Author: Jalatian Sonya

Today, Azerbaijan
Dec 19 2009

Armenian FM says Turkey should not interfere in resolution of
Nagorno-Karabakh conflct

19 December 2009 [11:25] – Today.Az

`If Turkey wants the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict to be settled, it
should not interfere in this process’, Amenian Foreign Minister Edward
Nalbandyan said at a meeting with a group of Turkish journalists.

He said Turkey’s interference in Nagorno-Karabakh issue does not
contribute to resolution process, but impedes it.

"The world community including Armenia say that there is no link
between Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and Turkey-Armenia rapprochement.
The OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs have stated on many occasions that
these are two different processes with no links. Linking them
threatens both processes’.

Nalbandyan also noted that Ankara’s statements that Armenia must
demonstrate good will in settlement process of the conflict were
groundless.

"If there hadn’t been such will, so many meetings between Azerbaijani
and Armenian presidents wouldn’t have been held," the minister noted.

/APA/

URL:

KARAMIAN BROTHERS’ TEAM -ROMANIAN TIMISOARA GAIN ONLY VICTORY IN EUROPA LEAGUE TEAM EVENT

PanARMENIAN.Net
18.12.2009 15:01 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Romanian Timisoara football club, which includes
Arman and Artavazd Karamians of Armenia, gained a 2:1 victory over
Dinamo Zagreb. Still, despite the victory, Timisoara bottom Group A
list with 5 points to their score.

Anderlecht (Belgium) and Ajax (Netherlands) are currently leading in
Group A list.

GLOBAL CRISIS HINDERS PUTIN TO VISIT ARMENIA

News from Armenia – NEWS.am
17:57 / 12/14/2009

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin intended to visit Armenia,
however financial crisis made him change his plans, RA Prime Minister
Tigran Sargsyan told journalists on December 14, 2009.

According to him, Russian Premier’s plans remain in force, however
the terms are yet unclear. "Each day global crisis brings about new
changes, but there is no doubt over his intention," Sargsyan outlined.

Tigran Sargsyan invited his Russian counterpart to pay an official
visit to Yerevan within the framework of his visit to Moscow in
February end, 2009.

Hovhannes Davtyan takes 5th place in Grand slam tournament
12.12.2009 16:10 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian judo wrestler, silver medalist of 2007
Europe championship and bronze medalist of 2009 World championship,
started performance at Grand Slam tournament on December 11.

Hovhannes Davtyan, a special participant, is the only wrestler
representing Armenia in the tournament.

Defeated by a Korean wrestler after 2 victories, the Armenian wrestler
took the 5th place in Grand slam tournament.

In tournament’s team event, Armenia shares the 14th place with teams
from Belgium, Byelorussia, China, France, Iran, Italy, Morocco and
Mongolia. The tournament will be completed on December 13.

Armen Nersisyan: True faith not need advertising
05.12.2009 17:47 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "Mental disorders caused by sects are obvious and
long-proven. When injected into the sect the human changes the
behavior, indifference and aggression appear, a person begins
collecting money for the sect. In fact, sects are business behind a
spiritual shell," Armen Nersisyan, doctor of medical sciences told a
press conference in Yerevan.

According to him, the main mechanism to hold people in the sect is
construction of dependency on the sect, as well as the feeling of
guilt. According to him, the leader of the sect controls every action
of the sectarians. People involved in the sect lose their personal
qualities, will and independence. When a person tries to leave the
sect he or she may experience problems such as psychosomatic illness,
visual and auditory hallucinations, and finally a sudden death. They
may say they had seen God or heard his voice. People trapped in the
sect are not affected by medication.

Psychologist Karine Nalchajyan stressed that there were 70 sects in
2003 in Armenia, involving some 300 thousand people. The leaders of
these sects actively monitor the treatment and rehabilitation measures
by psychologists and psychotherapists and quickly adjust their methods
of agitation. In her view, the fight against sects should be
implemented systematically through combined forces of church and
state.

"True faith does not require advertising. And look, how actively
sectarians advertise their organizations. If honor our traditions,
respect our true faith, there will be no place for the sects in our
society, " Mr. Nersisyan concluded.

Interfax, Russia
Dec 3 2009

Armenian-Russian JV to be set up to build energy unit for NPP

YEREVAN Dec 3

The government of Armenia on Thursday approved the decision to set up
an Armenian-Russian joint venture, on a parity basis, to build a new
power-generating unit for the Armenian nuclear power plant.

The joint venture’s charter capital is 60 million dram (about
$156,000), said Armenian Energy and Natural Resources Minister Armen
Movsisian.

The Armenian energy and natural resources ministry will contribute 30
million dram to the project from the proceeds of the ministry’s
generating companies. Russia is represented by Atomstroyexport,

The government also approved an appraisal by the Worley Parsons
management company, which suggests that the projected Armenian power
generating unit will have a Russian-made 1060 megawatt reactor.

The reactor’s service life is 60 years. It has a European safety certificate.

The Armenian government signed a $459.7 million contract in 2008 with
the Worley Parsons consortium, the managing company of the project.

Construction will begin in 2012 and the power-generating unit is to be
commissioned before 2017. The currently operating power generating
unit is to be shut down by this time.

The dram is tied to the dollar at 385.6/$1.

OSCE TALKS SOLIDARITY, NAGORNO-KARABAKH

United Press International UPI
Dec 3 2009

ATHENS, Greece, Dec. 3 (UPI) — The 56 members of the Organization
for Security and Cooperation in Europe expressed concern in Athens
that force is still seen as an option to end conflicts.

The foreign ministers from the OSCE adopted a measure on European
security dubbed the Corfu Process during a ministerial council meeting
in Athens.

The ministers in their declaration expressed concern "that the use
of force has not ceased to be considered as an option in settling
disputes; that the danger of conflicts between states has not been
eliminated, and armed conflicts have occurred even in the last
decades."

The Minsk group of the OSCE, led by France, Russia and the United
States, is leading peace negotiations aimed at settling the conflict
of the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Armenia and Azerbaijan went to war over Nagorno-Karabakh in the early
1990s following the collapse of the Soviet Union. Ankara and Yerevan,
however, signed protocols aimed at repairing diplomatic relations at
an October summit in Zurich, Switzerland.

The OSCE in its security statement said it was optimistic that those
developments would lead to peace.

"We are convinced there is today a real opportunity to build a
future of peace, stability and prosperity for the entire region,"
the statement said.

"VOCH" COALITION CALLS ON HIGH COURT TO DECLARE PROTOCOLS UNCONSTITUTIONAL

Asbarez
Dec 3rd, 2009

YEREVAN (Eurasia.net)-Fourteen Armenian opposition parties, united
under the banner of the "No To Protocols" Campaign, have appealed
to the country’s Constitutional Court seeking a ruling that would
declare Yerevan’s rapprochement agreement with Turkey unconstitutional,
the RIA Novosti news agency reported Thursday.

A statement signed by opposition representatives, led by the Armenian
Revolutionary Federation and the Heritage Party, argues that the
Armenian-Turkish protocols threaten Armenia’s constitutional order
and runs counter to national interests.

The Armenian National Congress, the large opposition bloc led by
ex-President Levon Ter-Petrosian, did not join the appeal. Earlier in
November, Ter-Petrosian delivered a speech to his supporters saying
he was ready to cooperate with President Serzh Sarkisian.

The "Voch" coalition held a meeting at the Erebouni business center
on Tuesday to discuss future activities and effort. At the conclusion
of the meeting an announcement was issued calling on the National
Assembly to not ratify the protocols with their current wording and
urging all Armenians to oppose the effort by signing a petition being
circulated by the opposing forces.

Meanwhile, the ARF has announced it plans on suing the Armenian
Government over the unconstitutionality of the protocols. The party
hopes the lawsuit will provide the Constitutional Court grounds to
reject the protocols as unconstitutional.

President Sarkisian submitted the protocols, subject to parliamentary
approval both in Armenia and Turkey, to Armenia’s Constitutional Court
on November 29 for a review of their compliance with the Constitution.

The No To Protocols Campaign has also launched an online petition,
which allows Armenians to express their opposition to the protocols
by sending direct web-faxes to members of Armenia’s Parliament. The
petition can be found HERE.

"SOUTH STREAM" THREATENS "NABUCCO"

Panorama
15:49 03/12/2009

The Gazprom-ENI South Stream project is seen as a competitor to the
EU’s Nabucco pipeline and its commissioning term is also nearly
identical to its EU-favoured rival. Until now, Nabucco and South
Stream’s capacities were considered identical, making South Stream
potentially more interesting. Ariel Kohen, the head of international
energy security affairs of "The Heritage Foundation" of Eurasia and
Russia told 1news.az that Nabucco has been withdrawn by South Stream.

Regarding friendly relations of Russia and Azerbaijan, decline of
Turkey-Azerbaijan gas agreement "Nabucco" turned to be under threat.

It’s believed that Turkey wants Iran to join Nabucco, a plan which
the West dislikes. To conclude it’s evident that Russia has more
successful position over world gas projects due to South Stream.

TURKISH FRIEND IN U.S CONGRESS TO BE REPLACED BY PRO-ARMENIAN CONGRESSMAN

Trend
s/foreign/1592649.html
Dec 3 2009
Azerbaijan

Veteran of the faction on Armenian Issues Bill Delahunt will replace
chairman of the Subcommittee on Europe of the U.S. Congress and a
prominent supporter of Turkey Robert Wexler.

Wexler, a senior member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs,
as well as co-chairman and founder of the Turkish faction will leave
the U.S Congress in late 2009. He will hold the position of President
of the Center for Peace and Economic Cooperation in the Middle East,
the representation of the subcommittee told Trend News.

The subcommittee on Europe monitors U.S. policy towards Turkey,
Azerbaijan, Armenia and other European and Eurasian countries.

U.S Armenians welcome replacement. Delahunt during the last vote in
2007 supported the adoption of the resolution on "Armenian genocide"
in the House of Representatives.

According to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, his priorities in
foreign policy, is to improve U.S-Russian relations and work on common
interests of the United States and Europe, such as energy security
and climate change.

During the last two years, Delahunt protested against rendering
economic and military support to Georgia, objecting to the
confrontation with Russia at the hearings in Congress.

"We still need to restore our ties with Europe," Delahunt said
yesterday, commenting his appointment.

He stressed that the ties between the United States and Europe must
be based on mutual respect and cooperation to counter the global
challenges of the 21-st century.

Congressman Wexler has worked in the Committee on Foreign Affairs of
the House of Representatives from the date of his election to Congress
in 1997. Since then he has actively supported the close cooperation
of the United States with a number of countries, including Azerbaijan.

He has recently presented a draft legislative act, which envisages
the cancellation of the Jackson-Vanik amendment towards Azerbaijan.

Abolition of the amendment will normalize trade relations with
Azerbaijan, which is subjected to restrictions of the Jackson-Vanik
as the post-Soviet state.

Wexler thinks that that Azerbaijan, as a strategic partner of the
United States on security and energy, has already fulfilled its
obligations to promote freedom of emigration and the Congress must
abolish the Jackson-Vanik restrictions on the country.

"I strongly support the abolition of the Jackson-Vanik amendment
towards Azerbaijan, one of U.S most important strategic allies in the
Caucasus region, which has fulfilled all obligations to respect freedom
of emigration. It continues to execute them," the congressman said.

As a chairman of the subcommittee on Europe, Wexler worked to
strengthen the transatlantic alliance, establish relations in the
security and economy with the European Union and the European countries
and aid in economic and political development of the former Soviet
Union’s countries.

Wexler will continue his work in Azerbaijan and Turkey holding a new
position of president of the Center for Peace and Economic Cooperation
in the Middle East.

The Center is a private, nonprofit organization established in 1989.

Its main objective is to achieve just and comprehensive peace that
will put an end to military conflicts.

The Center’s activity includes visits to the region, diplomatic
exchanges, the study of public opinion, organizing of conferences