Month: February 2012

CONFRONTATION BETWEEN AZERBAIJANI AND ARMENIAN DELEGATION AT EURONEST PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY’S SOCIAL COMMITTEE MEETING IN YEREVAN

APA
Feb 23 2012
Azerbaijan

Baku – APA. Member of Azerbaijani Parliament Azay Guliyev, Rovshan
Rzayev and Faraj Guliyev have been on a visit to Armenia since
February 21 in order to participate at the meeting of Euronest
Parliamentary Assembly’s Committee on Social Affairs, Education,
Culture and Civil Society.

APA reports that the serious confrontation occurred between Azerbaijani
and Armenian MPs at the meeting. The reason of the confrontation was
a speech of Azerbaijani MP Azay Guliyev. In his speech, Guliyev spoke
about the occupation of Azerbaijani lands by Armenians, existence
of 1 mln refugees and the damage to Azerbaijan caused by the war,
as well as Armenia’s non-constructive position.

This speech drove the Armenian MPs wild. They called it as the next
stage of Azerbaijan’s propaganda. The sides were calmed after the
interference of the meeting’s organizers. The MPs are in Yerevan now.

Armenian mass media headlined the confrontation between the MPs of
both countries.

From: A. Papazian

AZERI HACKER REPORTEDLY ATTACKS SEVERAL ARMENIAN WEBSITES

APA
Feb 22 2012
Azerbaijan

[translated from Azeri]

Baku, 22 February: Several Armenian websites have come under hacker
attacks today. Among the affected websites are the websites of the
Armenian Handball Federation, an Armenian airline, the Armenian
Bowling Federation, the Babylon translation system and others. The
attacks were reportedly carried out by a hacker nicknamed Ferid23.

A photo of Azerbaijani National Hero Cingiz Mustafayev, and photos
and videos of Xocali [town in Azerbaijan’s Karabakh where hundreds
of Azerbaijanis were massacred in 1992] and information relating to
it in foreign languages have been posted on the websites.

ARMENIANS AND JEWS FEAR FALL OF ASSAD

news.am
February 23, 2012 | 23:38

Armenian News-NEWS.am presents the article of Peter Mullen which had
been published in the Daily Telegraph:

The current head of al-Qaeda al-Zawahiri announced that his terrorist
organization will support the uprising in Syria. How encouraging to
see that the UK FM William Heig and al-Qaeda share the same opinions.

The West though that the fall of Saddam will turn Iraq into paradise.

But after 9 years during which several thousand people were killed
Iraq turned to something worse than hell. The non-fly zone of the West
established to help the revolution in Lebanon was a military success.

However, as it came out the revolutionists were not the democrats of
Twitter who created a utopia with their cell phones but they were as
cruel as the previous regime.

The Revolution that moved to Egypt for defeating Mubarak managed to
leave the corrupted generals on their posts.

The minorities in Syria (Christians, Kurds, Jews, Armenians) are in
great fear connected with the fall of Assad. If Assad were to fall,
Israel will host the Christian refuges who will run from the Islamists.

MANUKYAN TO SUE MAYOR?

08:48 pm | February 23, 2012 | Social

The Public Council might dispute the right to property of the owners
of the stands that were demolished on Abovyan Street and are being
placed at Mashtots Park in court. This is what President of the Public
Council Vazgen Manukyan announced during a discussion on the issue.

During the discussion, Chief Architect of Yerevan Narek Sargsyan
reaffirmed Mayor of Yerevan Taron Margaryan’s statement according
to which Yerevan Municipality was placing stands at Mashtots Park by
respecting the right of stand owners to their properties.

However, he also informed that none of the owners of the stands on
Abovyan Street had any right to the stands placed at Mashtots Park.

“Those stands belong to Yerevan Municipality and are simply granted
to them for a couple of years,” he mentioned.

The members of the Public Council asked whether the decision on
providing areas on the sidewalk of Abovyan Street by the right to
property was legitimate or not for the mayor to defend that right at
the price of green areas.

“It was, if not illegitimate, then at least an incorrect decision,”
said member of the Public Council, former Prime Minister Khosrov
Harutyunyan.

In his turn, President of the Public Council Vazgen Manukyan asked
about those stand owners and wanted to know why the municipality was
so attentive toward their rights.

“Perhaps they have provided great services to the homeland. In that
case, perhaps we should all praise them,” said Manukyan.

In response to all this, Head of the Legal Department at Yerevan
Municipality Zaven Arakelyan said the municipality couldn’t do anything
as long as the right of the stand owners to property wasn’t disputed.

Vazgen Manukyan expressed certainty that “any normal court would take
the right to property away from those people”.

“If the municipality doesn’t sue them, our Council’s lawyers will
appeal to the court and will call the youth demonstrators as well,”
said Vazgen Manukyan.

The Public Council’s discussions on the stands in Mashtots Park were
being held without the participation of the demonstrators defending
their interests, but Karine Danielyan was present.

Danielyan mentioned that people don’t trust the municipality simply
because the authorities didn’t fulfill their pledge of stopping
construction.

The Chief Architect of Yerevan was compelled to accept this fact. “But
we are trying to interfere. It was our flaw, and I accept it,” said
the Chief Architect.

From: A. Papazian

R. HOVHNNISYAN SENT A LETTER TO MR. VOLKER KAUDER

23.02.12, 10:57

Head of the Armenian “Heritage” Party sent a letter to Mr. Volker
Kauder, Parliamentary Leader CDU/CSU, The Bundestag, Berlin, Federal
Republic of Germany, press service of “Heritage” Party informs.

The letter especially says:

“Dear Colleague:

It has come to my attention that your parliamentary group-a partner
of ours in the European People’s Party-might shortly be releasing,
or at least considering, a draft resolution about Mountainous Karabagh.

The freedom of your political expression is of utmost importance,
but the truth is paramount.

The Republic of Mountainous Karabagh (Artsakh in Armenian)
was constituted lawfully in 1991 in full compliance with Soviet
legislation, controlling at the time, and the fundamental precepts of
international law as codified by the Montevideo Convention relating
to the formation and recognition of sovereign states.

None of us, neither your country nor ours, has any basis to curtail
the basic right to liberty and self-determination of any other, old or
new. This holds especially true for Mountainous Karabagh whose people,
in parallel with the demolition of the Great Wall which divided your
capital for too long, reversed the Stalinist legacy of “divide and
rule,” waged a constitutional and ultimately successful quest for
freedom and independence, and defended their patrimony against the
failed aggression of Soviet and then Azerbaijani forces.

In view of its own unique track record in facing, atoning for, and
surmounting the crimes against humanity committed by a predecessor
regime-and with the resultant credentials of global leadership in terms
of restoration of rights, democracy, and peace and security-postwar
Germany should be the first to recognize the legitimate creation
and territorial integrity of emerging state actors and the belated
correction of historical injustices. Both domestically and in
international relations, the rule of law-or rather the supremacy of
rights-militates against artificial and partisan applications of the
archaic assertion of sui generis.

What is more, Germany’s previous complicity in the Genocide of
the Armenian Nation and the Dispossession of its Homeland, as duly
evidenced in your own diplomatic and military archives, might and
military archives, shoulds,s should best comprehend this imperative
of mind, conscience, and public policy.ose, to restogive you further
cause officially to acknowledge that unprecedented precursor to the
Holocaust and to undertake meaningful measures, in conjunction with the
Republic of Turkey, to bring this shameful era of denialism to a close,
to address the occupation of the western half of the Armenian Plateau,
and to restitute the rightful connection between the Armenian people
and their homeland.

Real, not window-dressing normalization of relations with Turkey
and Azerbaijan is crucial for Armenia, but never at the expense of
historical memory, contemporary rights, and human dignity. Il faut
assumer l’histoire.

Of all states and all parties, yours should best comprehend this
imperative of values, conscience, and public policy.

Respectfully yours,

Raffi K. Hovannisian, Chairman and MP, Heritage Party, First Minister
of Foreign Affairs Republic of Armenia”.

From: A. Papazian

EXPERT: RESOLUTION ACCEPTED BY PAKISTAN MAY BE BOUGHT WITH PETRODOLLARS

23.02.12, 16:33

Expert on Iran, deputy dean of the Faculty of Oriental Sciences of
Yerevan State University Vardan Voskanyan referred to the resolution
accepted Pakistani Senate recently, which is about so called
“Xocali genocide”. The announcement by the expert especially says:
“On February 1, 2012 Pakistani Senate accepted a resolution which
recognizes the events of 1992 in Xocali town as genocide.

Pakistan is a state which is created artificially with serious ethic
violations. And the resolution accepted by the International Affairs
Department of the Senate is just unserious.

This resolution is unserious especially from taking into consideration
the fact that at least two nations in Pakistan accuse this Government
in making genocide towards them. I speak about Belujis and Pashtuns.

It is significant the speaker of US State Department Victoria Newland
was asked about the Belujis genocide on the beginning of the year by
Twitter and the US high level official expressed her deep troubles
though she did not use the word genocide. Anyway this is the first
case when the USA refers to the Belujis genocide issue on such level.

So, the Pakistani authorities would better to be engaged in their
own issue and to be involved in Xocali which is terra incognita for
an ordinary Pakistani person.

And besides this Pakistani authorities are too corrupted. The index
published by “Transparency International” on corruption proves this
every year. And it is not excluded that the resolution is just bought
by Azerbaijani petrodollars.”

From: Baghdasarian

THESE ARE FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES ARCHIVES.

In some cases, after clicking on the links below, you will need
to click on “view full article”.

To those who say:

There was NO GENOCIDE of ARMENIANS!

The New York Times 1895 Lord Salisbury on Armenia

7C2A9639C94649ED7CF

The New York Times Oct 20th 1900 AWFUL ARMENIAN MASSACRES.; Mussulmans
Pillage, Outrage, and Murder Unchecked for Five Days — Eight Villages
Destroyed.

D946197D6CF

The New York Times Aug 30th 1901 THE ARMENIAN MASSACRES.; Turkish
ex-Consul Asserts that the Porte Intends to Exterminate the Race by
a Regular System.

6E9C946097D6CF

The New York Times Sept 14th 1901 ARMENIAN MASSACRES FEARED.; Report
of American Board Says Repetition of Slaughter of 1894 Is Likely.

D946097D6CF

Papers Past Sept 20th 1901 FURTHER ARMENIAN MASSACRES.

Papers Past Jan. 19th 1903 The Armenian Massacres

The Montreal Gazette Jan. 30th 1904
Terrible Atrocities Committed by Turkish Soldiers
,
6267708&dq=armenian+massacres&hl=en

Paper Past June 24th 1904 THE ARMENIAN MASSACRES.

Papers Past June 25th 1905 Shocking Massacres < a target="_blank" href="">
rspast?a=d&d=FS19050621.2.10

Paper Past Nov. 20th 1907 Armenian Massacres

Papers Past Apr 24th 1909 THOUSANDS OF ARMENIANS MASSACRED.

The Sydney Morning Herald Apr 26th 1909 Armenian Massacres

;pg=5968,1591873&dq=armenian+massacres&hl=en < br>The New York
Times May 10th 1909 The Kaiser Held in Part responsible for Them

639C946897D6CF

The New York Times May 10th 1909 ARMENIAN MASSACRES.; Work of
Mohammedan Mogolians.

C946897D6CF

< span style="font-family: 'sans-serif'; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">The New York
Times June 14th 1909 ADANA OFFICIALS TO BE TRIED.; Charged with
Complicity in Armenian Massacres Last April.

C946897D6CF

The New York Times Nov 4th 1909 More Armenian Massacres.

D946897D6CF The New York Times

Nov 7th, 1912

TURKS KILLING ARMENIANS.; Massacres in Asiatic Turkey — Russian
Troops May Be Sent.

D946396D6CF

New York Times April 26th 1915 Kurds Massacre more Armenians

629C946496D6CF

The New York Times May 24th 1915 Allies To Punish Turks who Murdered

639C946496D6CF New Zealand Paperspast May 1915 Armenian Massacres

Papars Past Aug. 3rd 1915 Armenian Massacres

The New York Times Aug. 4th 1915 REPORT TURKS SHOT WOMEN AND CHILDREN;
Nine Thousand Armenians Massacred and Thrown Into Tigris, Socialist
Committee Hears.

C946496D6CF

The Pittsburgh Press October 5th 1915 US
Urges Turkey to put an End to the Armenian Massacres
,
1381292&dq=armenian+massacres&hl=en

Reading Eagle Oct. 5th 1915 Our
Government aroused by the Armenian Massacres
,
596940&dq=armenian+massacres&hl=en The New York Times

Dec 23rd, 1915

GERMANY PROTESTED

ARMENIAN MASSACRES

649D946496D6CF

Chicago Tribute Jan. 15th 1916 1.500
FAMISHED ARMENIANS MASSACRED BY MOSLEMS

372:761752372&FMT=CITE&FMTS=CITE:AI&type=historic&date=Jan+15,+1916&author=&
pub=Chicago+Tribune&desc=1.500+FAMISHED+ARMENIANS+MASSACRED+BY+MOSLEMS&pqatl
=google

The New York Times Aug. 23rd 1916 Washington Sends Word to
Constantinople to Prevent Repetition of Horrors.

6E9C946796D6CF

The New York Times March 4th 1918 Thousands of Armenians
Massacred at Samsun; German Socialists Urged to Curb the Turks

659C946996D6CF

Papers Past Apr. 10th 1918 PREPARING PUBLIC FOR ARMENIAN MASSACRE.

New York Times April 14 1919
Turks hang Kemal Bey for Armenian Massacres

668382609EDE

The Montreal Gazette Oct. 14th 1919 Nor Will
They (Turkey) Oppose Grant of Territory to Armenia
,
656118&dq=armenian+massacres&hl=en

RETRAIT D’UNE LOI AU PARLEMENT SUR DES MESURES D’EXCEPTION
Laetitia

armenews.com
vendredi 24 fevrier 2012

Contre toute attente, le gouvernement armenian a retire de l’ordre du
jour du Parlement, le mercredi 22 fevrier, un amendement controverse
et vivement critique par l’opposition, selon laquelle le projet de
loi aurait permis aux autorites de recourir a l’armee pour disperser
les manifestations. Le premier ministre Tigrane Sarkissian a demande
au president du Parlement Samvel Nikoyan de retirer de l’agenda de
l’Assemblee nationale le projet de loi concernant la mise en place
de mesures d’exception, deux semaines seulement après son passage en
première lecture.

Le porte-parole de T.Sarkissian, Aram Ananian, a indique sur les
ondes du service armenien de RFE/RL que le texte serait modifie avant
d’etre renvoye au Parlement pour etre vote, sans preciser la teneur
de ces changements.

En l’etat, le texte stipule que le president de la Republique peut
decreter l’etat d’urgence en cas de ” danger immediat pour l’ordre
constitutionnel”, comme les tentatives de prendre le pouvoir par
la force, le terrorisme et les “desordres de masse”. Il autorise le
chef de l’Etat a en appeler aux forces armees pour qu’elles aident
la police et les autres forces de securite a faire respecter l’etat
d’urgence. En ce cas, les effectifs militaires seraient autorises a
faire usage des equipements anti-emeutes et d’armes a balles reelles
conformement a la legislation armenienne sur la police.

Les groupes d’opposition, et au premier chef le Parti Jarangutyun
(Heritage) avaient fait part de leurs preoccupations concernant
le projet de loi. Ils estimaient que les autorites cherchaient a
renforcer les assises legales d’un recours eventuellement mortel a
la force des armes contre l’opposition, a l’approche des elections
legislatives de mai prochain.

Les autorites ont promis que le scrutin serait exemplaire et,
contrairement a tous ceux qui l’ont precede, ne serait pas entache de
fraudes ou d’irregularites, mais elle s’emploient aussi a eviter la
repetition du scenario tragique qui avait coûte la vie a 11 personnes
le 1er mars 2008 a Erevan, au lendemain d’elections presidentielles
contestees dans la rue par l’opposition. S’il avait recuse les
critiques de l’opposition, selon laquelle le texte de loi permettrait
aux forces armees d’intervenir dans un processus politique dont elles
devraient au contraire etre tenues a l’ecart, le gouvernement et la
majorite qui le soutient au Parlement ont toutefois voulu dissiper
les craintes emises par l’opposition.

Armen Martirosian, un depute de Jarangutyun, a suggere deux raisons
au retrait par le gouvernement de l’amendement controverse : “Tout
d’abord, la question de l’intervention de l’armee a des resonnances qui
inquiètent meme les membres de la majorite, comme le depute du Parti
republicain au pouvoir [HHK], Rafik Petrosian, qui s’etait clairement
oppose a ce texte qui contredit sans ambiguïte notre Constitution”,
a indique le depute, en ajoutant que l’amendement avait ete pu passer
une première fois parce que plusieurs deputes du HHK avaient vote pour
leurs collègues absents des bancs de l’Assemblee, en violation de ses
statuts. Le gouvernement veut endiguer les critiques de l’opposition
qui mettent en cause la validite de l’adoption de l’amendement,
a explique le depute. Les unites de l’armee armenienne ont recu
l’ordre de se deployer au Coeur de Erevan a deux occasions par le
passe. La dernière en date, le 1er mars 2008, avait laisse un très
mauvais souvenir.

SAMVEL GARABEDIAN POURRAIT ACHETER LA MARQUE ROBERTO CAVALLI
Krikor Amirzayan

armenews.com
vendredi 24 fevrier 2012

Info ou intox ? Toujours est-il que le site Euromag.ru annonce que
le riche homme d’affaire armenien, Samvel Garabedian, proprietaire
du groupe ” Dashir ” s’apprete a acheter la celèbre marque italienne
de pret-a-porter Roberto Cavalli. ” Dashir ” a lance depuis quelques
annees le projet Casa Italia avec des boutiques presentant des marques
italiennes de luxe près du Kremlin et de la Place Rouge. Selon les
specialistes, la transaction pour la marque Roberto Cavalli menee par
Samvel Garabedian se porterait a près de 500 millions d’euros. Le
couturier Robert Cavalli avait quant a lui estime ses affaires a
un minimum d’un milliard d’euros. Mais selon Euromag.ru, d’autres
repreneurs etrangers de la marque italienne sont sur les rangs…dont
des chinois.

L’OSCE SOULIGNE LE CLIMAT DE DEFIANCE EN ARMENIE A L’APPROCHE DES ELECTIONS
Gari

armenews.com
vendredi 24 fevrier 2012

Les mouvements d’opposition et les organisations issues de la
societe civile en Armenie n’ont qu’une confiance très limitee dans les
engagements de leur gouvernement a conduire des elections legislatives
justes et libres en mai prochain, ont constate des responsables de
l’Organisation pour la Securite et la Cooperation en Europe (OSCE).

Nicola Schmidt, directeur adjoint du departement en charge des
elections au bureau des Institutions democratiques et des droits de
l’homme (ODIHR) de l’OSCE, et Raul Lucian Muresan, expert en droit
electoral auprès de l’ODIHR, avaient effectue une visite de travail a
Erevan trois semaines auparavant dans le cadre d’une “mission de suivi”
en vue d’un etat des lieux de l’Armenie a l’approche des elections.

A cette occasion, ils avaient rencontre des representants du
gouvernement, ainsi que des responsables de partis politiques et
d’associations, avec lesquels ils avaient discute des preparatifs des
elections de mai et des modalites pratiques d’une mission d’observation
du scrutin par une delegation de l’OSCE. Dans le rapport qu’ils
viennent de rendre public, MM. Schmidt et Muresan estiment necessaire
le deploiement de quelque 300 observateurs de l’OSCE/ODIHR lors du
scrutin, si toutefois leur organisme recoit une invitation officielle
en ce sens du gouvernement armenien. “L’OSCE/ODIHR a ete informe
par les autorites armeniennes qu’une telle invitation serait envoyee
dès lors que la campagne electorale aura ete officiellement lancee”,
indique le rapport. Les Etats membres de l’OSCE avaient deploye un
nombre similaire d’obervateurs lors des precedents scrutins armeniens,
presidentiel et legislatif. Les conclusions de leur mission avaient
ete determinants pour la legitimite internationale de ces elections.

MM. Schmidt et Muresan ont precise que tous leurs interlocuteurs a
Erevan s’etaient montres favorables a une mission d’observation de
l’OSCE lors du scrutin de mai. “La presence de l’ODIHR est tenue pour
essentielle pour ce qui concerne la perception du processus electoral”,
souligne leur rapport. Cette exigence de surveillance d’observateurs
etrangers neutres est ” due au manque de confiance exprime par la
plupart des interlocuteurs de l’OSCE/ODIHR, plus particulièrement les
representants de l’opposition et de la societe civile, tant envers
le processus electoral qu’envers l’administration ad hoc, ainsi que
par les soupcons des media concernant de possibles manipulations, y
compris le jour de l’election”. “Les partis politiques, du gouvernement
comme de l’opposition, expriment une mefiance mutuelle. Nombre de nos
interlocateurs ont exprime leurs doutes quant aux objectifs affiches
par les autorites concernant la transparence et la regularite du
processus electoral”, poursuit le rapport. Les representants de
l’OSCE ont toutefois salue les amendements apportes en 2011 au Code
electoral armenien, estimant qu’ils “constituent une bonne base pour
l’organisation d’elections democratiques”.

Les partis d’opposition d’Armenie ne partagent pas cet optimisme,
et reclament des reformes plus radicales du code electoral, notamment
le basculement de l’ensemble du scrutin au mode proportionnel. A ce
jour, le gouvernement armenien a adresse une fin de non recevoir a ces
demandes. Le rapport de mission de l’ODIHR ne dit rien en revanche
quant aux modifications eventuelles de la taille et des modalites
de travail de la mission d’observation qui doit etre deployee en
Armenie, et qui avaient ete reclamees par l’opposition armenienne,
et plus particulièrement par le Congrès national armeniens (HAK),
alliance de partis d’opposition non parlementaires dirigee par Levon
Ter Petrossian. Le HAK estime que les observateurs, venus pour la
plupart de pays occidentaux, devraient etre presents dans l’ensemble
des 2000 bureaux de vote d’Armenie le jour du scrutin. Le HAK fait
valoir que si l’OSCE et d’autres institutions europeennes ne sont
pas capables d’envoyer une mission plus importante, elles devraient
au moins s’assurer que leurs observateurs restent stationnes dans un
meme bureau de vote le jour du scrutin, de facon a pouvoir surveiller
le vote proprement dit comme le decompte des bulletins, plutôt que
d’aller de bureaux de vote en bureaux de vote, en prenant ainsi le
risque de laisser passer d’eventuelles fraudes et irregularites.