Author: Babajanian Karo

FRANCE MUST SERVE AN EXAMPLE FOR OTHER COUNTRIES – ARMENIAN OFFICIAL

news.am
January 24, 2012 | 12:58

YEREVAN.- The adoption of the bill criminalizing genocide denials,
including the Armenian Genocide, by the French Senate is important
not only for Armenian-French relations but also for the international
recognition of the Armenian Genocide, Armenian deputy parliament
speaker Eduard Sharmazanov said during a press conference on Tuesday.

“France showed its loyalty to human values and human rights and will
thus present an example for other countries to realize that denying the
genocide is as much a crime as committing it,” the deputy parliament
speaker said.

He underscored that adoption of the bill shows that during all these
years the Armenian government led by President Serzh Sargsyan conducted
a flexible foreign policy and the adoption of the bill by the French
Senate is a result of that policy.

“Moreover, we saw that more work towards the recognition of the
Armenian Genocide was done recently than in past times. Joint struggle
of our all political forces, the nation and the Diaspora must continue
until Turkey recognizes the Armenian Genocide,” Sharmazanov concluded.

ARMENIA NEGOTIATES WITH GERMAN AND DUTCH COMPANIES ON SOLAR POWER

news.am
January 24, 2012 | 12:50

YEREVAN.- Armenia is holding talks with German and Dutch companies
to develop solar power, head of Armenian Development Agency Robert
Harutunyan told the journalists on Tuesday.

“Last year Armenia jointly with one of the Dutch companies developed
a project of solar water heaters. We will start promotion of the
project in 2012,” he said.

At the moment an investment program is being prepared due to which
efficiency of generating solar power can increase by 45%.

“As to investments, we are holding talks with a German company and
plan to achieve results in the first half of 2012,” he added.

ISRAELI SCHOLAR DEMANDS RECOGNITION OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

news.am
January 24, 2012 | 12:02

Famous Israeli genocide scholar appealed to Israeli authorities
calling to recognize the Armenian Genocide.

In his article posted in Jerusalem Post newspaper Israel Charny,
director of the Institute on the Holocaust and Genocide, said Israel
“must put an end to this charade and fully recognize the Armenian
genocide.”

The French Senate adopted bill criminalizing the Armenian Genocide
denial after long debates on Monday.

Last December the French Parliament adopted the bill penalizing denial
of genocides, including the Armenian Genocide. The law introduced by MP
Valerie Boyer, in case of violation, intends one year of imprisonment
and a fine amounting to ~@45,000.

ANCA CALLS ON OBAMA TO HONOR HIS PLEDGE TO RECOGNIZE THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

armradio.am
24.01.2012 11:32

Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) Executive Director Aram
Hamparian offered the following comment on the France Senate passage
of the Genocide Law today:

“Today’s courageous vote by the French Senate shines the spotlight
across the Atlantic, on American policymakers, who, for far too long,
have let Ankara block U.S. recognition of the Armenian Genocide.”

“The growing international pressure on Turkey and, closer to home, the
recognition of the Armenian Genocide by 42 U.S. states, highlight that
President Obama, who promised as a candidate to recognize the Armenian
Genocide, has allowed a foreign country to impose a gag-rule on U.S.

recognition of this crime against humanity.”

“We mark this occasion by urging President Obama to honor his pledge
to recognize the Armenian Genocide and by calling on the U.S. House
leadership to allow a vote on the Armenian Genocide Resolution,
H.Res.304.”

VOTE FRANCAIS SUR LE GENOCIDE ARMENIEN : LA TURQUIE ATTEINTE DANS SON HONNEUR
Stephane

armenews.com
mardi 24 janvier 2012

En Turquie, majorite comme opposition se sont dressees vent debout
contre la proposition de loi penalisant le genocide armenien que
les senateurs francais ont vote lundi soir, attestant d’un sentiment
commun d’atteinte a l’honneur national.

Premier a reagir a ce vote, le ministre turc de la Justice, Sadullah
Ergin, a porte temoignage de cette indignation, en evoquant “un manque
total de respect pour la Turquie”.

Il a declare le texte de loi francais “nul et non avenu”.

Le Premier ministre islamo-conservateur, Recep Tayyip Erdogan,
devait s’exprimer mardi, lors du discours qu’il prononce chaque
semaine devant les deputes de son parti.

Après un premier vote du texte, par les deputes francais le 22
decembre, M. Erdogan avait très vivement reagi, gelant la cooperation
politique et militaire avec la France, son allie de l’Otan, et
denoncant un “genocide” commis par les colonisateurs francais en
Algerie.

Mais, fait rarissime sur la scène politique turque, il etait rejoint
dans sa colère par le principal parti d’opposition.

“Les Turcs ne peuvent pas croire que le pays de Voltaire et
Diderot voudrait bafouer la liberte d’expression par une loi qui
les viserait, eux, d’abord. Foin d’hypocrisie, c’est une loi contre
les Turcs”, declarait le chef du Parti republicain du peuple (CHP,
social-democrate), Kemal Kilicdaroglu, dans une lettre au candidat
a l’election presidentielle francaise, Francois Hollande.

“Si le Parlement francais s’obstine a voter des +lois+ antiturques et
inconstitutionnelles, cela ne pourra que porter gravement atteinte,
non seulement a l’image de la France, mais aussi a celle de l’Union
europeenne, qui sera percue comme deloyale et hostile”, ajoutait le
chef de ce parti fonde par Ataturk.

Le parti d’opposition nationaliste MHP, troisième force politique du
pays, avait egalement denonce le texte.

Le texte de loi francais sanctionne d’un an de prison et 45.000 euros
d’amende la negation de tous les genocides reconnus par la France,
dont celui des Armeniens de 1915.

La Turquie refute le terme de genocide, meme si elle reconnaît que des
massacres ont ete commis et que quelque 500.000 Armeniens ont peri
en Anatolie entre 1915 et 1917, les Armeniens evoquant 1,5 million
de morts.

Lundi, quelques heures avant le vote des senateurs francais, le
ministre turc des Affaires etrangères Ahmet Davutoglu a lui aussi
fait ressortir l’indignation de son pays.

La Turquie d’aujourd’hui, a-t-il dit, “n’est plus la Turquie de 2001”,
lorsque le Parlement francais avait reconnu le genocide armenien.

Pays emergent, membre du G20, interlocuteur incontournable au
Proche-Orient avec des frontières ultra-sensibles avec la Syrie,
l’Irak et l’Iran, exemple du mariage reussi de la democratie et de
l’islam pour certains pays arabes, la Turquie fait entendre “qu’on peut
moins qu’avant lui donner des lecons”, selon un diplomate occidental
a Ankara.

Symptôme de la profonde vexation turque, le maire d’Ankara, Melih
Gokcek, membre du parti majoritaire AKP, avait annonce après le
vote des deputes francais que la municipalite debaptiserait des rues
portant des noms francais.

De meme, avait-il ajoute, la municipalite fera eriger, près de
l’ambassade de France, un monument a la memoire des victimes
algeriennes de la colonisation francaise.

Par Michel SAILHAN

MINORITIES APPEAL FOR RETURN OF 35 PROPERTIES

Hurriyet Daily News
Jan 23 2012
Turkey

The Foundations Directorate chair says they are now returning
properties that were expropriated from minorities, yet adds it that is
out of question to hand back those which are classified as ‘registered
foundations’ A recent ruling by an Istanbul court imposed an interim
injunction over Sansaryan Han in Istanbul, which was formerly owned
by the Armenian Patriarchate.

Turkey’s Armenian, Greek and Syriac minorities have lodged an official
appeal for the return of 35 estates owned by 14 foundations following
the enactment of the Foundations Law last year.

“We have come [a long way] since the days when a permit was required to
even drive a single nail into a wall. We are now returning properties
that were usurped from the hands of [minority communities] back
to their real owners,” Adnan Ertem, the head of the Prime Ministry
Foundations General Directorate, recently told the Hurriyet Daily News.

Representatives of Turkey’s minority communities have filed 1,500
appeals to date since the legislation for the new Foundations Law
was enacted in two parts – first in 2008 and second in August 2011 –
but the Foundations General Directorate has approved a mere 181 of
them so far, Ertem said.

“If there are claims about the expropriation of the [estates in
question] by public institutions, then [minorities] can appeal to
the judiciary. There is no need to pass a law for this,” Ertem said,
adding that it was out of question to hand back estates classified
as “Registered Foundations” and whose ownership had passed to the
Foundations General Directorate after they were left without an owner.

Minority communities have a grace period to apply for the return of
their properties until August 2012 as part of the law passed last
year. No appeals have yet been issued for any properties outside of
Istanbul, however.

In the meantime, the country’s Syriac Christian community has also been
waging an uphill legal battle to retrieve their ancient monasteries
and foundation lands in eastern and southeastern Turkey.

Five lawsuits filed by the Forestry and Waterworks Ministry, the Land
Registry and Cadastre Directorate General, the Treasury and residents
from neighboring villages against the managers of the Syriac Mor
Gabriel Foundation on the grounds that the historical monastery is
occupying their lands have also made their way to the European Court
of Human Rights.

As more and more villagers began settling on the lands in question,
the 1,700-year-old Mor Gabriel Monastery (Deyr-ul Umur), the Syriacs’
most revered place of worship, was gradually encircled by farming
communities. The inhabitants of the villages of Yayvantepe, Candarlı
and Eglence subsequently filed a suit against the monastery in 2008
on the grounds that it was occupying their lands.

Although Syriacs are often regarded as a minority, they are exempt
from the terms of the Lausanne Treaty of 1923, which only recognized
Armenian, Greek and Jewish minorities in the country.

The issue of returning Syriac monasteries is a matter that is beyond
the directorate, Ertem said, adding that the Syriac community in
Istanbul had plans to establish a church there and that they were
ready to give the green light provided the community can find a tract
of foundation land.

Ertem also said they were working on the return of the Armenian Surp
Hac Tıbrevank Clerical School in Istanbul’s Uskudar district.

“We are trying to get hold of an Ottoman-era document indicating that
the foundation was owned by the [Armenian] community. The community
is unable to present the document,” he said.

FM: RUSSIA TO MEDIATE IN ESTABLISHING HUMANITARIAN TIES BETWEEN BAKU AND YEREVAN

Trend
Jan 23 2012
Azerbaijan

23 January 2012, 16:36 (GMT+04:00) The Azerbaijani and Armenian
presidents appealed to Russia to mediate in establishing the
humanitarian ties between the two countries, Russian Foreign Minister
Sergei Lavrov said today, RIA Novosti reported.

“Baku and Yerevan appealed for Russia to be the initiator of these
contacts,” Lavrov said. “Of course, President Medvedev agreed.

He added that Russia has always stood for this kind of humanitarian
ties and is ready to fulfill the mediator’s role for this purpose.

Commenting on the results of the trilateral meeting held between
presidents Medvedev, Aliyev and Sargsyan in Sochi, Lavrov said that
three presidents expressed their confidence in the need to establish
direct humanitarian, cultural, educational and other contacts between
people.

Russian Foreign Minister said that the leaders of the three countries
agree that these contacts are important to restore and strengthen the
trust between Azerbaijan and Armenia and to create the most favorable
atmosphere to make the political decisions.

Lavrov said that the Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents expect to get
the mediators’ proposals on the implementation of specific procedures
to investigate the incidents along the ceasefire line.

Lavrov recalled that Azerbaijani and Armenian Presidents Ilham Aliyev
and Serzh Sargsyan expressed interest in establishing a mechanism
of investigating the incidents along the cease-fire line during a
similar meeting in Sochi in March last year.

“The OSCE Minsk Group prepared a report which describes the mechanism
of investigating the incidents,” he said. “It has been submitted to
the presidents today.”

He said that the leaders instructed to continue this work, based on
the fact that it is necessary to prescribe the specific procedures
to investigate these incidents.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 per cent of Azerbaijan since 1992,
including the Nagorno- Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The
co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group – Russia, France, and the U.S. –
are currently holding the peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council’s four
resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the
surrounding regions.

ERDOGAN: TURKEY HAS A CLEAR PLAN AGAINST FRANCE ADOPTING “GENOCIDE” BILL

Trend
Jan 23 2012
Azerbaijan

Turkey has a plan which will be put into action in response to any
decision of the French Senate concerning the bill criminalising denial
of the so-called “Armenian genocide”, TRT Haber quotes Turkish Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan as saying.

Turkey hopes the French will not allow its decision to conflict with
the country’s values, Mr Erdogan said.

He also noted this bill contradicts France’s principles on freedom of
speech and contributes to the election campaign of President Sarkozy.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said today if the French
Senate adopts a bill criminalising denial of the so-called “Armenian
genocide”, Ankara will toughen sanctions against France.

The French Senate is expected to consider a bill criminalising denial
of the so-called “Armenian genocide” today, Jan.23.

The Lower House of the French Parliament adopted a bill criminalising
the denial of the so-called “Armenian genocide”.

Some 45 out of 577 French MPs voted with 38 voting for and seven
against the adoption of the bill.

The bill demands about a year’s imprisonment and a fine of 45,000
euros for denial of the so-called “Armenian genocide”.

MPs from the French President’s Union for Popular Movement (UMP)
party which has the parliamentary majority, proposed the bill which
aims at criminalising denial of the so-called “Armenian genocide” to
the legislative committee of the National Assembly in early December.

Armenia and the Armenian lobby claim that the predecessor of the Turkey
– Ottoman Empire had committed the 1915 genocide against the Armenians
living in Anadolu, and achieved recognition of the “Armenian Genocide”
by the parliaments of several countries.

United States Launches Tough Policy

Igor Muradyan

Story from Lragir.am News:

Published: 13:56:46 – 18/01/2012

The mass media state that the United States reduces its military
presence in Europe as it increases its military presence in the Near
East and China directions. In addition, the Near East direction is not
clear, the Near East itself or the Near East as a target. Everything
is clear with China. The global issue of the U.S. is the geopolitical
blockade of China which aims to limit its regional expansion,
including Beijing’s economic and geopolitical aspirations.

Large-scale programs are devoted to China in the Pacific Ocean,
Southeast Asia, Central and South Asia. However, the thesis that the
U.S. troops move from Europe is not real because the tendencies in
this sphere reflect the U.S. policy of limiting its presence in this
region. The United States has resolved the main regional issue. It is
not even a matter of finalizing the outcome of Iraq which will perform
its main function to balance the situation of energy in the world,
supplying the `great’ oil to the world market.

The main issue is the geopolitical occupation of the Arab world. The
Arab states, except Syria, have obviously become convinced that their
only guarantor and strategic ally is the United States which is able
to protect their national and pan-Arab interests. In addition, the
United States is not interested in strengthening its military presence
in the region where it did not set up a single new military base in
the past decade. The United States has not bidden on its reliable
partners, Saudi and the Arab states of the Persian gulf which are
saturated with weapons so that are unable to `absorb’ any more.

The stereotypes of social behavior in these countries will hardly
allow creating effective armed forces. However, they can
counterbalance Iran and some Arab states to some extent with the help
of the United States. The Northern bloc will be set up similarly to
create a counterbalance and hindrance to Turkey. It is not clear yet
which states of the East will participate in it. However, the United
States immediately limits its military presence in the region. In the
context of solution of Israel’s problems it is suggested to integrate
Israel with the Arab world and agree to some compromise regarding the
issue of Palestine.

Shifting responsibility and defense and security costs on the U.S.
partners and allies is a general tendency, and the Near East is not an
exception. No doubt it will lead to the escalation of the regional
confrontation, the efforts of Turkey and Iran to pursue their
aspirations rather than boost stability and security. By the example
of the relations with Turkey the United States showed how they shaped
their `conditional contractual’ and `relative partnership’ relations
when Turkey has to make big concessions to the United States to retain
its right to pursue its own interests. The United States would like to
apply this model to Iran.

However, in this case not only limitations are suggested but also
partnership with Iran which will take place one way or another. Hence,
the United States tries to use a general model of double restriction,
considering the ambitious states of Turkey and Iran which act as a
greater rival and threat to the Arab states than Israel. And what is
tough about it? Toughness means regulation of global resources and
limitation, including of the U.S. resources.

Here is the Near East matrix. In the light of this strategy, it is
necessary to view the future of the South Caucasus where the United
States has confirmed its priorities, trying to push away Russia,
Turkey and Iran which is considered as an old but forgotten strategy.
The United States has been able to persuade Turkey that neo-Ottomanism
is a new deep misperception and tries to re-orient Turkey toward good
and old Panturkism and direct it towards Central Asia where it has no
guarantees for success because this region has already been absorbed
by China.

In addition, re-orientation suggests certain geopolitical
`scattering’, in other words, enter Central Asia but with your
guarantees while the South Caucasus is not your area, forget about it,
forget about your brothers and foes. However, this would be doubtful
if we do not take into account that the government in Washington must
go to the Republicans in a certain form. The United States bids
farewell to good Messiah policy and adopts the bad Messiah policy. It
cannot go on like this.

ARMENIENS DE RUSSIE
La population arménienne de la région de Tcheliabinsk en hausse
les Arméniens connaissant la plus forte augmentation démographique de la région

Les statistiques du recensement de 2010 réalisé en Russie disponibles
sur quelques sites russes démontrent quelques tendances
démographiques. Ainsi dans la région de Tcheliabinsk (dans l’Oural),
le nombre des Russes, Tatars, Ukrainiens et Allemands est en baisse
par rapport au précédent recensement de 2002. La population Russe a
baissé de 5 %, les Tatars de 12 %, les Bachkirs et les Kazakhs de 2,5
%. Quant aux Ukrainiens, Allemands et Moldaves, leur nombre a diminué
d’un tiers. Faut-il s’en féliciter ? Seul le nombre des Arméniens a
augmenté de 8 % au cours des huit dernières années. Ainsi lors du
dernier recensement (2010) dans la région de Tcheliabinsk, les Russes
formaient 84 %, les Tatars 5,5%, les Bachkirs de 5 %, les Ukrainiens
de 1,5 %, les Kazakhs de 1 %, les Allemands de 0,5 %, les Biélorusses
et les Moldaves de 0,4 %, les Arméniens de 0,3 %.

Krikor Amirzayan

dimanche 22 janvier 2012,
Krikor Amirzayan ©armenews.com