Author: Andres-Papazian

G. MANOYAN: TURKS DO NOT SEE THE CRIMES THEY HAVE COMMITTED

Aysor
July 14 2010
Armenia

“It is one of the characteristic features of Erdogan that the crimes
of the others can be called Genocide while what they have realized
do not confess adding that Turkey and the Muslims in general cannot
commit a Genocide,” Giro Manoyan, the head of Armenian Cause Office
said in the interview with Aysor.am.

In his speech in Srebrenica city of Bosnia the Turkish PM spoke about
the Bosnians massacres and mentioned that these kind of crimes are
a heavy strike for the dignity of the humanity and a black stain not
only for Balkans but for the whole Europe.

“I would say that it is one of the personal characteristics of Erdogan
which is not a political category, to see the crimes committed by
someone but never see their own ones,” Giro Manoyan said.

From: A. Papazian

PRESIDENT RECEIVES POLISH FOREIGN MINISTER RADOSLAW SIKORSKI

Aysor
July 14 2010
Armenia

President Serzh Sargsyan received Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw
Sikorski today.

The President conveyed his congratulations to newly elected President
Komorowski on the occasion of winning the presidential elections in
Poland and expressed hope that the hard ordeals that befell Poland
are over and life in the country has normalized.

According to the President, there is great potential for deepening
relations and expanding cooperation between Armenia and Poland. The
sides attached importance to necessity of keeping the dynamics of
high-level visits.

The sides expressed hope that the Armenian-Polish intergovernmental
commission will also contribute to complete use of current potential.

In that respect, the interlocutors attached importance to the launching
of Warsaw-Yerevan flight.

The Nagorno Karabakh settlement, Armenia-Turkey normalization, and
regional issues were also addressed at the meeting.

President Sargsyan expressed gratitude to Poland for unbiased position
in the issue of Nagorno Karabakh settlement. The Polish Foreign
Minister stressed that his country is loyal to all principles of
international law and supports conflicts peaceful resolution only.

From: A. Papazian

TURKEY READY TO “TEMPORARILY OPEN” ARMENIA BORDER FOR NATO EXERCISE

July 14 2010
Turkey

Turkey will be among the NATO and partner countries taking part in
an exercise to be held in Armenia by NATO’s EADRCC.

Though normalization efforts between estranged neighbors Turkey
and Armenia have stalled, Turkey will be among the NATO and partner
countries taking part in an exercise to be held in Armenia by NATO’s
Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Center (EADRCC).

Foreign Ministry officials based in Ankara, speaking with Cihan
NEws Agency on Wednesday, confirmed a media report that Turkey will
participate in a disaster response exercise called “Armenia 2010.” The
exercise, organized by the EADRCC as a consequence management field
exercise, will take place between Sept. 11 and 17 in Armenia.

For the exercise, the border between Turkey and Armenia may be opened
“temporarily,” Turkish diplomatic sources, speaking on condition of
anonymity, told Cihan News Agency on Wednesday.

“During technical discussions at NATO headquarters in Brussels a
while ago, when such a possibility was raised by NATO officials,
the Turkish side responded favorably,” diplomatic sources said.

Yet whether the border is physically suitable for the conduct of the
exercise is still in question. Nonetheless, whatever the scenario is
and however the border will be used, for instance for the crossing of
trucks loaded with humanitarian aid, the border will be closed again
upon the end of the exercises, the same diplomatic sources highlighted.

Although Turkey was among the first countries to recognize Armenia
after the ex-Soviet nation declared independence in 1991, the two
neighbors have no diplomatic relations. In 1993 Turkey shut its border
with Armenia in a show of solidarity with its close ally, Azerbaijan,
which was at war with Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave,
dealing a heavy economic blow to the impoverished nation.

Ankara and Yerevan signed two protocols in Zurich on Oct. 10 of last
year on the establishment of diplomatic relations and the development
of bilateral relations between the two countries, including the
opening of their common border.

However, the process hit a rocky patch in January after an Armenian
court upheld the legality of the protocols but underlined that they
could not contradict Yerevan’s official position that the alleged
Armenian genocide must be internationally recognized.

Turkey accused Yerevan of trying to set conditions on the deals. The
process of normalization has also been crippled by Turkey’s insistence
on parallel progress on the Nagorno-Karabakh territorial dispute
between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

From: A. Papazian

READERS LOVED ARMENIAN KEBAB KING
Joan Obra

Fresno Bee

July 14 2010
CA

My, how you loved Stanley Kooyumjian’s food. It’s been a week after
my column about his passing, and you’re still calling and e-mailing
me with stories about him.

Some of you asked for his recipes. You’ll find a couple in today’s
food section: pilaf (bulgur and rice versions) and lamb shish kebab.

These are printed in “A Harvest of Recipes,” the Pilgrim Armenian
Congregational Church cookbook. (For a copy, call the church at (559)
229-2915.) I’ve edited them a little after talking to Stanley’s wife,
Doris Kooyumjian.

You requested others, such as the lamb shank recipe and the imam
bayeldi, a grilled eggplant dish. I’ll post them on my blog in the
future and let you know when they become available.

In the meanwhile, check out the blog for a collection of memories.

I’ll add more e-mails as they arrive. (Look for the post entitled
“Farewell, Stanley Kooyumjian.”)

Also in today’s food pages are recipes from Christine Vartanian
Datian. Stanley Kooyumjian was great friends with her father, Arthur
Vartanian; he even was part of Vartanian’s wedding party.

They worked near each other. The Vartanians had the Simon and Son
Cleaners across from The Home Market on Broadway.

“There was no one who could cook shish kebab like Stanley,” Datian
writes in an e-mail. “He was the first restaurateur in Fresno to bring
Armenian and Middle Eastern food to the forefront of the Fresno dining
experience, and he did it in downtown and he did it old school, with
the help and support of his family and the local community who loved
his food and the great service and atmosphere.”

Datian left the shish kebabs to Stanley Kooyumjian, but some of her
lamb recipes made it into magazines: potato-and-lamb moussaka (Cooking
Light, September 2008), baked eggplant and lamb (Sunset, March 2002),
and lamb-and-eggplant meatball pita sandwiches (Sunset, January 2005).

To see her recipes, go to my recipes.com and type “Christine Datian”
in the search field.

I’ve included her latest recipes below. One is spicy southwestern
tabbouleh, which appears in this month’s issue of Cooking Light. The
other is chilled cucumber, avocado and yogurt soup, printed in last
month’s issue of Sunset.

Datian’s latest recipes aren’t as traditional as those of Stanley
Kooyumjian, but they include nods to their shared heritage. For
example, she uses bulgur, a form of wheat kernel popular in Armenian
cooking.

She twists tabbouleh, a parsley and bulgur salad, by substituting
cilantro for the parsley. Chili powder and peppers add kick, queso
fresco lends tang, and lots of vegetables make it healthful.

Try it, along with pilaf recipes from Stanley Kooyumjian and Datian.

After all, a package of bulgur will be enough for several recipes.

RELATED RECIPES

Shish kebab

Makes 6 servings

3 pounds lean leg of lamb, cut into 2-ounce cubes

1 1/4 cups yellow or white onions, diced

1/4 cup green bell pepper, diced

1/4 cup fresh parsley, minced

2 fresh garlic cloves, finely minced (optional)

About 2 teaspoons salt, or to taste

About 1 teaspoon pepper, or to taste

1/4 cup inexpensive red wine, such as Carlo Rossi burgundy, or juice
of one freshly squeezed lemon

1/4 cup olive oil

In a medium (non-corrosive) bowl, combine cubed lamb, onions, bell
pepper, parsley and garlic cloves, if using.

Add salt and pepper. Pour wine (or lemon juice) and olive oil over
lamb mixture, then mix well. Cover tightly, refrigerate, and allow
to marinate six to 24 hours. Mix occasionally.

Thread meat onto skewers. Place skewers on the grill over hot coals
or under a hot broiler. Turn as needed to cook uniformly on all sides
until the meat is medium doneness (browned well on the outside and
still pink on the inside).

From: A. Papazian

JOURNALIST CANDAR SUED FOR CRITICIZING HANDLING OF DINK MURDER CASE

BIAnet.org
July 14 2010
Turkey

Referans newspaper writer Candar is facing imprisonment for his article
about the handling of the Hrant Dink murder case. He criticized that
the secret witness had not appeared at court. He had also called the
judge being too free-and-easy. His trial was postponed to 13 December.

Erol ONDEROÄ~^LU [email protected] Istanbul – BÄ°A News Center14 July
2010, Wednesday Referans newspaper writer Cengiz Candar is facing a
prison sentence of between one and three years under allegations of
“insulting a public servant because of his duty”. The charges are based
on Candar’s criticism of the fact that the secret witness of the Hrant
Dink murder case was not taken to court in the hearing on 8 February.

The trial is concerned with the assassination of Turkish-Armenian
journalist Hrant Dink. The founder of the Armenian Agos newspaper
was shot in front of his office in Istanbul on 19 January 2007. The
latest hearing of the case was held on Monday this week (12 July).

In the 12th hearing of the case in February, certain information about
the “secret witness” had been exhibited in the minutes of the hearing.

Furthermore, the President Judge of the Istanbul 14th High Criminal
Court, Erkan Candar, had said that “the secret witness does not know
Turkish very well”. Thus, the safety of the witness’s life was being
discussed.

In an article entitled “Mocking Hrant and the justice” published on 9
February 2010, Candar wrote, “Well, no justice is going to happen in
that court room, it just cannot happen. The Hrant Dink murder case
is being tried in such an informal manner, justice will not happen
from being to free-and-easy, it cannot happen”.

After it had become clear that the secret witness had not been summoned
to court, the President Judge said, “I received a note saying that
‘the secret witness arrived’ but s/he did not come. The secret witness
is waiting for the police at home. The police is waiting here for
the secret witness. What shall I do?” Candar criticed:

“Is a Court President who announces his own helplessness by saying
“What shall I do” in any situation going to give a just verdict?”

“The same Court President continuously polemicizes the involved
lawyers, turns ato them with a sarcastic smile and opens his hands
to both sides as if he was complaining about the situation. Instead
of being a neutral judge who does his best for the faith of justice,
he gives the impression of a hidden closeness with the defence lawyers.

Candar’s trial at the Bakırköy (Istanbul) Criminal Court of First
Instance will be continued on 13 December. The case was postponed
for five months because Judge Vasfi Ugurer, who presided over the
case in the first hearing, took his annual leave. (EO/VK)

From: A. Papazian

ARMENIA BELIEVES IRAN HAS DEALT WITH KARABAKH UNBIASEDLY: YEREVAN ENVOY

Iranian Student News Agency ISNA
July 14 2010
Iran

TEHRAN (ISNA)-Armenian ambassador to Iran Grigor Arakelian said his
country believes Iran has dealt with Nagorno-Karabakh issue unbiasedly.

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan has already declared that Iran’s
role in settlement of regional issues cannot be ignored, Iran took
charge of mediation in Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in 1992 and the
first ceasefire between Azeri and Armenian nations declared by the
Islamic Republic of Iran, Arakelian told ISNA.

He added, “Armenian government is grateful to Iran for Nagorno-Karabakh
matter and it believes the Islamic Republic of Iran has acted
influentially in regional issues.”

The ambassador went on to say that Iranian President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad is invited to visit Armenia and his trip takes place in
an appropriate time.

Meanwhile concerning Iran’s nuclear issue, the Armenian diplomat said
the matter needs to be settled through talks.

Regarding the volume of financial exchanges between the two countries,
Arakelian said, “the amount totaling 200 million dollars needs to
be increased.”

As to electricity exchange between the two countries, he said
Armenia is building the third high-voltage power transfer line to
send electricity to Iran.

A hydro-power plant is going to be built on Aras River bordering Iran
and Armenia so that the two sides could use it jointly, he added.

Grigor Arakelian continued, Armenia is to receive gas from Iran in
return for power.

From: A. Papazian

‘WEST SHOULD PRESS ON ARMENIA’ – EXPERT

news.az
July 14 2010
Azerbaijan

‘Nagorno-Karabakh is the biggest obstacle to full regional integration
and South Caucasus economic cooperation’.

Borut Grgic, a senior fellow at the Washington DC based Atlantic
Council and the founder of the TransCaspian Initiatives believes that,
the West should pressure on Armenia with sanctions if it wants to
obtain a fair adjustment of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

‘Until the European Union puts Armenia under sanctions which suspend
its EU integration process, this country will continue to stall over
its withdrawal from the conflict area that belongs to Azerbaijan’,
– Mr. Grgic stated in Washington DC.

According to the analyst, as an excuse Armenians say they are not sure
in the ethnic Armenians security in Nagorno-Karabakh region if the
troops’ withdrawal is performed. ‘These are very convenient excuses’
– he says, – ‘which are standing in the way of peace’.

He reminds that Nagorno-Karabakh is the biggest obstacle to full
regional integration and South Caucasus economic cooperation.

‘Because of the conflict, the region’s European perspective remains
handicapped, Russia’s regional presence is over emphasized, and the
economic market remains fragmented, and as such less interesting for
foreign investors’.

‘On the other hand, the objective risk of conflict is high, which
makes it difficult to convince European companies to invest capital
into this region’, says the expert.

From: A. Papazian

KARABAKH TO REMAIN PART OF AZERBAIJAN – ILHAM ALIYEV

news.az
July 14 2010
Azerbaijan

President Ilham Aliyev President Ilham Aliyev has reiterated that
the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh will always be part of
Azerbaijan.

In his opening address to yesterday’s expanded session of the Cabinet
to review the first six months of the year, the president said that
Nagorno-Karabakh would always remain part of Azerbaijan and that the
will of the Azerbaijani people was crucial.

“I expressed my views on the settlement of the conflict during my
recent meeting with the Azerbaijani community of Nagorno-Karabakh,”
he told the meeting, according to state-run news agency AzerTAj. “The
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict will be solved on the basis of the will of
the Azerbaijani people.”

“I want to reiterate that Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity has never
been and will never be open to discussion,” the president continued.

“What the mediators propose is that Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity
should be restored, the Armenian aggressors should withdraw from all
the occupied territories, and Azerbaijanis – internally displaced
persons – should return, and they will return, to their native lands,
including Nagorno-Karabakh.

“And as far as the future status of Nagorno-Karabakh is concerned,
no status can be given to Nagorno-Karabakh without the consent of the
Azerbaijani state. This is an integral part of the talks. This means
that neither Armenia nor the separatists of Nagorno-Karabakh nor any
third force can grant status to Nagorno-Karabakh without Azerbaijan’s
involvement and consent. And this is the essence of the negotiations.”

The president emphasized his point: “When the Armenians say the day
will come when Nagorno-Karabakh will be independent, this is nothing
but their illusion, nothing but their desire, nothing but their dream.

The documents on the table clearly show everything related to the
status of Nagorno-Karabakh and how it should be defined.

“The Azerbaijani state and the people of Azerbaijan will never grant a
status to Nagorno-Karabakh that can separate it from Azerbaijan. And
the negotiations contain no mechanism related to Nagorno-Karabakh’s
separation from Azerbaijan, and they can never contain such a
mechanism.”

Ilham Aliyev reviewed the country’s increased military spending. “We
took very important steps in the military industry in 2009. We’ve been
strengthening our military potential. Recently we made changes to our
budget, which now stands at $15bn. We allocated an additional $500m to
military spending. And this is part of our single-minded policy. We
have to focus, first and foremost, on strengthening the country’s
military potential, and this is what we are doing. Azerbaijan’s
military spending today is $2.15bn, which is more than the total
budget of Armenia. And we’ve achieved the goal that we set ourselves
a few years ago. This allows us to modernize our army and purchase
state-of-the-art weapons and military equipment.”

The president stressed his preference for a peaceful resolution of
the conflict, but said that Azerbaijan should always be ready for a
military solution too.

“Our military power can play a decisive role in the settlement of
the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh. However,
we don’t want this to happen. We want the issue to be solved through
negotiations, through diplomatic means. But military power will
strengthen our position.

“We must be ready to liberate our occupied lands at any time. And I’m
completely confident that Azerbaijan is capable of doing so today. We
have considerably increased our military power.”

‘In Armenia, some believe that they won the first stage of the war,
but I think they lost,” Ilham Aliyev said.

“Azerbaijan has travelled a long and successful path during the
ceasefire period. Azerbaijan is today held in great respect at the
international level, and we are playing a decisive role in the region.

“Azerbaijan must make it to the ranks of the developed countries in
terms of economic progress, and this is our goal. We are a modern
country. This is why the first stage of the war decides nothing. It
only proves that the people of Azerbaijan and the Azerbaijani state
will never accept this situation and will restore their territorial
integrity by any means.”

From: A. Papazian

EUROPEAN COURT TO CONSIDER APPEAL OF AZERBAIJAN AGAINST ARMENIA

news.az
July 14 2010
Azerbaijan

The European court will consider the appeal of Azerbaijani displaced
persons from Lachin against Armenia in September.

The preliminary stage of the court process is nearing completion.

According to plenipotentiary representative of Azerbaijan in the
European Court of Human Rights Chingiz Asgarov told reporters that
an open court session with participation of displaced persons from
Lachin and representatives of the Azerbaijani and Armenian sides will
be held at the Grand Chamber of the European Court in September.

From: A. Papazian

AZERBAIJAN WILL NEVER CONCEDE TO NAGORNY KARABAKH – PRESIDENT

The Financial
July 14 2010
Georgia

The FINANCIAL — BAKU. Azerbaijan will never make concessions to
the breakaway region of Nagorny Karabakh, Azerbaijani state-run news
agency AzerTAc said, quoting President Ilham Aliyev, RIA Novosti says.

“The Azerbaijani state and Azerbaijani people will never provide
Nagorny Karabakh with any status that could divide it from Azerbaijan,”
Aliyev was quoted as saying during a cabinet meeting on July 13.

A long-standing dispute over Nagorny Karabakh, a breakaway region
inside Azerbaijan with a predominantly ethnic Armenian population, has
been a sticking point in relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia. The
conflict first erupted in 1988, when the region claimed independence
from Azerbaijan to join Armenia.

A fragile ceasefire has been in place in the region since a brutal war
between the two countries over the disputed enclave in early 1990s,
which claimed more than 30,000 lives on both sides. Karabakh has
since remained under Armenian control.

Baku has fiercely opposed any decision on Karabakh that could be
interpreted as giving the region independence from Azerbaijan.

In May, the region elected a 33-seat parliament with a voter turnout
of almost 68%. Azerbaijani officials called the elections “illegal,”
saying they could seriously harm peace efforts.

The conflict is mediated by the OSCE Minsk Group, comprising the
United States, Russia and France.

The OSCE Madrid principles, adopted in November 2007, envisage a
stage-by-stage resolution of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict that
should start with the gradual liberation of parts of Azerbaijan
bordering Karabakh that were partly or fully occupied by Karabakh
Armenian forces during the 1991-94 war. In return, Karabakh should
retain a corridor to Armenia and be able to determine its final status
in a future referendum.

In January, Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed a preamble to an agreement
on Nagorny Karabakh, revising and updating the Madrid principles.

However, Azerbaijan later renewed threats of military action to retake
the disputed region over a lack of progress at talks with Armenia.

From: A. Papazian