Author: Andres-Papazian

NA SPEAKER REGRETS TURKEY ISN’T COMMITTED TO END THE PROCESS

Panorama
Sept 27 2011
Armenia

“The recognition and condemnation of Armenian Genocide isn’t a warning
matter for Armenians, but for the international community, since having
not condemned it, new genocides and ethnic cleansings have been held
in different parts of the world. Thus the recognition and condemnation
of Armenian Genocide by the international community and descendant of
Ottoman Empire – Turkey, would be the best warrant for the prevention
of similar crimes,” stated the Chairman of Armenian National Assembly
Hovik Abrahamyan during his official visit to Germany.

According to Mr. Abrahamyan Turkey should follow Germany’s example,
that recognized Holocaust and recognize the Armenian Genocide.

The public relations department of NA reports Panorama.am,
Mr. Abrahamyan stated that Armenian President took an initiative
to mend relations with Turkey without preconditions. “Regretfully,
Turkey isn’t ready to lead the process to its logical end; soon after
signing the protocols they posed preconditions unacceptable for the
Armenian side.”

From: A. Papazian

HANS-JOCHEN SCHMIDT: FOREIGN INTERFERENCE IN THE ISSUE OF DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS OF ARMENIA AND TURKEY IS UNDESIRABLE

ARMENPRESS
17:43, 27 September, 2011

“By saying establishment of diplomatic relations many countries very
often understand a friendship, while that process first of all provides
a communication between countries,” former US Ambassador to Armenia
John Evans said during a discussion on “The 20 Years of Independence
in Armenia and in the Region”. According to him, irrespective of
the historical undeniable facts, and disputes between the countries,
both states must be equally interested in establishment of diplomatic
relations.

Referring to establishment of diplomatic relations between Armenia and
Turkey, German Ambassador to Armenia Hans-Jochen Schmidt noted that
no foreign interference is desirable in that issue. “The countries
themselves must find solutions, and society, too, should promote it,
after which the team of mediators will show a relevant support,”
Mr. Schmidt illustrated.

The speakers expressed an opinion that opening of the borders will
have a positive influence on political and economic cooperation of
both countries. The participants of the discussion also referred to
the Wikileaks revelations, stressing that the diplomacy is a sphere,
where keeping confidentiality over some issues is necessary for
state security.

From: A. Papazian

THE LAST EVENING OF YEREVAN 5TH FESTIVAL OF CHAMBER MUSIC – TOMORROW

ARMENPRESS
21:15, 26 September, 2011

During the recent several weeks within the frameworks of the Yerevan
5th International Music Festival, the Armenian State Philharmonic
Orchestra presented a series of chamber music concerts. A number of
world classical masterpieces sounded within the program. Tomorrow –
on September 27, the last evening dedicated to the series of chamber
music concerts of the festival will be held at Aram Khachatryan Concert
Hall. Press Secretary of the orchestra Anahit Ordyan told Armenpress
that the works of Mozart, Brahms and Shuman will sound.

From: A. Papazian

KIRO MANOYAN: TURKEY HAS NEITHER WISH NOR WILL TO REGULATE RELATIONS

ARMENPRESS
13:56, 27 September, 2011

No essential changes will take place in the nearest future in
regulation of Armenian-Turkish relations, Head of ARF Armenian Cause
and Political Affairs Office Kiro Manoyan forecasted today at a
meeting with journalists.

According to him, recalling of the Armenian-Turkish Protocols to the
parliament by the Turkish government does not mean anything. “Turkey
wants to show that there is some process. Including the protocols
issue in the agenda is not news, such steps have been taken earlier
too, but the experience shows that nothing is actually done in that
direction,” Kiro Manoyan said.

He said that the experience shows that Turkey has neither a wish
nor a will to regulate the relations. “Despite Armenia’s readiness,
it continues to speak in the language of preconditions,” Kiro Manoyan
noted, bringing the Nagorno Karabakh issue as an example, which Turkey
always brings forward as a precondition of ratifying the protocols.

“Maintenance of the signature under the protocols is profitable for
Turkey,” Kiro Manoyan considers, explaining that it attempts to make
an influence on Armenia through international community in order the
latter does not recall the protocols from the signatures.

From: A. Papazian

SENIOR DASHAK REP SAYS COLLABORATION WITH TRADITIONAL PARTIES POSSIBLE

Tert.am
14:37 27.09.11

The Armenian Revolutionary Federation-Dashnaksutyun (ARF-D) conducts
meetings with traditional political forces, a senior representative
of the party has said.

At a news conference on Tuesday, Kiro Manoyan, the head of the
ARF-D Office for Hay Dat and Political Affairs, did not rule out the
possibility of collaboration with those parties.

“The meetings with traditional parties, especially their leadership,
are held periodically” he said, referring to a recent meeting on the
sidelines of the Armenia-Diaspora conference.

“It’s quite possible that we’ll issue a joint statement upon a proper
occasion,” Manoyan added.

From: A. Papazian

PHILADELPHIA TO HONOR CIVIL WAR’S ONLY ARMENIAN SOLDIER

Tert.am
11:01 27.09.11

The only known Armenian to have served in the Civil War, Khachadour
Paul Garabedian, is will be recognized with a new grave marker in a
Philadelphia cemetery on Saturday, October 1.

According to The Washington Times, the construction of the hero’s new
thumb-stone became possible thanks to an anonymous $10,000 donation
and the dedication of fellow Armenian-Americans.

Garabedian was born in the small town of Rodosto near Constantinople
(now known as Istanbul) in Turkey, on August 25, 1836, and immigrated
to Lowell, Mass. in the late 1850s. There he worked as a machinist
and became an American citizen.

In 1864 at the age of 28, he enlisted in the Union Navy. Engineers
were in demand at the time, and his years of working in the mills in
Massachusetts made him a desirable recruit. He enlisted as a Third
Assistant Engineer, holding officer rank, and served upon two ships,
the USS Geranium and the USS Grand Gulf, both blockade ships, deployed
to cover Southern ports along the Atlantic Coast and later on in the
Gulf of Mexico.

Garabedian’s letter of appointment was reported in the Lowell Daily
Citizen & News of August 11, 1864, part of which said:

“We record this appointment with pleasure. The young gentleman is
an Armenian by birth, but has become not only naturalized, but is
thoroughly indoctrinated in liberal and loyal principles. We have no
doubt at all that he will acquit himself honorably and usefully in
the position assigned him.”

The USS Grand Gulf, on which Garabedian primarily served, had a
steam engine and was screw propelled. With a top speed of 11.5 knots,
armed with one 100-pounder, two 30-pounders, and three 8-inch guns,
it was highly effective as a blockader. She was credited with sinking
a number of blockade-runners along the coast.

From: A. Papazian

ANKARA RESPONDS TO ARMENIANS’ BID AT LOS ANGELES COURT

Tert.am
13:24 27.09.11

The Los Angeles Federal District Court has heard Turkey’s Central
and Agriculture Banks’ response to the US Armenians’ claim for lost
property compensation.

According to the Turkish newspaper Haberturk, the banks said in their
statement that they could not bear responsibility for the property
confiscated from Armenians in 1915. They argued their position by
the fact that the present-day Republic of Turkey was founded in 1923
(so it is not the successor of the Ottoman Empire).

The court had earlier ruled to hold Turkey a respondent in the trial.

But the Turkish side never showed up for the hearings., making the
US Department of State send a protest note to Ankara.

Three Los Angeles based Armenians – Alex Bakalian, Anais Harutyunian
and Rita Mahtesian – recently filed a lawsuit against the Turkish
Government, Central Bank and Agriculture Bank, demanding a sum of $63,9
million in compensation for the their grandparents’ property lost
in Adana (a historical Armenian town which was part of the Ottoman
empire in 1915). The plaintiffs also demanded that the United States
pay part of the rental income it received from the Incirlik military
base. The total sum of the compensation was thus to make $100 million.

From: A. Papazian

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT HOLDS MEETINGS IN UNITED STATES

Tert.am
26.09.11

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan, who is on a working visit to the
United States, left New York for Los Algeles, Sept. 24.

The first day of his visit, the Armenian leader laid a wreath at
the Armenian Genocide Memorial in Montebello, Los Angeles country,
California, and planted a tree in the lane.

On Sept. 25, President Serzh Sargsyan took part in the opening of
an economic forum organized by the Central Bank of Armenia (CBA)
and the Association of Armenian Banks. Attending were also Armenian
and Californian businessmen. In his speech at the forum, the Armenian
leader pointed out the importance of realizing the Armenian Diaspora’s
potential for strengthening Armenia and developing its economy.

President Serzh Sargsyan noted that the Armenian population’s potential
has not been properly used over the past 20 years. Since the country
gained independence, it has had both achievements and losses.

“We are responsible for both achievements and losses,” the Armenian
leader said. If the potential is properly used, greater achievements
can be registered, he said.

President Serzh Sargsyan thanked Armenian Diasporan businessmen for
their contribution to strengthening Armenia over the past 20 years. “I
hope that by our common efforts we will see a country we all will be
proud of in the foreseeable future,” the Armenian leader said.

President Serzh Sargsyan attended a service at the newly built church
of St. Gevond in Los Angeles. At the reception that followed the
service, the Armenian leader held a meeting with the Diocesan Council
and Armenian philanthropists. The same day, the Armenian president
attended the opening ceremony of the Ameria Group’s office.

In Los Angeles, President Serzh Sargsyan attended the opening ceremony
of a new building of Armenia’s Consulate General in the United States.

He expressed the confidence that all the Armenians residing in the
area will at least once visit the Consulate General. “I call on all
those residing in this part of the United States to come here. I call
on both those loving the authorities and those not loving them.

Authorities – liked or disliked – are temporal. The Homeland is
everlasting, and this building is a link with the Homeland. I would
like to thank the United States for allowing our nationals in, develop,
integrate into this great power’s society and make it know about their
historical Homeland – during the hardest times for our people. We are
proud of you and we will do our utmost for you to feel proud of us,”
the Armenian leader said. He also thanked the local authorities.

On September 25, in Los Angeles, President Serzh Sargsyan took part
in a solemn reception on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of
Armenia’s independence. Before the reception, the Armenian leader
met with the world-famous opera singer Placido Domingo.

From: A. Papazian

AZERBAIJAN SEEKS PEACE AND JUSTICE
By Ben Garcia

Kuwait Times
Sept 26 2011
Kuwait

KUWAIT: The ambassador of Azerbaijan to Kuwait Tural Rzayev, has
called for a “concrete and genuine action” to promote peace and
harmony in the Caucasus region. Rzayev’s statement came in reaction
to a press statement made by Armenian Ambassador to Kuwait last week,
calling for peace and harmony. “But Armenians are doing otherwise,”
he said. Press conferences for both countries were held in separate
occasions to mark the International Day of Peace, observed throughout
the world every September 21.

Rzayev noted that there can only be real peace and harmony in their
territory if the Armenians return 20 percent of the land which
Rzayev claimed was “illegally occupied by the Armenians”. In a press
conference yesterday at the embassy in Yarmouk, Rzayev stated that the
call for peace and self determination were unfounded. “They said they
want peace in the region, but they are calling for self determination
from our own land which they illegally occupied,” the ambassador said.

They occupy 20 percent of our territory and commit acts of aggression
against our people. For us (the Azeris), the pronouncement is
completely opposite to what they are trying to preach,” he said
appealing to the Armenians to transform words into real and genuine
action. A joint statement from the Commissioner for Human Rights
(Ombudsman) of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Azerbaijan Peace and
Development Alliance was also distributed during the press conference.

The document which was signed by the Commissioner for Human Rights
Elmira Suleymanova, includes some detailed Armenian crimes and
aggressions against the Azeri people. The landlocked mountainous
region of Nagorno Karabakh remains one of the flash points in the
conflict. Nagorno Karabakh declared its independence from Azerbaijan
in 1991 leading to a bloody war with ethnic Armenians who make up
most of the population of the enclave. Since a truce in 1994, it has
remained in an unsteady deadlock. Although mos t people there consider
themselves Armenian, ‘technically the province lies in the territory
of Azerbaijan’.

Its independence has never been recognized by the international
community and all diplomatic attempts to find a solution have so far
failed. According to Rzayev, some information given were misleading.

“They said their population is about three million – maybe half of
the number yes. Many Armenians had fled to neighboring countries like
Russia, Europe and Middle East countries,” he said.

Rzayev explained why Armenians occupied 20 percent of their
territories. “It happened immediately after the disintegration of
the Soviet Union. At that time, we could not fight back because we
had nothing. They have strong military, backed by Russians. So they
killed some native Azeris and grabbed their lands,” he said. “Now,
there are approximately 50,000 Armenians in that part of our territory
and they want to create a second Armenian state. We are ready to give
them the highest form of autonomy within Azerbaijan, but we are not
going to give up the land they illegally occupied,” he added.

Rzayev said they will do all it takes to resolve the conflict
peacefully with the help of the international community – but if
provoked, “we are ready to defend their territory militarily,” he
said. “This time we can flex our own muscles broadly. The Armenian
entire budget is just the budget of Azerbaijan’s army,” he said. “We
are capable of starting a war if necessary. We don’t want to wait
for another 20 more years to get what belongs to us.

From: A. Papazian

PRE-ELECTION PROCESSES IN RUSSIA AND ARMENIA NOT CONNECTED – RULING PARTY

news.am
Sept 26 2011
Armenia

YEREVAN. – Pre-election processes in Russia and Armenia are in no way
interlinked, said MP from ruling Republican Party of Armenia Artak
Zakaryan at a press conference on Monday.

“Armenia and Russia have strategic bilateral relations rather than
transmitted or convertible ones. Political systems of the two countries
develop and operate in different ways,” he said.

According to an MP from Heritage party Armen Martirosyan, Russian
President Medvedev’s suggestion was not a surprise for Prime Minister
Vladimir Putin.

“With regard to Armenia, there are a lot more players in action here
than Russia. Putin, however, enjoyed a fairly high authority that
would help him,” said Martirosyan.

Note that the congress of United Russia party has decided to nominate
Vladimir Putin as president of Russia and in case of his victory,
current president Dmitry Medvedev will be appointed prime minister.

From: A. Papazian