Author: Nadirian Emma

TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESMAN HOLDING TALKS ON "ARMENIAN GENOCIDE"IN WASHINGTON

APA
Feb 17 2010
Azerbaijan

Baku – APA. The Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Feridun Siniroglu is
on official visit to USA to hold talks with first deputy secretary of
the state and deputy secretary of state on Europe and European issues,
Philip Gordon.

According to APA citing Today’s Zaman, Turkish diplomat will
discuss processes in Caucasus and Balkans.Note that, prior to
Washington Feridun Siniroglu paid a visit to Switzerland where showed
Turkey’s concern on decision of Armenian Constitutional Court on
Armenian-Turkish protocols.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Feridun Siniroglu is expected
to convene Ankara’s concern on resolution of "Armenian genocide"
to Washington side.

ITALIAN SENATE ADOPTS RESOLUTION ON NAGORNO KARABAKH

news.az
Feb 17 2010
Azerbaijan

Italian Senate The Italian Senate adopted the resolution on the
situation in the South Caucasus.

Head of Azerbaijan-Italy Interparliamentary Friendship Group, MP Azer
Karimli said the resolution also covered several important points
concerning Nagorno Karabakh conflict. The resolution notes that all
of the conflicts in the South Caucasus should be solved basing on
the principle of territorial integrity.

"The Italian Senate instructs the government to ensure the
implementation of all the resolutions of the UN Security Council,
OSCE and Council of Europe on Armenia-Azerbaijan, Nagorno Karabakh
conflict," he said.

Azer Karimli said that the resolution was included into the agenda
of the Senate on December 9.

"The document had been worked out for a long time. We are grateful
to our Italian colleagues for their unbiased view. We also want to
underline the role of the Azerbaijani embassy in Italy in this issue.

This resolution is the logical result of the friendship and partnership
between the two countries due to the foreign policy pursued by
President Ilham Aliyev," he said.

UNITED STATES EXTENDS FULL SUPPORT TO PROCESS BETWEEN ARMENIA AND TURKEY

PanARMENIAN.Net
16.02.2010 16:48 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Commission for External Relations of Turkish
Parliament will inform the U.S. Ambassador in Ankara on its views about
the decision of U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Foreign
Affairs for a vote on Armenian Genocide Resolution 252, Murat Mercan
chairman of Turkish Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Relations said
at the meeting with the U.S. Ambassador in Ankara James F. Jeffrey.

Mercan asked the Ambassador James Jeffrey, whether that process can
undermine the normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations. According
to the American diplomat, the United States extends full support to
the normalization process between Armenia and Turkey, Anatolian News
Agency reported.

The Armenian Genocide (1915-23) was the deliberate and systematic
destruction of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire during
and just after World War I. It was characterized by massacres, and
deportations involving forced marches under conditions designed to
lead to the death of the deportees, with the total number of deaths
reaching 1.5 million.

The date of the onset of the genocide is conventionally held to be
April 24, 1915, the day that Ottoman authorities arrested some 250
Armenian intellectuals and community leaders in Constantinople.

Thereafter, the Ottoman military uprooted Armenians from their homes
and forced them to march for hundreds of miles, depriving them of
food and water, to the desert of what is now Syria.

To date, twenty countries and 44 U.S. states have officially recognized
the events of the period as genocide, and most genocide scholars
and historians accept this view. The Armenian Genocide has been also
recognized by influential media including The New York Times, BBC,
The Washington Post and The Associated Press.

The majority of Armenian Diaspora communities were formed by the
Genocide survivors.

The Armenian Genocide resolution (H.Res. 106) was submitted to the
House of Representatives by Representative Adam Schiff (D-CA), on
January 30, 2007, during the 110th United States Congress. It was
a non-binding resolution calling upon the US President to ensure
that the foreign policy of the United States reflects appropriate
understanding and sensitivity concerning issues related to human
rights, ethnic cleansing, and genocide documented in the United States
record relating to the Armenian Genocide, and for other purposes. Upon
its introduction it was referred to United States House Committee
on Foreign Affairs where it passed a 27-21 vote and was sent back
for a full house vote. On October 26, 2007, in a letter addressed
to the House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, four key sponsors of the bill,
requested a debate on the bill in full House to be postponed.

In 2009, another congressional resolution affirming the U.S. record
on the Armenian Genocide (H.Res.252) was been formally introduced
in the U.S. House of Representatives by Reps. Adam Schiff (D.-CA),
George Radanovich (R.-CA), Frank Pallone, Jr. (D.-NJ), and Mark Kirk
(R.-Ill). It currently has 134 co-sponsors.

ARMENIAN DIPLOMATIC SCHOOL OPENS IN YEREVAN

Aysor
Feb 15 2010
Armenia

Armenia’s President Serzh Sargsyan participated February 15 in the
ceremony of opening of the Armenian Diplomatic School.

Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian said the 27 students out of
190 applicants were selected to attend the courses as a result of
a three-stage competition process, a spokesperson for the Foreign
Ministry said.

Students will have a unique opportunity to become junior diplomats with
skills and knowledge highly desirable in the professional foreign
service and will receive opportunities to represent effectively
interests of Armenia abroad, said in the released statement.

The Diplomatic School was established with assistance, financial
support and advices by the EU jointly with the OSCE Office in Yerevan
and the UN.

The magistral staff of the Diplomatic School is represented by
professors and lecturers from Russia, the EU, U.S., China, Japan,
Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Greece, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania,
and Finland.

SERZH SARGSYAN CONGRATULATES NEWLY ELECTED PRESIDENT VIKTOR YANUKOVYCH

PanARMENIAN.Net
12.02.2010 19:23 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan congratulated
the newly elected President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych.

Congratulatory letter addressed to Yanukovych says:

"Please accept my congratulations on your election as President
of Ukraine.

In Armenia your dedication to the traditional friendship and mutual
support of our two peoples are remembered and cherished, and we
believe that further development of the Armenian-Ukrainian cooperation
is essential.

I am looking forward to our constructive cooperation for the benefit
of deepened and enhanced relations between Armenia and Ukraine,
based on mutual respect and consideration for each other’s interests,
close cooperation on the entire bilateral agenda, and coordination
of approaches regarding regional and global issues.

I hope that such a comprehensive approach and our personal relations
will help us to swiftly achieve these objectives."

TURKEY IS UNDER PRESSURE OF ‘REASONABLE TERMS’, GIRO MANOYAN SAYS

Aysor
Feb 12 2010
Armenia

"Turkey will hardly ratify Armenia-Turkey protocols in ‘reasonable
terms’, it’d be rather said of low possibility for ratification,"
Giro Manoyan, ARFD’s chief foreign policy spokesman, said commenting
statements by Armenian government that ‘Armenia will ratify protocols
only after Turkey ratifies them.’

According to Giro Manoyan, Turkey doesn’t oppose protocols, and
agrees to ratify them. Actually, Turkey is under pressure of the
so-called ‘reasonable terms’, as Turkey ahead of the ratification,
wants to reach some beneficial progress in process of settlement to
the Karabakh conflict, he said.

"If in the process of settlement to the Karabakh conflict doesn’t
bring progress, Turkey won’t ratify protocols in reasonable terms,"
said politician.

He added that ‘if we are waiting for Turkey, finally, it will ratify
the protocols; however, it’s not clear how many years later."

TURKEY’S PRESIDENT SENDS A RESPONSE LETTER TO SERZH SARGSYAN OF ARMENIA

armradio.am
11.02.2010 14:44

President Abdullah Gul of Turkey sent a letter to Armenian President
Serzh Sargsyan. The letter reads:

"Your Excellency, Dear Friend,

I would like to thank you for the kind message that you have sent on
the occasion of your flight over the Turkish territory. Please accept
my reciprocal greetings to you and the people of neighboring Armenia.

I welcome the thoughts conveyed to us in your message. I do share
the view that our bilateral efforts aimed at the normalization of
Turkish-Armenian relations attracted due attention world-wide by
creating a new hope for peace in our conflict-ridden geography.

Overcoming the long-established prejudices and nurturing mutual
understanding and trust among our two neighboring peoples were indeed
our main objectives when endorsing the process of normalization between
our countries. You should have no doubt that our determination to
take these objectives forward is intact, provided that this resolve
and commitment remains reciprocal.

I also agree with you that responsible governance necessitates both
standing behind words and supporting words with deeds. Hence, we will
continue to work for taking our normalization process forward based
upon the understanding reached between our two countries. We have to
be aware that concluding this historic process will require honoring
our commitments in their entirety as well as displaying adequate
political courage and vision.

A future characterized by sustainable peace, security, prosperity
and cooperation for all the people living in our region is our common
goal and I will remain personally engaged in this process hoping to
see it reach a satisfactory conclusion for both of our countries.

Please accept, Your Excellency, the assurances of my highest
consideration."

TURKISH SENIOR OFFICIAL: NO ADVANCES WILL BE IN ANKARA-YEREVAN RELATIONS

Trend
Feb 10 2010
Azerbaijan

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Adviser on Eurasia
Geybulla Ramazanoglu believes although the Armenian President sent
the Armenian-Turkish protocol to the parliament for ratification,
there will be no advances in the Ankara-Yerevan relations unless the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is resolved.

"No advances will be in the Ankara-Yerevan relations, without solution
to the Nagorno-Karabakh problem," he told Trend News over the telephone
today. "Sargsyan’s this step is another political maneuver."

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan has today tasked its administration
to send the Armenian-Turkish protocol to the parliament for
ratification in the coming days.

The Armenian President informed about this in his speech at the
Royal Institute of International Affairs, Chatham House, the Mediamax
special correspondent reported from London.

Feb.9, Sargsyan addressed to his Turkish Counterpart Abdullah Gul,
urging Ankara to respect the reached agreements.

The official said even if the Armenian Parliament ratifies the
protocols, Ankara is hardly to take the same step.

"Sending the protocols to the parliament, the Armenian president
wants to clarify Ankara’s next steps," he said.

Turkish and Armenian foreign ministers, Ahmet Davutoglu and Edward
Nalbandian, signed the Ankara-Yerevan protocols in Zurich Oct. 10.

After his official visit to Moscow, Turkish Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan said in Ankara that although some claims that the
Turkey-Armenia relations are not related to the Nagorno-Karabakh
problem, this process is directly related to the Nagorno-Karabakh
problem.

Jan.12, 2009, the Armenian Constitutional Court approved the
compliance of the Ankara-Yerevan protocols with the Armenian
Constitution. However, after the approval the court reported that
creation of a joint commission to study the 1915 events is unnecessary
and Armenian will never refuse from the demand to recognize the
genocide.

Erdogan warned that if the Armenian Constitutional Court does not
reverse its decision on the protocols, the relations between Ankara
and Yerevan may erode.

IN 2010 MONEY STOCK IN ARMENIA TO GROW BY 9-11%, AND MONEY BASE TO GROW BY 3,5%

ArmInfo
09.02.2010

In 2010 the Central Bank of Armenia is going to conduct a restrained
monetary policy; in this connection, the forecasts of growth rates
of the monetary indices are more reserved, says the monetary-credit
policy program of the Central Bank of Armenia (CBA) for Q1 2010.

Within the frames of the CBA monetary-credit policy, in 2010 the growth
in the money stock will range from 9% to 11% as against 15.1% in 2009,
and the growth in money base will range from 3% to 5% as against 13.8%
in 2009. After the decline in Q1, which was conditioned by the seasonal
factor, 3.4% annual growth in the specified indices will be ensured
in the upcoming three quarters, and the average quarterly growth will
make up 2.3%.

According to the CBA publication, equal quarterly growth of AMD
aggregates in the money base is expected: the average quarterly growth
of cash in circulation will make up 2%, and that of AMD deposits
– 3.1%.

Under conditions of stabilization of the financial and economic
situation, as well as envisaged large-scale measures on dedollarization
of economy, the dollarization growth rates are expected to decelerate,
as a result, the annual growth of foreign exchange deposits will make
up 12.4%, and the average quarterly growth – almost 3%.

DAMASCUS HOSTS ARMENIAN DELEGATION

United Press International UPI
/Damascus-hosts-Armenian-delegation/UPI-3067126573 8888/
Feb 9 2010

DAMASCUS, Syria, Feb. 9 (UPI) — Damascus welcomed a delegation from
Armenia on Tuesday to discuss strengthening bilateral relations and
regional issues.

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem welcomed Armenian Deputy
Foreign Minister Arman Kirakosyan to Damascus to take part in bilateral
discussions on regional affairs.

Kirakosyan said high-level exchanges between the two countries gave
new quality to their level of friendship, the Public Radio of Armenia
reports.

Damascus hopes to strengthen its regional position in the community.

Washington dispatched top diplomats to Damascus last year in the
hopes of reaching a variety of agreements with Syrian officials on
issues ranging from Lebanon to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Armenia, for its part, is wrestling with its own regional complications
over Nagorno-Karabakh.

War broke out between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh
in the early 1990s, and the regional fallout from that row remains
tense despite a 1994 cease-fire.

The Minsk group of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in
Europe, led by France, Russia and the United States, is leading peace
negotiations aimed at settling the conflict of the disputed region
of Nagorno-Karabakh.