Author: Nadirian Emma

Armenian Government delegation on three-day working visit to NKR

2010-04-10 13:53:00

ArmInfo. The Armenian Government delegation led by Prime Minister
Tigran Sargsyan has left to the Nagony Karabakh Republic on a
three-day working visit.

ArmInfo correspondent to Stepanakert reports that the delegation is
expected to visit educational establishments, military units,
industrial enterprises as well as the facilities that are under
construction by Hayastan All Armenian Foundation. The Prime Minister
will visit Shushi town and some local enterprises. The head of the
Armenian government will make short calls at Sarsang HPP and the site
of Therghe-2 HPP. Then he will attend opening ceremonies for Terghe -1
HPP and the new water-main of Verin Horatagh village community. A
meeting between NKR President Bako Sahakyan and RA Prime Minister
Tigran Sargsyan and the two governments’ joint session are scheduled
during the visit. The delegation comprises Chief of Government Staff
David Sargsyan, Minister of Defence Seyran Ohanyan, Minister of
Finance Tigran Davtyan, Minister of Economy Nerses Yeritsyan, Minister
of Agriculture Gerasim Alaverdyan, Minister of Energy and Natural
Resources Armen Movsisyan, First Deputy Minister of Territorial
Administration Vache Terteryan, as well as the governors Syunik, Lori,
Aragatsotni, Ararat, Vajots Dzorskoj areas RA, other officials. The
NKR President and Defense Minister of Armenia have already met and
discuss army building issues.

TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTRY HOPES TO IMPROVE TIES WITH ARMENIA

Anadolu Agency
April 7 2010
Turkey

Ankara, 7 April: Turkish Foreign Ministry said Turkey displayed a
strong political will in the normalisation process with Armenia.

Turkish Foreign Ministry Spokesman Burak Ozugergin told a press
conference Wednesday that Turkey played a strong political will,
from the very beginning, in the normalisation process in line with
its vision of regional peace and stability, noting that it did not
need third parties to interfere.

Ozugergin’s remarks came after the remarks uttered by Stefan Fule,
EU Commissioner for Enlargement, during a trip to Armenia, urging
Turkey to continue exerting efforts to normalise relations with this
country as a prerequisite for EU membership.

Ozugergin said the strong political will displayed in the rapprochement
with Armenia, was also a sign of Turkey’s belief in the need for
extensive peace and stability in the south Caucasus.

NETANYAHU CANCELS US NUCLEAR TRIP

Tert.am
10:01 09.04.10

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has cancelled a visit to US where he
was to attend a summit on nuclear security, reports BBC News.

Netanyahu made the decision after learning that Egypt and Turkey
intended to raise the issue of Israel’s presumed nuclear arsenal,
media reports said.

US President Barack Obama is due to host dozens of world leaders at
the two-day conference, which begins in Washington on Monday.

Israel has never confirmed or denied that it possesses atomic weapons.

"The prime minister has decided to cancel his trip to Washington to
attend the nuclear conference next week, after learning that some
countries including Egypt and Turkey plan to say Israel must sign the
NPT," Reuters news agency quoted a senior Israeli official as saying.

Israel’s Intelligence and Atomic Energy Minister Dan Meridor will take
Netanyahu’s place in the nuclear summit, Israeli radio said. More than
40 countries are expected at the meeting among them also Armenia,
which will focus on preventing the spread of nuclear weapons to
militant groups.

Israeli reports said there were concerns that Egypt and Turkey would
call for Israel to sign the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

Along with India, Pakistan and North Korea, Israel is one of just four
states that have not signed up to the NPT, which has 189 signatories.

Earlier this week, President Obama unveiled the new Nuclear Posture
Review – which narrows the circumstances in which the US would use
nuclear weapons – outlining his country’s long-term strategy of
nuclear disarmament.

ILHAM ALIYEV CALLS FOR INTERNATIONAL PRESSURE ON ARMENIA

news.az
April 8 2010
Azerbaijan

Ilham Aliyev and Toomas Ilves The Azerbaijani president has used
a press conference in Estonia to accuse Armenia of dragging out
settlement of the Karabakh conflict.

The Azerbaijani president met his Estonian counterpart, Toomas Ilves,
in Tallinn yesterday, and told a joint press conference after their
meeting that he had updated Ilves on the state of the Nagorno-Karabakh
settlement process.

‘The fact that our land has been occupied for almost 20 years shows
that, notwithstanding all our efforts for a peaceful resolution of
the conflict on the basis of internationally recognized norms and
UN Security Council resolutions, Armenia’s ongoing non-constructive
position and its policy of dragging out the peace process create
more obstacles to a conflict settlement,’ Aliyev said in his opening
statement to the press conference, as reported by state-run news
agency AzerTAj.

Referring to a settlement proposal by the OSCE Minsk Group mediators,
the president said: ‘The parties acting as mediators in the process,
i.e., the co-chairmen of the Minsk Group, presented to both
sides a proposal to settle the conflict. The proposal is based on
internationally recognized norms and the resolutions and decisions of
international organizations. Overall, Azerbaijan officially and openly
accepted the proposal, with some small exceptions, three months ago.

However, unfortunately, we have not seen the same approach from the
Armenian side. Azerbaijan is ready to move forward with the proposal,
but we have not seen an appropriate response from the Armenian side.

This only increases our suspicions that Armenia simply intends to
maintain the status quo, does not want to withdraw its troops from
the occupied territories, wishes to drag out the process and at a
certain point prefers to avoid it.’

Ilham Aliyev went on to call for pressure to be brought to bear on
Armenia to withdraw from Azerbaijan.

‘I think that the international community and circles involved in the
issue, including European institutions, should step up their efforts
to convince Armenia, which is illegally occupying 20 percent of the
land of a sovereign country, to eliminate the consequences of the
ethnic cleansing of Azerbaijanis and allow one million Azerbaijani
refugees and forced migrants to return home and put an end to the
occupation. After this, peace can be established in the region.’

The OSCE mediators have put forward proposals for a Karabakh settlement
known as the updated Madrid principles.

Azerbaijan’s foreign minister, Elmar Mammadyarov, said earlier in
March that Baku accepted the updated principles in general, but
‘there are elements that do not suit us’.

Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian said on 29 March that
Armenia had adopted the OSCE’s Madrid principles as a basis for
negotiations two years ago, and the updated principles remained
the same.

The Madrid principles include the return of the territories surrounding
Nagorno-Karabakh to Azerbaijani control, an interim status for Karabakh
providing guarantees for security and self-governance, and the future
determination of the final legal status of Nagorno-Karabakh through
a legally binding expression of will. The status of Karabakh remains
the biggest sticking point in the negotiations.

PRESIDENT OF NAGORNO-KARABAKH: OUR STATE DOES ITS BEST TO AVOID WAR

ArmInfo
2010-04-06 21:31:00

ArmInfo. "Over the past few years we have always been concerned
with the prospect of war resumption. These are our realities",- said
Nagorno-Karabakh President Bako Sahakyan during his visit to Toumi
village of Hadrut region of Karabakh, where he held a meeting with
the representatives of rural community.

According to him, this concern over resumption of military actions
is groundless for two reasons.

"First of all, if we face such a situation and war proves to be the
only way-out, we will go ahead and will never step back. I say this
so that you know what we will do. Our enemy is perfectly aware of
this," Sahakyan said. He said: "Our mission is not to start a war
and to record one more victory. Our state seeks to avoid war. Baku’s
militarist statements are one more subversive ideological act."

JOURNALIST GAYANE BABAYAN DIED IN A CAR ACCIDENT YESTERDAY

Tert.am
11:41 ~U 06.04.10

At about 9:50 pm on April 5, Gayane Babayan, an Armenian journalist
working for local Armenian daily Hraparak ("A Square," "Public Place"),
was involved in a car accident that took place on Davit Anhaght Street
in Yerevan.

The driver is said to have attempted to rescue Babayan by immediately
taking her to the hospital, but unfortunately, she passed away
on route.

Tert.am conveys its deep and heartfelt condolences to Gayane Babayan’s
relatives, friends and colleagues.

SECRETARY-GENERAL OF INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION OF FRANCOPHONIE ARRIVES IN ARMENIA

PanARMENIAN.Net –
April 6, 2010 – 13:10 AMT 08:10 GMT

Secretary-General of the International Organization of the Francophonie
Abdou Diouf will arrive in Armenia on an official visit on April
5. During his visit, he will meet with RA President Serzh Sargsyan,
Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II, Chairman of the RA National
Assembly Hovik Abrahamyan and Minister of Foreign Affairs Edward
Nalbandian.

Abdou Diouf will visit Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex of the Armenian
Genocide, the press service of the Armenian Foreign Affairs Ministry
reported.

EU DELEGATION TO ARMENIA ORGANIZES TRAINING SEMINARS FOR ARMENIAN NGOS

Noyan Tapan
Apr 6, 2010

YEREVAN, APRIL 6, NOYAN TAPAN. The Delegation of the European Union to
Armenia organized 2 training seminars on "Financial Procedures related
to EU grant contracts in Armenia", which were held on 30 and 31 March,
2010 at the Marriott Hotel in Yerevan.

The aim of the trainings was to provide comprehensive information on
financial and accounting matters related to EU grant contracts.

Training included an introduction to the best accountancy practices,
link between the Armenian tax laws, accounting standards and the
EU financial reporting requirements and a presentation of internal
control procedures.

More than 40 financial managers, accountants and project managers of
all the beneficiaries of grant contracts (Non State Actors (NGOs),
local authorities, public administrations, etc.) participated in the
trainings presented by the audit firm Grant Thornton Amyot.

According to a report provided to NT, given the positive feedback
from the participants, the Delegation will consider organizing other
trainings in the future, with an emphasis on accounting practises
and tax problems.

"IN COMMEMORATION OF THE INNOCENT MARTYR" MOVEMENT HAS STARTED
By Hovik Afyan

Azg Daily
April 2 2010
Armenia

The World Armenian Congress and the Union of Armenians in Russia,
mainly the youth organizations of the Union, have put forward an
initiative under heading "In commemoration of the innocent martyr";
they have decided to plant 1,5 million trees in Yerevan until the
100th anniversary (in five years) of the Armenian Genocide, to create
a Park of Rebirth.

On March 31, the tree-planting program has started. Trees were planted
in the schoolyards of N13 musical school, N169 secondary school after
Shiraz, N163 school of Nor Norq, N 174 school of Charbakh, as well
as in the territory of the metropolitan regiment of the Armenian Army.

The schools and the regiment expressed readiness to take care of the
newly-planted trees.

U.S., TURKEY EASE STRAINS OVER ARMENIAN "GENOCIDE" BILL

CRI ENGLISH.com
April 3 2010
China

The United States and Turkey saw their strains over the Armenian
"genocide" resolution ease Friday as Turkish Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan announced a planned trip to Washington for a nuclear
summit and the decision to send Turkish ambassador back to the
U.S. capital.

The thaw came after a phone talk between U.S. Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton and Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu late
Sunday, an attempt to smooth over tensions caused by the adoption
of a resolution passed by a U.S. congressional panel last month that
recognizes the World War I-era deaths of Armenians under Ottoman rule
as "genocide."

In the phone conversation, Clinton assured the White House opposition
to the resolution, Turkey’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement
Monday.

The phone talk was a positive signal, Erdogan told reporters after
a meeting in the Turkish capital of Ankara on Friday.

"I hope these positive developments will continue during my visit,"
he was quoted by the Turkish newspaper Hurriyet Daily News as saying.

Angry at the resolution, Turkey recalled its ambassador to the United
States Namik Tan immediately and warned such acts could harm bilateral
relations and the ongoing normalization process with Armenia.

Turkey and Armenia have no diplomatic ties and are bogged down in a
long-time row over the killings of Armenians during the World War I,
which Armenia brands as a genocide. Turkey strongly denies that.

In response to a question whether U.S. President Barack Obama will
host a meeting between him and Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan during
the Washington summit in mid-April, Erdogan said Friday he would hold
talks on the sidelines of the summit and hinted at discussions about
the Armenian issue.

"The nuclear issue is not the only topic on the agenda. There are
many other issues to discuss," he said.

At the coming International Nuclear Security Summit, the U.S.

administration is expected to rally up support for new sanctions on
Iran. Turkey has called for a diplomatic solution, though, saying
previous rounds of sanctions failed to work.

Turkey will be more reluctant to cooperate with the United States in
such Middle East hot spots as Afghanistan and Iran if the resolution
makes further progress in the U.S. House of Representatives or Barack
Obama names the Armenian deaths as genocide, political analyst Sedat
Laciner told Xinhua in Ankara.

"The United States should understand that if it needs Turkey, it
has to be more polite," said Laciner, director of the International
Strategic Research Organization.

He attributed the U.S. House panel’s vote for the "genocide" resolution
to coming U.S. mid-term elections this fall and strong lobbying from
the Armenian diaspora in Washington.

Turkey has argued the Armenians were victims of widespread chaos and
governmental breakdown as the Ottoman Empire collapsed before modern
Turkey was founded in 1923.

Obama is expected to make a speech about the Armenian issue on April
24, the anniversary of the start of the killings commemorated by
Armenians.

In last year’s speech, Obama refrained from the word "genocide",
referring to the incident as "one of the great atrocities of the
20th century."

How far Washington goes is affected by both lawmakers’ attention to
Armenian voters and Turkey’s strategic importance to the country at
the state level, said Mustafa Aydin, director of the International
Policy Research Institute of Ankara-based think tank Economic Policy
Research Foundation of Turkey.

A similar resolution supporting Armenia’s "genocide" claim was adopted
by the same U.S. House panel in 2007 but was not brought to the House
floor because of opposition from former President George W. Bush.

Aydin said Turkey’s strategic importance to the United States is even
more heightened this year as Washington looks to Turkey’s support in
Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan.

"So this year I think President Obama will definitely intervene in
the level of the congress floor, and I don’t think it (the resolution)
will come to the voting in fact," he predicted.

He also believed Obama will repeat much of his line in this April’s
speech and not change his wording of the Armenian deaths to "genocide"
"in the next four years."

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