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July 28-
August 3 |
The Turkish-Armenian Reconciliation
Commission established last month continued to draw international
praise. While some Armenian parliamentarians criticized it, the Armenian
government continues to be informed about Commission developments,
is not opposed to this or other Track Two efforts, and does not obstruct
this effort. The Armenian members of the Commission on Wednesday issued
a statement addressing questions raised in Armenia and the Diaspora. |
July 28-
August 3 |
The Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan
met this week in Sochi, Russia only to confirm their differences over
ways to settle the Karabagh conflict. Robert Kocharian and Heydar
Aliyev spoke at an unofficial summit of members of the Commonwealth
of Independent States (CIS), a loose grouping of former Soviet republics.
Negotiations between Aliyev and Kocharian reached a stalemate in May,
after the Azerbaijani side backed away from a framework agreement
developed in three rounds of negotiations held in France and the United
States. Senior Azerbaijani officials have since renewed threats of
resuming a war, claiming that mediators from France, Russia and the
United States have taken a "pro-Armenian" position. Nagorno
Karabagh Foreign Minister Naira Melkumian confirmed this week that
a framework agreement reached by the two Presidents was in line with
Armenia's and Karabagh's positions, and called it a "natural
model" for resolution of the conflict. At the CIS Summit, Aliyev
agreed in principle to continue to negotiate and to tone down bellicose
rhetoric that international mediators criticized last month as "irresponsible." |
July 28-
August 3 |
Turkey hosted French Foreign Minister
Hubert Vedrine last weekend in a further indication that Ankara was
ready to improve relations. Turkey pulled its ambassador to France
and threatened economic sanctions against France earlier this year,
when the Senate and National Assembly of France passed a law recognizing
the Armenian Genocide. The European Commission then warned Turkey
against implementing its threats. Ankara, since hit by a severe economic
crisis, has moved to mend ties with France. Turkey quietly returned
its ambassador and later sent a senior government delegation to request
French backing for international efforts to salvage the Turkish economy. |
July 28-
August 3 |
A group of senior military officials
from a Greece-based command of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization
(NATO) visited Armenia last week to discuss further cooperation within
NATO's Partnership for Peace program. NATO officers and the command
of the Armenian Armed Forces discussed plans for joint exercises and
training of an Armenian peacekeeping unit, currently taking place
in Greece. Earlier this month, Armenia signed a Memorandum of Understanding
with the United Nations on joining the UN peacekeeping forces. President
Robert Kocharian visited NATO headquarters last June and pledged to
expand cooperation with the alliance. |
July 28-
August 3 |
Johannes Linn, World Bank Vice-President
for Europe and Central Asia, and John Odling-Smee, director
of the 2nd European Department at the International Monetary Fund,
visited Armenia in late July and early August. While commending the
economic progress made by Armenia so far this year, the officials
urged further steps to improve the business environment and reform
the system of governance to sustain long-term economic growth and
raise the standard of living of Armenians. |
August
3-10 |
The Social Democratic Hnchakian Party
this week became the second of the "traditional" Armenian
Diaspora parties to endorse the recently established Turkish-Armenian
Reconciliation Commission (TARC). Earlier, the Commission received
the backing of the Democratic Liberal (Ramkavar Azatakan) Party. The
Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF, Dashnaktsutiun) is the only
remaining "traditional" Diaspora party to continue to oppose
the initiative undertaken by individual representatives of the Armenian
and Turkish civil societies. Spokesman for the Dashnak Bureau Giro
Manoyan this week contradicted earlier statements by party officials
that the ARF was not informed of plans to set up TARC. Manoyan also
confirmed that the ARF refused to meet with Armenian members of TARC
to discuss their plans.
The prestigious Zoryan Institute, which is dedicated to the study
of the Armenian Genocide, wrote in a commentary made public this week:
"Surprisingly, a number of Armenians seem to expect the worst,
that because of the existence of this Commission, the Armenian Genocide
will be ignored or bartered away." And added: "The initiativeÝ
has the potential to help build mutual familiarity and confidence,
and to create new opportunities to increase mutual understanding."
Also this week, the Commission received a strong endorsement from
the Armenian World Alliance, an umbrella group that includes over
a dozen Canadian-Armenian organizations. In a letter to the Armenian
Observer, Genocide survivor Nishan Nercessian welcomed the commission
as an opportunity to educate modern Turks of the realities of the
Armenian Genocide. |
August
3-10 |
The wave of internal splits continues
to spread like wildfire throughout the Armenian political arena. Since
the 1999 National Assembly elections, five of the six parties and
blocs that won seats in the National Assembly have seen senior members
leave the ranks of their respective organizations and alliances. Following
earlier dissension in the Republican and People's Parties, both of
which still nominally comprise the "Unity" bloc, and the
disintegration of the "Right and Accord" Bloc, three other
parties split just this week.
The Communist Party (HKK) expelled two of its eight faction members,
including the last chairman of Armenia's Soviet-era parliament Hrant
Voskanian. Voskanian and another expelled member Yuri Manukian, who
heads the party's Yerevan branch, are accused of opposing HKK's radical
line against the current government. Chairman of the National Democratic
Union (AZhM), and independent Armenia's first Prime Minister, Vazgen
Manukian has found himself isolated by other members of the already
diminished AZhM faction of just four parliamentarians. The faction
of the Country of Law Party (OYeK) decreased from six to five after
one member left this week. |
August
10-17 |
The American Ambassador to Turkey
Robert Pearson discussed efforts aimed at reconciliation and understanding
between Turkey and Armenia during a meeting August 10 with His Beatitude
Patriarch Mesrob II of Istanbul and all Turkey at the Armenian Patriarchate
in Kumkapi, Istanbul. In an official release, His Beatitude said that
the Armenian Patriarchate "supports any initiative which contributes
to the mutual understanding, reconciliation and peaceful co-existence
of peoples." His Beatitude also briefed Ambassador Pearson on
the status of Armenians living in Turkey and the impact of Turkey's
current economic troubles on the community. |
August
10-17 |
The University of Michigan's Armenian
Research Center announced this week that Turkish historian Taner Akcam
will teach its upcoming seminar on Armenian-Turkish relations at the
Ann Arbor, Michigan campus. Akcam publicly acknowledges the Armenian
Genocide and is one of the foremost proponents of Armenian-Turkish
dialogue. He is the author of "Dialogue Across an International
Divide: Essays Towards a Turkish Armenian Dialogue" published
by the prestigious Zoryan Institute. The Armenian Research Center's
course presents a sociological analysis of the Turkish-Armenian conflict.
Its stated intent is to seek out possibilities of a dialogue "that
could eventually lead to its resolution." |
August
10-17 |
Economic activity for the first half
of 2001 recorded a 9.3 percent growth in exports and a 9.2 percent
drop in imports, Armenia's National Statistics Service reported this
week. The statistics for the last five years show a consistent trend
towards consumers buying more domestic goods rather than imported
equivalents. However, due to relatively large and costly imports of
natural gas and gasoline, the negative trade balance remains significant.
In January-June 2001, Armenia imported goods worth $395.3 million,
while exports stood at a modest $155.8 million. Share of Armenia's
trade with post-Soviet countries, primarily Russia, increased to 25
percent. The countries of the European Union remain Armenia's largest
trading partners, with their share at just under 30 percent. |
August
17-24 |
Assistant Secretary of State for European
Affairs Elizabeth Jones began her first visit to Ukraine and the Caucasus
this week. Speaking at a press conference prior to her departure,
Jones said that during her trip she will "underscore the U.S.
commitment to the sovereignty, independence and stability" of
the states of the region. She said that the main threats to these
states come from difficulties associated with political and economic
transition from the Soviet period. Jones cited terrorism and narcotics
trafficking as major outside threats. Jones, who previously served
as the U.S. Ambassador to Kazakstan and later as Special Envoy on
Caspian issues, has dealt with the regional states before, but this
will be her first visit to Armenia. During the press conference, Jones
was upbeat on prospects for settlement of the Karabagh conflict. She
said a "tremendous amount of progress" had been made by
the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan, Robert Kocharian and Heydar
Aliyev, during talks held in France and the United States earlier
this year. "This is by no means a failed or a stalled negotiation,"
she said and added that negotiations will continue on the basis of
progress already made by the two presidents. "I'm very optimistic.
But as to timing [of possible agreement on settlement], I wouldn't
hazard a guess," she said.
Following her stops in the regional capitals, Jones will visit the
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) headquarters
in Vienna, Austria to meet with officials of the OSCE's Minsk Group.
The group, co-chaired by France, Russia and the United States, has
been the main mediator in the Karabagh conflict since 1992. While
in Vienna, Jones will also meet with the ambassadors of the so-called
GUUAM countries to "talk with them about some of the programs
they may shortly be getting under way." GUUAM includes Georgia,
Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan and Moldova. |
August
17-24 |
The United States has selected a new
U.S. envoy for the Karabagh peace talks, State Department officials
said earlier this week. Rudolf Perina, now serving as the American
Ambassador to Moldova, will succeed Ambassador Carey Cavanaugh, who
is completing his two-year assignment as the U.S. Special Negotiator
for Nagorno Karabagh and other regional conflicts in the former Soviet
Union. A career member of the foreign service, Perina has over twenty-five
years of experience working at the State Department and National Security
Council, focusing on Soviet and European Affairs. Prior to his assignment
to Moldova in 1998, Perina served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of
State dealing with Balkan issues, including developments in Kosovo.
Perina will become the sixth official to hold the post, following
Cavanaugh (1999-2001), Donald Keyser (1998-99), Lynn Pascoe (1997-98),
Joseph Presel (1995-97) and Joe Maresca (1992-95). |
August
17-24 |
American Ambassador to Armenia Michael
Lemmon this week signed an agreement with Yerevan Mayor Robert Nazarian
to build a new embassy in Armenia. The complex, which is expected
to cost $80 million and create 7,000 jobs, will be built on 20 acres
near Lake Yerevan, at the entrance of the city. It will include the
embassy, the ambassador's residence and an American club and will
take three years to complete. |
August
17-24 |
The Lincy Foundation has launched
its second Armenian investment fund this week. The Foreign Investment
Fund of Armenia (FIFA) will provide credits of between $700,000 and
$2 million to foreign-owned companies for a total of $30 million in
the next two years, FIFA's Executive Director Vahe Aghabegians said.
The fund's goal is to encourage foreign companies to expand their
business presence in Armenia and create jobs in the process. The Armenian
government has issued financial guarantees for FIFA. Lincy launched
its activities in Armenia in 1998. Its first investment fund designed
for local companies, the Foreign Financial Programs Management Center,
has already approved 48 investment programs worth $20.4 million, mostly
in the manufacturing sector. Both funds are part of Lincy's $165 million
Armenia investment commitment. |
August
17-24 |
For the second time since independence,
the Armenian capital is hosting the Pan-Armenian Games, a series of
sporting competitions involving amateur athletes from Armenia and
the Diaspora. Some 3,000 participants from ninety-five Armenian communities
throughout the world are taking part in the games that began on August
18 in Yerevan and will continue through this weekend. The first games
were held in 1999. |
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