Author: Baghdasarian Karlen

JOHN KERRY: “TURKEY IS HOLDING DISCUSSIONS WITH US FOR ASSISTANCE ON THE SETTLEMENT OF THE NAGORNO KARABAKH AND CYPRUS PROBLEMS”

APA
April 18 2013
Azerbaijan

Baku – APA. US Secretary of State John Kerry has addressed the
discussion of the State Department budget for 2014 at the Committee
on Foreign Relations of the House of Representatives, APA reports.

John Kerry said that the United States plays a very important role
in improving relations between the two allies – Turkey and Israel
in vulnerable region of the world. He described Turkey as a country
closely cooperating with the US in many spheres and noted that he
has close working relationship with his counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu.

John Kerry said recently he has met with Turkish Prime Minister Recep
Tayyib Erdogan several times: “Turkey promises to support the peace
process in the Middle East. This country supports the Syrian issue and
will host the meeting of the main Syrian groups in Turkey on Saturday.

Turkey is holding discussions with us for assistance on the settlement
of the two frozen conflicts – Nagorno Karabakh and Cyprus problems. I
think Turkey will be a constructive player in these issues.”

From: Baghdasarian

AZERBAIJAN ISOLATES ARMENIA FROM REGIONAL PROJECTS

The Messenger, Georgia
April 18 2013

Azerbaijan is against Armenia~Rs involvement in any kind of regional
projects until the latter de-occupies Azeri territory. President of
Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, introduced the position of his country at a
cabinet session dedicated to the construction of Baku-Tbilisi-Kars
railway. President Aliyev said there are no problems with the
implementation of this project and the finishing major work on the
project should be complete by the end of 2013. Aliyev talked about
this project as a success which is supported by people who had been
initially skeptical towards it. The president also emphasized the
international support and expressed his confidence that Azerbaijan is
moving slowly but steadily towards the restoration of its territorial
integrity.

From: Baghdasarian

DEPUTY PM ARINÇ HOLDS TALKS WITH LE DRIAN

Turkish Radio and Television Corporation
April 17 2013

Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc met with French Defence Minister
Jean-Yves Le Drian in Paris.

During the meeting, Arýnc and Drian took up bilateral relations
between the two countries, Turkey’s EU membership process and Armenian
allegations regarding the 1915 incidents.

Recent developments in Middle East, in particular Syria and Mali were
also taken up at the talks.

The meeting that lasted for an hour was also attended by Turkey’s
ambassador to Paris Tahsin Burcuoðlu and AK Party Bursa MP Tulin Erkal
Kara.

Reportedly Arýnc said that Turkey wanted to further strengthen
relations between Turkey and France during President Francois
Hollande’s term.

From: Baghdasarian

ON THE CONSULTATIONS BETWEEN MINISTRIES OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF BELARUS AND ARMENIA

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus (press release)
April 18 2013

18-04-2013

On April 18 ~W 19, 2013 the Consultations between Ministries of Foreign
Affairs of Belarus and Armenia will take place in Yerevan.

The Belarus Delegation will be headed by Mr.Alexander Mikhnevich,
First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs.

During the consultations the parties will discuss bilateral
cooperation in political, trade and economic spheres. The sides will
also consider the development of cooperation in manufacturing
industry, agriculture, in the sphere of high technologies and jewelry
industry, as well as interaction of the two countries in international
organizations.

From: Baghdasarian

RIGHTS OF ETHNIC MINORITIES ARE RESPECTED IN ARMENIA. SHARMAZANOV

19:19, 18 April, 2013

YEREVAN, APRIL 18, ARMENPRESS: Customs and traditions of all ethnic
minorities are respected in Armenia. This was underlined by Deputy
Spokesperson of Armenian National Assembly Eduard Sharmazanov during
the event dedicated to Liberation Day of Greece held in Yerevan State
Linguistic University on April 18. NA deputy spokesperson has noted
that new generation acknowledges the importance of Armenian-Greek
relations. “We have to respect and are glad to respect traditions
and costumes of all ethnic minorities living in Armenia,” Armenpress
quoted Sharmazanov.

According to NA deputy spokesperson, tolerance and solidarity are
the most important political and moral categories in Armenia.

Greek Independence Day, national holiday celebrated annually in Greece
on March 25, commemorating the start of the War of Greek Independence
in 1821. It coincides with the Greek Orthodox Church’s celebration
of the Annunciation to the Theotokos, when the Archangel Gabriel
appeared to Mary and told her that she would bear the son of God.

From: Baghdasarian

SECRET BALLOT OR LACK OF TRANSPARENCY?: GOVERNMENT REJECTS OPPOSITION BILL CALLING FOR DISCLOSURE OF VOTERS AFTER POLLS

POLITICS | 18.04.13 | 15:21

Photolure

By GOHAR ABRAHAMYAN
ArmeniaNow reporter

During its Thursday session the Cabinet of Ministers declined Heritage
faction members’ bill on changes and amendments to the Election Code
of Armenia, suggesting publication of names of voters who went to
the polls.

The National Assembly’s Heritage faction MPs Ruben Hakobyan, Zaruhi
Postanjian and Tevan Poghosyan had initiated the bill. The reasons
for the government’s rejection were presented by Justice Minister
Hrayr Tovmasyan, who said that “international standards come to verify
that the secrecy of ballot also implies secrecy of participation in
the voting, and conditioned by it these changes or these bans are
not envisaged.”

“The fact that these documents are not made public creates an
atmosphere of distrust among certain political forces. We have
to take steps to dispel that atmosphere of distrust. I am certain
that we will find some solutions, but the government conclusion on
these suggestions is negative, because they imply violation of our
international commitments,” said the minister, adding that the issue
had been discussed also upon the president’s instructions to understand
what kind of measures need to be taken to increase publicity, without
at the same time violating Armenia’s international commitments.

Heritage faction vice-chairman Armen Martirosyan, who leads the Hello
Yerevan bloc’s list in the forthcoming municipal elections, told
ArmeniaNow that the ballot is secret, but not voters’ participation.

“If participation was secret there would not be video recording, and
people would have to wear special clothes when going to cast their
ballots to disguise their identity, meanwhile anybody can stand near
the polling station and video record all those going in and coming
out,” says Martirosyan, adding that non-publications of lists of
voters who take part in the vote allows the authorities to inflate
their number.

“Apparently, our authorities are not ready to hold elections without
violations,” he says.

From: Baghdasarian

J’AI TUE DES ARMENIENS CARNETS D’UN OFFICIER DE L’ARMEE OTTOMANE

Vient de paraître aux Ã~Iditions Parenthèses :

Collection Diasporales

Jean-Claude Belfiore Moi, Azil Kémal, j’ai tué des Arméniens Carnets
d’un officier de l’armée ottomane 16,5 x 23 cm, 208 pages, 2013.

ISBN 978-2-86364-279-5 / 19â~@~Iâ~B¬

Le capitaine de l’armée ottomane Azil Kémal est marié a Enza, une
Arménienne. En 1915, il recoit l’ordre de procéder a l’extermination
des Arméniens des villages de la région d’Erzeroum. Il va rédiger
alors un journal qui relate ces semaines de tourments entre trahison
des siens et mission militaire.

Le récit s’articule autour de la traduction de ce carnet fictif
retrouvé dans les archives familiales du narrateur qui replace les
interrogations du criminel dans un contexte historique plus large où
la, tous les événements et les personnages rencontrés ou cités
sont réels.

De nombreux témoignages et récits ont été consacrés au génocide
arménien. Mais, pour la première fois, le texte de Jean-Claude
Belfiore met au centre un personnage turc, avec toute la complexité de
ses conflits intimes entre destin personnel et devoir d’obéissance. Ou
comment la littérature peut aussi éclairer l’Histoire.

D’origine arménienne par sa mère et italienne (sicilienne) par
son père, Jean-Claude Belfiore est né a Nantes (France) le 8 mai
1955. Il y fait ses études, au lycée Clemenceau, puis a la Faculté
des Lettres; il fréquente ensuite l’Université de Haute-Bretagne de
Rennes. En 1984, il publie son premier roman policier puis des ouvrages
sur l’antiquité classique, dont il est spécialiste ; il collabore
aux revues Historia, Les Cahiers de Sciences & Vie. En octobre 2012,
il publie un nouveau polar aux Ã~Iditions Bargain. Parmi ses ouvrages :
Hannibal, une incroyable destinée (Larousse, 2011), Ã~Jtes-vous fort
en mythologieâ~@~I? (Larousse, 2011), Dictionnaire des croyances et
symboles de l’antiquité (Larousse, 2010), Grand Dictionnaire de la
mythologie grecque et romaine (Larousse, 2003 & 2010).

From: Baghdasarian

GREEK AMBASSADOR: ARMENIAN-GREEK RELATIONS STRENGTHEN

17:11, 18 April, 2013

YEREVAN, APRIL 18, ARMENPRESS: The cooperation of the Armenian and
Greek nations strengthen and the Greek Center, opened at the Yerevan
State Linguistic University after Bryusov, has got a considerable
contribution in the preservation and spreading of the language. This
was stated by the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of
Greece to the Republic of Armenia Ioannis Tais on April 18 during the
celebrity, held at the Yerevan State Linguistic University and devoted
to the Liberation Day of Greece.

According to Armenpress, the Ambassador Extraordinary and
Plenipotentiary of Greece to the Republic of Armenia stated that in
Armenia there was a significant Greek community, the representatives
of which were occupied with trade, sciences and politics.

The event was so warm and direct that the Deputy Chairman of the
National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia Eduard Sharmazanov and
the Ambassador Ioannis Tais began dancing.

The Independence Day of Greece is celebrated on March 25. It is one of
the most important state celebrities of the Greek nation.

From: Baghdasarian

MANUKYAN: PEOPLE LONG TO HEAR AN INTELLIGENT AND LITERATE SPEECH

06:47 PM | TODAY | POLITICS

Everyone longs to hear an intelligent and literate speech. Armenian
first President Levon Ter-Petrosyan’s speech at the founding congress
of the Armenian National Congress (HAK) party made everyone think
seriously, says Secretary of the HAK faction Aram Manukyan.

“There is constant dynamics in Ter-Petrosyan’s statements and actions;
moreover, Ter-Petrosyan is the most active politician, and people
always expect something new from him,” he said.

Aram Manukyan says all speeches made by Levon Ter-Petrosyan have
become a subject of discussion. He says it is quite natural that
there can also be negative evaluations.

The authorities are giving such beautiful assessments that you become
convinced that you have made a right decision,” he continued.

The secretary of the HAK faction finds it strange that Heritage party
reacted so painfully to Ter-Petrosyan’s speech. Addressing the founding
congress of the HAK party, Levon Ter-Petrosyan said he had not dreamt
in his childhood to pray with the chief of the police. At the same
time, ter-Petrosyan called on everyone not to criticize Heritage
Leader Raffi Hovannisian.

In conclusion, Aram Manukyan reminded that the authorities dream to
provoke a conflict between the opposition forces which should not
be allowed.

From: Baghdasarian

CZECH REPUBLIC READY TO ACT AS MEDIATOR IN KARABAKH CONFLICT

April 17, 2013 | 16:39

The Czech Republic is ready to participate in the peaceful settlement
of the Karabakh conflict, Deputy Chairman of the Foreign Affairs
Committee of the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech parliament Jan
Hamacek said in Baku.

He noted that the Czech Republic is ready to act as a mediator in
Karabakh peace process.

“We are ready to participate in this process. The Czech Republic
understands that this conflict is the biggest problem for Azerbaijan.

This is a complicated conflict, therefore, the status quo is
inadmissible. It is high time to drive the process from the deadlock,”
APA agency quotes Hamacek.

Earlier Foreign Affairs Committee adopted a unilateral resolution
on Khojalu events. During his visit to Armenia, Czech FM Karel
Schwarzenberg said they understood that it was a blunder.

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

From: Baghdasarian