Author: Kajoyan Gevork

La Croix, France
Jeudi 29 Janvier 2015

Entre l’Arménie et l’Azerbaïdjan, un cessez-le-feu malmené

L’Organisation pour la sécurité et la coopération en Europe s’inquiète
des tensions entre les deux pays du Caucase qui se disputent l’enclave
du Haut-Karabakh.

par OLIVIER TALLÈS

Loin des regards se joue une épreuve de force à haut risque le long de
la ligne de cessez-le-feu entre l’Arménie et l’Azerbaïdjan, les deux
voisins du Caucase qui se disputent l’enclave montagneuse du
Haut- – Karabakh. Presque chaque jour, on recense des tirs, des
tentatives d’infiltrations, des embuscades. Deux soldats arméniens
sont décédés la semaine dernière encore lors d’un énième accrochage.
Ces incidents isolés ont fait plusieurs dizaines de morts depuis
l’été.

Rattaché à l’Azerbaïdjan à l’époque soviétique, le Haut-Karabakh est
une région séparatiste à majorité arménienne soutenue aujourd’hui par
Erevan. Ce territoire montagneux de la taille d’un département
français a été l’enjeu d’une guerre qui a fait plus de 25 000 morts
entre 1988 et 1994. Victorieux, les Arméniens ont conservé le contrôle
des régions qui les relient au Haut-Karabakh. Un fragile cessez-le-feu
s’est maintenu pendant deux décennies, alors que toutes les tentatives
de règlement du contentieux ont échoué.

Mais selon de nombreux observateurs, jamais ce conflit n’a semblé
aussi peu gelé que depuis cet été. « La situation est assez mauvaise
», observe Thornike Gordadze, spécialiste du Caucase à Sciences-Po. Le
président arménien a même menacé son voisin d’une « frappe préventive
» en cas de concentration de troupes à la frontière.

Face au risque d’embrasement, l’Organisation pour la sécurité et la
coopération en Europe (OSCE) a « invité instamment les deux parties à
assurer un véritable cessez-le-feu et à éviter de prendre des mesures
qui aboutiraient à une nouvelle escalade. »

Lors d’une réunion à Cracovie, en Pologne, les trois pays du groupe de
Minsk (France, Russie et États-Unis) chargés du dossier ont pointé du
doigt la responsabilité des autorités azerbaïdjanaises, en les
appelant à « respecter leurs engagements pour une résolution pacifique
du conflit ». « Il s’agit d’une nouveauté dans la communication du
groupe de Minsk, observe un bon connaisseur du dossier. Jusqu’à
présent, l’Arménie et l’Azerbaïdjan étaient renvoyés dos à dos après
des accrochages. »

Confortées par la manne du pétrole et du gaz, les autorités
azerbaïdjanaises semblent vouloir remettre en cause le statu quo
actuel. Bakou a entrepris à coups de milliards de dollars de btir une
armée dont le budget dépasse à lui seul la totalité des dépenses de
l’État arménien. Les tensions sur la ligne de démarcation permettent
aussi au régime autocratique du président Ilham Aliyev de détourner
l’attention sur les arrestations d’opposants, la mise au pas des
médias, ou encore les difficultés liées à la baisse du cours du
pétrole.

Très active en coulisse, la Russie profite indirectement de l’absence
de règlement du contentieux. L’ancienne puissance coloniale alimente
en armes les deux camps et joue des inquiétudes arméniennes pour
arrimer Erevan à son projet eurasiatique. Le 1er janvier, l’Arménie a
ainsi rejoint la Biélorussie, la Russie et le Kazakhstan dans l’Union
eurasiatique après avoir flirté pendant des mois avec l’Union
européenne.

Kirkus Reviews (Print)
February 1, 2015, Sunday

AS THE POPPIES BLOOMED

FICTION; Historical

On the eve of war and destruction, an Armenian family tries to
maintain its traditional way of life in this historical novel.As this
luminous, doom-tinged tale begins, it’s 1913 in eastern Turkey, and in
the little Armenian village of Salor, the headman’s teenage daughter
Anno is hiding in an abandoned well, not only to escape from war or
soldiers, but to evade prying eyes on this busy day when her sister is
getting married and to steal a moment with Daron, the young man she
loves. Their Romeo-and-Juliet story occupies much of the novel. Anno’s
father objects to the marriage; he wrongly believes that Daron’s
father has been sexually immoral.

As this knot gets unraveled, the villagers go about their daily,
age-old agrarian routines. And some men quietly make dangerous trips
to gather arms and ammo, especially after 1915, when the Ottoman
government begins rounding up and murdering Armenian intellectuals and
political leaders. Armenians remember the massacres of 1894 and wish
to be prepared this time. “But,” as one fedayee, or freedom fighter,
observes, “how will a tiny band of men such as ourselves, with nothing
but the guns we can smuggle, protect our people from the whole of the
Turkish army?” They can’t, and this knowledge hangs over the reader
like the clouds veiling Salor’s nearby Mount Maratuk. In her debut
novel, Boyadjian vividly conjures the specific sensory details of the
Armenians’ lost world-food, drink, nature, daily tasks, and handmade
objects, such as a rug given for a wedding “with such a joyous blend
of deep reds, oranges, and yellows that everyone gasped.” The story is
fiction but is based on memories from the author’s four
grandparents-all survivors of the 1915 Armenian genocide. Their
survival adds a note of hope.Powerful and sensitive, this tragic novel
helps illuminate a historical episode still too little known or
acknowledged.

Publication Date: 2015-01-04
Publisher: Salor Press
Stage: Indie
ISBN: 978-0-9911241-0-7
Price: $15.95
Author: Boyadjian, Maral

Kirkus Reviews (Print)
February 1, 2015, Sunday

“THEY CAN LIVE IN THE DESERT BUT NOWHERE ELSE”

A History of the Armenian Genocide

NONFICTION

An authoritative examination of unspeakable horrors.A century after
the elimination of millions of Armenians from the Ottoman Empire, Suny
(History/Univ. of Michigan; The Structure of Soviet History: Essays
and Documents, 2013, etc.) unequivocally calls the event “genocide,”
as distinguished from ethnic cleansing, purges and other forms of mass
killing.

“Genocide,” he writes, “is not the murder of people but the murder of
a people.” His deeply researched, fair-minded study probes the “two
separate, contradictory narratives” of the event that still persist:
the Turkish denial of genocide, representing the killings as a
rational response to a rebellious, traitorous population that
threatened the survival of the state; and Armenian characterization of
the tragedy as the ferocious determination of imperialist Turkish
Muslims to rid the empire of non-Muslims. Drawing on archival sources,
Suny, whose great-grandparents were victims of the massacre,
thoroughly traces “the genealogy of attitudes and behaviors” and the
historical context “that triggered a deadly, pathological response to
real and imagined immediate and future dangers.” For hundreds of
years, he writes, Armenians, although subjects of the Muslim state,
were integrated into a multinational empire. As nationalist and reform
movements arose in the 19th century, however, Ottoman rulers
legitimized their position by identifying certain populations-in this
case, non-Muslim Armenians, Greeks and Jews-as inferior, devious and
subversive. Armenian intellectuals’ affinity for European ideas and “a
powerful sense of secular nationality” made the ethnic group
especially suspect. Late in the century, Armenians’ victimization by
Ottomans came to the attention of European powers, which further
fueled Muslims’ conception of them as alien and alienated. From
1894-1896, extensive massacres intimated what would occur later, when
the militant Young Turks envisioned an ethnonational state that
required the extermination of non-Turks, a policy exacerbated by
social, political and economic chaos at the start of World War I.
Identifying the Ottomans’ decisive choices, Suny creates a compelling
narrative of vengeance and terror.

Publication Date: 2015-04-01
Publisher: Princeton Univ.
Stage: Adult
ISBN: 978-0-691-14730-7
Price: $35.00
Author: Suny, Ronald Grigor

Armenia Keeps Title to These Territories

Roza Hovhannisyan, Reporter
Politics – 31 January 2015, 22:28

To bring into being the pan-Armenian declaration on the centenary of
the Armenian Genocide, Armenia must revoke the Armenian-Turkish
protocols of Zurich, the head of Modus Vivendi Center Ara Papyan told
Lragir.am, pointing to controversies between the declaration and the
protocols.

“The declaration is a positive step because it brought some clarity as
to what we expect from the recognition of the Genocide and claims. The
most important thing, in my opinion, is the reference to the Treaty of
Sevres and Woodrow Wilson’s arbitral award and their relevance as a
basis for claims. But this will have a meaning if the protocols of
Zurich are revoked with a view to significant controversies between
this declaration and the protocols. The protocols of Zurich are a
bilateral document and are relevant to both Armenia and Turkey. This
declaration is a bilateral document, in other words, only Armenia
assumes an obligation, hence Turkey does not assume a commitment under
this declaration. Therefore the signature under these protocols must
be withdrawn as soon as possible for such a declaration to be
relevant,” Ara Papyan said.

What Ara Papyan highlights for this declaration is the role of the
U.S. President Woodrow Wilson’s arbitral award, noting that it is a
binding document.

“For whom is it binding? For all those who had called on the president
of the United States then. Who called on to him? The big three of the
Conference of Paris – the British Empire, France, Italy. However, they
acted on behalf of the Conference of Paris, which means it is binding
for over 50 countries,” he says.

Papyan reminds that this award was fully legitimate, it was approved
by Turkey, it entered into force on 22 November 1920. It is another
issue that we have not been able to implement it.

“We have not been able to implement it because the stakeholder of the
award, the Republic of Armenia, was occupied by Bolshevist Russia and
Cemalist Turkey, or rather those were two forces because at that time
they were not states. As a result the country was divided. In the part
occupied by Russia the administrative territorial unit Socialist
Republic of Armenia was established. In the Turkish part nothing was
established. However, it does not mean that these territories de jure
stopped being part of Armenia. Armenia keeps its title to this
territory. Like North Cyprus which is occupied by Turkey remains part
of Cyprus, the part of Wilsonian Armenia which was occupied by Turkey
remains part of Armenia,” he said.

Ara Papyan also said that the Russians of the Russian part decided
that some parts of Armenia, namely Nakhijevan and Karabakh, should be
given to other countries for their political purposes.

“They gave it away, they wanted to do a world revolution, bribe the
Muslims. It was the Soviet time. Now the Soviet Union does not exist,
the situation is different, today we must stick to the international
law. In other words, we need to see through this law where our
territories are. Hence, we must move forward, utter our claim, fight
for it, create relevant organizations to achieve something. It is
another issue whether we will achieve anything or not but if we do
nothing, we will not achieve anything,” Papyan said.

According to Ara Papyan, the people in landlocked and tiny Armenia
surrounded by enemies, half of its territories being mountains and
gorges, cannot be safe, happy and welfare, even despite good
governance.

“Had it been possible, everyone would have done so, there are 33
landlocked countries in the world, larger than Armenia. Switzerland is
brought as an example but Switzerland has access to see. In our case,
our enemies use the fact that we have no access to sea as a lever of
pressure on us. Obviously, Turkey uses the blockade of Armenia as a
means of pressure on Armenia. It is possible to conduct a policy of a
shy bride and hope that someone will help you. However, if this
someone is Russia, it does not have the capability. If Russia could,
it would develop its regions, why would it develop Armenia? Today the
middle part of Russia is half-ruined, it is trying to populate its
territories with Armenians. Even if the West were willing to assist
and support Armenia, today there is no such possibility. In other
words, we remain dependent on Turkey’s or Georgia’s good will or the
Iran-West relations. And if this country is not able to manage its
bilateral relations directly, it bears the significant influence of
its neighbors, this is an obstacle to real development,” he said.

Hence, according to Ara Papyan, restoring the territorial integrity of
the Republic of Armenia is highly important. Not claims but de jure
return of the territories belonging to Armenia is important. “It is
the anchor that will help us to form a well-off and safe country.
Either we will do it or we will not do it. We do not have an option in
between, so either we do it and succeed or we don’t,” Ara Papyan says.

Marriage, divorces up in Armenia last year

12:10 * 01.02.15

A total of 18,912 marriages were registered in Armenia last year – a
3% increase as compared with 2013.

On the other hand, 4,498 divorces were registered last year – a 19.8%
increase as compared with 2013, Armenia’s Statistical Service reports.

According to the official data, 238 divorces per every 1,000 marriages
were registered in Armenia in 2014 as compared with 205 divorces per
every 1,000 in 2013.

Nagorno-Karabakh’s involvement in negotiations only way to change
Minsk Group format – expert

15:04 * 01.02.15

The only way if changing the Minsk Group format is Nagorno-Karabakh’s
involvement in the negotiations, political scientist Hrant
Melik-Shahnazaryan told Tert.am.

The latest statement by the Minsk Group is clearly accusing
Azerbaijan. The reason is a threat of war because one is objecting to
a war in the region.

Asked whether the Minsk Group’s latest statement be said to have put
an end to the tradition of parity, Mr Melik-Shahnazaryan said:

“The Minsk Group, as mediator, had always tried to equally criticize
both the states. However, the latest statement was obviously accusing
Azerbaijan and demanding that it honor its commitments. The
commitments have repeatedly been stated and it is common knowledge. As
to the message addressed to Armenia, all the conflicting parties have
always been supposed to take measures to defuse tension. If we compare
the previous statements by the Minsk Group, we should note that the
statement is clearly addressed to Azerbaijan. We should also note the
fact that it was a meeting with the Azerbaijani FM. That is, the
mediators see the opposite side creates problems. And there is no need
for a meeting with Armenia’s FM.”

Since Azerbaijan is ignoring international organizations’ calls and is
even critical of the Minsk Group, can that state be expected to
consider the latest statement?

“I do not hope Azerbaijan will come to senses if we consider the fact
that Azerbaijan has political problems to solve in the region as well,
and escalating helps Azerbaijan to more efficiently deal with the
problems. Azerbaijan has dozens of reasons for such behavior, and I
think they will not miss a chance to escalate tension. Azerbaijan has
a task of correct calculation. They do not want a large-scale war and,
in the contest of international situation and Russia-West
confrontation, they are seeking to escalate tension. It is the
Armenian side’s position, especially the position declared by the
Armenian president, and our military potential and regular
retaliations that play a deterring role.”

Asked about Russia’s position in the context of close Armenian-Russian
relations, Mr Melik-Shahnazaryan said:

“Russia is seeking to get over the situation, maintaining relations
with both Azerbaijan and Armenia. That is, Russia’s position is
similar to that of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs, which, of course,
does not mean defused tensions or does not reflect Armenian-Russian
relations as allies. We have to do serious diplomatic work with
Russia. I think Armenia should make more consistent efforts to have
Russia assume a stronger pro-Armenian position.”

As regards the opinions that the approaching Armenian Genocide
centennial accounts for the border tension, and Turkey is inciting
Azerbaijan to divert the international community’s attention, the
expert said:

“I am sure that diverting the international community’s attention from
the Armenian Genocide is the major reason for the tension because the
Armenian Cause as a factor, especially in the Turkey-West relations,
is playing a rather serious deterring role in preventing Turkey from
accomplishing its European integration task and intensifying its
regional activity. Turkey is ready for any steps to neutralize the
Armenian Cause as a political factor. However, neither the West nor
Armenia will ever reject such a tool. Well aware of the fact that the
Armenian Genocide centennial this year could make this factor even
stronger, Turkey and Azerbaijan are trying to divert the international
attention. If we see the frequency of meetings between top-ranking
Turkish and Azerbaijani officials, we can see that the two states have
drafted a clear policy for this year and are jointly implementing it.”

As regard the possibility of changes in the Minsk Group format,
considering Azerbaijan’s criticisms and the latest thesis about
Germany’s claims to replace France as OSCE Minsk Group co-chairing
state, Mr Melik-Shahnazaryan said:

“I rule out any changes in the Minsk Group format because it would
require the Armenian side’s consent as well. The only way if changing
the Minsk Group format is Nagorno-Karabakh’s involvement in the
negotiations. For years, Azerbaijan has consistently been doing its
utmost to put an end to the Minsk Group as such and have the
Nagorno-Karabakh problem discussed in a different format. Azerbaijan’s
aim is clear. They are aware that, beside dealing with the
Nagorno-Karabakh peace process, the Minsk Group is a kind of club
where Russia, the US and the European Union (EU), represented by
France, are coordinating their policy in the region. And as long as
the Minsk Group is working, the presence of any external actor as a
political factor in the South Caucasus is actually ruled out, which
is, of course, against Azerbaijan’s interests because they want to see
Turkey as their powerful ally in the Caucasus.”
With this end in view, Azerbaijan is seeking to have the Minsk Group
dissolved. It failed during previous years, when more favorable
conditions for that were available, nor will it succeed in the future,
the expert said.

Postponed Again: Government sets new date for application of
controversial tax sales law

ECONOMY | 01.02.15 | 12:31

Small traders in Armenia will not be required to provide documentary
evidence of their transactions with wholesale suppliers for another
five months, it emerged over the weekend.

On Saturday, the Armenian government decided to postpone the
application of a corresponding provision of the controversial sales
tax law until July 1. The decision followed days of protests staged by
representatives of small and medium-sized companies demanding that the
law that was due to take effect on February 1 be reconsidered.

After the Friday protest, which was the fourth during the week,
Armenian Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan met with representatives of
the protesters and promised to provide solutions to the problems they
raised. It is expected that before July 1 the government will work out
and present new mechanisms that will ensure a smooth enforcement of
the law.

The government’s latest decision will need to be approved by the
National Assembly that is expected to make appropriate amendments in
the law.

The law in question actually reduces the sales tax for small and
medium-sized companies from 3.5 to just 1 percent, but sets stricter
conditions to traders in terms of documenting their wholesale
purchases from larger companies. The government believes the measure
will both help small businesses and make it much harder for
large-scale Armenian importers of goods to evade taxes.

Most traders, however, believe this will only complicate their work as
they see more risks of being fined by tax authorities.

The application of the law that originally was to come into effect on
November 1 was already once delayed till February 1 as small traders
held a series of demonstrations in front of the government building in
October.

SEYRAN OHANYAN FIRES LEADERSHIP OF MILITARY ACADEMY AFTER VAZGEN SARGSYAN

by Ashot Safaryan

Monday, February 2, 12:05

Defense Minister of Armenia Seyran Ohanyan launches personnel purges at
the Military Academy after Vazgen Sargsyan after cadet Haykaz Barsegyan
was found hanged from a chin-up bar on the local sports ground.

According to ArmInfo’s data, Head of the Academy, Major General Martin
Karapetyan has already filed in his resignation and Defense Minister
Seyran Ohanyan has accepted it. Furthermore, the minister is firing
the entire leadership of the Academy up to the heads of chairs.

The body of Haykaz Barseghyan was found hanged from a chin-up bar
on the sports ground at his military unit on Jan 29 morning. Chief
Military Investigation Department of the Investigation Committee has
opened a criminal case based on Article 104.7.2. of the Criminal Code
of Armenia (murder committed by a group of persons of organized group)
after relevant examination of the spot and preparation of materials.

Four cadets of the Academy have already faced murder charges: Movses
Azaryan, Norik Sahakyan. Vacheh Sahakyan, Gnel Tevosyan. All the four
have been arrested.

On January 31, the minister called extraordinary meeting over
Barseghyan’s murder. Looking into the materials of the case, the
minister said that crime was a result of ill-natured relations and
activity of separate officers and negligence of duties by them.

Ohanyan said the murder of the cadet was a stab in the back of the
men who guard the country’s borders day and night.

SHNOGH RESIDENTS ADDRESSED LETTER TO OSCE AMBASSADOR IN ARMENIA IN REGARD WITH TEGHOUT MINE – PHOTOS

16:47 January 30, 2015

EcoLur

Shnogh residents have addressed a letter to Andrey Sorokin –
the Head of the OSCE Office in Yerevan in regard with Teghout
copper and molybdenum mining project, which says, “”Teghout” CSJC
is implementing the development of copper and molybdenum mine near
Shnogh and Teghout communities, which has profoundly deteriorated the
nature in both communities and the quality of the flowing water. There
are sufficient grounds to suspect that the tails produced by the
ore dressing plant directly flow into the river, which irrigate our
orchards. The pollution of the river water with mining wastes can
cause damage to the property and health of the community residents.

As the OSCE has been dealing with the conservation of environment for
many years, has sufficient experience and ties with field-specific
experts, so we would like to ask you to provide our professional
and organizational support through your experts to determine the
pollution of the water, as well as to assess economic, social,
health damage caused to two communities because of the mining project
implementation.”

Below we present the photos provided by Teghout Support civic
initiative taken on 28 January

ARFD: FOUNDING PARLIAMENT’S PERSISTENCE TO HOLD PROTEST ACTIONS IN NAGORNO-KARABAKH IS NOT CLEAR

by Ashot Safaryan

Monday, February 2, 13:05

Some forces may use the incident in Berdzor to drive a hedge between
Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, the secretary of the parliamentary
group of the ARFD Aghvan Vardanyan told journalists on Monday.

He said that the goals, the slogan and the behavior of the Founding
Parliament are not acceptable to the ARFD.

“By using ‘The 100th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide without
the Ruling Regime’ slogan, they have made this tragic date as an
instrument for solving some internal political disputes. On the
contrary, we must use this date to consolidate our nation. We also
wonder why the organizers of the action ignored the urges of people
from Nagorno-Karabakh not to hold such an action now that the tension
on the contact line is high,” Vardanyan said.

On the other hand, he pointed out that the police should not have
used force. “This is unacceptable as some forces can use this for
driving a hedge between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh,” Vardanyan said.

To recall, representatives of the Founding Parliament, including
Zhirayr Sefilyan, an Artsakh War veteran, were severely beaten up on
their way to Karabakh, near Berdzor. With such7 measures the Karabakh
Police tried to prevent the car rally in Artsakh. The rally is part of
the Movement “Centennial Without the Regime” that seeks a power shift
in Armenia ahead of the Armenian Genocide centennial. Members of the
Founding Parliament say many of the police officers who attacked them
were wearing civilian cloths. They say the police officers dragged
them out from their cars and severely beaten up with rubber sticks.

Many of the beaten up activists were taken to the Stepanakert
Hospital. Sefilyan was hospitalized in grave condition too.

Meanwhile, the Karabakh Police disseminated a statement saying they
allegedly acted within the law. They said that the car rally had
garnered a “negative response from wide segments of the public
in Artsakh” and unknown individuals had decided to prevent the
participants of the car rally from entering the territory of Nagorno
Karabakh.

The statement went on to say that given these circumstances and
possible violations of public order, the NKR police had placed units
along several sections of the Goris-Stepanakert highway. They said
that the participants of the car rally were asked by police officers
stationed on the highway to turn back because their initiative could
cause “social tension” in Artsakh. “However, several participants of
the car rally, opposing our request, resorted to illegal activities
and continued provocations, even after warnings to desist by police,”
the statement read. “To prevent possible mass unrest, the police of NKR
were forced to resort to corresponding measures conferred to them by
law. Sadly, there were injuries, however no one’s life is in danger.”