Author: Babajanian Karo

MESROPYAN: WE MUST PREVENT EMIGRATION OF SYRIAN ARMENIANS FROM ARMENIA

14:21 30/05/2014 >> SOCIETY

8,000-10,000 Syrian Armenians fled Syria to Armenia during the several
past years, however, half of them subsequently left Armenia for other
countries, deputy chairman of the Social Democrat Hunchakian Party
(SDHP) Armenia office Vazgen Mesropyan said at a conference titled
“Syria: Terrorism, Armenians, Elections” organized by Voskanapat
analytical center.

According to him, one of the reasons that Syrian Armenians leave
Armenia is that they fail to find a job in Armenia. “Measures must be
taken so that they stay in Armenia and develop our country just like
they developed Syria. We must prevent their emigration from Armenia.

It is everyone’s duty,” Mesropyan said.

Mesropyan also said that according to latest reports, fighting
continues in Aleppo, with Armenian districts being targets of shelling
and gunfire.

ARMENIA IMPORTANT FOR EURASIAN ECONOMIC UNION AND VICE VERSA – ARMEN ASHOTYAN

14:36 * 30.05.14

Vice-Chairman of the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) Armen Ashotyan
rules out Armenia establishing a customs border with Nagorno-Karabakh
Republic (NKR) to join the Eurasian Economic Union.

He also said that Armenia’s accession to the Eurasian Economic Union
does not at all depend on Azerbaijan.

Mr Ashotyan, do you consider the possibility of Armenia establishing
a customs border with Nagorno-Karabakh in order to join the Eurasian
Economic Union?

This option is not an option for any person residing and working in
Armenia, especially for ones engaged in politics. I cannot think of
a member of any political party that would discuss such an idea.

Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh are one territory. Yes, we have two
states, but they are one economic area, one cultural area and
defense area. Armenia has repeatedly stated it is the guarantor of
Nagorno-Karabakh’s security.

What is the reason why the three presidents did not discuss Azerbaijani
President Ilham Aliyev’s letter with Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan
in Astana, yesterday?

I do not think we have a right to such a statement of the question.

First, letters are private affairs. Secondly, I would not make such
a categorical statement. Thirdly, since I am for Armenia joining the
Eurasian Economic Union, I would like to withhold comments.

Azerbaijan’s leadership is obviously envious of Armenia’s accession
to the Eurasian Economic Union and is well aware of the consequences.

Moreover, the critics inside the country are well aware that,
if acceding to the Eurasian Economic Union were a bad choice,
Azerbaijan’s leadership would be pleased to see how Armenia would
make the wrong geopolitical choice favored by the critics. The
Azerbaijani authorities’ reaction is further evidence that they have
well calculated all the results – political, economic and military –
Armenia would get from acceding to the Eurasian Economic Union. And
they are doing their utmost to prevent it. They will fail, because
Armenia’s accession does not depend on Azerbaijan. And I think
Armenia will join the Eurasian Economic Union within the deadline
fixed yesterday and become a full member from January 1, 2015.

Mr Ashotyan, would it be right if, for example, Georgia’s president
addressed a letter to Serzh Sargsyan and ask him to perceive Russia
without Crimea?

I do not think it we need to comment on which presidents could address
letters to their counterparts in other states. I do not think that
yesterday’s statements could prove impede the process of Armenia’s
accession to the Eurasian Economic Union because Kazakhstan, Belarus
and Russia, have repeatedly emphasized their interest in Armenia. And
our constructive relations with different states are anchored in our
relations with Moscow. It is no secret that such unions normally have
the leading force. In the European Union, it is France and Germany. In
the case of the Eurasian Economic Union I like the fact of all the
partners being equal, without Russia’s domination. Russia is ready
to discuss its partners’ proposals.

Every state voiced its own interest, so why was no question raised
as to the interest of Armenia?

For me, it is absolutely natural to see the main countries speak of
de jure established trio. Once Armenia’s membership process is over,
Armenia and other countries will natural talk of their interests.

Mr Ashotyan, what option will be the choice under the circumstances
to cover the interests of both Armenia and Azerbaijan? Perhaps, the
option that Russia relies on as a guideline in the weapons sale deal;
I mean supplying weapons to Armenia, its strategic ally, and selling
them to Azerbaijan, thus ensuring a guarantee of peace?

I will rephrase the question if you let me. For Armenia, the Eurasian
Union membership process is linked exclusively to Armenia’s interests.

The Azerbaijani factor does naturally exist for the Eurasian Union
member states, so that factor is geopolitically wrong. So Armenia
obviously guides itself with its own approaches in the relationship
with the countries the Eurasian Union member states have problems with,
but it certainly respects the interests of its strategic ally.

Foreign policy is a very delicate category, so relying on extremes
or making implied assessments is wrong. As for Armenia’s interests
in the weapons’ sale, the arms race does really create concerns, in
addition to Azerbaijan’s continuing purchase of a large quantity of
weapons from Russia. But it is obvious, at the same time, that Russia
is a political-military ally of Armenia, so if you let me make the
half-joking remark, this situation reminds me of the Brazilian national
[football] team whose slogan you know: “let them kick as many balls as
they can, and we will kick as many as we need”. I think it is possible
to re-formulate theses approaches in the technical-military relations
with Russia to allow Azerbaijan to buy as many weapons as it can and
‘help Armenia in the CSTO [Collective Security Treaty Organization]
frameworks as much as we need.'”

One finalizing question: you said the neighbor all the time makes
requests on most different occasions, so what am I supposed to do
with such a neighbor, after all?

I cannot give an answer instead of you, but of course, the moment
comes when you get tired of that neighbor and start avoiding it. But
there are neighbors who are important to you, because they have the
shield of light on their territory, for example, or the water line
passes through there.

I brought that example from the psychological point of view, and it
is clear to me how the president of Kazakhstan read out that part,
as though saying, ‘I say, because I have been asked to’. It is obvious
that Kazakhstan has its own interests with Azerbaijan, and it is easily
understandable. Looking at the map, it clearly becomes obvious that
the same Kazakhstan could have a serious role in ensuring Europe’s
energy independence provided it has common energy communications
with Azerbaijan. And we already have them. So it isn’t possible to
ignore all this in politics. Hence, it is a factor on one scale of
the balance, with Armenia’s importance for the Eurasian Union being on
the other scale, as a unique country. First, we are actually the only
South Caucasian country that has launched a process of Eurasian Union
membership. So if Armenia is not a member of the Eurasian Union, the
EU borders with the Eurasian Union will pass across North Caucasus
exclusively. Hence Armenia’s membership opens for that union new
markets and new political military platforms, such as the Middle East,
Near Asia and the region which is adjacent to us.

The second unique feature is that Armenia is an exceptional country
which has an influential and organized diaspora whose influence
can also be of interest to the Eurasian Union member states. It is
obvious that Armenia, with its geopolitical embrace, is a bigger and
more serious country compared to the geographic area we occupy.

Boxing Scene
May 31 2014

Gradovich Survives Knockdown To Outbox Miskirtchian

By Jake Donovan

A surprise knockdown late in round six was the lone hiccup for Evgeny
Gradovich in his 12-round points win over Alex Miskirtchian in their
featherweight title fight Saturday evening in Macau, China.

Scores were 117-110 (twice) and 118-109 in favor of Gradovich, who
defended his title for the third time.

Things were going well early on for Gradovich, affectionately known as
“El Ruso Mexicano” (The Mexican Russian) who forced an aggressive pace
against a seemingly overmatched challenger. The first five rounds saw
the defending titlist well in control, constantly beating Miskirtchian
to the punch.

In an instant, a pending rout turned into a competitive and spirited
prize fight. The two fighters exchanged stiff jabs late in round six,
but Miskirtchian was quicker to the draw, depositing Gradovich on the
canvas for the bout’s lone knockdown.

The second half of the fight saw spirited, grueling two-way action
from both fighters as Mikirtchian refused to go away quietly.
Gradovich was winning the rounds, but forced to work every minute in
order to preserve his lead, his unbeaten record and his title.

Gradovich advances to 19-0 (9KO). The 27-year old won the title with a
12-round split decision over Billy Dib last March on ESPN2 in his last
U.S. apperance. All three title defenses have taken place in Macau.

Miskirtchian, an Armenian boxer who fights out of Belgium, falls to
24-3-1 (9KO), snapping an 11-fight win streak as he comes up short in
his first title fight.

Boxing Scene
May 31 2014

Nicholas Walters Obliterates Vic Darchinyan In Five Rounds

By Jake Donovan

Nicholas Walters continues to plead his case as among the best
featherweights in the world. The unbeaten knockout artist loked
flawless in a three-knockdown 5th round stoppage of Vic Darchinyan in
their featherweight title fight Saturday evening in Macau, China.

Because of the competitive nature of his rematch knockout loss to
Nonito Donaire last fall, it was believed that Darchinyan could still
make a statement in the featherweight division. A former flyweight and
super flyweight champion, the 38-year old was competing in his 5th
weight class and against a tough-as-nails featherweight titlist.

The difference in size and age was clear cut from the opening bell.
Walters, a handful for any prime featherweight, was way too much to
handle for this version of Darchinyan, historically a pressure fighter
who prides himself on the knockout. Outgunned, the Australia-based
Armenian had no chance here.

Walters recognized this early and never took his foot off of the
accelator. A swift uppercut deposited Darchinyan in round two, the
first knockdown of the bout. Walters remained calm and collected,
confident that he could end the fight any time he wanted.

Darchinyan fought as hard as he could in rounds three and four, not
necessarily winning either frame but offering a credible account of
himself.

Disaster struck in round five, as Walters went in for the proverbial
kill. Damage was done to the body and upstairs, leaving Darchinyan
dazed as he was willed to the canvas. The former champ was badly hurt,
bouncing up immediately off of the canvas as he staggered to a neutral
corner.

Walters moved in for the finish, cutting off the ring and letting his
hands go as Darchinyan ate several more power shots. A final left hook
left Darchinyan flat on his back, prompting referee Raul Caiz Jr. to
stop the contest without issuing a count.

The official time was 2:22 of round five.

Walters cruises to 24-0 (20KO), scoring his fourth straight knockout.
The win marked the second defense of his portion of the featherweight
title he acquired in a 7th round knockout of Daulis Prescott in their
Dec. ’12 vacant title fight.

Darchinyan falls to 39-7-1 (28KO) in what many hope to be his last
ever appearance at the championship level. The 38-year old was a
proven commodity in the lower weight classes, having led a brilliant
career worthy of Hall-of-Fame consideration.

The bout aired live on Top Rank’s streaming site , and served in
chief support to yet another featherweight title fight between
defending champ Simpiwe Vetyeka and former three-division titlist
Nonito Donaire.

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
May 31 2014

Kenosha author finds Hollywood interest in his book about Illinois
high school championship team

By Bob Wolfley of the Journal Sentinel
May 31, 2014 2:00 p.m.

What attracted Dan Manoyan of Kenosha to tell the story of a
championship high school basketball team in Illinois is what has that
story poised to become a Hollywood film.

Manoyan, a retired Milwaukee Journal Sentinel sportswriter, wrote the
2007 book “Men of Granite” about how a group of poor boys of immigrant
parents in Granite City, Ill., came to win a state title in 1940.

“I was drawn to the fact that there were so many ethnics on that
team,” said Manoyan, who grew up in Waukegan and is a graduate of the
University of Illinois. “I am half Armenian myself and there were four
Armenians on the team. Plus Andy Phillip, whose real name is Andras
Fulop, who is Hungarian, and a couple other guys were Yugoslavian and
Macedonian. You just don’t see that, especially in southern Illinois,
which is basically pretty rural.”

Overcoming poverty, soaring beyond class and defeating bigotry in a
tough steel town are all elements of a story Manoyan first learned
about when he was reading a history about the Illinois State High
School Association basketball championships.

Manoyan was encouraged by a screenwriter to shop the book as a film.

“I’ve always thought ‘Hoosiers’ was the greatest sports movie ever
made,” Manoyan said. “And I thought this story was comparable in
content, if not better than ‘Hoosiers.’ This is a similar story about
an underdog high school basketball team that wins a state championship
against steep odds. ‘Hoosiers’ was about a little school overcoming
big schools. These (Granite City) guys had a lot more to overcome.
They weren’t accepted in their own hometown. They were second-class
citizens.”

Producer Valerie McCaffrey read the book after she was contacted by
Manoyan. She loved it.

They found Armand Kachigian, who is from Granite City, to write the
script.. Dwayne Johnson-Cochran is to direct. Cinematographer Jeffrey
L. Kimball is on board.

William Hurt is interested in playing the team’s coach and Kevin Dunn
the school principal.

Last week it was reported that Shirley MacLaine is negotiating to play
the role of Sophia Prather, a schoolteacher who encourages the boys to
play for the high school team.

The film is scheduled to begin shooting in October, Manoyan said, much
of it in Granite City.

The championship game took place in Huff Gym, now called Huff Hall, on
the University of Illinois campus. The school has given permission to
the filmmakers to use the building to re-enact the title game.

IMBd lists the title of the film as “Boys of Lincoln Place,” which
refers to the poor neighborhood in Granite City where the players
lived. That could wind up as the film’s title, since the movie is
about the boys’ lives in high school, not their adulthood.

Haykakan Zhamanak: Sports and Concerts Complex may close

12:08 31/05/2014 >> DAILY PRESS

Karen Demirchyan Sports and Concerts Complex may close for some time
since its accounts are frozen and it cannot operate properly, Haykakan
Zhamanak writes.

“The events related to the number one sports facility in the country
suggest that some influential people have an eye on it and they try to
seize it from the owner who invested about USD 45 million in it,” the
newspaper comments.

Source: Panorama.am

Armenian Communist leader critical of Nazarbaev’s speech

16:01 * 31.05.14

The Armenian Communist leader says he doesn’t think that the Kazakh
president’s public speech, reflecting the Azerbaijani position on
Armenia’s Eurasian integration, was to the point.

“Armenia will be where Russia is, so will Karabakh with Armenia,”
Tachat Sargsyan, the Communist Party of Armenia’s first secretary,
told a news on Saturday.

In his speech at the Eurasian Economic Summit in Astana, Kazakhstan,
President Norsultan Nazrabaev read out the Azerbaijani leader’s letter
calling for efforts to ensure Armenia’s membership in the EaU within
the borders recognized by the United Nations (which doesn’t include
the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic).

Sargsyan said he doesn’t think that the move was unexpected at all
given that the Kazakh leader always backs the Azerbaijani interest.
“For us, it wasn’t a surprise, as Nazarbaev always commits himself to
protecting Azerbaijan. But the day was historic, because we should be
where Russia is,” he noted.

Armenian News – Tert.am

State Department: Inflammatory rhetoric damages Karabakh peace process

11:22 31.05.2014

“As a co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, the US remains committed to
helping the parties reach a peaceful settlement to the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,” Spokesperson for the Department of State
Jen Psaki told a daily briefing.

She said “inflammatory rhetoric and statements that run counter our
principles raise tensions in the region and damage the peace process.”
The comments come after Azerbaijani President Aliyev said that
“Armenia’s fate will be very dark if it does not withdraw from
Nagorno-Karabakh.”

“Joint statements by the Minsk Group presidents and co-chair countries
from 2009 to 2013 have made clear that a lasting settlement must be
based on the core principles of the UN Charter and the Helsinki Final
Act, particularly with respect to the non-use of force, territorial
integrity, and equal rights of self-determination of people. So we
call on all sides to redouble their efforts at the negotiation table
and to focus on the benefits that peace would bring to people across
the region,” Jen Psaki said.

ARMENIAN SABOTAGE GROUP TRIES TO ATTACK AZERBAIJANI ARMED FORCES’ POST

Cihan News Agency, Turkey
May 28 2014

BAKU – 28.05.2014 09:57:19

An Armenian reconnaissance and sabotage group again tried to attack a
post of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces, the Azerbaijani defense ministry
said on May 28.

There are casualties on both sides.

The Armenian reconnaissance and sabotage group failed in their attack
on one of the posts of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces located on the
front line in the Fizuli region last night.

While suppressing the enemy’s attempt, the Azerbaijani Armed Forces’
suffered losses and forced the enemy to withdraw.

A 32-year-old captain of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces Fikret Mammadov
showed courage and bravery and died in the line of duty.

Captain Mammadov was posthumously awarded with a medal “For Courage”
for bravery in a combat mission.

The 23-year-old ensign Khudaverdi Abilov was killed by a sniper,
while 20-year-old soldier Mehman Mirzazade was wounded.

After first aid was rendered, the wounded soldier was hospitalized
in a military medical facility. The soldier’s condition is severe. He
is being supervised by physicians.

Khudaverdi Abilov was awarded with the third class medal “For
distinguished military service” (posthumously) upon Defense Minister,
Colonel-General Zakir Hasanov’s order.

The defense minister expresses deep condolences to parents and
relatives of the killed soldiers, considered by the military as
martyrs.

The situation in the area remains stable and is under control of the
Azerbaijani Armed Forces.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in
1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a
result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied
20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and
seven surrounding districts.

The two countries signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs
of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the U.S. are currently
holding 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. (Cihan/Trend az)

ARMENIAN RECONNAISSANCE AND SABOTAGE GROUP TRIES TO ATTACK AZERBAIJAN

Cihan News Agency, Turkey
May 28 2014

BAKU – 28.05.2014 12:01:40

An Armenian reconnaissance and sabotage group again tried to attack a
post of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces, the Azerbaijani defense ministry
said on May 28.

There are casualties on both sides.

The Armenian reconnaissance and sabotage group failed in their attack
on one of the posts of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces located on the
front line in the Fizuli region last night.

While suppressing the enemy’s attempt, the Azerbaijani Armed Forces’
suffered losses and forced the enemy to withdraw.

A 32-year-old captain of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces Fikret Mammadov
showed courage and bravery and died in the line of duty.

Captain Mammadov was posthumously awarded with a medal “For Courage”
for bravery in a combat mission.

The 23-year-old ensign Khudaverdi Abilov was killed by a sniper,
while 20-year-old soldier Mehman Mirzazade was wounded.

After first aid was rendered, the wounded soldier was hospitalized
in a military medical facility. The soldier’s condition is severe. He
is being supervised by physicians.

Khudaverdi Abilov was awarded with the third class medal “For
distinguished military service” (posthumously) upon Defense Minister,
Colonel-General Zakir Hasanov’s order.

The defense minister expresses deep condolences to parents and
relatives of the killed soldiers, considered by the military as
martyrs.

The situation in the area remains stable and is under control of the
Azerbaijani Armed Forces.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in
1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a
result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied
20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and
seven surrounding districts.

The two countries signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs
of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the U.S. are currently
holding 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.