Author: Baghdasarian Karlen

MEDIA: TWO ARRESTED IN HAYRIKYAN ATTEMPTED ASSASSINATION CASE

VOTE 2013 | 08.02.13 | 11:52

Two persons have been arrested as part of the investigation into last
week’s apparent assassination attempt against an Armenian presidential
candidate who is now recovering in hospital after a surgery.

RFE/RL’s Armenian Service reports, quoting well-informed sources,
that both men are ethnic Armenians.

Earlier, the opposition candidate, Paruyr Hayrikyan, said he suspected
that the gunman was not an Armenian.

Shortly after the attack Hayrikyan, a Soviet-era dissident, pointed
an accusatory finger at ‘Russian imperialism’ as the force behind
what he called an act of terrorism.

The 63-year-old candidate refused, however, to immediately use
the opportunity granted by the Armenian Constitution to ask the
highest court for a two-week postponement of the ballot due to an
“insurmountable obstacle” to his campaign, saying that while it would
be a legitimate demand, he did not want to undermine the democratic
electoral process. His campaign indicated on Thursday, however, that
due to his continuing ailment and also the fact that the attacker was
still on the loose they could reconsider the decision and ask for a
delay in the vote.

After several media reported possible arrests of the attacker or
attackers on Friday Hayrikyan, through his Facebook page, hailed the
possible development, writing: “The detection has started.”

The National Security Service, which is conducting the investigation
into the high-profile case, has promised to issue a statement during
the day.

From: Baghdasarian

RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY REMINDS OF AZERBAIJAN’S COMMITMENT NOT TO USE FORCE AGAINST CIVIL AIRCRAFTS

Friday 8 February 2013 09:39

Spokesman of Russian Foreign Ministry Alexander Lukashevich

Yerevan/Mediamax/. Spokesman of Russian Foreign Ministry Alexander
Lukashevich reminded of Azerbaijan’s commitment not to use force
against civil aircrafts.

The Russian official said this at a briefing in Moscow, commenting
on the intention of NKR authorities to bring the Stepanakert airport
into operation.

“This issue has been frequently discussed by the OSCE Minsk Group
Co-Chairs. I would like to quote the statement of 13 July 2012, in
which the Co-Chairs reiterated their stance on the plans to open of
the airport in Nagorno Karabakh. The statement particularly said:
“We again received the confirmation of the sides to refrain from
using force or the threat of using force against civil aircrafts,
and we are going to resolve the issue diplomatically.” This is the
stance of three Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group – USA, Russia and
France,” said Lukashevich.

From: Baghdasarian

CONGRESSMAN SCOTT GARRETT MEETS WITH ANC OF NEW JERSEY AT THE ARMENIAN HOME FOR THE AGED

10:22 08.02.2013

Congressman Scott Garrett (R-NJ-5) met with leaders of the ANC of
New Jersey at a meeting hosted by the Armenian Home For The Aged.

Mr. Andy Torigian, board member of the Armenian Home, and Mr. Matthew
Russo, administrator of the facility, also attended and participated
in an engaging discussion on items of concern to Congressman Garrett’s
Armenian-American constituents.

ANC of New Jersey co-chairs James Sahagian and Karine Shnorhokian
expressed appreciation to Congressman Garrett for his continued
support for recognition of the Armenian Genocide, his support on the
“Return of Churches” resolution in the last Congress, and other items
of concern to the Armenian community.

Also discussed with the Congressman were the ongoing challenges
being faced by the large Armenian community in war-torn Syria and
the many thousands who have been displaced. Finally, Congressman
Garrett expressed his best wishes to the Armenian Home as he viewed
the drawings of the new and expanded home to be constructed on the
same property, beginning later in 2013.

Congressman Garrett has been a strong supporter of Armenian issues
since being elected to Congress in New Jersey’s 5thDistrict in 2003.

The ANC of New Jersey has consistently given him a rating of “A”
on his Congressional report cards.

From: Baghdasarian

THE ESTABLISHMENT SEES ARMENIA’S CULTURAL FUTURE IN GUATEMALA, TIGRAN KHZMALYAN SAYS

February 7 2013

inquired of Tigran Khzmalyan, a director and a member
of the initiative group of the Sardarapat movement, what he thought of
the issue of building a cultural bridge between Armenia and Guatemala
raised by Hasmik Poghosyan, the Minister of Culture, with the Prime
Minister of Armenia.

Let us remind that according to the cooperation agreement, Armenia
and Guatemala, for example, will participate in international film
festivals, if they are organized in Armenia or Guatemala.

“I am happy and excited that our centuries-old dream has finally come
true, and we are already building cultural bridges with Guatemala. I
have recalled a saying common when I was young, ‘The wrong country
is called Honduras.’ We used to say that at the time, meaning our
own country. Perhaps, it will be good, if we move on to Honduras
immediately after Guatemala; after that, everything will fall into
place. We choose our path ourselves; elections are not held once in
four or five years, they are held every day. If the Armenian Ministry
of Culture chooses Guatemala in this big world, then the Establishment
sees Armenia’s cultural role and mission there. One shouldn’t refuse
anything, and I say we should strengthen our ties with Honduras too,”
the director said mockingly.

He is convinced that there are more urgent issues in the field of
culture today, which need solution and are not paid attention to. And
the reason, according to Khzmalyan, is the following, “The main
difference between us and the aggressive elite, the Establishment is
in culture and systems of values; theirs is Honduras and Guatemala,
ours is a bit different.”

Does Guatemala have a serious movie industry and traditions, after
all? “I hear about that for the first time, but I think that one
may open a big market of Armenian TV series using that agreement,
since other countries will hardly agree to buy the production that the
Ministry of Culture encourages in Armenia. Perhaps, it will be mutual;
no other country in the world besides Armenia will be interested in
the Guatemalan movie production,” the director added.

Gohar HAKOBYAN

From: Baghdasarian

“ARMENPRESS” INTRODUCES 4TH BESTSELLER BOOKS LIST

10:29, 8 February, 2013

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 8, ARMENPRESS. “Armenpress” introduces the 4th
bestseller books list composed in accordance with the inquiry made by
“Armenpress” News Agency in the bookstores of Yerevan. This has already
been the second week since “The Unsent Letters” by Hambardzum Galstyan
tops the bestseller books list. The author dedicated his book to the
25th anniversary of the Karabakh movement. “Selected Works” by modern
Armenian writer Nelli Shahnazaryan occupy the second position.

In accordance with the inquiry, Nelli Shahnazaryan’s book is followed
by “The Book of Lamentations” written by outstanding Armenian writer
St. Gregory of Narek. His book has been included in the list for
all 4 times. After comes “Tales” by Hovhannes Toumanyan. Previously
Hovhannes Toumanyan’s “Tales” occupied the second position. Larisa
Gevorgyan’s “I’ll Come in Three Days, Mom…” occupies the fifth place.

“The Little Prince” by French author Antoine de Saint-Exupery is listed
the 6th. Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s “The Little Prince” appears in our
rating list for the first time, unlike Paulo Coelho’s “The Alchemist”,
which appears in the Bestseller’s list for the fourth time. The book
did not lose its position and is again ranked the 7th.

Paulo Coelho’s masterpiece is followed by “The Armenian National
Tales”, which occupies the 8th place. Than comes the Russian national
tale “Masha and the Bear”. “1984” by George Orwell occupies the last
place of this week’s Armenian bestseller books rating list.

From: Baghdasarian

COOPERATION BETWEEN ARMENIAN AND LATVIAN BORDER GUARDS TO BECOME PRACTICAL

NEWS.AM
February 06, 2013 | 17:21

YEREVAN. – Armenia’s National Security Council Secretary Arthur
Baghdasaryan on Wednesday received Normunds Garbars, head of the
State Border Guard in Latvia.

Garbars noted that there necessary preconditions to carry out
cooperation between the Armenian and Latvian border guards. In his
turn, Baghdasaryan stated that Armenia is carrying out reforms with
the European and, in this context, Latvia’s track-record could be
useful for Armenia.

Since both countries have cooperation agreements with Frontex
(European Agency for the Management of Operational Cooperation at
the External Borders of the Member States of the European Union),
Baghdasaryan also expressed a readiness to provide assistance in
joint programs and events.

In addition, the interlocutors expressed a hope that the cooperation,
which is being sketched between the border guards of Armenia and
Latvia, will turn into a practical collaboration.

From: Baghdasarian

AZERBAIJANI STATE INSTITUTIONS ARE OBLIGATED TO “LIKE” ALIYEV AND PROVE IT

20:56, 6 February, 2013

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 6, ARMENPRESS: Employees of the Ministry of Economic
Development of Azerbaijan are forced to put “Like” to the official
website of the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev in the social
network of Facebook in order to make him President for the third
time, said senior official of the ministry in the interview with the
newspaper ‘~QAzadlyg’~R.

As reports Armenpress, everyone who has put “like” to Facebook page of
Ilham Aliyev is obliged to report to the Department of the Ministry
of Internal Control. The latter, in the general list, puts a tick
next to the name of the one who has “liked”. As a proof the ministry
official opens his personal Facebook page and demonstrates the “like”.

According to the source, similar situation exists in other governmental
institutions as well. “We were told that this is an instruction “from
above.” The aim is clear; everything is designed for the electoral
frauds. That is, as soon as the results of the vote will be falsified,
a campaign of “Likes” will start and they will show international
organizations that the president has electoral support even in the
Facebook,” the source stated.

The newspaper reminds that this is not the first case of governmental
interference in the vote in the Internet. Recently, a vote on
presidential candidates’ popularity was held in the Facebook. In the
result of the vote the supporters of the candidate of the Popular
Front Party of Azerbaijan Ali Kerimli found out that on weekends
people almost do not vote for Ilham Aliyev, but on the workdays, the
amount of votes increase dramatically. After some time it turned out
that the leaders of the budget organizations force their employees
to vote for the current president, Ilham Aliyev.

From: Baghdasarian

HARUT SASSOUNIAN REVEALS REAL JOHN KERRY

13:01, 6 February, 2013

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 6, ARMENPRESS: California Courier publisher
and editor Harut Sassounian noted American Armenian community is
disappointed by some statements delivered by Sen. Kerry. Armenpress
represents the article completely.

” Some weeks ago, when Sen. John Kerry’s name was first mentioned as a
possible successor to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, I cautioned
Armenians not to get overly excited just because “a good friend”
of the Armenian community could assume such an influential post.

Unfortunately, it did not take long to discover that my words of
caution were fully justified. Despite his 30-year-record of support for
Armenian issues, Sen. Kerry proved last week, right before assuming
his new position, that even such a close “friend” could reverse his
long-held views, disappointing the Armenian-American community.

Regrettably, Sen. Kerry turned out to be no different than Pres.

Obama, Vice President Biden, and former Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton. As US Senators and presidential candidates, they all made
lavish promises in seeking the backing of Armenian-American voters,
and completely ignored them after assuming office.

While some may argue that Armenians should only blame themselves
for trusting dishonest politicians, I believe all voters have the
right to expect elected officials to keep their promises. Otherwise,
lying to the public becomes an acceptable practice with no prospect
of replacing deceitful officials with honest ones.

Sen. Kerry experienced an overnight transformation last week, when
for the first time in his political career, he shied away from using
the term “Armenian Genocide.” In the past, Sen. Kerry had strongly
criticized Presidents and Secretaries of State for not acknowledging
the Armenian Genocide. Ironically, he now refuses to practice what
he preached for so many years!

Sen. Kerry proved that he is not the man he used to be, when responding
to written questions on Armenian issues submitted by Senators Robert
Menendez (Dem.-NJ) and Barbara Boxer (Dem.-CA), after his confirmation
hearing in front of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

When asked for his views on the Armenian Genocide, Sen. Kerry
shamefully repeated the euphemisms used by Pres. Obama in his annual
April 24 statements. The nominee for Secretary of State, after using
the term “Armenian Genocide” throughout his long Senate career, all
of sudden shied away from that term and employed every other word in
the English dictionary, except genocide. This is what he stated:

“The U.S. government clearly acknowledges and mourns as historical
fact that 1.5 million Armenians were massacred or marched to their
deaths in the final days of the Ottoman Empire. These events resulted
in one of the worst atrocities of the 20th century, and the United
States recognizes that they remain a great source of pain for the
people of Armenia and of Armenian descent as they do for all of us
who share basic universal values. The President honors the victims
every April 24th on Remembrance Day, so that we never forget this
dark chapter in history.”

In a follow-up question reminding him of his own sponsorship for
legislation to acknowledge the Armenian Genocide, Sen. Kerry ducked
the issue by insisting that he would “represent the policies of the
President and Administration faithfully.”

Sen. Kerry’s response to questions on the Armenian-Turkish Protocols
were just as disappointing. He insisted that he would continue to
support the failed efforts of Pres. Obama and Secretary of State
Clinton, pressuring Armenia and Turkey to ratify the Protocols. Four
years ago, in a private meeting, I explained to Sen. Kerry,
then chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, why the
Armenia-Turkey Protocols were doomed to failure and were contrary
to Armenia’s national interests. Back then, the Senator seemed to
find my arguments convincing. He has now reverted to supporting the
Obama administration’s position on the Protocols which Turkey, under
pressure from Azerbaijan, has fortunately refusing to ratify.

In response to another written question, Sen. Kerry indicated that
he might be willing to meet with the leadership of Armenian-American
organizations, something Secretary Clinton and Pres. Obama have
refused to do in the last four years. Such a meeting would provide the
opportunity to explain to Secretary Kerry why the Obama administration
is wasting its time trying to push Turkey to ratify the Protocols.

Turkish leaders have made it clear that they would not finalize the
Protocols, unless Armenians make territorial concessions to Azerbaijan
on Artsakh.

While Armenian-Americans may not be pleased with Sen. Kerry’s sudden
change of heart on Armenian issues, regardless of the reasons, they
have no choice but to meet and work with the Secretary of State who
is in office today. Armenians’ only wish is that periodically they
will be able to interact with the REAL John Kerry whom they knew and
loved for the past 30 years.

From: Baghdasarian

FIRST RUSSIAN-AZERBAIJANI MEETING ON CLOSURE OF GABALA RADAR STATION

19:33, 6 February, 2013

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 6, ARMENPRESS: Azerbaijan-Russia joint commission
established on the closure of Gabala radar station is holding its
first meeting, Russia~Rs ambassador to Azerbaijan Vladimir Dorokhin
told journalists, reports Armenpress, referring to APA.

He noted that the discussions mentioned today will be continued in
Gabala. The ambassador said the sides also discussed which equipment
can be withdrawn from Azerbaijan: ~SWe must return Gabala radar
station to Azerbaijan in the form that we received. In addition, the
equipment that we have brought after the agreement are the property
of Russia and we have the right to take them back.

According to ambassador, the issue will be solved soon.

~SAfterwards the documents will be signed according to which the
station will completely pass into the jurisdiction of Azerbaijan and
Russia will start withdrawing the equipment,~T he said.

Ambassador found it hard to say how long the process will last.

From: Baghdasarian

SYRIAN ARMENIANS TO LEARN RUSSIAN FOR FREE

18:37, 6 February, 2013

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 6, ARMENPRESS: Free lessons of Russian language
will be organized for children of Syrian Armenian refugees in Armenia.

According to Gayane Soghomonyan, head of Staff of the Department of
General Education of Yerevan municipality, already 320 pupils were
included in the list of N14 School. “Children from Syrian Armenian
families are always at the center of attention of municipality,”
she noted.

Referring to the teaching of chess in schools which was included
recently Soghomonyan highlighted that the subject was rather
efficient. She also mentioned there were special classes with needed
boards and equipment for chess teaching in schools.

>From now on Department of General Education of Yerevan municipality
is provided with opportunity to get aquatinted with marks of any
pupil from any school just visiting dasaran.am web site. “dasaran.am
is really efficient as it creates link between teachers and parents
as parent can get acquainted with child’s progress and attendance
online,” Gayane Soghomony informed.

From: Baghdasarian