Author: Badalian Vardan

CLOSING CEREMONY OF THE NINTH INTERNATIONAL "ARMPROD EXPO 2009" TOOK PLACE

ARMENPRESS
Nov 13, 2009

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 13, ARMENPRESS: Closing ceremony of the ninth
international "ArmProd Expo 2009" took place today with the
participation of the Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan, Agriculture
Minister Gerasim Alaverdyan. The exhibition was organized by the
"Agrobusiness Development Center", Armenian Agriculture and Foreign
Affairs Ministries, Yerevan municipality, Armenia’s Trade Industrial
Chamber.

The exhibition presented alcoholic drinks, juices, fruits, vegetables,
canned food, sweets, meat and milk products, dried fruit, coffee,
cigarettes, polygraph products. The president walked in all the
pavilions, got acquainted with the presented products.

The director of the "Agrobusiness Development Center" Armen Davtyan
told the reporters that all the developments in the food production
may be seen in this exhibition. As compared with the past year this
time more international companies presented their products. Overall 64
companies participated in the event of which 15 from Belarus, Austria,
Germany, Russia, England. More than 7000 people visited the exhibition.

"I can surely say that the exhibition served its purpose and best
food products have been presented. The most important thing is that
a number of cooperation agreements have been reached both among local
and international companies," A. Davtyan said.

WHAT IF…

news.am
Nov 11 2009
Armenia

Our counterparts in the Azerbaijani 1news.az website, and the member
of the Azerbaijani Parliament Aidiyn Mirzazade, who had an article
entitled "If Armenia had not seized Azerbaijan’s territories…" put on
the website, have "persuaded" us into giving some thought to history
in the Subjunctive. It is not a thing to be done, but the idea of
presenting the situation in the region "but for the Karabakh conflict"
appears to be quite a thrilling one.

Well, if ifs and ans…

Although the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict was "an integral part" of the
disintegration processes in the post-Soviet area, and the exacerbation,
no doubt, played into the hands of both internal and external forces
seeking to cause a collapse of the USSR, decades of history actually
lay at the root of the confrontation.

Permanent violations of the native Armenians’ rights in the
Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region were getting graver, taking various
forms. Although Armenians formed the region’s authorities, official
Baku’s "threatening hand" had always been over their heads. After the
1953 "thaw", and after Heydar Aliyev, who has been declared "national
leader", came to power, Azerbaijan launched a consistent policy of
settling the Nagorno-Karabakh region with ethnic Azerbaijanis, which
was stepping up tension in the region. In one of his interviews with
Azerbaijani mass media (at a meeting with editors-in-chief of local
newspapers) Heydar Aliyev was clearly speaking of the measures to
increase the share of Azerbaijanis in the Nagorno-Karabakh population
by opening enterprises that had nothing in common with the region’s
economic set-up and supplying labor force from the other regions
of Azerbaijan.

The Armenian authorities, without informing — or with the tacit
consent of — the USSR Government, had to protect the Armenian
population in Nagorno-Karabakh. Particularly, in early 1970, on the
initiative of Karen Demirchyan, the then leader of Soviet Armenia,
the written-off equipment of the Yerevan TV center was delivered to
Stepanakert. That was the only opportunity for the Nagorno-Karabakh
Armenians to watch programs of the Armenian television. The Armenian
population was encouraged to send their children to Armenian schools,
while Shushi was turned into "a bulwark" of increasing Azeri population
in the region – Heydar Aliyev proved unable to "shoulder the burden"
of settling Stepanakert with Azerbaijanis. The causes of the full-scale
confrontation of 1988 can be listed without end… As an exception
to the rule, let us think about history in the Subjunctive.

What would have happened if the USSR had promptly responded to
the developments, and the Nagorno-Karabakh people’s legal right to
self-determination had evoked an adequate response in Azerbaijan?

– No Armenian pogroms in Sumgait on February 27-28 would have taken
place. For the first time in the Soviet Union’s history the madding
crowd was killing people because of their nationality;

– Armenian public would not have responded by flooding the streets
and demanding the protection of Armenians in the neighboring republic;

– The relations between the Armenian and Azerbaijani communities in
Nagorno-Karabakh would not have worsened;

– The uncontrollable confrontation between the two nations would not
have caused an explosive situation in Armenia and Azerbaijan;

– Larger-scale Armenian pogroms in Baku on January 13-19, 1990,
would not have taken place;

– Hundreds of thousands of Armenians would not have left their homes
to become refugees;

– Armenian volunteers would not have responded to Azerbaijan’s open
military aggression;

– In response to fierce shelling of the borderline settlements of
Armenia, as well as towns and villages of Nagorno-Karabakh, the
Armenian troops would not have established control over the seven
regions neighboring on Nagorno-Karabakh;

– Heydar Aliyev and his successor Ilham would not have to tell
Azerbaijanis tales about Armenians’ being "inhuman monsters", taking
advantage of the anti-Armenian propaganda to support the personality
cult of "Heydar-baba" and his son Ilham, which has been carried to
the point of sheer idiocy;

– In its "struggle" against the Armenian people’s ancient history,
the Azerbaijanis would not have developed an inferiority complex in
their search of "national identity…"

This list could be continued, but our sincere desire is that
the Azerbaijani authorities finally find a fair solution to the
Nagorno-Karabakh problem.

KARABAKH CHILDREN’S HOME REVEALS STRAINS OF LIFE
By Karine Ohanian in Stepanakert

Institute for War & Peace Reporting
Nov 7 2009
UK

Once an orphanage, the institution has evolved to care for the child
victims of a broken society.

The children’s home in Nagorny Karabakh is a happy place where the
children joke with visitors, but its existence reveals strains in
society 15 years after the tiny territory’s independence war with
Azerbaijan ended.

Karabakh, which declared independence from Azerbaijan unilaterally in
1992, had no orphanages in Soviet times. The war in which it broke free
from Baku, however, left many children unsupported. Its independence
has not been recognised, with the result that it’s dangerously exposed
and unable to repair the damage from the war.

The home was founded under the name Zangak in 2000 by Anna Asatrian,
a teacher from Stepanakert, to care for children orphaned by the
conflict. Its role though has evolved into looking after the children
who fall out of the bottom of the republic’s fractured society.

"I like it here. They feed us well," said Artur, a blond boy of around
six just back from school.

His cheeky pleasure was characteristic of children at the home,
where the staff members treat their charges warmly and are clearly
adored in return.

"We do not call [this place] a children’s home. We don’t like that
name as if it was some kind of orphanage where the children are
treated badly. This is where we go gladly and, honestly. We really
love the children," said Liya Sarkisian, a nurse at the house.

She has worked there since 2008 when it came under the control of the
ministry for social support, which is charged with helping children
left without one or both parents for whatever reason.

"Sadly, we do not have any statistics about the number of children left
without parents in those years. The war was going on, and people had
no time for numbers. The most important question was just to survive
… Only now have we come to projects and programmes of assistance
for orphans, and are slowly collecting all the information," said
Vilen Bakhshian, the ministry spokesman.

The home now houses 39 children under the age of 18 of whom three
are orphans and the others have either been abandoned or have just
one parent. The youngest of them is Olezhka, who is seven months
old. Her mother, who was young and unmarried, abandoned her and left
for Russia. The child was sent to the children’s home. She will be
adopted by one of the school employees when she turns one, which is
the minimum age for adoption in Karabakh.

The oldest child is Narine, who lacks both parents and will turn 18
this year. Nonna Musaelian, the director of the school, said Narine
will be provided with accommodation under a state programme when
she leaves.

Some 12 such school-leavers have already received accommodation under
the programme.

"We don’t just give them flats. The flat is completed,
furnished. Everything that is necessary for a home has been bought,
so the children are not just going into an empty shell but a house
they can live in. We plan that another 12 orphans will receive homes
by the end of the year," Bakhshian said.

Not all the children in the school are orphans, however. Nine-year-old
Alyona Osipian is from a large family and her six brothers and
sisters also live in the children’s home. Their mother is ill and
cannot support them, and their grandmother also cannot manage such
a large family on her own.

Although the school’s staff members are glad that Karabakh now has
the resources to support such children, who might otherwise be lost
to a life on the streets, they still regret the traditions that have
been lost.

Raya Minasian, a pensioner who lives near the children’s home, told
IWPR how she worries for the kids who live there.

"It breaks my heart every day when I see these little children
running past our house to school and back. I never believed that
a day would come in Karabakh when such institutions for children
would be opened. Even in the times of the Soviet Union we were proud
that Karabakh was the only place where children were not sent into
orphanages," she said.

"This cursed war, it changed everything. Children were left without
parents. It became hard to make ends meet. How many concerns were
left on the shoulders of women, whose husbands were killed? Yes,
it’s shameful that children are sent to these homes, but on the other
hand you can’t blame the people who do so. Some of them are dead, some
were not capable. What can we do? And it’s good that the children live
well there … I even offer them sweets, but they don’t take them."

The nurses agreed with her that it was sad how their country had
changed, but said they did their best to make the children feel they
had a real home, and that the children appreciate that.

"In Karabakh tradition it is not acceptable to give orphans to an
orphanage," said Sarkisian, the nurse. "Parent-less children should
be taken in by their close relatives: aunts, uncles, grandmothers and
grandfathers. Now it has become harder to live, not all families are
provided for, and that is why our young children end up here. However,
it is good for them here. If they go to their families for a day or
two, they phone us, they miss us and want to come back."

Karine Ohanian is a member of IWPR’s Cross Caucasus Journalism Network.

HARVARD UNIVERSITY UNDERMINES ITS OWN PRESTIGE "IN SERVICE" OF GENOCIDAL TURKEY
By Appo Jabarian

USA Armenian Life Magazine
Nov 10, 2009

For quite some time now, Dr. Pamela Steiner, Fellow, Harvard
Humanitarian Initiative and Visiting Scientist, Harvard School of
Public Health under the guise of aiming "to improve the relationship
between Turkish and Armenian populations," has been fast at work to
pacify the Armenians, the victims of the Turkish-executed Armenian
Genocide of 1915-1923, at the expense of the victims.

A few weeks ago, during the period starting August 31, while the
infamous Turkish-dictated Protocols were being actively condemned by
the world Armenian community, Dr. Steiner and the Harvard University
along with Dr. Eileen Babbitt, and unbeknownst to the 99% of Armenians,
were quietly holding a Turkish-Armenian workshop on Sept 18-20. In
reality the so-called "conflict resolution workshop" was nothing more
than a new type of ploy that in reality aimed to promote yet one more
defrauding TARC (Turkish-Armenian Reconciliation Commission).

It’s interesting to know, why the "workshop" organizers, specifically
invited weakling individuals to "represent" the Armenian position
on the issue of the Genocide, land and monetary compensation demands
from Turkey?

Was it perhaps because they had designed to extract self-defeatist
expressions from the few hand-picked Armenian participants?

They agreed that there would be no territorial demands from Turkey

In an October 22, article titled "Turkish-Armenian dialogue initiative
by Harvard University" in the Turkish Today’s Zaman, Ali Aslan wrote:
"The Armenian participants briefly responded to the question as to
what their move would be if Turkey were to recognize the genocide
some day: They agreed that there would be no territorial demands."

Mr. Aslan made sure to lend a helping hand to the workshop organizers
in misrepresenting Armenian public opinion. Therefore, "special
attention was paid to make sure that the participant profile was
diverse."

The workshop organizers also made sure that the perpetrator community
of Turkey and the victim community of the Armenians are unjustly
equated as being "two traumatized sister communities and nations,"
putting both the victims and the perpetrators in one bag. I wonder
what would Dr. Steiner’s reaction be if others would unfairly equate
Hitler’s Nazi Germany and their Jewish victims in one cage as being
"traumatized sister communities and nations?"

While the victim community of Armenians lost its homeland in Western
Armenia and Cilicia, the perpetrator community of genocidal Turkey
confiscated the victims’ homeland along with their real and personal
properties.

Dr. Steiner’s great-grandfather Henry Morgenthau, the US ambassador
to Turkey during the Armenian Genocide, must be turning in his grave.

Amb. Morgenthau served under the beloved U.S. President Woodrow Wilson
(1913-1921) who through a binding international arbitration between
Armenia and Turkey awarded then Turkish-occupied lands in Western
Armenia back to Armenia.

If Drs. Steiner and Babbit and Harvard University’s leadership are
really serious in assisting with a genuine rapprochement between
Armenians and Turkey, then they should not allow themselves to be used
in Turkey’s political ploys to continually defraud the Armenians. But
they should give psychological counseling to the denialists and the
occupationists in Ankara.

Individuals like the self-defeatist Armenians who are mis-characterized
as "representing" the Armenians in the Diaspora and Armenia-Artsakh,
can hardly make up even a tiny percentage of the world Armenians.

By promoting these false Turkish-Armenian "dialogues," Harvard
University and its faculty members are wittingly or unwittingly
undermining the genocide victims, the Armenians’ basic human rights
to justice.

Before being administered any professional "help" for the purpose of
"curing" their psychological trauma, first and foremost, Armenians
need:

– To recover their Turkish-occupied homeland in Western Armenia
and Cilicia;

– To be compensated for the immense real and personal property
losses inflicted on them by Turkey;

– To receive blood money for the one and one half million victims;

– To de-Stalinize and re-Armenianize the forcibly Stalinized,
and now-Azeri-occupied Armenian territories in Nakhitchevan; and
Georgian-occupied Javakh (Akhalkalak);

– To secure and consolidate the liberation of the formerly
Stalinized and until recently Azeri-occupied Armenian Republic of
Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabagh);

– To Assist fellow victims Greek Cypriots liberate Northern Cyprus
from Turkish occupation since 1974; I am surprised that a reputable
university like Harvard undermines its own prestige by allowing itself
to be used "in service" for the unholy objectives of denialist Turkey,
a pariah state.

ARMENIA AND HUNGARY SIGN COOPERATION AGREEMENTS

Tert
Nov 10 2009
Armenia

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan’s official visit to Hungary began
today at the invitation of Hungarian President Laszlo Solyom. Since
Armenia’s independence, this is the first state visit to this Central
European country at the presidential level.

The official meeting ceremony between the presidents took place at
Hungary’s presidential palace. Then Sargsyan and Solyom had a private
talk followed by negotiations with other delegates and dignitaries.

President Solyom stated that his country looks to Armenia as an
important partner with whom it’s ready to strengthen bilateral
and multilateral cooperation in the areas of political dialogue,
trade-economic cooperation, humanitarian and other sectors.

The heads of the two countries expressed confidence that the signed
documents and the Armenian-Hungarian business conference opening in
Budapest will trigger a new spark in establishing business contacts
while simultaneously promoting an increase in trade turnover between
Armenia and Hungary.

During the high-level negotiations, Sargsyan informed his Hungarian
colleague about the establishment process of Armenia-Turkey relations
and the present stage of the Nagorno-Karabakh negotiation process.

ANCA WELCOMES APPEAL TO OBAMA TO HINDER SUDAN’S PRESIDENT’S VISIT TO TURKEY

Noyan Tapan
Nov 9, 2009

WASHINGTON, NOVEMBER 9, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. ANCA welcomed
the appeal of organizations working against Darfur Genocide addressed
to U.S. President Barack Obama demanding from him exerting pressure
upon the Turkish authorities to hinder Sudan’s President Omar Bashir’s
visit to Turkey.

According to Asbarez, Bashir is prosecuted by the International
Criminal Instance for the Genocide committed in Darfur. The Turkish
officials have declared that against the judgement of the instance,
they will not arrest Bashir during his visit to Turkey.

The newspaper reported that Turkey sells a large amount of arms to
Sudan’s authorities.

ARMENIAN FINANCE MINISTRY FIXED STATE PRICES FOR GOLD

PanARMENIAN.Net
09.11.2009 18:38 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The "State Treasury of precious metals and stones"
Ágency of Armenia’s ministry of finance, fixed state prices for gold
valid from November 9 to 15, press office of the finance ministry
reports.

The price of buying gold is 12357.62 (+456.80), and price of selling
is 13432.20 (+496.53), for the purchase of silver is 195.68 (+4.09),
the price for selling silver is 212.70 (+4.45 ), purchase price
of platinum is 15437.22 (+241.29), the selling price is 16779.59
(+262.27), purchase price of palladium was fixed at 3746.14 (+6.70),
and selling price is 4071.89 (+7.28).

HULIQ, SC
Nov 7 2009

Ragtime By Armenian Composer Tigran Mansuryan
.
This is a segment from an Armenian composer Tirgran Mansuryan’s ballet
Ice Queen. It is also known as "The Snow Maiden".

This is the National Chamber Orchestra of Armenia conducted by Aram
Gharabekian at the Zvartnots Monument-Complex Gala Concert in 2006 in
Armenia. This is the Ragtime, which is also known as Winter Games.

Superb music, breath and fresh thinking of a composer from an Eastern
world is reflected in this composition. The The Ice Queen is a 2 act
ballet. The scenario is written by Vilen Galstyan, after Hans
Christian Andersen), 1989.

By Armen Hareyan

AGOS Weekly, Istanbul
Nov 5 2009

Turkey’s `faith initiative’ looks east

Thursday, November 5, 2009
Vercihan ZiflioÄ?lu
Istanbul Hurriyet Daily News

Turkey’s Culture and Tourism Ministry says the Surp Haç Church on
Akdamar Island in Lake Van and the Monastery of Sümela in Trabzon will
be open for prayer once a year. Minister Günay says that a cross will
be erected atop the roof of Surp Haç, just as it had been originally

Mainly spearheaded by efforts to bring prayers back into churches,
Turkey’s cultural initiatives are set to accelerate in 2010, according
to the Culture and Tourism Ministry.

Armenia pleased by developments

Günay also told the Daily News he might visit Armenia. `As you
remember, President Gül has visited Armenia. If our President has
visited, there is no reason at all why I would not go, also,’ he said.

The dialogue began with Surp Haç

It is widely assumed that the dialogue process between Turkey and
Armenia started with the national football match last year. However,
the actual contact began with the restoration process of the Surp Haç
Church on Akdamar Island in Lake Van. Former Culture Minister Atilla
Koç contacted Gagik Gürciyan and invited the Armenian expert to visit
Turkey. Although coordinated efforts were realized despite the two
countries’ closed borders, heavy criticism was levied in Armenia and
among the diaspora following the church’s opening as a museum.

The protocols signed between Turkey and Armenia for the normalization
of relations has started to bear fruit. Minister of Culture and
Tourism ErtuÄ?rul Günay, who has reached out to his Armenian
counterpart through the Hurriyet Daily News & Economic Review in the
past, reiterated a standing offer: `Let Armenian and Turkish experts
restore the ruins of Ani together.’

The Ani excavation site, near the Armenian border in the Arpaçay
District of Kars, was the capital of the Armenian Kingdom of
Bagratunis between 961 and 1045. The Daily News spoke to the
International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) Armenian
President Gagik Gürcüyan about the offer. Gürcüyan expressed pleasure
at the developments and said that the organization will contact the
Culture Ministry and will happily work together to restore the site.

Günay: `I may visit Armenia’

The Ani ruins caused a diplomatic crisis between Turkey and Armenia
years ago. Turkey filed a complaint to ICOMOS, an organization
affiliated with UNSECO, saying that explosions at Armenian stone
quarries are damaging the site. Günay said the explosions have since
stopped, much to his relief. `Ani is a common legacy of humanity,’ he
said. `We must do all we can to pass it on to the future generations.’

The ministry said it is preparing to open the recently renovated,
historical Surp Haç Church for prayer once a year and affix a cross to
its roof in its original place. Also, the Monastery of Sümela in
Trabzon will be opened for prayer once a year.

As it was initially reopened as a museum, no cross was placed on the
roof of the church. A replica of the original cross, made according to
the traditions of the Armenian Apostolic Church, was brought to
Istanbul by Armenian experts and delivered to Armenian Patriarch of
Turkey Mesrob Mutafyan. The cross is waiting at the Turkish Armenian
Patriarchate to be placed atop the restored church.

Legal problems

Minister Günay spoke about the latest developments and delays.
`Unfortunately, there were some hitches with the laws that did not
allow historical churches to be opened for prayer,’ he said. `That was
the reason for the debates over the cross.’

Günay said the ministry is in the final stage of working out the legal
hitches and that similar problems will not be experienced in Turkey in
the future. Günay said the cross would be placed atop the church
shortly and the building will be opened for prayer once a year, if
there is demand.

Prayer will also be allowed in Sümela

Along with Surp Haç Church, the Monastery of Sümela in Trabzon will
also be opened for prayer once a year. Last year, a group of 500
tourists from Greece, among them Thessaloniki Mayor Panayotis
Psomyadis and Russian Deputy Ivan Savidis, sought to light candles at
the monastery but were interrupted by Nilgün Yılmazer, museum director
of Trabzon. When reminded of this incident, Minister Günay said they
would not allow such things to be experienced in Turkey again and `all
believers in these lands will follow their faiths’ requirements
freely.’

`A late decision’

Architect Zakaria MildanoÄ?lu, who was assigned by the Turkish Armenian
Patriarchate to the renovation of Surp Haç, evaluated the developments
as a late decision. MildanoÄ?lu said former Minister Koç transferred
the matter to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the time. `The
Ministry of Foreign Affairs deals with foreigners. Minister Koç saw
the citizens of his own country as foreigners, but we have lived on
these lands for hundreds of years; we are not foreigners.’

Sarkis Elbe, a prominent Armenian figure in Istanbul, said: `This is a
political decision. If only they had not waited for the signing of the
protocols just to make this decision.’

Osman Köker, researcher and owner of Birzamanlar publishing, had a
different take on the developments. `Turkey is trying to play a
leading role in the region and to develop good relations with its
neighbors,’ he said. `Turkey also protects the rights of minorities in
the country.’

Köker added that the process should be supported. `Opening religious
buildings of historical importance to visitors would boost the number
of tourists visiting our country.’

MINSK GROUP CO-CHAIRS VISIT BAKU

armradio.am
05.11.2009 13:01

OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs – Yuri Merzlyakov (Russia) and Bernard
Fassier (France), as well as Personal Representative of the OSCE
Chairperson-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk arrived in Baku. US co-chair
Robert Bradtke arrived in Azerbaijan three days ago, APA reports

The Co-Chairs will meet with the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev,
Minister of Foreign Affairs Elmar Mammadyarov and discuss the process
of settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

The mediators are expected to propose to the Azerbaijani President to
meet with his Armenian counterpart again. Following the presidents’
meeting on October 8 in Chisinau, the mediators said they would
organize next meeting of the presidents in the near future.