Author: Andres-Papazian

RICHARD GIRAGOSIAN: RECOGNITION OF GENOCIDE A TEST AND OPPORTUNITY FOR TURKEY

armradio.am
20.04.2012 14:55

We must prepare for the day when Turkey recognizes the Armenian
Genocide, Director of the Regional studies Center Richard Giragosian
told reporters today.

According to him, Armenians should also think about formulating their
demands, when Turkey recognizes the Genocide.

“Turkey’s gain from the Genocide’s recognition is that it will confront
and accept its past. This is also a test as to what kind of a country
Turkey will become in the future. In this sense, this is a test and
an opportunity for Turkey’s future,” Richard Giragosian stated.

From: A. Papazian

THE FIRST PERFORMANCE OF THE ANTHEM OF SHOUSHI SCHEDULED FOR MAY 8

Karabakh-open.info
Wednesday, 18 April 2012 11:04

The well-known composer Avetis Berberyan, Á San Francisco citizen,
has visited Artsakh lately. His regular visit aimed at recording the
anthem of Shoushi. We met him in Stepanakert and he kindly agreed to
answer our questions.

– Mr. Berberyan, do you remember your first visit to Artsakh?

– In 1989 I was among the conservatoire students who first visited
Artsakh to hold a concert here. I was then inspired to compose the
march “Live in Freedom, Karabakh”, but unfortunately I did not manage
to record it.

– What aim do you pursue with your current visit to Artsakh?

– I have decided to compose the anthem of Shoushi 20 years after my
first visit to Artsakh just like the “20 Years Later” continuation
of the film “Three Musketeers”. The author is Nushik Mickaelyan,
a well-known poet. The song performed by the ensemble “Vararakn”
has already been recorded and its first production will take place
on May 8.

– You were in Artsakh both during the years of the movement and after
the liberation of Karakakh. What changes have you observed during
these years?

– Much has changed. In spite of the past events, Artsakh is continually
increasing its role in our lives. Several years ago we just regarded
Artsakh tenderly while today we clearly realize that it is an integral
part of our life. I am happy about the reality of today’s Artsakh with
its residences being reconstructed, and life becoming more and more
active. Our people cherish a hope and faith for their bright future,
an important circumstance to be taken into consideration.

– What is the reason for the change of your tender feelings towards
Artsakh?

– Times have changed. People’s sufferings from poverty and difficulties
make us perceive the reality otherwise. We must be prudent acting with
care for the future. A lot of difficulties will have to be overcome,
yet I hope that these political changes will result in an average
citizen’s confidence in the public support for his life.

From: A. Papazian

GAINING ECONOMIC BENEFITS THROUGH REDUCED ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION

ARMRADIO.AM
20.04.2012 16:06

Dafina Gercheva, UN Resident Coordinator/UNDP Resident Representative
in Armenia, and Dr. Jatinder Cheema, USAID/Armenia Mission Director,
visited the town of Ararat on April 20 to tour the waste collecting
and recycling activities of USAID-UNDP plastic recycling program,
which recently installed 60 plastic waste bins in the town. Ms.
Gercheva and Dr. Cheema also launched the local public awareness
campaign that featured open lessons on environmental protection in
two central schools of Ararat.

In order to address Armenia’s environmental challenges, USAID and UNDP
launched a joint initiative in March 2011 – the Collection and Reuse of
Plastic Refuse (CRPR) project – to improve the quality of potable water
sources in Armenia through the the collection and recycling of plastic
containers. The program also sought to spur private sector investment
in the recycling of plastic waste. As of December 2011, a total
of 600 special bins were installed in Vanadzor, Hrazdan, Alaverdi,
Sevan, Tsakhkadzor, Ararat, Charentsavan, and Dilijan, resulting in
the recycling of nearly 30 tons of polyethylene terephthalate (PET)
waste. The project will install additional 300 bins in the towns of
Ararat, Artashat, Ashtarak, Ejmiatsin and Armavir by June 2012.

“One of the main objectives of this initiative is to create stimulating
conditions for Armenian private sector to invest in high level
recycling of PET waste. Proper management and recycling of this toxic
material is not only urgent from the environmental point of view,
but it also carries an essential potential for delivering currently
unrealized economic benefits,” said Dafina Gercheva, UN RC/UNDP
Resident Representative.

During the initial phase of the project, UNDP provided special bins
for PET waste, balers, and compactors in the target communities for
separation of PET bottles and relevant plastic products immediately
at the first stage of the waste collection cycle. The project then
helped design and implement partnerships between the local authorities
responsible for solid waste management and private companies with
capacities to buy and recycle the PET waste. Intensive public awareness
campaign in the project areas was an important component to inform
the general population on the importance of separating the PET waste
into the special bins.

“Armenia has begun to develop new projects and strategies to
foster industrial growth, national competitiveness, and to address
environmental concerns with particular attention to municipal solid
waste. It is time when urgent action for improvement and modernization
is required to ensure sustainable and eco-friendly performance in the
future. This project will have direct impact on raising awareness of
the need to reduce pollution, will improve public health, and will
engage local communities in ensuring a cleaner and less polluted
environment,” Dr. Cheema said.

Based on the results and proved interest and support of the authorities
and community residents, the project plans to expand to other towns
of Armenia, including Yerevan, where around 3,000 tons PET waste is
still thrown out to landfills each year.

From: A. Papazian

ENVIRONMENTALISTS ALARMING: WHITEFISH RESERVES IN LAKE SEVAN TOTAL SOME 8 TONS

ARMINFO
Friday, April 20, 15:30

Steep decline of fish reserves has become a real trouble for Sevan.

“Whitefish reserves in 2011 totaled some 8-8.5 tons versus 180 tons in
2010. Environmentalists alarm about endangered population of whitefish
in the lake,” Bardukh Gabrielyan, Director of the Institute for
Hydro-ecology and Ichthyology, Armenian National Academy of Science,
told ArmInfo.

“Earlier eggs and small fish were enough for self-reproduction of the
population, but now the situation is extremely dangerous. To restore
the population of whitefish it is necessary to import it from other
countries,” the expert said. Gabrielyan recalled that in Soviet years
whitefish was imported to Sevan from Ladozhsky Lake and Chudskoe Lake.

Over decades whitefish in Sevan has become a hybrid. “Later, we
exported eggs for Chelyabinsk reservoir. It means that there is
actually our hybrid whitefish there. I think we can import whitefish
right from the Chelyabinsk reservoirs,” he said.

Gabrielyan said that the extremely steep reduction of the whitefish
reserves was discussed with the Nature Protection Ministry of Armenia.

“But we have not yet discussed where to import whitefish from,”
he said.

From: A. Papazian

ARMENIA AND RUSSIA ARE UNITING FORCES IN THE FIELD OF AVIATION CONSTRUCTION

ARMENPRESS
APRIL 20, 2012
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, APRIL 20, ARMENPRESS. National Academy of Sciences and “United
Aircraft Corporation ‘~R signed an agreement on the establishment of
long-term program on aviation. Technological and innovation cooperation
agreement was signed for five-year -term by Radik Martirosyan the
President of the National Academy of Sciences and Mikhail Pogosyan
President of United Aircraft Corporation, Foreign member of the
NAS. “We must step up efforts to create competitive product as
it is impossible to win the world market without It’~R Poghosyan
stated. In the words of the interlocutor the signed agreement is
mainly aimed to solve the issues of preservation of Armenian and
Russian aviation complexes, to assure competitiveness and increase of
potential problems. Poghosyan stressed that in the nearest future two
sides will join intellectual, industrial and financial resources for
establishment of long-term program on aviation. Members of the NAS,
leading scientists participated in the inauaguaration

From: A. Papazian

GENOCIDE SUSPECT TO STAND TRIAL IN RWANDA

PanARMENIAN.Net
April 20, 2012 – 13:28 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – The first genocide suspect to be transferred by an
international genocide tribunal to Rwanda has arrived in the country’s
capital, The Associated Press reported.

Rwandan officials said the transfer shows that the international
community is confident that Rwanda’s court system can provide a
fair trial.

The Tanzania-based International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda
approved the transfer of Jean Uwinkindi, a pastor, who arrived in
Rwanda Thursday evening.

Uwinkindi was arrested in Uganda in 2010 on genocide-related charges.

He allegedly led groups of armed killers against Tutsi civilians
during Rwanda’s 1994 genocide.

Extremist Rwandan Hutus killed more than 500,000 Tutsis and moderate
Hutus during the genocide.

From: A. Papazian

ARMENIA’S FOREIGN POLICY IS STRONGER THAN BEFORE – POLITICAL ANALYST

news.am
April 20, 2012 | 11:25

Photo by Sona Barseghyan

YEREVAN. – Armenia’s foreign policy is in stronger positions today than
before, because in the Armenian-Turkish process, for example, now all
expectations are from Turkey, capital Yerevan’s Regional Studies Center
Director Richard Giragosian said during a press conference on Friday.

Also, he pointed to the fact that Turkey’s policy of denying the
Armenian Genocide is becoming more difficult every year, and lesser
number of countries is agreeing with Turkey’s policy of denial.

“Turkey’s policy of denial is becoming more negative for Turkey
itself. The Armenian Genocide’s international recognition movement
is gaining new strength and is expanding,” the analyst stated.

Richard Giragosian spoke about another trend, too.

“Azerbaijan is more engaged in the process of denial of the Armenian
Genocide. On May 1, Azerbaijan will chair the UN Security Council for
one month. During that one month we should expect more attacks on the
Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenian Genocide issues, and toward Armenia’s
policy,” Giragosian added.

From: A. Papazian

TURKEY MUST ACKNOWLEDGE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE IN ORDER TO ENTER EU – FRENCH PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE

news.am
April 20, 2012 | 01:15

PARIS. – French Presidential Candidate from the French Socialist Party
Francois Hollande gave an interview to the French Journal Le Nouvel
Observateur in which he touched upon Turkey and the Armenian Genocide.

“The European Union granted Turkey candidate status for membership. We
must continue negotiations in good faith and leave it to the European
and Turkish nations to decide when the time has come. It will,
of course, be a long process and the issue will not be solved in
the next 5 years as several obstacles still remain. In particular,
deepening democracy in Turkey must be completed, the Cyprus conflict
must be settled, the Turkish authorities must recognize the Armenian
Genocide,” Hollande said answering the question on his position
towards Turkey membership in EU

From: A. Papazian

GEOTEAM INVESTS 15MLN AMD IN REPAIR AND EQUIPPING OF LIBRARY-TRAINING CENTER IN GORAYK COMMUNITY

arminfo
Friday, April 20, 01:22

The Geoteam company has invested 15mln AMD in the repair and equipping
of a library-training center in Gorayk community, Syunik region.

The company is prospecting a gold field in Amulsar and has undertaken
to improve the life in that area by developing local infrastructures
and offering jobs to local residents.

In Gorayk the problem of employment has been mostly solved: some 140
people have been involved in prospecting activities and are paid at
least 130,000 AMD a month.

The workers from Gorayk have so far been paid a total of 185mln AMD.

The company also sponsors local youths wishing to study at the
geological departments of Yerevan State University and the State
Architectural University. Upon graduation they will be employed by
the company.

Geoteam specializes in discovering new mineral deposits in Armenia. It
is a 95% owned subsidiary of Lydian International Limited. The company
was incorporated in 2005 and after an extensive campaign of geological
exploration in Armenia discovered what is now its flagship project;
the Amulsar mountain. Amulsar is a new gold discovery, the first
for over 20 years in Armenia. In 2012 the company is going to invest
$52mln in prospecting activities there.

From: A. Papazian

IS THERE STILL LIFE LEFT IN THE TURKEY-ARMENIA PROTOCOLS?
Joshua Kucera

EurasiaNet.org
April 17 2012
NY

After Turkey and Armenia signed historic protocols in 2009 to
normalize relations and reopen the border between the two countries,
the reconciliation process between the two countries quickly stalled.

As my colleague Yigal Schleiffer wrote, “not much longer after
they were signed, the agreement was as good as dead, killed off
by a combination of Turkish buyer’s remorse, Azeri bullying and
Armenian naivete.” A thorough report on the history of the diplomatic
reconciliation process, by David Phillips, a scholar who has long
experience working in Turkish-Armenian relations, concluded that the
protocols were in fact effectively dead.

But Phillips spoke Tuesday in Washington, and said he is now more
optimistic about the protocols’ prospects than he was when he
finished that report last month. Recent trips to Ankara and Yerevan
and conversations with diplomats in both places gave him new reason
for hope, and he said he now wanted to “disassociate himself” from
the pessimistic conclusion he gave in his report.

“Based on the meetings I had recently in Turkey and Armenia, I still
believe that elements of the protocol represent the way forward,” he
said. Until recently, Phillips said, he had thought that the Turkish
side was committed to prolonging an unproductive debate about the
historical record of the Armenian genocide, and that Armenia would
never ratify the documents even if Turkey did, “But it’s my belief
now that the possibility still exists for that to happen, for the
Turks to recognize that, with the centennial [of the 1915 genocide]
approaching, that it is in their interest to make policy to ratify
the protocols, or to take steps short of that, through an executive
order to simply establish diplomatic relations and open the border
for normal travel and trade.”

Also providing room for optimism, Phillips said, was Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s groundbreaking apology for a massacre of Kurds
in the 1930s. Erdogan was one of the “villains” of the failure of
the protocol, Phillips said, for linking the issue of the disputed
Azerbaijani territory of Nagorno Karabakh to the Turkey-Armenia
protocols. Diplomats on both sides had labored mightily to keep
the intractable Karabakh conflict out of the intractable-enough
Turkey-Armenia reconciliation process, and Erdogan sabotaged that,
Phillips said. But the apology for the massacre at Dersim suggests
Erdogan could be changing, Phillips said:

“To me [this] shows something in his character that I didn’t think
he had, which is the ability to apologize. And I know from my own
experience working in conflicts … that apologizing can be kind
of catchy. Once you apologize for something, it becomes easier
to apologize for something else. So it’s still my hope that, as a
humanitarian gesture based on Islamic principles, that Prime Minister
Erdogan will issue an apology for what happened to the Armenians and
will submit the protocols for ratification or, via executive order,
normalize relations and open the border for normal travel and trade.”

Phillips is deeply involved in this process, and so if he has reason
for optimism, then perhaps the rest of us should, too.

From: A. Papazian