Author: Andres-Papazian

Matthew Bryza suggests excluding OSCE Minsk Group from Karabakh peace process

by Marianna Lazarian
Saturday, January 31, 21:49

The situation around the Karabakh peace process may change only if the
USA and the EU countries, including France, take more active steps in
this matter, Matthew Bryza, former US Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk
Group, ex- Ambassador of the United States to Azerbaijan, says in an
interview with Trend.

He thinks that the countries of the Transatlantic community should
make the Karabakh peace process their key priority. They should
discuss this issue with Russia and explain to that country that if
Russia seeks to have good relations with the EU and the United States,
it should contribute to a breakthrough in the conflict settlement
process. Bryza points out that at the moment the West cannot fully
focus on the Karabakh process due to the situation around Russia and
Ukraine.

In the meantime, Bryza does not share the criticism against the OSCE
Minsk Group. He is convinced that the Minsk Group has framed the
negotiations jointly with the Presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia. He
says that in 2008 an agreement was reached on the basis of Madrid
Principles, which imply a compromise and enable Azerbaijan to restore
its “territorial integrity”.

The diplomat believes that neither Armenia nor Azerbaijan enjoys
enough political support from the Western countries, including the
United States, to explain to their people the need to perform the
arrangements reached.

When commenting on the media reports about possible changes in the
OSCE Minsk Group format, he says that involvement of Turkey and
Germany in the Minsk Group is impossible.

He thinks that Armenia will never accept Turkey as a mediator in the
Karabakh peace process. This may be possible in case of normalization
of the Turkish-Armenian relations, but Azerbaijan is not OK with that.
Azerbaijan will do its best to prevent Turkey from opening the border,
Bryza says.

Bryza believes that Germany cannot make any tangible contribution to
the peace process either. In addition, he is sure that the EU’s
involvement in the peace process would be much more efficient, as it
is a partner of both the U.S. and Russia.

According to Bryza, it would be much useful to exclude the OSCE Minsk
Group from the negotiation process, giving the presidents of Armenia
and Azerbaijan an opportunity to talk without mediators.

Bryza thinks the parties no longer need moderators, as they can just
appoint special envoys that would organize their meetings. It is, at
least, illogical, he says, that the OSCE MG comprises Russia – a
country that does not seek to resolve the conflict. The diplomat
believes it important for the two presidents to speak face-to-face. It
is too easy to blame the international mediators of the failures, but
they decide nothing, they just try to pave the way towards a solution
to the conflict.

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From: A. Papazian

The Trentonian, NJ
Feb 1 2015

Assistant Mercer County Prosecutor to head county bar association

By Isaac Avilucea

TRENTON >> Whenever Assistant Prosecutor Michelle Gasparian presents a
case to a jury, she often follows The Rule of Three, laying out
beginning, middle and end. She is fashioning a similar approach as new
president of the Mercer County Bar Association.

Her yearlong tenure will be defined by The Three Cs: collegiality,
community service and continuing legal education.

“I look at us as a family,” Gasparian said of the association’s 1,200
members. “We are often on the other side of each other. But in the
end, we are joined by a profession and the ethics that guide our
profession.”

The association’s blood-like bond was evident when colleague, fellow
bar member and Mercer County Assistant Prosecutor John Carbonara
suffered a devastating stroke in November.

The association raised nearly $13,000 to help his family defray
medical costs. Carbonara is undergoing therapy and slowly recovering.
The hope is he’ll be able to return to work sometime in the future.

“It’s been a blow,” Gasparian said of losing Carbonara, a bulldog of
an attorney who, along with Gasparian’s husband, Brian McCauley,
helped prosecute several Bloods gangsters who orchestrated the
infamous Myspace murder of 20-year-old Arrell Bell.

To that end, the association knows what it’s getting in Gasparian, a
graduate of Rutgers School of Law, a 16-year veteran of the county
prosecutor’s office and a committed bar member who worked herself up
the ranks since she joined in 1997 as a law clerk.

She served two four-year terms as a trustee before becoming the first
female prosecutor and ninth woman to hold the position, replacing
immediate past president and former Rutgers classmate, Dorothy
“Dottie” Bolinsky, of Drinker Biddle & Reath in Princeton.

Gasparian’s parents, Armenian immigrants who came to the U.S. in their
late teens, were particularly proud of their daughter’s distinction as
the association’s first Armenian president.

Garparian’s goals are lofty. They include strengthening the
association’s relationship with the judiciary, expanding membership
and increasing the organization’s position as a community stakeholder.

She has plans for “Breakfast with the Bench,” an hourlong event for
attorneys to get to know judges and staff in the family, civil and
criminal divisions.

The organization will continue to work closely with the Trenton Area
Soup Kitchen, Meals on Wheels and Volunteer Lawyers CARE, which offers
free legal consultation.

The organization already sponsors professional development seminars
and a daylong event to help attorneys get mandatory continuing
education credits. But Gasparian hopes to drive down costs of events
to encourage membership and participation among younger attorneys.

Gasparian’s bend toward public service is a theme in her career. She
could have ventured into the lucrative path of private practice but
has remained at the same post for the duration of her legal career.

“The system needs to have people who believe in the system for the
system to work, and I’m one of those people,” she said. “I may never
have a beach house, but I consider it rewarding.”

While with the county prosecutor’s office, she has spent more than
five years in the homicide unit and was cross-designated to the U.S.
Attorney’s Office.

She worked with Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Askin in 2007 to
secure the convictions of several reputed members of the Bounty Hunter
set of the Bloods street gang involved in a massive drug ring in
Trenton.

Recently, her poignant remarks at at the sentencing of William
Marshall captured the family of Ruschell Fireall’s deep sense of
betrayal. Marshall was convicted of murder after he ran his
ex-girlfriend off the road and gunned her down in front of her family
in November 2012.

“If she wasn’t going to be with him, she wasn’t going to be,” Gasparian said.

Gasparian’s line of work could callous the softest of souls. But she
said there’s a difference between being tough and unflinching.

“You are dealing with people who may have experienced the worst thing
in their life,” she said. “You have to be analytic and clinical but
caring and compassionate. You can watch it on TV. But when you’re
inside the belly of the beast, when it’s a real situation, it’s such
tragedy.”

Gasparian hopes the stint as president is as fulfilling.

“I want it to be a great year,” she said, “and I’m confident it will be.”

From: A. Papazian

Arutz Sheva, Israel
Feb 1 2015

Erdogan: I Want to be Like Queen Elizabeth

Turkey’s president explains he doesn’t want to be a sultan, but rather
more like the British Queen.

By Ben Ariel

Turkey’s president has big aspirations. He doesn’t want to be a
sultan, but he does want to be like Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II.

The comments by Recep Tayyip Erdogan were made on the state-run TRT
channel on Thursday, and were quoted by AFP.

Erdogan explained that his desire for an expanded presidential role
would not undermine democracy, pointing to the UK as an example.

“In my opinion, even the UK is a semi-presidency. And the dominant
element is the Queen,” he said.

The UK is a constitutional monarchy, governed by a parliamentary
system, but its hereditary monarch wields only symbolic power.

Erdogan’s comments came after fresh criticism from the opposition that
he would act like an “Ottoman sultan” once his presidential role has
been boosted, noted AFP.

Erdogan said that leaders of presidential systems in the United
States, Brazil, South Korea, Mexico are not accused of acting like
monarchs.

“I mean, why is it only a monarchy when an idea like this is floated
in Turkey?” he asked, adding, “We need to speed up to close the gap in
this race. The biggest advantage… would be in abolishing
policy-making through multiple channels.”

Erdogan became president in August after more than a decade as prime
minister, but the opposition accuses him of transforming the state by
imposing a gradual Islamization and riding roughshod over democracy.

Throughout his time in power there have been more signs of Turkey
turning more extremist. In 2013, the Turkish Parliament tightened
restrictions on the sale and advertising of alcoholic beverages.

A year earlier, a Turkish court formally charged internationally known
pianist and composer Fazil Say with insulting Islamic religious
values, in comments he made on Twitter.

Previously, Turkey’s Nobel laureate Orhan Pamuk was prosecuted for his
comments about the mass killings of Armenians, under a law that made
it a crime to insult the Turkish identity. The government eased that
law in an amendment in 2008.

In December, Erdogan vowed to make lessons in the Arabic-alphabet
Ottoman language compulsory in high schools, despite objections from
secularists.

The August elections were the first time a Turkish president,
traditionally a ceremonial role, was directly elected by the people.
In the wake of his victory, Erdogan insisted he now has a popular
mandate to be an active and powerful leader.

From: A. Papazian

Arutz Sheva, Israel
Feb 1 2015

French President to Turkey: Probe Armenian Genocide

France’s President, Francois Hollande, called to Turkey to take
measures towards investigating the truth behind the mass murder of the
Armenian people, 100 years ago, in the country.

“I am convinced that because 2015 is the 100-year anniversary of the
mass murder, Turkey will demonstrate new gestures, and will take new
steps towards recognizing the genocide,” Hollande said.

From: A. Papazian

UKRAINE HAS NOT YET RECEIVED INVITATION TO ATTEND ARMENIAN GENOCIDE CENTENNIAL EVENTS: AMBASSADOR

17:18, 02 Feb 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan

Ukraine has not yet received an invitation to participate in the
events commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide,
Ukraine’s Ambassador to Armenia Ivan Kukhta has said.

“I’m not informed who Armenia is going to invite. After we receive
an invitation, I’ll inform at what level Ukraine will be present at
the events,” Amb. Kukhta told reporters in Yerevan.

He said Ukraine and Armenia are interested in the deepening of
economic ties, although there has been a certain decline in the
commodity turnover as compared to 2013 because of well-known reasons.

The Ambassador noted that the fact of Armenia joining the Eurasian
Economic Union cannot be an obstacle for the development of relations
between the two countries. “Ukraine understands and respects Armenia’s
decision,” he said.

Speaking about the military actions in Donetsk and Luhansk, Mr. Kukhta
described them as “terrorist acts, the responsibility for which lies
with the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, and the third party,
i.e. Russia.”

From: A. Papazian

ANKARA MAKES ANOTHER ATTEMPT TO COVER UP ITS INABILITY TO FACE THE PAST: ARMENIAN DEPUTY FM

18:17, 02 Feb 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan

Instead of changing the traditional date they mark the anniversary of
the Battle of Gallipoli, the Turkish authorities had better change
their way of thinking, which is the continuation of the genocidal
policy, Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Shavarsh Kocharyan has said.

“It turns out acceptable to the Turkish diplomacy to move the events
marking the anniversary of the Gallipoli Battle to April 24 without
responding to the Armenian President’s invitation to participate in the
events dedicated to the memory of the victims of the Armenian Genocide
perpetrated in the Ottoman Empire and even dare send an invitation to
the Armenian President, a step that contradicts all moral principles,”
the Deputy Foreign Minister said in comments to Armenpress.

“With such primitive tricks Ankara is making yet another unsuccessful
attempt to cover up its inability to face its past and accept
the historic truth, which could pave the way for normalization of
Armenian-Turkish relations,” Shavarsh Kocharyan said.

According to the Deputy Foreign Minister, to avoid this absurd
situation, the Turkish authorities had to change their way of thinking
rather than the date of marking the anniversary of Gallipoli Battle.

From: A. Papazian

MASTER PROGRAMMES IN POLITICAL SCIENCE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TARTU 2015/2016

Lragir.am
Society – 02 February 2015, 15:53

The Institute of Government and Politics at the University of Tartu
(Estonia) is pleased to announce its call for applications to three
MA programmes taught exclusively in English:

Democracy and Governance ()

International Relations and Regional Studies ()

Baltic Sea Region Studies ()

Scholarships and tuition fee waivers are available on a competitive
basis for all three programmes. The most qualified and motivated
students will not have to pay any tuition fees and some may receive
scholarships to cover also living expenses.

Why should an Armenian study in Tartu, Estonia?

Armenia has historical connections with Estonia: Khachatur Abovyan
studied at the University of Tartu in 1830-36.

Estonia is the most successful reformer among former Soviet republics
and can thus be considered a role-model for Armenia.

Estonia offers very good education at all levels. The University of
Tartu belongs to the TOP 3% of the world’s best universities (Times
Higher Education World University Rankings 2013-14). In 2011, the
University of Tartu was also named as one of the “Eastern Europe’s
most promising candidates to achieve world-class status”.

A degree from Estonia is great value for money: you will receive a
high-quality European education at an affordable cost.,

Estonia is safe, clean and dynamic. It has a modern infrastructure,
such as e-government and free WiFi almost everywhere.

We welcome applications from all disciplines and backgrounds. All
programmes combine comprehensive academic knowledge with training in
core competences, preparing you for a career in the public as well
as private sector or academia.

Begin building a great career and open yourself up to new experiences –
apply now!

Application deadline: April 16, 2015 Information
about the programmes and the application process:

Contact us: Maili Vilson, Student Coordinator, [email protected]

Also, feel free to contact Armenian “student ambassadors” at the
University of Tartu to inquire about what life is like in Tartu:

From: A. Papazian

“ARTSAKH IS AN INDEPENDENT STATE”: NKR POLICE BEAT UP CAR RALLY PARTICIPANTS (VIDEO)

02.02.2015 12:42 epress.am

Video footage was released of the car rally by the Founding Parliament
(Pre-Parliament) Movement on Saturday, where the 100 Years Without
This Regime rally participants were beaten and their cars smashed by
police of the unrecognized Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh and people
wearing civilian clothes.

In the beginning of the video a police officer approaches a
rally participant, askes for his documents and states it was “raid
inspection.” Afterwards, the police and civilian clothed people began
smashing the participants’ cars with batons.

Press Spokesperson of the presidnet of Nagorno Karabakh Davit Babayan
stated in an interview with Azatutyun that nearly 100 citizens, upset
about the Founding Parliament car rally, gathered near the border to
“not let the convoy enter Artsakh,” while the police created a barrier
between them and the rally participants. According to Babayan, they
requested the participants to go back, but they did not accept the
request and “took steps which led to what happened.”

Babayan assumed that the Founding Parliament members “made provocations
by cursing.”

“Pre-Parliament (the Founding Parliament’s previous name)
organization’s protest found a negative reaction throughout all of
Artsakh. The organizers were earlier informed about this on the highest
level. They were told to refrain from such politics, such initiatives;
they did not respond in any way to this.

Artsakh has nothing to do with inner political developments, regime
change in the Republic of Armenia. Artsakh is an independent state,
it doesn’t vote a for the President (in Armenia), not the Parliament,
and not for the formation of any other institutions. And finally,
slogans such as Artsakh is a province of Armenia etc, receive negative
reactions in Artsakh, because we feel the enemy’s, Azerbaijan’s,
influence every second,” said Babayan.

From: A. Papazian

ERDOGAN ACCUSE LA DIASPORA ARMENIENNE D’EXPLOITER LESEVENEMENTS DE 1915

TURQUIE

Le Président turc Recep Tayyip Erdogan a critiqué jeudi la diaspora
arménienne l’accusant d’exploiter les massacres des Arméniens en
1915 et a dit que la Turquie ne reconnaîtra pas les événements de
1915 comme un ” génocide ” juste parce que d’autres poussent la
Turquie a les reconnaître comme tels.

Dans une interview sur la chaîne d’Etat TRT, Erdogan a déclaré
que la diaspora arménienne fait pression pour la reconnaissance des
événements comme un ” génocide ” dans d’autres pays et s’efforce
de créer de la pression sur la Turquie, mais que cette question doit
être traitée par les historiens.

Il a de nouveau affirmé que la Turquie a ouvert ses archives ( ce
qui est faux) et est prête a faire ce qui est nécessaire. “Nous
n’avons pas a reconnaître le soi-disant génocide arménien sur
l’ordre des autres. Ce que nous disons est, si vous êtes sincère
au sujet de cette discussion, laisser cette question aux historiens
et les laisser travailler sur elle “, a déclaré M. Erdogan.

Le Président turc a ajouté que la diaspora arménienne essaie
d’exploiter la question et faire glisser la Turquie dans un combat.

Erdogan a également déclaré après l’évaluation des événements
de 1915 par les historiens, si la Turquie doit payer un prix, la
Turquie sera prête a prendre les mesures nécessaires.

Erdogan a également affirmé que les Arméniens ont un fort lobby
a travers le monde et c’est un fait que les efforts que la Turquie
exerce contre eux sont un peu faible sur cette question.

Le Président Erdogan a poursuivi en disant que la Turquie est prête
a s’asseoir et parler de ces questions, mais que la partie arménienne
évite de le faire.

lundi 2 février 2015, Stéphane ©armenews.com

From: A. Papazian

FRANCE MAY ENACT A LAW CRIMINALIZING THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE DENIAL

10:44, 02 Feb 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan

Co-ordination Council of Armenian Organizations of France (CCAF)
Co-chairman Mourad Papazyan has said France may enact a law making
denial of the rmenian genocide a crime if the European Court of Human
Rights (ECtHR) finds in favor of Switzerland in the appeal of the
case of Dogu Perincek v. Switzerland.

The issue in the case was if calling the declaration of the mass
killings of Armenians during Ottoman rule in 1915 a genocide “an
international lie,” as Perincek did, can constitute a criminal offense
in Switzerland.

Speaking to Today’s Zaman, Papazyan also said the European court’s
expected decision in favor of Switzerland will pave the way toward
punishing the denial of the 1915 events being genocide, as it is
characterized by Armenians around the world.

“We will first wait for the decision of the ECtHR. If the court’s
decision is positive, a law will be enacted in France prohibiting
the denial of the Armenian genocide,” Papazyan said, adding that he
believes the ECtHR will decide in favor of Switzerland, which is of
the same view as Armenia regarding the proceedings.

Recalling French President Francois Hollande’s statement saying a
year ago in the Armenian capital of Yerevan that he will push for
a new law that will make it a crime to deny the 1915 killings of
Armenians was genocide, Papazyan said the Armenian community trusts
the promise of the French president, as Hollande is quite sensitive
about both Armenians and the Turkish-Armenian issue.

Despite the strong opposition of Turkey to recognition of the 1915
killings as genocide last year in Yerevan, Hollande called on the
country to recognize the “Armenian genocide” and said the “recognition
of genocide will unite, not divide.”

Hollande said he would bring the “genocide denial” bill to the
national agenda, claiming that the denial is not an action, but an
insult against “victims and reality.” He said there are efforts around
the world to recognize the mass killings as genocide and they cannot
allow denial.

President Hollande is scheduled to pay a visit to Yerevan on April
24 to honor the Armenian victims of the 1915 killings.

From: A. Papazian