Author: Baghdasarian Karlen

SNIPERS SHOT 7 PEOPLE IN NOR GYUGH, AN ARMENIAN NEIGHBORHOOD

September 12, 2012 16:21

According to the information of , around one hour ago,
7 people were killed and wounded in an Armenian neighborhood in Syria
called Nor Gyugh. There is one child and one disabled person among
them. Supposedly, they are all Armenians.

Our sources report that the incident took place near a building
bearing the name of Kilikia. Nor Gyugh is one of the biggest Armenian
neighborhoods, in which many Armenian families live. 90% of residents
are Armenians.

According to some information, there are 4 snipers hidden in that
neighborhood whom Syrian law-enforcers cannot manage to catch.

The funeral of 4 Armenians killed yesterday was today.

Lusine BUDAGHYAN

From: Baghdasarian

WHO HOLDS UP INVESTIGATION INTO MARCH 2008 CLASHES?

11:37 am | Today | Politics

Both the radical opposition and the authorities in Armenia are waiting
for an independent investigation into the ten deaths of March 1,
2008 post-election clashes.

Vachagan Farmanyan, the father of Armen Farmanyan, one of the ten
victims, says although four years have passed after the events, the
murders have not been revealed. The desperate father says they do not
pin hopes on anyone to disclose the murders. Even the idea of power
change does not excite them.

“We live in complete despair, without any hope. We do not believe
anyone,” Vachagan Farmanyan told A1+.

The father says he would feel consoled if any opposition or government
representative visited his son’s burial site.

Mrs. Ruzanna, the mother of serviceman Tigran Abgaryan, also seeks
consolation.

“No one cares to open the case and read it. After Mr. Vachagan
Harutyunyan closed it and put into the drawer, no one cared to take
it from the archive and have a look,” says the mother.

Mrs. Ruzanna’s hopes eventually died out when her husband died after
two strokes. He had advised Mrs. Ruzanna to spare her nerves as no
one was going to help her.

“This uncertainty kills me. I can no longer endure it,” said Mrs.

Ruzanna who has been living alone for a year. Her elder son is in
Russia and daughter is married.

“I would like to talk to Mr. Robert Kocharyan, Serzh Sargsyan and
Levon Ter-Petrosyan. I want to ask them the reasons for my son’s
death,” she said.

To our inquiry whether the investigation was progressing, the Special
Investigation Service declined to answer.

From: Baghdasarian

BUILDING COLLAPSE PROMPTS STREET CLOSURE

12:30 pm | Today | Social

A non-residential building reportedly collapsed in the village of
Nerkin Tsakhkavan in Tavush marz on Sept. 12.

On arriving at the site, a local task group found the front wall of
the house partially collapsed, with the fallen stones blocking the
road and making it partly impassable

Rescuers have closed the dangerous section of the road. The regional
governor’s office was reported about the collapse.

From: Baghdasarian

ANOTHER PROTEST ON RAMIL SAFAROV EXTRADITION IN MOSCOW

ARMENPRESS
13 September, 2012
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 13, ARMENPRESS: On September 14 a protest action
will take place in Moscow’s Krasnopresnenskaya Zastava Square against
the extradition of the Azerbaijani murderer Ramil Safarov by the
Hungarian authorities to Azerbaijan and his pardoning and giving
a “national hero” by the Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. As
Armenpress was informed by the Union of Russian Armenians, members
of the State Duma of the Russian Federation, political and public
figures, Russian Non-Governmental Organizations and representatives of
the Armenian community will deliver speeches during the protest action.

The Union of Russian Armenians held a rally on September 7 as well
in front of the Hungarian Embassy to the Russian Federation.

On February 19 2004 in Budapest Azerbaijani assassin Ramil Safarov,
who axe-murdered Armenian officer Gurgen Margaryan while sleeping,
when they were participating in NATO English Language Courses in the
capital of Hungary, was sentenced to life imprisonment without right
to be pardoned for 30 years. On August 31 2012 Safarov was extradited
from Hungary to Azerbaijan and was pardoned by the President Ilham
Aliyev. The murderer was advanced to mayor, provided with an apartment
and given “national hero” and compensated for the 8 years of the
imprisonment in Hungary. Armenia suspended diplomatic relations
with Hungary.

From: Baghdasarian

AZERBAIJAN LOST ANY PROSPECT OF ITS BEING RELIABLE PARTNER – ENVOY

PanARMENIAN.Net
September 13, 2012 – 12:50 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Hungary has a lot to do to make up for the release
of convicted murderer Ramil Safarov, the Armenian Ambassador to Greece
and Cyprus, Gagik Ghalatchian, has said, according to Cyprus Mail.

Worldwide, the Armenian community has been protesting the release
of Safarov, an Azeri officer who hacked to death Armenian officer
Gurgen Margaryan in Hungary back in 2004. The two men were attending
a NATO-run English language course. Safarov was sentenced to life
imprisonment in Hungary but was sent back to Azerbaijan where he was
recently pardoned. On return to Azerbaijan Safarov was welcomed as
a hero, pardoned, promoted to the rank of major, and paid wages for
the eight years he was in jail.

“Hungary should apologize to the international community and Armenia
and should undertake such measures that are equivalent to the slap
received from Azerbaijan,” Ghalatchian said. “Otherwise, we will
continue considering this unfriendly gesture towards Armenia was a
deliberate and motivated action,” he said.

“We believe that with this act Azerbaijan once again, and this time
ultimately, lost any prospect of its being a reliable partner in
the eyes of the international community. We hope, and we are working
[towards] that direction, that the international community finally
stops the policy of false parity,” Ghalatchian said. He said that
the international community, “the United Nations, OSCE, EU, Council
of Europe, CSTO, NATO, the US., Russia, France and dozens of other
countries and organizations responded to this incident and expressed
their support to the Republic of Armenia.”

“But this is just the beginning of a process, he said. Armenia is
also going to raise the issue legally in the “competent institutions”
in relation to Azerbaijan and Hungary’s actions,” Chalatchian said.

From: Baghdasarian

COMMUNIQUE:VISITE OFFICIELLE DE JEAN ASSELBORN EN REPUBLIQUE D’ARMENIE

Gouvernement Luxembourgeois
Sept 11 2012

Sur invitation du ministre des Affaires etrangères de la Republique
d’Armenie, Edouard Nalbandian, le Vice-Premier ministre, ministre
des Affaires etrangères du Luxembourg, Jean Asselborn, a effectue
une visite officielle a Erevan, le mardi 11 septembre 2012.

Le Vice-Premier ministre luxembourgeois a ete recu en audience par le
president de la Republique d’Armenie, Serzh Sargsyan. Des rencontres
bilaterales avec le Premier ministre, Tigran Sargsyan, ainsi qu’avec
le chef de la diplomatie armenienne, Edouard Nalbandian, ont egalement
eu lieu.

Les discussions ont tout d’abord porte sur les relations bilaterales,
les deux côtes se felicitant de l’excellente qualite de celles-ci. Le
ministre Asselborn a annonce que le Grand-Duche du Luxembroug
est dispose a accrediter un ambassadeur non-resident auprès de
la Republique d’Armenie dans un futur proche. Dans les domaines
economiques et commerciaux, plusieurs pistes ont ete explorees afin
d’approfondir les relations entre les deux pays, relations qui sont
actuellement deja regies par un accord de non-double imposition,
un accord culturel, ainsi que par un accord UEBL-Armenie sur la
promotion et la protection des investissements.

La situation dans la region a egalement fait l’objet des entretiens.

Tout d’abord, et dans le contexte de l’extradition d’un officier
azeri, Ramil Safarov, condamne a la prison a perpetuite par la justice
hongroise pour le meurtre d’un officier armenien a Budapest en 2004 et
gracie par les autorites azerbaïdjanaises immediatement a son retour
a Bakou, les relations bilaterales entre l’Armenie et l’Azerbaïdjan,
ainsi qu’avec la Hongrie ont ete abordees. Le ministre Asselborn a
exprime ses sympathies au peuple armenien, soulignant “qu’un homme,
qui a commis un meurtre d’une telle cruaute, ne devait pas etre
celebre comme un heros”.

Les discussions ont egalement permis de faire le point sur la
situation dans la region du Haut-Karabakh. A ce sujet, le chef de
la diplomatie luxembourgeoise a rappele que l’Union europeenne (UE)
est attachee aux principes de Madrid et apporte tout son soutien
au groupe OSCE de Minsk. De facon generale, l’UE est attachee a
un Caucase du Sud politiquement stable et economiquement prospère,
a conclu le ministre Asselborn.

Les relations bilaterales entre l’Union europeenne (UE) et l’Armenie,
actuellement regies par un accord de partenariat et de cooperation
(PCA), ont egalement ete abordees. Les relations UE-Armenie ont ete
approfondies par la politique europeenne de voisinage (PEV) par le
biais d’un plan d’action national. Les negociations en vue d’un accord
d’association, cense remplacer le PCA, ont ete lancees en juillet 2010,
cet accord ayant pour but d’approfondir l’association politique et
l’integration economique avec l’UE. En complement, les negociations
en vue d’un accord de libre-echange approfondi et complet (DCFTA)
ont ete lancees en debut d’ete 2012. Lors des entretiens, le ministre
Asselborn a evoque les negociations en vue d’un accord de facilitation
de visa et de readmission, premier pas vers la liberalisation de visa,
signalant que des progrès dans ce domaine devraient bientôt pouvoir
etre realises.

Les grands dossiers de l’actualite politique europeenne et
internationale ont egalement ete abordes, dont notamment les derniers
developpements au sein de la zone euro suite a la decision de la
Banque centrale europeenne (BCE) d’agir plus activement sur le marche
obligataire. Le ministre Asselborn s’est dit confiant que les mesures
prises par la BCE apaiseront les tensions sur les marches financiers
et aideront a consolider la confiance. La situation actuelle en Syrie
ainsi que le dossier nucleaire iranien ont egalement figure a l’ordre
du jour.

Communique par le ministère des Affaires etrangères

From: Baghdasarian

HUNGARIAN MPS SUPPORT AZERBAIJAN ON OFFICER`S RELEASE

Azer News
September 12, 2012 Wednesday

Hungarian MPs support Azerbaijan`s decision on the pardon of military
officer Ramil Safarov — who was extradited to his home country after
serving part of his life sentence in Hungary for killing an Armenian
officer in Budapest in 2004, two of the country`s lawmakers said
at a recent meeting with Azerbaijani Ambassador Vilayat Guliyev,
the Azerbaijani embassy said.

Marton Dyondoshi, deputy chairman of parliamentary committee on foreign
affairs, who met with Ambassador Guliyev along with MP from Jobbik
party in the Hungarian parliament Tamas Heqedus, said most of the
people who protested in Budapest over the decision of the Hungarian
authorities to extradite the Azerbaijani officer do not know about
the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the occupation of
Azerbaijani lands and the real reasons for the killing of the Armenian
officer by Safarov.

Dyondoshi said the leaders of political parties are trying to use such
protests to their advantage. The MP added that he tried to clarify
the issue in his interviews with Hungarian media.

Ramil Safarov hails from Jabrayil, one of Azerbaijan`s regions that
are under Armenian occupation. Safarov, 35, who participated in NATO
exercises in Hungary, was charged with the murder of the Armenian
officer, Gurgen Margaryan, who insulted the Azerbaijani flag, and
was handed down a life sentence by a Budapest court. Safarov was
extradited to his home country on August 31 and on the same day he
was pardoned by President Ilham Aliyev.

From: Baghdasarian

PRESIDENT OF ALL-RUSSIA AZERBAIJANI CONGRESS ASKS MOSCOW MAYOR TO PREVENT ARMENIANS RALLY

APA
Sept 13 2012
Azerbaijan

“This rally might cause burst of ethnic conflicts between Azerbaijanis
and Armenians, not only in Moscow but also through the whole territory
of Russia”

Moscow. Farid Akberov – APA. Mammad Aliyev, The President of
All-Russian Azerbaijani Congress, academic of Russian Academy of
Medical Sciences and Russian Academy of Sciences has sent a letter to
Mayor of Moscow Sergei Sobyanin on upcoming rally of the organization,
calling themselves as “Armenian youth organizations of Moscow” on
the extradition of Azerbaijani officer Ramil Safarov. APA’s Moscow
correspondent reports that according to the letter placed on the
website of the congress, the challenges on the rally in connection with
the extradition of Azerbaijani officer Ramil Seferov by the Hungary
leadership at 13.00 in Moscow’s Krasnopresnya square were placed on
social networks and Armenian Internet resources: “The organizers of the
rally introduce themselves as “Armenian Youth Association of Moscow”
and some information resources as “Russian-Armenian Union”. According
to information, the rally was agreed with the Moscow major and besides,
representatives of Armenian Diaspora, public figures, politicians
and deputies of the State Duma will participate in the rally.”

President of All-Russian Azerbaijani Congress noted that interethnic
relations require the most balanced and sensitive approach towards
transformation of the conflict of non-ethnic nature to Russian
territory. The All-Russian Azerbaijani Congress considers the situation
as potential danger.

“On behalf of a large Azerbaijani Diaspora in the Russian Federation
I ask you to prevent this rally. This rally may cause burst of ethnic
conflicts between Azerbaijanis and Armenians, not only in Moscow but
also trough the whole territory of Russia”.

From: Baghdasarian

AZERI PRESIDENT, TURKISH PM COMMENT ON GAS PROJECT, VISA, ARMENIA

Turan news agency
Sept 12 2012
Azerbaijan

Qabala, 12 September: During the talks with Prime Minister Erdogan,
the Turkish side was informed about the situation around the Karabakh
settlement. Azerbaijan thanks Turkey for its support in this matter.

This was said by the head of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev at a joint news
conference with the Turkish prime minister in [Azerbaijan’s] Qabala.

A special place in the talks belonged to the issue of economic
cooperation, with the priority at the energy sector. “After the meeting
in Izmir important events happened; we signed an agreement on the TANAP
[gas pipeline] project, which has received a lot of support in the
international arena. I hope that it will be implemented in five years
and Azerbaijani gas will go through Turkey to Europe,” said Aliyev.

Another important project is the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railroad. Some
neighbouring countries and partners want to join this project and it
is a very positive development, Aliyev said.

Another issue discussed was military-technical cooperation; in this
field there has been a great advancement in recent years.

Negotiations on all these issues were a success and the discussions
were held with full understanding and support to each other, said
Aliyev.

In turn, the Turkish prime minister said today that bilateral trade
is 3.5 billion dollars a year, and in 2015 it will reach 5 billions,
and by 2020 this figure will reach 20 billions.

He recognized the importance of the development of economic cooperation
on the TANAP project. He also cited the joint TASMUS project involved
in the field of defence communications.

The railroad between [Azerbaijan’s exclave] Naxcivan and [Turkey’s]
Igdir will be also important because it will connect these border
regions of the two countries, Erdogan said.

During the briefing, Ilham Aliyev was asked about the possibility
of lifting the visa regime for citizens of Turkey. Aliyev said that
the topic was discussed and the sides decided “to gradually achieve
this goal”. Thus, for certain categories of people – businessmen,
scientists and famous figures – special treatment will be applied.

After settling internal procedures and mechanisms, Turkish citizens
will be able to visit Azerbaijan without a visa.

On the question of TANAP, Aliyev said that this project is open to
third countries that may share in it.

As to the further route of gas after Turkey, it can go to Europe via
Bulgaria or Greece. These are technical issues and now [Azerbaijan’s
state oil company] SOCAR is discussing them with its partners “to
choose the safest and most cost-effective route”, said Aliyev.

In conclusion, Erdogan was asked about Ankara’s position on the
Karabakh conflict settlement and the probability of opening the border
with Armenia. The Turkish prime minister said that until a solution
to the conflict is found “and the issue of release of one or two
areas is resolved, the issue of opening the borders cannot stand”.

“Our position is that Armenians must withdraw from all the occupied
territories, and we will continue to support Azerbaijan and its just
position,” concluded Erdogan.

From: Baghdasarian

ARMENIAN STUDIES PROGRAM CO-HOSTS NOVELIST JANIGIAN SEPT. 19

US Fed News
September 12, 2012 Wednesday 1:39 PM EST

FRESNO, Calif., Sept. 12 — California State University Fresno issued
the following press release:

Aris Janigian will discuss his new novel, “This Angelic Land,” at 7
p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 19, at the Bonner Auditorium of the Fresno Art
Museum (2233 N. First St.). The free, public event is co-sponsored by
Fresno State’s Armenian Studies Program and the museum. Janigian’s
book is about a bar owner’s journey through Los Angeles during the
riots that followed Rodney King’s arrest. For more information call
559.278.2669.

From: Baghdasarian