Author: Badalian Vardan

It would be very good if aircrafts were allowed to fly to Stepanakert
airport – Baroness Cox

September 28, 2013 | 14:14

YEREVAN. – Baroness Caroline Cox said it would be very good if the
aircrafts were allowed to fly freely to the Stepanakert airport.

Talking to reporters in Yerevan, Baroness Cox commented on the opening
of Stepanakert airport.

`This will bring in humanitarian resources, to bring out people who
perhaps need medical treatment in Armenia,’ she said.

Opening of the Stepanakert airport remains a number one issue in
Azerbaijan. The official Baku periodically voices threats to shoot
down the aircrafts.

Bishops Synod considers canonization of the Armenian Genocide victims

18:29 27.09.2013

>From September 24 through 27, in the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin,
His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All
Armenians; and His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of
Cilicia, presided over the opening of the Bishop’s Synod of the
Armenian Church. Present at the meeting were 62 Archbishops and
Bishops from the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin and the Great House of
Cilicia.

On 24 September, following the Morning services in the Mother
Cathedral, the Bishops Synod of the Armenian Church opened in the
Gevorkian Seminary Events Center Auditorium.

Mr. Serzh Sargsyan, President of the Republic of Armenia, greeted the
Bishops during the opening ceremony of the meeting. His Holiness
Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians; and His
Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, delivered
their messages to the Synod members. His Eminence Archbishop Aram
Ateshyan, Patriarchal Vicar of Constantinople, also gave opening
remarks during the Bishops Synod.
At the conclusion of the opening service, the following chancellery of
the Synod was established: His Eminence Archbishop Khajag Barsamyan
and His Eminence Archbishop Oshakan Choloyan were appointed to serve
as co-chairman; and His Eminence Archbishop Narek Alemezyan and His
Eminence Archbishop Arshak Kachatryan were appointed to serve as
secretaries. Following the assignment of administrative duties, the
Synod agenda items were approved.

On September 24, the Synod discussed the re-establishment of the
tradition of canonization in the Holy Armenian Apostolic Church, and
specifically focused on the issue of canonization of the victims of
the Armenian Genocide. Co-Chairmen of the Sainthood Committee, His
Eminence Archbishop Sepuh Sargsyan, and His Eminence Archbishop Yeznik
Petrosyan, presented reports on the results of the works and study
concerning this issue.

Following lengthy discussion by the Synod on the reports concerning
the canonization of the Armenian Genocide victims, the Synod made the
following decisions:

The collective canonization of the victims of the Armenian Genocide
was adopted in principle, and the Sainthood Committee was assigned the
task of continuing to study the individual and collective canonization
of the victims, for presentation and approval at the next meeting. The
Sainthood Committee was also assigned the task of reviewing the canon
and ritual of canonization, for presentation and approval at the next
meeting.

On September 25 and 26, the Synod members discussed the works of the
Liturgical Committee on the sacraments of Baptism and Chrismation of
the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church. The reports were presented by
Co-Chairman His Eminence Archbishop Arshak Kachatryan; and committee
members His Grace Bishop Mikael Ajapahyan and His Grace Bishop Vahan
Hovhannisyan. At the conclusion of intensive discussions, the Synod
accepted the uniform text for the Services of Baptism and Chrismation.

In the next session, the report on canonical issues the sacrament of
the Holy Baptism and the moral-instructive guidelines of Holy Baptism
were the topic of discussion. The Liturgical Committee was assigned to
further continue their work on those issues. Also discussed was the
language of Armenian Church services and other issues, and it was
noted that additional study was required.

The sessions of September 27 were devoted to the modern challenges
facing the Armenian Church. His Eminence Archbishop Oshakan Choloyan
and His Grace Bishop Bagrat Galstanyan presented reports on the
matter. Discussing the challenges on the liturgical, and religious
instruction life of the Church and its educational and social mission,
as well as the problems of the preservation of the Armenian identity,
the Synod members noted those to be of predominant priority and
decided to include them in the agenda of the upcoming Synod meetings.

Reviewing the results of the Bishops Synod, they also expressed
concern for the social, economic, national, and regional and various
other challenges and problems present in the church and civil life of
our nation. As a solution to those challenges and problems, as their
service to the Armenian Apostolic Church, the Bishops decided to
establish a foundation for supporting the disadvantaged children of
Armenia, Cilicia and Armenians in Syria, with the blessings of the
Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II, and Catholicos of the Great
House of Cilicia Aram I.

Initially two million USD was provided for launching the foundation
and a special committee was created for organizing the mission of the
foundation.

At the conclusion of the Synod, the Bishops happily reflected on the
productive outcome of the meeting and also expressed their
appreciation to His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and
Catholicos of All Armenians; and His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of
the Great House of Cilicia, for the opportunity of uniting under the
roof of the Mother See in brotherly love. The Synod members remarked
on the importance of regularly convening the Bishops Synod for
addressing the various challenges that the Armenian Apostolic Church
presently face, and the problems concerning the Armenian people. This
will also help in adjusting the viewpoints and approaches of the
Armenian Church on those matters.

The next Bishops Synod is scheduled to be convened in autumn of 2014.
The Catholicos of All Armenians and the Catholicos of the Great House
of Cilicia closed the Synod with their blessings, offering
appreciation and prayers.

Serzh Sargsyan visits Chinese embassy on national holiday of China

14:08 28/09/2013 » POLITICS

President Serzh Sargsyan visited the embassy of China in Yerevan on
occasion of the national holiday of China. On behalf of the people of
Armenia and his own behalf, the President congratulated ambassador
Tian Changchun, the embassy staff and the friendly people of China on
the 64th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China.

Serzh Sargsyan asked the ambassador to convey his warm wishes and
congratulations to Chinese President Xi Jinping and wished success to
friendly China in its steady progress and development in various
areas.

President Serzh Sargsyan and ambassador Tian Changchun concurred that
the high-level Armenian-Chinese relations constitute a solid base for
strengthening the interstate relations and developing the mutually
beneficial cooperation, the presidential press service reports.

Source: Panorama.am

Head of ACNIS: New supplies of Russian military hardware to Azerbaijan
meet the latest geopolitical changes in the region

by David Stepanyan

ARMINFO
Saturday, September 28, 10:27

The new supplies of Russian military hardware to Azerbaijan totally
meet the latest geopolitical changes in the region, Manvel Sargsyan,
Director of the Armenian Center for National and International
Studies, says in his interview with ArmInfo.

To note, Kurganmashzavod has recently started manufacturing Vena 2S31
at the order of Azerbaijan. The plant has launched the production of
18 systems. The 2S31 Vena is a Russian self-propelled 120 mm
mortar/cannon mounted on the chassis of a BMP-3 infantry combat
vehicle. The weapon system is equipped with digital automated fire
control system, navigation system, and optical/electronic
reconnaissance and target acquisition system. Mortar mines (up to 7.2
km range) and cannon shells (up to 13 km range) can be used, including
guided, HEAT, smoke, and thermobaric munitions.

Manvel Sargsyan thinks that it is not a business. “These supplies of
Russian weapons are a part of the well-considered Russian policy aimed
at making Azerbaijan dependent on weapon supplies. By the political
decision to supply Azerbaijan with Russian arms, Moscow is trying to
strengthen its levers of pressure on Baku, because Russia is concerned
about the supplies of Israeli and Turkish military hardware to
Azerbaijan”, says the analyst.

He thinks that the Russian weapon supplies to Azerbaijan are also
connected with the Iranian factor conditioned by the revolutionary
changes in Tehran’s relations with the United States and Israel. Iran
was considered as the West’s rival and Turkey as the West’s ally.
Armenia was a counterweight in the system of these relations.
Meanwhile, now that Iran has even decided to recognize Holocaust,
Azerbaijan will not play the same role as before, and this cannot help
influencing Russia’s policy towards Azerbaijan, Sargsyan says.

“Baku is surely tracing all these changes and understands its
significance. To all appearances, Baku wants to receive preferences as
weapons for its game at Russia’s bidding”, says Sargsyan.

10,000 ARMENIAN SYRIANS MOVED TO ARMENIA

Over 10,000 Armenian Syrians have moved to Armenia. The head of the
ad-hoc commission for Syrian Armenians Firdus Zakaryan told Lragir.am
that Syrian Armenians get to Armenia via Lebanon and Egypt.

“For over two months Beirut-Yerevan flight has been operated twice
a week, and over 30-40% of passengers of this flight are Armenian
Syrians. They get more allowances here so they prefer Armenia,” Firdus
Zakaryan said. He noted that the Armenian Syrians mostly settle down
in Armenia, they do not move to a third country.

Since spring of last year about 15,000 Armenian Syrians have moved to
Armenia, 5000 returned. These 10,000 Armenian Syrians live in Armenia.

According to the Ministry of Diaspora, only several dozens of Armenian
Syrian families have left Armenia for European countries. According
to Firdus Zakaryan, the highest numbers of repatriation of Armenians
are from Iraq and Syria. Unlike the Armenian Syrians, however, most
Armenian Iraqis further moved to other countries.

Note that the government is going to build New Aleppo district for
Armenian Syrians.

“We hope to get due funding to make sure that the Armenian Syrians
have housewarming parties next fall,” Firdus Zakaryan stated.

Roza Hovhannisyan 00:34 27/09/2013 Story from Lragir.am News:

L’ARMENIE VOIT-ELLE PLUS DE MENACE [MILITAIRE] DU COTE DE LA TURQUIE QUE DU COTE DE L’AZERBAIDJAN ?

ARMENIE

Hayots Achkhar, Azg et Hayastani Hanrapetoutioun rendent compte
de la rencontre du Ministre de la Defense, Seyran Ohanian, avec
les etudiants de l’Universite d’Etat, au cours de laquelle il a
dissipe les craintes quant au desequilibre des forces dans la region,
indiquant que l’Armenie fait preuve de la plus grande vigilance quant
au processus d’achat d’armements par l’Azerbaïdjan. Erevan etait
informe depuis deux ans du contrat russo-azerbaïdjanais de vente
d’armements pour un milliard de dollars. Selon le Ministre, ce n’est
pas le ” voisin de l’est “, l’Azerbaïdjan, qui preoccupe l’Armenie,
mais le ” voisin de l’ouest “, la Turquie. La cooperation militaire
qu’entretient l’Armenie avec la Russie et son adhesion a l’OTSC sont
avant tout motivees par le ” facteur turc “. La base militaire russe
stationnee a Gumri constitue donc un garant de securite de l’Armenie.

Le Ministre a par ailleurs commente la decision de l’Armenie
d’adherer a l’Union douanière, la considerant comme ” strategique
“. Cela permettra d’approfondir davantage encore le partenariat avec
la Russie, dont le secteur militaro-industriel beneficiera.

Extrait de la revue de presse de l’Ambassade de France en Armenie en
date du 19 septembre 2013

vendredi 27 septembre 2013, Stephane ©armenews.com

MIKHEIL SAAKASHVILI: “MOSCOW WANTS NEITHER AZERBAIJAN, NOR ARMENIA TO WIN THE NAGORNO KARABAKH CONFLICT”

APA, Azerbaijan
Sept 26 2013

[ 26 September 2013 14:52 ]

Baku – APA. “Russia is continuing the policy to annex Georgia’s
territories and weaken our country,” said President of Georgia Mikheil
Saakashvili addressing the session of the UN General Assembly, APA
reports quoting Armenia today.

He said that Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych also complained
about Russia’s pressure.

Saakashvili stated that strengthening of former Soviet republics –
Georgia, Ukraine, Moldova, Azerbaijan and Armenia is unfavorable for
Russia: “Do you think that Putin wants Armenia to win the conflict
with Azerbaijan? No. This would turn Armenia into a powerful and
independent country. Or, do you think that Moscow wants Baku to prevail
over Yerevan? No, they don’t want anyone to win. The conflict is their
goal, because it impedes the people’s independence and integration
into the European Union.”

AZERBAIJANI FIRST DEPUTY SPEAKER: ARMENIA IS A STRUCTURE RATHER THAN COUNTRY

Trend, Azerbaijan
Sept 26 2013

Azerbaijan, Baku, Sept. 26 / Trend M. Aliyev /

Armenia is a structure rather than a country, the first deputy speaker
of the Azerbaijani Parliament and Chairman of the Parliamentary
Committee on Security and Defence Ziyafat Asgarov told the media today.

According to him, Armenia is an outpost in strange hands.

“Personally, I do not consider Armenia as a country and stress this
with full responsibility,” he added. “Armenia is just a structure,
an outpost in someone’s hands.”

“Armenia does not have an independent foreign policy,” he said. “There
is no normal person with whom one could negotiate in international
law and decisions taken by the UN Security Council.”

“Armenia’s economic situation is getting worse and worse every year,”
he said. “Around 100,000 people leave the country annually. The pension
policy is in a very poor condition. If Armenia as a particular country
would conduct a specific policy, then one could negotiate with it.”

“Armenia, having no common border with any country which is a member
of the Customs Union, joined this organisation,” he added.

“All this is just a game,” he concluded.

DOGUBAYAZIT – THE HIDDEN TOURIST ATTRACTION IN EASTERN TURKEY

Travel Video News
Sept 26 2013

Dogubayazit is a city and district of Agri Province of Turkey, and is
Turkey’s most eastern district, the border crossing to Iran. Elevation
1625 m. Area 2,383 km². Population (2010) 115,354 (up from 73,794 in
1980) of which 69,447 live in the town of Dogubeyazit, the remainder in
the surrounding countryside. The town of Dogubayazit is a settlement
with a long history. It lies 15 km southwest of Mount Ararat, 93
km east of the city of Agri and 35 km from the Iranian border. The
town stands on a plain surrounded by some of Turkey’s highest peaks
including: Ararat (5,137m), Little Ararat (3,896m), Tendurek Dagi
(3,533m), Kaletepe (3,196m) Aridagi (2,934m) and Gollertepe (2,643m).

The weather on the plain is hot and dry in summer, cold and dry
in winter.

The Dogubayazit district of the eastern Turkish province of Agri has
become the focus of interest for domestic and foreign tourists along
with the solution process, an initiative to resolve the Kurdish issue
which has scaled down terror-related court cases and revived tourism
in eastern Turkey.

Chairman of the Chamber of Trade and Industry in Dogubayazit, Ali
Efe told Anadolu Agency that Dogubayazit has hosted a great many
of domestic and foreign tourists so far with its historically and
naturally beautiful landscapes, such as Agri Mountain, Ishak Pasha
Palace, the meteor pit, the ice cave on Agri Mountain and Balik Golu
(Fish Lake)

The district remains at the forefront with its historical and cultural
elements, said Efe, noting that more tourists have begun to visit
Agri Mountain, the highest mountain in Turkey.

Expressing the attraction of rumors that traces of Noah’s ark were
found on Agri Mountain, Efe stated thousands of mountaineers climbed
to the summit every year.

Efe also expressed that more people have especially begun to visit
these beauties in Dogubayazit after the solution process, adding, “the
Turkish government’s democratization package will be more effective in
the development of the region. We will give the necessary assistance
to those who want to invest in this region.”

The area has had a rich history with monuments dating back to the time
of the Kingdom of Urartu (over 2700 years ago). Before the Ottoman
Empire the site was referred to by its Armenian name, Daroynk. In the
4th century the Sasanians failed to capture the Armenian stronghold and
royal treasury at Daroynk. Princes of the Bagratid dynasty of Armenia
resided at Daroynk and rebuilt the fortress. It was subsequently
conquered by Persians, Romans, Arabs, and Byzantines all of whom would
have used the plain to rest and recoup during their passages across
the mountains. Turkish peoples arrived in 1064, but were soon followed
by the Mongols and further waves of Turks. The castle of Daroynk was
built and rebuilt many times throughout this history, although it is
now named after the Turkish warlord Celayirli Å~^ehzade Bayazit Han
who ordered one of the rebuildings (in 1374).

Ultimately, the town was renamed Beyazit itself in the 16th century.

After its conquest by the Ottoman Empire in 1514 the area was ruled
by Turkish generals, later including Ishakpasa, who built the palace
that still bears his name.

The town saw fighting in the Turko-Persian War of 1821-1822, was
attacked by Russia in 1856, and taken by the Russians during the
Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878. When the Russians retreated many
of the Armenian population left with them to build New Beyazit (now
Gavar at Armenia) on the shore of Lake Sevan.

Dogubeyazit was further ravaged during World War I and the Turkish
War of Independence.

CENTURIES OF SYRIA’S HISTORY DESTROYED IN JUST TWO YEARS

21:35 ~U 26.09.13

Besides killing more than 100,000 people, Syria’s civil war is exacting
another irreparable toll as historic sites and artworks are looted
or destroyed in the fighting.

An emergency list of endangered artworks was released Wednesday at
the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The initiative stems from
the International Council of Museums, in collaboration with UNESCO
and the US State Department, reports Middle East Online.

“Major Syrian sites have been destroyed or damaged in two years. In
Apamea, a Roman city in the south, heavy looting on the archeological
site, around April 2011, and the minaret in Aleppo, burned a few months
ago,” said Bonnie Burnham, president and CEO, World Monuments Fund.

The minaret, which was nearly 1,000 years old, was destroyed in
fighting between government and rebel forces in April of this year.

The fighting left the mosque pockmarked with bullet holes.

Apamea suffered major looting, Bonham said.

The bad news does not stop there. Because of the war in Syria,
a cradle of civilizations whose heritage goes back to the Greeks,
the Byzantine Empire and the Ottoman Empire, many prestigious and
registered sites are under threat.

In central Syria, Palmyra, an oasis of Roman ruins boasting temples
and pillars, is exposed to looters and destruction.

The Crac des Chevaliers castle, which dates back to the Crusades and
perched on a hilltop in western Syria, as well as the old quarter of
the capital Damascus, are also in bad shape.

The US State Department said that in the six regions of Syria’s
cultural heritage that are listed by UNESCO as global treasures,
46 sites and hundreds of historic buildings are in danger.

The list just released aims to put out an alert “so that law
enforcement, art dealers and collectors can be aware of” the objects
that may be out there, said Anne Richard, assistant secretary of
state for population, refugees and migration.

She spoke at the presentation of the list on the sidelines of the UN
General Assembly.

She said ancient pieces have been found as smugglers tried to sneak
them out of Syria.

The list brings together items that are not stolen but come from
museums inside and outside Syria. The idea is to try to illustrate the
kinds of pieces that might end up being trafficked, said Hans-Martin
Hinz, president of ICOM.

It includes bronze plaques with inscriptions, statuettes made of
stone or precious metals, ceramic vases or pieces of mosaics.

Irina Bokova, UNESCO director-general, said “protecting heritage is
inseparable from protecting lives, it must be part of the humanitarian
effort.”

She said some pieces have been found on the market in Beirut and Amman,
but not much has been done in response.

While it is dramatic, the situation in Syria is hardly unique. Similar
lists were written up for Iraq, Egypt and Afghanistan. In the latter,
the famed Buddhas of Bamiyan dating back to the sixth century were
blown up by the Taliban in 2001.

Sheila Canby, curator in charge of the Metropolitan Museum’s Department
of Islamic Art, said at least part of Syria’s cultural heritage is
being erased.

“I don’t know the complete extent in every place but what I have seen
at Apamea, for example, is shocking, horrible,” she said. “It’s as
bad as it was in Afghanistan.”

Armenian News – Tert.am