Author: Kajoyan Gevork

3RD PERSON GETS LIFE SENTENCE FOR 2009 NAZARETH BERBERIAN MURDER

HETQ
16:28, September 2, 2011

Minutes ago, a Yerevan court sentenced Gevorg Badalyan to life
imprisonment for the murder of Nazaret Berberian in 2009.

Badalyan is the third person to be sentenced in the murder.

Mr. Berberian, an American-Armenian businessman, was found dead on
a stretch of road 25 kilometers north or Yerevan. Traces of violence
were found on his body.

On April 28, 2010 a Yerevan court sentenced Petros Temiryan and Karen
Dallakyan to life in prison for the murder.

The businessman, 57, had gone missing after leaving his Yerevan
apartment on April 25, 2009.

Nazareth Berberian was murdered by strangling and injection of
ketamine. The criminals transported his body to a ditch by the
Yerevan-Sevan highway in the victim’s car, which was afterwards taken
to the Zvartnots Airport to create an impression that Berberian had
left the country. The car was in a working condition, there was no
sign of robbery; even the alarm was on.

A native of Armenia, Berberian had moved from Yerevan to the United
States with his family in early 1970s.

He moved back in 1999 and engaged in a range of business activities
there. His Lil-Nar company was also building a hotel in a prime
location in central Yerevan. It stands uncompleted today.

Berberian was also engaged in charity work both in Armenia and Artsakh.

MP ASKS PRESS TO CALL MADRID PRINCIPLES ‘YEREVAN UNPRINCIPLEDNESS’

epress.am
09.02.2011

The ridiculous question “Why don’t the people from Artsakh [the
unrecognized Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh] go back to Artsakh?”

wouldn’t be heard today if there was no proclamation of the liberation
of Artsakh and no victory in the 90s of the national liberation
struggle, said NKR Supreme Council foreign relations committee expert,
MP Larisa Alaverdyan, celebrating Nagorno-Karabakh “Liberation Day”
at a press conference in Yerevan on Friday.

“I truly congratulate progressive Armenians. If it wasn’t for that
proclamation and if we didn’t win in the national liberation struggle,
picture the situation of the Republic of Armenia for a moment.

Everyone must understand that we fought for a united Armenia,”
she said.

Alaverdyan considered unacceptable Armenia’s position on
Nagorno-Karbakh in the international arena, saying that Armenia
presents the conflict as being distorted.

The opposition MP criticized the Madrid Principles, which have
become the basis of negotiations between the presidents of Armenia
and Azerbaijan, and she asked journalists to call them “Yerevan
unprincipledness” on her behalf.

“First, because self-determination is not the primary step for Artsakh;
on the contrary, it hasn’t allowed for Azerbaijan violate the right
to self-determination already acquired by the Artsakh people.

When we say the right to self-determination, we understand that
Artsakh wants to self-determine in today’s territory of Republic of
Azerbaijan,” she said.

The NKR Supreme Council foreign relations committee expert declared
that it is written in a document being discussed with representatives
of Artsakh’s National Assembly in the framework of an Armenia-Artsakh
inter-parliamentary cooperation committee that Artsakh was forced to
take under its control so-called buffer zones (i.e. “liberated areas”).

“That is unacceptable; it’s terrible. Those are lands belonging to
Artsakh. Moreover, there are such territories that are also Artsakh
proper, but they are occupied,” she said.

BANK VTB (ARMENIA) PRESENTS TWO COMPLETELY FURNISHED ROOMS TO SECONDARY SCHOOL N21

/ARKA/
September 2, 2011
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, September 2. /ARKA/. Bank VTB (Armenia) presented two
completely furnished rooms to the Russian secondary school N21 by
the beginning of 2011-2012 academic year, the bank’s press office
reported on Friday.

Speaking before school children, their parents and teachers on
September 1, Valery Ovsyannikov, director general and chairman of
the bank’s directorial board, wished successful studies to school
students and rewarding work to teachers in the new academic year.

He said that the support the bank is providing to the school has
become a good tradition.

“We have repeatedly provided assistance to the school and will continue
supporting it in the future in renewing its resource-and-technical
base and organizing educational process in up-to-modern-standards
conditions,” Ovsyannikov said.

The banker expressed confidence that the teaching and learning
processes in the two repaired and reequipped rooms will be comfortable
and effective.

“I hope I’ll see the best graduates of the school N21 among leading
employees of our bank,” he said.

Bank VTB Armenia joined VTB Group in April 2004. VTB, the second
largest bank of Russia, holds 100% of shares of VTB Bank (Armenia).

VTB Bank (Armenia) is traditionally reckoned among leaders for general
indicators. It has 68 branches all over Armenia’s territory.

ARMENIANS DISAPPOINTED AT DUTCH GOVERNMENT

news.az
Sept 1 2011
Azerbaijan

Dutch Foreign Minister did not use the term “genocide”.

Several pro-Armenian members of various parliamentary factions of the
Dutch parliament have sent a written request to Foreign Minister Uri
Rosenthal concerning the so-called “Armenian genocide.”

Pro-Armenian MPs have demanded an explanation from the Minister due to
non-use of the word “genocide” and also to build a monument to victims
of so-called “genocide” next to the International Court in The Hague.

In his reply, the Foreign Minister Uri Rosenthal, referring to
“the terrible events of 1915” and “the need to resume the dialogue
between Armenia and Turkey” did not use the term “genocide” and said
the government strongly opposed establishment of this monument.

In turn, the federation of Armenian organizations of the Netherlands
welcomed the critical attitude of parliamentarians and expressed
disappointment at the position of foreign minister of this country.

GERMANY NOT RECOGNIZES “NAGORNO KARABAKH REPUBLIC” AND ITS STRUCTURES – EMBASSY

news.az
Sept 1 2011
Azerbaijan

Germany continues its policy of non-recognition of the so-called
“Nagorno Karabakh Republic” and its structures.

The statement came from spokesperson for the German embassy in
Azerbaijan Aytakin Maharramova.

State bodies in Germany do not have any links with the organization
“Friends of Artsakh” and this kind of structures and do not provide
any political and financial support to them, she said.

“In the meantime, under German rules, it is impossible to close down
these organizations in Germany,” the embassy source added.

A concert titled “20th anniversary of Artsakh” dedicated to the
so-called “20th anniversary” of the puppet regime in Nagorno-Karabakh
is to be held in Stuttgart, Germany as part of the days of Armenian
culture Stuttgart-2011 on 19 September.

NKR IS FULLY RESOLVED TO KEEP ON FIGHTING FOR RECOGNITION OF ITS INDEPENDENCE, BAKO SAHAKYAN STATES

Mediamax
Sept 1 2011
Armenia

Yerevan/Mediamax/. President of Nagorno Karabakh Republic Bako Sahakyan
stated that “recognition of NKR’s independence by the international
community is one of the priority objectives of our state”.

In his interview to “Nezavisimaya Gazeta”, Bako Sahakyan stressed that
“there aren’t any legal grounds not to recognize our independence
and our arguments are very strong”, Mediamax reports.

“That’s quite different that there are some geopolitical motives and
various interests which impede the recognition. But I think that the
geopolitics and conflict of interests are still retreat subject to law
and morale and the brand new level of the process of recognition of
the states which were unrecognized before unfolding over the recent
3-4 years comes to prove this”, noted Bako Sahakyan.

“We will keep on striving for international recognition irrespective
of the fact whether or not other unrecognized states are recognized:
there are absolutely all the grounds for that”, he said.

THE CAUCASUS INSTITUTE DIRECTOR SEES ” NO POSSIBILITIES” FOR SETTLING THE NAGORNO KARABAKH CONFLICT

Mediamax
Sept 1 2011
Armenia

Yerevan/Mediamax/. The Director of the Caucasus Institute Alexander
Iskandaryan doesn’t see any possibilities for settling the Nagorno
Karabakh conflict if recognition of the NKR independence by Azerbaijan
is meant.

Alexander Iskandaryan stated today that “Azerbaijan doesn’t think
it necessary to recognize Nagorno Karabakh’s independence”, Mediamax
reports. According to the political scientist, the conceptions of the
conflicting sides on the range of compromises greatly differ and the
current Nagorno Karabakh situation may continue for rather a long time.

“The process will continue against the background of strengthening
of Russia’s influence which is the main engine in the Minsk process”,
said Alexander Iskandaryan.

He expressed the opinion that all the three co-chairing countries of
the OSCE Minsk Group adhere to a consolidated position and none of
them will allow Azerbaijan to wage a war.

KARABAKH DE-FACTO INDEPENDENCE TO GET INTERNATIONAL LEGAL RECOGNITION – PRESIDENT OF ABKHAZIA

news.am
Sept 1 2011
Armenia

SUKHUMI. – President-elect of Abkhazia Alexander Ankwab sent
congratulations to Karabakh President Bako Sahakyan on the occasion
of the 20th anniversary of Karabakh independence.

Alexander Ankwab was elected Abkhazian President as a result of August
26 presidential elections.

“I believe the de-facto independence of Karabakh will soon get
an international recognition. Abkhazian and Karabakh nations have
overcome serious difficulties on achieving independence. We must
defend this independence, and renew national state for the future
generations. Honorable President, let the nation acquire a strong
belief in a prosperous future under your leadership,” reads the
congratulation telegram.

Karabakh gained its independence on September 2, 1991.

ENVOY DEFENDS RUSSIAN MIGRATION SCHEME
Satenik Vantsian

Armenialiberty.org

Sept 1 2011

The Russian ambassador to Armenia, Vyacheslav Kovalenko, dismissed
on Thursday a public outcry against a government program encouraging
and helping Armenians to migrate to Russia.

“Who is forcing Armenians to leave this country against their will?”

he said during a visit to Gyumri. “Why are they leaving their country?

If they live well in their country, why would they go elsewhere?”

“People go [to Russian] at their own initiative,” Kovalenko told
journalists.

The diplomat referred to the Russian government’s Compatriots program
that offers employment, accommodation and financial benefits to married
residents of former Soviet republics willing to settle in Russia. It
is designed to address the country’s serious demographic problems.

Russia’s Federal Migration Service (FMS) began operating the program
in Armenia in 2009 and has reportedly attracted hundreds of Armenian
families since then. The program has sparking an uproar from local
opposition politicians, public figures and media worried about the
continuing outflow of people from the country.

Prime Minister Tigran Sarkisian said in July that his government
shares their concerns. He revealed that it has told Moscow to halt
the scheme’s implementation in Armenia.

The opposition youth movement Hima (Now) dismissed these assurances,
saying that the government should simply order the FMS to close its
offices in Yerevan and several Armenian regions.

“There are people who want to accumulate political capital,” said
Kovalenko. “They are wrong to do that. Everything will be fine.”

Kovalenko claimed that most of the Armenian migrants work in Russian
to support their relatives in Armenia and will eventually return home.

RECOGNITION OF PREVIOUSLY UNRECOGNIZED STATES PROVES GEOPOLITICS YIELDS MORALITY – KARABAKH PRESIDENT

news.am
Sept 1 2011
Armenia

STEPANAKERT. – Nagorno-Karabakh will achieve its international
recognition independently of other unrecognized states, Karabakh
Presdient Bako Sahakyan told at the interview with the Independent
newspaper columnist Yuri Simonyan.

The president also said that despite the recognition of Abkhazia and
Southern Ossetia by several states, Karabakh has been recognized by no
state yet. Karabakh’s international recognition by the international
society is one of the priorities of the state.

“In fact no legal bases hinder its recognition. Besides, our arguments
are perfect,” president said. “Geopolitics is different sphere
with its own interests to hold back our recognition. I believe that
geopolitics and its interest will not cover the right and morality
of Karabakh recognition.”