Author: Baghdasarian Karlen

Ricciardone’s Denial Makes Turkish Diplomats Pale in Comparison

asbarez
Friday, August 12th, 2011

The cathedral at Ani

Editorial from the Armenian Weekly

There are statements that are so blatantly malicious and false that
it’s not worth dignifying them with a response or refutation – unless
they come from the Ambassador of the world superpower to a country
that itself stands as a regional powerhouse.

Ricciardone’s statement constitutes an affront to the memory and
legacy of millions of Christians who perished in Ottoman Turkey in the
first two decades of the twentieth century.

U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Francis J. Ricciardone’s response to a
question posed by Sen. Robert Menendez is a case in point. Menendez
asked, `To the best of your knowledge, approximately how many of the
more than 2,000 Christian churches functioning prior to 1915 on the
territory of present-day Turkey are still operating today as
churches?’ Ricciardone responded, `Most of the Christian churches
functioning prior to 1915 are still operating as churches.’

Let’s look at some numbers. Right before the genocide in 1915, there
were upwards of three thousand Armenian, Greek, and Assyrian churches
in Ottoman territories that are today part of Turkey. Maghakian
Ormanian, who was the Armenian Patriarch in Istanbul from 1896-1908,
listed more than two-thousand churches in his monumental book The
Church of Armenia. The Armenian Weekly recently published a list of
Armenian churches by town, based on Turkish and Armenian Patriarchate
sources.

Today, only a few dozen churches operate in Turkey, which include only
34 Armenian churches, mostly in Istanbul.

If we dismiss utter ignorance as an explanation, the alternative is
not very flattering. It is covering up the crimes of the genocides of
the Christians in Ottoman Turkey and their continued dispossession in
the Republic of Turkey in the decades following its establishment – and
that with a strain of blatant denial that no Turkish diplomat would
adopt.

It runs counter to the very definition of a diplomat to make
profoundly insulting comments, but in the ones that have been made by
diplomats in history, Ricciardone’s is a serious contender for the
cake. Not only is his statement utterly false, but it constitutes an
affront to the memory and legacy of millions of Christians who
perished in Ottoman Turkey in the first two decades of the twentieth
century.

Ambassador Ricciardone was initially sent to Ankara by President Obama
on a `recess’ appointment because his approval by the Senate was
blocked over concerns that, in his previous Cairo posting, he had
quickly adopted the positions and arguments of his Egyptian diplomatic
counterparts. He has shown, once again, that he is far too eager to
please his hosts, at the cost of U.S. interests and American values.
By his own actions, he has disqualified himself from this post. The
President should immediately withdraw this failed nomination. Should
the Ricciardone nomination proceed, the U.S. Senate should block its
confirmation.

From: Baghdasarian

ANC-AUTHORITIES DIALOGUE WILL COME TO NAUGHT – ARMENIAN COMMUNIST PARTY

news.am
Aug 12 2011
Armenia

YEREVAN. – The dialogue of authorities and opposition Armenian
National Congress (ANC) will come to naught, said the leader of
United Progressive Communist Party of Armenia Vazgen Safaryan to a
press conference on Friday.

“The agenda of the dialogue lies in political area, they do not
discuss vital social and economic issues. This dialogue cannot give
practical results, because they are discussing purely political
questions. Meanwhile, people do not care who actually holds power,
they just want a good quality of life,” said Safaryan.

Reflecting on the prospect of early elections, Safaryan said that
the Communist Party does not support this idea, because it does not
see the need for snap elections.

“Early elections will solve nothing,” said the politician.

From: Baghdasarian

KARABAKH ARMENIANS REPORT FURTHER MILITARY BUILDUP
Lusine Musayelian

12.08.2011

Nagorno-Karabakh – A military parade in Stepanakert.

Nagorno-Karabakh’s Armenian-backed armed forces have acquired
significant amounts of new weapons this year and will continue the
military buildup in the months to come, their commander-in-chief
announced on Friday.

Lieutenant-General Movses Hakobian said the “military potential”
of his troops grew by 20 percent in the first half of 2011.

“During this period, the qualitative and quantitative state of our
weapons and military hardware changed quite a lot,” Hakobian told a
news conference in Stepanakert. “Quite serious reforms were carried
out with the restructuring of two army brigades.

“We re-armed one artillery regiment with new systems. The anti-tank
and air-defense means of a dozen battalions have been enhanced.”

“And this year we will receive more tanks — two more divisions —
and some of the weaponry of the army’s air-defense system will be
replaced,” he said.

Hakobian, who commanded some Karabakh Armenian units during the
1991-1994 war with Azerbaijan, gave no other details of the buildup.

Nagorno-Karabakh — Lieutenant General Movses Hakobian, commander of
the Karabakh Armenian army.

Armenia, whose armed forces are closely connected with the Karabakh
military, is likely to be the main source of the arms acquisitions
reported by him.

Its Karabakh-born Defense Minister Seyran Ohanian said last February
that Yerevan obtained “unprecedented” quantities of modern weaponry in
2010. “The expansion of our military capacity will continue in 2011,
and it will be no less large-scale than it was in 2010,” Ohanian told
RFE/RL’s Armenian service.

Azerbaijan’s leaders regularly threaten to forcibly win back Karabakh
and Armenian-controlled territories surrounding the disputed enclave
if the long-running Armenian-Azerbaijani peace talks yield no results
acceptable to Baku. The Azerbaijani government plans to boost military
spending to $3.3 billion this year, up from $2.15 a year ago and just
$160 million in 2003.

Echoing earlier statements military officials in Stepanakert and
Yerevan, Hakobian insisted that the Armenian side is undaunted by
the Azerbaijani military buildup. He said the Azerbaijani army will
suffer another defeat if it attempts to end the conflict by force.

Still, the Karabakh general did not rule out the possibility of renewed
war. “In my view, if Azerbaijan thinks that it can solve the Artsakh
(Karabakh) problem by military means, the resumption of hostilities
will be possible,” he said.

Hakobian noted in that context that instances of Azerbaijani troops
opening small arms fire on Karabakh Armenian positions have increased
drastically this year. He also spoke of their growing recourse to
rocket-propelled grenades.

“They fired at us from grenade launchers twice last year and ten
times already this year,” he said.

Hakobian said last December that the Karabakh military has
strengthened its defense fortifications along the entire “line of
contact” with Azerbaijani forces lying east and north of the disputed
territory. Ohanian likewise stated last year that those positions
have been beefed up significantly.

Nagorno-Karabakh — Karabakh Armenian troops hold exercises,
undated The Karabakh military chief was also asked to comment on the
increasingly publicized problem of non-combat deaths among soldiers.

The Karabakh army was rocked last year by two separate shooting sprees
that left ten servicemen dead.

In one of those incidents, a soldier gunned down four fellow conscripts
and wounded three others in a dispute over music player earphones. He
was sentenced to life imprisonment last week.

“Right now we have around 5,000 soldiers [on simultaneous frontline
duty] with weapons and live ammunition in their hands and the right
to open fire at will,” said Hakobian. “Due to a flawed psychological
preparation and negative social phenomena penetrating the army,
young soldiers commit crimes in some situations.”

Hakobian said the local military has stepped up the crackdown on army
crime and already managed to reduce it. Two soldiers have committed
suicide and two others have been murdered in their army units so far
this year, he said, adding that all of those cases have already been
solved by military investigators.

In Hakobian’s words, criminal charges are currently pending against
244 Karabakh military personnel, including about 50 officers.

From: Baghdasarian

CO-SERVICEMAN OF ARMENIA SOLDIER ARRESTED FOR FORCING LATTER TO COMMIT SUICIDE

news.am
Aug 12 2011
Armenia

YEREVAN. – Serviceman Sahak Asilbekyan is arrested on Wednesday. He
is accused in forcing his co-serviceman Edward Alaverdyan to commit
a suicide on July 29 in one of the units in Karabakh.

Asilbekyan is charged for violating the rules between servicemen,
humiliating a person’s dignity and applying violence. Criminal Code
defines two years’ of imprisonment as maximum term for the punishment.

No one else is under arrest.

19-year-old Edward Alaverdyan injured himself with a gun in a military
base, which brought his death, radio Liberty reports.

From: Baghdasarian

IS TURKEY PREPARING FOR WAR?

PanARMENIAN.Net
August 12, 2011 – 20:31 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – On August 12, reservists of the Turkish army
were mustered and dispatched to the border with Syria, where to all
appearance clashes are expected.

Turkish Zaman newspaper quoted a government official as saying that
in case of an armed conflict a huge flow of Syrian refugees will head
for Turkey. According to official data, 7239 refugees have already
penetrated into the country. Earlier, Turkish Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan had a phone conversation with U.S. President Barack
Obama to discuss the situation in Syria.

Meanwhile, an Iranian official told the website of Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps that if U.S. and Turkey launch a military
operation in Syria, Iraqi Kurdistan will become a new Afghanistan. The
same official stated that Iran will declare war on Turkey, should
the latter break in Syria. However, the post was later removed from
the website.

From: Baghdasarian

NKR DEFENSE ARMY’S POTENTIAL INCREASES BY 20%

ARMENPRESS
AUGUST 12, 2011
YEREVAN

On the 20th anniversary of Artsakh Independence, NKR Defense Minister
Movses Hakobyan summarized the achievements and gaps of the first
half of the year.

Speaking on the path the NKR Defense Army passed during the past 20
years, Movses Hakobyan said the Armenian army was formed on the basis
of the voluntary detachments that were created during the war and
experienced the real difficulty of war. “From 1992 to 1994 we not only
withstood the pressure by the opponent, but also forced the opponent
to enter into negotiations and sign a ceasefire agreement,” he said.

Nonetheless, in the result, the Defense Army also had some losses,
as the region of Shahumyan, district of Getashen, a part of the
regions of Martakert and Martuni remained under the control of the
Azerbaijan army.

As to the past half, the Artsakhi Minister of Defense said the reform
program launched 2010 went on in the army. Particularly, according
to the minister, the army gained new arms and as a result the army’s
potential increased by 20%. “The program will be continuous and we
will not allow the Azerbaijani army to let us behind in the issue of
arms,” Movses Hakobyan said.

He added that in the past half the relevant service of the RA
President’s Staff conducted a sudden check in a division of the
Defense Army and gave a high assessment.

From: Baghdasarian

SERZH SARGSYAN: WE HAVE NUMEROUS SONS WHO MANAGE TO BEND OCEANS TO THEIR WILL

ARMENPRESS
August 12, 2011
YEREVAN

On August 11, President Serzh Sargsyan conducted a working visit to
the Republic of Cyprus.

The President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan and President of the Republic
of Cyprus Demetris Christofias at the port of Limassol attended the
official ceremony dedicated to the conclusion by the Armenia sailboat
of her around-the-world voyage.

After the ceremony of welcoming the ship, the head of the expedition
Zori Balayan reported to the President of Armenia on the world tour
which commenced on May 28, 2009 in Valencia and has been concluded
on the eve of Armenia’s 20th anniversary of independence.

According to Zori Balayan, in the framework of the Saint Mesrop
Mashtots scientific expedition, Armenia sailboat started her voyage
in the Mediterranean, passed through the Gibraltar and navigated in
the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans. The head of the expedition
noted that the crew accomplished its mission and all tasks on five
continents, where millions of our compatriots have been living
for ages.

Welcoming the crew of the Armenia sailboat, President Serzh Sargsyan
noted that all ideas related to this two-year voyage have been realized
by the team of the boat with honor.

“You have not only conducted the around-the-world voyage, sailed across
three oceans and dozens of seas but have also crossed hard roads of
Spyurq in different corners of the world to bring Motherland’s spirit
to our communities, giving new meaning to the formula of our identity
and to our world-spread cultural heritage,” the President of Armenia
stressed, adding that we do not have sea, but have numerous sons who
manage to bend oceans to their will.

At the official ceremony dedicated to the circumnavigation of
the Armenia ship, the President of Cyprus Demetris Christofias,
welcoming the President of Armenia and members of the expedition said,
“More than 90 years ago, thousands of Armenians, who had managed to
escape the Genocide perpetrated in the Ottoman Turkey, had arrived
to Cyprus and found their refuge here. Today, the descendants of
those refuges have become an integral part of the Cypriot society,
while cherishing and preserving their honorable origin. Our fellow
citizens – Armenians have become an important link between our two
countries, making Armenia an indivisible part of Cypriot heart.”

The President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan and President of the Republic
of Cyprus Demetris Christofias were present also at the festive
concert dedicated to the conclusion of the Armenia’s around-the-world
voyage. After the concert, the two Presidents accompanied by Zori
Balayan toured the boat.

In the evening, the President of the Republic of Cyprus gave a dinner
in honor of the President of Armenia.

>>From Cyprus the President of Armenia left for Astana to participate
at the unofficial summit of the CSTO heads of state.

From: Baghdasarian

BANK VTB (ARMENIA) REGISTERS INCREASE OF APPLICATION FOR MORTGAGE LOANS FOR YOUNG SCIENTISTS

/ARKA/
August 11, 2011
YEREVAN

Starting from July 2011 a significant flow of applications for
mortgage loans in the frames of the program “Available apartments to
young scientists and members of art unions” is observed in Bank VTB
(Armenia).

“Bank VTB (Armenia)” was recognized the winner of the tender announced
at the beginning of 2011 by the NGO “Unification of Yerevan State
University graduates” on the provision of mortgage loans to the
participants of social program “Available apartments to young
scientists and members of art unions” by favorable conditions.

“Mortgage loan in the frames of the program “Available apartments
to young scientists and members of art unions” is very popular among
the clients of the bank. At this stage, “Bank VTB (Armenia)” accepts
preliminary decision on the provision of the credit. Despite the
fact that the credit itself will be provided in 20% readiness of the
construction of the building, the Bank has already approved a number
of applications, said Director of Development of retail Business of
the bank Artak Khachatryan.

In the frames of the agreement, “Bank VTB (Armenia)” provides mortgage
loans with annual percent rate of 9.5% with the redemption date of
10-20 and minimum pre-payment from 20%. The given apartment serves
a pledge for the loan.

The applications are considered by the list of program participants
defined by the NGO “Unification of Yerevan State University graduates”.

It is envisaged to build multi-apartment and multi-functional building
in Yerevan, 8 Str. Paruyr Sevak (near the Institute of Organic
Chemistry of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia named after
A.L. Mnjoyan). The apartments will be provided to the young scientists
of the Academy of Sciences and creative workers of Armenia (writers,
artists and actors) by lower market prices.

CJSC “Bank VTB (Armenia)” became participant of international financial
group VTB in April 2004. Currently it is the second largest in Russia,
VTB Bank (CJSC) owning 100% of shares of “Bank VTB (Armenia)”. The
Bank is traditionally among the leaders of the banking system of
Armenia by a number of key indicators. The Bank now owns the largest
branch network in the country – 68 branches.

From: Baghdasarian

THE ART MARATHON STARTED IN ARTSAKH

armradio.am
12.08.2011

The art Marathon “Armenian Palette” started its 2011 summer-tour with
Artsakh. More that 20 painters from Armenia, Russia and Belarus have
painted 5 days in the atmosphere of Artsakhs beautiful landscape,
its historical monuments. They got acquainted the day to day living
of the people and met not onlz with the painters of Artsakh but also
their fans and the officials.

From: Baghdasarian

LE GENOCIDE DES ARMENIENS A L’ORDRE DU JOUR DE LA KNESSET EN OCTOBRE
Gari

armenews.com
vendredi 12 aout 2011
ISRAEL

Deux resolutions relatives au genocide des Armeniens seront inscrits
a l’ordre du jour des debats du Parlement israelien, la Knesset,
en octobre prochain, a fait savoir un membre du Comite national
armenien de Jerusalem, Hagop Sevan, interroge par Armenpress. Les
deux textes, dont l’un appelle a la reconnaissance officielle du
Genocide des Armeniens par Israël l’autre a la designation du 24 avril
comme journee nationale du souvenir, avaient ete envoyes peu avant
pour examen devant la Commission pour l’education de la Knesset. Le
Parlement israelien etant en vacance, la rentree parlementaire a lieu
en octobre. Le 29 juin, la Knesset avait vote par 25 voix contre une
1 en faveur de l’envoi pour examen par la Commission pour la culture
et l’education de la Knesset d’un texte legislatif qui integrerait le
genocide des Armeniens dans les programmes scolaires et marquerait la
date du 24 avril. L’initiative venait du depute Arie Eldad. Au nom
du gouvernement israelien, Uzi Landau, ministre des infrastructures
nationals avait indique que si le gouvernement restait convaincu que
s’il revenait avant tout a l’Armenie et a la Turquie de regler ce
problème, il n’etait pas oppose a un debat sur cete question au sein
de la commission de la Knesset. Le 18 mai, une motion deposee par le
Parti Meretz en vue de l’examen d’une resolution valant reconnaissance
du genocide des Armeniens au sein de la commission pour l’education
de la Knesset avait ete approuvee a l’unanimite, sur fond il est vrai
tendu de tensions dans des relations traditionnemment amicales avec
la Turquie, qui ont toujours un obstacle a un debat israelien sur le
genocide. La motion presentee par le membre de Maretz Zahava Gal-On
avait aussi recu le soutien de representanrs du gouvernement qui ont
vote en faveur de la proposition. Au cours d’un debat de plus de 30
minutes a la Knesset le 18 mai, les representants de differents partis
israeliens ont exprime leurs points de vue sur la question. Au nom du
ministère israelien des affaires etrangères, le minister des affaires
religieuses, Yakkov Marki avait exprime la position de son ministère
selon laquelle la question devait etre soumise a la commission de
la defense et des affaires etrangères, en ajoutant qu’Israel devait
soutenir le processus de dialogue entre l’Armenie et la Turquie.

Pourtant, Y. Marki a exprime sa conviction personnelle selon laquelle
le genocide devait etre reconnu et le temps etait venu pour Israël
de se prononcer clairement sur la question, pour proposer que la
commission d’education de la Knesset s’empare du debat. Au cours
du meme debat, le representant du Likoud, le parti conservateur au
pouvoir, Ze’ev Elkin a lui aussi apporte son soutien a une telle
proposition, un soutien qui a joue très nettement en faveur de
la motion.

From: Baghdasarian