Author: Badalian Vardan

RPA MEMBER SUGGESTS SETTING UP MOBILE TOILETS FOR ANC SUPPORTERS

PanARMENIAN.Net
October 4, 2011 – 16:07 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – The ruling Republican Party of Armenia (RPA)
parliamentary group leader suggested Armenian National Congress (ANC)
opposition bloc to provide its supporters with chamber pots or set
up mobile toilets.

Galust Sahakyan called ANC complaints over the authorities’ closing
the nearby cafes and pay toilets ridiculous, noting, “one can’t the
people for own political gains, demanding them to live in tents without
providing proper sanitary conditions. It’s a clear sign of disrespect.”

During the September 30 rally, Ter-Petrossian announced 7-day-long
round-the-clock protest actions, with ANC supporters putting up tents
at Liberty Square.

HSBC BANK ARMENIA TO ANNOUNCE BEST TRADE CUSTOMERS

PanARMENIAN.Net
October 4, 2011 – 18:41 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – On October 6, HSBC Bank Armenia cjsc will hold
its second Trade Award official ceremony and announce its Best Trade
Customers of 2010.

Five customers will each receive Trade Award Certificates and
symbolic promotional gifts from Astrid Clifford, HSBC Bank Armenia
Chief Executive Officer. Awards will be granted in the following
categories: Best Trade Customer – International Trade Award; Best
Trade Customer – Innovation Trade Award; Best Trade Customer – Best
Newcomer Trade Award; Best Trade Customer – CEO’s Special Award;
Best Trade Customer – Grand Prix.

The bank continuously puts special emphasis on development and
introduction of innovative Trade Finance solutions to enable local
companies make a shift from traditional financing instruments to more
comprehensive and beneficial solutions. For Armenia it is vital to
encourage and support country’s import and export businesses.

“The key objectives for HSBC Trade Finance are providing high quality
services with lesser expenses. Trade and Supply Chain remains at
the core of HSBC Business across the globe, and Armenia is very well
positioned to contribute in further success of the Group. We assess
the Bank’s 40% trade finance market share as a high result, but we
will not stop there. In fact, we are interested in every business that
crosses the borders of Armenia,” HSBC Bank Armenia Chief Executive
Officer Astrid Clifford said.

In line with the strategy of positioning HSBC as the best bank for
international business, this year due to HSBC’s presence in Armenia,
40 of the bank’s customers were provided with the opportunity
to participate in the European Business Awards and 3 have been
recognized as winners and awarded with a ‘Ruban d’Honneur’ prize
under the category “The Chairman’s Selection”.

HSBC Armenia clients also had the chance to participate in a pan
European “Trade Connection” event in Shanghai in June with one
customer, and in the “Trade Summit” event to be held next week in
Hamburg with 2 customers, HSBC press service reported.

NABIH BERRI: THE ARMENIAN COMMUNITY OF LEBANON IS A BRIDGE BETWEEN THE TWO COUNTRIES
Lusine Vasilyan

“Radiolur”
04.10.2011 17:02

Lebanon’s Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri addressed the Armenian
National Assembly today. In his speech he dwelt on regional issues
and Armenian-Lebanese relations.

“There is a human bridge between the two countries in the face of
the Armenian community of Lebanon,” Nabih Berri said in his address
to Armenian MPs. According to him, the trade and economic relations
between the two countries yield to the level of political relations.

Touching upon regional issues, the Lebanese Parliament Speaker said
“Turkey’s policy of “zero problem with neighbors” demands concessions
from everyone” and added that he would like Turkey to hurry up to
ratify the protocols. According to him, “it’s in the interest of the
Arab World to see the pages of all kinds of disagreement closed.”

Speaking about the problems of the Middle East, the Speaker warned
against inciting sectarian strife in Syria as this would have a
negative impact on the region. “All sides should have an interest
in making Syria a model country for the Middle East through the
establishment of a modern democratic system there that can confront
Israel and provide the necessary balance to achieve fair and
comprehensive peace in the region,” he stressed.

Berri said his country has a great historical experience, which
allows to resist any international provocation and not to return to
imperialism and colonial rule. “This experience allows us to withstand
the programs of NATO and Israel aimed at establishing supremacy in
the region,” he said.

TURKEY TO HOLD MILITARY EXERCISE NEAR SYRIAN BORDER

PanARMENIAN.Net
October 4, 2011 – 17:48 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Turkey’s military will conduct an exercise in the
southern province of Hatay, where more than 7,000 Syrians have taken
refuge from Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s security forces.

The October 5-13 “mobilization” exercise, announced on the military’s
website on Tuesday, October 4, may coincide with a visit that Prime
Minister Tayyip Erdogan is expected to make to refugee camps in Hatay
after he returns from South Africa this week.

The army said the exercise would involve the 39th mechanized infantry
brigade and 730 reserve soldiers, Reuters reported.

Turkey’s once-close relations with Syria have soured as Erdogan has
fiercely criticized Assad’s crackdown on protesters, urging him to
end the bloodshed and enact reforms.

Syria has a longstanding territorial claim to Hatay province, but had
put this on the back burner in recent years, when Erdogan and Assad
cultivated close ties.

Erdogan said last month that Assad would be ousted by his people
“sooner or later” and warned that Syria could slide into a sectarian
civil war between Alawites and Sunnis.

Most Syrians, like most Turks, are Sunni Muslims, while Assad is from
the minority Alawite Muslim sect.

Ankara, which has already imposed an arms embargo, has said it is
preparing further sanctions against the Syrian government.

The Hatay exercise may revive speculation, denied by officials, that
Turkey plans to create a buffer zone in Syria to protect civilians
and prevent a flood of refugees to Turkey.

UCOM AND ICON UNITE

ARMENPRESS
OCTOBER 4, 2011
YEREVAN

Ucom and iCON Communications companies will unite in the sphere of
providing wire and wireless internet services. It was stated today by
the directors of Ucom and iCON Hayk Yesayan and Raffi Kasarjyan. They
refused to disclose the cost of the deal.

Ucom is known for providing services via fiber-optic cable and iCON
Communications is among the leaders in Armenia in the WIMAX – wireless
internet sphere.

The directors explained that they do not publicize the cost of the deal
because of the wish of “shareholders from outside”. Raffi Kasarjyan
pointed out that the chief shareholder of iCON Communications is a
company registered in the United Arab Emirates. As a result of the
deal director of iCON leaves his post because the 100% of the shares
of the company will pass to Ucom.

Earlier, at another joint news conference it was declared that Ucom
has acquired Netsys company.

CZECH FM: OPENING OF THE ARMENIAN EMBASSY IN CZECHIA TO SERVE AS IMPORTANT IMPETUS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF BILATERAL TIES

ARMENPRESS
OCTOBER 4, 2011
YEREVAN

Armenian Ambassador to the Czech Republic Tigran Seyranyan met with
First Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Minister of the Czech Republic
Karel Schwarzenberg. The latter congratulated Ambassador Seyranyan
on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of Armenia’s independence,
voicing hope that the opening of the Armenian Embassy in Czechia would
serve as an important impetus for the development of bilateral ties.

MFA Press office reported that a wide range of issues related to
the political, economic and cultural relations was discussed. Karel
Schwarzenberg specially emphasized the perspectives of development
of ties in the fields of culture and nuclear energy.

With the request of the Czech Foreign Minister, Ambassador Seyranyan
presented Armenia’s position on the recent developments in the region.

Reference was made to the negotiations on the settlement of the
Karabakh conflict, particularly the Kazan meeting, which failed to make
a breakthrough because Azerbaijan was not ready to accept the final
version of the basic principles proposed by the Minsk Group Co-Chairs.

Tigran Seyranyan said Armenia remains committed to the settlement of
the conflict exceptionally in a peaceful way, but at the same time
it is ready to impose peace on Azerbaijan in case the latter launches
a new military adventurism.

IRAN, ARMENIA LAUNCH ‘FRIENDSHIP MONUMENT’

Trend
Oct 3 2011
Azerbaijan

A so-called “friendship monument” between Armenia and Iran opened
on the Megri border checkpoint in Armenia, the hIranian news channel
IRINN reported.

According to the channel, the monument is a window opening to Iran.

At the opening ceremony, representatives of the two countries put
four cypresses around the monument.

AZERBAIJAN INCLUDES CALIFORNIA SENATOR IN “BLACK LIST”

Trend
Oct 3 2011
Azerbaijan

The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry has included California Senate
Environmental Quality Committee chairman, Senator Joseph Simitian
into the “black list”, Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesman Elman
Abdullayev told Trend.

Simitian illegally visited the occupied territories of Azerbaijan
without permission from Azerbaijan’s appropriate agencies.

“Prior to his visit to Armenia, Simitian held meetings in Baku,”
Abdullayev told Trend.

“However, unfortunately, he traveled to the Azerbaijani lands occupied
by Armenia showing disrespect for the sovereignty and territorial
integrity of Azerbaijan, not informing the relevant bodies of the
Azerbaijan Republic and without permission. Accordingly, the ministry
made a decision to include him in the list of persona-non.”

Azerbaijan’s position on this issue is strict and indisputable:
those who showed disrespect to Azerbaijan and its laws will be
included in this list. This is a flagrant violation of domestic law,
Abdullayev said.

He said a person who makes the laws and is a member of the legislature
of California, should not himself violate any laws.

Simitian visited Nagorno-Karabakh, met with representatives of the
separatist regime, the Armenian media reported.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 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 the 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.

LEBANON’S SPEAKER ARRIVES IN ARMENIA

news.am
Oct 3 2011
Armenia

YEREVAN.- The delegation headed by Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih
Berri arrived on a three-day official visit to Armenia on Monday at
the invitation of Armenian Speaker Hovik Abrahamyan.

The members of the delegation laid wreaths at the memorial to the
victims of October 27 terrorist attack in the Armenian Parliament.

The ceremony was followed by a private meeting of the Speakers,
parliament’s press service informed Armenian News-NEWS.am.

The sides discussed regional problems, stressing importance of
cooperation in international agencies.

IN A LETTER TO ERDOGAN, ARAM I SAYS THE ARMENIAN PEOPLE STILL WAITING FOR JUSTICE

AsiaNews
Oct 3 2011
Italy

The Armenian Orthodox Catholicos of Cilicia says returning part of the
assets seized from Churches by the Turkish government after 1936 is
not enough. He wants the return of everything seized and lost after the
genocide as well as the recognition of the Armenian Genocide of 1915.

Beirut ~V Recent steps by Turkish authorities to return properties
seized from religious minorities after 1936 are ~Sincomplete~T,
Catholicos Aram I Kechichian said in an open letter to Turkish Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

For the head of the Armenian Orthodox Church, whose titular see is
located in the Turkish province of Cilicia, justice for the Armenian
people will come only when Turkey acknowledges the genocide of 1915
and when private and Church assets seized at the time are returned.

Here is the text of his letter (translated by AsiaNews):

By way of the press, we have learnt that your government plans to
return properties seized from religious minorities after 1936. Such a
decision undoubtedly stems from recent rulings by the European Court
of Human Rights as well as inquiries by the US Congress into Turkish
pressures on Christian minorities (See Nat de Polis, ~SHistoric
decision: Erdogan returns seized property to religious minorities,~T
in AsiaNews, 29 August 2011).

As spiritual and lawful head of the Holy See of Cilicia (Armenian
Orthodox), which was uprooted from its historic see and installed in
Lebanon, and as representative of the children of the Armenian Church
who were exiled from Turkey and dispersed throughout the world, we
consider your decision of 27 August 2011 to be incomplete and unjust.

The Holy See of Cilicia remains the lawful owner of numerous buildings,
churches, hospitals, nursing homes, orphanages, cemeteries and other
properties that belong to the church, seized by Turkish authorities
at the time of the Armenian genocide of 1915.

The same is true for the children of the Armenian people, who are the
lawful owners of houses, businesses, estates and other assets passed
down from their ancestors and lost during the genocide planned and
executed by the Ottoman Turkish government.

Your government’s decision may meet the requirements of the European
Union, but it may never be considered as just or legally relevant.

Mr Prime Minister, although taken in the name of justice, your
decision is biased and selective and denies history and democratic
values and principles.

Of course, international institutions like the European Court of Human
Rights and the European Parliament and its parliamentary bodies are
tasked with defending democratic principles and values and ensure
that they are respected; however, the people is the conscience and
memory of such principles and values.

As League of Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and Nobel Peace
Prize winner for 1922 Fridtjof Nansen said in Armenia and the Near
East that the Armenian people never lost hope, bravely working and
waiting. “They continue to wait,” he wrote.

Allow me to add that the Armenian people will never cease to demand
justice from Turkey for the Armenian Genocide. The Armenian people
will never cease to demand the restoration of their human rights.

Mr Prime Minister, your attachment to justice and human rights will
gain in credibility only when you recognise the Armenian Genocide.