Author: Andres-Papazian

SEVEN PRIVATE HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS IN ARMENIA STRIPPED OF THEIR LICENSES

ARKA
August 13, 2010
YEREVAN

The Armenian Licence Commission for Implementing Educational Programs,
grounding on the results of inspections, decided Thursday to strip
seven private higher education institutions of their licenses,
Armenian education ministry’s press office reports.

This decision applies to Armenian-Russian Contemporary Humanitarian
Institute, MUD Law School, Ararat University in Armavir, Aria
International University, Vanevan Institute, Cavendish University
and Artashat University.

The commission also partially suspended licenses of six private
universities – Yerevan Management University, Galik University,
Open Armenian University after Loris Kalashyan, Economic and Law
University after Avetik Lazarian, Armenian Institute of Economics,
Ecology and Law and Yerevan Art University.

This suspension applies to particular specialties. Other three higher
schools – Yerevan Management and Information Technologies University,
Yerevan Humanitarian Institute and Caucasus Institute Fund – received
warnings over the faults found in inspections.

They ought to put things right. Otherwise, they will be stripped of
their licenses as well.

The ministry gives a right to all the students of the mentioned
schools to continue studying in other state-owned universities and
private higher schools in their specialties.

The education ministry says 17 state-run universities, 55 private
higher schools, three higher schools based on international agreements
and eight branches of overseas universities function in Armenia now.

From: A. Papazian

ON THE TREATY OF SEVRES – THE NEED FOR CLARIFICATION
Ara Papian

10:02:59 – 13/08/2010

The ninetieth anniversary of the Treaty of Sèvres is an important event
for the Republic of Armenia, as well as for all Armenians. There is
a widespread opinion, however, which needs to be clarified.

Armenian territorial rights are not entirely based on the Treaty of
Sèvres. The Treaty of Sèvres did not itself declare the border between
Armenia and Turkey. By Article 89 of the Treaty of Sèvres, the parties
to the treaty appealed to the US President, for him to carry out the
arbitration which would decide that frontier. Even if the Treaty of
Sèvres were not to exist, it would not make any difference; Armenia
would have still maintained unquestionable territorial rights, as, on
behalf of the Allied Powers (the British Empire, France and Italy),
the San Remo Conference had appealed to US President Woodrow Wilson
on the 26th of April, 1920 to delimit the Armenia-Turkey frontier, a
request which the US President accepted on the 17th of May, 1920. This
took place almost three months before the Treaty of Sèvres was signed.

(The Treaty of Sèvres was signed on the 10th of August, 1920.) The
importance of the signing of the Treaty of Sèvres in terms of
territorial rights lies in the fact that, by accepting the document,
Turkey acceded to the arbitration compromise, and in so doing, the
country reconfirmed its obligation to carry out any arbitral award by
the US President. I emphasize that it reconfirmed the obligation, as,
by signing the Armistice of Moudros (on the 30th of October, 1918),
which was without question a capitulation in legal terms, Turkey had
handed over its sovereignty to the victorious powers and it was they
who had the right to decide which part of the territory of the Ottoman
Empire would form a new Turkish state. Consequently, our struggle on
the legal front must be based on two documents – the Treaty of Sèvres
(of the 10th of August, 1920) and, in particular, the arbitral award
of the US President Woodrow Wilson (of the 22nd of November, 1920)
derived from that treaty. As to the first, it must be noted that,
although it has not been ratified, it is nevertheless a binding
document, as it has been signed ‘between the contracting parties’ (vide
Vienna Convention on Law of Treaties, Article 2 (f)). As to the second,
it is necessary to emphasise the following: (a) the arbitral award is
inviolable, it has no time limits and it is a legally-binding decision;
(b) although the arbitral award was carried out by the US President,
it is nevertheless a binding document for 142 of the 192 current
members of the United Nations. (Due to paucity of space, the details
cannot be provided here, but this point has been fully discussed in
my strategy paper for a solution to the Armenian Question.)

In sum, the following conclusion can be drawn. The clauses of
the Treaty of Sèvres having to do with the territorial rights
of the Republic of Armenia are still absolutely valid due to the
aforementioned documents and, with the corresponding efforts and in
the right political climate, they can be put into effect.

From: A. Papazian

CALLS TO BOYCOTT AKHTAMAR MASS GAIN MOMENTUM

Armenian Weekly
Fri, Aug 13 2010

“Once again, instead of taking a serious step, the Turks are staging
an imitation show.”

YEREVAN-Calls to boycott the scheduled mass at the Holy Cross Church
in Akhtamar gained momentum and crossed party lines in Armenia this
month, including a denouncement by the ruling Republican Party.

Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) political affairs director
Giro Manoyan urged Armenians to boycott the mass, which is scheduled
for Sept. 19 and is to be officiated by Archbishop Aram Ateshyan,
who currently leads the Armenian Patriarchate of Istanbul, reported
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

“I think it would be wrong to go there on a day set by Turkey and
especially in these conditions of blockade and so on,” Manoyan told
RFE/RL. “I don’t want to blame believers willing to go there but they
must know that they somewhat contribute to the Turkish provocation.”

Manoyan expressed regret for the decision by His Holiness Karekin II,
the Catholicos of All Armenians, to send two senior clerics to the
Sourp Khatch (Holy Cross) Church for the mass. “I’m not sure that’s
the right step,” Manoyan told RFE/RL.

But a spokesman for Karekin II rejected calls for the boycott. “We
believe that if we are given an opportunity to cherish a shrine that
had functioned for centuries but is devoid of prayer today for some
reasons, we must use even that single day in order to assert our
rights and ownership to the shrine with our participation,” Father
Vahram Melikian told RFE/RL.

Meanwhile, President Serge Sarkisian’s Republican Party this week
spoke out against Armenian participation in the mass. The party
spokesman, Eduard Sharmazanov, denounced the Turkish government’s
decision to reopen it for a one-day religious ceremony on Sept. 19
as a publicity stunt and “provocation” aimed at misleading the
international community.

“Once again, instead of taking a serious step, the Turks are staging
an imitation show,” Sharmazanov told RFE/RL’s Armenian service. “I
don’t think you can achieve tolerance and solidarity of civilizations
in that way.”

The mass will take place three years after the completion of a $1.5
million renovation of the church, funded by the Turkish government.

Ankara has promoted the upcoming ceremony as proof of its commitment
to tolerance and a gesture of goodwill towards Armenians. Still,
it has resisted calls to return the church, perched on the legendary
Akhtamar Island in Lake Van, to the Armenian Church.

From: A. Papazian

KAZAKH PRESIDENT TO VISIT ARMENIA

GMTPanARMENIAN.Net
August 12, 2010 – 17:07 AMT 12:07

On August 20, Kazakh president Nursultan Nazarbayev will visit Armenia
in the framework of informal OSCE summit.

As diplomatic sources told PanARMENIAN.Net Tajikistan’s President
Emomali Rahmon will arrive in Yerevan on August 21.

From: A. Papazian

KIRO MANOYAN: TURKEY GAINED ITS OBJECT EVEN WITHOUT RATIFICATION OF PROTOCOLS

GMTPanARMENIAN.Net
August 13, 2010 – 14:49 AMT 09:49

Ankara has lost interest in ratification of Protocols on normalization
of relations with Armenia, said the ARF Bureau’s Hay Dat and Political
Affairs Office director.

“Turkey gained its object even without ratification of Protocols,”
Kiro Manoyan told a press conference in Yerevan.

“Basing on the provision envisaging formation of committee of
historians, a number of countries, resolved to refrain from adopting
resolutions recognizing the Armenian Genocide, as Armenia and Turkey
are in a process of reconciliation,” he said. “Moreover, Turkey
managed to convince the international community that Armenia has no
territorial claims any longer. And last but not least, signature of
the Protocols allowed Turkey to interfere in the Karabakh process.”

From: A. Papazian

KIRO MANOYAN LABELED SURB KHACH LITURGY AS TURKISH SHOW WITH PARTICIPATION OF ARMENIANS

GMTPanARMENIAN.Net
August 13, 2010 – 14:59 AMT 09:59

Ankara doesn’t view the liturgy in Surb Khach Armenian Church in
Akhtamar island as a religious event, said Kiro Manoyan, director of
ARF Bureau’s Hay Dat and Political Affairs Office.

“It will be nothing but a Turkish show with participation of
Armenians,” he told a news conference on August 13. “Ankara is not
going to use the opportunity for normalization of relations with
Armenia.”

From: A. Papazian

ABGAR EGHOYAN: HIGH PRICES OF FLAVOR AND BREAD ARE NOT JUSTIFIED
Liana Yeghiazarian

“Radiolur”
13.08.2010 16:45

>>From October the 1st of this year the citizens consuming energy can
find on the receipts the date the electrician has written down the
amount of the energy consumed by them. “Defense of consumer rights”
NGO has applied to the Public Service Regulating Committee with
suggestion to make changes.

“There were a lot of appeals from the citizens that the amount of
the energy consumed and the amount recorded by the electrician do
not coincide,” the President of the NGO Abgar Eghoyan informed.

The workers of the electricity systems in response to these appeals
note that the citizens and the electrics record the amount of the
consumed energy on different days. From now on this problem will
be excluded.

Public Service Regulating Committee has adopted other changes as well.

The customers can receive on their E- mail address data about the
amount of the energy consumed.

Being concerned about the rights of the customers the President of
the NGO touched upon the increase in the prices of grain foods.

“There are no reasons to increase the prices, as the high price
grain has not been yet imported to Armenia. Besides, why the state
imports from Russia where the prices are high? Let’s bring it from
other markets, there are a lot of such,” he said.

“High prices of flavor and bread are not justified,” Abgar Eghoyan
added.

He is sure that the state can prevent increase in prices of bread by
a number of levers, as it is possible somehow to limit the interest
in the field of bread production.

From: A. Papazian

THE FOURTH PAN- ARMENIAN EDUCATIONAL CONFERENCE STARTED
Hasmik Dilanyan

“Radiolur”
13.08.2010 15:31

“Armenian school and church in Diaspora are the important supporting
columns of keeping the Diaspora as Armenians,” the Minister of Diaspora
Hranush Hakobyan announced in the fourth Pan- Armenian educational
conference today. About 150 participants from 26 countries take part
in this conference. Serzh Sargsyan has addressed his message to the
participants. Tigran Sargsyan will receive the guest.

The Minister of Education and Science Armen Ashotyan has great
expectations from the conference. As a result of the three day lasting
conference, a new formula must be born, the old programmatic principles
must become clear and I am sure there will be new suggestions.

Once in two year, the conference gathers in the motherland teachers
around the world concerned about the problems of keeping the Armenian
language. The Armenian colonies have a lot of similar and diverse
problems. The Minister of Diaspora mentions the lack of teachers and
class books.

“We must prepare teachers. We must write books for the children
speaking in foreign languages. We must accept that about 80 percent
of our nation doesn’t know Armenian,” she said.

“All the elements, projects that we have in Armenia must be served
to our compatriots in Diaspora for them to stay as Armenians,” Armen
Ashotyan said.

From: A. Papazian

TURKEY HAS ALREADY GAINED 80% OF WHAT IT WANTED FROM NORMALIZATION: KIRO MANOYAN

Tert.am
16:07 13.08.10

The opening of the Armenia-Turkey border for a day makes no sense in
terms of inter-state relations. Head of the Armenian Revolutionary
Federation Bureau’s Hay Dat and Political Affairs Office Kiro Manoyan
told a press conference today as he spoke about recently-circulated
news that the Turkish troops might come to Armenia via Georgia to
participate in a disasters relief exercise organized by NATO.

“I think the opening of the border for a day makes no sense for
inter-state relations regardless the reason of the opening.”

Earlier Turkish press reported that Ankara might temporarily open the
border with Armenia for that purpose. But later Turkey confirmed at
the highest level that it will not do that anyway.

Referring to the ratification of the Armenia-Turkey Protocols Mr
Manoyan said that by not ratifying them Turkey has already gained 80
per cent of what it would in case of the ratification.

“And it gained 80 per cent by not giving anything [in return] as
it would have to open the border, lift the blockade in case of the
ratification,” said he.

Mr Manoyan said he was sure that Armenia’s authorities should change
their policy of suspending the ratification process as “our patience
cannot be limitless.” In his words Armenia “must put an end [to the
process] and withdraw its signatures from the Protocols and proceed
with the process only as soon as there are political powers in Turkey
willing to normalize relations without pre-conditions.”

Further he went on clarifying that by saying “80 per cent” of what
Turkey gained first of all he meant that result of the non-ratification
of those documents was that US, Britain and Sweden declined from
adopting a resolution that would recognize the Armenian Genocide,
saying that the parties have decided to decide on their disputes at
a commission to be created after the ratification of the Protocols.

Secondly, the international community started to interpret the border
issue as if Armenia didn’t have claims towards Turkey.

Thirdly, according o Mr Manoyan, Turkey in that way had a chance to
express its opinion over the Karabakh issue at the international level.

From: A. Papazian

EVEN A SUBMARINE WON’T SOLVE KARABAKH ISSUE: TIGRAN KARAPETYAN

Tert.am
15:16 13.08.10

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev’s upcoming visit to Armenia
has kicked off a lot discussions and speculations in Armenia amid
highly-optimistic expectations that he will sign an agreement to extend
the duration of a contract allowing the deployment of the Russian
military forces’ in Armenia and will solve the Nagorno Karabakh issue
once and for all.

In a press conference today head of Democratic Party and the proprietor
of ALM Holding, Tigran Karapetyan, expressed his opinion about that
visit and its possible results.

Asked whether or not a final solution to the Nagorno Karabakh conflict
was possible in the framework of Medvedev’s visit, Mr Karapetyan said:
“I know that the consultation [between Russian and Armenian presidents]
will take place on board of ship [in Lake Sevan]. They would not be
able to solve [this issue], even if it were a submarine, no one can
unanimously settle [this issue].”

According to him it is the people that must make a decision over the
Karabakh conflict rather than authorities.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev’s visit to Armenia is planned on
August 19.

From: A. Papazian