Author: Babajanian Karo

Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)
June 1, 2013 Saturday

Al-Rashed conveys HH Amir’s greetings to Armenian President

| (With photos) YEREVAN, June 1 (KUNA) — Kuwait National Assembly
Speaker Ali Fahad Al-Rashed, visiting here, conveyed His Highness the
Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah’s greetings to
the Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan in a meeting held here Saturday.

President Sargsyan welcomed the Kuwaiti Parliament Speaker and his
accompanying parliamentary delegation at the Presidential Palace on
the occasion of their visit to Armenia.

The Armenian leader also sent his greetings to HH the Amir.

Al-Rashed and Sargsyan discussed bilateral Kuwaiti-Armenian relations
and means to upgrade cooperation in different fields.
They also mulled issues of mutual concern and the latest developments
in the Middle East region.

TendersInfo
June 1, 2013 Saturday

Armenia,Russian Federation : YEREVAN: President met Head of the
RUSSIAN RAILWAYS to expand teamwork

The office of the Armenian President has revealed that President Serzh
Sargsyan has welcomed the President of Russian Railways OJSC –
Vladimir Yakunin on Tuesday.

The Armenian President has stated that they are willing to reinforce
and augment the strategic relationship involving Armenia-Russia
without fail, and added that one of the vital elements of the bonds
amid the two nations is the teamwork in the transportation sector.

Serzh Sargsyan has further said that the current collaboration with
the Russian Railways is very much related to this.
The Head of State has expressed his gratitude to Vladimir Yakunin for
productive and rewarding work, and also mentioned on his personal
input to develop the Armenian infrastructures concerning transport
sector.

On his part, Vladimir Yakunin has wished Serzh Sargsyan all successes
on the occasion of Republic Day of the country. He has updated Serzh
Sargsyan on in-progress and finished projects to renovate and advance
the Armenian railway. He has also revealed that there has been
commissioning of a rolling stock maintenance facility and a locomotive
depot in Gyumri in early part of Tuesday, which is likely to offer job
opportunities for the locals. The Premier Tigran Sargsyan and other
senior officials were present at the launch ceremony of the new site.

During the launch occasion, the Armenian President and Vladimir
Yakunin had also made discussions on the matters connected to the
present position of the Armenian railway, its growth potentials, and
the fulfillment of the pledges made by Russian Railways OJSC as per
the concession contract.

South Caucasus Railways, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Russian
Railways, is the operator of the Armenian Railway.
The arm of Russian Railways won the 30-year concession management
contract, with a right to extend the management term for an additional
phase of 10 years, from Armenian Railways on February 13, 2008.

Eurasia Daily Monitor (Jamestown)
May 28 2013

Nine Potential `Karabakhs’ in Central Asia Heating Up

Publication: Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 10 Issue: 100
May 28, 2013 05:40 PM
By: Paul Goble

That the ethnic and political borders in Central Asia do not
correspond is widely recognized; but the region’s nine ethnic
exclaves, territories within the borders of one country that are
ethnically distinct and politically part of a neighboring state, has
attracted little attention in the past because most are very small.
However, now these nine entities are being put into play for political
purposes – in some cases by the people of the enclaves themselves, in
others by the countries to which they belong or in which they are
located, and in still a third group by Moscow. As a result, the
situation around each of them is heating up, with the risk that one or
more of them will become a Central Asian `Karabakh.’

Tajikistan has three such exclaves: Sarvan, an eight-square-kilometer
area inside Uzbekistan, Vorukh, a 130-square-kilometer area inside
Kyrgyzstan, and Kaigarach (Western Qalacha, a one-square-kilometer
area also inside Kyrgyzstan. Uzbekistan has five exclaves within
Kyrgyzstan: Sokh which covers 325 square kilometers, Sakhimardan which
extends over 90 square kilometers, Qalacha which covers less than one
square kilometer, Dzhangail with less than one square kilometer, and
Tayan, an even smaller space as well. And Kyrgyzstan has a single
exclave in Uzbekistan: the village of Barak (or Barak-ail) between the
Uzbekistani cities of Margilan and Fergana (for maps of these areas,
see enclaves.webs.com/centralasia.htm).

Most of these are so small in size and population that they have
remained irritants rather than become political problems. But the two
largest, the Tajikistani exclave of Vorukh in Kyrgyzstan and the
Uzbekistani exclave of Sokh within Kyrgyzstan, have been the most
problematic because of their relatively large area and populations – the
former has a population estimated at close to 30,000, 95 percent of
whom are Tajiks, and the latter has a population of perhaps as many as
70,000, around 99 percent of whom are ethnic Tajiks. Both their size
and the lack of balance between political control and ethnic
composition have made them potential flashpoints whenever disputes
have arisen between the two countries (see EDM, January 9, 30).

Vorukh has been the bigger problem. For more than a decade,
Kyrgyzstan’s authorities have operated a border crossing facility on
what is Tajikistan’s territory despite a 2008 accord between Dushanbe
and Bishkek to shift it to Kyrgyzstan’s control. This border crossing
has created problems for local Tajiks and sparked acts of violence and
arson, most recently at the end of April when hostages were taken and
law enforcement personnel were beaten – in many ways a replay of a
similar violent clash that originated in and around Sokh in January.
The conflict escalated when the Kyrgyzstani military cut the road
between Vorukh and Tajikistan, provoking the residents of another
Tajik village to block a nearby road that Kyrgyzstan’s citizens
regularly use. Blocking access to Vorukh has become a regular event,
occurring on at least ten occasions in 2012 alone
(news.tj/ru/newspaper/article/vorukh-pozhar-potushen).

Earlier this month (May 8), officials from Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan
met to try to calm the situation, but they agreed only to ban any
future construction of housing and roads in the area, lest that
further destabilize the situation, and to create working groups to
address the issues of the exclave and its relations with the
surrounding territory of the Kyrgyz Republic. Those steps are unlikely
to solve anything. As Tajik observer Hairullo Mirsaidov points out,
`such bilateral meetings have been held frequently, immediately after
each conflict on the Tajik-Kyrgyz border,’ but in no case has `the
situation as a whole changed in any way.’ Few decisions are in fact
taken, and even fewer, he says, have been implemented. Officials from
Dushanbe say that the two sides are dug in and have refused even to
agree on a common map.

Developments there and in Sokh recently suggest that the region’s
national governments and even Moscow may be getting involved,
provoking the escalation of conflicts in the pursuit of their
interests. One Kyrgyz commentary notes that Tashkent appears to be
orchestrating clashes in Sokh in order to pressure Bishkek on a
variety of issues, including the construction of an upstream
hydro-electric dam in Kyrgyzstan that Uzbeks fear will deprive them of
water they need for their crops and population. Any action by
Uzbekistan will only further inflame relations between the two
countries (analitika.org/en/kyrgyzstan/kg-border/28-enclaves-in-the-policies-of-central-asian-states.html).

There is an even greater danger, however – one implied by the Kyrgyz
analysts. Moscow may be involved and working to exploit conflicts over
these enclaves to pressure Uzbekistan to shift away from its
pro-Western orientation. If such Russian intervention does happen, it
would represent the continuation of an old tradition: after all,
Joseph Stalin drew the borders in Central Asia not to resolve ethnic
tensions but to promote them, and not to allow the peoples involved to
resolve their problems but to create a situation in which the only
basis for order would be a strong hand from the outside.

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Prof. Richard Hovannisian Receives UCLA Honors Collegium Distinguished
Teaching Award

By admin Updated: May 30, 2013

UCLA – On May 23, Professor Richard Hovannisian was named the
recipient of the UCLA Eugen Weber Honors Program Distinguished
Teaching Award for his years of service to the honors division. He has
been singled out for his motivational teaching, especially of the
Honors Comparative Genocide colloquium, which has steadily won the
praise of students, who attest that the course has deeply influenced
them to strive for human rights and the prevention of the crime of
genocide.

The Rose Gilbert Honors Spring Tea was opened by Vice Provost for
Undergraduate Education, Patricia A. Turner, who spoke of the
excellence of teaching and student scholarship at UCLA. Assistant Vice
Provost for Honors, G. Jennifer Wilson, then lauded Professor
Hovannisian for his inspirational work, reading three examples of the
student evaluations that described the instructor and the course in
superlative terms. She invited Hovannisian to the podium to receive
his award. In thanking the Honors Program, the professor reflected on
the role of the late UCLA Dean of Social Sciences Eugen Weber, a world
renowned historian of Western Civilization, and of Mrs. Rose Gilbert,
an outstanding teacher of English at Palisades High School, where she
helped develop the writing skills of Raffi, Armen, and Ani Hovannisian
and then to the next generation through Raffi’s son Garin. Rose
Gilbert, who was present at the awards ceremony and continued to teach
into her nineties, is a major benefactor of the scholarship programs
at UCLA.
Although Richard Hovannisian is now an emeritus faculty member at
UCLA, he is recalled annually to interact with bright, motivated
students in the comparative study of genocide, with the Armenian
Genocide being one of the major subjects.

Moscow Conference Ponders Eurasian Security Challenges

Publication: Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 10 Issue: 103
May 31, 2013 03:57 PM
By: Richard Weitz

Attendants at the “Military and Political Aspects of European
Security” conference, Moscow, May 23 (Source: Reuters)

The May 23 Moscow conference on `Military and Political Aspects of
European Security,’ hosted by the Russian Ministry of Defense, saw an
interesting admixture of old and new thinking on seminal Eurasian
security questions. Little progress can be expected in reducing
Russia’s and the North Atlantic Security Treaty’s (NATO) differences
concerning the military issues, but opportunities for mutually
beneficial cooperation are present in the political areas (This author
attended the conference).

The Russian officials who spoke at the conference generally expressed
pessimistic and familiar views regarding the United States’ ballistic
missile defense (BMD) system, NATO’s membership enlargement and
military presence in former Soviet bloc countries, the civil war in
Syria, the Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) Treaty, the
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), and the
prerequisites for strategic and tactical nuclear arms control (see
EDM, May 28). They repeatedly complained about the alliance’s failure
to take into account Russian concerns when making policy decisions,
insufficient NATO cooperation with Moscow in pursuit of common
interests, and needless NATO distrust of Russia.

But Russian officials and non-governmental experts also offered
positive assessments regarding possible cooperation with NATO on other
issues, including Eurasian security relating to post-2014 Afghanistan
and countering Islamist terrorism in Eurasia. In his welcoming message
to the 200-300 conference attendees, President Vladimir Putin noted
improvements in Russian-NATO relations in several areas, from renewed
exchanges and joint exercises to cooperation regarding Afghanistan.
Putin and other Russian officials attributed this progress to the
absence of fundamental ideological differences between Russia and the
West, the rise of multipolarity, the successful functioning of some
arms-control agreements, expanding socioeconomic ties between Russia
and the West, and mutual threats and interests (Russian defense
ministry website, mil.ru/konf_evrodefence/material_appearance.htm,
accessed May 30).

The head of the Presidential Administration, Sergei Ivanov, complained
that some Western countries use `double standards’ to judge
international terrorism, such as their support for armed militants
fighting the government of Syria. Ivanov also believed that Russia and
NATO could cooperate more effectively in Afghanistan if the North
Atlantic Alliance would collaborate directly with the Collective
Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), a bloc of Moscow-leaning Eurasian
countries that, in addition to Russia, includes Armenia, Belarus,
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.

Nonetheless, the Russian and Western speakers agreed that Afghanistan
has been an important area of Russian-NATO cooperation in recent years
and that this collaboration is likely to continue even as the
Alliance-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) draws down
its presence in Afghanistan. For example, Deputy Defense Minister
Anatoly Antonov told an international security forum in Geneva last
month that, `One can predict, with a high degree of probability,
heightened terrorist activity after [the ISAF] military presence in
this country is reduced’ (Russian defense ministry website,
mil.ru/konf_evrodefence/material_appearance.htm, accessed May 30).

At the Moscow conference, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu cited
international terrorism rather than NATO as the main threat to
Russia’s security, as well as international stability more generally.
He endorsed the French military intervention in Mali and stressed the
importance of Russia and the West working to keep weapons of mass
destruction out of the hands of terrorists. Lieutenant General Igor
Sergun, the head of Russia’s military intelligence, told the attendees
that European converts to Islam now fighting with the insurgents in
Syria would likely return to their home countries and potentially
engage in terrorism in Europe. Similarly, in Afghanistan, he warned
that, `A diversified terrorist network, including suicide bomber
training camps, has already been established in the country’ by the
Taliban, who could send their experienced foreign militants `to other
hot spots across the world’ (RIA Novosti, May 23). Nikolai Bordyuzha,
the CSTO general secretary, also predicted that the security of
Russia’s southern borders would decrease following the end of ISAF’s
mission next year. Earlier this month, Russia’s Ambassador to
Afghanistan said that his government was still considering deploying
its Border Troops back to Tajikistan to help that country, which
borders Afghanistan, deal with the resurgence of Eurasian terrorism
(RIA Novosti, May 17).

The Central Asian countries, which sent their defense ministers or
other senior officials to the Moscow conference, are particularly
eager to sustain some NATO security assistance for their governments
as well as the Afghan National Security Forces in coming years.
Russian officials are not averse to such cooperation in principle even
if they object to some specific initiatives, such as NATO’s plans to
transfer excess defense items from their forces in Afghanistan to some
Central Asian countries, who normally obtain their military equipment
from Russia. Given what happened after their former east European
allies joined NATO and reequipped their Soviet-supplied armed forces
with Western weapons, Russian experts fear that such transfers, which
would likely occur at below market cost to the recipients, will
undercut their own arms sales and the resulting leverage Moscow holds
over the receiving governments, as well as make the Central Asian
militaries depend more on NATO’s good will for future defense supplies
(Author’s interviews at the conference site).

A key theme of the Russian presentations at the conference was their
fundamental dissatisfaction with how today’s NATO-dominated European
security structure does not accord Russia sufficient influence given
Moscow’s great power status and its large stake in Eurasian security
developments. To address this problem, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei
Lavrov called on NATO governments to sign the draft European security
treaty released by the Russian government several years ago. Western
leaders have dismissed the draft treaty as being impractical and
unnecessary, but Lavrov insisted that the proposal `remain on the
agenda’ because it was essential to make the general agreements on the
indivisibility of security contained in OSCE declarations and other
documents more specific, concrete and legally binding in the form of a
draft treaty (Russian defense ministry website,
, accessed May
30).

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, who is visiting
Washington today (May 31), will likely discuss these issues in his
meetings with President Barack Obama and other senior US officials.
Obama and Putin have exchanged letters through their national security
advisers in recent weeks, affirming a desire to cooperate further on
security issues (Moscow Times, May 23). In the near term, Afghanistan
and Central Asia look to be the most promising areas for Russia-NATO
cooperation, given shared Russian and NATO concerns that the region
will see a revival of Islamist terrorism there as Western combat
troops continue their withdrawal.

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Xinhua General News Service, China
May 31, 2013 Friday 9:55 AM EST

Armenia should contribute to settlement of Nagorno-Karabakh dispute: PACE chief

YEREVAN May 31

Armenia should use its chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of
the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) to
contribute to the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute, said the
PACE president.

In an interview with Armenia’s Armenpress, Jean Claude Mignon said
that PACE does not side with any of the parties of the conflict but
supports the efforts of the Organization for Security and Cooperation
in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group through parliamentary diplomacy.

“This is what we have been doing for a while. The OSCE Minsk Group is
the only format competent for providing the parties with options of
peaceful solutions to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,” Mignon was
quoted as saying.

On May 16, Armenia assumed the presidency of the Committee of
Ministers of PACE for six months, which Mignon referred to as a unique
opportunity to seek to resolve the conflict.

Armenia and Azerbaijan have been locked in a bitter territorial
dispute over the mountainous Nagorno-Karabakh region since the 1990s.
No final peace deal has been signed after a 1994 ceasefire.

Prelate Participates In Inauguration of `New Cilicia’ Village In Artsakh

Thursday, May 30th, 2013

The Prelate with the participants in the inauguration of the New
Cilicia Village

STEPANAKERT – On Wednesday, May 15, Western Prelate Archbishop Moushegh
Mardirossian returned to Los Angeles from a mission in Armenia and
Artsakh. The Prelate first participated in the meeting of the
Canonization Committee at Holy Etchmiadzin, from where he headed to
Artsakh for the official opening of the `New Cilicia’ village
sponsored by the Catholicosate of Cilicia.

The `New Cilicia’ project was implemented by the joint efforts of the
Catholicosate of Cilicia and the government of the Republic of
Nagorno-Karabakh to build single residence homes, a kindergarten,
medical center, community center, and a church in the Martakert
Province to repopulate the strategically important region.

The first phase included the renovation of the existing elementary
school, the drawing of the village blueprint, which was ratified by
the government, and the building of the first ten homes in late 2012.
The homes were presented to families of martyred soldiers and young
couples selected by the government. In the meantime, construction and
renovations continue on 32 existing homes, which is expected to be
completed in the coming few months.

The Catholicosate of Cilicia delegation, comprised of the Prelates,
Archbishop Sebouh Sarkissian (Prelate of Tehran), Bishop Papken
Tcharian (Prelate of Isfahan), Ara Demirjian and Vahe Yacoubian
(Central Executive members), Edward Babakhanians (Chairman of the
Tehran Prelacy Executive Council), and Khatchig Dedeyan (Catholicosate
Chancellor), arrived in Artsakh on Friday, May 10.

On the morning of Saturday, May 11, the delegation met with Artsakh
President Bako Sahakyan and Primate Archbishop Barkev Martirosyan, and
firstly conveyed the blessings and well wishes of His Holiness
Catholicos Aram I. State-church ties, socioeconomic situation in
Artsakh and regional trends were the focus of the meeting. President
Sahakyan expressed his gratitude to His Holiness for the close
relations that exist between the Catholicosate and the Republic of
Artsakh, as evidenced by the building of the `New Cilicia’ village,
and invited His Holiness to visit Artsakh and personally bless the
citizens. The President wished that the `New Cilicia’ village becomes
the symbol of collaboration between Artsakh and the Diaspora,
stressing the importance of the Diaspora’s support in similar
repopulation efforts. President Sahakyan also underlined the vital
role of the Armenian Apostolic Church in preserving Armenian national
identity in the Diaspora, noting that the church has had a great
contribution in strengthening and expanding ties with the Motherland.
Both sides emphasized the need for continuous deepening the
state-church interrelations, considering it among the most important
bases of the Motherland-Diaspora unshakable unity.

Accompanied by Artsakh Prime Minister Arayik Harutyunyan, the
delegation then headed to the `New Cilicia’ village, where they were
greeted and welcomed by Minister of Agriculture Karen Shahramanyan,
Head of Martakert Province Regional Administration Vladik Khachatryan,
`New Ghazanchi’ village head, elementary school principal, and `New
Cilicia’ residents.

The inauguration of the village began with a special prayer led by the
Prelates, followed by the reading of letter of blessing of Catholicos
Aram I, in which His Holiness stated that Artsakh gained independence
owing to the collective faith, strong will, and blood of our people.
Gaining independence takes sacrifice, but maintaining and
strengthening independence and democracy takes even greater sacrifice
and collective efforts, stated our Pontiff. A mighty and prosperous
Artsakh is a pan-Armenian responsibility, and it is with knowledge and
purpose that the Catholicosate of Cilicia undertook this project with
its Prelacies; we will continue to lend our unwavering support to
Artsakh, concluded the letter of His Holiness.

In his address, Prime Minister Harutyunyan explained the historical
significance of the region designated for the `New Cilicia’
repopulation project. The New Ghazanchi region, explained the Prime
Minister, was one of the major theatres of the war and played a
significant role in the Artsakh army’s victory. The Prime Minister
expressed thanks and appreciation to His Holiness Catholicos Aram I
and the Prelacies of the Holy See of Cilicia for their sponsorship of
this important effort.

Remarks were also delivered by Head of Martakert Province Regional
Administration Vladik Khachatryan, the school principal, and Minister
of Agriculture Karen Shahramanyan. Mr. Shahramanyan presented the
upcoming phases of the project, which includes the building of 29 new
homes and the completion of the renovation of 32 existing homes.

The breaking ground and blessing of the foundation for the new homes
followed, construction on which will begin immediately. The delegation
then had the opportunity to visit the new homes to congratulate and
bless the families on this joyous occasion.

ARFD: The world community has started understanding the right of the
Karabakh people

Saturday, June 1, 17:34

The world community has started gradually understanding the right of
the Karabakh people and the lawfulness of their fight for freedom and
independence, the head of the Hay Dut Central office, Kiro Manoyan,
told Arminfo correspondent when commenting on recognition of Karabakh
independence by US state Louisiana.

“I think that the world community is gradually understanding the core
of the Karabakh conflict, and in future the societies of different
countries of the world will start
imposing pressure upon their governments with a demand to recognize
the NKR. The recognition of the NKR by three US states and one state
of Australia will become the reason of similar steps by other states”,
– Manoyan said.

He also added that recognition of Karabakh by the Senate of Louisiana
is not only a result of an aggressive position of Azerbaijan, its
bellicose statements and Armenophobia, but also a result of the
coordinated efforts of the Armenians of the whole world.

To recall, yesterday the Senate of Louisiana adopted resolution
supporting independence of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic and calling
on the Congress and U.S. President to support “the self-
determination and democratic independence of the Nagorno-Karabakh
Republic.”

The document introduced by Senator Edwin Murray says “the Legislature
of Louisiana hereby encourages and supports the Nagorno Karabakh
Republic’s continuing efforts to develop as a free and independent
nation in order to guarantee its citizens those rights inherent in a
free and independent society.”

“The President and Congress of the United States of America are hereby
urged to support the self-determination and democratic independence of
the Nagorno Karabakh Republic and its constructive involvement with
the international community’s efforts to reach a just and lasting
solution to security issues in that strategically
important region,” the resolution reads.

Bako Sahakyan visited Zangezour copper-molybdenum plant

16:47, 1 June, 2013

STEPANAKERT, JUNE 1, ARMENPRESS: The Artsakh Republic President Bako
Sahakyan arrived with a working visit in the Syunik
region of Armenia on June 1. As Armenpress was reported by the Central
Information Department of the Artsakh President’s Staff,
Bako Sahakyan visited Zangezour copper-molybdenum plant and got
acquainted with its work. On the same day the Head of the
State laid a wreath on Garegin Nzhdeh’s monument in the regional
center of Kapan.

The Head of the State subsequently visited the local dairy and meat
processing factory, got acquainted with the manufacturing process.
The President Sahakyan noted that Syunik region had an extensive
experience and potential of industrial development, the study and
application of which would have a positive impact on the development
of various branches of industry in Artsakh.

Thereafter Bako Sahakyan visited Tatev monastery complex. The Governor
of Syunik Suren Khachatryan, NKR officials and heads of
different structures of Syunik region accompanied the President.

Armenian Parliament Speaker to visit Latvia

15:46 01.06.2013

At the invitation of the Speaker of the Latvian Saeima Solvita
Aboltina, the delegation led by the RA NA President Hovik Abrahamyan
will pay a three-day visit to the Republic of Latvia June 4-6.

The delegation comprises Chairman of the NA Standing Committee on
Defense, National Security and Internal Affairs Koryun Nahapetyan, NA
deputies Hovhannes Sahakyan and Volodya Badalyan.

During the visit the NA President will have meetings with the
President of Latvia Andris BÄ`rziÅ?Å¡, the Speaker of the Saeima Solvita
Aboltina and Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis.

Meetings with members of the Armenia-Lithuania Parliamentary
Friendship Group and representatives of the Armenian community are
also envisaged.