Author: Baghdasarian Karlen

SERZH SARGSYAN HELD A RECEPTION IN HONOR OF THE MEMBERS OF THE ARMENIAN CHESS TEAM – THREE TIME OLYMPIAN CHAMPIONS

10.09.2012

The President of the Republic of Armenia, Chairman of the Armenian
Chess Federation Serzh Sargsyan held a reception in honor of the
members of the Armenian Chess Team – three time Olympian Champions. On
this occasion, there was also organized an award ceremony at the
Presidential Palace.

***

Congratulatory remarks by President Serzh Sargsyan at the reception
organized in honor of the Armenian Chess Team – three time Olympian
Champions

Dear Compatriots,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I once again cordially congratulate the members of the Armenian Chess
Team, trainers and our entire nation on winning for the third time
the champion title at the World Chess Olympiad in Istanbul.

Very few countries have been able to register success like this one in
the history of the Chess Olympiads, and that fact fills our hearts
with pride. To be more precise, only teams of the Soviet Union,
Russia and Armenia won the Olympiads for three or more times. The
Armenian chess players not only raised the Armenian tricolor for three
times to the Olympian heights but also reiterated the truth that we
can be powerful individuals as well as a united team. They continue
to inspire our society with the faith in its own strength and with
self-confidence. They prove with their own example that we can achieve
a lot, relying upon our intellect and collective consciousness.

Today, we are glorifying our heroes. They serve as an example not only
to the young people but for all. In a way, they symbolize our country,
the road our country and our people went down in the past and will go
down in the future. When we state that humans are the greatest resource
for our development, we mean human qualities just like these ones –
strong, competitive in the international field, and patriotic.

Great results through small means – that’s what we do, and they prove
it for the third time, leaving giants to trail behind.

I once again congratulate us all on the occasion of this brilliant
victory. This is much more precious for me than just a victory in
sports. This victory is a powerful message sent by our chess players
to our society and the entire Armenian nation that we are able of
accomplishing a lot. This is a message about our strong and, if you
will weak points too. This is a message to us all, on how one should
work, on what one should do and especially on what one shouldn’t do.

Let’s thank them for the moments of joy and pride that they present
to us repeatedly, also for the powerful and vigorous signals that
our society receives from them.

Thank you, guys,

Excellent job, I wish you success comparable with your modesty and let
the memory of Karen Asrian as your guardian angel, lead you towards
new victories.

Thank you once again, and I believe “thank you” is not the word to
be used here. You just accomplish your job as noble and true men and
it deserves a much more serious assessment, outstanding job, well done.

By the way, I turned on the TV for a couple of minutes and our
commentator was talking live with a member of the National Assembly
and a chess player. He asked why our chess players were not awarded the
hero titles since they really deserve it. Public, people in different
places talk about it, they say that the guys are true heroes. I am
confident that time for that will come too.

From: Baghdasarian

ARMENIAN HEADHUNT FOR AZERBAIJANI AXE-MURDERER?

EurasiaNet.og

Sept 11 2012
NY

As tensions continue to boil between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the
pardon of convicted axe-murderer Ramil Safarov, a poster campaign has
popped up in Yerevan calling on passers-by to hunt the Azerbaijani
army officer down.

Safarov, who was sentenced to life imprisonment in Hungary for the
2004 beheading of Armenian army Lieutenant Gurgen Margaryan at a
NATO training program in Budapest, was extradited to and freed in
Azerbaijan last month, causing shock and anger in Armenia.

Photos depicting Yerevan city buses bearing posters announcing an
“Open Season for Safarov Hunting” are making the rounds online. The
posters reportedly appear in various places throughout the city.

Yerevan certainly has upped the war rhetoric against Baku since
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s August 31 pardon of Safarov,
but no official has called publicly for taking Safarov out in a
Mossad-style operation. It is unclear who is behind the “hunting”
campaign, but any potential attempt to assassinate Safarov could,
arguably, push the situation over the edge. (International expressions
of concern, to date, appear to have had little visible effect.)

Some Armenian commentators say that the poster campaign is just a way
for many citizens to vent their anger about the pardon, but, given
the relentless propaganda campaigns on both sides, there can always be
someone who opts to take the calls to exterminate the enemy literally.

Safarov is walking proof of that.

From: Baghdasarian

U.S. EX-ENVOY BRYZA DISPELS “MIGHTY AZERI ARMY” MYTH

PanARMENIAN.Net
September 11, 2012 – 20:53 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Diplomats and analysts say that if another war
breaks out, it is likely to end in stalemate, according to Reuters.

“The Azeris can’t retake Karabakh now. They are militarily incapable of
doing it,” said Matthew Bryza, a former U.S. ambassador to Azerbaijan.

“I don’t think they could dislodge the Armenian forces from the high
ground. I think that’s extremely difficult.”

Yusif Agayev, an Azeri military expert and veteran of the war, said
there was no mood for a protracted fight.

“I think it would be a month or two, that is the amount of time our
armed forces could fight for. If it drags on longer then it will become
a war that society will have to participate in, not just the army,”
he said. “I don’t think the society of my country is ready for war.”

Both Bryza and Agayev remarks run counter to official statements by
Azeri leadership and media.

The official Baku keeps hailing Azeri army as the “mightiest in the
region,” which wouldn’t have any difficulty in seizing Karabakh and
even Armenia. Baku cites the “expertise” of Azeri soldiers as well
as major purchase and production of arms to prove its point. The
reality however is quite different, as proved by former envoy Bryza’s
statement.

Azeri media insists that the country’s society is ready to any
sacrifice to shed Armenians’ blood. Turns out, not so much, as Azeri
military expert’s statement proves.

As for international experts, many of them, including Turkish
specialists, named Armenian army as the most efficient in the region.

From: Baghdasarian

LE MONDE: MOSCOW’S REMARKABLE OFFER ON SYRIA

2012-09-11 15:13:18

Russia offers to organize a conference, which will gather all
actors of Syrian conflict – representatives of different state and
opposition communities, Russia’s Deputy MFA declared in an interview
with Le Figaro.

“We suggest our colleagues to organize a conference likewise
the conference which put an end to the civil war in Lebanon in
1990. It’ll gather state and opposition representatives as well
as representatives of Christian and other religious communities,”
Mikhail Bogdanov announced. “The conference will pursue the goal to
come out in peace from the crisis,” said he.

To note, the Geneva conference signed by UNO Security Council permanent
member activity group as well as by Turkey and Arabic state leagues
“is the only road map which we have at hand.” The loyal ally of
Damascus declared on Saturday, that works will be held on UNO SC.

According to Bogdanov “positions of the regime are still steady”
and “are very popular among the nation.” “We’ve never told that the
circumstance to maintain Asaad’s power is an ultimate condition for
negotiations. We say, that it’s not the concern of Russia or France
to make decisions instead of Syria’s President.”

From: Baghdasarian

SAFAROV DIVULGES MILITARY SECRET?

05:12 pm | Today | Social

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev granted a pardon not only to a
murder, but also a war criminal

This opinion was expressed by Hayk Demoyan, who was the representative
of Armenian Ministry of Defense during the Azerbaijani murderer Ramil
Safarov’s trial in Budapest in 2004-2006.

According to him, at the trial Safarov divulged a military secret. He
declared that in a Turkish military base in Northern Cyprus, he
learned to use various weapons, including an axe, to kill people.

“This is unprecedented information,” Hayk Demoyan said, noting
that this information should be voiced at NATO because soldiers of
Azerbaijan, which is not a NATO member state, get military training in
a military base of a country illegally occupied by a NATO member state.

From: Baghdasarian

KANSAS GUARD HOSTING ARMENIAN STUDY TOUR

armradio.am
11.09.2012 15:47

A delegation of Armenian officials is touring Kansas this week to
study systems for responding to emergencies and natural disasters,
AP reports.

Kansas and Armenia have had a civilian and military partnership
agreement since 2003. This week’s visit is being hosted by the Kansas
National Guard.

On Wednesday, the Armenians will tour the Shawnee County Emergency
Communications Center in Topeka and the police 911 call center in
Kansas City, Kan.

During their visit, the Armenians will also meet with staff of the
Kansas Joint Forces Headquarters to learn more about the National
Guard’s role in responding to emergencies.

From: Baghdasarian

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT TO DISCUSS SAFAROV CASE

HETQ
00:36, September 11, 2012

The European Parliament reports that it will refer to the case up
the of Azerbaijani axe-murderer Ramil Safarov, who was extradited
from Hungary on August 31and was later pardoned and released by
Azerbaijani authorities.

The European Parliament is expected to discuss the issue on September
13. The case of Safarov will be considered as part of the discussion
on fundamental freedoms, human rights and democracy in general.

The EP is expected to adopt a resolution on Safarov case.

From: Baghdasarian

HUNGARIAN PM CONTINUES TO JUSTIFY

NEWS.AM
September 11, 2012 | 13:07

BUDAPEST. – The Hungarian government’s decision on the repatriation
of the Azeri axe murderer was just, Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor
Orban said in parliament on Monday.

Orban noted that he rejected suggestions by the opposition Socialists
that financial considerations were behind the government’s decision
to transfer Ramil Safarov to his homeland, Politics.hu website reports.

He said the legal practice in Hungary “had always been and will remain
so” to allow a sentenced person to complete their punishment at home,
if their home country requests this.

Orban also said the government took into account the considerations
of international law and diplomacy.

To note, Hungary’s Socialists have called on the government to
disclose all documents pertaining to Safarov’s transfer and the
country’s ombudsman asked for a comprehensive report.

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

PERSONAE NON-GRATA
BY GAREN YEGPARIAN

asbarez
Monday, September 10th, 2012

Hungary, Azerbaijan, Armenians… the latest mess. What to make of
this all?

Armenians are rightly incensed at the heroification of an axe murderer
by his government, that of Azerbaijan. Although deep down no one is
surprised at this Azeri behavior, it might be considered ill-mannered
to actually say so… So what’s next? What to do?

Demonstrations are being held at Hungarian embassies and consulates
around the world (even the tiny Armenian community in India organized
one). In the Los Angeles area, the September 6 demonstration held
at the local consulate saw more than 600 people expressing their
disapproval of Hungary’s behavior. In this case, we got a two-fer. The
building housing that consulate also housed the Azeri consulate. So
it was extra fun. And, when a note was to be delivered, building
security blocked entry, even when the “messenger was Paul Krekorian,
one of the 15 city councilmembers who govern the city in which both
of these consulates are located. That’s pretty brassy!

But, it also suggests what one of class of actions we might pursue
might be!

Regardless of what you think of Hungary’s protestations of
innocence and ignorance (that Azerbaijan’s dictator-president
planned to unconscionably release of axe-murderer Ramil Safarov),
they did transfer a criminal serving a sentence to a country whose
governmental behavior is not the most stable. A government that is
high on oil-vapor, i.e. money. There is also the possibility that
this was an “I’ll scratch your back and you scratch mine” type of
arrangement with Azerbaijan buying billions of dollars’ worth of
Hungarian government debt. There’s also another factor. Currently,
the party in power in Hungary is from the right-wing segment of the
political spectrum.

These parties tend to be more nationalistic. So it is surprising that
given Hungarians’ experiences with the Turks, they did not connect
the dots so to anticipate that the Turks’ self-avowed “cousins,”
the Azeris, might do something internationally unacceptable, given
historic patterns of behavior. If either of these considerations has
merit, then regardless of whether the Hungarians knew exactly what
was coming, they have some atonement to do.

Of course there’s no question of Azerbaijan’s culpability in this
mess. I even saw a headline suggesting this might trigger war. Plus
who knows, this might just be the lever needed to pry apart Azerbaijan
from that part of the international community that is hung up on the
misrepresented “inviolability of border’s” that the Azeris use to
“support” their claim on Artsakh (as Harut Sassounian intimated in
his latest column).

So what can we do?

We should work on the local level- cities, counties, states (and
their equivalents in other jurisdictions and countries-villages,
towns, parishes, shires, provinces, etc.) to impose a cost -financial,
diplomatic, cultural, reputational, or whatever else we can come up
with- to show that this type of egregious, human rights and decency
violating action, will not go unnoticed, be quickly forgotten, or
end up imposing a heavy burden on the violators.

If you’ve got ideas on this front, please air them in whatever venue
you can find- a letter to the editor, a blog posting, even a Facebook
entry!

From: Baghdasarian

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY ADOPTED TOOTHLESS DOCUMENT

06:35 pm | September 10, 2012 | Politics

Political scientist Manvel Sargsyan says by adopting a statement
on the extradition and glorification of Azerbaijani murderer Ramil
Safarov the Armenian National Assembly shirked responsibility.

“This is really very dangerous. Our lawmakers neglected security
issues and gave birth to a toothless document. It seems that the
document was adopted in Turkmenistan or somewhere else,” said Mr.
Sargsyan.

The Director of the Armenian Center for Strategic and National Studies
says he was not surprised at Azerbaijan’s decision to pardon Safarov.

“Azerbaijan has been doing the same thing for 20 years. It is
attempting to impose its position on the world and make the impression
that they will never speak to Armenians about serious matters.”

Political scientist Alexander Markarov does not believe that Hungary
was taken unawares by Azerbaijan’s decision to release Safarov.

“The Hungarian side is not that naïve,” he stressed.

Manvel Sargsyan thinks that NATO and other international structures
will use Azerbaijan’s mistake to their advantage. “They will pressurize
Azerbaijan and force the country to get involved in certain programs.”

From: Baghdasarian