Author: Chmshkian Vicken

BAKU SPELLS OUT KARABAKH RESOLUTION PRINCIPLES

news.az
March 15 2010
Azerbaijan

Elmar Mammadyarov Azerbaijan’s foreign minister, Elmar Mammadyarov,
has outlined the updated Madrid principles for a settlement to the
Karabakh conflict.

The principles say that during the first stage Armenia must
withdraw its troops from five of the seven occupied districts around
Nagorno-Karabakh, plus 13 villages in the sixth district – Lachin,
Elmar Mammadyarov told a joint news conference in Baku on Monday,
following talks with his Slovak counterpart Miroslav Lajcak.

‘Then all the borders and communications are opened, a donor conference
is held, land and communications are rehabilitated, programmes begin
and the question of international observers is resolved, which is
very important from the point of view of the security of the forced
migrants who return there, then troops are withdrawn from Lachin and
Kalbajar and all roads are opened. After the Azerbaijani community has
returned to Karabakh the final stage will be possible – the process
to determine the status of Karabakh can begin.’

‘Karabakh is Azerbaijani land,’ Mammadyarov said. ‘It’s not right for
any territory to be beyond its administrative control. Of course,
we say that all issues must be resolved within the framework of
Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity. As for self-determination, this
issue is also part of international law. But this does not mean that
territorial integrity can be violated. We have said many times that
there are various forms of autonomous status worldwide. For example,
the Tatars and Bashkirs have self-determination but within the
Russian Federation.’

Asked about the possibility of a military solution to the conflict,
Mammadyarov said that the Azerbaijani side had chosen the path of
a peaceful settlement, but at the same time ‘it is analysing all
possible scenarios of the negotiation process’.

‘Azerbaijan’s position is fair and we accept the Madrid principles. We
believe that any conflict should be settled peacefully and there are
opportunities for this,’ he said.

The minister noted that the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia had met
several times in recent years, which had resulted in the submission
of the updated version of the Madrid principles to the parties in
November last year.

‘We believe that this document creates opportunities for the
preparation of a major agreement. This means that we have chosen and
are following the diplomatic path,’ the minister said.

‘If the Armenian side withdraws from the land, it will open up great
opportunities for regional development both in economic terms, and in
terms of improving people’s living conditions. As foreign minister,
I believe that this is the best way to solve the conflict, because
in this case there will be no war rhetoric,’ he said.

Referring to recent statements by the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairman
from France, Bernard Fassier, Mammadyarov said he would meet the French
diplomat separately during the co-chairs’ next visit to Azerbaijan.

Armenian news agencies reported Fassier as telling a NATO seminar in
Yerevan on Friday that, ‘Azerbaijan’s victory in the event of renewed
war is impossible, because I know about the bravery of Armenian and
Karabakh warriors.’

Number of tourists visiting Armenia increased by 3%

13.03.2010 13:51 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The number of tourists, who entered Armenia in 2009
totaled 575 300, thus increasing by 3% against the 2008 index (558 400
tourists).

According to the RA National Statistical Service, 526 200 people went
abroad as tourists.

TURKEY IS ANGRY: THE ECONOMIST

news.am
March 12 2010
Armenia

"Not for the first time, Armenians sense a moment of vindication in
their struggle for the acknowledgment of the tragedy that befell
their forebears during the First World War. Turkey is angry. And
America’s administration is straining to limit the damage," The
Economist weekly reports.

"The latest Turkish-American rift over the Armenian question-after a
congressional committee voted on March 4th to recognize the killings
of 1915 as genocide-looks wider than some previous ones. It coincides
with a general scratchiness between America and its ally. Turkey is
reluctant to slap sanctions on Iran. Anti-Americanism is running
high among Turks. Some suspect that Barack Obama retains his view
(expressed as a senator in 2008) that "the Armenian genocide is not
an allegation, but rather a widely documented fact," the source reads.

"Still, the chances are that after a deep sulk, Turkey will send its
ambassador back to Washington, and the administration will persuade
legislators to avoid a vote in the full House, for fear of wrecking
an important relationship-and worsening the fading prospects for
reconciliation between Turkey and Armenia. A tired diplomatic ritual
will play out once again," the weekly says.

"Can any actor in this sorry drama do anything to improve the script?

One day a Turkish leader will be statesman enough to see that national
dignity is better served by acknowledging the sins committed on
Anatolian soil than by suppressing debate and punishing truth-tellers.

Such a leader could decouple relations with Armenia from Ottoman
history. In any case, their argument today is more about the aftermath
of the war over Nagorno-Karabakh in the 1990s than over 1915," the
source emphasizes.

"If Turkey were a totalitarian state, there would be no case for
Armenian self-restraint. But precisely because Turkey is an (albeit
imperfect) democracy, the emphasis should be on giving Turks the best
possible chance to face up to their own past. Instead of telling Turks
what to think, Armenians should urge the authorities to promote inquiry
within Turkey, starting with an end to measures such as article 301,"
(a controversial article of the Turkish Panel Code making it illegal
to insult Turkey-NEWS.am’s note), the weekly concludes.

AZERBAIJAN NOT TO WIN KARABAKH WAR, MG CO-CHAIR

news.az
March 12 2010
Azerbaijan

Bernard Fassier Azerbaijan’s victory in the event of renewed war
is impossible, French co-chairman of the OSCE Minsk Group Bernard
Fassier said.

Azerbaijan will not be able to win in the event of renewed hostilities
in the area of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, French co-chairman of the
OSCE Minsk Group Bernard Fassier said in Yerevan Friday.

"Azerbaijan’s victory in the event of renewed war is impossible,
because I know about the bravery of the Armenian and Karabakh warriors"
Fassier said at the Rose Roth seminar of NATO Parliamentary Assembly.

Fassier believes that the war will not bring benefits to Azerbaijan,
because it will cause substantial harm to its financial interests
and oil trade.

The co-chair explained that international investors investing in
the economy of Azerbaijan will not want to have their funds at risk
and abandon investment. According to the French mediator, warlike
statements are demonstrative.

"The people must understand that the neighbors are doomed to live
next to each other", said Fassier, stressing that the use of force and
launching war are not the possible solutions to the Karabakh conflict.

MARIAM SUKHUDYAN RECEIVES WOMAN OF COURAGE AWARD

Tert.am
13:43 ~U 11.03.10

During a ceremony held at the US Embassy on March 10, US Ambassador
to Armenia Marie L. Yovanovitch presented the US Embassy of Armenia’s
first ever Woman of Courage Award to civil society activist Mariam
Sukhudyan, reads a press release issued by the embassy.

The award honored Sukhudyan’s "responsibility, courage and leadership
in the pursuit of justice and advocating for the protection" of
the environment and children with special needs, and highlighted
Sukhudyan’s "determination to act in order to right a wrong, in spite
of the personal sacrifices it entailed."

The Secretary of State’s International Women of Courage Awards program
began in 2007, and this year, in the fourth annual presentation of
the prize, the award honored women who have undertaken extraordinary
steps and overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles in the pursuit
of equality, opportunity, and justice.

Although Sukhudyan was not among the seven finalists selected to
receive the Secretary of State’s award, the US Embassy chose to
recognize Miss Sukhudyan with its own Woman of Courage Award, in honour
of her efforts both in advocating for environmental conservation as
well as protecting the rights of children with special needs.

In her remarks, Ambassador Yovanovitch noted that Sukhudyan "has
campaigned to protect Armenia’s forests, wildlife and environment; she
has volunteered in schools for special needs children; and when she
arrived at Nubarashen Special School Number 11 and found neglect and
abuse of children in its care, she acted to stop it … not for her own
benefit, but for justice and the welfare of all children in Armenia."

The Ambassador also congratulated the women at the ceremony on the
occasion of International Women’s Day.

SERZH SARGSYAN MET WITH CHAIRMEN OF FRENCH SENATE AND PARLIAMENT.

PanARMENIAN.Net
11.03.2010 12:04 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Within the framework of the official visit to France,
the Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan had a meeting with the Chairman
of the French Senate, Gerard Larshe, President’ press office reported.

During the meeting the Armenian President highlighted the important
role of the parliaments of the two countries in further deepening of
the traditional warm Armenian-French ties.

President Sargsyan highly assessed the activity of the France-Armenia
parliamentary friendship group and the current level of cooperation
between the parliaments of the two countries within international
organizations. Gerard Larshe, in turn, reaffirmed Senat’ readiness
to contribute to further enhancement of the Armenian-French amity.

At Gerard Larshe’ request, President Sargsyan presented Armenia’
approaches to the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement process, the regional
issues and the perspectives of the Armenian-Turkish normalization.

President Serzh Sargsyan also had a meeting with the Speaker of French
National Assembly Bernard Accoyer in Paris. The officials exchanged
views on regional issues. At the end of the official visit to France
Serzh Sargsyan met with the prominent representatives of the Armenian
community, press office of the Armenian President reported.

CONSTRUCTION OF AJAPNIAK STATION OF YEREVAN SUBWAY MAY RESUME IN 2011

Noyan Tapan
March 10, 2010

YEREVAN, MARCH 10, NOYAN TAPAN. The negotiations with the Asian
Development Bank on completing the construction of Ajapniak station of
the Yerevan subway and building Yeritasardakan station’s new entrance
at Sayat-Nova – Abovian crossroads are going on, Yerevan Mayor Gagik
Beglarian told reporters on March 10.

In his words, negotiations with ADB have been conducted for a year:
under a preliminary agreement, the indicated construction work will
start in 2011.

Minister of Finance Tigran Davtian called the construction of another
entrance for the subway in downtown Yerevan a "matter of principle".

He said that construction of Ajapniak station and Yeritasardakan
station’s new entrance should be viewed in the context of the subway
management. "It is no secret that the government gives considerable
subsidies to the subway, and these projects should be viewed in the
context of general cost-efficiency of the Yerevan subway: so that we
can think of its self-financing in the future," he noted.

AZERBAIJAN VIOLATES CEASE-FIRE

ArmInfo
2010-03-10 16:59:00

ArmInfo. The NKR Defense Ministry press-service reported that March
10 night and over the day cease-fire violation by the Azerbaijani
party was registered in a number of sections of the NKR and Azeri
armed forces contact line.

In particular, the NKR Defense Army positions in directions of
populated areas Nuzger, Karakhanbeyli, Karvend, Karmiravan, etc. were
attacked by fire from micro-caliber arms and sniper rifles. After
the relevant measures taken by NKR Defense Army servicemen on alert
combat duty the rival stopped the fire.

CZECH JOURNALIST REVEALS AZERBAIJAN’S LIE

ArmInfo
2010-03-10 16:55:00

ArmInfo. The alleged photos of the "Khojaly tragedy" demonstrated
by Azerbaijan do not correspond to the actual photos taken by the
Azerbaijani photographer Chingiz Mustafayev. A well- known Czech
journalist Yana Mazalova told media in Yerevan on Wednesday. The
journalist covered the military action during Azerbaijan’s aggression
against Nagorny Karabakh.

"Chingiz was my friend and he showed me the photos he took while
flying over Khojaly by the Azerbaijani helicopter. He was on the spot
of those tragic events twice – on Feb 28 and March 2 and recorded
that tragedy. He told me that people were shot in legs at first in
order they could not run away and only then they were killed. All
those bodies were exposed not far from Aghdam, in the territory under
control of Azerbaijan in that period of time. In addition, when taking
records, Mustafayev noticed a man in military uniform who walked in
the center of the slaughter and did not even try to escape when he
saw the Azerbaijani helicopter. Later on March 2 Mustafayev returned
to the spot and saw that the killed people were scalped," she said.

Therefore, Mazalova called the records of "khojaly tragedy" by the
Azerbaijani propaganda as falsifications since there were no naked
bodies, alive people in the photos by Mustafayev and Mustafayev had
no photos against the background of that tragedy.

ARMENIA’S REPRESENTATIVE IN BSEC PRESENTS HIS CREDENTIALS TO SECRETARY GENERAL

armradio.am
10.03.2010 13:52

Armenia’s newly appointed Permanent Representative in the Black Sea
Economic Cooperation Organization Michael Vardanyan presented his
credentials to BSEC Secretary General Leonidas Chrisanthopoulos and
conveyed a letter from Armenian Foreign Minister Edwrad Nalbandian.

Michael Vardanyan attached importance to Armenia’s participation in
BSEC activity, noting that throughout his mission he would uphold
the efforts targeted at defending Armenia’s rights in different
spheres of cooperation and expanding Armenia’s participation and
social-economic projects.

Secretary General Chrisanthopoulos, in turn, appreciated Armenia’s
active involvement in the Organization’s activity, highly assessing
our country’s clear and constructive approaches and stance targeted
at the development of economic cooperation in the region and the
raise of efficiency of BSEC activity.

The meeting covered urgent issues of cooperation and the future plans,
as well as the Armenia-BSEC partnership.