Author: Baghdasarian Karlen

Yerevan Zoo starts to meet international standards

09:35, 28 September, 2012

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 28, ARMENPRESS: One of the most favored places
attended by Yerevan habitants for nearly seven decades enables a
chance to communicate closely with wild nature. Zoo park
administration is taking steps to make Zoo comply with international
standards and to acquire new animals. Armenpress had an interview with
Zoo park director Ruben Khachatryan on future plans, news and
projects.

Yerevan Zoo park got a letter from the European Association of Zoos
and Aquaria (EAZA) where it was noted that Yerevan Zoo park has
become a candidate- member of the association. As a result of the
strict choice held , EAZA approved Yerevan Zoo park application. The
European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA) established in 1992 is
aimed at easing the cooperation among European Zoos and Aquaria on
education, research and environmental programs. EAZA is ready to
assist those Zoos who have intentions to improve animals habiting
conditions as well as the park management standards, besides lend a
helping hand to modernize the Zoos.

Yerevan Zoo park is scheduled to acquire tiger, zebra, ostrich,
subtropical butterflies and giraffe in coming year. The efforts are
underway.

From: Baghdasarian

Trend, Azerbaijan
Sept 27 2012

European Commission ex-president: Stability in South Caucasus is vital

Azerbaijan, Baku, Sept. 26 / Trend M. Aliyev /

The stability in the South Caucasus is very important for the EU,
ex-president of the European Commission, Luxembourg’s former State
Minister Jacques Santer said at the international conference ‘Bridge
laying’ in Baku today.

However cooperation on democracy, human rights and freedom is
important, he said.

“Azerbaijan and the EU closely cooperate in education, environment,
defence and other issues,” he added.

He stressed that the role of civil society in cooperation is very important.

He added that Azerbaijan is a tolerant country, open to the world. It
has become an important centre of energy and infrastructure.

Santer supports the peaceful settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 per cent of Azerbaijan since 1992,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The
co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group – Russia, France and the U.S. – are
currently holding peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council’s four
resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the
surrounding regions.

From: Baghdasarian

Trend, Azerbaijan
Sept 27 2012

Deputy FM: Nagorno-Karabakh negotiations between Azerbaijan and
Armenia suspended

Azerbaijan, Baku, Sept.27 / Trend, S.Agayeva /

Negotiations between Azerbaijan and Armenia on Nagorno-Karabakh are
suspended, Azerbaijani Deputy Foreign Minister Araz Azimov told
journalists on Thursday.

He said meetings of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs are periodically
held on different levels.

However, the negotiation process is not held to address concrete
issues in a certain time and on a daily basis.

From: Baghdasarian

Trend, Azerbaijan
Sept 27 2012

Turkish ex-premier: cooperation between Azerbaijan and Turkey
guarantees peace in region

Azerbaijan, Baku, Sept. 27 /Trend M. Aliyev/

The pendency of Armenian Azerbaijani Nagorno Karabakh conflict is
completely linked with Armenia’s position, but time works against
Armenia, Turkish ex premier Mesut Yilmaz told journalists on Thursday.

“Yerevan can’t further hold this position, it will lead to loss”, Yilmaz said.
He also noted that cooperation between Azerbaijan and Turkey
guarantees peace and prosperity in the region, settlement of
international problems.

“Unity of our efforts will provide peace in the region”, Yilmaz said,
adding that military cooperation between Azerbaijan and Turkey is
currently at high level.

Ex premier noted that Armenia’s policy in recent past caused
deterioration of relations between Baku and Ankara, but “we managed to
overcome it”.

He said realization of joint projects such as Baku Tbilisi Kars
railway road will take relations between countries to even higher
level.

In Yilmaz’s words, since his last arrival to Baku in 1998 the city has
dramatically changed.
“I congratulate Azerbaijani nation in this regard. Turkey is proud
with today’s Azerbaijan”, ex premier added.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 per cent of Azerbaijan since 1992,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The
co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group – Russia, France and the U.S. – are
currently holding peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council’s four
resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the
surrounding regions.

From: Baghdasarian

Today’s Zaman, Turkey
Sept 27 2012

Aramean community: Our only concern is disappearance of mother tongue

27 September 2012 / ELA DEMIR, Ä°STANBUL

A member of Turkey’s Syriac (Aramean) community, Sait Susin, has said
the main concern of the Aramean people in Turkey is the prospect of
the disappearance of their mother tongue.

The Ministry of Education in July rejected a request by the Aramean
community to open its own kindergarten and deliver education in their
mother tongue on the grounds that the community is not designated a
minority in the Constitution.

The request marked a first in the history of the Republic of Turkey.
The community submitted a petition to the Ä°stanbul branch of the
Ministry of Education on June 6 and received a response rejecting
their request on July 26.

The 1923 Treaty of Lausanne, the main agreement regulating minorities
in Turkey, recognized only the Jewish, Armenian and Greek Orthodox
communities as minorities. These groups were given legal rights to
establish foundations and deliver education in their languages.

After the rejection of their request by the Ministry of Education, the
Aramean community made the same request of the Private Schools General
Directorate, to ensure that the Syriac language would be offered at
least by private schools.

Susin indicated that the biggest problem faced by the Aramean
community is their inability to teach their mother tongue to new
generations. Susin, who also heads the Ä°stanbul-based Syriac Kadim
Community Foundation, stated: `Our problems are in Turkey and their
solutions are also in Turkey. We did not even want to apply to court
[regarding the rejection of our request for education in our mother
tongue]. But if we fail to get a positive response from the Private
Schools General Directorate, we will have to go to court, albeit
unwillingly.’

He noted that there is a more democratic environment in Turkey today
than in the past, and that they are now able to discuss issues with
state officials which could not be raised 10 years ago.

Over the past several years, Turkey has taken significant steps and
made a series of reforms to ensure that different ethnic and religious
groups in the country enjoy broader cultural and political rights.

`Our only goal is to keep the Syriac language and our church, as the
representative of our community, alive. We are the children of this
country, we were born here, we grew up here. We don’t have any other
homeland to go to,’ Susin added.

There are roughly 25,000 Arameans in Turkey, and 85 percent of the
population lives in Ä°stanbul. Susin remarked that the Syriac language
dates back 5,000 years, and was named as such after Arameans converted
to Christianity.

Schools offering education in the Syriac language in provinces such as
Mardin and Å?anlıurfa were closed down after 1928. Today, Arameans can
receive education in their mother tongue at the Deyrulzafaran
Monastery in Mardin. However, the education offered to primary school
students at the monastery is provided by Arameans who are not trained
teachers. Susin fears that if the teaching of the Syriac language
continues this way, there is a risk that the language will die out.

Another difficulty experienced by the community is having only one
church in Ä°stanbul. The Arameans sometimes perform their prayers in
the churches of other religious communities, and on Sundays Arameans
hold masses with the Roman Catholic community in Moda, Bakırköy,
YeÅ?ilköy, KocamustafapaÅ?a, Kumkapı and Kınalıada.

Noting that they are the only religious community in Turkey in need of
a church, Susin said they experience problems at the churches of other
religious communities due to the timing of and differences in
religious rituals.

Concerning the political representation of minorities in Turkey, Susin
said there is a pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) deputy,
Erol Dora, in Parliament who claims to be from the Aramean community
but that Dora is not in fact a representative of the Aramean
community.

He said if his community were to attempt to have a representative
elected to Parliament, political parties would not allow that
representative to stand for election in a region where he or she would
have a chance of success.

He said there are six Aramean deputies in the Swedish Parliament. The
six are the children of Arameans who emigrated from Turkey after the
1950s.

Susin complained that although Arameans have been living in Anatolia
for 5,000 years, they are not allowed to enter the military or be
employed in state administration.

`This disturbs us very much,’ he added.

From: Baghdasarian

Today’s Zaman, Turkey
Sept 27 2012

Armenians call on Habertürk editor-in-chief to return church as gesture

27 September 2012 / SEVGI AKARÇEÅ?ME, Ä°STANBUL

Members of the Armenian community in Turkey have called on journalist
and Habertürk daily Editor-in-Chief Fatih Altaylı to return a church
in Van he inherited from his grandfather, after Van’s Directorate of
Cultural Affairs inquired as to the owner of the historic church,
known as `Seven Churches,’ in the village of Yukarı Bakraçlı, during a
restoration project.

Stating that the church had belonged to his grandfather, Altaylı
commented: `No one has asked me anything on the matter. I would give
any necessary authorization [to the state]. If the state asked me to
sell it, I’d sell it. What am I going to do with a church?’ He also
added that he does not have sufficient financial resources to restore
and maintain the church privately.

Altaylı’s ownership of the ruined Armenian church has sparked a debate
in social media, particularly among Armenians and liberals. Activist
Hayko BaÄ?dat, who started a campaign over social media calling on
Altaylı to return the church, told Today’s Zaman, `Because Altaylı is
a known figure in society he can provide a window of opportunity to
discuss what happened to the properties of Armenians who are no longer
[living in the region].’

BaÄ?dat was critical of Altaylı’s remarks regarding the sale of the
church, stating, `Whose church are you selling to whom?’ He called on
the public to examine how the property of Armenians who left these
lands in the past has been redistributed.

Garo Paylan, an activist working for an Armenian civil society
organization, told Today’s Zaman that there are 2,000 Armenian
churches left in Turkey today, with 1,500 of them in villages and
small towns and badly in need of restoration. `The Seven Churches,
which is now owned by Altaylı, is one of the rare, historical churches
in relatively good shape,’ stated Paylan, adding, `None of the
original owners of these properties are alive.’

Describing the news of Altaylı’s ownership of an Armenian church as a
`striking example and tool to make us talk about the transfer of
properties in Anatolia, which is hardly talked about in Turkey,’
Paylan hopes to raise awareness among the public on the transfer of
Armenian properties without the consent of the original owners.

Referring to the TaÅ?oran Armenian Church in Malatya, now owned by the
state, Paylan said: `No foundation able to inherit is left for this
church. No one can claim it, despite the government’s step [towards
returning the properties of minorities]. But if the state wants to, it
can be returned to the Patriarchy, or other Armenian institutions.’

BaÄ?dat noted that a campaign to collect signatures calling on Altaylı
to return the church has been initiated.

From: Baghdasarian

Goal.com, India
Sept 27 2012

Armenian striker Yura Movsisyan’s life has gone full circle as he
stars in Russia

The attacker decided not to wait for his U.S. citizenship, but his
agent says a return to Major League Soccer in the near future is a
real possibility despite success in Europe

27-Sep-2012 3:20:00 PM
By Frank Dell’Apa

Yura Movsisyan was good with his family’s move to California. He was
12 years old, and, after moving from his birthplace in Baku,
Azerbaijan, to various places in Europe, Movsisyan was getting used to
relocating.

After settling in Pasadena, though, Movsisyan was thinking he could
stay close to home to compete in MLS. But being selected by Kansas
City in the MLS draft meant Movsisyan would be on the move again.

Two seasons with the Wizards. Two-plus seasons, including an MLS Cup
title, with Real Salt Lake. Two seasons with Randers FC in Denmark.

Now, Movsisyan, 25, is in his second year with FK Krasnodar, and
leading the Russian Premier League with eight goals in nine matches.

Movsisyan’s impressive start to the season is setting up some
interesting scenarios. Russia’s big clubs – Anzhi Makhachkala, Dynamo
Moscow, Lokomotiv, and Zenit Saint Petersburg – have expressed an
interest in Movsisyan. At this pace, Western Europe is also going to
be taking notice.

But Movsisyan is not automatically going to pack up and go to the
highest bidder. Partly because that bidder might well be right where
he is. Krasnodar players earn plenty, thanks to club president Sergey
Galitskiy, an Armenian-Russian business magnate.

`They haven’t been in the mood to sell him and they certainly have the
resources to keep him,’ said Patrick McCabe, Movsisyan’s agent. `The
question is, is he going to stay in Russia? That’s difficult to answer
right now, because salaries outside of Russia are much lower. And he
has added more value to this club – when they paid $3.5 million
(2.7m) for him they didn’t have high expectations, and he has
outperformed them.’

McCabe returned this week from a meeting with club officials after
watching Movsisyan knock in two goals in a 6-1 victory over Mordovya.

`They are going to make a strong effort to keep him,’ McCabe said of
Krasnodar. `At the same time, the money you can earn in Russia is
beyond what can be made with some [English] Premier [League] clubs.
He’s 25 now and he knows he doesn’t have a long career, so he wants to
make the most of it and do what’s right for his family. He wants to
play in the Champions League or Europa League, but it’s also a
business decision. This is a job he has to do for himself and his
family.

`He took a big risk when he went on a free transfer from Salt Lake to
Denmark. That’s when he put himself on the map.’

Movsisyan was a 22-year-old starting striker back then, alongside
Robbie Findley, as Real Salt Lake won the MLS Cup title in 2009.
Movsisyan scored eight goals in 2009 bringing his overall tally to 20
goals in 83 appearances for Kansas City and RSL. Movsisyan turned down
what McCabe termed `a strong effort to keep him’ by RSL, going to
Randers FC.

Movsisyan soon committed to play for Armenia’s national team, just
before Krasnodar was gaining promotion. There were unusual
circumstances – Krasnodar had finished in fifth place, but
higher-placed clubs could not meet first division standards. Krasnodar
needed a striker and Galitskiy tapped into his Armenia connections to
recruit Movsisyan.

So, Movsisyan’s life has gone nearly full circle, as he moved to
Krasnodar, near the Black Sea, less than 1,000 miles from his
birthplace in Baku.

Last season, Movsisyan hit 14 goals in 37 appearances as Krasnodar
finished in 10th place.

`I knew if I came in and scored goals things would be good for the
club and myself,’ Movsisyan said in a phone interview. `And now, for
me as footballer, a soccer player, basically I’m scoring and I’m used
to scoring goals.

`It is very competitive. There are world-class teams and there are
good strikers playing in this league – Aleksandr Kerzhakov [Zenit],
Roman Pavlyuchenko [Lokomotiv]. Any of them could be the top
goalscorer, so I am happy to be on top alone. It’s enjoyable to see,
especially playing in a club like this, which is a new club.

`I would say I am getting extra attention from teams. I’m playing well
and they know who I am and my ability. Every game I try to be more
precise with my chances. Maybe, before, I would get three or four
chances and score one. Right now, one or two is enough to score.’

This could be a breakthrough season for Movsisyan. He has displayed
potential since emerging as a 17-year-old playing for Arsenal FC in
Los Angeles. The next year, after performing for Pasadena City
College, Movsisyan became the No. 4 pick in the 2006 MLS draft.

In his first season with the Wizards, Movsisyan produced 0 goals in 10
appearances. Movsisyan had five goals in 18 games before being sent to
RSL in 2007.

`No one predicted he would have come as far as he has,’ McCabe said of
Movsisyan. `His game has developed over the past two years, playing on
the national team, Euro qualifying – I think he got a regular run of
games. The first year, he didn’t play at all in Kansas City. Only in
Salt Lake did he get regular playing time, and even then he wasn’t
starting every game because Findley and [Fabian] Espindola were there,
and that frustrated him.

`At Randers he played January to December, basically the full game, 90
minutes, every game, and with the national team. His confidence was
high. He played as a lone striker with Randers and Armenia, and they
were not that strong, offensively, and so they play on the break. And
that suits his strengths. His hold-up game has improved, he’s
developed his finishing. He always had speed and one-on-one ability.
But a lot of people didn’t think Yura would pan out – he showed
flashes of speed and strength, athleticism, but was he going to be
consistent enough? His goals to games ratio was not that great.

`He had to put it all together and, now, his maturity as a person has
helped. When he was young he was prone to frustration and wanted to
play all the time. He didn’t understand what he needed to do.’

Fate, politics and socio-economics have taken Movsisyan on some long journeys.

The Movsisyan family moved to the U.S. seeking asylum, which was not
approved until Movsisyan turned 19. Before that, Movsisyan `was a
person without a state – he didn’t have a passport, only a refugee
travel document,’ McCabe said.

But Movsisyan was all right with staying in southern California for
football and he was planning to play for the USA.

Then came the draft. Chivas USA would have selected Movsisyan with the
fifth pick, according to McCabe.

`(Former Chivas coach) Bob Bradley was a big fan of his,’ McCabe said.

Bradley then became national team coach. But Movsisyan lost patience
awaiting citizenship and also felt the pull of his homeland.

`Definitely, I did have a chance to play for the U.S., it was a matter
of time,’ Movsisyan said. `But I just decided I wanted to play for
Armenia, just because I like to represent my country, and I think
Armenia could use help, they could use my services a lot more than the
U.S. That’s why it was the right decision to play for Armenia.’

Movsisyan’s wife and two children, could someday re-trace the steps
which brought him to the U.S.

`Yura’s an adventurer,’ McCabe said. `He’ll go where the interest is.
He’ll take a risk and he bets on himself – he doesn’t lack confidence.
He would like to come back to MLS, and not too late in his career.’

But stability is not a bad idea, either. The Russian league is healthy
financially. The Winter Olympics will be held at nearby Sochi and the
country is preparing for the 2018 World Cup.

`For weather, this is probably one of the best places in Russia,’
Movsisyan said. `Of course, with the Olympics and World Cup, things
will definitely progress and cities will become more developed and
things will get better. There will be newer buildings. Right now, it’s
pretty nice just because the football is going good. No complaints at
the moment.’

Armenia is placed in a difficult World Cup qualifying group and will
meet Italy in Yerevan October 12.

`We’ve got a win and a loss, which is not too good,’ Movsisyan said of
qualifying.

`But we have a very young team and these games against Italy, Denmark
and the Czechs are just going to make us better. It’s a good group and
a talented group of guys. Now, everyone has a chance in football –
football is so diverse and any team can beat any team at any time.

“Playing at home gives us a boost. There will likely be a lot of
people in the stands cheering us on. We want to make a good showing
but we can’t forget they were a finalist for the Euros.’

From: Baghdasarian

Politics.hu, Hungary
Sept 27 2012

Why Hungarian nationalists should be mad that Armenia is still so mad at Hungary

By Erik D’Amato

A statement yesterday by the Hungarian foreign ministry that it has
`not much else’ to offer Armenia to help mend the diplomatic relations
shattered by the Ramil Safarov affair suggests that the Hungarian
government is really trying to draw a line under the ugly split.

I doubt it will work. Despite Hungary’s ongoing attempts to squelch
the inferno of Armenian rage at the release and subsequent pardoning
of the Azerbaijani axe-killer, the Armenian government and members of
the large worldwide diaspora of Armenians seem united in their
unwillingness to cool off.

Contrast this with the reaction in Hungary and among Hungarians
abroad, who early on divided along partisan lines, with the left
lashing out at the Orbán government for springing Safarov, allegedly
as part of a deal with Azerbaijan involving monetary benefits for
Budapest, and the right defending the government.

While such a split among Hungarians is quite predictable, I can’t help
but find it incongruous, because there are good reasons why Hungarian
nationalists of the sort that have backed the government throughout
the controversy should be its biggest critics on the issue. Indeed, of
all the countries that a nationalist Hungary should be cultivating
good ties with, Armenia should be near the top of the list, for
reasons of both principle and practicality.

One (literally) graphic illustration of why is offered by the pair of
maps reproduced above. On the left, you’ve got a demographic map of
the ethnic Hungarian minority in Transylvania, and on the right, one
of Nagorno-Karabakh, the break-away ethnic Armenian enclave within
Azerbaijan.

The two situations are obviously not identical. As a percentage of the
population of Armenia, Nagorno-Karabakh (4%) is much smaller than the
population of Hungarians living in Transylvania (12%). And relations
between Hungary and Romania (or Slovakia, the other neighboring
country with a large Hungarian minority) are on their worst day miles
better than between Armenia and Azerbaijan on their best.

Still, the parallels are striking, and if there is any country in
Europe (last year it began negotiations to become an associate member
of the EU) that can identify with the challenges Hungary faces in this
area, it is Armenia.

Meanwhile, for those who doubt whether Armenia has the clout to
actually help Hungary and its ethnic kin abroad, the answer is yes. In
the US, the `Armenian lobby’ is widely seen as one of the top three
such ethnic lobbies (the Cubans and Jews are the others). And it is
not just in the US that the Armenian Diaspora flexes its political
muscle.

But now, rather than that muscle being flexed on behalf of the
Hungarian nation, it will be flexed against Hungary and the
Hungarians. And it should be Hungarian nationalists – rather than
their `internationalist’ rivals on the left – who should be the most
enraged by the supposedly nationalist government that has allowed this
to happen.

From: Baghdasarian

EU News
Sept 27 2012

Press statement by Commissioner Åtefan Füle following his meeting with
Tigran Sargsyan, Prime Minister of Armenia

Reference: MEMO/12/717 Date: 27/09/2012

In out talks with the Prime Minister we had discussed a substantial
agenda focusing on how to accelerate reform and modernization in
Armenia for the benefit of the citizens and the country and on how the
EU can support those changes.

We are building on solid foundations: there have already been some
very positive changes in Armenia. We recognized this by allocating an
additional ?¬15 million to Armenia under the `more for more ‘principle
of the reviewed European Neighbourhood Policy.

We have signed short while ago two agreements launching ?¬43 million of
support to help Armenia’s institutions prepare for political
association and economic integration with the EU. And we have
discussed ways of bringing Armenia’s international partners together,
to focus external assistance on the most urgent national reforms.

Wherever I look we are making progress: on visa facilitation and
readmission or in other areas like our negotiations on an Association
Agreement, including a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area. This
Agreement is of utmost importance in moving our relationship to a
higher level. It goes far beyond normal free trade agreement. Through
the Association Agreement the EU will open up portions of its acquis
related to the internal market. But beyond this it encompasses changes
that affect citizens in their daily lives, in areas like consumer
protection, air quality, or road safety.

More importantly this Agreement is about sharing values. It is about
freedom which unlocks the full potential of women and men. Offering
them protective umbrella of high democratic standards and real
guarantees for their rights.

The list of issues we discussed goes further. We spoke about the
matrix of priority reform actions, as a useful tool to summarize the
most urgent reforms and how to turn it into an effective instrument of
support for Armenia’s reform process. We also talked about the role of
the Group of Experts in this and also about increasing role of the
civil society monitoring this process.

One of the most important priority reforms is in the area of
democracy. With representatives of government and opposition, I will
be discussing a number of specific recommendations from the OSCE/ODIHR
which we would like to see implemented before the Presidential
elections next year. Successful elections really matter ` without them
the continuous reform which we want to see would be interrupted and
the country’s unity of purpose could be undermined.

From: Baghdasarian

EX-LEADER TER-PETROSSIAN UNLIKELY TO RUN FOR PRESIDENT – HERITAGE REP.

PanARMENIAN.Net
September 27, 2012 – 18:06 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – The secretary general of Heritage party is skeptical
about the possibility for the former Armenian president, Armenian
National Congress (ANC) opposition bloc leader Levon Ter-Petrossian
to enter the 2013 presidential race.

“The decision might be explained by the hard times ANC is having. I
don’t believe Ter-Petrossian will choose to leave having gained 5-6%
of votes, looking back to furor his coming into politics caused,”
Stepan Safaryan said.

However, the Heritage official found it hard to name ANC’s future
presidential candidate.

From: Baghdasarian