OLEG SMIRYONOV APPOINTED COMMANDER OF RUSSIAN BASE IN ARMENIA
news.am
February 28, 2012 | 11:43
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed a decree appointing a new
commander of the Russian base deployed in Armenia.
Colonel Oleg Smiryonov has been already introduced to the staff,
Russia’s Southern Military District informs Armenian News-NEWS.am.
YERKIR: GENOCIDE MUSEUM DIRECTOR TO DEFEND THESIS IN RUSSIAN?
Tert.am
28.02.12
The paper says it has learned from sources that the director
of Genocide Museum, Hayk Demoyan, is going to defend a doctoral
dissertation at the National Academy’s Institute of History.
Citing Gevorg Yaztchyan, a historian, it says the meeting language
will be Russian.
“Should that happen, I will resign from the professional board 004,
forgetting about the the PhD candidate’s degree, and will throw
all kinds of certificates to their faces,” the scholar was quoted
as saying.
Speaking to the paper, Demoyan characterized the above statement
as disinformation.
“Yes, the thesis is in Russian because that’s not prohibited by the
law, but the documentation is written in Armenian and the language
of tomorrow’s [defense] will be Armenians,” he told the paper.
ARMENIA’S JUSTICE MINISTER KNOWS HOW TO WORK “CLANDESTINELY” – NEWSPAPER
news.am
February 28, 2012 | 09:59
YEREVAN. – Armenia’s “uninformed” Justice Minister Hrayr Tovmasyan is
able to work his way in the domain of justice for a fairly long time,
Iravunk daily writes under the heading of gossip.
“And no matter how innocent and naïve the Minister’s portrait seems on
the outside, it turns out that this is purely the external glimmer,
since Hrayr Tovmasyan ‘clandestinely’ knows his work very well. He
knows it so well that-according to the news being circulated-he
[either] primarily dismisses the seasoned personnel, or transfers
them to a more inconspicuous work. And Mr. Minister does all this in
the name of that fair and noble idea so that, as he often confesses
among his close circles, ‘I will bring my friends into the [justice]
system.’ And it seems there is no need to ponder as to on whose
account,” Iravunk daily writes
From: A. Papazian
ICG: BEYOND SOME POSSIBLE CONFIDENCE-BUILDING MEASURES, THERE IS LITTLE LIKELIHOOD OF PROGRESS
Panorama.am
28/02/2012
Beyond some possible confidence-building measures, there is little
likelihood of progress [in Karabakh issue] for the coming year,
with Armenia, Azerbaijan and the OSCE Minsk Group co-chair countries
(France, Russia, U.S.) all entering electoral cycles, the International
Crisis Group report says, dwelling on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Earlier Crisis Group reports have explored the threat of resumed
fighting and suggested ways to move toward resolution of the conflict.
According to the report, the international community, in particular
the co-chairs of the Minsk Group (France, Russia, U.S.) facilitating
efforts to reach a comprehensive peace, should facilitate the creation
of an incident investigation mechanism, including the operation of a
hotline between the sides to discuss ceasefire breaches, and otherwise
protect the civilian population living near the LoC.
WHAT THE AZERIS DON’T WANT TO ADMIT ABOUT KHOJALU
Asbarez
LOCAL News :: Human Rights
Deconstructing the Azeri Propaganda War Against the Indigenous Armenian
Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabagh) YEREVAN and NEW YORK-A new
documentary – “Between Hunger and Fire: Power at the Expense of Lives,”
about the events taking place between November 1991 and February 1992
in Karabakh – was screened on Friday, Feb. 25, 2012.
This two-part documentary recounts the shattering of the Azerbaijani
blockade of Stepanakert (capital city of Artsakh/the Armenian Republic
of Nagorno Karabakh), and presents compelling evidence about the
criminal activities of the political elite of Baku – which led to the
tragic deaths of civilians in Khojalu, including the victimization
of women, children and the elderly.
“Between Hunger and Fire” will counter and shed light on a range of
misinformation presented globally by Azerbaijan, the prime motivation
being to shift blame from those accountable (in this case, the Azeri
government itself) for Azeri civilian deaths.
Using a vast trove of materials, “Between Hunger and Fire” will be of
interest not only for wide audience, but also for research and the
academic community. The archive, assembled during the investigation
of tragic death of civilians in Armenian-populated Stepanakert
and Azerbaijani-controlled Aghdam region, entails grounds for a
wider-scale film.
Meanwhile in the United States, a group calling itself the Azerbaijan
America Alliance has launched a massive propaganda campaign of
misinformation on the Azeri version of the Khojalu issue. Full-page
advertisements headlined “Khojaly: A Human Tragedy Against Azerbaijan”
appeared in the national editions of the New York Times on Friday,
Feb. 24 and the Washington Post on Saturday Feb. 25.
Advertisements have also been placed in Washington Metro stations,
buses, bus shelters and other transportation venues in Washington
and New York.
Following is the official trailer for “Between Hunger
and Fire: Power at the Expense of Lives” (7 mins):
The premiere of the entire film will occur in Yerevan the week of
Feb. 27 – March 3, 2012, followed by additional screenings around the
world. The research group initiating the film/investigation reports
that the documentary will for now be screening the film in Russian and
English, after which it will be translated into seven more languages.
To learn more about Azeri pogroms against indigenous Armenians,
the independent republic of Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh), the Kojalu
incident and more, visit the following links:
Office of the Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) Republic in Washington,
DC (nkrusa.org/ ) and their fact sheets about Khojalu:
Khojalu Documentation Site: xocali.net/
About the deliberate Azerbaijani destruction of historic Armenian
Monuments in Djulfa, Nakhichevan:
Upcoming conference about Artsakh, and the Azeri
Misinformation Campaign (March 3, 2012 in Glendale,
CA):!/photo.php?fbid=1015133228
2820113&set=o.388859461131313&type=1&theater
News coverage of a recent protest: “Armenians Mark Sumgait,
Kirovabad and Baku Massacres” (Feb. 24, 2012, Washington, DC):
asbarez.com/101187/dc-area-armenians-mark-sumgait-kirovabad-and-baku-massacr
es/
Recommended books and pamphlets:
“Ethnic Cleansing in Progress,” a report by Baroness Caroline Cox
and John Aijbner with an introduction by Elena Bonner Sakharov,
published by the Institute for Religious Minorities in the Islamic
World:
“The Invention of History: Azerbaijan, Armenia and the Showcasing of
Imagination,” by Rouben Galichian keghart.com/Chorbajian_Galichian
The Making of Nagorno-Karabagh from
Secession to Republic, Edited by Levon Chorbajian
n.pdf
“Kha-ra-bagh! The Emergence of the National
Democratic Movement in Armenia,” by Mark Malkhasian
048/ref=sr_1_sc_3
# # #
Related
*
t-khojaly/
Other Links in the USA 25 Feb 2012 :: Washington, DC Indymedia
San Francisco
Indymedia
Philadelphia Indymedia
New York Boston
Indymedia
LA
Chicago Indymedia
Atlanta Independent Media Center website
u Indymedia of Austin, Texas
bout-khojalu Independent Media Center newswire of Madison, Wisconsin
New Orleans Indymedia
Indymedia of Portland, Oregon
Milwaukee, Wisconsin Indymedia
National newswire:
Hudson/Mohawk New York Independent Media Center
Rogue Valley/Southern Oregon Independent Media Center
DIASPORA’S ELECTION
Naira Hayrumyan
Story from Lragir.am News:
Published: 11:42:14 – 28/02/2012
Yesterday, Head of the Union of Armenians of Russia, Ara Abrahamyan
initiated a great show in support of the presidential candidate
Vladimir Putin. Ara Abrahamyan convinced the representatives of the
national minorities to announce loyalty to Putin.
The Armenian television actively covered this event focusing on the
circumstance that previously Armenians didn’t feel comfortable in
Russia, while for the last years, everything has changed. Those,
who say these words, perhaps, forget Russia has had Medvedev as
the president for the last years, while Putin was the “previous”
president when it was uncomfortable for Armenians. They also forgot
to count how many Armenians were killed in Russia in 2011.
But the point is not about this, but the fact that the Armenian
Diaspora, all over the world, will face a hard decision this year.
Presidential elections are ahead in the countries with the largest
Armenian communities – Russia, U.S. and France. What do the Armenian
representatives take into account issuing support to this or another
candidate- the interests of the community, those of Armenia or the
major Armenian business in those countries? What is the issue on which
their election is based – the opinion on the genocide, the Karabakh
issue or democracy issues?
Whom the French Armenians will vote who have recently celebrated the
victory of the Armenian lobby which had the law on the criminalization
of the genocide denial pass in the French senate? Will they vote
Sarkozy who has not signed the aforementioned law, or the socialist
Holland, who promises to go up to the end?
Whom the American Armenians will vote – Obama, who promised to
recognize the Armenian genocide but his Secretary of State has recently
said the genocide is rather a historical than a political matter,
or the yet undetermined Republican candidate? Or, Obama will whisper
in the ear of Armenians that if he is elected, he will recognize the
genocide by 2015.
Nothing is clear with regards to the Armenians of Russia. The Union
of Armenians of Russia has of course called to vote Putin, but how
will Armenians act if protests are held after the elections?
It is difficult to set up the priorities for the voting. Moreover,
Armenians failed to create a unique structure, which could direct the
vectors of activities of the communities of all the countries. It
is comprehensible that each community has its own priorities and
particularities. Say, Armenians of Syria prefer neutrality. But
if the Armenian Diaspora could unite its efforts in one direction,
it would be a powerful strike.
Say, that direction could be the recognition of Nagorno Karabakh. The
Armenian communities in all the countries could raise this issue as
the priority for their relation to this or another candidate. This can
seem not relevant in the election period, but the issue is a key one
for the Armenian nation and can be a good orienteer for the Armenian
communities before elections.
For now, there is no orienteer and the election of the communities
will be based on the business interests of wealthy Armenians, like in
Russia, or on the interests of the bureaucratic structures in Western
countries, where the Armenian parties fail to agree among each other.
SAMVEL ALEXANYAN’S BRAINS AND AIR
JAMES HAKOBYAN
Story from Lragir.am News:
Published: 11:33:18 – 28/02/2012
Samvel Alexanyan, widely referred to by his nickname Lfik, is one of
the biggest importers in Armenia. The Haykakan Zhamanak Daily writes
that he underwent surgery to correct his deviated nasal septum, and
now his brain gets more oxygen and he has more fresh ideas. Samvel
Alexanyan will run for parliament from a single-member district,
and in this regard he says he is not a businessman, and his wife runs
his business.
Something strange is happening in the Armenian oligarchy. The oligarch
is hiding behind the back of his wife. Apparently, the free flow of
air to the brain has caused change of values in Samvel Alexanyan, and
he already does not feel uneasy to hide behind the back of his wife.
In the meantime, for the Armenian oligarchy living and building their
relations on the rules and notions of the criminal world hiding behind
the back of one’s wife should be something inconvenient, shameful.
However, correcting the nasal septum does a miracle. Although Samvel
Alexanyan could not predict that the surgery would have such an impact
on his air flow and the work of his brain and worldview.
It is not ruled out that the oligarchy will decide to have his nasal
septum deviated back to prevent him from uttering things under the
influence of the values of the oligarchic environment, the worldview
of the oligarchic environment, which will defame the honor of the
oligarchic “family”.
On the other hand, most oligarchs will simply envy Alexanyan who
quickly finds a way out of inconvenient situations and unfold by way
of free flow of air such production of brain which is competitive in
the modern civil environment.
Unlike Samvel Alexanyan, another oligarch, Ruben Hairapetyan who
was asked why he now says it depends on his own decision if he used
to state that he will not run for parliament. Had Ruben Hairapetyan
had such broadband air flow as Alexanyan, Hairapetyan might invent
something interesting regarding his nomination.
In this general situation, the largest amount of air is needed by
the government which announces about its intention to clear the
parliament of businessmen and political will. In fact, by removing
the businessmen from the list the government shows them the way
to parliament through the single-member districts. In fact, the
government was unable to think of something better and chose this
simple juggling, namely the crystal clear lists and the traditional
cohort in single-member districts.
It would be worthwhile for the government to follow Alexanyan and
correct its “nasal septum” and make up more convincing scenarios for
the public regarding the intention on a crystal clear parliament.
From: A. Papazian
AZERBAIJAN MAKES MASSIVE ISRAELI WEAPONS PURCHASE – BUT NOT BECAUSE OF IRAN
eurasianet.org
22:57 27-02-2012
Azerbaijan has agreed to buy $1.6 billion in weapons from Israel, a
massive deal that is likely Azerbaijan”s largest single arms purchase
ever. The deal will include drones, anti-aircraft and missile defense
systems, Israeli officials have told news agencies. The deal would
be almost equal to Azerbaijan”s stated 2012 defense budget of $1.7
billion (though will certainly be spread out over many years).
The timing of the deal is misleading: regardless of the ongoing
ratcheting up of tension between Israel and Iran, and increasing
attention to Israel”s intelligence activities in Azerbaijan,
these weapons are destined to be used not against Iran, but against
Armenia, which controls the breakaway Azerbaijani territory of Nagorno
Karabakh. Though it”s tempting to think otherwise. The AP reports:
Israeli defense officials Sunday confirmed 1.6 billion dolars in
deals to sell drones as well as anti-aircraft and missile-defense
systems to Azerbaijan, bringing sophisticated Israeli technology to
the doorstep of archenemy Iran.
The sales by state-run Israel Aerospace Industries come at a delicate
time. Israel has been laboring hard to form diplomatic alliances
in a region that seems to be growing increasingly hostile to the
Jewish state.
Its most pressing concern is Iran”s nuclear program, and Israeli
leaders have hinted broadly they would be prepared to attack Iranian
nuclear facilities if they see no other way to keep Iran from building
bombs…
As Iran”s nuclear showdown with the West deepens, the Islamic Republic
sees the Azeri frontier as a weak point, even though both countries
are mostly Shiite Muslim.
Are Azerbaijan and Israel sharing intelligence about Iran? Certainly.
Is Azerbaijan going to use Israeli weapons against Iran? No chance.
Azerbaijan has nothing to gain by attacking Iran, or even by
cooperating with an Israeli attack except in the most discreet
possible way. As much as Azerbaijan has been building up its
military, it”s nowhere close to being able to deal with the Iranian
military, and would be essentially helpless in the face of an Iranian
retaliation. Azerbaijan”s government doesn”t trust Iran, but it”s fear
isn”t of Iran”s nuclear program, but of Iran”s meddling in Azerbaijan”s
internal affairs. So it has little interest in stirring up the hornet”s
nest that would result from an attack on Iran”s nuclear facilities.
Israel is a valuable arms partner for Azerbaijan not because of
anything related to Iran. Rather, Azerbaijan has a lot of money, and
Israel has top-quality defense manufacturers. And Baku is restricted
in what it can buy from the U.S. because of opposition by pro-Armenia
members of Congress, plus the U.S.”s general desire not to inflame
the situation in Karabakh. And it”s limited in what it can buy from
Russia because of Russia”s alliance with Armenia (occasional missile
defense sales notwithstanding). Israel has no such concerns.
An excellent Wikileaked U.S. diplomatic cable lays out the strong,
but mostly quiet, alliance between Tel Aviv and Baku, including in
the defense sphere:
Through its close relations with Israel, Azerbaijan gets a level of
access to the quality weapon systems it needs to develop its army
that it can not obtain from the U.S. and Europe due to various legal
limitations, nor from its ex-Soviet suppliers, Belarus and Ukraine.
Where other Western nations are reluctant to sell ground combat
systems to the Azerbaijanis for fear of encouraging Azerbaijan to
resort to war to regain NK and the occupied territories, Israel
is free to make substantial arms sales and benefits greatly from
deals with its well-heeled client. In September 2008 ) again in a
little-publicized affair ) the GOAJ signed an extensive agreement with
the Israeli Defense Ministry providing for three Israeli companies to
provide mortars, ammunition, rocket artillery and radio equipment. The
company “Soltam” got the contract to provide mortars and ammunition,
“Tadiran Communications” will provide radio gear, and Israeli
Military Industries will provide the rockets. IMI sells a range of
rocket artillery and accessories ranging from upgrade kits for Soviet
vintage BM-21 &Grad8 122mm systems, guidance packages for 122mm-300mm
rockets and launch vehicles for up to 300mm rockets. It was not clear
what exactly the Azerbaijanis bought, as the deal was simply described
as being worth “hundreds of millions of dollars.” Azerbaijan already
operates IMI”s 122mm “Lynx” multiple-launch rocket system, which it
mounts on a KAMAZ 63502 heavy truck.
Israel and Azerbaijan also have been cooperating extensively on drones
— like the one that was shot down or crashed in Nagorno Karabakh
in September.
But this would be a big jump from previous levels of weapons sales.
And it”s Armenia, not Iran, that should be afraid.
From: A. Papazian
SUMGAIT IS UNPUNISHED EVIL BASED ON 24 YEARS OF LIE
arminfo
Tuesday, February 28, 12:56
24 years ago, on 27-29 Feb 1988, the events that happened in the
industrial town of Sumgait (at 25 km from Baku), part of the Soviet
Union at that time, led to the death of hundreds of peaceful and
innocent Armenians. Today, many people in the world qualify those
horrible events as genocide, and many people, for instance, in Baku
think that Armenians were killing themselves. However, like in many
other cases, the truth is one and it is not subject to interpretation.
In the case of Sumgait, it is reflected by the murders of hundreds
of people, and the murders became possible due to some people’s big
hunger for power amid the unjustified weakness and indifference of
the people who had the power at that time.
The Sumgait massacre of Armenians was committed in response to the
Karabakh people’s legitimate expression of will for reunification
with the Armenian SSR. The mass pogroms of Armenians in Sumgait
were accompanied by mass violence against the Armenian population,
robberies, murders, rapes, arsons and destruction of property.
Actually, the Sumgait massacre led to aggravation of the first conflict
between the nations of the Transcaucasus and caused the first flows
of Armenian refugees from Sumgait to Stepanakert and Armenia.
According to official data, 26 Armenians were killed and more than 100
were wounded, though experts estimated that the death toll was about
200. All this medieval vandalism took place amid full paralyzation of
the local authorities in Sumgait and Baku and the central authorities
in Moscow.
The Communist Party of Azerbaijan represented by Kyamran Bagirov and
the Communist Party of the USSR in the person of Mikhail Gorbachyov
only called for calmness and did not even consider the reasons of
what was going on. The law-enforcers did not take any actions, and
only the delayed deployment of internal troops was able to stop the
extermination of people and to save the few alive Armenians.
At the session of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee
of the Communist Party of the USSR in Moscow on 29 Feb 1988, the
supreme legislative body of the country officially stated that the
killings in Sumgait were on ethnic grounds. Afterwards, dozens of
organizers of this tragedy appeared before Soviet courts, but only
one of them was sentenced to life imprisonment. Later, however,
he was released. In the meantime, the real organizers and murderers
of hundreds of peaceful Armenians, particularly, the leadership of
the People’s Front of Azerbaijan and personally Abulfaz Elchibey not
only evaded punishment, but further came to power with chauvinism and
continued to heat up anti-Armenian moods in the Azerbaijani society.
Later, it was this impunity that led to reoccurrence of genocidal
actions in Baku, Maragha, and in dozens of peaceful villages and towns
populated with Armenians. Twenty-four years have passed since the
tragic days in Sumgait. The system of values of the wild bandits, who
were killing and burning Armenians those days, is currently striking
roots in the state policy of Azerbaijan with every passing day…
STUDENTS OPPOSE MASHTOTS PARK CONSTRUCTION; ARE DRAWING UP ALTERNATE BLUEPRINTS
Janna Sargsyan
hetq
14:07, February 28, 2012
Graduate students from the Yerevan State University of Architecture and
Construction have come out in opposition to commercial construction in
Mashtots Park in Yerevan, charging that what is being built violates
the original development plan from the area.
The students also say that they are willing to draw up an alternative
set of blueprints that will draw on international experience and
green cities.
They argue that what is being built in the park is incorrect from an
ecological and safety perspective
The students charge the Yerevan Municipality with only being concerned
with providing short-term solutions without proper long-term planning.
The young architects say that Mashtots Park was planned as an
evacuation corridor for Yerevan residents in case of an earthquake.
The construction of stores in the park will negate such a possibility.
The students say they want to show that professional architects can
create, rather than simply destroy.