Author: Kajoyan Gevork

Daily Sabah, Turkey
May 17 2014

OTTOMAN MANSION TURNS INTO OTTOMAN PAVILLION

Displaying spectacular design, the Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar Museum Library
offers students and bookworms a place to read or study away from the
bustle of the city

Nur Ã-zdil

Unfortunately, most libraries in Turkey are considered places that
people pass by and only enter if absolutely necessary. The lack of
aesthetic design, uncomfortable study rooms and the insufficient
number of updated resources keep Turkey’s libraries from becoming
attractions. While alluring libraries are the first stop for culture
lovers abroad, bookworm foreign tourists have little choice but from a
few wellconditioned libraries in Istanbul. One of them is the Atatürk
Library located in Taksim Square. The Culture and Tourism Ministry
launched a new project to breathe life into obsolete places such as
museums and libraries. As part of the project, a new library-museum
was recently opened to the public. The concept of the library-museum
is to increase the appeal of Turkish literature as an alternative
space to traditional libraries.

The Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar Literature Museum Library is the fourth
museumlibrary in Turkey. There are a total of five museum-libraries in
different regions of the country, all named after beloved Turkish
authors. The museum was constructed in a two-story alay köÅ?kü
(procession kiosk), an Ottoman-era building located next to Gülhane
Park. Previously lying in ruins, the building was turned into a museum
with a modern library where one could easily spend the whole day
surrounded by books. Constructed from wood in the 16th century, the
procession kiosk went to wrack during a fire. Sultan Mahmud II asked
Armenian architect Kirkor Amira Balyan to rebuild it. The building
served as a local spot where the sultan’s weddings took place, foreign
ambassadors were welcomed, and Ottoman emperors saluted the
janissaries. The kiosk was transformed into a telegraph office and
renovated under the Culture and Tourism Ministry in 2007. Displaying
evidence of spectacular design, the Ahmet Hamdi Tanrıpınar Museum
Library offers students and bookworms the opportunity to read or study
away from the bother of city noise. The library includes more than
1,000 authors and 8,000 pieces of work along with special collections
of Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar, Yahya Kemal, Nobel Prize-winning author Orhan
Pamuk and celebrated Ottoman poet Nedim.

The building was restored maintaining its original form and aesthetic,
and its interior was well furnished to ensure a more attractive
atmosphere. Featuring more than 100 personal belongings of 33 renowned
Turkish authors, the library hosts the translations of notable works
of Turkish literature.

The Coffeehouse of Authors

The ground floor serves as a coffeehouse. Visitors may take a break
there and have a look at a number of different periodical magazines.
There is also a bookshop offering a 20 percent discount on books
published by the Culture and Tourism Ministry. The museum-library
seeks to gather authors, publishers and readers at a series of
cultural and literature events. The events program is available on the
official Facebook page.

Police Chief Matt Torigian will oversee OPP, several other agencies in
new job as deputy minister of community safety

May 16, 2014

By Liz MONTEIRO

The Record

WATERLOO REGION ‘ Every morning when Police Chief Matt Torigian sat at
his desk, he would look at a portrait of Abraham Lincoln.

He holds the leader in high regard because the 16th president of the
United States persevered and showed leadership throughout his
country’s Civil War.

Lincoln had vision and was steadfast in his convictions ‘ two
attributes that Torigian tried to bring to the job each day as chief
of the Waterloo Regional Police Service.

“Whether you are the leader of your family, a community or an
organization, your decisions as a leader have an impact,” he said.

“(The portrait) is a reminder that you can’t get down and you continue
to strive for what you believe in,” he said.

Next month, Torigian, 53, leaves his job of almost seven years to
become Ontario’s deputy minister of community safety.

He admits it’s a decision he struggled with. He had always planned to
retire from the police service.

“It’s been an emotional tug-of-war to leave a place you absolutely
love,” he said.

But after the former deputy minister retired in December, Torigian
began hearing rumours that his name was being bandied about for the
job.

“I went home to Jill and said you’ll never believe what I heard
today,” Torigian said referring to his wife of 21 years.

So when the phone call came in mid-April, he wasn’t completely
surprised by the offer.

It’s a bureaucratic job that will move him behind the scenes, but also
a position of considerable influence. Torigian will help oversee the
Ontario Provincial Police, the Chief Coroner’s Office, the Ontario
Police College, Emergency Management Ontario and the Office of the
Fire Marshal.

During his tenure as local chief, the force has grown from a budget of
$96.4 million in 2007 to $141 million approved earlier this year,
while the numbers of officers went up from 700 to 770.

Torigian oversaw the restructuring of front-line deployment by
redesigning patrol zones and has placed a strong emphasis on gathering
data to measure the performance of the service.

But he prefers to let others speak of his legacy.

Childhood and family friend Mike Hoogasian said he isn’t surprised
that Torigian doesn’t want to talk about his successes.

“He appreciates what he has. He’s humble and doesn’t flaunt his
success,” said Hoogasian, who lives in St. Catharines.

Both men grew up on the same street and their parents, all of Armenian
background, were close. Torigian was the best man at Hoogasian’s
wedding and a godfather to one of his three children.

Both came to Waterloo to attend university ‘ Torigian at Wilfrid
Laurier, Hoogasian at Waterloo.

“He is the funniest guy I know. He is a zest-for-life kind of guy,”
said Hoogasian.

Torigian was born and raised in Ontario’s fruit farm country. As a
teen, along with being part of the Canadian rowing team throughout
high school, he worked on his uncle Hygy’s farm in St. Catharines,
picking apricots, grapes, cherries and raspberries.

It’s this same uncle who introduced him to political ideas, giving him
Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels’ Communist Manifesto.

“He had a thirst for knowledge and philosophical thoughts,” Torigian
said. “He allowed me to push the envelope on my thinking.”

Torigian enjoyed political theory so much that he went on to study
political science at Laurier. He also received a master’s in Public
Administration from Western University.

Torigian’s parents were born in Canada but his paternal grandparents
escaped the Armenian Genocide in 1915 when 1.5 million people were
murdered by the Ottoman Empire.

His grandfather was about 12 when he hid in a tree and watched as his
parents were murdered. He lay in a field pretending to be dead to
avoid detection.

He would later come to Canada and settled in Brantford, where many
other Armenians lived. Torigian’s father was born in Brantford and
would study aeronautical engineering in Detroit.

He would go into teaching and retire as a principal. Torigian’s sister
followed in her father’s footsteps and is also a high school
principal, while his brother is a family doctor.

Torigian admits his first interest was to pursue a career in law but
after graduating university, he applied to be an auxiliary officer
with Niagara Regional Police.

At 25, he was hired by Waterloo Regional Police. His first assignment
was in Cambridge and he would work in various areas including patrol,
drugs, and the emergency response unit where he was a sniper.

On his own time, he dabbled in local community theatre in Elmira and
it was there he met Jill. She did his makeup and the pair were soon an
item. They now have two children, Tali, 18 and Nick, 20.

In 1999, Torigian became the police service’s media relations officer.
That job came a year after his media work during a crisis at
Cambridge’s Parkhill Dam, where Const. Dave Nicholson drowned during
efforts to recover the body of 12-year-old Mark Gage from the Grand
River.

Torigian later saw promotions to inspector and superintendent. He
became deputy chief in 2005.

Torigian attributes his attachment to policing and working with people
to his upbringing, where being part of the community was paramount.

“The feeling you get when you help a total stranger who is relying on
you and he or she says thank you. That feeling comes naturally and
it’s an experience that makes it all worthwhile,” he said.

Torigian said he often remembers his uncle saying to him, ‘always
believe someone is smarter than you.’

As police chief, those words reminded him it was important to have a
competent team. “You don’t need all the answers,” Torigian said.

Torigian said he will remember that sound advice as he goes to Toronto
to work with the heads of the OPP, fire chiefs’ association and the
coroner’s office. He’s been reading briefing reports the last couple
of weeks to get up to speed with the organizations he will represent.

“It’s a huge learning curve. I would be lying if I didn’t say there is
some apprehension. But it’s the same feeling I had when I became chief
or any new job I had,” he said.

Torigian said he and Jill plan to rent a place in Toronto for now. But
he hopes to return to Waterloo Region and retire here.

“We don’t want to lose our roots here. We love it here,” he said. “I
want to come back and give back to the community and serve the
community in some way.”

FRENCH PRESIDENT HOLLANDE VISITS CAUCASUS AMID UKRANIAN CRISIS

World Socialist Web Site
May 16 2014

By Kumaran Ira
16 May 2014

On May 11-13, French President Francois Hollande visited the ex-Soviet
republics of Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia. His visit, coming as
Washington, Berlin and Paris escalate a confrontation with Russia
over nearby Ukraine, aimed to strengthen France’s economic ties with
the oil-rich region, while deepening the Western powers’ military
and diplomatic encirclement of Russia.

Hollande’s visit began as pro-Russian activists hostile to the
Western-backed, far-right regime in Kiev voted overwhelmingly in
favor of greater autonomy for the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of
Ukraine and petitioned Moscow for its incorporation into Russia.

Arriving in Azerbaijan, Hollande denounced the referendum in eastern
Ukraine as “null and void.” He said the votes in Donetsk and Luhansk
made “no sense,” and that only the Ukrainian presidential vote
scheduled by the Kiev regime on May 25 mattered.

Hollande cynically claimed that European Union (EU) plans for an
“eastern partnership” were not aimed at Russia. He said, “These
are processes, these tours are not directed against anyone but aim
to strengthen ties between Europe, France and partners who are now
independent and concerned about their development.”

Hollande’s visit also underscores Paris’s moves to secure vital energy
resources from Azerbaijan as the EU and Washington threaten to cut
off energy purchases from Russia, a key gas exporter to Europe,
over the Ukraine crisis.

Azerbaijan is the Caspian region’s most important strategic export
openings to the West and one of the main gas exporters to many European
nations. Hollande said that Azerbaijan is important for France’s
“energy security,” adding: “Our goal is to support the development
of the Azeri economy, in particular the energy sector.”

Hollande also promoted French corporate interests in Azerbaijan.

France is the fifth largest foreign investor in Azerbaijan with
holdings of about $2.4 billion, including nearly $1 billion in the
energy sector. French energy firms like Total and GDF-Suez are to take
part in exploring and developing the Absheron gas field. After Hollande
visited a May 12 Azeri-French business forum, French companies signed
$2.5 billion in business contracts, including for building Baku’s
subway system and the sale of 50 Alstom freight trains.

Azeri President Ilham Aliyev said that his country closely cooperates
with the EU on energy security. He stressed, “Azerbaijan makes efforts
to support Europe’s energy security. The documents signed late last
year will help to deliver Azerbaijan’s gas to Europe and I am sure
our relations with Europe will be even closer after realization of
this project.”

Citing major infrastructure projects including the Shah Deniz
field–one of the world’s largest natural gas and condensate
fields–Aliyev noted that the investments represent about $45 billion.

Assuring the EU powers that they can rely on Azerbaijan’s oil and gas
resources as an alternative to Russia’s, Aliyev called Azerbaijan
the leader of the Caspian Sea region in delivering energy to world
markets. “Azerbaijan’s rich oil and gas resources, the existing
transport infrastructure and the one that is being created have
greatly changed Europe’s energy map,” he said.

Hollande’s trip underscored the bitter struggle for influence and
commercial advantage waged between the NATO imperialist powers and
Russia throughout the territory of the former Soviet Union. The
reactionary character of the NATO powers’ intervention finds highest
expression in their campaign for regime change in Ukraine, backing
fascist forces that led a putsch that toppled pro-Russian President
Viktor Yanukovych in February.

The NATO intervention extends into the Caucasus, a strategically
critical region bordering war-torn areas of southern Russia, the
oil-rich Caspian Sea region of Central Asia, Turkey, and Iran. The
three ex-Soviet republics of the South Caucasus are seeking to closer
ties with Western imperialism, with Georgia going as far as trying
to join the NATO military alliance.

While his government foments ethnic tensions in Ukraine by denouncing
pro-Russian protesters opposed to the pro-Western regime in Kiev,
Hollande hypocritically claimed that France will do “all it can” to
help Azerbaijan and Armenia. He said the two countries, which descended
into an armed conflict over the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh
at the time of the collapse of the Soviet Union, can “live in peace.”

Visiting Armenia on Monday, Hollande urged the EU to enter into an
Association Agreement with Armenia–a move aimed at lessening Russia’s
substantial influence in Armenia, which plans to join a Russian-led
Customs Union currently including Russia, Kazakhstan, and Belarus.

Hollande said: “Europe must accept that an agreement about an
association with Armenia can go with a trade-commercial union with
Russia.”

Perhaps the most potentially explosive visit was Hollande’s final
stop on Tuesday in the Georgian capital, Tbilisi. Hollande was greeted
by Georgian Foreign Minister Maia Panjikidze, who praised Hollande’s
visit as an expression of EU support. Georgia is to sign an Association
Agreement with the EU by the end of next month.

“Especially now when we are closer to the signing date of the
Association Agreement,” she said, “the French president’s visit is
a special event in Georgia’s foreign policy history.”

Hollande said that his trip to Georgia expressed his support for
Georgia’s decision to sign an Association Agreement with the EU,
and for Georgia’s territorial integrity.

This statement was implicitly a promise of diplomatic and military
assistance in the case of future conflict with Russia. In 2008,
Washington backed Tbilisi as it attacked Russian peacekeepers in the
breakaway region of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, mounting air and land
attacks in an attempt to grab the regions.

In exchange, the Georgian regime agreed to support French imperialism’s
wars in Africa. Hollande praised Tbilisi’s decision to participate
in the French intervention in the Central African Republic (CAR),
calling Tbilisi’s move to provide cannon fodder for Paris’s wars a
good example of what Georgia can do as an EU partner now and as a EU
member state in the future.

CORRUPTION SCANDAL IN U.S.: AZERBAIJANI LOBBY PAYS FOR RESOLUTION THAT FAILED IN TENNESSEE

23:00 16/05/2014 ” SOCIETY

U.S. state Rep. Joe Towns is accused of receiving bribes from the
Azerbaijani side for promoting resolution supporting Azerbaijan,
reports the American Channel 5.

As the TV channel notes, an oil-rich, predominantly Muslim country
— where Eastern Europe meets western Asia — Azerbaijan has been
involved in a decades-old dispute with the predominantly Christian
country of Armenia over territory that both countries claim.

Towns said he agreed to introduce the resolution because Azerbaijan
is a U.S. ally. In the same time he assures that he knew nothing
about the conflict between these two countries.

Armenian immigrant Barry Barsoumian said the Azerbaijani are trying
to change history by going around different states in the United
States passing resolutions. Barsoumian discovered Towns’ resolution
and could not believe anyone would ask a Tennessee lawmaker to help
a country known for its human rights abuses and whose leader is seen
as one of the world’s most corrupt. “I asked him (Towns-edt.) if it
was Azerbaijani Embassy. He denied it,” Barsoumian recalled.

News Channel 5 Investigates looked at Towns’ campaign reports and
discovered he introduced the resolution just two weeks after he got
a total of $10,000 in campaign contributions from people out of Texas
with ties to the Azerbaijani community.

The TV Channel found out that in Texas, Houston, a Turkish-Azerbaijani
cultural center operated which connects people who had made donations
for Towns’ campaign. Congressman himself denies that these people
asked him to promote a pro-Azerbaijani legislative initiative.

According to the journalists of the TV Channel it is suspicious
that people who live in an apartment in one of Houston’s roughest
neighborhoods donated money. Towns couldn’t give answer to this
question either.

“When Towns’ resolution came up in committee, members of the Armenian
community had already lobbied other lawmakers to kill the bill. The
resolution never even got a vote — a strange end to what some consider
a strange piece of legislation,” the article reads.

Some of the contributors appear to have connections to groups who’ve
taken Tennessee officials on free trips to Turkey and Azerbaijan.

Towns was supposed to go on one of those trips last year, but he
wasn’t able to go.

“Still, he did sponsor another House resolution that essentially
accused Armenia of war crimes. That resolution actually passed the
House on a 93-0 vote. So why would Azerbaijan care about what the
Tennessee House thinks about world affairs? It appears to be part of
an orchestrated PR campaign to show that world opinion is on their
side,” the TV channel sums up.

MUST SEE YEREVAN – HUFFINGTON POST

YEREVAN, May 16. /Novosti-Armenia/. Yerevan is a surprising city.

While it’s history dates back to the 8th century B.C., the total
population of Yerevan was still under 70,000 at the start of the
Soviet era. With this nearly blank canvas to work with, Soviet
architect Alexander Tamanyan went to work on the new capital of the
Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic, hoping to create a Neoclassical
jewel modeled after the great capitals of Western Europe.

A good way to start your cultural immersion into Armenia, is to head
outside the city to the Monastery of Geghard, which is a UNESCO
heritage site. The Geghard complex, which dates back to the 4th
century A.D., is also known as “the Monastery of the Cave,” and is
cut into the cliffs in the Azat River gorge.

Ninety-seven percent of Armenians are Christian, and Geghard has been
an important religious site dating back at least as far as the 13th
century, when it was purported to have held many important relics,
including the spear that wounded Christ on the cross.

A short 15-minute drive from Geghard, is the town of Garni. Here you
can reach back even further into history, with a visit to the eponymous
temple. Work on the Garni temple began in the first century A.D. This
Hellenic structure, which was funded by Emperor Nero, has been restored
after being partially destroyed by invasions and earthquakes over the
centuries. It is the only surviving pagan temple in the entirety of
the former Soviet Union.

With a look into Armenian antiquity complete, your next stop on the
way back to Yerevan should be Victory Park. Perched in the hills
above Yerevan, Victory Park features a very dated Soviet style
amusement park complete with a Pripyat-esque 1980’s ferris wheel,
old Soviet military hardware (tanks, SAM’s and even a MiG), as well
as a brilliant lookout point providing great views of the city, and
on a clear day, Mt. Ararat. The highlight of Victory Park however,
is the 21-meter tall hammered copper Mother Armenia Statue, set atop
a 30-meter high basalt base.

Back in “Kentron,” the city center, Republic Square is not to be
missed. Formerly known as Lenin Square, this “square” is actually
an oval that was designed by Tamanyan to resemble a traditional
Armenian rug when viewed from above. The square is ringed by the
National Gallery, National History Museum and several government
buildings. If you visit Armenia in the summer months, be sure to
return to Republic Square after dark to see the “dancing fountains,”
a choreographed water show synched with lights and music.

Tamanyan envisioned Yerevan as a city with two centers, the main center
being Republic Square, and the second, smaller center located around
the Opera House. Northern Avenue is the pedestrian way linking these
two focal points, and while strolling between them, you can find high
end shopping, cafes and some of Yerevan’s finest restaurants.

Perhaps the most impressive tourist attraction in the city center is
the Cascade. Construction on this massive undertaking began in 1971,
and it was not completed until 2009. The Cascade is a Soviet-sized
stairway that links the city center to the hilltop neighborhood of
Monument, where Victory Park is located.

The Armenian Genocide Memorial Complex houses both the Armenian
Genocide Museum, and the Tsitsernakaberd Genocide Memorial. The museum,
which is less than ten minutes taxi ride from Republic Square offers an
account of the 1915 genocide in which as many as 1.5 million Armenians
perished while Armenia was part of the Ottoman Empire.

The final stop is the Khor Virap Monastery, located 20 miles South
of Yerevan, and less than 500 yards from the Armenian-Turkish border.

Construction of the still functioning church began in 642 A.D. and
aside from viewing the Monastery, it’s vantage point on a hilltop in
Pokr Vedi affords unparalleled views of nearby Mt. Ararat just across
the Turkish border. -0–

– See more at:

NEW APPROACH?: ARMENIA EAGER TO SEE CHANGE IN EU’S ‘TOUGH POSITION’ AFTER HOLLANDE REMARKS

Analysis | 16.05.14 | 10:27

By Naira Hayrumyan
ArmeniaNow correspondent

During his visit to Yerevan earlier this week, French President
Francois Hollande said that France would like to see a full-fledged
European Union-Armenia Association, but he believes that the mechanism
of cooperation to be elaborated should not be contrary to Armenia’s
membership in the Russian-led Customs Union. At the same time,
Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan stated that he expects “special
offers” for Armenia from Europe.

In Armenia, the French president’s statement was construed as a sign
of change in the tough position of Europe, whose representatives,
after Armenia’s announcement on September 3, 2013 about its intention
to join the Customs Union, in fact, said that the way for the South
Caucasus country to Europe had been closed. Cooperation indeed was
minimized and the principle of “either-or” was maintained.

However, further cooperation between Armenia and the EU apparently
depends on several factors. In particular, Polish Ambassador to Armenia
Zdzislaw Raczynski suggests waiting for Armenia’s joining the Eurasian
Union and then adjusting the relations with the EU. On the one hand,
entry into the Eurasian Union will, indeed, outline the framework
within which cooperation is possible. But on the other hand, this
entry is still under a big question mark. In particular, the question
of the status of Karabakh in the future Eurasian Union has become more
topical. One of the Eurasian officials said that customs check points
will be set up between Armenia and Karabakh, but the spokesman for the
ruling Republican Party of Armenia Eduard Sharmazanov categorically
denied the possibility of establishing such checkpoints.

Ambassador Traian Hristea, head of the EU Delegation to Armenia,
conditions Armenia’s future relations with the EU by the forthcoming
elections to the European Parliament. “It is difficult to say what
will happen then. The future configuration will become clear after the
elections to the European Parliament,” said Hristea, in fact confirming
that Europe has not yet developed an approach towards Armenia.

Armenia, apparently, is going to maintain the grant projects of
cooperation with the EU, which are connected with reforms of the
state. Sargsyan stressed that Armenia will continue to deepen relations
with the EU, “because they give the country an opportunity to return
to its roots and implement reforms at a rapid pace.” It is difficult
to say whether Europe will agree to give money to reform the state
structure of a country that is a member of the Eurasian Union.

However, the statement by Hollande has become an ideological weapon
in the hands of the Armenian ruling party, which from the outset has
insisted on the “and-and” policy balancing between Russia and the
EU, while European politicians have insisted on Armenia’s making a
clear choice.

Armenia’s Minister of Education and Science, deputy chairman of the
Republican Party Armen Ashotyan says: “Some of our partners argued
that it was an unrealistic position and four years of negotiations
with the EU had sunk into oblivion. But it was not long before Europe
realized that by way of confrontation between the countries of Eastern
Partnership and Russia it is impossible to build a prosperous European
space. In order to understand all this, one should have passed through
a series of Ukrainian events. But it is good that European politicians
speak about what they did not speak about before. France is a major
partner of Armenia on the way towards European integration.”

Meanwhile, relations between Armenia and the West are not interrupted.

The EU continues its financial assistance to Armenia. On May 14,
through the Neighborhood Investment Facility, the EU allocated a grant
of â~B¬15 million under the Rural Infrastructures Program agreement. In
its turn, the Armenian side reaffirmed to Germany, which is the
commanding country of the ISAF Northern Command, its commitment to
participate in the “Decisive Support” mission in Afghanistan in 2015.

CATASTROPHE DE SOMA : L’IMAGE QUI FRAPPE PAR LAURENT LEYLEKIAN

REVUE DE PRESSE

La catastrophe de la mine de Soma en Turquie a provoqué un brutal
réveil des tensions sociales existant dans ce pays. Le Premier
ministre Erdogan Рqui rendait hier visite aux bless̩s sur les lieux
de la catastrophe a été vivement pris a partie par les membres des
familles des victimes. De nombreux clichés et des vidéos relatant
ces événements ont été postés sur les médias sociaux et en
particulier sur Twitter.

L’un d’entre eux a particulièrement marqué les internautes et il
fait actuellement le tour de la toile. On y voit Yusuf Yerkel – proche
conseiller du Premier Ministre et adjoint de son chef de cabinet,
décocher un violent coup de pied a un manifestant maintenu au sol
par deux représentants des forces de l’ordre.

Yusuf Yerkel est jeune. Il est bel homme et élégamment vêtu de
costumes a la coupe impeccable. Il est moderne et dispose d’un compte
Twitter. On pourrait donc croire qu’en un instant de tension extrême,
il a “simplement” dérapé.

Pourtant cette image m’a immédiatement rappelé – peut-être
sommes-nous plusieurs dans ce cas – un texte datant de presque 120
ans. Ce texte, c’est celui d’une lettre écrite le 10 octobre 1895 par
Paul Cambon, ambassadeur de France a Constantinople de 1891 a 1898,
puis a Londres jusqu’en 1920.

POUR LIRE LA SUITE CLIQUER SUR LE LIEN

vendredi 16 mai 2014, Stéphane ©armenews.com

LA VISITE D’ETAT DU PRESIDENT DE LA REPUBLIQUE FRANCAISE EN ARMENIE VUE PAR LA PRESSE D’EREVAN

ARMENIE

Trois jours de suite, la visite d’Etat du Président de la
République francaise en Arménie, les 12 et 13 mai, a monopolisé
l’actualité arménienne, faisant la ” une ” des principaux
quotidiens et constituant la principale nouvelle des chaînes de
télévision. La cérémonie d’accueil du Chef de l’Etat francais a
l’aéroport Zvartnots, ainsi que sa conférence de presse conjointe
avec le Président Sarkissian, le lendemain, ont été transmises
en direct par la chaîne publique arménienne. La visite d’Etat a
démarré par un Forum économique en présence des deux Présidents,
venant souligner, d’après les médias, la dimension économique
marquée de cette visite, compte tenu également de l’importance
de la délégation du Président composée d’hommes d’affaires
francais et franco-arméniens. Ouvrant le Forum, les Présidents
ont réaffirmé leur volonté de poursuivre et de renforcer
la coopération économique entre les deux pays, en remarquant
qu’en dépit des échanges politiques, historiques et culturels
exceptionnellement riches, les relations commerciales entre les
deux pays demandaient a être développées, ce en dépit du statut
de la France de premier investisseur occidental en Arménie et des
progrès tangibles enregistrés au cours des dernières années en
la matière. Le Président Sarkissian s’est félicité de l’arrivée
imminente d’une nouvelle société francaise sur le marché arménien,
Carrefour, ce qui illustre, d’après lui, l’attractivité du marché
arménien pour les investisseurs étrangers. Le Président Hollande,
quant a lui, a réaffirmé l’engagement de la France a poursuivre la
coopération économique avec l’Arménie compte tenu des conditions
géopolitiques difficiles de celle-ci. M Hollande a également
souligné la nécessité d’accompagner le développement des relations
économiques entre les deux pays au travers la formation de cadres,
en évoquant a ce propos l’importance de l’Université francaise
en Arménie. Interrogé par des hommes d’affaires francais sur les
perspectives de la coopération économique avec l’Arménie a la suite
de son adhésion a l’Union douanière eurasiatique, le Président
Sarkissian a indiqué que celle-ci n’en rendait l’économie arménienne
que plus attractive pour les investisseurs européens.

A l’issue du Forum, le Président francais, accompagné de son
homologue arménien, s’est rendu au Mémorial du Génocide, pour
déposer une gerbe.

D’après les médias arméniens, l’un des moments les plus forts de la
visite fut le concert exceptionnel de Charles Aznavour au Palais des
Sports, donné a l’occasion de ses 90 ans. Les médias arméniens ont
largement couvert le tête-a-tête des deux Chefs d’Etat, l’entretien
élargi aux deux délégations, ainsi que l’échange de décorations
entre les deux Présidents.

La conférence de presse conjointe des deux Présidents a été
largement commentée par les médias arméniens, qui ont abondamment
cité les propos du Président francais prônant une ” formule
exceptionnelle ” d’association entre l’UE et l’Arménie, sans
que celle-ci ne doive rompre ses liens avec l’Union douanière
eurasiatique. ” Je vais soutenir la démarche de l’Arménie visant
a ce que sa situation exceptionnelle soit reconnue comme telle selon
une formule exceptionnelle. Celle-ci doit permettre a l’Arménie de
rester elle-même et de demeurer dans un processus lui permettant de
se rapprocher de l’Union européenne sans rompre d’autres liens. Je
souhaite que l’Arménie soit pleinement associée a l’Union européenne
parce que ce sont ses aspirations, ses valeurs, son intérêt et, dans
le même temps je ne vais pas forcer l’Arménie a rompre ses relations
commerciales avec la Russie dans le cadre de l’Union douanière ”,
a fait valoir le Président Hollande. Interrogé sur le soutien de
l’Arménie au ” rapprochement ” de la Crimée avec la Russie, le
Président de la République a simplement rappelé que la France était
” attachée au respect du principe de l’intégrité territoriale ”.

Toutefois, il ne cherchait pas a ” juger ” mais a ” comprendre ”
l’Arménie. Le Président Sarkissian, quant a lui, a évoqué ”
l’amitié séculaire entre la Russie et l’Arménie ”, celles-ci
étant liées par la culture, les liens économiques, un même
système sécuritaire, tous facteurs a l’origine de la décision de
l’Arménie d’opter en faveur de l’Union douanière. M. Sarkissian
a également fait valoir la possibilité pour son pays d’importer
des hydrocarbures (de Russie) a des prix très compétitifs grâce
a l’Union douanière. Il a toutefois souligné le souhait de Erevan
de poursuivre et d’approfondir son partenariat avec l’UE, prônant
également un modèle exceptionnel de coopération avec Bruxelles.

Conflit du HK- Le Chef de l’Etat francais a estimé que le
cessez-le-feu n’était pas suffisant pour parvenir au règlement de ce
conflit qui a coÔté la vie a des milliers de personnes. Il a exprimé
la disponibilité de la France a accueillir les Présidents d’Arménie
et d’Azerbaïdjan pour relancer les négociations en vue d’un accord de
paix. Génocide arménien- Interrogé sur le récent message du PM turc
a la veille du 99ème anniversaire du génocide, le Président Hollande
a estimé que tous les messages de compréhension, d’apaisement,
de tolérance doivent être salués d’où qu’ils viennent, mais a
estimé indispensable que les faits soient désignés par leur nom,
a savoir le terme de génocide. Il a réaffirmé sa participation,
le 24 avril 2015 a Erevan, aux manifestations dédiées au centenaire
du Génocide arménien.

Le Président Sarkissian l’a vivement remercié pour sa position,
rappelant a quel point elle était importante pour le peuple arménien.

Enfin, les deux Présidents ont inauguré un parc portant le nom
de Missak Manouchian au cŔur de Erevan et visité le chantier du
premier hypermarché de Carrefour.

Commentaires de presse

Le quotidien pro-gouvernemental Hayots Achkhar estime dans son édition
du 13 mai que trois visites de Chefs d’Etat francais en Arménie en
moins de 10 ans témoignent du niveau très élevé des relations avec
la France. Le quotidien souligne que bien que la venue du Président
Hollande en Arménie s’inscrive dans le cadre d’une visite régionale,
ce n’est qu’en Arménie qu’il a effectué une visite d’Etat. Hayots
Achkhar ajoute que depuis l’indépendance de l’Arménie, parmi les
pays de l’UE c’est avec la France que l’Arménie entretient des
relations privilégiées, et que ce sont notamment les sociétés
francaises qui sont largement représentées en Arménie. ” Depuis
l’établissement de la troisième République d’Arménie, c’est la
France qui semble avoir assumé le rôle de protecteur des droits de
ce pays ”, estime le quotidien.

Hayots Achkhar du 15 mai consacre deux articles a la visite du
Président de la République, dont le premier est intitulé ” La
position équilibrée de la France a une importance stratégique pour
l’Arménie ”.

Le commentateur estime que la visite de M. Hollande a prouvé que
l’amitié entre la France et l’Arménie est irréversible et que
les propos du Président francais sur la nécessité de trouver
une ” formule exceptionnelle ” d’association entre l’Arménie
et l’UE constituent le premier soutien sérieux a l’Arménie de
la part d’une des puissances les plus influentes de l’Occident
depuis la décision de Erevan de rejoindre l’Union douanière. ”
La France incarne des valeurs uniques non seulement pour l’Occident,
mais pour le monde et sa position de principe [envers l’Arménie] ne
saurait passer inapercue a Washington et a Moscou. La France a une
nouvelle fois prouvé son attachement a l’amitié avec l’Arménie,
ainsi qu’a ses valeurs profondément humanistes ”, écrit Hayots
Achkhar. Ce même quotidien publie également un entretien avec le
Président de la commission des affaires financières et budgétaires,
Gaguik Minassian, membre du parti Républicain, qui salue l’appel
du Président francais a trouver une ” formule exceptionnelle ”
de rapprochement entre l’Arménie et l’UE, mais tient a souligner
que la position de la France, bien qu’elle soit un pays puissant
qui pèse sur la détermination des règles du jeu de la politique
internationale, n’est pas celle de toute l’Europe. Selon M.

Minassian, le peuple arménien a très hautement apprécié les
propos du Président francais selon lesquels la France sera toujours
aux côtés de l’Arménie. Il a dit espérer que ” ces paroles
précieuses seront toujours valables ”. M. Minassian salue en outre la
position de principe du Président francais quant a la reconnaissance
internationale et la condamnation du Génocide arménien, ce qui
honore, selon lui, son pays et son peuple. Il se dit confiant dans le
fait que l’appel du Président francais a la Turquie sera écouté non
seulement par Ankara, mais aussi par d’autres pays ” civilisés ” qui
sauront dépasser leurs intérêts nationaux et se placer aux côtés
de la France pour défendre les droits de l’Homme et des nations.

Selon le commentateur de Yerkir.am, Erevan souhaiterait réserver a
la France et personnellement au Président Hollande le rôle de ”
médiateur ” dans ses relations avec l’UE quelque peu ternies a la
suite de la décision du 3 septembre. Le Président francais, quant
a lui, semblerait ne pas avoir d’objection a assumer ce rôle ”
exceptionnel ”. ” Seul le temps montrera a quel point cette mission
de médiation de la France auprès de l’UE en faveur de l’Arménie
sera efficace. Une chose est certaine : les autorités de Erevan ont
pu mettre a profit cette visite pour trouver un défenseur de leurs
intérêts auprès des autorités de Bruxelles ”, écrit Yerkir.am.

Extrait de la revue de presse de l’Ambassade de France en Arménie
en date du 15 mai 2014

vendredi 16 mai 2014, Stéphane ©armenews.com

95TH COMMEMORATION OF THE PONTIAN-GREEK GENOCIDE IN NEW YORK

Greek Reporter
May 15 2014

New York by Anastasios Papapostolou –
May 15, 2014 –

Each year the descendants of the Pontian-Greeks along with all Hellenes
and Phil-Hellenes across the United States and Canada commemorate the
victims and honor the heroes of the Pontian-Greek Genocide that took
place in the Black Sea area of Pontos at the hands of the Ottomans,
New Turks and Kemalists during 1914-1924.

The Consulate General of Greece in NY in coordination with The
Pan-Pontian Federation of USA & Canada and The Press & Communication
Office-Permanent Mission of Greece to the UN and in cooperation with
the local Pontian Societies of “Komninoi” of New York and “Pontos”
of Norwalk Connecticut and the Holy Institution of Panagia Soumela
will host the 95th Commemoration of the Pontian-Greek Genocide on
Friday May 16th, 2014 at 6:00 pm at the Greek Press and Communication
Office 305 East 47th Street, 2nd Floor, New York City.

This year’s event will feature Dr. Taner Akcam, Professor of History
and Chair in Armenian Genocide Studies at Clark University and Dr.

Constantine G. Hatzidimitriou author, historian and educator.

Stephanos Papadopoulos will read poems from his third collection
titled “The Black Sea”. Mr. Papadopoulos is the 2014 recipient of
the Jeannette Haien Ballard Writer’s Prize.

A reception will follow with traditional Pontian Cuisine prepared
exclusively by the Women’s Associations.

Vespers, Memorial Service and Wreath-laying ceremony will be held
on Saturday, May 17th at 7:00 pm at the Panagia Soumela Chapel (253
Marshall Hill Road – West Milford NJ 07480).

The raising of the Greek and Pontian flags event will take place on
Sunday May 19th, 2014 at 12:00 (noon) at Bowling Green Park in Lower
Manhattan (intersection of Broadway and State Street). This event
is co-sponsored by the Federation of Hellenic Societies of Greater
New York.

TRAVELING UNDER THE RADAR

Thursday, May 15th, 2014

Armenia’s newly-appointed prime minister, Hovik Abrahamian with
President Serzh Sarkisian

A proposed bill seeks to classify travels of President, Prime Minister
and Parliament Speaker

The next time President Serzh Sarkisian decides to travel to South
Korea for “rejuvenation” therapy, he can do so without anyone’s
knowledge. Ditto for the Prime Minister if he chooses to engage in
off-shore investments, as his predecessor was alleged to have been.

Ditto for the parliament speaker. All this thanks to new proposed
legislation pending in Armenia Parliament that would classify the
top leaders’ travels as “top secret.”

On Thursday, the parliament debated such a bill that was drafted by
Armenia’s National Security Service and proposed for consideration
by the legislature. Under Armenian law, information related to state
officials’ travel, whose expenses are covered by the state budget,
are public and accessible to the media.

The NSS deputy director Arzuman Harutinunyan presented the bill to
parliament and said that the current transparency provision of the law
undermines the security of Armenia’s three senior most leaders. Of
course the ruling Republican Party of Armenia parliament members
advocated for the bill, among them the newly-minted Parliament Speaker
Galust Sahakian, who seeks to benefit from the provisions.

“I’ve looked up international legislation on such issues and even
checked the Stalin-era practices,” said Naira Zohrabian of the
Prosperous Armenia Party as quoted by RFE/RL. “Even there I didn’t
see any cases where expenditures of high-ranking state officials were
carried out secretly.”

Other opposition lawmakers opined that this new bill gives these
leaders carte blanche to continue their corruption, but in secret.

Last year, disclosures suggested that the then Prime Minister Tigran
Sargsyan had spent an excess of $200,000 from the state budget to
hire private jets and other amenities for his travel.

So, instead of curbing such expenditures, this “new and improved”
government is opting to continue its lavish spending, and call it a
“state secret.” So much for the promised change.