Author: Antonian Lara

THE MASS MEETING ORGANIZED IN AKHALKALAKI BY THE ADVOCATES OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY OF ARMENIA CAUSES NO INTEREST AMONG LOCAL POPULATION

Arminfo
2007-04-17 15:07:00

The Union of Georgian Armenians public organization held a mass meeting
in the central square of Akhalkalaki and appealed to the Armenians
from Samtskhe-Javakheti who are living on the territory of Armenia
to vote for the Republican Party.

During the meeting, Georgian parliamentarian Hamlet Movsissyan
introduced the MP candidates Tatchat Vardapetyan, Andreas Srabyan
and Hayk Sanossyan to the participants. For his part, T.Vardapetyan
read out the message of the head of the Union of Armenians of Moscow,
Norayr Tevanyan, addressed to the Armenians of Samtskhe-Javakheti. In
his message N.Tevanyan appealed to the Armenians of Javakhq to maintain
the Armenian-Georgian friendly relations. The heads of the Akhalkalaki
and Ninotsmindsk regions also made speeches at the meeting. However,
the A-INFO news agency reports that the participants were more
interested in the social, economical, cultural, scientific and
educational issues of Samtskhe-Javakheti than the domestic political
issues of Armenia. The organizers of the action failed to answer
the participants’ questions, and this resulted in decreasing of the
number of participants. As for the concert held after the meeting,
only 50 Akhalkalaki residents were present at it.

KENYAN EDITORS DATE WITH THE POLICE OVER ‘ARMENIANS’ STORY
By Dennis Itumbi

AND, South Africa
April 16 2007

Kenyan police are recording statements from Editors of a leading
Newspaper afetr the Standard in its lead story today revealed that
the government may be involved in a saga revolving around two alleged
Armenian Nationals

FOUR senior managers and Editors of a leading Kenya Daily Newspaper
are still recording statements with the Criminal Investigations sleuths
following a story published by the paper in its Monday edition alleging
that the Government had hired merecenaries to assinate a Member of
Parliament Gideon Moi.

The story attributed to one of the alleged mercenaries Artur Margayan
deported to Duabai by the Kenyan government last year after a series
of embarassing acts including an airport gun drama claimed that the
two brothers of alleged Armenian origin claimed that the brothers
had express directions from a asenior cabinet minister to assasinate
the legislator who is also a son to the immediate former President
Daniel Moi.

The newspaper did not name the cabinet minister, but said that
Artur, who called their newsroom was claiming to be in possesion of
a recording to prove the claims.

The two senior managers and two senior editors at Standard group
were summoned to CID headquarters to provide proof of the claims
saying such allegations have the potential to cause fear and anxiety
amongst Kenyans.

By the time of going to press the managers, Group CEO, John Wanyagah,
Paul Melley (Vice -Chairman) and Editors Chaacha Mwita and Kwendo
Opanga were still held up in the CID headquarters.

Earlier police had summoned the four to record statements or face
arrest.

In his press Conference, Michuki categorically denied that none of
the two deported Armenians is in the country as alleged.

The minister said the story lacked credibility and feels it is part
of a hate-campaign being driven by the paper against him.

Meanwhile, MPs from Rift Valley province – where Gedion hails from,
were in parliament buildings appealing to the government to allow the
parliamentary committee on justice and legal affairs investigate the
Armenian’s saga.

The government has declined to make public findings of a commission
appointed by the president to investigate the conduct of the deported
Armenians for security reasons.

direct/0/Home/recent.fullStory&sp=l292066

PanARMENIAN.Net

Turks press Erdogan not to run for President
16.04.2007 13:50 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Some 150,000 people have demonstrated in Turkey’s
capital, Ankara, to demand that religion and politics should be kept
separate in their country. Protesters carried banners of Kemal
Ataturk, the revered founder of the Turkish republic as a secular
state. The rally comes two days before the presidential election
process begins and is intended to pressure current PM Recep Tayyip
Erdogan not to stand.

His opponents accuse him of having an Islamic agenda – a charge he
denies. Tens of thousands of people were bussed into Ankara from
across Turkey to attend the rally near Ataturk’s mausoleum. The area
was packed with people, many of them draped in the red-and-white
national flag and chanting anti-Islamic slogans.

"Turkey is secular and will remain secular forever," they shouted. "I
feel a little scared about the developments. I would not like to have
an Islamic regime in Turkey," one demonstrator said. "I would like to
protect the secular system. That’s why I am here. Especially as a
female, this is very important for me." For many Turks, maintaining
the strict divide between religion and politics is key to keeping
mainly Muslim Turkey a moderate, modern republic.

There has been increasing speculation that Mr Erdogan’s ruling Justice
and Development Party, which has its roots in political Islam, will
nominate him as its candidate to replace the current President, Ahmet
Necdet Sezer, who steps down in May. If nominated, he would be almost
certain to be elected by parliament, where his party has a healthy
majority. But despite the large turnout at the rally, the secular
establishment, including the army, has no real power to prevent Mr
Erdogan from becoming president. In five years in power, Mr Erdogan’s
government has overseen a wide range of democratic reforms. However,
critics point to earlier attempts to criminalize adultery and appoint
an Islamic central banker as signs of things to come.

Mr Sezer warned in a speech on Friday that the threat to Turkey of
Islamic radicalism was stronger than ever. Correspondents say Mr Sezer
has used the post of president, although largely ceremonial, to speak
up for secularism, vetoing laws he deemed in violation of the secular
constitution. Mr Sezer’s warning came a day after the influential army
chief said the country needed a committed secularist in the
presidential palace, BBC reports.

A1+

MARKET RELATIONS IN PRE-ELECTION PERIOD
[03:41 pm] 16 April, 2007

Summing up the results of the one-week election campaign we can say
that the struggle is based rather on market relations than on
ideological principles. Let’s take the city of Alaverdi as an
illustration. On the one hand, the political forces running for the
parliament do their utmost to enlarge their electorate in the
region. On the other hand, voters try to benefit more from the
pre-election struggle.

The struggle is namely tense between two political forces; the
Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP) and the Republican Party of Armenia
(RPA). The PAP collects the passport data of the voters. They knock at
the doors and wonder what the residents think about this or that
party.

Grandfather Simon has agreed to pass his passport data per 5000 AMD
though he is even ready to take 3000 AMD.

Grandmother Anichka expects pre-election presents from the candidates,
starting from household equipment to money. `They collect our
passports and assure that they will distribute presents on the eve of
the elections. For instance, residents of Shnogh village got flour,
irons and many other suchlike things.’

As for the Republican Party, it has initiated free treatment and
distribution of spectacles in the region.

Artavazd Barosyan, coordinator of the RPA in Alaverdi, quotes the RA
Electoral Code, which doesn’t forbid the parties to initiate charity
activity before the election campaign. `Charity is a common phenomenon
world-wide. All political forces activate on the eve of elections.’

PACE OBSERVER MISSION APPEALS TO ALL POLITICAL FORCES TO ENSURE
HOLDING OF PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS IN LINE WITH COUNCIL OF EUROPE
REQUIREMENTS

YEREVAN, APRIL 14, NOYAN TAPAN. Parliamentary elections to be held in
Armenia on May 12 will be a touchstone of democratic maturity. The
delegation of the PACE observer mission on the upcomimg elections came
to this conclusion during its visit to Yerevan on April 10-13. During
the April 13 press conference at the RA National Assembly, Head of the
delegation of the PACE temporary commission on observation of
parliamentary elections in Armenia Leo Platvoet make public the
delegation’s statement, which, while appreciating the assurances of
the Armenian authorities and all beneficiaries of the political
process to hold the elections in line with CE standards, as well as
amendments to the RA Electoral Code and the creation of the single
register of voters, at the same time calls on the authorities to
clarify the electoral rolls as much as possible before the
elections. The delegation also expresses regret that the efficient
mechanism of applying ink to voters’ fingers has not been introduced
in Armenia.

According to the statement, certain indifference and irony of the
electoral mass to electoral process cause concern. It is indicated
that the delegation did not notice essential differences in programs
of the candidates and the parties that have submitted bids for
participation in the elections. The delegation members have an
impression that in Armenia the electoral struggle is going on among
political elites and individuals rather than ideas and principles. In
this connection the statement authors express concern over the
nomination of only one deputy by the majoritarian electoral system at
some electoral districts, which does not provide the voters of these
electoral districts with the opportunity of completely democratic
election.

Another concern of the delegation is related to unequal conditions
created for propaganda campaign of political forces. It is noted with
deep regret that huge amounts are fixed for TV time for political
campaign. The statement authors condemn the violence was committed
against offices of one of the parties, stating that violence and
terror are unacceptable in a democratic society. The delegation calls
on the authorized bodies to exmanine each case of electoral violation,
punish those guilty in accordance with law so as to rule out the
formation of an atmosphere of impunity. "Finally, the delegation
appeals to all political actors to use the short period until May 12
in order to ensure the holding of the parliamentary elections in
Armenia in line with Council of Europe requirements," the statement
reads.

RUSSIAN MUNITION TAKEN TO ARMENIA

A1+
[06:37 pm] 13 April, 2007

The first vehicles loaded with Russian military impedimenta and
techniques left Russian military base Akhalkalaq for Gyumri. The
vehicles were supposed to leave Georgia yesterday but their departure
was delayed because of the unfavorable conditions.

The second group will head to Armenia on April 19.

Part of the military munition will be taken to Russia by railway on
May 17-24.

Russian servicemen and installations will finally be removed from
Georgia by June 1.

IN MY VIEW: APRIL 24, 2007, MARKS THE 92ND ANNIVERSARY OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
By Armen Vartanian, The Journal

THE JOURNAL (Newcastle, UK)
April 11, 2007 Wednesday
Edition 1

Armenians worldwide will be commemorating the first genocide of the
20th Century with solemn religious and civil ceremonies. Along with
the Armenian people, prominent celebrities and statesmen will be
participating in this day of remembrance.

Since April of 2003, GenocideEvents.com has undertaken the task of
informing the general public, as a community service, of the events
commemorating the Armenian Genocide. The public is encouraged to
reflect upon the horrors which fell upon the Armenian nation and
Armenian people in the beginning of the last century.

During the First World War, The Young Turk political faction of the
Ottoman Empire sought the creation of a new Turkish state extending
into Central Asia. Those promoting the ideology called "pan Turkism"
(creating a homogenous Turkish state) now saw its Armenian minority
population as an obstacle to the realisation of that goal.

On April 24, 1915, several hundred Armenian community leaders and
intellectuals in Constantinople (modern day Istanbul) were arrested,
sent east, and put to death. In May, after mass deportations had
already begun, Minister of the Interior Talaat Pasha ordered their
deportation into the Syrian Desert.

The adult and teenage males were separated from the deportation
caravans and killed under the direction of Young Turk functionaries.

Women and children were driven for months over mountains and desert,
often raped, tortured, and mutilated.

Deprived of food and water and often stripped of clothing, they fell
by the hundreds and thousands along the routes to the desert.

Ultimately, more than half the Armenian population, 1,500,000 people
were annihilated. In this manner the Armenian people were eliminated
from their homeland of several millennia.

On April 29, 1915, Henry Morgenthau, Senior, United States Ambassador
to the Ottoman Empire, had stated that "I am confident that the whole
history of human race contains no such terrible episode as this. The
great massacres and persecutions of the past seem almost insignificant
when compared to the sufferings of the Armenian race in 1915."

In 1915, 33 years before the United Nations Genocide Convention was
adopted, the Armenian Genocide was condemned by the international
community as a crime against humanity.

Armen Vartanian works for GenocideEvents.com in California, USA. Its
email address is [email protected] while its website is
located at

NUMBER OF GEORGIAN POPULATION INCREASES IN JAVAKHK

Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Apr 12 2007

AKHALKALAK, APRIL 12, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. 30 Russian
families living in the village of Gorelovka, the region of Ninotsminda,
Georgia, will be moved to Russia on the direct initiative of President
of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin. According to the A-Info
agency, Armenians of Javakhk expressed readiness to buy houses left
by Russian families were prohibited to carry out a sale agreement
or registration towards those houses. According to insistence of
the central authorities of Georgia, flats of Russians returning the
Fatherland will be given to new comer Georgians.

WHILE PARTNERS ARE IN HIGH DEMAND:
RUSSIA’S MILITARY-TECHNICAL COOPERATION WITH CIS COUNTRIES IS PLAYING AN EVER INCREASING ROLE IN THE INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
by: Vladimir Semenchenko

Source: Voyenno-Promyshlenny Kurier, No 13, April 4 – 10, 2007, p. 2
Agency WPS
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
April 11, 2007 Wednesday

The Shape And Prospects Of Military-Technical Cooperation In The Commonwealth;
Analysis of military-technical cooperation in the Commonwealth.

The Russian military-industrial complex is playing a major role in the
maintenance of the defense capability of the country and as a supplier
of military hardware to CIS states and distant foreign countries. As
a matter of fact, the military-technical cooperation is attaining
additional importance within the framework of international relations.

Russia’s military-technical cooperation with CIS countries is
particularly close.

Some experts say that without the cooperation of CIS countries,
Russia will be able to produce only 17% of what military hardware
and double purpose products it is currently making. In fact, this
is the best parameter in all of the Commonwealth. The preservation
and advancement of military-technical contacts with CIS countries is
therefore the best optimal solution.

Its Nagorno-Karabakh problem unsolved, Armenia is doing what it can
to advance its defense capabilities. Unfortunately for Yerevan, the
capacities of the practically nonexistent national military-industrial
complex and budget are quite limited. The role played by Russia
therefore cannot be overestimated. Armenia procures all military
hardware from Russia. The term "outsorting" applies here, the practice
of leaving fringe functions to another organization. The Armenian
military-industrial complex has been receiving Russian contracts
since 2006. In fact, all these exercises were turned over to Russia
completely, as payment for the Armenian state debt.

Military-technical cooperation between Russia and Uzbekistan entered
a new phase on November 14, 2005, with the signing of the Treaty
on Relations of Allies. Article 10 of the Treaty states that
"the signatories pledge to actively interact in modernization
and reorganization of the armed forces and their rearmament with
modern hardware." According to official estimates, the Russian-Uzbek
military-technical cooperation amounted to dozens millions dollars by
2006. Russia is selling this former Soviet republic weapons, aircraft,
antiaircraft means, munitions, and spares. When Prime Minister Mikhail
Fradkov visited Uzbekistan in March 2007, Moscow and Tashkent agreed
to establish Uzrosavia, a joint venture where the Russian share in
the registered capital was to amount to at least 51%.

Azerbaijan established the Defense Industry Ministry. Its plans
include the production of light weapons and light artillery pieces.

Where it intends to find the personnel, however, remains to be seen.

The Azerbaijani regular army is using Russian military hardware
nowadays, which means services by the Russian military-industrial
complex. This country in the meantime is building up its military
potential and making an emphasis on NATO hardware. Negotiations are
under way with the United States over three patrol ships and the
construction of radars on the territory of Azerbaijan. In any case,
Azerbaijan remains a staunch promoter of a well-balanced policy with
regard to Russia, Iran, and the United States. The Azerbaijani-Russian
military-technical cooperation will probably remain unchanged.

Military-technical cooperation with Kyrgyzstan is in a decline.

Russia has been losing political clout with the region in general
and military-economic influence along with it. Pro-American moods
are taking root in Central Asia. The situation with Tajikistan is
more or less similar but will hopefully clarify soon.

The Ukraine’s position is somewhat controversial. The country of a
colossal scientific potential, envious geopolitical location, and a
broad spectrum of international contacts is at a loss over the choice
of political priorities. Some Ukrainian leaders would like to see
their country in NATO. What will it mean for the national economy?

First, membership in NATO is expensive. It will certainly require
additional investments in production (approximately 246.45 million
grivnas). Second, all of the military hardware will have to be
converted to NATO standards. Third, membership in NATO will leave
the Ukraine in the position of Poland. A country with a modern and
advanced military-industrial complex, it has nothing it could offer
its NATO partners. Compelled to stick to NATO standards, Warsaw is
buying weapons and military hardware elsewhere. It paid $1.1 million
for 690 armored personnel carriers from Finland.

It is common knowledge that the United States tolerates no rivals in
the sphere of military hardware. The Ukraine is a fine example. Not
even a NATO country yet, it is forced to abandon a whole assortment
of weapons including portable antiaircraft complexes like Strela-2
and others that are much more effective than the American Stingers.

In December 2005, Sergei Ivanov, Russian Defense Minister,
announced in no uncertain terms that entry into NATO would mean the
severance of industrial cooperation between Russian and Ukrainian
military-industrial complexes. Their existing symbiosis nowadays
is what keeps Ukraine on the list of five worldwide largest arms
exporters. Let Kiev think this over.

According to political scientists (including Stanislav Belkovsky),
all of that indicates that Ukraine cannot hope to create its
own military-industrial complex geared for NATO standards in the
foreseeable future and that cooperation with Russia will therefore
survive. And yet, Russia is gradually curtailing its economic contacts
with the Ukrainian military-industrial complex. Last May, Russia even
withdrew from the joint Russian-Ukrainian AN-70 project.

It is proof that Ukraine had better think twice.

Despite the somewhat souring political relations between Moscow
and Minsk, military-technical cooperation with Belarus is quite
impressive. Two regiments of S-300PS antiaircraft complexes were
delivered to Belarus in April 2006 within the framework of the joint
Russian-Belarussian antiaircraft defense system. The complexes will be
deployed in the western part of the republic. It will make the killing
zone 150 kilometers wider. Where Russia is concerned, deliveries of
the antiaircraft complexes offer an additional entry into the national
economy and better airspace security. As for Belarus, Minsk provides
Liga-S combined sights for PT-76 floating tanks modernized in Moscow
(by Special Mechanic Engineering and Metallurgy).

The state of affairs with military-technical cooperation with
Kazakhstan is fine too. Its regular army is using military hardware of
Soviet vintage as well as what is being bought from Russia nowadays. In
the meantime, Kazakhstan itself is in the position to offer to the
Third World somewhat outdated Soviet military hardware – aircraft,
helicopters, tanks, light weapons, haulers, and jammers. In other
words, it is a potential rival of Russia in the sphere of arms
export. Even worse, this export may mount tension in the already
problematic region.

Kazakhstan’s potential in the sphere of military hardware production
is quite impressive, particularly where Naval gear is concerned. This
particular segment is of particular interest to Russia. The Gidromash
factory in Alma-Ata makes APR-3 ASW missiles, Kuibyshev factory in
Petropavlovsk produces antiship mines (MTPK-2, Langust-Schuka, and
Krechet), Mechanical Engineering in Alma-Ata 65-75A torpedoes, Zenith
in Uralsk trawls and mine-seekers, Kirov factory in Petropavlovsk
radios for the Navy and Strategic Missile Forces… It may be mentioned
here that Naval gear accounts for a substantial part of arms export
from Russia. Kazakh enterprises are running at 25-30% their capacities
nowadays, and placement of Russian contracts there will benefit both
countries handsomely. Hence the conclusion: joint Russian-Kazakh work
on weapons and military hardware for their own safety and export is
better than rivalry in the world market in the sphere of sales of
outdated Soviet military hardware. Fradkov confirmed it on his visit
to Kazakhstan recently. Moscow and Astana agreed to activate the work
and prepare a number of accords for the signing by presidents.

Countries of the CIS Collective Security Treaty Organization may
retain the existing economic ties and establish new ones in weapons
and military hardware design and development. It stands to reason to
expect that military hardware will soon be mutually produced. It will
ease the financial burden on every individual participant, allow for
mass production, and facilitate export capacities.

Maintenance (the availability of spare parts) of the weapons and
military hardware is another problem. The matter concerns the gear
still produced in some nearby foreign countries or that of Soviet
vintage. The construction of new factories to produce spare parts
for the weapons that will be hopelessly outmoded in 5-10 years is of
course inexpedient. The preservation of the existing economic ties
is therefore the answer, at least for the politically loyal countries.

Belarus and Kazakhstan will certainly remain partners in the
foreseeable future.

In other words, an analysis of the shape and prospects of
military-technical cooperation in the Commonwealth in the near
future leads to the conclusion that Russia – potentially – remains
the nucleus of CIS military-industrial complex.

SHANT.TV AND KENTRON.TV WEB PORTALS FOR SALE

Panorama.am
20:17 11/04/2007

An electronic message disseminated today says that and
internet portals are for sale. Applications for the
competition are accepted until April 30, 18:00, the message says. The
applications are accepted at [email protected] e-mail and must have a
reference to price offer. The electronic letter says the offers with
unacceptable price offers will be rejected.

Panorama.am asked Shant and Kentron TV companies if they know about
the competition. Kentron told they know nothing about it. So did
Shant TV. Artak Arshakyan, Shant TV technical director, said they
already have two portals – և

Obviously, this is a very profitable business at the pre-election
period. If political parties decide to run the campaign in the
internet, the owners of the sites may gain good profits.