Author: Topchian Jane

ALEXANDER LUKASHENKO: WE NEVER UNITED AGAINST ANYONE

PanARMENIAN.Net
11.11.2009 12:15 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ It’s impossible to be distanced from definite
problems, including Transnistria, Crimea and Nagorno Karabakh,
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said.

"I often discussed the Karabakh issue with the former and incumbent
presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia. I have never interfered with the
problems and nuances and we have never used this question in politics
or united against anyone. But it’s a painful matter for all of us,"
he told Trend News.

"This Gordian knot should be cut. And the most important factor is
that the presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia should resolve the
problem by themselves, without any intermediaries, who can provoke
undertaking of commitments and impose opinion of third parties.

Resolution should first of all be based on the interests of people
living in Azerbaijan and Armenia. We support the peace process held
between presidents and nations," Mr. Lukashenko said.

IF THE BORDER OPENS, TURKEY WILL PURSUE DUMPING POLICY

news.am
Nov 10 2009
Armenia

Turkey might carry out dumping policy and seek to gain monopoly in
Armenian market in case of Armenia-Turkey border opening, Chairman
of NA Standing Committee on Fiscal, Budgetary and Economic Affairs
Gagik Minasyan stated at Nov. 10 press conference.

According to him, Armenia will be forced to adopt an economic policy
that deprives the neighbors of such pretensions. "These actions
can affect Armenia’s economy dramatically, but luckily international
organizations enable taking the necessary steps towards the neighbor,"
Minasyan outlined.

According to him, research of the Turkish market shows it might have
demand in Armenian electricity, cement and agricultural commodities.

"Turks’ statements that they need nothing from Armenia are
policy-induced and have economic basis," Minasyan noted adding that
Turkey will not make such statements once political issues are settled.

In case of border opening Armenia will have an opportunity to
diversify export and import, "Presently, Georgia charges Armenia
for cargo traffic as much as it will cost from New York to Poti,
and with border opening the situation will change in terms of import
and export volumes increase," Minasyan said.

CHAVEZ: US PROVOKING ALL-OUT WAR IN S. AMERICA

PRESS TV
Mon, 09 Nov 2009 06:51:06 GMT

Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez President Hugo Chavez has threatened
an all-out war in South America should the US want to provoke Colombia
to launch an armed conflict in the region.

Chavez said Venezuela could end up going to war with Colombia,
warning that if a conflict broke out "it could extend throughout the
whole continent."

The anti-US leader ordered the military to prepare for a possible war,
addressing President Barack Obama to be cautious about any move in
the region.

"Don’t make a mistake, Mr. Obama, by ordering an attack against
Venezuela by way of Colombia," Chavez said during his weekly television
and radio program Sunday.

However, the Colombian government dismissed Chavez’s threats, saying
it would protest to the Organization of American States (OAS) and
the UN Security Council.

"Colombia never has, and never will, make an act of war," government
spokesman Cesar Mauricio Velasquez said.

A recent military agreement between the US and Colombia that gives
American troops greater access to military bases of Colombia has
sparked controversy in the region.

In recent weeks, tensions between the two Latin American nations have
been worsened by a series of shootings.

Last week, two Venezuelan National Guard troops were killed at a
checkpoint near the border in Venezuela’s western Tachira state,
prompting Caracas to temporarily close some border crossings.

The violence prompted Venezuela to send 15,000 soldiers to the border
with Colombia on Thursday to increase security along the border.

TURKISH PREMIER HAD BEHIND-THE-SCENE MEETING WITH ARCHBISHOP ARAM ATESHYAN

PanARMENIAN.Net
09.11.2009 17:33 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan
received Archbishop Aram Ateshyan, Head of the Religious Council of
the Armenian Patriarchate. The nearly 45 minute-long gathering took
place behind closed doors. Reportedly, the Archbishop appreciated
Erdogan’s sensitivity towards problems of Turkish citizens with
Armenian decent and welcomed his efforts for a solution.

In his turn, Turkish Premier asked about health condition of Mesrob
Mutafyan, Patriarch of Turkish Armenians, and then extended wishes
of swift recovery, TRT -world reports.

HAIKO MIGHT REPRESENT TURKEY IN EUROVISION 2010

Tert
urovision/
Nov 9 2009
Armenia

The process for who will represent the country in the 2010 Eurovision
Song Contest has already begun in Turkey.

Turkish TV broadcaster NTV, during the second initial stage, asked
website visitors to vote for their favourite contestant. About 15,000
people voted with first place going to Haiko Chefkin, a Turkish
citizen of Armenian descent, who garnered 15.94% of the votes. Haiko,
in particular, beat Tarkan, who fell behind by 4%.

The 55th Eurovision Song Contest will take place in Oslo, Norway,
from May 12-16, 2010.

ERDOGAN BLAMED FOR ‘COOPERATING WITH ARMENIANS TO TURKEY’S DETRIMENT’

Tert
Nov 9 2009
Armenia

At a general meeting of Turkey’s governing Justice and Development
(AKP) party held yesterday in Istanbul, Turkish Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan said that there are 70,000 citizens from the Republic
of Armenia in Turkey and an additional 100,000 Turkish citizens of
Armenian ancestry.

"This is the reality of the relations between Armenia and Turkey,"
he said.

Erdogan’s statement was made as if in response to the statement
Nationalist Movement Party leader Devlet Bahceli made yesterday.

Bahceli, referring to the establishment process of Armenia-Turkey and
Turkey-Greece relations initiated recently during a parliamentary
session, had stated that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan "is
cooperating with Armenians and Greeks, to Turkey’s detriment."

AZERBAIJANI FM: WE USE THE NOTION OF ‘SELF-DETERMINATION OF NATIONS’ ONLY WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF THE TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY OF AZERBAIJAN

news.az
Nov 6 2009
Azerbaijan

We use the notion of ‘self-determination of nations’ only within the
framework of the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan in relation to
the Karabakh conflict, while mechanisms of possible self-determination
may be a subject of negotiation process, spokesman of Azerbaijan’s
Foreign Ministry Elkhan Polukhov has said.

As for the announcements of the Armenian Foreign Ministry Edward
Nalbandyan who said "the status of "NKR" is being discussed today
during negotiations on the Karabakh conflict settlement", Polukhov said
these statements are intended for the internal audience of the country.

"Nalbandyan knows well which issues are discussed during the
negotiations process", the diplomat said.

OPEN LETTER TO THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF OF BERLINER ZEITUNG NEWSPAPER

Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic
2009-11-05 12:21

Having personally visited the Nagorno Karabakh Republic, Berliner
Zeitung newspaper’s correspondent, if even desired, couldn’t but notice
that the people who had experienced terrible hardships, destructions,
and grief in an unequal struggle had, however, managed to realize its
right to self-determination, heroically stand all the calamities of the
war, restore its state infrastructure, and implement radical reforms
for establishing a state corresponding to the European standards.

After the World War II, the Germans dreamed for an integrated state
and lived with this idea tens of years. We don’t think that the German
nation’s aspiration can be questioned by any other nation.

Exactly 20 years ago, the Berlin separating wall was destroyed in just
a few days by the will of the great powers, and the Germans not only
reunited, but also gained full-fledged independence, on the occasion
of which we congratulate this distinctive and gifted nation of the
Old World.

Nagorno Karabakh gained its independence, having, first of all,
neutralized the Azerbaijani aggression, defending the lives of
children, women, and old people. Just that’s why nobody can question
the will and right of Nagorno Karabakh’s people to independence. In
other words, nobody brought the independence and right to free life to
Nagorno Karabakh on a tray. And if today’s population of our Republic
makes only 140 thousand, then it is also a vivid demonstration of
Azerbaijan’s evident anti-Armenian policy; otherwise, over a million
and a half of Karabakhi Armenians and their descendants would not be
citizens of other states today. So, like Germans in the recent past,
today we are also striving for our sovereignty.

The Germans have, for many years, cherished as relics the stones
and fragments of the once separating Berlin Wall. The situation is
totally different in Nagorno Karabakh. Here, the shrines are the
marble tombstones of soldiers perished at the Karabakh War for the
independence of their homeland. The correspondent of your newspaper
could not but notice that.

Unfortunately, we should state that having overcome thousand
kilometers, journalist Tobias Asmuth presented a superficial and
distorted article to the readers of the newspaper, without inquiring
the causes and essence of the Karabakh issue. Similarly, the author
could easily write a number of analogous articles, staying at home
and using various sites.

However, if freedom of speech and press is equivalent to a sin against
truth for the Berliner Zeitung, then it is quite a different matter.

TURKEY’S PRESIDENT EXPECTS TALKS TO BE STEPPED UP ON ARMENIAN WITHDRAWAL FROM AZERBAIJAN

news.AZ
Nov 5 2009
Azerbaijan

Abdullah Gul Turkey’s president, Abdullah Gul, has said that
discussions on Armenia’s withdrawal from the territory it occupies
in Azerbaijan will be intensified.

"There is no doubt Azerbaijan’s occupied lands belong to Azerbaijan,"
Gul said in a lecture at the inauguration of a new building of the
International Strategic Research Centre in Ankara.

Gul said he believes that discussions on Armenian withdrawal from
Azerbaijan will be stepped up, as this will help solve many problems
in the region.

The Turkish president said that developments in Georgia showed once
more that "frozen" conflicts in this region can escalate into war at
any moment.

He said there would be disaster without the Montreux Convention,
which severely restricts the passage of military vessels through the
Bosporus and Dardanelles, and gives Turkey control over the straits.

Elsewhere in his lecture, the Turkish president denied that Turkey
has changed direction in its foreign policy.

"Some are questioning where Turkey is heading to, which suggests
Turkey is confused and drifting with the waves in the middle of the
sea. This is not the case. Turkey knows what it has been doing,"
Hurriyet Daily News reported the president as saying.

"Turkey is going in every direction, from north to south and from
east to west," he said

PRESS RELEASE
Armenian Center for National and International Studies
75 Yerznkian Street
Yerevan 0033, Armenia
Tel: (+374 – 10) 52.87.80 or 27.48.18
Fax: (+374 – 10) 52.48.46
Email: [email protected] or [email protected]
Website:

November 5, 2009

ACNIS Holds Roundtable Discussion on Armenian-Turkish Diplomacy &
Nagorno Karabagh: `Deal or No Deal?’

Yerevan–The Armenian Center for National and International Studies
(ACNIS) convened a roundtable discussion today entitled
`Armenian-Turkish Diplomacy & Nagorno Karabagh: `Deal or No Deal?’
that assessed recent developments between the two issues.

The event was attended by several ambassadors and senior diplomatic
officials from the European Commission, the European Union’s Special
Representative for the South Caucasus, the Council of Europe and the
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), as well as
staff from the British and U.S. embassies, and the Armenian Ministry
of Defense.

After welcoming the nearly sixty participants, ACNIS Director of
Administration Dr. Karapet Kalenchian presented a brief introduction
of the issues of Armenian-Turkish diplomacy and the Nagorno Karabagh
conflict, which he said `demonstrated the significance of discussing
and analyzing the security and increasing political independence of
Karabagh.’ Dr. Kalenchian added that the `current dynamic situation
was a challenge of national importance for Armenia and Karabagh, while
also serving as a test for Turkey.’

ACNIS Senior Analyst Manvel Sargsyan presented his analysis of the
`looming ratification of the Armenian-Turkish protocols’ that were
signed on October 10 by noting that `Turkish attention to the Nagorno
Karabagh issue has rapidly expanded,’ adding that `Turkey continues to
coordinate the ratification of protocols in terms of progress over the
Karabagh issue,’ but stressed that `Armenia and the international
community must not succumb to this pressure.’ Sargsyan went on to say
that `Turkey may now exert a serious impact on the configuration of
the future political processes in the region.’

According to Sargsyan, `even today there is à clear problem of a
deterioration of relations between Turkey and Azerbaijan,’ which he
said `without any doubt, may reflect developments in the international
situation regarding the Nagorno Karabagh issue.’ He added that the
`conflict situation, in fact, has adopted a role as a stimulant for
political configurations in the region’ and that `within Karabagh
there is a strong opinion over the inadmissibility of territorial
compromises to Azerbaijan and, of course, over any resolution of the
Karabagh conflict based on the Madrid principles.’

ACNIS Director Richard Giragosian then presented an assessment of
recent developments since the signing of the protocols, which he
argued has `initiated a new stage of Armenian-Turkish diplomacy,
marked by a number of tests by the Turkish side aimed at challenging
Armenian resolve.’ Giragosian explained that `this new stage, moving
beyond the protocols to the parliaments, presents a new set of
challenges, as Turkey continues to make strong statements that may
actually endanger the process of parliamentary ratification.’ More
specifically, he said that `the rhetoric and threats from the Turkish
side, especially over new demands for progress over the Nagorno
Karabagh issue, suggests that the passage of the protocols by the
Turkish parliament will not be easy.’

Citing the fact that the Turkish side, at least publicly, still seeks
to re-connect the Karabagh issue to the Turkish-Armenian normalization
process, Giragosian stated that `this poses a serious obstacle’ and
stressed that `such a connection is unacceptable and clearly, it is
too late and too dangerous to try to re-connect the Karabagh issue to
the process at this stage.’ He then explained that `the Karabagh
issue was removed from the protocols and it should not be seen as any
sort of precondition or prerequisite.’

The ACNIS Director went on to say that `this issue of `normalization’
must be seen in the proper perspective, as any move by Turkey to
reopen the border and extend diplomatic relations with Armenia
represents only the bare minimum of expectations of normal countries,
meaning that Turkey should not be unduly praised or rewarded (for such
moves).’ And `the real burden,’ he said, `rests more with the Turkish
side, as it was Turkey that closed its border with Armenia in 1993 and
withheld diplomatic relations in support of Azerbaijan over Karabagh,
and, most crucially, it is Turkey that remains challenged by the need
to face the historic legacy of the Armenian genocide.’

He then closed with an argument for `a more realistic approach to the
Nagorno Karabagh issue,’ based on a `recognition of the fact that the
omission of any reference to the Nagorno Karabagh issue in the
protocols means that there is no direct linkage between the Karabagh
peace talks and the current Armenian-Turkish effort to `normalize’
relations.’ The Karabagh talks, he explained, are `on a separate
`second track’ of diplomacy moving at a much slower speed and driven
by a very different set of issues than the `first track’ of
Armenian-Turkish diplomacy.’

Giragosian added that `there were other important lessons,’ including
the fact that the Organization for Security and Cooperation in
Europe’s (OSCE) Minsk Group, which is the lead mediator of the
Karabagh conflict, is `structurally flawed by the absence of the
democratically-elected representatives of the Nagorno Karabagh
Republic (NKR) which, as a direct party to the conflict, must be
afforded a direct and formal role in the peace process.’ Moreover, he
said, `the failure to incorporate Karabagh in the peace talks as a
party of equal standing only questions the viability of reaching a
negotiated resolution capable of meeting the minimum standards of
security and sustainability.’ Giragosian closed by noting that `the
recognition of the role of the OSCE Minsk Group as the mediator of the
Karabagh conflict also means that Turkey can have no direct role in
the peace process and should not be accepted as a neutral broker or
mediator of the Karabagh conflict.’

The two presentations were then followed by a series of questions and
answers, and featured a lively exchange among Armenian
parliamentarians, leading Armenian analysts, experts and journalists.
The presentations are available upon request by contacting ACNIS or
can be freely downloaded from the Center’s website ().

——————————— ————————————

The Armenian Center for National and International Studies (ACNIS) is
a leading independent strategic research center located in Yerevan,
Armenia. As an independent, objective institution committed to
conducting professional policy research and analysis, ACNIS strives to
raise the level of public debate and seeks to broaden public
engagement in the public policy process, as well as fostering greater
and more inclusive public knowledge. Founded in 1994, ACNIS is the
institutional initiative of Raffi K. Hovannisian, Armenia’s first
Minister of Foreign Affairs. Over the past fifteen years, ACNIS has
acquired a prominent reputation as a primary source of professional
independent research and analysis covering a wide range of national
and international policy issues.

For further information on the Center call (37410) 52-87-80 or
27-48-18; fax (37410) 52-48-46; email [email protected] or [email protected];
or visit