Author: Baghdasarian Karlen

HRANT DINK COMMEMORATED IN MASSACHUSETTS

January 23, 2013 – 15:12 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – The numbers six and 17 played a symbolic role in the
January 20 talk delivered by Umit Kurt during a post-service program
hosted by the Friends of Hrant Dink at St. James Armenian Church in
Watertown, Massachusetts, The Armenian Mirror-Spectator reports.

These numbers served as a reminder of the loss of the Turkish-Armenian
journalist – six for the number of years since Dink’s assassination
and 17 for the number of assailants who have yet to be punished for
taking his life.

Close to 200 people gathered after church services for the coffee
hour. Parishioners, members of the community, Dink family members
and those seeking justice for Dink communed for a memorial tribute
and discussion of Dink’s legacy, six years after his death.

Dink, an influential Turkish-Armenian journalist and advocate for
freedom of speech and recognition of the Armenian Genocide in Turkey,
was assassinated on January 19, 2007, in front of his office at the
Agos newspaper in Istanbul.

Rev. Arakel Aljalian, pastor of St. James, opened with a blessing,
saying “May his [Hrant’s] memory be eternal in anyone who believes
in justice.”

Friends of Hrant Dink Vice President Zadik Ozcan introduced the
featured speaker, Kurt is a graduate student in the Genocide Studies
program of Clark University under Prof. Taner Akcam.

During his talk, Kurt spoke of Dink’s legacy and his unfinished work.

He asked, “How much more would have happened had he lived?”

Kurt shared his own journey of discovering that his hometown of Aintab,
Turkey, was once home to Armenians. When he was 22-years-old, Kurt
met a friend at a coffee house with unique architecture and unknown
script around the door. “Who made this? Who had been here before?” were
questions he was suddenly confronted with.

Kurt would come to find out that the entire neighborhood had once
been Armenian. “I had no idea that this place in my own hometown was
[once] Armenian,” Kurt said of this discovery. Though Turkish, Kurt
mentioned that he has also begun an investigation of his own family
history to see if there is any unknown Armenian heritage.

As the talk progressed, he discussed the oppressive nationalism in
Turkey, saying, “We are being killed by this nationalism everyday.” He
spoke about the current problems facing Turkey and why there is hope
despite the immense challenges ahead. “It has been six years since his
death when he was taken from us in front of Agos… It has been six
years and lawlessness has never been more commonplace in this country
[Turkey] … Because in Turkey to express something is forbidden.”

Kurt also provided the audience with a clearer picture of the events
surrounding Dink’s death, the elaborate assassination plot and the
latest developments in seeking justice for Dink.

Although the original court decision had ruled that Dink’s murder
was not part of an organized criminal plot, an appeals court recently
disagreed and ruled that the murder was part of a full-fledged “deep
state” organization. Kurt said that a new trial would begin in Turkey
soon involving those responsible for Dink’s murder.

Kurt noted progress regarding Article 301 of the Turkish penal code,
the controversial law punishing “insulting Turkishness,” and the same
law for the violation of which Dink was prosecuted. The prosecution of
Article 301 offenders has moved under the jurisdiction of the Ministry
of Justice in Turkey, thus making Turkish officials far more hesitant
to pursue convictions and effectively eliminating such cases, he said.

Kurt ended by addressing those 17 conspirators who still walk free
six years after Dink’s death. “You took his life [but] You couldn’t
touch his spirit. You couldn’t even reach him,” he said. In his closing
remarks, Ozcan said of Kurt’s work, “This is the fruit of his [Dink’s]
legacy… Hrant wanted to lift the black curtain in Turkey… Hopefully
Hrant’s legacy will shed some light on these issues.”

Fellow Friend of Hrant Dink, Varujan Gulderian, spoke of plans by the
organization to host a future event in an outdoor and highly-visible
public forum, in order to broaden their outreach and spread Dink’s
message. “The larger global community – not just Armenians – need to
know what happened. We need to go public if want to get justice for
Hrant,” Gulderian said.

Izabel Keremian, an audience member from Lexington, shared her
reason for attending the event and the importance of Dink’s legacy to
Armenian-Turkish relations. “I’m from Turkey. To have him represent
Armenians in Turkey is huge for me and his memory,” she said.

Kurt is currently researching the confiscation of Armenian properties
and the role of local elites in Aintab during the Armenian Genocide.

His dissertation topic is, “The Emergence of the New Wealthy Social
Strata between 1915-1922: The Local Elites’ Seizure of Armenian
Property in Aintab” and he is the Agnes Manoogian Hausrath Fellow in
Armenian Genocide Studies, 2010-2013.

From: Baghdasarian

JAMES BAGIAN: ARMENIAN “GREETING” FROM SPACE

News from Armenia and Diaspora – Noyan Tapan
23-01-2013 00:02:58 | USA |

Many people know that James Bagian is the world’s only American
astronaut of Armenian descent. The former doctor, engineer, athlete,
pilot and current Director of the VA National Center for Patient Safety
doesn’t have special ties with Armenia, but his fellow Armenians feel
a sense of pride when they hear his last name.

The first time Armenians heard of James Bagian was in 1981. Although
the U.S. and the USSR were in a Cold War, the Soviet and American
governments discussed the possibility of organizing a joint space
shuttle flight as a show of good will. The Soviet astronaut was
29-year old Armenian from Ashtarak, Vladimir Gevorgyan, while the U.S.

astronaut was 29-year old James Bagian from Philadelphia. As a
response to this, the U.S. “Armenian Observer” made a joke and asked
if Gevorgyan and Bagian “were going to speak Armenian in space”.

Unfortunately, this project was not implemented. Despite his
qualification as a probe astronaut, the Soviet government did not let
Vladimir Gevorgyan go on the space shuttle flight (Gevorgyan died in
2008 at 56 years of age). His fellow Armenian, James Bagian, was more
successful He has been a member of the group of U.S. astronauts since
1980 and attracted Armenians’ attention once again when he joined
the “Challenger” space shuttle in 1986. But in the end, Bagian did
not take part in the space shuttle flight and he was fortunate. As
everybody knows, the “Challenger” space shuttle blew up two minutes
after launching. The fact that Bagian did not join the “Challenger”
reminded many Armenians that it is not right to joke about the
misfortune of Armenians.

James Bagian was famous among Armenians and people all over the world
thanks to his first space shuttle flight in 1989. It was March 13-18
that year when Bagian flew to space in the “Discovery” space shuttle
as an expert in medical-biological research as part of the “Space
Shuttle” program. The flight took four days, 23 hours and 38 minutes.

As the shuttle flew over Armenia, the astronaut uttered the words
“voghchuyn” (greetings) and “khaghaghutyun” (peace) in Armenian. Those
days Armenians were living with the hopes of the liberation of Artsakh
and the appearance of their fellow Armenian in space filled them with
new spirits. In addition to that, it was during those days when Zori
Balayan met with Bagian in the U.S. and said that Bagian had roots
tracing back to Artsakh.

James Bagian’s grandfather, Kevork Bagian, was from Karabakh. James’
father, Philip Bagian, was a pilot, captain and had received the
“Silver Cross” medal during WWII. His son James (born from his
American mother Rose) was born on February 25, 1952 in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania. James attended the Central High School. He was extremely
hard-working with many interests and capabilities. In 1970, he was
accepted to the medical college of Philadelphia and practiced sports
with his dad at the pilot school. In 1973 James Bagian received his
Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from Drexel
University and worked at the 3M factory in Bristol, Pennsylvania.

James continued his education at the Thomas Jefferson University
and received his doctorate in medicine in 1977. In 1974-1978 Bagian
participated in many contests and received awards and athletic
rankings. In 1976-1978 he worked as a mechanical engineer at the U.S.

Naval Air Test Center based in Maryland. In 1978 he worked as a flight
surgeon and research medical officer at the Lyndon B. Johnson Space
Center, while concurrently completing studies at the USAF Flight
Surgeons School and USAF School of Aerospace Medicine in San Antonio,
Texas. In July 1980 Bagian became a NASA astronaut. Bagian received his
Professional Engineers Certification in 1986, and was board-certified
in aerospace medicine by the American College of Preventive Medicine
in 1987.

James Bagian left NASA in 1995 and is currently involved in
professional biomedical research. He is married to Tandi Benson and
they have four children. He loves riding bicycles, walking tourism,
hiking, as well as swimming, parachuting and repairing cars. Bagian
is also a member of the Detroit Science Center’s Board of Trustees.

ARTSVI BAKHCHINYAN –

From: Baghdasarian

THE REVOLUTIONARY KIND MUST COME

Interview with Lilit Galstyan, journalist,
member of ARF

Ms. Galstyan, what is your assessment of this pre-election period?

Will Serzh Sargsyan’s slogan “Secure Armenia” be brought into being
after February 18?

We are living in a controversial period which is typical of crisis
situations, our society is anxious, we are chased by the question what
is to be done. The public is discussing the need for new Armenia,
change of generation, new political elite which is an objective
necessity. However, changes, elites, public and political institutions
are not born out of nowhere. There must be a public need-claim. Yet,
this claim is not enough either unless the political and public
climate is ensured which will accumulate and use this claim. Either
the claimants (people) are not determined enough or the leading
political forces are not competent. Meanwhile, change of generation
is not an ordinary decision of a party conference. We need the kind
which is persuasive and revolutionary, goes all the way, is sincere,
intellectual, brings along political and moral messages. No change
means the political climate, the leaders and their values are not
viable enough. We have what we deserve, as both participants and
actors.

As to the slogan, we have heard a lot of campaign slogans and other
slogans with a similar content which were all about security but
these slogans have changed nothing. Morality, stability, protected
rights, civil society are discussed but in reality we lose our values,
we face economic, political, social failures, menacing emigration
and corruption.

We do not have a big choice. I can see two scenarios. First, the
ruling political elite is prudent enough to understand that the current
model of Armenia has no prospects and to start a downward revolution
introducing mechanisms of internal healing, involving professionals in
governance who are sincerely concerned about the future of Armenia,
have not been marred by political trade over the past twenty years,
the kind which has civil and cultural values. This is a vulnerable
yet possible option.

Can we expect “old” actors to take this step?

Not, of course. In total devaluation persons also devaluate, we
witness their entire way of political and ideological degeneration.

The people who highlight morality in politics, including me, reject
people whom we already know. This is due to the quality of elections.

If an election is held by a huge team of people who do favors, misuse
the administrative and financial resource, the team will need to be
rewarded later, while reward and reform cannot go together.

The second scenario, which is not preferable, will keep Armenia in the
same place, elections will be held as always, and the political elite
will act as always. Let’s not be pessimistic, think about the resources
of political prudence. Serzh Sargsyan may have a vision during his
second term, staying in history as a downward revolution leader.

Do you mean punishing oligarchs, carrying out reforms once a legitimate
president?

The oligarchy has always been an irreplaceable electoral resource.

Punishing oligarchs or separation of politics and business (which is
one of our serious issues) depends on what criteria the government
sets for elections. Armenia is overwhelmed with pessimism, civil
apathy, elections are not a value any more. This is very bad. This
means we are living in a fake framework which has nothing to do with
democracy. There may be legitimate elections, low role of oligarchs
but in this political barrenness legitimacy is not only a legal issue
but also a moral issue. Both the government and the opposition are
to blame. They both must act to rid of this heavy burden.

Siranuysh Papyan  12:52 23/01/2013
[footer_logo.png]  Story from Lragir.am News:

From: Baghdasarian

LANCEMENT DE LA CAMPAGNE ELECTORALE EN ARMENIE
Gari

armenews.com
mardi 22 janvier 2013

La campagne pour les elections presidentielles du 18 fevrier a ete
officiellement lancee le lundi 21 janvier, avec les meetings du
president sortant Serge Sarkissian, grand favori du scrutin a venir,
et de ses deux principaux adversaires de l’opposition, parmi les 7
candidats en lice.

M. Sarkissian s’est adresse a une foule de plusieurs centaines de
ses partisans rassembles dans le district d’Avan, au nord de Erevan,
tandis que l’ancien ministre des affaires etrangères Raffi Hovannisian,
leader du Parti Heritage (Jarankoutioun) et l’ancien premier ministre
Hrant Bagratian, faisaient une première apparition publique nettement
plus discrète.

Tant M.Hovannisian que M. Bagratian revendiquent le statut d’adversaire
le plus serieux du president sortant.

“Nous avons pour mission de render le pouvoir au peuple”, a notamment
declare M. Hovannessian devant les personnes, pour la plupart membres
de son parti, venues assister a son meeting au centre de Erevan.

M.Hovannisian s’est engage a creer quelque 180 000 emplois nouveaux,
a baisser les impôts, a augmenter les depenses publiques et a augenter
les retraites et pensions de 50 % s’il est elu le 18 fevrier prochain.

IL s’est aussi engage a reconnaître le Haut Karabagh comme un Etat
independant.

M. Bagratian, pour sa part, a mobilise ses partisans a Verin Artashat,
une localite situee a une trentaine de kilomètres au sud de Erevan. Il
s’est montre très confiant concernant l’issue du scrutin, et a
assure aux habitants de cette bourgade rural venus l’ecouter lors
de son premier meeting qu’il developperait l’agriculture s’il etait
elu president.

“Ma campagne va faire boule de neige a travers le pays” s’est
exclame M.Bagratian qui s’est engage a deployer tous ses efforts
pour “remettre le pays debout”. Le candidat a balaye d’un revers
de la main les sondages donnant largement vainqueur le president
Sarkissian : “Ne croyez pas que l’opposition etait en meilleure
posture en abordant les elections en 2008. Malheureusement, elle a
eu droit a un denouement tragique”, a-t-il declare dans une allusion
a la tentative malheureuse du principal candidat de l’opposition de
l’epoque, Levon Ter Petrossian, de revenir au pouvoir.

Cette fois, l’alliance de partis d’opposition dirigee par Ter
Petrossian, le Congrès national armenien (HAK) a decide de ne pas
designer de candidat ni de soutenir aucun des candidats en lice,
estimant que l’Armenie ne pouvait esperer changer de pouvoir par la
voie des urnes, en raison des fraudes et irregularites persistantes .

Les autorites armeniennes se sont engagees a organiser les elections
les plus democratiques que l’Armenie aie jamais connues, avec d’autant
plus d’assurance que les dernières elections legislatives, qu’elles
voulaient exemplaires, avaient ete relativement bien notees par
les observateurs internationaux, meme si ceux-ci ont souligne que
des progrès restaient a faire dans le sens d’une democratisation du
processus electoral. Mais les deputes du Parti republicain (HHK) du
president Sarkissian, majoritaires au Parlement armenien, ont rejete
les propositions d’amendements de l’opposition en vue de garantir
l’exemplarite du scrutin et d’eviter au maximum les fraudes.

Par ailleurs, le pouvoir armenien a reagi avec colère aux reserves
exprimees dernièrement par des membres de l’Assemblee parlementaire
du Conseil de l’Europe (APCE) concernant le climat preelectoral en
Armenie, estimant les critiques non fondees.

C’est enfin par une grève de la faim que l’un des 8 candidats en lice
a donne le coup d’envoi de sa campagne electorale le 21 janvier ;
Andreas Ghoukassian, analyste politique et qui dirige une radio privee
a Erevan, a entame sa grève de la faim en signe de protestation contre
le refus de la Commission electorale centrale (CEC) de donner suite
a sa requete, a savoir l’invalidation de la candidature de Serge
Sarkissian lui-meme. Il avait fait valoir lors d’une rencontre avec
les representants de la CEC le 18 janvier que le scrutin a venir ne
saurait etre libre et juste, du fait meme que le president sortant
y participe…

mardi 22 janvier 2013, Gari ©armenews.com

From: Baghdasarian

FORMER CAFE DE PARIS OWNER: “NEXT MONTH’S PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION IS BOGUS”
Grisha Balasanyan

23:19, January 20, 2013

Valerie Gordzunian, the former owner of the Cafe de Paris in Yerevan
who is now back in France, told Hetq that French-Armenians are
following the presidential election campaign in Armenia with great
interest.

“We know everything about elections in Armenia. What will take place
next month isn’t a real election. Serzh Sargsyan will become president
again since he has no competition. They removed Vardan Oskanian from
the running. Everyone knows it,” said Gordzunian.

The businesswoman said that Armenians in France are more concerned
about their own problems and pay little attention to those of Armenia.

“Armenians have become a bit sick and it shows everywhere. Believe me,
it’s a sign of impending danger for our future.”

Gordzunian stated that the diaspora’s main issue remains the
recognition of the genocide.

“Everyone knows that the oligarchs rule in Armenia. Those concerned
understand that there is no democracy in the country. The diaspora
thinks that people in Armenia must fix their country themselves. But
what are the people in Armenia doing? No one knows that better
than you.”

From: Baghdasarian

TURKEY ANGERED BY PETITION ON WHITE HOUSE WEBSITE

Syrian refugees wait to cross the border to Turkey at Bab El-Hawa on
the outskirts of Idlib, near the Syrian-Turkey border, Jan. 13, 2013.

(photo by REUTERS/Abdalghne Karoof)

By: Tulin Daloglu for Al-Monitor Turkey Pulse. posted on January 21.

On Jan. 5, a petition appeared on the White House website calling on
the government of Turkey to open its border with Armenia for refugees
from Syria.

About This Article Summary : A petition on the White House website
calling for Turkey to open its borders to Armenian-Syrian refugees
has provoked a reaction from the Turkish Foreign Ministry as the
Syrian crisis now appears linked to other issues in US-Turkey-Armenia
relations, writes Tulin Daloglu.

Author: Tulin Daloglu posted on : January 21 2013

“The road from Syria to Armenia goes through Turkey, which closed its
border with Armenia in 1993. It creates a big problem for Armenian
refugees,” the petition reads. “Thus, we are kindly asking to call
Turkey to open the land border with Armenia (at least, for refugees)
without any preconditions. There shouldn’t be closed borders in the
21st century.”

The petition is one of many posted on the White House website on a wide
range of issues. “The right to petition the government is guaranteed
by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution,” the White
House explains. “If a petition gets enough support, White House staff
will review it, ensure it’s sent to the appropriate policy experts
and issue an official response.”

This petition requires 25,000 signatures by Feb. 4 to be worthy of
a White House review, and had only received 708 by the time this
article was written.

Although the petition is not a declaration of US policy, and unlikely
to get enough signatures to even motivate a review by the White House,
the Turkish Foreign Ministry nonetheless felt the need to respond.

The ministry’s statement categorically rejected any implied accusation
by this petition that the closed status of the Turkey-Armenian border
jeopardizes the lives of Armenian-Syrians in war-torn Syria, where the
United Nations estimates more than 60,000 lives have already been lost.

“It’s worth stressing that Turkey is providing shelter to more than
150,000 Syrians without any discrimination based on their religion,
language, race or ethnic origin, and that a large number of Armenians
fleeing Syria have already reached Armenia in a variety of ways –
including passage from Turkey,” the statement read.

Turkey closed the border after Armenia’s attack on Kelbajar,
Azerbaijan, in 1993, a key development in the war over Nagorno Karabagh
and a source of continued tension.

Whether Turkey did the right thing in closing the border at the
time as a gesture of solidarity with Baku is a different subject
from that of accusing Turkey of magnifying the risks to the lives of
Syrian Armenians.

The Turkish Red Crescent Society’s joint efforts since December 2012
with the Armenian Patriarchate in Istanbul in providing humanitarian
aid to the Armenians in Syria has gone unrecognized.

“Those in Syria are Anatolian Armenians,” stressed Cengiz Aktar,
a highly respected associate professor in Bahcesehir University’s
Political Science department. “Turkey needs to provide them special and
unique assurances when they arrive here – including the psychological
element. They’re the grandsons and granddaughters of those who fled
Turkey during World War I.”

Speaking to Al-Monitor on the condition that they remain anonymous,
Turkish authorities said, “If there is a request, Turkey is ready to
provide a separate camp for the Armenia- Syrians. But we haven’t yet
received any demand that will make us consider this.”

They added: “And if there is a large number of Armenians from Syria
fleeing to Turkey, Ankara will most likely allow them a safe passage
to Armenia. So far, however, we have not yet seen such demand from
the Armenian community in Syria.” Finally, the same Turkish sources
tell Al-Monitor that, “Although the petition claims there are 200,000
Armenians left in Syria, no one can really know for sure how many
Armenians are actually now remaining in the country.”

Both Turks and Armenians want to reconcile, but they seem to be in it
for the wrong reasons. Since Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu
and Armenian Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian signed two protocols
in 2009 in an attempt to normalize their relationship, with strong
US support, the initiative simply went dead without the protocols
being ratified in the respective parliaments.

Even the second-track diplomacy is stalled because Armenian NGOs
don’t want to engage in talks with their Turkish partners that may
lead to the perception that they have softened their position on the
recognition of the events of 1915 as “genocide” just two years before
the centennial anniversary. And the Turkish government has simply
lost momentum after defeating the last resolution at the US Congress
in 2010. Finally, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said
he won’t bring those protocols to a parliamentary debate until the
Nagorno-Karabagh issue is resolved.

While the closure of the border with Armenia had nothing to do with
the 1915 events, many Turks now believe these two issues are linked.

Certainly, Armenians make this linkage. Although there is now an open
debate in Turkey about the Armenian issue, and some Turks openly use
the word “genocide” to define the fate of the Armenians on the last
days of the Ottoman Empire, many Turks remain convinced that accepting
the genocide label will touch off generations of reparations claims.

More importantly, many Turks still believe that during World War I,
the Ottomans criminally neglected their own population as well,
and that the Armenians were hardly the only ones to suffer.

With only two years left before the centennial anniversary of 1915,
Turkey’s sensitivity to the implications of any effort in the US
even tangentially connected to the debate over genocide recognition
may explain why the Turkish Foreign Ministry would bother responding
to a petition by private US citizens that at present has only 700
signatures and may not even merit a White House review.

Today, Turks see the Armenian situation in Syria as no different from
any other civilians trying to survive in a war zone, and Ankara is
doing what it can to assist all refugees, including Armenian-Syrians.

It seems, however, that the perennial debate over US recognition
of the Armenian genocide is unavoidably linked to other issues in
Turkey-Armenia relations and now the Syrian crisis.

Tulin Daloglu is a columnist for Al-Monitor’s Turkey Pulse. She has
written extensively for various Turkish and American publications,
including The New York Times, International Herald Tribune, The
Middle East Times, Foreign Policy, The Daily Star (Lebanon) and the
SAIS Turkey Analyst Report. She also had a regular column at The
Washington Times for almost four years.

Read more:

From: Baghdasarian

ANNA HAIRAPETIAN WINS ARMENIAN WOMEN’S CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP

January 21, 2013 – 20:29 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – International Master Anna Hairapetian beat Mariana
Gasparian in Armenian Women’s Chess Championship final round to gain
the champion’s title.

Hayrapetyan scored 7 points out of 7 possible to win an AMD 300 thous.

prize and a right to join Armenian national team in 2013.

Armine Babayan and Narine Gasparian became the championship runners-up
to gain AMD 200 and 150 thous. prizes respectively.

From: Baghdasarian

STATE IS WILLING TO SUPPORT SCIENTISTS WITH COMPETITIVE SUGGESTIONS. SERZH SARGSYAN

21:06, 21 January, 2013

YEREVAN, JANUARY 21, ARMENPRESS: State is willing to support
scientists, those who are interested in science if their discoveries
are competitive. Their activity must be evaluated by the society. As
reports Armenpress this was noted by incumbent President of Armenia,
RPA candidate Serzh Sargsyan during the meeting with the residents
of Avan administrative district of Yerevan on January 21.

In his words, there are branches of science which must be financed by
the state. “Therefore, it is the society to estimate the achievements
of historians, linguists or any other specialist. Science is also a
product and it must be competitive. Despite the state efforts, its
development would be a storm in a tea-kettle,” Serzh Sargsyan noted.

RPA candidate has noted there are spheres where the result is not
seen in short period of time and in such situations state has to
present its moral and financial support.

From: Baghdasarian

ISSUES ON GENOCIDE RECOGNITION TO BE DISCUSSED AT CONFERENCE IN EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT

15:10, 21 January, 2013

BRUSSELS, JANUARY 21, ARMENPRESS. Strengthening Armenia, fostering
its relations with the EU as a whole but also bilateral relations
with member states – this is on the daily agenda of the Armenian
National Committee of Europe. The Chairman of Hay Dat Committee
of Europe Gaspar Karapetyan stated this in a conversation with the
“Armenpress” reporter in Brussels. Also Gaspar Karapetyan noted that
the stronger Armenia, the more vocal she will be.

For the realization of those goals they are currently organizing third
European Armenian Convention which will take place in Brussels, 4-5,
2013. The event will consist of two sessions: the first one will focus
on the pan-European challenges facing the Armenians living in Europe,
which will be discussed among representatives of European Armenian
Organizations. Other than challenges like identity, culture and
language, political issues such as facing the joint Turkish-Azeri
lobby in Europe, the Armenian Genocide centenary events and the
criminalization of Genocides’ denial and negationism, and working
towards the recognition of Artsakh will be discussed.

Karapetyan stated that the second panel will be held in the European
Parliament, under the auspices of the largest political group in
the European Parliament – the European Popular Party (EPP). Issues
such as the European Union’s responsibility to prevent and protect,
“Genocide and the International Law” and “New Perspectives for the
South Caucasus” will be discussed. The event targets to contribute
to deeper cooperation with the EU.

Among other things the Chairman of the Armenian ANtional Committee
highlighted that one of the most important issues for them is to
strengthen the position of Artsakh as a self-determined independent
state as well as to work on its recognition by the European states.

The office is also actively involved in assisting and helping Armenians
living in Javakhq. Furthermore, If one of the Armenian communities is
on a verge of extinction, as it is unfortunately the case in Syria,
they organize humanitarian aid; do the outmost to ensure their security
in the face of any political constellation tomorrow.

Notwithstanding in addition he noted that Hay Tad (Armenian National
Committee) Europe was established in 2002 in its current format in
Brussels, with the aim to unite representatives of European Armenian
Organizations. It has a governing body – Hay Tad Board – which holds
its meetings and where all branches of Hay Tad from different European
countries meet, agree upon and coordinate united working plan-annual
program- in order to reach mutual goals.

The structure closely cooperates with the Armenian Embassy in
Brussels as well as with European Friends of Armenia. Due to this
close cooperation our impact on resolutions on Armenia in the European
Parliament (EP) are quite positive. The Chairman mentioned about the
cooperation with the “Friends of Armenia” group in the EP which was
be held in the presence of the Speaker of the National Assembly Hovik
Abrahamyan on 9 January. Also there is a close cooperation with the
Euronest Parliamentary Assembly, the OSCE and other organizations
as well.

From: Baghdasarian

ARMAN MELIKYAN’S CAMPAIGN HEADQUARTER: THE EXCLUSIVE OPPORTUNITIES OF THE ELECTION FALSIFICATIONS REMAIN

Mon, 01/21/2013 – 15:56
Electoral law

The campaign headquarters of presidential candidate Arman Melikyan
today issued a statement in which noted that enormous opportunities for
the falsification of the elections are not eliminated. They offer that
the police publish the list of the people who have dual citizenship
and who have rejected their RA citizenship. The publication of this
data, according to the headquarter, will be treated as a gesture of
good will and the desire from the ruling power to resolve the issue.

In statement it is in particular stated that:

“On January 15, the Candidate for the Presidency Arman Meliqyan
sent a letter to the president of CEC Tigran Mukuchyan, in which
he particularly reflected a belief that the prior elections in the
country were falsified. The elections were falsified with the use of
the votes of hundreds of thousand people who have left the country and
those votes were used to support the “wining” candidate. According to
Article 49 Section 1 of the RA Election Code, the CEC is the permanent
state body responsible for the organization and supervision of the
loyalty of the election, the candidate for the presidency Arman
Meliqyan offered CEC to publish the official statistical data about
the following categories:

~U the citizens who left RA ~U the dual-citizens who have RA
citizenship ~U people who rejected RA citizenship.

On January 1, CEC classified the offer as a demand to receive
information, rejected the demand concerning the information about the
people who have rejected the RA citizenship and directed the demand
of the other 2 point to Passport and Visa Department of RA Police.

We have to announce, that the application of Arman Meliqyan wasn’t
a claim to receive information but rather a mean to prevent the
falsification of the elections.

Currently, nobody, the members of the CEC included, has information
about how many voters are in Armenia. This claim made by Arman
Meliqyan wasn’t argued by any of the candidates. We think, that
this unambiguity allowedadding minimum 400-500.000 voters during the
previous elections. The adding was used to support the candidate of
the ruling power.

For us it is important, that: ~U during the CEC meeting none of the
members of the body argued the falsifications during the previous
elections, when the votes of the absent citizens were used to support
the ruling power.

~U CEC considered the offer about the publication of the data about the
dual-citizens who have obtained RA citizenship and those RA citizens
who rejected RA citizenship and directed thoseto RA Police.

We believe that as long as there is no consensus on the number of
citizens eligible to vote, the unprecedented possibility of the
falsification of the elections remain.

If the Police announced the list, we will consider that as the goodwill
and desire of the ruling power to resolve the issue.

We would like to mention, that the issue will be resolved only when
the consensus is made about the number of the left citizens. Such a
solution is possible in the presence of the political consensus.

The campaign headquarter of the candidate announced that the legality
of the elections is not guaranteed until the enormous possibilities
for the violations is not eliminated. Taking into account the above
mentioned, Arman Meliqyan says that there are not yet enough reasons
to consider the upcoming elections legitimate and legal.

The situation is becoming more alarming as information is received
that unknown people presenting themselves as supporters of Republican
Party started to collect the passport details of the citizens promising
election bribes.

Information is received that the people responsible for the buildings
received orders to collect information about the missing citizens.

According to candidate’s decision the actions of his election campaign
will be to assurance of the legality of the elections.

At this moment, the demand from the ruling power is to: ~U Inform
about the number of the citizens who are outside Armenia.

Without clear information on that topic, we cannot have legitimate
elections and as a result of them forma legitimate power The
headquarter of the election campaign of Arman Meliqyan, the candidate
for the presidency.

Author: Factinfo

From: Baghdasarian