Author: Kajoyan Gevork

GABALA RADAR NOT MENACE FOR ARMENIA BUT JUST TRUMP FOR BAKU IN RELATIONS WITH RUSSIA

PanARMENIAN.Net
July 26, 2011

PanARMENIAN.Net – Gabala radar station is a high capacity and expensive
system and it is hardly possible for Russia to build another one,
according to military expert Artsrun Hovhannisyan.

“For Russia the station becomes more and more substantial,” the
expert said.

“This station is not menace for Armenia, but it is a trump for
Baku in relations with Russia. In future Gabala radar station may
be of utmost importance in talks around European Missile Defense,”
Hovhannisyan told Analitika.at.ua in an interview.

Moscow considers that Russian radar stations with missile warning
system located in Gabala, Azerbaijan and Armavir may be significant
for a unified European Missile Defense.

The Qabala Radar or Qabala Radar Station is a Daryal-type bistatic
phased-array early warning radar, built by the Soviet Union in the
Qabala district of the Azerbaijan SSR in 1985. It is now operated
by the Russian Space Forces. The radar station has a range of up
to 6,000 kilometres (3,728 mi), and was designed to detect missile
launches from south and south-eastern directions. It allows not only
detection of the launch of a missile but also to track the whole of
its trajectory so as to enable a ballistic missile defense system to
intercept an offensive strike.

A new-generation radar station with ballistic missile early warning
system was built near Armavir in 2012. A similar radar station, located
in Lekhtusi, near St. Petersburg, became operational in late 2006.

UN JUGE ARMENIEN RENVOYE MALGRE LES PROTESTATIONS DES AVOCATS
Stephane

armenews.com
ARMENIE

Le president Serge Sarkissian a mis a la porte un juge de la cour
generale d’Erevan, une decision que l’association du Barreau National
d’Armenie considère un affront serieux a l’independance juridique.

Le juge, Samvel Mnatsakanian, a ete demis de ses devoirs sur
recommandation du Conseil de Justice, un corps d’etat surveillant les
cours armeniennes.

Le conseil dirige par Arman Mkrtumian, le president de la Cour de
Cassation, a envoye une demande correspondante a Serge Sarkisian a la
fin du mois dernier. La cour a refuse de rendre public le document.

L’administration presidentielle n’a donne non plus la moindre raison
de la prise du decret de M.Sarkisian. Samvel Mnatsakanian a aussi
decline tout commentaire.

La Chambre armenienne des Avocats croit que le juge a ete renvoye
suite a sa decision d’accorder une mise en liberte sous caution d’un
suspect soupconne d’un crime contrairement aux voeux des procureurs.

Son president, Ruben Sahakian et des douzaines d’autres avocats ont
organise une demonstration sans precedent a l’exterieur de la Cour de
Cassation la semaine dernière pour protester contre le renvoi menacant
Mnatsakanian.

Ruben Sahakian a denonce la decision du Conseil de Justice comme sans fondement.

D’autres membres de la chambre pretendent que Mnatsakanian a perdu son
travail parce qu’il a echoue a recevoir le feu vert de Arman
Mkrtumian. Ils disent que le president de la Cour de Cassation veut
toujours avoir le dernier mot dans les rares affaires où les juges
projettent de prendre des decisions allant contre les voeux des
procureurs.

Un de ces avocats, Hayk Alumian, a critique Sarkisian pour avoir suivi
la decision ” arbitraire “du Conseil de Justice. Il a aussi deplore le
fait que l’administration presidentielle n’a pas justifie la decision.

COUP DE FROID ENTRE ANKARA ET EREVAN
Jean Eckian

armenews.com
mercredi 27 juillet 2011,
TURQUIE-ARMENIE

Par un communique du ministère des Affaires etrangères, la Turquie a
condamne, hier, le discours du president armenien Serge Sarkissian,
au cours duquel il a implicitement encourage des etudiants a prendre
leurs responsabilites dans une hypothetique reoccupation de l’Armenie
Occidentale.

Le 23 juillet, a l’occasion de la cinquième Olympiade PanArmenienne de
la langue armenienne et de litterature, parrainee par la Fondation
Luys, a Tsakhadzor, le president Sarkissian s’est adresse a 128
etudiants originaires de 11 pays dans un discours où il a prône
l’unite armenienne et la defense du territoire. L’occasion pour
les elèves d’interroger le chef de l’Etat sur divers sujets. De
nombreuses et pertinentes questions lui ont ete posees. Mais une
seule a retenue l’attention de la Turquie, quand l’un d’eux a
demande : “Monsieur le President pensez-vous qu’un jour les Terres
de l’Armenie Occidentale rejoindront celles de l’Armenie Orientale
? ” Ce a quoi Serge Sarkissian a repondu : “Tout depend de la jeune
generation. Chacune a son objectif a atteindre. Celle d’aujourd’hui
a defendu et liberee une partie du territoire armenien [HK]. Si la
suivante fait encore plus d’efforts, alors l’Armenie sera l’un des
meilleurs pays du monde”. Et il conclut “Le peuple armenien est
capable de parvenir a ses fins s’il y croît.”

Il n’en fallait pas plus a la Turquie pour reagir vivement, qualifiant
l’attitude du premier armenien de “comportement irresponsable”. Le
communique indique que le premier devoir des hommes d’Etat est de
preparer leurs societes, en particulier les jeunes, a un avenir
pacifique et prospère. A un moment où les tentatives de paix se sont
intensifiees dans la region, les expressions que le president armenien
n’a pas hesite a utiliser signalent qu ‘” il n’a aucune intention
de paix.”

CAUCASUS ICE HOCKEY LEAGUE GETTING SET FOR PUCK DROP

Hurriyet
July 26, 2011
Turkey

The Turkish Ice Hockey Federation, or TBHF, is nearing an agreement
that will establish the Caucasus Ice Hockey League with the blessing
of the International Ice Hockey Federation, or IIHF

The games in the Caucaus Ice Hockey League will be played in Erzurum.

The Turkish Ice Hockey Federation, or TBHF, is nearing an agreement
that will establish the Caucasus Ice Hockey League with the blessing
of the International Ice Hockey Federation, or IIHF.

Negotiations with Azerbaijan and Iran are currently underway,
although Georgia is already set to join the league, while Armenia
is also expected to participate. The move comes shortly after the
establishment of the Balkan Ice Hockey Union, or BIHU, on June 4.

Games will be held at the Erzurum Ice Hockey Rink in Turkey’s eastern
province of Erzurum, due to the ease of land transportation from
neighboring Transcaucasus countries.

Despite the objections it raised regarding the inclusion of Armenia
in the league, Georgia has also agreed to participate. Two teams from
Turkey, two teams from Georgia and one team from Armenia will take
part in the 2011-2012 season, although the status of the Armenian
team remains unclear.

Preliminary accords with Iran and Azerbaijan have also been completed,
according to Anatolia news agency.

Officials are aiming to formalize the Caucasus League during the
semi-annual congress of the IIHF in Istanbul which will be attended
by 400 delegates between Sept. 21 and 23.

The Balkan Ice Hockey Union was established on June 4 with the
involvement of Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia,
Greece, Romania, Bulgaria and Serbia, despite a six-month-long
objection that was finally dropped by Greece regarding Macedonia’s
name.

ARMENIA’S MFA SEEKS TO OPEN EMBASSY IN DENMARK

news.am
July 27, 2011
Armenia

YEREVAN. – The Armenian Government included the draft decision on
opening Armenia’s Embassy in Kingdom of Denmark in the agenda of July
28 session.

The opening and operation of the embassy will cost AMD 43,4 million
a year (U.S. $115,000).

However, Armenian Ministry of Finances failed to include the amount
in the medium-term program of public expenditures (2012-2014.). It
informed Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which insists on the necessity
of opening the embassy. As a result, the issue was included in the
agenda of governmental sessions.

Denmark has no embassy in the South Caucasus. It has a consulate in
Baku. Danish Ambassador to Kiev is Ambassador of Denmark in Yerevan
and Tbilisi with concurrent accreditation.

‘WESTERN ARMENIA’ RETURN DEPENDS ON YOUTH, SARKISIAN SAYS

Hurriyet
July 26, 2011
Turkey

TSAKHKADZOR, Armenia – From wire dispatches

The return of “historic territories in Western Armenia” now found in
eastern Turkey “depend on younger generations,” Armenian President
Serge Sarkisian has said, according to online Armenian news sources.

“[Any return] all depends on you and your generation,” Sarkisian said
Saturday in response to a question about the area during the Armenian
Language Olympics. “I think my generation has managed to fulfill its
debt when it was necessary to protect the part of our Motherland,
[Nagorno-Karabakh], from the enemies. We managed to do it. I just
want to say that every generation has its responsibilities and must
be able to fulfill them well.”

“Western Armenia” includes Mount Ararat, which is now wholly situated
in Turkey but remains a symbol for Armenia.

Calling on Armenian youth to make their country better, Sarkisian said:
“If you and your friends make all efforts, we will have one of the best
countries in the world. Believe me, the country not always depends on
the size of its territory. The country must be modern, comfortable:
these are the criteria that make the country recognized.”

TURKEY URGED TO PURSUE FURTHER PROSECUTIONS IN HRANT DINK MURDER CASE

Amnesty

July 26, 2011

Amnesty International has again called on the Turkish authorities to
investigate alleged collusion and negligence by state officials in the
2007 killing of journalist and human rights activist Hrant Dink, after
one man was sentenced to nearly 23 years in prison for his murder.

Ogun Samast was sentenced by an Istanbul Children’s Court on Monday.

He was initially given a life sentence but the term was commuted
because he was a minor at the time of the murder. Eighteen other
people are currently on trial for their involvement in the murder.

“While the sentencing of Ogun Samast is welcome news, he is just one
of the people responsible for Hrant Dink’s murder. The authorities
must investigate all the circumstances around his death and bring
everyone responsible to justice, whatever their position of power,”
said Andrew Gardner Amnesty International’s expert on Turkey.

“The murder of Hrant Dink came after he was prosecuted by the Turkish
authorities for his writings on the identity of Turkish citizens of
Armenian origin. His murder was apparently committed with the tacit
agreement of elements within the Turkish law enforcement agencies.

This cannot go unpunished.”

In September 2010, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that the
Turkish authorities had failed to act on information they received
that could have prevented Hrant Dink’s murder and had failed to
investigate the role of state officials in his death.

In June 2011, Colonel Ali Oz and seven other military personnel
were convicted of negligence for their failure to relay information
regarding the plot to kill Hrant Dink which could have prevented
the murder.

Hrant Dink, a Turkish citizen of Armenian origin, was killed on 19
January 2007. The editor of the Agos newspaper and contributor to
the influential daily Zaman, he was shot outside the Agos offices
in Istanbul.

In June 2011, death threats were made against Etyen Mahcupyan and
Baskın Oran, both journalists at Agos newspaper. Similar threats
have been made at various times since 2004 for which no one has been
brought to justice.

Hrant Dink was best known for being critical of the Turkish government
over issues of Armenian identity and over official versions of history
in Turkey relating to the massacres of Armenians in 1915. He was
repeatedly prosecuted for expressing his opinions.

In 2005, he was given a six-month suspended prison sentence for
“denigrating Turkishness” in writings about the identity of Turkish
citizens of Armenian origin.

Others in Turkey have since been prosecuted, like Hrant Dink, under
legislation that is used to prosecute dissenting opinions violating
the right to freedom of expression.

In March this year, eight journalists were arrested for being members
of Ergenekon, an alleged ultra-nationalist network with links to the
Turkish state.

Two of the eight, Ahmet Å~^ık and Nedim Å~^ener are investigative
journalists known for their work exposing human rights abuses by
elements within state institutions. They remain in pre-trial detention
awaiting trial for being members of a terrorist organization.

“The Turkish authorities must take action to ensure that dissenting
voices are not silenced by legislation or threats of violence,” said
Andrew Gardner. “The people of Turkey must be free to express their
opinions without fear of death or imprisonment.”

FORMER MAYOR OF YEREVAN TO COME BACK INTO POLITICS BY THE TIME OF PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS

arminfo
July 26, 2011

In Sept 2011 former Mayor of Yerevan Gagik Beglaryan will announce
his comeback.

Zhamanak newspaper reports that Beglaryan, who quitted the politics
in Dec 2010, is still a member of the ruling Republican Party of
Armenia and is committed to use his strengths for the sake of the
RPA’s victory during the forthcoming parliamentary elections.

As far as the paper knows, Beglaryan meets with President Sargsyan
on a regular basis. The last meeting took place some 15 days ago.

Beglaryan resigned from the post of mayor in Dec 2010 after kidnapping
and beating employee of the President’s Protocol Service Aram Kandayan.

ISRAEL’S DEPUTY FM HAS CALLED HIS ARMENIAN COUNTERPART

Tert.am
26.07.11

Israel’s deputy foreign minister had a phone conversation with his
Armenian counterpart on Monday, July 25.

According to a press release by the Israeli Foreign Ministry,
Danny Ayalon and Arman Kirakossian spoke of the friendly relations,
historical ties and cultural similarities between the two nations
Ayalon said his country attaches a major importance to the continuous
development of diplomatic relations and practical collaboration with
Armenia. He further said it would be his pleasure to visit Yerevan,
and invited Kirakossian to visit Israel.

The Israeli official also reiterated his country’s sensitive stance
on what he called the Armenian tragedy.

He also expressed support of the OSCE Minsk Group’s efforts to reach
a negotiated settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

GEORGIAN AUTHORITIES BAN ARMENIAN MPS’ SPEECHES IN JAVAAKHK

Tert.am
26.07.11

The Georgian authorities have banned two Armenian MPs from making a
speech in the Armenian populated region of Javakhk.

At a news conference on Tuesday, Armen Martirosyan of the opposition
Heritage party faction in parliament, and Artsvik Minasyan of
the Armenian Revolutionary Federation – Dashnaksutyun (ARF-D) said
thatthey had not allowed to speak at an event dedicated to Javakhk
born Armenian poet Vahan Teryan on Sunday.

Minasyan said ethnic Armenians from the provincial administration
had approached them during the event, and introducing themselves
as organizers, insisted that they speak. The latter said they had
delivered speeches at an event dedicated to the famous Armenian gusan,
Jivani, but the participants had reportedly got bored.

“But as it turned out later, neither they nor the security officials
were the decision makers … And after the welcome speech in Russian,
it became clear that the developments followed the course they had
predetermined,” Minasyan said, adding that the Georgian authorities
move could be seen as a measure to prevent them from voicing statements
in support of the Armenians in Javakhk.

“Javakhk is in a complicated situation as far as the preservation
of the Armenian identity is concerned, and we are really facing a
problem in terms of maintaining our cultural and linguistic heritage,
and our church,” Martirosyan added.

The MP was particularly amazed that the Russian language was preferred
to Armenian in Georgia, a country whose policies stand out with their
anti-Russian character.

“That means Georgia finds Armenian a more dangerous, hostile language
than Russian,” he said, adding that a member of the Heritage party’s
board, Anahit Uzunyan, who managed to speak at the event was met with
strong resistance, and her microphone was turned off.

The MPs further called on the Armenian authorities to develop a special
concept aimed to resolve problems in Javakhk, and undertake concrete
steps in that direction.