Armenia and the information war

[ninetoyadome]

Re: Armenia and the information war

Today.Az » Politics » Azerbaijani MP: In principle, a state called Armenia does not exist

15 May 2010 [14:12] - Today.Az



“It is not worth to take seriously statements of a person who is not independent in his decisions,” Member of the Azerbaijani Milli Majlis (Parliament) Bakhtiyar Sadigov said. He was commenting on Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian’s statements accusing Baku of not fully accepting the Madrid Principles.

"In principle, a state called Armenia does not exist. There is an outpost and military base under this name. With this in mind, it is not surprising that Yerevan has not yet expressed its position on the updated Madrid principles. Apparently, it has not received instructions from its protector about this agreement,” the MP said.

“Though the Madrid principles do not fully coincide with Azerbaijan’s interests, it accepted them to moved forward negotiation process. However, Armenia turned the two weeks, given to the country’s leadership to discuss this document, into a few months. Not instructed by its patron, Armenia acted in a manner peculiar for it. It's all the more convinced us that it is impossible to negotiate a peaceful settlement to the Karabakh conflict," the MPs added.

”Delaying a peaceful resolution, the Armenian leadership is leading the nation to a deep abyss. The population is already in poverty. Recent developments indicate that Azerbaijan may take steps alternative to peaceful negotiations with Armenia. We have every right to do this” MP Sadigov noted.


/Day.Az/

URL: http://www.today.az/news/politics/68016.html

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We have always extended hand of friendship to Armenians-consul
Sat 15 May 2010 | 08:39 GMT Text size:


The newly appointed Consul General of Azerbaijan in Istanbul spoke of the conditions under which Turkey will open borders with Armenia.

"Azerbaijan supports peaceful solution to the Karabakh problem, but this does not mean that we will reconcile with the occupation of our lands. We must not forget Karabakh, we must get it back ", said Azerbaijani consul general in Istanbul Hasan Zeynalov.

According to Turkishny, he made the statement at a press conference in Igdir.

According to him, Azerbaijan will be able to achieve this goal only with Turkey.

"We have always extended a hand of friendship to Armenians, but in response to our kind steps they committed the Khojaly genocide. We must inform the world of the truth about the Khojaly genocide. We, Turks, have been always good to all nations, it comes from our humanity, but our evil-wishers have always abused our kindness”, he said.

"At the moment Turkey accounts for 100,000 Armenian citizens residing there illegally, they in turn support another 500,000 of their impoverished countrymen in Armenia with their earnings," he said.

According to him, b y insisting on opening the borders with Turkey, the Armenians put the purpose to cast shadow on the fraternal relations between Azerbaijan and Turkey.

"Of course, in the future I do not rule the opening of tje Armenian-Turkish and the Azerbaijani-Armenian border. But this will happen only when Armenia ceases to make territorial claims to Turkey and withdraws from the occupied lands of Azerbaijan. In the current situation, the opening of borders does not meet the interests of either Azerbaijan or Turkey. By insisting on opening the borders with Turkey, Armenians aim to cast a shadow on the fraternal relations between Azerbaijan and Turkey. But the Turkish leaders have repeatedly stated that the borders will not open without the resolution of the Karabakh conflict", said the Azerbaijani diplomat.

1news.az

[Federate]

Re: Armenia and the information war

AZERBAIJAN'S FALSIFICATIONS BANNED AT TEHRAN INTERNATIONAL BOOK FAIR

Panorama.am
18:18 14/05/2010

The representatives of Azerbaijan's pavilion at the 23rd Tehran
International Book Fair were not allowed to display books which
included false information about the history and culture of
Nagorno-Karabakh.

Anti-Iranian and pro-Azeri Tebrizses.com website informs that Iran's
Culture Ministry banned to cover similar topics.

Azerbaijani media, though, report on an incident between the
representatives of Azerbaijan's pavilion and Iranian SAHAR TV reporters
as the latter tried to make a shot of Azerbaijan's pavilion.

http://groong.usc.edu/news/msg319449.html

[londontsi]

Re: Armenia and the information war

Azerbaijan condemns decision of Karabakh separatists to hold "elections"

You would expect that from an undemocratic country wouldn't you.

Free and fair election is an anathema for the kingdom of Azerbaijan.

[Davo88]

Re: Armenia and the information war

Why is it always them who talk rubbish and say that "a state called Armenia does not exist" while in reality, it is only their state that has no real historical foundation in the Caucasus. The Republic of Armenia has never questioned Azerbaijan's sovereignty, up to the extent that it doesn't officially recognize the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh!

[Eddo211]

Re: Armenia and the information war

AZERBAIJAN'S FALSIFICATIONS BANNED AT TEHRAN INTERNATIONAL BOOK FAIR

Panorama.am
18:18 14/05/2010

The representatives of Azerbaijan's pavilion at the 23rd Tehran
International Book Fair were not allowed to display books which
included false information about the history and culture of
Nagorno-Karabakh.

Anti-Iranian and pro-Azeri Tebrizses.com website informs that Iran's
Culture Ministry banned to cover similar topics.

Azerbaijani media, though, report on an incident between the
representatives of Azerbaijan's pavilion and Iranian SAHAR TV reporters
as the latter tried to make a shot of Azerbaijan's pavilion.

http://groong.usc.edu/news/msg319449.html

Good to hear that. One thing about Iranians regardless of who is in charge, they know history and they don’t stand for bullcrap.

Iranian authorities should also crackdown on these infestations that comes to Northern Iran from Azerbaijan with their triple crescent banners in Soccer games and not only Anti-Armenian demonstrations but also Anti-Iranian ones demanding separation of the region. Some Iranian Azeris are being brainwashed as to who they are but most Iranians laugh at these Donkeys.

[ninetoyadome]

Re: Armenia and the information war

Armenia 'close to collapse'
Mon 17 May 2010 | 13:41 GMT Text size:


Bayram Safarov
'The separatist regime cannot hold any legal elections', Bayram Safarov said.

Head of the Azerbaijani community of Nagorno Karabakh, chief of executive powers of Shusha Bayram Safarov has commented on the decision of Karabakh separatists to hold 'parliamentary elections' on May 23.

He noted that Nagorno Karabakh is part of Azerbaijan and the world recognizes the territorial integrity of our country.

'It is possible to hold elections in Karabakh only in line with the laws of Azerbaijan. The separatist regime holds a show called elections. However, the occupation regime is nearing its logical completion. Armenia is close to the collapse. There is almost no people in Karabakh as the majority have left this area due to the hard economic state.

In this case, which elections are implied? The people in Karabakh will be able to live well only after introduction of Azerbaijani laws. And the ordinary people of Karabakh are looking forward this day', Safarov said, according to the website of the ruling party of Azerbaijan.

Tamilla Sencaply
News.Az

i guess he hasnt seen how Armenia's economy has been increasing beyond expectation and how the population in Artsakh is increasing.

[ashot24]

Re: Armenia and the information war

or how the people or Artsakh just burned Azeri flags on April 24, or celebrated their independence and their victory just days ago

[ashot24]

Re: Armenia and the information war

NAGORNO-KARABAKH'S FRAGILE STALEMATE

By Anna Matveeva

Last week, 12 May, marked 16 years since Russia mediated a ceasefire agreement that ended the Armenian-Azerbaijani war over Nagorno-Karabakh and started a long period of “no war, no peace” stagnation. Presently, there is a sense that things might be changing.

The territory of Karabakh is essentially a backwater for both countries. It had certain significance for Soviet military planners because of its proximity to Turkey, but otherwise has no prize assets. It is agricultural land, now sparsely populated because of the exodus of ethnic Azerbaijanis who fled the war, with roads leading to closed borders. Remote from Armenia's better-off areas around Yerevan, development in Nagorno-Karabakh is being propped up by the Armenian diaspora. It remains an isolated place that, unlike Abkhazia, has received little assistance from the international community.

Many Armenians who are currently in Karabakh fled from inter-ethnic violence in Azerbaijani cities, losing their good jobs and nice apartments, and continue to feel embittered. On the opposite side of the border, Azerbaijani farmers, displaced from the lands currently occupied by the Armenian forces, look up towards their former homes and think that they see the lights in them at night. If so, this must be the army using their houses as barracks.

Would the Azerbaijani president, Ilham Aliyev, go to war for Karabakh? It is a big question. The defence minister, Safar Abiyev, spoke in February of the growing likelihood of a “great war” with Armenia. Azerbaijan has a lot to lose if it does so. It has got rich quick due to its energy resource development and is the only CIS country that sustained positive economic growth during the financial crisis.

The state started to build roads, rehabilitate schools and resettle its displaced people. The newly found prosperity conveyed a “feel-good” atmosphere, but it also brought a new confidence that finally “the game is ours”. It cannot let 15% of its territory be lost for ever without making an earnest effort to win something back. Any leader with a sense of history would be mindful that future generations would not forgive him this.

So Azerbaijan builds up its military capabilities, procures modern weaponry and trains troops. It also unleashes bellicose rhetoric on Azerbaijani TV channels, both in the Azeri language and in Russian. Whether this propaganda is aimed at preparing society for war is unclear, but it certainly instils trepidation in the Armenian public of a threat of an imminent attack.

The military build-up and aggressive rhetoric is a pressure tactic of presenting a credible threat, if Armenia does not move. It is effective in projecting a fear that the war, fresh in the memory, can restart, but ineffective in forcing a will for concessions. The public attitude is that because so much has been sacrificed to gain these lands, giving them back would be a betrayal of the memory of heroes who died for them. Following this line of reasoning, the destiny is to continue to sacrifice development for the sake of defence, even if the price could be economic stagnation and social depression.

Encouragingly, Azerbaijan's leadership is risk-averse and not prone to impulsive moves to suit a nationalist agenda. It does not need a war to boost its popularity, because it is already popular. Rationally speaking, the war is unlikely. But military games and sabre-rattling have a tendency to get out of hand. Armenia's internal political problems can give rise to a “now or never” attitude: since the adversary appears weak, the time for a decisive push has arrived.

If it comes to it, the crucial issue is what Russia would do. There is a fashionable belief that Moscow holds the key to a Karabakh settlement, but a scenario in which Vladimir Putin calls the Armenian president, Serzh Sargsyan, and orders him to withdraw from Karabakh seems truly fantastic. In the current stalemate, Russia cannot do more than the US and France, the other Minsk Group co-chairs. However, if fighting were to start, Moscow would be presented with an awkward choice as to whether it defends Armenia militarily.

On the one hand, Armenia is a member of the Collective Secutity Treaty Organization which, like Nato, operates on the collective defence principle: an attack against one member is regarded as an attack on all members. On the other hand, Moscow does not have the same problems with Baku as it has with Tbilisi: the political relationship is good, trade is rampant, Azerbaijan benefits from Russian investment and the two states co-operate in combating terrorism. In the case of deterioration, diplomatic rather than military pressure would be Moscow's most likely option.

In the meantime, people on both sides vote with their feet. Rural areas of Armenia, Karabakh and Azerbaijan are getting depopulated and aged, while younger men, and increasingly women, solve the poverty problem by labour migration to Russia. There are few signs that a political culture of compromise is emerging.

Voices of the Azerbaijani intelligentsia standing against the war are unpopular, as peacebuilding is equated in public wisdom with surrendering Karabakh to the Armenians. Those who advocate peace need to see a readiness from the Armenian side to make steps towards compromise - otherwise “peacebuilding” amounts to an acceptance of defeat. Such signs of compromise are yet to emerge. The danger is that it might be getting too late for them to be noticed.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/may/17/nagorno-karabakh-fragile-stalemate

[ninetoyadome]

Re: Armenia and the information war

Azerbaijani FM: All international observers in so-called "parliament elections" in Nagorno-Karabakh will be declared persona non grata


Azerbaijan will declare all international observers in the so-called "parliament elections" in the Nagorno-Karabakh persona non grata.

"The so-called "parliament elections" to be held by the separatist regime of the Nagorno-Karabakh are illegal and all international observers wishing to observe the course of these "elections" will be declared persona non grata. The Nagorno-Karabakh is Azerbaijan's land and anyone, who visited the area without Azerbaijan's permission, is declared persona non grata, and later he can not visit Azerbaijan," Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesman Elkhan Polukhov told Trend today.

The Nagorno-Karabakh's Separatist regime will hold parliamentary elections May 23.

The Armenian media reported that the former OSCE Special Representative for South Caucasus and present representative of the Paris office of the Institute for Democracy and Cooperation, Maurice Bono will observe the "elections".

The Azerbaijan Foreign Ministry earlier made a statement on so-called "parliament elections" in the Nagorno-Karabakh.

"Any kind of elections in the Nagorno-Karabakh region of the Republic of Azerbaijan may be recognized as fair and free once the expelled Azerbaijani population takes full, direct and equal part in their conduct in lawful and democratic environment equally to the Armenian population of the region. Holding such elections will be possible after the withdrawal of the Armenian occupying forces, normalization of life in the region, creation of necessary conditions for restoration of the dialogue and cooperation between the Armenian and Azerbaijani communities of Nagorno-Karabakh," the statement says.

"Conduct of such "elections" gravely violates the relevant provisions of the Constitution of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the norms and principles of international law, since they are held in absence of the original Azerbaijani population of the Nagorno-Karabakh region, and, therefore shall have no legal effect whatsoever," the ministry reported.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 surrounding districts.

Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group - Russia, France, and the U.S. - are currently holding the peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh region and the occupied territories.

"If any individual is going to monitor the "parliamentary election" in the Nagorno-Karabakh - it is his/her right, but the fact that the former EU Special Representative for South Caucasus, a person once endowed with quite a lot of power, who was supposed to deal with the settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the stabilization of situation in the South Caucasus, causes surprising and doubt that he was ever objective while occupying this post," Azerbaijani political scientist Fikret Sadikhov said.

That's why for so many years we are fighting over the Nagorno-Karabakh problem, namely diplomats such as Bono and others like he, took a one-sided position and supported separatism in Azerbaijan and were not interested in resolving the conflict and deoccupation of the Azerbaijani territories, he said.

"In fact, it is a real reflection of the reality, which Azerbaijan faced for many years, trying to solve this prolonged conflict situation", Sadikhov said.

[Davo88]

Re: Armenia and the information war

Organization of the Islamic Conference Takes Aim at Armenia
May 20, 2010 - 9:43am, by Giorgi Lomsadze

The Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) -- a club of Muslim countries that features Azerbaijan among its 57 members -- has declared Armenia the aggressor in the 22-year Azerbaijani-Armenian conflict over the breakaway region of Nagorno Karabakh.

The resolution, adopted at a May 19 OIC meeting in Dushanbe, will be the foundation of Karabakh discussions planned at the Organization’s 2011 summit in Cairo, Egypt. “We must keep raising the issue of Nagorno Karabakh at the OIC meetings, or else we will make a step back,” declared Azerbaijan’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Tofik Abdulayev.

The Organization also adopted two other Karabakh resolutions that deplore the alleged destruction of Azerbaijani monuments on Armenian-controlled territory and call for aiding the conflict's Azerbaijani victims.

Armenian officials have not commented to international media about the resolutions, but delivered a jab the day the OIC resolutions came out.

The Karabakh peace process has failed because Azerbaijan has shot down each proposal that comes from American, Russian and French mediators, argued Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Shavarsh Kocharian.

"[A]n impression is being created that Baku is holding talks with itself, arrives at some acceptable decisions for itself and tries to present its own wish as the result of the negotiations," the peeved Kocharian charged.

http://www.eurasianet.org/node/61109