Author: Baghdasarian Karlen

Artsakh Defence Army: Azerbaijan has 14 victims and 20 wounded in a week

15:48 – 24 / 01 / 2015

According to the information by Artsakh Defense Army, Azerbaijani side
violated the ceasefire regime for about 1800 times and more than
20.000 shots were recorded towards Armenian border keepers.
Azerbaijani side also attempted various sabotages on the whole line of
the border. And as a result of these sabotages, Azerbaijani side
suffered losses and was withdrawn

Azerbaijan keeps information about the victims and Azerbaijani
authorities does not let any information be available for public about
their failures on the frontline.

Artsakh Defense Army announces that during the passing week, as a
result of its actions, Azerbaijan has had at least 14 victims, more
than 20 wounded servicemen. Two vehicles are demolished.

Artsakh Defense Army protects the borders of Motherland and answers
the enemy in necessity.

From: Baghdasarian

“Azerbaijan says to the world that the conflict has no peaceful
resolution” (video)

16:36 | January 24,2015 | Politics

In the interview with “A1+” turning to the incidents on the border and
frequent subversive operations by the rival, former Deputy Minister of
Defense Vahan Shirkhanyan notes, “Azerbaijan does all these to show
those countries, which have promised to resolve the conflict in favor
of Azerbaijan, that the conflict has no peaceful resolution.
Azerbaijan will unite those powers, which say that they support
territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.”

Mr. Shirkhanyan thinks that the meeting of Aliyev with German
Chancellor Angela Merkel was directed against Armenia.

From: Baghdasarian

Process Started: Consequence of Murder in Gyumri

Igor Muradyan, Political Analyst
Country – 24 January 2015, 15:28

The mass media informed that the police of Stavropol is investigating
the murder of the serviceman of the Russian internal forces who was
stabbed in an incident at one of the cafes of Mineralnye Vody, Russia.
According to preliminary information, military and civilians started
quarreling.

Four military and four civilians were quarreling. During the brawl one
of the servicemen, Sidorenko, was stabbed, and the “group of
civilians” ran away, the Gazeta informed. The stabbed man died
immediately. Mikhail Grigoryan born 1991 is suspected of stabbing the
man. Ten people have been arrested.

Such murders are never accidental and do have a motive. This case
looks like an echo to the murder in Gyumri. In other words, one murder
against 7 murders in Gyumri, at least compared with the severity of
the crime.

The motive of the murder in Gyumri was racism and hatred for the
Armenian people. Apparently, the same motive was in Mineralnye Vody.

It is clear that the murder in Mineralnye Vody was provoked in a similar way.

As a politician said, the process has started. If the crime committed
in Gyumri is not politicized, it will need to be “nationalized”. It is
necessary to choose or it is already too late to choose.

From: Baghdasarian

ANSA Notiziario Generale in Italiano
January 24, 2015 Saturday 8:07 PM CET

Centenario genocidio armeno,guerra tattica Turchia-Armenia

1,5 milioni morti, Ankara lo nega e vuole frenare riconoscimento

ANKARA

(ANSA) – 24 GEN – Senza sorprese a poche settimane dal centenario
dell’inizio del ‘genocidio armeno’ del 1915-16 perpetrato dalla
Turchia ottomana è iniziata una guerriglia diplomatica e dei
comunicati fra Ankara ed Erevan.

L’Armenia, e la sua importante diaspora sparsa per il mondo, sperano
di ottenere molti nuovi riconoscimenti internazionali del “genocidio”
– con lo sterminio secondo diversi storici di 1,5 milioni di armeni da
parte del governo nazionalista dei ‘giovani turchi’. La repubblica
della Mezzaluna, fondata da Mustafa Kemal Ataturk sulle rovine
dell’impero dei sultani nel 1923, continua a negare che si sia
trattato di un “genocidio”, e vuole limitare i danni diplomatici che
teme possa causare l’impatto emotivo del centennale. Per cercare di
distrarre l’attenzione del mondo, accusa l’Armenia, dalle cerimonie
organizzate a Erevan il 24 aprile prossimo – la Chiesa armena potrebbe
dichiarare ‘beati’ centinaia di migliaia di vittime dello sterminio –
Ankara ha cosi deciso di anticipare di due giorni le celebrazioni
dell’anniversario della battaglia dei Dardanelli del 1915 finora
ricordata ogni anno il 25 aprile.

Quest’anno la Turchia celebrerà invece la vittoria sugli Alleati
franco-britannici-australiani-neo-zelandesi dal 23 al 25 aprile. E
proprio il 24 il presidente islamico turco Recep Tayyip Erdogan ha
proposto a 102 capi di stato e di governo un ‘vertice per la pace’ a
Istanbul. Erdogan ha perfino invitato il presidente armeno Serzh
Sargsyan. Che non l’ha presa bene. I due paesi limitrofi non hanno
rapporti diplomatici, divisi non solo dallo scoglio del “genocidio” ma
anche dall’appoggio di Erevan alla minoranza armena nel conflitto del
Nagorno-Karabah in Azerbaigian, mentre Ankara si è schierata con i
‘fratelli’ turcofoni azeri.

L’anno scorso, Erdogan aveva fatto un gesto verso Erevan, inviando il
24 aprile le proprie condoglianze ai discendenti degli armeni morti
nel 1915-16. I dirigenti turchi negli ultimi anni hanno tentato
aperture diplomatiche verso l’Armenia, ma senza spostarsi di un
millimetro sulla questione del “genocidio”. Nella risposta a Erdogan,
Sargsyan non ha usato i guanti. Ha denunciato un “tentativo grossolano
di distrarre l’attenzione della comunità internazionale dalla
commemorazione del centennale del genocidio armeno” con
l’anticipazione delle cerimonie turche per Gallipoli. E ha ricordato
che il genocidio armeno “ha aperto la strada all’Olocausto nazista e
ai genocidi perpetrati poi in Ruanda, Cambogia e Darfur”, invitando la
Turchia ad avere il coraggio di ammettere il genocidio e a liberarsi
così di un “pesante fardello”.

Da qui ad aprile le pressioni in questo senso su Ankara dovrebbero
accentuarsi. Diversi parlamenti in tutto il mondo già hanno
riconosciuto il genocidio. Quello francese ha anche chiesto che
penalmente sia punibile il ‘negazionismo’. Come per il genocidio degli
ebrei. E l’Europarlamento da tempo ha definito il riconoscimento del
genocidio armeno da parte della Turchia come un pre-requisito per una
sua ipotetica futura adesione all’Ue.

From: Baghdasarian

TURQUIE-ARMENIENS
L’opposant turc affirme que les autorités s’apprêtent à rendre des
terres aux Arméniens de la diaspora

L’un des plus célèbres opposants de Turquie, Oktay Vurak du parti > a selon s’interroge l’opposant
politique turc qui n’est pas à sa première déclaration.

Krikor Amirzayan

samedi 24 janvier 2015,
Krikor Amirzayan (c)armenews.com

From: Baghdasarian

IS UNDERWAY IN AZERBAIJAN

Friday, 23 January 2015 09:10

On January 13, 1990, the massacre of Armenians started in Baku, which
lasted a week. It was stopped only on the seventh day, after the
Soviet troops entered the city. The tragedy in Baku cost the lives of
hundreds of Armenians.
And hundreds of thousands of them were made refugees, leaving in Baku
the results of their decades-old work, their homes, and even
documents. After 25 years, Chairman of the NKR Union of Refugees
Sarasar Saryan recalls the roots and lessons of the crime.
, Sarasar Saryan touches upon the historical roots of
the developments. Throughout the period of the Soviet power, a policy
of expelling Armenians was carried out in the proper Nagorno Karabakh
Autonomous Oblast in a half-hidden way and more obviously in the
Azerbaijani territories. In the perestroika years, the policy was
conducted more extensively. In 1988-1990, it reached its peak.
Azerbaijan was cleansed from Armenians, or one of its main obstacles
for establishing a homogeneous state. The Chairman of the NKR Union
of Refugees agrees with this approach partially. “If we consider that
Armenians constituted one of the weightiest and most organized
minorities in the Azerbaijani territory, so we can say that in this
sense, yes, Baku got rid of a heavy burden”, he said. But, even in
this case, it is early for the authorities in Baku to celebrate a
victory. Even after the series of crimes Azerbaijan did not become a
unitary state. And currently it is like a powder keg, which can
explode from a spark.
From: Baghdasarian

Decline in copper prices to affect US dollar inflow – Armen Martirosyan

15:42 * 25.01.15

In an interview with Tert.am, Vice-Chairman of the Heritage party
Armen Martirosyan commented on the decline in the world copper prices.

As to possible influence on Armenia’s economy, he said that it will
cause a decrease in US dollar inflow into Armenia and affect the
related economic sectors.

“Since the mining industry is our priority exporting sector, with
copper and molybdenum being the key factors, profits are expected to
decrease. In its turn, this sector will not finance the other
sectors,” Mr Martirosyan said.

Workers’ incomes will be reduced, which will inevitably affect trade
and services in the sector.

Armenia receives US dollars from three sources: money transfers (which
have shown a decrease),
investments and international grants (which have shown a serious
decrease) and export.

“We are now seeking to be at a distance from European markets, which
is has been a means of attracting foreign exchange. We are developing
toward the Russian market, which is in a rather poor state. So both
oil prices and this orientation will affect the country’s economy and
inflow of US dollars.”

From: Baghdasarian

EVS: MY ARMENIA EXPERIENCE

EuroNews, EU
Jan 23 2015

22/01 14:58 CET

My name is Jan and I come from Slovakia. Before coming to Armenia,
I had just obtained my Bachelor’s degree in Psychology in my home
country. So I decided to take a break from my studies and change from
learning to doing something more practical and getting some more real
experiences. I love travelling and meeting different cultures.

Therefore, volunteering through EVS (European Voluntary Service)
at KASA Swiss Humanitarian Foundation seemed to be a great opportunity.

Since I came to Armenia, many people have asked me why I chose Armenia
for my volunteering service and to be honest, it was because I knew
almost nothing about Armenia. I considered it a good opportunity
to explore a place which was unfamiliar to me. I started collecting
information about Armenia, its culture, traditions, and got really
interested in the country. And there were two very important factors
(for me) that helped me to make up my mind; firstly, hiking is possible
almost everywhere, and hitch-hiking is “strawberry raspberry” (jahoda
malina – a Slovak expression for describing something as an easy). So
doing something helpful for the Armenian society while volunteering
and having a good time in the region – all while engaging in my
beloved hobbies seemed to be a good choice.

I didn’t have any specific expectations or illusions about Armenia. I
just wanted to be somehow surprised after arriving in Yerevan. But
actually, I was not surprised, or at least not at the beginning. I
could say that I was surprised by the fact that I wasn’t surprised! Of
course, the architecture is different, the people look different, but
Yerevan is a modern city inhabited with people who have modern habits.

After a period of observation, the differences became more clear
to me. That is the moment when you see the real value of visiting a
foreign country.

The Marshrutka minibus (a form of public transport) was one of my most
interesting discoveries here in Armenia. I have heard some Armenians
complaining about the behaviour of their compatriots on board, but my
Marshrutka Experience (which I’ll refer to from now on as M.E.) says
NO to this! Let me explain…

ME No.1

On a marshrutka you always pay after ride. And the first thought I had:
how is it possible that they don’t just run away?!

ME No.2

Young people always offer their seat for elderly people. Actually,
to be honest, in Slovakia you can also find young people who offer
their seat to elderly people, but often the latter feel offended by
the fact that they are perceived to be old.

ME No.3

Random people act as cashiers on the marshrutkas. Try giving 100 AMD
(the fee for 1 ride on public transport in the Armenian currency)
to random people in Europe and the money would never reach the driver.

ME No.4

The sitting passengers on a marshrutka often carry the handbags, cases,
and computers of standing passengers who are completely unfamiliar
to them. If I imagine offering to help carry somebody’s bag in my
country, they would think I had other intentions…

I understand that this experience is not really an objective way to
judge Armenian society, but my impression is that Armenian people
are very respectful to each other. They are also proud, confident,
loud…very loud =) but always with respect.

Apart from discovering Armenia through my Marshrutka Experience,
I have learnt a lot while volunteering for the “Young Citizens of
Armenia” project. This project aims to introduce the idea of active
citizenship to the young local people while giving them a neutral
platform to reflect on their own role as an active citizen of Armenia.

The project has a number of activities that aim to contribute to the
goal of the project, including discussions clubs where I am actively
involved. I am also co-animating its English club while preparing and
leading discussions on different civil society development topics,
including the environment, governance, and so on. This is a great
opportunity to learn about Armenian civil society and to encourage
the young people attending the discussion club to develop their own
understanding and approach to the notion of active citizenship in an
atmosphere with a plurality of opinions. I am also really happy for
this opportunity to get first-hand experience and knowledge about
Armenia while meeting and communicating with a number of people with
diverse backgrounds that are visiting our club.

And now, I am left with a 6-month countdown to my departure day
from Armenia and I will use this period to further explore this
unique country, its people, places and many other things I haven’t
discovered yet.

From: Baghdasarian

IL COLLEGIO VOLTA DI LECCO RICORDA IL GENOCIDIO ARMENO

LeccoNotizie.com, Italia
21 gen 2015

LECCO – “Chi parla ancora oggi dell’annientamento degli armeni?”.

L’affermazione è di Hitler, pronunciata nel 1939 alla vigilia
dell’invasione della Polonia.

Oggi fortunatamente sono ancora molti coloro i quali sono disposti
ad affrontare l’argomento, tanto più in questo inizio di 2015, anno
che coincide con il centesimo anniversario appunto dei massacri degli
armeni, il cui genocidio si riferisce in realta a due eventi distinti
ma legati tra loro.

Il primo è relativo alla campagna condotta dal sultano ottomano
Abdul-Hamid II negli anni che vanno dal 1894 al 1897, mentre il
secondo si collega alla deportazione e alla successiva eliminazione
degli armeni negli anni 1915 e 1916.

Il termine genocidio viene in effetti associato soprattutto a questo
secondo episodio, commemorato dagli armeni il 24 aprile di ogni anno.

In occasione dunque del centenario dei massacri e in concomitanza
con le celebrazioni del Giorno della memoria con cui si ricordano,
oltre alla Shoah, anche gli altri genocidi del XX secolo, il Collegio
Volta di Lecco organizza una settimana tematica sul genocidio armeno.

Il primo momento di approfondimento e riflessione è previsto per
lunedì 26 gennaio, quando gli studenti della seconda classe del
Liceo scientifico – accompagnati dal loro docente di Lettere –
faranno visita alla comunita armena di Milano.

In particolare presso Hay-Dun, la “Casa Armena” che nel capoluogo
lombardo ha sede in piazza Velasca, i lecchesi incontreranno Marina
Mavian, presidente dell’associazione, e avranno l’opportunita di
ascoltare una conferenza, organizzata appositamente per loro, del
professor Aldo Ferrari, armenista dell’Universita Ca’ Foscari di
Venezia, direttore del programma di ricerca Caucaso – Asia Centrale
dell’Ispi di Milano e consulente per il ministero degli Affari esteri.

Al termine della lezione la classe del ” Volta” visitera i locali
della Casa e ascoltera la testimonianza di Marina Mavian, la quale
raccontera la storia della sua famiglia.

From: Baghdasarian

MERKEL: GERMANY WISHES TO MEDIATE KARABAKH PEACE PROCESS

Interfax, Russia
Jan 22 2015

BAKU. Jan 22

Germany stands for peaceful resolution of the Armenian-Azeri conflict
over Nagorno-Karabakh and seeks to make a personal contribution to
that process, German Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel said.

“Germany wishes to be a mediator in the settlement of this conflict.

We believe the Council of Europe, the European Union may put forth a
related initiative and make a certain contribution to the settlement
of the conflict. Therefore, Azerbaijan will hold negotiations with
the European Commission,” she said at a joint press conference with
the Azeri president in Berlin on Wednesday.

Germany is a member of the OSCE Minsk Group and it supports
negotiations between the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia mediated
by the Minsk Group co-chair countries – France, Russia and the United
States, the chancellor said. “We think there is only one way to resolve
this conflict, a peaceful one. Frequent violations of ceasefire are
obviously a negative factor. In my opinion, Russia plays a certain
role here. I’d just like to mention that,” Merkel said.

Te

From: Baghdasarian