Author: Kajoyan Gevork

23 YEARS LATER FORMER PRESIDENT OF AZERBAIJAN AGAIN BLAMES POLITICAL OPPONENTS FOR AGHDAM EVENTS IN 1992

13:00 04/03/2015 >> SOCIETY

The site goes on revealing the falsifications of Azerbaijani
propaganda over the events in Aghdam in 1992. The site made public
the former Azerbaijani president Ayaz Mutallibov’s interview
given to the Turkish
service of TV channel Al Jazeera. There he speaks about the reasons
of Khojalu tragedy, political processes of those times and noteworthy
aspects.

Mutallibov’s comments on the events around Khojalu are of particular
interest. Remarkably, Azerbaijani ex-president’s thoughts are in tune
with those he expressed in his 1992 interview to Nezavisimaya Gazeta
(Independent Newspaper) where he blamed those events on his political
opponents. See Mutallibov’s words without changes below:

Al Jazeera: The massacre in Khojalu took place during your presidency.

Would it be possible to prevent the events in Khojalu?

Ayaz Mutallibov: The events in Khojalu had a really grave influence on
the Azerbaijani people. The Azerbaijani people fell under psychological
pressure at that time, and those people, wounded, scared, forcefully
turned against me incited by the People’s Front. As I was the
president, and they told me: why didn’t you protect them?

Al Jazeera: Why didn’t you protect them?

Ayaz Mutallibov: How was I to protect them? Were we fighting in
Karabakh? And Khojalu was situated in Karabakh. Could we enter
Karabakh? No.

Al Jazeera: Why couldn’t you enter Karabakh? Wasn’t there enough
support, armed forces?

Ayaz Mutallibov: There was, there was everything. Put in other words,
the aim was to cross the border of Aghdam district, neighboring
Askeran. To protect the refugees it was just necessary to get in
front of them there, we had everything.

Al Jazeera: Why didn’t you succeed?

Ayaz Mutallibov: Because there was race for power (cannot conceal
anger – note). The worse for Mutallibov, the better for the political
structures opposing Mutallibov. Yes, yes… that is what our national
concept is. Yes…

It is noteworthy that Mutallibov tricks in an attempt to convince the
reader that there was no access to Karabakh. Shushi was in Karabakh as
well; still Azerbaijani troops were deployed there and from there daily
shelled Stepanakert full of women and children, including refugees who
had lost their homes as a result of another ‘non-military’ operation –
Ring. The Azerbaijani militarized formations not only ‘could’, but
they also repeatedly entered Karabakh intending to exterminate the
Armenian population.

On February 26, 1992, during the war in Karabakh, around 200 to 300
people (according to Human Rights Watch, and 600 according to the
version propagated by Azerbaijan) were killed in unknown circumstances
near the city of Aghdam. They have been deliberately withheld by the
Azerbaijani authorities in the midst of the military actions.

Population of the village of Khojalu, which was one of the firing
points shooting at the blockaded Stepanakert (among five others)
was kept in the village for months by force and was not evacuated by
the authorities of Azerbaijan deliberately, in order to use them as
human shields later.

Residents of Khojalu coming out through the humanitarian corridor,
that the self-defense forces of NKR had left open, freely passed more
than 10 km and reached the Aghdam city controlled by the Azerbaijani
troops. Later, not far from the positions of Azerbaijani troops dead
bodies of the villagers were found. The exact death toll remains
unknown as the official Baku publishes data contradicting each other.

Parliamentary Commission investigating the tragic death of the
civilians at Aghdam city was dissolved by the order of Heydar Aliyev,
the investigative materials are kept secret.

ALL SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING ACHIEVEMENTS SHOULD BE USED IN STRUGGLE AGAINST DISASTERS IN ARMENIA – TERTERYAN

YEREVAN, March 3. /ARKA/. All science and engineering achievements
should be used in struggle against disasters in Armenia, Vache
Terteryan, first deputy territorial administration and emergency
minister, said Tuesday at the opening of an inter-university student
scientific conference focused on protection of the population and
civil defense in crisis situations.

“Our country is vulnerable in terms of possible threats probable
not only because of its geographic location and climate, but also
because of technology saturation,” he said. “It is not a secret that
we have ‘a big chemistry’, mining industry and hydraulic engineering
installations, which increase various risks.”

Terteryan said that is why such a great attention is paid to this
area in Armenia. “It will not sound too loudly if I say that struggle
against disasters is science-intensive area, and all scientific and
technical achievements should be used here,” he said.

The deputy minister stressed that the conference will be a good
platform for scientific activity and first steps of students on the
science road.

“I am happy that representatives of the majority of Armenian
universities are present at the conference, and we will do whatever
is necessary to make such conferences traditional and wider-scale,”
Terteryan said. —0—–

WOMAN FIGHTING FOR RETURN OF HER CHILD PROTESTS IN FRONT OF PROSECUTOR’S OFFICE

03.03.2015 16:27 epress.am

Citizen Narine Nikoghosyan, who is fighting to receive her child back,
is dissatisfied with the investigator’s work. According to the woman,
the investigator has not properly conducted the appeal process. Today,
near the General Prosecutor’s office, Nikoghosyan and representatives
of NGOs who deal with women’s rights were demanding a pluralistic
investigation in the latter case.

Recall, that Narine Nikoghosyan claims that citizenEdison Adyan took
advantage of her helpless situation, made her sign documents confirming
that he was the father, and kidnapped her new born baby; currently,
Adyan refuses to return the 1 1/2 year old child back to the mother.

The protest participants claimed that the Prosecutor’s office has not
properly conducted the appeal process, subsequently, the investigator
closed the case due to lack of criminal intent. Nikoghosyan, while
speaking to Epress.am, said that the investigator has spoken to the
actual biological father of the child, however his testimony has
not been taken into account; in addition, the decision to conduct
a DNA test has been disregarded. Nikoghosyan also stated that the
investigator has not taken any step to find out the type of relations
there were between the two sides, has not questioned doctor Hrach
Kalustyan, who, according to Nikoghosyan, had introduced her to Adyan.

The protest participants held placards that read: “Don’t leave children
with criminals,” “Don’t cover up the truth,” “We demand a DNA test,”
and “Return the child’s childhood.”

In order to raise the issue, the protest participants asked to meet
any competent staff member of the Prosecutor’s office. The police
supervising the building responded to them, stating that they had to
submit a written petition. The protesters claimed that their demand
for a meeting was urgent because the next hearing of the case was
set on March 4th. Finally, Nikoghosyan and her lawyer were invited
in. A prosecutor’s office representative promised the plaintiff’s
side that they would look further into the case and her complaints.

PARLIAMENT PASSES BILL AMENDING PROFIT TAX LAW: RATES FOR LARGE EXPORTERS TO BE CUT

ECONOMY | 03.03.15 | 13:53

The Armenian National Assembly dominated by the ruling Republican
Party of Armenia on Tuesday voted 68 to 11, with 23 abstentions,
to pass a bill that dramatically cuts the corporate profit tax rates
for large exporters.

Under the original bill submitted to the National Assembly
manufacturers exporting goods worth at least 50 billion drams (about
US$105 million) annually will not have to pay a 20-percent tax, but
will be allowed to pay only a 2-percent profit tax. The government
believes the measures that will concern only manufacturing businesses
and will not apply to the mining industry will stimulate export growth.

Critics of the amendments, meanwhile, pointed out the risks of more
government corruption and “monopolization” of the export sphere
considering that there are very companies, if any at all, in Armenia
that are involved in manufacturing and have a potential of exporting
goods worth at least 50 billion drams a year. Some opposition members
described the amendments as positive, but called for the application
of the new provisions to all Armenian exporters.

“AZERBAIJANI” TRACE APPEARS IN BORIS NEMTSOV MURDER CASE

17:01 03/03/2015 >> LAW

The investigative team of Boris Nemtsov’s murder case has focused on
a version, according to which he was killed by Ukrainian security
service’s order, and the organizers of the crime could be Chechen
fighters from the so-called “Dzhokhar Dudaev” battalion fighting
against DPR and LPR. According to the Ukrainian security service’s
plan, the murder of the oppositionist was to discredit Russian
leadership, as well as destabilize the political situation, the
newspaper Izvestia writes.

As it is highlighted in the article, the Battalion Chief of Staff
is the former deputy Minister of Defense of Azerbaijan (1993-1995)
Isa Sadigov, who is under investigation in Azerbaijan and has been
living in Norway in the recent years. The detachment commander was the
famous warlord Isa Munayev who was killed in the fights for Debaltsevo
on 1 February, 2015. Isa Munayev had arrived in Ukraine from Denmark.

The Russian security service is now trying to find out the number
of the people who took part in the preparations and execution of
Nemtsov’s murder. The investigators do not exclude that alongside
with the killers and gunlayers, there may be “controllers” in Moscow
tracking the consequences and the political effect of the crime.

“DO WE HAVE WRITERS LIKE CHARENTS, TUMANYAN, ISAHAKYAN?”: E. MILITONYAN (VIDEO)

16:46 | March 3,2015 | Social

Edvard Militonyan, President of the Writers’ Union of Armenia,
considers the people, who ask him whether we have writers like
Charents, Tumanyan, Isahakyan, to be strange and naive. The President
of the Union considers such questions to be “naive”:

“As each writer is unique and there won’t be another like him,”
he says.

“By respecting the great writers, we do the opposite with the
contemporaries, we glorify the classic writers but mistrust the
contemporary writers.”

Watch the video!

“ARE YOU SELF-WILLED?”: FORMER BHK MEMBER THREATENS TO BEAT “A1+” JOURNALIST (VIDEO)

15:14 | March 3,2015 | Politics

Today at the National Assembly, “A1+” journalist Mher Arshakyan tried
to address a question to former BHK lawmaker Karo Karapetyan whether
he met Gagik Tsarukyan after leaving the faction.

At first Karo Karapetyan said that he felt unwell and advised not
to disturb him. But when our journalist repeated the question,
the lawmaker cried, “Don’t disturb, don’t you understand, are you
self-willed?” To the journalist’s remark “maybe you will even hit?”,
Karo Karapetyan responded, “If you continue, I shall do that.”

Video

ARMENIA CALLS UPON TURKEY TO RECOGNIZE AND CONDEMN THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

12:52, 03 Mar 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan

The EPP Political Assembly is considering today a draft resolution on
the Armenian Genocide. Artak Zakaryan, the Chairman of the Standing
Committee on Foreign Relations of the National Assembly of the Republic
of Armenia, offered the following speech at the sitting:

“I would like to express my profound gratitude to the European People’s
Party for the opportunity of such a resolution within the framework
of the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.

We highly appreciate political courage and strong will of the
states, international organizations, religious and non-governmental
organizations to recognize and condemn the Armenian Genocide.

This resolution can be another step against the denialism of genocide
crimes, an obstacle – for new crimes.

The start of a new level of the international recognition and
condemnation of the Armenian Genocide has been defined as a priority
in the foreign policy agenda of the Republic of Armenia. Such a policy
isn’t an end in itself, directed towards relieving only its own pain.

We realize that the people, who have survived the Genocide, the people,
who during the last century demonstrated an unbending will and national
self-consciousness, restored its sovereign statehood, gave birth to
a struggling generation, also has its own part of responsibility
in prevention of new genocides. Through achieving recognition and
condemnation of a crime we are obliged to remember and make remember,
condemn and criticize. Several draft bills on recognizing genocide
have already been included in the agenda of our parliament. Every
crime of genocide is a manifestation of human cruelty, born as a
result of a sense of impunity.

We consider the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide an important
milestone in the ongoing struggle for historical justice under the
motto “I remember and demand”.

The commencement of the recognition and condemnation process of the
Armenian Genocide was first mentioned in 1915 by the joint declaration
of France, Great Britain and Russia, where the term “crime against
humanity” was used for the first time in the history.

Various documents have been adopted by different countries concerning
the recognition of the Armenian Genocide. Any condemning resolution,
every criticizing speech and bill has been a unique attitude against
Turkish policy of denialism, proof, that restoration of historical
justice is inevitable.

But unfortunately we are still struggling against the Turkish
policy of denialism on the eve of the 100th anniversary of the
Armenian Genocide. For nearly 100 years the historical memory of
the whole nation has been violated and denied. In the international
platforms the official Turkish lobby spares no efforts to distort
historical justice. Turkey doesn’t realize that the denial of the
Armenian Genocide and concealment of the historical truth first of
all threatens just Turkey on its way of becoming a democratic country.

We call upon the Republic of Turkey to recognize and condemn the
Armenian Genocide committed by the Ottoman Empire, and to face its own
history and memory through commemorating the victims of that heinous
crime against humanity. Distortion, denial of irrefutable reality is
nothing but a death caused by the disease of its past.

We are hopeful that recognition and condemnation of the Armenian
Genocide by Turkey will serve as a starting point for the historical
reconciliation of the Armenian and Turkish peoples.

Impunity gives birth to new crimes.

We will develop our further steps according to this belief.

It is a priority for us to raise the recognition of the Genocide as
an important step for humanitarian reasons.

Once again I would like to express my gratitude to our dear friends
from the EPP Political Assembly for evidencing the fact of the Armenian
Genocide in the international political agenda, for sharing our pain.

The motto “Recognize and condemn in order not to repeat” will always
be urgent by us.

Thank you for your attention.”

ARMENIAN FM SPEAKS AT UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL, REFERS TO ARMENIAN GENOCIDE, KESSAB

14:07, 03 Mar 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan

On March 2, Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian participated and
delivered speech at the discussions, titled “Supporting the Rights of
Christians, particularly in the Middle East” held in the frameworks
of 28th session of the UN Human Rights Council.

Foreign Ministers of Russia, Armenia and Lebanon – Sergey Lavrov,
Edward Nalbandian and Gebran Bassil respectively – delivered welcoming
speeches.

In his remarks, Edward Nalbandian mentioned, “The Middle East
is a cradle of various civilizations and creeds, including the
Christianity. Regrettably, today the survival of Christianity in
these lands is under a serious threat. The alarming headlines about
targeting the Christian minorities are disseminated with terrible
frequency. Beheading of 21 Egyptian Copts and brutal attacks against
Assyrians in Syria are only the recent episodes of horrors faced by
Christians in the Middle East. However, the persecution of Christianity
in this region is not just a modern phenomenon. Suffice to say,
that the percentage of Christians relative to the region’s overall
population has gone from more than 20% at the beginning of the 20th
century to less than 5 % in the beginning of the 21st century.

The Middle East Christians may be regarded as one of the most
vulnerable groups close to disappearance, hence requiring immediate
actions for their protection and support.”

“We should not be misled by the fact that the ongoing violence against
religious groups, particularly Christians in Syria and Iraq, is being
perpetrated in the very name of religion. What we are countering here
are crimes against civilization perpetrated by ISIS, Al Nusra and
other groups. Barbarism has declared a war against the civilized world.

These terrorist groups greatly profit from the flow of the foreign
fighters and financial assets and pose an eminent threat to the life
of entire religious and ethnic groups. Thus, combating those terrorist
groups should be a part of genocide prevention efforts.

Armenia has unequivocally condemned the atrocities committed by
these terrorist groups, including against Yazidi minorities in Iraq,
and on numerous occasions called on international community to take
firm actions against this new scourge. We have continuously emphasized
that any support to the terrorist groups should be immediately stopped,
including using of the territory of neighboring countries in initiating
their cross-border attacks. In this regard, Armenia strongly supports
full implementation of the UN SC appropriate resolutions.

On March 21st, 2014, Al-Qaeda affiliated terrorist groups attacked
the predominately Armenian populated town of Kessab situated on the
borderline territory of Syria with Turkey, resulting in the forced
expulsion of local population from their homes. The extremist groups
have desecrated and vandalized Kessab’s Armenian religious and cultural
heritage,” underlined the Foreign Minister of Armenia.

Regarding Centennial of Armenian Genocide, Minister Nalbandian
mentioned, “In 2015 the Centennial of the Armenian Genocide is
commemorated in the whole world. Syrian town Deir el-Zor and its
surrounding desert was the final destination of death marches of
hundreds of thousands of victims of the Armenian Genocide. Every
year Saint Martyrs Armenian Church in Deir el-Zor, a sanctuary for
the remains of many victims, used to be one of the main places of
commemoration. However in the Centennial year it will not be possible
to pay tribute to the victims in Deir el-Zor, since in September 2014
terrorist groups destroyed the church and vandalized the holy site.”

“Destruction of cultural masterpieces, usually followed after
ethnic cleansing, is an attempt to erase the memory of other people,
destroy millennia-old cultures and civilizations. Less than a week
ago we all saw the chilling video footage of how the ISIS militants
were smashing the 2.700 years old statues in the Mosul museum. This
crime against civilization is an appalling reminder of earlier
similar barbaric acts of destruction of Bamian Budda’s statues,
Mausoleums of Timbuktu and thousands of Medieval Armenian cross
stones in Nakhijevan. Several thousands of these giant sculptures
were bulldozed under the Azerbaijani government’s watchful eyes. With
regard to this vandalism the International Council on Monuments and
Sites (ICOMOS) stated: “this heritage that once enjoyed its worthy
place among the treasures of the world’s heritage can no longer be
transmitted to future generations.”

“In an era when the protection and promotion of human rights are
considered to be the underpinning concept for the civilized world,
intolerance towards the values of civilization belonging to others,
damaging or destroying cultural or religious heritage intentionally,
consistently, repeatedly, must be strongly condemned”, highlighted
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia.

ARMENIAN DIASPORA TRYING TO BLOCK INVESTMENT INFLOW

Daily Sabah, Turkey
March 2 2015

KERIM ULKER
ISTANBUL

The Armenian diaspora has started a campaign to urge foreign
investors to withdraw their investments from Turkey as the 100th
anniversary of the so-called Armenian Genocide on April 24 draws
near. The diaspora community, which continues political pressure
for what it calls genocide to be recognized across the world, is now
trying to economically sabotage investments in Turkey. The campaign,
DivestTurkey – withdraw your investments in Turkey – has commenced,
which has resulted in the University of California, Berkeley, in the
U.S. withdrawing $74 million from Turkey.

The campaign was initiated by the Armenian Youth Federation and is
mainly active in California, where many American universities are
located. The University of California, Berkley called the undergraduate
senate to a meeting on Feb. 18 to discuss the withdrawal of its
investments in Turkey. After the vote, the senate decided to withdraw
its investments in Turkey. The Chairman of the Armenian Student
Association, Sareen Habeshian, said that the decision was not only
a success for California but also a success for Armenian society.

The University of California has funds and investments totalling $74
million in Turkey. While $55.4 million of this amount belongs to the
University of California Retirement Plan, $9.6 million is invested
in government bonds under the General Endowment Pool program.

Furthermore, the retirement plan has $7.27 million stored at Turkish
Exim Bank and the general endowment pool’s investments at Exim Bank
are around $1.6 million.

Last week, the Armenian diaspora had pressured the coffee chain
Starbucks, which puts up posters and flags of countries it operates
in showing local themes, to take down the flags of Turkey from its
various stores in California. As a result, Starbucks has decided to
stop its promotion of Turkey.