Author: Jagharian Tania

HACKERS GO ON ATTACKING ARMENIAN WEB SITES

armradio.am
18.08.2009 16:44

A new wave of hacker attacks was recently launched against Armenian Web
sites. While trying to open some of them, users encounter messages by
"Iraqi hackers" – such is the nickname of the trespassers who left
their contacts and a warning.

Hackers have this time targeted the Web sites of RA Agriculture and
Urban Development Ministries. Earlier, they had attacked the sites
of RA Football Federation, Diaspora Ministry and BTA Bank. Some of
the damaged sites were restored to normal operation.

Attacked by hackers Saturday, Iran’s Armenian Diaspora Web site (www.

iranahayer.com) contains a statement saying that hackers did not
manage to completely damage the Web page and deleted only recent news
and comments.

Site administration reports it will post the news again but will not
manage to restore deleted comments.

Earlier, Web site was reported to be inaccessible
because of some technical problems which were shortly after eliminated
by specialists. Later, it became known that hackers had managed
to damage the site’s post service, thus gaining access to ministry
staff’s mail correspondence.

VAHAN SHIRKHANYAN: SHORTAGE OF JUSTICE IS THE CAUSE OF ALL MISFORTUNES OF ARMENIAN PEOPLE

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
14.08.2009 16:39 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian society and government must unite, Vahan
Shirkhanyan , member of the Hnchak Social Democratic Party of Armenia
told reporters.

According to him, there is no justice in the country, this is the main
cause of all disagreement within the country. Particularly because
of this, in Mr. Shirkhanyan’s opinion, Armenia couldn’t not settle
problems of Armenian-Turkish relations and the Karabakh conflict.

Mr. Shirkhanyan also noted that the government should create a
"spiritual" atmosphere in the society to consolidate the nation. All
actions of government are based only on their interests rather than
the interests of the Armenian society, "- said Vahan Shirkhanyan.

ARTIST EMIL KAZAZ WANTS TO TRANSFORM YEREVAN AND GUMRI

il-kazaz-wants-to-transform-yerevan-and-gumri/
Aug 13th, 2009

YEREVAN -World-renowned Los Angeles-based artist Emil Kazaz has held
meetings with the culture minister and officials in Gumri to discuss
rebuilding an old house in the city and turn into a museum housing
his works, the artist’s wife Mane Hayryan told a press conference
Wednesday.

Kazaz told the officials that his father’s house in Gumri, which was
destroyed during the 1988 earthquake, was the property being eyed
for this project by the artist, who has not been in Armenia since 1986.

Hayryan presented the Gumri municipality two Kazaz paintings. "The
Golden Child of Gumri," which won a prize at the Florence Biennale
and "San Pedro’s Table," which won the coveted Medici prize. Hayryan
also announced the donation of several Kazaz works to the Yerevan
Art Gallery.

"He has decided to get dual citizenship and to make Armenian art
known around the world," added Hayryan.

Kazaz (Manvel Ghazaryan) was born in 1953 in Gumri. He started studying
sculpture when he was 7. He attended the Mercurov art school and
Terlemezyan College of art and the art theater institute. He has been
living in Los Angeles since 1980. He has had exhibitions in Europe,
Asia, Russia, North and South America.

An exhibition of Kazaz’s works will open on Friday in Yerevan,
marking the first time the artist’s works are being shown in Armenia.

PRESS RELEASE
Hayastan All-Armenian Fund
Governmental Buiding 3, Yerevan, RA
Contact: Hasmik Grigoryan
Tel: +(3741) 56 01 06 ext. 105
Fax: +(3741) 52 15 05
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:

14 August, 2009

Hayastan All-Armenian Fund begins reconstruction of Noyemberyan Hospital

Yerevan, August 14 2009 – In July of this year the Hayastan All-Armenian
Fund launched a major development project to rebuild the Noyemberyan
Hospital, in Armenia’s Tavush Region. The initiative is co-sponsored by the
fund’s German, Australian, Swiss, and Lebanese affiliates. Additional
support, in the form of medical equipment, will be provided by the Union of
Armenian Physicians and Healthcare Professionals of Germany.

Currently crews are working on the first phase of the reconstruction
project, demolishing the existing building and laying the foundations of the
future structure, which will comprise an area of 2,600 meters square. Slated
to be completed in the fall of 2010, the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund’s
ambitious initiative will result in an outstanding, state-of-the-art
healthcare facility offering a broad range of medical services.

"I think it’s wonderful that our compatriots in the diaspora continue to
make a concerted and decisive effort in helping secure the ongoing progress
of our homeland, which hinges to a great degree on the physical health of
the Armenian public," said Ara Vardanyan, executive director of the Hayastan
All-Armenian Fund. "The reconstruction of the Noyemberyan Hospital is an
important step toward that goal."

Commenting on the project, Henrik Harutyunyan, chief physician at the
Noyemberyan Hospital, said that the facility serves some 1,400 individuals
per year, admitting patients from not only throughout Tavush but the
neighboring Lori Region as well. Dr. Harutyunyan added that the Noyemberyan
Hospital has long been in a state of disrepair and the need for major
renovations had reached a critical stage. "Thanks to the Hayastan
All-Armenian Fund project, we expect to have a first-class facility," he
said.

Hayastan All Armenian Fund

INTELLECTUAL AND CULTURAL SETBACK IN AZERBAIJAN

NEWS.am
12:03 / 08/11/2009

Azerbaijani website 1news.az raised a concern with intellectual level
of modern Azerbaijani society. The author of article under "Classics
should be read (now and then)…" head, published August 11, states:
"Under Soviet regime Azeris were not the most literate nation of
all Soviet republics. Only Muscovites and intellectuals in regions
were those being in fond of reading and constantly enriching their
library…"

"Under various reasons, like instability in the first years
of Azerbaijan independence, Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict,
Nagorno-Karabakh military conflict, the majority of reading people
left Baku. Due to social-economic problems and shifting priorities,
book is no more a thoughtful gift, as well as library is not host’s
pride," the author asserts, acknowledging that Armenians and Russians
being the intellectual and cultural backbone of Azerbaijani SSR left
Baku and regions under the mentioned circumstances.

The author recalls that within last 70 years Azerbaijani alphabet has
been changed thrice which also impacted the reading circles. "By no
means all could easily adapt to new alphabet and deprive themselves
of a pleasure to read modern literature published in the country,"
the author concludes.

I concur wholeheartedly with the author on uneasy lot of the
nation that lacks alphabetic script due to historical and cultural
setback. However one can argue for the advantages and disadvantages
of the modern Azerbaijani publications – propagandist and agitation
literature, as well as some ‘historical’ piece of writing that are
fully donated by Mehriban Aliyeva’s foundation. Should one read this
stuff? It’s a rhetorical question…

"Another reason for decreasing number of readers after independence is
definitely the advocated switch of political benchmarks. The result –
everything from Turkey is considered right and proper in Azerbaijan,"
the text reads "Russian-speaking mass was replaced by Turkish-speaking
passion". And here the information of Turkish Radical daily (referring
to Independent Trade Union of educators data) is right to the point,
stating that average Turk reads one book in 10-year period. Conclusions
on the prospects of Azerbaijani intellectual growth reading this
statistics inevitably come to mind.

ERGENEKON SUSPECTS ATTEMPT TO HIDE EVIDENCE FROM PROSECUTORS

Today’s Zaman
12 August 2009, Wednesday

An army officer arrested as part of the investigation into Ergenekon,
a clandestine gang charged with many crimes including plotting to
overthrow the government, smuggled dozens of documents that could
be incriminating evidence outside his office days before he was
apprehended, the prosecution has claimed based on phone conversations
monitored by the police.

The prosecution now says a senior lieutenant, Muhammed Sarýkaya,
for whom a search and arrest warrant was issued by a court on Jan. 6,
organized an operation to wipe out all evidence the investigators might
find in his room located inside the Guvercinlik Gendarmerie Rangers
Private Safety Operations Battalion Command facilities in Ankara. On
Jan. 7, the police arrived at the premises with a search warrant
issued by a court; however, the officers and the accompanying public
prosecutor were kept waiting at the gate by the guards for a long time.

Transcripts of phone conversations between the guards at the gate
and Sarýkaya show that the officials immediately called the senior
lieutenant, asking him to destroy military paperwork and other
classified documents immediately, starting with any files that might
be on his laptop.

The first phone call made to Sarýkaya on that day is, however, not
from the guards, but from another senior lieutenant, Noyan Pamukcu,
who told him that a search warrant had been issued in his name and
that he should meet with him immediately. This was at a time when
Sarýkaya was waiting for a medical report required for him to be
assigned to a post abroad.

In a phone conversation that begins at 10:56 a.m. on Jan. 7, Pamukcu
said: "Brother, rush to the guesthouse as fast as you can. I can’t
tell you now, this is more important than the report. I will send
you a message. Leave the report alone, and get here as fast as you
can. I’ll see you outside."

At 10:58, Pamukcu sent a message to Sarýkaya in which he said: "A
judge has ordered a search of your room. Is there anything on your
laptop? This is serious. Don’t use your phone. Call me at 050054347xx
using someone else’s phone."

At 11:08, another warning came from another friend, Ramazan Bulut,
who called Sarýkaya and suggested he destroy every document on his
laptop, or any other illegal or classified document, and leave the
laptop in someone else’s car if need be. Bulut said: "Don’t ask me
what’s going on, OK? Go to your room, and things like your laptop or
military publications or banned publications, go there, get those
out and come back to the battalion. Get your laptop out, leave it
in someone else’s car and then get here as fast as you can. I’ll see
you when you get here."

Bulut is also the officer who met the public prosecutor who arrived
at the military facility to search Sarýkaya’s room.

Police records show that Sarýkaya, who was supposed to be at a
hospital, was in his room during the search and that no documents
had been seized by the police on his laptop or in his room during
the search.

Public prosecutor Mehmet Murat Yonder on Feb. 23, started a probe into
Sarýkaya, Bulut and Pamukcu on charges of "destroying, obstructing
or hiding evidence of a crime." Yonder later ruled the investigation
outside his jurisdiction and referred the case to military prosecutors.

Sarýkaya was arrested on Jan. 10 as part of the Ergenekon
investigation. Bulut and Pamukcu continue to serve in their previous
positions.

Allegations against Sarýkaya Sarýkaya is accused in the third
Ergenekon indictment of being the leader of death squads formed by the
organization to assassinate important minority group leaders and other
public figures, including the head of the Alevi-Bektaþi Federation,
Ali Balkýz, and the spiritual leader of Turkey’s Armenian community,
Patriarch Mesrob Mutafyan.

In a document titled "The Intimidation Plan" found in the home of
Ergenekon suspect Ýbrahim Þahin, who is accused of establishing
death squads for Ergenekon using the military’s resources, Sarýkaya
is listed as the leader of cell number four.

AMNESTY RELEASED 301 PRISONERS IN ARMENIA

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
11.08.2009 20:32 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ 301 prisoners were released from the penal
institutions of Armenia on the basis of the amnesty declared by the
RA NA as of August 11, 2009, press service of the RA Ministry of
Justice reports.

The largest number of prisoners, 63 people, released from the Erebuni
penal institution, while the lowest, 1 convict from Yerevan Kentron. 8
women and 3 juveniles are among the total number of amnestied.

CENTRAL BANK OF ARMENIA REGISTERS NEW BRANCH OF UNIBANK

ARKA
Aug 7, 2009

YEREVAN, August 7, /ARKA/ . The Central Bank of Armenia has registered
a new branch of Unibank. The new ‘Zvartnots’ branch will be carrying
out limited financial operations, the Central Bank press service
told ARKA.

It said the decision to register the branch was made by Central
Bank chairman Arthur Javadian on August 5, 2009. The branch will be
operating at Armenia’ Zvartnots international airport.

Unibank ZAO was founded in 2001. Fifty percent of its shares are
owned by Uniastrum Asset Management company and the other half is
held by resident company Evainvest.

According to ARKA preliminary data, Unibank’s assets as of June 31,
2009 stood at 76.2 bln AMD, liabilities at 64.9 bln AMD, its aggregate
capital totaled 11.3 bln AMD and its net profits for Jan.-June amounted
to 297.2 million AMD. The bank runs 30 branches. ($1- 369.9 AMD).

WHY ARTSAKH MATTERS TO THE WEST AND RUSSIA
By David Boyajian

Armeniapedia
/550
Aug 7, 2009

On April 12th 2009 Tigran, a reader of Keghart, in a comment entitled
"In Vain…" stated, "We have to accept the unfortunate fact that
Armenia doesn’t have the same resources nor the same importance
as its two neighbours do. We are a landlocked country, surrounded
by two vicious and criminal nations who are being backed by similar
countries… Until a miracle happens and our chances and luck improve,
the only thing we should be doing is trying to survive the situation
and make our fight only for the acceptance of the Genocide and nothing
else for the moment. Hopefully, their turn will come and they will
be begging for our help against the Turks!"

David Boyajian, in response, had the following to say, "Dear Tigran:
Sadly, like too many Armenians, you do not seem to understand that
Armenia (and Artsakh) are tremendously important to the West due to the
fact that, aside from Georgia, which is unstable and under pressure,
it is the only way into and out of the Caucasus that avoids Russia
and Iran. The West knows this very well. Armenia is in a unique and
very powerful position. Russia must also know that without Armenia,
its entire southern tier, from the Caucasus to Central Asia, will
fall to NATO, and Russia will be ripe for the picking.

Please read this article, "Why Artsakh M atters to the West and
Russia".

Since the Russian-Georgian war (2008), the announcement of "the
Roadmap" (April 2009) and the Madrid Principles (July 2009) some
geopolitical considerations have changed, but David Boyajian’s
principal arguments about the importance of Armenia and Artsakh for
the West and Russia remain valid.

The article penned by him, originally published in Armenia Life USA
on 8th June 2007, and later reproduced in Armeniapedia is brought to
the attention of the readers.

A surprising number of people seem to believe that the West couldn’t
care less whether the longstanding Artsakh (Karabagh) conflict
is solved.

That notion may stem partly from the West’s habit of playing down
legitimate Armenian concerns and boosting the interests of Azerbaijan
and Turkey. Sadly, some Armenians who should know better seem to have
bought into the lie.

The fact is that the US and NATO attach great importance to an Artsakh
peace accord. By the same token, Russia – though it won’t say so
publicly – apparently does not presently favor such an agreement.

What would be the results of an Artsakh accord?

The West’s Dream

The border between Armenia and Azerbaijan would certainly open. Various
kinds of trade would follow.

Turkey might also open its border with Armenia. That is uncertain,
however, because Turkey could insist on additional conditions, such
as Armenia’s dr opping the genocide issue.

Yet even if Turkey’s border with Armenia were to remain shut, there
is always Turkey’s 6-mile border with Azerbaijan’s Nakhichevan enclave.

That by itself would connect Azerbaijan proper to Turkey, via
Azerbaijan’s open border with southern Armenia [see the author’s
"Meghri: The Pan-Turkish Superhighway and Other Wrong Turns" on
Armeniapedia.org].

One way or the other, an Artsakh peace could fulfill the West’s dream:
a route from Azerbaijan and the oil and gas rich Caspian Sea region,
through Armenia and Turkey, to Europe.

The West desires an Armenian route because currently the sole way
into and out of Azerbaijan runs through Georgia, which continues to
be under heavy economic, political, and even military pressure by
Russia. Alternative routes through Russia or Iran are, of course,
unacceptable to Washington.

Were Moscow to actually succeed in shutting off Georgia from the West
– a possibility, though it would spark a major confrontation with
Washington – Armenia would become the only path into the Caucasus. But,
again, a prerequisite for all this is a solution to Artsakh.

For many of the same reasons, Russia does not presently want an
Artsakh pact.

Russia’s Nightmare

The Kremlin, of course, regards the Caucasus as being within its
traditional sphere of influence. It wants near exclusive control over
Caspian resources.

Therefore, Russia does not wish Armenia to become, like Georgia,
yet another route for oil and gas pipelines from the Caspian to Turkey.

How do we know that Russia is satisfied with the status quo in Artsakh?

Because for the past decade or more, Moscow has evidently applied
no pressure on Yerevan or Baku to come to an agreement. Moreover,
we have never heard Moscow ask Ankara to open the border with Armenia.

No, the very thought of NATO’s using Armenia to penetrate the Caucasus
gives the Kremlin nightmares. The longer the Artsakh conflict remains
frozen, the sounder Russian leaders sleep.

Hidden Reasons

You may wonder why, if it’s trying to penetrate the Caucasus,
Washington has applied little, if any, pressure on Turkey to open
its border with Armenia. A likely reason is that Washington feels
that the closed border exerts pressure on Yerevan to first sign an
agreement with Baku. Washington won’t come right out and say that
because it would cause a furor in the US Congress and Yerevan.

An additional reason Washington wants an Artsakh peace agreement is
that a renewal of war would endanger the outflow of Azeri oil and
gas to the West.

For the very same reason, a war might actually please Moscow.

To believe that Armenia and Artsakh, even in view of all their
problems, are unimportant to the world’s major powers is to sell
ourselves short and to misunderstand the political dynamics of
the region.

Armenia is still the most stable country in the Caucasus. The US
has not built a huge embassy in Armenia for nothing. Russia does not
regard Armenia as a strategic ally for no reason.

The real challenge is to understand and leverage Armenia and Artsakh’s
importance.

THE NEGOTIATIONS PROCESS IS LIKE A GAME

Azadliq
July 29 2009
Azerbaijan

Given this, it would not be right to expect anything new for the
resolution of the Karabakh conflict in the near future

Zafar Quliyev: `Let us wait to see which leading force wins and so
it will step up its influence to impact the resolution of the conflict’

[translated from Azeri}

Frederick Starr, the director of the John Hopkins University Central
Asia and Caucasus Institute, has come up with noteworthy remarks
on the Karabakh conflict. According to a Turan news agency report,
he said that the process of the Karabakh settlement within the
framework of the OSCE Minsk Group is inefficient and ignominious,
stressing the importance of rejecting it to replace with a new format.

Starr said that a lot of moves had recently taken place around
the Karabakh conflict, nevertheless, there is much smoke than
flame. Commenting on the current state of affairs, he said: "There have
been many statements and meetings. We, of course, welcome substantial
statements, but it would be very good if they were backed by deeds."

The expert also recalled the Russian incursion into Georgia a year
ago: "It is unclear what Russia wants: to resolve the conflict or
preserve everything as they are. Apparently, Russia simply wants to
create an illusion that it allegedly is active in the negotiations,
that it takes certain steps but actually they are all tricks."

Russia wants the conflict to continue. Europe and the USA have to
realize once and for all that in the Nagornyy Karabakh problem, Russia
like a year ago in Georgia, "is a direct player in the conflict".

Commenting on these remarks, political expert Zafar Quliyev stressed
that it contained nothing new: "His remarks almost contain nothing
new. Similar opinions have been voiced repeatedly.

Our domestic experts have repeatedly expressed their discontent with
the activities of the [OSCE] Minsk Group, demanding that its format
be altered. The Minsk Group has fully turned into a non-constructive
organization. That is to say, it is idle. At the same time, similar
opinions were aired with regard to Russia. From time to time,
international experts also commented on the issue.

The political expert believes that it is interesting that the remarks
are being aired now. Now on the one hand, in the negotiations process
we are observing intensification. Over the last half a year, the
presidents have met five times. The OSCE Minsk Group often holds
meetings to preserve optimism. They also express an opinion that
serious progress is possible in the negotiations process by the end of
the year. The Madrid principles have actually been made public. They
stress similarity in positions and new steps made by the presidents.

Nevertheless, at this point when the negotiations are intensive,
US Vice-President Joe Biden’s severe criticism of Russia, as well
as the criticism of the OSCE Minsk Group by the US expert and at the
same time, airing discontent with Russia’s position cause interest.

This manifests that actually, the leading states at the geopolitical
level, first of all, the USA and Russia, are in a confrontation
over several issues as well as on the settlement of the Karabakh
issue. Although, several days ago, in the run-up to the summit of
the G8, the leaders of mediating countries issued a joint statement
on Karabakh.

This statement led to an illusion that these countries allegedly
share common views and they have reached an agreement.. By issuing
the joint statement, they actually tried to speed up the negotiations
process. This statement seemed strengthening optimism. However,
the unsuccessful Moscow talks at the next stage and opinions being
aired at present show those positions of Russia and the USA are still
clashing. They are not allies but rivals in the South Caucasus.

This rivalry still manifests itself with regard to the resolution of
the Karabakh issue and it is possible that it would be the case from
now on. Moscow views the resolution of the Karabakh issue differently,
it wants first of all retain its initiative and act as an initiator
both in the region and in the resolution of the Karabakh conflict. At
the same time, after the Georgian events, the USA has been doing its
utmost to lessen Russia’s influence in the South Caucasus and step
up its role in the existing conflict.

Given this condition, the format of the Minsk Group could not be
successful since interests and positions of the mediating countries
are clashing.

As a result of this, no serious progress is being made in the
negotiations process. The negotiations process resembles a game. Given
this situation, it would be wrong to expect anything in the resolution
of the Karabakh conflict. Either radical changes should be made to
the format and the activities of the Minsk Group or we have to wait
for the end of the geopolitical struggle in the South Caucasus. We
should wait and see which leading force will win and consequently,
step up its influence in the resolution of the conflict."