Category: Southern Caucasus

  • Protest action in the Netherlands on the occasion of March 31, the Day of Genocide of Azerbaijanis

    Protest action in the Netherlands on the occasion of March 31, the Day of Genocide of Azerbaijanis

    Baku–APA. Benelux Azerbaijanis Congress and Azerbaijani-Dutch Solidarity Society held protest action in Rotterdam, the Netherlands on the occasion of March 31, the Day of Genocide of Azerbaijanis, press service of the State Committee for Work with Diaspora told APA. Representatives of the Azerbaijani and Turkish, as well as Polish communities joined the action. Nearly 150 young people, worn white T-shirts with the map of Azerbaijan and its occupied territories and number of genocide victims, participated in the protest action. The protesters chanted slogans in Dutch, condemning the genocide committed by Armenians against the Azerbaijani people. Nearly 10 leaflets in Dutch describing details about the genocide against Azerbaijanis were spread among the local residents.

  • Effect of Turkey’s local elections on Azerbaijan’s interests

    Effect of Turkey’s local elections on Azerbaijan’s interests

    How will the results of local elections in the regions bordering on Armenia effect on the Azerbaijan’s interests?

    Baku. Vugar Masimoglu–APA. Results of local elections in Turkey unveiled the changes in the voters’ consciousness. First, there is monolithic electorate in the country created as a result of long-year political crises. The Turkish voter’s consciousness was guided by the political ideas for long years. The people made their choice not for the promises, but for the political views and parties of the people they voted for. However the confrontation between the parties and unsuccessful government coalitions replacing each other tired the voter’s consciousness. The Turkish voter fears of the political, government and economic crises and therefore the voters supported AKP, which is not promising the fears. For that reason, AKP has won at least 40 percent of the votes since 2002.

    AKP electorate was formed from such monolithic voters. The results of the municipal elections show that AKP can lead in the elections with 3-5 % differences while the electorate is not free from the fears of political and economic crises. AKP electorate is not only the conservative religious people, as it was in the first times. It includes various categories of voters representing the various layers of the society. Usually the governments in Turkey, for example Ecevit’s cabinet, fell because of economic crises. Despite there is more serious economic crisis in Turkey currently, AKP lost just a little part of its electorate and the economic crisis had insignificant effect on the municipal elections, because the Turkish voters prefer to vote not for the political views, but for the respective stability. In fact, AKP lost 8 percent of the votes, it had in 2007. However AKP has a chance to compensate its losses in the next elections because not only the political parties, but the personality of the candidates running for the municipalities.

    How can the results of Turkish local elections be assessed from Azerbaijan’s aspect? It is obvious that Azerbaijan attaches great importance to Turkey-Armenia relations, especially to the opening of borders between the two countries. Of course, the results of the elections in the regions bordering on Armenia will play important role in the future relations of Turkey with this state. Another reason making these regions interesting for Azerbaijan is that the great majority of the region’s population consists of Azerbaijanis. But both in Kars and Igdir the results of the elections are not satisfying. Especially in Igdir, where 65 percent of the population consists of Azerbaijanis, it is a failure that the candidate of Democratic Society Party (DTP) won the elections. Head of municipality and parliamentarians in Igdir had been Azerbaijanis for 80 years, our compatriots mostly won as candidates of MHP, DYP and ANAP. For the first time in 2007 Igdir could not send an Azerbaijani to the Turkish parliament and yesterday for the first time in its history non-Azerbaijani was elected head of the municipality. Igdir, which borders on Nakhchivan, is a very important place in terms of Azerbaijan’s interests. Change of the demographic situation in Igdir, which borders on Armenia, Iran and Nakhchivan, may have a negative impact on the interests of our country in future.

    The results of the elections in Kars can be assessed as relatively normal. Naif Alibayoglu, who supported opening of the borders with Armenia and pursued policy in this direction, failed to win the elections. If the new head of municipality from AKP does not continue Alibayoglu’s policy, this change will reduce the interest in the opening of borders in Kars. But this time it is possible that the development in Kars will be continued in Igdir and it is interesting what will be the attitude of the new head of municipality from DTP towards the opening of borders.

  • ARMENIA RUSSIA TO MINE URANIUM STIRS

    ARMENIA RUSSIA TO MINE URANIUM STIRS

    Marianna Grigoryan 3/26/09

    It is not just railways, energy and telecommunications that unite Russian and Armenian business interests. This summer, a controversial joint project to mine uranium is expected to break ground; a prospect that some Armenian environmentalists warn could turn Armenia into “an environmental disaster zone.”

    The project, launched in February 2008, means fuel for Armenia’s nuclear power plant and for export. Details about financing are sketchy, although Armenia and Russia were originally said to be equal partners in the venture. Russia’s atomic energy agency, Rosatom, has claimed that it will put in “several million dollars” for research up until 2010. But the joint enterprise handling the project cannot elaborate.

    Exploration began last fall in the southern region of Syunik, known for its metal ore riches. The project has so far relied primarily on Soviet-era data. Rosatom Senior Director Sergei Kirienko projected in 2008 that the sites could contain “up to 60,000 tons” of uranium ore.

    Academician and geochemist Sergei Grigorian, who oversees the geological survey of the Syunik uranium deposits, told EurasiaNet it is still too soon to speak about exact figures concerning the deposits. The work, though, he affirmed, “is on the right track.”

    “I personally suspended exploration work [at this same location] during the Soviet era, because I believed the exploitation of uranium mines [in Armenia] was senseless since there were larger deposits in other Soviet republics,” said Grigorian. “But today, when uranium costs up to $300 per kilogram, exploitation of the [Armenian] deposits will bring benefits, if the ore is used carefully.”

    The director of the joint company set up to oversee the project, the Armenian-Russian Mining Company, adds that for the next two years the focus will be on geological surveys alone.

    “We can’t tell the exact amount of available deposits, but the extraction will cover quite a large territory in both the northern and the southern regions of Syunik,” said director Mkrtich Kirakosian. The start of underground survey work, originally expected for this spring, “might be somewhat delayed” some months as the project waits for government authorization for the work, he added.

    Despite the lack of specifics, environmentalists are already issuing dire warnings. Syunik already is home to the copper mining works of Kapan and Kajaran. Inga Zarafian, chairman of the non-governmental organization Ecolur, said that opening a uranium mine in the area would greatly increase the ecological hazards.

    Traces of heavy metals such as mercury and arsenic have already been found in the hair of children living near what is expected to be the uranium project’s primary mining site, Lernadzor, some three kilometers away from Kajaran. Surveys by the Armenian National Academy of Science’s Ecosphere Research Center show that ground radiation in the area exceeds the permitted level by more than three and a half times; ground contamination by heavy metals is several times higher than allowed.

    Given the risks, public discussions on the mining project are a must, Zafarian affirms. “Talking about this tomorrow may be too late,” Zarafian said. “The territories are already environmentally endangered. . . . Now, they are going to exploit uranium mines there. Imagine what’s going happen to the place!”

    Lernadzor village head Stepan Poghosian says that locals are worried about the health risks once actual mining begins. “Everybody knows what uranium is. . . . People don’t want to live in a place that may cause diseases in their children,” Poghosian said. “The exploitation of uranium is not rain, a mudslide or hail, things that villagers can handle.”

    Both experts involved in the survey work and the Ministry of Environmental Protection insist that the project involves no hazards, and that mining operations will be “transparent.”

    The uranium deposits are mostly hidden within the ground’s crust and will be extracted via tunneling, said survey overseer Grigorian, who seconds the call for a public hearing on the matter. “The mining might be dangerous if it were, say, in the basin of Lake Sevan, but there is no such danger because Syunik is a mountainous region,” said Grigorian. “Maybe a very small area is threatened there, at the entrance to the tunnel, but the rest of the work will be done underground. So, the population’s fears of radiation are groundless.”

    Armenian-Russian Mining Company Director Kirakosian echoes that line. “It’s too soon to talk about environmental problems because, so far, it’s just about the survey,” he said, adding that all work follows existing legislation and “observes all environmental requirements.”

    Environmentalist Hakob Sanasarian, chairman of the Greens’ Union of Armenia, counters that uranium prospecting at the Syunik site was stopped for a good reason during the Soviet era. “The suspension . . . was not a decision that just happened,” Sanasarian said. Grigorian, who worked on the site in Soviet times, however, maintains that the work stopped only because other sites had larger deposits. “The environmental hazards threaten to cause genetic modifications in humans, as well as cancer, and other defects. Nature will have its revenge one day.”

    Meanwhile, local residents say they are left in a quandary about whether to go or to stay. “I don’t know what is going to happen,” said Lernadzor’s Petrosian. “We have lived here our whole lives . . .”

    Editor’s Note: Marianna Grigoryan is a freelance reporter based in Yerevan.

    Posted March 26, 2009 © Eurasianet

    Source:  www.eurasianet.org, 26 March 2009

  • Armenian’s war games

    Armenian’s war games

     
     

    [ 26 Mar 2009 13:24 ]
    Aghdam. Teymur Zahidoghlu-APA. Armenian Armed Forces have started large-scale military exercises in the occupied part of Azerbaijan’s Aghdam region.

    As APA’s Bureau reports, heavy and armored vehicle firing is heard not only unoccupied part of Aghdam but also other neighboring regions such as villages of Aghjabadi, Barda and Terter regions.

    A few days ago, Armenian Army staged war games in the occupied lands of Azerbaiajn with involvement of artillery, armored vehicles and troops.

  • KEYNOTE SPEECH BY THE PRESIDENT OF TURKEY

    KEYNOTE SPEECH BY THE PRESIDENT OF TURKEY

    KEYNOTE SPEECH BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF TURKEY AT THE EUROPEAN BUSINESS SUMMIT

    (BRUSSELS, 26 MARCH 2009)

    Distinguished Guests,

    Ladies and Gentlemen,

    It is a great pleasure for me to participate in the Seventh European Business Summit. I am confident that, the Summit will provide to the business community yet another occasion to address important problems that face Europe, at present.

    Business people will better know that, the “fine line” between success and failure is the ability to shape perceptions according to changing conditions. I believe that the same applies to international affairs.

    To influence global developments, we should be able to renew our perceptions about political, social and economic challenges.

    The European Union was conceived by such visionary leaders as Jean Monnet and Robert Schuman: They have changed the perceptions about the future of Europe by launching the idea of a united continent.

    This project started as a marriage of coal and steel. However, today, the same project has reached the dimension of a political, economic and social integration process. The dream of a “European Union” is today a reality.

    Furthermore, the European Union is now poised to be a major force to run world affairs in the 21st century.

    Ladies and Gentlemen,

    While the EU is now a global economic and political powerhouse, it is not immune to global challenges.

    Quite the opposite!

    The most immediate challenge the EU, together with the world community, faces is the recent global financial and economic crisis. This is a testing time for Europe. But Europe has faced other challenges in the past. It has always succeeded in overcoming them. Europe should be confident in its capacity to overcome today’s ordeal and emerge from it even stronger.

    The EU today draws its strength from the sense of common destiny, with its common values, policies and institutions. It is well equipped to face present challenges.

    I have no doubt that at the end, thanks to the truly European spirit of debate and compromise, we shall emerge from this crisis stronger than before. Such a debate has already started to produce creative ideas.

    The EU’s greatest achievements of the last decades, from the “Single Market” to “enlargement”, have all been the results of acting collectively and responsibly in an inclusive way. Today, the EU, employing the same principles and instruments, is finding the right path to its political and economic future.

    No one can claim that, in the face of today’s economic, political and social crises, an inward-looking, divided, weak or smaller EU would be better off.

    Distinguished Guests,

    Turkey, as an accession country, a member of the G-20, and the sixth largest European economy, is uniquely placed to work hand in hand with the EU to overcome the global economic crisis which started out in the financial markets.

    Turkey is ready to do its share in order to deal with this global economic crisis and to provide sustainable solutions. Indeed, Turkey went through such a financial crisis in 2001. We lost almost one fourth of our GDP. As a result, we made extensive structural reforms focused on strengthening the regulatory bodies. This proved to be an expensive but valuable lesson. At least today, our banking system is very sound.

    We all know that the basis of economic activity is transparency and trust. Therefore, while reforming the financial system, this basic tenet must be upheld. We share the consensus view that governments, central banks and the business world must engage in strong collective action in this direction.

    We must also stimulate economic growth while keeping inflation under control. Therefore, it is essential to support the real economy and at the same time promote social solidarity.

    We need to give much thought to a new global financial architecture based on supervision and regulation. It is a positive development, that such issues are now being dealt with, not only at the national level, but also at the supranational level. In this direction, the World Bank, the IMF and other financial organizations need to be restructured to answer the requirements of modern economic times.

    A well-regulated free market economy should definitely continue to be our main point of reference. We should never overlook the productivity brought about by private sector activity. Although the shares of some financial institutions have been or will have to be transferred to national treasuries, these shares should come back to the hands of the private sector whenever conditions permit.

    Protectionism is also a dangerous trend. In the medium to long term, it is our own people, the consumers, who pay the price of protectionist policies. At the end of the day, such policies hurt everybody.

    In this respect, Turkey is ready to cooperate with the EU at the G-20 and the Doha Round.

    I hope that the EU will also stand up for the basic principles which have made it a great economy.

    Ladies and Gentlemen,

    Let us consider some of the major challenges facing Europe today:

    Economic recession; Unemployment; Demographic decline; Illegal immigration; Terrorism; Energy security; Climate change and others.

    I am convinced that all of these challenges will be tackled much more effectively when the EU finally enlarges to Turkey. The ties that bind Turkey and the EU together are already strong and deep-rooted:

    – Our common values, like democracy, rule of law and human rights,

    – Our strong economic partnership framed by a highly successful Customs Union,

    – Our shared interests on matters like energy security, good governance, effective regulation of the free market and the fight against poverty,

    – Our joint objectives of expanding peace and stability in our region and beyond.

    The interests of Turkey and the EU overlap in a vast geography and across many areas.

    Turkey’s geography and its historical ties in a large region covering the Balkans, the Middle East, the Caucasus and Central Asia give it unique opportunities. Out of the thirteen European Security and Defense Policy missions worldwide, seven are being conducted in Turkey’s neighborhood. Turkey is the largest non-EU contributor to ESDP missions.

    On issues as diverse as Iran, Iraq, the Middle East, Afghanistan, Georgia, Kosovo and others, Turkey’s efforts directed at facilitating dialogue and compromise are clearly constructive. Just to cite a few examples:

    – Israel and Syria began indirect peace talks under Turkey’s auspices.

    – Turkey, together with Egypt, is actively working for inter-Palestinian reconciliation.

    – My trips to Baghdad two days ago and to Teheran two weeks ago are indications of our efforts to contribute to international peace and stability.

    – Next week, we shall bring together the Presidents of Afghanistan and Pakistan together with their military and intelligence officials in Ankara.

    – My first-ever trip to Armenia last year and our initiative for the Caucasus Stability and Cooperation Platform have been part of our commitment to a better atmosphere in the Caucasus region.

    In short, Turkey is a force for good in a number of the world’s principal pressure points. Clearly, increased synergy between Turkey and the EU will be to our mutual benefit.

    Therefore, obstacles preventing benefits of such a synergy, like the Cyprus issue, should be removed before wasting more time and losing more opportunities. Turkey and Turkish Cypriots have already done their share for a peaceful settlement of this issue. We are committed to continue in the same line. Our vision is to create another strong pillar of Europe in the Eastern Mediterranean among Turkey, Greece and the island of Cyprus once a comprehensive settlement has been reached.

    Ladies and Gentlemen,

    Energy is yet another area of interest for all of us. It is obvious that energy security is closely associated with prosperity and stability.

    In this respect, let us not forget that Turkey is close to nearly 70 percent of the world’s energy resources. It has a strategic location along the main transport routes of the oil and natural gas resources of the Middle East, Central Asia and Caspian regions.

    Turkey’s energy security strategy overlaps with the EU’s policy of diversification of energy supply routes. Indeed, Turkey is aiming at becoming Europe’s fourth artery of natural gas after Russia, Norway and Algeria. Following the realization of the main projects of the East-West Corridor, we are now working with our partners to realize the Southern Energy Corridor which includes natural gas pipeline projects going through the territory of Turkey.

    In this context, the Nabucco Project is a priority of our energy strategy. It will play a crucial role in moving gas further towards European markets.

    Distinguished Guests,

    I have outlined some of the main areas where Turkey is uniquely placed to help address the challenges faced by Europe. Turkey is a negotiating candidate country determined to join the EU. Turkey continues on its path to accession and an enormous transformation process is also taking place. The comprehensive political reforms enacted in the past six years have enhanced our democratic system. We are determined to take them further ahead.

    We will continue the negotiations in good faith with the shared objective of accession as clearly stated in the negotiating framework of the EU. It is essential that Turkey’s accession process be continued objectively, fairly, in a foreseeable way and according to the rules of the game.

    Distinguished Guests,

    Strategic vision is no longer confined to military or geopolitical considerations alone. Strategic approaches now aim for common values, intercultural dialogue and mutual harmony. Such a strategic approach implies Turkey’s accession to the EU.

    Turkey’s accession will carry within it some keys to solving many of the EU’s political, social and economic problems. I shall remind you that tomorrow’s Turkey will be a much different and stronger country compared to what it is today. When Turkey becomes a member, it will shoulder some of the burdens of Europe.

    Turkey is proof that a well-functioning secular democracy in a predominantly Muslim society can prosper, preserve its traditional values and also be a part of Western institutions.

    None of these are new concepts in defending the cause of Turkey’s accession to the EU. However, their importance increases as the challenges confronting us gain urgency with every day going by.

    The case is a rather simple one: The world needs the EU’s soft power. And to become a global power, the EU needs Turkey. For such a successful “peace project” involving 500 million people, Turkey’s integration is the most viable way forward.

    Distinguished Guests,

    The EU needs to approach this matter with a sense of vision.

    It must take the vision of its own Founding Fathers who aimed to eliminate barriers which divided Europe and not create new barriers. Therefore, I wish to recall the Czech Presidency’s motto: “Europe without barriers”.

    Thank you for your attention.

  • Hope for opening borders

    Hope for opening borders

     
     

    [ 25 Mar 2009 14:25 ]
    Yerevan-APA. Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian took positive position in the settlement of the relations with Turkey, APA reports quoting Novosti Armenia.

    The Minister stated that they had conducted many negotiations to open the borders between the two countries and normalize the relations.
    “I hope that we will regulate the relations, establish diplomatic cooperation and open the borders soon,” he said.
    There is not any diplomatic relation between the two countries at present and the borders have closed since 1993.
    Progress in the relations between the sides started after the visit of Abdullah Gul to Yerevan for watching the match between Armenian and Turkish football teams on September 6, 2008.