Author: Badalian Vardan

DownWithTyranny
July 25 2014

Mark Takai Proposed Testing Homeless Veterans For Drugs

“I am proud to support Stanley Chang for Congress. Stanley knows what
needs to be done to fix Wall Street and protect the rights of
consumers. He has declared his support for the Better Off Budget,
which would create 8.8 million jobs by 2017 and reduce our deficit by
$4 trillion over the next ten years. Stanley is a champion for civil
rights for all and will work toward a more secure and peaceful world.
The Progressive Caucus and its members will work hard to support
Stanley to see that he joins us in the 114th Congress.”
– Keith Ellison, co-chair, Congressional Progressive Caucus

“Stanley Chang is the clear choice to represent Hawaii’s first
district in Congress. His Agenda for Change calls for universal early
childhood education, which has been a key focus of my work as a member
of the Committee on Education and The Workforce. Stanley has proposed
a bold job creation plan and is fighting for an increase in the
federal minimum wage. I look forward to working with him on important
environmental priorities such as preserving wilderness and protecting
endangered species. We need more bold progressives like Stanley in
Congress.”
РRa̼l Grijalva, co-chair, Congressional Progressive Caucus

Congressional candidate Mark Takai wants to subject homeless veterans
to drug tests.

Ironically, he’s campaigning as a supporter of military veterans.
Takai, who is running for the open seat in Hawaii’s First
Congressional District, campaigns in his National Guard uniform–
which isn’t legal– and recently secured a Vote Vets endorsement. More
identity politics, like EMILY’s List endorsement of the other
conservative in the race, Donna Mercado Kim.

As the Vote Vets PAC has highlighted for years, unemployment and
homelessness have long been rampant among veterans.

As a Democratic back bencher in Hawaii’s legislature for the past 20
years, Takai has compiled precious few legislative accomplishments.
Takai is a former athlete at the University of Hawaii, and much of his
work has focused on raising money for the school’s athletic department
(notably, not for its libraries). But over the last three years, his
other pet cause has been imposing warrantless, suspicionless drug
tests on anyone seeking public benefits.

Served your country in Iraq and Afghanistan, but returned home to face
difficulty finding good work and feeding your kids? Takai wants you
tested for drugs.

He introduced legislation for that purpose in both 2012 and 2013. The
2012 bill would have imposed the most stringent drug-testing program
in the country, requiring all applicants for temporary assistance for
needy families to pass a drug test as a prerequisite to receiving any
benefits. A failed test would result in the applicant being denied
benefits. That bill went nowhere. The 2013 bill had an even more
far-reaching policy goal: “to ensure that only those who choose not to
use illegal drugs” would be eligible for any “public assistance
programs.” The proposal was mitigated by the prerequisite of
cost-benefit analysis. Takai’s colleagues recognized suspicionless
drug testing of welfare recipients is not only cruel, but also
inefficient, and also defeated this bill.

In Wednesday night’s debate– the final candidate forum before the
August 9th Democratic primary– Takai had the nerve to express concern
for the more than 800 homeless veterans in Hawaii. But it’s clear he’s
much more of a pro-military candidate than a pro-veteran candidate.

He’s been most comfortable in debates talking about the need for more
Pentagon spending. It’s a topic he turns to again and again– often
including strong critiques of President Obama (despite this being
Obama’s birthplace and a 70-percent Obama district)– even giving
exclusive interviews to right-wing blogs and talk shows.

Takai’s use of his military uniform while campaigning and constant
defense references are attempts to give him some foreign-policy
gravitas. But he in a recent debacle, he showed he’s over his head
when it comes to foreign affairs, while also committing a serious
ethical breach.

Takai took a free trip– valued at $8,000– to Azerbaijan last year to
participate in a conference sponsored by oil companies. He came back
home and promptly introduced two resolutions drafted by the Azerbaijan
government– expressing anti-Armenian viewpoints– and actually
scheduled them in his committee. An international embarrassment was
narrowly avoided as Armenian-Americans from Hawaii and U.S. Mainland
expressed outrage and convinced Takai’s colleagues to defeat the
resolutions.

Ben Lowenthal, a local newspaper columnist has more on the story:

And what about an oil-company sponsored holiday? Is that an ethical
problem? No way, says Takai. Civil Beat reported that Takai explained
to its reporters that at the time of the trip, the Hawaii Legislature
had not addressed any relevant issues that directly would benefit
Azerbaijan so there was no ethical problem in going on the trip.

But that may not be the case for the future. Taka and Cabanilla
introduced in the House this session two resolutions addressing a very
touchy subject in that part of the world.

House Resolution 13 states a number of facts that you would not expect
to find floating around our legislature. It addresses an armed
conflict that broke out between Azerbaijan and Armenia as the Soviet
Union collapsed. The countries have been (and continue to be) locked
in a territorial dispute for some time.

According to the resolution, the town of Khojaly in Azerbaijan was the
site of a massacre on February 25 and 26, 1992. There, the resolution
states that six-hundred men, women, and children were killed, and
thousands were wounded and captured by Armenian and Russian forces.
The resolution marks the twenty-second anniversary of the “Khojaly
tragedy.” The other resolution urges the United States to strengthen
ties to Azerbaijan in coming up with some kind of settlement with
Armenia over this disputed region.

The factual claims in the resolutions have been hotly disputed by our
local Armenian-American community and the greater Armenian population.

. . . Mark Takai doesn’t seem to have a problem with taking sides.
Last year he– along with other American legislators– signed off on a
birthday note to the president of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev. Takai
congratulated Aliyev in his efforts to reduce crime within the country
and promoting allegiances abroad.

Aliyev has been criticized by many diplomats and those that follow
international relations as an autocrat. After taking office in 2003,
he eliminated term limits for himself from the constitution. He’s been
accused of running a corrupt government, clamping down on a free
press, and rigged elections. The infamous Wikileaks website released a
cache of diplomatic cables in 2012 that compare him to a mafia crime
boss. Surely, Takai was aware of this before congratulating him on
reducing crime in his country eight time zones away, right?

With just over two weeks left in what figures to be a close election
(with seven candidates), Takai is scrambling for support and even
reaching out to gun guys. The Hawaii Rifle Association recently lauded
him for his “supportive record,” which the organization noted
contrasts with his two main rivals in the congressional race, Donna
Kim and Stanley Chang. A Hawaii-based gun rights blog last week
featured this entry: “I have been personally been contacted by Mark
Takai requesting my vote and monetary contribution toward his
campaign. . . He claims to be the closest one that will get an
endorsement from HRA.” On his campaign website, Takai goes out of his
way to voice his support for hunting and notes he’s only concerned
about regulating “military grade weapons.”

Courting the Right has been part of Takai’s campaign strategy
throughout his tenure. For instance, he’s repeatedly bragged to the
Hawaii Family Forum that he opposes the right of rape victims to
receive emergency contraception at all hospitals.

Amazingly, Takai is being touted in some circles as the progressive
choice in this race. But how could anyone who pays attention to his
record possibly fall for that one?

Thankfully, Chang provides an actual liberal alternative.

He’s been winning the debates with clearly stated progressive views–
he was the only candidate Wednesday to state concern about children
refugees at the border– as noted in real time via social media:

Chang: It’s our responsibility to facilitate open, transparent
consensus building process with Native Hawaiians #KITVdebate
— Honolulu Civil Beat (@CivilBeat) July 24, 2014

Could be just me but Stanley Chang has the clearest platform and
clearest message delivery. #KITVdebate
— Cedric Duarte (@cedricduarte) July 24, 2014

RT @CivilBeat: Chang: Create new industries to move economy forward.
Clean energy is a great example #KITVdebate
— Climate Hawks Vote (@ClimateHawkVote) July 24, 2014

So pleased that the people of HI-1 got to hear from @stanleypchang
tonight on @kitv4 #hipol #kitvdebate pic.twitter.com/X6VtsEPskS
— Alina Meltaus (@alinacm) July 24, 2014

You won. RT @stanleypchang: I will not only protect, I will expand
social security. What did you think of the debate? #HI01
— Jeff Melland (@Jeff_Melland) July 24, 2014

A committed environmentalist and civil libertarian, Chang has been
endorsed by People for the American Way, the Congressional Progressive
Caucus PAC, the new Climate Hawks Vote and Blue America. With absentee
voting already underway, Chang needs help in getting out the vote to
ensure the only progressive candidate emerges as the victor in this
crowded field, and that neither of the two conservatives from the
Republican wing of the Democratic Party, Kim and Takai, pulls the wool
over voters’ eyes and succeeds as passing themselves off as
progressives.

“We are not ready to install an Armenia-Karabakh border for the sake
of Eurasian Union”

July 25 2014

NA Republican MP, Khosrov Harutyunyan, is convinced that Armenian
accession to the Eurasian Economic Union is not due to the Karabakh
problem. “There is a necessity of conformity of regulations in trade
regimes. It is due to technical problems,” said Mr. Harutyunyan to
Aravot.am, referring to the observations by former president of
Armenia, Levon Ter-Petrosyan, that the founding members of the
European Union has put a harsh condition before Armenia: to install
customs checkpoints along entire border of Armenia-Karabakh. As said
by Mr. Harutyunyan, “To connect protraction of Armenia’s accession to
the Eurasian Economic Union to the question that Armenian faces the
inevitable necessity of installing a border with Karabakh means to
misrepresent the situation. The most interested party in Armenia’s
accession to the Eurasian Economic Union is Russia. In this economic
structure, all decisions are made by consensus, today, 1+2 formula is
operating without Armenia. Nazarbayev and Lukashenko are trying to
extort the maximum from Russia in this EU project for their own
purposes. Armenia’s accession to this structure restore the balance,
and it becomes 2+2, at least this is what Nazarbayev and Lukashenko
are thinking, and it is not beneficial to them. Therefore, Karabakh is
the most convenient opportunity for them, even though they are also
well aware that there should be no other approach for Karabakh. We
cannot endanger our national security for the sake of some integration
program. But, they are trying to hamper Armenia’s accession to the
Union by Karabakh issue, thus creating unfavorable conditions for
Russia.” According to him, drawing the Karabakh problem forward by
Lukashenko and Nazarbayev is an opportunity to acquire additional
“assets” against Russia. “They are convinced that sooner or later
Armenia will become a member of the Eurasian Economic Union, but they
think that if it is possible to acquire dividends in the meantime in
the relations with Azerbaijan, and in case of Nazarbayev, it is
Astana-Baku-Ankara line, then why they should not try doing it. I do
not think that the Karabakh conflict would ever be an obstacle in
Armenia’s accession to the Eurasian Union.” To our question of whether
Russia’s silence was not a sign of agreement to preconditions
presented to Armenia, he said, it is not. “Because the problems are
solved in the backstage, by closed telephone talks and not in public
debates.” As said by Mr. Harutyunyan, Armenia’s accession to the
Eurasian Union increases the security guarantees of this structure
from the south, which Russia is trying to do. “The President of
Armenia has stated his stance about Karabakh that he ever and under no
circumstances imagines Armenia and Karabakh separate, independent, and
internationally distinguished areas. We are not ready to installing
borders between the two countries, i.e. within the same state, for the
same of accession to the Eurasian Union. Armenia is nor facing such a
problem, it is not Armenia’s task to install a border between Karabakh
and Armenia, this task is resolved.”

ARPINE SIMONYAN
Read more at:

PRESS OFFICE
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Contact: Chris Zakian
Tel: (212) 686-0710 or (973) 943-8697
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:

July 25, 2014
___________________

Sunday School Superintendents Gather for Summit

Sunday School superintendents from parishes across the Eastern Diocese
gathered for the first-ever National Sunday School Superintendents Summit
held last weekend in New England.

The three-day event, from July 18 to 20, was organized and sponsored by the
Diocese’s Department of Christian Education. Sessions were facilitated by
department director Elise Antreassian, staff member Eric Vozzy, and Nancy
Basmajian, director of Adult Christian Education at Holy Trinity Church of
Cheltenham, Pa.

The goal of the summit was to develop concrete paradigm shifts in how
educators teach, worship, witness and live as the church in today’s world.
Each session included discussions on perceptions of the Armenian Church, the
difference between managing and leading, assessment of the status quo, and
visioning exercises.

Interspersed throughout the weekend were reflections, faith-building
activities, and prayer experiences. The proposals that emerged will
influence local programming, as well as the priorities of both the
Department of Christian Education and the Diocese overall.

The weekend concluded at the Holy Translators Church of Framingham, Mass.,
with the celebration of the Divine Liturgy by parish pastor Rev. Fr. Krikor
Sabounjian. Superintendents offered the Kiss of Peace, read Scripture,
delivered a message, and shared prayers that the group had composed during
its meetings.

“Our superintendents have never before gathered as a common body. As a
result of this summit, participants discovered they had common concerns,
expectations, and hopes for improving the ministry of Christian education
within the broader mission of the Armenian Church,” said Elise Antreassian.

Participants said they were inspired by the weekend’s program, and looked
forward to implementing new ideas in their parishes.

“Typically, one might consider management and leadership as synonymous in
the practical sense, but during the summit I learned that may not be true.
Most importantly, I learned different ways to lead rather than just simply
manage the Sunday School, which will make me a better leader in the church
and in my Christian life,” said first-year superintendent Mallory Maslar of
St. Hagop Church of Petersburg, Fla.

Veteran superintendent Tom Daw of St. Gregory the Enlightener Church of
White Plains, N.Y., added: “Our vision would be one of parents and Sunday
School children working together with the teachers to provide an environment
where all are getting a solid Christian upbringing, which includes church
and a full understanding of the badarak.”

The summit was hosted by the New England Region Superintendents Association,
under the leadership of Seta Buchter, Laurie Bejoian, and Marsha Alabachian.
It took place at the Connors Family Retreat and Conference Center in Dover,
Mass. A total of 28 Sunday School superintendents from 18 parishes across
the Diocese took part.

The Department of Christian Education will compile the weekend’s results and
begin planning a follow-up gathering. Participants and those who were unable
to attend are encouraged to continue the conversation on Facebook and
Twitter using the hashtag #SuperintendentsSummit.

###

Photo attached: National Sunday School Superintendents Summit attendees pose
for a group photo.

Serzh Sargsyan Is Afraid of Weapon

Haikazn Ghahriyan, Editor-in-Chief
Country – 25 July 2014, 17:27

During the meeting with the Public Council Serzh Sargsyan said against
the idea of arming the residents of border areas. He said those who
can pick up a gun can serve in the Armed Forces.

Serzh Sargsyan is right. If there is an army, the one who wants to
pick up a gun should serve there, and all the conditions should be
ensured for them.

It would be right to create such conditions for veterans of Artsakh
war. Their social problems would be resolved, and they would exchange
experience with inexperienced young men who are defending the border
now.

Meanwhile, Volodya Avetisyan, the veteran who was protesting against
the social situation of veterans, is now in prison with suspicious
charges.

Recently a pack of “bodyguards” beat to death veteran Vardan Tumanyan
with his wife and daughter watching. And as they were leaving the
scene, they threatened witnesses that if they gave evidence, they
would have trouble. There is no need to doubt that the bodyguards will
be set free soon, especially that the press reported about their
relations with some prosecutors.

Such crimes are still committed in different parts of Armenia, often
using weapon. Yesterday the brother of the director of the Pedagogical
Institute of Gyumri was killed in Gyumri. The nephew of the deputy
chief of police of Yerevan stabbed a person and is still “wanted”
though it is clear that he is waiting in his uncle’s house until
things are covered up. The examples are many. The newsfeed is full of
such news featuring close people of high-ranking officials.

Serzh Sargsyan is theoretically right but in practice it would be
right if there was justice and a different philosophy of rule in
Armenia and everyone was equal before law, and everyone was in their
right place.

However, the Armenian reality is different. The law enforcement
agencies are criminalized agencies directed by “criminal law”,
protectionism and other vices. This system is a punitive instrument
used against citizens that ensures the arbitrariness of the government
and freedom of its actions.

When the law is not enforced, the only logical way out is to arm the
population of entire Armenia, not only the border villages. The
citizens of Armenia are not protected, their life is in danger at
every step. Some pithecanthropus people beat to death the veteran who
fought for the freedom and dignity of Armenia and did not wink an eye
in the sight of the Azerbaijanis outnumbering Armenians several times.
The son of Tokhmakh Mher, a member of the Council of Elders of
Yerevan, stabs a person in broad daylight and so on.

The citizens of Armenia have nowhere to go to have their basic rights
protected. The only way is to ensure their own security themselves.
When the leadership of the country is helpless (though this is not the
case of helplessness but protectionism) to protect people’s security,
people should do it themselves, one of the ways of doing it is to get
armed. Gun makes man bolder and more confident. Besides, the criminals
ravaging Yerevan and other places will know that their opponents are
armed.

Such situations occur when the state system is paralyzed, overwhelmed
by arbitrariness and immorality. This is the current situation in
Armenia.

On the other hand, the function of arming people is not only intended
to protect people’s security. The point is that the upcoming war is
going to be a patriotic war because the Armenian people will have to
fight on two fronts, against the foreign enemy and the domestic enemy
– the system that has usurped national institutions and wealth,
against the fifth column which will try to thwart Armenian resistance.
The forces of the army are not enough for this fight, and the armed
support of the entire nation will be needed.

The army will destroy the foreign enemy, and the armed troops of
people must keep the rare, destroying the most dangerous enemy – the
domestic enemy. There is no need to doubt.

Why is Serzh Sargsyan against arming people?

– See more at:

Russian and Georgian Orthodox Churches Attack Armenians

Igor Muradyan, Political Analyst
Comments – 25 July 2014, 15:40

Over many centuries the Latin world was trying to absorb and
assimilate orthodox nations and communities in Eastern Europe and the
Near East. Catholics and Protestants did not help the Orthodox to
fight against Ottoman expansion and speculated this in many ways.

After 1945, despite official soviet atheism, the Orthodox confession
became a lever in the hands of the Soviet Union and was viewed as the
“best of all confessions available which, in fact, were considered
reactionary” and hostile to Communist ideals.

After the collapse of the communist system the West mocked the
Orthodox world without ending ecumenical and openly hostile attempts
to subject it to the rules of the Western church. No doubt the
Orthodox churches are extremely irritated and unable to interpret the
ongoing situation from a clerical point of view. They perceived the
policy of the Western churches as Orthodoxophobia.

The integration of Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova, Macedonia, Serbia and
Montenegro with the Euro-Atlantic community has teased the Orthodox
churches and made them even more alert. However, this has not led to
consolidation of Orthodox churches and nations and has disunited them
even more.

The Ukrainian developments, including such phenomena as the
strengthening of the Uniate Church and establishment of the Kiev
Patriarchy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church set the question in a more
dramatic reality – it is time when the Russian Orthodox has appeared
in isolation on the political arena. However, the Russian Orthodox
Church has specific enemies – the Raskolniki in Ukraine.

The Georgian Orthodox Church which, according to Georgian politicians
and experts, has become a chauvinistic and highly reactionary
organization has nothing else to do but to attack and instill hatred
towards the Armenian Apostolic Church. All this is enabled not only by
the low culture of the population but stems from the policy of the
Georgian church.

It should be noted that Georgia has become one of the most intolerant
countries towards other religions, which is highlighted by the U.S.
Congress and the European Union. The point is about the attacks on
non-Orthodox Georgian communities. Meanwhile, the fervent Georgian
believers apparently do not express hatred against the Muslim
communities and their churches. Apparently, the libido level is not
enough.

The Georgians think that Armenians are a more convenient target for
attacks. In addition, it is stated actively that the Russian Orthodox
Church fully supports the Georgian Orthodox Church in their actions.
Since the Russian Orthodox Church consists of either Chauvinists and
impostors or FSB agents, one understands who is involved here.

The Georgian politicians state with hesitation that the Georgian
Orthodox Church is full of suspicious persons who have nothing to do
with faith and are part of the Russian network of agents. Here is
Georgian independence the Georgian clergymen are so much worried
about. And there is nothing new about it.

Over centuries Christian confessions literally devoured each other.
Let’s remember the history of the Orthodox Milliyet of the Ottoman
Empire when the Greek Phanariotes defied autocephaly of Bulgarians. As
to the Russian Orthodox Church, it has been and remains an instrument
of the imperial plans of Moscow and has always been hated by peoples
striving for independence and autonomy.

Moscow has always tried to interfere in religious matters. For
instance, the FSB made desperate attempts to prevent creation of a
Ukrainian eparchy of the Armenian Apostolic Church, wishing to leave
the Ukrainian Armenians within the competence of the Eparchy of New
Nakhidjevan. The Russian Orthodox Church has something to worry about
when every year thousands and maybe even tens of thousands of Russians
and people of other nationalities become proselytes and join not only
other Christian communities but also Muslim ones.

Orthodox clergymen have nothing to tell their congregation, they are
stuck in dirty business, intrigues, career and money-grabbing.
Perhaps, the long years of atheism left their trace, especially that
Christian churches are in crisis but there are no other churches which
are so deeply soaked in chauvinism and hatred on ethnic and religious
grounds.

So what is Orthodoxophobia then? It is hatred of Orthodox peoples
towards one another instilled by Orthodox clergymen. The orthodox
churches are highly politicized under the influence of foreign
political and domestic factors, and forgetting that the church must
serve God and people, they have become an instrument in the hands of
political circles, which caused the deep crisis of the Orthodox or
rather the orthodox churches.

The question occurs whether modern “Orthodox” is “Orthodox”.

– See more at:

Russian-Armenian businessman’s rep optimistic

15:26 * 25.07.14

In an interview with Tert.am, Russian-Armenian businessman Levon
Hayrapetyan’s representative, Matsak Poladyan, commented on the
charges brought against his business partner.

“I have information at my disposal, but I cannot tell you the details.
However, I can assure you I am extremely optimistic,” he said.

“At present, two or three charges have remained. Neither Levon nor we
have any doubts that they are trumped up charges.”

A source close to the Russian publication Vedomosti had earlier said
that Hayrapetyan received remuneration as an intermediary when
purchasing BFK Sistema’s oil assets from Bashkortostan President Ural
Rahimov’s son.

According to the investigators, the amount may reach $50m, which has
been confirmed by Mr Hayrapetyan’s lawyer Igor Komarov. Junior Rahimov
is the prime suspect in the case, with Mr Hayrapetyan being number one
person involved.

“Deals effected with shares six years ago are in question. This guy is
in the United States now, and he is not on the list of wanted. Levon
purchased only 3.5% of those shares.”

Armenian News – Tert.am

ARMENIE
Le conseil public arménien soutient la nouvelle politique sur le
marché de l’aviation

Les membres du Conseil public croient que la politique de >, adoptée par le gouvernement de l’Arménie dans le domaine de
l’aviation civile est une bonne idée, mais disent que l’Arménie doit
avoir des compagnies nationales et un stock national d’avions.

Le gouvernement arménien a annoncé il y a environ un mois que
l’aviation civile dans le pays serait désormais ouvert à toutes les
compagnies aériennes répondant aux normes internationales. Le Premier
ministre, en référence aux résultats d’une étude par la société
McKinsey & Company, a déclaré que la libéralisation du secteur
permettra de stimuler le développement économique et une réduction des
prix. Le gouvernement dit que le résultat positif attendu sera visible
dans 1 ou 2 ans – une baisse du prix du billet de 10 pour cent, tandis
que la quantité des vols devrait augmenter de 20 à 25 pour cent.

La faillite de la compagnie nationale d’Arménie Armavia a motivé la
décision sur la libéralisation du domaine de l’aviation civile en
Arménie. Armavia, qui avait un monopole complet dans le domaine et
fixait des prix relativement élevés des billets, avait en quelque
sorte accumulé des dettes importantes et n’a pas pu survivre à la
concurrence.

“Nous appuyons la libéralisation de l’aviation civile afin d’être en
mesure d’offrir les prix des billets plus abordables et de développer
le tourisme entrant et sortant, mais nous sommes un pays soumis à un
blocus, la guerre n’est pas encore terminée, c’est pourquoi nous avons
besoin de notre propre aviation >>, a dit Vazgen Safaryan, qui préside
la commission du Conseil public sur les questions financières et
économiques.

Actuellement une entreprise privée locale Air Arménie, offre des vols
vers plusieurs destinations en Russie via des vols charters, possède
un avion et loue les autres.

Une autre compagnie aérienne locale, SKY NET, va entrer sur le marché
bientôt avec un seul avion de 19 places afin d’opérer des vols
domestiques Erevan-Gyumri, Erevan-Kapan, Erevan-Stepanakert. Le
président de l’entreprise Grigory Vardanyan a dit qu’ils offrent
divers services, tels que des visites touristiques en Arménie, des
tours d’avion pour les mariages, pour les entreprises et des vols
d’assistance médicale.

La société envisage de proposer des vols d’été à Batoumi, Tbilissi, et
Tabriz. Le directeur de SKY NET a dit un aller simple vers ces
destinations coûterait environ 100 $.

Par Siranuysh Gevorgyan

ArmeniaNow

vendredi 25 juillet 2014,
Stéphane (c)armenews.com

US Jews Demand Erdogan Return Award after Gaza Comments

Thursday, July 24th, 2014

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan

ANKARA (The Jerusalem Post)’An American Jewish organization is
demanding that Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ErdoÄ?an return an
award it gave him a decade ago over his recent remarks on Israel’s
military operation in Gaza.

Calling him `arguably the most virulent anti-Israel leader in the
world,’ American Jewish Congress President Jack Rosen accused the
Prime Minister of `spewing dangerous rhetoric for political gain and
inciting the Turkish population to violence against the Jewish
people.’

Erdogan received the American Jewish Congress’ Profile of Courage
award in 2004 after making statements affirming his commitment to
protect Turkish Jewry, eradicate terrorism and broker a Middle East
peace deal.
`We want [the award] back,’ Rosen wrote Erdogan on Wednesday,
informing the head of state that his statements had not only done
`irreparable damage to Jewish-Turkish relations and put innocent
people at risk’ but had also caused him to forfeit his seat `at the
table of legitimate mediators working to end the current conflict
between Israel and Hamas.’

Erdogan’s stated views on the conflict are `abhorrent,’ Rosen declared.

Since Israel’s ground forces entered the Gaza strip last Thursday,
Erdogan has been among Israel’s harshest critics, calling it a `terror
state’ and accusing Jerusalem of perpetrating a `systematic genocide’
against the Palestinians.

Israeli barbarism, he stated, has `surpassed’ that of Hitler.

Yeni Akit, a pro-government newspaper in Istanbul, recently ran an
article by journalist Faruk Köse calling on Turkish Jews to issue a
communal apology on behalf of Israel while attacks on Israel’s embassy
and consulate in Ankara and Istanbul prompted Jerusalem to withdraw
some of its diplomatic staff.

Newcastle Herald, Australia
July 24 2014

Joe Hockey’s candour edifying

By IAN KIRKWOOD
July 24, 2014, 10 p.m.

TREASURER Joe Hockey’s new ”authorised” biography, Hockey: Not Your
Average Joe, by journalist and author Madonna King, is shedding new
light on the tensions within the Coalition – the same sorts of
rivalries, friendships and enmities that plague any political party,
regardless of its colour.

TREASURER Joe Hockey’s new ”authorised” biography, Hockey: Not Your
Average Joe, by journalist and author Madonna King, is shedding new
light on the tensions within the Coalition – the same sorts of
rivalries, friendships and enmities that plague any political party,
regardless of its colour.

<a href=”

Interfax, Russia
July 23 2014

Turkey blocking Armenia’s transport links with EU – Armenian foreign minister

YEREVAN. July 23

The Turkish authorities are obstructing the operation of
transportation routes to the European Union by Armenia, says Armenian
President Edward Nalbandian.

“By keeping the border with Armenia closed, Turkey is obstructing the
settlement of Armenian-Turkish relations and operation by Armenia of
transportation routes and links with the European Union,” Nalbandian
said at a meeting of the EU and Eastern Partnership foreign ministers
in Brussels.

“It is ironic that Turkey, which is aspiring for EU membership, has
shut the border with their neighboring country, while free movement
across the EU territory is its fundamental principle,” the Foreign
Ministry quoted Nalbandian as saying.

Talking about the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, Nalbandian noted
that the people of Armenia and Azerbaijan need to be prepared for
peace.

“Unfortunately, Azerbaijan is doing just the opposite, which is
escalating the situation at the border with Armenia and the contact
line with Nagorno-Karabakh,” he said.