UNITED STATES AND CAUCASUS ASSOCIATION

FOR DEMOCRACY AND ECONOMIC STABILITY

P.G. 1

Selec ted N ew s Fro m Cau c as u s

- Voices From Free Nations -

December 17, 2012

Issue 6

Armenia
2-Nov: Many Armenian workers travel to Russia in search of employment. In an effort to lure these workers home, The Armenian government has started an ofcial campaign. The hope is that the returning workers will bring back the skills learned in Russia and stimulate Armenian economy. 17-Nov: Pres Serzh Sarkisian stated that Azerbaijans arms race is a threat to the stability of the region, which could then spread to the rest of the S. Caucasus. Further Sarkisian stated that Armenia has no other option but to focus on its own army as a way of countering the actions taken by Azerbaijan. 22-Nov: John Hef fer n has been appointed as the US Ambassador to Armenia. Heffern is a Senior Foreign Service member and has spent most of his career in East Asia. His rst stance since beginning his new job has been to condemn the Azeri sniper attack which killed two soldiers at a time when peace talks regardig the Nagorno-Karabakh conict region. 23-Dec: Armenia and Iran elevated their diplomatic ties. Armenian Pres Serzh Sarkisian and his counterpart, Mahmud Ahmadinejad released a joint statement declaring their intentions to continue ties regardless of Western sanctions. The Armenian negotiations with Iran are said to have a leveling impact by balanceing power in the region and in regards theNagorno-Karabakh conict.

Azerbaijan
14-Nov: Bulgaria Pres Georgi Parvanov held an ofcial visit to Baku where he met with his Azerbaijani counterpart, Ilham Aliev, and other government representatives. Amongst the issues discussed was the prospect of the completion of an energy pipeline via Bulgaria. The pipeline would allow natural gas to be transported from the Caspian Sea region to the EU zone while bypassing Russia. As a part of this agreement, Bulgaria will receive 1 bcm. of natural gas. Both sides agreed that the pipeline is a project of tremendous importance as it will allow the EU to diversify its energy supply routes. 19-Nov: According to Russian DM Anatoly Serdyukov, Russia has expressed interest in extending its lease of Gabala radar station in Azerbaijan to 2025. The Soviet-built station is capable of detecting missile launches from as far away as the Indian Ocean. Serdyukov stated that the Gabala Radar Station is vital and useful for the Russian early-warning system. The current lease is going to expire in 2012. A special commission from Russia is scheduled to visit Baku and discuss details of the lease extension. Under the current deal Russia pays $7 million in rental fees. Nov-21: Azerbaijani Pres Iham Aliev hosted the US Secretary of the Navy, Ray Mabus. In a press release, both parties expressed their satisfaction and gratitude regarding the continued success of the mutual cooperation that exists between the two countries in various elds, including military affairs. They also expressed condence that bilateral relations would countinue to expand. Mabus further extended his gratitude to Azerbaijan for the country's efforts in assassinating the peacekeeping operation in Afghanistan and for playing a www.uscadp.org

Points for Consideration

Russias Arab Spring !?!?
Thousands of Russian citizens, frustrated by the rigid Parliamentary elections, marched to the squares of Moscow & St. Petersburg. The EU urged Russia to hold a new election. Will Russia follow the path of Arab Spring or that of the Color Revolution?

Azerbaijani Between East and West? As the world continues to exploit the riches of the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijani is being forced to choose sides. Issues pertaining to the Gabala station may become a decisive factor in determining Azerbaijanis future relations with Russia. IRAN an Enemy and Partner
While debates concerning Irans nuclear enrichment program continues to cause friction between nations, Intensifying Dialogue may still be the only key to avoiding unexpected consequences. Armenia may prove a very good example..

Will Georgia Join the NATO? or When?

For the rst time Georgia is mentioned as a NATO membership candidate country. It is denitely a step forward but how many steps remain will be determined at the Chicago Summit.

VOICES FROM FREE NATIONS

CAUCASUS NEWS LETTER

key role in providing a transport corridor for international peacekeepers. 2 5 - N ov : Tu rk ey ' s a m b a s s a d o r t o Azerbaijan, Hulusi Kylyj, and Pres of Azerbaijans State Oil Company (SOCAR), Rovnag Abdullayev, signed an energy accord which stipulates cooperation between the two states the development of a new gas pipeline called Trans-Anadolu. The pipeline will stretch throughout the territory of Turkey (from East to West) and is expected to transport the better part of the 50 bcm of natural gas that Azerbaijan plans to be producing by the end of 2025. 29-Dec: The Russian Foreign Ministry released, for the rst time, a 90 pg report on Human Right around the world, similar to the one published by the US's Department of State. The Russian report criticizes EU member states, Canada, and Georgia; but perhaps most importantly, the report allocates 20 pages to criticizing US.

NOVEMBER 2011

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Georgia
3-Nov: After 18 years of negotiations Georgia agreed to allow Russia into the World Trade Organization. Maxim Medvedkov, a Russian negotiator, approved the terms for monitoring the trade ow between G e o r g i a a n d Ru s s i a . L i b e r a l economists favor the decision and agree that the inuences of membership will result in long term benets. 22-Nov: The US based credit rating agency Standard & Poors (S&P) released its most recent rating publication. In the new publication Georgia's rating was increased to double B minus (BB). This indicates that Georgia is getting closer to becoming an investment-g rade territory due to its stable geopolitical and domestic political environments. 5-Dec: The EU decided to start negotiations on a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA) with Georgia and Moldova. Negotiations aim to facilitate economic growth and achieve closer economic integration to the EU. EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht expressed his enthusiasm about the partnership, explaining that the DCFTA will help Georgia to become more competitive and enjoy the benets of the EUs Single Market. 8-Dec: Georgian FM Grigol Vashadze met US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at the headquarters of the NATO in Brussels, Belgium. They discussed Georgias integration to Euro-Atlantic institutions and Georgias contribution to the ISAFs operation in Afghanistan. Georgia reafrmed its commitment to NATO integration. This is signicant because it is the rst time that Georgia is mentioned as a NATO membership candidate country in an ofcial NATO document. www.uscadp.org

Turkey
7-Nov: On Oct. 23, 600 people died in the eastern province of Van when a 7.2magnitude earthquake hit the country. The government is setting up a new strategy to cover the damages caused by the earthquake. 23-Nov: Turkish Pres Abdullah Gl, FM Ahmet Davutolu and Deputy PM Ali Babacan visited the UK on Tuesday. They met with Queen Elizabeth II, British PM David Cameron, and other government representatives. The purpose of the meeting was to talk over the Cyprus dispute. The meeting also covered the latest events in Syria and Turkeys admission to the EU. 12-Dec: According to data released yesterday by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TK), Turkeys GDP growth of 8.2% in the 3rd quarter of 2011 has far surpassed the economic survey prediction of 6.7%. In 2011, the rst quarter of Turkeys growth rate had grown from11.6% to 12%. 15-Dec: Turkey's top military council announced that the military's preparation for combat had been revised during the most current Supreme Military Council (YA) meeting. This suggests that the state is conscious of the increased rigidity of its neighboring countries and is getting its forces ready for a rapid response. Last Thursday, Turkish FM Ahmet Davutolu stated to Todays Zaman that Turkey had no intentions of getting involved in the internal affairs of Syria but did not rule out the possibility of war should the security of the region be put at jeopardy.

Russia
20-Nov: Russian Pres Dmitry Medvedev has signed an agreement aiming to regulate customs operations with Abkhazia and S. Ossetia. Both legislative branches have ratied the agreement. The agreement calls for an intensication of collaboration between the customs controls of the respective regions in an effort to regulate the movement of cargo across the borders and eliminate smuggling. 23-Nov: Russia deployed three of its warships to Syrian shores in support of Syrian Pres Bashar al-Assad. This was in response to US sanctions in Iran and the growing international opposition to the current Syrian regime. In an ofcial statement, Russian FM Sergey Lavrov accused the US led coalition of orchestrating a political provocation. Furthermore, Lavrov stated that the US sanctions on Iran were unacceptable. 27-Nov: Russian PM Vladimir Putin accepted the nomination from his political party to run for President. Putin has already twice served as the President of Russia. In his statement Putin accused the West of orchestrating distress by supporting the actions of opposing parties.

VOICES FROM FREE NATIONS

CAUCASUS NEWS LETTER

NOVEMBER 2011

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THE MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION

REPORT ON THE SITUATION WITH HUMAN RIGHTS IN CERTAIN STATES
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA The situation in the USA is far from the ideals proclaimed in Washington. The main outstanding issue is an abhorrent Guantanamo prison, which is still detaining 171 prisoners, suspected of having ties with terrorists. President B. Obama sanctioned indenite and extrajudicial detention and the resumption of military tribunals. The incumbent administration continues to apply a variety of methods of controlling society and interfering in the private lives of the American people that were adopted by the special services under George Bush on the pretext of the combating terrorism. At the same time, the White House and the US Department of Justice shelter from liability CIA operatives and high-ranking ofcials, guilty of mass and severe violations of human rights standards. There are ongoing violations of international humanitarian law in the armed conict areas and in the course of counterterrorism operations, indiscriminate and disproportionate use of force. Longstanding systematic problems of the American society are aggravating, such as racial discrimination, xenophobia, overcrowded prisons, unreasoned use of death penalties, in particular with respect to innocent, minor and mentally disabled persons, as well as awed electoral system and corruption. There has been a sharp worsening of situation concerning the fulllment of basic social and economic rights of citizens, including collective bargaining rights. Permanent decits of federal and local budgets revealed gaps in the judicial system, including inadequate access to justice. Extraterritorial application of American laws affects RussianAmerican relations most seriously. It leads to violations of the basic rights and freedoms of Russians, including arbitrary arrests and abductions from third countries, ill-treatment, criminal prosecution based on the basis of evidence given by false agents and doubtful evidence (cases against Viktor Bout and Konstantin Yaroshenko are the most striking examples). During Obama's presidency the USA has not expanded its international legal obligations in the humanitarian eld and still participates only in three out of nine core human rights treaties. The Americans have not so far ratied the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (only Somalia has not also acceded to it). Washington refuses to cooperate with convention mechanisms to consider individual and collective complaints related to violations of human rights by states, arguing that American judicial system copes with that task without outside assistance. In January 2012 it will be 10 years since a special prison in the US navy base at Guantanamo was established. 171 prisoners remain in that prison (242 at the time B. Obama took the ofce). There is one Russian citizen among them - R. K. Mingazov, arrested in Pakistan in 2002. In July 2010 the USA for the rst time repatriated a prisoner against his will: a 35-year old Algerian A. Nadgy was sent home despite the concerns that he will be again subject to tortures by the governmental authorities or by islamists. B. Obama revised his earlier critical attitude towards military commissions. He authorized their resumption under the condition of giving additional assurances to defendants, including restrictions on the use of hearsay evidence and those obtained by torture. Regarding 48 most dangerous Guantanamo prisoners, against which criminal proceedings could be hardly organized in the absence of sufcient proof of their guilt or due to the expiry of the statute of limitations, the administration decided to continue its practice of indenite extrajudicial custody. Probably the same destiny will be shared by 30 Yemenites, whom the administration is ready to repatriate as soon as the security situation improves in their home country. In September 2006 G. Bush de-facto acknowledged the existence of CIA "black site" prisons announcing the transfer of 14 detainees to the Guantanamo base. As it became known later, in 2002-2003 special services established about 10 similar detention centers, including in Afghanistan, Iraq, Thailand, Morocco, Romania, Lithuania and Poland, which kept approximately 100 prisoners in a legal vacuum"... click here for full version

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