Armenia and U.S. appointments, Obama foreign travel, Manas base closure, Iranian sputnik

First published in February 7, 2009 Armenian Reporter

Washington Briefing
by Emil Sanamyan

New appointments: Karabakh Representative to U.S., Armenia’s consul in LA

Robert Avetisyan has been appointed the representative of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR) in the United States, taking over from Vardan Barseghian, the press service of the president of the republic reported this week.

Mr. Barseghian, who served in the United States since 1999, has returned to Stepanakert to become Karabakh's deputy foreign minister. Mr. Avetisyan has been counselor at NKR's Office in the United States since the beginning of 2008. From 1999 on, Mr. Avetisyan has worked for the Foreign Ministry in Stepanakert.

Sources familiar with the rotation told the Armenian Reporter last week that Grigor Hovhannisyan will replace Armen Liloyan as Armenia's consul general in Los Angeles. Since 2006, Mr. Hovhannisyan has been executive director of the Shushi Revival Fund, chaired by the mayor of Yerevan.

Power, McFaul to join Obama White House

Samantha Power, a Harvard professor and a strong supporter of U.S. recognition of the Armenian Genocide, will serve as senior director for multilateral affairs in President Barack Obama's National Security Council, The Associated Press reported on January 29.

Ms. Power, 38, was a senior advisor to the Obama campaign and member of the president-elect's transition team. In her new capacity she will work on U.S. policy initiatives in international organizations on transnational issues such as human rights. Ms. Power was a recipient of the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA)'s Freedom Award last September.

Stanford professor and Russia expert Michael McFaul has been appointed senior director for Russia (and presumably other former Soviet republics) in the National Security Council, the National Interest online reported on February 4.

In congressional testimony last September, Mr. McFaul, 44, urged a policy of "re-building" democracy in Russia. Prior to the Russian-Georgian war, Mr. McFaul told Russia Today TV that Ukraine's and Georgia's membership in NATO was "inevitable," even though it could take decades.

Obama administration announces foreign travel plans

Heeding a longstanding tradition, Barack Obama will make his first foreign trip as president to Canada, on February 19, a month after inauguration, spokesperson Robert Gibbs said last week. Other countries he is expected to visit in the first two to three months of his presidency are Mexico, the United Kingdom (for the April summit on the financial crisis) and a yet-to-be-determined Muslim country.

But Mr. Obama's immediate priorities are said to be domestic.

Vice President Joe Biden is set to play a prominent role on foreign policy matters in the meantime. He will be in Germany for the annual Munich Security Conference, February 6-8, focusing on Russia, Iran, and Afghanistan.

Mr. Biden is expected to deliver a keynote address outlining the new administration's foreign policy priorities. He may also use the opportunity to talk with Russia's First Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov as well as the president of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai and other foreign leaders. Iran will be represented by Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani.

According to an Armenian Reporter source, Armenia's President Serge Sargsian will also attend the Munich conference, while Azerbaijan and Georgia are sending foreign ministers.

It is so far unclear to which country Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will visit first, but with other top officials crowding Europe and the Middle East, media reports suggest a trip to East Asia.

U.S. squeezed by Russia in Central Asia, by Iran in space

Russia offered massive financial incentives to Kyrgyzstan, apparently on the condition that its government close a U.S. air base on its territory, news agencies reported. The base, which takes up a portion of the Kyrgyz capital's main airport, has been there since December 2001, serving to facilitate the delivery of supplies to U.S. forces in Afghanistan.

Kyrgyz president Kurmanbek Bakiyev announced the closure of the base during a visit to Moscow this week. Concurrently, Russia announced a $2 billion aid and loans package to the country.

Senior U.S. officials were apparently assured as recently as two weeks ago that the base would stay open, and are still hoping to use the facility for the anticipated "surge" in U.S. forces in Afghanistan.

At the same time Russian and Kyrgyz leaders promised to continue to cooperate with the United States on stabilizing Afghanistan, which has seen an increase in insurgent attacks in the last few years.

Meanwhile, Iran marked the 30th anniversary of its Islamic revolution by launching its first domestically built satellite into space. U.S. officials expressed concern over the launch, since the same technology can also be used to deliver missiles.

According to RFE/RL, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Iran's growing presence in space is aimed at "expanding monotheism, peace, and justice." Iran has previously launched its satellites through the Russian and Chinese space programs.

Interview with Prime Minister of Armenia

First published in October 18, 2008 Armenian Reporter.
Prime Minister: Armenia's economy is "facing very serious dangers”
Focus of government is small and medium business
by Emil Sanamyan



Prime Minister Tigran Sarkisian in Washington. Lusine Sarkisyan for the Armenian Reporter


Washington - In an interview on October 14 with the Armenian Reporter's Washington Editor Emil Sanamyan, Prime Minister Tigran Sarkisian of Armenia spoke about the impact of the global financial crisis and unresolved conflicts on Armenia. What follows is an English translation of most of that conversation.

Armenian Reporter: In your meeting with Vice President Dick Cheney on October 10, you referred to the recent tendency by U.S. officials to prioritize Azerbaijan's territorial integrity; you called it "extremely dangerous." What was the vice president's reaction to that?

Tigran Sarkisian: I thought the reaction was a positive one and that the vice president agreed that the peace process that is taking place in the Minsk Group framework [co-mediated by France, Russia and the United States] is the way for the problem's resolution.

I also focused on the dangerous statements made by Azerbaijan's foreign minister [Elmar Mammadyarov] at the United Nations last month. [Mr. Mammadyarov said] that they view the Karabakh settlement within the framework of the [nonbinding] UN General Assembly resolution [adopted last March], which certainly does not help us move forward toward a settlement.

[In the meeting with Vice President Cheney,] I once again noted that we have a constructive position. Azerbaijan is aware of this, as are the mediators, and we hope that after Azerbaijan's [presidential] election [on October 15], there will be a new stage of constructive dialogue.

In our meeting earlier today, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice also said she expects new momentum in the negotiations after these elections.

AR: But could this momentum be built on this new American policy language that prioritizes Azerbaijan's territorial integrity?

TS: If territorial integrity is prioritized, the peace process - all of the work the mediators have done - becomes meaningless, since negotiators should take into account the positions of both sides. And this also provokes [Azerbaijan] toward war.

Monitoring Azerbaijan's arms buildup

AR: Does Armenia seek to expand the peace process from the current efforts to develop "settlement principles" to other measures such as strengthening of the cease-fire, a nonaggression pact, and disarmament?

TS: We raise these concerns in various organizations. We are concerned that Azerbaijan is intensively and aggressively arming itself. They are spending unjustifiably huge amounts on their military, and this undermines the peace process. And certainly we have brought this to the attention of our American and European colleagues, as well as NATO experts.

Moreover, international arms treaties must be respected. [Under the Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty], there is a verification mechanism in which Armenia takes part. Our officials visit Turkey, and Turkish colleagues visit Armenia to monitor our forces.

And Azerbaijan too should participate in this monitoring. It is clear that they are in violation of [CFE] agreements and we are certainly worried by this.

At the same time, I would note that before the recent fighting [in South Ossetia] there was more militant rhetoric from Azerbaijan that it would use force. To an extent, the events in Georgia have had a cooling effect on our Azerbaijani colleagues. Although just yesterday [on October 13], the Azerbaijani president again talked about his efforts to isolate Armenia.

AR: Countries supplying especially deadly weapons - tactical ballistic missiles, multiple-launch rocket systems - to Azerbaijan are well known. They are Ukraine, and to a lesser extent Turkey and Israel. Has this issue been raised with these countries? Specifically, when President Serge Sargsian met with his Ukrainian counterpart Viktor Yuschenko relatively recently?

TS: I cannot respond to these questions at this time.

Toward a shared vision of the future - with Turkey

AR: On Armenia's Turkey initiative: following the meetings in New York last month, the sides appear to have gone back to their original positions, Armenia to its "no preconditions," and Turkey to its preconditions. Do you anticipate any change in this dynamic?

TS: Today Secretary Rice expressed a thought that I fully share. [She said] that countries that have problems and wish to establish relations should focus on the future rather than the past. If we are going to continue to stir up the past, we do indeed have a lot of issues, and that would mean we will never come to an agreement.

But if we are to focus on the future, our shared vision of the future, it will also become easier for us to reassess the past. We support [developing] such a vision, and for this reason we say that we have no preconditions.

If our Turkish colleagues talk about preconditions, that means they are still looking into the past. And if we go into the past, then certainly the Genocide issue would be central and it would demand explanations. But this would be a road to nowhere.

If we want to build a new Armenia, we cannot do so using old methods. And Turkey too has no alternative if it wants to be a part of the European Union; it must change its approaches, implement serious reforms, and look to the future. This is a very difficult and painful process, both in Armenia and even more so in Turkey, so we should be patient.

At the same time we should acknowledge that the president's invitation to his Turkish colleague has been criticized both in Armenia and Turkey, as well as in Azerbaijan. In Armenia, the criticism is that we are pulling back, showing weakness, [people are wondering,] "What does that give us?"

First of all, this is a catalyst that helps reassess the existing situation, and as a result of this visit something that seemed unexpected or even unrealistic has now become an established fact. This means that future steps are also possible.

As Secretary Rice noted after [Turkish President Abdullah Gül]'s visit to Armenia expectations have been heightened that everything would change quickly [in relations.] But no one can expect that normalization of relations with Turkey is an easy process, and it will have its ups and downs. But one obvious thing is that the Armenian president has shown political will in this matter.

Another question is where we would be had Mr. Gül declined to visit Armenia.

Damages from the war in Georgia

AR: In your meeting with the vice president you also mentioned the $670 million in damages that Armenian economy suffered as a result of the fighting in Georgia. Is there a specific conversation taking place about specific U.S. assistance in that regard?

TS: Yes and not just with American colleagues but also our colleagues at the World Bank and IMF. We have made the point that economic consequences of this conflict have been regional and particularly acute for Armenia, which relies on Georgia for most of its trade.

And our calculations - the $670 million - were done in accordance with the same methods used by our Georgian colleagues. I also mentioned this in my meeting with the Georgian prime minister [Vladimir Gurgenidze], who is also now in Washington.

The global financial crisis and Armenia

AR: What impact do you anticipate from the current financial crisis on Armenia's development?

TS: We are facing very serious dangers, both in terms of [decline in the growth] of remittances and other financial transfers. And we are looking for ways to soften the impact.

First of all, we are looking to increase credit for medium and small businesses. We spoke about projects with the World Bank and IMF that could soften the impact on small businesses.

AR: Is the issue of the new nuclear power plant still on the U.S.-Armenia agenda? Is the United States interested in taking part in this project beyond the recently concluded feasibility study?

TS: Yes we are open to this and believe that this could be a joint project, with participation from the United States, France, and Russia.

A precedent for such cooperation was recently created in Bulgaria, [where the French Areva conglomerate is in a joint contract with Russia's Atomstroyexport to build a new nuclear plant].

Handling conflicts of interest

AR: Last April, my colleagues in our Yerevan bureau asked you about the government's conflict of interest policy. In particular, your health minister is also a stakeholder in private hospitals. Has there been any progress on this issue?

TS: We have prepared a concept paper that outlines the disclosures that government officials would be mandated to make. The point of this concept is to acknowledge the existence of conflicts of interest, as well as impossibility of their full elimination - since it is hard to find anyone who has no personal business interests. At the same time, these conflicts should be known and transparent to the public, and regulated.

Various countries have different models for this and we have developed our own. There will be a special entity that would consider and monitor these conflicts among the members of government and the National Assembly.

This concept paper has been submitted to the president and if it is approved by the coalition government, there will be legislation that will help enforce our constitutional provisions that prohibit business activity by government officials.

AR: My colleagues in Yerevan recently spoke to a number of CEOs in the information technology (IT) sector in Armenia. [See last week's edition of this newspaper.] The CEOs continue to complain of the same problems as in the past: lack of skilled specialists, inferior infrastructure - in particular high Internet costs - and government officials who are not sufficiently educated to be able to regulate the sector. Are you planning any major initiatives in that regard?

TS: Yes, we have agreed with the World Bank that we will have a comprehensive project that would help develop the IT sphere. This would include e-governance and infrastructure improvements. I would note that prices for Internet access are already falling. We want this to become a comprehensive program on IT development and are looking to receive the World Bank's technical expertise to implement it.

Briefly: Lower U.S. aid to Armenia, Swiss court on Genocide denial, Russia in Central Asian gas deal, Georgia in a tough presidential race

This was originally published in December 22, 2007 Armenian Reporter.

by Emil Sanamyan

Congressional appropriators agree on aid levels below Armenian-American recommendations
Appropriators from the Senate and House of Representatives this week agreed on a $555 billion budget for Fiscal Year 2008, which provides for continued funding for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and about a dozen other spending bills, including foreign assistance.

According to the finalized amended budget document published on the web site of the House Rules Committee on December 17, allocations have fallen largely short of recommendations made by Armenian-American organizations nine months ago.

In separate testimonies submitted to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Foreign Operations on March 29, the Armenian Assembly of America (AAA), the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA), and the U.S.–Armenia Public Affairs Committee (USAPAC) recommended $75 million in economic and $5.3 million in military aid to Armenia, $10 million in aid to Karabakh, as well as constraints on military aid to Azerbaijan. (See this page in the April 7 Armenian Reporter.)

The recommendations came following the February 3 Bush Administration request for just $35 million in economic aid to Armenia, down from $69 million spent in fiscal 2006, and more military assistance to Azerbaijan than Armenia.

As a result of the compromise, the United States will provide just under $400 million in assistance to former Soviet republics, down from $452 million approved for fiscal 2007. The largest allocations are set aside for Ukraine ($73 million) and Russia ($72.2 million). Armenia is the next largest recipient by volume at $58.5 million; Georgia is to get $50.5 million, and Azerbaijan, $19 million.

The spending bill also approved more than $1.5 billion in performance-based Millennium
Challenge programs worldwide, down from $1.75 billion approved the previous year. Armenia is currently completing the first year of its five-year $235 million program.

Congress also approved $4.5 billion in military aid under the Foreign Military Financing (FMF) program, the amount largely unchanged from 2007. Most of these funds are set aside for Israel ($2.4 billion), Egypt ($1.3 billion), Jordan ($300 million) and Pakistan ($300 million). Armenia and Azerbaijan are due to get $3 million in FMF assistance each, with no funds specifically allocated to Georgia.

The spending bill did not make a specific allocation for aid to Karabakh, although the House Appropriations Committee recommended that “up to $6,000,000 should be made available to address ongoing humanitarian needs in Nagorno-Karabakh.”

The appropriators further supported funding to address the needs of Christian minorities in Iraq and also recommended that U.S. State Department consider a proposal by the “Armenian Youth Federation for support of exchanges with Armenia.”


Top Swiss court upholds Genocide denial conviction
Switzerland’s highest court ruled on December 19 to uphold an earlier judgment by a lower court that convicted a Turkish politician for denying the Armenian Genocide.

Last March, Dogu Perincek was first convicted of “moral injury” and given a suspended 90-day jail term and an additional fine of $2,600, under a 1995 Swiss law that bans denying, belittling, or justifying genocide. In that conviction Judge Pierre-Henri Winzap described Mr. Perincek, who publicly denied the Armenian Genocide at events in Switzerland, an “arrogant instigator” and “racist.”

That ruling was held on appeal in June (see this page in the June 20 Armenian Reporter) and again in the latest ruling by Switzerland’s Federal Tribunal, which confirmed that there is a historical consensus on the veracity of the Armenian Genocide.

In a statement, the Swiss-Armenia Association noted that for the first time since the Genocide “a supreme court of criminal law hand[ed] down a conviction for denying the genocide of the Armenians.”

Mr. Perincek will now appeal to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, Agence France Presse reported.


Russia seals Turkmenistan gas deal
Russia, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan agreed on December 19 to build a new pipeline that will transport Turkmen natural gas to Russia for further export to Europe, news agencies reported. The agreement is a setback for the United States and many in the European Union, who seek to channel Turkmenistan’s gas resources to Europe while skirting Russia.

Russia, which has the biggest natural gas supplies in the world, already dominates Europe’s market for natural gas. Americans and Europeans hope that some of Turkmenistan’s gas resources, believed to be fourth-largest in the world behind Iran and Qatar, could be transported under the Caspian Sea and through the Caucasus to reduce Europe’s reliance on Russia.

According to the BBC, “prospects for pipelines under the Caspian have been clouded by high costs, environmental concerns and disputes over ownership of the sea resources.”

Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan have yet to demarcate their maritime border in the Caspian.


Georgia faces tight presidential contest
The January 5 presidential elections in Georgia will be the most closely-fought since its independence in 1991, according to nonpartisan www.civil.ge. The previous elections were all dominated by a single front-runner – Zviad Gamsakhurdia won 86.5 percent in 1991, Eduard Shevardnadze won 70 and 80 percent in 1995 and 2000, respectively, and Mikhail Saakashvili won with 96 percent in 2004.

In response to public discontent over the economy, Mr. Saakashvili is campaigning with a program pledging to focus on social needs. The Georgian government said this week it will increase social allocations while reducing military spending to about $300 million out of $3.6 billion in total projected expenditure in 2008. Georgia’s military spending this year amounted to about $783 million.

While according to the Eurasinet.org, Mr. Saakashvili leads the field of eight candidates, it is unclear if he will be able to collect more than half of all votes to avoid a second round. In polls, Mr. Saakashvili is followed by the joint opposition candidate Levan Gachechiladze, who pledged to turn Georgia into a parliamentary republic if elected. They are trailed by billionaire Badri Patarkatsishvili and populist politician Shalva Natelashvili.

This week, the New York–based Human Rights Watch and Brussels-based International Crisis Group issued reports criticizing Mr. Saakashvili’s crackdown on the opposition last month. Faced with international criticism the Georgian government has since eased restrictions.

The U.S. News Corp.–owned Imedi TV, previously co-owned by Mr. Patarkatsishvili, has resumed broadcasting last week (although the billionaire himself has not returned to Georgia fearing arrest and is running his campaign from Israel).

Briefly: Russian displeasure on U.S.-Armenia nuclear proposal, Fried on Karabakh, GUAM issues a new draft resolution, Dink honored in Austria

This was originally published in December 15, 2007 Armenian Reporter.

by Emil Sanamyan

Russia displeased with U.S. role in Armenia’s nuclear energy plans
Russia’s former minister of nuclear energy Viktor Mikhailov expressed hope that “Armenia would accept Russia’s proposal and decline U.S. assistance” in the effort to build a new nuclear power plant, the Regnum news agency reported on December 6.

On November 21, the United States agreed to fund a $2 million feasibility study that would help determine the best technical solutions to replacing the aging reactor at the Metsamor power plant with a new nuclear energy-generating capacity. (See the story on page A1 of the November 24 Armenian Reporter.)

Armenia’s government has made building a new nuclear energy plant in the next several years a top priority and has reached out to the United States as well as Russia and other states for potential assistance.

Russia was first to react positively. During a visit to Armenia last April, Russian nuclear energy director Sergei Kirienko offered assistance with both construction and funding for the new plant, which is estimated to cost up to $2 billion. Since then U.S. officials have also expressed interest, resulting in the feasibility agreement.

Speaking on November 29, Armenia’s energy minister, Armen Movsisian, expressed confidence that several countries would be ultimately involved in the project.

Mr. Mikhailov, who currently holds a senior position at the Russian Federal Nuclear Center, was the nuclear energy minister at the time when Russia assisted Armenia in reactivating the Metsamor plant in the mid-1990s.

“When someone is playing a double game, it is difficult to make predictions,” Mr. Mikhailov said, but expressed hope that Armenia would stick with Russia on nuclear energy. He agreed with a suggestion that U.S. assistance was part of an effort to “strengthen political influence in Armenia.”


Senior U.S. diplomat takes issue with Azerbaijani policies, urges deal on Karabakh
“It is time to wrap up agreement on the Basic Principles of a Nagorno Karabakh settlement,” said U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Dan Fried speaking at an Azerbaijani-government organized conference in Washington on December 10.

Mr. Fried was referring to the joint proposal made by U.S., Russian, and French diplomats during the November 28 Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) meeting in Madrid. (See this page in the December 1 and 8 Armenian Reporter.)

Speaking at that meeting, Armenia’s Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian, broadly welcomed the proposal. Azerbaijani officials did not react immediately with President Ilham Aliyev taking a two-week vacation. On December 10, they requested additional time to study it, local media reported.

“The South Caucasus cannot achieve its full potential in the absence of a Nagorno-Karabakh settlement,” Mr. Fried said, according to a transcript released by the State Department. “As long as Armenia remains isolated in its region, a common vision of prosperity and freedom, and therefore stability, will not be attainable.”

Speaking with regional journalists last April, Mr. Fried addressed Azerbaijani military threats against Armenians, warning that “war will destroy everything Azerbaijan is trying to do.”

This week, the State Department official was also blunt about the continued crackdown on dissent in Azerbaijan, saying that the United States was “deeply disturbed” by it. Mr. Fried referred to Azerbaijan’s growing oil revenues and urged democratization, arguing that “sudden wealth unchecked by strong, honest institutions to handle it can fatten a small group of well-placed leaders rather than strengthen a nation.”

The conference on “The Azerbaijan-Turkey-U.S. Relationship,” which Mr. Fried addressed, continued in Los Angeles on December 13. According to the Azerbaijani consulate there, in addition to Azerbaijani and Turkish speakers, it also featured Beverly Hills, Calif., mayor Jimmy Jamshid Delshad.

GUAM states introduce a new UN draft resolution on post-Soviet conflicts
The governments of Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, and Moldova (GUAM) have again requested that the United National General Assembly express support for Soviet-era administrative borders as the basis for their territorial integrity.

The four-state grouping formally introduced the draft on December 4. The draft resolution’s text refers to Nagorno-Karabakh as a “region of the Republic of Azerbaijan” and calls for “support to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Georgia, and the Republic of Moldova and the inviolability of their internationally recognized borders.”

It is so far unclear when and if the UN General Assembly may consider the draft resolution. GUAM states had introduced a similar resolution last year, but then withdrew it prior to a vote being scheduled. (See this page in September 8 and November 3 Armenian Reporter.)

Unlike UN Security Council resolutions, those by the UN General Assembly are nonbinding, but they carry symbolic and political significance.

Armenia has already expressed its opposition to the most recent proposal. Speaking on November 28, Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian noted Azerbaijan’s “active and aggressive search for alternative international forums in which to present their case” among the factors that undermine the peace process.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Vladimir Karapetian told Regnum news agency on December 10 that Armenia will work to prevent the proposal’s passage.


Late Hrant Dink recognized as “World Press Freedom Hero”
The Vienna-based International Press Institute (IPI) – a network of journalists, editors, and others who work in the media – this week honored Hrant Dink, the Turkish-Armenian editor who was killed in Istanbul last January, as one of its World Press Freedom Heroes.

The award was presented to Mrs. Rakel Dink on December 10. Mr. Dink worked to improve Turkish-Armenian relations and opposed the Turkish government’s censorship of topics such as the Armenian Genocide and continued discrimination against the remaining members of the Armenian community. (http://www.freemedia.at)


Minority Rights Group issues new report on Turkey
Also this week, the Minority Rights Group International, a Britain-based charity, issued a report that highlighted the Turkish government’s continued repression of minority groups.

The report “A Quest for Equality: Minorities in Turkey” noted that “instead of celebrating diversity, the history of the Republic of Turkey is one of severe and sometimes violent repression of minorities in the name of nationalism.”
(www.minorityrights.org)

Nareg Seferian contributed to this week’s column.

Markarian, Defense Attaché in Pentagon; US-Azeri consultations; Gul renominated

This was originally published in August 18, 2007 Armenian Reporter.

From Washington, in brief
by Emil Sanamyan

More than 400 believed killed in attack on Iraqi Yezidis

Four trucks packed with explosives and fuel detonated in a Yezidi-populated area in northern Iraq on August 15, killing at least 400 people and wounding hundreds more. The
Sinjar district where the attack occurred is 75 miles west of Mosul, the area that is home to most of the world’s half a million Yezidis and a stronghold of Sunni Muslim militants.

While the bulk of the Yezidis reside in northern Iraq, they are also the biggest minority group in Armenia, where most of them fled in the early 20th century due to persecution in Ottoman Turkey. The group, which is considered to be ethnically Kurdish, follows a pre-Muslim faith that is typically described as a mix of Zoroastrianism and Manichean beliefs. Yezidis have been persecuted both under Saddam Hussein and since his overthrow. Last April, gunmen shot 23 Yezidis in Mosul.

The Sinjar district massacre, centered on villages of Kahtaniya, al-Jazeera, and Tal Uzair, became the deadliest single incident since the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003. The Guardian newspaper reported that “the Islamic State in Iraq, an al-Qaida front group, warned residents last week that an attack on Yezidis was imminent,” and the U.S. military spokesman in Iraq said he believed the group carried out the attack. According to Kurdish intelligence officials, cited by the newspaper, Sunni extremists have become more active in northern Iraq following the “surge” in U.S. military presence in Baghdad, as well as in Anbar and Diyala provinces to the south of Mosul.

Armenia’s Ambassador, Defense Attaché meet top Pentagon official

Deputy Secretary of Defense Gordon England met with Armenia’s Ambassador to the U.S. Tatoul Markarian and Defense Attaché Col. Armen Sargsyan on August 14, the Armenian Embassy reported. Secretary England is the second most senior official in the Pentagon hierarchy.

According to the Embassy release, the meeting focused on “bilateral military cooperation and regional security issues.” Since 2002 the U.S. has provided the Armenian army with more than $10 million in aid and the two countries have stepped up security cooperation.

Amb. Markarian also relayed the Armenian government’s gratitude for “organizing the full medical treatment and rehabilitation of Lt. Georgi Nalbandian at Washington’s Walter Reed Army Medical Center.” The Armenian officer was seriously wounded in action last November and was first evacuated to a U.S. military hospital in Germany. Following eight months of treatment and rehabilitation there and at Walter Reed, Capt. Nalbandian just returned to active duty in the Armenian Army.

The Armenian contingent of military engineers, medical and logistics personnel have been in Iraq since January 2005. Armenians are part of the Polish-led Multi-National Division Central South, and they are based near Iraq’s border with Iran.

Foreign Minister Gul to be re-nominated for Turkish presidency

Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) will re-nominate Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul as its candidate for president. The Turkish parliament is set to elect a president in three rounds of voting between August 20 and 28. Mr. Gul’s previous bid for the presidency was blocked by the military and secular nationalist opposition last May, forcing an early general election.

While prime ministers have greater political clout in Turkey (AKP’s Recep Tayyib Erdogan has been in that job since 2003), presidents have key influence onthe judiciary and the military. The opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal argued that if Mr. Gul is elected, “Turkey’s political balances will change [and it] will be transformed into a country with an overbearing religious and Middle Eastern identity,” the Radikal newspaper reported.

But AKP’s strong electoral performance on July 22 is expected to make Mr. Gul’s election this time around more likely, with smaller opposition groups pledging to participate in the vote and thus securing the required two-thirds quorum.

On August 9, Koksal Toptan, a secular AKP member and former minister in pre-AKP governments, was elected Parliament chairman, the New Anatolian reported. In that vote CHP as well as independent Kurdish parliamentarians voted for the AKP nominee, with opposition coming only from the right-wing National Action Party (MHP).

U.S. continues consultations with Azerbaijan

Assistant Secretary of State Dan Sullivan became the third State Department official of that rank to hold consultations with Azerbaijan so far this month. On August 15 and 16, he discussed economic and security issues with Azerbaijani officials in Baku, according to APA news agency.

Mr. Sullivan, who heads the State Department’s Bureau for Economic, Energy and Business Affairs, co-chairs the U.S.-Azerbaijan Economic Partnership Commission first launched last February in place of the U.S.-Azerbaijan Task Force on Economic Issues, which had not met since 2005.

On August 3 and 4, Assistant Secretaries Barry Lowenkron and Dan Fried, who respectively head the Democracy and European bureaus, together with Azeri Foreign Minister Elmar Mamediyarov held the “third round of their bilateral dialogue on democracy and human rights in Azerbaijan” – first initiated by the U.S. last December. That consultation was held via a video link.

Serbia, Kosovo oppose partition, remain deadlocked on status

Leaders of Serbia and its internationally-administered breakaway province of Kosovo ruled out the region’s division as part of a settlement, international news agencies reported this week. Serbia has proposed granting ethnically Albanian-majority Kosovo a high-level of autonomy within Serbia, but Kosovo insists on independence, a stance also supported by the United States.

In an August 13 interview with the BBC, Amb. Wolfgang Ischinger, the European envoy to the contact “troika” – which also includes U.S. and Russian representatives and coordinates an international effort to reach an agreement between Serbia and Kosovo – said that mediators might support a territorial division of Kosovo along ethnic lines, if the two sides agree to it. “We are urging parties to think outside the box,” he said.

A division that would leave Kosovo’s ethnically Serb-populated northern part within Serbia has been supported by some influential but unofficial circles in Belgrade, but Kosovars have ruled it out. Last month, Kosovo President Fatmir Sejdiu promised to declare independence on November 28, which is also Albania’s independence day.

A United Nations Security Council resolution that would bring Kosovo closer to international recognition was withdrawn by the United States last month, after Russia threatened to veto it. Officials suggested that the U.S. may break the impasse by recognizing Kosovo unilaterally before the end of the year, unless another accommodation is reached through ongoing talks or at the UN.

Serbia’s Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic was in Washington last month and according to a Scripps Howard July 27 report, he lobbied for the U.S. to drop its support for Kosovo’s independence, or at least to extend the ongoing negotiations beyond this year. But following that visit the State Department spokesman Sean McCormack reiterated, most recently on August 14, that the U.S. continues to support “independence for Kosovo.”

Bryza on US-Armenia relations

Matthew Bryza: U.S. ready to help Armenia study new nuclear plant options

This was originally published in August 11, 2007 Armenian Reporter

WASHINGTON – Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Matthew Bryza has been the State Department manager for Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece, and Turkey for the last two years. On August 7, following his weeklong trip to the Caucasus capitals as well as Moscow, he spoke by telephone with our Washington editor Emil Sanamyan.


Reporter : On July 30-31 you were in Yerevan, which was part of a regional trip that also included Tbilisi, Moscow, and Baku. What can you tell us about the issues discussed in Armenia?

Bryza : I traveled there primarily in my capacity as U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State. The idea was to have the opportunity to explore all of the bilateral issues that I don’t ever have enough time to do if I come there just as a Minsk Group co-chair – when obviously all of our time gets chewed up with Minsk Group business [dealing with the Karabakh conflict].
[This time around] I had a chance to talk about the election, moving forward on democracy and democratic reform. I had some great discussions on energy diversification and a possible follow-on on the Metsamor [nuclear power] plant. We talked about general security cooperation between U.S. and Armenia, and I expressed, a couple of times, gratitude for what Armenia has done with us in Iraq, its contribution [there] which really means a lot to us. It means a lot!
Then of course, we spent some time talking about Karabakh as well.

Reporter : The Armenian government has made building a new nuclear power plant to replace Metsamor after its decommissioning a top priority. Most recently on May 30, President Robert Kocharian said that such a project is “justified both in terms of energy security and economically.” This issue has been discussed both with Russia, with which cooperation on this issue is long-standing, and U.S. Does U.S. have a position on this issue and are there any ongoing U.S.-Armenia consultations?

Bryza : Absolutely to all of the above. There are consultations, but they are very preliminary at this point, because the whole process of developing the follow-on investment to replace Metsamor is in its nascent phase. But we have for years encouraged Armenia to close down the reactor at Metsamor and always recognized that there needs to be a replacement.
We would like to do all we can to make sure that it is a safe and economically viable replacement. So we are in early stages of discussions. And much of what we do now focuses on making sure that Metsamor plant is as safe as possible in its remaining life-span. Because it is not going to be just a matter of flipping a switch at which point there would a follow-on power plant.
Also, we would love to continue our work with both Armenia and Georgia on possibility of electricity cooperation, [which could involve] a new nuclear power plant, as well as the current plan for a new 400 kilowatt [transmission] line linking Armenia and Georgia; we are very supportive of that.
Finally, on infrastructure we had an opportunity to talk about strengthening transit and commercial ties between Georgia and Armenia in the area of road building. It would be nice to link up [the Armenian-populated] Akhalkalaki with the Armenian road system.

Reporter : Last June Georgian leaders made public their interest in nuclear energy and Georgia’s Prime Minister Zurab Nogaideli linked that interest to Armenia’s plans for a new plant. Have the relevant parties come together to discuss this issue?

Bryza : That is up to the countries to work out between themselves. And on this trip, I encouraged the Georgian leadership to talk to their friends and counterparts in Armenia to see if the economics wouldn’t make sense for there to be a one shared plant or two plants. The economics might dictate that there is a need for two plants and that there is a way to share electricity generation and exports. That is for them to think through. But we support that and any such cooperation.

Reporter : [A few months ago, the Armenian service of Radio Liberty carried comments by Tom Adams, the State Department coordinator for assistance to former Soviet states, reportedly made in May 2006 that “especially given the geology here, the earthquake zone, it might be better to come up with an alternative to a second nuclear power plant. Right now, we are leaning against that option.”]
In general, does U.S. have any concerns about plans for a new, safe nuclear power plant constructed in Armenia or Georgia for that matter?

Bryza : No. As long as a plant is safe and up fully to international safety standards, then we are happy to help Armenia explore its options to do just that.

Reporter : Prior and during your visit you praised the conduct of Armenia’s parliamentary election held last May as “freest and fairest election in this phase of Armenia’s independence” and they “brought the Armenian electoral process closer to international standards than any previous election.”
You added however that “there is still some room to go” presumably to improve some of the aspects of election-handling. What are these issues and are they being discussed in run-up to presidential elections early next year?

Bryza : At this point, I am not in a position to say which specific priorities there are, because the parliamentary elections just happened in May and presidential elections are ways away. We are just in early phases of coming up with our conclusions as to where the shortcomings may be. And we are doing that in conjunction with OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), because they are the real experts. Over the next few months we will sit down with OSCE and the government of Armenia to see what additional steps are ought to be taken. We anticipate and hope that the Armenian government would do that with us.

Reporter : Staying on the subject of elections, Nagorno Karabakh elected a new president on July 19. Prior to that, on July 13, you along with Russian and French co-chairs issued a statement claiming that that the “presidential elections in Nagorno-Karabakh have already caused an increase in tensions.” Could you elaborate on how elections there cause an “increase in tensions” and have they really?

Bryza : Did we say that? [Pauses.] Well, they do. Because the holding of a presidential election against the backdrop of a claim of the status having been settled could imply that such an action is pre-judging the outcome of negotiations on that very status to be settled in the future. The whole point is we don’t favor any steps that would prejudge negotiations on status.

Reporter : Still, the term “elected representatives” of Nagorno Karabakh had been used in OSCE documents pertaining to the conflict. And people living in Karabakh should be able to exercise self-governance even before their status is settled internationally. You would probably agree that doing so through elections is not a bad thing?

Bryza : I would probably agree that effective self-government based on democratic principles is generally a very good thing. But the Co-chairs’ statement of course speaks for itself in terms of the current context of where the negotiations are.

Reporter : While the Karabakh negotiations process is taking a bit of a break, there are reports of a new resolution being floated by Azerbaijan among other countries at the United Nations’ General Assembly that essentially endorses the Azeri position on Karabakh. This is something that was tried in the past, but a vote was never scheduled. In those past instances, the U.S. did not take a favorable position on bringing this issue to the UN General Assembly. Has anything changed on that?

Bryza : I would say that any country in the world has the right to bring any issue it wishes to the United Nations’ General Assembly. That is the right that every UN member has. So, in principle we do not oppose countries’ inscribing into the agenda discussion of any item.
The real question is whether the United States would support any particular resolution. In the case of Nagorno Karabakh settlement, I can just say, as we stated over and over again, that we believe that the question of status of Nagorno Karabakh needs to be resolved on the basis of a compromise, on the basis of Helsinki principles, United Nations [Security Council] resolutions. So, I can’t pre-judge on what our stance would be on any [UN General Assembly] resolution until we see the way it is actually phrased.

Reporter : The nomination of Amb. Richard Hoagland to be Ambassador to Armenia was withdrawn last week. Can you give us any ideas in terms of a nomination of a new candidacy? Also, the issue of the Armenian Genocide was
central as to how the nomination process evolved in Mr. Hoagland’s case. What can State Department do to make this process a less painful one?

Bryza : This is not our call. From our perspective, Ambassador Hoagland was unfairly maligned. His statements were taken way out of context in a way that was not fair or did not accurately represent his views or the policies of the United States government. So, there is nothing that we can do to change that. It is a question of what people on the outside wish to do.
I can’t comment on the possibility of a new nominee – that is something for the White House to do. But Ambassador Hoagland never denied anything and he was treated deeply unfairly. And it was a real loss for anybody who cares about not only U.S.-Armenia relations, but Armenia itself that an Ambassador of the caliber of Dick Hoagland would not be going to Armenia and the fact that we had such a long gap in having an Ambassador there.

Reporter : On July 23, speaking at the Washington Institute on Near East Policy, you referred to the likelihood of the House Resolution affirming the Armenian Genocide coming to a vote this fall, and said that “we really need something from the Turkish government that… moves towards normalization of relations with Armenia, it is time for that to happen.” We have been here before, with resolutions in Congress causing Turkey to reassess its policy on Armenia, although no major changes have been made so far. Do you see any indication from Turkey that its government may again be thinking of normalization following its reelection last month?

Bryza : It is not appropriate for me to speak on behalf of the Turkish government. I can tell you what the United States does in this regard. And that is we encourage constantly our Turkish allies and friends to reach out to Armenia to move towards normalizing of relations. And those conversations remain intense.
From our view it is really important that in the current climate of Turkish politics, where I would argue that a very successful election just took place. An election that underscores how vibrant and healthy the Turkish democracy is. That there be a move forward, hopefully as soon as possible, in terms of normalizing relations between Turkey and Armenia.

Reporter : With six countries under your belt in addition to conflict management and energy issues, what keeps you up at night these days?

Bryza : We talked about Nagorno Karabakh and there is heck of a lot going on in Georgia. Just today, there was another aerial attack on Georgian territory which we condemned. [See this week’s From Washington, In Brief.] Just working with Georgia to deepen its economic and political reform and help Georgia achieve its own aspirations for NATO membership. That takes a lot of time.
The other burning issue is helping the European Union achieve its own stated objective of diversification of energy supplies. I work on that a heck of a lot. I spend a lot of time of thinking through the proper way to help not only our allies, but ourselves to integrate our Muslim populations into our democratic societies in a way that allows for these Muslim populations to be proudly Muslim and fully American or fully European and that is another burning issue.

Reporter : How exactly are you involved in that last issue?


Bryza : I’d rather not specify exactly what we are doing, but we have outreach programs in our individual embassies, we are trying to empower moderate scholars who share the belief that there is a crucial debate going within the Muslim world about indigenous traditions versus narrower interpretations of Islam that are often extremist and view jihad as an external struggle that involves violence.
We have to work with our partners in the Muslim world who share our view and our desire that the modernizing and broader interpretations of Islam are able to flourish.

Reporter : There was an article in a Turkish newspaper recently suggesting that you are about to become U.S. Ambassador to Cyprus, any truth to that?

Bryza : I am not planning to go to Cyprus. I choose to stay in this
job for at least another year because it really means a lot to me. It is the greatest job in the world. The things I get to do here, the people I get to interact with, the grand strategic thought and tactical limitation – I am not ready to give this up. So, I am staying right here.


Matthew Bryza
Since June 2005 Mr. Bryza has served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, and since June 2006, concurrently as U.S. envoy for Nagorno- Karabakh and co-chair of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group. From 2001 to 2005 he was the National Security Council Director for the Aegean, Caucasus, and Central Asia – a key White House office that coordinates U.S. policy in the region.
Mr. Bryza joined the State Department in 1989, and his assignments since included advisor (1998–99) and then deputy envoy (1999–2001) in the office dealing with Caspian energy development; advisor in the office dealing with U.S. assistance to former Soviet states (1997–98); and postings with U.S. diplomatic missions in Russia and Poland. Mr. Bryza earned his bachelor’s degree from Stanford and Master’s degree from Tufts University. He is fluent in Russian and Polish.