Author: Andres-Papazian

CSTO: DOWNING OF THE ARMENIAN HELICOPTER THREATENS NEW ESCALATION

13:27, 13 Nov 2014

The downing of the Armenian helicopter during a training flight
provokes further aggravation of the situation in the region and
increases our concerns, Secretary General of the Collective Security
Treaty Organization (CSTO) Nikolay Bordyuzha said in a statement.

“Armed incidents have occurred along the line of contact of the
armed forces of Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan all through 2014. The
ceasefire was violated over 1,500 times only during the three summer
months with civilian settlements and peaceful population targeted.

There were facts of incursion of subversive groups that resulted in
violence and death of civilians,” the Secretary General said.

“Today we witnessed yet another violation of the ceasefire agreement.

The downing of the helicopter is a dangerous expression of violence,
which creates a new threat of escalation of the conflict. The situation
in the South Caucasus is further aggravating,” he said.

“We are deeply convinced of the need to prevent the threatening
development of the situation. The most important things that could
prevent such turn of events include refusal from the use of force,
unequivocal commitment to the ceasefire agreement and avoidance of
provocative actions. It’s important to ensure the continuation of
the negotiation process on the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict,” CSTO Secretary General Nikolay Bordyuzha stated.

From: A. Papazian

ARMENIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY CALLS BAKU’S ACTION CRIMINAL PROVOCATION

YEREVAN, November 13. /ARKA/. Armenia’s foreign ministry issued
a statement on Wednesday condemning Azerbaijani armed forces for
shooting down a helicopter of Nagorno-Karabakh Republic’s army during
a training flight. “We strongly condemn the shooting down by the
Azerbaijani armed forces of MI-24 helicopter of the Nagorno-Karabakh
Defense Army during a training flight,” the ministry says in its
statement. The ministry says that before and after every high-level
meeting on the resolution of the issue, Baku is resorting to new
provocations to undermine the negotiation process, the efforts of
Armenia and the international community aimed at exclusively peaceful
settlement of the conflict. “The Azerbaijani side is grossly violating
the commitments on the peaceful resolution of the conflict reached
during the recent summits. Such a criminal provocation demonstrates
that Baku is not only ignoring the appeals of the OSCE Minsk Group
Co-Chair countries, the international community on non-use of force,
consolidation of ceasefire, implementation of confidence-building
measures, but is acting contrary to them bearing full responsibility
for the escalation of the situation.” Karabakh conflict broke out
in 1988 when Karabakh, mainly populated by Armenians, declared
its independence from Azerbaijan. On December 10, 1991, a few days
after the collapse of the Soviet Union, a referendum took place in
Nagorno-Karabakh, and the majority of the population (99.89%) voted for
secession from Azerbaijan. Afterwards, large-scale military operations
began. As a result, Azerbaijan lost control over Nagorno-Karabakh and
the seven regions adjacent to it. Some 30,000 people were killed in
this war and about one million people fled their homes. On May 12,
1994, the Bishkek cease-fire agreement put an end to the military
operations. Since 1992, talks brokered by OSCE Minsk Group are being
held over peaceful settlement of the conflict. The group is co-chaired
by USA, Russia and France. -0—

From: A. Papazian

UNITED STATES EXPRESSED CONCERN ABOUT THE DOWNED HELICOPTER IN NKR

10:42 13/11/2014 >> SOCIETY

Washington has expressed concern about the downing by Azerbaijani
forces of a military helicopter of Nagorno Karabakh, reports Radio
Liberty.

U.S. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki says the incident is
“yet another reminder” of the need to reduce tensions and respect a
cease-fire in the region.

She also noted that there could be “no military solution to the
conflict.”

As NKR Defense Ministry press service reported earlier, today, Nagorno
Karabakh Air Forces’ Mi-24 helicopter was shot by the Azerbaijani Armed
Forces during military training flight in the airspace in the eastern
section of Karabakh – Azerbaijan Line of Contact around 1:45 pm. The
land, on which the incident occurred, is in close proximity to the line
of contact. Opponent after the incident continued intense bombardment
scene from weapons of different caliber. The place where the helicopter
was shot is close to the Line of Contact. The enemy continued to fire
shots from weapons of different calibers after the incident.

Meanwhile, the press secretary of Armenian Defense Minister Artsrun
Hovhannisyan wrote on his Facebook page that Azerbaijani Armed Forces
have carried out an unprecedented provocation on the border with the
Republic of Nagorno Karabakh; this has also led to escalation of the
situation. In the same time the fabrications of the Azerbaijani side,
as if the Armenian helicopters had attacked their positions and they
allegedly had merely responded to this step, are senseless. “The study
of the wreckage of the helicopter will confirm that he was not armed.

The escalation of the Azerbaijani side has continued even after
the helicopter fall down. Moreover, the Azerbaijani side continued
shelling, not allowing even to get closer to the pilots. The
consequences of this unprecedented escalation will be very harmful
for the Azerbaijani side and will remain as a stain on the conscience
of the military-political leadership of Azerbaijan. Captain of the
helicopter was Major Sergei Sahakyan. Information about the fate of
the crew will be given later,” Artsrun Hovhannisyan stated.

From: A. Papazian

NAGORNO-KARABAKH REPORTS 250 AZERBAIJANI CEASEFIRE VIOLATIONS

10:51 * 13.11.14

The Azerbaijani armed troops have violated the ceasefire along the
Line of Contact with Nagorno-Karabakh since the downing of the M-24
helicopter on Wednesday afternoon.

The Defense Army reports that the adversary fired over 3,000 bullets
against Armenian defense guards from weapons of different calibers.

The frontline military units of the Army remained mainly committed
to the Ceasefire Accord, resorting to retaliation only upon strict
necessity.

Armenian News – Tert.am

From: A. Papazian

TURKISH CONSTITUTIONAL COURT URGES INVESTIGATION OF CIVIL SERVANTS FOR DINK MURDER

10:16, 13 Nov 2014

Civil servants and institutions allegedly implicated in the murder of
the Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink should be investigated, the
Constitutional Court stated in its detailed ruling on the case on Nov.

12, the Hurriyet Daily News reports.

The top Turkish court said the case was not probed efficiently and
the victim’s rights were violated, in a ruling issued last July.

In its detailed ruling, the Court insisted that civil servants should
not be spared from the investigation, a thorny issue that has long
been one of the backbones of Dink’s lawyers’ criticism regarding the
judicial process.

The court stressed that “despite a long time having passed since the
murder, civil servants who allegedly committed negligence regarding the
incident and whose identities were revealed have not been interrogated
and there responsibility regarding the incident was not determined.”

The ruling added that because of this, it should be accepted that the
investigation was not conducted with a “reasonable care and speed,
therefore was inefficient.”

The detailed ruling comes only three weeks after nine key civil
servants, including the former police chief of Istanbul, were
authorized for investigation by the Justice Ministry almost eight
years after the murder.

The move may shed light on many aspects of the murder that remain
unknown. Dink had been called to a police department and warned
about a possible plot against him, and it is therefore thought that
the murder was known about within some state institutions before it
happened. Up to now, the investigation has failed to focus on the
links between suspects and state officials.

“In this kind of cases, the conditions in which the incident took
place and flaws in the monitoring system should be tackled first.

Secondly, an ex officio investigation should be launched to determine
the institutions and civil servants that were responsible,” the
detailed ruling stated.

Dink was shot dead by Ogun Samast in broad daylight on a busy street
outside the offices of the bilingual Turkish-Armenian weekly Agos,
in central Istanbul on Jan. 19, 2007. The assassination caused outrage
across the country, sending hundreds of the thousands to the streets
in mass rallies.

Samast was sentenced to over 22 years in jail for the murder, but
lawyers representing the Dink family have repeatedly expressed their
dismay over the lack of investigation regarding individuals or groups
who allegedly commissioned the murder.

After a long battle, former Istanbul Police Chief Celalettin Cerrah,
former Istanbul Deputy Governor Ergun Gungör, former Istanbul Police
Department Intelligence Head Ahmet Ä°lhan Guler and six other officials
are set to testify at court.

From: A. Papazian

EU CALLS FOR INVESTIGATION INTO SHOOTING DOWN OF THE ARMENIAN HELICOPTER

10:38, 13 Nov 2014

“Following reports of a cease-fire breach on 12 November 2014 along
the Line of Contact, in which a military helicopter is reported to
have been shot down, it is essential that all sides show restraint
and avoid any actions or statements which could escalate the situation.

Furthermore, we call for an investigation into this incident,” the
European Union said in a statement.

The European Union reiterates its full support to the efforts of the
OSCE Minsk Group and the three Co-Chairs. Both sides have to strictly
respect the ceasefire, to refrain from the use of force or any threat
thereof, and to resume efforts towards a peaceful resolution of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

From: A. Papazian

SCUFFLES AND AMBULANCE IN FRONT OF PRESIDENTIAL PALACE; PARENTS OF DEAD SOLDIERS PROTEST (VIDEO)

11.12.2014 16:38 epress.am

The parents of soldiers who died during peaceful times are demanding
to meet with President Serzh Sargsyan, a fair investigation of
their children’s cases, and are prepared to take radical actions. The
parents stated their demands today in front of the presidential palace,
during their regular protest action. They did not specify what radical
actions they would take.

Right after the start of the protest, police officers told parents that
Aida Asatryan, the head of the Presidential department’s Reception
of Citizens, Appeals, Complaints and Proposals Office, had informed
the presidential staff to approach the protesters. After 15 minutes,
the protesters realizing that no one is going to approach them,
went onto Baghramyan Ave. and blocked traffic.

Police attempted to bring them back to the sidewalk by pushing and
pulling them, but they were faced with resistance. During the scuffle,
both Gohar Sargsyan, who lost her son Tigran Ohanjanyan in 2007,
and Heriknaz Muradyan, the mother of Armen Muradyan, lost in 2013,
began feeling faint and emergency care was called for them. The
dead soldiers’ parents attempted to block the street for the second
and third time, however, the police repeatedly brought them back to
the sidewalk.

National Assembly MP Zaruhi Postanjyan also arrived near the
Presidential Palace. She said that she was planning to raise the issue
of the dead soldiers’ cases in the Human Rights standing committee
in the NA, in order for a few of the cases to be investigated and
suggested a creation of a temporary commission.

Until 1:30 pm the parents did not receive any response from the
Presidential staff. Outside the Presidential Palace, three men in
military attire came and called one of the police officers. After
speaking to the officer, the men entered the palace. At this point
the protest was still continuing and the mothers were sitting in
front of the palace gates.

Details in the video

From: A. Papazian

CIVIC SOLIDARITY CALLS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE OF POLITICAL PRISONERS IN AZERBAIJAN

19:10 12/11/2014 >> POLITICS

The Civic Solidarity Platform, a coalition of 65 human rights
organisations from the OSCE region, issued a statement in which
it called on the Azerbaijani authorities to stop the harassment of
independent media and human rights defenders.

According to the statement, Azerbaijan’s six-month chairmanship of the
Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, Europe’s top human
rights body, comes to an end this week. During this period Azerbaijan
unleashed an unprecedented crackdown against civil society–including
the imprisonment of human rights defenders and political activists
who criticized the government.

“The chairmanship turned into a demonstration of strength for the
Azerbaijani government. It showed that evil can be stronger than
values. The government used the chairmanship in an organization
which is based on human rights to prove to its citizens, and to the
world, that money and power trump values,” said Azeri investigative
journalist, Khadija Ismayilova.

According to the statement, the Secretary General of the Council
of Europe, Thorbjørn Jagland, and its democratic member states must
confront Azerbaijan and consider punitive measures in response to this
crackdown. To date the Council of Europe has responded with nothing
more than statements of condemnation. Azerbaijan actions are an attack
to European institutions and values, and this must not go unnoticed.

The article notes the names of human rights activist Leyla Yunus,
a journalist and human rights activist Rasul Jafarov, lawyer Intigam
Alliev.

Source: Panorama.am

From: A. Papazian

AZERBAIJAN PLANS GAS SUPPLIES TO HUNGARY

14:39, 12 Nov 2014

Azerbaijan considers supplying natural gas to Hungary, Azerbaijani
President Ilham Aliyev said on Wednesday in an interview on Hungarian
television, TASS reports.

“We consider Hungary as a partner in energy cooperation and are
studying routes for Azerbaijani gas supplies to Hungary,” Aliyev said.

“This may be the Bulgaria-Romania-Hungary route or the Ionian-Adriatic
pipeline, which will run across the Balkan countries and stretch
further to Hungary from Croatia. We need to choose the route acceptable
for all of us. Considering the Southern Gas Corridor project, which
we’re implementing, and Azerbaijan’s gas reserves, I have no doubts
that Hungary and Azerbaijan will become partners in the gas sphere,”
Aliyev said.

The Southern Gas Corridor project, which Azerbaijan is implementing
with its partners, “will fully remake Europe’s energy map,” the
Azerbaijani president said.

Hungary and Azerbaijan signed a strategic partnership declaration in
Budapest on Tuesday envisaging natural gas supplies to Central Europe.

From: A. Papazian

PRIME MINISTER’S ARMENIAN ADVISOR

Daily Sabah, Turkey
Nov 12 2014

Etyen Mahcupyan 12 November 2014, Wednesday

A common view is shared among the Armenian diaspora and the
intellectuals of the Armenian community nowadays: “It is a tactical
move for Turkey’s prime minister to appoint an Armenian as his chief
advisor with the 100th anniversary of the 1915 incidents approaching.

Moreover, it is obviously a move for the denial of the Armenian
genocide.” Like many other aggrieved minority communities, a vast
majority of Armenians feel assured that the world revolves around
their own issues. This view is also common among the Kurds. They
think all the initiatives of the government are directly related to
them, regardless of what the government does. And they interpret the
government’s actions accordingly. Consequently, Davutoglu’s assigning
of me as the chief advisor has drawn the attention of many Armenians
to my Armenian identity. What really matters for them is not the
advisor’s political tendencies, but the fact that an Armenian was
appointed. One is naturally obliged to ask this question when looking
from this perspective: Why did the prime minister choose an Armenian?

Then you have to answer it as part of the definitions of Armenian
identity. In this way, you inevitably make a remark that manipulates
Armenian identity. And most of the Armenian intellectuals in Turkey
are desperately wallowing around this vicious circle. As soon as you
define the others based on what you have been subjected to, you can
assume that all the deeds of the others are done for or against you.

Giving prominence to the identity of an Armenian advisor also has
another interesting outcome: If this advisor was really chosen for his
Armenian identity, then he is supposed to act like an Armenian and his
deeds will be evaluated from a criteria that accords with his Armenian
identity. Those with this perspective are not even aware that they have
a somewhat racist perspective since expecting me to unconditionally
act like an Armenian is not, in principle, different from a negative
implementation conducted against me since I am Armenian.

The fact is, one does not become more or less Armenian just because
he is appointed as the chief advisor. Moreover, when my case is
considered, it cannot be said that you are against a proper Armenian.

In this case, we are talking about a man who has never considered
himself as part of the community in social terms, and a man who has
never stood out as an Armenian, with his identity defining him. The
matter comprises of contributing to the creation of a shared wisdom
and influencing the government that, as much as possible, is working
among a major reform process and is in a tangle of serious issues
that are waiting to be resolved.

Being an Armenian only refers to a trivial sphere within the overall
mission. If we attempt to list the issues Turkey needs to resolve, the
Armenian “issue” or “genocide” is only in the middle of the list. And
my duty as chief advisor is giving advice to promote democratization
while paying the required amount of attention to each subject.

Expecting me to pay more attention to that issue than it really
deserves in terms of the current and future conditions of Turkey
might lead to disappointments.

In the meeting where Davutoglu offered me this position, the word
“Armenian” was not mentioned once and the prime minister did not
imply that he would charge me with a specific duty. On the contrary,
he focused on the general picture and needs of Turkey. For some,
it might be hard to accept but this is the reality: There are many
people in Turkey who are not trapped within their ethnic or religious
identities and sometimes life can bring some of them together.

From: A. Papazian