Author: Babajanian Karo

SAFAROV THAT LED TO ESCALATION OF SITUATION

Azerbaijan Business Center
Oct 1 2012

Baku, Fineko/abc.az. The Azerbaijani parliamentarians have passed today
a statement in connection with the European Parliament’s resolution
from 13 September 2012, which condemns the transfer officer Ramil
Safarov by Hungary to Azerbaijan and his further clemency by the
President of Azerbaijan.

“It is deeply regrettable the ongoing attempts to give a political
color to purely legal matter relating to Azerbaijani officer Ramil
Safarov. These attempts demonstrate openly that some political
circles in Europe are under the influence of Armenian propaganda,
and in many cases continue to apply double standards to the issues
related to Azerbaijan,” the document says.

According to the statement, being an active member of the Council
of Europe, Azerbaijan fully cooperates with many countries of
the European continent in the provision of legal assistance in
criminal matters. Such a reaction of Armenia that has occupied 20%
of Azerbaijan, resulting in about 1 million Azerbaijanis became
refugees and IDPs, was quite predictable.

“In addition, it causes surprise the European Parliament’s position
on this issue. In particular, because extradition and clemency of
Safarov were carried out on a legal basis,” the statement says.

Simultaneously, the statement notes that at various times international
terrorists Varujan Karapetyan, Suren Nairyan, Monte Melkonian, Gevorg
Gezalyan, Vazgen Sisilyan, Samvel Babayan, found guilty of blood
crimes that caused numerous casualties were pardoned, extradited to
Armenia and declared national heroes by Yerevan.

“Of course, we’re not going to put Azeri officer in line with these
international terrorists,” the document stresses.

Besides, it stresses that the one-sided and biased EP resolution was
one of the factors behind the surge of tension of the situation around
the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno Garabagh conflict.

“In this regard, Milli Majlis reiterates that the biggest source
of threat to the South Caucasus region is to keep the Azerbaijani
territories occupied by Armenian armed units, and the attempts of the
aggressor country to present international law for its view and ignore
the will of the world community,” the parliaments statement says.

The Azerbaijani MPs believe that all these attempts are aimed
at maintaining the status quo on the Garabagh issue, delaying
negotiations on Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno Garabagh conflict on
the part of Yerevan.

Parliament reiterated that Azerbaijan adheres strictly to the rules
and principles of international law. The Azerbaijani MPs have urged
the European Parliament to make weighted decisions on issues related
to Azerbaijan, and not to be on the bit of Armenian propaganda.

ARMENIA ANNOUNCES ABOUT LAUNCHING THE AIRPORT EXPLOITATION IN KHANKENDI

Trend
Oct 1 2012
Azerbaijan

Armenia has stated about launching the airport exploitation in
Khankendi in the occupied territories of Nagorno-Karabakh, NEWS.am
wrote on Monday.

It was previously reported that it is planned to start flights from
Yerevan to Khankendi and back soon.

Commissioning of an airport in Khankendi is an open violation of
the Convention on International Civil Aviation [signed in Chicago on
Dec.7, 1944], Azerbaijani Deputy Foreign Minister Araz Azimov told
Trend on Monday.

Therefore, Azerbaijan will intensify work in legal sphere on applying
the Chicago Convention, Azimov said.

Azerbaijan has banned the use of the airspace of Nagorno-Karabakh
occupied by Armenia, as no one can guarantee flight safety in the
area, the head of the Azerbaijani Civil Aviation Administration, Arif
Mammadov, told the New Azerbaijan party’s official website earlier.

He said Armenia’s steps directed to the operation of the airport in
Khankendi are attempts to violate international legal norms. This
air space belongs to Azerbaijan, so its use by Armenia is impossible.

The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and the European
Civil Aviation Conference (ICAC) also support the position of
Azerbaijan on this issue.

President Serzh Sargsyan promised to be the first passenger which
will fly from Khankendi.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 per cent of Azerbaijan since 1992,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The
co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group – Russia, France and the U.S. –
are currently holding peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council’s four
resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the
surrounding regions.

CHP SUBMITS CENSURE MOTION AGAINST DAVUTOGLU

Today’s Zaman
Oct 1 2012
Turkey

The Republican People’s Party (CHP) has formally submitted a censure
motion against Minister of Foreign Affairs Ahmet Davutoglu, accusing
him of conducting a dangerous and risky foreign policy, while, at
the same time hiding numerous facts from the Turkish public.

According to the Anatolia news agency, in the preamble of the censure
motion, it was noted that a delegation of CHP members and deputies,
after receiving permission on Aug. 25 from the Prime Ministry’s
Disaster and Emergency Management Directorate (AFAD) to visit the
camp sites where Syrians were temporarily being accommodated in the
Hatay province, wanted to visit one of the camps but was denied entry.

Referring to the refusal which the delegation received in their first
attempt, it was said in the motion that the Turkish authorities had
defended the ban, saying that defected Syrian army officers were
staying with their families in the camp which the delegation had
wanted to visit.

Attention was also drawn to the fact that some claims which were
formerly made about Turkish foreign policy turned out to be true. It
was claimed that the particular camp served as the headquarters of
the Free Syrian Army (FSA), which aims to overthrow the Syrian regime
and were carrying out, to this end, massacres from time to time. The
commanders of the FSA were claimed to have been accommodated in
this camp.

“The names of the commanders of the FSA are enumerated in publications
and some foreign journalists, by infiltrating the camp, managed to
conduct interviews with the commanders of the FSA. That even deputies
are denied entry into a camp where former Syrian army officers, who
are now civilians, were said to be living with their families proves
that the claims are correct,” it was noted in the motion.

The CHP also maintained that the fact that foreigners in military
uniform were freely wandering around in Hatay, that stories of these
people were published in the foreign press and that the border gates
between Turkey and Syria were left uncontrolled were proof enough that
Turkey was clearly supporting an armed struggle in Syria. Liberated
areas formed by armed groups within Syria disrupt the integrity of
the Syrian territory while at the same time putting Turkey’s national
integrity and security in danger, the motion claimed.

Turkey’s foreign policy towards Armenia was another reason for the
submission of the censure motion against Davutoglu. Some protocols had
been signed with Armenia but on account of insufficient preliminary
work, troubles in Turkey’s relations with Azerbaijan erupted and the
protocols did not go into effect, it was noted in the motion.

The last item in the censure motion was with regards to the
disruption of relations with Israel. Following the killing of nine
Turkish citizens by Israeli soldiers on the Mavi Marmara aid flotilla,
diplomatic and military relations with Israel have come to a standstill
and Turkey has lost the capacity for communicating with all parties
in the Arab-Israeli conflict, it was stated.

The CHP also claimed that Turkey, while laying down, in a loud tone,
some conditions for the improvement of relations with Israel, has
given in to other demands, as was in the case of an early warning
radar which was set up in the province of Malatya, that would put its
own national security at risk for the sake of Israel’s defense needs.

The risky foreign policy, seeking a sphere of influence in the Middle
East while moving away from the EU, has finally come to a stage where
Turkey’s national security itself is under threat, it was noted in
the motion.

SECRETARY GENERAL OF NATO CONSIDERS GEORGIAN ELECTIONS AS A “LITMUS TEST” FOR DEMOCRACY

ARMENPRESS
1 October, 2012
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 1, ARMENPRESS: Secretary General of NATO Anders Fogh
Rasmussen considers Georgian Parliamentary elections held on October 1
and coming presidential elections as a “litmus test” for the Georgian
democracy, reports Armenpress referring to “Novosti Gruzia”.

“Members of NATO see to Georgian elections very carefully” Rasmussen
said in Brussels.

Secretary General of NATO believes that Georgian authorities do
everything to have free, fair and transparent elections and the
evidence is the number of international poll watchers at the elections.

150 deputies must be elected in the parliamentary elections in Georgia
on October 1. 77 people must be elected through proportional system,
73 majoritarian constituencies. The leading two candidates of the
election are Bidzina Ivanishvili and Mikhail Sahakashvili.

DJIVAN GASPARYAN, HOSSEIN ALIZADEH PERFORM IN LONDON

armradio.am
16:43 01.10.2012

The duduk, the double-reeded Armenian oboe, has become synonymous with
Djivan Gasparyan, who has played it for Stalin and Kennedy; with Sting
and Lionel Richie; and now, in his mid-eighties, at the Barbican. Ten
years ago, Gasparyan made a celebrated appearance in Tehran with the
Persian classical musician Hossein Alizâdeh, and it was a coup for
the Barbican Centre, the largest performing arts centre in Europe,
to secure a repeat performance, the Financial Times writes.

“Alizâdeh won a standing ovation from the Iranian half of the audience
simply for walking on. Cross-legged on a carpet with his setar, he
played phrases and their own echoes, ornamenting his ornamentations
until the instrument sang stories within stories, all while Pejman
Hadidi tapped his fingertips on his tombak and flicked his nails as
if striking a match,” the paper reads.

“It was the kind of slow trance that could have lasted for 20 minutes
or three hours; it was nearly an hour before he yielded to Gasparyan,
who entered to his own ovation from his own countrymen. He led a
quartet of duduks, including one bass version that he had invented
himself; and also including his grandson, also named Djivan. At first,
Gasparyan senior played melancholy melodies over a slow drone from
the others: when the bass shifted down a third, the difference felt
seismic. The ratio of air to jig was about five to one, but at the end
of a tune the quartet would sometimes break into a polyphonic dance.

Gasparyan junior took some lead parts, with impossibly fast trills
that sounded like a button accordion. At times, the quartet’s music
sighed like 1930s crooners; then the melodies sheered into dissonances
that sounded continents away from European music,” the article reads.

“Following Alizâdeh’s lead, the quartet played a couple of songs
too many, so it was two hours into the concert before Armenians and
Iranians shared a stage. Alizâdeh bulked out his band with a fiddle
player and two women, one with a qanun, the other singing. The three
younger duduk players joined him, first interposing solos and then
(when audible) weaving around the voice’s call-and-response with
Alizâdeh’s shurangiz and the qanun. “Torkaman” had yelping vocals and
a deep drumbeat, while the duduks breathed clouds of unease. Gasparyan
senior returned, not to play but to sing with the timbre of the duduk.

A five-beat Armenian folk song gathered both halves of the audience
in applause from the first note,” the article concludes.

NA PRESIDENT HOVIK ABRAHAMYAN RECEIVES THE VICE PRESIDENT OF FRG BUNDESTAG

01.10.2012

On October 1 the RA NA President Hovik Abrahamyan visited the FRG
Vice President of the Bundestag Wolfgang Thierse.

The RA NA President highly appreciated the current level of the
Armenian-German relations, noting that the political dialogue
with Germany was highlighted both in bilateral and multilateral
formats. Mr Abrahamyan underlined the importance of the development
of the inter-parliamentary relations, the necessity of activation
of mutual visits, contacts, and the activity of the Parliamentary
Friendship Groups.

The Vice President of the Bundestag also highlighted the necessity of
the development of the inter-parliamentary cooperation, emphasizing
that the German Parliament is greatly interested in deepening and
strengthening the cooperation with the Armenian Parliament. He has
considered important the activation of direct contacts, in order the
German deputies shape right picture about the problems of Armenia
and the region.

Both sides emphasized the International Parliamentary Fellowship
programme being sponsored by the Bundestag and its continuity. In the
course of the meeting they touched upon Armenia~Rs inner-political
situation, also discussed other issues of bilateral interest.

“HE IS A GUY WITH A SERIOUS BIOGRAPHY,” GALUST SAHAKYAN IS SORRY FOR KHACHIKYAN

September 29, 2012 15:38

Sahakyan, a deputy leader of the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA),
said about the arrest of Vazgen Khachikyan, a former head of the state
social security service, that there were other accused in the case,
“There are many other people, the case is not closed.”

However, he didn’t go into detail whether other former heads of the
field would be arrested in the short-run or not. He just said that
he was sorry for Khachikyan, “People who commit crimes must be held
accountable. I am very sorry for Khachikyan, because he is a guy with
a rather serious biography. I don’t think that my friends or relatives
may have another opinion psychologically. But everyone must bear the
responsibility for his actions.”

In response to our question whether the abuses were committed by the
service headed by Khachikyan alone, since it was under the Ministry of
Social Affairs, Mr. Sahakyan said, “It is possible that the Minister
of Social Affairs didn’t know anything, it is possible that he knew,
what suspicious questions you ask and try to get answers.”

He also commented on the news about Khachikyan’s arrest that it was a
pre-election show or political bargaining, “Our thoughts have become
instruments of bargaining. If it had been after the election, there
would have been rumors again that they had waited till the election
was over and then did it. If it had been one year after the election,
they would have talked, anyway. I am not to blame that there are
skeptics. People had better become more serious and live a real life.

People who commit crimes must be held accountable. What does the
political stage have to do with that? A crime is not a subject of
a discussion on the political stag, it is a legal issue and one
shouldn’t make any political assessments.”

Arpine SIMONYAN

“ARMENIA SHOULD HAVE BEEN THE ACCUSER AND NOT THEM,” S. SAFARYAN SAYS ABOUT THE SPEECHES OF MAMEDYAROV AND DAVUTOGLU

September 29, 2012 16:30

As has already informed, yesterday Elmar Mamedyarov,
the Azerbaijani Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Ahmet Davutoglu,
the Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs, made speeches at the annual
plenary meeting of the UN General Assembly. Both of them talked about
the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement, which should be achieved
only in accordance with Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity. Also, the
Azerbaijani Minister of Foreign Affairs called Armenia an “occupant”
as if Yerevan disrupted the meeting of the two sides proposed by the
European organizations.

We asked Stepan Safaryan, the secretary general of the Heritage Party,
to comment on the two above-mentioned speeches. He said during a
conversation with us, “Certainly, such speeches were expectable. There
is nothing novel in the Turks’ and Azerbaijanis’ statements and they
obviously had to use the UN platform to accuse Armenia of aggression
and occupation once again. In this regard, I just think that they
wouldn’t have had such a big mouth, if we, Yerevan, had made absolutely
different kind of accusations regarding Safarov’s extradition. The
countries, which are not only behind the deed committed by Ramil
Safarov, but also behind his extradition, shouldn’t have had the right
to speak like that from the UN platform. Armenia should have been
the accuser, not them, since what Turkey and Azerbaijan have done
to increase tensions in the region has specific purposes and one of
those steps was to jointly see through Safarov’s extradition. And if
concrete accusations had been made in this regard, the speeches of
Turkey’s and Azerbaijan’s ministers would have been considered in a
different light and they wouldn’t have had such a big mouth.”

As for calling Armenia an “occupant” and accusing it of deadlocking
the negotiations, Mr. Safaryan said, “It is a lie and one should prove
that the one who has always deadlocked the negotiations is Azerbaijan.

By the way, Ramil Safarov’s extradition aimed at striking a blow to
those negotiations realizing quite well what the reaction of Yerevan
would be like, that Yerevan would reject negotiations and one would
manage to squeeze Turkey into the negotiation format. One should have
talked about all this and showed this connection.”

Tatev HARUTYUNYAN

A PROPOS DE L’AMBASSADEUR EDWARD DJEREJIAN : UNE AMERE DECEPTION
Jean Eckian

armenews.com
lundi 1er octobre 2012

Par David Boyadjian –

C’est decevant. Le Cycle de Conferences Najarian sur les Droits de
l’Homme, affilie a l’Armenian Heritage Park du Rose Kennedy Greenway
de Boston, a designe l’Ambassadeur Edward Djerejian pour presider
son troisième cycle annuel a Faneuil Hall le 25 octobre.

Djerejian, dont les parents etaient des survivants du Genocide,
est un ancien ambassadeur des USA en Israël et en Syrie. Il est a
present directeur fondateur de l’Institut James A. Baker III a Houston.

Le nom donne a l’institut est celui de James Baker, un ancien
Secretaire d’Etat et negationniste du Genocide des Armeniens, tout
comme l’est Madeleine Albright, un membre d’office de l’institut. Son
conseil d’administration est plein de cadres anciens ou en activite de
Chevron, Marathon Oil, Shell Oil, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan
Chase et d’autres compagnies, dont plusieurs financent egalement
l’Institut. Cela ne surprendra personne, les droits de l’homme sont
a peu près invisibles sur l’agenda de l’Institut.

Dans une presentation politique deprimante aux Americains armeniens
au Texas en 2011, Djerejian n’a pas prononce un seul mot de critique
envers la Turquie ou l’Azerbaïdjan. Il n’a pas evoque non plus les
droits, humains ou autres, de l’Artsakh ou Karabagh. Au lieu de cela,
il a adopte sur le sujet une position neutre, et a cite en l’approuvant
le president azeri Ilham Aliyev selon qi ” l’Azerbaïdjan a tous les
atouts dans son jeu. ” Pour ce qui concerne le Genocide, Djerejian a
simplement note que ” le Genocide des Armeniens ne peut etre resolu
au mieux que dans le contexte de relations ameliorees d’etat a etat
entre l’Armenie et la Turquie. ”

Un authentique avocat des droits humains n’aurait jamais fait un tel
discours. C’est le discours d’un homme du Departement d’Etat soucieux
de sa carrière.

De facon surprenante, le livre de Djerejian ” Danger and Opportunity ”
[Danger et Ouvertures] ecrit en 2008 decrivait Kemal Ataturk comme ”
un chef militaire charismatique qui jeta les occupants europeens hors
de Turquie. ” Il a en outre vante de la Turquie son aide potentielle
aux pays turcophones d’Asie Centrale. ” C’est n’est qu’une version du
panturquisme, qui aboutit a la Première Guerre Mondiale, au Genocide
des Armeniens et au soutien militaire et politique de l’Azerbaïdjan.

Djerejian ignore-t-il cela ou le sait-il et n’en a cure ?

En 1999, Djerejian et Peter Rosenblatt, un ancien ambassadeur des
USA et membre influent de l’American Jewish Committee (AJC) [Comite
Juif Americain] et du Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs
(JINSA) [Institut Juif pour les Affaires de Securite Nationales], se
rendirent en Armenie et en Azerbaïdjan, pour proposer pense-t-on leurs
bons offices dans le conflit du Karabagh. L”AJC et le JINSA sont tous
deux des negationnistes du Genocide des Armeniens et ont travaille
avec la Turquie pour faire echouer la resolution sur le Genocide des
Armeniens. Le Directeur General de l’AJC David Harris, qui a rendu
visite a Aliyev a deux reprises, dit que ” l’Azerbaïdjan est important
pour le peuple juif. ” Le partenariat de fait de Djerejian avec l’AJC
et le JINSA apparaît pour le moins etrange, pour ne pas dire plus.

Fort heureusement, la mission Djerejian-Rosenblatt fut un echec.

Je pourrais poursuivre mais je ne le ferai pas.

Esperons que pour sa session 2013, le cycle de conferences du
Najarian-Armenian Heritage Park invitera un authentique defenseur
des droits humains.

Salutations

David Boyadjian

THREE ARMENIAN ASTRONOMICAL CALENDARS ISSUED (PHOTOS)

30.09.12

Armenian Astronomical Society and Edit-Print publishing house have
issued 2013 astronomical calendars – Byurakan Observatory, Viktor
Hambardzumyan and Armenian astronomers.

According to the press release of the company, Byurakan Observatory
calendar possess information about the observatory, presents its short
history, scholar staff, significant equipment, scientific results.

Viktor Hambardzumyan calendar presents Hambardzumyan’s 12 crucial
scientific results.

Armenian astronomers’ calendar presents biographies and activities
of 12 prominent Armenian astronomers.

The calendars are being issued for the first time and are dedicated
to the 500th anniversary of Armenian printing.