Month: February 2012

AZERBAIJANIS ELIMINATE ARMENIAN MONUMENTS IN NAKHIJEVAN

ARMENPRESS
February 20, 2011
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 20, ARMENPRESS: No Armenian monument has remained
in Nakhijevan, expert Argam Ayvazyan told a news conference today. He
said the issue is not private it refers to all. “The intellectuals,
state officials, public figures have no right to be indifferent. It
is even unknown in which conditions the monuments were eliminated,”
Ayvazyan said. He said Azerbaijan commits vandalism over Armenian
monuments and the issue is under the limelight of the Ministry of
Culture. The cross-stones registered during the different periods
were eliminated mostly in 1998-2006.

As a solution to the issue the expert suggests the public be demanding
in the issue of preservation of the Armenian culture and voice the
issue in the international court.

From: A. Papazian

VARDAN AYVAZYAN SEES NOTHING BAD IN INCLUSION OF BUSINESSMEN IN PARTY LISTS

Panorama.am
20/02/2012

There will be businessmen candidates on election lists of all parties
and there is nothing bad in it, member of RPA parliamentary faction
Vardan Ayvazyan told a news conference, commenting on inclusion on
businessmen candidates in party lists.

“For example, Hakob Hakobyan will be an MP candidate in Dilijan. Why
shouldn’t he run for parliament? He has never missed a single meeting
of the committee,” said the speaker.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

CONGRESSMEN TO PRESIDENT: YOUR COMMITMENT TO RULE OF LAW IN ARMENIA CAN BE EXAMPLE FOR MANY OTHERS

Panorama.am
20/02/2012

President Serzh Sargsyan received on Sunday delegation of the US
Congressmen, who have arrived to Armenia from the US on route to
Afghanistan.

At the dinner in honor of the Congressmen, President Serzh Sargsyan
noted that he attaches the utmost importance to the contacts with the
friends of Armenia in Congress whose support has had its considerable
impact on the establishment and development of democracy in Armenia
as well as on the preservation of stability in our region. “Taking
this opportunity, I would like to express gratitude to you all for
making possible financial, humanitarian and technical assistance to
Armenia from day one of our independence.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic
relations between Armenia and the United States, and I am glad that
we are celebrating this jubilee on the highest level,” President
Serzh Sargsyan said.

The Congressmen stressed the importance of the development of the
US-Armenia relations. Your commitment to human rights, democracy and
the rule of law in Armenia can be an example for many, many others,”
Congressman David Dreier said.

At the meeting discussed was a wide range of issues pertinent to
the development and deepening of the Armenian-American relations
and stressed was the importance of strengthening bilateral and
multilateral cooperation.

MARCH TO YERABLUR: EIGHT YEARS SINCE ARMENIAN OFFICER GURGEN MARGARYAN HACKED TO DEATH

Panorama.am
20/02/2012

The Young Union of Yerevan State University Alumni is organizing
a march to Yerablur today to mark the 8th anniversary of murder of
Armenian officer Gurgen Margaryan, organization’s press office said.

The march will start from Yerablur. Action participants will head to
Yerablur Church, then will visit Gurgen Margaryan’s grave. Some of
them will address the event.

The action has been initiated by the Armenian Defense Ministry, Gurgen
Margaryan Foundation, and Generation of Independence organization.

On February 19, 2004, Armenian citizen, Lieutenant of Armenian Armed
Forces Gurgen Margaryan, 26, was hacked to death while asleep by Ramil
Safarov, a Lieutenant of the Azerbaijani Army. Both were participants
of an English language training course within the framework of the
NATO-sponsored “Partnership for Peace” program held in Budapest,
Hungary.

UYL ADDRESSES OPEN LETTER TO ARMENIAN PRESIDENT

Tert.am
20.02.12

The United Youth League (YUL) movement has addressed an open letter
to Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan.

In its letter, the movement calls on the president to deal with the
problem of Yerevan’s Mashtots park.

The letter reads in part:

“Dear Mr President,

“Confident in your goodwill, the United Youth League is calling on
you to deal with the problem of construction in Mashtots park.

“At present, no green zone in our city must be turned into a trade
area, with polluted air and few public gardens.

“We are also well aware of the fact that the kiosk owners and workers
may lose their job. So we propose that the kiosks be removed from
the city’s center to other parts.”

INDEPENDENCE AND RECOGNITION: INT’L CONFERENCE IN STEPANAKERT DISCUSSES PROSPECTS OF KARABAKH’S STATEHOOD
By Naira Hayrumyan

ArmeniaNow
20.02.12

Last weekend Stepanakert saw a two-day international conference
entitled “The 20th Anniversary of NKR’s Independence: Realities and
Prospects”, which was attended by lawmakers and political scientists
from Karabakh and Armenia, representatives of the expert communities
from Russia, Germany, the United Kingdom, Poland, Greece, the
Netherlands. The official delegation at the conference from Armenia was
led by Deputy Speaker of the Armenian Parliament Eduard Sharmazanov.

The main message of the conference was the statement delivered by the
chief editor of the Russian news agency REGNUM, well-known Russian
political consultant Modest Kolerov: “I do not agree that the more an
independent state exists [de facto], the more objective arguments it
has for independence [de jure]. It makes no sense to demand that the
world recognize the independence of Karabakh until Armenia does so.”

In response, Sharmazanov said that Armenia’s goal is to achieve
an international recognition of Nagorno-Karabakh. “If a unilateral
recognition by Armenia will help in this matter, we will make this
step. But everything has its time.”

According to the chairman of the NKR parliamentary commission on
foreign policy affairs Vahram Atanesyan, the modern world does not
suggest an order by which Nagorno-Karabakh can peacefully exist within
Azerbaijan. “The incompatible cannot be combined. The West and the
East are incompatible, and now this boundary passes along the border
between Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan,” said the Karabakhi lawmaker.

The conference took place against the background of a political
controversy surrounding a recent interview by NKR President Bako
Sahakyan to one of the Greek-language Armenian newspapers. Responding
to a question about the limits of concessions from the Armenian side,
Sahakyan said that the matter did not concern unilateral concessions,
but rather a compromise and that everything would be done without
any damage to the interests of the Armenian side.

This caused a flurry of discussions on online social networking
sites and in the mainstream media. Armenian political analyst Sergey
Shakaryants said that the president of Karabakh should not talk about
possible concessions at all. Chairman of the European Integration of
Artsakh NGO Hayk Khanumyan published an article in which he called
Sahakyan a “driving force behind capitulation”.

Chairman of the NKR Public Council for Foreign Policy and Security
Masis Mailyan also believes that neither Armenia nor Nagorno-Karabakh
should be discussing the issue of territories. “The Armenian
sides should not be tricked by official Baku that often refers
to the recognition of the Azerbaijani Republic ostensibly within
‘internationally recognized borders’. “Despite the fact that the
Azerbaijani Republic was internationally recognized 20 years ago, it
was only recently that the Azerbaijani-Russian border was determined.

The process of delimitation and demarcation of the Azeri-Georgian
border and the Azerbaijani-Iranian maritime border is still
continuing, and the status of the Caspian Sea itself has not been
defined. And the process of defining the borders between Azerbaijan
and Nagorno-Karabakh, Azerbaijan and Armenia have not started at all
in view of the lack of diplomatic relations between the two countries.”

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

UPCOMING ELECTIONS TO INFLUENCE NKR CONFLICT SETTLEMENT

Aysor.am
Monday,February 20

“In the Minsk Group co-chairing countries elections are going to be
held soon. It may have its influence over the NKR conflict settlement
process,” said RPA fraction secretary Gagik Malikyan today.

The speaker touched upon the international conference held in
Stepanakert and mentioned that the international experts were
delighted with NKR and its achievements. None of them has felt he is
in a war zone.

They discussed Kosovo and other similar issues at the conference
drawing parallels with the NKR conflict and the mentioned conflicts.

According to G. Melikyan the international experts have noted that
the Karabakh war has not ended yet.

NA Vice-speaker Eduard Sharmazanov and G. Melikyan have visited
military positions in Aghdam during their visit to Karabakh and have
“called on the soldiers to be more courageous and brave.”

NAREG HARTOUNIAN: “THEY’RE TELLING US TO PACK UP AND LEAVE THE COUNTRY”

HETQ
12:37, February 20, 2012

The RA Customs Agency has slapped a ban on all Tsar brand items
imported by the Hartounian family’s GH Storage Enterprises company.

This is the latest development in the tax evasion case pitting the
diaspora Armenian Hartounian’s and Armenia’s State Revenue Committee.

The Hartounian’s argue that the move is a violation of their
constitutional rights to operate a business.

Despite the fact that the amount of contested tax is 111 million AMD,
the Compulsory Enforcement Service refused to freeze 1.2 billion of
the company’s real estate.

Instead, the CES today froze all fixed and variable property belonging
to the company.

Commenting on today’s decision, Nareg Hartounian said he had no doubt
that the whole affair is being planned in an attempt to destroy the
family business.

“They are telling us straight out to pack up and leave,” he said.

ACTIVISTS PROTESTING SHOP CONSTRUCTION IN PARK MARCHED TO YEREVAN CITY HALL

epress.am
02.20.2012

Environmentalists and supporters who have been protesting nearly
round-the-clock at Mashtots Park in Yerevan today marched to Yerevan
City Hall, demanding the mayor annul his earlier decision and dismantle
the shops being built in the park.

Recall, the Yerevan municipality authorized the construction after
ordering the shop owners to relocate their businesses from large kiosks
that stood on Abovyan St. until last month, RFE/RL’s Armenian service
reported. They were dismantled, along with hundreds of sidewalk kiosks
across the Armenian capital, only to be rebuilt in the park between
Aram and Buzand streets next to the maternity hospital on Mashtots Ave.

The dozen or so activists who arrived at city hall were shouting
“Taron, come!”, urging Yerevan mayor Taron Margaryan to come out and
speak with them. Approaching the activists was Acting Secretary of
Yerevan City Hall Staff Sergey Makaryan, who first urged the activists
not to chant insulting statements and then suggested they hand the
letter they brought with them to him, explaining that the mayor is
busy and cannot meet with them at this time.

Member of the civic movement “We are the owners of this city” Vahram
Soghomonyan and several activists, after speaking with the city
employee, agreed to give him the letter addressed to the mayor.

Then, as Makaryan was leaving, activists called out, “Shame! Shame”
and again, “Taron, come!”

Protestors are now waiting for a response to their letter.

RUSSIA IS SWINGING THE STATUS QUO
Naira Hayrumyan

Story from Lragir.am News:

Published: 15:16:27 – 20/02/2012

Apparently, Russia decided to “convince” Armenia to recognize
Karabakh’s independence. The Editor-in-Chief of Regnum Agency Modest
Kolerov attended the conference dedicated to the 20 anniversary of
Karabakh independence and stated that no international recognition will
happen until Armenia recognizes Karabakh’s independence: “The inertial
process will not protect the independence of Artsakh, without any new
historical national acts this process will not develop. It makes no
sense to require the recognition of independence from the world for
as long as Armenia does not recognize the independence of Karabakh”
said Kolerov.

Director of the International Institute of Military States (Russia)
Aleksei Martinov shared his opinion and said: “I am sure, Armenia
should immediately recognize Karabakh’s independence”.

In response, Vice-Speaker of Armenia’s parliament Eduard Sharmazanov
stated that Armenia does everything for the recognition of the NKR
independence and the recognition by Armenia is necessary to achieve
this aim, it will happen.

The arguments brought by the Russian political scientists are
interesting. Say, Kolerov compares the situation with the one of
Abkhazia and Ossetia. He says that Russia was going to recognize this
republic establishing agreement relations with it. Kolerov was as
if hinting that the recognition by Armenia can become a springboard
for Russia. It is noteworthy that dwelling on the recognition by the
West, Kolerov noted that it won’t happen until French peacekeepers
are deployed in Karabakh. This once again seems a hint – if Russian
peacekeepers are deployed in Karabakh, recognition may follow also.

But why do we need such recognition like in case of Abkhazia?

One more no less strange argument is brought by the other expert
Aleksei Martinov who stated that Karabakh’s recognition by Armenia
will lead to the non-resumption of the conflict, while it is evident
that the conflict will be resumed if Armenia does not recognize it.

The Russian political scientists are evident to be trying to achieve
a change of the status quo by Armenia which has not yet allowed
the Russian party be present in Karabakh. Karabakh’s recognition by
Armenia and documental recognition of responsibility for its security
may enable the Russian troops in Armenia widen their competences
reaching also Karabakh.

Many Armenian politicians dwelt and dwell on the necessity to recognize
Karabakh. But when Russia or any other party starts pushing Armenia
to make that step in the most inconvenient moment, it causes doubts.

In the end, no one hides that Russia’s policy relating to the Karabakh
issue will become more aggressive after Putin’s election. But the
status quo of the Karabakh issue is so fragile, it has been so long
and carefully laid, that no violations, even for Putin’s ambitions,
must be allowed.