Author: Frangulian Shushan

AZERBAIJAN WILL BE ISOLATED, IF RESUMES WAR

PanARMENIAN.Net
May 21, 2010 – 15:33 AMT 10:33 GMT

Leading research scientist of the Institute of World Economy and
International Relations, Mr. Alexander Krylov said that Azerbaijan
will not unleash a new war in Karabakh.

"Baku has been making bellicose statements since 1995, in an attempt
to frighten Armenia, so that it withdraws from Karabakh," Krylov told
a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter.

"Azerbaijan’s expectations are not understandable. As for ‘return of
territories’, this issue is not discussed. No Armenian President would
sign a suicidal document on transfer of territories," he stressed.

Commenting on the Armenian-Turkish normalization, Krylov noted that the
key actors are interested in it. "It is not just an American project,
as many people think of it. Russia, Europe and Turkey are interested
as well," he said.

"However, in my opinion, this process has proceeded in a wrong way
from the very beginning – the parties should have resolved all issues
prior to signing the Protocols," Krylov concluded.

"Azerbaijan will be entirely isolated, if it resumes hostilities. Even
Turkey will not reach a helping hand and Baku is well aware of it,"
he concluded.

ORINATS YERKIR PARLIAMENTARY GROUP LABELS EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT’S RESOLUTION ON SOUTH CAUCASUS AS ABSURD

PanARMENIAN.Net
May 21, 2010 – 17:38 AMT 12:38 GMT

Head of Orinats Yerkir parliamentary group Heghine Bisharyan said that
there are positive provisions for Armenia in the Resolution on the
South Caucasus, which was adopted on May 20 by the European Parliament.

"It says that the Karabakh conflict should be solved peacefully, while
the Turkish-Armenian process should proceed without preconditions,"
Bisharyan said during a joint briefing with another OY member Hovhannes
Margaryan.

According to Bisharyan, the resolution contains also an absurd
provision, which is based on the report of Bulgarian Socialist MEP
Evgeny Kirilov, who presented his biased opinion.

"This provision suggests that the Bulgarian MEP is unaware of
the Karabakh conflict. And his personal opinion cannot have any
consequences for Armenia," she said.

Asked whether this resolution is a result of inefficient work of the
Armenian parliamentary delegation, Hovhannes Margaryan said that the
RA NA delegation actively works with the.

"Last year we managed to involve a representative of NKR in all
meetings of this format, but without the right to vote," he said.

On May 20, the European Parliament debated issues concerning EU’s
relations with Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan. The Resolution on the
South Caucasus was proposed by Evgeni Kirilov, MEP, a Member of the
Socialist group in the European Parliament. The document reads that the
increase in military expenses in the region raises concern; besides,
under the document the European parliament "demands the withdrawal
of Armenian forces from all occupied territories of Azerbaijan."

The resolution also reads that the European Parliament "calls on
the parties to intensify their peace talk efforts for the purpose
of a settlement in the coming months, to show a more constructive
attitude and to abandon preferences to perpetuate the status quo
created by force and with no international legitimacy, creating in
this way instability and prolonging the suffering of the war-affected
populations; condemns the idea of a military solution and the heavy
consequences of military force already used, and calls on both parties
to avoid any further breaches of the 1994 ceasefire."

The Resolution goes on saying that the European Parliament "is
seriously concerned that hundreds of thousands of refugees and IDPs
who fled their homes during or in connection with the Nagorno-Karabakh
war remain displaced and denied their rights, including the right
to return, property rights and the right to personal security; calls
on all parties to unambiguously and unconditionally recognize these
rights, the need for their prompt realization and for a prompt solution
to this problem that respects the principles of international law."

ARMENIA RAPS EU PARLIAMENT OVER KARABAKH RESOLUTION
Karine Kalantarian, Ruzanna Stepanian

rticle/2049399.html
21.05.2010

Armenia — Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian at a news conference
on March 2, 2010.

Armenia criticized the European Parliament on Friday for demanding
the "withdrawal of Armenian forces from all occupied territories of
Azerbaijan" in its latest resolution on the South Caucasus.

Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian said the demand contradicts
international mediators’ existing plan to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh
which has been endorsed by the European Union.

The non-binding resolution adopted by the EU legislature on Thursday
does not specify whether the Armenian side should pull out of only
Azerbaijani districts surrounding Karabakh or the disputed region as
well. It only rejects the notion that "Nagorno-Karabakh includes all
occupied Azerbaijani lands surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh."

Nor does the resolution, drafted by Bulgarian Socialist lawmaker
Evgeni Kirilov, explain whether the Armenian troop pullout should start
immediately and unconditionally or after the signing of a comprehensive
Armenian-Azerbaijani agreement. The latter condition is a key element
of the so-called Madrid Principles of settling conflict that have
been proposed the U.S., Russian and French mediators co-chairing the
OSCE Minsk Group.

Nalbandian said that the resolution demand is at odds with both those
principles and a joint statement on Karabakh that was made by the
presidents of the three mediating powers in July. "There is an obvious
confusion in the formulations, and I think one of the reasons for that
is that the author of the resolution has never been in Karabakh and the
[broader] region, and did not consult with representatives of France,
an EU member state and OSCE Minsk Group co-chair, when drawing up
his report," he told a news conference.

"That is the reason why some of the [resolution] provisions also
contradict the EU’s position, which has been repeatedly articulated,"
Nalbandian said.

The European Parliament did make clear that it supports the Madrid
document and the mediators’ efforts to have it accepted by the
conflicting parties. The proposed framework accord calls for the
liberation of virtually all Armenian-controlled territories around
Karabakh in return for a future referendum on self-determination in
the disputed territory itself.

In what appears to be a message primarily addressed to Azerbaijan,
the resolution also says the EU legislature "condemns the idea of
a military solution" to the dispute. It further stresses that "the
Armenia-Turkey rapprochement and the OSCE Minsk Group negotiations
are separate processes that should move forward along their own
rationales."

Nalbandian’s criticism was echoed by parliamentary representatives
of the three political parties making up in Armenia’s coalition
government. "Drawing up incomplete and unprofessional reports on such
crucial and sensitive issues is unacceptable," said Eduard Sharmazanov
of the Republican Party of Armenia led by President Serzh Sarkisian.

Opposition leaders also described the European Parliament resolution
as pro-Azerbaijani, blaming the Sarkisian administration for it. Levon
Zurabian, a leader of the opposition Armenian National Congress (HAK),
charged that the document’s passage was a "disgraceful defeat" for
Armenian diplomacy.

Another opposition force, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation
(Dashnaktsutyun), was more cautious in criticizing the document. One
of its parliament deputies, Artsvik Minasian, called it "unbalanced"
but said the initial version of the resolution was even less favorable
for the Armenian side. He said it was amended under pressure from
Armenian diplomats and Dashnaktsutyun’s lobbying structures in Europe.

Meanwhile, European Friends of Armenia (EuFoA), a Brussels-based
non-governmental group, took issue with the highly negative reaction to
the resolution from Yerevan. While agreeing that its Karabakh-related
wording is "confusing," the EuFoA insisted that the European Parliament
endorsed all of the Madrid principles.

"This means concretely that the withdrawal of troops can only take
place, if there are sufficient security guarantees for the population
of Karabakh, a corridor to Armenia, an agreement to the final status
of Karabakh through a legally binding expression of will and the
right of all internally displaced persons and refugees to return to
their former homes," EuFoA said in a statement. "No EU institution has
ever demanded the withdrawal of troops without such a comprehensive
solution – this EP resolution has not changed that."

"The same report for the first time calls for extending EU programs
to Karabakh, ending the de-facto blockade for EU officials to travel
to Karabakh. This would have a very positive effect of stabilization
and progress for Karabakh and would no longer submit such actions to a
veto from Azerbaijan," said the statement. It added that the European
Parliament also endorsed Yerevan’s insistence on a normalization of
Turkish-Armenian relations regardless of a Karabakh settlement.

64.3% GROWTH RECORDED IN ARMENIA’S EXPORT IN JANUARY-APRIL 2010

PanARMENIAN.Net
May 20, 2010 – 17:05 AMT 12:05 GMT

According to updated statistical data, Armenia’s foreign trade amounted
to $1.4bln in January-April 2010, which is 30.9% higher as compared
with the same period of 2009.

Meanwhile, 5.7% growth was recorded in the foreign trade in April as
compared with March 2010.

At the same time, the country’s export totaled $289.8mln in
January-April 2010, which is 64.3% higher as compared with the same
period of last year, while 24.4% growth was recorded in import,
bringing it to $1.1bln.

The negative balance of foreign trade made $829mln.
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64.3% growth recorded in Armenia?s export in January-April 2010

May 20, 2010 – 17:05 AMT 12:05 GMT
PanARMENIAN.Net –

According to updated statistical data, Armenia?s foreign trade
amounted to $1.4bln in January-April 2010, which is 30.9% higher as
compared with the same period of 2009.

Meanwhile, 5.7% growth was recorded in the foreign trade in April as
compared with March 2010.

At the same time, the country?s export totaled $289.8mln in
January-April 2010, which is 64.3% higher as compared with the same
period of last year, while 24.4% growth was recorded in import,
bringing it to $1.1bln.

The negative balance of foreign trade made $829mln.

‘BRILLIANT PROPOSAL ON TURKEY-ARMENIA RELATIONS IN THE WORKS’

Today’s Zaman
May 20 2010
Turkey

Turkey and Armenia have agreed to be "silent for some time"
and evaluate a new, "brilliant" idea on the table, Turkey-US
Interparliamentary Friendship Group and Justice and Development Party
(AK Party) foreign relations deputy chairman Suat Kınıklıoglu
said Wednesday.

Speaking at an event hosted by a think-tank in Washington, D.C.,
Kınıklıoglu said: "There is something new on the table. I cannot
go into detail, but there is a brilliant proposal on Turkey-Armenia
relations and it is up to the Armenians to accept or reject this."

"We are very close to the normalization of Turkey-Armenia relations. I
am for the normalization of our relations with Armenia. The
normalization will take place with the political will of the Turks
and Armenians," Kınıklıoglu added.

Touching on the nuclear swap agreement signed recently by Turkey,
Brazil and Iran, Kınıklıoglu said Turkey was disappointed with the
reaction of the United States and Western world after the agreement
was signed.

"I think that the agreement signed in Tehran is worth giving a chance,"
he stressed. There is a lack of confidence among the actors involved
in Iran’s nuclear process, and the agreement is a crucial step in
this regard, he added.

"Many in the US think of Turkey as being naive and not sure about
Iran’s intentions. Turkey is not naive but very realistic, and wants
to expend her time to find a diplomatic solution to the problem by
utilizing her time, energy and diplomatic corps," Kınıklıoglu added.

NA CHAIRMAN IS DISCONTENT WITH GOVERNMENT WORKING STYLE

Tert.am
19.05.10

Chairman of the National Assembly of Republic of Armenia Hovik
Abrahamyan, while delivering a speech at the end of the parliamentary
discussions on the amendments to the "Law on TV and Radio," spoke
critical of the Government for having urgently sent the bill to the
parliament for approval.

Abrahamyan mentioned that this trend is becoming a habit due to which
the parliament does not manage to properly discuss the bill presented.

Pointing to the omissions pertaining to the content of the
Government-proposed bill the NA chairman said the Republican Party
of Armenia will during the first reading vote in favor of the bill.

At the same time he mentioned that next week the parliament will hold
hearings with some NGOs and interested people expected to attend it
prior to the second reading.

Abrahamyan also said that the parliament will take into account also
the proposals to be made by them relating to the bill and also by
those present today in the parliament.

In all probability, the bill will be voted on tomorrow.

OSCE POSITIVELY ASSESSES ARMENIA’S STEPS TOWARDS ENSURING FREEDOM OF MEDIA

Panorama.am
18/05/2010

Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Arman Kirakosyan received Tuesday
Mrs. Dunja Mijatovic, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media.

Greeting the guest, Arman Kirakosyan signified the role of the OSCE
in ensuring human rights and basic freedoms.

Touching upon the steps Armenia has taken towards ensuring freedom
of the media, the newly appointed OSCE Representative on Freedom of
the Media positively assessed the legislative reforms implemented in
our country.

According to the information department of the MFA, the interlocutors
discussed the perspectives of further cooperation between Armenia and
the OSCE, particularly the Office of the Representative on Freedom
of the Media. They highlighted the necessity of regional cooperation.

ARMENIAN PM VISITS "BIOKAT" COMPANY

ARMENPRESS
MAY 18, 2010
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, MAY 18, ARMENPRESS: Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan
visited today "Biokat" company which is producing dairy products. He
walked around the workshop, got acquainted with the working process
after which a working discussion took place.

"Biokat" company produces eight kinds of classic and diet dairy with
more than 20 trade marks.

The owner of the company Hrachik Hakobyan said that the company
applied for getting 120 million AMD loan from "Small and Medium-Sized
Investments" company. In February 2009, immediately after getting the
loan, the works launched, new workshop has been built, the laboratory
has been equipped and new devices and tools have been brought.

Currently the company has 31 employees.

H. Hakobyan said that the company is planning to expand the types
of its products. "The works on creating workshops for producing
ice-creams and yogurts have already been finished and will work from
May 25. For organizing the work of the new workshop the number of
employees has been increased by 7," the owner of the company said,
adding that this new production has not been ensured by loan means.

In response to the question of reporters Tigran Sargsyan noted that
during the consultation the idea that the dairy producers must create
specialized non-governmental organization which will take the sphere
under its control, will oversight whether the competition rules
are maintained and the quality security standards in the market are
preserved was discussed.

"It will create a unity and self-control which is much stronger than
when the state is trying to regulate the issue. We too are ready to
support such NGOs, cooperate, recognize the certificates they provide,
give them certain status which will essentially increase their role
in the process of market regulation," the prime minister said.

Referring to the small and medium-sized enterprises assistance program,
Tigran Sargsyan noted that from the very beginning it was open and
transparent and the decisions made by the operative headquarter of
the Armenian government was under the control of the public. He said
the issue of the small and medium-sized business will also be under
the limelight of the government.

Armenian Agriculture Minister Gerasim Alaverdyan, chairman of the
Union of Manufacturers and Businessmen Arsen Ghazaryan and other
officials were too among the visitors.

Prospective apple of discord?
Loud statements of the Turkish side, assuring that the `future of
Nakhichevan has always interested and will interest Turkey in the
first place’ are just a cliché.

85 years ago the Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic (NAR) was founded,
which in the foreseeable future may become another hotbed of tension
and blow up the region. Despite the seeming agreement on Nakhichevan’s
belonging to Azerbaijan, Turkey and Iran have begun to test the waters
and wage a backstage struggle for the right to dictate their will to
Baku, or rather Nakhichevan. Later, this will may grow into
conditions; everything depends on the `behavior’ of Azerbaijan, which
equally depends on Turkey and Iran. But even more she depends on
Russia, no matter how hard Baku `experts’ and `political analysts’ try
to assure their nation in the contrary.

May 14, 2010
PanARMENIAN.Net –

Most likely the loud statements of the Turkish side, assuring that the
`future of Nakhichevan has always interested and will interest Turkey
in the first place’ are just a cliché, especially since they are made
by the foreign minister of Turkey. `The treaty of Kars that ensures
the safety of Nakhichevan remains in force. It is undeniable. This
agreement is an integral part of international law. Turkey is the
guarantor of the security of Nakhichevan. It is the commitment of
Turkey under international law. Safety of Nakhichevan is our security,
her welfare is our wellfare,’ Davutoglu said, adding that Nakhichevan
and Turkey are inseparable.

Under the Treaty of Amity between the Armenian SSR, Azerbaijani SSR
and Georgian SSR, on the one hand, and Turkey on the other, signed
with participation of the RSFSR in Kars on October 13, 1921, the
Region of Nakhichevan constitutes an autonomous territory under the
aegis of Azerbaijan, without the right to be passed to a third
country. By a third country was and is implied Armenia. However, it is
worth mentioning that Iran too has got an eye on this region. In 2005,
Presidents of Iran and Azerbaijan, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Ilham
Aliyev, officially opened a gas pipeline stretching from Iran to the
Autonomous Republic of Azerbaijan. The first deliveries were initiated
on November 1, 2005. According to the agreement designed for 25 years,
Iran supplies to the Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic 85% of the gas
coming into this country from Azerbaijan. The remaining 15% is the
payment of Baku for Tehran’s services. No solid cash payments are
provided for in the contract.

Thus, everyone sells what they have: Turkey sells a guarantee of
security, Iran sells gas. Azerbaijan has so far taken advantage of
both, but how long will this continue? It is natural that Turkey, in
this case, has more chances than Iran; she is closer to the political
elite of Baku, who do not favour the ayatollah regime. However, it is
with Nakhichevan that the struggle for regional supremacy between the
two countries will start. And the one that will be able to eat up
Azerbaijan first, can say that the first step is taken. However, this
does not mean that the opposite side will quickly surrender. Regional
processes are gaining momentum and no little role in them is played by
Armenia, or rather, by the Karabakh conflict. If Baku should ever
start a war, neither Turkey nor Iran will come to the rescue for
different reasons: Turkey would not support an aggressor, while Iran
simply would not interfere. The truth is that in case Aliyev starts a
war, he can stand no longer than a month. But the problem of
Nakhichevan can be solved within that month, as the Treaty of Kars
defines Turkey as security guarantor of the area. Be that as it may,
in the next few years we will witness great changes in the region.
It’s not for nothing that the subject of Nakhichevan has activated in
the Turkish media especially now.

Karine Ter-Sahakyan / PanARMENIAN News

The Moscow Times , Russia
May 16 2010

Ankara, Baku to Sign Nabucco Deal

16 May 2010
Reuters

BAKU, Azerbaijan ‘ A long-awaited Nabucco gas deal between Turkey and
Azerbaijan, expected to be signed Monday, could unlock Azeri gas
reserves for the West and eventually trim Europe’s energy dependence
on Russia.

Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan is to travel to Azerbaijan on
Monday to sign the EU-backed deal, which has been two years in the
making and at times hostage to diplomatic relations in the volatile
South Caucasus region.

Tensions between the traditionally close Muslim allies had unnerved
planners seeking fuel for the 7.9 billion euro ($10 billion) project,
a key rival to Russian pipelines.

Azerbaijan had been angered by Turkey seeking to normalize ties with
Armenia, Azerbaijan’s foe in a conflict over the breakaway
Nagorno-Karabakh region.

To Azerbaijan’s relief, the Turkish-Armenian rapprochement collapsed
last month, a result of Turkey pressing Armenia to make some gesture
to defuse tensions in Nagorno-Karabakh.

The earlier chill in relations had led to pricing disagreements over
Azeri gas currently supplied to Turkey.

More important for Europe, it had undermined negotiations that would
form the basis for the export of Azeri gas through Turkey to countries
like Austria.

Precise details of Monday’s expected deal are unknown, but it should
at least resolve pricing differences over 6 billion cubic meters of
gas Azerbaijan currently sells to Turkey.

"The package agreement with Turkey will provide the necessary ¦
conditions to start commercial talks with potential European buyers,"
said Ana Jelenkovic of Eurasia Group.

Buyers will be looking for volumes from the second phase production at
Azerbaijan’s Shah Deniz deposit in the Caspian Sea, operated by BP and
Statoil and due to come online between 2014 and 2017.

Azeri Energy Minister Natik Aliyev said the two sides had also agreed
in principle on volumes Turkey would receive from Shah Deniz II, which
will produce an additional 16 billion cubic meters per year on top of
the current 9 bcm to 10 bcm from Shah Deniz I.

Turkey has requested 6 bcm to 7 bcm of gas from the second phase, and
Azerbaijan will look to accelerate the start of production to 2014, he
said.

That would free up volumes of gas to flow to Nabucco, albeit at a
fraction of Russian current gas exports of 150 bcm. The Nabucco
project would, nevertheless, mark an important step toward cutting
dependence on Moscow, which supplies a quarter of the EU’s gas
imports.

Nabucco aims to transport up to 31 bcm of gas annually from the
Caspian region to an Austrian hub via Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey and
Hungary.

But it faces competition from Russia’s South Stream project, which is
due to start construction in 2012. Nabucco has been hit by delays and
problems in pinning down supplies.

Ilham Shaban of the Independent Center for Oil Research in Baku said
Turkey had secured 5 bcm to 6 bcm annually from Shah Deniz II, but the
price was not decided.

"It’s not reflected in the documents that are expected to be signed
now since Shah Deniz II has not been officially sanctioned," he said.

"But after Erdogan’s visit, SOCAR will start active commercial
negotiations with all potential buyers of gas from Shah Deniz II," he
said. SOCAR is the Azeri state energy company.

Jelenkovic said there were indications that under the agreement,
Azerbaijan ‘ not Turkey ‘ would control the sale of transit gas from
Turkey’s border with Europe.

As Azeri relations with the West deteriorated over its backing for the
Armenian-Turkish thaw, Azerbaijan struck deals to sell small amounts
of gas to Russia and Iran, tapping supplies courted by Nabucco.

The gas deal with Turkey, Jelenkovic said, "reaffirms overall what
Azerbaijan’s energy strategy and what their goal is ‘ to remain a
largely pro-Western energy supplier, but with a priority on
controlling their gas supplies to Europe."