Month: May 2008

AZERBAIJAN CLAIMS CAPTURE OF ARMENIAN SPECIAL FORCES UNIT

Agence France Presse — English
April 29, 2008 Tuesday 1:31 PM GMT

Azerbaijan said Tuesday it has detained four members of an Armenian
special forces unit on its territory, but Armenia said the men were
being held after accidentally wandering on to Azerbaijani soil.

Azerbaijani Defence Ministry spokesman Eldar Sabiroglu said the men
had been detained in the ex-Soviet republic’s Nakhchivan region,
a small mountainous exclave of Azerbaijan wedged between Armenia,
Iran and Turkey.

"The defence ministry has prevented attempts to carry out provocations
on Azerbaijani territory by special forces of the Armenian military,"
Sabiroglu told AFP.

"This group of four men has been detained on the territory of
Nakhchivan and neutralised. An investigation is underway," he said. He
refused to provide any other details or say exactly when the men had
been captured.

Armenian Defence Ministry spokesman Seiran Shahsuvarian denied the
men had been conducting an operation in the region and said they had
been captured after getting lost following a visit to a friend in a
border village near Nakhchivan.

"On their way back they got lost and apparently found themselves on
the territory of Nakhchivan," Shahsuvarian said in a statement.

He said Armenia had appealed to the International Committee of the
Red Cross for assistance in having the men returned to Armenia.

Despite a 1994 ceasefire, Armenia and Azerbaijan remain officially
at war over the ethnic Armenian enclave of Nagorny Karabakh, which
broke away from Azerbaijani control during a war in the early 1990s.

The dispute is unresolved after more than a decade of negotiations
and troops remain in a tense stand-off along the frontline between
Karabakh and the rest of Azerbaijan.

Shootings are common; up to 16 soldiers were killed in a clash
last month.

Nakhchivan is home to about 365,000 people who can only reach the
rest of Azerbaijan by plane or by transiting through Iran.

Armenian and Azerbaijani forces clashed in Nakhchivan during the
Nagorny Karabakh war, but there have been few reports of fighting in
the region since the ceasefire.

UKRAINIAN NATIONALISTS ARE PREPARED TO HELP AZERBAIJAN TO TAKE BACK NAGORNO-KARABAKH

DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
April 30, 2008 Wednesday

UNA-UNSO (Ukrainian National Assembly – Ukrainian National
Self-Defense) may provide assistance to Azerbaijan in restoration of
control over Nagorno-Karabakh.

According to Mykola Karpyuk, chair of the executive committee of
UNA-UNSO, Azerbaijan is a country friendly for Ukraine. Karpyuk adds,
"In principle, everything is possible and UNA-UNSO may send its
volunteers to Azerbaijan if it is exposed to aggression or decided
to restore its territorial integrity. However, all military issues in
Ukraine are settled by the President. As I know, he has good relations
with your President and he respects Azerbaijan. If it is necessary,
Ukraine is always prepared to provide assistance to Azerbaijan."

EXERCISES TOOK PLACE ON THE RUSSIAN MILITARY BASE IN ARMENIA

DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
April 30, 2008 Wednesday

Large-scale military exercises took place on the 102nd Russian
military base in Armenia. A special commission from Moscow arrived
to the base to evaluate actions of the servicemen. Commander of the
988th air defense missile regiment Alexander Surinkin confirmed that
combat tasks were fulfilled in cooperation with the armed forces
of Armenia. They provided information about the targets and Russian
servicemen fulfilled firing tasks in case of orders of the district
commander. During the exercises, the servicemen received perfect
marks. A bigger operation is planned for autumn. Armies of the CIS
member states will work out defense tactics. This operation will take
place in the framework of the Collective Security Treaty Organization.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

OSCE WILL ARRANGE ANOTHER MONITORING OF AZERBAIJANI-ARMENIAN CONTACT LINE

DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
April 30, 2008 Wednesday

The press service of the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry reports that
monitoring the state of affairs on the Azerbaijani-Armenian contact
line in the environs of the settlement of Alibeili (Tovuz district)
will take place on April 29.

The monitoring will be arranged in accordance with the mandate of
the personal representative of the OSCE chairman.

Monitoring of the situation from the Azerbaijani side will be carried
out by Personal Representative, Andrzei Kaspsic, and his assistants
Peter Key and Antal Herdic.

The situation from the side of the territories occupied by the Armenian
army will be monitored by personal representative’s assistants Imre
Palatinus, Irgi Aberle, and Jaslan Nurtazin.

SENATE BACKS RESOLUTION ON DEATHS OF AMERICAN INDIANS

The Associated Press State & Local Wire
April 30, 2008 Wednesday 5:16 PM GMT

The state Senate has backed a resolution comparing the deaths of
millions of American Indians to genocide seen in the Holocaust,
Armenia and Sudan.

The nonbinding measure passed in a 22-12 vote. All 12 "Nos" came from
Republicans, but three Republicans voted with Democrats to pass the
resolution brought by Sen. Suzanne Williams of Aurora.

The resolution says that many American Indian deaths were intentionally
caused by Europeans and that early American settlers often treated
Indians with "cruelty and inhumanity." It ends by urging Indians
and people of European descent to treat each other with respect and
recognize their mutual humanity.

Two Republican lawmakers said the resolution unfairly generalized
about the actions of Europeans who settled in the United States.
From: Baghdasarian

DEBAT SUR LA REFORME DE L’ARTICLE SUR LA "TURQUICITE"

Le Temps, Suisse
30 avril 2008

TURQUIE. Le parlement a debattu mardi soir d’une version edulcoree
du texte entre en vigueur en 2005. Simulacre selon les defenseurs
des droits humains, colère des ultranationalistes.

L’article 301 du Code penal turc a enfin ete debattu, tard mardi
soir, au parlement, a Ankara. Les deputes ont entame l’examen du
texte modifiant cet article ultra-polemique, qui fait parler de lui
depuis plus de trois ans, avant meme son entree en application en juin
2005. Car cet article, en penalisant, notamment, toute insulte a la
"turquicite", suscite les critiques des defenseurs de la liberte
d’expression, Union europeenne en tete.

Depuis son entree en vigueur et si l’on tient compte de sa version
anterieure (article 159 modifie en 2002), 6075 poursuites penales
ont ete engagees. Parmi les personnalites poursuivies, se trouvent
le Prix Nobel de litterature, Orhan Pamuk, dont le procès a ete
abandonne en 2006, l’ecrivain Elif Safak mais aussi de nombreux
editeurs, journalistes et autres intellectuels. Si a ce jour aucune
peine de prison ferme n’a ete prononcee, les amendes et peines de
prison avec sursis sont legion. Le journaliste armenien, Hrant Dink,
assassine en janvier 2007, avait ete condamne de la sorte, de meme
que son fils l’an dernier.

"Nation turque"

La nouvelle mouture, presentee au parlement – et qui pourrait etre
adoptee ce mercredi – apporte quelques modifications a la marge dont le
remplacement du terme très flou de "turquicite" par "nation turque". Le
Ministère de la justice se voit egalement charge d’approuver toute
ouverture de poursuite tandis que la peine maximale se voit reduite
de trois a deux annees de prison.

Le president de la Commission europeenne, Jose Manuel Barroso, avait
recemment salue "un pas dans la bonne direction" pointant du meme
coup les insuffisances du texte. Cette version edulcoree ne convainc
d’ailleurs pas les defenseurs turcs de la liberte d’expression
qui critiquent une modification sans consequence des termes de
l’article. Attila Tuygan, poursuivi pour la traduction d’un livre,
demande, comme de nombreux intellectuels, l’abrogation pure et simple
de l’article 301. "C’est un simulacre de democratie. Il faut faire en
sorte que l’Etat defende les citoyens et non l’inverse", estime-t-il.

Pression des nationalistes du MHP, absence de volonte politique du
gouvernement, cette version decevante de l’article 301 aura eu du
mal a etre presentee au parlement. Le MHP, justement, a redouble
d’efforts ces dernières semaines contre cette reforme et finance
une campagne de publicite televisuelle. Le clip appelle la Turquie
au "reveil" et denonce les "lobbies" et "pretendus intellectuels,
genes" par cet article. Dans un dernier acte de dramatisation, le
leader du MHP, Devlet Bahceli, a appele hier matin le gouvernement
a organiser un referendum sur le sujet. Ce parti n’est toutefois pas
seul a s’opposer a cette reforme. Les kemalistes du CHP se montrent
eux aussi feroces sur le sujet.

–Boundary_(ID_5Zk1y/FCZbL/5tx+2QkcBw)–

SITUATION POST-ELECTORALE EXPLOSIVE A EREVAN

Le Temps, Suisse
29 avril 2008

ARMENIE. L’election le 19 fevrier de Serge Sarkissian a la presidence
est toujours contestee par l’opposition. Nombreuses arrestations.

Des milliers d’Armeniens ont defile jeudi dernier dans les rues
d’Erevan. Unite affichee pour commemorer le massacre des leurs par
l’Empire ottoman. Place de la Liberte, une foule compacte a brûle
des drapeaux turcs. Au meme endroit quelques semaines auparavant, un
autre rassemblement a ete le prelude a des emeutes sanglantes. L’ONG
International Crisis Group (ICG), basee a Bruxelles, vient de publier
un rapport relatant les evenements.

"Les comptes rendus varient considerablement sur ce qui s’est
reellement passe au matin du 1er mars, lorsque la police a charge
les manifestants pacifistes. Le gouvernement affirme que le groupe
s’appretait a lancer une insurrection. Cela est difficile a croire,
puisque les contestataires n’ont, a aucun moment, montre la moindre
inclination a l’usage de la violence. La veille, ainsi, une procession
avait reuni plus de 40000 personnes, sans qu’il y ait le moindre
incident", indique ICG.

La foule, cependant, etait massee la pour recuser les resultats du
scrutin presidentiel du 19 fevrier ayant consacre la victoire de Serge
Sarkissian, successeur designe de Robert Kocharian. "Les autorites
ont certainement commence a se sentir nerveuses devant l’obstination
des manifestants, poursuit l’ONG. Les violences qui ont eclate – tirs
d’armes a feu, incendies et pillages – ont entraîne la mort de sept
civils et d’un policier. Plus de 450 personnes auraient ete blessees,
dont plusieurs dizaines de policiers et de soldats."

La place est balayee en quelques heures, l’etat d’urgence decrete pour
vingt jours. Le gouvernement evoque "une conspiration internationale"
pour justifier la levee de nombreuses libertes et l’arrestation
d’une centaine d’opposants, partisans de l’ancien president Levon
Ter-Petrossian, candidat malheureux du scrutin de fevrier. Le chef de
l’Etat suspend la loi martiale le 21 mars, non sans avoir fait adopter
quelques jours auparavant un texte restreignant les rassemblements
politiques. "Le vote a ete expedie lors d’une session d’urgence par
un parlement totalement domine par le parti au pouvoir", denonce ICG.

L’ONG regrette la discretion de la communaute internationale durant
cette crise, la plus grave qu’ait connue l’Armenie depuis la guerre
contre l’Azerbaïdjan au sujet du Nagorny-Karabakh – terminee
en 1994. "Un certain nombre de pays ont salue les resultats de
l’election du 19 fevrier un peu trop rapidement", deplore ICG. Si
l’Organisation pour la securite et la cooperation en Europe (OSCE)
a estime que le scrutin avait ete globalement en accord avec les
standards internationaux, ICG evoque de "graves irregularites". La
repression sanglante du 1er mars a suscite un peu plus d’indignation.

Presse bridee

Deux mois après le soulèvement, les opposants sont toujours
emprisonnes, les intimidations frequentes et la presse bridee. "La
societe armenienne n’a jamais ete aussi polarisee, la situation est
veritablement explosive", note Vicken Cheterian, charge d’etudes
sur l’Armenie pour l’ONG genevoise Cimera. International Crisis
Group denonce encore le verrouillage du système, les dirigeants
etant soutenus par les oligarques et contrôlant totalement l’armee,
le parlement ou encore la justice.

"C’est Levon Ter-Petrossian qui a faconne cette organisation qu’il
entend aujourd’hui renverser, souligne Vicken Cheterian. L’Armenie
s’inscrit toujours dans la continuite. Serge Sarkissian fera la meme
politique que Robert Kocharian, meme si les recents evenements le
pousseront certainement a prendre quelques mesures symboliques comme
l’eviction des dirigeants les plus corrompus."

A lire sur "Armenia: Picking up the
Pieces".

–Boundary_(ID_p6ajwsMEZ2ZfMmyv NUVxSg)–

ARTSAKH’S ENVOY CALLS FOR ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RECOGNITION

KarabakhOpen
01-05-2008 10:22:57

Urges Greater U.S. Political and Economic Support to Artsakh

Washington, DC – NKR Representative to the United States Vardan
Barseghian spoke at the annual Armenian Genocide Observance on
Capitol Hill that also featured U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi
(D-CA), Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD), Senator Bob Menendez
(D-NJ) and other members of Congress.

The event was organized by the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues,
co-chaired by Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Joe Knollenberg (R-MI),
in cooperation with the Armenian Embassy in Washington and leading
Armenian-American organizations. Armenian Ambassador Tatoul Markarian,
Prelate Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan, Archbishop Vicken Aykazian, and
Dr. Gregory Stanton, President of the International Association of
Genocide Scholars also spoke to the audience that included Armenian
Genocide survivors, human rights activists, and members of the
Armenian community.

In his remarks, Representative Barseghian called upon the United
States to recognize the Armenian Genocide saying that it would "send
a powerful warning signal to those who plan new ethnic cleansing
campaigns that the truth will prevail, that criminal actions will be
named for what they are and that the perpetrators will be condemned
and will bear responsibility."

Tying past crimes against humanity to today’s situation, Barseghian
said that the Nagorno Karabakh problem is a direct result of the
Armenian Genocide of 1915-1923.

"Weakened by mass killings, deportations and widespread devastation
inflicted by the Ottoman Turks, Armenia was not able to hold on
to its historic province of Artsakh and eventually gave in to the
Soviet pressure to include it within administrative borders of Soviet
Azerbaijan. And the consequences of the Armenian Genocide, including
that particular decision by the Bolsheviks, continue affecting our
lives today, over 90 years later", the Artsakh representative said.

Stressing that the risk of genocide still exists, Barseghian said
that "Azerbaijan continues to threaten Nagorno Karabakh with a new
war because we insist on our right to live in freedom."

"Nagorno Karabakh will continue reinforcing its defense capabilities
to be up to the task, but we would like to see our friends on Capitol
Hill and those who want to see a stable and peaceful South Caucasus
to send a clear signal to Azerbaijan that a new war would not be
tolerated," he said.

On behalf of the NKR Government, Barseghian thanked Representatives
Pallone and Knollenberg and other congressional leaders for their
steadfast support on issues related to Artsakh’s security, freedom,
and economic development.

He urged greater U.S. political and economic support.

"We hope that the U.S. Congress will continue its leading role in
charting a new format for relations with Nagorno Karabakh that looks
beyond conflict resolution to collaboration on issues of security,
democracy and economic development."

Concluding his remarks said Barseghian said that leaders on Capitol
Hill acknowledge that in "parallel to our common efforts to make
this world genocide-free, we also need to deal with consequences
of past crimes and to support those who still struggle for freedom
and justice."

The full text of Rep. Barseghian’s remarks is provided below. You can
also view it online at:

NKR REPRESENTATION TO ARMENIA WORKS BADLY

KarabakhOpen
01-05-2008 10:35:38

Today the chair of the NKR National Assembly Committee of Foreign
Affairs Vahram Atanesyan criticized the activities of the NKR
representation to Armenia. He voiced concern that the representation
has as many workers as the NKR foreign ministry and in 2007 about
79.5 million drams was provided for sustaining the representation but
the result of activities of the representation is not seen. Vahram
Atanesyan thinks it is a waste of money, because what the NKR
representation is now doing could be done by a smaller staff.

The member of parliament said the staffs of the other representations
of NKR to four countries are small but their activities are
tangible. In answer to the question of Vahram Atanesyan what the
representation of Armenia is doing in Armenia, the deputy foreign
minister Edward Atanesyan said when the NKR foreign minister was
Arman Melikyan, his residence was in Yerevan, and the efforts were
concentrated there. According to the deputy minister, currently the
representation performs political and consular functions. Besides
meetings and news conferences the representation also receives
documents on humanitarian programs for Karabakh, etc.

Of the 79.5 million drams allocated for the representation in 2007 87
percent was spent. And of the 218 million 512 thousand drams foreseen
for the NKR ministry of foreign affairs (including the other four
representations) 80.5 percent was spent. The minister of finance said
the money was saved from salary, business trips and telephone bills.

WHAT WILL BE WITH ARMENIA FOUNDATION?
Naira Hayrumyan

KarabakhOpen
01-05-2008 10:36:04

Since 1992 the name of Armenia Foundation featured in news about
the construction of schools, roads, water pipelines in Karabakh. The
foundation built houses, schools, hospitals, laid out water pipes. The
construction of two major highways – Goris-Stepanakert and North-South
– were also related to Armenia Foundation. Perhaps it is even difficult
to count the value of all projects implemented by the foundation in
Karabakh over the past years.

Over the past ten years Armenia Foundation has held telethons in Los
Angeles raising money for the rebirth of Artsakh. Either times have
changed or the Diaspora is tired of helping Karabakh, or yet there
are other reasons but recently some things regarding the foundation
are not quite easy to understand.

On February 7 the president of Nagorno-Karabakh Bako Sahakyan
met with the executive director of Armenia Foundation Vahe
Aghabekyans. Agreement was reached to set up an office of the
foundation in Stepanakert. A lot of time has passed but the issue of
the office has not been brought up again. The manager of the programs
for Artsakh Michel Tancrez continues to work in Karabakh who apparently
not empowered to represent the foundation to NKR.

Besides, the annual meeting of the board of trustees which is
still headed by the ex-president Robert Kocharyan has not been held
yet. Apparently, inside the foundation they have not decided yet
where to head and what to do. Especially that serious problems have
occurred relating to the dropping rate of the dollar, and the value
of the money raised during the telethon in autumn has halved.

Judging by private talks, it is not a mere replacement of the
head of the board of trustees but a reform of the structure of the
foundation. Since consultations are not open, it is difficult to tell
what options are offered. However, it is self-evident that reforms
and a more distinct distribution of powers are necessary.

Armenia Foundation was set up in the very beginning of the independence
of Armenia in 1992 by a decision of the first president Levon
Ter-Petrosyan.

The process of establishment of the foundation was complicated due to
its unique structure: an effort was made to include both the government
and the society in its structure, in addition, not only the society of
Armenia but also the Armenian Diaspora. Here is the structure which
has not changed so far: the head of the foundation is the president
of Armenia, the board of trustees includes the prime minister and the
speaker of the National Assembly of Armenia, the minister of foreign
affairs, the minister of finance, the president of the Central Bank,
the president and prime minister of Nagorno-Karabakh, the Catholicos
of all Armenians Garegin II, the head of the Great House of Cilicia
Aram I, the representatives of the protestant and catholic churches.

The leaders of the three traditional parties – the ARF
Dashnaktsutyun, the Ramkavar Party and the Henchak Party – are
permanent representatives to the foundation. The three major charity
organizations of the Diaspora – the Armenian General Benevolent Union
(Perdj Sedrakian), the Armenian Assembly of America (Hrair Hovnanian)
and the Armenian Relief Society (Maro Minassian) have representatives
to the board. Outstanding Diaspora Armenians are members of the board,
such as Charles Aznavour, Eduardo Eurnekian, Louise Simon Manougian,
Vardan Grigorian, Tigran Izmirlian, Albert Boyadjian, and others.

Armenia Foundation is not just a benevolent organization but a
structure which aims to help the government to solve problems which
it cannot solve alone. During the military actions in Nagorno-Karabakh
and the economic crisis in Armenia the Winter program was implemented,
and 21 million dollars was raised to solve the problem of energy. In
all these years the Foundation has provided assistance for the
reconstruction of the area of the earthquake, it has built a
residential area in Gyumri and in Spitak, as well as schools.

One of the main goals of the Foundation is assistance in the
development of the economy of Nagorno-Karabakh. In 2005 the program
of reconstruction of Martuni was assessed 17 million dollars, during
the telethon in 2005 7 million dollars of donations were pledged and
5 million was raised. The program was curtailed. The telethon of 2005
raised 13.7 million dollars for the region of Hadrut, while the value
of the program was 7 million dollars.

As part of the program of reconstruction of Hadrut, Armenia Foundation
started to lay out water pipelines for the villages of Mets Tagher,
Drakhtik and Azokh, as well as the regional center Hadrut. It is
also foreseen to lay out 18 km of gas pipes between the village of
Togh and Hadrut, repair the regional hospital, build schools, repair
roads and irrigation pipelines.

During the telethon 2007 a record 15 million dollar sum was
raised which should be spent on the reconstruction of the region
of Martakert. The program included drinking and irrigation water
pipelines, health and education. However, no tenders have been
announced yet. Moreover, the fund was said to suspend the programs
of the hospital of Martakert and the water pipelines in the region
of Hadrut.

"No matter what complex programs Armenia Foundation will implement,
it will always work in Artsakh, increase investments, which matches
the stance of the board of trustees of the foundation," runs the
message of the department of public relations of the Foundation.