Author: Baghdasarian Karlen

ARMENIA’S PRESIDENT MADE WELL-TIMED STEP – EXPERTS

21:30 * 17.02.15

Since gaining independence Armenia has been committed to its foreign
policy in terms of Armenia-Turkey rapprochement, with the exception
that the Armenian side has been gradually adopting a harder line on
its demands, Ruben Safrastyan, Director of the Institute of Oriental
Studies, Academy of Sciences of Armenia, told Tert.am.

“Armenia has always favored improvement of its relations with Turkey,
without any preconditions. Armenia is committed to its policy. This
principle remains in force, but new approaches have been shown, and
we are now discussing not only the problem of recognition, but that
of demands as well,” Mr Safrastyan said.

He considers logical that Armenia has been pursuing a harder line
since 1999-2000. According to him, if Turkey had changed its policy,
Armenia would not have had to take such steps.

Most experts welcomed Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan’s step.

However, they called it a belated step because the Armenian-Turkish
protocols have done their “dirty business” by raising Turkey’s role.

Mr Safaryan disagrees with experts. According to him, Armenia’s
president made a well-timed step.

“We have seen Turkey continues disregarding Armenia’s ‘no
preconditions’ policy. On the other hand, Turkey has lately made
overtly impudent steps on the threshold of the Armenian Genocide
centennial. I mean their cheap trick involving the Battle of
Gallipoli. Under the circumstances such a step was to be expected
before April 24, but it was made even earlier, and I welcome it,”
Mr Safrastyan said.

The international community understands everything and has seen
Turkey has not changed its policy toward Armenia for years. So Turkish
propaganda may make use of this step to slander Armenia once again,
but it will not succeed.

Expert in Turkic studies Andranik Ispiryan told Tert.am that the
Armenians expected President Serzh Sargsyan to make that step.

“It was expected prior to April 24 because Turkey has not so far taken
any steps to Armenia-Turkey rapprochement. On the contrary, as the
Armenian Genocide centennial is nearing, Turkey has been following
a harder line in denying the Armenian Genocide, which has logically
led to the present situation,” he said.

The withdrawal of the Armenian-Turkish protocols has not essentially
changed anything because the protocols had no legal force. However,
in terms of propaganda it created a situation for Turkey. It claims it
is extending its hand to Armenia, protocols were signed, but Armenia
does not respond.

“And Armenia’s president is thus putting an end to this all,” Mr
Ispiryan said.

As regards Turkey’s response, he said that, regrettably, Turkish
society and mass media do not properly present Turkey’s responsibility
for Armenia-Turkey rapprochement.

“What is the meaning of the headline ‘Sargsyan has buried
Armenian-Turkey rapprochement process’ by one of the Turkish media
outlets? That is, they are once again trying to accuse the Armenian
side, turning a blind eye to the fact that it was Turkey that, after
signing the protocols, placed them on the furthest back burner.”

From: Baghdasarian

PAP CLAIMS “GOVERNMENT REPRESSIONS” AMID REPORTS OF DETENTIONS

POLITICS | 17.02.15 | 10:45

The opposition Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP) says several of its
members were detained on unspecified grounds late on Monday, claiming
that it is part of a government crackdown launched against the party
and its leader Gagik Tsarukyan last week.

Talking to RFE/RL’s Armenian Service, PAP lawmaker Elinar Vardanyan
said Artur Mamoyan, the leader of the party’s chapter in Yerevan’s
Nor-Nork district, had been taken to a police station on unspecified
grounds earlier yesterday. She said they also had information
about detentions of BHK activists elsewhere in the city. Later it
was reported that Mamoyan was detained on suspicion of illegally
keeping weapons.

The lawmaker linked the recent “political repressions” against the
party with the February 12 statements by President Serzh Sargsyan
who described PAP leader Tsarukyan as “evil” for the country and
effectively called for his ouster from politics.

Earlier on Monday, Armenia’s former president Robert Kocharyan, who is
regarded by many as Tsarukyan’s political patron, warned the government
against taking any further action against the PAP and its leader.

“Taking into account the degree of social tensions and discontent in
the country, as well as the BHK’s and its leader’s wide popularity,
the more vigorously the government will try to “clean up” the political
field, the stronger will be the consolidation against the government
and the more so real will be the prospect of political upheavals,”
Kocharyan told his unofficial website, 2rd.am.

The PAP and its key opposition allies, the Armenian National Congress
and Heritage, plan to hold a joint rally in Yerevan on February 20.

From: Baghdasarian

LES AUTORITES MUNICIPALES DE EREVAN REFUSENT D’AUTORISER UNE MANIFESTATIONS DES PARTIS D’OPPOSITION

ARMENIE

Les autorites municipales de Erevan, dominees par le Parti republicain
(HHK) au pouvoir, ont adresse une fin de non recevoir brutale a la
demande de plusieurs partis d’opposition d’organiser une manifestation
sur une place du centre de la capitale armenienne a la fin de la
semaine. Elles ont justifie ce refus en arguant que la demande en
ce sens deposee par les trois partis politiques associes dans la
campagne de protestations contre le pouvoir ne repondait pas aux
critères requis.

Ce refus ne peut qu’exacerber les tensions sur la scène politique
armenienne, où Gaguik Tsaroukian, le leader du Parti Armenie prospère
(BHK), 2e formation du Parlement armenien, avait franchi le pas le 13
fevrier en attaquant frontalement le president Serge Sarkissian, son
ancien allie qu’il avait evite de defier jusque la. Pique au vif par
les propos de S. Sarkissian selon lesquels il n’etait pas a la hauteur
de ses ambitions politiques et n’avait pas la trempe d’un responsable
politique, l’ancien champion de bras de fer devenu homme d’affaires
puis leader politique, avait lance un appel a renverser le regime,
s’alignant ainsi finalement sur ses partenaires de l’opposition,
le Congrès national armenien (HAK) de Levon ter Petrossian et
Jarankoutioun (Heritage) de Raffi Hovanissian, qui desesperaient
de rallier a un tel mot d’ordre G. Tsaroukian, qui avait pourtant
associe son BHK a la campagne nationale de manifestations lancee
depuis quelques semaines.

Les leaders du BHK, du HAK) et de Heritage s’etaient rencontres dans
la soiree du dimanche 15 fevrier pour definer les termes d’une reponse
commune a la campagne de repression et d’intimidation orchestree par
le president Sarkissian et son parti, le HHK, contre Gagik Tsarukian,
desormais directement vise par les autorites. Le leader du BHK a
en effet ete prive par le pouvoir le 13 fevrier, de son siège dans
le Conseil de securite nationale, et il est dans le collimateur des
services fiscaux en sa qualite d’homme d’affaires.

Les officiers de police affectes a la securite de Tsaroukian ont par
ailleurs ete limoges et l’on evoque meme l’eventualite de dechoir le
politicien milliardaire de son mandat de depute. Quoique l’on puisse
penser de la personne de G. Tsaroukian et de son aptitude a exercer
des responsabilites politiques, il semble bien etre la victime d’une
operation du pouvoir visant a le neutraliser ou a le mettre au pas,
sur le modèle des campagnes menees en Russie par V. Poutine contre les
oligarques ; une operation d’autant plus brutale que Sarkissian et son
equipe en veulent a Tsaroukian de les avoir quittes, voire trahis,
pour faire cavalier seul d’abord, puis s’etre allie progressivement
a l’opposition plus radicale.

L’offensive menee par le pouvoir contre Tsaroukian n’a donc aucun
mobile d’ordre moral, le HHK lui-meme etant etroitement lie aux milieux
d’affaires et aux oligarques version armenienne, et relèverait plutôt
d’une vendetta contre un ancien partenaire. Invoquant la loi sur la
liberte de rassemblement, les trois partis d’opposition avaient annonce
pour le 20 fevrier leur “manifestation pan-nationale d’urgence”. En
vertu de la legislation armenienne, des manifestations ‘d’urgence’
n’exigent pas de leurs organisateurs qu’ils previennent les autorites
locales concernees longtemps a l’avance.

Mais le bureau du maire de Erevan a fait savoir le 16 fevrier que le
caractère officiel “d’urgence” de la manifestation invoque par les
organisateurs, qui entendaient “repondre au discours du 12 fevrier
du president armenien” n’etait pas conforme aux requisit de la loi
sur de tels rassemblements. “Les explications du bureau du maire
n’ont rien a voir avec la loi”, s’est indigne le leader du groupe
parlementaire du HAK Levon Zurabian cite par le service armenien de
RFE/RL, qui a affirme qu’il n’avait aux critiques dont il est l’objet.

mardi 17 fevrier 2015, Gari (c)armenews.com

From: Baghdasarian

FRENCH ARMENIANS ADVISE CAUTION FOR EU PARLIAMENT’S GENOCIDE PROPOSAL

February 17, 2015 – 17:13 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – The co-chair of the Co-ordination Council of
Armenian Organizations of France Ara Toranyan urged to take a cautious
approach for the Motion ofArmenian Genocide submitted to the European
Parliament.

Several months ahead of the Genocide centenary, such an initiative
might have been welcomed by the Europe’s Armenian community, if there
wasn’t for one “if,” RFI said.

“The victims of the Armenian Genocide do not belong to us, or some
political force. We can’t strip someone of a right to act. Our
organization tried to prevent political forces from assuming the
right to speak on behalf of the victims. We were always attempting to
promote a compromise between French political forces, lest the issue
of Genocide became a subject of political speculation,” Toranyan said.

“As for the initiative of far-left politicians – I believe that the
Genocide was a result of a discrimination-based totalitarian ideology.

So we should take a cautious approach to such initiatives, especially
since the latters are offered by movements with a questionable position
on discrimination practices,” he noted.

According to RFI, the wary attitude of Armenian Diaspora is quite
understandable: back in 2012, on Jan 29, Marine Le Pen stated at
one of her presidential election campaigns, “this whole Genocide
recognition movement outrages me.”

The leader of the Front National also stated, “First we must deal with
our own issues, without the French parliament trying to interfere
in the Armenian-Turkish history.” At the same time, she stressed
that Turkey, an official candidate for the EU accession since 2005,
does not belong with Europe, the Genocide recognition being among
key conditions to join the EU.

In early February, Belgian MEP Gerolf Annemans, chairman of Vlaams
Belang party, submitted to European Parliament a motion calling on
Turkey to recognize the Armenian Genocide.

From: Baghdasarian

GAGIK TSARUKYAN MEETS WITH SAMVEL KARAPETYAN AND KAREN KARAPETYAN OVERNIGHT: NO DETAILS REPORTED

by Tatevik Shahunyan

Tuesday, February 17, 10:34

Leader of the Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP) Gagik Tsarukyan met with
Samvel Karapetyan, the owner of Tashir Group, and Karen Karapetyan,
the former-mayor of Yerevan, Vice President of Gazprombank Company,
overnight.

Sources close to the PAP told ArmInfo the businesspersons arrived from
Moscow with a special mission to reconcile Tsarukyan with President
Serzh Sargsyan to avoid further confrontation and domestic policy
tensions. The outcome of the negotiations is not known yet. The
Russian businesspersons, Armenians by origin, look to meet also with
President Serzh Sargsyan. There is no reliable information if the
president will receive them or not.

The latest speech of the president at the Republican Party Council
ratcheted up the domestic policy tensions in Armenia. The point
is that the president labeled PAP leader Gagik Tsarukyan as “evil”
of the political system, ordered tax audits of the businesses owned
by Tsarukian’s extended family and recommended that the opposition
figure be dismissed from his state posts and be stripped of his
parliamentary seat.

From: Baghdasarian

IRELAND MAN URGES LONDON TO RECOGNIZE GRANDFATHER AS ARMENIAN GENOCIDE VICTIM

09:33, 17.02.2015

Northern Ireland man Paul Manook, 64, who believes his grandfather
was killed and buried in an Armenian mass grave, has called on the
British and Irish governments to recognize the deaths as genocide,
Coleraine Times reported.

Manook said his grandfather, Manook Dishchekenian, was lined up
alongside other men in a village in modern-day eastern Turkey by
Ottoman Turkish soldiers a century ago. He was never seen again.

He said the fate for men left behind was grim.

“I have a strong feeling that they must have killed them and buried
them in mass graves,” he said.

He noted that his father was then aged six.

“My grandmother realized immediately, she just took my dad and four
aunts and they escaped the village. My father was a survivor of the
genocide,” he added.

Edward Horgan, a former UN soldier from Ireland and peace activist,
said a group of politicians from the Dail in Dublin was being created
to lobby on the issue.

And Paul Manook said: “Because of the geopolitics of the region the
UK does not want to touch this. Ireland is a small country, probably
they will follow the UK because they are a small country and there
are quite a lot of links together.”

From: Baghdasarian

HAYKAKAN ZHAMANAK: TSARUKYAN TO BE STRIPPED OF PARLIAMENTARY MANDATE TO BE ARRESTED?

11:38 17/02/2015 >> DAILY PRESS

Security has been tightened at the detached house of Prosperous Armenia
Party chairman Gagik Tsarukyan and he has been warned against going
out in order to avoid provocations, Haykakan Zhamanak writes.

“Meanwhile, there are behind-the-scene talks in the parliament
saying that materials are being prepared for stripping Tsarukyan of
his parliamentary mandate. A question arises: if the authorities
have no aim to arrest Tsarukyan, then why do they hurry so?” says
the newspaper.

From: Baghdasarian

ATTENTATS, PROFANATIONS ET CRIMES : RESISTER CONTRE LES HAINES

Publie le : 16-02-2015

Collectif VAN [Vigilance Armenienne contre le Negationnisme] –
Communique de Presse – 16 fevrier 2015

Le Collectif VAN [Vigilance Armenienne contre le Negationnisme], qui
lutte contre la negation des genocides, exprime toute sa solidarite
et sa compassion au peuple danois touche par le double attentat du
14 fevrier 2015 qui fait echo aux tragiques assassinats de Paris des
7 et 9 janvier derniers.

Le Collectif VAN tient particulièrement a reaffirmer son soutien
aux Juifs vises par l’attentat antisemite contre la synagogue de
Copenhague, ainsi que par les honteuses profanations de centaines de
tombes dans la nuit du 14 au 15 fevrier dans l’Est de la France.

Le Collectif VAN s’incline aussi devant les victimes de l’execution
perpetree par l’organisation Etat islamique qui vient de decapiter en
Libye vingt-et-un chretiens de l’Eglise copte egyptienne. A Paris,
a Copenhague, en Libye, en Syrie, en Irak, c’est une meme barbarie
qui est a l’oeuvre. Abandonner a leur sort les chretiens d’Orient,
les Kurdes et les Yezidi, c’est autoriser le fascisme vert a etendre
sa chape de plomb a travers le monde.

En ces moments inquietants, le Collectif VAN se tient aux côtes de
tous ses amis, d’ici et d’ailleurs, vises par les haines religieuses,
le totalitarisme islamiste et le rejet mortifère des libertes
fondamentales.

Ces actes ont pour vocation de diviser nos societes et de semer la
violence. Un seul mot s’impose : resistance !

Collectif VAN [Vigilance Armenienne contre le Negationnisme] BP 20083 –
92133 Issy-les-Moulineaux РFrance Bǫte vocale : +33 (0)1 77 62 70
77 Email: [email protected]

Lire aussi :

Copenhague, :

Les memes valeurs visees a Paris et a Copenhague, dit Hollande

La police a tue le suspect des attaques de Copenhague

From: Baghdasarian

PREDICTION: THE GEO-POLITICS OF THE SOUTH CAUCASUS WILL BE MUCH DETERMINED BY STRENGTHENING OF RELATIONS BETWEEN RUSSIA AND TURKEY AND RUSSIA AND IRAN

by David Stepanyan

ARMINFO
Monday, February 16, 22:17

The recent voting at PACE showed that there is no unity in Europe
regarding Russia. The initiators have managed to reach such a decision
with great difficulty and by means of great pressure, Russian political
expert, Vladimir Yevseev, told Arminfo correspondent.

To note, in 28 January PACE voted for depriving the Russian delegation
of the right to vote.

“And latter it will be more and more difficult for the Americans
to control Europe. I mean France which having a new leadership,may
occupy a more pro-Russian position”, – he said.

As for the geo-politics of the South Caucasus, the expert thinks
that it will be much determined by strengthening of relations between
Russia and Turkey and Russia and Iran.

He thinks that in future Moscow, Ankara and Teheran should make an
arrangement on setting up of a principally new system of regional
security, which will lead to decrease of the military and political
role of the USA in the South Caucasus.

From: Baghdasarian

TURKISH CITIZEN TRIED TO SMUGGLE NARCOTICS INTO ARMENIA VIA GEORGIA

15:00, 16 February, 2015

YEREVAN, 16 FEBRUARY, ARMENPRESS. Georgian police officers have
seized 9.6 thousand pills of the Tramadol drug from Turkish citizen
Yusuf O, who was traveling to Armenia via Georgia. This is what the
press service of Georgia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs reported on
February 16, as “Armenpress” reports. According to the press service,
the Turkish citizen was arrested at Sarpi control point right after
crossing the Georgian-Turkish border.

“While searching the arrestee’s truck, police officers seized 9,600
pills of the Tramadol drug which, based on the conclusion provided
after the expert examination, contain 480 grams of the Tramadol
narcotic,” as stated in the press release.

From: Baghdasarian