Author: Tashjian Arbi

Mediamax, Armenia
Oct 30 2009

Armenian minister denies any pressure exerted on signing protocols
with Turkey

The foreign ministers of leading countries of the world, who
participated in the signing of the Armenian-Turkish protocols in
Zurich on 10 October, facilitated the process of normalizing relations
between Armenia and Turkey and did not exert pressure on anyone,
Armenian Mediamax news agency quoted Armenian Foreign Minister Edvard
Nalbandyan as saying on 30 October.

Nalbandyan went on to say: "This was the Armenian side’s initiative,
and we came to an agreement along with Turkey, which were welcomed by
all countries of the world, with the exception of one (presumably
Azerbaijan)," the news agency reported.

PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Contact: V.Rev.Fr.Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Director
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E- mail: [email protected]
Web:

PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon

GEORGE SALIBA, METROPOLITAN OF MOUNT LEBANON AND THE GENERAL SECRETARY OF
THE MIDDLE EAST COUNCIL OF CHURCHES MEET WITH HIS HOLINESS ARAM I

On Thursday 29 October in the morning, Mor Theophilus George Saliba.
Metropolitan of Mount Lebanon of the Syrian Orthodox Church and Mr.Guirgis
Saleh, General Secretary of the Middle East Council of Churches visited His
Holiness Aram I to brief him on the outcome of the recent MECC meeting with
Ecumenical Partners.

Prior to the meeting with Mr. Saleh, His Holiness Aram I met with
Metropolitan Saliba, Archbishop Sebouh Sarkissian and Bishop Nareg Alemezian
to discuss the forthcoming meeting of the Heads of Oriental Orthodox
Churches. His Holiness Aram I also informed them of his conversations with
His Holiness Moran Mor Ignatius Zakka I during his recent visit to Syria.

##
View the photos here:
tos/Photos411.htm
*****
The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of
the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the Ecumenical
activities of the Cilician Catholicosate, you may refer to the web page of
the Catholicosate, The Cilician
Catholicosate, the administrative center of the church is located in
Antelias, Lebanon.

ERDOGAN’S VISIT TO TEHRAN RAISES QUESTIONS OVER TURKISH FOREIGN POLICY
Emrullah Uslu

Jamestown Foundations
che=1&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=35670&tx_ttne ws%5BbackPid%5D=7&cHash=ec6fcda4ec
Oct 29 2009

Prime Minister of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L) with President of
Iran Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s
two day official visit to Iran gained the attention of world leaders,
because soon after his visit to Tehran he was scheduled to visit
Washington on October 29.

However, due to his tight schedule, Erdogan’s visit to Washington
was rescheduled until December 7. In late September, when Erdogan
revealed his plan to visit Tehran, he stated: "I will make a trip to
Iran towards the end of October… We will discuss regional problems,
including this [nuclear] one" (Anadolu Ajansi, September 28).

For some time Erdogan has advocated that Iran should pursue peaceful
nuclear energy. While defending Iran’s right to have nuclear energy,
Erdogan compares Iran with Israel, which creates a problem for Turkey’s
strategic allies as well as the West. Recently, Erdogan elevated his
argument to compare Israel’s undeclared nuclear weapons and Iran’s
aspiration to have "nuclear energy." During his visit to New York
to attend the U.N. General Assembly, Erdogan told reporters that
Iran’s nuclear program is not aimed at "military ends" and noted that
Israel has "nuclear weapons" and has used "phosphorous bombs" against
Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. "Why are these not on the agenda? It
is always Iran… If only Iran is put on the world agenda, then we
may neglect other issues such as the Gaza [conflict] that should be
addressed," he said. Erdogan has also urged caution over imposing
any new sanctions on Tehran, saying that they will not prove useful
(, September 28).

Erdogan’s visit occurred as Western powers await Tehran’s decision on
the proposal for it to send some of its low-enriched uranium abroad
for conversion into nuclear fuel, and shortly after U.N. inspectors
completed checks on the recently-revealed enrichment plant near
the holy city of Qom (Hurriyet Daily News, October 27). Turkey,
has sought to help resolve the nuclear dispute between its Western
allies and Tehran. Thus, it was an important trip for world powers
to follow and to learn what Erdogan told the Iranian leadership.

During his visit to Tehran, Erdogan maintained his controversial
rhetoric by comparing Iran with Israel. In a press meeting following
his visit with the Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Erdogan
welcomed Iran’s stand during talks in Geneva over its nuclear program,
and said: "In the first Geneva meeting, Iran has presented a sincere
picture. They said, ‘Let’s come up with a consensus, work together and
work with the process within the framework of this consensus.’" U.N.

Security Council permanent members "all have nuclear arsenals, and
then there are countries that are not members of the International
Atomic Energy Agency that also have nuclear weapons," Erdogan said,
apparently referring to Israel (Hurriyet Daily News, October 27).

While Ankara is seeking to act as a mediator between Iran and the
West, Tehran’s motivation appears to be based on establishing better
relations with Turkey to prevent consensus over U.N. sanctions against
the country. Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said that
"Iran and Turkey constantly exchange views on regional issues. I
believe after Erdogan’s visit, the two presidents’ meeting will be on
the agenda. Such meetings are steps to strengthening relations between
the two countries," the minister said (, October 26).

With regard to bilateral relations, Turkey and Iran plan a tax-free
industrial zone on the border between the two countries (Hurriyet Daily
News, October 20), and signed two symbolic agreements; one of which
aims to use the Turkish and Iranian currencies for bilateral trade,
as well as another memorandum of understanding about investment in
Iranian gas fields (Aksam, October 28).

Time will tell as to whether these agreements will actually produce
tangible results. The key issue on Erdogan’s mind was to find a way to
play a bridge building role between Iran and the U.S. in order to end
Tehran’s nuclear ambitions. For that matter, the Turkish press reported
earlier that Erdogan plans to shuttle between Tehran and Washington
(Hurriyet Daily News, October 16), yet the Iranian side denies that
he has such a role (www.cnnturk, October 20). After his visit, asked
about his role between Tehran and Washington, Erdogan said that he did
not travel to Iran to play an intermediary role, but rather his visit
was focused on bilateral, regional and global problems. Erdogan added
"we have had opportunities to discuss all these issues with President
Ahmadinejad, and the President of the Iranian parliament Ali Laricani"
(Cihan, October 28). Yet, State Minister and Chief Negotiator for the
E.U., Egemen Bagis stated that "Turkey’s intermediary role between Iran
and the U.S. is very critical for world peace" (Zaman, October 28).

Responding to criticism over whether Turkey might be reorienting toward
the Middle East, Erdogan said "Turkey is expanding its relations;
it is not changing its direction. Our axis is obvious. I guess people
cannot get rid of their Cold War mentality. Turkey may be extremely
good friends with Syria, Iraq, Iran, Russia, Georgia and Armenia,
with Greece or Bulgaria as well. This is neither against NATO, nor
can it be considered as a stance against any other country or group of
countries. We have to eliminate such restrictive paradigms," he said
(Today’s Zaman, October 29). On Turkey’s relations with Israel, Erdogan
noted that Ankara would continue its ongoing bilateral ties with Tel
Aviv based on the principle of "rightness," and without accepting
any pressure on its own political will (Today’s Zaman, October 29).

It appears that Turkey is trying to open a window of opportunity by
seeking to play a mediating role between Iran and the West and expand
its influence in the region. By signing symbolic gas agreements with
Iran, Ankara appears to be strengthening its energy cards against other
gas suppliers and the West, and Iran itself to keep all actors in line,
which may balance Turkish interests. It is less likely that Turkey
will make multi-billion dollar investments in Iran’s gas projects
in spite of European and U.S. objections. However, by signing the
"memorandum of understanding," Ankara may well have prepared the
ground for possible openings in the future.

NO LINKAGE BETWEEN RECONCILIATION AND KARABAKH: NALBANDYAN

news.am
Oct 30 2009
Armenia

The Protocols contain the paramount statement, the rest comments and
statements are of secondary importance, RA Foreign Minister Edward
Nalbandyan stated at the Oct. 30 press conference in Yerevan.

According to him, the Protocols have no preconditions. "Both sides
undertook a commitment to ratify the Protocols within reasonable
terms accounting all constitutional procedures," Nalbandyan underlined.

Asked whether the assertion that Armenia-Turkey reconciliation is not
linked with Karabakh peace process is only for backroom, Nalbandyan
said it is "not an assertion but official standpoint and statement."

"This fact was repeatedly stated not only by Armenia, but also OSCE
MG Co-Chairs," RA FM outlined, adding that it is also a stance of
the international community.

HOW MUCH TIME DOES TURKEY NEED TO RATIFY PROTOCOLS?

Tert
Oct 29 2009
Armenia

Today and yesterday Turkish media have been actively reporting on
the end of tensions in Turkish-Azerbaijani relations. The reason is
that yesterday, at the presence of Turkish parliamentarians in Baku,
Turkish flags were again raised at the memorial to Turkish soldiers.

"What we are witnessing here is that our relations are back on track
on the basis of the principle of one nation two states," saidruling
Justice and Development Party (AK Party) MP Murat Mercan in Baku
yesterday.

According to Turkish news source Today’s Zaman, Mercan once again
assured the people of Azerbaijan that Turkey will not take any steps
which will harm Azerbaijan.

"The Parliament will not approve any decisions that would disturb
the people of Azerbaijan," Mercan said in Baku. "There are several
agreements that have been awaiting ratification in Parliament since
2000," he went on to say, noting that there is no time limit for the
ratification of the Armenian-Turkish Protocols.

EUROPEAN UNION IS FOLLOWING THE TRIAL OF THE JAVAKHETI POLITICAL ACTIVIST VAHAGN CHAKHALYAN

ArmInfo
2009-10-28 12:22:00

ArmInfo. European Union is following the trial of the Javakheti
political activist Vahagn Chakhalyan.

As Yerkir Union of public organizations for Repatriation and Settlement
reports, the response of European Commissioner for External Relations
Benita Ferrero-Waldner to member of the European Parliament, Sylvie
Guillaume testifies of this. On September 15 the Member of the
European Parliament, Sylvie Guillaume wrote to European Commissioner
for External Relations Benita Ferrero-Waldner, asking him to draw
the attention of the relevant structures of the EU to the case of
the Javakheti political activist Vahagn Chakhalyan. On October 7 Mme.

Ferrero-Waldner responded to this letter, stating that the European
Union is following all the developments in Chakhalyan’s trial through
its Delegation in Georgia.

"As you know, the EU and Georgia, as a part of the Neighborhood policy,
have agreed on a number of ambitious goals. These goals are translated
into specific commitments undertaken by Georgia in the Action Plan,
including the functioning of democratic institutions, the rule of
law and the respect for human rights. The document also contains
provisions on minorities. The commitments undertaken by Georgia
in this field include the rights of ethnic minorities and their
security, respect for property rights and signing and ratification
of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. All
these issues are discussed during our regular political dialogue with
Georgia and are subject to regular review in the Progress Report that
we publish annually for each country participating in the European
Union Neighborhood Policy. Moreover, the recent strengthening of
the Eastern Partnership, both in its multilateral and bilateral
dimensions, will give greater importance to political dialogue with
Georgia. We take every opportunity to remind the Georgian authorities
about the close link between this and the need for further progress on
political pluralism, democracy and respect for minorities. Moreover,
the level of aspiration in relations with the European Union will
depend on the inclusion of these values into policies and actions
undertaken by Georgia. Please be also advised that additional
substantial financial assistance granted to Georgia for the period of
2008-2010 was accompanied by renewed commitments, undertaken by the
Georgian government on democracy, the rule of law and independence
of the judiciary. We take these issues very seriously. Concerning the
Justice System, I must tell you that I attach the highest importance
to the project supporting the reforms in the field, which we assist
financially. It is aimed at making justice more transparent, including
implementation of reforms of the Criminal Justice system of the state
and strengthening the Public Defender’s Office.

Regarding the ongoing trial of Mr. Chakhalyan you mentioned about,
I am pleased to inform you that we follow all the developments through
the careful work of our Delegation to Tbilisi. It follows this process
expeditiously, in close collaboration with the Presidency and Member
States on the spot", the letter of Benita Ferrero-Waldner says.

TURKEY WILL NEGLECT AZERBAIJAN’S CONCERNS OVER RELATIONS WITH ARMENIA

PanARMENIAN.Net
28.10.2009 15:31 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Azerbaijan’s position may speed up the process
of normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations, according to Emil
Sanamian, editor of The Armenian Reporter weekly.

"Turkey has already proved its readiness to neglect Azerbaijan’s
concerns," he said. "Baku’s threats should not be taken seriously. I
do not think it will suspend gas delivery only because being angry
with Ankara."

AMBASSADOR OF RA ASHOT KOCHARIAN MEETS WITH LEBANESE PRIME MINISTER FOUAD SINIORA

Noyan Tapan
Oct 27, 2009

BEIRUT, OCTOBER 27, NOYAN TAPAN. Ambassador of RA to Lebanon Ashot
Kocharian on October 27 met with Prime Minister of Lebanon Fouad
Siniora.

During the meeting the interlocutors attached importance to the
necessity of raising the Armenian-Lebanese friendly relations
to a new level. They emphasized the necessity of developing and
expanding the bilateral trade and economic relations, as well
as of high-ranking delegations’ mutual visits, resumption of
intergovernmental commission’s meetings. The sides mentioned that
the legal-contractual sphere and current potential in many spheres
give a possibility for further mutually beneficial cooperation.

According to the RA Foreign Ministry Press and Information
Department, the latest developments in the normalization process of
Armenian-Turkish relations were also touched upon at the meeting.

TURKEY’S NEW DIPLOMACY IN MIDEAST-I

Kashmir Watch
?subaction=showfull&id=1256689200&archive= &start_from=&ucat=3&var0news=value0new s
Oct 27 2009

By Dr. Abdul Ruff Colachal [Specialist on State Terrorism]

[Turkey has recently sought to secure a special role as Middle East
mediator. And rightly so; Turkey is qualified to play that role
since it is a Muslim state that maintains ties with Islamic world
and western nations. Since the Israeli war on Gaza last January,
Turkey’s role in Middle Eastern politics has become significantly more
prominent. Turkish premier Erdogan is in Pakistan on 26 -27 October and
Iran on 28th. Officials said he would discuss a wide range of issues,
including energy deals and Iran’s nuclear program. The Fascist Israeli
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu wondered after Turkey’s decision
was made public about the direction Turkish policy is taking]

The only Muslim nation in European continent (Spain, another Muslim
nation that was forcefully converted into Christianity), Turkey is
facing tremendous problems in becoming a legitimate member of EU,
comprising European nation, on account of opposition from some rude
European countries whose democratic terror forces kill Muslims in
Islamic world, especially in Afghanistan. Since all other members
are Chrestian states, they have ganged up against Turkey, blocking
its EU ambitions.

Whether or not due to the continued EU arrogance, a deep change to
play a proactive role in Mideast is underway in Turkey’s foreign
policy under the ruling Justice and Development Party. After his
visit to Pakistan, Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan,
due in Tehran for talks with both President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
and the country’s Supreme Leader, has accused the West of treating
Iran unfairly over its nuclear program. His comments come as world
powers await Iran’s response to a new proposed deal over its uranium
enrichment program and a team from the UN nuclear watchdog continues
its inspection of a previously secret uranium plant near the city of
Qom. Under the new arrangement, Iran would send some enriched uranium
to Russia to be turned into fuel. The proposed deal is seen as a way
for Tehran to get the fuel it needs for an existing reactor, while
giving guarantees to the West that its enriched uranium will not be
used for nuclear weapons. But opposition inside Iran to the agreement
is said to be growing. The government has promised a response soon.

Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to Iran adds to concerns
that Ankara may be slowly turning its back on its Western allies and
seeking to regain its status as a regional power in the Middle East.

A new Turkish Mideast and Muslim policy, aimed at placing Ankara at the
centre of the Middle East’s geopolitics and regaining Turkey’s former
power and influence over the region, makes conscious reference to
the country’s imperial past. The trend is even known as Neo-Ottoman,
a term coined by Ahmet Davutoglu, the Turkish foreign minister
and architect of the policy. Premier Erdogan has steadily expanded
Turkey’s influence in the Middle East since his Islamist-rooted AK
Party took power in 2002. He went to Iran at a time of worsening ties
between Turkey and its regional ally Israel and as Ankara hails recent
bilateral deals with Syria and Iraq as signalling a "new era". But
some analysts warn an erosion of Ankara’s Western oriented foreign
policy could have long-term consequences for NATO and for U.S. efforts
from Afghanistan to Iraq.

Recent policy decisions have signaled a positive and a Muslim-friendly
approach of Turkey. As preliminary exercise in its new diplomacy,
Turkey condemned fascist Israel for its holocaust in Palestine. In
efforts to reach out to its neighbours and other Muslim nations,
Ankara has obtained preliminary peace with Iraq. The war of words came
after a Kurdish "peace group" of militants and supporters crossed the
Habur border gate from Iraq carrying a list of proposals to end the
violence and Turkish authorities questioned them. The "peace group"
included eight PKK rebels and 26 Turkish Kurds from the UN-run Makhmour
refugee camp in northern Iraq which houses some 12,000 people who fled
Turkey in the 1990s at the peak of the conflict. More than 45,000
people have been killed since 1984 when the PKK picked up arms for
self-rule in Turkey’s southeast.

Turkey also played a pivotal role in brokering a strategic deal
between al-Sadr, the Iraqi government, the UK and the US. Al-Mahdi
Army militias laid down their arms and released US and British
hostages they had been holding since 2007. In June 2008, and
after years of diplomatic effort, Turkey succeeded in kick-starting
indirect Syrian�Israeli talks. In Iraq, Turkey maintained balanced
relationships with almost all Iraqi factions. In return, the Iraqi
government stopped the arrest campaign against the al-Mahdi Army and
released some of its jailed leaders such as Abd al-Hadi al-Darraji,
in 2009. The culmination of that successful policy was the visit of
Muqtada al-Sadr, the Iraqi Shia leader of the al-Mahdi Army, in May
2009. Turkey hailed the "surrender" of Kurdish rebels in support of
plans to end the 25-year conflict, although rebel commanders insisted
they would fight on. Erdogan talked to his counterparts Vladimir Putin
of Russia and Silvio Berlusconi of Italy during a video link in Ankara,
October 22, 2009 about his new policy orientations.

Following Turkish efforts to bring Afghanistan and Pakistan together
in their fight against Taliban insurgencies, Erdogan also tries
to mediate between Pakistan and Iran whose ties were strained over
bombing in Iran that killed 42 people. Iran says the USA and UK are
behind the blasts and also blames their ally Pakistan saying the
bombers are based in Pakistan. The current visits to Pakistan and
Iran is expected to cement the historic ties between Pak and Iran.

Turkey and Armenia signed a landmark peace accord earlier this month,
pledging to restore ties and open their shared border after a century
of hostility stemming from what Armenians said was the mass killing
of their people by Ottoman forces during the First World War.

The Turkish leader Erdogan cautioned that there was a dual standard in
the West’s approach towards Iran. He said any military strike against
Iran would be "crazy". Erdogan also said many of the states which
objected to any move by Iran to build a nuclear arsenal – including
all the permanent members of the UN Security Council – possessed one
themselves. Iran says its nuclear program is for purely peaceful
purposes, but agreed to open the site to monitoring at talks with
the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany in
Geneva on 1 October. Turkey, which earlier dreaded the thought of a
possible nuclear Iran, has said it is willing to mediate between Iran
and the West over Tehran’s controversial nuclear enrichment program.

Bilateral trade reached $7 billion in 2008. Turkey’s Energy Minister
Taner Yildiz said this week he hoped the two countries could finalise
a $3.5 billion deal to develop part of the world’s largest gas field
in Iran.

The immediate reaction to Turkey’s assertive diplomacy from the western
powers is yet to come, but meanwhile the EU stalwarts like UK have
made an assertion about a possible bold foreign policy. UK foreign
minister David Miliband has called for a "strong" foreign policy to
avert a Britain failure internationally. It is very strongly in the
British national interest for the European Union to develop a strong
foreign policy. He cautioned if it tried to oppose the European policy
on the grounds of "hubris, nostalgia or xenophobia" and warned that
without an effective European foreign policy Britain and the EU would
increasingly become an irrelevance in a world dominated by Washington
and Beijing. "The choice for Europe is simple – get our act together
and make the EU a leader on the world stage or become spectators in a
G2 world shaped by the United States and China," he said. Probably,
England is upset that EU could no longer bully Turkey about human
rights and other reforms in Turkey by denying EU membership. Turkey’s
move towards Iran and bulldozing of the Zionist fascist reigme for its
cirmes against humnity are not good music to western anti-Islamic ears.

10TH SITTING OF THE ARMENIA-EU COOPERATION COUNCIL IN LUXEMBURG

armradio.am
27.10.2009 13:02

The 10th sitting of the Armenia-EU Cooperation Council was held in
Luxemburg on October 26.

During the sitting chaired by Armenian Foreign Minister Edward
Nalbandian discussed were issues related to the Armenia-EU cooperation,
the prospects of its development. Reference was made to a number of
regional issues.

Presenting the steps Armenia takes towards implementation of the Action
Plan of the European Neighborhood Policy, the Foreign Minister said
its effective implementation was among the priorities of Armenia-EU
cooperation and official Yerevan would continue taking practical
steps towards deepening the relations.

The parties exchanged views on the Eastern Partnership Program,
attaching importance to the full utilization of the program potential –
the development of the Association Agreement, signing of a Free Trade
Agreement and the simplification of the visa regime.

The European side welcomed the daring steps taken towards normalization
of the Armenian-Turkish relations, attaching importance to the
soon ratification of the protocols signed on October 10 and their
implementation without preconditions.

Highly appreciating the cooperation with Armenia, the democratic
and economic reforms implemented in the country, the senior European
officials expressed their support for the efforts in that direction.

At the request of the European side, Minister Nalbandian presented
the latest developments in the Karabakh conflict settlement process.

The sitting was followed by a meeting between Armenian Foreign Minister
Edward Nalbandian and the Secretary General of the EU Council, Javier
Solana. The interlocutors discussed a number of issues related to
Armenia-EU cooperation and exchanged views on regional developments.