Author: Babajanian Karo

KAZAKHSTAN INVITES UN EXPERTS TO INVESTIGATE JANAOZEN DISORDER

Vestnik Kavkaza
Dec 22 2011
Russia

Kazakh Prosecutor general Askhat Daulbayev has invited UN experts to
investigate violent unrest at Janaozen in the Manginau Region that
started in mid-December, the prosecutor general~Rs press service said.

Armenia Arutyunyan, regional representative of UN high commissioner
for human rights in Middle Asia, met Askhat Daulbayev and was informed
about the situation in the Janaozen. Arutyunyan noted the importance
of restoring peace.

The mass disorder in Janaozen that started on December 16 resulted in
15 people killed and dozens injured. The youngest victim of the unrest
was a 16-year old, the oldest ~V 52. A woman was killed. Dozens of
buildings were burned down, property of individuals and organizations
was damaged, including vehicles.

Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev implied a state of emergency in
Janaozen on December 17. Curfews will remain in force until January 5,
traffic was limited, protests prohibited. Photography and recording
were limited.

UNION FOR POPULAR MOVEMENT FACTION OF FRENCH NA TO BACK ARMENIAN BILL

ARMENPRESS
DECEMBER 22, 2011
YEREVAN

French National Assembly’s Union for Popular Movement faction will too
back the bill criminalizing the denial of the Armenian Genocide. Head
of the faction Patrick Devedjian, of the Armenian decent, noted that he
will vote for dignity. He said he is impressed with the manifestation
of strength displayed by the demonstrators gathered in front of the
National Assembly with Turkish flags.

“I am thinking of Hrant Dink who was fighting for the recognition of
the Armenian Genocide in Turkey. The Armenian Genocide is irreversible
truth. There are undisputable facts. Turkey too has recognized the
Armenian Genocide,” Patrick Devedjian said.

BAKO SAHAKYAN PARTOOK AT THE “HAYASTAN” ALL-ARMENIAN FUND’S GALA DINNER PARTY

noyan tapan
2011-12-22 12:15:13

On 21 December Artsakh Republic President Bako Sahakyan partook at the
“Hayastan” All-Armenian Fund’s Gala Dinner Party held in Moscow and
delivered there a speech:

“Your Grace,

Dear Mr. Ambassador,

Ladies and gentlemen,

I am glad to welcome you and all our compatriots living in Russia.

As you know, numerous meetings have been held in different countries
within the frameworks of the telethon. Today’s meeting is of special
significance taking into consideration its format and issues we
have managed to solve together for many years. We can state without
exaggeration that every one of you is the worthy Armenian who partakes
in building the independent statehood of the Nagorno Karabagh Republic
to the best of his ability.

We rate high the caring attitude of the Russian Armenian community
towards Artsakh, your endless devotion to the native land and people.

It has huge material and moral significance for us, it helps build
Artsakh more rapidly, create modern conditions for the development of
the economy and securing normal life for the people. Many programs
have been realized with your support, schools, kindergartens,
medical institutions, dwelling houses and roads are being built and
reconstructed, water pipelines are being constructed. All these are
done for our people who live in Artsakh and carve their future by
their own hands. We are deeply grateful to all of you for realizing
this very national and patriotic mission.

Dear friends,

As a result of the reforms carried out during all these years positive
changes are visible in Artsakh. The country faces stable economic
growth that substantially exceeds that of the previous years. There
is a favorable investment field that contributes greatly to the
establishment of mutually beneficial partnership relations with
different international organizations. Your contribution in all these
achievements is indeed invaluable.

Today we have gathered here once again to solve together crucial
issues our state faces. Among such issues is the efficient usage
and protection of water resources of Artsakh. We plan to continue
the improvement of water supply system of the republic to save the
Artsakh people from water shortages in the 21st century.

I want to be confident that this time we would also manage to join
our efforts and successfully realize this strategic important for
our country program. Only together we can overcome all the existing
difficulties, further strengthen our statehood and create worthy life
conditions for our people.

Dear compatriots,

Using the opportunity I would like to congratulate everybody on
the coming New Year and Christmas and wish peace, robust health,
happiness and all the best. Let the New Year bring new successes to
you and your families.

Thank you!”

Primate of the New Nakhichevan and Russian Diocese of the Armenian
Apostolic Church, bishop Ezras Nersisyan, ambassador extraordinary and
plenipotentiary of the Republic of Armenia to the Russian Federation
Oleg Yesayan, NKR President’s adviser Armen Isagulov, executive
director of the “Hayastan” All-Armenian fund Ara Vardanyan, other
officials, businessmen and entrepreneurs of Armenian origin partook
at the event, the Central Information Department of the Office of
the Artsakh Republic President informs.

L’AMBASSADEUR DE TURQUIE S’APPRETERAIT A QUITTER PARIS
Stephane

armenews.com
jeudi 22 decembre 2011

La presse armenienne suit la ” crise franco-turque ” autour de la
proposition de loi penalisant la negation du genocide armenien et
rend compte, se referant a la presse turque, d’un TD diplomatique
de l’Ambassade de Turquie a Paris, selon lequel le President Sarkozy
lui-meme serait derrière cette proposition de loi et qu’en depit des
efforts diplomatiques de la Turquie, celle-ci allait etre adoptee a
l’AN le 22 decembre. L’Ambassadeur de Turquie aurait d’ores et deja
achete des billets d’avion pour regagner Ankara pour ” consultations
” une fois la proposition de loi adoptee. Azg rend compte des ”
mises en garde ” du Ministre des AE turc Davutoglu, qui a menace,
en cas de l’adoption de la fameuse proposition de loi, de ” parler
au monde entier de la nature inhumaine de la colonisation francaise
“. Il a aussi estime que par l’adoption de cette proposition de loi,
la France mettra en danger les valeurs europeennes, dont la liberte
d’expression. / ” L’Ambassadeur de Turquie fait ses valises, alors que
les autorites turques menacent la France ” -Hayastani Hanrapetoutioun

Ambassade de France en Armenie

Service de presse

WHEN IN ISTANBUL, STEVE JOBS QUESTIONED TURKISH GUIDE ABOUT ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

PanARMENIAN.Net
December 21, 2011 – 15:04 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – A Turkish guide disclosed interesting facts about
Apple founder Steve Jobs’s visit to Istanbul, Turkish haber3 reported.

“We stood right in the center of Hagia Sophia, when I started telling
about the history of the site and mentioned it used to be Christian
before being converted into a Mosque,” Asil Tuncer recollects.

According to him, upon hearing the account of the temple’s Christian
past, Jobs went into asking questions about Christians in Turkey.

“What did you do to the Christians whose churches you took? Would
you like to tell us about the Armenian Genocide?” Jobs said.

Steve Jobs was adopted into the family of Paul Jobs and Clara Hagopian,
whose parents were survivors of the Armenian Genocide. The IT legend
died of cancer on October 5, 2011 at the age of 56.

SURVEY SAYS: RADICAL POLITICAL CHANGE NECESSARY

21.12.11 | 12:09

A pre-election public opinion survey has found that 51 percent of
Armenia’s citizens believe radical political change is the only
solution to the country’s major problems.

The survey, conducted by the Center for Public and Political Research,
is the first of four that will be carried out ahead of next May’s
parliamentary elections.

According to the survey, 25 percent of respondents named social
inequality as the number one problem, 24 percent said unemployment
and for 21.5 percent said inflation.

About 46 percent of respondents said the government was effective in
promoting agricultural policy; 39 percent youth and sports policy;
and 9.5 percent praised authorities for their health policy. Thirty
seven percent said the government does little or nothing to improve the
judicial system; 30.5 percent were dissatisfied with the government’s
social policies; and 16 percent with its education and science policy.

The survey was conducted in November across Yerevan among 630 randomly
chosen residents, none of whom was a party member; fifty-four percent
were women, 24 percent had no permanent jobs, 11 percent were civil
servants and 64 percent had higher education.

ARMENIA RETAINS 46TH PLACE IN FIFA RANKINGS

PanARMENIAN.Net
December 21, 2011 – 13:14 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Armenia retained the 46th place with 612 points in
the FIFA rankings released on December 21.

Armenia’s rivals at FIFA 2014 World Cup qualifiers are placed as
follows: Italy is 9th with 1082 points, Denmark – 11th with 1035
points, Czech Republic is 33rd with 749 points, Bulgaria is 84th with
410 points, Malta 155th with 140 points.

World and European champion, Spain is leading the FIFA rankings with
1564 points; followed by the Netherlands and Germany (1365 and 1345
points resp.).

The first FIFA rankings in 2012 will be released January 18.

ARMENIAN GENOCIDE IS ‘FACT OF HISTORY AND NOTHING TO DO WITH ELECTION’

nocide-is-fact-of-history-and-nothing-to-do-with-election.html
11:08AM GMT 21 Dec 2011

THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE IS A “FACT OF HISTORY” AND A PROPOSED FRENCH
LAW MAKING IT ILLEGAL TO DENY THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH FORTHCOMING
ELECTIONS, FRANCE’S MINISTER FOR EUROPE HAS SAID.

Armenian genocide is ‘fact of history and nothing to do with election’
Armenia says up to 1.5 million of its people were killed during World
War I by forces belonging to Turkey’s former Ottoman Empire

“Today all peoples must be lucid and courageous in looking at their
history. It has been nearly 100 years since the Armenian genocide took
place, those responsible are dead, it is simply a matter of recognising
a fact of history,” European Affairs Minister Jean Leonetti told
Radio Classique.

The French parliament is to debate the bill, which would see anyone
in France who publicly denies the genocide facing a year in jail
and a fine of 45,000 euros (£38,000), on Thursday and is expected to
approve it.

Turkey has piled pressure on France to drop the law ahead of the
vote, with President Abdullah Gul and a Turkish delegation to Paris
on Tuesday warning its adoption will spark a diplomatic crisis and
have economic consequences.

Turkish officials have accused authorities of backing the bill to win
votes with France’s Armenian minority, estimated to number between
300,000 and 500,000 people, ahead of presidential and parliamentary
elections next year.

But Mr Leonetti noted that the opposition Socialists were planning
to back the bill along with the ruling UMP party.

“If this was to win votes, I don’t think the opposition would vote
(for the law). But the Socialists will vote for this bill, which
comes from a deputy, not from the government,” he said.

Armenia says up to 1.5 million of its people were killed during World
War I by forces belonging to Turkey’s former Ottoman Empire.

Turkey rejects the term genocide and says between 300,000 and
500,000 Armenians, and at least as many Turks, died in combat or
from starvation when Armenians rose up and sided with invading
Russian forces.

France recognised the killings as genocide in 2001.

AZERBAIJAN FEARS DOMESTIC ARAB SPRING?

PanARMENIAN.Net
December 21, 2011 – 11:02 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Certain opposition forces in Azerbaijan act under
the influence of world processes rather than express people’s will,
an Azerbaijani official said.

“We witness this following the processes in Kyrgyzstan, Libya, Tunisia,
Egypt and other countries,” chief of the department for public and
political affairs at the presidential administration of Azerbaijan,
Ali Hasanov told a press conference on Wednesday, December 21.

“If they do not comply with people’s demands, all their wishes and
plans are doomed to fail. That is why we never placed processes
occurring outside and inside Azerbaijan on the same footing. We do
not seek to link them because no such connection exists. What on earth
a minor conflict in Kazakhstan or domestic socio-political processes
in Russia have to do with Azerbaijan,” Hasanov concluded.

LAURENCE PARISOT, PREOCCUPEE, MET EN GARDE CONTRE TOUT BOYCOTT COMMERCIAL
Jean Eckian

armenews.com
mercredi 21 decembre 2011

La tournure qu’ont pris les evenements lies a la proposition de loi
condamnant tous les genocides reconnus par la France, dont celui des
Armeniens, a atteint un tel degre dans la violence des propos des
responsables turcs envers la Republique francaise, que desormais la
population apprehende d’une autre facon le partenaire commercial turc.

La rhetorique turque ne tient evidemment pas la route devant les faits
patents que constitue le crime de genocide sur la population armenienne
durant l’empire ottoman en 1915. L’argumentaire qui consiste a dire,
a qui veut l’entendre, qu’il faut laisser regler la question par
les historiens, est un ecran de fumee distille depuis des annees,
que seuls des naïfs peuvent croire tandis que les dirigeants turcs
avouent sans vergogne qu'”il n’y a jamais eu de genocide en Turquie”,
que “la Turquie n’a commis aucun genocide”, et qu’enfin, “la Turquie
ne reconnaîtra jamais des evenements lies aux aleas de la guerre”.

Toujours est-il que la France, malgre quelques voix discordantes,
se tient droit dans ses bottes, comptant bien aller au terme positif
de la proposition de Valerie Boyer, comme le laisse entendre Axel
Poniatowski, President de la Commission des Affaires etrangères.

Elle ne semble pas, par ailleurs, vouloir se laisser intimider au
plan commercial, puisque selon les responsables de la question, il n’y
aurait aucune menace sur les interets francais ; car si tel etait le
cas, avec 12 milliards d’investissement francais, et des dizaines de
milliers d’emplois turcs pourvus par les societes francaises, “cela se
retournerait contre la Turquie elle-meme,” indiquent-ils. Les mesures
de boycott sur les produits francais auraient egalement pour effet
de retourner l’opinion publique francaise envers la Turquie, qui avec
plus d’un million de touristes se rendant chaque annee dans ce pays,
aurait aussi des consequences sur son economie. C’est ce que semble
vouloir exprimer Laurence Parisot qui, se disant “très preoccupee
par la question”, met “en garde contre tout boycott commercial”.