Turkey wants to see positive signs before border is opened

At a seminar held today in Yerevan of Armenian journalists and representatives of Turkish educational and civil structures, Behlul Ozkan, an instructor of foreign relations at Istanbul’s Bogazici University, stated that there would be no progress in Armenian-Turkish relations without positive developments on the Karabakh front.

“One must understand, he said, that Armenian-Turkish relations cannot be independently viewed from Armenian-Azerbaijani relations, because Baku is an ally of Turkey in the south Caucasus.” He added that there were millions of people in Turkey who viewed Azerbaijan as a related nation and had quite friendly feelings towards it. »»»»»

On September 5, the RoA National Assembly will debate a resolution on the recognition of the NKR by Armenia. Hetq caught up with MP Hakob Hakobyan, a member of the ruling Republican Party faction and Chair of the Standing Committee on Social Affairs.

Try as we might, we couldn’t get MP Hakobyan to state categorically whether he would vote for recognising the NKR or not. What follows is the give and take that occurred. »»»»»

By Harout Sassounian,

The State Department has acted negligently and possibly in contempt of Congress by withholding assistance that it had expressly allocated to Nagorno Karabagh (Artsakh) during the past 12 years. The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) revealed last week that the State Department only spent about half of the amount allocated by Congress to Artsakh. »»»»»

The Georgian authorities have arrested Hamlet Adamyan, a RoA citizen, after a lengthy investigation revealed that he had entered Georgia via Russia back October, 2008.

Adamyan was taken into custody in the Mtskheta-Mtianeti region. Russia had closed its border with Georgia in 2007 and opened border crossings in the regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. “Gruzyia Online” reports that Armenian citizens often enter Georgia via the “occupied territories” and then make their way to other areas of Georgia Adamyan faces up to 5 years in jail and a hefty fine for violating Georgian border regulations.

The New National Conservative Movement will hold its first congress on September 10 ate the Erebuni Hotel in Yerevan.

The congress will issue a declaration defining the organizational and political tasks that the Movement will undertake to register as a political party in Armenia.

During a working visit to the NKR on August 29, RoA President Serzh Sargsyan visited the new Public School 11 in the capital of Stepanakert. There he fielded questions from the teachers. One asked about the Azerbaijani resolution to be presented to the United Nations about Karabakh.

Q – Today, the NKR is developing daily. We are building the country with our own hands. But Azerbaijan today constantly strives to present resolutions in the United Nations and other world bodies that distort the truth about the NKR. How long will Baku continue on this course and don’t they understand that this is another republic that is no longer tied to Azerbaijan?

A – You should ask this of Aliyev. All I can speak about is what Armenia is doing and what the policy is of a large segment of the Armenian people. »»»»»

Lieutenant-General Frangos Frangulis, Chief of General Staff of Greece’s Land Forces, lead a high ranking delegation to Armenia on August 23-25.

On August 24, Colonel-General Yuri Khachaturov, Chief of the RoA General Staff, welcomed the visiting guests and the two sides discussed military and political developments in the region and ways to expand bilateral military cooperation. »»»»»

By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier

In recent years, Armenian-Americans have filed several lawsuits in U.S. courts against insurance companies, banks, and the Republic of Turkey, seeking compensation for losses stemming from the Genocide of 1915. »»»»»

At a press conference held earlier today, Karapet Rubinyan, a former Deputy Speaker of the RoA National Assembly, said that the sale of C-300 antimissile defense systems to Azerbaijan by Russia can be construed as an outright anti-Armenian move.

“Such a move turns Azerbaijan, our enemy, inviolable and frees its hand when striking at Armenia and Karabakh. In response, if Russia assumes the security of Armenia, that of Karabakh remains an open question,” Mr. Rubinyan noted. »»»»»

Aleksandr Manasyan, who heads the Political Reserach Academy NGO in Yerevan, said that the country should not place all its hope on agreements signed over the weekend with Russia in terms of Armenia’s future security.

“I also support the maintenance of ties to NATO, for instance,” he said, adding that will it was good that Russia has promised to update and refurnish Armenia’s military production facilities, he doesn’t want to see Armenia turned into a mere source of materials for Russia. »»»»»

Political commentator Hrant Ter-Abrahamyan today called the extension of the contract for the Russian military base in Armenia a national disgrace that signaled the formal end of Armenia’s independence.

The Armenian government has approved a measure calling for the base to remain in Gyumri for 49 years instead of the currently agreed upon 25 years. “When another nation becomes the security guarantor of another, it means that the country in question enjoys no security. It is up to the guarantor to decide the other’s security,” Mr. Ter-Abrahamyan noted. »»»»»

At a press conference held earlier today, Sergey Minasyan, Deputy Director of the Caucasus Institute, argues that the military balance between Armenia and Azerbaijan wouldn’t be directly affected if Russia were to sell S-300 antimissile systems to Baku, since Armenia has no military air force.

He did say that Baku however would be able to destroy Armenian Scud missiles that are capable of striking the Azerbaijani capital of Baku and other strategic energy-related sites deep within the country. »»»»»

President Serzh Sargsyan today met with Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) Secretary General Nikolay Bordyuzha.

Issues concerning cooperation within the parameters of CSTO and the CSTO non-official Summit to take place from 20 to 22 August in Armenia have been discussed. »»»»»

Ever since the Genocide, after nearly a century of banning Armenian church services, the Turkish government has finally decided to allow a one-time celebration of Mass to be held at the 10th Century Holy Cross Church on Akhtamar Island.

Questions have been raised about the prudence of attending the Sept. 19 church services to which the Turkish government has invited Armenians from around the world, members of the international media and foreign Ambassadors and dignitaries. »»»»»

Republican Party parliamentary faction Secretary Edvard Sharmazanov said today that Armenia shouldn’t sit idly by while Azerbaijan continues to increase its military spending. The ruling party spokesman used this argument, and pointed to continued bellicose statements coming out of Baku, for the need to increase the contract for the Russian military base in Armenia till the year 2044.

“Not only is the extension of the term important but the fact that the base will be assuming new functions and will be reequipped with modern technology and equipment. This will insure the inviolability of Armenia’s security,” Mr. Sharmazanov stated. He added that Azerbaijan would never dare to resume military operations against the people of Karabakh. I’ve said it before, even if Baku ever entertains such an idea, the Karabakh army will march all the way to the natural border of the Armenia plateau, the confluence of the Kur and Araks Rivers.”