Author: Baghdasarian Karlen

ELECTION 2013: OSKANIAN HINTS HE WON’T RUN FOR PRESIDENT, PLEDGES SUPPORT TO “CONSOLIDATING” CANDIDATE
By NAIRA HAYRUMYAN

ArmeniaNow
NEWS | 21.11.12 | 13:04

The Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP) seems to be close to determining
its format of participation in the upcoming presidential election. PAP
lawmaker Vartan Oskanian has posted a note on his Facebook account in
which he effectively rules out his presidential bid in February 2013.

He also says that members of his party, with whom he met in recent
days, unequivocally speak in favor of nominating PAP leader Gagik
Tsarukyan.

“Despite the fact that it was at the suggestion of Tsarukyan that my
candidacy was discussed, the party members have spoken in favor of
nominating Tsarukyan himself,” wrote the former foreign minister, who
is now under prosecution for alleged money laundering – a charge that
Oskanian himself, his party and a considerable number of oppositionists
and human rights activists consider as “political”.

Still, Oskanian stopped short of unequivocally stating about
Tsarukyan’s nomination.

“Tsarukyan really enjoys great authority. At the same time, the people
and political forces need consolidation and through the development of
a systemic reform agenda and, why not, the nomination of a single
candidate, they want to take the country out of the difficult
situation,” he said.

Thus, Oskanian hinted that someone else might be nominated as a single
candidate to “consolidate the political forces” or, maybe, no one
will be nominated at all. So, the situation gets even more confusing.

Essentially, it means that political forces are intent on keeping the
suspense till the very last moment when the public will be confronted
with a fait accompli – a deal or confrontation.

It is possible that in the end political forces will come to an
agreement with incumbent President Serzh Sargsyan and will support his
candidacy if he agrees to the agenda put forward by the broad-based
opposition. This agenda is already being formed, and if anyone,
the same Serzh Sargsyan, states his readiness to carry it out, the
opposition will have no reason to field its own candidate. Apparently,
the opposition itself has little doubts that Sargsyan will register
a victory in the February vote.

Senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment, expert on the South Caucasus
Thomas de Waal, too, believes that nothing unexpected will happen
in the upcoming elections in Armenia and President Sargsyan will be
re-elected for a second term in office. De Waal thinks that Sargsyan
has no serious rival similar to Bidzina Ivanishvili who led the
opposition to victory in neighboring Georgia last month.

As for Tsarukyan, who is widely seen as the main potential rival of
Sargsyan in the upcoming ballot, de Waal still does not see him as
being “at the same level as Ivanishvili before the election.”

Today, the Armenian parliament was to gather for a special meeting
at the initiative of the opposition Armenian National Congress to
discuss some proposed reform to election laws. But the meeting failed
because of the boycott of the ruling Republican Party as no quorum was
ensured. But even this failed meeting could become a good platform in
itself for the opposition parties and forces to discuss the overall
agenda and the possibility of fielding a single candidate.

From: Baghdasarian

ARMY CHEF: A WOMAN WITH WARRIOR’S HEART CATERS TO KARABAKH SOLDIERS’ NEEDS WITH MEALS AND CARING ATTITUDE
By GAYANE MKRTCHYAN

ArmeniaNow

21.11.12 | 13:32

Something close to chaos rules in the kitchen at one of Nagorno
Karabakh’s Defense Army military units. I peep in through the half-open
door – soldiers wearing snow-white typical cook uniforms are chopping
cabbage, putting potatoes into a peeling device, then wash and remove
the “black spots”.

As their eyes turn to look at the stranger who has intruded in their
realm I can clearly see a puzzled interest: “Who is this woman?..”. To
their silent question I start explaining that I am a reporter looking
for the chef of the night shift. The boys take me to her.

I spot Seda Soghomonyan in the distance. Her grey hair compliments
the white robe and hat. For breakfast soldiers will have the stew
she is making. A bright smile veils the deep-rooted sadness in her
eyes. We get acquainted, and as we speak she opens up and shares her
story. To my question whether she participated in the war she gives
a soldier’s response: “Yes, ma’am!”

“Our village was the most heroic one in the Amaras canyon. Together
with the boys I went all the way to Horadiz, took part in the battles
of Martakert. I was a cook, but was doing miscellaneous things,” tells
Seda, who is now 52 and lives in Matchkalashen village, Martuni region
of Nagorno Karabakh. “With my kids and my husband I stood on guard,
kept vigil. On December 6, 1991, fierce shelling started, the Turks
[the woman, as many in Karabakh refers to Azeris as Turks] wanted
to take Matchkalashen. Things were unfolding some 50 meters from
our house. How could we stay away and not participate in the fight –
it’d be the same as letting the Turks break into our house and just
sit silently or run away?” recalls Seda.

When talking about the war she gets excited – sparkling eyes, burning
cheeks: “If it happened again, I’d go right away,” she says.

In 1992, bloody battles started for Matchkalashen. Azeris launched
a fierce attack. Seda says everybody had left the village, but her
family with her four children and parents-in-law stayed home.

“To tell the truth we had nowhere to go. My husband was at the
frontline. I kept telling my mother-in-law to leave and take the kids
with them. But she’d say to me: “My son is at the frontline, where
would I go?’ And so we stayed. Battles at Klor Khut were terrifying. I
went to our posts and saw our guys all lying around wounded, Turks
were approaching. I picked up a rifle, found the walkie-talkie and
started shouting: “Help, everybody is wounded at Klor Khut”. If help
got delayed Turks would have taken me away along with all our guys.

Boys would later say, ‘Seda has kept the village’,” recalls the woman
with a warrior’s heart.

During the war Seda’s children were 12, 11, 8 and 2 years old. With
her eldest son she’d take hot food to the trenches.

“Some unknown strength overwhelms you and you stop being afraid of
anything. I used to drag out corpses of killed soldiers from the
trenches, as well as the wounded. And they are really heavy, they
are men after all. But then my arms got that strength coming from
somewhere,” she says.

Before the war Seda had worked at a shop in Matchkalashen. She recalls
how she had to travel to Martuni to do the procurement, where shop
assistants of various villages would meet. With one of them, Mahmed,
an ethnic Azeri, Seda’s family was friends; the war turned them
into enemies.

“I can never forget this. One day after an exchange of captives our
guys came and said: “Seda, Mahmed has sent you regards, but then
asked us to tell you not to stand on guard at the post, ‘we know
it’s her..'” They were close buddies with my husband, our families
used to visit one another often. He wanted to say that perhaps they
pitied me and didn’t shoot me, but I still didn’t give up.”

After the war, in May 1994, Seda’s husband got killed by a landmine.

In 1995, her youngest son got injured again in a landmine explosion.

“It blew out my child’s eye, we spent a lot of time in hospitals. My
eldest son is a doctor at one of Askeran’s military units. If we were
in our village I’d show our front posts. In 2006 I entered the army
as a cook. Can’t be apart from our guys, from the army,” she says.

We are running late so have to stop our interview with Seda, with an
agreement to meet in the morning at breakfast.

A soldier’s breakfast: the stew cooked at night, condensed sweet
milk, eggs, butter, cheese, tea. Seda is standing by the doors to
the sleepless kitchen watching the eating area. The duty detail is
laying the tables.

At the unit Seda is not only a chef, but also a caring friend to many
soldiers. They trust their secrets to her, talk to her about their
worries, share thoughts and dreams.

“‘Someone’s sick’ or ‘my mom’s too worried’… It’d be better if family
members didn’t tell everything to their sons who are in the army,
they are children, they get upset, their attention shifts to issues
at home. Most importantly there is no war; let them send their sons
[to the army] with peaceful mind and joy. A while ago one of the boys
got heartbroken as his girlfriend had run away with someone else,”
tells Seda.

The lunch menu for the soldiers includes cabbage salad, soup with beef,
beans and rice, buckwheat porridge and juice.

“They are crazy about sweets. And I should say they don’t feel deprived
– we give them pastry, chocolate bars, cookies. On a daily basis a
soldier consumes up to 70 grams of sweets,” says Seda. “Meet is a
must. They cook 130 kilograms of meet every day.”

Her shift ends at noon. She has a day off before she goes back to
the unit. There are three shifts and two chefs.

“Cooking for a thousand people in a night is not an easy task. Soup,
meet, eggs – it is all cooked at night. I love these guys like my
own children, and start missing them as soon as I get home,” says Seda.

From: Baghdasarian

ARMENIAN OPPOSITION PARTY LEADER HEADS TO AZERBAIJAN

news.am
November 21, 2012 | 12:50

YEREVAN. – Armenia’s opposition Heritage Party Chairman Raffi
Hovannisian will head to the Azerbaijani capital city Baku, on
Wednesday, to attend and address at the International Conference of
Asian Political Parties (ICAPP), Hovannisian himself informed during
a press conference on the same day.

Heritage had participated in one such event before. This time the
party had received an invitation several months ago, but it had
declined because Azerbaijan is not worthy of holding an international
conference.

The ICAPP organizers, however, gave security guarantees and pledged
an equal opportunity to express views at the conference. Hovannisian
will head to Baku alone.

“I decided to accept the invitation and I will leave for Baku today
[Wednesday]. One thing you can be sure of, and that is, no deviation
will be made from the trinity that has been the core of the agenda
of my allegiance: civil rights, national interest, and sovereignty
of the state,” Raffi Hovannisian noted.

From: Baghdasarian

THE REPUBLICAN PARTY OF ARMENIA FAILS EXTRAORDINARY SITTING

tert.am
21.11.12

On the initiative of the four parliamentary factions of Armenia~Rs
parliament an extraordinary sitting has been convened today to discuss
the package of amendments in Armenia~Rs Electoral Code presented by
the Armenian National Congress (ANC) opposition bloc.

The sitting though did not take place due to lack of quorum.

The Republican party~Rs MPs did not attend the sitting like they have
stated earlier with only NA deputy speakers Eduard Sharmazanov and
Hermine Naghdalyan from the RPA being present. The MPs of the Rule
of Law did not attend the sitting as well.

ANC faction~Rs head Levon Zurabyan said if the RPA MPs did not attend
the sitting because of the discussion of the Electoral Code the ANC
is ready for compromise.

For ensuring quorum 66 votes are necessary, while only 44 MPs out of
131 attended the sitting.

Prosperous Armenia party MPs were present with only faction~Rs head
Gagik Tsarukyan being absent.

Deputy parliament speaker Eduard Sharmazanov said the NA will continue
the work when the quorum is ensured but the MP registration process
cannot last for three hours.

From: Baghdasarian

UN QG DE L’ARMEE IRAKIENNE ENVENIME LA QUERELLE ENTRE BAGDAD ET LE KURDISTAN
Stephane

armenews.com
mercredi 21 novembre 2012

Les relations empoisonnees qu’entretiennent le gouvernement irakien
et la region autonome du Kurdistan, au nord du pays, traversent un
nouvel orage avec la creation a Kirkouk, une ville que se disputent
les deux entites, d’un quartier general de l’armee irakienne.

Le Centre des operations du Tigre -du nom du fleuve qui arrose l’Irak-
a ouvert dans la ville de Kirkouk debut septembre, mais il couvre
aussi la province qui lui emprunte son nom ainsi que celles de Diyala
et Salaheddine, plus au sud.

La fureur du Kurdistan, deja en bisbille avec Bagdad sur le dossier
de l’exploitation de ses hydrocarbures, ne s’est pas fait attendre.

“La mise en place du Centre des operations du Tigre a Kirkouk et
Diyala est une mesure anticonstitutionnelle prise par le gouvernement
irakien”, a tonne Massoud Barzani, le president du Kurdistan, farouche
opposant au Premier ministre irakien Nouri al-Maliki, un Arabe chiite.

“Les objectifs (…) et les actions entreprises par ce Centre de
commandement vont contre les interets du peuple kurde, du processus
politique, de la coexistence et du processus de normalisation de la
situation dans les regions” que se disputent Bagdad et le Kurdistan,
a-t-il poursuivi.

En reponse, M. Maliki a enjoint les troupes kurdes des peshmergas
a “s’abstenir de toute provocation” envers les forces de securite
irakiennes.

“Nous appelons les peshmergas a eviter tout acte qui pourrait aggraver
les tensions et l’instabilite dans ces zones, et nous leur conseillons
de s’abstenir de tout contact avec les troupes gouvernementales”,
a-t-il encore explique dans un communique.

“Loi martiale”

Bagdad et Erbil, siège du gouvernement regional kurde, ont deja
d’enormes difficultes a s’entendre sur l’epineux dossier du petrole,
le gouvernement central qualifiant d'”illegaux” les contrats passes
par le Kurdistan avec des compagnies etrangères sans son accord.

A cela s’ajoute la question des territoires revendiques par l’un et
l’autre, dont Kirkouk, où cohabitent Arabes, Kurdes et Turkmènes.

Cette dernière dispute pourrait a terme menacer l’unite de l’Irak,
a en croire analystes et diplomates.

La controverse suscitee par la creation du Centre des operations du
Tigre en est l’ultime avatar.

Son chef, le general Abdulamir al-Zaïdi, met en avant le manque de
coordination dont font preuve les services de securite dans la region
de Kirkouk. Ces lacunes, estime-t-il, laissent le champ libre aux
extremistes et leurs actions violentes.

Mais le haut grade assure que les forces irakiennes qu’il commande
n’ont pas vocation a se substituer a la police locale de la ville
de Kirkouk.

Ces propos n’ont pas suffi a calmer la colère du gouverneur de la
province de Kirkouk, Najim al-Dine Omar Karim, un Kurde.

“Je commande la commission (provinciale) de la Securite, qui comprend
la police, les services de renseignement, les peshmergas et la 12e
brigade de l’armee irakienne. La cooperation est deja en place. Nous
n’avons pas besoin d’un nouveau centre de commandement”, assure-t-il.

“L’armee irakienne ne peut pas intervenir. Nous n’acceptons pas que
la loi martiale nous soit imposee”, poursuit-il.

Les troupes americaines avaient tente de jouer les mediateurs dans
les territoires disputes, en formant des patrouilles rassemblant des
policiers et soldats irakiens et des peshmergas.

Mais ces efforts ont fait long feu. Depuis le depart de l’US Army en
decembre dernier, les relations entre le Kurdistan et Bagdad n’ont
cesse de se degrader. Massoud Barzani a ainsi accuse M. Maliki de
vouloir se lancer dans une offensive contre le Kurdistan en s’appuyant
sur les chasseurs F-16 que Washington doit bientôt livrer a Bagdad.

mercredi 21 novembre 2012, Stephane ©armenews.com

From: Baghdasarian

EDWARD NALBANDIAN: ARMENIA DEEPLY CONCERNED BY ESCALATING TENSION IN GAZA

armradio.am
12:19 20.11.20120

Armenia is deeply concerned by the escalating tension in Gaza and
around it, said Armenian FM Edward Nalbandian during his meeting with
Sheikh Sabah Khalid Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, the Deputy PM and FM of Kuwait,
Armenian MFA informs.

“The use of force causes a serious damage to the already-fragile
regional situation. An end must be put to the threat and use of force.

We are convinced that there is no alternative to resolving matters
by way of peace and negotiations,” Armenia’s FM noted.

He expressed a concern with respect to the situation in Syria as well,
and noted that, due to this conflict, Armenia continues to accept
thousands of Syrian Armenian refugees. In this context,Kuwait’s
FM informed that his country’s authorities have decided to provide
humanitarian aid to the Syrian Armenians who are in Armenia.

Separately, Edward Nalbandian briefed his Kuwaiti colleague on the
latest developments concerning the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict and stressed that Armenia highly appreciates the Kuwaiti
authorities’ balanced position in this regard.

From: Baghdasarian

OSCE ENHANCES STUDENTS’ ACTIVISM THROUGH DEBATES IN ARMENIA

armradio.am
12:53 20.11.2012

Seven teams of students from Yerevan and Armenian regions will gather
today and tomorrow in Yerevan for the final debate.

The students will debate and defend their views on important social
issues such as the fight against corruption, domestic violence and
Armenia’s integration into the European Union.

Under this project, university debate clubs in the universities
of Gyumri, Vanadzor, Ijevan, Gavar, Kapan, Goris and Yerevan were
established, each club involving some 40 students. Prior to the finals,
the students took part in 21 intra-university debates.

“Exchange of ideas and opinions is the bedrock of democracy, and
fostering debate culture among young people is vital in this respect,”
said Oliver McCoy, Democratization Programme Officer of the OSCE
Office in Yerevan. “The process of researching a topic, becoming
versed in a subject, and defending for your points is an invaluable
experience. Debating makes you smarter, more flexible and responsive;
it is a skill that will help these young people develop into active
and aware citizens,”

Ruben Krikian, Civil Society and Education Programme Co-ordinator at
the Jinishian Memorial Foundation, added: “We have been successful
in organizing high-school debates’ club throughout Armenia for a
number of years now. Organizing a similar initiative for university
students was a challenge, but it turned out to be a useful exercise
for students to help them enhance their presentation skills and clearly
shape their viewpoints on social, economic and political issues”.

As part of the project, the OSCE Office also supported three TV debates
with the participation of university students. The debates focused on
the work of the Human Rights Defender’s Office, women quotas during
the elections and the regulation of internet and the new media.

The initiative is implemented by the Jinishian Memorial Foundation
with the support of the OSCE Office in Yerevan. It aims to promote
civic activism and to bolster the development of a debate club network
in Armenia.

From: Baghdasarian

UNE FEMME CANDIDATE A LA PRESIDENCE ARMENIENNE ?
Gari

armenews.com
20 novembre 2012

L’un des principaux partis de l’opposition armenienne envisagerait de
proposer la candidature d’une femme a la presidence de la Republique
armenienne aux elections de fevrier 2013, une première dans l’histoire
du pays.

Les discussions seraient encore en cours lundi 19 novembre
a la direction du Parti des democrates libres concernant la
candidature d’Anush Sedrakian, vice-presidente de cette formation,
a la magistrature supreme. Mme Sedrakian, sans dementir les rumeurs
diffuses a ce sujet dans la presse, a indique que la designation d’un
candidat aux presidentielles etait a l’ordre du jour des discussions a
la direction du parti ; elle a ajoute que ces discussions pourraient
jeter les fondations de nouveaux comportements politiques “, en
precisant qu’il fallait un changement de generation dans l’elite
politique de l’Armenie.

Mme Sedrakian a souligne que les femmes devaient s’imposer et
sauraient faire leurs preuves dans un monde politique domine par les
hommes. Artak Davtian, un depute du Parti republicain d’Armenie (HHK)
au pouvoir, a salue l’eventualite d’une candidature feminine dans la
course aux presidentielles qui gagne en intensite. “Cela pourrait
etre un bon message adresse a l’ensemble de la scène politique”,
a-t-il commente.

Presents a l’Assemblee nationale armenienne depuis les legislatives
de mai, les Democrates libres n’y disposent que de deux sièges sur
les 131 que compte le Parlement.

Ils doivent en partie cette representation parlementaire a l’alliance
electorale passee avec le Parti d’opposition Jarankoutioun (Heritage)
deja present quant a, lui dans la precedente legislature et avec
lequel les relations se sont envenimees en octobre dernier. Le leader
de Heritage, Rafi Hovannissian, qui avait demissionne de son siège de
depute, avait accuse le leader des democrates libres d’avoir trahi
ses engagements en refusant de renoncer lui aussi a son mandat pour
laisser sa place aux plus jeunes.

La rupture est desormais consommee et il n’est manifestement plus
question, comme ils le laissaient entendre il y a peu encore, que les
Democrates libres soutiennent la candidature de Raffi Hovannissian
aux prochaines presidentielles.

mardi 20 novembre 2012, Gari ©armenews.com

From: Baghdasarian

TRIBUNAL. AU HAVRE, UN ARMENIEN DE 36 ANS EST JUGE POUR AVOIR CONDUIT EN TOUTE ILLEGALITE, DURANT DE LONGS MOIS.

Le Havre-Presse (France)
Mercredi 14 Novembre 2012

Un faux permis pendant 4 ans

Le prevenu est questionne quant au vehicule Alfa Romeo dont il est
le proprietaire. ” C’est moi qui l’ai conduit parce que ma femme n’a
pas le permis “, declare le Havrais, asseyant ainsi sa version. La
encore, a la barre du tribunal correctionnel, l’homme de nationalite
armenienne âge de 36 ans certifie avoir obtenu legalement son permis
de conduire. Il affirme qu’il lui a ete delivre par une auto-ecole
de son pays d’origine. Il est pourtant poursuivi pour usage de faux
et conduite sans permis.

Lorsqu’il presente, entre decembre 2011 et mars 2012, le document a
un guichet de la sous- prefecture du Havre, l’administration emet des
doutes sur son authenticite. Elle se tourne alors vers la police aux
frontières, qui lui confirme qu’il ” ne correspond a aucun modèle ”
de l’ex-URSS.

Il a pu assurer cinq vehicules, affirme son avocat

Cette ” contrefacon de mauvaise qualite ” ne reagit pas correctement au
test de l’ultra-violet, notamment. De plus, elle a ete editee a l’aide
d’une simple imprimante jet d’encre. ” Je ne comprends pas ce qui
m’arrive “, repète le prevenu, epaule par une traductrice diligentee.

” Pourquoi serait-il alle se jeter dans la gueule du loup a la
sous-prefecture s’il savait que c’etait un faux ? ” martèle Maître
Herve Andrieux. L’avocat souligne aussi que son client a pu assurer
sans difficulte les cinq vehicules conduits depuis son arrivee en
France, il y a quatre ans.

Malgre tout, il est reconnu coupable de detention, d’usage de faux
documents, et d’avoir conduit illegalement, entre 2009 et 2012.

Maigre consolation, l’annee 2008 est passee a la trappe de la
prescription penale. Une peine de deux mois de prison avec sursis est
prononcee. En revanche, l’amende de 1 500 EUR requise par le parquet
est ecartee.

From: Baghdasarian

AUSTRALIAN OFFICIAL DELEGATION EXPECTED TO VISIT OCCUPIED TERRITORIES OF AZERBAIJAN

APA
Nov 19 2012
Azerbaijan

Baku. Malahat Najafova – APA. “The visit of the Uruguayan delegation
to Khankendi is not the last. The Australian official delegation is
expected to visit Karabakh”, said Richard Giragosian, director of
the Yerevan-based Regional Studies Center (RSC), APA reports.

Giragosian noted that such visits were the results of the world
community’s reactions to the acts of Azerbaijan rather than the
happenings in Nagorno Karabakh.

From: Baghdasarian