Author: Andres-Papazian

Edmond Marukyan: Permyakov Will Be Tried in Garrison Court

Lragir.am
Law – 19 January 2015, 18:13

“When it is announced that the criminal will be prosecuted and
punished in the territory of Armenia, I understand it in the following
way: the trial will take place at the 5th garrison court,” Member of
Parliament Edmond Marukyan comments on Prosecutor General Gevorg
Kostanyan’s statement, referring to his experience as advocate in
cases of crimes committed in the territory of the Russian military
base.

He says at the moment the Russian jurisdiction fully applies to the
accused because the garrison court has warranted his arrest and he is
held at the base.

“It is something different that there are two separate criminal cases,
one was brought by us and the other was brought by them relating to
the crime relating to them, and a joint investigation is carried out,”
Edmond Marukyan says, adding that as far as he understands, evidence
gained in the result of the joint examination and the files of the
case will be integrated into one case which will be sent for trial.

The member of parliament says the Armenian public will have a
possibility to follow the trial in the garrison court.

“Because I have participated, I know that there is a possibility to
follow the trial,” the member of parliament said.

As to serving the punishment, again referring to his experience,
Edmond Marukyan said if the verdict of the court of first instance is
appealed, the case will be sent to the Court of Appeals of Rostov, if
not, he will be sent to any penitentiary in Russia to serve his
punishment.

And if Armenia fails to have Permyakov handed to the Armenian law
enforcement agencies and try him at an Armenian court, the only thing
to do is, according to Marukyan, to be active and demand an adequate
punishment.

To avoid such cases in the future, the member of parliament advises to
claim and receive guarantees at the level of the state.

From: A. Papazian

Head of the Russian Investigative Committee to arrive in Armenia today

13:29, 19 Jan 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan

The head of the Russian Investigative Committee Alexander Bastrykin
will arrive in Armenia today.

The agreement was reached during a phone conversation between the
Heads of Armenian and Russian Investigative Committees Aghvan
Hovsepyan and Alexander Bastrykin.

The parties discussed issues pertaining to the killing of the family
of six in Gyumri by private of the Russian Military Base #102 Valery
Permyakov.

Taking into consideration the peculiarities of the criminal case,
Aghvan Hovsepyan decided to invite his Russian counterpart to Armenia.

From: A. Papazian

Eighty-one percent voted for handover of Russian soldier to Armenia

12:13 | January 19,2015 | Social

Russian radio station “Echo of Moscow” has launched a poll asking
people where the Russian soldier accused of the murder of the
Avetisyan family murder in Gyumri, should be handed over to Armenian
w-enforcement authorities.

Eighty-one percent of the respondents voted for the handover of
Russian soldier Valery Permyakov who has confessed to the killing of
the family of six in Gyumri. Fourteen percent voted against and five
percent abstained from the vote.
Overall, 27874 people have participated in the poll.

Six members of the Avetisyan family – Seryozha Avetisyan, his wife
Hasmik, daughter Aida, son Armen, daughter-in-law Araksya, and
two-year-old granddaughter Hasmik – were murdered in their home on
January 12. Only the six month-old Seryozha Avetisyan survived the
vicious murder, who was hospitalized with stab wounds in his chest.
The six murders that occurred in Gyumri shocked residents of Armenia.
Later on the same day Valery Permyakov, a Russian soldier stationed at
military base No. 102 in Gyumri was arrested by Russian border guards
and Armenian security forces when attempting to cross the border with
Turkey. Permyakov confessed to the murders. He was reported to have
deserted his post at night and gone on rampage, killing the six people
of the Avetisyan family. The six-month-old Seryozha Avetisyan was
later moved to the Surb Astvatsamayr (Holy Mother of God) Yerevan
Medical Center. He remains in critical condition and is being treated
at the hospital’s intensive care unit.

From: A. Papazian

PRESS RELEASE
MEDIA CENTER in YEREVAN
30 Saryan str.
Tel: +37460 505 898
+37499 755 898
Email: [email protected]
Web:

The Public Protests and Authorities’ Response after the Outrageous
Murder in Gyumri

Media Center, January 19, 2015: Those who demanded the 2015 Gyumri
murder to be investigated in Armenia were labeled as opposition, with
their position being described as anti-Russian whilst the events grew
into a hot-button issue. Such opinion was expressed by the speakers
today at the Media Center hosted press conference. The speakers
included: Hranush Kharatyan, ethnographer; Zaruhi Muradyan, artist;
and Karine Danielyan, head of the Association for Human Sustainable
Development.

`The Armenian President’s first response to the outrageous murder in
Gyumri was adequate but social networks were flooded with statements
calling for people not to stir Russophobia as the national identity of
a criminal is not decisive. Yet, his national identity and the Russian
military base in Gyumri are objective reality. These statements have
shaped the further events,’ said Hranush Kharatyan.

With respect to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s statement on
January 18, Kharatyan commented that the statement suggests suspect
Valery Permyakov, soldier at the 102th Russian Military Base, will be
tried according to Russian law.

`Putin’s statement that Permyakov will be tried and punished by the
full extent of the law means the soldier will be tried in Russia
because Putin can issue such statements only for Russia and never for
Armenia,’ added Kharatyan.

The public, speakers believe, have reacted more prudently to the
recent events, without any demand which might be out of Armenia’s
jurisdiction.

The Armenian officials chose an ostrich policy, as Karine Danielyan
described, which had a reverse effect and sparked protests.

`The protestors in Gyumri and rallies in Yerevan, with their proper
response, saved the repute of Armenian authorities who seemed to have
slipped into a coma.

The official response is likely to be their counteraction to the
rallies. Moreover, detaining protestors was absolutely inadequate,’
said Zaruhi Muradyan.

Earlier, over thirty protestors were detained at the rallies in
Yerevan.

The statement made by Gevorg Kostanyan, General Prosecutor of Armenia,
suggests that suspect Valery Permyakov may be tried inside the
geographical borders of Armenia but never according to terms of
Armenian law and investigation, Kharatyan said.

`Kostanyan’s words poured oil on the flames …. I must admit that our
authorities have betrayed the public in two ways: first, they
disgraced protests and riots, and secondly, what we have is nothing
but an outrageous crime and people want to know the motivation,’ added
Kharatyan.

Please follow the link to watch the full video
()
of the discussion.

From: A. Papazian

Sécurité ? : La nouvelle adhésion de l’Arménie à l’UEE fera-t-elle la
différence sur la ligne de front de la bataille et de l’économie ?

Malgré les affirmations du gouvernement arménien que l’adhésion de
l’Arménie dans l’Union économique eurasienne (UEE) fournira de la
sécurité au pays, la situation à la frontière arméno-azerbaïdjanaise,
ainsi que le long de la ligne de contact du Haut-Karabagkh a été
tendue depuis le début de l’année .

L’adhésion de l’Arménie dans l’Union douanière de l’UEE a débuté le 2
Janvier, depuis que l’Arménie a adhéré à l’Union créée par la Russie,
la Biélorussie et le Kazakhstan.

Anush Sedrakyan le vice-président du parti Démocrates a déclaré aux
journalistes que l’adhésion à l’UEE est une perte de sécurité.

“Cela prive l’Arménie de la possibilité de négocier avec des camps
altératifs, et nous sommes immédiatement apparus dans un camp turc où
le Kazakhstan, la Turquie et l’Azerbaïdjan se soutiennent
mutuellement, ces derniers sont liés les uns aux autres par des liens
politiques et diplomatiques, naturellement la pression est et
continuera à être implicite pour l’Arménie, ” a dit Anush Sedrakyan et
a ajouté que dans ce cas, l’Arménie n’a aucune chance de se tourner
vers le public international.

Selon le député du parti Héritage Tevan Poghosyan, l’idée d’une
sécurité n’est pas seulement la question de la ligne de front et de
l’armée, c’est à la fois la sécurité économique et politique et
social.

“Considérant que le problème est la ligne de front (la frontière avec
l’Azerbaïdjan), alors le problème de la sécurité ne ferait aucune
différence dans ce cas. La nation arménienne doit se rendre compte que
les intérêts de tout autre pays ne doivent pas être préférés davantage
à la sienne ” a dit Tevan Poghosyan qui a ajouté que l’Arménie doit
être capable de protéger son propre pays par ses propres moyens.

Selon le ministère de la Défense du Haut-Karabagh et de l’Arménie, la
frontière arméno-azerbaïdjanais a été mal à mal récemment. La partie
azerbaïdjanaise a essayé de franchir plusieurs fois la frontière
samedi et dimanche ; toutes les tentatives ont été empêchées.

Alina Nikoghosyan

ArmeniaNow

lundi 19 janvier 2015,
Stéphane (c)armenews.com

From: A. Papazian

Armenians of Turkey angered with Erdogan’s invitation to Armenian President

12:31, 17 January, 2015

YEREVAN, JANUARY 17, ARMENPRESS. The invitation of the President of
Turkey Recep ErdoÄ?an sent to the President of the Republic of Armenia
Serzh Sargsyan to take part in the events commemorating the centenary
of the Battle of Gallipoli to be held on the 24th of April this year
has angered the online network users and, particularly, the Armenians
living in Turkey.

As reports `Armenpress’ citing Agos periodical, the progressive
society of Turkey, including the Armenians, criticized this
initiative, which was described as `political strategy’ by Turkey’s
official circles. Agos talked to a group of Armenians residing in
Turkey, which characterized that initiative as `a dishonest step of an
uneducated person.’

Previously it was reported that in response to Turkish President Recep
ErdoÄ?an’s invitation to take part in the events commemorating the
centenary of the Battle of Gallipoli to be held on the 24th of April
this year President Serzh Sargsyan has sent a letter that particularly
reads as follows:

`Indeed, World War I is one of the terrific chapters of history of
humanity, claiming millions of innocent lives and aborting destinies.

An artilleryman of Armenian descent, Captain Sargis Torosyan also
joined the troops of the Ottoman Empire in the Battle of Gallipoli. He
was an officer, dedicated to the defense and security of the Empire,
who was decorated with Ottoman military awards for his loyalty and
heroism. Nevertheless, in that same year, marking the culmination of
mass killing and forced deportation, preliminary planned and
perpetrated by the Ottoman Empire, the wave of massacres did not
bypass even Sargis Torosyan. His parents, brutally killed, and sister,
perished in the Syrian Desert, were among 1.5 million Armenian victims
of Genocide.

It was as a result of this very unprecedented massacre that Raphael
Lemkin coined the term `genocide’. And impunity thereof paved a path
to Holoucaust and genocides in Rwanda, Cambodia and Darfur.

Alas, Turkey continues its traditional policy of denialism. Year by
year, `improving’ its tools of history distortion, this time Turkey
marks the anniversary of the Battle of Gallipoli on April 24 for the
first time, while it began on March 18, 1915 and lasted till late
January, 1916. Furthermore, allies’ land campaign- Gallipoli land
battle- took place on April 25, 1915. What purpose does it serve if
not a simple-minded goal to distract the attention of the
international community from the events dedicated to the centennial of
the Armenian Genocide? Whereas, before organizing a commemorative
event, Turkey has much more important obligation towards its own
people and the entire humanity, namely the recognition and
condemnation of the Armenian Genocide.

Hence, when calling for international peace I would advise you not to
forget sending a message to the world to recognize the Armenian
Genocide, thus paying a tribute to the memory of 1.5 million innocent
victims.

P.S. Your Excellency, a few months ago I invited you to join us in
commemoration of memory of the innocent victims of the Armenian
Genocide in Yerevan on the 24th of April. It is not a common practice
for us to be hosted at the invitee’s, without receiving a response to
our invitation.’

From: A. Papazian

Regional issues should be discussed with Armenia’s participation, Tedo
Japaridze thinks

January 19, 2015 10:43
Tedo Japaridze
Photo:

Yerevan/Mediamax/. Georgian Foreign Minister Tamar Beruchashvili
called development of relations with Armenia “dynamic”.

The Minister said this addressing a speech for foreign diplomats,
Mediamax’s correspondent from Tbilisi reports. Speaking about regional
cooperation and its prospects, Tamar Beruchashvili said that the
Georgia-Azerbaijan-Turkey trilateral format of communication will
continue.

Tedo Japaridze, Chairman of Foreign Relations Committee of the
Georgian parliament also commented on Armenia-Georgia relations in the
context of regional cooperation.

“We should think of a mechanism for regular discussion of regional
problems with participation of Armenia and Iran. Armenia is the most
isolated state in South Caucasus and the most dependant one from
Russia. Instead of letting conflicts grow and spread, our states
should work out a South Caucasus strategy”, said Tedo Japaridze in
hisinterview to “Russia in Global Politics” magazine.

He also touched upon NK settlement.

“Resumption of Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict (God forbid!) is among the
toughest challenges for us. What can Georgia do? For instance, we can
offer space for talks and discussions. Azerbaijani and Armenian
leaders may value a venue which won’t depend on Europeans, Americans
or Russians. In their turn, U.S. and Europe, will probably assess
Georgia’s support to this end and our desire to improve the regional
environment positively”, said Tedo Japaridze.

From: A. Papazian

Putin Gave Start of Round 2 of Permyakov Operation

Lragir.am
Politics – 19 January 2015, 12:52

The Russian President Putin spoke out one week after the calamity in
Gyumri. According to the official message, in his telephone
conversation with Serzh Sargsyan he expressed condolences to the
Armenian people and extended hope that the investigation will be
completed shortly.

According to the press release of the Armenian president’s press
service, “President Serzh Sargsyan underscored that Armenian
law-enforcement bodies will actively continue taking the necessary
measures aimed at fully revealing all the details in the case. In this
regard, the Armenian and Russian heads attached great importance on
promoting close cooperation between the two countries’ law-enforcement
bodies.”

Interfax reported more specifically: “Putin promised Sargsyan to
punish all those guilty for the tragedy in Gyumri.”

The impression from these messages is that Putin telephones Serzh
Sarrgsyan to let him know about his decision. And the decision is that
Permyakov will not be handed to the Armenian side, and he will be
tried and punished in Russia.

Prior to Putin’s condolences there had been a number of circumstances
and facts that indicated this, including blunt statements which have
been thoroughly covered by the Armenian press. Apparently, several
more circumstances were left to be found out for Putin to speak.

Prior to his telephone call the Russian official circles, the mass
media, expert circles including people accidentally born with Armenian
family names did not spare effort to insult, threaten, stain the
Armenians. This propaganda was done with fascist methods and was
intended to demonstrate that Armenians are class 2 people, and “Mr.
Permyakov” cannot be handed to such people.

The Russian experts were not limited to their press and their
propaganda was extended into the Azerbaijani press. They even
remembered about Yerevan in 1989 when the Russian special units
entered Yerevan from the territory of Azerbaijan and clamped down on
the rally in Armenians. Similarly, threats were heard that the
military base of Gyumri might attack the Armenians if they continue to
insist on their claims.

All this rubbish that is an inseparable companion of the
Armenian-Russian “relations” intended to scare the Armenians and play
down on their fair claim. In addition, all this was directly
proportional to the crime in Gyumri.

Were the Armenians scared? But this is not important because there is
a feeling which is no less serious than fear. There is mute distrust
and doubt. This has far more destructive consequences than fear. Even
empires were destroyed.

Moscow does realize this. And now after the decision on Permyakov
“carrot” is used after the stick but the Armenians have never been
good at this. After Putin’s telephone call different fools of the
Russian media and other circles changed the tone of their voice and
started apologizing. One of them, Malakhov, a TV host who was marring
the Armenians a few days ago, has even arrived in Gyumri.

Apparently, this is the second round of the Permyakov action, the
purpose is the same: make sure the matter is not “politicized”. In
case it was politicized, we would face serious problems which do not
disappear when they are not politicized.

Apparently, Permyakov knows a lot and the Armenians are allowed to
look at him through the hole in the cell door, as the citizen of
Gyumri who had gone to see him said.

From: A. Papazian

The case for the Turkish-Israeli alliance
By Serap Merve Dogan and Maxime Gauin
01/19/2015

[Serap Merve Dogan is the director of the Center for Jewish Studies of
Turkey and Maxime Gauin is a researcher at the Center for Eurasian
Studies, Ankara.]

Both Turkey and Israel need each other, and that is why reason should
prevail in Ankara and Jerusalem.

As everybody knows, the once-flourishing Turkish-Israeli alliance has
encountered serious problems during the past few years. To attempt to
solve the issue, misunderstandings on both sides should be avoided.
Turkey ` which saved tens of thousands Jews during the Second World
War ` was never at war with Israel, unlike the Arab world. Ankara
recognized Israel as early as 1949 and signed its first bilateral
agreement with the Jewish state in 1958. In spite of all the Arab
pressures, the diplomatic relations were never severed, either after
the Six Day War or after the Yom Kippur war.

Zionism has historically attracted quite diverse supporters in Turkey,
such as the ideologue of Kemalism, Tekin Alp (who was Jewish),
president Celal Bayar (1950-1960) and Turgut Ozal, prime minister
(1983-1989), president of Turkey (1989-1993) and even today, a
reference for the AKP ` the nationalist politician Alparslan Turkes
(admirer of the IDF and of Israeli hi-tech), or even the ideologue of
the secular far Right, Nihal Atsiz, who moved after 1945 to a staunch
admiration for Jews and Israel. On the other side, David Ben-Gurion
had the best of relations with the Ottoman authorities until 1914 and
saw Ataturk as an example.

The alliance developed to a great extent from 1981 to 2000s in the
economic, diplomatic and military fields, including during the first
years of the AKP.

The bilateral treaty prepared by a secular government in Turkey and
the Rabin cabinet in Israel in 1995 but finally signed by N. Erbakan
(an Islamist) and Benjamin Netanyahu in 1996, secured access to
Turkish air space for the IDF, reinforced the cooperation between the
Mossad and the Turkish MIT and enlarged the access of the Israeli
defense industry to the Turkish market. Even after the crisis of 2010,
trade did not suffer: in 2014, Turkish-Israeli trade attained a
historical record, a particularly remarkable fact in the context of
global economic difficulties.

As a result, it does not make any sense to look for the origin of the
problem in any (imaginary) “essence” of Islam.

It would be equally wrong to argue that the two countries found
alternative solutions ` they did not. Turkey is once again in conflict
with Syria, the tensions with the Iraqi government are not a secret,
and the diplomatic dispute with Egypt recently led to economic
reprisals from Cairo: the three-year transit trade agreement signed in
2015 will not be renewed. As a result, the port of Haifa is the only
remaining solution for the Turkish trucks transiting to Jordan (via
the port) and to the Arabian peninsula.

Correspondingly, the negotiations of Turkey with the EU, even if they
improved after the defeat of Nicolas Sarkozy, are certainly not as
good as Ankara wished.

On the Israeli side, it is quite obvious that Romania, Bulgaria and
Greece cannot replace Turkey.

Romania and Bulgaria do not possess the economic importance of Turkey.
Greece is a completely devastated. Even more problematically, in spite
of some incontrovertible achievements, such as the rapprochement with
India, Israel is facing a certain diplomatic isolation, in addition to
waves of anti-Semitism abroad. This is not to assert that Turkish
diplomacy is now at its zenith, but Turkey is currently chairing the
G20.

In other terms, if Turkey certainly needs Israel, Israel ` at least in
the current context ` needs Turkey even more. As former foreign
minister Avigdor Liberman himself noted, this country needs allies in
the Muslim world ` or, to put things more brutally, it is not in
Israel’s interest to change the conflict with the Palestinian
movements into a religious war. Correspondingly Israel is supporting
Turkey’s Southeastern Anatolia Project (GAP).

Not only there is no alternative solution for either side, but the
Turkish-Israeli political problems are annoying for their main common
ally in the neighborhood: Azerbaijan. This country is the main
furnisher (40%) of oil to Israel, one of the key clients of Israeli
hi-tech industry and, at the same time, the closest country to Turkey
in cultural terms as well as one of the 10 main investors in the
Turkish economy.

And needless to say, Washington is no happier than Baku. And once
again, if the Turkish-American relation is not, at a political level,
what it was a few years ago, the Israeli-American one is now facing
problems unprecedented since 1967.

The fact remains that both Turkey and Israel need each other, and that
is why reason should prevail in Ankara and Jerusalem. In Turkey, the
nationalist MHP party urged the government to normalize relations with
Israel (and Egypt). In Israel president Shimon Peres repeatedly
advocated a conciliatory attitude toward Turkey. Such voices should be
finally listened to. To achieve this goal, it is necessary to
understand that the golden age of 1980s, 1990s and 2000s was too
dependent on high-level relations, neglecting the exchanges between
the two societies.

In this regard, tourism could be an interesting beginning.

From: A. Papazian

Requiem Mass for Avetisyans in Athens

18:46, 19 January, 2015

ATHENS, 19 JANUARY, ARMENPRESS. A Requiem Mass was served for the
souls of the Avetisyans to rest in peace at the St. Mary Church of
Peristeri. The Avetisyans fell victim to a horrible crime that took
place in Gyumri on January 12. As the Divan of the Greek-Armenian
Diocese reports to “Armenpress”, the Requiem Mass was served under the
direction of Vicar of the Prelacy of the Greek-Armenian Diocese,
Father Friar Khoren Arakelyan and was officiated by Father, Friar
Derenik Sahakyan.

“There was a large crowd at the church. Faithful Armenians had come to
share their pain and sorrow and pray for the souls of the innocent
victims to rest in peace. The Vicar of the Greek-Armenian Diocese
delivered a touching sermon, addressed the faithful Armenians and told
them to pray for the souls of the innocent victims to rest in peace,
to not be depressed and to not recoil from the traps that evildoers
set for the Armenians, but to be strong, resist the sorrow and be able
to find console by praying that the “hands” of evildoers never reach
the Armenian nation and the homeland,” as stated in the message.

From: A. Papazian