Month: November 2009

FIGHT FOR THE AGENDA
Hakob Badalyan

Lragir
27/11/09

The government seems to have seized the initiative of the home
political agenda from the opposition with the help of Tigran Sargsyan’s
team joining the Republican Party. If before this, the whole political
field was discussing Levon Ter-Petrosyan’s speech and its nuances,
now the number one topic of the political field became the RP number
increase. Is the government showing its power or its panic with the
help of this? Is the RP getting ready for a regular or extraordinary
election? Did Tigran Sargsyan become an RP member by his will or
Serge Sargsyan? Did Serge Sargsyan force Tigran Sargsyan become a
RP member or Tigran Sargsyan forced Serge Sargsyan make him an RP
member. These are those questions which are asked on these days and
many social and political spheres look for these answers.

What potential for the change of social, political and state life
the answers of these questions and in general, Tigran Sargsyan with
his "team" contains is difficult to say. If this potential exists,
it is hardly noticeable. From this point, Levon Ter-Petrosyan’s
speech contained more potential for socio-political changes and was
more useful if the agenda was concentrated on it. The point is that
the speech dwelt on really basic issues for the development of the
country. The point is not about agreeing or disagreeing with the
content of the speech or its being good or bad. This is a completely
different topic. The point is about the issues the speech voiced,
about its philosophy, the proposals made to the government and to the
public. The point is about the fact that discussing the speech and
considering it wrong and bad, the same, the society and the political
field may come to good and right conclusions.

In other words, from the point of socio-political developments,
discussions on Levon Ter-Petrosyan’s speech would be more justified
and effective than those on Tigran Sargsyan’s and his team’s joining
the RP. Did the government make Tigran Sargsyan an RP member to direct
the home political agenda in its favor? Perhaps no, of course not.

Merely, the government united the necessary with the useful. In other
words, maybe this joining was a planned step but the time was chosen
now to distract the socio-political attention alongside with the
fulfillment of their plan.

>>From this point, the situation when the opposition does not manage
to take the formation of the polticial agenda in its hands and to
keep it for some time is noticed. And the government of course is
not engaged in forming the agenda but in distracting it. Perhaps we
deal with the phenomenon when destroying is easier than building,
it is easier to distract the agenda than to form and keep it. But it
is a fact that the government in the latest period does the minimum
while the opposition seems not to manage.

KARAPETYAN HAD BETTER NOT DOUBT
Yeghishe Metsarents

Lragir.am
27/11/09

The Armenian historian, researcher, author and architecture expert
specializing in the study of the historical monuments of Armenia Samvel
Karapetyan stated on these days that St. Gevorg church collapsed in
Tbilisi in practice cannot be reconstructed any more.

Artur Grigoryan, the head of the agency on history and preservation
of monuments of the Ministry of Culture did not agree with Karapetyan
saying that the church will be restored and no one has to doubt because
the Ministry of Culture has all the needed pictures and measures.

How the Armenian Ministry of Culture restores historical monuments
became clear to everyone when the Control Chamber released the results
of its studies on different monuments situated in various regions
of Armenia which have been reconstructed in accordance with their
same appearance but, say, with travertine stone. This is of course a
new word and a new style in the sphere of preservation of historical
monuments but so, the monuments become an object of the future and
not the past. Perhaps, right this way, the Tbilisi St. Gevorg will be
reconstructed. Samvel Karapetyan had better not doubt the possibilities
of the Armenian Ministry of Culture.

St. Gevorg will be restored up to being unrecognizable. This has also
a strategical significance. Merely, we need to understand it. As we
know, Georgians and the Georgian Church have an eye on the Armenian
churches as they try to own them. The best means to struggle against
this perspective would be to give a new appearance to the Armenian
churches covering them with travertine stone, granite, euro-doors and
windows. Thus, they will become unrecognizable. Since we have restored
them, we know that those are our churches and Georgians will no longer
recognize them. And if they do, what they will try to own. Naturally,
they will be perplexed and surprised at where the ancient churches
used to stand there disappeared.

So, the most optimal way to preserve the Armenian churches in Georgia
seems to be found – they need to be euro-reconstructed.

MIKAEL HAYRAPETYAN IS PLEASED
Victoria Abrahamyan

11/27/mikael-hayrapetyan
07:15 pm | November 27, 2009

Politics

Leader of the RA Conservative Party Mikael Hayrapetyan is pleased
with the Munich meeting of Presidents Ilham Aliyev and Serzh Sargsyan.

I am pleased with the meeting. Unlike the Zurich meeting (during the
signing ceremony of the Armenian-Turkish Protocols) no one patted
the heads of our country. I consider it as a great achievement and
I am glad for it.

– Don’t you think the scenario repeated in Munich but it wasn’t
simply recorded?

I don’t think so otherwise there would be a flow of information.

– Can we consider a lack of a "gesture" as progress in the Karabakh
conflict settlement?

One must always beware of Armenian authorities. They are henchmen and
one cannot expect them to act on their own. In Munich the Armenian
top brass got definite instructions and soon we shall witness the
fruits of their preliminary arrangements.

-Will the Armenian-Turkish border open as a result of these
arrangements?

– I think it won’t be opened in the near future since the opening
implies a hasty resolution of the Karabakh conflict and new pressure
on Armenia and Karabakh.

– Don’t you think the political domain is passive today?

Things are as they are and each political force takes steps deriving
from its interests. Armenia lacks a bipolar classical political domain;
hence we cannot expect classical solutions. I feel the influence of
foreign powers on Armenia and I fear the worst. God grant that no
Armenian-Azerbaijani war is waged.

– Do you have premonition?

I think the greatest danger is awaiting on the Armenian-Azerbaijani
front since Russia as usual is doing its dirty deed in South Caucasus.

I expect Russia to put Armenia on the altar to secure its presence
in Azerbaijan and Iran.

– Which is the most important issue today?

My party and I think that the first and foremost issue today is to
release the prisoners.

RA FOREIGN MINISTER MEETS SHIMIZU CORPORATION LEADERSHIP

PanARMENIAN.Net
27.11.2009 14:53 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian attended
the headquarters of Shimizu Corporation in Tokyo to discuss the
programs implemented by the Corporation in RA.

He also met with members of Armenia-Japan friendship association.

Development of Armenian-Japanese relations was in focus of talks.

ARMENIAN-TURKISH PROTOCOLS CONFLICT WITH RA CONSTITUTION

PanARMENIAN.Net
27.11.2009 15:00 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Normalization of Armenia-Turkey relations and
Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement are interrelated, head of the
Democratic Party of Armenia said.

"These processes are tailored to be concurrent, with the Karabakh
conflict to be solved in favor to Baku," Aram Sargsyan told journalists
in Yerevan on Friday.

According to him, the protocols on normalization of Armenia-Turkey
relations do not conform to the RA Constitution.

"The documents have illiterate wording and cannot be ratified in that
way. I do not rule out that ratification of the protocols can result in
a split of the Armenian nation. They question Armenia’s international
authority, since we are almost abandoning the international process
of the Armenian Genocide recognition.

THEY PROMISE TO LIBERATE NAKHIJEVAN

11/27/heritage
06:16 pm | November 27, 2009

Politics

Hayk Youth and Student Union of Heritage Party today issued a statement
which reads:

The Azerbaijani leadership’s belligerent rhetoric and threats to
resume the war have become more frequent recently. On the eve of
the November 22 Munich meeting between the Armenian and Azerbaijani
presidents, Ilham Aliyev stated that in case the meeting fails again
to produce progress in the Karabakh settlement this time, Azerbaijan
will resort to settling the conflict by military means. On November
25, Azerbaijani Defense Minister Safar Abiyev said that Azerbaijan
sees no other way of settling the conflict than by military means.

Under these circumstances, we consider it very dangerous that the
serious challenges that the republics of Nagorno Karabakh and Armenia
are facing are ignored, and that those statements are deemed as
propaganda only.

We, the young members of the Heritage party, considering peace as
precious value, and realizing that a war would lead to significant
destruction and loss of lives to the both sides, reject any military
settlement of the conflict, and condemn the Azerbaijani leadership’s
attempts to provoke a war by engaging its own people in a war
hysteria. Nevertheless, we think that the best way to prevent a war
is to be prepared for one. To be ready for a possible resumption of
the war on the Artsakh front, the two Armenian states and societies
should initiate adequate extraordinary actions.

We call on: – The National Assembly to immediately recognize the
Nagorno Karabakh Republic, setting up conditions for recognizing the
NKR by the Armenian government at an appropriate time, as well as
for signing bilateral agreements between the Republic of Armenia and
the NKR in all fields, including the defense and security fields; –
The Armenian cabinet to review the 2010 state budget and, at least,
reinstate defense expenditure of the 2009 budget, as well as increase
significantly the overall size of loans to the NKR; – The Republic
of Armenia and NKR defense ministries:

1. Organize trainings and exercises among the entire adult population
for enhancing civil defense combat skills;

2. Develop a functional plan for the army-civil society cooperation
in war time and present this plan to the public; – The Armenian
Foreign Ministry to send an official note to the Foreign Ministry
of the Russian Federation, that is considered to be Armenia’s ally
and strategic partner in the Collective Security Treaty Organization,
demanding that any military supplies and cooperation under the 2006 and
2008 agreements between Moscow and Baku be discontinued immediately;
– The youth of Armenia, Artsakh and Diaspora unite not allow any
unilateral concession in the Artsakh issue, and if needed, defend our
victories with arms; – Youth organizations of the Armenian political
parties to organize meetings to discuss the situation on Artsakh.

All these actions will be helpful even if the Azerbaijani leadership’s
threats to resume the war are only propaganda. Otherwise, if Azerbaijan
unleashes a new war against the NKR and the Republic of Armenia, the
Armenian armed forces will reinstate the previous victories and would
not reserve to self-defense only but will turn to counterattacks and
liberate the Armenia Gardman, including Gandzak, as well as Nakhijevan,
securing new buffer zones for the security of Armenia and Artsakh.

ABKHAZIA, SOUTH OSSETIA POTENTIAL ASPIRANTS FOR CIS

PanARMENIAN.Net
27.11.2009 15:25 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ In case of unanimous consent of CIS member countries,
Abkhazia and South Ossetia may be accepted to the Commonwealth.

"The CIS charter doesn’t prevent from accepting new members. However,
accession can be blocked by any objecting country," CIS executive
secretary Sergei Lebedev said.

At that, he remarked that Abkhazia and South Ossetia’s joining the
CIS is unlikely at the moment, as none of CIS member states, except
Russia, has recognized independence of the breakaway republics so far.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

IRAN FINALLY REJECTS IAEA PLAN

PanARMENIAN.Net
27.11.2009 15:14 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency
says the organization has reached a dead end in a probe into Iran’s
nuclear program. The IAEA’s board is meeting to consider a resolution
condemning Iran’s nuclear program.

In remarks to the International Atomic Energy Agency’s board, IAEA
chief Mohamed ElBaradei expressed frustration over Iran’s failure to
cooperate with the Vienna-based agency. Mr. ElBaradei leaves office at
the end of November, and his remarks have grown sharply more critical
of Iran in recent months.

On Thursday, he said he was disappointed that Iran had not agreed
on a deal to further enrich its uranium overseas. The deal has
the support of the United States, Russia and France and it aims to
provide a safeguard that Iran’s uranium is not being used to make a
nuclear weapon.

"In my view the proposed agreement presents a unique opportunity after
many years of animosity and hostility to address a humanitarian need
and create a space for negotiation. This opportunity should be seized
and it would be highly regrettable if it was missed," he said.

Mr. ElBaradei also criticized Iran for hiding its efforts to build a
uranium enrichment site until early September. Iran began building the
site two years ago, and he says, plans to make it operational by 2011.

"Iran’s late declaration of the new facility reduces confidence in
the absence of other nuclear facilities under construction in Iran
which have not been declared by the agency," he added.

Mr. ElBaradei’s comments come as the IAEA board is considering a draft
resolution on Iran. According to press reports, the draft urges Iran to
halt construction of the uranium enrichment site and to confirm that
it has no other hidden nuclear activities. Diplomats are reportedly
confident the measure will be passed. But Iran’s ambassador to the
IAEA told a German newspaper that Tehran would reduce its cooperation
with the IAEA to a minimum if that happens, VOA News reported.

ROBERT GUEDIGUIAN’S "THE ARMY OF CRIME" – PECULIAR CALL TO CONTEMPORARY YOUTH

PanARMENIAN.Net
27.11.2009 15:28 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The activities of Misak Manushyan and his partisan
group form part of a very important period of French history.

"When I shot "The Army of Crime", a film about him and the epoch,
I wanted my contemporaries to ask themselves a question, "What would
they do, if they were in our shoes?" director Robert Guediguian told
a news conference on Friday.

At that, he noted that the film was shot in 2008 and was included
in the non-contest program of Cannes festival. Thereafter it was
purchased by several countries, including China.

"The Army of Crime" has been screened in Spain, Britain and
Scandinavian countries. The premier screening in Yerevan is due
on November 29 in Moscow cinema. On November 28 and 30, it will be
screened in Udjan village (Shirak region) and Gyumri.

"I appreciate the youth which is able to say ‘no’ and fight for
something. That’s why the film calls on youth to ‘Wake up’. But
that can hardly be called a united front of rebellious young people,
because there are a lot of problems as it is," director explained.

According to him, the film features a historical reality
characteristic of the period of World War II. "The bearers of true
internationalism belonged to different nations.And it’s painful to see
the French, as well as representatives of other nations lose belief in
internationalism. That’s why the plot of the film is becoming actual,"
Robert Guediguian said.

A French anti-fascist of Armenian decent, Misak Manushyan was born
on September 1, 1906. Orphaned after Armenian Genocide, he found
himself in Syria. Later, in 1925, he emigrated to Paris. There he
worked at Citroen plant. Together with his Armenian compatriots,
he published a journal advocating left-hand ideas and calling on
emigrants to preserve of Armenian culture. Active hero of World War
II, Manushyan organized anti-fascist operations together with his wife
Meline Manushyan. Starting from August 1943, his group launched attacks
against German occupants. The well-known Nazi "Red Placard" published
in 15.000 copies portrayed the hero; "Manushyan, Armenian, band leader,
56 attacks, 150 dead and 600 wounded" – this is what it read.

Misak Manushyan was arrested by German command, subjected to
tortures and 3 month later executed together with 21 members of his
group. On the execution day, he wrote to his wife, "What to tell
you? Everything inside myself is uncertain and at the same time so
light. I voluntarily joined the liberation army and will die now that
we are on the threshold of victory. Happy are those who’ll live after
us, enjoying peace and freedom." Manushyan was posthumously awarded
with Honorable Legion order. Streets and squares in Paris, Valence,
Marseilles, Guardan and Yerevan are named after him and his group
(Manushyan’s group). His name was referred to by writers like Paul
Eluard, Louis Aragon, Charles Aznavour and Leo Ferre.

DPA: PM’S JOINING RPA NATURAL

PanARMENIAN.Net
27.11.2009 15:31 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ RA Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan’s joining the
Republican Party of Armenia is natural, as a political team should
be unified, according to the leader of Armenian Democratic Party.

"Armenian government is facing a dilemma – it either has to combat
the oligarchic system and shadow economy or leave it at that," Aram
Sargsyan told a news conference in Yerevan.

"Still, struggle against oligarchs spells struggle against the whole
system, so it’s hard to say whether government can venture the step,"
Aram Sargsyan said, adding that political success is mostly dependent
on the domestic situation.