Vocal Turkish-Armenian Journalist Slain

Vocal Turkish-Armenian Journalist Slain
Friday January 19, 2007 9:46 PM
By BENJAMIN HARVEY
Associated Press Writer

ISTANBUL, Turkey (AP) – Hrant Dink, the most prominent voice of
Turkey’s shrinking Armenian community who stood trial for speaking out
against the mass killings of Armenians by Turks, was shot and killed
in broad daylight Friday at the entrance to his newspaper’s offices.

Just hours after a gunman pumped two bullets into the journalist’s
head, thousands marched down the bustling street where he was
slain. They blocked traffic, carried posters of Dink and shouted
slogans in favor of free expression.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan twice addressed the country to
condemn the killing and vow to capture those responsible. Late Friday,
Istanbul’s governor announced that three people were arrested,
CNN-Turk television reported without giving further details.

Most Turks assumed the shooting was politically motivated, a reaction
to Dink’s public statements that the mass killings of Armenians around
the time of World War I constituted genocide. Nationalists see such
statements as insults to the honor of Turks and as threats to national
unity.

Regardless of the motive for Dink’s killing, Turkey remains a place
where people speak freely at their own peril despite generations of
Western-looking liberal reformers. The New York-based Committee to
Protect Journalists said that in the past 15 years, “18 Turkish
journalists have been killed for their work, many of them murdered,
making it the eighth deadliest country in the world for journalists.”

Dink, 53, was one of dozens of journalists, writers and academics who
have gone on trial for expressing their opinions here, most under the
infamous article 301 of the penal code, which makes it a crime to
insult Turkey, its government or the national character.

In the most famous case, Nobel Prize-winning novelist Orhan Pamuk
faced jail time last year for insulting Turkey by saying Turks had
killed a million Armenians. His case was dropped on a technicality.

Dink, a Turkish citizen of Armenian descent who edited the bilingual
Turkish-Armenian newspaper Agos, clearly sensed his life was in
danger. “My computer’s memory is loaded with sentences full of anger
and threats,” Dink wrote Jan. 10 in his last newspaper column. “I am
just like a pigeon. … I look around to my left and right, in front
and behind me as much as it does. My head is just as active.”

In the column, he complained that authorities had not responded to his
letters about threats against him – and his death less than two weeks
later will raise yet more questions about Turkey’s commitment to
democracy as it strives to join the European Union.

“I have become famous as an enemy of Turkey,” he wrote.

Dink was charming, soft-spoken and eloquent, even debonair. He was
respected and beloved by many Turks who disagreed with his views but
admired his courage in stating them.

He was hated by just as many.

The last that many Turks saw of Dink was the shocking image of his
body, face down and covered with a white sheet, his dress shoes
awkwardly splayed, lying in a small pool of blood on the middle of an
Istanbul sidewalk.

Witnesses said four bullet shells could be seen near his body. Family
members and co-workers cried and consoled one another as police
cordoned off the area and the crowd of onlookers, some of them with
sadness and shock etched onto their faces, grew larger.

In the past few years, Turks had come to know Dink well, most often
because of the high-profile freedom of expression cases opened against
him, in which he faced jail time for talking of genocide.

In late 2005, Turks saw Dink lose his composure, crying on national
television as he discussed his latest court case and what it was like
to live amid people who hated him and what he stood for.

“I’m living together with Turks in this country,” he said in an
October interview with The Associated Press as he contemplated his
trial. “I don’t think I could live with an identity of having
insulted them in this country. … If I am unable to come up with a
positive result, it will be honorable for me to leave this country.”

His friend Can Dundar, also a journalist, said he wished Dink had
left, as he once promised to do.

“Hrant’s body is lying on the ground as if those bullets were fired
at Turkey,” Dundar told private NTV television.

Dink said he would stay in Turkey, however, in the hopes that cases he
opened at the European Court of Human Rights would be resolved in his
favor, and do something to improve his country.

Turkey’s relationship with its Armenian community has long been
fraught with tension, controversy and painful memories of a brutal
past. Much of Turkey’s once-sizeable Armenian population was killed or
driven out beginning around 1915 in what an increasing number of
countries are recognizing as the first genocide of the 20th century.

Turks vehemently deny that their ancestors committed genocide,
however, and saying so is tantamount here to treason. In the 1970s and
1980s, tensions were further inflamed as dozens of Turkish diplomats
were killed by Armenian assassins seeking revenge.

Turkey, which is 99 percent Muslim, and Armenia, which claims to be
the first country to officially adopt Christianity, share a
border. But the border is closed, and the two countries have no formal
diplomatic relations.

But it’s not only the Armenian issue that draws fire here. Kurds have
suffered for years with oppressive laws limiting their ability to
speak their own language or speak up for equal rights. The country’s
dwindling Greek Orthodox community is the target of frequent protests
against its leader, the Istanbul-based Patriarch Bartholomew I.

A Catholic priest was murdered last year as he prayed in his church,
apparently by a teenage Turk incensed by the publication across Europe
of cartoons lampooning Islam’s Prophet Muhammad. Other priests were
also attacked and threatened.

Reporters Without Borders, a press freedom organization, urged
Turkey’s government to do everything possible to catch Dink’s killers,
and to recognize the “extreme gravity” of the crime.

“This murder will distress and disturb all those who defend the
freedom of thought and expression in Turkey and elsewhere,” the group
said in a statement. “This will be a key test for a country that
hopes to join the European Union.”

Dink’s killing will likely come to many as a final warning of the
consequences of failure, and his last column suggested he wasn’t
optimistic.

“For me, 2007 is likely to be a hard year,” Dink wrote. “The trials
will continue, new ones will be started. Who knows what other
injustices I will be up against.”

Recurrent Misinformation Of Azerbaijan

RECURRENT MISINFORMATION OF AZERBAIJAN

ArmRadio.am
17.01.2007 14:41

Press Secretary of NKR Ministry of Defense, Lieutenant Colonel Senor
Asratyan refuted the information of the Azeri side on the violation
of the cease-fire regime. According to him, it is the recurrent
misinformation. "The Karabakhi side is loyal to the maintenance of
the cease-fire regime," said Senor Asratyan.

Azeri media report that the truce was violated the night of January
17 from 2:05 to 2:35 a.m. in the direction of Geranbo.

Jane’s: Isolation Of Armenia To Be Redoubled And Tension Over Karaba

JANE’S: ISOLATION OF ARMENIA TO BE REDOUBLED AND TENSION OVER KARABAKH TO GROW IN 2007

PanARMENIAN.Net
17.01.2007 17:38 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ According to forecasts of experts of Jane’s
Intelligence center, regional isolation of Armenia is likely to
be redoubled in 2007. "Serious changes will occur in Russia’s
position on the South Caucasian states, since Azerbaijan’s energy
resources and Georgia’s aspiration to the West makes these states more
independent from Russia. At the same time, Armenia’s isolation seems
to aggravate. This may attach tension to regional conflicts including
the Karabakh one," the experts think. "The growing necessity of Europe
in Azerbaijan, as the supplier of energy through the Baku-Erzrum gas
pipeline, and Baku’s wish to cooperate with the U.S. and NATO may lead
to greater international engagement in the Karabakh issue. This may
become a decisive factor for restraining tension during the year,"
the report titled "South Caucasus Awaiting Stormy Year" says.

Anyway, is the West’s attention offers advantages for Azerbaijan,
Armenia is likely to strengthen ties with Russia. As result, both
sides will make firm in opposition camps. The region may face a choice
when development potential will be opposed to danger and possible
collision. However, the outer forces will to all appearance have the
decisive power. The region can hardly be left for the will of the fate,
the expert consider, reports RFE/RL.

The Next Amalyan Must Be Appointed By The NA

THE NEXT AMALYAN MUST BE APPOINTED BY THE NA

A1+
[12:11 pm] 17 January, 2007

March 19 is the deadline of the office of three members of the National
Committee of TV and Radio, President Grigor Amalyan, deputy president
Shamiram Aghabekyan, and Karine Khodikyan. All of them were appointed
by Robert Kocharyan on March 19, 2001, for a period of six years. After
the Constitutional reforms half of the members of the committee are
to be appointed by the NA, whereas the other half – by the President.

After the November 27 Constitutional Referendum the Committee was
not dissolved as according to the transitional provisions of the
Constitution the members of the Committee remain in office till
the end of the period allotted to them. After that new members are
appointed by the President and the NA consequently.

The RA Law on Television and Radio has not yet been changed in
accordance with the Constitution. In that case, how will the new
members be appointed? "If the law isn’t changed before March 19,
Kocharyan will possibly reappoint Grigor Amalyan or someone else",
says Boris Navasardyan, president of the Yerevan Press Club.

Specialist of constitutional rights Vardan Poghosyan mentions that
the demand of the Constitution must be carried out before the law
is changed. "If the period of their office is over, or in case they
resign, new members must be appointed by the President and the NA
consequently. There is no need of a law for that".

By the way, a moth ago initiative "Cooperation for Open Society"
sent an open letter to the Committee asking them to resign.

Davit Shahnazarian: "Present Authorities’ Efforts In Direction Of Op

DAVIT SHAHNAZARIAN: "PRESENT AUTHORITIES’ EFFORTS IN DIRECTION OF OPENING OF BORDER WITH TURKEY ARE NOT ENOUGH"

Noyan Tapan
Jan 16 2007

YEREVAN, JANUARY 16, NOYAN TAPAN. Putting of the problem of the
international recognition of the Armenian Genocide in the basis of
the foreign policy of Armenia damages interests of Armenia. Davit
Shahnazarian, a member of the Armenian National Movement (ANM)
party board expressed such an opinion at the January 15 press
conference. In his words, the present authorities of Armenia are
not able with such a diplomacy to carry out policy arising of the
people’s interests. D.Shahnazarian mentioned that during the European
Union-Turkey negotiations a favourable period for building relations
with Turkey was created, which was not used in the right way by the
Armenian authorities.

In D.Shahnazarian’s words, because of wrong foreign policy, Armenia
has remained already for few months without a U.S. Ambassador, more,
it became a factor of instability in the region. He also emphasized
that efforts of the present administration in the direction of opening
of the border with Turkey are not enough.

Touching upon the Karabakh problem, D.Shahnazarian mentioned that the
phasal variant proposed still during the years of the ANM power is
put into circulation today. According to this variant the Nagorno
Karabakh status issue will be decided in the last stage. But, in
words of the ANM board member, R.Kocharian and I.Aliyev attempt to
delay the issue settlement. According to D.Shahnazarian’s prevision,
if "these authoritarian orders" are kept in Armenia and Azerbaijan,
a war will start between the two countries.

Pilots File A Case For Payment Of Their Salaries

PILOTS FILE A CASE FOR PAYMENT OF THEIR SALARIES

Panorama.am
17:19 10/01/2007

Employees of Armenian Airlines are going to stage a demonstration
at the government building to demand their salaries, which they have
not received. The total sum makes up 187 million Armenian Drams. The
airlines employees are waiting for warmer weather to stage the
demonstration. By that time, they have filed a case in a district
prosecutor’s office.

Budget 2007 has been approved without any notice to the salaried of
the pilots. Gayane Davtyan, press secretary of Civil Aviation General
Department, says their agency does not deal with the issue and it
must be forwarded to the government.

A committee has been set up to conduct the sale of the property
of the liquidated Armenian Airlines. The committee member receive
more than 1.5 million Armenian Drams in salary. As of December 1,
the committee had 170 million Armenian Drams and $111 thousand at
their disposal but no payment has been made except for value added tax.

The committee says it waits for the Law on Bankruptcy to be amended,
which will give benefits to the pilots.

By the time the law is adopted, very little money will be left to be
paid for salaries.

Armenian Genocide Became A Cause Of Political Dispute In Germany

ARMENIAN GENOCIDE BECAME A CAUSE OF POLITICAL DISPUTE IN GERMANY

PanARMENIAN.Net
10.01.2007 16:03 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ A serious dispute occurred between Central Union
of Armenians (ZAD) and left-wing parliamentarians of Bundestag in
Germany. The cause is political scientist Hakki Keskin’s statement,
who is the president of Turkish Community Union in Germany.

In an interview to the "JungeWelt" Keskin casts doubt on the fact of
the Armenian Genocide. In its statement ZAD criticizes the left-wing
party, mentioning that they have destroyed all existing stereotypes
and are no longer a real socialistic character party with traditions
of Roza Luxemburg and Karl Marks. In this regard ZAD calls upon
the leftists to refuse from Keskin. But instead the head of party
Bodo Ramelow only said that most possibly the party will forbid its
members to make such separate statements. Alongside, he stressed
that the party himself has never denied mass killings of Armenians,
but at the same time reminds that during those events thousands of
Turks also were killed. Ramelow fully sympathizes official Turkey on
leaving that issue for examination by historians as if to ‘exclude
all kinds of interpretations of the events in 1915’. In his words,
ZAD’s actions are characterized as just a campaign. As a response
to Ramelow’s statement ZAD puts a question," Is it possible that we,
the descendants of those who survived the Genocide, practically have
no rights in a country, which carries a historical responsibility
for committing genocide and cannot complain of the incorrigible
negationist of the genocide."

Now Keskin nearly every day gives interviews to Turkish and German
publications and TVs. His stand on the events of 1915 is heard more
and more often. In an interview to SPIEGEL ONLINE Keskin casts doubt
on the fact of the Armenian Genocide of 1915 in Ottoman Empire,
saying that there is no evidence for that.

"Yes, a lot Armenians have died, but was it a planned action to
annihilate Armenian population, moreover 100 000 Turks were also
killed," said the head of Turkish communities in Germany. Keskin
follows official Ankara’s position on appointing historical commission.

Commenting on that statement the ex-director of Jerusalem International
Institute of Holocaust professor Yehuda Bauer says, "What should the
commission investigate? Turkey’s bloody past? The Armenian Genocide has
been carried out and several European countries have recognized it."

In his part Bundestag deputy Ulla Jelpke in an interview to SPIEGEL
ONLINE stated that she waits from Keskin corrections on his stand. "He
should recognize his responsibility for the historical truth," she
said. The "Stern Shortnews" Internet publication reports that up till
now Turkish politicians claim that there wasn’t any Genocide. Turkish
Prime Minister Rejep Tayyep Erdoghan roughly criticized Germany,
which in 2005 adopted a resolution condemning the Genocide. Erdoghan
called it a ‘mistakable’ and ‘repulsive’ document, IA Regnum reports.

PACE To Discuss Process Of Armenia’s Fulfilling Commitments

PACE TO DISCUSS PROCESS OF ARMENIA’S FULFILLING COMMITMENTS

PanARMENIAN.Net
08.01.2007 16:43 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ A report on Armenia’s fulfilling commitments will be
heard during the winter session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the
Council of Europe January 22-26, head of the Armenian delegation to
PACE Tigran Torosian told a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter. "The report will
be given on January 23. No other issues regarding Armenia or Azerbaijan
will be considered at the winter session," he said. The report was
organized by George Colombier (France) and Mikko Elo (Finland).

Armenia Interested In Transcaspian Pipeline Project

ARMENIA INTERESTED IN TRANSCASPIAN PIPELINE PROJECT
By Emil Danielyan

Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
Jan 9 2007

Armenia is looking to benefit from an ambitious project to build a
natural gas pipeline that would stretch from Central Asia to Turkey
and Europe via the Caspian Sea, Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian said
on Tuesday.

The idea of putting in place a new export route for the Caspian
region’s rich hydrocarbon resources was actively promoted by the
United States in the late 1990s but never got off the drawing board for
geopolitical and economic reasons. The European Union is now trying to
revive it as part of a long-term strategy of easing Europe’s growing
dependence on Russian gas.

The EU hopes that work on the 3,300 kilometer pipeline, dubbed Nabucco,
will start in 2008 and end in 2011. The pipeline would pump gas from
Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan and have a maximum capacity
of 30 billion cubic meters per year.

According to Oskanian, official Yerevan regards the $5.8 billion
project, which was formally approved by five EU nations last June,
as an opportunity to further diversify Armenia’s energy resources
in the long run. "Armenia will try to have some involvement in that
project," he said.

"No practical steps are being taken in that direction yet. But
negotiations are going on, and we are trying to be involved in
those discussions in order to ensure the diversification of our gas
supplies," he added without elaborating.

Azerbaijan is extremely unlikely to agree to Armenia’s participation
in the project before a resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,
though. Besides, the Transcaspian pipeline would almost certainly
link up with a newly built pipeline that will soon start delivering
Azerbaijani gas to Georgia and Turkey, suggesting that it would bypass
Armenia in any case.

Armenia will instead be able to receive gas from neighboring Iran
through a much smaller pipeline. Officials in Yerevan and Tehran say
work on its first Armenian section has all but been completed. A
senior Iranian official reportedly said over the weekend that his
country is ready to start supplies "at any moment."

But Oskanian insisted that the 40-kilometer facility still needs to
undergo technical tests. "The pipeline is physically complete. We
just need to test it." he said, adding that Iranian gas will therefore
not start flowing into Armenia before March.

In the meantime, Russia will remain Armenia’s sole gas supplier.

Russian energy companies, notably the Gazprom monopoly, also own the
country’s gas and electricity distribution networks as well as several
major power plants. Furthermore, the Armenian government is widely
expected to give Gazprom a controlling stake in the pipeline from Iran.

1.6% Growth In Consumer Prices Registered In Armenia In Dec 2006

1.6% GROWTH IN CONSUMER PRICES REGISTERED IN ARMENIA IN DEC 2006

Yerevan, January 8. ArmInfo. In Dec 2006 consumer prices in Armenia
grew by 1.6%, while AMD grew against USD by 3.1%.

The National Statistical Service of Armenia reports that in Jan-Dec
2006 consumer prices grew by 5.2%, while AMD grew against USD by 18.1%.

In Dec 2006 AMD/USD exchange rate was 364.69/1 against 449.36/1 in
Dec 2005.