Author: Jilavian Emma

OPPOSITION GIVES CONDITIONAL SUPPORT TO ARMENIA PROTOCOLS

Today’s Zaman
Sept 16 2009
Turkey

Opposition leaders support steps taken by the government to normalize
relations with Armenia, but they have certain conditions that they
want followed in order to continue their support, recent talks Foreign
Minister Ahmet Davutoglu had with opposition politicians have revealed.

Turkey and Armenia agreed in late August to start internal political
consultations with protocols on the establishment of diplomatic
ties and the development of bilateral relations. Foreign Minister
Davutoglu has been speaking with leaders of political parties
represented in Parliament and those who garnered more than 1 percent
of the total vote in general elections as part of his domestic
consultation process. The opposition supports normalization but
has three conditions for reopening the border with Armenia. These
are Armenia’s recognition of the 1921 Treaty of Kars with the USSR
that defines the Turkish-Armenian border, its withdrawal from the
Nagorno-Karabakh region and giving up its claims that the Ottomans’
forced deportation of Armenians in 1915 amounted to genocide.

Davutoglu told opposition leaders that Armenia’s recognition of
Turkey’s border is a part of the process, adding that Yerevan would
formally recognize the Treaty of Kars. He also reminded leaders that
the protocol calls for a study of the 1915 events by historians.

Davutoglu, who started his tour this week on Tuesday, has so far talked
with the Republican People’s Party (CHP), the Democratic Left Party
(DSP), the Grand Unity Party (BBP), the Democrat Party (DP) and the
Felicity Party (SP).

Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli has rejected
Davutoglu’s request for a meeting, saying he should explain the details
of the Armenian Protocol at a general assembly session in Parliament.

The first leader Davutoglu met with was SP Chairman Numan KurtulmuÅ~_,
who relayed the message that his party does not think it would be right
to reopen the Turkish-Armenian border, closed in 1993, before Armenia
ends the occupation of the Azeri region of Nagorno-Karabakh and warned
the government not to take any steps that might offend Azerbaijan.

The CHP’s three conditions CHP leader Baykal in his meeting with
Davutoglu emphasized that the CHP would support opening the border
with Armenia only on three conditions, which are Armenia’s ending
its refusal to recognize the 1921 Treaty of Kars and ratify it in
Parliament, ending the occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh in line with
UN Security Council resolutions and give up pushing for recognition
of the 1915 incidents as genocide on the international agenda. Baykal
expressed his opinion that Armenia’s claims of genocide of Armenians
at the hand of Turks were poisoning the relationship between the two
countries. Baykal stated that as long as these three conditions are
met, the CHP would support more steps than just opening the border.

Similar requests were expressed by DSP leader Masum Turker, who also
noted that pressure from the EU and US on opening the Turkish-Armenian
border was a mistake. Speaking to Today’s Zaman on the issue,
Turker said: "Turkey has always been respectful of its neighbors’
territorial integrity, whereas Armenia still demands land from Turkey,
even sometimes in official documents. Despite the fact that Turkey
recognizes the Treaty of Kars signed with Russia, the Armenian side
says even if the protocol is ratified and the border reopened, it
will not recognize the Treaty of Kars. Those who are pressuring us
to open the border should make sure that Armenia respects Turkey’s
territorial integrity."

Recalling that the initial talks have been Swiss-mediated, Turker
said this was a mistake. He said the Swiss Federal Parliament has
recognized the 1915 incidents as genocide, and underlined that they
had filed a lawsuit against Turkish politician Dogu Perincek for
denying the genocide in Swiss territory. "Switzerland is a side in
this issue. The talks being held under the mediation of a country that
has already chosen its side has weakened its position here. It would
have been much better if these talks had taken place under mediation
of a neutral country."

INFORMATION FOR THE PRESS ON THE MEETING BETWEEN DEPUTY MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND AMBASSADOR PLENIPOTENTIARY AND EXTRAORDINARY OF ARMENIA TO GEORGIA

Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Sept 14 2009
Georgia

On 14 September 2009, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia,
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia Alexander Nalbandov met
with Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of
Armenia to Georgia Hrach Silvanyan at the latter’s request.

During the meeting the sides discussed a wide range of issues of
bilateral relations and problems and prospects of regional cooperation
between Georgia and the Republic of Armenia.

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON GENOCIDE, INTERNATIONAL LAW CONCLUDES IN BEIRUT

international-conference-on-genocide-international -law-concludes-in-beirut/
September 9, 2009

BEIRUT-A two-day international conference on "The Armenian Genocide and
International Law," organized by Haigazian University and the Armenian
National Committee of the Middle East (ANC-ME), concluded on Sept. 4.

The conference drew in 13 experts in genocide and international law
from the U.S., Canada, Switzerland, Ireland, Armenia, Turkey, the
United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and Lebanon, who joined more than 80 local
political scientists, activists, sociologists, historians, religious
leaders, educators, international correspondents, journalists, and
students in addressing the consequences of the Armenian Genocide and
promoting a fair perspective through international law.

It covered such topics as genocide denial and recognition, Turkish
nationalism, and the politics of denial, as well as the economic
aspect of the genocide and the issue of lands and assets. Within the
framework of international law, the conference discussed the general
topic of genocide and crimes against humanity, retribution, and the
preservation of the Armenian cultural heritage.

More specifically, Dr. George Charaf (University of Lebanon) lectured
on the problem of minorities and majorities, discussing the case
of the Ottoman Empire. Dr. Ugur Ungor (University of Sheffield)
talked about demographic engineering in the Ottoman Empire and the
genocide. Dr. Mohammad Rifaat (University of Alexandria) discussed
the Armenian Question according to Arab sources. Dr. William Schabas
(National University of Ireland) discussed the problems and prospects
of the genocide and international law, 60 years after the International
Genocide Convention. Dr. Alfred De Zayas (Geneva School of Diplomacy
and International Relations) elaborated on the issues of justice
and international law regarding the genocide. Khatchig Mouradian
(Ph.D. student, Clark University) lectured on the Armenians, Raphael
Lemkin, and the UN Convention. Dr. Taner Akcam’s paper, entitled
"Turkish Nationalism and the Armenian Genocide Issue in Turkey Today,"
was presented in absentia. Dr. Ragip Zarakolu (vice president, Human
Rights Association of Turkey) tackled the issue of genocide denial
and law in Turkey.

In the same context, Dr. Seyhan Bayraktar (University of Zurich)
covered the evolution of Armenian Genocide denial in the Turkish
press. Bilgin Ayata (PhD. Candidate, John Hopkins University) discussed
Kurdish-Armenian relations and the Armenian Genocide. Dr. Roger
Smith (professor emeritus of government, College of William
and Mary) lectured on professional ethics and the denial of the
Armenian Genocide. Dr. Henry Theriault (Worcester State College)
discussed restorative justice and alleviating the consequences of
genocide. And finally, Dr. Richard Hovannisian (UCLA) covered the
issue of universalizing the legacy of the Armenian Genocide.

The sessions were moderated by Dr. Arda Ekmekji, Dr. Naila Kaidbey,
Giro Manoyan, Dr. Rania Masri, Dr. Joseph Bayeh, Dr. Ohannes Geukjian,
Antranig Dakessian, and Dr. Haig Demoyan. Conference organizers have
announced that the presentations will be published in a volume.

Rev. Dr. Paul Haidostian, the president of Haigazian University, said
that such conferences keep the genocide issue alive and add to the
increasingly growing international momentum toward recognition. "The
topic of genocide, and this conference in particular, will hopefully
open the door to further academic studies and research, activating
deeper study in the economic, social, and legal aspects of inter-state
relations," he said.

"The Armenian Genocide is not simply an Armenian problem but
essentially an international burden," he added. "The victim carries
a strong sense of ownership of pain, but human civilization cannot
be considered as highly developed if it does not embrace a sense of
advocacy for the victimized."

Haidostian spoke about four key points. First, "that injustices
of any nation against any other nation are part of the same human
manifestation of evil that require joint and effective global
action." Second, "that this international conference convenes in a
country, Lebanon, which continues to be a unique land of dialogue and
culture despite the ever-present seeds of misunderstanding." Third,
giving the example of Haigazian University, and more specifically
the name of Armenag Haigazian, a victim of the genocide, Haidostian
emphasized that "our calling has been and continues to be standing
up for new life not only for Armenians but especially for our Arab
brothers and sisters, and really, all people of the world." Finally,
Haidostian explained that given the fact that the conference was being
held at a university no academic community can be value-neutral. "A
university may be a neutral medium of dialogue, but it is essentially
a forum of passion for deeper knowledge, responsibility, and
enlightenment."

In her message, Vera Yacoubian, the executive director of the ANC-ME,
spoke about the efforts of the ANC in highlighting the Armenian
community’s role throughout the Middle East, its coexistence with
surrounding Arab and Islamic communities, and its efforts in addressing
the Armenian Cause.

Yacoubian expressed hope that the conference would provide a
significant breakthrough in analyzing the Armenian Genocide, as it
brought together a large group of specialists in the arena of genocide
and international law.

Regarding Turkish-Armenian relations, Yacoubian noted, "We cannot
ignore or disregard recent developments and address these pending
issues without resolving past history between the two nations. Indeed,
Turkish-Armenian relations carry the heavy burden of the Armenian
Genocide and there is high level of doubt and mistrust regarding
Turkish intentions."

Yacoubian concluded by questioning Turkey’s responsibility towards
acknowledging the Armenian Genocide and the future of the Armenian
Cause.

Marios Garoyan, the president of the House of Representatives of
Cyprus, gave the inaugural speech at the conference on Sept. 2. His
presence as the guest speaker, he said, was driven by his country’s
"commitment to international law, peace, security, and stability,
but also the determination to continue to condemn, on every possible
occasion, any infringement of international law by acts of genocide."

"On the one hand, governments and parliaments should act together
and closely cooperate in terms of assessing the progress made with
regard to the implementation of the United Nations Convention on
the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide and identify
measures to be taken at all levels," he said. "On the other hand, it
is the states that must cooperate for the prevention and punishment
of those responsible for the crime of genocide."

Garoyian questioned Turkey’s role as mediator, peacemaker, and
peacekeeper in the wider Middle East, while Turkey continues to deny
the truth of the crimes perpetrated by its Ottoman predecessors.

He noted that Cyprus has always stood by the Armenian people in their
struggle for the recognition of the Armenian Genocide. In 1975, the
Cyprus House of Representatives was one of the first parliaments in
the world to adopt a resolution calling the atrocities inflicted upon
the Armenians "genocide." Garoyian added that Cyprus and its people
have many more reasons to understand the injustice of the genocide
due to "the implementation of Turkey’s policy of ethnic cleansing
against Cyprus’ population during the 1974 invasion and the continuing
occupation of 37 percent of Cyprus’ territory."

Among the capacity audience were Minister Alain Tabourian, representing
the Lebanese president, Michel Suleiman; parliament member Hagop
Pakradouni, representing the parliament speaker, Nabih Berry;
Minister Jean Oghasabian, representing the president of the Council
of Ministers, Fouad Sanioura; parliament member Sebouh Kalpakian,
representing the appointed president of the Council of Ministers,
Saad Rafic Hariri; parliament member Shant Chinchinian; ambassadors
of the United Kingdom, Cyprus, Uruguay, and the Czech Republic; the
president of the Union of Armenian Evangelical Churches in the Near
East, Rev. Megrdich Karagozian; the Prelate of the Armenian Apostolic
Church of Lebanon, Bishop Kegham Khatcherian; the president of the
Armenian Protestant community in Syria, Rev. Haroutune Selimian;
representatives of embassies, Armenian and Lebanese political parties,
and cultural associations; former members of parliament; ministers;
religious leaders; and guests of the conference.

The inaugural session of the conference took place at the hall of the
First Armenian Evangelical Church of Beirut. Public lectures by some
of the participants of the conference took place during the first
week of September.

ADVICE TO PARLIAMENTARIANS

try15162.html
12:47:19 – 14/09/2009

The head of the ARF Dashnaktsutyun parliamentary faction Vahan
Hovhannisyan said today that respecting the parliamentary members,
he advises them to think whether there will not be any question on
bearing responsibility when they state that there is no question on
ratifying the Armenian-Turkish protocols.

UN SECRETARY GENERAL INTERESTED IN KARABAKH ISSUE

Information-Analytic Agency NEWS.am
Sept 11 2009
Armenia

11:59 / 09/11/2009Permanent Representative of Armenia to UN Karen
Nazaryan presented his credentials to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

In the course of meeting, the officials discussed Armenia’s involvement
in the UN and its priorities, as well as the cooperation of RA
Government with UN office in Armenia.

Nazaryan expressed satisfaction with the pace programs are fulfilled
by UN agencies and funds in Armenia, as well as attached critical
importance to the assistance of RA governmental institutions and NGOs
to UNDP projects development for 2010-2015.

UN Secretary General pointed out that UN Armenian office will be guided
by Millennium Development Objectives and priority issues for Armenia.

The parties touched upon the negotiations on Karabakh conflict
settlement and Armenian-Turkish relations’ normalization process.

HERITAGE PARTY EXCLUDES MEMBERS

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
10.09.2009 21:27 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Heritage party held Wednesday a meeting during which
activities of party members, political secretary Vardan Khachatryan,
Zoya Tadevosyan and Movses Aristakesyan were slammed as destructive.

By a unanimous decision, all three were excluded from the party.

IMF SEES SLOWDOWN IN RATE OF ECONOMIC DECLINE IN ARMENIA

Interfax, Russia
Sept 10 2009

Specialists from the International Monetary Fund believe the rate of
decline in the Armenian economy is slowing, Nienke Oomes, the IMF’s
permanent representative in Yerevan, told journalists on Wednesday.

Oomes said Armenia has made it through the most difficult part of the
crisis and the decline in GDP should be lower at the end of the year
than the 18.5% decline seen over the first seven months of 2009.

The IMF is still updating its forecasts for Armenian GDP in 2009,
but the fund expects the economy to contract 10%-15% and average
annual inflation of 3%, she said.

Positive trends are being seen in the activities of Armenian mining and
metals companies due to a considerable increase in global copper and
molybdenum prices. In addition, the national currency’s devaluation
against the U.S. dollar is also having a positive effect on the
country’s export capabilities, she said.

Oomes also said the IMF believes the Armenian budget deficit will be
lower than the earlier approved forecast of 7.5% of GDP.

In late June, the IMF lowered its forecast for the decline in
Armenian GDP in 2009 to 9.5% from 5%. Oomes said the IMF does not
expect the Armenian economy to contract by more than 10% this year,
although a great deal will depend on global trends, specifically oil
and metals prices.

The World Bank has predicted Armenian GDP will contract 12%-14%
this year and inflation will total 6%. The World Bank had previously
forecast a GDP decline of 9%-11% and inflation of less than 3%.

The Armenian Finance Ministry forecasts the economy will decline
10%-15% in 2009 and inflation will be 4%. In June, the Central Bank
released a forecast predicting a 7%-8% decline in GDP.

that-rewrites-the-history-of-man-1783861.html

A skull that rewrites the history of man

It has long been agreed that Africa was the sole cradle of human evolution.
Then these bones were found in Georgia…
By Steve Connor, Science Editor
Wednesday, 9 September 2009

skull-that-rewrites-the-history-of-man-1783861.htm l?action=3DPopup

One of the skulls discovered in Georgia, which are believed to date
back 1.8 million years One of the skulls discovered in Georgia, which
are believed to date back 1.8 million years The conventional view of
human evolution and how early man colonised the world has been thrown
into doubt by a series of stunning palaeontological discoveries
suggesting that Africa was not the sole cradle of
humankind. Scientists have found a handful of ancient human skulls at
an archaeological site two hours from the Georgian capital, Tbilisi,
that suggest a Eurasian chapter in the long evolutionary story of man.

The skulls, jawbones and fragments of limb bones suggest that our
ancient human ancestors migrated out of Africa far earlier than
previously thought and spent a long evolutionary interlude in Eurasia
– before moving back into Africa to complete the story of man.

Experts believe fossilised bones unearthed at the medieval village of
Dmanisi in the foothills of the Caucuses, and dated to about 1.8
million years ago, are the oldest indisputable remains of humans
discovered outside of Africa.

The story of humans unravels

But what has really excited the researchers is the discovery that
these early humans (or "hominins") are far more primitive-looking than
the Homo erectus humans that were, until now, believed to be the first
people to migrate out of Africa about 1 million years ago.

The Dmanisi people had brains that were about 40 per cent smaller than
those of Homo erectus and they were much shorter in stature than
classical H. erectus skeletons, according to Professor David
Lordkipanidze, general director of the Georgia National
Museum. "Before our findings, the prevailing view was that humans came
out of Africa almost 1 million years ago, that they already had
sophisticated stone tools, and that their body anatomy was quite
advanced in terms of brain capacity and limb proportions.

But what we are finding is quite different," Professor Lordkipanidze
said. "The Dmanisi hominins are the earliest representatives of our
own genus – Homo – outside Africa, and they represent the most
primitive population of the species Homo erectus to date. They might
be ancestral to all later Homo erectus populations, which would
suggest a Eurasian origin of Homo erectus."

Speaking at the British Science Festival in Guildford, where he gave
the British Council lecture, Professor Lordkipanidze raised the
prospect that Homo erectus may have evolved in Eurasia from the more
primitive-looking Dmanisi population and then migrated back to Africa
to eventually give rise to our own species, Homo sapiens – modern man.

"The question is whether Homo erectus originated in Africa or Eurasia,
and if in Eurasia, did we have vice-versa migration? This idea looked
very stupid a few years ago, but today it seems not so stupid," he
told the festival.

The scientists have discovered a total of five skulls and a solitary
jawbone. It is clear that they had relatively small brains, almost a
third of the size of modern humans. "They are quite small. Their lower
limbs are very human and their upper limbs are still quite archaic and
they had very primitive stone tools," Professor Lordkipanidze
said. "Their brain capacity is about 600 cubic centimetres. The
prevailing view before this discovery was that the humans who first
left Africa had a brain size of about 1,000 cubic centimetres."

The only human fossil to predate the Dmanisi specimens are of an archaic
species Homo habilis, or "handy man", found only in Africa, which used
simple stone tools and lived between about 2.5 million and 1.6 million
years
ago.

"I’d have to say, if we’d found the Dmanisi fossils 40 years ago, they
would have been classified as Homo habilis because of the small brain
size. Their brow ridges are not as thick as classical Homo erectus,
but their teeth are more H. erectus like," Professor Lordkipanidze
said. "All these finds show that the ancestors of these people were
much more primitive than we thought. I don’t think that we were so
lucky as to have found the first travellers out of Africa. Georgia is
the cradle of the first Europeans, I would say," he told the meeting.

"What we learnt from the Dmanisi fossils is that they are quite small
– between 1.44 metres to 1.5 metres tall. What is interesting is that
their lower limbs, their tibia bones, are very human-like so it seems
they were very good runners," he said.

He added: "In regards to the question of which came first, enlarged
brain size or bipedalism, maybe indirectly this information calls us
to think that body anatomy was more important than brain size. While
the Dmanisi people were almost modern in their body proportions, and
were highly efficient walkers and runners, their arms moved in a
different way, and their brains were tiny compared to ours.

"Nevertheless, they were sophisticated tool makers with high social
and cognitive skills," he told the science festival, which is run by
the British Science Association.

One of the five skulls is of a person who lost all his or her teeth
during their lifetime but had still survived for many years despite
being completely toothless. This suggests some kind of social
organisation based on mutual care, Professor Lordkipanidze said

DAVUTOGLU: TURKEY AIMS TO CHANGE THE REGION’S GEOPOLITICAL AND GEO-ECONOMIC PANORAMA

armradio.am
07.09.2009 16:29

Europe and Turkey are working towards "Peace roads" project
realization, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu stated.

"A highway network will go through Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkey
to Europe," Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu stated to Sabah
Turkish newspaper before leaving for Georgia.

"This will be the first global project between Azerbaijan, Armenia
and Turkey. Turkey aims to fully change the region’s geopolitical and
geo-economic panorama," Sabah Turkish newspaper cited the Minister
as saying.

DigiTec Expo 2009 to be held in Yerevan on October 2-4

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 4, NOYAN TAPAN. DigTec Expo 2009 entitled "Your
Digital Future" will be held at Karen Demirchian Sport and Concert
Complex in Yerevan on October 2-4. According to the press service of
the Union of Information Technology Enterprises (UITE), the exhibition
aims to contribute to the extension of international links and the
establishment of new business relations among the organizations in
information and communication and high-tech sectors, business consumers
and society.

More than 50 Armenian and international organizations participate in
the exhibition every year. This year the startups have been
particularly active: their number is expected to exceed ten, which may
help create a small venture forum within the framework of the
exhibition later.

DigiTec Expo 2009 will include a special corner of mobile services
where the companies will display their solutions in the Armenian
market. The general sponsor Ucom company will present the opportunities
of providing high quality and easy access Internet services, IP
television, IP phone connection. Visitors can familiarize themselves
with the new services provided by ADC company – Digitec Expo’s official
sponsor.

An open competition of robots (Armrobotics) and a series of seminars
will be conducted during DigiTec 2009.