Author: Kajoyan Gevork

ARF YOUTH STAGE PROTEST AT UN OFFICE IN ARMENIA (PHOTOS)

March 27, 2014 | 17:25

YEREVAN. – The ARF Dashnaktsutyun Party Nikol Aghbalyan Student Union
on Thursday held a demonstration in front of the UN Office in Armenia
(PHOTOS).

In addition, they handed a letter to the office, and demanded the UN
condemn Turkey’s operations in Syria’s predominantly Armenian-populated
town of Kessab, and enable the Kessab Armenians to return to their
homes.

Despite the pouring rain, the protesters stated that they will not
leave the premises unless a UN office representative responded to them.

A few minutes later, Sergey Shipilov, United Nations Department of
Safety and Security’s Security Advisor in Armenia, came down and
listened to the protestors’ demand.

Subsequently, the demonstrators sang patriotic songs and left.

A group of Syrian Armenians, and the Social Democrat Hunchakian Party’s
student-youth union members also were on hand at the demonstration.

In the early morning on March 21, armed militants from the Jabhat
al-Nusra Islamic terrorist group infiltrated into northern Syria’s
Latakia Governorate, which is predominantly inhabited by Armenians
and Alawites, from four directions. Two large groups of terrorists
had launched the attack from Turkey. About 600 Kessab-Armenian
families are currently sheltered in Latakia city. On March 23, Turkish
fighter planes downed a Syrian military aircraft that was conducting a
mission against the Islamic terrorists in Kessab. On Monday, a group
of Armenia parliament members headed to Syria to assess the situation
in the country.

ARF youth hand UN letter on Armenian-populated Kessab Armenia citizens
demand corresponding response from UN on Kessab events

LE COLUCHE ARMENIEN VICTIME D’UN DENI DE JUSTICE ?

REVUE DE PRESSE

Vardan Petrosyan, le “Coluche” armenien, doit etre juge la semaine
prochaine dans son pays d’origine pour homicide involontaire. La
famille de ce chansonnier, humoriste franco-armenien lance un appel
au gouvernement francais, car elle craint un deni de justice.

Au depart, il y a un drame de la route. Le 20 octobre dernier, a
l’exterieur d’Erevan, Vardan Petrosyan percute devant lui une voiture
pleine de jeunes gens. Deux adolescents sont tues, cinq personnes
blessees et Vardan Petrosyan lui-meme passe trois jours dans le coma,
15 jours en soins intensifs. Mais la justice armenienne n’attend pas :
le voici emmene en ambulance au tribunal, qui le place en detention
provisoire et a l’isolement comme un detenu dangereux, pendant que
sa defense demonte, une a une, les accusations portees contre lui.

pour ecouter l’emission cliquer sur le
lien

jeudi 27 mars 2014, Stephane (c)armenews.com

LE KARABAGH FAIT UNE CELEBRATION > DES RESULTATS DU REFERENDUM EN CRIMEE

KARABAGH

Un concert en l’honneur de la jonction a la Russie de la Crimee a eu
lieu dans la capitale Stepanakert du Karabagh mardi soir. Le concert
a ete spontanee et n’avait ete annonce que pendant la journee, meme
les membres du parlement du Karabagh ont reconnu qu’ils n’etaient
pas au courant des plans pour la celebration.

Un rassemblement a egalement ete prevu, mais pour diverses raisons
il n’a pas eu lieu. La maîtresse de ceremonie a seulement lu une
declaration du ministère des Affaires etrangères et du Parlement du
Haut-Karabagh, où le referendum en Crimee a ete qualifie d’exemple
de realisation du droit des peuples a l’autodetermination. Puis,
aussitôt, le concert a commence suivi par le president du Haut-Karabagh
Bako Sahakian.

On ne sait pas qui a ete l’initiateur de l’evenement : certains experts
estiment que avant l’incorporation possible du
Karabagh a la Russie sur l’exemple de la Crimee. Le journal en ligne
Karabakh-open.info a interroge les personnes presentes au Square de
la renaissance a Stepanakert ce jour-la pour savoir si tous se sont
felicite de l’adhesion de la Crimee a la Russie comme un precedent
pour le Karabakh. Il y a vingt-cinq ans le Karabagh a proclame son
independance et l’a defendu dans une guerre sanglante,ont dit les
habitants du Karabagh.

Il est difficile de dire quelle est la probabilite d’un scenario
que le Karabagh rejoigne la Russie dans des conditions d’evenements
en developpement rapide comme aujourd’hui, en particulier en tenant
compte du fait qu’a l’automne dernier le savant armenien Zori Balayan
a ecrit une lettre a M. Poutine, dans lequel il lui rappelle le traite
de Gulistan, en vertu duquel le Karabagh a fait secession de l’empire
perse et a rejoint l’empire russe. Et le scenario du Karabagh se
raccordant a la Russie reste toujours d’actualite.

En mai l’Armenie a l’intention de signer un accord pour rejoindre
l’Union douanière dirigee par la Russie, et a cet egard la question
du Karabagh et son statut deviendra encore plus d’actualite. Est-ce
que l’ Armenie va mettre en avant une condition a la Russie de ne
pas rejoindre l’Union douanière sans le Karabagh ? Et comment la
Russie va reagir ? Ne serait-ce pas reconnaître l’independance du
Karabagh ? A la fin de ce mois-ci une autre reunion des ministres
des Affaires etrangères de l’Armenie et de l’Azerbaïdjan aura lieu
a La Haye. Mais les presidents, Serge Sarkissian et Ilham Aliev,
qui seront egalement a La Haye, n’ont pas convenu de se rencontrer.

Par Naira Hayrumyan

ArmeniaNow

jeudi 27 mars 2014, Stephane (c)armenews.com

TURQUIE – CLIMAT MALSAIN POUR LA PRESSE

TURQUIE

Les elections municipales et regionales turques, considerees comme
un test essentiel pour le gouvernement de Recep Tayyip Erdogan, se
tiendront le 30 mars 2014 au terme d’une campagne tendue qui n’a pas
epargne les professionnels des medias. Empetre dans des scandales
politico-financiers et engage dans une guerre de l’information avec
la confrerie religieuse de Fethullah Gulen, le gouvernement multiplie
les pressions sur les organes de presse. A quelques jours du scrutin,
Reporters sans frontières deplore le climat malsain dans lequel les
journalistes tentent d’exercer leur activite et les mesures de censure
qui les entravent.

>, declare
Christophe Deloire, secretaire general de Reporters sans frontières.

Sanctions a geometrie variable

Depuis le debut de la campagne officielle, le 1er janvier, le
Haut conseil des elections (YSK) est charge de faire respecter
la legislation electorale et de sanctionner les medias coupables
d’infractions. Les sanctions sont ensuite appliquees par le Haut
conseil de l’audiovisuel (RTUK). Mais leurs decisions sont marquees par
une inegalite de traitement patente en faveur du parti AKP au pouvoir.

La chaîne publique TRT n’a fait l’objet que d’une mise en garde
pour avoir consacre 89,5 % de son temps d’antenne a l’AKP entre le
22 fevrier et le 2 mars. Dans le meme temps, elle n’avait consacre
que 5 % de sa couverture au parti republicain CHP, 5,3 % au parti
nationaliste MHP et 0,2 % au parti pro-kurde BDP.

En revanche, le YSK a recemment ordonne la suspension a huit reprises
d’une emission de la chaîne Samanyolu Haber TV, proche de la confrerie
Gulen. Cette decision sanctionne la retransmission d’une conference de
presse tenue le 11 fevrier par le leader d’un parti d’opposition, lors
de laquelle avaient ete diffuses des enregistrements de conversations
telephoniques compromettantes entre le Premier ministre et des hommes
d’affaires. En lieu et place de l’emission en question, la chaîne devra
diffuser un documentaire produit par le RTUK. D’après son directeur
de publication, Metin Yikar, la chaîne a fait l’objet d’un total de
vingt suspensions concernant sept emissions differentes depuis le debut
de la periode electorale, soit . >, a rencheri le president du groupe Cem Medya, Celal
Toprak, en soulignant que >. Pressions et licenciements

La diffusion d’extraits de conversations telephoniques attestant
de pressions de l’executif sur de grands organes de presse a rythme
la campagne electorale. Malgre toutes les reserves que suscitent ce
procede, ces revelations ont mis en evidence l’ampleur des pratiques
de censure et d’intimidation en vigueur dans le pays.

Dans l’un des derniers enregistrements en date, rendu public le 18
mars, la voix attribuee au Premier ministre reprimande violemment
le vice-president du conseil d’administration du groupe de medias
Haberturk, Fatih Sarac. Il est question de la couverture, par le
quotidien Haberturk et par la chaîne de television du meme nom,
du scandale politico-financier qui a eclate le 17 decembre 2013
et qui implique les fils de trois ministres .

DES ACTIVISTES TURCS CONDAMNENT LES ATTAQUES EN COURS A KESSAB

TURQUIE

Les attaques contre la ville syrienne peuplee d’Armeniens de de
Kessab par des terroristes venant de Turquie ont provoque la colère
de certains intellectuels turcs. Comme le rapporte DemokratHaber.net
de Turquie, l’eminent editeur turc Ragip Zarakolu et l’auteur et
journaliste Sait Cetinoglu ont exprime leurs inquietudes.

“Le groupe d’Al-Qaïda a facilement franchit la frontière a Antakya et
attaque la magnifique region de Kessab, situe sur le côte oppose de la
frontière. Parmi les autres particularites de Kessab, c’est que c’est
une ville peuple d’Armeniens. Mais maintenant Kessab est totalement
vide. La population locale a de nouveau dû migrer comme en 1915 puis
1939. Ils ont fui actuellement a Lattaquie ” a souligne Ragip Zarakolu.

Un autre intellectuel turc Sait Cetinoglu a declare que les maisons
des Armeniens sont voles. parmi les autres choses Sait Cetinoglu a
souligne :

ARMENIA KEEN TO IMPORT MORE NATURAL GAS FROM IRAN

Fars News Agency, Iran
March 26 2014

TEHRAN (FNA)- The Armenian Minister of Energy and Natural Resources
Armen Movsisyan underlined Yerevan’s determination to boost energy
ties and natural gas imports from Iran.

Movsisyan said that increasing Armenia’s natural gas import from Iran
up to two billion cubic meters is scheduled to be discussed during
a joint commission between the two countries’ officials in charge in
Tehran due in May 2014.

In recent years, Iran and its Northern neighbor Armenia have boosted
cooperation, signed agreements on energy cooperation and agreed to
cooperate in technology and research and enhance ties in commerce
and economy.

In August, Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani and his Armenian counterpart
Serzh Sargsian, in a meeting in Tehran, hailed the friendly relations
between the two neighboring states, and called for the expansion of
mutual cooperation in all arenas.

During the meeting, the Iranian president said that relations between
Iran and Armenia have been friendly based on mutual interests and
there is no doubt that the same trend will be continued in future to
help enhance the current level of relations and cooperation.

“Iran has always called for expansion of relations and cooperation with
Armenia thanks to both sides cultural and civilization commonalities,”
Rouhani added.

“Armenia at international conferences has always adopted a very close
and friendly stand with Iran, which helps meet both sides’ interests,”
Rouhani said.

The Armenian president, for his part, said that Iran and Armenia have
kept abreast of developments throughout history and in the past 20
years they developed economic cooperation.

“There is no doubt that ties and cooperation between the two countries
will be bolstered in line with the expansion of economic cooperation
during the tenure of president Rouhani,” he said.

According to the National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC), around 1.5
billion cubic meters of natural gas has been traded with Armenian
electricity from 2007 to 2012.

LES CHRETIENS DU VILLAGE DE KASSAB POUSSES A L’EXODE PAR LES COMBATS

France 24, France
26 mars 2014

Samedi 22 mars, le village de Kassab et le passage frontalier avec
la Turquie ont essuye une offensive des factions rebelles djihadistes.

Les habitants chretiens armeniens et les alaouites ont commence a
quitter leur village dès les premiers accrochages. Aujourd’hui, Kassab
est vide de sa population. La plupart a trouve refuge a Lattaquie,
bastion du regime, d’où temoigne notre Observateur.

Kassab est l’unique village armenien de la region, il se situe a
l’extreme nord-ouest syrien a la frontière avec la Turquie. Ces
familles armeniennes chretiennes sont venues s’installer dans la
region en 1915 pour fuir la politique genocidaire de l’Empire Ottoman.

Le village accueillait aussi une minorite chiite alaouite.

La population “a commence a faire ses bagages dès les premiers coups
de feu” a l’aube du samedi 22 mars, premier jour de l’offensive,
a explique a FRANCE 24 un commandant rebelle ayant pris part aux
combats. Il ajoute que “la population armenienne n’est pas visee et
que ses biens et avoirs seront preserves”. Des videos sur lesquelles
on voit des combattants aider des habitants a quitter leur village
ont ete postees sur les reseaux sociaux par des chaînes proche de
l’opposition :

Abdallah Mhesne, un predicateur saoudien, qui accompagne differentes
factions rebelles dans le nord syrien et present actuellement dans
les environs de Kassab, a toutefois explique sur son compte Twitter
(ci-dessous) etre “rentre avec les frères dans une maison de chretiens
[a Kassab]. Ils n’ont rien touche…mais les croix, les bouteilles
de vins et la viande de cochon ont ete detruits”.

ASIA/SYRIA – THE ARMENIAN CATHOLIC PATRIARCH: THE CHRISTIANS WHO FLED FROM KESSAB HAVE TO DEAL WITH THE EMERGENCY WITH A SPIRIT OF COMMUNION

Agenzia Fides, Italy
March 25 2014

Beirut (Agenzia Fides ) – “There are more than three hundred Armenian
families who have fled from Kessab. They have now found shelter in the
Armenian Orthodox parish in the city of Latakia, an hour’s drive from
Kessab. They have sought refuge in the school and church’s hall. But
now they fear that the rebels will also attack Latakia, and many are
preparing to flee from there, too”. This is how the Armenian Catholic
Patriarch Nerses Bedros XIX Tarmouni describes to Fides Agency the
uncertain condition in which Christians are forced to leave the city,
mostly Armenians, because occupied by anti- Assad rebel militias at
the dawn on 21 March. Patriarch Tarmouni is in constant contact with
Fr. Nareg Louissian and his parishioners who fled from Kessab and
provides precise details of the assault to Fides: “The Christians
fled at dawn, some of them in pajamas, without being able to bring
anything with them, as soon as they heard the sound of gunfire. The
rebels came from the mountains on the border with Turkey. They were
many and well armed. The formations of the army which garrisoned the
city withdrew, as well as young Armenians of Nashtag (an Armenian
left-wing nationalist movement) that had organized groups of armed
self-defense around the churches”.

The Armenians of Kessab were mostly farmers. Peaceful people. The rural
area, so far not involved in the Syrian conflict, holds a symbolic
place in the shared memory of the Armenian people: “In 1915, when the
Armenians left Cilicia after the genocide perpetrated by the Turks”,
explains Patriarch Nerses Bedros, “the last Armenian community in
the region remained in Kessab”. According to the Patriarch, even the
military strategies of anti- Assad formation respond, at least in
part, to a symbolic order: “Now the rebels are heading for Latakia,
which is not as big as Damascus or Aleppo, but is a stronghold of
the Alawites, the religious community to which Assad belongs”.

In dealing together with the emergency situation, the Armenian
Christians – explains to Fides, Patriarch Tarmouni – are experiencing
the spirit of fellowship beyond denominational distinctions: “Last
Sunday, Catholic and Orthodox Armenians celebrated Mass together. I
spoke to our pastor Nareg, and I encouraged him to stay close to all
the faithful, in this difficult moment. I was told that 3 Armenian
Orthodox priests from Aleppo were sent to Latakia, to offer spiritual
and material assistance to refugees”. (GV) (Agenzia Fides 25/03/2014)

ARMENIAN IRRIGATION SYSTEMS NEED TO BE DEMONOPOLIZED – EXPERT

YEREVAN, March 26. /ARKA/. The irrigation system should be
demonopolized in Armenia, head of the agrarian-peasant union of
Armenia Hrach Berberyan said.

The field was monopolized when the association of water users replaced
the ministry of agriculture in dealing with irrigation systems in 2012,
Berberyan told a press conference Wednesday.

According to the expert, the monopoly leads to restrictions for
local farmers and makes them depend on the association. Alternative
organizations empowered to sign agreements with rural communities
on supply of irrigation water should be created in the country,
Berberyan said. These organizations will then have an opportunity
to settle irrigation water tariffs and create conditions for their
reduction, he added.

Irrigation water costs 11 drams per cubic meter today, as compared
to 8 drams in 2010. Irrigated area totals about 130,000 hectares in
Armenia, compared to 270,000 hectares in Soviet times. -0–

– See more at:

Kultura.Az Writes About Armenian Philosopher Who Helped To Reform Azerbaijani Alphabet

18:30 26/03/2014 >> SOCIETY

Azerbaijani website Kultura.az referred to the personality of
philosopher and diplomat Mirza Melik, who was an Armenian friend
of Azerbaijani writer and educator Mirza Fatali Akhundov. It is
noteworthy that the Azerbaijani website emphasizes the fact that
in the late 19th century the Armenian helped Akhundov to reform the
alphabet for the Muslim population of nowadays Azerbaijan.

“Save all my letters addressed to you in a separate place. Our
letters after our death will become a rare historical document for
our offspring,” Akhundov wrote to his Armenian friend.

Mirza Melkum khan’s biography is quite an interesting one. His
father Hakob was born to an Armenian family in Julfa. He spent his
youth in Europe studying French and Russian languages. Later he was
islamicized; however certain information about the circumstances of
his islamization is not available. Melkum khan was born in 1833 and
in the age of 10 was sent to France to stay with relatives. There he
studied in an Armenian school, after which at Polytechnic University.

After Melkum khan returned to Iran, he started to work as a diplomat.

In 1864, while living in Istanbul he got married with the daughter of
wealthy local Armenian Arakel Topchubashi, Henrieta. It is noteworthy
that the wedding took place in a local Armenian church.

In 1872 Melkum khan was appointed ambassador of Iran to Great Britain.

The fact made Akhundov displeased, “He was the only writer-philosopher
in Iran and unfortunately, not realizing his value they walled him
up in London,” Ahkundov complained in his letters addressed to the
father of Melkum khan.

In the course of the reform of Arabic alphabet for the Muslim
population of Azerbaijan, Akhundov frequently consulted the Armenian
philosopher, “We, together, by promoting the change of alphabet, have
completed our duty before the mankind as well as cultural development.

Our name will live forever in the history and the coming generations
will refer to us with pride and respect,” Akhundov wrote to Melkum.

Note that Melkum khan wrote two important works in Persian touching
on the problem of alphabet: “Sheikh and vezir” and “Beginning of
development”. In Baku both books were published in Turkish in 1905
and 1907, but the alphabet used was Arabic one.

Another Azerbaijani writer educator of the time Jalil Mammadguluzadeh
in one of his works paraphrased the words of Melkum khan: “I say
a word to those, who are humans” and interpreted them as follows:
“I say a word to those, who have ears.”