Author: Andres-Papazian

REVUE DE PRESSE N°2 – 11/03/15 – COLLECTIF VAN

Publie le : 11-03-2015

Info Collectif VAN – – Le Collectif VAN
[Vigilance Armenienne contre le Negationnisme] vous propose une revue
de presse des informations parues dans la presse francophone sur les
thèmes concernant le negationnisme, le racisme, l’antisemitisme,
le genocide armenien, la Shoah, le genocide des Tutsi, les crimes
perpetres au Darfour, la Turquie, l’Union europeenne, l’occupation
de Chypre, etc… Nous vous suggerons egalement de prendre le temps
de lire ou relire les articles mis en ligne dans la rubrique Info
Collectif VAN et les traductions regroupees dans notre rubrique
Actions VAN. Par ailleurs, certains articles en anglais, allemand,
turc, etc, ne sont disponibles que dans la newsletter Word que nous
generons chaque jour. Pour la recevoir, abonnez-vous a la Veille-Media
: c’est gratuit ! Vous recevrez le document du lundi au vendredi dans
votre boîte email. Bonne lecture.

Irak: La France condamne la poursuite des destructions du patrimoine
culturel Info Collectif VAN – – “La France
condamne avec la plus grande fermete la poursuite des destructions
du patrimoine culturel de l’Irak. Le dynamitage de la mosquee chiite
d’al-Qubba al-Husseiniya et des mausolees des prophètes Jonah, Jirjis
et Seth, le saccage du musee de Mossoul, et maintenant la destruction
et le pillage des ruines assyriennes de Nimroud relèvent d’une logique
abjecte d’aneantissement par Daech de l’un des plus exceptionnels
patrimoines de l’humanite.” Le Collectif VAN vous invite a lire
le Communique de presse du Ministère des Affaires etrangères et du
Developpement international publie le 6 mars 2015.

Collectif VAN : l’ephemeride du 11 mars Info Collectif VAN –
– La rubrique Ephemeride est a retrouver
quotidiennement sur le site du Collectif VAN. Elle recense la
liste d’evenements survenus a une date donnee, a differentes
epoques de l’Histoire, sur les thematiques que l’association suit au
quotidien. L’ephemeride du Collectif VAN repose sur des informations en
ligne sur de nombreux sites (les sources sont specifiees sous chaque
entree). “11 mars 1921 — Lors de la conference de Londres censee
permettre le retablissement de la paix en Orient, les gouvernements
francais et d’Angora conclurent un accord, le 11 mars 1921, prevoyant
le retrait francais de la Cilicie et des Territoires de l’Est. L’accord
de Londres prevoit notamment l’arret de toutes les hostilites. Ainsi,
la France cède a la Turquie, la Cilicie, incluse dans son mandat sur
la Syrie. L’evacuation de l’Armee francaise ne s’effectua qu’après
l’accord d’Angora du 20 octobre 1921. Cet accord de Londres signe
l’abandon, par la France, de la Cilicie et des Armeniens aux mains
de Mustafa Kemal. C’est au prix du massacre des Armeniens et des
Assyro-Chaldeens, de l’emigration des Grecs et de l’assimilation plus
ou moins forcee des Kurdes, que Mustapha Kemal realisera un Etat
national homogène où les Turcs n’ont jamais constitue une majorite
ethnique”.

Lyon commemore le centenaire du genocide armenien Cent ans après la
tragedie qui toucha le peuple armenien, les institutions lyonnaises
se mobilisent et, au travers d’expositions, de concerts, de debats,
commemorent le genocide armenien. En 1915, le genocide armenien a fait
plus de 1,5 million de victimes. En 2015, la ville de Lyon souhaite
porter un message aux victimes du premier genocide du XXe siècle,
mais compte aussi vanter l’idee d’universalite de la memoire et la
prevention de tous les crimes contre l’humanite.

Plusieurs manifestations seront donc organisees durant les mois de
mars et d’avril.

Pascal Bruckner : les chretiens d’Orient “victimes collaterales d’une
culture europeenne et americaine” Peut-on, comme Jean d’Ormesson le 25
fevrier dernier, dans une interview accordee a Europe 1, dire que les
communautes chretiennes d’Irak – “parmi les plus anciens chretiens du
monde ; presque des contemporains du Christ” – sont “genocidees” ? Sur
le plateau de Mots croises, personne n’a repris ce terme de “genocide”,
preferant employer celui d'”extermination”. Une guerre des mots qui
prend tout son sens dans un conflit hautement mediatique et mediatise.

Une video raciste d’une fraternite etudiante secoue les Etats-Unis
Au lendemain du discours de Barack Obama, commemorant la sanglante
repression de la marche civique de Selma d’il y a cinquante ans,
les Etats-Unis se retrouvent une nouvelle fois confrontes a leurs
vieux demons. Dans une video publiee ce week-end, on peut y voir des
jeunes de l’Universite de l’Oklahoma, issus d’une des plus grandes
fraternites etudiantes americaines, la Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE),
chanter qu’

From: A. Papazian

UPPER LARS CHECKPOINT TO LAUNCH GREEN TRACK FOR ARMENIAN EXPORTS

11:48 * 12.03.15

The customs authorities at the Upper Lars checkpoint (Russia-Georgia
border) will open a green track for Armenian exports to facilitate
the delivery of truck cargo to Russia.

To check the procedure’s effectiveness, both Russia and Armenia will
later conduct monitoring to ensure that the process is sufficiently
smooth and rapid, Suren Karayan, a deputy minister of International
Economic Integration and Reforms, told Tert.am.

“Mutual monitoring will be conducted within a month to see to what
extent and with what speed the cargo crosses the checkpoint and to
ensure that our promise for more easy and free integration into
the markets is kept after joining the Eurasian Customs Union,”
he explained.

Karayan, who is a member of the working group elaborating a model
customs code for the Commonwealth of Independent States, said he knows
that an agreement regulating oil export procedures has been recently
signed between the Russian side and the Armenian tax and customs
authorities and Ministries of Energy, and Economy. “As you are aware,
Armenia and Russian in 2013 signed a bilateral agreement on lifting
customs tariffs on the export of oil supply and raw diamond. But there
was a problem, particularly with several types of oil products which
Rusal Armenal uses as raw. The question that the organization raised
was that the Russian side wouldn’t provide the raw – the liquid oil
paraffin – on custom-free terms,” the official said.

He added this question too, was quite recently raised, and the
corresponding Russian and Armenian ministries agreed to allow that
products’ customs free delivery to Armenia within a couple of weeks
(the due date is today).

Asked to comment on the dynamics observed since Armenia’s accession
to the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU), the deputy minister said he
doesn’t find evaluations timely for the moment.

The customs regulations effective across the common Eurasian economic
area imply increased customs duties for 1,800 types of goods. After
negotiations, it was agreed to leave the tariffs unchanged for 780
(for 3-5 years).

Asked whether there are available records revealing the new
regulations’ impact on the goods not included in the negotiated list
(clothing and perfumes), the deputy minister said that the Government
made the selection considering the products’ social significance.

For the rest of products, he recommended looking more thoroughly into
the statistics.

Karayan further addressed the concerns over the sugar and wheat
import. “There isn’t any problem as far as sugar is concerned;
we have included sugar in the exception list, so there will not be
changes in the customs tariffs in the near future,” he added.

The deputy minister admitted that there were certain problems on the
wheat market after new customs tariffs went into effect in Russia in
January) He said that the Russian side initially attempted to deduce
an equivalent to the export duty for insurance to later return it to
the exporting company after the wheat reached Armenia.

The procedure appeared to be an extra burden for wheat importers,
forcing them to freeze a corresponding amount.

Karayan said that the problem was raised and a possible solution
was offered at his recent meeting with a Russian deputy minister of
economy in Moscow. He said that wheat exporters will no longer have
to freeze any money for their products’ delivery to Armenia.

From: A. Papazian

PRESS RELEASE
Armenian Business Network (ABN)
48 Webster Road
Lexington, MA 02421
Contact: Jack Antounian
Tel: 617-633-4951
Email: [email protected]

ABN is excited to feature Mrs. Jacqueline Karaaslanian, Executive Director
of Luys Foundation as Guest Speaker at our upcoming ABN Spring Networking
Event

Please join us on March 31, at the Sheraton Commander Hotel in Cambridge,
MA at 7pm as Mrs. Karaaslanian shares her story of 30-year journey from
the technology hub at MIT Media Labs in Cambridge, MA to heading the
educational mission of Luys Foundation in Armenia. Mrs. Karaaslanian
presentation will offer great insight for young Armenian adults and their
parents on the Luys programs, as well as an insider’s look at many exciting
developments in Armenia where ABN members can collaborate and create value.

Mrs. Karaaslanian worked with the founding members of MIT Media Labs from
its inception for 25 years, serving as the Director of Special Projects for
the Future of Learning and Media Fabrics Groups in her last role. She moved
to Armenia in 2009 to focus on the educational mission of Luys Foundation –
an organization dedicated to financially supporting
and nurturing relationships with Armenian scholars (under 40) studying
at top universities from around the world. In return, Luys scholars apply
their acquired skills and knowledge to tangible economic and cultural
change in Armenia. For more information about Luys Foundation, please
visit,

“Armenia Rewards the Bold – It is a fascinating country that keeps
surprising people, and offering each a unique experience to understand
oneself and the world. Our challenge as Armenians is to leverage the
potential Armenia has with today’s major innovative changes. We now have
the tools to shape the way we learn, think and work together as a
10-million-strong network.” Jacqueline Karaaslanian

Once again, the Guleserian Family and the wonderful hospitality team at
Sheraton Commander Hotel have graciously offered to host the event
at Nubar Restaurant. Complimentary appetizers and a cash bar will be
provided and Nubar’s full restaurant menu will also be available should you
choose to have dinner. As always, there is no fee for attending this event
or the presentation. You can find directions and Nubar’s full menu at

We are looking forward to a thought provoking, educational and fun filled
evening with great food, drinks and company in a festive and social
setting. RSVP by Friday, March 27, to [email protected]
and indicate your business
category/interest/industry so that we can include it on your name badge. In
addition, there will be an area designated for business collateral, so
please feel free to bring a supply of your business cards, company
brochures, etc.

If you are not currently an ABN Member you can join at the link below,
however, membership is not a requirement for attending the March 31st event.
Please feel free to extend this invitation to your Armenian contacts in the
New England area, as you deem appropriate.

To join ABN visit
and request to join
on our homepage, through the LinkedIn and Facebook icons.

Date of Event: Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Guest Speaker: 7pm promptly @ Mt. Vernon Ballroom at the Sheraton
Commander Hotel, 16 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA.

Networking Event: 8pm @ Nubar Restaurant

Valet parking available for attendees at a discounted rate of $10 with
validation at Nubar Restaurant

Looking forward to seeing you all there!
ABN Executive Team

From: A. Papazian

Study Backs 5th-Century Historian’s Date for Founding of Armenia

By NICHOLAS WADE
March 10, 2015

Movses Khorenatsi, a historian in the fifth century, wrote that his native
Armenia had been established in 2492 B.C., a date usually regarded as
legendary though he claimed to have traveled to Babylon and consulted
ancient records. But either he made a lucky guess or he really did gain
access to useful data, because a new genomic analysis suggests that his
date is entirely plausible.

Geneticists have scanned the genomes of 173 Armenians from Armenia and
Lebanon and compared them with those of 78 other populations from around
the world. They found that the Armenians are a mix of ancient populations
whose descendants now live in Sardinia, Central Asia and several other
regions. This formative mixture occurred from 3000 to 2000 B.C., the
geneticists calculated, coincident with Movses Khorenatsi’s date for the
founding of Armenia.

Toward the end of the Bronze Age, when the mixture was in process, there
was considerable movement of peoples brought about by increased trade,
warfare and population growth. After 1200 B.C., the Bronze Age
civilizations of the eastern Mediterranean suddenly collapsed, an event
that seems to have brought about the isolation of Armenians from other
populations. No significant mixing with other peoples after that date can
be detected in the genomes of living Armenians, the geneticists said.

The isolation was probably sustained by the many characteristic aspects of
Armenian culture. Armenians have a distinctive language and alphabet, and
the Armenian Apostolic Church was the first branch of Christianity to
become established as a state religion, in A.D. 301, anticipating that by
the Roman empire in A.D. 380.

The researchers also see a signal of genetic divergence that developed
about 500 years ago between western and eastern Armenians. The date
corresponds to the onset of wars between the Ottoman and Safavid dynasties
and the division of the Armenian population between the Turkish and Persian
empires.

`This DNA study confirms in general outline much of what we know about
Armenian history,’ said Hovann Simonian, a historian of Armenia affiliated
with the University of Southern California

.

The geneticists’ team, led by Marc Haber and Chris Tyler-Smith of the
Sanger Institute, near Cambridge in England, see long-isolated populations
like that of the Armenians as a means of reconstructing population history.

Armenians share 29 percent of their DNA ancestry with Otzi, a man whose
5,300-year-old mummy emerged in 1991 from a melting Alpine glacier. Other
genetically isolated populations of the Near East, like Cypriots, Sephardic
Jews and Lebanese Christians, also share a lot of ancestry with the Iceman,
whereas other Near Easterners, like Turks, Syrians and Palestinians
,
share less. This indicates that the Armenians and other isolated
populations are closer than present-day inhabitants of the Near East to the
Neolithic farmers who brought agriculture to Europe about 8,000 years ago.

The geneticists’ paper
was posted last month on bioRxiv , a digital
library for publishing scientific articles before they appear in journals.
Dr. Tyler-Smith, the senior author of the genetics team, said he could not
discuss their results for fear of jeopardizing publication in a journal
that he did not name.

From: A. Papazian

COLLECTIF VAN : L’EHEMERIDE DU 11 MARS

[ Part 2.2: “Attached Text” ]

Publié le :
11-03-2015

[Mar_20110311_01_38_15.jpg]

Info Collectif VAN – – La rubrique Ephéméride est
a retrouver quotidiennement sur le site du Collectif VAN. Elle recense
la liste d’événements survenus a une date donnée, a différentes
époques de l’Histoire, sur les thématiques que l’association suit au
quotidien. L’éphéméride du Collectif VAN repose sur des informations
en ligne sur de nombreux sites (les sources sont spécifiées sous
chaque entrée). Vous pouvez retrouver tous les éphémérides du
Collectif VAN dans la Rubrique Actions VAN, en cliquant sur ces liens:

Les éphémérides du Collectif VAN (1ère partie)

Les éphémérides du Collectif VAN (2ème partie)

Légende photo : 11 mars 1921 — Lors de la conférence de Londres
censée permettre le rétablissement de la paix en Orient, les
gouvernements francais et d’Angora conclurent un accord, le 11 mars
1921, prévoyant le retrait francais de la Cilicie et des Territoires
de l’Est. L’accord de Londres prévoit notamment l’arrêt de toutes
les hostilités. Ainsi, la France cède a la Turquie, la Cilicie,
incluse dans son mandat sur la Syrie.

L’évacuation de l’Armée francaise ne s’effectua qu’après
l’accord d’Angora du 20 octobre 1921. Cet accord de Londres signe
l’abandon, par la France, de la Cilicie et des Arméniens aux mains
de Mustafa Kemal. C’est au prix du massacre des Arméniens et des
Assyro-Chaldéens, de l’émigration des Grecs et de l’assimilation
plus ou moins forcée des Kurdes, que Mustapha Kemal réalisera un
Ã~Itat national homogène où les Turcs n’ont jamais constitué une
majorité ethnique

Le Général Dufieux et son Etat Major en Cilicie – 1921 –

Ca s’est passé un 11 mars (les événements sont classés du plus
ancien au plus récent) :

11 mars 1909 — Empire ottoman : l’Indépendant de Constantinople
rapporte les confidences d’une délégation parlementaire arménienne
sortant d’une entrevue avec le président du Parlement, Ahmed Riza,
qui les avait avertis sans prendre de gants : ” Prenez garde, si
vous ne vous tenez pas tranquilles, on va vous massacrer tous ”.

© Revue d’Histoire Arménienne Contemporaine pour toutes les
éditions | © Yves Ternon pour le texte Mardin 1915 Imprescriptible :
L’implication du Comité Union et Progès dans les massacres de Cilicie

11 mars 1916 — Italie : dans l’hebdomadaire socialiste Il Grido del
Popolo [Le Cri du Peuple], Antonio Gramsci, descendant d’Italiens et
d’Albanais, lance un appel en faveur des Arméniens. ” C’est toujours
la même histoire. Pour qu’un fait nous intéresse, nous touche, il est
nécessaire qu’il fasse partie de notre vie intime, que son origine ne
soit pas loin de nous, qu’il s’agisse de gens que nous connaissions,
de gens qui appartiennent au cercle de notre espace humain ”.

Armenian Trends – Mes Arménies : Gramsci et le génocide arménien

11 mars 1918 — Empire ottoman : les Turcs, prirent Erzeroum et,
après avoir occupé le reste du pays, s’avancèrent vers Kars. La
République Transcaucasienne choisit ce moment pour se séparer de
la Russie et se déclarer indépendante et elle se rallia enfin aux
clauses du traité de Brest-Litovsk, suivant lesquelles le territoire
de Kars était attribué a la Turquie.

L’Arménie et le proche orient, chapitre XI, ” L’Arménie pendant les
temps modernes ” Par Fridtjof Nansen Imprescriptible : Les Arméniens
pendant la guerre mondiale

11 mars 1919 — L’Armée nationale ukrainienne se livre a un pogrom
dans la ville d’Uchomir (province de Podolie). Un second pogrom a lieu
trois semaines plus tard. Trois juifs sont égorgés sauvagement et
dix autres grièvement blessés.

– Des rebelles commandés par l’ataman Sokolovski se livrent a un
nouveau pogrom a Radomysl (Kiev), où ils ont déja massacré des
juifs le mois précédent. Le pogrom dure trois jours, 33 juifs sont
tués et de nombreux autres blessés ou mutilés a coups de sabre.

Skynet : 11 mars, ce jour-la, n’oubliez pas

11 mars 1921 — Lors de la conférence de Londres censée permettre
le rétablissement de la paix en Orient, les gouvernements francais
et d’Angora conclurent un accord, le 11 mars 1921, prévoyant le
retrait francais de la Cilicie et des Territoires de l’Est.

L’accord de Londres prévoit notamment l’arrêt de toutes les
hostilités. Ainsi, la France cède a la Turquie, la Cilicie, incluse
dans son mandat sur la Syrie. L’évacuation de l’Armée francaise
ne s’effectua qu’après l’accord d’Angora du 20 octobre 1921. Cet
accord de Londres signe l’abandon, par la France, de la Cilicie et
des Arméniens aux mains de Mustafa Kemal. C’est au prix du massacre
des Arméniens et des Assyro-Chaldéens, de l’émigration des Grecs
et de l’assimilation plus ou moins forcée des Kurdes, que Mustapha
Kemal réalisera un Ã~Itat national homogène où les Turcs n’ont
jamais constitué une majorité ethnique.

© Revue d’Histoire Arménienne Contemporaine pour toutes les éditions
| © Yves Ternon pour le texte Mardin 1915.

Yahoo ! : L’éphéméride du vendredi 11 mars 2011 Imprescriptible –
La Légion d’Orient et le mandat francais en Cilicie (1916-1921) Cairn
Info : Aurore Bruna – La France, les Francais face a la Turquie –
Autour de l’accord d’Angora du 20 octobre 1921

11 mars 1941 — 2 000 juifs de Plock (Varsovie) sont transférés
au ghetto de Tomaszov Rauski (Pologne), ce qui porte a 15 000 le
nombre de juifs enfermés dans ce ghetto. Plusieurs dizaines d’entre
eux meurent quotidiennement, conséquence des mauvais traitements
infligés par les nazis.

– Les 430 juifs d’Amsterdam sont déportés dans le camp de
Mauthausen. Ils se suicideront collectivement dans la carrière
du camp.

Skynet : 11 mars, ce jour-la, n’oubliez pas

11 mars 1942 — 1 001 hommes, femmes et enfants sont déportés du
camp de concentration de Theresienstadt a Izbica (Pologne). Ils restent
plusieurs semaines dans ce camp de transit avant d’être envoyés plus
loin, vers les camps d’extermination de Chelmno, Belzec et Sobibor,
où ils périssent. De ce transport, 7 juifs seulement survivent
jusqu’a la libération, en 1945.

– â~@¨â~@¨850 juifs de Radochkovitz (Biélorussie) sont fusillés
par les Allemands. Les 350 juifs encore en vie sont parqués dans un
ghetto créé a cet effet.

Skynet : 11 mars, ce jour-la, n’oubliez pas

11 mars 1943 — Les Allemands arrêtent tous les juifs de Skopje
(Macédoine yougoslave). Ils sont enfermés dans une usine
désaffectée avec les autres juifs de la province. 215 personnes
environ y restent sans nourriture et sans installations sanitaires.

Skynet : 11 mars, ce jour-la, n’oubliez pas

11 mars 1944 — 300 femmes et enfants juifs originaires du nord de
la Dalmatie, internés a Gospic (Yougoslavie), sont déportés au
camp de concentration de Jasenovac (Croatie). Aucun d’eux ne survivra.

Skynet : 11 mars, ce jour-la, n’oubliez pas

11 mars 1986 — Jean-Marie Le Pen est condamné au franc symbolique
par le tribunal d’Aubervilliers pour ” antisémitisme insidieux ”.

La peine est confirmée en appel le 9 juillet. Jean-Marie Le Pen s’en
était violemment pris a des journalistes juifs ou d’ascendance juive
: ” Je dédie votre accueil a Jean-Francois Kahn, a Jean Daniel,
a Yvan Levaï, a Elkabbach, a tous les menteurs de la presse de ce
pays. Ces gens-la sont la honte de leur profession.

Monsieur Lustiger me pardonnera ce moment de colère, puisque
même Jésus le connut lorsqu’il chassa les marchands du temple,
ce que nous allons faire pour notre pays. ” Et il leur accordait
comme circonstance atténuante de n’avoir ” appris le francais que
récemment ”.

Wikipédia : Jean-Marie Le Pen

11 mars 2000 — France : 15 000 personnes manifestent devant la
Haute Assemblée et protestent contre la décision du Sénat de ne
pas débattre de la proposition de loi reconnaissant le génocide
arménien. De nombreuses personnalités politiques et intellectuelles
venant de la France entière et de pays voisins (Allemagne, Belgique,
Italie, Suisse….) se rassemblent sous le mot d’ordre ”La Turquie
massacre, le Sénat enterre”.

CDCA : Le Génocide des Arméniens et sa reconnaissance par la France

11 mars 2007 — Dogu Perincek, Président du Parti Ouvrier de Turquie,
de retour de Lausanne où il a été condamné pour négationnisme du
génocide arménien, est accueilli en héros a l’Aéroport d’Istanbul
par une foule de nationalistes hurlant sa colère contre la justice
suisse. Il a fait appel de sa condamnation.

Collectif VAN : Dogu Perincek, accueilli en héros a l’Aéroport
d’Istanbul

11 mars 2010 — Suède : Le parlement de Suède a adopté le 11 mars
une résolution reconnaissant les génocides de 1915, dont le génocide
arménien. Le parlement a adopté la motion reconnaissant le “génocide
de 1915 contre les Arméniens, les Assyriens, Syriens et Chaldéens
et les Grecs pontiques”, contre l’avis du gouvernement suédois.

Wikipédia : Reconnaissance politique du génocide arménien

11 mars 2012 — France : le parachutiste Imad Ibn Ziaten a été le 11
mars 2012 a 16h la première victime de Mohammed Merah qu’on appelait
encore le “tueur au scooter” et qui récidivera le 15 mars contre
un groupe de militaires francais (Abel Chennouf, francais catholique
d’origine algérienne et Mohamed Legouad, francais musulman) avant de
s’attaquer a l’école juive Ozar Hatorah le 19 mars. En assassinant
ces soldats, Mohammed Merah, qui filme ses tueries avec une petite
caméra fixée sur son ventre, proclame : “C’est ca l’islam mon frère:
tu tues mes frères, moi je te tue”.

La mère du premier parachutiste abattu va depuis a la rencontre des
jeunes des quartiers pour leur faire prendre conscience que, non,
l’Islam, ce n’est pas ca. Elle pense qu’il y a plusieurs Mohammed
Merah en puissance dans nos quartiers.

Wikipédia : Mohammed Merah Wikipédia : Tueries de mars 2012 a
Toulouse et Montauban

Compilation réalisée par le site

From: A. Papazian

CARREFOUR PLANS TO HANDLE 5,000 CUSTOMERS DAILY

YEREVAN, March 11. / ARKA /. French retail hypermarket Carrefour
that has opened a store in Yerevan today plans to handle about 5,000
customers daily, Christian de Nale, head of Carrefour Armenia said.

The official opening of the store in Yerevan Mall was attended by
President Serzh Sargsyan.

“Our goods will be cheaper than those of our competitors. Besides,
we will give preference to Armenian products, first of all foods. A
look on our shelves is a proof of that,” said de Nale.

He said the Carrefour store in Yerevan is cooperating with Armenian
ministry of agriculture in order to sell Armenian goods through
Carrefour stores around the world.

He said Carrefour plans to open more stores ‘because a city like
Yerevan needs several such hypermarkets.’

The agreement between Carrefour and Yerevan Mall was signed in May
2014 in the presence of President Sargsyan and French President
Francois Hollande, who was on a visit to Armenia.

Carrefour SA is a French retail trade company, the world’s second
biggest chain of hypermarket after Wal-Mart.

According to the National Statistical Service, Armenia’s trade with
France in 2014 saw a 21 percent rise from the previous year to about
$85 million. Armenian exports to France slashed by 23% to about $5
million, while imports surged by 24.3% to $79.8 million.-0-

From: A. Papazian

ONE OF SIX PEOPLE INJURED IN GYUMRI SHOOTING DIES IN HOSPITAL

12:47 | March 11,2015 | Social

Knyaz Ghazaryan, one of the six people injured in a Saturday shooting
in Armenia’s second largest city of Gyumri, died at Erebuni medical
centre this morning.

Talking to A1+, Shushan Hunanyan, a spokesperson for the medical
centre, said the health condition of the other two injured men –
Gagik Ghukasyan and Gagik Ghazaryan – is comparatively better and
they had been taken to wards.

Six people were rushed to hospital after being injured in a shooting
in Atsakh district in Gyumri on the night of March 7. Three of them
sustained gunshot wounds, the others had stab wounds. Gagik Ghukasyan
suffered a severe brain injury.

Three of the injured were later transferred to Erebuni medical centre
in Yerevan in serious condition.

From: A. Papazian

WHO MADE OUTRAGEOUS DECISION ON PARTICIPATION IN BAKU OLYMPICS?

Siranuysh Papyan, Interviewer
Interview – 11 March 2015, 16:02

Mr. Papyan, the National Olympic Committee decided to participate in
the first European Olympics in Baku in summer. What is your opinion
on this decision and does it contain risks?

Ahead of the European Olympics in Baku some European organizations,
including human rights organizations, have been calling their
countries to boycott the games for the violations of human rights in
that country.

At least several such statements have been published in press.

Now in this context there is no need to hurry and announce a decision
on participation. As if we are hereby telling the whole world that
human rights are not violated in Baku, everything is fine, whereas
we know a lot of cases when our civilians, having lost their way into
Azerbaijan, were killed, tortured to death. At least, I would not hurry
yet, it is still March, we could take our time to make a decision. We
have been placed in a setting where if tomorrow the situation gets
worse, and we refuse, we will appear in a very bad situation.

Could the Olympic Committee make this decision beyond the policy
of Armenia?

Of course, not. I think this is a decision made outside Armenia. Not
even the Armenian government made this decision. Some are again doing
a favor to Baku at our expense.

Do you think as of now that it will be possible to cancel this
decision? And why would they ever make a decision for us outside?

Well, there are no facts, it’s just my assumption. Such a hasty
decision was not in our interests. Where do we rush, why couldn’t
we do it in June, considering that the games will be in mid-July? We
could at least wait to see how it is going. It is changing every day,
that country is killing an [Armenian soldier] every day. After all, the
ceasefire is an international commitment. People signed and committed
to respect the truce, they were begging that truce and now they are
breaching it. I think one should not deal with such people at all
because sports are fair competition, and we have seen one hundred
times that they are not fair players even in sports.

Besides, sport is politics.

It is big politics. You know the teams that Azerbaijan invites and
covers their expenses fully. This is something unique, in other words,
Azerbaijan is bribing everyone, making a showcase. And we are going
to participate in that show. What are we trying to demonstrate to the
world? That we are so good? Or what are we after? A couple of stupid
medals? What are we going to do with the medals of Baku Olympics?

Note that we boycotted Eurovision in Baku.

We have boycotted more narrow things, and this is a big show. Let
alone the serious psychological problem for our tourists. Security is
also important but there is a psychological problem too. How will our
athletes perform? Will they perform outrageously? And then we will not
be able to criticize our athletes because it is really hard. There
is a general mania in our politics to appear good. We want to look
like something fluffy to make sure that we don’t hurt anybody.

After all, we are at war with Azerbaijan. Everyone understands that
the war is still going on. I don’t understand whether we could imagine
that countries would participate if the Olympics were held in Germany
in 1940. Imagine the USSR participating in the 1920 Olympics in Berlin
to make sure that everyone said it’s so nice of the USSR. Since the
beginning of this year, January 1, we have a victim every day. So,
such a decision is not comprehensible.

From: A. Papazian

VICE SPEAKER OF ARMENIAN PARLIAMENT DELIVERS REPORT ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE IN PRAGUE IN PRESENCE OF TURKEY AMBASSADOR

by Tatevik Shahunyan

Wednesday, March 11, 12:06

Vice Speaker of the Armenian Parliament Eduard Sharmazanov made a
report on the Armenian Genocide in Ottoman Turkey in early 20th century
at a scientific conference “Crime of Genocide – legal and political
aspects” at the Charles University in Prague. It is noteworthy that
Turkey Ambassador to the Czech Republic Ahmed Necati Bigal and the
embassy representatives were present at the event.

In his speech, Sharmazanov addressed the upcoming centennial of
the Armenian Genocide. He recalled that despite the 1.5 million of
Armenians massacred in the Ottoman Turkey, the term Genocide was used
only in 1944 by Raphael Lemkin, a prominent Polish-Jewish lawyer,
to determine the Genocide of Armenians in Ottoman Turkey in 1915.

Sharmazanov said: “Young Turks perpetrated the Armenian Genocide, as
far back as in 1911 at the secret congress of the Ittihat ve Terakki
Cemiyeti Party in Thessaloniki made a decision to exterminate the
Christian population of the Ottoman Empire as they were an obstacle
on the way to implement the Young Turks’ pan-Turkic plans. All the
claims of the Turkish current authorities that all this had not been
planned beforehand as Genocide, but both Armenians and Turks became
victims of deportation during the WWI, are absolutely groundless.”

“On 24 April 1915 the arrests and massacres of 600 Armenian
intellectuals, members of the Ottoman parliament, as well as public
figures marked the beginning of a crime which was initially planned
and committed at the state level by Ottoman Turkey, and which is known
to the history of humankind as the first genocide of the 20th century.

The crime aimed at depriving Armenians of their homeland.

I would like to mention that by the joint declaration of the Triple
Entente on 24 May 1915 the crime against the Armenian people for the
first time in the history was defined as a “crime against humanity
and civilization,” Sharmazanov said.

He called it noteworthy that in 1919 the Courts Martial of the Ottoman
Turkey sentenced Minister of War Enver Pasha, Interior Minister
Talaat Pasha, Minister of the Navy Jemal Pasha, Minister of Public
Education Nazim Pasha and others to death by recognizing them guilty
of organizing and carrying out the Armenian massacres.

“Ladies and gentlemen! The Centennial of the Armenian Genocide is
not the end of the fight for historical justice. It is the end of
the one stage and a beginning of the other stage. The new stage means
new methods of fight for historical justice,” Sharmazanov.

He recalled that 22 countries throughout the world have already
recognized the Armenian Genocide, and the first among them was
Uruguay. South Dakota became the 43rd US state which officially
recognized the Armenian Genocide. The Armenian Genocide was recognized
by such organizations as the Council of Europe, European Parliament,
several UN committees. A few days ago the European People’s Party
passed a resolution condemning the Armenian Genocide and the fact of
the deprivation of the Armenian people of its homeland by calling on
Turkey to accept the history and recognize the Armenian Genocide.

“We all should have courage to say no to genocides, no to crimes
against humanity, in order our future generations will never be
exterminated only because they are Armenians, Turks, Russians or
Czechs. We say no to genocide, no to racism and no to denialism,”
he said.

From: A. Papazian

ARGENTINEAN-ARMENIAN COMMUNITY GREETS ARMENIA’S NEWLY APPOINTED AMBASSADOR

21:27, 11 March, 2015

YEREVAN, 11 MARCH, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian Center of Argentina hosted
a reception in honor of newly appointed Ambassador of the Republic of
Armenia Alexan Harutyunyan. As the Armenian press center in Argentina
reports to “Armenpress”, among those attending the reception were
diplomats, government officials, representatives of Buenos Aires, MPs,
leader of the Armenian Diocese, Father, Archbishop Gisak Mouradian,
as well as clergymen and members of the local Armenian community.

President of the Armenian Center Alberto Jerejian introduced the
newly appointed Ambassador and talked about his diplomatic service.

Afterwards, Ambassador Alexan Harutyunyan gave a speech in which he
stressed the importance of the Armenian Diaspora during the events
for the commemoration of the Centennial of the Armenian Genocide. He
also touched upon the relations between Argentina and Armenia, which
are on the right track.

From: A. Papazian