Author: Badalian Vardan

UAR ORGANIZES HEARINGS ON ARMENIAN-TURKISH PROTOCOLS

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
18.09.2009 11:53 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ On September 18, Youth Association of UAR Moscow
Organization organizes hearings on Armenian-Turkish Protocols.

Meeting will be attended by experts and leaders of Moscow’s Armenian
community, including RA Embassy’s Press Secretary Gevorg Minasyan, UAR
Vice President Gegham Khalatyan, UAR management board member and Head
of RA General Headquarters lieutenant general Norat Ter-Grigorynts, RAS
Academician Samvel Grigoryan, Russian-Armenian Commonwealth Regional
Organization’s President Yuri Navoyan and "Ararat" cultural-educational
association’s chair Emmanuel Dolabakyan, UAR press service reports.

RAZMIK STEPANYAN: OUR WRESTLERS WILL UPHOLD HONOR OF ARMENIA AT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
18.09.2009 14:28 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Head of Armenian delegation, Vice President of RA
National Olympic Committee Razmik Stepanyan is optimistic about the
upcoming world freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling championship to
be held in Herning, Denmark from September 21 to 27.

"Our wrestlers will uphold honor of Armenia at the World Championship,"
he told a PanARMENIAN.Net.

He also explained why Denis Forov was replaced by Arthur Shahinyan.

"Forov is one of the best sportsmen of our team but he has lost ground
recently and the council of coaches decided to replace him by Arthur
Shahinyan, the winner of junior championship," Stepanyan said.

RA PRIME MINISTER TIGRAN SARGSYAN ATTENDED TODAY THE OPENING CEREMONY FOR THE NEW BUILDING OF ARMAVIABANK

Thursday, 17 September 2009

Speaking about the Bank’s activities, Tigran Sargsyan indicated that
Armaviabank is a dynamically developing entity. He expressed hope
that it will help promote competition in the banking sector.

Concerning the challenges faced by the banking sector, the head of
the Armenian government said that domestic banks should be directed
to sharply increase the level of lending at home.

He similarly noted that the new building will help attract new
customers and expand the scope of services. Appreciative of the Bank’s
mission, Tigran Sargsyan said in particular: "Armaviabank came up
with interesting proposals some of which have already been accepted
by the Central bank, such as the building of an investment-friendly
legal framework for commercial banks. The development of securities
market has been central to the policy of economic reform. Here,
I would like to mention the involvement of OMX-Nasdaq in our country."

In conclusion, the Prime Minister wished the Bank a strong boost in
activities thanks to the new working conditions.

The opening ceremony was attended by NKR Prime Minister Ara Harutunyan.

RUSSIAN CO-CHAIR OF THE OSCE MINSK GROUP TO BE CHANGED

armradio.am
17.09.2009 17:48

Russian co-chair of OSCE Minsk Group will be replaced, Russia’s
ambassador to Azerbaijan Vladimir Dorokhin said, APA reports.

The ambassador said that Russian co-chair Yuri Merzlyakov will be
appointed to a new position by the yearend.

Vladimir Dorokhin did not say anything about his appointment of the
new co-chair.

AZERBAIJAN VIOLATES CEASE FIRE REGIME ONCE AGAIN

ArmInfo
2009-09-16 16:42:00

ArmInfo. Violations of the cease fire regime were registered on the
contact line of the armed forces of Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan
Sept 15-16 night, reports the press service of the Ministry of Defense
of Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.

The source reports that the Azeri troops fired at the positions of
the Defense Army of Nagorno-Karabakh Republic near Horadiz, Mehdili,
Kurdlar, Nuzger, Korgan, Kzylgaya, Muganlu, Jraberd, Saryjanlu and
Shurabad. When the Nagorno-Karabakh forces rebuffed, the enemy stopped
the fire.

U.S. AMBASSADOR AND ARMENIAN DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER VISIT MCA-ARMENIA PROGRAM SITES

Tert.am
Sept 16 2009
Armenia

On September 16, U.S. Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch, Republic of Armenia
Deputy Prime Minister Armen Gevorgyan, Republic of Armenia Minister of
Agriculture Gerasim Alaverdyan, and Aragatsotn and Kotayk’s regional
governors, along with other Armenia and U.S. delegation members, held
a joint working visit to the Arzni-Shamiram main canal section, which
was restored under the Millenium Challenge Account-Armenia Program,
states a press release issued by MCA-Armenia.

The project site represents a test area used to determine engineering
and construction best practices to be used during subsequent main
canal rehabilitation works.

The Arzni-Shamiram canal is one of six main canals within the Armenian
main canal network that will be rehabilitated under the MCA-Armenia
Program’s Irrigated Agriculture Project (IAP).

As per MCA-Armenia’s statement, to date over 30,000 farmers in more
than 300 communities in Armenia have received training in water
management technologies and higher value agriculture within the
Agriculture project of the Program.

LEGAL ASPECTS OF THE ARMENIAN-GEORGIAN BORDER
Marianna Gyurjyan

"Radiolur"
16.09.2009 16:40

Expert Vahe Sargsyan today expressed concern over the legal aspects
of the Armenian-Georgian border. "The ground for the demarcation of
the current Armenian-Georgian border, i.e. the agreement signed on
November 6, 1921, should be considered invalid," the expert said,
adding that the agreement has not been internationally recognized,
since both states have not constituted part of the Soviet Union for
the past 20 years.

"Independent Georgia has rejected the agreement of November 6, 1921,
and Armenia has not ratified it. Demarcating the border on the basis
of that treaty would mean we are not aware of the historic facts and
international law," Vahe Sargsyan noted, adding that this ignorance
will result in giving our own lands to Georgia.

The expert suggests demarcating the Armenian-Georgian border on
the basis of the report-proposal submitted at the Paris Assembly
of February 24, 1920, according to which "the demarcation of the
Armenian-Georgian border should be carried out between two states. If
the two states are unable to implement the demarcation, the Supreme
Council of the League of Nations should be commissioned to solve the
issue and carry out the demarcation, taking into consideration the
demographic situation."

The expert reminds that Javakhk and part of North Lori are mostly
populated by Armenians.

"Our political scientists and diplomats misunderstand a number
of points. With their steps they do not only decrease the area of
Armenia, but also leave our compatriots to the mercy of fate," Vahe
Sargsyan said.

JOURNALISTS WRITING ABOUT HRANT DINK MURDER UNDER PROSECUTION

BIAnet
minorities/117045-journalists-writing-about-hrant- dink-murder-under-prosecution
Sept 14 2009
Turkey

Head of the Police Intelligence Department Akyurek filed a complaint
against journalist Kemal GöktaÅ~_ after he has already taken
journalist Nedim Å~^ener to court. Both pressmen published books
about the Hrant Dink murder, voicing their critical concerns about
the handling of the case.

Erol ONDEROÄ~^LU [email protected] Istanbul – Ankara – BÄ°A News
Center14 September 2009, Monday An investigation has been started on
journalist Kemal GöktaÅ~_ from Vatan newspaper on the grounds of his
book "The Murder of Hrant Dink – Media, Judiciary, State". Previously,
also journalist Nedim Å~^ener was tried because of his book "Dink’s
Murder and the Lies of the Intelligence Agency". Both books deal
with the background of the murder of Hrant Dink, assassinated
editor-in-chief of the Armenian-Turkish Agos Newspaper, in 2007.

GöktaÅ~_ told bianet that he testified on 9 September before
prosecutor Ä°smail Onaran in the context of the investigation launched
upon Akyurek’s complaint. Ramazan Akyurek is head of the General
Directorate of the Police Intelligence Department.

After Å~^ener also GöktaÅ~_ is put on trial

Akyurek declared that he was not related to the Dink case and accused
GöktaÅ~_ of "attempting to influence" the case.. Albeit, Akyurek’s
lawyer Nurullah Albayrak stated in a petition dated from 20 June 2009:
"Although my client is involved in this secret issue, he still has
not received a copy of the report prepared by the Prime Ministry
Inspection Board".

Albayrak claims that GöktaÅ~_ is talking about Akyurek in his book,
quoting page 147. He argues that the journalist put his client under
suspicion when he said that "further question marks emerged when
Akyurek’s statement before the Turkey National Assembly’s (TBMM)
Human Rights Sub-Commission on the Hrant Dink Murder was combined
with Tuncel’s defense".

Adittionally, despite Akyurek’s reports the following contents
of the book are included in the indictment: protection of Tuncel
(p. 218/219); after the murder the government "did not show political
determination to reveal the criminal organizations within the state"
(p. 289); Akyurek "did not move a muscle" to protect Dink (p. 302).

GöktaÅ~_ found out about the investigation by coincidence

The journalist got to know about the investigation by coincidence when
he appeared before the Ankara Court to make a statement regarding a
different issue. GöktaÅ~_ then was under charge of "violating the
investigation’s confidentiality" because he had reported about a
statement made in the context of the Ergenekon case.

Akyurek had sent GöktaÅ~_’s notification about the investigation
to Nedim Å~^ener’s address in Bakırkköy. The mistake was noticed
because Å~^ener refused to sign the notification.

More than 2 years ago on 19 January 2007, around the time when Erhan
Tuncel was made a secret agent, Aykurek was Police Chief of the city
of Trabzon (eastern black sea cost) and requested a trial against
GöktaÅ~_ on the grounds of "attempting to influence a fair trial"
(Penal Code 288), "insulting public officials" (Penal Code 125) and
"influencing the judiciary" (Press Law 19).

To quote from a report and to publish a document is obviously a crime

Akyurek also considers it a crime that GöktaÅ~_ quoted from the
report prepared by the Prime Ministry’s Inspection Board. Furthermore
he claimed that GöktaÅ~_ tried to associate him with a McDonald’s
bombing and with the Dink murder while he had already stated he had
not been involved in the latter case.

Suc duyurusunda Trabzon Emniyet Mudurlugu’nun cinayetten bir yıl önce
Ä°stanbul polisine Yasin Hayal’in Dink’e yönelik eylem yapacagının
bildirildigi belgenin de "yasa geregi gizli" nitelikli oldugu da
savunuldu.

In the criminal report it was also claimed that the document from
the Trabzon Police Department informing Yasin Hayal from the Istanbul
police about a planned action against Hrant Dink one year before the
Dink murder was "confidential by law".

Journalist Nedim Å~^ener, currently trialed under charges by Akyurek,
Muhittin Zenit, Fatih Sarı and Ali Fuat Yılmazer, is facing a
possible prison sentence of 32.5 years.

TURKEY’S FM TO MEET POLITICAL LEADERS TO INFORM ON FOREIGN POLICY ISSUES

PanARMENIAN.NET
11.09.2009 20:20 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu is set to
begin informing the Turkish parliament about current foreign policy
issues. According to the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA),
Davutoglu will meet with the Speaker of Turkish parliament Mehmet
Ali Sahin and the leaders of Turkish political parties in order to
update them on the current issues in Turkish diplomacy.

Issues such as Turkish-Armenian relations, recent developments in
the Caucasus and other current foreign policy issues will be high on
Davutoglu’s agenda while talking with Turkish leaders.

Ahmet Davutoglu requested appointments from political party leaders,
Anatolian Agency reported.

MEETING OF RA PRESIDENT AND PRESIDENT OF NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF CROATIA TAKES PLACE IN ZAGREB

NOYAN TAPAN
SEPTEMBER 9, 2009
ZAGREB

ZAGREB, SEPTEMBER 9, NOYAN TAPAN. On the second day of his official
visit to Croatia, on September 8, RA President S. Sargsyan met
the President of the National Assembly of Croatia Luka Bebic in
Zagreb. The interlocutors once more affirmed their political will
to push forward the Armenian-Croatian relations in bilateral and
multilateral formats. Serzh Sargsyan and Luka Bebic attached importance
to establishment of interparliamentary groups of friendship in the
two countries and cooperation at the interparliamentary international
structures.

S. Sargsyan presented to the President of the Croatian Parliament the
latest developments of his initiative aimed at normalization of the
Armenian-Turkish relations and the current stage of the settlement
of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

According to the RA President’s Press office, S. Sargsyan visited
the observatory of Zagreb, got familiarized with the new Sevan device
for astrological observations created with the assistance of Yerevan
Institute of Physics and learned about the programs jointly implemented
by the astrophysicists of Armenia and Croatia. He also visited the
Museum of Zagreb history, summer residence that has become a museum
of great politician and statesman Tito on Veliki Brijun Island and
the wine vault built by Tito several decades ago.

The same day in the evening, the delegation headed by the President
of Armenia returned to Yerevan.
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From: [email protected]
Subject: Meeting of RA President and President of National Assembly of Croatia
takes place in Zagreb

Meeting of RA President and President of National Assembly of Croatia
takes place in Zagreb

ZAGREB, SEPTEMBER 9, NOYAN TAPAN. On the second day of his official
visit to Croatia, on September 8, RA President S. Sargsyan met the
President of the National Assembly of Croatia Luka Bebic in Zagreb. The
interlocutors once more affirmed their political will to push forward
the Armenian-Croatian relations in bilateral and multilateral formats.
Serzh Sargsyan and Luka Bebic attached importance to establishment of
interparliamentary groups of friendship in the two countries and
cooperation at the interparliamentary international structures.

S. Sargsyan presented to the President of the Croatian Parliament the
latest developments of his initiative aimed at normalization of the
Armenian-Turkish relations and the current stage of the settlement of
the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

According to the RA President’s Press office, S. Sargsyan visited the
observatory of Zagreb, got familiarized with the new Sevan device for
astrological observations created with the assistance of Yerevan
Institute of Physics and learned about the programs jointly implemented
by the astrophysicists of Armenia and Croatia. He also visited the
Museum of Zagreb history, summer residence that has become a museum of
great politician and statesman Tito on Veliki Brijun Island and the
wine vault built by Tito several decades ago.

The same day in the evening, the delegation headed by the President of
Armenia returned to Yerevan.