Author: Andres-Papazian

PRESIDENT SARGSYAN RECEIVED TINA KAIDANOW, US DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY, BUREAU OF EUROPEAN AND EURASIAN AFFAIRS

President.am
Sept 14 2010
Armenia

President Serzh Sargsyan received today Tina Kaidanow, US Deputy
Assistant Secretary, Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs.

Welcoming the high guest, President Sargsyan noted that frequent
visits were important for the continuity of the multifaceted and
comprehensive Armenian-American dialogue.

According to Serzh Sargsyan, Armenia views the high level of bilateral
relations with the United States and their further enhancement as an
important factor for our country~Rs economic development, also for
the establishment and maintenance of peace and stability in the region.

The parties express satisfaction with the Armenia-US cooperation in
the political, military, educational, and cultural areas, stressing
the importance of making additional efforts for the development of
the economic cooperation and invigoration of trade contacts.

Serzh Sargsyan and Tina Kaidanow spoke also about the NK peace
process. The President of Armenia highly valued American participation
in the OSCE Minsk Group. The President of Armenia and the high-ranking
American official stressed the importance of continued efforts by the
Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group and expressed hope that negotiations
conducted in that format would yield the desired results.

From: A. Papazian

COMIC ART EXHIBITION TO OPEN IN YEREVAN TODAY

Panorama
Sept 14 2010
Armenia

Comic art exhibition of 9 comix artists will open in Narekatsi Arts
Center, Yerevan, Tuesday, the organizer of the exhibition, member
of the Union for Development of Comic Art in Armenia, Irina Mryan
told Panorama.am.

She also said the theme of the exhibition is “Yerevan yesterday,
today and tomorrow”, with each commix artist having presented a
4-8-page story, not a single work.

“The aim of holding such exhibitions is promote comic art in Armenia.

It is developed throughout the world and with us it is still not on
high level. The exhibition will provide opportunities for promotion
of this kind of art and the recognition of Armenian artists,” she said.

From: A. Papazian

AZERBAIJAN AND KAZAKHSTAN CAN WORK OUT COMMON STRATEGY ON KARABAKH

news.az
Sept 14 2010
Azerbaijan

“West treats the ethnic conflicts in Georgia and Azerbaijan
differently”, said the head of Kazakhstan Institute of Strategic
Studies, Bulat Sultanov.

“You can see that the West consistently speaks about the inviolability
of the principle of territorial integrity of Georgia regarding the
Georgian-Abkhaz and Georgian-Ossetian conflict.

And when it comes to international conflicts a little bit farther
to the east (Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict), then West suggests to
combinethe principles of territorial integrity and self-determination
of peoples ” Bulat Sultanov said at the Center of Strategic Research
(CSR) in Azerbaijan.

It turns out that international law is not always treated equally
in similar situations, and world powers come from their national and
geopolitical interests.

It means that national interests are a priority for any state and
probably the most difficult is the ability to reconcile them with
norms of international law.

That is the leading superpowers or the countries that are part of
strong international organizations are skillfully protecting their
national and overall geopolitical interests in the international arena.

“In this light I believe that Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan can work out
the general strategy which will help raise the issue of the resolution
of the Karabakh conflict and other issues of regional and international
policy on the international arena.

Kazakhstan has a big potential of influencing the international
policy, especially that our countries almost do not have any disputable
questions and we have equal positions on most problems of international
and regional policy”, Sultanov said.

From: A. Papazian

SAHAKYAN CLAIMS THERE IS NO CONFLICT WITHIN RPA

Aysor
Sept 14 2010
Armenia

There are no conflicts within the Republican Party of Armenia, member
of the Republican Party and RPA parliamentary faction Hovhannes
Sahakyan declared in response to a question about fermentations and
conflicts within the party due to the compilation of electoral rolls
for 2012.

Speaking about the activities of the ruling coalition H. Sahakyan
assured that the coalition has no problem and works in a friendly
atmosphere.

From: A. Papazian

EUROPEAN COURT FINES TURKEY 105,000 EUROS FOR FAILING DINK

Hurriyet
Sept 14 2010
Turkey

The European court’s verdict will have a significant effect on the
pending case in Turkey, the Dink family lawyer says. DAILY NEWS photo,
Hasan ALTINIÅ~^IK

The European Court of Human Rights has found the Turkish state guilty
of failing to protect the right to life and freedom of expression of
slain journalist Hrant Dink, the court said in a statement Tuesday.

The court also found Turkey guilty of failing to protect Dink’s right
to due legal process and ordered the state to pay 105,000 euros to
the murdered journalist’s family in total compensation, as well as
an extra 28,595 euros to the court for expenses, according to the
statement, which was released on Dink’s birthday.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry announced Tuesday that it would not appeal
the case at the European court. In its statement, the ministry said
precautions would be taken to prevent similar breaches of rights in
the future.

The case at the European court was initially an investigation into
Dink’s conviction for “insulting Turkishness” in his column in the
weekly newspaper Agos. The Turkish journalist of Armenian origin had
brought the case against the Turkish state to the European court.

After Dink was killed in front of Agos’ building in Istanbul in
January 2007, his family opened an additional case at the European
court, accusing Turkey of failing to protect the journalist’s right
to life. The two cases were later merged.

Turkey’s defense at the European court attracted widespread criticism
after it drew parallels between neo-Nazism and Dink’s perspectives.

The defense also said Dink did not ask for personal protection,
a fact it suggested meant he was not under threat.

Dink family lawyer Arzu Becerik said the European court’s verdict would
significantly affect the ongoing criminal case on the journalist’s
murder, private news channel CNNTurk reported.

Becerik said they had informed the European court of their criminal
complaints against public officers who had allegedly neglected to
protect Dink, and of the lack of results from such complaints.

The European court’s decision on the breach of the right to due legal
process will play a role in the ongoing Turkish case about Dink’s
murder, Becerik said. The current case in Turkish courts “is not
targeting the real criminals and is not capable enough of doing so,”
the lawyer added.

“Unfortunately none of the decisions will bring back Hrant; that is
why our happiness is bitter,” Aris Nalcı, the legally responsible
editor of weekly Agos, said after the verdict was announced.

“What other decision could have been made in a tragic situation like
this?” Etyen Mahcupyan, a former editor-in-chief of Agos, asked.

“Turkey has become used to these kinds of cases.”

From: A. Papazian

IT-LEADERS TO HOLD INFORMAL FORUM IN STEPANAKERT

Aysor
Sept 14 2010
Armenia

Capital of Nagorno Karabakh will host on October 9-10 the informal
forum “IT Leaders Meet Without Ties On.”

The forum’s organizer, Executive Director of the Union of IT
Enterprises, Karen Vardanian, told Aysor that the forum will focus
on issues related to development of the technological manufactures
in Armenia’s regions.

“Among forum’s highlights are issues of use of technologies in medicine
and industry, the educational problems and telecommunication goals,”
said Karen Vardanian.

He said that Information Communication Technologies are in not good
condition in all regions of Armenia and in Nagorno Karabakh, and that
there are problems linked to prices and quality of the Internet. The
forum will gather together nearly 140 companies of the IT sphere,
and interested companies of Nagorno Karabakh. It is being organised
in assistance with Ministry of Economy of NKR.

It’s worth mentioning that at the recent session of the Union of
IT Enterprises, there were held debates over the forum in Nagorno
Karabakh which will be dedicated to the establishment of high
technology companies. The development of the Information Communication
Technologies in Nagorno Karabakh has been decided to be considered
as a pilot stage with an aim to use the practical experience in other
Armenia’s regions.

From: A. Papazian

HRAPARAK: INCUMBENT AND FORMER FALL OUT?

news.am
Sept 14 2010
Armenia

According to the Hraparak newspaper, relations between the incumbent
and former presidents of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR), Bako
Sahakyan and Arkady Ghukasyan, are very strained now. The newspaper’s
sources in the NKR report that President Saharyan is now getting rid
of Ghukasyan’s people in the government agencies. On September 13,
the NKR President dismissed Chairman of the Supreme Court Ararat
Danielyan. To smooth over the situation, the President appointed
Danielyan his advisor to “neutralize” him later. Ararat Danielyan is
one of Ghukasyan’s classmates, who was promoted due to old friendship.

The candidate for the NKR Supreme Court Chairman has not yet been
announced.

From: A. Papazian

REPUBLICAN PARTY OF ARMENIA NOT TO TAKE PART IN TURKISH SHOW, RPA MP SAYS

news.am
Sept 14 2010
Armenia

Republican Party of Armenia will attend the liturgy in Surb Khach
Church on September 19, the MP from RPA Hovhannes Sahakyan told the
reporters on Tuesday.

The parliamentarian urged the other political forces not to participate
in the opening ceremony either. According to him, the liturgy in Surb
Khach is another Turkish show, aimed to prove the world community
Turkey is a democratic state.

“Under our ecclesiastical laws, a religious service is unacceptable
without a cross on the dome of a church. It testifies to the fact
this is another show by the Turkish authorities,” he emphasized.

As to the silence of the Armenian political forces on putting off
the installation of a cross on Surb Khach, Sahakyan said: “If we
politicized the issue, Turkey would have achieved its goals. We are
well aware Turkey made a show of the opening of Surb Khach, aimed
at proving it is a progressive move, despite the Armenian side’s
statement on religious intolerance in Turkey.”

From: A. Papazian

EUROPEAN COURT OF HUMAN RIGHTS FINDS TURKEY GUILTY OF DINK’S MURDER

news.am
Sept 14 2010
Armenia

The European Court of Human Rights found the Turkish state guilty of
Hrant Dink’s murder, Turkish Hurriyet Daily News reports.

The court found the Turkish state guilty on two charges, sentencing
the state to pay 133,595 euros to Dink’s family in compensation and
an extra payment of 28,595 euros to the court for expenditures.

Turkish-Armenian journalist, chief editor of Agos newspaper Hrant
Dink was assassinated in Istanbul in January 2007, by a Turkish
nationalist. He was critical of Turkey’s denial of the Armenian
Genocide in his columns in Agos. Dink was prosecuted three times for
denigrating Turkishness, while receiving numerous death threats from
Turkish nationalists.

From: A. Papazian

ARMENIAN DELEGATION TO PACE TO LAUNCH NO CONFIDENCE CAMPAIGN AGAINST CO-RAPPORTEUR

news.am
Sept 14 2010
Armenia

According to the information at NEWS.am’s disposal, the Armenian
delegation to the CE Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) intends to propose
a motion of no confidence in the newly appointed co-rapporteur on
Armenia Goran Lindblad. The reason is his statement on the Armenian
Genocide of 1915.

The Armenian delegation to PACE, as well as pro-government circles in
Armenia, strongly opposed Lindblad’s appointment. They stated that,
sponsored by the Turkish-Azerbaijani lobbyist structures, Lindblad
is holding anti-Armenian positions. So could not be impartial in
performing his mission on Armenia. As to Lindblad’s latest statement,
it is the “trump card” the Armenian delegation will play to launch a
campaign against the Swedish rapporteur to get his removed from the
post. At a conference in Goteborg recently Goran Lindblad stated that
the Left Block, which pushed the bill on the Armenian Genocide through
the Swedish Parliament on March 11, planned to bring the issue up for
discussions at the EU and UN. “If the Left Block wins the elections,
the issue will be brought up in EU and UN. They [Left block parties]
have already reached an agreement about this and will also include
teaching about the genocide in Swedish schoolbooks. In order to stop
their plans you should vote for the Moderates [Lindblad’s party]
or any of the [governing] Alliance parties,” he said.

However, Lindblad refused the statement allegedly made by him.

According to him, he actually stated the following, referring “to
the principle that this kind of issues are not for parliaments to
vote on…

A vote for the alliance will guarantee that parliament is not acting
in [this] type of historic issues again no matter if it [is] for or
against a certain interest.”

The Union of Armenian Associations in Sweden asked Mr. Lindblad to
comment on four questions, which have not yet been answered.

Parliamentary elections are to be held in Sweden in a few days. The
right-wing party, which is not popular in the country, is running
for Parliament as well. If the party fails to get into Parliament,
Lindblad will mechanically leave the post of co-rapporteur on Armenia.

From: A. Papazian