Author: Kalashian Nyrie

Hurriyet, Turkey
Jan 22 2010

A few simple questions to the General Staff and the government

Friday, January 22, 2010
CENGÄ°Z Ã?ANDAR

Daily Taraf rocked the agenda with the `Sledgehammer Plan’ the other
day. Therefore, a one-of-a-kind brutal `scenario’ has been revealed.
Aftershocks still continue.

Each aftershock is like a bomb on its own. Explosions come one after the other.

The then commander of the first 1st Army during the `Sledgehammer’
period, retired Gen. Ã?etin DoÄ?an issued a statement to the Web site
t24.com.tr. He keeps appearing on TV programs for some more remarks
but I think his first statement is the most accurate one:

`The war games, plan drills and seminars are a natural part of a
review process in the Turkish Armed Forces [or TSK]. The TSK is
obliged to protect the Republic of Turkey against any kind of internal
and external threats as stated in the Constitution. As part of the
task of protecting the country against internal threats, the TSK
conducts military drills at different levels. A related-protocol was
signed with the Interior Ministry when I was the chief of the
Operation Unit. Internal threats include not only separatist actions
but also religious backwardness. In this context, the Security and
Law-and-Order, or EMASYA, plans were naturally discussed in seminars.’

This is what DoÄ?an said.

He is a familiar name, a familiar face. He is the one who was holding
press briefings during the Feb. 28 `post-modern military coup’ period.
For two days now, he has been lamenting over an enormous pressure and
censorship that we have not faced in Turkey since the Sultan
Abdülhamit II. He is talking about civilian tutelage. However, he is
speaking freely. I don’t see any pressure and censorship applied.
Plus, retired generals and their civilian partners are on TV programs
all the time.

One of the latest shocking news published by Taraf is about the media.
A list of 36 journalists who were supposed to be detained and another
list of journalists who were supposed to be used by the military were
already published by Taraf. The slain Armenian-Turkish journalist
Hrant Dink and I are on the former. A total of 137 media members were
listed. But key positions in the media are still occupied by these 137
journalists. If the media is to shed a light on scandals of the near
past, the names included in this `infamous scenario’ are already
controlling the media today.

For this reason, it is unrealistic to expect anything from the media
if we want to find the truth.

***

As a matter of fact, the General Staff issued a statement on the
`Sledgehammer Security Operation Plan’ that we read in the media.

The General Staff statement reads that various claims and assessments
were made regarding the `Plan Seminar’ held March 5-7, 2003 by the 1st
Army Commandership, but that the said seminar was included in the
General Staff’s Military Exercises Program for 2003-2006.

`The aim of the seminar is the training of personnel and development
of operation plans against external threats. It was held in the frame
of a scenario covering a tension period. A possible state of war, the
Army Rear-Area Security and martial law in case of a possible war were
also dwelled upon during the seminar. Claims made about the seminar
are unacceptable by people in their right mind and conscience.

`Taking these claims seriously and making comments on the seminar
causes information pollution and that could help to raise social
tension in particular,’ continues the statement.

As we put DoÄ?an’s remarks together with that of the General Staff, the
picture is getting worrisome. For as far as I understand this is an
`imaginary scenario’; I mean a sort of brain storming.’ This is not an
`application plan.’

But what is worse is that the document gives clues about the TSK’s
mentality and what the TSK members are focusing on.

We are talking about an imaginary scenario mentioning about bombing
Fatih and Beyazıt mosques, creating chaos nationwide, filling 200,000
people in stadiums (reminiscent of the fascist military coup in Chile
in 1973, giving names of journalists who will either be detained or be
used, and of planes to be shot and blaming the government for all
that, asking the new government to include some certain political
figures in the Cabinet.

Taraf held a 5,000-page document in hand, plus tape recorders full of
information, and originals of the documents obtained.

Could we ignore all these and say: `This is just a scenario. It is
imaginary. It is not for practice. Besides, The TSK makes protection
plans against internal threats (DoÄ?an said so, for instance). EMASYA
protocol requires preparations. And similar scenarios are normal in
preparatory stage’?

Here is a simple question to the General Staff: `You say `Any man in
his right mind and conscience cannot believe any of these claims.’ But
this is not the point. Any man in his right mind and conscience cannot
accept any of these. That’s correct. However, are these nothing but
just claims or are they some items included in the scenario prepared
for the seminar? Which is it? Does the scenario include any of these
claims or not?’

That’s the question.

And shall we ignore this question just because it is said to be an
`imaginary scenario’?

***

Obviously, the issue goes deeper than it seems. It is about the notion
of `internal threat.’ It is about improper implementation of the
`National Security Political Document,’ and about the EMASYA, a
product of the Feb. 28 process. It is about arbitrary interpretation
of the `Internal Services Ordinance.’

It is about Turkey, about whether or not it should survive under a
`military tutelage’ or lean on `democratic legitimacy’ of the `elected
civilian authority.’ Will Turkey be governed by `secret’ documents
that are based on no legal foundation? Will the EMASYA remain in
force? Who is making assessments over `internal threats,’ according to
what, and how he dares to do it? Could a `National Security Political
Document’ that is not supervised by Parliament represent an `internal
threat’?

These questions should be asked to the government directly. Because
today’s government is the so-called `internal threat’ because of the
`religious backwardness’ claims as part of the `Sledgehammer Security
Operation Plan’ which is said to be an `imaginary scenario.’

4 SKIERS TO REPRESENT ARMENIA AT WINTER OLYMPICS ANNOUNCED

PanARMENIAN.Net
22.01.2010 19:31 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ At Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Repeated RA champion
Arsen Nersisyan and Ani Serebryakyan, who recently joined Armenian
team, will represent Armenia at downhill skiing championship.

As Armenian Skiing Federation Secretary General Gagik Sargsyan told
PanARMENIAN.Net reporter, skiing championship will host 17-year-old
Sergey Mikayelyan, who recently won Armenian champion~Rs title and
Kristine Khachatryan, who won participation in Olympics, having
scored the highest points in accordance with FIS (International Ski
Federation) rating.

Cross-country skiing (commonly abbreviated XC skiing) is a winter sport
in which participants propel themselves across snow-covered terrain
using skis and poles. It is popular in many countries with large
snowfields, primarily Northern Europe, Canada, Alaska and the upper
midwest United States. Skiing can also be done indoor in ski tunnels.

Cross-country skiing is part of the Nordic skiing sport family, which
also includes ski jumping, and a combination sport of cross-country
skiing and ski jumping called Nordic combined. Free-technique
cross-country skiing is also the method of locomotion in the
combination sport of Biathlon, which adds rifle marksmanship to
skiing. Another combination sport is ski-orienteering, which adds
the skill of map navigation along snow trails and tracks.

Related sports are Backcountry skiing and Telemark skiing. The Ski
touring article provides an overview of different ski styles and
techniques.

FORUM 18 NEWS SERVICE, Oslo, Norway

The right to believe, to worship and witness
The right to change one’s belief or religion
The right to join together and express one’s belief

========================================== =====
Thursday 21 January 2010
AZERBAIJAN: NAKHICHEVAN AUTHORITIES CRACK DOWN ON ASHURA COMMEMORATIONS

Authorities in the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhichevan warned employees of
state enterprises and students not to attend mosque during Shia Muslim
commemorations of Ashura in December, local human rights activist Malahat
Nasibova told Forum 18 News Service. She said she had seen plain clothes
police officers turning away young men from a Nakhichevan city mosque. A
massive crackdown in the Nakhichevan village of Bananyar the day after
Ashura saw dozens detained, including some in psychiatric hospital, though
it is not clear if this was official punishment for their Ashura
commemoration or to prevent potential opposition. Parliamentary deputy
Ismail Hajiev denied to Forum 18 any crackdown in Bananyar, adding: "All
mosques in Nakhichevan are working normally." Nasibova also said three
young men who attended the Turkish-built Sunni mosque in Nakhichevan city
were detained for 15-days in November and told to go to a Shia mosque
instead. Forum 18 notes that small Adventist and Baha’i minorities have
already been forced out of Nakhichevan.

AZERBAIJAN: NAKHICHEVAN AUTHORITIES CRACK DOWN ON ASHURA COMMEMORATIONS

By Felix Corley, Forum 18 News Service <;

The authorities in the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhichevan prevented young
men from attending mosques to commemorate the Shia Muslim festival of
Ashura on 26 and 27 December, local human rights activist Malahat Nasibova
complained. "I was at one of the mosques in Nakhichevan city to mark Ashura
and saw with my own eyes young lads being turned away by plain clothes
police and told to go home," she told Forum 18 News Service from
Nakhichevan city on 21 January. "Most of those present were women or older
men." She said that employees of state enterprises had been warned at work
not to attend Ashura commemorations, as had students. She added that apart
from in a few villages in Nakhichevan, commemorations were confined to
mosques and were not allowed on the streets.

Nasibova’s comments came amid continuing debate over why the authorities
launched a massive crackdown in the village of Bananyar in Nakhichevan’s
Julfa District on 28 December, the day after some 2,000 villagers had held
a mass Ashura commemoration. Many villagers were detained and a number were
held for several days in psychiatric hospitals. The village was sealed off
by Interior Ministry troops as well as police, the Azerbaijani press
reported.

Nasibova – who heads the Democracy and NGO Development Resource Centre –
believes the Nakhichevan authorities are trying to prevent crowds from
gathering and would have cracked down whether it had been a religious or a
political meeting. "This was a violation of freedom of assembly and freedom
of religion," she told Forum 18.

The Day of Ashura, the tenth day of the month of Muharram, is for Shia
Muslims a day of mourning. The Azerbaijani authorities have banned Muslims
from beating themselves with whips until the blood flows and banned the
import of whips from Iran and other countries. They have instead organised
blood donor sessions at larger mosques.

The Bananyar crackdown

Press reports, as well as Nasibova and Baku-based human rights activist
Saadat Bananyarli (whose grandfather was from the village), say police did
not intervene during Ashura commemorations on 26 and 27 December. However,
on 28 December they arrested about five participants and non-participants
and took them to the police station at a nearby village, questioning them
about their participation in the Ashura commemoration. Some of those held
were beaten, Bananyarli quoted residents as telling her.

Relatives, mainly women, went to the police station trying to find out what
had happened to those the police had detained and to call for their
release. "They too were intimidated," Bananyarli told Forum 18. Yunis
Aliev, the son of one of the detainees, then threatened to douse himself in
petrol and set himself on fire. When police told him to go ahead and do so,
he did. Relatives and the police then doused the flames, though not before
Aliev had sustained serious burns. In early January he was transferred to a
hospital in Tabriz in neighbouring Iran, where Bananyarli said he is
recovering and is now able to talk to relatives.

As a number of villagers remained in detention, on the night of 4 to 5
January Interior Ministry troops moved into Bananyar. "It was a punitive
measure," Bananyarli told Forum 18. "People were detained, some in their
night clothes. If they refused to open the door the troops just broke it
down." She estimates up to 150 people were held, with women being freed
some three days later and then most of the men. The village was sealed off.

Nasibova told Forum 18 that about seven of those detained were held in
psychiatric hospital. She added that they were not forcibly treated with
any harmful drugs and are all now free. She said it is not the first time
the Nakhichevan authorities have detained people in psychiatric hospitals
as punishment. "We have a custom not to put people in prison but in
psychiatric hospital."

After publicity about the crackdown in the Azerbaijani media in early
January and a visit to Baku by representatives of the families, who visited
the office of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe
(OSCE) and the Human Rights Ombudsperson’s Office, the Interior Ministry
troops were withdrawn. However, police control of the village remained
tight.

Norwegian and United States’ diplomats tried to visit Bananyar on 13
January but, as a statement on the Royal Norwegian Embassy website noted
the following day, "a group stopped their vehicle as it entered the
village, verbally threatened them and forced them to leave before any
contacts with village residents were made". The two embassies called for a
full investigation into the incidents in the village.

The heads of the two embassies were summoned to the Foreign Ministry on 15
January, where according to the Turan agency Deputy Foreign Minister Vagif
Sadikhov accused their diplomats of violating the Vienna Convention on
Diplomatic Relations.

Nasibova said she had heard earlier on 21 January that all but one of the
detainees have now been freed.

Bananyar was known for its Islamic devotion even during the Soviet period,
Bananyarli told Forum 18. Many natives of the village return there during
Ashura to be with their families.

Some speculate that local tensions were as much behind the authorities’
desire to crack down as religious issues, pointing out that several
opposition Popular Front activists – who appear not to have participated
prominently or at all at the Ashura commemoration – were detained. Some
believe that the crackdown and detentions were timed for Ashura as this was
when many people would be present in the village.

But even those who believe the crackdown was motivated by an official
desire to suppress potential political opposition or clan rivals point out
that this could make villagers afraid to commemorate Ashura or other
religious festivals so prominently in Bananyar in future.

Official denials of crackdown and restrictions

Officials denied to Forum 18 that any crackdown had taken place in Bananyar
or that Muslims had been pressured or prevented from attending Ashura
commemorations in Nakhichevan. "Nothing happened in Bananyar," member of
the Azerbaijani parliament from Julfa and member of its human rights
committee Ismail Hajiev told Forum 18 from Nakhichevan on 21 January.
"Everything is normal there. All mosques in Nakhichevan are working
normally." Asked about the mass detentions in Bananyar, he responded: "It’s
not true. Only journalists said this. A normal person never tells lies."

Forum 18 was unable to reach anyone at the Nakhichevan Interior Ministry on
21 January. The same day, a colleague of Idris Abbasov, the senior
Religious Affairs official in Nakhichevan, said that he was out of the
office and that no-one else could answer Forum 18’s questions.

The telephone of Ali Alizade, the head of the Nakhichevan Department of
Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry, went unanswered the same day. However, an
official of the Political Department there, who asked that his name not be
given, insisted to Forum 18 that "no-one was arrested because of Ashura".
He said an investigation is still underway, but believed the problems were
caused by an individual "who had personal problems". The official said
visiting foreign diplomats visiting Nakhichevan "are hosted well" and said
he did not know what had happened to the Norwegian and US diplomats.

Equally insistent that "nothing happened" in Bananyar is Mirjafar Seidov,
Nakhichevan’s Chief Mufti since late 2009. "Diplomats and journalists say a
lot," he told Forum 18 from Nakhichevan city on 21 January. "Nakhichevan is
a good place. The government is very good." He then put the phone down
before Forum 18 could ask why the authorities also restricted access to
Ashura commemorations elsewhere in the exclave.

The Nakhichevan exception

Nakhichevan – an exclave wedged between Armenia, Iran and Turkey – is an
Autonomous Republic of Azerbaijan. However, it often appears to operate as
an independent entity not subject to control from the government in the
Azerbaijani capital Baku even though its political leader, Vasif Talybov,
is a relative by marriage of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliev.

Human rights activists and journalists have long complained that
Nakhichevan is even more authoritarian and restrictive than the rest of
Azerbaijan. Opposition political parties and non-governmental organisations
have been crushed or face severe restrictions, while journalists have been
harassed.

Religious policy is run locally, not from Baku. Faik Farajov, an assistant
to Religious Affairs official Abbasov, told Forum 18 in December 2009 that
the compulsory re-registration required of all religious communities across
Azerbaijan in the wake of the highly restrictive new Religion Law does not
apply in Nakhichevan. Elchin Askerov, the Deputy Chair of the State
Committee for Work with Religious Organisations in Baku, told Forum 18 on
21 January that Abbasov reports directly to Nakhichevan’s Supreme Soviet,
not to his Committee. He added that he did not know if re-registration is
being undertaken in Nakhichevan or not.

The Nakhichevan authorities have cracked down hard on small communities of
Seventh-day Adventists and Baha’is. Farajov of the Religious Affairs Office
told Forum 18 that no non-Muslim communities exist. "The Adventists and
Baha’is have all left," he claimed, insisting that "of course" they would
be allowed to function (see F18News 21 December 2009
< e_id=1389>).

Farajov said the approximately 250 mosques in the exclave are all Shia,
with the exception of one Sunni mosque in Nakhichevan city. The Turkish
Consulate General in Nakhichevan confirmed to Forum 18 on 21 January that
the Sunni mosque had been built with Turkish government funding, "but it
belongs to Nakhichevan". One imam from Turkey serves at the mosque "as a
missionary sent by the Turkish government", the Consulate General added.

Sunni mosque worshippers imprisoned for 15 days?

Three young men who attended the Sunni mosque in Nakhichevan city were
arrested in November 2009 and sentenced to 15 days’ detention, human rights
activist Nasibova told Forum 18. She said they were probably punished on
charges of hooliganism but which were in reality aimed at discouraging them
from attending the mosque. "They were told to attend the Iranian [i.e.
Shia] mosque instead," she said. "Many people are afraid to visit the
mosque now."

Forum 18 has been unable to confirm the detentions independently. The
Turkish Consulate General declined to comment. "Even if we had such
information we would not comment on it," an official told Forum 18.

The official of the Foreign Ministry Department in Nakhichevan told Forum
18 he had no information on the reported detentions. Parliamentary deputy
Hajiev told Forum 18 he had not heard of any detentions. (END)

For a personal commentary, by an Azeri Protestant, on how the international
community can help establish religious freedom in Azerbaijan, see
< _id=482>.

For more background information see Forum 18’s Azerbaijan religious freedom
survey at < 1192>.

More coverage of freedom of thought, conscience and belief in Azerbaijan is
at <; religion=all&country=23>.

A compilation of Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe
(OSCE) freedom of religion or belief commitments can be found at
< id=1351>.

A personal commentary on the European Court of Human Rights and
conscientious objection to military service is at
< id=1377>.

A printer-friendly map of Azerbaijan is available at
< s/atlas/index.html?Parent=asia&Rootmap=azerba& gt;.
(END)

© Forum 18 News Service. All rights reserved. ISSN 1504-2855
You may reproduce or quote this article provided that credit is given to
F18News

Past and current Forum 18 information can be found at

3 CROSS STONES, RUINED BY AZERBAIJAN, RE-CREATED

Aysor
Jan 18 2010
Armenia

Varazdat Hambardzumian, a sculptor and a Cross Stones master,
who recently has presented his works at the Moscow exhibition,
told journalists that nearly 10,000 Cross Stones were killed off in
Azerbaijan’s Jugha (Juga).

He said, using computer graphics, he could re-create designs for
three destroyed in Azerbaijan Cross Stones. Besides, he said is
going to open a Cross Stones School and has already sent a proposal
to Armenian government. Varazdat Hambardzumian said hopes to receive
an adoption for his proposal and will contribute to upkeeping of this
ancient Armenian tradition – Armenian people’s prayer, as he called
Armenian Cross Stones.

AZERBAIJANI LEADER: TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY THE BASIS FOR KARABAKH SETTLEMENT

news.az
Jan 18 2010
Azerbaijan

Ilham Aliyev "The Karabakh issue will be settled within the framework
of the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan", President Aliyev has said.

The way to resolve the Karabakh conflict has already been decided
and the principle of territorial integrity has been taken as a basis,
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said on Monday at a cabinet session
on the country’s socioeconomic development in 2009.

"I think this formula may be decisive in the Karabakh conflict
settlement. The issue will be settled within the framework of the
territorial integrity of Azerbaijan," Aliyev said.

"The Armenian occupying forces must be withdrawn from all the occupied
lands and our compatriots must return there," Aliyev said. "Security
measures must be taken and in the future the Azerbaijani and Armenian
communities of Nagorno-Karabakh must live within Azerbaijan in
conditions of high autonomy. This is our position. And the territorial
integrity of Azerbaijan recognized by the international community
must be restored."

PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Contact: V.Rev.Fr.Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Director
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E- mail: [email protected]
Web:

PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon

Watch our latest videos on YouTube here:

HIS HOLINESS ARAM I RECEIVES A DELEGATION REPRESENTING THE PROTESTANT
CHURCHES IN EUROPE

On Wednesday 13 January 2010, His Holiness Aram I received in his office a
delegation of 15 persons representing different protestant denominations in
Europe. The delegation had come to Lebanon to take part in a meeting
organized by The Fellowship of the Middle East Evangelical Churches, which
is an association of the Evangelical (Protestant) churches in the Region.
Bishop Nareg was also present to receive the guests. Several members of the
delegation who knew His Holiness personally, wanted to know from him issues
related to Christian presence and witness in the Middle East. In his
response, His Holiness emphasized the importance of cooperation among
churches and said that it was important to listen to the local churches.

##
View the photos here:
tos/Photos428.htm#8
*****
The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of
the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the history and
the mission of the Cilician Catholicosate, you may refer to the web page of
the Catholicosate, The Cilician
Catholicosate, the administrative center of the church is located in
Antelias, Lebanon.

Mechitarist Monastery in Vienna
Mechitaristengasse 4
A-1070 Vienna
AUSTRIA
Fax: +43/1/523 64 17 111
E-Mail: [email protected]

FACSIMILE OF CODEX 543 OF THE MECHITARIST CONGREGATION IN VIENNA
The Mechitarist congregation (an Armenian-Benedictine Order) will be
celebrating the bicentenary of its foundation in Vienna in 2011. To mark
the occasion, the Vienna monastery — one of the largest centres of
Armenian culture outside of Armenia — will present the facsimile of an
invaluable manuscript: Codex 543 from the monastery’s own library.

THE MANUSCRIPT
The small-format manuscript — one of the finest and most beautiful of
Armenian manuscripts dating back to the 15th century — measures 135×85
mm, has 240 pages and was set down in 1432 at the Armenian Monastery of
Saint Anthony near Caffa on the Crimean peninsula in the Black Sea. The
manuscript contains several writings by Catholicos Nerses IV Shnorhali
(1102-1173), including his opus magnum "Jesus, Son Only-Begotten of the
Father", a sublime elegiac poem.

CATHOLICOS NERSES IV. SCHNORHALI
Nerses Shnorhali (the Gracious) descended, on his mother’s side, from
the noted princely Armenian family of Pahlavuni which had given the
country several statesmen but also 7 catholicoi (head bishops of the
Armenian Church) who succeeded each other from 1065 to 1202.
Catholicos Nerses Shnorhali -theologian, poet and musician- became an
industrious writer in the field of theology, poetry, hymn, homily,
prayers, sacred music, lettres, educational writings, parables, riddles,
etc.
He was a pioneer of church union. After many years of preparation
(correspondence and meeting with Byzantine Emperor Manuel I, Patriarch
Michael and Prince Alex), he hoped to accomplish the union with the
Greek Church, but did not have the time to carry it through.

MINIATURES
(The following description is taken from the book by H. and H.
Buschhausen, Die Illustrierten Armenischen Handschriften der
Mechitaristen-Congregation, Wien, 1976)
Codex 543 comprises "11 full-page miniatures, 11 text-inserted
miniatures, 24 border miniatures, 3 decorated pages, 3 title bars,
zoomorphous and vegetal border decoration as well as swash letters…"
"Taken as a whole, the small codex presents itself as an illuminated
manuscript of delicate, meticulous beauty."

THE COMMENTARY
The facsimile manuscript is accompanied by a commentary in Armenian,
German, English, French and Russian.

THE FACSIMILE EDITION
Two versions of the Codex 543 facsimile will be published as limited
edition: RESEVATION are open till March March/April 2010.

Automobile clashes with passenger carriage in Armenia
17.01.2010 15:38 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ On January 16, 3:15 p.m. local time, an automobile
came into a clash with an electric train on Artashat-Aygevan highway.
As the South Caucasian Railways (SCR) CJSC reported to
PanARMENIAN.Net, the passenger carriage heading from Artashat was en
route to Yerevan under the supervision of driver Ye. Voskerchyan when
it collided with a Mercedes vehicle The accident left 3 car passengers
dead.

`SCR once again stresses the importance of state government bodies,
educational institutions and driving schools’ involvement explanation
of traffic rules,’ the company says in a release.

The South Caucasian Railways CJSC is a 100% daugther company of
Russian Railways CJSCS . Under a concessionary agreement dated
Febraury 13, 2008, Armenian Railways CJSC was handed over to SCR’s
concessionary management. The agreement was signed for 30 years, with
possible prolongation of additional 10 year.

`Hrant Dink’s murder’ documentary performed in Paris

Panorama.am

12:34 16/01/2010

`Entrepot’ cinema of Paris performed `Hrant Dink’s’ murder
documentary, Turkish Hurriyet reported. Documentary’s producer Osman
Oqqan told that in 2004 he had a meeting with Hrant Dink and they had
an agreement to produce a joint film.

Osman’s wife’s death and Hrant Dink’s murder delayed the shooting of
the film forever. Once the film was to be called Armenia-Turkey, but
currently it’s called `Hrant Dink’s murder’. The producer said that
the film’s Yerevan and Istanbul performances would have positive
echoes.

RUSSIA URGES TURKEY AND ARMENIA TO CEMENT TIES
By Hasmik Lazarian

Reuters
Jan 14 2010
UK

YEREVAN, Jan 14 (Reuters) – Russia on Thursday urged Armenia and
Turkey to move ahead with an historic rapprochement and Yerevan said
it hoped Ankara was not blocking ratification of their deal to end
a century of hostility.

Turkey and Armenia, their relations haunted by the World War One mass
killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turks, agreed in October last year
to establish diplomatic ties and reopen their land border closed by
Ankara in 1993.

But the accords need parliamentary ratification, a step Turkey says
depends on Armenia making concessions in the festering conflict
with Turkish ally Azerbaijan over the breakaway mountain region of
Nagorno-Karabakh.

Armenia, Russia’s strategic and economic ally in the South Caucasus,
rejects the link, and won the backing of Russian Foreign Minister
Sergei Lavrov.

"To try and artificially link those two issues is, in my opinion,
not correct," Lavrov told reporters in Yerevan after meeting his
Armenian counterpart, Edward Nalbandian.

"We are interested in this relationship normalising. The sooner that
happens, the better for the whole region."

Rapprochement, backed by the West and Russia, would bring big economic
benefits to poor, landlocked Armenia, while Turkey would burnish its
credentials as a potential EU entry state and boost its clout in the
Caucasus, a region criss-crossed by pipelines carrying oil and gas
to the West.

But analysts say Turkey is worried over the angry backlash from
fellow Muslim ally Azerbaijan, with the two bogged down in protracted
negotiations over the price of Azeri gas supplies.

Azerbaijan is being courted by Russia and the West for its energy
reserves in the Caspian Sea, and is one of Europe’s main hopes to
supply gas for the planned Nabucco pipeline.

To soothe Azeri concerns, Turkey says it wants progress in talks
between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh, where Christian
ethnic Armenians threw off Azeri rule with Armenian backing in the
early 1990s.

Turkey closed the frontier with Armenia in solidarity with Azerbaijan
during the war, which killed 30,000 people.

Armenia’s Nalbandian said: "I don’t want to have the impression,
and I think the international community also does not, that Turkey
is specially blocking ratification of the protocols."

"What’s a reasonable timeframe? It’s not dragging out and not creating
artificial barriers."

A trio of Russian, French and American mediators intensified
negotiations over Nagorno-Karabakh in 2009, but analysts say there
is little sign of concrete progress. (Writing by Matt Robinson in
Tbilisi; Editing by Matthew Jones)