Author: Badalian Vardan

SASUN MIKAELYAN: DEFENSE MINISTER’S RESIGNATION NOT TO IMPROVE ARMY

PanARMENIAN.Net
September 19, 2011 – 18:27 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Armenia’s Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan’s
resignation will not improve the situation in the army.

“The situation in the army greatly distresses me. In a young army
like that there must not be such incidents. However, the situation
in the army is not quite connected with the minister but rather with
the system itself,” Sasun Mikaelyan, commander of Sasun detachment
told a press conference in Yerevan. He added that for the army to
function properly the countries authority system should first function
properly. According to him one minister’s resignation will not change
anything. Here he stressed that unity between society and authorities
can prevent new incidents.

Recently the Armenian society has come to sharply react to army
incidents. Particularly violent was the reaction with regard to
serviceman Aghasi Abrahamyan’s case.

On August 26, Aghasi Abrahamyan, born 1992, was brought unconscious to
a military hospital, where he died later. Later, medical examination
resealed marks of violence on the soldier’s body. On Septmeber 6
two officers have been arrested as result of investigation into the
death of serviceman Aghasi Abrahamyan. The officers were detained
in accordance with article 375 of Armenian Criminal Code (misuse of
authority, administrative dereliction) stipulating for 2-13 years
of imprisonment.

NO SUCH NATION AS ‘KARABAKH ARMENIANS’: SAFAROV SAYS NO MORE MONEY SPENT ON WEAPONS

epress.am
09.19.2011 18:08

Twenty years ago, tens of thousands of Azerbaijanis were forced to
flee their homes. Every refugee is a story full of pain and emotions,
reports Nezavisimaya Gazeta, the correspondent of which, Sohbet
Mamedov, conducted an interview with the leader of Karabakh’s Azeri
community Bayram Safarov.

Ahead of the interview, the journalist writes: “I say ‘Karabakhtsis’
since this term should characterize the people from Karabakh –
Azerbaijanis just as Armenians. There is no such nation as Karabakh
Armenians or Karabakh Azeris.”

Bayram Safarov, in turn, notes that his generation still remembers
the period of cohabitation (when Armenians and Azeris lived side by
side), and he can overcome the feeling of alienation and hatred.

“But young people grow up in conditions of hatred, since it is
impossible to forget all that is the reason for which young people
were left without homes and land. Under conditions of occupation,
hatred can only grow. We have the same right to live in Karabakh as
the Armenians,” said Safarov.

Karabakh’s Armenian population, in his opinion, does not have an
interest in continuing the conflict – “it has become a hostage of
circumstances.”

“It would be better for not only Armenians but also Azeris if the money
spent on arms and armies in both countries were [instead] spent on
improving the welfare of the people and restoring the region,” he said.

U.S. MAJOR GENERAL TO TAKE PART IN MILITARY PARADE IN YEREVAN

PanARMENIAN.Net
September 19, 2011 – 14:35 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – The Kansas adjutant general is heading to Armenia
as part of an international partnership program between U.S. states
and other nations.

The Associated Press reported that maj. gen. Lee Tafanelli will be
in Armenia from September 20 through 23.

Tafanelli will visit with Armenian military and emergency management
officials. He’ll also take part in a parade marking the 20th
anniversary of Armenian independence.

Officials from Kansas and Armenia have participated in several
exchanges over the past decade, under the National Guard Bureau’s
State Partnership Program.

VestnikKavkaza.net
Sept 17 2011

Turkey issues own version of incident of exploding aircraft in the sky
over Karabakh

The Turkish press has issued a new version of what happened in
connection with an unmanned aircraft that exploded in the sky over the
Nagorno-Karabakh. The report noted that in the images distributed by
the Armenians there is no distinguishing mark belonging to Azerbaijan.
The newspaper “Sydzhak Gyundyam” notes that unmanned aerial vehicles
were presented in Azerbaijan at a military parade in Baku on June 26
this year. They displayed the flag of Azerbaijan.

According to a source close to the Turkish diplomatic service, the
downed drone belonged to the armed forces of Israel.

“The drone took off from a military base in Armenia or on the
territory close to the occupied Nagorno-Karabakh region and carried
out a reconnaissance flight in connection with Iran. So on the
occupied lands of Azerbaijan, the Armenians have begun to not only
establish a transit area for drug trafficking and a terrorist base,
but also a base for conducting covert operations and military
intelligence”, the source said.

The same source said that Israel has conducted reconnaissance drones
over all the countries of the Middle East. However, on this subject
some questions remain. For example, why was an incident which occurred
on 12 September announced two days later?

It should be noted that the Armenian side claimed that the drone
belonged to Azerbaijan. However, the images of the plane does not look
as if it was hit. There is no trace of fire or being hit by a
projectile. But seen in another way, the device was destroyed only due
to collisions on the ground.

Another assumption is the fact that in the video of the crashed
vehicle an emblem is visible of the company “NovAtel”, operating in
Canada. The newspaper reports that “NovAtel” produce systems with
greater precision. Israel has purchased from this company DGPS systems
for a new generation of “Hermes 1500”, “Hermes 900” and “Hermes 180”
unmanned aircraft. Israel only sold to Azerbaijan devices such as the
“Hermes 450”. They, in turn, do not use the system of “NovAtel”.

The Azerbaijani Armed Forces use UAV Hermes 450 (1994) drones of
Israeli production. The downed drone in Nagorno-Karabakh was a
Hermes-180.

The press service of the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry earlier reported
that the crash of the unmanned aircraft on the occupied lands has
nothing to do with Azerbaijan.

Fars News Agency , Iran
Sept 17 2011

Armenian FM Hails Positive Prospects of Tehran-Yerevan Ties

TEHRAN (FNA)- Armenian Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian viewed the
prospects of ties between his country and Iran as “positive” and
“bright”, and further asked for the expansion of the relations between
the two states.

Speaking in a press conference after his talks with Iranian Foreign
Minister Ali Akbar Salehi here in Tehran on Saturday, Nalbandian
expressed pleasure in his visit to Iran and his talks with senior
Iranian officials.

He said during his satisfactory talks with Salehi, the two sides
discussed bilateral ties and exchanged views over the latest
developments in the region.

“The two countries’ relations are developing,” he said, and continued,
“Today we found the opportunity to study the agendas specified by the
two countries’ presidents and discuss the agreements concluded by the
two sides in the Iran-Armenia Joint Economic Cooperation Commission.”

Nalbandian further stated that he is pleased to see that the two
countries’ important projects, specially in the transportation sector,
have been implemented.

Nalbandian stated that during his meeting with Salehi, he invited his
Iranian counterpart to pay a visit to Armenia.

As regards his talks with Salehi over the regional developments, he
appreciated Tehran’s balanced views and stances on the
Nagorno-Karabakh disputes between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

The Armenian top diplomat appreciated the Islamic Republic of Iran for
presenting proper and balanced views on the Nagorno-Karabakh issue,
and expressed the hope that Tehran would maintain the same stance and
continue presenting such positive views in future.

Iran and Armenia have taken major strides to promote their bilateral
relations in the last few years. The bilateral trade volume between
the two states stands at nearly $270 million, a figure that is
expected to rapidly climb in a near future, according to officials.

news.am, Armenia
Sept 17 2011

In terms of Karabakh, EU will stop hiding behind backs

September 17, 2011 | 14:18

EU intends to increase its role in resolution of the regional
conflicts, such as Nagorno-Karabakh and Transnistria, said EU
Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighborhood Policy Stefan
Fule.

Speaking at the 8th Yalta European Strategy Conference, Fule said the
Union will assume more significant role while resolving the problems,
Interfaxreported. However, the EU will not completely change the
framework of solution to these problems, he added.

Fule stressed that earlier EU modestly referred to its role in
resolution of the conflicts, hiding behind the backs of other
organizations.

Panorama, Armenia
Sept 17 2011

H. Melik-Shahnazaryan says recognition of NKR has been matured

`Uruguayan Foreign Minister’s statement shows that Armenia can resume
the process of recognizing Artsakh and do it more effectively than
Russia has done it in case of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. This is a
good example of matured political process,’ expert Hrant
Melik-Shahnazaryan said in a news conference.

According to the expert the attempt by Uruguay has a long history, yet
in 1994-95 the authorities of Artsakh and Uruguay have had close
relations.

The Foreign Minister of Uruguay Louis Almagro has declared that
Nagorno-Karabakh is a historical part of Armenia and that Uruguay
holds studies to officially recognize Artsakh.

VestnikKavkaza.net
Sept 17 2011

Nagorno-Karabakh: small provocations may lead to a full scale war

The military solution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is still a
possible deadly option.

Nagorno-Karabakh conflict was one of the top issues on the agenda at
the conference -“Twenty Years of Independence in the South Caucasus:
Achievements and Challenges” – which was hosted by the New European
Democracies Project at the Center for Strategic and International
studies (CSIS). Participants was unanimous that situation in the
region still arises concern.

`There has been over the last year rising instability in this
conflict, significant increase in fire violations and accelerated arms
race by both sides’ – pointed out Colonel Robert Hamilton of the US
Army War College. This arms race can lead to a new war. Azerbaijan,
which economy is developing much faster, is buying most advanced
military technologies, and soon will be superior militarily to
Armenia. This might tempt Baku to solve the issue by force. Erevan, on
the other hand, knowing this, might take preemptive measures, by
attacking Azeri positions. `I am not arguing it’s going to be a
conscious decision’, – stressed Col. Hamilton, – `but these
calculations or small incidents along the line of separation could
escalate with this kind of thoughts in the background’.

Nagorno Karabakh conflict will be discussed at the autumn session of
the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, which will take place in Croatia on
October 7-11.

Azerbaijan could become a guarantor of stability in the South Caucasus

Azerbaijan’s natural resources can play a major role in revival of the
region and economic development of the neighboring countries.
According to Ariel Cohen, a Senior Fellow at the Heritage Foundation:
`The lifeblood of the economic development of the Caucasus is
energies, oil and gas. For Azerbaijan it’s production and processing,
for Georgia it’s transit, and, hopefully, in the future for Armenia
too it’s going to be transit and possibly some processing and some
related industries’. The American political expert was speaking at a
conference – “Twenty Years of Independence in the South Caucasus:
Achievements and Challenges” – at the Center for Strategic and
International studies (CSIS)..

The reserves in the Caspian region, although are not as huge as those
of Middle East or Russia, play a very important role beyond the region
of the South Caucasus. If one takes a look at a wider picture, it’s
obvious, that these reserves are significant and do make a difference.
`It makes a difference also because relatively to some parts of the
Middle East it’s more stable. As BTC , despite
the criticism of many, showed, you can build a pipeline from the
Caspian to the Mediterranean and you can export these resources’.

BTC pipeline was inaugurated in May of 2005. It transports one million
barrels a day at a distance of over 1700 kilometers (approximately
1100 miles). The pipeline crosses Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkey.
Georgia, as a transit country was supposed to receive over 60 million
dollars a year.

The South Caucasus draws world attention

The last few years have demonstrated a rapidly increasing world
interest towards the Caspian region and the South Caucasus in
particular. The event at CSIS – “Twenty Years of Independence in the
South Caucasus: Achievements and Challenges” – has brought together
leading American and world experts and officials. As Angela Stent,
Director at the Center for Eurasian, Russian and East European Studies
at Georgetown University said: `The South Caucasus is a key strategic
area for Russia, for the United States, at the moment, for Europe and
increasingly for countries as Turkey and Iran’. Among these countries
Russia still has a more `robust’ interest in the region than any other
country, because of its historical or geographical ties. `The US can
come and go, and it probably will come and go, but Russia will always
be there. It’s a reality and you have to deal with it, when you think
about the future of the region’ – said professor Stent.

However it does not mean that these countries are of less interest or
importance for Washington. The numerous Armenian diasopora has big
influence in the country and `the US remains committed to resolving
the Nogorno-Karabakh problem, probably more than some other parties
involved’ – stressed professor. Relations with Azerbaijan are very
important in terms of security (post 9/11 security cooperation, the
Caspian guard the Northern distribution network) and, of course
because of its energy resources. And Georgia is sending 1500 troops to
fight along with their American colleagues in Afghanistan.

Angela Stent also confronted those who criticize the United States for
lack of interest in the region during last years. According to the
professor the White House administration has to `calibrate’ its
involvement in the South Caucasus vis-à-vis the need to have
productive relations with Russia, to name some: a better access to
Afghanistan or cooperation on Iran.

Passions rising over Trchkan Waterfall

arminfo
Saturday, September 17, 20:13

The Greens demand that the Nature Protection Ministry revise its
findings on the impacts the project to build a water power plant in
Lori marz may have on the nearby Trchkan Waterfall.

Member of the “Let’s Preserve Trchkan Waterfall” action group Levon
Galstyan reminded journalists on Saturday that the waterfall has
officially been Armenia’s hydrological natural monument since 2008.

He said that the work of the plant may have a very negative impact on
the waterfall but the Ministry’s findings say nothing about it. “But
we’ll be able to demand the stoppage of this project only after a
repeated examination by independent experts,” Galstyan said.

To note, the Ecolur NGO and the “Let’s Not Be Silent” youth action
group have launched a “Nature or Money” S.O.S. campaign. And the fate
of Trchkan has been the first S.O.S. they have received.

Corruption by the Numbers

Garen Yegparian

BY GAREN YEGPARIAN

We hear a lot about corruption, and see various forms of it in our daily
lives. Sadly, in some places, such as Armenia, it is present at a
disturbing, probably economically disruptive, scale.

For the last two decades, Transparency International and Goettingen
University have compiled a `Corruption Perception Index’ which is a `poll of
polls’ as they describe it. They amass others’ studies of corruption in
countries throughout the world and produce an annual tabulation of countries
with a rating, on a scale of 0-10, where 10 means corruption free and 0
totally corrupt. They require that a minimum of three (formerly four)
surveys/studies include a country for that to be included in their index.
They have used at least twelve surveys/studies since 1999 (earlier years had
fewer). Polling done over the preceding three years is considered valid for
inclusion in any year’s compilation. For these reasons, they caution that
year-to-year comparisons should not be made easily. But take a look at the
accompanying table, and you’ll note the trends in our homeland and its
neighbors are pretty consistent.

Corruption by Numbers Data from Transparency International

Russia and Iran don’t fare well, as you can see in the table which lists
each country’s rank and score by year. But more embarrassing is that Georgia
and Turkey both seem `cleaner’ than the Republic of Armenia (RoA). This is
particularly painful since Georgia started out roughly equal to RoA.
Azerbaijan turns out to be perceived as more corrupt than Armenia, no
surprise, given its de facto hereditary monarchic system of government. But
even relative to Azerbaijan, RoA is poised for embarrassment since the
former has been steadily improving while the latter, though improving
initially, has been getting worse since 2008.

This is not good. It makes people’s lives miserable. It creates an uncertain
business climate. It gives our opponents ammunition when Diasporans
worldwide try to support Armenia through advocacy in their host country
capitals. And, while it can’t all be pinned on Serzh Sarkissian, at this
point, given the timing of the downward trend in `cleanliness’ and his
2008
election, much blame can be laid at his feet.

In these celebratory days of RoA’s twentieth birthday, we must not be
blinded to the problems that must be solved for the country to truly
progress. Perhaps President Sarkissian should be reminded of that lofty
office’s duty to the people during his visit to the United States this week.

It’s our job not only to support Armenia, but to be the eyes that see and
ears that hear things that our landlocked-homeland-dwelling-compatriots are
less likely to perceive. It is our moral duty to do so. Let’s not be
derelict in helping clean up corruption in Armenia. Raise your voices
against this blight. Let Sarkissian know how you feel.