Author: Topchian Jane

ANCA CALLS ON ARMENIAN AMERICANS TO HELP HAITI EARTHQUAKE RESCUE AND RELIEF

Asbarez
Jan 14th, 2010

Welcomes Armenia’s Deployment of 53-Member Rescue Team

WASHINGTON-The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) has
welcomed the Armenian government’s decision to rapidly deploy
a 52-member rescue team to Haiti, and has called upon Armenian
Americans to help augment the work of this highly trained team by
sending donations – either through Armenian charities or directly to
the American Red Cross and other relief organizations – to support the
unfolding effort to aide the survivors of the devastating earthquake
that hit the Haitian capitol of Port-au-Prince this Tuesday.

The Armenian rescue team, created in the aftermath of the 1988
earthquake that killed tens of thousands of Armenians and destroyed
large portions of northeastern Armenia, will include specialists,
search dogs, and advanced equipment. Tens of thousands are feared
dead as a result of the Haitian earthquake, which measured 7.0 on
the Richter Scale. The Armenian team has a track record of rapidly
deploying to disaster sites around the world.

A number of options are available for donors, including on-line
contributions to the American Red Cross and even a texting option,
set up by the Red Cross, that allows individuals to give $10 by
sending the message "Haiti" to 90999 on their cell phone. To date,
this mobile giving effort has raised more than $3 million for the
Red Cross relief efforts in Haiti.

RUSSIA, TURKEY PREPARING TO INTRODUCE VISA-FREE TRAVEL

AZG DAILY
15-01-2010

International

Russia and Turkey have started working towards visa-free travel between
the two countries, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogan told a press
conference after meeting with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.

The decision could be made in spring-summer this year, by the time
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev’s visit to Turkey, he said.

Hopefully, switching to visa-free travel regime "will not take a lot
of time," Putin said, according to Interfax.

The two countries agreed on deepening of energy cooperation. They
aim to bring Italy on as a partner in the planned trans-Anatolia oil
pipeline project.

The pipeline would link Turkey’s Samsun port on the Black Sea with
its Mediterranean coastal city Ceyhan, some 400 kilometres directly
to the sout, EarthTimes reported.

According to the source, Putin said the two sides agreed to step up
their efforts in the South-Stream gas pipeline project.

This project is regarded as posing competition with the Nabucco gas
pipeline project with which the European Union aims to become less
dependent on Russian gas deliveries.

Additionally, Putin and Erdogan signed an agreement to construct
Turkey’s first nuclear power plant in Akkuyu, about 350 kilometres
east of the city of Antalya. According to Russian media reports,
the power plant should cost around 15.5 billion Euros (22.5 billion
Dollars) and be completed in 2020.

Putin also said that Russian firms would soon take a more active
role in the privatization of Turkish energy firms, for example in
enterprises to provide gas to Istanbul.

Erdogan said he was enthusiastic about Russian interest in the
trans-Anatolia pipeline, noting that, until now, Russia had focused
more on a pipeline extending from the Black Sea to Greece via Bulgaria.

Turning to other matters, Putin said he encouraged an ongoing
reconciliation process between Turkey and Armenia, but the
question of Nagorno-Karabakh region cannot be wrapped up in the
larger reconciliation process. "Russia is interested in a speedy
reconciliation," said Putin, "but every problem needs to be considered
individually."

ARMENIA COURT ENDORSES TURKEY DEAL

Agence France Presse
January 12, 2010 Tuesday 1:01 PM GMT

Armenia’s constitutional court on Tuesday acknowledged the legality
of a landmark deal that would re-establish ties with arch-foe Turkey,
amid growing objections to the deal in the ex-Soviet state.

"The Constitutional Court of Armenia established that the protocols
on the establishment of diplomatic relations and on the development
of relations between Armenia and Turkey are in conformity with the
constitution of Armenia," the court president Gagik Harutunian said.

Turkey and Armenia signed two protocols in October to establish
diplomatic ties and reopen their shared border, in a deal hailed as
a historic step towards ending decades of hostility stemming from
World War I-era massacres.

But Armenia in recent weeks has expressed growing frustration over
the Turkish parliament’s failure to ratify the protocols. The Armenian
parliament has also yet to ratify the accord.

Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian, who ordered the court’s inquiry,
earlier this month threatening to walk away from the deal if Ankara
"drags out" the process.

Turkish officials have repeatedly said the agreements will not be
ratified without progress in Armenia’s dispute with Azerbaijan over
Nagorny Karabakh.

Backed by Yerevan, ethnic Armenian separatists seized control of
Karabakh and seven surrounding districts from Azerbaijan during a
war in the early 1990s that claimed an estimated 30,000 lives.

Turkey closed its border with Armenia in 1993 in a show of solidarity
with Azerbaijan — with which it has strong ethnic, trade and energy
links — against Yerevan’s support for the enclave’s separatists.

TURKEY TO PARTICIPATE IN EXHIBITION IN INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION ‘CAUCASUS BUILDING AND RECONSTRUCTION EXPO 2010′ IN YEREVAN ON 2-4 APR 2010

ArmInfo
2010-01-13 18:50:00

ArmInfo. Over 30 leading Turkish construction companies will
participate in the international exhibition "Caucasus Building and
Reconstruction EXPO 2010" to be held in the Sport and Concert Complex
after K.Demirchyan in Yerevan on 2-4 April 2010, the press-service
of LOGOS EXPO Center, the organizer of the exhibition, told ArmInfo.

Director General of LOGOS EXPO Center Souren Nazinyan said that Turkish
companies’ participation in the exhibition will be possible thanks
to signing of an agreement between LOGOS EXPO Center and Turkel
Fair Organizations INC, one of the leading exhibition companies
in Turkey. "The agreement envisages Turkish companies’ active
participation in all exhibitions organized by LOGOS EXPO Center,
which is certainly an impetus for development of interstate economic
relations",- he stressed. The LOGOS EXPO Center press-release says that
the recent political activity aimed at establishment of diplomatic
relations between Turkey and Armenia is already giving its economic
results. Over 100 companies from Georgia, Russia, Ukraine and Iran will
also take part in the exhibition "Caucasus Building and Reconstruction
EXPO 2010".

The Armenian Economy Ministry, Union of Builders of Armenia, Union of
Designers of Armenia and Union of Architects will officially support
the exhibition.

LAVROV: ARMENIAN-TURKISH NORMALIZATION AND NAGORNO-KARABAKH SETTLEMENT SHOULD NOT BE LINKED

Panorama.am
14:02 14/01/2010

The Armenian-Turkish normalization and Nagorno-Karabakh settlement
processes should not be linked, Russian FM Sergey Lavrov told a press
conference in Yerevan today.

"It’s not correct to artificially interconnect the two processes. We
see no link between the two issues," he highlighted.

S. Lavrov also said, Russia backs the Armenian-Turkish normalization
process. "The sooner the two countries ratify the protocols, the
better for the region it will be," Russia’s FM said.

Panorama.am recalls that at the invitation of the Armenian FM Edward
Nalbandian, Russia’s Sergey Lavrov arrived in Yerevan Wednesday.

WESTERN AZERBAIJANIS COMMUNITY CREATION -MANIFESTATION OF BAKU’S INFORMATION WAR AGAINST RA

PanARMENIAN.Net
12.01.2010 18:00 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Creation of so-called "Western Azerbaijanis community
and Yerevan’s government in exile" is another manifestation of Baku’s
information war against RA, Deputy Director of Caucasus Institute
Sergey Minasyan said.

As he told PanARMENIAN.Net reporter, "Creation of community can be
viewed as Baku’s counterbalancing the idea of NKR territories serving
as compensation of damage to Armenians, deported from Azerbaijan. The
initiative is Azerbaijan’s counter step," Sergey Minasyan said.

The Sumgait Pogrom was the Azeri-led pogrom that targeted the Armenian
population living in the Azerbaijani seaside town of Sumgait in
February 1988. On February 27, 1988, large mobs made up of Azeris
formed into groups that went on to attack and kill Armenians in both
on the streets and in their apartments; widespread looting and a
general lack of concern from police officers allowed the situation
to worsen. The violent acts in Sumgait were unprecedented in scope
in the Soviet Union and attracted a great deal of attention from the
media in the West. The massacre came in light of the Nagorno-Karabakh
movement that was gaining traction in the neighbouring Armenia SSR.

RELATIONS BETWEEN AZERBAIJAN, US AND EU TO WORSEN IN 2010, EXPERT

news.az
Jan 11 2010
Azerbaijan

Arif Yunusov "By results of 2009 I am afraid that the relations
between Azerbaijan, US and EU will worsen in 2010", said conflict
Arif Yunusov said.

According to the conflict expert, if earlier the South Caucasus was
viewed as a single geopolitical area while now Georgia is seen as close
to the West, Armenia is willing to move in this direction but it has
a problem with Russia and the West understands this. Tolerant attitude
is displayed towards Azerbaijan due to oil, gas and geopolitical state.

"I think next year is a year of crisis in the Azerbaijani-Turkish
relations as next year the Turkish leadership will face the issue
of ratification of protocols. I think Turkey will ratify protocols
which will certainly cause negative reaction in Azerbaijan and the
next demarches on our part will follow.

Meanwhile, relations with Russia will further strengthen especially
on the background of possible worsening of relations with US, EU
and Turkey.

MOSCOW NOT TO EMPHASIZE NK ISSUE AT PUTIN-ERDOGAN MEETING

news.am
Jan 11 2010
Armenia

January 12-13, 2010 Turkish Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan will pay a
working visit to Russia at the invitation of his Russian counterpart
Vladimir Putin, RF Governmental Department of Press Service and
Information reports.

In the course of the talks the officials will discuss a wide range of
issues on Russian-Turkish cooperation, particularly the agreements
achieved during Putin’s visit to Turkey in August, 2009. The
implementation of international major energy projects, including
South Stream is planned to be canvassed as well, the release reads.

Turkish side intends to raise political issues, including
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement.

RA President holds meeting on territorial administration issues
09.01.2010 15:36 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ A recent meeting held in Tsaghkadzor resort was
dedicated to Armenia’s current territorial administration policy,
social and economic accomplishments and plans, Armenian leader’s press
office reported.

Noting that 2010 will be very important in terms of restoring
Armenia’s economy, President stressed that effective solution of those
tasks would be conditioned by the responsible work of territorial
administration and local self-government bodies. Yerevan Mayor and
regional governors briefed on the social and economic achievements in
Armenian capital and regions. They also dwelled on the key problems
and the methods designed to resolve them.

The discussion also focused on reforms in territorial management, tax
collection procedures in communities and upcoming changes in local tax
and customs sector, as well as a wide range of issues concerning the
above-mentioned economic tendencies in regions. Participants touched
upon several problems demanding urgent solution.

President Sargsyan pointed out to the importance of paying more
attention to citizens’ problems, recommending territorial management
bodies to elaborate feedback mechanisms. He also issued
recommendations concerning the questions discussed.

Territorial management issues in Armenia are dealt with by RA Ministry
of Territorial Administration, a central body of executive authority,
which develops and implements the policy pursued by the government
Republic of Armenia in the fields placed within its competence by law,
other legal acts and Ministry regulations.

Gul Reveals Secret Talks with Russia After Protocols
Asbarez
Jan 7th, 2010

Turkish President Abdullah Gul with Russian President Dmitri Medvedev
in Russia. February 2009

ANKARA (Combined Sources) – Turkish President Abdullah Gul revealed
Tuesday that Turkey and Russia have been engaged in closed-door
discussions concerning Armenia since Ankara and Yerevan signed the
Turkey-Armenia protocols in October.

Gul made the revelation during an interview broadcast on CNN Turk. He
stated that `silent, yet very active diplomacy’ has been occurring
between Turkey and Russia, focusing on a political settlement of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

`While we are raising the frozen conflicts, making the process open
would only complicate it,’ Gul told CNN Turk, explaining why details
of the discussions are being kept under wraps.

Meanwhile, Today’s Zaman Reported Wednesday that Turkish Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and up to eight Cabinet ministers will
visit Russia on January 12-13 for talks expected to focus on the
process of rapprochement between Turkey and Armenia and greater
Russian involvement in an oil pipeline linking Turkey’s southern and
northern coasts and