Author: Badalian Vardan

STEPANAKERT TO HOST FIRST ROUND TABLE OF ARMENIAN AND ARTSAKH PARLIAMENTARY PARTIES

ARMENPRESS
14 September, 2012
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 14, ARMENPRESS: The first round table talk entitled
“Political parties in a modern democratic system” initiated by Armenian
Republican Party (RPA) is scheduled to be held in the capital of
Nagorno Karabakh Republic , Stepanakert on September 15.

As RPA press service told Armenpresss the parliamentary parties
Republican Party of Armenia , “Rule of Law Party’~R, “Prosperous
Armenia” party, “Heritage” party, Armenian Revolutionary Federation
, Artsakh Democratic Party, “Free Homeland’~R party, ARF Artsakh
structure delegation are going to partake in the round table talks.

The round table is aimed at envisaging modern parties role, the
peculiarities of their activities in the information society,
cooperation paths of two Armenian states’ political parties, the
investment of the parties in democratic reform process, political
parties involvement in foreign policy agenda elaboration and
realization process.

The round table is set to be launched in NKR Parliamentary building.

NKR President Bako Sahakyan is set to come forth with welcoming speech.

ALEPPO CHRISTIANS DON’T WANT TO BE ‘PAGE IN HISTORY’

France 24
Sept 13 2012

AFP – Pope Benedict XVI visits Lebanon this week at a time when
Christian refugees from the war-torn city of Aleppo in neighbouring
Syria are fearful for their future.

Aleppo, Syria’s commercial capital, has for the past two months
been the focal point of fighting in the uprising against President
Bashar al-Assad.

Christians are a relatively prosperous minority in Syria and they
account for as much as 10 percent of the population of the northern
city, with half of them being Armenians.

Sitting at a cafe in Beirut’s upscale and mainly Christian district
of Ashrafiyeh, a graduate student spoke of the hopes and anxieties
of the Christian community ahead of the pope’s weekend visit.

“When the protests began in Egypt, I thought maybe there would be
peaceful protests in Syria, but not war,” said the Syrian Catholic,
who declined to be named.

“Now it’s just the (rebel) Free (Syrian) Army and the army. The people
are the victims. They can’t do anything,” he said.

The student said many Christian refugees, loathe to give up hope of
returning to their homeland after the conflict, were looking for a
message of encouragement from the pontiff.

“He should say that the Christians must have courage and not leave
the region,” said the young man. “If they do, we will just be another
page in the history books.”

An Orthodox Christian who asked to be identified only by the initial
of her first name, J, said that before the Syrian revolt broke out
in March 2011, life in Lebanon was good.

“Now it’s very different,” she said.

“Some people ask you how things are because they really care about
what’s going on in Syria. But others make fun of you and say: ?Now
it’s your turn,'” she explained.

For three decades, from the time of its own 1975-1990 civil war,
Lebanon lived under the domination of its larger neighbour.

At the same time, the Syrian conflict has stoked tensions and deadly
clashes in Lebanon, whose political factions, including the Christian
community, are divided between supporters and opponents of Assad.

In this atmosphere, the pope will need to walk a fine line as he
seeks to bring a message of peace and reconciliation to the region.

Before July, Aleppo remained largely immune from the anti-regime
uprising that erupted with peaceful protests but became increasingly
an armed insurrection in the face of a brutal crackdown.

“You’re either pro- or anti-regime,” said J. “There is no middle
ground.”

The biggest fear for Syrian Christians is the prospect of a post-Assad
Syria which many fear will be dominated by hardline Islamists.

“The problem in Aleppo is that the Christian community for a long
time has been very tight-knit, very closed,” the Catholic student
said. “I don’t know many Muslims.”

J said all religious groups mix at university and in the public
sphere, but when it comes to her family’s social circle, they prefer
to associate with fellow Christians.

Minorities are well represented in the ranks of opposition activists,
but more broadly, Christians feel their fate is tied to the embattled
regime, which has long presented itself as the guardian of minority
rights.

“If Assad goes, the Muslim Brotherhood will come and I doubt the
Christian community will have any future in such a regime,” J said.

Lebanon, home to the second-largest Christian community in the Middle
East after Egypt, offers a temporary safe haven for Syrian refugees.

But it is also not considered a stable option.

“For the future, Lebanon is not safer than Syria. It can explode in
a minute.” J said.

She hopes the pope will encourage Christians to hold their ground
in the face of an uncertain future. “I want him to tell Syrians
Christians to keep the faith and not to leave, to keep strong and
stay in your country.”

Photo: A Syrian Armenian man walks in the courtyard of the closed
historical Armenian Church of the 40 Martys in the Christian district
of Jdeideh in Old Aleppo in northern Syria on September 4. Pope
Benedict XVI visits Lebanon this week at a time when Christian refugees
from Aleppo in neighbouring Syria are fearful for their future

Photo: View of the Christian Maronite church on September 2 in the
Jdeideh neighbourhood of Aleppo, hit by a rocket and under the control
of the Syrian army. Pope Benedict XVI visits Lebanon this week at a
time when Christian refugees from Aleppo in neighbouring Syria are
fearful for their future.

NATO SECRETARY GENERAL: “I WAS NOT FACED WITH ANTI-NATO DEMONSTRATIONS IN ARMENIA”

Mediamax
Sept 13 2012
Armenia

Yerevan/Mediamax/. NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen
said that during his recent trip to Yerevan he was not faced with
anti-NATO demonstrations.

In an interview to Euronews, answering the question about whether
he has seen anti-NATO protests in Yerevan and doesn’t he feel
responsibility for what has happened to the Armenian soldier killed
during NATO’s course in Budapest, NATO Secretary General said:

“This is a very unfortunate case. But let me stress that I was not
faced with anti-NATO demonstrations. I was faced with young protestors
who demonstrated against the Azerbaijani decision to pardon the
military officer Safarov. That terrible crime shouldn’t be glorified.

And I am deeply concerned that the Azerbaijani decision to pardon
this army officer damages trust and it certainly doesn’t contribute
to peace, to cooperation and reconciliation in the region”.

EMBASSIES IN 7 COUNTRIES WARN OF POSSIBLE ATTACKS
By MATTHEW LEE

Associated Press Online
September 12, 2012 Wednesday 5:41 PM GMT

U.S. embassies in at least seven countries in the Middle East, Africa
and the Caucasus are warning of possible anti-American protests
following the attack on the consulate in Benghazi, Libya that killed
the U.S. ambassador to Libya and three other Americans.

The embassies in Armenia, Burundi, Kuwait, Sudan, Tunisia and Zambia,
along with the embassy in Egypt, which was hit by a protest on Tuesday,
all issued warnings on Wednesday advising Americans to be particularly
vigilant.

The warnings, posted on the embassies’ websites, do not report any
specific threat to Americans but note that demonstrations can become
violent.

The protest in Cairo and the attack in Benghazi appear to have been
responses to an inflammatory anti-Muslim video posted on the Internet.

(This version CORRECTS APNewsNow. Replaces introductory paragraph to

THE HUNGARIAN GOVERNMENT WAS EXTREMELY NAIVE TO BELIEVE THAT AZERBAIJAN WOULD NOT PARDON SAFAROV.MICHAEL KAMBECK

10:45 | 2012-09-12 | Interview & Panels | Interviews |

“1in.am News and Analyses” has conducted an interview with EuFoA’s
(European friends of Armenia) Secretary General, Dr. Michael Kambeck.

The full interview is presented below.

Dr. Kambeck, what was your first reaction when you heard about
RamilSafarov’s extradition to Azerbaijan?

We were of course shocked, but I must tell you that we immediately
started working on the case. We had the obligation to get this
information out here, to the EU institutions and to explain the
gravity and the background of this case to everyone, so the people
here take the right decisions and react in a proper manner. This kept
us busy for very long. We met pretty much with everyone who has
influence on this issue here in Brussels and abroad.And I must say
that we received a very strong wave of sympathy, people understood the
case, they also felt fooled by Azerbaijan and they felt that
Azerbaijan has grossly violated European values. It also has been
cheating an EU member state and has been exercising state-promoted
xenophobia against Armenia. That is why this long list of
condemnations came from the EU institutions.

How would you evaluate Minsk group co-chairing countries’ official
statement about the issue?

Quite frankly, if you are the mediator, you need to be careful. So I
understand that they didn’t go very far.But when I read the Minsk
group statement compared to what they can be expected to say, they
have actually made a very strong and a very clear statement and I
don’t think it is the last word. I am sure that internally they were
even much stronger than they publicly could be.

Could you compare the Minsk group co-chairing countries’statement with
that of EU? Did they point to different things?

Look, we must understand the EU statement as the very first, initial
response from a gigantic machinery with hundreds of advisers and
everyone needs to be heard, and that’s how these kind of soft
statements come out. That’s why we even have in there the call upon
both sides, which is ridiculous in this case. We made this very clear
when we were talking to the institutions, and quite frankly,we were
told that the EU’s internal statements to Azerbaijan were much
stronger than this public statement, which was only just the very
first reaction. We now had a debate during this so called Gymnich
Meeting, which is the informal meeting of the EU foreign ministers,
and we will have the UrgencyResolution of the European Parliament this
week. We have seen very strong reactions from the Council of Europe;
we have seen very strong reactions from the European Parliament. I
think Europe’s reaction as a whole was very strong and shows the
solidarity.

How do you think this will affect the NKR conflict?

It pretty much depends also on Armenia’s activities now. Quite
frankly, Azerbaijan of course hopes that this provocation will be met
from Armenia’s side with counter-provocation. And this would give them
what they have been looking for years, namely a good reason to stop
the Minsk group process and it will also give them the means to reduce
the worldwide solidarity which now exists for Armenia. I hope this
will not be the trap that Armenia steps into. I hope that Armenia
keeps being a very good chess player and thinks about its long-term
strategic goals. If we do that then this entire crisis will lead to
only one thing, namely that the last person on earth, who still has
not noticed by now, knows what kind of regime we have in Baku, with
whom Armenia has to negotiate for peace. So I think that the EU has
learnt a lot from this. Armenia now has the upper hand. Armenia has
both the solidarity and sits in the good corner. Azerbaijan sits in
the bad corner. That is very visible. The rest depends now on our own
reaction. We should not play by the rules of Aliyevand then I think
that the bottom line outcome of this for Armenia is positive, though
only strategically. Emotionally it can never be positive because it is
a tragic scandal.

How would you explain the Azerbaijani move in this case? Don’t you
think that Aliyev could understand that pardoning Safarov won’t be
favorable for his own country only?

Of Course, but Aliyev has done so many things that strategically make
absolutely no sense. He has been making statements in front of the
international journalists which were highly aggressive towards
Armenia. He is inviting the whole world to come to Baku and to see the
Eurovision song contest and at the same time he is evicting thousands
of people from their homes without financial compensation and puts
journalists into jails. Then he was surprised about the whole world
and that they see all these problems of Azerbaijan and report about
them negatively. Quite frankly, if you are looking for the strategy in
Ilham Aliyev’s mind, you are looking for the wrong thing, because he
is not acting strategically in this sense. He acts more like a king
who sits on his throne and thinks he can do whatever he wants. He acts
much more like Gadhafi than someone who acts strategically. That’s the
reason why Armenia needs the international community to get this
country back to a normal track, because if Aliyev continues as he is
right now, he will just cause damage to both Azerbaijan and Armenia,
and to the whole region, to everyone.This is in nobody’s interest. So
right now we need to be really clever in our reactions.

Do you think this issue will have any impact on the upcoming
presidential elections in Azerbaijan?

Which presidential elections in Azerbaijan? You mean that show that
they want to do in 2013? It is not going to have any effect because
Aliyev will anyway use his state machinery and in that sense it will
have absolutely no effect. Azerbaijan currently has no choice and no
real elections.

What should Armenia do in this situation? How should Armenia act
towards European Union and Azerbaijan?

The key thing is that Armenia shouldn’t play according to Aliyev’s
wish and should not make any moves which Aliyev can then use to kill
the current solidarity and to kill the Minsk Group process. That is
exactly what he is waiting for. He now wants a provocation from
Armenia. If Armenia continues a more clever strategy, it will in the
long run pay out. Certainly we have nothing to gain from playing along
the rules of Aliyev. Towards Europe, I think it is the same thing
somehow. If we now make big demands to Hungary before they might
reestablish relations,if we now overstretch and overdo it, we may also
quickly lose the solidarity that we have just gained. So I think here
again we need to be clear: the message has been sent, the message has
been understood by everyone and now Armenia just has to play a
long-term game. I can only say that the Hungarian government was
extremely naïve to the belief that Azerbaijan would not pardon
Safarov. I think we need to work behind the scenes with Hungary, maybe
with Swiss mediation and also with non-state actors who can be
helpful,as the current situation between Armenia and Hungary is an
anomaly. We have always had very good ties, there is a very important
Armenian diaspora in Hungary, some of the state founders of Hungary
were Armenians… so the link between those two Christiancountries is
very strong. Hungary also needs Armenia in some ways, because Hungary
is looking for a bridge between Europe and the East and Armenia can be
very valuable for this. But I think that Armenia needs Hungary more.

We cannot have EU visa facilitation without the agreement of Hungary,
we cannot have the EU Association Agreement without Hungary, all these
decisions are unanimous in the EU and we will need the approval of
Hungary. I am not saying that Hungary plans to block all such
decisions, but if Armenia now works behind the scenes to get closer
again with Hungary so that one day we can have normal relations again,
I think this is the right thing to do.

ARMENIA’S OMBUDSMAN SUPPORTS KILLED SOLDIERS’ PARENTS

tert.am
13.09.12

On September 10, 2012, the parents of soldiers that died in Armenia’s
army in peacetime applied to the speaker of Armenia’s parliament.

“We demand that an ad hoc committee be formed of members of Armenia’s
parliament of the 5th convocation, members of the six parliamentary
groups, and persons concerned. We also demand that representatives
of the Human Rights Defender’s Office be involved,” the document says.

The Human Rights Defender’s Office issued a statement, which reads:

“According to Article 22 of the Rules of Procedure of the National
Assembly, ad-hoc committees shall be set up for the initial
consideration of separate draft laws or for rendering conclusions,
statements of information on certain issues, events and facts to
the National Assembly. Aware of legal restrictions on mediating
the investigation into current cases, we still feel well-founded
concerns about violations in the investigation of certain criminal
cases involving soldiers’ death in the army in peacetime.”

Therefore, the Human Rights Defender supports the initiative to set
up an ad hoc committee and is willing, personally or through his
representatives, to be involved in the committee. The Human Rights
Defender re-affirms his stance that it is only comprehensive and
impartial investigation into previous cases, as well as remedied
injustice, that can build up confidence in the investigation of
current death cases and prevent further violence and murders.

SMALL WATER POWER PLANTS POSE REAL THREAT TO ARMENIA’S ECO-SYSTEMS

arminfo
Thursday, September 13, 18:11

Small water power plants pose a real threat to Armenia’s eco-systems,
President of Ecolur NGO Inga Zarafyan told journalists on Thursday.

She said that there already are 140 small WPPS in Armenia, with 70
more being built.

“They are building several plants on one and the same river. As a
result, the rivers are being ‘chained’ with kilometers long pipes.

This cannot but affect the bio-diversity of the nearby areas,”
Zarafyan said.

She said that some big companies are buying outdated licenses to
build even more plants.

“All this is being done under the cover of ‘green energy’ even though
this has nothing to do with it. We suggest that the authorities
stop these projects until they have a clear strategy in this field,”
Zarafyan said.

MINSK GROUP IS DOOMED
Igor Muradyan

Story from Lragir.am News:

Published: 15:56:26 – 13/09/2012

Pseudo-political psychosis is fossilizing in Yerevan, and more and more
authors ranging from officious to oppositional support continuation
of the talks and preservation of the Minsk Group.

For example, political expert for aysor.am Yervand stated that if we
recognize the independence of Artsakh today, Azerbaijan will announce
that it is a destructive step on behalf of Armenia and will leave
the talks. He says he does not rule out a war because Azerbaijan is
looking for an opportunity to resume the military actions. He says
Safarov’s case showed that we were ignored because Hungary would never
treat similarly an EU member state or another important state. It
is necessary to build a strong Armenia, a strong state and political
system, as well as deal with the domestic issues of Armenia seriously.

A lot of people definitely share these idiotic thoughts, which
is explained by not only corrosion of character but also lack of
understanding of political and defensive realities. More exactly, some
people need masochistic moods and are not interested in understanding
the truth, are rambling amid their own phobias and the idiotic
understanding of the reality.

At the same time, not everything has been lost because the
international relations present new challenges, and apart from the
local insinuation and pathological fantasies it is necessary to react
to and comply with the requirements of the outside world. Meanwhile,
the outside world is preparing for tougher conditions of survival
and a tough selection of partners is expected.

Intensive adjustments to the arrangement of forces are underway,
and Armenia must make decisions on defense and security. This means
a lot, as well as such a trifle as the neutralization of the Minsk
Group. The state which will announce about it the first will get some
political advantages. However, if the inevitable thing happens, and
the Minsk Group dies objectively, the country which wanted to protract
its meaningless existence will lose. The Minsk Group is a factor of
existence of threats, a hindrance to the recognition of NKR and a
very cynical and dangerous game that everyone plays except Armenia.

The brilliant intellectual and professional lawyer Andreas Ghukasyan
published an exhaustive analysis on the situation which contains
a lot of material for reading and thinking. However, the psychosis
will apparently fossilize and ensure a common front of pacifists and
capitulators, representing different political and apolitical groups
of people.

OFFICIAL BAKU INVENTED NEW STORY ABOUT ASALA

ARMENPRESS
13 September, 2012
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 13, ARMENPRESS: Azerbaijani authorities unable
to digest international community condemnation statements pertain
to Ramil Safarov extradition in their search to find a way out are
committing the regular mistake. As Armenpress reports citing 1news.az,
Azerbaijani Foreign Affair Ministry press secretary Elman Abdualayev
announced about the existence of “New ASALA” organization. Following
that fake statements depicted in Azerbaijani invented letter were
revealed and denied, moreover drew the initiators of the letter into
a disgraceful state , the official Baku undertook to come up with a
new tale about “ASALA”. Elman Abdullayev told reporters as if “New
ASALA” sent threatening letters to the diplomatic representations of
Azerbaijan. In accordance with press secretary statement the suggested
ASALA was established in Lebanon, in 2006 aimed at murdering Turkish
and Azerbaijani diplomats. According to Azerbaijani ” lie” , Armenian
terrorist organization send threats to Ramil Safarov and the murderer
of “Agos” weekly newspaper Hrank Dink editor in chief.

Official Baku once again comes to prove Azerbaijani authorities cannot
endure Safarov case, and as usual are seeking path to lay their blame
on the others .

ARMENIA MUST DEMAND SAFAROV’S RETURN TO HUNGARY – OPPOSITION PARTY

news.am
September 13, 2012 | 13:43

YEREVAN. – Armenia did not take certain measures in connection
with Ramil Safarov’s extradition and subsequent release, opposition
Heritage Party Administration Secretary and former MP Stepan Safaryan
said during a press conference on Thursday.

As per Safaryan, it is extremely wrong to place hopes solely on the
statements by other countries and international organizations.

“Clear steps are in need to send Safarov back to prison. In addition,
the criminal lawsuit against Safarov must be reexamined,” Safaryan
noted.

In his view, on the whole, this lawsuit was nut fully examined in
Budapest.

“The fact of the murder was examined, but no assessment was given on
Azerbaijan’s participation in the setting up of this crime,” Stepan
Safaryan stressed.

The former MP also noted that the European Convention was breached
once Safarov was extradited, because this case does not end with the
criminal’s extradition, as he was released, too.

“All grounds are there to demand Safarov’s return to prison,” Stepan
Safaryan remarked.

Armenian News-NEWS.am reported earlier that Ramil Safarov, a lieutenant
in the Azerbaijani military, was extradited on August 31 from Hungary,
where he was serving a life sentence-and with no expression of
either regret or remorse-for the premeditated axe murder of Armenian
lieutenant Gurgen Margaryan, in his sleep, during a NATO Partnership
for Peace program in Budapest back in 2004.

As expected, Ramil Safarov’s return to Baku was welcomed, as was
his act of murder, by the officials of president Ilham Aliyev’s
government and much of Azerbaijani society, and the Azerbaijani
president immediately granted him a pardon.

And Armenia’s President Serzh Sargsyan announced on August 31 that
Armenia is suspending its diplomatic ties with Hungary.

Ramil Safarov’s pardoning is condemned by virtually all international
organizations.