Author: Tamamian Anna

DAILY TELEGRAPH: STAKES IN KARABAKH ARE HIGH

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
23.11.2009 16:59 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ In a recent article titled Nagorno-Karabakh:
danger in the Caucasus, British Daily Telegraph touches on recent
meeting between Armenian and Azeri President, noting particularly
that conflict in Karabakh "has slid from public consciousness, at
least in the West, as one of those intractable problems that bedevil
the Caucasus. That neglect, however, has not deterred diplomacy".

The author states that "the future of Nagorno-Karabakh carries serious
implications for Turkey’s role in the Caucasus, and, by extension,
its bid for EU membership, for the supply of oil and gas to the West."

"Finding a solution, based on Armenia’s ceding of territory in exchange
for an eventual referendum on the enclave’s status, is daunting. But
the stakes, in an area of great strategic importance, are high,"
the newspaper reports.

NEW WAR NOT EXPECTED IN SOUTH CAUCASUS

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
23.11.2009 18:07 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "Despite the Azerbaijani President before his
meeting with Armenian President in Munich said about possibility of
hostilities, I do not think such scenario is realistic. I think that
Aliyev was rather trying to frighten the organizers of the meeting
to secure their pressure on the President Serzh Sargsyan, " Alexander
Zinker , Director of the Institute of East European countries in Tel
Aviv, ex-Knesset member told PanARMENIAN.Net.

In his opinion, the international community will not allow to unleash
another war in the South Caucasus. Moreover, it was particularly
Russian-Georgian military confrontation showed that complicated
national and territorial issues cannot be solved only in military way.

"Therefore, the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan should be prepared
to phased approximation in all matters of confrontation. The outcomes
of the Munich meeting were rated by experts as positive, " Mr. Zinker
stressed.

ARMENIA SHOULD CHANGE ITS POSITION: DEPUTY FM

Trend
Nov 19 2009
Azerbaijan

The Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents will meet in the coming days.

Azerbaijan expects to discuss major issues and changes in Armenia’s
position since the last meeting, Deputy Foreign Minister Araz Azimov
said in at press conference today.

"Azerbaijan leaves room for compromise," he said. "We are now standing
on the middle of a bridge and we expect Armenia will have also traveled
part of the way. One can not talk about progress on the issue without
compromises from the Armenian side."

Azerbaijan’s position is clear – "resolving the conflict within its
territorial integrity," Azimov added.

"This position is supported by the international community, which
is based on international principles and norms and there cannot be a
matter of double standards," he said. "Although Armenia talks about
willingness for a peaceful settlement, we see no action."

Baku sees no compliance with international principles and standards
in Armenia’s position, the deputy foreign minister said.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 surrounding districts.

Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The
co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group – Russia, France, and the U.S. –
are currently holding the peace negotiations.

According to Azimov, the liberation of the occupied Azerbaijani
territories is a major component of the negotiations between the
parties.

Nagorno-Karabakh and seven occupied districts are an integral part of
Azerbaijan and this is not a matter of discussion, the deputy minister
said. According to Azimov, the release of the seven districts has
always been a key principle of Azerbaijan’s position.

"Armenia has only two options – either the conflict will not be
resolved or the status of Nagorno-Karabakh will be determined after
Azerbaijani refugees return to the occupied territories," he said.

According to the official, "until everything is agreed, nothing is
agreed." Although discussions will continue, everything has a limit,
he said.

WITHDRAWAL OF ARMENIAN TROOPS FROM AZERBAIJAN’S OCCUPIED TERRITORIES HAS BEEN NEGOTIATED: AZERBAIJANI FOREIGN MINISTRY

Today
Nov 19 2009
Azerbaijan

"Liberation of occupied Azerbaijani territories was subject of
negotiations at all times as a its component part," Azerbaijani
Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Elkhan Polukhov said.

Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandyan recently stated that
Armenia has not discussed issues of refugees and seven regions
surrounding the Nagorno-Karabakh with Azerbaijan.

"I do not know with whom Azerbaijan has discussed the issues of
refugees or seven regions around the "Nagorno-Karabakh Republic"
as only status of Nagorno-Karabakh is currently being negotiated,"
Nalbandyan said.

"The Madrid Principles as well as the so-called Prague process imply
liberation of occupied Azerbaijani territories. Moreover, withdrawal
of Armenian armed forces from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan
is one of the issues already agreed upon between the parties,"
Polukhov said.

"Often returning to this issue and raising it internal debates, the
Armenian side indirectly confirms that such issue was raised and it
has been negotiated," he added.

"Regarding participation of Armenian community of Nagorno-Karabakh
in negotiations, Azerbaijan’s stance is that Armenian and Azerbaijani
communities of Nagorno-Karabakh will discuss status of the region with
leadership of the Azerbaijan Republic after liberation of occupied
territories of Azerbaijan within country’s territorial integrity,"
he said.

Armenian foreign minister also said that it is impossible to solve
the Nagorno Karabakh conflict without direct participation of the
separatist Karabakh in the negotiations.

TURKISH BUSINESSMAN SAYS THEY NEED TIME TO GET TO KNOW ARMENIA

ARMENPRESS
NOVEMBER 18, 2009
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 18, ARMENPRESS: The relations between the
Armenian and Turkish peoples may develop in a good sense as all the
prerequisites exist for it, Turkish co-chair of the Turkish-Armenian
Business Development Council Serdar Dinler told Armenpress.

According to him, in reality the 99% of the Turkish public is not aware
of the existing conflict between the Armenian and Turkish peoples.

"In 1992 for the first time a book was published in Turkey which
referred to the conflict. In schools nothing was taught about
the Armenian and Turkish cultural relations which might have given
information to the young people about the neighboring state. We need
time to acquire as much information about Armenia as Armenia has
about Turkey," he said.

According to him, recently twice in a year conferences are conducted
in universities about the Armenian culture. "We are learning, we
need a little time. Now Turkey does not want to have any issues with
neighboring states. We hope that the opening of the Armenian-Turkish
border will give an opportunity to Armenian and Turkish young peoples
to get to know each other," the Turkish co-chair said.

ARONYAN HOLDS FIRM POSITION IN QUICK CHESS GAME TOURNAMENT

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
16.11.2009 21:02 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Moscow hosts Fourth Tal Memorial Championship from
November 4 to 18. Fourth robin tournament of XXI category has already
came to end. The second round – world quick game championship –
will last from November 16 to 18.

There are 22 chess players participating in championship, including
Armenian grand master Levon Aronyan. On the first day of tournament,
Aronyan played 8 games, with 4 victories, 2 defeats and 2 draws,
Russian Chess Federation’s official Web site reports. All other
matches are under way.

Levon Aronyan – Boris Gelfand (Israel) 1:0 Aronyan – Dmitry Yakovenko
(Russia) 1:0 Aronyan – Peter Leko (Hungary) 1:0 Aronyan – Vasily
Ivanchuk (Ukraine) 0:1 Aronyan – Vladimir Kramnik (Russia) 0:1 Aronyan
– Alexandra Kostenyuk (Russia) 1:0 Aronyan – Yevgeni Baraev 1/2-1/2

Trend, Azerbiajan
Nov 14 2009

Nagorno-Karabakh conflict resolution not depends only on conflict
sides: Former Special Assistant to US president
14.11.2009 11:46
U.S, Washington, Nov. 14 / Trend News N.Bogdanova /

Former Special Assistant to US president Mark Medish believes the
adjustment of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict doesn’t depend only on the
conflict sides.

"As somebody who worked on the Nagorno-Karabakh negotiations during
the Clinton Administration, I have long believed that a mutually
acceptable settlement is within reach, but unfortunately opportunistic
political calculations in various capitals have blocked it" former
Senior Director for Eurasian Affairs on the US National Security
Council 2000-2001, who currently is a senior adviser at the Carnegie
Endowment for International Peace said in an interview with Trend
News.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan
lost all of Nagorno-Karabakh except for Shusha and Khojali in December
1991. In 1992-93, Armenian armed forces occupied Shusha, Khojali and
seven districts surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh. Azerbaijan and Armenia
signed a ceasefire in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group –
Russia, France, and the U.S. — are currently holding peace
negotiations.

Speaking about the stability conditions in South Caucasus former US
president’s assistant stressed that "Basically all conflicts sides
have understood that the path of confrontation is extremely dangerous
and not in anybody’s interest".

He also noticed that "the scars are deep and anxiety remains high. The
consequences of recklessly unfreezing a frozen conflict, as Georgia
and Russia did last year, could be like Pandora’s Box. Therefore
efforts must be re-doubled for negotiated, peaceful resolution of all
regional disputes, with the help of international mediators as much as
needed".

Mr. Medish also commented on U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Philip
Gordon’s doubts that without progress in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
solution, the Turkish-Armenian protocols will be ratified by the
Turkish Parliament.

"I find it difficult to predict the behavior of the US Congress and
therefore I would be careful to make statements about other countries’
parliaments. In any case, the Turkish-Armenian rapprochement is to be
welcomed as a step toward regional stabilization and integration" –
analyst mentioned.

Regarding the cooperation between US and Russia in security sphere, he
said that "the "reset" means that the US and Russia are exploring ways
to reduce recent tensions through concrete areas of cooperation".

According to analyst, the most obvious areas are a new nuclear arms
reductions agreement, cooperation on Afghanistan, and a revised
approach to missile defense.

"It seems to me that the Azerbaijan’s Gabala facility is still a
relevant option for consideration, however the focus has also shifted
to the Aegis sea-based system"- he added.

SINAN OGAN: NABUCCO MAP TO BE RE-DRAWN

news.am
Nov 13 2009
Armenia

In the light of recent Turkish-Iranian agreements, the Nabucco map
will be "re-drawn," Sinan Ogan, Chairman of the Turkish Center
for International Relations & Strategic Analysis, stated at the
Center for Strategic Studies under the President of the Republic
of Azerbaijan. He accounts for the amendments to the project by the
Turkish-Iranian agreement on gas supplies to Europe.

Formerly, the main aim of the West and Europe was to organize gas
supplies from Azerbaijan and Central Asia, whereas the issue of
receiving Iranian gas with further involvement of Iraq and Egypt in
transit has come to the forefront now. According to Ogan, the West
has started a subtler political game in the South Caucasus and the
neighboring regions, which, however, does not at all mean that the
West is not interested in Azerbaijani gas, especially as because an
infrastructure for gas transit from Azerbaijan to Turkey and further
to Europe is operating.

As regards the Azerbaijani-Turkish relations, Ogan once again
underlined their importance. He pointed out that the USA and Russia
are against a stronger Turkish-Azerbaijani alliance, doing their best
to impede the process. "Our states must establish a closer dialogue,
all the more so because serious tasks are to be accomplished next
year," Ogan said, mentioning impending problems in the context of the
Armenian Diaspora’s efforts to push an Armenian Genocide resolution
through the U.S. Congress.

"Faced with external threats and challenges, we must be ready for
new provocations, and our countries’ leaders must ensure mutual
understanding in order to jointly oppose the adversaries’ intrigues,"
Ogan said.

PRESS OFFICE

Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Contact: Karine Abalyan
Tel: (212) 686-0710; Fax: (212) 779-3558
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:

November 13, 2009

___________________________________________

IN NEW ENGLAND, TEENS ARE THE FOCUS OF A DIOCESAN CHRISTIAN ED WORKSHOP

The study habits and learning styles of middle and high school Sunday School
students were the focus of a workshop for educators held last month at the
Armenian Church of the Holy Translators, in Framingham, MA.

Titled "Teens and the Christian Classroom," the daylong discussion was led
by Elise Antreassian and Megan Jendian, coordinators of Christian Education
in the Eastern Diocese’s Department of Youth and Education.

The Saturday, October 24, event was open to New England region Sunday School
educators. A total of 25 Sunday School staffers, including nine
superintendents, from six area parishes took part in the sessions.

Participants spoke about developing a more "relationship-centered" teaching
ministry, using various techniques for creating deeper connections with
middle and high school students, and applying specific teaching methods to
cater to all learning styles.

The challenge of instructing teens "truly epitomizes what teaching faith is
all about," said Elise Antreassian. "In addition to teachers imparting
information pertinent to the learner’s life, it is also about teachers
witnessing to how faith has changed them, and sharing the happy changes
their students can expect when God is at the center of their lives."

Teachers also shared practical suggestions for linking students’ life
experiences with classroom prayer and Scripture, and discussed ways to make
the material more fun and accessible to students. During one portion of the
afternoon, participants worked in small groups to create activities using
jigsaw puzzles and crafts materials.

"There was plenty of open, honest discussion and sharing, and a positive
atmosphere of collaboration," said the Rev. Fr. Krikor Sabounjian, pastor of
Holy Translators Church, who attended the day’s event. "We should build upon
this excitement and enthusiasm by offering other such seminars in the near
future so that this experience continues to allow growth and further
cooperation among the sister parishes of the New England region."

At the workshop’s final session, designed to explore questions and concerns,
teachers spoke about curriculum challenges and a new experimental Sunday
School format, which incorporates time for family worship and Holy Communion
into Sunday School class time. The format is being tested in a handful of
parishes, including the Holy Translators Church. Teachers also gave positive
feedback about the core Armenian Christian curriculum and the Mardigian
Institute, which offers teacher-training seminars at the Diocesan Center
every two years.

On Sunday, October 25, Antreassian and Jendian visited the Holy Translators
Church Sunday School, where students spent the first hour participating in
the Divine Liturgy and Holy Communion and later convened in the classroom to
learn more about the Armenian Christian faith.

Jendian conveyed a short lesson about the holy cross, designed to engage
children in conversation and critical thinking. Following classes, the
Diocesan representatives joined teachers for a brief meeting.

The workshop at Holy Translators Church was requested by the New England
Region Superintendents’ Association – comprised of Sunday School directors
in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. The dynamic association was
revived recently under a rotating leadership: so far Marsha Alabachian,
superintendent of St. James Sunday School in Watertown, MA, and Seta
Buchter, superintendent of Holy Trinity Sunday School in Cambridge, MA, have
been its energetic and enthusiastic leaders.

The association is currently planning a June 2010 gathering and looking
ahead to the 2011 Diocesan Assembly, where members hope to collaborate with
the Diocese’s Department of Youth and Education to begin work on a national
Sunday School staff symposium.

###

Photos attached.

Photo 1: Participants in the "Teens and the Christian Classroom" workshop
discuss techniques for creating deeper connections with middle and high
school students.

Photo 2: Participants in the "Teens and the Christian Classroom" workshop
brainstorm ways to engage students and help them build a relationship with
God.

Photo 3: Participants in the "Teens and the Christian Classroom" workshop
pose for a group photo at Holy Translators Church.

ARMENIAN GOVERNMENT REFUSES TO RECOGNIZE NAGORNO KARABAKH’S INDEPENDENCE

APA
Nov 12 2009
Azerbaijan

Yerevan – APA. Armenian government refused to support the bill on
the "Recognition of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic" offered by the
opposition.

APA reports quoting Armenia Today that the decision was passed at
the meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers.

Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Shavarsh Kocharyan said the adoption
of the bill in this stage is inexpedient.

"Flourishing Armenia" party defended the position of the government.

Secretary of the party’s parliamentary faction Aram Safaryan said
the recognition of Nagorno Karabakh’s independence would be failure
of the process of negotiations.

The bill on the "Recognition of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic"
was presented to the parliament by Heritage Party. The party had
taken similar initiatives earlier, but the ruling majority opposed
the initiative.