Author: Kajoyan Gevork

KNESSET GENOCIDE RESOLUTIONS TO BE DISCUSSED IN OCTOBER
Hagop Sevan

asbarez
August 10th, 2011

YEREVAN (Armenpress)-Two resolutions pending in the Israeli
parliament-the Knesset-will be discussed by the legislature in
October, Jerusalem Armenian National Committee member Hagop Sevan
told Armenpress.

The two bills, one that calls on Israel to recognize the Armenian
Genocide and the other to mark April 24 as a national day of
remembrance were unanimously sent to the Knesset’s education committee
for review earlier.

The Knesset is in recess from early August until October.

On June 29, the Knesset voted 25-1 to send a bill that envisions
educational programs and curricula on the Armenian Genocide to be
taught on April 24for consideration by the Education and Culture
Committee. The measure was introduced by Knesset member Arie Eldad.

This second resolution

The Israeli government representative, Uzi Landau, who is Israel’s
minister of national infrastructure commented that while the
government believes that Armenia and Turkey must address this issue
among themselves, the government was not opposed to the discussion
of the measure by the Knesset committee.

On May 18, a motion by the Meretz party to direct the Israeli Knesset’s
education committee to discuss a resolution recognizing the Armenian
Genocide was unanimously approved.

The motion presented by Meretz delegate Zahava Gal-On also received
the support of government representatives who voted for the proposal.

During the more than 30 minute debate on the Knesset floor on May 18,
various party members expressed their views on the resolution. On
behalf of Israel’s foreign ministry, Religion Minister, Yakkov Marki
expressed ministry’s position, which was to leave the issue on the
defense and foreign affairs commission, adding that Israel must
support the Armenia-Turkey dialogue process.

However, Marki expressed his personal conviction affirming the Genocide
and added that time has come for Israel to make a clear decision on
the matter. He then proposed that the Knesset’s education committee
address the matter.

Also speaking at the debate was the ruling Likud party representative,
Ze’ev Elkin who supported the motion to task the education committee
with the issue. Elkin’s role in the fruition of this motion was
considerable.

DE JEUNES MILITANTS DU HAK ARRETES PAR LA POLICE
Marion

armenews.com
jeudi 11 aout 2011
ARMENIE

Sept jeunes militants du Congrès National Armenien (HAK) de
l’opposition ont ete arretes mardi et sont restes en garde a vue
mercredi après leurs affrontements avec la police a Erevan dans des
circonstances obscures. Le HAK a largement condamne les arrestations.

Dans une declaration mercredi, le HAK a demande aux autorites
armeniennes de liberer les militants et de punir les policiers qui
ont ete violents envers les militants.

D’après le HAK, les evenements se sont deroules après que deux des
militants ont tente d’arreter des policiers qui verifiaient l’identite
de jeunes qui se promenaient dans le centre ville. Ils ont affirme
qu’ils ont ete battus et conduits a la prefecture de police dans le
district central d’Erevan, a Kentron, avec cinq autres militants.

La police armenienne n’a pas donne sa version des faits mercredi soir.

Le porte-parole de la police a seulement affirme qu’une affaire
penale a ete ouverte en vertu des articles du Code criminel au sujet
du hooliganisme et des agressions sur les agents de l’Etat.

Selon la loi armenienne, la police peut poursuivre les sept jeunes
hommes ou les liberer vendredi.

Plusieurs dizaines de membres du HAK ainsi que des sympathisants se
sont rassembles devant le commissariat de police mardi pour reclamer la
liberation immediate des militants. Leurs avocats ont ete autorises a
entrer dans les locaux mais n’ont pas pas pu discuter avec leur client.

Certains detenus ont neanmoins reussi a se photographier et a se
filmer avec leur telephone mobile et ont diffuse les images sur
Internet. Certains d’entre eux avaient des traces visibles sur leur
visage et leur dos.

Des representants du HAK ont egalement allegue que les detenus ont
recu des coups en garde en vue. ” Nous avons entendu des cris de nos
garcons, ils ont ete touches “, a affirme l’un d’eux, Avetis Avagian.

Davit Harutiunian, qui dirige la delegation qui represente le
gouvernement armenien dans les negociations avec le HAK, a nie les
plaintes. Harutiunian a visite la police de Kentron mercredi matin
après l’appel du chef de l’opposition, Levon Zurabian.

Zurabian a averti mardi soir que l’incident remet en question les
pourparlers entre les deux camps rivaux. Nous devons analyser la
situation actuelle et nous devons ensuite decider si un dialogue est
necessaire, a-t-il declare lors d’une interview accordee a REF/RL.

La declaration du HAK le lendemain ne contenait aucune menace
explicite. Le HAK a cependant suggere que ” certaines forces ” au sein
du gouvernement profitent de l’absence du president Serge Sarkissian
pour faire capoter le dialogue.

L’opposition a egalement declare que les autorites armeniennes avaient
peut-etre provoque l’incident , en reponse a la demande du HAK de
mettre en place des elections presidentielles et parlementaires
anticipees lors de negociations.

CLASSICAL: IOSIF ANDRIASOV FESTIVAL (8/14)
Paloma Capanna

Rochester City Newspaper

Aug 10, 2011

Musicians from San Francisco, Los Angeles, Boston, and New York
City will converge at the Memorial Art Gallery to launch the first
Iosif Andriasov Chamber Music Festival. Andriasov was a composer,
a philosopher, and a teacher. Born in 1933 in Moscow to an Armenian
family, he began to play the piano and compose at the age of 3. Years
later he graduated from the Tchaikovsky Moscow Conservatory. As his
career as a composer grew, the Soviet Ministry of Culture offered
Andriasov the position of the Head of the “Special Committee on Music
and Moral Matters.” Andriasov declined the position, and moved with
his family to NYC. His name disappeared from the repertoire of Russian
performers and scores and recordings of his compositions vanished. He
died in 2000.

Iosif Andriasov Chamber Music Festival takes place Sunday, August 14
at 2 p.m. at Memorial Art Gallery, 500 University Ave

AZERBAIJANI PRESIDENT ILHAM ALIYEV RECEIVES AMBASSADORS OF MUSLIM COUNTRIES ON OCCASION OF HOLY RAMADAN

APA
Aug 10, 2011
Azerbaijan

Baku – APA. On August 10, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev received
ambassadors and heads of diplomatic missions of Muslim countries on
the occasion of holy month of Ramadan, APA reports quoting AzerTAC
new agency.

Welcoming the guests, President Aliyev asked them to convey his
greetings and congratulations to the heads of states and governments
of the countries they represent. Emphasizing that Ramadan embodies
the unity of all Muslims in the world, President Aliyev underlined
the importance of strengthening the friendly and brotherly relations
between the Muslim countries and the solidarity of the Islamic world.

Azerbaijani President spoke about the successful bilateral and
international relations between Azerbaijan and other Muslim countries
and said Azerbaijan made significant contribution to the Islamic
solidarity.

Touching upon the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, President Ilham Aliyev
said the Muslim countries have fair position concerning the settlement
of this conflict. On the occasion of Holy Ramadan, Azerbaijani leader
wished peace and welfare to the countries the ambassadors represent
and conveyed best wishes to the participants of the meeting.

On behalf of the ambassadors and heads of diplomatic missions of Muslim
countries, Ambassador of Uzbekistan Ismatullah Yergashev congratulated
President Ilham Aliyev and Azerbaijani people and wished peace and
welfare to them. Diplomat emphasized the importance of traditional
character of the Ramadan meetings with the Head of State.

EXPERT: TRILATERAL TALKS ARE IMPORTANT TO EXPRESS BAKU’S POSITION
E.Tariverdiyeva

Trend
Aug 10, 2011
Azerbaijan

In any case, the negotiations are better than nothing, since this
is dynamics, process, where the sides sound their positions, the
Azerbaijani political scientist, member of Trend Expert Council Fikret
Sadikhov said, commenting on the Sochi meeting between the Presidents
of Azerbaijan and Russia.

“At the meeting, our leader Ilham Aliyev presented Baku’s position
to the negotiating parties – Yerevan and Moscow, and they were able
to understand all of our concerns over the situation, which derives
from the current status quo,” Sadikhov told Trend.

As known, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev made a working visit to
Sochi city upon the Russian President Dmitry Medvedev’s invitation
on Aug.9.

During the visit, the Presidents appreciated the bilateral relations
and cooperation established between the Azerbaijani Republic and
Russian Federation and expressed their determination to continue
efforts in this regard, Head of the Foreign Relations Department at
the Azerbaijani Presidential Administration Novruz Mammadov told Trend
on Wednesday, commenting on the results of Sochi meeting of Presidents
Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan and Dmitry Medvedev of Russia on Tuesday.

The recent talks of Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents over the
Nagorno-Karabakh problem were held upon Russia’s initiative in June
in Sochi. This was the eighth trilateral meeting.

According to Sadikhov, the Azerbaijani side was able to reasonably
and objectively explain to the negotiating parties that in spite
of the tolerance and patience, Baku is principle in the matters of
Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity and will never make it negotiable.

This is the main result of the negotiations, he said. According to
him, it is important to appreciate Medvedev’s role, his involvement
in this process and interest in the results.

“I think that Moscow is interested in the positive outcome of
the negotiations over Nagorno-Karabakh, since the security in the
neighboring region is important for Russia. First of all, the Kremlin
has never made a secret to protect the interests of its ally in the
region – Armenia,” he said.

On the other hand, he said, Russia wants to in parallel develop and
intensify relations with Azerbaijan, which turns into an important
regional player, with whom Russia is linked in many spheres of
cooperation.

“In this context, we would like Russia to be more objective in
mediation and that its position would be based not only on its vision
of the situation in the region, but also on the international law and
the decisions and resolutions adopted by international institutions,
and statements of the leaders of the other two co-chairman countries
of the OSCE Minsk Group,” Sadikhov said.

Russia, he said, should logically justify its decisions, offer
breakthrough solutions, breakthrough ideas, initiatives that could help
end the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and contribute to the restoration
of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The
co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group – Russia, France, and the U.S. –
are currently holding the peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council’s four
resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the
surrounding regions.

USE OF FORCE AND CASUALTIES IN SYRIA UNACCEPTABLE, ARMENIAN DEPUTY FM SAYS

Mediamax
Aug 10, 2011
Armenia

Yerevan/Mediamax/. Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Manasarian
said that “the use of force and the presence of casualties in Syria
are unacceptable.”

“We can express regret that force is being used and there are
casualties. It is natural that this is unacceptable for everyone,”
Sergey Manasarian said in the interview to Mediamax.

MORE ARMENIANS DEPORTED FROM US

news.am
Aug 10, 2011
Armenia

Rumors about large number of Armenian prisoners in U.S. are greatly
exaggerated.

Armenia’s Consulate General was informed 151 Armenian citizens were
arrested in the first half of 2011. Only a few were sentenced to jail,
Armenian Foreign Ministry informed Armenian News – NEWS.am.

According to the same data, the number of Armenian citizens serving
sentences in Los Angeles prisons does not exceed 1,000.

However, the number of Armenian citizens who are deported from the
country has recently increased. In 2011 the U.S. authorities appealed
to Armenia’s Consulate General in Los Angeles in connection with the
deportation of 50 citizens of Armenia. They are mainly deported due
to violation of terms of the stay in US.

Consul General Grigor Hovhannisyan visited one of the Los Angeles
prisons on Monday. During the visit, Hovhannisyan met with prisoners
of Armenian descent, as well as the citizens of Armenia serving
the penalty.

NORTH-SOUTH ROAD CORRIDOR INVESTMENT PROGRAM LAUNCHED IN YEREVAN

Panorama
Aug 10, 2011
Armenia

Yerevan hosted today the launching ceremony of the North-South Road
Corridor Investment Program – Project 1 and Project 2. The ceremony
was attended by heads of regional administrations, mayors, heads of
communal administrations, representatives of ministries, embassies
accredited to Armenia, and NGOs.

In his speech, Minister of Transport and Communication, Manuk
Vardanyan stressed the importance of this project and noted that the
North-South Road Corridor, 556 km long, secures an outlet to the Black
Sea through the territory of Armenia and Georgia, and further to the
European countries.

The Investment Program is scheduled for completion by 2017.

YEREVAN TO HOST “COMPUTER SCIENCE AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY” 2011 WORKSHOP

news.am
Aug 10, 2011
Armenia

YEREVAN. – Armenia’s capital will host the largest scientific
conference devoted to Computer Science and Information Technology-CSIT
2011 on September 26-30, Director of Institute for Informatics and
Automation Problems at Armenian National Academy of Sciences Vladimir
Sahakyan told Armenian News-NEWS.am-Innovation correspondent.

According to him, the event has been organized in Armenia for 8 times.

Sahakyan stressed that over 100 scientists from the U.S., France,
Spain, Italy, Ukraine, Russia, Hungary and other countries will make
presentations at the event. “Entry will be free,” Sahakyan noted.

The CSIT is held every 2 years. The first conference “Information
Technology and Computer Science” was held in 1997.

HIGH COST OF AIRFARE PREVENTS DIASPORA ARMENIANS FROM VISITING NATIVE LAND

PanARMENIAN.Net
August 10, 2011

PanARMENIAN.Net – On August 10, the subcommittee on youth affairs
of Armenian President’s Public Council hosted the representatives of
Armenian youth from over 10 countries worldwide.

The young people arrived in Armenia to participate in Diaspora
Ministry- organized leadership summer school for Diaspora youth,
the subcommittee press secretary Gohar Gyumushyan told PanARMENIAN.Net

The meeting participants were briefed on activities of the Public
Council, further presenting issues requiring immediate attention.

Among the issues on agenda were, high cost of airfare in Armenia,
preventing Diaspora representatives from visiting the country; lack
of awareness about the activities of Armenian organisations, as well
as cooperation opportunities with the organisations in question.

The necessity of further meetings between the subcommittee and Diaspora
youth was mutually stressed.