Author: Badalian Vardan

IRAN AND AJARIA AUTONOMOUS REP TO EXPAND COMPREHENSIVE RELATIONS

IRNA
December 16, 2011
BAKU

Baku, Dec 16, IRNA – Council General of IRI in a meeting in Batumi
with head of Georgia’s Autonomous Republic of Ajaria Friday surveyed
ways for comprehensive expansion of relations between two countries
in tourism, cultural and economic fields.

Ahmad-Reza Arzjani added in his meeting with His Eminence Levan
Varshalomidze, “Eighty-four years after the establishment of the Head
Consulate of Iran in Batumi, this is a turning point in expansion of
relations between Iran and Georgia.”

Emphasizing the need for the expansion of cultural ties between Iran
and Georgia, Arzjani said, “Beyond doubt the two countries cultural
and non-governmental cooperation would influence greatly the process
of expansion of friendly relations between Iran and Georgia.”

The Head of Georgia’s Autonomous Republic of South Georgia,
Varshalomidze, too, in the meeting expressed delight over the beginning
of tenure of the new Iranian Consul General in Batumi, reiterating,
“Georgia is ready for comprehensive expansion of ties with the Islamic
Republic of Iran is tourism, cultural and economic fields.”

The head of Ajaria Autonomous Republic also expressed hope that in
near future he would visit Iran’s East and West Azarbaijan Provinces
and have meeting with those provinces governor generals.

Islamic Republic of Iran’s Consulate General was established in
Georgia’s Batumi city last year, but Iran’s Council General Ahmad-Reza
Arzjani as appointed at the post recently.

Adjara, officially the Autonomous Republic of Adjara, is an Autonomous
Republic of Georgia.

Adjara is located in the southwestern corner of Georgia, bordered by
Turkey to the south and the eastern end of the Black Sea. Adjara is
a home to the Adjar ethnic subgroup of Georgians.

Adjara is located in the southwestern corner of Georgia, bordered by
Turkey to the south and the eastern end of the Black Sea. Adjara is
a home to the Adjar ethnic subgroup of Georgians.

Adjara is also known as Ajara, Adzhara, Ajaria, Adjaria, Adzharia,
Achara, and Acharia. Formerly Adjara was known as Acara under Ottoman
rule. It became the Adjarian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic
(Adjar ASSR) under the Soviet Union.

The collapse of the Soviet Union and the re-establishment of Georgia’s
independence accelerated re-Christianization, especially among the
young. However, there are still remaining Sunni Muslim communities in
Adjara, mainly in the Khulo district. According to the 2006 estimates
by the Department of Statistics of Adjara, 63% are Georgian Orthodox
Christians, and 30% Muslim. The remaining are Armenian Christians
(0.8%), Roman Catholics (0.2%), and others (6%).

GENOCIDE ARMENIEN: ERDOGAN MENACE PARIS DE CONSEQUENCES “IRREPARABLES”

20minutes.fr

16 dec 2011
France

DIPLOMATIE – En cause: la possible adoption d’un projet de loi
sanctionnant la negation du genocide armenien et considere comme
“hostile” par la Turquie…

Le Premier ministre turc, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a menace la France
de consequences “graves, irreparables” qu’aurait l’adoption d’un
projet de loi reprimant la negation du genocide armenien, appelant le
president francais a barrer la route a ce texte, a rapporte vendredi
l’agence Anatolie.

“Je souhaite exprimer clairement que si ces demarches arrivent a
terme, les consequences sur les relations politiques, economiques,
culturelles et dans tous les domaines avec la France, seront graves”,
a souligne Erdogan dans une lettre envoyee a Nicolas Sarkozy.

Erdogan, dont le pays a toujours refuse de reconnaître le genocide
armenien (1915-1917), evoque aussi l’impact “irreparable” sur les
relations franco-turques qu’aurait le vote de ce texte par le Parlement
francais, exhortant Nicolas Sarkozy a faire obstacle au projet.

Projet de loi “hostile” a la Turquie

“J’espère sincèrement que vous tiendrez votre promesse de faire echouer
des initiatives de ce genre et empecherez ainsi des demarches qui
auront des consequences irreparables” sur les relations bilaterales,
a dit le Premier ministre turc. Il a en outre appele la France a
faire preuve de “bon sens” et a empecher que les rapports bilateraux
deviennent “l’otage des revendications de tierces parties”, faisant
reference a l’Armenie.

“Ce projet de loi vise directement la republique de Turquie, la nation
turque et la communaute turque de France, et nous le considerons
comme hostile”, a ajoute Erdogan.

Le projet doit etre examine le 22 decembre par l’Assemblee nationale
francaise. L’ambassade de Turquie a Paris a deja averti qu’un vote
favorable jeudi prochain entraînerait le rappel pour consultations
de l’ambassadeur en France, Tahsin Burcuoglu, et le gel de toute
cooperation avec Paris.

1,5 million de morts

La Turquie reconnaît que jusqu’a 500.000 Armeniens ont peri dans
l’Anatolie ottomane au cours de la Première guerre mondiale, mais,
selon elle, ils n’ont pas ete victimes d’une campagne d’extermination
mais du chaos des dernières annees de l’Empire ottoman. Pour les
Armeniens, il s’agit d’un genocide, qui a fait plus d’un million et
demi de morts.

GENOCIDE ARMENIEN : LA FRANCE NE DOIT PAS RECULER FACE A LA TURQUIE, LORS DU VOTE DU 22 DECEMBRE 2011
ANDRE SILLAM

Le Post

16 dec 2011
France

Un texte, qui prevoit une peine d’un an de prison et une amende de
45 000 euros en cas de contestation du genocide armenien, doit etre
examine jeudi 22 decembre 2011 par l’Assemblee Nationale francaise.

A) Face a l’adoption probable de ce texte, on assiste a une triple
offensive turque : gouvernementale, diplomatique, parlementaire et
economique :

1. Dans une lettre envoyee au Chef de l’Etat francais, Recep Tayyip
Erdogan a indique, selon l’agence de presse officielle Anatolie,
le 16 decembre 2011 :

– “Si ces demarches arrivent a terme, les consequences sur les
relations politiques, economiques, culturelles et dans tous les
domaines avec la France seront graves”,

– “J’espère sincèrement que vous (…) empecherez ainsi des demarches
qui auraient des consequences irreparables” sur les liens bilateraux,

– Il a en outre appele la France a faire preuve de “bon sens” et
a empecher que les rapports franco-turcs deviennent “l’otage des
revendications de parties tiers”,

– “Ce projet de loi vise directement la Republique de Turquie,
la nation turque et la communaute turque de France, et nous le
considerons comme hostile”.

2. De son côte, l’ambassade de Turquie a Paris a deja averti
qu’un vote favorable jeudi 22 decembre 2011 entraînerait le rappel
pour consultations de l’ambassadeur en France, et le gel de toute
cooperation avec Paris.

Le Ministre des Affaires Etrangeres Turc, qui a accuse la France de
“mentalite moyenâgeuse” dans cette affaire, a convoque le 15 decembre
2011, les representants des entreprises francaises operant en Turquie,
et leur a demande d’intervenir auprès de leurs directions pour qu’elles
fassent pression sur le gouvernement francais.

3. Deux delegations turques : une parlementaire et une autre, composee
d’hommes d’affaires et d’industriels, se rendront en debut de semaine
(commencant le 19 decembre 2011) a Paris pour tenter de convaincre
les decideurs et elus francais de faire marche arrière sur ce projet.

B) La France ne doit pas reculer face a la Turquie pour les raisons
suivantes :

1. – Faut-il rappeler aux Turcs que la separation des pouvoirs existe
en France, qui n’a pas “une mentalite moyenâgeuse”, et que l’Executif
ne peut intervenir dans le domaine Legislatif ?

2. Les declarations actuelles des Turcs sont autant de negations
du genocide armenien ; lorsque le texte sera vote par le Parlement
francais, les Turcs pourront se voir appliquees les sanctions prevues
en cas de negation, en France, du genocide armenien.

3. – Faut-il : . que ce texte soit important pour la Turquie, . que ce
genocide d’1 million et demi de personnes soit lourd a porter, . que la
verite soit dure a admettre, . que la Turquie ait mauvaise conscience,
. que la Turquie veuille rayer et nier ce passe peu glorieux, . que
la Turquie reve de reconstituer, au XXIè siècle, l’Empire Ottoman sur
un plan diplomatique (par l’entreprise des pays arabes qui ont pris le
Parti AKP comme modèle politique), pour expliquer un tel deploiement :
d’interventions a tous niveaux, d’energie, de deplacements, de menaces,
de critiques, d’accusations et de consequences en tous genres !

4. – Qui pourrait croire, parmi les historiens, a la version immuable
Turque, d’une disparition de 500.000 armeniens, pendant la Guerre de
1914/18, liee, notamment, a leur alliance avec l’ennemi russe, quand
on voit que près d’un siècle après, la Turquie est prete a deployer
de telles menaces, pour tordre le cou a la verite historique, admise
par tant de pays Europeens ?

Enfin, cette action, tous azimuts, contre la reconnaissance du
genocide armenien, parmi d’autres, discredite la Turquie de vouloir
faire partie un jour de l’Union Europeenne.

RUSSIAN EXPERT: WAR IN IRAN NO SOLUTION TO KARABAKH CONFLICT

PanARMENIAN.Net
December 15, 2011 – 21:38 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Member of the Public Chamber of the Russian
Federation, political analyst Maxim Shevchenko advised Baku to refrain
from military solution to Nagorno Karabakh conflict in case of a war
in Iran.

“Such a step is sure to have a negative impact on Azerbaijan’s economic
development,” Shevchenko stated, noting Armenia’s strategic partnership
with Iran.

Russian expert further called for peaceful resolution to the conflict.

TURKEY CALLS ON SARKOZY TO LOOK IN THE MIRROR ON HISTORY CONTROVERSY

AZG DAILY
16-12-2011

According to Turkish Zaman, in harsh response to recent remarks by
French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who called on Turkey to face its
history and recognize the 1915 massacre of Armenians as genocide,
Turkey said on Friday that France should look in the mirror before
asking Turkey to revisit its history.

Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told reporters after his meeting
with Turkey’s pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) on the
country’s foreign policy that he finds Sarkozy’s remarks as an example
of “political populism.” He said his statements were wrong and were
aimed for [France’s] domestic politics. … Any state or society who
has a colonial past and cannot face its own history does not have the
right to give lessons to Turkey. Those who want Turkey face its history
should look into mirror,” the minister said. Sarkozy on Thursday urged
Turkey to recognize the 1915 incidents as genocide, threatening to
pass a law in France that would make denying this a crime.

“The Armenian genocide is a historical reality. Collective denial is
even worse than individual denial,” Sarkozy told reporters.

“Turkey, which is a great country, would honor itself to revisit
its history like other great countries in the world have done,”
the French president added. On Friday, Sarkozy made further comments
on the issue, calling Turkey to “make a gesture of reconciliation,”
and warning that if Turkey refrained from taking any steps, France
would consider amending its legislation to penalize denial, Reuters
reported. Sarkozy did not give a date for such a move, but noted that
measures could be adopted “in a very brief time.”

Turkey’s Minister for European Union Affairs Egemen BagıÅ~_ was also
highly critical of Sarkozy’s remarks and called on the French president
to “think over how he would save his country from the economic turmoil
it has fallen into instead of assuming the role of historians.”

BagıÅ~_ told reporters in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where he has been
for an official visit, that his remarks show that Sarkozy is concerned
about recent polls in his country, which show less support for him
in the upcoming presidential elections. “This can only be called the
exploitation of the upcoming elections. We can make no other comment,”
he said.

BAKU UNLIKELY TO START WAR AGAINST ARMENIA – RUSSIAN EXPERT

PanARMENIAN.Net
December 15, 2011 – 16:49 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – The director of the Center for Military Forecasts
believes Russia’s military department is wary of Baku’s doubling its
military budget over the last 3 years to purchase inordinate amounts of
weaponry, thus causing a well-founded irritation with Iran and Armenia.

As Anatoly Tsygankov reminded, Baku increased the pressure on Moscow
demanding to up the rent for Gabala radar station use. “Still, even
considering the disputes between Iran and Azerbaijan over Caspian
oilfields, Baku is unlikely to support anti-Iranian military campaign
or start a war against Armenia,” the expert remarked.

COOPERATION BETWEEN ARMENIAN AND TURKISH ENTREPRENEURS WILL EVENTUALLY LEAD TO OPENING OF BORDERS: EXPERT

/ARKA/
December 15, 2011
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, December 15. /ARKA/. Increasing ties between Armenian and
Turkish entrepreneurs will reduce tension between the two nations
and eventually lead to the opening of the borders, Artush Lazarian,
the Armenian coordinator of the Caucasus Business Development Network
(CBDN) said to ARKA.

On December 14 The Gyumri Development Foundation launched the second
“Gyumri-Kars Economic Forum”. The three-day event is organized as
part of the “Support to Armenia-Turkey Rapprochement” project, and is
supported by the United States Agency for International Development
(USAID) and implemented by the Consortium of the Eurasia Partnership
Foundation, the Yerevan Press Club, the International Center for Human
Development and the Union of Manufacturers and Businessmen (Employers)
of Armenia. The Forum is co-supported by UK-based International Alert.

The second forum has brought together approximately 30 Armenian and
Turkish business owners from Gyumri, Vanadzor, and Kars, including
cheese makers, wine producers, specialists in meat and dairy
production, tourism and hospitality, and stone processing.

“The two countries have no diplomatic relations and we are trying
to fill in this gap. Our task now is to create an environment for
businesses in both countries,” Mr. Lazarian said in an interview
with ARKA. According to him, the closed borders is a huge impediment
to businesses.

“If the borders were opened the trade turnover between the two
countries would reach several billion dollars”, he stressed.

CBDN was founded in 2005 as an institutionalised network of regional
offices in Tbilisi, Kutaisi, Tskhinvali, Sokhumi, Yerevan, Gyumri,
Baku, in Nagorno-Karabakh and in Istanbul. The scope of their
work ranges from training, consultations for local entrepreneurs,
sponsorship of business initiatives, research, and advocacy. The
network is an effective information exchange mechanism and ensures
coordinated work of the individual centers, timely assistance and
decision making. There are also bi-lateral, tri-lateral and regional
activities and events that are being carried out under the aegis of
the CBDN and International Alert in cooperation with local businesses
and business associations and international partners. CBDN supports
creation of new platforms to promote regional economic cooperation
(Caucasian Tea Producers’ Association, Women’s Economic Forum, etc)
and supports business initiatives that are for mutually beneficial
and promote positive change.

FOUR STATES ISSUE AMICUS BRIEFS IN SUPPORT OF PLAINTIFFS IN ARMENIAN GENOCIDE LIFE INSURANCE CASE

armradio.am
15.12.2011 14:48

The states of California, Hawai’i, Massachusetts, Nevada, and Rhode
Island, and also leading California state and federal legislative
representatives, filed two amicus briefs this week, defending the
rights of states to pass laws, referring to the Armenian Genocide,
reported the Armenian National Committee of America.

California Attorney General Kamala Harris was joined by Hawai’I
Attorney General David Louie, Massachusetts Attorney General Martha
Coakley, Nevada Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto, and Rhode
Island Attorney General Peter Kilmartin in defending California’s and
other states’ rights to enact legislation referring to the Armenian
Genocide. The Attorneys General argued that “allowing the federal
government to dictate to the states the words they may and may not
use . . . raises a serious issue of federalism.” They also noted that
in contrast to other cases preempting state laws, “here no treaty,
congressional resolution or executive agreement establishes a federal
foreign policy that conflicts with, or displaces” the California
statute at hand.

California state and federal legislators, in their separate amicus
brief, noted that “there is no precedent for holding a state statute
preempted merely because of the terminology that it uses.” To do so
would render the foreign affairs doctrine “beyond recognition.” They
also assert that unlike other California statutes concerning
Holocaust-era or World War II slave labor claims, which have been
struck down, “there is no federal action to negotiate an international
compensation regime for claims related to the Armenian Genocide.”

The amicus brief was filed on behalf of U.S. Representatives Jackie
Speier (D-CA), Anna Eshoo (D-CA), and Ed Royce (R-CA); Speaker of
the California State Assembly John Perez (D-46); Majority Leader of
the California State Assembly Charles Calderon (D-58); California
State Senators Kevin de Leon (D-22) and S. Joseph Simitian (D-11),
and; California State Assembly Members Katcho Achadjian (R-33), Mike
Gatto (D-43), and Anthony Portantino (D-44). Former Supreme Court
clerk Igor Timofeyev of the international law firm Paul Hastings
represented the California legislators pro bono.

“This case represents an opportunity for the Court to affirm the
rights of Armenian Americans to seek justice in connection to unpaid
Genocide-era insurance policies, and, more broadly, to help ensure
that states have the right to regulate corporations that wrongfully
deny the property rights of their citizens,” explained ANCA Government
Affairs Director Kate Nahapetian, who has helped coordinate community
response to this issue.

The Ninth Circuit case Movsesian v. Versicherung AG involves life
insurance claims dating from the Armenian Genocide era. In 2000,
California passed a law, which extended the statute of limitations
for life insurance claims that were never paid out, in some cases
because insurance companies insisted heirs produce death certificates
of relatives, who were murdered during the Armenian Genocide, before
honoring the policies. The California statute, which was introduced by
former State Senator and current Associate Justice of the California
Court of Appeal Charles ‘Chuck’ Poochigian and former State Senator
and current Congresswoman Jackie Speier (D-CA), allowed California
residents to file until December 31, 2010. The law has since been
amended through legislation introduced by State Assemblyman Mike
Gatto (D-43), extending the statute of limitations to file claims
until December 31, 2016. Defendant German insurance companies have
been joined by the Republic of Turkey in their attempts to strike
down California’s law, claiming there is an “express federal policy”
to prohibit states from any reference to the Armenian Genocide.

TAMARA STEPANYAN REPRESENTS ARMENIA AT 8TH DUBAI INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

Tert.am
15.12.11

The 8th Dubai International Film Festival was held Dec. 7 to 14.

According to the official website, more than 40 awards have been
presented this year. Among special guests are Tom Cruise and Werner
Herzog, who received Lifetime Achievement Award.

The Lebanon-based Armenian Tamara Stepanyan participated in the Muhr
AsiaAfrica Short program. Her film ‘February 19’ was shown twice and
aroused great interest. The film was shot at the Yerevan-Tbilisi train.

“ARMENIA: SIGNS OF CIVILIZATION” EXHIBITION KICKS OFF

Aysor.am
Thursday,December 15

On december 14 in Venice, the President of Armenia participated at the
“Armenia: Signs of Civilization” exhibition dedicated to the 500th
anniversary of book-printing in Armenia, which is organized under
the auspices of the Presidents of the two states at the “Corer” museum.

According to the Press Office of the President the head of the Republic
thanked the organizers of the exhibition as well as the leadership of
the Italian Republic, heads of the local government of Venice, all
the officials and the diplomats, those who preserved the relics and
the most famous museum of the world “Corer” for realizing this event.

President visited San Marco temple after the exhibition in Venice
and listened to concert Armenian spiritual music.

Later an official dinner was served on behalf of Serzh Sargsyan
on which participated scientists in Armenian study from different
parts of the world who were here to attend the “Armenia: Signs of
Civilization” exhibition.