Author: Baghdasarian Karlen

Civilians protesting against natural gas price hikes in front of
Armenia’s government residence

YEREVAN, May 16./ARKA/. Over dozens civilians are protesting Thursday
in front of Yerevan’s government residence against the hikes in the
natural gas prices.

ARF Dashnaktsutyun high official Armen Rustamyan and Dashnaktsutyun
deputy Artsvik Minasyan are also among the protesters.

Appealing to the protesters, Rustamyan said the increase of the gas
tariff will cause inflation and unprecedented social tenseness.

`The government should undertake all the measure to prevent it and
reach some agreement with its strategic partner,’ he said.

Earlier this week, Armenia-based ArmRosgazprom CJSC and Transgaz Ltd.
requested Armenia’s Public Services Regulatory Commission to
re-evaluate the current natural gas tariff.

The tariff per each thousand of cubic meters for the consumers who use
up to 10,000 cubic m per month is requested to increase from 132,000
(including VAT) to 221,000 drams (including VAT).

At present, Armenia buys 1,000 cubic meters of the Russian natural gas
at 180 dollars, the tariff for the consumers stands at 132 drams/
cubic meters (about 32 cents).

The protesters claim their decision to rally in front of the
government building was not initially planned by any coordinators,
they just spontaneously discussed it on Facebook. The demonstrations
may take place in the regions as well in front of the residences of
local administrations.

The protesters wrote a letter to the Public Services Regulatory
Commission claiming not to approve the price hikes as it will make the
current poor social situation in the republic even worse.

At this time, the protesters are walking to the building of the
Commission to submit the letter, afterwards they plan to head to the
President’s residence place. – 0-

From: Baghdasarian

NSW Government officially recognizes Assyrian genocide

May 16, 2013 – 13:03 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Smithfield state Liberal MP Andrew Rohan has paid
tribute to an Australian soldier who rescued his Assyrian parents from
a massacre after the Assyrian genocide was formally recognized by the
NSW Government, Daily Telegraph reported.

On Wednesday, May 8 State Parliament unanimously passed a motion by
Premier Barry O’Farrell calling for the official recognition of the
Assyrian, Armenian and Greek genocides. It is estimated 1.5 million
Armenians, 750,000 Assyrians and 500,000 Greeks were massacred by
Ottoman Empire forces between 1915 and 1922 during their attempts to
eradicate the Christian minorities.

In a speech to Parliament last week, Mr Rohan said his parents were
among the 90,000 Assyrian Christian refugees who fled their ancestral
home to escape persecution by the Ottoman regime in 1918.

The refugees were protected by 28-year-old Australian Army Captain
Stanley Savige. `Reasoning that a Turkish commander would concentrate
on killing him before harming the refugees, he strategically placed
his command at the rear of the refugee procession and deliberately
drew enemy fire,’ Mr Rohan said.

`By offering his command as a target, even though he was outnumbered
one hundred to one, Captain Savige managed to slow the enemy advance
long enough for most of the refugees to flee.

`My parents survived the genocide because of the heroic actions of Sir
Stanley George Savige.’ Captain Savige, who later rose to the military
rank of Lieutenant General, was decorated with a Distinguished Service
Order for his bravery.

For years local Assyrian, Armenian and Hellenic organizations
campaigned to have genocides formally acknowledged by government.

From: Baghdasarian

What’s next after the Kurdish Issue : Syria and Armenia?

April 10 2013
Mehmet Fatih Ã-ZTARSU Analyst at Strategic Outlook Institution

When terrorist organization Kurdistan Workers’ Party’s (PKK) leader
Abdullah Ã-calan called on the PKK to lay down arms during the Nevruz
festivities in Diyarbakır, debates about the settlement process became
hotter and many people started to put forward the idea that the
settlement of the PKK issue will play into Turkey’s hands in both
domestic and foreign policy in the short term. The expectation that
having solved its 30-year-old terror problem through peaceful methods,
Turkey will be able to solve its foreign policy issues with a new
momentum is closely associated with the interests of not only Turkey,
but also of neighboring countries and international organizations. It
is thought that, in addition to the new process launched in connection
with the Kurdish issue, solution processes concerning the ongoing
Syrian crisis and the frozen normalization initiative with Armenia are
on the government’s agenda. The problems Turkey has been wrestling
with at great cost in connection with the Syrian crisis are
appreciated by the Western countries, but they have so far failed to
come up with a strategy for a solution. It is hard to guess how the
call on the PKK to withdraw from Turkey will affect Turkey’s Syria
policy, but Turkey has to develop a foreign policy that supports
common interests in connection with the Kurdish entities that are
growing stronger within the context of the `Greater Middle East’
fancies. On the other hand, solving the Syrian issue in the shortest
time possible and in the interests of Turkey will further boost the
progress made on the Kurdish issue. This would also show that Foreign
Minister Ahmet DavutoÄ?lu’s frequently criticized `zero problems and
maximum cooperation’ formula is not a political move doomed to
failure. Another thing that will ward of unfair criticisms hurled at
Turkish foreign policy in the short term and will dispel Turkey’s
image as a country that is in eternal conflict with its neighbors is
the process of normalization with Armenia. According to the dissident
groups inside Turkey who stick to the Turkey-centric perspective, the
Armenian economy is failing and therefore, Turkey should maintain
policies to preserve the status quo and never make compromises.
However, from an external perspective, it is clear that Turkish
foreign policy has failed in connection with the Armenian issue and
Turkey’s image as a country that refrains from making peace is making
more and more people perceive Turkey as wrong even when it is right.
Therefore, Turkey must take radical steps on the Armenian issue as it
did with regard to the Kurdish issue in order to ensure peace in the
region and carve itself more room to maneuver in the international
arena, particularly in the context of the approaching 100th
anniversary of the 1915 incidents. Approaches that dispense with old
habits will shake up the status quo and make the Turkish economy
stronger in the Caucasus region and give Turkish foreign policy an
advantage in the same region. Turkey’s normalization with Armenia to
undermine influence of Russia and Iran Today, Russian analysts noted
that Turkey’s influence in the Caucasus was thwarted thanks to its
freezing of ties with Armenia and in place of Turkey, Iran and other
regional players are increasing their influence in the Caucasus. They
also voice concerns that Turkey’s normalization of relations with
Armenia will undermine Russia’s and Iran’s influence in the region.
Stressing that it is worrying to see increased anti-Russian and
anti-Iranian sentiments in Armenia, these analysts maintain that the
Armenian opposition that advocates good ties with Turkey is doomed to
fail. Indeed, the opposition groups are growing stronger in Armenia
and accuse the Armenian government of making the country a satellite
of Russia and they are worried about the increasing Iranian influence
in the country. In this context, the Dashnak Party harshly criticized
the Armenian government for leasing a parcel of grasslands in Syunik
province to Iran, noting that they don’t need the agricultural tools
Iran will provide as rent. Armenia has no choice but to develop its
economic and military ties with Russia and Iran and its increasing
dependence on these two countries is posing a threat to Turkey’s
security as Russia reinforces its military presence near Turkish
borders. As new Defense Minister of Russia, Sergey Shoigu stressed
during his visit to Armenia on the 21st anniversary of the founding of
the Armenian army, Russia sees its military presence in the region as
indispensable. Turkey’s normalization processes, as well as the joint
actions it will adopt in cooperation with Baku surrounding the
centennial of the events of 1915, are of crucial importance. Yet Baku
should be more constructive, instead of reacting to every step Turkey
takes in the normalization process. For instance, Azerbaijan should
motivate Turkey instead of hurling harsh criticism regarding the
initiative to launch flights between Yerevan and Van in April, which
was then aborted, like previous initiatives. Turkey has never ceased
to disapprove of or criticize the Armenian occupation of
Nagorno-Karabakh, and in this context, it shut down its border
crossings in response. Like this policy, Baku’s Nagorno-Karabakh
policy has also failed to produce any result. For this reason,
stereotyped criticisms of Turkey’s moves to reinforce its presence in
the region are doing harm to Turkish foreign policy. Different
approaches should be adopted and the old and failing policies should
be avoided. The first thing to do in the current atmosphere of the
settlement of the Kurdish issue is to correctly analyze the
developments that are of close interest to Turkey and to identify and
take the necessary steps at once. Only in this way can Turkey
implement the successful policies that would ward off the criticism
voiced by western countries and opponents against DavutoÄ?lu’s zero
problems formula.

Read more at:
© 1998 – 2013 Aravot ` News from Armenia

From: Baghdasarian

Does Putin Punish the Armenian Government Flirting With NATO and the
European Union by Increasing Natural Gas Prices?

May 15 2013

Gagik Hambaryan, a political scientist, expressed this idea during a
conversation with `There has been talk about the
increase in gas prices for quite a while, almost one year, but since 3
important elections awaited Armenia, the National Assembly election,
presidential election, and Yerevan City Council election, only after
the current government’s victory did the Russian side raise the issue
of gas price increase. If the gas prices had been increased before the
election, the Republican Party would have lost quite a lot of votes.
Taking into account the socio-economic condition of the people and the
fact that there has been almost no increase in pensions and wages – I
don’t consider that 2500 drams to be an increase – the people would
naturally have opposed the Republican Party’s attempts to regain power
more strongly,’ the political scientist says. According to Gagik
Hambaryan’s prediction, the government will not allow the gas prices
to increase dramatically, more than 60 percent, but will stop at a
35%-40% increase, and the government will present it to the people as
the Armenian side’s `victory.’ `They will say: `Look, we have
increased the gas prices less than the Russians intended as a result
of negotiations with them.’ I must state that no matter how much the
gas prices fall, this will set off a chain reaction in the economy,
and there will be a considerable increase in prices in all spheres. So
one can say that the increase in pensions and wages planned by the
government will have no positive effect on the people’s socio-economic
condition whatsoever,’ our interlocutor is convinced. The political
scientist stated that this was not the first case when the Russians
pursued a purely anti-Armenian policy. `It is funny that the Russians
haven’t used quite many plants that they got in the past according to
an agreement signed with the Armenian side, the program of repaying
the debt with property. A question arises why they acquired those
companies, if they were not going to use them for 7-8 years. It is
also funny that the Russian side signed an agreement with the
Georgians a few months ago, in November-December, reducing the energy
prices by 25 percent, but at the same time, they increase the gas
prices for the Armenian side. I must state that the Armenian market is
a small one for Gazprom, is not of great benefit, because there are
very few industrial complexes in Armenia, and gas earns rather large
sums of money in big industrial centers. I think that this is a
political issue, one of many anti-Armenian steps taken by the Russian
side for quite a long time. The Russian side wants to show the
Armenian side by this that it is discontent with its close relations
with the European Union and NATO. `This is another step to make the
Armenian side involve in Putin’s Eurasian project, because our
government hasn’t given a clear answer yet what they thought of the
Eurasian Union, which is Putin’s most important project in the second
period of his presidency.’ According to the political scientist, it is
strange that the Armenian side provides the Russian side with a large
territory for the Russian military base without demanding payment. As
opposed to other republics, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kirgizstan, and
Azerbaijan, where the Russians paid large sums of money to the latter
for the Gabala Radar Station, the Armenian side hasn’t demanded
payment from Russia for the military base so far. `As far as I know,
the Armenian side covers 50 percent of the expenses on the Russian
military base. I think that the Russian side could have treated the
Republic of Armenia more mildly, and even if they needed to increase
the gas prices, one could have increased them a little. And this shows
that Russia pursues an inadequate policy toward Armenia; this is food
for thought. And it is about time that the Armenian side clearly
expresses its position on what should be in the future, because gas is
policy, and as a result of that policy, a huge exodus from Armenia may
start.’ Nune AREVSHATYAN

Read more at:

© 1998 – 2013 Aravot – News from Armenia

From: Baghdasarian

Society Can Get Support of Army and Police

`We know well that for years on political parties run in the
elections, dispute the results and again arrive at the same thing and
reckon on what is happening. If elections are not free, political
parties become something obscure. It is thus difficult to understand
what is government, what is opposition, everyone tries to assume a
certain image. The political parties are groups which appear to the
public with a certain image. Everyone tries to justify their actions,’
said the head of the Armenian Center of National and International
Studies Manvel Sargsyan during a meeting with reporters.

In answer to the question if wrong campaign was the cause of the
failure of the opposition, the director of ACNIS said, `When we think
whether the parties conducted the campaign right or wrong, we must
find out whether it is important or not. If voters are under pressure,
the electoral campaign is meaningless. The political parties
understand it well, they do not rely on the society. The political
parties try to show their role to the regime, and now they are outside
this role. For example, the ARF has been left out of the role it has
created, and no matter how it behaves, it cannot succeed.’

The political scientist thinks that the political parties are not
acting transparently and are doing favors to one another. `The ANC
does not condemn vote buying by the PAP when it is asked to comment.
The parties are victims of their such behavior. None of the political
forces tries to look into the problems of the society, come up with
solutions to receive people’s votes. Everyone knows that issues are
resolved somewhere else, so they do not rely on the society.’

Sargsyan believes that if the society sets to remove the anti-legal
regime, neither the political parties, nor Russia and the United
States will be important. There are a lot of cases when the society
was able to get the support of the army, police, made them obey their
rules.

The problem is that the society is not relying on itself and does not
believe in its potential.

14:23 16/05/2013
Story from Lragir.am News:

From: Baghdasarian

Prosperous Armenia Party leader’s statement is nothing new – political
technologist

May 16, 2013 | 02:53

YEREVAN. – It is not important whether or not a political force
represents the opposition or the authorities; the important thing is
whether it serves the interests of its constituents.

Political and electoral technology specialist Armen Badalyan told the
aforesaid to Armenian News-NEWS.am, commenting on Prosperous Armenia
Party (PAP) Chairman Gagik Tsarukyan’s recent statement that PAP
cannot become an opposition.

As per the analyst, during elections people are not guided by the
precept that whether the given political force is oppositional or
pro-government.

`There was nothing new in Gagik Tsarukyan’s statement. The PAP
announced even in the NA [i.e., National Assembly] that it is an
alternative force, and not an opposition,’ Badalyan said, and added:
`The important thing is that the political forces work in normal
fashion.’

According to Armen Badalyan, the important thing is the deeds, and not
the statements.

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

From: Baghdasarian

KARABAGH
88% des résidents de Stepanakert vont avoir un approvisionnement en
eau 24 heures sur 24 avant la fin de l’année

Environ 88% de la population à Stepanakert bénéficiera d’un
approvisionnement en eau de 24 heures sur 24 avant la fin de l’année
2013 a annoncé le président du Haut-Karabagh Bako Sahakian lors d’une
réunion spéciale sur l’approvisionnement en eau.

Depuis 2008, un total de plus de 333 kilomètres de tuyaux a été
remplacé dans la capitale, a déclaré le président.

Bako Sahakyan a souligné l’importance stratégique de
l’approvisionnement en eau dans le pays et que le gouvernement est
resté concentré sur cette question.

En particulier, au cours des dernières années, des efforts sérieux ont
été faits pour résoudre les problèmes d’approvisionnement en eau de
Stepanakert. Pourtant, il ya des lacunes et des carences en termes de
travaux de qualité et d’efficacité a dit le président.

jeudi 16 mai 2013,
Stéphane ©armenews.com

From: Baghdasarian

Today’s Zaman, Turkey
May 15 2013

Former French PM: Mistake to involve parliaments in Armenian issue

15 May 2013 /SEVGÝ AKARÇEÞME, ÝSTANBUL

Former French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin said on Wednesday
that it is a great mistake for democratic countries to involve their
parliaments in the Armenian issue.

Speaking at a private meeting in Ýstanbul, Villepin said that the
Armenian claims of genocide during the forced migration by the Ottoman
Empire in 1915 is “the work of historians” and “you cannot rewrite
history through law.”

Referring to the important role that Turkish President Abdullah Gül
has played in the rapprochement between Turkey and Armenia, Villepin
said that delicate and difficult issues such as the Armenian problem
require good will and imagination in the solution process and that
that takes time. “The fewer countries involved, the better it is,”
added the veteran French politician.

‘EU should have strategic relations with Turkey, Russia’

Evaluating the current status of the European Union in broad terms,
Villepin said that given the internal crises the EU faces, it “should
have special strategic relations with countries outside of Europe”
such as Turkey and Russia, which are growing, emerging markets.
According to him, with a population of 450 million people, the EU does
not constitute a “market on a global scale.”

Villepin divided Europe and its problems into three key issues. He
said that Northern Europe believes in a strong Europe while Eastern
Europe is currently concerned with the challenges of nationalism and
populism in addition to the economic difficulties that all Europe is
suffering. He defined the third problem as the UK and its planned
referendum on its status in the EU, which will also force problems
onto the rest of the continent.

“The EU today is not united,” commented Villepin and described
Islamophobia as a growing problem on the continent. People are fearful
about their futures in terms of their economic well being, which
Villepin said makes the continent act in a more introverted fashion.
“France is looking too much at its own problems,” pointed out
Villepin.

Calling Turkey “one of the leading emerging countries,” Villepin said
that the EU needs Turkey more than Turkey needs the EU. “This is a
reality,” noted Villepin, going on to say that the EU has “a strong
interest in developing cooperation with Turkey.”

Noting that the Kurdish and Armenian issues and its stalled membership
bid with the EU are the main challenges Turkey faces, the former
French prime minister, who has also served as a minister of foreign
affairs, said that Turkey’s relations with the EU are dependent on
“how much Turkey as a state wants to have harmonized relations with
the EU.”

‘There should be no preconditions set in negotiations with Syria’

Responding to a question from Today’s Zaman on the apparent
indifference of the EU regarding the Syrian crisis, Villepin said that
one of the reasons the international community is not willing [to take
a more active stance] is because “nobody knows what is best for
Syria.”

According to Villepin, the international community is not convinced it
should intervene, given the negative consequences of the interventions
in Iraq and Afghanistan. He added that he is not yet certain whether
the intervention in Libya was a success or not.

The support of countries such as Russia and China for Syrian President
Bashar al-Assad’s regime is another obstacle to the involvement of the
international community, Villepin stated, adding that Russia’s
position should be given due consideration.

“We should not put any preconditions on the negotiations” with the
regime in Syria, said Villepin as he criticized the “red lines” that
certain countries have mentioned. He added that he believes the
removal of Assad from power should not have been stated as a
precondition in the negotiations. According to Villepin, an
opportunity for negotiations in Syria was missed in the very beginning
and now what must be on the international agenda is stopping the war.

‘West should not try to teach Iran a lesson’

“We signed the only agreement with Iran on [nuclear]
non-proliferation,” said Villepin, commenting on the Iranian nuclear
issue from the perspective of a politician who participated in the
French, German and UK negotiations with that country. Praising
Turkey’s position on the issue, Villepin said that the P5+1 nations
made a mistake by not taking Turkey’s proposal of a new deal for the
solution of the Iranian nuclear issue into account.

According to Villepin, it is possible to solve the problems stemming
from the Iranian nuclear program if the interests of all parties are
taken into account. “The West wants to teach Iran a lesson,” stated
Villepin, who added that he believes instead of trying to do this, the
West should put something on the table that would be attractive enough
for Iran to want to change its position.

Villepin also noted that a sectarian war in the Middle East would be
more dangerous than nuclear proliferation.

From: Baghdasarian

Today’s Zaman, Turkey
May 15 2013

High court’s Dink ruling worse than square one, lawyers say

15 May 2013 /E. BARIÅ? ALTINTAÅ?, MUSTAFA GÃ`RLEK, Ä°STANBUL

The Supreme Court of Appeals on Wednesday overturned a lower court
ruling in the trial into the 2007 killing of Turkish-Armenian
journalist Hrant Dink which dismissed the existence of an organized
criminal network in the case, but it also failed to find a terrorist
organization, which is a major step back in the investigation,
according to critics.

In what many said was a shocking and frustrating ruling for the
five-year-long trial in the Dink case, an Ä°stanbul court found in
early 2012 that there was no terrorist organization involved in the
murder according to evidence submitted to the court and cleared all
suspects in the case of membership in a terrorist organization,
angering lawyers and many others who said the trial failed to shed
light on alleged connections between the suspects and state officials.
The 9th Chamber of the Supreme Court of Appeals on Wednesday
overturned the lower court ruling acquitting the suspects of forming a
terrorist organization, but it said they were guilty of forming an
illegal and armed organization.

The lower court had convicted Yasin Hayal of instigating a murder and
sentenced him to life in prison, while another suspected instigator,
Erhan Tuncel, was acquitted by the court. `We acquitted the suspects
of organized crime charges. This ruling does not mean that there was
no organization involved. This means that there was not enough
evidence to prove the actions of this organization,’ the judge said.

In June 2012, Dink’s lawyers submitted a petition to the Supreme Court
of Appeals, arguing that the court ruling violated the Turkish Penal
Code (TCK) by acknowledging the existence of a criminal organization
but concluding it could not be located as it remains secret, adding
that the court ignored evidence of organization in the case.

The 9th Chamber of the Supreme Court of Appeals upheld the life
sentence of Hayal but revised the verdict of the lower court, saying
that the suspects were members of `an organization established for the
purpose of criminal activities,’ not `an armed terrorist
organization,’ as the lower court had said in its ruling. The higher
court also asked for a retrial.Fethiye Çetin, a lawyer for the Dink
family, evaluating the ruling said the murder can never be solved
unless public officials complicit in the murder are brought to
justice. She said evidence indicated that there were many individuals
who played a role in the run-up to the murder, but no progress has
been made since 2007, the year of the Dink murder.

She said, regarding the Supreme Court of Appeals’ ruling: `When the
Prosecutor’s Office of the Supreme Court of Appeals first announced
its legal opinion I had said, `We moved back six years.’ Now,
six-and-a-half years after the case, we are a few steps behind the
point where we started. The initial trial had been launched on the
premise of a terrorist organization, but the [9th Chamber] decision
says it is an armed organization that formed to commit a crime.’

Çetin said the Dink murder is the kind of homicide that fits the
purpose of a terrorist organization. She described the murder as `an
act aimed at destroying the fundamental rights of organizations
belonging to different ethnic and religious groups.’

However, she said the high court decision regarding Tuncel was better
than that of the lower court, but noted that the high court also
didn’t describe Tuncel as the founder or solicitor of the organization
but only a member.

Erdal DoÄ?an, a lawyer for the Zirve murders of 2007, said the high
court’s ruling overshadowed the hitman’s links to Ergenekon — a
clandestine gang charged with plotting to overthrow the government.
DoÄ?an said: `The role of the gendarmerie, the Zirve Publishing House
murders, the link with [illegal gendarmerie unit] TUSHAD, the
involvement of the Special Operations Department mentioned in a report
compiled by the National Intelligence Agency [MÄ°T] — all points that
came up during the murder investigation — are being ignored with this
decision. There is an attempt to conceal these links and to show this
crime as if it was committed by a regular criminal organization.’
DoÄ?an said the ruling was highly questionable, but said he was hopeful
because the ruling in the made a retrial possible.

Dink lawyer Hakan BakırcıoÄ?lu said the ruling was possible because it
overruled the finding of the 14th High Criminal Court that the hitman
and his accomplice had acted alone with no organized crime link.
`However, the Supreme Court of Appeals’ decision makes this look like
it is an ordinary crime. I think the existing evidence has not been
evaluated in light of anti-terror laws.’

Lawyer Bahri Belen said the murder clearly falls under the scope of
terror crimes, as it sought to create chaos in society. `The Dink
murder, together with the bombing of McDonald’s, threatening Orhan
Pamuk and the murder of Father Santoro are linked to one another, and
they occurred at a time when their occurrence would place the Justice
and Development Party (AK Party) in a difficult position.’

In initial remarks about the ruling, Gençay Gürsoy, a founder of the
Human Rights Association (Ä°HD) said the decision was not surprising,
given the state of affairs in Turkish judiciary. Gürsoy said: `It is
not a verdict of a kind we are not used to. We have unfortunately not
seen a decision from the Supreme Court of Appeals that discerns right
from wrong. It is just one of those decisions. They are simply trying
to water this down by using verdicts that are in the middle; that can
be interpreted both ways [in favor of Dink lawyers, or in favor of the
real culprits].’

Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) Mersin deputy ErtuÄ?rul Kürkçü also
shared his comments with the press on Wednesday, during a press
conference regarding a strike at the Turkish Airlines (THY). Kürkçü
said, the existence of an organization had been presented in the case
earlier by Dink lawyers. `If this has been confirmed, now we want the
investigation into this organization to start from scratch. All the
security personnel who has been implicated in this [Dink murder] have
been promoted under the Justice and Development Party (AK Party). If
you think about the chief judge in the trial against Hrant Dink [over
an alleged insult against Turkishness prior to his death] being
appointed as the ombudsman, or the police chiefs [implicated in the
murder plot] being promoted to head the intelligence departments
clearly show that the truth will not emerge at this time.’

Dink, the late editor-in-chief of the Turkish-Armenian weekly Agos,
was shot dead in broad daylight on Jan. 19, 2007, by an
ultranationalist teenager outside the offices of his newspaper in
Ä°stanbul.

From: Baghdasarian

Interfax, Russia
May 15 2013

Unrecognized Karabakh denies using services of mercenaries

YEREVAN. May 14

The unrecognized republic of Karabakh denied Azeri media reports
claiming a Russian military instructor had been wounded in the
Karabakh conflict zone.

“Same as it was in the Karabakh War years, the contemporary defense
forces of the Karabakh Republic are ready for combat and do not need
services of foreign mercenaries. Our special units can not only deter
any provocation of the enemy but also launch a strike,” press
secretary of the unrecognized republic’s Defense Ministry Senor
Asratian told Interfax on Tuesday.

“The reports are nothing but continuing Azeri propaganda. They are not
true,” Asratian said.

Azeri media said a Russian serviceman training Armenian snipers and
sabotage groups in Karabakh was heavily wounded by an Azeri sniper
shot. The incident allegedly happened on April 25.
Te jv

From: Baghdasarian