Author: Jabejian Elizabeth

MEDVEDEV TO MEDIATE ALIYEV-SARKISIAN TALKS: REPORT

AzerNews Weekly
Sept 10 2008
Azerbaijan

The next meeting to bring together Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents
to discuss the Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh conflict will be hosted by
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, according to Kremlin sources as
reported in Russia`s Kommersant newspaper.

Reports say Medvedev is expected to first meet with Azerbaijani
President Ilham Aliyev. One of the key issues on the agenda is Aliyev`s
possible meeting with Armenian leader Serzh Sarkisian. The two will
also discuss Turkey`s recent proposal to set up a five-nation union,
called the Caucasus Peace and Cooperation Platform, the report said.

If the presidential meeting takes place, it will be held without
the participation of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmen who have been
brokering the peace process, Kommersant said.

Azerbaijani and Russian Foreign Ministers, Elmar Mammadyarov and Sergei
Lavrov, discussed the Garabagh conflict during a meeting in Moscow
on Sunday. Lavrov said his country backs Azerbaijan`s territorial
integrity, in accord with previous agreements, including a document
signed between the two presidents in early July.

ARMENIAN LEADER, RUSSIAN OFFICIAL DISCUSS NUCLEAR ENERGY COOPERATION

ArmInfo News Agency (in Russian)
Sept 9 2008
Armenia

Yerevan, 9 September: Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan held a meeting
with the director-general of the Russian Atomic Energy Agency, Sergey
Kirienko, today.

Issues concerning Armenian-Russian cooperation on nuclear energy were
discussed at the meeting, the presidential press service of Armenia
reports. They expressed their satisfaction with the current level
of partnership and the progress of a project aimed at developing
cooperation. They also noted that Armenia and Russia have already
jointly accumulated great expertise in this sphere.

Touching on the operation of the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant, Kirienko
said that the plant is in a good state and all conditions for its
reliable and safe operation have been provided. The two men also
discussed the opportunities of installing a new energy block. They
also touched on issues concerning arrangements for the exploration
works to find uranium deposits in Armenia.

RUSSIA WON’T ALLOW TURKEY’S MEDIATION IN KARABAKH PROCESS

PanARMENIAN.Net
09.09.2008 18:53 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenia will hardly trust Turkey, a pro-Azeri
country, as a mediator in the Karabakh process, Svante Cornell,
research director of the Stockholm Central Asia-Caucasus Institute,
told a PanARMENIAN.Net when commenting on Turkish President Gul’s
intention to mediate tensions between the Armenian and Azerbaijani
leaders.

"Besides, Russia, the Co-chair in the OSCE Minsk Group, wants to
maintain the format and will hardly allow Turkey into the process,"
he said.

Earlier, Gul said he intends to mediate tensions between Armenia
and Azerbaijan.

"I have enlisted support of my Armenian counterpart Serzh Sargsyan
to arrange the meeting. And I am hopeful to receive consent from
Azerbaijan’s Ilham Aliyev. I will meet with him soon to discuss
the details and will brief on the outcomes of my visit to Armenia,"
he said.

Today he said that the OSCE Minsk Group failed to produce effect
during 17 years of its mediation.

The Turkey-Armenia and Azerbaijan-Armenia issues are not only bilateral
but also territorial, according to him.

"The situation in the region has changed. Resolution of conflicts
will lead to political and economic stability," Gul said.

ARMENIAN FOREIGN MINISTER NALBANDIAN: ‘THE HALFWAY POINT HAS BEEN CROSSED’

Milliyet
Sept 8 2008
Turkey

Interview with Armenian Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian by Hasan
Cemal:

Armenian Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian began his remarks at
the business luncheon we had yesterday by saying: "We had a historic
day. History will write about this soccer diplomacy."

Nalbandian described the meeting of the Turkish and Armenian Presidents
Abdullah Gul and Serzh Sargsian and the national soccer game they
watched together on Saturday as a "historic day." He continued:

"We made a very, very good start."

Pointing out that people in both countries are undergoing a "change
of mentality" and that this visit has been welcome and led to "great
expectations," Nalbandian said:

"There will be positive developments from now on also. The necessary
will and desire to do this exist.

"We, the two foreign ministers, met at midnight on Saturday at the
instructions of our presidents. We talked for two and a half hours. We
will meet again some time this month. This demonstrates our resolve
and seriousness about developing bilateral relations."

Pointing out that the foreign ministers of the two countries will
continue the new "dialogue process" that was started by the two
presidents, Nalbandian said: "I believe that we will be discussing
concrete results with [Turkish Foreign Minister Ali] Babacan very
soon."

Cengiz Candar asked whether "demons" may intervene and spoil the
"dialogue process" if the said process stretches out without any
"concrete results." In a similar vein, I had asked Armenian President
Sargsyan on Saturday night what his most concrete and most near-term
expectations were in the aftermath of the game. Without any hesitation,
he underscored the following two points:

"The opening of the borders and the establishment of diplomatic ties."

When I reminded Nalbandian of these two points, he said in brief:

"The realization of these two points is also the expectation of the
Turkish side. The opening of the borders and the establishment of
diplomatic ties are, without doubt, in Turkey’s interests also. The
two presidents crossed the halfway point on this road on Saturday. The
foreign ministers will walk the remaining half. I can assure you that
we are discussing concrete steps with Mr Babacan. The faster we can
make progress the better. This is indeed our wish."

Nalbandian also said that he does not agree with certain opinions
that Russia does not want Turkey and Armenia to draw closer. He
said: "These are certain bumper sticker opinions. I do not think
that they are correct. Moscow also welcomes the improvement of
our relations. Turkish-Armenian relations must improve for the
establishment of stability and trust in our region."

Nalbandian implied without being explicit that the two foreign
ministers have a "road map," but he did not go into any details. He
referred to a decision of principle that certain issues will not
be shared with the public until results are obtained. He added
immediately:

"We waited for too long at stops in the past. Now there should no
longer be any stops. Let us continue on our course without stopping,
without interruptions."

Noting that the attention of the entire world has been fixed on this
region since the recent developments in South Ossetia, Nalbandian
then turned to the dispute between his country and Azerbaijan over
Nagorno Karabakh. He said:

"The countries of the region as well as the world want problems
resolved by peaceful means rather than through the use of force. We
also favour this. A military solution is not a solution. Then the
situation becomes even worse. Intensive negotiations are under way
with Azerbaijan over the Karabakh problem. There is an opportunity. We
are on a very good course. I believe that we are close to a solution."

The return meet between the national soccer teams of Turkey and Armenia
will be played in Istanbul on 14 October. Commenting on that meet,
Nalbandian said:

"President Sargsyan will go to Istanbul to watch the game on 14
October. That will also be a historic visit like President Gul’s
visit."

The Armenian foreign minister said that it would not be right to
make the resolution of issues between the two countries, such as the
establishment of diplomatic ties or the opening of borders, contingent
upon "preconditions." Then he was asked: "We know that the subject
of genocide did not come up in the talks on Saturday. Might it come
up in the future?" Nalbandian replied:

"There must not be any subjects that are taboo. We must be able
to discuss any issue, any problem more openly, more candidly, and
more freely."

Attending the lunch meeting with Nalbandian yesterday were Hasan
Cemal from Milliyet, Cengiz Candar from Radikal, Ali Bayramoglu from
Yeni Safak, Mustafa Karaalioglu from Star, and Yavuz Baydar from
Sabah. Other points Nalbandian made at this meeting were:

"We support Turkey’s membership in the EU."

"Turkey’s trade [with Armenia] can easily rise to $1 billion as soon
as the borders are opened."

"We support the stability and peace pact Turkey has proposed for the
region 100 per cent."

VAFA QULUZADE: "OSCE MINSK GROUP’S ACTIVITY HAS BECOME A JEST AND THERE IS NO TRUST TO THIS STRUCTURE ANY MORE"

Today.Az
tics/47475.html
Sept 8 2008
Azerbaijan

The United States have already voiced statements of intention to
leave the OSCE Minsk Group in order not to come across Russia, which
is understandable, said famous political scientist Vafa Quluzade,
assessing possible exclusion of the negotiation process on Nagorno
Karabakh issue from under the control of the OSCE Minsk Group.

"After Russia’s open aggression against Georgia, the relations
between the Kremlin and the White House have extremely cooled",
said the political scientist.

According to him, the OSCE Minsk Group activity has already become a
jest and there is no trust left to this structure. He said, therefore,
the talks about the suspension of the OSCE Minsk Group activity are
becoming more frequent.

As for the Turkish proposal of the idea to create the Caucasus platform
for peace and cooperation, he said the appearance of this structure
may interest the sides which are doing everything possible for the
negotiation process on Nagorno Karabakh conflict to further proceed.

However, he noted that this coalition will also not give anything to
Azerbaijan, like it was in the case of the OSCE Minsk Group. According
to him it is just the next talking shop to promote meetings in Russia
and Turkey and perhaps in Yerevan and Baku.

"I do not rule out that the visits of official Baku representatives
to Yerevan and vise versa will be arranged in the framework of this
project. It will be presented as a proof of serious progress in the
negotiation process. However, no achievements can be expected in the
issue of the return of the occupied lands and we will witness the
next imitation of the negotiation process", said he.

Hürriyet, Turkey
Sept 8 2008

Ertugrul Ozkok: I assumed the Turkish PM would have investigated fraud

One of the suspects in the Deniz Fener case has claimed that he sent
financial aid funds collected from the faithful to the prime minister.

They were presented with a receipt for the amount.

I assumed that the PM would go after the person who made the claim
regarding him.

Bu no, what does he do?

He protects them and launch an attack on us.

More so, he claims we are corrupt.

The faithful thieves exploited the emotional unity of the people. And
the prime minister accuses us of being corrupt.

The German court is judging the case of these emotion exploiters.

But still the prime minister turns to us and says we are `corrupt’.

The German prosecutor says in his indictment that one of the officials
from the organization delivered a portion of the donated funds to the
prime ministry.

He also icludes the document relating to this claim in the file.

The leader of Turkey’s main opposition party exposed the related
documents at a press conference.

In other words, this speech gives moral support to the thieves who
exploited the generous nature of those people who donated funds.

***

I read the news once again.

I tried to understand why the prime minister was so heated up about
this.

What did the indictment that Deniz Baykal make public actually say?

It said that certain individuals, who thought they were being clever,
said that they had transferred funds to the Prime Ministry.

And in return, they received a cash receipt.

Why is Erdogan so enraged?

The prime minister says, `I didn’t take any money’, this means that
the situation is worse for him.

It means that the German swindlers and their Turkish collaborators
orchestrated fraudulent acts and falsely involved the prime ministers
name in it.

Who do you think the prime minister should be standing behind at such
a time?

The thieves of emotions?

Or the newspapers that report of this news?

Logic and conscience would dictate that in this type of situation he
stand by the judges hearing the case and the newspapers and television
stations following it.

If this money was not transferred to the prime minister, before he
focuses his attention on us, should he not make a stand against these
allegations and those who carry out these fraudulent acts and say `how
dare you associate my name in this,’ and file a lawsuit against those
making this association.

Instead what does he do?

He embraces the thieves of conscience and starts hollering at us.

He doesn’t just shout, he humiliates us.

He makes moral statements.

The corruption is not here, it is in Germany, and they used your name
to raise funds from believers.

They are the people that you should be angry at; they are the one’s
who dirtied the water Mr. Prime Minister.

***

Yesterday’s speech revealed once again that the prime minister does
not like being criticized.

The prime minister has no tolerance to his being rejected.

The prime minister has transformed this into a matter of religion
saying, `Our children, our brothers would never commit crimes, our
people would never be involved in corruption.’

He fails to smell the foul stench emanating from certain local
councils and organizations and business circles that show him support.

Our prime minister is accustomed and has become more accustomed to
demanding obeisance.

He likes his surroundings to remain calm and peaceful, and he wants
things to remain inside his circle.

But this era is an era of communication.

Nothing can remain hidden.

If an explanation is not being sought here, it is surely being sought
somewhere else.

While immorality and corruption become localized issues, the rule of
law, seeking explanations and handing out punishments are becoming
global.

Even while the government does everything in its power to silence the
media in Turkey, a legal case outside of their control involving
people from within their sphere begins.

As you see, the wolf can not devour the lamb despite all its excuses.

And a final remark to the prime minister¦

As Turkey prepares for the historic football match taking place in
Yerevan and we all wait in hope of peace.

On such an important day, do you think it is right to steal the lime
light from the president, the Turkish people and the Turkish national
football team?

Agence France Presse, France
Sept 6 2008

Turkish president pays historic visit to Armenia

YEREVAN (AFP) ‘ Turkey’s President Abdullah Gul paid an historic visit
to Armenia on Saturday, seeking to end bitter animosity that dates
back to the killing of Armenians under the Ottoman Empire.

In the first trip by a Turkish head of state to the ex-Soviet nation,
Gul held talks with Armenian counterpart Serzh Sarkisian, after which
the two pledged to overcome decades of enmity.

Both leaders said there was now the "political will" to mend ties
between the two neighbours before heading off together to Yerevan’s
Hrazdan stadium to watch a World Cup football qualifier between their
nations.

But in a sign of the difficult road ahead, Gul’s arrival at the match
and the Turkish national anthem were greeted with loud boos and hisses
by Armenian fans.

"I hope that this visit will create the possibility to improve
bilateral relations," Gul said after his landmark meeting in the
Armenian capital.

Sarkisian declared there is a "political will to decide the questions
between our countries, so that these problems are not passed on to the
next generation."

He also said he had been asked by Gul to attend a return football
fixture in Turkey on October 14 but did not say whether or not he had
accepted.

The two countries — which have no diplomatic relations — have waged
an international diplomatic battle over Yerevan’s efforts to have the
1915-1917 massacre of hundreds of thousands of Armenians recognised as
genocide.

Several hundred angry nationalist protestors lined the route of Gul’s
motorcade as it made its way into the capital from Yerevan airport to
see Sarkisian.

Holding aloft their nation’s flag as well as the emblem of the
nationalist Armenian Revolutionary Federation, they complained
bitterly that Gul was visiting when Turkey refuses to admit genocide.

"We are here because we want to tell the entire world that we do not
forget the genocide of 1915. We will not welcome Gul or any other Turk
until they have recognised the genocide," one protester, Bardasar
Akhpar, told AFP.

At the start of the match, about 80 young protesters gathered at a
monument to victims of the killings in central Yerevan, laying flowers
and lighting torches that they said would burn for the entirety of the
game.

"We want to draw (Gul’s) attention to this monument, so he knows it is
not standing empty and that people have gathered here to show that the
young generation remembers everything," said organiser Airapet
Babaian.

Armenians say up to 1.5 million of their people were killed between
1915 and 1917 in orchestrated massacres during World War I as the
Ottoman Empire fell apart — a claim supported by several other
countries.

Turkey rejects the genocide label and argues that 300,000-500,000
Armenians and at least as many Turks died in civil strife when
Armenians took up arms for independence in eastern Anatolia and sided
with invading Russian troops.

Officials said extra security measures had been employed on Gul’s
airport route and at the match, while local media reported that both
Turkish and Armenian snipers would be training their sights across the
Hrazdan stadium.

Apart from the protesters on the airport road, the streets of Yerevan
appeared calm ahead of the game.

Planeloads of Turkish fans and peace activists had been arriving in
the city since Friday.

"I’m not interested in football at all. In fact, I hate it because of
the nationalism that comes with it," said Ahmet Turkana, a Turkish
activist from a pro-democracy group called Young Civilians.

"But today it’s different. Football is here to unite, not to divide."

Sevak Sahakian, a hotel worker in Yerevan said: "Everyone knows about
it and people are happy because they hope better ties with Turkey will
improve daily life. But people aren’t enthusiastic because they don’t
trust the Turks."

Turkey has refused to establish diplomatic ties with Armenia since the
former Soviet republic gained independence in 1991.

In 1993 Turkey also shut its border with Armenia in a show of
solidarity with its close ally Azerbaijan, then at war with Armenia
over Nagorny Karabakh, an Armenian-majority region in Azerbaijan which
declared independence.

The move dealt a heavy blow to Armenia, an impoverished nation wedged
between Turkey and Azerbaijan in the strategic Caucasus region.

New York Times, NY
Sept 6 2008

Turkey’s President Visits Armenia

By SEBNEM ARSU
Published: September 6, 2008

ISTANBUL ‘ Turkey’s president arrived in Armenia on Saturday, the
first visit by a Turkish leader in the two nations’ history.

The president, Abdullah Gul, was invited by the Armenian president,
Serge Sargsyan, to attend a soccer game in Yerevan, the capital,
between the national teams.

The trip was widely seen as a symbolic gesture to normalize relations
between the countries, which have recognized each other but have not
established diplomatic relations.

The two nations have deeply held disagreements about what is widely
referred to as the Armenian genocide, in which more than one million
Armenians were killed by the Ottoman Army in the early 1900s.

Many Western countries support the genocide designation, but the
official narrative in Turkey is that both Turks and Armenians were
killed in warfare as the Ottoman Empire dissolved.

The issue remains taboo in Turkey; many writers and intellectuals,
including the Nobel laureate Orhan Pamuk, have faced criminal charges
for discussing the events that began in 1915.

The ruling Justice and Development Party of Mr. Gul has proposed,
however, that foreign scholars be allowed to study Ottoman archives to
look into the Armenian claims.

Mr. Gul accepted the invitation to visit Armenia despite heavy public
opposition in each nation. He said that attending the soccer game, a
World Cup qualifying match, was an opportunity to improve ties.

Security was heavy around the stadium in Yerevan, and protesters lined
the streets along his motorcade’s route.

`I hope today’s match will help lift the barriers to closer relations
between two nations that share a common history, and contribute to the
establishment of regional friendship and peace,’ Mr. Gul said at a
news conference before his departure for Yerevan.

After a new government was elected in Armenia this year, relations
between the countries improved; several meetings were held between
Foreign Ministry officials on the two sides.

`Although I cannot go into details, some consensus was reached for the
normalization of bilateral relations,’ said a Turkish Foreign Ministry
official who asked not to be identified, under normal diplomatic
rules.

`Expectations should not be hyped, but the visit is clearly a goodwill
gesture from Turkey,’ the official said.

Russia’s military actions in Georgia, which borders Armenia and
Turkey, have also fostered the rapprochement.

In response to the conflict, Turkey formed a Caucasus Stability and
Cooperation Platform to encourage political and economic links with
five neighboring countries, including Armenia.

On Saturday, Mr. Sargsyan said Armenia and Turkey would work together
to solve regional conflicts. `We are going to resolve the issues and
not pass them on to next generations,’ he said.

Turkey closed its border with Armenia in 1993 after Armenia occupied
Nagorno-Karabakh, a region of Azerbaijan, Turkey’s close ally and
energy provider in the region. The border remains closed, and economic
and trade ties are scant.

The main opposition party in Turkey condemned Mr. Gul’s decision to
visit Armenia, criticizing him for unilaterally compromising on
foreign political interests.

Given Turkey’s stance on the genocide dispute, as well as its energy
deals with Azerbaijan, the trip qualified as a modest start to
expanding relations, said Cengiz Aktar, a political scientist at
Bahcesehir University in Istanbul.

`Only through such organizations and close contact can people know and
learn about each other and grow conscious of taboo issues that were
left unspoken for years,’ Mr. Aktar said. `It is good that today’s
young people are willing to question and learn beyond what has been
dictated to them.’

The Turkish team won the soccer match, 2-0.

PanARMENIAN.Net

Azeri Democratic Party: Turkey always betrayed Azerbaijan
05.09.2008 18:50 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Turkey has always pursued its own objectives, an
Azeri politician said.

In the beginning of last century it changed 3 military blocs. First,
it was a member of the Entente and fought against Italy, then it
joined the Tripartite Alliance and fought against the Entente. When
these two blocs collapsed, Turkey threw itself into Russia’s arms,"
said Sardar Jalaloglu, head of the Democratic Party of Azerbaijan.

Turkey always betrayed Azerbaijan. "It started was against Safavids
and then surrendered our republic in early 20th century. Now Gul goes
to Armenia. It’s in Turkey’s habit to betray Azerbaijan. We should not
be surprised but should build our policy to avoid cataclysms," he
said, 1news.az reports.

GEORGIA-RUSSIA CONFLICT ‘WAS COSTLY’

PRESS TV
Sept 4 2008
Iran

A study by the Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies
says the Georgian-Russian conflict has cost Tbilisi about $2.8 billion.

The amount is equivalent to 2 billion euros according to the institute
also known as ‘WIIW’ which published the report on Wednesday.

The report said the final figure takes into account the material
damage, which the Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili had estimated
as well as future losses in production, exports and investment,
AFP reported.

"Georgia has experienced a real boom in recent years, noticeably from
the construction of an oil and gas pipeline. (But) investor confidence
risks being dented following the crisis," said Vasily Astrov, one of
the report’s authors.

Astrov added that violence could return to the unstable region,
namely the Nagorny Karabakh area which is close to the area where an
oil pipeline is located.

The report also noted that the crisis might put at risk an EU project
to avoid Russia for natural gas supplies because of investors’ concern
over the reliability of Georgia as a transit country for gas supplies
into Europe.

The EU is hoping that the construction of a 3,300 Km pipeline, running
from the Caspian Sea through the Caucasus via Turkey and the Balkan
states to Austria will reduce its dependence on Russian supplies.