Author: Topchian Jane

Radikal, Turkey
Sept 2 2009

Background of Protocol Signed With Armenia

by Murat Yetkin

When Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu came out of his meeting with
Bashar al-Asad at the Presidential Palace in Damascus it was past the
evening meal that breaks the Ramadan fast. The entire Turkish
delegation went to the Noble Palace Restaurant, which is one of the
best restaurants in Damascus. After breaking his fast, Davutoglu
teasingly asked: "Have you been able to transmit your reports?" Erdal
Safak had reportedly experienced a technical problem and he had not
been able to transmit his article to Sabah. Davutoglu continued to
teasingly say: "Never mind, there will be another report shortly and
you will write about it."

The telephone of Ambassador Feridun Sinirlioglu, new under secretary
of the Foreign Ministry, rang several minutes before eight o’clock. He
was sitting at the right side of the minister. After speaking on the
phone, Sinirlioglu whispered something in Davutoglu’s ear. Davutoglu
said something like: "No way! They should do it the way we agreed."
Sinirlioglu got up from the table, moved away, and spoke on the
phone. Then he returned to the table. At around a quarter or twenty
past eight Sinirlioglu’s telephone rang again. The under secretary
listened, he said "all right," later he whispered something in
Davutoglu’s ear again. Davutoglu and Sinirlioglu got up from the table
in spite of the fact that they had not finished eating. Davutoglu
said: "We have to go to the embassy. We will issue a statement on
board the plane.’

As the journalists drove towards the airport, Foreign Minister
Spokesman Burak Ozugergin issued the statement: Turkey and Armenia,
with the assistance of Switzerland, have initialed a protocol with the
aim of establishing diplomatic ties and forming commissions for the
normalization of the ties. At the end of six weeks, the protocol will
be submitted to the approval of the parliaments of the two countries.

Apparently the foreign minister had gone to the Turkish Embassy in
Damascus with the aim of calling and briefing Prime Minister Tayyip
Erdogan. It was understood on board the plane that the statement
should have been issued at 1700. Foreign Minister Davutoglu had held
countless phone conversations with Swiss Foreign Minister Micheline
Calmy Rey – phone conversations that had been cut off every time
Davutoglu had passed through the labyrinths with the cement walls for
going to the Iraqi Foreign Ministry. Armenia had asked for changing
one word in the protocol at the last minute. Turkey in turn had
insisted via Switzerland on remaining loyal to the text of the
agreement and therefore there had been a delay.

Nonetheless this was not the only delay. The developments that had
occurred behind the scenes in association with the announcement of the
protocol showed this.

For example the protocol whose details were announced yesterday was
not actually initialed on 31 August when the statement was
issued. Even on 22 April, when it was announced that Turkey and
Armenia, with the assistance of Switzerland, had begun to work on
protocols for the normalization of the relations, the work had not
been completed. Swiss Secretary of State Michael Ambihl had conducted
shuttle diplomacy between Ankara and Yerevan on 1-3 April (in other
words prior to the visit that US President Barack Obama had conducted
to Turkey on 4-6 April) and he had enabled the initialization of the
protocol about which you will read on our newspaper today. CHP’s
[Republican People’s Party’s] Yilmaz announced this date as 2 April on
Kanal-D yesterday evening. Despite Armenia’s strong opposition Turkey
had insisted on announcing that the talks had begun (the announcement
had not said the talks had not been finalized) on 22 April (in other
words on the eve of 24
April which is of critical importance in terms of the US
Congress). Given that the protocol had been ready for five months,
what were the items that had been negotiated for the past five months?

The information that we received from the behind the scenes shows that
Turkish and Armenian diplomats have been holding talks on how to write
the text of the announcement of the protocol, which Davutoglu approved
during the fast-breaking dinner in Damascus.

It is understood that the talks were very tough. It is also understood
that the strong reaction that the 22 April announcement had causes not
only in Turkey and Armenia, but also in Azerbaijan had brought these
long-lasting talks on the text of the press statement to the point of
breaking many times.

It is also seen that due to the effect of the debates that had been
held at that time, Ankara did not neglect to brief Baku on each and
every step that it took with Yerevan. The fact that Prime Minister
Erdogan called and briefed Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on 28
August, when the text of the announcement had begun to shape and the
fact that on the following day he sent Under Secretary Sinirlioglu as
well as Deputy Undersecretary Ambassador Unal Cevikoz to Baku in order
to give Aliyev detailed information are the signs of this.

Therefore the initial statements issued by Baku said: "We are not
uncomfortable with these developments and this is their internal
affair." Neither Aliyev’s statement to the effect that "the opening of
the border without the solution of the Karabakh issue runs against our
national interests," nor Davutoglu’s statement that "Turkey will not
take any steps that will harm Azerbaijan" contradicted the picture
that had emerged. This is because despite Armenia’s insistence (on
ensuring that the protocol would keep the door ajar for keeping
Nagorno-Karabakh outside the process), the protocol does not include
the word "without any preliminary conditions." In other words, the
Karabakh dispute is part of this process. Prime Minister Erdogan’s
statement to the effect that "the protocol will not come into effect
without the approval of the National Assembly" also points to the
Karabakh issue.

It is understood that the government will not submit the protocol to
the approval of the National Assembly if no progress is made in the
Nagorno-Karabakh issue (in fact, its approval will be impossible under
those circumstances). Both Azerbaijan and Armenia are aware of this.

Speaking to Clinton the day before yesterday and to Russian Foreign
Minister Sergey Lavrov and French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner,
members of the Minsk Group for Karabakh, yesterday Davutoglu said: "A
step has been taken but if the solution of the Karabakh issue is not
stepped up, this step may not be completed and therefore you should
convince Armenia for a solution." These words prove this framework.

In fact there are no additional items that should be negotiated
between Turkey and Armenia during the next six weeks. Davutoglu said:
"With the announcement the briefing process has also begun. During
this process we will begin to brief the public at home and abroad and
to hold consultations." The same thing is relevant for Armenia and
Azerbaijan. There is a period between the interesting points of this
process [sentence as published]. Even if it is not announced publicly,
the six week period ends on the eve of the soccer game between the
Turkish and Armenian national teams on 14 October. This has brought a
psychological threshold to the protocol. It appears that whether or
not Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan will come to Turkey in return to
the visit that President Abdullah Gul had conducted to Armenia on 6
September will no longer have an impact on the process. Nonetheless
there is yet another surprise at the end of the six-week period. A
simple look
at the calendar shows that the six-week period ends on 13
October. This date has been set as a result of serious bargains. The
Armenians reportedly called for ending the process on 5
October. Ankara reportedly understood that Armenia wants to impose
pressure on Azerbaijan during the Aliyev-Sargsyan meeting that will be
held during the Independent States Summit that will be held in
Kishinev, Moldova on 7-9 October. In order to prevent this, Ankara
reportedly requested the process to end after the summit in
question. As a result it was decided that the process will end
somewhere between 10 to 14 October. As for 13 October, this is the
psychological reason behind the Turkish Foreign Ministry’s insistence
on issuing the announcement on 31 August.

13 October is the anniversary of the signing of the 1921 Treaty of
Kars that had been signed by the TBMM [Turkish Grand National
Assembly]. The treaty had closed the TBMM armies’ eastern front and
had determined the border between the Soviet Union and Armenia. Given
that with the protocol process Yerevan will indirectly recognize
Turkey’s borders, it may issue the announcement one or two days
earlier in order to avoid ending the protocol process on a day that is
very meaningful in terms of Turkey’s establishment.

[translated from Turkish]

Tehran Times , Iran
Sept 6 2009

Turkey and Armenia getting closer to peace?
By Salman Ansari Javid

In a breakthrough that came about after a century of hostilities
Turkey and Armenia signed two protocols to establish diplomatic
relations, the two countries announced Monday. In talks brokered by
Switzerland the two countries’ foreign ministries said that they would
begin talks aimed at producing a formal agreement.

The protocols said the border, which has been closed for more than 15
years, would be opened within two months of the ratification of each
country’s Parliament. The ratification process is expected to be
completed within six weeks.

The protocols also call for the formation of an international history
commission to study the Armenian genocide, the central dispute between
the two nations that started at the end of the Ottoman Empire. Armenia
claims that from 1915 to 1918 more than one million Armenians were
massacred by the Ottoman Turk government. There is little dispute
among historians about the genocide. However, Ankara differs over the
number of Armenians killed in the conflict that Turkey defines as
civil war.

France has already classified this incident genocide, and it is
presently under debate in the U.S. Congress. The Islamic Republic has
chosen to stay neutral on the issue.

The two countries have never had diplomatic relations, and their
border has been closed since 1993, when Armenia and Azerbaijan went to
war over the enclave of Nagomo-Karabakh. Turkey supported Azerbaijan
during the dispute.

Nagomo-Karabakh is mainly populated by ethnic Armenians. The enclave
broke away from Azerbaijan in the late 1980s, sparking a 1992-94 war
between Armenian-backed separatists and the Azeri army.

Over 35,000 people were killed in the civil war and over one million
people were displaced. A ceasefire was agreed in 1994 but the
territory remains under Armenian control.

There are still minor skirmishes at the Armenia-Azerbaijan border
where two formidable forces face each other. Armenia called in the
Russian forces who face Turkey, a NATO country.

Turkey’s President Abdullah Gul’s `Football Diplomacy’ in September
2008, created hopes for a friendship when he became the first modern
Turkish leader to visit Armenia, for a football World Cup qualifier
(which Armenia lost). The return match is scheduled in Istanbul and
President Serge Sargsyan of Armenia is invited to attend.

At the same time, the Swiss mediated talks which began last year
yielded results when Armenia agreed to normalize border and trade ties
before the genocide and other contentious issues could be discussed.

Olli Rehn, the European enlargement commissioner, who oversees
Turkey’s EU membership application, welcomed the deal as a step
forward.

Turkey is under pressure from EU members to normalize its relations
with Armenia and ease laws on its minority Kurd population to allow
for free expression of political beliefs and stop suppression of
Kurdish culture.

Last week, Turkey signaled the opening of new talks with its Kurdish
minority, a conflict that has killed over 40,000 people.

On the other hand open borders can only help Armenia’s battered
economy. First of all Armenian industries’ will have access to some 70
million Turkish consumers and secondly its role as a transit country
will be greatly expanded.

The regional countries have a lot to benefit too from a peaceful
neighborhood

IN ARMENIA, OFFICER IS ACCUSED OF MURDERING A PRIVATE

02 2009, 22:50

The Military Prosecutor’s Office of Armenia has initiated a criminal
case on the fact of a murder of Aram Lazarian, 18, a regular
soldier, who died as a result of beatings, rendered, according to
the investigation, by an officer of the Vaiksk military unit.

According to the Prosecutor’s Office, Aram Lazarian, aged 18,
a private of the Vaiksk military unit, recruited to his mandatory
service in spring this year, died in the morning on September 1 in the
hospital, without coming to consciousness, from the beatings rendered
by the platoon commander Andok Gasparyan. According to the relatives
of the perished young soldier, Aram was three times beaten by Captain
Gasparyan on August 28. Most of the blows were rendered on his head.

According to the data received from the Military Prosecutor’s Office,
Andok Gasparyan is kept there; he was presented a charge under part 2,
Article 375, "Excess of Service Powers". Gasparyan has pled guilty; at
the same time he asked to subject the casualty to medical examination
in order to define whose blows were mortal. The relatives do not
exclude that the private could be beaten by one more officer.

RPA REP: ARMENIAN PEOPLE WILL PROTEST

Information-Analytic Agency NEWS.am
Sept 4 2009

The Armenian Parliament will only ratify the documents which meet the
Armenian people’s interests, Galust Sahakyan, The Republican Party
of Armenia (RPA) faction leader, RPA Deputy Chairman, told a press
conference today.

"Armenia and Turkey only released Protocols dated April 22, 2009. The
documents will be finalized in two months. It is unknown so far if the
documents will be signed. However, political forces have designated
them as treasonable," Sahakyan said.

He underlined that if the Protocols are not in Armenia’s interests,
people will "protest and take to the streets." Answering to a NEWS.am
question why the Protocols include the point on ratification by the
Parliaments, whereas it is not provided for by the Armenian law,
Sahakyan said: "The matter is of interest to us as well, but the
Protocols are conceptual documents and need to be ratified by the
Parliaments. Besides, the Genocide issue evokes a wide response,"
stated the parliamentarian.

STATE HEARS ‘BLOOD MONEY’ ELECTION CASE

Chillicothe Gazette
20090904/NEWS01/909040315
Sept 4 2009

Read Comments(2) Recommend(1)Print this pageE-mail this articleShare
Del.icio.usFacebookDiggRedditNewsvine Buzz up!TwitterCOLUMBUS —
If lawyers for U.S. Rep. Jean Schmidt sought to prove that her
congressional opponent, David Krikorian, wasn’t precise when he
claimed the Republican took campaign money directly from the Turkish
government, they did a decent job Thursday.

But if they hoped the controversy over taking $30,000 in campaign
"blood money to deny the genocide of Christian Armenians by Muslin
Turks" during World War I will go away soon, they failed miserably.

Either way, Schmidt’s "false statements" complaints against Krikorian
remain unresolved before the Ohio Elections Commission. Five commission
members heard six hours of testimony and legal debate before adjourning
the case until Oct. 1.

California attorney Mark Geragos — calling himself a "stealth
Armenian" whose family name was shortened from Geragosian — used
e-mails and other documents to show how campaign money was solicited —
and possibly laundered — via lobbyists, Turkish businessmen and other
"registered foreign agents" of Turkey.

Geragos’ team of lawyers flipped through an inch-thick file of exhibits
linking Turkish political action committees to Turkish coalitions,
corporations, a legal defense fund headed by one of Schmidt’s lawyers
and various members of Congress.

Krikorian’s lawyers argued that the Ohio commission shouldn’t have
jurisdiction over federal elections, much less make their client
prove the complex money trail.

As a free-speech issue, Geragos said, Krikorian merely has to prove
he was diligent and not reckless in claiming Schmidt took tainted
Turkish contributions.

But Donald Brey and Bruce Fein, attorneys for Schmidt, said Krikorian
was reckless and should have been able to distinguish between campaign
contributions from Turkish people and PACs versus money directly from
the Turkish government — which would be illegal.

"I called it ‘blood money,’" Krikorian testified of his 2008 campaign
claims. "I believe that it is. I stand by everything that I wrote in
the last election."

Schmidt testified that she has "never received money from a foreign
government including the government of Turkey. … I was not raising
money from the Turkish government."

If a foreign government tried to give her money, Schmidt said, "I
would not take it. It would be illegal. I would turn their action in"
to the FBI or House Ethics Committee.

Krikorian’s defense still seeks to cross-examine Barry Bennett,
Schmidt’s chief of staff, and Sibel Edmonds, a former FBI
translator-turned-whistleblower.

In her four-hour deposition Aug. 8, Edmonds described Turkish attempts
to bribe and blackmail other members of Congress. Edmonds is out of
the country, so Krikorian will get another chance to call her as a
witness on Oct. 1.

Krikorian ran as an independent against Schmidt for the 2nd
Congressional District in 2008 and plans to try again next year as
a Democratic candidate.

TWO AZERI MINISTERS VISIT ARMENIA

Interfax
Sept 2 2009
Russia

Azerbaijan’s Youth and Sport Affairs Minister Azad Ragimov and Labor
and Social Security Minister Fizuli Alekperov are currently paying
a visit to Armenia.

Ragimov and Alekperov, who is also head of the Azeri Judo Federation,
arrived in Yerevan to inspect security arrangements and accommodation
to be provided for Azeri athletes during the European Youth Judo
Championship on September 11-14, spokesman for the Armenian Sport
Affairs Ministry Yury Aleksanyan told Interfax.

The Armenian and Azeri sport and youth affairs ministers, the heads of
the two countries’ national judo federations and representatives of the
European Judo Union and the European Olympic Committee signed a treaty
in Yerevan on Wednesday that allows judo athletes from Azerbaijan
to take part in the upcoming European Youth Judo Championship in the
Armenian capital.

ARMENIANS OPPOSED TO CONFLICT SETTLEMENT OUTLINE: POLL

AzerNews Weekly
Sept 1 2009
Azerbaijan

Armenia`s population is opposed to the Madrid principles, an outline
for settling the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Upper (Nagorno)
Garabagh proposed by international mediators in 2007, a recent opinion
poll has found.

61.3 percent of the people polled by the Research Center for Political
Development claimed the proposed peace outline is unacceptable for
Armenia, according to the local News.am website.

About 21 percent of those polled spoke in favor of the Madrid
principles, while 14 percent had difficulty answering the question.

Vaan Dilanyan, the head of the center, told journalists that
the Armenian public and Armenian residents of Upper Garabagh, an
Azerbaijani region under Armenian occupation, are opposed to making
concessions.

"This is due to the fact that there are provisions in the Madrid
principles that are absolutely unacceptable for us. The key ones are
the issue of Lachin and Kalbajar [districts]," Dilanyan said.

The Armenian analyst believes that the governments of both Armenia
and Azerbaijan should either convince their citizens to accept the
Madrid principles and disrupt the status quo or agree with their
citizens and reject the document. He added that the latter option
cannot ensure "a certain future."

The basic principles for the conflict settlement, presented by the US,
Russian and French intermediaries in the Spanish capital, call for "the
return of the territories surrounding Upper Garabagh to Azerbaijani
control." Five of the districts are to be vacated immediately,
while the remaining two strategic districts – Lachin and Kalbajar –
are to be handed over during a five year period. In the meantime, an
interim status for Upper Garabagh providing guarantees for security and
self-government is envisioned. The outline also covered "a corridor
linking Armenia to Upper Garabagh" as well as a future determination
of the final legal status of Upper Garabagh "through a legally binding
expression of will" and the right of "internally displaced persons
and refugees to return to their former places of residence."

83.2 PERCENT ARE DISPLEASED WITH AUTHORITIES

1/poll
12:08 pm | August 31, 2009

Society

83.2 percent of A1+’s poll respondents are displeased with Armenian
authorities.

Some 941 respondents participated in A1+’s poll in assessing the
activity of Armenian leadership.

Only 3.8 percent said they approved of the way the authorities handle
issues while 7 percent said they disapproved.

Most sounded displeased with the authorities and their number has
shrunk to 83.2 percent.

SAFE DRINKING WATER REACHES 100,000 ARMENIANS, THANKS TO THE UNITED STATES

E3B2210A-942B-11DE-8CE10003FF3452C2
Friday August 28, 2009

Artashat Water Supply Project is completed

Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II joined U.S. Ambassdor
Marie L. Yovanovitch, Ararat Governor Vardges Hovakimyan, and other
representatives of the Armenian government, the United States Agency
for International Development, the Fund for Armenian Relief, and the
Armenian Water Company on August 26 to mark the successful completion
of a $3.16 million USAID water-supply project. With the ceremony,
three project-supported daily regulating reservoirs were handed over
to the Armenian Water Company.

The project aimed to increase the volume of water delivered by
gravity flow from Garni sources, which will be accumulated in new and
rehabilitated reservoirs and distributed through new water mains. About
100,000 residents of Artashat town and 27 surrounding villages are
expected to benefit from a significantly improved safe drinking-water
supply. The project has also helped reduce energy consumption by
eliminating the need to pump water from the deep wells around Artashat.

The two-year project is currently USAID/Armenia’s largest capital
investment initiative. Project activities launched in May 2007 and
included the installation of approximately 50 kilometers of new water
mains and distribution lines, the construction of a new 4,000 cubic
meter reservoir, and the rehabilitation of two existing ones.

In her opening remarks at the ceremony, Ms. Yovanovitch noted the
social and economic benefits of the project, which will now make
safe and clean potable water accessible to target communities in
Artashat. "I am confident that the project will significantly improve
the health and well-being of people in this area and will support the
government of Armenia in its efforts to foster economic development
of the regions outside of Yerevan," she said.

PILGRIMS GATHER AT 4TH CENTURY ARMENIAN CHURCH IN DAGESTAN

Noyan Tapan
Aug 28, 2009

DERBEND, AUGUST 28, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. Over the ages,
pilgrims have traveled to the settlement of Nyugdi, 37 km from Derbend,
to an Armenian church dating back to the 4th century in order to show
respect for Saint Grigoris – the grandchild of Gregory the Illuminator
who established Christianity in Armenia in 301 A.D. – and worship his
remains. This year Saint Grigoris Church was more crowded than ever:
about 500 believers from Derbend, Makhachkala, Karabaghli, Kislovodsk,
Pyatigorsk, Chelenokumsk and other places had arrived. The event was
organized by the Armenian community of Derbend under the guidance
of Victor Danielian and the Armenian Apostolic Church, Armyanskaya
Panorama paper of Armenians in Stavropol and Terek reported.

The divine service was held by Father Sargis Poghosian – the spiritual
leader of Armenians in Dagestan (Russia) and priest of St Vardan Church
in the city of Kislovodsk. Addressing those present, he appealed for
peace and agreement on the fertle soil of Dagestan and thanked all
those who have contributed to the restoration of this ancient church
for the future generations.

Then a celebration took place in the church yard to the accompaniment
of duduk (Armenian national pipe) and with the participation of Nor
Dar dance ensemble from Kislovodsk.