Author: Hovhannisian John

CREATION OF BHP WAS ARMENIAN AUTHORITIES’ PLAN, NZP CHAIRMAN CONSIDERS

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 16, NOYAN TAPAN. The creation of the Bargavach
Hayastan (Prosperous Armenia) Party is the political plan of Armenian
authorities. Aram Karapetian, Chairman of Nor Zhamanakner (New Times)
Party, expressed such opinion in his interview to Noyan Tapan
correspondent.

In his words, the goal of that plan is to create a possibility for
current President Robert Kocharian to continue playing an active part
in the political life after the 2008 presidential
elections. A. Karapetian said that the Bargavach Hayastan is only part
of this plan: currently the authorities form a team of President’s
supporters, and he promised to publish later information about
political forces and figures to be included in this team.

As A. Karapetian affirmed, Bargavach Hayastan’s Chairman Gagik
Tsarukian was involved in politics against his will. In his words,
some attempts to create parties by "business program" have been made
by now in the post-Soviet area, but they were not crowned with
success. One cannot be a successful businessman and at the same time
be engaged in politics, the evidence of which, in NZP’s Chairman, are
examples of renowned businessmen Berezovski, Gusinski and
Khodarkovski. A. Karapetian said that the Bargavach Hayastan will
hardly become a serious political factor, either.

As A. Karapetian affirmed, the main political rearrangements in
Armenia will not be conditioned by results of parliamentary
elections. In his words, external factors, in particular, the events
forecast in the region, will have an essential impact on this process.

ARMENIA HAS PROGRESSED

A1+
[05:25 pm] 14 February, 2007

In the list of National Football teams made public by the FIFA today
Armenia has progressed for four steps and is currently in the 119th
place. This year Armenia has played two official matches and tied in
both of them (Panama-Armenia 1:1 and Andorra-Armenia 0:0).

After a long pause the World Champions, the National team of Italy
took the first place, leaving Brazil behind. Argentina is in the
third place.

IMPORTANCE OF TOPIC DISCUSSED IS APPARENT

Yerkir.am
February 09, 2007

Statement by Armen Rustamian at the Parliamentary Assembly of the
Council of Europe on the threats to the lives of journalists and
freedom of speech.

Mr. Chairman, dear colleagues,

The significance and urgency of the issue under discussion is obvious.

Persecution and even murder of journalists is an attack against the
forth power, an attempt to eliminate freedom of speech and freedom of
the media. Of course, it is necessary to strictly and timely denounce
such acts in order to express our firm position, our joint protest
against such phenomena.

However, this is not sufficient if we want to prevent such crimes
from recurring and, most importantly, if we want to declare to all
criminals that justice will always win and such phenomena will be
eradicated through our joint efforts. In order to do this, we not only
need to denounce the committed crime, but also to reveal its causes
and motives that have directly or indirectly contributed to this crime.

We also need to denounce the existing pre-requisites and the current
political and psychological atmosphere that resulted in resurgence
of such a wave of intolerance.

Only in this case will the response be adequate and will serve to
prevent such acts, and only in this case will the society overcome
the challenge it is facing becoming more united, more ready to counter
such attacks against universal values.

This is the kind of problem we are facing in the case of the cruel
murder of the ethnic Armenian Turkish citizen, the famous journalist
and public leader Hrant Dink.

I want to stress this on purpose since in the statements made
by officials from the Council of Europe or the documents adopted
by us we purposefully tend to silence the facts that are directly
connected with the motives of this crime (even the criminal himself
has said that) as if we are afraid to indult Turkey if we talk about
the motives. Dink was not afraid of telling the truth even though he
knew he would have to pay a high price for that.

Today people in Turkey go to the streets carrying posters that say
"We are all Armenians" assuming that this was one of the reasons of
his murder.

Meanwhile, in our documents we do not even mention that Dink
was Armenian. In order to have a full picture of the crime it is
necessary to present openly the motives behind it and the atmosphere
that unfortunately still exists in Turkey.

The motives have to do with Dink’s approaches and beliefs that he
used to defend publicly. He was a supported of true Europeanization
of Turkey, substantive and not merely formal Europeanization. He
believed recognition of the Armenian Genocide committed by Turkey in
the Ottoman Empire would be one of the most important criteria for such
a transformation of his country. This is what they could not forgive
him and they used a very convenient tool for such cases – Article 301.

Application of this article against different dissidents cannot
but intensify the atmosphere of intolerance against the so-called
"anti-Turkish" elements. There will always be some "patriots" who
will be ready to punish the " traitors". The only difference is that
in the civilized world the state punishes such people through the
courts, while some "patriots" can take up this punitive function by
themselves. As a result we see that those struggling for recognition of
the Armenian Genocide in Turkey struggle for this cause in a peaceful
and civilized manner while those who deny the Genocide resort to the
punitive mechanisms of the state or simply shoot.

Hrant Dink was right to believe that recognition of the Armenian
Genocide would be one of the most significant successes on Turkey’s
way to membership in the EU. Turkey should do what Germany once did in
respect to the Holocaust managing to reject Hitler’s fascism. Turkey
should find the courage to reject the Ottoman Empire’s regime and
become a full member of the European family together with Germany
and other states. Hrant Dink believed in this.

MOSCOW-BASED ARMENIAN BUSINESSMEN PLEDGE $15 MILLION TO NAGORNO-KARABAKH

Armenpress

STEPANAKERT, FEBRUARY 9, ARMENPRESS: Moscow-based businessmen
of Armenian origin have pledged $15 million in assistance to
Nagorno-Karabkh’s government to help it implement a series of
humanitarian programs and improve irrigation systems in a number of
rural areas.

The pledge was made last week when Nagorno-Karabkh leader Arkady
Ghukasian was visiting Moscow and met with these businessmen. Ghukasian
was in Moscow to be confered the titles of member of two Russian
acadmies.

One is called Russian Academy for Security, Defense and Legal Issues
and the other is called International Relations Science Academy.

In Moscow Ghukasian also met with some Russian diplomats to discuss
the Nagorno-Karabakh issue.

BUSH SEEKS DRASTIC CUT IN U.S. AID TO ARMENIA
By Emil Danielyan

Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
Feb 6 2007

The administration of President George W. Bush has proposed a drastic
reduction in regular U.S. assistance to Armenia, provoking strong
criticism and resistance from Armenian-American lobbying organizations.

The Bush administration’s budget request for the fiscal year 2008,
unveiled on Monday, calls for $35 million in economic aid to the
country, sharply down from the 2006 level of $69 million. It would
also cut U.S. aid to the Armenian military by more than 30 percent
to $3.3 million.

The proposed cuts came just days after the U.S. House of
Representatives set the 2007 aid package for Armenia at about $75
million. The Senate is expected to approve a similar aid allocation
soon.

The two main Armenian-American advocacy groups were quick to denounce
the more modest aid levels sought by the administration, pledging to
lobby Congress to revise them upwards.

"This budget request represents more than a 50 percent reduction in
assistance," said Bryan Ardouny, executive director of the Armenian
Assembly of America. "This is simply unacceptable." "We will work with
Congress to correct the glaring deficiencies in the Administration’s
request," he added.

"We look to our friends in Congress … to substantially increase
aid levels to Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh that reflect Armenia’s
growing partnership with the United States," Aram Hamparian, executive
director of the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA), said
in a separate statement.

The Assembly and the ANCA have been instrumental in making Armenia
one of the world’s leading per-capita recipients of U.S. economic
assistance, which has totaled over $1.6 billion since 1992.

Highlighting their political clout, Congress has always significantly
boosted the White House’s aid allocations for Armenia. It has also
made sure that Washington provides equal amounts of military assistance
to Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Armenian-American leaders are particularly dismayed by the fact that
the Bush administration is again trying to change that parity by
asking for $5.3 million in military financing for Azerbaijan.

Administration officials have previously argued that Azerbaijan needs
more such help than Armenia in order to secure its much longer border
with America’s arch-rival Iran and Caspian Sea coast.

The proposed funding cuts seem to stem from a broader reduction
in U.S. assistance to former Soviet republics that began in the
late 1990s. U.S. officials will also point out that Armenia is on
course to receive $235.6 million in additional U.S. aid under Bush’s
Millennium Challenge Account program. Washington says the release of
the five-year aid package is conditional on the democratization of
Armenia’s political system.

GAGIK SHAMSHYAN’S SUIT WAS REJECTED

A1+
[08:01 pm] 05 February, 2007

The Court of the First Instance of Kentron and Norq Marash communities
rejected the suit of photo correspondent of newspapers "Aravot"
and "Forth Power" Gagik Shamshyan against the RA Public Prosecutor’s
Office. Gagik Shamshyan demanded to revise the decisions about ceasing
the prosecution of those who were accused of violence against the
journalist.

He also demanded the Prosecutor’s office to give the photocopies of
the materials concerning the criminal case. Nevertheless, he was told
in the prosecutor’s office to bring photocopying equipment.

Let us remind you that on July 21, 2006, in the 6th street,
Noubarashen, unknown people attacked Gagik Shamshyan and cursed
him. The journalist made a statement in the police and asked to
initiate a criminal case.

Advocate of the journalist Zaruhi Postanjyan informed "A1+" that in
her opinion the court decision is illegal. They intend to appeal it
on February 12.

ARMENIA-EU PARLIAMENTARY COOPERATION COMMISSION STRICTLY CONDEMNS HRANT DINK’S MURDER

Noyan Tapan
Feb 05 2007

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 5, NOYAN TAPAN. The Armenia-EU Parliamentary
Cooperation Commission stood in one-minute silence to respect the
memory of Agos newspaper’s editor Hrant Dink at the January 29-30
sitting in Brussels. Commission Co-chairman, Chairman of RA NA Standing
Committee of Foreign Relations, Armen Rustamian reported this at the
February 5 press conference.

In his words, the resolution adopted by the Commission as a result
of two-day work also touches upon H.Dink’s murder. In particular,
it was mentioned that the Commission "strictly condemns the murder
of Armenian journalist, public figure Hrant Dink who was a leading
fighter for protection of freedom of expression in Turkey, has always
assisted with establishment of complete democracy in Turkey thanks to
the process of Turkey’s membership to EU, as well as was a consistent
apologist of opening of Armenian-Turkish border and recognition of the
Armenian Genocide." The Commission called on the Turkish authorities
to immediately undertake measures for disclosing the causes and those
ordering the murder in order to prevent further recurrence of such
manifestations.

Today’s Zaman, Turkey
Jan 3 2007

NGOs send the ball back to government’s court on 301 changes

A group of non-governmental organizations which gathered in Ankara
yesterday to discuss possible changes to the infamous Article 301 of
the Turkish Penal Code has failed to come up with a joint proposal on
desired amendments and said instead that they were ready to assess a
concrete proposal to be outlined by the government.

`We agreed that first the political will must take a concrete step,’
said Özdemir Özok, the chairman of Turkish Bar Association (TBB)
whose association initiated yesterday’s meeting, after the five-hour
talks. "There was a consensus that the government’s step in this
regard should be assessed and that efforts [for amendments] should
continue." Özok said there was no specific plan to hold a second
meeting to discuss Article 301, although similar gatherings may
convene according to future developments.

The meeting came after the government repeatedly said it expected
non-governmental organizations to come up with concrete proposals on
how Article 301, which critics say restricts freedom of expression,
should be amended. The law makes `insulting Turkishness’ a crime
punishable by up to three years in prison. The government has said it
was ready to introduce amendments in a limited scope, like a decrease
in penalties if the `crime’ was committed abroad.
The government is under growing pressure to change Article 301 since
Hrant Dink, a Turkish-Armenian journalist who had been tried and
convicted under it, was killed by a teenage assailant who reportedly
confessed to killing because Dink had insulted `Turkish blood.’
Mourners at Dink’s funeral procession, which drew up to 100,000
people, carried banners that read `Murderer 301.’
Yesterday’s meeting of some 18 NGOs, primarily representing labor
unions, employee organizations and professional chambers, was marred
by disagreements from the beginning. Representatives from the
Confederation for Public Servants (KAMU-SEN) and the Turkish
Veterinary Union (TVHB) left the meeting saying that they were
against any amendments to Article 301.
TVHB Chairman Mehmet Alkan said after leaving the meeting that the
TVHB was against any amendments to the Article 301. `Turkish society
does not need an amendment on this. This is being imposed on us from
outside. Society does not have the will and wish for amendments to
Article 301. In my opinion, punishments for insulting Turkishness are
even less than they should be. Plus, in every country, there are
articles like this one,’ Alkan said.
Similarly, KAMU-SEN Chairman Bircan Akyýldýz echoed the idea that
amending Article 301 was being imposed from outside and claimed this
meant it was against the national will. Akyýldýz also added that the
government’s insistence on hearing from NGOs concerning Article 301
was questionable because when it came to other matters, for example
economic and social affairs, the government did not have the same
attitude.
Some criticized the fact that relevant NGOs were not invited to
yesterday’s meeting. Human Rights Association (ÝHD) Chairman Yusuf
Alataþ, who was not invited to the meeting, said that civil society
was a wide concept and if the subject was Article 301 it must be
discussed by relevant NGOs.
`There are two aspects of Article 301: one related to freedoms and
the other to laws. If there are to be any discussions, it must be
discussed by relevant organizations, not by professional chambers.
Otherwise we could easily think that either a solution is not desired
or there is a tailor-made solution in mind and others have been
invited to give approval to it.’

03.02.2007

AYÞE KARABAT ANKARA

Le Monde, France
3 février 2007 samedi

La mémoire vive de l’Arménie

par Sophie Gherardi

D’Erevan, marquée par la période soviétique, aux monastères des
environs, le pays fourmille de trésors

Avant de partir pour l’Arménie, un conseil. Procurez-vous un
enregistrement de cette flûte enchanteresse qu’on appelle doudouk.
Son chant grave, poignant, infiniment nostalgique, vous préparera
pour la suite. La suite ? L’aéroport d’Erevan, neuf et rutilant, fait
paraître fané le terminal de Roissy 1 quitté cinq heures plus tôt –
sans doute l’un des nombreux signes de la générosité de la diaspora
arménienne. Mais sitôt passées les portes, le pathétique
post-soviétique saute aux yeux.

Pour peu que la nuit cache les immeubles sans me et les rues
défoncées, la capitale arménienne peut éblouir avec sa place de la
République. Les arcades de pierre rouge savamment éclairées
surplombant l’esplanade ovale donnent un instant l’idée d’une grande
ville qui aurait pu être celle qu’avait conçue et commencé à réaliser
l’architecte Alexandre Tamanian dans les années 1920. Au lieu de quoi
le touriste devra se contenter des chiches beautés de l’Erevan
actuelle, métropole de 1,2 million d’habitants qui rassemble plus du
tiers de la population d’Arménie.

Au moins, la pluie est rare sur ce plateau entouré de collines, si
bien que le soleil égaye tout ce qui peut l’être. Par exemple, ces
forteresses de pierre ouvragée qui se révèlent être des usines, l’une
d’embouteillage de cognac (de la marque Ararat, rachetée par Pernod
Ricard), l’autre de vodka. Si, malgré tout, le découragement vous
prenait devant la pauvreté de cette ancienne bourgade dilatée au XXe
siècle par les afflux de réfugiés, ravagée dix fois par les
tremblements de terre et les conquérants (arabes, mongols, persans et
turcs), alors rappelez-vous les tendres inflexions du doudouk.

L’Arménie n’est pas une fille facile, voilà la vérité. " Tes sourcils
sont des arcs et tes longs cils des flèches ", écrivait Sayat-Nova,
le grand poète du XVIIIe siècle dans ses Odes arméniennes
(L’Harmattan, 2006, 17,50 euros). Les yeux, bien sûr ! On ne voit que
cela dans les visages arméniens, ceux qu’on croise dans la rue comme
ceux qui sont peints sur les enluminures des manuscrits conservés au
Matenadaran, l’imposante bibliothèque de style stalinien perchée sur
une colline d’Erevan. Yeux noirs perçants – persans ? – que veloutent
des cils immenses, et ces sourcils fortement dessinés qui évoquent
les arches de l’architecture locale. Hommes à l’air fatigué dans
leurs vestes de cuir à la soviétique, jeunes filles juchées sur des
talons-aiguilles, tous partagent ce regard captivant.

Mille autres regards du passé se dardent sur le visiteur muet dans le
Musée du génocide, au lieu-dit la Forteresse des hirondelles. Quels
chiffres peuvent mesurer l’étendue des souffrances subies à partir de
1915 par les Arméniens de l’Empire ottoman ? Un million à un million
et demi de victimes ? 400 000 orphelins ? Ou faut-il plutôt fixer ces
photos de l’officier allemand Armin Wegner, 2 000 clichés en tout,
qui montrent comment, selon ses propres mots, " ils mouraient de
toutes les morts terrestres " ?

L’Arménie historique s’étendait sur 350 000 km2, l’Arménie
d’aujourd’hui, coeur antique de cette civilisation si particulière,
en occupe à peine 30 000. Le peuple arménien, on s’en rend compte
ici, a perdu l’essentiel de sa richesse matérielle, des pans entiers
de sa culture et toute sa gaieté, il y a quatre-vingt-dix ans, sur le
territoire de l’actuelle Turquie.

Les richesses qui restent, enchssées dans le petit territoire
caucasien de la République d’Arménie, sont uniquement historiques et
culturelles. Et elles sont fascinantes. Les monastères aux formes
pures, sous leurs clochers pointus, résistent depuis le VIe siècle
aux terribles séismes de la Transcaucasie. Celui de Khor Virap,
dominé par le mont Ararat (du côté turc de la frontière), a servi de
prison à Grégoire l’Illuminateur, qui évangélisa le roi Tiridate IV
au tout début du IVe siècle, faisant de l’Arménie le premier Etat
chrétien.

Tout en majesté, le grand monastère d’Etchmiadzine, non loin
d’Erevan, est le " Saint-Siège " de l’Eglise apostolique arménienne.
Avec l’alphabet arménien, inventé en 405 par le moine Mesrob
Machtots, cette Eglise est l’un des fondements de l’identité du pays
: elle a affreusement souffert du pouvoir stalinien, qui a fait
exécuter quelque 1 500 prêtres entre 1930 et 1947. Grce à Karékine
II, l’actuel catholicos (le chef de l’Eglise arménienne), le nombre
d’ecclésiastiques est remonté à 350 depuis l’indépendance, en 1991.

Blotti dans les montagnes, le fabuleux monastère de Geghart (mot qui
signifie " lance " en français, puisque cette relique de la Passion y
est conservée) s’ouvre sur un immense narthex puis sur une sobre
église cruciforme. Mais deux autres églises, accolées à la première,
sont invisibles du dehors : elles ont été creusées dans la falaise
par le sommet, avec leur coupole, leurs piliers, leurs autels. Le son
passe de l’une à l’autre, offrant une acoustique exceptionnelle au
cristal des chants liturgiques arméniens. A quelques kilomètres à
peine, le temple hellénistique de Garni dresse ses colonnes de
basalte au bord d’un canyon spectaculaire. Avant la conversion du
pays, le peuple arménien comptait déjà mille huit cents ans
d’histoire…

Partout, dans les églises, les cimetières, au bord des routes
parfois, on découvre de grandes dalles de pierre ornées de croix, les
khatchkars. Plus que l’art de l’icône orthodoxe, les monophysites
arméniens – qui reconnaissent la seule nature divine du Christ – ont
pratiqué la sculpture. Leurs pierres-croix sont toutes différentes et
leurs motifs préfigurent l’abstraction d’un certain

art musulman : le Crucifié n’y figure qu’exceptionnellement.

C’est dans l’art moderne laïque qu’on voit réapparaître le talent des
enlumineurs médiévaux. Plusieurs musées d’Erevan en portent
témoignage. Du majestueux Musée d’histoire " des origines à nos jours
", on emporte parmi cent autres le souvenir charmé de la Joconde
arménienne peinte par Hakob Hovnatanyan le Jeune vers 1840. Il faut
passer au musée consacré au maître portraitiste du XXe siècle,
Martiros Saryan.

Mais surtout, aucun séjour à Erevan ne serait complet sans la visite
de la maison de Sergueï Paradjanov. Le Pasolini soviétique, interdit
de tournage pendant deux décennies, emprisonné quatre ans, déploya sa
créativité dans des centaines de collages d’une folle fantaisie. Son
ami Zaven Sargsyan en a fait un musée. C’est un endroit unique.

MAIN ELECTORAL FALSIFICATIONS WILL BE COMMITTED AT DISTRICT
COMMISSIONS, CEC MEMBER DECLARES

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 2, NOYAN TAPAN. The main falsifications at the May
12 parliamentary elections will be committed at district electoral
commissions. Felix Khachatrian, Ardarutiun (Justice) bloc
representative at the Central Electoral Commission (CEC), made such a
statement at the February 2 press conference. Presenting "the main
loop-holes of falsifications" he said that it will be difficult to
stuff ballot-boxes due to putting ballot-papers into enevelopes and
the mechanism of "double voting" will be mainly used.

In F.Khachatrian’s words, "15-thousand army of falsifiers" has been
formed in the country, the representatives of which actively work
during all elections. He stated that according to his information,
pressure is already exerted upon OYP representatives at
commissions. They are forces to resign. F.Khachatrian also said that
according to the amended Electoral Code, some changes should be made
at commissions’ staffs, which, in essence, has not been done.

According to the Electoral Code, in the period from fixing the date of
state elections until summing up the results of elections, electoral
commissions’ sittings are considered as competent irrespective of the
number of members participating in the sitting. This provision of the
law, in F.Khachatrian’s words, creates a possibility for exerting
pressure upon commissions’ members: by bribing or intimidating they
can force them not to attend these sittings.

In the CEC member’s words, the number of electors is already being
exaggerated by electoral rolls compiled by Passport and Visa
Department of RA Police. The number of electors at the constitutional
referendum held in 2005 November was 2 251 754, while as of January 1
it amounted to 2 325 353 and at the moment 2 333 460. In
F.Khachatrian’s words, under conditions of lack of growth of
population in the country the number of those having become adults
should be approximately equal to the number of the deceased. So, no
growth of the number of electors mentioned above is possible.

It was decided to set a seal to servicemen’s identification cards
before voting for excluding double voting by them, but the danger of
double voting by policemen has appeared instead. F.Khachatrian said
that three days before the elections the Cheif of RA Police will
approve the list of the policemen who will control over the process of
elections. Their names should be removed from the electoral rolls of
the place of their residence and within 1-day period should be added
to the lists of the districts where they will be on duty. Thus, as
F.Khachatrian affirmed, the variant of double voting by policemen
becomes possible through their being simultaneously on the two lists.

Similar change of electoral rolls is also planned for electors
receiving hospital treatment. Their family names should be removed
from the main electoral rolls to the rolls of the hospital’s nearest
district. F.Khachatrian said that part of 170 hospitals of the country
has more than 700 beds.