Author: Andres-Papazian

ISTANBUL COURT GETS PHONE RECORDS IN THE CASE OF HRANT DINK

ARMRADIO.AM
02.12.2011 15:51

An Istanbul court finally received the phone records requested from
Turkey’s Telecommunications Directorate (TIB) in the case of Hrant
Dink, a Turkish journalist of Armenian origin assassinated in 2007,
the Hurriyet Daily News reports.

The TIB had initially refused to comply with the court’s request,
claiming the demand would amount to a “violation of privacy.” In
recent months, the TIB had continued dragging its feet by advancing
other objections to the request to release the phone records relevant
to the case.

The TIB finally agreed to the court’s request and sent the records
last week.

Dink was the chief editor for weekly Agos, a paper published in both
Turkish and Armenian. He was shot in front of his office in January
2007. Gunman Ogun Samast was sentenced to 22 years in prison last
month for the murder.

From: A. Papazian

ARMENIAN FOOTBALL TEAM HAS ALL PREREQUISITES TO PLAY BETTER

news.am
Dec 1 2011
Armenia

Armenian national football team player, midfielder of Ukrainian FC
Shakhtar Henrik Mkhitaryan gave assessment of the play of his national
team in the Euro-2012 qualifying round.

“I think that we played well. If previously we did not manage to gain
12-13 points and kick many goals, now we can gain 17 points and kick
22 goals. Besides, we had the opportunity to get into playoff till
the last match.

I am thankful to my partners, coach and fans. Even after three matches
we lost, we were supported just as if we won. Armenian national team
has all the prerequisites to play better in the next qualifying round.

There is no limit to perfection,” Ukrainian Premier League website
quotes Mkhitaryan.

From: A. Papazian

HE’S AT IT AGAIN! AIRMILES ANDY JETS OFF TO VISIT ‘TORTURE’ LEADER ON UNEXPLAINED MIDDLE EAST DETOUR
By Rebecca English

28th November 2011

The Duke of York has courted controversy again by using a private jet
to take him on a secret visit to Azerbaijan en route to an official
tour of the Middle East.

Despite stepping down from his controversial globe-trotting trade
role, Andrew was on his fourth taxpayer-funded foreign trip in just
eight weeks when he made the unexplained detour last week.

His office has refused to discuss why he failed to arrive in Qatar
until last Sunday, a full four days after he left the UK in his luxury
executive plane.

Links: The Duke with Azerbaijan’s controversial President Aliyev on
an earlier visit .

But the Mail understands that the prince made a detour to the
former Soviet state of Azerbaijan, where he has forged links with
the country’s controversial president through his former role as a
UK trade and investment envoy.

When he finally did make it to his destination he undertook five days
of engagements before taking a further five days off in Abu Dhabi on
holiday, where he is currently still sunning himself.

More…Prince William co-pilots rescue helicopter after one dies and
five are missing in Irish Sea boat disaster

To deflect criticism, the Queen’s second son says he will be picking up
the bill for the jet himself and only charging the cost of a standard
business class ticket to and from Doha to the British Government.

But the disclosures will inevitably add to disquiet over the prince’s
role as a working royal, particularly his relationships with the
leaders of dubious regimes, as Azerbaijan is considered to be one of
the most corrupt countries in the world.

Enlarge All expenses paid: Prince Andrew has been on more trips
than last year since quitting as a UK trade envoy Andrew has visited
its leader, President Ilham Aliyev – accused of torturing political
opponents and election rigging – eight times in the last six years,
with two of the trips described as ‘entirely private’.

During one stay he was reported to have visited a luxury spa owned
by President Aliyev, which employs a blind Russian masseur described
as having ‘the best hands in the world’.

The regularity of his visits has led media in Azerbaijan to speculate
that he may have business links to the oil-rich state, including a golf
resort on the Caspian Sea. However Buckingham Palace has denied this.

Andrew is being accompanied on his trip by his assistant private
secretary, Laura Hutchings, his Scotland Yard security detail and a
male diplomat.

He arrived in Qatar last Sunday. He is believed to have stayed at the
five-star Four Seasons hotel, which boasts a private beach and marina,
where a suite costs upwards of �600 a night.

Over the next three and a half days he had a busy schedule of meetings
to promote British business interests in the region.

On Wednesday he flew to neighbouring Abu Dhabi for another day
and a half of engagements. But instead of flying back to the UK on
Thursday evening, he has stayed on in the country for up to five days
as a guest of its royal family. A spokesman confirmed this, saying:
‘The Duke of York’s official programme has ended. He is spending his
time in Abu Dhabi privately.’

Palatial: The Duke will spend five days in Abu Dhabi on holiday after
his official engagements end Although the prince has stepped down as
trade ambassador, he is still a senior working member of the Royal
Family and his expenses on official duties are met by taxpayers. A
business class flight to the UAE would cost around �3,000.

A spokesman for the prince said the trips were all planned in advance
of his decision to quit the trade role.

The official refused, however, to discuss his alleged trip to
Azerbaijan, saying he spent his time there ‘privately’ and adding:
‘There would have been no cost to the taxpayer.’ On Abu Dhabi, the
spokesman said: ‘We would not discuss how he got there, except to
say the taxpayer has funded the equivalent of a commercial fare.’

From: A. Papazian

CALL TO RESETTLE ARMENIANS IN KARABAKH THREATENS PEACE PROCESS

Milaz.info
Dec 2 2011
Azerbaijan

Paul Goble
Publications Advisor
Azerbaijan Diplomatic Academy

An Armenian diaspora effort to convince Armenians living abroad to
resettle in the Nagorno-Karabakh not only violates international law,
which specifies that an occupying power cannot change the ethnic mix
of a region in advance of a referendum by introducing its citizens or
co-ethnics into a region, but threatens progress under the aegis of
the OSCE Minsk Group to a resolution of the conflict between Armenia
and Azerbaijan.

Elman Abdullayev, the press secretary of the Azerbaijan Foreign
Ministry, noted that in connection with the 20th anniversary of the
independence of Armenia, Armenian groups have launched a program
called Armenia-3500, which is intended to convince 3500 Armenians
living in the diaspora to move to Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, thus
continuing Yerevan’s policy of “artificial and illegal settlement of
the occupied territories of Azerbaijan,” a policy that “contradicts
all norms and principles of international law.” [1]

While the Armenian project appears intended in the first instance to
try to attract members of the Armenian diaspora to come to Armenia
and thus help compensate for that republic’s loss of more than 1.3
million residents since 1991-an effort that has failed up to now to
convince more than 10,000 Armenians to return-[2] it is clear from
the project’s website and coverage in the Armenian media that the
organizers are most interested in getting Armenians from the diaspora
to move to Nagorno-Karabakh.

That is because, as the Armenia 3500 project notes, [3] those Armenians
from the diaspora who elect to move to occupied Nagorno-Karabakh will
receive free housing, something that those who move to the Republic
of Armenia will not get. But according to an article on Eurasianet,
such incentives have not had much effect: Only 12 diaspora Armenians
have agreed to move to Armenia itself since the project was announced
at the end of September 2011-and apparently none of them has agreed
to move to Nagorno-Karabakh. [4]

The exact relationship of this project to the Armenian government
is not clear, but those Armenian activists behind it appear to be
acting on the basis of two calculations. On the one hand, they may
hope, despite past failures to attract members of the diaspora, to
change the ethnic balance in Nagorno-Karabakh and thus give Armenians
a stronger voice in any future referendum there. And on the other,
they may believe that the appearance of even a miniscule number of
new members of the Armenian diaspora in Nagorno-Karabakh will have
an impact on the governments of the countries from which they come.

However that may be and despite the likelihood that Yerevan will fail
in this effort, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry’s Abdullayev is
clearly right when he observes that “the attempts of the Armenian
leadership to change the demographic situation in the country
unilaterally and illegally will inflict great harm to the negotiating
process for the resolution of the conflict” and that “once again
Armenia is demonstrating its destructive position,” something that
all countries and international organizations interested in peace
should take note of and condemn.

Notes

[1] See (accessed 7 November
2011).

[2] See (accessed 7 November
2011).

[3] See and

(accessed 7 November 2011).

[4] See (accessed 7 November
2011).

From: A. Papazian

ARMENIAN RAMKAVAR LIBERAL PARTY CHAIRMEN REJECT STATEMENT TO UNITE WITH ARMENAKAN RAMKAVAR LIBERAL PARTY

news.am
Dec 1 2011
Armenia

YEREVAN. – Armenian Ramkavar Liberal Party (ARLP) regional chairmen
declare that the party has not discussed the issue of unification
with other parties.

“We, the chairmen of ARLP and Republican Board Members state that we
learnt from media that Edward Antinyan, evicted from ARLP and Hakob
Avetikian, evicted from Diaspora institutional party jointly organized
a process of unification of some parties.

We officially state that there was no discussion on unification.

Moreover, there was no offer for unification by ARLP administration,”
the ARLP regional chairmen statement reads.

Armenian News-NEWS.am earlier reported that Armenian Ramkavar Liberal
Party (ARLP) headed by Edward Antinyan and Armenakan-Ramkavar Liberal
Party (RLP) headed by Hakob Avetikian united on Thursday. The two
parties allegedly signed a memorandum on this occasion.

From: A. Papazian

ARMENIAN GOVERNMENT ADJUSTS STATE BUDGET PROJECT FOR 2012

Vestnik Kavkaza
Dec 1 2011
Russia

The Armenian government has offered the income and expense parts of
the state budget of 2012 to be raised by 1.6 billion drams, Finances
Minister Vache Gabriyelyan said, ARKA reports.

The final project will state income of 911.6 billion drams, expenses –
1044.1 billion drams, deficit – 132.5 billion drams.

Gabriyelyan explained that the government received some 500 proposals
from commissions, franctions and deputies. He noted that fulfilling
the income part of budget had proposals for 1.1 trillion drams,
expenses – 415 billion drams.

The minister said that additional income will come from socio-cultural
and science spheres (about 241 billion drams), economic spheres (81
billion drams), law enforcing (51 billion drams) foreign activities
(3 billion drams).

Gabriyelyan said that the government fully or partly approved 135
proposals (27%), requested clarifications and discussions for 188
(38%) of proposals.

The minister ordered the state budget to be adjusted by 2012 and
presented to the parliament according to the order.

The Armenian government approved the state budget project for 2012
on September 29 with income set at 910 billion drams, expenses –
1042.5 billion drams, deficit – 132.5 billion drams.$1 – 381.80 drams.

From: A. Papazian

OSCE MG REPORTS ON VISIT TO ARMENIA AND AZERBAIJAN

Vestnik Kavkaza
Dec 1 2011
Russia

Co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group Bernard Fassier (France), Robert
Bradtke (USA) and Igor Popov (Russia) and personal representative of
OSCE chairman Andrzej Kasprzyk visited Yerevan and Baku on November
28-30, the OSCE website reports.

They were assisted by Ambassador Jacques Faure, who will replace
Fassier in the post. They met Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan,
Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian and Defense Minister Seyran
Oganyan. In Baku they met Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Foreign
Minister Elmar Mammadyarov and Defense Minister Safar Abiyev. The
co-chairs expressed devotion to supporting sides in settling the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

The OSCE officials emphasized importance of the cease-fire agreement
of 1994. They confirmed that such incidents demonstrate need for
investigations along the frontline. The co-chairs discussed additional
measures to strengthen trust and efforts for preserving cemeteries
and cultural sites.

The co-chairs crossed the Armenian-Azerbaijani border on foot on
November 29, met local officials and discussed the situation on the
border. They met Azerbaijani representatives from the Nagorno-Karabakh
on November 30 and underlined that peaceful settlement of conflict
needs to take the right of moved citizens and refugees to be taken
into account.

The OSCE MG officials urged sides to use the session of the OSCE
Council of Foreign Ministers in Vilnius in December as an opportunity
to confirm devotion to a peaceful way for settling the conflict.

The Armenian side refused to take part in the meeting with Azerbaijani
communities in Berlin. Baku views it as a refusal of the Armenian
community in Nagorno-Karabakh to have dialogue with the Azerbaijani.

The meeting was to be held in Berlin on November 28.

One of the main trends for resolving the conflict is negotiations
between communities, Ali Gasanov, head of the socio-political section
of the Azerbaijani Presidential Administration, said on Thursday.

Gasanov noted that Baku attached significance to readiness of the
Azerbaijani community to take part in the negotiations. It is necessary
to understand the reasons for Armenia backing from the talks. It means
they do not want to stop their aggression and use negotiations to drag
problems. Azerbaijan has said on numerous occasions that such approach
has no prospects. It may cause a military clash at a certain point.

The expert also says that after occupation of Azerbaijani territories
and reaching certain goals, official and unofficial structures
of Armenia tend to avoid negotiations, trying to drag the current
situation.

From: A. Papazian

ARLP AND ARMENAKAN RLP UNITE

AZG DAILY
02-12-2011

Political Parties Update: 2011-12-02 00:26:00 (GMT +04:00)

Armenian Ramkavar Liberal Party (ARLP) headed by Edward Antinyan
and Armenakan-Ramkavar Liberal Party (RLP) headed by Hagob Avedikian
united yesterday. The two parties signed a memorandum on this occasion.

“It is quite a long time that members of Ramkavar Liberal Party
are split, which is intolerable for an ancient-traditional party
in Armenia~Rs political history. Hence, ARLP and Armenakan-RLP
parties being the followers of Ramkavar liberal ideology announce
that they start of a process. It aims to put an end to the long
split and establish a united party. The memorandum also calls to
start a process for all RLP parties in Diaspora and become the direct
participant and supporter of the Armenian party. Besides, all parties,
which carry liberal-democratic ideology in Armenia, are invited to
join the initiative.

We believe that the initiative will establish a united RLP in Armenia,
which will be the follower of ideology, political belief of the
party as well as continuer of its traditions and developer both in
the Motherland and Diaspora,” the memorandum reads.

From: A. Papazian

5-YEAR-OLD ANUSHIK’S CONDITION GETTING WORSE. NOT ENOUGH MONEY FOR SURGERY

epress.am
12.02.2011

To date $10,000 USD have been transferred to the bank account opened
two and a half months ago to help five-year-old Anushik who has been
diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), Anushik’s father, Sergei
Hayrapetyan told Epress.am.

“The only possibility of saving the child today is an immediate bone
marrow transplant, for which we have not only insufficient funds but
also no hope that a businessman or wealthy philanthropist will be found
in Armenia who will help in securing treatment for my child abroad,”
he said.

The cancer that was found in Anushik’s body when she was just
three-and-a-half years old had been a surprise for her parents and
relatives.

“After getting treatment at the Haematology Center named after
Professor R. Yeolyan, the disease went into remission and we brought
the child home. In the fifth month of the [induction] phase, the
disease resurfaced and the only way to save her remained – a bone
marrow transplant. In Germany, the child has an 80% chance of survival,
but only if the operation is carried out now,” said Anushik’s father.

Hayrapetyan described how he sent open letters to Armenian President
Serzh Sargsyan, businessman and Prosperous Armenia party leader Gagik
Tsarukyan and several other wealthy individuals in the country;
however, there has been no response, while the child’s condition
worsens day by day, he said.

“The largest amounts were transferred to the account by Moscow
resident Gevorg Halabyan, about $1,000, and employees of HSBC bank,
684,000 [Armenian] drams [$1,800 USD]. The Armenian organization
‘Give Life’ has promised to transfer $10,000 USD to Anushik’s account,
a German organization will also transfer the same amount of money to
the account of the clinic where the operation will take place. Many
have given small amounts, but for treatment, we need large amounts,
which we don’t have today.

“There has not yet been any support from the state or the Ministry of
Health. It’s been a year and seven months that we’ve been in hospital –
the child has never received any free medical assistance. We pay for
all hospital services. The medication for treatment we’ve received
from Germany,” he said.

Photo and video by civic initiative group We Won’t be Silent.

From: A. Papazian

GEORGIAN COMPANIES WELCOME TO PARTICIPATE IN ARMENIA’S ROAD CONSTRUCTION TENDERS: MINISTRY OF TRANSPORT

/ARKA/
December 2, 2011
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, December 2. /ARKA/. Georgian companies can participate in
tenders announced by Armenian government to choose companies to build
or repair roads, since all competitions are open, Susana Tonoyan,
a spokeswoman for Armenian ministry of transport and communications
told ARKA.

“We will only welcome Georgian companies’ decision to participate in
these tenders,” she said.

Reports in Georgian media quoted Ramaz Nikolaishvili, Georgian regional
and infrastructure minister as saying at an Armenian-Georgian economic
forum in Tbilisi earlier this week that Georgian companies are willing
to participate in tenders for construction of roads in Armenia.

“Our Armenian colleagues have made significant progress in road
construction. They now begin negotiations with international donors.

The Asian Development Bank is to conduct multi-million tenders in
Armenia. We have already held preliminary talks with the Armenian
side and our companies will participate in these tenders,” said
Nikolaishvili.

From: A. Papazian