Author: Baghdasarian Karlen

PACE PRESIDENT MEETS ARMENIAN PRESIDENT AND FOREIGN MINISTER

ITAR-TASS, Russia
June 3, 2013 Monday 11:35 PM GMT+4

– PACE President Jean-Claude Mignon has wished the Armenian
Chairmanship of the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers a
success during meetings in Yerevan with Armenian Foreign Minister
Edward Nalbandian and President Serzh Sargsyan.

“I am entirely at your disposition to make it so,” the President said.

Also discussed were the situation in the South Caucasus and the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. “I again stressed my wish not to interfere
in any way with the work of the Minsk Group, whose action I fully
support,” he added.

“The Parliamentary Assembly shares and supports the priorities of
the Armenian Chairmanship, which are fully in keeping with our main
lines of action,” Mignon said earlier, citing in particular action to
prevent racism, xenophobia and extremism in general, and the promotion
of intercultural dialogue.

“The Armenian Chairmanship and the subsequent Azerbaijani Chairmanship
in 12 months’ time present a unique opportunity for both countries,
and for the Council of Europe, to strengthen pan-European co-operation
and respect for our values, notably by stepping up the search for
solutions to ‘frozen conflicts’, and the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
in particular,” he said. “As parliamentarians and PACE members, we
have a duty to promote political reconciliation and dialogue between
elected representatives through parliamentary diplomacy,” he concluded.

“The search for a peaceful solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
is a commitment taken by Armenia and by Azerbaijan upon their accession
to the Council of Europe. In this context, we express our full support
to the negotiations within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group, on
the basis of the ‘Madrid principles’ which establish a framework for
resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,” Standing Committee of the
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe said in a statement
on the occasion of its meeting in Yerevan on May 31.

“The Assembly urges Armenia and Azerbaijan to seize the opportunity
offered by their respective chairmanships of the Committee of Ministers
of the Council of Europe, to promote reconciliation between these
two member states and their populations, as well as to intensify the
search, in the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group, for a solution
to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. This should be reflected in the
respective priorities of these two chairmanships,” it said.

The Assembly reiterated its readiness “to do everything it can,
through parliamentary diplomacy, to facilitate dialogue and establish
a climate of trust between parliamentarians from both member States.”

From: Baghdasarian

ARMENIAN OMBUDSMAN OFFICE REPORTS VIOLATIONS OF RIGHTS OF CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS

17:24 ~U 04.06.13

Representatives of Armenian Human Rights Defender Office visited
Abovyan Special School #1 to find out that the center of medical
psychology and pedagogy considers 30% of the children comprehensive
school students, while some of them children were forced to attend
the school.

After talking to the school staff and parents, the group found out
that some of the children were forced to attend the school, while
their parents have to agree because of the families’ grave social
conditions. The school teachers are ordered to ensure at least one
child’s attendance under the threat of dismissal.

Despite being absent from school for long periods, which saves funds
for the school, children receive their certificates.

Parents lodged a number of complaints about violence against their
children. Although the toilet has been renovated, the children are
not allowed to use it. As a result, they use toilets in bad hygiene
and sanitary conditions and get infections.

The violations the Human Rights Defender Office registered in School
#1 are typical of almost all such schools. Negligence by relevant
authorities results in violations of children that need special care.

The Human Rights Defender Office hopes that the relevant authorities
will pay more attention to the aforementioned problems.

Armenian News – Tert.am

From: Baghdasarian

ENTHUSIASTIC CROWD CELEBRATES ARMENIAN INDEPENDENCE

Monday, June 3rd, 2013

The crowd celebrates as Andre performs during Sunday’s Independence
Day Celebration (Photo by Tro Krikorian)

GLENDALE-An enthusiastic crowd of around 1,000 community members turned
out Sunday to mark the 95th anniversary of Armenian Independence
at an event at Glendale City Hall Plaza organized by the Armenian
Revolutionary Federation Western US Central Committee.

The event was highlighted by performances by Andre, Ani Christy,
Element Band, Raffi Semerdjian, Antoine Bezdjian and the Hamazkayin
“Nairi” Dance Troupe, all of whom elevated the spirit of the audience
in a fitting celebration of Armenia’s victorious independence of May
28 1918.

The program began with an impressive flag ceremony conducted by
the Homenetmen Western Region Scouts. Masters of Ceremonies David
Arakelyan and Lori Boghigian adeptly guided the program in Armenian
and English respectively.

The message by the youth of the community was presented by Avetis
Shanlian, the chairman of the Armenian Youth Federation Western
US. In his remarks, Shanlian pointed to the importance of the May 28
independence and pledged the Armenian youth’s commitment to advancing
the Independence message and legacy.

The keynote of the evening was delivered by long-time community leader
and Chamlian School principal Vazken Madenlian, who highlighted the
accomplishments of the 1918 independent Republic and expressed hope
that the lessons of democracy and national unity of that era would
one become a reality in the modern-day Armenian Republic.

During a grand finale led by traditional Armenian music, the crowd
that had gathered converged on the center of the plaza and danced
and celebrated this venerable Armenian holiday.

From: Baghdasarian

IRANIAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE CALLS FOR CLOSER ECONOMIC TIES WITH ARMENIA

19:28 04/06/2013 ” REGION

We should expand our economic ties with Armenia, Iranian presidential
candidate, Supreme Leader’s foreign policy adviser Ali Akbar Velayati
was quoted as saying by ISNA.

The presidential candidate spoke about Iran’s foreign policy at a
meeting with reporters on Tuesday, saying in part: “It is not right
that ten visits are made to Latin America yearly while our neighbors
are disregarded. Of our 15 neighbors, 13 are Islamic countries. Iran
has much in common with Armenia and Russia in terms of history and
therefore it should further develop bilateral relations with these
countries. We should not rest on political relations but should also
strengthen our economic ties.”

Related: Post-election shocks unlikely to occur in Iran, says Iranian
studies expert

From: Baghdasarian

FOUR KARABAKH WAR VETERANS GO ON SIT-DOWN STRIKE IN PROTEST OF HARD LIVES

Tuesday, June 4, 19:39

Four Karabakh war veterans have gone on a sit-down strike in protest
of their hard lives.

The veterans are sitting at Liberty Square and are claiming social
privileges

.

From: Baghdasarian

ARMENIA AND KARABAKH ARE A GLOBAL ISSUE, AND THIS MEANS A LOT

Interview with political scientist, expert at Strategic Studies
Foundation Kayts Minasyan Serzh Sargsyan’s absence at the CSTO summit
is viewed by many as a sign of change of the political vector of
Armenia. What do you think about it?

Russia is a good ally of Armenia and once Armenia does not attend a
Russian event, it causes discussions, because many think Armenia is
not a sovereign country. While, Russia attaches great importance
to Armenia which makes it easier for Armenia to talk to it and
express concerns. For the first time, Armenia issued disagreement
with the activities of those countries which support Azerbaijan
arming it, specifically, for the first time, the Armenian president
said dissatisfied with Moscow. The president’s absence at the summit
is the continuation of the expression of dissatisfaction. Russians
understood that traditional policies won’t bring to any result.

Do you mean Soviet methods by traditional policies?

Yes, also Putin’s first and second terms. In order to rule out
neighbors are dissatisfied, Russia needs to accept that they are
sovereign, which does not mean that they are against Russia.

In general, 2013 is very important for the sovereign countries of
South Caucasus because Aliyev will win in Azerbaijan, Ivanishvili
will probably win in Georgia. There is tension in Armenia. Armenia’s
capabilities are bigger today.

So, Armenia does not even have the task to change the foreign course?

No, Armenia is becoming more sovereign. Russia understood that it
should give more freedom to its allies. There is no change in Armenia’s
position towards Russia, while the change exists in Russia’s position
towards Armenia. Both the president and the foreign minister of Armenia
said many times that Armenia is Russia’s ally but this does not mean
that it will follow Russia for hundred percent. Armenia has become a
more important state in the South Caucasus not thanks to its policies
but because the international, geopolitical context has changed.

What will the change of political vector give to Armenia?

I think it is early to approach the European policies because Russians
are not dissatisfied with Europe, and Europe is not the United States.

We should go towards Europe, slowly but we should. Armenia has both
European and ex-Soviet values and principles.

The international context has changed, Russia’s interests have
changed but we have an internal issue and we should look at our
friend countries differently, but this does not mean Russians have
no levers to repress Armenia, but this pressure is different. For
example, the gas price increase is a pressure; though with no result,
but Armenia responded anyway.

Besides, there is the Karabakh issue, where nothing has changed,
since once Karabakh issue is solved, Russia will be unable to exert
pressure on Armenia and Azerbaijan. The Armenian people should get
used to living with the Karabakh issue unsolved, so we need to get
stronger and more democratic. Armenia and Karabakh are a global issue
and this means a lot.

Siranuysh Papyan 19:13 04/06/2013 Story from Lragir.am News:

From: Baghdasarian

LES TURCS CRITIQUENT LA D̩RIVE AUTORITAIRE DE LEUR PREMIER MINISTRE РLA CROIX

” Votre insensibilité et votre cruauté a faire appel de manière
intense au gaz poivre ont fait exploser toutes les colères et
vexations accumulées ”, écrivait dimanche le chroniqueur Cengiz
Candar, en s’adressant au premier ministre turc Recep Tayyip Erdogan,
dans le quotidien centriste Radikal. Parties d’une simple initiative
pour protéger un parc et ses arbres a Istanbul, les manifestations
qui ont été violemment réprimées pendant cinq jours se sont
propagées a une quarantaine d’autres villes du pays, devenant un
immense mouvement de contestation.

Des dizaines de milliers de gens qui n’auraient jamais imaginé
manifester ensemble se sont réunis, des supporteurs de foot aux
groupes socialistes, conservateurs et nationalistes, Kurdes et
kémalistes, et surtout des jeunes participant pour la première fois
dans leur vie a une action politique.

Pourquoi de nombreux Turcs ressentent-ils autant de colère contre
le leader du parti islamo-conservateur AKP, qu’ils ont réélu pour
la troisième fois en 2011 avec 49,9 % des voixâ~@~I ? Recep Tayyip
Erdogan a pourtant fait des gestes historiques pour résoudre le
conflit kurde et il dirige le pays presque sans alternative crédible
depuis plus de dix ans. décisions politiques du premier ministre

La Turquie s’est désormais débarrassée des menaces de coup d’Ã~Itat
et de la pression des militaires. On peut parler et écrire sur
les sujets aussi sensibles que la question kurde ou le génocide
arménien. Sans compter le succès économique exceptionnel ces
dernières années pour une Turquie affichant des chiffres de
croissance records, malgré la crise.

Les récentes décisions politiques du premier ministre, qui touchent
la vie privée des gens, sans prendre en compte et tolérer la moindre
critique, ont joué pour beaucoup. Tout comme le sentiment que la
bonne santé économique ne profite qu’aux milieux et entreprises
” islamiques ”, alors que les autres sont doucement écartés du
marché. Ainsi, les intellectuels et les milieux démocrates, qui
ont soutenu Erdogan parce qu’il avait promis plus de démocratie et
la fin de la tutelle des militaires, commencent a être désenchantés.

D’autant que des signes alarmants d’un processus ” d’islamisation en
douceur ” de la société deviennent de plus en plus visibles. Des
cours de Coran et la vie de Mohammed ont été inclus dans le programme
des écoles primairesâ~@~I ; les conditions d’accès a l’avortement
ont été restreintes, de même que le recours a la césarienne,
parce qu’elle réduit le nombre d’accouchements possibles. Or, pour le
premier ministre, les familles doivent avoir au minimum trois enfants.

processus d’islamisation

Ce processus d’islamisation s’est aussi manifesté dans les séries
télévisées. La très populaire série Le Siècle magnifique,
traitant la vie de Soliman le Magnifique, a subi la colère d’Erdogan
a cause des scènes d’amour au harem du sultan. Les décolletés
des femmes de la série sont couverts et les scènes de harem ont
été réduites.

Les restrictions a la vente d’alcool votées la semaine dernière
au Parlement n’ont fait qu’augmenter les inquiétudes. Sans compter
l’intolérance affichée face aux critiques, le premier ministre
allant jusqu’a imposer aux patrons de presse le licenciement des
journalistes qui osent le critiquer. Les chaînes télévisées ont
ainsi ignoré pendant quatre jours les manifestations d’Istanbul…

Beaucoup craignent une aggravation de ces dérives autoritaires avec
le système présidentiel que Recep Tayyip Erdogan veut mettre en
place. ” Les citoyens de ce pays veulent que l’économie aille bien,
applaudissent debout l’arrivée de la paix et sont reconnaissants
pour l’abolition de la tutelle des militaires, écrit Cuneyt Ozdemir
dimanche dans le journal Radikal.Mais ils voient aussi la démocratie
comme une condition sine qua non. Il n’est pas simplement question
des arbres. Le comprenez-vous maintenantâ~@~I ? ”

Burcin Gercek, a Istanbul

mardi 4 juin 2013, Stéphane ©armenews.com

From: Baghdasarian

FIRST OFFICIAL DEATH RECORDED IN GEZI PARK PROTESTS: TURKISH DOCTORS UNION

19:34 â~@¢ 03.06.13

A Socialist Solidarity Platform (SODAP) member has been hit and killed
after a car driver ignored warnings to stop for protesters organizing a
Gezi Park solidarity demonstration in Umraniye’s 1 Mayıs neighborhood,
the Turkish Doctors’ Union (TTB) said today.

The victim, 20-year-old Mehmet AyvalıtaÅ~_, is the first confirmed
death in protests that have engulfed the entire country, The Hurriyet
Daily News reports.

A statement released by TTB accused the government of conducting a
provocative agenda, citing several remarks of Prime Minister Recep
Erdogan which claimed he was “barely holding back the 50 percent”
of the country that voted for him from coming onto the street.

A car drove into the crowds, despite warnings, according to the
statement, and subsequently caused AyvalıtaÅ~_’s death.

The hacker group RedHack also released a statement, saying AyvalıtaÅ~_
was a member, while implying that the killing was the intentional
work of a fascist.

Republican People’s Party (CHP) Sabahat Akkiraz extended her
condolences on the AyvalıtaÅ~_ while describing him as a “martyr.”

The TTB called on government to pull back all police forces, and
release all those detained throughout the protests.

Over 1,480 people have so far been wounded in Istanbul, with five
people in intensive care and two more in critical condition, the TTB
said, adding that around 414 injuries have so far been recorded by
Ankara’s Doctors’ Union, with 420 more in Ä°zmir.

From: Baghdasarian

PACE PANEL SIGNS DECLARATION ON NAGORNO-KARABAKH

AzerNews, Azerbaijan
June 3 2013

3 JUNE 2013, 12:09 (GMT+05:00)
By Sara Rajabova

The search for a peaceful solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
is a commitment undertaken by Armenia and Azerbaijan upon their
accession to the Council of Europe, says a declaration signed by
the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) Standing
Committee during a meeting in Yerevan on May 31.

“In this context, we express our full support to the negotiations
within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group, on the basis of the
‘Madrid principles’ which establish a framework for resolving the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,” the declaration said.

The Assembly urges Armenia and Azerbaijan to seize the opportunity
offered by their respective chairmanships of the Committee of Ministers
of the Council of Europe, to promote reconciliation between these
two member states and their populations, as well as to intensify the
search, in the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group, for a solution to
the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

“Our Assembly is ready to do everything it can, through parliamentary
diplomacy, to facilitate dialogue and establish a climate of trust
between parliamentarians from both member states,” the declaration
reads.

Also, during a visit to Azerbaijan, PACE President Jean-Claude Mignon
expressed an expectation that a solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict could be reached this year. He noted that in 2013, Azerbaijan
and Armenia will chair the CoE Committee of Ministers, and it will
create a good chance for both countries to find a solution to the
conflict.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the signing of the peace
treaty between France and Germany, and such peace can be achieved
between Azerbaijan and Armenia, Mignon said.

The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict emerged in 1988 when Armenia made
territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Since a lengthy war in the early
1990s that displaced over one million Azerbaijanis, Armenian armed
forces have occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan’s internationally
recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent
regions. The UN Security Council has adopted four resolutions on
Armenia’s withdrawal from the Azerbaijani territory, but Armenia has
not followed them to this day.

Russia, France and the U.S. have long been working to broker a
solution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict through the Minsk Group,
but their efforts have been largely fruitless so far.

Peace talks are underway on the basis of a peace outline proposed by
the Minsk Group co-chairs and dubbed the Madrid Principles, also known
as Basic Principles. The document envisions a return of the territories
surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh to Azerbaijani control; determining the
final legal status of Nagorno-Karabakh; a corridor linking Armenia
to the region; and the right of all internally displaced persons to
return home.

From: Baghdasarian

ELNUR ASLANOV: AZERBAIJAN’S STRATEGY AIMED AT LIBERATION OF ALL OCCUPIED TERRITORIES

Trend, Azerbaijan
June 3 2013

Despite ancient traditions of the statehood, Azerbaijan is a young
country, and in the past two decades we have managed to transform our
country into a modern state, head of Political Analysis and Information
Supply Department of the Administration of the President of Azerbaijan
Elnur Aslanov said at Baku Futures Forum today.

“In recent years Azerbaijan has turned into a venue of global forums
for discussing pressing international issues, including World Economic
Forum’s Strategic Dialogue on the Future of the South Caucasus and
Central Asia; Club de Madrid forum in the Caucasus, and, of course,
the 2nd World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue,” he said.

The Presidential Administration’s official believes that this stems
from growing significance and role of the country in the region and
the world.

“Azerbaijan is one of the unique places where different cultures and
civilizations meet at the crossroad between the East and the West,
the North and the South,” he added.

According to Aslanov, being a member of both Islamic and European
organizations Azerbaijan absorbs the values of both civilizations.

“This enables us to assume a role of a center of geopolitical,
geo-strategic and geo-economic importance in Eurasia,” he said.

He noted that besides rich culture, ancient history and traditions,
Azerbaijan is widely known for its oil and natural gas.

“After we regained our independence in 1991, Azerbaijan pioneered
development of the Caspian energy resources and their integration in
European energy security infrastructures,” he said.

Aslanov recalled that it was the National Leader Heydar Aliyev who
secured the largest single foreign investment in the former Soviet
Union – an oil contract, which later became known as the “Contract
of the Century”, and thanks to him Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline
became the most significant infrastructure project in the region,
delivering oil from the Caspian Sea to the open ocean.

He noted that all these long term projects, including
Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum gas pipeline and the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway
projects, and Trans-Anatolian gas pipeline-TANAP have a great
importance for ensuring Europe’s energy security.

“Yet, unfortunately, unresolved conflicts represent a long-term
challenge to our efforts to promote prosperity, security and stability
in the whole Euro-Atlantic area,” Aslanov noted.

Further speaking about the unresolved Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,
Aslanov stated that despite ongoing political efforts towards the
earliest resolution of the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict, activities
in the occupied areas of Azerbaijan are in gross violation of
international law.

“April of this year marked the 20th anniversary of the first UN
Security Council resolution on the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict-UNSC
Resolution 822. But Armenia never complied with neither with this,
or with following three UNSC resolutions pertaining to the conflict.

While the world is silent regarding this issue, Armenia uses their
silent support to further consolidate of the status-quo of occupation,”
he said.

Aslanov noted that Azerbaijan’s strategy is aimed at the liberation of
all occupied territories, the return of forcibly displaced population
to their homes, and the establishment of long-lasting peace and
stability in the entire South Caucasus.

From: Baghdasarian