Author: Babajanian Karo

ARMENIAN – BELORUSSIAN BUSINESS FORUM TO BE HELD IN YEREVAN OCTOBER 28

YEREVAN, October 25. / ARKA /. On October 28 the Armenian capital
city Yerevan will host an Armenian- Belorussian business forum, the
press service of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Armenia said.

It said Belarusian businessmen will be headed by the head of the
Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Minsk.

The two sides are expected to discuss ways to boost cooperation in
agricultural machinery industry, food processing and furniture making.

The commerce and industry chambers of the two countries, as well as
of Yerevan and Minsk have been organizing reciprocal visits since
2002 based on memoranda of understanding.

Armenia’s trade turnover with Belarus in the first 8 months this year
saw a 19 percent increase year-on-year to $32.8 million. .-0-

– See more at:

VIVACELL-MTS HAS INSTALLED 203 NEW BASE STATIONS IN ALL ARMENIAN REGIONS SINCE BEGINNING OF YEAR

16:56 25/10/2013 ” SOCIETY

Within the framework of the network expansion and modernization
project, VivaCell-MTS has recently installed another 4 new base
stations in Vayots Dzor and Ararat regions – Gnishik and Mozrov
(Gnishik community of Vayots Dzor), Shaghap and Lusashogh (Ararat).

VivaCell-MTS previously had mobile coverage in the villages of Mozrov,
Shaghap and Lusashogh provided through base stations installed in the
neighboring locations, and with the installation of these new base
stations next to these villages, 3G-based higher quality voice and
internet services became available to the population of the villages.

In the fourth village – Gnishik, VivaCell-MTS is now the sole mobile
operator providing the population with high-quality 3G mobile network,
including high-speed internet.

Gnishik is not the only village where VivaCell-MTS is the sole
mobile operator to have installed a base station to provide the
population with full-fledged mobile communication services. In the
village of Nrnadzor, situated on the Armenian-Iranian border, in a
mountainous area with difficult landscape, VivaCell-MTS installed 3
up-to-date base stations providing voice and internet services along
the Iranian-Armenian border, the international transit highway, the
village itself and its neighborhoods (2G and 3G stations were made
available in 2007 and 2010 respectively).

VivaCell-MTS is also the sole operator in a number of villages
including Lori region’s villages Jiliza (2G is available since 2007, 3G
in 2011) Dzyunashogh (2G in 2009, 3G in 2013), both of them situated
close to the Armenian-Georgian border, Tsaghkashat (2G in 2009,
3G in 2013) and Halavar (2G in 2009 and 3G in 2013). In addition
to installing base stations, VivaCell-MTS has provided the schools
of these villages, as well as the schools of Mozrov and Nrnadzor
with access to high speed internet by donating 3G/Wi-Fi routers and
providing access to high-speed internet through MTS Connect Limited or
Home Zone Turbo tariff plans for free for a one-year period. Similar
program was implemented in Tatev and Artavan villages as well.

When making decisions on installing base stations, VivaCell-MTS is not
guided by Return on Investment (ROI) consideration only. Installing
base stations and providing mobile voice and internet communication
services to remote, mountainous and borderland villages with small
population are a priority for VivaCell-MTS as the availability of
communication infrastructure is both a social and security issue. As
a responsible operator, VivaCell-MTS is determined to provide with
mobile voice and internet services even the most remote areas with
small population and potential consumption of services.

Overall, from January 2013 till present (October 2013), within the
framework of network expansion and modernization project 156 new 3G
(HSPA+) base stations and 47 2G base stations were installed in all
regions of Armenia (a total of 203). 2G stations were upgraded in
terms of improvement of voice services, and existing 3G base stations
were upgraded in terms of data expansion and capacity improvement.

Region 2G 3G Lori 8 30 Aragatsotn 2 17 Kotayk 9 24 Shirak 7 26
Gegharkunik 6 24 Tavush 5 24 Yerevan 3 3 Syunik 3 3 Vayots Dzor 2 2
Ararat 2 2 Armavir 1 Total 47 156

VivaCell-MTS commits that the network modernization and expansion with
the latest technology will continue with additional 119 3G (HSPA+)
base stations to be installed till the end of 2013.

Source: Panorama.am

PROSPEROUS ARMENIA TO VOTE AGAINST BILL ON RAISING STATE OFFICIALS’ SALARIES

13:42 25/10/2013 ” POLITICS

The Prosperous Armenia parliamentary faction will once again put into
circulation those bills which have been rejected by the government,
including the bill on setting the minimum salary at AMD 70,000,
Prosperous Armenia faction secretary Naira Zohrabyan told reporters
in parliament.

“The people are starving, this is the question,” she said, while
commenting on the bill on raising state officials’ salaries discussed
at the previous four-day session.

She added that Prosperous Armenia faction will unequivocally vote
against the bill.

Source: Panorama.am

OUR BEST OPTION…FOR NOW

Editorial, 19 October 2013

Because too many Armenians willfully ignore some of the fundamental
truisms of international politics, it bears to repeat the number
one “law” on how states ultimately relate to each other. To put it
bluntly, military muscle is the tacit but determining “supreme court”
of political conflict. And since the Big Powers dominate militarily,
it is their will that will be done, not that of Burkina Faso,
Fiji…or Armenia. Many other diplomatic “laws” get their cue from
this first law.

For all the striped pants, top hats, elegant tails, and the diplomatic
civilities at the UN, international politics is, in essence, little
different from the way “peace” is maintained by the street-corner
bully. Power will not be denied. Witness the western invasions of the
Middle East or Turkey’s recent Kurdish-friendly reforms. The latter
are being proposed not because Ankara has suddenly seen the justice
of the Kurdish cause, but primarily because the Kurdistan Workers’
Party (PKK – Partiya Karkeren Kurdistan), the Pesh Mergas have cost
Turkey thousands of casualties, not to mention $300 billion to wage
war against the Kurds.

When we lobby for the recognition of the Genocide, demand the return of
our lands, argue that Artsakh is rightfully ours, and insist Armenians
should retain some western Azerbaijani territory to discourage future
Baku attacks, it behooves us to pay heed to the above rules.

Another rule is that no country cedes an inch of land, unless it is
forced to do so. The time-honored way of acquiring land is war or
its threat. Which brings us to the subject of the return of some of
Western Armenia to Armenia.

For more than a decade some in the Armenian media and intelligentsia
have expressed the hope that a democratic-liberal Turkey is our
best chance to regain parts of Western Armenia. Despite Armenian
disappointments in Turkish promises of modernity and tolerance (“Young
Turks” in 1908; Ataturk’s “modern” Republic of Turkey), these same
Armenians hope against hope that Ankara would return to us Kars,
Ardahan, Ararat, Van, etc. because somehow and someday Turkey would
believe it’s the right thing to do.

But democracy, liberalism, etc. have nothing to do with self-interest,
especially when it comes to occupying another’s land or returning lands
to their rightful owners. Britain acquired its empire when it was
a liberal democracy. It gave away its empire only when the “natives
got restless” and packed the British back to their island. To this
day, Britain refuses to give up the Falklands in the South Atlantic
or Gibraltar. The U.S, a democracy since its birth, illegally took
everything west of continental Northeast US from the Natives. To this
day, it keeps its hold on Guantanamo, a Cuban beach outpost.

France was a democracy when it acquired its African and Southeast
Asian colonies. It was a democracy when it refused to return Algeria
to the Arabs or Vietnam to the Vietnamese.

When western countries, with centuries of democratic values, refuse to
return what’s not theirs, why do we assume a traditionally intolerant
and racist Turkey would behave differently? This is delusional thinking
writ large. Besides, how will Turkey return an inch of Western Armenia
to us when from Kozan (Sis) to Kars, the land is populated mostly by
Kurds who demand autonomy, if not independence.

Turkey has lost thousands of troops and civilians, in addition to
spending vast sums to suppress Kurdish insurgency. Why would it just
hand over anything to us?

To say that regaining our lands from Turkey through military means is
not an option is to state the obvious. Thus the Kurdish option (see
Q&A with Dr. Henry Astarjian in our previous issue) is the only game
in town–for now. As Kurds get stronger in Iraq, Syria and Turkey, it
seems inevitable to many observers that Ankara will eventually concede
some of Western Armenia to a future Kurdistan. Meanwhile, as Dr.

Astarjian suggests, we should make serious and strategic approaches
to the Kurdish leadership. Representatives of the National Congress
of Western Armenians have been touring Western Armenia for the past
several years and meeting Kurdish leaders, half-Kurd/half-Armenian,
converted and hidden Armenians. Their focus is cultural ties with
the Kurds. These are incipient moves. We need to see more vigorous
exchanges. Armenian organizations in North America, in Europe and
elsewhere should establish friendly relations with the Kurds. We need
Armenian-Kurdish Friendship Associations wherever Armenians and Kurds
live. We should-in particular–learn how we can help the Kurds. One
obvious strategy is promoting the Kurdish cause in the west.

Our efforts would require a quid pro quo–a solid agreement that when
Kurds take control of Western Armenia, they would return some of the
land to us…at least those adjacent to the western slopes of Ararat.

The “rule” which says states don’t cede land, unless militarily forced,
stands. But there are always exceptions to the rule. Let’s try to
regain some of our lands through means other than military. A pipe
dream? Perhaps not. It IS a dream, but one with a plan attached to it.

It’s certainly more constructive than what we’ve done for so long:
chatter among ourselves as Western Armenia drifts away from us.

ZHOGHOVURD: KARABAKH PRESIDENT BE SERZH SARGSYAN MOST LIKELY SUCCESSOR IN ARMENIA?

12:10 ~U 25.10.13

Nagorno-Karabakh President Bako Sahakyan is rumored to be Serzh
Sargsyan’s most likely successor in Armenia, the paper says, citing
sources close to the upper circles of government.

And the constitutional reforms aimed at eliminating the 10-year
permanent residency requirement for future presidents, is thought to
have been proposed with that propose.

“It isn’t clear yet what solution will be offered by the officials
who have committed themselves to constitutional reforms, but that the
steps towards ‘promoting’ Bako Sahakyan are being are taken also in
the European counties and the Russian Federation, which is our ally,
seems to be fact.

“Many circles represent him as a reliable partner and an experienced
president who is capable of replacing Serzh Sargsyan in 2018,” the
paper comments.

Armenian News – Tert.am

GLOBAL MEDICAL SOLUTIONS TO BE ENTRUSTED WITH MANAGEMENT OF RADIOISOTOPE GENERATION AND MOLECULAR DIAGNOSTICS CENTER IN ARMENIA

10:59 25/10/2013 ” SOCIETY

The working visit of the Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan-led government
delegation to the Kingdom of Belgium has kicked off.

On the sidelines of the visit, the Armenian Government and the
U.S.-based Global Medical Solutions CJSC signed an agreement on the
management of Radioisotope Generation Center CJSC.

Attended by Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan, the agreement was signed
by First Deputy Minister-Chief of Government Staff Tigran Gevorgyan
for the Government of Armenia and Global Medical Solutions President
and CEO Haik Bakrjian for the Company.

Supported by the Belgian government, the Radioisotope Generation Center
is the first stage on the way to founding the Armenian Excellence
Center of Oncology, supposed to exercise radioisotope generation,
radio pharmaceuticals production and molecular diagnostics functions.

Specialized in the field of nuclear medicine, Global Medical Solutions
is involved in a number of countries, including Australia, New Zealand,
Thailand, China, Brazil and others.

The National Competitiveness Foundation-coordinated Oncology
Center of Excellence project consists of three stages – creation
of centers for radioisotope generation and molecular diagnostics,
radiation and chemotherapeutics and oncology surgery. It is meant to
be a state-of-the-art tumor treatment and prevention hub to provide
nuclear diagnostics, nuclear medicine, chemotherapy and surgery-related
inpatient and outpatient services in Armenia, the government’s press
service reported.

Source: Panorama.am

LET’S ACCEPT TURKEY TO THE CUSTOMS UNION, KAZAKH PRESIDENT SAYS

18:57 24.10.2013

Russian President Vladimir Putin voiced support Thursday for his Kazakh
counterpart’s proposal to dissolve the Eurasian Economic Community
(EurAsEC), but said such a move should be gradual and well thought
over, RIA Novosti reports.

Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev proposed on Thursday to dissolve
the EurAsEC and focus on the expansion of the mooted Eurasian Economic
Union, which will be based on the Customs Union that currently
comprises Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus.

“We cannot simply eliminate [EurAsEC], otherwise we will disrupt the
legal basis of the Customs Union,” Putin said. “But we have to do
something with it.”

Nazarbayev said earlier in the day that the closure of the EurAsEC
was necessary to avoid redundancy because its functions were similar
to the planned Eurasian Economic Union. He proposed focusing on the
expansion of the Customs Union.

Commenting on Nazarbayev’s statement, Putin said “we need to think
this over and find a decision that will not burden us with excessive
structures.”

According to Nazarbayev, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan could be granted
observer status in the Customs Union, while Armenia and Turkey would
get the full membership.

“The president of Turkey approached me with a request to join our
Customs Union,” Nazarbayev said at a session of the Supreme Eurasian
Economic Council in Minsk. “Let us accept Turkey as well.”

EurAsEC’s full-fledged members are currently Belarus, Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan. Armenia, Moldova and Ukraine have
observer status.

In 2011, the Russian, Belarusian and Kazakh presidents signed
a declaration on Eurasian economic integration, a roadmap of
integration processes aimed at creating the Eurasian Economic Union,
to be based on the Customs Union and common economic space between
the three countries.

Russia’s president at the time, Dmitry Medvedev, said Moscow expected
the Eurasian Economic Union to be up and running by 2015.

TURQUIE: L’INSULTE A L’ARMENITE” DEVANT LES TRIBUNAUX

Publié le : 25-10-2013

Info Collectif VAN – – En juin dernier et pour la
première fois, a débuté en Turquie un procès visant a pénaliser
les agresseurs de deux citoyens turcs d’origine arménienne. Levon
Balcıoglu et son fils Artun avaient en effet subi les menaces et
les insultes de Yusuf Polat et de son frère Mehmet. Traités d’ ”
infidèles ”, les Balcıoglu ont soumis l’affaire a la Cour pénale
d’Istanbul.

Yusuf Polat les avait par ailleurs menacés en ces termes : ”
Arméniens, ce pays est a nous. Je vais vous tuer, je vais briser vos
jambes. ” Yusuf Polat risque jusqu’a deux ans de prison. S’il est
sanctionné a la suite du procès, il sera la première personne
condamnée en Turquie pour un crime défini comme ‘insulte a
l’arménité’. Les autorités judiciaires d’Istanbul ont affirmé
que ” le résultat du procès servira d’exemple ”. Espérons donc
qu’il y aura bien une condamnation… Le Collectif VAN vous propose
la traduction d’un article en turc, paru dans le journal Sabah,
le 29 juin 2013.

Sabah

29 juin 2013

Par Abdurrahman Å~^imÅ~_ek

Légende photo : Le visuel, en ligne sur un média turc, indique :
“C’est une première en Turquie: dire ‘Arménien’ est devenu un crime.

Un procès a été intenté en raison du crime d”humiliation, d’insulte
et menaces’.”

Deux ans de prison pour le crime d’ “insulte a l’arménité”

Pour la première fois, le fait d’utiliser le mot ‘arménien’ dans un
but dégradant a été considéré comme un crime. Un procès a été
intenté a propos de deux personnes ayant dit ” Gavur d’Arméniens
” [Nota CVAN : Gavur signifie ” infidèle ”. C’est une insulte
en turc].

Le fait d’utiliser le mot ‘arménien’ dans un but dégradant envers
une personne d’origine arménienne, a été pour la première fois
considéré comme un crime par le bureau des procureurs d’Istanbul. Il
a intenté un procès en faveur de deux personnes, en raison du crime
de ‘humiliation, insulte et menaces’.

Yusuf Polat qui a dit ‘les infidèles arméniens’ a Levon Balcıoglu
et son fils Artun Balcıoglu, citoyens turcs d’origine arménienne,
risque devant la Cour pénale d’Istanbul une peine pouvant aller
jusqu’a deux ans de prison. S’il est sanctionné a la suite du
procès, Polat sera la première personne condamnée en Turquie
pour un crime défini comme ‘insulte a l’arménité’. Le bureau des
procureurs a préparé un acte d’accusation considérant le crime
‘insulte a l’arménité’, 6 ans après l’assassinat de Hrant Dink,
journaliste d’origine arménienne, ciblé et jugé dans le cadre de
l’Article 301 en raison du crime ‘insulte a la turcité’. Comme Hrant
Dink avait dit ” Je ne suis pas Turc. Je suis citoyen de Turquie et
je suis Arménien ” dans une conférence a Urfa en 2002, il a été
jugé pour une peine de 3 ans et il a été acquitté. Dink a été
accusé d’insulter la turcité de l’Article 301 par le fait d’écrire
la phrase suivante dans un article paru en 2004: ” Le sang s’écoulant
de la noble veine reliant les Arméniens a l’Arménie se substituera
a celui empoisonné par l'”élément turc”. ” Il a été condamné a
six mois de prison malgré le rapport d’expert contradictoire. Cette
décision a entraîné le fait que Dink soit ciblé par les milieux
ultra-nationalistes et Dink a été assassiné a Å~^iÅ~_li, Istanbul
le 19 Janvier 2007.

Selon les allégations recues par le département privé des
renseignements de Sabah, l’évènement qui a causé le procès de
‘l’insulte a l’arménité’ a eu lieu ainsi :

” Je vais vous tuer ”

Levon Balcıoglu, d’origine arménienne, de Sivas, et son fils
Artun Balcıoglu, ont signé un contrat avec Filiz Uyar pour le
fonctionnement d’une cantine dans une école privée. Le 21 avril,
Yusuf Polat, associé non officiel de Filiz Uyar, a voulu amener a
la cantine des clients de l’extérieur. Le père et le fils ne l’ont
pas autorisé car c’était contraire au règlement. Pour éviter
que les clients de l’extérieur ne viennent, le père et le fils ont
recruté Kemal Batu. Yusuf Polat a dit a Kemal Batu, en désignant
les Balcıoglu : ” Ne sois pas leur esclave.

Ce sont des infidèles arméniens. ” Batu a répondu : ” Ne parle
pas comme ca. ” Polat a continué en disant : ”Toi, tu le cherches
je crois, tu vas le trouver. ” Puis, il a menacé Levon et Artun
Balcıoglu en ces termes : ” Arméniens, ce pays est a nous. Je vais
vous tuer, je vais briser vos jambes. ”

Quatre jours plus tard, Mehmet Zahit Polat, le frère de Yusuf
Polat, a menacé pour la deuxième fois : ” Si vous touchez a mon
frère, je briserai vos pieds. On est venu a 3, on viendra a 103 si
nécessaire. ”

Sur la plainte, le procureur républicain d’Istanbul Zeynel Sarıbuga,
faisant suite a une enquête a propos des frères Polat, a intenté
un procès au titre de l’Article 125/1 et 216/2 du Code pénal turc
pour Yusuf Polat et de l’Article 106/1 pour Mehmet Zahit Polat.

Cela va servir d’exemple

Le fait de poursuivre en justice Yusuf Polat avec les Articles 125/1
et 216/2 du Code pénal turc est important car ces articles concernent
les crimes d’insultes. De plus, ils couvrent les crimes suivants :
” l’humiliation et l’insulte publique d’une partie du peuple en
mettant en avant la différence de classe sociale, de religion,
de sexe, de région ”.

L’Article 125/1 de la loi concerne la pénalisation, par des
amandes pénales ou par une peine de prison de 3 mois a 2 ans, des
personnes ayant porté atteinte a la dignité, a l’honneur et a la
respectabilité de toute personne par des actes ou des phénomènes
concrets, ou bien par des insultes, ou des inscriptions.

L’Article 216/2 de la loi prévoit de pénaliser avec une peine de
prison de 6 mois a 1 an, la personne qui humilie publiquement une
partie du peuple en mettant en avant la différence de classe sociale,
de religion, de sexe, de région.

L’Article 125/1 de la loi, au titre duquel Mehmet Zahit Polat sera
jugé, prévoit une peine de prison de 6 mois a 2 ans pour une personne
ayant commis une infraction de menace.

Les autorités judiciaires interviewées par Sabah ont dit que le
procès de ” l’insulte a l’arménité ” était le premier dans son
genre. Ceci est conforme aux critères de l’Union Européenne et de
la Cour Européenne des Droits de l’Homme. De plus, elles ont affirmé
que le résultat du procès servirait d’exemple.

©Traduction du turc : NA.T. pour le Collectif VAN – 21 octobre 2013
–

Titre original : ” Ermenilige hakaret sucuna 2 yıl hapis”

Retour a la rubrique

Source/Lien : Sabah

LE MUSEE DE L’HOLOCAUSTE EVOQUERA LE GENOCIDE ARMENIEN

GENOCIDE

Le Musee de l’Holocauste de l’Illinois va parrainer une exposition
majeure sur le Genocide armenien en 2015 a l’occasion de son 100e
anniversaire a annonce le directeur executif du Musee Rick Hirschhaut.

” Nous devons parler pour ceux dont les voix ont ete reduites au
silence et pour ceux qui survecu car nous devons nous rappeler et
nous nous engageons a ne jamais oublier ” a declare Rick Hirschhaut.

vendredi 25 octobre 2013, Stephane ©armenews.com

L’ARMENIE ENTEND APPROFONDIR SES RELATIONS AVEC L’OTAN

ARMENIE

La presse du jour signale la visite a Erevan du representant special
de l’OTAN pour le Sud Caucase, James Appathurai, qui a ete recu par le
President Sarkissian et le Vice-ministre de la Defense, Davit Tonoyan.

La mise en ~uvre de l’IPAP et l’avenir du partenariat entre l’Armenie
et l’OTAN en etaient le principal sujet.

Par ailleurs, les quotidiens rendent compte de la conference de
presse du President de la commission parlementaire de la defense, de
la securite et de l’interieur de l’AN armenienne, Koryun Nahapetian,
qui, de retour de l’Assemblee parlementaire de l’OTAN, a souligne que
l’adhesion de l’Armenie a l’Union douanière n’affectera aucunement
le plan d’action de partenariat avec l’OTAN : ” nous beneficions de
la plus grande confiance de nos partenaires et le justifions par nos
actions “, faisant ainsi reference a la participation de l’Armenie
aux missions de maintien de la paix au Kosovo et en Afghanistan. /
Hayots Achkhar, Hayastani Hanrapetoutioun

Extrait de la revue de presse de l’Ambassade de France en Armenie en
date du 18 octobre 2013

vendredi 25 octobre 2013, Stephane ©armenews.com