Author: Badalian Vardan

Hraparak: As long as Sargsyan is police chief

11:03 – 20.08.11

The paper says that the Head of Staff of Armenia’s Police, Edward
Ghazaryan, was relieved of his position in May after he turned 63.

However, the paper claims, the Police Chief Alik Sargsyan, who treats
Ghazaryan with special attention, has appointed him as his advisor,
and Ghazaryan continues to head that department.

Further, the paper says that the staff department has no head, while
Alik Sargsyan has said that as long as he is in that position,
Ghazaryan will be the head of staff.

The paper claims that they have found a way to evade the law:
Ghazaryan is not the chief of staff but is doing the duties of the
chief of staff, while the chief of police does not appoint new person
to that position.

Tert.am

Haykakan Zhamanak: Law enforcers commit 3 suicides within a week

10:18 – 20.08.11

The paper claims that David Avetisyan, a resident of Kuchak village in
Aragatsotn province and an officer of the Police Patrol Service of the
Republic of Armenia, committed suicide by hanging himself on August
15.

The relatives of Avetisyan, 25, told their fellow villagers that
before committing suicide he received a phone call and left the house
to answer it. Some time later he was found hanged.

Further, the paper mentioned that this is the third occasion when an
officer of law enforcement bodies is committing suicide in the recent
week.

On August 16, the paper continues, 37-year-old prosecutor Aram
Grigoryan committed suicide near the grave of his mother by shooting
himself.

On August 18 the body of 41-year-old Tonik Harutyunyan was found in
the Botanical Garden in Yerevan. According to the preliminary version,
the paper claims, Harutyunyan had taken several pills.

Tert.am

REVUE DE PRESSE
A Deir Ezzor, un semblant de normalité

Au nord-est de la Syrie, sur les rives de l’Euphrate, Deir Ezzor n’a
pas été épargnée par la contestation qui s’est emparée depuis la
mi-mars de la plupart des villes moyennes du pays.

Le 7 août, à l’aube, les chars de l’armée syrienne ont fait feu sur
des quartiers de cette cité d’environ 280 000 habitants. Selon une
tactique militaire déjà éprouvée, l’armée a ensuite organisé le siège
de la ville, le temps de nettoyer les poches de résistance.

L’Observatoire syrien des droits de l’homme ( OSDH), basé à Londres, y
a répertorié une vingtaine de morts et de nombreuses arrestations.

« Une large partie de la population choisit l’attentisme » Hier, dans
le cadre d’une visite organisée par les autorités, une journaliste de
l’Agence France-Presse a pu voir une douzaine de blindés quitter la
ville et des habitants lancer du riz et des fleurs sur les soldats.

De nombreuses cités sont ainsi partagées entre des opposants virulents
au pouvoir, des partisans inféodés au régime, et une large partie de
la population qui choisit l’attentisme.

Deir Ezzor est une cité des confins désertiques, à 450 km de Damas,
marquée par les traditions bédouines très vivaces dans la région, et
par une population kurde bien implantée le long des routes conduisant
à l’Irak et à la Turquie.

Cette cité très ancienne a vu de nombreux conquérants, des armées
entières et des caravanes de commerce, traverser l’Euphrate. Au temps
du mandat français sur la Syrie (1920-1944), elle représentait une
position défensive avancée.

Pétrole et tourisme Depuis un quart de siècle, la construction d’un
barrage sur l’Euphrate, qui a fortement augmenté les surfaces
agricoles irriguées, et l’exploitation de gisements de pétrole dans la
région, lui ont donné un rôle économique important.

Deir Ezzor est aussi, en temps normal, une escale touristique non loin
de la frontière irakienne.

C’est le point de départ pour la découverte des antiquités
mésopotamiennes, sur les rives de l’Euphrate et de son affluent, Al
Khabour, qui ont vu naître et se développer de grandes civilisations
antiques, puis des métropoles grecques et romaines.

“Fin mars, des touristes s’y promenaient encore” À 85 km au sud se
trouve Doura Europos (As Saliha), fondée au IVe siècle avant J.-C. et
qui vit se succéder Perses, Romains, et Palmyriens.

En 1915-1916, des dizaines de milliers d’Arméniens expulsés par
l’armée turque d’Anatolie y ont été déportés et massacrés.

Un mémorial a été érigé dans la ville. Les visiteurs peuvent aussi
marcher sur le « pont des Français », pont suspendu piétonnier
construit sous le mandat français en 1924.

Fin mars, des touristes s’y promenaient encore. Aujourd’hui, les
hôtels sont vides dans un pays où insurrections et répression
paralysent une économie fragile.

Agnès ROTIVEL

samedi 20 août 2011,
Sté[email protected]

PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Contact: V.Rev.Fr.Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Director
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E- mail: [email protected]
Web:

PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon

Watch our latest videos on YouTube here:

‘THE ARMENIAN LANGUAGE IS THE LIFELINE OF OUR NATION; WITHOUT IT OUR NATION
WILL DISAPPEAR’
Said Aram I

On Thursday August 18, 2011, the third in a series of conferences on Western
Armenian, entitled “Challenges and Prospects for Western Armenian opened at
St. Mary’s Monastery in Bikfaya.

The conference was organized by the Catholicosate of Cilicia under the
leadership of His Holiness Aram I. Specialists of the Armenian language from
Armenia, Europe, Lebanon, North and South America, Syria, Turkey and other
countries of the Middle East were invited to the conference.

Mr. Jirair Tanielian welcomed the participants on behalf of the preparatory
committee. He then invited His Holiness Aram I to make the keynote speech.
After his opening prayer, Catholicos Aram stated that the purpose of the
meeting was to identify the foreign expressions that are commonly used in
Western Armenian and propose plans to safeguard the language. He went on to
say, “We need to prepare linguists and teachers of the Armenian language who
will study the foreign words, analyze their usage and propose solutions. We
should preserve our language because it is our lifeline. Without the
Armenian language our diaspora communities will disappear.”

The second speaker, Mr. Levon Ananian, President of the Writers Association
of Armenia, said that the conference was also significant for Armenia
because modifications in Western Armenian would also impact Eastern
Armenian.

The conference then continued with presentations from the conference
participants. During the first day they discussed four themes: “the use of
different Armenian grammar books to teach the Armenian language,” “the need
to prepare a special curriculum to teach Armenian in the Diaspora,”
“preparation of new textbooks and dictionaries for Western Armenian” and
“training teachers for studies in Armenology.”

A lively discussion followed each presentation. Divergences surfaced because
of the different context in the Diaspora and Armenia. A group of listeners,
who recorded the discussions, will present the conclusions and
recommendations of the conference, which will end on Saturday.

##
Photos:

FORMER ARMENIAN FM LEAVES OPPOSITION PARTY

news.am
Aug 19 2011
Armenia

YEREVAN.- Former Armenian Foreign Minister Alexander Arzumanyan
submitted an application on Wednesday to leave the Armenian National
Movement party.

Talking to the Armenian News-NEWS.am correspondent, Arzumanyan
confirmed the reports adding that his membership to the party was
suspended after the party’s congress held on July 17.

Earlier, deputy chairman of Free Democrats Party Anush Sedrakyan told
Armenian News-NEWS.am that Arzumanyan will soon join them.

Armenian National Movement was founded in 1990. Presently it is a part
of the Armenian National Congress – an oppositional union comprising
17 political parties which was founded in 2008 and is headed by first
president of Armenia Levon Ter-Petrosyan.

ARMENIA WILL BE IN FAVOR OF USSR RESTORATION, SAYS RUSSIAN MP

Tert.am
19.08.11

A Russian MP has said that the United Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR)
will reborn in the coming 10-15 years and that Armenia will join it.

“I am also convinced that the Soviet Union will be restored,” Sergei
Lisovsky said, following a similar view expressed by Kyrgyzstan’s
former President Askar Akayev earlier.

“In the near future Belarus, Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, in short,
all previous Soviet republics will unite,” said Lisovsky.

According to him, the Transbaltian countries will also join the USSR
as the Europe does not need them.

Further, he said that Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan too will join
the USSR. In the meantime, according to him, “if Armenia and the
Transbaltian countries will join the USSR later, then Georgia and
Azerbaijan will crawl to it”.

SORRY APOLOGIES
By: Garen Yegparian

Armenian Weekly
Fri, Aug 19 2011

It seems we’re living in a time of apologies-some meaningful, some
irrelevant; some asked or demanded, others received or refused;
some for current and others historical offenses. Everyone seems to
want to get into the act. And, apologies, when given, are often of
questionable worth.

The pundit-ocracy was abuzz with President Clinton’s apology for
slavery in 1998. The House of Representatives followed suit, a mere
decade later. What good did this do the descendants of the slaves?

Similarly, the Turkish apology campaign of 2008, while a welcome sign
of (miniscule) progress, didn’t get us anything.

But apologies are being demanded more often than given, lately,
it seems.

We have President Sarkissian challenging President Aliyev to issue an
apology for saying that “something is missing from the Armenian brain”
with no remorseful outcome.

We have P.M. Erdogan demanding an apology from Sarkissian over his
comments to a child about the restoration of Western Armenia to its
rightful owners.

We have Turkey demanding apologies from Israel for the flotilla fiasco
of a year ago.

We have Israel wondering when Turkey will apologize for Cyprus.

Of course, the last of these is the closest one to relevance, and
points out Turkey’s perfidy. After committing genocide, massacring
people, and occupying others’ lands (Armenians, Assyrians, Cypriots,
Greeks, Kurds, Zazas, etc.), anyone in Turkey should be utterly
ashamed, totally cowed, and nowhere near the mindset that currently
exists-that asks others to apologize. Yet, the egomaniacal Erdogan
and his minions go about shamelessly doing just that!

We should be filling the letters pages of newspapers with missives
of ridicule at this situation. Don’t wait! The next time some Turkish
leader (of Turkey or Azerbaijan) comes up with one of these ridiculous
demands, let loose with your keyboard, and hound your local newspaper
until they publish your outrage.

MISSING RUSSIAN SATELLITE FOUND OFF THE DESIGNATED ORBIT

PanARMENIAN.Net
August 19, 2011 – 17:26 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – The Russian Express-AM4 communication satellite,
missing after the August 18 launch, could not separate from the booster
and was found off the designated orbit, a source in the Russian space
program said on Friday, August 19.

Experts said the satellite is useless unless separation from the
Briz-M booster rocket is performed, RIA Novosti reported.

“If separation from the booster fails, the spacecraft is done for,
it won’t be able to perform the designated tasks,” an expert said on
the condition of anonymity.

Another expert said the satellite was designed to operate at a
geostationary orbit at a fixed station-keeping point which it was
unable to reach.

“The booster creates a huge additional burden and the satellite’s
propulsion engine, which is not designed for maneuvering with
additional weight, won’t be able to take the satellite into the
assigned geostationary orbit and station-keep it in the orbital
position,” the expert said.

The satellite’s launch and orbital operation has been fully insured
for 7.5 billion rubles ($259 million).

Russia’s Proton-M rocket with the Express-AM4 satellite was launched
from the Baikonur Space Center in Kazakhstan early on Thursday but
mission control failed to establish communication with it.

RUSSIAN-ARMENIAN GUNNED IN MOSCOW

Tert.am
19.08.11

Unknown men attacked a Russian-Armenian in Moscow at 4am on Friday,
the Russian Lifenews reported.

Karen Harutyunyan, 30, was with his girlfriend Yulia Pererva, 23,
when the unidentified men opened fire on them from a traumatic gun.

The perpetrators shot three times at Harutyunyan’s head, arms and
chest.

His girlfriend received wounds from shots at her head, uterus and
thighs.

Both were hospitalized and are now at the rehabilitation department
at a hospital in Sklifosovski.

The motives of the crime are unknown.

CIVIC GROUPS RAISE “URANIUM SCARE” IN OPEN LETTER TO PRIME MINISTER

hetq
16:35, August 19, 2011

Following is an open letter sent to RA Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan

Dear Mr. Prime Minister

We have been informed through unofficial sources that studies ordered
by the government have unearthed uranium at the Hrazdan iron mine.

This news has naturally raised the concern of local residents.

Thus, we request that the government issue an official statement
either confirming or denying such information.

Hrazdan Aarhaus Center

Forests for the Next Generation, NGO

Children’s Support Foundation

Kotayk Advocacy and Assistance Center

Hrazdan Television