Author: Andres-Papazian

ARMENIAN AND NAGORNO-KARABAKH TO DEVELOP COMMON PROPAGANDA STRATEGY

news.am
March 1 2011
Armenia

MP from “Prosperous Armenia Party”, Chairwoman of the Standing
Committee on European Integration, Armenian Parliament, Naira
Zohrabyan came forward with an initiative to hold a joint meeting of
Armenian and Nagorno-Karabakh Republic parliamentary forces, as well
as representatives of Foreign Affairs Ministries to develop a common
propaganda concept.

The parliamentarian pointed out to the fact that the consequences of
a propaganda war may be more serious. “For years, proud silence and
scorn has been Yerevan’s only response to misinformation spread by
Turkish-Azerbaijani propaganda machine within international agencies.

However, within the recent two years Armenian parliamentary
diplomacy has been making efforts to remedy the situation,” Zohrabyan
underscored.

From: A. Papazian

PRESERVATION: THE SCIENCES IN ART AND ART HISTORY
by Steve Rees, News Editor

The Point News

March 1 2011

On Feb. 23, United States Library of Congress preservation research
scientist Lynn Brostoff presented her studies of ancient artifacts and
works of art using scientific methods in her lecture “Using Science
to Unlock the Secrets of Art and Historic Artifacts” as part of the
Natural Science and Mathematics Colloquium series.

Given in the Schaefer Hall lecture room, Brostoff’s lecture focused
on her role in the field of cultural heritage science, which includes
elements of biology, chemistry, physics, forensics, and materials
science (the analysis of how an object’s properties are linked to
its atomic and molecular structure).

“We’re doing a lot of material science,” said Brostoff, “and what
the materials present say about the condition of the object.”

Brostoff discussed how the analytical study of museum and library
collections is based on technical studies, model studies of degradation
mechanisms, and conservation methods development.

Technical studies refers to the study of a material’s identity,
methods of manufacture, the history of the manufacturer, innovations
of certain components of the object, and the context of the object
in relation to its found location.

“A lot of people develop analytical tools specifically for the
applications we have,” she said. “The first thing we want to do is
look at things non-invasively.”

Electromagnetic (EM) radiation is the primary method that scientists
like Brostoff use to analyze artifacts non-invasively.

The EM waves are scattered, reflected, transmitted, and absorbed by
different objects, the results of which are detected and analyzed to
understand more about the artifacts in question.

Microscopy, spectral imaging, and Raman spectroscopy are other methods
of analyzing these materials.

When more analytical techniques are needed, the next stage of object
investigation is the use of minimally invasive techniques, which
includes calorimetry and even fold endurance testing on micro-samples
of the object.

Brostoff discussed examples of several artifacts analyzed by the
preservation staff of the Library of Congress, including a fifteenth
century version of the Armenian Gospel from Verin Noravank Monastery
in Siwnik (Syunik Province), Armenia.

The book itself was acquired by the Library of Congress in 2008,
and has since been under intensive technical study.

The objective of working with the book is to preserve the colors and
text of the Gospel of St. Mark, which is inside the book.

Beginning with X-ray fluorescence, or the use of X-rays to excite
electrons of atoms on the surface enough to cause a detectable energy
release, Brostoff explained how the artifact was analyzed in terms
of the colors used on one of the pages.

The X-ray fluorescence, or XRF, detected tin oxide in the work, a rare
white pigment that was used to make the white color used on the pages.

XRF also detected smalt (a cobalt glass material from arsenic ore)
used for the blue in the book’s pages. This finding was especially
surprising, as it was thought that smalt was not used until Venetian
paintings over a century later.

Further analysis of the blue pigments on the page with Fourier transfer
infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) indicated the presence of ultramarine,
a silicon oxide compound also known as lapis lazuli, found almost
exclusively in what is now Afghanistan.

Further cobalt traces indicating smalt presence were verified with
elemental analysis. Doing all of these tests aided in accurate
identification of the pigment compounds.

“We could have missed the pigment elements by doing only one analytical
technique,” said Brostoff.

The red pigment of the page was analyzed and found to contain mercury
and lead, common sources of red in other works at the time.

Further analysis with micro-XRD indicated lead tetroxide for the lead
source, and mercury sulfide for the mercury source.

The fact that all of these different compounds could be used for the
painting makes more sense given the proximity of Syunik to the Silk
Road, the main trade route of the time.

The Persian influence can even be seen in the pages’ artwork.

“There is little known about Armenian painting,” said Brostoff,
“so this told us a lot.”

Another method of analysis used by the lab is laser ablation
inductively-coupled mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS), which was used to
analyze trace elements of Ancient Chinese gold.

XRF was also used to analyze the moon dust left on the space suits
of astronauts from the Apollo 17 mission.

“You can never see with the naked eye where we’ve been,” said
Brostoff. “And digitizing does not replace study and analysis.”

“I thought the lecture was interesting,” said Kevin Tennyson, a
first-year Physics student who attended the talk.

“I have an appreciation for the physics of it, and the materials
science that I personally would not have thought of.”

From: A. Papazian

HAYOTS ASHKHARH: IRAQI HACKERS CRACKED ARMENIAN WEBSITE

news.am
March 1 2011
Armenia

According to the information at Hayots Ashkharh daily’s disposal,
an Iraqi hacker cracked the website of Ararat diocese of the Armenian
Apostolic Church (araratian-tem.am/media).

A hacker named Gr33t warned in a statement: “I will destroy all
those who will be in my path”, adding “he gives the cracked site to
his friends.”

At the moment measures are taken to restore the site, the Ararat
Diocese reported.

From: A. Papazian

WILL FORMER YEREVAN MAYOR BE APPOINTED CHAIRMAN OF STATE COMMITTEE OF REAL ESTATE CADASTRE?

news.am
March 1 2011
Armenia

State Committee of Real Estate Cadastre declined to comment the
information that former Yerevan mayor Gagik Beglaryan will be appointed
to the post of the Chairman of the Committee.

The committee informed Armenian News-NEWS.am that they were aware
of the media publications, but they do not have information at their
disposal.

“Further development of events is unclear. There is no need to comment
on such publications. At the moment we do not have information at
our disposal. It is unclear whether it is true or not,” they said.

As Armenian News-NEWS.am reported earlier, according to some media
reports, former Yerevan mayor Gagik Beglaryan will be appointed
Chairman of State committee of real estate cadastre.

The rumors have it that the incumbent head of the agency, former
Yerevan mayor Yervand Zakharyan will be appointed Minister of
Territorial Administration.

From: A. Papazian

SPORT UNITES YOUNG TURKISH AND ARMENIAN BASKETBALL PLAYERS
By Carlos Aranaga

Albuquerque Express

Source America.com
March 1 2011

Washington — Two dozen Armenian and Turkish basketball players, both
young men and women, came to the United States for a second round of
hoops diplomacy January 29-February 12. The teams, who first met in
August 2010 at a U.S.-hosted basketball program in Turkey, aimed to
learn about scholastic sports and leadership, and trained with former
professional star Gheorghe MureÅ~_an in Izmir and in Washington.

Funded by the U.S. State Department’s SportsUnited Division and
managed by the nonprofit World Learning organization, the visits are
an international sports initiative to expose the young players and
their coaches to U.S. training methods and school sports activities,
all while fostering mutual understanding between youth of the
neighboring countries.

“We hope the program inspires Armenia and Turkey to support young
athletes and that these kinds of sports initiatives serve as a bridge
to the future for young people of both countries,” said Doug Silliman,
deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Ankara. The United
States has one of the most developed scholastic sports programs in
the world, with millions of school-age youth competing in a variety
of sports.

The first leg for the secondary-school and college-age athletes was in
Turkey, August 19-29, 2010. Players, picked from club teams in Izmir,
Turkey, and Yerevan, Armenia, began with a one-week camp in Oren,
Turkey, where they learned about youth leadership and intercultural
communications while training in basic game skills. Week two took
them to Izmir for exhibition play, to see an International Basketball
Federation championship game and take part in a basketball clinic
led by former NBA player MureÅ~_an.

A college athlete in his Romanian homeland, MureÅ~_an had a nine-year
professional career in the United States and France, including six
years in the NBA with the Washington Bullets and the New Jersey Nets.

At 2.31 meters in height, MureÅ~_an is one of the two tallest players
ever to play in the NBA.

Since retiring from professional play, MureÅ~_an has often mentored
young players in the United States and around the world. In 2004,
Muresan founded the Giant Basketball Academy, a Washington-based sports
program dedicated to the teaching of proper basketball fundamentals
to boys and girls of all ages.

In Washington, the youth teams trained and played alongside basketball
counterparts at Walter Johnson High School and St. John’s College High
School, and got to work with professional and college-level coaches.

They also had the chance to watch play between Hofstra and George
Mason universities and between Georgetown University and the University
of Louisville.

Among the basketball mentors the teams met in Washington was former
Brandeis University guard Florian Rexhepi, who led a youth development
workshop for the teams. Rexhepi, originally from Skopje, Macedonia,
was the 2005 rookie of the year in the University Athletic Association,
a college conference.

“We asked him loads of questions about his basketball career,” said
Masha, a player with the Armenian girls’ youth basketball team. “He
helped us to understand that through basketball we can understand
life, make strong friendships and, what’s the most important, play
not only for ourselves, but for the whole team.”

Also in Washington, the teams took part in a hip-hop dance workshop
at the Joy of Motion Dance Center, aimed at building team cohesion
using dance as a tool. The players also took part in a basketball
clinic with players and staff from the Washington GreenHawks, part
of the Atlantic Coast Professional Basketball League.

The two teams also toured Washington sites and visited the State
Department, where they were greeted by Assistant Secretary for
Educational and Cultural Affairs Ann Stock and Deputy Assistant
Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs Spencer P. Boyer.

The visiting youth teams capped their week with a clinic hosted by
the NBA’s Washington Wizards before getting to see the Wizards play
the Atlanta Hawks at the Verizon Center arena February 5.

The second week took the group to Florida to watch the Orlando Magic
face off against the Los Angeles Clippers, to tour the University of
Central Florida, and to meet with peers and sports officials in Tampa.

Project organizers hope to be able to send both teams on a third leg
to Yerevan, Armenia, later this year.

A short video of the students training with the Washington GreenHawks
is available on YouTube.com.

(This is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs,
U.S. Department of State. Web site: )

From: A. Papazian

DINK FAMILY LAWYER: CASE FAR FROM GRANTING JUSTICE

Today’s Zaman
March 1 2011
Turkey

One of the lawyers of Hrant Dink’s family has said the family will no
longer attend the hearings in the trial of Ogun Samast, the hitman
in the murder of Armenian-Turkish journalist Dink, who was fatally
shot outside the office of the Agos weekly in 2007, because the case
is not meeting the demands of justice.

As Samast appeared in juvenile court yesterday for the first time
since he was sent to trial in that court, as he was a minor at the
time of the crime, the Dink family was not present in the courtroom.

Their lawyer, Fethiye Cetin, told reporters that the family and other
participants will no longer be present at the hearings.

“As the case has been far from meeting the demands of justice, it has
also been [causing] increasing pain and sorrow in society. Therefore,
our client, the Dink family, and other participants will no longer
come and watch the hearings,” Cetin said.

Samast’s lawyer had referred to the Law of Amendment to the
Counterterrorism Law (TMK) and asked for his client to be transferred
to juvenile court. Although Dink family lawyers had expressed that
Samast should be tried with other suspects in the same court, the
judge decided that, according to the new TMK, the current court lacks
subject-matter jurisdiction.

The Dink family lawyers also said Samast’s trial in a different court
is a small detail because he is the one who pulled the trigger, but
what is important is to punish those who encouraged him to commit the
murder and the public officials who protected those people. There is
a lengthy list of suspicious irregularities in the investigation into
Dink’s murder, including deleted records and hidden files suggestive of
an attempted police cover-up. The Dink family’s lawyers have said much
of the evidence indicates that the murder could have been prevented.

Samast said yesterday at his first appearance in juvenile court that
he will just repeat the testimony that he gave four years ago at
the 14th High Criminal Court. “My cross examination was also done. I
don’t have anything to add,” he said.

The head of the court referred to Samast as “SSC,” which means “child
who was driven to commit a crime.” The court was in recess when this
paper went to print and judges had decided that they would use voice
and video recordings at the hearings as much as is possible.

From: A. Papazian

RUSSIAN OFFICIAL, US AMBASSADOR DISCUSS KARABAKH CONFLICT

news.az
March 1 2011
Azerbaijan

The sides discussed cooperation issues on international anti-terrorism
including Russia-US cooperation in the Caucasus region.

Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia Grigori Karasin and US ambassador to
Russia John Beyrle discussed the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, Russian
FM’s official website reports.

The sides discussed cooperation issues on international anti-terrorism
including Russia-US cooperation in the Caucasus region.

They also discussed the situation in the South Caucasus, Nagorno
Karabakh and Trans-Dnestr problems.

From: A. Papazian

RUSSIA SEES AZERBAIJAN’S SUPERIORITY OVER ARMENIA, TRIES TO PROTECT ITS WARD
Lala B.

news.az
March 1 2011
Azerbaijan

News.Az interviews MP Mubariz Gurbanly.

How do you assess Russia’s next initiative to organize the 5 March
meeting of the presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia with participation
of the Russian president in Sochi?

In general, all negotiations around the resolution of the Karabakh
conflict are a positive step, since the presence of negotiations is
better than their absence.

Moscow’s initiative to hold a trilateral meeting of the presidents of
Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia for the purpose of discussing ways to
settle Karabakh conflict is of great importance since we know that
Russia’s capacity to influence Armenia is much higher than of other
Minsk Group co-chairs. I believe these negotiations can accelerate
processes on the resolution of the Karabakh conflict.

What does Azerbaijan expect from this meeting?

I believe that anyway all negotiations promote Azerbaijan’s definite
achievements. But there are moments which do not depend on us,
especially those connected with the absence of sufficient pressure
on Armenia.

If enough pressure is made on Armenia, it would be possible to gain
results.

How effective and expedient is the participation of only Russia of the
three co-chairing states in the organization of such meetings? Does
it not mean that such meetings held by the Russian side distance
other co-chairing states from the resolution of the Karabakh conflict?

If we take a look into history and process of negotiations, we can
see periods of activeness of a Minsk Group co-chair. For example, the
United States once initiated talks in Key West on Karabakh settlement,
while France initiated talks in Rambuya.

Russia also proposed such initiatives many times. Some of such
initiatives are not caused by the lack of information about the
actions of other Minsk Group co-chairs, since they inform each
other about the process of negotiations. I believe the initiatives
and consistent position of Russia can bring more results than the
initiatives of other Minsk Group co-chairing states. All the three
co-chairing countries must join efforts to put pressure on Armenia.

Do you share the opinion of a number of international observers that
by making definite initiatives to settle the Karabakh conflict, Russia
is thus trying to avert new war between Azerbaijan and Armenia? And
is Russia sincere in its intentions?

Anyway, the search of sincerity in diplomacy is like a famous saying
of Confucius about looking for a black cat in a dark room. Anyway,
the attempts to avert war come not only from Russia but also from
other Minsk Group co-chairs. No one wants a new war in the region.

Azerbaijani side also does not show willingness to start war. We
regard war as a last option to settle the Karabakh conflict.

Azerbaijan wants to settle the problem peacefully.

Certainly, Russia sees Azerbaijan’s great superiority over Armenia and
is trying to defend the country it backs. But regardless of whether
Russia tries or not tries to avert war, Azerbaijan will be obliged
to use the last option to settle the conflict in the absence of a
result in the negotiation process.

From: A. Papazian

FIRST HEARING OF PRIME SUSPECT AT JUVENILE COURT

BIAnet.org
March 1 2011
Turkey

The prosecution of Ogun Samast, one of the prime suspects in the murder
case of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink, started on 28 February
at a juvenile court in Istanbul. Samast’s request for a closed session
was rejected. Nine of Dink’s relatives were accepted as co-plaintiffs.

Elif GENCKAL [email protected] Istanbul – BÄ°A News Center01 March
2011, Tuesday The trial against defendant Ogun Samast, triggerman
suspect in the Hrant Dink murder case, started on Monday (28 February)
before the Sultanahmet (Istanbul) 2nd Juvenile High Criminal Court.

Turkish-Armenian journalist Dink was shot in front of his office in
Å~^iÅ~_li/Istanbul in bold daylight more than four years ago on 19
January 2007. Dink was the founder and then Editor-in-Chief of the
Armenian Agos newspaper.

Lawyer Fethiye Cetin, joint attorney of the Dink family, spoke
to the journalists in front of the courthouse. She said that the
Dink family members were not going to attend any hearing held at
the Sultanahmet Juvenile Court in order to express their protest
against the circumstances that Samast is being tried at a children
and juveniles court.

The Istanbul 14th High Criminal Court had decided in October 2010
that Samast should be prosecuted at a Children and Juvenile Court
because he was under-age at the time of the murder. This decision
came after a trial period of more than three years.

Nine members of Dink family co-plaintiffs The court accepted Rakel
Dink, widow of the slain journalist, his brothers Arat and Hosrof
Dink, furthermore Ferat, Ara, Aycan, Zabal, Maral and HaskanoÅ~_
Dink as co-plaintiffs. The application of the Agos newspaper and the
Birgun daily, a nation-wide newspaper Dink used to write for, for
co-plaintiff status were accepted as well. Savo and Mikail Yagbasan,
brothers of Rakel Dink, were dismissed as co-plaintiffs because they
had “not suffered direct harm”, the court reasoned.

Samast a “child dragged into crime”?

The court rejected the request to hold a closed session without the
press. The journalists were allowed into the court room at around
noon time. The court president called Samast a “child having been
dragged to crime”.

Six witnesses heard At the Monday hearing, the court took the
statements of eyewitnesses Akif Calıkoglu, Cemal Yıldırım, Ahmet
Emin Ozmete and Agos employees Dina Murat, Christine Dellaloglu and
Ä°brahim Caglayan. The court decided to keep Samast in detention. Most
of the witnesses said that the weapon Samast was holing was “grey”
or of “light colour”. The court is going to hear ten other witnesses
in the coming hearing on 4 April.

Joint attorney Bahri Bayram Belen interrogated Samast on the weapon.

Belen indicated that the aim was not to prosecute Samast for a high
prison sentence but to reveal the concrete background of the murder.

Decision for Juvenile Court and its appeal On 25 October 2010, the
Istanbul 14th High Criminal Court decided for a “lack of jurisdiction”
in relation to defendant Samast according to certain amendments
regarding the Anti Terror Law (TMY). Thereupon, the court decided to
prosecute Samast before a Children and Juveniles Court.

The Dink family lawyers appealed the decision on the following day and
demanded to handle the case as a whole at the 14th High Criminal Court.

Joint attorney Arzu Becerik had announced that Samast could
be released in a short time because his case was transferred to a
juvenile court. Becerik had expressed her concern that Samast could
be released pending trial in January 2010.

Becerik criticized that the trial fell in abeyance when Samast’s file
was transferred to the juvenile court and that the procedures gave
the impression that a decision would not be given any time soon. “If
the prosecution of Samast will be continued at a juvenile court, he
will be out of prison after five years”, the lawyer stated referring
to certain applications of mitigation for juveniles.

Samast facing 20 years in jail Samast is facing up to 20 years in
prison on charges of “membership of an illegal organization” and
“unlicensed gun possession”.

Samast stands accused of killing journalist Dink in front of the Agos
newspaper office in Istanbul. He was arrested on his way back to his
home town Trabzon at the Samsun coach station (Black Sea coast) one
day after the murder. He has been detained for four years. (EG/EO/VK)

From: A. Papazian

NA SPEAKER MEETS WITH SCHOOLCHILDREN

National Assembly
parliament.am
March 1 2011
Armenia

Within the framework of the Open Lesson programme the first day of
the four-day sittings on February 28 senior classes of the schools of
Ajapnyak and Davtashen administrative districts visited the parliament.

First the schoolchildren attended the sitting of the National Assembly,
and then they had a meeting with the NA Speaker Hovik Abrahamyan.

Taking into account that February 28 was the 23rd year of the Sumgait
killings Hovik Abrahamyan once more condemned those tragic events
and noted that the non-recognized massacre created an opportunity of
new ones.

The head of the legislative body introduced the schoolchildren
the order, functions of the parliament, the relations with
other structures, spoke about parliament-society link, and in
particular, about the transparency of the parliament’s work. In
the NA Speaker’s words, the parliament should be a podium of the
collision of the opinions, to which the schoolchildren witnessed,
when the opposition made a political statement at the approval of
the agenda. Hovik Abrahamyan also touched upon the Armenian-Turkish
relations, the procedure of the settlement of the Nagorno Karbakah
conflict, introducing the schoolchildren with the main principles
of the regulation of the problem. As such, the NA Speaker noted the
principles of the peaceful settlement of the problem through the
nations’ self-determination, territorial integrity and negotiations.

Talking about the bellicose announcements of the Azerbaijani side he
noted that Armenia has a combatative army and cannot to defend its
borders and provide the security of the country.

The meeting with the schoolchildren was held in question-and-answer
session: they addressed various questions the NA Speaker. The
schoolchildren were interested in the sphere of education, in
particular, problems concerning the senior school. The NA Speaker
ensured that many questions of interest are included in 2011-2015
Education Development Programme, which is in the phase of discussion.

He urged those present to study well, obtain deep knowledge and later
serve them for the state, being involved in the state system. Both
making closer the contacts with the society, and clarifying the
problems of the education sphere the NA Speaker envisages organizing
visits to schools. This initiative will relate to the head of the
legislative body and the deputies, who will be in different educational
centers of the republic.

According to tradition, the schoolchildren were taken photos in the
NA sitting hall with Hovik Abrahamyan. The meeting had an unexpected
end: the schoolchildren recited poems written by Armenian writers
Sevak and Shiraz in the hall.

From: A. Papazian