Asharq Alawsat (The Middle east) Friday Kurdish Referendum: What is the Lowdown? by Amir Tahiri Despite many efforts to stop or postpone it, the Iraqi Kurdistan referendum has become a fait accompli and must be taken into account in shaping future developments, and Masoud Barzani, the man who orchestrated the exercise, must be as pleased as Punch. In contemplating the future, it is important to know exactly what we are talking about. Supporters of the referendum have pinned their flag to two concepts: independence and self-determination. They say Iraqi Kurds want independence. However, like all other Iraqis, Iraqi Kurds already live in a country that is recognized as independent and a full-member of the United Nations. The concept of the quest for independence applies to lands that are part of a foreign empire or turned into "possession" of a colonial power. Legally speaking, at least since 1932, that has not been the case in Iraq. If, Iraq isn't independent, then we must assume that Kak Masoud, rather than being a prominent leader contributing to the development of Iraq's new but fragile democratic process, is a satrap for an unknown empire or an agent for a mysterious colonial power. But Kak Masoud isn't a satrap precisely because his country, Iraq, is independent. Then we come to the concept of self-determination which is recognized as a right under international law. It was first developed in the wake of the First World War and the beak up of the Ottoman and the Austro-Hungarian Empires. The idea was that people in the component parts of those empires should determine their own future, especially by deciding whether or not to form states of their own. The Wilson Doctrine and the so-called Briand-Kellogg Pact (between France and the US) further refined the concept. Later, in the wake of the Second World War the concept was used to provide a legal framework for decolonization as British, French and Dutch Empires broke up. In the past 100 years, thanks to the concept of self-determination, over 120 new independent countries have appeared on the global map. Self-determination was established as the right of all peoples to choose their own governments and pass their own laws rather than be subject to distant foreign rulers and lawmakers. Seen in that light, Iraqi Kurds already enjoy self-determination because they choose their own local and national governments and lawmakers. The first thing to understand is that the recent referendum was about independence and self-determination is bogus, to say the least. Used to hoodwink public opinion could lead to dangerous complications in the future. So, what was the referendum really about? It was about secession which is not the same thing as self-determination or independence. Its organizers want to detach the areas where Kurds form a majority and set up a new separate state. However, while self-determination is universally recognized as a right, secession is not. Secession is an option, not a right. At best, it could be regarded as a desire and, at worst, a folly. But seeking secession, though unlawful in both national and international law, isn't a crime. Also, it has little to do with the degree of democratic development of societies. The United Kingdom is a well-established democracy but still faces secessionism on the part of large number of Scots. There are secessionists in several other democracies: the Quebecois in Canada, the Corsicans in France, the Basques and the Catalans in Spain, the Frisians in Denmark, the Kashmiris in India and even Porto Allergens in Brazil. The important thing is that in all those cases, parties that support secession say so openly, seldom trying to disguise their ambition as a quest for self-determination and independence. So, the first thing that Kak Massoud should do is to stop doing taiqyeh, call a spade a spade, and openly admit that what he is seeking is secession. He should say that his aim is to break up Iraq, which is a multi-ethnic republic, in order to create a mono-ethnic Kurdish state. Interestingly, the word Iraq, which means "lowland", is a geographic term with no ethnic connotations. Iraqi citizenship is a civic concept, transcending ethnic, religious and racial identities. Many countries in the world are named after their majority ethnic component. In our region Turkey is the land of the Turks and Armenia the land of Armenians. All the "stan" countries refer to ethnic majorities there. Beyond the Middle East, all but 12 of the European states are also named after ethnic components: Germany is the land of Germans and Russia the land of Russians. However, none of the Middle Eastern countries that emerged from the break-up of the Ottoman Empire are labeled with ethnic identities. They are known under historic and/or geographic names and regard the presence of various ethnic and/or religious communities within their borders as a given. Even Israel, though a special case for obvious reasons, fits into that pattern if only because 27 per cent of its citizens are not Jews. They are Israelis but not Israelites. The Middle East has been the sphere of multi-ethnic empires for some 25 centuries: Assyrian, Babylonian, Persian, Roman, Byzantines, Umayyad, Abbasid, Ottomans etc. So, the Kurdish state that Kak Massoud wishes to create would be the first over 2000 years in the Middle East to claim a purely ethnic identity. Let's give an example of the difference between independence, which is the right of all peoples under foreign colonial or imperial rule, and secession. Morocco and Tunisia were both under the domination of the French Empire in the name of colonial protection. In the 1950s they exercised their right of self-determination and obtained their independence without a minimum of hassle. Algeria, on the other hand, was regarded as two provinces of the French Republic itself, elected its own members of parliament and enjoyed full French citizenship rights. Thus, its demand for independence was regarded as secession and could only be granted with the agreements of the French state, later ratified in a national referendum throughout France. But before that happened, Algerians had to fight a 5-year war, with perhaps half a million dead, and go through a two-year negotiating period. Other states have treated secession in different ways. Canada and the United Kingdom have organized referendums in Quebec and Scotland giving the local populations a chance to reject secession. In Czechoslovakia and between Malaysia and Singapore, secession came through negotiations producing divorce by consent. In the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, secession was organized by Great Britain as the colonial power. South Sudan's secession was ratified by the Khartoum government after 20 years of war and six years of negotiations. The international community recognizes the outcome of any secession only if it is achieved with the consent of the country concerned. Montenegro seceded from Serbia through negotiations and was immediately admitted into the United Nations. Kosovo also seceded but without consent and still remains in a limbo, rejected by the UN and recognized by only a handful of nations. Holding referendums does not automatically bestow legitimacy on secessionist programs. Russia has held referendum in Crimea, which it snatched from Ukraine, and in South Ossetia and Abkhazia which it took from Georgia. However, no other country recognizes those secessions. The reason is that there is no mechanism in domestic or international law to recognize non-consensual secession. The International Court of Justice at The Hague made that clear by refusing to certify Kosovo's independence. In Canada the High Court has ruled against Quebec secession and in France Corsican secessionist demands have been thrown out by courts. In Iraq, the Constitution, drafted with the full and enthusiastic participation of Masoud, excludes unilateral secession in articles 107 and 116 and 13. Finally, secession does not feature in the programs of any of the dozen or so parties active among Kurds who live in Iraq, Turkey, Syria, Iran, Armenia and Azerbaijan. So the next step that Masoud must take is to enshrine secession in his party's charter and manifesto for the next Iraqi general election in 2018. If he does that and obtains mandate to seek secession he could then demand that the central government in Baghdad enter into negotiations on the issue of secession. In other words, any attempt at a unilateral declaration of independence could lead only to impasse, a deadly impasse.
Author: Boris Nahapetian
Armenian Assembly Co-Chair Accompanies Representatives Frank Pallone, Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard to Artsakh
ARMENIAN
ASSEMBLY OF AMERICA
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date:
Contact: Danielle
Saroyan
Telephone:
(202) 393-3434
Web: www.aaainc.org
ARMENIAN ASSEMBLY CO-CHAIR
ACCOMPANIES REPRESENTATIVES FRANK PALLONE, JR. AND TULSI GABBARD TO ARTSAKH
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly)
Board of Trustees Co-Chairman Anthony Barsamian joined Armenian Caucus Co-Chair
Representative Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) and Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) on a
working visit to Artsakh today. The delegation included Artsakh Foreign
Minister Karen Mirzoyan, Artsakh Representative to the U.S. Robert Avetisyan,
and All-Armenia Fund President Maria Mehranian. Reps. Pallone and Gabbard are
in Armenia as part of a Congressional Delegation with Armenian Caucus Co-Chairs
Reps. David Valadao (R-CA) and Jackie Speier (D-CA), Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner
(R-WI), and Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA).
“This
trip to Artsakh is instrumental in helping U.S. Members of Congress better
understand the current political and economic situation in Artsakh. By seeing
the destruction caused by Azerbaijan and meeting with high-level officials to
discuss U.S.-Armenia and U.S.-Artsakh relations in depth, Reps. Pallone and
Gabbard can better convey the pressing need for U.S. humanitarian aid and
better understand the security threats to the people of Artsakh caused by the
Azeris. They also saw the need for a peaceful resolution, which includes
Artsakh in the negotiations,” Assembly Co-Chair Barsamian said.
The previous day, Armenian Assembly Co-Chair Barsamian, Executive Director
Bryan Ardouny, and Regional Director Arpi Vartanian met with Artsakh President
Bako Sahakyan and Foreign Minister Karen Mirzoyan. During the meeting, they
discussed the importance of U.S. assistance, especially for de-mining in
Artsakh which is carried out by The HALO Trust, as well as the peace process.
President Sahakyan emphasized the Assembly’s important role in U.S.-Artsakh
relations, and acknowledged the organization’s “patriotic and highly
professional activity.”
Rep. Valadao
also traveled to Artsakh earlier this week, where he met with The HALO Trust to
learn more about mine clearance along the borders. Following the visit, he
stated, “Families in Nagorno Karabakh live under the constant threat of
landmine accidents and I am grateful for the efforts of The HALO Trust to make
Nagorno Karabakh a more safe and secure region.” Rep. Valadao continued,
“While their work is renown worldwide, I appreciated witnessing their work
and learning more about their efforts and dedication firsthand.”
Earlier this
month, Rep. Valadao spearheaded a bipartisan amendment along with House Foreign
Affairs Committee Chairman Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA), House Permanent Select
Committee on Intelligence and Armenian Caucus Vice-Chair Adam Schiff (D-CA),
Rep. Pallone, and Rep. Speier to ensure continued funding for de-mining
projects in Artsakh.
U.S. Members
of Congress have continued to travel to Artsakh throughout the years. Rep.
Pallone visited Artsakh for the first time twenty years ago as part of an
Armenian Assembly of America-sponsored delegation. During an historic address
before the Parliament of Nagorno Karabakh on January 28, 1997, Rep. Pallone
stated, “I hope that my visit to Karabagh, and especially my presence in
your legislative body today, will contribute in some small way to a growing
international recognition that the Republic of Nagorno Karabagh is a
reality.” Rep. Pallone has returned to Artsakh a few times since his
initial visit, where he observed local elections and learned more about mine
clearance.
Established
in 1972, the Armenian Assembly of America is the largest Washington-based
nationwide organization promoting public understanding and awareness of
Armenian issues. The Assembly is a non-partisan, 501(c)(3) tax-exempt
membership organization.
###
NR#: 2017-065
Photo
Caption 1: Armenian Assembly Co-Chair Anthony Barsamian, Rep. Frank Pallone,
Jr. (D-NJ), Artsakh National Assembly Chairman Ashot Ghoulian, and Rep. Tulsi
Gabbard (D-HI) in front of “We Are Our Mountains” monument north of
Stepanakert, Artsakh
Photo
Caption 2: (left) Rep.
Frank Pallone, Jr. and Rep. Tulsi Gabbard heading to Stepanakert with Artsakh
Foreign Minister Karen Mirzoyan, Armenian Assembly Co-Chair Anthony Barsamian,
and All-Armenia Fund President Maria Mehranian; (right) Rep. Pallone,
Barsamian, and Rep. Gabbard with servicemen
Photo
Caption 3: Armenian Assembly Regional Director Arpi Vartanian, Co-Chair Anthony
Barsamian, and Executive Director Bryan Ardouny, with Artsakh Foreign Minister
Karen Mirzoyan, President Bako Sahakyan, Presidential Spokesman David Babayan,
and Representative to Armenia Karlen Avetisyan
Photo
Caption 4: Rep. David Valadao (R-CA) observing mine clearance with The Halo
Trust in Artsakh
Photo
Caption 5: Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. addressing a special session of the Nagorno
Karabakh Parliament in 1997
Available
online at:
Pallone Artsakh NKR.jpg
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Sahakyan Artsakh Armenian Assembly.jpg
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Azerbaijani Press: Azerbaijani defense minister visits military units at border with Armenia
APA, Azerbaijan
Sept 19 2017
Azerbaijan’s Defense Minister Colonel General Zakir Hasanov and high-ranking military officers on Tuesday visited the military units stationed at the border with Armenia, the Defense Ministry told APA.
The visit was aimed at checking the combat readiness of military units on the frontline, moral and psychological training of personnel as well as the level of ensuring the safety of civilians in these territories.
Minister Hasanov held a meeting with the personnel of units who are on duty on the line of contact with the enemy in the mountainous terrain and in difficult climatic conditions. The minister was informed about the current situation.
Having checked the proper organization of the state border protection, Minister Hasanov highly appreciated the level of personnel training. The minister then observed the enemy positions in the direction of the state border.
The defense minister asked about the combat and moral-psychological training of servicemen, their social and living conditions. He was informed that the units located on the front line are provided with drinking water, heating, washing rooms, warm beds and other winter supplies. The defense minister gave relevant instructions to strengthen the defense line and increase combat capabilities. A group of servicemen was presented with valuable gifts.
Then, the defense minister met with residents of frontline settlements and asked them about their concerns and problems. The locals, in turn, said they always stand ready to perform any task together with servicemen. They expressed satisfaction with the level of discipline of servicemen and reliable protection of the state border, and expressed gratitude to President of Azerbaijan, Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev.
No Armenian citizens among victims of Krasnodar bus accident
ARKA, Armenia
Aug 25 2017
YEREVAN, August 25, /ARKA/. Armenia’s Consulate General in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don said the two ethnic Armenians, identified as S. Budulyan and A. Budulyan who were killed in a bus accident in the Krasnodar province of Russia are not citizens of Armenia.
According to Russian media reports, a bus transporting workers fell into the Black Sea today early morning. As a result of the accident, 17 people were killed.-0-
17:25 25.08.2017
Sports: Gymnast Artur Tovmasyan grabs gold at Taipei Universiade
Panorama, Armenia
Aug 23 2017
Armenian gymnast Artur Tovmasyan has won a gold medal at still rings at the Taipei Summer Universiade underway in Taiwan. As the National Olympic Committee reported, the winner ended with 15.025 points.
Another representative of Armenia Artur Davtyan was placed fifth in the multiple event (84.150 points). Davtyan will compete for the gold medal at vault.
To remind, Armenia is represented by 16 student athletes at Universiade who are competing in 7 sports, including Weightlifting, Diving, Fencing, Gymnastics, Judo, Taekwondo.
Karen Karapetyan, Dmitry Medvedev discuss Armenian-Russian cooperation agenda
Aravot, Armenia
Aug 14 2017
Aug 14 2017
Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan met today with Head of RF Government Dmitry Medvedev in Astana.
Both sides noted that trade turnover is growing between Armenia and Russia and there are positive trends in economic indicators. The meeting discussed a number of issues on the agenda of Armenian-Russian cooperation, including the timing of the scheduled visit of the Head of Russian Government to Armenia.
Note that Karen Karapetyan is attending a meeting of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council in Astana.
Armenia’s ties with Iran not to affect its relations with U.S. – diplomat
Interfax - Russia & CIS Diplomatic Panorama Thursday 7:46 PM MSK Armenia's ties with Iran not to affect its relations with U.S. - diplomat YEREVAN. Aug 10 Armenia is interested in having deeper relations with Iran and is not worried by the United States' possible reaction to this, Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Shavarsh Kocharyan said. "Armenia is interested in deeper relations with Iran, and we don't look at the position of other countries on the matter. This can't have a negative effect on Armenia's relations with the U.S.," Kocharyan told journalists on Thursday. Amid tensions in U.S.-Iranian relations, the U.S. has "treated our ties with Iran with understanding, because we are honest in our foreign policy," he said. Kocharyan also acknowledged that U.S. sanctions against Russia may have a negative effect on Armenia's economy. "When the Russian economy sees negative trends, they affect all of its neighbors. This affects EAEU [Eurasian Economic Union] member Armenia, this affects EAEU non-member Azerbaijan, and this affects Georgia, which is moving towards the EU. Countries that are linked to Russia in this way or that - in terms of workforce, economic relations, or the sale of goods - may naturally feel negative influences," Kocharyan said. Armenia should expand existing economic relations with EAEU countries and other states and also build and develop ties with new countries, he said. "The economic component of EAEU membership is very important to Armenia, and this also makes up the foundation of national security," he said.
Armenia’s two military factories to be merged
Armenpress News Agency , Armenia Thursday Armenia's two military factories to be merged YEREVAN, AUGUST 10, ARMENPRESS. Armenia’s government made a decision to merge the 65th military factory CJSC and Garni-Ler scientific-production unit OJSC, reports Armenpress. As a result, the Republic of Armenia will be a 100% owner of the Garni-Ler OJSC which will enable the company to be engaged in state military-industrial development programs, according to which, investments are expected to be made in priority 100% state enterprises, as well as to take part in talks on company related issues, in the processes of creating joint enterprises within the frames of international agreements. Defense minister Vigen Sargsyan said the decision aims at making the repair and modernization process of military products effective by merging the production and mobilization capacities of the two companies. “Mr. Prime Minister, this decision is aimed at implementing our government’s policy, increasing the efficiency of enterprises with state participation”, the minister said. 65th military factory is a company with 100% state participation which is mainly engaged in repair of small arms, artillery separate systems, as well as in technical service works in the army. Garni-Ler scientific-production unit is a company with 98.4% state participation which is managed by the defense ministry. The company is engaged in production of firearms, development of new types of weapons.
RFE/RL Armenian Report – 08/09/2017
Wednesday, August 9, 2017 Further Growth Recorded In Armenian Diamond Industry Armenia -- Workers at a diamond-processing plant near Nor Hajn. Armenia's diamond-processing industry, once a key sector of the national economy, has continued to grow rapidly this year after a decade of decline that began in the early 2000s, official statistics show. According to the National Statistical Service (NSS), Armenian firms manufactured 90,776 carats of gem diamonds in the first half of 2017, up by 53.5 percent from the same period in 2016. Refined diamonds were Armenia's most important export item throughout the 1990s, providing jobs for thousands of people. The sector had a rough time in the following years due to a host of mainly external factors, including a loss of reliable suppliers of rough diamonds. The onset in late 2008 of a global financial crisis only aggravated the slump, with Armenian diamond output plummeting by half in 2009 to less than 50,000 carats. The volatile sector's ensuing slow recovery accelerated in 2013. The industry contracted sharply in 2014 but returned to double-digit growth the following year. Its combined output surged by 54 percent in 2016, to 125,431 carats. The figure was still well below the 2003 level of almost 290,000 carats recorded by the NSS. The country's diamond-cutting companies employed more than 2,000 people at the time. The largest of those companies belong to Western investors that supply them with mostly African rough diamonds. The Armenian government has long been trying to facilitate imports of more uncut diamonds from Russia, which has one of the world's largest deposits of the precious stone. The Armenian Ministry for Economic Development reported on Tuesday that one of its senior officials, Gagik Mkrtchian, and Armenia's ambassador to Russia, Vartan Toghanian, met with a Russian deputy finance minister in Moscow this week to discuss ways of boosting Russian diamond supplies. "An agreement was reached on taking practical steps as early as possible," it said in a statement. The statement cited Mkrtchian as saying that the agreement's implementation will contribute to continued growth in the Armenian diamond-processing sector. It did not elaborate. Armenian, Azeri FMs To Meet Again In September . Sargis Harutyunyan Armenia - Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian at a news conference in Yerevan, 30May2017. Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian confirmed on Wednesday that he will hold fresh talks on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict his Azerbaijani counterpart Elmar Mammadyarov in New York next month. He said the meeting will take place "in the second half of September" and focus on "creating necessary conditions for advancing negotiation process." Nalbandian and Mammadyarov most recently met in Brussels on July 11 in the presence of the U.S., Russian and French co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group. The mediators continued to press for a meeting of the Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents. In a joint statement, they said the two ministers agreed to meet again in September for further discussions on the issue. According to Nalbandian there is still no final agreement on the proposed Armenian-Azerbaijani summit. "There is nothing concrete on the meeting [of the presidents] yet," the minister told reporters. In a televised interview aired on July 16, President Serzh Sarkisian said a "preliminary agreement" on his face-to-face talks with Azerbaijan's Ilham Aliyev was reached during the co-chairs' tour of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone in June. "My expectations from the meeting are not big, but that meeting could take place this autumn," he told the Armenia TV station. The two presidents most recently met in May and June 2016 shortly after four-day deadly hostilities around Karabakh. They agreed to allow the OSCE to deploy more field observers in the conflict zone and investigate truce violations occurring there. The Azerbaijani government has since been reluctant to implement these safeguards, however, saying that they would cement the status quo in the absence of progress in peace talks. The Armenian leadership insists, meanwhile, on an unconditional implementation of the confidence-building measures that were agreed by Aliyev and Sarkisian. Nalbandian implied on Wednesday that he does not expect the U.S., Russian and French mediators to come up with new peace proposals. Over the past decade, the mediators have advanced a framework peace accord calling for a resolution of the dispute that would start with a gradual liberation of virtually all seven districts around Karabakh that were fully or partly occupied by Karabakh Armenian forces in 1992-1993. In return, Karabakh's predominantly ethnic Armenian population would determine the territory's internationally recognized status in a future referendum. China Building New Embassy Complex In Armenia . Sargis Harutyunyan Armenia - Senior Armenian and Chinese officials break ground on the site of a new Chinese embassy bulilding in Yerevan, 9Aug2017. China officially launched the construction of a new and much bigger building for its embassy in Armenia on Wednesday in what a senior Chinese diplomat described as another sign of deepening relations between the two nations. Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian, Yerevan's Mayor Taron Markarian and China's visiting Assistant Foreign Minister Li Huilai broke ground on the site of the 40,000-square-meter embassy compound that should be completed by the end of 2019. Officials said that it will be the second largest Chinese diplomatic mission in the former Soviet Union. "This is a great and joyful event," the Chinese ambassador in Yerevan, Tian Erlong, told reporters at the ground-breaking ceremony. "The Chinese Embassy in Armenia will have a new building in Armenia." "China will be better represented in this country. This is logical because the scale and nature of our cooperation are rapidly developing, and this obviously requires more efforts, more human resources and, therefore, a larger building," he said. China - President Xi Jinping and his visiting Armenian counterpart Serzh Sarkisian adopt a joint declaration after talks in Beijing, 25Mar2015. Meeting with Nalbandian earlier in the day, Li reportedly said Beijing would like to "further deepen the dynamically deepening partnership with Armenia." "The unprecedentedly high-level relationship and friendship between China and Armenia are based on sincerity and mutual respect," the Armenian Foreign Ministry quoted him as saying. According to a ministry statement, Nalbandian told Li that close relations with China are one of Yerevan's foreign policy priorities. The statement added that the two men discussed efforts to boost bilateral commerce and the situation in the region. Nalbandian was reported to praise China's "balanced position" on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Armenian counterpart Serzh Sarkisian agreed to deepen ties between their nations when then they met in Beijing in 2015. In a joint statement, they noted "mutual understanding on issues relating to pivotal interests and concerns of the two countries." Armenia - Lieutenant General Movses Hakobian (R), the chief of the Armenian army's General Staff, meets with Chinese Rear Admiral Guan Youfei in Yerevan, 13Apr2017. According to Armenian government data, Chinese-Armenian trade rose by 35 percent to $243 million in the first half of this year, making China Armenia's third largest trading partner after Russia and the European Union. China also seems interested in stepping up military cooperation with Armenia. A top Chinese military official, Rear Admiral Guan Youfei, visited Yerevan in April, holding talks with Defense Minister Vigen Sargsian and the chief of the Armenian army's General Staff, General Movses Hakobian. The Armenian Defense Ministry said they reached "agreements on expanding cooperation and implementing a number of mutually beneficial projects in the area of defense." Yerevan Mayor Open To Street Renaming . Hovannes Movsisian Armenia -- The Yerevan municipality building. Yerevan's Mayor Taron Markarian said on Wednesday that he is ready to consider an opposition demand to rename streets and public schools in the Armenian capital still bearing the names of controversial Soviet-era figures. The opposition Yelk alliance announced earlier this week plans to submit a corresponding bill to the city council in which it has the second largest faction. The faction leader, Arayik Harutiunian, said it will target Yerevan streets and schools named after ethnic Armenian Communist leaders who were involved in Joseph Stalin's mass repressions in Soviet Armenia and other parts of the Soviet Union. Harutiunian singled out Anastas Mikoyan, Stalin's Armenian-born associate who for decades held top leadership positions in Moscow. "Having a street named after Mikoyan means recognizing that person's negative contribution to our history," he said. "As you know, thousands of Armenians were executed or exiled on orders signed by him." Markarian told reporters that his office has received no formal proposals from Yelk yet. "We will look into the proposals and definitely express our view after that," he said without commenting further. The Armenian government sparked vehement protests from human rights groups and civil society representatives when it attempted to erect Mikoyan's statue in downtown Yerevan in 2014. The outcry forced it to give up the initiative. Armenia was one of the first Soviet republics to remove the statue of Vladimir Lenin, the Soviet Union's founder, from the central square of its capital in 1991. Most Yerevan streets with Bolshevik-related names were renamed in the following years. Vahagn Khachatrian, who served as Yerevan mayor from 1992-1996, said his administration did not have sufficient time to change other controversial street names as well. Khachatrian emphasized the fact that those decisions were recommended by a special commission that thoroughly examined relevant particular Bolshevik leaders' role in Soviet Armenian history. Khachatrian, who is now affiliated with another opposition party, believes that the current municipal administration should tread just as carefully on the Yelk proposal. "There is no need to rush," he told RFE/RL's Armenian service (Azatutyun.am). Press Review Interviewed by "Aravot," a Georgian political analyst, Gela Vasadze, stresses the significance of the latest U.S.-led military exercises taking place in Georgia. He says that the "Noble Partner" drills are not only involving more troops, including from Armenia, but also happening amid growing tensions between Russia and the West. Vasadze claims that the West lost patience with Moscow after the latter interfered in the last U.S. presidential election. "As regards Armenia's participation in the NATO exercises in this situation, I don't know what explanations Armenia's authorities will give to their Russian partners regarding that," continues the analyst. "But whatever that explanation, it's clear that it will be a mere formality. Clearly, they realize in Yerevan today that too many eggs are placed in one basket." Lragir.am says that continued deliveries of Russian weapons to Azerbaijan have caused discontent in Yerevan, including from Armenian government circles. The pro-Western publication speculates that Yerevan decided to join the drills in Georgia in response to that. It says that Armenian leaders are no longer buying into Russian claims that Azerbaijan could have bought offensive weapons from other countries had Moscow refused to sign massive arms deals with Baku. Richard Giragosian, a Yerevan-based analyst, tells Tert.am that Armenia can serve as a "bridge" between Russia and the United States while remaining a member of the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) and Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). "The danger of being the cause of a confrontation between the U.S. and Russia is not that great," he says. (Tigran Avetisian) Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL Copyright (c) 2017 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc. 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. www.rferl.org
ANKARA: No toilet setup at Armenian cemetery: Turkish official
Anadolu Agency, Turkey
Aug 2 2017
Head of Parliament’s Human Rights Commission says allegations are ploy to incite Armenians
Features
archive
FILE PHOTO – Mustafa Yeneroglu
ANKARA
Turkish Parliament’s Human Rights Commission head denied allegations on Wednesday that toilets had been constructed at an Armenian cemetery.
Mustafa Yeneroglu, a lawmaker from the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party, called the allegations “a bid by the separatist terrorist organization [PKK] aimed at manipulating the international perception and inciting the Armenian people”.
In a statement, he said: “The artificial claims targets Turkey’s international reputation as well as our peace and unity.”
He said that the mentioned site of newly-opened public beach at Edremit district in eastern Van province already had a primary school, lodgings and toilets — all of which were closed until recently.
“These areas have been cleaned and opened to service to contribute to the city’s social life. So, ‘any new construction’ as claimed by some media outlets is out of question.”
Yeneroglu also refuted the allegations that buried bones had scattered across the area when the beach was opened for public this July, as the cemetery in the region had already been moved in the past.