Author: Andres-Papazian

ARMENIE
>

C’est ce qu’a déclaré le Président Sarkissian lors de sa rencontre
avec le PM géorgien Irakli Gharibachvili. Le Président Sarkissian a
souligné que les relations arméno-géorgiennes sont à un niveau
historique, ce qui permet aux deux pays de discuter de manière
confiante et constructive toutes les questions relatives non seulement
à la relation bilatérale, mais aussi aux développements régionaux.
Selon le communiqué de la présidence, les interlocuteurs ont travaillé
sur >. Hayastani Hanrapetoutioun fait état
de la signature entre le Ministre arménien de l’Energie et des
représentants de la société énergétique géorgienne Anaklia Tenir d’un
accord sur la construction en Arménie d’une centrale thermique. La
société géorgienne devrait investir 600 M USD pour la construction de
la centrale au gaz naturel. L’installation sera d’une capacité de 540
mégawatts. En retour, Erevan accordera des allégements fiscaux aux
investisseurs géorgiens et exportera la majeure partie de l’énergie
produite vers la Géorgie. Les travaux de construction devraient
bientôt commencer et durer 36 mois.

Extrait de la revue de presse de l’Ambassade de France en Arménie en
date du 25 août 2014

lundi 1er septembre 2014,
Stéphane (c)armenews.com

From: A. Papazian

Belgique
4000 personnes prient pour les chrétiens d’Orient

Quatre mille personnes se sont rendues à une veillée de prière pour
les chrétiens d’Orient persécutés qui s’est tenue dimanche soir à la
basilique de Koekelberg, selon Tommy Scholtes, attaché de presse de la
Conférence épiscopale de Belgique.

La veillée, présidée par Mgr André-Joseph Léonard, archevêque de
Malines-Bruxelles, était intitulée “Chrétiens d’Orient unis aux
Chrétiens d’Occident : une même foi, une même prière, une même
solidarité pour la vie et la paix en Orient”.

“Cette veillée était symboliquement unique car jamais une basilique
nationale n’a été remplie avec des gens d’obédiences religieuses si
différentes. De jeunes musulmans sont aussi venus témoigner leur
sympathie. Des évêques anglicans, orthodoxes et catholiques,
occidentaux et orientaux, ont donné ensemble la bénédiction à la fin
de la cérémonie, unis dans une même cause et dans un moment très
paisible”, a indiqué le Père Tommy Scholtes.

Des membres du clergé des églises orientales orthodoxes et catholiques
(syriaque, chaldéenne, melkite et arménienne) ont également pris part
à la veillée de prière principalement consacrée aux chrétiens d’Irak
et de Syrie menacés et persécutés.

Des personnalités du monde politique étaient également présentes parmi
lesquelles Céline Frémault, ministre bruxelloise de l’Environnement
(cdH), Isabelle Durant, députée bruxelloise Ecolo et Denis Ducarme,
député fédéral.

Belga News Agency

lundi 1er septembre 2014,
Jean Eckian (c)armenews.com

From: A. Papazian

Nagorno-Karabakh: Recognition is the only Humanitarian option

As Nagorno-Karabakh (NKR) celebrates the 23rd Anniversary of its
Declaration of Independence, the country remains in the unsatisfactory
position of still being globally unrecognised. The route out of this
situation seems complicated; history provides many conflicting
examples which serve only to confuse and not to enlighten.

The Montevideo Convention (1933) defines the principles under which
statehood is determined. The country must have a:

1. Permanent population
2. Defined Territory
3. Government
4. Capacity to enter into relations with other states

Independence is an interesting concept given the presence of a State.
Taken literally, then no country is truly independent with many
relying on financial and military support from other countries or
institutions. All states within the European Union that use the Euro
cannot make independent financial decisions, and they are also subject
to the legal framework of the European legislative bodies. Yet they
are considered to be independent. Judge Anzilotti in the Austro-German
Customs Union Case determined that “Provided a state does not place
itself under the legal authority of another state, then it is
independent”.

Recognition is an unclear point. There are no legal rulings, or formal
processes by which recognition is pronounced, universally, by all
states, at the same time. It is a binary concept, one is either
recognised, or not recognised; there is no sense in being partially
recognised. An illuminating quote from Grant in “Recognition of
States” is that “recognition perfects statehood” . Although,
conversely, some would argue, that recognition creates statehood. That
is how ambiguous it is.

It would be elegant to think that all of the 193 countries met the
statehood criteria, were clearly independent , and were recognised in
a consistent manner.

Israel is a member of the United Nations, yet 32 countries in the
world do not recognize it. It is questionable whether it meets all of
the Montevideo requirements, particularly with respect to “defined
territory”. Palestine has been recognised by 122 countries, and barely
achieves any of the criteria of the Convention. The EU recognised
Bosnia-Herzegovina on 6 April 1992, before it had full control of its
territory, and was very dependent on external assistance, and the
significant Serb minority boycotted the referendum. Kosovo’s status is
unclear, but 88 countries have recognised it, despite it having an
unstable government, and a consequent inability to foster good
international relations. It is also questionable as to whether the
borders have been correctly defined given the significant Serbian
minority in the north who oppose independence.

Taiwan fully complies with the Montevideo convention and is a robust
and viable trading entity, but is not a recognised country. It is
alleged that Taiwan, itself, has not claimed to be a state, but it is
reported that China would consider it an act of war if independence
was declared. Because of this the international community remains
silent with respect to Taiwan. Another long-standing unrecognized
state is the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. This was denied
recognition due to the fact that it resulted from an act of
aggression, also the Turkish community was not considered a “unit of
self-determination”, and it fragmented the territorial integrity of
Cyprus. Other examples have been rejected where states have declared
independence without reference to the views of the people or where
there are human rights violations.

There is a chronic lack of consistency in the approach, and there is
no meaningful view on how progressive recognition can work in
practice. Fundamentally it seems to rely on the claim being subjected
to the right degree of political support.

In the case of Nagorno-Karabakh, the only criteria of the Montevideo
convention which it would be fragile on, is the “defined territory”.
Whilst the NKR Government would be very clear on where the border is,
today, this is not necessarily a stable situation and it is not
consistent with the border at the point of independence declaration.
In every other respect, it is a state, and it is independent of
Azerbaijan who exerts no actual legal authority over the country.

There seems to be no precedent for resolving Nagorno-Karabakh’s claim;
there is no guidance from history. The law is incredibly complex, and
contradictory. The only solution can be based on equity and human
rights for the people directly affected.

In terms of the way forward, there are only 2 sensible options to
address the border issue:

– Formalize the existing Line of Contact
– Revert back to the borders of the Soviet Nagorno-Karabakh in 1988 (NKAO)

A third option would be an arbitrary alternative line and would, most
likely, be unacceptable to both sides.

The 1988 borders would create a massive security issue for the
Armenians living within the original NKAO part of NKR, and would most
likely result in the displacement of the Armenians in the surrounding
regions. It is difficult to see how this would be a legitimate way
forwards.

Formalising the Line of Contact is not disadvantageous to any
individual whether living in NKR or Azerbaijan. It will only be
beneficial; it will start creating stability for all in the region.
When enacted, discussions could then start, on how to address the
rights of those Armenians and Azerbaijanis who were displaced, and
lost property and family members during the war. It will also
facilitate the acceleration of the de-mining operations in the
surrounding regions to the original NKAO; this is necessary to support
re-settlement.

It is unlikely that Azerbaijan would ever consent to this proposal,
but that did not concern the international community with some of the
historical recognition decisions. Nagorno-Karabakh needs political
support from the West to achieve recognition. Nothing else would be
successful. Unfortunately the performance of NATO in recent times has
not inspired confidence with its indecisiveness and lack of coherent
vision. However, that should not affect the continuing determination
of all, to secure recognition, of the currently defined
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. It is the only humanitarian option, for
everyone.

From: A. Papazian

Bohjalian: A Little Hope amidst the Monastery Debris

By Chris Bohjalian on August 29, 2014

The other day I watched an eight-year-old boy named Ulash (pronounced
Oo-lush) spontaneously take a white plastic grocery bag and fill it
with potato chip wrappers, cigarette butts, and crushed plastic water
bottles.

Ulash (Photo by Victoria Blewer)

This was newsworthy not simply because small boys are not known for
their fastidiousness or their desire to make the world a cleaner
place.

This moment mattered to me because the boy was Kurdish and he was
cleaning the litter from the rubble of an ancient Armenian monastery
in south-central Turkey.

If you are reading this newspaper, of course, you know that most of
our church ruins in Turkey are littered with garbage. The monasteries
often have fire pits, where people have smoked or kept warm while
drinking. Sometimes the floors have been sledgehammered and the ground
dug up in search of gold.

One time, Khatchig Mouradian, for years the editor of this newspaper,
and George Aghjayan, a frequent contributor to the Weekly, found a
human skull–a monk most likely–that had been exhumed from a crypt and
left on the floor like a soccer ball.

Invariably there is toxic graffiti on the medieval walls.

But then there is a boy like Ulash and the sort of moment that can
give us all a little reason to smile.

It was another scorching hot August morning and a group of eight of us
had just arrived in Chunkush, a town on the road between Kharpert and
Diyarbakir that once had 10,000 Armenians and now has but one:
99-year-old Asiya, a hidden Armenian I wrote about last year for the
Washington Post. Asiya’s mother had been present at the Dudan crevasse
when almost all of the Armenians had been slaughtered by Turkish
gendarmes and a Kurdish killing party in 1915. One of the Kurds pulled
Asiya’s mother from the line at the edge of the ravine because he
thought she was pretty, and decided he’d marry her. And so she was
spared–one of the very few Armenians who were saved that cataclysmic
summer day 99 years ago.

The group picking up litter in the Armenian Monastery in Chunkush
(Photo by Eric Nazarian)

This morning we were back in Chunkush to visit Asiya. Four of us in
the group had met her in 2013 and four had not.

Prior to dropping by, however, we went to see the ruins of a medieval
Armenian monastery on the edge of the town. There we were met by
Asiya’s son-in-law, Recai, who had first insisted we meet his
remarkable mother-in-law in 2013 and now was coordinating our second
visit.

All of us stood inside the sanctuary watching the light pour in
through the gaping holes in the walls. We surveyed the columns, looked
at the compasses on our cell phones to find east and confirm where the
altar had once stood, and tried not to step in the garbage that
covered the dirt and stones like fallen leaves in September.

Ulash and Khatchig Mouradian collecting garbage in the Monastery
(Photo by Eric Nazarian)

I’m honestly not sure who first reached down with his or her bare
hands and picked up a piece of garbage. But the first person I noticed
was Recai: He was plucking a once-white cigarette pack, now the color
of dirty snow, from the floor and looking around for a place to put
it.

Soon all of us were picking at the debris, doing what we could to
return a measure of dignity to this once majestic monastery.

And that’s when Ulash appeared with the plastic grocery bag–what, a
moment earlier, had merely been more litter. He opened it for Recai.
Then he started gathering more trash, working with the relentless
energy of any eight-year-old child.

That boy, of course, was Recai’s son, which was why my soul exhaled
for a moment and let in a little sunlight. He was Asiya’s grandson.

Ulash filling his plastic grocery bag with trash (Photo by Victoria Blewer)

We will never know precisely what role that boy’s very direct
ancestors may have played in the execution of the Armenians at the
Dudan crevasse, but we know that the Kurd who pulled Asiya’s mother
from the edge of the ravine and then raised Asiya as his daughter
obviously was there.

And so the fact that Recai and his son cleaned the monastery with us
that day was one of those unexpected moments that provide a measure of
healing. A dram of hope. A reminder that wonder is still possible.

Chris Bohjalian’s most recent novel, Close Your Eyes, Hold Hands, was
published in July.

From: A. Papazian

Baku denies report drone launched from Azerbaijan’s territory
Tehran Times Political Desk

On Line: 30 August 2014 09:15
In Print: Sunday 31 August 2014

TEHRAN – Iran’s deputy chief of staff has said an Israeli drone shot
down near the Natanz nuclear facility flew in from a northern country
that once was part of the Soviet Union, however he did not specify the
country when he made the claim.

General Masoud Jazayeri said the country must make “compensatory
actions” or else be publicly named.

He also said Iran’s response will not be limited to shooting down the
drone. “We will respond to the enemy in the occupied lands,” he added
without elaborating, Fars news agency reported.

There are three former Soviet republics north of Iran: Armenia,
Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan. Iran in the past had criticized
Azerbaijan for its close ties with Israel.

However, in Baku officials have denied a report alleging that the
drone was launched from Azerbaijan’s territory.

Ali Hasanov, an official in Azerbaijan’s presidential administration,
described the report as a “provocation by outside circles.”

On Sunday, the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) announced it had
shot down the Israeli drone near the country’s uranium enrichment
facility in Natanz, some 240 kilometers south of the capital Tehran.
Israeli officials have not commented on the incident.

NCH/PA

From: A. Papazian

France donates seven rescue-fire vehicles to Armenia

17:09 29.08.2014

Hasmik Dilanyan
Public Radio of Armenia

French organization “Civil Defense without borders” has donated seven
fire-rescue vehicles to the Armenian Ministry of Emergency Situations,
Deputy Director of the Rescue Service, Major-General Nikolay Grigoryan
told reporters today.

Chairman of the NGO, Fire Service Colonel Bernard Zhanen, in turn,
prized the capacities of the Armenian Ministry.

Bernard Zhanen first visited Armenia after the Spitak earthquake, as a
volunteer with his friends – firefighter-rescuers. Since then he has
returned to Armenia many times, each time with a new useful
initiative. In September 2011, on the occasion of the Emergency
Employee Day, for his great personal contribution to the system
Bernard Zhanen was awarded by President Serzh Sargsyan with a Medal of
Honor. He is also an adviser to the Minister of Emergency Situations
of Armenia.

“He has donated tens of vehicles, as well as other equipment to
Armenia within the framework of our cooperation; a number of training
courses for specialists, Governors and Mayors have been organized,”
Nikolay Grigoryan said.

“The Armenian Ministry of Emergency Situations is the best in the
Commonwealth of Independent States. We now have a wonderful crisis
management center, which not all countries can afford,” he added.

Armenia and France plan to establish voluntary rescue teams. Minister
of Emergency Situations Armen Yeritsyan is the author of the
initiative. The work will be voluntary, but the staff will enjoy
certain privileges.

From: A. Papazian

Georgian director shooting a film about relations between peoples in
the Caucasus

14:30 29.08.2014

Gita Elibekyan
Public Radio of Armenia
Tbilisi

After a break of 20 years, famous Georgian director Eldar Shengelaia
plans to shoot a film about the relations between the peoples of the
Caucasus. “The film titled “The Caucasus Trio” is about Armenians,
Georgian and Azerbaijanis.

“The film urges peace between peoples in the region,” Eldar Shengelaia
said in an interview with Public Radio of Armenia.

“Unfortunately the works are now stalled, because [producer] Rustam
Ibrahimbekov is ill. We hope he will get well soon and join the team,”
he said.

Azerbaijani scriptwriter Rustam Ibrahimbekov is involved in the film
as a producer from the Russian side, but is not the author of the
script.

“The film is more about the relations between Armenians and
Azerbaijanis, but it’s not political, it’s a human story,” the
filmmaker said.

What’s interesting is that no Armenian and Azerbaijan actors are
involved in the film. “This was my decision,” Shengelaia said.

“The filming is nearly completed. Some minor details remain to be
worked on before the film is presented to public,” he added.

Eldar Shengelaia is considered one of the legendary Georgian
directors. His films are included in the “golden fund” of Soviet
cinematography. Two years ago he was a guest of honor at Golden
Apricot International Film Festival, where he received “Parajanov’s
Thaler'” Award. Shengelaia considers Sergey Parajanov his teacher and
friend, and has played a role in Parajanov’s return to cinematography.

From: A. Papazian

ARMENIE
Arménie : visite du premier ministre russe en septembre

L’Arménie attend début septembre la visite du premier ministre russe
Dmitri Medvedev, a annoncé mardi le chef du gouvernement arménien Ovik
Abramian.

“Le premier ministre russe se rendra en Arménie les 8 et 9 septembre
prochains. L’entente préalable concernant cette visite est intervenue
lors de ma récente visite en Russie”, a déclaré M.Abramian lors d’une
rencontre avec les participants à un rassemblement de jeunes à
Tsakhkadzor.

Le chef du gouvernement arménien a également fait savoir qu’il
envisageait de rencontrer prochainement ses homologues géorgien et
iranien. Le 21 août, le premier ministre géorgien Irakli Garibachvili
effectuera une visite officielle en Arménie et le 15 septembre,
M.Abramian se rendra en visite en Iran.

“Il s’agit de pays très importants pour nous sur le plan économique.
Nous réalisons une multitude de programmes avec la Russie, l’Iran et
la Géorgie”, a précisé le premier ministre arménien.

RIA Novosti

vendredi 29 août 2014,
Stéphane (c)armenews.com

From: A. Papazian

ARMENIE
Les sites web des organes de l’Etat en Arménie surveillés

Une surveillance des sites officiels a révélé que la plus grande
disponibilité de l’information est assurée par les sites Internet du
ministère de l’Administration territoriale, de la province du Syunik,
ainsi que l’Assemblée nationale et le Bureau du Procureur général. Les
sites les moins prolifiques sont ceux de la Commission nationale de la
télévision et de la radio et de la Commission de réglementation de la
sûreté nucléaire.

Le Comité pour la protection de la liberté d’expression (CPFE), qui a
procédé à la surveillance des sites Internet depuis 2010 a mené
l’enquête du 1er mai au 15 août. Durant cette période, il a utilisé
152 critères, dont 131 concernent le contenu et 21 sont d’ordre
technique, il a examiné un total de 51 sites.

Le Président du CPFE Ashot Melikian a déclaré lors d’une rencontre
avec les médias que les 51 sites avaient été divisés en trois groupes
classiques, dont 34 sont des sites des ministères et des départements,
10 des administrations régionales, et le troisième groupe était un
groupe général dans lequel les sites Web des institutions de l’Etat,
comme la présidence de l’Assemblée nationale, le gouvernement, la Cour
constitutionnelle, le Bureau du Procureur, le Médiateur et l’Hôtel de
Ville d’Erevan sont inclus.

> a déclaré Ashot Melikian.

Selon l’expert des médias, si comme l’année dernière le ministère de
l’Administration territoriale demeure le chef de file parmi les
ministères et départements : améliorant sa performance de 15 pour
cent, il a maintenant atteint un niveau de transparence de 83 pour
cent.

From: A. Papazian

Erdogan officially invited to attend 100th commemoration of the
Armenian Genocide

11:22 29.08.2014

On August 28 Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian participated
in the swearing in ceremony of newly elected Turkish President Recep
Tayyip Erdogan. Attending the ceremony were high-level delegations
from dozens of countries.

At the official reception that followed the inauguration, Minister
Nalbandian had a short conversation with President Erdogan and handed
him an official invitation to visit Yerevan on April 24, 2015 to
attend the commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the Armenian
Genocide.

From: A. Papazian