GAS CONSUMERS’ NUMBER INCREASED BY 16 538
Tert.am
14.01.11
There are 612 891 natural gas consumers in Armenia as of January 1,
2011, Hayrusgazart company reported.
Gas subscribers’ number last year increased by 16 538, with 2404
having joined the network in December.
From: A. Papazian
BRITISH JOURNALIST TO VISIT THE ONLY ARMENIAN VILLAGE IN TURKEY
Tert.am
14.01.11
Two journalists of foreign newspapers will visit an Armenian village
in Turkey, according to Turkish news agency Anadolu.
Thr journalists of the British Sunday Telegraph and Swiss Trajectoire,
who are in Turkey upon the invitation of Turkish minister of culture
and tourism, arrived in the town of Hatay (Antakya), southern Turkey,
to preapare articles about the fascinating areas in the region in an
attempt to boots tourism.
“Earlier, I had gone to Istanbul, Bursa, Izmir, and this is the first
time I have come to Hatay … Besides, I will visit several villages,
including the Armenian village Vakifli,” Lindsey Macqueen of the
Sunday Telegraph told Anadolu.
Vakifli Koyu is the last Christian Armenian village in Turkey. After
WWI it became a part of Syria, and many of the surrounding villages
on Musa Dagh (Musa Ler) mountain were also Armenian.
In 1939 this territory was transferred to Turkey, a move which Syria
does not recognize, and all of the other Armenian villages chose to
leave, rather than live in Turkey.
Along with Anjar in Lebanon, Kessab in Syria, and some Hemshin villages
these are some of the last Western Armenian speaking villages in
the world.
From: A. Papazian
AZERBAIJANI COACH CRITICIZED FOR PLEDGING TO FIRE ARMENIAN PLAYER IN KAZAKHSTAN
Tert.am
14.01.11
Chief Coach of Kazakhstani football team Atirau, Ramaz Mammadov,
has come under fire by Atirau’s fans over a statement related to the
only Armenian player of the team.
Mammadov, who is an Azerbaijani by origin, said in an interview that
as long as he is the coach of the team, Tigran Karabakhtsyan will
not play in Atirau.
“As far as I know Tigran Karabakhtsyan is no longer considered an
Atirau player. But even if that isn’t that case, then a serious
conversation with the club’s managers is awaiting for me. There can
be no Armenian in Atirau, as long as I work here,” Mammadov was quoted
as saying.
Mammadov’s statement has resented the Kazakhstani football fans
(in the photo) who released a statement, harshly criticizing him.
“We, the fans of Atirau football club are notifying Mammadov that
Kazakhstan is a multi-national state where representatives of more
than 100 nations are residing together peacefully in friendship and
conciliation,” reported by Gzt.ru website cited the statement.
“If you regard a player for his ethnic grounds rather than his playing
capabilities, then it reveals your human qualities.”
Further the fans said that there is no place for nationalism in
Kazakhstan.
“We aren’t interested in your Karabakh conflict; therefore leave
all that stuff in Azerbaijan. Your are now in Kazakhstan. There is
no place for nationalism here. No such things are accepted here,”
read the statement.
“You were appointed as chief coach just recently and you are already
giving interviews here and there. You already lost the fans’ trust
due to your nationalistic views.”
According to Armenian sports news website Armsport.am, Tigran
Karabakhtsyan went to Kazakhstan in the spring of 2010 and returned
to Kilikia in December.
From: A. Papazian
GOHARYAN EXPECTED TO RETURN TO FOOTBALL FIELD AFTER VACATIONS
Tert.am
14.01.11
After the matches in Yerevan’s Pyunik in the second half of the 2010
football tournament, Armenian sportsman Hovhannes Goharyan, currently
representing FC BATE, returned to Belarus.
Goharuyan’s name is currently missing from the Belarusian club’s
official website. As BATE’s press service told the Armenian sports
websiteArmSport.am, the team’s players are currently on vacation
and will return to the football field in a couple of days after a
medical check-up.
Goharyan who is expected to participate in the matches may quit
the club.
After the examination, the sportsman will talk the matter over with
his chief coach.
The Belarusian FC BATE which has qualified for the European League
play-off continues its competitions for the tournament.
From: A. Papazian
THE ADDRESS OF THE FOREIGN AFFAIRS MINISTER EDWARD NALBANDYAN AT THE ANNUAL PRESS CONFERENCE, SUMMARIZING THE FOREIGN POLICY
Noyan Tapan
14.01.2011
Dear journalists,
Ladies and gentlemen,
First of all I would like to congratulate you for the Christmas and
wish you Happy New Year. I wish the 2011 to be a year of prosperity
for you, your families and our country. Today, traditionally,
our press-conference is dedicated to the summarizing of the 2010
foreign policy.
Probably you are acquainted with my interview given to the Public
Television at the end of the last year where in some sense the past
year’s foreign policy is summarized. You can find the transcript of the
mentioned interview on the web-site of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
In my address I will concentrate on the most important events, and
you can further find more detailed information in the Annual Report
issued by the Ministry which will be distributed to you. Based on the
guidelines given by the President of the Republic, the activities
of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2010 were aimed at ensuring
favourable external conditions for the development of the state,
strengthen its image, raise the efficiency of the protection
of Armenian and its citizens’ interests abroad, present Armenian
approaches in the international arena, deepening the involvement in
international organizations and processes, further strengthening
cooperation with partner and friendly states as well as settle
relations with countries, with which some problems exist.
Thanks to the Armenian diplomacy’s efforts, in the process of
the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement, it became obvious that
the Armenian approaches are in line with the approaches of the
international community, which was reaffirmed in the five-sided
joint statement during the OSCE Summit in Astana on December 1,
in the Muskoka Statement by the heads of the OSCE Minsk Group
Co-Chair countries in the sidelines of the G8 Summit on June 26,
in the Astrakhan Declaration adopted by the Presidents of Armenia,
Russia and Azerbaijan on 27th of October, in the statement by the
Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group during the Almaty meeting of the
OSCE Ministers of Foreign Affairs on 17th of July.
During the year the President of the Republic visited all the
permanent member-states of the UN Security Council, had meetings
with the leadership of those countries. Last year was significant in
terms of further strengthening the Armenian-Russian partnership and
strategic relations, the culmination of which was the state visit
of the President Medvedev to Armenia, negotiations with the Armenian
President Sargsyan, the reached agreements and signed documents.
During 2010 the Armenian-US relations reached on a qualitatively new
level, which was particularly marked by President Serzh Sargsyan’s
visit to Washington DC, meeting with the US President Barack Obama as
well as by the US State Secretary Hillary Clinton’s visit to Yerevan.
Negotiations with EU on the Association Agreement have started where
an essential progress has been made. As a result of it, the cooperation
between Armenia and the EU will be put on a new basis.
Rapprochement with the European family continues to remain as one of
the Armenian foreign policy priorities.
Multidimensional cooperation with neighbouring Georgia and Iran has
continued. Foundations were laid for implementation of projects of
strategic importance with those countries. The policy of Armenia to
normalise the Armenian-Turkish relations has been received by the
international community with full understanding and support.
Purposeful steps were undertaken to further develop mutually beneficial
cooperation with the Asian countries, particularly with China, India
and Japan.
Active steps were initiated to develop relations with Arabic
countries during the year. Efforts were exerted to further extend
the cooperation with the countries of Latin America. Armenia has been
actively involved in the cooperation within the Collective Security
Treaty Organisation. Meetings of the Heads of the member-states of
the Organisation took place in Yerevan and Sevan.
Armenia intensively participated in the activities of the CIS and
EurAsEC and in the processes occurring within those Organisations.
The Individual Partnership Action Plan with NATO has been successfully
implemented. Armenia has continued its participation in international
peace-keeping activities. The participation in the activities of
the UN and other international organizations, as well as the active
involvement in the international campaign against terrorism and other
challenges has continued.
One of the pivotal issues of the foreign policy was the establishment
of stability, cooperation, security and peace in the South Caucasus.
Armenia exerted efforts to the achievement of a stable and secure
region.
The economic dimension of foreign policy has continued to play an
important role in our agenda, both in bilateral and multilateral
relations with international structures and financial institutions.
As a result of continuous work in inter-governmental trade and economic
committees of dozens of countries, agreements for future extensive
cooperation were reached, new projects were planned.
International cooperation in the fields of culture and education has
continued. Armenian Foreign Ministry contributed to the activities
of other Armenian state institutions in order to develop foreign
relations.
A big number of visits, political consultations, meetings and events
took place on intergovernmental, interagency and decentralized levels,
agreements were reached, around 70 international agreements were
signed which could serve as a good basis for future development of
the bilateral and multilateral relations.
The international recognition of the Armenian Genocide was in the
foreign policy agenda. On the 95th Anniversary of the Genocide events
were organised in around four dozens of countries to which the Armenian
diplomatic representations have shown their support. The Diplomatic
school of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs started to function in 2010,
which will soon have its first graduates.
The Law on Diplomatic Service has been amended, the Ministry
underwent structural changes. Last year Armenia opened embassies
in 7 countries (Kuwait, Czech Republic, Spain, Japan, Brazil, Iraq,
and the Netherlands).
Activities continued to further form international public opinion on
Armenia. The Armenian President and Foreign Minister made speeches
in leading think tanks, had interviews to eminent international mass
media outlets.
The President of the Republic had 22 foreign visits, Armenia
has been visited by 6 heads of other countries. President of the
National Assembly made 9 visits abroad. Prime-minister made 8 foreign
visits. 3 Heads of Foreign Governments, 14 Foreign Ministers, 5 Heads
of International organisations visited Armenia. Armenian Foreign
Minister made 24 visits. Thanks to the active and initiating foreign
policy on the international arena Armenia continued the strengthening
of its position as a predictable and trustful partner. Let me once
again congratulate you on the occasion of the holidays and wish
effective cooperation in the upcoming 2011.
From: A. Papazian
THE MINISTER OF DEFENCE OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA RECEIVES THE AMBASSADOR OF BULGARIA TO ARMENIA
14.01.11
Armenian Defence Minister Seyran Ohanyan received ambassador of the
Republic of Bulgaria to the Republic of Armenia Todor Staykov in
regard to his finishing his diplomatic mission.
Thanking the ambassador for his contribution to the Armenian-Bulgarian
military cooperation, Mr. Ohanyan awarded Todor Staykov with “Marshal
Baghramyan” medal and wished him success in his future activities.
ARM MoD Department of Information and Public Affairs
From: A. Papazian
WHY NAKHIDJEVAN IS CLOSED
Lragir.am
14 Jan 2011
Foreign Minister of Armenia Edward Nalbandyan dwelt on Azerbaijan’s
position of creating obstacles for foreign figures who visit Karabakh.
Edward Nalbandyan thanked those people, who despite this
incomprehensible approach of Azerbaijan, still visit Nagorno-Karabakh
and try to see the reality themselves.
Edward Nalbandyan said that Azerbaijan’s position can be even
understood because it tries to conceal the reality and its lie,
its crimes happened in Karabakh.
He wonders why Azerbaijan does not allow international delegations to
visit Nakhidjevan which is under its control. “Maybe it does not want
destroyed cross-stones, Armenian cultural heritage to be seen. Edward
Nalbandyan notes that so Azerbaijan avoids the question where the
bearers of that culture – the Armenian nation are now.
From: A. Papazian
TURKEY AND ARMENIA: TWO VAST AND UGLY BLOCKS OF STONE – ECONOMIST
Tert.am
14.01.11
Statues in Kars are not safe when Recep Tayyip Erdogan is around. When
Turkey’s prime minister visited the city last year, the local mayor,
who belongs to Erdogan’s mildly Islamist Justice and Development (AK)
party, sought to avoid his ire by ordering the removal of a public
fountain featuring bare-breasted nymphs.
Last week, during another trip to Kars, which lies about 45km west
of the border with Armenia, Erdogan called for the demolition of a
local monument designed to promote reconciliation between Turks and
Armenians. The statue, of two 30-metre-tall concrete figures reaching
out to each other, was, he said, a “freak”.
Erdogan insisted that his distaste was purely aesthetic. Yet some
suspect him of pandering to nationalist sentiment in the run-up
to elections in June. Many Turks see the statue as an admission of
Armenia’s charge that the slaughter of up to 1.5m Armenians by Ottoman
forces in 1915 amounted to genocide.
In 2009 the then mayor of Kars, Naif Alibeyoglu, who had commissioned
the statue, was forced out under pressure from Erdogan and the city’s
20% ethnic Azeri population (egged on by Azerbaijan, which disliked
Turkey’s efforts to make peace with Armenia).
Erdogan has backed away from a set of protocols signed with Armenia
in 2009 that foresaw the establishment of diplomatic relations and
the reopening of borders. These were sealed in 1993 after Armenia’s
short war with Azerbaijan over the mainly Armenian enclave of
Nagorno-Karabakh. Erdogan insists that the protocols can only be
ratified if Armenia withdraws from seven regions it occupies around
the enclave. Armenia is threatening to scrap the deal altogether.
But there is also a whiff of Islamic orthodoxy in the air. Erdogan’s
tirade against the Kars statue included references to Hasan Harakani,
an ancient Muslim scholar buried nearby.
“They erected a strange thing next to his mausoleum… it is
unthinkable,” he complained. Many Muslim scholars consider statues
to be idolatrous, and other AK officials have not disguised their
aversion to them. Ankara’s mayor, Melih Gokcek, has systematically
dismantled statues erected by his pro-secular predecessors. “I spit
on this kind of art,” he once said.
Mehmet Aksoy, the designer of the Kars monument, says that the
government risks being seen as “the Taliban” if it presses its
demands. But Turkey’s foreign minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, has backed
his boss, arguing that Aksoy’s work fails to blend into the Seljuk,
Ottoman and Russian character of the city. He might have included
Kars’ Armenian legacy, but that is being erased. A long-abandoned
tenth-century Armenian church recently reopened – as a mosque.
From: A. Papazian
PRESSE ARMENIENNE : REVUE DU 12 JANVIER 2011
Publie le : 14-01-2011
Info Collectif VAN – – Le Collectif VAN vous
propose cette Revue de Presse parue sur le site de l’Ambassade de
France en Armenie le 12 janvier 2011.
Ambassade de France en Armenie
Revue de la presse armenienne du 12 janvier 2011
Affaires interieures
Le Maire d’Erevan a aborde avec le directeur regional de la Banque
europeenne pour la reconstruction et le developpement (BERD) des
questions relatives aux programmes realises sur financement de la BERD,
notamment la securite et la modernisation du metro d’Erevan qui prevoit
des investissements capitaux en deux tranches, ainsi que le traitement
des dechets menagers de Noubarachen (non loin de la capitale),
rapportent Hayastani Hanrapetoutioun, Azg, et Haykakan Jamanak.
Les dernières mutations de haut niveau sont largement commentees par
les quotidiens. Haykakan Jamanak a qualifie de ” massacre de cadres
” les recents changements intervenus au sein de la Mairie, trois
semaines après la demission de l’ancien Maire, evoquant les demissions
du porte-parole, du chef de cabinet du Maire, de l’architecte en chef
et du maire de quartier Arabkir. ” Le jeu de massacre a-t-il commence
?” se demande Azg, estimant que c’est la dernière chance pour les
autorites de concretiser leur promesse de lutte contre la corruption.
Presentant le nouveau maire de quartier Arabkir au personnel de la
commune, le Maire d’Erevan Karen Karapetian a exige la mise en place
rapide d’une equipe bien organisee, efficace, discipline et a l’ecoute
de la population.
Une enquete criminelle est ouverte a la suite de deux cambriolages
en un mois, au bureau du parti d’opposition ” Hanrapetoutioun ”
(Republique), l’une des composant du CNA. Selon Artak Zeynalian, membre
du conseil politique et defenseur des droits de l’Homme, et plusieurs
ONG, il ne s’agit pas d’un simple cambriolage (les voleurs auraient
fouille les documents sans toucher a l’argent dans le tiroir), mais
d’une agression politiquement motivee, rapporte la presse d’opposition.
Trois personnes ont ete accusees pour tentative de fraude electorale
et de violences legères a l’egard des agents de la police lors des
elections municipales de Tchartchakis du marz (region) d’Aragatsotn,
rapportent les quotidiens.
L’ensemble de la presse rend compte de la decouverte, dans une grotte
près du village d’Areni, du plus ancien etablissement vinicole
connu a ce jour, datant d’il y a 6000 ans environ. Une cuve pour
presser le raisin, des jarres destinees a la fermentation, une tasse
et un bol, ainsi que des pepins et des restes de raisins presses,
ont ete trouves sur les lieux des fouilles, qui avaient commence en
2007. Cette information a ete publie par la revue archeologique ”
Journal of Archaeological Science ” et reprise par plusieurs titres
prestigieux de la presse internationale.
Armenie-Turquie
Se referant a des sources etrangères, Aravot, Jamanak et Azg
rendent compte de la reunion a Ankara des ambassadeurs et des
chefs des missions diplomatiques de Turquie, ayant a l’ordre du
jour principalement des questions relatives au genocide armenien,
aux relations armeno-turques et a ASALA (Armee secrète armenienne de
liberation de l’Armenie). Selon les memes sources, certains diplomates
turcs auraient exige l’annulation les protocoles signes avec l’Armenie.
Redaction : Sonia Machinian
Retour a la rubrique
Source/Lien : Ambassade de France en Armenie
From: A. Papazian
LYON : “ET SI L’HISTOIRE OTTOMANE ETAIT AVANT TOUT UNE HISTOIRE EUROPEENNE?”
Publie le : 14-01-2011
Info Collectif VAN – – Notons que le slogan repete
a l’envi de “L’Histoire aux historiens” ne concerne visiblement pas
cette conference qui invite Madame Huguette MEUNIER-CHUVIN, Chargee
de mission auprès du Commissariat General de la Saison de la Turquie
en France : une personnalite sans nul doute de grande valeur mais
dont nous ne connaissons pas les travaux scientifiques concernant
l’histoire ottomane. A tout le moins, nous avons pu constater que le
dossier de presse de la Saison de la Turquie en France ne comportait
pas une seule fois le mot “armenien”, et que cette Saison – qui aurait
dû etre l’occasion de rendre justice et hommage aux contributions
architecturales, artistiques, litteraires, theâtrales, artisanales,
etc. des fils de la nation armenienne dans l’Empire ottoman -, n’a
ete qu’une vaste operation de detournement d’heritage. Rappelons a
cette occasion, le scandale du festival de cinema a Rennes, Travelling
Istanbul , sponsorise par la Saison de la Turquie : les programmes
distribues aux 38 000 spectateurs, qui contenaient a l’origine en
page 3, une presentation chronologique de l’Histoire de la Turquie
signalant le genocide des Armeniens, avaient tous ete censures par
une photo masquant le texte initial…
Meme l’identite armenienne des rares artistes armeniens de Turquie a
l’affiche de cette Saison turque (Ara Guler, Sarkis) a ete passee sous
silence. L’histoire ottomane a ete une histoire europeenne du fait
du lien que formait une partie des populations armenienne et grecque
avec l’Europe. L’Empire ottoman a choisi sciemment de rompre ce lien
en exterminant les 2/3 de la population armenienne et en expulsant
les Grecs de Smyrne et de Constantinople.
Lors de nombreuses conferences universitaires qui ont eu lieu en
France, nous avons pu constater que des propos negationnistes ou
falsificateurs etaient tenus concernant le genocide armenien et
l’extermination de toutes les populations chretiennes de l’Empire
ottoman en 1915. Voire meme des positions mensongères justifiant ces
genocides (“les Armeniens et les Turcs vivaient en paix durant des
siècles : il a bien fallu qu’il se passe quelque chose – sous-entendu,
la revolte presumee des Armeniens – pour expliquer ce qui s’est
passe…”) Nous sommes sûrs que ce type de derives n’aura pas lieu
lors de cette conference dont l’intervenant principal est Faruk
Bilici, professeur des universites a l’Institut national des langues
et civilisations orientales (Inalco), membre du comite de redaction
des Cemoti.
Conference a Lyon le 21 janvier 2011 sur l’empire ottoman
Et si l’histoire ottomane etait avant tout une histoire europeenne?
vendredi 21 janvier · 18:30 – 22:00
Lieu: Amphitheâtre de l’Universite professionnelle internationale de
Lyon 47, rue du sergent Michel Berthet 69009 Lyon
Cree par : Zafer Girisit
Dans le cade du Cycle Centre Europeen d’Etudes et de la Recherche
d’Orient Mediterranee (C.E.E.R.O.M)
M.Faruk BILICI Historien, specialiste de l’histoire ottomane et de
la Turquie
M.Huguette MEUNIER-CHUVIN Chargee de mission auprès du Commissariat
General de la Saison Turquie en France
Lire aussi:
Hommage a Semih Vaner
Semih Vaner : les intellectuels turcs en deuil
” Semih Vaner : les intellectuels turcs en deuil ” (suite)
Cachez ce genocide que je ne saurais voir
Debat d’idees autour de la Saison de la Turquie en France
Retour a la rubrique
From: A. Papazian