Author: Kajoyan Gevork

FATE OF GENOCIDE BILL IS IN SARKOZY’S HANDS

PanARMENIAN.Net
January 31, 2012 – 16:09 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – The fate of the bill criminalizing the Armenian
Genocide denial is in hands of French President Nicolas Sarkozy,
according to the head of Hay Dat French office.

“Sarkozy is authorized to sign the bill into law even if the
constitutional court declares it unconstitutional,” Hrach Varzhapetian
told a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter.

By signing the draft law before the constitutional court passes the
decision, French President will indirectly prevent it from being
debated in the court. However, he still keeps silence.

French Senators plan to appeal to the constitutional court with a
request to reconsider constitutionality of the Genocide bill.

“If the President doesn’t sign the bill and in event of negative
decision by the court, it will be returned to the French National
Assembly floor again,” Varzhapetian said.

On January 23 the French Senate passed the bill with 127 votes for
and 86 against.

On December 22, 2011, it was adopted by the French National Assembly.

The bill will impose a 45,000 euro fine and a year in prison for
anyone in France who denies this crime against humanity committed by
the Ottoman Empire.
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Fate of Genocide bill is in Sarkozy?s hands

January 31, 2012 – 16:09 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – The fate of the bill criminalizing the Armenian
Genocide denial is in hands of French President Nicolas Sarkozy,
according to the head of Hay Dat French office.

?Sarkozy is authorized to sign the bill into law even if the
constitutional court declares it unconstitutional,? Hrach Varzhapetian
told a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter.

By signing the draft law before the constitutional court passes the
decision, French President will indirectly prevent it from being
debated in the court. However, he still keeps silence.

French Senators plan to appeal to the constitutional court with a
request to reconsider constitutionality of the Genocide bill.

?If the President doesn?t sign the bill and in event of negative
decision by the court, it will be returned to the French National
Assembly floor again,? Varzhapetian said.

On January 23 the French Senate passed the bill with 127 votes for and
86 against.

On December 22, 2011, it was adopted by the French National Assembly.
The bill will impose a 45,000 euro fine and a year in prison for
anyone in France who denies this crime against humanity committed by
the Ottoman Empire.

PETROL PRICE IN ARMENIA HAVE INCREASED AND WILL KEEP RISING

arminfo
Tuesday, January 31, 14:51

Petrol price in Armenia have increased and are still on upward trend,
Mushegh Elchyan, Deputy Head of Flash Oil Trader Company, told ArmInfo.

He said the prices in Armenia are affected by the growth of the
world prices of oil products as well as the legislative amendments
providing for VAT imposition on import of petroleum instead of the
previous fixed payments. The amendments came into effect on Jan 1 2012.

However, the companies still sell the stored fuel and the amendments
have not finally affect the prices in the country, Elchyan said. He
forecasts that the oil prices will reach new heights in 1-2 months
when reserves are run out. Anyway, despite global price fluctuations,
oil products will be on upward trend and U.S. embargo on Iranian oil
will resulted in fuel deficit and a new wave of price hike, he said.

The situation will indeed affect Armenia since the country purchases
fuel in Europe, mainly Romania and Bulgaria. In particular, diesel
is supplied from Iran so far.

Since late Jan 2011 petrol prices in Armenia grew by 10 AMD per liter.

Super AI 98 reached 500 AMD per liter, Premium AI 95 – 470 AMD per
liter, Regular AI 91 – 450 AMD per liter. Only diesel price was left
unchanged – 440 AMD per liter.

KARABAKH WAR HERO: TRAGIC INCIDENTS IN THE ARMY ARE A RESULT OF SOCIAL INEQUALITY

arminfo
Tuesday, January 31, 15:35

The tragic incidents in the Armenian Armed Forces are a result of
sickly relations in the Armenian society because of social inequality,
hero of the Karabakh war, Major-General Arkadiy Ter-Tadevosyan,
said at today’s press-conference.

He also added that the sickly atmosphere in the army, non-manual
relation between servicemen are serious problems which extinguish
the achievements of the armed forces over 20 years of their formation.

“Here it is needless to say that the death of soldiers because of the
non-manual relation is peculiar to the armies of all the countries. I
also think it is wrong to say about the statistical data on reduction
of the number of tragic incidents. The statistics does not settle the
problem”, – Ter-Tadevosyan said and added a soldier should be prepared
to the army service since childhood and understand significance of his
mission. Moreover, it is necessary to improve the relevant legislation
and create the conditions for its functioning.

To recall, 36 cases of servicemen death were registered in the Armenian
army in 2011, which is by 24 cases less than in 2010.

PUYOL AND PIQUE & “WE ARE OUR MOUNTAINS”

armradio.am
31.01.2012 16:31

“Who Ate All The Pies” football magazine posted a photo of FC Barcelona
players Carles Puyol and Gerard Pique on its website, comparing them
with the “We Are Our Mountains” monument in Artsakh.

“We Are Our Mountains is a huge monument hewn from volcanic rock in
the Stepanakert region of Northern Armenia,” the magazine writes.

Man injured in Armenian Church construction in Moscow

January 29, 2012 – 15:19 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – A man was injured in a collapse of a wall during the
construction of the Armenian Church in Moscow’s Trifonov Street
January 28.

The man, who suffered severe injuries, was taken to the hospital. An
investigation is under way, analitika.at.ua reported.

REVUE DE PRESSE
« Le dentiste oriental », la première `uvre arménienne dans un thétre turc

Par Anne Andlauer

À l’heure où la question du génocide mine à la fois les relations
entre l’Arménie et la Turquie, et entre la Turquie et la France, des
artistes turcs aident à briser les tabous de l’Histoire. Le Thétre
municipal d’Istanbul présente cette saison et entre le 25 et 29
janvier Le dentiste oriental, pièce musicale de l’écrivain arménien
ottoman Hagop Baronian. Écrite en 1869, c’est la première pièce
arménienne à l’affiche d’un thétre turc.

Istanbul, la ville où Hagop Baronian arrive plein d’espoirs à 20 ans,
en 1863, et où il meurt sans argent ni reconnaissance à 48 ans, lui
rend un hommage posthume de la plus simple façon qui soit : en portant
l’une de ses pièces sur les planches d’un thétre public. Simple et
pourtant, cela n’était jamais arrivé, ni à Istanbul, ni ailleurs en
Turquie.

De son vivant, le satiriste arménien subit la censure du pouvoir, de
plus en plus oppressante à partir de 1880. Il meurt en 1891, avant les
premiers massacres d’Arméniens dans l’Empire ottoman et avant le
génocide de 1915. Ces épisodes sanglants sur une terre que Turcs et
Arméniens avaient partagée pendant des siècles légueront aux
oubliettes les `uvres de Baronian et celles de beaucoup d’autres.

« Il y a encore quelques années, cela aurait fait scandale »

Il a fallu que le hasard s’en mêle pour que Engin Alkan, metteur en
scène au thétre municipal d’Istanbul, découvre dans une revue
l’existence de la pièce Le dentiste oriental. Il a surtout fallu que
les tabous commencent à se fissurer en Turquie, que des artistes et
des intellectuels commencent à remettre en cause l’Histoire
officielle, qui n’a jamais reconnu le génocide de 1915.

Jouer la pièce d’un Arménien, qui plus est sur une scène publique ? «
Même si nous l’avions voulu, nous n’aurions pas pu le faire il y a
encore quelques années… Cela aurait certainement fait scandale »,
reconnaît Engin Alkan dans une interview au quotidien turc Hürriyet
Daily News. Mais les temps changent, malgré ce que laisse paraître la
colère du gouvernement turc après le vote au Parlement français cette
semaine d’une loi pénalisant la négation du génocide arménien.

Succès de la saison au thétre municipal d’Istanbul

Le colloque sur les Arméniens à l’Université Bilgi d’Istanbul en 2005,
la pétition demandant « pardon » aux Arméniens de Turquie en 2008, qui
a reçu près de 31 000 signatures, la première commémoration du 24
avril 1915 (date admise de début du génocide) à Istanbul en 2010 et
d’innombrables articles de journaux, livres et débats télévisés
prouvent que la société civile turque s’empare peu à peu du sujet. La
présence du Dentiste oriental à l’affiche d’un thétre stambouliote
cette saison n’est que le dernier exemple.

Affiche de la pièce arménienne `Le dentiste oriental` (1869), de Hagop
Baronian, actuellement au Thétre municipal d’Istanbul.

L’`uvre elle-même porte sur des sujets autrement moins dramatiques.
Hagop Baronian brosse de savoureux portraits de la communauté
arménienne d’Istanbul dans la deuxième moitié du 19e siècle. Pendant
trois heures, il n’est question que d’histoires d’amour et de
tromperies, ponctuées de références aux débats politiques de l’époque.

Un orchestre survolté, des danses, des dialogues hilarants, des
costumes et des maquillages grotesques… Le dentiste oriental est
l’un des grands succès de cette saison au thétre municipal
d’Istanbul. « Les Arméniens sont aux fondements du thétre turc…
Nous devons revendiquer notre passé si nous voulons avancer »,
justifie la directrice artistique du thétre, Ayþenil Þamlýoðlu. Un
bel hommage, décidément, à l’`uvre de Hagop Baronian.

—————————————————————-

Le dentiste oriental (1869), de Hagop Baronian. Prochaines
représentations sur la scène H. Muhsin Ertuðrul du Thétre municipal
d’Istanbul du 25 au 29 janvier, puis du 29 février au 4 mars 2012.

dimanche 29 janvier 2012,
Stéphane ©armenews.com

ARMEE ARMENIENNE
L’Arménie fête les 20 ans de son armée

Le 28 janvier 1992 par la loi portant sur « le ministère de la Défense
de la République d’Arménie » naissait officiellement l’armée
arménienne. Le ministère de la Défense s’organisait aussitôt en
regroupant en son sein les groupes armés, les forces du ministère de
l’Intérieur et d’autres unités de défense. En mai 1992 le ministère de
la Défense procédait à l’appel du service militaire des citoyens
d’Arménie. Nombre d’observateurs ont noté que l’Armée arménienne était
devenue aujourd’hui l’une des meilleurs de la région, capable de
mettre en déroute tout ennemi en cas d’agression « et même de porter
des coups décisifs ». En Arménie, de nombreuses manifestations furent
consacrées à ce 20e anniversaire de l’Armée arménienne, fierté de la
nation arménienne toute entière. Vendredi 27 janvier le complexe Karen
Démirdjian d’Erévan était archi-comble pour les cérémonies marquant
cet anniversaire. Etaient présents le président arménien Serge
Sarkissian et son épouse Rita Sarkissian, le catholicos Karékine II,
le président du Parlement Samvel Nikoyan, le Premier ministre Tigran
Sarkissian, le Ministre de la Défense Seyran Ohanian, l’ex-président
arménien Robert Kotcharian et des centaines de personnalités
politiques, militaires, culturelles et religieuses de haut rang.
Discours, spectacles, parades militaires et historique de la formation
de l’armée arménienne avec la victoire de la guerre de libération du
Haut Karabagh projeté sur grand écran ont ponctué la manifestation
suivie par des milliers des milliers de spectateurs et des millions de
téléspectateurs.

Krikor Amirzayan

dimanche 29 janvier 2012,
Krikor Amirzayan ©armenews.com

KARABAKH WAR DOCUMENTARIES TO BE SHOWN DURING BULGARIAN JOURNALIST’S WORLD TOUR

news.am
January 27, 2012 | 14:46

YEREVAN. – Bulgarian journalist, author of Nagorno-Karabakh war
documentaries Tsvetana Paskaleva launches world tour on Feb. 16,
she said at a press conference on Friday.

She stressed that the tour will start in Bulgaria, then will go on
in Greece, Cyrus, Lebanon. Paskaleva will visit Paris and Moscow in
March. The Karabakh war documentaries will be shown during the tour.

To note, presentation of seven documentaries “Wounds of Karabakh”
about the Karabakh Liberation War by Paskaleva was held last November
in Yerevan.

FILM FOR THOUGHT: NEW MOVIE OFFERS TOUCHING LESSON FROM KARABAKH WAR
By Gayane Abrahamyan

ArmeniaNow reporter
27.01.12 | 14:14

Friday night the two cinemas in Yerevan will screen the
Armenian-Russian joint film titled “If Everyone…”- a recollection
of the Karabakh war, which, as the authors stress, is about peace
rather than war and a unique call for forgiveness and tolerance. The
screening comes as Armenia celebrates Army Day, January 28.

While bellicose rhetoric is being voiced from rostrums, as peace
negotiations are in a deadlock, the film features people who have seen
the war and looking into each other’s eyes can recognize the same pain,
the same loss, and yet again understand – there are no winners in war.

“This is our call for peace. In real life there are no winners in war,
it is evil that take’s away many innocent lives; it’s really easy to
become embittered against each other, but we have to overcome that,”
says producer and artistic manager of the film Michael Poghosyan.

The production of the film took two years, and produced a tragicomedy
which starts with jokes, depicts a typical atmosphere and common
coloring of an Armenian village with all its flavors, and develops
with people’s fates clashing against bitter reality.

The plot of the 94-minute story weaves around the daughter of a Russian
officer who was killed in the Karabakh war; she comes to Armenia
twenty years after her father’s death and is trying to find his lost
grave to plant the birch seedling she has brought along from home.

After a long search it turns out, however, that her father was killed
on the other side of the border and that’s where his grave is.

Together with her father’s freedom-fighter comrades and the commander
whose life was saved by her father’s death, she manages to cross the
border and find the grave. Here, enemies sharing the same pain come
face to face.

At the very moment when she was planting the birch, an armed Azeri
villager comes up and asks what she is doing. The dramatic effect
of the film reaches its culmination and the pain of war brings foes
closer. After hearing her answer, the man puts down his rifle and
with tears says:

“My ten-year-old son’s grave is on your side, he was killed by a
mine explosion in the courtyard of our house. Who will plant a tree
on his grave?”

While touching, the film is not depressing. Rather, it is
thought-provoking, conveying the value of human warmth, love and peace.

“This is about peace, and if our film rekindles a bit of kindness,
a tiny light in people’s hearts, we will consider it a great success,”
says director of the film, Russian Natalya Beliauskene.

The Russian officer’s daughter is played by Yekaterina Shustova,
a student at Moscow’s Schukin Theatrical Institute, making her
film debut.

“To me Armenia has become a start of a new life; I have made many
discoveries for myself. Before this film I hadn’t known anything about
a war, it [the film] has changed a lot in me,” the young actress,
visiting Yerevan for the premier, told ArmeniaNow.

Poghosyan has dedicated the film to the 20 years of Armenia’s
independence. The $500,000 production was financed with state
assistance, the presidents of Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh, as well
as Converse Bank and $25,000 from the National Center of Cinema.

Director of National Center of Cinema Gevorg Gevorgyan says with
regret that there isn’t an art film about the Karabakh war on the
international level yet.

“But this film is an important step towards progress; it’s a new word
and I am sure we will have high praise for it,” says Gevorgyan.

CHORRORD INQNISHKHANUTYUN: ARMENIA’S EX FOREIGN MINISTERS MEET

Tert.am
27.01.12

The paper says it has learned from sources that Armenia’s three
former foreign ministers had a meeting in the Yerevan based Civilitas
Foundation on Thursday.

It says first foreign minister and current leader of the opposition
Heritage party, Raffi Hovhannisyan, a member of the Free Democrats
party, Alexander Arzumanuyan, and President of Civilitas Foundation
Vardan Oskanyan met yesterday to discuss possibilities of setting up
a joint alliance ahead of the May parliamentary election.

The ex foreign ministers reportedly prioritized their previous status
and the relevant platform of interests.

The paper says, however, that Civilitas did not confirm or dismiss
any reports about the meeting. An employee of the foundation was
quoted as saying the person who could respond to the paper was out
of the office already. The employee promised, however, to submit
the reporter’s contact data to their spokesperson, the paper says,
adding that no calls followed the inquiry.

As for Alexander Arzumanyan, he did not reportedly answer any phone
calls.