Author: Andres-Papazian

ARMENIAN DEFENSE MINISTER IS AWARE OF MISSING ARMENIAN SOLDIERS’ FATE

Milaz.info
July 15 2010
Azerbaijan

Armenian defense minister Seyran Ohanian visited Yerablur cemetery
in Yerevan on June 29, a memorial day of missing soldiers, and met
with the families of soldiers and officers killed in Karabakh.

Ohanian told journalists that no one of the missing soldiers was
found this year, APA reports. “We are working to know fate of at
least several missing people a day”, said the minister and added that
according to the International Committee of the Red Cross 4000-5000
Armenians and Azerbaijanis became missing during the Karabakh war.

According to the Armenian public organization against the legal
tyranny, there are 1000 missing Armenians. The Azerbaijani war veterans
reminded about the interesting fact related to this issue.

Terter region of Azerbaijan was a scene of bloody battles later in
April, 1994 and Armenians had serious losses and left a number of
bodies and wounded soldiers on the scene of operations. After the
attack on Torpagtepe height, commander of Echmiadzin battalion Gevorg
“Kamikaze” Ayrapetian showed a white flag and approached the positions
of Azerbaijani army. During the interrogation he acknowledged that
his 296-troop motor rifle battalion was formed in Armenia and sent
to Terter on April 21. About 200 Armenian soldiers were killed and
wounded during one-week battles. Ayrapetyan said they left bodies
of a number of his relatives, including chief of staff of the 83rd
motor rifle brigade Major Gachik “Ochkarik” Ohanesian, on the scene
of operations. Colonel Manvel Grigorian, a brigade commander, ordered
to Ayrapetian to exchange bodies before information reached Yerevan.

Ayrapetian said Grigorian received a nickname “Myasnik” (slaughterer)
because he shot retreated soldiers dead. (Then he was a deputy defense
minister of Armenia and led Yerkrapa Union. Grigorian was expelled from
the army in 2007 because he supported ex-president Levon Ter-Petrisan).

Ayrapetian said Grigorian and then “deputy defense minister” of Nagorno
Karabakh Colonel Seyran Ohanian ordered to bury killed soldiers near
the settlement of Talysh and to register them as missing. They aimed
to prevent a panic among the Armenian community, which seeing a large
number of bodies would refuse to send soldiers to Karabakh. Ayrapetian
said that about 300 Armenian soldiers were buried near the 1445 height
within a week and he feared to return to Armenia because relatives
of the killed soldiers and officers would kill him.

Azerbaijani side decided to exchange bodies only after the Ayrapetian’s
evidences were confirmed. The issue was coordinated with the command
and Ayrapetian was released. There was no report about his further
fate. But in 2009, Armenian newspapers reported that Lieutenant
Colonel Ayrapetian was expelled from the army for his indiscipline
and arrested in 2007.

These facts confirm that Armenian defense minister Seyran Ohanian’s
statement about the missing soldiers and officers was a falsehood.

Ohanian and his assistants ordered to bury bodies of the soldiers and
not to send them home. The International Committee of the Red Cross
should conduct monitoring together with the experts in the places
showed by Ayrapetian and to evince the truth.

From: A. Papazian

ARMENIAN MONUMENTS BETTER PRESERVED IN MUSLIM IRAN THAN IN CHRISTIAN GEORGIA

Panorama
July 15 2010
Armenia

Armenian monuments are better preserved in Muslim Iran than in
Christian Georgia, historian, Armenian architecture specialist Samvel
Karapetyan told reporters today.

Recently S. Karapetyan headed a group of Armenian specialists
to old Armenian villages in Iran and found that only 20% of the
Armenian monuments have been preserved. However, according to him,
the destruction has been not deliberate, but rather it was caused
mostly by brick, the material the churches are constructed of, and
it is not quite strong a material and can get ruined through time.

He said, information panels in English and Persian are located near
the Armenian monuments in Iran. Besides, every year Iran allocates
sums from the budget for reconstruction of the Armenian monuments
facing a threat of destruction.

From: A. Papazian

ARA PAPYAN: SUPPRESSING ARMENIA IS NO LONGER BENEFICIAL FOR WEST

Aysor
July 15 2010
Armenia

Diplomat, “Modus Vivendi” Center Head Ara Papyan spoke about
probability of Karabakh war resumption at a round table today.

According to the speaker, war resumption is not beneficial for
superpowers since it can further aggravate the situation in the
Middle East.

“No matter that the opposite is asserted, the Armenian-Turkish and
Armenian-Azerbaijani relations are the common Armenian Cause for
the West and Turkey,” he noted adding that the Armenian Cause is
an important factor under the Turkey-Israel confrontation in the
Middle East.

“Turkey-Israel confrontation is not formal, it is connected with
Turkey’s islamization. Nationalist Turkey posed danger for Armenia
while Islamic Turkey is dangerous for Europe. Under the circumstances,
suppressing Armenia is no longer beneficial for the West,” he noted.

According to the speaker, though Turkey supports Azerbaijan in the
Nagorno Karabakh issue, it will abandon its ally at the last moment
if Armenia offers some price for it. Therefore Mr. Papyan advised
the Armenian authorities to clarify their demands made to Turkey.

“We need to clarify what we want from Turkey, why and on what basis,”
the diplomat said.

From: A. Papazian

ARMENIANS WORLDWIDE TO CREATE ASSOCIATION OF CINEMATOGRAPHERS

Aysor
July 15 2010
Armenia

Armenian filmmakers worldwide often forget their identity, change
their name and surname as well as their nationality to receive
support from this or that structure to shoot a film. Golden Apricot
International Film Festival Director Harutyun Khachatryan said adding
that Association of Armenian Cinematographers worldwide is set to be
created to solve that problem.

“Alain Terzian proposed creating Association of Armenian
Cinematographers, and we have invited all Diasporan Armenians tonight
to discuss the proposal,” Mr. Khachatryan said adding: “The foundation
of the Association of Armenian Cinematographers will be laid today,
for every Armenian abroad to be supported on this complicated way.”

According to Mr. Khachatryan, the association goal is to promote
Armenians to keep their identity, to create Armenian films.

Association center will be located in Armenia, and renowned Armenian
filmmakers abroad will head association affiliates, Harutyun
Khachatryan said. According to him, at first the association will
function with founding members resources and will receive state and
private financing later.

From: A. Papazian

ARMENIA RESPONDS TO RED CROSS SOCIETY ON AZERBAIJAN’S REQUEST ON RETURN BODY OF DECEASED SERVICEMAN

Trend
July 15 2010
Azerbaijan

Armenia sent a response to the International Committee of the Red
Cross (ICRC) in Yerevan on Azerbaijan’s request on return of body of
deceased Azerbaijani serviceman, the ICRC Baku office told Trend.

The Armenian armed forces opened fire on Azerbaijani soldiers June 19.

Four Armenian military men were killed and four were wounded in the
crossfire. Azerbaijani soldier Mubariz Ibrahimov was killed. His body
remained in neutral territory.

“Only the Azerbaijani sate officials and Ibrahimov’s family
familiarized with the content of message,” the source reported.

Azerbaijani Defence Ministry Spokesman, Colonel-Lieutenant Eldar
Sabiroglu said the ministry believes the ICRC will continue its
mission until the final result. Otherwise it could become the basis
for a new precedent in the future, and the responsibility will lie
on the Armenian side, he said.

“The ICRC’s initiative fails yet. Armenia makes up that Ibrahimov’s
body is neither in Armenia nor in the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh,”
Sabiroglu said.

The body of the Azerbaijani dead soldier must be returned soon,
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov said in today’s news
conference.

From: A. Papazian

ELDAR SABIROGLU: “IF ARMENIA DOESN’T RETURN BODY OF ENSIGN MUBARIZ IBRAHIMOV, IT WILL CREATE A NEW PRECEDENT”

APA
July 15 2010
Azerbaijan

Baku – APA. “Armenia finds new pretexts concerning Ensign Mubariz
Ibrahimov. Earlier they were claiming that they couldn’t make a
concrete step because there was no official address from Azerbaijan.

The Defense Ministry of Azerbaijan reacted to these insidious claims,
which are violating the international humanitarian principles, in
time. There is a tested concrete experience. Bodies of killed soldiers
were left on the opposite side many times. These cases were negotiated
with the help of the international organizations, particularly the
International Committee of the Red Cross and the bodies were returned
in a short time”, press officer of the Defense Ministry of Azerbaijan,
Lieutenant-Colonel Eldar Sabiroglu told APA. He said despite all
obstacles, Azerbaijan would continue its efforts to bring the Ensign
Ibrahimov’s body back. “Unfortunately the ICRC initiatives have
not brought results yet. Now Armenia put forward a new claim. They
told ICRC that Ibrahimov’s body was neither in Armenia nor Nagorno
Karabakh. It causes a question: what did the Armenian defense and
foreign ministries aim when they stated next morning that Ibrahimov’s
body was left together with the arms on the opposite side? What did
they hint when kicked up a row that they were not asked officially?

Indeed there is nothing mysterious. They demonstrate their traditional
national feature once more. They decided to hide the body, which is
incompatible with the human values. The Defense Ministry of Azerbaijan
believes that the International Committee of the Red Cross will
continue its mission till the end. Otherwise the Armenia’s action
will create a new precedent and Armenia will be responsible for it”.

From: A. Papazian

BAKU ‘ACCEPTS’ FIVE-YEAR DEADLINE FOR RETURN OF KELBAJAR, LACHIN

news.az
July 15 2010
Azerbaijan

Elmar Mammadyarov Elmar Mammadyarov has repeated that Armenia’s
withdrawal from the districts of Kelbajar and Lachin will be discussed
with his Armenian counterpart.

He was speaking at a joint press conference in Baku today with
Portuguese Foreign Minister Luis Amado.

Mammadyarov said that the return of Kelbajar and Lachin districts
was covered in the updated Madrid principles, put forward by the OSCE
mediators as a basis for negotiations.

The two districts are especially sensitive as they lie between the
disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia.

“The updated Madrid principles envision the return of Kelbajar and
Lachin districts to Azerbaijan within five years. This was proposed by
the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs. During the talks when Kocharyan was
president, Armenia suggested a 10-year term for the return of these
two districts, while Azerbaijan insisted on one year. When Sargsyan
came to power in Armenia, Yerevan’s new position was seven years,
while Baku insisted on three years,” Mammadyarov said.

“As a result, the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs proposed a five-year
term for the return of Kelbajar and Lachin districts to Azerbaijan’s
administrative control. Azerbaijan accepts this proposal of the OSCE
Minsk Group co-chairs.”

Armenia’s deputy foreign minister, Shavarsh Kocharyan, on Friday
dismissed any talk of the return of the two districts unless Azerbaijan
agreed to accept the results of a referendum on the status of Karabakh,
another of the proposals in the updated Madrid principles

Mammadyarov was back on the offensive today about Armenia’s position
in the talks.

“We find it difficult to hold talks when Yerevan again raises decisions
that have already been coordinated on these two districts.

The return of Kelbajar and Lachin was discussed at the presidential
meeting in St Petersburg, as Russia wishes to reach a breakthrough
in this issue as soon as possible. This topic will be discussed in
Almaty on 16-17 July,” Mammadyarov said.

Asked about the peacekeepers who, under the OSCE proposals, are to be
positioned in the Nagorno-Karbakh conflict area once troops have been
withdrawn, Mammadyarov said that the peacekeepers would not be drawn
from neighbouring countries or the Minsk Group co-chairing states,
France, Russia and the USA.

“This decision was taken at the OSCE summit in Budapest,” Mammadyarov
said.

He was asked about the return of the body of an Azerbaijani soldier
killed in a clash on the contact line separating Armenian and
Azerbaijani troops on 18 June.

“I believe that we will be able to get the body back with the help of
the International Committee of the Red Cross,” he said and expressed
surprise that the Armenian side should have kept the body for so long.

From: A. Papazian

TURKEY MAY OPEN ARMENIA BORDER FOR NATO DRILL, REPORT SAYS

Hurriyet
July 15 2010
Turkey

The NATO field drill will be based on the fictitious scenario of a
serious civil emergency arising. AFP photo

A NATO disaster-relief exercise in Armenia may also provide an
opportunity for a trial run at opening the long-closed border between
Turkey and the former Soviet republic, daily Hurriyet reported
Thursday.

“We will be taking part in the exercise” to be held in Armenia
from Sept. 11 to 17, a Turkish diplomat told Agence France-Presse
on Thursday on condition of anonymity. “We are looking into the
possibility of whether the border may be opened if such a necessity
arises. There has been no decision yet.”

If requested to do so, Turkey might allow the passage of NATO equipment
through the Dogukapı crossing in the northeastern province of Kars
for a six-day humanitarian exercise in Armenia’s Lori Mar region,
daily Hurriyet wrote, quoting Turkish diplomatic sources as saying
that any border opening would be temporary.

The governor’s office in Kars has prepared a report on the possible
opening at the Foreign Ministry’s request, Hurriyet wrote, adding
that the report concluded the highways and railroads on the Turkish
side of the closed border were in good condition and the crossing
could stay open for at least a month.

According to AFP, the Turkish diplomat said authorities are
investigating whether the infrastructure of the border area is suitable
for use during the Armenia 2010 Exercise, a drill based on a scenario
of a post-earthquake civil emergency that is being organized by NATO’s
Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Center, or EADRCC.

The news of Turkey’s participation in the drill and the potential
border opening was first revealed by daily Radikal columnist Murat
Yetkin in an article that ran in that paper Wednesday, and was
translated for publication Thursday in the Hurriyet Daily News &
Economic Review.

The possible opening of the Dogukapı border crossing is seen as
a potential thaw not only in tense Turkish-Armenian relations, but
also in Armenian-Azerbaijani ties ahead of a key meeting between the
foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan, Hurriyet wrote.

The top diplomats are set to meet in the Kazakh city of Almaty on the
sidelines of an Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe,
or OSCE, ministerial summit to be held Friday and Saturday.

Crossing won’t stay open for Van ceremony

The EADRCC field exercise, including a command post element, training
and a demonstration day, will be based on the fictitious scenario of
a serious civil emergency arising in the Armenian city of Arzni.

Up to 1,000 participants from NATO and partner nations, as well as
representatives and observers from other countries and international
organizations, are expected to take part in the drill, which is
held annually to practice disaster-response mechanisms and enhance
cooperation in emergency situations. According to Hurriyet, Turkey
is planning to send a group of three or four people to participate
in the exercise.

The possibility of a temporary opening of the border for the NATO
drill has prompted speculation that the crossing might be allowed
to stay open to allow Armenians to travel overland to a September
ceremony at the ancient Surp Hac Church on Akdamar Island, in the
eastern Turkish city of Van. The Turkish diplomat told AFP, however,
that “this is out of the question.”

Some 5,000 people are expected to be in Van for the first religious
service in many decades at the centuries-old Armenian church, which
the Turkish government has allowed to open once a year for such events.

A century of hostility

Turkey and Armenia have engaged in high-level negotiations to end
nearly a century of hostility, talks that have included discussion of
reopening the border, but the process stalled after Yerevan froze its
ratification of the historic diplomatic protocols, accusing Ankara
of dragging its feet by demanding the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute be
settled first.

A flashpoint of the Caucasus, the Nagorno-Karabakh region is a
constituent part of Azerbaijan, occupied since the end of 1994 by
Armenia. While internationally recognized as Azerbaijani territory,
the enclave has declared itself an independent republic and is
administered as a de facto part of Armenia.

Turkey closed its border with Armenia in 1993 in solidarity with
Azerbaijan, which was fighting Armenian-backed separatists over the
Nagorno-Karabakh region.

The border closure has exacerbated already-high tensions over Armenia’s
claims that up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed during the final
days of the Ottoman Empire in what Yerevan says amounted to genocide.

From: A. Papazian

ARA PAPYAN: ARMENIAN SIDE CAN APPLY TO INTERNATIONAL COURT

Aysor
July 15 2010
Armenia

The Armenian side should litigate any authority of Azerbaijan towards
Karabakh, taking international law as a basis. Former ambassador,
“Modus Vivendi” Center Head Ara Papyan said at a discussion today.

According to the expert, speaking about probability of making
concessions the Armenian side strengthens Azerbaijani side’s positions
giving them a possibility of making further demands.

“Azerbaijan keeps speaking about giving autonomy status to Nagorno
Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan only, and our statements on our
readiness to make concessions change the issue from the dictate to
demand complete independence of Artsakh up to the issue of liberated
territories return,” the speaker noted adding that the Armenian side
should clarify its position on its own variant of resolution.

According to the former ambassador, the Armenian side should apply
to some authoritative specialists of international law for them to
clarify the problem of “whether independent Azerbaijan’s supremacy
over Nagorno Karabakh has been ever stipulated.”

“The assessment of authoritative specialists will be a basis for OSCE
Minsk Group co-chairs,” he said adding that the Armenian side can also
apply to the International Court of Justice on that issue. The speaker
is convinced that independent experts’ assessment unequivocally will
be that Nagorno Karabakh has never been part of independent Azerbaijan,
and being part of Soviet Azerbaijan as an autonomous region was merely
consequence of USSR administrative-territorial division.

From: A. Papazian

AZERBAIJAN TO BAN ARMENIAN NAMES
Giorgi Lomsadze

EurasiaNet
July 15 2010
NY

If you’re Azerbaijani and are looking for a name for your child,
the Baku authorities have a little something for you — a list of
permitted names that they have taken the trouble to compile.

First names associated with “individuals who have committed
aggression against the Azerbaijani people” will be blacklisted by a
new color-coded nomenclature that is akin to the American system of
terror alert colors.

You are in the clear if you choose a name from the green category;
meaning those names that fit Azerbaijan’s “national, cultural and
ideological” values, Trend news agency reported. Yellow is for
“undesirable” names that sound funny in other languages and are
“not recommended.” Red is for names of aggressors which carry “an
insulting meaning in our language.”

In theory, that means that “Ali” is green, “Artush” is red and “Astrid”
is yellow.

If the name you picked warrants a red alert, the Azerbaijan National
Academy of Sciences, which oversaw the scholars working on the
first-name alert system, advises that you submit it to the Academy
for clearance.

From: A. Papazian