Author: Babajanian Karo

Georgian-Armenians protest in defense of jailed activist

tert.am
17:10 – 23.09.12

The Armenian-populated Georgian town of Akhalkalaki hosted on Sunday a
protest in defense of the convicted Georgian Armenian activist, Vahagn
Chakhalyan.

Hundreds of people, who gathered on the town’s central square,
condemned tortures against the inmates in the country’s prisons. They
called for measures to release Chakhalyan.

The organizers – activists of the democratic alliance United Javakhk –
promised to continue the rallies in case of not receiving a positive
feedback by the Georgian authorities.

At the end, the adopted a call addressed to Georgian President Mikheil
Saakashvili.

Chakhalyan was sentenced to 10 years in prison in 2009 over charges of
conducting illegal mass gatherings and resisting the police. An
appellate court left his verdict unchanged. The last hearing over
Chakhalyan’s case was held on October 30, 2009.

Women’s football, JLo and the axe-murderer – Al Jazeera

tert.am
14:32 – 23.09.12

What do women’s football, JLo and an axe-murderer have in common?, Al
Jazeera asks in an article titled Azerbaijan in the spotlight.

The author of the report, Robin Forestier-Walker, says all three
lately received a welcome in Baku.

`Azerbaijan seeks the international spotlight. Jennifer Lopez this
weekend headlined at the Women’s Under 17 FIFA World Cup opening
ceremony in Baku. The capital proudly hosted the kitsch European Song
Contest earlier this year – a colossal undertaking.

Yet the decision to welcome home a man who committed a calculated and
horrific murder damaged the image of an ambitious nation with a
rapidly-developing European capital,’ reads the article.’

Noting that the life-sentenced Azerbaijani lieutenant, who was
convicted in Budapest for hacking an Armenian army officer to death,
was extradited in August and pardoned on arrival, the author says
further that the Azerbaijani authorities were nervous about permitting
the TV channel to report from Baku on a decision that has proved what
he calls deeply unpalatable to the international community.

`To understand this contradiction between a proud and outward-looking
Azerbaijan on the surface, and a nation smarting from international
criticism over the pardoning of a cold-blooded murderer, look for
clues on the capital’s skyline.

One of the key justifications given in Azerbaijan today for absolving
Safarov of his crime is that his victim. Gurgen Margaryan, allegedly
insulted Azerbaijan’s flag.

The largest example of this national symbol ripples in slow-motion
above Baku from one of the tallest flagpoles in the world. It says a
lot about the leadership’s megalomanic pretensions, but many
Azerbaijanis are proud of it.

The flip-side to healthy patriotism in Azerbaijan is a nationalism
constructed in relation to injustices – perceived and real –
perpetrated against the nation by neighbouring Armenia,’ he says.

Forestier-Walker then goes on to explain that the country is becoming
exceeding rich thanks to petrodollars which he says are transforming
the Baku skyline/

`But almost 20 years after losing Nagorno-Karabakh and a sizeable
proportion of Azerbaijani territory, all the JLos, Eurovisions and
sporting tournaments cannot buy the thing so many desire – the return
of Azerbaijani land and real peace – not a frozen conflict that risks
warming up,’ he concludes.

ARMENIE
Le marché du travail doit être amélioré en Arménie

Eduard Kirakosyan, le directeur de l’Union des Fabricants et des
Hommes d’affaires a dit aux journalistes que le secteur réel de
l’économie de l’Arménie a besoin de spécialistes qualifiés et
d’ouvriers ordinaires. Il a dit qu’il y a un large vide entre la
demande et l’offre de travail en Arménie.

Eduard Kirakosyan a dit que les universités du pays forment des
spécialistes sans tenir compte de la demande de travail du marché.

L’Arménie, a-t-il dit, a horriblement besoin de tourneurs, de
métallurgistes, de fraiseurs et de constructeurs.

Il a dit que les établissements éducatifs doivent coopérer de près
avec les entrepreneurs pour fournir au marché du travail les
spécialistes nécessaires.

Haykuhi Gevorgyan, le chef du Centre d’Orientation Professionnel des
Jeunes au ministère du travail et des affaires sociales, a dit que les
spécialistes en physique et en chimie seront fortement demandés en
Arménie au cours des 3 à 5 prochaines années.

Le service National de la Statistique d’Arménie affirme que 1 194 700
personnes sont actives en Arménie en 2011. 1 120 800 avaient un
emploi.

dimanche 23 septembre 2012,
Stéphane ©armenews.com

USA
Génocide Arménien – Jean Schmidt fait du nettoyage de sa biographie
sur wikipédia

La réprésentante Jean Schmidt est l’un des 33 députés dont les bureaux
ont fait « un peu de nettoyage historique » à leurs profils Wikipedia
selon un article dans BuzzFeed.

BuzzFeed dit qu’il utilise les adresses IP du Congrès pour voir qui
intervient pour modifier les informations présentes sur wikipedia.

Selon BuzzFeed le bureau de Schmidt a « supprimé toute la section sur
la question de la négation du génocide »,

Jean Schmidt a longtemps pris le parti du lobby turco-américain contre
la résolution reconnaissant le génocide.des Arméniens dans l’Empire
ottoman à partir de 1915.

Sa position sur la question lui a valu de vives critiques à partir
d’un adversaire politique David Krikorian, un Américain d’origine
arménienne qui l’a accusée de prendre « l’argent du sang » des
intérêts turcs la poussant à avoir une position anti-génocide.

Krikorian a déposé une plainte en déontologie et le Comité d’éthique
de la Chambre a finalement conclu que Schmidt avait accepté sans le
savoir un mauvais don de la Coalition turque d’Amérique.

dimanche 23 septembre 2012,
Stéphane ©armenews.com

Mediamax, Armenia
Sept 22 2012

Karen Mirzoyan appointed Foreign Minister of NKR

Yerevan /Mediamax/. President of Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR) Bako
Sahakyan visited the NKR Foreign Ministry today and introduced to the
staff the newly appointed Minister Karen Mirzoyan.

NKR President described Karen Mirzoyan as an experienced diplomat who
will give a new quality to the activities of the Foreign Ministry.

Before this appointment Karen Mirzoyan was heading the Bordering
Countries Department at the Armenian MFA. Before that he was Armenia’s
Permanent Representative to the Black Sea Economic Cooperation in
Istanbul.

In early 2000s Karen Mirzoyan was the Permanent Representative of NKR
in Armenia.

Armenia’s penitentiary system extremely cruel – human rights activist

tert.am
17:49 – 21.09.12

The video evidence of violence against prisoners in the Gldani prison,
Tbilisi, Georgia, proved shocking not only to Georgian, but also to
Armenian societies.

Armenia’s first human rights defender (Ombudsman), Larisa Alaverdyan,
a member of a group monitoring Armenia’s penitentiary institutions,
has the information on severe beating of prisoners, particularly two
life-termers.

`Mher Yenokyan, as well as one more prisoner, whose name I cannot
recall now, were severely beaten after escaping from prison,’
Alaverdyan told Tert.am.

However, she is not informed of any instance of rape in Armenia’s
penitentiary institutions either as Armenia’s ex-ombudsman or as a
nominating group member.

Mrs Alaverdyan is not surprised at violence against prisoners in
Georgia. Her Georgian partners informed her that, despite President
Mikheil Saakashvili’s `some positive political tendencies,’ the real
human rights situation in the neighboring state is not so good.

The human rights activist Vardan Harutyunyan considers it wrong to
deny violence in penitentiary institutions. `Numerous instances have
been reported. These are penitentiaries inherited from Soviet times –
both in Georgia and in Armenia. A human being is of no value for
them,’ he said.

`The penitentiary system is a cruel system, and human rights activists
have made repeated statements. Also international organizations,
including Amnesty International, have been reporting cases for years,’
he said.

PRESS RELEASE
Stockholm, September 21, 2012
Union of Armenian Associations in Sweden
[email protected]

Swedish MPs send a letter to the Hungarian Embassy in Stockholm

An official letter signed by MPs of different political parties in the
Swedish Parliament, the Riksdag, has been sent to the Hungarian Ambassador
in Sweden, Mr. Gabor Szentivanyi. The letter reads as follows:

H.E Ambassador Gabor Szentivanyi
Embassy of Hungary in Sweden

Honourable Ambassador,

It has come to our knowledge that the President of Azerbaijan has pardoned
Ramil Safarov following his extradition from Hungary. We will join the
international condemnation of the `glorification’ of the terrible crime
which Mr Safarov has committed and we are deeply concerned by the
consequences that the action will have on the relations between Armenia
and Azerbaijan.

The conduct of Baku has been condemned by several international instances,
among others UN Secretary General, EU President, the President of the
European Parliament, the Chairman of the Council of Europe as well as the
governments of the permanent chairmen of the OSCE Minsk Group, denouncing
it as incompatible with the ongoing peace process.

Mr. Ambassador, we as Member of the Parliament of Sweden wish to find out
how Your Government, a member of the European Union, will now react to
this breach of rules and agreements and demand Baku to honour
international laws according to which the extradition was performed. News
media and Hungarian opposition claim that Azeri financial assurances to
the Hungarian Government played a crucial role in the extradition which
has now harmed the peace process conducted by OSCE Minsk Group. We hope
that the Hungarian Government can clarify this issue in a proper manner.
At the same time we hope that Your Government will takes decisive measures
for reprimanding Baku for their breach of international laws, endangering
the fragile peace process of Nagorno-Karabakh, as well as for having
dishonored the agreement made between the Justice Departments of
respective country.

We look forward to Your response and views on the subject.

Karabakh President appoints members of government

tert.am
15:14 – 22.09.12

On 22 September Nagorno Karabakh President Bako Sahakyan, guided by
Paragraph 4 of Article 68 of the NKR Constitution signed a decree on
appointing members of the state government.

According to the Central Information Department of the Karabakh
President, the decree established the following structure of the
Cabinet of Ministers:

Arthur Aghabekyan Nagorno Karabagh Republic vice prime-minister;
Zoya Lazaryan minister of healthcare;
Ararat Danielyan minister of justice;
Levon Mnacakanyan minister of industrial infrastructures;
Karen Mirzoyan minister of foreign affairs;
Andranik Khachatryan minister of agriculture;
Slavik Asryan minister of education and science;
Narine Aghabalyan minister of culture and youth affairs
Movses Hakobyan minister of defense;
Narine Narimanyan minister of labor and social affairs;
Karen Shahramanyan minister of municipal engineering;
Spartak Tevosyan minister of finance and economy.

According to other Presidential decrees Ararat Danielyan was released
from the post of adviser to the NKR President, permanent
representative of the President in the NKR National Assembly for his
appointment as justice minister, Levon Grigoryan was released from the
post of chairman of the state committee of real estate cadastre for
his appointment as the head of NKR Cabinet of Ministers’ staff, Karlen
Petrosyan was appointed chairman of the state committee of real estate
cadastre adjunct to the government.

Fish reduced in Armenia’s Debed-PHOTO

September 22, 2012 | 22:22

VANADZOR. – Residents and fishermen of Tumanyan village in Armenia’s
Lori Region alarm that fish is reduced in Debed River due to various
waste of mines and landfill, one of the village residents told
Armenian News-NEWS.am correspondent on Saturday. At the same time,
employees of fast-food restaurants on Vanadzor-Alaverdi road claimed
that water turned into the color of milk days ago and the reason is
the waste from Armanis gold mine in Stepanavan. They also added that
they have alarmed for many times the environmentalists about the
suspected color of the river, however, they have no idea about the
real reasons of the water pollution.

Armenian rescuers left to participate in ”Georgia 2012” NATO drills

11:20, 22 September, 2012

YEREVAN , SEPTEMBER 22, ARMENPRESS: The Minister of Emergency
Situations Armen Yeritsyan solemnly bade a farewell to 54 Armenian
rescuers heading for Georgia, where they are scheduled to participate
in ”Georgia 2012” NATO drills. As Armenpress reports, the Minister
welcomed the rescuers and held the staff exterior appearance
review.Armen Yeritsyan high evaluated Armenian rescuers professional
skills and expressed conviction they will present Armenia honorably.

”We are consistently participating in NATO annual drills, our
specialists meet international standards and are ready to perform
their tasks” Emergency Situations Minister stated. Armen Yeritsyan
highlighted the launch of similar drills, as often one state fails to
cope with solely in disaster cases. The Minister promised to award the
rescuers. ” I guess we shall meet our rescuers proudly and will
grand the best of them” Minisrer noted. Armenian rescuers left for
Georgia under solemn music of the orchestra.