Author: Baghdasarian Karlen

President Sargsyan extends condolences to his Ukrainian counterpart

armradio.am
30.07.2011 13:31

President Serzh Sargsyan sent a letter of condolences to the President
of Ukraine Victor Yanukovich on the tragic events in Lugansk and
Donetsk regions.

The letter reads:

`Mr. President,
I was deeply saddened to learn about a tragic incident in the
Sukhodolskaya-Vostochnaya mine in Lugansk region and the explosion in
the Makeevka Bazhanov mine in Donetsk region which claimed human
lives.

Please convey my deepest condolences to the families and friends of
the victims of these tragic incidents; I also express my sincere
condolences to you and the people of Ukraine.

I hope that rescue efforts to free trapped miners will be very successful.’

From: Baghdasarian

Global Insight
July 29, 2011

Turkish PM Demands Apology from Armenian Counterpart

by Lilit Gevorgyan

On 27 July, during his official visit to Azerbaijan, Turkish prime
minister Recep Tayyip Erdo an stated that his country expects Armenian
president Serzh Sargsyan to apologise for the remarks made earlier
this week. During Sargsyan’s earlier meeting with youth at a summer
camp, in response to a question about the future of “Western Armenia”
(a term used in Armenia to refer to the historic homeland in modern
central and eastern Turkey), he had replied that it depended on the
new generation. He said that his generation had fulfilled their task
in the beginning of the 1990s by defending part of the Armenian
homeland–Karabakh–from the enemy.

Sargsyan said, “I am not telling this to embarrass anyone. My point is
that each generation has its responsibilities and they have to be
carried out with honour.” He then went on to say that a country’s
international standing is often “not conditioned by its territory. A
country should be modern, it should be secure and prosperous, and
these are conditions which allow any nation to sit next to the
respectable, powerful and reputed nations of the world.” These
comments were interpreted by the Turkish leader as an attempt to fill
the Armenian youth with hatred, for which Sargsyan has to apologise.
Erdo an added that the Armenian youth should be told that they are
occupiers in Nagorno Karabakh, an ethnic Armenian populated area in
Azerbaijan that broke away in 1988 and later on declared unilateral
independence following a referendum. The Armenian Foreign Ministry has
called Erdo an’s comments “artificial hysteria”, adding that it is a
deliberate misinterpretation of facts to avoid normalisation in
bilateral ties and opening the border with Armenia.

Significance:The comments made by the Turkish leader in Azerbaijan
highlight the lingering thorny issues that divide Armenia on the one
hand and Azerbaijan and Turkey on the other. Turkish foreign policy
under the Islamic-rooted Justice and Development Party (AKP) has seen
ebbing and fluxing in recent years. The AKP’s initial goal of having
zero conflict along is borders saw its peak in 2009-10. Then, at the
initiative of Sargsyan, a normalisation process was launched with
mediation from the United States, EU, Russia and Switzerland. Two
protocols were signed envisaging Turkey opening its borders with
Armenia, which have been shut since 1993, and the two countries
establishing diplomatic ties, all without precondition. The process
was subsequently frozen as Turkey introduced preconditions, chiefly
linking normalisation of its bilateral ties with Armenia to a third
country–Azerbaijan–and the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Azerbaijan and
Turkey are ethnic kin and the latter shut its borders with Armenia in
the early 1990s in support of Azerbaijan. The protocols damaged the
trust between Turkey and Azerbaijan, which transports its oil and gas
through Georgia and Turkey to the EU. Since the failure of the
Armenian-Turkish rapprochement, however, their relations have improved
as well. Erdo an’s harsh criticism of Sargsyan made in Baku is
certainly part of an effort to assure Azerbaijan of his unwavering
support for the latter in the conflict. Erdogan’s demand is not
constructive, however, given that the country is under pressure by the
US and EU to restart the peace talks with Armenia after its June
election.

From: Baghdasarian

news.am, Armenia
July 30 2011

Only 17% of Russians for unity with Armenia

July 29, 2011 | 23:55

MOSCOW. – Every fifth person in Russia is for the restoration of the
Soviet Union, All-Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM)
states.

These are mainly grownups and supporters of the Communist party.
Majority of young people are against the unification or joining
another state. Responders were asked about the kind of united state
they would like to live or the kind of states Russia should join.

35 percent of the respondents desire unity with Belarus, 33 percent
would like to be united with Ukraine, 27 percent would like to live
with Kazakhstan. 17 percent of Russians are for the unity with
Armenia, 14 and 11 percent would like to live with Azerbaijan and
Georgia respectively. Only 6 percent sees Russia’s unity with Turkey.

At the same time, 36 percent wish Russia not to be united with either
of the sates mentioned.

From: Baghdasarian

news.am, Armenia
July 30 2011

Foreigners work in Armenia without permission

July 29, 2011 | 20:54

YEREVAN. – According to the law `On foreign citizens’, the foreigners
coming to Armenia are allowed to work only under availability of
working permission. However, there has been no governmental decision
regarding the regulation of procedure and terms of either
authorization or refusal.

The governmental agency responsible for issuing permits is not
specified either. That pushes foreign citizens to work in Armenia
without permission, said the head of State Migration Service under
Ministry of Territorial Administration of Armenia Gagik Yeganyan to
Armenian News-NEWS.am.

Yeganyan found it difficult to specify the number of foreign citizens
working in Armenia, due to absence of relevant statistical data.

From: Baghdasarian

news.az, Azerbaijan
July 30 2011

Electoral processes in Russia will stall mediation in Karabakh conflict solution
Sat 30 July 2011 06:33 GMT | 2:33 Local Time

News.Az interviews Neil MacFarlane, Lester B. Pearson Professor of
International Relations, Oxford University.

What are your comments on Armenian president’s will for young
Armenians to “return ancestral Armenian lands” in the present-day
Turkey after Sargsyan’s generation has allegedly resolved Karabakh
issue?

I suppose that this is a middle way in answering the question he was
asked. For domestic political and Diasporic reasons, he could not say
that western Armenia (sic) was an irrelevant dream. For international
political reasons, he could not say he was pursuing the issue. The
next generation means that the issue is not on the table for this
government. [In general, my generation has a habit of kicking
difficult issues into the next generation’s future. think about the
debt question.] And by the way, Armenia is not the only country that
harbours vague aspirations for reunification with territories that
many think are theirs.

This statement has caused strong reaction from the Turkish leadership.
Erdogan has said Sargsyan should apologize for his words. Is it
realistic?

No. Maybe Mr. Erdogan believes that, and it’s what he has to say
anyway. But nothing major will come of it.

But is obvious that Sargsyan’s remarks will do no good to the
Turkey-Armenia normalization process which is already frozen.

Yes. It will strengthen domestic opposition to the process in Turkey.
But I don’t think anybody takes the process too seriously at the
moment anyway.

What impact Armenian leader’s statement will have on the process of
normalization of Armenia’s ties with neighbors in general?

These prospects were poor anyway. I don’t think this makes much difference.

Does Armenian president’s rhetoric mean that Azerbaijan has no other
way to regain Karabakh but a new war?

No. He said this was a matter for the future, not now. Everybody who
matters knows this is not has no practical implications.

Anyway, Russia is to set to continue mediation in the Karabakh
conflict settlement. Do you believe this mission will be success?

It is unlikely. The Kazan meeting reminded me of the Key West meeting.
Nothing much seems to have changed. The obstacles remain what they
were then. I bet that the electoral processes in Russia will stall
their mediation. If Mr. Putin ends up as the next president, I bet
that Karabakh will have less priority in Russian diplomacy.

What is the best international mechanism to finally establish peace
and stability in South Caucasus? Format of the UN and especially the
OSCE, with its principle of consensus decision-making, is inefficient,
as it can be seen.

I think it is a mistake to rely on international mechanisms. The last
twenty years suggest that the keys to ensuring peace lie in the
region, not outside it. International actors can facilitate (and of
course they can obstruct), but they can’t and won’t “produce” peace.

F.H.
News.Az

From: Baghdasarian

news.am, Armenia
July 30 2011

Norway stores banned World of Warcraft – game that inspired Breivik

July 30, 2011 | 17:44

OSLO. – After Anders Breivik’s attacks in Norway, several local
retailers removed from the counters computer games containing elements
of violence, World of Warcraft and Call of Duty 4 among them.

Anders Breivik wrote that he was getting prepared for the attack
playing one of these games, reports ITAR-TASS.

`We took 51 articles off the counters. All of our networks stopped
selling them this week,’ told sales department director of one of the
stores.

In Armenia World of Warcraft enjoys high popularity among young
generation. Thus, in the framework of Fifth Armenian National Open
Computer Games Championship held in June, the participants competed in
4 disciplines, involving World of Warcraft.

From: Baghdasarian

news.am, Armenia
July 30 2011

Armenian and US to continue cooperation in export control on military goods

July 30, 2011 | 17:28

YEREVAN. – Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for International
Security and Nonproliferation of weapons Ann Ganzer held meetings with
Armenian MOD Seyran Ohanyan, Secretary of the National Security
Council Arthur Baghdasaryan and other high-ranking officials of
Armenia.

Yerevan and Washington agreed to continue cooperation in the field of
export controls on military goods, U.S. Embassy press service informs
Armenian News – NEWS.am.

The sides discussed issues of Armenian-American cooperation in the
sphere of export control and nonproliferation of weapons of mass
destruction and pledged to continue cooperation in the sphere of
export control of products and technology for military and dual use.

From: Baghdasarian

President Sargsyan taking a short leave

armradio.am
30.07.2011 13:09

President Serzh Sargsyan has taken a short leave. He will spend part
of the vacation abroad.

On August 11 President Sargsyan will participate in the solemn event
dedicated to the end of the trip of the `Armenia’ vessel, which will
take place in the city of Limasol, Cyprus.

On August 12 the President will leave for Kazakhstan to participate in
the non-official summit of the heads of CSTO member states in Astana.

From: Baghdasarian

FRANCE
Attaque informatique sur le site du Conseil Franco Arménien – CFA

LE CCAF CONDAMNE L’ATTAQUE INFORMATIQUE DU SITE DU CONSEIL FRANCO-ARMÉNIEN

Le CCAF condamne fermement l’attaque dont a été l’objet le site
Internet du Conseil Franco-Arménien, dans la nuit du 26 au 27 juillet
2011.

Ce site qui présente les grandes lignes du projet d’élections
démocratiques du CCAF a vu sa page d’accueil remplacée par le visage
de Mustafa Kemal, le fondateur de la République turque, sur fond
d’écran noir accompagné d’une musique assommante.

D’après l’enquête que nous avons menée, il s’agirait d’un hacker, bien
aguerri aux pratiques illégales sur Internet, puisqu’il a pignon sur
la toile et se vante ouvertement de ses “exploits” sur son profil d’un
réseau social bien connu.

Sans tirer de conclusion htive, ce piratage informatique a eu lieu le
jour même de la condamnation en Turquie du principal suspect dans
l’assassinat du journaliste arménien, Hrand Dink.

Ce n’est pas la première fois qu’un site appartenant à une
organisation arménienne en France, en Arménie ou dans le monde, est
l’objet d’opérations frauduleuses de la part de délinquants du net,
animés sinon par des sentiments ultra-nationalistes turco-azéris, du
moins par des réflexes anti-arméniens.

A cette heure, le CCAF n’exclut pas d’envisager des poursuites
judiciaires contre tout adepte de ce type d’agissements scandaleux.

Le CCAF rappelle également que le Conseil Franco-Arménien, qui n’est
pas encore mis en `uvre, suscite déjà des inquiétudes ou de la haine
de la part de nos adversaires.

Raison de plus pour le promouvoir à l’abri de toute division et
constater que lorsque nous sommes organisés dans l’union, la modernité
et l’efficacité, notre cause continue de déranger et irrite au plus
haut point ceux qui veulent nous billonner ou nous condamner à
l’oubli.

Le CCAF invite les Français d’origine arménienne à prendre
connaissance de ce projet d’élections démocratiques et de se
familiariser avec ce nouvel et futur outil de notre indispensable
union.

Le Bureau National du CCAF

samedi 30 juillet 2011,
Jean [email protected]

D´autres informations disponibles : sur le site du Conseil Franco Arménien

From: Baghdasarian

States News Service
July 29, 2011 Friday

HOUSE PASSES ESHOO BILL TO PROTECT RELIGIOUS MINORITIES

WASHINGTON

The following information was released by the office of California
Rep. Anna G. Eshoo:

The House of Representatives today approved bipartisan legislation
sponsored by Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA) and Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA) to
create a special envoy at the U.S. State Department for religious
minorities in the Near East and South Central Asia.

The legislation was introduced in January in the wake of increasing
violence, targeted attacks and heightened discrimination against
Christians in Iraq and Egypt, and persistent concerns in Afghanistan
and Pakistan, among other nations.

Wolf, co-chairman of the bipartisan Tom Lantos Human Rights
Commission, said threats against religious minorities have been
increasing in recent months and that the United States has an
obligation to speak out for the voiceless, to develop policies to
protect and preserve these communities, and to prioritize these issues
in broader U.S. foreign policy.

The commission held a hearing in January on the recent spate of
attacks and the ongoing persecution of Christians in Iraq and Egypt.
Commission members heard testimony about the increasing sectarian
tensions in the two countries and the need for greater U.S. attention
to the plight of religious minorities.

“The U.S. government needs an individual who can respond and focus on
the critical situation of religious minorities in these countries
whose basic human rights are increasingly under assault,” Wolf said.
“If the international community fails to speak out, the prospects for
religious pluralism and tolerance in the region are bleak.”

Rep. Eshoo, who co-chairs the Religious Minorities in the Middle East
Caucus with Wolf, has long pressed the State Department to develop a
comprehensive policy to address the unique needs of the ancient
ethno-religious faith communities in Iraq, a policy which recognizes
that these indigenous communities are not simply the victims of
generalized violence in Iraq but are facing targeted violence, which
is forcing them to flee the lands they’ve inhabited for centuries.

“In a time of partisanship and polarization, it’s gratifying when
members from both parties can come together to address the
humanitarian crisis that’s been unfolding in the Middle East, and has
not been given the attention it deserves,” Eshoo said. “As the
daughter of Assyrian and Armenian immigrants who fled the slaughter of
Christians in the Middle East, it’s terrifying to see history
repeating itself in today’s Iraq. I’m hopeful that the special envoy
created by this legislation will elevate the crisis of the Middle
East’s religious minorities, giving them the diplomatic attention they
so badly need and deserve.”

The bill now moves to the Senate for consideration. More information
on the measure is available at wolf.house.gov.

From: Baghdasarian