Author: Badalian Vardan

EDWARD NALBANDYAN TO DEPART FOR GEORGIA

10:01, 18 January, 2013

YEREVAN, JANUARY 18, ARMENPRESS. On January 17 the Minister of Foreign
Affairs of the Republic of Armenia Edward Nalbandyan and Minister
of Foreign Affairs of Georgia Maia Panjikidze, who visited Armenia
with the delegation headed by the Prime Minister of Georgia Bidzina
Ivanishvili, had a meeting.

The Department of Press, Information and Public Relations of the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia informed
“Armenpress” that during the meeting Edward Nalbandyan and Maia
Panjikidze discussed a number of questions regarding the meeting of
the President of the Republic of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan and Prime
Minister of Georgia Bidzina Ivanishvili, as well as issues concerning
the realization of agreements made between the Prime Ministers of
the two countries.

The Ministers of Foreign Affairs were glad to announce that there
are no problems in the relations of the two countries, there are
only issues, which find positive solution due to the joint efforts
of the sides.

Among other things the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Armenia and
Georgia spoke about a row of regional and international issues,
which are of a certain importance for the both countries.

There was made an agreement that the sides will continue discussions
during Edward Nalbandyan’s visit to Georgia scheduled to take place
in February.

CONFERENCE ON THE HISTORY OF TURKEY TO BE HELD IN ARMENIA

10:17, 18 January, 2013

YEREVAN, JANUARY 18, ARMENPRESS: 2013 is expected to be a saturated
year for Oriental Institute of the National Academy of Sciences of the
Republic of Armenia. Scientific themes elaborated by the Institute for
over three years will be presented to the scientists, Ruben Safrastyan,
Director of the Oriental Studies Institute told Armenpress. 2012 was
a transitional year regarding the achievements, reportedly more than
dozen books and over hundred articles have been published, various
scientific conferences have been held. during the year.

Safrastyan particularly singled out the publication of “Modern Eurasia”
scientific collection, comprising of two volumes, first part dedicated
to Turkey-Iran relations, the second to the Arab world. A manual on
Ottoman language was first published in Armenia in 2012 too.

Among the conferences launched in the course of the year the Director
of the Institute underlined the importance of the launch of a
symposium on Aghvanq issues. Safrastyan called it of great importance
as Azerbaijan cares no efforts to distort the history of Aghvanq. In
the words of the interlocutor it was the third conference on the theme,
they have planned to publish the materials of all three conferences
simultaneously, thus preventing Azerbaijan to falsify history.

Oriental Institute of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic
of Armenia will continue to cooperate with Russia’s Institute for
Strategic Studies. (NAS)have conducted a joint seminar with (RISS)on
the events taken place in the Middle East. Oriental Institute is
set to organize a conference dedicated to Caucasian studies, as well
as a conference on the history of Turkey and important issues: the
conference is especially important for Turkologists.

TURQUIE : IL Y A SIX ANS, TOMBAIT LE MARTIN LUTHER KING ARMENIEN

Publié le : 18-01-2013

Info Collectif VAN – – Le 19 janvier 2007, le
journaliste arménien de Turquie, Hrant Dink, tombait assassiné de
trois balles dans la tête, devant les locaux de son journal Agos
a Istanbul. Celui qui restera pour la postérité comme celui qui
oeuvrait, en Turquie même, a briser les tabous, que ce soit celui
du génocide arménien, ou celui du dialogue entre descendants des
victimes et petits-fils des assassins, s’écroulait sous les coups de
ce que l’on nomme en Turquie, l’Etat profond, véritable nébuleuse
islamo-fasciste. Six ans après la mort de la 1 500 001e victime du
génocide arménien, la section de Paris de l’Organisation Terre et
Culture vous invite le vendredi 18 janvier a 20h30 sur la Péniche
Anako, a une soirée de commémoration en hommage a Hrant Dink. Au
programme, analyses de l’événement et de ses conséquences,
projection, performance musicale.

Vendredi 18 janvier a 20h30

La section de Paris de l’Organisation Terre et Culture vous invite
a une soirée a l’occasion du 6ème anniversaire de l’assassinat de
Hrant Dink

analyses de l’événement et de ses conséquences, projection,
performance musicale…

avec la participation de

Kégham Kévonian, Hamit Bozarslan, Serra Torrun, Tabita Toparlak ,
Alâra Kuset, Shushan Kerovpyan, Maral Kerovpyan…

Entrée libre

Péniche Anako, Bassin de La Villette, face au 61 quai de Seine,
75019 Paris (M° Riquet, Stalingrad ou Jaurès)

Lire aussi :

Belgique: 6 ans après l’assassinat de Hrant Dink

Turquie : Calendrier du 6e anniversaire de l’assassinat de Hrant Dink

Buradayız Ahparig – Il y a six ans, Hrant Dink était assassiné

“Pas de justice pour Hrant Dink”

Affaire Hrant Dink – Fethiye Cetin écrit au Conseil de l’Europe

Le dossier Dink pas encore envoyé devant la Cour de Cassation

Un rapport turc pointe ” les erreurs officielles ” dans le meurtre
de Hrant Dink

Turquie : l’assassin de Dink, jugé en tant qu’enfant

Turquie: De nouvelles décisions décevantes

Turquie : le meurtrier de Dink devant un tribunal pour enfants ?

Hrant Dink : Chroniques d’un journaliste assassiné

4 ans: les assassins de Hrant Dink restent toujours impunis!

Berlin : Semaine Hrant Dink du 13 au19 janvier 2011

Ankara/Hrant Dink : manifestation de la gauche turque et kurde

4 ans déja : le Collectif VAN rend hommage a Hrant Dink

Personne n’est Hrant Dink

Turquie : le meurtre du journaliste arménien impuni

Justice pour le journaliste Hrant Dink

Turquie : justice pour le journaliste turco-arménien Hrant Dink !

Hrant Dink : ses assassins sont-ils plus puissants que le gouvernement
?

Hrant Dink : l’Etat turc est l’assassin

Pétition : Justice pour Hrant Dink

Turquie ” Le procès de Dink est un petit ‘procès de 1915’ ”

Hrant Dink : Le Gouvernement turc condamné par sa justice

Turquie : Hrant Dink immortalisé dans un film d’animation

Manifestation en mémoire de Hrant Dink a Paris

Procès Dink : ” Arménien, connais pas. Circulez, y’a rien a voir ”

Turquie/Procès Hrant Dink : Rapport d’observation du Barreau de Paris

11ème audience du procès Dink : “Les questions fondamentales
demeurent”

Procès Hrant Dink : 3e rapport de mission d’observation judiciaire

Turquie: Menaces de mort contre l’auteur d’un livre sur le meurtre
de Hrant Dink

Retour a la rubrique

FOOD FIGHT RAGES IN THE CAUCASUS

January 17, 2013

Many in Armenia have been incensed that “Keshkek” has been added to
a UNESCO heritage on behalf of Turkey. They claim that the wheat or
barley stew is actually an Armenian dish known as “Harissa.”

There is perhaps nothing more closely bound up with one’s national
identity than food.

Specific local dishes are often seen as the embodiment of various
cultures and many nations promote their food as a celebration of
national identity.

Sometimes, however, a country’s cuisine can also be used to highlight
national rivalries.

Czechs, for example, sometimes affectionately (some would say
condescendingly) refer to their Slovak cousins as “Halusky” after
the typical gnocchi dish that comprises part of their national cuisine.

Similarly, the English often disparagingly call their French neighbors
“Frogs” because of the Gallic penchant for eating the legs of said
amphibians.

Culinary flashpoints can also arise when neighboring nations all lay
claim to the same regional dish.

For instance, the Scots, English, and the Irish often bicker about
whose fried breakfast is the original and the best of the species.

In the volatile Caucasus region, though, it seems that such food
fights have now been taken to a whole new level.

As Eurasianet.org reports, many Armenians are up in arms about a
recent UNESCO decision to add the Anatolian stew “Keshkek” to its
Intangible Cultural Heritage List on behalf of Turkey.

They claim that “Keshkek” is actually an Armenian meal, which they call
“Harissa.”

Now a group of ethnographers from Turkey’s western neighbor are
actually compiling information on the dish to appeal the ruling by
the UN’s cultural agency.

According to the News.am website, Sedrak Mamulyan, the chairman of
the “Development and Preservation of Armenian Culinary Traditions”
organization, is intent on demonstrating that “the utensils, methods,
and ingredients used for making…Harissa have a pure Armenian origin
and it is a purely Armenian dish.”

The traditional Khash soup is another dish whose “nationality”
is disputed.

The same organization has also attacked Georgia for commandeering
“Khash.” It insists that this tasty beef soup is in fact an Armenian
national dish.

Armenia, meanwhile, has itself come under fire from Azerbaijan, which
has accused its neighbor and regional nemesis of “cuisine plagiarism.”

Baku’s National Security Ministry has even set up a National
Cuisine Center to reinforce its claim to the nation’s cuisine and,
in particular, to help counter any Armenian efforts to appropriate
what it feels are Azerbaijani dishes.

Azerbaijan and Armenia are at loggerheads over the origins of Tolma.

The “Tolma” dish, which consists of meatballs wrapped in grape leaves,
seems to be a particular bone of contention between the two countries,
especially since Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev publicly announced
last year that it was an Azeri national dish.

This provoked a furious response in Armenia and various initiatives
have been launched to help save the country’s national dishes from
“occupants.” This even includes holding an annual Tolma Festival to
reinforce the idea that it is a typically Armenian food.

Whatever the upshot of these culinary claims and counterclaims, it
sadly doesn’t seem like these regional rivals will be sitting down
to break bread with each other anytime soon.

— Coilin O’Connor

PM HAILS DEVELOPMENT PROSPECTS OF ARMENIAN-GEORGIAN TIES

January 17, 2013 – 14:38 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Armenia and Georgia possess vast potential to deepen
and expand bilateral relations, Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan said.

As he told a joint press conference with his Georgian counterpart
Bidzina Ivanishvili, a working group will be formed to further hold
intergovernmental commission meetings.

The Georgian official, in turn, stressed the need to create a
common market to foster mutual integration. ~SGeorgia~Rs newly-formed
government aims to develop relations with the neighboring countries,~T
Ivanishvili said.

Two agreements on culture and harmonization of border checkpoints
were signed upon the completion of the official meeting.

PM IVANISHVILI: ‘THERE ARE NO PROBLEMS IN TIES WITH ARMENIA’

Civil Georgia, Tbilisi / 17 Jan.’13 / 17:02

PM Bidzina Ivanishvili, who held talks with the Armenian leadership
in Yerevan on January 17, said “there are no problems” in bilateral
relations, called for deepening economic ties between the two countries
and spoke of his readiness to work on restoring a railway link that
would reconnect Armenia with Russia via Georgia including through
breakaway Abkhazia.

The Georgian delegation, led by PM Ivanishvili, pays one-day visit
to Armenia about three weeks after visiting Azerbaijan. The Georgian
PM met his Armenian counterpart Tigran Sargsyan and also held talks
with President Serzh Sargsyan.

“We had a very friendly meeting,” PM Ivanishvili said at a joint news
conference with his Armenian counterpart Tigran Sargsyan. He said that
conversation “proceeded so easily” as if the two knew each other for
a long time already.

“Decisions were made on most of the issues discussed during the
meeting. There are several issues which require additional discussions
and I think we will find a compromise over these issues as well,”
Ivanishvili said.

He said that during the talks, the Armenian PM mentioned need for
common market “which I embraced.”

“It will be very good if we manage to maximally integrate our
markets; it will make easier to foster growth of economies of our two
countries,” Ivanishvili said. “Georgia’s new government is maximally
disposed towards deepening of relations between the two friendly
states and first of all economic relations should be deepened.”

Armenian PM Tigran Sargsyan said that there were no issues in bilateral
relations impossible to resolve.

“There is a huge potential for development of economic cooperation. I
want to thank my Georgian counterpart for voicing his positive attitude
towards almost all the issues,” the Armenian PM said.

Asked during the press conference if restoration of the railway link
between Georgia and Russia via Abkhazia was possible, Georgian PM
Ivanishvili responded: “It’s possible.” He, however, added that the
issue was complicated because of troubled relations between Georgia
and Russian and because of “uneasy relations with our Abkhaz brothers”.

“You know that there are no problems in relationships between Georgia
and Armenia,” he said.

“But we have huge problems in relationship with Russia. The problems
were huge and they unfortunately still remain. We hope that relations
– and we try it – to restore and mend ties with Russia. Profound and
the most problematic issue is about Georgia’s territorial integrity,”
PM Ivanishvili said and added that this issue would not be possible
to resolve in the nearest future.

He, however, also said that the issue of railway could be resolved
in case of a political will from all the parties.

“The Georgian side voiced its readiness in this regard,” PM Ivanishvili
said. “On our part there is full readiness for solving all the issues
as soon as possible.”

Armenian PM Sargsyan said that the issue of railway link was discussed
and added that Yerevan would make efforts for resolving this issue.

“We are interested in resolving this issue as soon as possible,”
the Armenian PM said. “We will take proactive position in this regard.”

Bidzina Ivanishvili first announced about his readiness to look into
possibility of restoring the railway link during his pre-election
campaign in September, 2012.

In a November, 2012 public opinion survey, commissioned by the U.S.

National Democratic Institute (NDI), 68% of Georgian respondents said
they would approve reestablishment of a railway link between Georgia
and Russia via breakaway Abkhazia; 6% disapproved and 24% did not know.

During the news conference a journalist from the Georgian TV channel,
Rustavi 2, asked the Prime Ministers about “misunderstanding over
remarks” of Georgian Foreign Minister Maia Panjikidze.

PM Ivanishvili, who appeared annoyed by the question, responded:
“There have been thousands of explanations about this issue; even
Rustavi 2 itself explained it; don’t you have anything else [to ask]?”

The issue involves misquoting Foreign Minister Maia Panjikidze’s
remarks on Nagorno-Karabakh conflict by media outlets when during her
visit to Lithuania she spoke at an event organized by the Lithuanian
Parliament’s European Club and Eastern Europe Studies Center on
January 10.

Azerbaijani news agency 1news.az reported at the time that Panjikidze
said: “Georgia’s position on this issue remains unchanged. It is
essential to establish peace in the region. The Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict should be settled only in frames of the territorial integrity
of Azerbaijan.”

This report was seized upon by some media outlets in Georgia, as well
as by some UNM lawmakers who even demanded Panjikidze’s resignation.

What Panjikidze actually said was: “We are not involved in the
discussion between Azerbaijan and Armenia. But [the fact] that we
support the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan,
I can repeat [it] many, many times.”

“They [media outlets] distorted [FM’s] remarks, then explained that
it was distorted, but they still are asking about it,” Ivanishvili
said during the joint news conference with his Armenian counterpart.

“Rustavi 2 was the most active and enjoying with this issue for
two days and then they saw that there was no mistake [in Foreign
Minister’s remarks].”

“The issue [of Nagorno-Karabakh] is very difficult,” he continued. “I
had a conversation about this issue with the Azerbaijani President
Ilham Aliyev during my visit to Azerbaijan. I conveyed the position of
the Azerbaijani President to [the Armenian] Prime Minister. I will not
go into details of this issue, but I can say that the issue is very
difficult and as it seems it will be difficult to solve this issue
in the near future. Everything should be done in order to solve this
problem solely through peaceful means.”

Armenian PM Tigran Sargsyan thanked his Georgian counterpart for
“balanced position” over Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

“It’s not a secret that very often certain statements about Karabakh
are distorted. We are grateful to our Georgian colleagues for a
prompt reaction in order to prevent such interpretations, which
do not correspond to the position of the Georgian government,” PM
Sargsyan said.

During the visit the Georgian side signed two agreements with Armenia
– one between the ministries of culture of the two countries and
another one on joint use of customs points on the border between the
two countries, which was signed by the finance ministers.

ARMENIAN NATIONAL CONGRESS VIABLE, REP SAYS

17.01.13

The opposition bloc Armenian National Congress (ANC) is living and
working, Zoya Tadevosyan, the Head of the People’s Power civil and
political initiative and ANC member, told Tert.am.

“Moreover, it is the pro-government camp that often claims that the
ANC is not viable any more. It is a provocation,” she said.

In his press interview, ANC Chairman Levon Ter-Petrosyan wished
success to everyone, saying, “I want them to pass from words to deeds.”

With respect to the ANC leader’s further activities and influence
on Armenia’s domestic political arena, Ms Tadevosyan said: “Levon
Ter-Petrosyan’s name alone is itself influential.”

Asked about the ANC’s activities after the February 18 presidential
election in Armenia, Ms Tadevosyan said, “we have to wait and see.”

On the other hand, the ANC will organize protests and rallies.

“Because it is impossible to tolerate these authorities or this
situation. However, the most expressive popular distrust will be
voters remaining at their homes and not participating in the voting,”
Ms Tadevosyan said. In this case, the authorities will not be able
to rig elections by abusing the opposition electorate’s votes.

“By not participating in the voting we show our distrust of the
authorities,” she said. Silence during the elections will show the
people have rejected the authorities.

Ms Tadevosyan believes that some political forces will show
post-election activity against their pre-election passivity. The
forces in question fell away from the ANC in different periods.

Ms Tadevodyan neither refuted nor confirmed the report that the ANC
has a project of transforming into a party. “We have not discussed
this issue.” As regards such a possibility, she said, “Why not.”

TURKEY NOT POSITIVE ON ARMENIA BORDER

ANKARA – Hurriyet Daily News

The burnt interior of Armenian Kevork Church in Aleppo, Syria is
seen after clashes. Many of the Armenians had fled from the Syrian
violence. REUTERS photo

Sevil KucukkoÅ~_um [email protected] Turkey is not
positive about opening its land border with Armenia to facilitate
Syrian-Armenians’ entrance to the country, as suggested by a petition
on the White House’s official website.

Turkey is providing all kinds of facilities for the transfer of
humanitarian aid sent from Armenia to Armenians living in Syria,
Selcuk Unal, the spokesman for the Turkish Foreign Ministry, said
yesterday in a written statement.

The signature collection campaign started on the White House’s website
for Turkey’s unconditional opening of the border with Armenia for
the Syrian refugees.

“Turkey will determine the content, method and conditions of the steps
on its own with regard to the demands that may come on humanitarian
issues,” said the Turkish Foreign Ministry.

Turkey assists people “without making distinction in terms of religion,
language, race and ethnic origin as a natural consequence of the
understanding of conscience inherited from ancestors,” said the
statement. The ministry recalled that Turkey was a prominent country
extending aid to Armenia after earthquakes. moreover, it facilitated
delivering of humanitarian assistance to Armenians in Syria.

Turkey shelters more than 150,000 people with no distinction on the
basis of religion, language, race and ethnic origin, the statement
said, adding that many Armenians had fled from Syria and arrived in
Armenia through Turkey.

The campaign on the White House’s website has political purposes
rather than reflecting realities on the ground, a Turkish official
told the Hurriyet Daily News.

If fleeing the country, any Syrian Armenian would fly from Hatay
to Armenia rather than take the land route, which is thousands of
kilometers long, the official added.

Ready to open special refugee camp

A Turkish official said Turkey was ready to open a special refugee
camp for non-Muslims, but there was no demand yet.

There are a small number of non-Muslims in the camps for Syrian
refugees, but Turkey is ready to facilitate a special camp for them if
high numbers of non-Muslim refugees flee into Turkey and ask for it,
according to the official.

There were no Syrian Armenians registered in the camps, the official
also said.

January/17/2013

PACE DELEGATION CONCERNED OVER INACCURACIES IN ARMENIA’S VOTER LIST

NEWS.AM
January 17, 2013 | 20:31

PACE delegation welcomes the intention of the Armenian authorities
to organize and election fully in line with international standards,
says the statement issued on Thursday.

The pre-electoral delegation headed by Karen Woldseth is on a visit
to Armenia. In the statement the observers express concern over
continuing substantial inaccuracies in the voter list, confusion
about the right to vote for Armenians living abroad. The delegation
was also disappointed to note the previous recommendations on urgently
dealing with these issues have not been implemented.

The delegation also noted that, one month before the vote, the
general public is lacking both interest and confidence in the
electoral process. It is a matter of great concern, in particular,
given that major political parties, which were strongly expected to
present presidential candidates, chose not to do so because of their
lack of trust in the conduct of the election

The decision has narrowed the voters’ choice, leading to a solution
even more regrettable as the elections to come are already overshadowed
by apathy and a lack if faith. The delegation emphasized the citizens’
trust must be restored as elections are essential for democratic
development.

It also strongly hopes that issues already criticized in PACE’s report
on the parliamentary elections of 6 May, 2012, in particular cases of
intimidation of votes and extensive use of administrative resources
have been dealt with in a way that ensures such practices will not
be repeated. It also hopes that a level playing field will be granted
to all candidates, inter alia, through balanced media coverage.

The delegation welcomes increased media freedom and hopes that
registered candidates will engage in electoral campaigns based on
concrete and that the public discussion will focus more on substance,
so that the electorate can make an informed choice.

The delegation is aware of the legal improvements brought by the new
Electoral Code adopted in 2011. It however insists that a fair and
proper implementation of the Code is as important as the Code itself.

The PACE pre-electoral delegation was in Yerevan at the invitation
of the President of the National Assembly. It met with presidential
candidates, including the incumbent President, leaders of the factions
in the Parliament, President of the National Assembly, the Foreign
Minister, the Chairman of the Central Electoral Commission, the
Head of the National Police, the General Prosecutor, NGO and media
representatives, the Head of the OSCE/ODIHR election observation
mission and diplomats in Yerevan.

A full 22-member PACE delegation will arrive in Yerevan in mid-February
to observe the vote. The PACE delegation will present its findings and
recommendations to the Assembly during its April session in Strasburg.

UN LABORATOIRE MODERNE POUR L’EXAMEN DE LA NOURRITURE ET DES MEDICAMENTS
Stephane

armenews.com
jeudi 17 janvier 2013

L’entreprise Tonus-Les va ouvrir un laboratoire moderne pour l’examen
de la nourriture et des medicaments et qui sera operationnelle
en Armenie dans les deux mois a venir a declare Levon Hakobyan, le
president de l’entreprise alors que le Premier ministre armenien Tigran
Sargsyan, le ministre de l’Economie Tigran Davtyan et le ministre de la
Sante Derenik Dumanyan visitaient le laboratoire pour voir sa capacite.

Le laboratoire est concu pour contrôler les medicaments, les
cigarettes, les boissons alcoolisees et non alcoolisees, l’eau,
les jus, le lait, les produits laitiers et les aliments pour bebes.

“Je pense que nous allons obtenir une licence locale cette annee et
serons en mesure de fournir des services de laboratoire pour tous
ceux qui en veulent” a declare Levon Hakobyan.

Le chef du laboratoire a declare que le laboratoire sera une passerelle
vers l’Europe pour les exportateurs armeniens qui ont besoin de
certificats de qualite europeens pour leurs exportations.

Levon Hakobyan a dit que le processus d’obtention de licences
internationales est très complique, mais le laboratoire a ete concue
et construit en tenant compte de toutes les normes internationales.

Selon lui cela signifie qu’il n’y aura pas de problèmes.

La societe a investit 1,3 milliards de drams.

jeudi 17 janvier 2013, Stephane ©armenews.com