Author: Badalian Vardan

HEAD OF ARMENIA’S MISSION TO NATO MEETS WITH NATO ASSISTANT SECRETARY GENERAL

Tert.am
02.08.11

Head of the Armenian mission to NATO Armen Yedigaryan held a meeting
Aug. 1 with the newly appointed NATO Assistant Secretary General
Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic.

Mr. Yedigaryan congratulated Ms. Grabar-Kitarovic on her appointment
and wished her successful activities.

The sides discussed the development of the Armenia-NATO cooperation
in public diplomacy and raising public awareness.

The sides pointed out the role of NATO Weeks, which have been organized
since 2007, as well as the NATO information center, opened in Yerevan
four years ago, facilitate the process.

Mr. Yedigaryan invited Ms. Grabar-Kitarovic to visit Armenia and take
part in the annual NATO week scheduled for this autumn.

PALLONE CONCERNED ABOUT LACK OF KARABAKH ASSISTANCE
Frank Pallone

asbarez
August 1st, 2011

WASHINGTON-Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) Monday wrote
House Appropriations Committee Chairman Harold Rogers and Kay
Granger, Chairwoman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on State,
Foreign Operations, and Related Programs to express his concerns
of reports that the Subcommittee has broken precedent by failing
to provide funding for humanitarian and development assistance in
Nagorno Karabakh. In past years, funding for Nagorno Karabakh had
broad bi-partisan support. Pallone expressed concerns about the
repercussions this lack of funding would have in the region.

“Since 1998 USAID and other agencies have been providing funds for
humanitarian and other assistance programs in Nagorno Karabakh as a
result of the Appropriations Committee’s work. The decision to provide
no funds to Nagorno Karabakh in Fiscal Year 2012 is a break with the
practice of the Appropriations Committee, under both Democratic and
Republican control,” Pallone wrote in the letter.

The full text of the letter appears below.

August 1, 2011

Dear Chairman Rogers and Chairwoman Granger:

I am writing with concern over recent reports that the State, Foreign
Operations and Related Programs Subcommittee has reported out a bill
that does not include funds for the Nagorno Karabakh Republic. I am
asking that as this bill moves to the full Appropriations Committee
that language be included to provide for humanitarian and development
assistance in Nagorno Karabakh.

Since 1998 USAID and other agencies have been providing funds for
humanitarian and other assistance programs in Nagorno Karabakh as a
result of the Appropriations Committee’s work. The decision to provide
no funds to Nagorno Karabakh in Fiscal Year 2012 is a break with the
practice of the Appropriations Committee, under both Democratic and
Republican control.

On May 20, 2011 twenty-eight members of Congress, along with myself,
on a bi-partisan basis wrote to Chairwoman Granger and Ranking Member
Lowey requesting that $10 million be included for humanitarian and
development programs in Nagorno Karabakh. We pointed out that while
there has been strong Congressional support for providing funds to
Nagnorno Karabakh, the State Department has failed to come close to
expending the funds intended to reach the people of Nagorno Karabakh.

This has left major gaps in our ability to provide humanitarian
assistance and has put at risk the protection of the Nagorno Karabakh
people who live under constant threat of attack from Azerbaijan.

There is no question that Nagorno Karabakh is an example of how
democracy can be born from conflict and progress into a popularly
supported government. The United States’ role in helping to facilitate
this process cannot be overstated. I believe that it is more important
than ever that the United States maintain a principled stand for
peace in this region and support Nagorno Karabakh.

Sincerely, FRANK PALLONE, JR.

Member of Congress

L’ARMENIE ET L’AZERBAIJAN NE PARVIENDRONT PAS A UN ACCORD, SELON UN RESPONSABLE DU PARTI DACHNAK
Gari

armenews.com
mardi 2 aout 20
ARMENIE

L’Armenie et l’Azerbaidjan ne parviendront pas a un accord sur le
Haut Karabagh en depit des efforts des puissances mediatrices, a
estime lundi 1er aout un responsable de la Federation revolutionnaire
armenienne (Dachnaktsoutioun).

“Je ne pense pas qu’il puisse y avoir un accord cette annee”, indique
Giro Manoyan, le porte-parole du parti d’opposition armenien en charge
de la politique etrangère dans un entretien accorde aux journalistes.

Comme les responsables armeniens, Manoyan a rejete sur l’Azerbaïdjan la
responsabilite de l’impasse dans laquelle s’est fourvoye le processus
de negociations depuis l’echec du sommet armeno-azeri du 24 juin a
Kazan en Russie sous l’egide du president russe Medvedev.

Decevant les attentes des mediateurs americain, russe et francais du
Groupe de Minsk de l’OSCE, les presidents Serge Sarkissian and Ilham
Aliev n’ont pu dissiper les divergences sur les principes de base du
règlement du conflit du Karabagh presentes dans le cadre du plan de
paix de la troïka du Groupe de Minsk. Les mediateurs ont tente depuis
de sauver le processus de paix. Le president russe Dmitry Medvedev
a soumis a ses homologues armenien et azeri des propositions visant
a sortir de l’impasse dont la teneur n’a pas ete rendue publique. G.

Manoyan suppose que les reponses de MM.Aliev et Sarkissian a ces
propositions n’ont pas d’etre “positives”.

“Si les reponses des presidents armenien et azerbaïdjanais avaient
ete positives, je pense que nous l’aurions percu a la reaction de la
partie russe”, a-t-il indique, en constatant que la reaction de la
Russie sur ce point se faisait toujours attendre. Le Parti dachnak, qui
etait partenaire de la coalition gouvernementale armenienne jusqu’a ce
qu’il s’en retire en avril 2009, e, signe d’opposition au processus
de normalisation alors a l’~uvre entre la Turquie et l’Armenie,
est oppose aux termes de l’accord de paix tel qu’il est propose a
l’Armenie et a l’Azerbaïdjan par les mediateurs internationaux. Il est
plus particulièrement hostile a toute idee de concessions territoriales
armeniennes a l’Azerbaïdjan telles qu’elles seraient prevues par les
principes fondamentaux actuellement en discussion. Le Parti dachnak
avait mis en garde les responsables armeniens a la veille du sommet de
Kazan, en les appellant a ne pas accepter ces principes, qui semblent
de toute manière inacceptables en l’etat pour Bakou. G. Manoyan
a reitere les critiques du parti nationaliste a l’encontre de la
politique du gouvernement armenien concernant le Karabagh, estimant
que contrairement aux Azeris, M.

Sarkissian et les autres responsables armeniens ont exprime plusieurs
fois leurs dispositions a faire des concessions majeures.

LE PREMIER MINISTRE TIGRANE SARKISSIAN SE MONTRE OPTIMISTE SUR LES PERSPECTIVES ECONOMIQUES DU HAUT KARABAGH
Gari

armenews.com
mardi 2 aout 2011
KARABAGH

Le premier ministre armenien Tigrane Sarkissian, alors qu’il entamait
lundi 1er aout une visite officielle de deux jours dans le Haut
Karabagh, a salue les perspectives de developpement economique a moyen
terme du territoire armenien, affirmant, en echo aux declarations des
autorites du Karabagh, que l’economie locale se developpera plus vite
dans les annees a venir. “Les indicateurs existant nous font esperer
que dans les annees a venir, l’economie du Karabagh se developpera
a un rythme accelere “, a indique le chef du gouvernement armenien
devant les journalistes, en notant que “les chiffres de la croissance
enregistres au cours des dernières annees sont egalement marquants “.

“Le potentiel cumule est tel que nous pouvons affirmer que le système
economique du territoire connaîtra une très nette croissance cette
annee et dans les trios prochaines annees”, a ajoute M. Sarkissian.

Selon les chiffres officiels, le PIB du Karabagh, reposant
essentiellement sur les revenus de la production agricole et de
l’industrie agroalimentaire, a augmente de 5.5 % pour atteindre 118
milliards de drams (330 millions de dollars) l’an dernier. Le taux
de croissance de l’economie a augmente de 9.7% dans le premier quart
de l’annee en cours. M.Sarkisian, qui etait accompagne des ministres
de la justice et de l’agriculture d’Armenie, s’est entretenu avec les
journalistes a l’issue d’une rencontre avec le president du Karabagh
Bako Sahakian and son premier ministre Ara Harutiunian. La discussion
aurait porte essentiellement sur les questions socioeconomiques
selon un communique du service de presse du gouvernement armenien,
qui souligne qu’elle a porte surtout sur ” le secteur agricol et
la mise en ~uvre de projets communs “. M. Sarkisian a aussi visite
deux entreprises et une grosse ferme d’elevage flambant neuve dans le
district d’Askeran, a l’est du Karabagh, où il devait rencontrer des
agriculteurs, mais aussi des postes de l’armee du Karabagh, dans cette
region qui se situe sur la ligne de contact avec l’Azerbaïdjan dont
les troupes ont multiplie recemment les violations du cessez-le-feu.

Depuis le cessez-le-feu de 1994 qui a confirme l’independance de fait
du territoire, l’economie du Karabagh n’a cesse de s’integrer a celle
de l’Armenie, meme si celle-ci ne reconnaît officiellement pas le
Karabagh. Et si elles ont procede a la rehabilitation d’une grande
partie des infrastructures detruites durant la guerre de 1991 a 1994
contre l’Azerbaidjan, tout en augmentant leurs recettes fiscales au
cours des 17 dernieres annees, les autorites du Karabagh restent
etroitement tributaires des subsides de Erevan, qui seraient d’un
montant de quelque 19 milliards de drams dans le premier semestre de
l’annee en cours, selon les chiffres fourbis par le ministere armenien
des finances.

BAKU CONCERNED AT ITALIAN SCULPTORS’ VISIT TO KARABAKH

news.az
Aug 1, 2011
Azerbaijan

The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry is looking into a visit by a group
of Italian sculptors to Nagorno-Karabakh.

The Italian sculptors are reported to have taken part in a symposium,
Akop Gurdjan, held in Nagorno-Karabakh on 17 to 28 July.

The Foreign Ministry has asked the Azerbaijani embassy in Italy to
study the reports, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Elkhan Polukhov said.

Visits to the Azerbaijani territory of Nagorno-Karabakh are technically
illegal without permission from Baku. In practice, many people visit
the breakaway territory.

The symposium was held in the city of Shusha, which is seen by many
Azerbaijanis as the cradle of their culture.

Many buildings in Shusha were badly damaged during the war over
Karabakh, while others have fallen into disrepair as their original
Azerbaijani occupants were forced to flee in 1992.

Professors from different Italian universities – Giuseppe Giovanni
Del Debbio, Francesco Roviello, Roberto Giovanelli, Luciano Pretty
and Francesco Gallo – are reported to have expressed willingness
to cooperate with the de facto authorities in the Karabakh city of
Shusha on the reconstruction of ruined buildings.

The de facto authorities are to submit packages of the most important
construction projects to Italian experts.

In recent years, Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry has declared personae
non gratae foreigners who visit Nagorno-Karabakh without Baku’s
permission.

The conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh began in 1988 when Armenia
made claims on the Azerbaijani territory. Armenian armed forces
occupied a swathe of Azerbaijani territory from 1992, including the
Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. Despite a
ceasefire in 1994, no long-term peace agreement has been reached.

The nub of the conflict remains unresolved – the competing claims of
territorial integrity, which Azerbaijan insists takes precedence in
the case of Karabakh, and self-determination, which Armenia wants to
see for the Armenians of Karabakh.

News.Az

ECONOMY OF ARTSAKH WILL GROW IN NEAR FUTURE-ARMENIAN PM

news.am
Aug 1, 2011
Armenia

STEPANAKERT. – Program of biofuel production in Nagorno-Karabakh
(Artsakh) Republic is very promising first and foremost in terms of
national security, said Armenian PM Tigran Sargsyan, who, together
with Karabakh President Bako Sahakyan visited Askeran region wood
processing factory, which is engaged in biofuel production.

‘This program has manifold impacts: it contributes to economic
development, use of local raw materials and provides new jobs. In
addition, there will be effective management of forest resources and
the cost of energy will decrease by at least 30 percent,’ said the PM.

Concerning Karabakh economic situation, Sargsyan stressed that the
current figures inspire hope for steady growth of Artsakh economy in
near future.

SARGSYAN’S PHOTO BURNED IN TURKEY-ARMENIA BORDER AREA

news.az
Gun.Az
Aug 1, 2011
Azerbaijan

A photo of Serj Sargsyan has been burned down in Alijan check point
of Turkey-Armenia border.

Igdir residents, indignant over Sargsyan’s ‘Agri Dag’ remarks, staged
a protest action at a border with Armenia, haberler.com reports.

The latest remarks by the Armenian president have caused a strong
reaction among Turkish public. The next protest action was staged in
Igdir to this end.

Goksel Gulbey, head of the Circle against Unfunded Armenian Lies
assessed Armenian leader’s remarks as “land claim and announcing war
to Turkey.”

The action participants burned Sargsyan’s photo at the end of the
action.

HRANT DINK TRIAL: COURT INSISTS ON DEFENDANTS’ PHONE RECORDS

BIAnet.org

Aug 1, 2011
Turkey

The prosecution of Erhan Tuncel and Yasin Hayal, alleged instigators
to the murder of Turkish-Armenian journalist Dink, was continued on 29
July. The court dismissed the objection made by the Telecommunication
Communication Presidency on delivering the requested information.

Isıl CÄ°NMEN – Ozg OGRET Istanbul – BÄ°A News Center01 August 2011,
Monday The trial regarding the murder of Turkish-Armenian journalist
Hrant Dink, then editor-in-chief of the Armenian Agos newspaper, was
continued on Friday (29 July). This was the 19th hearing of the case
heard before the Besiktas (Istanbul) High Criminal Court. Alleged
instigators and detained defendants Erhan Tuncel and Yasin Hayal
appeared at court. The trial includes a total of 19 defendants.

Dink, founder of the Agos newspaper, was gunned down in front of his
office on 19 January 2007.

German Green Party Co-Chair Claudia Roth was among the trial observers
as well as Olivier Guillaud, member of the Steering Board of the
Paris Bar Association, and Alexandre Kuyumcuyan as the President
of the Association of French-Armenian Lawyers and Jurists. However,
since the hearing started with a delay of two hours at 12.00 noon,
Roth had to leave early in order to catch her plane.

“Criminal discretion should be checked” On 25 July, triggerman Ogun
Samast was sentenced to imprisonment of 22 years and ten months by
the Istanbul 2nd Juvenile High Criminal Court for the killing of
Dink. During the Friday session, obvious tension could be observed
between Samast and alleged instigators Hayal and Tuncel.

Defendant Hayal claimed in the course of the hearing that “visitors
from Pelitli (Trabzon)” who came to see him in prison had threatened
and beaten him. As in the previous hearing, Hayal reiterated that
this could be proven by camera records. He requested to watch the
correspondent footage at court.

The defence lawyers of Erhan Tuncel on the other hand said that they
checked the visitors records that revealed that Hayal did not have
any visitor throughout the past six months. Thereupon, Hayal jumped
to his feet and shouted, “You will listen to me! Shut up!” The judge
managed to calm down the situation by telling defendant Hayal to be
quiet; otherwise he would have been expelled from the courtroom.

Hayal’s defence lawyers requested to examine their client at the
Mental Health Hospital in Bakırköy (Istanbul) in order to check
whether Hayal was holding criminal discretion. Hayal stated thereupon,
“I am fine. I apologize for raising my voice”.

Chek of Hayal’s mental health The joint attorneys of the Dink family
showed the court board and the defendants footage recorded before the
murder. Lawyer Fethiye Cetin criticized that the trial would take a
more proper way once the telephone records of the defendants would
have been sent by the Telecommunication Communication Presidency
(TÄ°B). Otherwise, this would obstruct a fair trial, Cetin indicated.

She continued that also the fact that the camera hard disk of the
Akbank branch turned out to be empty was not logic. The hard disk of
the bank located at the scene of crime was sent to the Scientific and
Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBÄ°TAK) for an examination.

She claimed that the hard disk of security cameras that are recording
and being erased continuously could not be completely empty. Lawyer
Cetin requested the court check whether the hard disk sent to TUBITAK
really were the hard disk of the Akbank cameras.

Olivier Guillaud and Alexandre Kuyumcuyan commented in an intermission
that this was “an impressive defence and an interesting trial”.

The court board decided to have defendant Hayal examined by forensic
medical experts of the Public Prosecution in Tekirdag (west of
Istanbul) in order to check his mental health and to determine whether
Hayal should be taken under observation. The court is expecting a
referring report.

Additionally, the court decreed to reject the appeal of TÄ°B on
delivering the requested information on the phone records and to
forward a correspondent writing to the superior 9th High Criminal
Court. The court board furthermore decided to contact the purchase
unit of Akbank in order to find out whether the hard disk examined by
TUBÄ°TAK was the same. Moreover, the court is going to require the
prison camera records of the day Hayal was allegedly attacked. The
court board dismissed requests for the defendants’ release.

The next hearing was set for 19 September.

KARABAKH WILL SEE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT – TIGRAN SARGSYAN

Tert.am
01.08.11

Armenia’s Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan, who is on a visit to Nagorno
Karabakh, has said Karabakh will see sustainable development in the
following three years.

Speaking to journalists after a meeting with Karabakh’s President Bako
Sahakyan, Sargsyan said his forecast is based on the data registered
during the recent three years.

“The growth rates recorded last year are rather impressive too,”
said Sargsyan. “The accumulated potential also shows that there will
be sustainable development in [Karabakh’s] economic system both this
and in the coming three years.”

Further, he said such visits to Karabakh are very useful as they
allow the two sides clarifying joint socio-economic potential.

According to him, during such meetings the sides first of all focus on
the implementation of the previously agreed projects and afterwards
take up strategic programs, and then refer to cooperation between
the two countries.

“In this sense, I attach much importance to such meetings, as we are
able to clarify everything,” explained Tigran Sargsyan.

KARABAKH PRESIDENT MEETS WITH HEAD OF CADASTRE

Tert.am
01.08.11

Bako Sahakyan, the President of the republic of Artsakh (Nagorno
Karabakh) met with senior staff of the State Committee of Cadastre
and Real Estate under the Artsakh Republic’s Cabinet of Ministers
on Monday.

According to a press release by the Karabakhi presidential
administration, Sahakyan congratulated the workers of the agency on
the Day of Geodesist and Land Managers, underlining the role of the
system in the development of the republic.

Further, the Head of the State Committee of Cadastre and Real Estate,
Andranik Khachatryan and other responsible officials delivered
corresponding reports on activities implemented so far, as well as
on future plans.

In his speech President Sahakyan noted that it was necessary to
enliven the process of the design of a geo-informational system,
improve training of personnel, as well as making the activities of
the agency more public.