Author: Baghdasarian Karlen

AROUND 4,200 PEOPLE TO BENEFIT FROM FREE EYE CARE PROGRAM OF THE ARMENIAN EYECARE PROJECT AND ORANGE FOUNDATION IN SHIRAK REGION

Free eye screening and treatment program of the Armenian Eyecare
Project (AECP) and Orange Foundation has launched. The program will
be implemented in 2 stages – eye screening and treatment. In the
first stage the AECP medical staff will examine all those who want
to be examined just on the spot. The works of the second stage will
be carried out on the Mobile Eye Hospital, parked in the center of
the given region, where all preliminarily examined patients will pass
double screening and laser interference will be performed. All socially
disadvantaged residents of the region will undergo free eye surgery,
if necessary. Such people will be also provided with glasses for free.

In the period of September-October the AECP medical staff will visit
Ani, Artik, Akhuryan, Amasia and Ashotsk districts. The Mobile Eye
Hospital will stop in Maralik, Artik and Akhuryan.

The children from 9 schools of the region will be screened together
with adults. They will also participate in comprehensive courses on
eye care.

Today the representatives of the Orange Foundation and Armenian Eyecare
Project were present in eye screening processes in Isahakyan village.

“This is already the 10th region visited together with the Armenian
Eyecare Project. Before that the AECP medical staff has been to Lori
region, where around 4,000 people have benefited from free eye care
services. Thanks to the works carried out jointly with the Armenian
Eyecare Project, we were able to help tens of thousands of people.

People with visual impairments have communication difficulties,
our vocation, as a telecommunication company, is to facilitate
communication between people. We are happy to bring real changes
into the life of many people and families thanks to this program,”
said Nazareth Seferian, the General Secretary of the Orange Foundation.

“We are planning to examine around 3,000 adults and 1,200 children
in Shirak region. We anticipate performing around 300 surgeries and
providing 1,200 glasses,” said AECP Country Director Nune Yeghiazaryan.

As a reminder, for more details the residents of Shirak region should
apply to their local health center and follow the announcements posted
there. For more information they may also call the AECP office (010
55 90 68). The schedule of visit to Shirak region can be downloaded
from Õ~]

11:25 18/09/2013 Story from Lragir.am News:

From: Baghdasarian

NAPOLI VS. BORUSSIA DORTMUND: EXPECTED STARTING LINEUPS

September 18, 2013

NAPLES. – On Wednesday, S.S.C. Napoli of Italy will play host to
Germany’s Borussia Dortmund in a group match in the Champions League.

Tuttonapoli.net of Naples presented the expected starting eleven for
both clubs. According to the website, Armenian national football squad
and Borussia midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan should be in the starting
lineup of his club. To note, the Napoli-Borussia Dortmund clash will
kick off at 10O~I45pm, Armenia time.

NEWS.am Sport

From: Baghdasarian

AZERBAIJAN PURCHASES ARMS TO TAKE BACK KARABAKH – RUSSIAN ANALYST

September 18, 2013 | 00:15

Azerbaijan is acquiring arms in every way so as to take back
Nagorno-Karabakh, Russian political scientist Alexander Khramchikhin
told Armenian News-NEWS.am.

Khramchikhin reflected on the order of eighteen self-propelled
artillery equipment, which Azerbaijan has placed to Russia.

In his words, if the there is the order, the equipment will be
manufactured.

“Azerbaijan is acquiring arms of every type so as to take back
Nagorno-Karabakh. This country does not pursue any other objective,”
Khramchikhin added.

To note, a Russian company has started manufacturing self-propelled
artillery equipment for Azerbaijan.

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

From: Baghdasarian

HAYKAKAN ZHAMANAK: AGHVAN HOVSEPYAN LEAVES COUNTRY FOLLOWING RESIGNATION

11:05 18/09/2013 ” DAILY PRESS

Former Armenian Prosecutor General Aghvan Hovsepyan left Armenia
straight after his resignation several days ago. According to Haykakan
Zhamanak, he will be away for a few days only.

Hovsepyan’s relatives say that he has left for a short rest with his
family. Other reports say the former prosecutor is in Moscow.

According to the paper’s sources, he is in condition of waiting for
a possible appointment in some department, with rumors saying that
in the coming days, President Serzh Sargsyan will sign a decree to
appoint him to some post.

Source: Panorama.a

From: Baghdasarian

COOPERATION ARMENO-CHINOISE

ARMENIE

Se trouvant en Chine pour prendre part au Forum economique mondial,
le PM armenien Tigran Sarkissian s’est entretenu avec son homologue
chinois, Li Keqiang. Celui-ci a annonce l’octroi a l’Armenie de 16
M USD d’aide economique supplementaire, visant a mettre en place
des projets conjoints et a encourager les hommes d’affaires chinois
a investir dans l’economie armenienne [en 2013, la Chine a deja
octroye 11 M USD d’aide a l’Armenie dont la majeure partie etait
destinee a la construction d’une ecole chinoise a Erevan]. Le PM
chinois a en outre souhaite voir plus de produits armeniens sur le
marche chinois, notamment du brandy et des pierres precieuses. /
Hayastani Hanrapetoutioun, Haykakan Jamanak

Extrait de la revue de presse de l’Ambassade de France en Armenie en
date du 11 septembre 2013

mercredi 18 septembre 2013, Stephane ©armenews.com

From: Baghdasarian

LA TURQUIE REJUGE LES TUEURS DE HRANT DINK, ” L’ARMENIEN ”

Le Figaro, France
17 sept 2013

Un nouveau procès a debute mardi en l’absence des commanditaires de
l’assassinat du journaliste.

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La mort de Hrant Dink, abattu le 19 janvier 2007 a Istanbul, a
desormais des couleurs. Des marches a proximite du trottoir où le
journaliste d’origine armenienne s’est effondre ont ete badigeonnees
en rouge bordeaux et en bleu par des inconnus la semaine dernière.

C’est une variante sinistre de la nouvelle mode des escaliers
publics repeints aux couleurs de l’arc-en-ciel par des
activistes qui contestent les derives autoritaires du gouvernement
islamo-conservateur. Le bordeaux et le bleu sont les couleurs du club
de football de Trabzon, la ville de la mer Noire d’où est originaire
Ogun Samast, l’auteur des coups de feu contre Hrant Dink.

Les plus pessimistes y voient une manifestation de l’impunite des
commanditaires et un mauvais presage de plus concernant le nouveau
procès qui s’est ouvert mardi devant la 14e chambre criminelle,
a Istanbul.

En mai dernier, la Cour de cassation avait confirme les condamnations
prononcees en première instance et estime qu’il s’agissait bien d’un
crime organise. Elle invalidait l’acquittement general prononce en 2012
concernant l’existence d’un complot. Les avocats de la famille de Hrant
Dink sont satisfaits de cette reconnaissance mais s’inquiètent d’une
possible requalification des faits. “Le premier acte d’accusation
utilisait le terme d’organisation terroriste, qui etait composee de
18 membres, explique ­Fethiye Cetin. Desormais, il ne s’agit plus que
d’une organisation criminelle de jeunes nationalistes et elle ne compte
plus que cinq membres.” Ce changement a minima fait craindre que la
lumière sur la dimension politique de l’execution du journaliste,
qui etait haï des nationalistes et harcele par la justice, ne soit
jamais faite.

Au cours de l’enquete, de nombreux elements ont laisse suspecter
une implication de responsables des services de renseignements et
de la police dans la mort du redacteur en chef du journal Argos,
infatigable porte-voix de la petite communaute armenienne de la
Turquie. Mais des pièces a conviction, comme les enregistrements de
videos de cameras de surveillance proches du lieu du crime, avaient
disparu. Outre deux complices, seuls Ogun Samast, âge de 17 ans au
moment des faits, et Yasin Hayal, considere comme le cerveau, avaient
ete condamnes lors du premier procès. Malgre les demandes repetees des
parties civiles, les magistrats ont toujours refuse d’enqueter sur
les ramifications possibles au sein de l’Etat et de lier le meurtre
au reseau Ergenekon, une structure militaro-mafieuse condamnee pour
avoir cherche a renverser le gouvernement islamo-conservateur.

Mardi matin, a l’ouverture de la nouvelle audience, environ deux
cents personnes ont manifeste devant le tribunal de Caglayan en
criant “l’Etat doit rendre des comptes”. Seuls deux accuses, dont
Yasin Hayal, ont comparu a la barre. Dans une lettre rendue publique,
la famille de Hrant Dink, accuse “toutes les structures etatiques”
d’etre “impliquees” dans son assassinat et explique refuser d’assister
au procès afin de ne pas faire “le jeu de l’Etat qui se moque de nous”.

From: Baghdasarian

EGIPTO ESTA PREPARADO PARA RECONOCER EL GENOCIDIO DE LOS ARMENIOS?

Aleteia
17 sept 2013

Historia y actualidad se entrelazan en la partida de Oriente Medio
y en el equilibrio del mundo arabe

Chiara Santomiero

El Egipto despues de Morsi podría convertirse en el primer país
musulman del mundo en reconocer como “genocidio” el exterminio de
los armenios, llevado a cabo a partir del 24 de abril de 1915 por
el gobierno turco en las tierras del entonces imperio otomano. Esto
podría suceder a continuacion del paso dado, sin precedentes, por el
abogado egipcio, Mohamed Saad Khairallah, director del Instituto del
Frente Popular en Egipto, que ha presentado una demanda judicial en
este sentido.

La primera audiencia historica de este proceso se llevara a cabo
el 5 de noviembre de 2013″. La noticia contada por el Vatican
Insider (15 de septiembre), como sugiere el mismo artículo, debe ser
analizada mas alla de su simple valor historico. Aleteia ha hablado
con Giuseppe Caffulli, director de la revista Tierra Santa de la
Custodia franciscana y experto en cuestiones de Oriente Medio.

– ¿Cuales pueden ser las implicaciones de este anuncio?

El que Egipto decida abrir una reflexion y un debate sobre la cuestion
del genocidio armenio en el interior del amplio mundo de los musulmanes
sunitas, es un hecho positivo de por sí porque se trata de una pagina
de la historia extraordinariamente significativa, tambien para el
mundo arabe musulman. Lo importante es que esto no se convierta en
“anti” alguien, porque el tema es candente en muchos aspectos. En el
interior de la sociedad turca que nunca ha ajustado cuentas con este
pasado doloroso, pero tambien para Israel, sensible a la comparacion
entre su propia tragica historia y la de los demas pueblos.

– ¿Por que comenzar esta iniciativa ahora?

Quizas esta es la pregunta fundamental. Tuve la oportunidad de reunirme
con distintos cristianos armenios en Egipto, descendientes de aquellos
que en la epoca de la masacre pudieron refugiarse en el país -en el
año ’15 del siglo XX- y se establecieron en una ciudad cosmopolita
como El Cairo, pero hablamos solo de unas cincuenta personas.

Tenemos enfrente a dos grandes países -Turquía y Egipto- muy cercanos
por tradicion religiosa pero diferentes en sus papeles geopolíticos.

Turquía se posiciono recientemente en el area de Oriente Medio tratando
de conseguir una posicion hegemonica como demuestra tambien el papel
desarrollado en la crisis siria. Esta actividad ha sido mal vista
por Egipto que la analiza como una vuelta al pasado y una forma de
neo-otomanismo.

Sin embargo los problemas internos de Egipto, donde tras el 30 de
junio de este año en el que el poder político se ha invertido, y los
enfrentamientos sucedidos recientemente en Estambul contra el gobierno,
sugieren que para la agenda de los dos países la cuestion armenia no
es el problema principal que hay que afrontar en este momento.

– No es la primera vez que Turquía se ve impulsada por el contexto
internacional (sucedio a proposito de una eventual ingreso en Europa),
para interrogarse sobre la cuestion armenia ¿no debería comenzar un
proceso de revision historica en el interior de la sociedad?

No obstante se haya dado algún paso sobre este tema -tambien a nivel
informal con el famoso partido de fútbol entre Turquía y Armenia de
2009- sin embargo es verdad que en Turquía, la realidad del genocidio
es un tabú. Los historiadores turcos son reacios a usar esta palabra
porque analizan esta fase historica de forma distinta y consideran
los sucesos como una forma de reaccion del joven estado turco a una
amenaza para su propia identidad. Sin embargo, quien va a Yerevan
y visita el Museo del genocidio se da cuenta de que la brutalidad
empleada en la deportacion de los armenios no es distinta a la
testimoniada en el museo del Holocausto, el Yad Vashem, de Jerusalen.

Para la opinion pública turca es necesaria una toma de conciencia
ademas de un proceso interno en la sociedad, pero tambien determinado
de alguna manera por el tribunal de la historia, sobre todo si
la historia fue negada y escondida en la mistificacion. Se trata
seguramente de un momento de la historia en el que Turquía se juega
el propio futuro en la modernizacion y tambien el lugar al que aspira
en el consenso internacional.

From: Baghdasarian

EGYPTE : VERS UNE RECONNAISSANCE DU GENOCIDE ARMENIEN

Aleteia
17 sept 2013

Un procès historique contre la Turquie annonce pour le 5 novembre
aurait un retentissement dans tout le monde arabe

L’Egypte s’appreterait-elle a emboîter le pas au Liban, le seul pays
arabe a avoir reconnu jusqu’ici le genocide armenien ?

Depuis la destitution du president Mohamed Morsi, le 3 juillet
dernier, cette possibilite a l’air de faire son chemin, a en croire
la diffusion de divers articles condamnant le negationnisme turc du
genocide armenien et exhortant les nouveaux dirigeants de l’Egypte
a le reconnaître.

” Malgre le faux Tweet attribue au president egyptien par interim,
Adly Mansour, dans lequel on apprenait que l’Egypte reconnaîtrait le
genocide des Armeniens, il n’en demeure pas moins vrai que l’Egypte est
aujourd’hui sensibilisee sur la question, notamment par le truchement
d’une emission televisee, de 36 minutes, qui a ete vue par des millions
de telespectateurs ” en Egypte et dans tout le monde arabe, confirme
Harut Sassounian, le directeur de The California Courier traduit de
l’anglais par Christine Gardon pour le Collectif VAN.

Harut Sassounian, qui participait a cette emission, le 4 septembre
dernier, fait etat d’une demarche sans precedent annoncee par l’avocat
Muhammad Saad Khairallah, directeur de l’Institut du front populaire
en Egypte : celui-ci a decide d’engager une action en justice accusant
la Turquie d’avoir commis un genocide a l’encontre des Armeniens,
et annonce l’organisation d’ici peu de rassemblements publics visant
a demontrer que le procès contre la Turquie – prevu le 5 novembre
prochain – emane d’une demande populaire.

Selon l’avocat, la question du genocide armenien aurait dû etre
soulevee depuis longtemps en Egypte.

A la veille du centenaire du genocide armenien (commemore chaque 24
avril dans le monde), l’avocat espère que la Cour rendra une decision
historique sur cette question fondamentale ” des droits de l’homme
“, et que ce procès forcera l’Egypte a servir d’exemple a d’autres
pays arabes pour qu’ils reconnaissent le genocide armenien.

From: Baghdasarian

COURT ISSUES ARREST WARRANT FOR TUNCEL IN NEW DINK TRIAL

Today’s Zaman, Turkey
Sept 17 2013

17 September 2013 /TODAYSZAMAN.COM, ÝSTANBUL

An Ýstanbul court issued an arrest warrant on Tuesday for Erhan
Tuncel, who was acquitted of all charges related to the 2007 killing
of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink.

The Ýstanbul 14th High Criminal Court on Tuesday began a review of the
trial of the 2007 killing of Dink after a decision by the Supreme Court
of Appeals overturned the Ýstanbul court’s first ruling on the murder.

Tuncel, who worked as an informant for the Trabzon Police Department,
was sentenced to 10 years in prison for his role in the 2004 bombing
of a McDonald’s in Trabzon but was acquitted of all charges regarding
the Dink murder, including the prosecutors’ claim that he was the one
who gave orders to Yasin Hayal, the man who was given a life sentence
for soliciting Dink’s shooter.

A written statement sent to press by the Dink family on Tuesday said
the family will no longer attend the hearings to avoid being part of
the “games played by the state mechanisms.”

Dink, the late editor-in-chief of the Turkish-Armenian weekly Agos,
was shot dead on Jan. 19, 2007, by ultranationalist teenager Ogun
Samast outside the newspaper’s offices in Ýstanbul in broad daylight.

Samast, tried in a juvenile court because he was a minor at the time
of the crime, was sentenced to nearly 23 years in prison. On Jan. 17,
2012, the Ýstanbul 14th High Criminal Court gave another suspect
in the case, Yasin Hayal, a life sentence for inciting Samast to
commit murder.

The prosecutor of the first trial said that the murder was planned
and carried out by the Ergenekon terrorist organization, but the
court denied the existence of organized criminal activity in the
murder. The prosecutor of the Supreme Court of Appeals later said
that there was a terrorist organization involved and that the state
should investigate it.

The 9th Chamber of the Supreme Court of Appeals in May ruled that there
was an organization involved, but said that it was a simple crime ring,
effectively denying that Ergenekon played any role in the murder.

Dink’s lawyers had submitted a petition to the Supreme Court of
Appeals, arguing that the lower court’s ruling violated the Turkish
Penal Code (TCK) by acknowledging the existence of a criminal
organization but declining to investigate it, and that the court
ignored evidence of a terrorist organization.

From: Baghdasarian

EU VS. RUSSIA

Today’s Zaman, Turkey
Sept 17 2013

AMANDA PAUL

Two weeks ago I wrote about the decision of Armenian President Serzh
Sarksyan to join the Russian-led Customs Union instead of proceeding
with a trade agreement Yerevan had spent over three years negotiating
with the EU.

Armenia’s turnaround acted as a wake-up call for the EU in terms of
understanding how seriously Russia is working to repeat the Armenia
case with Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia. With the EU’s Vilnius Eastern
Partnership (EaP) Summit taking place in November and the Summit of
the Commonwealth of Independent States due to take place on Oct. 25,
a geopolitical battle is under way between the EU and Russia. For
the EU, this is a battle it cannot afford to lose in terms of the
success of its neighborhood policies.

The EaP was never intended to be anti-Russian. Russia views its
Western neighborhood as a strategic imperative and views the EaP as
a tool for containment. Hence the creation of its own integrating
projects. While there are no criteria or conditions for joining the
Customs Union, joining countries not only need to give a hefty chunk
of their budget to the new supranational institutions but also their
sovereignty. Hence the only way Moscow can get them on board is by
a lot of arm-twisting and bullying.

While Ukraine and Moldova are direct neighbors of the EU, with Ukraine
being of particular importance because of its size, regional role
and economic potential, Georgia should not be forgotten. Therefore,
I was disappointed when during a recent speech by Lithuanian President
Dalia GrybauskaitÄ-, she stated that the EU would fight for Ukraine and
Moldova, but when asked about Georgia she said Georgia had signaled
that it was interested in both options. She was no doubt referring
to the comments of Georgian Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili over
Customs Union membership despite the fact that Georgia’s leadership
has reiterated on numerous occasions that European integration is
their priority.

While Georgia may be further away and in a difficult neighborhood,
it is equally important. While not everything is perfect, Georgia
has worked hard to meet EU criteria. Furthermore, it is now the only
country in the South Caucasus where the EU has real influence. Armenia
is lost, while leverage on Azerbaijan is almost non-existent. Russia
has already used a lot of sticks on Georgia. They have invaded the
country, occupied two regions, consolidated a military presence, cut
off gas supplies and banned Georgian wine and water. While Georgians
want good ties with Moscow, it needs to be a relationship of mutual
respect. I doubt Georgians will forget the image of Russian tanks
rolling towards Tbilisi only a few years ago. Yet Moscow still has
the cards and is likely to lure Tbilisi with carrots, with rumors
that Russia will offer to reverse its recognition of South Ossetia
and Abkhazia as independent states or even make a deal whereby one
of these regions is returned to Georgia.

The EU has reacted to Russia’s new assertive approach, but so far
with words only. A European Parliament resolution states that “MEPs
deplored the unacceptable pressure that Russia has been putting on
EU Eastern Partnership countries as the Vilnius Eastern Partnership
Summit approaches. They call on Moscow to respect the independent
states’ sovereignty and not to intervene in their internal affairs,
as required by international law.” Unfortunately, this demand is
about as likely to be met as asking a lion to no longer eat meat.

Small and vulnerable states such as Georgia need to know the EU
is fully behind them and that they will get adequate support both
politically and economically. The EU needs to move away from what
is often viewed as a passive approach and show some real strategic
thinking. It needs to demonstrate that its neighborhood policies
have teeth and are able to deliver. The EU should start to open its
markets, increase financial assistance and proceed more rapidly with
the lifting of visas. Second, it needs to speed up its technical
readiness, which often seems to move at a snail’s pace. Moreover,
it needs to show the ticket it has sold its neighbors has an end
destination, which is presently not the case.

From: Baghdasarian