Author: Kajoyan Gevork

RUSSIA, ARMENIA, AZERBAIJAN TO HOLD SUMMIT IN KAZAN IN LATE JUNE – MINISTRY

Interfax
May 31 2011
Russia

A tripartite meeting of the presidents of Russia, Armenia and
Azerbaijan, Dmitry Medvedev, Serzh Sargsyan and Ilham Aliyev,
respectively, has been scheduled for late June in Kazan, Armenian
Foreign Ministry spokesman Tigran Balayan said.

“Armenian Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian and his Azeri counterpart
Elmar Mammadyarov will arrive in Moscow in mid-June to meet with
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. The main purpose will be to
prepare for the forthcoming meeting between the leaders of the three
states,” Balayan told Interfax on Tuesday.

The parties will definitely discuss the Karabakh settlement process,
he said.

“Armenia is currently awaiting Azerbaijan’s reply to its proposals
and a statement made in Sochi on March 5,” the source said.

AZERBAIJAN, TURKEY AND ARMENIA MAIN IMPORTERS OF GEORGIAN PRODUCTS

The Messenger
June 2 2011
Georgia

Azerbaijan is leading the list of the countries importing Georgian
products according to the statistical service of the country. In
January-April 2011 USD 96 mln worth of goods were imported from Georgia
into Azerbaijan. Next cames Turkey which imported in the same period
USD 74 mln worth of products and third comes Armenia with USD 68 mln
followed by USA 56mln, Kazakhstan 55 mln and Ukraine with 39 mln.

Among the exporter countries into Georgia, Turkey is leading with
exports of USD 329 mln followed by Ukraine 245 mln, Azerbaijan 177 mln,
China 135 mln, Germany 126 mln and Russia 101 mln.

Turkey is leading in the trade turnover balance with Georgia, second
comes Ukraine and third – Azerbaijan.

IRAN -ARMENIA COOPERATION IN ENERGY SPHERE

The Messenger
June 2 2011
Georgia

Iran and Armenia will start constructing high voltage electro
transmission lines between the two countries in the near future. This
was announced on May 29 during meetings between Iranian and Armenian
energy ministers. The cost of the project is approximately USD 110
mln. The construction of a new hydro electric power station was also
considered. It will be built in Armenia by Iranian companies and will
cost USD 450-500 mln approximately.

TURKISH PARAMILITARY POLICE SENTENCED OVER HRANT DINK ASSASSINATION

Radio France International RFI

France
June 2 2011

A Turkish court Thursday sentenced a group of paramilitary police to
between four and six months in jail, for negligence in the case of
the 2007 murder of ethnic-Armenian journalist, Hrant Dink.

A colonel and five subordinates, who held key posts in the coastal
city of Trabzon, were found to have known that a group of local youths
planned the killing but done nothing to stop them.

Two other soldiers were acquitted, the agency reported.

The sentences were the first given to state officials over the 2007
killing, and they were the heaviest that the tribunal could impose.

Lawyers for Dink’s family expressed frustration that the case was
not heard by a more senior court.

A leading figure in Turkey’s tiny Armenian minority, Dink was shot
dead outside the office of his Agos newspaper in central Istanbul.

Prosecutors say police received intelligence about the plot as early
as 2006.

Trabzon was the home of the self-confessed gunman, aged 17 at the
time of the murder, and 18 suspected accomplices, who remain on trial
in Istanbul.

Dink campaigned for reconciliation between Turks and Armenians but
nationalists hated him for calling the massacres of Armenians under
the Ottoman Empire genocide.

Last September, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that the
Turkish authorities had failed to take adequate measures to protect
Dink.

Lawyers for Dink’s family suspect the gunman was encouraged and
protected by elements of the “deep state” – hardline nationalists
in the military and civil service – but their efforts to have more
officials put on trial have failed to bear fruit.

They have accused police of withholding and destroying evidence to
cover up the murder, including footage from a bank security camera
in the street where the journalist was gunned down.

More than 100,000 people marched at Dink’s funeral.

TURKISH MILITANTS CONVICTED OF KILLING ARMENIAN JOURNALIST GOT RIDICULOUS TERMS

news.am
June 2 2011
Armenia

Defendant in Hrant Dink case, former Chief of Trabzon Gendarmerie,
Colonel Ali Oz, charged with duties dereliction was sentenced to 6
months’ imprisonment.

Trabzon Second Civil Court sentenced defendants Colonel Ali Oz and
Captain Metin Yildiz to 6 months’ imprisonment, four other militants to
4 months’ imprisonment and two were released, reports Turkish Hurriyet.

It’s noteworthy that earlier Turkish Media outlets read that it’s Ali
Oz who actually organized Dink’s assassination, while main defendant
in Ergenekon case, retired General Veli Kucuk was the one who ordered
the murder.

CRIMINALS ATTACK MANSION OF FORMER LINCY FOUNDATION OFFICIAL (VIDEO)

news.am
June 2 2011
Armenia

YEREVAN.- Five people carried out an armed assault on a mansion
belonging to a former director of one of the programs of the Lincy
foundation in Yerevan’s Avan district last night

Early in the morning Karen Bezoyan called police saying five people
wearing masks jumped over the fence, opened the window in a bathroom
and entered the house, photo journalist Gagik Shamshyan informed
Armenian News-NEWS.am.

They threatened five family members with a gun, were beating and
humiliating them demanding money and jewelry. Finally, they were
shown the place where the safe was. The criminals transferred it to
the owner’s Nissan Patrol and fled the location.

On Thursday morning the car was discovered in Shengavit district of
Yerevan. Karen Bezoyan and his father Eduard Bezoyan were hospitalized.

A total of $60,000 was stolen along with jewelry amounting to
$180-$200,000.

MARTIROSYAN CALLS OUT ARMENIAN SUPPORT

BoxingNews24.com

June 2 2011

Undefeated junior middleweight sensation Vanes “The Nightmare”
Martirosyan (29-0, 18KOs) is just days away from facing Saul Roman
(34-8, 29 KOs) at the STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California, in
a World Boxing Council (WBC) elimination bout for the right to face
Saul “Canelo” Alvarez. The fighter of Armenian descent calls nearby
Glendale, CA, home and looks forward to fighting in his backyard. It
has been over two years since Martirosyan last fought in California
and over three years since he last fought in Los Angeles in front of
his hometown fans.

“This is a dream come true for me. I am very excited to fight in
my backyard and have all of my friends and family at my fight. This
fight will get me one step closer to a title shot,” said Martirosyan.

The “Nightmare” feeds off of the energy that his fans bring to the
arena. Team Martirosyan has made it easy for his fans to get tickets
to see the Pride of Glendale in action. Tickets have been available at
TICKETMASTER for weeks but now local fans can purchase fight tickets
at the MetroPCS store on the corner of Broadway & Chevy Chase (1144 E.

Broadway) in Glendale. Remaining tickets are priced at $50, $75, $100.

Call for more details (818) 844-6263.

“I hope to see all of my fans from Glendale and the LA area at
STAPLES. I especially want to urge my Armenian brothers and sisters
to come out and support me,” Martirosyan said with a smile. “Together
we all go to the top so please come out and support me. 2011 is my
year and we will be world champions together this year.”

“KOCHARYAN WILL BE BROUGHT TO JUSTICE IN THE HAGUE”

09:16 pm | Today | Politics

“Robert Kochayan is getting ready to play the role of the culprit,”
ANC representative David Shahnazaryan told “A1+” today and assured
that Kocharyan “must be brought to justice for his crimes in front
of the International Court of Justice in the Hague.”

“He knows that very well and that is why he was convulsing during
his last interview,” said Shahnazaryan, adding that Kocharyan is also
in panic because the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court
in the Hague has issued orders against one of the leaders of an Arab
country and his close ones.

“That country was not a member of the Statute of Rome either and
hadn’t accepted the jurisdiction of the Court as the authorities
claimed. The authorities didn’t say that he was not a criminal, but
that that didn’t refer to Armenia. It didn’t refer to Libya either,
but…,” said David Shahnazaryan.

Talking about the inter-political situation in Armenia, David
Shahnazaryan noted that snap elections were inevitable and assured
that they would even favor khanates. “Snap elections will be in the
interests of the people and the authorities of not only Armenia,
but Nagorno-Karabakh as well.”

Shahnazaryan mentioned that in two days, the ANC would announce the
members of the delegation that will be leading negotiations with
the authorities.

One of the journalists asked Shahnazaryan whether there would be
political prisoners if Levon Ter-Petrosyan were elected, referring
to previous persecutions against ARF members. In response, David
Shahnazaryan said the ARF members were criminals and clarified that
he referred to current prisoners whom he had given sanctions for
different crimes and who were in prison even after the change of the
ruling regime.

“This means that there was certain legitimacy. As for head of the
ARF faction Vahan Hovhannisyan and the other MPs who were arrested
and released during Robert Kocharyan’s term in office, their issue
should be addressed to Serzh Sargsyan since they were arrested by the
latter’s order when he was the country’s national security official.

Hovhannisyan and his partisans should settle all issues with Serzh
Sargsyan,” said Shahnazaryan, alluding that the Dashnaktsutiun was
part of the ruling coalition during Serzh Sargsyan’s term in office.

STUDENTS ASKED TO PAY 20,000 DRAMS FOR THEIR DEGREES. UNIVERSITY REPS DENY ALLEGATIONS

epress.am
06.02.2011 17:38

Several students from the State Engineering University of Armenia
(SEUA) and the Armenian State Pedagogical University named after
Khachatur Abovyan (ASPU) informed Epress.am today that they are
being asked to pay 20,000 drams (around $50 USD) in order to get
their graduate degrees in a shorter period of time.

“Oh my, dear God, what are they saying?” said one ASPU staff member,
who didn’t wish to be named, in response to Epress.am’s request for
comments. “Such a thing is ruled out at our university,” she said.

Veronica Khorasanyan, head of the public relations and media department
at SEUA, likewise denied the allegations.

“I officially state: such phenomena doesn’t exist at our university. I
am amazed that such things are spoken of,” she said.

PAN-ARMENIAN GAMES INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE PRESIDENT RESIGNS

PanARMENIAN.Net
June 2, 2011 – 17:04 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – On June 2, the Pan-Armenian Games international
committee executive board session was held, focusing on organizational
issues.

The resignation of the committee president Armen Grigoryan was
accepted, with the president of Control Chamber of Armenia, Ishkhan
Zakaryan, to replace him at the post.

Pan-Armenian Games will kick off on August 13, 2011, with 10
disciplines to be featured in competition program.