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Tag: Nagorno-Karabakh

  • Turkey and Armenia – Friends and neighbours

    Turkey and Armenia – Friends and neighbours

    Sep 25th 2008 | ANKARA AND YEREVAN
    From The Economist print edition

    Rising hopes of better relations between two historic enemies

    KEMAL ATATURK, father of modern Turkey, rescued hundreds of Armenian women and children from mass slaughter by Ottoman forces during and after the first world war. This untold story, which is sure to surprise many of today’s Turks [sic], is one of many collected by the Armenian genocide museum in Yerevan that “will soon be brought to light on our website,” promises Hayk Demoyan, its director.

    His project is one more example of shifting relations between Turkey and Armenia. On September 6th President Abdullah Gul became the first Turkish leader to visit Armenia when he attended a football match. Mr Gul’s decision to accept an invitation from Armenia’s president, Serzh Sarkisian, has raised expectations that Turkey may establish diplomatic ties and open the border it closed during the 1990s fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh. The two foreign ministers were planning to meet in New York this week. Armenia promises to recognise Turkey’s borders and to allow a commission of historians to investigate the fate of the Ottoman Armenians.

    Reconciliation between Turkey and Armenia could tilt the balance of power in the Caucasus. Russia is Armenia’s closest regional ally. It has two bases and around 2,000 troops there. The war in Georgia has forced Armenia to rethink its position. Some 70% of its supplies flow through Georgia, and these were disrupted by Russian bombing. Peace with Turkey would give Armenia a new outside link. Some think Russia would be happy too. “It would allow Russia to marginalise and lean harder on Georgia,” argues Alexander Iskandaryan, director of the Caucasus Media Institute.

    Mending fences with Armenia would bolster Turkey’s regional clout. And it might also help to kill a resolution proposed by the American Congress to call the slaughter of the Armenians in 1915 genocide. That makes the Armenian diaspora, which is campaigning for genocide recognition, unhappy. Some speak of a “Turkish trap” aimed at rewriting history to absolve Turkey of wrongdoing. Indeed, hawks in Turkey are pressing Armenia to drop all talk of genocide.

    Even more ambitiously, the hawks want better ties with Armenia to be tied anew to progress over Nagorno-Karabakh. But at least Mr Gul seems determined to press ahead. “If we allow the dynamics that were set in motion by the Yerevan match to slip away, we may have to wait another 15-20 years for a similar chance to arise,” he has said.

    Source: Economist, 25 September 2008

  • US Navy Azerbaijani officer: “We are always concerning over the occupation of Azerbaijani lands” – EXCLUSIVE

    US Navy Azerbaijani officer: “We are always concerning over the occupation of Azerbaijani lands” – EXCLUSIVE


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    [ 19 Sep 2008 12:58 ]
    Washington. Husniyya Hasanova –APA. US Navy officer Naimi Amiraliyev’s interview with APA

    -How did the young man, born in Nehram Village, rise to the rank of US Navy officer?

    -I was born in 1977 in Nehram Village of Babak Region, Azerbaijan. I have lived in Nakhchivan City since the age of six and graduated from the secondary school there. I became the student of Baku State University and in 1998 graduated from the University’s History School. I went to the United States to receive Master’s degree and received two scientific degrees in economy and political relations. I worked for short time in the New York-based Energy Research and Development Department. After September 11 events, I decided, as a new US citizen, to make my contribution to the war on terrorism like other Americans. I took the military service in 2002. I started the service as a mariner. After the graduation from the high military school in 2005 I was appointed as an officer by the President George Bush’s order. I am a senior lieutenant now.

    -There are many Azerbaijanis working in the different posts in the USA. Some of them are avoiding the Diaspora activity under the pretence of heavy working schedule. But despite that you are military serviceman you are demonstrating great activeness in the Diaspora activities. What can you say about that?

    -I am looking at the Diaspora activity not as routine practice. The Diaspora is native for me like my family, my nation and traditions. We are always concerning about the occupation of 20 per cent of Azerbaijani lands and nearly one million Azerbaijani refugees and IDPs. My parents are living under the occupation. I deem it duty to work for Diaspora because of my loyalty to my nation and our traditions.

    -5 congressmen joined the working group on Azerbaijan on your initiative. What can the close ties with the congressmen give us?

    -Azerbaijani Diaspora should work in several directions. First is the recognition of Azerbaijan and our people. Besides, it is important to proclaim our just work in America. On the other hand, it should be taken into consideration that the White House, Department of State and Congress determine the foreign policy of the United States. Executive bodies mainly ensure strategic interests of the state, while the members of the Congress prefer the interests of the communities of the district they have been elected from. That’s why each congressman determines his position in accordance with the demographic breakdown of the district he represents. Sometimes, we witness some congressmen’s statements against strategic interests of America. Alongside with the executive body, we should do our best for prevention of the decisions against Azerbaijan in the Congress, protection of our just work, return of our occupied territories and assistance to Azerbaijan. As you know, nowhere else in the world there is analogue of Armenia’s invasion. This invasion is even justified in some big states.

    -As far as we know, you often go to the meetings with the Congress members along with your family? What is its advantage?

    -Like most people I pay special attention to family friendship. Most of Americans are family men and take warmer approach to the persons having paragon families. But there is also another message here. I want to demonstrate how developed and civilized the Azerbaijan’s society is. Ill-willers usually try to introduce our society as a backward one, where men dominate in the families and women have no rights. Seeing a family with a western style of thinking from a Muslim country, U.S. congressmen gain right impression of our country. My wife Naila and three-month son Kamal are essential support for me.

    -How do you assess the activity of our diplomatic missions in the US?

    -We have good relations with other members of our Diaspora and Azerbaijan’s diplomatic missions. Owing to the rapid development of Azerbaijan, our country’s bilateral relations with the US have extended much more. In this respect, I would like to note Azerbaijan’s consulate opened in Los Angeles. As far as I know, Azerbaijan’s consulate in California is carrying out serious activities and achieving positive results. Besides, Azerbaijan’s embassy in Washington is one of the most active foreign missions there.

    -Are you going to join the U.S. politics in future?

    -Time will show…

  • Armenian FM Upbeat on Prospects for Karabakh Solution

    Armenian FM Upbeat on Prospects for Karabakh Solution

     

     

     

     

     

    Armenia’s foreign minister sounded optimistic about the prospects of a solution in the long-running dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan, saying that such a solution would open up new possibilities for regional cooperation.

    But Edward Nalbandian denied that Turkey will gain influence over Armenia as a result of what the two hitherto estranged nations see as an opportunity for rapprochement.

    The top Armenian diplomat called it an ‘obvious exaggeration’ to speak about possible Turkish influence on Armenia as he commented on Azerbaijani media reports suggesting that Turkey is keen on increasing its role in the settlement of the long-running conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh, an ethnic-Armenian enclave that declared its independence from Baku following the collapse of the Soviet Union.

    A number of media in Azerbaijan recently quoted Matthew Bryza, the United States cochairman of the Minsk Group of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) that advances a peaceful solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, as saying in Baku that “Turkey may have its contribution to the Karabakh settlement process and help Armenia appear from a more flexible position.”

    “If we believe the citations of the Azerbaijani media, then Mr. Bryza must have mistakenly used the name of Armenia instead of Azerbaijan, since Turkey may use its influence to make Azerbaijan’s position more flexible, proceeding from the reality that the leaders of both Turkey and Azerbaijan, speaking of Turkish-Azerbaijani relations, have repeatedly described them using the “one nation, two states” formula,” Nalbandian underscored.

    According to the press office of the Armenian Foreign Ministry, speaking about the veracity of the reports about a meeting of Armenian and Turkish diplomats in Switzerland, Nalbandian said: “There have always been contacts between Armenian and Turkish diplomats, and there is nothing extraordinary about these meetings.”

    Commenting on the possibility of a trilateral meeting of the foreign ministers of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkey in New York with the mediation of Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan, the top Armenian diplomat reminded that he agreed with Babacan in Yerevan still in early September to have a meeting in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.

    “Mr. Babacan also proposed that a meeting should be organized in a tripartite format. I am not against the organization of such a meeting,” Nalbandian said.

    Regarding the reports in the Turkish press about a possible signing of some documents during the New York meeting, Nalbandian said: “Upon the instructions of the presidents of Armenia and Turkey, as a result of the negotiations held with Turkish Foreign Minister Babacan, we, the two foreign ministers, expressed our complete resolve to achieve a full normalization of bilateral relations, and we are trying to make steps in this direction. I hope that we will go that way without raising artificial obstacles to each other.”

    Nalbandian reiterated Armenia’s position that the OSCE Minsk Group is the current format of negotiations, which “has proved its viability and enjoys the support of the international community.”

    “The negotiating process is continuing in this format, on the basis of the proposals made by the cochairmen of the OSCE Minsk Group. I think that today there are good prerequisites for the settlement of the problem, which may create new opportunities for regional cooperation for all countries,” Nalbandian concluded.

  • “IRAN SHARES ARMENIAN STANCE OF KARABAKH AND GENOCIDE”

    “IRAN SHARES ARMENIAN STANCE OF KARABAKH AND GENOCIDE”

    DERENIK MELIKYAN: IRAN SHARES ARMENIAN STANCE OF KARABAKH AND GENOCIDE

    Kaynak: armtown.com
    Yer: Türkiye
    Tarih: 20.9.2008

    There are two Hay Dat offices in Iran. One is in Tehran and the other is in Nor-Jugha, Derenik Melikyan, editor of Aliq Tehran-based Armenian-language newspaper, told a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter. “We organize April evenings, seminars on genocide studies, including the Armenian Genocide. Books dedicated to Armenian-Iranian, Turkish-Iranian and Armenian-Turkish relations are published,” he said. “Iran has tensed relations with Turkey and, moreover, with Azerbaijan. Tehran doesn’t welcome Baku’s yearning for the Turkic world. Panturanism is inadmissible for Iran. Maybe this is the reason why it shares the Armenian stance of Karabakh and Genocide. Moreover, thanks to the NKR security belt, the Armenian-Iranian border became longer,” Melikyan said.

    Source: www.hyetert.com, 20.09.2008

  • Matthew Bryza: The US is paying more attention to the settlement of Nagorno Karabakh conflict now than ever before

    Matthew Bryza: The US is paying more attention to the settlement of Nagorno Karabakh conflict now than ever before

    [ 18 Sep 2008 19:36 ]
    Baku. Tamara Grigoryeva – APA. American co-chair of OSCE Minsk Group Matthew Bryza held a press conference on the outcomes of his visit to Baku. APA reports that the co-chair said Azerbaijan and the Unites States continued active cooperation.

    “The main aspect of this cooperation is the settlement of Nagorno Karabakh conflict,” he said.
    Matthew Bryza said the Unites States supported Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity.

    “We intend to help the conflicting parties to reach an agreement. This agreement should be based on the countries’ territorial integrity, later we should use other practice of the international law. We should find a way satisfying both sides, then a deal should be signed as in business. Our leadership is paying more attention to the settlement of Nagorno Karabakh conflict now than ever before,” he said.

    Matthew Bryza said he planned to meet with other co-chair Bernard Fassier in Baku and hoped to continue cooperation with Russian co-chair Yuri Merzlyakov.

    The co-chair also took a stance on the Caucasus Cooperation and Stability Pact initiated by Turkey.
    “Any step serving to establish peace in the region is praiseworthy. Turkey is the ally of both the United States and Azerbaijan. It is good if this country wants to contribute to the establishment of peace. Some countries of the region ask why the US and European Union do not participate in this platform, why only Turkey and Russia are represented in the new format. And Georgia says that it is not ready to participate in this project together with Russia, which violated the country’s territorial integrity. Turkey is not the co-chair of OSCE Minsk group, but this country knows more about Azerbaijan and Armenia,” he said.

    Matthew Bryza appreciated the steps taken to normalize the relations between Turkey and Armenia.
    “Both countries have made steps important from political aspect. This is a new direction, there is a need for new directions after the happenings in Georgia,” he said.

    Taking a stance on the meeting of Azerbaijani and Armenian Presidents American co-chair said the heads of states determine when they should meet.

    “We, diplomats only give recommendations,” he said.

    Speaking about the attitude of GUAM countries towards the happenings in Georgia, Matthew Bryza said the organization openly supported official Tbilisi.

    “For example, Viktor Yushchenko openly expressed this support. Sometimes this support was silent, but too important,” he said.

    Matthew Bryza said the policy of the United States on the region would not change.
    “We will be more active in the region,” he said.

    Source: en.apa.az, 18 Sep 2008

  • Karabakh Leader Defends Current Negotiations Format

    Karabakh Leader Defends Current Negotiations Format

     

     

     

     

     

    Bako Sahakian, the head of the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, has called for preserving the current format of negotiations over the protracted conflict with Azerbaijan, with the United States, France and Russia continuing to lead international efforts to resolve the dispute.

    At the same time, Sahakian stressed the need for restoring Nagorno-Karabakh’s status as a full party to the negotiating process.

    The Karabakh leader made the remarks while receiving the French negotiator in Stepanakert Tuesday evening.

    Bernard Fassier, the French cochairman of the Minsk Group of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), was in the Karabakh capital to discuss the recent developments in the region and their impact on the negotiating process around Nagorno-Karabakh.

    According to the Nagorno-Karabakh president’s press office, during the meeting, Sahakian and Fassier also pointed out the need for taking concrete steps towards forming an atmosphere of trust between the parties to the conflict.

    Fassier’s visit followed his U.S. counterpart’s regional tour, including a trip to Stepanakert late last week. The intensified diplomatic efforts of the international negotiators proceed against the background of a thaw in Armenian-Turkish relations following Turkish leader Abdullah Gul’s visit to Armenian capital Yerevan on September 6.

    The Armenian president last Friday publicly appreciated Turkey’s offer of assistance in the normalization of Armenian-Azerbaijani relations. But Serzh Sarkisian told media that he differentiated between ‘assistance’ and ‘mediation’.

    However, the statement was construed by some observers as an approval of Turkey’s plans to increase its role in the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which is viewed by many as a threat to the current format of the peace process.

    Sarkisian’s most vocal political opponent in Armenia, ex-President Levon Ter-Petrosian later voiced his concerns over intensified efforts of Turkey to supplant the Minsk Group, which he implied would bolster Azerbaijan’s stance in the long-running dispute with Armenia.

    “The Minsk Group format is the most correct format, because it has provided the balance of superpowers and allowed us to ensure the Nagorno-Karabakh problem is not solved due to unilateral efforts of any of the superpowers,” Ter-Petrosian told an opposition rally in Yerevan Monday.

    At a news briefing following his meeting with Karabakh leadership on Tuesday, Fassier hailed the efforts of Armenia and Turkey to improve their historically strained relations.

    “Armenia’s president acted wisely by inviting Turkish President Abdullah Gul to Yerevan, although many in Azerbaijan and Turkey had thought such a meeting was impossible,” Fassier said, as quoted by the Russian news agency Regnum.

    “Any efforts of goodwill that could prove useful for the negotiating process should be welcomed,” the French mediator added. “Turkey is a significant member of the OSCE Minsk Group. As a member of the Minsk Group it has long supported the process and the efforts of the cochairmen… All these efforts, if concentrated, may prove useful.”

    On Wednesday, Fassier was in Yerevan where he was received by President Serzh Sarkisian.

    In a brief statement the presidential press service reported that the main subject on the meeting agenda was “the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the latest developments in the region.”

    The French diplomat was scheduled to give a press conference in Yerevan later on Wednesday.