Author: Badalian Vardan

CYPRUS AMENDS LAW TO CRIMINALIZE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE DENIAL

Associated Press International
April 2, 2015 Thursday 1:37 PM GMT

NICOSIA, Cyprus

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) – Cyprus’ parliament has legislated to criminalize
the denial of the massacre of an estimated 1.5 million Armenians by
Ottoman Turks a century ago.

Parliamentary speaker Yiannakis Omirou says that through a unanimous
vote, lawmakers can make denial of any historically proven massacre
a crime.

Omirou said after a meeting with his Armenian counterpart Thursday
that Cyprus was the first country to raise the issue of recognizing
the Armenian genocide at the U.N. General Assembly in 1965. The event
is widely viewed by scholars as the first genocide of the 20th century.

Turkey however, denies that the deaths constituted genocide, saying
the toll has been inflated, and that those killed were victims of
civil war and unrest.

Armenians mark the centenary of the killings on April 24.

PROPOSED BILL CALLS FOR RECONCILIATION BETWEEN TURKEY AND ARMENIA

Wall Street Journal
April 3 2015

By Byron Tau

WASHINGTON–Bringing a new approach to a long-running Capitol Hill
standoff, a Turkish-American coalition is pushing a new bill in
Congress that will call for reconciliation and dialogue between Turkey
and Armenia while sidestepping the question of whether the 1915 mass
killing of Armenians at the hands of the Ottoman Empire was genocide.

Armenian and Armenian-American advocacy groups have long pressed the
U.S. government to officially call the killings genocide, while the
Turks have fought hard against such proposals in the U.S. and abroad.

The issue has been debated in Congress for years, without a resolution,
and the new bill may run into similar difficulties.

The new proposal, to be introduced by Rep. Curt Clawson (R., Fla.),
will call on President Barack Obama to “work toward equitable,
constructive, stable, and durable Armenian-Turkish relations” by
establishing a new presidential task force aimed at rapprochement.

This year marks the 100th year anniversary of the massacres–giving
advocates and lobbyists renewed ammunition in the battle between
the two countries over how the mass killings are remembered and
commemorated by historians and governments.

The historical consensus is that as many as 1.5 million Armenians
were killed by the Ottoman Empire in what is now Turkey. Turkey says
the issue of whether the killings were genocide isn’t for modern-day
governments to decide, contests the number of deaths and argues those
killed were casualties of a larger armed conflict.

The bill, which is being pushed by a new advocacy group called the
Turkish Institute for Progress, aims to be a counterweight and a
potential alternative to another controversial piece of legislation
that would call the 1915 killings a genocide. The proposal has existed
in some form for years.

The Turkish-American coalition has retained the lobbying firm Levick
Strategic Communications to push the reconciliation proposal as a
possible alternative to the genocide bill.

“What we’ve seen year after year for over a decade is Armenia focused
on a resolution that is divisive and causes rancor,” said Connie Mack,
a former Republican member of Congress and a lobbyist for Levick.

This new effort is “about moving forward. It’s about the next 100
years,” said Mr. Mack. The institute isn’t lobbying for or against the
separate genocide resolution and doesn’t have an official position
on it. The rapprochement bill and the genocide bill aren’t mutually
exclusive and members could, in theory, sponsor both, he said.

The reconciliation proposal is already drawing a furious reaction
from Armenian-American groups, who are a powerful and well-organized
lobbying force across the country.

“Congressman Clawson’s measure is Orwellian. He strips out any
mention of the Armenian genocide from a resolution that deals
with Turkish-Armenian relations — which is both unprincipled and
impractical,” said Aram Hamparian, the executive director Armenian
National Committee of America. “The genocide issue stands at the very
center of Turkish-Armenian relations.”

“U.S. interests can be advanced by both countries acting to cultivate
peace and understanding,” said Mr. Clawson, the bill’s sponsor,
in a letter to fellow members of Congress seeking support.

Rep. Adam Schiff, a California Democrat and one of the most
vocal members of Congress on the issue, likened the proposal for
a reconciliation commission to setting up a presidential panel to
debate whether the Holocaust occurred.

“That might be something that Holocaust deniers would applaud, but it
suggests that there’s a credible case to be made that the Holocaust
didn’t happen. There is no credible case that to be made that the
Holocaust didn’t happen and there’s no credible case to be made that
the Armenian genocide didn’t happen,” Mr. Schiff said.

Mr. Schiff and a bipartisan slate of lawmakers reintroduced their
genocide resolution last month with about 40 sponsors. That is down
sharply from the more than 200 lawmakers who signed on to the bill
in 2007.

In 2007, with Democrats in control of Congress, the genocide
bill cleared the House Foreign Affairs Committee before falling
victim to a lobbying campaign by both Turkey and the George W. Bush
administration. The Bush administration and lawmakers of both parties
at the time feared the diplomatic repercussions of alienating Turkey,
a strategic U.S. ally in the Middle East.

Those concerns persist today about the proposal labeling the massacres
a genocide.

“Undertaking this course of action would not only be morally
shortsighted but it would alienate one of our last allies in the
region who is working hand-in-hand with U.S. soldiers and our allies
to combat ISIS and give refuge to hundreds of thousands of innocent
refugees from the Syrian Civil War,” wrote Rep. Bill Shuster in a
letter to colleagues this year.

The Turkish Institute for Progress was formed earlier this year. The
Institute says it has no connection to the Turkish government and
its lobbyists at Levick aren’t registered under provisions governing
representatives of foreign governments.

“TIP is currently supported by a number of American businesses
and independent donors seeking a more progressive solution to mend
Armenian and Turkish relations,” Derya Taskin, the group’s president,
said in a statement. The group declined to name the business or donors
supporting it, citing fear of retaliation.

The Turkish government–which couldn’t not be reached for comment
through the embassy–has a number of prominent Washington lobbyists
on its payroll. The country has the firms of both former Democratic
House Majority Leader Dick Gephardt and former Republican House Speaker
Dennis Hastert on retainer. Turkey last month re-signed another $1.7
million contract with Mr. Gephardt’s firm.

The White House declined to take a position on legislation that is
still being drafted and has yet to be officially introduced.

As a candidate, Mr. Obama promised to use the word “genocide” as
president to describe the mass killings and said the evidence was
“undeniable.” But since he took office, he’s avoided the term,
calling the events “atrocities.”

ARMENIA CONDEMNS THE ILLEGAL, BARBARIC AND PROVOCATIVE ACTIONS OF TURKEY IN CYPRUS’ EEZ

CYPRUS – FAMAGUSTA GAZETTE*
Friday, 03 April, 2015

Armenia condemns the illegal, barbaric and provocative actions of
Turkey within Cyprus` Exclusive Economic Zone and will never accept any
effort for the division of the island, Chairman of National Assembly of
the Republic of Armenia Galoust Sahakyan said on Thursday, addressing
the Cyprus House plenary.

Sahakyan noted that Armenia appreciates the constructive approach of
the Republic of Cyprus for the settlement of the Cyprus problem and
expressed regret for the fact that Turkey responds to the sensible
policy of the leadership of the Republic of Cyprus by adopting a
non constructive approach, and “undermining the latest stage of the
process for a Cyprus settlement with its provocative actions.”

ZHOGHOVURD: US DECIDES TO ALTER TACTIC IN ARMENIA

10:29 * 03.04.15

US Ambassador to Armenia Richard Mills stated on Thursday that the
United States intends to deepen its involvement in Armenia’s economy.

The USA is the fifth largest trade partner of Armenia, and this fact
can be welcomed. However, the USA likes being leader, and it must do
it if it can, Mr Mills said at a business forum organized by the HSBC
Bank Armenia.

The newspaper has repeatedly raised the issue of the USA’s intention
to alter its tactic in Armenia. The USA had provided financial aid
to Armenia to strengthen its influence on the region.

After Armenia decided in favor of the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU),
the USA realized that after investing dozens of millions in Armenia
it did not actually get any means of business influence. Russia,
however, has control of considerable part of Armenia’s economy along
with dozens of millions taken out of the country.

So the USA decided to stop allocating money for ineffective projects.

Rather, it will make investments. The US ambassador’s statement is
actually an official notification of the new tactic.

The “first swallow” was the purchase of the Vorotan coordinated
hydroelectric system by a US company.

BAKU UNDERTAKES RANGER RAID IN KARABAKH-AZERBAIJAN CONTACT LINE – DEFENSE MINISTRY

STEPANAKERT, April 3. /ARKA/. Azerbaijani troops undertook a ranger
raid in the southern section of Karabakh-Azerbaijan contact line
Thursday night with using a mine-clearance devise, the press office
of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic’s defense ministry reports.

The ministry says that thanks to the professional measures taken by
Karabakh servicemen, the raiders were thrown back with losses. Details
of the incident are being investigated.

The Karabakh side sustained no losses. Karabakh conflict broke out
in 1988 when Karabakh, mainly populated by Armenians, declared its
independence from Azerbaijan.

On December 10, 1991, a few days after the collapse of the Soviet
Union, a referendum took place in Nagorno-Karabakh, and the majority
of the population (99.89%) voted for secession from Azerbaijan.

Afterwards, large-scale military operations began. As a result,
Azerbaijan lost control over Nagorno-Karabakh and the seven regions
adjacent to it.

Some 30,000 people were killed in this war and about one million
people fled their homes.

On May 12, 1994, the Bishkek cease-fire agreement put an end to the
military operations.

Since 1992, talks brokered by OSCE Minsk Group are being held over
peaceful settlement of the conflict. The group is co-chaired by USA,
Russia and France. —–0—

REMOVING SANCTIONS AGAINST IRAN TO HAVE UNFAVORABLE INFLUENCE ON TURKEY AND AZERBAIJAN

18:48 03/04/2015 >> MISCELLANEOUS

“Geopolitically, the success of Lausanne agreements may lead to
further rapprochement of Iran with the West and an increase of its
geopolitical role in the region. Moreover, the strengthening of the
geopolitical role of Iran may significantly undermine the geo-economic
importance of Azerbaijan,” an article published on Azerbaijani media
outlet Haqqin.az reads.

With the global standoff between Russia and the West, Azerbaijan
was viewed as an alternative transit country for energy resources,
particularly, for exporting gas from Turkmenistan to Europe. However,
that was only in the format of realizing the project TAP. The global
players hurried to give up Azerbaijan’s supply last year because of the
fantastical undertaking of constructing Nabucco. Everyone understood
that there was nothing to fill the pipe with, the article reads.

Still, now, as the article reads, Iran takes the floor with
inexhaustible oil and gas reserves and as a key transit country. Iran
disposes of the 10% of the reported global oil reserves and is the
second country in the world after Russia with its natural gas reserves
(15%).

The official representatives of Iran do not hide that they strive to
enter the European market of oil and gas, as in the olden days. Let’s
remember that the deputy Minister of Oil in Iran, Ali Majedi, offered
to revive project of Nabucco pipeline during his European tour and
said that his country is ready to supply gas to Europe through it,
the publication reads.

“According to the project Nabucco, that pipeline will transfer around
31 billion cubic meters of gas. We repeat, Azerbaijani gas alone
cannot fill that pipe. The main problem is that the potential of
the Azerbaijani gas field Shah Deniz II is assessed no more than 8
billion cubic meters a year. That is why even if the Azerbaijani gas
eventually comes to be supplied via Nabucco, there will be a deficit
of 23 billion cubic meters a year,” the authors stress.

It is also noted that the West quite materially reacted to the
possibility of the Iranian gas to join Nabucco.

“Some months earlier the same Ali Majedi reported sensational news:
‘two invited European delegations’ discussed the potential routes of
Iranian gas supply to Europe,” the article reads.

The country that was the closest to sign an agreement on Nabucco,
Azerbaijan, has not got enough gas reserves to fill the pipeline, the
authors of the article write pointing to Iran’s possible participation
in the project.

“If Washington removes energy sanctions on Iran after an ultimate
agreement is signed between Iran and the West, then quite a new
geopolitical and, alongside with it, geo-economic configuration
will emerge in the region. Connecting with Nabucco will be enough
for Iran to fully supply Europe with gas. With the removal of the
sanctions on Iran the economic power, and alongside with that,
Iran’s political influence will grow year by year,” the authors of
the article highlight.

In an interview to the Azerbaijani media outlet Minval.az, orientalist
Aida Gambar noted that Iran is working very actively in the Middle
East region, and its main purpose is to become the leading country
of the region.

“Iran is trying to carry out its ideological programme of creating a
very large and significant Shia union which will be able to influence
all the processes going on in the region,” she said.

The orientalist also noted that with the crisis in Syria, which
affected very strongly the system of international relations, the
center of gravity goes to Iran which enjoys the support of foreign
large powers.

“There are many problems that the US foreign powers, EU leading
countries need to settle down with Iran. They have already been able
to solve and settle down quite a lot of problems, and it is obscure
if a framework agreement is signed, what the strengthening status
of Iran will be like, given the removal of some sanctions, how Iran
will fortify its positions due to that. It is an unfavorable moment
for Turkey and Azerbaijan,” she said.

Anton Yevstratov, an expert on Iran, told Minval.az that Azerbaijan is
in a complicated situation completely backing US’s all the anti-Iran
actions, actively provoking anti-Iran rhetoric inside the country
and often splashing it also into the international relations.

“Azerbaijan could not orient at the latest stage and fell off the
fairway of the US. The West seems to show signs of readiness to make
friends with IRI, yet Baku goes on ‘waving its fists.’ And today no
one supports Azerbaijan in that,” the expert on Iran highlighted.

Related:

Economy of Azerbaijan: increase in external debt, reduction of
production and export of oil and gas

TEXT OF FRENCH LAW WAS COPIED FROM WIKIPEDIA

The Times (London)
April 2, 2015 Thursday

by Charles Bremner

A French MP has admitted that she tabled a parliamentary bill with a
preamble largely pasted from Wikipedia. Valerie Boyer, 52, copied text
from the free internet encyclopedia setting out reasons why France
should officially recognise the 1915 Assyrian genocide. Wikipedia
describes it as “the mass slaughter of the Assyrian population of the
Ottoman Empire during the First World War” and blames it on the Turks.

The text, published in the official parliamentary journal, retained
Wikipedia’s index numbers and hyperlinks, although these were later
removed.

Ms Boyer, the Union for a Popular Movement MP for Marseilles,
acknowledged using copied text but insisted on BFM TV, a news channel,
that she “had the extract verified by specialised teachers”.

She was the author of a 2011 bill making denial of the Armenian
genocide by Turkey a criminal offence. The Assyrian massacres were
bound up with the genocide. Turkey denies responsibility.

The new bill is to be debated later this year. Discovery of the
plagiarism was mocked on social networks under the hashtag #epicfail.

ARMENIA’S DEFENSE MINISTER HIGHLIGHTS MILITARY-INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX DEVELOPMENT

20:07, 3 April, 2015

YEREVAN, 3 APRIL, ARMENPRESS: A consultation was held on April 3 at
the administrative complex of the Ministry of Defense of the Republic
of Armenia, attended by the representatives of themilitary-industrial
complex of the Ministry of Defense and the leading enterprises of
the field, to discuss issues related to the development, production
and supply of military output for the Armed Forces of the Republic
of Armenia, as well as cooperation between the Ministry of Defense
and the military-industrial complex.

The press service of the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of
Armenia informed Armenpress that during the consultation, held
with such a format for the first time, the Minister of Defense
Seyran Ohanyan stressed that in the framework of the new bill, the
realistic assessment of the current state, manufacturing capabilities,
achievements and shortcomings of the military-industrial companies
and the discussion of the proposals and works, carried out to create
joint enterprises, open a new page for the development of the sector
and the implementation of new programs.

Global Decline in Sugar Prices Not Reflected in the Armenian Market

04.04.2015 11:46 epress.am

Food prices around the world have been decreasing at a fast rate; in
particular, global prices of sugar and vegetable oils fell to their
lowest level since 2009,Haykakan Zhamanak daily wrote on Saturday,
April 4. However, as the daily pointed out, the global dip in the
prices is not reflected in the food prices in Armenia, even when the
majority of these products is imported.

According to the official statistics, sugar prices in Armenia have
increased by 10 percent in the past year, while in the global market
the prices went down by 23 percent (within a year, the price per ton
went down to $367 from its previous value of $480 on the London Stock
Exchange).

“Taking into account the devaluation of the national currency in this
period, sugar prices in Armenia should have been reduced by almost 9
percent, i.e., the price per kilo should be AMD 325, rather than the
current AMD 370, in which case the sugar importer (“manufacturer”)
would not have lost anything in revenues. Meanwhile, the current sugar
importer, “Alex Grig” company, which has “no relation to Samvel
Aleksanyan whatsoever,” receives an additional profit of 45 drams per
kilo of sugar. That amounts to AMD 4,5 billion, or $9 million a year,”
the daily wrote.

Note, the monopoly on sugar imports to Armenia belongs to “Alex Grig”
company which is owned by ruling Republican Party MP, oligarch Samvel
Aleksanyan.

“Angels” and “Demons” of Film Director Hovhannes Galstyan

Hovhaness Galstyan: ArmInfo’s interview with film director Hovhaness
Galstyan, the winner of Hayak Armenian
National Film Award 2012 and international film festivals for the film
“Bonded Parallels.”

by Karina Manukyan
Saturday, April 4, 20:38

What kind of heroines does the national cinematography need?

Armenian cinema needs true heroines and honesty, in general. Not
pseudo-honesty. This requires talent, experience and stagecraft.
Otherwise, it is impossible to make a great movie.

What do you mean by saying a true heroine? Is she strong or weak? Is
she a woman who fights for her happiness or the one that reconciles
herself to her lot?

True means alive. If you watch a woman in the film and you can’t get
her off your mind for a day, two, and five years, it means that she
was a true heroine.

She can be both strong and weak at the same time. I mean the heroine,
not the actress.

The heroines in your film “Bonded Parallels” are very interesting.
They do not afraid of being criticized. They just strive for
happiness. Why did you choose such heroines? Was it a deliberate
decision or happy coincidence?

My heroines had real prototypes. That’s not the issue, however.
Insincerity penetrates deep into the mind of the author and then into
the characters he creates, if the author cares for such unnatural
things as public opinion etc. The author should discover himself,
analyze his own angel and demon, and then create his like. Art is
privacy, even such collective art is movie.

Have you already discovered your angel and demon?

Well, I am still discovering.

What about the heroine of your new film “Lucid Place?”

The principal character in “Lucid Place” is a man, but he is in the
company of women, Marie and Janette. The other characters unveil him.
That is why these two women are very important to me and to him.
“Lucid Place” is my first film where I try to seriously research a
male character. As strange as it may seem, these two women help me
discover him. This shows how often we do not understand ourselves and
how hard it is to discover your own ‘angels’ and ‘demons.’ My hero is
Gabriel – a choreographer at 44 – I should have known him very well,
inherently. However, I had worked on the character for 2 years until
those two women helped me discover him.

Do you mean that only a woman can discover a man?

The character is revealed when he occurs in an unusual situation and
has to make crucial decisions. His choice, not the set phrases that
flooded the movie, is what demonstrates that he is a true and
autonomous character. The hero needs action, which is impossible
unless he is not alone. He needs also other heroes. In my film, these
are heroines. However, if Gabriel were a football player or a miner,
maybe, I would reveal him with help of other male heroes… In the
“Lucid Place,” women reveal the hero. However, it is not an axiom.

Have you already decided where to shoot the film?

We have decided the place. However, it is very hard to decide when to
start. Thanks to our partner, the location outside Armenia is found –
it is the south of France, Languedoc. We have chosen the location
inside Armenia too. We will start shooting as soon as the financial
bag is full by 70%-80%. I will not dare to start, unless there is
sufficient funding, like I did when making the “Bonded Parallels.”
Then I sought to make my first film to prove to myself that I can do
it. Now, I have different goals.

What are your goals now?

To be caution with compromises and do everything to the maximum.

You said the true image of a woman lives for years. Can you name the
heroines you can’t get off your mind?

Julianna from The Red Desert. I am still in love with her.

How has she gained your heart?

She was full of life, impressive, huggable. I was 16 then, not older.
I was at high school.

I cannot but ask you. What kind of honesty do you think the Armenian
cinema needs?

I cannot say what is the honesty formula, but a man always strives for
the truth. Lie, hypocrisy, falsehood are abhorrent to human beings. A
spectator feels falsehood at once. He either leaves cinema or watches
the film till the end with disgust. False films cannot enjoy
popularity. When we learn to make films that will be screen
internationally, we will realize what honesty we lacked. So far, we
have nothing to do but pretend that we have what to be proud of. Some
15 films are screened in the country every year and very few of them
enjoy popularity… To call it cinematography is self-deception.

A good film that will “break into Hollywood” requires good funding.

Georgian film “Corn Island” and the Georgian-Estonian film
“Tangerines” broke into Hollywood, let alone Alejandro González
Iñárritu. Integration process is not easy: it requires talent, luck,
policy, cinematic environment… Many of the films made in Armenia lack
this all.

You are very critical about the local cinematography…

Not me, but the professional cinematography society. I just try to
look into the reasons of such situation. Our films have neither been
presented at big festivals nor screened internationally for 25 years
already. As long as we don’t care for that, we will continue to watch,
not make, great films.