Month: February 2015

ARMENIAN DEPUTY FM: ANKARA SHOULD CHANGE ITS MINDSET OF DENIAL

February 2, 2015 17:11

Shavarsh Kocharyan

Photo: PAN Photo

Yerevan /Mediamax/. Deputy Foreign Minister of Armenia Shavarsh
Kocharyan said that instead of changing the day the Battle of
Gallipoli has been traditionally marked, Turkish authorities “should
have altered their mindset of denial which is the continuation of
the genocide policy”.

“It turns out it is acceptable for Turkish authorities not to respond
to Armenian President’s invitation to attend the events commemorating
the victims of the Armenian Genocide committed in Ottoman Empire,
and by moving the day of events dedicated to the anniversary of the
Battle of Gallipoli to April 24, dare send an invitation conflicting
with the code of ethics to Armenian President requesting to take part
in them”, said Shavarsh Kocharyan answering the question of Armenpress.

According to Shavarsh Kocharyan, by resorting to such elementary
tricks Ankara is “making another unsuccessful attempt to conceal its
inability to confront its past and accept the historic truth which
might pave the way for the normalization of Armenian-Turkish ties”.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARFD: FOUNDING PARLIAMENT’S PERSISTENCE TO HOLD PROTEST ACTIONS IN NAGORNO-KARABAKH IS NOT CLEAR

by Ashot Safaryan

Monday, February 2, 13:05

Some forces may use the incident in Berdzor to drive a hedge between
Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, the secretary of the parliamentary
group of the ARFD Aghvan Vardanyan told journalists on Monday.

He said that the goals, the slogan and the behavior of the Founding
Parliament are not acceptable to the ARFD.

“By using ‘The 100th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide without
the Ruling Regime’ slogan, they have made this tragic date as an
instrument for solving some internal political disputes. On the
contrary, we must use this date to consolidate our nation. We also
wonder why the organizers of the action ignored the urges of people
from Nagorno-Karabakh not to hold such an action now that the tension
on the contact line is high,” Vardanyan said.

On the other hand, he pointed out that the police should not have
used force. “This is unacceptable as some forces can use this for
driving a hedge between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh,” Vardanyan said.

To recall, representatives of the Founding Parliament, including
Zhirayr Sefilyan, an Artsakh War veteran, were severely beaten up on
their way to Karabakh, near Berdzor. With such7 measures the Karabakh
Police tried to prevent the car rally in Artsakh. The rally is part of
the Movement “Centennial Without the Regime” that seeks a power shift
in Armenia ahead of the Armenian Genocide centennial. Members of the
Founding Parliament say many of the police officers who attacked them
were wearing civilian cloths. They say the police officers dragged
them out from their cars and severely beaten up with rubber sticks.

Many of the beaten up activists were taken to the Stepanakert
Hospital. Sefilyan was hospitalized in grave condition too.

Meanwhile, the Karabakh Police disseminated a statement saying they
allegedly acted within the law. They said that the car rally had
garnered a “negative response from wide segments of the public
in Artsakh” and unknown individuals had decided to prevent the
participants of the car rally from entering the territory of Nagorno
Karabakh.

The statement went on to say that given these circumstances and
possible violations of public order, the NKR police had placed units
along several sections of the Goris-Stepanakert highway. They said
that the participants of the car rally were asked by police officers
stationed on the highway to turn back because their initiative could
cause “social tension” in Artsakh. “However, several participants of
the car rally, opposing our request, resorted to illegal activities
and continued provocations, even after warnings to desist by police,”
the statement read. “To prevent possible mass unrest, the police of NKR
were forced to resort to corresponding measures conferred to them by
law. Sadly, there were injuries, however no one’s life is in danger.”

NATIONAL GALLERY OF ARMENIA TO HOST EXHIBITION OF ARMENIAN ARTIST TATIANA DANILIYANTS ENTITLED “THE LIGHT INSIDE”

by Emmanuil Lazarian

Monday, February 2, 12:11

“Light is a fundamental phenomenon not only for the art, but also for
life, in general. Light is not just physical specification of items,
but spirituality. Light illuminates not only the reality making it
visible, but also unveils the hidden qualities and features of human
soul.” This is how Tatiana Daniliyants, an Armenian artist, sculptor,
film director and poetess, feels the light. The artist lives and
creates in Moscow and Venice. Her exhibition of color photography and
Murano glass sculptures entitled “The Light Inside” will be open at
the National Gallery of Armenia on February 3-15 2015.

Daniliyants told Armenia, the special exhibition project “The Light
Inside” for the National Gallery of Armenia unites two expositions
that have been held in Russia and Europe earlier: Anima Russa (“Russian
Soul”) and Venice: Afloat.

Tatiana Daniliyants is an artist who works in three distinct media:
poetry, photography and film. she graduated as a Master of Fine
Arts from the Moscow Surikov Academy of Fine Arts and also at the
celebrated Higher Courses of Film Directing and Script Writing. She
also participated in a Master Class under the celebrated Polish
director Andrej Wajda in Krakow and has established The Butterfly
Angel film company. She is a member of the International Union of
Art Photographers and has published three volumes of poetry.

HANS-JURGEN ZAHORKA: AZERBAIJAN IS MOST CORRUPT COUNTRY OF COUNCIL OF EUROPE

18:03 02/02/2015 >> INTERVIEWS

Panorama.am presents an interview with Mr. Hans-Jurgen Zahorka,
Chief Editor of European Union Foreign Affairs Journal (EUFAJ) and
a former Member of European Parliament. Mr. Zahorka shared his view
on the approach of Europe to Azerbaijan’s deteriorating human rights
record, Azerbaijan’s significance as an energy exporter to Europe,
the formation of the Nagorno Karabakh group in the EP, some aspects
of EU-Armenia future relations and other issues.

Commenting on the question of deteriorating human rights record in
Azerbaijan, which was once again raised in a wave of protests in
Germany during Aliyev’s latest visit to Berlin, Mr. Zahorka said,
“Crackdown on human rights in Azerbaijan has been growing and getting
worse and worse recently. Azerbaijan has been chairing the Committee
of Ministers of the Council of Europe and within this term the worst
crackdowns have been committed against activists, journalists, NGOs
and other civil society representatives in Azerbaijan (take only the
recent closure of Radio Liberty, or the arrests of every possible
opposition figure). This first of all is happening because Azerbaijan
is governed by an authoritarian president, in an authoritarian system,
which tries to do everything to preserve its status and which does not
at all fit into the European culture of discussion we have otherwise.”

At the same time he pointed to the fact that parallel to the crackdown
within the country there is also an opposition forming itself outside
of Azerbaijan, which the Azerbaijani censorship cannot prevent from
speaking out against the regime.

Commenting about the “caviar diplomacy” of Azerbaijan in the Council
of Europe and the European Parliament Mr. Zahorka said that such
method of bringing individual members of parliament on their side is
condemnable. “If you have to give a kilo of caviar for someone to vote
in favour of something then this is a sign of weakness”, – he said,
adding that “Azerbaijan is today the most corrupt country among the
CoE member states, which is very clearly confirmed by several or all
of the opposition movements of that country.”

Mr. Zahorka found himself in the black list of Azerbaijan after he
visited the Nagorno Karabakh Republic as an observer of presidential
elections in 2012. Even though not at all unhappy about being a
persona non grata in Azerbaijan, he deplored such policies and said
that his example is just one among many. He recalled for instance the
case of former PACE rapporteur on Political Prisoners in Azerbaijan
Mr. Strasser (now Commissioner for Human Rights for the German
Government) who was simply barred from entering Azerbaijan to do
his job. Unfortunately these incidents according to Mr. Zahorka also
demonstrate the weakness of the Council of Europe, “which has a lot
to catch up with possible sanctions to its member states if they step
aside from their commitments”. Having said that he at the same time
noted that the CoE clearly condemned Azerbaijan for the breach of a
convention in the Ramil Safarov murder case after the prison “swap”
Hungary-Azerbaijan – this was an overdue but a clear response to
such practices.

In relation to sanctions as such Mr. Zahorka reminded that the CoE
has three ways to apply sanctions – it can cut the right to vote
(which was the case with Russia), suspend the membership or cancel
it. The EU on the other hand is much more efficient in sanctioning
because the EU, unlike the CoE, can apply economic sanctions (it
has been seen with Russia). But according to Zahorka the EU is in
somewhat difficult situation because it is trying to diversify from
Russian oil and gas, in which Azerbaijan plays a role.

Having said that, however, Zahorka also noted that Azerbaijan should
not count too much on the EU in this context, because the EU tries to
diversify as fast as possible from all important primary raw materials
(such as gas and oil) in order to avoid energy dependency on any
one country. He mentioned that in autumn 2014 for instance wind
energy produced only in Germany created more electricity than all
the nuclear power plants created in Germany, that renewable energy
like solar and wind energy are now in a real economic boost.

“We of course need energy, but at the same time we need less energy per
capita, because for instance every fridge now uses less energy than
its predecessors. We are going to end up in an energy mix including
lots of decentralized energy sources like solar energy, wind energy,
water energy and geothermal energy. For example, I live in a “passive
house” – only with solar and geothermal energy plus electricity,
without any oil and gas, an average house to live in. So altogether
less energy will be needed, especially less fossil energy…

Thus in this respect the importance of Azerbaijan as an energy
provider to European countries is not as big as it is portrayed;
it is actually fading away – slowly but surely,” said the former MEP.

In any case the EU has all the right to apply its soft power in
pointing out the flaws in member countries as regards their commitments
to European values, despite being good clients to them; in this respect
“one of the primary objectives should be to bring Azerbaijan on the
path of democracy,” he added.

Mr. Zahorka also welcomed the recently formed Nagorno Karabakh group
in the European Parliament presided by Frank Engel from Luxemburg.

“Any MEP has the right to open any informal group he wants on whatever
issue he wants. We have various groups on big and small issues
as well as on relations between certain countries, regions or even
cities. So if we have a friendship group with Azerbaijan then why not
have a friendship group with Nagorno Karabakh? Those MEPs involved
in this group are interested in the exchange of information about
Nagorno Karabakh because they see that there is a possible conflict
there. As EU representatives they are interested in having peace at
its borders and this group facilitates awareness on this important
issue,” he noted.

At the same time Zahorka thinks that Nagorno Karabakh is not properly
represented in Europe. “There are very good reasons for NKR to exist
as a state; however there is an urgent need for its leadership to do
a better PR abroad and to raise awareness about Nagorno Karabakh.

History can play an important role in this, and this can be done
without any caviar,” he said.

Having been an election observer in NKR in 2012, Mr. Zahorka noticed
also that NK government makes a mistake by inviting representatives
of right-wing extremists from Europe as election observers, some of
whom are not taken serious in the EU. “The people of Nagorno Karabakh
deserve the solidarity of European democrats, for the 2012 elections
were indeed very clean, free and fair. The people of Azerbaijan would
be happy if they had elections under these circumstances as in Karabakh
at least once,” he said.

As for further relations between the EU and Armenia now that Armenia
has joined the Customs Union, Hans-Jurgen Zahorka, who has been
an active advocate of Armenia’s European integration, believes
Armenia should make an overall strategic rethinking of its foreign
policy before it becomes a full-fledged member of the Eurasian Union
and should “place the relations with European Union on an orderly
fundament”. Armenia can still develop its economic relations with
the EU and facilitate the export to Europe of such products as
Armenian wine, cognac, vodka, agricultural products such as fish,
etc., as well as tourism, the full potential of which he believes is
not quite reached. According to him possibilities regarding a more
active role of the EU in the region, such as for instance the presence
of EU peacekeepers in Nagorno Karabakh, also needs to be explored,
given that the EU foreign and security policy is now gaining momentum.

After all, “Armenia is a part of Europe; it is attached to European
values,” said Zahorka, “and in future it might have the potential of
becoming a member of the EU.”

Nvard Chalikyan

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PRESIDENT SARGSYAN SACKS MILITARY INSTITUTE CHIEF AFTER DEATH OF CADET

YEREVAN, February 2. / ARKA /. Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan has
sacked today Lieutenant General Martin Karapetyan as head of Vazgen
Sargsyan Military Institute of the Defense Ministry, the presidential
press service reported.

The decision to fire the general was prompted by the death of a
military cadet on January 29, who reportedly was killed by 4 fellow
servicemen. The cadet, Haykaz Barseghyan, was found hanged in a
military unit in Yerevan. The four fellow servicemen were detained.

Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan held an emergency meeting on Saturday
in connection with the death of the soldier. Ohanyan blamed the crime
on vicious morals resulting from poor work of some officers and their
failure to comply with their official duties.

Ohanyan was also quoted as saying that all the responsible will be
punished to the fullest extent of the law. -0-

SHNOGH RESIDENTS ADDRESSED LETTER TO OSCE AMBASSADOR IN ARMENIA IN REGARD WITH TEGHOUT MINE – PHOTOS

16:47 January 30, 2015

EcoLur

Shnogh residents have addressed a letter to Andrey Sorokin –
the Head of the OSCE Office in Yerevan in regard with Teghout
copper and molybdenum mining project, which says, “”Teghout” CSJC
is implementing the development of copper and molybdenum mine near
Shnogh and Teghout communities, which has profoundly deteriorated the
nature in both communities and the quality of the flowing water. There
are sufficient grounds to suspect that the tails produced by the
ore dressing plant directly flow into the river, which irrigate our
orchards. The pollution of the river water with mining wastes can
cause damage to the property and health of the community residents.

As the OSCE has been dealing with the conservation of environment for
many years, has sufficient experience and ties with field-specific
experts, so we would like to ask you to provide our professional
and organizational support through your experts to determine the
pollution of the water, as well as to assess economic, social,
health damage caused to two communities because of the mining project
implementation.”

Below we present the photos provided by Teghout Support civic
initiative taken on 28 January

ANKARA MAKES ANOTHER ATTEMPT TO COVER UP ITS INABILITY TO FACE THE PAST: ARMENIAN DEPUTY FM

18:17, 02 Feb 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan

Instead of changing the traditional date they mark the anniversary of
the Battle of Gallipoli, the Turkish authorities had better change
their way of thinking, which is the continuation of the genocidal
policy, Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Shavarsh Kocharyan has said.

“It turns out acceptable to the Turkish diplomacy to move the events
marking the anniversary of the Gallipoli Battle to April 24 without
responding to the Armenian President’s invitation to participate in the
events dedicated to the memory of the victims of the Armenian Genocide
perpetrated in the Ottoman Empire and even dare send an invitation to
the Armenian President, a step that contradicts all moral principles,”
the Deputy Foreign Minister said in comments to Armenpress.

“With such primitive tricks Ankara is making yet another unsuccessful
attempt to cover up its inability to face its past and accept
the historic truth, which could pave the way for normalization of
Armenian-Turkish relations,” Shavarsh Kocharyan said.

According to the Deputy Foreign Minister, to avoid this absurd
situation, the Turkish authorities had to change their way of thinking
rather than the date of marking the anniversary of Gallipoli Battle.

From: A. Papazian

BAKU IS PLAYING WITH FIRE

Friday, 30 January 2015 16:12

Will it receive tough assessments?

The year of 2015 has started with extreme escalation of tensions in the
Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict zone, and both the intensity and extent
of the armed provocations of Azerbaijan have significantly increased.

Today, the firing and sabotage actions, initiated exclusively by the
Azerbaijani party, are taking place almost along the entire line of
contact between the armed forces of the NKR and Azerbaijan. Moreover,
they have already covered the state border of Armenia, and the
“caliber” of violations has also grown – in addition to rifles
and machine guns, grenade launchers and mortars are also used. The
situation threatens to get out of control.

Under the circumstances, both Armenia and Artsakh have repeatedly
drawn the attention of international organizations, first of all the
OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmen, to the necessity of calling official
Baku to order and strict implementation of the assumed commitments
to resolve the conflict by exclusively peaceful means. It should be
fairly noted that some of the blame for the current situation falls
also on the co-chairs, as both Armenian parties have repeatedly, though
in vain, warned them that the complacent attitude of the mediators
to the extremely dangerous game of Azerbaijan with fire is fraught
with serious and even catastrophic consequences. Moreover, instead
of tough assessments to the provocative actions of the Azerbaijani
authorities, the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmen limited to general,
and thus pointless, statements, which, as also warned by Yerevan
and Stepanakert, only encourages official Baku for new large-scale
violations of the ceasefire.

It is quite natural that in the situation, when the mediators display
impermissible passivity, when inactive are the international mechanisms
of deterring Azerbaijan, which has actually unleashed mini-wars on
the line of contact, the role of suppressor and chastiser of the
aggressor is assumed by the armed forces of Armenia and the NKR. The
military leaderships of both Armenian Republics have honestly warned
the Azerbaijani authorities about the inevitability of punishment for
their criminal acts that lead to deaths and destabilization of the
situation. And I must say that these warnings were not made in vain
– they were followed by concrete actions, which led to significant
losses by the Azerbaijani party, about which, however, the military
command of Azerbaijan prefers to remain silent.

But, apparently, official Baku, for which the life of its own citizens
is worth nothing, does not intend to take into account the extent
of the losses. Azerbaijan continued the tactics of blackmail and
threats, trying to impose its will on both Armenian parties and on
the international community. But, Baku seems to have crossed the line.

Armenians’ patience was exhausted, prompting the President of Armenia
to make rather harsh statements. On January 26, at a solemn meeting
on the occasion of the 23rd anniversary of the Armenian Army, Serzh
Sargsyan, referring to the provocative actions of Azerbaijan, stated
unequivocally, “Hot shots let expect a lot of surprises. Moreover,
in case of larger and threatening accumulation on the border and
along the line of contact, we reserve the right to preventive strikes”.

Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry, in its usual manner, gave birth to its
hysterical statements far from the reality. It’s a pity. The warning
of the Armenian President should be taken more seriously, because it
is made by a man, who experienced a war and who does not waste words.

Unlike the current President of Azerbaijan, who wasted time in the
Turkish casino in the war years, losing daddy’s money, and who does
not know the cost of not only a word, but also the human life. By the
way, independent Azerbaijani political scientists advise to take more
seriously the statement of President Serzh Sargsyan.

But, let’s put aside the predictable reaction of Azerbaijan and let’s
return to the OSCE mediators. Immediately the next day after the noted
speech of Armenia’s President, both the OSCE Chairman-in-Office Ivica
Dacic and the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group issued statements,
which, we believe, were also the result of the tough warning of
Azerbaijan by Serzh Sargsyan. Yes, the co-chairs, as usual, called
on all the parties to observe the terms of the cease-fire agreement,
but striking is the fact that this time the mediators have displayed
a differentiated approach by making their appeals to Armenia and
Azerbaijan in different forms: “We called on Azerbaijan to observe
its commitments to a peaceful resolution of the conflict. We also
call on Armenia to take all measures to reduce tensions”. It becomes
clear from these formulations who, in fact, resorts to armed actions,
violating the international principle of non-use of force or threat
of force, on which the settlement process is based. Let’s add that
the document also says that at a meeting with the Azerbaijani Foreign
Minister the mediators, reminding him of their mandate, “expressed
concern about voices critical of the ongoing negotiation process, the
role of the Minsk Group Co-Chairs, and the duties of OSCE monitors”.

Can we say that the ice has broken and the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs
have finally decided to issue a targeted statement, pointing to the
true culprit of the escalation of tensions? And at the same time to
protect their esprit de corps, pointing to the unacceptability and
groundlessness of Azerbaijan’s condemnation of the co-chairs for the
inefficient negotiations, while the responsibility for the failure of
the settlement process lies entirely on the Baku authorities. Let
us not make hasty conclusions, because we, unfortunately, have
repeatedly been the witnesses of the political situation change
and the inconsistency of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs. However,
one thing is indisputable – the time requires the authoritative
international structures to take serious measures for the final
forcing of Azerbaijan to peace.

Leonid MARTIROSSIAN Editor-in-Chief of Azat Artsakh newspaper

“ARMENIA SHOULD BE MORE ACTIVE IN DEMANDING”

February 2 2015

Hrant Melik-Shahnazaryan considers that it is wrong to make the words
of the U.S. President a major objective Less than 100 days is left for
the Armenian Genocide Centennial, it is too little time left to act.

We have put our hope on the Day of Centennial, on this very day. Is
it worth being disposed that everything will be determined on this
very day? And whether we are doing everything that everything will
be decided on that day. In response to the questions of “Aravot”,
political analyst Hrant Melik-Shahnazaryan said the following,
“I would not say that we have set our hope on the anniversary of the
Centennial. The authorities of Armenia have repeatedly stated at the
highest presidential level that marking the centenary of the Armenian
Genocide is not the culmination, and our afterwards efforts aimed at
recognition of Genocide shall not cease. No, this is just a full year,
a remembrance year, and the events related to it are going to be more
intense and active. As to the Armenian issue, then I am sure that in
the following years, it will also be one of the main agendas in the
foreign policy of Armenia.” To the next question of whether we can
predict that the U.S. President Obama will utter the Armenian Genocide
in his statement on April 24, which means official US recognition of
the Armenian Cause and the Armenian Genocide, Hrant Melik-Shahnazaryan
replied, “It’s all the same for me whether or not Obama will utter
Armenian Genocide, I also consider that it is wrong to seeing the
major goal of whether the US president would say so or not. Not the
words but the actions and political processes are important that
should come after the recognition and condemnation of the Armenian
Genocide. Turkey’s possible activism to be in our region is also
important.” To the next question of whether our time for being true
demanding, compensation of our lands and money, property, material and
moral damage is close, Hrant Melik-Shahnazaryan replied that followed
by the current process, it can be said that the compensation-related
issues are quite a lot and still have a problem of solving them.

According to the political analyst, “At this stage, Armenia is reaching
an international recognition and condemnation, which happens in very
active paces, but the fact is that Turkey has not yet recognized
the Armenian Genocide, and all other countries that have already
recognized, do not make efforts to make Turkey stand back from its
denial policy. Unless Turkey recognizes, it would be too early to
address the issues of compensation. Although, everything exists in
the Armenian demand, and Armenia should have done everything sooner
the better and worked actively to solve the problems of demand and
compensation.”

Eva HAKOBYAN

Read more at:

SEYRAN OHANYAN FIRES LEADERSHIP OF MILITARY ACADEMY AFTER VAZGEN SARGSYAN

by Ashot Safaryan

Monday, February 2, 12:05

Defense Minister of Armenia Seyran Ohanyan launches personnel purges at
the Military Academy after Vazgen Sargsyan after cadet Haykaz Barsegyan
was found hanged from a chin-up bar on the local sports ground.

According to ArmInfo’s data, Head of the Academy, Major General Martin
Karapetyan has already filed in his resignation and Defense Minister
Seyran Ohanyan has accepted it. Furthermore, the minister is firing
the entire leadership of the Academy up to the heads of chairs.

The body of Haykaz Barseghyan was found hanged from a chin-up bar
on the sports ground at his military unit on Jan 29 morning. Chief
Military Investigation Department of the Investigation Committee has
opened a criminal case based on Article 104.7.2. of the Criminal Code
of Armenia (murder committed by a group of persons of organized group)
after relevant examination of the spot and preparation of materials.

Four cadets of the Academy have already faced murder charges: Movses
Azaryan, Norik Sahakyan. Vacheh Sahakyan, Gnel Tevosyan. All the four
have been arrested.

On January 31, the minister called extraordinary meeting over
Barseghyan’s murder. Looking into the materials of the case, the
minister said that crime was a result of ill-natured relations and
activity of separate officers and negligence of duties by them.

Ohanyan said the murder of the cadet was a stab in the back of the
men who guard the country’s borders day and night.