Author: Babajanian Karo

MASSACRES OF ARMENIANS IN SUMGAIT MUST BE CONDEMNED – FORMER OMBUDSMAN

February 27, 2014 | 16:42

YEREVAN. – The massacres of Armenians in Sumgait in 1988 is not solely
the matter of Armenians, but entire humanity, former Ombudsman Larisa
Alaverdyan said.

The events that happened in Azerbaijan, in Sumgait and Khojalu, is
a fact of genocide perpetrated against their own people, she said,
adding that such crimes must be condemned.

Larisa Alaverdyan called on Armenian authorities to be more active, as
Europe, because of oil interests, is not inclined to hold Azerbaijan
accountable. At the same time Russia, with its shifting interests,
constantly changes opinion on these events.

Photo by Arsen Sargsyan/NEWS.am

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

ARMENIAN YOUTH MARCH IN MEMORY OF SUMGAIT MASSACRE VICTIMS

February 27, 2014 | 15:58

YEREVAN. – The “Young University Students Union” NGO of Yerevan State
University on Thursday held its annual march devoted to the victims
of the genocide of the Armenians in Sumgait, Azerbaijan, the NGO news
department informed.

The participants in the march laid a wreath and placed flowers to
the cross-stone, which is placed at the Armenian Genocide Memorial in
capital city Yerevan, eternalizing the memory of the Sumgait victims.

NGO director Gevorg Melkonyan noted that they are forming a new
movement whose objective is to demand from the UN and the OSCE
Minsk Group to recognize the genocide of Sumgait and to contemn its
perpetrators, since what was perpetrated complies with the provisions
of the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime
of Genocide, which was adopted in 1948.

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

AZERBAIDJAN : UN HOMME DANS UN ETAT GRAVE APRES S’ETRE IMMOLE

AZERBAIDJAN

Un homme de 41 ans a ete hospitalise dans un etat grave après s’etre
immole dans la Republique autonome du Nakhitchevan en Azerbaïdjan.

Hussein Mammadov s’est verse de l’essence sur lui-meme et a mis le
feu devant le ministère regional de l’Interieur le 12 Fevrier.

Son frère, Ramiq Mammadov, a declare a RFE / RL qu’il n’est pas au
courant des motifs de l’acte.

Un temoin a dit Mammadov s’est immole par le feu après avoir visite
le ministère de l’Interieur, où la question de son permis de chauffeur
de taxi a ete discutee.

C’est la cinquième tentative d’auto-immolation en Azerbaïdjan depuis
la fin de Decembre.

La semaine dernière, une femme azerbaïdjanaise est morte après s’etre
immole a Bakou.

Deux hommes se enflamme publiquement le mois dernier.

Ils restent a l’hôpital.

La mort d’un veteran de la guerre du Karabagh qui auto-immole en
Decembre a Bakou a provoque un tolle general.

jeudi 27 fevrier 2014, Stephane (c)armenews.com

SOUTENIR LA REPUBLIQUE DU HAUT-KARABAKH, C’EST PARACHEVER LA PAIX DANS LE CAUCASE DU SUD

PRESSE

Le 12 mai 1994, il y a bientôt vingt ans, un cessez-le-feu mettait
enfin le terme au long et violent conflit du Haut-Karabakh. De
cette veritable guerre de decolonisation naquit la Republique du
Haut-Karabakh, un nouvel Etat situe entre l’Armenie et l’Azerbaïdjan,
sur une terre armenienne aux confins des aires culturelles russe,
turque et persane.Vingt ans, c’est une generation. Une generation
de jeunes Azerbaïdjanais et de jeunes Karabaghiotes qui n’aurait dû
connaître que la paix, qui aurait dû voir reconnu son droit inalienable
a la securite et a la vie. Mais force est de constater que, si la
guerre est terminee, la paix reste a gagner : en l’absence de traite
de reconnaissance mutuelle, faute meme d’un simple dialogue direct
entre les parties, le cessez-le-feu reste plus que precaire.

Dès lors l’Azerbaïdjan comme le Haut-Karabakh sont prives de toute
perspective de developpement normal et pacifie.

Il faut gagner la paix. Cela veut dire, pour commencer, reconnaître la
realite des faits et s’engager deliberement dans la voie d’un dialogue
transparent, avec, en perspective ultime, la reparation des torts.

Mais pour cela, il faut que l’expression pluraliste des opinions,
et les pratiques democratiques en general, soient effectives dans
chacun des Etats parties a ce dialogue.

Nous, membres du Cercle d’Amitie France-Karabagh, soucieux de la paix
dans le Caucase du Sud, appelons les protagonistes au realisme et au
pragmatisme : ni les menaces, ni la rhetorique belliqueuse, ni les
actes de guerre ne convaincront l’ancienne colonie karabaghiote
de revenir dans le giron de l’Azerbaïdjan. Vingt ans après le
cessez-le-feu, des tentatives d’incursions militaires se soldent,
presque chaque mois, par de nouvelles victimes karabaghiotes,
civiles et militaires et par de nouvelles pertes parmi les soldats
azerbaïdjanais dont les assauts sont repousses. La repetition de telles
tragedies nous eloigne chaque jour un peu plus de toute perspective
de coexistence pacifique. Pour nous, reconnaître le Karabagh, ce
n’est en aucune manière etre l’ennemi de l’Azerbaïdjan.

Comme tous les autres visiteurs du Karabagh, nous avons ete declares
personae non gratae par le regime azerbaïdjanais : c’est une pratique
aussi derisoire que contre-productive.

Gagner la paix, c’est aussi, tout particulièrement, soigner les
blessures du passe. Le conflit du Haut-Karabakh a ete marque
par des exactions sur lesquelles il faudra faire la lumière, que
les victimes soient armeniennes – comme a Soumgaït, Kirovabad ou
Maragha – ou meshkètes, comme a Khodjalou. Le pogrom de Soumgaït,
qui fit plusieurs centaines de victimes le 27 fevrier 1988, fut le
declencheur du conflit : il a certes conduit a des arrestations et
a des condamnations de la part des autorites sovietiques, mais seuls
les executants avaient ete mis en cause.

Les veritables responsables n’ont pas ete inquietes et la premeditation
de ces massacres n’a pas ete caracterisee. C’est la force des
democraties que d’etre suffisamment confiantes en elles-memes
pour mettre en place les necessaires commissions d’enquetes qui,
en etablissant les responsabilites et en condamnant les veritables
commanditaires de ces crimes, apaiseront les douleurs et favoriseront
la reconciliation..Temoins des progrès manifestes accomplis par
la Republique du Haut-Karabakh, nous nous rejouissons d’apprendre
que l’ONG Freedom House, dans son evaluation mondiale des droits
civils et des libertes, considère desormais cet Etat comme >. Et nous approuvons pleinement M. Arkady
Ghoukassian, ancien president de la Republique du Haut-Karabakh,
lorsqu’il declare, recemment, que > et que >.

Nous esperons que cet appel, que notre propre demarche, trouveront
un echo au sein de la societe civile d’Azerbaïdjan, que de nouvelles
forces y apparaîtront, capables de se detourner des propagandes
haineuses et de regarder vers l’avenir. Si ces forces se revelaient,
si des initiatives de dialogue et d’echanges voyaient le jour,
qu’elles soient bien assurees de trouver dans notre modeste Cercle
un appui et un facilitateur..

Francois Rochebloine, Rene Rouquet et Guy Teissier sont
membres-fondateurs du Cercle d’Amitie France-Karabagh

Francois Rochebloine (Depute (UDI)) Rene Rouquet (Depute (PS)) Guy
Teissier (Depute (UMP))

Le Monde.

jeudi 27 fevrier 2014, Stephane (c)armenews.com

INTERNATIONAL CIRCLES EXERT NO PRESSURE ON ARMENIA

Cihan News Agency (CNA), Turkey
February 24, 2014 Monday

BAKU (CIHAN)- International circles urging Azerbaijan to move towards a
peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, are not exerting
any pressure on Armenia, Deputy Speaker of the Azerbaijani Parliament
Bahar Muradova said at an event organised by the ruling New Azerbaijan
Party in connection with the 22nd anniversary of the Khojaly genocide
on Feb. 24.

“The issue of Khojaly genocide has been recently raised by the state
agencies, parliament and NGOs in various countries and international
organisations,” she said. “Appropriate decisions are made in this
regard.”

“Khojaly residents were killed by Armenians because they were
Azerbaijani people,” Muradova stressed.

“We have raised this issue at various levels,” she added. “Armenia
continues violating the norms of the international law.”

Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs and
Inter-parliamentary Relations, Samad Seyidov stressed that the
perpetrators of the Khojaly genocide must be brought before the court.

“All perpetrators of genocide must answer for their actions,” he said.

On February 25-26, 1992, Armenian occupation forces together with
the 366th infantry regiment of Soviet troops stationed in Khankendi
committed an act of genocide against the population of the Azerbaijani
town of Khojaly.

Some 613 people were killed, including 63 children, 106 women and
70 old people. A total of 1000 civilians were disabled during the
genocide.

Eight families were totally exterminated, 130 children lost one parent
and 25 children lost both.

Some 1275 innocent residents were taken hostages, while the fate of
150 people remains unknown.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 percent 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 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.

SUPPORTING NAGORNO-KARABAKH MEANS CONTRIBUTING TO FINAL ESTABLISHMENT OF PEACE IN THE SOUTH CAUCASUS, LE MONDE SAYS

by Marianna Lazarian

Tuesday, February 25, 18:57

Supporting the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic means contributing to
the final establishment of peace in the South Caucasus, French
parliamentarians, members of the France-Karabakh friendship group
say in an article published in Le Monde.

The MPs say that soon it will be 20 years since the ceasefire
agreement was signed. There has appeared a new state between Armenia
and Azerbaijan. The authors of the article emphasize that 20 years is a
whole generation of Karabakh and Azeri people who should have lived in
peace and whose indisputable rights should have been recognized, but,
unfortunately, they are forced to live in instability because there
is no peace though the war is over. Due to the lack of a document
on mutual recognition and elementary direct dialogue between the
conflicting parties, Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh are deprived
of the opportunity to develop naturally and peacefully. The French
parliamentarians stress the need to bring about peace, which first of
all means that the real facts should be recognized and a transparent
dialogue should be started in order to correct the previous mistakes.

The authors call for pragmatism because they are convinced that
neither threats nor military actions will make Nagorno-Karabakh to
return to the “lap” of Azerbaijan.

They also point out that over the past 20 years provocations have
occurred on the Line of Contact almost every month, resulting in
new deaths in Karabakh and estranging the parties from peaceful
co-existence. The French parliamentarians stress that to recognize
the NKR does not mean to become the enemy of Azerbaijan. They also
think that it is a destructive approach to declare those visiting
Artsakh as “personae non gratae” in Azerbaijan.

The authors also stress the need to set up a council to investigate
the developments in Sumgait, Baku, Kirovabad and Maragha and to
punish the culprits. They hope that their call will find an echo in
the civil layers of Azerbaijan and that the new forces will be able
to give up hatred and enmity and to start a dialogue. At that time,
the France-Karabakh friendship group will be ready to provide its
support, the article says.

IF PRIME-MINISTER GROWS ROSES IN “NAIRIT

16:24 | February 25,2014 | Economy

“If Prime-minister Tigran Sargsyan grows roses in Nairit area, he
will bring back all the money,”- today HAK party deputy Aram Manukyan
announced from the NA tribune.

We remind that Nairit was estimated 40 millions US dollars. Aram
Manukyan also noted, that the money can be brought back also by
growing tomatoes and cucumbers.

According to him all the evidence of Nairit is offshore, promises
and not an action.

“15 years these authorities have been realizing a plan for Nairit
and haven’t done yet,”- said he.

HHK deputy Artashes Geghamyan advises waiting for “Rosneft”‘s further
actions.

LEVON ZURABYAN ON AD HOC COMMITTEE ON GAS: PARLIAMENTARY MAJORITY PILING UP ISSUES TO WASH OUT THE MAJOR PROBLEM

by Ashot Safaryan

Tuesday, February 25, 15:31

The parliamentary majority represented by the Republican Party has
no intention to settle the problems in the gas and transport systems.

Setting up an ad hoc committee on gas issues, the ruling Republican
Party of Armenia just piling up issues to wash out the major problem,
Levon Zurabyan, Head of the Armenian National Congress Faction,
said in the Parliament, Tuesday.

“You have regularly refused to study the provisions of the gas
agreements with Russia. You just do not want to enter a field where
you are very weak. Your actions depend on your fear of Russia. You
are afraid to raise issues that may spoil your relations with Moscow,”
Zurabyan said addressing the Republicans.

He is sure that the public protests and the committee could be used
as an important instrument in the negotiations for revision of the
agreements. ANC and other non-governmental forces demand transparent
activity and open meetings of the ad hoc committee. Meanwhile, the
parliamentary majority is against the idea of open meetings of the
committee, Zurabyan said.

To recall, the agreement with Russia, particularly the increased gas
tariff for Armenian consumers and transfer of the Government’s 20%
in ArmRusgasprom Company to Russia in exchange for a debt sparked
public outrage in the country.

ARMENIAN FREEDOM-FIGHTERS TO RALLY AGAINST POLICY OF INCUMBENT AUTHORITIES

by Tsovinar Martirosyan

ARMINFO
Tuesday, February 25, 15:29

Armenian freedom-fighters are expected to rally against the policy
of the incumbent authorities on 1 March, they announced in a press
conference on 25 February.

Active participants in the military actions in Nagorno Karabakh,
Suren Sargsyan, Khachik Avetisyan, Vladimir Arakelyan and others told
reporters that Armenia may found itself on the verge of civil war,
as thieves and robbers govern in the country. They claim that the
upcoming rally will involve nearly 3,000 freedom-fighters that will
come together to show active counteraction to the current policy of
the Armenian leadership. They chose March 1 as the date of their rally,
as on March 1 2008 post-election protests and clashes with the police
resulted in death of 10 and wounding of 200 people.

ZHOGHOVURD: REASON OF DEPUTY ENERGY MINISTER’S DISMISSAL KEPT SECRET

10:22 25/02/2014 >> DAILY PRESS

Armenian Deputy Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Hovsep
Shahinyan was relieved of his post yesterday. The reason of his
dismissal is kept secret. According to the decision of Prime Minister
Tigran Sargsyan, Shahinyan was relieved of his post “at his own
request.”

“Shahinyan is a member of Orinats Yerkir Party. It is noteworthy that
he was appointed to that post only in 2013. So, a deputy minister from
Orinats Yerkir failed to serve on that position for even one year,”
Zhoghovurd writes.

Source: Panorama.am