Author: Ekmekjian Janet

UPDATED

Trend News Agency, Azerbaijan
Nov 2 2008

Presidents of Azerbaijan, Armenia and Russia Sign Declaration – UPDATED
02.11.08 18:01

Azerbaijan, Baku, 2 November/ TrendNews /A declaration was signed as a
result of a meeting of Presidents of Azerbaijan, Armenia and Russia –
Ilham Aliyev, Serge Sargsyan and Dmitry Medvedev, in the Main Dorf
palace in Moscow on 2 November. President of Russia proposed the two
countries’ presidents meet in Moscow during his visit to Armenia last
month.

The Kremlin noted that the principle position of Russia in the
Nagorno-Karabakh settlement is that the final choice regarding the
status of disputed territories must be made by Armenians and
Azerbaijanis. In doing so, Moscow will support a solution that
satisfies both sides and is ready to act as a guarantor settlement

The leaders of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed to work together
on healing the current situation in the Caucasus, as well as
instructed foreign ministers to continue work on the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict, RIA Novosti reported. Presidents of Russia, Armenia and
Azerbaijan declared that they would contribute to health the situation
in South Caucasus and establish regional stability and security
through a political solution to the conflict after they substantively
and substantially discussed the state and prospects of settling of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict by political means through the continuation
of direct dialogue between Azerbaijan and Armenia and mediation of
Russia, the United States and France as co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk
Group, the declaration said . The declaration envisages settlement of
the conflict on the basis of the principles and norms of international
law and adopted in the framework of decisions and documents, which
will create favorable conditions for economic development and
comprehensive cooperation in the region. Declaration was read out by
Dmitry Medvedev after negotiations.

Armenia has occupied 20% of Azerbaijan’s lands including
Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding seven regions. The occupation began
in 1988. Azerbaijan lost the Nagorno-Karabakh, except of Shusha and
Khojali, in December 1991. In 1992-93, Armenian Armed Forces occupied
Shusha, Khojali and Nagorno-KarabakhÑ – s seven surroundingregions.
In 1994, Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement at which
time the active hostilities ended. The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk
Group ( Russia, France, and the US) are currently holding peaceful,
but fruitless negotiations

Turkish Daily News, Turkey
October 30, 2008 Thursday

ERDOGAN ADVISER THROWS OLIVE BRANCH TO ARMENIA

The chief foreign policy adviser to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan said Tuesday that Turkey did not view Armenia as a threat or
an enemy and that he was hopeful of reconciliation.

"We should open our hearts, minds and arms to each other," Ahmet
Davutoglu said at a conference here in Washington on Turkish
policy. The Brookings Institute, a think tank here, and SETA, a
Turkish think tank, co-hosted the event.

But speaking to Turkish reporters later, he also warned that a
potential formal recognition by the United States of the Armenian
claims of genocide would greatly damage the U.S.-Turkish relationship
and hurt Turkey’s efforts to reconcile with Armenia.Suat Kiniklioglu,
a leading deputy from the ruling Justice and Development Party, or
AKP, when asked at the conference about how Turkey would respond to
any U.S. recognition of the claims of genocide, he said, "forget
partnership."Armenians label the World War I-era killings of their
kinsmen in the Ottoman Empire as genocide, while Turkey opposes the
term.

Although Turkey recognized Armenia’s independence in the wake of the
former Soviet Union’s disintegration in 1991, it has refused to
establish diplomatic ties and is also keeping its land border with
Armenia closed in protest of the Armenian occupation of
Nagorno-Karabakh, a disputed enclave in Azerbaijan, and part of
Azerbaijan proper since 1993. But there are recent signs of a
rapprochement.

Visit, talks, prospects for progress:

President Abdullah Gul visited Yerevan in early September at the
invitation of Armenian President Serge Sarkisian on the occasion of a
football game between the national teams of the two countries and held
talks with his hosts.

Later in September the foreign ministers of Turkey, Armenia and
Azerbaijan met in New York on the sidelines of the annual United
Nations General Assembly meetings. More talks are probable next month,
diplomats say.

In Washington, Davutoglu met with administration officials and
advisers to the Democratic and Republican presidential
candidates. Davutoglu admitted that a U.S.-Turkish crisis was possible
in the event that an Democratic Obama administration went ahead with
the candidate’s pledge to recognize the Armenian claims of genocide,
saying Turkey wanted to preempt that risk.Last year a genocide
resolution came close to being passed by the House of Representatives
and Turkey warned this would harm security and other ties in a lasting
way. President George W. Bush’s efforts to stall the resolution ended
with it being shelved at the time.

Day.Az, Azerbaijan
October 24 2008

Russia is also ready to occupy Baku if political conditions permit worldwide

Prominent expert Vafa Quluzada made this statement in an interview
with Day.az when commenting on a thesis by Konstantin Zatulin, first
deputy chairman of the Russian State Duma committee for affairs of the
CIS [the Commonwealth of Independent States] and relations with
compatriots and the director of the institute for the CIS countries,
that a package on the Karabakh resolution, envisaging the recognition
of the "NKR" and the return of the seven districts, had drawn up long
ago.

"With his conclusion Konstantin Zatulin did not discover a new
America. A plan for the settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani
Nagornyy Karabakh conflict has existed for a long time, according to
which, Azerbaijan recognizes independence of the `NKR’ [the Nagornyy
Karabakh republic], ceding both Nagornyy Karabakh and Lacin to
Armenia, getting in exchange seven occupied districts of our country.

"The fact that Russia is actively imposing this plan on the sides to
the conflict shows that the Kremlin is trying to add to this plan
points on the need for demilitarization of the seven occupied
Azerbaijani districts and stationing of the Russian troops there under
guise of peacekeepers.

"In other words, Russia is trying to replace unofficial occupation of
part of Azerbaijani territories under cover of Armenia to the official
occupation of the Azerbaijani territories and for this reason it is
trying to pull in the Russian troops. With military bases in South
Ossetia and Abkhazia, Russia is now trying to station its military
bases in Nagornyy Karabakh and in other occupied territories of
Azerbaijan. I think Azerbaijan will never let the events to develop in
such a manner," V. Quluzada said.

He believes that official Baku should continue pursuing own foreign
policy course, insisting on adherence to the principle of territorial
integrity of the states as a fundamental principle of the
international law.

"Azerbaijan should understand perfectly well that if the political
conditions permit worldwide, then Russia is ready to occupy
Baku. Therefore, our country needs to enlist firm support of the USA
and the leading European countries," V. Quluzada summed up.

[translated]

ARMENIAN, AZERI, TURKISH FMS MAY MEET IN HELSINKI

PanARMENIAN.Net
30.10.2008 18:12 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian doesn’t
rule out possibility of a meeting between Azerbaijani, Armenian and
Turkish FM in Helsinki during OSCE Foreign Ministers Council summit
in December 2008.

"There wasn’t any proposal for a meeting yet. But we are ready to
consider such, if issued, as it was in case New York talks," he said,
adding that the New York meeting lasted 15 minutes, during which
Turkey’s Caucasus stability and cooperation pact was discussed.

ARREST TERM OF MYASNIK MALKHASIAN AND HAKOB HAKOBIAN PROLONGED BY ANOTHER TWO MONTHS

Noyan Tapan
Oct 30, 2008

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 30, NOYAN TAPAN. Under the decision of the general
jurisdiction court of Yerevan’s Kentron and Nork-Marash communities,
the reserve of RA National Assembly deputies Myasnik Malkhasian and
Hakob Hakobian arrested on the March 1 case has been prolonged by
two months.

According to Radio Liberty, the preliminary investigation on the
part of the other five defendants is over, and the defence party is
getting acquainted with the materials of the criminal case.

According to Hovik Arsenian, the defender of interests of Alexander
Arzumanian, Sasun Mikayelian, and Myasnik Malkhasian, the Special
Investigation Service informed the defence party that the period
of getting acquainted with the materials of the case is limited to
October 31. However, that time is not enough to completely getting
familiarized with the materials of the case.

According to Melania Arustamian, the defender of interests of National
Assembly deputy Hakob Hakobian, though the end of the preliminary
investigation has been announced on September 4, the materials of
the criminal case were provided to the defence party from September
11 and, moreover, not at once.

If the lawyers’ objections and mediations to prolong the term are
not met, they will introduce a complaint against the decision made
by the preliminary investigation body to the Prosecutor General, as
the right of the defence party is violated. First of all the lawyers
will introduce a mediation to stop the criminal prosecution, to quash
the examination asserting that the proves involved in the case are
forged. According to them, there will be also other mediations, and
to motivate them and to introduce facts requires rather hard work,
which will take at least a month.

THERE IS NO NEED TO GET INTO A PANIC ABOUT NAGORNO KARABAKH CONFLICT, HRAYR KARAPETIAN ASSURES

Noyan Tapan
Oct 31, 2008

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 31, NOYAN TAPAN. Today the printed media and radical
opposition cause panic moods in Armenian society connected with
the Nagorno Karabakh settlement. Hrayr Karapetian, the head of the
RA National Assembly ARFD faction, stated at the October 31 press
conference. However, he affirmed that there is absolutely no need
to get into a panic, as the Nagorno Karabakh problem will not be
settled in the near future. At the same time the ARFD figure said
that opposition’s willingness to cause such moods in the country is
understandable, as thus the oppositionists try to solve a political
problem.

In any case, according to H. Karapetian, we should not forget that
panic has a negative impact on the proper settlement process and on
Armenian nation’s moral-psychological state. "Today the situation
is not like in 1988: today our society’s problem number one is not
Karabakh," he stated at the same time mentioning that in case of a
new war Armenians will again gain a victory thanks to the strength
of their spirit. And in that case, as H. Karapetian affirmed,
Azerbaijan will already have a problem of returning not only seven,
but more territories. Therefore, according to him, Azeri President
Ilham Aliyev’s bellicose statements remain unanswered only because
Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan "is a decent person and does not
wish to damage peaceful settlement of the conflict by making mutual
thunderous statements."

EU TO DEVELOP POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC DIALOG WITH BLACK SEA REGION

PanARMENIAN.Net
28.10.2008 13:36 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The European Union is interested in development of
political and economic dialog with the Black Sea countries and wants to
share its principles and values with them, Stephane Delory, Associate
Fellow at the Thucydide Center in Pantheon Assas University, France,
said during during Black Sea security program regional workshop today.

THE SITUATION STABLE

Hayots Ashkhar Daily
30 Oct 08
Armenia

According to the President of the Central Bank Arthur Javadyan:
"At the moment negotiations are in process with three banks aimed
at involving credit sums. We have agreement with the International
Financial Corporation and the World Bank.

Large – scale credit lines will be allocated to Armenia during the
coming year, which over again proves that the situation in Armenia’s
banking system is very stable."

ST. JUDE THADDAEUS

Catholic Online
int_id=127
Oct 28 2008
CA

St. Jude, known as Thaddaeus, was a brother of St. James the Less,
and a relative of Our Saviour. St. Jude was one of the 12 Apostles
of Jesus.

Ancient writers tell us that he preached the Gospel in Judea, Samaria,
Idumaea, Syria, Mesopotamia, and Lybia. According to Eusebius, he
returned to Jerusalem in the year 62, and assisted at the election
of his brother, St. Simeon, as Bishop of Jerusalem.

He is an author of an epistle (letter) to the Churches of the East,
particularly the Jewish converts, directed against the heresies of
the Simonians, Nicolaites, and Gnostics. This Apostle is said to have
suffered martyrdom in Armenia, which was then subject to Persia. The
final conversion of the Armenian nation to Christianity did not take
place until the third century of our era.

Jude was the one who asked Jesus at the Last Supper why He would not
manifest Himself to the whole world after His resurrection. Little
else is known of his life. Legend claims that he visited Beirut and
Edessa; possibly martyred with St. Simon in Persia.

Jude is invoked in desperate situations because his New Testament
letter stresses that the faithful should persevere in the environment
of harsh, difficult circumstances, just as their forefathers had done
before them. Therefore, he is the patron saint of desperate cases
and his feast day is October 28. Saint Jude is not the same person
as Judas Iscariot who betrayed Our Lord and despaired because of his
great sin and lack of trust in God’s mercy.

LAST POLISH TROOPS COME HOME FROM IRAQ

AFP
28 oct 08

WARSAW (AFP) — The last group of Polish soldiers stationed in Iraq
returned home Tuesday formally ending Poland’s mission in the country
that began after the United States toppled Iraqi dictator Saddam
Hussein in 2003.

"The last soliders have come home," Polish army spokesman
Lieutenant-Colonel Dariusz Kacperczyk told AFP Tuesday.

An aircraft carrying approximately 100 soldiers touched down Tuesday
morning at a military base in Szczecin, north-west Poland.

Poland’s Minister of Defence Bogdan Klich will officially greet the
men in ceremonies scheduled at the base for Wednesday.

Poland formally closed its mission on October 4 with ceremonies at
the Diwaniyah military base where Polish troops were stationed some
180 kilometres south of Baghdad.

A total of 2,600 Polish soldiers were deployed in Iraq in 2003. The
contingent was gradually reduced to 900.

In its more than five years of military involvement in Iraq, Poland
lost 21 soldiers and saw 70 others wounded, according to US military
records.

Around 15,000 individual Polish soldiers had served in Iraq since
the 2003 war.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who came to power in October 2007,
pledged a quick withdrawal from Iraq during his election campaign.

With the withdrawal by Warsaw, the US-led coalition that invaded Iraq
in 2003 has further shrunk.

In May 2003, two months after the US invasion, the occupying force
was made up of 150,000 Americans and 23,000 other troops from 40
countries. Now, US numbers are around 144,000 while the coalition
has shrunk to less than 10,000.

Besides the US, the coalition now is made up of: Albania, Armenia,
Azerbaijan, Bosnia, Britain, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, El Salvador,
Estonia, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia,
Romania, Tonga, and Ukraine.