Author: Baghdasarian Karlen

ARMENIAN REVOLUTIONARY FEDERATION PROPOSES CHANGING POWER

Tert.am
09.04.12

Armenia has not had authorities that would adequately serve the
people since it gained independence, Armen Rustamyan, an MP of the
Armenian Revolutionary Federation-Dashnaktsutyun (ARF-D), said at
the presentation of the ARF-D election program.

“The authorities have mainly served its narrow circles,” he added. A
change of power is the only way out of the situation, Rustamyan said.

“Not a primitive change – a change of a few names – but a complete
change.” The ARF-D election program is aimed at putting this idea
into practice.

“A complete change of power implies a change of the ruling
administration and a fundamental change of the system serving it. We
have had three presidents. Unfortunately, this system has remained
so far,” Rustamyan said.

“Elections must become a means of changing power. If we want democracy,
elections are the fundamental basis for that.” People must come to
realize that, Rustamyan said.

Rustamyan believes the only way out of the current situation is
abolishing the presidential system.

“It means a switch-over to the parliamentary system. Of course,
certain restrictions should be imposed on parliamentary immunity,”
Rustamyan said.

Both the authorities and opposition must be able to supervise the
government’s activities “from elections to elections.”

From: Baghdasarian

THE ISSUE OF THE TREATY REVIEW SHOULD BE RAISED AT THE STATE LEVEL
Ruzan Ishkhanian

Monday, 09 April 2012 05:39

Will those in Moscow take this step?

Recently, the discussions on reviewing the Moscow Treaty of March 16,
1921 have intensified in some expert circles in the Russian Federation.

It was signed between Kemalist Turkey and Soviet Russia, definitely
testifying to the victory of the Turkish diplomacy. Signing the treaty,
Moscow was guided solely by the claims of Turkey, granting it all the
Armenian areas noted in the Sevres Treaty. Meanwhile, Soviet Russia
was not competent to manage the fate of the Armenian people at its
own discretion. The Russian political scientists, speaking in favor
of the treaty review, stress that to date, it has a negative impact
on the Russian-Armenian relations.

Leader of Dashnaktsutyun faction of the NKR NA, historian Armen
Sargsyan commented on the Moscow Treaty. First of all, the historian
emphasized that he would be glad if Moscow decided to review that
treaty on a state level. He considered interesting this initiative,
noting that it is highly important to know the details of signing
the Moscow Treaty. And as it concerns the Russian-Turkish relations,
naturally, it will also impact the Russian-Azerbaijani relations.

The Moscow Treaty was signed after establishing the Soviet regime
in Armenia (officially, December 2, 1920). By the way, that period a
treaty was signed with Dashnaks, according to which, there could not be
one party in the Armenian reality, and the establishment of the Soviet
rules promised a good future for the Armenian nation. The people were
rejoicing, thinking that Bolshevik Russia would support Armenia. The
Dashnaks tried to prove that just the contrary was expected. And
Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the Communist Party of Turkey,
who was on this occasion formally raising the flag of socialism,
created the impression that it was he who was going to disseminate
socialism in the East. For this, he got weapons and everything from
Lenin. It is also a fact that in the days of overall excitement and
triumph some of the Armenian Communists passed to Ataturk’s side:
there was a belief that Soviet Russia would help Armenia. “But,
Ataturk realized well that the Communist Party was a Trojan horse
within his country, which would come to an end, and with this purpose,
on January 15, 1921, or a month and a half after the establishment of
Soviet Armenia, it destroyed in a day the Communist Party. Kemal hand
stones on the neck of the Turkish Communists, set them on a rock,
and pushed tem all to a gulf. After this, the Armenian Bolsheviks’
enthusiasm doubled, as they expected that Bolshevik Russia would become
hostile to Turkey. But, the reality proved that Kemal’s expectations
were true. Lenin understood that they had no support inside Turkey;
he thought that Armenia was Soviet, i.e. it belonged to him, so he
could take a big step towards Turkey. He could not allow Turkey to
leave him. January 15 was followed by the March 16 Moscow Treaty:
the leader of the proletarian revolution put his signature under the
document”, said Armen Sargsyan.

Mr. Sargsyan draws the attention to the illegality of the Moscow
Treaty. That time, neither K. Ataturk’s Government nor Bolshevik Russia
were recognized. Thus, on March 16, 1921, two unrecognized Governments
signed a treaty. The Armenian party didn’t participate in signing
the treaty: in general, nobody represented Soviet Armenia, which is
considered one of the fatal mistakes of the Armenian Communists.

According to the historian, it is not enough to review only the Moscow
Treaty, considering that first of all, they should declare illegal
the Kars Treaty signed in October 1921, in which Armenia, Georgia,
and Azerbaijan were involved by Russia. As a result, the Bolshevik
leaders signed the Kars Treaty, and in this way the Moscow Treaty was
ratified by the Armenians. By the way, in the autumn of 1921, Bolshevik
Russia wasn’t recognized yet. These two agreements have almost the
same meaning. It should be noted that Turkey’s foreign policy was
maximalist: this country lost the World War I, and in fact, if not
Bolshevik Russia, Turkey would have been fully divided into parts,
as a result of which we would have had Armenia of the Sevres Treaty.

Turkey was defeated in the World War I, but Russia gave it a title of
winner and lands. There is a remarkable circumstance: when defining
the border, the Russian delegation asked Turkey to agree that at least
Ani, an Armenian cultural city, is included in Soviet Armenia, but the
Turkish delegation struggled to the end and didn’t meet the request.

According to the political scientist, the Moscow and Kars Treaties
are a great lesson. They should be taken into account in the process
of the Karabakh conflict settlement.

“At this moment, I do not see any prerequisites, through which Russia
can go to the confrontation with Turkey and review the Moscow or Kars
Treaty”, stressed A. Sargsyan, adding, “And if the Kars Treaty is
revised, then a territorial issue should be discussed, because the
Moscow and Kars Treaties resolved, first of all, territorial problems.

It is interesting that Russian political scientists have raised
this issue”.

The issue has been repeatedly raised by historians, but it cannot be
yet called Russia’s state policy. Armenian historians substantiated
their claim with the fact that the Armenian party had not participated
in the signing of the agreement – the two countries, Russia and Turkey,
were not recognized.

Referring to the historical past, Dashnaktsutyun faction leader
emphasized that Russia had always advanced its national interest in
our region. And this interest will never change. Thus, it is known
that in 1914 the Tsarist Russian troops liberated Western Armenia and
retreated, and a year later, the Armenian Genocide took place. These
are issue, which should not be disregarded. Armenian and Russian
people are old friends, but in the crucial moments, Russia conducted
a short-sighted and inappropriate policy towards its friends. In
particular, it always preferred to yield the Caucasus to solve any
problem in the Balkans. But, these concessions, as history shows,
were always made at the expense of Armenia.

Recalling the current mission of the OSCE Minsk Group, the political
analyst noted that the involvement of international forces in
the peaceful settlement process ensured the maintenance of the
political-military balance. The appreciable work of the OSCE Minsk
Group co-chairs is that they used great efforts for peace keeping. Of
course, in many cases, their decisions remain on paper and their
activities give no tangible results. Thus, they haven’t managed yet
to withdraw snipers from the contact-line of the NKR and Azerbaijani
armed forces. The Minsk Group should be used as a guarantee for
peace maintenance.

“In due time, because of the gross error of the Armenian Communists,
the Moscow and Kars Treaties were signed, and in 1994, the ceasefire
agreement was signed. Such processes usually result in increasing the
threat of war. Putting the Karabakh issue under the jurisdiction of
foreign forces promises no success, and the solution of the issue
is conditioned by the process of the NKR recognition”, concluded
the historian.

From: Baghdasarian

CAMPAIGN FOR ANAHIT’S RETURN TO ARMENIA FROM BRITISH MUSEUM

Published: Monday April 09, 2012

I am a Pre-Med student at the University of California, Irvine
studying Biological Sciences. I was born and raised in Yerevan,
Armenia. As a child I was taken to every major museum in Yerevan. This
has contributed immensely to who I have become today and why I decided
to undertake this time-consuming initiative.

I studied in the United Kingdom for some time and my constant visits
to the museums led me to the discovery that the fragments of the
iconic statue of the goddess Anahit whose image symbolized so much
of my childhood (and history) were just sitting there confined within
the few sentences of description. Reminiscing the postal stamps, 5000
Dram notes, Agathangelos, Navasard and all the Anahits that I have
met throughout my life, I promised myself that upon my return to the
States I would do everything in my abilities to have her repatriated
to Armenia.

The common rationale for retaining these artifacts in London is for
preservation and the city’s role as a “world heritage center.” On
February 7, UK Ambassador to Armenia Kathy Leach expressed her
support for an exchange program between the UK and Armenia that would
“lend” these fragments. Although I understand determining ownership of
historical artifacts is no easy task, this is not just about a lendable
piece of history; it is a country’s piece of heritage. The physical
presence of these remains in Armenia will give the Armenian people the
chance to visit their history in museums and galleries without the
need to travel more than 2000 miles to do so. The sentimental value
of the goddess Anahit’s statue is worth far more to the Armenians
than to the tourists and visitors of the British Museum.

Initially, I faced wide criticism for my enthusiasm because of the
pagan beliefs that goddess Anahit represents. My response to those
people was that the change in our belief did not change our history and
since the image of Anahit is still immersed in the Armenian culture,
displaying this historic treasure in its original cultural context
will allow it to be better understood. It was even more difficult
explaining why someone would go so far for the head and hands of
a bronze statue when we have so much more to bring back from right
across the border. Then, I was confronted by the those who thought
this campaign had failure written all over it because the British
Museum would never give out its collections.

In fact, Egypt has recovered some 5000 of ancient artifacts over the
years and 454 of which came from the British Museum. If we fail to
spare 2 minutes of our time to submit a signature, we cannot expect
anything to be returned to Armenia.

This was around the time when Armenia’s Minister of Education &
Science Armen Ashotyan took the initiative of returning the fragments
to Armenia. Hours within the publication of the Minister’s initiative,
I was able to start a full scale online-campaign. Within few weeks,
we managed to collect more than a 1000 views from many different
countries. Although it is my responsibility to provide our petitioners
with progress reports and encouragement to spread the word, I would
not and will not be able to collect any signatures without the help
of my fellow bloggers, students, and social networkers.

We are expanding our reach to almost every social networking website
where we encourage people to share our story with their friends and
others who work, study and live around them. Our goal is to bring back
the statue of Armenian provenance to the History Museum of Armenia and
if it is ever to go abroad it should be under “Touring from Armenia.”

If you want to promote a successful campaign in the diaspora, you must
carefully communicate with the youth to mobilize support for the cause.

We are asking Minister Ashotyan to talk to us, the diasporan youth,
because we are more than eager to contribute to the cause. Although
we think the lack of interaction between the Minister and our petition
campaign is due to Mr.Ashotyan’s workload, we certainly hope he never
shifts away from this initiative. We also want to encourage every
petitioner to become a major recruiter to maintain the increasing
number of signatures!

The diaspora is becoming increasingly supportive in this campaign and
I am sure the History Museum of Armenia will make all the necessary
arrangements to show the British Museum that the artifacts will be
preserved and placed on pedestals as important pieces of Armenia’s
heritage.

Many of us, here in the diaspora, want to see Anahit’s statue returned
home. So I urge everyone to join us in returning the goddess home:
if you are a Christian who opposes pagan beliefs, do it in the name
of the first Christian King Trdat who praised Anahit as the “…the
glory of our nation and vivifier…mother of all chastity,” if you
are a historian, do it for the sake of preserving a nation’s heritage
and most importantly, if you are a common individual, like I am,
start a promotion and see how people will be encouraged to help you.

I would also like to mention that this petition not only gives us a
chance to have the statue returned to Armenia, but each petitioner
gets to read and become educated about our pre-Christian history and
where are historical artifacts are being kept.

Also look for us on Facebook and Twitter.

Thank you for your support, Gevorg Martirosyan

From: Baghdasarian

ARF DASHNAKTSUTYUN FREE APARTMENTS FOR FAMILIES HAVING FIVE OR MORE CHILDREN

news.am
April 09, 2012 | 14:05

YEREVAN.- ARF Dashnaktsutyun promises free apartments for the families
having five or more children, says the election program issued by
the party on Monday.

They also offer to set monthly child benefits. Another initiative is
to remove tuition fee for students having children.

The average wages of militaries and healthcare system employees will
be increased four times. Basic minimum wage will total about $160
(AMD 63,000), minimum basket of goods will be set at $160 as well.

ARFD expects these reforms will lead to increase in annual population
growth rate (50,000).

From: Baghdasarian

LANCEMENT OFFICIEL DE LA CAMPAGNE ELECTORALE EN ARMENIE
Ara

armenews.com
mardi 10 avril 2012

La campagnes pour les elections legislatives du 6 mai a officiellement
commence en Armenie, avec une serie de manifestations et de
rassemblements au cours desquels les principaux pretendants ont
presente leur programmes.

Le Parti republicain d’Armenie (HHK), dirige par le President Serge
Sarkissian et favori des elections, a organise de tels evenements
durant le week-end et lundi. Sarkissian devrait diriger personnellement
la plupart des meetings de campagne a venir.

Sarkissian est place en tete de la liste des candidats du HHK,
une position qui souligne l’importance de ces elections pour son
avenir politique. Le parti presidentiel a deja clairement indique son
intention de remporter le vote et de mettre ainsi son chef en orbite
pour gagner un second mandat l’an prochain.

Le partenaire principal du HHK dans la coalition au pouvoir, le
Parti Armenie prospère (BHK), a lance sa campagne dimanche avec un
rassemblement qui s’est tenu a Abovian, une ville situee a environ
15 kilomètres au nord d’Erevan. Abovian et les villages environnants
constituent le bastion politique du BHK de Gagik Tsarukian son chef
de file depuis une decennie.

Orinats Yerkir (Etat de droit), troisième formation de la coalition
gouvernementale de Sarkissian, a reuni des milliers de personnes
sur la place de la Liberte a Erevan samedi, un jour avant le debut
officiel de la campagne qui a coïncide avec la fete de Pâques. Son
leader, Artur Baghdasarian, a deplore dans son discours un “manque
de droit et de justice” en Armenie.

“Nous devons transformer notre pays en un pays de droit et de
justice “, a declare Baghdassarian. Il a insiste que les sondages
qui placent Orinats Yerkir en hausse “de jour en jour ” et a denonce
ses detracteurs qui pretendent que le parti aura du mal a gagner des
sièges dans la prochaine Assemblee nationale.

Trois des principaux groupes d’opposition envisagent d’organiser leurs
premiers meetings de campagne mardi. Deux d’entre eux, la Federation
revolutionnaire armenienne (Dachnaktsoutioun) et l’alliance de
Zharangutyun (Heritage) et les Democrates Libres, ont presente lundi
leurs manifestes politiques.

Zharangutyun dirige par Raffi Hovannisian a annonce le lancement
de son slogan ” chemin victorieux pour une nouvelle Armenie ” dans
un discours prononce devant des centaines de militants qui se sont
reunis dans un auditorium d’un hôtel a Yerevan. “Pour la première et
la dernière fois dans l’histoire moderne de l’Armenie, nous allons
rendre le pouvoir au peuple armenien,” a-t-il declare.

Hovannisian, qui avait ete le premier ministre des Affaires
etrangères de l’Armenie, a assure le public enthousiaste que le bloc
Heritage-Democrates Libres “participera a la formation de l’executif,
du gouvernement, de la presidence et du système judiciaire.” “Celui
qui n’y croient pas aujourd’hui en sauront convaincu dans 30 jours
“, a-t-il proclame.

Dans des entretiens separes a RFE / RL, Hovannisian a precise la
vision que Zharangutyun et les Democrates libres ont de cette victoire
electorale. “En cas d’elections libres, justes et transparentes,
si elles ont lieu pour la première fois dans les 20 ans d’histoire
de notre Etat independant, Zharangutyun arrivera en tete a Erevan et
dans toute l’Armenie,” a-t-il predit.

Le chef de l’opposition ne aux Etats-Unis n’a pas dit ce comment sa
force politique reagira s’il estime que les resultats des elections
sont frauduleux. “Dans tous les cas, on va se reveiller avec une
nouvelle Armenie le 7 mai,” a-t-il lance.

Les dirigeants de la FRA, quant a eux, ont promis de chercher “un
changement de regime complet ” en Armenie lors de la presentation
de leur plate-forme separee. L’un d’eux, Armen Rustamian, a explique
que l’objectif du parti est non seulement de renverser la direction
armenienne actuelle, mais aussi de reformer le ” système construit
en fonction d’elle. ”

“Nous avons eu trois presidents a ce jour et, malheureusement, tous
ces presidents ont maintenu ce système qui a alimente le mecontentement
populaire “, a declare Rustamian.

La FRA preconise en particulier la transformation de l’Armenie en une
republique parlementaire qui restreindrait les pouvoirs très etendus
actuellement exerces par le president de la Republique. Le manifeste
du parti promet egalement un durcissement de la repression contre
la corruption, une plus grande implication du gouvernement dans les
depenses economiques et sociales.

Rustamian a note que la FRA sera prete a envisager le partage du
pouvoir avec les autres forces politiques a condition qu’elles
soutiennent ses principales promesses de campagne. Il n’etait pas
clair, cependant, que le parti soit pret a se joindre a un nouveau
gouvernement de coalition forme par Sarkissian et le HHK.

La FRA a fait partie de la coalition actuelle en 2008-2009.

From: Baghdasarian

Trend, Azerbaijan
April 6 2012

Azerbaijan to report on prejudice of Armenian MPs to Euronest PA and
European Parliament

6 April 2012, 20:17 (GMT+05:00)

Azerbaijan, Baku, April 6 / Trend /

Head of Azerbaijani delegation to the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly
Elkhan Suleymanov expressed the opinion on the statements of Armenian
MPs at a press conference in Yerevan after returning from the Baku
session.

“Words of Hovhannisyan that after the speech of the President of
Azerbaijan our MPs have supposedly apologized to the Armenian MPs,
caused wonder and regret. This is not the only biased statement of the
Armenian deputies in the press conference in Yerevan,” said Suleymanov

Azerbaijan will report on the prejudice of the Armenian MPs voiced in
various media, to the Euronest PA and the European Parliament,
Suleymanov said

The Euronest PA second session opened in Baku on Monday. Meetings of
standing committees and a working group on Belarus, as well as the
plenary session were held. Documents prepared by committees, together
with supplements and amendments to be adopted as resolutions were
discussed. The EU delegation and the national delegations of Ukraine,
Georgia, Moldova and Armenia attended the Baku session.

The Euronest inter-parliamentary union includes Azerbaijan, Armenia,
Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine.

From: Baghdasarian

Bad Left Hook.com
April 6 2012

Yamanaka vs Darchinyan Results: Vic Darchinyan Denied Again in
Bantamweight Title Bid

by Scott Christ on Apr 6, 2012 12:02 PM EDT in Boxing Results and
Post-Fight Analysis

Vic Darchinyan dropped to 0-3 in bantamweight title fights this
morning in Japan, losing a fairly wide decision to WBC titleholder
Shinsuke Yamanaka on scores of 117-111, 116-112, and 116-112. It’s the
second straight loss for the Armenian brawler, and without question
the best win to date for the 29-year-old Yamanaka.

Darchinyan (37-5-1, 27 KO) is 36 years old and you have to wonder how
much he’s got left competing at the top levels. He was sorely
outclassed by Anselmo Moreno in his last fight, and he’s just 3-4
fighting above 115 pounds in his career, with his best win coming over
a tired-looking Yonnhy Perez, who retired without ever fighting again.

Darchinyan has talked about going into MMA, and reports from Australia
were that this would be his last boxing fight before venturing into
that world. But MMA’s lowest weight class is 125 pounds, and there’s
not big money in it. If it’s something he wants to do for pride or
just for the hell of it, and he’s not expecting much financially, then
he might as well, I guess — why not? He’s unlikely to become a star,
though, since MMA stars are simply not that small, which isn’t much
different than in boxing.

But let’s move on from Darchinyan and talk about Yamanaka (16-0-2, 11
KO), who now joins the upper echelon of the bantamweight division.
With Abner Mares set to move out on April 21, and Nonito Donaire
already gone, Anselmo Moreno is for all intents and purposes the
world’s No. 1 bantamweight. But after Moreno, who’s to say that
Yamanaka isn’t now the No. 2 man? Joseph Agbeko is still out there
with a stronger resume, but he’s lost three of his last four (all to
top fighters, but still). Yamanaka is in a position to become a
serious player at 118, even if that means staying at home, because the
American TV world is nearly out of the division, basically, at least
in the short-term.

Takahiro Aoh (23-2-1, 10 KO) retained his WBC super featherweight
title with a 12-round decision win over Thailand’s Terdsak Kokietgym,
formerly known as Terdsak Jandaeng (you may recall the tough, sturdy
Terdsak from losses to Juan Manuel Marquez, Joan Guzman, or Steven
Luevano). Aoh, 28, won on scores of 116-112, 116-112, and 118-110, the
latter of which was called too wide by Jake Donovan of
BoxingScene.com, who said it was a “sensational battle.”

Also on the card, former 118- and 126-pound titleholder Hozumi
Hasegawa came back to the ring, stopping untested Mexican Felipe
Carlos Felix in the seventh round. Hasegawa improves to 30-4 (13 KO),
and was fighting at featherweight again. At 31, he wants to stay in
the game, and he can still box. It’s a question of how good a fighter
he can beat at 126.

From: Baghdasarian

WND – World News Daily
April 7 2012

RUSSIA EXPECTING ATTACK ON IRAN BY SUMMER

Plans to move troops to protect interests, possibly assist Islamic enclave

Editor’s Note: The following report is excerpted from Joseph Farah’s
G2 Bulletin, the premium online newsletter published by the founder of
WND. Subscriptions are $99 a year or, for monthly trials, just $9.95
per month for credit card users, and provide instant access for the
complete reports.

WASHINGTON – The Russian military anticipates that an attack will
occur on Iran by the summer and has developed an action plan to move
Russian troops through neighboring Georgia to stage in Armenia, which
borders on the Islamic republic, informed Russian sources say in a
report in Joseph Farah’s G2 Bulletin.

Russian Security Council head Viktor Ozerov said that Russian General
Military Headquarters has prepared an action plan in the event of an
attack on Iran.

Dmitry Rogozin, who recently was the Russian ambassador to the North
Atlantic Treaty Organization, or NATO, warned against an attack on
Iran.

`Iran is our neighbor,’ Rogozin said. `If Iran is involved in any
military action, it’s a direct threat to our security.’ Rogozin now is
the deputy Russian prime minister and is regarded as anti-Western. He
oversees Russia’s defense sector.

Russian Defense Ministry sources say that the Russian military doesn’t
believe that Israel has sufficient military assets to defeat Iranian
defenses and further believes that U.S. military action will be
necessary.

Russia’s purpose in moving its troops would be not only to protect its
own vital regional interests but possibly to assist Iran in the event
of an attack. Sources add that a Russian military buildup in the
region could result in the Russian military potentially engaging
Israeli forces, U.S. forces or both.

Informed sources say that the Russians have warned of `unpredictable
consequences’ in the event Iran is attacked, with some Russians saying
that the Russian military would intervene because its vital interests
in region would be threatened.

The influential Russian Nezavisimaya Gazeta newspaper has quoted a
Russian military source as saying that the situation forming around
Syria and Iran `causes Russia to expedite the course of improvement of
its military groups in the South Caucasus, the Caspian, Mediterranean
and Black Sea regions.’

This latest information comes from a series of reports and leaks from
official Russian spokesmen and government news agencies who say that
an Israeli attack is all but certain by the summer.

Because of the impact on Russian vital interests in the region,
sources say that Russian preparations for such an attack began two
years ago when Russian Military Base 102 in Gyumri, Armenia, was
modernized. It is said to occupy a major geopolitical position in the
region.

Families of Russian servicemen from the Russian base at Gyumri in
Armenia close to the borders of Georgia and Turkey already have been
evacuated, Russian sources say.

`Military Base 102 is a key point, Russia’s outpost in the South
Caucasus,’ a Russian military source told the newspaper. `It occupies
a very important geopolitical position, but the Kremlin fears lest it
should lose this situation.’

Keep in touch with the most important breaking news stories about
critical developments around the globe with Joseph Farah’s G2
Bulletin, the premium, online intelligence news source edited and
published by the founder of WND.

From: Baghdasarian

Russian radar in Armenia to block an US/Israeli strike on Iran from the north

DEBKAfile Exclusive Analysis April 8, 2012, 12:26 PM (GMT+02:00)

Moscow has stepped into the vacuum created by US President Barack
Obama’s decision to stay out of any potentially incendiary Middle East
involvement while campaigning for a second term. After blocking the
way to direct Western and Arab military intervention in Syria through
the Mediterranean, Russia sent its Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov last
week on a round trip to the capitals of Armenia, Azerbaijan,
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan – an expedition designed to
secure Iran against a potential US/Israeli attack via its northern and
eastern neighbors, debkafile’s military sources report.
On his return to Moscow, April 6, the Russian army let it be known
that highly-advanced mobile S-400 surface-to-air missiles had been
moved into Kaliningrad, the Baltic enclave bordered by Poland and
Lithuania, its response to US plans for an anti-Iran missile shield
system in Europe and the Middle East.
In Yerevan, the Russian minister finalized a deal for the
establishment of an advanced Russian radar station in the Armenian
mountains to counter the US radar set up at the Turkish Kurecik air
base, our sources disclose.

Just as the Turkish station (notwithstanding Ankara’s denials) will
trade data on incoming Iranian missiles with the US station in the
Israeli Negev, the Russian station in Armenia will share input with
Tehran.
Moscow remains deeply preoccupied in Syria, successfully fending off
Western and Arab pressure against its ruler Bashar Assad. debkafile’s
sources hear that Assad will not meet the April 10 deadline for moving
his heavy armor and battalions out of Syrian cities. Monday, April 8,
he sent his foreign minister Walid Moallem to Moscow for instructions
for getting him off the hook of failing to comply with his commitment
to the UN envoy Kofi Annan’s peace plan, starting with a truce.
Lavrov, rather than US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton is
evidently regarded these days as the senior Middle East power broker.
In a thumbs-down on Russia’s deepening footstep in the region, the
London-based Saudi Sharq al Awsat captioned a Sunday op-ed item, `Nor
do we want a `Sheikh’ Lavrov.’
For the first time since the Cold War ended, the management of a major
world crisis has passed into the hands of the Kremlin in Moscow and
the UN Secretariat in New York.
Weeping crocodile tears, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said
Saturday that the April 10 date for a Syrian truce `was not an excuse
for continued killing’ by the Syrian regime, ignoring the fact that
`the continued killing’ could have been avoided were it not for the
strategy pursued by Kofi Annan, the special envoy he shares with the
Arab League, with Moscow’s back-stage wire-pulling.
This is because President Barak Obama is advised by his campaign
strategists that the way to the American voter’s heart in November is
through burnishing his image as a `balanced and responsible’
multinational diplomat, in contrast with his Republican rivals’
hawkish support of an Israeli attack on Iran’s nuclear program.
In the case of Syria, the White House finds itself on the same side as
the UN and the Kremlin. They all share the common goal of obstructing
Western and Arab military intervention in Syria at all costs.

Hundreds of Syrian protesters are still paying the price in blood –
although its dimensions of the butchery are frequently exaggerate by
the opposition. After brutalizing his population for thirteen months,
Bashar Assad is more or less on top of the revolt in Syria’s main
cities, excepting the Idlib province and one or two pockets in and
around Homs. He used the extra days afforded him by Kofi Annan’s
deadline for the ruthless purge of the last remnants of resistance in
small towns and villages, cetain that Moscow, the UN secretary – and
Washington, by default – would do nothing to stop him.

Should current circumstances shoot off in unforeseen directions – for
instance, a Syrian government poison chemical or biological weapon
attack causing hundreds of dead, over and above the 9,000 confirmed by
UN figures – Obama might be forced to resort to limited military
action, pulling in the Turkish army. This has not yet happened.
That the Russians are not letting the grass grow under their feet,
turning Middle East bushfires to their advantage and closing one
American Middle East option after another, appears to be a minor
consideration in Washington up until November.

From: Baghdasarian

Exclusive: Armenia to host Russian radar

DEBKAfile April 8, 2012, 1:16 PM (GMT+02:00)

Armenia has acceded to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s
request to host a Russian radar station, DEBKAfile reveals. It will
counter the US radar set up at the Turkish Kurecik air base as part of
the NATO shield against Iranian missile attack. Just as the Turkish
station (notwithstanding Ankara’s denials) will trade data on incoming
Iranian missiles with the US station in the Israeli Negev, the Russian
station in Armenia will share input with Tehran.

From: Baghdasarian