Author: Dabaghian Diana

AZERI OPPOSITION LEADER OFFERED SERIOUS POST OVER KARABAKH DEVELOPMENTS

Yeni Musavat
Nov 6 2008
Azerbaijan

An Azerbaijani opposition paper has said that an opposition leader
has been allegedly offered a post in the government.

On 6 November, the opposition daily Yeni Musavat quoted a "reliable"
source in the government as saying that "the authorities want one of
its political opponents to be represented in the Security Council". The
paper added that the main reason for this was the situation around
Nagornyy Karabakh and serious developments taking place in this sphere.

"The Azerbaijani authorities are on the threshold of a serious decision
to be made on behalf of the nation and state. They intend to share
the responsibility for this serious and historic decision with the
people in the person of the opposition. The Azerbaijani president has
got an important opportunity and does not want to miss his chance,"
Yeni Musavat quoted the source as saying.

Those in the government think that the situation and processes are
very advantageous for Azerbaijan and important decisions may be made
at an international level in connection with the vacation of occupied
districts around Nagornyy Karabakh, the report said.

The paper believes that the point which the government is
concerned about is "a compulsion to agree to the deployment of
Russian peacekeepers in the region and hold a referendum on Nagornyy
Karabakh’s status".

"It was decided to involve the opposition in the process and give
it a role in the national issue because of these dangerous and
responsible steps and on the recommendations of Russia and Turkey,"
Yeni Musavat said, adding that parliamentary hearings on Karabakh with
the participation of the opposition are expected in the near future.

The Security Council includes the Azerbaijani president,
prime minister, parliament speaker, the head of the presidential
administration, heads of power-wielding ministries, heads of ministries
of strategic importance and the ministries of economy, and directors
of the Azerbaijani National Bank.

OBAMA WIN HURTS TURKEY’S LEVERAGE

Hurriyet
Nov 7 2008
Turkey

WASHINGTON – The landslide election victory of Barack Obama, a backer
of Armenian causes, will diminish Turkey’s ability to prevent a
formal U.S. recognition of "Armenian genocide" claims, the largest
U.S. Armenian group said Wednesday.

"Starting tomorrow, the full force of the Turkish government will come
down like a ton of bricks on Washington," Ken Hachikian, chairman
of the Armenian National Committee, said in a written statement to
the U.S. Armenian Community shortly after the election of Obama, the
Democratic contender, as the next president. Obama will take office
Jan. 20.

Hachikian congratulated Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden,
saying, "We endorsed Obama in January when he was fighting an uphill
battle for his party’s nomination and worked for him right through
to tonight. We simplycould not afford another four years of the same,
hostile anti-Armenian policies."

When a resolution calling for official U.S. recognition of 1915
incidents as genocide came close to a floor vote at the U.S. House
of Representatives in October 2007, Turkey warned the legislation’s
passage would seriously harm the close U.S.-Turkish relationship in
a lasting way.

Efforts by the administration of President George W. Bush, a
Republican, eventually prompted the House leadership to shelve the
resolution.

Obama woes But Obama, during his election campaign, has pledged to
recognize the killings as genocide.

Barack Obama told U.S Armenians last Friday he strongly supported
the passage of the Armenian genocide resolution (pending in the House
of Representatives and the Senate) and would recognize the Armenian
genocide. A pledge he first voiced in January.

Most analysts here say if Obama keeps his promise, he will cause the
first U.S.-Turkish crisis during the next Washington administration’s
term.

"We are almost there. The new president-elect supported Armenian issues
in the Senate, has pledged, if elected, to recognize the Armenian
genocide and picked a running mate with a 35-year pro-Armenian track
record," Hachikian said.

"We are close to the day when an American president finally ends
nearly a century of U.S. complicity in Turkey’s denials."

The Armenian Assembly of America, the second largest U.S. Armenian
group, also congratulated Obama on his election.

ARMENIAN ACBA-CREDIT AGRICOLE BANK SIGNS FIRST $18MLN WORTH SYNDICATED LOAN AGREEMENT WITH EBRD

ARKA
Nov 7, 2008

YEREVAN, November 7. /ARKA/. Armenian ACBA-Credit Agricole Bank and
the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) signed
an $18mln worth syndicated loan agreement in Yerevan Thursday.

It is the first agreement on the syndicated loan for a total of
$50mln, General Director of ACBA-Credit Agricole Bank Stepan Gishyan
told journalists.

The loan is to be extended by the EBRD and a number of commercial
banks and will allow ACBA-Credit Agricole Bank establishing bilateral
ties with other participants of the loan agreement, Gishyan said.

The loan is extended for 4 years, with the remaining amount to
be allocated presumably by the end of the first half of 2009. The
interest rates are a commercial secret, Gishyan said.

The loan funds are to be spent on small and medium business crediting
and micro-crediting.

Credits will be provided also to trade and service companies, food
processing industry and agriculture, said the General Director.

Gishyan stressed the fruitful cooperation established between his
bank and the EBRD in general.

The Head of EBRD Yerevan Office Michael Weinstein, in his turn,
reported that the funds will be transferred to the bank within the
next weeks.

It is a very private deal, Weinstein said adding that the names of
other loan agreement participants may be made public in a couple of
weeks, when all the documents are arranged.

In 2007, two Armenian banks received syndicated loans – Armeconombank
for $15mln and ACBA-Credit Agricole Bank for $12mln.

The ACBA-Credit Agricole Bank CJSC (formerly the Agricultural
Cooperative Bank of Armenia) was established in 1995 and obtained
a full banking license on March 29, 1996. The bank was founded in
the scope of European Union TACIS project. Among the bank’s main
stockholders are the French Credit Agricole S.A. (16%), French SACAM
International (12.44%) as well as Armenian farmer associations.

Last September, the Credit Agricole banking group (France) purchased
28% of the bank’s shares.

Assets of ACBA-Credit Agricole Bank had totalled 101.3bln Drams by the
end of September 2008 with liabilities amounted to 76.5bln Drams. The
bank’s net profit reached 3.3bln Drams in January-September,
with total capital amounting to 24.8bln Drams at the end of
September. ($1=303.99Drams).

YEREVAN PYUNIK AS BEFORE AT TOP OF STAR ARMENIAN FOOTBALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT TABLE

Noyan Tapan

Nov 4, 2008

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 4, NOYAN TAPAN. 26th round’s matches of Star Armenian
Football National Championship took place on November 4. The following
results were recorded: Gandzasar – Pyunik 3 to 0, Mika – Ararat 3 to 1,
Kilikia – Banants 0 to 1, Shirak – Ulis 0 to 0.

Pyunik is at the top of the tournament table with 56 points. It
is followed by Ararat with 53 points, Gandzasar with 46, Mika 45,
Banants 37, Ulis 25, Shirak 16, Kilikia 11 points.

Two rounds remain until the end of the championship.

"ARMENIAN CULTURAL HERITAGE IN TURKEY" CONFERENCE AT THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
By Hakob Chaqrian

AZG Armenian Daily
04/11/2008

Culture

"Azg" daily has already informed that on the occasion of the 70th
anniversary of the Dersim Genocide the European Parliament is
organizing "Dersim 38 conference" November 13, according to Turkish
newspapers "Zaman" and "Vatan". Turkish version of "Euro news" also
touched upon the conference on abhaber.com website.

We cleared up that the European Parliament is going to hold another
conference on November 13 under heading "Armenian cultural heritage
in Turkey". The information has been avoided by the Turkish press.

According to abhaber.com, EC member Michael Lei, well-known
Turkish lawyer, author of the book "My grandmother" Fethien Cetin,
historian, publicist Osman Keocker, French-Armenian Prof. Patrick
Tonapetian, Director of London "Komitas" Institute Ara Sarafian,
also German-Armenian historian Vahe Taschian will participate in the
conference. It’s surprising that no Armenian specialist in cultural
heritage is invited to the conference.

PRESS RELEASE
Diocese of the Armenian Church of Australia & New Zealand
10 Macquarie Street
Chatswood NSW 2067
AUSTRALIA
Contact: Laura Artinian
Tel: (02) 9419-8056
Fax: (02) 9904-8446
Email: [email protected]

3 November 2008

ARRIVAL OF NEW PRIEST FOR THE PARISH OF MELBOURNE

Yesterday saw the arrival in Sydney of Very Reverend Father Giragos Davtyan
of the Brotherhood of Holy Etchmiadzin for a four day visit before heading
to the parish of Melbourne where he will serve the Armenian community for
the time being for two years. His service in Australia begins by the
Pontifical directive of His Holiness Karekin II Supreme Patriarch and
Catholicos of All Armenians following the request of the Diocesan Council
for a new priest for the Melbourne parish.

Father Giragos comes from Batumi, Georgia where he served at St Saviour
Armenian Church for more than two years having graduated from the Gevorkian
Theological Seminary of Holy Etchmiadzin in 2005 and ordained a celibate
priest in 2006.

With much anticipation the Church Council of St Mary’s Armenian Church in
Melbourne awaits the arrival of Father Giragos who will be priest in
residence with long-serving parish priest Reverend Father Hagop Cherkezian.
Father Hagop has been tending the needs of the Melbourne community for the
past 21 years.

At Sydney’s International Airport yesterday, the young priest was greeted by
Diocesan and Sydney Church Councillors. His first point of call was to the
Church of Holy Resurrection where he was welcomed by the church family and
met with Primate of the Diocese, His Eminence Archbishop Aghan Baliozian
following Badarak. After a casual lunch with the Primate and Church
Councillors and an afternoon of rest, in the evening Father Giragos met with
members of the Bible Study Youth Group.

Father Giragos will spend the next few days in Sydney to get accustomed to
local church practices and functions of the Diocese. He will have meetings
with both Diocesan and Church Councils to become personally acquainted with
the church bodies as well as attend Bible study and prayer groups to meet
the church community.

After receiving the blessing of the Primate, Father Giragos is expected to
arrive in Melbourne on Thursday.

PRESIDENTS OF ARMENIA, AZERBAIJAN AND RUSSIA SIGN DECLARATION ON NAGORNY KARABAKH

Arminfo
2008-11-03 12:50:00

ArmInfo. Presidents of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia signed a
Declaration on Nagorny Karabakh conflict settlement.

As reports the Declaration says: ‘Presidents of the
Republic of Azerbaijan, the Republic of Armenia and the Russian
Federation met in Moscow on 2 November 2008 by the invitation of
Russian President and discussed in details and in constructive
atmosphere the state and the prospects of Nagorny Karabakh conflict
settlement by political means and through further direct dialogue of
Azerbaijan and Armenia in mediation of Russia, USA and France as OSCE
Minsk Group Co-chair-states.

The presidents:

1. Declare that they will contribute to rehabilitating the situation
in the South Caucasus and ensuring establishment of stability and
security in the region through political settlement of Nagorny Karabakh
conflict on the basis of the principles and norms of the International
Law and the decisions and documents adopted within their framework,
which will create favorable conditions for economic development and
versatile cooperation in the region.

2. Confirm the great importance of further mediation of OSCE Minsk
Group Co-chairs taking into account their meeting with the parties
to the conflict in Madrid on 29 November 2007 and further discussions
for elaboration of the basic principles of political settlement.

3. Agree that achievement of peaceful settlement must be followed by
legally binding international guarantees of all the aspects and stages.

4. Mention that presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia have agreed to
continue the work, including during future contacts at the top level,
on the coordination of the political settlement of Nagorny Karabakh
conflict and instructed their foreign ministries to activate future
steps in the negotiation process in cooperation with OSCE Minsk
Group Co-chairs.

5. Believe it important promoting the establishment of conditions
for implementation of confidence- building measures in the context
of efforts on the conflict settlement.

ACCORDING TO AGHVAN HOVSEPIAN, FACT-FINDING GROUP’S ACTIVITY IS FIRST OF ALL BENEFICIAL FOR PROSECUTOR’S OFFICE

Noyan Tapan
Oct 31, 2008

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 31, NOYAN TAPAN. Issues regarding court and
legal reforms, process of fulfillment of Resolutions N 1609 and
1620 of PACE Monitoring Commission, Prosecutor’s Office-NA Ad-hoc
Committee-fact-finding group cooperation were discussed at the
October 30 meeting of RA Prosecutor General Aghvan Hovsepian with
newly appointed Special Representative of Council of Europe Secretary
General to Armenia Silvia Zehe.

According to the Press Service of the RA Prosecutor General’s Office,
A. Hovsepian in general outline presented the results of preliminary
investigation of the criminal case filed in connection with the mass
disorders occurred on March 1-2 in Yerevan. He said that 89 criminal
cases on 104 persons have been sent to the court during the 6 months
of preliminary investigation, and nearly 10 out of them are at the
stage of hearing at present: judicial acts have been already made on
the other criminal cases. Seven people are under preliminary arrest
at present, the preliminary investigation on their part finished on
September 5, and from September 10 they and their lawyers were given
a possibility to get acquainted with the materials of the criminal
case. Only one defendant finished getting acquainted with the materials
of the criminal case within the past 50 days.

Highly estimating the formation of the fact-finding group, A. Hovsepian
said that group’s activity is first of all beneficial for the
Prosecutor’s Office, and the latter will be only thankful if the
fact-finding group manages to get new facts, which will contribute
to clarification of the circumstances of registered 10 cases of
death and 250 people’s receiving bodily injuries and disclosure of
those guilty, giving an estimation to legality and proportionality of
policemen’s actions, revelation of all participants of the disorders,
their executors, inciters, assistants, and organizers.

RASIM MUSABEYOV: "MOSCOW’S PERSECUTION OF ITS OWN INTERESTS, RATHER THAN ARMENIANS’ EXCESS EXPECTATIONS IN THE ISSUE OF THE CAUCASUS POLICY, HAS BECOME AN UNPLEASANT SURPRISE FOR ARMENIANS"

Today.Az
27 October 2008 [13:14]

Day.Az interview with famous Azerbaijani political scientist Rasim
Musabeyov.

– Russian State Duma deputy Konstantin Zatulin announced that "the
package of the Karabakh solution, envisioning recognition of "Nagorno
Karabakh Republic" and return of the seven regions has been developed
long before".

Why was it made public only now? Is this statement true?

– I would recommend you not to pay too much attention to Zatulin’s
words. He is speaking on the problems of conflicts and the situation
in the post-Soviet area too much, but he bears little connection to the
adoption of important foreign political decisions of Russia. Moreover,
Zatulin is not an objective person. He is merely pro-Armenian and
does not conceal it.

I would like to remind that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov
said in open after the August events in Georgia and recognition of
independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia by Russia that Russia
does not intend to make similar steps towards Nagorno Karabakh. It
is obvious that currently Moscow is persuading Armenians for the
goodwill withdrawal of their troops from the occupied lands of
Azerbaijan. Russia seems to be more concerned over meeting its own
economic and strategic interests than recognition of independence of
Nagorno Karabakh.

As for why Zatulin is saying so, if he made this statement by his
own initiative, it means he is trying to develop his friendship with
Yerevan and Karabakh separatists to provoke a negative reaction in
Azerbaijan. But I do not rule out that a necessary background is
created by such statements for those agreements, to which the parties
will come at the upcoming meeting in Moscow under Medvedev’s mediation,
to seem more appropriate for our public.

– Armenia considers that Russia make cautious statements on Nagorno
Karabakh conflict being unwilling to spoil relations with Azerbaijan
due to oil and gas transportation. Do you agree with it?

– They are right, but Russia’s interest in Azerbaijan is not limited
with the oil and gas issues and the issues of their transportation
to the world markets. Azerbaijan is an attractive growing
market. Moreover, it is profitable, as compared to Armenia. The
Russian defense industry complex would have been glad to sell arms
to us, but we do not trust to Moscow due to the Karabakh conflict and
Moscow does not supply advanced ammunitions to us, as it may be used
against its outpost – Armenia.

Moreover, in order to preserve any military balance, Moscow will
have to increase financial aid to Armenia, transfer arms to it free
of change, which implies direct losses. Azerbaijan is an important
partner in the North-South transport corridor, unlike Yerevan, which
is unable to help Moscow to preserve stability in the North Caucasus
and neutralize Islamist terror and radical groupings.

Therefore, the constructive interaction with Baku is
important. Azerbaijan’s position is important for Moscow also due to
the strained situation in Iran and Georgia.

In other words, the volume and importance of political and economic
relations between Russia and Azerbaijan do not fall under comparison
with Armenia. Moscow is with Armenia at heart, but its real interests
are targeting Azerbaijan. Therefore, Armenians are anxious that
they can become a token coin in the large political poker, laid in
the region.

– How do you assess the recent visit of Dmitri Medvedev to Yerevan
and his statements, made in Armenia?

– The visit was an ordinary one. The Armenian-Russian agenda was so
poor that it is difficult to present any significant results of this
visit to the world and their own publics. They opened a Russian square
in Yerevan, spoke of the Karabakh conflict and privileged gas prices,
situation with Georgia.

Fantastic projects of construction of an oil refinery in Megri are
not from the sphere of real policy, especially in conditions of the
approaching global financial crisis. That’s it. Medvedev has not
made any significant statements during his visit to Armenia. He did
not visit the Russian military base and did not rejoice Armenians as
regards the Karabakh conflict.

– Don’t you think that the format of the OSCE Minsk Group about the
resolution of the Karabakh conflict is threatened due to the global
processes, related to Russia and the United States? Is the OSCE Minsk
Group effective today?

– It is obvious that differences between the co-chairs are observed
following Russia’s August actions. Even representatives of France
Bernard Fassier and the United States Matthew Bryza paid their recent
visits to the region in separate. In such conditions it is difficult
to say that the Minsk group is effective. But it is also early to
put this format to the archive.

Though the whole period of its work the Minsk Group has managed to
make the positions of the conflict parties closer. I am sure that
any agreements will anyway base on the initiatives of the Minsk
Group. Moreover, I do not exclude that if the sides do not come to a
mutually profitable compromise, a Minsk conference will be convened
for definition of the status of Nagorno Karabakh, as it has been
envisioned by the initial mandate of the OSCE on the said issue.

Moscow’s persecution of its own interests, rather than Armenians’
excess expectations, in the issue of the Caucasus policy, have
become an unpleasant surprise for Armenians, though most far-seeing
politicians warned them of the inevitability of such a turn. History
repeats, as it occurred in the early last century, when Armenian
claims fell victims of the relations with Baku and Ankara. But
despite the total dependence on Moscow, Armenians will protract
the conflict. Notably, in the threshold of the decisive talks
in Moscow the Armenian opposition started to support Sargsyan to
demonstrate stubbornness, demonstrative trainings were held urgently
in Nagorno Karabakh and bellicose statements are voiced. But it will
hardly work. In the conditions of the financial crisis, Armenia,
fully dependent on external monetary flows, is not able to resist
external pressure. Today Yerevan is envious about Georgia, which got
a promise of $5bln from the United States in a response to Russian
intervention. I think that Armenians’ last hope is for Obama’s victory
in the US presidential elections and his fulfilling his promise
regarding recognition of "genocide" and provision of support of the
variant of the Karabakh resolution profitable for Armenia and allocate
financial aid to Armenia in exchange for Armenians support to him.

– Don’t the recent events and Medvedev’s visit to Yerevan prove that
Russia decided to strengthen its influence on Armenia and Azerbaijan
by mediating the Karabakh issue?

– I expected Medvedev to put forward an initiative on overcoming the
deadlock in the Karabakh issue and I have repeatedly stated that in
my interviews and comments, including for Day.Az. The Georgian events
of August showed that it is impossible to preserve the current state
of "neither peace nor war". Conflicts "defreeze". Moscow probes to
consolidate its weakened influence in the region through promotion
of the peaceful resolution of the Karabakh conflict for the parties
to be grateful to it and to preserve its influence as a super-arbiter
in the issue of the status and security.

Moreover, this is the only way by means of which Russia may open
communications for military cargoes to its outpost Armenia, cut after
the war between Russia and Georgia.

Well, stubbornness is a feature of the Armenian natural character. This
made them successful in handicrafts, science, trade and sports. But
as for geopolitics, such feature often leads to reassessment of
one’s potential and they missed the real achievements while pursuing
greater goals. Armenia is blocked between Turkey, which is ten times
as stronger as it is and Armenia, which is outstripping Armenians for
population and economic might by three or four times. The correlation
is changing not in Armenia’s favor and no efforts of the diaspora
and external supporters would be able to change this balance.

I can not claim that it is now time for the reasonable assessment
of the situation and the Russian mediation of the Karabakh conflict
will be productive. We have previously witnessed that under such a
mediation, for example of French president Jacquie Chiraque at the
meeting of Presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia in Paris or under
mediation of US Secretary of State Collin Powell in Ki-West the states
came closer to attaining an agreement.

Yet, they finally made a step behind. But there are still chances for
the progress in the conflict resolution and it would be good if they
come true.

AssA-Irada, Azerbaijan
October 22, 2008 Wednesday

SWISS COURT FINES TURKS DENYING ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

A Swiss court has fined three Turkish citizens $3,900 each for denying
the so-called Armenian genocide. The court passed the decision on the
grounds that the denial of any genocide on the territory of
Switzerland represents a breach of law. The Turks had chanted
anti-genocide slogans in a series of rallies last year, describing the
idea as forgery of history. They also joined protests suggesting that
the idea of Armenian genocide is supported by countries hostile to
Turks. For their action, the three soon became subject to surveillance
on the part of the Swiss law-enforcement bodies. Despite the fine, the
Turkish citizens said they would act the same way if such an
opportunity presented itself again. The Armenians claim that the
Ottoman Empire committed a genocide against them in 1915-1917.