Author: Kamalian Hagop

SERZH SARGSYAN: "AN AGREEMENT ON PRINCIPLES OF THE KARABAKH CONFLICT SETTLEMENT SHOULD BE SIGNED BEFORE THE ADOPTION OF THE MAIN TREATY"

Today.Az
litics/48821.html
Nov 7 2008
Azerbaijan

President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan considers that the adoption of
the main treaty on Nagorno Karabakh must be preceded by an agreement
on the basic principles of the settlement.

"After the Moscow meeting we agreed with President of Azerbaijan
Ilham Aliyev to instruct the Foreign ministers to continue talks on
the basis of "Madrid principles".

If we find contact points, I think the agreement on the resolution
principles should be signed before the main treaty", said Sargsyan
during the joint press-conference with co-chairman of the European
Commission Jose Manuel Barozzo in Brussels.

"Yet I think that through this period there will be a need for public
discussions. Anyway, I see the need for such discussions for Armenia
and Armenian public", noted the president.

He also positively assessed his meetings with the President of
Azerbaijan, noting that such meetings lead to positive decisions.

AKIF NAGHI: "RUSSIA IS NOT ABLE TO SETTLE CONFLICTS THROUGH DIPLOMACY AND NEGOTIATIONS"

Today.Az
ews/politics/48809.html
Nov 6 2008
Azerbaijan

The Organization for Karabakh’s Liberation always supports resolution
of the Karabakh conflict in Azerbaijan’s favor, said head of the
organization Akif Naghi.

He noted that the organization is anxious about the recent meeting
of the Presidents of Azerbaijan, Russia and Armenia and adoption of
a declaration by its results.

"We demand to distance Russia from talks, as this country has its own
interests. It is Russia that initiated the conflict, therefore, it is
not interested in its settlement. Even if it makes any concessions,
there will be left some moments to influence Azerbaijan and Armenia.

The recent events in Georgia proved that beginning from the 17th
century Russian practice has no such concept as settling conflicts
through diplomacy and negotiations", announced he.

CHRISTOFIAS STRESSES COMMITMENT TO ARMENIAN SCHOOLS
By Anna Hassapi

Cyprus Mail
7 Nov 08

LIMASSOL’S Narek Armenian Primary School, has been completely renovated
and revamped with state funds.

President Demetris Christofias and House President Marios Garoyian were
among guests at the new school’s inauguration ceremony on Wednesday
night, and expressed the state’s support to the Armenian community.

"The Armenians of Cyprus have developed the basis to preserve
their ethnic identity. The Armenian Church and the three Narek
schools in Nicosia, Limassol and Larnaca have played and continue
to play a defining role in the preservation of their traditions,"
said Christofias.

"The Armenians are an integral part of the Cypriot people and their
cultural traits enrich the multicultural character of our land. We
respect their ethnic, cultural, linguistic and religious identity
and support the development of conditions that will allow them both
as individuals and as a group to express, preserve and develop their
identity," he added.

The Armenian school has been operating in Limassol since the 1930s. The
present structure at Vasilis Michaelides street in the centre of
Limassol stands on the site of the initial one-room school built
in 1951.

There are three Narek kindergarten and primary schools, in Nicosia,
Limassol and Larnaca, as well as a secondary school in Nicosia. The
Limassol school has 23 students, Larnaca’s Narek has 20 students, while
120 students attend Nicosia’s Narek primary school. An additional 15
students attend the Narek high-school in Nicosia.

Narek primary schools offer a trilingual education to their students,
who are taught Greek and English, in addition to Armenian. The
seven-year programme is based on the public school curriculum, with
emphasis on Armenian language and history. All primary school teachers
are Armenian, while the entire school budget is covered by the state.

"The level of Greek is the same as in public schools. In addition
to Greek language, students are taught the history and geography
of Cyprus.

English is also taught from the first year. All other classes are in
Armenian for the first four years of primary school and then English is
the language of teaching in the three final years of primary school to
prepare students to attend private high schools, as most of them do,"
said Arto Aivazian, Narek School Principal.

The Narek high-school in Nicosia is considered part of the public
school system, as the curriculum is exactly the same and teachers
are appointed by the Ministry of Education. Students, however, stay
an extra six hours per week in class to be taught Armenian language
and history.

THE UNITED STATES TO CONDUCT AN ON-GOING POLICY

Hayots Ashkhar Daily
06 Nov 08
Armenia

The foreign policy of the United States, as well as the approaches
it has adopted in relation to Armenia will bear an on-going nature,
Mary Yovanovitch, US Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to
Armenia, said yesterday during a reception organized on the occasion
of the elections.

"There are more similarities rather than differences between the
Republicans and Democrats’ approaches towards the country’s foreign
policy. Both the Democrats and the Republicans consistently promote
the development of democracy and economic reforms in Armenia. The
representatives of both factions assist in the Karabakh settlement
process within the frameworks of the OSCE Minsk Group," M. Yovanovitch
announced.

OSCE MINSK GROUP CO-CHAIRS WELCOME DECLARATION ON KARABAKH

De Facto
Nov 7, 2008

YEREVAN, 07.11.08. DE FACTO. The OSCE Minsk group Co-Chairs for
Karabakh conflict’s settlement welcomed signing a declaration on the
results of a meeting of Russian, Azerbaijani and Armenian Presidents
held early November in the Minedorf castle in Russia.

In the course of a press conference held on Tuesday at the OSCE
headquarters, all three Co-Chairs – Bernard Fassier (France), Yuri
Merzlyakov (Russia) and Matthew Bryza (the U. S.) – stated that
signing a document inspired optimism.

"There are personal and objective factors in the region that give
us Co-Chairs a reason for cautious or realistic optimism," Matthew
Bryza stated.

According to Bernard Fassier, among the first ones is the Moscow
meeting of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian President
Serzh Sargsian, which confirmed the constructive spirit of their
first St Petersburg meeting held in June.

"This constructive spirit allowed them to sign the first ever
declaration on the Nagorno- Karabakh peaceful process", the French
mediator noted.

In his turn Yuri Merzlyakov said that the principal goal of the
Minsk group was promoting Azerbaijani and Armenian Presidents’
regular meetings.

"After the Moscow meeting and Presidential elections held in Armenia
and Azerbaijan the meetings of the two countries’ presidents should
be held more often", he said, RIA Novosti reports.

MATTHEW BRYZA: "MOSCOW DECLARATION IS THE RESULT EMERGED FROM SIGNIFICANT WORK BY ALL THE CO-CHAIRS"

Azeri Press Agency
Nov 4 2008
Azerbaijan

"The co-chairs have developed a concept of how to resolve the conflict"

Baku. Victoria Dementyeva-APA. OSCE Minsk Group American Co-chair
Matthew Bryza’s interview with APA

-Could you give us your estimation according the declaration which
was signed yesterday by presidents of Azerbaijan, Armenia and Russia?

-Yesterday’s declaration is significant. The Presidents of Azerbaijan
and Armenia affirm their commitment to energize discussions on a
framework for a political settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
on the basis of the Minsk Group’s ongoing efforts, including the
Basic Principles we have been discussing and developing for the past
3 years. The Co-Chairs needed this support from the two presidents
to help us all move the negotiations more quickly. After all, the
Co-Chairs are merely mediators; the Presidents make the decisions.

– How will the declaration influence on the process of solving the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict?

-The declaration itself may have a positive impact on the
negotiations. What is even more important is that the declaration
reflects a positive mood between the two presidents, without which
there is no real chance to advance the negotiations

-There is an opinion that Russia took an initiative of mediating the
conflict into its hands and the USA is not so active…

-The U.S. is very active in working with its fellow Minsk Group
Co-Chairs and the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia to advance the
negotiations. Sometimes our efforts are quiet; sometimes our efforts
are more visible. This past weekend, Russia decided to follow the
path of high visibility, and helped produce a useful declaration. But,
the result emerged from significant work by all the co-chairs.

-Have the co-chairs of Minsk Group any approved plan of solving
the conflict?

-Of course the co-chairs have developed a concept of how to resolve
the conflict. That is what the Basic Principles are. The Co-Chair
countries presented the Co-Chairs’ recommendations for a framework
defined by the Basic Principles at last November’s OSCE Summit in
Madrid, in what is known as "the Madrid Document." It is important
to keep in mind that the Madrid Document outlines the Co-Chairs’
suggestions, which we expect will be improved and/or edited by the
leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan through direct negotiations.

– Have the co-chairs of Minsk Group confirmed the next meeting to
continue the solving of the conflict?

– The co-chairs will visit the region in the next few weeks to meet
with the leaders and prepare for the OSCE Ministerial meeting in
Helsinki in early December. Through these consultations, we hope
we can help the parties agree when the presidents of Azerbaijan and
Armenia might again meet to build on current positive momentum.

– Do the co-chairs have plans to meet OSCE Chairman-in-Office Alexander
Stubb to discuss the next steps of your activity?

– The co-chairs consult periodically with the OSCE Chairman in Office,
and will do so again soon. Personally speaking, I have the honor to
consult with Finnish FM Stubb on several issues. He has shown great
leadership as the Chairman in Office.

RUBEN HAKOBIAN: KARABAKH IS ALSO IN BASKET OF GAINING AZERBAIJAN’S FAVOR

Noyan Tapan

Nov 3, 2008

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 4, NOYAN TAPAN. The Declaration signed by the
Presidents of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Russia on November 2 should be
considered in the regional context, as re-establishment of Russia’s
dominating role. Ruben Hakobian, the Head of the Akunk Center for
Political Analyses, the former RA Consul in Saint Petersburg, expressed
such an opinion at the October 4 press conference. According to him,
Russia has been always protecting its national-state interests and if
necessary it will do it by both peaceful methods and by using military
force. R. Hakobian affirmed that if it is in Russia’s interests to
gain Azerbaijan’s favor, it will do that and has already started
doing. "Today Azerbaijan has a serious economic potential and serious
goals, Azerbaijan is necessary for Russia, and Karabakh is also in
the basket of gaining Azerbaijan’s favor," he said.

Touching upon Madrid principles of solving the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict, R. Hakobian stated that an attempt to combine the principles
of nations’ self-determination and territorial integrity contradicting
each other was made in them. "It is an experiment, which can have both
good and bad consequences," he said adding that at present the most
important task of the RA authorities should be to involve Karabakh
in the negotiations process.

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY CARRIES VIRUS OF CORRUPTION

Lragir.am
14:09:58 – 04/11/2008

The internal political immunity of Armenia is absolutely inadequate
to the external situation, and with the weak immunity stemming from
the internal inadequate situation, Armenia is unable to take serious
steps in the foreign political sphere. This is the opinion of the
director of the Akunk analytical center Ruben Hakobyan. He said this
on November 4 at the Pastark press club where he evaluated the current
phase in the settlement of the Karabakh conflict.

Ruben Hakobyan says in Armenia hardly anyone would disagree with
Serge Sargsyan that Armenia needs tolerance, rule of law, public
confidence and solidarity. Anyone who has a good sense would agree
to this, Ruben Hakobyan says. However, Hakobyan wonders what hinders
real steps in that direction.

He says when the society hears those words, the society has reason
to doubt them.

As a most crucial problem, Ruben Hakobyan names corruption and points
to two ways of battling it. According to him, one is the model of
Singapore where the government eradicated nepotism, launched genuine
struggle at all the levels of government, and soon Singapore turned
into a developing and modern country. The other way of battling
corruption, according to Ruben Hakobyan, is the model of the Russian
Tsar Nicolay II, who declared war on corruption but targeted the
medium rank of officials, which caused corruption to grow even
more. Ruben Hakobyan regrets to say that in Armenia the second way
has been chosen, when it is better not to fight at all then to fight
in the medium level, which causes corruption to grow.

Ruben Hakobyan stated that the National Assembly is number one source
of the virus of corruption with only some exceptions.

At the same time, Ruben Hakobyan stated that he does not doubt the
sincerity of Serge Sargsyan’s words about battling corruption. Hakobyan
said, however, that he does not know a single case when a person cut
his left hand with his right hand. The reporters said in that case it
turns out that Serge Sargsyan wishes one thing and does the opposite
thing. Ruben Hakobyan said he thinks Serge Sargsyan’s wish is sincere
but the wrong mechanism was chosen to fulfill it.

DM SEYRAN OHANYAN VISITS ROMANIA

armradio.am
03.11.2008 13:20

The delegation headed by the Minister of Defense of the Republic
of Armenia Seyran Ohanyan left for Bucharest on November 2 for a
three-day official visit, Press Secretary of the ministry of Defense,
colonel Seyran Shahsuvaryan informed.

In Bucharest Minister Ohanyan will have a meeting with his Romanian
counterpart Teodor Melescanu.

Within the framework of the visit members of the MOD delegation will
meet representatives of the Romanian Armenian community.

Reuters, UK
Nov 2 2008

Russia’s Medvedev hosts Nagorno-Karabakh talks

Sun Nov 2, 2008 9:05pm IST
By Denis Dyomkin

MEIENDORF CASTLE, Russia (Reuters) – President Dmitry Medvedev sought
to underline Russia’s influence in the Caucasus on Sunday by bringing
together the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia for talks on the
breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Nagorno-Karabakh’s mostly ethnic Armenian population broke away from
Azerbaijan in a war in the early 1990s as the Soviet Union
collapsed. It now runs its own affairs, with support from Armenia.

Armenian President Serzh Sarksyan and his Azeri counterpart, Ilham
Aliyev, hastily shook hands before Medvedev opened talks at the
Meiendorf Castle official residence outside Moscow.

After the talks, all three presidents signed a declaration.

"The presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia agreed to continue work
… on agreeing a political resolution of the conflict in
Nagorno-Karabakh," according to a copy of the declaration, which was
read out by Medvedev. Aliyev and Sarksyan made no comment.

The war between Russia and Georgia in August appears to have lent new
impetus to diplomatic efforts to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict, with Russia trying to show it can act as a broker for
"frozen conflicts" in the former Soviet Union.

Georgia sent troops and tanks in August to retake the pro-Russian
rebel region of South Ossetia, which threw off Tbilisi’s rule in
1991-92.

Russia responded with a powerful counter-strike that drove the
Georgian army out of South Ossetia. Moscow then recognised South
Ossetia and another of Georgia’s rebel regions as independent states,
provoking international condemnation.

Nagorno-Karabakh is internationally recognised as within Azerbaijan’s
borders.

Armenia supports Nagorno-Karabakh’s split from Azerbaijan and provides
assistance though no state — including Armenia — has recognised it
as an independent state.

Fighting between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the area ended in 1994
when a ceasefire was signed. The two sides are still technically at
war because no peace treaty has been signed.

About 35,000 people on both sides were killed in the fighting. More
than a million people were forced to flee their homes and almost all
are still unable to return.

Along with France and the United States, Russia is one of the
co-chairs of the Minsk Group, which is mandated to act as an
intermediary in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. But it is unusual for a
head of state to act directly as mediator.

The presidents "discussed the perspectives for the resolution of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict via political means, through the
continuation of direct dialogue between Azerbaijan and Armenia with
the mediation of Russia, the United States and France as the
co-chairmen of the Minsk group."

Armenia is considered Russia’s strongest ally in the Caucasus, but
Yerevan is also being courted by the United States and European Union
in a struggle with Moscow for influence over a transit route for oil
and gas from the Caspian.

(Writing by Guy Faulconbridge)