Author: Baghdasarian Karlen

ARMENIAN POP ARTIST CALLS FOR PEACE BEFORE CONCERT

Hurriyet Daily News
May 11 2012
Turkey

Armenian pop singer Nune Yesayan is in Turkey for a concert tonight
in Istanbul. Yesayan says this concert was one of the greatest dreams
of slain journalist Hrant Dink

Armenian pop singer Nune Yesayan will appear on stage tonight at 8:00
p.m. at Istanbul’s Lutfi Kırdar Convention and Exhibition Center,
despite lingering political strains between Turkey and Armenia,
and is issuing a message of friendship.

“Yes, the borders are politically closed, but our hearts are open. I do
not believe there are any boundaries in music,” Yesayan, who has given
many international concerts in the past, told the Hurriyet Daily News.

Yesayan said she does not know either Turkey, Turks, or the Armenians
of Istanbul, and she was nervous about the reception the concert
would receive.

“I will remain in Istanbul for four more days. There is a picture
of Istanbul I have created in my mind. Whether I will find that or
encounter completely different surprises, I do not know. Like all
tourists, Hagia Sophia and the Topkapı Palace are the first places
I would like to see,” she said, adding that her first concert in
Istanbul has great significance for her.

Yesayan has frequently been asked in the Armenian press whether she
harbored any fears about going to Turkey, and she said it was one of
the greatest dreams of Hrant Dink, a Turkish-Armenian journalist who
was assassinated in front of his Istanbul office on Jan. 19, 2007,
that she should give a concert in Turkey. “I am in Istanbul to realize
that dream.”

“There is no point in [harboring] enmity; new generations do not
think like the old anymore. Yes, there are great scars among the
Armenians in relation to the genocide, but this does not prevent us
from looking toward the future,” Yesayan said.

Yesayan is also interested in participating in a joint concert with
Turkish artists to be staged in both Turkey and Armenia, and said that
she would like to see such a concert dedicated to a peaceful future,
which she referred to as the “true victory.”

Proposal for joint concert with Hulya AvÅ~_ar

She received a proposal to appear in a joint concert with popular
Turkish artist Hulya AvÅ~_ar several years ago, through the Jewish
community, but turned the offer down, Yesayan explained. “Of course,
I would have liked [to have appeared in such a concert], but why
should the Jewish community act as a mediator between two neighboring
countries like Turkey and Armenia? That was what I could not get
myself to accept. I do not think we should need mediators,” she said.

Yesayan also denounced the rows that have occasionally erupted between
Turkey and Armenia over the identity and origins of common songs in
recent years, saying that songs have no ownership.

Despite the fact that her roots bear no connection to Anatolia,
Yesayan said she still harbors great sympathy for the region. “[My]
time is very limited now. I would like to journey eastwards and see
those places the next time I come around,” she said.

“What hurts me most deeply are the obnoxious statements [made]
against us [the Armenians]. Neither the Turks nor any other nation
in the world, not only ours, could accept the use of such obnoxious
language,” Yesayan said.

From: Baghdasarian

OPPOSITION ALLEGES IRREGULARITIES IN ARMENIAN POLLS

Institute for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR)
May 11 2012
UK

Election better run than previous ones, but Armenian National Congress
wants results cancelled.

By Gayane Lazarian – Caucasus
CRS Issue 641, 11 May 12

Armenian opposition parties, which collectively polled about a quarter
of the vote in the May 6 parliamentary election, have alleged electoral
fraud. However, analysts say their complaints may be undermined by
their decision to take up their seats, which can be seen as a de
facto to recognition of the result.

The opposition Armenian National Congress, ANC, headed by former
President Levon Ter-Petrosyan, won just seven per cent of the vote. It
announced on May 8 that it would be seeking an annulment of the
results at the Constitutional Court.

Despite this, Nikol Pashinyan, a senior figure in the party, said
those elected would still enter parliament.

Alexander Iskandaryan, director of the Caucasus Institute in Yerevan,
said the implication was that “the ANC agrees to work with other
parties, including the [winning] Republican Party”.

The Republican Party, headed by President Serzh Sargsyan, won 44 per
cent of the vote, while Prosperous Armenia, part of the governing
coalition until now, came second with 30 per cent. The ANC came third,
followed by the Dashnaktsutyun, Rule of Law and Heritage parties.

The ANC’s complaints include the fact that President Sargsyan played
a leading role in campaigning for his Party. The ANC argues that this
was unconstitutional.

International observers from the Organisation for Security and
Cooperation in Europe, OSCE, said that campaigning was “competitive,
vibrant and largely peaceful”.

“The elections were held under an improved legal framework and
administered in an overall professional and transparent manner prior
to election day,” the OSCE monitoring team said. “Election day was
generally calm and peaceful, but marked by organisational problems and
undue interference in the process, mostly by party representatives.”

The statement did, however, point out that the ruling party used
its control of the state apparatus to deliver votes to itself, for
instance by recruiting schoolteachers and pupils for campaign events.

They also pointed out instances of what appeared to be electoral
bribery with gifts and food.

“Multigroup, a company belonging to [Prosperous Armenia] leader Gagik
Tsarukyan, distributed some 500 tractors during the campaign period.

The project was mainstreamed into [the party’s] campaign,” the
statement said, noting that “electoral contestants and associated
charitable organisations are prohibited from providing or promising
goods and services to voters during the campaign period”. (For more
on this issue, see Armenian Parties Make Lavish Jobs and Pay Pledges.)

The Armenian prosecutor’s office has opened three criminal cases
relating to alleged instances of electoral bribery, one of them in
reference to the Shengavit constituency in Yerevan. Journalist Gohar
Veziryan was running for election there, and she accused her opponent
from Prosperous Armenia of paying off voters.

Another case related to a constituency in Arabkir district, where Armen
Matevosyan, also of Prosperous Armenia, was detained in possession
of 380,000 drams and a notebook containing voters’ names.

“These are just evil machinations which we will deal with. We will
show that nothing like that happened,” Naira Zohrabyan, head of
Prosperous Armenia’s campaign team, said.

Analysts said electoral bribes undoubtedly had an effect on the
final outcome.

“Armenia does not have a mechanism for holding elections. The
authorities will always falsify the results until society tells them
not to,” Manvel Sargsyan, director of the Armenian Centre for National
and International Studies, said.

Another complaint from the ANC was that a stamp placed in voters’
passports, which was supposed to be indelible for 12 hours to prevent
repeat voting, could in fact be erased after only an hour or two. Both
Heritage and the ANC appealed to the election commission on these
grounds.

The commission said that from now on, it will use indelible ink that
remains in voters’ passports forever.

The website , created to register violations of electoral
procedure, was targeted by hacker attacks on election day, meaning
it was unavailable for several hours. However, it has still gathered
1,000 allegations of breaches of the election law.

Many journalists reported that they were not able to operate freely
at polling stations. Nelli Babayan of the Aravot newspaper said three
men took her phone from her at a polling station in the Davitashen
district after she filmed an argument between representatives of the
Republican and Heritage parties.

“They told me not to film and rudely took my phone away from me. Only
after I argued with them did they return it,” she said.

Elina Chilingaryan, a reporter for Radio Liberty, told a similar
story. She said a group of young people broke her video camera after
she filmed at a polling station in Yerevan’s Erebuni district.

Despite the criticism, which was certainly milder than in past
elections, the winning Republican Party said the election showed that
Armenia was a democracy.

“We have proved that there’s no alternative to democratic values in
Armenia,” party spokesman Eduard Sharmazanov said.

Gayane Lazarian is a reporter for Armenianow.com.

From: Baghdasarian

EU WELCOMES PROGRESS IN ARMENIAN PARLIAMENTARY ELECTION DISPUTED BY OPPOSITION
Lilit Gevorgyan

Global Insight
May 10, 2012

The EU’s chief diplomat Catherine Ashton and Enlargement Commissioner
Stefan Fuele have issued a joint statement following the Armenian
parliamentary elections on 6 May. They welcomed “the efforts by
the Armenian authorities to hold these parliamentary elections in
a way which represents progress towards more transparent and more
competitive elections.” The top EU officials also highlighted that
in a positive development six political parties will be present in
the National Assembly which is hoped to serve as a “positive step
towards the development of a pluralistic and democratic political
culture in Armenia.”

But the statement also drew the Armenian authorities’ attention to
the shortcomings that have already been summarised in the report by
observers from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe
(OSCE). The statement also called for a constructive dialogue between
the opposition and the authorities and urged to “refrain from unlawful
acts”. This is a qualifying and veiled description of the events
that followed February 2008’s presidential election. The opposition
resorted to street protests disputing the election of President Serzh
Sargsyan, and the ensuing clashes with the riot police and army units
ended with tragedy as 10 people were killed. According to RFE/RL in
Brussels, Ashton’s spokesperson Maja Kocijancic confirmed that the
recent vote marked progress towards more transparent elections. She
also added that the shortcomings will have no negative impact on the
ongoing talks on a free-trade agreement (FTA) and simplification of
EU visa terms for Armenian citizens.

Significance:The EU appraisal is certainly welcome news for the
Armenian authorities, but it comes at a time when nearly all opposition
party have slammed the vote as rigged. The Armenian National Congress
(ANC), an umbrella organisation uniting 18 opposition groups and
parties, has stated that they will dispute the Republican Party’s
victory in the Constitutional Court. One of the oldest Armenian
parties, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) Dashnaktsutyun
has also come out with strong criticism. The mixed results indicated
that there has indeed been progress, especially in term of freedom
of campaigning. The Armenian media channels, both state and privately
owned, rose to the occasion with a full coverage of the elections and
extending platform for all candidates to express their views. But the
key issue is that voter intimidation and vote-rigging on the day of
election had undermined these achievements.

Independent candidates in particular were most vulnerable and there
are reports of voters intimidation during the election campaign of
independent candidates. There was a hope among the opposition that
the ruling party will be forced to form a coalition government,
at least the independent opinion polls suggested so. Nonetheless,
the increased activism and present of opposition parties in the
parliament is welcome news for the nascent Armenian democracy.

From: Baghdasarian

OUTGOING IRANIAN AMBASSADOR WILL NEVER FORGET WARMTH AND HOSPITALITY OF ARMENIAN NATION

news.am
May 11, 2012 | 18:32

YEREVAN. – Armenian Minister of Education and Science Armen Ashotyan
received on Friday the outgoing Iranian Ambassador Seyed Ali Saghaeyan.

The Minister thanked the Ambassador saying hi contributed to promotion
of traditional good bilateral relations in the field of education
and science.

In his turn, the Ambassador stated that during the recent years
effective cooperation was established.

He also added that he would never forget warmth and hospitality of
the Armenian nation adding that the all launched programs will have
their continuation.

From: Baghdasarian

HOW AZERBAIJAN DEMONIZES THE INTERNET TO KEEP CITIZENS OFFLINE
By Sarah Kendzior and Katy Pearce

Friday, May 11, 2012, at 3:10 PM ET

Photo by SAMIR ALIYEV/AFP/Getty Images

On May 22, the former Soviet republic of Azerbaijan will play host
to the Eurovision Song Contest, an annual competition between singers
from countries in Europe and parts of the former Soviet Union. Though
little known in the United States, Eurovision is the most popular
non-sporting event in the world and will be watched by hundreds
of millions-many of whom will be seeing Azerbaijan, a small Muslim
petrostate bordering Iran and Russia, for the first time.

Azerbaijan’s government has spent more than $700 million on promotion
and infrastructure in order to put its best image forward.

But as the world discovers Azerbaijan, the Azerbaijani government is
doing its best to keep its citizens from connecting with the world.

Over the past few years, the Azerbaijani government has waged an
aggressive media campaign against the Internet. Social media has
become synonymous with deviance, criminality, and treason. Television
programs show ‘~Qfamily tragedies’~R and ‘~Qcriminal incidents’~R
after young people join Facebook and Twitter. In March 2011, the
country’s chief psychiatrist proclaimed that social media users
suffer mental disorders and cannot maintain relationships. In April
2012, the Interior Ministry linked Facebook use with trafficking of
woman and sexual abuse of children. Since May 2011, the Azerbaijani
parliament has been debating laws to curtail social media, citing
the deleterious effect on society. Social media has become a vital
political issue despite the fact that 78 percent of Azerbaijanis have
never used the Internet, only 7 percent go online daily, and just 7
percent-almost all male, highly educated, and wealthy-use Facebook.

Azerbaijan has a long history of media censorship. During the Soviet
era, media were state-controlled, and dissidents faced harsh penalties
for publishing political works. Little changed when Azerbaijan became
independent in 1991. Almost all media outlets are owned or controlled
by the state. The few opposition journalists face harassment, physical
violence, imprisonment, and even death.

Most authoritarian states treat the Internet the same way they do
print media: They censor it. Azerbaijan has taken a more insidious
route. They do not heavily filter or block the Internet but instead
leave it open, allowing the government to better monitor and punish
rebellious activities. In 2010, two online activists were arrested
for posting a video satirizing government waste on YouTube. Their case
was never mentioned in Azerbaijan’s print media-but was relentlessly
showcased online, where it frightened the bloggers’ peers. As a
result, Azerbaijan’s frequent Internet users became less supportive
of activism, and online dissent has quieted.

This strategy worked quite well with elites. But after the events in
Tunisia and Egypt in early 2011, the Azerbaijani government decided
to adopt a more aggressive strategy to shield regular citizens from
discussions of dissent or collective action. Azerbaijan has moved
from intimidating users who are already online to keeping the rest
of the nation offline by making social media use seem like a form of
bad citizenship.

To see how successful Azerbaijan’s anti-social media campaign has been,
one need only to compare Azerbaijan to its poorer, yet more democratic,
neighboring post-Soviet states Georgia and Armenia.

Azerbaijan trails far behind in Internet use despite the fact that
the cost of an Internet connection and a computer is roughly the same
in all three countries. In Armenia and Georgia, 20 percent use the
Internet daily, but in Azerbaijan, it is only 7 percent. In Armenia
and Georgia, 40 percent and 33 percent of households have computers,
but in Azerbaijan, only 15 percent have them. In Armenia and Georgia,
35 percent and 29 percent of households have Internet at home, while
only 11 percent of Azerbaijani households do.

The framing of the Internet as a dangerous place has made men hesitant
to allow their wives and daughters access. As a result, only 14
percent of Azerbaijani women have ever used the Internet. More than
70 percent of Internet users, as well as Facebook users, are men. The
women who are online are often constrained: It is not uncommon for
young brides to give their Facebook passwords to their husbands for
monitoring. Women worry about maintaining their and their families’
honor online and offline and tend to prefer to not engage in discussion
forums.

Azerbaijanis are proud that their country is hosting Eurovision. The
competition symbolizes that Azerbaijan is not a second class country
but a player on the world stage. But as the world spotlight shines on
Azerbaijan, citizens find themselves increasingly in the dark-and not
only in terms of the internet. On May 1 of this year, the government
banned foreign television broadcasting , as “foreign television series
often contradict our mentality” and may expose Azerbaijanis to new
ideas. Decades of exposure to foreign television and film is now
ending. The potential of the Internet as a place to learn, explore,
create, and communicate is unfulfilled-instead, it is yet another
thing citizens are told to fear.

From: Baghdasarian

ASHOT MANUCHARYAN: RULING COALITION OF ARMENIA IS FORMED BY AN ANGLO-AMERICAN SCENARIO

arminfo
Friday, May 11, 19:18

Regardless of whether a ruling coalition will be formed in Armenia and
what forces it will comprise, that process has nothing to do with the
Armenian reality and the Armenian society, Ashot Manucharyan, member
of the Karabakh Committee, said at today’s press conference in Yerevan.

He stressed that the transformation processes in Armenia are part
of an Anglo-American scenario, and the May 6 parliamentary election
and the related issue of the coalition completely meet the logic of
the specified project. Manucharyan added that the Americans will by
all means try to create an impression that the processes in Armenia
are sorted out by the Russians, while the Russians have nothing to
do with this.

In this context, speaking of the pro-Russian political forces in
Armenia, particularly, the Prosperous Armenia Party, Manucharyan
pointed out that this party and the Russians have only a few common
grounds, but these grounds may change at any moment and then the
PAP will stop being a pro-Russian party. “Moreover, the ideology of
Prosperous Armenia resembles the idea of the “American dream”.

According to the PAP leaders, as soon as a man joins that party,
he starts living a wealthy and prosperous life”, Manucharyan said.

From: Baghdasarian

EX-DEPUTY: THE PAST ELECTION WERE A WARNING SIGNAL

arminfo
Friday, May 11, 19:17

No significant change in the election process was found this year
either. The state of the society will not change after the past
parliamentary election on 6 May. Nothing has changed, all remains the
same, secretary of the Heritage faction of the parliament of the 4th
convocation, Larisa Alaverdyan, said at today’s press-conference.

“On the threshold of the forthcoming presidential election in 2013
Serzh Sargsyan proved that all the power levers have been concentrated
in his hands and will remain there for a long period of time. However,
the parliament of the 5th convocation will have 2 ruling poles”, –
Alaverdyan said. She also added that in general she assesses the past
election well, as the people became more active during them. “As for
the quality of the monitoring mission of citizens, it has remained
the same. People unmask “dark affairs” of politicians, but cannot
give legal status to them. The Armenian society made efforts at the
parliamentary election on 6 May, which gave no result”, – she said
and called on all the citizens to do everything possible so that to
increase the quality of the monitoring mission over the presidential
election.

From: Baghdasarian

ARAM SARGSYAN: I’LL DO MY BEST TO TAKE TO THE STREETS – YOU’LL SEE IT

Panorama.am
11/05/2012

“Both me and my party are entering into a very significant and serious
phase where decisions are too important, and I beg your pardon because
I need some time to resolve problems in the current period. I will be
available in the coming week and will answer all your questions after
discussion with my party,” Hanrapetutyun (Republic) party leader Aram
Sargsyan told reporters today refusing to answer any questions.

Nevertheless, journalists persisted, and Sargsyan answered a few
questions:

– When are you planning to hold congress?

– It’s up to party’s active members to decide this issue. According to
preliminary data, the congress will take place in late September. As
for now, I must say we are determined to meet with civil society
members. I am confident that more than 90 percent of the population
of Armenia seeks changes in the country. I think it’s not accidental
that the authorities used the word “change” in their campaign slogan
and secured their vote in the election. I am determined to take into
consideration the views of people who seek changes, to hold discussions
and to unite these people. I see that potential in people, but serious
work is required to achieve it.

– Obviously, you are on the way to create a new political force. Are
you ruling out cooperation with some pro-government parties?

– I am not ruling out cooperation with some political forces,
individuals and NGOs in the political field. This is our country, and
I consider that cooperation with everyone is possible, except those
who were dishonest with the people, who preferred their own interests
to those of society and are responsible for the current situation.

– When did your disagreements with HAK emerge?

– They emerged last spring. All of you remember that time.

As for when the final answer to the question of quitting or not
quitting HAK will become known, in all likelihood, the party will
make a statement next Monday or Tuesday.

– Mr. Sargsyan, does your viewpoint have many supporters in HAK?

– We haven’t questioned anyone. I don’t know.

– You are quitting HAK with a lot of noise. What kind of future do
you expect?

– There is absolutely no noise. Besides, it is not yet known whether
we will quit or not. We do not rule out that we will quit, because
we have disagreements, and I have really voiced them. We stayed in
Armenian National Congress for the simple reason that the Armenian
people placed a high value on opposition consolidation. We got involved
so as not to hinder consolidation and not to hinder the parliamentary
elections. Now that the process is over, we are free to voice our
views. I will add that my decision to renounce my mandate as MP is
purely political, and is influenced by political considerations.

I regret to admit that the National Assembly failed to become a serious
law making political body. I wish success to all those who honestly go
to parliament hoping that something depends on them and they will be
able to change something. I don’t want to hinder them with my presence,
to cast doubt on their longing for work with my realistic and pragmatic
approaches. I think I can voice my views on those laws not only in the
National Assembly but also through media and rallies. With more than
90 percent of the population being pro-opposition, no more than 15-20
percent is represented in the National Assembly. I prefer taking to
the streets with this 90 percent, and I will do my best to take to
the streets – you’ll see it.

Aram Sargsyan added that he has not suggested that HAK renounce its
MP mandates.

“I am not renouncing my mandate because I want someone else to take
seat in parliament. I don’t care who the next person is, whoever he
is, my decision is political, and it depends on my attitude to the
National Assembly,” Aram Sargsyan completed.

From: Baghdasarian

LARISA ALAVERDYAN: THERE WILL BE TWO RULING POLES IN THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
Karen Ghazaryan

“Radiolur”
11.05.2012 16:54

The elections have not brought anything new, MP from the Heritage
faction Larisa Alaverdyan told a press conference today.

Larisa Alaverdyan considers there will be two ruling poles in the
National Assembly, and the society will not get anything new in
this regard.

The first Human Rights Defender of Armenia says the past elections
stood out for one positive feature.

“The civil society comes to understand that no new process can take
place without the tough interference of the civil society,” she said.

She considers, however, that the effort of the civil society were
greater than the results expected. As for the parliamentary opposition,
Larisa Alaverdyan says “it should implement legislative changes so
as to turn the efforts of the civil society into a real lever.”

From: Baghdasarian

ARMENIAN AMERICAN AUTHOR SHOGHIG FODOULIAN ISSUES NEW BOOK

PanARMENIAN.Net
May 11, 2012 – 15:57 AMT

Armenian American author Shoghig O. Fodoulian issued a new book
titled “Words to Live By: A Book of Personal Quotations” (published
by AuthorHouse), according to PRWeb.

“I had never planned to write these proverbs,” says Fodoulian, whose
new book is a collection of original verse and inspirational quotes.

For the past six years Fodoulian has been the primary caretaker of
her mother. The job, says Fodoulian, encouraged her to reflect on
her own life. These recollections often led Fodoulian to a pen and pad.

Fodoulian admits to being perplexed and amazed at the work she
produced.

“I know that it is hard to believe,” she explains, “but these proverbs
are in a way a blessing to me from God. Whenever I thought about
certain issues in my life, a certain proverb would come to mind,
and I would jot it down. I don’t know how to explain it, but these
proverbs are accomplishments of God through me.”

In “Words to Live By,” Fodoulian includes inspirational quotes about
family, life, love and God. She hopes each proverb and each quote
will help readers to live honest and unselfish lives.

“I believe this book will appeal to readers because it deals with
real issues. It presents people with a way to live a better life,
a happier life.”

Shoghig Fodoulian is of Armenian descent and was born in Beirut,
Lebanon. She earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of La
Verne in La Verne, Calif.

From: Baghdasarian