Author: Baghdasarian Karlen

FARS News Agency, Iran
January 28, 2015 Wednesday

Iran Wants Removal of Traders’ Problems in Armenia

TEHRAN (FNA)- Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in a
meeting with his Armenian counterpart Edward Nalbandian called for the
further expansion of bilateral ties, and underlined the need for the
removal of the problems facing Iranian businessmen and prisoners in
that country.

“I hope that the problems of Iranian businessmen and prisoners in
Armenia will be resolved,” Zarif said during the meeting in the
Armenian capital on Tuesday night.

The Iranian foreign minister hoped for the greater presence of Iranian
traders in Armenia’s market

Zarif underlined that Iran prioritizes expansion of relations with its
neighbors, and said, “Iran and Armenia have age-old relations and the
Iranian nation has always had intimate relations with the Armenian
expatriates in Iran and across the world.”

The Iranian foreign minister, meantime, pointed to cooperation among
Iran, Russia and Armenia in the construction of a railway network
between the two countries, and said, “I hope that the executive works
of this project will be expedited.”

The Armenian foreign minister, for his part, underlined that his
country deems the broadening of ties with Iran as highly important,
and said, “The bilateral meetings between the two countries’ senior
officials have been very constructive and effective.”

Nalbandian pointed to different projects implemented by the two
countries, and said, “I hope that the problems in this regard will be
removed.”

Zarif arrived in Yerevan on Monday to confer on the latest
developments in the region and explore new ways for the promotion of
bilateral relations.

Zarif’s two-day visit to Armenia took place at the formal invitation
of his Armenian counterpart.

The Iranian top diplomat and his accompanying delegation met with
Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan, Nalbandian and Prime Minister Hovik
Abrahamyan.

Iran and Armenia have taken major strides towards widening and
deepening of their relations in recent years, particularly in the
economic sector.

From: Baghdasarian

Daily Sabah, Turkey
Jan 29 2015

Armenian patriarchate establishes foundation

DOGAN NEWS AGENCY

The Armenian patriarchate based in Istanbul has founded the Hovakim
1461 Foundation in a move to gain a new legal status for financial
transactions.

The foundation, named after the first Armenian patriarch after the
conquest of Constantinople (Istanbul) by the Ottomans, will be chaired
by Armenian Archbishop Aram AteÃ?Â?yan and other senior clerics from the
patriarchate.

The Armenian patriarchate had previously faced legal obstacles as it
was not recognized as a legal entity, especially in terms of acquiring
and running properties to obtain revenues and relied on donations to
maintain itself. The foundation, whose establishment was approved by a
court, will set a precedent for similar moves by the patriarchate.

According to the foundation’s charter, it will acquire properties,
cooperate with other foundations and run businesses to sustain the
activities of the patriarchate ranging from holding seminars to
publishing books and magazines.

Armenian and Greek Orthodox patriarchates do not have legal entity
under Turkish law although the courts relieved the restrictions on
patriarchates to both buy and operate properties. For instance, in
2014, an Istanbul court ruled in favor of the patriarchate for the
return of a historical building confiscated from the patriarchate by
defining it as a legal entity.

Minority religious communities like Greek Orthodox and Armenians long
faced an obstacle in acquiring new properties under a 1936 regulation
that prevented them from purchasing or being donated new properties. A
2008 amendment removed this obstacle and a comprehensive bill enacted
in 2011 allowed the return of properties seized from the minorities to
be returned.

From: Baghdasarian

International Medical Travel Journal
Jan 29 2015

ARMENIA, HUNGARY: Entrepreneurs promote dental tourism to Armenia

Three young Armenian entrepreneurs are promoting dental tourism to
Armenia, as they see potential.

The three young entrepreneurs Gor Hovakimyan, Artur Gasparyan, and
Ashot Khourdgaryan, are seeking financial backing in Russia to expand
the initiative, as the start up cash they have is very limited.

While Armenia offers quality dental services and is competitive by
international standards, it has got little business, as the country is
an unknown compared to market leader Hungary. Armenia is much cheaper
than Hungary or the Czech Republic, but that can work against the
business as customers worry why the price is so low.

A small handful of businesses in Armenia have websites advertise that
claim they provide dental tourism services. But in practice most are
local clinics with daily walk-in clients, and may not have any
international business at all. One or two clinics do advertise
internationally. Dental Tourism Armenia is a clinic in Yerevan that
has an English website.

The new business is Dental Travel Armenia. It seeks to promote dental
tourism to Armenia by working with dental tourism agencies in Europe
to direct some of their business to Armenia.

Dental Travel Armenia already has a website in English where potential
customers can talk to dentists in Armenia, get information regarding
the types of dental treatment available, and see what various
procedures will cost.

The website allows customers to rate their dentists in terms of
quality of service, allowing new clients to choose a dentist according
to their rating.

Gor Hovakimyan explains, “We don’t have a dental clinic to promote. We
collaborate with everyone. Quality is our standard. We work with ten
clinics in Armenia that we researched in detail, interviewing the
dentists.”

The target markets are customers in Germany, UK, France, Italy, USA
and Canada. Overseas customers are collected and returned to the
airport and receive a dental cleaning, both for free.

The biggest problem for Armenia is that it is further away than
competitors, with much longer flight times.

Medical tourism news
29 January 2015

From: Baghdasarian

Zhoghovurd: Prosecutor general’s father to take over consular office?

11:30 * 29.01.15

The paper says it has learned from sources that Prosecutor General
Gevorg Kostanyan’s father is going to be appointed Armenia’s consul in
Odessa.

Surik Kostanyan, who was the president of a first-instance court in
Yerevan’s Shengavit administrative district, was quite recently
suspended from office based on his personal notice. Health reasons are
claimed to be reasons behind his decision.

The paper questions how a man, who isn’t healthy enough to officiate
as a judge, can represent a country as a consul in a foreign state.

“Such a thing can happen only in Armenia. In our reality, the offices
of ambassadors, consuls and advisors have turned into good-will
[presidential] decrees,” the paper comments.

From: Baghdasarian

Haut-Karabagh
Selon un groupe de défense américain, le Karabagh est partiellement libre

Le Haut-Karabagh reste un territoire > régie par
une administration moins répressive que l’Azerbaïdjan, a déclaré hier
le groupe de défense des droits des États-Unis Freedom House.

Freedom House a évalué les > et > dans 195 pays et 13 territoires contestés, y compris le Karabagh,
sur une échelle de 7 points, 1 représentant les plus libres et 7 les
moins libre. Elle a de nouveau évalué le Karabagh et l’Arménie comme
“partiellement libres” et maintenu l’Azerbaïdjan dans la catégorie >.

Bakou a reçu un score de 6.
From: Baghdasarian

Israeli President implicitly recognizes Armenian Genocide

01:25, 29 Jan 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan

Israeli President implicitly recognizes Armenian Genocide during
General Assembly Holocaust memorial.

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin told the UN General Assembly on
Wednesday that “cynical” accusations against Israel of genocide and
war crimes harm the world body’s ability to fight the real thing.,
Haaretzreports.

Speaking at the assembly’s ceremony marking International Holocaust
Remembrance Day, Rivlin mentioned the 1915 Armenian Genocide – the
killing of more than one million Armenian nationals by Turkey – which
is not recognized as genocide by Israel.

Rivlin called on the United Nations to set red lines beyond which it
would intervene to stop acts of genocide. He then said:”At the same
time we must remember that the setting of red lines requires us to
stop diluting and cynically exploiting them in the name of pseudo
objectivity, as is done in the rhetoric of human rights with the use
of terms such as ‘genocide’ for political purposes.”

Citing the “disgraceful” UN resolution, later struck down, that
equated Zionism with “its greatest enemy” racism, Rivlin continued:

“Nonetheless, absurd comparisons such as this one, which we as
Israelis are exposed to constantly… not only confuse the ally with the
enemy, but they undermine this house’s ability to effectively fight
the phenomenon of genocide.”

From: Baghdasarian

Turkey should engage with Armenia, not Armenian diaspora: Etyen Mahcupyan

18:43, 28 Jan 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan

Turkey should turn the centenary of the 1915 incidents into an
opportunity to engage with the Armenian state and society rather than
the Armenian diaspora, as the former is more open to dialogue, Turkish
prime ministerial adviser Etyen Mahcupyan has said, the Hurriyet Daily
News reports.

Mahcupyan said reciprocal steps by Turkey and Armenia on the centenary
of the 1915 events would change relations between the two states in a
“healing” way, adding that the initial phase should be between Turkey
and Armenia, rather than the Armenian diaspora.

“Armenia and its society are more ready to engage in with Turkey than
the diaspora. But because we hear the state’s voice and as the state
speaks as a state, it seems bold,” said Mahcupyan.

Stating that when one spoke to the people on the streets of Armenia,
one could understand that they are seeking closure, Mahcupyan said the
same was true for Turkey.

He added that although the two nations were the “children of the same
culture” and there was a “longing” between them, the world’s current
state system had drawn borders between nations, making inter-state
relations more formal and cold.

Mahcupyan said relations should be built starting from the informal
and societal level, rather than the state-to-state level, suggesting
women’s movements in the two countries coming together as an example.

From: Baghdasarian

Europe Online
Jan 28 2015

European court hears case of Armenian genocide denier

Europe
28.01.2015

Paris (dpa) – The European Court of Human Rights heard arguments
Wednesday in a case brought by a Turkish politician convicted of
racial discrimination in Switzerland for denying the existence of the
Armenian genocide.

Dogu Perincek, 72, called the idea of a genocide against the Armenian
people by the Ottoman Empire in 1915 an “international lie” during a
conference he attended in Switzerland as a member of the Turkish
Workers’ Party.

The remarks prompted a criminal complaint from the Switzerland-Armenia
association, and Perincek was found guilty in 2007 by a Lausanne court
of racial discrimination for his purported counter-historical
statements.

Perincek appealed to the regional court on the grounds that the
decision in Switzerland violated his freedom of expression.

Wednesday’s proceedings were partially overshadowed by media interest
in one of the members of counsel for the defence, human rights lawyer
Amal Clooney, whose husband is the well-known actor George Clooney.

While a decision in the case is not expected for many months, the
hearings underscore political tension around the genocide even as
100th anniversary commemorations are organized.

More than 20 countries have officially recognized the genocide as a
historical event, while many Turkish leaders vehemently deny it.

Between 1 million and 1.5 million Armenians are believed to have
perished during systematic executions and forced labour carried out by
the Ottoman Empire in 1915.

The European Court of Human Rights was set up in 1959 to rule on
alleged violations of the European Convention on Human Rights. It is
not part of the European Union institutions.

From: Baghdasarian

Daily Sabah, Turkey
Jan 28 2015

The changing mindset of Turkish state

NAGEHAN ALÇI @Nagehanalci

I have some bad news for those who, driven by a categorical sense of
hostility against the Justice and Development Party (AK Party), want
to present Turkey as if it were under the administration of a
self-enclosed government that is moving away from the West. This news,
which is rather hard to swallow, is also for those who invent lies
that the government joins hands with al-Qaida and who accuse President
Recep Tayyip ErdoÄ?an of anti-Semitism due to his firm stance against
Israel’s offensive in Gaza.

My first news item concerns a ceremony that is being held today, Jan.
27, a date that was set by the U.N. in 2005 as an international day of
commemoration in memory of Holocaust victims. The ceremony, which is
being held at Bilkent University, is being attended by a top-level
parliamentary delegation for the first time, as well as
representatives of the Jewish community, to condemn the Holocaust.
Parliamentary speaker Cemil Çiçek, who recently went to Prague to
attend commemoration ceremonies, is taking part in this ceremony as
well. Even though these ceremonies were previously held in synagogues,
they were taken outside synagogues for the first time last year, when
the ceremony was held at Kadir Has University.

Another point to emphasize is the state’s revolutionary approach to
the Armenian issue and the message that was published on the 1915
incidents on the Prime Ministry’s website. As you might remember, on
April 24, 2014, then prime minister, President Recep Tayyip ErdoÄ?an
issued quite a historic message to offer his condolences to the
descendants of Armenians who lost their lives during the 1915
incidents. This message clearly indicated that the mentality of denial
policies as a stereotyped reaction of the state for years changed
considerably and this issue went beyond a taboo for the state. The
message said, “It is a duty of humanity to acknowledge that Armenians
remember the suffering experienced in that period, just like every
other citizen of the Ottoman Empire. In Turkey, expressing different
opinions and thoughts freely on the events of 1915 is the requirement
of a pluralistic perspective as well as of a culture of democracy and
modernity.”

Another message that was published by the Prime Ministry this year on
the eighth year commemoration of the assassination of Hrant Dink shows
that the same mental transformation continues. I advise Turkish
readers to read Ali BayramoÄ?lu’s relevant article in Yeni Ã…?afak. The
message read: “Having already underscored the inhumane consequences of
the relocation policies essentially enforced under wartime
circumstances, including that of 1915, Turkey shares the suffering of
Armenians and, with patience and resolve, is endeavoring to
re-establish empathy between the two peoples. … Our desire to share
in the pain, to heal the wounds and to re-establish friendships is
sincere. Our course is set toward a horizon of friendship and peace.”

This statement and top-level participation in the commemoration
ceremony indicates that Turkey has taken up a principled position
toward the atrocities of past while the message regarding the 1915
incidents points to the fact that the state is undergoing a crucial
mental transformation.

From: Baghdasarian

Daily Sabah, Turkey
Jan 28 2015

Armenia faces Turkey over genocide denial case

DOGAN NEWS AGENCY

Turkish politician DoÄ?u Perinçek confronted a defense team for Armenia
at a hearing at the European Court of Human Rights yesterday in France
over his denial of the Armenian genocide. The hearing failed to
produce a verdict on whether Perinçek’s denial constituted freedom of
expression

The highly anticipated appeal hearing of Switzerland and Armenia’s
case versus Turkish opposition politician DoÄ?u Perinçek was held in
Strasbourg, France on Wednesday

Perinçek was convicted by a court in Switzerland, where denying the
Armenian genocide is criminalized, for his remarks branding the
genocide “an international lie” in that country. He argued that the
denial was in line with his freedom of speech and took the case to the
European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR). The court had ruled in his
favor in 2013, but Switzerland appealed the verdict. Armenia had
requested to join the lawsuit as co-plaintiff. The country was
represented by a defense team that includes lawyer Amal Alamuddin
Clooney, better known as the wife of Hollywood superstar George
Clooney.

After hearing the sides, the Grand Chamber of the ECtHR adjourned the
trial to announce its verdict at an unspecified date in the near
future.

Clooney said at the hearing that the lower chamber of the ECtHR had
not taken documents from 1915 into account when it issued the ruling
in favor of Perinçek. She claimed the previous ruling “cast doubt on
the reality of genocide.” In the ruling she was referring to the
European court’s judges upholding Perinçek’s right to question the
genocide, as it was a matter of public interest and did not comment on
the reality of the genocide.

She said that the Ottoman Empire, which signed the Sevres Treaty in
1920 with the Allied powers, had promised to bring the perpetrators of
the killings of Armenians to justice. Mrs. Clooney further went on to
say that Talat PaÃ…?a, a senior Ottoman official in World War I, had
admitted to the genocide, citing a New York Times article from that
period that says Talat PaÃ…?a, a member of a powerful triumvirate
governing the Ottoman Empire during the war, decided to expel the
Christian community from Turkish territories.

Perinçek countered her claim and said Talat PaÅ?a was not convicted and
neither was he subject to any trial. He went on to say that Britain
had launched an inquiry into allegations of genocide and closed the
case on genocide due to a lack of any tangible evidence.

He said, on the contrary, Talat PaÃ…?a worked with the Armenians in the
1908 revolution against the Ottoman sultanate. He cited a book written
by Armenia’s first prime minister, Ovanes Katchaznouni, who spoke
about a conversation with Talat PaÃ…?a and said PaÃ…?a told him they
wanted to resolve any problems between Turks and Armenians in a
peaceful way.

In the events that led to the present case, Perinçek, at various
conferences in Switzerland in 2005, rejected allegations that the
events of 1915 and the following years in the Ottoman Empire amounted
to “genocide” of the Armenian people.

The Switzerland-Armenia Association filed a criminal complaint against
him. Perinçek was tried by the Lausanne Police Court in March 2007. He
was found guilty of racial discrimination and fined.

Many Armenians argue that denying allegations that the events of 1915
constituted “genocide” should be a crime, just as negating the
Holocaust is. In 2003, the National Council of Switzerland, the
country’s parliament, recognized the events of 1915 as “genocide.”

Turkey officially refutes this description, saying that although
Armenians died during relocations many Turks also lost their lives in
attacks by Armenian gangs.

A Swiss Appeals Court subsequently confirmed Perinçek’s sentence.
Perinçek then appealed to the Federal Tribunal, the highest court in
Switzerland, which also confirmed the sentence.

In 2008, Perinçek appealed to the ECtHR in Strasbourg, claiming that
the Swiss courts had violated his rights, including that to freedom of
expression. He demanded compensation of 140,000 euros for moral and
financial damages, as well as court expenses.

Separately, Turkey has called for a joint Armenian-Turkish research
project into the events, making use of the archives in both countries,
to establish the facts.

In April 2014, President Recep Tayyip ErdoÄ?an, who was prime minister
at the time, offered condolences for the Armenian deaths that occurred
in 1915 – a first for a Turkish leader. The move was seen as a
significant step toward a possible reconciliation.

From: Baghdasarian