Author: Tamamian Anna

INCIDENT ON AZERBAIJAN-ARMENIA CONTACT LINE IS NOT SKIRMISH, BUT SMALL BATTLE: AZERBAIJANI MP

Today.Az
Sept 10 2009
Azerbaijan

"I think that today Armenia once again was convinced that the
Azerbaijani army is well-prepared," Azerbaijani parliament’s security
and defense committee chair Aydin Mirzazade said commenting on media
reports claiming that five Armenian soldiers have been killed at the
Azerbaijan-Armenia contact line.

"Almost every day we hear about violation of ceasefire by Armenian
troops and provocation against Azerbaijani army. But today’s incident,
of course, shocked everybody. It was not even a skirmish, but a small
battle where five Armenian invaders were killed," Mirzazade said.

"I think that this was an attempt by Armenia to test vigilance of
Azerbaijani military units and posts on the contact line. As expected,
the Armenian side gained a worthy rebuff," the MP said.

He said Azerbaijani troops have only one wounded and Azerbaijani side
carried out the battle competently.

"I think that today Armenia once again was convinced that the
Azerbaijani army is well-prepared. Azerbaijani soldiers are ready for
combat operations and the Armenian armed forces will receive repeated
retaliation of Azerbaijani soldiers in case of hostilities," he said.

"As to whether the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict may be solved by
military means, I can say that Azerbaijan supports solution to the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict through peaceful negotiations. We comply with
the ceasefire. But Azerbaijan intends to return its territory and was
always ready for military action. If Armenia takes provocative actions
against us, it will get a decent rebuff as it did today," he added.

ARMEN ASHOTYAN: ARMENIANS HAVE DISINTERESTED ATTITUDE ABOUT KNOWLEDGE

PanARMENIAN.NET
09.09.2009 13:14 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Ministry of Education has to main goals. These
are to secure the economy sector with highly skilled specialists
and to make education inseparable part of upbringing of generations,
Armenia’s Education Minister Armen Ashotyan said.

Reorganization of the legislative field is one of major tasks,
according to him.

"Our legislation suffer from grave shortcomings and is not in line with
international standard," he said. "Although the government managed
to secure AMD 270 million (out of planned AMD 370 million), further
development of the education system will demand heavier expenses."

The Minister also remarked that Armenians have disinterested attitude
about knowledge. "Curiously enough, many prefer to pay in order not
to study," he said.

THE ISSUES OF HIGHEST PRIORITY AND URGENCY

Aztag Daily
Sept 4, 2009
Lebanon

Editorial

The series of the Armenian-Turkish relationship portfolio is running
on fast; incredibly fast. Only the follow-up of the declarations,
echoes, evidences and critiques made on the Armenian stage as well as
the maneuvers of the Turkish state, the attacks of the opposition and
also the support expressed by world players and the speckled surface
seen on both the international as well as the Turkish and Armenian
media concerning this topic, requires the commitment of a whole team
of workers. A team that would only work on this portfolio.

We’ll leave the politico-legal analyses of the publicized declarations
and prototcols for later. Let us shed a light on and emphasize some
unpostponable points.

It’s obvious that in spite of the set deadlines, the seemingly
imperative points, the present round of the process in its turn is the
unleashing of the unending new chain of the freezing and thawing of
negotiations. This pattern in its essence conforms with the game-rules
set by Turkish side. In spite of the dealines, Turkey still has the
opportunity of playing, dragging, suspending, freezing and if necessary
thawing in the presigning-signing-parliament ratification process.

And if, on one hand, we are thinking that this process isn’t going to
produce any practical results, then there’s no risk of the realization
of dangerous factors, then we must also think that this same scenario
flows in perfect accord with the orientation of the policies adopted
by the Turkish government and as such completely serves the policy
implemented by the Turkish government. The policy being played out on
the scene is in reality just another manifestation of the policy to
bring out a transformed cover. The aim is to show the international
community that Turkey is willing to move the train forward. It’s true
that in the documents there’s no literal demand for the recognition of
the Armenian Genocide, there’s no mention of the Gharapagh conflict
and no restoration of the Gars Treaty. However, behind the haze of
the steam there’s a committee formed to solve the historical y issues;
a decision that sheds a light on the evidence of the Genocide. There’s
the silent restoration of the Gars Treaty (mutual obligation) behind
the mutual and multi-lateral recognition of the responsibilities
to respect the territorial integrity. And also clarity of stance
with respect to the Artsakh situation which is waiting for legal
interpretation (multi-lateral responsibility related to the respect
of the principle of territorial integrity). The August 31 pre-signings
talk about a practical round with a six weeks deadline. It is already
noted that the six week deadline ends on the 13th of October which
coincides with the date of signing of the Gars Treaty!

The interpretations of the ongoing process are diametrically
opposite. The circles of the Armenian authorities consider this a
progress for the Armenian side whereas the opposition circles are
declaring the defeat of the Armenian diplomacy. On the other hand,
Azerbeidjan in spite of receiving reassurances cannot conceal its
uneasiness.

There are a lot of parantheses in the documents that haven’t been
opened yet. We will have other opportunities to write about all
those. It’s imperative, however, that the continuous manifestations
of the Turkish policy don’t succeed to shake and divide the Armenian
stage. Obviously we have entered a new round. Unfortunately, a new
round steered by Turkish game-rules. A high prudence is more than
imperative and necessary.

The public discussions, the most heated debates & public gatherings
with a democratic understanding are all standard means of forming the
public opinion. Constructive behavior and the intention of correcting
mistakes must remain the motivation and the goal of all the plans
concerning this new round which intends to swallow up Armenia and
the Armenian Diaspora. In this respect we note the question of an
Armenian media representative as a negative stance when he asked: But
we must eventually clarify whether the international recognition of the
Armenian Genocide and the related demands are still the first priority
and the hottest matters on the agenda of the Armenian government.

The recognition of the Genocide, the Gharapagh conflict, the
restoration of the national rights and the firm establishment of
our state are not just rhetorics but matters rising from national
security concerns. They are first priority and the hottest matters
for all of us.

REPORTS BY H.B. NERSISYAN AND CO-RESEARCHERS DESCRIBE RECENT ADVANCES IN PHYSICS

Science Letter
September 8, 2009

PHYSICS;

According to recent research published in the journal Physical Review
E, "The results of a theoretical investigation on the stopping
power of ions moving in a two-dimensional degenerate electron gas
are presented. The stopping power for an ion is calculated employing
linear-response theory using the dielectric function approach."

"The collisions, which lead to a damping of plasmons and quasiparticles
in the electron gas, is taken into account through a relaxation-time
approximation in the linear-response function. The stopping power for
an ion is calculated in both the low-and high-velocity limits. In
order to highlight the effects of damping, we present a comparison
of our analytical and numerical results, in the case of pointlike
ions, obtained for a nonzero damping with those for a vanishing
damping. It is shown that the equipartition sum rule first formulated
by Lindhard and Winther for three-dimensional degenerate electron
gas does not necessarily hold in two dimensions. We have generalized
this rule introducing an effective dielectric function. In addition,
some results for two-dimensional interacting electron gas have been
obtained," wrote H.B. Nersisyan and colleagues (see also Physics).

The researchers concluded: "In this case, the exchange-correlation
interactions of electrons are considered via local-field corrected
dielectric function.."

Nersisyan and colleagues published their study in Physical Review E
(Interaction of fast charged projectiles with two-dimensional electron
gas: Interaction and collisional-damping effects. Physical Review E,
2009;80(1 Part 2):6402).

For additional information, contact H.B. Nersisyan, Institute
Radiophys & Electrical, Division Theoret Physics, Alikhanian Bros
St. 1, Ashtarak 378410, Armenia.

EU AND TURKEY IN ‘VICIOUS CIRCLE,’ EUROPEAN EXPERTS SAY

ArmInfo
2009-09-08 18:29:00

ArmInfo. European leaders must treat Turkey as any other EU candidate
and stop suggesting alternatives to full membership, while Ankara
for its part needs to re-engage in a democratic reform process,
a panel of European experts has recommended, EUobserver reported.

The EU’s relationship with Turkey has turned into a ‘vicious circle’,
with growing distrust on both sides, the Independent Commission on
Turkey, a panel of experts chaired by Nobel Peace Prize winner Martti
Ahtisaari warns in a report issued Monday (7 September).

"Continued negative comments by European political leaders, combined
with growing public hesitation about further EU enlargement, have
deepened resentment in Turkey and slowed the necessary reforms,"
the document reads.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy has publicly questioned Turkey’s
right to become an EU member, pointing to its geography, which
stretches from southeastern Europe to Asia Minor. The question of 70
million Muslims set to become EU citizens is also frequently invoked
by opponents to Turkish membership in countries such as Austria,
Germany or the Netherlands.

"European governments must honour their commitments and treat Turkey
with fairness and the respect it deserves. On its side, Turkey has to
re-engage in a dynamic, broad- based reform process, thus confirming
that it is willing and serious in its ambition to join the EU,"
the report recommends.

The experts warn against the use of alternative scenarios such as the
‘privileged partnership’ invoked in German circles and urge the EU
to stick to the declared "common goal" of accession negotiations –
EU membership.

"To breathe new life into the negotiations, the EU must simply follow
through on previous commitments to keep the path to membership open. No
new promises are needed," Mr Ahtisaari said.

On the other hand, Ankara also needs to keep its promises on the
reform side.

"Two years without elections now lie ahead, and all sides must
act now to prevent the country’s convergence with the EU from
stalling. Comprehensive, consistent and sustained progress towards
more democracy at home is the best way to persuade more Europeans of
Turkey’s EU compatibility," the report reads.

One major opportunity for progress in the EU-Turkey negotiations will
emerge later this month, as a new round of peace talks on the divided
island of Cyprus resume. Ankara is the only capital to recognise the
north of Cyprus as an independent country, while the Greek south is
an EU member.

"Turkey’s progress towards joining the European Union would get a major
boost from resolving the division of Cyprus," said Mr Ahtisaari. "The
seductive idea that the status quo can go on forever is a delusion. The
cost of inaction this time around is too high."

Speaking in Stockholm after the meeting with EU foreign ministers on
Saturday, Turkish top diplomat Ahmet Davutoglu looked confident of
his country’s future membership.

"We have full confidence that our French, British and other
colleagues will keep their commitment," he said. "There is no need
for convincing. It is already certain that Turkey and the European
Union will integrate in the future," experts say.

MINISTER-MENTOR OF SINGAPORE TO COME TO ARMENIA IN SEPTEMBER

ARKA
September 7, 2009
Yerevan

YEREVAN, September 7. /ARKA/. Minister-mentor of Singapore Lee Kuan
Yew is to arrive in Armenia in September, the press service of Armenian
Foreign Ministry reported.

Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandyan and Ambassador of Singapore
to Armenia Saymon de Cruz (residence in Moscow) discussed the visit
preparation issues in Yerevan Saturday.

The sides also discussed measures to develop bilateral relations.

Nalbandyan attached importance to the upcoming visit of Singaporean
Minister-Mentor.

Lee Kuan Yew was the firs premier of Singapore and is considered to
be one of the fathers of the so-called Singapore’s economic miracle.

SHAKESPEARE INTERNATIONAL THEATRE FESTIVAL TO BE LAUNCHED IN YEREVAN

AZG DAILY #160
08-09-2009

Culture

Shakespeare International Theatre Festival after Vahram Papazyan
will be launched in Yerevan from 7 to 20 September. About 150 theatre
experts and dramaturgists from different countries are going to attend
the festival. The guests of the festival are going to be Chairman
of the Theatre Union Alexander Kalyagin from Russia, Irina Brook,
France, Angy Zhirovski, Polnad, etc, panorama.am reports.

Municipality of Yerevan reports that the Mayor of Yerevan and the
Chairman of Shakespeare International Theatre Festival committee Gagik
Beglaryan hosted the members of the committee to discuss organizational
issues of the festival.

NKR PRESIDENT ON A SECONDARY SCHOOL OPENING CEREMONY IN ASKERAN

Aysor
Sept 7 2009
Armenia

On 7 September President of the Nagorno Karabagh Republic Bako
Sahakyan visited regional center Askeran and partook at a solemn
ceremony of opening a new building of secondary school named after
Edmon Barseghyan, the Office of the NKR President informed.

The Head of the State noted that school building has been among the
most important components of developing education and sciences and
is in the spotlight of the authorities.

Speaker of the NKR National Assembly Ashot Ghoulyan, premier Ara
Haroutyunyan and other officials partook at the ceremony.

President Sargsyan meets the Foreign Minister of Georgia

armradio.am
05.09.2009 15:36

President Serzh Sargsyan today received the Foreign Minister of Georgia
Grigol Vashadze.

The Georgian Foreign Minister conveyed to Serzh Sargsyan the best
wished of President Mikhail Saakashvili and an invitation to visit
Georgia.

President Sargsyan and Minister Vashadze underlined the high level of
interstate relations between Armenia and Georgia, the centuries-old
firm friendship between the Armenian and Georgian peoples. According to
them, there are no problems between the two countries that cannot be
solved through joint discussions and dialogue.

The interlocutors discussed issues on the bilateral agenda,
particularly the cargo shipment through Georgian territory, the process
of demarcation of the Armenian-Georgian border the forthcoming sitting
of the intergovernmental commission.

The Armenian President and the Georgian Foreign Minister exchanged
views on regional issues, the Armenian-Turkish dialogue. Presenting the
position of the Georgian side, Grigol Vashadze said that open borders
and normalized relations would contribute to the development of the
region and improvement of the investment climate.

The interlocutors exchanged views on the anti-crisis measures taken in
both countries.

Information-Analytic Agency NEWS.am, Armenia
Sept 5 2009

Bryza’s spouse discloses NKR, Armenian-Turkish processes

15:31 / 09/05/2009The re-opening of the Armenian-Turkish border fully
meets the West’s interests, as it will make Armenia less dependent on
Russia and Iran, that the U.S. has failed to achieve for many years
despite the great financial assistance to Armenia, Zeyno Baran,
Director of the Center for Eurasian Policy and a Senior Fellow at the
Hudson Institute, a research centre located in Washington D.C., said
in her interview with the TURAN news agency.

The prospective reopening of the Armenian-Turkish border will draw
Armenia closer to the West, which will allow the country to have
partners other than Russia and Iran. It will enable Armenians and
Turks to turn to their past together and try to make their future
better, Baran said.

According to her, official Ankara has been and will be taking
Azerbaijan’s interests into account in making decisions on all the
Caucasus-related issues, including the Armenian-Turkish rapprochement.

Baran gave assurances that Armenian-Turkish diplomatic relations would
ensure caution on the part of all the regional players and enhance
stability and security in the South Caucasus.

Baran said she, as well as many in Turkey, understand Azerbaijan’s
concern. However, she does not think Turkey will make a step to the
detriment of Azerbaijan’s interests. It is not only because of
strategic relations and growing exports of Azerbaijani energy
resources through Turkey, but also because of the affinity between the
two nations, she said.

She also made an almost straightforward statement that a breakthrough
in the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process should be expected soon: after
the Armenian-Turkish negotiations, the sides are speaking of the
possible reopening of the border by the end of the year. This will
enhance the efficiency of negotiations for the settlement of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The present agreement may evidence the
sides’ willingness to settle the conflict now than leave it for the
future. In the next few months, all the three Governments (Armenia,
Turkey and Azerbaijan) will be seeking to resolve these most
complicated and important problems. It would make the region free of
recriminations and mutual threats, Zeyno Baran said.