Spezzatura

YEREVAN (Combined Sources)--Armenia and Turkey said on Wednesday night that they have agreed on a “roadmap” for normalizing bilateral relations after an almost year of intensive negotiations mediated by Switzerland. It remained unclear, however, whether they will establish diplomatic relations and open their border anytime soon. “The two parties have achieved tangible progress and mutual understanding in this process and they have agreed on a comprehensive framework for the normalization of their bilateral relations in a mutually satisfactory manner,” the Armenian and Turkish foreign ministries said in a joint statement. “In this context, a road-map has been identified.” “This agreed basis provides a positive prospect for the on-going process,” the statement said. It did not specify whether that process can be completed before a resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. At the Expense National Interests The Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) on Thursday strongly condemned the agreement announced by Ankara and Yerevan and said it could pull out of Armenia's governing coalition in protest. “It is absolutely unacceptable for us that relations with Turkey be normalized at the expense of Armenia's sovereignty, the viability of its existence, or the national and state rights of future Armenian generations, the ARF said in a statement. “Being committed to these principles, we regard as unacceptable and condemnable the signing by Armenia's Foreign Ministry on April 22 of a joint statement with Turkey.” The influential party has declared time and again, that good-neighborly relations between the two countries can only be established after the recognition by Turkey of the Armenian Genocide and the restoration of the rights of the Armenian people. Turkey Maintains Preconditions Before the statement was officially released, the Associated Press quoted a senior Turkish government official as saying that the agreement does not mean Turkey is ready to open the Turkish-Armenian border, closed in 1993. "It is out of question," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. "We don't want to make any further comment than what is said in the statement,” a Turkish Foreign Ministry source told Reuters. “We will continue with our policy of silent diplomacy. The time has not come yet to make announcements on specifics nor on timelines." The Armenian Foreign Ministry also declined to provide clarifications. A ministry spokesman, Tigran Balayan, said only that the roadmap includes “steps to be taken” by the two governments. The Azerbaijan Factor Turkish leaders have repeatedly stated this month that Turkish-Armenian relations will not be normalized until the Karabakh conflict is resolved in Azerbaijan's favor. Baku had earlier in April warned Ankara against normalizing ties with Yerevan before a Karabakh settlement. Azerbaijan expressed hope on Thursday that Ankara will stick to this precondition. “It is the sovereign right of every state to determine its relations with other countries,” Elkhan Polukhov, a spokesman for the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry, told Day.az, commenting on the Turkish-Armenian statement. “Nonetheless, Azerbaijan believes that the process of normalizing relations between Armenia and Turkey should run parallel to the withdrawal of Armenian armed forces from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan.” Turkish President Abdullah Gul also called his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev on Thursday to discuss the normalization of relations between Turkey and Armenia, Gul's office said in a written statement. "Today's talks were a continuation of consultations between the two heads of state in the recent weeks and confirmed the traditional understanding, solidarity and close cooperation between Turkey and Azerbaijan that contributes to the stability and welfare of the region," the statement also said. The US Welcomes The United States swiftly welcomed the agreement announced by the two troubled neighbors. “It has long been and remains the position of the United States that normalization should take place without preconditions and within a reasonable timeframe," U.S. State Department spokesman Robert Wood said in a statement. “We urge Armenia and Turkey to proceed according to the agreed framework and roadmap,” Wood said. “We look forward to working with both governments in support of normalization, and thus promote peace, security and stability in the whole region." U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton likewise reaffirmed Washington's strong support for the Turkish-Armenian dialogue when she spoke at the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee earlier on Wednesday. “The Turkish and Armenian governments have sought U.S. support and encouragement of their reconciliation efforts,” she said. “And following that request, both the president and I have supported them fully.” Clinton also implied that the U.S. is trying to neutralize the strong Azerbaijani objections to the Turkish-Armenian rapprochement by intensifying its efforts to broker a solution to the Karabakh conflict. “We've sent a State Department official to Azerbaijan, I think two times in the last three weeks, and we hope that there will be some resolution in the next months,” she said. Reactions in Armenia Several thousand protesters took to the streets in Yerevan on Thursday to protest the announcement by Yerevan and Ankara, condemning the move as a betrayal of national interests. The demonstrations came during an annual march through the capital holding flaming torches on the eve of the national commemoration of the Armenian Genocide. Protesters carried banners calling for "Recognition, Restitution, Remembrance." Others read: "1.5 million deaths will never be forgiven." Timing of Announcement The agreement was made public just two days before Armenia and its worldwide Diaspora will mark 94th anniversary of the start of the Armenian Genocide. US President Obama, as a Senator and a candidate for the Presidency, spoke forcefully, clearly, and repeatedly in support of U.S. recognition of the Armenian Genocide, frequently criticizing then- President Bush for failing to properly characterize and commemorate this crime while in the White House. He is expected to offer his first April 24th statement, a White House tradition, this Friday. Ankara has made no secret of its hopes that the dramatic rapprochement with Yerevan will deter U.S. President Barack Obama from reaffirming the US record on the Armenian Genocide in his April 24 address to the Armenian-American community. Last December, the ARF urged Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian to exercise caution in this process, saying that the Turks are exploiting it to scuttle greater international recognition of the Armenian genocide. Obama is facing mounting pressure from the influential Armenian-American community and its members of the U.S. Congress to honor his election campaign pledge to recognize, in his present capacity, the first genocide of the 20th century. Among those lawmakers are Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the House of Representatives, and Steny Hoyer, the House majority leader. "It is long past the time for the United States to formally recognize the Armenian Genocide," Pelosi was reported to say on Wednesday during a genocide remembrance ceremony on Capitol Hill attended by dozens of her colleagues. Pelosi urged Armenian-American groups to step up their grassroots campaign for the passage of a draft genocide resolution introduced in Congress last month. “We can do any amount of inside maneuvering in the Congress and Washington, but what is important is the outside mobilization to bring to bear the voices of people across America," she said, according to the Armenian National Committee of America. The Obama administration has not reacted to the bill yet. Visiting Turkey earlier this month, President Obama made clear his position on the Genocide had not changed. "My views are on the record and I have not changed views,” he said during a joint press conference with Gul. The President also referenced the Armenian Genocide in his speech to the Turkish Parliament where he stated, “History, unresolved, can be a heavy weight. Each country must work through its past. And reckoning with the past can help us seize a better future.” ссылка

В Армении традиционно сожгли флаг Турции В Ереване прошло традиционное факельное шествие с сожжением турецкого флага, сообщает 23 апреля издание Armenia Today. Ежегодное шествие, организатором которого является молодежное крыло Армянской революционной федерации "Дашнакцутюн", посвящено памяти жертв геноцида армян в Османской империи. Мероприятие всегда начинается с сожжения турецкого флага. 22 апреля Турция и Армения разработали план нормализации двухсторонних отношений. По неофициальным данным, в связи с этим власти запретили членам молодежного крыла "Дашнакцутюн" в этом году сжигать флаг Турции. Однако активисты движения нарушили данный запрет. Агентство "Новости-Армения" сообщает, что партия "Дашнакцутюн" выступила с официальным заявлением, в котором ставит под сомнение договоренности, достигнутые 22 апреля. "Дашнакцутюн неоднократно заявлял, что добрососедские отношения между двумя странами возможны посредством признания Турцией Геноцида армян и восстановления прав армянского народа", - говорится в документе. "Дашнакцутюн" угрожает в знак протеста против соглашения с Турцией выйти из правящей коалиции. Граница между Турцией и Арменией с 1993 года закрыта, дипломатические отношения между странами отсутствуют. Армения безуспешно пытается добиться от Турции признания геноцида армян, произошедшего в Османской империи в 1915 году. Турция, в свою очередь, выразила солидарность с Азербайджаном во время армяно-азербайджанского конфликта в Нагорном Карабахе. ссылка

US and EU hail Turkey-Armenia breakthrough The US and the European Commission on Thursday hailed a breakthrough between Turkey and Armenia that could end one of the most intractable disputes left from the collapse of the Soviet Union, but also called for sustained political effort to break the deadlock. The agreement sets out a road map for the neighbours to normalise relations “in a mutually satisfactory manner”, according to a statement by their foreign ministries and Swiss mediators. The two sides have for months worked on a deal to restore diplomatic relations and open the shared border, which Turkey closed in 1993 to support its ally Azerbaijan, which was in conflict with Armenia over the disputed enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh. The US hailed the deal, while the Commission said: “We welcome the progress in the normalisation of relations between Turkey and Armenia. The Commission supports both countries’ diplomatic efforts towards full normalisation of bilateral relations.” A senior US official said: “This is a big deal, although it’s still fragile and the governments have to carry it out . . . Both have held firm and deserve credit.” The agreement could help to avert a serious clash between Washington and Ankara, with Barack Obama due today to issue the US president’s annual message commemorating the 1915 massacres of up to 1.5m Armenians on Ottoman soil. Mr Obama promised during his presidential campaign to recognise the killings as genocide but said on a visit to Turkey this month that he wanted to focus on the ­normalisation of Turkish-­Armenian ties. That commitment to normalising relations gives him leeway to avoid terming the killings genocide, a step Turkey warned would jeopardise the bilateral talks as well as relations with Washington. But Wednesday’s statement gave no clues on the terms of the agreement, nor to how quickly it might be implemented. Turkey and Armenia have yet to decide on the structure of a new committee to address the issue of the 1915 massacres. It is not clear how closely further progress would be linked to resolution of the conflict over Nagorno-Karabagh. Serzh Sargsyan, president of Armenia, told the Financial Times this month that he viewed the warming of relations with Turkey as the “greatest achievement of his presidency”. But Azerbaijan, which insists the border remains closed, raised the pressure on Turkey over the past week, visiting Moscow and suggesting any betrayal by its ally could affect future sales of its gas. Armenia says the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute is not on the agenda with Turkey – but Turkish ministers, despite arguments with Azerbaijan over energy pricing and transit terms, insist that normalisation can proceed only in tandem with a resolution over the region. ссылка

Skirting Thorniest Issues, Turkey and Armenia Move to Ease Tensions ISTANBUL — Turkey and Armenia have agreed to a framework for improving their strained relations, the two countries said in a statement this week, apparently in the first break-through in diplomacy in more than a decade. Turkey closed its border with Armenia in 1993, to support its ally, Azerbaijan, which was fighting Armenian-backed separatists in the Nagorno-Karabakh region. But relations have long been tense: Turkey does not recognize the mass killings of more than a million Ottoman Armenians in 1915 as genocide, something Armenia has long campaigned for. The agreement, which was issued by Turkey’s Foreign Ministry in a short statement late Wednesday, came on the eve of the Armenians’ annual commemoration of the genocide. It provided no details on how the two countries would move forward, stating simply that they “had achieved tangible progress and mutual understanding” and that “a road map has been identified.” Switzerland has been the mediator, the statement said. Tigran Balayan, the spokesperson for Armenia’s Foreign Ministry, confirmed by telephone from Yerevan, the country’s capital, that the statement had been issued by Armenia, too. Armenian authorities have said the negotiations have not yet taken on the two thorniest issues in bilateral relations — Nagorno-Karabakh and the genocide. The statement’s timing seemed calculated to dampen enthusiasm in the United States for passing a resolution in Congress to recognize the Armenian killings as genocide. In a trip to Turkey this month, President Obama praised the two countries’ efforts to overcome their differences and refrained from using the word “genocide” when pressed to reiterate his position on the matter. “I’m not interested in the U.S. tilting these negotiations one way or another while they are having a useful discussion,” he said. American presidential administrations typically oppose the passage of such a resolution, because it would anger Turkey. The House of Representatives came close to voting on a genocide bill in 2007, but Turkey, a NATO member and an ally in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, vehemently protested, and the vote never came to the floor. Niyazi Oktem, a law professor at Bilgi University in Istanbul, said the statement appeared to be aimed at supporting Mr. Obama’s position to give dialogue a chance. “This statement gives the Obama administration a tool to show that there are progressive steps made toward the resolution of the conflict between Armenia and Turkey,” Mr. Oktem said. It was also a trial balloon for the populations of both countries, which are deeply committed to their own national narratives and may oppose a reconciliation. Allegiances in the region are complicated: The thaw between Armenia and Turkey, however slight, has worried Azerbaijan, whose bitter feud with Armenia has not abated. Among the measures widely reported to be under consideration by Armenian and Turkish negotiators is opening the border between the countries to allow trade, something Azerbaijan would see as a betrayal. On Thursday, Reuters quoted the Azeri Foreign Ministry spokesman, Elkhan Polukhov, as saying that “opening the border could lead to tensions in the region and would be contradictory to the interests of Azerbaijan.” ссылка

‘Genocide' recognition long overdue in US, says Pelosi US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has backed Armenian efforts to get the US administration to recognize Armenian genocide claims, saying the recognition was long overdue. "It is long past the time for the United States to formally recognize the Armenian genocide," Pelosi said in an address during a Capitol Hill gathering devoted to US recognition of the genocide charges. The meeting was organized by the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues, with caucus co-chairmen Rep. Frank Pallone and Rep. Mark Kirk presiding over the gathering. Participants also included Rep. Adam Schiff, a co-sponsor of a resolution in the US Congress calling for presidential recognition of the genocide claims, and the Armenian ambassador to the US, Tatul Markarian. Pelosi has backed a similar resolution in the past but it wasn't able to make it to the House floor under pressure from the George W. Bush administration, which was concerned with maintaining good ties with Turkey. The number of Democratic and Republican congressmen backing the latest resolution has crossed the threshold of 100, the Armenian Assembly of America, an American-Armenian group, announced on Wednesday. ссылка

Border deal done, details to follow ANKARA - In the 11th hour before the US president decides what vocabulary to employ in recognizing history, Turkey has agreed with Armenia on which route to take toward reconciliation in the hope of staving off the word ’genocide.’ But the road before them presents its own set of obstacles, not least of which is how Turkey finds a way to keep Azerbaijan onside In a historic move, neighbors Turkey and Armenia have announced an agreement on a framework to normalize ties, which could see the establishment of diplomatic relations and a reopening of the border. "The two parties have achieved tangible progress and mutual understanding and they have agreed on a comprehensive framework for the normalization of their bilateral relations in a mutually satisfactory manner," read the statement released late Wednesday. It also said both parties had determined a road map to reach this end. Coming just before April 24 Ğ the day that commemorates the mass killings of Armenians in 1915 Ğ the statement is an attempt to prevent U.S. President Barack Obama from declaring the word "genocide" today in a presidential statement about the World War I-era events. Ankara has so far denied that an accord will be signed with Armenia amid growing uneasiness in Azerbaijan. Squeezed between Azerbaijani reactions and U.S pressure for some announcement of concrete steps to free the hand of President Obama, Ankara found a "middle-way formula" after a three- hour meeting between Prime Minister Tayyip Erdoğan and Foreign Minister Ali Babacan and several phone conversations with officials from related countries. Instead of signing and announcing a draft protocol with Armenia, which has been on the table since March, Ankara only preferred to announce its willingness to sign after the accomplishment of the so-called "road map." What is now expected in Ankara is that Obama will refer to this breakthrough in ongoing reconciliation talks in his statement and will refrain from declaring the events of 1915 genocide, despite his personal convictions to the contrary. Some aspects have drawn notable attention: First, for the first time, Switzerland is mentioned as the official mediator between Turkey and Armenia. Actually Turkey and Switzerland have had bitter moments in the past due to the decision by Bern, and several other Swiss cantons, to formally recognize the 1915 events as genocide. In the past, Turkish diplomats have tried to downplay the Swiss role in the process, saying: "Bern was just providing logistics to the parties to conduct their meetings away from the public eye." But what it seems now is that Switzerland has played an important role in the reconciliation talks. Secondly, the statement once again sets the purpose of the talks: the normalization of ties, good neighborly relations, mutual respect and the promotion of peace, security and stability in the entire region. This target completely overlaps with Turkey’s efforts to establish regional initiatives, such as the Caucasus Cooperation and Stability Platform, in which all regional countries would be involved, including Azerbaijan and Georgia. This could also be seen as Turkey’s intention to refer to expectations for a solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh issue as a parallel and binding process to the bilateral Turkish-Armenian efforts. Third, the statement informs the public on the current situation of secret talks. It says that the talks produced "concrete progress and mutual understanding." Furthermore, it also explains that the parties have agreed "on a comprehensive framework for the normalization of bilateral ties in a way that will satisfy both sides." Which means that "the satisfaction of both sides" will be the main pre-condition in future talks. The fourth is the introduction of a new concept with regard the Turkish-Armenian reconciliation process: the road map. Fifth, the joint statement suggests that both parties are optimistic about the ongoing talks, saying: "The progress achieved so far provides a positive perspective for the ongoing process." Number of commissions Finally, the statement, which was posted on the Web site of the Turkish Foreign Ministry, does not reveal it was a joint statement of Turkey, Armenia and Switzerland. While it looked like a unilateral Turkish statement, the same statement posted on the Armenian Foreign Ministry’s web site clearly said it was made jointly. Of these six aspects, the agreed framework and road map are considered key parts of the process that will determine future ties between Turkey and Armenia. With regard to the framework, it was already reported that the two countries had agreed to establish a number of commissions. Each commission will be tasked with a different aspect of building ties, for example a joint history commission will look into the events of 1915; a joint trade and economy commission will draft a plan to boost economic ties; a joint border commission will talk about the details and technicalities of opening the border; and another commission will outline the procedures of establishing relations between the two countries. However, emphasizing that the implementation process of this framework will be decided according to the road map the details of which are not yet known proves that "there is still a road to travel." Apparently, one of the most important points on the road map is the Nagorno-Karabakh region, which has been the scene of conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan since the early 1990s. Without a direct reference to the dispute, mention of a road map touches perfectly on it in a way to ease the concerns of Baku, Turkey’s traditional ally. As stated many times by top Turkish officials, the normalization of relations and reopening of the border with Armenia. ссылка

Turkey declares Armenia deal at eleventh hour, Baku uneasy Just a day before eyes turn to Washington to see if President Barack Obama will use the word “genocide” in a traditional presidential statement released every April 24, Turkey announced that it had reached an agreement with Armenia on a roadmap for normalizing relations, drawing praise from the United States and deepening concerns in Azerbaijan. Turkey and Armenia have been holding closed-door talks for more than a year on ways to restore diplomatic relations and open their mutual border, closed by Turkey in 1993 in protest of the Armenian occupation of Azerbaijani territory during a war over the Nagorno-Karabakh region. The dispute is further complicated by Armenian claims of genocide at the hands of the Ottoman Empire at the time of World War I, a charge denied by Turkey. US President Obama, who pledged to recognize the genocide claims during his election campaign, is now under pressure to use the g-word in his April 24 statement but earlier signaled he won’t because he did not want to harm the reconciliation process between Turkey and Armenia. “The two parties have achieved tangible progress and mutual understanding in this process, and they have agreed on a comprehensive framework for the normalization of their bilateral relations,” the Turkish Foreign Ministry said late on Wednesday. The statement also confirmed that Switzerland, which has been hosting the closed-door talks, was acting as mediator in the process. Armenians across the world hold commemorative services to remember what they say was the beginning of a systematic genocide campaign. US presidents traditionally release commemorative statements, but they have avoided using the word genocide. Obama avoided the word when he addressed Turkish lawmakers during a visit to Turkey earlier this month. But he said, in response to a question, that he had not changed his views on the question. The accord was announced hours after US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton praised what she described as bold reconciliation efforts between Turkey and Armenia. Following the statement from the Turkish Foreign Ministry, State Department spokesman Robert A. Wood said the United States welcomed the agreement. "It has long been and remains the position of the United States that normalization should take place without preconditions and within a reasonable timeframe," he said. Wood added that the US would work "with both governments in support of normalization, and thus promote peace, security and stability in the whole region." "We urge Armenia and Turkey to proceed according to the agreed framework and roadmap," Wood said in a statement. But Azerbaijan, which fears normalization of relations between Turkey and Armenia would mean loss of key leverage against Yerevan in its dispute over Nagorno-Karabakh, reacted to the announcement of progress in the Turkey-Armenia talks with concern. "The opening of the Armenian-Turkish border cannot take place without a process to resolve the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh," Azeri Foreign Ministry spokesman Elkhan Polukhov said on Thursday. "Opening the border could lead to tensions in the region and would be contradictory to the interests of Azerbaijan." He also said it was "too early" to discuss what steps Azerbaijan might take in retaliation. Azerbaijan, a major natural gas and oil supplier for the West, is Europe's key hope for supplying gas for the proposed Nabucco pipeline that would run through Turkey and reduce Europe's energy dependence on Russia. Diplomats fear Baku could reject European overtures and instead sell the gas from phase two of its Shah Deniz field -- due to come online by 2014 -- to Russia for re-export. Polukhov earlier told Azeri news Web site Day.az that Armenian troops should be withdrawn from Nagorno-Karabakh "in parallel" with the normalization of relations between Ankara and Yerevan. Since Armenia is landlocked and its border with Azerbaijan is also closed, the Turkish frontier is of key importance for trade routes to the West. Clinton said in her address to the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the US House of Representatives that the United States had assured Azerbaijan it would intensify efforts to resolve the dispute. A group of international mediators have been working for resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute, but no progress has been reported so far in what diplomats describe as a frozen conflict in the Caucasus. A senior Western diplomat, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said he did not expect Azerbaijan to renege on its existing energy contracts but added: "But in terms of ongoing negotiations on Shaz Deniz II for example, then there I think the Azeris will have a very different perspective and keep doors open that were not very likely or not very attractive to the Azeris previously." Last month, Azeri state energy firm Socar signed a memorandum with Russian gas export monopoly Gazprom to start talks on Russia buying Azeri gas from 2010 for export to Europe. Reconciliation with Armenia is a difficult step for the Turkish government, which faces criticism from nationalists over the way it handled Turkey's relations with Azerbaijan. Ankara has long said normalization in relations with Armenia depends on Armenia's withdrawal from Nagorno-Karabakh, a change in Yerevan's policy regarding international recognition of genocide claims and its formal recognition of the border. Analysts say Wednesday night's announcement is a sign that Turkey is revising this policy, although Turkish officials have said Turkey wants its talks with Armenia to advance in parallel with negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed territory controlled by Armenia. Armenia says 1.5 million Armenians were slain by Ottoman Turks around the time of World War I in what Armenians and several other nations recognize as the first genocide of the 20th century. Turkey vehemently rejects the allegation. ссылка

Армяне в дальнем зарубежье сами кому хош проблемы создадут. Только попроси. Спросите у турков если сомневаетесь... А вот армяне в матушке Рассее должны глаза открытыми держать !

Пока закончится лизинг гюмринской базы, у меня "помидоры" успеют поседеть. Кстати после ухода с Южного Кавказа, для них следующей остановкой будет уход и с Кавказа Cеверного. Беда в том что этот ваакум заполнят собой алтайские чебуреки.

Turkey, Armenia Agree on ‘Road Map’ for Normalizing Relations By Michael Heath April 23 (Bloomberg) -- Turkey and Armenia agreed on a “road map” to normalize relations, the Foreign Ministry in Ankara said after reconciliation talks between the neighbors who share a bloody history and whose border is shut. The negotiations, mediated by Switzerland, “have achieved tangible progress and mutual understanding,” the ministry said in a statement late yesterday. The announcement came as Armenia marks the anniversary of the alleged genocide in 1915 of 1.5 million of its people by Turks in ceremonies tomorrow. Efforts at reconciliation between the two nations have gathered momentum since President Abdullah Gul traveled to Armenia’s capital, Yerevan, in September, the first visit to the country by a Turkish head of state. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said yesterday she was “very encouraged by the bold steps” being taken by Turkey and Armenia to reconcile with each other and with their “painful past.” Steps toward “normalizing relations and opening their borders will foster a better environment for confronting that shared, tragic history,” Clinton said in comments to the House Foreign Affairs Committee in Washington. The government in Yerevan has accused Turkey of genocide against Armenians in the latter years of the Ottoman Empire, which preceded modern Turkey. The Turkish government says massacres took place in the context of clashes that related to Armenian groups supporting Russia against Turkey during World War I. Ottoman Archives Turkish officials insist the killings weren’t orchestrated by the Ottoman government and Gul has proposed opening Ottoman archives to international scholars to try to resolve the dispute. The French parliament supported the Armenian view that the killings amounted to genocide. The lower house of parliament approved a resolution in 2006 making it a crime to deny that genocide was carried out against Armenians living in what is now Turkey in 1915. The U.S. says declaring the killings as genocide would hurt relations with an important ally. Ties have been further strained by a conflict between Armenia and Turkey’s ally, Azerbaijan. While Turkey recognized Armenia’s independence in December 1991 as the Soviet Union collapsed, it shut the frontier in 1993 to protest the government in Yerevan’s support for ethnic Armenians in the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave in their fight for independence from Azerbaijan. A cease-fire has held since 1994. Road Map The Foreign Ministry said Turkey and Armenia “have agreed on a comprehensive framework for the normalization of their bilateral relations in a mutually satisfactory manner,” according to the statement on its Web site. “In this context, a road map has been identified.” Most Armenians oppose their government’s efforts to improve relations with Turkey, the Istanbul-based Hurriyet newspaper reported a week ago, citing a survey by the Ararat Stratejik Merkezi research center. Sixty-one percent of respondents to the poll said they were against closer ties with Turkey, Hurriyet said. Only 11 percent said they support the government’s current policy, the newspaper reported, without giving further details of the study. ссылка

Любителя халявной лянкяранской икры товагища Венидиктова в какой синагоге отрыли ?

Они неправильно сделали. Надо было подождать до 24-го, а потом поднятся на Цицернакаберд и через матюгальники всему народу саабщениа © anel Вообщем все прошло по турецкому графику. Микич вор хахцрин, типа может Бадминтонджан не сумеет прихаеть в Ереван на черноморскую конференцию. Может вместо нее поедет на пакистанскую. Ну a контора Нлбо ещё больше прогнулась.

Press Release Regarding the Turkish-Armenian Relations Turkey and Armenia, together with Switzerland as mediator, have been working intensively with a view to normalizing their bilateral relations and developing them in a spirit of good-neighborliness, and mutual respect, and thus to promoting peace, security and stability in the whole region. The two parties have achieved tangible progress and mutual understanding in this process and they have agreed on a comprehensive framework for the normalization of their bilateral relations in a mutually satisfactory manner. In this context, a road-map has been identified. This agreed basis provides a positive prospect for the on-going process. непосредственно от МИДа икидовлятчиков

Москва взялась за Карабах Саргсян получит от Медведева предложения по урегулированию армяно-азербайджанского конфликта Президент Армении Серж Саргсян прибудет сегодня в Москву с рабочим визитом. С коллегой Дмитрием Медведевым он обсудит вопросы, связанные с урегулированием карабахского конфликта. Этот же вопрос привел в Ереван в среду сопредседателей Минской группы (МГ) ОБСЕ, курирующей армяно-азербайджанские переговоры. В МИД Армении пояснили, что это плановый визит – посредники продолжают встречи с участниками конфликта, пытаясь сблизить их позиции. О чем будет идти речь на сей раз, в армянской столице не говорят, поддерживая традиционную завесу секретности переговоров по Нагорному Карабаху. «Сопредседатели МГ ОБСЕ встретятся с министром иностранных дел Эдвардом Налбандяном. СМИ получат информацию по итогам переговоров», – заявил руководитель отдела по связям с прессой МИД Армении Тигран Балаян. Как подсказывает опыт, журналистам сообщат, что стороны, считая необходимым продолжать диалог, рассмотрели вопросы, связанные с будущей встречей президентов Ильхама Алиева и Сержа Саргсяна. Однако «дежурная» поездка сопредседателей МГ ОБСЕ проходит параллельно столь заметным событиям, что сама по себе может оказаться далеко на заднем плане. Сегодня в Москву с рабочим визитом прибывает президент Армении Серж Саргсян. Армянский лидер, вероятно, получит от Дмитрия Медведева какие-то предложения по решению карабахской проблемы, которые в конце прошлой недели рассматривались президентом России на встрече с Ильхамом Алиевым. Алиев вернулся в Баку, довольный переговорами в Москве. Его «отчетная» речь о встрече с Медведевым наводит на предположение, что ему, возможно, удалось заручиться пониманием в вопросе возвращения в Карабах беженцев, а также в выводе армянских формирований из районов, прилегающих к НКР. Что же касается статуса Нагорного Карабаха, то, по словам Алиева, это не требует немедленного решения. Главное, что позиция Москвы не противоречит резолюциям ООН, признающим территориальную целостность Азербайджана, сказал президент. В Баку не скрывают, что за помощь в разрешении карабахской проблемы, а это надо понимать как восстановление юрисдикции в НКР, Москва получит не только обширный доступ к каспийским углеводородам, о чем достигнуто соглашение, но и едва ли не полную переориентацию внешнеполитического вектора Азербайджана. Такой поворот явно тревожит США – не случайно, когда Алиев выехал в Москву, в тот же день в Баку объявился куратор Госдепа по Южному Кавказу Мэтью Брайза. У Саргсяна сложная миссия. От Еревана, взывая к компромиссу, требуют уступок. Армянская сторона указывает: для компромисса уступки должны быть обоюдными, а чем готов поступиться Баку – непонятно. Открытие Турцией границы, что лоббируют США, Армения не склонна рассматривать в увязке с НКР. К тому же в целом с перспективой отношений с Турцией больше тумана, чем ясности. Анкара за последние дни сделала ряд взаимоисключающих заявлений: то отказывалась от открытия границы с Арменией до решения карабахской проблемы, то вдруг объявляла, что этот вопрос не является приоритетным в турецко-армянских отношениях, чем тут же вызывала обвинения в предательстве со стороны Азербайджана. В понедельник Серж Саргсян обсудил по телефону состояние армяно-турецких отношений с вице-президентом США Джозефом Байденом. «Давление Вашингтона на Анкару в плане открытия границы очевидно. С постепенной нормализацией турецко-армянских отношений может ослабеть влияние Москвы на Ереван, в чем заинтересованы Штаты. Они также обеспокоены интенсификацией армяно-иранских связей. Открытие турецкой границы может сбалансировать иранский вектор», – считает берлинский политолог Ашот Манучарян. Анкара при этом, полагает он, может вести свою игру: имитируя готовность к нормализации отношений с Арменией, пытается добиться от президента США Барака Обамы пересмотра позиции по геноциду. «Многое прояснится 24–25 апреля, когда он обратится с традиционным посланием к армянам. Если Обама, как и обещал армянской общине США, в своей речи употребит слово «геноцид», то, вероятно, Турция вернется к жесткой позиции: никакой нормализации отношений с Арменией, пока не будет освобожден Карабах с прилегающими районами и пока не будет прекращена международная кампания по признанию геноцида. Собственно, Анкара от этой позиции официально не отрекалась, а больше намекала на возможность ее пересмотра», – сказал «НГ» Манучарян. Что же касается встреч президентов Азербайджана и Армении с Дмитрием Медведевым, то их стоит рассматривать в русле Майендорфской декларации о неприменении силы, подписанной ими 2 ноября 2008 года. «Реальных признаков того, что могут начаться конкретные практические действия по карабахскому урегулированию, пока нет», – сказал Манучарян, считающий также необходимым «помнить о позиции самого Степанакерта». А она проста: ни один вопрос, касающийся судьбы Карабаха, не может решаться без его участия, в один голос говорят лидеры НКР. Война началась во времена СССР Карабахский конфликт начался в 1988 году. В активную фазу вошел в 1991 году после проведенного референдума, в ходе которого почти 100% процентов жителей проголосовали за независимость. Абсолютный показатель во многом объясняется тем, что азербайджанская часть населения, воспользовавшись конституционным правом, не участвовала в референдуме. Широкомасштабные боевые действия привели к потере Азербайджаном контроля над Нагорным Карабахом и прилегающими к нему семью районами. 12 мая 1994 года война, в ходе которой с обеих сторон погибли до 30 тыс. человек и около 1 млн. стали беженцами, завершилась подписанием соглашения о прекращении огня. С 1992 года ведутся переговоры по мирному урегулированию конфликта в рамках МГ ОБСЕ, сопредседателями которой являются США, Россия и Франция. ссылка

Турция и Армения разработали план нормализации двусторонних отношений Турция и Армения согласовали поэтапный план нормализации двусторонних отношений - "дорожную карту", сообщает в среду, 22 апреля, AFP со ссылкой на заявление турецкого МИД. "Дорожная карта" была разработана в ходе турецко-армянских переговоров, прошедших при посредничестве Швейцарии. Участники переговоров, цитирует РИА Новости заявление МИД Армении, "провели интенсивную работу с целью нормализации двусторонних отношений и развития их в духе добрососедства и взаимного уважения, тем самым укрепляя мир, стабильность и безопасность во всем регионе". Подробности поэтапного плана нормализации отношений участники переговоров пока не раскрывают. В сентябре 2008 года Армению впервые в истории посетил глава турецкого государства. Формально визит в Армению президента Турции Абдуллы Гюля был приурочен к отборочному матчу к чемпионату мира по футболу 2010 года между турецкой и армянской сборными. Перед матчем состоялась встреча Гюля и президента Армении Сержа Саргсяна, в ходе которой они выразили готовность урегулировать разногласия между двумя странами. Между Турцией и Арменией не установлены дипломатические отношения. В 1993 году Турция закрыла границу с Арменией, чтобы продемонстрировать солидарность с Азербайджаном в армяно-азербайджанском конфликте в Нагорном Карабахе. Турция неоднократно заявляла, что до урегулирования конфликта в Нагорном Карабахе не намерена вести какие-либо переговоры с Арменией об открытии границы. Кроме того, турецкое правительство требует, чтобы Армения прекратила добиваться международного признания геноцида армян в Османской империи в 1915 году. Армения утверждает, что тогда были уничтожены около полутора миллионов человек. Факт геноцида признан рядом стран, включая Россию, Францию, Италию, Швейцарию и Канаду. Турция геноцид армян категорически отрицает, настаивая, что гибель мирного населения произошла в результате боевых действий между регулярной армией и армянскими повстанцами. 21 апреля Турция отозвала посла из Канады, парламент которой пять лет назад признал геноцид армян. МИД Канады, в свою очередь, в среду, 22 апреля, заявил, что факт признания геноцида армян "не следует рассматривать в качестве обвинения в адрес властей современной Турции, являющейся демократической страной и партнером по НАТО". ссылка

Turkey, Armenia agree 'roadmap' on normalising ties ANKARA (AFP) - - Turkey and Armenia, troubled neighbours with no diplomatic ties, have agreed a "roadmap" on normalising relations in ongoing reconciliation talks, the Turkish foreign ministry said Wednesday. The talks, mediated by Switzerland and held away from public eye, had produced "concrete progress and mutual understanding," said the statement. "The two countries... have agreed on a comprehensive framework for the normalisation of bilateral ties in a way that will satisfy both sides. A roadmap has been determined in this context," it said. The progress achieved so far "provides a positive perspective for the ongoing process," it added, without elaborating on details of the agreement. Rare talks between the two neighbours, whose relations have been marred by a bloody history, gathered steam in September when President Abdullah Gul paid a landmark visit to Yerevan to watch a football match. It was the first such visit by a Turkish leader. A major issue on the agenda of the talks was the bitter dispute over whether the mass killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks during World War I constituted a genocide. Turkey has refused to establish diplomatic ties with Armenia because of Yerevan's international campaign to have the killings recognized as genocide. Wednesday's statement came just ahead of April 24, the day on which Armenians remember their dead. In 1993, Turkey shut its border with Armenia in a show of solidarity with close ally Azerbaijan over the Nagorny Karabakh conflict, dealing a heavy economic blow to the impoverished Caucasian nation. Ankara has ruled out a deal with Armenia unless Yerevan resolves its conflict with Azerbaijan over Nagorny Karabakh. ссылка

GENEVA – Dozens of Western diplomats walked out of a U.N. conference and a pair of rainbow-wigged protesters threw clown noses at Iran's president Monday when the hard-line leader called Israel the "most cruel and repressive racist regime." The United States decried the remarks by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as hateful — reinjecting tension into a relationship that had been warming after President Barack Obama sought to engage Iran in talks on its nuclear program and other issues. Ahmadinejad — the first government official to take the floor at the weeklong event in Geneva — delivered a rambling, half-hour speech that was by turns conciliatory and inflammatory. At one point he appealed for global unity in the fight against racism and then said the United States and Europe helped establish Israel after World War II at the expense of Palestinians. "They resorted to military aggression to make an entire nation homeless under the pretext of Jewish suffering," he said. Jewish groups had lobbied heavily for a boycott of the conference, warning it could descend into anti-Semitism or other anti-Israel rhetoric, which marred the last such conference eight years ago in South Africa. The meeting turned chaotic almost from the start when the two wigged protesters tossed the red clown noses at Ahmadinejad as he began his speech with a Muslim prayer. A Jewish student group from France said it had been trying to convey "the masquerade that this conference represents." One of the protesters shouted "You are a racist!" before he and the other demonstrator were taken away by security. Ahmadinejad interjected: "I call on all distinguished guests to forgive these ignorant people. They don't have enough information." During his speech, he accused Israel of being the "most cruel and repressive racist regime" and blamed the U.S. invasion of Iraq on a Zionist conspiracy. At the first mention of Israel, about 40 diplomats from Britain and France and other European Union countries exited the room. Most of his remarks were not new but their timing and high profile could complicate U.S. efforts to improve ties with Iran. Alejandro Wolff, the U.S. deputy ambassador to the U.N., denounced what he called "the Ahmadinejad spectacle." White House press secretary Robert Gibbs, asked by reporters about Ahmadinejad's remarks, replied: "Obviously, the president disagrees vehemently with what was said, as, from some of the video I saw, so did many others." Gibbs said it proved that the United States was right to boycott the conference. Germany, Italy and at least six other countries also refused to attend the event, which began on the eve of Israel's Holocaust Remembrance Day. "We call on the Iranian leadership to show much more measured, moderate, honest and constructive rhetoric when dealing with issues in the region, and not this type of vile, hateful, inciteful speech that we all saw," Wolff said at the U.N. in New York. Later, about 100 members of mainly pro-Israel and Jewish groups tried to block Ahmadinejad's entrance to a scheduled news conference. In a milder protest, Jewish groups outside the venue read out some of the names of the 6 million who died in the Holocaust. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon met with Ahmadinejad before his speech and said he had counseled the Iranian leader to avoid dividing the conference. Ban later said he was disappointed the speech was used "to accuse, divide and even incite," directly opposing the aim of the meeting. "It was a very troubling experience for me as a secretary-general," he said. "It was a totally unacceptable situation." The Israeli Foreign Ministry condemned the speech and Ban's meeting with Ahmadinejad. "It is unfortunate that U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon deemed it appropriate to meet with the greatest Holocaust denier of our time," the Foreign Ministry said. "This matter is especially severe, as it took place on the eve of Holocaust Memorial Day." Ahmadinejad has been praised by some in the Muslim world for his attacks on Israel. The hard-liner has often used international forums to criticize Israel. Most Muslim delegations in Geneva declined to comment, but Pakistan said the protesters were wrong to interrupt Ahmadinejad. "If we actually believe in freedom of expression, then he has the right to say what he wants to say," Ambassador Zamir Akram told The Associated Press. "There were things in there that a lot of people in the Muslim world would be in agreement with, for example the situation in Palestine, in Iraq and in Afghanistan, even if they don't agree with the way he said it." While the speech was interrupted several times by cheers from the large Iranian delegation, it may not be well-received among many others in Iran, which is suffering from high inflation and unemployment partly as a result of its global isolation. Many have criticized Ahmadinejad, who is up for re-election in June, for spending too much time on anti-Israel and anti-Western rhetoric and not enough on the country's economy. ссылка

Осканян решил добавить к дебатам свои 5 копеек A former Armenian foreign minister criticizes the Armenian president for the country’s reconciliation talks with Turkey. ’The new government’s style is different for normalizing ties. Ours was confidential, theirs is public,’ says veteran politician Vartan Oskanian Armenian President Serge Sarkisian has been criticized by former Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian for making public the progress of secret reconciliation talks with Turkey. "Presidents cut ribbons and then do formalities. But if you start formalities when the substance does not match what you project, you get yourself into difficulty," he said. Oskanian warned his successors that Turkey benefited from this exposure, not Armenia. A veteran politician, who served as the country’s foreign minister for 10 years and conducted similar secretive meetings with his Turkish counterparts, deciphered today’s talks to the Hurriyet Daily News & Economic Review in Yerevan on Saturday. "We are where we were. Abdullah Gül’s visit to Armenia last September was a formality. As long as the border remains closed and there are no diplomatic ties, that visit although historic, is still a formality. Things can only change when the border is opened and ties are established. Then the formality can transform to pragmatic diplomatic steps," he said. Recalling his own experience with Turkey, he argued that the only way to test whether Ankara was genuine was to engage them confidentially. "The new government continues the process of normalizing ties with the same intentions but the style is different. Ours was confidential, theirs is public. We will see which one succeeds but I still think that confidentiality should have been maintained, at least until the agreement is initialized," Oskanian added. When you raise expectations and give publicity to the process of starting dialogue with, you also attract the attention of third-party countries, Oskanian said. "This is fine if both sides, and in this case particularly Turkey, are genuine about opening the border. But if Turkey is reluctant to do so, then these raised expectations only serve Turkish interest," he said. According to Oskanian, even if there is no deal in the end it is beneficial for Turkey to show the world that there is a discussion on a committee of historians to study 1915 events. "By this, Turks can tell Americans and others to stay out of the ’genocide’ issue," he argued. остальное тут

Russia- Turkey wars of supremacy in Azerbaijan BAKU - Although the storm in Turkish-Azerbaijani relations has settled following assurances from Ankara that it will not open its borders with Yerevan before a breakthrough in Armenian-Azerbaijani issues is made, it seems difficult for the short term to eradicate the crisis of confidence erupted recently between Ankara and Baku. Ankara and Yerevan came very close to a deal that would normalize relations between the two countries but the process came to a sudden halt following reaction from Azerbaijan, which is opposed to the opening of the border without progress in the Nagorno Karabakh issue. Turkey closed its borders with Armenia after the Armenian occupation of the Azerbaijani enclave Nagorno Karabakh, as well as other regions surrounding the enclave. “We were not informed of the talks between Turkey and Armenia,” Asım Mollazade said of the negotiations conducted between Turkish and Armenian diplomats. The talks gained momentum following Turkish President Abdullah Gül’s historic visit to Yerevan last September. “We learned it from others,” added Mollazade, the leader of the opposition Democratic Reform Party. The lack of confidence is not a recent factor in relations. When the Justice and Development Party, or the AKP, came to power, Baku hesitated to fully trust the new government in Ankara. “There was an apprehension towards the AKP. Baku was not sure whether the Turkic world would appear high on the agenda of the AKP. There was a suspicion that the AKP could prioritize other issues to the detriment of Azerbaijan,” said a foreign observer, who asked not to be identified. Although the recent statements from Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and President Gül have calmed down the administration’s anxiety, the fact that the Turkish parliamentary group that went to Baku last week did not include AKP parliamentarians did not go unnoticed. “Relations with Azerbaijan should be a bipartisan issue. It should not be the victim of discussions between the government and the opposition,” said Mollazade, talking to Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review right after a meeting with the visiting delegation. Russian influence In every conversation in Baku that involves the Caucasus, Russia is inevitably mentioned. Opponents of Russia see the hand of Moscow in the rapprochement between the Turks and the Armenians, as it will be detrimental to relations between Ankara and Baku. “Russia wants the Caucasus out of the hands of the Muslims,” taxi driver Ennagi İsmailoglu said. “Russia will never want good relations between Turkey and Azerbaijan.” In the short term, open borders between Turkey and Armenia will benefit Russia, especially in light of the recent war with Georgia, as it will have better access to Armenia where it still has military troops. Russian flights presently carrying ammunition to troops in Armenia are flying all the way from Turkmenistan. Furthermore, it will further isolate Georgia. Turkey and Azerbaijan forged good relations right after Azerbaijan declared its independence. The Azerbaijani government, under Haydar Aliyev, the father of the current president has been careful not to alienate the Russians. “In fact we have always advised Azerbaijanis to go very careful with Russia, to avoid policies that might anger Russians,” said a Turkish diplomat who is familiar with the early stages of the bilateral relations. Ever since independence, Azerbaijan has been the scene of rivalry between Turkey and Russia for cultural, economic and political supremacy. Turkey has the advantage of having linguistic, religious and ethnic affinity. The Turkish dialect spoken by the Azerbaijanis is easily understood by Turks. But the Russians have the advantage of having kept Azerbaijan under Soviet domination for half a century. Many Azerbaijanis still speak Russian. İlham Aliyev, the son of Haydar Aliyev, who took over the government following the death of his father, is still surrounded by the members of the old Soviet cadres. “There is a pro Russian group in the government that is leading an anti Turkish campaign,” Arastun Orujlu, president of the East-West Research Center, said. After the advent of İlham Aliyev, Turkish soldiers were sent back to Turkey, claimed Orujlu. The broadcasting of Turkish soap operas, which are very popular among the Azerbaijani public, were stopped in an effort to avoid the influence of Turkish on the local dialect. “I see no rational in this decision. This came us a result of Russian pressure,” said Nesip Nesibli, of the opposition party Musavat. Search for identity Although Turkish officials recognize the presence of what they call “the Soviet-minded officials, who believe the center of the world is still Moscow,” there is not such a perception in Ankara that Azerbaijan is deliberately taken steps to decrease Turkey’s influence. “As Azerbaijani soldiers were also trained in Turkey, they are back in Baku to provide training themselves. The Turkish soldiers have finished their mission in Baku, it is only natural for them to leave Azerbaijan,” said one Turkish official. There is also a relative understanding in Turkish circles for Azerbaijani efforts to keep the local culture away from the cultural influence of Turkey. “At one stage every kid in Azerbaijan was wearing t-shirts of the nationalistic film ‘Valley of the Wolf.” Differences emerged in the language spoken by the grandfather and the grandson,” said a Turkish businessmen living in Baku. No matter how the two sides’ officials perceive the cultural wars, the fact remains that the recent developments seem to have reinforced the suspicion on the part of the Aliyev administration toward the AKP. “The recent events have shown to us that the motto ‘one nation two states’ has remained only rhetoric. We have not been able to substantiate it,” said Nesibli. “The Turkish government made the mistake of conducting talks with Yerevan without consulting Baku. Our administration, however, made the mistake of making its discontent public, instead of handling it through the diplomatic channels,” Nesibli added, criticizing the decision of Aliyev not to go to Turkey. “Baku resented the fact that Turkey took them for granted,” one foreign observer said. “What I see is the need to talk more, we need to be more in touch with each other,” Mollazade said of how to overcome the confidence crisis between the two countries known until recently as strategic partners. ссылка

Вскоре после землятресения когда в Армению отовсюду и отовся потекли реки помощи, помимо прочего в этом потоке появилась пара серебристых Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen. На тот момент самых дорогих внедорожников если не считать 4х4 которые по заказу собирал Ламборгини для Тины Тёрнер и саудовских принцев. Так вот, к этому моменту новейший армянской истории интеллигентные ребята из АОД™ уже были в позиции когда они могли спокойно так, без суеты решать что идет куда, кому и в каком количестве. А теперь догадайтесь с трех раз под чьей волосатой жопой оказался один из этих Мерседесов. Патентованного шизофреника Стамболцяна Х. В начале Баграмяна (когда едешь от оперы) на стороне академии наук было неприметное здание которое он гребанул себе под богодельню. Там же его падават и парковал серебристый Мерс. Стамболцяна Х. на тот момент уже был слишком важной персоной чтобы самому баранку крутить, вы же понимаете. Так что май фрэнд adabas, все новое это на самом деле хорошо забытое старое...

Next Opposition Protest In Yerevan Partly Sanctioned The municipal authorities in Yerevan have allowed the Armenian opposition to rally supporters on May 1 but banned them from marching through the city center afterwards, it emerged on Monday. The opposition Armenian National Congress (HAK) formally notified the Yerevan municipality about its next major demonstration in accordance with an Armenian law on public gatherings earlier this month. A senior municipality official, Irina Grigorian, told RFE/RL that the HAK will not be allowed to hold a planned rally outside the Matenadaran institute of ancient manuscripts. “The holding of a march would significantly disrupt the normal life of the city of Yerevan, cause traffic jams and render central streets impassable,” she said. Lyudmila Sargsian, a senior HAK member who filed the notification, rejected the ban as politically motivated and said the opposition alliance will defy it. “We staged marches even when our rallies were also banned,” she said. Virtually none of the demonstrations held by the opposition over the past year was sanctioned by the authorities. Nonetheless, security forces refrained from breaking up those protests. The most recent HAK protest held on March 1 followed the same pattern. Addressing thousands of supporters on that day, the HAK’s top leader, former President Levon Ter-Petrosian, said that the opposition will not seek to topple the government with a fresh campaign of street protests. According to Levon Zurabian, a top aide to Ter-Petrosian, the upcoming rally will focus on growing socioeconomic problems facing Armenia. The rally is also expected to mark the start of the HAK’s campaign for the May 31 municipal elections that will determine who will be Yerevan’s next mayor. The HAK is the only opposition force contesting the polls. Its list of candidates is topped by Ter-Petrosian. The planned opposition march will likely end on the city’s Northern Avenue which was scene of daily gatherings of small groups of Ter-Petrosian supporters. The police ended the “political strolls” two weeks ago by seriously restricting access to the boulevard after 6 p.m. Scuffles between police officers and opposition protesters trying to enter Northern Avenue have since been reported on a virtually daily basis. ссылка

Мэрия Еревана отказала двум армянским оппозиционным партиям – "Гнчакян" и Коммунистической партии Армении – в проведении шествий на первомайских праздниках, сообщает 20 апреля информационный портал Hayinfo.ru со ссылкой на мэрию армянской столицы. По мнению чиновников, демонстранты затруднят движение на центральных улицах города и помешают народным гуляньям, намеченным на 1 и 2 мая. Социал-демократическая партия "Гнчакян" собирается митинговать 1 мая рядом с Институтом древних рукописей Матенадаран. КПА выйдет на площадь Степана Шаумяна 2 мая. Ни одна из партий пока не заявляла о том, что запрет на проведение демонстраций заставит их отказаться от митингов. Социал-демократическая партия "Гнчакян" входит в состав оппозиционного Армянского национального конгресса, который возглавляет экс-президент Армении Левон Тер-Петросян. По сведениям РИА Новости, Тер-Петросян будет участвовать в первомайских выступлениях оппозиции. 15 марта политический совет АНК принял решение о том, что Левон Тер-Петросян возглавит партийный список конгресса на выборах мэра Еревана, которые намечены на май. Выборы столичного главы пройдут впервые в истории. До недавнего времени мэр Еревана назначался указом президента страны. В феврале-марте 2008 года армянская оппозиция во главе с Тер-Петросяном вышла на улицы Еревана в знак несогласия с результатами президентских выборов на которых, согласно официальным данным, лидер АНК уступил Сержу Саргсяну. Тогда в столкновении с правоохранительными органами 10 человек погибли, 200 были ранены. ссылка

Fury over, bitterness lingers in Azerbaijan BAKU - Turkey and Armenia have never before come so close to normalizing bilateral relations, and, similarly, Turkey and Azerbaijan have never come so close to rupturing theirs. It is not just a coincidence that shortly after refusing to come to Turkey to attend an international conference, Azerbaijani President İlham Aliyev went to Moscow and called Russia "a strategic partner." "If Turkey opens the borders with Armenia, what will be the difference for us between Turkey and Russia or Turkey and Iran?" said Asım Mollazade, the leader of the opposition Democratic Reform Party. The news that Turkey was preparing to normalize its relations with Armenia has sent shockwaves through the Azerbaijani society. In reality, not a single Azerbaijani official has talked openly about the government’s discontent on the possibility of Turkey normalizing its relations with Armenia without substantial progress on the Nagorno-Karabakh problem. But the press has been fiercely criticizing the ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP, and everyone in Turkey knew that the media campaign was orchestrated by the Aliyev administration. "If the government does not want, there won’t be any discussion. But lately, there was discussion everywhere, in universities, in the press. Everyone was talking against Turkey. There has been a campaign that Turkey has betrayed Azerbaijan. The government was behind it," said Arastun Orujlu, the head of East-West Research Center. But the government is not alone in its frustration vis a vis Turkey. The opposition also shares the government’s resentment toward Turkey. "Opening the borders without a condition will be against the interest of both Turkey and Azerbaijan. Normalization with Armenia without progress on Nagorno-Karabakh will damage bilateral relations," said Nesib Nesibli, a member of parliament from the opposition Musavat Party. "In Azerbaijan, anything else is black and white between the government and the opposition. But on the issue of Nagorno-Karabakh and relations with Turkey, they are united," said a foreign observer who asked to remain anonymous. Situation calmed but bitterness remains Although recent statements from Turkish officials that the borders will not be opened before progress is made on Nagorno-Karabakh, an enclave under Armenian occupation, seem to have calmed Azerbaijanis, the bitterness remains. Turkey and Azerbaijan have cultural, linguistic and religious affinity. Their close relations and cooperation are often expressed by the motto "one nation, two states." Although Turkey recognized the independence of Armenia after the demise of Soviet Union, it has never established diplomatic relations because of Yerevan’s efforts to gain recognition of claims of genocide as well as its territorial claims. Armenia does not recognize treaties signed under Soviet rule that mark the borders in the Caucasus. Turkey closed its border with Armenia when Armenia began its occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh and the regions surrounding the enclave. Until recently, Turkey tied normalizing its relations with Armenia to the solution in Nagorno-Karabakh. But over time this connection has weakened. Under the pressure of several parliamentary decisions that recognize Armenia’s claims of genocide, Turkey has sought to normalize relations with Armenia. Turkish President Abdullah Gül’s visit to Armenia in September was a turning point, as secret talks between the two countries that had started before the visit gained new momentum. The two sides are said to have reached an agreement upon a protocol that draws a timetable for normalizing relations. But it has been unclear to what degree a solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has been included in the protocol. Azerbaijanis have hard time understanding the benefit of opening the borders without visible progress in their talks with Armenia. "There is no reason to give such a gift to the Armenians at this stage," said Nesibli. "Whatever the level of relations between Turkey and Armenia, the Armenian diaspora will not stop its efforts for the recognition of genocide claims all over the world," said Mollazade. "I will be the first one to argue for the opening of the borders if I knew it would be for the benefit of Turkey." He dismissed claims that trade with Armenia would flourish as a result of opening of the borders. "The trade between Turkey and Azerbaijan is incomparable with the potential trade with Armenia," he said. "Azerbaijan has been asked not to go to war with Armenia to get back its land. But we have been waiting for the past 17 years. The only peaceful way for us to convince the Armenians to release those lands is Turkey," he added. He also dismissed claims that improving relations between Turkey and Armenia would lead to progress in Armenian-Azerbaijani talks. "Yerevan was ready for talks. But after there were signs of a breakthrough with Turkey, our negotiations started to drag on," he said. An oil- and gas-producing country, Azerbaijan’s economy has seen steady growth since the late 1990s. It is one of the few countries in the region not affected seriously by the global economic crisis. Nagorno-Karabakh remains the only stumbling block in its economic development and integration in the world political system. "Nagorno-Karabakh is the No. 1 issue in this country. That’s why the public outcry about Turkey has been quite ubiquitous. There is certainly a sense of being abandoned by the big brother," said a foreign observer. "I can’t believe Turkey can do that," said Ennagi İsmailoglu, a taxi driver, adding: "Our relations will be seriously damaged if Turkey opens the border with Armenia." ссылка

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