Author: Tamamian Anna

AGHDAM IS NOT XOCALI

ArmInfo
2010-02-24 17:54:00

ArmInfo. New website of Xenophobia Prevention Initiative organization –
was presented in Yerevan today. The new site presents
the materials which disclose the mass falsifications, organized by
the Azerbaijani authorities around the tragic events of February 26,
1992 near Xocali settlement in the territory of Nagorno Karabakh. The
site has been presented in Russian, English, Azerbaijani, German,
Farsi and French.

"Our website has become a response by the Armenian party, disclosing
the Azerbaijani propaganda in a so-called "Xocali case", since all
those events actually happened not in Xocali but in the suburbs
of Aghdam. The Azerbaijani propaganda has already exceeded all the
reasonable limits by its cynicism: Baku uses the photographs in its
false propaganda, which are in no way related to the tragedy, in
order to "prove the barbarities of Armenians", Head of the Xenophobia
Prevention Initiative Armine Adibekyan said. She also said the
Azerbaijani propaganda actively uses false materials on Aghdam events,
during which residents of Xocali settlement died on February 26, 1992.

The materials regarding the tragedy are replicated by the Azerbaijani
press and different organizations which are engaged in the propaganda
activity. The primary goal of the Azerbaijani party is to shift the
responsibility for the death of people to the Armenian party.

Xocali.net project is called to study and reveal the falsifications
used by the Azerbaijani propaganda regarding the "Xocali case". In
particular, about 20 false photos, used by the Azerbaijani party,
were revealed during investigation. The Azerbaijani propagandists
use photos of the victims of Kurdish pogroms in Turkey, the victims
of the slaughter in Srebrennitsa (Bosnia and Herzegovina), etc. in
order to shock the world community and arise negative attitude to
the Armenian party.

Moreover, fragrant falsifications were found in the lists of victims
of the Aghdam tragedy, which are presented by the Azerbaijani official
structures – embassies and the presidential library.

Materials about the Aghdam tragedy: "Xocali case: Special folder"
(authors: Hayk Demoyan, Levon Melik-Shahnazaryan), interview and an
article of a journalist Eynulla Fatullayev titled "It succeeded to
withdraw the cattle but not the people" are also being gathered
at Xocali.net site. The site also contains video-materials –
interrogations of Turk-Meskhets, which show that despite the warnings
by the Armenian party about Xocali attack, the Azerbaijani military
men did not allow the Meskhet families to evacuate. Xocali.net project
will keep on studying the issue of death of Xocali residents and
falsification of the events by the Azerbaijani propaganda.

AZERBAIJANI ANALYST: AZERBAIJANI PARLIAMENTARY DELEGATION’S RECENT VISIT TO IRAN TO BOOST AZERBAIJAN-IRAN TIES
A. Hasanov

Today
2308.html
Feb 23 2010
Azerbaijan

Day.Az interview with renowned Azerbaijani political analyst Zardusht
Alizade.

How do you assess the visit of the enlarged Azerbaijani parliamentary
delegation led by Speaker Ogtay Asadov to the Islamic Republic of Iran?

I assess it as a very positive step that will contribute to further
development of Azerbaijani-Iranian relations. Relations between our
countries are already successfully expanded primarily in mutually
beneficial trade. Both Azerbaijan and Iran are interested in this. In
particular, given the status of the Azerbaijani delegation that
traveled to Iran, our countries attach enough importance to their
further deepening.

What are your comments on a statement by Iranian parliamentary
Speaker Ali Larijani that Iran will spare no effort to help resolve
the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia?

This is quite common statement by a head of the parliament of a country
that hosts head of the parliament of another state. Generally speaking,
Iran is unable to influence the settlement of Armenian-Azerbaijani
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and its opinion in this conflict is
of secondary importance. Positions of world’s leading superpowers
which do not take real steps to resolve the Armenian-Azerbaijani
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, preferring to benefit from the existing
status quo, are far more important in this respect.

Azerbaijan has fraternal and strategic relationship with Turkey, it
maintains very warm relations with Georgia and successfully developing
relations with Russia and Iran. Can we say that Armenia is becoming
a rogue state in the region on the backdrop of existing alignment
of forces?

Expanding Azerbaijani-Iranian relations have nothing to do and do not
depend on state of the Iranian-Armenian relations, and on Armenia’s
current situation which really leaves much to be desired. Relations
between our countries are based on mutual benefit: Azerbaijan receives
its dividends from the development of relations with Iran, and Iran,
in its turn, benefits from deepening relations with Azerbaijan.

Similar words could be said about the nature of the
Azerbaijani-Turkish, Azerbaijani-Georgian and Azerbaijani-Russian
relations. As for Armenia, it has its own state interests, and it
defends them through techniques it deems to be necessary.

What influence do the warm Azerbaijani-Iranian ties have on
Azerbaijan’s relations with Iran?

Undoubtedly, Iran can formally or informally express dissatisfaction
with the deepening of the Azerbaijani-Israeli relations, but these
statements will not change relations between Baku and Tel Aviv. This is
understandable: development of Azerbaijan’s relations with any state,
including those with Israel, is Azerbaijan’s own affairs.

Moreover, the Azerbaijani-Israeli relations do not affect the
Azerbaijani-Iranian relations and are not anti-Iranian in nature. They
are based on mutual benefit. As for the Iranian-Israeli relations,
these are personal matters of those two states.

Interfax, Russia
Feb 18 2010

Kazakhstan to work out road map for Karabakh resolution

VIENNA Feb 18

As the chairman-in-office of the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), Kazakhstan is going to devise a road map
for the peaceful resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, said
Kazakhstan’s Foreign Minister Kanat Saudabayev.

Saudabayev ended his four-day working visit to the South Caucasus
countries: Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia.

"Now, based on the visit results and the positives achieved by all the
parties involved in this process, we are going to work out the
chairmanship’s road map to support and step up the parties’ efforts to
further advance the peaceful conflict resolution. In this context, we
must consider and support any possible steps to reduce tensions and to
build confidence in the conflict zone," he said at a joint session of
the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s three General Committees in Vienna
on Thursday.

The Azeri and Armenian Presidents, Ilham Aliyev and Serzh Sargsyan,
respectively, had a "substantial and frank exchange of views" in Baku
and Yerevan, he said.

"The past meetings with parliamentarians, representatives from
parties, socio-political movements, direct victims of the conflict,
gave us an invaluable insight into and understanding of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict," Saudabayev said.

‘WASHINGTON URGENTLY NEEDS TO OPEN ARMENIA-TURKEY BORDER’

Aysor
feb 17 2010
Armenia

Process of Armenia-Turkey reconciliation is the White House’s project,
said deputy chairman of the Russian Academy of Geopolitical Problems,
Araik Sarkisian. The U.S. has launched the process of normalisation of
relations to solve their geopolitical goals in the region, according
to Araik Sarkisian.

He also pointed that the U.S. experts consider the reopening of the
railway links Kars-Yerevan-Nakhichevan-Baku and Kars-Baku-Kazakh as
the additional opportunity to kick around troops to Afghanistan, and,
probably in future to Iran in case of war.

"Washington urgently needs to open Armenia-Turkey land border. The
White House, actually, isn’t going to recognize the Genocide, it is
just an instrument to suppress Turkey," he said.

According to Araik Sarkisian, the Armenia-Turkey border’s opening will
give nothing to Armenia as there is an air connection, and there are
other ways of communications with Turkey. He pointed out that Armenia
invested in Turkey’s economy nearly $400 million in 2009.

ERDOGAN TO VISIT UNITED STATES

news.az
Feb 17 2010
Azerbaijan

Recep Tayyip Erdogan Obama, Erdogan to meet on April 14.

Turkish Deputy FM Firudin Sinirlioghlu met with the US officials in
the United States.

According to the Radical newspaper, the aim of Sinirlioghlu’s visit
has also been the preparation for the Turkish Premier’s visit to the
United States due in April.

The newspaper reads that he was accompanied by deputy chief of
Turkish Istihbarat special services Aydin Sezgin, as well as the
newly appointed ambassador of this country in Washington Namik Tan.

According to the newspaper, Sinirlioghlu communicated the Turkish
messages to US, according to which the process of the Armenian-Turkish
rapprochement will be frozen in case of pressure on Ankara and without
any progress in the Karabakh conflict settlement.

The newspaper also reads that Erdogan’s visit to the United States
is scheduled on April 14 when he is expected to meet President Obama.

VUGAR HASHIMOV MEETS ARMENIAN OPPONENT IN LINARES
Elmir Aliyev

news.az
Feb 17 2010
Azerbaijan

Vugar Hashimov Games of 4th round of chess supercontest that involves
six world famous grandmasters including Azerbaijani Vugar Hashimov
have been held in Spain.

According to News.Az, in the fourth round Vugar was to compete with
Armenian Levon Aronyan. Our chess player played with white figures
but failed to beat the famous opponent. The sides agreed to a draw
on the 48th step.

Hashimov has 1.5 points and shares the last 5-6th places with Israeli
Boris Gelfund. Bulgarian Veselin Topalov and Russian Alexander Grishuk
are leading with 2.5 points. Aronyan and Spanish Francisco Vallejo
have 2 points each.

LEVON TER-PETROSIAN MEETS WITH OSCE CHAIRMAN-IN-OFFICE, KAZAKHSTAN’S FOREIGN MINISTER KANAT SAUDABAYEV

Noyan Tapan
Feb 16, 2010

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 16, NOYAN TAPAN. First RA President Levon
Ter-Petrosian, on February 16, met with OSCE Chairman-in-Office,
Kazakhstan’s Foreign Minister Kanat Saudabayev, who had arrived in
Yerevan on a visit.

According to the Armenian National Congress’ report, the prospects of
Nagorno Karabakh settlement and Armenian-Turkish reconciliation were
discussed at the meeting. The condition of democracy, human rights
and freedoms was specially touched upon. In that connection L.

Ter-Petrosian drew the attention of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office to
the issue that OSCE’s and ODIHR’s activity is not adequate to the
situation in the sphere of democracy and human rights in the country
and expressed an expectation that henceforth those organizations will
take that circumstance into consideration.

MINING INDUSTRY ACCOUNTS FOR 88% OF INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION OF SYUNIK MARZ

Noyan Tapan
Feb 16, 2010

GORIS, FEBRUARY 16, NOYAN TAPAN. During his working visit to Syunik
marz, Deputy Prime Minister of Armenia, Minister of Territorial
Administration Armen Gevorgian on February 15 took part in the opening
ceremony of the newly-repaired senior school 4 in the city of Goris.

141 million drams had been allocated for repairs, including 110 million
drams from the Social Investment Fund, while the rest was provided
by the Armenian Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees and other international organizations.

A meeting of the regional council was held with the participation
of A. Gevorgian on the same day. Syunik Governor Surik Khachatrian
presented the work done in the marz in 2009. According to him, the
mining industry accounts for 88% of industrial production of the marz.

The second issue on the agenda was comparative analysis of indices
of the 2010 community budgets. At the suggestion of the deputy prime
minister, the issue was not discussed. A. Gevorgian called attention
of the community heads to trustworthiness of data on property tax.

"Let’s submit true data and not deceive each other," he said.

Issues related to agricultural work to be done in the spring were
also discussed at the meeting.

FRANCE TO CONTRIBUTE TO ARMENIA’S INTEGRATION IN EUROPE

news.am
Feb 16 2010
Armenia

February 15, RA National Security Council (NSC) Secretary Artur
Baghdasaryan met with State Secretary for European Affairs Pierre
Lelouch in Paris.

In the course of the meeting the officials discussed regional issues
in South Caucasus, as well as Armenia’s cooperation with European
structures, RA NSC Press Service informed NEWS.am. The parties agreed
that France will contribute to the implementation of reforms in a
number of fields within Armenia-EU cooperation.

Baghdasaryan also met with French intelligence coordinator Bernard
Bajolet. The officials agreed to develop cooperation between Armenian
and French law enforcement agencies.

CASCADE BANK JOINS "BISTRAYA POCHTA" FAST MONEY TRANSFER SYSTEM

ArmInfo
16.02.2010

ArmInfo.Cascade Bank CJSC informs that it has connected to "Bistraya
Pochta" fast money transfer system. As the bank’s press service told
ArmInfo, henceforth, the Bank clients can make fast and reliable
transfers in USD and Euro by the above-mentioned system. This system
is used almost in all CIS countries.

Please be reminded that since 2008 Cascade Bank has been cooperating
with MIGOM and MONEY GRAM systems. Transfers are made from the Bank
head office and any of its branches.

To note, Cascade Bank is among the medium Armenian banks by the size of
assets, which grew by 37% in 2009 and reached 19 bln drams by January
1, 2010. The bank’s credit portfolio increased by 50% to 11 bln drams,
3,3% of which falls on non-working credits. The bank’s total capital as
of January 1, 2010, made up 7.6 bln drams, and the deposit portfolio –
5 bln drams. The bank held the 5th position among 22 banks by return
on assets. Upon the results of 2009, the bank succeeded to assure
413 mln drams of net profit.