Author: Jabejian Elizabeth

BAKU NOT SKIMP IN DISTORTING ARMENIAN HISTORY

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
29.07.2009 17:06 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Since Soviet times Azerbaijan leads the anti-Armenian
propaganda and distort the history. In recent years, the distortion of
historical facts and strengthening the anti-Armenian propaganda became
a huge scale, since for poisoning the consciousness of Azerbaijan’s
people Baku makes major investments, Ruben Galichian, the Honorary
Consul of Armenia in London in 1992-2000, author of books on the
history and cartography, said.

"At present, the Azerbaijani side publishes books and articles in
English language with anti-Armenian content and presents them free
to well-known universities, libraries and public entities around the
world. The Armenian side has not taken any steps to stop the process
of misrepresentation. Time passes and the libraries of the world will
exhibit only book representing interests and approaches of Azerbaijan.

Ruben Galichian has decided to publish his book "Imaginary History of
Azerbaijan: Azerbaijan and Armenia, Myths and Facts". "In my book, I
touched upon the history of the Republic of Azerbaijan in 1918, gave
the historical arguments that define what is Agvank and Azerbaijan
(Caucasian Albania).

According to him, Baku does not hesitate to misappropriate Armenian
Churches, allegedly saying that they were built by the Albanians, who
allegedly were their ancestors. With all this, Ruben Galichian stressed
that today there are many scientific studies showing that the Armenians
have lived in Nagorno-Karabakh for more than 4 thousand years.

In the book the author has presented the facts and photographs
testifying destruction of Armenian churches and monuments in the
territory of today’s Azerbaijan and Nakhichevan, destruction of
Armenian cross stones (khachkars) in Old Djugha and Armenian cemetery
in Baku. "Today, Armenia inform the international community about
the policy of Azerbaijan, appeal to international courts to protect
its cultural heritage and to suspend the distortion of the Armenian
history by Baku," Ruben Galichian emphasized.

ARMENIA, TURKEY REACHED THE MOMENT OF TRUTH

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
30.07.2009 13:01 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ There have been doubts growing about Turkey’s sincere
wish to normalize relations with Armenia, a Russian expert said.

"Turkey could use the talks to gain political dividends from the
West. Now, it’s the moment of truth for the two neighboring countries,"
Mikhail Alexandrov, head of Caucasus department at the Institute of
CIS Studies, told PanARMENIAN.Net.

"There are two variants: either Turkey wanted to weaken the worldwide
campaign for recognition of the Armenian Genocide or it really wanted
to normalize relations. At that, presence of Turkish President Abdullah
Gul at the football match in Yerevan last year was a serious diplomatic
move," he said.

According to Mr. Alexandrov, if Turkey doesn’t take action to improve
relations with Armenia, it will cast doubt on its intensions. "In
this case, Armenia will have to suspend talks and resume efforts for
Genocide recognition," he said.

In a joint press conference with Serbian Minister Boris Tadic,
Armenian leader Serzh Sargsyan said he will attend the return match
between the Armenian and Turkish football teams in Bursa only if the
border is open or on the threshold of lifting the blockade.

SERBIAN PRESIDENT VISITS THE MOTHER SEE OF HOLY ETCHMIADZIN

armradio.am
29.07.2009 18:18

On July 29 His Holiness Gaegin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos
of All Armenians, hosted the President of Serbia, Boris Tadic, at
the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin.

Welcoming the visit of the Serbian President to the Armenian religious
center, the Patriarch referred to the warm fraternal ties between
the two states and peoples and expressed hope that they would further
reinforce after the President’s visit. The Catholicos noted that the
Armenian Apostolic Church enjoys warm ties with the Orthodox Church
of Serbia.

Expressing gratitude for the warm reception, Serbian President Boris
Tadic expressed his admiration for the Armenian culture and Christian
values.

Speaking about the important role of the Orthodox Church in the life
of the country, Boris Tadic voiced hope that the relations between
the two churches would further deepen parallel to the development of
interstate relations.

SINGER RUZANNA NAHAPETIAN TO GIVE CONCERT IN ESTONIA

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
28.07.2009 19:27 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Ruzanna Nahapetian, Dutch singer of Armenian descent,
will give a concert in Estonia on August 12.

It will be an unusual performance accompanied by a band of trumpet
players and organ.

ROMAN BEREZOVSKI BECOMES MEMBER OF LEV YASHIN CLUB

Noyan Tapan
July 28, 2009

YEREVAN, JULY 28, NOYAN TAPAN. Roman Berezovski, the goal keeper
of the Armenian football national team and the Khimki Russian team,
became a member of Lev Yashin Club. Only the goal keepers who keep
unapproachable their goal in 100 official games become members of
the club. R. Berezovski remained unvulnerable for the 100th time in
the Khimki-Amkar game of the Russian Championship, which ended with
the score of 2 to 0.

We will mention that among Armenian football players, only legendary
Ararat’s renowned goal-keeper Alyosha Abrahamian is included in Lev
Yashin Club.

KARABAKH PEACE PLAN ‘UPDATED’
Emil Danielyan

Armenialiberty.org
http://www.azatutyun .am/content/article/1786442.html
July 27 2009

International mediators have modified their proposed framework peace
agreement on Nagorno-Karabakh to increase chances of its acceptance
by Armenia and Azerbaijan, a top U.S. official said on Monday.

The three co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group representing the United
States, Russia and France met in the Polish city of Krakow at the
weekend to discuss ways of pushing the Karabakh peace further forward
following fresh talks held by the Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents
in Moscow on July 17-18.

In a joint statement issued ahead of those talks, the presidents of
the three mediating powers said they have instructed the co-chairs to
present the conflicting parties with an "updated version" of their
basic principles of a Karabakh settlement that were formally put
forward in Madrid in November 2007.

"As directed by our three presidents in their joint declaration of
July 10, 2009, we prepared an updated version of the Madrid Document,"
the U.S. co-chair, Matthew Bryza, told RFE/RL’s Armenian service,
commenting on the Krakow meeting. He described the meeting as
"productive and creative."

"We now have a chance to finalize the Basic Principles," said Bryza. He
praised Armenia’s and Azerbaijan’s leaders for being "constructive"
and making "significant progress" in the long-running peace talks.

"The co-chairs also express their thanks to former President [Robert]
Kocharian and Foreign Minister [Vartan] Oskanian whose thoughts
and efforts helped lay the foundation for the Madrid Document,"
added Bryza. "We have now moved beyond that document under Armenia’s
current leaders, President [Serzh] Sarkisian and Foreign Minister
[Eduard] Nalbandian, who have helped elicit progress in tough but
constructive negotiations over the past year."

Sticking to the confidentiality of the long-running peace process, the
U.S. official did not specify whether the basic principles underwent
significant changes. He said only that he and fellow co-chairs Yuri
Merzlyakov and Bernard Fassier "carefully considered the views
expressed by the sides since we presented the Madrid Document in
November 2007."

Contrary to the mediators’ expectations, Sarkisian and Azerbaijani
President Ilham Aliyev failed to bridge their remaining differences
over those principles during their July 17 one-on-one discussion in
Moscow. According to Merzlyakov, the two leaders made more progress
when they met in the presence of their Russian counterpart, Dmitry
Medvedev, the next day.

"There are interesting solutions which the presidents found in the
trilateral format," Merzlyakov told the Azerbaijani Trend news agency
on July 22. "I think that this could produce a positive result in
the future." The Russian diplomat did not elaborate.

The Madrid principles call for the liberation of the seven Azerbaijani
districts surrounding Karabakh that were fully or partly occupied
by Karabakh Armenian forces during the 1991-1994 war. They also
envisage a future referendum of self-determination in Karabakh. The
Armenian-controlled disputed territory would retain its de facto
independence and a land corridor with Armenia proper in the interim.

According to some sources familiar with the negotiating process, the
main stumbling block so far has been the liberation of Kelbajar and
Lachin, two of the occupied Azerbaijani districts sandwiched between
Karabakh and Armenia. They say former President Kocharian insisted
on their return under Azerbaijani control only after the Karabakh
vote. This condition was rejected by Aliyev. Sarkisian’s position on
the matter is not clear.

Meeting with Sweden’s visiting Foreign Minister Carl Bildt last week,
Sarkisian indicated that the conflicting parties also have yet to
fully work out all practical modalities of the proposed referendum that
would presumably enable Karabakh’s predominantly Armenian population
to legitimize its secession from Azerbaijan.

NKR PRESIDENT RECEIVES DELEGATION OF PUBLIC COUNCIL OF ARMENIA

Noyan Tapan
July 24, 2009

STEPANAKERT, JULY 24, NOYAN TAPAN. President of the Republic of
Nagorno Karabakh Bako Sahakian had a meeting on July 23 with members
of the delegation of the Public Council of Armenia, headed by Council
Chairman Vazgen Manukian, arrived in Artsakh on the same day.

As Noyan Tapan was informed by the Press Service of the NKR President’s
Staff, a wide circle of issues relating to the internal and foreign
policy was also discussed at the meeting. Processes taking place in the
two Armenian republics were paid special attention and the necessity
of studying the public opinion and social developments as well as of
widening the mutual cooperation in that sphere was attached importance.

B. Sahakian emphasized the role of the Public Council in the state’s
and society’s life, mentioning that he has great expectations from
the cooperation with that structure.

INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL ORGANIZATIONS CONSIDER THE ARMENIAN ANTI-CRISIS POLICY JUSTIFIED

ARMENPRESS
July 23, 2009

YEREVAN, JULY 23, ARMENPRESS: International financial organizations
consider the Armenian anti-crisis policy justified, Armenian Prime
Minister Tigran Sargsyan noted at today’s session of the Government.

According to him, the tax-budget and loan policy of the government
in the last 5 years has been restrained, which in normal conditions
is considered a literate policy. At present, in crisis conditions,
the government has passed to expansion policy, in conditions of which
the state increases its expenses and if needed involves additional
means from internal and external markets.

The Central Bank conducts extensive policy as well, which is of
anti-crisis nature, too. According to the Prime Minister, in the
result of legislative changes the threshold of budget deficit has
increased to 7, 5 %, which enables to extend the external debt.

He detailed that in 2009 and 2010 the government intends to involve 150
million USD from the International Monetary Fund, 60 million USD – from
the World Bank, 80 million USD – from the Asian Development Bank. The
involvement of financial means will be continued also during the next
year by "getting use of the exclusive possibility of low prize growth".

T. Sargsyan noted that the work of tax and custom bodies is the
hardest in these conditions, and all the state bodies in their turn
should assist them.

He said that legislatively privileges have been given to small and
medium-sized enterprises in the result of reforms conducted in tax
and custom spheres. At present there are about 32 000 entrepreneurs in
the Republic, extending activity, which doesn’t surpass the threshold
of 58 million AMD turnover, the number of the ones giving fixed pay
is about 20 000. Actually, so many people get use of the privileges.

T. Sargsyan also underscored that tendencies for tax indexes
improvement are already quite obvious.

SCHEDULE OF RETURN OF ANY LANDS WAS NOT DEBATED AT PRESIDENTS’ MOSCOW MEETING: ARMENIAN FM

Today.Az
72.html
July 21 2009
Azerbaijan

The schedule of return of any territories to Azerbaijan was not
discussed at presidents’ Moscow meeting, Armenian Foreign Minister
Edward Nalbandyan said after talks with the EU Troika.

Russian, Azerbaijani and Armenian Presidents Dmitry Medvedev, Ilham
Aliyev and Serzh Sargsyan met in Moscow on July 18. The leaders
discussed further ways to resolve Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

"Armenia did not approve Madrid Principles and related official
statements have not been made. We have always stated that the Madrid
document is a ground for talks," Nalbandyan said.

"The schedule of return of any territories to Azerbaijan was not
discussed at presidents’ Moscow meeting," he said.

EX-KARABAKH ARMY CHIEF SAYS AZERBAIJAN ‘ON A WAR FOOTING’
Sarkis Harutiunian

Liberty
nt/article/1783097.html
July 22 2009
Armenia

Armenia — Samvel Babayan at a press conference in Yerevan 22Jul2009

A former military leader of Nagorno-Karabakh has warned that renewed
hostilities in the disputed region appear a real possibility as
"Azerbaijan has been actively preparing for a new war."

Samvel Babayan, who commanded Karabakh defense forces in the 1991-1994
war with Azerbaijan and then served as the unrecognized republic’s
defense minister until 1999, called on Armenian authorities to
appreciate the reality that until today Azerbaijan has not been
bound by any international document not to resort to military force
to resolve the long-running dispute.

To back up his premonition, Babayan referred to Azerbaijan’s cool
response to the calls of international mediators to remove snipers
from the line of contact, which, he said, revealed Baku’s preparations
for military operations.

Karabakh’s former military chief also called on authorities in
Stepanakert to engage in the ongoing talks immediately, since, he
said, it will be "pointless to negotiate after the basic principles
of conflict settlement have been agreed."

"After the document is submitted, Karabakh cannot negotiate outside
its format. And this is called ratification, which will bear a formal
nature. This is unacceptable," said Babayan.

At the same time, Babayan doubted that any agreement on a Karabakh
settlement would be possible in the visible future because "Baku’s
demands do not reflect the reality."

"It is a fact that Armenia’s authorities [agree to] give up seven
districts [surrounding Karabakh] to Azerbaijan. It has been clear
for a long time. The question is whether Azerbaijan is satisfied with
that. No, it is not. It wants the whole of Karabakh," he said. "Our
society has been told that a compromise is needed and by saying a
compromise we imply territorial concessions. This is wrong."