Author: Baghdasarian Karlen

EEU DEBATE: CIVIL SOCIETY MEMBERS SKEPTICAL ON RUSSIAN-LED TRADE BLOC’S FUTURE IN VIEW OF INTERNAL DISCORDS

SOCIETY | 04.12.14 | 11:51

By GAYANE MKRTCHYAN
ArmeniaNow reporter

While the Armenian lawmakers are discussing the question of the
country’s membership in the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU), civil
society representatives claim that Armenia’s membership process will
eventually fail because of absence of common principles and interests.

“Contradictions of interests are already felt. We can clearly see that
the relations are quite tense with Kazakhstan and Belarus on one side,
and Russia – on the other, and Armenia’s accession to this union full
of grave relationships will only complicate the possibility of its
success,” Yerevan Press Club Director Boris Navasardyan said. “The
political culture in the environment where Armenia intends to appear
does not imply that someone will listen and accord with a weak player.

Armenia cannot be a key player and the mission that they attempt to
put on Armenia’s shoulders is hardly possible to be carried out by
our state.”

Addressing Armenia-EU relations, Navasardyan said that a new European
commission is formed in the EU which has not yet determined what policy
they will carry out with Russia, the EEU and such countries as Armenia,
which, on one hand refused the Association Agreement, and on the other,
still expresses interest to preserve relations in the political field.

“Some EU officials, some European experts think that it is necessary
to find common ground for cooperation with the EEU, and not to see it
as an opposite pole, rather to see it as a potential partner. Among
European officials there are opinions that Armenia may serve as a
bridge between the EU and the EEU. But Armenia has not determined
what it wants yet. On the one hand, the EU is ready for any format
that Armenia is ready for, and Armenia does not know what it is ready
for,” he said.

Mikayel Hovhannisyan, the newly elected national coordinator of the EU
Eastern Partnership (EP) Civil Society Forum’s (CSF) Armenian National
Platform, who participated in the 6th annual convention of the EP CSF
in Batumi, said that Armenia was among the least discussed countries.

The reason is the absence of clear determination – where to go and
what format to choose for bilateral relations.

Hovhannisyan said that one of the goals of the National Platform must
be constantly raising Armenia related issues both on the forum level
and in the context of bilateral relations, and to distinguish the
problems that are currently important from the Armenia-EU relations’
point of view.

Boris Navasardyan said that within the EEU in order to preserve its
sovereignty the country should differ from other EEU states.

“What Armenia can differ with, in the positive sense, is democracy,
liberty, preservation of European value system. Our government
understands this, they will resist the pressure coming from the North
as much as possible,” he said.

From: Baghdasarian

ARTSAKH FUND RAISES MONEY FOR VILLAGE EXPANSION PROJECT

By Contributor on December 1, 2014

NEW YORK–On Nov. 9, the ACAA Artsakh Fund (Eastern US) held a kick-off
reception in New York to announce its expansion plans for Arajamugh,
a model village found in the strategic borderlands of Artsakh. Located
in the liberated territories south of Hadrut, Arajamugh was created
in 2004-06 by the Tufenkian Foundation, working in conjunction with
the NKR Department of Resettlement and Refugee Affairs. The village
currently features 19 houses and 85 inhabitants.

Participants in the reception

Attendees listened as Foundation Director Antranig Kasbarian presented
the history of the village, as well as the strategic challenges facing
those who seek to promote resettlement in Artsakh. He was followed by
Artsakh Fund representative Alex Sarafian, who offered an engaging
PowerPoint presentation depicting plans to expand the village to
50 houses, as well as associated facilities including a clinic and
community center.

At the conclusion of the program, Sarafian announced that over $90,000
in donations and pledges have already been secured toward this effort.

The goal of this phase is $250,000, which will cover construction of
approximately 10 new houses in the village. Construction is tentatively
slated to begin next spring.

Artsakh Fund is a project of the Armenian Cultural Association (ACAA).

For further information on how to participate, contact
[email protected].

From: Baghdasarian

POUTINE A SOUMIS LE TRAITE D’ADHESION DE L’ARMENIE A L’UEE A LA DOUMA POUR LA RATIFICATION

REVUE DE PRESSE

Par La Voix de la Russie | Vladimir Poutine a soumis a la Douma un
projet de loi sur la ratification du traite d’adhesion de l’Armenie
au traite sur l’Union economique eurasiatique (UEE).

La Russie, la Bielorussie et le Kazakhstan ont signe en mai et ont
deja ratifie le traite instituant l’UEE a partir du 1er janvier 2015.

Le 10 octobre, un accord sur l’adhesion de l’Armenie a ete signe
a Minsk.

Il est prevu que le document sera ratifie par les parlements des pays
membres de l’UEE et d’Armenie avant le 1er janvier. En mai egalement,
un plan d’action sur l’adhesion du Kirghizistan a l’integration
eurasiatique a ete signe.

Lire la suite :

jeudi 4 decembre 2014, Stephane (c)armenews.com

From: Baghdasarian

LA BANQUE MONDIALE FINANCE LA MISE EN OEUVRE DE 15 PROJETS EN ARMENIE

ARMENIE

Le Premier ministre armenien Hovik Abrahamyan et une delegation de
la Banque mondiale dirigee par le directeur regional de la Banque
mondiale pour le Caucase du Sud Henry Kerali ont discute a Erevan des
moyens de promouvoir la cooperation bilaterale. Le Premier ministre
a affirme que 15 projets communs sont maintenant mises en oeuvre en
Armenie pour un montant total de 518 millions de dollars.

From: Baghdasarian

EURO COURT FINES TURKEY 10,000 EUROS FOR GENDER DISCRIMINATION

13:18, 03 Dec 2014

The European Court of Human Rights held Dec. 2 that Turkey was to pay
Emel Boyraz 10,000 euros because of her dismissal from public sector
employment, a state-run electricity company, on the grounds of gender,
the Hurriyet Daily News reports.

Boyraz had worked as a security officer for almost three years
before being dismissed in March 2004 because she was not a man and
had not completed military service. The court decided by six votes
to one that there had been a violation of Article 14 (prohibition of
discrimination) in conjunction with Article 8 (right for respect to
private and family life) of the European Convention on Human Rights.

It also unanimously decided that there had been a violation of the
right to a fair hearing within a reasonable time.

The court concluded that Turkey should pay 10,000 euros to Poyraz in
respect of non-pecuniary damage.

In the court’s opinion, the mere fact that security officers had
to work night shifts and in rural areas, in addition having to use
firearms and physical force under certain conditions, had not in
itself justified any difference in treatment between men and women.

Moreover, the reason for Boyraz’s dismissal had not been her inability
to assume such risks or responsibilities, there having been nothing to
indicate that she had failed to fulfil her duties, but the decisions
of Turkish administrative courts.

The court also considered that the administrative courts had not
substantiated the grounds for the requirement that only male staff
could be employed as security officers in the branch of the state-run
electricity company.

From: Baghdasarian

EXPERT: UNDER ERDOGAN, TURKEY WILL FEEL MORE ISOLATED FROM WEST

14:05 03/12/2014 >> POLITICS

The relations between Russia and the West are increasingly worsening
and this is important for the South Caucasus region, political analyst
Alexander Iskandaryan told reporters on Wednesday.

“The oil prices continue to fall. This is painful for Russia and
will affect Armenia as well. The Armenian dram is depreciating,”
said the analyst.

Speaking about Putin’s recent visit to Turkey, Iskandaryan said that
facing the danger of isolation, Russia is trying to enter the market
of Turkey and other countries. “Russian gas may be transported to
European markets via Turkish pipelines,” he said.

In the expert’s words, Russian-Turkish relations are very important
for the South Caucasus. Putin and Erdogan agreed to increase trade
between the two countries to 100 billion. Russia-Turkey relations
are based on economic cooperation.

Under Erdogan, Turkey will feel more isolated from the West,
Iskandaryan concluded.

Source: Panorama.am

From: Baghdasarian

REPERES. ENVIRON 90 000 CHRETIENS EN TURQUIE

La Croix, France
Samedi 29 Novembre 2014

RELIGION ET SPIRITUALITE Nº 40049

Dans cet Etat laïque de 77 millions d’habitants, il n’existe pas de
statistiques religieuses officielles et les statistiques demographiques
ne recensent pas les etrangers, notamment les refugies.

De plus, certaines communautes chretiennes disseminees prefèrent
vivre discrètement. Selon les estimations, les chretiens en Turquie
seraient entre 90 000 et 100 000.

On estime a 60 000 le nombre d’armeniens, majoritairement (55 000)
apostoliques, c’est-a-dire rattaches a l’Eglise apostolique armenienne
(autocephale), et a 25 000 le nombre de catholiques, se partageant
entre les quatre rites latin, armenien, syriaque et grec. On compte
aussi 2 000 a 3 000 grecs-orthodoxes et a peine 1 000 anglicans
et protestants.

Les armeniens vivent surtout (45 000) a Istanbul, les autres a Antakya
et Kayseri. Parmi les 18 000 syriaques, on compte 15 000 orthodoxes
principalement dans la region de Tur Abdin (sud-est) et 2 000
catholiques a Istanbul et Mardin. Quant aux 5 000 catholiques latins,
ils sont concentres a Istanbul et Izmir. Enfin, les grecs-orthodoxes
se trouvent surtout a Istanbul, Gokceada, Bozcaada et Antakya.

Deux Patriarcats prestigieuxont leur siège a Istanbul : celui des
grecs-orthodoxes au Phanar, avec a sa tete Bartholomeos Ier, patriarche
oecumenique de Constantinople depuis 1991 ; et celui des armeniens a
Kumkapi, avec a sa tete Mesrob II depuis 1998, gravement malade depuis
2008. C’est l’archeveque Aram Atesyan, vicaire patriarcal armenien
d’Istanbul, qui assure le gouvernement du Patriarcat. Mi-novembre,
il a annonce la tenue de prochaines elections. Jusqu’a present, les
lois turques interdisaient qu’un nouveau patriarche armenien puisse
etre elu tant que son predecesseur etait encore en vie.

From: Baghdasarian

TURKEY: POPE EMBRACES AN ALLY

The New York Times
December 1, 2014 Monday

: By SEBNEM ARSU

ISTANBUL — Pope Francis and his counterpart in the Orthodox Church
on Sunday vowed to work together to prevent an exodus of Christians
from the Middle East, and they called for “constructive dialogue”
with Muslims to resolve conflicts in the embattled region and around
the world.

“We cannot resign ourselves to a Middle East without Christians,
who have professed the name of Jesus there for two thousand years,”
the pope and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of the Orthodox Church
said in a common declaration issued here on the last leg of a three-day
papal visit to Turkey.

The pope made frequent mention on his trip of the plight of Christians
and other minorities in areas of Syria and Iraq who have been the
focus of persecution by the Islamic State.

His attention to the issue was highlighted in a meeting with a group
of young Christian and Muslim refugees from Syria, Iraq and Africa at
the Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Istanbul. Pope Francis listened
as an Iraqi Christian girl described the refugees’ sufferings and
expressed gratitude for his visit.

“I wish to assure you that I share your sufferings,” the pope said in
an address to about 100 young people. “I hope my visit, by the grace
of God, may offer you some consolation in your difficult situation.”

“The degrading conditions in which so many refugees are forced to
live are intolerable,” he added, and called for greater international
cooperation “to counter the other causes which are driving people to
leave their home countries, and to improve conditions so that people
may remain or return home.”

Francis repeated his gratitude to the Turkish government, which
is currently sheltering over 1.6 million refugees from Syria, and
has relocated nearly 50,000 ethnic Yazidis from Iraq who escaped
persecution by the Islamic State since late summer to camps in both
Turkey and Iraq.

In their common declaration, the pope and Ecumenical Patriarch
Bartholomew, who represents 300 million Orthodox Christians worldwide,
asked for dialogue and respect for international law in helping to
resolve the conflict in Ukraine, “a country of ancient Christian
tradition,” and encouraged “constructive dialogue with Islam based
on mutual respect and friendship.”

“Inspired by common values and strengthened by genuine fraternal
sentiments,” the statement said, “Muslims and Christians are called
to work together for the sake of justice, peace and respect for
the dignity and rights of every person, especially in those regions
where they once lived for centuries in peaceful coexistence and now
tragically suffer together the horrors of war.”

Earlier in the day, the sounds of chimes and the smell of incense
filled the small 17th-century Church of St. George in the Fener
neighborhood of Istanbul as the leaders of the two churches embraced
each other against a background of elaborate gold decorations and
centuries-old mosaics.

Both expressed a strong will to promote the full unity of Catholic
and Orthodox Churches, which were divided 960 years ago.

Before his departure for Rome late Sunday, the pope met Isak Haleva,
the chief rabbi of Turkey, and visited Armenian Patriarch Mesrop II,
who represents the largest Christian community of Turkish Armenians,
around 50,000 people, and who has been in poor health for several
years.

From: Baghdasarian

ARMENIA RE-COMMITS ITSELF TO CONTINUE THE EFFORT TO HELP AFGHANISTAN TRANSFORM

11:11, 03 Dec 2014

On December 2 Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian attended the “Resolute
Support Mission” Foreign Ministers’ meeting in NATO headquarters in
Brussels, dedicated to the launch of the mission of providing security
to Afghanistan, where he had an address.

President of Afghanistan Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Officer
Abdullah Abdullah, approximately four dozen Foreign Ministers of NATO
member and partner states of “Resolute Support Mission” participated
in the meeting dedicated to the current situation in Afghanistan and
to the steps the international community should take.

In his address Minister Nalbandian congratulated President of
Afghanistan Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Officer Abdullah
Abdullah on the occasion of the finalizing the election process,
new appointments, the formation of national unity government, and
reaffirmed the commitment of Armenia to continue its contribution to
the joint international efforts aimed at the establishment of security
and national solidarity in Afghanistan.

“At the Wales Summit we took stock of the work we have done within
the framework of ISAF to which Armenia has also made contribution.

The ISAF mission will come to an end in a couple of weeks and our
engagement in the framework of ‘Resolute Support’ mission will
be started.

Armenia shares the common goal of helping to transform Afghanistan so
that it will not serve as a source of constant concern to its neighbors
and beyond, but become a positive factor, positive driving force for
the whole region. Armenia re-commits itself to continue the efforts
to that end,” said Minister Nalbandian.

From: Baghdasarian

ERDOGAN INVITES ALIYEV TO THE G20 SUMMIT

Turan Information Agency, Azerbaijan
December 1, 2014 Monday

President Ilham Aliyev has today called his Turkish counterpart
Erdogan, congratulating him on the occasion of the forthcoming
presidency of Turkey in G20. During the conversation, he regarded
it as an indicator of the increasing role and authority of Turkey in
the international arena, the website of the President.

Aliyev thanked Erdogan for inviting him to the G20 summit next year,
which will be held in November 2015 in Antalya. Erdogan, in turn,
thanked and expressed his confidence that Azerbaijan has achieved
rapid economic development, contribute to the work of this structure.

During the meeting, the two leaders discussed issues concerning
bilateral relations and ways to solve the Karabakh conflict, according
to the same source. -16D-

From: Baghdasarian