Author: Andres-Papazian

UNE VISITE INEXPLIQUEE DU PRINCE ANDREW A BAKOU
Gari

armenews.com
vendredi 2 decembre 2011

Dans le Daily Mail, Rebecca English revèle que le prince Andrew aurait
effectue une visite inexpliquee et “secrète” en Azerbaijan sur les
deniers publics britanniques. Le Duc d’York, qui a dû renoncer a son
statut controverse d’ambassadeur du commerce du Royaume Uni, aurait ete
recu par le president azeri Ilham Aliyev, dont la journaliste precise
qu’il a la triste reputation de faire torturer les opposants politiques
et de truquer les elections. Ce serait la 8e visite effectuee dans
ce pays par le prince Andrew au cours des six dernières annees, dont
deux qui l’ont ete a titre ‘entièrement prive’. “La regularite de
ces visites a nourri les speculations dans les media d’Azerbaïdjan
sur le fait qu’il ferait des affaires dans l’Etat du Sud Caucase
riche en petrole, et qu’il aurait des interets dans un terrain de
golf sur la mer Caspienne. Pourtant, Buckingham Palace a recuse
de telles informations”, poursuit la journaliste. Le prince Andrew
n’en ressort en tout cas pas grandi au Royaume Uni, où il a deja la
reputation d’avoir cede aux tentations de l’evasion fiscale, un sujet
particulièrement sensible alors que le pays, meme s’il n’est pas membre
de la zone euro, fait face a une crise economique sans precedent,
contraignant les sujets de la Couronne a se serrer la ceinture.

From: A. Papazian

LES MEDIATEURS INTERNATIONAUX APPELLENT A UNE SOLUTION URGENTE DU CONFLIT DU HAUT-KARABAGH
Gari

armenews.com
vendredi 2 decembre 2011

Au terme d’une nouvelle tournee dans la zone du conflit du Karabagh,
qui les a conduits a Erevan et a Bakou, les trios copresidents du
Groupe de Minsk de l’OSCE ont appele a un règlement urgent du conflit,
pressant les parties de respecter les termes du cessez-le-feu en
vigueur depuis 1994 et regulièrement viole depuis quelques mois. Les
mediateurs internationaux ont d’ailleurs franchi la ligne de contact
separant les forces armeniennes et azeries au Karanagh afin d’inspecter
le respect du cessez-le-feu. La tension a monte d’un cran ces derniers
jours de part et d’autre de cette ligne de contact, où les tirs de
snipers azeris ont coûte la vie a deux soldats armeniens, suscitant
des tirs de represailles de la partie armenienne. Les representants
americain, russe et francais du Groupe de Minsk, Robert Bradtke, Igor
Popov and Bernard Fassier, ont rendu public un communique commun a
Bakou le 30 novembre pour rendre compte de leur mission et reaffirmer
le “fort engagement de leurs pays a aider les parties en conflit a
parvenir a un règlement durable et pacifique au Karabagh”. Concernant
les recents incidents survenus le long de la “Ligne de contact”, les
copresidents ont declare qu’ils avaient une fois encore rappele aux
presidents de l’Armenie et de l’Azerbaïdjan la necessite de respecter
le cessez-le-feu de 1994. Ils ont rappele que de ” tels incidents
montrent la necessite de mettre en oeuvre les mecanismes propose
d’enquete concernant les incidents le long de la ligne de front, dont
les presidents ont approuve le principe”. Les copresidents ont aussi
discute des “mesures supplementaires a mettre en ~uvre pour renforcer
la confiance par la voie des echanges et par les efforts en vue de
preserver les lieux de culte, les sites culturelset les cimetières”,
une reference a la destruction par les azeris du cimetière armenien
de Djoulfa, au Nakhitchevan, avec ses khatchkars vieux de plusieurs
siècles. Après avoir franchi a pied la frontier entre l’Armenie et
l’Azerbaïdjan, et avoir rencontre des responsables locaux de part
et d’autre, avec lesquels ils ont discute de la situation dans les
zones frontalières, les copresidents ont rencontre les representants
des Azeris du Haut-Karabagh, pour “declarer qu’un règlement pacifique
devait prendre en consideration les droits au retour dans leurs foyers
de toutes les personnes deplacees et refugies”. “A l’approche de
la reunion du Conseil ministeriel de decembre de l’OSCE a Vilnius,
les Copresidents appellent les parties a saisir instamment cette
opportunite pour reaffirmer leur engagement a chercher un règlement
pacifique et a sortir d’un statu quo inacceptable”, indique le
communique. Au cours de leur tournee dans la zone du conflit,
les mediateurs etaient accompagnes de l’ambassadeur de France en
Ukraine, Jacques Faure, qui succèdera en 2012 a Bernard Fassier a la
copresidence francaise du Groupe de Minsk.

From: A. Papazian

ARMENIA’S UNDER-19 FOOTBALL TEAM TO PLAY ELITE ROUND FOR EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP

news.am
Dec 1 2011
Armenia

As a result of the draw for the Elite Round of the 11th UEFA European
Under-19 Championship 2011- 2012, Armenia’s national team will play
in Group 7 against five-time European champion, Spain, as well as
Italy and Belgium. Naturally, it will be difficult for Armenia to
become this group’s sole qualifier for the Championship.

During the qualifiers, the Armenian squad defeated Slovakia and
Andorra, but lost to Greece.

From: A. Papazian

POST OFFICES IN ARINDJ AND BYUREGHAVAN

hetq
16:40, November 30, 2011

“Hasypot” CJSC continues the project of modernization of the official
national postal operator of the Republic of Armenia. Going on with
reopening of post offices in marzes “Haypost” CJSC highlights its
features and presents itself in different communities under a new
light.

On November 30 the official reopening of post offices in Arindj
village and Byureghavan twn (Kotayk Marz) took place. The post office
of Tsaghkadzor had been reopened before, and two more post offices
are to be reopened in Hrazdan and Tcharentsavan.

Head of Arindj community Gagik Sargsyan, mayor of Byureghavan Hakob
Balasyan, managing staff of “Haypost” CJSC as well as local residents
attended the reopening ceremony.

In his welcoming speech managing director of “Haypost Trust Management”
Juan Pablo Gechidjian mentioned, that Haypost renovates the post
offices, but only people working there and the residents put a soul
in them.

“Haypost” CJSC acting CEO Haik Avagyan noted that not only a thorough
program of improving the quality of services of post offices is
started, but also cooperation between Haypost and Russia post is
being deepen taking into account the amount of transfers between
Armenia and Russia .

During the reopening ceremony Mayor of Byureghavan handed a letter
of gratitude to the “Haypost” CJSC acting CEO Hayk Avagyan for the
renovated and comfortable post office.

“Haypost Trust Management” pays particular attention to the appropriate
presence of “Haypost” in marzes as well as to development of postal and
additional services. There is no difference of quality and variety of
services between the renovated post offices in Yerevan and in marzes;
they are equal.

Working standards, as well as infrastructure in the post offices in
Arindj and Byureghvan are changed and renewed. New computers with
modern software are installed, and the cable system is renewed.

New infrastructures and the online network will allow providing more
rapid and efficient postal, financial and commercial services to the
local residents.

“Haypost Trust Management” intends to develop the traditional postal
services, to import more modern courier and financial services making
Haypost the leading postal operator in the region.

Internet services, facsimile connection, copying and printing services
will be offered in addition to the traditional postal services.

According to the “Haypost Marathon 2011” Program it is envisaged
to reopen 50 postal offices not only in Yerevan, but also in marzes
in Armenia.

By the Program of Haypost Trust Management it is planned to increase
the number of renovated post offices up to 250 for the next 5 years,
and to augment the services-including commercial ones- specific to
nowadays postal operators.

“Haypost Trust Management” B.V.

“Haypost” CJSC

From: A. Papazian

FAMOUS FRENCH-ARMENIAN CHANSON SINGER CHARLES AZNAVOUR TO PERFORM IN MOSCOW DEC 12

arminfo
Thursday, December 1, 13:27

Famous French-Armenian chanson singer Charles Aznavour will perform
in Moscow on Dec 12.

Famous French-Armenian chanson singer, songwriter Charles Aznavour, who
wrote more than 800 songs, recorded more than 1,000 of them in French,
English, German and Spanish and sold over 100 million records in all,
was born on May 22, 1924, in Paris, the younger of two children born to
Armenian immigrants who fled to France following the Turkish massacre.

In 1998, Charles Aznavour was named Entertainer of the Century by CNN
and users of Time Online from around the globe. He was recognized as
the century’s outstanding performer, with nearly 18% of the total vote,
edging out Elvis Presley and Bob Dylan.[5] He has sung for presidents,
popes, and royalty, as well as at humanitarian events, and is the
founder of the charitable organization Aznavour for Armenia along
with his long-time friend impresario Levon Sayan.

Since the 1988 earthquake in Armenia, Aznavour has been helping the
country through his charity, Aznavour for Armenia. Together with his
brother in-law and co-author Georges Garvarentz he writes the song
“Pour toi Armenie”, which was performed by a group of famous French
artists and topped the charts for 18 weeks. There is a square named
after him in central Yerevan on Abovian Street, and a statue erected
in Gyumri, which saw the most lives lost in the earthquake. In 1995
Charles Aznavour was appointed an Ambassador and Permanent Delegate
of Armenia to UNESCO. Aznavour is a member of the Armenia Fund
International Board of Trustees. The organization has rendered more
than $150 million in humanitarian aid and infrastructure development
assistance to Armenia since 1992. Charles Aznavour was appointed
as “Officier” (Officer) of the Legion d’honneur in 1997. Since May
2009 Charles Aznavour is the Armenian Ambassador to Switzerland and
permanent Representatie of Armenia at UN Headquarters.

In 2004 Aznavour received the title of “National Hero” of Armenia for
his humanitarian work, Armenia’s highest award. On December 26, 2008,
President of Armenia Serj Sargsyan signed a presidential degree for
granting citizenship for the Republic of Armenia to Charles Aznavour
whom he called a “prominent singer and public figure” and “a hero of
the Armenian people.

From: A. Papazian

HRANT MELKUMYAN WINS ISTANBUL CHESS TOURNAMENT

PanARMENIAN.Net
December 1, 2011 – 10:47 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Armenia’s Hrant Melkumyan scored 8.5 points out of
10 to win the Istanbul-hosted chess tournament organized by Armenian
club Sisli.

Meanwhile, gaining 7.5 points each, grandmasters Zaven Andreasian and
Tigran Petrosian are only one point behind the leader Abhijeet Gupta at
Vizag GM International Open Chess Championship in Visakhapatnam, India.

In the last round Petrosian and Andreasian will rival Gupta and Sahaj
Grover respectively.

Rafael Vahanyan will perform in Czech Coal Chess Match – Snowdrops
and Old-hands, held in Marianske Lazne, December 3-11, armchess.am

From: A. Papazian

ADRIAN HAMILTON: TURKISH GOVERNMENT BREACHES WALL OF DENIAL ABOUT THE PAST

PanARMENIAN.Net
December 1, 2011 – 14:22 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – With all that was going on in Europe at the time,
the Dersim massacre of the Tunceli Alevi in eastern Turkey between
1937 and 1938 aroused little attention. But it was a fearful crime
nonetheless. A total of 13,806 people, many of them civilians, were
killed, according to documents released last week by Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdogan. As many as 22,000 were deported from the area,
according to the musicologist Hasan Saltuk, who has a book on the
subject coming out in May. In style, in brutality and in intent,
it was reminiscent of the much bigger killings of the Armenians at
the end of the First World War, Adrian Hamilton says in the article
titled “Breaking with the past is key to Turkey’s future” published
by The Independent.

“It’s hard to overestimate the significance of the decision to release
these documents and for the Prime Minister to publicly “apologize”
for the action. Ever since their defeat in the First World War and
the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, the Turks have been living under
the narrative created by President Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the “father”
of the nation – that of a modern westernized secular state which had
rejected its past, abandoned its Muslim status and had reformed itself
into a centralized nation. Even today it is a crime, punishable by
imprisonment, to speak ill of him,” he says.

“By directly implicating Ataturk himself in this affair, however, the
government is also breaching a whole wall of secrecy and denial about
the past. With the Dersim documents out in the open, do we now move to
open admission of state responsibility for the Armenian Genocide? Does
Ankara accept what it has done to the Kurds within its territories?

With the centenary of the Armenian massacres due in 2015, the
opportunity for a grand gesture of responsibility is clearly there.

It’s what traditionalists fear, concerned that, in raking up the past,
the government will now release the forces of fragmentation of the
state, and liberals dearly wish for, eager to see the country face up
to its past. Even those who distrust Erdogan’s religious aspirations
nevertheless welcome the moves to dismantle the judicial-military
network which has dominated the country since the last war,” the
author says.

“One of the truly great figures of the 20th century, Ataturk managed
to get a country in the ruins of a once-powerful past to come to terms
with its defeat and face the future. No other imperial power managed
that feat. One asks whether the U.S. now or Britain can do it as
effectively. But it was at a cost to tolerance, to the minorities and
to freedom. Nearly a century later, we are in a very different world
in which a resurgent Turkey is laying claim to a regional influence
and an example of moderate political Islamism which it has not seen
since the Ottoman days. For the outside world, it is its foreign
policy that fascinates, its break with the U.S. and its support of the
overthrow of the regimes of Libya and Syria. But it is the story of
change within the country which is just as fascinating and uncertain.

Nowhere does history matter as much as in the Middle East. In
confronting its past Turkey is now preparing itself for a different
future,” he concludes.

From: A. Papazian

POURQUOI LES ARCHIVES DE L’ETAT-MAJOR NE SERAIENT-ELLES PAS OUVERTES ? PAR MEHMET ALI BIRAND
Stephane

armenews.com
jeudi 1er decembre 2011

Je considère vraiment que le debat sur Dersim est important. Il
ne sert a rien en realite de savoir si le premier ministre a rendu
publics des documents qui l’etaient deja ou s’il a souleve ce debat
pour affaiblir le principal parti d’opposition, le Parti Republicain
du Peuple (CHP). Ce qui est important, c’est que le premier ministre a
ouvert le couvercle de la boîte de Pandore jusque la maintenue fermee.

Cette boîte ne sera plus refermee. C’est ainsi que la Turquie trouvera
le courage de se confronter aux pages sombres de son passe.

Entre temps, le debat de Dersim a revele une autre realite : il est
impossible d’ouvrir les archives de l’Etat-major. Les documents les
plus importants sur le passe sont entre les mains de l’Etat-major. On
pouvait s’y attendre dans la mesure où, dans la periode qui precède,
l’essentiel du pouvoir residait dans l’armee. Par suite, a moins que
ces documents soient divulgues, il ne sera pas possible d’organiser
un debat sain.

Mais aux yeux de qui et par qui ces documents ces documents sont-ils
caches ? Dans tous les pays, après un temps plus ou moins long,
et quel que soit leur niveau de confidentialite, les documents
sont rendus publics, tandis que nous vivons derrière un rideau de
confidentialite. Pour quelle raison ?

Les Procureurs devraient entendre Ciller a propos du 28 fevrier

Une enquete sur le 28 fevrier sera donc finalement ouverte. A mon
avis, il est plus que temps que cela arrive. Ceux qui s’en souviennent
doivent savoir que le 28 fevrier 1987, une “menace de coup d’etat”
apparut au grand jour et de facon plus ostensible que dans le
“feuilleton du coup d’etat” qui raconte les preparatifs du complot
de certains grades en 2003 et 2004.

Le Bureau du Chef d’Etat-major avait alors annonce qu’un coup
d’etat serait declenche a moins que la coalition Erbakan-Ciller
ne demissionne.

Bien plus, on attendait clairement qu’une tentative de coup d’etat
se produise. On se souvient meme que le president du moment, Suleyman
Demirel, lorsqu’on lui reprocha de ne pas s’etre oppose au coup d’etat
avait dit : “Si le gouvernement ne s’etait pas demis, l’armee etait
prete a intervenir. J’ai empeche cela”.

Une ingerence du militaire dans la vie politique, s’etait produite
ouvertement, sans que la justice n’intervienne ou ne veuille
intervenir sur ces agissements. La justice qui a ouvert dans les
affaires Ergenekon et Sledgehammer (Balyoz, coup de massue), des
instructions fondees sur les suppositions et les raisonnements les
plus improbables, et qui continue les arrestations aux depens de
sa credibilite, avait choisi d’ignorer le 28 fevrier. Finalement,
ce qui etait necessaire a ete fait et un dossier a ete ouvert sur
une autre periode sombre de notre histoire recente.

Je la connais bien parce que j’ai fait un dossier sur cette periode.

C’est un episode qui n’est pas secret, un temps où l’opposition des
points de vue se heurtaient et où l’armee imposait le sien. Les acteurs
(a l’exception notable d’Erbakan) sont en majorite en vie.

Mon conseil aux procureurs charges de l’instruction est de commencer
par l’ex dirigeante du parti de la Juste Voie (DYP) Tansu Ciller.

C’est elle qui sait le mieux ce qu’il y avait derrière ces evenements
et qui a fait quoi. Personne a part elle n’a vecu le 28 fevrier
d’aussi près. En outre, jusqu’a present, elle n’a ouvertement confie
ses memoires a personne.

Vous verrez, l’enquete revelera des man~uvres et des conspirations
aussi nombreuses que les feuilles tombees d’un grand arbre.

Il n’y a pas de doutes, Amberin, nous n’aimons pas les etrangers !

Amberin Zaman demandait dans les colonnes du quotidien Haber Turk,
“les Turcs sont-ils racistes ? ” Elle a dit qu’elle repondait
habituellement par un “non” ferme a cette question, mais qu’elle
avait change d’avis. Journaliste originaire du Bangladesh, Amberin
a ete traitee de “sale Bangladaise” ou de “sale Armenienne” du fait
de sa position sur la question armenienne.

Le cliche “les Tucs sont tolerants envers les etrangers, ils sont
hospitaliers et ils ouvrent les bras et offrent leur aide” n’est
qu’un mensonge.

C’est regrettable mais c’est comme ca…n’en deplaise a quiconque.

JOURNAL HURRIYET

Traduction Gilbert Beguian

From: A. Papazian

UPPER AND LOWER FOUNTAINS RE-OPENED

BIAnet.org

Nov 30 2011
Turkey

Two historic fountains of the Habap village were restored upon the
efforts of the Hrant Dink Foundation. The fountains were now re-opened
in a ceremony attended by lawyer Fethiye Cetin, Governor Arslan,
Mayor Yanýlmaz and district headman Yarmadelen.

Habap/Palu – BÝA News Center30 November 2011, Wednesday The Habap
village (today Ekinozu) saw an opening ceremony that took the attendees
back in time to Fethiye Cetin’s grandmother Heranus (later on renamed
as Seher) who was exiled to the village 95 years ago. The restoration
of two historic wells was now finished after a two-year work carried
out by the Hrant Dink Foundation.

The restoration project was run on a voluntary basis by architects
Nihan Saðman, Mehmet Erkok and Savaþ Ekinci and art historian Ozge
Altýnkaya Erkok.

On Friday (25 November), the Lower and Upper Fountains were re-opened
in a ceremony attended by the Elazýð Provincial Administration
Secretary General, Nazif Bilginoðlu, the Kovancýlar District Mayor
Bekir Yanýlmaz and the Habap village head, Hayati Yarmedelen. The
restoration work was supported with monetary sources from the Ministry
of Culture, the Chrest Foundation, the Open Society Foundation,
General Energy and individual patron of arts.

Lawyer Fethiye Cetin said at the opening ceremony, “My grandmother
Heranuþ drank water from these fountains a hundred years ago”.

Students of the Habap Village Primary School contributed to the
ceremony by performing a traditional dance.

The restored fountains feature several springs and arches. Experts
see in the wells a classic example of Armenian architecture. The fact
that the village of Habap has got two wells suggests that the place
was a bigger settlement at the time the fountains were built. Today,
the village of Habap/Ekinozu comprises 200 buildings with a population
of 1,450 people.

Habap in the old times

Habap or Hebap (‘Havav’ in Armenian) was a place with 500 buildings
in Ottoman times. When the village was inhabited by Armenians it had
three churches, a monastery and two fountains. These two fountains
were called the Upper and the Lower Fountain.

An inscription on the Upper Fountain in Armenian points to the
year 1634.

In recent times, most of the buildings collapsed and the fountains
were not functioning any more. The fountains are still registered in
the name of the Halil Beyler and Rufekasý Beyler Foundation.

The water for the village comes from a very cold spring strong enough
to run a mill. It rises two miles off the village in a broad valley.

Since the well is located at a low level it has to be cleaned every
spring in order to avoid a reduction of water. The well that was
filled with soil in spring was cleaned every year after Easter. The
stream was running a few mills and once a week the gardens and fields
below the village were irrigated.

The fountains were sacred for the villagers. There were two sweet
water springs in the village. One was in the upper and one in the
lower part of the village. The water for the fountains came a very
long way through underground stone pipes and small cisterns. The
cisterns could be reached via a gallery behind the fountains. They
needed to be cleaned once a year.

The water of these fountains is cool in summer and lukewarm and
sweet in winter. The fountains and the surrounding floor were made
out of cut stones. (Dikran S. Papazyan, Badmutyun Palu Havav Kyuði,
[Palu Habap Village History] Beirut 1960). (BA/VK)

Click here to visit the photo gallery of the restored fountains of
“Grandmother Heranuþ”:

From: A. Papazian

US AMBASSADOR’S FURTHER OFFICE IN AZERBAIJAN MAY BE PUT INTO QUESTION

news.am
Nov 30 2011
Armenia

WASHINGTON. – U.S. Ambassador to Azerbaijan Matthew Bryza’s further
office terms may be put into question. Azerbaijani Turan agency spoke
on the confirmation of Bryza in the office by the Senate. The more the
discussion of the issue approaches at the Senate, the more Armenian
organizations are getting active to prevent Bryza’s confirmation by
the Senate.

U.S. Senate rejected the four Ambassador-nominees by the President
Barack Obama last year. As a result, Obama appointed Ambassadors by
his order. However, those appointments are of temporary character
and must be anyway confirmed by the Senate a year later.

The issue of the three Ambassadors out of four is in Senate, approved,
while Bryza’s confirmation is still pending. The reason is that
Senator Robert Menendez did not take off his veto and just for this
reason Bryza’s nomination was not confirmed in the Senate last year.

Obama’s administration is interested in appointing Bryza as
an Ambassador to Azerbaijan. However, the Administration cannot
interfere in the Senate’s business. Conformation of the Ambassadors
and organizing hearings is only within the jurisdiction of the Senate.

According to the experts, if the issue on confirming Bryza’s nomination
is not in the Senate till late December, then, his activity as an
Ambassador will be too hard to continue, Radio Liberty reports,
quoting the Azerbaijani agency.

From: A. Papazian