Author: Baghdasarian Karlen

ARMENIA ADOPTS ABSURD BUDGET FOR 2014

Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
Dec 18 2013

18 December 2013 – 12:02pm

David Stepanyan, Yerevan. Exclusively to Vestnik Kavkaza

The parliament of Armenia adopted a draft of the state budget 2014
– 70 votes “for,” 40 votes “against,” and 1 vote “abstain.” It is
planned that revenues will be 1 135 billion drams; expenditures – 1
245 billion drams; budget deficit – 110 billion drams, or 2.3% of GDP;
deficit of current balance – 8.6%. The budget requires the real growth
of GDP by 5.8%; average inflation – 5.5%; 12-month inflation – 4.5%.

The budget was adopted due to the Republic majority and its satellites
from Orinats Erkir.

Prosperous Armenia, Dashmaktsutyun, Heritage, and Armenian National
Congress didn’t approve the budget.

The authorities trying to explain “magnificence” of the budget 2014
made several absurd arguments, as always. For example, the allocation
of ridiculous sums ($1.4 million) to encouragement of industry within
the Strategy of Export-Oriented Industrial Policy is presented as a
significant factor for development of economy. The republicans from
the mouth of Ermine Nagdalyan’s “took responsibility” and voted for
“the budget of development” aimed at vital settlement of challenges
which the state and society face. Nagdalyan promised once again that
the significant growth of tax revenues in 2014 wouldn’t take place
in the context of increasing tax burden. “The growth of tax revenues
by 9.96%, or 102.8 billion drams, will be provided due to struggle
against the shadow segment of economy and corruption and due to the
economic growth,” the vice-speaker of the parliament said.

Premier Tigran Sarkisyan is up to his old games again. He stated that
the Defined Contribution Pension System required by the budget is
“fair and has no alternatives, and it should be launched as soon
as possible.” Continuing indignation and mass protests against the
system were rejected by Premier, but he was glad that the civil society
improves and the pension reform will double in strength in 4 years.

After this statement, economist Artsvik Minasyan from Dashnaktsutyun
suggested the Premier should wake up and left the session, saying:
“See you in the Constitutional Court.”

Nikol Pashinyan, an MP from ANC, recalled the President’s statement
made on March 18th, 2013, that the government should resign if it fails
to provide 7-per-cent growth of GDP . Pashinyan proposed the government
to do it immediately as the budget requires the economic growth by
5.8% only. It seems that considering words by the minister of finances
David Sarkisyan who believes that the statement was “political”, the
government has no intention to fulfill presidential recommendations.

The statement and the whole absurd budget 2014 didn’t surprise Naira
Zograbyan, MP from Prosperous Armenia. She thinks that the minister
of finances meant that Premier doesn’t have to make conclusions from
a serious political statement by President. Zograbyan says that the
budget is based on disinformation and is not even able to provide
for minimal necessities of citizens.

From: Baghdasarian

EUROPEAN COURT BACKS RIGHT TO DENY ARMENIAN GENOCIDE AS FRANCE PREPARES NEW LAW

RFI (English), France
December 17, 2013 Tuesday

Prosecutions for denying that massacres of Armenians in Turkey during
World War I were genocide are an attack on freedom of expression,
the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled on Tuesday.

“The free exercise of the right to openly debate sensitive questions
that are likely to displease somone is a fundamental aspect of freedom
of expression,” the judges at the Strasbourg court declared in a
ruling against Switzerland in a case brought by a Turkish left-winger.

In 2007 a court in the Swiss city of Lausanne found Dogu Pernicek,
the leader of the left nationalist Turkish Workers’ Party, guilty of
“denying the Armenian genocide for racist motives” in three speeches
in Switzerland.

While not denying that thousands were killed in 1915, Pernicek denied
that the Ottoman Empire, which ruled Turkey at the time, had genocidal
intentions and called the claim “an international lie”.

The Lausanne court found that his intention was not to hold a
historical debate since the facts of the 1915 Armenian genocide were
common knowledge.

Denying, belittling or justifying genocide is a violation of
Switzerland’s anti-racism laws.

The ECHR declared that it was not their role to judge how serious the
massacres were or whether they constituted genocide but recognised
that there was not unanimous consensus on the question.

Pernicek did not question the reality of the massacres or deportations
of Armenians during World War I, it said, and did not express contempt
for their victims.

The European judges drew a distinction between the Armenian massacres
and the Nazi holocaust of Jews, arguing that historical evidence,
such as the gas chambers, shows a genocidal intent, which has been
recognised by international jurisdiction.

Switzerland has three months to appeal, although the court is not
obliged to allow one.

The judgement came as France’s Le Monde newspaper reported that the
French government will present a law banning denial of the Armenian
genocide, an election pledge of President Francois Hollande, to
parliament within the next few months.

An official announcement is unlikely until after Hollande has visited
Turkey next month but may well be made when he visits Armenia in May,
according to Franco-Armenian groups.

That would make it possible for it to be passed on the anniversary
of the beginning of the slaughter in April 2015.

France’s Constitutional Council ruled a previous law, which enraged
Turkey, passed in 2011, unconstitutional.

From: Baghdasarian

SHERMAN STATEMENT ON KILLING OF ARMENIAN SOLDIER BY AZERI FORCES

Congressional Documents and Publications
December 17, 2013

Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA) News Release

WASHINGTON, Dec. 17 — Rep. Brad Sherman issued the following
statement:

Representative Brad Sherman (D-CA) released the following statement
on the unprovoked killing of an Armenian soldier, Hrant Poghosyan,
by Azerbaijani forces along the border of Nagorno-Karabakh.

“Azerbaijan has yet again shown that it is not serious about
establishing peaceful relations with Armenia and Artsakh. Despite
the request for a ceasefire during the Organization for Security
and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group negotiations between
Armenia and Azerbaijan, Azeri forces have killed an Armenian solider,
Hrant Poghosyan. The shooting was unprovoked and Armenian forces have
respected the request for a ceasefire.

“Azerbaijan’s actions continue to harm the cause of peace. Last year,
Azerbaijan celebrated a murderer, Ramil Safarov, who violently killed
an Armenian soldier during a NATO Partnership for Peace exercise.

Azerbaijan and its forces must be held accountable for this latest
display of violence towards Armenia and lack of respect for the
OSCE’s settlement negotiations. I will continue to stand by Artsakh
and Armenia in their ongoing quest for peace and security.”

Read this original document at:

From: Baghdasarian

IRAN IS WEAKER THAN IT APPEARS AND SAUDI ARABIA IS STRONGER THAN IT THINKS; A SENSE OF THREAT IS SOMETIMES USEFUL

Al-Hayat (in Arabic), Lebanon
Dec 16 2013

by Sa’ud Kabili

The Gulf media panicked after Iran and the five-plus-one countries
signed an agreement on Tehran’s nuclear programme. Perhaps that feeling
reflected the Gulf political mood, with the Gulf states seeing the
agreement as a sign that the United States is redrawing the regional
map on new power bases where Iran will emerge as the key player thanks
to the cards of power it possesses, from Iraq to Syria to Lebanon
to regions in the Gulf, Yemen, and Sudan. From a Gulf perspective,
the agreement paves the way for US-Iranian rapprochement in a way
that gives Iran a new regional role similar to the role it played in
the past as “the policeman of the Gulf.”

Saudi Arabia and Iran represent the two rival camps in the region. It
must be acknowledged, therefore, that the expected US-Iranian
rapprochement will directly affect the kingdom’s interests, as it
will advance Iran as a regional power at Riyadh’s expense. There are
various analyses on how this will affect the kingdom or its future
relations with the United States amid the current regional shifts. But
the more important question that has still not been asked is: Where
and how did Saudi Arabia lose its opportunities on this issue, and
how should we act today?

I believe it is easy to blame international forces for this situation.

But we must be brave enough to engage in some self-criticism. The
real problem lies in the lack of a Saudi political plan for the region.

Seeking to maintain the political status quo in the region is not a
plan; rather, it is political reaction. Iran won its cards in the
region not only through its groups and militias, but also through
a clear political plan based on an ideology, political geography,
and activities based essentially on equality with the other countries.

Iran, for example, gained a huge experience from its negotiations with
the world and from its sense that it is threatened. It managed to win
cards through its challenge, in the region, to the big powers. This
is something that we perhaps should carefully examine to benefit from.

Sometimes a sense of danger and challenge might be useful to countries
because it unleashes their political potential.

In its political plan, Iran does not rely only on the idea of Shiism.

It is in alliance with Christian Armenia against Shi’i Muslim
Azerbaijan. Iran adopts a political, economic, and social system,
from the cultural base – films and arts – to a diversified industrial
base – car industry and Iranian missiles – to a political base –
promoting itself as a regional power capable of imposing its influence
in the region.

Yet the situation must be evaluated with further objectivity. Saudi
Arabia did not fail to find a regional alternative to compensate for
the absence of its plan. Just like Iran, and perhaps more successfully,
it showed political confidence, as evident, for example, in the
decision to send Al-Jazeera Shield forces to Bahrain, or in its role
in Syria, or in its recent support for Egypt despite the lack of
international support in all those cases. This makes analysts of the
Saudi policy genuinely ask why Saudi Arabia is not decisive in setting
out a comprehensive vision and a clear political plan for the region.

At the end of the day, Saudi Arabia is not a weak country. It is not
unable to confront its regional rivals, whoever they might be. In fact,
Iran is weaker that it appears and Saudi Arabia is stronger than it
thinks. What the kingdom lacks is a political plan in the region.

Such a plan would turn Saudi Arabia into a regional player seeking
to impose a vision, not just to react to the events in the region.

Any political plan stands on three pillars: political, economic,
and social. We in the kingdom desperately need a serious and frank
dialogue on how our political plan should be. With all these huge
challenges in the region, which affect the future of the state,
we cannot just remain captives to marginal issues, whether social,
like women driving cars, or economic, like the housing crisis, or
delay addressing key issues like educational reform and the launch
of economic development by diversifying the industrial base.

The Saudi political vision about the region must also be clear, not
only with regard to important issues like Syria, but also with regard
to the shape of the region as a whole. Iraq is the best example. Our
vision regarding Iraq is still limited to the factors of the sectarian
conflict in that country; we are not considering factors related to
Iraq’s larger role in the region and how we would like this role to
be in the future.

A sense of threat might be useful sometimes. That we feel threatened
by the recent nuclear agreement between Iran and the international
forces might be useful, as it draws our attention to the need to work
to come up with a clear plan for the region and promote and market it
to other countries. It might also increase our self-confidence. This,
in fact, is what we desperately need.

From: Baghdasarian

TURKEY IS WORLD’S TOP JAILER OF JOURNALISTS FOR SECOND YEAR IN A ROW – CPJ

Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), NY
Dec 18 2013

For the second year in a row, our prison census shows, Turkey jailed
more journalists than any other country. The number of journalists
behind bars is 40; down from the 61 reporters in October 2012, and
less than the 49 we recorded on December 1, 2012. Still, Turkey holds
more journalists in custody than Iran, China, or Eritrea.

As a NATO member and a regional leader, Turkey should not belong in
the list of top press jailers. But from the failure to reform its
legislation in a meaningful way to the crackdown on its journalists in
the aftermath of the Gezi Park protests, Turkey has grown increasingly
repressive despite the modest decline in the number of media workers
behind bars.

Many of the journalists released in the months since October 2012 are
still on trial. Among them is Nedim ªener, the Turkish recipient of
our 2013 International Press Freedom Award, who faces up to 15 years
in prison if convicted on charges of supporting an alleged terrorist
plot, Ergenekon.

CPJ has had the opportunity to discuss our concerns with Turkish
officials. In September, the Justice Ministry received a CPJ
delegation; CPJ chairman Sandra Mims Rowe, board member John Carroll,
and executive director Joel Simon met with Justice Ministry official
Kenan Ozdemir and delivered a detailed letter on press freedom issues.

The two parties agreed to exchange information on jailed journalists.

At CPJ’s request, in November, the ministry sent CPJ a tabulated
document – posted for public reference here – detailing the
whereabouts, imprisonment dates, and charges levied against 54 jailed
journalists. Among them were several recent cases of journalists
jailed under the anti-terror legislation. Out of the 54 people listed,
CPJ independently confirmed – through careful perusal of indictments,
press reports, publicly available legal documents, and testimony by
lawyers, colleagues, and the defendants – that 40 of the journalists
were imprisoned for their work. In the 14 remaining cases, CPJ
concluded there was not sufficient information to determine that
the imprisonments were work-related. In those cases, CPJ continues
to investigate.

In his International Press Freedom Award acceptance speech before a
large media audience at New York’s Waldorf-Astoria hotel in November,
Nedim Sener spoke critically of Turkey’s judicial system. Sener is the
author of several books, including an investigation into the unresolved
2007 murder of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink, in which Sener
alleged official involvement. He detailed his own experience – of being
jailed without a verdict for an entire year, then released after an
intense international outcry, but only temporarily. “I am still on
trial and can be imprisoned for 15 more years,” he said. “This is
how Turkish justice works – instead of bringing journalist killers
to trial, journalists are tried as terrorists.”

In the past few years Turkey went from a country considered a regional
hope to one of regional concern, characterized by an increasingly
shrinking space for free expression. Turkey stands at a crossroads,
and it is not yet too late for it to choose a path of democracy
and tolerance over authoritarianism and censorship. It can start by
releasing the 40 journalists in Turkish prisons as of December 1.

From: Baghdasarian

CHARITY EXHIBITION WILL ORGANIZE FOR SYRIAN-ARMENIAN CHILDREN

20:57, 18 December, 2013

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 18, ARMENPRESS The Armenian-American Charity
Foundation of “Christmas of Orphans and Disabled Children” of America
will organize a charity exhibition for the Syrian-Armenian children
residing in Armenia and their families in “Aram Khachatryan” concert
hall on January 3. The director of “Philharmonic Center of Armenia”
Laert Movsisyan informed “Armenpress” that the charity fund led by
Hovhannes Balayan carries out such a measure for disabled and orphaned
children already for the 14th time.

“As always, children from orphanages, of disabled and poor families,
as well as needy babies will participate in the festival.

Besides the official greetings, the kids will see the Christmas
performance made by Ashot Ghazaryan School, they will receive gifts
from Santa Claus, will sing, dance and rejoice,” Movsisyan stated.

From: Baghdasarian

EUROPEAN ARMENIAN FEDERATION
For Justice and Democracy
(former C.D.C.A. Europe)
Avenue de la Renaissance 10
B-1000 BRUXELLES
Tel./Fax : +32 (0) 2 732 70 27
E-mail : [email protected]
Web :

European Court of Human Rights ruling a disgrace to Armenian Genocide
victims’ memories; strengthens Turkish extremism and negationism
)

Brussels, 18 December 2013.- The European Court of Human Rights in its
ruling of December 17, 2013 has confirmed that the Armenian Genocide
denial does not constitute a delinquent act. According to it, the
decision adopted by the Court of Lausanne in 2007 condemning Dogu
Perincek, the president of Worker’s Party of Turkey for his
negationist statements violates the principles of freedom of
expression.

The European Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy condemns
this statement to its very dangerous extent that preaches impunity in
Europe and clears the way for the denial orchestrated by Ankara and
Baku. Once again, referring to the principles of freedom of
expression, the European Court, by its statement, has made void the
rights for honor and dignity, the protection of Genocide victims and
their descendants.

In the result of such a decision, if it is finalized, Armenians,
trampled and impinged upon their rights will not find a protection and
legal defense in Europe any more. Without an effective justice no one
can confirm what kind of steps will be undertaken by the European
citizens of Armenian origin in search of legal protection. This
statement will enforce Turkish extremism that sees itself encouraged
by this act ` and silence the voices of truth being raised in Turkey.

Moreover, the European Court of Human Rights stating that `the term
genocide does not constitute a consensus’, it equates to Pernicek’s
denialist statement of `Armenian Genocide is an international
lie’. Furthermore, how the ECHR can state that `this issue shall be
distinguished clearly from that of Holocaust denial’? How is it
possible to accept such a differentiation from the highest European
court on Human Rights? The court obviously has misinterpreted its
role, commenting historically and politically proven facts, on
unfounded and extremely oversimplified arguments, without even
consulting the International Genocide Scholars Association, which
unanimously accepted the Armenian Genocide as such. The European
Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy, in collaboration with
the French Office of the Armenian Cause and the Armenian National
Committees all over Europe, will enact by all means to object to this
ruling. At present, Switzerland has a period of three months to appeal
against this ruling and ask for an appeal on this. Our efforts now
shall be directed to following the execution of such appeal by Swiss
authorities. For this purpose, the French Office of the Armenian
Cause, has asked for a meeting with the Ambassador of Switzerland in
France. Similar actions will be organized by different Committees of
the Armenian Cause all over the world, in an agreed manner.

#####

From: Baghdasarian

Russian expert says Moscow to have direct border with Armenia
December 18, 2013

YEREVAN, December 18. / ARKA /. A Russian political expert told an
international conference in Yerevan today that Russia and Armenia
would have soon a ‘direct’ border.

According to Mikhail Chernov, deputy director of the Center of
Strategic Situations, when Armenia announced its decision to join the
Customs Union, many people questioned its ability to function as a
full member of the trade bloc because of absence of common border with
any of its members.

However, according to Chernov, this should not worry Armenians because
the current situation would change soon.

“There will be direct border between Russia and Armenia and it is a
matter of the near future. Russia will be linked directly to Armenia
by means of transport and infrastructure facilities,’ he said,
elaborating, that this would be achieved through development of
Trans-Caucasus transport corridors, which were started back by the
Russian Empire and improved by the Soviet Union.

“The main highway that will link the North Caucasus and West
Kazakhstan with the South Caucasus is the Trans-Caucasian Highway.
Now there is a motor road connecting Russian Vladikavkaz with South
Ossetia’s Tskhinvali and stretching further to Armenia. This road
should be upgraded for all types of cargo, including heavy combat
military machines,” he said, according to Novosti Armenia news agency.

He went on to say that a just solution to the South Ossetian issue
would enable Russia a direct access to the South Caucasus, including
Armenia. Chernov added that although South Ossetia is recognized by
Russia as an independent state, there are big questions regarding its
borders.

He said the rights of 30,000 South Ossetians driven out from Trialeti,
a region bordering the predominantly Armenian-populated Javakheti
province in South Georgia, should be restored. According to him, this
applies also to Kazbegi region of Georgia, through which the Georgian
Military Road runs. The changing of Ossetia’s border is related to
development of transport infrastructure, he added.

Thus, he said, Russia would have a direct access to South Caucasus
countries, including Armenia. Chernov underlined that neither of
Russian transport projects involve military scenarios.

From: Baghdasarian

OPPOSITION TO MANDATORY DEDUCTIONS: LAW ON PENSIONS TO TAKE EFFECT NEXT MONTH

Pensions | 17.12.13 | 16:37

Photolure

By Siranuysh Gevorgyan
ArmeniaNow reporter

While trade centers and supermarkets of Armenia enjoy the growing
holiday whirl, several hundred, mostly young, residents of Yerevan
are out ignoring the bitter cold of mid-December, demanding that
authorities listen to them.

The four non-pro-establishment parliament factions filed a motion
to the Constitutional Court (CC) Tuesday demanding to declare
anti-constitutional and to suspend the application the new law on
Mandatory Pension Savings Fund to come into effect January 1, 2014.

Prior to submitting the motion, those citizens of Armenia protesting
against the law marched from Liberty Square to the CC building chanting
‘No to mandatory’, ‘No, No’, ‘Suspension’. The young protestors (the
mandatory pension reform applies to residents under 40 years of age)
delivered speeches urging the CC to resist the country leader’s,
the parliament speaker’s and the prime minister’s pressure, reminding
that all three have publicly spoken for the reform.

Protestors say they cannot trust five percent of their salaries to
the pension funds since January, as they have no hope that the savings
made over years would be returned to them after retirement. They insist
that the reform has to be on voluntary basis, rather than mandatory,
and demand to make the respective change.

Meanwhile pro-establishment forces, adamant in their determination to
not allow postponing the application of the law, claim that the reform
would secure a dignified retirement to the citizens of Armenia. The
President has recently spoken in favor of the controversial reform.

“We want to avoid in the future the poor state of things we have
today, related to the social welfare of elderly people. I see the
reforms as something quite positive, and all those who support it
should show very active involvement,” Serzh Sargsyan stated at the
economy ministry last week.

The CC representative, who accepted the motion filed by the Armenian
Revolutionary Federation Dashnaktsutyunn (ARF), Heritage, Prosperous
Armenia Party (PAP) and the Armenian National Congress (ANC), said
nothing definite on when the court would consider the motion, since
it had to be studied first.

ARF leader Armen Rustamyan said that the fight would be limited to
the CC, and that if the Court does not satisfy the citizens’ motion
they would resort to other legal means of struggle – protests, rallies.

Heritage faction leader Zaruhi Postanjyan, for example, is suggesting
that a pan-national strike be declared. PAP faction secretary Naira
Zohrabyan expressed a hope that “in this case the usual order from
the top would not be effective and a fair decision will be made”.

From: Baghdasarian

VIDEO COVERAGE & ANALYSES: TURKISH FM DAVUTOGLU’S FAILED DIPLOMATIC SHOW IN YEREVAN & PROTESTS AGAINST TURKEY’S GENOCIDAL POLICIES, CONTINUED

[ Part 2.2: “Attached Text” ]

Armenian Public Television:

RFE Armenian Service:

A1Plus:

Slaq.am:

Civilnet.am:

Yerkir Media:

Gala TV:

1in.am:

ArmNews:

From: Baghdasarian