Author: Andres-Papazian

GAGIK YEGHANYAN: AZERBAIJAN’S ARMENIAN REFUGEES INTERESTED IN RETURNING TO THEIR HOMES

PanARMENIAN.Net
July 22, 2010 – 16:09 AMT 11:09 GMT

Recently, OSCE MG Co-Chairs Barack Obama, Dmitry Medvedev and Nicolas
Sarkozy made a statement in Canadian city of Muskoka. The statement,
and specifically, the point on the return of refugees, aroused keen
interest among Azerbaijan’s Armenian refugees, the head of RA State
Migration Service Gagik Yeghanyan stressed.

As he told a news conference in Yerevan, significant number of refugees
has been inquiring about the possibility of returning to their homes
at RA State Migration Service.

As Gagik Yeghanyan stated, 1100 refugee families are yet to be
provided with housing, with USD 45 million required to implement
housing provision program.

From: A. Papazian

OUSTING: MP CHARGES VIOLATION OF MINORITY RIGHTS AS ARMENIAN LANGUAGE REDUCED IN JAVAKHK SCHOOLS
By Siranuysh Gevorgyan

ArmeniaNow
22.07.10 | 16:06

News

Ahead of the new academic year, curriculum of the Armenian language at
Armenian secondary schools in Javakhk, Georgia, was reduced, which,
according to National Assembly deputy Shirak Torosyan, is another
attempt by Georgian authorities to trigger another wave of emigration
of Armenians from Javakhk, and to distort the national identity of
Armenians living there.

Torosyan, Chairman of the Javakhk Compatriotic Union, who was banned
to enter Georgia by Georgian authorities with the reasoning that he
was threatening the national security of Georgia, compares the recent
tendencies of reducing the Armenian language curriculum at Armenian
schools in Georgia.

“The Armenian language curriculum at high schools during Soviet
period was eight hours weekly. Later the Georgian authorities made
it four hours, and now they want to make it only two hours weekly,”
Torosyan says.

Armenian-populated Samtskhe-Javakheti, a southwestern province of
Georgia, has about 120,000 Armenian residents, who constantly complain
about various pressures put on them by Georgian authorities, who are
accused of discrimination against them as a national minority.

Torosyan says that the examination of a mother tongue (the Armenian
language in this case) is not included in Georgia’s final exams list
for 12th grade students.

“This aims to eradicate the Armenian language, as regional language
and as a means of communication for Javakhki-Armenians, whereas we
constantly struggle to make Armenian be recognized as the second state
language in the region,” Torosyan says, adding that it is driven by
the international legal norms of national minorities, and especially
by the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities
of the Council of Europe, and the UN Declaration on the Rights of
Indigenous Peoples.

Torosyan also claims that the Georgian special services have recently
formed a “blacklist” of Armenian teachers, mainly consisting of
teachers of the Armenian language and Armenian history, who are
already dismissed.

“They [teachers of the Armenian language and Armenian history] got
no explanation or reasoning why they had been dismissed; instead,
they were warned that no matter where they appealed, nothing would
be changed,” Torosyan alleges.

From: A. Papazian

SERZH SARGSYAN: WE’LL SEARCH FOR ALTERNATIVE WAYS IF AZERBAIJAN REJECTS THE MEDIATORS’ PROPOSALS
Lena Badeyan

“Radiolur”
22.07.2010 16:10

“At this stage of the Karabakh conflict settlement Armenia, Karabakh
and the international mediators are waiting for Azerbaijan’s response
on whether the negotiations will continue on the basis of the proposals
made in Saint Petersburg,” Armenian Presidnet Serzh sarsgayn said
during the meeting with participants of the “Ari tun” (Come Home)
project and representatives of the “Miasin” movement. “If Azerbaijan
says ‘no,’ we’ll have to search for alterative ways.

“In a statement released in Almaty the heads of delegation of the OSCE
Minsk Group co-chairing countries made it clear that no principle
can prevail over others, and it was obvious who the statement was
addressed to. Secondly, they spoke very harshly about inflammatory
public statements,” President Sargsyan said.

“The talks continue, and now Armenia and Azerbaijan have to say
whether they accept the latest proposals made in Saint Petersburg or
not. We say that this document provides an opportunity to continue
the talks. Let’s see what Azerbaijanis will say,” Serzh Sargsyan added.

The President did not clarify what he meant by saying “alternative
ways.”

From: A. Papazian

ARMENIAN DEFENSE MINISTER’S INTERVIEW CAUSES “INDIGNATION” AMONG AZERI MEDIA

armradio.am
22.07.2010 14:27

Armenian Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan’s June 20th interview with
“Interfax” has caused “indignation” among Azeri media, to put it mild.

The reason is clear. Seyran Ohanyan spoke about Armenia-CSTO,
Armenia-NATO and Armenia-Russia military-political and
military-technical cooperation, i.e. about everything that troubles
the authorities of the neighbor country.

In the interview Minister Ohanyan spoke about the advantages in the
field of military production Armenia enjoys as a CSTO member.

Seyran Ohanyan criticized the policy of the neighbor country targeted
at disturbing the military balance in the region and arms race. He
noted also that the belligerent statements of Azerbiajan pose a real
threat to regional stability and peace.

Head of the Press Service of the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense
Eldar Sabiroglu commented on the interview, once again accusing the
Armenian side of “occupying” Azerbaijani lands and noting that the
Nagorno Karabakh settlement drags out because of the “occupation”
policy of the Armenian authorities.

The Armenian Ministry of Defends finds it necessary to remind
Azerbaijan’s MoD Spokesman and Azeri media that Armenian Defense
Minister Seyran Ohanyan has been repeatedly stating that the
negotiations on the settlement of the Karabakh conflict proceed within
the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group.

The Armeian Ministry of Defense advises Eldar Sabiroglu not to
succumb to the temptation of presenting his wishes for reality and
not to aggravate the situation with irresponsible warlike statements,
threats of war and misinformation. This way of action does not only
fail to correspond to the spirit of the talks, prevent the settlement
of the Karabakh issue and establishment of peace in the region,
but also causes tension at the Armenian-Azerbaijani contact line.

If Mr. Sabiroglu thus wants to exert influence on the Armenian side or
raise the morale of their Armed Forces, let him pay attention to the
part of the same interview, where it is noted that “the Azerbaijani
Armed Forces will never prevail over the Armed Forces of Armenia
and Nagorno Karabakh with the level of fighting capacity. We hope
that this fact will finally convince the leadership of the neighbor
country that there is no alternative to the peaceful settlement of
the Karabakh conflict.” The Armenian Ministry of Defense advises the
Spokesman for the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense to make effort to
understand this reality.

From: A. Papazian

HAYK DEMOYAN: TEMPORARY OPENING OF THE ARMENIAN-TURKISH BORDER UNREALISTIC
Liana Yeghiazaryan

“Radiolur”
21.07.2010 18:44

Opening of the Armenian-Turkish border in September, although
temporarily, is unrealistic, Director of the Armenian Genocide
Museum-Institute, historian Hayk Demoyan told a press conference
today. According to him, this is not the first case, when Turkey
makes statements to mislead the international community.

“Besides, it’s preferable for Turkey to keep the border closed for
security reasons because of the aggravation of the struggle against
Kurdish groupings in Eastern Anatolia,” he said.

According to the historian, the Armenian-Turkish relations should not
be viewed as a separate process any more. They should be assessed in
the context of regional developments.

“The first stage of the Armenian-Turkish relations ended with the
signing of the two protocols, but not their ratification, i.e. the
Turkish side devalued the essence of those documents,” Hayk Demoyan
said.

“These two protocols helped uncover two Turkish bluffs, which had
been misleading the international community ever since Armenia’s
independence. The first bluff was that Armenia had territorial claims.

The second one concerns the Armenian Genocide. The Turkish side
did not ratify the protocols, which envisaged the subcommittee on
historic issues, because they came to understand that irrespective
of the signing and ratification of the protocols the international
recognition of the Armenian Genocide would continue to be a separate
process,” Hayk Demoyan noted.

From: A. Papazian

TIME WORKS FOR ARMENIA, GAGIK MINASYAN SAYS
Anna Balyan

Radiolur
21.07.2010 18:20

“Summing up of an important stage,” this is how Chairman of Standing
Parliamentary Committee on Financial-Credit and Budgetary Affairs
Gagik Minasyan characterized the Almaty statement.

The three important principles – the right of nations to
self-determination, territorial integrity and non-use of force –
were first mentioned in L’aquila and Athens and were later made more
distinct in Sochi and Saint Petersburg.

Recently the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairing countries referred to the
same principles in the Almaty statement. According to Gagik Minasyan,
this was what Azerbaijan was afraid of, and any attempt to separate
one of the principles will postpone the solution of the issue.

According to the MP, time works for Armenia.

From: A. Papazian

ARMENIAN GENOCIDE FILM “AGHET” SCREENED AT CAPITOL HILL

armradio.am
22.07.2010 11:35

A standing room only crowd of legislators, staff and community
activists applauded the Capitol Hill screening of “AGHET: A GENOCIDE,”
a powerful documentary by German filmmaker Eric Friedler depicting
Ottoman Turkey’s annihilation of 1.5 million Armenians from 1915
to 1923 and calling attention to the costs of the current Turkish
government’s ongoing international campaign of genocide denial,
reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).

Congressional Armenian Genocide Resolution author Adam Schiff (D-CA),
who hosted screening, offered poignant opening remarks thanking film
producer Katharina Trebitsch and Friedler for his “tenacity and his
wonderful work.” He went on to note that the Turkish Embassy had, in
the days leading up to the documentary’s first-time showing on Capitol
Hill, sent him a letter objecting to the screening. The California
legislator was forceful in his rebuke of foreign pressure to block
Congressional discussion of the Armenian Genocide. “Unfortunately for
the Turkish Ambassador and his government, the infamous Section 301 of
the Turkish penal code, which makes it a crime to insult Turkishness,
does not apply here, and we are free to speak the truth and admire the
work of others like Mr. Friedler, who have stood up to the threats,
the bullying, and the intimidation,” explained Rep. Schiff.

Characterizing ‘Aghet’ as an “important movie,” Rep. Brad Sherman
(D-CA) called special attention to its focus on the dispatches of
the German government during the Genocide, highlighting the vastly
different ways the German government and the Turkish government have
dealt with their respective legacies of genocide. “One is the approach
taken by the German government, acknowledging the Holocaust and then
trying to build on that and trying to make sure that you do not see
genocides in the future,” explained Rep. Sherman. “The other extreme
we see is the actions of the Turkish government, illustrating that
genocide denial is the last step of the genocide, when after trying to
extinguish a people you try to extinguish the memory of that terrible
act. And it is also the first step in the next genocide, the one thing
that links the Armenian Genocide and Turkey on the one hand and the
Germany on the other is the fact that Adolf Hitler was famously able to
convince his cohorts that they could get away with genocide, for after
all the Ottoman Empire, the Ottoman Turks, have been able to do so.”

Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chairman Frank Pallone (D-NJ), in
his remarks, noted the critical role of documentaries like “Aghet”
in educating Congress about the Armenian Genocide. “I think this is
really important because obviously we will continue to fight to get
the [Armenian] Genocide resolution passed and this is an important
part of that effort,” explained Pallone. He went on to urge continued
grassroots efforts to end U.S. complicity in Turkey’s genocide denial.

“You are out there endorsing candidates – for President, for Congress,
for Senate, whatever it is. That is what is going to make the
difference,” concluded Pallone.

The filmmaker, Eric Friedler, with modesty, noted: “I do not know if
my film ‘Aghet’ will have any impact on the way the American Congress
will deal with the issue of Armenian Genocide in future. It is more
than amazing and absolutely unusual that a German documentary might be
considered to have any meaning to a political decision-making process.

I feel very honored to be invited to Washington and that ‘Aghet’
is seen by members of the Congress.”

The screening was followed by a robust 90-minute panel discussion,
sponsored by the Armenian National Committee of America, featuring
the director, Eric Friedler, former U.S. Ambassador to Armenia, John
Evans, SCREAMERS Director Carla Garapedian, and Vartkes Yeghiayan,
Director of the Center for Armenian Remembrance. The discussion was
moderated by ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian.

“Tonight’s Capitol Hill premiere of Aghet offered Members of Congress
and their staffs an excellent opportunity to explore the costs and
consequences of Turkey’s ongoing denial of the Armenian Genocide,”
said Hamparian. “We want to say a special thank you to Congressman
Schiff for hosting this historic screening and are, of course, deeply
appreciative of Eric Friedler’s compelling contribution to America’s
civic discourse on this vital subject. We are greatly pleased that
Ambassador John Evans, Carla Garapedian, and Vartkes Yeghiayan were
able to join in making the panel discussion such a success. We look
forward, in the days and weeks ahead, to this powerful film’s ongoing
impact on our nation’s progress toward full and formal condemnation
of this crime against all humanity.”

From: A. Papazian

GOVERNMENT OF ARMENIA APPROVES PROGRAM TO BOOST VAYOTS DZOR PROVINCE FOR 2011-2014

ARKA
July 22, 2010
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, July 22, /ARKA/. The Government of Armenia has approved today
a program designed to boost the social-economic development of Vayots
Dzor province for 2011-2014.

Vache Tererian, a first deputy territorial management minister, said
government agencies, the provincial administration were instructed
to submit their suggestions and proposals regarding the program.

The provincial governor was instructed to present to the government
a plan of actions for each year by February 10 of every year. The
program calls for reduction of poverty level, development of small
and medium-sized businesses, assistance to education, culture, sports
and health sectors.

Vayotz Dzor province is in Armenia’s southeast, bordering with
Azerbaijani’s Nakhichevan. Its has a territory of 2,300 square km
and 56,000 population.

From: A. Papazian

GOVERNMENT: ARBUN AS ARMENIAN BRANDY MADE ONLY WITH FOREIGN RAW MATERIAL

ARKA
July 22, 2010
YEREVAN

The Armenian government on Thursday made a clarification to the
decision taken on May 20 on the definition of a new commercial name
for the Armenian brandy, which will be produced under the name “Arbun”
(from the Armenian word “to get drunk”).

The new trade name for the brand, as explained in the government
decision, is isntroduced to distinguish the Armenian brandy for the
consumers in the market from foreign products.

As explained by the Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan, the earlier
decision provoked various comments and understanding in society.

“The main purpose of decisions taken today is to protect our quality
of brandy and its producers. Through this decision of the government,
the producers may not call their products Armenian cognac if it has
used imported brandy in the production process,” he said.

Sargsyan stressed that the Armenian cognac may be cited as products
manufactured using only domestic raw materials.

Arbun, as the chairman said, will be referred to products made with
the use of foreign raw materials.

“Thus, we protect the interests of producers of high quality Armenian
cognac,” said Sargsyan.

Because of the emerged comments after the government decision on May
20, the Yerevan Brandy Company (YBC) urged not to confuse the name
“Armenian brandyâ~@~] with a new name â~@~Arbunâ~@~], noting that
the decision of the Government aims to maximize the distinction
between â~@~Armenian cognacâ~@~] (â~@~Armenian brandyâ~@~]) from
the concept of â~@~brandyâ~@~].

From: A. Papazian

ANOTHER ARMENIAN CEMETERY DEFILED IN TURKEY

Aysor
July 21 2010
Armenia

Turkish policemen arrested two people who carried out unauthorized
excavations in the Sögutlu district of Sakarya Province, Turkey. The
offenders carried out excavations on Armenian and Greek cemeteries in
the Sögutlu district looking for treasure, Ermenihaber news agency
reported. The offenders were arrested and interrogated. A criminal
case was filed. The preliminary investigation is underway.

From: A. Papazian