Month: November 2009

Armenian National Committee of America
1711 N Street, NW
Washington, DC 20036
Tel. (202) 775-1918
Fax. (202) 775-5648
Email. [email protected]
Internet

PRESS RELEASE
November 5, 2009
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918

ANCA WELCOMES DARFUR MOVEMENT’S CALL ON PRESIDENT
OBAMA TO OPPOSE AL-BASHIR’S VISIT TO TURKEY

WASHINGTON, DC – The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA)
voiced the Armenian American community’s strong support for a human
rights statement, issued earlier today by a coalition of anti-
Darfur Genocide groups, calling upon the Obama-Biden Administration
to protest the upcoming state visit to Turkey of Sudan’s President,
indicted war-criminal Omar al-Bashir.

The four organizations joining together in making this declaration,
the Center for American Progress, Enough!, Save Darfur, and
Genocide Intervention Network, referencing al-Bashir’s upcoming
visits to Ankara and Cairo, stressed the importance of President
Obama and Secretary of State Clinton engaging in personal
diplomacy at the highest level to ensure that a wanted war
criminal does not continue to travel with impunity to the
capitals of key U.S. allies. The failure to do so, they noted,
would "send a powerful message that the Administration isn’t
serious about implementing the Sudan strategy it just
announced."

"We want to thank each of these organizations for their work in
demanding clear and determined American leadership in ending the
Darfur Genocide," said Aram Hamparian, Executive Director of the
ANCA. "There is today, sadly, no more striking example of how the
brutal cycle of genocide and denial feeds upon itself than the
growing diplomatic and military relationship between Turkey and
Sudan."

Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir is scheduled to visit Turkey next
week to attend a summit of the Organization of the Islamic
Conference (OIC.) Turkish officials announced yesterday that they
would not act on an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest
warrant issued against al-Bashir for war crimes.

The Ankara and Khartoum regimes have grown markedly closer over the
past two years, with Turkey continuing to supply lethal weaponry to
Sudan and increased trade between two the countries. To read three
ANCA memos on the Turkey-Sudan relationship, visit:

Why is Turkey Selling Weapons to Sudan?
February 25, 2009
509.pdf

Commentary on the Turkey-Sudan Axis of Genocide
February 23, 2009
309.pdf

Turkey and Sudan
February 18, 2009
809.pdf

The full text of the joint statement is provided below.

#####

Center for American Progress
Enough!
Save Darfur
Genocide Intervention Network

For Immediate Release
November 12, 2009

Contact
Eileen White Read, 202.741.6376
[email protected]

Andrea Clarke, 202.460.6756
[email protected]

Mame Annan-Brown, 202.483.2701
[email protected]

President Bashir Tests New Obama Policy on Sudan

WASHINGTON, D.C. – With the news that President Omar al-Bashir
plans to travel to Turkey and Egypt in the coming days,
President Obama faces the first test of his recently announced
Sudan policy.

The Enough Project at the Center for American Progress, the Save
Darfur Coalition, and the Genocide Intervention Network jointly
released the following statement in reaction:

If President Obama and Secretary Clinton are unwilling to
engage in personal diplomacy at the highest level to ensure
that a wanted war criminal does not continue to travel with
impunity to the capitals of key U.S. allies, it will send a
powerful message that the administration isn’t serious about
implementing the Sudan strategy it just announced.

John Norris, Executive Director of the Enough Project, noted, "For
Turkey, a member of NATO and an aspiring member of the European
Union, to welcome President Bashir is frankly baffling. If Turkey
is truly committed to the values that would make membership of the
European Union possible, it should quickly make clear that
President Bashir is absolutely unwelcome."

Jerry Fowler, President of the Save Darfur Coalition, added,
"President Bashir’s travel is a test of the administration’s
resolve on Sudan. If the President and Secretary of State let it
happen without objection, Khartoum will get the message that the
newly stated commitment to multilateral leadership is hollow. And
for Turkey, it’s an opportunity to align itself with the E.U., most
Latin American countries, and the emerging practice in sub-Saharan
Africa: Convey to Bashir that he shouldn’t come unless he wants to
risk arrest upon landing."

Sam Bell, Executive Director of Genocide Intervention Network,
added, "Given the depth and breadth of U.S. engagement with Egypt,
it is striking that the situation in Sudan – and Bashir’s status as
a war criminal – don’t appear t be part of the recent conversation
among senior officials. How can the administration expect to
effectively implement its new plan if it doesn’t make Sudan a top
priority?"

####

About the coalition: The Save Darfur Coalition – an alliance of
more than 180 faith-based, advocacy and human rights
organizations – raises public awareness about the ongoing
genocide in Darfur and mobilizes a unified response to the
atrocities that threaten the lives of people throughout the
Darfur region. The coalition’s member organizations represent
130 million people of all ages, races, religions and political
affiliations united together to help the people of Darfur. For
more information on the coalition, please visit

Enough is a project of the Center for American Progress to end
genocide and crimes against humanity. Founded in 2007, Enough
focuses on crises in Sudan, Chad, eastern Congo, northern
Uganda, Somalia, and Zimbabwe. Enough’s strategy papers and
briefings provide sharp field analysis and targeted policy
recommendations based on a "3P" crisis response strategy:
promoting durable peace, providing civilian protection, and
punishing perpetrators of atrocities. Enough works with
concerned citizens, advocates, and policy makers to prevent,
mitigate, and resolve these crises. Visit

About Genocide Intervention Network – Genocide Intervention
Network is working to build the first permanent anti-genocide
constituency, mobilizing the political will to stop genocide
when it occurs.

Accessible online at , Genocide
Intervention Network empowers individuals with the tools to
stop genocide. Visit

ISRAELI AMBASSADOR TO TURKEY PELTED WITH EGGS IN TRABZON

PanARMENIAN.Net
04.11.2009 21:31 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Israel’s ambassador to Ankara has been pelted
with eggs during a visit to a Turkish university in the coastal city
of Trabzon.

Gabi Levy continued his speech not paying attention to students’
rowdy tricks. Students then attempted to force their way to tribune,
however, they were stopped by Ambassador’s guards. This was immediately
followed by police intervention. Ambassador suffered no damage.

Gabi Levy had to quit university campus, leaving half-finished his
speech on Israel’s anti-propaganda in response to the slanders of
Goldstone and Arab press.

Israeli Foreign Ministry has announced that the incident will not
stop Israeli diplomats and counter-propaganda campaigners’ protests.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

NEWLY APPOINTED SERGEANTS TO FILL RA ARMED FORCES’ RANKS

PanARMENIAN.Net
04.11.2009 21:36 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ On November 4, RA Armed Forces’ Marshal Baghramyan
brigade trainees celebrated graduation ceremony. The ceremony
was attended by RA Minister of Defense Seyran Ohanyan, Armavir
Region Governor Ashot Kaghramanyan and high ranking officers, who
congratulated the graduates and spoke about military responsibility.

Soon, newly appointed sergeants will fill RA Armed Forces’ ranks,
RA Defense Ministry’s press service reported.

VTB BANK ARMENIA SERVES MONEYGRAM USD AND EURO TRANSFERS

PanARMENIAN.Net
05.11.2009 11:23 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ According to an agreement signed in October between
VTB Bank Armenia and MoneyGram international money transfer system,
the bank’s clients can henceforth send and receive MoneyGram USD and
Euro transfers, the bank’s press office reported.

"The system allows to expand cooperation with MoneyGram service
consumers and businessmen interested in strengthening ties between
Armenia and Europe," said Valery Ovsyannikov, Chairman of the Board
of Directors of VTB Bank Armenia.

VTB Bank Armenia and MoneyGram launched cooperation in September 2009.

Presently, MoneyGram consumers may be served in any of 74 bank’s
branches across Armenia.

SERGEI TIGIPKO: UKRAINE DOESN’T NEED GUAM

PanARMENIAN.Net
05.11.2009 11:33 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Ukraine doesn’t need GUAM, according to well-known
economist and politician Sergei Tigipko.

"This organization was formed in late 1990-ies for new transportation
route for Caspian oil but then it was transformed into a sanitary
cordon around Russia," he said when commenting on the visit of
secretary of Ukrainian council of national security and defense
to Moldova.

Tigipko reminded that Ukraine once agreed to collaborate with the
government of communist Moldova and fell between two stools. "We should
not be deluded by change in power in Moldova, which doesn’t care about
Ukraine’s interests. Unless we learn to build our policy with pragmatic
egoism, we will have to pull the chestnuts out of fire for Russia,
Georgia, Moldova and other so-called strategic partners," he said.

KYIV TO HOST JUNIOR EUROVISION 2009

PanARMENIAN.Net
05.11.2009 11:45 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Ukraine’s government decided not to postpone Junior
Eurovision 2009 despite a1î1 pandemic, Kommersant-Ukraine reported.

The organizers pledged security for contest participants to arrive
from Armenia, Russia, Sweden, Romania, Serbia, Georgia, Cyprus, Malta,
Belgium, Belarus and Macedonia.

As of November 4, 93 cases of swine flu were registered in Ukraine.

Quarantine was announced in some regions.

OSCE TO ASSIST YEREVAN CITY ADMINISTRATION IN ESTABLISHING E-CONTROL SYSTEM

PanARMENIAN.Net
05.11.2009 12:20 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Yerevan Mayor Gagik Beglaryan met with Head of
OSCE Yerevan Office Sergei Kapinos to discuss future activities and
specify the agenda of cooperation. The Mayor also briefed on the
projects needing support for their implementation.

"The OSCE welcomes the city administration’s decision to establish an
e-control system and is willing share the organization’s experience,"
Mr. Kapinos said.

4TH MIKHAIL TAL MEMORIAL KICKED OFF IN MOSCOW

PanARMENIAN.Net
05.11.2009 12:31 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ 4th Mikhail Tal Memorial kicked off in Moscow on
November 5. Ten strongest chess players, including Armenia’s Levon
Aronian, will compete in Category XXI tournament.

The Mikhail Tal Memorial is a chess tournament played in Moscow each
year since 2006, to honor the memory of the former World Champion
Mikhail Tal who died in 1992. It is usually played in the first half
of November, with many of the world’s strongest players competing. The
first three editions all reached Category XX (overall Elo average
2735).

ADP: AZERBAIJAN’S WAR PREPARATIONS -OPEN SECRET

PanARMENIAN.Net
05.11.2009 12:52 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "The statement of US Deputy Assistant Secretary,
Tina S. Kaidanow on the possibility of Washington’s recognizing NKR
independence in case Baku renews hostilities, is partially true,
despite the fact it was disproved later," Armenian Democratic Party
Leader Aram Sargsyan told PanARMENIAN.Net reporter at news conference
in Yerevan.

"Statements similar to that of Kaidanow are always disproved, still
they’re sent up like trial balloons to assess the reaction," Aram
Sargsyan believes. "Azerbaijan’s war preparations is an open secret.

This is what increased armament purchases suggest. Still USA’s bitter
experience in Iraq and Afghanistan proves the country’s being opposed
to hostilities renewal along the contact line between Armenia and
Azerbaijan, as the process will be impossible to stop. Should the war
unleash in Karabakh, most serious consequences are to be expected,
as in contrast to previous war, this time it won’t be restricted to
NKR only," Sargsyan emphasized.

NKR MFA: BERLINER ZEITUNG PRESENTED DISTORTED INFORMATION ON KARABAKH

PanARMENIAN.Net
05.11.2009 13:07 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "Having personally visited the Nagorno Karabakh
Republic, Berliner Zeitung newspaper’s correspondent, if even
desired, couldn’t but notice that the people who had experienced
terrible hardships, destructions, and grief in an unequal struggle
had, however, managed to realize its right to self-determination,
heroically stand all the calamities of the war, restore its state
infrastructure, and implement radical reforms for establishing a
state corresponding to the European standards," the open letter to
Berliner Zeitung newspaper Editor-in-Chief said.

"After the World War II, the Germans dreamed for an integrated state
and lived with this idea tens of years. We don’t think that the German
nation’s aspiration can be questioned by any other nation.

Exactly 20 years ago, the Berlin wall was destroyed in just a few days
by the will of the great powers, and the Germans not only reunited,
but also gained full-fledged independence, on the occasion of which
we congratulate this distinctive and gifted nation of the Old World.

Nagorno Karabakh gained its independence, having, first of all,
neutralized the Azerbaijani aggression, defending the lives of
children, women, and old people. Just that’s why nobody can question
the will and right of Nagorno Karabakh’s people to independence. In
other words, nobody brought the independence and right to free life to
Nagorno Karabakh on a tray. And if today’s population of our Republic
makes only 140 thousand, then it is also a vivid demonstration of
Azerbaijan’s evident anti-Armenian policy; otherwise, over a million
and a half of Karabakhi Armenians and their descendants would not be
citizens of other states today. So, like Germans in the recent past,
today we are also striving for our sovereignty.

The Germans have, for many years, cherished as relics the stones
and fragments of the once separating Berlin Wall. The situation is
totally different in Nagorno Karabakh. Here, the shrines are the
marble tombstones of soldiers perished at the Karabakh War for the
independence of their homeland. The correspondent of your newspaper
could not but notice that.

Unfortunately, we should state that having overcome thousand
kilometers, journalist Tobias Asmuth presented a superficial and
distorted article to the readers of the newspaper, without inquiring
the causes and essence of the Karabakh issue. Similarly, the author
could easily write a number of analogous articles, staying at home
and using various sites.

However, if freedom of speech and press is equivalent to a sin against
truth for the Berliner Zeitung, then it is quite a different matter,"
NKR MFA letter emphasized.