Author: Kharatian Ani

ARMENIA 1-3 BELARUS: HLEB GOAL INSPIRED VISITORS TO VICTORY
By Stephen Crawford

Goal.com
rld-cup-2010/2010/03/03/1816001/armenia-1-3-belaru s-hleb-goal-inspired-visitors-to-victory
March 3

Barcelona-owned winger Aliaksandr Hleb saw to it that his national
side were not heading home without a win…

In a ‘just for kicks’ type international friendly, Belarus managed to
put 3 goals past hosts Armenia, who would only manage a single reply.

Dynamo Minsk’s Anton Putsila opened the scoring for the Belarusians,
but the hosts forwarded their retort soon after, bringing the teams
back to level pegging.

However, Belarus got the game by the scruff of the neck once more,
when Barca-owened Aliaksandr notched another goal for his side and
brought the score to 2-1 in favour of the visitors.

The game was well and truly wrapped up for the travelling side when
BATE striker Vitaly Rodionov brought the score to 3-1 after 86 minutes.

TURKEY SEEKS TO AVERT GENOCIDE VOTE IN US CONGRESS

APA
March 4 2010
Azerbaijan

Baku – APA. Turkey’s foreign minister said Wednesday he hopes the
Obama administration will try to prevent a U.S. congressional panel
from recognizing the World War I-era killings of Armenians by Ottoman
Turks as genocide, APA reports quoting Associated Press.

Ahmet Davutoglu told Turkish reporters during a visit to Egypt that
he expects "the U.S. administration to give the necessary message"
to the U.S. House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee,
according to the state-run Anatolia news agency.

"If it passes, then the Obama administration should try to prevent
it from being voted by Congress," Anatolia quoted Davutoglu as saying.

The House committee is set to consider the issue Thursday. A "yes"
vote would allow the resolution to be considered by the full House.

Historians estimate up to 1.5 million Armenians were victims of
genocide by Ottoman Turks. Turkey denies that.

Past U.S. administrations have blocked similar resolutions
through public cajoling about U.S. national security interests and
behind-the-scenes lobbying. The Obama administration, however, has
not taken any public position on the issue so far.

Turkey warned this week that recognition of the killings as genocide
would not only damage ties with its longtime U.S. ally but also hurt
U.S.-led efforts to end a century of enmity between Turkey and Armenia.

Turkey, NATO’s only Muslim member, is a key supply route for U.S.

troops in Iraq and part of the U.S.-led coalition forces in
Afghanistan.

Turkey and Armenia last year took steps to normalize ties by
establishing diplomatic relations and reopening their shared border.

The agreements still need to be ratified by both countries’
parliaments, and it is unclear how they would resolve the bitter
dispute over the Armenian deaths.

Turkey acknowledges that many Armenians were killed around World War
I, but denies that the deaths constituted genocide. Turkey says the
death toll has been inflated and that those killed were victims of
civil war and unrest.

Davutoglu did not respond to a question on what actions Turkey would
take should the resolution be approved.

In 2007, when the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee passed such
a resolution, Turkey promptly recalled its ambassador, and U.S.

officials feared the Turks might cut off American access to a Turkish
air base essential to operations in Iraq. After intensive lobbying by
top Bush administration officials, the resolution was not considered
by the full House.

ROW OVER US CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEE PROPOSED RESOLUTION ON ARMENIA GENOCIDE

Sofia Echo
March 4 2010
Bulgaria

The foreign affairs committee of the US house of representatives was
set to vote on declaring that the 1915 massacre of more than a million
Armenians by Ottoman Turks was genocide, with Turkey warning that
such a move could harm US-Turkey relations, the Voice of America said.

The resolution calls on the US president to ensure that US foreign
policy refers to the mass killing of Armenians by Turkey’s then
Ottoman rulers as genocide.

Armenians say that as many as 1.5 million perished. But Ankara says
far fewer died and that they were killed in a civil war in which
Turks also died.

Turkish deputy prime minister Cemil Cicek warned of repercussions,
if the motion was approved.

"Turkey and the United States are two important allies," he said. "We
have a shared history over the past 50-60 years. Adopting this
resolution will harm relations."

In a rare show of unity, a powerful Turkish bipartisan parliamentary
group was in Washington to deliver that message. But they were facing
an uphill battle.

Although president Barack Obama is on record as supporting the
recognition of the killings as genocide, he avoided using that term
in front of his hosts last year while visiting Turkey.

Instead, Obama emphasised the need to improve relations between
Turkey and Armenia. He pointed to hopes for a breakthrough to ease
long-standing tensions.

"What I would like to do is to encourage [Turkish] president
[Abdullah] Gul to move forward with what have been some very fruitful
negotiations," Obama said. "And I am not interested in the United
States in anyway tilting these negotiations one way or another while
they are having useful discussions."

In October 2009, the presidents of Turkey and Armenia signed a
protocol committing to normalising relations and working to resolve
the historical dispute. Ankara has warned that the US congress passing
the genocide resolution could seriously undermine those efforts.

But analysts say that efforts to normalise relations have grounded
to a halt, with neither country’s parliament ratifying the protocol.

Political scientist Cengiz Aktar of Istanbul’s Bahcesehir University
said: "I don’t think the Turkish government is serious enough on
ratifying the protocol because the reason they evoke to block the
ratification process in the parliament is not serious.

"I think, unfortunately, [this is] yet another missed opportunity"
Aktar said.

Turkey’s minister for EU affairs, Egemen Bagis, said that Washington
should think carefully before acting.

"There would be important implications," Bagis said. "Turkey today
provides 70 per cent of all the logistical goods to all the U.S.

troops in Iraq. Turkey is an important player in Nato We have the
second largest military in Nato. We are together in most of the
peacekeeping operations."

And with Turkey bordering Iran, analysts say it stands to play
a crucial role in enforcing new, tougher sanctions against Tehran
for its nuclear programme, VOA said. Turkey also plays an important
military and diplomatic role in Afghanistan.

But Aktar said that with Turkish-European Union relations strained,
Ankara’s warnings are weak.

"Turkey, who has a difficult relationship with the EU, can hardly
antagonise yet another Western entity, that is the United States,"
Aktar said. "So what is left really? So it’s just rhetoric."

Turkish daily Hurriyet quoted Richard L. Armitage, who served
as deputy secretary of state during former US president George
W. Bush’s first term, as saying that he was disappointed about the
Obama administration’s failure in not preventing the resolution going
to the committee.

Armitage said on March 3 2010 that he expected that the voting will
be a close call.

"Turkish people should take a deep breath and remember that the
resolution is a nonbinding one," he said. "And this vote is just at
a committee level."

When asked what he would expect to happen if the resolution were
to pass, Armitage said, "Turkey should not respond in a vindictive
manner."

In 2007, the same committee passed a similar resolution on the issue,
and even though the Bush administration had lobbied hard against it,
Turkey was still furious, the BBC said.

At the time, Turkey recalled its ambassador from Washington and
threatened to withdraw its support for the war in Iraq.

Nationalist sentiment is intense in Turkey, and if the resolution
passes, there will be an emotional reaction, even by those who have
been arguing for reconciliation with Armenia, the BBC said.

In Turkey, Today’s Zaman said that Murat Mercan, head of Turkish
parliament’s foreign relations committee, had issued a firm warning
that approval of the resolution would hurt the US, Armenia and Turkey.

"The sole winner from all this would be the emotions and the ego of the
Armenian lobby. Approval of the draft resolution would inflict damage
to the United States, Armenia and Turkey," Mercan told journalists
on March 3.

On March 4, the Anatolia News Agency said that Turkish president
Abdullah Gul had spoken by phone with Obama the previous day.

Sources from the Turkish presidency told the agency that Gul and Obama
"exchanged views on bilateral and regional issues". The fact that Gul
spoke to Obama on the eve of the vote was noteworthy, officials said,
according to the agency.

THE WORK OF MITQ.ORG WILL BE RESTORED WITHIN SEVERAL HOURS

PanARMENIAN.Net
04.03.2010 16:04 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ As Hrant Melik-Shahnazaryan , chairman of the center
told a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter, the framework of their web site was
outdated and therefore it was easily broken. "The work of mitq.org
will be restored within several hours. Besides, the new site will be
ready at , " he said.

According to him, illegal actions of the Azerbaijani hackers are
conditioned by the fact that Armenia has recently been able to
successfully repel the anti-Armenian propaganda waged by Azerbaijan.

In particular, facts about falsifications of "evidence" in Khojalu
have been publicized at xocali.net.

Mitq Analytical Center conducts analysis of ethnic, religious,
political and economic processes in South Caucasus and adjacent
regions. Particular attention is paid to the relationships of the
South Caucasus with international military, political, economic, and
transnational organizations. Research and analysis are conducted by
experts engaged in research teams and outside experts.

EBRD: ECONOMIC GROWTH IN ARMENIA WILL COMPRISE 2% IN 2010

PanARMENIAN.Net
04.03.2010 14:33 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ European Bank of Reconstruction and Development
forecasted 2% economic growth in Armenia.

"Two weeks ago we announced that GDP volume in Armenia will comprise 2%
in 2010," head of EBRD Yerevan, Valeriu Razlog told a news conference
in Yerevan.

"Still, making forecasts on macroeconomic index would be a brave step
under the circumstances," he added.

1,2% economic growth and 4±1,5% inflation are stipulated in Armenia’s
budget for 2010.

European Bank of Reconstruction and Development EBRD is an
international financial institution that supports projects in 29
countries from central Europe to central Asia. Investing primarily in
private sector clients whose needs cannot be fully met by the market,
the Bank promotes entrepreneurship and fosters transition towards
open and democratic market economies.

The EBRD is the largest single investor in the region and also
mobilises significant foreign direct investment into its countries of
operations. The Bank invests mainly in private enterprises, usually
together with commercial partners. It provides project financing
for the financial sector and the real economy, both new ventures and
investments in existing companies. It also works with publicly-owned
companies to support privatisation, restructuring of state-owned
firms and improvement of municipal services.

Owned by 61 countries and two intergovernmental institutions, the EBRD
maintains a close political dialogue with governments, authorities
and representatives of civil society to promote its goals.

AZERBAIJANI MP: POLICY OF ARMENIA’S MILITARY JUNTA LEADS COUNTRY TO FIASCO
Z. Ahmadov

Today
3017.html
March 3 2010
Azerbaijan

Azerbaijani MP says status quo on the Karabakh issue does not satisfy
Azerbaijan and it is high time to change it. The MP was commenting on
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s speech he delivered at a meeting
with IDPs in country’s Gabala region.

"The president of our country Ilham Aliyev is the only person in
Azerbaijan directly involved in negotiations with Armenia over the
Karabakh issue. Therefore, the public, media and others constantly
keep track of his speeches to catch any details concerning the
negotiations with Armenia because he knows the course of a dialogue
with Armenia better than anyone. All other opinions on the matter
are merely comments," the MP said.

As the president said, it is time to change the current status quo and
everyone should already understand this. Internally displaced people
from Armenia and the Armenia-occupied territories of Azerbaijan
are severe social and economic burden for Azerbaijan. It is high
time for them to return to their native lands. In this regard,
the question of liberation of the seven occupied areas (around the
former Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region) is on the agenda, and
has strategic importance for us. Therefore, Azerbaijan’s position on
these territories have become stronger," he said.

"In my opinion, the President’s speech was also directed against the
fake and far-fetched Armenian history. Compared with 1988, Armenian
nationalists have stepped up claims to Azerbaijan. Authorities in
Armenia are trying to present themselves as a victor of the war
over Karabakh. First, they must know that the war is not over. Only
the first stage of confrontation is over. Secondly, no Armenian
inhabitant has enjoyed benefits of "victory" over Azerbaijan in
country’s socio-economic and their daily life so far."

"If the Karabakh Armenians lived within Azerbaijan, they could enjoy
the rights of autonomy that exists, for example, in Nakhchivan,
and would enjoy much better socio-economic condition. It should be
noted that the budget of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic totals
450 million dollars, which is almost comparable to Armenia’s income,"
the MP added.

"Taking into account that international law and justice are on our
side, Azerbaijan reserves the right to act till the end to recover its
occupied territories. Of course, we want to do this through peaceful
negotiations. But, as stated by President Ilham Aliyev on numerous
occasions, Azerbaijan will not accept loss of its territories, and
we are ready to resume the war to liberate our land at any moment."

"At the same time, Azerbaijan purchases modern weapons and equipment
and applies new standards in its army. All this makes Armenia to arm
and start some kind of arms race with Azerbaijan. But the policy of a
military junta in Armenia leads the country to a fiasco. The reason
is quite simple. Armenia has much less internal resources drawn
from the national budget compared with Azerbaijan. Of course, they
try not to lag behind us allocating more resources to the army. This
exhausts their budget more and more each year leading the country to
a standstill," the Azerbaijani MP noted.

CROQUET BALLS, COINS AND CULTURAL DIVERSITY AT OXY’S FILM FEST
Martha Carol

The Occidental Weekly
e/paper1200/news/2010/03/03/Entertainment/Croquet. Balls.Coins.And.Cultural.Diversity.At.Oxys.Film.Fe st-3883077.shtml
March 3 2010

PrintEmailArticle ToolsPage 1 of 1 The 2010 Occidental College Student
Film Festival brought laughter in celebration of anthropomorphized
pennies and croquet balls, silence in awe of social injustices and
physical strife, and giggling at naughty, college student jokes. Over
150 curious students gathered in Johnson 200 this past Thursday for
the evening showings of the 13 selected films.

The two-hour presentation of student-produced films delivered stories
far beyond the Occidental campus while simultaneously bringing issues
from our very own campus to the fore. Two of the more salient social
queries were imported from filmmakers’ travels abroad. But between
accounts of domestic injustice and loss of culture, a majority of
the films stuck to a lighter portrayal of the human experience,
even going beyond light humor into the politically incorrect.

The contradiction within the film festival – between the tossing about
of chauvinistic humor and the emphasis on the seriousness of social
injustice – showed two very different sides of the college. Several
of the films featured jokes objectifying women. Although the jokes
may have been questionable, most were made at the expense of the
objectifiers in question. Contrarily, another good portion of the films
focused on social issues and maintained a foundation of political
correctness. Coming from a school where liberalism and valuing of
humor reigns, the films were an accurate sampling of this duality
within the student mindset.

The film that claimed first prize – a copy of "Final Draft"
screenwriting software and gift certificates to local eateries and
theaters – dealt with neither such topics. As per last year’s festival,
the judges – art history/visual arts (AHVA) Professors Gabor Kalman,
Paul Reinsch, Pablo Frasconi and digital production manager Kjell
Hilding – looked to a more innocent comedic piece for the highest
quality of story, subject matter, variety of film and intricacy
of visuals.

A comedy much like Blue Sky Studio’s "Gone Nutty" and "No Time
For Nuts," Zak Stoltz’s (senior) "In Frame" depicts a young man in
combat with a temperamental camera frame. Actor Jonny Rodgers (junior)
fights his way through the Occidental campus, bound by the encroaching
blackness of the edge of the screen. Supplemented by a cute premise,
well-maneuvered special effects and captivating cartoonish vocals, "In
Frame" is perhaps the descendent of traditional slapstick comedies. In
the face of personal detriment, the protagonist of Stoltz’s film,
similar to his comedic predecessors, responds with exaggerated ruckus
and harumphing.

Complete with smacked heads, stubbed toes, befuddled egos and a couple
of prosaic stoners, the film is a charming comedic short, perhaps even
more original than the typical Oxy film. After so many college love
stories, sexual puns at the expense of a woman or two or meaningful
documentaries, watching a sympathetic character bumble around to the
clash and clatter of a nameless, lifeless opponent is delightful. As
the winning films of the past few years have done, the film held a
distinct lightness of mood and presented humor for humor’s sake.

Second place was awarded to a filmmaker whose inquiry into the
assimilation of her cultural relations depicted a compelling story.

"Armentsi" follows Anahid Yahjian (junior) in her search for
understanding as her family and fellow Armenians assimilate away
from their cultural origins. The filmmaker’s genuine bewilderment at
the abandonment of a culture she holds so dearly gives the film an
edge above the common documentary of privileged students documenting
social discrimination.

Elizabeth Hodgman (senior) claimed third prize through her depiction
of the classic story of a young artist coming to Los Angeles to be
found by the music industry titled, "Making a Living at It." Hodgman
follows acoustic musician Eric Kufs to his weekly performances on
the 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica. In the film, Kufs’ humble,
charming, boho attitude is best exemplified when he says, "I get up
at the crack of noon and decide what t-shirt I am going to wear."

Hodgman’s documentary is a well-shot insight into the process of
trying to break into the music industry. While the winning films
were all-around well done, the most interesting topic of the night
was mentioned early in the evening in Julia Bleckner’s (senior) "The
Perfect Woman." Bleckner’s series of recorded interviews explores what
it means to be the ideal woman in Indian society. These interviews
brought to light the cultural existence of women in India that can
seem so distant from the culture of the United States.

The most intriguing facet of the film was its discussion of
skin whitening practices, specifically the cosmetic product Fair
and Lovely Cream. This synthetic manipulation of skin tone and
racial identity provokes questions of racism. The practice of skin
lightening left the audience questioning whether this is any more
controversial than the darkening of skin with tanning lotion or in
tanning salons. However, the film did not mention that such products
are entering men’s cosmetics as well. The answers given by the Indian
women were insightful and even disheartening. However, the film did
not have a strong enough focus and flow to reach its full potential
as a documentary.

A stressful portrayal of one woman’s workout, the humorous collapse
of a movie set and a lovely, clever, romantic piece entitled "Wallet
Love," among others, were also screened. Although not award-winning,
the remainder of the films elicited many laughs and provided intriguing
narratives. The 8th Annual Film Festival scored high merits for the
AHVA department and student filmmakers.

The AHVA department will be showing more student -produced, -directed
and -acted films with the presentation of senior film comps on Friday,
April 9 in Thorne Hall. Refreshments will be served at 7:00 p.m. with
the films to follow at 8:00 p.m.

THOMSON: A TROUBLING ANTI-WEST TILT PERSISTSRATE THIS STORY
By John R. Thomson

Washington Times
a-troubling-anti-west-tilt-persists/
March 3 2010

Islamist pressure undermines its moderate image

Long a staunch free world friend and, since 1952, member of NATO,
Turkey is today the world’s 17th

largest economy and dominant in a region that includes Egypt, Israel
and Saudi Arabia. However, after generations of close relations with
the United States, Europe and Israel, Turkey is undergoing complex and
increasingly radical restructuring, both domestically and abroad. How
it evolves should be of great interest and grave concern.

Internally, Islamist pressure is building, despite representing
a minority of citizens. Poor government-military relations were
exacerbated by the Feb. 22 arrest of 51 active and retired senior
army officers accused of plotting a 2003 coup. Abroad, frustrated by
its negligible chance to enter the European Union, the government is
reverting to its deep Islamist leanings and significantly altering
foreign policies.

There has been a steady increase in women wearing hijab headscarves,
encouraged by the ruling party and government of Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The wives of Mr. Erdogan and Turkish President
Abdullah Gul wear the hijab, as do most female activists in the
ruling Justice and Development Party. Reflecting strong opposition,
a government proposal to lift a long-established ban on wearing it
at universities was ruled unconstitutional in 2008.

Moves to intimidate the once-free media have stunned longtime friends.

Journalists and editors report regular wiretapping intimidation.

Turkish media are under unrelenting pressure to show nothing but
respect for the prime minister. Leading newspaper Sabah was closed
two years ago on fabricated charges and sold under pressure to a
company run by Serhat Albayrak, the prime minister’s son-in-law. Last
September, major media conglomerate Dogan received a $2.5 billion tax
fine many believe imposed because of its strongly secular editorial
position; however, a January court ruling reduced it by 20 percent
with more appeals pending.

In recent weeks, efforts to appoint clearly Islamist judges have been
vigorously opposed by the opposition and Turkey’s esteemed military.

Islamist hoodlums have attacked Jewish synagogues and businesses and
Mr. Erdogan was received warmly on returning from last year’s Davos
World Economic Forum, where he told Israeli President Shimon Peres,
"You kill people," among other incendiary statements, before abruptly
leaving their shared podium.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad praised the prime minister’s
performance, reciprocated when Mr. Erdogan and Mr. Gul speedily
phoned congratulations to the Iranian president following his
corruption-ridden re-election last June. Mr. Erdogan repeatedly refers
to Mr. Ahmadinejad as his "friend" in interviews and multiple exchanges
of visits to Tehran and Ankara.

Indicative of a sharp return to his Islamist beliefs, the charismatic
Turkish leader repeatedly lauds disgraced Sudanese dictator Omar
Bashir, indicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war
crimes and crimes against humanity. Mr. Erdogan and Mr. Gul exchange
frequent visits with Mr. Bashir and his vice president.

Despite the slaughter of some half-million Sudanese in Darfur since
2003, the ICC stopped short of indicting former army general Bashir
of genocide, allowing Mr. Erdogan to announce during the Sudanese
leader’s November visit, "No Muslim could perpetrate a genocide." The
ludicrous reference continues Turkey’s relentless denial of committing
genocide from 1915 until the end of World War I, when more than a
million Armenians were exterminated, moving Winston Churchill to term
the events an "administrative holocaust."

Such international forays, including warm relations with Hamas,
have prompted several apologists – including very senior members
of the Obama administration – to contend Ankara was simply opening
long-neglected regional relationships. Not true: No similar warming
of relations has developed between Turkey and such area regimes as
Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and the United
Arab Emirates. Attempts have been made to normalize relations with
Turkey’s Kurdish minority and the Kurdish region of Iraq in a desperate
effort to mollify long-strained relations, as the Kurdish birthrate
threatens to lift them to 50 percent of the country’s population
within a generation.

The prime minister periodically notes Turkey maintains close relations
with Israel and fealty to NATO, claims having similar weight as his
friend Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s insistence Iran’s nuclear program is
solely for power-generating purposes.

Although campaigning as a moderate during the victorious 2002 election
campaign, Mr. Erdogan’s radical roots were formed while attending
Marmara University where he met Turkey’s first Islamist prime minister,
Nekmettin Erbakan. After a successful term as Istanbul mayor, he
formed the Justice and Development Party with Islamist members of
the banned Virtue Party and was jailed for inciting religious hatred,
for publicly reciting a poem that said in part, "The mosques are our
barracks, the domes our helmets, the minarets our bayonets and the
faithful our soldiers."

The only significant force offsetting the Islamist surge is Turkey’s
military, long the guardian of the 80-year Ataturk legend of firm
adherence to secular democracy. During the Erdogan administration,
relations with the army have deteriorated significantly, culminating
in the recent arrest of several senior retired officers following
stories of a possible coup. Besides the military, many businessmen and
educators are pondering whether to await the Erdogan government’s
leaving the political scene peacefully, or hope for military
intervention.

Interestingly, all the internal and international turmoil has come
when the country has been touted as a major potential force for peace
and stability. Turkey was elected in 2008 to a seat on the U.N.

Security Council; Istanbul was awarded the prestigious 2009 meeting
of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank; this year, Istanbul
celebrates selection as a European Capital of Culture.

Nevertheless, despite the facts, Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and Barack
Obama have all lionized the government, effectively encouraging it to
redouble its radical maneuvering. U.S. Ambassador James Jeffrey said
in a January interview in Sabah that Turkey "is a peaceful country. It
doesn’t invade neighbors." Sadly, 36 years after invading Cyprus,
40,000 Turkish troops and 180,000 mainland emigres remain, despite
much of the native Turkish population’s opposition. The ambassador
also sidestepped addressing Turkey’s relations with Israel. However
events unfold, there are two current realities:

c Turkey will continue to be a major economic and political player
in a vast and critical region embracing much of Asia, Africa and the
Muslim world.

c Increasingly friendly to radical and outlaw regimes, the Erdogan
government is neutral if not unfriendly to the West, Israel and
moderate Arab governments.

Patriotic Turks can re-establish the dynamic policies of national hero
Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. Doing so should make the first reality above
far more welcome to Turkey’s western and Arab friends and neighbors.

John R. Thomson, a geopolitical analyst and former diplomat, has
lived and worked in Muslim countries for more than three decades.

UN GA ADOPTS RESOLUTION ON DEVELOPMENT OF COOPERATION WITH CSTO

armradio.am
03.03.2010 12:26

The UN General Assembly on Tuesday adopted a resolution aimed at
the development of cooperation between the Collective Security Treaty
Organisation (CSTO) and the United Nations. This document co-authors of
which are all CSTO member states (Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan) was presented at the UN General
Assembly meeting by Russia’s delegation, ITAR-TASS reports.

The document emphasises "the importance of the strengthening of
the dialogue, cooperation and coordination between the UN system
and CSTO." It also contains an appeal to specialised bodies of the
UN system, "such as the Department for Political Affairs of the UN
Secretariat, UN Office on Drugs and Crime, Counterterrorism Committee
and its Executive Directorate, to cooperate and develop direct contacts
with the CSTO aimed at the attainment of their goals."

Presenting the draft resolution Russian Permanent Representative to
the United Nations Vitaly Churkin noted that since 2004 the CSTO has
the status of observer in the UN General Assembly, and on January 16,
2008 the Agreement on the peacekeeping activity of this organisation
came into force.

"The new resolution will make it possible to really strengthen CSTO-UN
interaction, to expand their mutual abilities to assist the efforts
to ensure peace, security and cooperation on the regional and global
scale," Churkin said. The mechanism of CSTO peacekeeping activity
"can be used in peacekeeping operations, including under the aegis
of the United Nations," he added.

ELMAR MAMMEDYAROV TO MEET OSCE MINSK GROUP CO-CHAIRS ON MARCH 5

APA
March 2 2010
Azerbaijan

Baku. Viktoriya Dementyeva – APA. Minister of Foreign Affairs of
Azerbaijan Republic Elmar Mammedyarov will pay an official visit to
Paris on March 4. Following the press conference on the outcomes of the
meeting between Elmar Mammedyarov and his Spanish counterpart Miguel
Angel Moratinos, Azerbaijani Minister told that he will probably meet
with OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairs on March 5 during his official visit
to Paris, APA reported.

In his reply to a question on whether Azerbaijan will also submit
proposals for the updated Madrid principles to OSCE Minsk Group
Co-chairs as Armenia did, he emphasized that Azerbaijan had been
working on Madrid principles for 2 years and had already submitted
the appropriate document to the Co-chairs while in Greece. "I think
in this document Azerbaijan’s position is clearly revealed and there
is no need to present the updated Madrid principles to the Co-chairs",
the Azerbaijani FM said.