Author: Babajanian Karo

Armenian alphabet that was sent to space and returned back to Earth
will be given to Armenian side

15:47 14/12/2012 » SOCIETY

Today, the Armenian Delegation, at the `Zvyozdni Gorodok’ city of
Moscow region, is to take part in the activities organized in the
frameworks of the festive events dedicated to 500th anniversary of
Armenian typography. The Armenian alphabet that was sent to space and
returned back to Earth by the `ROSCOSMOS’ federative space agency will
be officially handed to the Armenian side, the Armenian Culture
Ministry reported.

The source informs that from December 13 to15 RA Culture Minister
Hasmik Poghosyan as a representative of the Armenian Republic in
Interstate Fund for Humanitarian Cooperation of CIS countries will
attend the Humanitarian Cooperation Council and IFHC joint session in
Moscow.

In the delegation headed by RA Culture Minister H. Poghosyan are
included Amatuni Virabyan, the Director of National Archives of
Armenia, Viktor Krivopuskov, head of the Armenian Representation of
`ROSSOTRUDNICHESTVO’ Federative Agency, etc.

Source: Panorama.am

Heated clashes reported in Syria’s Armenian village

15:18 – 14.12.12

The Syrian government and opposition forces have been caught up in
heated clashes in the Armenian village of Yakubie, a spokesperson for
the Armenian Prelacy of Beirut, Zhirayr Reisiyan, told Tert.am.

Clashes are also going on in other Christian villages and their
neighboring regions. The conflicting sides have reported on the great
number of human losses and injured people, as well as material
damages.

Yakubie has two Armenian churches, St. Anna and St, Hripsime, as well
as an Armenian school. There have been unconfirmed reports that a
construction belonging to St. Anna has been seized by the opposition.

The situation in Aleppo, which has a big Armenian community, is
relatively calmer today. The electricity supply has been partially
restored, but the city still faces a shortage of bread. Charity
organizations are said to be distributing foods in the streets to
mitigate the situation.

Company Wants to Cut Salary of Pregnant Mom Eight-Fold
Ararat Davtyan

11:00, December 14, 2012

Gohar Gharibyan has worked as a financial supervisor at Armenian
Datacom Company since July 2010.

On November 12, the young wife informed the communications services
company that she was pregnant and that she’d be taking a six month
leave of work.

Two days later, Vardan Kopyan, the company’s interim executive
director, told Gohar that the terms of her employment contract would
be drastically altered as of December 17 and that her monthly salary
would be cut eight fold.

The company is proposing that Gohar work one hour a day instead of
eight for a five day work week. Kopyan told her the new terms were a
result of internal financial and employment restructuring.

Gohar wrote to management asking for further clarification but hasn’t
received any response. Hetq has also tried to get in touch with Kopyan
but we keep getting told by employees that he’s in conference and
can’t be reached. It seems that no one else in the company is
authorized to comment on the matter.

The company also informed Gohar that if she didn’t agree to the new
terms it would consider her work contract invalidated.

Gohar states that, `The RA Labor Code prohibits an employer from
invalidating an employment contract with a pregnant woman. At the same
time, Article 105 allows an employer from making substantial changes
to the contract, and if the employee doesn’t agree to them, the
employer can invalidate the contract. That’s what they want to do to
me.’

Attorney Tigran Yegoryan told Hetq that it’s a case of legal
connivance that the law prohibits. `You can’t employ legal rights to
inflict harm on a citizen.’ Referring to the RA Labor Code, Yegoryan
states that an employer is not allowed under any pretence, even a
substantial change of working conditions, to invalidate a contract
with a pregnant woman.

The attorney states that an employer cannot arbitrarily terminate a
work contract for a period of one month after the completion of a
maternity leave.

The RA Labor Code also sets down specific deadlines for when an
employee must be notified regarding substantial changes to work
condition.

Yegoryan argues that in the case of Gohar, an employee that has been
with Armenian Datacom from one to five years, the employer must inform
the employee 35 days in advance and in writing. `They just can’t
inform her a mere two days after she sent in the pregnancy notice,’ he
says.

In its Facebook page, Armenian Datacom writes that Gohar Gharibyan is
free to take the matter to the courts if she believes her rights have
been violated.

That’s exactly what Gohar intends to do. She believes the company has
cut her hours and her high wage rate merely to avoid hefty pregnancy
allowances while she’s on maternity leave.

Attorney Yegoryan agrees. `Whatever justification the company presents
for substantially changing the employment conditions, it’s all
contrived. It’s no mere coincidence that the company notified her of
the changes only after she informed management that she was pregnant.’

TURQUIE
Une carte perdue dans le tramway à Istanbul

Features – Avedis Hadjian

4 décembre 2012

` Qui êtes-vous ? Ici c’est la Turquie. Savez-vous ce qu’est la
Turquie ? ` me demanda un type, ses verres épais augmentant
l’expression de peur qu’il avait dans le regard. Il appartenait à la
communauté peu connue des Arméniens tziganes, du quartier Kurtulus
d’Istanbul. J’étais au salon de thé où se réunissent d’habitude les
Arméniens tziganes, essayant d’en obtenir une entrevue.

Et il avait raison. Je ne savais pas ce que c’est que la Turquie, et
beaucoup d’Arméniens eux-mêmes ignoraient ce que c’est.

En Turquie se trouve une minorité mystérieuse connue sous le nom de `
Arméniens en secret `. Ils se sont cachés du grand jour pendant près
de un siècle. Vus de l’extérieur, ce sont des Turcs ou des Kurdes,
mais les Arméniens en secret sont en réalité des descendants de
survivants du Génocide de 1915 qui sont restés en Anatolie de l’est
après avoir été convertis de force à l’Islam. Certains sont à présent
des Musulmans dévots, d’autres sont Alévis – considérés généralement
comme les adeptes d’une ramification de l’Islam chiite, même si ce
n’est pas exact d’un certain point de vue – et quelques uns sont
restés chrétiens, en particulier dans la région de Sassoun, où se
trouvent encore des villages de montagne peuplés d’Arméniens en
secret. Même si on ne peut pas qualifier les Arméniens tziganes
d’Arméniens en secret, ils partagent certaines particularités avec ces
derniers, rétifs ou effrayés de révéler leur identité, même à leurs
amis Arméniens.

Mehmet et Fatih Arkan, Arméniens musulmans de Diyarbékir Il y a dix
ans, il aurait encore eu peur d’admettre qu’il était Arménien, ` mais
à présent, il ne se sent plus en insécurité à Diyarbékir `, nous dit
Mehmet/© A. Hadjian

Personne ne sait si les Arméniens en secret sont quelques milliers ou
quelques millions. Pour la plupart d’entre eux, ils ont peur de se
montrer. ` La Turquie est encore un endroit dangereux pour les
Arméniens `, m’a dit une femme, Arménienne en secret de Palu.

Les Arméniens en secret ne fréquentent pas les autres Arméniens, ceux
de la communauté active mais en diminution à Istanbul qui se déclarent
ouvertement. Beaucoup d’entre eux ne parlent pas aux étrangers. Briser
les tabous en Turquie peut être mortel. Ils se souviennent encore de
ce qui est arrivé à Hrant Dink. Dink, un journaliste, Arménien de
Turquie, a été abattu à Istanbul en 2007 par un homme jeune, enfermé
dans sa rage sur des questions controversées allant du Génocide
arménien jusqu’au père fondateur de la Turquie moderne, Kemal Ataturk.

Il n’est pas facile de définir ce qu’est un Arménien en secret.
Certains refusent d’être qualifiés d’Arméniens, même s’ils admettent
que leurs parents ou grands parents l’étaient ; quelquefois,
cependant, souvent contre leur propre volonté, ils sont encore
considérés comme Arméniens par les autres, Turcs ou Kurdes, peu
convaincus de leur conversion. Certains sont connus de leurs voisins
comme étant des Arméniens et ne le cachent pas, tandis que d ‘autres
le gardent pour eux, même vis-à-vis de leurs enfants, et certains
parmi eux ne l’apprennent que par d’autres enfants qui les raillent
parce qu’ils sont des Arméniens.

Rafael Altinci, le dernier arménien d’Amasya, a été élevé comme un
Chrétien et a étudié pendant une année au Lycée Sainte Croix à
Uskudar, Istanbul, où Hrant Dink était lui aussi élève en même temps
que lui. Pour des raisons pratiques, cependant, il est musulman et
marié avec une femme turque, avec qui il a eu une fille élevée comme
une Turque. Il se considère cependant comme étant Arménien.

Rafael Altmici, le dernier Arménien d’Amasya, chez lui avec son épouse
/ © A. Hadjian

Dans les montagnes de Mouch, Jazo Uzal est le dernier Arménien du
village arménien de Nish, à quatre heure d’une route tortueuse de
Bitlis. M. Uzal continue à pratiquer la religion chrétienne, au cours
de l’hiver qu’il passe à Istanbul, mais de retour au village, il
observe les fêtes musulmanes, y compris le ramadan.

Pour sa part, Mehmet Arkan, un avocat de Diyarbékir, ne savait pas que
sa famille était arménienne jusqu’à ce qu’il se soit battu avec un
kurde quand il avait 7 ans dont il était revenu chez lui en larmes,
disant qu’on l’avait traité d’` Arménien `. Son père lui révéla alors
qu’ils étaient vraiment Arméniens, tout en lui disant qu’il ne devait
en parler à personne en dehors de la maison.

` Il y a dix ans, nous ne l’aurions pas admis, mais à présent il n’y a
aucun danger à le faire à Diyarbekir `, a-t-il dit dans une entrevue :
le gouvernement local a admis les faits de l’histoire passée vis-à-vis
des Arméniens, a récemment décidé que l’Eglise Saint Guiragos soit
restaurée, et a organisé des cours d’Arménien pour les débutants. M.
Arkan ne se sent pas moins arménien parce qu’il observe les préceptes
de l’Islam Sunnite.

Comme mon voyage à la recherche d’Arméniens en secret tirait à sa fin
l’été dernier, il m’arriva un dernier incident qui me fit mieux
comprendre les acteurs du drame qui se joue tous les jours en Turquie,
un rappel du piège de l’histoire qui donne à nous tous des rôles que
la plupart d’entre nous n’ont pas choisis.

Des pèlerins Arméniens en secret au Mont Maruta, Sassoun. La jeune
fille a eu peur lorsque je me suis approché, ayant aperçu la croix
arménienne brodée sur son sac ; elle l’a retourné pour ne rendre
visible que l’autre face exempte de tout motif. ` Nous sommes
musulmanes ` a répondu sa mère, lorsqu’on leur a demandé si elles
étaient arméniennes ./© A. Hadjian

Je me demandais si je devais essayer de récupérer le tube. Je savais
que si n’importe qui déballait la carte, le contenu pourrait m’attirer
des ennuis avec la police. J’étais également au courant que les
chances étaient minces de pouvoir récupérer un objet perdu dans le
réseau de transport de masse d’une ville de 13 millions de personnes.

La carte de Tunceli m’avait été donnée par le militant zaza, après
qu’il en ait retiré en le déchirant le nom de Turquie – des fragments
du E de ` TURQUIE ` étaient encore visibles en bas de la carte, et on
aurait dit les bandes d’un drapeau en lambeaux. Le nom de Tunceli
avait été rageusement raturé, d’un trait noir épais et le militant
avait écrit au-dessus l’ancien nom de la province, Dersim. ` Dersim,
ce n’est pas en Turquie ` a dit le militant.

Les Turcs énoncent ` Dersim ` et ` 1938 ` sans espace, un peu comme on
évoque tels jeux olympiques. Dix-neuf trente huit c’est l’année du
massacre par les forces militaires turques envoyées pour mater un
soulèvement. Bien que le premier ministre Erdogan ait récemment fait
des excuses pour le massacre, le qualifiant de ` la plus grande
tragédie de notre histoire `, le nom de ` Dersim ` a encore des
résonnances subversives. Un officier de police quelconque voyant la
carte défigurée n’aurait aucune difficulté à le constater. Et cela
pourrait aisément passer pour une ` insulte à la nation turque `
définie à l’article 301 du code pénal turc, punissable d’un
emprisonnement pouvant aller jusqu’à trois ans.

Mais cela était peu comparé à ce que révélaient les notes. Au cours
d’une entrevue faite dans l’immeuble en face de la base militaire de
Dersim, ce militant zaza me dit, comme c’était écrit dans les notes :

` Vous êtes Arménien. Cette terre vous attend. Venez et réclamez la
restitution de vos terres. Prenez un fusil, et gagnez la montagne pour
combattre. Si votre épouse ne vous accompagne pas, on vous trouvera
l’une de nos femmes, et elle combattra à vos côtés. `

Une femme arménienne chez elle à Dersim, posant devant l’image des
Douze Imams. Elle a découvert qu’elle était arménienne à l’ge de
quinze ans. Pour les étrangers, c’est une Alévie zaza, mais ses amis
et ses voisins à Dersim savent qu’elle est arménienne et chrétienne.
Elle dit ne pas avoir peur d’être connue à Dersim comme une
Arménienne, ` mais je craindrais pour ma vie s’ils le découvraient à
l’université `, l’université où elle est inscrite pour des études en
économie./© A. Hadjian

Dersim a eu probablement la plus grande concentration d’Arméniens en
secret, un sujet qui obsédait Hrant Dink, qui disait qu’il y en avait
deux millions en Turquie. Et dans un sens, Dersim et les Arméniens
secrets sont liés au meurtre de Dink.

Dans un article publié dans son journal Agos, Dink soutenait que
Sahiba Goksen, la première femme pilote de combat en Turquie et au
monde tout à la fois, et fille adoptive d’Ataturk, était une orpheline
arménienne du Génocide de 1915, Khatun Sebilciyan.

Ainsi, elle était une Arménienne en secret. Goksen est considérée
comme un héros turc, en raison surtout de son rôle dans le matage du
soulèvement de Dersim en 1938, mitraillant les positions rebelles en
combat rapproché. Dink a été tué à la suite des remous que son
histoire sur l’origine arménienne supposée de Goksen avaient provoqués
: l’ironie tragique d’une orpheline, à l’identité turque, prenant part
au massacre de Kurdes, deux décennies seulement après le Génocide.

De retour à la station de tramway à Istanbul, je suis allé voir le
chef de station pour enregistrer la perte d’une carte. C’était un
jeune homme poli, un peu guindé, qui parlait avec un accent prononcé
de l’Est anatolien, ses k devenant des ` kh `.

Jazo Uzal, le dernier Arménien de Nish, un village des montagnes de
Mouch/© A. Hadjian

Ayant enregistré ma déclaration, le chef de station m’invita à prendre
un thé. Quelqu’un fit irruption pour le saluer. L’ami du chef de
station me demanda d’où je venais. ` D’Argentine `, répondit-je mais
il n’en a rien cru et il a continué à me presser de questions sur mes
origines. Pourquoi parlais-je le turc ? Pourquoi ressemblais-je ` à ce
point à un Turc ? ` Je maintenais être un Argentin. `C’est ça, moi je
suis Japonais ` me dit-il avec un sourire amer. ` Vous adoriez la
Turquie, n’est-ce pas ? ` me demanda-t-il en s’éloignant sans attendre
ma réponse. Tandis que je le regardais partir, je me souvenais que
quelques mois auparavant, l’Argentine avait été l’objet de critiques
dans les media turcs du fait de sa reconnaissance officielle du
Génocide arménien. Beaucoup de Turcs savent qu’il y a en Argentine une
importante communauté arménienne.

Une transcription en caractères arméniens d’une sourate du Coran,
écrite de la main de Kirkor Oggasian du village d’Argat, près de Palu,
après sa conversion à l’Islam à la suite du Génocide. Cette copie est
conservée par ses petit-fils, dont l’un enseigne l’arménien lui-même,
et tient un site de l’Internet sur l’histoire de l’Arménie Occidentale
sous un pseudonyme. Ce sont des parents éloignés de l’Archevêque
Oshagan Choloyan, Prélat de la Prélature Arménienne de New York../©
Avedis Hadjian

Quelques minutes plus tard, un jeune homme portant des lunettes de
soleil, un T-shirt et un pantalon noirs, sortit un badge de la police
et passa le tourniquet. Il me rappelait un agent vêtu de la même
manière qui m’avait fait quelques problèmes à Dersim à ma sortie de
l’immeuble où ce Zaza militant m’avait remis la carte. L’homme ne
s’adressa pas à moi.

Le téléphone se mit alors à sonner dans la baraque du chef. ` Ils ont
trouvé la carte `, dit-il stoïquement, me regardant à travers ses
verres sombres. ` Elle sera là dans quinze minutes `. Je commençais à
me préparer à une visite au poste de police.

En fait, la rame arriva quinze minutes plus tard. Le conducteur sauta
vivement hors de la cabine et remis le tube de la carte au chef de
station. Le chef de station se dirigea vers moi, me serra la main, et
me souhaita un bon retour chez moi – ` où que cela soit `, dit-il. Il
me remis le tube avec la carte encore fermé, les vieux journaux
Hurriyet enroulés tout autour, où figurait une photo d’Erdogan
exprimant la colère et pointant le doigt vers Dieu sait-quoi.

Avedis Hadjian est un écrivain basé à New-York. Il a publié dans le
Los Angeles Times, CNN, Boomberg News et autres journaux et sites de
presse. Cet article est un extrait de son livre ` Une Nation en Secret
: les Arméniens Cachés de Turquie, ` à paraître à l’automne 2013.

ianYan mag

Traduction Gilbert Béguian pour Armenews

vendredi 14 décembre 2012,
Jean Eckian ©armenews.com

PRESS RELEASE
AMERICAN UNIVERSITY OF ARMENIA
Diana Manukyan, AUA PR Coordinator
40 Baghramyan Ave.
Yerevan 0019, Republic of Armenia
Email: [email protected]
Web:
Facebook

The Future of Entrepreneurship in Armenia

At ArmTech 2012, American University of Armenia Presents latest initiatives
in education, technology, and entrepreneurship SAN JOSE, CA–The American
University of Armenia (AUA) is cultivating Armenia’s next generation of
entrepreneurs, technology leaders, and world-class researchers, said AUA
President Dr. Bruce Boghosian on Monday, December 10, while speaking at
ArmTech Congress 2012 about the university’s latest initiatives to foster
the development of a knowledge-based economy in Armenia.

This year’s ArmTech conference, hosted by the Department of Civil and
Environmental Engineering at Stanford University, brought together more than
120 technology executives, entrepreneurs, academic researchers, venture
capitalists, and senior Armenian government officials to discuss and explore
the development of Armenia’s technology sector.

Dr. Boghosian outlined AUA’s current and new programs during a panel focused
on the state and direction of research and development in universities,
research institutes, and laboratories. Bringing the focus to higher
education in Armenia, he introduced AUA’s new Master of Science Degree in
Economics and Bachelor of Science Degree in Computational Sciences,
emphasizing the potential impact of these two programs on the development of
business, technology, and entrepreneurship in Armenia.

“With the bachelor’s degree in computational sciences, we are leveraging
Armenia’s existing expertise in physics and mathematics, and combining it
with software development to help Armenia produce scientific and engineering
software for the world,” explained Dr. Boghosian. “Our master’s degree in
economics, meanwhile, will prepare business leaders and economic
professionals to help guide sustainable economic growth in Armenia and
strengthen its position in the global and regional economy.”

Dr. Boghosian illustrated how these changes have already begun taking shape
in the halls and classrooms of AUA, with students coming together to imagine
and create new and innovative businesses.

“We have had two business plan competitions in the last month,” he said.
“Some of our students have gone further and actually started new high-tech
companies. For example, the latest AUA student startup is called Verium,
and it is working on cryptographic solutions to combat counterfeiting and
identity theft.”

AUA is the early stages of planning a cross-disciplinary entrepreneurship
center to inspire and incubate new businesses such as these, explained
Boghosian, adding that it is the university’s intention to bring to Armenia
the model of integrating education and entrepreneurship in universities.

Among the many other successes stories highlighted by Dr. Boghosian during
his presentation was AUA’s Turpanjian Rural Development program, which has
trained 600 people and helped developed 60 new rural businesses.

Since opening its doors in 1991, AUA has graduated more than 2,000
professionals, noted Dr. Boghosian, adding that the vast majority of those
graduates have remained in Armenia to become valuable leaders of its society
and economy.

Today, the university is gearing up to launch an innovative, new
undergraduate program for the fall of 2013, offering bachelor’s degrees in
business, English and communications, and computational sciences. These new
programs will provide Armenian students access to a liberal arts education
focused on building a foundation of general knowledge, specialization in
skills and career preparation.

“But to make all this work, we are constantly looking for funding
opportunities, foreign research collaborations, and grant partners,”
Boghosian said, urging members of the audience to join the University’s
mission. “Consider this an invitation to come join us in this effort. This
university is worth your involvement and your investment.”

ArmTech 2012 is organized through the joint efforts of the Government of
Armenia, the USAID-funded Enterprise Development and Market Competitiveness
(EDMC) Project, Enterprise Incubator Foundation (EIF), ViaSphere Technopark,
Armenian Development Agency (ADA), Synopsys Armenia, the Armenian American
Chamber of Commerce, and Groupement Interprofessionnel International
Armenien (G2IA).

The American University of Armenia (AUA) is a private, independent
university located in Yerevan, Armenia. Founded in 1991, AUA is affiliated
with the University of California. Through teaching, research, and public
service, AUA serves Armenia and the region by supplying high quality
graduate and undergraduate education, encouraging civic engagement, and
promoting democratic values.

The AUA is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and
Universities of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, 985
Atlantic Avenue, #100, Alameda, CA 94501, 510-748-9001.

Elaph website [Saudi Owned], London, UK
Dec 10 2012

Shirku Abbas: Building an independent Kurdish Army to Expel the Salafis

Interview with Syrian Kurdistan National Council Chairman Shirku
Abbas, by Muhammad al-Amir

Kurdistan National Council Chairman Shirku Abbas has said that the
United States and six European countries will support the building of
an independent Kurdish army in the Kurdish regions in Syria. This army
will be independent from the Iraqi Peshmerga, and its mission will be
to fight the Islamist Salafis in the Kurdish territories.

Kurdistan National Council Chairman Shirku Abbas has revealed the
intention of the Syrian Kurds to build an independent Kurdish army to
expel the hard-line Salafi groups from Syrian Kurdistan Province.

In an interview with Ilaf Abbas explains that the mission of this army
is “to protect the regions of the Kurdistan Province from any external
intervention, be it the regime, the Free Syrian Army, or the Salafi
and terrorist groups that do not recognize our rights, and we will not
allow them to control our regions.”

Abbas confirms that the United States and six European countries will
finance the building of the independent Kurdish army, “we are united
together by an identical viewpoint of the danger of the hard-line
Islamist tendency, and we consider that the arrival of hardliners into
Syria is a red line.”

With regard to the shape of the western support for the independent
Kurdish army, Abbas says that the support is financial, logistic, and
military. Abbas denies that the army will be an extension of the
Peshmerga widespread in Iraqi Kurdistan Province, but it will be from
the fabric of the Syrian Kurdistan Province, and will include Kurds,
Arabs, Muslims and Christians, some of whom dissented from the regular
army, and others from the Free Syrian Army, in addition to volunteers
from the inhabitants of the Kurdish regions.

The following is the text of the interview:

[Al-Amir] The Syrian Kurds have united in a single military force to
confront the Salafi groups; do you intend to join it?

[Abbas] The agreements between the Kurdish parties in Syria do not
continue; this is because of the diversity of the loyalties of their
leaders, and the influence of the foreign agendas on them. Only the
Democratic Union Party has military forces; however, some Kurdish
sides have reached an agreement to form only a joint military command,
but not joint forces, an agreement that has been included in the
latest agreement in Hawler [in Iraqi Kurdistan].

[Al-Amir] Does not the formation of Kurdish forces fan the fire of
conflict with the rest of the Syrian sides?

[Abbas] The mission of the forces that are being formed now, and which
we hope will unite, is to protect the security of the Kurdish regions,
and not to engage in armed conflicts with any other Syrian side under
the current critical circumstances. Most of the powers of the Kurdish
activities are in agreement on rejecting the entry of any external
forces into the Kurdish region. We accept the formation of a unified
Kurdish military organization on condition that it will be under
supreme Kurdish command that is effective on the ground, does not
follow the orders of diverse authorities, has the ability and the
power to impose its own opinions and orders on the ground, and whose
aim is to protect the region and the people living in it, be they
Kurds, Arabs, Assyrians, Armenians, or other minorities.

Confronting the Salafis

[Al-Amir] Does not the formation of these forces serve the regime of
Bashar al-Asad by fragmenting the Syrian constituents?

[Abbas] The work to form these forces has come on the background of
the recent incursions of the region, which were aimed at removing the
popular protection forces, and to portray the Kurds as opposing the
revolution. This has aroused suspicions of the aim of the Salafi
groups and the Arab clans, which are supported by Turkey, and which
have been able to storm the Kurdish towns in northern Syria, and moved
towards besieging the oil sources in the eastern end of Al-Jazeera.
There is no doubt that these people are serving the regime in an
opportunist way, and it is necessary to explain the Kurdish reality in
order to remove the doubts about the formation of joint unified
Kurdish forces.

[Al-Amir] Have not the movements of the Salafi groups and the Arab
clans against the Kurdish regions been caused by the negative Kurdish
stance towards the Syrian revolution?

[Abbas] All the brethren in the Syrian revolution understand that the
Kurds, whether with a military force or without it, have been among
the first rebels against the totalitarian authority, and have been the
first opposition power to demand the toppling of the regime. Now, as
our people are suffering the results of the extensive bloody events in
the country, it is important to form a military Kurdish force from the
sons of the same region in order to protect it, and to determine its
course with regard to the religious Salafi and racist Arab forces,
which want to stop the region, and whose aims are not different from
the aim of the Al-Asad-Ba’th regime, namely to destroy the Kurdish
cause.

Not Peshmerga

[Al-Amir] What about the Kurdish army?

[Abbas] We support the establishment of an independent Syrian Kurdish
army, and we work for the achievement of this aim until there is an
agreement on firm bases between the Kurdish movement and the Syrian
opposition that guarantees the Kurds the right to protect themselves
in a constitutional and legitimate way. This cannot happen except
within a national federalism for Kurds. This army will work under the
supervision of the Kurdish political movement, which believes in
freedom, democracy, and human rights, and which includes the Kurdistan
National Council in Syria, which works for these universal human
principles.

[Al-Amir] How will you finance the establishment of this army?

[Abbas] We have obtained support from the United States and six other
European countries with which we have identical viewpoints of the
dangers of the hard-line Islamist tendency, and we consider the
arrival of hardliners in Syria a red line. This support is financial,
logistic, and military, because the west aspires for calmness and
stability in the Syrian Kurdistan Province. Therefore, we will build
an army that repels the extremist terrorist campaigns supported by the
neighbouring countries.

[Al-Amir]Is it an extension of the Peshmerga in Iraqi Kurdistan?

[Abbas] Of course not. The independent Kurdish army will consist of
the fabric of Syrian Kurdistan Province, and it will include Kurds,
Arabs, and Christians. The majority of the elements of the army will
be Kurdish as the Kurds are the majority of the population in Syrian
Kurdistan. The army will consist of some dissidents from the regular
army, and some dissidents from the Free Syrian Army, in addition to
volunteers from the inhabitants of the Kurdish regions. The army
primary mission is to protect the regions of Kurdistan Province from
any external intervention, whether by the regime, the Free Syrian
Army, or the Salafi and terrorist groups that do not recognize our
rights; we will not allow them to control our regions, and we will
fight them to our last drop of blood.

We are with the Free Syrian Army, But!

[Al-Amir] Who brought in the Salafi groups into Syria?

[Abbas] The Salafi groups have entered from Iraq, Lebanon, Turkey, and
Jordan into Syria because of the huge negligence by the freedom and
democracy powers around the world of what has been taking place in
Syria since the eruption of the popular revolution. The international
powers were not ignorant of this kind of movements and organizations
in the region. As for the groups that infiltrated the town of Sari
Kani [Kurdish name of Ra’s al-Ayn], or Ra’s al-Ayn, they are
affiliated to Arab clans, which do not recognize the Kurdish national
aspiration, in coordination with Turkey, which wanted to destroy the
increasing influence of the Democratic Union Party in the Kurdish
region in general, and in that town in particular.

[Al-Amir] Why do you refuse to deal with the Free Syrian Army?

[Abbas] We do not reject the Free Syrian Army, which has been formed
from the military dissidents of the regular army that has been brought
up in a Ba’th way hostile to the entire Kurdish nation. Our policy is
based on the principle of opening the channels of dialogue with the
Free Syrian Army in order to convince it of the justice of the Kurdish
cause, and on the basis of forming a future Syrian Army that is under
the control of the political will of the Syrian people.

What worries us is the pursuit of the takfiri, terrorist, and Salafi
groups to control pivots, commands, and course of that army. This is
what we do not want in the Kurdish region. The Free Syrian Army ought
to remain a guard of the Constitution and the borders of the country
without getting involved in the political game of the parties, which
ought to respect the independence of the national army. This is
because the mission of the parties is completely different from the
mission of the army or the security organizations.

They rejected our simple conditions

[Al-Amir] What point have reached the negotiations between the Kurdish
parties and the National Coalition of Syrian Revolutionary and
Opposition Forces?

[Abbas]The Kurdish parties have presented conditions to join the
National Coalition. The Coalition Chairman Mu’adh al-Khatib was the
imam of the Umayyad Mosque under the Al-Asad Ba’th regime, and has
never moved a finger against the racist policy practiced by the regime
against the Kurdish people in order to annihilate their national
existence, melt them down in the melting pot of pan-Arabism, and usurp
their land and wealth. These simple Kurdish conditions are related to
removing the effects of the Ba’th policy, which was based on
settlement activities and looting wealth, without talking about the
form of administration demanded by the Kurdish people. These
conditions were met with rejection by the chairmanship of the National
Coalition on the pretext that these are constitutional issues that
ought to be postponed until after the toppling of Al-Asad regime, and
the establishment of a serious political system. This is despite the
fact that the National Coalition has included in its basic document
all the various other constitutional issues that concern the Syrian
people, except the issues that concern the Kurdish people.

[Al-Amir] Are you not afraid of Kurdish-Kurdish sedition?

[Abbas] We are pursuing the solution of all political conflicts among
the Kurds through dialogue, and we open the door widely for the
opposite free opinion, and for criticism that is far removed from
wanton methods. As the Kurdish people are homogeneous in religion and
sects, there is no scope for stirring up sectarian sedition within
their ranks. The Kurdish parties understand that the enemies of the
Kurds are working to divide them; therefore we hope that they will
rise up to the level of the historic responsibility they shoulder now.

Similar developments

[Al-Amir] Do not the latest developments in Syria’s Kurdistan look
similar to what happened in Iraqi Kurdistan?

[Abbas] You cannot compare the two situations with regard to the
centres of power, the regional alliances, the senior leaders, and the
Iraqis’ acceptance to a great extent of federalism, while in Syria we
witness appalling differences in viewpoints among the majority of the
Syrian opposition political powers, and also in the stumbling attitude
towards the Kurdish issue in Syria. However, we can say that the
Kurdish issue in Syria has taken a noticeable course during the recent
period; this will have results in the future. Perhaps there will be a
change in the political map of the actual influential powers on the
Syrian arena.

[Al-Amir] Have the recent events constituted an opportunity for
triggering the Kurdish awareness of nationality?

[Abbas] The Kurdish national awareness in Western Kurdistan is
historically ancient. However, the recent events in Syria have
accelerated its organizational and revolutionary moulding, and have
compelled the Kurdish political movement to get out of the shell of
complacency and slow activities into the horizons of effective action,
and of participation to some extent in the rallies of the people,
which are considered a huge engine for mobilizing the creative
abilities according to the needs of the people, and not the leaders,
who have been inert to some extent in the past.

We wanted them but they did not want us

[Al-Amir] How do you see the way President Barack Obama’s
Administration deals with the Syrian issue?

[Abbas] Until today the US policy towards what is taking place in
Syria has been fragile and unrealistic, especially with the White
House statements that the use of chemical weapons by the Al-Asad
regime is a red line. This statement has been understood by the regime
as a disregard of using all other weapons against the Syrian people.
The White House has tried to use the Muslim Brotherhood and Erdogan’s
Turkey as a Trojan horse to demolish the strongholds of the extremist,
terrorist, and Salafi movements infiltrating Syria if they ascend to
power in Damascus. However, these movements have hatched many
offspring, spread across the country, become strong, and started to
impose themselves over the Free Syrian Army in a forceful way.

[Al-Amir] Why do you insist on federalism, and why do you not unite
with rest of the Syrian constituents?

[Abbas] When we review our history with Syrian Arab brethren since the
collapse of the Ottoman Empire until today, we find that we have
preferred to live with them despite the offers of the French to us to
establish an independent entity for us; the result has been burning
our children, withdrawing our nationality, usurping our land, imposing
economic siege on us, and dispersing us. The Syrian Arab brethren have
applied to us every racist project they could find, starting from the
national rule to the current Ba’th. This has been done under various
names, including nationalism, progression, and now Islam.

[Al-Amir] Are the links now completely broken between the Kurds and
the rest of the Syrians?

[Abbas] When the French occupied Syria, seven Syrians, including five
Kurds, defended the country legitimately; however, after the
liberation we have found ourselves to be foreigners in our own land,
which was usurped by laws and decrees issued by the consecutive Arab
rulers until today. We wanted the Syrian Arabs, but they did not want
us. After all this, do you expect us not to demand federalism?

[Translated from Arabic]

DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
December 12, 2012 Wednesday

RUSSIA IS PREPARING FOR WAR?

by Pavel Olkhovikov
Source: Profil, No. 46, December 10-16, 2012, p. 6

ACCORDING TO THE KREMLIN, THE QUANTITY OF EXTERNAL THREATS TO RUSSIA
IS GROWING; In the next few years the government will spend 20
trillion rubles on grandiose rearming of the army. Military expenses
of Russia are growing rapidly. Last year, they grew by 9.3% in
year-on-year terms to $72 billion. Thus we already outran the UK and
France according to the volume of expenses for the first time in the
recent history. According to the speed of growth of military expenses
Russia outran China and India, leaving apart the US.

In the next few years the government will spend 20 trillion rubles on
grandiose rearming of the army. Reforms in the army have been
condemned in the army a lot but nobody doubts one fact: military
expenses of Russia are growing rapidly. Last year, they grew by 9.3%
in year-on-year terms to $72 billion. Thus we already outran the UK
and France according to the volume of expenses for the first time in
the recent history. According to the speed of growth of military
expenses Russia outran China and India, leaving apart the US. Even the
people who do not have very much economic knowledge have already
noticed that against the background of the economic uncertainty the
huge state defense order worth 20 trillion rubles until 2020 is not
reduced. On what will this colossal amount of money be spent?

The Strategic Missile Forces traditionally remain the main guarantor
of national security of Russia. Several important events happened in
this field lately. First, Russia started implementing the plans to
create a new 100-ton silo-based intercontinental ballistic missile
with advanced means for penetration through the enemy antimissile
defense announced a long time ago. This most important decision showed
that the command decided not to give up heavy intercontinental
ballistic missiles. The advanced missile should replace Soviet missile
UR-100N UTTKH Stiletto.

Second, in December of 2011 and in 2012 the Defense Ministry in the
person of Strategic Missile Forces Commander Sergei Karakaev and
official representative of the press service of the Defense Ministry
for the Strategic Missile Forces Vadim Koval frequently spoke about
possible continuation of research and development related to designing
of combat railway missile system of new generation. The combat railway
missile systems with Scalpel missile in service with the Strategic
Missile Forces of the Soviet Union represented one of the main trump
cards of the USSR In confrontation with the US. Hints at possible
creation of the advanced combat railway missile system most likely
represent a signal to the American partners who are stubbornly
pursuing their line in arrangement of the antimissile defense system
in Europe.

Along with this, the rearming will touch not only the Strategic
Missile Forces. Now we see beginning of revival of the Russian Navy.
The state defense order allocates 4.5 trillion rubles for its
renovation! More than 40 surface ships and submarines have already
been laid down and are being built at shipyards. But if we get
acquainted with the composition of armament of these new combat units
in detail there will appear an involuntary question about the concept
of use of the Navy in the near future. Thus, the newest frigates of
Admiral Gorshkov type and small missile ships of Buyan-M type being
built for the Black Sea Fleet and Caspian Flotilla have identical
strike missile armament. This is missile system Kalibr with the range
of killing of ground targets bigger than 2,000 kilometers. This
actually means transition from tactical and tactical theater systems
to strategic ones. Along with this, the command is going to arm even
ships of small displacement with such systems.

Hence, there appears a natural question: what for? Theoretically,
capabilities of such weapons allow, for example, controlling even the
area of the Persian Gulf from the Black and Caspian seas. It is
obvious that military presence in the Mediterranean basin keeps
playing an important role in plans of the Defense Ministry. Along with
this, command of the Navy decided to replace obsolete ships of the
Black Sea Fleet in the shortest possible time but not with frigates of
Admiral Gorshkov type construction of which was going on with
difficulties but with simpler frigates of project 11356M already put
into production. Three such ships have already been laid down and will
be commissioned with the Navy in the next two years.

A series of six diesel submarines built specifically for the Black Sea
Fleet is written as a separate line. Such serious reinforcement of the
combatant ranks of the submarine forces will allow broadening of,
first of all, antisubmarine capabilities of the group because now
Turkey has 14 submarines in the Black Sea versus one submarine of
Russia.

Besides the big-scale construction of new ships there are also plans
to return to combatant ranks the Soviet ships that have stayed in a
suspended condition for a long time. First of all, they are applicable
to nuclear missile cruiser Admiral Nakhimov and several nuclear
submarines with cruise missiles of project 949 Antey that are in
long-term repair or are mothballed now. At the end of 2011, RIA
Novosti agency reported that Antey would undergo modernization and
would receive the newest strike armament including possibly missile
systems Kalibr and Onyx. It is necessary to pay special attention to
Nakhimov: cruisers of this project are considered the most powerful
strike combat ships in the world already now and we can only guess
which capabilities this ship will have after modernization. First of
all, these combat units will reinforce the Northern Fleet.

Let us go to aviation now. Analysis of the signed and planned
contracts on frontline aviation, first of all, on fighters enables us
to presume that the command wishes to renovate the aviation fleet in
the key directions as soon as possible. Besides orders for advanced
airplanes T-50 (PAK FA) and Su-35S the Defense Ministry has also
signed a contract on purchase of Su-30SM (Russia version of MKI) and
is actively negotiating with RAC MiG on purchase of light airplanes
MiG-35. Even if we bear in mind that the fifth-generation fighter
faces a few years of tests ahead it would be logical to choose Su-35S
focusing all efforts on production of this model. However,
organization of production in big series requires time and airplanes
are necessary already now. At the end of September, mass media voiced
plans of the Defense Ministry to deploy a group of MiG-31 interceptors
on the Novaya Zemlya Island by the end of 2013. This important
decision would allow increasing of the combat stability of the
Northern Fleet that is actually deprived of fighter support now. The
63rd guard aviation regiment with Su-27 fighters was based at
Rogachevo airfield in the 1980s. In 1993, it was disbanded. Thus, the
upcoming relocation should mend a hole in the system of antimissile
defense of this region at least partially. Pavement of the runway and
the light signal equipment was already replaced in Rogachevo and
pilots of one of the units with Su-27 performed several trips to
Novaya Zemlya this year.

If we speak about the Arctic region, we need to mention the flights of
our strategic missile-carrying airplanes Tu-95MS and Tu-160 that have
grown more frequent. Patrolling in northern regions ceased being rare.
The growing activeness of the aviation component of the strategic
nuclear forces of Russia is accompanied with reconstruction of the
network of airfields. The goal is obvious. This is obtaining of as
many runways for dispersing in case of a conflict as possible.

Not a single serious military conflict goes without the use of tanks
now. Russia has the biggest tank fleet in the world. Naturally, it
requires renovation and replacement. A few months ago, it became known
that enterprises of the military industrial complex occupied with
repair of armored vehicles received a big order from the Defense
Ministry for deep modernization of the tanks already being in service,
for instance, T-72. As a result, these tanks will be practically on
par with T-90, the most modern tank of the Russian army now. However,
there appears a quite natural question: why should we spend much money
on modernization of obsolete models if development of new models is
underway? Creation of a new advanced tank was chosen as one of the key
directions for development of the Ground Forces. According to
representatives of the defense industry, work on Armata project is in
full swing and they promise to present prototypes nearly in 2014.
Buildup of the tank fist looks very impressive if we recall that
nearly a half of NATO countries has already given up or is going to
give up heavy armored vehicles. These are not only small countries
like Holland but also the main members of the alliance like UK and
Germany. Whereas with regard to ballistic missiles everything is more
or less understandable (they represent means for deterrence of the US
and its allies), where can such powerful tank groups be needed?

According to authorities of the country, the quantity of external
threats to Russia is growing. At present, it is possible to single out
some potentially dangerous conflict zones. The prospect of deployment
of the American antimissile defense system in Eastern Europe remains
the main source of concern now. Moscow leaders think that it is aimed
exclusively at Russia still. Absence of any progress in negotiations
with the US about antimissile defense already forces the General Staff
to take some response measures of military technological nature, for
instance, to put on combat duty several long-range radars. Besides
this leaders of the country also announced much harsher decisions that
might be made in case of appearance of a real threat for Russian
strategic nuclear forces. In November of 2011, President Dmitry
Medvedev announced, “Russia may deploy modern strike armament systems
that provide for fire killing of the European component of antimissile
defense in the west and in the south of the country. Deployment of
missile system Iskander in the Kaliningrad special district will
become one of such steps.”

Nonetheless, not all specialists agree with such formulation of the
issue. One of the leading Russian military experts Ruslan Pukhov
states, ‘The topic of the antimissile defense is a far-fetched thing
like the problem of eastward NATO expansion. I consider these threats
postponed and I think that they will come true in the future. By that
time Russia will either get really stronger and will be able to parry
these threats or we will face new 1917 and nothing will be scary for
us then already.”

Experts are much more alarmed by possible local conflicts in the
post-Soviet space and in the neighboring countries to the south of the
former borders of the USSR. Situation regarding Libya, Iran and Syria
has shown that Russia weak in the military aspect cannot be an equal
partner of the West in resolving of regional conflicts and this
circumstance obviously irritates the Russian authorities. Moscow is
also concerned about growing strength of Turkey, especially with
regard to the war in Syria.

But it is even not the Middle East that is the main risk zone for
Russia. Potential threats may appear for us much closer, in
Transcaucasia and in Central Asia. Despite the political changes that
have happened in Georgia this country cannot be considered friendly to
us still because it will hardly get reconciled with loss of South
Ossetia and Abkhazia. Confrontation between Armenia and Azerbaijan
continues in Transcaucasia too. Expenses of Baku on defense grow
permanently (in 2013 they will amount to $2 billion or 13% of the
overall budget expenses) and because financial capabilities of
Azerbaijan and Armenia are incomparable the equilibrium in this region
may be broken sooner or later. Along with this, Azerbaijan evidently
does not believe anymore that Moscow will help it to regain the
territories occupied by Armenia and is gradually changing its foreign
policy course looking at the West. The first signal of alarm sounded
in June of 2012 when the Azerbaijani party stated unacceptable terms
of rent of the Gabala radar station for Russia. Although the parties
managed to solve the problem and unpleasant aftertaste remained.

A serious conflict may also appear in Trans-Dniester Republic. In
October, Russian Foreign Ministry in the person of special envoy
Dmitry Gubarev spoke about readiness to recognize Trans-Dniester
Republic should Moldova lose independence and become a part of
Romania. Such a course of events looks quite real in a distant future.

Along with this, the main potential danger comes evidently from
Central Asia. Pukhov states, “The nearest war will be in this or that
form in Central Asia, most likely after withdrawal of the American
forces from Afghanistan.” It is also impossible to rule out some
version of the “Central Asian spring” in the form of change of the
regimes and destabilization of the situation in the region.

Summing up, we can say that big-scale rearming of the Russian army
shows that Russia is actively trying to regain status of a great
military power and is ready to allocate huge amounts of money for this
purpose. Along with this, it is possible to single out two vectors of
development fairly clearly. The first vector is strategic and it
implies hidden confrontation with the US still, although this does not
mean an inevitable military conflict between the countries at all.
This is rather a wish of the Russian elite to restore the former
military parity with Americans, although not on the Soviet scale.

The second vector is preparation for possible local wars and,
correspondingly, increase of potential of conventional weapons.
Probability of “small wars” definitely cannot be ruled out. Events of
August of 2008 in South Ossetia confirmed this illustratively. Now
Russia obviously wants to have a possibility to talk to its nearest
neighbors, for example, to the former Soviet republic or Turkey. In
the future it will possibly consider it necessary to interfere into
the conflicts not so far from the Russian borders.

[Translated from Russian]

Mediamax News Agency, Armenia
Dec 13 2012

Viktor Soghomonyan: `I have never heard of the second Armenian
President’s desire to put forward his candidacy’

Yerevan/Mediamax/. The head of the Office of the Armenian Second
President Viktor Soghomonyan doesn’t think that Robert Kocharyan will
take part in 2013 presidential elections.

Viktor Soghomonyan said this in an interview to Mediamax today:

`I have never heard of the second President’s desire to put forward
his candidacy. Moreover, he has said the opposite for several times. I
don’t think he will take part in the upcoming presidential election.
But Robert Kocharian will necessarily come up with an assessment of
the current political situation in nearest future: he planned to
respond to one of several proposals and give a brief interview,’
Viktor Soghomonyan said.

In reply to Mediamax’s question, Viktor Soghomonyan refuted the
reports about Robert Kocharyan’s upcoming meeting with Russian
President Vladimir Putin.

`Robert Kocharyan is indeed in Moscow. The purpose of his visit is to
attend the session of the Board of AFK Sistema. The meeting with
Vladimir Putin is not planned,’ he said.

French Foreign Minister calls on Turkey to “heal the wounds of 1915”

11:47, 13 December, 2012

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 13, ARMENPRESS. The issue of the Armenian Genocide
is a rather sensitive and complicated problem, which casts a shadow on
the bilateral relations of France and Turkey. As reports “Armenpress”
citing Turkish Today’s Zaman periodical, Minister of Foreign Affairs
of France Laurent Fabius made this announcement.

Answering the question that many people in Turkey are criticizing
France for pushing forward the Armenian viewpoint Laurent Fabius
stated: “A lot of people in France find that Turkey wants not to deny,
but to decrease the sizes of the calamity, which the ancestors of our
compatriots of Armenian origin had to face with.” Also the Minister of
Foreign Affairs of France touched upon the announcement made by Ahmet
DavutoÃ?Â?lu, which says: “I do not say that nothing happened in 1915.”
According to Fabius this is a significant and encouraging step.

Among other things Minister of Foreign Affairs of France Laurent
Fabius stated: “Notwithstanding to my opinion vanishing of the
Armenian civilization in the lands of Anatolia should give Turkey a
rise to contemplations for healing the wounds of 1915.”

ARMENIE
Presque 76 000 $ volé dans des distributeurs en Arménie

Presque 76000 dollars ont été volés dans des distributeurs de banque
dans la région de Shirak suite à des actes de malfaisances.

Un cadre de la banque Araratbank à Gyumri a dit que des voleurs
inconnus ont volé 29 millions de drams (presque 71 376 dollars) en
cassant un distributeur placé rue Ryjkov.

Une enquête criminelle est ouverte.

Presque deux heures plus tard, un autre vol dans le village d’Akhuryan
(pas loin de Gyumri) a eu lieu. Cette fois les malfaiteurs ont volé
1,8 millions de drams (presque 4563 $) d’un distributeur de la banque
Ardshininvestbank.

jeudi 13 décembre 2012,
Stéphane ©armenews.com