Author: Jidarian Alex

ARAM KARAPETIAN – SERGE SARGSIAN’S COMPETITOR
By Gohar Gevorgian

AZG Armenian Daily
22/05/2007

On May 17 in "Armenia-Mariot" hotel Aram Karapetian, the leader of the
party "Nor Jhamanakner" announced about putting forward his candidacy
for the post of the President of Armenia in 2008. He also declared
that, in all probability, Serge Sargsian’s real competitors would be
him, or the leader of "Orinats Yerkir" party Artur Baghdasarian. Aram
Karapetian explains this kind of decision with the fact of their
party’s increasing dynamics: "The electorate perceives the ideology
of "Nor Jhamanakner" very quickly. The problem of the victory will
be solved, if we regulate the institute of confidants".

Aram Karapetian expressed his disappointment on the results of the
elections mentioning that their results are ten times lower than in
reality. "Nor jamankner" will take these facts to the Constitutional
Court, to show the international societies that "Nor Jhamanakner"
party do not agree with the results of the elections. To the question,
if they would join "Orinats Erkir", Aram Karapetian answered that he
never counted Artur Baghdasarian as an opposition.

According to Aram Karapetian’s viewpoint, "Jharangutyun" party is
in parliament now, because it is not dangerous for the authorities,
what about Artur Baghdasarian, "he didn’t say a word to President
Kocharian’s qualifications addressed to him".

Work of the stand of Karabakh at tourism expo in Moscow is successful

20-05-2007 21:50:09 – KarabakhOpen

The seventh tourism expo at Gostoni Dvor in Moscow ended on May
19. The director of the Artsakh Development Agency Sergey Shahverdyan
told the KarabakhOpen on the telephone that the tourism resources of
Nagorno-Karabakh are displayed by a separate stand. `Before the expo a
lot of Azerbaijani agencies had protested and threatened us. The
Armenian embassy to Russia and the NKR representation to Moscow asked
us not to display the national symbols of NKR. We met their request to
avoid undesirable incidents,’ Sergey Shahverdyan said.

He said the stand of Karabakh aroused considerable interest and was
fruitful. `For some time a group of Azerbaijanis was standing beside
the stand ` telling’ the visitors that Karabakh is an occupied
territory. The visitors only shrugged shoulders, and the group
disappeared without any sanctions because their action was
meaningless,’ Sergey Shahverdyan said.

The director of the travel agency representing Karabakh to the fair
said Azerbaijan, namely the ministry of culture of this country was
likely to present Karabakh separately in presenting the Azerbaijani
stand. `The presentation was on May 19 but the Armenian side made
efforts, and no word on Karabakh was uttered during the presentation,’
Sergey Shahverdyan said.

He emphasized that the Karabakh side held all the events that had been
planned. `On the whole, I am satisfied with the results,’ Sergey
Shahverdyan said.

TIGRAN KARAPETYAN TO RUN FOR PRESIDENCY

A1+
[03:21 pm] 18 May, 2007

"Force and money won at the May 12 elections," Tigran Karapetyan,
the leader of the People’s Party, stated May 18 at the Pastark club.

Though the People’s Party got 37 thousand votes instead of the
necessary 68 thousand, Tigran Karapetyan thinks it was a victory for
two reasons.

Firstly, the party got 17 thousand votes at the previous
election. Obviously, this is already progress. Secondly, some
opposition forces voted against the government, and vice versa,
"whereas as a force holding to center, the People’s Party got fair
votes."

Tigran Karapetyan believes that the participation is important, the
party must be engaged in the political life and processes. The PP
leader will be running in the 2008 presidential election "to secure
healthy atmosphere." He doesn’t exclude his withdrawal from the race
for the sake of other candidates.

Tigran Karapetyan is unlikely to appeal to the Constitutional Court
against the results. "People had a choice: to take or not to take
bribes. What is the use of challenging the election outcome? Briberies
turn election into business."

The PP leader thinks the parliament reflects the coalition of outside
forces. As a result, minor politics suffers and becomes the victim
of the major politics. "Stage of transition will linger and last for
another 15 years," he says.

The Locomotive Show on ALM, which included prize TV sets, will be
closed. Tigran Karapetyan stated that this is the will of people. "By
giving out TV sets without any expectations we wanted to boost the
self-esteem of people."

The People’s Party and ALM TV will be subjected to some changes due
to the outcome of the voting. After the election more and more people
wish to affiliate with the People’s Party, Tigran Karapetyan stated
and informed that the members who join the People’s Party after May
12 will get party badges of different color.

EXHIBITION OF BOOKS AND PICTURES DENYING ARMENIAN GENOCIDE ORGANIZED IN GERMANY

Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
May 18 2007

HAMBURG, MAY 18, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. An exhibition of books
and pictures denying the Armenian Genocide was organized in Hamburg.

According to the Turkish press, on the initiative of Turks and
Azerbaijanis, an open-air exhibition was held in one of Hamburg’s
busiest avenues – Spitalerstrasse. Books and pictures denying the
Armenian Genocide and telling about massacres committed against Turks
and Azerbaijanies were displayed at the exhibition.

There was a poster "The Armenian Genocide is an Imperialistic and
Historical Lie" along with flying flags of Turkey, Azerbaijan and
Germany at the event.

US STATE DEPARTMENT APOLOGIES FOR WRONG INFORMATION ON NAGORNO KARABAKH IN ITS WEBSITE

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
May 17 2007

US-educated Azerbaijan Alumni Association (AAA) sent a protest letter
to the US Department of State for posting wrong information about
Nagorno Karabakh on the State Alumni website, head of the Association
Fariz Ismayilzade told the APA.

The US Department of State has already replied to the letter.

In the letter, it apologized for the mistake and wrote that the
information has been removed from the website.

Spokesman for the Foreign Ministry Khazar Ibrahim told the APA that
the Ministry expressed gratitude to the US-educated Azerbaijan Alumni
Association.

BURJANADZE CALLS FOR REGIONAL COOPERATION
By M. Alkhazashvili
(Translated by Diana Dundua)

The Messenger, Georgia
May 16 2007

"If the South Caucasus states find an opportunity for regional
cooperation, the South Caucasus will become more attractive than
the Baltic region. In addition, possibly the forces that are trying
to pressure South Caucasus countries will reduce," stated Speaker of
Parliament Nino Burjanadze while commenting on the Armenian elections
held on May 12 reports the news agency Regnum.

"We should leave our disagreements aside and coordinate our steps to
move in one direction," quotes the news agency.

Burjanadze says Georgia has very good relations both with Armenia and
Azerbaijan. She also added that the Armenian administration would do
its best to establish close cooperation with Georgia.

SERGE SARGSIAN: IF RPA MAKES DECISION TO NOMINATE MY CANDIDATURE FOR PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS, OF COURSE, I WILL BE NOMINATED

Noyan Tapan
May 16 2007

YEREVAN, MAY 16, NOYAN TAPAN. The results of May 12 parliamentary
elections showed that the Republican Party of Armenia has a serious
vote of confidence and if the latter makes a decision to nominate
the candidature of RPA Board Chairman, Prime Minister Serge Sargsian
for the upcoming presidential elections, of course, he will be
nominated. The latter reported this on May 16 at the National Assembly
in response to journalists’ questions. At the same time S. Sargsian
excluded the possibility of holding special presidential elections
in Armenia.

Hamazkayin Armenian Educational and Cultural Society – Boston Chapter
and The National Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR)

47 Nichols Avenue, Watertown, MA 02472
Contact: Ara Nazarian / Marc Mamigonian
Phone: 617.924-8894 / 617.489.1610
Email: [email protected] / [email protected]
Website:

Talk at NAASR by Antonia Arslan, author of the Novel Skylark Farm

Antonia Arslan, author of the Italian best-seller La Masseria delle
Allodole, recently translated into English and published as Skylark
Farm, will speak on Thursday, May 17, at 8:00 p.m., at the National
Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR) Center, 395
Concord Ave., Belmont, MA. This lecture, Arslan’s only in the Boston
area, will be co-sponsored by the Hamazkayin Armenian Educational and
Cultural Society’s Boston Chapter and NAASR. The lecture will be
presented in English.

Antonia Arslan is a former professor of Italian literature at the
University of Padua and Skylark Farm is her first novel. A film
adaptation by the Oscar-winning filmmakers the Taviani Brothers has just
been released in Europe. Skylark Farm will be on sale and available for
signing by the author.

Acclaimed First Novel

Skylark Farm chronicles the life of a family struggling for survival
during the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Empire in 1915. It has been
praised by the Christian Science Monitor as "unsparing" and "impossible
to stop reading." The book was also a New York Times Editor’s Choice in
February 2007.

Arslan has drawn on the story of her own family to tell the story of
Skylark Farm. She has transformed the "obscure memories" that are her
heritage into a novel as lyrical and poignant as a fable.

She will discuss the background of the novel and how she came to write
it, the tremendous response to the book and the film in Europe, its
translation into English, and the impact such works can have in bringing
the Armenian story to readers who might otherwise never encounter it.

Admission to the event is free (donations appreciated). The NAASR
Center is located opposite the First Armenian Church and next to the
U.S. Post Office. Ample parking is available around the building and in
adjacent areas. The lecture will begin promptly at 8:00 p.m.

More information about the lecture is available by calling 617-489-1610,
faxing 617-484-1759, e-mailing [email protected], or writing to NAASR, 395
Concord Ave., Belmont, MA 02478.

###

CSTO plans to expand its military contingent

12:52|14/ 05/ 2007

MOSCOW, May 14 (RIA Novosti) – The Collective Security Treaty
Organization (CSTO) is planning to create a large military contingent
comprising units and formations of several Central Asian states, the
head of the post-Soviet security group said Monday.

CSTO members – Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia,
Tajikistan and Uzbekistan – use the organization as a platform to
fight drug trafficking, terrorism, and organized crime, and have
pledged to provide immediate military assistance to one another in the
event of an attack.

The bloc has a Collective Rapid Reaction Force deployed in Central
Asia, and is continuing to build up its military forces.

"We are planning to create a larger [military] contingent on the basis
of a Collective Rapid Reaction Force in Central Asia that would
comprise units and formations from four or five Central Asian states,"
CSTO Secretary General Nikolai Bordyuzha told a news conference at RIA
Novosti.

Bordyuzha said that experts are finalizing the coordination of a draft
agreement and documents on effective combat strength and deployment of
a new military contingent.

He also said the next meeting of the CSTO’s Collective Security
Council has been scheduled for July 17 in Moscow to discuss the
organization’s peacekeeping mechanisms.

The CSTO is widely viewed as a post-Soviet instrument for preventing
NATO’s further eastward expansion and to keep Commonwealth of
Independent States (CIS) countries under Russia’s military protection.

Russia earlier said a united regional air defense system could
encompass almost all the territory of the former Soviet Union within
the CSTO framework in the future.

JAVIER SOLANA: EUROPE SHOULD KEEP TURKEY BY ITS SIDE

BERLIN, MAY 14, NOYAN TAPAN. EU High Representative for the Common
Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana said that Europe should keep
Turkey by its side.

In response to the question of Welt am Sonntage German newspaper, what
Turkey’s membership to EU will give Europeans, Solana said: "Turkey is
a state, which lies between Middle East, Caucasus and the Balkans and
has a great impact on that region, which can have a positive impact
both on stability of that region and security of Europeans. If Turkey
is near us, it will be very good."