Author: Baghdasarian Karlen

ARMENIANS VIOLATED CEASEFIRE REGIME WITH AZERBAIJAN FOR 1150 TIMES DURING LAST 9 MONTHS

MilAz.info
Oct 3 2012
Azerbaijan

15 Azerbaijani servicemen were killed, 2 were captured, 18 servicemen
and one civilian were wounded during ceasefire violation since the
beginning of the year

Armenian armed forces violated ceasefire regime 154 times in September,
2012. According to the results of the APA’s monitoring based on the
reports confirmed by Azerbaijani Defense Ministry, one Azerbaijani
servicemen was wounded in Aghdam and a serviceman shot on his head
died in Nakhchivan.

In September, the ceasefire regime was violated 44 times in the
direction of Aghdam frontline, 31 – in Fuzuli, 22 – in Goranboy,
20 – in Khojavand, 5 – in Tartar, 19 – in Gazakh, 8 – in Tovuz, 2 –
in Gadabay, 1 – in Dashkasan and 1 – in Jabrayil.

Armenian armed forces violated the ceasefire regime for 146 times in
August. The ceasefire was violated mostly in Aghdam (37 times) and
Fuzuli (35 times) frontlines. The ceasefire regime was violated 23
times in Goranboy, 11 – in Khojavand, 7 – in Tartar, 18 – in Gazakh,
4 – in Tovuz, 3 – in Gadabay, 3 – in Goygol and 5 – in Jabrayil.

As a result of violations on the frontline in August, two servicemen
of Azerbaijani Armed forces were killed and 2 were wounded.

Armenian armed forces seemed to be more active in Aghdam and Fuzuli
regions during last 3 months.

Totally, Armenian armed forces violated ceasefire for more than 1150
times in January-September, 2012. Intensive battles were observed in
all directions throughout the frontline during a week in June.

Two servicemen of Azerbaijani Army were captured by Armenians this
year, 18 servicemen and one civilian were wounded and 15 servicemen
were killed as a result of ceasefire violation and mine explosion,
according to the results of monitoring conducted in January-September.

From: Baghdasarian

BENEFICIAL BACTERIA STUDIES EARN MACARTHUR GRANT FOR CALTECH PROFESSOR

Pasadena Star-News (California)
October 2, 2012 Tuesday

By James Figueroa, SGVN twitter.com/jfigscribe

Ten years ago, Sarkis Mazmanian became intrigued by beneficial bacteria
in the human body, instead of the dominant microbiological research on
harmful organisms, such as the bacteria that causes staph infections.

Since then, his research as a Caltech professor has helped shift
scientific concepts about how bacteria supports the immune system,
and could lead to the development of natural treatments for diseases
such as multiple sclerosis.

Mazmanian’s work was innovative enough to earn him a MacArthur
Fellowship, announced Tuesday.

“(I was in) was complete and utter shock,” Mazmanian said from Armenia,
where he is providing educational services for a week. “It’s like
hoping to win the lottery.”

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation named Mazmanian
one of 23 recipients of its “genius grants,” rewarding creative work
across a wide range of fields.

The nomination process for the grants is confidential, and winners
aren’t aware of anything until the foundation calls with the news.

Other 2012 recipients are Elissa Hallem, a UCLA neurobiologist; Uta
Barth, a Los Angeles-based abstract photographer; and Chris Thile,
a mandolin composer and past member of the band Nickel Creek.

Each recipient receives $500,000 paid over five years, which can be
used for any purpose.

Mazmanian doesn’t have concrete plans for the money, but hopes to
provide Armenians with better opportunities for higher education and
improve poor laboratory conditions.

Last year, Mazmanian led research published in the journal Science
that showed how beneficial gut bacteria holds the key for immune
system reactions to pathogens such as salmonella.

“What we’ve discovered is that specific microbes are terrific at
balancing immune responses,” he said. “What these organisms have
`learned’ over millions of years is how to prevent unwanted attacks
against them without not compromising their host.”

While the science has led to more probiotics available in supermarkets,
either as medication or in yogurt, none of those products have been
subjected to scientific rigor, Mazmanian said.

However, scientists have known for at least 100 years that some
bacteria in the body is helpful.

Mazmanian’s Caltech lab is now trying to develop a bacteria
molecule-based treatment for multiple sclerosis and inflammatory
bowel disease.

The research so far has been limited to mice, but Mazmanian believes it
will take only about two to three years to begin doing small clinical
trials in humans.

“If we are lucky enough it would take probably close to 10 or 12
years before there’s actually a pharmaceutical therapy,” he said.

From: Baghdasarian

SETTLEMENT OF THE KARABAKH ISSUE DOES NOT DEPEND ON ARMENIA AND AZERBAIJAN ONLY, GERMAN AMB. SAYS

armradio.am
19:00 03.10.2012

There are different players in the region with different interests, and
the settlement of the Karabakh conflict will not depend on Armenia and
Azerbaijan only, German Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
to Armenia Reiner Morell told reporters today.

According to the Ambassador, there should be a balance between the
principles of territorial integrity and the right of peoples to
self-determination, as “the victory of one of them will mean the
defeat of the other.”

The Ambassador said his country has had a number of such conflicts
in Europe, but today Germany successfully cooperates with France and
Poland. Mr. Morell said it’s important to establish peace between
the two countries. “It’s hard, but it’s necessary to move forward,”
he said, adding that the Minsk Group exerts efforts in that direction.

What factors can contribute to the unification of Armenia and Nagorno
Karabakh? The Ambassador underlined that “the Karabakh issue refers
not only to Armenia and Azerbaijan.” According to him, any decision
on the issue will depend on the general “political climate” and the
political situation. He stressed, however, that most of all it will
depend on the will of Yerevan and Baku.

Suspending diplomatic relations with Hungary was Armenia’s right,
German Ambassador Reiner Morell said.

Ramil Safarov’s extradition and subsequent release do not comply
with European values, the Ambassador said. “This is not acceptable to
anyone in Germany. Azerbaijan caused a great damage to its reputation
by this step, and this incident should be taken into consideration
in the future actions with Azerbaijan,” he stated.

From: Baghdasarian

ARMENIAN POLITICAL EXPERT: MIKHEIL SAAKASHVILI SHOULD GET PREPARED FOR POSITION OF LAZIKA CONSTRUCTION SIDE SUPERVISOR

ARMINFO
Tuesday, October 2, 15:11

Incumbent president of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili should, probably,
get prepared for the position of Lazika construction side supervisor.

The statement came from Sergey Minasyan, Deputy Head of the Caucasus
Institute, political expert, told ArmInfo commenting on the preliminary
results of parliamentary elections in Georgia.

On September 29 2012 foundation-laying ceremony of a new city Lazika
on the Black Sea shore was held. Lazika is Saakashvili’s project.

FOREX MMCIS group experts say the Georgian president plans at least
500,000 people population in Lazika, which is more than the population
of Poti and Batumi together. The city is to be developed into the main
economic center of the country. At present 2,000 people are involved
in construction of the city. The Georgian authorities plan to invest
nearly 1 billion dollars in construction within the coming four years.

“Of course, it is untimely speaking of Georgian Dream’s victory
unless the final results of the parliamentary elections in Georgia
are published. Neither one can speak of Bidzina Ivanishvili’s precise
pro-Russian orientation. Nevertheless, the Russian authorities can at
least hold negotiations with the leader of the Georgian Dream, which
has become impossible with Saakashvili. This will be a breakthrough
in the stagnating Georgian-Russian relations,” he said.

At the same time, Minasyan thinks that with a new political force
coming in power in Georgia, a more open political system will emerge
in that country, which will be in favor of the Georgian citizens and
the Armenian population of Javakhq, first of all.

By preliminary data based on 15.35% of total votes, the two leaders
in the parliamentary elections in Georgia are Georgian Dream –
52.77% of votes and the ruling party United national Movement –
42.08%. The other parties have not yet overcome the 5% threshold to
the parliament. The elections are especially interesting as after
the presidential election in 2013 in Georgia the political and public
system in the country will change and the parliament and the government
will receive much more powers.

From: Baghdasarian

HUNGARIAN GOVERNMENT MADE “CORRECT AND RIGHT” DECISION ON SAFAROV CASE – PRIME MINISTER

NEWS.AM
October 02, 2012 | 13:25

BUDAPEST. – The Hungarian government’s decision to transfer Ramil
Safarov to Azerbaijan was a “correct and right” decision, Prime
Minister Viktor Orban told Parliament on Monday responding to critical
remarks by Socialist MP Laszlo Kovacs.

Kovacs noted that both the foreign and the justice ministries had
opposed the move, arguing that the murderer would be immediately
released upon his repatriation, politics.hu of Hungary reports.

Orban said the government had made a correct and right decision
that complied with the rules of international law and Hungary’s
legal practice.

“We would have done the same if an Armenian had killed an Azerbaijani.

Hungary should follow its own interests rather than those of Armenia
or Azerbaijan,” he said.

Kovacs remarked that Hungary had “meddled” in the conflict of
Azerbaijan and Armenia. The benefit of the decision is still unclear,
he said.

In response, Orban said the decision had not been motivated by the
promise of any short-term benefits. In the long term, however, it will
have a benefit, the premier said. The Azerbaijani-Armenian conflict,
he said, is expected to last for a while, but “Hungary has got out of
it by transferring the Azerbaijani convict. As long as he was here,
he caused plenty of conflicts and difficulties and the situation
would not have changed in the future either,” Viktor Orban said.

Armenian News-NEWS.am reported earlier that Ramil Safarov, a lieutenant
in the Azerbaijani military, was extradited on August 31 from Hungary,
where he was serving a life sentence-and with no expression of
either regret or remorse-for the premeditated axe murder of Armenian
lieutenant Gurgen Margaryan, in his sleep, during a NATO Partnership
for Peace program in Budapest back in 2004.

As expected, Ramil Safarov’s return to Baku was welcomed, as was
his act of murder, by the officials of president Ilham Aliyev’s
government and much of Azerbaijani society, and the Azerbaijani
president immediately granted him a pardon.

And Armenia’s President Serzh Sargsyan announced on August 31 that
Armenia is suspending its diplomatic ties with Hungary.

Ramil Safarov’s pardoning is condemned by virtually all international
organizations.

From: Baghdasarian

GEORGIAN PARLIAMENT CAMPAIGN DIRTIEST IN COUNTRY’S HISTORY – RUSSIAN PAPER

tert.am
02.10.12

In an article commenting on the October 1 parliamentary election in
Georgia, the Russian Newspaper Nezavisimaya Gazeta says the country
saw its dirtiest ever campaign over the course of history.

The chief intrigue, according to Yuri Roks, a Russian analyst who
covered the topic, is that the prime minister is next year taking
charge of the executive. The expert believes that the political party,
which won the parliamentary polls, will nominate the new prime minister
in 2013.

“Saakashvili has been twice elected, so he has no right to nominate
himself in the 2013 presidential election. But he can officiate
as a prime minister,” says the author, adding that the process,
regardless of its outcomes, will be remembered in Georgia’s history
as the tensest election that followed a dirty campaign.

The prison scandal that met the opposition’s strong criticism was the
response to the unveiling of the secret video and audio tape records,
Rox says, referring to a further scandal that occurred on Sunday.

“A 10-month-old girl was murdered in Georgia’s wine producing Kakheti
region, the place being hardly visible on the map. She was smothered
in a large wine jar, which is commonly kept close.

As the mother claimed, a left-wing Georgian Dream activist who hosted
her and her daughter in his place had several times threatened to
harm the baby.

On Sunday night, the family were dining, having left the sleeping
baby in a room. An hour later they, went into the room to find the
baby missing. After searches throughout village, they finally found
it dead in a big jar.

In interviews with the opposition run TV channels, the grief-stricken
relatives found enough courage in themselves to attribute political
motives to the incident,” Rocks adds.

The expert notes that the journalists from the opposition channels
later began pointing out to the deceased child’s Armenian surname,
adding that the Armenian community, like any other ethnic minority
group, traditionally votes in favor of the ruling authorities.

“The speculations over the mutilated baby continued until Monday,
the election day.

Later in the day, the Georgian CEC said that 45% of the voting-age
population had headed to the polls,

People backing the opposition spoke of election frauds in the
social networks. In the second half of the day, observers called for
halting the election on the grounds of election riggings in one of
the districts of the Armenian populated [town of] Akhalkalaki.

The CEC urged the election runners to refrain from celebrating an early
victory. The warning, however, was addressed to the Georgian Dream.

Several opposition parties had announced that they would gather
their co-thinkers in the street in case of election frauds,” says
the Russian analyst.

From: Baghdasarian

THE ARMENIAN BAR ASSOCIATION WELCOMES THE U.S. SUPREME COURT’S REQUEST FOR FURTHER BRIEFING IN THE MOVSESIAN CASE

hetq
10:15, October 2, 2012

In response to a group of Armenian-American claimants’ appeal to the
United States Supreme Court in the Movsesian matter, which dealt with
the issue of a state’s (California’s) right to enact legislation
concerning the pursuit of Genocide-era life insurance proceeds,
the Supreme Court has ordered the Solicitor General to file a brief
expressing the views of the United States as to whether the Court
should grant review of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals’ troubling
decision that states may have no such rights.

The Supreme Court’s order is of considerable significance since one
of the issues in the case is whether the federal government has a
policy about states recognizing the Armenian Genocide and, if so,
what the policy is.

The Armenian Bar Association, through the auspices of the Bingham law
firm and its senior partner David Balabanian, had filed persuasive and
incisive amicus briefs in the underlying federal appellate proceedings
making the case that the relevant state legislation did not conflict
with federal law or policy. Mr. Balabanian, the founding chairperson
of the Armenian Bar Association, developed and presented a cogent
argument and brought together as clients a grouping of various civic
and human rights organizations, including the Armenian National
Committee of America with which the Armenian Bar collaborates on
various community-based projects.

Edvin Minassian, the Armenian Bar Association’s Chairman Ex-Officio,
remarked: “We are encouraged that the Supreme Court has asked that the
Solicitor General weigh in on the issue, with the hope that Solicitor
General will not disavow, and instead outright reaffirm, the Genocide’s
reality and its prior recognition by the federal government, both of
which have been amply documented. In doing so, the Supreme Court will
be in a position to evince the constitutionality of state legislation
in an area of law (insurance) which has traditionally been within
the purview of states’ rights.”

Minassian cautioned that much work lies ahead to ensure that the
Armenian Genocide is not politicized so as to be manipulated as
an excuse by Genocide denialists to inappropriately undermine the
legitimacy and constitutionality of state legislation. “Those who
politicize the Armenian Genocide for nefarious purposes shall not
deter us in the Movsesian case and beyond,” said the former two-term
Chairman of the Armenian Bar.

From: Baghdasarian

SYNOPSYS WEEK IN ARMENIA TO CELEBRATE JOINT ACHIEVEMENTS OF BUSINESS, ACADEMIA AND GOVERNMENT

armradio.am
17:28 02.10.2012

Synopsys Week will be held in Yerevan October 3-6 in. This event
celebrates joint achievements by business, academia and the government
of the Republic of Armenia (RA) through a number of award ceremonies
and other activities, and supports high-tech development in the region
through the International Microelectronics Olympiad.

“Synopsys is dedicated to supporting the development of the high-tech
industry in Armenia and the region by initiating and implementing
consistent and sustainable programs,” said Chi-Foon Chan, president and
co-CEO at Synopsys. “Synopsys Week in Armenia has become a tradition,
and returning each year to Yerevan to celebrate gives me an opportunity
to celebrate our achievements with Armenian community.”

“We are proud that Armenia is the home of one of our largest R&D
sites. Armenia provides a powerful, positive cooperation between
industry, academia and government at a level uncommon in the world.

This sustained cooperation benefits the development of industry in
Armenia and Armenia’s development. In cooperation with academia and
government, Synopsys sponsors a large number of programs which have
led to significant achievements for Armenia,” said Rich Goldman, vice
president of corporate marketing and strategic alliances at Synopsys,
and chief executive officer of Synopsys Armenia CJSC. “During Synopsys
Week in Armenia, we celebrate these achievements and invite all other
domestic and international companies to join in the development of
Armenia’s economy.”

“All Synopsys initiatives aimed at the development of the IT sphere
represent an investment in the youth of Armenia, which is the most
effective way to contribute to our country’s future,” said Hovik
Musayelyan, director of Synopsys Armenia. “Through Synopsys Week, we
celebrate the joint achievements of business, academia and government
while looking forward to playing a significant role in the local
high-tech development for years to come.”

From: Baghdasarian

HERITAGE PARTY REP ENVIES GEORGIAN DREAM

tert.am
02.10.12

It is very nice when authorities realize that they cannot dictate to
all and have to share the authorities. It means interests of opposition
and authorities’ electorates will be equally presented.

In this way, the decisions of the union reflect the moods of the whole
public, Heritage party’s secretary Styopa Safaryan said, speaking to
Tert.am, asked to comment on the victory of opposition in Georgia.

Bidzina Ivanishvili, Georgia tycoon, leader of Georgian Dream
opposition coalition gathered more than 56%. The ruling coalition
managed to win in the majority of regions which made Saakashvili
think he could ensure majority in the parliament.

Asked why the Georgian opposition managed to do what Armenia’s fails
to do in Armenia [come to power], Styopa Safaryan said Georgia is a
more democratic state.

“These people seriously believe that they want to have a democratic
state and are ready to accept their defeat and not do stupid things
for their “victory”,” Styopa Safaryan said.

From: Baghdasarian

UN CHIEF HAILS ARMENIA’S FOREIGN POLICY

PanARMENIAN.Net
October 2, 2012 – 12:12 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian met
October 1 with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon as part of his visit
to New York.

Welcoming, the Armenian official, the UN chief said that Armenia is
remarkable for its active foreign policy.

Minister Nalbandian briefed the UN head on the current stage of Nagorno
Karabakh cpnflict settlement process, hailing the reaction of Mr. Ban
and other international organizations on Azerbaijani criminal Ramil
Safarov’s release and pardon.

The parties further focused on the UN’s existing challenges,
implementation of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and
sustainable development. Mr. Ban highly assessed RA authorities’
contribution to the activity of UN Armenia Office.

From: Baghdasarian