ARMENIANS HOLD MILITARY EXERCISE IN OCCUPIED LANDS
news.az
Dec 8 2011
Azerbaijan
Armenian armed forces have held the command-staff exercise in the
occupied lands of Azerbaijan.
Regnum reports that the exercise was focused on the resisting the
enemy’s attack. The organization and conduction of offensive and
counter-offensive were also in the focus.
From: Baghdasarian
‘SAGSYAN SHOULD BETTER DEAL WITH PROBLEMS OF FLEEING ARMENIAN PEOPLE’
news.az
Dec 8 2011
Azerbaijan
Armenia should pay the price for crimes it committed against
Azerbaijanis and Turks, Mustafa Kabakci says.
Turkish Member of Parliament Mustafa Kabakchi assesses the statement
of the Armenian president, made in France regarding so-called ‘Armenian
genocide’ as an attempt to gain respect of the Armenian lobby.
“Such statements further increase gap between Turkey and Armenia and
will not give any use to Yerevan”, Kabakci stated.
On 7 December, Serzh Sargsyan stated in Marcel that ‘sooner or later
Turkey will bow down in front of the memorials of ‘Armenian genocide
victims’~R.
“Turkey is a powerful country and often makes others to bow downs
in front of it. Let Sargsyan speak about his fantasies and dreams –
it’s not interesting for us. But I would like him to live in the real
life and instead of giving such statements, he would better deal with
his own nation who flee from the country”, Kabakci stressed.
“If Turkey is so bad country, why do thousands of Armenians seek jobs
and earnings here?”, Kabakci added.
The MP stated that Turkey has never committed genocide against any
nation and always stood and will stand for peace and stability in
the region.
“With such statements, Sargsyan seems to yield respect of the Armenian
lobby”, Kabakci thinks.
The MP noted that the only one who should bow down and ask for apology
is Armenia.
“Armenia should pay the price for crimes it committed against
Azerbaijanis and Turks. Khojaly genocide happened in front of the
eyes of all, no normal person can stand this human tragedy. Sargsyan
should better tell French people about his ‘heroic deeds’ in Khojaly,
about how he headed armed bands who killed the old, women and children
for the only reason that they were Turks”, Kabakci underlined.
From: Baghdasarian
NAGORNO-KARABAKH SETTLEMENT IN CONTEXT OF OSCE MEDIATION
Trend
Dec 8 2011
Azerbaijan
8 December 2011, 15:01 (GMT+04:00) Trend European Desk commentator
Elmira Tariverdiyeva
Lithuania, which headed the OSCE during 2011, hosts the 18th meeting
of the Ministerial Council in Vilnius. About 40 foreign ministers
and other senior officials from 56 member states of the organisation
are attending the meeting. The conflicts in the OSCE were one of the
key issues.
Almost every representative of the member states stressed the need
at the OSCE Ministerial Council meeting to promote the settlement of
Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict over the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
However, this quite a usual procedure and to date there has never been
a breakthrough in the negotiations between Baku and Yerevan. Realising
this, representatives of the OSCE member states have emphasised
the futility of the efforts of the chief mediator in the conflict –
the Minsk Group.
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov said that the
last proposals of the updated Madrid principles developed by the
co-chairmen of the three countries were presented to the parties in
the conflict. Afterwards, Azerbaijan has declared that it was ready
to continue further negotiations to develop a comprehensive peace
agreement, but, unfortunately Armenia has rejected these proposals.
The mediators stressed that real progress in the negotiations over
Nagorno-Karabakh was not achieved.
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu was more straightforward
in his view and said that the protracted conflicts in the OSCE area
undermine the reliability of the organisation.
Ultimately, the mediators cannot do anything with Armenia’s unhelpful
position. Armenia is like a bad pupil who fears the teacher will shake
his shoulders and hides behind his comrades so as not to be called
to the blackboard. In other words, Yerevan is trying to preserve the
status quo, which is unacceptable in terms of all the international
players.
Despite all the appeals, it is easier for Yerevan to tighten the
process of settlement for an indefinite period. No mediators are
able to move it from its entrenched position by using the current
instruments of impact on the occupier country.
From: Baghdasarian
TURKISH COURT OVERTURNS DECISION BANNING ARMENIANS TO USE THEIR CHURCHES
PanARMENIAN.Net
December 8, 2011 – 10:44 AMT
PanARMENIAN.Net – With the Turkish Supreme Court of Appeals overturning
a local court’s decision not to give local Armenians the right to
use their churches and cemeteries, Sason Armenians are half-satisfied
because they are also demanding the title deeds to those properties,
Today’s Zaman reports.
“We respect the decision of the Supreme Court of Appeals,” said Aziz
Daglı who chairs the Sason Armenians’ Association. “But as well as
having a right to use those places, we also have a right to have the
deeds to these properties.”
The deed registry records in regards to the hundreds-of-years-old
Armenian churches and cemeteries of Sason, a district in the province
of Batman, state that those are “vacant land, forests and deserted
homes.”
The association filed a case in the local court in 2008 asking to
have those areas given “cultural value” status. However, Daglı said
that the local court disregarded their demand.
“This ruling was against the Lausanne Treaty’s articles regarding
minority rights in Turkey. This was also against the Convention for
the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, which Turkey
signed and ratified. The local court did not care about our rights.
Therefore, we appealed,” he said.
According to the appeals’ court’s decision, those properties should
be considered “areas of cultural and natural values” and officially
registered as belonging to the state.
However, Daglı said that those properties belong to the Armenian
community, and if they are not able to obtain their title deeds in
Turkey, they will apply to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).
From: Baghdasarian
MAJOR CAR CRASH IN YEREVAN: THREE BURNED ALIVE IN CAR (PHOTOS)
Tert.am
08.12.11
Three people reportedly burned alive in a major car crash in capital
Yerevan at midnight.
Two passenger cars – a VAZ 2102 Zhiguli and a BMW – crashed into each
other on a bridge in Rubinyants street. Subsequent fire which broke
out in the former vehicle left all three passengers inside dead.
Our correspondent reported from the scene that the driver of Zhiguli
had evidently lost control, colliding with the left front corner of
the BMW car. Official data will be available after expert examinations.
The BMW driver did not reportedly suffer serious injuries and
complained only of knee pains.
According to our correspondent, two firefighting teams, three
ambulances and several police and patrol vehicles were on the scene.
Traffic movement was temporarily suspended.
From: Baghdasarian
FRENCH NATIONAL ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ADOPTS A TEXT CRIMINALIZING ARMENIAN GENOCIDE DENIAL
armradio.am
08.12.2011 13:33
On Wednesday, December 7, on a proposal from several deputies,
the Committee of the laws adopted a bill of Valerie Boyer (UMP)
to penalize the protest of the Armenian genocide.
A similar socialist bill was passed October 12, 2006 by the National
Assembly but was rejected by the Senate on May 4, 2011.
This new text, co-signed by more than forty UMP and New Center,
punishes Armenian genocide denial to one year of prison and 45.000
euros fine.
“I hope that we will go to the end and that France will always be a
country of human rights,” said Valerie Boyer.
The bill amends the law on freedom of press, so that racially motivated
crimes are now a common crime enshrined in the law on the freedom
of press.
The proposal must be approved by vote of Parliament in the coming
weeks, free-lance correspondent Jean Eckian informs.
From: Baghdasarian
TURQUIE : DES REBELLES KURDES ATTAQUENT UN PUITS DE PETROLE, TUENT 3 PERSONNES
Stephane
armenews.com
jeudi 8 decembre 2011
Des rebelles kurdes ont attaque tard mercredi un puits de petrole
situe dans le sud-est de la Turquie, tuant trois employes et blessant
un autre, a annonce le gouvernorat local.
L’incident s’est produit dans la localite de Bekirhan, dans la
province de Batman, important lieu d’extraction de petrole, precise
un communique, cite par l’agence de presse Anatolie.
Des membres du Parti des travailleurs du Kurdistan (PKK) ont attaque
la zone de forage avec des fusils-mitrailleurs, ajoute le document.
Le PKK est considere comme une organisation terroriste par de nombreux
pays. Le conflit kurde en Turquie, qui a demarre en 1984, a fait plus
de 45.000 victimes.
Le mouvement a multiplie depuis l’ete ses operations armees.
From: Baghdasarian
” LA TURQUIE ET SES CONTRADICTIONS “PAR SEMIH IDIZ
Stephane
armenews.com
jeudi 8 decembre 2011
La Turquie est en effet une terre de contradictions et de surprises.
Les excuses du Premier ministre Erdogan sur les atrocites commises
dans le Dersim, Tunceli aujourd’hui, dans les annees 1930 contre les
Kurdes la plupart d’origine Alevi par les Forces armees Turques est
un exemple. Ce developpement se detache meme davantage puisque les
Turcs ne sont pas capables de faire automatiquement des excuses.
Cette excuse (…) devrait aussi ouvrir la voie pour une nouvelle
liberte d’expression quand est aborde un tel sujet tabou. Il y a des
evenements, cependant, qui montrent l’oppose.
Tandis qu’Erdogan publiait son ” excuse historique ” le procès de deux
journalistes en vue, Nedim Sener et Ahmet Sik a commence a Istanbul,
placant un autre nuage sombre sur la liberte d’expression et le
journalisme independant en Turquie.
(…)
Retour sur ” l’excuse du Dersim ” peut-on ne s’empecher d’etre
cynique. On ne peut pas s’empecher de se demander si le sujet entier
du Dersim aurait ete aborde si cela n’avait pas ete stimule par le
combat ideologique entre le parti Justice et Developpement (AKP)
et sa Nemesis, le parti du Peuple Republicain (CHP).
Je suis d’accord avec l’argument qu’Erdogan n’aurait pas pris cette
position ” eclairee ” sur le Dersim s’il n’avait pas le desir de
faire chuter les ” Kemalistes du CHP “, qui avaient le pouvoir absolu
dans les annees 1930 quand le massacre a eu lieu. Si les intentions
d’Erdogan etaient en effet pures, alors lui et son AKP doivent aussi
commencer a regarder objectivement les evenements de 1915 impliquant
les armeniens, par exemple.
Il est interessant, bien sûr, que le president du Parlement Cemil
Cicek a dit recemment que la Turquie n’a aucun problème face a son
passe et que les evenements de 1915 etaient laisses aux meilleurs
savants pour y etre etudies.
Cependant, c’est ce meme Cicek qui en 2005 alors le ministre de la
Justice a dit au Parlement que les organisateurs d’une conference a
l’Universite du Bosphore sur les armeniens etaient ” des traîtres “.
Il n’est pas clair, donc, si M. Cicek, qui a d’un nationaliste plutôt
qu’un Islamiste, a change en mieux ou a ete simplement engage dans
la politique politicienne.
Independamment de la raison, il est toujours bon que ce Premier
ministre Erdogan ait souleve le linceul sur un episode laid de
l’histoire Turque dont on ne pouvait pas parler objectivement jusque
recemment. Il y a, bien sûr, d’autres episodes laids que l’on doit
regarder et non juste celui de 1915.
From: Baghdasarian
LE PRESIDENT ARMENIEN SERGE SARKISSIAN A MARSEILLE
Krikor Amirzayan
armenews.com
jeudi 8 decembre 2011
Mercredi 7 decembre, le president armenien Serge Sarkissian est arrive
a Marseille pour assister au 20ème Congrès du Parti Populaire Europeen
(PPE) qui prendra fin aujourd’hui. 17 chefs d’Etats -dont Nicolas
Sarkozy- sont presents a ce congrès. Le president armenien a ete recu
par le president du PPE, le Belge Wilfrid Martens. L’Armenie etant l'”
invite special ” de cette organisation europeenne. Wilfrid Martens lui
a confie ” vous pouvez ici vous sentir chez vous et membre de cette
famille europeenne “. A 19 heures, le president armenien etait invite
par le senateur et maire de Marseille Jean-Claude Gaudin a rencontrer
la communaute armenienne et leurs amis a l’Espace Villeneuve-Bargemon
de la Mairie de Marseille. Une foule très important, près d’un millier
de personnes avaient repondu a l’invitation. Jean-Claude Gaudin s’est
dit heureux d’accueillir a Marseille le president de l’Armenie dans sa
ville qui compte une très importante communaute armenienne. ” Notre
ville est liee a Erevan par de nombreux accords et je suis fier et
heureux de l’apport de la communaute armenienne a Marseille. Mais je
n’oublie pas qu’a Erevan, près du memorial du genocide j’ai plante un
arbre que j’irai volontiers arroser ” dit Jean-Claude Gaudin dans son
discours. Il revela egalement l’inscription a l’ordre du jour de
l’Assemblee nationale de la nouvelle loi de penalisation des
genocides, dont le genocide armenien. Il ajouta ” Je vous avais dit il
y a quelques mois après le refus du Senat de la loi de penalisation du
genocide armenien qu’il fallait savoir attendre pour trouver le
meilleur moment. Aujourd’hui ce temps est venu et nous ferons tout
pour que la loi nouvelle aboutisse “. Le Maire de Marseille a ensuite
offert a Serge Sarkissian la medaille de la Ville sous les
applaudissements. De son côte, le president armenien s’est declare
heureux d’etre a Marseille ” une ville chaleureuse et accueillante, où
les Armeniens se sentent un peu chez eux “. Il a remercie la France de
son soutien permanent de l’Armenie ainsi que le president francais
Nicolas Sarkozy ” qui a fait l’honneur de venir en Armenie et
effectuer des declarations très importantes sur la position de la
France en matière de reconnaissance du genocide armenien (…) la
France qui a toujours ete aux côtes de l’Armenie “. Serge Sarkissian a
egalement felicite la communaute armenienne de France ” dynamique et
entreprenante et très attachee a l’Armenie “. ” Venez en Armenie, vous
etes chez vous, car pour moi, il est difficile de prononcer le mot ”
spiurkahay ” pour moi il n’y a pas d’Armeniens de la diaspora et
Armeniens d’Armenie, il y a tout simplement des Armeniens “. Un
discours qui fut très applaudi. Concernant la position de l’Armenie en
matière de reconnaissance du genocide armenien, le president armenien
a dit ” la position de l’Armenie reste la meme. A la Turquie de revoir
son histoire et de reconnaître le genocide armenien “.Serge Sarkissian
a egalement annonce l’ouverture prochaine d’un Consulat general
d’Armenie a Marseille et presente au public le Consul, Vartan
Sirmakes. Lors de la reception qui suivit, Serge Sarkissian fut
presente a de très nombreuses personnalites de la region. Les elus et
responsables d’associations armeniennes etaient très nombreux. Serge
Sarkissian s’est declare ” impressionne par le nombre et la chaleur
des Armeniens de Marseille et du Sud de la France “. Puis en fin de
soiree le president armenien etait l’invite de l’Adjoint au Maire,
Didier Parakian. Serge Sarkissian et une quarantaine d’invites -dont
Edouard Nalbandian le chef de la diplomatie armenienne, S.E. Vicken
Tchitetchian l’Ambassadeur d’Armenie en France, Vartan Sirmakes Consul
general d’Armenie a Marseille, Mgr Norvan Zakarian et plusieurs
ministres- etaient les recus dans la residence de Didier Parakian dans
la ” quartier diplomatique ” de la cite phoceenne. Une rencontre très
chaleureuse qui demontrait une nouvelle fois l’attachement des membres
de la communaute armenienne a l’Armenie, a travers leur hôte de
marque.
From: Baghdasarian
NA LEADER SENDS CONGRATULATORY NOTE TO NEW ARMENIAN NA CHAIR
Viet Nam News
Dec 8 2011
HA NOI – National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung yesterday sent
a congratulation note to the newly-elected National Assembly Chairman
of the Republic of Armenia, Samvel Nikoyen.
From: Baghdasarian