Author: Chatinian Lara

Divisions deepen in Armenia as country braces for MPs’ trial
¢ Seven accused of usurping state power at March rally
¢ Police among 10 victims at ‘vote-rigging’ protest

Duncan Campbell in Yerevan
The Guardian,
Monday 15 December 2008

Armenia is bracing itself for one of the biggest trials in its short
history as an independent country, with a former foreign minister and
three MPs among seven charged in connection with mass protests in which
10 people died.

The case this week against Alexander Arzoumanian, the former foreign
minister, and six others charged with "usurpation of state power", is
the culmination of a political storm that has engulfed the former
Soviet republic since thousands took to the streets early this year
against the disputed presidential election result.

"There is a real atmosphere of fear now," said Melissa Brown, the wife
of Arzoumanian, who is in jail awaiting trial. "It is like Soviet
times," she said during a protest in Yerevan, the capital.

Brown, from Philadelphia, met Arzoumanian when he was Armenia’s UN
ambassador in Washington. He later became the campaign manager for the
opposition leader and former president Levon Ter-Petrosyan, who lost
this year’s election. The Arzoumanians’ phones were tapped by police in
the run-up to the elections and their conversations were published in
the media and used to charge him with money-laundering.

"This is Watergate stuff," said Brown, who visits her husband twice a
month in prison. "It is not about one candidate against another, it is
about freedom and democracy."

Ter-Petrosyan’s supporters, who blamed voting irregularities for the
election of President Serzh Sargsyan, began protesting in Freedom
Square in mid-February. By night, about 1,000 camped out in freezing
temperatures. By day, crowds of up to 50,000 – estimates vary wildly –
participated in rallies.

Tensions rose further during the last week of February, and on 1 March
police entered the square, claiming they were searching for ammunition.
There were running battles through the streets, culminating in the
police opening fire, with each side claiming that the other launched
the first missile. Ten people, including two police officers, were
killed.

The killings sent shockwaves through the country and the government
imposed strict media censorship for 20 days. While the
government-sanctioned television stations continued to broadcast news,
some newspapers ran blank pages until their publication was halted.

More than 70 protesters have already been jailed but it is the seven
awaiting trial this week who face the main charges.

Sargsyan claimed 52.8% of the vote, enough to avoid the run-off that
some international observers believe should have been held. The
bloodshed has obscured argument over vote-rigging.

"To me, it was like the death of my country," said Karine Asatryan,
editor of the A1+ website, which was closed down during the news
blackout. "It is nine months now and we still don’t know what happened,
no one believes the police version of events. As for the trial, I am
sure they will all be found guilty unless there is international
pressure."

Gegham Vardanyan, a journalist with Internews, said that the issue of
elections remained unresolved. "Armenia has never had fair elections,
there has always been fraud, people don’t believe you can change that."
As for the court case, "it is a political trial and what happens in it
will depend on the political process".

The police feel they have been unfairly portrayed in the media and that
little sympathy was shown for the dead officers. "The coverage has been
extremely negative, it has often added fuel to the fire," said Sayat
Shirinyan, the chief police spokesman. "As for what happened, I can’t
provide a clear picture because there is a still an investigation to be
completed. After it happened, many saw me as the embodiment of the
whole situation. About half the country knows me [due to media
appearances] and I experienced some very tense looks, but that has
changed. There are still aftershocks but what happens in the future
depends on the authorities."

Avetik Ishkhanyan, the chairman of the Helsinki committee of Armenia, a
human rights body, said that the country faced many challenges.
"Armenia is not totalitarian but it is not democratic," he said. "There
is still limited freedom of expression. The television stations, both
public and private, are under the control of the authorities."

Panorama.am

16:47 13/12/2008

THIRD ROUND FINISHED WITH DRAWS

The third round meetings of Grand Masters’ supertournament are over in
China. All the three meetings of this round ended in draw. After the
third round Armenian chess player Levon Aronyan and Chinese Boo
Yantszin lead the tournament. Topalov and Movsisyan who presents
Slovakia have 1.5 points, and Ivanchuk and Svedler have 1 point each.

Source: Panorama.am

CONFERENCE ENTITLED "HUMAN RIGHTS PROTECTION IN PRACTICE OF CONSTITUTIONAL JUSTICE" BEING HELD AT NKR PARLIAMENT

De Facto
Dec 10, 2008

STEPANAKERT, 10.12.08. DE FACTO. A conference entitled "Human Rights
Protection in the Practice of Constitutional Justice" devoted to
the NKR Constitution Day and the 60th anniversary of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights is being held at the Nagorno-Karabakh
Republic Parliament.

Addressing the audience, the NKR Parliament Speaker Ashot Gulian noted
that the young republic’s affiliation to the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights in 1992 "proceeded from the idea of the Karabakh movement,
national-liberation struggle of our people". The NKR Parliament Speaker
underscored, "the NKR, as a de facto established and viable state,
respects not only basic principles and freedoms of a man, but also
the principles of international law and wishes to integrate in the
nations’ free community".

The head of the RA Constitutional Court and attorney general Gagik
Harutyunian and Aghvan Hovsepian participate in the conference.

The conference has been initiated by the RA Center for Constitutional
Rights, the NKR Supreme Court, the NKR Standing Committee for State
and Legal Issues, the Ministry of Justice and NKR Ombudsman.

DINK MURDER CASE DELIBERATELY PROTRACTED

PanARMENIAN.Net
10.12.2008 16:44 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The legal procedure on Hrant Dink’s assassination
is being constantly protracted, said the editor of the Armenian sector
of Agos newspaper.

"All we have now is the accused and his several accomplices," Bagrat
Estukyan told a news conference in Yerevan today.

"Every time the judge postpones the hearings for a long period,
obviously to leave the things as they are," he said. "Dink’s murder
shocked Turkey. People understood that Dink was assassinated for
being an Armenian. Dink was the first who was prosecuted under the
article 301."

Mr. Estukyan informed that Agos editorial staff still receives offences
and threats.

"A group of lawyers work in the office to deal with these threatening
messages," he said.

ARMENIA’S PRESIDENT TO ARRIVE ON OFFICIAL VISIT TO BULGARIA

Focus News
Dec 8 2008
Bulgaria

Sofia. President of the republic of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan will arrive
on official visit to Bulgaria on December 10 – 11 at the invitation
of Bulgarian head of state Georgi Parvanov, the presidency press
office informed.

Mr. Sargsyan will have a private talk with his Bulgarian
counterpart. After that there will be a meeting between the two
official delegations.

At the presence of the two presidents, the two countries will sign
bilateral agreements and validate a postage stamp.

The Armenian president’s schedule also includes working lunch with
Bulgarian Prime Minister Sergey Stanioshev and meeting with Bulgaria’s
National Assembly chairperson Georgi Pirinski.

ARMENIAN PREMIER TO VISIT TBILISI

BSANNA NEWS
Dec 8 2008
Ukraine

TBILISI, December 8 /GHN/. On Tuesday, December 9, Armenian Prime
Minister Tigran Sarkisyan will arrive on a one-day visit to Tbilisi,
GHN reports.

The Armenian Prime Minister will participate in the session of the
Armenian-Georgian intergovernmental commission on economic cooperation.

According to the National Statistics Service, in January-October
2008, Armenia’s foreign trade turnover with Georgia went up by 3.8%
and totaled USD 106.9 million. 2.4% Armenia’s foreign trade turnover
of the reporting period falls for Georgia.

At the same time, the volume of export from Armenia to Georgia
made up USD 70.9 million which is 2.2% less than over the relevant
period last year. The volume of goods made in Georgia and imported
to Armenia over the reporting period totaled USD 36.1 million which
is 18% more. According to the Armenian party, totally the volume
of import from Georgia amounted to USD 141.2 million, that is 3.9%
whole export volume.

MATTHEW BRYZA’S STATEMENT ON NAGORNO KARABAKH CONFLICT CAUSES ARMENIANS’ RESENTMENT

Azeri Press Agency
Dec 5 2008
Azerbaijan

Helsinki. Tamara Grigoryeva – APA. "I told journalists yesterday
morning that President Aliyev has one and President Sarkisian has
another position on the settlement of the conflict.

But in order to reach an agreement between the sides, the document
is to include the principles of territorial integrity, right to
self-determination and withdrawal of troops. While saying this
I did not mean that one of the principles was more important,"
American co-chair of OSCE Minsk Group Matthew Bryza told journalists,
APA’s special correspondent reports from Helsinki. The co-chair made
this statement after his first statement caused severe reaction of
Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian. Edward Nalbandian had
said he did not understand Matthew Bryza’s statement that Azerbaijan’s
territorial integrity should be taken as one of the main principles
in the settlement of the conflict.

Commenting on the item in the joint statement of OSCE Minsk Group
co-chairs on withdrawal of snipers from the line of contact Matthew
Bryza said it was the co-chairs’ wish.

"Withdrawal of snipers from the line of contact would save life of
both soldiers and civilians," he said.

Asked on what issues concerning the settlement of Nagorno Karabakh
conflict Azerbaijan and Armenia had discrepancy the co-chair did not
answer. He said the process was underway.

"The co-chairs are hopeful that the presidents will have a meeting
soon," he said.

Panorama.am

14:40 06/12/2008

USA TO HELP ARMENIA

Tomorrow at 17 p.m. American military-transport C-130B airplane will
land in `Zvartnots’ airport. Commemorating the 20th anniversary of the
earthquake in Armenia, the USA provides clothes, medical equipments to
the victims of the disaster, reported the press service of the USA
Embassy to Armenia.

According to the source, the Ambassador of America to Armenia Mari
Yovanovitch, the Minister of Emergency Situations Mher Shahgeldyan and
the Deputy of Rescue Service Aram Tananyan will meet the airplane in
the airport.

Source: Panorama.am

PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Contact: V.Rev.Fr.Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Officer
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E- mail: [email protected]
Web:

PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon

Armenian version: nian.htm

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE CILICIAN SEE
ACTIVELY CONTINUES ITS SESSIONS

Under the auspices of His Holiness Aram I the General Assembly of the
Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia continued its sessions with the same vigor
on its second day of meetings on December 3, making the primary focus of its
discussions the report of the Executive Committee.

The participants engaged in an in-depth discussion of the voluminous written
report, which included details of the activities carried out by the
Executive Committee, starting with the national and local levels to the
pan-Diaspora, Pan-Armenian and international levels.

The General Assembly made a comprehensive assessment of the Committee’s
activities, commending its impressive achievements despite shortages in man
force and financial means.

The organization of conferences around various educational, youth-related,
ecclesiastical, inter-faith, intellectual and scientific conferences, among
others, was considered to have been a novel phenomenon in Armenian life.
Particular attention was also paid to the Catholicosate’s publishing
activities, which featured some monumental publications with the unwavering
support of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation’s Armenian Department.

The Cilician See’s active pursuit of the human rights of its people was
underlined through an acknowledgement of Pontiff’s personal efforts in
international circles.

The Assembly also dedicated sessions to the construction activities carried
out by the Catholicosate both on its own property and in Artsakh, namely the
construction of the village to be renamed "New Cilicia".

Another important issue on the agenda was the mutual relations between the
Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia and the Catholicosate of All Armenians.
The Assembly re-stated the Catholicosate of Cilicia’s position to continue
demonstrating a brotherly spirit, stay committed to the Cilician See’s
principles in preserving the Armenian nation’s and Church’s unity. As such,
the Catholicosate of Cilicia will continue to cooperate with St.
Etchmiadzin, with renewed vigor, on the basis of pan-Armenian interests and
ideals.

The mutual cooperation between the Catholicosate of Cilicia and the
government of Armenia was positively assessed.

In addition to a an in-depth discussion of the items on the agenda, the
General Assembly also worked actively on setting new paths along which the
Catholicosate of Cilicia’s services could develop. The meeting went beyond a
limited, narrow exchange of ideas to setting new prospects for realizing
nation-building, church-building and homeland-building objectives.

In respect to these issues His Holiness Aram I shared his perspectives
stressing the decisive importance of strengthening the unity of our church
and nation, revitalizing the mission of the Church.

The Assembly will continue its sessions over the next few days.

##
View the photos here:
tos/Photos344.htm
*****
The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of
the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the history and
the mission of the Cilician Catholicosate, you may refer to the web page of
the Catholicosate, The Cilician
Catholicosate, the administrative center of the church is located in
Antelias, Lebanon.

ARMENIAN AND RUSSIAN PRIME MINISTERS TO DISCUSS ISSUES OF OVERCOMING NEGATIVE IMPACTS OF THE FINANCIAL CRISIS

ARMENPRESS
Dec 4, 2008

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 4, ARMENPRESS: Armenian Prime Minister Tigran
Sargsian will pay a working visit to Russia December 5.

Deputy Armenian Foreign Minister Shavarsh Kocharian told today
journalists that the meeting of Armenian prime minister with Russian
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin will take place. The main theme of the
discussions will be the world financial crisis and the joint efforts
which must be exerted for overcoming the possible negative impacts
of the crisis on the two countries.

Sh. Kocharian considered natural that each country has its
peculiarities in the issue, and that steps will be discussed which
will give an opportunity to solve the issue with joint efforts. The
prime ministers of the two countries will also discuss issues of
mutual interest.

"Relations with Russia, our strategic partner, have a unique role
in the multilateral and balanced policy of Armenia. The relations
develop very dynamically especially during the latest period and the
frequent high level meetings testify this", Armenian deputy foreign
minister noted.

The Armenian prime minister will also meet with businessman in the
Armenian Embassy in Russia.