Author: Hambardsumian Paul

DALMA MALL LAND-USER ATTEMPTS SUICIDE IN FRONT OF GOVERNMENT BUILDING

Tert.am
15:18 ~U 24.12.09

A man, around 60 years of age, attempted to commit suicide by slitting
his neck with a razor in front of the government building in central
Yerevan today.

Police immediately surrounded the individual, later identified by
police as Rudolph Minasyan, and were able to revive him, after which
they restrained him and took him to the central police division.

Asked by Tert.am why he attempted to take his own life, Minasyan only
responded by saying that he is striving for justice.

Police later informed the press that Minasyan is one of the individuals
who was given the right to plow the land (a right granted to about
700 land-users in the form of ten-year tenancy agreements) that has
now been sold to make way for Dalma Garden Mall – a two-storey mall
set to be the biggest shopping centre in Yerevan.

SHIRAK TOROSYAN: LET SAAKASHVILI MIND HIS OWN BUSINESS

PanARMENIAN.Net
24.12.2009 19:37 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Opening of Armenia -Turkey border is disadvantageous
to Azerbaijan and Georgia, Republican party member, Javahk expatriates’
community head Shirak Torosyan told PanARMENIAN.Net reporter,
commenting on Georgian President’s statement that Armenia and Turkey
have to coordinate rapprochement negotiations with Azerbaijan.

According to him, opening of border is disadvantageous to Georgia,
as in this case it will lose communicational monopoly.

"Let Saakashvili mind his own business," Shirak Torosyan concluded.

BAKUR KARAPETIAN: RECOGNITION OF ARTSAKH’S RIGHT OF SOVEREIGNTY WILL LIQUIDATE THREAT OF WAR

Noyan Tapan
Dec 23, 2009

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 23, NOYAN TAPAN. "Turkey has planned to unite
Turkish-language states in one empire, and Armenian Zangezur impedes
implementation of that plan," Director of the Shushi charity foundation
Bakur Karapetian wrote in his open letter to UN Secretary General
Ban Ki-moon. As he declared at a December 23 press conference, the
international community should learn that the Turkish-Azeri program
of expansion to the West is fraught with serious dangers in the issue
of providing regional security. Meanwhile B. Karapetian mentioned in
his letter that the final solution of the Nagorno Karabakh problem
is connected with NKR population’s self-determination, recognition
of Artsakh as a negotiations party, recognition of its right of
sovereignty, which, in his affirmation, will liquidate the threat
of war.

B. Karapetian also said that a year ago the movement For the
Sake of Justice headed by him initiated an online referendum
on recognizing NKR as a conflict and negotiations party on the
website. Three thousand people from 41
countries of the world participated in the referendum, among which
there were not only Armenians but also many foreigners. By the way,
according to B. Karapetian, several persons from Azerbaijan visited
the website leaving "mean abuses peculiar to them" there.

Speaking about the issue of Artsakh’s international recognition Shushi
foundation’s Director said that only speeches of Armenian officials
are not sufficient for solving the problem. In his words, Artsakh’s
culture, ethnography, history should be presented to the world. B.

Karapetian said that he has written a script for a film under the title
Zizi Stone or Land of Treasures, which is a synthesis of fiction and
documentary films. He added that 100 thousand USD is needed to shoot
the film.

ARMENIAN OPPOSITION SUFFERS NEW LOSSES AGAINST THE BACKGROUND OF AUTHORITIES’ CONSOLIDATION

PanARMENIAN.Net
23.12.2009 17:20 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Following the 2008 political developments in Armenia,
authorities have adopted consolidation policy while the opposition
has been quitting the struggle, according to political scientist
Alexander Markarov.

Armenian opposition suffers new losses against the background of
authorities’ consolidation, he told today a news conference in Yerevan.

With regard to upcoming parliamentary and presidential election, he
forecasted the possibility of opposition’s repeating its mistakes. "So
far, pro-opposition forces have formed coalition against rather than
in favor of something," the expert noted.

THE ARMENIAN ROCK GROUPS WILL PERFORM NEW YEAR DAY SONGS

Aysor
Dec 23 2009
Armenia

"The winter Festival – Armenia 2009" continues providing with happy
mood those who will put on warm clothes and will go out to the streets
to make the pre-holiday days more festive.

As the organizers of the festival inform to Aysor.am, today in the
park of the Beloved will take place a rock concert. On the concert
the Armenian rock-groups will present the famous and familiar New
Year day songs.

The organizers of the festival remind that the access to the concert
is free. It will launch at 17:30.

AHMET DAVUTOGLU: "THERE CANNOT BE HEALTHY NORMALIZATION BETWEEN TURKEY AND ARMENIA WITHOUT SOLUTION OF NAGORNO KARABAKH PROBLEM"

APA
Dec 23 2009
Azerbaijan

Baku – APA. "The realization of the protocols signed with Armenia is
a process and everyone should think positively about such processes.

Negative scenarios are not useful for anyone. No one is interested
in returning to the situation before the protocols", said the Turkish
Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, reacting to the Armenia’s statement
that it will reject the protocols if Ankara delays their ratification,
APA reports quoting Hurriyyet newspaper. In his opinion, positive
scenario is realization of the protocols and normalization in whole
Caucasus. "The bilateral normalization links with the improvement of
situation in the Caucasus. There is a problem standing for 17 years.

There cannot be bilateral healthy normalization without solution
of this problem. Our intention is to establish peace and stability
in whole Caucasus. Turkey-Armenia borders are closed for 20 years,
but we try again to solve this problem. If there is a good will in
another issue, it can reach certain phase in this issue too. Minsk
process reached serious progresses. We all together moved this process
to the certain phase. The talks in Athens were also positive".

Davutoglu said he was seeing Turkey-Armenia relations not from the
factor of time, but from a large horizon. "I don’t see this process
negatively. We cannot squeeze time. We shouldn’t leave the future of
our countries and peoples to the hand of lobbies".

TURKEY TO BRING UP NAGORNO-KARABAKH ISSUE AT TURKEY-EU MEETING

Today
8409.html
Dec 22 2009
Azerbaijan

Turkey-European Union Intergovernmental conference kicked off in
Brussels on dec. 21.

Three Turkish ministers – Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, State
Minister and Chief Negotiator for EU talks Egemen Bagis and Environment
and Forestry Minister Veysel Eroglu left for Brussels to attend the
conference, which is expected to open environment chapter in Turkey`s
EU accession talks.

The meeting focuses on a number of issues, including Turkey’s
obligations to the European Union and Cyprus dispute.

Also the ministers will bring up the issue related to Armenian-Turkish
relationship and Nagorno Karabakh problem, Turkish daily "Hurriyet"
says.

The EU negotiators include Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs Carl
Bildt, Chairman of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso and
other officials.

ARMENIAN FINANCE MINISTER TO PARTICIPATE IN THE FIRST SESSION OF THE EURASEC ANTI-CRISIS FUND IN MOSCOW

ARMENPRESS
DECEMBER 21, 2009
YEREVAN

Armenian Finance Minister Tigran Davtyan will participate today in
the first session of the EurAsEC Anti-Crisis Fund in Moscow. Press
service of the Finance Ministry told Armenpress that the agreement
on establishing the fund was signed June 9 in Moscow.

The charter capital of the fund will make till 10 billion USD of which
Russia’s part will be 7,5 billion USD, Kazakhstan’s 1 billion USD,
Belarus’ 10 million USD and Armenia’s 1 million USD.

During today’s session it is planned to discuss and approve a number
of documents relating to fund’s 2010 activity. Particularly it is
planned to approve the statute of the council of experts of the
anti-crisis fund, its staff, etc.

The Signal, Santa Clarita
Dec 19 2009

Armenian church opens in SCV

Church officials say they hope to team with local charities, teach
Armenian language to youth

By Tammy Marashlian
Signal Staff Writer
[email protected]
661-259-1234 x525
Posted: Dec. 18, 2009 10:19 p.m.
POSTED Dec. 19, 2009 4:55 a.m.

After five years of planning and patience, the Santa Clarita Valley’s
growing Armenian population has a church of its own.

"It’s really important for us to bring the 600 or so families together
so they can have a social network," said Will Simonian, parish council
chairman.

The new space in Newhall is a way to reach out.

"We are trying to close the gap and become part of the community now
that we have our own church," Simonian said.

St. Sarkis Armenian Apostolic Church will host a special service and
ceremony at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday.

The church will be led by Father Nerses Hayrapetyan, who called the
new church "a blessing for the community."

Efforts for a church began in 2004 when a group of about five local
residents took the initiative to establish a church.

"We felt that the Armenian community should have more of a presence in
the Santa Clarita Valley," said Harry Soghomonian, parish council
treasurer.

The first services were held at Valencia High School five years ago.

After finding temporary locations throughout the Santa Clarita Valley,
St. Sarkis Armenian Apostolic Church has found a permanent home in a
5,000-square-foot space on Kansas Street.

The church counts about 70 people as members so far, Soghomonian said.

As the church becomes more established, Simonian hopes to be able to
team up with local leaders to provide charity services for the Santa
Clarita Valley.

"We can be a positive strength and contribution to the community," he said.

At the same time, Simonian wants the church to be a place where
children can learn the Armenian culture and language since the Santa
Clarita Valley does not have an Armenian school.

The church has already established a weekend school, a youth
organization and a club for married couples to mingle, he said.

More than 30 kids have taken the Saturday classes, Soghomonian said.

"We’re just trying to do a lot of activities," he said. "It’s not just
a church where people come for service."

As the church grows, leaders hope to host a large celebration in the new year.

"This is something very symbolic and very small just to open the
doors," Soghomonian said.

5/

Interfax, Russia
Dec 15 2009

Armenia completes preliminary probe into spy case

YEREVAN Dec 15

The investigations department of the Armenian National Security
Service has completed a preliminary investigation under a criminal
case dealing with high treason through spying and illegal arms
storage.

A former employee of the Armenian Defense Ministry named Airapetian
was recruited by Azeri special services in April 2009, the Armenian
Prosecutor General’s Office told Interfax on Tuesday.

"Airapetian passed secret reports on the Armenian military forces and
material for anti-Armenian campaign to Azeri special services. He
received the last instruction from Azeri special services on September
1, 2009 through B. Bageri, an Iranian citizen of Azeri descent, who
arrived in Armenia, stayed at Airapetian’s home, handed over another
instruction to him and was given materials for an anti-Armenian
campaign. These materials were later discovered in a cache in Bageri’s
bag while he was undergoing a security check at the Karcevan
checkpoint in the city," it said.

Weapons and ammunition were found at Airapetian’s home later.

Based on this evidence, Airapetian was indicted for high treason
through spying and illegal acquisition and storage of weapons. The
Iranian citizen has also been accused of spying.