Author: Badalian Vardan

FIN DE LA VISITE REGIONALE DU GROUPE DE MINSK
Jean Eckian

armenews.com
mardi 17 juillet 2012

Après leur mission a Bakou et Stepanakert, les copresidents du Groupe
de Minsk se sont rendus a Erevan où ils ont ete recus par le President
Sarkissian, le Ministre des AE et le Ministre de la Defense.

Les copresidents ont fait le point sur leurs entretiens a Bakou et
a Stepanakert et discute le calendrier des prochains rencontres. Le
Ministre de la defense a presente la situation actuelle sur la ligne
de contact et evoque les recents incidents meurtriers sur la frontière
armeno-azerbaïdjanaise. Possedant peu de details sur ces entretiens,
les quotidiens rapportent la declaration des copresidents, a l’issue de
leur tournee, dans laquelle ils affirment avoir obtenu des autorites
azerbaïdjanaises l’assurance que Bakou s’abstiendrait de recourir a
la force ou de menacer de le faire a l’encontre des avions civils de
l’aeroport de Stepanakert.

Les copresidents ont par ailleurs obtenu l’assurance [de Bakou] que
les questions litigieuses [relatives au fonctionnement de l’aeroport]
seront resolues par la voie diplomatique, sans que cette question
ne soit politisee. Ils ont souligne que la question de l’aeroport
ne saurait avoir pour objectif de parvenir a un changement de
statut du HK et ont appele les parties a agir dans le respect
du droit international. Les copresidents ont en outre indique
qu’ils rencontreront separement les Ministres des AE d’Armenie et
d’Azerbaïdjan en vue d’organiser une reunion conjointe en septembre. /
Rapporte par l’ensemble de la presse.

Ambassade de France en Armenie

Redaction Merie Hakobian

L’AZERBAIDJAN MENACE A NOUVEAU L’AVIATION CIVILE ARMENIENNE
Ara

armenews.com
mardi 17 juillet 2012

L’Azerbaïdjan semble avoir renouvele le lundi ses menaces d’abattre
les avions civils qui effectueraient des vols entre l’Armenie et le
Haut-Karabakh sans son autorisation.

Les autorites de Bakou ont menace de prendre des mesures de ce type
“quelques jours seulement après que mediateurs internationaux ont
discute de la question lors de leur dernière tournee dans la zone
du conflit.

Dans un communique publie vendredi, les diplomates americains russes
et francais qui copresident le Groupe de Minsk de l’OSCE ont declare
avoir “recu l’assurance renouvelee des parties de rejeter toute menace
ou emploi de la force contre les aeronefs civils, de traiter cette
question par le biais des mesures diplomatiques , et de s’abstenir
de politiser la question. ”

“Les copresidents ont reaffirme que le fonctionnement de cet aeroport
ne pouvait pas etre utilise pour soutenir des revendications sur un
changement de statut du Haut-Karabakh, et ont exhorte les parties a
agir conformement au droit international et conformement a la pratique
en vigueur pour les vols sur leur territoire , “a ajoute le communique
sans plus de precisions.

L’administration de l’aviation civile azerbaïdjanaise a declare
a cet egard que les previsions de vol entre Erevan et Stepanakert
constitueraient une ” invasion ” de l’espace aerien internationalement
reconnue de l’Azerbaïdjan et que leurs autorites ” prendraient des
mesures correspondant a ce qui est inevitable dans ce cadre.”

“Selon les normes internationales, l’Azerbaïdjan a des droits
souverains sur son espace aerien”, a declare un porte-parole de
l’organisme gouvernemental l’agence de nouvelles APA. “Ceux qui entrent
dans cet espace aerien sans l’autorisation doivent etre consideres
comme ayant viole les frontières aeriennes.”

Le gouvernement azerbaïdjanais avait exprime pour la première fois de
telles menaces, en termes plus explicites, au debut de l’annee dernière
lorsque les autorites du Karabakh avaient annonce la reconstruction
imminente de l’aeroport situe près de Stepanakert.

Bakou semblait cependant avoir pris ses distances avec ces menaces
formulees en avril 2011, après avoir ete critique par les mediateurs
internationaux.

Le lancement des premiers vols commerciaux vers et a partir du Karabakh
depuis deux decennies a ete reporte a plusieurs reprises depuis lors,
bien que la reconstruction de l’aeroport soit pratiquement achevee
depuis la fin de l’annee 2011. En outre, une compagnie aerienne du
Karabakh nouvellement creee aurait acquis au debut de l’annee deux
avions pour assurer les vols Erevan et Stepanakert. Un fonctionnaire
a Stepanakert avait declare a RFE / RL (Azatutyun.am) le mois dernier
que ce vol serait susceptible d’etre lance avant la fin de cet ete.

L’aeroport a cesse de fonctionner en 1991, au moment de
l’intensification des affrontements armes au Haut-Karabakh qui ont
degenere en une veritable guerre. La communication entre le Karabakh
et le monde exterieur est depuis realisee par voie terrestre,
via l’Armenie.

IRAN’S QARA KELISA TO HOST ARMENIAN PILGRIMS

Payvand

July 16 2012
Iran

Source: Press TV

Iran’s Qara Kelisa will honor the memory of Saint Thaddeus and his
faithful followers during a ceremony in the northern province of
West Azarbaijan.

Scores of Armenians, Assyrians and Catholics from Iran and other
countries will attend the annual event as part of their pilgrimage
on the Day of St. Thaddeus.

The ceremony is known as one of the largest religious ceremonies held
by Armenians, CHTN reported.

Qara Kelisa, also known as the St. Thaddeus Church, is one of the
oldest and most notable surviving Christian monuments of Iran that
carries great significance for the country’s Armenian Orthodox
community.

Armenians hold that Qara Kelisa is the world’s first church and was
constructed in 68 CE by one of the apostles of Jesus, Saint Thaddeus,
who traveled to Armenia, then part of the Persian Empire, to preach
the teachings of Christ.

Qara Kelisa, which literally means Black Church, has been registered
as the ninth Iranian historical-cultural heritage site on the United
Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO)
World Heritage List.

The church is composed of two parts: a black structure, the original
building of the church from which it takes its name and a white
structure, the main church, which was added to the original building’s
western wing in 1810 CE.

An ancient chapel two kilometers northwest of the church is said
to have been the place where the first Christian woman, Sandokh,
was martyred. The chapel is believed to be as old as Qara Kelisa.

The structure was inscribed along with two other monastic ensembles
of the Armenian Christian faith namely St. Stepanos and the Chapel
of Dzordzor.

DIYARBAKIR MAYOR WANTS TO COOPERATE WITH YEREVAN COUNTERPART

news.am
July 17, 2012 | 00:04

Turkish Diyarbakir Mayor Osman Baydemir met with businesswomen from
the Armenian and Turkish Women’s NGOs. As Armenian News – NEWS.am
reports, considering women~Rs important role in the socio-economic
life of both nations, the mayor of Diyarbakir wished them success
and bigger achievements.

“Those who begin this cooperation today will be beyond competition
after 10 years,” said the mayor.

In a conversation with the chairman of Women’s Forum NGO Lilit
Avetisyan, Baydemir emphasized the role Yerevan had for Kurds; in the
years when Turkey banned the Kurdish language, the Kurds of eastern
regions of Turkey preserved their language in Yerevan.

“Please, convey my warmest greetings to the mayor of Yerevan. I wish
to see Diyarbakir and Yerevan sister cities. We live in a difficult
political period, but I hope that in the nearest future we will have
the opportunity of cooperation with Yerevan,~T said Osman Baydemir.

NATIONALIST MINORS KILL AN ARMENIAN BOY IN TOLYATI

17:24 . 16/07

Narek Nalbandyan born in 1990 was cruelly killed in Tolyati, Russia
by three nationalist minors aged 13-16.

The criminals were arrested, and, according to the police, they
will get the maximum punishment prescribed by law-up to 10 years’
imprisonment.

The post-mortem showed Nalbandyan died of 41 blows with a cutting
piercing instrument. The killers admitted they killed him because of
his nationality and don’t regret it.

The security coworkers and the town’s leadership have offered their
condolences and have apologised to the Armenian community.

IN EUROPE NK IS NOT CONSIDERED TO BE A REGION WHERE CONFLICT CAN BE “DEFROZEN”

ARMENPRESS
16 July, 2012
YEREVAN

Yerevan, July 16, ARMENPRESS: The German political scientist Alexander
Rar stated that in Europe Nagorno Karabakh is not considered to
be a region where the conflict can be “defrozen”, “Armenpress”
reports calling Day.az news website. “Now there is a great pause in
the Nagorno Kharbakh conflict process, as one should extinguish the
burning fires. In my opinion Nagorno Karabakh is not considered to be
a region where the military conflict can be turned from the “frozen”
into a “hot” conflict”, briefed the political scientist.

Armenia enters a new active political stage in autumn connected with
the 2013 presidential elections, and in this context Rar does not
exclude that the negotiators will perform with new suggestions on NK
conflict settlement issues.

“The matter is that today everybody is engaged in Syrian crisis.

Besides, the EU is now in a serious economic crisis, and many
believe that it can be collapsed. All the energy and efforts of the
EU leaders are focused on its rescuing and the establishment of the
EU new financial government. The EU reviews the union political and
management tools in the last 20 years. Europe should have conflict
settlement tools such as NK conflict still long ago, but there are
not any yet”, stated the German politician.

VISITE PASTORALE DE SA SAINTETE KAREKINE II, CATHOLICOS DE TOUS LES ARMENIENS, A NICE EN SEPTEMBRE PROCHAIN
Stephane

armenews.com
lundi 16 juillet 2012

A l’occasion des solennites commemorant le 80 ème anniversaire de
la consecration de l’Eglise- cathedrale Saint Sahak-Saint Mesrop et
des Saints traducteurs, Son Eminence Mgr. Norvan Zakarian, Primat des
Armeniens de France, a annonce que Sa Saintete Karekine II se rendrait
a Nice en septembre prochain pour une visite pastorale a la paroisse.

Depuis plusieurs mois, les dirigeants de l’ancienne “association
cultuelle” ont rompu leur lien canonique avec le Catholicossat supreme,
donc avec l’Eglise armenienne. Un ancien pretre “reduit a l’etat laïc”
auquel ils ont confie les clefs de la chapelle de la Très sainte Mère
de Dieu, celèbre chaque dimanche un simulacre de la Divine liturgie
et delivre des sacrements depourvus de toute validite canonique.

Pour repondre aux besoins des fidèles en communion avec l’Eglise
armenienne, une nouvelle paroisse a ete creee avec pour recteur le
hieromoine Krikor Khatchadourian. La divine liturgie et les autres
celebrations se deroulent dans l’eglise saint Philippe fraternellement
mise a la disposition l’Eglise armenienne par l’Eglise Catholique.

Les informations concernant la paroisse de Nice peuvent etre consultees
sur le blog suivant :

L’OPPOSITION NE PARVIENT PAS A S’IMPOSER AU PARLEMENT
Laetitia

armenews.com
lundi 16 juillet 2012

L’opposition armenienne a echoue vendredi 13 juillet 2012 a mobiliser
un soutien suffisant pour tenir une session d’urgence au Parlement
au sujet d’une bagarre meurtrière qui a eu lieu dans un restaurant
desormais celèbre a Erevan. Seulement 21 des 131 membres de l’Assemblee
nationale ont soutenu l’initiative lancee par le Congrès national
armenien (HAK). Pour mener ce debat au Parlement, 44 signatures
etaient necessaires. Seulement 7 des 37 deputes du BHK ont signe
la demande. Naira Zohrabian, deputee du BHK, a de nouveau affirme
que la plupart des membres de la faction parlementaire du parti,
la deuxième plus grande dans l’assemblee, etaient absents et donc
physiquement incapables de signer.

Zohrabian a egalement distance le BHK de l’initiative du HAK, qui a ete
approuvee par les deux autres forces de l’opposition parlementaires,
la Federation revolutionnaire armenienne (Dachnaktsoutioun) et le parti
Zharangutyun (Heritage). Zaruhi Postanjian, un depute du Zharangutyun,
a blâme le BHK, accusant le parti dirige par le businessman Gagik
Tsarukian de conserver des liens etroits avec le gouvernement.

” Je voudrais dire aussi que, dans la faction du BHK, il y a
des individus qui sont impliques dans des affaires criminelles,
qui ont mis en danger la vie des gens et leur sante “, a declare
Postanjian a RFE / RL (Azatutyun.am). Les legislateurs du HAK se
sont abstenus de critiquer leurs collègues du BHK, refletant la
nouvelle strategie de l’alliance de l’opposition. Levon Zurabian,
chef du groupe parlementaire du HAK, a declare que le blocage vient
du Parti republicain au pouvoir (HHK).

Ruben Hayrapetian, le proprietaire du restaurant, a demissionne de sa
fonction de depute au parlement la semaine dernière. Des protestations
ont continue meme après sa demission.Les manifestants demandent que
des poursuites penales soient lancees contre Hayrapetian. Des dizaines
de militants se sont reunis devant l’Assemblee nationale vendredi
pour exprimer leur soutien envers l’oppostion. Beaucoup etaient
sceptiques face a l’explication officielle, concernant l’absence de
soutien du BHK.

” Les vacances d’ete des deputes de l’Assemblee nationale sont
censees commencer le 15 juillet, a declare Davit Sanasarian, l’un
des organisateurs de la manifestation. Si les deputes ne peuvent pas
signer avant 18 heures aujourd’hui, ils doivent venir ici demain pour
signer une nouvelle petition. ”

Human Rights Defender: Rights Of Life Prisoners In Armenia Prejudiced Seriously

arminfo
Friday, July 13, 20:22

The rights of the life prisoners in Armenia are prejudiced seriously
and nobody can discuss the problem of their free pardon or cutting
the imprisonment term, a member of the civil initiative dealing
with cases of the life prisoners, Zarui Muradyan, said at today’s
press-conference.

“The Armenian society is tuned against the life prisoners very much
negatively and thinks they are dangerous. However, there are many
political prisoners among them and drivers which did not even know
where they were taking prisoners to”, – she said and added that the
initiative group sent several letters to President Serzh Sargsyan
to revise problems of life prisoners, change the term of their
imprisonment if they were already for 15 years in prison, etc, but
the president ignored their request.

She said that many life prisoners have already understood their
mistakes. However, the state deprived them of an opportunity to come
back and integrate in the society.

To note, as of July 2012, there are 105 life prisoners in Armenia,
41 of which sentenced for murder of one person and the rest – of two
and more.

ERDOGAN’S BLITZ VISIT TO RUSSIA
Karine Ter-Sahakian

PanARMENIAN.Net
July 13, 2012

Today, Turkey needs to ensure support by both U.S. and Russia, which
is now regaining the status of a world power.

Russian-Turkish ties have been recently facing serious jeopardy named
Syria and Iran. Syria is a major challenge, indeed, being a chief hub
for almost all regional hydrocarbon transportation projects. The real
transporter of oil and gas from Near East to Europe is namely Syria
and not Turkey, which now tosses about in its foreign policy.

PanARMENIAN.Net – Ankara resorts to all kinds of tricks striving to
become a regional leader; it declares a “zero problem” policy, then
adopts a “reasonable power” concept. According to Turkish Foreign
Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, Turkey will respond to Syria’s actions
with weighed moves, with no rash decisions. The reality, however,
is somewhat different: organization of camps for Syrian refugees,
who then are recruited as militants to fight against Bashar al-Assad;
weapon supply to the opposition, cheat games with Iran, etc…

Relations with Armenia are of least importance here, and this is
good for Yerevan. Ankara knows perfectly well that Russia views
Armenia as a quite friendly state, and any moves against Armenia
will be perceived by Moscow as antagonism to its ally. Maybe this
is the reason that support to Azerbaijan is merely manifested by
Erdogan’s loud statements, like “Our brothers’ pain is our pain”
and the hackneyed “The border will be opened when Armenian troops
leave Karabakh” phrases. Both Ankara and Baku realize the value of
these statements; they are worth nothing; instead, they please the
self-esteem demonstrating the “invariability of policy towards the
enemy”, namely Armenia.

Now, back to Russian-Turkish relations. The Turkish side recently
initiated a telephone conversation between Russian President Vladimir
Putin and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. “The parties
discussed the situation in and around Syria, including the recent
tragic incident with Turkish military aircraft hit by Syrian
air defence. The circumstances of this incident need thorough
investigation, the parties stressed,” Kremlin’s press service reported.

Meanwhile, Erdogan is arriving in Moscow for a one-day visit to
meet the Russian leader. The negotiation agenda will include further
development of bilateral relations, including the preparation for the
third meeting of the Russian-Turkish top level Cooperation Council
due in Turkey in autumn. In particular, cooperation in the energy
sphere will be a major subject of talks.

Today, Turkey needs to ensure support by both U.S. and Russia, which
is now regaining the status of a world power.

Actually, it never lost the status; however, recent years saw some
westernization trends. With Putin’s comeback, despite the global and
domestic attitude to him, Russia is gradually trying to regain at
least some of the positions it has so far lost. The efforts should
first focus on Near East where the U.S. increasingly reinforces its
presence, breeding chaos and discord between nations. As to Turkey,
as always, it is the first to see which way the wind blows, and tries
to minimize the losses. This is no “reasonable power” any longer,
but an urge to gain at least something. This is namely what Erdogan’s
visit to Moscow proves. If they fail to “settle” the Syrian issue the
way U.S. plans, Ankara will have to follow Russia’s rules, and also
the Chinese ones, to some extent. All in all, the underlying basis
of the “Arab spring” is the mere control over energy carriers.