocols’ needing serious
modifications.

"Despite certain political forces and intellectuals’ statements on
people’s being indifferent to Karabakh issue and Armenian-Turkish
relations, recent developments prove the contrary," Arakelyan said,
adding that most of apolitical intellectuals have expressed consent
to Armenian-Turkish Protocols. "Dashnaktsutyun’s position is not an
end in itself," she stressed.

Commenting on Heritage party’s position, ARFD parliamentarian said
each political force had its own views, and ex party leader Raffi
Hovhannistan supported ARFD’s position, undersigning its petition on
introducing changes in Protocols.

EU MUST NOT TREAT TURKEY DIFFERENTLY, SAYS AHTISAARI

Hurriyet Daily News
Friday, September 25 2009 00:03 GMT+2

The European Union should not treat Turkey differently, said former
Finnish President Marti Ahtisaari, now the chairman of the Independent
Commission on Turkey, adding that the EU’s credibility was at stake.

The Nobel Peace Prize winner spoke about his commission’s latest
report on Turkey, "Turkey in Europe: Breaking the Vicious Circle,"
at a conference in Washington late on Wednesday.

During his speech at the Brookings Institute, Ahtisaari said some
EU countries expressed their opinions that Turkey would not be an
EU member after the negotiations had started, which was against EU
decisions made unanimously at EU summits.

He said more than half of the chapters of the negotiation process
were blocked, adding that such a negative attitude caused a drop
in support in the Turkish public for the EU. "Nearly 70 percent of
Turkish people had been in favor of EU membership in 2000, but now
it dropped to 42 percent," Ahtisaari said.

Energetic stance

Ahtisaari said there was no reason for Europe to be afraid of Turkey’s
membership, adding he would not feel uncomfortable if a Turk, such as
former head of the United Nations Development Program Kemal DerviÅ~_
or Turkish President Abdullah Gul, presided over an EU meeting.

He noted that Turkish government should continue its energetic
stance, as in the first half of this decade, over reforms that he
said were slowed down "after some domestic issues such as the closure
case against the ruling AKP [Justice and Development Party], coup
rumors, controversial presidential election, Ergenekon probe, and PKK
terrorism." Ahtisaari also urged Turkey to amend the 1982 Constitution.

But Ahtisaari also said there were encouraging signs in Turkey, which
he listed as the approval of the National Program, the appointment
of a chief EU negotiator, the launch of a state-run TV broadcast
in Kurdish, academ d in universities, the meeting between Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Democratic Society Party, or DTP,
leader Ahmet Turk, and the new law that allows the trial of military
personnel at civil courts.

He said he had meetings with European leaders before his trip to the
United States and asked them to treat Turkey fairly, stop blocking
negotiations and not talk about anything other than full membership.

Ahtisaari also touched on recent development about relations between
Turkey and Armenia and said resolutions made in foreign parliaments
regarding the incidents of 1915 were not helpful for efforts to settle
problems between Turkey and Armenia.

He said good relations between Turkey and Armenia would have positive
impacts throughout the Caucasus.

EDWARD NALBANDIAN TO TAKE PART IN 64TH SESSION OF UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

9-22-edward-nalbandian-to-take-part-in-64th-sessio n-of-un-general-assembly
Tuesday September 22, 2009

Armenia’s Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian will be taking part
in the United Nations General Assembly, the ministry’s press office
announced. The visit will be held September 26-29.

Yuri Merzliakov, the Russian co-chair of the OSCE’s Minsk Group
has said that the Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers would
be meeting in New York to discuss the scheduled meeting of the two
countries’ presidents in Kishinev, Moldova, in October. The Foreign
Ministry would not confirm the report.

LETTER TO ARMENIA’S REPRESENTATIVES IN THE US

Asbarez
er-to-armenia%e2%80%99s-representatives-in-the-us/
Sep 23, 2009

Dear Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian, Ambassador Tatoul Markarian,
General Consul Grigor Hovhannissian, I would like to express my
concern regarding the Turkish Armenian protocols.

Accepting the current borders between Armenia and Turkey and agreeing
to take part in a historical commission discussing the Armenian
Genocide, signifies that Turkey is undermining the historic validity
of the Genocide. Therefore no reparations will be made and any hope
of getting Mount Ararat, the city of Ani, and rest of our homeland
back will be lost forever.

I find these protocols very detrimental to Armenia and the state of
Nagorno Karabakh. Although I along with millions of others Armenians
live in the Diaspora, I do not wish to see such decisions being
reached, because you cannot forgive your enemy until they admit their
crimes and make reparations.

Some might believe it is useless to wait for Turkey to recognize
the Genocide, because they never will. However I don’t think that
opening the border with Turkey will be the solution to Armenia’s
economic problems. As a descendant of Genocide survivors, I find
these protocols not only to be dangerous, but I find them insulting
to Armenians all over the world.

In a recently published article the Asbarez quoted Erdogan as saying
that, "The Diaspora does not bring any advantage to Armenia. On the
contrary, it takes away from Armenia."

On the contrary the Diaspora is always ready to help Armenia,
because it is not only the homeland for Armenians living there, but
the homeland for Armenians everywhere. It is with the help of the
Diaspora that we are able to build a new Armenia one step at a time.

These protocols are only beneficial to the state of Turkey, because
Armenia is freeing them from the pressure of recognizing the Genocide,
making reparations, and returning lands. We cannot let history repeat
itself and let Turkey fool Armenia through false pretenses.

If such protocols are passed, the consequences will be enormous. The
current policies and mentality of Turkish leaders today reminds us
of the Young Turks in 1915 and Ataturk in 1921. I honestly hope that
such risky actions will not be taken and the protocols will not be
passed. We have worked too hard and we cannot throw it all away and
let Turkey win.

Sincerely, Talar Kossakian 12th Grade Ferrahian High School

EASING ENTRANCE VISA ACTIVITIES DISCUSSED AT FOREIGN MINISTRY

Panorama.am
11:53 23/09/2009

Armenian Foreign Minister hosted yesterday the European Commission
delegation. Armenian FM pointed that the relations with the EU are
priorities of Armenian foreign policy, and stressed that Armenia is
interested to reinforce the mutual cooperation with the EU, Armenian
MFA press service reports.

The highlights of the meeting have been Armenia-EU cooperation,
questions of "Eastern Partnership" project. Armenian FM stated that
the new format of cooperation has a potential which is not yet used,
and that Armenia is intended to have active participation.

The sides have discussed the process of easing getting entrance visa
and free trade agreement.

UZBEKISTAN: TASHKENT BANS TURKMEN ANIMAL PRODUCTS

Eurasianet

9/22/09

Uzbekistan has banned meat and diary imports from Turkmenistan to
guard against the spread of a "dangerous epidemiological situation"
in the Turkmen province of Dashoguz.

According to a report distributed by the official Russian news agency
RIA Novosti, an unidentified Uzbek official in Khorezm Province
identified the threat as "hemorrhagic fever."

"People get infected and die because of untimely and insufficient
preventive measures," the official said on September 22 without
elaborating. The most common form of hemorrhagic fever in Central
Asia is the tick-borne Congo-Crimean variety. Numerous outbreaks
of the often deadly infection have been reported across the region
this summer.

VAHAN HOVHANNISIAN: TER-PETROSIAN WAITING FOR FAILURE

Yerkir
22.09.2009 17:17
Yerevan

Yerevan (Yerkir) – Levon Ter-Petrosian knows well that Armenia will
fail in this process but this is what he wants as he thinks he and his
supporters would benefit from it, ARF Bureau member Vahan Hovhannisian
told a news conference today.

He was commenting on Ter-Petrosian’s decision to stop opposition
rallies.

Hovhannisian said the Armenian-Turkish rapprochement process is nothing
new; it has been secretly going on for some seven years and that the
ARF had been offering advice. When asked if the ARF advice had helped,
Hovhannisian said it did because the first version of the protocols
almost repeated the provisions of the Kars Treaty. Hovhannisian
also said that Turkish opposition is faking when saying that Turkey
is doing concessions. In fact, when speaking behind curtains,
Turkish politicians agree that it is Turkey who gains from this
process because they have managed to include two preconditions in
the protocols. Now, they are trying to link the Karabakh issue with
all this. "We see Erdogan make statements, echoed by Davutoglu,"
Hovhannisian said. "Our foreign minister – from time to time – tries
to unsuccessfully react, but no matter how hard our authorities try to
convince us that no preconditions have been included in the protocols,
they are there. This is a diplomatic defeat."

Hovhannisi an said that after the Armenian-Turkish protocols are
signed the world will stop applauding us and new conditions will be
put before Armenia.

RA INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATED IN KYIV

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
22.09.2009 12:21 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Armenian Embassy in Ukraine has organized a
reception on the occasion of Armenia’s Independence Day.

The event was attended by members of government and parliament,
representatives of public organizations and ambassadors accredited
to Ukraine.

Festivities were held in Armenian communities throughout Ukraine,
ANALITIKA.at.ua reported.