Author: Topchian Jane

EU URGES TURKEY TO OVERHAUL CONSTITUTION

Today’s Zaman
Sept 17 2008
Turkey

The European Union has urged Turkey to overhaul its military-inspired
Constitution to break out of a cycle of annual political crises and
move forward with its disputed EU membership bid.

"Now is the time for Turkey to update its constitution to reflect
the country and society it has become and to consolidate rights
and freedoms for its citizens," Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn
said after talks with Foreign Minister Ali Babacan. "These reforms
are necessary not only for Turkey’s EU prospects but essentially for
Turkey to break the cycle of its — I dare to say — annual political
crises," he said.

Rehn said Ankara should take advantage of the end of the latest
crisis, when the Constitutional Court last month rejected a public
prosecutor’s effort to ban the ruling party, to pursue reforms with
renewed vigor. But Turkish analysts say that seems unlikely because
of continuing political tensions, an economic slowdown and local
elections next year.

Babacan said Ankara was pressing ahead with an ambitious reform
program, called the Third National Program, to achieve its goal of
full EU membership, but EU support was also necessary to complete
the process. "We will continue to take steps for the opening of new
chapters. We believe the Turkish people deserve a better quality of
life," he said.

French Secretary of State for European Affairs Jean-Pierre Jouyet,
who chaired the talks after Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner left
Brussels early, pledged that Paris would conduct the negotiations
impartially despite President Nicolas Sarkozy’s strong opposition to
eventual Turkish membership.

Jouyet said France expected to open more chapters — or policy areas —
for negotiation during its six months in the EU chair, which run until
the end of December. Rehn said the chapters on free movement of capital
and on information society and media policy were ripe for opening soon.

But Babacan referred pointedly to two areas on which France has blocked
negotiations. "Turkey is also ready, for example, to open the chapters
on economic and monetary policy and on culture and education, but there
are some political considerations in play that are preventing that,"
he said.

He also said Turkey was ready to negotiate on energy policy, a key
area for cooperation with the EU, which is seeking to diversify its
energy sources away from dependence on Russia.

Babacan and EU officials also discussed a visit by President Abdullah
Gul to neighboring Armenia, with which Turkey has no formal ties,
on Sept. 6 to watch a soccer game between national teams of the two
countries. Rehn said the EU expected that the positive movements in
the Turkish-Armenian relations will result in full normalization in
ties between the two countries.

Turkey closed its border and severed diplomatic ties with Armenia
in 1993 in protest of Armenia’s occupation of a chunk of Azerbaijani
territory in a dispute over Nagorno-Karabakh.

RA FM TO MEET WITH IRANIAN PRESIDENT

DE FACTO
15.09.08

YEREVAN, 15.09.08. DE FACTO. On September 15 RA FM Edvard Nalbandian
will leave for Tehran on a two-day official visit on Iranian FM
Manouchehr Mottaki’s invitation.

According to the RA MFA Press Office, within the frames of the visit
Nalbandian will hold meetings with President of Islamic Republic
of Iran (IRI) Mahmud Ahmadinejad, Chairman of Majlis Ali Larijani,
Secretary of National Security Supreme Council Said Jalili and FM
Manouchehr Mottaki.

Sunday’s Zaman, Turkey
Sept 14 2008

Turkey’s pro-business stand outweighs benefits of trade wars

Trade barriers and, more worrisomely, trade wars have recently
injected themselves into the political debate in Turkey after trucks
and ships carrying Turkish exports began experiencing long delays at
Russian customs posts, at a cost of half a billion dollar so far.

The move came right after the Russian-Georgian war raised suspicions
in Ankara that Moscow was trying to flex its muscles by using trade
leverage against Turkey.

Whether that was the case, the Turkish government seemed unwilling to
respond in kind to Russian pressure despite Foreign Trade Minister
KürÅ?ad Tüzmen’s public outcry and tough talk. The
reason was pretty much clear to decision-makers in Ankara as the
country heavily relied on Russian oil and gas, with 40 percent of its
oil and 65 percent of its natural gas coming from Russia.

In broad terms, the pro-business and pro-reform stance of the Turkish
government, which is unwilling to resort to harsh trade tactics and
which has been committed to the removal of barriers since 2002, has
paid off well. Between 2002 and 2007 exports to neighboring countries
rose 478 percent, while imports from neighbors grew 340 percent. In
the same period Turkey’s gross domestic product (GDP) increased 187
percent, reaching $663 billion, and foreign trade grew by 216 percent.

Economists generally argue that trade wars are counter-effective and
non-productive at best and decrease the economic welfare of the
countries involved in the dispute. Yet few economists and a good
number of political scientists believe trade wars or the threat
thereof can help the country to win a concession of some sort from the
other side.

Many agree today that the use of trade wars is a double-edged
sword. The threat of using trade leverage has the potential to
backfire and certainly can have long-term repercussions by forcing
countries to look for alternate partners. In the long run, the country
that resorts to trade wars stands to lose big and risk being labeled
an "unreliable partner" by the international community.

"The problem between Turkey and Russia is temporary" says
Hüseyin Yayman, associate professor in the faculty of economics
and public administration at Gazi University. He stressed that Turkey
and Russia need each other more than others as both have interests in
energy development in the region. "The project of being an energy hub
for Europe should proceed in consideration of Russian interests,"
Yayman noted. Stressing that there is no absolute friendship or
animosity among countries, Yayman said, "Turkey should act
pragmatically and practically in pursuing its interests."

Turkey seemed to have learned its lesson in a recent flare-up of
tension with Russia. In the likelihood that Russia could cut its gas
supply to Turkey this winter, government officials scrambled to find
alternative sources to Russian gas. Energy Minister Hilmi Güler
was shipped out to Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan last week to convince
the leaders of those countries to provide more gas to Turkey.

With the plans on Ankara’s plate to diversify on full launch, Russia
may lose billions of dollars of revenue from gas and oil sales to
Turkey. So far Russia has tried to dismiss allegations that it might
use gas supply to pressure Turkey. On a visit to the Turkish capital
on Sept. 2, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov ruled out cuts in
Russian natural gas supplies to Turkey. "This is crazy. Why would such
a thing happen?" Lavrov asked in response to a question. "Have you
ever seen Russia breaking its commitments in any natural gas
agreement?"

In addition to the risk of losing a steady source of revenue, Russia
could alienate Turkey and more likely push it further into the
American corner if more pressure is brought to bear on Turkey using
trade and other tools. Beril DedeoÄ?lu is among those who
believe Turkey will be forced to take a clear stand with the US if
Moscow gets tough with Ankara. Professor DedeoÄ?lu, who holds
the department chair at Galatasaray University’s department of
international relations, told Sunday’s Zaman that diversification of
oil and gas pipelines will go on no matter how much pressure Russia
exerts in the region. She stressed, however, that problems like
customs issues should be resolved at low-level technical meetings.

Turkey has in the past employed trade protections and erected barriers
against its trading partners partly as retaliation against increased
protectionism and partly due to political reasons to pressure
countries to yield to demands made by Ankara. Turkey has had a closed
border with Armenia since 1993, when Armenia occupied the disputed
Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan. Ankara had resorted to
switching on and off the border with the regional government in
northern Iraq to pressure Kurdish factions to stop harboring and
helping terrorist Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) groups.

Turkey has also tasted the bitter side of trade barriers imposed by
the UN Security Council against its neighbor Iraq, after the first
Gulf War. Ankara had to suffer $35 billion in lost revenue. The
closure had led to the decay of a fleet of more than 40,000 Turkish
trucks lying idle in southeastern Turkey, where they had provided
employment to local Kurds.

In the last decade or so, Turkey seems to have reorganized its
priorities when it comes to foreign trade issues. This has become more
prevalent in its relations with Iran. To the dismay of NATO ally the
United States, Turkey has continued to expand its trade relations with
Tehran and defied the pressure to impose sanctions on Iran. Last year
Ankara signed a memorandum on energy cooperation with the
Iranians. New contracts of cooperation were also signed last month
when Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad paid a working visit to
Turkey and met with Turkish President Abdullah Gül in
Ä°stanbul. Turkey would like to increase natural gas purchases
from Iran and build a new natural gas pipeline. The United States,
however, opposes plans for Turkish investment in Iran’s South Pars gas
fields and the possibility of Iran selling its gas to European markets
via an existing pipeline that carries gas to Europe through Turkey.

Thanks to a soccer match at Yerevan’s Hrazdan Stadium, Turkey was able
to launch an unexpected move with its neighbor Armenia in a bid to
thaw strained relations that have been marred by hostility for nearly
100 years.

Relations between Greece also improved after successive earthquakes
shook both countries in 1999. The leaders of the two nations were able
to capitalize on the outpouring of public sympathy. Greece has become
one of the key supporters of Turkey’s bid for full membership in the
EU. Trade and investment restrictions were eased. The National Bank of
Greece, the largest bank in Greece, bought a 46 percent stake in
Finansbank AS, Turkey’s eighth-largest bank, at a cost of $2.77
billion in 2007. EFG Eurobank Ergasias, controlled by the Latsis
family, also agreed to buy 70 percent of Tekfenbank for $180 million.

In the last five years 25 bilateral agreements have been signed
between the two countries, and there has been a fivefold increase in
the volume of two-way trade. The number of Greek tourists who visited
Turkey between January and July of 2008 has increased by 41.5 percent
compared to the same period last year, according to a report published
in Greek newspaper Kathimerini last week.

On another front, Turkey has been enjoying very good relations with
its neighbor Bulgaria for the last 15 years, after the regime change
in Bulgaria with the reversal of repressive policies directed against
the Turkish minority there. Bulgaria is a key supporter of Turkey’s EU
bid, and both countries strongly endorse the Nabucco project, the
3,300-kilometer-long gas pipeline that would carry natural gas from
Central Asia through Turkey to Austria. Yet there are some pending
issues that need to be addressed with Bulgaria. On the top of the list
comes an 83 euro transit fee charged Turkish trucks crossing into
Bulgaria as of July. Turkey had to retaliate with a measure in kind as
of Sept. 1 by charging the same fee when entering Turkey. Ankara
claims Bulgaria’s move was a breach of a 1979 agreement on road
transit that would allow both sides to transport goods without paying
any additional fees.

Recent history with Syria shows how quickly Turkey was able to mend
its relations with its southern neighbor. Just 11 years ago Turkey was
on the brink of war with Syria when Ankara massed troops on its border
to coerce the Syrian government into relinquishing its support for the
PKK. The countries are experiencing what some have called a
"honeymoon" in bilateral relations with expanded economic and
political ties. The two countries opened the border for visitors and
cleared most land mines planted to restrict exchanges. Turkish
language classes in Damascus are now popular for Syrian speakers of
Arabic.

14 September 2008, Sunday
ABDULLAH BOZKURT Ä°STANBUL

ACCORDING TO HRACHYA SARGSIAN, HOME POLITICAL SITUATION IN ARMENIA WILL IMPROVE IN CASE ARMENIAN NATIONAL CONGRESS BECOMES STRONGER

Noyan Tapan

Se p 11, 2008

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 11, NOYAN TAPAN. The home political developments
proceeding in Armenia will have desirable outcomes for society
and state only in case the Armenian National Congress becomes fully
established and becomes stronger. Hrachya Sargsian, a Board member of
the Nor Zhamanakner (New Times) party, saying this at the September
11 press conference at the Right De Facto press club, also stated that
from today he is joining the Armenian National Congress. He said that
party Chairman Aram Karapetian is not aware yet of his decision.

Giving a negative answer to the question of whether this means that a
process of split has started in the Nor Zhamanakner party, H. Sargsian
meanwhile said that other members of the party are also willing to
join the Armenian National Congress. He did not exclude that the party
will also join the Congress. "The party was to convene a congress
in the first decade of September to decide the issue of joining the
Congress or not, but the congress is delayed," H. Sargsian said.

Vahram Mkrtchian, a member of the Liberal-Democratic Union of Armenia,
said that they would join the Armenian National Congress if only
the Congress had not a task to change the power but thought of
solving the problems of Armenians. He added that in the future the
Liberal-Democratic Union of Armenia will try to form the third pole
it imagines.

08_43BH3MF_v13.513e3a8.html

Armenian a cappella to ring out at RIC

01:00 AM EDT on Thursday, September 11, 2008

[Picture:
A capella trio Zulal is three Americans of Armenian descent (Anais
Tekerian, above left, Teni Apelian, center, and Yeraz Markarian) who
sing Armenian folk songs: "Our interpretation and our harmonies tend to
be a bit more Western, says Apelian. "It’s bridging two different worlds
in that sense."]

The female a cappella trio Zulal take the rural folk music of Armenia
and make it bewitching and transcendent; the tricky rhythms and subtly
bizarre (to American ears) structures go down easily when paired with
the women’s honeyed voices. On their latest record, last year’s Notes To
a Crane, the trio apply shimmering Western harmonies to old folk songs
from all corners of Armenia that reflect life, love and happiness that
are often subsumed by the painful history of the people.

>From the playful opener "Yaruhs Khorodig E (My Sweetheart is Cute! So
What If He’s Short?)" to the lullaby "Kele Lao (Come, Let Us Go, My
Son)," the non-Armenian speaker won’t know what they’re singing, and yet
he or she will, which is kind of what music’s all about, isn’t it?

All three members of Zulal were born and raised in the United States,
and Teni Apelian says that "all of us have had fairly different cultural
experiences." But Armenian folk music "has always been part of my life."

Zulal apply elements of pop and jazz harmony to their interpretations of
Armenian songs, but they work from songbooks and archival recordings to
find the real stuff. Luckily, Apelian says, there’s plenty of archival
material to work from, and the Armenian folk tradition is fairly good
shape.

The Armenian a cappella tradition, on the other hand, isn’t as well
known, Apelian says – most of the best-known Armenian music is
instrumental. But singing a cappella, she says, establishes a connection
and an homage to the traditions of Armenian rural life – "the village
life from which these songs grew" – to perform them with just voices.
"It’s reminiscent of that simpler time. It was very much a vocal
tradition."

Apelian and her band mates, Yeraz Markarian and Anais Tekerian, have
varied backgrounds that include jazz a cappella, pop a cappella and
Slavic a cappella, and those influences get into Zulal’s version of
Armenian music. "There are some harmonies that are sort of
Armenian-sounding, but I think we are building chords that are a little
bit more – it’s not something that you hear and think ‘that reminds me
of a pop harmony,’ but there is a difference there..

"Sometimes, the archival recordings that we listen to are really very
raw, and kind of unpleasant to listen to for an outside ear. But our
interpretation and our harmonies tend to be a bit more Western. It’s
bridging two different worlds in that sense."

Apelian is a full-time mother; Markarian is a Ph.D. student in
psychology; Tekerian is a piano teacher. All three have children. Zulal
is an avocation for them, and they average about one show a month. They
spend their time off recording and unearthing and arranging new songs,
Apelian says, but they have also scored some high-profile gigs with
Cirque du Soleil ("I remember actively dreaming it and wanting it. It
was like a dream come true") and Les Mysteres des Voix Bulgares.

And in so doing, Apelian says she hopes that Zulal act as ambassadors
for Armenian history and culture. "We talk a lot in our show, and do a
lot of explaining of the meaning of our songs, and the symbols in the
life and the village life that we’re trying to connect to."

The other two members of Zulal go to Armenia once a year. Apelian has
been back three times, but not for a year now; with two small children
and no direct family in the country, it’s more difficult to manage.

But that culture and history is still a presence. "It’s an extremely
strong culture because we’re very small. When you’re that small and you
have a history of that much struggle as a nation, [there’s] a struggle
to keep your culture, and it creates a community among people."

There are strong pockets of Armenians in places such as Montreal and
California.

In New York, where the members of Zulal live, "I can’t say the same,"
Apelian says. "It’s pretty diluted here."

Still, the culture matters.

"Overall, it’s a culture that’s devoted to itself because it’s had such
a painful past. And people have grown up with stories of their
grandparents marching through the desert, starving to death. As a young
kid, you’re told that this is what these people went through for you to
be who you are and to have this culture. And it affects you."

Zulal sing at Sapinsley Hall, on the campus of Rhode Island College, 600
Mount Pleasant Ave., Providence, Sunday at 3 p.m. at the top of a bill
of Armenian music that includes Harry Bedrossian, Leon Janikian and Ken
and Charles Kalajian. Tickets are $35 for adults, $25 for those under
18. The show is a benefit for the Armenian Relief Society to celebrate
its 100th anniversary. Call (401) 354-8770 or e-mail
[email protected].

[email protected]

ARF ANNOUNCES POSITION ON ARMENIA-TURKEY RELATIONS

ARP Press Service
Wednesday, September 10, 2008

YEREVAN (ARF Press Service)–The Armenian Revolutionary Federation’s
governing Bureau held a special plenary session in Yerevan from
September 9 to 10, where it discussed the complicated military and
political situation created in the region due to the continuing
showdown between Russia and Georgia. The ARF Bureau also discussed
the latest developments in Armenian-Turkish relations.

After thoroughly discussing the internal and external challenges
facing Armenia, the ARF Bureau thought it important to draw the
public’s attention to several of the ARF’s fundamental positions
regarding Armenian-Turkish relations.

Armenia and Turkey, as neighboring states, must work toward the
normalization of bilateral relations. However, we are convinced
that good neighborly relations can only be established after the
recognition by Turkey of the Armenian Genocide and the restoration
of the rights of the Armenian people. The unconditional lifting of
the blockade and the establishment of diplomatic relations can only
serve as first steps on this path.

The initiative of the President of the Republic of Armenia and the
subsequent meetings of the Presidents and Ministers of Foreign Affairs
must be followed by concrete positive steps by Turkey. The ARF will
actively strive to ensure that official meetings do not become merely
propaganda opportunities for Turkey.

It is totally unacceptable for the ARF that Armenian-Turkish relations
be normalized at the expense of Armenia’s sovereignty, viability of
its existence or the national and state rights of future Armenian
generations.

Turkey can aspire to promote regional initiatives if it radically
changes its "Armenian policy." Turkey must not be party in the to the
Karabakh conflict resolution process; it should not talk to Armenia
with preconditions, and must relinquish its policy of deepening the
divisions in the South Caucasus, of blockading and isolating Armenia.

Since 1998 Armenia is pursuing a foreign policy based on national-state
ideology, one strategic direction of which is the universal
recognition and condemnation, including by Turkey, of the Armenian
Genocide. Armenia views this not only as a restoration of historical
justice, but also as a way to improve the overall situation and mutual
trust in the region, thus preventing similar crimes in the future.

The ARF has considered and considers the continuation of this direction
one of its fundamental tasks.

U.S. REJECTS RUSSIA’S OFFER TO BAN WEAPONS DELIVERY TO GEORGIA

PanARMENIAN.Net
10.09.2008 14:27 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The United States rejected Russia’s offer to put
an international ban on delivery of weapons to Georgia.

Ben Chang, a spokesperson for the U.S. mission to the United Nations
labeled Moscow’s draft resolution as an attempt to distract attention
from commitments to withdraw troops from the Georgian territory.

The U.S. Defense Secretary said a special mission will be dispatched
to Georgia to assess the country’s needs for replenishment of its
armed forces, RFE/RL reported.

Yesterday, Russia formally established diplomatic relations with
Abkhazia and South Ossetia and announced intention to deploy over
7000 troops there.

COMMITTEE ON COOPERATION WITH EUROPEAN STRUCTURES TO BE FORMED IN ARMENIA

PanARMENIAN.Net
09.09.2008 18:42 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan singed an edict
on formation of an intergovernmental committee on cooperation with
European structures, the RA leader’s press office told PanARMENIAN.Net.

The committee will deal with coordination of activities, including
implementation of the IPAP and ENP.

It will be headed by National Security Council Secretary Artur
Baghdassaryan.

VTB ARMENIA BANK AMONG LEADERS OF VTB GROUP

Noyan Tapan

Se p 8, 2008

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 8, NOYAN TAPAN. By the results of the first six
months of 2008, VTB Armenia Bank was in first place in the Armenian
banking system by its total assets – 113.15 billion drams or about
367.9 million USD. The bank was in second place by its authorized
capital – 13.906 bln drams and its own capital – 21.88 bln drams. The
last of the indicated indices made 22.79 bln drams as of September
1, 2008. Besides, the bank took second place by the amount of its
overall liabilities – 91.7 bln drams and was in third place by the
funds attracted from customers – 38.5 bln drams. The director general
of VTB Armenia Bank CJSC Valery Ovsyannikov announced this at the
September 8 press conference.

According to him, in July 2008, Fitch Ratings assigned the bank a
long-term BB+ rating with a stable outlook.

Responding to a question of NT correspondent, V. Ovsyannikov said
that VTB Armenia Bank is one of the leaders among 16 banks forming
VTB Group (Russia) by the following indices: the amount of its assets,
the returns on the invested capital, the growth of profit calculated
based on the invested capital, and the quality of assets.

Hürriyet, Turkey
Sept 6 2008

Security tight for Turkish president in Armenia

Tight security measures were in place in the Armenian capital Saturday
for the first ever visit by a Turkish head of state, aimed at ending
years of animosity between the neighbors.

Turkish President Abdullah Gul plans to hold an historic meeting with
his Armenian counterpart Serzh Sarkisian before attending a World Cup
qualifier between the two nations at Yerevan’s Hrazdan stadium.

Officials said extra measures would be employed on Gul’s route from
the airport and to the match, while media reported that both Turkish
and Armenian snipers would be training their sights across the
stadium.

"Measures have been taken to strengthen security in connection with
Turkish president Gul’s visit to Yerevan, both inside the stadium
where the football match will take place and in the streets where his
convoy will pass," Armenian police spokesman Varuzhan Balian told AFP.

Armenian newspaper Ayots Ashkar reported that the measures included
high levels of cooperation between Armenian and Turkish security
forces.

"From the Turkish side security will be proved by a 50-person team,"
the newspaper wrote.

"Eight Turkish snipers will be positioned within the stadium, along
with Armenian snipers. Bullet-proof glass will be placed in front of
the two presidents and an armoured car has already been prepared for
Gul’s use in Yerevan."