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Harut Sassounian: Improved Russian US relations may be helpful to Armenia

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Last November, Americans elected the unlikeliest presidential candidate, Donald J. Trump. He is not your typical politician. As a successful and prominent businessman, he is used to making off- the- cuff remarks and not subscribing to any particular direction. Given the controversial nature of the Trump Presidency, domestic and international relations may drastically change. President Trump has already revised his position on some major campaign promises: expelling illegal aliens, building a wall between Mexico and the United States, and not allowing immigrants from Islamic countries to visit the United States. President Trump has also altered his position regarding serious, international issues. President Trump may not be sure himself what positions he would take on a variety of foreign policy issues.

Here is a short list of major international decisions President Trump will have to make.
1. The most important realignment of relations will be between Russia and the United States. If these two major countries can get along, there is no reason to be at odds risking the stability of the world. Furthermore, cooperation between Russia and the United States will have a positive effect on reducing terrorism in Syria and Iraq. Many of the major international figures who are opposed to the prospect of the improved relations between Putin and President Trump are reverting back to the Cold War Era mentality. The biggest issue that has arisen in recent weeks was the accusation that Russia had hacked the US presidential election. However, Russians have not done anything extraordinary. China, Russia and even US allies have always tried to steal each other’s secrets.

2. Due to his discontent with current international agreements, President Trump will want to re-negotiate the terms, previously approved under the Obama administration. One of the most important changes President Trump wants to do is re-negotiate the nuclear deal with Iran, which involves several other countries besides Iran and the US. It remains to be seen if the Iranians will go along with any of the changes proposed by President Trump.

3. A major realignment desired by President Trump is the settling of the Israeli-Arab conflict. If President Trump goes along with his plans in moving the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, this could result in a major clash between the US and the Arab states leading to highly undesirable consequences.

4. The final issue that President Trump will confront is the newly improved relationship between the United States and Cuba. It remains to be seen whether Cuba will go along with any changes proposed by President Trump.
There is no guarantee that President Trump’s ideas will improve the previously negotiated agreements or if they be accepted by the rest of the world. Consequentially, there is a lot of uncertainty where the new world order is headed, and whether relations between various countries will improve. The entire world hopes that countries will get along better with each other and peaceful solutions will be found. Positive relations between Russia and the US will help recent challenges faced by the Armenian Republic.

By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier
www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com

Armenian Assembly highlights policy issues for U.S. Secretary of State nomination

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President-Elect Donald Trump’s Secretary of State Nominee Mr. Rex Tillerson, former ExxonMobil CEO,

As the Senate Foreign Relations Committee met to consider President-Elect Donald Trump’s Secretary of State Nominee Mr. Rex Tillerson, former ExxonMobil CEO, the Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly) highlighted key policy issues in a letter sent to Chairman Bob Corker (R-TN) and Ranking Member Ben Cardin (D-MD).

“We need a Secretary of State committed to strengthening the permanent bonds between Armenia and the United States, two countries that share common values and beliefs, and who will see in Armenia, which remains an island of stability, a vital ally in the region,” Assembly Co-Chairs Anthony Barsamian and Van Krikorian said in their letter to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “United States-Armenia relations have been consistently characterized by friendship and reciprocity and an active Armenian American community strongly supports further expanding the United States partnership with the Republic of Armenia,” they added.

Assembly Co-Chairs highlighted several areas of concern, including Azerbaijan’s flagrant violations of the 1994/5 cease-fire agreement with respect to the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, intentionally escalating the violence as pressure for Armenian concessions and launching a 4-day war last April.

“Such behavior makes it clear that Azerbaijan cannot be trusted to honor its commitments and must be held accountable for its egregious human rights violations,” the Co-Chairs said in the letter. “All Americans should be deeply troubled by…reports of Azerbaijan’s ISIS-inspired mutilations of civilians and beheadings of soldiers.”

“Now is the time to strengthen the OSCE process and ensure vigorous U.S. engagement to bring about a lasting and durable settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict that is agreeable to all parties, and based upon America’s founding commitment to the principles of democracy, rule of law, and self-determination,”  they continued.

Barsamian and Krikorian also noted the Assembly’s concerns with respect to Turkey’s more than 20-year blockade of Armenia and its ongoing campaign of genocide denial. “Within Turkey, its treatment of minority communities, repression of basic freedoms, ties to ISIS, and its ongoing failure to return confiscated Armenian churches as well as its continued denial of the Armenian Genocide remain troubling trends,” Co-Chairs Barsamian and Krikorian stated.

In his opening statement, Secretary of State Nominee Tillerson said that “Our approach to human rights begins by acknowledging that American leadership requires moral clarity. We do not face an ‘either or’ choice on defending global human rights. Our values are our interests when it comes to human rights and humanitarian assistance…But our leadership demands action specifically focused on improving the conditions of people the world over, utilizing both aid and economic sanctions as instruments of foreign policy when appropriate.”

Both Azerbaijan and Turkey have a history of human rights abuses, especially in recent reports by international organizations such as Human Rights Watch and the U.S. Helsinki Commission. America and its next Secretary of State need to uphold America’s core values and protect fundamental freedoms and human rights.

As the confirmation process continues, the Assembly will continue to advance key priorities and look for ways to further expand U.S.-Armenia relations.

Stephen Kinzer: We’ve been hacking elections for more than a century

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By Stephen Kinzer

Outrage is shaking Washington as members of Congress compete to demonize Russia for its alleged interference in America’s recent presidential election. “Any foreign intervention in our elections is entirely unacceptable,” Speaker of the House Paul Ryan has asserted. Russian actions, according to other legislators, are “attacks on our very fundamentals of democracy” that “should alarm every American” because they “cut to the heart of our free society.” This burst of righteous indignation would be easier to swallow if the United States had not itself made a chronic habit of interfering in foreign elections.

Over a period of more than a century, American leaders have used a variety of tools to influence voters in other countries. We have chosen candidates, advised them, financed their parties, designed their campaigns, bribed media outlets to support them, and intimidated or smeared their rivals.

One of our first operations to shape the outcome of a foreign election came in Cuba. After the United States helped Cuban rebels overthrow Spanish rule in 1898, we organized a presidential election, recruited a pro-American candidate, and forbade others to run against him. Two years later, after the United States annexed Hawaii, we established an electoral system that denied suffrage to most native Hawaiians, assuring that only pro-American candidates would be elected to public office.

Source:http://www.bostonglobe.com/ideas/2017/01/08/been-hacking-elections-for-more-than-century/okjziXPQDiegx53ABtpUOO/story.html

Breaking News: Obama Imposes Sanctions on Russia for Alleged Hacking of Election

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Despite a glaring lack of evidence to support allegations that Russia interfered in the US presidential election, the White House has announced that they will be imposing sanctions on the nation.

On Thursday, the US sanctioned six Russian individuals, including the head of Russia’s main intelligence directorate, as well as five entities. The US is also expelling 35 Russian diplomats, who now have 72 hours to leave the nation.

The five entities sanctioned are the Autonomous Noncommercial Organization Professional Association of Designers of Data Processing Systems, the Federal Security Service, the Main Intelligence Directorate, the Special Technology Center. The Federal Security Service is comparable to the US FBI, meaning that this will effectively block any counter intelligence operations between the two nations. Sanctioned individuals include Igor Valentinovich Korobov, the current Chief of Russia’s main intelligence directorate, the GRU; Sergey Aleksandrovich Gizunov, Deputy Chief of the GRU; Igor Olegovich Kostyukov, a First Deputy Chief of the GRU; and Vladimir Stepanovich Alexseyev, also a First Deputy Chief of the GRU. Additionally, the US will be closing two Russian diplomatic compounds in Maryland and New York, which the US claims were used for intelligence related activities.

“These actions are not the sum total of our response to Russia’s aggressive activities. We will continue to take a variety of actions at a time and place of our choosing, some of which will not be publicized,” the White House said in a statement. “In addition to holding Russia accountable for what it has done, the United States and friends and allies around the world must work together to oppose Russia’s efforts to undermine established international norms of behavior, and interfere with democratic governance. To that end, my Administration will be providing a report to Congress in the coming days about Russia’s efforts to interfere in our election, as well as malicious cyber activity related to our election cycle in previous elections.”

The Kremlin has denied any involvement in the hacks on the Democratic National Committee or Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta. The claims have also been disputed by veterans of both the CIA and the NSA. “If hacking were involved, the NSA would know about it, and so they would also know the sender and the recipient,” former CIA analyst Ray McGovern previously told Loud & Clear on Radio Sputnik. “There’s no reason in God’s world why they wouldn’t reveal that if they had it.”

Read more: https://sputniknews.com/us/201612291049119985-us-russia-sanctions/

Paper Tiger Turkey’s Erdogan says has ‘evidence’ of US supporting Daesh in Syria:

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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says he has “confirmed evidence” that the US-led coalition is supporting Daesh and other terrorist groups in Syria.

“What were the coalition forces saying in the beginning? They were saying: ‘We will fight against the terrorist organization Daesh until the end.’ In fact, they were accusing us of supporting Daesh. Now they’ve all disappeared. On the contrary, they give support to terrorist groups including Daesh, YPG (Kurdish People’s Protection Units), PYD (Democratic Union Party). It’s very clear. We have confirmed evidence, with pictures, photos and videos,” said Erdogan during a Tuesday press conference.

The US and some of its regional allies, in particular Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey, have on multiple occasions been accused of arming and funding militant groups fighting the Syrian government for nearly six years.

Anakra deems the PYD as a branch of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which has been engaged in an armed insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984 and designated as a terrorist group by the US.

Turkey has vowed to press ahead with its hunt of Kurdish militants in both Iraq and Syria.

Erdogan’s announcement came just one day after Former US Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein accused Washington of backing terrorist groups when it serves its interests.

The Turkish president also stressed that the US had failed to keep its promise of air support in Ankara’s operations to liberate the Syrian city of al-Bab from Daesh.

“Even though the US-led coalition has failed to keep its promises [pledging air support] in our operation to liberate al-Bab, we will rid the city of Daesh terrorists, no matter what,” he said.

Turkey is in the middle of a military operation to capture al-Bab from Daesh. Ankara, which started its incursion into Syria in August, claims that it is only supporting the militants in northern Syria in the drive against Daesh. However, reports over the past days have suggested that Turkish troops have been directly involved in the battle in al-Bab.

The ongoing assault in al-Bab has inflicted significant casualties on civilians. The so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Friday that around 90 civilians, including 21 children, had lost their lives in a matter of 24 hours as Turkey intensified its airstrikes on the town.

U.S. Mainstream media, Russophobia and Sinophobia

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By Pepe Escobar,

It’s by now crystal clear the coup-in-progress against Donald Trump is a made in USA regime change op using standard hybrid war techniques such as manipulation of public opinion by mainstream media.

The coup has been articulated by the usual suspects, from neocons to neoliberalcons, “humanitarian” imperialists included, with a special starring role for their pet agency, the CIA, which during the Bush-Obama continuum further specialized in fake “intelligence”.

And yet the whole “Russia hacked our freedoms” narrative was thoroughly debunked by former UK diplomat and close WikiLeaks contributor Craig Murray; he even knows where the leak – not hack – came from. Adding (infantile) insult to (juvenile) injury, Queen of War cum sore loser Hillary Clinton, at a private donor event, blamed it all on a President Putin vendetta. She may have internalized too many Tarantino flicks – and her dialogue lines are far from quirky; but still she delivered a “He Came, He Saw, I Was Toast” narrative according to which “Vladimir Putin himself directed the covert cyber attacks against our electoral system, against our democracy, apparently because he has a personal beef against me.” And “the beef” of course turned into a porterhouse steak with the addition of the FBI as a Russian/WikiLeaks accomplice – via Director James Comey’s two letters in the final days of the campaign. All bent on compromising “the integrity of our democracy and the security of our nation.”

Cut to the still ongoing legal “efforts” to turn Trump voters around in the US Electoral College – spearheaded by Democrat apparatchiks and widely applauded by the glittering “liberal” galaxy. If facts on the ground in Syria have smashed the “Assad must go” meme – an Obama creation – at least now they have “Trump must go” to rely on. Who wants (pregnant with history, devastated) Aleppo when you can get Washington D.C.?

The same old “who lost Russia” question still permeates the Beltway. The answer is stark; the deep state-woven Clinton-Bush-Obama continuum did, with their obsession on unlimited, expanded NATO Robocop-ization and regime change ops across the Middle East and beyond, a GWOT (Global War on Terror) plank essential to keep reproducing terror ad infinitum. And that’s exactly that modus operandi that the Trump era may – and the operative concept is “may” – be willing to shatter. All about Taiwan So Russophobia seems to qualify as a psychotic obsession deployed by the neocon/neoliberalcon factions bent on pulling off a regime change on Trump – before or after his inauguration

Now compare it with what might be interpreted as the first symptoms of budding Sinophobia – as deployed by the President-Elect himself.

It started with the famed Taiwan phone call – which I aimed to deconstruct; that’s Trump – blissfully unaware of the complexities of the “One China” policy – trying to use Taiwan as a bargaining chip. Beijing took its time and then reverted the call to send a clear message Sun Tzu-style, without firing a shot – and yet capturing a maritime drone in the process. Trump’s response via his by now legendary “unpresidented” tweet clearly shows how he’s been wrong-footed. Shen Dingli, from Fudan University in Shanghai, argues these are the convoluted throes of a dying empire. It may be way more complex. The Trump strategy on China seems to be shaping up as a dual-headed hydra.

In the ExxonMobil Secretariat of State, under “T-Rex” Tillerson, the emphasis will be on China as a huge market for oil, gas and even clean coal technology. On the Pentagon front, it will be all about geopolitical spheres of influence.

Considering Trump’s previous conversations with realpolitik stalwart Henry Kissinger – who also happens to double as a war criminal – bets can be made that a “Nixon in China” moment, as engineered by Kissinger, will be on the cards, as in “Trump in Russia”. After all, Russia is a potential US partner. The problem then switches to the “containment” of China – which brings us to what may be configured as the Trump White House line of attack; Divide and Rule – what else – between strategic partners Russia and China. Bets can also be made that President Putin – as well as President Xi Jinping — won’t fall for such a crude game; their strategic partnership – which implies nothing less than massive Eurasia integration – is constantly strengthening. Considering the Pentagon ranks Russia-China as the top existential threats to the US, the only possible strategy to have a shot at maintaining some pre-eminence would have to be Divide and Rule. So expect all sorts of minor – hopefully not major – confrontations all across the spectrum of Beijing’s access to the South China Sea, from the Indian Ocean to the Western Pacific; that’s where Taiwan fits in – in that roughly 600 km maritime stretch between Taiwan and Okinawa. Sinophobia? Not really; hardcore geopolitics. As the asinine regime change attempt on Trump fades into the annals of failed color revolutions, keep your focus on the South China Sea.

Read more: https://sputniknews.com/columnists/201612181048708675-russophobia-sinophobia/

US may blacklist Armenian officials under Magnitsky Act – politician

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The US Senate on Thursday passed a bill allowing the administration to enforce the Magnitsky Act against any country’s official responsible corruption and human rights violations.
The measure raises concerns that the “black list”, which formerly included only Russian citizens (predominantly government officials), may now apply also to Armenia.

Speaking to Tert.am, Styopa Safaryan, the founder of the Armenian Center of Strategic and National Studies, described the decision as a tool enabling the Congress to impose sanctions not only upon foreign countries’ officials but also US citizens responsible for corruption, torture, murder or other violations of human rights.
“Both former and current government members may be easily blacklisted. The former government members were comprehensively engaged in money laundering and were found to have spent money ineffectively. As for the current administration, any failure to combat corruption may serve as grounds for enforcing sanctions. ”
The sanctions in the Magnitsky Act require banning not only the said group of individuals’ entry to the United States but also blocking their access to the US financial systems and banks.

Back in 2010, Armenian businessmen-MP Samvel Aleksanyan (ruling Republican Party) was reported to be having difficulty in obtaining a visa for the United States. After repeated rejections by the US Embassy, he eventually turned to the Heritage party (of which Safaryan is a member) for help. “He had great hopes and expectations, which certainly got crushed,” the politician said.

 

But he hesitated to attribute that to any sanction. “In all likelihood, there were political reasons,” Safaryan said, not ruling out the possibility that the Magnitsky Act may now apply to a range of other Armenian government officials.

 

 

Ani Gevorgyan

Armenian Defense Minister holds meeting with members of U.S. and U.K. expert group

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defense-ministersYEREVAN. – Defense Minister of Armenia Vigen Sargsyan on Wednesday held a meeting with the members of the joint U.S. and U.K expert group of cooperation in defense strategy reconsideration process. The meeting was also attended by the U.S. Ambassador Richard Mills.

At the meeting, the process of reconsidering the defense strategy was discussed and the further steps of cooperation were identified, the press-service of the Defense Ministry reports. Furthermore, special attention was attached to management and military education.

Lavrov: Russian jets striking Idlib & Homs to prevent ISIS exodus from Mosul to Syria

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bombing-syria(RT) Russian bombers are striking terrorist targets in Syria’s Idlib and Homs provinces so that Islamic State militants retreating from Iraq’s Mosul do not cross into Syria, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said after “constructive” talks with his US counterpart, John Kerry.

“Our aviation and the aviation of Syria work only in the provinces of Idlib and Homs in order to prevent the IS from crossing into Syria from Mosul,” Lavrov explained after meeting Secretary of State Kerry on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders week in Peru’s Lima.

While both diplomats regarded the talks, which touched on Syria, Yemen and Ukraine, as “productive” and “constructive,” Lavrov also alluded to the allegations made by US State Department that Russian jets were behind the reported bombings of 5 hospitals in Aleppo and Idlib. The Russian Defense Ministry repeatedly said that Russian jets have not been flying sorties in Aleppo during the last 30 days, while targets in Idlib and Homs, said to be terrorist arms factories and warehouses, are carefully selected.

Lavrov also commented on the incident at Wednesday’s State Department briefing, in which spokesman John Kirby dismissed RT’s Gayane Chichakyan request to provide details on the allegedly bombed hospitals on the grounds that RT was a “state-owned outlet,” saying it was “unacceptable.” However, Lavrov said he did not want to discuss the conduct of Kirby, who was not in Lima.

“We believe it is unacceptable, not reflecting the American proclaimed values and I hope that this was not the position of the State Department and this is certainly not the position of the Secretary of State … We are not going to start every day by condemning Mr. John Kirby but I believe he must be disciplined by his own superiors for what he is doing and how he is doing his job,” Lavrov said.

For his part, Kerry said special attention was paid during the meeting to the situation in Aleppo, saying that he “discussed every aspect of Aleppo” with his Russian counterpart.

“We had a constructive, important conversation about a number of topics ranging from Yemen to Libya and to Syria, obviously, as well as Ukraine and bilateral concerns. So we had a very broad discussion,” Kerry told journalists after the talks.

‘Russia-US relations can’t continue along negative path’

The Lima talks were also the first meeting of Lavrov and Kerry since Donald Trump won the US presidential elections.

Ahead of the meeting, Lavrov said US-Russia relations can no longer continue to follow a negative trajectory. He criticized the farewell message by the outgoing US President Barack Obama in which he cautioned his successor Trump to not engage in “realpolitik” with Russia and “stand up” to Moscow.

Azerbaijani president’s statement blackmails USA, Armenian expert says

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political scientist Styopa Safaryan, Head of Armenian AIISA.

political scientist Styopa Safaryan, Head of Armenian AIISA.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has claimed Azerbaijan is being pressed into recognizing Nagorno-Karabakh’s independence. He is blackmailing the United States, which has repeatedly stated that territorial solutions cannot be independent of the referendum results in Nagorno-Karabakh, political scientist Styopa Safaryan told Tert.am in response to a question as to which great power the Azerbaijani leader meant while saying that he is being pressed behind closed doors into recognizing Nagorno-Karabakh’s independence.

“Since James Warlick’s extensive interview has been misinterpreted because of words out of context and John Kerry’s rather interesting remarks have gone unnoticed, I can say that the United States insists on a comprehensive settlement of the problem, which implies a final status for Nagorno-Karabakh, a package settlement. And since Azerbaijan has always shown a selective attitude to the Helsinki Final Act and to the three principles for a settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict – accepting the territorial integrity principle alone – it has repeatedly received messages by means of James Warlick and John Kerry that it is not going to be so,” Mr Safaryan said.

According to a statement by official Washington on Oct. 4, “a just settlement must be based on international law, which includes the Helsinki Final Act, the principle of non-use of force or the threat of force, territorial integrity, and self-determination.”

At the daily press briefing in Washington on October 3, Yusif Babanlı, a reporter for the AzerTag state-run news agency, put the following question to Ms Elizabeth Trudeau, Director, Press Office, US Department of State:

“So last week, Secretary Kerry was speaking at the Atlantic and Aspen Institute, and he was discussing various conflicts including Syria, issues with Iran. And he touched upon the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. He said something to the effect of that the prospects for conflict resolutions are not there because the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan are not ready yet. Can you clarify what he might have meant, or more importantly, what would warrant such a statement?”

In response, Ms Elizabeth Trudeau said:

“Well, I won’t parse the Secretary’s words. I think they’re pretty clear. What I would reiterate, though, is that the U.S. supports a negotiated settlement to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. We continue to engage actively with the sides. You know we’re co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group. Our longstanding policy shared by the Minsk Group co-chairs is that a just settlement must be based on international law, which includes the Helsinki Final Act, the principle of non-use of force or the threat of force, territorial integrity, and self-determination.”

“The responsibility for peace rests on the leaders of both countries, and we would reiterate their importance in finding a negotiated peace,” she added.

In this context, President Ilham Aliyev, who is openly accused of lacking the political will in the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process, has to openly state his political attitude.

“It is blackmail against the United States to force it into changing its attitude,” Mr Safaryan said.

However, he does not think the US will change its position.

Moreover, the US position is in conflict with not only Azerbaijan’s wishes, but also Russia’s. This is the reason for the US Secretary of State’s hint that maintaining the status quo is the only alternative to a comprehensive settlement.