Author: Babajanian Karo

‘SERIOUS’ ARMENIAN BUSINESS PROJECTS

Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
Nov 19 2013

19 November 2013 – 12:22pm

By David Stepanyan, Yerevan. Exclusively for Vestnik Kavkaza

Mark Davis, head of the Yerevan of the European Bank for Reconstruction
and Development (EBRD), said that investments of the EBRD in Armenia
in 2013 could exceed the 90 million euro invested in 2012. The volume
in 2014 has not been set yet, but the bank plans to invest as much
as possible in new and interesting projects.

The EBRD has been one of the largest investors in Armenia since 1994.

Eurobank has invested 652 million euro in Armenia for realization
of 123 programs. The EBRD has focused investments in small and
medium-scale business, agriculture, services, construction, production,
mining industry and energy. According to Davis, agricultural programs
of the EBD could be expanded because the field was especially
important in Armenia and had perspective and promising business
projects to offer.

The government of Armenia does all that its modest authority can
to encourage the EBRD, although developing no promising projects,
for example, in the agricultural field. Instead, it implements new
multifunctional cash registers. This innovation of the Committee for
State Incomes will cost Armenian economic subjects 367,000 drams, or
$900. The ‘dire need’ for implementation of the new cash registers
has not surprised anyone in the long-suffering economic subjects,
considering the fact that they are being replaced for the third time.

Curiously, people who are both willing and unwilling to get the
registers will have to buy them at the Office for Implementation of
Cash Registers. Rumours say that the organization belongs to Armenian
Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan who is notable for his aptitude of
having offshore accounts on the Cyprus and appetites for easy money.

European financial experts cannot miss the vain attempts of the
Armenian government to ‘assist’ the efforts of Eurobank. The money
continues to flow to Armenia under some unexplained logic. However,
Armenian citizens these days no longer trust the government or the
EBRD, according to social polls of Gallup. Its report says that 74%
of Armenians regard the state management system as corrupt. Economists
making the analytical report of the US non-commercial organization
Policy Forum Armenia in the Armenian community of the US believe that
influence of corruption on Armenian economy is enormous. For instance,
additional expenses of large companies caused by corruption, in other
words, ‘bribes’, total 5% of annual sales, the highest rate among
countries studied. It undermines the competitive ability of companies.

Moreover, the public policy is developed and realized mainly to serve
interests of the corrupt elite, rather than Armenian citizens. It
appears that forced sales of cash registers brought by a state
functionary was just a small example reflected in the Policy Forum
Armenia. The list of corrupt officials keeping posts for many years
says that the new initiative could be taken as a childish frolic
of the prime minister. Ex-President Robert Kocharyan, ex-Minister
for Natural Resources Vardan Ayvazyan, Speaker of Parliament Ovik
Abramyan, head of the State Committee for Taxes and Customs Gagik
Khachatryan are just a few names of the list.

Tigran Sargsyan has recently admitted dropping the economic rate in Q4
2013. Though the ‘official’ economy demonstrated a growth rate of 3.2%
in the first three quarters and good results in certain field. The EBRD
should have wondered why the GDP growth was fading. The fact that no
such considerations were made proves the politicized activities of
the organization in Armenia.

The list of Armenia’s top 1000 tax-payers published in late October
cannot be left without questions either. The structure of the list
demonstrated a high density of tax burden in the economy. The first
50 companies paid about 240 billion drams to the state budget in
the first three quarters of 2013, exactly half of all the taxes paid
by the 1000 names in the list. 62% of all the taxes paid by the top
1000 belonged to the first 100 names in the list, the last 100 names
paid only 1.6%. Such polarization in the structure of tax payments is
very risky for economy. Considering the small tax role of companies
belonging to indirectly affiliated with the government, distribution
of tax pressure in the top 1000 list gave European financial experts,
who were planning to invest millions of dollars in the ‘liberalized’
economy of Armenia, some food for thought.

ARMENIAN, AZERBAIJANI LEADERS HOLD FIRST TALKS IN TWO YEARS

Europe Online Magazine, EU
Nov 19 2013

Europe
19.11.2013

Vienna (dpa) – The presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan met for the
first time in two years in Vienna on Tuesday and agreed to continue
talks to settle the conflict over the Nagorno-Karabakh region.

Armenia’s Serzh Sargsian and his Azerbaijani counterpart, Ilham Aliyev,
instructed their foreign ministers after their meeting to intensify
the peace process, said the Organization for Security and Co-operation
in Europe, which organized the encounter.

The Caucasus region of Nagorno-Karabakh is part of Azerbaijan, but
it has been effectively controlled by Armenia since a war in the
early 1990s.

The 1994 armistice between the two countries has been repeatedly
disrupted by violent clashes.

ARMENIA THANKS KUWAIT FOR SUPPORT IN ACCOMMODATING SYRIAN REFUGEES

Kuwait News Agency
Nov 19 2013

19/11/2013 | 09:09 PM | Kuwait News (With photos) KUWAIT, Nov 19 (KUNA)
— Armenia expressed gratitude Tuesday to Kuwait for its support to
Syrian refugees who fled to Armenia to escape the civil conflict in
their homeland.

In a press statement a copy of which sent to KUNA, the Kuwait Embassy
in Armenia said that the Armenian Minister of Diaspora Hranush Hakobian
has conferred Kuwait Ambassador Bassam Mohammed Al-Qabandi with the
Ministry’s Golden Emblem in recognition of Kuwait’s role in helping
Armenia accommodate Syrian refugees.

For his part, Ambassador Al-Qabandi thanked the Armenian Minister
Hakobian on the decoration. He highlighted Kuwait’s important role
in offering aid to Syrian refugees inside and outside Syria.

He noted that early this year, Kuwait hosted the first international
Syria donors conference which raised USD 1.5 billion in aid pledges,
including USD 300 donated by Kuwait.

Al-Qabandi also shed lights on the role of the International Islamic
Charity Organization in distributing Kuwaiti aid to Syrian refugees.

TATEV MONASTERY TO HAVE NEW APPEARANCE BY ITS 1111TH ANNIVERSARY

17:20, 18 November, 2013

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 18, ARMENPRESS. Tatev Monastery Complex will
celebrate its 1111th anniversary in 2017. Advancing this date it is
considered to repair the complex. The Director of RVVZ Foundation
Artak Melkonyan stated this in a conversation with “Armenpress”.

Among other things the Director of RVVZ Foundation Artak Melkonyan
underscored: “At the course of the next 4 years we’ll focus our
attention on the restoration of the monastery. The relevant activities
have already been launched. The monastery will be repaired and
introduced to the public in 2017.”

The Tatev Monastery is a 9th-century monastery located on a
large basalt plateau near the Tatev village in Syunik Province
in southeastern Armenia. The term “Tatev” usually refers to the
monastery. The monastic ensemble stands on the edge of a deep gorge
of the Vorotan River. Tatev is known as the bishopric seat of Syunik
and played a significant role in the history of the region as a center
of economic, political, spiritual and cultural activity.

In the 14th and 15th centuries Tatev Monastery hosted one of the
most important Armenian medieval universities, the University of
Tatev, which contributed to the advancement of science, religion
and philosophy, reproduction of books and development of miniature
painting.

Scholars of the Tatev University contributed to the preservation of
Armenian culture and creedduring one of its most turbulent periods
in its history.

The monastery is the “best-known site” in Syunik. Wings of Tatev,
a cableway from Tatev to Halidzor village was opened in October 2010.

It was included in the Guinness World Records as world’s “longest
non-stop double track cable car.”

According to tradition, Tatev Monastery is named after Eustateus,
a disciple of St. Thaddeus the Apostle, who preached and was martyred
in this region. His name has evolved to Tatev.

Popular etymology includes a legend telling of an event that is tied
to the construction of the main church, where an apprentice secretly
climbs to the top of its steeple intending to place a cross of his own
design. However, the apprentice is spotted by his master during his
descent. Shocked by his discovery, the apprentice loses his foothold
and falls into the abyss as he calls upon God to grant him wings,
which, in Armenian is: “Ta Tev”.

Tatev Monastery is located in South-East Armenia, in the area of
ancientArmenian Syunik, not far from the city of Goris and 280 km away
fromYerevan. The Tatev plateau has been in use since pre-Christian
times, hosting a pagan temple. The temple was replaced with a modest
church following the Christianization of Armenia in the 4th century.

Development of the Tatev Monastery began in the 9th century when it
became the seat of the bishop of Syunik. In his History of the Province
of Syunik, historian Stepanos Orbelian describes the construction of
a new church near the old one in 848 through the financial assistance
of Prince Phillip of Syunik. With the growth of economic and political
importance of the centre, the aging buildings no longer suited its
requirements, and thus Bishop Hovhannes (John) obtained the financial
assistance of Prince Ashot of Syunik to construct the new monastery.

In the beginning of the 11th century, Tatev hosted around 1,000 monks
and a large number of artisans. In 1044, armed forces of neighbouring
emirates destroyed the St. Gregory Church and its surrounding
buildings, which were reconstructed soon after that. In 1087,
the church of St. Mary was built to the north of the complex. The
monastery suffered significant damage during Seljuk invasions in
the 12th century and the earthquake in 1136. In 1170, Seljuk Turks
plundered the Monastery and burnt some 10,000 manuscripts. The
Monastery was rebuilt through the efforts of Bishop Stepanos near
the end of the 12th century.

The Monastery was granted an exemption from taxes during Mongol rule.

It regained its economic strength with the assistance of the Orbelian
family. Its influence grew further when, in 1286, the Orbelians
assumed control of the monastery, Stepanos Orbelian was consecrated
metropolitan and succeeded in reuniting a number of surrounding
dioceses within its realm. With the establishment of the university in
the 14th century Tatev became a principal centre of Armenian culture.

During Timur Lane’s campaigns into Syunik (1381-1387), Tatev was
looted, burnt, and dispossessed of a significant portion of its
territories. The Monastery received an additional blow during Shah
Rukh’s invasion in 1434.

AGREEMENT ON NEXT MEETING WILL BE MAJOR SUCCESS OF NEGOTIATIONS BETWEEN ALIYEV AND SARGSYAN, EXPERTS SAY

Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
Nov 18 2013

18 November 2013 – 6:07pm

As can be found out today from two official sources – the press service
of the Armenian President and the Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group
from the United States, James Warlick – the event of the year, as part
of the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the meeting of
Azerbaijani and Armenian Presidents Ilham Aliyev and Serzh Sargsyan,
will be held tomorrow in Vienna. Ilham Aliyev will arrive in the
capital of Austria, after he finishes an official visit to Ukraine
today. Sargsyan will fly to Vienna directly from Yerevan.

In an interview to VK the vice -president of the Union “Consulting-
Analysis- PR”, Ismail Agakishiyev, said that the meeting of the
presidents is vital for the continuation of a peaceful settlement of
the Nagorno -Karabakh conflict.

“What are my expectations from the meeting? As we know, the issue
to be discussed is very complicated, especially as people occupying
opposite positions will talk to each other. For this reason, if
they agree to continue the talks and the next meeting, this will
mean a certain understanding and would be a great result of those
negotiations. And in the course of further meetings some progress in
the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict can be achieved,” Agakishiyev said.

In turn, the executive director of the Center for Political Science
“North-South”, editor-in-chief of VK Alexei Vlasov, expressed the
view that the upcoming meeting between the two presidents “is unlikely
to be fatal”, agreeing with Agakishieva that the arrangement for the
next meeting will be the “serious success” of the negotiations.

“The fact is that after 2011 the dynamics of meetings between the
leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan has declined markedly. Under these
conditions, persistent petty conflicts on the line of separation of
Nagorno-Karabakh created psychological and information tension, while
the mediators could not come to agreement on who should take over
the functions of chief moderator of the Karabakh settlement when the
Russian government does not take part in this mission”, Vlasov said.

“At the moment there is no clear understanding of how to address this
issue. However, after completion of the electoral cycles in Armenia
and Azerbaijan, there is some hope that Baku and Yerevan will listen
to the opinion of intermediaries and return to the negotiating table,
despite the fact that no innovations after the announcement of the
updated Madrid principles of the Minsk Group were presented”, the
editor-in-chief of VK said.

“Interestingly, in the Turkish media a few days ago there was
information that the resumption of the negotiating process was to
coincide with the resumption of negotiations with Yerevan and Ankara
over the so-called protocols. The ratification of these documents has
been shelved, not least because of the desire of Turkey to discuss the
topic of opening borders simultaneously with concessions from Armenia
in the Karabakh process. Currently, this information is presented
as a newspaper duck, if we take as the basis an immediate return of
several regions around Nagorno-Karabakh to Azerbaijan. But the issue
of synchronous resumption of dialogue between Baku and Yerevan and
Yerevan and Ankara does not seem a fantastic dream. But at the moment
it is likely that the main outcome of the meeting between Aliyev and
Sargsyan will be the agreement on a new meeting to be held in the
near future. If the terms of a new summit will remain uncertain, it
will be safe to say that the resumption of a new round of negotiations
has not yet led to any concrete results”, Alexei Vlasov summed up.

Looking back, as VK reported, a week earlier, when the date of the
meeting of Ilham Aliyev and Serzh Sargsyan was still unknown, experts
from Azerbaijan, Armenia and Russia agreed that the talks in Vienna
would be “a landmark event after two years of silence”.

PRESS RELEASE
National Association for Armenian
Studies and Research (NAASR)
395 Concord Avenue
Belmont, MA 02478
Tel.: 617-489-1610
E-mail: [email protected]

NAASR CHRISTMAS OPEN HOUSE TO FEATURE TALK AND BOOK LAUNCH WITH PAUL IGNATIUS

Former Secretary of the Navy Paul R. Ignatius will speak in
conjunction with the publication of his new book 5 x 3: Fifteen Books
by Three Great Armenian Writers by NAASR’s Armenian Heritage Press,
highlighting NAASR’s 2013 Christmas Open House on Thursday, December
12, 2013. The Open House will begin at 6:00 p.m. with Ignatius’ talk
set for 8:00 p.m. The evening’s events will take place at the NAASR
Center, 395 Concord Ave., Belmont, MA.

Both before and after the lecture, NAASR’s bookstore will be open and
feature a one night only 20%-off sale, with additional discounts of
40% or more on selected titles. Numerous recently published titles
will be available. Refreshments will be served. Ignatius’ book 5 x 3
will be available for purchase and signing by the author.

About Paul R. Ignatius

Paul R. Ignatius served for eight years in the presidential
administrations of John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson, first as an
Assistant Secretary of the Army, then as Under Secretary of the Army
and Assistant Secretary of Defense, and finally in 1967 as Secretary
of the Navy. Following his government service, he was president of
the Washington Post for two years and president of the Air Transport
Association for fifteen years.

Ignatius is the recipient of the Army Distinguished Civilian Service
Award, the Navy Distinguished Public Service Award, and the Department
of Defense Distinguished Public Service Award. Earlier this year, the
U.S. Navy announced that a future Navy destroyer will bear the name
USS Paul Ignatius.

A descendant of Armenian parents from the Kharpert region of Historic
Armenia, Ignatius is a native of Glendale, California, and a graduate
of the University of Southern California. He earned an MBA from
Harvard University after serving as a naval officer in World War II.
He is also the author of the memoirs On Board: My Life in the Navy,
Government, and Business (Naval Institute Press, 2006) and Now I Know
in Part, the second edition of which was published by NAASR in 2011.

About 5 x 3
5 x 3: Fifteen Books by Three Great Armenian Writers offers summaries,
commentaries, and anecdotes by Ignatius on a selection of works by
Leon Z. Surmelian (I Ask You, Ladies and Gentlemen, 98.6, The
Daredevils of Sassoun, Apples of Immortality, and Techniques of
Fiction Writing), Michael Arlen (The London Venture, The Green Hat,
Hell! Said the Duchess, Babes in the Woods, and Man’s Mortality), and
William Saroyan (The Daring Young Man on the Flying Trapeze, Inhale &
Exhale, Three Times Three, My Name is Aram, Sons Come & Go, Mothers
Hang In Forever), three major twentieth century Armenian authors
writing in English.

Mixing the keen observations of an astute and experienced reader with
the personal observations and witty asides of a born raconteur,
Ignatius brings a fresh perspective to books that are both familiar
and obscure.

Admission to the event is free (donations appreciated). The NAASR
Center is located opposite the First Armenian Church and next to the
U.S. Post Office. Ample parking is available around the building and
in adjacent areas. More information about the lecture is available by
calling 617-489-1610, faxing 617-484-1759, e-mailing [email protected], or
writing to NAASR, 395 Concord Ave., Belmont, MA 02478.

# # # # #
Belmont, MA
November 18, 2013

Kebranian to Explore Writer Zabel Yessayan and Post-Genocide Literature

By Contributor // November 14, 2013 in New England

BOSTON, Mass. – Intellectuals who survived the Armenian Genocide
struggled to come to grips with the enormity of their nation’s loss
and find a way to reflect this predicament in their creative work. The
writer Zabel Yessayan experimented with several different approaches
in her post-genocide writing.

Prof. Nanor Kebranian

A well-recognized author, Yessayan had been the only woman on the
Turkish government’s list of intellectuals to be arrested and sent to
exile and death on April 24, 1915, but she managed to evade the police
and escape abroad. The 1920’s found her living in Paris and publishing
various fiction and non-fiction books and articles.

In a talk at the Armenian Cultural Foundation (ACF) on Sun., Nov. 17,
Columbia University Professor Nanor Kebranian will examine the topic
`The Survival of Empathy: Zabel Yessayan and Post-Genocide Armenian
Literature.’

Kebranian cites words of journalist Hrant Dink that `echo the wisdom
of numerous Armenian intellectuals who survived the Young Turk’s
genocidal campaign during the First World War’ and `signal a veritable
crisis of empathy understood in its psychoanalytic sense.’ Yessayan
recognized `both the perils and promises of Armenian-Turkish empathy,
of positioning oneself as the other,’ Kebranian points out. Her talk
will explore the implications of this recognition as evidenced in some
of Yessayan’s post-war writing, especially in terms of survival.

Nanor Kebranian is assistant professor at Columbia University in the
department of Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African studies. She
received her doctorate from the University of Oxford with generous
graduate fellowships from both the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation and the
Clarendon Fund (Oxford). Her specializations encompass, but are not
limited to, late Ottoman social, political, and cultural history, and
literary studies. Current projects include a book monograph on late
Ottoman prison narratives and a study of `diaspora’ as an
anti-communal ethic.

The program is sponsored by the Armenian International Women’s
Association (AIWA) as part of a current project that focuses on
translating into English the works of pioneering Armenian women
writers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Yessayan is a major
figure of the period, and AIWA plans to release two volumes of
translations into English by the end of the year: one, the complete
edition of Yessayan’s memoir of her childhood and early education in
Istanbul, The Gardens of Silihdar; and the other, Yessayan’s
multi-layered novel My Soul in Exile, along with other short works.

Co-sponsors of Kebranian’s talk are the National Association for
Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR) and the Armenian Cultural
Foundation.

The event is free and open to the public, and begins at 2 p.m. at the
ACF, 441 Mystic St., Arlington, Mass. A discussion period and
reception will follow the program. For more information, contact AIWA
by calling (617) 026-0171, e-mailing [email protected], or visiting

Sapah-Gulian Foundation Focuses on Armenia’s Youth

By Florence Avakian // November 14, 2013 in Armenia

For Randy Sapah-Gulian, the future of Armenia depends on assisting
young people. `The plan of our foundation is to build a broad yet
inter-locking range of programs directly focused on the Armenian
youth. We believe that the youth in all societies are the foundation
from which you can develop something of substance that endures,’ said
entrepreneur and benefactor Sapah-Gulian during a recent phone
conversation.

Dr. Edward Seferian and Randy Sapah Gulian with Ambassador John A. Heffern.

He founded his family’s Sapah-Gulian Foundation in 2012, which works
through the Fund for Armenian Relief (FAR). He explained that programs
supported by the foundation emphasize several youth-oriented
initiatives, such as the Pediatric Critical Care Program, promoted by
his brother-in-law Dr. Edward Seferian of Cedar Sinai Hospital. `This
Medical Training Program-Pediatric Critical Care, which is an
international program in scope, will emphasize the healthy growth of
children so they may become productive members of society,’ he
explained.

Complete life cycle

The Sapah-Gulian Foundation focuses on children from an `early age on
having the right kinds of care, such as what the pediatric care
program provides all the way through the educational process,
ultimately leading to job training and employment. It is the life
cycle from birth through to their early 20’s,’ stressed Sapah-Gulian.
`Further, the challenge, of course, with developing these types of
programs is to maintain a high level of quality and to not lose focus.
Better to do 3 or 4 things really well rather than 10-20 things
adequately. The Pediatric Care Program is an international program
with the highest training and certification standards run by leading
pediatric doctors from around the world. To be perfectly frank, when
Ed [Seferian] suggested bringing it to Armenia to my wife Corinne, it
probably took me 30 seconds to agree.’

A generous benefactor who has been to Armenia more than 40 times,
Sapah-Gulian is chairman of the Fund for Armenian Relief (FAR), which
since the 1988 earthquake has been deeply committed to assisting,
rebuilding, and providing educational and training programs for
Armenia’s population. His expertise as a CEO and president in
providing human capital solutions to large corporations around the
world makes him a seasoned and dedicated team player for the FAR’s
ambitious programs in Armenia. `In the world outside of what I do for
Armenia, through my company we now have large-scale Human Capital
Programs running in 62 countries for our clients. We should be able to
use those learnings to benefit the people of Armenia.’

On his last visit to Armenia in July, Sapah-Gulian met with Catholicos
of All Armenians Karekin II and U.S. Ambassador to Armenia John
Heffern to explain and promote the goals of his foundation. With him
were his wife Corinne (nee Seferian), his two younger daughters, and
his niece.

His daughters, Alexa, 20, Olivia, 16, and Gabrielle, 15, have all been
to Armenia and volunteered at the FAR Children’s Center in Yerevan,
one of FAR’s most important projects. `Our three daughters will one
day be the trustees of our foundation,’ he emphasized, `and they know
they have a large responsibility.’ He then quoted Archbishop Khajag
Barsamian, Primate of the Armenian Diocese (Eastern) and the president
of FAR, who has often said, `One of the greatest gifts that a parent
can give a child is to teach them how to give.’

Doctors from around the world

Dr. Seferian and the team of medical doctors that are part of the
Pediatric Critical Care Association were also in Armenia in July. This
group meets once a year for training and education. During last year’s
meeting, they decided to make this training available to doctors and
nurses in Armenia. Seferian and four non-Armenians from different
hospitals in the U.S. made this trip to Armenia. Seferian headed the
team. A pediatric critical care specialist, he worked at the Mayo
Clinic for eight years, and has been at Cedar Sinai Hospital in Los
Angeles for the last four.

Ambassador Heffern visited the Muratsan Hospital, where the team’s
program is housed, to observe the training and make a presentation to
the doctors. The 30 local doctors and nurses who took part will be
involved in the follow-up training that will take place every year
with help from a grant from the Sapah-Gulian Foundation. While in
Armenia, these five `very eager’ doctors visited other hospitals,
demonstrating the commitment and energy with which they pursued their
work, said Sapah-Gulian.

The July trip was Seferian’s first visit to Armenia. `We were all
engaged to provide better care and train the trainers, especially
outside of Yerevan, which was the center of the training,’ he
explained. `We taught didactically, using hands-on simulation
equipment to mimic real life situations.’ In Yerevan, the 5-person
team worked with 20 local doctors and 4 nurses, including 2 medical
translators. Their plan is to continue this project in Armenia so they
can educate local physicians and others who provide help to critically
ill children.

For Seferian, it was also `breathtaking to stand on the soil of our
homeland, and to see the snow-capped mountains, especially Mt. Ararat,
the strong symbol of Armenia. This trip is the beginning of an ongoing
and long-term relationship. It was very rewarding to give back to
Armenia, and it will definitely continue.’

And for Sapah-Gulian and his family, establishing this crucial program
in Armenia through the foundation accentuates his life-long belief
that `everyone has to have something that speaks to them. For our
family, it is children, Armenia, and Armenians,’ he said.

ARMENIE
L’Arménie doit évaluer l’effet économique de reprise de la
communication ferroviaire à travers l’Abkhazie

L’Arménie devrait évaluer les avantages économiques d’une reprise de
la communication ferroviaire à travers l’Abkhazie a déclaré Johnny
Melikian, un expert dans les affaires géorgiennes.

« Notre pays doit comprendre quels avantages économiques la Géorgie,
l’Abkhazie et la Russie auront de cette communication ferroviaire et
montrer que ce sera bénéfique pour toutes les parties » a-t-il dit.

Il a dit que les autorités arméniennes devraient utiliser les
institutions internationales, y compris les sessions de commissions
intergouvernementales pour cela.

dimanche 17 novembre 2013,
Stéphane ©armenews.com

ALLEMAGNE
20.000 personnes défilent pour une levée de l’interdiction du PKK

BERLIN, 16 nov 2013 (AFP) – Quelque 20.000 personnes ont défilé samedi
à Berlin pour demander la levée de l’interdiction du Parti des
travailleurs du Kurdistan (PKK) en Allemagne en vigueur depuis 20 ans,
selon les organisateurs.

Placée sous le mot d’ordre : `Soutenir le processus de paix, lever
l’interdiction du PKK`, la manifestation s’est déroulée dans le calme
dans le centre de Berlin malgré des contrôles massifs de la police,
selon le collectif de 52 groupes et organisations régionaux et
nationaux à l’origine de ce rassemblement.

La police de Berlin ne fournit généralement pas d’estimations
chiffrées sur le nombre de participants à un défilé. `Des autobus
(transportant des manifestants) ont été arrêtés (par la police) et ont
été fouillés pour trouver d’éventuelles affiches du dirigeant
(emprisonné) du PKK Abdullah Öcalan`, ont indiqué les organisateurs
dans un communiqué, précisant que des amendes ont été infligées à ceux
en possession d’un portrait du leader historique kurde.

L’Allemagne avait interdit le PKK le 27 novembre 1993. En Turquie, le
conflit avec les rebelles du PKK a fait plus de 45.000 victimes depuis
1984. Malgré son interdiction, le PKK bénéficie toutefois de soutiens
solides en Allemagne du fait de la présence depuis des années de près
d’un demi million de Kurdes, la plupart de nationalité turque.

Quelque 11.500 d’entre eux sont d’ailleurs fichés comme soutenant
activement le mouvement séparatiste, selon l’Office allemand pour la
protection de la Constitution, chargé de la traque des organisations
extrémistes.

Quelque 12 à 15 millions de Kurdes vivent en Turquie. Samedi, le
Premier ministre turc Recep Tayyip Erdogan a exhorté la communauté
kurde de son pays à soutenir le processus de paix en difficulté avec
les rebelles du PKK.

dimanche 17 novembre 2013,
Ara ©armenews.com