Author: Andres-Papazian

ARMENIAN DEFENSE MINISTER LEAVES FOR GERMANY

Panorama
July 21 2010
Armenia

Upon the invitation of Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, Minister of Defense
of the Federal Republic of Germany, Armenian Defense Minister Seyran
Ohanyan left for Germany on a two-day official visit, press service
of the ministry reported.

During the visit the Minister will meet with his German counterpart and
Germany’s military-political leadership. The Armenian delegation will
also visit Germerseim center where the second shift of the Armenian
peacekeeping troops are having training before leaving for Afghanistan.

Within the framework of the visit Seyran Ohanyan will also meet with
the representatives of the Armenian community in Germany.

From: A. Papazian

CHESS: TATEV ABRAHAMYAN TAKES BRONZE IN US WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP

Panorama
July 21 2010
Armenia

Armenian WFM Tatev Abrahamyan scored 7,5 points out of 9 and shared the
2nd-3rd places with WGM Anna Zatonskih in the US Women’s Championship
which was held in Saint Louis. Abrahamyan was awarded the bronze medal
in the tie-break. Tatev was only half a point behind the champion,
WGM Irina Krush.

Armenian WGM Katerina Rohonyan shared the 4th-5th places with 4,5
points.

From: A. Papazian

MINISTER OHANYAN OFF TO GERMANY

08:02 pm | July 21, 2010

Official

An Armenian delegation headed by Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan left
for Germany for a two-day visit at the invitation of German Defense
Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg.

During the visit, Minister Ohanyan will have a meeting with his German
counterpart and the military leadership. The Armenian delegation will
visit the Germersheim Logistics Distribution Center, where the second
shift of Armenian peacekeepers is training before it will join the
International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan.

Within the framework of the visit, Seyran Ohanyan is expected to meet
representatives of the German Armenian community, RA Defense Ministry
press service.

From: A. Papazian

TURKEY UNDERSTOOD INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE DOESN’T DEPEND ON PROTOCOLS: H. DEMOYAN

Panorama
July 21 2010
Armenia

The director of the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute Hayk Demoyan
thinks that it’s pointless already to observe the Armenian-Turkish
relations separately from the regional developments.

“But we can’t say that the first stage of the Armenian-Turkish
normalization process is over, since we have no expectations for a
second one,” he told reporters today.

Demoyan thinks “the protocols were not ratified only because of
Turkey as the approach of the country devaluated the meaning of
the protocols”.

In terms of this, the historian makes two conclusions: first, the
hopes Ankara and Baku had following the signing of the protocols,
vanished into the air.

“This is because the Armenian side didn’t make any concessions over
Nagorno-Karabakh during the process,” H. Demoyan said.

Second, as he said, the protocols revealed the Turkish bluff with
which it had been misleading the international community for decades.

“They understood that irrespective of the signing and the ratification
of the protocols, the international recognition of the Armenian
Genocide has its own logic and development and it doesn’t depend on
the protocols or any subcommittee,” Demoyan said.

According to him, the US will not recognize the Armenian Genocide
unless it sees Turkey out of its control and only then, the US will
apply different mechanisms.

From: A. Papazian

TURKEY TO PLAY THE SCRIPT OF AKHTAMAR SECOND TIME

Panorama
July 21 2010
Armenia

NATO military drills due in Armenia in September are widely discussed
only because they say as if the Armenian-Turkish border will open
temporarily over the exercises.

Panorama.am already informed that Defense Ministry and the Turkish
side rejected the information on opening of the border. However,
the issue keeps to be in the spotlight.

The director of the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute Hayk Demoyan
thinks, “in fact, the information reported by Turkish media on opening
of the border and placing the cross atop the Armenian Church merely
aim at spreading disinformation and raising flurry among the Armenian
society.” He said he doesn’t think the border will open and highlighted
that it would be better to transport the techniques to Armenia through
the Georgian border. “This would be our signal to them,” he said.

As regards the holy liturgy to be conducted in St. Cross Church of
Akhtamar, Demoyan recalled that the opening ceremony of the church
following its reconstruction in 2007 turned to a shameful event and
the liturgy, according to him, is another game. “This is another
worked out script Turkey is going to play the second time.”

From: A. Papazian

ARA PAPYAN: STATUS QUO IS BENEFICIAL

Aysor
July 21 2010
Armenia

“Modus Vivendi” Center Head, diplomat Ara Papyan commented upon
the informal meeting of OSCE Foreign Ministers in Almaty at a press
conference today. According to the speaker, though representatives of
co-chairing countries assessed the situation unbiasedly, the Armenian
side should not overestimate their statements.

According to the speaker, status quo preservation without concessions
is beneficial for the Armenian side today.

The expert noted that Armenian side’s position concerning concessions
has changed considerably, it has become much more harsh.

From: A. Papazian

ARAM MANUKYAN ADDRESSES A QUESTION TO RUBINYAN

08:00 pm | July 21, 2010

Politics

“I feel pity that Rubinyan wrote a letter with such contents,” the
newly-elected chairman of the Pan-Armenian National Movement (HHSh)
Aram Manukyan said Wednesday in reply to A1+.

After the recent HHSh congress, Karapet Rubinyan circulated an open
letter stating that the elections to the HHSh board had been faked.

“Would Rubinyan write a similar letter, if he were elected HHSh
Board member?” Aram Manukyan said and added that Rubinyan could have
expressed his complaints and objections during the congress.

To dispel all suspects, Aram Manukyan said that Rubinyan had received
232 votes and needed 30 more to be elected HHSh board member.

Mr. Maunkyan reiterated for several times that no one, including
Levon Ter-Petrosyan, had influenced on the results of the election.

Speaking about Levon Ter-Petrosyan’s presence in the congress, Aram
Manukyan reminded that Ter-Petrosyan was a HHSh member and was to
participate in the congress like all the other mandated members.

The HHSh Chair also referred to Levon Ter-Petrosyan’s speech on the
Nagorno Karabakh confict which angered Karapet Rubinyan.

“Ter-Petrosyan holds the same opinion on the issue which he expressed
12 years ago in his article “War and Peace,” Manukyan said.

He is surprised at Rubinyan’s discontent as in 1997 Rubinyan fully
supported Ter-Petrosyan’s stance on the Karabakh issue and even
resigned after Ter-Petrosyan’s resignation.

“We think that Ter-Petrosyan raised a serious concern, a real alarm
during the HHSh congress. We highly assess his boldness to depict the
reality in true colours,” Manukyan said and noted that only legitimate
authorities can resolve the Karabakh conflict.

From: A. Papazian

AZERBAIJAN CAN ‘RELY ON’ USA AS FRIENDLY PARTNER

news.az
July 21 2010
Azerbaijan

The US charge d’affaires in Azerbaijan has said that Azerbaijan can
rely on the US as a friendly country and a partner.

Adam Sterling was speaking at a reception at the US embassy in Baku
to mark American Independence Day.

Azerbaijani Finance Minister Samir Sharifov who attended the reception
said that Azerbaijan attached special importance to relations with
the United States and considered the USA its friend.

He said that the countries had signed 68 agreements since the opening
of the US embassy in Baku.

Sharifov said that Azerbaijan had great hopes that the US Congress
would lift the Jackson-Vanick amendment and Section 907 to the Freedom
Support Act.

Jackson-Vanik, first passed in 1975, imposes trade restrictions on
countries that limit human rights, especially on emigration. Section
907, adopted in 1992, prohibits direct US aid to the Azerbaijani
government and prevents the development of strategic relations between
the countries. The Section has been waived by the president since
October 2001 but remains on the statute book.

The Azerbaijani minister hoped that the US would continue its
efforts as a co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group mediators to resolve
the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

The appointment of former US Minsk Group co-chair, Matthew Bryza,
as US ambassador to Azerbaijan now depends only on the US Senate,
Adam Sterling said. Referring to protests from Armenian Americans
against Bryza’s appointment, Sterling said that American society was
an open society, so such protests were common, but the Senate took
independent decisions.

From: A. Papazian

AZERBAIJANIS SHOULD UNDERSTAND THAT KING IS NAKED, SAYS MINASIAN

Aysor
July 21 2010
Armenia

A Republican, chairman of the Armenian parliamentary commission for
financial and credit affairs, Gagik Minasian, referring to the informal
ministerial meeting in Alma-Ata, said at today’s press conference
that it summed up the next stage of talks on the Karabakh conflict.

He said that the statement of OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs clarified
the sides of the conflict and stressed the necessity to settle the
conflict by peaceful meanings and peaceful talks.

Referring to statements and behavior of Baku in the negotiations,
Minasian said that its approaches do not enhance Azerbaijan’s
reputation. “The Azerbaijani side, actually, has become a hostage of
its own propaganda. The policy that today Azerbaijan’s authorities
are implementing, has no future. Such tin-pot political shows can
change nothing,” said Minasian.

He added that Azerbaijan is in a poor situation, as it for many
years it has been implementing policy that draws the wool over its
people’s eyes.

“Sooner of later, the people of Azerbaijan should understand that
the king is naked,” said Minasian.

From: A. Papazian

TOURISM EXPECTED TO RISE IN 2011-2012

Aysor
July 21 2010
Armenia

Armenian Association of Travel Agents Deputy Chairman Yeghishe Tanasyan
told a press conference that we have over 20 percent rise in tourism
in Armenia against the previous year. In his words, most of tourists
come to Armenia from European countries. Tourism is expected to rise in
2011-2012, owing to overcoming economic crisis, according to Tanasyan.

According to the expert, there are no places of entertainment in the
Armenian regions, and it is one of the causes of tourism fall. The
second cause is seasonal nature of tourism.

Speaking about the impact of possible opening of the Armenia-Turkey
border Mr. Tanasyan said that for sure tourism will rise twofold then.

From: A. Papazian