Author: Badalian Vardan

“I WANT TO SEE THE PERSON WHO IS GOING TO CEDE TERRITORIES”

A1Plus.am
June 01, 2011

The Orinats Yerkir Party (OYK) supports the policy of the Armenian
President on the resolution of the Karabakh conflict.

“The conflict should be settled only through peaceful talks. Mutual
acceptable concessions are better than reckless confrontation.

Concession means that both sides concede something,” OYK MP Hovhannes
Margaryan told a news conference on June 1.

“I do not believe that someone in Armenia can cede the liberated
territories and I know that our people are ready to protect these
lands. I want to see the person who is going to cede them. Any
statement about these territories is an empty talk if it is made
by someone who is in no way connected to them,” said Heritage MP
Larisa Alaverdyan.

The Heritage MP is negative about the policy on Nagorno Karabakh
pursued by all three Presidents of Armenia.

“I do not support their stance on the Karabakh issue and I think that
they made a gross error which today unites the opposition Armenian
National Congress and the authorities,” said Alaverdyan.

“Glory and honor to the person who will be able to solve the Karabakh
conflict through a peaceful way, making it the property of NKR and
Armenian people,” Margaryan said without giving any names.

Larisa Alaverdyan does not think that the other political forces will
be left out of political processes as a result of a dialogue between
the authorities and opposition.

“I respect people who side with this or that political force but they
mustn’t split the field,” she said.

Margaryan hailed the dialogue between the authorities and opposition,
saying that the dialogue is advantageous to people.

“Jealousy” is not a political category. We are not jealous of any
political force as our leader is a literate, erudite and sophisticated
person who deserves all honors,” he said.

Speaking about snap elections, the OYK representative said he does
not see legal or political grounds for extraordinary elections while
the Heritage MP said it has become a bad habit to speak about early
elections.

“Even if it happens, it will not be the result of dialogue,” she said.

UAR SOCHI BRANCH LEADERSHIP RESIGNS AS RESULT OF DEMOLITION OF MONUMENT TO GENERAL ANDRANIK

PanARMENIAN.Net
June 1, 2011 – 20:02 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – The Sochi branch of the Union of Armenians of
Russia (UAR) held a meeting with participation of UAR Vice President
German Ananyants with respect to demolition of the monument to General
Andranik set in Volkonka settlement of Sochi, Russia, by the Armenian
community.

According to Ananyants, the conflict is settled – Lazarevsk region’s
leadership of UAR has conceived its fault and resigned. Currently all
legal documents are being prepared, while the monument to Andranik
Ozanyan will be set in Adler soon.

President of UAR Ara Abramyan was expected to participate in the
meeting, but he has not arrived in Sochi. Earlier Abramyan condemned
the monument’s demolition, saying he was unaware of the incident and
promising to clarify its details and make radical decisions, if the
reports are confirmed.

Armenia’s Consul General to southern part of Russia Ararat Gomtsyan,
representatives of the ARF Dashnaktsutyun and Heritage party, as
well as leaders of Javakheti and Hamshen communities of Russia
also condemned demolition of the monument to General Andranik,
youtharmenia.ru reported.

General Andranik Ozanyan is Armenia’s national hero. He is one of the
leaders of the Armenian national liberation movement in the late 19th
and early 20th centuries. He is also a national hero of Bulgaria. He
was one of organizers of Sasun and Zangezur defense.

On August 31, 1927, legendary General Andranik Ozanyan passed away in
Fresno, California. His body was transported to France, and buried in
the French Pere Lachaise cemetery. In 200, the government of the second
independent Armenian Republic decided to relocate General Andranik’s
remains to Armenia, where he received an honorable military reburial
at Yerablur Pantheon.

RPA: SOCHI AGREEMENTS MORE ADVANTAGEOUS FOR ARMENIA THAN MADRID PRINCIPLES

PanARMENIAN.Net
June 1, 2011 – 18:44 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Member of the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA)
parliamentary group Gagik Minasyan said the Sochi agreements on the
Karabakh conflict settlement are more advantageous for Armenia than
the revised Madrid Principles.

Minasyan noted that, judging from Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s
reaction after trilateral meetings with participation of Russian
President Dmitry Medvedev, specifically the meeting in Sochi, one can
assume that the Co-Chairmen’s proposals proceed in the direction,
to which the Armenian side is adhered, and deviate from the stance
supported by Azerbaijan.

“Thus, one can state that the Sochi proposals are much more acceptable
and practicable for the Armenian side than Azerbaijan,” Minasyan
said, adding that the Deaville statement adopted by the leaders of
the OSCE Minsk Group Co-chair countries makes a reference to the
Sochi agreements, but not the Madrid Principles for the Karabakh
conflict settlement.

According to Minasyan, the events can develop by two scenarios: either
Azerbaijan will continue its tough and destructive policy for solving
the conflict by force, what will place it in a vulnerable position,
or Azerbaijan will follow the calls and come closer to the principles
fixed in Sochi. And these principles are more advantageous for us,
than the Madrid Principles, said Minasyan.

Minasyan also commented on the statement of leader of the opposition
Armenian National Congress Levon Ter-Petrossian that the Armenian
side is exhausting the resources for keeping the status-quo in the
Karabakh conflict. “Ter-Petrossian made similar statements many years
ago as well,” he said.

Armenian, Russian and Azerbaijani Presidents – Serzh Sargsyan, Dmitry
Medvedev and Ilham Aliyev – adopted a joint statement on the Nagorno
Karabakh conflict settlement based on the results of their negotiations
in Sochi. The document reads that the Presidents considered matters
of practical implementation of the trilateral statement adopted during
the October 27, 2010, meeting in Astrakhan.

Specifically, the Presidents agreed to finalize the swap of POWs as
soon as possible. The document stresses the parties’ willingness “to
solve all disputable matters peacefully and conduct investigation of
possible incidents along the ceasefire line under the auspices of the
OSCE Minsk Group through the assistance of Personal Representative of
the OSCE Chairman-in-Office.” “The Presidents stressed the importance
of their regular contacts on the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement
and agreed to continue them in such format in addition to the activity
of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmen,” the statement reads.

COMMUNITY ORDERED TO TAKE DOWN GEN. ANTRANIG STATUE IN SOCHI

asbarez
Wednesday, June 1st, 2011

The statue of General Antranig in Sochi

SOCHI, Russia-What was to bring together 5,000 to 6,000 Armenians from
around the Krasnodar region of Russia and Abkhazia for a community-wide
May 28 celebration turned sour when local authorities ordered the
Armenian community here to bring down a statue of General Antranig,
which was to be unveiled for the event.

According to members of the Armenian community in Sochi, local
authorities said that the statue must come down, or it will be
demolished.

The authorities explained their decision saying that the unveiling of
the statue might anger Turkey, which could refuse to take part in the
construction of facilities for the Sochi Winter Olympic Games in 2014.

Armenia’s Consul General Ararat Gomtsyan told Armenian activists of
Sochi in a phone conversation that he was unable to do anything. He
also advised them to adhere to authorities’ request. According to
representatives of the Armenian community, the decision was adopted
in Moscow, but not in the region. They claimed that pressure from
Azeri groups led to the decision.

“There is a certain policy by the Russian authorities toward
the Armenian population,” said a statement issued by the Armenian
community, which claimed that anti-Armenian sentiments in Krasnodar
were prevalent.

Sochi and that region of Russia is home to a large number
Hamshen-Armenians, who also issued a statement expressing their anger.

“General Antranig is not only a national hero but our compatriot,
native of Trabzon, just like many Armenian residents of Sochi. It is
not a mere coincidence that Armenians of Sochi were the organizers
of the monument,” read the statement of Hemshin Armenians in Russia.

“Dismantling of the monument is not only an affront to the memory
of Gen. Antranig, but also to the memory of our ancestors,” said the
Hamshen-Armenian announcement. The community said it considered the
order an act of vandalism.

Gen. Antranig is an Armenian hero who led battles for the liberation
movement of Armenia, including those for independence. He organized
the defense efforts in Sassoun and Zangezour.

He died in Fresno on August 31, 1927 and was buried in Paris until the
Armenian government in 2000 arranged the relocation of his remains
to Armenia where they are interred at Yerablour National Cemetery
in Yerevan.

DEAUVILLE STATEMENT CONTAINS ‘VERY CLEAR AND UNAMBIGUOUS’ ENCOURAGEMENT

news.az
May 31 2011
Azerbaijan

The French ambassador in Armenia hopes that Deauville statement will
be implemented as soon as possible.

At a meeting with journalists in the NATO Information Centre in
Yerevan, Henri Reynaud said that the Deauville statement by the
presidents of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairing countries contains
“very clear and unambiguous calls”.

“The statement clearly states that there is a need to refrain from
the use of force in conflict settlement. I hope that the sides have
grasped the calls, contained in the statement, and will demonstrate
the will at the upcoming meeting between the Armenian and Azerbaijani
presidents in Kazan,” Henri Reynaud said.

“I hope that the tension on the borders will decline, cooperation will
substitute hatred, and trust will come to take the place of distrust,”
Henri Reynaud said.

KARABAKH CONFLICT STANDS ON OIC AGENDA

news.az
May 31 2011
Azerbaijan

Nagorno-Karabakh conflict will be one of the priority issues on the
agenda of the Organization of the IslamicConference during the meeting
of foreign ministers of the member countries.

The statement came from OIC official Abderraouf Ben Rajab.

“Armenian aggression against Azerbaijan” will be one of the important
topics of discussion,” Ben Rajab said, reported Trend.

Kazakhstan, OIC chairman for 2011-2012, will hold 38th session of
the Council of OIC Foreign Ministers in Astana on 28-30 June.

Founded in 1969, OIC has 57 member countries with a total population
of 1.2bn people. Azerbaijan and all five Central Asian republics are
members of the Organization among the post-Soviet countries.

Another four countries, including Russia and one self-declared area
not recognized by world community – Turkish Republic of Northern
Cyprus have an observer status in OIC.

KNESSET SPEAKER WORKING TO BOOST RECOGNITION OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
By Jonathan Lis

Ha’aretz

May 31 2011
Israel

Reuven Rivlin says it is his duty as a Jew and Israeli to recognize
the ‘tragedies of other people.’

Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin said Monday that he wanted to convene an
annual parliamentary session of the full Knesset to mark the Armenian
genocide of 1915 and 1916 at the hands of the Turks. “It is my duty
as a Jew and Israeli to recognize the tragedies of other peoples,”
Rivlin said, speaking to an Israel-based Armenian action committee.

Rivlin added: “Diplomatic considerations, important as they may be,
do not allow us to deny the disaster [experienced by] another people.”

In recent years the Prime Minister’s Office and the Foreign Ministry
have applied heavy pressure to head off such sessions of the Knesset
out of concern that relations between Israel and Turkey would be
harmed. Turkey denies that it committed genocide against the Armenians.

Since 2008, the full Knesset has allowed the Foreign Affairs and
Defense Committee to hold sessions that have been closed to the
media about the Armenian genocide. Last week, for the first time,
the full Knesset approved the convening of an open, public session
on the issue by the Education, Culture and Sports Committee, at the
request of Meretz Knesset member Zahava Gal-On. This represents a
complete change in approach on the issue.

In 1915 to 1916, between a million and a million and a half Armenians
reportedly lost their lives in Turkey, representing about a third of
the Armenian people. Armenians have been campaigning for international
recognition of the genocide, but the Turks have been active in
countering these efforts. Turkey claims there was no genocide, and that
in the course of the Armenian fight for independence between 250,000
and 500,000 Armenians and a similar number of Turks lost their lives.

As part of the Foreign Ministry’s attempt in recent years to block
pro-Armenian genocide commemorations, in 2007, ministry staff expressed
what was called “dissatisfaction” with plans to hold a session in
the Knesset plenum on the issue. The prime minister at the time,
Ehud Olmert, intervened to have the session canceled.

Several months before that, tensions with Turkey rose after the
U.S.-based Anti-Defamation League supported an effort to have the U.S.

Congress recognize the genocide. The Turkish government responded
by asking the Israeli government to apply pressure on the ADL to
moderate its stand on the Congressional debate. Responding to the
entreaties of the president of Turkey, Israeli President Shimon Peres
also approached ADL national director Abraham Foxman on the issue,
after which the organization reversed course and softened its stance.

In October of 2008, in an unprecedented move, the Knesset voted to
have a parliamentary committee convene on the Armenian genocide at
the initiative of then-Meretz chairman Haim Oron, paving the way for
the sessions in the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. Over the
past two years, however, after relations between Israel and Turkey
deteriorated, the Foreign Ministry’s opposition to the issue abated,
though Rivlin’s latest move was at his own initiative.

STRATFOR EXPERT: “THE CAUCASUS IS FAR MORE DYNAMIC AND COMPLEX THAN A MAP WOULD SUGGEST”

APA
May 31 2011
Azerbaijan

Baku – APA. “The Caucasus is, geopolitically speaking, an extremely
important and strategic region.

As a land bridge between the Black and Caspian seas and a
trans-continental zone between Europe and Asia, the Caucasus is
significant in multiple ways because of its location. Adding to these
geographical dynamics is the presence of three small states – Georgia,
Armenia and Azerbaijan – sandwiched between three much larger ones
– Russia, Turkey and Iran. This is all information that is easily
gleaned from looking at a map; the region’s true importance is less
obvious. A map would not tell you that Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan
became independent states only 20 years ago. Nor would it tell you that
Russia, Turkey and Iran were all once major empires. It certainly would
not tell you that all of these former empires are once again rising
in their own unique ways, and that even some of the smaller countries
are beginning to make a name for themselves as significant regional
players”, said STRATFOR’s Eugene Chausovsky in his report for APA on
his recent trip to the Caucasus – “A Journey Through the Caucasus.

“In short, the Caucasus is far more dynamic and complex than a map
would suggest, and that is one of the reasons I visited this region:
to get a first-hand perspective of the Caucasus”, the expert said.

“While I try to follow the countries in the Caucasus in terms of news
and current events as closely as I can on a regular basis, I have
learned that there is no substitute for seeing a place with your own
eyes — particularly in the Caucasus. In Azerbaijan, instead of reading
about the latest rise in the country’s oil and natural gas exports
or examining statistics on annual gross domestic product growth,
I saw economic growth first-hand in the form of seemingly endless
construction projects and gleaming new skyscrapers around Baku. Instead
of reading about trade between Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan, I walked
along the Bulvar on the Caspian Sea where I saw countless tankers and
ships, a few of which I am sure were transporting goods to Kazakhstan”.

He also shared his ideas about Georgia: “In Georgia, I realized just
how small the country – and for that matter the Caucasus region –
really was. Taking a car from Tbilisi to Gori on the only major
east-west road in Georgia gave me a new understanding of the size of
the country and the limits imposed by its mountainous terrain. Passing
only a few kilometers from the border with the breakaway territory of
South Ossetia, as well as the numerous internally displaced persons’
camps along the road, certainly put the 2008 Russia-Georgia war
in perspective”.

“In Turkey, taking a ferry from the Anatolian side of Istanbul to
the European side allowed me to see the scope of a cosmopolitan,
world-class city of 13 million that blends European and Islamic
characteristics. Walking through Istanbul, it was easy to imagine
why this city was the center of the Ottoman Empire and the Byzantine
Empire before that. It was equally as easy to imagine Istanbul as the
financial and cultural center of a country whose presence is felt in
Baku and Tbilisi and beyond”, the expert said.

“From spending time in the region, the lasting impression that I came
away with is that the Caucasus is a region that is swiftly changing
and one whose future is simultaneously promising and uncertain. The
static position of the Caucasus on a map is no substitute for the
dynamism that I witnessed in the region’s streets, roads, mountains,
seas and, most importantly, its people”.

AMNESTIED OPPOSITIONIST NIKOL PASHINYAN SPEAKS AT ANC RALLY

PanARMENIAN.Net
May 31, 2011 – 19:39 AMT

No closed roads will be able to prevent today’s rally, Armenian
National Movement (ANM) administration board chairman stressed.

As Aram Manukyan stated during Armenian National Congress rally,
the authorities blocked the roads to Yerevan to prevent opposition
supporters from participating in the demonstration.

Manukyan characterized recent events as a serious step on the way
to democracy.

The amnestied editor-in-chief of Haykakakan Zhamanak daily Nikol
Pashinyan also spoke at the rally, noting that ANC is launching a
political process for snap presidential and parliamentary elections
to be held in Armenia.

As he stressed, snap elections are the only way to restore Armenain
people’s trust for their authorities.

BRAHIMA SANOU INVITES MANUK VARDANYAN TO ITU 40TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION

PanARMENIAN.Net
May 31, 2011 – 18:04 AMT

Armenian Minister of Transport and Communication Manuk Vardanyan
met with a delegation led by a newly-appointed Director of the
International Telecommunication Union Telecommunication Development
Bureau Brahima Sanou.

At the meeting, the Minister briefed the guests on telecommunication
sector-related issues, including cyber security, equipment purchase,
television digitization.

Mr. Brahima Sanou, in turn, promised cooperation in resolving current
issues, also commenting on planned creation of a centre for low vision
persons. He invited Mr. Vardanyan to participate in celebration in
ITU 40th anniversary due in October in Geneva.