Author: Baghdasarian Karlen

HOW AZERBAIJANI SABOTEURS ENTERED KARABAKH

18:37 | July 17,2014 | Politics

Political expert Stepan Safaryan does not rule out that the arrested
Azerbaijani citizens Shahbaz Jalal oglu Guliyev, 1968, and Dilgam
Gardashkhan oglu Asgarov, 1960, and the third killed saboteur could
have entered the territory of Artsakh legally by crossing the border
checkpoint at the Bagratashen. He says the saboteurs could have been
well trained and had fake passports.

Mr Safaryan says Azerbaijanis usually pretend to be deaf and dumb and
enter Armenia with false passports. “About two years ago, a similar
case was reported in Tavush region, where Azerbaijanis were caught
selling socks.”

The expert says the arrested Azerbaijanis are of great importance for
the NKR National Security service: ‘they are priceless treasure that
can help determine the channels through which the Azeris penetrate
to Armenia.

Mr Safaryan says the Azeris also had a clear assignment, that is to
carry out a subversive act in the NKR. “If earlier they only studied
the area, this time they clearly committed sabotage, kidnapped citizens
of Artsakh, and stole cattle. And if they managed to cross the border
in the future, it would be difficult to prove that the group members
were Azerbaijanis,” he said.

From: Baghdasarian

SELF-PROCLAIMED NAGORNO-KARABAKH TO PROSECUTE 2 AZERIS FOR ILLEGALLY CROSSING BORDER

Interfax, Russia
July 15 2014

YEREVAN. July 15

The Prosecutor General’s Office of the self-proclaimed Nagorno-Karabakh
Republic has opened a criminal investigation on illegal border crossing
charges against two citizens of Azerbaijan.

Shahbaz Jalal ogli Quliyev, 46, and Dilham Gardashhan ogli Asgarov,
54, have been detained for trying to illegally cross the border,
the Nagorno-Karabakh Prosecutor General’s Office told Interfax.

“They have been indicted and arrested as a restrictive measure.

Another citizen of Azerbaijan, whose identity has yet to be determined,
offered resistance during his detention and was killed,” it said.

Weapons and equipment used for spying and subversive activities have
been confiscated from those detained, it said.

The Nagorno-Karabakh Prosecutor General’s Office has set up a team
of investigators jointly with the National Security Service and police.

The criminal case is being handled by the Nagorno-Karabakh National
Security Service.

The Nagorno-Karabakh Defense Ministry reported on July 10 that it
prevented an attempt by a group of saboteurs to enter Nagorno-Karabakh
from Azerbaijan. The ministry said on Monday, July 14, that the
operation to neutralize the saboteurs had been finished.

An officer was killed and a woman was injured in an operation to
detain an Azeri saboteur on July 12.

The Armenian Defense Ministry reported that the incident occurred
on a road near the village of Sotk in eastern Armenia, which leads
toward the Karvachar district in Nagorno-Karabakh. The Azeri saboteur
opened fire at a Niva car carrying Maj. Sarkis Abraamian, 42, and
Karine Davtian, 37. The man was killed, and the woman has been taken
to the Yerevan Central Clinical Military Hospital.

From: Baghdasarian

OBAMA’S CHOICE OF ENVOY TO TURKEY STUMBLES AT HEARING, DENIES GENOCIDE

Wednesday, July 16th, 2014

U.S. Ambassador-Designate to Turkey John Bass during his confirmation
hearing at the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee

WASHINGTON–John Bass, President Barack Obama’s nominee for the
post of US Ambassador to Turkey, during his confirmation hearing
at the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee Tuesday denied the Armenian
Genocide and stumbled on characterizing the widely documented abuses
and freedom violations by official Ankara.

In his written statement to the committee, Bass, who is a former US
Ambassador to Georgia, opted to use the now infamous and denialist
“condolence” statement that Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan made on April 23 as the basis for his forthcoming work as
the US envoy to Ankara vis-a-vis the Armenian Genocide issue.

“On this year’s Remembrance Day, Prime Minister [Recep Tayyip] Erdogan
expressed his condolences to the grandchildren of those Armenians
killed during World War I. That gesture and other positive efforts
by the Turkish government in recent months indicate that the space
for dialogue is opening. But more can be done, and we encourage both
sides to pursue a full, frank and just acknowledgement of the facts
surrounding the tragic events of 1915,” Bass told committee members.

While there have been endorsements for the Erdogan announcement by
the State Department, Bass’s statement sheds light on the tenor of
his possible tenure regarding the Armenian Genocide and sheds further
light on the Obama Administration’s views on the matter on the eve
of the Armenian Genocide’s centennial.

This reinforces a column in Asbarez by Harut Sassounian, who asserted
that the White House and Ankara are in collusion when drafting
statements regarding the Armenian Genocide.

The tone of the hearing took an abrupt turn when Bass was unwilling
to properly characterize the widespread and documented abuses by the
Erdogan regime of democratic principles and freedoms, such as banning
YouTube and Twitter in Turkey.

When Senator John McCain asked about authoritarianism in Turkey and
Erdogan’s style of government, Bass stumbled.

“Are you concerned about Prime Minister Erdogan’s desire to change
the Constitution and other actions that we have seen on the part of
Erdogan as a drift towards authoritarianism?” McCain asked.

“The prime minister is the leader of the democratically elected
parliamentary democracy. We’ll obviously look closely at whatever
steps he takes,” responded Bass.

McCain continued by asking whether the Turkish government’s
“suppression of social media, YouTube and Twitter and restrictions
on the freedom of the media” represented “a drift toward
authoritarianism,” and added that Bass was “jeopardizing his
nomination” by not giving a succinct response to his question.

“It is a pretty simple straight forward question … Do you believe
that the oppression of social media, the desire to change the
Constitution to be a more powerful president, which he obviously will
be, is a drift towards authoritarianism?” McCain asked.

When Bass again faltered in answering the question, McCain shot back
saying: “Mr. Chairman, I am not going to support this nomination,
and I will hold it until I get a straight answer. I think it is
a fairly straightforward question, Mr. Bass. Is it a drift toward
authoritarianism?”

“It is a drift in that direction, yes,” Bass replied. “Thank you. It
took 3 minutes and 25 seconds,” McCain said in response.

The Armenian National Committee of America’s Executive Director Aram
Hamparian expressed disdain at Bass’s complicit approach to Turkey’s
human rights violations. “Sugar-coating Ankara’s growing domestic
intolerance and increasingly anti-U.S. regional approach only serves
to embolden Turkey’s leaders to escalate their open challenges to
American interests and values,” said Hamparian.

“The painful extent to which Turkey’s leadership has succeeded in
gaming our Department of State was spotlighted by Senator McCain,
who had to repeatedly press Ambassador-Designate Bass — even to the
point of threatening a ‘hold’ on his nomination — to secure even
the mildest U.S. criticism of Turkey’s unrelenting and highly public
crackdown on social media.”

From: Baghdasarian

AGENDAS OF ARMENIA’S AUTHORITIES, OPPOSITION FORCES INCOMPATIBLE: OPINIONS

21:50 * 16.07.14

Armenia’s authorities and opposition forces have two different
agendas and are following them, political scientist Karen Kocharyan
told Tert.am.

“The impression is that both of them are cut off from reality. The
opposition protested against the planned increase in electricity
prices and the law on funded pensions, but the authorities did what
they planned. They reach agreements on rare occasions,” Kocharyan
said. The constitutional reforms are an issue the authorities and
the opposition forces cannot agree on.

Secretary of the Prosperous Armenia parliamentary group Naira
Zohrabyan compared public discussions of constitutional reforms to the
discussions of Leonid Brezhnev’s “Virgin Lands” throughout the Soviet
Union, which was ordered by the Soviet leadership in the early 1970s.

“When you see who are participating in the discussion, you can see
workers of regional and rural administrations, who are brought pro
forma and later return to their everyday activities.”

The Prosperous Armenia party believes that there is no public demand
for constitutional reforms now.

“I would like to quote Chairman of the Commission for Constitutional
Reforms Gagik Harutyunyan who said that ‘without a public and political
consensus on the necessity for reforms, forced reforms could have
negative consequences.’ I fully agree with Mr Harutyunyan.”

Artsvik Minasyan of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation
Dashnaktsutyun (ARF-D) parliamentary group, which is for constitutional
reforms, said that the group calls for active participation in the
discussions and putting forward demands.

The ARF-D is for system reforms. On the other hand, if the system
remains unchanged, persons involved in the system will be inclined
to turn into “monsters.”

“Our demand is as follows: without changes of the government
system, we cannot expect any serious political developments toward
improvement. We could have a reformed Constitution, with human rights
protection points, but if we leave the political system unchanged,
we will always have this ‘super-presidential’ system, which will
destroy all the constitutional institutes.”

Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) parliamentary group member Manvel
Badeyan commented on Ms Zohrabyan’s words, saying:

“What does it mean there is no public demand? But people want radical
reforms, which are only possible by means of Constitutional reforms.”

Armenian News – Tert.am

From: Baghdasarian

ANALYST: SERZH SARGSYAN’S STATEMENT IS RESPONSE TO PUBLIC DEBATES WITHIN ARMENIA

July 15, 2014 | 15:08

YEREVAN. – The statement voiced by Serzh Sargsyan in Argentina is a
response to the internal policy discussions within Armenian society,
analyst Alexander Iskandaryan believes.

In his recent interview with Argentinean La Nacion, Sargsyan touched
upon the sales of Russian weapons to Azerbaijan.

“It is a painful topic, and our people are much concerned about the
fact that a strategic ally is selling weapons to Azerbaijan. Despite
Russia’s sale of weapons to Baku, I do not doubt that in a difficult
moment for us Russia will fulfill its commitments,” President Sargsyan
said in an interview.

President Sargsyan reflected on what was going on within the country,
Iskandaryan said.

The analyst is convinced that the Armenian society, especially
after September 3, is nervous about everything that happens around
Armenia-Russia relations, including the weapon sales to Baku.

“In fact, nothing new happened. Russia has been selling arms to the
neighboring state since independence, and even earlier. Of course,
this is not good for Yerevan, but it is hard to imagine that the
Russians will once stop doing it,” Iskandaryan told reporters.

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

From: Baghdasarian

RULE OF LAW RALLY: ARMENIAN POLITICAL FORCES’ ATTITUDE

17:44 * 16.07.14

The Rule of Law party plans a rally in Yerevan’s Freedom Square on
July 18.

According to party Chairman Artur Baghdasaryan it is going to be a
“social rally.”

Tert.am interviewed representatives of political parties to find out
their attitude to the planned rally.

Chairman of the Democratic Homeland party Petros Makeyan said that
he has nothing to do at the rally as he has not held any expectations
about the Rule of Law party since 2008.

“In 2008, we saw the Rule of Law party and stopped thinking of that
party. I watched Artur Baghdasaryan’s press conference and I should
note implications in the ruling regime’s interests. He spoke of a
parliamentary crisis, which is in the interest of Serzh Sargsyan and
Robert Kocharyan,” Makeyan said.

Preparliament member Vardan Hakobyan said that he does not want
to hear anything about the Rule of Law party. Therefore, he is not
interested in any events organized by the party.

“As to the Preparliament, the founding parliament is in the making. We
are following our roadmap. As to the non-parliamentary forces, they
are in their places. But parties are performing orchestrated concerts.

So they are on holiday now.”

Republic party member Suren Abrahamyan noted that the non-coalition
parliamentary forces should leave the Parliament for political
processes to begin.

“Armenia will face a political crisis, which will make all of them
launch purposeful activities. Otherwise, Armenia’s authorities are
impossible to change or sober up. But they are sure they will not
leave the Parliament. Their status is playing into their hands. But
if they do care, they must not care about their status in Parliament.”

According to Abrahamyan the Rule of Law party is undergoing
self-cleaning and self-affirmation.

Armenian Revolutionary Federation Dashnakstutyun (ARF-D) parliamentary
group member Artsvik Minasyan is not going to attend the Rule of
Law party’s meeting. The ARF-d has not discussed the issue of its
participation either.

From: Baghdasarian

LARISA ALAVERDYAN: TRIAL OF AZERI RAIDERS MUST TAKE PLACE IN NAGORNO-KARABAKH

by Nana Martirosyan

Wednesday, July 16, 15:34

The trial of the Azeri raiders must take place in Nagorno-Karabakh
as the crime was committed there. As far as Armenia is concerned, it
may just provide support in the matter, former Human Rights Defender
of Armenia Larisa Alaverdyan told journalists on Wednesday.

She believes that as far as human rights are concerned, it would be
better if ICRC representatives met with the raiders. “If Azerbaijan
refuses to bear responsibility for them, they cannot be regarded as
POWs. They crossed the border of a state and committed a crime in
its territory, so, they must be tried according to the local laws,”
Alaverdyan said, noting that according to Nagorno-Karabakh’s laws,
such criminals may face life in jail.

She urged mass media and social networks not to criticize
Nagorno-Karabakh’s army as the contact line between Nagorno- Karabakh
and Azerbaijan does not have either a wall or even a barbed wire to
divide the sides.

Last week Nagorno-Karabakh’s troops prevented an Azeri raid on
Karvachar. Some of the raiders were killed, two – Gulin Shahbaz
Jalaloglu and Dilhan Gardashhan – were detained and are now facing
criminal charges.

From: Baghdasarian

MEXICAN COMPOSER PLANS TO COME TO ARMENIA AND LEARN TO PLAY DUDUK

JULY 16, 14:20

By Shushan ShatikyanYEREVAN. – At a press conference on Wednesday,
Shanghai-based Armenian filmmaker Ruben Giney spoke about his
documentary to be screened at the 11th Golden Apricot Yerevan
International Film Festival (GAIFF), which is underway in Armenia’s
capital city.

The film is titled Andin [Beyond]: Armenian Journey Chronicles, and
it tells the story of the Armenians’ attempt to link the East with
the West. Giney informed that he came up with the idea of shooting
this documentary when he had seen ancient Armenian coins in a Chinese
museum.

The filmmaker added that over the course of the approximately
three-year-long shooting of the film, its crew traveled 80,000
kilometers, and a crew member had died of an epidemic.

In Ruben Giney’s words, the film’s Mexican composer has fallen so much
in love with Armenian culture that he plans to come to Armenia and
learn to play the duduk. Incidentally, this Mexican musician plays
duduk in the documentary’s soundtrack.

From: Baghdasarian

BUENOS AIRES AURA UN MUSEE DU GENOCIDE ARMENIEN

ARMENIE

La presse du 9 juillet rend compte de la visite du President Sarkissian
en Argentine, dans le cadre d’une tournee en Amerique latine, où il a
ete recu par les autorites de ce pays, notamment le Vice-President,
Amado Boudou, la Presidente Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner ayant
ete dans l’impossibilite de le recevoir en raison de problèmes de
sante. A l’occasion de cette visite du President armenien, plusieurs
accords ont ete signes entre les deux Gouvernements, dont un accord
de cooperation dans le domaine economique, un accord sur l’echange
d’experience dans le domaine fiscal, un protocole de cooperation
entre les Ministères de l’Education et des Sciences etc. La presse
armenienne retient notamment la participation du President Sarkissian
a la ceremonie de pose de la première pierre du Musee du genocide
armenien a Buenos Aires auquel le Chef de l’Etat armenien a offert un
premier echantillon. Les quotidiens rendent compte de la rencontre
du President Sarkissian avec la communaute armenienne d’Argentine,
au cours de laquelle il a evoque le centenaire du Genocide, estimant
que l’on ne saurait considerer le genocide comme acheve tant que les
autorites turques continuent a le nier. Le Chef de l’Etat s’est dit
convaincu que le jour où la Turquie fera face a sa propre histoire
n’est pas loin et que la prise de conscience croissante de la societe
turque y contribuera grandement. >, a-t-il declare.

Par ailleurs, le Chef de l’Etat a appele les Armeniens d’Argentine
a suivre l’exemple d’Edouardo Ernekian, homme d’affaires argentin
d’origine armenienne, et a investir en Armenie au profit de la
prosperite de la patrie.

Arminfo reproduit des extraits de l’interview du President Sarkissian
au quotidien argentin La Nacion, dans laquelle il a note que
l’Azerbaïdjan depensait des fonds importants pour acquerir des armes,
tout en estimant que cela ne saurait pourtant garantir sa victoire
[sur le champ de bataille]. Selon lui, bien que les pays copresidents
du Groupe de Minsk proposent un règlement du conflit base sur les
trois principes du droit international, dont le non-recours a la
force et aux menaces de recourir a la force, la reprise des actions
militaires n’etait pas a exclure en raison de la course intense
aux armements de Bakou. En ce qui concerne la vente d’armements
par la Russie a l’Azerbaïdjan, le Chef de l’Etat armenien aurait
declare, selon Arminfo, qu’il s’agissait d’un sujet assez sensible
pour l’Armenie :
From: Baghdasarian

LE RESISTANT MISSAK MANOUCHIAN IRA-T-IL AU PANTHEON ?

JOURNAL LA PROVENCE

Pour ceux qui ne connaîtraient pas son nom, Missak Manouchian
represente un groupe de resistants communistes de 23 membres, dont une
femme. Vingt d’entre eux etaient des etrangers : des Espagnols fuyant
le franquisme, des Italiens voulant echapper au fascisme mussolinien,
des rescapes du genocide armenien, des juifs hongrois, polonais
ou roumains. C’est ce que rappelait fin juin Nicolas Margossian,
president de l’Association culturelle des Francais d’origine armenienne
(ACFOA) de Septèmes et de ses environs, lors de la reunion publique
concernant l’entree au Pantheon des cendres du groupe Manouchian. Une
demarche qui s’inscrit dans celle initiee par Jean-Marc Germain,
depute socialiste des Hauts-de-Seine. “Ces resistants ne se battaient
pas pour eux, ni pour leurs familles, ni pour leurs biens. Ils se
battaient pour les valeurs d’une France dont la devise est Liberte,
Egalite, Fraternite”, a explique Nicolas Margossian pour qui l’entree
au Pantheon de ce groupe permettra, “au-dela du symbole fort de la
demarche, de rouvrir le debat sur l’identite francaise”.

Une cause au-dela des clivages politiques Selon lui, cette cause ne
doit pas toucher seulement les personnes d’origine armenienne. Il
a insiste sur l’importance de dissocier le communautarisme, qui
definit l’appartenance a une minorite au sein d’une communaute avec
des revendications de droits et l’accès a l’egalite entre toutes les
communautes, avec l’ethnocentrisme qui est un repli a l’interieur
d’un groupe culturel, ethnique ou religieux auquel on appartient.

Pour Julien Harounyan, president de la Jeunesse armenienne de France,
cette cause doit continuer a vivre au-dela des clivages politiques.

C’est ce qui en fait une cause universelle. Et de rappeler que le
groupe Manouchian aurait dû lui aussi faire partie des “pantheonises”
de fevrier dernier.

Des propos qui viennent en echo du courrier adresse a cette epoque
au President de la Republique par le maire de Septèmes, Andre Molino.

Après les divers hommages rendus par la Republique aux combattants de
tous horizons, ce dernier entendait relayer l’appel des Septemois afin
que ce groupe beneficie lui aussi des honneurs de la Republique et
rejoigne les quatre autres personnalites qui sont entrees au Pantheon.

Citant la reponse a son courrier, Andre Molino a qualifie d’
“encourageante” la reponse rapide du cabinet du President. Pour appuyer
encore plus cette demarche, il s’est engage a solliciter l’ensemble
des membres de l’Union regionale des maires de la region Paca.

Une demande qu’Isabelle Pasquet, senatrice communiste des
Bouches-du-Rhône, a bien entendue, puisqu’elle a propose de s’en faire
le porte-parole auprès des parlementaires du Senat, precisant que “si
l’entree des cendres des membres du groupe est une tâche difficile,
tant les restes sont difficiles a retrouver, il y a la possibilite
de graver une plaque commemorative dans le Pantheon”.

La senatrice a egalement defendu la proposition de loi sur la
penalisation de la negation des genocides qui rappelle l’universalite
de ces causes.

mercredi 16 juillet 2014, Stephane (c)armenews.com

From: Baghdasarian