Der Tagesspiegel
Demo gegen Beschluss des Bundestags
…
Bereits am Sonntag hatte eine Gruppe Aserbaidschaner vor der
iranischen Botschaft für die Rechte der Aserbaidschaner im Iran
demonstriert. Zudem waren 50 Aserbaidschaner dem Aufruf der
aserbaidschanisch-deutschen Akademikervereinigung gefolgt – und
protestierten vor der BotschaftArmeniens gegen `armenische
Besatzungstruppen in aserbaidschanischen Gebieten`. kög
ITAR-TASS News Agency
TASS
June 20, 2005 Monday 12:45 PM Eastern Time
Azerbaijani diplomat hopes for results at talks on Karabakh
By Sevindzh Abdullayeva and Viktor Shulman
BAKU
Deputy Foreign Minister Araz Azimov said there are chances to yield
positive results at the talks on the settlement of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Azimov, who is also the president’s special envoy for the talks on
the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement, said on Monday, “The situation is
changing. There are chances to yield results at the talks on
Nagorno-Karabakh.”
At the same time, he stressed that after the Warsaw talks “there is a
hope for bringing closer to each other and finding a common
language.”
The diplomat said the Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents might meet
in Kazan as part of the CIS summit in August. Ahead of the summit the
foreign ministers of the two countries may hold talks if it
necessary, Azimov noted.
It is necessary to step up the talks. Experts should meet to discuss
variants of Nagorno-Karabakh settlement, the deputy minister said. He
did not rule out a possibility of new proposals, which may be put
forth by co-chairmen of the OSCE Minsk Group for Nagorno-Karabakh.
“The latest meetings with them allow us to hope for this,” he added.
Zaman, Turkey
June 20 2005
As We Approach, EU Fades Into Distance
ABDULHAMIT BILICI
06.20.2005 Monday – ISTANBUL 16:21
Europe was a synonym of hope for Turkish people until five months
ago. Now, it resembles Mehlika Sultan the dream darling, who can
never be reached and who gets increasingly blurrier in the fog day by
day.
It all seemed pretty simple before December 17. A date for starting
membership negotiations would have been obtained from the EU and all
troubles would have come to an end. Even if full membership was not
acquired at the end, 10-15 years gained within this perspective would
have been enough to solve both the political and economic problems
Turkey faces; however, it didn’t happen that way.
Because, when compared to the previous period, an important change
has occured: From Helsinki Summit in 1999 where Turkey got candidacy
for membership, until the EU summit on 17 December 2004; the focus
was rather on Turkey’s capacity to adapt to European standards. Due
to lessons learned in the last 40 years, a few people in Europe had
thought there would be any Turkish government capable of
accomplishing the necessary reforms and completing the homework.
According to some, European leaders had given the green light to
Turkey with the assumption that “It would not accomplish what was
demanded.”
In fact, among the problems that had to be solved were issues
regarding military-civilian relations, religious minorities and
Kurds, which were described as taboos, and some as old as the
Republic itself. However, Turkish governments that came to power
within this period disappointed pessimistic Europeans with a super
performance which was even a surprise for themselves. Finally, the EU
Commission reported on October 6 and the heads of state summit on
December 17, 2004 acknowledged that Turkey has fulfilled the
Copenhagen Political Criteria.
In contrast to previous period, what is primarily being discussed now
is whether Europe can shoulder Turkey’s membership rather than
whether Turkey can accomplish the necessary reforms. The anti-Turkey
stance has made newspaper headlines in several countries, especially
in Germany and France, which are described as the dynamos of Europe.
One of the important justifications of the French “no sayers” to the
constitution referendum held on May 29, was Turkey, which has also
become one of the most important campaign gimmick for German
opposition leader Angela Merkel.
When all these are added up with Europe backing the so-called
Armenian “genocide” allegations and trying to make it a precondition
for developing relations, broken promises on Cyprus and the European
Court of Human Rights’ (ECHR) attitude towards terrorist ring leader
Abdullah Ocalan, it becomes more and more difficult to be optimistic
about the future of the relations.
If all these are true, what should be done against this negative
picture? Getting angry and slamming the door would be the easiest
reaction and the anti-Turkey circles in Europe would prefer the most.
The EU is not a structure one can compare to a state so as to get
angry at it. It is an international body that might say “no” to what
it had said “yes” before, it includes every kind of opposite views
and always evolves.
Besides, as Kemal Dervis underlined during his last speech in Turkish
Parliament, staying outside the EU that includes the Balkans where we
have been part of throughout history, turns the River Meric (Maritza)
into an “iron curtain” for Turkey.
Furthermore, remaining outside would not make those who want to play
the Armenian, Cyprus, Kurdish and Alevi cards to the detriment of
Turkey, give up their plans.
It is almost nonsense to suggest that there is need no for the EU
motivation in order to sustain political and economic reforms in
Turkey.
Besides, contrary to the desires of the conservatives and Turkey’s
opponents in Europe, we should not forget the existence of forces
that look warmly to Turkey and demand construction of a more
multicultural Europe.
How can we forget the European parliamentarians who declared their
support for Turkey by waving placards with Turkish flags on the eve
of the EU summit in Brussels? European leaders like Tony Blair,
Silvio Berlusconi and Gerhard Schroeder support Turkey as much as
Angela Merkel and Nicholas Sarkozy oppose it.
In addition to those, Turkey’s EU adventure has other aims related to
global peace and harmonization of civilizations beyond us and it is
worth exerting maximum effort.
Under these conditions, it seems logical to work for closer relations
with the EU on a perspective of full membership without forgetting
the possibility that this process can become clogged. At the same
time, it is necessary not to neglect other options in order to get
ready for the worst-case scenario.
A1plus
| 13:45:59 | 20-06-2005 | Social |
COMMUNAL SERVICE NOT SATISFACTORY
For the last month in Yerevan numerous emergencies have been recorded,
particularly – 13 fires, 41 cases of power failure, 5 cases of water pipe
system failure, 3 cases of sewage system failure and others.
Today the guest of the municipality briefing was the Yerevan deputy mayor
Vano Vardanyan. He referred to the construction, reconstruction, and
communal-economic programs of the capital, and spoke about done and yet
undone works. According to him, a sum of 90 million drams has been spent on
the reconstruction on the Davtashen bridge, and 125.5 million – on the
Kievyan bridge reconstruction. The latter, according to the deputy mayor, is
the 34% of the overall sum to be spent on the bridge reconstruction. The
reconstruction works of the Swan Lake have already started. In summer the
lake will serve as a pool, and in winter – as a skating ring.
12 companies realize the cleaning of the capital. They remove 450 tons of
rubbish in 3-8 days. Mr. Vardanyan confessed that their work cannot be
considered satisfactory either. The reason is the lack of the necessary
equipment. In order to fill in this gap, the municipality is holding
negotiations with the Moscow Auto-producing Factory after Lenin.
The elevators of the capital are also in a terrible condition. 4180
elevators are completely spoilt, and the rest work not safely. Vano
Vardanyan claims that they hold negotiations with the Moscow «Karacheevo»
factory to solve this problem. A subsidiary enterprise of the company is
supposed to be built in Yerevan. By the way, «Karacheevo» is the same
factory elevators of which work in the multistoried buildings of the capital
since Soviet times.
Nagornyy Karabakh Republic [NKR] leader says Karabakh’s future not with “totalitarian” Azerbaijan
Regnum, Moscow
19 Jun 05
19 June: Voting is under way in the unrecognized Nagornyy Karabakh
Republic [NKR] for the National Assembly of the fourth convocation.
Voters are remarkably active, a Regnum correspondent reports.
The president of Nagornyy Karabakh, Arkadiy Gukasyan, has already
carried out his civic duty. After he cast his vote he told journalists
that he voted “for independence, democracy and freedom of Artsakh
(Karabakh)”.
Commenting on Azerbaijan’s statements that the elections are illegal,
the president said that “for the time being, the attention of people
and observers is drawn to processes in Karabakh which directly relates
to NKR’s future independence”.
Gukasyan dismissed Baku’s statements on the need to adjust contacts
between the Azerbaijani and Armenian communities of the republic
as flippant, adding that “by that, Azerbaijan is dragging out
the solution of its own problems”. “By proving that Karabakh is a
democratic entity, we shall once again show that our country has no
place in a totalitarian Azerbaijan,” Gukasyan said.
Replying to a question about the possibility of forming a coalition
government in Karabakh after the elections, he advised us to wait
for the outcome of the voting.
The Regnum correspondent reported that by now more than 200 voters
had their voting rights restored through courts.
Toronto Star, Ontario, Canada
June 19 2005
A `Golden Age’ of intolerance
Anna Morgan says Muslims fuelling rise in anti-Semitism in Europe
At a recent conference on anti-Semitism in Cordoba, Spain, the Armenian
delegate made an emphatic speech in which he pointed out that Cordoba
was not only the medieval centre of coexistence between Judaism,
Islam and Christianity, it was also the place where interfaith
relations degenerated into some of the greatest crimes of history –
expulsion and inquisition. Remarkably, he was the only speaker that
noticed this paradox.
In his speech, the host of the event, Spain’s Foreign Minister
Miguel Moratinos, urged an end to all forms of discrimination,
including both anti-Semitism and Islamophobia. In the process, he
warned the delegates not to let the war in the Middle East be used
as an excuse for anti-Semitism. Given the climate that prevails
at many international institutions, it was a fitting start to this
year’s Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe meeting
on anti-Semitism and other forms of intolerance.
Within a couple of hours of Moratinos’s speech, however, it became
clear that some states are as interested in redirecting attention
away from anti-Semitism as they are in resolving it.
The most blatant example was the representative of the Arab League,
who confidently asserted that anti-Semitism will not end until the
Israeli-Arab conflict is resolved. This after hearing numerous speakers
assure the audience that there is no place for anti-Muslim sentiments
in western countries and that the various unresolved conflicts in
the Middle East provide no excuse. It seems that what was good for
the goose was not good for the gander.
Although the Arab League’s prejudicial analysis of anti-Semitism met
with polite applause, it was at that point that many delegates seemed
to realize that a condemnation of intolerance is worthless without
at least some introspection.
The conference was the second time the 55 OSCE member states,
including the Europeans, NATO, the former Soviet bloc, and several
Middle Eastern states as observers, met to address the rising number
of anti-Semitic incidents worldwide.
The first meeting was held last year in Berlin, Germany, the scene of
the most tragic anti-Semitic period in modern history. This year’s
meeting in Cordoba was meant to symbolize a return to a period of
interfaith harmony.
And while Spain is justifiably proud of the so-called Golden Age of
coexistence between the 9th and 11th centuries, it took the outspoken
Armenian ambassador to point out that states must not only pay lip
service to the principles of non-discrimination, they must also take
responsibility for their failures. Otherwise, nothing can be done to
address the attitudes that caused the breakdown.
For its part, Canada initially questioned the need for any special
response to anti-Semitism, claiming that there should be no
“hierarchies of discrimination.”
Arguing from its multicultural perspective, the Canadian ambassador
noted that all racism is equally deplorable and that in singling out
one form of intolerance we may inadvertently denigrate another. While
this might reflect the Canadian context, it does not address the
anti-Semitic heritage that accounts for so much of European history.
As sensitive as the issue is, it must also be acknowledged that
anti-Semitism in Western Europe today is a socially distinctive
phenomenon emanating not so much from the European elites but from
the Muslim neighbourhoods of Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam.
The fire of discontent in those communities is actually being
fueled by economic troubles, but is being excused by the Arab-Israeli
conflict. The spreading problem calls for both short-term and long-term
solutions.
Much still needs to be done to reduce all forms of discrimination,
including anti-Semitism and Islamophobia. Effective education programs
and anti-racism policies need to be developed and implemented in
Europe, the Arab world, and everywhere else, including Canada.
With unemployment and poverty increasing among Middle Eastern and North
African immigrants in Europe, it seems unlikely that the anti-Israel
and anti-Semitic rhetoric being spread in those communities, with
its resulting violence, will decline anytime soon.
But as the Armenian representative noted, it is impossible to figure
out how to fix the problem if we don’t first ask why it is happening.
Ukrainian peacemakers can be sent to Sudan
ForUm, Ukraine
June 18 2005
The minister of Defence of Ukraine, Anatoly Gritsenko, declared that
Ukrainian peacemakers can be sent to Sudan soon.
According to him, such proposition has come from African Union and
is supported by European Union and NATO.
He also admitted that Ukraine can send its military-transport base
to Sudan. The USA and France are ready to finance the transference.
In response to the question about sending Ukrainian peacemakers to
Nagorny Karabakh and Dnestrian region, Gritsenko said that presently
Ukraine conducts corresponding consultations concerning these regions,
and also concerning Abkhazia.
FROM PROPERTY TO SECURITY AND VICE VERSA
A1plus
| 13:04:41 | 17-06-2005 | Official |
On June 21 in Moscow the working meeting of the RA Defense Minister,
Secretary of the Security Council attached to the RA President Serge
Sargsyan and the RF Transportation Minister Igor Levitin will take
place. Both of them are the co-heads of the RA and RF economic
cooperation inter governmental Committee.
During the meeting issues about the companies given to the Russian
Federation by the RA will be discussed.
Afterwards, on June 22-24 the delegation with Serge Sargsyan at
the head will take part in the sessions of the Defense Ministers’
Council of the Joint Security Agreement Organization and the Security
Council Secretaries’ Committee. After that he will take part in the
Joint Security Agreement Organization member countries Joint Security
Council session.
On June 24 the delegation with Serge Sargsyan at the head will leave
for Tajikistan capital Dushanbe to take part in the CIS countries
Defense Ministers Council session
Deal finalized for Russian government to acquire control of Gazprom
Interfax
June 16 2005
The Russian gas giant Gazprom’s board of directors has approved a
price for the sale of a further stake in the company to the state,
the Russian news agency Interfax reported from Moscow on 16 June. The
acquisition of more shares will give the Russian government control of
Gazprom with a view to “liberalization” of trading in the company’s
shares, another Russian news agency, ITAR-TASS, added in its report
on the development.
Gazprom agreed to sell an additional 10.74-per-cent stake in the
company to the state-owned Rosneftegaz oil and gas firm for 203.5bn
roubles, or 7.11bn dollars, Interfax and TASS said in their reports.
“The board of directors agreed that 2,542,500,000 shares in the
Gazprom open joint-stock company, which represents 10.7399 per cent
of its charter capital, will be transferred to the Rosneftegaz open
joint-stock company by Gazprom’s subsidiaries,” said Gazprom’s press
release as quoted by Interfax. Gazprombank, Gazprominvestholding,
Gazfond and Gazpromfinans were the subsidiaries listed. The price is
R203,501,700,000, the press release said.
“All members of the board voted in favour, including its independent
members such as chairman of the E.ON Ruhrgas AG board Burckhard
Bergmann and UFG honorary chairman Boris Fedorov,” Interfax’s source
on the board said. Pressed about Gazprom chairman Aleksey Miller’s
absence from the meeting, the source said there was nothing unusual
about it and that Miller had “given his view in writing”. Miller
himself was on a visit to the Armenian capital, Yerevan.
“The state will thus increase its stake in the gas monopoly to control
it as part of plans to liberalize the market in Gazprom shares,”
ITAR-TASS said in its report.
“The way has thus been opened for the liberalization of the market
for Gazprom shares,” Fedorov told Interfax.
A meeting of Rosneftegaz’s shareholders – in the words of Interfax’s
source a “formality” – approved the deal the same day, the agency
added.
Aliyev, Putin discuss Garabagh conflict
AzerNews
16 June 05
Presidents of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and of Russia Vladimir Putin
met in St. Petersburg, the second largest city of Russia, on Tuesday.
The two discussed the recent steps at settling the Armenia-Azerbaijan
conflict over Upper Garabagh and Russia’s position on the issue, along
with regional and international issues. The details of the meeting,
held within the 9th International Economic Forum, are not disclosed.
Addressing the event, President Aliyev said investments in Azerbaijan’s
economy have made up $24 billion over the past 10 years.
The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is expected to grow 18% this year,
the highest growth in the region, according to the International
Monetary Fund estimates.
The average economic growth from 1996 till 2004 exceeded 10%, the
President said.
“GDP doubled in this period. We are currently at a stage of rapid
economic growth.”
Touching upon the socio-economic development of the regions, Aliyev
said 217,000 jobs opened in Azerbaijan in recent years and poverty went
down by 9%. With regard to economic projects ensuring the country’s
international integration, the President said that 400 companies
operate in Azerbaijan with Russian capital.
“Russia and Azerbaijan possess the needed potential for the development
of economic ties.”
Aliyev added that Russo-Azeri relations will continue as part of
strategic partnership and that he supports fostering a new stage in
cooperation between the two countries.
The participants are also expected to discuss economic policy, future
investments, inventions, cutting-edge technologies, infrastructure
changes, and prospects for developing mineral resources and raw
materials. Roundtables and exhibitions will be held and attended
by officials and businessmen from some 50 countries as well as
representatives of international financial institutions.
The 90-member Azerbaijani delegation, led by President Ilham Aliyev,
includes businesspeople engaged in production, construction,
agriculture, chemistry and finance, and government dignitaries.
A Russo-Azeri business forum and an exhibition of Azerbaijani goods
will be held within the 3-day forum.