Author: Kajoyan Gevork

MP MELIKYAN TELLS REPORTERS: “MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS”
Grisha Balasanyan

hetq

16:08, June 9, 2011

When asked why he was demanding 600 million AMD [$1.6M] in compensation
from a 17 year-old boy, MP Spartak Melikyan told reporters “to mind
your own business.”

MP Melikyan has filed a civil suit in the courts against the teenager
for causing a traffic accident that killed his father, Seyran Melikyan
in February.

Hetq covered the story yesterday (MP Melikyan Seeks 45 Million
[$120,000] in Funeral Costs from 17 Year-Old) A staggering 45 million
of the total compensation claim is for funeral costs that MP Melikyan
supposedly incurred, but he hasn’t provided any documentation as yet.

OSCE MG LATEST PROPOSALS MAKE WAR INEVITABLE, NKR OFFICIAL SAYS

PanARMENIAN.Net
June 10, 2011 – 11:10 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – The approaches of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairs
contain obvious contradictions, a Nagorno Karabakh official said.

“It’s impossible to achieve lasting peace in the region basing on the
MG proposals,” Masis Mailyan, chairman of the council on foreign policy
and security, former NKR Deputy Foreign Minister, told PanARMENIAN.Net

Adoption of the proposals can lead to destabilization and even war,
in case of their implementation, according to him.

“If the mediators are really interested in sustainable regional
development, as it was said in the Deauville statement issued by the
Russian, U.S. and Russian Presidents, they should resort to technical
and political mechanisms, specifically international recognition of
the Artsakh Republic, what is the best way to prevent resumption of
hostilities,” Mailyan said.

AZERI OFFICIAL NOT OPTIMISTIC ABOUT KAZAN TALKS
Araz Azimov

asbarez
Thursday, June 9th, 2011

BAKU-Azerbaijan’s deputy foreign minister said he was not optimistic
about the outcome of an Armenian and Azeri presidential summit
scheduled for later this month in the Russian city of Kazan.

“I do not have an optimistic view on what may happen in Kazan. I do
not expect an agreement on basic principles in Kazan but I expect
some more clarity on the most critical issues,” the deputy foreign
minister, Araz Azimov told Reuters.

He said he hoped for more clarity at a meeting on June 25 of the
leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia in the Russian city of Kazan on
the conflic.

“We are not interested in war. Since we see the diplomatic
possibilities, why should we think about war?” claimed Azimov adding
that Azerbaijan was not equipping its army for war against Armenia,
brushing aside comments from its defesce ministry this month that it
would “liberate the occupied land from the enemy”.

“Who said that Azerbaijan should have a weak army? It’s good to have
a good army and it’s better not to use it. This is the principle that
we enjoy, explained Azimov.

PRESSE ARMENIENNE : REVUE DU 9 JUIN 2011

Source/Lien : Ambassade de France en Armenie
Publie le : 10-06-2011

Info Collectif VAN – – Le Collectif VAN vous livre
cette Revue de Presse parue sur le site de l’Ambassade de France en
Armenie le 9 juin 2011.

Ambassade de France en Armenie

Revue de la presse armenienne du 9 juin 2011

Conflit du HK

Les quotidiens rendent compte de la visite des copresidents du GDM
a Stepanakert où ils se sont entretenus avec le ” President ” Sahakian.

La presse se concentre notamment sur leur point de presse et cite
abondamment l’Ambassadeur Fassier qui a espere que lors du prochain
sommet a Kazan, les parties agreeront la version finale du document qui
leur a ete presente a Sotchi il y a trois mois. Le copresident russe,
Igor Popov, a declare que les deux Ministres des AE travaillent sur les
points de desaccord quant aux principes de base et qu’il est possible
que ce travail soit acheve d’ici le sommet de Kazan. Le mediateur
americain, Robert Bradtke, a rappele que les pays mediateurs dont
les Etats-Unis rejetaient categoriquement toute solution militaire
du conflit.

Dans une interview a RFE/RL, David Babayan, porte-parole du ” President
” Sahakian, ne partage pas l’espoir des mediateurs quant a un eventuel
progrès a Kazan, estimant qu’il y a encore un long chemin a parcourir
pour parvenir a un progrès, premièrement parce que le principal
interesse, le HK, ne prend pas directement part aux negociations et,
deuxièmement, parce que les parties affichent des positions tout a
fait opposees quant au règlement final du conflit.

D’après lui, compte tenue de la conjoncture actuelle geopolitique,
le maintien du statu quo actuel s’avère la meilleure solution. 168
Jam revient sur la declaration d’Elmar Mammediarov, selon laquelle ”
un accord a ete obtenu sur la composition des forces de maintien de
la paix qui ne seront pas des forces des pays copresidents du GDM,
ni des pays voisins ” (cf. la revue du 8.06) et s’etonne de l’absence
de toute reaction de la part du MAE armenien, comme de la part des
copresidents du GDM face a ces ” revelations “.

Seul le porte-parole du ” President ” Sahakian y aurait reagi, en
declarant que les propos du chef de la diplomatie azerbaïdjanaise
ne correspondaient pas a la realite. 168 Jam et Novoye Vremia
reproduisent les propos du general russe Andrei Tretyak, chef de
la Direction principale des operations du Ministère de la defense
russe, qui admet que la possibilite d’un nouveau conflit dans
le Haut-Karabakh est elevee, mais qu’en meme temps elle diminue
progressivement en raison des efforts de la Russie pour reduire les
tensions dans la region. D’après lui, en cas d’une nouvelle guerre,
si les operations militaires sont menees sur le territoire du HK,
la Russie ne saurait y intervenir, tandis que si l’Azerbaïdjan lance
une offensive contre l’Armenie, partenaire de la Russie dans le cadre
de l’OTSC, la situation sera tout a fait differente.

Armenie-Russie

Selon Haykakan Jamanak et Jamanak, en citant le magazine russe
” Voenno-Promyshlenny Kurier “, l’Armenie serait interessee par
l’acquisition des systèmes reactives russes ” Smerch ” (Tornado)
(système de lance roquettes multiple 9k58) qui ont un champ de tir
de 90 km. L’Armenie aurait manifeste un tel interet a l’occasion
de la recente exposition des armements et du technique militaire ”
MILEX-2011 ” a Minsk. Le coût d’un système s’elèverait a 12 M USD. Le
porte-parole du Ministère armenien de la defense a refuse de commenter
cette information, jugeant qu’il etait inopportun de fournir des
informations relatives aux achats des armements par les forces armees
armeniennes. Toutefois, une source anonyme du Ministère de la defense
a note a RFE/RL que l’Armenie possedait deja des systèmes ” Smerch “.

Affaires interieures

Hayots Achkhar, Haykakan Jamanak, Jamanak et Aravot annoncent qu’une
nouvelle force politique, ” Democrates libres “, a vu le jour qui
regroupe en son sein notamment des ex-membres du parti ” Mouvement
national armenien “, ayant quitte cette force politique pour des
raisons ideologiques. Le nouveau parti est preside par Khatchadour
Kokobelian, ancien vice-President du MNA.

Alexandre Arzoumanian, ex-Ministre des AE et l’un des ex-leaders du
MNA qui avait dirige la campagne electorale de L. Ter-Petrossian en
2008, y a egalement adhere. Cette nouvelle formation politique declare
compter d’ores et deja 1200 membres. Il est attendu que l’expresident
du MNA, Ararat Zourabian, adhère egalement ce nouveau parti qui se
propose une alternative a l’opposition dirigee par LTP.

L’ensemble de la presse relève que le Tribunal de première instance
a partiellement satisfait la requete du depute Tigran Arzakhantsian
contre l’hebdomadaire du parti Dachnak “Yerkir “, qu’il accusait
de diffamation. L’hebdomadaire devra payer au depute 288 000 drams,
tandis que celui-ci reclamait 3 millions de drams.

L’hebdomadaire Hetq consacre sa ” une ” a ce depute controverse
connu par son absenteisme a l’AN qu’il explique par des ” raisons
medicales “. D’après ce journal, il passerait plus de temps a Paris
où il possederait une villa luxueuse qu’a Erevan…

Selon 168 Jam, la vice-Ministre des AE, Karine Ghazinian, pourrait
prochainement etre nommee Ambassadeur d’Armenie en Grande Bretagne.

Ses fonctions actuelles pourraient etre assumees par le representant
d’Armenie au Conseil de l’Europe, Zohrab Mnatsakanian, tandis que
celui-ci pourrait etre remplace par Vahagn Atabekian.

Haykakan Jamanak constate a la ” une ” une recrudescence des cas de
suicide en Armenie : au cours des seuls trois derniers jours, deux
cas (dont un jeune de 17 ans) et une tentative de suicide (une jeune
fille de 16 ans) ont ete enregistres en Republique…

Selon RFE/RL, la Banque mondiale a annonce l’octroi d’un pret de 39
MUSD a l’Armenie qui financera un projet du gouvernement visant a
moderniser le reseau electrique national. Le gouvernement armenien
allouera 13 M USD sur ses fonds propres pour le remplacement de 230
kilomètres de lignes a hautes tensions. Selon directeur regional pour
le Sud Caucase de la Banque Mondiale, Asad Alam, ce projet soutient un
objectif clef strategique pour soutenir la competitivite de l’Armenie.

La readaptation de la section visee de la ligne ameliorerait
l’efficacite du système et sa fiabilite et apportera des benefices
directs a tous les consommateurs d’energie en Armenie. La capacite de
cette section de ligne augmentera de 250 megawatts a 310 megawatts,
avec une reduction pointue de coupures de courant actuelles. Les 1500
kilomètres de lignes electriques d’Armenie sont la propriete d’une
societe publique ” Haute Tension des Reseaux Electriques “.

Selon les evaluations de la societe, environ un tiers du reseau a
besoin de renovations urgentes ou d’etre remplace. Les nouvelles
lignes qui vont etre construites avec le financement de la Banque
Mondiale connecteront les plus grandes centrales electriques thermales
et hydro-electriques d’Armenie localisees dans le Kotayk et les
provinces du sud-est du Syunik. [Le montant total des credits par
la Banque Mondiale a l’Armenie atteint presque 1.5 milliards de $
depuis 1992. L’etablissement, base a Washington, est le plus grand
donneur etranger du pays].

Affaires exterieures

La presse officielle fait etat du depart du Ministre de la defense
Seyran Ohanian a Bruxelles pour prendre part a la session des Ministres
de la defense de l’OTAN et des pays partenaires de l’ISAF operant
en Afghanistan.

France-Armenie

Haykakan Jamanak et plusieurs agences de presse font etat, se referant
a cette Ambassade, de la visite, le 8 juin, du directeur de l’Europe
continental du MAEE francais, Philippe Lefort, pour des consultations
politiques entre les Ministères des AE des deux pays. La presse du
jour fait etat de la liberation, le 9 juin, du ressortissant francais
Sarkis Hatspanian qui, accuse de ” fausse denonciation ” en 2009,
a purge sa peine. Hayots Achkhar rappelle qu’il avait notamment
declare dans une interview a Haykakan Jamanak que Robert Kotcharian
preparerait un attentat contre Serge Sarkissian…

Redaction : Merie Hakobian

Retour a la rubrique

RHODE ISLAND ASSEMBLY PASSES GENOCIDE EDUCATION BILL

By:Armenian Weekly
Thu, Jun 9 2011

PROVIDENCE, R.I-The Rhode Island State House Legislation has passed
the General Assembly instructing the Department of Education to help
local schools teach students about genocide as a critical component
of civic education.

The Rhode Island State House

The legislation, sponsored by Sen. Joshua Miller (D-Dist. 28, Cranston,
Warwick) and Rep. Anastasia P. Williams (D-Dist. 9, Providence),
directs the state Department of Education to post on its website
materials to help schools teach students about genocides including
the Holocaust and those in Armenia, Cambodia, Iraq, Rwanda and Darfur.

In 2000, the General Assembly passed a law requiring the Department
of Education to develop curricular materials on genocide and human
rights issues and guidelines for teaching them. The new bill, which
has been forwarded to the governor, will require that the curricular
materials for middle and high schools be posted online so it can be
easily accessed by schools.

The sponsors said they recognize that schools are struggling for
funding and that teachers are also pressed for time, so making the
curriculum available online would increase the likelihood that the
subject would be taught in schools.

“Genocides and human rights violations carried out by governments are
ugly chapters of history, but students are future leaders and voters
and they need to learn about mistakes of the past to keep them from
being repeated,” said Representative Williams.

Said Senator Miller, “One of the purposes of public education
is to raise new generations of informed, responsible citizens
who understand government. It’s critical that students learn that
sometimes governments have done the wrong thing, not only trampling
on the rights of minorities, but attempting to wipe out entire races
or cultures. Making curriculum on genocide available to Rhode Island
teachers online will make it much more likely that students will learn
about these subjects, which have had profound and lasting effects on
the world in which they live.”

The House bill (2011-H 5732 A) passed the Assembly yesterday and
will be forwarded to the governor. The Senate bill (2011-S 0290A)
passed the Assembly May 31 and has been transmitted to the governor.

RUSSIAN DIPLOMAT: NAGORNO-KARABAKH SEES PERIOD OF HOPE (UPDATE)

Interfax
June 8 2011
Russia

Russia, as an OSCE Minsk Group co-chair, is making every effort at
mediation and believes in the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict, Russian Ambassador to Azerbaijan Vladimir Dorokhin said
on Wednesday.

“I beg you to believe us when we say that we are doing our best to
resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,” Dorokhin said at a news
conference, marking the Day of Russia on June 12. “Today, we as
negotiators are in a period of hope,” he said.

He said Moscow is making efforts to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict by doing everything in its power so that the parties to
the conflict come to serious agreements. He believes that such a
chance exists.

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 peace negotiations.

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

Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev and Serzh Sargsyan,
have held periodic meetings since June 2008 to concede on ways
to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Despite this, the basic
principles have not yet been agreed on.

“Russia stands for the supremacy of international law at the
international arena and is willing to contribute to resolving world
problems”, Dorokhin stressed.

Dorokhin named Russia’s relations with Azerbaijan a strategic
partnership, noting important events in the past year, including
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev’s visit and the Russian-Azerbaijani
humanitarian forum.

“Russia remains an important economic partner to Baku,” he said.

“Russia wants to see a strong and prosperous neighbor.”

The press conference also touched the issue that “Echo of Moscow”
Chief Editor Alexei Venediktov in his statements justifies the radio
station’s journalist’s recent visit to Nagorno- Karabakh without
agreement with the Azerbaijani side.

“One cannot ban Venediktov to make statements, but he should understand
his responsibility,” Dorokhin said. “Azerbaijan’s decision to restrict
this man [journalist Sergei Buntman] – is its right, and it is not
discussed.”

Deputy Chief Editor of the Russian radio station “Echo of Moscow”
Sergei Buntman visited occupied Nagorno-Karabakh without Azerbaijan’s
knowledge in mid-May. Buntman has interviewed the separatist leaders.

The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry included the journalists in the
list of persona-non-grata. Azerbaijan declares foreigners, who visit
Nagorno-Karabakh without notifying Baku, persona-non-grata.

Office of the Prime Minister, Armenia

June 9 2011

Tigran Sargsyan: `Either Our Azerbaijani Partners Should Show Political Will’

`We are interested in the settlements of Armenian-Azerbaijani
relations,’ Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan said yesterday answering
the journalists’ questions at a session of the Vienna World Economic
Forum on Europe and Central Asia.

The OSCE Minks group was said to be close to success as evidenced by
the recent statement of US, French and Russian presidents. According
to the head of government, the main principles stipulated in the
statement are acceptable to the Armenian side which is prepared to
display political will in search of a speedy agreement.

`In our opinion, all the objective preconditions are available for
this. Either our Azerbaijani partners should show political will by
signing an agreement as a basis for further talks,’ Prime Minister
Tigran Sargsyan stated.

TIGRAN POSTANJYAN RULING WILL BE APPEALED – LAWYER

Tert.am
09.06.11

The case against opposition Heritage party MP Zaruhi Postanjyan’s
brother, Tigran, will be appealed in the Court of Appeals, his lawyer
has said.

Hayk Alumyan told a news conference today that his client had to agree
to being released under amnesty due to inhumane conditions in the
jail. The Criminal Code article under which Postanjyan was charged was
abolished on May 25, meaning Postanjyan was kept in custody illegally
for nine days.

He said the case was unprecedented in terms of violating one’s right
to presumption of innocence, Alumyan went on saying. “The Prosecutor’s
Office posted a report on its official site saying the person was
guilty just based on a letter from an individual.”

MP Postanjyan in turn said it is her belief that the case was
fabricated under the instructions of either the Prosecutor General’s
Office or the National Security Service.

EXPERT: PSYCHOLOGICAL HELP SOUGHT BY MAINLY YOUNG PEOPLE IN ARMENIA

PanARMENIAN.Net
June 9, 2011 – 15:44 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – In Armenia, psychological help is sought by mainly
young people, who’re more vulnerable at that age, psychologist Karine
Nalchajyan said.

As she told a news conference in Yerevan, women, more often than men,
seek psychological help.

A culture of psychiatric visits hasn’t yet been formed in Armenian
society, Ms. Nalchajyan noted. “People are worried about being labeled
“insane” if their visits to a psychologist became known,” she said.

ON WHOSE BEHALF WILL CATHOLICOS SPEAK?

Story from Lragir.am News:

Published: 14:44:34 – 09/06/2011

Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II will be visiting Georgia
June 10-15. During his visit the relations between the Georgian
and Armenian churches will be discussed, as well as the issues of
disputable churches.

The latter is the problem of Armenian churches of the Armenian
Apostolic Church which are located in Georgia. The Georgians claim
these churches are not apostolic and are orthodox, although they do
not deny that the builders and churchgoers were mainly Armenians. The
Armenian Apostolic Church does not deny that but since there is no
Armenian orthodox or Chalcedonic church, the Armenian Apostolic
Church is expected to take steps to make Georgia admit those are
Armenian churches.

Will the Catholicos be able to solve this problem as the head of only
one of the Armenian religious communities, even though recognized by
the government as the dominant one? Because in order to admit that the
churches in Georgia are Armenian, the Catholicos must announce that
they may not belong to the Armenian Apostolic Church, otherwise he must
acknowledge the right to existence of other religious communities. For
its part, this may shatter the monopoly of the Armenian Apostolic
Church, which is indisputable at the moment, despite the existence
of other churches and religious organizations.

The difference of post-Soviet states from those on the track for
democracy is the existence of political, economic, spiritual and
cultural monopolies. In Armenia, the political monopoly has been
crushed, and the society no longer perceived the Republican Party as an
autocratic leader which is free to do everything it wants. The economic
monopolies are also being crushed. The oligarchs still draw immense
profits but are already trying to appear in public less frequently and
cannot openly commit unlawful actions. The crushing of these monopolies
has not led to destruction. On the contrary, it has only strengthened
the country and the society. The outcome of elimination of the monopoly
of the Armenian Apostolic Church could also be a positive outcome.

The visit to Georgia may be a good opportunity. The times of
inquisition, uniformity and monopolies are in the past. The Armenian
Apostolic Church takes part in ecumenical forums and is quite tolerant
to international religious communities. Besides, not all the Armenians
were and are followers of the Armenian Apostolic Church, and it does
not define ethnic identity.

In this context, it is interesting in what pitch the issues of the
Armenian churches in Georgia will be solved. If the Catholicos is
going to speak on behalf of the Armenian Apostolic Church, this issue
will hardly be solved.