Author: Vorskanian Yeghisabet

More than 250-300 people from Armenian and Diaspora Armenian companies to take part in annual "ArmTech" congress November 5-8 in California’s
SILICONE VALLEY

ARMENPRESS
OCTOBER 22, 2009
YEREVAN

Annual "ArmTech" congress will be organized November 5-8 in
California’s Silicone Valley with the participation of more than
250-300 people from Armenian and Diaspora Armenian companies.

Consultant to the Armenian prime minister Aram Ananyan told Armenpress
that Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan will also participate in the
event. The organization works of the congress are coordinated by
the Armenian Development Agency which has already registered 70
participants from Armenia.

"ArmTech 2009" congress will be conducted under the slogan "Learn
from the Past, Reveal the Future". The event is intended for those
specialists who are interested in unity of global Armenian community
and with the growing technology sphere of Armenia. Representatives
from venture companies are also invited to participate in the event.

"ArmTech" is viewed as a platform where not only dialogue will be
established among world spread Armenians but also interesting contacts
with foreign specialists will be ensured.

The three-day program includes general sessions, reports which refer
to high-tech themes. The speakers will be Armenian prime minister,
officials from US government, specialists of high-tech sphere,
representatives of educational establishments.

ORANGE STARTS OPERATING ON NOVEMBER 5

0 1:01 pm | October 21, 2009

Society

Orange will start its activities in Armenia on November 5 offering
mobile and internet services, the company announced today.

Orange’s subscribers will have phone numbers beginning with the code
055. Phone numbers will soon be available on the company’s website,
and subscribers can choose their future numbers after filling in the
application form on the company’s website.

Starting from November 5, within 15 days, people can obtain a free
pre-registered phone number and become a subscriber of Orange in all
its points of sale.

TURKISH SECURITY COUNCIL DISCUSSED ARMENIA-TURKEY RELATIONS

Information-Analytic Agency NEWS.am
Oct 21 2009
Armenia

October 20, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan participated in
the meeting of Turkish National Security Council representatives. The
officials discussed the recent developments following Armenia-Turkey
Protocols signed October 10 as well as Kurdish issue, Turkish Zaman
daily reports.

According to the daily, Turkish Government stands for the ratification
of the Protocols’ by the parliament. Turkish Foreign Minister
Ahmet Davutoglu briefly presented the Turkey-Armenia relations’
normalization process.

The issues on increased tension between Turkey and Israel were
discussed as well.

PRESIDENT GUL TALKS TO HIS RUSSIAN COUNTERPART ON THE PHONE

PanARMENIAN.Net
20.10.2009 10:58 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Turkish President Abdullah Gul had a telephone
conversation with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Monday. Gul and
Medvedev discussed stability in the Caucasus and peace in the region.

Gul said Russia was the most determinant factor in the region.

Medvedev said Russia would continue to exert efforts for the
restoration of peace.The two presidents also discussed energy
cooperation, Anatolian agency reported.

EU TO ASSIST IN ESTABLISHMENT AND ENHANCEMENT OF FRONTIER INFRASTRUCTURES IN ARMENIA

PanARMENIAN.Net
20.10.2009 14:01 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Visa simplification process between Armenian and EU
countries should continue, NSC Secretary Arthur Baghdasaryan told EU
Consultative Group session in Yerevan. "Armenian citizens currently
have the chance to visit 9 EU countries with diplomatic passports. We
expect the process will continue, given the positive signals from EU,"
he said.

NSC Secretary was also satisfied with EU’s willingness to assist in
establishment and enhancement of Armenia’s frontier infrastructures
which will help strengthen the country’s frontier security. "Armenian
side will advance proposal over the issue in the near future," Arthur
Baghdasaryan said.

TURKISH GOVERNMENT SHOULD BE WARY OF AZERBAIJAN’S INTERESTS: POLITICAL EXPERT

Today.Az
/56681.html
Oct 19 2009
Azerbaijan

Day.Az interview with Azerbaijan political expert and historian
Yunus Oguz.

Day.Az: On Oct. 10., Turkey and Armenia signed protocols on
normalization of relations between countries. How do you see further
developments in the region?

Yunus Oguz: The region has already begun changing. In fact, Azerbaijan,
the Azerbaijani society, as well as by the population of Turkey now
have distrust towards the Turkish government. The population has a
great love for Azerbaijan. In April, a survey was conducted among
population in Turkey, which showed that 94 percent of respondents are
against opening of Turkish-Armenian border. Naturally, the Turkish
government loses most of all in this situation.

If the borders are opened, the relations between Azerbaijan and Turkey,
both in political and economic spheres, will deteriorate.

Azerbaijan in this matter have said its word as the other day
Azerbaijan and Russia signed an agreement on deliveries of Azerbaijani
gas to Russia.

But, on the other hand, there are other values between Azerbaijan and
Turkey. The use of phrase "One nation, two states" in both countries
to this day is not accidental. So, I think that Europe and the
United States that keep Turkey under pressure will eventually have
to abandon it.

Q: Will the parliament of both countries ratify the protocols?

A: I think the Turkish parliament will not ratify the protocols.

Because in 1993 Turkish Grand National Assembly decided to close the
border with Armenia due to the occupation of Azerbaijani territories.

Therefore, before ratification of the protocols signed in Zurich,
the parliament will need to eliminate the 1993 law. It will not be
easy to do this.

With regard to the ratification of the protocols in the Armenian
parliament, I can say that Armenia has already received approval from
Russia, which has its own interests in this regard.

Q: Ddo you think the Armenian-Turkish border will be opened by the
end of the year?

A: I do not believe that the border could be opened before the end of
the year, even if the protocols are ratified. Opening the borders is
a long process. The protocols indicate that preparations shall be held
to open borders within two months following signing of the protocols.

Q: What impact opening of borders may have on resolution of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict?

A: I think that if the borders are opened, it would affect the
settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, since the issue of
Karabakh will remain unresolved for a long time.

Q: Do you think the opening of borders between Turkey and Armenia
could lead to increasing tension in the region?

A: I think that military action in the region is not wanted. Neither
in countries in the region nor in the West. In fact, everything that
is happening now is the U.S. struggle in the region. The United States
interests include is to get Central Asia through Azerbaijan and take
over energy resources in Central Asia.

However, if Armenia does not liberate Azerbaijan’s land, I think
that Azerbaijan could launch military action over its territory,
and it will be fair.

Q: How do you assess the fact that the flag of Azerbaijan was not
allowed to the football match between Armenia and Turkey in Bursa?

A: I think that this situation has played into the hands of
Azerbaijan. The decision to avoid the entry of Azerbaijan flag’s
of to the stadium in Bursa has led to distribution of more than 50,
000 Azerbaijani flags in the Bursa streets. Flags of Azerbaijan and
Turkey were hung from each house. It was a warning to the Turkish
government so that it will be wary of Azerbaijan’s interests.

The scandal with the flag once again showed how people love and support
Azerbaijan in Turkey. This suggests that if the Turkish government
conducts a wrong policy towards Azerbaijan and relations between the
countries deteriorate, they will lose the 2011 election.

Le Monde, France
13 octobre 2009 mardi

L’accord de normalisation entre la Turquie et l’Arm©nie n’efface pas
les crispations

par: Guillaume Perrier

ENCART: Le premier ministre turc, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a r©affirm©
qu’Erevan devra se retirer de la province az©rie du Haut-Karabakh pour
que le texte soit ratifi© par les d©put©s Ankara

Pendant plus de trois heures, samedi 10 octobre, Zurich (Suisse), la
signature de l’accord de normalisation diplomatique entre la Turquie
et l’Arm©nie est rest©e en suspens. Un ultime blocage, c´t© arm©nien,
sur les termes du discours que le ministre turc des affaires
©trang¨res, Ahmet Davutoglu, devait prononcer, a fait planer le doute
sur la c©r©monie.

A la derni¨re minute, la berline d’Hillary Clinton, en route pour
l’universit© de Zurich, a fait demi-tour vers son h´tel. Depuis la
voiture gar©e sur le parking, la secr©taire d’Etat am©ricaine a
multipli© les coups de t©l©phone aux ministres turc et arm©nien pour
trouver un compromis. Une heure plus tard, tout le monde s’est remis
en route pour rejoindre les d©l©gations suisse, russe, fran§aise et
europ©enne, les co-parrains avec les Etats-Unis de cet accord. Apr¨s
un ultime conciliabule d’une heure et demie, et la d©cision de
supprimer les discours, le texte a finalement pu ªtre sign©.

Le premier objectif est d’ouvrir la fronti¨re commune dans un d©lai de
deux mois apr¨s la ratification par les Parlements des deux pays. " Il
y avait des inqui©tudes des deux c´t©s (…). Des questions
d’interpr©tation sur ce qui devait ªtre dit et ne pas ªtre dit ", a
comment© Mme Clinton, dans l’avion qui la conduisait dans la soir©e
Londres, sans davantage pr©ciser les motifs du blocage. " Nous avons
©t© capables de faire comprendre tout le monde qu’il ©tait imp©ratif
d’avancer. – Les deux pays – vont maintenant tous les deux soumettre
l’accord leurs Parlements respectifs. Et ce sera difficile ",
a-t-elle ajout©.

Le chef de la diplomatie turque, Ahmet Davutoglu, a voulu minimiser
l’incident. " Soyez s»rs que, pendant que vous viviez une crise de
trois heures, j’©tais avec ma d©l©gation en train de boire du th©.
Nous ©tions certains que les protocoles allaient ªtre sign©s. Cela
fait partie des n©gociations ", a-t-il r©pondu une cha®ne de
t©l©vision turque.

Selon le journal H¼rriyet, qui a publi© des extraits du discours qui
n’a pas ©t© prononc©, M. Davutoglu souhaitait faire une r©f©rence
explicite la situation au Haut-Karabakh, une province disput©e
d’Azerba¯djan, contr´l©e par l’Arm©nie depuis 1993. C’est pour cette
raison que la fronti¨re avec l’Arm©nie avait ©t© ferm©e par Ankara.
L’Arm©nie tient au contraire disjoindre les deux questions.

D¨s le lendemain de la signature de l’accord turco-arm©nien, le
premier ministre turc, Recep Tayyip Erdogan,
Enhanced Coverage LinkingRecep Tayyip Erdogan, -Search using:
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n’en a pas moins r©affirm© la position de son pays liant l’ouverture
de la fronti¨re turco-arm©nienne un r¨glement du conflit dans le
Haut-Karabakh. Ce qui a raviv© les doutes. " Tant que l’Arm©nie ne se
sera pas retir©e des territoires azerba¯djanais qu’elle occupe, la
Turquie ne pourra pas avoir une attitude positive envers elle ",
a-t-il d©clar© dimanche devant les cadres de son parti, l’AKP. " La
Turquie attend maintenant un geste de la part de l’Arm©nie sur la
question du Haut-Karabakh ", confirme Aybars G¶rg¼l¼, un universitaire
sp©cialiste de la question arm©nienne.

Le chef du gouvernement turc a tent© dans le mªme temps de rassurer
l’Azerba¯djan, pays de souche turque, soutien fid¨le d’Ankara qui
dispose d’alli©s politiques et de relais au sein de l’appareil d’Etat.
Mais Bakou, la capitale, l’accord de Zurich passe mal et entre " en
contradiction frontale avec les int©rªts nationaux de l’Azerba¯djan ",
selon le minist¨re des affaires ©trang¨res. Une entrevue a bien eu
lieu, vendredi 9 octobre, entre Serge Sarkissian et Ilham Aliev, les
pr©sidents arm©nien et azerba¯djanais, mais elle n’a permis aucune
avanc©e.

Le gouvernement turc de M. Erdogan doit faire ratifier le document par
le Parlement. Ce pourrait ªtre plus long que pr©vu, du fait de la
pression des partis nationalistes d’opposition. D¨s dimanche, le
d©put© k©maliste Onur -ymen a d©nonc© une " abdication devant les
pressions ext©rieures ", et a livr© son " inqui©tude pour l’avenir du
pays ".

L’accord est ©galement contest© par une minorit© en Arm©nie. A l’appel
du parti nationaliste Dachnak, plusieurs milliers de personnes ont
d©fil© en fin de semaine dans les rues d’Erevan, la capitale,
r©clamant que la Turquie reconnaisse pr©alablement le g©nocide
arm©nien de 1915. " Compte tenu de l’ignorance qu’il y a en Turquie
sur les ©v©nements de 1915, cela prendra beaucoup de temps avant
qu’une telle r©flexion n’©merge ", note M. G¶rg¼l¼.

President Sargsyan observed the final stage of the `Cooperation 2009′
military exercises

armradio.am
17.10.2009 13:32

The President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan observed at the Maribulak
military training field the final stage of the `Cooperation 2009′
military exercises conducted by the collective Rapid Response Force of
the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). The Military
exercises held in Kazakhstan on October 12-16 were first exercises
conducted after the establishment of Rapid Response Forces. At the
maneuvers in Kazakhstan Armenia was represented by 110 servicemen –
one military unit and line officers.

The exercises were aimed at the development of algorithms for the
interaction of the different divisions of the Rapid Response Force in
threatening situations and in combat, coordination of the activities
between the Joint Chiefs of Staff and military leadership of the host
country, as well as for the study of different tactics applied in
deployment of multinational force.

The CSTO Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Command Staff of the exercises
praised the participation of the Armenian troops in the exercises and
their combat readiness.

The final stage of the `Cooperation 2009′ military exercises was
observed by the Presidents of five CSTO member states – Armenia,
Russia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan.

The Heads of State gave high marks to the results of the exercises and
stressed once again that the establishment of Rapid Response Force
provided new meaning to the CSTO. The decision to establish Rapid
Response Force had been made in December 2008, during the unofficial
summit of the CSTO Heads of State in Borovoy resort, while the final
decision on the establishment of the Force was made in June 2009 in
Moscow, at the conclusion of Armenia’s presidency in the organization.
The primary task of the CSTO Rapid Response Force is to neutralize
aggression or threat of aggression against a country or countries of
the Organization through a rapid deployment of its multinational
troops.

This evening, after the conclusion of the military exercises, the
delegation headed by President Sargsyan returned to Yerevan.

PROTOCOLS CONCORDANT WITH TURKEY’S PRINCIPLES: SAHIN

News.am
14:05 / 10/17/2009

Turkish Parliament Speaker Mehmet Ali Sahin deems that signed
Armenia-Turkey Protocols are concordant to Turkey’s principles,
Turkish Haber8 website reports.

Mehmet Ali Sahin visited the levee in Artvin (Turkey). Answering the
journalists’ questions, Sahin said, "If you live in the same house
and have problems with neighbors, peace cannot be maintained in your
apartment. This formula is also applicable to the states. If we wish
to establish peace in the region, we are obliged to settle problems
with our neighbors. Then he quoted Kemal Ataturk, "I consider that
steps undertaken by our authorities are entirely concordant to the
philosophy of the establishment of the Republic of Turkey," Sahin said,
adding that Turkey’s international reputation is increasing.

According to him, "it gives ground for pride."

PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
October 16, 2009
Contact: Michael A. Zachariades
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (202) 393-3434

ARMENIAN ASSEMBLY SPEAKS TO AMERICAN MEDIA ON THE PROTOCOLS

Washington, DC – As Armenia proceeded in signing two historic protocols
with Turkey, the Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly) has been
intensely involved in communicating with the media, both in the U.S. and
abroad, about its position, concerns and readiness to support Armenia
and her people, as well as its expectations from Turkey.

As reported by the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), the signing of the
protocols is a step toward normalization of relations between Armenia
and Turkey. In an interview with WSJ, Assembly Board Member Anthony
Barsamian said that "This will test the courage of Turkey and whether
they are sincere about the process. We expect the border to open without
any preconditions."

The New York Times (NYT) highlighted that the most influential,
non-partisan expatriate groups in the United States – "including the
Western and Eastern Dioceses of the Armenian Church, the Armenian
General Benevolent Union (AGBU), the Knights of Vartan and the Armenian
Assembly of America" – support normalization of relations without
preconditions. Given Turkey’s conduct, including ongoing denial of the
Armenian Genocide, many are naturally skeptical, but believe that this
process represents an important step.

In referencing the joint statement issued on October 1, 2009, by these
groups, the NYT reported that "any easing of tension between Turkey and
Armenia was bound to be fragile" and that "many Armenians insist that
ties should not be normalized until Turkey acknowledges that the killing
of more than one million Armenians at the end of World War I constituted
genocide… [T]he [Turkish] government has supported prosecution of
Turks who have spoken out about the issue."

The Assembly has made it clear, through numerous statements, press
releases and letters to President Barack Obama and his administration,
that it supports the process of normalizing relations between Armenia
and Turkey without preconditions. The Assembly has also insisted that
the rapprochement process should not be confused or entangled with
ongoing efforts to ensure that the United States government reaffirms
the historical fact of the Armenian Genocide.

Assembly Executive Director Bryan Ardouny told The Hill, a congressional
newspaper, that "We are still going to be working with members of
Congress to push forward with the affirmation. Nothing has changed in
that regard. It is still an important objective in its own right,"
adding that "It shouldn’t be that the affirmation of the Armenian
genocide be held hostage to the normalization of relations."

In an open letter released on October 9, supporting Armenia’s President
Serzh Sargsyan’s policy of normalizing relations without preconditions,
signatories Charles Aznavour-Paris; Artur Chilingarov-Moscow; Eduardo
Eurnekian-Buenos Aires; Hirair Hovnanian-Washington, DC; Jean
Jansem-Paris; Armen Jigarkhanian-Moscow; Vache Manoukian-London; Berge
Setrakian-New York City; Serge Tchuruk-Paris; Alain Terzian-Paris and
Ruben Vardanian-Moscow exclaimed that "this process does not mean to
forget the past and to question the fact and the importance of the
recognition of the Armenian Genocide." The letter also called on "all
our compatriots in Armenia and Diaspora to assist this process in all
possible ways."

On Saturday, October 10, 2009, representatives of Armenia and Turkey
signed the historic protocols amid a tense diplomatic situation. The
signing ceremony, in the presence of Swiss Foreign Minister Micheline
Calmy-Rey, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, French Foreign
Minister Bernard Kouchner, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, EU
Foreign Policy Chief Javier Solana, Armenia’s Ambassador to Switzerland
Charles Aznavour and Turkey’s Ambassador to Switzerland Oguz Demiral,
Slovenia’s Foreign Minister, Chair of CoE Committee of Ministers Samuel
Zbogar, was delayed just an hour before it was due to start because of a
disagreement over the wording of Turkey’s post signing statement.

Less than 24 hours after the signing, Turkey’s Prime Minister Tayyip
Erdogan said that Turkey would not open the border with Armenia until
the Nagorno Karabakh conflict is resolved. The Armenian Government has
repeatedly stated that Nagorno Karabakh is not part of the protocol
process and that the Armenian Genocide is not subject to debate.

This position is reinforced by the AGBU, Eastern and Western Dioceses of
the Armenian Church, Knights of Vartan and the Assembly. All five
institutions have made it clear that as this process unfolds there
should be no question that we will continue to stand firmly with the
Nagorno Karabakh Republic to ensure its freedoms and security, as well
as with all those working for universal affirmation of the Armenian
Genocide.

Established in 1972, the Armenian Assembly of America is the largest
Washington-based nationwide organization promoting public understanding
and awareness of Armenian issues. The Assembly is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt
membership organization.

###

NR#2009-072

Editor’s Note: Links to articles, joint statement, letter and open
letter attached.

Articles –

Wall Street Journal
42877259.html

New York Times
pe/11armenia.html?_r=1

The Hill
despite-armenia-turkey-norm
alization-lobbying-bat tle-over-genocide-resolution-to-go-on

Joint Statement –

Joint Letter –

9/Joint_letter_to_Preside
nt_Obama.pdf

Open Letter –

er