Author: Babajanian Karo

Putin Assures Sargsyan Probe Into Gyumri Tragedy to Be Conducted Promptly

(c) Sputnik/ Alexei Druzhinin
Politics
17:43 18.01.2015(updated 18:00 18.01.2015)

President Vladimir Putin hopes that Russian medical workers will do
their best to save the life of a six-months baby, who survived a
massacre claiming six lives. Russia is ready to send a medical plane
to bring the boy to Moscow for further treatment.

(c) AFP 2015/ KAREN MINASYAN
Violent Clashes Over Family’s Murder Outside Russian Consulate in Armenia

MOSCOW, January 18 (Sputnik) — Russian President Vladimir Putin in a
telephone conversation with Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan has once
again expressed condolences to the relatives of a family murdered in
Armenia’s Gyumri on January 12 and the entire Armenian nation, the
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Sunday.

“Putin expressed confidence that all the necessary investigations will
be carried out as soon as possible, and all the guilty will be brought
to justice,” Peskov said.

According to the spokesperson, the president also “expressed hope that
Russian medical workers, who arrived in Gyumri, will together with
Armenian colleagues, provide the necessary medical assistance to
six-months Sergei Avetisyan, who survived in the tragedy.”

“The Russian president also assured his Armenian counterpart that
Moscow is ready to send a medical plane, if required, to bring the
child to Moscow for further treatment,” Peskov added.

GYUMRI: SHOCK OF A TRIPLE CRIME

Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
Jan 16 2015

16 January 2015 – 12:09pm

Susanna Petrosyan, Yerevan. Exclusively for Vestnik Kavkaza

The murders of the Avetisyan family in Gyumri have shocked Armenian
society. A soldier of the Russian 102nd base, Valery Permyakov,
is a suspect. The reasons for the murders are unknown. Six people
were shot, including a two-year-old child (only a six-month baby
remained alive). The Investigative Committee of Armenia decided to name
Permyakov as defendant, according to item 1 of part 2 of article 104
of the Criminal Code of Armenia – murders of two or more people. The
crime caused a broad range of emotions in Armenia: from sympathy
and a feeling of great tragedy to indignation and expectation of a
fair punishment. Anti-Russian attitudes appeared as well. The most
demonstrative example of this was an automobile cortege in Gyumri
on January 14th and a subsequent protest act near the Russian base,
participants of which demanded that Permyakov should be given to
Armenian law-enforcement agencies and the trial should take place
in Armenia.

Emotional tension is used to exaggerate anti-Russian attitude by
representatives of certain non-governmental organizations which are
financed by the West. “Human right activists” shout that there are
no reasons for the Russian military base to stay on the territory
of Armenia and that the Russian authorities should apologize to the
Armenian nation. There are few chances that such anti-Russian views
will turn into wide-scale long-lasting protests, as Armenians regard
Russian positively and realize that criminals have no nationalities or
homelands. According to an MP from Dashnaktsutyun, Armen Rustamyan,
“the incident shouldn’t be connected with the status of the Russian
military base and shifted to the sphere of bilateral relations.” At
the same time, the MP pointed out disciplinary problems at the
base – Permyakov, who was on sentry duty on January 12, the day
of the murders, deserted his post and escaped the military unit,
carrying a sub-machine gun. The head of the parliamentary faction of
the ruling Republican Party of Armenia, Vagram Dagdasaryan, wonders
why the question of the reasonability of the presence of the Russian
military base in Armenia is raised in the context of the incident.

This is the second such incident. In 1999 two soldiers from the Gyumri
border detachment, who had drank too much, deserted the base and went
to a city market where they intended to find more alcohol. They fought
with traders who didn’t want to sell alcohol to very drunk soldiers.

The border guards returned to the base, beat up a sentry, took his
sub-machine gun, returned to the market, and fired desultory shots. As
a result, two people were killed, eight people were injured. The
border guards were disarmed by traders and taken to the police. In
2013 two teenagers from a local village situated near the base entered
an armor training battlefield, searching for scrap metal and tripped
a mine. As for the incident on January 12, the main question is where
the Russian soldier who admitted his guilt will be judged – in Armenia
or in Russia. According to the General Prosecution Service of Armenia,
it was decided that Permyakov will remain under the control of the
Russian law-enforcement agencies and won’t be given to the Armenian
side. Such a decision was based on article 61 of the Criminal Code
of Russia and the Constitution of Armenia. However, the next day the
General Prosecutor of Armenia, Gevork Kostanyan, stated that Permyakov
will be judged in Armenia.

He is accused of three crimes, one of which – deserting his post –
was committed on the territory of the base, which was under Russian
jurisdiction; two others were committed on the territory of Armenia
(the murders of six people and attempting to cross the Armenian-Turkish
border, where he was disarmed by Russian border guards and carried to
the base). According to the Armenian-Russian agreement on jurisdiction
and mutual legal support, which is connected with the presence of the
Russian military base on the territory of the Republic of Armenia,
the operation of laws of one or another country depends on the place
where a crime has been committed.

Considering the agreement and specificity of the crime, the
law-enforcement agencies of Russia and Armenia will provide a joint
investigation, which could last for a long time. It is notable that the
trial over the two border guards took place in Armenia and was headed
by an Armenian judge in 1999. The Russian soldiers were sentenced to
jail on the territory of Armenia. All parliamentary political forces
took moderate positions and didn’t stir up anti-Russian attitudes.

TURKEY INVITES ARMENIAN LEADER TO WORLD WAR I COMMEMORATION ON ‘GENOCIDE’ ANNIVERSARY

Today’s Zaman, Turkey
Jan 16 2015

President Recep Tayyip Erdoðan has invited his Armenian counterpart
to the 100th anniversary celebration of the Canakkale (Dardanelles)
Campaign of World War I to commemorate the Armenian and Turkish
soldiers who fought and died together side-by-side during the war,
a Turkish daily has reported.

According to the Milliyet daily, Turkey sent invitations to the leaders
of 102 states whose soldiers fought in World War I, inviting them
to attend an event commemorating the anniversary that is scheduled
to take place on April 23-24. However, Armenians commemorate the
anniversary of what they claim was the genocide of their people at
the hands of the late Ottoman Empire on April 24 every year. This
year will also mark the 100th anniversary of the alleged genocide.

A government official, cited by Milliyet, said a large number of
soldiers of Armenian origin fought and died together with Turkish
soldiers during the war.

Speaking to Agos daily on Friday, some Turkish citizens of Armenian
descent reacted strongly to Erdoðan’s invitation, calling it a
“joke” and an “ill-mannered” act, and further criticizing it as a
“political maneuvre.”

The Canakkale battle, also known as the Gallipoli Campaign, was
an Allied military campaign against the Ottoman Empire that began
on April 25, 1915. The Allied forces were repelled in 1916 and the
campaign went down in history as one of the greatest Ottoman victories
during World War I.

While Erdoðan sent invitations to many of his counterparts, Prime
Minister Ahmet Davutoðlu also invited the heads of numerous states.

In a historic first for the Turkish Republic last year, Erdoðan, who
was prime minister at the time, extended Turkey’s condolences to the
grandchildren of Armenians who had lost their lives in 1915. Although
the statement was widely welcomed by the West and Armenians living
in Turkey, Yerevan remained unsatisfied.

An invitation was also sent to US President Barack Obama, whose
statements on the anniversary of the 1915 events are of importance
to both Ankara and Yerevan. Armenia is lobbying the US to recognize
the 1915 events as “genocide,” a charge Turkey categorically denies.

Armenia is also preparing a wide-scale anniversary ceremony for the
1915 events. Last year, the Armenian president invited his Turkish
counterpart to visit Armenia on April 24 of this year to commemorate
the 100th anniversary of the events.

TSARUKYAN PARTY CALLS ON ARMENIANS NOT TO RESPOND TO PROVOCATIONS

Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
Jan 16 2015

16 January 2015 – 4:22pm

The second-largest party by number of members in Armenia, the
Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP), has appealed to the people of the
country not to respond to anti-Russian provocations. This is reported
by the press service of PAP.

“PAP encourages Gyumri residents to exercise maximum restraint, do
not yield to provocations, to act within the law, and to avoid clashes
with the police,” RIA Novosti quotes the text of a statement by PAP.

PAP also asks the police to be as tactful as possible, to act
exclusively within the framework of their powers and not to use force.

The party appealed to Russia to “strongly condemn the inhumane crime
in Gyumri” and cooperate in all possible ways with an impartial
investigation and punishment of criminality.

THE CAUCASUS CULTURAL VECTOR

Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
Jan 16 2015

16 January 2015 – 12:55pm

Interview by Vestnik Kavkaza

This week Dmitry Medvedev stated at a meeting with library workers
that it is absurd to cover humanitarian cooperation with anti-Russian
sanctions. According to Medvedev, it mostly damages those who
launch the sanctions: “Humanitarian cooperation is an opportunity
to influence; if you distance yourself from it, it means you don’t
want to influence.” The South Caucasus countries aren’t distancing
themselves from Russia in the humanitarian and cultural spheres; on
the contrary, cooperation gains new forms. Mikhail Shvydkoy, special
Russian presidential envoy for international cultural cooperation,
told Vestnik Kavkaza about them.

– What are the prospects of expanding cultural cooperation with the
countries of the South Caucasus?

– Traditionally, we hold very big, large cultural campaigns with the
countries of the South Caucasus, of course. Just recently, a very
successful inter-museum meeting was held, with authorities of the
leading museums of Russia – the museums of the Kremlin, the Tretyakov
Gallery, the Russian Museum. The meeting took place in Yerevan, and
a related memorandum of understanding on cooperation between museums
of Armenia and Russia was signed. Traditionally, Yerevan hosts the
Forum of Translators. It will be held very soon, and it is a very
important event. In the summer of 2015, another International Aram
Khachaturian Contest will be held, it attracts performers from all
countries of the post-Soviet space too, more than that, many from far
abroad. Many, I repeat, bilateral and multilateral events will happen,
the Golden Apricot Cinema Festival with Armenia, and so on.

Traditionally, Russia has very serious contacts with Azerbaijan.

Besides the large forum held every autumn, it will be the fifth Baku
International Humanitarian Forum, it was founded under the patronage
of two presidents – the president of Russia and the president of
Azerbaijan. The forum has become one of the most prestigious platforms
for discussions of fundamental problems of general people’s existence,
if you will. This year, the Baku Forum will be dedicated to the
intercultural dialogue held by Azerbaijan, but it is traditionally
visited by all our neighbours, including Russia.

– Russia has good relations with Armenia and Azerbaijan in other
spheres as well. What can you say about cultural cooperation with
Georgia?

– Naturally, we have quite complicated relations with Georgia.

However, they develop, and develop quite successfully. The
Vakhtangov Theater has recently put on performances there with
tremendous success. Now we expect Georgia to be visited by a series
of Moscow theaters. The Russian Cinema Festival in Georgia has become
traditional. There are many contacts in the form of artistic exchanges,
I mean presentations of artists and so on. I must say that Georgian
artists are always very needed in Moscow. I do not mean such stars
as, let’s say, Nani Bregvadze, there are also artists representing
the young generation of Georgian performers. Georgia has raised a
wonderful cast of popular music performers, it is indeed a unique
phenomenon. In other words, Georgian variety theater, not only the
traditional harmonized music that has been so impressive, is very
important. You see, the presence in Moscow of Robert Sturua, who is
the director of the Et Cetera Theater [where Alexander Kalyagin is the
art director], is a very important sign, because the Georgian spirit
has always been present in Moscow’s theater life. So there are many
contacts, the contacts are expanding, and I think that 2015 will not
be an exception.

Naturally, the marking of the 70th anniversary of the victory will
be a special highlight this year. It is our common victory, and
all nations of the North and South Caucasus took part in the Great
Patriotic War, and I think that it is an important festival uniting
us all to a great extent.

ALIYEV TAKES TO TWITTER AGAIN TO ATTACK ARMENIA

Thursday, January 15th, 2015

A Twitter post from Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev

BAKU–Azerbaijan’s dictatorial President of 12 years, Ilham Aliyev,
took to Twitter again on Monday to attack Armenia and boast about
his accomplishments in a lengthy series of successive tweets.

Aliyev spared few words and paid no heed to diplomacy or tact in
his inimical tweets, one of which said, “Armenia is a powerless and
poor country.”

Aliyev also took the time to praise his own country, saying in one
tweet, “Attempts to tarnish, sully and belittle Azerbaijan, a country
that enjoys great authority in the international arena today, are
all in vain.”

One of Aliyev’s tweets

The Azeri President’s tweets come at a time when tensions are very
high at the border between Artsakh and Azerbaijan, with intensified
exchanges of fire and sporadic skirmishes having taken place in the
past two weeks.

Some readers on Twitter responded to Aliyev, many of them criticizing
his hostile rhetoric and lack of diplomacy. “The President of
Azerbaijan everyone. Hasn’t got the hang of diplomacy yet,” said
British journalist Jack Moore.

Aliyev’s rhetoric has become increasingly aggressive in the last year,
this being his second time taking to Twitter to express his hostile
disposition toward Armenia.

In his last year’s Twitter tirade, Aliyev threatened violence
against Armenia, warning that he could restart the Karabakh War,
while at the same time accusing Armenia of not being cooperative in
peace negotiations.

AZERBAIJANI MPS CRITICIZE US POLICIES

AzerNews, Azerbaijan
Jan 15 2015

In the US, citizens use violence against the police and this is
a manifestation of social problems, the member of Azerbaijan’s
parliament, Zahid Oruj, said Jan. 15 in Baku.

He was addressing a hearing titled “The human rights situation in
the US. Paradoxes of the country’s foreign policy.”

Oruj highlighted the important processes that took place in the
political and social life of the US a few years ago.

“There is a race problem in the US,” Oruj said. “Barack Obama’s skin
color hasn’t actually eliminated the racial discrimination in the US,
and this problem is still present in the country.”

In his speech, Oruj also touched upon Islamophobia.

“Against a certain background following the events of September 11,
the Americans try to blame the Muslims in everything,” he said.

Oruj also stressed that there is nothing to give rise to criticize
human rights in Azerbaijan.

Another MP, Musa Gasimli noted in his speech that during the Cold War,
the world countries and peoples respected the US, believed in it,
and considered it an authority, but now it is all gone.

“The reason for this is the double standards of the US,” Gasimli said.

He noted that the double standards of the US are clearly manifested
in its actions with regard to Azerbaijan, as well as in the issue of
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

The MP also said that the US, without waiting for the resolutions of
the UN Security Council, is bombing Libya.

Gasimli went on to add that the US forbade selling its products to
the Crimea.

“But, it annually allocates funds for the Nagorno-Karabakh
separatists,” he said. “How is this supposed to be understood? The
US recognizes the so-called Armenian genocide, but doesn’t recognize
the genocide in Khojaly.”

“Armenians take hostage Azerbaijanis in the occupied territories of
Azerbaijan, but the US doesn’t respond,” the MP further stressed.

“This is a double standard. This is hypocrisy.”

He went on to add that as long as the US continues such duplicity,
its image in the eyes of the world nations will fall.

Professor of a chair of international relations and foreign policy of
the Academy of Public Administration under the President of Azerbaijan
Elman Nasirov said that corruption in the US in reality is a legal
corruption.

The analyst said that on November 4, 2014 the Rector of the University
of Washington in his speech confirmed it. “Back in 2010, the US
Supreme Court said that a large sum of money was spent for persons,
who were nominated as a candidate for MP,” said Nasirov. “It turns
out that they were elected namely at the expense of these funds.”

He said that after the election of Barack Obama as a president, the
post of senator became vacant. “A large sum of money was needed in
order to become a senator,” said the analyst. “In addition, it was
necessary to pay $550,000-$750,000 in order to become an ambassador.

That is, a lot of money is needed to take a post in this country.”

Director of the Center for Strategic Studies under the President of
Azerbaijan Farhad Mammadov, speaking on “Ways of the US influence on
the countries with an independent policy: manipulation of human rights,
the color revolutions, military intervention and their consequences”
said that after the collapse of the USSR in 1991, the United States
has become the strongest country.

He said that after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the United
States had no obstacles in carrying out its policy. “Thus, it caused
great harm to international law,” he said. “National Endowment for
Democracy (NED) of the US was established in 1983 for the conduct of
policy of soft power by the United States in the world. Local experts
particularly noted it.”

The experts said that the policy that was secretly conducted by the
CIA 25 years ago, is now carried out by NED, according to Mammadov.

He said that in order to participate in these processes, the US signed
special agreements with contractors.

“The US intervened in 45 countries under the guise of military
support,” Mammadov said. “Half of the 10.5 million refugees emerged
as a result of the US intervention, according to the report of UN
High Commissioner for Refugees.”

The US applies double standards in the settlement of
Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, he said. “The US
assists separatists of Nagorno-Karabakh and has sent inexperienced
diplomats to the OSCE Minsk Group and hasn’t cancelled the Section 907.

Following this, the MP Fazail Agamali said that by making biased
remarks, the US aims to put pressure on Azerbaijan. “The US tries
to influence Azerbaijan’s independent policy and make the country
dependent on it.”

The MP said that Azerbaijan is carrying out important work on human
rights, democracy. “Azerbaijani government pays special attention to
NGOs, media and necessary conditions are created for their activity.”

“If those such as Leyla Yunusova work with international intelligence
agencies, then why should Azerbaijan be silent?” he asked.

The other speakers also criticized the US policy towards Azerbaijan
and urged the US to fulfill its obligations on strategic cooperation.

HRAPARAK: NO EEU BODY TO BE IN ARMENIA

11:17 16/01/2015 >> DAILY PRESS

The Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) Board meeting will be convened in
Astana on January 22, at the level of Deputy Prime Ministers. Vache
Gabrielyan will represent Armenia at the meeting, Hraparak writes.

Armenia’s representatives in the Board, Karine Minasyan, Robert
Harutyunyan and Ara Nranyan, will have a permanent residence in Moscow
and the permanent residence of the council of judges, including two
representatives from Armenia, will be in Minsk. The financial body to
be formed will be seated in Kazakhstan. No EEU body will be in Armenia.

Source: Panorama.am

ANCA SALUTES AMERICA’S NEAR EAST RELIEF EFFORTS TO AID ARMENIAN GENOCIDE SURVIVORS AT CAPITOL HILL BRIEFING

13:59, 16 Jan 2015

The efforts of Near East Relief, the unprecedented American campaign
of international humanitarian assistance which saved and sustained
hundreds of thousands of Armenian Genocide survivors from 1915 –
1930, was spotlighted this week at a Capitol Hill briefing hosted by
the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).

Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Frank Pallone (D-NJ), Rep. Adam
Schiff (D-CA) and Rep. Jim Costa were joined by public policy leaders
and a bipartisan group of Senate and House Congressional staff for
the unique presentation by Maurice Kelechian, a member of the ANCA
Western Region’s ‘America We Thank You: An Armenian Tribute to Near
East Relief,’ who has spent decades researching archives around the
world to document this unprecedented American humanitarian aid effort.

Kelechian offered detailed insights into the broad tapestry of U.S.

government, religious, civic and individual participation in support
of Near East Relief – from all 48 states – which raised today’s
equivalent of over $2.7 billion to save Armenians, Assyrians, Greeks
and other minorities in the Near East region during and after the
Armenian Genocide. Established by Congressional mandate and supported
by three consecutive U.S. Presidents, the landmark relief campaign
would serve as a model for a host of American international and
humanitarian efforts including The Marshall Plan, Truman’s Point-4
program, The US Peace Corps, US Agency for International Development
(USAID), and United Nations Development Program (UNDP). Now known as
the Near East Foundation, the organization continues its life-saving
work in countries around the world.

“In 1915, when the U.S. Congress created the Near East Relief
organization, the Genocide went from being part of Armenian history
to also being a part of American history,” commented Rep. Costa,
whose office helped coordinate the event. “As a longtime advocate,
I will continue to work with my colleagues in Congress on a full
acknowledgement of the Armenian Genocide.” Rep. Costa went on to offer
a “heartfelt thank you to the ANCA for its steadfast dedication to
fostering public awareness in support of a united and independent
Armenia.”

“It’s astounding how few people in this country or anywhere else know
about this organization [Near East Relief] and its history,” noted
Congressman Schiff at the conclusion of the presentation. “That’s
why I think that this ‘America We Thank You’ effort is so pivotal,
because it is a wonderful way to help educate the public about the
Armenian Genocide through the prism of American relief efforts.”

Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Frank Pallone concurred, noting,
“It’s a fact that the United States Government has been very much out
front on Armenian Genocide recognition in the past. So it’s important
to talk about the history in the context of this era, when our foreign
policy, and policy in general, was much more oriented towards what
was right, what was justice, what was humane.”

“The incredible outpouring of assistance through Near East Relief –
and the U.S. Government’s lead role in that effort – should be a
point of pride for all Americans, and a reminder of an era when our
Armenian Genocide policy reflected our collective morality,” said ANCA
Government Affairs Director Kate Nahapetian. “This centennial year,
America can once again become a beacon of truth and justice on this
key human rights issue, by speaking clearly and unequivocally about
the Armenian Genocide, as we expand international efforts to secure
justice for this crime.”

Kelechian and Nahapetian joined ‘America We Thank You’ Co-Chairs
Vanna Kitsinian, Esq. and Hermineh Pakhanians for a series of over 10
Congressional meetings regarding Near East Relief efforts, timed just
100-days prior to the international commemoration of the centennial
of the Armenian Genocide on April 24, 2015. Each Congressional office
received an in-depth fact sheet about the heroic efforts of their
state, as reported in local newspapers and archives, to assist in
this unique campaign.

“The response to the NER story has been remarkable,” commented
Kitsinian, following her meetings. “Many Members of Congress and
staff have read about the Armenian Genocide but none of them knew
the details and depth of their own community’s participation in this
relief effort. For 15 consecutive years, America was dedicated to the
mission of saving the Armenians, Greeks, Assyrians and others – and
when we present the Congressional letters and share how every aspect of
society was mobilized – from celebrities to politicians to Presidents
to ambassadors – they are truly amazed,” concluded Kitsinian.

The ANCA Western Region launched the “America We Thank You: An Armenian
Tribute to Near East Relief” campaign in March, 2014, to recognize
the outpouring of generosity by the American people in the immediate
aftermath of the Armenian Genocide (1915-1923) and to highlight the
efforts of Near East Relief in rescuing and providing assistance to
hundreds of thousands of men, women and children who were victims of
the Genocide.

In 2015, the committee will mark the centennial of the Near East
Relief efforts through various events and programs to express its
gratitude to the American people for establishing and continuing the
tradition of being the most generous nation.

“The ‘America We Thank You’ effort is a labor of love for our committee
members, who are constantly finding new and innovative ways to share
the Near East Relief story with the Armenian community and the American
public at large,” said Pakhanians. “Whether presenting to students in
their classrooms or meeting with legislators in Washington, DC and
state capitols – our education mission will continue, in tribute to
the NER visionaries who saved our nation.”

LES EXCUSES DE L’AMBASSADEUR DE FRANCE A WASHINGTON

Negation du genocide Armenien

COMMUNIQUE DE PRESSE

Paris le 15 janvier 2015

Le Bureau Francais de la Cause Armenienne se felicite de la
clarification apportee par l’ambassadeur de France aux Etats-Unis.

Suite a la campagne lancee conjointement par l’ANCA aux Etats-Unis et
par le BFCA en France, en reponse aux propos prononcees sur MSNBC le
12 janvier 2015 par l’ambassadeur de France aux Etats-Unis, ce dernier
a tenu a transmettre le 14 janvier 2015, un message au President de
l’ANCA Ken Hachikian. Dans son message l’ambassadeur Gerard Araud
declare :

>

Le Bureau Francais de la Cause Armenienne se felicite de la
clarification apportee par l’ambassadeur de France aux Etats-Unis,
Gerard Araud qui est conforme a la position toujours exprimee par la
France. Cette mise au point claire et rapide clôt le malentendu qui
aurait pu etre utilise par les adversaires de la Cause armenienne
tant aux Etats-Unis qu’en France.

> a indique
le directeur du BFCA Harout Mardirossian.