The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

[crusader1492]

Re: The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

Russia sees baby boom in 2007

Shrinkage!

[Armenian]

Re: The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

U.S. and Poland Agree in Principle on Missile Defense

Poland said Friday that it had reached an agreement in principle with the United States on plans to install a missile defense system on Polish territory. The Polish foreign minister, Radek Sikorski, said that after meetings with American officials he was satisfied that the United States would deal with security problems Poland wanted addressed. The announcement should add momentum to a project the Bush administration has said it hopes to start this year. The project, a major source of tension with Russia, had looked to be stalled since the Polish government of Donald Tusk took office in November. Mr. Sikorski did not outline the terms. But he and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, in a joint appearance, suggested that the United States would help with Polish air defenses. Mr. Sikorski said that negotiators would continue to work on the details of an agreement that would allow the United States to install 10 interceptors as part of a missile defense system. He sought to address the concerns of Russia, which sees the plan as an attempt to undermine its military deterrent. “The reinforced Polish air defenses are not directed against anybody,” Mr. Sikorski said. “They are to enable Poland to be a stronger NATO ally with the United States, to enable Poland to take part in operations, in out-of-area operations, in joint operations.”

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/02/wa...rssnyt&emc=rss

U.S. and Kazakhstan snub Russia with new military deal

The United States promised Kazakhstan on Friday to help it bring its armed forces up to NATO standards in a new military cooperation pact certain to irritate Russia, Kazakhstan's former Soviet overlord. Kazakhstan's ties with Moscow have cooled over the past year as the energy-rich Central Asian state -- the biggest economy in the region and home to some of the world's largest oil fields -- seeks to pursue a more independent diplomacy. On a visit to Kazakhstan, U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defence Mitchell Shivers signed a new five-year cooperation plan with Kazakhstan envisaging fresh U.S. assistance in matters ranging from military reform and equipment to education.

"This is a building block in the expanding partnership between our two nations," Shivers said in remarks sent to Reuters by the U.S. embassy. "As a member of NATO, the U.S. is committed to helping Kazakhstan in improving its inter-operability with equipment and training to U.S. and NATO standards." Kazakhstan inherited its military force from Russia and it relies on Moscow for most of its defense contracts. Any deviation from this tradition annoys Russia which sees Central Asia as part of its sphere of interest. Russia has long criticized NATO's military expansion towards Russia as a throwback to the Cold War and expressed displeasure when ex-Soviet Ukraine applied to NATO to take the first steps towards membership this month.

In a symbolic gesture of support for the West, Kazakhstan has sent a contingent of military engineers to assist U.S. military efforts in Iraq. Kazakhstan has, however, stressed it would continue buying hardware from Russia. Washington has also shown interest in Kazakh plans to build up its naval force on the Caspian Sea to guard its offshore oilfields and diversify arms imports. "We declare our intention to strengthen our security relationship through increased dialogue and defense military cooperation," the two sides said in a joint statement. Shivers added: "We are very excited about this expanding partnership with the Kazakhstan ministry of defense, its armed forces and the people of Kazakhstan."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/world...80001420080201

[Illuminator]

Re: The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations




US Crashes Internet In Middle East After Saudi Threat, Russia Responds With Air Forces

Feb 3, 2008

Reports circulating in the Kremlin today are painting a grim picture of just how desperate US War Leaders have become as their economy continues its freefall towards total bankruptcy by their crashing of Global Internet access for the Middle EastБ─≥s banking centers in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi, Iran, UAR, Turkey and Kuwait.

These reports state that the Americans became Б─≤enragedБ─≥ this past week when the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) rejected US demands for an immediate increase in oil production.

Further angering the Americans this past week was TurkeyБ─≥s rejection of US demands for them to sever banking ties with Iran's Bank Mellat, and which allows Iranian continued access to Global banking resources.

But, these reports state, the greatest fears of the United States were raised this past week when Saudi Arabia Б─≤warnedБ─≥ the United States to Б─≤back offБ─≥ of its threats against Iran or face the SaudiБ─≥s decoupling the US Dollar from its enormous World oil trade transactions.

Though the American President [pictured top left with Saudi King] personally went to the Saudi Kingdom to lobby the USБ─≥s Middle East allies in agreeing for attacks against Iran for the Iranians decoupling of the US Dollar from its oil trade, Bush was quickly rebuffed.

It should be noted that those Nations who have dared to decoupled the US Dollar from their oil trade, Iraq, Iran, Russia and Venezuela, have come under withering attacks from the Americans, and their Western Allies; none worse than the Iraqis who are reported to have suffered over 1 million deaths since being invaded by the US in 2003.

But, as these reports state, the Б─≤worst nightmareБ─≥ of the Americans appeared to be coming true this past week when their Saudi Arabian allies were reported to have begun the decoupling of the US Dollar from their oil trade with the intention of replacing the rapidly declining American currency with the European Euro.

American War Leaders, though, have had previous warnings of the Saudis growing fears of being the holders of trillions of declining US Dollars with Saudi Arabia, for the first time, refusing to drop their interest rates in Б─≤lock-stepБ─≥ with the US Federal Reserve, and leading to fears of a Б─≤stampedeБ─≥ by other Middle Eastern Nations out of US Dollar backed assets.

Under such a threat, and with the Saudi King growing closer to IranБ─≥s President Ahmadinejad [both pictured top left 2nd photo], Russian Military Analysts state in these reports that the United States invoked one of their so called Б─≤nuclear optionsБ─≥ by severing the three major undersea cables connecting the Middle EastБ─≥s major banking centers to their Western, and Global, counterparts.

The significance to the severing of these cables is the Middle East Banking Centers being denied access to the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT), based in Brussels and which carries up to 12.7 million messages a day containing instructions on many of the International transfers of money between banks, lies in Saudi Arabia, or any other Middle East Nation, being unable to change their previously, before loss of communication, encoded currency instructions from being changed.

MoscowБ─≥s actions against the West, in the severing by the United States of these cables, was swift as President Putin ordered Russian Air Force Fighters and Bombers to take immediate action to protect the Russian Nations vital undersea cables in the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans.

To some of the Russian Air Force assets used we can read as reported by the Reuters News Service article titled "Russia sends bombers, fighters to Atlantic, Arctic", and which says:

"Air force pilots will carry out practice in the areas involving reconnaissance, missile-bombing attacks on a navy attack force of a hypothetical enemy, air-to-air combat and refuelling and patrolling," an air force spokesman said. The bomber group included two Tupolev Tu-160 strategic bombers, codenamed "Blackjack" by NATO, two turbo-prop Tu-95 "Bear" strategic bombers, and eight Tu-22 "Blinder" bombers. MiG-31 and Su-27 fighters were also sent to the region."

To the final outcome of these events it is not in our knowing, other than one Russian Banking Official, wishing to remain anonymous, stating that, Б─°Should the SaudiБ─≥s effectively decouple their oil from the US Dollar, the United States, for all practical purposes will cease to be a World power as its economy will collapse completely as the US Dollar has no value in and of itself due to the staggering debt of the Americans. Without oil they are nothing."

http://www.whatdoesitmean.com/index1067.htm

What do you think, Armenian?

[Illuminator]

Re: The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

Of course while Asia and the Middle are cut off, israel sits there just fine like pigs in GOVNO.

Undersea internet cable cut

1 day ago

A leading internet provider in the Emirates said an undersea cable had been cut in the Persian Gulf.

The break caused severe phone line disruptions and compounded an already existing internet outage across large parts of the Middle East and Asia after two other undersea cables were earlier damaged north of Egypt.

Omar Sultan, chief executive of Dubai's IPS DU, said that the incident was "very unusual". He said it was not known how the underwater Flag Falcon cable, stretching between the United Arab Emirates and Oman, had been damaged.

"The situation is critical for us in terms of congestion" on international lines, Sultan said, but refused to speculate on the extent of the damage. DU said in a press release that the cause of the incident "had not yet been identified".

The owner of the Falcon cable, UK Flag Telecom, said the cable was cut at 05:59 GMT on Friday, 34.8 miles off the coast of Dubai and that a "repair ship has been notified and expected to arrive at the site in the next few days".

The company is also the owner of one of the undersea cables that were sliced on Wednesday in the Mediterranean Sea. That damage triggered wide internet outages, hampering businesses and private usage across the Middle East and Asia.

A Flag official in India said workers were still trying to determine how the Persian Gulf cable was cut. He declined to comment on whether the cut was somehow linked to Wednesday's cut in Egypt, but said he did not believe Flag's cables were deliberately targeted.

As in the case of the Mediterranean damage, which Egyptian officials said was caused by a ship's anchor when a vessel could not dock in the port of Alexandria, there was also speculation that an anchor had sliced the Persian Gulf cable.

DU said the incident "added further complications to the existing cuts on the Flag Europe-Asia and SEA-ME-WE4 cables" off the coast of Egypt and that the Persian Gulf cut "impacted all international voice calls through the DU network", leading to "severe congestion and degradation of international voice calls".

It said national calls in the Emirates and internet access were not affected.

[Armenian]

Re: The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

Illuminator, the website where you found the first article is essentially a political tabloid and not a news source to be taken seriously. Some of their materials borders on science fiction. Regarding the occurrence in question: I don't have enough information to make a statement at this time. There could be a number of plausible scenarios. Most probably it is some US/Israeli special operations directed against Iran.

However, this statement from that tabloid is pretty accurate:

To the final outcome of these events it is not in our knowing, other than one Russian Banking Official, wishing to remain anonymous, stating that, Should the Saudis effectively decouple their oil from the US Dollar, the United States, for all practical purposes will cease to be a World power as its economy will collapse completely as the US Dollar has no value in and of itself due to the staggering debt of the Americans. Without oil they are nothing."

So, forget about Special Interests, the Federal Reserve, Neocons, etc... If the Saudis, or the Chinese for that matter, ever decided to stop dealing in US currency - the United States, as we know it, will cease to exist the very next day. For many years now the US has been merely riding high on its global hype. However, in a certain sense, the fate of the mightiest and the wealthiest superpower the world has ever seen is in the hands of foreign powers. Americans need to think long and hard about this particular nature of the United States. That is why I keep saying that the so-called "American Dream" is literally a dream for one morning Americans will wake up and face hard reality.

[Armenian]

Re: The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

News Analysis: What's behind Russia's military show-off

Russia wrapped up its 12-day joint exercise between its Air Force and Navy in the Atlantic and Arctic oceans Saturday, arousing concerns from NATO members and other western countries. This is the first large-scale overseas drill by Russian fleets and aircraft since the end of the Cold War, which shows the country's military strength. The exercise came when Russia has toughened its stance in dealing with the West and the expansion of NATO. The war game involved the Soviet-era aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov, flagship of the Black Sea Fleet the Moskva cruiser, anti-submarine ships and dozens of strategic bombers, fighter jets and airborne warning and control planes. Moscow said there's no need for NATO -- the U.S.-led military bloc that once rivals the Soviet Union -- to enroll new members in Eastern Europe since the Cold War has already ended.

Washington has fueled up Kremlin's worry after it unveiled plans to deploy anti-ballistic missile systems in Eastern Europe by deploying interceptor missiles in Poland and a radar station in the Czech Republic. Since Moscow's diplomatic efforts, including talks between Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his U.S. counterpart Condoleezza Rice and defense ministers from the two nations last year, failed to haul the U.S. plans, Russian military's voice has grown stronger. Nikolai Solovtsov, commander of the Strategic Rocket Forces, said last December that Russia's strategic missiles are capable of passing through any existing and prospective missile defense systems, including the one proposed by the United States for Eastern Europe. Solovtsov made the remark when Russia made several test-fires of inter-continental ballistic missiles and issued the layouts of submarines deployment, missiles and anti-missile systems deployment in the country.

Yuri Baluyevsky, chief of the Armed Forces, said in mid-January that Russia may use nuclear weapons pre-emptively if under serious threat, underlining the tough stance of the military. Russia also pledged to take anti-satellite missions if necessary amid worries about the development of space weapons and the militarization of the outer space where the United States enjoys a remarkable advantage. Analysts believe that Russia, by flexing its military muscle, intends to show its determination and strength in dealing with the West, so that it can win respect and cooperate with the West on an equal footing, especially in such fields as anti-proliferation and anti-terrorism. Such moves are also believed to meet Russia's domestic political need when First Deputy Minister Dmitry Medvedev is widely expected to succeed the tough-to-west but popular President Vladimir Putin after March 2 election, when the later is to step down due to constitutional bar on a consecutive third term.

Source: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/20...nt_7562441.htm

Commander: Russian navy to build up presence in Atlantic, Mediterranean

Russia will build up its presence in the strategic areas of the world, including the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, navy commander Admiral Vladimir Vysotsky said on Sunday. "We'll do all we can to build up our presence where Russia has strategic interests," RIA news agency quoted the senior officer assaying at the Northern Fleet's base Severomorsk, in the Arctic Circle. "What is important is that we have appeared (in the Atlantic and the Mediterranean) at a scheduled time and not just that we appeared there," he said while commenting a joint Air Force and Navy exercise in the Mediterranean Sea and the North Atlantic. The 12-day war game and two-month maneuver was the first large-scale Russian navy exercise in the Atlantic and the Mediterranean in 15 years. Russia's naval task force in the drill comprised the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier, the Udaloy-Class destroyers Admiral Levchenko and Admiral Chabanenko, as well as support vessels. The flagship of Russia's Black Sea Fleet, the Moskva cruiser, joined up with the other warships in the Mediterranean on Jan. 18 to participate in the maneuvers in the Atlantic that ended on Saturday. Russia will carry out similar missions once every six months, Vysotsky said.

Source http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/20...nt_7562444.htm

[Armenian]

Re: The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

Russian officials: Tadic's re-election bodes for good relations

Pro-west Tadic returned in Serbia: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAkZA...Ww/default.jpg

Russian politicians Monday generally welcomed the re-election of Boris Tadic as Serbian president, mixed with words of caution that the victory was not automatically a win for the West. The head of Russia's Foreign Affairs Committee Konstantine Kosachyov said Tadic had proven himself a good partner to Russia, pointing to new deals signed with Russian energy giant Gazprom on the eve of the vote. 'Tadic is an absolutely predictable, promising and constructive partner,' Kosachyeov said. His win was seen as a public vote of support for Serbia's closer relations with the European Union. But Kosachyov said it was 'simplistic and artificial' to view Tadic as the candidate of the West and Nikolic as Russia's ally. 'Both politicians have always been patriotic and have stood up for the interests of the Serbian nation,' said Kosachyov, stressing that their interests coincided on the tense issue of Kosovo. The Russian lawmaker reiterated Moscow's support for Serbia's claims over the separatist province, a stance which has won President Vladimir Putin huge popularity with Serbs in recent years. Russia fears that independence for Kosovo would set off a 'chain reaction,' encouraging separatist movements along Russia's border in the Caucasus, news agency Interfax quoted Kosachyov as saying. Other Russian lawmakers did not mince words in affirming satisfaction with Tadic's victory. The head of Russia's Legislative Committee Yuri Sharandin said in voting for Tadic, Serbs chose a 'well-balanced course' over 'excessive radicalism,' while deputy parliamentary speaker Valery Yazev said the results heralded 'improved economic relations.' Mid-campaign, state-owned energy giant Gazprom bought a majority stake in Serbia's national oil group NIS for 594 million dollars. Both countries also agreed to the joint construction of a section of the South-Stream pipeline, to carry gas from to Europe from Russia, through its territory. The project is Moscow's answer to an EU-spearheaded project to reduce dependence on Russian energy with the Nabucco pipeline to deliver it gas from the Caspian sea.

Source: http://news.monstersandcritics.com/e...good_relations

Tadic's reelection shows West should listen to Serbia on Kosovo - Zatulin

Both the West and Russia should welcome the reelection of Boris Tadic as president of Serbia, Russian MP Konstantin Zatulin said. "The victory of Tadic is the last chance for the West to review its line on the unilateral recognition of Kosovo's independence," Zatulin, who was in Belgrade and Pristina on Saturday and Sunday, told Interfax. "The West managed to turn the tide for the benefit of Tadic through the Serbian voters who were afraid of a possible new confrontation with the EU, which would have inevitably happened if [Tomislav] Nikolic had won," Zatulin said. "It will be rather symptomatic of Tadic if he allows the West to act absolutely freely on the issue of Kosovo," the MP said. Given such a situation, Tadic should do what "Mohandas Gandhi did on India's independence issue: call for a civil disobedience campaign," he said. This means "a number of passive actions: for example the suspension of diplomatic relations with the countries that recognize Kosovo's independence, if it is declared unilaterally, rather than armed resistance," Zatulin said. If the situation evolves in that direction, "Russia will not allow such a UN resolution to pass as a first step. Secondly, Russia will have to recognize the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, thus showing that it has its own position and that it has its own line, independent of that of the West," Zatulin said.

Source: http://www.interfax.ru/e/B/politics/...issue=11958578

[Armenian]

Re: The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

Russia might target U.S. missile shield in Poland

The U.S. missile defense system, if deployed in Poland, could become a target for Russia's defense system, a senior Russian official said here on Monday. "There are no doubts that the aim of the United States is not Iran, but control over Russia's nuclear potential," said Konstantin Kosachev, the head of the State Duma foreign policy committee. Kosachev made the remarks in response to an earlier announcement of Warsaw that it had reached an agreement with Washington on the installation of a U.S. missile defense system. Kosachev said that "involvement of any third countries, in particular Poland and the Czech Republic, make these countries hostages of and participants in the situation." Russia made its stance clear on the issue so that "it should not be a surprise for anybody" when Russia takes real action, Itar-Tass news agency quoted Kosachev as saying. The United States announced plans in January 2007 to deploy 10 missile interceptors in Poland and a missile defense radar in the Czech Republic as part of its European missile shield, purportedly to counter a missile threat from Iran and other "rogue" states. Russia strongly opposes the plan, claiming it is a direct threat to its security and will break the strategic balance in the region. The plan also met local resistance in Poland and the Czech Republic. The current Polish government, elected last year, was initially negative about the plan while trying to mend ties with Russia. However, Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski said Friday that Warsaw and the United States had agreed in principle on the deployment plan after he had received assurances that Washington would help Poland strengthen its security.

Source: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/20...nt_7569651.htm

Russia lawmaker warns Poland, Czechs on U.S. shield

Poland and the Czech Republic could become targets for the Russian military if they agree to host elements of a U.S. missile defense system, Russian news agencies quoted a senior Russian lawmaker as saying on Monday. The comments by Konstantin Kosachyov, a Kremlin ally who heads the international affairs committee in the lower house of parliament, follow progress in discussions between Poland and United States on the proposed shield. "Connections between any other third countries, in this case, Poland and the Czech Republic, make these countries hostages and participants in the situation," Kosachyov was quoted by Itar-Tass as saying. "They will be making a choice, a strategic choice, that will affect the security of these countries, because the relevant U.S. systems will become a subject of control and, possibly, in the worst case, a target for Russian defense systems," Kosachyov was quoted as saying by Interfax news agency. Moscow disputes U.S. statements that the missiles are intended to protect against future threats from rogue states such as Iran. It says the shield is a threat to Russian security. Russia's objections are expected to top the agenda when Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk visits Moscow on February 8. The U.S. wants to locate 10 interceptor missiles in Poland and a radar installation in Czech Republic under the $3.5 billion plan. On February 1, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the United States supports modernizing Poland's air defenses, a key Polish demand for hosting part of the planned system. Russian President Vladimir Putin has offered Washington access to Russian data on missile launches if the United States drops its missile shield plan. The Pentagon regards the radar offer as a supplement to its shield, not a substitute.

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/world...45084020080204

[Armenian]

Re: The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

Bear in mind that the following article is written by a representative of the US State Department's very own spokes team within the American-Armenian community, the Armenian Assembly. And in featured within the US State Department's very own news outlet in Yerevan, Armenianow:

Karabakh Commentary: Aliyev's threats must be taken seriously

Special to ArmeniaNow By Jirair Haratunian
Past Chairman of the Armenian Assembly of America Board of Directors

One of Armenia's top generals, Colonel General Seyran Ohanian, recently cautioned that Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev's frequent threats to resume war against Karabakh and Armenia must be taken seriously. Aliyev's latest foray was a proclamation that "War with Armenia is not over; only the first stage is over." He added, "Nagorno Karabakh will never be independent." Aliyev's bellicosity aside, his regime budgeted one billion dollars this year to modernize and train its military forces. That billion dollar military budget is what prompted General Ohanian to caution that Karabakh's and Armenia's security problems are real.

Flushed with oil revenues, Baku's diplomatic posture regarding Armenia and Karabakh has become publicly arrogant and uncompromising. Unfortunately, American indulgence towards Baku has served to embolden Aliyev. Washington views Azerbaijan as a strategic asset in its confrontation with Teheran over Iran's growing nuclear capacity. Coupled with this are the massive investments, largely sponsored by Washington, for the new Caspian pipelines that carry petroleum and natural gas to Western markets from Azerbaijan through Georgia, to Turkey. These, of course, circumvent Armenia and were designed to bypass Russian territory. Washington's motives are as much political as economic. Proof of this were statements made in Baku by Senator Richard Lugar, Republican from Indiana and minority leader of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, who asserted, "The long term (American) interests are not to allow Russia to be dominant in the South Caucasus and Central Asia."

Little wonder then that Azerbaijan believes geography and abundance of oil will ultimately succeed in imposing its will on Armenia and Karabakh, and confident enough to threaten war with impunity. It must be said though, that United States and European diplomats have cautioned Baku, perhaps too mildly, against renewed warfare. They have in mind, of course, that the billions of dollars invested in Caspian oil production and delivery could be jeopardized in the event of a new conflict. Also, during their last visit to the region, the co-chairmen of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group cautioned that war would be devastating for both countries. Instead, they lobbied for their latest written proposal as the best basis for an agreed framework for peace negotiations.

Where the Karabakh problem is heading is hard to discern. But what is clear is that Azerbaijan continues a ceaseless political and economic offensive against Armenia on multiple diplomatic fronts. Currently, the Nagorno Karabakh question has been inserted onto the agenda of the United Nations General Assembly. It is part of a resolution submitted by the GUAM coalition of states comprised of Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, and Moldova, to condemn the independence efforts of Nagorno Karabakh and other frozen conflict regions of the former Soviet Union. Ironically, this movement coincides with a contradictory effort led by the United States that calls for the independence of Kosovo. Its supporters repeatedly claim that Kosovo is a unique case that needs prompt resolution. They assert that Kosovo is not a precedent for other unresolved separatist conflicts. Russia disagrees and the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Terry Davis, is unsure. He told the news agency Trend that it is very hard to predict the influence of the declaration of independence of Kosovo on Nagorno Karabakh and other "frozen conflicts." In any event it appears certain that Kosovo will be declared an independent state in the near future despite Russia's objections, without a UN Security Council endorsement and, even the unanimous concurrence of the European Union.

Is Kosovo a precedent for Karabakh's independence? The answer is ambivalent. Nonetheless, Baku is fearful of Kosovo's independence because it strengthens Armenian claims, and Armenia has said that the Nagorno Karabakh question is predicated on its own historic roots. However, there are more similarities than differences between Kosovo's circumstances and Karabakh's. Each emerged as a result of military actions that defeated Serbian and Azerbaijan armed forces. It took a NATO force to expel Serbian forces and the Nagorno Karabakh Republic was created through the victory of its own security forces. In both instances oppressive regimes that ruled over ethnic minority regions were expelled. New governmental processes were instituted in both regions. However, in Karabakh its new republic resulted from the free will and independent actions of its citizenry while in Kosovo NATO authorities still exercise oversight and control over the levers of government.

Thus, whether or not Kosovo constitutes a precedent in the eyes of Kosovo's western supporters, they will be hard pressed to choose between the validity of one over the other. In the end, it is principle not precedent that should and hopefully will determine Karabakh's future.

Source: http://armenianow.com/?action=viewAr...D=1171&lng=eng

[crusader1492]

Re: The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

Let me take a stab at the article above:

The US is sending a signal to Armenia that if you cool relations with Russia, the US will see to it that Armenia has more of a share in regional projects and NKR will be settled in Armenia's favor.

Am I on track?