Author: Babajanian Karo

HAS SERZH SARGSYAN FELT ANYTHING NEW?

A few days after the telephone conversation between the presidents of
the United States and Iran President Rowhani initiated consideration of
direct flights between Iran and the United States to enable mobility.

Iranian-American relations developed very quickly. Time will show
how far they will go but it definitely took a long time to prepare,
and the 15 minutes of the telephone conversation was just a published
episode of those lasting efforts.

Such developments are beneficial for Armenia and especially for the
Armenian government which explained its decision to join the Customs
Union by “security threat”. The positive turn of relations between
Iran and the United States, independent from dynamics, is an appeasing
factor to security threats and challenges, therefore also the Russian
press. In addition, it comes next to the decision of the United States
to refrain from intervention in Syria for the time being. These open
up space for Serzh Sargsyan to maneuver in his relations with Russia.

Moreover, interestingly, the United States treated Armenia’s decision
of September 3 calmly. The ambassador of the United States even
announced that there is nothing in the Customs Union that would hinder
internal reforms in Armenia.

It is possible that change of situation will echo in Serzh Sargsyan’s
address to the PACE session in Strasbourg. More exactly, the speech
will indicate if Serzh Sargsyan has felt anything new since September
3.

The situation is favorable for Armenia as well because Armenia felt
the tensions between the West and Iran the first, both in economic
and political terms. The economic sanctions on Tehran affected the
Armenian economy as well. At the same time, Armenia is not free to
initiate strategic projects with Iran, facing obstacles on behalf of
both Russia and the West. Certainly, each of them has their own reason
but the fact is that balance or competition is eliminated for Armenia.

The question is how Serzh Sargsyan will use the new opportunity,
whether to address his personal matters at the level of statements and
achieve balance between the West and Russia or use the opportunities
for the interests of the Republic of Armenia.

It is early for more substantial comments because the United States
and Tehran just had a short talk. However, it is not early to get
ready for future possible scenarios to gain not only personal but
also national benefits from them. Although, considering September 3,
it is hard to expect anything else from the Armenian government.

Hakob Badalyan 11:19 01/10/2013 Story from Lragir.am News:

GEVORG KOSTANYAN’S BLACK LIST

The National Assembly will discuss the nomination of prosecutor
general. Serzh Sargsyan has nominated the military prosecutor Gevorg
Kostanyan.

Earlier Gevorg Kostanyan had met with all the parliamentary groups
which came up with positive opinions. This is something new, especially
considering the domestic picture of recent years. On the other hand,
the logic of this picture explains the “phenomenon”.

>From the moment of joining the Customs Union everyone, especially the
political and pro-political groups understood that there is nothing
to celebrate because they have been “dumped”. Now these groups are
needed in neither Armenia, nor Russia. Moreover, these groups are
now staked because as soon as it comes to clearing the traces their
interests will be affected in the first place.

Over the past few months the Armenian domestic life has developed
along the line that Serzh Sargsyan signs the Association Agreement
with the EU which ends up in a coup by Moscow. All the “political”
and social preconditions are in place in Armenia. Nobody is hiding
now that Serzh Sargsyan decided to join the Customs Union out of the
fear of coup and removal from government.

In fact, Serzh Sargsyan insured his tenure and received a cart blanche
at the expense of the sovereignty and prospects of Armenia. It was
understood that the issues of security and Karabakh were merely part
of the blackmail campaign which the Russian political and analytical
circles and their Armenian “branch offices” were carrying out.

Besides, it immediately became clear that Russia facing an economic
collapse will not be able to make the promised investments in Armenia.

Although, Moscow would not have made any investments in a better
economic situation. The West will not make any investments either.

Meanwhile, the Armenian government needs money, a lot of money,
which is an issue in Armenia. The problem is to “withdraw” the money
because the issue of government which Serzh Sargsyan has been unable
to resolve so far depends on it.

So, there are important reasons to love the prosecutor general,
especially in the parliament where the Armenian business “elite”,
the symbol of corruption, is based.

Aghvan Hovsepyan used to be one of the balancers of the former system.

This system with its quotas and agreements is already obsolete,
it moves forward with the force of habit. The establishment of the
new system will involve new quotas and agreements, redistribution
of property. New people and new organizations are needed for this
purpose. The new prosecutor general will soon be affirmed, the united
investigative service is already being formed.

A wise Jew said one has to pay for everything. So, soon we will
witness the next touching act of national unity of the Armenian
criminal oligarchy and its new “political’ segments. After all, money
is more important to them than everything else (Hovik Abrahamyan said
that we must first deal with our problems). Their Holy Bible is the
Criminal Code, their religious leader is the prosecutor general.

Love the prosecutor general or it will be too late. All the more so
because he has gained experience after Liska’s case.

Haik Aramyan 10:38 01/10/2013 Story from Lragir.am News:

LE PROGRAMME D’INVESTISSEMENT DE LA COMPAGNIE DES CHEMINS DE FER DU CAUCASE DU SUD POUR 2014 SERA DE 7,5 MILLIARDS DE DRAMS

ARMENIE

Le programme d’investissement de la compagnie des chemins de fer
du Sud-Caucase CJSC pour 2014 s’elèvera a 7,5 milliards de drams
contre 6,3 milliards l’annee precedente a declare Viktor Rebets,
PDG de la societe.

” Nous mettrons particulièrement l’accent sur la creation de
technologies liees au système de regulation de la circulation,
a savoir un système de blocage semi-automatique, ainsi que sur
l’automatisation de nos installations de commutation dans les stations
et le renforcement de nos installations ferroviaires ” a-t-il dit.

Ainsi la reconstruction de notre depôt a Gyumri a permis de modifier
la periodicite des reparations de locomotives, de se debarrasser des
entrepreneurs de l’exterieur et d’augmenter les periodes entre les
reparations a-t-il precise.

” Avant cela, nous nous reparions toutes les voitures chaque annee,
sans tenir compte de combien de kilomètres elles avaient parcouru,
alors que maintenant nous voyons leurs kilometrages, et compte tenu
des courtes distances en Armenie, nous pouvons dire que la periodicite
des reparations sera retreci a deux reprises (une fois en deux ans)
” a declare Viktor Rebets.

Viktor Rebets a egalement souligne qu’en 2008, lorsque la societe est
venu en Armenie, il y avait eu 420 cas de deraillement, et en 2012,
leur nombre a ete divise par cinq grâce a des investissements dans
les infrastructures, en particulier grâce a la reparation de 300
kilomètres de voies ferrees.

” Nous avons construit trois ponts en 2012. Cette annee, nous
renforcons trois autres ponts, mais ne construisons pas de nouveaux
car il n’est pas necessaire de le faire ” a-t-il conclu.

mardi 1er octobre 2013, Stephane ©armenews.com

TEHERAN EST PRET A COUVRIR SA PART DE LA CONSTRUCTION DU CHEMIN DE FER IRAN-ARMENIE

ARMENIE

L’Iran est prete a couvrir les depenses pour la construction de
sa part du chemin de fer Iran-Armenie a declare le secretaire du
Conseil national de securite de la Republique d’Armenie Arthur
Baghdasaryan lors de la conference de presse le 6 septembre. ”
L’Armenie poursuit les negociations avec l’Iran sur le lancement
des travaux de construction du chemin de fer Iran-Armenie ” a tenu
a preciser Arthur Baghdasaryan.

Le secretaire du Conseil national de securite de la Republique
d’Armenie a note que des travaux sont en cours pour s’assurer de la
participation financière pour la partie armenienne du chemin de fer. ”
Les entreprises russes, chinoises et iraniennes sont interessees par
la question ” a declare Arthur Baghdasaryan.

La construction de la liaison ferroviaire Armenie-Iran devrait coûter
de 2 a 4 milliards de $.

mardi 1er octobre 2013, Stephane ©armenews.com

NURTEN ET EROL OZKORAY DES EPOUX POURSUIVIS POUR AVOIR ECRIT UN LIVRE

Turquie : International Herald Tribune

Par Metin Demirsar

International Herald Tribune, Turquie

27 septembre 2013

Istanbul (Dunya) – Un procureur d’Istanbul a ouvert une enquete contre
un couple accuse d’avoir ecrit et publie un essai critique sur les
manifestations anti gouvernementales qui ont secoue la Turquie cet ete,
a-t-on appris des epoux.

Le procureur a convoque vendredi Nurten Ozkoray et son mari Erol
Ozkoray au tribunal principal d’Istanbul pour indiquer les motifs de la
publication par leur maison d’edition Idea Politika de ” Gezi Fenomeni
” (Le Phenomène Gezi), un essai de 280 pages sur les manifestations
du Parc Gezi. Le livre est sorti le 1er août.

Les remous de Gezi ont commence a la fin du mois de mai par une
manifestation inoffensive ecologique de protestation contre le projet
municipal de construire des casernements du style de l’epoque ottomane
et un centre commercial dans un parc au centre d’Istanbul.

Mais la manifestation s’est muee en des accrochages
anti-gouvernementaux a travers tout le pays. Les mesures violentes
prises par la police ont fait six morts et plus de 8 500 blesses.

Les Ozkoray, qui sont des intellectuels influents, ont fait savoir que
le motif invoque pour l’enquete est ” insultes a des fonctionnaires
de l’etat “, notamment a Tayyip Recep Erdogan.

Les Ozkoray sont d’anciens journalistes et directeurs de relations
publiques qui ont conseille des gouvernements, des partis et des
personnalites politiques, ainsi que des societes du secteur prive,
en strategie des affaires.

Mme Ozkoray est sociologue et conseillère en communication, tandis que
M. Ozkoray, est docteur en sciences politiques et ancien journaliste
de l’Agence France Presse et du quotidien espagnol El Païs.

M. Ozkoray, un defenseur bien connu de la democratie et sa femme ont
dit ne pas etre surpris de cette attaque contre eux de la part d’un
gouvernement aux ramifications islamistes.

Fascisme Vert

” Je m’attendais a cette agression du Gouvernement Islamique après
la revolution de Gezi. Comme vous le constatez, le Fascisme Vert
(Islamique), au 21ème siècle, ne connaît aucune limite a ses attaques
contre la liberte d’expression et d’opinion “, a-t-il affirme dans
une declaration ecrite.

” En tant qu’intellectuel, ecrivain et editeur, je n’accepte qu’aucune
limite ne soit mise a la liberte d’expression. Mes ecrits se fondent
sur la constitution qui garantit la liberte d’expression et je ne
connais dans ce domaine que le droit international, pas les lois
qui la restreignent… lorsqu’il s’agit d’exprimer mes opinions ”
a declare M. Ozkoray.

Il a affirme que selon lui cette enquete etait dirigee contre la
democratie et il a souligne les aspects dangereux de ce gouvernement
pro-islamiste. ” Si nous ne nous opposons pas a cet esprit de Gezi, le
pays sera la proie du totalitarisme islamique “, a dit M. Ozkoray. Le
livre est construit autour d’un cycle de conferences en Maîtrise de
Sociologie donne par M. Ozkoray a l’Universite du Bosphore, edite au
printemps dernier chez Idea.

La thèse ecrite par Mme Ozkoray sur ‘ L’Individualisme et Democratie
en Turquie ‘ eclaire les mouvements de Gezi en analysant les paramètres
de l’individualisme des generations des annees 90.

L’hypothèse sur ce point est que le deficit de democratie et
d’institutions pour assurer la liberte et les droits gene le
developpement individuel.

Pour la partie du livre dont il est l’auteur, M. Ozkoray dit comment
l’autoritarisme islamique s’est installe en Turquie et les raisons
pour lesquelles il s’oppose au mouvement des jeunes et du peuple.

Il analyse la succession au pouvoir des militaires et de l’AKP au
cours des onze annees coulees ; comment ils ont ruine le projet de
l’UE, ensemble, et comment les media ont ete soumis.

Traduction Gilbert Beguian pour Armenews

Photo : 24 avril 2013, Mairie de Paris, le CCAF remet la Medaille du
courage a Erol Ozkoray

mardi 1er octobre 2013, Jean Eckian ©armenews.com

SARKISSIAN INITIE UNE NOUVELLE AMNISTIE

POLITIQUE

Le president Serge Sarkissian a demande au Parlement armenien de voter
une amnistie generale qui pourrait conduire a la liberation de deux
militants anti-gouvernementaux consideres par leurs partisans comme
des prisonniers politiques.

Les fonctionnaires de l’Assemblee nationale ont declare qu’un projet
de loi en ce sens a ete presente par l’administration presidentielle
a l’occasion du 22e anniversaire de l’independance de l’Armenie.

Les details du projet de loi ne sont pas encore connus. Il ne sera
rendu public que lors des prochaines discussions au parlement. Le
comite des affaires juridiques du Parlement devrait commencer a
discuter mardi de l’amnistie proposee.

Sarkissian a pris deux fois de telles initiatives au cours de son
premier mandat. La plus recente amnistie declaree par les autorites
armeniennes en mai 2011 a abouti a la liberation de plus de 500
detenus. Près de 2 000 autres ont vu leur peine de prison raccourcies
a l’epoque.

Le pardon de 2011 faisait de facto suite a une serie de manifestations
du Congrès National Armenien (HAK), dirige par l’ancien president
Levon Ter-Petrossian. Ce dernier exigeait que les autorites libèrent
plusieurs personnalites eminentes HAK qui avaient ete arrete dans le
contexte des campagnes de protestations contre le gouvernement. Toutes
ont ete relâchees par la suite.

Plusieurs dizaines d’autres partisans et membres de l’alliance de
Ter-Petrosian, qui ont ete arretes lors des troubles post-electauraux
de 2008 a Erevan ont ete liberees suite a une amnistie precedente
en 2009.

Un haut legislateur du Parti republicain d’Armenie (HHK) a declare
au service armenien de RFE / s ‘RL (Azatutyun.am) que la prochaine
amnistie s’etendra a Tigran Arakelian, un militant du HAK qui a ete
arrete en août 20011, puis condamne a six ans de prison sur fausses
accusations selon le HAK.

L’amnistie concernerait egalement Volodia Avetisian, un
colonel a la retraite qui a organise recemment des manifestations
anti-gouvernementales a Erevan. Avetisian a ete arrete il y a quelques
jours au motifs d’accusations de corruption.

mardi 1er octobre 2013, Ara ©armenews.com

Fars News Agency, Iran
Sept 29 2013

Armenia Welcomes Resumption of Iran-G5+1 Talks

TEHRAN (FNA)- Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian, in a
meeting with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif, welcomed
the start of a new round of talks between the Group 5+1 (the five
permanent UN Security Council members plus Germany) and Iran on
Tehran’s civilian nuclear program.
During the meeting held on the sidelines of the 68th UN General
Assembly Session in New York on Saturday, the Armenian top diplomat
expressed the hope that Tehran’s nuclear standoff with the West would
be settled during the upcoming talks between the two sides.

Zarif, for his part, underlined the peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear
program, and expressed Tehran’s readiness for the start of the new
round of talks with the world powers on the basis of equal footing,
confidence building and mutual respect.

The two senior officials also stressed the need to broaden bilateral
ties between the two neighboring states in all arenas.

On Friday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani underlined that his
government has full authority from Supreme Leader of the Islamic
Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei for talks with the world’s six
major powers.

`The government has sufficient authority to gain substantial results
in talks with the Group 5+1,’ President Rouhani told reporters at a
press conference in New York.

`The government has the necessary authority in nuclear talks and I
have chosen the foreign minister for negotiations,’ he added.

The Iranian president pointed to a recent meeting of foreign ministers
of Iran and the six world powers, and said, `The meetings of Dr. Zarif
with G5+1’s foreign ministers were held in a positive and inspiring
atmosphere and we hope that these talks could soon bear tangible
results.’

The foreign ministers of Iran and the six world powers said Thursday
they were pleased with their New York discussions over the settlement
of the Iran-West nuclear standoff, adding that they have set a new
round of negotiations for next month in Geneva.

The top diplomats of the Group 5+1 described their meeting with Zarif
on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly as “a change in tone”.

European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, who chaired the
meeting, told reporters it had been `a substantial meeting. Good
atmosphere. Energetic’.

She said the two sides had agreed on an “ambitious timetable” to
address western concerns about Iran’s nuclear program and would meet
again in Geneva on October 15-16 `to pursue the agenda to carry on
from today’s meeting and to hopefully move this process forward’.

Ashton also added a note of caution, saying it was important to focus
on `effective work that we do on the ground’.

Iran says its nuclear program is a peaceful drive to produce
electricity so that the world’s fourth-largest crude exporter can sell
more of its oil and gas abroad. Tehran also stresses that the country
is pursuing a civilian path to provide power to the growing number of
Iranian population, whose fossil fuel would eventually run dry.

The US and its western allies allege that Iran is pursuing a nuclear
weapons program while they have never presented corroborative evidence
to substantiate their allegations against the Islamic Republic.

Iran is under four rounds of UN Security Council sanctions for turning
down West’s calls to give up its right of uranium enrichment, saying
the demand is politically tainted and illogical.

Iran has so far ruled out halting or limiting its nuclear work in
exchange for trade and other incentives, saying that renouncing its
rights under the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) would encourage the
world powers to put further pressure on the country and would not lead
to a change in the West’s hardline stance on Tehran.

Iran has also insisted that it would continue enriching uranium
because it needs to provide fuel to a 300-megawatt light-water reactor
it is building in the Southwestern town of Darkhoveyn as well as its
first nuclear power plant in the Southern port city of Bushehr.

Tehran has repeatedly said that it considers its nuclear case closed
as it has come clean of the International Atomic Energy Agency
(IAEA)’s questions and suspicions about its past nuclear activities.

In May, Iran and the six world powers wrapped up their 4th round of
talks after two days of intensive negotiations in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

Iranian officials have always shrugged off the sanctions, saying that
pressures make them strong and reinvigorate their resolve to further
move towards self-sufficiency.

Russia unlike the western members of the G5+1 reiterates on the
necessity for recognition of Iran’s right of uranium enrichment.

The senior Russian officials have on several occasions emphasized the
need for progress in Iran’s nuclear case and the relevant negotiations
on the basis of mutual cooperation and respect.

Meeting of Armenian and Azerbaijani FMs may be effective under certain
conditions – expert

September 29, 2013 | 23:16

YEREVAN. – Resolution of the Karabakh conflict is a long process. It
requires reaching agreement on the issues that the parties can solve
at the moment, political analyst told Armenian News-NEWS.am.

Sergey Minasyan, deputy director of the Caucasus Institute, said such
issues are reducing tension at the line of contact, or abandoning the
warlike rhetoric.

OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs Igor Popov (Russia), Jacques Faure (France)
and James Warlick (USA), and Andrzej Kasprzyk, Personal Representative
of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office met with Armenian and Azerbaijani FMs
on Friday.

The Co-Chairs stressed the commitment of their three countries to
support the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict based
on the non-use of force or the threat of force, territorial integrity,
and equal rights and self-determination of peoples.

`If it is possible to persuade Azerbaijani side, which disagrees to
make any effort because Baku believes that by doing so it will lose
the last lever of influence on the negotiation process, then we can
say that there may be some movement. If not, then the meeting was,
unfortunately, a formal meeting, which, however, in this format allows
preventing the so-called big war,’ Minasyan said.

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

ARMENIE
Le travail administratif pour l’adhésion de l’Arménie dans l’Union
douanière devra être fini pour mai 2014

Le travail administratif pour l’adhésion de l’Arménie dans l’Union
douanière sera achevée d’ici mai 2014 lors de la convention
d’établissement de l’Union économique eurasiatique est prévu d’être
signée a déclaré Igor Chouvalov, le premier vice-premier ministre de
la Fédération de Russie lors d’une réunion du Premier ministre russe
Dmitri Medvedev avec ses adjoints.

« Les experts disent que tout en formant l’accord d’union économique
eurasiatique nous pouvons organiser avec les candidats voulant
rejoindre l’Union douanière les principales dispositions de ce premier
niveau d’intégration qui peut être réglé d’ici mai 2014 » a-t-il dit
en rappelant aux participants à la réunion que le Kirghizistan avait
demandé son adhésion à l’Union douanière aussi.

dimanche 29 septembre 2013,
Stéphane ©armenews.com

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF OF TALYSH NEWSPAPER IN AZERBAIJAN IS SENTENCED TO 5 YEARS IMPRISONMENT FOR TREASON

20:14 27/09/2013 ” LAW

Today court in Azerbaijan pronounced a sentence against Hilal Mamedov,
the editor of the “Tolyshi sado” newspaper, who is also known
as publisher of the video, “Who are you? Common, goodbye.” He was
accused of treason, inciting ethnic hatred and drug trafficking. The
court found Mamedov guilty on all charges and sentenced to 5 years’
imprisonment in a strict regime colony, the Azerbaijani news agency
“Turan” reports.

Before the sentence, Hilal Mamedov pronounced his last words and called
on the court to issue a fair verdict of acquittal. He expressed his
gratitude to all those who supported him since his arrest which took
place more than a year ago, and had had problems because of him.

Mammadov expressed his special thanks to his lawyers. Regarding
the charges, Mamedov called the criminal case issued against him a
“shameful stain not only on the law enforcement system in Azerbaijan
but also on the image of the country.”

“Many representatives of Prosecutor’s Office, Ministry of National
Security, Ministry of Justice, Prison system recognized this in formal
and informal talks. But could do nothing,” said Mamedov.

He noted that the court has two options now: to make a fair verdict of
acquittal, or a justice miscarriage. “Even in this case, I will not
lose courage and I call on those who supported me to do the same,”
said Mamedov.

He noted that he got imprisoned because of his struggle for a
democratic state and is intended to continue this path.

Later the judge read the verdict. The agency notes that when the
judge read the verdict, the audience began cursing the court. Hilal
Mamedov, addressed the audience and said that it can only the Lord
may condemn him. In addition, he specifically turned to the reporters
and said he was not intended to ask for a pardon. Mammadov’s lawyers
said the verdict was unjust, unreasonable and that they are going to
file an appeal.

“Turan” notes that today’s court session was observed by the
representatives of the EU, OSCE as well as representatives of the US,
Germany, France, Norway, embassy etc.

Hilal Mamedov, editor in chief of the only Talysh newspaper “Tolyshi
sado” in Azerbaijan, was arrested by the Azerbaijani police on June
21, 2012. He was charged in drug possession; later on the Azerbaijani
MNS has accused him of treason and espionage. Among other things, Mr.

Mamedov is known by the popular online video, “Who are you? Common,
goodbye!” In summer 2012 three protests were held in front of the
Azerbaijani Embassy in Moscow demanding to stop the ethnocide and to
release Hilal Mamedov.

Human rights organizations, such as the “Reporters without Borders”,
protested the arrest of Mammadov and demanded his release. The report
of the “Reporters without Borders” says that Hilal Mamedov kept in
squalid conditions since his arrest in June of this year on the basis
of trumped-up charges. This case, as the organization notes is very
similar to the case of Novruzali Mammadov, the predecessor of Hilal
Mamedov, who was the editor of “Tolyshi sado.”

The previous editor of “Tolyshi sado”, Professor Novruzali Mamedov,
was arrested by the Azerbaijani special services in 2008. He was also
accused of espionage, and died in Azerbaijani prison in the summer
of 2009, because of being refused in medical care, emphasize the
“Reporters without Borders”. Two sons of Mammadov, who were under
pressure of the Azerbaijani authorities also died; one of them had
a car accident, and the second was beaten every time as he took a
parcel to his father.

The Talysh are an indigenous people of that region, a settlement area
which covers the southern and northern regions of Azerbaijan province
of Iran. The Talysh in Azerbaijan are subjected to harassment on ethnic
grounds. According to official data their number in Azerbaijan reaches
to 112 thousands, but the Talysh believe that the official data are
manyfold underestimated.

Source: Panorama.am