Author: Baghdasarian Karlen

GENOCIDE ARMENIEN : “LES TURCS PRATIQUENT LA DIPLOMATIE DE LA MENACE”

Le Point

20 dec 2011
France

La deputee UMP qui defend la proposition de loi s’est declaree, mardi,
“stupefaite par le niveau de reactions” d’Ankara.

La deputee UMP Valerie Boyer, qui va defendre, jeudi, la proposition
de loi sur la penalisation de la negation du genocide armenien,
s’est declaree mardi “stupefaite par le niveau de reactions des Turcs”.

“Aujourd’hui, les Turcs pratiquent la diplomatie de la menace. C’est
particulièrement choquant et l’on est stupefait par le niveau de
reactions des Turcs”, a declare Valerie Boyer.

La proposition de loi de la deputee des Bouches-du-Rhône, cosignee
par plus d’une quarantaine de deputes de la majorite presidentielle,
propose de sanctionner la contestation des genocides reconnus par la
loi d’un an de prison et de 45 000 euros d’amende. Elle a suscite
la colère de la Turquie, qui menace la France de represailles
diplomatiques et economiques si le texte est adopte.

“La diplomatie de la menace est particulièrement archaïque. C’est
une ingerence qui ne peut que renforcer la determination des
parlementaires”, a insiste Valerie Boyer. “Cette proposition est
l’aboutissement d’un long processus legislatif qui a demarre avec la
reconnaissance du genocide armenien en 2001. Il fallait aller plus
loin avec la penalisation de la contestation du genocide”, a encore
affirme cette elue, selon laquelle cette decision des parlementaires
francais est “inspiree par les droits de l’homme” et “n’est dirigee
contre aucun pays”.

From: Baghdasarian

NO AGREEMENT ON ESTABLISHING TURKISH, ARMENIAN INQUIRY

Trend
Dec 20 2011
Azerbaijan

Member of Turkish Nationalist Movement Party (NMP) Yusuf Halacoglu has
found it impossible to create a joint Turkish-Armenian commission of
inquiry into the events of 1915, a Turkish TV channel TRT Haber said
on Monday.

“Throughout history, great nations, especially France and Great
Britain, used Armenia for their own interests,” Mr Halacoglu said.

A member of the French president’s party, the Union for a Popular
Movement (UMP) which has the parliamentary majority, presented a
bill earlier this month aimed at introducing criminal punishment to
the legislative committee of the National Assembly for denial of the
so-called ‘Armenian genocide’.

The bill which was signed by 40 members of the UMP party and the New
Centre party, provides up to one year’s imprisonment and a fine of
45,000 euros for those who deny the so-called ‘Armenian genocide’.

The Armenians and the Armenian lobby claim that the predecessor of
Turkey – Ottoman Empire has carried out ‘genocide’ against Armenians
living in Anatolia in 1915 and achieved recognition of these events
as genocide in the parliaments of several countries.

From: Baghdasarian

AZERBAIJAN’S EMBASSY IN ARGENTINA MISINFORMS AZERBAIJANI MEDIA

Panorama
Dec 20 2011
Armenia

1news.az has lately spread misinformation, citing the press service
of Azerbaijan’s Embassy in Argentina. The website reported that
allegedly Clarín, the largest newspaper in Argentina, one of the
most significant Spanish-language printed newspapers in the world, on
December 15 published an article titled “The Ambassador of Azerbaijan
Declares” by Azerbaijan’s Ambassador to Argentina Mamed Ahmedzade.

The Azerbaijani news agency said that “in his article” Ahmedzade
voiced Azerbaijan’s claim to Nagorno-Karabakh and allegedly “proved
that historically Karabakh is an Azerbaijani territory.”

However, after looking through Clarín one will realize that the
“victory of Azerbaijani diplomacy” is its next falsification,
with the Azerbaijani Ambassador’s passage placed in the readers’
letters section.

This letter to the editorial office is a vain and retarded attempt by
Azerbaijani diplomacy to respond to the interview by international
editor at Clarín newspaper Marcelo Cantelmi with NKR President Bako
Sahakyan which was published in the newspaper on December 4 and
aroused great interest in wide public.

From: Baghdasarian

TURKISH PRESIDENT URGES FRANCE TO DROP ARMENIAN GENOCIDE BILL

Al-Arabiya

Dec 20 2011
UAE

Turkish President Abdullah Gul made an appeal to France on Tuesday
to drop an Armenian genocide bill as soon as possible, saying that
the planned legislation was unacceptable.

“It is not possible for us to accept this bill which denies us the
freedom to reject unfair and groundless accusations targeting our
country and our nation,” Gul said in a statement.

His remarks came as the French parliament prepares to vote Thursday
on a law making it illegal to deny the Armenian genocide at the hands
of the Ottoman Empire during World War I.

Gul urged France to abort this initiative as soon as possible as it
will block any objective research of the 1915 events.

“I want to hope that France will not sacrifice centuries-old
Turkish-French friendship, common interests and bonds of alliance
for small political calculations,” said Gul, drawing attention to
the timing of the bill ahead of next year’s elections in France.

The Turkish leader called for common sense to reign in France, saying
that history should be written by historians.

If the law is passed as expected, anyone in France who publicly denies
the genocide could face a year in jail and a fine of 45,000 euros
($58,000).

Armenia says up to 1.5 million of its people were killed during World
War I by forces belonging to Turkey’s former Ottoman Empire.

Turkey rejects the term genocide and says between 300,000 and
500,000 Armenians, and at least as many Turks, died in combat or
from starvation when Armenians rose up and sided with invading
Russian forces.

France, which has a large population of Armenian descent, recognized
the killings as genocide in 2001.

From: Baghdasarian

FRIDTJOF NANSEN MEDAL TO ARMEN RUSTAMYAN

YERKIR.AM
12:51 – 20.12.2011

Representative of ARF Supreme body Armen Rustamyan received a gold
medal and a diploma from Fridtjof Nansen foundation.

The medal of the Nobel Peace Prize Laureate was handed to Armen
Rustamyan by the president of the foundation Felix Bakhchinyan.

From: Baghdasarian

OPINION: ARMENIA NEEDS A STRATEGY OF INDUSTRY REHABILITATION AND DEVELOPMENT

/ARKA/
DECEMBER 19, 2011
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, December 19. /ARKA/. Union of Domestic Manufacturers of
Armenia plans to propose the government to develop a strategy of
rehabilitation and development of industry, said Chairman of the
Union Vazgen Safaryan.

“Domestic manufacturers would like that the certain steps in the
frames of the strategy of export-oriented industrial policy cover
not only three spheres but several other spheres”, he said to the
journalists on Monday.

Government of Armenia on December 15 approved the strategy of
export-oriented industrial policy. The document developed by the
group of exports and by the order of the World Bank with the support
of the Armenian Economy Ministry is targeted at the formation of
developed industrial system, export, which in its turn, will become
an incentive for the production of relevant international standards
of goods, expansion of foreign markets and creation of new job places.

The strategy identifies three conventional horizontals or phases
which will provide development of 11 branch directions. For all
the directions included in the document separate concepts will
be developed. For the first three directions – brandy production,
pharmaceutics and precise engineering, concepts have been developed.

Safaryan said that the new extended strategy should be different
from vary from the approved strategy in that, that its framework
should develop programs not only in export-oriented sectors, but
also in machinery, machine tools, mining industry and production of
ready products.

“Thus, Armenian economy will have not only raw material, but become
a country producing and exporting ready products”, he said.

According to official statistical data, volume of foreign trade
turnover of Armenia in January-October 2011 compared to the same
period of 2010 increased by 17.1% making about 1650.9 billion drams
in current prices or about $4.5 billion. Volume of export was $1082.6
million increased by 32.1% and import – $3370.7 million recording
growth by 13%. ($1- 381.95 drams).

From: Baghdasarian

IMMUNE SYSTEM TO PROVOCATIONS IN JAVAKHETI
Naira Hayrumyan

Story from Lragir.am News:

Published: 11:39:10 – 20/12/2011

The Armenians of Samtskhe-Javakheti region of Georgia threaten to
separate from Georgia if Georgia joins NATO. According to Regnum,
this is stated in the official statement of Javakheti Diaspora of
Russia NGO. “Georgia’s membership to the Alliance is inappropriate for
the Armenian population of Javakheti and it would not be supported
by 70% of the population, the statement runs. Based on the above,
we state that the aspiration of Georgia to join the military and
political alliance is contrary to the political will of the Armenian
population of Samtskhe-Javakheti, and the decision of such an important
political issue with such falsification and ignorance of the opinion
of the Armenian region will incite conflicts, which will bring about
appeals for secession”.

Apparently, attempts to cause tensions between Armenia and Georgia
are made in Javakheti. The presidents of both countries had hardly
managed to smooth relations, assuring each other that they have no
bad intentions when information appeared on a Russian website causing
discord in the relations.

Bad relations between Armenia and Georgia are not useful for either
Armenia or Georgia. They are useful only to those who try to establish
total control over the entire region. Both the Armenian and Georgian
peoples need to develop an immune system to resist such provocations
without falling into a panic and taking tough steps.

This does not mean that there are no problems in Javakheti, and
Armenia should not show interest in the destiny of their compatriots
in Javakheti. However, it is necessary to find out what the interest
is in. Do the Armenians of Javakheti really disagree with Georgia’s
membership to NATO? Do they really like Georgia’s orientation towards
the West? Do they like the reduction of corruption and improvement of
the business environment in Georgia? Maybe, the Armenians of Javakheti
just find it difficult to adapt to the new conditions. Maybe in this
issue, their compatriots from Armenia and especially from Russia
hinder them, particularly those who accumulated wealth under these
conditions and are now afraid of redistribution.

Armenia has no reason to prevent the membership of Georgia and
Javakheti to NATO. On the contrary, development may lead to the
improvement of the social and economic situation in Javakheti which
will act as a locomotive for the development of the Armenian economy.

From: Baghdasarian

FRENCH HOTEL DOES NOT LET TURKISH GROUP TO CALL ANTI-GENOCIDE BILL MEETING

armradio.am
20.12.2011 17:37

A French hotel cancelled a reservation made by a Turkish delegation,
which is currently in Paris to lobby against a bill that aims to
penalize denial of Armenian Genocide in France, for a hall to call
a meeting on Monday, Turkish media report.

A delegation consisting of businesspeople, led by Turkish Union
of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges (TOBB) President Rifat
Hisarcıklıoglu and Turkish Industrialists and Businessmen’s
Association (TUSIAD) Chairwoman Umit Boyner is also scheduled to engage
in contacts with French business people with the aim of convincing
them to increase pressure on French officials regarding the bill.

They were planning to stay in the Intercontinental Paris Le Grande
Hotel and they also made a reservation for a conference hall in the
hotel for Monday evening last week in addition to room bookings. The
delegation was planning to have a meeting with nearly 200 people and
voice their opposition to the bill. However, the hotel cancelled
the reservation for the conference hall at the very last minute
and told the delegation that the hall was not available although
they had earlier reserved it for the Turkish group, TOBB Chairman
Hisarcıkoglu said.

The French parliament is set to vote on Thursday on a piece of
legislation that could make denying the 1915 events that took place
in Turkey as genocide punishable by up to one year in prison and a
fine of 45,000 euros.

From: Baghdasarian

VENICE COMMISSION TO MAKE A NUMBER OF RECOMMENDATIONS TO GOVERNMENT OF ARMENIA TO IMPROVE DRAFT LAW ON ALTERNATIVE SERVICE

arminfo
Tuesday, December 20, 16:10

The Venice Commission of the Council of Europe will make a number of
recommendations to the Government of Armenia to improve the draft
law on Alternative Service, British MP Richard Clayton, one of the
rapporteurs on the opinion on the Amendments and Additions to the Law
on Alternative Service of the Republic of Armenia, told an ArmInfo
correspondent.

He said that having joined the Council of Europe, Armenia assumed a
commitment to adopt a law guaranteeing protection of the citizens’
rights in case they refuse military service for religious or other
reasons. The law was adopted in December 2003. On the whole, the Law
on Alternative Service, as well as the following amendments submitted
by the Government of Armenia do not meet the international standards
of human rights, Richard Clayton said.

He pointed out that the official document on the opinion of the
Venice Commission will shortly become public. In particular, the
recommendations of the Venice Commission are as follows: explicitly
state that the military have no supervisory role in the day-to-day
operational supervision of those who perform alternative service; add
a provision enabling transfer from military service to alternative
service; allow for the partial deduction of the already completed
alternative service time from the term of the up-coming military
service and vice versa, etc.

At the same time, Richard Clayton said that these are only
recommendations, and the thing is whether the Government will
implement them.

From: Baghdasarian

ARMENIAN CHURCH OPENS IN BULGARIA

news.am
Dec 20 2011
Armenia

The Saint Stepanos Armenian Church of Pazardzhik, Bulgaria, officially
opened Monday.

Father Abgar Hovakimian, Locum Tenens of the Armenian Apostolic
Church~Rs Diocese of Bulgaria, celebrated a Holy Mass at the Church.

Armenia~Rs Ambassador to Bulgaria, Arsen Shoyan, chair members of
Armenian Apostolic Church Committee in Bulgaria, Mayor of Pazardzhik,
and Armenian benefactors also attended the Divine Liturgy.

To note, the Church~Rs groundbreaking ceremony was held in 2005.

From: Baghdasarian