Author: Khoyetsian Rose

PRESIDENT DISMISSES CLAIMS OVER LARSI REOPENING
By Mzia Kupunia

The Messenger
March 3 2010
Georgia

Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili has hailed the opening of
Kazbegi-Zemo Larsi border crossing point and downplayed criticism
from some of his opponents that the opening of a land checkpoint with
Russia could bear a danger for Georgia.

"It will be the only legal border point on our territory [with Russia]
and by reopening this the Russian side indirectly recognises that
the total embargo policy, begun in 2005, has not been successful,"
the President’s press speaker Manana Manjgaladze said at a special
press briefing on Tuesday. "The President thinks that it is better
to have legal relations with Russia at least on this one section,
to have a controlled state border where everything will be done
according to the Georgian legislation," she added.

The Kazbegi-Zemo Larsi checkpoint opened on March 1 after brief
Armenian and Swiss-mediated negotiations between the Georgian and
the Russian sides last year. The decision to reopen a border crossing
point with Russia has met with a varied reaction in Georgian political
circles. Opposition Christian Democratic Movement MPs have criticised
the move, saying that the opening could endanger the residents of
Kazbegi region due to "insufficient" security measures at the crossing
point. Saakashvili’s press speaker responded to these claims by saying
that a closed border with armed guards at the checkpoint was a bigger
threat than an open and legal border. "A tollbar has provided much
less security than the open state border, secured with all means of
control and all legal levers, did," Manjgaladze told journalists.

Manjgaladze said that the statements of some opposition politicians
and analysts that the Kazbegi region might share the same fate
as the Akhalgori region are part of a "psychological war" aimed at
influencing the Georgian population, investors and the development of
the country in general. "As for the claims that Russia has towards
Stepantsminda and Kobi-Gudauri, it should be noted that The Kremlin
has the similar claims towards the whole of Georgia and its capital
as well," Manjgaladze stated.

The press speaker touched upon the issue of the Georgian-Russian
relations, saying that reopening the land border with Russia does not
mean improving relations with Moscow. "The negotiations were being
held through the Swiss Embassy, which means they were not direct
negotiations and do not imply an improvement in relations. It is hard
to talk about there being any relations when the Russian Government
does not recognise the democratically elected Government of Georgia,
Georgia’s state border or sovereignty and is trying to legitimise
the creation of 500,000 IDPs and ethnic cleansing," Manjgaladze said.

"Warming" and restoring relations with Moscow can only happen if
Russia leaves Georgia’s occupied territories, Manjgaladze quoted
President Saakashvili as saying.

Movement through the checkpoint has not been intensive so far,
according to Russian officials. 6 people had crossed from both sides
since it opened, RIA Novosti reported on March 2, based on information
provided by the head of the Press Service of the Russian Federal
Security Service’s North Ossetian Border Department Alexander Solod.

Two, citizens of Uzbekistan and Russia, crossed the border from the
Georgian side, and the other four, citizens of Russia, Uzbekistan and
Georgia, crossed from the Russian side, Solod said, according to RIA
Novosti. An increase in the flow of people on the Russian-Georgian
border is expected by May, according to the Russian Federal Security
Service North Ossetian Border Department officials.

PRESIDENTS OF US AND TURKEY HAVE PHONE TALK

ArmInfo
2010-03-04 10:39:00

ArmInfo. Turkish President Abdullah Gul held a phone conversation
with his U.S. counterpart Barack Obama on Wednesday.

As the Turkish World Bulletin reports quoting the sources in the
presidential administration, Abdullah Gul and Barack Obama exchanged
views on bilateral and regional issues. The fact that Gul-Obama
conversation took place prior to the voting on a resolution on the
incidents of 1915 at the United States House of Representatives on
Thursday, March 4 was noteworthy, said officials.

AZERBAIJANI MP: ARMENIA WANTS TO EXACT 400 BILLION DOLLARS FROM TURKEY
Z. Ahmadov

Today
2888.html
March 2 2010
Azerbaijan

Azerbaijani MP Asef Hajiyev says the issue of "Armenian genocide"
must be debated not by politicians, but historians.

"I think that the Committee of the U.S. Congress may adopt the
"Armenian genocide" resolution, but it does not mean that the Congress
will pass it, too. The issue is raised in the United States every
year with different factors preventing its adoption each time. This
is because Washington has its own interests which do not include
adoption of an imaginary "Armenian genocide".

"In turn, adoption of this bill by the Congress Committee would mean
the Armenian lobby puts pressure on Turkey to ratify the Zurich
protocols. But we all remember the reason for the closure of the
Armenian-Turkish border. Moreover, Ankara has reiterated many times
that in what case it can open borders with Armenia," the MP added.

"Armenia wants the "genocide" to be recognized in order to exact 400
billion dollars from Turkey and to put territorial claims. But this is
unrealistic, because there is no basis for such a far-fetched claims of
"genocide". In response to this, we must do more to raise the issue
of genocide of Azerbaijanis in Khojaly. To do this, we have video and
photo evidence. The world should know that despite Armenian "genocide"
claims, it has committed this inhumane act against us," the MP noted.

As to possibility of Armenia’s open territorial claims to Turkey
in event the "Armenian genocide" is recognized, Hajiyev said "such
claims already persist."

"Yerevan wants the "genocide" to be reflected on paper in order to
put forward new demands. Generally, I find it totally inappropriate
that such issues are discussed by MPs. This is a question that needs
to be decided by historians. Turkey and Armenia should open archives
and to shed light on history. But Armenia is not going to do so,"
Hajiyev said.

UPPER LARS REOPENED

news.am
March 1 2010
Armenia

If the Upper Lars checkpoint is reopened, the prices for cargo
transportation from Armenia to Russia prices will be reduced by 20%,
Gagik Aghajanyan, Executive Director of the Apaven forwarding company,
told NEWS.am. The reduction will not apply to excisable cargoes, ad
the Upper Lars checkpoint is not licensed to serve excisable cargoes.

The Upper Lars checkpoint has been reopened today, March 1. The Russian
side closed the checkpoint in 2006 under the pretext of renovation.

"The most important thing is that the reopened checkpoint is an
alternative to the ferry service that has so far been the only means
of communication between Armenia and Russia. This is of high importance
for the transportation of perishable agricultural produce.

We will not any longer be dependent on the ferry service," Aghajanyan
said.

"We hoped for a 50% increase in the cargo transportation rate if the
Upper Lars checkpoint reopened," he said. The Russian and Georgian
sides installed modern equipment at the customs station, which will
facilitate customs clearance.

As to whether reopening the Armenian-Turkish border will not any more
be needed, Aghajanyan said: "No, it has nothing to do with this. Even
now that the borders are closed, no changes in the transportation
system are expected nor can they take place because these are different
directions."

14:33 26/02/2010 » Politics
22 years since Sumgayit pogroms

22 years have passed since terrible, bloody pogroms in Sumgayit.
According to the Soviet Union official statistics, several dozens of
Armenians were killed in pogroms carried out by Azerbaijan, though,
the exact figures reach several hundreds.

As estimated, one of the victims, 1961-year-born Lola Avagyan was
first made out of home and forced to dance, then was slashed in
different parts of body with a knife, her breast was cut. They burnt
her body with a cigarette, then raped her. Her body could hardly be
recognized by her relatives.

Details are available at

Armenia has sheltered 360 thousand refugees who fled from Sumgayit and
other Azerbaijani residences.

`People who have resided there for generations were left homeless
within several weeks,’ the head of the Migration Agency at the
Ministry of Territorial Administration Gagik Yeganyan told a press
conference today. This was the cost that the Armenians in Sumgayit had
to pay en route Artsakh de facto independence. Almost all Armenians
had to pay.

Source: Panorama.am

Hurriyet, Turkey
Feb 26 2010

US lawmaker criticizes Turkey’s foreign policy

Friday, February 26, 2010
Ã`mit ENGÄ°NSOY
ANKARA – Hürriyet Daily News

As a leading American lawmaker accuses Turkey of planning a major
realignment of its foreign policy, the U.S. secretary of state says
that Washington and Ankara continue to share a vital partnership and
common strategic interests.

`I am very concerned with the direction of Turkey. It seems to me, at
least, that Turkey is contemplating a fundamental realignment,’ Steve
Israel, a Democratic representative from New York, said at a
congressional hearing Thursday.

`With respect to Iran, Turkey has exhibited irresponsible behavior in
my view, undermining international efforts to slow Iran’s march to
nuclear weapons, defending Iran’s position,’ Israel said, according to
a transcript of a hearing by the House Appropriations Committee’s
State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs Subcommittee on next
year’s budget.

The U.S. congressman criticized Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
ErdoÄ?an and his government, blaming them for the worsening ties
between Turkey and Israel, and accused Turkey of `continuing an
illegal occupation in Cyprus’ and `denying the Darfur genocide.’

Ironically, Israel was one of the few Democratic lawmakers who
staunchly defended Turkey against an Armenian `genocide’ bill debated
in the House of Representatives in 2007. One Washington analyst said
his recent remarks may reflect the growing frustration of many U.S.
politicians over the growing Turkish-Israeli tensions.

Clinton’s response

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, however, said that the United
States and Turkey are working together from the Balkans to
Afghanistan. `We believe we share a vital partnership, common
strategic interests and, of course, membership in NATO,’ she said.

`With respect specifically to Iran, Turkey shares a long border with
Iran,’ she added. `It has a lot of cultural and religious ties; a lot
of commercial ventures with Iran, and it has access to many of the
Iranian decision makers.’

Noting that Ankara opposes Tehran’s acquisition of nuclear-weapons
capability, Clinton said: `We have worked very hard to move the
government of Turkey to a point where it will assist us in pressing
Iran to respond to our demands. With respect to Israel, Prime Minister
ErdoÄ?an, based on humanitarian grounds, criticized Israel’s closure of
Gaza.’

The U.S. secretary of state added that Turkey and Israel were both
trying to get their relationship back on track.

president.am, Armenia
Feb 27 2010

President Sargsyan conducted a working meeting on the issue of
improvement the tax management

Today, President Serzh Sargsyan conducted a working meeting on the
issue of improvement the tax management. The meeting was conducted
with the participation of the Prime Minister Tigran Sarkissian, Head
of Presidential Staff, the Ministers of Finance and Justice, Head of
the National Security Service, Chief of Police, Prosecutor General,
Chairman of the Committee of State Revenues, Head of the Presidential
Oversight Board, and other officials.

President Sargsyan drew attention of the participants of the meeting
to the necessity of conducting coordinated fight against the negative
trends in the area of tax collection. The President of Armenia
stressed that in order to solve the existing problems along with other
measures it would be essential also to synchronize the interagency
cooperation.

Serzh Sargsyan stressed the importance of reducing opportunities for
the development of shadow economy and enforcement of a proper
documentation flow in business interactions. President Sargsyan gave
instructions to the Heads of relevant agencies and ordered to combine
efforts and fight more efficiently against sham turnovers, sale of
phony documentation on different products and similar corrupt actions.

`We mustn’t take a break. The task in front of us is not only to
prevent this kind of occurrences from burgeoning but also to take
drastic steps to eliminate vicious chains coming from the past,’ the
President of Armenia underscored.

SOUTH BAY COMMUNITY PREPARES FOR TOWN HALL MEETING WITH MARCY WINOGRAD

Asbarez
prepares-for-town-hall-meeting-with-marcy-winograd /
Feb 26th, 2010

LOMITA, Calif.-Fresh off of walking precincts in California’s 36th
Congressional District, the South Bay Armenian American Community
prepares for a town hall meeting with Marcy Winograd. The town hall
meeting will take place on Sunday, February 28, 2010 at 5 p.m. at
the South Bay Armenian Center located at 2222 Lomita Blvd. in Lomita,
California. The event will be open to the public with free admission.

The purpose of Sunday’s meeting is to create an opportunity for
the Armenian American community to pose relevant questions to Marcy
Winograd and discuss key issues that concern the community members.

The event will also allow supporters to make contributions to her
campaign. Additionally, the meeting will serve as an opportunity for
first time voters to fill out voter registration forms and participate
in the elections this year.

The Democratic Primaries will take place on June 8, 2010. Individuals
interested in learning more about Marcy Winograd’s challenge to Jane
Harman may visit her website at:

The ANC-PAC is a non-partisan federally registered political action
committee established to support campaign committees for Members of
Congress who share the values of the Armenian American community. The
ANC-PAC is at the forefront of efforts to ensure that the voice of the
Armenian American community is clearly heard in our nation’s capital.

The ANC-PAC continues a century old tradition of Armenian American
engagement on the public policy issues facing national political
leaders, both in the U.S. Congress and the White House. For more
information, you may logon to

GENERAL PROSECUTOR’S OFFICE CONDEMNS ANY ACT OF VIOLENCE

/25/nikol-pashinyan
07:28 pm | February 25, 2010

Official

The General Prosecutor’s Office condemns any act of violence,
regardless of the fact against who it was committed. The General
Prosecutor’s Office is concerned about the incident that took place on
February 24 at the entrance of the building of the General Prosecutor’s
Office between the photo-journalist Gagik Shamshyan and a 30-year-old
young fellow defined by the latter.

G. Shamshyan reported about the incident during the news conference
held at the General Prosecutor’s Office on February 24 and the
RA General Prosecutor demanded that G. Shamshyan present the
video-recordings and photos on the incident.

The General Prosecutor’s Office will pursue the goal to identify the
circumstances of the incident and to legally assess the acts by the
guilty persons. The public will be informed about the whole procedure
of the identification of this incident.

SERZH SARGSYAN, PHILLIP GORDON DISCUSS ARMENIA-TURKEY RELATIONS

PanARMENIAN.Net
25.02.2010 18:37 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan met with US
Assistant Secretary of State Philip Gordon in Kyiv. During the meeting,
parties focused on Armenia-Turkey rapprochement issue.

RA President once again presented official Yerevan’s position on
current stage of rapprochement process, emphasizing Armenia’s adherence
to the principle of normalization of ties without reservations.

Philip Gordon confirmed US support for reconciliation process,
giving high assessment to Armenia’s constructive position. According
to US Assistant Secretary of State, Protocols ratification without
reservations by the parliaments of both states is important for
normalization of bilateral ties.

Armenian delegation led by Serzh Sargsyan will return to Yerevan
Thursday evening, presidential press service reported.

The Protocols 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.