Author: Badalian Vardan

OSHEEN KESHISHIAN: NO NEW POSITIVE SIGNS

Noyan Tapan

19.08.2011

(Noyan Tapan – 19.08.2011) By Prof. Osheen Keshishian

Despite efforts by the international mediators, the European Union
members and particularly Russia, the Nagorno Karabakh settlement
issue does not seem to be imminent.

The OSCE Minsk Group as well as Armenia and Azerbaijan got ready
for the Kazan Meeting (June of this year), but nothing tangible was
accomplished, except it became evident that Azerbaijan put a monkey
wrench during the discussions, as Armenia’s Foreign Minister stated.

Now, Azeri officials, publicly and approvingly are referring to the
10-points that Azerbaijan introduced during the meeting, thus creating
more problems for the future negotiations.

It is interesting that the international mediators are aware of
Azerbaijan’s new proposals, and are not bringing them up. It is
very clear now that even the Azeri media is bringing that to the
front burner.

While Nagorno Karabakh, according to the then existing Constitution’s
self-determination clause declared independence, yet Azeri President
Ilham Aliyev several times stressed that Nagorno Karabakh is part
of Azerbaijan and Azerbaijan will not relinquish an inch of land
to NKR and will give Nagorno Karabakh an autonomous status… As if
that was not enough, he even stated that Nagorno Karabakh was under
Azerbaijani rule for the past 600 years (sic). No one asked him as
to when did Azerbaijan get established? Was there an Azerbaijan 600
years ago? I think that the Armenian government or historians should
react to this statement and put the record straight, because the more
the unaware people read it, the more they start believing in it.

Similarly, Aliyev made a militaristic statement at a press conference
in Baku on July 29 that “there will come a time when Azerbaijan will
restore its sovereignty over Nagorno-Karabakh through peaceful or
military means.” Reaction?

One Azeri political analyst even went so far to say that the United
States is supporting Karabakh so that it can use the Karabakh’s
Stepanakert airport to attack the countries nearby….

Armenia’s President has kept his cool and countenance. Following the
diatribe by Aliyev, who had mentioned that “something is missing in
the heads” of Armenian leaders, clearly and simply responded at a
press conference “Is that a statement by a normal individual, let
alone a leader of a country”.

Similarly, following the Medvedev-Aliyev meeting in Sochi on August 9,
when options were to be discussed to resolve the matter, no progress
was recorded and everything remained on the same level.

In their analyses, Azeri observers go so far, to mention that Russian
President Dmitry Medvedev’s efforts to assist in the resolution of
the conflict in the Caucasus is related to the upcoming elections in
Russia because if he is able to achieve some improvement, it will be
for his benefit and a chance to improve his image with the Russian
people. And, because Armenia and Azerbaijan are small countries,
the West is not very interested in resolving the issue. That’s a view.

Probably the situation will not change for a while as new means are
not being developed by the mediators.

GEORGIAN ACTORS, OPPOSITION FIGURES BACK SACKED DIRECTOR

Tert.am
19.08.11

Several Georgian actors and directors launched a rally on Thursday
to support Robert Sturua, a stage director sacked recently from the
Tbilisi Drama Theatre.

According to the Georgian news agency Gruzia Online, around 200 people,
including prominent opposition figures Nino Burdhanadze, Kakha Kukava
and Eka Beselia ,had gathered outside the Ministry of Culture.

Actor Beso Zanguri, an organizers of the rally, said they were
voicing their protest against what he called an illogical step by
the Georgian authorities.

“The authorities will receive complaints from other Georgian theatres
too. Today, we will decide what steps to take. But we will definitely
give reasonable answers to the authorities’ illogical steps,” he said.

Director Zaza Svanidze, another protester, said there are no real
reasons for sacking the director.

Referring to Sturua’s statement that Saakashvili was an Armenian by
his father’s side, he said the it did not imply anything that could
be considered xenophobia.

ON AUGUST 19 “MASHTOTS” EXPEDITION LED BY ZORI BALAYAN IS BACK HOME FROM ITS WORLD JOURNEY

armradio.am
19.08.2011 17:27

At the “international” airport the expedition was welcomed by the
Minister of Diaspora Hakobyan, other officials, NGO representatives,
expedition members, relatives, friends and compatriots.

May 28 2009. – Valencia started the “Mashtots” expedition traveling
over the world and ending their journey on 20 th anniversary of the
Republic of Armenia.

On the ceremony dedicated to the end of boating in Cypriot port
city Limasol head of the expedition “Mashtots” Zori Balayan said,
that the expedition of St. Mesrop Mashtots started the journey from
the Mediterranean waters, sailing trough the Gibraltar Strait, in
the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans. The head of expedition’s
staff members in all the five continents where Armenians has lived
for centuries and there are millions of our compatriots have carried
out all their tasks.

UN CELEBRE METTEUR EN SCENE GEORGIEN LIMOGE POUR XENOPHOBIE
Stephane

armenews.com
vendredi 19 aout 2011

Le celèbre metteur en scène georgien Robert Stouroua, connu pour ses
prises de position contre le president Mikheïl Saakachvili, a ete
limoge par le ministère de la Culture pour des commentaires juges
“xenophobes”, a-t-on appris mercredi auprès du ministère.

Le ministre de la Culture Nika Rouroua a decide de “relever Robert
Stouroua de ses fonctions de directeur artistique du Theâtre national
Chota Roustaveli”, selon un decret consultable sur la page du ministre
sur Facebook.

“Nous ne financerons pas la xenophobie. La Georgie est un pays
multiculturel”, a declare M. Rouroua en expliquant sa decision a la
television georgienne.

Le ministre faisait reference a une interview du metteur en scène le
20 mai a l’agence de presse Sakinformi dans laquelle Robert Stouroua
a declare que le president Saakachvili ne connaissait “pas les besoins
des Georgiens parce qu’il est armenien”.

“Je ne veux pas que la Georgie soit dirigee par un representant d’une
autre ethnie”, a-t-il ajoute dans cette interview.

Le metteur en scène n’a pas commente les raisons de son limogeage.

“Je fais la fete, je dors, je mange des fruits. Je suis libre”,
ecrit-il sur sa page de Facebook où plusieurs messages de soutien
lui ont ete envoyes.

Robert Stouroua, 73 ans, est l’un des metteurs en scènes les plus
connus de l’ex-URSS pour ses mises en scène de pièces de Brecht,
Shakespeare, Tchekhov ainsi que de classiques georgiens.

La construction du theâtre Roustaveli, le plus grand et le plus
celèbre de la georgie, a ete financee par un mecène armenien, Alexandre
Mantachev, en 1901.

CESARIA EVORA TO GIVE CONCERT IN ARMENIA

news.am
Aug 18, 2011
Armenia

YEREVAN. – “Barefoot diva”, world famous Cesaria Evora will give a
concert in Armenian capital on September 29.

According to press reports, her concert will be held within Yerevan
Perspectives project. No details have been disclosed.

Cesaria Evora was born in 1941 in Cape Verde. She has been singing
since she was 17 but managed to record her first album at 43.

JORDAN SUPPORTS AZERBAIJAN’S POSITION IN RESOLUTION OF KARABAKH CONFLICT

news.az
Aug 18, 2011
Azerbaijan

Azerbaijani ambassador to Jordan Elman Arasli met with chairman of
the Chamber of Deputies of the parliament Faisal Faiz.

Azerbaijan’s ambassador to Jordan Elman Arasli said the meeting
participants discussed mechanisms of development of cooperation between
the parliaments of Azerbaijan and Jordan, mutual visits of the chairmen
of parliaments, as well as representatives of the interparliamentary
group of friendship.

During the meeting Elman Arasli provided information about the reforms
in the country, as well as the current state of Armenian-Azerbaijani
conflict over Nagorno Karabakh.

In turn, Faisal Faiz said that his country supports Azerbaijan’s fair
position in the resolution of the conflict in Nagorno Karabakh.

The chairman of the deputies chamber stressed importance of
strengthening interparliamentary ties between the two countries.

PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS “BY SAAKASHVILI SCENARIO” UNLIKELY IN ARMENIA-MP

news.am
Aug 18, 2011
Armenia

YEREVAN. -There are no constitutional grounds for snap parliamentary
elections in Armenia, MP of the Armenian National Assembly Vardan
Khachatryan told reporters on Thursday.

“Currently snap elections could significantly affect the revolutionary
sentiments,” he noted. According to him, presidential elections by
Georgian scenario are unlikely in Armenia, when President Mikheil
Saakashvili announced his resignation and again ran for the president.

Commenting on the dialogue between the ruling coalition and the
oppositional Armenian National Congress, Khachatryan noted if the
dialogue is embedded in public mind as a foundation for future division
of power between the Republican Party of Armenia and the ANC, public
will no longer trust the dialogue.

AUTHORITIES-OPPOSITION DIALOGUE IN ARMENIA WILL BRING NO PRACTICAL RESULTS – HUNCHAKIAN PARTY

news.am
Aug 18, 2011
Armenia

YEREVAN. – The dialogue between Armenian authorities and oppositional
Armenian National Congress (ANC) will not be decisive, said member of
Hunchakian party Vahan Shirkhanyan to a press conference on Thursday.

According to him, the dialogue itself is worth to be appreciated,
since authorities and opposition sit together around one table, however
Shirkhanyan does don expect practical results from the dialogue.

“The dialogue does not touch upon social problems, while those are
the vocal problems of present time,” he said.

Shirkhanyan argues that the core of these discussions is early
elections, while early election would mean a change in leadership
rather than the system change.

“Take the economy, for example, the World Bank recurrently dictates us
what to do. If we change the leadership, even through early elections,
will anything change? The new officials would keep the same track
and the overall situation will persist. We must change the system,”
concluded Shirkhanyan.

NEGOTIATIONS TO DIVIDE POWER NOT SERIOUS, ARMENIAN MP SAYS

Tert.am
18.08.11

At his meeting with journalists August 18, the Armenian MP Vardan
Khachatryan voiced the opinion that “if the public views negotiations
as a means of dividing power between the Armenia’s ruling coalition
and the opposition Armenian National Congress (ANC), which is actually
the case now, I do not take it seriously.”

According to him, the political developments suggest that the
authorities will not resort to snap elections, as, “the change
possible due to snap elections as pointed out by the ANC is nothing
but a revolutionary expression.” “On the other hand, I cannot think
of the constitutional grounds for such a thing,” Khachatryan added.

As regards the recent incident that involved ANC members and policemen,
he pointed out that it was one more proof for him that “police system
has retained the same conduct as in Soviet times.” “The police go
on defending the authorities rather than citizens,” Khachatryan
said. As to whether the Chief of Armenia’s police can be trusted in
the context of preventing similar incidents in the future, he said:
“As Franklin Roosevelt would say: trusting police chiefs and judges
means being extremely naïve.”

He pointed out the need for serious attitude to Azerbaijani President
Ilham Aliyev’s refusal to participate in the meeting of the CIS Heads
of State to be held in Dushanbe. “Originally, the CIS was being formed
with a tendency to disintegrate,” he said.

A BEAUTIFUL CITY AT THE EXPENSE OF STARVING FAMILIES: NO HOPE FOR YEREVAN KIOSK OWNERS (PHOTOS)

epress.am
08.16.2011

The only way to fight against the city’s decision to demolish kiosks
around Yerevan is round-the-clock protests, today said kiosk owners
who protested for 4 hours outside the Armenian president’s residence
on Tuesday.

During the demonstration, 5 representatives of kiosk owners, along with
supporter, head of the Heritage Party’s parliamentary faction Styopa
(Stepan) Safaryan, went inside the president’s residence, where they
handed over a letter they addressed to the president and met with
head of the RA President’s Control Service Hovhannes Hovsepyan.

The meeting lasted nearly 2 hours.

During the entire duration of the protest there were several police
vehicles, as well as several youth who informed the Epress.am reporter
on the scene that they don’t participate in protests, but what’s
happening outside the presidential residence is “very interesting”
for them.

A few of the youth refused to make contact with others and some,
seeing that they were being photographed by journalists, hid their
faces or left the premises for a period of time.

After the meeting between Hovhannes Hovsepyan and kiosk owners,
delegates left the building in apparently a bad mood, with one of them,
Mrs. Arevik, even having tears in her eyes.

Mrs. Arevik told Epress.am that they were told that Yerevan City
Hall’s decision cannot be disputed and Hovsepyan, according to the
kiosk owner, repeated verbatim Yerevan mayor Karen Karapetyan’s words,
that the kiosks have to be demolished in order to improve the city.

“And I told him, it’s very odd that they’re repeating the same thing
verbatim. It means that this decision was made at a high level –
that’s why all their remarks are as one. They want a beautiful city
– at the expense of allowing families to go hungry. I didn’t leave
Armenia even during the most difficult times, but I have no other
choice, I will be forced to leave, to go from here,” she said.

Speaking to Epress.am, Styopa Safaryan opined that RA President Serzh
Sargsyan is personally aware of the kiosks demolition issue.

“The head of the Control Service finds that the mayor’s decision is
right; he finds that Yerevan must be beautiful and improved. There’s
no solution to the problem, and they have no answer for the
consequences. I will permit myself to assume that all this is a
decision made at a high level; it’s not only the mayor’s decision;
I believe that the country’s president bears the responsibility for
this decision,” he said.