Month: February 2012

AZERBAIJAN DENOUNCES FRANCE VOTE ON ARMENIA ‘GENOCIDE’

Emirates 24/7

Jan 31 2012
UAE

By AFP Published Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Turkey’s ally Azerbaijan denounced as anti-democratic the French
Senate’s approval of a bill making it illegal to deny that the mass
killings of Armenians during World War I were genocide.

“The Republic of Azerbaijan deplores the law adopted by the French
Senate to criminalise the denial of the ‘Armenian genocide’ and
expresses strong protest over this,” the foreign ministry in Baku
said in a statement.

The move was “against the principles of democracy, human rights,
freedom of speech and expression”, it said.

An official from the governing party said it had also undermined
France’s credibility as one of the members of the OSCE’s Minsk Group,
which is trying to help negotiate a solution to Azerbaijan’s conflict
with enemy Armenia over the disputed territory of Nagorny Karabakh.

“France’s known actions have negated the remaining confidence in
this group,” said governing party executive secretary Ali Akhmedov,
the Interfax news agency reported.

“In such a situation, the most honourable route would be if France
removed itself from mediation as it has lost the moral right to
fulfill this mission,” he said.

Years of OSCE-mediated talks have so far failed to deliver a final
peace deal in the conflict over Nagorny Karabakh, which was seized
from Azerbaijan by Armenian separatists backed by Yerevan during a
war in the 1990s.

Turkic-speaking, mainly Muslim Azerbaijan has the backing of Turkey
in the conflict and has threatened to use force to reassert control
if talks do not deliver results.

Like Ankara, Baku rejects the Armenian genocide allegations as false.

FRANCE’S ARMENIA GENOCIDE LAW PUT ON HOLD
By Suzette Bloch

Agence France Presse
Jan 31 2012

PARIS – France’s new law punishing denial of the Armenian genocide
was put on hold Tuesday after politicians opposed to the legislation
demanded that its constitutionality be examined.

Turkey reacted furiously last week when the Senate approved the law
which threatens with jail anyone in France who denies that the 1915
massacre of Armenians by Ottoman Turk forces amounted to genocide.

President Nicolas Sarkozy’s office brushed off angry threats of
retaliation by Turkey and vowed to enforce the law within a fortnight.

But on Tuesday two separate groups of French politicians who oppose the
legislation — from both the Senate and the lower house of parliament
— said they had formally requested the constitutional council to
examine the law.

The groups said they each had gathered more than the minimum
60 signatures required to ask the council to test the law’s
constitutionality.

“This is an atomic bomb for the Elysee (Sarkozy’s office) which didn’t
see it coming,” said deputy Lionel Tardy, who said that most of the
65 signatories from the lower house were, like him, from Sarkozy’s
UMP party.

The council is obliged to deliver its judgement within a month,
but this can be reduced to eight days if the government deems the
matter urgent.

Turkey’s President Abdullah Gul and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan immediately welcomed the development.

“I hope the constitutional council will do what is necessary,” said
Erdogan, while Gul said he was “not expecting the French from the very
beginning to let their country be overshadowed” by the genocide law.

France has already officially recognised the killings as a genocide,
but the new law would go further by punishing anyone who denies this
with up to a year in jail and a fine of 45,000 euros ($57,000).

Armenians say up to 1.5 million of their forebears were killed in
1915 and 1916 by the forces of Turkey’s former Ottoman Empire.

Turkey disputes the figure, arguing that 500,000 died, and denies this
was genocide, ascribing the toll to fighting and starvation during
World War I and accusing the Armenians of siding with Russian invaders.

Erdogan last week denounced the law as “tantamount to discrimination
and racism” and warned that his Islamist-rooted government would
punish Paris with unspecified retaliatory measures if Sarkozy signed
it into law.

Ankara has already halted political and military cooperation with
France and was threatening to cut off economic and cultural ties.

Trade between the two states was worth 12 billion euros ($15.5 billion)
in 2010, with several hundred French businesses operating in Turkey.

Armenia hailed the passage of the bill through the French Senate,
with President Serzh Sarkisian writing in a letter to Sarkozy:
“France has reaffirmed its greatness and power, its devotion to
universal human values.”

Around 20 countries have officially recognised the killings as
genocide.

Amnesty International has criticised the French law, saying it would
violate freedom of expression.

SANDS: LOW-KEY ARONIAN SOARS HIGH IN WIJK AAN ZEE CHESS TOURNAMENT
By David R. Sands and David R. Sands

Washington Times

Jan 31 2012

Armenian GM Levon Aronian has added another chapter to a career that
has been both illustrious and somewhat under the radar, capturing
the 74th Tata Steel Grandmaster “A” Tournament in Wijk aan Zee,
Netherlands, Sunday by a full point over Norway’s Magnus Carlsen and
Azerbaijan’s Teimour Radjabov. Despite a loss to Carlsen during the
Category 21 event, Aronian won going away, notching a quick last-round
draw to finish at a very impressive 9-4.

The genial 29-year-old Aronian, ranked second in the world behind
Carlsen, led his small country to gold in the 2006 and 2008 Olympiads
and to a World Team Chess title last year. He also has racked up a
slew of firsts in elite events over the past decade, and he’s the
reigning world blitz champion, to boot.

Yet despite a solid and at times spectacular style at the board,
he has at times been overlooked among the small class of the world’s
elite players, overshadowed by rivals such as Carlsen and reigning
world champion Viswanathan Anand – over whom Aronian has a 5-1 edge
in classical chess games.

Playing a few more games like this win from Tata would only help
Aronian’s Q rating. He schools young Dutch grandmaster Anish Giri from
the Black side of a Queen’s Gambit Declined, first with a powerful
exchange sacrifice to seize the initiative and then with a combination
featuring a queen sacrifice to wrap up the point.

Black’s 9. Qc2 Nh5!?, in a QGD line Aronian has played often as White
is the sharpest variation, inviting the complications that follow: 10.

Be5 f6 11. Ng5!? fxg5 (g6? 12. Nxh7 Kxh7 13. Bxh5 is strong for
White) 12. Bxh5 Bd7 13. Bf3. White’s bishops appear to be superior,
but Black’s next move completely changes the dynamic of the game.

Thus: 13. … Rxf3! 14. gxf3 Bd6 15. Qe4?! (Aronian was critical of
this idea, holding back the White pawn center while relocating the
queen to the king side) Bc6 16. Qg4 Qe7 17. Bxd6 cxd6 18. Ne4 h6
19. Qg3 d5.

Black’s last move (temporarily) closes in his own bishop but also
deprives White of any outlets for his rooks; Black’s rook, by contrast,
will find a powerful perch on the half-open f-file.

Very attractive is Black’s deft repositioning of his rook, knight (from
b6 to h4 in four consecutive moves) and bishop, all while depriving
White of any counterchances. The Black rook relocates to the d-file
to support Aronian’s pawn center in the final fireworks display.

There is a string of neat tactical touches in the finale: 36. a4 Rd8!

(all the pieces are now literally in place in preparation for the
coming e6-e5 breakthrough) 37. Ne2 e5 38. Qg4 (Rd1 exd4 39. Nxd4 Ne5
is painful for White) exd4 39. exd4 (Black also wins on 39. Nxd4
Ne5 40. Qe6+ Qxe6 41. Nxe6 Nd3+ 42. Kd2 Rd6, gaining material)
Re8 40. Qd7 c3! 41. Ra2 (see diagram; on 41. Nxc3, Black mates with
41. … Qf4+ 42.

Kd1 Qxd4+ 43. Kc1 Re1+ 44. Rxe1 Qxc3+ 45. Rc2 [Kd1 Qxe1 mate] Qa1 mate)
Ne1!! (threat: 42. … Nd3+ 43. Kc2 Nc5+, winning the queen) 42.

Rxe1 (Nxf4 Rxe1 is mate) Qe4, and there’s no good defense to 43. …

Qd3+ 45. Kc1 Qb1 mate. Giri resigned.

–

Aronian’s low profile is all the more curious because he has been
producing brilliancies like the Giri win from a very young age. He
learned the game at the age of 9 and just three years later took
the World Youth Chess Under-12 Championship title ahead of a slew of
future grandmasters.

In the FIDE world-championship knockout tournament in Las Vegas in
1999, the 16-year-old Aronian made a splash with a 2-0 dismissal of
Lithuanian GM Eduardas Rozentalis in the first round, including a
brilliant demolition job in the second game to advance.

The play is extremely double-edged in this King’s Indian Attack, with
Rozentalis’ rooks driving the White king to a very precarious perch on
h3. But it is White that lands the first telling blow with 30. Raf1
Bd6 31. Rxg7!, when 31. … Kxg7? loses to 32. Qf7+ Kh8 33. Qf6+ Kh7
(Kg8 34. Qg6+ Kh8 35. Qxh6+ Kg8 36. Be6 mate) 34. Bf5+ Kg8 35. Qg6+
Kf8 36. Qxh6+ Ke8 37. Re1+, leading to mate.

But the game remains in balance until 33. Rxf2 Qxf2 34. Rg6! Qf5+ 35.

Kg2 Qxh5? (unwisely taking the bait, though Black only draws at best
after 35. … Qc2+ 36. Qe2 Qxe2+ 37. Bxe2 Bf8 38. Bc4 Kh7 39. Rf6) 36.

Qd4+ Qe5 37. Rxd6!!, a neat geometrical trick that leads to a won
ending.

After 37. … Qxd4 38. Rxd5 Re8 39. Rd6, Black’s resignation may be
a tad premature, but the win for White is a straightforward matter
of technique.

FRENCH COUNCIL ASKED TO BLOCK GENOCIDE LAW

Dawn

Jan 31 2012
Pakistan

PARIS: A group of French senators on Tuesday asked the country’s
constitutional council to block a new law that bans and punishes
denial of the Armenian genocide.

The Senate last week approved the measure which threatens with jail
anyone in France who denies that the 1915 massacre of Armenians by
Ottoman Turk forces amounted to genocide.

Earlier, the French National Assembly voted to back a law that would
make it illegal for anyone in France to deny that the 1915 killings
of hundreds of thousands of Armenians during World War I amounted
to genocide. France recognised mass killings of Armenians in the
Ottoman empire as genocide a decade ago, a bold step that pressure
from Turkey has prevented in countries with a large Armenian diaspora
such as the United States.

Turkey had already recalled its ambassador from France and threatened
a broader raft of diplomatic and trade sanctions.

Turkey says those killed were the victims of war, and has downgraded
relations with nations that disagreed.

CHILE OPENS ARMENIA SQUARE

Vestnik Kavkaza
Jan 31 2012
Russia

Puerto Williams, the southmost point of South America in Chili,
has opened a square named ~SArmenia”, News Armenia reports.

A special cross (khachkar) brought from Armenia was set up on the
square. It was a gift of Eduardo Ernekyan, an Argentinean businessman
of Armenian origin.

Vladimir Karmirshalyan, Armenian Ambassador to Argentina, Eduardo
Rodriguez Guarachi, Armenian Consul to Chili, and Chilean MPs and
media were at the opening.

ARMENIA BILL TO BE APPEALED TO FRENCH TOP COURT

Jan 31 2012
Turkey

Sufficient number of senators signed to carry an Armenian bill adopted
at the French Senate to the French constitutional court.

Sufficient number of senators signed to carry an Armenian bill adopted
at the French Senate to the French constitutional court.

Application will be made on Tuesday.

The council is now expected to examine whether the law, passed in
both houses of the French parliament, violates the French constitution
and its founding base of freedom of expression.

The law needs to be approved by French President Nicolas Sarkozy,
who backs it, but the constitutional council may now annul it before
it goes to Sarkozy.

From: Baghdasarian

ECONOMY MINISTER MEETS EXECUTIVES OF FRENCH COMPANIES IN TURKEY.

IntelliNews
Jan 30 2012

Economy minister Zafer Caglayan had a meeting with the executives of
more than 30 French companies doing business in Turkey over a recent
French law which makes it a crime to deny the killing of Armenians
under Ottoman rule is genocide. There are around 400 French companies
in Turkey, employing roughly 100,000 people, according to data from
the French embassy in Ankara. Those French companies include Renault,
Peugeot, Lafarge, Carrefour, Danone, Axa, Groupama, BNP Paribas.

General manager of Renault-Mais, Ibrahim Aybar, said that he believed
politics would not affect French companies’ businesses in Turkey.

Turkey’s reaction to the French Senate’s passage of the bill was
harsh. Local media reported that the Turkish government considers
sanctions against France, such as banning French companies from public
tenders. Meanwhile president of Renault Carlos Ghosn said that economic
sanctions would hurt the company if implemented but he did not expect
such measures from the Turkish government.

RUSSIA PLAYS ACTIVE ROLE IN KARABAKH SETTLEMENT – ARMENIAN FM

ITAR-TASS
January 30, 2012 Monday 10:51 PM GMT+4
Russia

Russia plays an active role in the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict, with the full support of the OSCE Minsk Group, Armenian
Foreign Minister Edvard Nalbandyan said.

“The Russian side has been playing an active role in the settlement
process lately, with the full support of the other two co-chairmen of
the OSCE Minsk Group – the United States and France,” Nalbandyan said.

In their statement in Sochi, the presidents noted that the co-chairmen
of the OSCE Minsk Group – Russia, the United States and France –
have worked hard over the last 3-4 years to coordinate the underlying
principles of Karabakh settlement. More than 15 meetings were held
at the level of presidents alone — ten of which were initiated by
the Russian president – and dozens of meetings of foreign ministers;
the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmen visited the region dozens of times,
Nalbandyan said.

“Having commended the fruitful work of the co-chairmen, the presidents
of Armenia and Azerbaijan expressed hope that the U.S., Russia and
France will continue their effort towards conflict resolution in the
same format and in the same status,” the minister said.

He stressed, “There is no other conflict on which the G8 would make
a statement at such a high level or that would get so much attention
from the presidents of Russia, the United States and France”.

The statement in Sochi said that “the presidents attach great
significance to achieving consensus on the underlying principles
and that the sides together with the co-chairmen should step up work
towards that,” Nalbandyan said.

In his opinion, “this is a very important point in the statement
because it calls for further talks on the basic principles, taking into
account the work done, in order to start drafting a peace agreement. As
a result of intensive negotiations, progress has been reached in
coordinating the basic principles of settlement,” the minister said.

“An atmosphere of trust is important for the talks both when
coordinating the principles and after that. Even if we come to
agreement on the basic principles – and a positive atmosphere will
certainly be conducive to that – we will still have a lot of work to
do after that to draft the agreement, and a positive atmosphere will
be very important for that,” he said.

The stressed the importance of “strengthening trust, creating a
favourable atmosphere and preparing the public opinion for a peaceful
resolution of the problem,” Nalbandyan said.

“If we are moving towards peace, we must prepare our peoples for peace,
not war,” he said.

CHARLES & AGNES KAZARIAN FOUNDATION TO SUPPORT CULINARY ARTS INITIATIVE IN PAWTUCKET

Health & Beauty Close-Up
January 30, 2012 Monday

The Charles & Agnes Kazarian Foundation has agreed to be a founding
member and supporting organization of a “new” Pawtucket Culinary
Arts Initiative.

The mission of the Initiative is to enable Pawtucket to become a
creative center for vegan, vegetarian, and macrobiotic culinary arts.

According to a release, the co-chairs are Paul Kazarian, formerly of
Japonica Street, and current Pawtucket resident Richard Kazarian. Paul
Kazarian previously worked with Richard Kazarian’s father, Richard
“Dick” Kazarian, on the Model Cities Program in Pawtucket during the
1960s and 1970s. Interviews are currently underway for other high
value-add Initiative board members with a global perspective.

Paul Kazarian, Ambassador for the Charles & Agnes Kazarian Foundation,
said “Much like my parents who immigrated to Pawtucket from Armenia
in 1921, a creative culinary arts center will capture the pioneering
spirit of the city.”

Richard Kazarian said “Pawtucket is an ideal location for healthy
culinary arts, as the City already has several similar creative
initiatives, including Hope Artiste Village, Pawtucket Arts Festival,
Slater Mill and Wintertime Farmers Markets, the Gamm Theater, and
Foundry Artists Show.”

The Initiative envisions the building blocks to include approximately
a dozen vegan, vegetarian, and macrobiotic restaurants; culinary
classes and educational facilities; health food grocery stores, as
well as compatible retail stores. The Initiative will also support
daily on-site musical and theatrical events. Initiative co-chairs
are currently assessing several best-fit locations.

The City of Pawtucket, one of Rhode Island’s largest cities, is known
as a center for arts and culture. Even the New York Times has taken
note of this hidden gem-calling it an “Artistic Enclave”- and has
commended the city’s efforts to attract artists. The 2008 documentary
Pawtucket Rising also chronicled the influx of artists and cultural
activities into what were previously blighted areas of the city.

The Charles & Agnes Kazarian Foundation is a private operating
foundation established in 1998.

From: A. Papazian

CONVERSE BANK IS THE SPONSOR OF THE FILM ‘IF ONLY EVERYONE…’

ENP Newswire
January 30, 2012 Monday

Release date- 26012012 – Sponsored by ‘Converse Bank’ CJSC, the film
‘If Only Everyone…’ dedicated to the 20th anniversary of Declaration
of RA Independence and establishment of the Army shall be screened
at the ‘Moscow’ Cinema on January 27.

On that occasion, specially for mass media representatives the film
sneak was organized on January 25, followed by a press conference of
the producers. General producer and major actor of the film Michael
Poghosyan said the film is the joint product of ‘Team’ Production
and Armenian National Film Center. It was produced under the high
patronage of the RA President, with the support of the NKR President
and RA Ministries of Defense and Culture.

Directed by Natalia Belyauskene, the film involves actors Yekaterina
Shitova, Vahagn Simonyan, Mher Levonyan, Karen Jangirov and others.

Father of the heroine in ‘If Only Everyone…’ is Russian soldier
Alexander Maslennikov, who was killed during the Artsakh war, when
defending the motherland of his beloved wife. Twenty years later his
daughter has come to plant a tree on her father’s grave to fulfill
his last wish, but finds the grave is on the other side of the border.

Besides Yerevan, the film is to be shown in Stepanakert and Moscow. It
may also participate in festivals. 70% of the film was shot in Artsakh,
30% in Yerevan.

Interestingly enough, title of the film ‘If Only Everyone…’ is very
consonant with the Converse Bank slogan ‘For everyone’.

As a reminder, being a socially responsible company, Converse Bank is
consistent in supporting cultural advance. The bank has also sponsored
the ballet ‘Spartak’, opera ‘Aida’, the ‘Open Music Festival’, the
Shakespeare festivals and many other cultural initiatives.