PRESIDENT OF ARMENIA TO TAKE PART IN INAUGURATION CEREMONY OF VIKTOR YANUKOVICH
ArmInfo
2010-02-23 12:19:00
ArmInfo. President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan will take part in the
inauguration ceremony of President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovich,
press-secretary of the Armenian president Samvel Farmanyan told
ArmInfo correspondent.
To note, the inauguration ceremony will be held on 25 February.
Saribek Sukiasian: `They want to snatch our business’
2/19/saribek-sukiasian
06:34 pm | February 19, 2010 | Politics
Today charges were filed against Saribek Sukiasian, Chairman of Arm
Armeconombank Board, under Article 133 of the RA Criminal Code
(involvement in a group conspiracy to take the life of another from
mercenary motives) which envisages prison sentence up to 3-5 years.
"I refused to sign any document as they are groundless. This is a
trumped-up case," Saribek Sukiasian announced today.
"They simply want to snatch our business (Byuregh Ltd) from our hands
and smear our good name. The political motives are evident. I want to
inform everyone that they cannot break our will by chasing the
Sukiasians family and filing unfounded charges against us. I hope it
doesn’t reach the point when we are forced to disclose the names of
all those in the group of bandits. We only follow a business
perspective in all we do," said Mr. Sukiasian.
Saribek Sukiasyan, the younger brother of pro-opposition businessman
and former MP Khachatur Sukiasyan, was detained for 72 hours last
Friday on suspicion of illegally possessing a gun and threatening to
kill Audit Ltd. Director Gor Davtyan.
GDP UP 2.4% FOR JAN 2010 IN ARMENIA
ArmInfo
2010-02-19 13:37:00
ArmInfo. GDP in Armenia was up 2.4% for Jan 2010 versus the same
period of 2009, whereas comparing to December 2009, GDP fell 60.5%. to
149.5 bln AMD ($394 mln), the National Statistical Service of Armenia
reported. GDP index deflator grew 10.5% for Jan.
Industrial sector grew for Jan 2010 6.5% and fell 28.9% versus
December 2009. Industrial produce amounted to 53.7 billion drams
($142.1 million) or 36% of GDP (ArmInfo) as of February 1 2010.
Industrial price index for January grew 39.7% and 4.1% as compared to
December. Electricity generation for Jan 2010 grew 3.7% and fell 3.2%
versus December to 542.2 million KWh. In January agricultural sector
was up 3.1% whereas it fell 64/4% versus December. Agricultural
produce in early February 2010 amounted to nearly 15 billion drams
($39.1 million). Construction scales fell 10.7% for Jan and 87.2%
versus December 2009 amounting to 9.8 billion drams or $26.1 million.
Retail trade for January was left unchanged – 61.6 billion drams
($163.1 million), whereas comparing to December this sector fell
66.1%. Services provided to the population were down 2.2% for Jan and
51.6% in Jan versus Dec amounting to 47.8 billion drams ($127 million).
Foreign turnover was up 14.8% over Jan 2010 whereas comparing to
December it fell 31.7% to $296.4 mln or 114 bln drams. In the structure
of foreign turnover, export grew 57.5% for Jan whereas comparing to
December it fell 26.9%. Import was up 8.3% for Jan and down 32.7%
in Dec.
Inflation in Armenia was up 1.7% in Jan versus Dec and 7.0% in Jan
2010 versus Jan 2009. The official exchange rate of the Armenian dram
and US dollar averaged 377.53AMD/$1USD.
ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RESOLUTION TO HARM NORMALIZATION WITH ARMENIA, ANKARA SAYS
ArmInfo
2010-02-19 15:52:00
ArmInfo. Passage of the Armenian genocide resolution by a
U.S. congressional panel early next month would hinder normalization
efforts with Armenia, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said,
Turkish mass media report.
Speaking to reporters following a joint press conference with Burkina
Faso Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Cooperation Bedouma
Alain Yoda, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said the issue
was taken up in detail during Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Feridun
Sinirlioglu’s meetings in Washington this week.
"We are exerting efforts for a comprehensive peace in the Caucasus,"
said Davutoglu, referring to Turkey’s initiative to normalize ties
with Armenia. He warned, however, that attempts such as passing a
genocide resolution would harm this objective and called for such
initiatives to come to a halt, within reasonable limits.
The issue was also discussed during Davutoglu’s telephone conversation
with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, according to diplomatic
sources who said Washington was informed of the resolution’s potential
to harm bilateral relations with the United States.
JEWELRY SALESMEN HOLD A RALLY IN FRONT OF ARMENIAN GOVERNMENT BUILDING
ArmInfo
2010-02-18 16:15:00
ArmInfo. The protest action of jewelry salesmen is taking place in
Yerevan in front of the Armenian government building.
The participants in the rally, in particular, are complaining at
the actions of the tax service employees, which yesterday arrested
the jewelry that belong to salesmen so that to get taxes from them,
which were not foreseen before that. According to the participants
in the rally, besides the payments which they make on the basis
of the cheques, tax employees require to pay the fixed 14,5 thsd
drams and the tax for property. Representative of the governmental
administration, Aleksandr Kazaryan, promised participants in the rally
that a representative of the State Income Committee will receive them.
We have not yet managed to get commentary on the matter from
press-service of State Income Committee.
ARMENIANS WANT TO GAIN DIVIDENDS FROM NEGOTIATIONS ON KARABAKH
news.az
Feb 18 2010
Azerbaijan
Rasim Musabeyov The Azerbaijani political scientist has commented on
signing a military agreement between France and Armenia.
"I do not think that the military agreement signed between Armenia and
France is of great importance. Despite the emotional statements of
the Armenian side, it is not even close to the military cooperation
that we have with Turkey", said political scientist Rasim Musabeyov,
commenting on the recent signing of a military agreement between
France and Armenia.
"Merely, Armenians want to attach a special important to this agreement
to gain dividends during negotiations on Karabakh where there is a
definite document that must be signed by the parties, while Armenians
are trying to avoid this by such maneuvers", Musabeyov said.
As for the reason Azerbaijan does not want to sign a full scale
military agreement with Turkey, the political scientist said this issue
has been on the agenda for long but Turkey seems to be unwilling to
assume such a responsibility in a fear of possible implications.
FLASHPOINT RECIPE: MIX RUSSIA, ISLAM, BORDER WAR
World Net Daily
p;pageId=125273
Feb 17 2010
Editor’s Note: The following report is excerpted from Joseph Farah’s
G2 Bulletin, the premium online newsletter published by the founder
of WND. Subscriptions are $99 a year or, for monthly trials, just
$9.95 per month for credit card users, and provide instant access
for the complete reports.
U.S. military experts say the "most likely flashpoint" in Eurasia has
become the Caucasus, a strategic location that is grabbing intelligence
attention because of the prospect of a border war between Armenia and
Azerbaijan, a conflict that not only could draw in Russia but also
Islamic interests there, according to a report from Joseph Farah’s
G2 Bulletin.
U.S. Director for National Intelligence Dennis Blair, in an annual
threat assessment, called unresolved conflicts in the Caucasus "the
most likely flashpoint" in the Eurasia region.
"Moscow’s expanded military presence in and political-economic
ties to Georgia’s separatist regions and sporadic low-level violence
increase the risk of miscalculation or overreaction leading to renewed
fighting," Blair said.
At the same time, Blair has warned of the likelihood of another
Armenian-Azerbaijani war over the disputed, largely populated Armenian
Nagorno-Karabakh region inside Azerbaijan.
He attributes the increase in tensions to the recent U.S.-backed
effort to get Armenia and Turkey to re-establish diplomatic relations.
Keep in touch with the most important breaking news stories about
critical developments around the globe with Joseph Farah’s G2 Bulletin,
the premium, online intelligence news source edited and published by
the founder of WND.
"Although there has been progress in the past year toward
Turkey-Armenia rapprochement, this has affected the delicate
relationship between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and increases the risk
of a renewed conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh," Blair said.
Ironically, it was the U.S. which began two years ago to work with
Turkey and Armenia to re-establish diplomatic relations, culminating
in the signing last October of two protocols that normalized their
relationship after centuries of being at odds with each other.
At the same time, the Armenian-Turkish rapprochement has caused
a serious breach between Azerbaijan and the U.S., and has all but
ruptured relations between Azerbaijan and Turkey.
This rapprochement also has pushed Azerbaijan closer to Russia which
similarly encouraged the historic Armenian-Turkish diplomatic thaw
with the ulterior motive of winning over Azerbaijan as a source of
oil for its South Stream pipeline project. It worked.
Azerbaijan, which condemns the agreements between Armenia and Turkey,
is concerned that the recognition will discourage Armenia from finding
a compromise solution to Nagorno-Karabakh.
While any military attacks appeared slim prior to the agreements,
events since then have altered the U.S. intelligence community’s
outlook and there now is concern there could be renewed war between
Armenia and Azerbaijan.
These belated concerns on the part of the U.S. intelligence community
of recognizing the unresolved conflicts in the Caucasus as a military
flashpoint have been reported for almost the past two years by the
G2 Bulletin.
That worry about a flashpoint stems from the fact that Russia is
reasserting itself in the Caucasus to form a buffer between its
borders and the rising level of radical Islam, especially in the
North Caucasus.
For the complete report and full immediate access to Joseph Farah’s
G2 Bulletin, subscribe now.
TURKS BLACKMAIL SWEDES AVERTING GENOCIDE RESOLUTION IN RIKSDAG
news.am
Feb 16 2010
Armenia
Turkish parliamentary delegation being in Sweden expressed concern
over the introduction of resolution on Armenian and Assyrians Genocide
perpetrated by Turks to Swedish Parliament.
Turkish MPs gave warning to their Swedish colleagues about consequences
of resolution adoption, namely that it might affect Turkey-Sweden
relations, as well as hinder Armenia-Turkey Protocols’ ratification
in Turkish Parliament.
According to Turkish Zaman, Swedish authorities are reluctant to
have this document considered in Riksdag and tend to send it to
historians’ committee. However, authorities’ efforts to impede the
resolution adoption are not welcomed in the Parliament. Nonetheless,
the source says that Swedish Parliament rejects numerous similar
projects each year.
Riksdag schedules to consider and put to vote resolution on Genocide
against Armenians and Assyrians by Turks within two weeks.
TURKISH FM: OSCE MG MUST STRENGTHEN ITS ROLE
Trend
Feb 15 2010
Azerbaijan
The issue of enhancing OSCE Minsk Group’s role in resolution of the
Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict was one of the main
topics of the discussions among Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and U.S. Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton in Qatar, CNN Turk reported referring to diplomatic
sources.
At the meeting, which mainly focused on Tehran’s enrichment of uranium
to 20-percent, the Turkish side has also touched the situation in
the Caucasus. Davutoglu pointed to the need to strengthen the OSCE
Minsk Group’s role in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 surrounding districts.
Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The
co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group – Russia, France, and the U.S. –
are currently holding the peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council’s four
resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh region and the
occupied territories.
Erdogan also raised the issue of the Turkish-Armenian reconciliation.
According to him, the Armenian Constitutional Court’s amendments to the
protocols signed between Ankara and Yerevan, could adversely affect the
incipient process of normalization of the bilateral relations. Turkey,
in turn, is making every effort to establish diplomatic relations
between the countries, Erdogan added.
Turkish and Armenian foreign ministers, Ahmet Davutoglu and Edward
Nalbandian, signed the Ankara-Yerevan protocols in Zurich Oct. 10.
After signing of the protocols, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan has repeatedly stated that the further development of relations
between the two countries is directly linked to the solution of
the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, despite the absence of the item in
the protocols.
Jan.12, 2009, the Armenian Constitutional Court approved the
compliance of the Ankara-Yerevan protocols with the Armenian
Constitution. However, after the approval the court reported that
creation of a joint commission to study the 1915 events is unnecessary
and Armenian will never refuse from the demand to recognize the
genocide.
TURKISH MP: ARMENIA STAGES DIRTY CAMPAIGN TO GIVE OFFICIAL STATUS TO ITS CLAIMS AGAINST TURKEY
Today
620.html
Feb 15 2010
Azerbaijan
Day.Az interview with Secretary of the Turkey’s Grand National Assembly
(parliament), MP from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK
Party) Fatih Metin.
The reservations the Armenian Constitutional Court made to the
Armenia-Turkey protocols caused a crisis in the normalization process
between the two countries. How all this reached this point?
>From its first days in power, the AKP set a goal to improve relations
with its neighbors in the region in an effort to create a zone of
peace and cooperation and therefore wanted to normalize relations
with Armenia to help it to come out of isoation. This process started
not as a result of external pressure, but because it was an internal
desire. We wanted the problem to be resolved not by disputes and wars,
but treaties and agreements. The Zurich protocols were signed as part
of this policy.
The signing of the protocols posed some problems. The Armenian Diaspora
and opposition actively opposed this rapprochement. They voiced a need
for adding some items to the protocols which were actually directed
against Turkey. Serzh Sargsyan was forced to succumb to this pressure
by Armenia and its diaspora. To help Sargsyan to get out of the hard
situation, Constitutional Court adopted these protocols with a unique
commentary dividing the process into stages and thus changing essence
of the document contrary to Turkey’s interests. They thought that
Turkey would take their claims unquestioningly. But Turkey has its own
dignity and its own political objectives. Ankara could not agree with
such hypocrisy and so warned Armenia and the countries of non-mediators
of inadmissibility of changes in an already signed document.
You said that the protocols were possible thanks to Turkey’s desire.
But some Turkish MPs, including those who represent the ruling party,
are convinced that Turkey did so as a result of pressure from the U.S.
and the EU …
Of course, the EU and U.S. interests were involved this regard and
they informed Turkey about their desires. But nobody can force Turkey
to accept what it does not want to do. Turkey is a country with its
own weight in the world. It has serious levers of influence on ongoing
processes in the Middle East. Neither the U.S. nor the EU would have
dared to force Turkey to make concessions to Armenia. Turkey took
into account its interests and rules of the game in the world in
this process.
Armenia claims that rapprochement with Turkey does not allegedly
imply a solution to the Karabakh conflict …
President, Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Turkey have
repeatedly expressed our country’s position on this issue, so there is
no need to repeat it. If you remember, they stated that they inform
the Azerbaijani leadership about all details of the Armenian-Turkish
talks. Turkey wanted to declare beginning of the process by these
protocols.
Turkey has problems with Armenia not only on the Karabakh, but also
on other issues. You know that Armenia refuses to recognize Gyumri and
Kars treaties that determine the border between Armenia and Turkey, as
well as the status of Nakhchivan. It puts official claims to Turkey’s
territory. Armenia stages a dirty campaign to give legal status to its
claims against Turkey. As a result, many world media outlets know the
Mount Agri as Ararat. Armenians have always claimed that Noah’s Ark
is on Mount Ararat, and is a "sacred place" taken away from them by
Turks. Russia’s geographic sources have long shown the Mount Agrı
within Armenia’s borders. Armenia shows Anatolia as "Western Armenia".
Turkey does not forget about these facts. Turkey decided to close
the border with Armenia because of the occupation of Karabakh and
surrounding areas. The Turkish Government has always stressed that the
reasons that caused the closure have not yet been eliminated. Given all
these, opening the border with Armenia is a step contrary to Turkey’s
interests and disrespect of our country to its decisions. The Turkish
people will never forgive this to government.
The U.S. and the EU leadership, not knowing about Turkey’s refusal
to adopt the Armenian Constitutional Court decision, again called on
Ankara to ratify the protocols …
Frankly, it is impossible to explained these calls by U.S. and EU by
any logic. All attribute this to the regional energy projects. It is
alleged that the tension in Armenian-Turkish relations is an obstacle
to regional peace processes and energy security. It arises quite an
interesting question- Is ignoring interests of Azerbaijan, which is a
significant regional energy power, not an obstacle to energy security?!
It is believed that the U.S. and EU are trying to achieve
neutralization of Armenia in case of military intervention in Iran.
Armenia has very good relations with Iran and today Armenia lives
with the help of Iran. So, I do not believe that Armenia will
spoil relations with Iran for the sake of something. Even after the
normalization of relations with Turkey Armenia will not trust us as it
trusts Iran. In addition, Russia has its own this interests in this
process. In the most appropriate time Armenia will express position
of neither Americans or Europeans, but that of Russians.
The upcoming February 26 will mark 18 years since the Khojaly
genocide. Is the Turkish parliament going to recognize Khojaly massacre
as genocide?
I hesitate to say whether this matter will be brought up for
discussions in the Turkish Parliament this year or not. Actually
unprecedented vandalism and a crime against humanity occurred in
Khojaly. The perpetrators of Khojaly events have no right to talk
about "genocide of the Turks against the Armenians. Unfortunately,
our neighbor try to design of brazen lies as truth for centuries.