Author: Hovhannisian John

ARMENTEL TO COMPLETELY DIGITIZE ARMENIA’S FIXED TELEPHONY IN 2010

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
21.05.2009 20:42 GMT+04:00

Armentel will completely digitize Armenia’s fixed-line telephony
network in 2010, told Dmitri Pleskonos, OJSC Vimpelkom’s executive
vice president for business development in CIS. Currently, the level
of digitization of Armenia’s fixed-line telephony network is 67 per
cent. According to Mr. Pleskonos, this is a very high performance for
Armenia, particularly, if we compare with the same rate in Russia,
which does not surpass 47 per cent. Among CIS countries Uzbekistan
has the highest level (equal to 69 per cent) of digitization of a
fixed-line telephony, which is only 2 per cent more than the same rate
in Armenia. "We do not project to cut investments into financially
efficient activities in Armenia," added Mr. Pleskonos. Over the last
two years Armentel invested USD 200 million to digitize analogous
telephony stations in Armenia. The company announced about digitizing
three more stations in Yerevan in April of 2009, which raised the level
of digitization of the capital to 90 per cent. Armentel projects to
digitize all analogous stations of Armenia’s fixed telephony in 2010.

HOVIK ABRAHAMIAN: COOPERATION OF LEGISLATORS OF ARMENIA AND ARTSAKH WILL CONTRIBUTE TO FULL ESTABLISHMENT OF INDEPENDENT ARTSAKH STRUCTURES

Noyan Tapan
May 19, 2009

YEREVAN, MAY 19, NOYAN TAPAN. Contacts between legislators of Armenia
and Artsakh have become active lately. RA NA Speaker Hovik Abrahamian
at the May 19 meeting with NKR President Bako Sahakian in Yerevan
in that context attached importance to parliamentary cooperation,
organization of mutual visits and development of direct contacts
between professional commissions.

He expressed confidence that the cooperation will contribute to full
establishment of independent Artsakh structures.

According to the RA NA Public Relations Department, then the
interlocutors had a private talk, during which they discussed issues
regarding the Nagorno Karabakh settlement, as well as cooperation
between Armenia and Artsakh.

ORHAN PAMUK, THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE AND TURKISH NATIONALISM
by Geries Othman

Asia News
;art =15272&size=A
May 18 2009
Italy

The trail against the Turkish writer, guilty of having spoken about the
Armenian genocide and the massacre of Kurds, could be reopened. Turkey
is sliding towards Islamic fundamentalism and nationalism. Tell-tale
signs; its friendship with Syria and Iran.

Ankara (AsiaNews) – The infamous article 301 of Turkey’s Penal Code
which severely punishes anyone who dares to "sully Turkey’s national
identity" is once again in the news. Over the past few years it has
silenced many intellectuals who dared to contest "Turkey’s democratic
government". Once again the writer Orhan Pamuk is being targeted,
in a case that has been on the shelf for over three years.

Just as the writer, the first Turk to receive the Noble Prize for
Literature (2006), was in Florence to receive a degree honoris causa,
rumours began to circulate that he will probably have to appear before
Turkey’s courts once more for having "offended the Turkish identity".

In reality the charge is an old one, even if ever present in public
memory.

Born in Istanbul in 1952, in 2005 Pamuk was charged with having
declared to the Swiss weekly Das Magazin that "we Turks are responsible
for the death of 30 thousand Kurds and a million Armenians and no-one
in Turkey dares speak about it, except me". However he was absolved
by an Istanbul court, above all tank to the intervention of the
International Community which also urged the partial modification
of art. 301. Approved in 2008, the change led to the cancellation of
the generic "offense against Turkish identity" and its’ substitution
with a more detailed "offense against the State or organs of the
Turkish State".

However on May 4th last, Ankara’s Supreme Court rejected the primary
courts ruling and decided to proceed against Pamuk because he holds
his country responsible for the Armenian "genocide" – a taboo word
for the Turkish nation – during the Ottoman Empire, thus committing
a grave crime according to the Turkish Penal Code.

World famous Pamuk is held as one of the most translated contemporary
writers, not only into European languages. Since his debut in 1982,
he has published nine novels and other writings, which have received
awards in Europe and the United States. He elaborated an original form
of narrative, at times complex and not always easy to read, through
which he explores, from a historic point of view, the problematic
issues of art, expression, identity and the relationship between the
East and the West. In his homeland and abroad Pamuk has had great
literary success. But despite this, he is still opposed by a large
part of public opinion in Turkey. An official in Isparta even went
to the point of ordering the destruction of his books in libraries
and bookshops throughout the province.

Pamuk, invited to the International Book Fair in Turin, decided not
to mention any of this. In the past he ad even refused to participate
in debates and discussion on the murder of the Armenian journalist
and long-time friend Hrant Dink. In Turin, when asked about the case
currently going to the courts, he commented: "I don’t think it is
a serious matter, even if I don’t really know the details of the
latest developments, nothing is official yet, but from what I have
understood I could be on trial again. Unfortunately, in my country
the justice system is politicised – said Pamuk – and you know that
if there is no freedom in a nation then there is no justice. This is
why I feel obliged to speak freely".

For now Turkey’s press prefers to hold its tongue on the issue and
only Hurriyet has dared to nod its head at the probable opening of a
new trial. No-one is sure of anything and they prefer to keep quiet,
given the scandal generated by the first case involving Pamuk and
article 301. Many hope that this is not the latest sign of the current
government’s increasingly authoritarian and nationalist stance. Many
see confirmation of this suspicion in recently improved relations
between Syria, Iran, and the Turkish government which has forgotten
the principals of secular kemalism and is moving towards an Islamic
extremism, in which nationalism and fundamentalism are dangerously
united.

ODESSA HOSTED ROUND TABLE DEVOTED TO ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
18.05.2009 17:08 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ On May 17, Armenian Cultural Centre in Odessa
hosted a round table on "One Hundred Years of Denial: Genocide
of Armenians and Pontus Greeks. The round table was attended by
democratic corpse representatives, Mayor’s Office of Odessa and
representatives of Armenian and Greek communities. Several scholars’
talks were heard. Armenian Cultural Centre also organized Armenian
Genocide exposition and tour exhibitions of Odessa Architectural Museum
to introduce to public medieval silver and bronze coins of Cilician
Kingdom and Pontus. Upon organizers’ initiative, participants wrote an
appeal to Ukrainian President, requesting him to officially recognize
the Armenian Genocide in Ottoman Empire, Analitika.at.ua reports.

ARGENTINA RENOUNCES PARTICIPATION IN JUNIOR BOXING CHAMPIONSHIP IN YEREVAN

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
19.05.2009 12:33 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Boxing Federation of Argentina alleged
administrative problems to officially renounce participation in the
junior boxing championship due in Yerevan from May 23 to 30, 2009.

Thus, the number of participant countries reduced to 50.

A CASE ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE DENIAL IN US

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
16.05.2009 01:59 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The state Elections Commission in Ohio (USA) agreed
to hear a case far outside the typical realm of Ohio politics, one
involving Armenian Genocide, Turkish history, U.S. foreign policy and
a growing and personal political rivalry, Dayton Daily News reports.

At issue are comments made by an Armenian-American congressional
candidate during the 2008 campaign. A Republican congresswoman from
Cincinnati, Jean Schmidt, claims her opponent violated election law
when he accused her of being a puppet of Turkish efforts to deny that
the mass killings of Armenians during World War I constituted genocide.

The commission on May 14 found probable cause that David Krikorian’s
statements violated election law, voting unanimously to bring the
case to a full hearing.

The 94-year-old killings in Turkey are an unlikely topic for a
congressional campaign in America’s heartland, where Schmidt’s
staunchly conservative values find favor among a large portion of
her constituents. But for Krikorian, Schmidt’s comments that she
doesn’t have enough evidence to call the killings of an estimated
1.5 million Armenians "genocide" make her morally unfit to serve in
Congress. Krikorian refused to shake the hand of Schmidt’s attorney
following the hearing May 14.

"It is my right under political free speech to point out these
facts that she denies the Armenian genocide," Krikorian told the
commission. He alleged that Schmidt had taken campaign donations from
Turkish interests in return for "denying" the genocide.

"And, yes, I refer to it as blood money because where I come from,
when you take money to deny the killing of innocent women and children,
that is blood money. That’s exactly what it is. It’s reprehensible."

As it is stated in the article, "the dispute isn’t just about the
past – Krikorian is challenging Schmidt again in 2010, but as a
Democrat. He won 18 percent of the vote as an independent in 2008,
a performance Krikorian claims has Schmidt worried enough about 2010
to file a "frivolous" elections complaint to discredit him."

Schmidt’s attorney, Donald Brey, refuted all of Krikorian’s claims,
taking particular issue with his equating Schmidt’s unwillingness to
call the killings genocide with denial.

"She wasn’t a genocide denier … She didn’t do anything as a quid
pro quo," Brey said.

Federal Elections Commission records show Schmidt received $3,300
from the Turkish American Heritage Political Action Committee between
January and October 2008. The committee was formed to defend Turkish
heritage against "slanderous campaigns" carried out by ethnic groups
in the United States to influence public opinion.

Schmidt’s unwillingness to proclaim what many history scholars regard
as fact is also shared by the U.S. government. The U.S. foreign policy
establishment’s careful positioning on the issue is driven by the
importance of maintaining productive relations with a moderate ally
in the Middle East.

Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland recognized the killings as genocide in 2007,
and former President Ronald Reagan did so in 1981.

"IT WAS CLEAR TO AZERBAIJAN THAT WAR COULDN’T BE AN ALTERNATIVE TO SOLUTION OF THE PROBLEMS"

AZG Armenian Daily
16/05/2009

Karabakh conflict

Similar statement was made by Burchu Gulteckin, an expert of Ankara
Middle East Technical University’s Center of European Studies, at
a two-day international conference under heading "Reassessment of
the security environment in the South Caucasus: regional conflicts,
stability and transformation" held in Yerevan.

Speaking of the official Baku’s position on the negotiation process
started between Armenia and Turkey, Burchu Gulteckin mentioned that
in the beginning their attitude was pretty smooth as Azerbaijan
had announced that they were not going to interfere in the mutual
relations of other countries, but it perceived very negatively the
talks about opening of Turkish-Armenian border, as it could disturb
the balance in the region, and according to the Azerbaijani side,
Armenia could take an advantageous position.

The Azerbaijani public attitude towards re-interpretation of
Armenian-Turkish relations was also negative. The Azerbaijani mass
media was ready to boycott the Turkish programs in case of opening
of the border with Armenia, Gulteckin said, according to Armenpress.

GORAN LENNMARKER: THE PROCESS OF ESTABLISHING THE ARMENIAN-TURKISH RELATIONS AND THE SETTLEMENT OF THE KARABAKH CONFLICT ARE MUTUALLY ENCOURAGING

Today.Az
itics/52323.html
May 15 2009
Azerbaijan

"The process of establishing the Armenian-Turkish relations and
the settlement of the Karabakh conflict are mutually encouraging",
said Special Representative of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly on
the conflict in Nagorno Karabakh Goran Lennmarker Friday.

"Two processes – the establishment of the Armenian-Turkish
relations and the settlement of the Karabakh conflict are mutually
encouraging. It is always possible to touch upon separate statements,
which may impede or facilitate a settlement, but the whole process
can be assessed as positive" said G. Lennmarker.

He noted that he attended the football match in Yerevan in September
2008.

"I think that football meeting was a very good moment, not only
for Armenia and Turkey, this feature shows that the traditional and
long-term issues will find a solution", said G. Lennmarker.

Azerb aijan not elected to the UN Human Rights Council

14 May 2009 [09:51] – Today.Az

It is the first time that the US was also elected a member of the
Council, which has been boycotted by the Bush administration.

On May 12, 18 new members were elected to the United Nations Human
Rights Council on May 12. The members are elected for a three-year
period. Although Azerbaijan had also put forward it candidacy, the
county failed to gain sufficient votes. The Freedom House as well as
other international organizations did not support the country’s bid
for membership.

Russia was reelected with 146 votes, while, Hungary 131 and Azerbaijan
84 gained votes.

It is the first time that the US was also elected a member of the
Council, which has been boycotted by the Bush administration. The
Council consists of 47 delegates, three of them from Western nations
including Norway and Belgium.

Among Asian nations, Kyrgyzstan was also among the selected.

The United Nations Human Rights Council is an inter-governmental body
within the United Nations System. The UNHRC is the successor to the
United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR, herein CHR), and is
a subsidiary body of the United Nations General Assembly. Based in
Geneva, the UNHRC’s main purpose is to make recommendations to the
General Assembly about situations in which human rights are violated.
The UNHRC has no authority except to make recommendations to the
General Assembly.

/Radio Freedom-ANS PRESS/

URL:

BTA BANK (ARMENIA) PUBLISHES ANNUAL SERVICE PRICE FOR MASTERCARDS

ARKA
May 12, 2009

YEREVAN, May 12. /ARKA/. The BTA Bank (Armenia) has published
the annual service prices for cards of the international system
MasterCard. The Marketing Department, BTA Bank, reported that the
bank issues the following plastic cards of the MasterCard system:
Cirrus/Maestro, MasterCard Standard, MasterCard Gold, MasterCard
Business.

The annual service prices for them are: 30,000 AMD for Gold cards;
20,000 AMD for Business cards; 8,000 AMD for Standard cards; 3,000
AMD for Maestro cards.

The cashing charge for Gold, Standard, Business and Maestro cards is
0.3% of the amount.

Early this May the BTA Bank announced the issue of international
plastic cards MasterCard with a 50% discount for annual service during
the first year. The discounts will be in effect from May 1 to August 1.

The BTA Bank Armenia CJSC is a strategic partner of the BTA Bank
OJSC, Kazakhstan’s largest bank, the owner of 48.8% of the Armenian
bank’s shares.

As of May 11, 2009, the bank’s total capital was 5.4bln AMD, assets
9.3bln AMD and liabilities 3.9bln AMD.

The BTA Bank OJSC is a backbone bank of Kazakhstan, leading former
of the CIS banking system. It has partner banks in Russia, Ukraine,
Belarus, Georgia, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan and Turkey. The bank also has
representative offices in Russia, Ukraine, China and United Arab
Emirates.