Author: Dabaghian Diana

Panorama.am

19:45 02/02/2007

NUSHIKYAN ASSOCIATION BREAKS WATER PIPELINE

`About an hour ago the truck of Nushikyan Association broke the water
pipeline supplying water to the area. The whole area is out of water
now,’ committee members defending the rights of 19 Aghayan and 56
Teryan building residents said in a disturbing call to Panorama.am.

`Nushikyan people do not stop and the construction workers have built
something like Paplovok café in the place,’ the members said also
saying the police and the Water Company do not react.

Asked what measures the Water Company will take, press spokesman Murad
Sargsyan of the company said a letter must be written to company head
Serzh Popoff.

Source: Panorama.am

Editorial: We Are All Hrant
Watertown TAB & Press
Watertown, Mass.
Feb. 1, 2007
998961924330749951

Last Friday, people packed St. James Armenian Church to mourn Hrant
Dink, the recently murdered editor of a community newspaper in
Istanbul.

On Jan. 19, a young man shot Dink several times in the back of the
head outside Dink’s Istanbul office. The suspect, a teenage Turkish
nationalist, was later apprehended and arrested for the assassination.

Dink had for months been receiving death threats from right-wingers in
Turkey. Dink was convicted of `insulting Turkishness’ underthat
country’s shameful Article 301. The law forbids deviation from the
Turkish government’s claim that it did not perpetrate genocide against
the Armenian people during the First World War. More than a million
ethnic Armenians died in what was without doubt a program by the
Turkish government to eradicate Armenians. Hitler publicly admired
Turkey’s methods.

Watertown has deep ties to Armenia, as it has become a prime location
for the Armenian diaspora. Eight percent of Watertown residents told
the most recent Census that they are of Armenian heritage. That makes
Armenian heritage the third most widely held ancestry in town behind
only Irish and English.

Unsurprisingly, many local people knew Dink. Eric Ozcan, a Watertown
businessman and close friend of Dink’s, attended the vigil at
St. James. He was one of many others who have expressed their concern
over Dink’s safety and security in recent years because of his
`outspokenness and courageous honesty’ in the face of a strict Turkish
policy against questioning the government’s line on the deaths.

Ozcan, also from Turkey, said he had developed a close bond with Dink
during their years at an ethnic Armenian boarding school, and remained
a friend with him throughout the years.

`Hrant always spoke his mind, even as a schoolboy,’ Ozcan told the TAB
& Press. `He did not tolerate unfairness of any kind, even against
children in the schoolyard. Hrant was very idealistic, but did not
worry about the consequences. He was a great human being who embodied
the ideals of freedomof speech and equality.’

One glimmer of hope comes from the unprecedented international outrage
and expressions of sympathy. On Jan. 23, more than 100,000 people in
Turkey joined Dink’s funeral procession, according to Watertown’s
ArmeniaTree Project. As they marched through the streets of Istanbul
carrying signs that read `We are all Hrant,’ they chanted `We are all
Hrant, we are allArmenian.’

The Armenia Tree Project plans to plant a forest in honor of Dink. For
more information or to support the forest, visit _ArmeniaTree.org_
() . For more information about Dink, visit
_hrantdink.org_
() .

Turan Agency, Azerbaijan
Feb 1 2007

Azerbaijani President’s Paris Visit Successful

Turan 01/02/2007 23:39

Azerbaijani president’s press secretary Azer Gasimov held today a
briefing on the results of Ilham Aliyev’s visit to Paris.

He said that official Baku was happy with the results of the state
visit to Paris, which confirmed the strategic character of relations
between the two countries.

During the meetings the two presidents discussed a broad range of
questions, including the Karabakh conflict. A joint declaration of
the two presidents notes that France recognized and supported the
sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.

"President Chirac said that he would do his best to speed up soon
resolution of the conflict," Gasimov said.

Ilham Aliyev appreciated France’s position on the Karabakh question.

Concerning economic cooperation, France is interested in the
expansion of cooperation in the energy and non-oils sector. Paris
would like coming of such companies as Gas de France, Vinchi and
others to Azerbaijan. There is an agreement on bilateral cooperation
in the non-oil sector, in the sphere of tourism, the press-secretary
said.

Armenpress

CRU FOUNDER PROMISES TO REVAMP THE PARTY

YEREVAN, JANUARY 31, ARMENPRESS: Acting on an
appeal of three members of the Constitutional Right
Union (CRU) party an Armenian review court ruled today
to annul the results of a September 16, 2006 election
of members of its ruling board and oversight
commission.
The appeal had been turned down by a lower court in
October. Speaking to a news conference today CRU
chairman and founder Hrant Khachatrian said the review
court decision came as ‘a big surprise."
Khachatrian, a parliament member, elected on the
opposition Ardarutyun’s (Justice) slate in 2003
elections, said today he will be back to revamp the
party, but said he will hardly get engaged in active
politics.
He assured there will be no ‘witch hunting’ in the
party and no taking revenge on disloyal members. He
said the party’s ruling board will decide whether its
current chairman Hayk Babukhanian will remain in it or
will be asked to leave it.

Panorama.am

18:30 30/01/2007

DEMOCRATIC PROCESSES IN NAGORNO KARABAKH WITHOUT EXTERNAL PRESSURES,
PARTY LEADER SAYS

Democratic processes in Nagorno Karabakh take place without external
pressures and without the assistance of grant programs, Shavarsh
Kocharyan, Armenian Democratic Party leader, said.

In his words, the Azeris try to divert the attention of European
institutes from the content of the new constitution of Karabakh which
is very close to European standards. `What did they want – field
commanders like in Chechnya?’ Kocharyan poses a rhetoric question.

Kocharyan raised the issues at the meeting with lord Rasel Jonston,
chairman of the special committee on Nagorno Karabakh in the
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. Lord Rasel promised
to visit Karabakh in summer.

Source: Panorama.am

Recurrent sitting of the CIS Council of Commanders of Frontier Troops to be
held in Yerevan

ArmRadio.am
30.01.2007 17:39

The recurrent sitting of the Council of Commanders of Frontier Troops
of CIS countries will be held in Yerevan April 12-13. The Secretariat
of CIS Affairs informs that during the sitting the report of the
Council’s activity in 2006 will be discussed, the plan of further
development of cooperation of CIS countries will be ratified.

To note, the decision to establish the CIS Council of Commanders of
Frontier Troops was taken in 1992. The sittings of the Council are
held at least once in three months.

FAR FINANCES 160 SCIENTIFIC WORKS PROVIDING 800 THOUSAND USD

YEREVAN, JANUARY 30, NOYAN TAPAN. This year the Armenian National Fund
of Science and Education finctioning under the patronage of Fund for
Armenian Relief (FAR) will finance 20 scientific themes providing
grants of 5000 USD to each. As Director of FAR Armenian branch, Bagrat
Sargsian said at the January 30 solemn ceremony of giving grants, the
program’s goal is to contribute to progress of young scientists,
preservation and development of rich traditions of Armenian science.

It was mentioned that several hundreds of scientific works had been
presented at the competition announced in 2006, 20 out of which were
chosen by the authoritative expert commission working in U.S. under
the leadership of prominent American Armenian scientist, professor
Yervand Terzian. The scientific works presented by scientific groups
of the National Academy of Sciences, various universities and Byurakan
Observatory mainly relate to spheres of physics, chemistry and
biotechnology.

In the words of FAR Spokesperson Levon Lachikian, within the framework
of this program being implemented for the seventh year FAR has
financed 160 scientific works providing 800 thousand USD.

Regnum, Russia
Jan 30 2007

Armenia’s first defense minister: `Army became a toy in the hands of
leadership’

The Armenian Army is the strongest and effective in South Caucasus
region, MP, Armenia’s former defense minister and premier, leader of
the National Democratic Union Vazgen Manukyan announced at a news
conference on January 30.

According to him, recently they celebrated 15th anniversary of
establishing the Armenian Armed Forces and facts provided by the
leadership were scanty. `It was interpreted as there had been
voluntary brigades, then they allied and established the ministry,
but practically it is not that really. In reality, agencies,
representatives of the home front, particularly, engineers, mechanics
took part in establishing the army and the defense ministry,’ Vazgen
Manukyan said adding that in the coverage names of people who
participated in forming the army were mentioned, but by unknown
reason `Samvel Babayan’s name or my name were not mentioned,’ (Samvel
Babayan – Nagorno Karabakh Defense Minister, Vazgen Manukyan-
Armenia’s first defense minister – REGNUM).

The MP noted that the Armenian Army has become a toy in the hands of
leadership. In 1995, its units were used to suppress protests in the
country, the army unanimously votes at elections for candidatures or
political forces supported by the government. `I wish the army to be
the most progressive part of society,’ Vazgen Manukyan concluded.

Who are the Turks and who are Armenians?

Yerkir.am
January 26, 2007

The Turkish handwriting is the same everywhere ` it is written in red
and you read it in black. Does the Turkish people’s and intellectuals’
massive participation in Hrant Dink’s funeral mean that they realize
and accept the unquestionable truth of the Armenian Genocide? This does
not reflect Ankara’s official position.

Wasn’t Hrant Dink’s murder another act of Genocide? Wasn’t the Turkish
people’s participation in the funeral an affirmation of this fact? One
thing is clear ` in the context of the Armenian question Turkey’s
nature does not change, it remains the same when killing, it is the
same when mourning, it changes neither when laughing nor when crying.

Who are the Turks? Who are we? They are `special’, they can even call
themselves `Armenian’. But you cannot become Armenian simply by
shouting and applauding.

You can only be born Armenian. And if you consider yourselves Armenian,
can you manage to live with it? We couldn’t live with you. Dink
couldn’t live with you because he lived in a country where he was
hated. How long can you live with self-denial when there is nothing to
deny?

But this is an issue of identity for the Turks: they are Turks but they
consider themselves `Armenian’, they call themselves `Armenian’ but
continue thinking like Turks, they officially deny the Genocide but
follow the funeral procession mourning, they kill with one hand and put
flowers with the other. This is the peculiarity of the Turkish
identity.

Turkey, stop living with recirculation of your historical poison! Tell
your people the truth! You have been lying for ninety years and they
believed you. Do not be afraid and tell the truth and they will believe
you again.

Wasn’t Hrant Dink a citizen of Turkey? He was a citizen but he was an
ethnic Armenian. He was a citizen but his views did not coincide with
the historical and political perspective of the government. So what?

Does this mean that he should be murdered because he lived in an
environment that falsifies the reality and reinvents history? `We are
all Armenians, we are all Dink,’ the Turkish public shouted. Was this a
revolution in the Turkish society? Listen, Hrant Dink, they are ready
to even reject their nationality if only they can avoid recognizing the
Genocide, and this is your victory.

Hrant Dink is the only bright trace in Turkey’s modern history. If
official Ankara is smart enough, it will not lose this trace, it will
re-examine its past and present and not build the future of the Turkish
people on Genocides. Let Ankara cry out loud as much as it wants `
every tear will burn with the fate of an Armenian family, and the red
color will be reflected in these tears so vividly as the blood on the
ground.

The Armenian question was raised and solved in Istanbul in 1915 ` the
Genocide of 1.5 million Armenians was organized. In 2007 the same
continues in Istanbul in a more `civilized’ manner.

Didn’t Turkey understand that the problem is not the Armenian question
but Turkey itself? Didn’t it understand that the struggle is not about
exterminating the Armenian identity but re-evaluation and recreation of
its own identity? Is it too difficult to understand that we are more
interested in your Europeanization than you yourselves since if you get
civilized you might realize that what you did was a Genocide.

Tell the truth with the same enthusiasm with which you are knocking on
Europe’s doors. Turkey is looking for its salvation in Europe ` the
latter does not promise any miracles but state it cannot save someone
whose problem lies in his identity, in his genetic inferiority complex
and barbarism, in the inherited capacity to commit genocides.

By Areg SAVGULIAN

Yevrobatsi
Saturday, Jan. 27, 2007
Armenian community mounts global effort to create the "Hrant Dink Fondation"
php?r=10&id=2563

As Armenians throughout the world mourn the senseless murder of
journalist Hrant Dink, community leaders have vowed to keep his name
and ideals alive with the establishment of the "Hrant Dink Foundation."
The primary purpose of the foundation will be to disseminate the
message and vision of Mr. Dink and support the continued efforts of
Agos newspaper, of which Dink was the founder and editor-in-chief.

A coalition of Armenian community organizations spearheaded by the
Organizations of Istanbul Armenians gathered at the Western Diocese of
the Armenian Church to launch the Foundation. They are in the process
of collecting donations to fund it. Those interested in contributing
to the Hrant Dink Foundation can call 818-641-1059 or visit the
Foundation’s web site at: .

"We feel it is our duty to continue the struggle of Hrant Dink, who
died fighting for the right of free speech," said Hovsep Tokat, Chair
of the Committee establishing the Foundation. "His only crime was that
he was an Armenian living in Turkey . The response of hundreds of
thousands of people throughout the world is a testament to the support
of his ideals," he said.

Dink was a champion of the right of free speech. He was a fearless
leader and proponent of free expression and democracy. This stand was
particularly difficult for the native of Turkey , due to Turkey ‘s
policy of suppressing and punishing those who engage in free speech
with ideas contrary to government opinion. Dink’s dream was to achieve
better understanding between Armenians and Turks. He believed he could
succeed if he could reach the average Turkish citizen. This is why he
chose to stay in Turkey even when he knew that his life was in danger.

In 2005, Dink was prosecuted in Turkey for violating article 301 of
Turkey ‘s penal code, which states that open reference to the Armenian
Genocide equals "insulting Turkishness" and is punishable as a
crime. While Dink was convicted under this article, he was given a
6-month suspended sentence. In September, 2006, a prosecutor in
Istanbul opened a new case against Dink for the same crime, due to his
statement to a foreign news agency that the mass killings of Armenians
in Turkey was Genocide. His trial was still pending when he was
assassinated in front of his newspaper office on January 19, 2007
. Despite numerous death threats, Turkish authorities did not provide
any protection or investigate the threats.

"Of course I say it was Genocide. With these events, you see the
disappearance of people who lived on these lands for 4,000 years,"
Dink said. Despite the new charges, Dink remained determined, and
vowed to continue to speak the truth regardless of the consequences.

Other Turkish journalists have come under fire by the Turkish
government and have been prosecuted under Article 301, including Orhan
Pamuk. Despite heavy criticism none were convicted. Pamuk went on to
receive the Nobel prize in literature, becoming the first Turk in
history to be so honored.

Turkey denies that the Ottoman regime committed Genocide during World
War I despite voluminous evidence to the contrary.

"In addition to his principled stand on free speech, Dink was an
advocate of educating the Turkish population of its own history," said
Tokat. "He did not blame the general population for denial of the
Genocide, rather he criticized the government for not educating its
citizens about the truth of its past. His progressive thoughts and
opinions are what the foundation hopes to keep alive," he said.