Author: Hovhannisian John

THE U.S.-TURKEY RELATIONSHIP AND ARMENIA
By Michael Werz

Center For American Progress
April 5 2010

CAP Senior Fellow Michael Werz was interviewed by Voice of America
on April 2, 2010. The interview dealt with the recent U.S.-Turkish
debates after the Armenia resolution was passed by the House Foreign
Affairs Committee and with the visit of German chancellor Angela
Merkel to Ankara, reinvigorating a Turkish push for full membership
in the European Union.

In the interview Werz argues that the reaction of the Turkish
government recalling its ambassador from Washington and cancelling a
planned visit by Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan has been harsher than
necessary. Both Turkey and the United States have more to lose than
to win when the relationship cannot be re-established to meet the
regional challenges.

Regarding the recent visits of the German chancellor in Ankara,
Werz commented that the Turkish press had seen a "warming" of Angela
Merkel toward Turkey that was hardly expected after stinging political
exchanges between the two countries before her arrival. Not only has
Germany vested economic interest in Turkey with 300 German companies
establishing branches in 2009 alone, Werz argued, but even within the
German conservative party an influential minority among foreign policy
expert urges a review of the stiff opposition against Turkish E.U.

membership.

/issues/2010/04/werz_voa_turkey.html

CERTAIN PROGRESS IN HUMAN RIGHTS PROTECTION OBSERVED IN ARMENIA

PanARMENIAN.Net –
April 6, 2010 – 13:44 AMT 08:44 GMT

The congress of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH)
is organized in Armenia, because there is a certain progress in the
field of human rights protection in Armenia, FIDH chairman Souhayr
Belhassen said in Yerevan.

According to her, progress should also be made in the justice system.

"We understand it is very difficult to change the entire system
and during the event we will focus on the problems Armenia is
experiencing," she said.

"The problem of political prisoners will be discussed, as well as
the need to identify those responsible for the deaths of 10 people
on March 1, 2008. FIDH will work closely with the leadership of the
country," Mrs. Belhassen said.

According to FIDH executive director Antoine Bernard, the protection
of human rights has become an international problem.

"The situation with human rights in Armenia is much better than
in other CIS countries and the whole region," said Shirin Ebadi,
an Iranian human right advocate and a Nobel Peace Prize winner,
who takes part in the congress.

Armenian authorities to do their best to hamper ANC rally on April 6

2010-04-03 10:11:00

ArmInfo. The Armenian authorities will do their best to hamper ANC
rally scheduled for April 6, the statement by the Armenian National
Congress provided to ArmInfo says.

In particular, the opposition expects disorganization of the transport
work to prohibit inflow of the people from the regions to Yerevan. ANC
claims that the Law of Armenia On Transport is violated thereby.
According to Article 20 of this Law, a carrier is responsible for the
passengers being late. In view of this, the Congress calls on all its
supporters to directly notify them of such cases by the phone number
52.09.74 and shoot flagrant facts of abuse of human rights. All the
materials will be studied and submitted to the Court of Human Rights
and other international organizations.

ARMENIAN BANKING SYSTEM REMAINS RELIABLE

PanARMENIAN.Net
02.04.2010 14:53 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Chairman of the Union of Armenian Banks Ararat
Ghukasyan considers Armenia’s banking system to be reliable, like
in 2008-2009.

"According to 2009 results, the banking system gross profit has
decreased by 46%, as compared with 2008, still making a significant
amount," Mr. Ghukasyan said. "The banks managed to assume the risks
related to the currency rate sharp fluctuations in 2009, and no
bank questioned the right of depositors to managing their deposits –
the funds were entirely available for the banks clients."

Mr. Ghukasyan noted that a moderate crediting policy pursued in 2009
is explainable due to general economic recession. "Naturally, the
banks shall react to it, as first of all they take care of depositor
interests and they have no right to put their funds in unreasonable
risk," he said.

Speaking about crediting trends in 2010, the Chairman of the Union
of Armenian Banks noted that the banks are careful creditors and
avoid funding projects or companies, the activities of which are
not transparent.

TURKEY SENDS AMBASSADOR BACK TO WASHINGTON

Radio Netherlands
April 2 2010

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan says his government has
decided to send its ambassador to the United States back to Washington.

The diplomat was recalled nearly a month ago after a commission of the
US House of Representatives urged President Barack Obama to condemn
as genocide the mass killings of Armenians between 1915 and 1923.

Turkey has consistently refused to use the term genocide and strongly
condemned the House commission’s recommendation to the president.

However, tensions appear to have subsided, and the Turkish prime
minister announced on Friday he would accept a US invitation to attend
a summit on nuclear arms reduction scheduled to be held in Washington
in two weeks.

ends-ambassador-back-washington

AZERBAIJAN HAS THE RIGHT TO LIBERATE ITS TERRITORIES BY ANY MEANS – HEAD OF THE PRESIDENTIAL ADMINISTRATION

Trend News Agency
April 2 2010
Azerbaijan

As part of the official visit to Turkey, Azerbaijan`s delegation
led by head of the Presidential Administration Ramiz Mehdiyev met,
in Ciragan Palace, representatives of the Turkish mass media, Azertaj
State News Agency reported.

Opening the event, Secretary General of the Turkish President`s Office
Mustafa Isen spoke of the meetings Mehdiyev had in Ankara.

In his remarks, Mehdiyev described his three-day visit to Turkey as
"very fruitful," during which, he added, he held discussions with
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, parliament`s speaker Mehmet Ali
Shahin and other officials.

He noted he also had productive discussions on the Azerbaijan-Turkey
relationship in Gazi University.

Answering Turkish journalists` questions about Azerbaijan, Mehdiyev
said the modern independent Azerbaijani statehood was founded by
national leader Heydar Aliyev, and President Ilham Aliyev successfully
continues his policy.

He said his country, a regional leader according to Western analysts,
is developing very rapidly. He added dynamic development was underway
in both capital Baku and the regions. "Economic situation in Azerbaijan
is very good, so, despite the global financial crisis, GDP has grown
by 9, 3 percent in the country."

Touching upon the democratic situation in Azerbaijan, Mehdiyev said
successful reforms are underway in the country to protect human rights.

He said President Ilham Aliyev`s policy, paves the way for Azerbaijan
to become one of the democratic and developed countries. "The
Azerbaijani people are happy for having such President as Ilham
Aliyev. The people love him and support his policy."

Mehdiyev said no one could interfere in the Azerbaijan-Turkey
relationship which, he stressed, is at the highest level.

Head of the Presidential Administration also touched upon the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, saying official Yerevan demonstrates
non-constructive position on the ongoing negotiations to settle
the dispute, and declares that it does no agree with the Madrid
principles. "Though these principles do not satisfy Azerbaijan,
we assess them as a stage."

He noted unfortunately, the OSCE Minsk Group, engaged in settling the
conflict for 20 years, does not demand Armenia to stop the aggression
against Azerbaijan. "We have the right to liberate our territories
by any means," he added.

Mehdiyev underlined Azerbaijan has strong army, and reforms to develop
the military industry in the country are underway.

He also pointed out the Azerbaijani people was pleased with Turkey`s
position that it will not ratify the protocols signed with Armenia,
unless Yerevan withdraw its troops from the occupied territories. "We
must not forget that Armenia also claims the territories of Turkey."

Azerbaijan also supports Turkey, "a fraternal country", to fight
activities of the Armenian lobby and their supporters. After the U.S.

House Committee on Foreign Affairs passed a decision on the so-called
Armenian genocide President Ilham Aliyev declared that he stands side
by side with fraternal Turkey.

According to Mehdiyev, Azerbaijan also praises the fact that Turkey
and Russia have recently increased efforts towards settling the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Mehdiyev also called on the two countries` some journalists to avoid
writing reports against each-other, adding "you should mainly focus
on fighting those forces that have hostility towards our countries
and peoples."

Following the meeting, a reception was given in Topkapi Palace for
the delegation of Azerbaijan`s Presidential Administration on behalf
of Istanbul Governor Muammer Guler.

TURKISH, ARMENIAN INTELLECTUALS TO MEET FOR CLOSER DIALOGUE

Hurriyet
March 31 2010
Turkey

According to Ragıp Zarakolu, many of the forums about the events of
1915 have only started to take place in Turkey since the year 2005,
which he called "the year zero for Turkey. Photo: Hasan ALTINIÅ~^IK

Intellectuals from Turkey and Armenia are set to gather in the Turkish
capital on the anniversary of the 1915 killings of Armenians during
the last days of the Ottoman Empire.

The meeting is set to occur at a time when the historic normalization
process between the two countries has stalled.

Turkish and Armenian intellectuals will meet in Ankara on April 24
and 25 to discuss the events of 1915 and attempt to improve dialogue
between the two nations in an event organized by the Ankara Freedom
of Thought Initiative.

"We believe the problem between the two nations will be solved
only by dialogue," Sait Cetin, a writer, human-rights activists and
one of the organizers of the forum, told the Hurriyet Daily News &
Economic Review.

"Matters that concern us in the first degree are being discussed in
the capitals of the world because we cannot manage to talk [about
them] ourselves. The sincerity of the West is arguable, and Turkey
has an attitude of denial," Cetin added in a March 22 e-mail interview.

Participants in the forum will talk about the events leading up
to the 1915 killings, which Armenians refer to as "genocide,"
as well as their political implications. Topics of discussion are
set to include "The Armenian issue from a historical perspective,"
"From [the Committee of] Union and Progress to Kemalism – official
ideological denial and termination of the issue," "The Turkification
of the capital" and "The Armenian issue: How to handle it?"

Writer Temel Demirer underscored the importance of such dialogue in
order to ensure a more peaceful future, saying that the official
ideology in Turkey has tried to cover history up. "We, as Turkish
intellectuals, want to face the truth," he told the Daily News in a
phone interview.

When asked about possible reactions, Demirer added: "I do not blame
people who say the genocide did not happen. If there is such a thing
called freedom of speech, everybody should show respect to each others’
freedom of expression."

Cetin said the event had originally been planned to take place Jan.

19, the anniversary of the assassination of Turkish-Armenian journalist
Hrant Dink, but the group had difficulty finding a suitable location
in Ankara for that date.

"Actually, it is good that [the meeting] coincided on this date," he
said, referring to April 24, the date on which Armenians commemorate
the "genocide."

"We are going to present a perspective as different as we can for
Ankara and Yerevan on the solution of the historical problems,"
Cetin added.

‘Genocide’ resolution

The normalization process between Turkey and Armenia hit a new obstacle
after a U.S. House of Representatives committee endorsed a resolution
calling on U.S. President Barack Obama to label the 1915 killings of
Armenians as "genocide."

Ragıp Zarakolu, a founding member of the Human Rights Association
and the owner of Belge International Publishing, said that the voting
in the House Foreign Affairs Committee on March 4 had the atmosphere
of a football match.

"Such a tragic event becomes a political issue because the Turks and
Armenians cannot solve it among themselves," he said.

According to Zarakolu, many of the forums about the events of 1915
have only started to take place in Turkey since the year 2005, which
he called "the year zero for Turkey. It is the year many taboo topics
started to be discussed. It was impossible before that."

The forum will to take place in the hall of the Construction Engineers’
Chamber on Necatibey Street in Ankara.

In addition to Cetin, Demirer and Zarakolu, the 20 scheduled attendees
include Sevan NiÅ~_anyan, an academic, linguist and writer; Professor
Baskın Oran, a political scientist; and Khatcig Mouradian from the
U.S.-based Armenian Weekly.

According to Cetin, the discussions at the forum will not be limited
the events of 1915, but will also include what happened before and
after, as well as contemporary reflections on the subject.

TURKISH LAWYER APPLIES TO COURT FOR ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RECOGNITION

Yerkir
31.03.2010 13:43

Yerevan (Yerkir) – Turkish lawyer Bendal Celil Ezman has applied to
an Ankara court for recognition of the 1915 massacres of more than 1,5
million Armenians as genocide. Ealier, Ezman campaigned for apologies
for the tragic happenings of 1915.

The claim, sent to the Second Ankara Criminal Court, says that "Sait
Halim Pasha’s government of Turkey committed genocide against Turkish
population of Armenian origin in 1915," Haber Turk paper reported.

"Armenians were killed in 1915 within the framework of a special
scheduled plan," the paper quotes Bendal Celil Ezman’s claim.

"Turkey must face with its past," Ezman said in an interview.

This is the first precedent of filing of a claim to the Criminal Court
over the issue of the 1915 Genocide, stressed Turkish lawyer. When
asked if he doesn’t afraid of taking these steps, Ezman said:
"Everything that happens is Allah’s will, if something happens to me."

MONITORING IN BERKABER LASTED FOR 7 MINUTES

Aysor
March 31 2010
Armenia

The OSCE mission finished the regular scheduled observation at
Armenia-Azerbaijan border close to Berkaber village of Ijevan region
of Tavush province of Armenia.

As the Aysor.am reporter informed the monitoring which was to last for
30 minutes, lasted for 7 minutes only. No incidents were registered.

Andranik Mkrtumyan, Colonel, Head of the Armenian Armed Forces General
Staff Operative Department Frontier Representation Office, mentioned
that the Armenian side has suggested conducting the monitoring within
the required time, but the Azerbaijani side has demanded to stop it.

"We think that their headquarters is not able to give guarantees of
long term security," A. Mkrtumyan told.

Mkrtumyan reminded that by their first deal with the Azerbaijani side
they were to make the monitoring in the Koti village of Tavush region
where on March 3 there were some incidents recorded.

But a day before the monitoring the Azerbaijani side broke the deal
saying that it can [rovide no security guarantees for that region.

"Does it mean they can’t control their own army and subdivisions?" the
colonel said reminding that the Azerbaijani side has refused to
conduct monitoring in the Chinar village.

"We try to open an answering fire only at the worst case, and I can
say that we answer when it is really needed," mentioned A. Manukyan.

MONT TO REDUCE FIGURE OF PIRATED PRODUCTS IN ARMENIA

Panorama.am
13:31 30/03/2010

Economy

Fresh studies of "Microsoft" in Armenia recorded 97% of software
pirated products in the local market. What is the vision of MONT
Company to deal with that tumor in Armenia?

"We’re going to fight against pirated software joint with the
producers. The producers have founded a special commit, like "Microsoft
Armenia" did, which holds special events joint with Intellectual
property agency against pirated products," MONT Chief Manager of
Armenian representation Ruben Yesayan said.

He added all those companies which would be represented by MONT in
Armenia would fight against pirated market.

"We’ll try reduce pirated software figure making it 80% from 97%,"
Yesayan said.