Author: Toganian Liana

LOVE-HATE RELATIONSHIP OF TURKEY WITH THE EU

Hurriyet
June 1 2009
Turkey

ISTANBUL – A recent survey by Istanbul’s BahceÅ~_ehir University
shows a big majority of Turks believe that the European Union wants to
dismantle Turkey. Yet at least half of the Turks want to see Turkey a
member of the 27 nation bloc. Another finding of the survey conducted
in 34 cities shows that anti-American sentiments are shared by people
from all walks of life

Even though three quarters of Turks believe the European Union wants
to dismantle Turkey, nearly half the population still wants the country
to become a member of the 27-nation bloc, according to a new survey.

The survey, conducted by Istanbul’s BahceÅ~_ehir University on public
attitudes toward diversity, tolerance and extremism in Turkey, has
revealed the lack of knowledge among Turks about the European Union
and the country’s contradictory feelings toward the union.

One-fourth of all Turks said they do not know whether or not Turkey is
a member of the EU, according to the research led by Prof. Yılmaz
Esmer of BahceÅ~_ehir University and conducted with the British
Foreign Ministry. Twenty-eight percent said they believe that the EU
"definitely aims" to dismantle Turkey, while 48 percent thought the
dismantlement of Turkey is among the EU’s aims. Forty-four percent
said the EU aims to spread Christianity while 28 percent said the EU
definitely aims to spread Christianity.

Meanwhile, 48 percent said the EU aims to bring democracy to countries
under dictatorship and 28 percent said the EU definitely aims to
bring democracy to dictatorships.

Turks want EU membership

Forty-one percent said they want to see Turkey become an EU member,
while 16 percent said they want very much to see Turkey in the European
Union. However, 80 percent of respondents said they believe no matter
what Turkey does, the EU would not accept it as a member. The rest
reported believing that if Turkey abides by the EU rules and makes
changes in order to adapt to those rules, then the EU would take Turkey
in as a member. Seventy-six percent said they believe the fact that
Turkey is a Muslim-majority society influences the EU’s view on the
country negatively.

One of the striking findings of the survey showed how anti-American
sentiment is widespread among Turkish society across different
ideologies and age groups. "At least the U.S. has succeeded in having
the secular and religious circles agree on one thing," said Esmer,
adding that the ruling Justice and Democracy Party, or AKP, and the
main opposition Republican People’s Party, or CHP, differ on many
issues, with the exception of anti-Americanism, on which they have
equally strong anti-American feelings.

The United States is seen as the prime responsible party for
the world’s main problems. A large majority of Turks said they
believe that dismantlement of Turkey is among the aims of the United
States. 1Two-thirds of the public said they view extremist Islamic
movements as a threat to both Turkey and the world. But a large
majority, 80 percent, also held the view that there are serious threats
in the world against Islam. Meanwhile, nine in 10 respondents said they
believe it is possible to find peaceful ways to have the rights and
the identity of Muslims accepted by the West. Eighty-two percent of
the respondents said they see the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party,
or PKK, as a serious threat to Turkey, while just 8 percent said the
PKK is not a threat. Those who said they believe that anti-democratic
initiatives pose a threat numbered 81 percent.

BRITS SURPRISED BY SURVEY

Azerbaijan and Palestine were among Turkey’s most-liked nations,
according to the survey. Among the most-disliked nations, Israel
ranked first, followed by Armenia. The United States was third,
then Greece and France. The United Kingdom came in sixth in the
ranking. The findings of the survey were discussed at a conference
Saturday. Giles Portman, the deputy head of the British Mission in
Ankara, expressed surprise about the anti-British views shared by the
Turkish nation. "Great Britain is one of the stronger supporters of
Turkey’s EU accession," he said. "But we cannot rely on the survey
completely as it shows some contradictory opinions."

WILL BALLOTS BE RECOUNTED?

A1+
03:37 pm | June 01, 2009

Politics

The General Prosecutor’s Office has applied to the Central Election
Commission with a request to recount the ballots at eight polling
stations and to submit a report on the results.

The request is based on press publications about vote stuffing,
says Sona Truzyan, a spokesperson for the Prosecutor-General.

A few criminal actions have been instituted on
vote stuffing and violence against journalists and

HAK CHANGES ITS MOTTO BUT THE STARTEGY REMAINS THE SAME

Lragir.Am
22:38:19 – 01/06/2009

The leader of the Armenian National Congress, during the June 1 rally,
dwelt on the quality of the Yerevan Mayor election and presented
the future intentions of the HAK. Levon Ter-Petrosyan stressed
that the assessment is preliminary as they have not yet summed what
happened. Levon Ter-Petrosyan stated with regret that a great number of
electoral breaches were the electoral bribes. He also, feels sorry that
the great part of the society does not care about the Karabakhi issue
and the Armenian and Turkish relations. Levon Ter-Petrosyan stated that
the government burnt all the bridges for a dialogue. He reminded that
they were ready to launch a dialogue with the goevrnment in case the
political prisoners were set free and the Yerevan Mayor election was
held in a free and fair way. He stated that the Congress is going
to appeal to the Central Electoral Commission as well as to the
Administrative court to declare invalid the results of the elections.

AMBULANCE WAS NOT CALLED FOR TO POLLING STATIONS TODAY

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
31.05.2009 23:35 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Ambulance was not called for because of incidents
at polling stations, duty doctor Anna Zhamgaryan told PanARMENIAN.Net.

"3 calls from polling stations alerted of high blood pressure some
elder voters had," she said.

Azerbaijan.Az
May 30 2009

Azerbaijani President Agrees to Meet With Armenian President in
St. Petersburg on June 4

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev agreed to meet with Armenian
President in St. Petersburg on June 4.

After the meetings with Azerbaijani officials, the OSCE Minsk Group
co-chairs informed about it at the Heydar Aliyev Airport before
leaving for Yerevan. French co-chair Bernard Fassier noted that the
meeting of Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents would be held in
St. Petersburg on June 4.

The French diplomat stated that they would meet Armenian president
Serzh Sargsyan and foreign minister Edvard Nalbandian and hoped for
positive response from them for the meeting. Taking stance on Turkish
Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu’s statements about no progress has
been achieved in solution to Nagorno Karabakh conflict, Bernard
Fassier disagreed with these thoughts: `I don’t agree with the
statement that the co-chairs were not able to achieve a
progress. There are concrete proposals prepared by the mediators on
the table. Reaching to agreement or signing any document depends on
the presidents’ political will and courage’.

American co-chair Matthew Bryza said the meetings with Azerbaijani
officials were constructive and productive. The diplomat said they
expected the same from the Armenian authorities. He stated the
Azerbaijani President agreed to meet with Armenian president and hoped
to get a positive answer from the opposite side. The American diplomat
also stated that it was too early speak about signing of any documents
in St. Petersburg meeting. `However all may happen, the main issue is
the presidents’ positions’.

Matthew Bryza emphasized that he would revisit Baku on June 1 in order
to attend the Caspian Oil-Gas Exhibition.

But the Russian co-chair Yuri Merzlyakov said nothing to the
journalists.

PRESIDENT OF ARMENIA READY TO USE HIS CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT OF GRANTING GENERAL PARDON, IF…
Karen Ghazaryan

"Radiour"
28.05.2009 16:53

Today, President Serzh Sargsyan visited the Memorial of Sardarapat
to participate in the festivities dedicated to the Republic’s Day.

The wreath laying ceremony, which took place at the Memorial dedicated
to the eternal glory of the heroes of Sardarapat, was followed by
festivities and a concert.

President Sargsyan answered the journalists’ questions. This year’s
address of the President to the people stood out for its call for
opening a new page of public unity. "At some point it is essential
to stop. At some point it is essential to open a new page. This
is what the lessons of the past teach; this is what the future of
our country demands," the President declared in his message. Asked
whether he is going to use his right of granting general pardon,
Mr. Sargsyan responded:

"General pardon was last granted in our country in 2006. If the idea
and the necessity of a new amnesty have matured among our society over
the past three years, then I’m really ready to use my constitutional
right.

Therefore, I call on all political forces, public figures, the Public
Council to present their suggestions regarding the necessity and
conditions of the amnesty to the President’s Office, and if it turns
out that the=2 0society really wants me to grant general pardon,
I will immediately use my constitutional right and apply to the
National Assembly," the President said.

Reporters asked the President to assess the campaign of the elections
for the Yerevan City Council. "I assess the process as normal and
satisfactory. I think that the political forces had equal opportunities
to speak free about their views of Yerevan’s development. I believe
the TV Companies ensured equal and unbiased coverage of the activity
of all the political forces. I’m glad that different political forces
applied different election technologies.

I urge the political forces not to create unnecessary tension, continue
in the same spirit and hold good elections on May 31, elections that
would enable both our people and the international organizations to
say that those elections were the best in the Republic of Armenia.

Asked about his expectations from the elections, President Sargsyan
said: "As a citizen of Yerevan and as the President of the Republican
Party of Armenia, I think that no one doubts what I want. My desire
is obvious, and I’m glad that the Republican Party managed to properly
organize the campaign and approach the election day with good chances.

I’m also glad that our coalition partner – the Prosperous Armenia
Party – also demonstrated a very responsible approach towards the
elections and is at the foref ront today. I believe no one doubts
that Prosperous Armenia will play a great role in the administration
of the city of Yerevan. Certailly, I would like our third coalition
partner – Orinats Yerkir – to succeed, as well. The same refers
to Dashnaktsutyun. Being a constructive opposition, Dashnaktsutyun
could play a great role in the administration of Yerevan, and it’s
participation in the management of the capital city would only benefit
Yerevan and the country, as a whole.

But, as the President of the Republic of Armenia, I view the election
as a process that should proceed exceptionally within the framework of
law and legitimacy. In this respect, I think hat both the authorities
and the opposition should be ready to accept the outcome of the
election. This is what every citizen of Yerevan should understand."

ARF’S ARTZVIK MINASYAN – NEW YEREVAN MAYOR MUST REPRESENT OPPOSITION
Astghik Khachatryan

nasyan-2/
2009/05/26 | 16:55

Politics

ARF MP Armen Roustamyan said today that elections in Armenia had become
a business and that most voters regarded the elections as a way to
make money rather than an opportunity to choose a new government.

Mr. Roustamyan stated that rather than spending huge amounts on
election bribes an auction should be declared with some of the funds
used to buy property and the rest going to solve the social problems
faced by the electorate.

Mr. Roustamyan said he thought it would be correct to enact a policy
of finger stamping at the polls. He argued that such a policy would
greatly reduce the possibility of voter fraud.

Mr. Roustamyan was at today’s press conference with Artzvik Minasyan,
who heads he ARF’s election ticket for the Yerevan Municipal Council.

The two claimed that the ARF will have 3 representatives at all 439
polling booths in Yerevan. If there is substantive evidence of voter
fraud the party would take the issue up in the courts.

When asked if the ARF, as a previous member of the ruling coalition,
assumed responsibility for violations registered in last year’s
presidential elections, Mr. Roustamyan responded, "We had a 1/8 amount
of responsibility. It’s not easy to struggle when the odds are one
against eight."

Mr. Minasyan said that the formulation of a national municipality
is the first priority of Yerevan and Armenia in general since the
municipality must be able to counter and quell the policies of the
central government. He said that laws were being debated ion the
government that directly impact on Yerevan citizens and that there
is a dearth of opposition voices.

For this reason, the ARF believes that it it is important that the
mayor of Yerevan represent an opposition force since, "if the mayor
is a representative of the same forces then there will not be any
change here."

NEW DIRECTOR GENERAL OF ARMENTEL PROMISES TO IMPROVE QUALITY OF COMMUNICATION SERVICES

ArmInfo
2009-05-21 14:18:00

ArmInfo. Newly appointed Director General of ArmenTel Igor Klimko has
promised to improve the quality of the company’s services of fixed-line
telephony and mobile communication under brand Beeline. I. Klimko
told media in Yerevan on Thursday that the company will keep on
implementing programs to create a status of social operator.

Born in Baltiysk city (Kaliningrad region) in 1969, Igor Klimko
graduated from the Faculty of Law, Kaliningrad State University, in
1993. In 1996, he graduated from the Russian State Financial Academy.

In 2002, Klimko earned an MBA degree from the International Management
Institute of St. Petersburg (IMISP). In 1998, together with a group
of young specialists, Klimko became one of the initiators of the
first GSM network construction in Kaliningrad. From 2002 to 2006, he
worked as General Directod of Kaliningrad’s mobile operator Extel LLC
(purchased by VimpelCom in 2002). Since 2006, he has been heading the
Kaliningrad branch of VimpelCom. In 2008, he was appointed Director
General of Tajikistan’s Takom LLC (under the Beeline brand). In April
2009 he took the office of ArmenTel Director General. Within the 2
weeks of his appointment, Klimko has managed to visit ArmenTel service
points and get first hand view of the company’s service quality.

FAMOUS ‘BISTRITSA GRANDMOTHERS’ TO OPEN YEAR OF BULGARIA IN ARMENIA

ArmInfo
2009-05-20 12:02:00

ArmInfo. The famous ‘Bistritsa Grandmothers’ will open the Year of
Bulgaria in Armenia. This amateur folk group, which has been existing
since 1930s of 20th Century, is known in the whole world. In 2005,
UNESCO recognized it a masterpiece of immaterial cultural heritage
of the humanity.

As Head of the Public Relations Department of Armenia’s Culture
Ministry Gayane Durgaryan told ArmInfo, ‘Bistritsa Grandmothers’
will perform in Dilijan (May 31), Armavir (June 1) and Yerevan (June
3). Tours of other well-known groups will also take place in different
Armenian towns within the frames of the Year of Bulgaria in Armenia.

To note, the Year of Bulgaria in Armenia will be held in 2010.

CROATIA IS FOR NAGORNO KARABAKH PEACEFUL SETTLEMENT AND SUPPORTS OSCE MINSK GROUP’S EFFORTS

Noyan Tapan
May 19, 2009

YEREVAN, MAY 19, NOYAN TAPAN. Newly appointed Ambassador of Croatia to
RA Vesna Cvjetkovic-Kurelec (residence Athens) handed her credentials
to RA President Serzh Sargsyan on May 19.

Mentioning that Armenia is interested in deepening of Armenian-Croatian
friendly relations, S. Sargsyan said that Croatian President Stjepan
Mesic’s May 21-23 official visit to Armenia, no doubt, is evidence
of bilateral willingness to expand the cooperation agenda.

According to the report of the RA President’s Press Office, at the
meeting the interlocutors touched upon Armenian-Croatian possible
cooperation within the framework of European Union initiatives,
Eastern Partnership and EU Black Sea programs.

S. Sargsyan expressed satisfaction with Croatia’s balanced position
shown to our region’s problems at various international structures.

Vesna Cvjetkovic-Kurelec said that her country is for Nagorno Karabakh
peaceful settlement and supports OSCE Minsk Group’s efforts.