Author: Karagyozian Lena

NO PLANS FOR SERZH SARGSYAN AND TURKISH PM TO MEET IN NEW YORK

Tert.am
Sept 15 2009

President of Armenia press secretary Samvel Farmanyan commented
to Turkish daily Sabah’s announcement yesterday which stated the
possibility of a meeting taking place in New York between President of
Armenia Serzh Sargsyan and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

In Farmanyan’s words, Armenian-Turkish dialogue and the aim to
establish relations in and of itself presumes meetings at different
levels between Armenian and Turkish officials. However, there are
currently no such plans to meet with the Turkish PM in the President
of Armenia’s meeting schedule.

"On the date mentioned, September 21, Serzh Sargsyan will be
participating in official celebrations held in Yerevan on his behalf
which mark the Republic of Armenia’s independence," stated the
President of Armenia’s press secretary.

SYRIA INTERESTED IN THE OPENING OF THE ARMENIA-TURKEY BORDER

armradio.am
15.09.2009 15:10

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has said the Armenian initiative
closely concerns them. "This is not only because it is a problem that
is of interest to the Armenian minority living in Syria. We believe
that if the relations between Turkey and Armenia ease, this will lower
tension in the region. For this reason, we need more initiatives and
settlements. For instance, international trade does not occur just
between the two countries.

Many nearby countries are involved in the process," President
Assad said Assad said at a press conference specifically for the
editors-in-chief of some Turkish newspapers

GEORGIA’S FATE AND SECRET AGREEMENT ON KARABAKH
Stanislav Tarasov

WPS Agency
Rossiyskie vesti
DEFENSE and SECURITY
September 14, 2009 Monday
Russia

ARE RF AND TURKEY COVERTLY COORDINATING THEIR POLICIES IN THE
TRANS-CAUCASUS?; RF and Turkey may tacitly work out joint strategies
in Trans-Caucasus issues

Boats of the Georgian coast guard detained the Turkish tanker
Buket. There were a number of similar incidents between Georgia and
Abkhazia. However, this time Georgia behaved confrontationally: the
court resolved, besides the penalty put in such cases, to sentence
the Turkish captain to 24 years of imprisonment.

Ankara reacted quickly. The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs voiced
vigorous protests against the verdict against the captain. Moreover,
in a context of the situation it is impossible to exclude that Ankara
may hint at the possibility of recognizing Abkhaz independence. The
official RF foreign ministry representative announced that "instances
of capture by Georgia of ships from third countries at the coast of
Abkhazia are fraught with an aggravation in the military-political
situation in the region". Thereupon the Abkhaz president Sergey Bagapsh
issued an order to the navy of republic to destroy the Georgian
ships violating sea border of the republic. And, more importantly,
the decision has been made that protection of ships bound for Abkhaz
ports will be provided by the Russian navy.

The events were not limited by a single Georgian-Abkhaz incident. After
the Turkish-Armenian "protocols" were initially signed, which made
a lot of noise throughout the world, providing normalization in
relations between the two countries, the president of Armenia Serzh
Sargsyan decided to address the problems of Armenians in Dzhavakha
at a meeting of representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
central office and the country’s diplomatic corps:

"Our policy concerning Dzhavakha should start with the principle of
"Integration without merging". I think that the steps directed to
a recognition of the Armenian language in Georgia, maintenance of
registration of the Armenian Apostolic church, protection of Armenian
monuments, will promote a strengthening of the Armenian-Georgian
friendship".

Some analysts in Georgia consider this statement by the Armenian
leader as "an element in some unofficial games". Georgian expert Mamuka
Areshidze said "the former president of Armenia Robert Kocharyan, on
the contrary, urged Armenians living in Georgia to study the Georgian
language". There was a shootout on the Armenia border a few days ago in
which three Georgian servicemen were killed. The Minister for Foreign
Affairs of Georgia Grigol Vashadze expressed himself in an original
way with regard to the statement by Serzh Sargsyan on the status of
the Armenian language in Georgia during a working visit of Yerevan:
"We in Georgia treat all thoughts expressed by Armenia with deep
attention and respect. The president of Armenia did not say it is
necessary to declare the Armenian language regional, he said that it
would be useful to discuss this idea".

There is a great deal of understanding in Tbilisi and Yerevan that the
so-called "language" problem in Dzhavakha is capable, under certain
conditions, of becoming a prelude to an appreciable straining of
relations between two neighbor countries of the Trans-Caucasus, if not
to a conflict. At any rate, the statement by the Armenian president
is capable of agitating both the Georgian Armenians, and ethnic
Azerbaijanis compactly living on territory of Georgia. The attempts by
Tbilisi to integrate the country’s ethnic minorities other after the
Caucasian crisis have largely failed. Therefore the main issue is now
why the president of Armenia took the first probing step concerning
Georgia now. Whether is it a structural link of a wide context of the
general actions by Turkey and Russia in different directions, including
a reaction to the capture of ships by the Georgian coast guard.

It is interesting to see the reaction by high-ranking Azerbaijani
officials to some publications in the Russian and Turkish media. The
head of the Azerbaijan president’s administration department of
international contacts Novruz Mamedov announced the other day that
he was shocked "by the appearance of a report in the Turkish Bugun
newspaper, according to which the president of Azerbaijan, "cutting
short a visit of Georgia, returned to the country, and called an
emergency meeting" immediately after the initial signing of the
"protocols" containing provisions to normalize the relations between
Armenia and Turkey. Novruz Mamedov refuted the claim that "an emergency
meeting with participation of responsible heads of administration,
representatives by the Azerbaijan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and
management of the Ministry of national security of the country ",
but not "Ilham Aliev’s interrupted visit to Georgia". And after
all, foreign visits by the head of Azerbaijan are usually widely
announced. This time it was not, which points to conclusions. It was
a first.

Secondly, it is hardly a coincidence that the Russian and Turkish
sources began to broadcast the same information simultaneously,
as many analysts noted.

Certainly, different versions by many analysts concerning the reasons
for an appreciable aggravation in the Trans-Caucasus situation
are connected in many respects by the fact that the majority of
negotiations – from the Karabakh settlement to the "roadmap" and
"protocols", are conducted behind closed doors. For example, the
Georgetown University Euroasian strategic project director Cory
Welthom suggested it might be possible that "a confidential agreement
on Karabakh" may exist.

If he is right, the recent events in the Trans-Caucasus form a
logical sequence.

OPPOSITION LEADER STILL SILENT ON PARTY TURMOIL
Tatevik Lazarian

Armenialiberty.org
Sept 14 2009

Armenia — Raffi Hovannisian, leader of the opposition Zharangutyun
party.

Opposition leader Raffi Hovannisian continued to avoid on Monday
any public statements on bitter infighting within his Zharangutyun
(Heritage) party that flared up a week ago following his mysterious
decision to resign his parliament seat.

Three senior Zharangutyun figures were expelled from the party ranks
on Wednesday after they accused the party’s nominal chairman, Armen
Martirosian, of foul play and secret collaboration with the Armenian
authorities. Martirosian and his allies, which dominate Zharangutyun’s
decision-making board, have rejected the accusations. They also claim
that the dissidents acted on orders issued by both the government
and the country’s largest opposition alliance led by former President
Levon Ter-Petrosian.

The turmoil broke out two days after the announcement of Hovannisian’s
decision to quit the National Assembly. Neither he, nor other party
officials have given a clear explanation for the surprise move yet. A
party spokesman said on September 7 that the Zharangutyun leader will
explain his motives in the coming days.

Hovannisian did not return to Armenia from a trip abroad as of Monday
evening, according to some individuals close to him. Just when he
will be available for comment remained unclear.

It emerged over the weekend that Hovannisian sent on Wednesday a
letter to the board members in which he is said to have expressed
dismay at the deepening rift within his party. The two rival camps
made conflicting claims about further details of the letter.

According to Zoya Tadevosian, one of the expelled board members,
the U.S.-born popular politician wrote that he is "tendering the
last resignation of my political life and leaving the party." But
Hovsep Khurshudian, the Zharangutyun spokesman allied to Martirosian,
described that as "disinformation."

"Raffi Hovannisian remains a member of Zharangutyun," Khurshudian
told RFE/RL. He at the same time refused to disclose the content of
the letter, saying that it was meant for the party leadership and is
therefore "not subject to publication."

Hovannisian, 50, relocated to Armenia from California with his family
in 1990 and served as the newly independent country’s first foreign
minister in 1992. He founded Zharangutyun in 2002 and remains its
de facto top leader despite holding no formal positions in the party
leadership at present.

Tadevosian said Hovannisian’s letter has made her and other expelled
members reconsider their initial decision to collect signatures in
support of an emergency congress of the party. She said they will
now urge supporters to leave Zharangutyun "en masse."

Tadevosian, who makes no secret of her warm rapport with
Ter-Petrosian’s Armenian National Congress (HAK), also reiterated
on Monday that she will not step down as a member of the Central
Election Commission (CEC) representing Zharangutyun. Under Armenian
law, the party is entitled to naming one member of the CEC and all
other lower-level electoral bodies by virtue of being represented in
the National Assembly. However, it can not recall and replace those
election officials at will.

"Those who will sit on district election commissions are my friends,"
claimed Tadevosian. "They are not going to obey the party called
Zharangutyun."

Khurshudian insisted, however, that most of those commission members
are loyal to the current party leadership. Stepan Safarian, another
party figure close Martirosian, said Zharangutyun will initiate legal
amendments that would enable it to sack Tadevosian.

The infighting is also likely to lose Zharangutyun two of its seven
seats in the 131-member parliament. One of the ousted dissidents,
Vartan Khachatrian, is a parliament deputy, while another, Movses
Aristakesian, is next in line for taking up the seat left vacant
by Hovannisian.

Athens News Agency
sept 13 2009

A mountainous 18th century ‘Parthenon’

Characterised as the "Parthenon" of the Pindus Mountain range that
dominates northwest and north-central Greece, the monastery of the
Holy Cross, near the community of Doliana, is one of the most
significant ecclesiastical and historical monuments in Trikala
prefecture. Trikala prefecture already features the imposing Meteora
rock formations and the stunning Orthodox monasteries and chapels
built on the rock summits. Built at an altitude of 1,150 metres in the
"heart" of the rugged mountain range, the monastery’s architectural
style is a composite, according to university professor Pavlos
Mylonas, with the domed basilica and other domes showing at least
three chronological periods of construction, beginning in
1770. Prof. Mylonas, in fact, cites influences from as far away as
Moldavia, old central European architecture as well as Ottoman and
even Armenian styles prevailing in the 18th century. "We’re led to
think of a chief builder that was well-travelled and cosmopolitan,
probably someone that travelled and worked as far as the Danubian
principalities," he said. ANA-MPA / STR

Zoya Tadevosyan: Heritage party to be put up for auction
12.09.2009 17:23 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ `In response to Heritage board members’ accusations
on my being an ANC agent, let me say that our party’s decisions always
supported Congress during elections. And because I have always
expressed such support, they are now accusing me of being an ANC
agent,’ Heritage party’s former member Zoya Tadevosyan, Heritage
former representative in Central Election Commission (CEC), told a
news conference in Yerevan.

Party’s activities, according to her, were provoked by Hovsep
Khurshudyan and not the expelled members. `Khurshudyan’s blackmail for
handing in a resignation caused party’s leadership to remove Arthur
Sardaryan from management board,’ Tadevosyan noted.

In response to journalists’ question whether any of Heritage
representatives could be authorities’ agent, Tadevosyan said that one
of their members, Armen Martorosyan, also affiliates with Nig Aparan
compatriots’ union which supports authorities’ policy. `That’s to say,
he supports authorities simultaneously assisting the opposition’.

AHMET DAVUTOGLU: OPENING OF RA-TURKISH BORDER IS A LONG WAY OFF

PanARMENIAN.Net
10.09.2009 12:01 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Turkey started domestic discussions on RA-Turkish
rapprochement protocols. According to Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet
Davutoglu , the protocols will be discussed with Turkish opposition,
and afterwards, submitted to Turkish parliament’s consideration.

Davutoglu stated that Turkey wishes to establish neighborly relations
with all the countries in the region, noting at the same time that
opening of RA-Turkish border is a long way off.

Whereas, according to RA- Turkish agreement, the border has to be
opened within 2 months after protocols’ coming into force, Turkish
media report.

TURKISH-ARMENIAN DIALOG TO DRIVE GARABAGH SETTLEMENT ENVOY

AssA-Irada
September 9, 2009 Wednesday
Azerbaijan

Turkeys rapprochement with Armenia may give an incentive to the
settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict, Turkish Ambassador
to Azerbaijan Hulusi Kilic has said. Kilic told the Baku-based ANS
TV channel that Ankaras ongoing talks with Yerevan will not harm
Azerbaijan, adding that Turkey believes the process would facilitate
liberation of the Armenia-occupied territories of Azerbaijan. The
ambassador noted that Turkey does not want closed borders in the
region, adding that the Caucasus could develop only if they remain
open. Ankara and Yerevan agreed on August 31 to begin discussions on
forging diplomatic ties and developing bilateral relations. The two
countries announced they would complete domestic consultations over two
protocols within six weeks. The documents ultimately seek to open the
Turkish-Armenian border, which has been shut since 1993 due to Armenias
policy of occupation of Azerbaijani territory and Armenian claims on
the genocide of their ancestors by Ottoman Turks during World War I.

BELGIAN COACH VERCAUTEREN QUITS AFTER WORLD CUP FLOP

Agence France Presse
Sept 9 2009

BRUSSELS — Franky Vercauteren quit as Belgium coach on Wednesday
following his team’s embarrassing 2-1 defeat to Armenia which ended
their hopes of reaching the World Cup finals.

"I don’t feel like continuing," Vercauteren was quoted by the Le Soir
website in the aftermath of the Group Five match.

"I wanted to have 24 hours to think about it, but that would have
achieved nothing. I prefer to stop straightaway," added the former
Belgian playmaker, who was part of the side that reached the 1986
World Cup semi-finals.

Since the axing of previous coach Rene Vandereycken in April,
Vercauteren had been keeping the seat warm until Dutch coach Dick
Advocaat took over the reins on January 1, 2010.

Belgium, who had lost 5-0 to European champions Spain on Saturday,
are fourth in the group with seven points from seven matches, 14
points behind the Spanish.

TIGRAN SARGSYAN VISITS "SOS CHILDREN’S VILLAGE"

ARMENPRESS
SEPTEMBER 8, 2009
YEREVAN

Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan visited today "SOS-Children’s
Village" Armenian Charity Foundation’s "SOS-Children’s Village"
in the Kotayk village of the Armenian province of Kotayk.

Governmental press service told Armenpress that the prime minister
was accompanied by head of the government’s staff David Sargsyan,
Labor and Social Affairs Minister Gevorg Petrosyan, National director
of the Foundation Ashot Kocharyan and other officials.

For the first time in 1990 the "Children’s Village" opened its doors
for children who lost their parents as a result of the earthquake
and took care and brought up 220 children.

Currently 56 children left without care are living here. Ashot
Kocharyan presented to the prime minister the livelihood of
the village, the main directions of their mission, issues and
achievements. The prime minister walked in the "Children’s
Village", spoke with the children and got acquainted with their
daily activity. During the consultation in the "Children’s Village"
he suggested that the care of graduates of state children’s houses by
state programs be implemented taking into consideration the experience
of the Foundation.

The prime minister highly underscored the achievements of the
foundation, gathered experience and expressed hope that in case of
co-financing it is possible to implement effective programs.

The prime minister also visited kinder-garten of the "Children’s
Village" established by the Foundation.