Author: Karabekian Emil

ARMENIA PARTICIPATING IN INTERNATIONAL GREEN WEEK BERLIN

PanARMENIAN.Net
18.01.2010 16:23 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenia is participating in International Green Week
exhibition for the food, agricultural, and horticultural industries,
which kicked off on January 15 in Berlin, RA Foreign Ministry press
office reported.

It’s been the third time Armenia takes part in the exhibition,
supported by Federal German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and
Development. Production of Ararat Yerevan Brandy Company, Wines and
Liquors’ factory, Yerevan Champagne Factory, Sis, MAP, Multiagro and
Tamara companies was presented at the exhibition.

The International Green Week (IGW) is a one-of-a-kind international
exhibition for the food, agricultural, and horticultural industries.

Established in 1926 it will take place for the 75th time in 2010 and
welcome its 30 millionth visitor.

Producers from all over the world use the IGW to test-market food and
luxury items and establish a brand image. Exhibitors often organize
around national, regional, or product themes. Presentations feature
fresh produce, fish, meats, and dairy products. These combine with a
vast selection of international wine, beer, and spirits specialties,
to satisfy every culinary palate. Right in line with consumer trends,
the IGW also includes direct agricultural sales and the BIO MARKT
organic products section.

The IGW also features commercial and non-commercial agricultural,
forestry, and landscaping exhibits. Changing annual themes typically
include such topics as renewable resources or scientific livestock
breeding and production. These trade show elements are of particular
interest to those involved in the developing markets of central and
Eastern Europe.

More than 300 symposia, seminars, forums, committee meetings, etc.

took place during the IGW. Some events are held over a period of days.

Participants include a range of commercial and governing bodies from
the agricultural and food industries: the International conference of
the Agricultural Ministers with 1400 participants, the International
Agricultural Policy Forum with 800 participants, as well as congress
forums on agriculture, livestock breeding, and industrial/energy crops.

A special "Freshness Forum" – Meat produce – is held for food industry
representatives.

Greco-Roman Wrestling Championship kicks off in Armenia
16.01.2010 15:35 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Greco-Roman Wrestling Championship launched in
Armenia on January 16

Over 50 wrestlers in 55, 66, 84 and 120kg weight categories competed
on the first championship day. Sportsmen from different Armenian
regions participated.

The names of sportsmen who made it to finals were already announced.
Today’s finals will take place several hours later.

The championship will be continued tomorrow, January 17, with
wrestlers in 74, 60 and 96kg weight categories participating.

Greco-Roman wrestling is a style of wrestling that is practiced
worldwide. It was contested at the first modern Olympic Games in 1896
and has been included in every edition of the summer Olympics held
since 1908. Two wrestlers are scored for their performance in three
two-minute periods, which can be terminated early by a pinfall. This
style of wrestling forbids holds below the waist which is the major
difference between it and Freestyle wrestling, the other form of
wrestling at the Olympics. This restriction results in an emphasis on
throws, since a wrestler cannot use trips to take an opponent to the
ground or avoid throws by hooking or grabbing their opponent’s leg.

Arm drags, bear hugs, and headlocks found in Freestyle have greater
prominence in Greco-Roman and throws especially known as a suplex are
used, in which the offensive wrestler lifts his opponent in a high
arch while falling backward on his own neck to a bridge in order to
bring his opponent’s shoulders down to the mat. Even on the mat, a
Greco-Roman wrestler must still find several ways to turn his
opponent’s shoulders to the mat for a fall without legs, including
(but not limited to) techniques known as the bodylock and the
gut-wrench.

According to the International Federation of Associated Wrestling
Styles (FILA), Greco-Roman wrestling is one of the six main forms of
amateur competitive wrestling practiced internationally today.

INTERNAL PROBLEMS PUT OFF RATIFICATION OF PROTOCOLS IN TURKEY

PanARMENIAN.Net
15.01.2010 14:52 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Kurdish and Cyprus issues as well as probable
early elections in Turkey have put off ratification of the protocols,
according to expert Ruben Melkonyan.

"These problems can enable Turkey to drag out the ratification
process," he told a news conference in Yerevan on Friday. "Anyway,
Armenian leadership will never agree to link Karabakh settlement to
normalization of relations with Turkey."

"It’s hard to make forecasts but I don’t think Turkey may ratify
protocols if Armenia doesn’t make concessions on Karabakh," Melkonyan
said.

TheProtocols aimed at normalization of bilateral ties and opening of
the border between Armenia and Turkey were signed in Zurich by Armenian
Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian and his Turkish counterpart Ahmet
Davutoglu on October 10, 2009, after a series of diplomatic talks
held through Swiss mediation.

On January 12, 2010, the Constitutional Court of the Republic of
Armenia found the protocols conformable to the country’s Organic Law.

The Nagorno Karabakh Republic (NKR) is a de facto independent republic
located in the South Caucasus, bordering by Azerbaijan to the north
and east, Iran to the south, and Armenia to the west.

After the Soviet Union established control over the area, in 1923
it formed the Nagorno Karabakh Autonomous Oblast (NKAO) within the
Azerbaijan SSR. In the final years of the Soviet Union, Azerbaijan
launched an ethnic cleansing which resulted in the Karabakh War that
was fought from 1991 to 1994.

Since the ceasefire in 1994, most of Nagorno Karabakh and several
regions of Azerbaijan around it (the security zone) remain under the
control of Nagorno Karabakh defense army.

Armenia and Azerbaijan have since been holding peace talks mediated
by the OSCE Minsk Group.

ARMENIAN PARLIAMENT AND USAID INTEND TO DEEPEN COLLABORATION

PanARMENIAN.Net
14.01.2010 18:13 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Today, January 14, RA National Assembly Speaker
Hovik Abrahamyan met United States Agency for International Development
(USAID) Armenia Mission Director Jatinder Cheema.

At the meeting, Hovik Abrahamyan gave high assessment to collaboration
between Armenian authorities and USAID.

In this context the parties discussed further collaboration directions,
marking out a number of prospective spheres for development and
implementation of new programs aimed at development of professional
and technical abilities of RA NA.

The meeting was also attended by RA NA Vice Speaker Arevik Petrosyan,
RA NA press service reported.

MEETING OF IRAN-ARMENIA RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION PROJECT’S WORKING GROUP TO BE HELD IN YEREVAN IN LATE JANUARY

Noyan Tapan
Jan 13, 2010

YEREVAN, JANUARY 13, NOYAN TAPAN. Receiving on January 13 the Iranian
Ambassador to Armenia Seyed Ali Saghaeyan, RA Minister of Transport
and Communication Gurgen Sargsyan said that the joint implementation
of several projects in transport and communication sector will promote
economic development of the two countries.

At the ambassador’s request G. Sargsyan spoke in detail about the
construction projects of North-South Highway and the Iran-Armenia
railway. According to him, the Asian Development Bank announced its
decision to allocate a 0 million loan for the North-South Highway
project, about million of which will be provided this year. At the end
of 2009, a tender for design work of the first stage of the highway
construction was announced. The design packages have already been
submitted and are now being assessed, after which an international
tender to select a construction company will be held. During the first
stage, it is envisaged reconstructing Yerevan-Ashtarak interstate road
and doing some work on road safety on Yerevan-Ararat motorway. The
minister said that the whole feasibility study on the highway will
be conducted this year.

Speaking about construction of the Iran-Armenia railway, G. Sargsyan
said that a tender for the feasibility study on the project will be
held in January, and in all likelihood the winner will be announced
in April, after which work will start. The Asian Development Bank
has provided a million grant for conducting a feasibility study on
the Iran-Armenia railway project.

The Iranian ambassador said that Iranian organizations are also
interested in road construction in Armenia, including the construction
of North-South Highway. He did not rule out that Iranian banks will
also be involved in financing some sections of the highway.

The RA Ministry of Transport and Communication reported that at the
conclusion of the meeting the sides reached a preliminary agreement
to hold a meeting of the Iran-Armenia railway construction project’s
working group in Yerevan in late January.

ARMEN RUSTAMIAN: ARMENIAN-TURKISH RELATIONS SHOULD BE NORMALIZED SO AS NOT TO ENDANGER RA STATE AND NATIONAL INTERESTS

Noyan Tapan
Jan 13, 2010

YEREVAN, JANUARY 13, NOYAN TAPAN. ARFD Armenian Supreme Body
representative Armen Rustamian at a January 13 press conference
presented ARFD’s statement on Constitutional Court’s decision made
the day before, which, in particular, read:

"We were convinced that RA CC in detail analysing all factual
circumstances regarding the case had sufficient grounds to
recognize the commitments assumed by Armenia by these protocols as
not corresponding to the RA Constitution. Unfortunately, it did not
happen. Nevertheless we consider that the rising against the protocols
in the Diaspora gives its positive result day by day."

According to A. Rustamian, the final goal is to normalize the
Armenian-Turkish relations so as not to endanger RA state and national
interests and not to cede the fair rights of the generations.

ALTHOUGH COMPLIANCE OF ARMENIAN-TURKISH PROTOCOLS WITH CONSTITUTION RECOGNIZED, ARMENIAN PARLIAMENT UNLIKELY TO RATIFY IT: EXPERTS

Trend
Jan 13 2010
Azerbaijan

Although, the Armenian Constitutional Court has confirmed compliance
of the Armenian-Turkish protocols with the Constitution, the country’s
parliament is unlikely to ratify it, unless the Turkish Parliament
does, experts say.

"Despite Armenia’s Constitutional Court has confirmed today
compliance of the Armenian-Turkish protocols with the Constitution,
the Armenian parliament is unlikely to ratify these protocols,"
Central Asia-Caucasus Institute at Johns Hopkins University Director
Svante Cornell told Trend News over the telephone.

Armenia’s Constitutional Court found the Armenian-Turkish protocols
corresponding with the Constitution, the Novosti-Armenia news agency
reported.

Armenia’s Constitutional Court launched its consideration of the
protocols on Tuesday morning.

Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian spoke as official
representative of the Armenian President during consideration of
the case.

The case was considered in a written procedural order on the basis
of the documents submitted to the court.

Turkish and Armenian foreign ministers Ahmet Davutoglu and Edward
Nalbandian signed the Ankara-Yerevan protocols on normalization
relations between two countries in Zurich Oct. 10, 2009.

Diplomatic relations between Armenia and Turkey have been broken due
to Armenia’s claims of an alleged genocide, and its occupation of
Azerbaijani lands. The border between them has been broken since 1993.

According to experts, despite, Armenia recognized compliance of the
protocols with the Constitution, the country’s parliament will hardly
ratify it.

There is little or no chance that Jan.12 the Armenian Constitutional
Court’s decision and the actions by the Armenian parliament later, will
go against the wishes of the Armenian government and President Serzh
Sargsyan, Director of Armenian Center for National and International
Studies Richard Giragosian believes.

"The Armenian government is committed to adopting the protocols,
but only after or at the same time as Turkey," Giragosian wrote Trend
News in an e-mail.

Ratification of the protocols by the Armenian parliament depends on
Turkey, Turkish MP from the opposition National Movement Party Reshad
Dogru said.

"I do not believe the Armenian parliament to ratify the protocols,
because there are certain milestones that are important for Armenia,"
Dogru told Trend News over the telephone. "Armenia will not easily
accept the milestones such as recognition of the current Turkish
territory and liberation of the occupied Azerbaijani lands."

The expert does not believe in rapid ratification of the protocols
by the Armenian parliament.

Cornell said when carefully observing the recent events, it becomes
clear that there is no political activity in the region.

He said much depends now on the actions of the Turkish Parliament.

"I think that Armenia will wait for Turkish actions in ratification
of the protocols in its Parliament," Cornell said.

Another factor of the development of events concerning the
Armenian-Turkish protocols will influence the position of Armenia,
Russia and the United States, the expert said.

According to the Armenian expert, the status of the protocols has
been stalled or delayed, but with the delay limited to the Turkish
side only.

"The real challenge is limited to the Turkish side and there is
a real danger that if Turkey fails to meet the expectations of
the international community by ratifying the protocols "within a
reasonable timeframe," Turkey may suffer a strategic loss and may
even pay a price for turning back after so much diplomatic capital
has already been extended by all sides," Giragosian added.

R.Hafizoglu contributed to the article.

APOLOGIZING TO ARMENIANS NOT A CRIME

BIAnet
ties/119379-apologizing-to-armenians-not-a-crime
J an 11 2010
Turkey

The Court of Appeals decided that the internet signature campaign
"I apologize to the Armenians" does not constitute a crime. If the
Sincan 1st High Criminal Court accepts the decision, no trial will
be launched against the organizers of the campaign which has been
supported by the signatures of 30,000 people already.

Erol ONDEROÄ~^LU [email protected] Ankara – BÄ°A News Center11 January
2010, Monday The Court of Appeals 9th Criminal Office decided that
the internet signature campaign "I apologize to the Armenians"
(‘Erminilerden Ozur Diliyorum’) does not imply any elements of crime.

A group of Turkish intellectuals initiated the campaign regarding
the events of 1915. More than 30,000 people have already supported
the campaign with their signatures.

The campaign was started in 2008 and caught on in various sections of
society, supported by journalist Ali Bayramoglu, Prof. Baskın Oran,
Prof. Ahmet Ä°nsel and Dr. Cengiz Aktar to name just a few.

The campaign sent the following message to the Armenian community:
"I cannot reconcile my conscience to denial of and insensitivity
about the great Ottoman disaster the Armenians were imposed to in
1915. I reject this injustice and share the feelings and grief of my
Armenian brothers and sisters. I apologize to them".

Prosecution referred to "freedom of thought", yet…

Ankara Public Prosecutor Abdulvahap Yaren had launched an investigation
into campaign-related crimes upon article 301 of the Turkish Criminal
Court (TCK). However, the case was dropped, reasoning that, "In
a democratic society, opposing ideas are also protected under the
aspect of freedom of thought".

The complaint was filed by Hasan Huseyin Satır, Sabahat Ozgur,
Mehmet Ä°nal Kolburan, Huseyin Erdogan, Serdar Orhaner and KurÅ~_at
Karacabey from Ankara. The complainants demanded to punish the people
who organized and signed the joint petition under charges of "publicly
humiliating the Turkish nation".

Prosecutor insisted on dropping the case However, upon the lodged
appeal the Sincan 1st High Criminal Court abolished the order of nolle
prosequi and stated that the court was going to decide whether the
offence of "publicly humiliating ‘Turkishness’" was constituted by
the campaign. The court sent the file to the Ankara Public Prosecution
in order to launch an investigation into the suspects.

Prosecutor Yaren insisted on the order of nolle prosequi. He wanted
the Ministry of Justice to apply to the Court of Appeals with the
demand to overrule the court’s decision for the public benefit.

Court of Appeals: no harm done, no right to appeal Hereupon, the file
was transferred to the Court of Appeals 9th Criminal Office and the
Court of Appeals Public Prosecution requested to overrule the decision
of the Sincan 1st High Criminal Court.

As reported by Radikal newspaper journalist Mesut Hasan Benli, the
Criminal Office indicated that there were no legal means for an appeal
against the decision since nobody had been harmed directly.

The Court of Appeals sent the file to the Sincan 1st High Criminal
Court after the decision. If the court accepts the decision, no case
will be filed against the organizers of the campaign. In case of an
appeal the file will be taken to the Court of Appeals General Criminal
Council to reach a final decision.

LAVROV TO BRING LATEST VERSION OF MADRID PRINCIPLES TO YEREVAN: AZERBAIJANI ANALYST

Tert.am
12:16 ~U 12.01.10

Yerevan has not accepted Moscow’s proposals on the settlement of
the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which, seriously concerns Russia’s
Minister of Foreign Affairs (Russia being an OSCE Minsk Group co-chair
country). This issue will be at the core of the upcoming Armenia-Russia
talks, said Azerbaijan’s Political Innovation and Technology Center
President Mubariz Ahmetoglu in an interview with Novosti Azerbaijan.

As previously reported, Russia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sergey
Lavrov, will be in Armenia for an official business visit from January
13-14, where he will meet with President Serzh Sargsyan, as well as
Armenia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Edward Nalbandian.

According to Ahmetoglu, Lavrov will be bringing the latest version
of the Madrid Principles with him to Yerevan.

"If Nalbandian and Sargsyan once again deny the OSCE Minsk Group’s
proposals, then there will nothing left for Russia’s Minister of
Foreign Affairs to do than put pressure on Armenia’s leadership,
so that they will welcome the OSCE Minsk Group’s co-chairs in the
near future," said the analyst.

As previously reported, upon an invitation by Russia’s PM Vladimir
Putin, Turkey’s PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan is in Moscow today. Erdogan
had recently said that he plans to aks Moscow to stimulate the
Nagorno-Karabakh issue.

news.am, Armenia
Jan 7 2010

Legitimate and democratic authorities ‘ only way out: Jahangiryan

17:05 / 01/07/2010 The most significant achievement of 2009 was that
Armenian National Congress (ANC) remained consolidated organization,
former deputy prosecutor general and ANC representative Gagik
Jahangiryan told NEWS.am. He also added that no breakdown was
registered in ANC activities.

`I think that country collapsed either in Karabakh issue,
Armenia-Turkey relations or economy. Despite million dollar
investments, economic recession continues. Being aware of nisi of
politics, I can say that despite officially declared 16%-slump in fact
it totals 25%. It could not be worse,’ Jahangiryan said.

Asked about what is the way out of the current situation,
oppositionist replied, `The way out was continually defined by
Armenian National Congress and its leader ` that is legitimate and
democratic authorities in the country. Otherwise, one should not
expect positive progress in any field.’

A.G.