ARMENIA-AZERBAIJAN CONFLICT

Aliyev, Sarkisian may meet in Munich - report
Baku, AssA-Irada, November 16, 2009
Azerbaijani and Armenian Presidents Ilham Aliyev and Serzh Sarkisian are expected to hold their next meeting to discuss settlement of the Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh conflict at the end of November in Munich, Germany, according to Armenia’s News.am news website.
The OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs brokering the peace process are reportedly scheduled to visit the region again this week -- following their talks with officials in Baku and Yerevan on November 4-6 -- to determine the venue and date of the upcoming talks.
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov said earlier that Presidents Aliyev and Sarkisian are expected to hold talks in a European city. Following the presidential talks, on December 1-2, the two countries’ foreign ministers are expected to meet on the sidelines of an OSCE ministerial in Athens.
Azerbaijan and Armenia fought a lengthy war that ended with the signing of a cease-fire in 1994, but Armenia continues to occupy Upper Garabagh and seven other Azerbaijani districts in defiance of international law. Peace talks have not yet made progress in resolving the conflict.

Turkish journalist terms Garabagh ‘Armenian land’
Baku, AssA-Irada, November 16, 2009
A Turkish journalist has reportedly called Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh, an Azerbaijani region under Armenian occupation, Armenia’s territory.
Nagehan Alci, a writer for the Akhsham newspaper, said in an interview with the “Upper Garabagh Republic” TV channel, during a visit to Garabagh and other occupied Azerbaijani territories, that Turkey is mistaken and Garabagh is completely Armenian land and that Armenians will never cede this region, according to the Newsarmenia.ru website.
Alci said he had asked the newspaper’s editor for permission to visit Garabagh, which was granted. Alci, who toured the area as part of a group of Turkish journalists during their visit to the occupied Azerbaijani region, said he was leaving Khankandi, the center of the self-proclaimed republic, with favorable impressions, adding she plans to visit there again.
Alci also failed to negate the alleged World War I-era genocide of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire.
“I am not a historian and cannot say whether or not genocide occurred, but 1915 saw aggravating developments. I am disappointed with these events. We have to be friends, because we have once been friends and have lived through common history. We have to take our friendship, not sorrow, to the future.”
The journalist also favored opening the Turkey-Armenia border.
Alci noted that he was aware of Azerbaijan’s concerns over the Turkish journalists’ visit. Alci claimed that their goal was to cover the realities of the turbulent region in an unbiased manner.
“It is possible that we will be declared personas non grata in Azerbaijan. But this is my business and we have to visit everywhere.”
Armenian media reported that the Turkish journalists will also head to the historic Azeri town of Shusha located in Garabagh and meet with what is described as Armenian refugees.
Upper Garabagh is an historical Azerbaijani territory. Armenians were settled there in the early 19th century. Azerbaijan and Armenia have been locked in conflict over the mountainous region for over a decade. OSCE-brokered peace talks kicked off after a lengthy war that ended with the signing of a shaky cease-fire in 1994. Armenia continues to occupy Upper Garabagh and seven adjacent Azerbaijani districts in defiance of international law.


POLITICS

Top official says int’l stance on bloggers’ arrest biased
International observers’ response to the recent conviction of two bloggers to jail sentences on charges of hooliganism is biased, says Ali Hasanov, head of the Azerbaijan Presidential Administration socio-political department.
A Baku court on November 11 sentenced Emin Milli, 30, an ANTV Online TV blogger and coordinator in the youth organization Alumni Network, to two and a half years in prison, while video blogger Adnan Hajizade, 26, was sentenced to two years in prison. Local and international rights advocates, along with international organizations, have criticized the ruling, claiming the bloggers’ arrest was due to their critical writings on the internet.
Hasanov told reporters that thousands of court rulings on charges of hooliganism are handed down in Azerbaijan every year. International groups are not reacting to these sentences, but have now criticized the two young bloggers’ sentences.
“Certainly, they can say that these two youngsters are bloggers, have a high intellect and are close to the West. But Azerbaijan’s laws and the Criminal Code do not stipulate that those who are more intellectual and closer to the West or any given country should be handed down lighter sentences and are not to be prosecuted. Our laws are enforced based upon common standards. We cannot differentiate between people committing the same actions.”
Hasanov said, further, that the Azerbaijani society has reached a level whereby one branch of government cannot interfere with the authority of another branch.
“Azerbaijan is a country entering the European legal realm. Any influence exerted on courts can quickly bring about the passage of some decisions defying the government. Therefore, we respect the rulings issued by Azerbaijani courts. As an executive body, we are not authorized to meddle in the work of courts,” Hasanov said.
Hasanov added that citizens who disagree with a local court ruling are entitled to take the case to the European Court of Human Rights, and Azerbaijan certainly complies with all rulings of this judicial body.

Gov’t ‘not opposed’ to libel law
A senior Azerbaijani official has said authorities were not opposed to the adoption of a libel law, but the necessary groundwork should first be created in the country.
Vugar Aliyev, who heads the Presidential Administration section for work with the media, said adopting the Law on Defamation requires economic independence of the local media, improving journalists’ skills and minimized politicizing of the press.
“Adoption of the law is not far off,” Aliyev said during a conference, “Defamation and freedom of expression in Azerbaijan,” held in Baku on Monday by the Council of Europe’s local office and media watchdog Press Council.
Veronika Kotek, the CE Ambassador to Azerbaijan, said in her remarks that such a law should be passed in a CE member state.
Kotek maintained, further, that there are problems with freedom of expression in Azerbaijan and authorities should take a number of steps to solve them.
“First of all, government officials should not file criminal charges against journalists. Second, journalists’ professionalism should be increased. Third, courts should adopt European standards as a basis while issuing rulings for journalists. Fourth, punishment of journalists over infringing upon one’s dignity should not be handed down under the Criminal Code; these articles should be removed from the Criminal Code and a separate law on defamation passed.”
The CE envoy noted that the media plays the role of a public watchdog in society. However, its rights should not be boundless, either. The authorities, for their part, should ensure that action taken against media outlets is proportionate to the committed violation of law.
Other speakers also pointed to the need for passing the libel law. However, a number of speakers said such a law should be adopted only after the existing problems between the media and society are resolved.
Aflatun Amashov, the Press Council chairman, spoke in favor of adopting a libel law. He noted, however, that public opinion polls show that government officials are opposed to the measure. Amashov added that as much as 75 percent of the complaints received by the Press Council had been filed by officials.


ELECTIONS

CoE, OSCE to observe local polls
The Council of Europe and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) will have representatives in the country to observe Azerbaijan’s December 23 municipal elections, according to the heads of the two organizations’ Baku representations.
Veronika Kotek, the CE Ambassador to Azerbaijan, said the election would be monitored by a small observation mission from the group’s Congress of Local and Regional Authorities.
“The make-up of the mission has not yet been determined. But it is known that this will be a short-term observation mission,” Kotek said.
As for the OSCE, the organization will assign representatives of its Baku office to observe the local elections, Bilge Cankorel, head of the OSCE office, told journalists. According to Cankorel, his office will prepare a report about the course of the elections and further submit it to the OSCE.
Cankorel said there is a belief that democratic advances have been achieved in Azerbaijan’s electoral process, however, some problems remain. He noted that according to the country’s laws members of the military are to vote in general ballot stations, however, polling stations are often set up on military bases proper.
“We want servicemen’s voting to fully comply with the law,” Cankorel added.