Author: Baghdasarian Karlen

REPRESENTATIVES OF GREEK AND TURKISH POLITICAL PARTIES VISIT MAGARAVANK

With the initiative of the Slovak Ambassador in Cyprus Oksana Tomova
and in co-operation with the Armenian Representative in the Parliament
Vartkes Mahdessian, a visit to Sourp Magar Monastery was organised on
Thursday 28th November 2013 for the representatives of the Greek and
Turkish Cypriot political parties.
The purpose of the visit was to create awareness about the poor state
the monastery is in with a view to secure funding for its restoration.
During the visit Mr. Mahdessian outlined to the political
representatives the historical background of the Monastery and
stressed the importance of this unique monument to the Armenian
community in particular as well as to the island of Cyprus in general.

Images of the visit to Magaravank click here

More images of the visit to Magaravank click here

From: Baghdasarian

PACE Vice-President condemns ECHR’s verdict on Perinçek’s case

13:36, 21 December, 2013

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 21, ARMENPRESS. French parliamentarian, PACE
Vice-President, Chairman of the Armenia-France friendship
group Rene Rouquet expressed his concerns over the verdict of the
European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) on DoÄ?u Perinçek’s case.
As reports `Armenpress’ Rene Rouquet stated that this verdict is a
blow to all those people, who are working for the restoration of the
just memory of the Armenian people.

The PACE Vice-President raised a number of questions. First of all he
emphasized that Switzerland can appeal the verdict within three
months in the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights.
Among other things Rene Rouquet underscored: `In this
respect the verdict is not final and the Grand Chamber can fulfill its
function of protecting the human rights and fundamental freedoms
in accordance with the article 44 of the European Convention on Human Rights.’

In addition the PACE Vice-President emphasized: `After this verdict I
am more than convinced that the denialism has no place at least on
the European level. We must struggle till the final triumph on the
international level. This is our sacred duty before the memory of the
victims of the first Genocide of the 20th century.’

Previously it was reported that the European Court of Human Rights
(ECHR) announced an ambiguous verdict on DoÄ?u Perinçek’s case,
particularly taking into consideration the fact that two of the seven
judges cast their vote against the verdict. The Minister of Justice of
the
Republic of Armenia Hrayr Tovmasyan underscored that while announcing
the verdict ECHR laid a heavy emphasis on the fact that DoÄ?u
Perinçek is a historian and scientist.

The Armenian Cause French Office and the Armenian National Committee
of Europe issued a statement, which in particular runs as follows:
`The court’s verdict is extremely dangerous and provides direct
support to the stream of denialism in Europe orchestrated by Ankara
and
Baku and paves an additional way for them. This infamous decision of
the European Court transgresses the right to dignity of the Armenian
Genocide victims and their descendants.’

From: Baghdasarian

Boycott or Plot?

Some high-ranking Armenian public officials claim there is no
alternative to supply of arms by Russia. Furthermore, they say, `It is
not known what we will get from the West, we don’t know when it will
be, whereas we get weapon from Russia.’

It seems to be an apprehensible and clear idea. The issue of receiving
arms from the West is vague while we actually receive arms from
Russia. It should be noted that such statements are made with full
confidence in their rightness and with an air of winners.

There seems to be no answerability to anyone. But such `equivocalness’
occurs in full isolation of army building from the society, and it
should be noted for the sake of being fair that the Armenian society
has not paid due attention and has not tried to take part in
discussions and elaboration of tasks of the armed forces. Hardly
anyone can explain how come the country is at war. And whether the
armed forces are ready or not, the possible war will be a `patriotic’
war because not only soldiers but also people will fight, and like in
the previous war, the soldiers, not the military genius of colonels
will win.

So how come there is still no alternative to defense cooperation with
Russia after so many years of cooperation with NATO and separate
states of the West? Armenia has been tasked to limit relations with
NATO. Russia goes berserk from intentions to get weapon from the West.
And this footdragging of cooperation with the EaP participants is
related to prevention of perspectives of their cooperation with NATO.

Armenia seems to carry out its commitments in NATO programs with
discipline and consistency and receives good evaluations. However,
Armenia has never asked NATO member states questions about supply of
arms and serious formats. Last year most European states decided to
lift bans on supply of weapon to the South Caucasus irrespective of
interpretations. Azerbaijan does not need supply of weapon from these
states, having a lot of money, because this decision was made out of
the interests of Armenia and Georgia. However, it is possible that
these perspectives opened up for Armenia, and this was the intrigue.

Supply of arms implies costs but it depends on who and when and under
what conditions. The United States would hardly supply arms to the
countries of the South Caucasus, especially Armenia and Azerbaijan.
However, the stance of the United States on the readiness of the
European states for supply of arms to Armenia is apparently positive.

However, the chief circumstance is, and the Armenian political and
military leadership know, that Armenia has a lot of friends in Armenia
who are ready to supply serious weapons. In longer-term and
apprehensible relations the payment for supply of weapons may have a
symbolic meaning. But who has ever asked such questions, who and when
relayed to the West that Armenia is ready for such cooperation? Nobody
and never?

At the same time, NATO and the European Union are trying to conduct a
combined policy when limitations of one of these structures are
complemented with proposals of the other. There is no and there cannot
be full alignment of interests, and such a situation may occur during
the formation of the Transatlantic Common Market and emergence of a
new global currency.

The institutions where such projects are worked out are trying to
establish new rules of international relations for the forthcoming
decades, including reforms in such organizations as the UN or IMF.
With such expectations there are no doubts about highlights in some
global zones, and it will lead to definition of rules of relations
with the countries of `border areas’ and no matter how the conditions
of the `global transition period’ stretch, it will end.

As a global system of security, NATO is not imagined without
cooperation with new partners, and their tasks cannot be actualized
without close cooperation, including in defense. Therefore, the
statements about vagueness of arms supply from the West are at least
negligence or incompetence.

There are enough signs that NATO and some members of the alliance are
ready for bigger supply of arms to Armenia, while supply to Georgia is
a diversion.

Hence, the government of Armenia itself boycotts the perspective and
does nothing to achieve these tasks, announcing that supply of arms
from Russia is real unlike that from the West. Here is a combination
of boycott, plot and demagogy. There are no doubts that the policy of
vassalization of Armenia is not only due to the private interests of
politicians but also some military officials. Nobody will be able to
hide behind pseudo-concreteness, and it is possible to combine really
specific defense and political tasks.

At the same time, nobody in the Armenian society is interested in
discussing this issue due to different goals of the part of the
opposition which has received the right to vote in parliament. Nobody
asks such questions, so there is still an arena for relevant debates.
They are already speaking about the motives of the political and
military officials relating to Russia. This is, as is said, a subject
for future discussion when the role of Russia in the future war in the
South Caucasus becomes known.

Igor Muradyan
15:41 21/12/2013
Story from Lragir.am News:

From: Baghdasarian

Turkish FM meets Armenian Deputy Patriarch of Constantinople

14:26 21.12.2013

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu met with Armenian Deputy
Patriarch, Archbishop Aram Atesyan. The meeting was held at the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Turkish media report.

At the start of the meeting, Archbishop Atesyan presented a book to
Davutoglu while the Turkey FM presented a tulip-shape plate to the
Armenian Deputy Patriarch of Constantinople.

From: Baghdasarian

TURQUIE
Des députés pro-kurdes en grève de la faim pour dénoncer l’injustice

Quatre députés pro-kurdes ont entamé une grève de la faim au Parlement
pour dénoncer le rejet par la justice d’une demande de remise en
liberté de cinq députés kurdes, actuellement en détention provisoire,
a indiqué mardi l’un d’eux.

`Nous avons entamé notre grêve à 13H00 (11H00 GMT)`, a déclaré à la
presse le député Ertugrul Kürkçü, dans l’enceinte de l’Assemblée
nationale.

Les députés grévistes de la faim entendent dénoncer une décision d’un
tribunal de Diyarbakir, chef-lieu du sud-est principalement kurde de
Turquie, qui n’a pas tenu compte de l’arrêt rendu la semaine dernière
dans une affaire d’un genre similaire par la Cour constitutionnelle.
Cette dernière avait jugé que la trop longue détention provisoire d’un
autre député avait enfreint ses droits.

Le tribunal de Diyarbakir a ainsi maintenu en détention cinq députés
du Parti de la paix et de la démocratie (BDP, pro-kurde), incarcérés
en 2010, accusés de liens avec le Parti des travailleur du Kurdistan
(PKK, interdit).

Mustafa Balbay, journaliste-député de la principale formation
d’opposition au Parlement (CHP, Parti républicain du peuple), avait
pourtant retrouvé la liberté grce à l’arrêt de la Cour
constitutionnelle après près de 5 ans de détention pour complot contre
le gouvernement.

M. Kürkçü, membre du HDP (Parti de la Démocratie du Peuple, pro-kurde)
a dénoncé une justice de `deux poids deux mesures, discriminatoire
pour les Kurdes`.

La grève ne pourra durer que jusqu’à vendredi soir au Parlement car au
terme des discussions sur le budget de 2014 qui s’y poursuivent, les
députés partiront en vacances.

On ignore pour l’instant si les quatre parlementaires continueront
ensuite leur mouvement.

Le BDP a pour sa part averti que le maintient derrière les barreaux
des députés kurdes pourrait nuire au processus de paix engagé en 2012
entre Ankara et le PKK pour tenter de mettre fin à l’insurrection du
mouvement armé kurde, qui a coûté la vie à 45.000 personnes depuis
1984.

`Cette décision inacceptable de la justice pourrait mettre en danger
le processus` de paix, a déclaré Pervin Buldan, députée du BDP.

Le cessez-le-feu en vigueur depuis mars tient dans l’ensemble, mais la
libération des détenus accusés de lien avec le PKK est l’une des
revendications du mouvement kurde.

AFP

samedi 21 décembre 2013,
Stéphane ©armenews.com

From: Baghdasarian

FOOTBALL
Cet après-midi Borussia Dortmund-Herta Berlin. L’international
arménien Henrikh Mkhitaryan jouera

Cet après-midi à 15h30 pour le compte de la 16e journée du championnat
d’Allemagne, le Borussia Dortmund reçoit Herta Berlin. Nous suivrons
l’international arménien Henrikh Mkhitaryan milieu de terrain du
Borussia Dortmund pour ce match qui sera le dernier de l’année pour le
club allemand en Bundesliga. Avec 32 points Borussia Dortmund est
classé 3e du championnat tandis que Herta Berlin est 7e avec 25
points. Borussia est donné largement favori pour ce match. A noter
qu’à travers Armenia TV -diffusé en Arménie, l’étranger ayant une
autre diffusion- le match sera diffusé en Arménie. Par ailleurs les
centaines de milliers de supporters Arméniens d’Henrikh Mkhitaryan à
travers l’Europe et le monde pourront également suivre en direct la
rencontre sur de nombreux sites internet.

Krikor Amirzayan

samedi 21 décembre 2013,
Krikor Amirzayan ©armenews.com

From: Baghdasarian

CUSTOMS UNION AN IMPORTANT MARKET FOR FINISHED GOODS – EXPERT

December 20, 2013 | 17:41

YEREVAN. – Customs Union is an important market for finished goods,
said head of the Union of Domestic Goods Producers Vazgen Safaryan.

This makes the Customs Union an alternative to local producers,
he believes.

“On the other hand, we have exported finished goods amounting to $290
million to Customs Union member states last year. Good conditions
for the Armenian light industry, machinery and other industries can
be created in the common market. The exports to Europe is estimated
at hundreds of millions, but it is about raw materials, especially
metal concentrates,” he said.

In the terms of economic benefits, Customs Union is preferable
to Armenia.

From: Baghdasarian

CHILDREN OF ARMENIA FUND 10TH ANNUAL HOLIDAY GALA

Guestofaguest.com
Dec 20 2013

By Kelly Keegan
Dec 20, 2013 12:25 PM

The Children of Armenia Fund (COAF), a non-profit organization
working to improve the living conditions for village children in
Armenia, hosted its Tenth Annual Holiday Gala on Friday, December 13,
2013 at Cipriani 42nd Street in Manhattan, New York. The event was a
resounding success as more than 400 longtime friends and supporters
gathered together for an unforgettable evening, and raised nearly
$3 million to support COAF’s community-led programs. Special guests
in attendance included Michael Aram, Patricia Field, Kerry Butler,
and Benjamin McKenzie.

Award-winning film and television actor Victor Garber served as
the Honorary Chair for the evening. Mr. Garber’s introduction
to COAF was at the 2011 Gala, where he was awarded with the COAF
Humanitarian Award. Since then he has shown steadfast commitment
to the organization. He is best known for his role in major motion
pictures such as Titanic, Milk, and Argo.

In addition to the performances by the talented children, Kerry Butler
serenaded the crowd with a rendition of “It’s a Small World/God Bless
the Outcasts”. So You Think You Can Dance finalist Paul Karmiriyan
electrified the dance floor with his dance partner and closed out the
formal dinner, and sparked the after-party which lasted past midnight.

From: Baghdasarian

ARMENIA’S GREENS TAKE ON HYDRO SCHEMES

Environment News Sector
dec 20 2013

By Gayane Lazarian

YEREVAN, Armenia, December 19, 2013 (ENS) – Environmentalists in
Armenia say a strategy of building multiple hydroelectric stations
to harness the country’s rivers is storing up problems for the future.

Armenia lacks oil and gas reserves and is trying to develop
hydroelectric power as a way of reducing its reliance on fuel imports.

Ecologists, however, say that damming up rivers destroys waterways
and the unique ecosystems they support.

In one recent case of direct action, environmental activists joined
residents of the village of Marts in the northern Lori region on
November 17 to protest against plans to build a third power station
on a river there. They blocked a major highway, causing traffic chaos,
but left before police could arrive to disperse them.

Near Marts village, Lori region, Armenia (Photo by Artyom Hovsepyan)

“Rivers are being turned into pipelines,” said Levon Galstyan of the
All-Armenian Ecological Front. “No public consultations were organised
in the village [Marts], and people’s interests have been ignored.”

Liparit Simonyan, director of Martz Energy, the company in charge of
the dam project, said its activities were entirely within the law.

“There’s a sense that it isn’t the locals protesting, but a group
of activists representing some outside forces. They are spreading
false information and setting people against one another other,”
Simonyan told reporters.

“We are spending money; we are creating jobs,” he added.

Robert Galstyan, the village head in Marts, confirmed that the company
was going to employ seven locals and had promised to provide the
village with street lighting and a mains gas supply.

Karen Harutiunyan, an activist from the environmentalist group 100
Point, said claims of public consultation were untrue since the
majority of local residents were clearly against the scheme.

In a separate development, villagers in the western Aragatsotn region
turned out to protest against work on a fourth power station on the
river Amberd.

Local resident Sasun Hayrapetyan said that villagers in the area
would lose their water supplies.

“This hydropower station is being built next to us without any
consultation,” she said.

Armenia has gone from having just 11 small hydroelectric power
plants in 1997 to 137 small hydro power plants today, with another
77 being built. It also has bigger plants arranged in series of two,
or “cascades,” Sevan-Hrazdan and Vorotan.

The construction drive is underpinned by a 2004 law which assumes
that dams on mountain rivers could meet around 30 percent of Armenia’s
electricity needs.

Some existing dams are not in service like this Communist Era dam
and power station (Photo by Michael Sakr)

That is still some distance away. As Aram Gabrielyan, head of
electricity supplies at the energy ministry, points out, nuclear power
provided 28 percent of the country’s power last year, 42 percent was
generated by gas-fired stations, and most of the rest by hydroelectric
plants.

Galstyan said the government’s strategy is all wrong.

“Construction of hydroelectric power stations has reached such a level
that in 20 or 30 years’ time, this state will be facing a social and
ecological catastrophe,” he said. “There will be power stations on
90 percent of rivers, and in the dry season they will all dry up.”

Inga Zarafyan of Ecolur agrees that the threat was real, warning that
“the number of sick rivers is constantly rising.”

“Twelve power stations have been built on the river Yeghegis, another
nine are to be built on the Meghri river, and six more on the Getik
and Marts, and also on rivers that feed Lake Sevan,” she said.

“The biggest is being built on the Argichi, with nine kilometres of
pipes and four ten-megawatt turbines,” said Zarafyan. “We are scared
to imagine what will be left of that river.”

Inessa Gabayan, national coordinator of an Armenian-Norwegian project
to develop small hydroelectric power plants, urged local residents
to contribute constructively rather than just objecting to them.

“The aim of our project is to identify problems and secure stable
development in this sector,” she explained. “I believe new technologies
can resolve the problems.”

From: Baghdasarian

RUSSIA MAY BE USING GEORGIA’S AIRSPACE TO DELIVER ARMS TO ARMENIA

Rezonansi (in Georgian), Tbilisi, Georgia
Dec 12 2013

“Experts Say Armenia’s Enhanced Armaments Pose Threat to Georgia.

‘Georgian Representative Should Be Stationed in Yerevan Airport and
Examine Types of Armaments Coming From Russia'”

by Eka Otarashvili

Following Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Armenia, the
reinforcement of the Russian military base in Gyumri with modernized
combat hardware has intensively begun. According to military experts,
Russia is using Georgian airspace illegally to deliver armaments to
Armenia and the Georgian Foreign Ministry has not reacted to this
for some reason.

According to military expert Vakhtang Maisaia, following Armenia’s
final decision to turn down accession to the EU, the Kremlin offered
it to establish joint air defence systems together with Kazakhstan,
and the intensified deliveries of armaments that have taken place in
the last few days are the result of this.

[Russian troops stationed] in Armenia have now received new military
hardware: Mostly armoured vehicles, air defence systems, and MiG-29
fighters. Russia and Kazakhstan are creating a joint air defence system
and Belarus is joining them too. Putin also offered Armenia to become
part of this joint air defence system during his visit to Gyumri.

“A four-step air defence and missile defence system is being created.

These armaments also reflect a complex approach. Moreover, they are
modernizing the strategic armaments in the North Caucasus. Russia is
apparently building up its military forces and they will get around
to delivering the same kinds of supplies to the 4th and the 7th bases
stationed on Georgian territory in South Ossetia and Abkhazia soon.

Russia has two options for transporting these armaments: First,
via Georgian airspace and second, by land through Iran. However,
there is strong likelihood that the armaments are delivered through
the illegal use of our airspace,” Maisaia said.

Maisaia noted that, according to reports in the Internet, 18
helicopters, armoured vehicles, weapons for armoured vehicles,
including BMP-3 and BTR-80, as well as modernized T-72 tanks and a
few T-90 tanks have now been delivered to Gyumri. Buk-2 operational
and tactical air defence systems have also been delivered.

It is worth noting that Yerevan has the S-300 systems capable of
shooting down any aircraft, as well as T-90 battle tanks and hundreds
of other types of armoured vehicles and heavy artillery systems. They
also have radio electronic systems capable of monitoring Georgian
territory.

Former Georgian Foreign Minister Grigol Vashadze says that Russia is
continuing its military “tourism” in the South Caucasus. This time,
a few thousand extra military “tourists” will be deployed to the
Gyumri military base in Armenia, along with helicopters and other
types of military hardware. Meanwhile, Georgia’s diplomatic efforts
have been extremely weak.

“The government has been silent and has not said anything about the
quantity of the armaments that Russia has delivered to the Gyumri
military base. You can go to the Internet and read about the quantities
of armaments delivered to Armenia before Putin’s visit and the increase
in Russia’s military potential. The Georgian government does not need
to make a statement about this but the Georgian government must speak
about this in international organizations without fail.

“The current government is not talking about this. I can tell
you this for certain. As has been the case with other matters,
Georgia’s diplomatic efforts have been extremely weak. On the one
hand, they have intensified in a number of directions but it was
not difficult to intensify them there. European integration is
one example. However, they have been weak as far as international
organizations are concerned. The primary reason for this is the fact
that they treated the cadres that they had there very imprudently,”
the former foreign minister noted.

It is worth noting that Russian President Vladimir Putin went on
an official visit to Armenia 2 December and it was not Yerevan that
he travelled to first but the Russian military base in Gyumri, 120
kilometres away from Yerevan. He said at a press conference there
that Russia has never intended to withdraw from the South Caucasus
and that, on the contrary, “Russia is planning to further reinforce
its positions in the South Caucasus.”

The main personnel of the 102nd Russian military base in Gyumri is made
up of 7,000 servicemen and reinforcing this base was the main subject
of the talks between the two presidents. They decided at the meeting
that, in exchange for Armenia’s accession to the Customs Union, Yerevan
can buy Russian armaments at Russian domestic prices and natural gas
at a 35-per cent discount (for $189 per 1,000 cubic meters).

Irakli Aladashvili, editor-in-chief of the Arsenali military analytical
magazine, says that, during the visit, President Putin was also shown
the new Russian armaments deployed to Armenia that can pose a threat
to Georgia from the south.

“Before Putin’s visit, the Armenian parliament approved a Defence
Ministry decree according to which Armenia will provide Russia with
additional territory for the stationing of a helicopter squadron.

Moreover, they deployed 18 MiG-29 fighters to the Erebuni air force
unit near Yerevan.

“The footage of the Gyumri base taken during Putin’s visit showed two
new types of armaments – the Smerch multiple launch rocket systems
and the Buk-M1-2 missile systems – that had not previously been
deployed at the base. This hardware was apparently recently delivered
secretly to Armenia by military transport planes that flew through
Georgian airspace,” Aladashvili said. He noted that the “proximity
of the Gyumri base to Georgia means that the Russian Smerch systems’
300-mm rockets that weigh 800 kg can easily reach Tbilisi from the
Armenian-Georgian border.

“As for the modernized Buk systems delivered to Gyumri, they can
detect aircraft flying at a relatively low altitude within a 40-km
range and can fire antiaircraft missiles at it in 15 seconds. This
means that Russian Buk systems stationed at the border will be capable
of detecting and targeting Georgian combat planes that take off from
the Marneuli airfield which is the main air base of the Georgian
Armed Forces.”

Aladashvili said that the Georgian government has not authorized Russia
to transport combat hardware via Georgian airspace since the August
[2008 Georgian-Russian] war and that it would be interesting to know
whether the Russian side has informed the new Georgian Government
about the delivery of the Smerch systems to Armenia through Georgian
airspace.

“There has been talk that this hardware has been transported by
Armenian military transport planes, not Russian ones. For this reason,
a Georgian representative should be stationed at Yerevan airport
and should examine the types of armaments delivered from Russia,”
Aladashvili said.

[Translated from Georgian]

From: Baghdasarian