Author: Badalian Vardan

22 NOVEMBRE 2012, UNE NOUVELLE AUDIENCE DANS LE PROCES DE PINAR SELEK
Stephane

armenews.com
mercredi 14 novembre 2012

Vous ne savez plus combien de fois le procès de Pýnar Selek a été
reporté ni combien de communiqués vous avez recus ? Nous non plus
!â~@¨14 ans c’est long et on ne compte plus les faux témoignages,
rumeurs et fabrications de preuves, les articles diffamatoires dans
les médias, les reports d’audience pour mille et une raisons, les
intimidations, les acquittements et les appels de la Cour de Cassation.

Torturée et emprisonnée en 1998, Pýnar Selek est depuis la cible
d’un acharnement politique et judiciaire qui tente de la détruire,
de la réduire au silence. â~@¨Pourquoi ? â~@¨Nombreux sont les enjeux
autour du symbole qu’est devenue Pýnar Selek et ils sont pour la
plupart obscurs, basés sur les rapports entre les forces politiques
et militaires, entre les gouvernements successifs et leurs groupes
d’appui souterrains.

En 2002, l’AKP arrive au pouvoir avec l’intention proclamée de
résoudre la question kurde. Aujourd’hui, alors que l’AKP entame
son 3ème mandat, 14 000 intellectuels, principalement kurdes, sont
en prison, la guerre s’intensifie et les positions se durcissent. Le
gouvernement s’enlise dans la guerre, incapable de tenir ses promesses
de paix.â~@¨ Alors qu’on pouvait penser que ce gouvernement mettrait
fin a l’acharnement contre Pinar Selek, il semble que les nouvelles
alliances dues au durcissement du conflit jouent en sa défaveur. Les
guerres ont besoin de symboles et de mensonges. Tous ceux qui tentent
de s’y opposer, d’analyser les positions des uns et des autres et
de créer du dialogue subissent la répression. â~@¨C’est dans ce
contexte que la prochaine audience du procès de Pýnar Selek aura
lieu le 22 novembre 2012.

Et dans sa lutte pour la paix et la justice, Pýnar Selek n’est pas
seule !

Le collectif de solidarité avec Pýnar Selek en France.

mercredi 14 novembre 2012, Stéphane ©armenews.com

LE MAIRE DE VALENCE, ALAIN MAURICE, RECU PAR LE PRESIDENT ARMENIEN
Krikor Amirzayan

armenews.com
mercredi 14 novembre 2012

Ci-dessous le communique de la Ville de Valence suite de la rencontre
entre le Maire Alain Maurice et le president armenien Serge Sarkissian
a Lyon.

” Dans le cadre du voyage officiel en France de M. Sarkissian,
President de la Republique Armenienne, j’ai eu le plaisir d’etre recu
par le chef de l’Etat armenien ce lundi 12 novembre.

Nous avons en particulier evoque l’organisation a Valence des secondes
Assises franco-armeniennes de la cooperation decentralisee qui se
derouleront en septembre 2013, les premières s’etant deroulees en
Armenie en octobre 2010.

Aux côtes des senateurs Bernard Piras et Philippe Kaltenbach,
President du groupe d’amitie France-Armenie du Senat, cet entretien
nous a permis de partager les contours et les enjeux de ces rencontres.

Après avoir conduit une delegation francaise a Erevan au nom de
Cites Unies France fin octobre, occasion au cours de laquelle j’ai
pu travailler a l’organisation des assises avec notamment notre
ambassadeur en Armenie, le Vice premier Ministre de l’Administration
territoriale, le Vice-president de l’Assemblee nationale armenienne,
le President du groupe France au sein de l’Assemblee nationale
armenienne et le Recteur de l’Universite francaise en Armenie, je me
rejouis d’envisager la venue a Valence du President de la Republique
Armenienne en septembre prochain.

Prochaines echeances : la venue a Valence d’une delegation de
deputes armeniens le 27 novembre que nous accueillerons en mairie,
et le premier comite de pilotage des assises que je presiderai le 28
novembre. ”

Communique de la Ville de Valence

mercredi 14 novembre 2012, Krikor Amirzayan ©armenews.com

UN CANTAUTOR CRISTIANO DE ORIGEN ARMENIO DESAPARECE EN SIRIA

Periodista Digital
8 nov 2012

El joven Sam Ghannoum criticaba al gobierno en Facebook

Otras siete personas han sido secuestradas en Alepo

FIDES, 06 de noviembre de 2012 a las 18:09

(Agencia Fides) – Sam Ghannoum es un joven cantautor cristiano
armenio de 28 años. Viene de una familia que vive en un suburbio de
Aleppo. Es conocido en la comunidad por sus composiciones sonoras de
melodías clasicas orientales, dulces y envolventes, y por canciones
que presentan el mensaje cristiano de amor y paz.

Sam es tambien uno de los jovenes sirios que, en los últimos
meses, en su pagina de Facebook, ha criticado al gobierno y se ha
declarado cercano a los ideales originarios de la revolucion siria:
la democracia, la libertad, los derechos humanos. Por esta razon ha
comenzado a recibir amenazas e intimidaciones para hacerle detener
sus publicaciones.

Hace unos veinte días, el 15 de octubre, Sam fue detenido por los
servicios secretos sirios y desde entonces no ha habido noticias de
el. Su familia, como informa un mensaje enviado a la Agencia Fides
por el grupo “Syrian Non-Violence Movement”, esta llena de pena, teme
por su vida, reafirma “la buena fe y la pureza de los ideales de Sam”
y pide su inmediata liberacion.

Según fuentes locales, Sam podría estar detenido por la “Air Force
Intelligence” en Aleppo.

“Soy un cantante de 28 años y amo la música”, así se presenta Sam a
sus oyentes. “La música es un medio poderoso para tocar los corazones
y evangelizar”, dice una fuente de Fides en Aleppo.

Entre las últimas palabras poeticas que ha escrito Sam se encuentran
estas: “Se me niega la libertad, se me prohíbe pensar, pero las ideas
y las palabras no tienen miedo de la muerte. Ahora me quedan solo
lagrimas de tristeza, mi corazon ha sido asesinado”.

La comunidad armenia de Alepo pide, espera y reza por la liberacion
de Sam, para que pueda volver a escribir canciones y difundir el
mensaje de amor de Cristo a traves de la música.

Otros siete cristianos armenios fueron secuestrados hace unos días
mientras se encontraban en un autobús que viajaba desde Alepo a Beirut.

Según fuentes locales de Fides, el secuestro es obra de grupos armados
no identificados que operan al interior de las fuerzas que se oponen
al regimen.

Se espera la peticion de un rescate, según una practica que parece
haberse consolidado en el terreno de lucha. “Quienes sufren las
consecuencias mas graves del conflicto son los civiles inocentes”,
dice nuestra fuente.

SERGE SARKISSIAN ANNONCE LA CREATION D’UN CONSULAT GENERAL A LYON
Jean Eckian

Serge Sarkissian a tenu a saluer la forte communaute armenienne
residant en Rhône Alpes a l’occasion de sa visite officielle de 2
jours en France.

Le president Armenien a ete recu par Gerard Collomb, senateur maire de
Lyon a l’hotel de ville. Il etait accompagne du ministre de l’economie
Tigran Davtyan, de la ministre de la diaspora armenienne, Hranouch
Hakobyan, du ministre des Affaires etrangères Edward Nalbandian, Henri
Reynaud, ambassadeur de France a Erevan et de Viguen Tchitetchian,
ambassadeur de la RA en France, ainsi que d’une forte delegation
de chefs d’entreprise armeniens. Une visite destinee a renforcer les
liens economiques entre la France et l’Armenie et a attirer l’attention
sur la disponibilite d’une main d’oeuvre qualifiee en Armenie.

Dans son allocution Serge Sarkissian a remercie la France pour sa
position sur la negation du genocide des armeniens, precisant que
la reconnaissance par la Turquie devrait etre un prealable a son
eventuelle adhesion a l’Union europeenne.

Il a annonce la creation imminente d’un nouveau consulat general
a Lyon apres celui de Marseille. En rappellant que les armeniens
nes ou residant en France ne devaient pas oublier leurs racines en
revenant regulierement dans leur pays prendre une part active a son
developpement .

A l’issue de ce voyage officiel en France, le chef de l’Etat armenien
prendra une semaine de vacances.

Extrait d’une interview accordee a France 3 Rhône-Alpes

mercredi 14 novembre 2012, Jean Eckian ©armenews.com

THE SECOND TERM: WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR THE CAUCASUS?

Today’s Zaman
Nov 13 2012
Turkey

Now that the presidential election is over, the Obama administration
faces challenges in the form of its foreign policy. During the
campaign period, public debate focused primarily on domestic and
economic issues, but now attention seems to be returning to foreign
policy. The expert community agrees that an effective and muscular
foreign policy requires a healthy economy, in addition to a clearly
defined long-term strategy, particularly in relation to withdrawal
from Afghanistan and the Middle East.

It’s worth remembering that Obama began his first term with a fresh,
new approach towards the Middle East, where the aim was to repair US
prestige in the region; the “Green Revolution” attempt in Iran and the
Arab Spring with their commitments to “Western” values were seen as
indicators of success. But the current situation in the Middle East,
particularly Syria, shows that the US’s primary aim is to maintain
political influence while also disengaging from the region: an exit
strategy.

In the case of Afghanistan, the US on the one hand is trying to
implement a well-planned military exit strategy, successfully passing
management of security issues to the Afghan government, while in the
near neighborhood, also pushing for the economic containment of Iran.

The main question is how the US can balance continued political
influence with diminished physical presence, and avoid creating a
power vacuum that other regional powers will be eager to fill. In the
Caucasus, there are increasing concerns that the US withdrawal from
Afghanistan will mean a reduced focus on the Caucasus, as far as US
foreign policy is concerned.

In this context, there are some important misunderstandings about
the US’s possible withdrawal from Afghanistan in Caucasus.

The first misunderstanding is over the meaning of the “exit strategy”;
people tend to interpret this as a wholesale exodus, while in reality
there is a political strategy that is committed to the future stability
of Afghanistan. Its success and the manner of “exit” depends on the
Afghan government — the current Afghan government including Afghan
President Hamid Karzai wants to prolong the presence of foreign troops
as a guarantee for their own safety and security. In May of 2012 the US
and Afghanistan signed the “Enduring Strategic Partnership Agreement,”
which sets out the broad terms for a US presence up to 2024.

The second confusion relates to the reset policy between Russia and
the US. When the reset policy was launched in Obama’s first term,
the aim of the US was to bring Russia in as a partner of the United
States on a range of international issues. There is a tendency in
the Caucasus to see this as Washington “giving” the Caucasus over
to Russia. The public was right to have concerns over the reset
policy, but the mistake was to read this as an exit strategy. In
fact, Washington was keen to retain a healthy level of geopolitical
competition, just in a more cooperative political environment.

The third issue stems from the worry that the possible withdrawal
from Afghanistan will reduce NATO’s cooperation with the South
Caucasus countries, which have invested politically and militarily
very significantly in cooperation with the alliance, especially in
Afghanistan. This concern does seem partially true, especially, in
the case of Georgia, which sent more than just troops to Afghanistan,
and used this as an opportunity to modernize the Georgian army and
to pursue its NATO membership aspiration. For Armenia, due to its
economic and military dependence on Moscow, Afghanistan was the only
means of maintaining good relations with NATO. All in all, NATO/US
withdrawal probably will affect the alliance’s cooperation with South
Caucasus countries, but it will not be as damaging as the region fears.

Among these various misunderstandings, there are also causes for
real concern.

First and foremost is the question of how the US will manage future
engagement with the South Caucasus countries. There are still no
signs of increased political engagement in the Caucasus, despite the
security threats (terrorism, drug trafficking, interstate conflicts),
along with potential risks such as Iran’s desire for increased for
political presence in the region, and separatist terrorist movements
in the North Caucasus.

To meet the minimum expectations of the South Caucasus countries,
the US needs to set a minimum baseline for the region; for instance,
Washington should put in force an expanded political dialogue, the
aim of which should be a Strategic Partnership Agreement with all
three region states.

Clearly, this seems a long way off, but in light of the Iran threat,
Washington should be thinking about its strengthening relations policy
with Tehran’s neighbors.

In this sense, the question is how can the US stage its “comeback” in
the Caucasus? During the 1990s, energy interest lay at the heart of
US support for the independence of regional countries. In the 2000s
it was Afghanistan, when Washington needed assistance from regional
governments (notably in regard to transit routes for troops and
airspace). Looking to the next decade, perhaps the Iran crisis will
provide the necessary platform for this hoped-for comeback. On the
other hand, there are clear risks entailed: Any short-term political
interests are significantly outweighed by the larger threats of
military intervention. We must remember that geographically Iran is
much closer than Afghanistan, and the region would surely experience
some significant degree of collateral damage if any kind of military
action is deemed necessary.

Given the reasons behind the US presence in South Caucasus, and in
light of the brief cost-benefit analysis above, it seems that the
only way to meet the expectations of the three regional countries and
to assist them is by thinking carefully about strategic partnership
agreements, in addition to reviewing the “reset” policy with Moscow.

AZERBAIJAN SENDS NOTE OF PROTEST TO URUGUAY

Azeri Report
Nov 14 2012

BAKU. November 14, 2012. Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry will send a
note of protest to Uruguay, said the Foreign Ministry spokesman Elman
Abdullayev, in connection with a visit to occupied Karabakh region
of Azerbaijan by parliamentary delegation of Uruguay. He said that
the visit was provocative in character, and circles who funded this
trip intend to disrupt the peace process in the region.

“By such steps, Armenia hopes to gain time, and some Uruguayan members
turned into a weapon in the hands of the Armenian Diaspora,” he said.

Abdullayev said that the details of the visit and the made statement
are being investigated.

Azerbaijan~Rs ~SNagorno-Karabakh~T region and surrounding areas have
been under Armenian occupation since early years of the Karabakh
conflict that erupted in 1988. As a result, over one million
Azerbaijani refugees had to flee the region as a result ofethnic
cleansing by Armenian forces. (Turan)

KUPELIAN CREATES ARMENIAN GRAPHIC NOVEL

El Vaquero, The Student Newspaper of Glendale Community College, CA
Nov 14 2012

Rebecca Krueger, El Vaquero Staff Writer

Roger Kupelian is the creator of some of the most iconic worlds
in contemporary cinema, such as the “Lord of the Rings “trilogy,
and he has constructed a new world in his latest endeavor, “East
of Byzantium.”

With the job title of matte painter, it’s up to Kupelian to paint
and digitally enhance the environments and backdrops of the movies
he works on.

“East of Byzantium” is Kupelian’s recently published graphic novel
series and he is looking to make it into not only a mini-documentary
series, but into a major motion picture.

Kupelian promoted his latest project at the Glendale Central Library
Auditorium on Thursday.

“East of Byzantium” spans 150 years of Armenian history starting at
301 A.D. when Armenia became the first Christian state in history.

“Persia and the Roman Empire were warring with one another and between
this collision is Armenia,” said Kupelian. “Emperor Diocletian sent an
exiled Armenian king back to claim Armenia as an ally of Rome. That
changed that region of the world forever. It set a series of events
in motion and altered not only the balance between empires, but the
balance of religions and cultures.”

The story covers the aftermath of the Armenian king’s reinstatement
and his people’s division by religious tension. Armenia’s monarchy is
soon toppled by the Persian army and the remnants of wealthy noble
families become rivals. The warring nobility’s allegiance is deeply
rooted in its pagan (Persian) or Christian (Roman) heritage.

The constant bloodshed leads into the year 451 A.D. and Kupelian’s
interpretation of St. Vartan Mamigonian, the most venerated saint in
the Armenian Orthodox Church.

“I wanted a Vartan that was very different than the one history
depicts,” said Kupelian. “I wanted a Vartan that I can relate to. I
wanted someone that was in the mud, on the battlefield and was
struggling for his life, because that moment is glory for a warrior.”

Kupelian painted his first image of Vartan in New Zealand, on the
set of “Lord of the Rings.”

Working on “Lord of the Rings” sparked Kupelian’s desire to write
the screenplay for “East of Byzantium” that also prompted the graphic
novel, but his foundation and passion for this story delves deep into
his childhood.

Growing up in Sierra Leone, Africa, Kupelian was apart of the minority,
being one of the very few African-Armenian kids in the region.

“You realize when I was growing up that I was a part of the United
Nations. Out of a mixed group I was the Armenian kid in Africa,” said
Kupelian. “That is where my sense of identity came from. My parents
made sure that I understood our history, mythology and culture. I
knew where I came from.”

During his childhood, Armenia was under the control of Soviet Russia.

When Kupelian was two and a half years old, his father took him to
the harbor in Freetown, Sierra Leone, where there was a Soviet ship
docking named Armenia.

“The ship was being sent around for propaganda purposes,” said
Kupelian, “so, of course with a ship called Armenia there were soldiers
from Soviet-Armenia.”

The Soviet-Armenians were exiting the ship when Kupelian was perched
on his dad’s shoulders. His dad told him, “these are Armenians.”

In response the young Kupelian recited in Armenian, “I am armenian,
I am son of Vartan, fear me.”

The small chant is a loose translation of a traditional Armenian poem
about St. Vartan.

Kupelian recalls the power of his words, “There wasn’t a dry eye
getting off that boat. These people were oppressed and nationalism
wasn’t allowed. They didn’t expect to hear something so free and
patriotic from some kid in Africa and we all grew up with that poem.”

This experience has heavily impacted his love for his culture and
people. He also derives inspiration from his culture through learning
about the Armenian Genocide. Armenian culture has evolved over the
years, according to Kupelian. Armenians have gone from proud unicorns
to helpless victims.

“A culture that is thousands and thousands of years old, one hundred
years ago had to endure almost complete annihilation,” said Kupelian.

“So we learned about the genocide in 1915.”

He was a nationalist stuck between two conflicting emotions that are
a part of a culture that, seems to him, is always struggling.

Armenia was struggling again in 1998 when the Nagorno-Karabakh War
started and Kupelian set out to film it. “Dark Forest in the Mountains”
was Kupelian’s first documentary, and the first time he directed a
movie. He started filming the war in the 1990s.

Avedis Sangigian is an Armenian-American veteran from the
Nagorno-Karabakh War who attended Kupelian’s lecture. Sangigian
fought for a year and a half and was one of many Armenian Americans
that volunteered to fight.

Garo Kyahkidjian was a friend of Sangigian and is a main character
in Kupelian’s documenatry. Kyahkidjian died after the war.

“I watch that documentary everyday,” said Sangigian, in memory of
his old friend.

Sangigian and Kyahkidjian’s bravery makes them warriors, according
to Kupelian.

“I want our next generation to see itself in terms of being a warrior,”
said Kupelian. “We must once again embrace and embody what it means
to be a warrior tribe.”

U.S. EUROPEAN COMMAND INTENDS TO DEEPEN COOPERATION WITH ARMENIA

Mediamax, Armenia
Nov 14 2012

Yerevan/Mediamax/. U.S. European Command intends to deepen the
cooperation with Armenia within next years.

Deputy Director for planning, policy, and strategy at U.S. European
Command, Rear Admiral Mark Montgomery said this at his meeting with
Armenian Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan today.

The aim of Mark Montgomery~Rs visit is to sum up the cooperation
between the Armenian Defense Ministry and U.S. European Command in
212 and outline the main areas of cooperation for 2013.

Mark Montgomery said that the European Command hails Armenia as
responsible and reliable partner and aims to deepen the cooperation
within the next years.

Seyran Ohanyan thanked for the productive cooperation noting that
Armenia is ready to continue and develop the cooperation with the U.S.

European Command aiming to expand the training of Armenian subdivisions
within the international exercises and operations, KFOR in particular.

Rear Admiral Mark Montgomery also visited the peacekeeping brigade
of the Armenian Defense Ministry.

AZERI DEAF AND MUTE SHEPHERD DETAINED IN ARMENIA – MEDIA

Interfax
Nov 13 2012
Russia

A resident of the Azeri village of Alpout, located near the border,
could have crossed into Armenia accidentally, village administration
spokesman Gamid Abdullayev told Interfax.

“Village resident Telman Aliyev, born in 1972, lost his way and
crossed the border early on November 11” in heavy fog, Abdullayev said.

Aliyev is deaf and mute, he added.

Azeri news reports quoted the Interior Ministry as saying that Aliyev
is a shepherd, who went missing while minding cattle in an area near
the Azeri-Armenian border.

An Armenian Defense Ministry spokesman said earlier that an Azeri
citizen was detained after crossing the border.

An inquiry is under way and international organizations have been
notified of the incident, he said.

tm rb

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT: PREMADE SOLUTIONS FOR SYRIA MAY LEAD TO TRAGIC CONSEQUENCES

Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA)
November 13, 2012 Tuesday

PARIS, (SANA) – Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan said that premade
solutions for Syria may lead to tragic consequences in it and disrupt
the demographic state of the entire region in an irresolvable manner.

In an interview with the French Newspaper Le Figaro published on
Tuesday, Sargsyan said that it’s difficult to estimate how useful
or harmful foreign intervention could be, noting that solutions that
succeed in one place could be tragic in Syria and could disrupt the
demographic state of the entire region.

He said that his country will do its best to preserve peace in Syria
and ensure the continuing presence of the Armenian community in it,
pointing out that no-one can remain indifferent the ordeal of the
Syrian people.

H.

Sabbagh