Author: Badalian Vardan

Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
Feb 21 2015

50 Armenian citizens become Russian border guards

21 February 2015 – 6:15pm

50 Armenian citizens have become members of the FSB Border Guards of
Russia in Armenia today in the framework of the intergovernmental
agreement “On the procedure of recruitment and military service of
Armenian citizens in Russian border troops on the territory of the
republic.”

According to the head of the Russian FSB Border Guards, Major General
Vyacheslav Biryukov said there are no incidents on the border between
the countries and that Russia and Armenia have very friendly
relations.

Peninsula Online, Qatar
Feb 21 2015

Armenian troops kill Azerbaijani soldier: Baku

February 21, 2015 – 6:29:11 pm

Baku—Armenian troops on Saturday killed an Azerbaijani soldier in a
fresh border clash, Azerbaijan officials said, as tensions mounted
over a separatist region.

The soldier “was killed in action as the Armenian forces attempted to
attack Azerbaijani army positions,” the defence ministry in
Azerbaijan’s capital Baku said.

“Armenia’s military and political leadership bears responsibility for
the provocations along the frontline,” the ministry said. “From now
on, our retaliatory measures will be even tougher.”

Azerbaijan and Armenia are locked in a decades-long conflict over
Nagorny Karabakh, an ethnic Armenian enclave in Azerbaijan.

Despite years of negotiations, the two sides have not signed a final
peace deal, with Karabakh internationally recognised as part of
Azerbaijan.

Clashes between Azerbaijani and Armenian forces intensified again in
January following an unprecedented spiral of violence last year.

At least 12 people from both sides were reported killed and 18 wounded
this year in similar incidents on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, and
along the Karabakh frontline.

Ethnic Armenian separatists backed by Yerevan seized control of
Karabakh during a 1990s war that left some 30,000 dead.

Baku, whose military spending exceeds Armenia’s entire state budget,
has threatened to take back the region by force if negotiations fail
to yield results.

Armenia, which is heavily armed by Russia, says it could crush any offensive.

AFP

Literary Armenian needs special endearment today – publicist

11:42 * 21.02.15

Today marks the International Mother Language Day, an observance held
annually worldwide to promote multilingualism and cultural diversity.

On this occasion, Tert.am talked to Vachagan Sargsyan, an Armenian
writer, publicist, translator and editor who shared his ideas and
concerns over the general attitude towards the Armenian language
today. He noted with regret that the literary language, as a valuable
heritage bequeathed by ancestors, does not receive the necessary
attention and care nowadays.

Sargsyan said it is surprising to him that the local television
channels do not have any special broadcasts devoted to the Armenian
language, with no wealthy businessman or benefactor ever seeming to
think about funding such a project.

“What we received from our grandfathers is a wonderful heritage, the
literary Armenian, which is a brilliant language arousing the world’s
biggest nations’ envy. So it is the biggest omission today that there
is no state care, no endearment and reverence. Let us not forget that
the literary language is the bridge uniting us; Once it is seized from
our mouths, we will start quarreling with one another. We do not feel
the literary language’s unifying potential which makes everybody an
Armenian. It’s a very important thing,” he noted.

Sargsyan, who is the author of an Armenian ABC book for secondary
schools, stresses the importance of dedicated efforts to enrich the
language every day instead of making allegations that it has detached
itself from our lives.

“And it is important to be in contact with, and enrich, the living
language instead of reading its obituaries. We have never had
compassionateness, never preserved what we have created. We had a
motherland but did not manage to preserve it, handing it over to
others because of internal wrangles,” the publicist noted.

He further criticized the frequently occurring habit of sharing
transliterated messages in Latin letters, considering the practice
tantamount to “engraving scripts on a mound”.

In the meantime he noted that foreign nations are often perplexed by
the design and graphics of the Armenian letters.

“The Armenian letters live in the God’s heart; they were born from a
divine spirit, from the stone and from pomegranate corns,” he said,
also highly valuing the Armenian alphabets’ sound perfection.

As for the language in legislative drafting, Sargsyan said he finds it
neither good nor bad, with the State Language Inspection never issuing
special recommendation to legislators to encourage them to build a
linguistically correct language. Sargsyan said he regrets that
coarsened language traditions today do not leave room for such
recommendations or corrections.

Armenia MFA: Azerbaijan has rejected all proposals by Co-Chairs so far

19:41, 20.02.2015

YEREVAN. – Azerbaijan is trying to present their own ideas aimed at
simulation of the negotiation proces as the proposals suggested by the
Co-Chairs, spokesperson for Armenian Foreign Ministry Tigran Balayan
told Panarmenian.net commenting on Azerbaijani FM’s remarks.

In this context he reminded about the five statements of the
Co-Chairs: “As repeatedly stated, unlike Azerbaijan, Armenia is ready
to continue negotiations to resolve the conflict based on these
proposals”.

It is first of all necessary to accelerate reaching agreement on the
basic principles to make it possible to start drawing of a peace
agreement, Balayan stated.

Foreign Ministry spokesman also noted that in the latest statement
made by the Co-Chairs, the mediators said they had presented proposals
that could strengthen the ceasefire.

“Is Azerbaijan really ready to accept these proposals? Such proposals
have been rejected by so far,” Balayan said.

Armenia News – NEWS.am

Yerevan Bestseller encourages love towards reading

16:57, 21 February, 2015

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 21, ARMENPRESS. The Yerevan Bestseller exclusive
project introduced by “Armenpress” News Agency encourages love towards
reading. The Director of “Armenpress” News Agency Aram Ananyan stated
this at the end of the award giving ceremony held at the press centre
of “Armenpress” on the symbolic day of the Armenian Language, which is
marked on February 21.

“The idea of launching the project came, when Yerevan was declared the
World Book Capital. We developed the methodology of the project, so
that we could have the standards, due to which we make selection and
after we began the relevant activities. Then the number of bookstores
was expanded and the interest towards the project increased. This is
the second time that on February 21 we hold the ceremony of
appreciation of the books and authors, which occupied their unique
place at the literary process of the previous year,” Ananyan
underscored.

The Director of “Armenpress” News Agency found it difficult to give an
unequivocal answer to the question whether the project managed to
dictate taste or not.

Among other things, Aram Ananyan noted: “I guess the publishers and
those directly involved in selling books can answer that question, as
they can clearly see that shift. Notwithstanding, in my opinion, we
managed to introduce some trends in the literary process.” Ananyan in
convinced that reading must be a significant characteristic of the
Armenian people, if it is not so yet.

“Such projects are held all over the world and people calculate the
most demanded books. It was necessary to have such a project in
Armenia as well. It gave impetus to love towards reading,” Aram
Ananyan concluded. In addition, Ananyan noted that the national news
agency next year will also award those media, which will touch upon
the topics of book and literature and encourage publishing.

Turkish Intellectuals Who Have Recognized The Armenian Genocide AyÃ…?e Berktay

By MassisPost
Updated: February 20, 2015

By Hambersom Aghbashian

AyÃ…?e Berktay is a translator, scholar, author, cultural and women’s
rights activist. Her publications include `History and Society: New
Perspectives, 2008³, and `The Ottoman Empire and the World Around with
Suraiya Faroqhi’; moreover, she is the editor of `Women and Men in the
75th Year of the Turkish Republic’. Her translations include `The
Imperial Harm: Gender and Power in the Ottoman Empire, 1520-1656³ by
Leslie Penn Pierce; and `The Ottoman Empire, 1700-1922 ,New Approaches
to European History’ by Donald Quataert.

Over the past decade, AyÃ…?e conducted work at the History Trust, where
she was part of the Prime Minister’s Advisory Board on Human Rights.
In Dec. 2009 AyÃ…?e became a member of the pro-Kurdish Peace and
Democracy Party (BDP), which has 36 elected representatives in the
Turkish Parliament. In March 2010 she was elected to the BDP Istanbul
Province Executive, where she worked in the Press Committee, then in
Oct. 2010 she was elected to the BDP Central Women’s Committee,
Foreign Relations Office. AyÃ…?e Berktay was arrested on October 3,
2011, and seized personal papers and materials. Eventually, she was
charged under Turkey’s anti-terror legislation of `membership in an
illegal organization’. She was released from Prison in Istanbul on
Dec. 20, 2013 and still faces a lengthy trial process, where she could
face up to 15 years in prison. (1)

In December 2008, two hundred prominent Turkish intellectuals released
an apology for the `great catastrophe of 1915³. This was a clear
reference to the Armenian Genocide, a term still too sensitive to use
so openly. The signatories also announced a website related to this
apology, and called on others to visit the site and sign the apology
as well. The complete, brief text of the apology says `My conscience
does not accept the insensitivity showed to and the denial of the
Great Catastrophe that the Ottoman Armenians were subjected to in
1915. I reject this injustice and for my share, I empathize with the
feelings and pain of my Armenian brothers and sisters. I apologize to
them.’ AyÃ…?e Berktay was one of the Turkish intellectual who has signed
the petition. (2)

AyÃ…?e Berktay was one of the Turkish intellectuals who signed a
petition against Denialist Exhibit in Denmark, an exhibition which was
planned by the Turkish embassy to support their point of view
concerning the Armenian Genocide .’ Don’t Stand Against Turkey’s
Democratization and Confrontation with its History!’ was the message
to the Royal Library of Denmark who has given the Turkish government
the opportunity to present an `alternative exhibit’ in response to the
Armenian Genocide exhibition.(3)

In the 99th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, the members of the
24 April Commemorating Armenian Genocide Platform came together in
front of the historical HaydarpaÃ…?a Railhead to commemorate the
Armenian intellectuals who were put in trains from HaydarpaÃ…?a Railhead
in 1915 and sent to death. The citizens left red carnations on the
placards writing in both English and Armenian reading `We are
remembering the victims of Armenian genocide’ and they carried the
photos of Armenian intellectuals. The Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP)
Central Executive Board (MYK) member Garo Paylan, Author AyÃ…?e Berktay,
Academiscian Fatmagül Berktay, Human Rights Association (Ä°HD) Ä°stanbul
Branch Head Ã`mit Efe, Ä°HD executives, Armenians coming from Diaspora;
and lots of citizens joined in the commemoration activity.(4)
””””””’
1-
2-
3-
4-

Haykakan Zhamanak: Names of intriguers within BHK revealed

An agreement was reached between leader of Armenian National Congress
(HAK) Levon Ter-Petrosyan and leader of Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK)
Gagik Tsarukyan that after the change of power in Armenia, Tsarukyan
will become president, while Ter-Petrosyan will serve as speaker of
the National Assembly, `Haykakan Zhamanak’ daily writes citing
sources.

`It became known yesterday whom Ter-Petrosyan meant when speaking
about a small group of intrigues within BHK. According to our sources,
among the group members are MPs Vahe Hovhannisyan and Stepan
Margaryan, editor of the website `7or’ Andranik Tevanyan and editor of
the website `Zham’ Yervand Bozoyan’, the paper says.

21.02.15, 10:31

Nikol Pashinyan: There are legal grounds to impeach Serzh Sargsyan

by Ashot Safaryan
Friday, February 20, 16:17

There are legal grounds to impeach Serzh Sargsyan, who occupies the
post of Armenian President, MP Nikol Pashinyan said when presenting a
draft parliamentary decision on impeachment during the sitting of the
Commission for State and Legal Affairs.

Pashinyan said that the Armenian Constitution stipulates resignation
of the President for high treason and grave crimes. Pashinyan thinks
that Serzh Sargsyan is accused of abusing office for his narrow
interests, which is a weighty argument for impeachment. Pashinyan
recalled that Serzh Sargsyan was aware of Prosperous Armenia Party
(PAP) leader Gagik Tsarukyan’s criminal mechanisms of crime
concealment and tax evasion and took no measures to bring Tsarukyan to
account. Sargsyan started blaming Tsarukyan only when the latter ran
out of Sargsyan’s control.

Pashinyan also blames the President for torpedoing the process of
international recognition of the Armenian Genocide by launching the
“football diplomacy” and signing the Armenian-Turkish protocols in
Zurich. “Serzh Sargsyan’s decision to dissolve the interim commission
on investigation of the March 1 2008 events was also unlawful”, he
said.
However, the MPs from the ruling Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) did
not support Pashinyan’s initiative and said that the document lacks
legal arguments and gives political assessments only. Only Zaruhi
Postanjyan, MP from the Heritage Party Faction, supported the
document. 5 MPs from the RPA came out against the document.

Ú56C3F0-B902-11E4-868C0EB7C0D21663

Automobile rally organized in Strasbourg in support of Founding Parliament

20:58 | February 20,2015 | Politics

On February 20, a group of young people organized an automobile rally
and a collection of signatures in Strasbourg, France.

They condemned the January 31 terrorism against the members of the
Founding Parliament members in Berdzor, Karabakh and expressed support
for the Founding Parliament’s initiative held under the slogan `100th
anniversary without regime!’

On January 31, scores of activists representing the Founding
Parliament opposition movement, a successor of the Pre-parliament
pressure group, organized an automobile march to Nagorno-Karabakh as
part of their campaign seeking a regime change in Armenia. Near
Berdzor, they were stopped by local police and a group of plainclothes
men who forcefully blocked their access to the territory of Karabakh.
A number of activists, including Jirayr Sefilyan, a Karabakh war
veteran and a former commander of the Shushi special detachment, were
beaten up during the incident. Also, some vehicles of the automobile
march were damaged.

Daily Sabah, Turkey
Feb 22 2015

US congressmen to introduce Armenian genocide bill this week

RAGIP SOYLU

Four members of Congress in the U.S. last week invited their
colleagues to become an original co-sponsor of the Armenian Genocide
Recognition Resolution, which accuses the Ottoman Empire of committing
genocide in 1915 and asking President Barack Obama to pressure the
Turkish government to resolve the issue.

A letter addressed to U.S. congressmen, penned by Robert J. Dold
(Republican from Illinois), David Valado (Republican from California),
Adam B. Schiff (Democrate from California) and Frank Pallone (Democrat
from New Jersey), claims that the Ottoman Empire killed 1.5 million
Armenians between April 24, 1915 and 1923. “Forty-two U.S. states have
recognized the Armenian Genocide, as have 11 of our NATO allies. On
this special year, it is time for the United States government to
officially join with those voices standing against this genocide
denial. We can help bring closure to this longstanding moral issue
that continues to impact U.S. interests,” the letter read.

Representatives declared that they would be introducing the resolution
next Tuesday, Feb. 24 and the same language as in House Resolution 227
from the 113th Congress would be used.

House Resolution 227, which last year became obsolete, urged President
Obama to work toward durable Armenian-Turkish relations based upon
Turkey’s full acknowledgment of the facts and ongoing consequences of
the “Armenian Genocide.”

The draft resolution also cites President Obama’s statements before
entering office, saying he held the conviction that the Armenian
genocide is not an allegation but rather a widely documented fact
supported by historical evidence.

Parts of the Turkish-American community was quick to show their
grievances about the initiative.

Ali Çınar, a Turkish-American community leader and also the president
of the Washington-based think tank Global Policy Institute, invited
his followers to pressure congressmen by calling the offices of
representatives and emailing them to make them stop pursuing the
official recognition of genocide.