Author: Jabejian Elizabeth

ARMEN RUSTAMYAN: ARMENIAN-TURKISH PROTOCOLS NEED FULL DISCUSSION BY PARLIAMENTARY COMMISSION FOR FOREIGN RELATIONS

ArmInfo
2010-02-18 13:11:00

ArmInfo. The Armenian-Turkish protocols should be discussed in the
Parliament only after relevant resolution by the Parliamentary
Commission for Foreign Relations, Armen Rustamyan, Head of the
Parliamentary Commission for Foreign Relations, representatives of
the ARFD Supreme Body, told media on Thursday.

He said the commission is expected to appeal to the speaker with
relevant request. "The Parliamentary Regulations allow submitting
an international agreement to the parliament for consideration also
without resolution by a special commission, however, in practice,
all the international agreements and treaties have been discussed by
the commission before submission to the parliament. Given the high
political and public response to the issue, the document needs full
discussion," Rustamyan said. He said the Commission will meet on
February 19 to consider the procedure of preliminary discussions of
the Armenian-Turkish Protocols. In addition, he said, ARFD faction is
expected to apply to the National Assembly for amending the legislation
to grant the parliament the right to introduce reservations to
international agreements and treaties alongside with the president.

EUROPEAN INTEGRATION NGO’S CHAIRMAN: NEGOTIATIONS OVER NAGORNO KARABAKH CONFLICT ARE AT ACTIVE YET NOT DECISIVE STAGE

NOYAN TAPAN
FEBRUARY 17, 2010
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 17, NOYAN TAPAN. No serious shift has been recorded
in the Nagorno Karabakh settlement negotiations process lately:
the only new thing was that the sides were given a possibility
to make their own proposals. Karen Bekarian, the Chairman of the
European Integration NGO, expressed such an opinion at a February
17 press conference. In his words, using the right of a proposal
Azerbaijan declared that it agrees to the renewed variant of the
Madrid Principles. According to K. Bekarian, Azeri side’s such
readiness is not surprising as the Azeris had signed already under
the statement released by five Foreign Ministers in Athens, which
also mentioned the right of nations for self-determination. The
European Integration Chairman added that Azerbaijan will always
use the possibility of manoeuvring. According to him, the proper
negotiations with many meetings proceed very actively. However, as
K. Bekarian meanwhile mentioned, it will be wrong to assert that the
sides are at a decisive stage.

Touching upon Serzh Sargsyan’s speech in England he declared that the
RA President reaffirmed his position in the issue of Nagorno Karabakh,
as well as in the issue of Armenia-Turkey relations. According to K.

Bekarian, it followed from that speech that Armenia will continue
carrying out initiating foreign policy.

PROTECTION OF ARMENIAN CHURCHES IN GEORGIA IS AN ALL-ARMENIAN PROBLEM, LEADER OF THE NATIONAL NEOCONSERVATIVE MOVEMENT SAYS

Noyan Tapan
Feb 15, 2010

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 15, NOYAN TAPAN. The Georgian state and the Georgian
Orthodox Church are conducting such a policy with respect to the
Javakheti Armenians that will result in displacement of Armenians
from Javakhk. Edward Abramian, leader of the National Neoconservative
Movement, made this statement during the February 15 press conference.

He declared that Armenia must defend with might and main
Samtskhe-Javakheti and protect the interests of the local Armenians.

The Neoconservative Movement had applied to the Catholicos of Cilicia
Aram I and the head of the Georgian Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic
Church regarding the problems of Javakheti Armenians and the Armenian
churches in Georgia. In the words of E. Abramian, the protection of
churches is not the problem of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin,
but it has an all-Armenian character.

The head of the Neoconservative Movement Edgar Helelian said that
there is a shortage of Armenian priests in Javakhk: there are only
5-6 priests in the areas populated by about 30 thousand Armenians.

According to him, in some villages Armenians have been re-baptized
to become Orthodox believers so that they could marry in church or
participate in divine services. E. Abramian added that another painful
problem is the ban on Armenian-language literature. He said that
Georgian frontier guards do not allow bringing Armenian-language books
and textbooks to Javakhk, saying that they act in accordance with an
internal instruction. "Forbidding people to read books in their native
language is a gross violation of human rights," E. Abramian said.

KEVERIANS HELP RAISE FUNDS FOR ANC AUSTRALIA OFFICE

Noyan Tapan
Feb 15, 2010

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 15, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. Long-time
benefactors of the Armenian National Committee of Australia (ANC
Australia), the Keverian Family have held a private fundraiser to
assist with funding the establishment of an ANC Australia office.

In a reception held at the Keverian Family home, funds were raised
by those gathered to support the a permanent office for ANC Australia.

According to , the president of ANC Australia, Mr.

Varant Meguerditchian thanked Zohrab Keverian and explained: "Due to
the growing needs of the Armenian-Australian community, it has become
imperative for our organisation to broaden its activities through a
new, staffed office. This will allow the Committee to dedicate more
time to representing the needs of the community and focus on genocide
awareness and education projects."

TOP TURKISH OFFICIAL BEGINS TALKS ON ARMENIA DURING US VISIT

Hurriyet
Feb 15 2010
Turkey

The undersecretary for the Turkish Foreign Affairs Ministry started
his visit to Washington on Monday with a series of talks with U.S.

officials, focusing on a recent dispute in the Turkish-Armenian
normalization process.

As part of his working visit to the U.S. capital, Undersecretary
Feridun Siniroglu was expected to participate in talks on
Turkish-American relations as well as bilateral and international
issues at the U.S. State Department and National Security Council.

Energy issues and the latest developments in the Balkans and Caucasus
would also be on the agenda of the Turkish diplomat’s meetings,
officials said. Sinirlioglu’s visit took place under the shadow of
the pending resolution on Armenian genocide claims in a committee of
the U.S. House of Representatives.

Howard Berman, the Democratic chairman of the House Foreign Affairs
Committee, said last week he intended to call a committee vote March 4,
on the non-binding resolution urging President Barack Obama to describe
the 1915 killings during the late days of Ottoman Empire as "genocide."

Court’s ruling

The court’s ruling that the interpretation and application of the
protocols signed between the two countries to normalize relations
should be in compliance with the Armenian constitution is a cause of
concern for Turkey, as the Turkish government argues that the court has
impaired the spirit of the agreements. The Turkish government insists
that the decision prevents the discussion of Armenian genocide claims
by a committee of historians that will be established according to
the articles of the protocols.

Sinirlioglu was expected to seek assurances from the U.S.

administration that the court’s ruling will not legally prevent the
discussion of Armenian claims of "genocide." Within the scope of his
visit, Siniroglu is scheduled to meet with Special Envoy of the U.S.

Secretary of State for Eurasian Energy Richard Morningstar, Deputy
Secretary of State Jim Steinberg, Assistant Secretary for Bureau of
European and Eurasian Affairs Philip Gordon and National Security
Council’s Senior Director for Europe Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall. He
is expected to depart from Washington on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Namik Tan, Turkey’s new ambassador in the U.S. capital,
also arrived in Washington together with Siniroglu. Tan, who replaced
Nabi Å~^ensoy, is expected to officially take office upon presenting
his letter of credentials.

TIGRAN SARGSYAN: THERE IS NO ALTERNATIVE TO THE NORMALIZATION OF THE ARMENIAN-TURKISH RELATIONS
Hasmik Dilanyan

"Radiolur"
12.02.2010 14:42

Public discussions on "Armenian-Turkish Relations and Border
Regionalism" organized by the American Commerce Chamber in Armenia
(AmCham), Turkish Economic Policy Research Institute (TEPAV) and US
Embassy in Armenia took place in Yerevan today.

There is no alternative to the normalization of the Armenian-Turkish
relations, since having closed borders in the 21st century is a
nonsense, Prime Minister of Armenia Tigran Sargsyan said.

The Prime Minister emphasized the importance of Armenian President
Serzh Sargsyan’s message to the Turkish President and his speech in
London. "The President’s speech confirms that the Armenian authorities
have enough political will to overcome the stereotypes shaped between
Armenia and Turkey and establish new relations between our countries,"
the Prime Minister noted.

According to Tigran Sargsyan, the normalization of relations must be
considered on three different levels. "On the first level we should
look at what the authorities have to do. Secondly, we should take
into consideration how our societies perceive the current situation
and how they see the future of the Armenian-Turkish relations. On
the third level we should consider how the international community
reacts to the improvement of the Armenian-Turkish relations and how
the atmosphere in the region will change as a result of normalization
of these relations."

ARMENIAN-TURKISH PROTOCOLS SUBMITTED TO NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF ARMENIA FOR RATIFICATION

ArmInfo
2010-02-12 16:10:00

ArmInfo. Protocols On Establishment of Diplomatic Relations and
On Development of Bilateral Relations between Armenia and Turkey,
were submitted to the National Assembly for ratification on Friday,
Gohar Poghosyan, Acting Head of the press-service of the parliament
told ArmInfo.

She said that Speaker Hovik Abrahamyan will put the documents into
circulation within 2 days and appoint the head commission that will
discuss the Protocols.

Earlier on February 10 in London President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan
declared that he would charge his staff to submit the Protocols to
the Parliament for launching the process of ratification. Armenia
and Turkey signed the "Protocol on the establishment of diplomatic
relations" and the "Protocol on the development of bilateral relations"
in Zurich on October 10.

RUSSIAN FORCES FORM THE CORE OF THE CIS AIR DEFENSE SYSTEM

RIA Novosti
February 12, 2010
Moscow

MOSCOW. (RIA Novosti military commentator Ilya Kramnik) – On February
10 fifteen years ago, the leaders of the Commonwealth of Independent
States (CIS) met in Almaty, then capital of Kazakhstan (Central Asia),
to sign an agreement to create a joint air defense system. In February
2010, they held a jubilee meeting of the Committee on Air Defense at
the CIS Council of Defense Ministers.

The CIS leaders established the joint air defense system to preserve
the remaining elements of the once powerful Soviet air defense. It
comprised the air defense systems of Armenia, Belarus, Georgia,
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan
and Ukraine.

In 2008, Georgia terminated its membership in the CIS and consequently
withdrew from the joint air defense system.

Since Russia’s Air Force and Air Defense Force form the core of the
CIS Air Defense System, changes in them affect the joint system. It
is therefore not surprising that the February meeting focused on the
future of these branches of the Russian military.

Alexander Zelin, commander-in-chief of the Russian Air Force and Air
Defense Force, said the reform program would continue. The structure
and composition of the Air Force will be simplified to cut down on the
various aviation categories, leaving the strategic, transport and army
aviation intact. Frontline bomber, assault, fighter and reconnaissance
units will be consolidated into tactical aviation like in the West.

The change proceeds from several trends. First, the new aircraft
supplied to the Russian Air Force and its updated planes can now
fulfill a variety of missions depending on weapon and equipment
configuration.

Second, the reform entails a transition from aviation regiments
to air force bases, which can be equipped with different types of
aircraft depending on their objectives. This renders the air force’s
traditional division categories obsolete.

Until recently, the rearmament of the Russian Air Force and Air
Defense Force was proceeding sluggishly. The media and professionals
expressed dissatisfaction with the slow supply of the latest S-400
(SA-21 Growler) air defense systems to the Air Defense Force.

But Gen. Zelin said supplies of the S-400 systems have been coordinated
and will be fulfilled on time.

Unfortunately, that optimistic statement has not been backed with
facts. According to available information, Russia’s armed forces
currently have three to five S-400 battalions, and another 23
battalions are to be supplied by 2015.

Zelin also confirmed the recent statement by Prime Minister Vladimir
Putin, who said that the first fifth-generation fighters would be
supplied to the armed forces in 2013 and that full production would
begin in 2015.

However, many analysts say the 5G fighter jets will actually come
later, in particular because a new-generation engine, and possibly
new armaments and electronic systems, are still not ready.

Overall, the rearmament of Russia’s Air Force and Air Defense Force is
gaining momentum, with more new aircraft, helicopters and air defense
systems supplied every year. If the trend persists, rearmament may
reach the necessary pace within the next few years.

At the same time, modernization of existing weapons, including
strategic bombers and army helicopters, will continue and new equipment
will be provided for the Air Force’s command and control component.

The capabilities of the early warning system have grown considerably
over the past few years, with several new-generation radar units
built to replace both obsolete systems and the radar units lost as
a result of the Soviet Union’s dissolution.

Although they shrank dramatically in the post-Soviet period, Russia’s
Air Force and Air Defense Force are still the third most powerful in
the world, after the U.S. Air Force and the combined NATO forces.

The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s and do not
necessarily represent those of RIA Novosti.

IRANIAN AMBASSADOR TO ARMENIA: THREAT OF WAR IN IRAN JUST WORDS

ArmInfo
2010-02-11 22:59:00

ArmInfo. Threat of attack on Iran is a game and just words, Iranian
Ambassador to Armenia Seyed Ali Saghaeyan told ArmInfo.

Iran’s stance is open. Iran is developing uranium as part of the
Treaty On Non-proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and is open for
inspections. The country has the right to develop uranium for peaceful
purposes. Suspecting the country in other illegal actions is absurd,
the Ambassador said.

Seyed Ali Saghaeyan said that neither of the parties can prejudice
Armenia and Turkey against Iran since Tehran has friendly ties with
both the countries. The Ambassador said he does no think that any
party will try to influence these countries.

EP CALLS ON TURKEY TO WITHDRAW TROOPS FROM CYPRUS

Cyprus Mail
Feb 11 2010
Cyprus

IN A strongly worded resolution, the European Parliament yesterday
set a number of preconditions on Turkey’s EU accession, calling on
Ankara to immediately withdraw its occupation forces from Cyprus and
facilitate the ongoing peace talks for a political settlement.

The EP adopted a resolution on Turkey’s Progress Report, based on
a report drafted by Dutch MEP Ria Oomen-Ruijten, which states that
the Turkish government should contribute "in concrete terms" to the
comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus issue, based on a bizonal,
bicommunal federation, in line with the relevant UN Security Council
resolutions and the principles on which the EU is founded.

Cypriot MEP Ioannis Kasoulides described the resolution as the
strongest yet to come out of the Brussels parliament. It urges Turkey
to facilitate a suitable climate for the Cyprus negotiations by
immediately starting to withdraw its forces from Cyprus, by addressing
the issue of the settlement of Turkish citizens on the island and
by enabling the return of the sealed-off section of Famagusta to its
lawful inhabitants in compliance with UN Security Council resolutions.

The EP "deplores" the non-implementation of the Additional Protocol
to the EC-Turkey Association Agreement for the "fourth consecutive
year" and warns that failure to implement it fully and without delay,
in a non-discriminatory way, could seriously affect its accession
negotiations. The MEPs also referred to the "limited" progress on
concrete reforms in 2009.

During the debate before voting, Spanish Minister for European
Affairs Lopez Garrido stressed that implementation of the Ankara
Protocol, which requires Turkey to open its ports and airports to
Cypriot ships and vessels, was a necessity for the continuation of
accession negotiations.

"If there is no progress on this, no more chapters can be opened,"
Garrido underlined. He also said that one of the decisive factors
for Turkey’s assessment included its contribution to the efforts to
reach a solution in Cyprus.

New EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fule said that Turkey must do
more for its EU accession. "Five years ago Turkey undertook serious
commitments for democratisation. Today, we are concerned about the
limitations towards the media and the ban of political parties,"
the Czech Commissioner said.

He called on Turkey to make more effort towards democratisation,
respect of human rights and individual rights and implement all it
has promised especially as regards border control and readmission
of immigrants.

MEPs regretted the Constitutional Court’s decisions to close the
Democratic Society Party (DTP), and annul the legislation limiting
the jurisdiction of military courts, noting they were "a serious
setback in Turkey’s reform efforts" and called for reform of the
Turkish constitution.

On a more positive note, MEPs cited the broad public debate on
issues within the so-called democratic opening, and a law removing
restrictions on broadcasting in Kurdish.

They also appreciated the diplomatic efforts made to normalise
relations with Armenia but asked that the relevant protocols be
ratified. In addition, they acknowledged Turkey’s role in regional
security (Black Sea and Middle-East) and welcomed the signing of the
Nabucco pipeline agreement.

In the resolution, MEPs call for the opening of the energy chapter
in the accession negotiations. Twelve out of 35 chapters have so
far been opened with the environment chapter opened in December
2009. Eight chapters were frozen in 2006 over Turkey’s refusal to
apply the Ankara Protocol, while Cyprus has indicated it was prepared
to block the opening of five new chapters. (CNA)