Author: Badalian Vardan

ARMENIA PREPARING TO MARK 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF INDEPENDENCE

Panorama
Aug 25, 2011
Armenia

Armenia is going to hold a series of festive events to mark the 20th
anniversary of independence. Event coordinator, deputy head of the
Armenian presidential administration, Vigen Sargsyan presented the
details and accents of the prepared events at a meeting with reporters.

“The festivities accentuate the idea that Armenia’s present and future
depends on each of us,” Sargsyan said.

The events will be held under the motto “Armenia is Yourself,” the
logo is “2011” where figure “11” is symbolic and bears resemblance
to Armenian letters “Õ~@Õ~@” (RA).

The festivities will start in September 21 morning with a military
parade in Yerevan’s Republic Square. Solemn service will be offered
at St. Gregory the Illuminator Church and “unprecedented sound and
light show and fireworks” are scheduled to be held in Republic Square
in the evening.

The “exclusively beautiful” concert will host the State Philharmonic
Orchestra of Armenia, the State Academic Choir of Armenia, Armenian
President’s Guard of Honor Orchestra, “Little Singers of Armenia”
choir. 1.5 hour concert will feature works by Armenian composers,
to the accompaniment of pictures created with lighting effects on
the main buildings in Republic Square.

Armenian regions will also host festive events on this day.

The festivities will last through autumn. After September 21,
events will be organized by state structures, various organizations,
diplomatic missions of Armenia abroad and Armenian communities in
different countries around the world.

A series of events – exhibitions, concerts and forums – are scheduled
ahead of September 21. Three songs have been written on the occasion of
the 20th anniversary of Armenia’s independence – “Armenia is Yourself,”
“My Name is Armenia,” and “Armenia” with three music videos, nine
reels, and placards.

ARMENIA’S PRESIDENT ATTENDS CLOSING CEREMONY OF “BAZE” YOUTH CAMP

news.am
Aug 25, 2011
Armenia

YEREVAN. – Armenia’s President Serzh Sargsyan attended the closing
ceremony of “Baze-2011” youth camp in Yerevan’s Liberty Square
on Wednesday, the presidential press service informed Armenian
News-NEWS.am.

“Baze” youth camp launched in Byurakan in Armenia. In its frameworks
more than 700 Armenians at the age of 18-30 from Yerevan, Armenian
regions and Diaspora lived in camps and participated in sport and
cultural events.

RUSSIA’S STANCE AGAINST SELLING IRAN S-300 DEFENSE SYSTEMS

AZG
26-08-2011

Iran announced Aug. 24 that it has filed a suit in the International
Court of Justice to force Russia to sell it the S-300 strategic
air defense system, per a 2007 contract between the two. Moscow has
refused to sell Iran the system, citing U.N. sanctions against Tehran,
though it has other political reasons for withholding sale of the
system. Russia could change its mind about the sale, depending on
negotiations with the West, and Iran’s ability to acquire the S-300s
from Russia cannot be ruled out, Stratfor Global Intelligence reported.

Iran’s ambassador to Moscow, Mahmoud Sajadi, told Russian news agencies
that Iran does not believe the air defense systems fall under the
U.N. sanctions and expects the court to authorize the delivery of
the S-300s.

Russia has withheld delivery of the S-300 to Iran for political
reasons. In addition to the U.N. sanctions, Moscow’s potential sale
of the license to manufacture the systems to China gives it even
more reason not to sell to Tehran. However, depending on changes in
the political climate, Russia could decide to sell surplus S-300s to
Iran through a third-party country.

The S-300 is considered one of the world’s premier air defense systems
(ranking close to the U.S. Patriot missile system). Russia has sold
S-300s to most of the former Soviet states and to other countries
including China and North Korea. Some states that are unfriendly to
the West – Iran, Venezuela and others – have long wanted to acquire
the missile system. However, Russia has never completed delivery of
the S-300 to Iran, despite the agreement between the countries.

The promise of the sale of the S-300 system to Iran has served as
leverage for Moscow in its negotiations with the United States, and
Moscow does not want to lose that leverage. Furthermore, actually
delivering the missile systems to Iran would cause a major break in
relations between Russia and the West at a time when Russia is looking
to the West for assistance in modernizing several of its strategic
economic sectors, increasing cooperation with the United States and
strengthening its relationships with Western European powers.

Moscow now has another reason not to send Iran S-300s: Russia will
stop producing the system this year, according to STRATFOR sources.

Russia has been replacing its S-300s with the next-generation S-400s
for the past few years. Russia reportedly is ahead of schedule on
completing the S-500 missile system, which will be ready for serial
production by the end of 2012. There is simply no need for Russia
to continue producing the S-300. Also, STRATFOR sources have said,
Russia has been negotiating with China for several weeks to sell the
license for producing S-300s exclusively to the Chinese.

Russia will still have some S-300s to sell – those already produced
and those that Moscow is replacing with S-400s. This means that if
Russia should change its mind about selling the systems to Iran – and
it could shift its stance as needed, based on how negotiations with
the West progress – it will have a supply to draw from. If Moscow does
make such a shift, it could sell the S-300s to Iran via a third party.

Russia is planning to replace S-300s with S-400s in its allied
neighboring countries, like Belarus, Armenia and Kazakhstan – countries
Russia has commonly used as a cover to sell politically sensitive
military supplies. Any Iranian officials’ visits to such countries
could indicate whet her Russia is in fact delivering the S-300s to
Iran, as Tehran’s ability to acquire the system cannot be ruled out.

CONDUCTOR INSULTING NAREK HAKHNAZARYAN DEMANDED TO RESIGN (VIDEO)

Tert.am
25.08.11

The head of the State Symphony Orchestra of Russia, Mark Gorenstein,
who had offended Armenian musician Narek Hakhnazaryan, is demanded
to leave his position.

According to reports, a group of musicians sent a letter to Russia’s
Ministry of Culture, demanding his resignation.

Gorenstein said in an interview with the Russian Echo Moskvy that
the letter to the ministry is a provocation.

“This step is in the interest of someone at the ministry,” said he.

“And the musicians are a tool to achieve that goal.”

Gorenstein did not give the names of those musicians who allegedly
sent a letter to the ministry.

Gorenstein had during a rehearsal insulted Narek Hakhnazaryan, but
apologized afterwards.

MARTEN YORGANTZ: EVERYBODY IN THE STREET CALLS ME “CHKUYTIK”

ARMENPRESS
August 25, 2011
YEREVAN

French-Armenian popular singer Marten Yorgantz is in Armenia with
a concert program. This year he has decided to give concerts for
province people. “The people and children outside Yerevan are deprived
of concerts: that is why I decided to hold concerts in provinces,”
the singer said at the meeting with journalists, adding that the
program will involve new songs.

Yorgantz noted that he is very happy for singing for children. “I do
not sing for children in foreign countries very much, but here they
give me the love of singing for them. Everybody calls me “chkuytik”
in the street,” the singer said, adding with delight that children’s
family members attend his concerts, too.

Martin Yorgantz noted that his songs are very simple, that is for
children. The song list surely changes with time, but the most favorite
songs remain the oldest ones. There is nothing planned,” he said.

The songs involved in the concert are Armenian. The singer noted
that when he comes Armenia, it is better to sing in Armenian. Two
musicians accompany Marten Yorgantz.

He briefly presented his life to the young people who participated
in his concerts in time. “My biography is a bit mixed. I was born
in Constantinople, attended Mkhitaryan Seminary,” the singer noted,
saying that he loved music when he was still a schoolchild.

He recorded 24 albums in different languages, mostly in Armenian,
Italian and French. Among his well-known hits are “Chkuytik”,
“Hayi Achker”, “Hayeren Ergenk”, “Ayp, Pen, Kim”, “Ay Maral Maral”,
“Partir pour ne plus revenir” and others.

UNIVERSITY OF ST. THOMAS LAW SCHOOL PUBLISHES A NEW STUDY BY DADRIAN

August 24th, 2011

Minneapolis-The latest issue of the Journal of Law and Public Policy
(vol.5, no.1) contains a new study, in which Prof. Vahakn Dadrian,
the Zoryan Institute’s Director of Genocide Research, analyzes the
Armenian Genocide in a new context. Titled, “The Armenian Genocide:
A Review of its Historical, Political, and Legal Aspects,” the
article deals with the historical and political underpinnings of the
criminality of the Armenian Genocide.

This extensive article, some 60-pages long, including 118 footnotes,
is based on official Ottoman-Turkish sources, including several
issues of Takvim-i Vekâyi, the legal organ of the Ottoman Parliament,
which documented the post-World War I Military Tribunals prosecuting
the perpetrators of the Armenian Genocide. Thus, Dadrian anchors
his documentary analysis on prima facie evidentiary material. That
material is reinforced by a wealth of corroborative material from the
official archives of Imperial Germany and Imperial Austria-Hungary,
Turkey’s political and military wartime allies. Dadrian also draws
on the work of several contemporary Turkish authors.

“Dadrian’s extraordinary command of the languages and the sources
make him unsurpassed in his ability to reconstruct and analyze the
fundamental historical, political and legal issues related to the
study of the Armenian Genocide,” remarked K.M. Greg Sarkissian,
President of the Zoryan Institute.

A brief review of the pre-genocidal era explores the historical pattern
of impunity with which the whole gamut of decision-makers, organizers,
and actual perpetrators of the series of massacres were rewarded. These
were inflicted upon the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire in
the periods of 1894-96, 1903-1904, and in 1909 in Adana. The paramount
fact of impunity served to underscore the role of the factor of victim
vulnerability as a major determinant in genocidal decision making. In
fact, as Dadrian points out, it served to embolden the decision makers
and implementers of the ensuing World War I genocide.

Another crucial factor in the unfolding of the wartime scheme of
genocide was the devastating set of circumstances attending the
crushing military defeats the Ottomans suffered in the 1912 First
Balkan War. The anguish, misery, and most particularly the brutality
of the victorious Christian armies of the Balkan peninsula inflicted
upon the destitute Muslim masses trying to escape proved to be a major
detriment in targeting later the vulnerable Armenian population of
the Ottoman Empire through spasms of delayed revenge. Indeed, a large
part of the perpetrator groups involved in the World War I Armenian
cataclysm were dispossesed, bitter, and hateful Muslim refugees of
the previous Balkan war.

The Armenian Genocide is depicted in this study as a direct consequence
of the adoption of a radical ideology, the main architects and
implementers of which were the leadership cadres of these massive
clusters of Balkan refugees.

Among the range of factors facilitating the actual enactment of the
Genocide is the factor of opportunity. Given the complex nature of
the crime of genocide, the author maintains that optimal success
in the organization of the crime requires optimal opportunism. Not
only the leeways and resources of the perpetrator are to be the least
restrained, but, equally important, the vulnerability of the targeted
victim is to be at a fairly high level. Wars, especially global wars,
tend in this respect to afford almost maximal opportunities. Wartime
exigencies tend, as a rule, to not only maximize the vulnerability
of the victim group that is constrained through its minority status,
but at the same time complicate and often constrain the problem of
outside intervention in favour of the targeted victim.

Wars are especially suitable avenues of opportunism on account of the
rise to instrumental prominence of the military cadres of a potential
perpetrator camp. Through them, violence is not only concentrated among
experts, but even more important, such violence has per tradition,
the sanction of quasi-legitimacy, if not full legitimacy, in the
application of lethal violence against targets defined by legitimate
authority as “internal foes.” It is a notable fact that the two
major genocides of the last century, the Armenian and the Jewish,
were consummated during two global wars.

One of the most outstanding features of the Armenian Genocide involves
its economic dimensions, through which a massive transfer of wealth,
from the victim to the perpetrator, took place. In this sense, the
genocide emerges here doubly functional. The physical elimination
of the victim population ends up yielding the emergence of a new
source of wealth, and with it new cadres of wealthy classes in the
perpetrator camp. In the section on Expropriation & Confiscation
of Goods and Assets, the author documents and analyzes with ample
source-material the specifics of this lethal operation of transfer
of wealth from the victim to the perpetrator.

The entire essay instructively ends with an evocation of the
paramountcy of law as a regulator of human conduct, and as such as a
humanizing ingredient of civil life. It invokes Aristotle’s dictum
that: “When separated from law and justice, man is the worst of
all animals.”

NO FOOT-AND-MOUTH DISEASE IN ARMENIA – AGRICULTURE MINISTRY

Tert.am
24.08.11

No cases of foot-and-mouth disease have been detected in Armenia,
according to an Agriculture Ministry official.

At a news conference on Wednesday, Grisha Baghyan, a Deputy Minister of
Agriculture, said the recent cattle death in the village of Tchambarak
(Gegharkunik region) was not caused by foot-and-mouth disease. He
added that serious anti-epidemic measures have been undertaken to
prevent an outbreak on the territory of Armenia.

“Serious work has been carried out to prevent the penetration of
the foot-and-mouth disease into Armenia,” he said, adding that the
reported cases of deaths had been caused by blood parasites.

Baghyan noted further that Ashtarak Kat, a leading milk manufacturer
on Armenia’s dairy market, continues procuring milk from Tchambarak,
though it has reduced the milk prices due to a recent climate change.

As for compensating villagers for lost cattle, he said the issue was
raised only two years ago during the outbreak of the swine disease.

REPETITION OF LIBYAN SCENARIO IN SYRIA TO HAVE NEGATIVE AFTERMATHS FOR ARMENIANS

Tert.am
24.08.11

The repetition of the Libyan scenario in Syria may a negative
aftermaths for Armenians, Suren Manukyan, an expert in oriental
studies, has told reporters.

At a news conference on Wednesday, Manukyan addressed the recent
developments in Libya and the crackdown in capital Tripoli. He
particularly focused on the possible invasion of international forces.

“The invasion of international troops may produce an extremely
negative impact on us since we have a big community in Syria, which
has traditionally maintained neutrality in the country’s domestic
affairs. It is clear and logical because Armenians realize that they
can seek protection only in the Assad regime, ” the expert noted.

As for a possible invasion of the international troops, Manukyan
considered such scenario unlikely at the moment. He said a revolution
will keep simmering in Syria as long as the country receives the
Saudi capital.

LES ETATS FANTOMES AU ROYAUME DES TENEBRES

collectifvan.org
23-08-2011

Info Collectif VAN – – La guerre de 2008
Georgie/Russie demontre le potentiel explosif cree par la presence
d’Etats fantômes : des endroits abritant des forces armees, tenant des
elections, bâtissant des economies locales et eduquant les enfants,
et qui vivent pourtant dans un brumeux royaume des tenèbres, entre
une existence de facto et une legitimite internationale. Avec une
population d’environ 70°000 personnes, l’Ossetie du Sud est l’une
des plus petites bizarreries de la politique internationale. La
Republique secessionniste voisine d’Abkhazie, a environ 250°000
habitants (ces chiffres sont contestes). Le Nagorno-Karabakh et la
Transnistrie en sont deux autres dans l’ex-Union Sovietique. Les Etats
fantômes entretiennent des guerres, favorisent le crime et rendent
les Etats faibles encore plus faibles. Le Haut-Karabagh est glorifie
par l’Armenie et deteste par l’Azerbaïdjan, ce qui mène toutes les
parties a stocker des armes en cas de reprise de la violence. Le
Collectif VAN vous livre la traduction de cet article paru en anglais
dans The New York Times le 16 août 2011.

La menace fantôme

De DANIEL L. BYMAN et CHARLES KING

The New York Times Publie le 16 août2011

Il y a trois ans ce mois-ci, la Russie et la Georgie se sont livrees
une guerre brève et brutale pour un obscure territoire montagneux
appele Ossetie du Sud, qui avait proclame son independance, vis-a-vis
de la Georgie. Se moquant du droit international, la Russie est
intervenue pour defendre l’Ossetie du Sud et a ensuite reconnu les
secessionnistes en tant que gouvernement legitime. Il y a eu des
centaines de morts et des milliers de refugies ont fui la region
controversee.

La guerre de 2008 demontre le potentiel explosif cree par la presence
d’Etats fantômes : des endroits abritant des forces armees, tenant des
elections, bâtissant des economies locales et eduquant les enfants,
et qui vivent pourtant dans un brumeux royaume des tenèbres, entre
une existence de facto et une legitimite internationale.

Avec une population d’environ 70°000 personnes, l’Ossetie du Sud est
l’une des plus petites bizarreries de la politique internationale. La
Republique secessionniste voisine d’Abkhazie, a environ 250°000
habitants (ces chiffres sont contestes). Le Nagorno-Karabakh et la
Transnistrie en sont deux autres dans l’ex-Union Sovietique. Plus au
sud, il y a la Republique turque de Chypre du Nord ; les territoires
palestiniens de Cisjordanie et la bande de Gaza ; et le territoire
autogere du Somaliland. Une demi-douzaine d’autres morceaux de
territoires pourraient etre ajoutes a cette liste ; au total, ces
pays comptabilisent une population de 40 millions de personnes.

Les Etats fantômes entretiennent des guerres, favorisent le crime
et rendent les Etats faibles encore plus faibles. Le Haut-Karabagh
est glorifie par l’Armenie et deteste par l’Azerbaïdjan, ce qui
mène toutes les parties a stocker des armes en cas de reprise
de la violence. Le statut instable de Chypre du Nord affaiblit
les perspectives economiques de tous les Chypriotes et cree des
tensions dans les relations entre l’Union europeenne et la Turquie,
le soutien en chef de Chypre du Nord. Et bien que le Somaliland ait
ete un îlot de gouvernance efficace dans une Somalie anarchique,
son statut non-reconnu a decourage l’aide et l’investissement.

Les pays fantômes apparaissent frequemment suite a des guerres et
sont soutenus par la menace de nouveaux combats. À Gaza, le Hamas a
mene une guerre sporadique contre Israël, meme s’il a sevi contre le
crime local et balaye devant sa porte.

Les dirigeants des pays fantômes se font le champion du droit a
l’autodetermination nationale, alors que les pays dont ils cherchent a
etre independants soulignent le besoin de frontières stables. Coinces
entre ces principes incompatibles, les gouvernements fantômes ont
tendance a pointer des precedents inconfortables et les doubles
standards utilises, et ils s’accrochent a des patrons etrangers. En
effet, la plupart des pays fantômes survivent en partie grâce a un
soutien exterieur. Moscou est celui qui detient les cles du pouvoir
en Ossetie du Sud et en Abkhazie, tandis que l’Armenie exerce une
emprise sur le Haut-Karabagh.

Taïwan montre une voie de sortie a ce problème ; bien que le pays soit
dans un etat d’incertitude juridique, il a prospere. De 1949 a 1971
le gouvernement nationaliste a Taïwan avait le siège de la Chine aux
Nations Unies et il a ete reconnu par la plupart des gouvernements
mondiaux.

Depuis les annees 1970, cependant, aucune puissance majeure n’a
formellement reconnu Taïwan et il reste une source de tension
entre les Etats-Unis et la Chine. Pourtant, au cours de ces quatre
dernières decennies, Taïwan est devenu un acteur dynamique economique,
un modèle de transition democratique d’un regime autoritaire et un
membre responsable de la communaute internationale – tout cela sans
avoir de siège aux Nations Unies.

La cle, c’etait l’engagement. L’importance economique et strategique de
Taïwan a pousse les Etats-Unis, la Chine et d’autres super puissances
a prendre des gants quant a son statut juridique instable – et parfois
meme a embrasser sa cause. Legitime, mais non reconnu, un vrai pays,
mais non independant, Taïwan a demontre la puissance positive de
l’ambiguïte creative.

Une approche similaire pourrait fonctionner ailleurs. Les gouvernements
fantômes sont souvent corrompus, diriges par des seigneurs de la
guerre et infestes par le trafic de drogue et autres commerces
illicites. Mais, un gouvernement transparent, des elections libres
et une politique etrangère pacifique sont essentiels pour les Etats
fantômes tout autant que pour les vrais. Si les gouvernements fantômes
se comportent bien, les grandes puissances du monde devraient leur
offrir une voie vers la legitimite. Des reformes economiques et
politiques peuvent intervenir parallèlement voire meme renforcer des
discussions sur la souverainete.

En insistant sur l’integrite territoriale, les Etats-Unis et d’autres
pays renoncent a la chance de transformer les Etats fantômes en acteurs
responsables. Tant que les fantômes sont denonces comme etant des
separatistes ou les avant-postes du commerce illicite, la communaute
internationale ne peu guère tenir leurs leaders pour responsables. Et
les traiter comme de simples excentricites signifie que les Etats
fantômes ont peu de raisons de se soucier de l’ordre mondial.

Meme quand un Etat fantôme devient un veritable Etat, les problèmes
ne cessent pas necessairement. L’Erythree, qui s’est separee de
l’Ethiopie en 1993 après des annees de guerre, est un avertissement.

Elle est depuis tombee dans la tyrannie, a mene une guerre de
frontière avec l’Ethiopie, qui a fait des milliers de morts, et elle
a soutenu la brutale milice Shabab en Somalie. Bien que l’Erythree
soit independante, elle reste une source d’instabilite.

Pour eviter une autre Erythree, la communaute internationale devrait
pousser les fantômes a faire des reformes plutôt que de se focaliser
exclusivement sur la recherche d’un statut d’independance. Autrement,
des millions de citoyens du monde traineront dans des limbes juridiques
et politiques – des rebelles avec une cause et des soldats avec un
grief tout fait – tandis que leurs voisins resteront menaces de guerre.

©Traduction de l’anglais C.Gardon pour le Collectif VAN 23 août 2011 –
07:20 –

Daniel L. Byman est directeur de recherche au Centre Saban pour la
Politique du Moyen-Orient a la Brookings Institution. Charles King
est l’auteur de : Odessa : genie et mort dans une ville de reves. Ils
sont professeurs a l’Universite de Georgetown.

Cet article a ete revu pour les corrections suivantes :

Corrections : 16 août 2011

En raison d’une erreur de redaction, une version precedente de cet
article citait des evaluations inferieures pour les populations
de l’Ossetie du Sud et de l’Abkhazie, annoncees dans la version
originale. Comme l’indique correctement la version actuelle, les
chiffres originaux – cites par plusieurs organisations – sont un
sujet de controverse.

Une version de cet article a ete publiee le 16 août 2011, a la page
A21 de l’edition du New York Times sous le titre : La menace fantôme.

Retour a la rubrique

Source/Lien : The New York Times

ARMENIA TO HOST SESSION OF CARDIOLOGISTS

news.am
Aug 23, 2011
Armenia

YEREVAN. – Armenian Ministry of Diaspora together with Armenian-French
healthcare organization will hold the third Euro-Caucasus conference
of Cardiology on October 29-30 in Yerevan. The first conference was
held in October 2009 where over 100 cardiologists from Diaspora and
200 Armenian and Karabakh cardiologists were present.

The conference aims to unite Armenian cardiologists from all over the
world, who will contribute their potential to develop the cardiology
sphere in Armenia, as well as to cooperate and exchange skills in
cardiology, ministry press service informs Armenian News-NEWS.am.

After the conference, delegations of Euro-Caucasus conference of
Cardiology and Nagorno-Karabakh authorities will have a meeting on
November 2.