Author: Felekian Ara

CARICATURSIT OZDABAK FACES 20,000 TL COMPENSATION CLAIM

BIA Net
ssion/120078-caricatursit-ozdabak-faces-20-000-tl- compensation-claim
Feb 16 2010
Turkey

Illustrator Halil Ibrahim Ozdabak from Yeni Asya newspaper is tried
with a TL 20,000 compensation claim after he had already been on trial
for the very same caricature showing "a court podium on top of a tank".

16 February 2010, Tuesday A compensation case against caricaturist
Halil Ibrahim Ozdabak from Yeni Asya (‘New Asia’) newspaper has been
launched on the grounds of a caricature published on 21 May 2009.

The illustration refers to President Judge Osman Kacmaz of the
Sincan (central Anatolia) 1st High Criminal Court who intends to
prosecute President Abdullah Gul regarding the investigation into
"Lost Billions". It shows a person in a judge’s robe on a podium
positioned on a tank, ignoring the road sign to "Ergen" but instead
following the sign to "Sincan Avenue".

TL 20,000 compensation claim Ozdabak faces a compensation claim of
20,000 Turkish Lira (TL) in the latest case launched on the grounds
of the caricature.

The case will be heard at the Sincan 2nd Criminal Court of First
Instance on 23 March.

Additionally, Ozdabak is prosecuted under charges of article 125 of
the Turkish Crimial Code (TCK) under charges of "insulting personal
rights", facing prison sentence of two years and eight months. The
case was postponed to 22 February.

Prosecutor Ali Cakır, who filed the case against caricaturist Ozdabak
on 18 August 2009, previously prepared an indictment on "influencing
the judiciary" against Milliyet and Radikal newspapers for criticizing
the cancellation of the Ottoman Armenian Conference. Furthermore,
the prosecutor filed a complaint against artist Bulent Ersoy for
"alienating the public from military service" and launched an
investigation into artist Hulyar AvÅ~_ar.

Acquittal for "Owl in a judge’s robe"

Oydabak was also tried for illustrating Supreme Court Public Prosecutor
Abdurrahman Yalcınkaya, who filed a closure case against the ruling
Justice and Development Party (AKP) and was depicted in the caricature
as an owl in a judge’s robe. The cartoonist was acquitted on 24 March
2009.

IN ARMENIA, IT’S ONE TAXPAYER FOR EVERY PENSIONER

Tert.am
11:30 ~U 16.02.10

The system of working individuals contributing to retirees’ pensions
through their taxes doesn’t seem to be working effectively in Armenia,
said RA Deputy Minister of Finance Vardan Aramyan at a press conference
yesterday. The current system is resulting in a huge deficit in the
budget, he said.

In an attempt to address this issue, European countries opted to
raise the retirement age, said Aramyan, while Armenia, where each
taxpayer supports one pensioner, is attempting to introduce a new
system whereby taxpayers will have to make additional mandatory
payments into a pension fund.

Whereas taxpayers currently contribute 3% into a pension fund, changes
that will be introduced in 2011 will require taxpayers under the age
of 40 to contribute 5% of their monthly salary into a pension fund.

Though the contribution will continue to be mandatory, taxpayers will
have the option of selecting in which pension fund they’d like to
invest their funds. Taxpayers above 40 will make such contributions
on voluntary basis.

Armenia’s finance minister hoped that taxpayers would consider topping
up their pension contribution above the mandatory 5% of their salary.

2010 CAN BE TURNING POINT TO RESOLVE NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT

Journal of Turkish Weekly
Feb 15 2010

Astana, as OSCE Chairman, hopes that 2010 will be a turning point in
the process of settling the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, if the parties
adhere to the agreements, the OSCE chairman, Kanat Saudabayev, being
on the official visit to Baku, said today.

"We use all our capabilities to resolve conflict. The latest agreements
in Athens and the meeting between presidents of Azerbaijan and
Armenia in Sochi gives us optimism," Saudabayev said at a briefing
after talks with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov.

"This is my first trip as OSCE Chairman, and I thank Azerbaijan for
its support for Kazakhstan’s chairmanship," the minister said.

According to Saudabayev, one of the important tasks of the visit is to
see the whole spectrum of the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement. "This is a
priority for Kazakhstan, as the OSCE chairman, and President Nursultan
Nazarbayev has not reduced the interest in this conflict. We know the
history of the issue and use all resources to solve the conflict,"
he said.

According to Saudabayev, the talks with his Azerbaijani counterpart
were constructive. The meeting with the president is expected to
be held.

PUBLIC DEFENSE OF DOCTORAL THESIS AT THE INSTITUTE FOR NATIONAL STRATEGIC STUDIES, MOD, REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA

p;p=0&id=1191&y=2010&m=02&d=15
12. 02.10

On February 12, 2010 the session of the Academic Council conferring
Academic Degrees in "Political Institutions and Processes" and
"International Relations" specializations, took place at the Institute
for National Strategic Studies (INSS). The Members of the Academic
Council are Arman Kirakosyan, Doctor of History, Deputy Minister
of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Armenia; Aram Simonyan, Doctor of
History, Rector of Yerevan State University; Nikolay Hovhannisyan,
Doctor of History, Corresponding Member of the National Academy of
Sciences, Mariam Margaryan, Doctor of Political Sciences and other
distinguished experts in Political Science and History.

The Chairman of the council, Advisor to the Minister of Defense, Head
of INSS, Doctor of Political Sciences, Major General Hayk Kotanjian
pointed out that the second public defense of doctoral thesis in the
field of defense security oriented political sciences is an important
event which will foster the development of that particular field of
political science. He also emphasized the fact that this defense is
taking place on the eve of the launch of post graduate studies at
the INSS, which is a very important step for the institute.

The public defense of "Semi-Presidentialism in the Post-Soviet region"
Doctoral Thesis presented for the Doctoral Academic Degree in Political
Sciences in "Political Institutions and Processes" specialization by
Alexander Markarov, Candidate of Philosophy and Docent of Yerevan State
University was on the session’s agenda. The Doctoral Thesis was highly
appreciated by the members of the Academic Council and the guests.

The participants also pointed out that INSS in the process of its
development has become the leading institution for the preparation
of high level specialists in this field. The Institute deepens its
cooperation with other leading Think Tanks. While bringing its unique
and valuable contribution to the development of security oriented
political science in Armenia, the Institute continues to gather
Armenia’s intellectual potential in defense and security fields
and facilitate to the formation and development of relevant academic
environment. After the discussion a voting took place, which conferred
the Doctor of Political Sciences degree to the Alexander Markarov.

Le Temps, Suisse
Jeudi 11 Février 2010

«Le bijou redevient intéressant»;
Albert Boghossian sort de l’ombre pour imposer son art

par Marie-Laure Chapatte

Le bureau d’Albert Boghossian témoigne sans conteste de son amour pour
les belles pièces. Sa collection personnelle, présentée un peu à la
manière d’un musée, recense des bijoux précieux qui traversent les
siècles. Dans son antre, au coeur de Genève, cet Arménien du Liban se
confie. A dose homéopathique et en toute modestie. Trente ans de
carrière lui ont toutefois soufflé cette envie: sortir de l’ombre.
Après avoir travaillé avec d’autres joailliers, il veut faire éclore
sa propre marque, Bogh-Art, créée en 2008.

Issu d’une famille de commerçants-bijoutiers, il rejoint d’abord son
frère au centre diamantaire à Anvers. En arrivant à Genève, il troque
quelque peu son profil de marchand de gemmes pour celui de créateur.
Il veut désormais laisser sa trace, sa signature. «Je travaille sur
les contrastes. Le mélange des couleurs, la manière de tailler les
diamants – ce qui leur confère des brillances différentes, l’audace
qui côtoie la sobriété, etc. Je veux étonner», insiste-t-il.

Autre trait: il se démarque par sa technique d’incruster les pierres,
en remettant une ancienne technique, complexe, au goût du jour. Mais
il regarde aussi vers l’avant avec l’utilisation de nouvelles
matières, comme les fibres de carbone ou d’aluminium.

Rejoint par ses deux neveux Roberto et Ralph, portant l’histoire
familiale à quatre générations, Albert Boghossian emploie une dizaine
de collaborateurs et réalise l’essentiel de ses pièces de haute
joaillerie dans des ateliers helvétiques. «La taille des corps de
pierre est-elle réalisée en Allemagne, précise-t-il. Mais les pièces
très onéreuses sont fabriquées dans le pays.» Il faut lire entre les
lignes que c’est une manière pour le créateur de ne pas les perdre de
vue.

Car si Bogh-Art possède une gamme accessible via la collection Inlay
(dès 6000 francs la bague), d’autres bijoux, parfois commandés par des
princesses pour leur mariage, se chiffrent à plusieurs millions de
francs. Le commun des mortels n’a alors que les yeux pour admirer
cette belle parure couleur ocre que le maître des lieux présente
fièrement.

La crise a-t-elle touché ses clients, «bien souvent des amis», qui
viennent d’Europe, de Russie et du Moyen-Orient essentiellement?
Point. Mieux, le dirigeant de 51 ans a constaté que cette période
tumultueuse avait servi son métier. «Les pierres, au-delà de
l’émotion, ont retrouvé leur valeur refuge. D’ailleurs, je pense que
cette tendance va s’affirmer dans les dix prochaines années, poursuit
Albert Boghossian. Investir dans la pierre deviendra intéressant en
termes de diversification des placements.»

S’il ne dévoile aucun chiffre, le joaillier compte sur l’exercice 2010
pour dynamiser sa présence internationale. Il participera aux foires Ã
travers le monde, comme Baselworld en mars, avant d’investir sa
nouvelle boutique à la rue du Rhône à Genève, d’ici à un an et demi.
Puis il compte ouvrir un deuxième point de vente dans une capitale
européenne ou en Asie. Pas de doute, entouré de sa tribu, Albert
Boghossian veut faire éclater son art. Et développer la marque
Bogh-Art, porte-drapeau d’un vécu, d’une histoire, d’un amour
incommensurable pour les «belles choses».

HACKERS ATTACK TURKISH-ARMENIAN WEEKLY ‘AGOS’

Tert.am
14:56 ~U 12.02.10

The website for Turkey’s leading Armenian paper was hacked in the
early hours on Friday, reports The Journal of Turkish Weekly.

Hackers identifying themselves as "AK Hacker" took over the Agos
website and put up an image of Ogun Samast, the alleged murderer of
the former editor in chief of the daily, Hrant Dink. The image was
accompanied by a text that criticized opposition to the ruling party
and stated the act of hacking was "an action that will go on to spread
like poison to others who oppose the current powers."

The note also made a chilling threat given the murder of Hrant Dink:
"If you do not fix your reporting in the way we see fit, there will
be new Ogun Samasts and new Hrant Dinks."

Here’s a translation of the text, in part, on the hacked site:

"You either love or you leave it. Or like the traitor Hrant, you die
and disappear. You are you. You know yourself as much as we know you.

You lived through what you deserved and it will continue as such. This
act take on behalf of the Turkish flag, which is not on your website,
and in the name of the Turkish Republic, will continue to spread
like poison to others who oppose the current powers and everyone who
opposes will be affected as such.

"If you do not change your articles and your words and your actions
along the lines that we see fit, then there will be new Ogun Samasts
and new Hrant Dinks. Thinking you’re smart is your biggest ignorance.

Just as the traitors who have given up their Turkishness will one day
be expelled from the borders of this country, Turkey will be cleansed
thanks to the current powers in Turkey and all slander campaigns will
be unsuccessful and inconclusive from now on."

Agos journalist Sarkis Gureh, in speaking with Turkish TV station NTV,
said that they are preparing to appeal to lawyers and to take court
action. He said the act was disconcerting, while adding that he’s
"not afraid."

Well-known Turkish journalist from Turkish daily Radikal Oral Calislar,
in speaking with NTV, said that the state can immediately find those
behind the despicable act.

"There are threats in the text. Law enforcement bodies must get to
work immediately," he said.

Important to note that at this time, the Agos website is down.

ARMENIA’S BOLD STEP A MODEL FOR REGION

Daily Star
d=1&article_id=111730&categ_id=17
Feb 13 2010
Lebanon

In a move that deserves praise and support, Armenian President Serzh
Sarksyan moved forward again on Friday to normalize relations with
Turkey. Sarksyan submitted to the Armenian Parliament two protocols
which spring from the deal he signed with Turkish President Abdullah
Gul last October; the two protocols would open bilateral diplomatic
relations and open the countries’ shared border.

Sarksyan will need all the help he can get for this initiative. He is
going against the prevailing tide in his own country and among much
of the Armenian diaspora, as we have seen demonstrated here. In a
bow to this resistance, Sarksyan’s government added codicils to the
accords which should make it easier for Yerevan to walk away from
the deal if Turkey dawdles.

This surprising and welcome break from the past should be seen only
through the perspective of the Armenian genocide; we do not for a
moment deny its horrors, but the massacre has become a mascot for
many other phenomena plaguing Armenia, a cudgel that can be readily
brandished to cast blame or distract attention from a spectrum of
problems: high unemployment, a stagnant economy and a lack of foreign
investment.

Nevertheless, the Armenian president has taken a bold and necessary
step. It is time to move forward; instead of living in the past
and playing the game of blame and victimhood, this region needs
understanding and reconciliation.

For its part, Armenia has a well of untapped potential, whether
as a passageway for a natural-gas pipeline or in its historically
talented populace – Armenians can boast a wealth of chess champions,
world-class musicians and accomplished engineers. And yet the country
lacks stability; it still has a smoldering conflict with neighboring
Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh region.

Certainly, Turkey also stands to benefit from the agreement; yes, we
could also say the Turks are trudging into this deal only to complete
part of their homework for their largely receding hopes for European
Union membership.

That, however, is a story for another day. The Turkish-Armenian
reconciliation should be acknowledged as an example of the way forward,
of a better alternative to the seething tensions that have bedeviled
this region for almost all of living memory. We need more leaders
willing to stick their necks out to end tensions and conflicts. Amid
the vortex of myriad wars and major shifts in geopolitics and the
world economy, the recipe for a nation’s success in recent decades
remains valid: stop making war and get to work.

Sarksyan’s brave move might not succeed – the deal still has to be
approved by both countries’ legislatures – but no matter how this
episode ends, the president deserves recognition for helping escape
the cell of the past and moving toward peace and reconciliation.

PRESS RELEASE
Armenian Assembly of Armenia
February 12, 2010
Contact: Press Department
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (202) 393-3434

ARMENIAN ASSEMBLY OF AMERICA PREPARES FOR ANNUAL MEMBERS WEEKEND

Florida Events to Benefit Assembly Programs

Washington, DC – The Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly) is
pleased to announce that the Annual Members Weekend will take place
March 5 and 6 in South Florida, and will include a variety of events,
speakers and entertainment throughout the weekend.

The Runway 2010 Fashion Show, organized by Fashion Show Chair Mary
Atamian, will be held on Friday, March 5 at the Quail Ridge Country
Club in Boynton Beach, Florida. Proceeds from this annual event will
benefit the Assembly in its advocacy efforts through its offices in
Washington D.C., Pasadena and Yerevan.

The following day, the Assembly will hold its Annual Members Meeting,
which will feature luncheon speaker Mr. Michael Bobelian, author of
Children of Armenia- A Forgotten Genocide and the Century-long
Struggle for Justice. Mr. Bobelian’s remarks will be timely, given the
announcement by House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Howard Berman
(D-CA) that the Committee will consider H.Res. 252, the Armenian
Genocide Resolution on March 4th. Saturday night the Weekend will
culminate with our annual Reception & Gala in Boyton Beach, Florida.

"With the record snowfall in the mid-Atlantic, I encourage everyone to
join us in South Florida," said Assembly Members Weekend Chair Carol
Norigian. "We encourage everyone to come and enjoy a wonderful
afternoon of fashion and friendship all while helping to promote
issues of concern to the Armenian-American community."

The Assembly’s Board of Trustees Development Co-Chair Lu Ann Ohanian
stated that "our Annual meeting and weekend activities in Florida
represent a long-standing tradition since the Assembly’s founding in
1972. We strongly encourage everyone to attend and show their support
for the Assembly and its mission to help ensure a strong, prosperous
and democratic Armenia."

For more information about the Annual Members Weekend, or to RSVP,
please contact Carol Norigian at 561-734-0133 or via email at
[email protected].

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
501(c)(3) tax-exempt membership organization.

###

NR# 2010-012

QUEEN OF THE UNITED KINGDOM RECEIVES ARMENIAN PRESIDENT

ArmInfo
2010-02-11 12:37:00

ArmInfo. Meeting of President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan with Queen
of the United Kingdom Elizabeth II was held in the Buckingham Palace
on February 10.

As the Armenian presidential press service reports, the prospects of
development of bilateral relations, Armenia’s Eurointegration process,
as well as the issues of the Armenian-Turkish dialogue were discussed
during the meeting. S. Sargsyan introduced the approaches of official
Yerevan on the indicated issues to Elizabeth II. According to the
source, the Armenian president also received UK Foreign Secretary David
Miliband in his London residence. S. Sargsyan said Armenia attaches
special importance to further deepening of a political dialogue and
extension of trade-economic relations with Great Britain.

The parties discussed the issues of regional security, the process
of normalization of the Armenian-Turkish relations and the Nagorno
Karabakh conflict settlement. D. Miliband hailed the Armenian
president’s efforts on establishment of a dialogue with Turkey and said
his country supports this process and is interested in strengthening
of stability and peace in the South Caucasus. S.

Sargsyan also met Prince Charles in the Windsor Castle.

The Armenian president was present at the reception organized on the
occasion of start of the project Yerevan – My Love, within the frames
of which it is scheduled to restore four buildings of historical and
architectural value in the center of Yerevan. Moreover, in London, S.

Sargsyan also held meetings with businessmen and public figures of the
Armenian origin, who arrived in the British capital on the occasion
of the Armenian president’s visit.

EP URGES TURKEY TO WITHDRAW THE TROOPS FROM CYPRUS

Aysor
Feb 11 2010
Armenia

EP approved a resolution on Turkey urging the country to ease local
restrictions on civil liberties and settle its long-standing issues
with Cyprus.

The parliament urged the country to improve the rights of women and
of its Kurdish minority, adopt a new law on increasing press freedom
and withdraw its troops from northern Cyprus. "Progress in terms
of concrete reforms remained limited in 2009," the resolution said,
urging Ankara to "translate its political initiatives into concrete
amendments], writes Setimes.com

MEPs criticised Ankara for keeping airports and harbours closed to
Cypriot vessels, for the fourth year in a row. This is something that
could " seriously affect the process of negotiations," they warned.

Outstanding human rights issues and the banning of a political party
for the Kurdish minority were also flagged up by MEPs. On the positive
side, they noted the thaw in Turkish-Armenian relations and a law
removing restrictions on broadcasting in Kurdish. Twelve out of the
negotiation 35 chapters have so far been opened with Turkey since
2006 when accession talks started, euobserver.com informs.