Month: February 2012

TOP OFFICIAL: SOME ARMENIAN LOBBY CENTERS WANT TO DAMAGE AZERBAIJANI-TURKISH RELATIONS

Trend
Feb 7 2012
Azerbaijan

Some centers, operating in support of the Armenian lobby, want to
create a confrontation between Azerbaijan and Turkey, Azerbaijani
Presidential Administration Social and Political Department Chief
Ali Hasanov said.

“There are some centers, operating with the Armenian lobby’s support,
which want to create a confrontation, to destroy the brotherly and
friendly relations between Azerbaijan and Turkey,” Hasanov told
Trend today.

Some media outlets, seeking to destroy the friendship between
Azerbaijan and Turkey, used all their imagination, Hasanov said. These
are similar media outlets in Turkey, Azerbaijan and other countries,
he added.

Earlier, some Turkish media outlets reported that Azerbaijan did
not support Turkey in connection with the adoption of the law in the
French Senate, which envisages the criminal prosecution of individuals
denying the fictional “Armenian genocide”.

He added that Azerbaijan was and will always be close to Turkey since
the issue of adopting the law criminalizing the denial of so-called
“Armenian genocide” has been initiated.

Turkey’s official circles appreciate the brotherly and friendly
relations with Azerbaijan and its support, Hasanov said.

He also touched on France’s withdrawal from the OSCE Minsk Group
co-chairmanship.

“Turkey is a member of the Minsk Group,” he said. “It took the
initiative to withdraw France from the Group. In any case, Turkey
will raise this issue to be considered at a regular meeting of the
Minsk Group. Azerbaijan’s official circles discuss the measures that
can be taken from a legal point of view.”

After an eight-hour debate, the French Senate adopted the bill. Some
127 senators voted in favour, while 86 senators voted against on
Jan.23.

The bill demands a year’s imprisonment and a fine of 45,000 euro for
denying the so-called “Armenian genocide.”

Armenia and the Armenian lobby claim that the predecessor of the Turkey
– Ottoman Empire had committed the 1915 genocide against the Armenians
living in Anadolu, and achieved recognition of the “Armenian Genocide”
by the parliaments of several countries.

From: A. Papazian

ARMENIAN FM DISTORTS MEANING OF SOCHI AGREEMENT

Trend
Feb 7 2012
Azerbaijan

The Azerbaijani side opposes imitation of the negotiations on the
peaceful settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict while the
Armenian side avoids war, Mubariz Ahmedoglu, political scientist,
director of the Center for Political Innovations and Technologies,
said at a briefing on Tuesday.

“That’s why in current situation start of real, practical settlement –
is “panacea” for all conflicts and uncertainties,” he said.

He noted official Yerevan started to act to underestimate the
importance of the Russian active position in the settlement of the
Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

The Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian distorted paragraphs
of the agreement signed on the initiative of Russian President Dmitry
Medvedev, Mr Ahmedoglu said.

“In order to cast a shade on the Sochi statement and strengthening
position of Russia, official Yerevan uses such expressions as “only
by peaceful means”, “sniper should retreat” which were in previous
documents. There are no such expressions in the Sochi statement,”
he said.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 surrounding districts.

Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The
co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group – Russia, France, and the U.S. –
are currently holding the peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council’s four
resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the
surrounding regions.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

SARKOZY NEEDS SUPPORT OF SMALL GROUPS IN ORDER NOT TO LOSE ELECTION

Trend
Feb 7 2012
Azerbaijan

Despite the fact that a law criminalizing denial of so-called “Armenian
genocide” was passed by the Senate of France, it does not mean the
full completion of the adoption of this law, the head of the Center
of Political Innovations and Technologies, a political scientist
Mubariz Ahmedoglu said at a briefing held in the conference hall of
Trend on Tuesday.

Ahmedoglu said, a group of French senators, who opposes the law
appealed to the Constitutional Council, using the possibilities
offered by the French law.

“Thus, the question of the “Armenian genocide” has again become
a subject of political games. Armenian anti-Turkish position has
repeatedly transformed them and their feelings, which they consider
sacred, to instrument in the hands of other countries. Now, if this
law is adopted, the repetition of similar initiatives will be unlikely
in the near future, as the parliamentary and presidential elections
will soon begin,” Ahmedoglu said.

“Sarkozy is a weak leader, and he needs such a small groups in order
not to lose the election,” Ahmedoglu said.

Previously on January 23, after an eight-hour debate, the French
senate adopted the bill. Some 127 senators voted in favour, while 86
voted against.

The bill demands a years imprisonment and a fine of ~@45,000 for
denying the so-called “genocide.”

Armenia and the Armenian lobby claim that the predecessor of the
Turkey – Ottoman Empire had committed the 1915 genocide against the
Armenians living in Anadolu and have achieved recognition of the
“Armenian Genocide” by the parliaments of several countries.

ISRAELI PARLIAMENT TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT RELATIONS WITH AZERBAIJAN WHEN CONSIDERING ISSUE ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

Trend
Feb 7 2012
Azerbaijan

Not wanting to offend Turkey, the Parliament of Israel has never
recognized the controversial events related to the Armenians in the
Ottoman Empire in 1915, which Armenia describes as “genocide.” Today,
Israel should not accept it because of relations with Azerbaijan,
conflictologist expert Tim Judah wrote in an article in the Jewish
Chronicle Online.

“After the worsening of relations between Israel and Turkey, the
Parliament Committee has publicly discussed the issue in December.

But, more than likely that Israel will consider this issue in the
context of the impact on relations with Azerbaijan when it comes to
making a final decision on this issue” Judah writes.

Armenia and the Armenian lobby claim that the predecessor of the
Turkey – Ottoman Empire had committed the 1915 genocide against the
Armenians living in Anadolu and have achieved recognition of the
“Armenian Genocide” by the parliaments of several countries.

Trade and economic cooperation between Israel and Azerbaijan is on the
rise due to deliveries of Azerbaijani oil and gas production supply
and the activity of Israeli companies in Azerbaijan, the Judah writes.

When the Soviet Union collapsed, Armenians started a brutal war
against Azerbaijan and Azerbaijanis, Judah said. Thousands of people
were killed and more than a million have fled their homes. Today,
however, Armenia is a poor country with a population of about three
million people, which declined sharply over the past 20 years, mainly
due to emigration.

The situation in Azerbaijan, which has been known as the country of
oil boom for more than a hundred years ago, is radically different,
Judah writes. Azerbaijan is on the rise again. GDP grew from $ 5.2
billion in 2000 to $ 51 billion in 2010. Azerbaijani Foreign Minister
Elmar Mammadyarov noted that Israel purchases 30 percent of required
oil from Azerbaijan.

It is not surprising that Israel consider Azerbaijan as a strategic
ally, Judah writes.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 surrounding districts.

Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The
co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group – Russia, France, and the U.S. –
are currently holding the peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council’s four
resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the
surrounding regions.

QUELQUES TRACES D’ARMENIE DANS LE PAYSAGE
Elisabeth Chardon

Le Temps

7 fev 2012
Suisse

“Spectographie” a lieu dans le cadre du festival interdisciplinaire
Memoires blessees a Saint-Gervais Genève

Chaque debut d’annee, le Theâtre Saint-Gervais donne rendez-vous
a ceux qui ont le souci de l’Histoire pour un festival
pluridisciplinaire dont le nom suffit a dire la preoccupation,
Memoires blessees. Documentaires, spectacles, debats, mais aussi
expositions invitent a mettre des images et des mots sur des plaies
mal cicatrisees. Cette annee, durant tout le festival, une exposition
didactique invite a se souvenir du Suisse Carl Lutz a Budapest et
d’autres diplomates qui ont su meler courage et ingeniosite pour sauver
des milliers de juifs pendant la Seconde Guerre mondiale. Alors que
“Spectrographie” est une exploration artistique d’un coin de Turquie
où le passe armenien affleure dans le paysage et les recits.

Elle est signee par trois artistes, le couple forme par Anna Barseghian
et Stefan Kristensen, Armeniens de Genève, ainsi qu’Uriel Orlow,
Suisse installe a Londres.

La legende de Gulizar

Dans la première salle, des photographies signees des trois artistes
invitent a penetrer en silence dans le paysage. Une eglise semble
sur le point d’etre engloutie dans un tourbillon de collines, des
inscriptions apparaissent dans les ruines, une sorte de pierre tombale
paraît egaree au bord d’un chemin… Une installation video d’Anna
Barseghian et Stefan Kristensen occupe la deuxième salle, jeu d’images
projetees d’un mur a l’autre. Il faut mettre un casque pour capter les
bribes d’histoires et de chants recueillis a propos de Gulizar. Cette
jeune Armenienne a ete enlevee en 1889 par un chef de tribu kurde. La
où tant de ses s~urs se sont resignees, elle s’est revoltee. Devenue
symbole de liberte, elle habite aujourd’hui les memoires tant de la
population kurde que des exiles armeniens. L’installation croise les
voix multiples d’hommes et de femmes, dont la petite-fille de Gulizar
et celle d’une femme qui a trouve dans la figure de la jeune revoltee
armenienne la force pour realiser son reve, se faire admettre dans
le monde masculin des dengbej, les troubadours kurdes.

Dans la dernière salle, les images d’Uriel Orlow apportent une
plus grande densite poetique a cette quete dans le paysage. Les
gammes de couleurs, les cadrages, donnent tout leur sens au terme de
spectrographie qui donne son nom a l’exposition, soit la decomposition
des couleurs. Dans cette meme region de Turquie, a Mouch, et dans ses
environs, l’artiste donne a voir la vie d’aujourd’hui, une femme qui
balaie une cour, des sacs en plastique qui virevoltent… Mais aussi
ces pierres aux arabesques fines, prises dans les ruines d’un monde
disparu, qui viennent donner une touche de beaute a de pauvres maisons.

Enfin, dans la salle de projection, au meme etage, un court metrage
nous emmène dans un autre village, Terzili. La où naquit le grand-père
de Stefan Kristensen. Les villageois evoquent des ossements qui
emergent des terres… Mais il reste difficile de parler du passe. On
prefère parfois dire qu’il appartient a d’autres generations.

Spectrographie, a Saint-Gervais Genève, rue du Temple 5, lu-sa,
14-18h et jusqu’a 20h les soirs de manifestation.

SAINT CROSS CHRISTIAN CHURCH IN JERUSALEM DESECRATED

yerkir.am
14:28 – 07.02.2012

Tonight Saint Cross Christian church in Jerusalem has been desecrated.

So-called “Youth from hills”, right radicals, are suspected in
this action.

On the stone gate of the church they had wrote “Tag mehrir” (wage),
as well as “Death to Christians” and graffities insulting Jesus.

The church is under rule of Greek Orthodox Church. According to the
legend, the church has been built in the place of a tree from which
the Cross of Jesus had been made.

BAGIS DEFIANT ON GENOCIDE DENIAL STANCE

Hurriyet Daily News
Feb 8 2012
Turkey

Turkey’s EU affairs minister reiterated his denial of Armenian genocide
allegations yesterday in a further challenge to Swiss authorities,
who are investigating whether similar comments made last month broke
the law.

BagıÅ~_ said yesterday that Swiss prosecutors should not lose any
time in determining whether he made the comments at the World Economic
Forum in Davos and at a concert in Zurich.

“I said there on that day that what happened in 1915 was not genocide
and I repeat that today. Nobody should doubt that I will give the same
answer every time I am asked,” BagıÅ~_ told a news conference. “I
don’t recognize any power that can detain any minister of the Turkish
Republic. I am very much at ease on this subject.”

Turkey summoned the Swiss ambassador Feb. 6 to complain about the
decision by Swiss officials to investigate BagıÅ~_’s comments.

“If necessary I will go again to Davos and say the same thing,”
he said.

Swiss anti-racism laws make genocide denial illegal.

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu sought to play down the
preliminary investigation against BagıÅ~_, saying it was a routine
procedure launched upon complaints by Swiss Armenians.

“The inquiry was opened following an application by an Armenian
association. In Turkey too, a preliminary enquiry is conducted when
anyone goes to court,” the minister told reporters.

He said the attitudes of the Swiss and French governments on punishing
the denial of the Armenian “genocide” were completely different.

“In France, there is a government supporting the law,” he said, adding
that the Swiss government had opposed a court ruling that convicted
Turkish politician Dogu Perincek there for denying that genocide took
place. “Switzerland has shown that it stands against that by lending
support for the creation of a joint history commission with us,”
Davutoglu said.

The European Parliament’s Turkey rapporteur, Ria Oomen-Ruijten,
also lent her support to BagıÅ~_ yesterday after they met in Brussels.

Oomen-Ruijten said everyone must have freedom of expression.

BagıÅ~_ was expected to meet European Parliamentary President Martin
Schulz, Socialist Group leader Hannes Swoboda and members of the
Committee on Foreign Affairs in Brussels. BagıÅ~_ is also expected
to have a meeting with European Commissioner for Enlargement Stefan
Fule and European Commissioner for Competition Joaquin Almunia.

Last month, the French Senate approved legislation criminalizing the
denial of the 1915 events as genocide, prompting an angry response
from Turkey.

Meanwhile, Israel Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said Israel
would not recognize any genocide by law other than the Holocaust,
daily Hurriyet reported yesterday.

Compiled from AA and Reuters stories by the Daily News staff.

MORE TURKISH FREE SPEECH HYPOCRISY
by Michael Rubin

Commentary Magazine

Feb 7 2012

The Swiss government has started an inquiry into a statement by Egemen
BagıÅ~_, Turkey’s minister for European Union affairs, in which
BagıÅ~_ stated that the Armenians suffered no genocide. According to
a report in the Turkish press, BagıÅ~_ said, “There is no Armenian
genocide. Let them arrest me.” Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag
commented on the incident, “Can’t a minister of a country express
his views speaking in another country? It’s ridiculous.”

While I’m not in favor of laws restricting the speech, no matter how
wrong the speaker, BagıÅ~_ and Bozdag’s stand is rich considering
that BagıÅ~_ – with the apparent blessing of Namik Tan, the Turkish
ambassador in Washington – tried to sue me into silence after I wrote
a series of articles criticizing Turkish government policies. Turkish
officials believe in free speech for themselves, but seek to censor
when speech is used to challenge their ideas.

The reality today is that, despite BagıÅ~_ and Tan’s best efforts,
the only place Turks or Turkish analysts enjoy free speech is outside
of Turkey. Hence, as Jonathan noted yesterday, in order to defend
free speech, Kemal Kılıcdaroglu, the chairman of the Republican
Peoples Party, the largest secular party in Turkey, took to the pages
of The Washington Post rather than a Turkish outlet. As Kılıcdaroglu
explained:

Turkey today is a country where people live in fear and are divided
politically, economically and socially. Our democracy is regressing
in terms of the separation of powers, basic human rights and freedoms
and social development and justice. Citizens worry deeply about their
future. These points are, sadly, reflected in most major international
indexes, such as Human Rights Watch, which rank Turkey quite low in
terms of human rights, democracy, freedoms and equality.

Just as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton embarrassed herself by
labeling Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad a reformer, President Obama
embarrasses himself by calling Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan
a friend. Should Obama and Clinton embrace Turkey as a model for
the Arab Spring, then he is condemning another generation of Arabs
to repression.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

LE PRESIDENT DU PARLEMENT EUROPEEN APPELLE LA TURQUIE A ASSUMER SON PASSE
Stephane

armenews.com
mercredi 8 fevrier 2012

Le president du Parlement europeen Martin Schulz a invite mardi la
Turquie a s’inspirer de l’exemple de l’Allemagne d’après-guerre et
a assumer son passe, a propos du massacre d’Armeniens en 1915 dont
Ankara conteste le caractère genocidaire.

“Ma recommandation est d’etre aussi ouvert que possible concernant
son propre passe, c’est le meilleur moyen d’affronter l’avenir”,
a-t-il declare lors d’une conference de presse a Bruxelles aux côte
du ministre turc des Affaires europeennes, Egemen Bagis, en precisant
qu’il donnait ce conseil “en tant qu’Allemand”.

“Vous devriez affronter votre histoire et autoriser des enquetes
independantes et si ces enquetes independantes concluent qu’il s’agit
d’un genocide vous devriez le reconnaître”, a-t-il ajoute.

“Je dois vivre quotidiennement, surtout en tant qu’Allemand, avec notre
passe, qui n’est pas un passe facile. C’est un passe très difficile et
les demons du passe de mon pays perdurent jusqu’a aujourd’hui. Tous les
jours je suis confronte au passe de mon pays”, a souligne M. Schulz
en estimant que les nouvelles generations, meme si elles n’etaient
“pas coupables” devaient faire en sorte que les horreurs du passe ne
se reproduisent plus.

Le president du Parlement europeen a dit “respecter” la loi francaise
recemment adoptee qui penalise la negation du genocide armenien. “Je
sais qu’il y a beaucoup de gens dans l’Union europeenne qui partagent
l’opinion des membres du Parlement francais”, a-t-il ajoute, tout
en estimant qu’il revenait a ses yeux a la Turquie “de regler le
problème”.

La loi francaise punit d’un an de prison et de 45.000 euros d’amende
la negation de genocides reconnus comme tels par la loi francaise,
dont le genocide armenien. Le vote de ce texte a provoque une crise
profonde avec la Turquie, qui ne reconnaît pas le caractère genocidaire
des massacres d’Armeniens survenus en Anatolie -les Armeniens parlent
de 1,5 million de morts, Ankara de 500.000 personnes tuees.

Pour sa part, M. Bagis a reaffirme la position du pays. A ses yeux,
il appartient non pas aux responsables politiques de porter des
jugements sur l’histoire mais aux historiens.

Il a rappele que son pays avait propose a l’Armenie en 2005 la creation
d’un comite scientifique pour se pencher sur les evenements de 1915,
mais a condition que ce comite ait accès aux archives de nombreux
pays, y compris celles de l’Allemagne, de la France, du Royaume-Uni
ou encore des Etats-Unis.

LA RUSSIE S’ENGAGE A AIDER L’ARMENIE DANS LE DOMAINE DE L’AGRICULTURE
Laetitia

armenews.com
mercredi 8 fevrier 2012

Les hauts responsables russes, en visite a Erevan, se sont engages a
aider a stimuler l’activite agricole en Armenie. Moscou a egalement
reaffirme son soutien pour la construction d’une nouvelle centrale
nucleaire armenienne.

Le vice premier-ministre russe, Viktor Zoubkov, a parle des
negociations avec le Premier ministre armenien, Tigran Sarkissian,
qui portaient sur les relations economiques bilaterales.

” Nous avons parle de notre cooperation concernant le secteur agricole
dans un premier temps “, a annonce Sarkissian lors d’une conference. ”
Nous avons besoin de soutien et d’assistance de nos partenaires russes
dans les domaines de bovins et de semences et dans la fourniture de
materiel agricole. ”

” Nous avons cartographie les zones très importantes dans cette
cooperation … et qui s’applique a l’agriculture et a l’elevage “,
a confirme M. Zoubkov.

L’Armenie a deja commence a importer de grandes quantites de graines de
cereales de haute qualite en provenance de Russie a la fin de l’annee
2010 dans le cadre d’un plan gouvernemental. L’Armenie souhaite
augmenter significativement la production nationale de ble.

Environ 150 agriculteurs et les entreprises agricoles ont recu des
semences ces dernière annees.

Sarkissian et Zoubkov ont declare qu’un groupe de travail
russo-armenien se reunira a Moscou le mois prochain. Selon le
vice-premier ministre russe, le groupe prevoit la creation d’une
filiale armenienne de l’entreprise russe Rosagroleasing, qui fournit
des tracteurs et d’autres equipements pour les agriculteurs.

Une banque agricole russe devrait ouvrir une succursale en Armenie et
devrait accorder des prets aux agriculteurs locaux et aux entreprises
agro-alimentaires.

Zoubkov a egalement salue une augmentation de 16% des echanges
russo-armeniens. Mais il a declare que les deux gouvernements devraient
s’efforcer d’aller plus loin.

Le ministre des Transports russe,Igor Levitine,a visite avec Tigran
Sarkissian mardi les locaux d’un institut de recherche russe a Erevan
qui sera bientôt transforme en une zone libre exoneree de taxes pour
les entreprises de haute technologie. Les pourparlers ont coïncide
avec une visite separee en Armenie de Sergueï Kirienko, le chef de
la societe d’energie nucleaire Rosastom. Kirienko a rencontre le
President Serge Sarkissian, après avoir visite la centrale nucleaire
de Metsamor. Une nouvelle centrale nucleaire pourrait etre construire
dans les annees a venir.

Le bureau de Sarkissian a declare que les deux responsables ont
discute de la construction de la nouvelle installation nucleaire.

Lors d’une visite en octobre 2011 a Moscou, le president armenien a
discute du projet avec Dimitri Medvedev. Armen Movsisian, le ministre
de l’Energie a declare a RFE / RL en decembre dernier que Rosatom est
pret a investir pour le remplacement de Metsamor avec une centrale
nucleaire plus moderne et plus sûre.

From: Baghdasarian