Author: Nahapetian Boris

ARMENIAN OMBUDSMAN FINDS REPORT ON OPPOSITION VS. POLICE CLASHES IN 2008 NON-OBJECTIVE

les/11249
sep 22 2009, 18:00

Armen Arutyunyan, Ombudsman in Armenia, said, in his comments on
the report, published on September 17, of the interim parliamentary
commission for studying the events on March 1, 2008, in Yerevan,
when the authorities dispersed mass actions of the opposition, that
the actions of power agents had been approached too mildly.

Mr Arutyunyan has noted that the commission could have shown a greater
severity in relation to the Prosecutor’s Office, Special Investigatory
Service and the police. According to his story, the commission’s report
raised proper issues, however, the descriptive part looks biased.

In the opinion of the Ombudsman, the report of the interim commission
makes a positive statement that the reasons of what happened were
systemic, and the authorities of the country are the main guilty party.

ARFD ATTEMPTS TO SAVE ITS FACE: ANC

Information-Analytic Agency NEWS.am
Sept 23 2009
Armenia

ARFD did not stir a finger to block Armenia-Turkey Protocols for about
a year, and now unfairly accuses Armenian National Congress (ANC)
that permanently alerted of the developments. Aram Musinyan, Levon
Ter-Petrosyan’s Press Secretary stated at Sept. 23 press conference,
commenting on Vahan Hovhannisyan statement (ARFD faction leader). The
latter told that ANC does not hold protests aiming at pleasing
the authorities, while expecting their failure in Armenia-Turkey
reconciliation for its political benefit. "ANC starting July 2008 has
openly declared the danger the current processes peril, when Serzh
Sargsyan stated he agreed to set up of historians’ commission. Whereas
ARFD being forced to maneuver, asserted that RA President has not
said so," Musinyan underlined.

According to him, ARFD was aware of the process for a year and "only
when Protocols appeared, tried to somehow save its face."

"ARFD did not do a hand’s turn for a year, while ANC spoke of the
imminent threat to Karabakh and Armenia," Musinyan said, adding:
"One should think before saying a stroke of genius."

MISSION OF THE WORLD BANK IN THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

National Assembly of RA
Sept 23 2009
Armenia

On September 23 Vice Speaker of the National Assembly Mrs. Arevik
Petrosyan received the delegation led by the Head of the Mission of
the Reforms Programme of the Public Sector of the World Bank (WB)
Ms. Kathy Lalazarian.

According to the agreement reached between the Speaker of the National
Assembly and Head of the WB Armenian Office Mr. Aristomene Varoudakis,
at the meeting the sides discussed in detail concrete issues of
cooperation in the sphere of the development of specialized and
technical capabilities of the National Assembly of the Republic of
Armenia by the assistance of the World Bank.

DID THIS CONGRESSWOMAN HAVE LESBIAN AFFAIR WITH A TURKISH SPY?

Gawker
sept 21 2009

According to an American Conservative interview with Sibel Edmonds,
a Turkish and Farsi language translator who used to work for the FBI,
a Democratic congresswoman from Illinois was seduced by a Turkish
secret agent.

Edmonds was hired by the FBI as a contractor right after 9/11, and
she worked for them until they fired her for whistleblowing in 2002.

As reported by Vanity Fair in 2005, an internal FBI Inspector General’s
report stated that Edmonds had been improperly fired and it further
said that "many of her allegations had bases in fact."

She has made lots of allegations, too! Like the ones involving former
Illinois Congressman and Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert, who,
according to Edmonds, received tens of thousands of dollars in
secret campaign payments from Chicago-area Turkish diplomats and
Turkish-Americans. (Hastert then withdrew from House consideration
one of those perennial resolutions acknowledging the Armenian
genocide.) (Hastert now works for a lobbying firm hilariously named
Dickstein Shapiro, where he lobbies for Turkey.)

She has further claimed to have heard evidence of Turkish agents
recruiting sources in the FBI and State Departments to steal nuclear
secrets which were then sold on the old black nuclear secrets
market. Nice work if you can get it!

And now she says that these Turkish spies discovered that married
Democratic Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky was bisexual, and so a
female agent was assigned to sleep with her on camera, in order
to blackmail her. Yes! According to an interview in Pat Buchanan’s
American Conservative magazine, as related by BradBlog:

Edmonds says in the Giraldi interview that "in 2000 … Turkish agents
started gathering information on her, and they found out that she
was bisexual." A female Turkish agent is said to have "struck up a
relationship with her", and then, following the death of Schakowsky’s
mother, the woman is said to have attended the funeral "hoping to
exploit her vulnerability."

"They later were intimate in Schakowsky’s townhouse," Edmonds tells
Giraldi, "which had been set up with recording devices and hidden
cameras."

The reason for attempting to get at Schakowsky, Edmonds believes,
is so that they would be able to get both her "and her husband Robert
Creamer to perform certain illegal operational facilitations for them
in Illinois," along with Hastert, who was already on the payroll,
and several other Chicago officials.

The old lesbian honeypot! Wow!

Anyway we can barely follow this insane story so who knows if you
should be freaked out about the Turkish spy ring selling nuclear
secrets or if their bribery and blackmail has thus far succeeded only
in preventing Congress from officially recognizing this mass murder
they perpetrated in 1915.

Interfax, Russia
Sept 18 2009

Rapprochement with Turkey requires public debate – Armenian president

YEREVAN Sept 18

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan said he would promote a public
debate on the normalization in Armenian- Turkish relations.

"Various formats have been offered for the coming weeks, and I myself
will be an initiator and participant in the discussions," Sargsyan
told political party leaders during consultations on ways to settle
relations with Turkey, according to the presidential press service on
Thursday.

"I have thoroughly studied various opinions, [which have been] voiced
publicly. I have heard positive and encouraging calls, I have heard
criticism, including sharp criticism, and I have heard concerns.

If course, I see the risks and I have my own concerns. But in order to
compare our concerns, to assess the risks correctly and to understand
them we will have to do a great deal of work, we must manage to bring
all our criticism together, he said.

"When inviting the Turkish president to Armenia and initiating the
whole process, I pursued two goals – to open a window of opportunity
to settle bilateral relations, and to demonstrate that Armenia as a
nation that has gone through the horrors of genocide, and being
faithful and committed to the pain of its people, is strong enough to
be the first to hold out its hand and say that it is senseless to move
against the current development of the world," the Armenian president
said.

Tensions between Armenia and Turkey "are not a war between the upper
leaders," he said.

"I do not deem the assertion of diplomatic relations with Turkey and
the opening of the border to be the minimum or maximum programs. I see
the finalization of these processes exclusively as the minimal
environment for starting a dialogue with the Turks," he said.

On August 31, Armenia and Turkey announced they had tentatively signed
protocols on the establishment of diplomatic relations and promotion
of ties between the two countries. Before the protocols are signed and
ratified by the two parliaments, they must be discussed nationwide.

The Armenian president’s consultations on Thursday involved the
leaders of 52 political parties.

Meanwhile, the Armenian revolutionary federation Dashnaktsutyun
expressed discontent with the current consultations and its spokesman
Armed Rustamian told the press that no changes will be made in the
Armenian-Turkish protocols before their signing.

THE RA MINISTER OF DEFENCE RECEIVED THE AMBASSADOR OF THE REPUBLIC OF BELARUS

p;p=0&id=969&y=2009&m=09&d=18
15.0 9.09

On the 15th of September, 2009 the RA Minister of Defence Seyran
Ohanyan received the ambassador of the Republic of Belarus to Armenia
Stepan Sukhorenko.

Greeting the ambassador S. Ohanyan stated with satisfaction that the
Armenian-Belarusian military and military-technological relations
continue to develop, a proof of which are the events and visits in
the frames of the cooperation program signed between the defence
departments of the two countries. They also pointed out that the
two countries successfully cooperate in the frames of the CIS and
CSTO. In this context they underlined the importance of the "West
2009" operative-tactical military training, which is to take place
on the 26th-29th of September in the Republic of Belarus, in which
the sub-units of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and the
Republic of Belarus will take part. The abovementioned training are the
second round of the joint military trainings of the operative groups
of the sub-units of the Armed Forces of the CSTO member states, Fast
Reaction Collective Forces, CSTO secretariat, Joint Staff, Forces and
Means of the Collective Security System, where the operative group
of the RA Ministry of Defence will also be present.

During the meeting they also discussed issues regarding the present20
state of the bilateral relations and the perspectives of strengthening
them in the military sphere.

OPENING THE OPENINGS

Hurriyet Daily News
Sept 18 2009
Turkey

Not all Azerbaijanis are the same, of course. Thinking that nations
are homogenous or they think alike is not right. Yet, various views are
being voiced in Azerbaijan, and we note them as long as the Azerbaijani
dictatorship allows. However, when it comes to the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict we do not hear much other than "someday Armenians will have
to evacuate the Azerbaijani territory because we have oil but they
are poor." We haven’t heard of a reasonable solution yet.

On the contrary, Azerbaijan and, for that matter, Armenia, being
anti-democratic countries, there is no solution other than ethnic
cleansing-based land swap in sight.

This is also the point where Turkey is stuck, too. Turkey, having
a border conflict with Armenia for years now, faces an impasse. The
Karabakh region is not a piece of land over which the issue can be
settled easily through democratic and modern ways. The dialogue and
reconciliation approach Turkey considers as part of the government’s
Kurdish move is not the answer to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and
will not be on the agenda in the near future. The nationalist soul
mates, Republican People’s Party, or CHP, and Nationalist Movement
Party, or MHP, and the Azerbaijani authorities are aware Turkey’s
dilemma. This is the reason they hopelessly keep repeating to pressure
the government that the unique solution in the Karabakh issue is
the return of the territory to Azerbaijan. This is a very thin and
dangerous line for the government and the reformist circles. At the end
of the day, vague language of protocols signals that the Turkey-Armenia
border can be re-opened if Armenia withdraws from five Azerbaijani
regions neighboring the Karabakh territory. In fact, to expect more
moves, at least for now, is nonsense if we want to see a re-opening
of the border.

In this context, it is important to note irresponsible attitudes of
the CHP and MHP regarding Turkey’s democratic future. For instance,
the MHP is ready to shamelessly deny the contacts they had before the
death of the legendary MHP leader Alparslan TurkeÅ~_ with the then
Armenian President Levon Ter-Petrossian for the sake of reconciliation
between Turkey and Armenia. Azerbaijan, on the other hand, is eager to
defy nationalist emotions through the myth of "two states, one nation"
where no one knows what exactly it means. But Azerbaijan is a state
that somehow fails to recognize the Turkish Cyprus, an issue dear to
nationalist circles.

There is a coalition of forces trying to sabotage Turkey’s
initiatives, to block its way ahead and to leave the country alone in
seclusion. Efforts of civil groups in support of the "openings" are as
important as the government’s will power. Similarly, the pro-Kurdish
Democratic Society Party, or DTP, should be able to support the
opening toward Armenia, as they do regarding the "Kurdish opening."

Is it Cyprus’ turn?

Could a Greek/Cypriot opening possibly follow the Armenian and Kurdish
openings? The latest developments nurture concerns and pessimism
as much as prudent optimism. Not much new information came out of
Davutoglu’s contacts in Turkish Cyprus. The reunification talks are
as important for Turkey as they are for the island. If the Armenian
and Kurdish questions are the two legs, the Greek/Cypriot issue
is the third leg. Any development in this aspect will be serious
enough to provide steps for durable political stability in the
country. The government is partly in control of the Armenian and
Kurdish initiatives. However, it is difficult to say that it is in full
control over the Greek/Cypriot issue. While ongoing counter terrorist
operations against the PKK have the potential to derail the Kurdish
opening, the compulsory blessing of the army in the Cyprus issue
has similar potential to derail the negotiations. The invisible side
at the negotiation table for the Cyprus talks is perhaps the Turkish
Armed Forces, or TSK. The very same TSK is said to show force and doing
sorties over the Dodecanese and Lesbos Island. In other words, may God
protect us from "closures" in the Greek/Cypriot matter as we try to
make openings in the Armenian and Kurdish conflicts. Possible tensions
on that end may have the potential to harm the other initiatives.

NATIONALISTS LAUNCH HUNGER STRIKES AGAINST TURKEY RECONCILIATION DEAL
Marianna Grigoryan

Transitions Online, Czech Rep.
Sept 17 2009

Nagorno-Karabakh and genocide claims could divide Armenian public
opinion on the diplomatic breakthrough. From EurasiaNet.

The tentative Armenian-Turkish plan for diplomatic normalization has
sparked Armenia’s oldest political party, the nationalist-oriented
Armenian Revolutionary Federation, to take to the streets with sit-down
protests and hunger strikes. Public support for the party’s criticism
that the Armenian government risks selling out Armenia’s national
security interests appears to be spreading, even though it remains
far from uniform.

Bearing red party flags and banners proclaiming "Don’t forget,
don’t surrender, let’s rebel!" 74 party activists, including 24
hunger strikers, kicked off their campaign in front of the Foreign
Ministry and the prime minister’s office in downtown Yerevan on 15
September. The protests will continue until the end of the six-week
period envisaged for discussion of the protocols within Armenia and
Turkey before the documents’ ratification, the party’s TV ads state.

President Serzh Sargsyan plans to start consultations on the protocols
on 17 September with the leaders of Armenia’s major political parties.

Supporters claim that the 31 August protocols imply that Armenia
should recognize the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, accept the
current Armenian-Turkish state border, and, by agreeing to "implement
a dialogue on the historical dimension," potentially backtrack on
the country’s longstanding demand for international recognition of
Ottoman Turkey’s 1915 mass slaughter of ethnic Armenians as genocide.

The documents, however, make no such specifications on these
topics. Written in broad language, they commit the two sides to opening
their joint border within two months of the protocols’ ratification and
to establishing bilateral government commissions to work on expanding
cooperation in fields ranging from education to energy. Turkish Foreign
Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has emphasized in media interviews that
border recognition is the first step in the reconciliation process,
but the protocols do not mention border recognition.

That, however, does nothing to reassure many Armenians. "We will fight
until the end since [the protocols signed with Turkey] contradict
our national interests," one male protestor in his late 20s told
EurasiaNet. "We will do everything that promotes our national
interests."

Statements from Turkish government officials that the border will
not open until Armenia and Azerbaijan make progress in settling the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict suggest that attention on the Karabakh
issue will increase in the coming months, opined political analyst
Yervand Bozoian. "That’s the most dangerous thing," he said.

The governing Republican Party of Armenia counters that the Armenian
Revolutionary Federation is using the protest to score self-interested
political points. The 119-year-old party left Armenia’s coalition
government in April in protest at President Sargsyan’s Turkey policy.

"The Armenian Revolutionary Federation and other political forces have
the right to choose what way to fight," commented Republican Party
parliamentarian Eduard Sharmazanov, the party’s spokesperson. "Any
preconditions from Turkey are unacceptable for us."

Other members of the governing coalition have echoed those comments. "I
think we just need good will and courage. We see it in the actions
of this president [Sargsyan]. We’ll help the president to settle
this issue," declared Heghine Bisharian, head of the Orinats Yerkir
(Country of Law) parliamentary faction.

But many Armenians do not see any manifestation of "good will"
in the protocols’ provisions. "Turks are so cunning, they will do
everything to serve their interests. We know it perfectly well,"
asserted 70-year-old Anzhela Garanian, whose parents survived the
1915 slaughter. "How can I believe in their sincerity when I have
heard all these stories from my father?"

Philologist Mkrtich Hambardzumian similarly equates the Turkey of
the Ottoman past with the Turkey of the present. He takes issue
with Turkish assertions that Turkey’s border with Armenia cannot be
reopened until Armenian forces withdraw from Azerbaijani territory
surrounding Karabakh. "What are we talking about? Turkey forgetting
its bloody history now tries to interfere with the Karabakh issue," he
fumed. "I’m not a political scientist, but the protocol is worrying."

Suspicion in Yerevan about Turkey’s motives is far from universal,
however. Some passers-by at the protest commented on the irony of
a former government coalition member now staging hunger strikes to
block a government policy. Other Yerevan residents said protestors
should consider the future. "I don’t say we need to forget the past,"
said 25-year-old designer Emma Babaian. "But two neighbors cannot live
with closed borders forever. Bilateral relations will help Armenia
economically and will offer an alternative route to Europe."

The protests are not limited to the Armenian Revolutionary
Federation. The Heritage Party, the only opposition party represented
in parliament, has written Prime Minister Tigran Sarkisian about
holding a referendum on the protocols. Earlier, Heritage Party leaders
proposed a vote of confidence in the president, and a petition to
the Constitutional Court. On 15 September, the party called on all
members of parliament to appeal for "radical" changes in the protocols.

"The development of Armenian-Turkish relations cannot directly or
indirectly be linked to the establishment of the Nagorno-Karabakh
Republic," asserted the Heritage Party’s parliamentary faction
secretary, Larisa Alaverdian.

Meanwhile, Suren Surenyants, a senior supporter of ex-President Levon
Ter-Petrosian, the head of Armenia’s main opposition coalition, argues
that Turkey wants to take on a leadership role in the South Caucasus,
and will, therefore, try to play the role of an impartial mediator on
Karabakh. The documents pose no danger to Armenia, he continued. Those
casting doubt on Turkey perhaps are trying to conceal their own
private agenda, he hinted. "Political groups should be sincere,"
he said. "Either we want [to establish] diplomatic relations [with
Turkey], which means we need these protocols, or we do not."

MARCH 1: ARF-D AVOIDS BLAMING EX-PRESIDENT KOCHARIAN

Tert
Sept 18 2009
Armenia

Yesterday, the rest of the March 1 Commission’s conclusion was
presented in parliament. It could be said that the events which took
place after the reading of the Commission’s report in parliament were
divided into two parts. On one side, the Heritage Party, as well as
independent MP Viktor Dallakyan, directly or indirectly placed the
entire accountability of March 1 events on Robert Kocharian. On the
other side, the Republican Party of Armenia, in particular, not only
defended the Commission’s report and Kocharian’s actions, but also
criticized opposition leader Levon Ter-Petrosyan.

During this special parliamentary session, Armenian Revolutionary
Federation-Dashnaktsutyun (ARF-D) member Artsvik Minasyan, seemingly
responding to those who blame Robert Kocharian, announced that during
the March 1 Commission’s working period, her and her party’s issue
was to refrain from putting all the blame of the events of March 1
on one or two individuals. Minasyan stated that, in addition, their
challenge was to present such a conclusion as a result of their work
that would suggest systemic changes and which would prevent similar
events occuring again in the future. Important to note that the
ARF-D expressed a specific opinion on the parliamentary commission’s
conclusion: its disagreement with three points of the conclusion.

ARMENIA’S DEPUTY FM, RUSSIAN AMBASSADOR DISCUSS BILATERAL RELATIONS

armradio.am
16.09.2009 13:15

The Deputy Foreign Minister of Armenia, Shavarsh Kocharyan, received
the newly appointed Ambassador of Russia to Armenia, Vyacheslav
Kovalenko.

Shavarsh Kocharyan and Vyacheslav Kovalenko discussed a number of
issues on the bilateral Armenian-Russian agenda. The parties noted that
the mutual understanding established between Armenia and Russia, the
reciprocal trust and cooperation form a good ground for the further
reinforcement of allied relations and strategic partnership.

The interlocutors exchanged views on a number of regional and
international issues.