Bulgarian Politicians Don’t Believe South Stream Is Over

December 3, 2014 By administrator

“We should concentrate and look into this, and if the project is as profitable as EUR 400 M a year, we should save it.”

Bulgaria’s Prime Minister Boyko Borisov made this comment on South Stream ahead of debates in Parliament in which MPs were supposed to come up with Bulgaria’s position on the project. Borisov voiced his message to political parties just less than forty-eight hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin had said Moscow was renouncing South Stream and Gazprom CEO Alexey Miller had declared the project “closed” as his final word.

Within that time, there has been no certainty whether Putin and Miller were serious. Putin undoubtedly left enough room for speculation by making his declaration exactly a fortnight before off-shore construction was scheduled to kick off and just two days after EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov are set to meet in Basel – and it is hard to believe the two will spend all their minutes on Ukraine. What is more, experts are clearly divided over “South Stream 2.0″, with some calling it a “bluff” or “economically unfeasible” and others saying it will leave Bulgaria’s energy sector in tatters, dashing the country’s “last hope” to have “security in energy supplies.”

Bulgarian citizens, either welcoming the decision with a sigh of relief or voicing their fears about “what will happen to Bulgaria now,” are also divided over the demise of South Stream. But politicians are definitely not.

This statement certainly goes for Borisov who, alongside his economy and energy ministers, already warned they had received neither a prior notification nor any official document as a follow-up to Putin’s strong-worded remarks. The Prime Minister is to meet EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker in Brussels on Thursday clearly intending to place a single demand: Europe needs a solution, and it better be quick. Borisov, who during his first tenure ditched two high-profile (albeit not that “international”) Russian projects, namely Burgas-Alexandroupoli and Belene NPP, is unusually careful with his wording about South Stream. His hopes are enforced by the Commission’s own cautious approach and its plans to hold talks with “ex-South Stream” states regardless of whether the project will actually be carried out.

Then there is, just as undoubtedly, the socialist opposition, with both center-left BSP and left-wing ABV crying foul over the project which both had described as core points for their election platforms. ABV even blamed GERB for failing to support their position in what had to be the joint declaration of Bulgaria’s legislature.

But socialists are forgetting a detail: it was a Prime Minister in a BSP-led government who froze the project. At that time they had been trying to propagate a hypothesis that putting South Stream to a halt meant it would never be carried out – the same Putin was obviously making use of while delivering his statement.

This might have been why they almost failed to notice that both GERB and right-wing Reformist Bloc, somewhat hawkish about relations with Russia, actually supported South Stream within their platforms, “but only if conformed to EU rules.”

Though the RB argued on Thursday the project might really be over, their first public reaction was to call Putin’s move a “bluff”.

It looks like nobody really wants to be against South Stream. Neither do lawmakers suggest Bulgaria has no use of that project, even though those who could have used such rhetoric to enforce trust of their pro-Western supporters (such as RB).

The deadlock reached in Wednesday’s debate in Parliament therefore tells little of the tacit agreement among Bulgarian politicians that: 1) Europe should come up with a solution; 2) Putin is rather less serious about halting South Stream than about offering the EU a a customs union, as he did again in November.

– See more at: http://www.novinite.com/articles/165188/Bulgarian+Politicians+Don%27t+Believe+South+Stream+Is+Over#sthash.gPCokH74.dpuf

Serbia, Accused war criminal Seselj draws thousands at Serbia rally

November 16, 2014 By administrator

By Jovan Matic

Belgrade (AFP) – Some 10,000 supporters of the Serb ultranationalist Vojislav Seselj, released by a UN war crimes court for cancer therapy, joined him Saturday at a rally in protest at his country’s shift towards Europe.

The gathering was seen as a test of Seselj’s influence at home, where he returned this week after almost 12 years in detention at the court in The Hague, yet to issue a verdict in his trial for crimes during the Balkan wars of the 1990s.

“Serbia has to decide should it go towards the East (Russia) or towards the West, where all its enemies are,” the 60-year-old firebrand told a euphoric crowd in downtown Belgrade.

“We will not wait for the end of this government’s mandate. Already next year we will have elections that the Serb Radical Party (SRS) will win,” Seselj vowed from the stage.

Waving the flags of Serbia and Russia, the Balkan country’s traditional ally, his supporters carried portraits of President Vladimir Putin and the last Russian Emperor Nicholas II and banners reading “No to EU and NATO”.

Serbia opened membership talks with the European Union this year.

Seselj has vowed to unseat from power his former closest collaborators — President Tomislav Nikolic and Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic — who both left his party in 2008 and founded their own pro-European SNS movement.

Immediately upon his arrival in Belgrade, Seselj labelled the two “traitors” who “sold our honour and gave up Serb nationalism to become servants of the West”.

“He will liberate us from those pro-European bootlickers,” Petar Radojkovic, a 47-year-old construction worker who joined the rally told AFP, in a reference to the government.

Milanka Stupljanin, a 29-year-old saleswoman, said the ultranationalist was the “only one who can revive Serbia.”

To achieve his aims, Seselj said he planned to “revitalise and reorganise” his Serb Radical Party (SRS) and attract new members among “all those who are dissatisfied”.

– Nine counts including murder –

“We should turn towards Russia. Joining the European Union would be a real disaster for Serbian people,” he said.

“However, we do not want a conflict with the EU; if the Union accepts to cooperate with us on equal grounds, why not?”

But Seselj has returned to a country that has greatly changed since he voluntarily surrendered to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in 2003, going on trial four years later.

The groups which once helped whip up murderous fervour as the former Yugoslavia disintegrated in the 1990s are on a steady slide into oblivion.

Today none are even represented in the Serbian parliament, including Seselj’s party.

Political analyst Dusan Janjic was expecting more people at Saturday’s rally “since the radical (Seselj’s) party is a well organised grouping.”

But the “public clearly did not show much interest for Seselj’s comeback. Serbia changed a lot during his absence,” he told AFP.

His return will not threaten the government, agreed the analyst Djordje Vukadinovic.

“To topple the government is too ambitious a goal, especially if he does not change the rhetoric he has been using in the 1990s,” he said.

Seselj is accused of leading ethnic Serb volunteers in persecuting Croats, Muslims and other non-Serbs during the brutal 1990s wars in Croatia and Bosnia.

His trial wrapped up in March 2012, with a verdict still to be handed down.

During the trial, Seselj pleaded not guilty to nine counts including murder, torture, cruel treatment and wanton destruction of villages.

Seselj’s return has sparked outrage among victims’ groups in neighbouring Croatia and Bosnia.

On Saturday, Croatian Foreign Minister Vesna Pusic said she could only “voice condolences to Serbia for having a mad war criminal on its streets, instead of him being where he was and where he should have remained”, referring to the UN tribunal.

EU calls for investigation into Artsakh helicopter downing

November 13, 2014 By administrator

The European Union has called for an investigation in an incident in which a military helicopter belonging to Nagorno Karabakh was shot down by Azerbaijan.

A statement issued by the European External Action Service (EEAS) said “it is essential that all sides show restraint and avoid any actions or statements which could escalate the situation. Furthermore, we call for an investigation into this incident.”

In its’ statement the European Union reiterated its full support to the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group and its three Co-chairs. It said “both sides have to strictly respect the ceasefire, to refrain from the use of force or any threat thereof, and to resume efforts towards a peaceful resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.”

Mi-24 helicopter of the Nagorno Karabakh army was shot during a training flight as result of ceasefire violation by the Azerbaijani armed forces on Thursday, Nov 12, at about 1pm local time. According to the NKR Defense Ministry, the attack took place not far from the line of contact. Three people on board were killed.

Armenia EU To Provide Armenia With Fresh Aid

November 5, 2014 By administrator

By Heghine Buniatian

November 04, 2014

The European Union has pledged to provide between 140 million and 170 million euros to Armenia for private-sector, public administration, and justice reforms over the next three years.

The commitment is contained in a memorandum of understanding launching the Single Support Framework for EU support to Yerevan that was signed in Brussels on November 3 by newly appointed Commissioner for European Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn and Armenian Economy Minister Karen Chshmaritian.

“The EU and Armenia are committed to continuing cooperation in areas of mutual interest based on shared values,” Hahn said, on his first official working day as commissioner. “We support the country’s modernization efforts and we will continue encouraging necessary reforms in Armenia.”

The deal represents the most significant agreement between the European Union and Armenia since Yerevan decided to join the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union. That decision, announced by Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian in Moscow in September 2013, effectively put an end to years of negotiations between Yerevan and Brussels to conclude an Association Agreement and its Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA) component.

He also announced the first package of EU assistance for 2014 under the new Single Support Framework. The fresh funding of 19 million euros (about $23.8 million) will focus on small businesses and human rights protection in Armenia.

“Supporting businesses and innovative start-ups can, in a longer run, boost more job opportunities, increase the economic competitiveness, and enhance the overall progress of the private sector of Armenia. In the field of human rights protection, the new program will help improve relevant legislation in the areas of right to free elections, torture prevention, anti-discrimination, gender equality and child protection,” a European Commission press release said.

Pledging to continue to support reforms in Armenia, the European Union at the same time emphasized that the figures of allocations are indicative: final allocations will depend on the country’s needs and commitment to reforms.

Aside from those agreements, the EU commissioner and the Armenian economy minister also signed a document under which 25 million euros will be provided to Armenia for agriculture and rural development.

“I welcome this agreement and hope that there will be a lot of further agreements and that will be certainly a very close cooperation between Armenia and the European Union,” Hahn said.

Chshmaritian expressed Armenia’s gratitude to the EU for understanding the position of Armenia, stressing that Yerevan wants to continue cooperation in trade and investments, implementing reforms in all sectors of the economy. “We want to have a more attractive investment and business climate for our European partners,” he said.

Asked by RFE/RL Brussels correspondent Rikard Jozwiak whether it was still possible for Armenia to sign the political component of the Association Agreement with the European Union without the DCFTA part, Hahn acknowledged that the Russian-led customs group presented an obstacle.

“Tomorrow [November 4] there will be the first reflection process on this issue, a brainstorm meeting where both the Armenian side and the European Union will be sitting together and identifying areas of future cooperation and what this membership in the Customs Union implies for the relationship with the European Union,” Hahn said.

With reporting by Rikard Jozwiak in Brussels

France, Retailleau (UMP) opposed to Turkey’s accession to the EU

October 18, 2014 By administrator

The president of the UMP group in the Senate, Bruno Retailleau, objected Saturday to Turkey’s accession to Europe, showing his disagreement with the Prime Minister Manuel Valls he was asked about it on Thursday.
“I disagree with the Prime Minister who believes that the accession negotiations between Turkey and the European Union should continue. Yes has an association agreement with Turkey, no to Turkish accession to Europe, “the senator (…)

Karolos Papoulias: Greece ready to assist Armenia-EU relations

September 30, 2014 By administrator

YEREVAN. – President of Greece Karolos Papoulias said his country is ready to make contribution to development of relations between Armenia and European Union.

The Armenian and Greek people share common values and history, he said during the Armenian-Greek business forum held in Yerevan.

“The links connecting us with the past are alive. They are strengthened and developed by the Armenian community in Greece, which is making a very active and creative contribution to the economy of our country. On the other hand, the Greek community in Armenia, though relatively small, is also well known for its activities,” Papoulias said.

He added that Greece has much to offer to Armenian investors, as the country has been rapidly going out of the economic crisis and went 28 points up in the World Bank’s Doing Business within two years.

“We look forward to hosting Armenian companies,” he resumed.

source: news.am

European Parliament Calls for Sanctions on Azerbaijan

September 18, 2014 By administrator

BRUSSELS, STRASBOURG—On Thursday, the European Parliament with an overwhelming majority adopted a resolution condemning the persecution of human rights activists in Azerbaijan, affirming its previous resolutions on human rights in Azerbaijan, and calling for targeted sanctions against Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s regime, as well as visa bans against those in the regime who are directly responsible for the repression of civil society.

Azerbaijan was harshly criticized by members of the European Parliament, who stressed the absurdity of Azerbaijan currently holding the rotating Presidency of the Council of Europe — an institution upholding values of human rights and freedom – whereas “in the last few years the general Human Rights climate in Azerbaijan has been deteriorating, with a major escalation of government repression, pressure and intimidation directed at NGOs, civil society activists, journalists, and human rights defenders.”

Member of the European Parliament Marie-Christine Vergiat (Confederal Group of the European United Left – Nordic Green Left, France) said that the impunity of Azerbaijan and the Aliyev regime should stop, that the EU should not be focused on oil and gas only, and that the Association Agreement with Azerbaijan should not go on. Member of the European Parliament Alexander Graf Lambsdorff (Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe, Germany) stressed the gruesome state of civil society in Azerbaijan, after the continuous and brutal authoritarian regime’s crackdown on fabricated and politically motivated charges. During speeches by the lawmakers, it was mentioned that a few months ago Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev from the podium of the Council of Europe had called his critics liars, and had denied any sort of criticism, while in reality, the situation in Azerbaijan has all the more deteriorated.

The European Parliament resolution “deplores the actions taken by the Azerbaijani Government to curb contacts between civil society and youth activists and intellectuals from Armenia and Azerbaijan, since these contacts are of major importance for bridging the long-standing hostility between the two countries.”

The resolution stresses that the European Parliament’s consent to the signature of a partnership agreement with Azerbaijan will be conditional on the satisfactory reflection of the above-mentioned requirements, the release of human rights defenders, the withdrawal of legislation restricting the operations of independent civil society, and the cessation of repression and intimidation of NGOs, independent media, opposition forces, human rights defenders and youth and social network activists. Members of the European Parliament stressed that Azerbaijan should be held accountable for its actions at home, and that human rights should be an inseparable part of the foreign policy of the EU.

The resolution laments the fact that the EU-Azerbaijan human rights dialogue has made no substantial progress regarding the human rights situation in the country, calls on the European External Action Service to step up this dialogue with a view to making it effective and result-oriented and to report regularly to Parliament, and calls on the EU Council and the member states to urge the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to call on the Azerbaijani authorities to stop the oppression and make it clear that it expects them, as hosts of the European Olympic Games to be held next year, to uphold the Olympic Charter’s requirement to respect press freedoms.

Most importantly, the European Parliament recalls its position of May 24, 2012, and calls on the EU Council to consider the possibility of targeted sanctions against those responsible for human rights violations, should these persist.

Kaspar Karampetian, President of the European Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy (ANC of Europe) said that finally the European Union is speaking up against the oppressive regime in Baku, and that Commissioner Neven Mimica’s intervention is in the right direction. “We welcome this resolution of the European Parliament. A resolution that upholds the real values of the European Union, while stressing the necessity of sanctions against the regime in Baku. Human Rights shall be considered in all aspects of Foreign Policy; and energy flow to Europe shall not make the EU go blind on breaches of Human Rights and fundamental freedoms,” said Karampetian. “Real democracy in Azerbaijan, respect to the right of self-determination of peoples is the only key to solving the long standing conflict with Nagorno Karabakh, and a peaceful co-habitation in the South Caucasus,” Karampetian concluded.

AKP’s new tactic towards the EU

September 3, 2014 By administrator

By İHSAN YILMAZ,

Former EU Minister Egemen Bağış was a euroskeptic. His only mission was to go to the EU countries and send a message to nationalist Justice and Development Party (AKP) voters who did not like the EU. He did not care about developing Turkey’s ties with the EU or making an effort to make Turkey more democratic. He was simply hated in the European capitals, and this was a well-known secret.

Since support for Turkey’s accession to the EU was very low among AKP voters, then-Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan purposefully kept Mr. Bağış in this job. Former Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu was not an EU enthusiast either. He was more concerned with the Muslim Brotherhood (MB), the Middle East, etc.

During election campaigns, the AKP’s anti-Western rhetoric was very helpful as far as votes were concerned, and surveys show that AKP voters believed Erdoğan’s theory of a conspiracy by dark international forces to attempt a coup against him. His voters knew that he was referring to the US, the EU and Israel. In this fantastical story, the internal collaborator of this dark conspiracy was the Hizmet movement. Despite all this, new Prime Minister Davutoğlu appointed two pro-EU figures as EU minister, Mr. Volkan Bozkır, and foreign minister, Mevlüt Cavuşoğlu.

They are the antitheses of Bağış and Davutoğlu as far as Turkey-EU relations are concerned. What is more, they are liked in the EU capitals. Does this show an essential change of approach in the AKP’s almost anti-EU policies? Given the fact that the AKP is becoming more authoritarian and corrupt with every passing day, does the AKP need a supranational power that will keep nagging about the rule of law, transparency, accountability, press freedoms, etc., which are all now anathema to the AKP’s practices? Of course not. So, the question is this: Why does the AKP, meaning Erdoğan and Davutoğlu, need Bozkır and Cavuşoğlu?

My answer essentially is this: It is the economy, stupid! The main reason for their appointments is no different from the reason that forced Erdoğan to reappoint Mr. Ali Babacan despite the fact that he hates him, and he has allowed his chief advisor, Bağış, to call Mr. Babacan a member of the “parallel state,” i.e. the chief villain, the Hizmet movement. This accusation was published in Erdoğan’s newspapers, and Erdoğan has so far not reacted to it. What is more, he has promoted Mr. Yiğit Bulut to chief advisor of the Presidency. Erdoğan had to keep Mr. Babacan in his jib until the 2015 elections, as the economy is very fragile, and as Babacan has stated, Turkey will have to borrow $200 billion per year in an increasingly competitive market.

Unlike the golden years of the AKP, now money is not available in the international market, and the US is increasing interest rates, meaning that it will be more difficult to find money. That is why Turkey has to pay a lot of more interest to find money. This will negatively impact its credit ratings, and this will in turn force Turkey to increase interest rates more. Foreign direct investment is going down, Turkey’s exports to the Middle East are shrinking, and it will be more difficult to keep AKP voters happy, who overwhelmingly vote for economic, not ideological, reasons. If the AKP cannot get about 50 percent of the vote in June of 2015, it will not be able to control 330 seats in Parliament, and it will not be able to change the system into a Putinistic presidential one without checks and balances. What is more, if the AKP gets less than 42 percent, it will probably lose power.

All in all, the AKP is now doing what it did from 2002-2011: using the EU accession process as a tactical move without really believing in it, without with a serious intention of respecting EU values, the Copenhagen criteria, pluralism, the rule of law, transparency, accountability, etc. A revived EU accession process would send good signs to markets, and Turkey would stay away from an economic crisis. And yet, they will not democratize Turkey in real terms. The AKP needs this until May of 2015. In the last month before the general elections, they will go back to their anti-Western rhetoric, conspiracy theories, etc., to please their voters.

Manaseryan: Armenia and Georgia can greatly benefit from accession to EaEU and EU

August 25, 2014 By administrator

The mutually beneficial economic ties between Armenia and Georgia have not been realized completely in the recent years, economist Tatul Manaseryan told reporters on Monday, adding that Armenia should enhance relations with Georgia since “we are doomed to close cooperation with Georgia.”

According to the economist, Armenia’s and Georgia’s accession to the Eurasian Economic Union (EaEU) and the European Union (EU) respectively should be viewed as mutually complementary factors.

“We together with the Georgians can greatly benefit from accession to both unions, especially given that Armenia does not rule out European integration,” he noted.

Chairman of the Republican Union of Employers of Armenia Gagik Makaryan said for his part that it is difficult to judge about the real amounts of imports into Armenia from Georgia as many goods imported from Georgia are produced in Turkey.

EU and Eurasian Economic Union: possible clash of interests in the region – opinions

June 29, 2014 By administrator

– an echo of the Ukrainian crisis against the background of tangled relations between the EU and the Eurasian Economic Union.

In an interview with Tert.am, Head of the European Integration NGO Karen Bekaryan said that four of the six European Partnership member-states – Georgia, Azerbaijan, Moldova and Ukraine – have certain problems involving different conflicts. Besides, other two states, Belarus and Azerbaijan, signed Association Agreements with the EU, as well as Armenia, which has not yet full-fledged relations with the EU.

Political Secretary of the Heritage party Styopa Safaryan told Tert.am about another “tangle.” According to him, “it will be better seen after Armenia joins the Eurasian Economic Union.” That is, the Armenia-Georgia border will turn into a border between the EU and the Eurasian Economic Union.

Given the fact of Armenia becoming a border with the EU economic area, as well as Russia’s position on the European Partnership policy and on the Association Agreements between the EU and Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine, Mr Safaryan forecasts a number of pessimistic scenarios.

“First, we can expect Russians to use Armenia in its actions against them. Secondly, if it happens, Europe will have to block Armenia even worse by means of other states.”

However, this is not a problem of Georgia alone.

“Even if Georgia wants, the EU had warned of the impossibility customs free trade between the two economic areas because, if Armenia is allowed to, it will imply its joining the EU free economic zone,” Mr Safaryan said.

Political scientist Hrant Melik-Shahnazaryan does not think the new situation in the region is the result of Association Agreements between the EU and Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. Rather, it is the result of the Ukraine developments.

“By and large, the Eurasian Economic Union has waged a struggle for Ukraine, with neither Europe nor Russia being the winner. They have divided Ukraine and got such problems that huge economic resources are required to resolve them.”

“In any case, evidence thereof is Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan’s recent visit to Georgia, where the two countries’ leaders stated that being parts of two economic unions would not prevent the development of their trade relations. On the other hand, the Caucasus could be turned into a crossroads of interests of the EU and Eurasian Economic Union,” Mr Melik-Shahnazaryan said as he quoted Armenia’s president.

Source: tert.am