AIBA YOUTH WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: HRAYR MATEVOSYAN ADVANCES TO 1/8 FINAL
Panorama.am
30/04/2010
Hrayr Matevosyan is the only Armenian representative to continue
fighting for the champion’s title in AIBA Youth World Championships
underway in Baku, Azerbaijan. In 1/16 final the Armenian sportsman
won against Petro Urus of Moldova and advanced to 1/8 final. There
he will take on German Thomas Fernhold.
THE REPUBLICAN RECRUITMENT COMMISSION SITTING
p;p=0&id=1299&y=2010&m=04&d=22
20. 04.10
On the 20th of April, 2010, in the conference hall of the RA MoD
a republican recruitment commission conference took place, during
which the results of the 2009 autumn recruit were summarized and
matters were discussed and brought up for appropriately organizing
and holding the 2010 spring recruit. The conference, where state
officials, representatives from legal bodies, heads of regional
administrations, RA regional military commissars, medical workers,
high ranked militants, and others were also invited was chaired by
RA MoD Seyran Ohanyan.
The head of the defence department underlined the importance of the
event, stating that one of the most important processes for the AF
is their recruitment. In the last years, due to the joint efforts
of all the structures participating in the recruitment process its
realization has been put on a higher level. At the sitting the Chief
of the RA AF GS Colonel-General Yuri Khachaturov read his report.
Talking about the results of the 2009 autumn recruit and the issues
of the 2010 spring recruit, he recalled both the positives and the
shortcomings of the previous recruit. Yuri Khachaturov touched upon
the issue of the number of conscripts, their educational level, the
statistics about those who were recognized void for recruitment, and
the work done by military commissariats and the medical commissions.
The president of the central military-medical commission Arsen
Petrosyan and the chief of the RA MoD military-medical department
Artashes Parsadanyan introduced the outcomes of the work done by the
central military-medical commission and the medical commission in the
central recruitment centre during the autumn recruit. The speakers
presented the statistics of those sent to a supplementary examination
by the central military-medical commission.
They also talked about the data about the increase and decrease
of diseases, etc. The members of the recruitment commission also
discussed matters about attaching and calculating the youth, executing
medical examinations, implementing punishments for those avoiding
conscription, etc. During the sitting, for organizing and holding the
2009 autumn recruit effectively, as well as for active participation,
a number of representatives from military commissariats, legal bodies,
medical commissions, and other structures, as well as soldiers were
awarded with departmental medals, certificates and valuable gifts. At
the end of the conference, thanking the participants for their joint
efforts in this most important issue, Seyran Ohanyan hoped that as a
result of the cooperation of all the involved bodies the recurrent
recruitment work will be carried out more effectively. Introducing
the RA President’s directions on the organization and realization
of the recruit, Seyran Ohanyan also foresaw some areas, around which
appropriate work should be done.
RA MoD Department of Information and Public Affairs
IS TURKISH HISTORY EUROPEAN TOO?
EuropeanVoice
22 April 2010
Nicolas Tavitian Armenian General Benevolent Union Europe Brussels.
The issue of international recognition of the Armenian genocide in
its current form is about a decade old. Yet the EU, and particularly
the European Commission, has gone out of its way to evade the issue,
probably hoping it would go away. It has not and will not. As you
noted in your special report on Turkey ("An agreement, but little
progress", 15-21 April), Turkey reacted strongly to one resolution on
the genocide in the Swedish parliament and to another by a committee
in the US Congress. And every year, on 24 April, the genocide will
be commemorated.
Europe now has a responsibility to address the issue.
The least the EU could do is to insist that Turkey treat Armenia as it
would a normal neighbour. The Union must begin to act on its mandate:
under the Copenhagen criteria, candidate countries should establish
normal relations with all neighbours. However, successive accession
partnerships with Turkey have contained no reference to Turkey’s
17-year blockade of Armenia. And although Europe spends about â~B¬600
million a year promoting development in Turkey, and funds a plethora
of cross-border projects, not one euro has gone on projects to promote
relations between Turkey and Armenia. This is policy, not oversight,
and it must be changed.
But that is not all. The genocide happened long ago and the dead
cannot be brought back to life. But the denial of the genocide is of
very contemporary relevance.
By the end of the 19th century, the Armenians were one of the
most successful groups in the Ottoman Empire and did much for its
prosperity, culture and intellectual life. Some Turks are rediscovering
this today. In 1915, a rich and vibrant civilisation was destroyed
in Turkey and its remnants scattered across five continents.
Few Armenians remain in Turkey itself.
In 1915, in response to US ambassador Henry Morgenthau’s protests at
the extermination of the Armenians, Talaat Pasha, Turkey’s interior
minister, responded that "hatred between the two races [sic] is now
so intense that we must finish them off, or fear their revenge".
Subsequently, denial of the crime and denial of Turkey’s Armenian
past became policy. Over the past 95 years, policy has morphed into
an attitude, and official lies into an official truth.
Anti-Armenian policies have been hard-wired into policymaking,
which is why it is so hard for the rather less prejudiced government
formed by the Justice and Development (AK) party to change course
today. This is the background that helps explain the threat, made
several weeks ago by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ErdogË~Xan, to expel
Armenian immigrants in Turkey and which explains the expropriation
of Armenian-owned buildings under the law on religious foundations.
Turkey’s policy should disturb EU citizens and Turks, not least
because it is so disproportionate. In 2010, confronted with foreign
parliaments’ resolutions on the genocide, Turkey refuses dialogue,
threatens to expel Armenian immigrants, takes the Republic of
Armenia hostage and threatens to suspend economic relations with
Western allies.
So what can Europe do? First, it should not itself practise genocide
denial. Genocide recognition by Turkey may or may not be one of
the conditions for accession. But the Commission and the Council
of Ministers should no longer bind themselves to the vocabulary of
denial. Enough with "the events of 1915" and "the 1915 tragedy" and
"leaving history to the historians". Say what happened, or never
again invoke the memory and prevention of war and genocide as a
justification for European unification.
There are anodyne forms of complicity in denial. In 2007, Olli Rehn
, the then European commissioner for enlargement, agreed to host
an exhibition, ‘My Dear Brother’, featuring Armenian everyday life
in Turkey 100 years ago. It had nothing to do with the genocide,
but simply invoking the memory of Armenians in Turkey was apparently
itself a step too far: José Manuel Barroso, the Commission president,
had it cancelled for fear of Turkey’s reaction. It will take a bit
more spine than that to change Turkey.
Now that the EU has taken on the project of integrating Turkey, it
will be bound to help to halt and reverse the destruction of Armenian
civilisation on Turkish territory. Much Armenian heritage there has now
vanished: churches have been destroyed, books burnt, sites renamed and
memories erased. However, hundreds of precious and ancient buildings
remain to be rescued and restored to their rightful owners, especially
the Armenian Church. In ten years’ time, many may have collapsed.
Turkey’s ability to show contrition towards Armenians, make a clear
break with past policies and help mend some of the damage should be a
litmus test of its maturity to join EU. This is all a matter of what
Europe stands for.
PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS ONE MORE STEP TO INDEPENDENT STATEHOOD
Leonid Martirosyan
Azat Artsakh Newspaper
April 23, 2010
Nagorno Karabakh Republic
On April 19th in the NKR pre-election campaign for elections of the
fifth convocation in National Assembly of the republic planned on
May 23rd started. Elections will pass on proportional and majority
system. 44 candidates apply for 16 majority places in parliament. In
elections on proportional system "Free native land" (in the list –
35 persons), Democratic party of Artsakh (32 persons), AR Federation
(10 persons) and Communist Party of Nagorno-Karabakh (5 persons)
parties will take part, for which it is in total reserved only 17
"proportional" deputy armchairs. This is a statistical component of
the coming parliamentary elections. However elections, certainly,
are not simply statistics. Behind dry figures – the major political
event defining the further development of independent Karabakh
statehood. Parliamentary elections are important event for any country,
however owing to specificity of the NKR as independent, but for the
present not recognized state at the international level they find much
more actual value. At least because the world steadfastly and even
with predilection watches processes of a political life occurring
at us, and we should prove constantly the solvency as the mature
and capable state living and developing according to the norms of
the civilized world. And we have already proved it time and again,
regularly holding elections of all levels which invariably received
an appreciation of independent international observers. All it is,
certainly, fairly. But another thing is also fair – we carry out
elections, nevertheless, not to like, and first of all – for itself,
for the further development and strengthening of our statehood paid at
the cost of a life of many and many our compatriots. Differently, for
the present and future of Artsakh. That is why forthcoming elections
should become one more confident step on a way to democratization of
a public life and building of originally independent sovereign state.
We think present parliamentary elections have every chance to become
a new stage in the process of development of democratic system of
the NKR which has found irreversible character. It is caused in a
certain measure also by that forward character in our republic finds
development of parliament and parliamentarism of the electoral system.
Elections of National Assembly of a new convocation, as it is
known, will carry out on the basis of the updated Electoral code
and according to modern lines of development of the parliamentarism,
assuming formation of parliament mainly on principles of proportional
system. If on the previous parliamentary elections the parity of deputy
places of proportional and majority system compiled 11 to 22, nowadays
as it was marked above, places in National Assembly are distributed,
let and with small, but already prevalence of proportional system –
17 and 16. In the long term it is foreseen to generate as much as
possible professional parliament with growth of relative density
of proportional places. Certainly, it is possible to argue long on
advantages or lacks of that and other system, as there is not their
unequivocal estimation, and hardly it will be. One believe, that
at majority system there is a direct contact between the voter and
the candidate while at proportional system there is a risk to catch
"a cat in a bag". Their opponents consider, that only "proportional"
deputies, instead of non-party singles are able to make decisions
on realization of the important programs and to bear responsibility
for their performance. All opinions are worth of respect, however,
we find, it is important not so much the one who becomes the deputy,
and how they will defend interests of the voters and what contribution
will bring in the further development of the Karabakh statehood,
in the work of regulation of life of our citizens.
In any case either candidates, or the citizens possessing the right
to elect, should remember, that last and solving word for voters. And
deputies should answer for voters. On the last it depends, how will
be the National Assembly in coming five years, whether it will be
able to be engaged effectively in legislative activity.
Process of creation of capable statehood goes on. The parliament of the
previous convocation has practically brought the current legislation
into accord with requirements of the Constitution adopted in 2006,
has finished reforms in judicial- legal system. But life does not
stop on a place, and consequently lawmaking – permanent process,
caused by forward development of socio-economic and political sphere.
We want to believe, that our compatriots will concern elections not
formally, and from civic stands, with comprehension of their extreme
importance. And present parliamentary elections will carry out by
traditions of elective culture of our people developed already for
years of independence – on the basis of really free will of voters.
Probably, it will sound pathosly, but future of Artsakh depends on it,
as people itself decide the destiny.
ARMENIA PARTAKES IN "MIDDLE EAST FOOD" EXPOSITION ORGANIZED IN ABU DHABI
ARMENPRESS
APRIL 28, 2010
YEREVAN
YEREVAN, APRIL 28, ARMENPRESS: Among almost three dozen countries
Armenia, too, has taken part in "Middle East Food" exposition held
April 26-28 in Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates. In
the exposition organized on the initiative of the Armenian Embassy
in the United Arab Emirates and Armenian Development Agency, Armenia
was represented by the companies of "Glass World", "Konser", "Dilijan
Frolova", "Noyan", Eurocup" and "Euroterm".
Press service of the Armenian Foreign Affairs Ministry told Armenpress
that the visitors from the UAE and Gulf region dealing with business
carried out discussions and made proposals related to the types of
products of the Armenian pavilion, as well as they displayed interested
in other Armenian products.
The organizers and visitors of the exposition, noticing the high
quality and competitiveness of the Armenian products, are looking
forward to more extended presentation of the Armenian pavilion in
the upcoming expositions.
GEORGIA’S ARMENIANS WANT TBILISI TO RECOGNISE "GENOCIDE"
Tamuna Uchidze
Institute for War & Peace Reporting IWPR
April 27 2010
UK
But analysts say it could not afford to put its relations at risk
with Ankara.
Georgia is unlikely to agree to an appeal by the country’s Armenian
community to officially recognise as genocide the mass killings
conducted in the Ottoman Empire after 1915, commentators say.
More than 20 countries have recognised the killings as genocide,
despite furious opposition from Turkey, but experts say Georgia is
not expected to join them, being dependant on its neighbour for much
of its trade and access to the outside world.
Every year on April 24, Armenians around the world mark the mass
killings that they say began on that date in Istanbul in 1915. This
year, three groups – The Armenian Community of Georgia, The Armenian
Centre of Cooperation of Georgia and the Association of Armenian
Students of Georgia – for the first time prepared an appeal to both
parliament and President Mikhail Saakashvili.
According to the last census, Armenians make up five per cent of
Georgia’s population, most of them being concentrated in the southern
Samtskhe-Javakheti region.
"This year it is 95 years since the start of the first genocide of the
20th century – the Armenian genocide in the Ottoman Empire in 1915-23.
The Armenians of Georgia have one desire, that the authorities
recognised this fact, and therefore we decided to begin our process,"
Alexander Oganov, a representative of the Armenian students’ group,
said.
Robert Muradyan, a teacher in one of Georgia’s Armenian-language
schools, said such a step would be hugely appreciated by Armenians.
"The genocide of ethnic Armenians has been recognised by many
countries. If Georgia recognises it, it would be a mark of respect
towards the Armenian nation," he said.
However, most experts think that such a statement by the government
would cause outrage in Turkey, which Saakashvili can ill afford,
considering his already poor relations with northern neighbour Russia.
"The examination of such a question would complicate relations between
Georgia and Turkey," said Tsira Meskhishvili, chairwoman of the
Tolerant association, in words echoed across the political spectrum.
"This is a very complicated question which we must approach with great
caution. Armenia is our neighbour and partner, but it is necessary
also to study the geopolitical situation in the region," said Tamaz
Petriashvili, who represents part of Samtskhe-Javakheti , a largely
ethnic Armenian region, for the ruling coalition in parliament.
"Georgia has to consider many factors, including our strategic
relations with Turkey, which is also a neighbour and one of Georgia’s
important partners."
The parliament deputy declined to speculate whether the chamber would
debate the issue soon.
"If it was that simple a question, then it would have been resolved
by other countries as well a long time ago. We need to be cautious,
so as to maintain stability in the region," he said.
There is some political pressure on the local level, however. Ruben
Karapetyan, deputy head of the local administration in Alakhtsikhe,
which is the main town of Samtskhe-Javakheti, said Armenians would
maintain the campaign for recognition.
"What difference does it make when this happens? Today or tomorrow,
this question will be on the agenda anyway. Ethnic Armenians living
in Georgia have waited for the genocide to be recognised for a long
time already," he said.
But historians say that, whatever the facts of the case, which are
disputed between Armenia and Turkey, recognition would be a step
based on politics, not history.
"If Turkey recognises the genocide, and Georgia goes along with it,
that is a different thing. Otherwise, we would radically change
our good neighbourly relations with Turkey. In such a situation,
Georgia must not recognise the genocide and it won’t happen," Nikoloz
Akhalkatsi, a Georgian historian, said.
His opinion seemed to meet broad consensus among political analysts,
who said the government could not afford to put its relations at risk
with Ankara.
"Georgia borders both Armenia and Turkey, and does not have the right
to harm relations with either of its neighbours. Georgian citizens
of Armenian ethnicity should look on this question with understanding.
They, of course, have the right to give petitions to the authorities,
but must be prepared to receive a justified refusal," said Paata
Zakareishvili, an analyst from the Institute for Researches of
Nationalism and Conflicts.
He said the protocols agreed between Turkey and Armenia, which are
intended to normalise relations between the countries, sanctioned
the establishment of a joint commission to study the question of
the genocide.
"It would be better if Georgia waited for the conclusions of this
commission. I think that a time will come when Turkish society and
state recognise this fact. The question is a problem for Turkish
society, not for Armenians," he said.
Tamuna Uchidze is a reporter from the Southern Gates newspaper.
PRESS RELEASE
Diocese of the Armenian Church of the UK
Email: [email protected]
‘WALES, UK, COMMEMORATES THE MARTYRS OF THE 1915 GENOCIDE’
On Friday, April 23, Very Reverend Dr. Vahan Hovhanessian, Primate,
travelled to Wales, UK, for the commemorations of the Armenian
Genocide of 1915. The representatives of the Armenian community in
Wales, headed by Mr. John Torosyan, welcomed Fr. Vahan at the Cardiff
Temple of Peace, where the Genocide Monument is located.
The day-long commemoration started with a visit to the statue of the
Virgin Mary at Penrhys. There, the group was greeted by Mrs. Sharon
Reece, General Secretary of the United Reform Church in Penrhys. This
church played a central role in starting the recognition movement in
Wales, and produced a special liturgy for the Armenian martyrs of the
genocide. Following a brief prayer at the statue, Fr. Vahan thanked
Mrs. Reece for the United Reform Church’s support of the Genocide
recognition process.
At around 6:00pm the delegation returned to the Temple of Peace,
Cardiff, where a group of Church dignitaries and government officials
were gathered with members of the Armenain community for a requiem
service in memory of the martyrs. Present around the Khachkar in the
front yard of the Temple of Peace were, Canon Patrick Thomas, Vicar of
St Peter’s Church, Carmarthen; Rev Dafydd Henri Edwards, the Baptist
Union of Wales, Revd Dr Trystan Owain Hughes, Chaplain, Cardiff
University; Stephen Thomas, Director of the Welsh Centre for
International Affairs; Jenny Randerson, Assembly Member; Councillor
Mohammed Sarul. The Primate greeted the crowd and invited them to join
him in the traditional Hokehangist service, in memory of the martyrs.
Following the Requiem, the crowd was escorted to the Library of the
Temple of Peace for a fellowship hour. Mr. John Torosyan welcomed all
present and conveyed the regrets of Mr. Eilian Williams, the leader of
the campaign for the recognition of the genocide in Wales, who
regrettably could not be present being en route to Turkey to
participate in human right conference in Istanbul and Ankara as the
guest of the Human Rights Association of Istanbul. In an unprecedented
gesture of solidarity, the First Minister of Wales, Carwyn Jones, had
sent a message to the Armenians in Wales in remembrance of the
Armenian Genocide. Mr. Torosyan read the letter to those gathered at
the fellowship. The First Minister’s message is a remarkable milestone
in the history of Wales government’s support of the recognition of the
Genocide. He then invited Canon Brown to address the community. After
a brief speech highlighting the similarities in the history and faith
of the peoples of Wales and Armenia, Canon Brown presented Fr. Vahan
with a hand carved Celtic Cross as an expression of welcome. Fr. Vahan
in turn reciprocated the favor by presenting Canon Thomas with a
replica of an Armenian Khachkar.
The fellowship was an opportunity also for the Armenian community in
Cardiff to meet their new Primate and receive his blessings. At the
end of the evening Fr. Vahan thanked the organizers of the visit, the
government and church representatives and the Armenian community for
their continuous support of the Armenian cause, and promised to visit
Cardiff soon again. Accompanying Fr. Vahan was Dn. Stephan Ovanessoff
and Mr. Armenag Topalian of the St. Sarkis Trsut.
AZERBAIJAN TRIES TO PUT ITS BLAME ON THE OTHERS
Aysor
April 27 2010
Armenia
During the "Real Policy" program on Public TV the RA Foreign Minister
Edward Nalbandian has presented comments on the rough expressions
made by the Azerbaijani addressed to the Minsk Group co-chairs, as
well as the demand of leaving out the United States from the list of
the co-chairs.
"It’s not a new thing that Azerbaijan criticizes not only Armenia but
also the co-chairs, the United States, Russia, France, sometimes the
European Union and even their close ally Turkey. Simply Azerbaijan is
looking for someone to put the blames on for the failures that he is
having," Edward Nalbandian mentioned and informed that the NKR process
"is in its current".
SERZH SARGSYAN RECEIVES CHAIRMAN OF THE NUCLEAR SAFETY ADVISORY GROUP ADOLF BIRKHOFER
ARMENPRESS
APRIL 27, 2010
YEREVAN
YEREVAN, APRIL 27, ARMENPRESS: Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan
received today chairman of the Nuclear Safety Advisory Group Adolf
Birkhofer (Germany).
Presidential press office told Armenpress that the president of the
republic highly praised the efforts of Adolf Birkhofer directed toward
the safe operation of the Armenian Atomic Station. Serzh Sargsyan
extremely highlighted the energy security in general, and nuclear
security in particular. The Armenian president also noted that the
attention of the international community toward the nuclear security
issues has notably increased and the recent nuclear security summit
in Washington D.C. is a good proof of it.
Adolf Birkhofer highly praised the works carried out by the
Armenian government toward the secure exploitation of the Armenian
Atomic Station. The interlocutors also discussed issues on further
exploitation of AAS and on construction of new unit.
ARMENIAN FOREIGN MINISTER RECEIVES NEWLY APPOINTED OSCE MG RUSSIAN CO-CHAIR
Panorama.am
15:11 27/04/2010
Politics
Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian received the newly
appointed Russian Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group Igor Popov Tuesday,
Armenian MFA reported.
Greeting the guest, Minister Nalbandian congratulated him on
appointment and voiced hope that Popov will have a significant
contribution to the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement process.
Igor Popov thanked the Minister for wishes and assured that he will
do his best to contribute to the settlement of the issue.
The interlocutors discussed the latest developments in the
Nagorno-Karabakh settlement process. Igor Popov presented his
impressions over the meetings with the Azerbaijani authorities in Baku.