Author: Badalian Vardan

Armenian Ambassador makes speech at UN conference

news.am
December 01, 2012 | 17:16

On November 30 the UN Security Council for the third time this year
addressed the topic of `Women, Peace and Security,’ where the
Ambassador of Armenia Karen Nazaryan made a speech.

As Armenian News-NEWS.am was informed at the press service of the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia, the Ambassador praised the
work of the public sector in this area. According to him, due to
inadequate database on the extent, frequency and impact of violence
against women, the development of necessary reforms is slowed down.

Ambassador Karen Nazaryan stressed the importance of political
involvement of women, particularly in regions affected by conflicts.
In this regard, he expressed the hope that the program of the European
Partnership for the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict, developed for the civil society, will be of great benefit
for the media and civil sector in all three countries.

President Bako Sahakyan visited a newly constructed apartment building
located in the Toumanyan Street of the capital Stepanakert

News from Armenia and Diaspora – Noyan Tapan
30-11-2012 17:33:05 | | Economy

On 30 November Artsakh Republic President Bako Sahakyan visited a
newly constructed apartment building located in the Toumanyan Street
of the capital Stepanakert and got acquainted to its conditions.
The Head of the State considered housing among key directions of the
republic’s socioeconomic development noting that the process would be
of a continuous nature and such comfortable apartments would be built
in different settlements of the republic.
Thereafter the President visited `Sur-Narek’ Co Ltd production site of
construction materials and got acquainted to the activities being
carried out there. President Sahakyan considered important the
existence of such enterprises for boosting local industry.
The President was accompanied by prime-minister Ara Haroutyunyan and
other officials.

CENTRAL INFORMATION DEPARTMENT
OF THE OFFICE OF THE ARTSAKH REPUBLIC PRESIDENT

Turkish scientist says economic interests behind pro-Azeri policy

November 29, 2012 – 17:26 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Annual international forum titled `Dynamics of
regional security in South Caucasus’ organized by the Institute for
National Strategic Studies of the Ministry of Defense of Armenia and
Political Science Association of Armenia, kicked off in Yerevan Nov
29, with rector of Kadir Has University (KHU) Prof. Mustafa Aydın
representing Turkey.
`Turkey pursues pro-Azerbaijani policy, rather than anti-Armenian,
with economic and other interests behind it,’ he said.
`Ankara-Baku ties bear a strategic character,’ Prof. Aydın said,
adding that relations with Armenia are characterized by disagreements,
rather than hostile attitude.
Asked about the transfer of Azerbaijani axe-killer Ramil Safarov to
Baku, he said, `I condemn the move.’
Dwelling on the Armenian Genocide, Prof. Aydın dubbed the occurrence
mass killings, stressing the need for opening of border.

Obscene II

Garen Yegparian

BY GAREN YEGPARIAN

Evidently, it wasn’t enough that we learned about the trafficking of
women from Armenia for use as prostitutes in the Persian Gulf states
from the exposé done by Ara Manoogian some seven years ago. No doubt,
this odious practice continues.

Nor, apparently, was it enough to be treated to the profoundly
rankling reality of women from Armenia entering the sex trade in
Turkey. This, too, probably continues unabated, though I haven’t heard
much about it recently. But, guess what, a school in Constantinople
is being (re)built to serve the numerous Armenian children who have
been added to our community’s ranks in that city. Guess where they
arrived from.

Of course it was clearly not enough to have to digest the sobering
reality that Armenians fire-bombed a bar frequented by other Armenians
whose sexual orientation the attackers deemed inappropriate.

Now we get to relish the selling of young Armenian women as brides to
Persians or Turks in Iran. While this may have been OK long ago, it’s
hardly so today. How can selling a person be acceptable? I’d like to
think this is not true, but unfortunately, it seems all too plausible!

The story I heard was of someone going back to visit his home town in
northern Iran and being invited by old friends to visit and reminisce.
Over the meal, the hosts proudly told this fellow that they had gotten
brides from Armenia, not just one, but TWO. They also mentioned paying
a pretty penny for them. The practice of paying a bride price is
evidently more common in polygamous societies where, understandably, a
relative scarcity of women relative to men is created.

Brain drain, expatriation for work (today’s version of the 19th
century’s `bantoukhd’), and now a bride drain; what’s next, selling
babies? Or maybe that’s already happening and I don’t know about it.

Just STOP! Armenia’s authorities have to start acting like a
government and not a band of marauding, looting, ravaging nomads! The
ongoing immiseration of the bulk of the Republic of Armenia’s
population quite naturally leads to all these reprehensible, sad, and
desperate actions. Let’s browbeat this government into acting
responsibly or contribute to a fundamental change in leadership come
the presidential elections this winter.

Azerbaijani soldier unwilling to return to his country

06:02 pm | November 30, 2012 | Politics

On November 30, the Armenian side handed over Azerbaijani citizen
Telman Javanshir oglu Aliyev to the Azerbaijani side under
surveillance of the representatives of the Red Cross, Armenpress news
agency reports.

The transfer took place near Kayanavan settlement in Tavush marz
(province), Artsrun Hovhannisyan, a spokesman for the RA Ministry of
Defense, told the news agency. During the transfer the Armenian side
again raised the question of Armenian captives and hostages and again
the Azerbaijani side did not take reasonable position.
“Azerbaijan officially announces that they do not have Armenian
captives, except a family that crossed the state border voluntarily,”
said Mr Hovhannisyan.

He also stated that Telman Javanshir oglu Aliyev was not deaf and
dumb, although he had problems with communication. Also, Artsrun
Hovhannisyan mentioned that the other Azerbaijani hostage Firuz
Farazov does not want to return to his country, he wants to be
transferred to a third party. Now they are discussing the issue with
the International Committee of Red Cross.
Resident of Mazamli village of Gazakh (Khaghkhagh) region Telman
Javanshir oglu Aliyev (born in 1971) crossed the Armenian-Azerbaijani
border in the direction of Tavush region at 07:45 on November 12.

Currently, Azerbaijani serviceman Firuz Farazov is kept in Armenia. He
crossed the Armenian border on July 26 and surrendered to the Armenian
militaries.

Susi Kentikian to fight for WBA title

December 1

Susi `Killer-Queen’ Kentikian (29-1, 16KOs), who represents Germany
but originally hails from Armenian capital city Yerevan, will fight
for the vacant WBA Female Flyweight Title, on Saturday, in Düsseldorf,
Germany.

In the ten-round bout, Kentikian will go against the American, Carina
Moreno, 31, who is a four-time former world champion, Boxingscene
reports.

To note, Susi Kentikian is the former WIBF (2007) and WBO (2009)
flyweight champion.

NEWS.am Spor

Azerbaijan violates ceasefire 200 times during the week

tert.am
14:14 – 01.12.12

According to the operative information of the Nagorno-Karabakh Defense
Army, the Azerbaijani side violated the ceasefire 200 times at the
line of contact between the armed forces of Nagorno Karabakh and
Azerbaijan between November 25-December 1.

The Azerbaijani side fired 1000 shots from weapons of different
caliber in the direction of the Armenian positions.

Divisions of the NKR Defense Army refrained from responding to the
provocative actions and carried out their military duty all along the
line of contact, Press and Propaganda Department of the Defense Army
reported. No losses and wounded have been reported.

Turkey’s newly elected ombudsman under fire over Dink case

December 1, 2012 – 12:32 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Pressure is mounting for Turkey’s newly elected
first ombudsman to resign amid criticism from the family of slain
Turkish-Armenian journalist, editor-in-chief of Agos bilingual weekly
Hrant Dink, who was assassinated in January 2007.
According to Hurriyet Daily News, Mehmet Ã-meroÄ?lu, a retired member of
the Supreme Court of Appeals, is under fire for his role in an appeals
court verdict. He was one of the judges who approved the late Dink’s
sentence under Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code, which outlaws
`publicly insulting the Turkish nation,’ in July 2006.
Dink’s brother Hosof Dink said the appeals court verdict was the late
journalist’s death sentence. `Instead of calling those who gave this
verdict to account, they are rewarded,’ he said.
Ã-meroÄ?lu was elected by parliament as Turkey’s first chief ombudsman on Nov 27.
The retired judge responded to the criticisms about the controversial
Dink verdict, saying he was not even aware that the name in that case
was `Hrant’ since it was written as `Fırat,’ Dink’s official name in
the registered documents, according to a daily Radikal report on Nov
30.
The main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) also called for
Ã-meroÄ?lu’s resignation. `Under these circumstances, we can say the
ombudsman institute in Turkey was stillborn,’ CHP deputy Atilla Kart
said.

UN General Assembly calls for Moscow Conference on Middle East

December 1, 2012 – 14:56 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – The UN General Assembly has adopted a resolution
Friday, Nov 30, calling for the Moscow Conference on the Middle East
that has repeatedly been postponed to be held as soon as possible, a
RIA Novosti reported.
The General Assembly said Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA)
should resume peace talks under the auspices of the Middle East
Quartet of international mediators comprising Russia, the United
States, the UN and the European Union.
The UN General Assembly recognized on Thursday the PA as a non-member
observer state by a more than two-thirds majority. Israel and the
United States were among nine UN members that voted against the move.
The Moscow Conference is an initiative proposed by Russian diplomats
in 2005 to promote the Middle East peace process both between Israelis
and Palestinians and between Israel and Syria.
The Quartet on the Middle East was established in 2002 and is devoted
to negotiating peace in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Armenian president, European people’s party head find cooperation effective

YEREVAN, November 30. /ARKA/. Serzh Sargsyan, the president of Armenia
and the leader of the Republican Party of Armenia, discussed today
cooperation-related issues with Wilfried Martens, the head of the
European People’s Party, who is now in Yerevan for Eastern Partnership
countries’ summit, the president’s press office reports.

Sargsyan and Martens noted with pleasure that although the Republican
Party of Armenia joined the European People’s Party just recently,
effective cooperation has already begun, and Armenia’s capital is
hosting the Eastern Partnership summit now.

Martens said that this year was marked not only with the Republican
Party of Armenia, Orinats Yerkir and Zharangutiun (Heritage) parties’
joining to the European People’s Party, but also with free and correct
parliamentary elections in Armenia.

Upcoming presidential election in Armenia was discussed at the meeting as well.
The mentioned Armenian parties are observers in the European People’s
Party. –0—