Author: Kajoyan Gevork

Over 160 cases of ceasefire violation by the Azerbaijani side reported last week

13:56 14.12.2013

ceasefire violation

According to the data of the NKR Defense Army, about 160 cases of
ceasefire violations by the Azerbaijani side were registered at the
line of contact between the armed forces of Nagorno Karabakh and
Azerbaijan from December 8 to 14.

The rival fired more than 700 shots from weapons of different caliber
in the direction of the Armenian positions.

The front divisions of the NKR Defense Army remained committed to the
maintenance of the ceasefire regime and continued with their military
duty all along the line of contact.

Armenian pianist to give a concert at Cathedral Church of St Marie in Sheffield

11:34 14.12.2013

Armenian pianist and composer Artur Bobikyan is giving a recital
called My Keys to Christmas at the Cathedral Church of St Marie in
Sheffield, England, on Tuesday, the Sheffield Telegraph reports.

The programme includes works and arrangements by Mendelssohn, Wade,
Watts, Gruber, Tchaikovsky, Haroutunian, Khachaturian, Komitas and
Bobikyan on a seasonal theme.

My Keys To Christmas is the title of an album Bobikyan recorded at the
Royal College of Music in Manchester.

The concert pianist, organist and composer graduated as a pianist from
Yekmalian Music School and later combined performing with compostion
at the Tchaikovsky Music School.

At the age of 14 he won the title of Pianist of the Year in Armenia
and was soon winning piano competitions in Armenia, Russia and in
across Europe.

He was the organ curator for nine years at the prestigious Cathedral
of Holy Echmiadzin.

As a composer (which apparently began at the age of seven) Bobikyan’s
portfolio includes piano and violin concertos, preludes for organ and
piano and choral arrangements.

He has even turned his hand to scores for TV advertisements and a
musical. They have been performed by the BBC singers and the London
Symphony Orchestra and heard on BBC Radio 4 and Classic FM.

He himself has performed at the Royal Festival Hall, Westminster
Abbey, Cathedral Grant Trinity Paris, Armenian National Opera and the
Aram Khachaturian Philharmonic Music Hall and in front of a variety of
luminaries from Pope John Paul II to Jean-Claude Van Damme and Charles
Aznavour.

REPORTAGE PHOTO
Soirée dédiée au livre album de Montserrat Caballé rendant hommage à l’Arménie

L’ambassade d’Arménie a organisé le 12 décembre à l’Hôtel
intercontinental une belle soirée dédiée à la sortie du livre-album de
Montserrat Caballé Arménie-Artsakh, îlots de chrétienté. Le catholicos
Karékine II et Bako Sahakian, le président de la République du
Haut-Karabagh, ont parrainé cette soirée événement à laquelle était
également présent Charles Aznavour, Claudia Cardinale, la baronnesse
Caroline Cox, Stéphane Bern et les élus des groupes d’amitiés
France-Arménie au Parlement. A noter également, la présence d’Anne
Hidalgo, candidate PS à la Mairie de Paris.

Bako Sahakian, Montserrat Caballé, Karékine II, Charles Aznavour
samedi 14 décembre 2013,
Ara ©armenews.com

TRADITIONS
Les stands arméniens à Moscou à lors de la foire « Grenade d’or » pour
les fêtes de fin d’année

Du 20 décembre au 8 janvier se déroulera à Moscou le Festival `Voyage
vers la Sainte Nativité’ en présence de stands de nombreuses villes.
La représentation de la Ville d’Erévan à Moscou indique que les
moscovites connaissent déjà la foire annuelle de la période des fêtes
de fin d’année, la « Grenade d’or ». Chaque année de nombreuses villes
d’Arménie, des artisans et artistes viennent prendre part à cette
manifestation. Dans les stands arméniens, les habitants de la capitale
russe trouvent des confitures d’Arménie des fruits secs, des plats
traditionnels arméniens des confiseries et des cadeaux de Noël et du
Nouvel An. Lors de ces expositions-ventes, est également enseignée la
préparation du lavash, le pain arménien.

Krikor Amirzayan

samedi 14 décembre 2013,
Krikor Amirzayan ©armenews.com

GEORGIE-TOURISME
1 046 606 touristes d’Arménie se sont rendus en Géorgie entre janvier et octobre

Le nombre de touristes Arméniens visitant la Géorgie a connu une très
forte croissance sur les 10 premiers mois de l’année avec 1 046 606
citoyens d’Arménie qui se sont rendus en Géorgie, soit une hausse de
41% par rapport à la même période de 2012. Le nombre des touristes
Ukrainiens est passé de 70 000 à 120 000 avec une croissance de près
de 67%. Les Géorgiens escomptaient sur un doublement du nombre des
touristes cette année… Les autorités géorgiennes mènent une campagne
énergique dans de nombreux pays tels que l’Ukraine pour ramener des
flots de touristes l’été comme l’hiver dans les stations de ski.
Tandis que l’Arménie qui n’a plus de compagnie aérienne nationale va
se contenter d’atteindre le million de touristes…dont une majeure
partie d’origine arménienne…Il est vrai que la situation
géographique de la Géorgie avec ses stations balnéaires et ses
stations de ski sont des atouts non négligeables dans le domaine du
tourisme.

Krikor Amirzayan

samedi 14 décembre 2013,
Krikor Amirzayan ©armenews.com

ARMENIE-AZERBAÏDJAN
Depuis plus d’un mois la route Voskepar-Baghanis soumise à des tirs
azéris reste fermée

Depuis plus d’un mois la route Voskepar-Baghanis dans la région
frontalière de Tavouche (nord-est de l’Arménie) est fermée suite aux
tirs azéris qui mettent en danger la vie des automobilistes. Nareg
Sahakian le maire du village de Baghanis a informé la presse que cette
route prise sous les tirs des positions azéries stationnées non loin
de l’axe était devenue très dangereuse, obligeant les automobilistes à
ne plus l’emprunter. Cette route permettant de relier l’Arménie à la
Géorgie. N. Sahakian a toutefois affirmé que le calme était revenu et
que de nouveaux tirs azéris n’étaient pas enregistrés depuis quelques
temps. Néanmoins il n’a pas su donner la date de la réouverture de
cette route Voskepar-Baghanis. En attendant, les automobilistes
empruntent une route bis plus sécurisée.

Krikor Amirzayan

samedi 14 décembre 2013,
Krikor Amirzayan ©armenews.com

TURKISH FM: OUR PRIMARY AIM IS COMPREHENSIVE PEACE IN THE REGION

Trend, Azerbaijan
Dec 13 2013

Our primary is a comprehensive peace in the region Foreign Minister
Ahmet Davutoglu said yesterday as he made a landmark visit to the
country’s long-time foe, Armenia, Hurriyet Daily News reported.

Accompanied by Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Feridun Sinirlioglu,
Davutoglu visited Yerevan for the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC)
group meeting. The top diplomat met with his Armenian counterpart,
Edward Nalbandian, on the sidelines of the summit.

“We are very pleased with the meeting with Nalbandian; it was candid.

The primary aim is to build an environment of dialogue on a strong
basis,” Davutoglu said after the meeting, while dismissing claims
that he suggested to Armenia that it withdraw from two regions in
Nagorno-Karabakh.

Davutoglu expressed his hope that a collective consciousness between
the two countries could be created with a “just memory.”

“We say ‘just memory.’ What I mean with that is we should know the
facts. Then we see that Turkish-Armenian relations do not date back
like German-Jewish ties. In every street, there is a common sign.

Yerevan wants Ankara to recognize the mass killings of Armenians
during the forced deportation in World War I as genocide, but Turkey
has steadfastly refused to do so.

Primary aim not to open border

“Our primary aim is not open only the Turkish-Armenian border but to
form a foundation that will pave the way for a comprehensive peace,”
Davutoglu said. “It has three pillars. The first one is relations
between Turkey and Armenia. The second one is Azerbaijani-Armenian
relations. This also includes Georgian-Abkhaz ties. The third one is
relations between Turks and Armenians,” he said.

Turkey and Armenia signed protocols in 2009 to establish diplomatic
relations and open their sealed borders, but neither succeeded in
completing the process for different reasons.

“If one of the pillars is crippled, it will create distress. Let’s
say we opened the Armenian border gate. If a war breaks out between
Armenia and Azerbaijan, then we would be forced to close it again. The
hardest thing is to defrost the iceberg of the status quo. You could
start a war when you trying to defrost it,” he said.

NEWS ANALYSIS: TURKEY, ARMENIA TEND TO MEND BILATERAL TIES

Xinhua, China
Dec 13 2013

English.news.cn 2013-12-12 23:55:13
Xinhua Weibo

ANKARA, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) — Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu
traveled to Armenia on Thursday in his first diplomatic visit to the
country since normalization talks between the two countries failed
in 2009, though analysts doubt the meeting will improve relations.

At the invitation of his counterpart Eduard Nalbandyan, Davutoglu
visited Yerevan to attend Organization of the Black Sea Economic
Cooperation (BSEC) meeting.

BSEC is a regional organization with headquarters based in the Turkish
coastal city of Istanbul. It was started in 1992 as a Turkish-led
initiative to promote economic and political cooperation in the Black
Sea region.

“There are outstanding issues between Turkey and Armenia that are
not resolved at all and this makes it difficult to move for the
normalization of ties between the two countries,” Mesut Cevikalp,
foreign policy analyst based in the Turkish capital of Ankara, told
Xinhua. He added the visit may provide an opportunity for Turkey to
do a public relations campaign while forcing Armenia to reciprocate
Ankara’s overtures.

Turkey closed its border with Armenia in 1993 as a reaction
to Armenia’s occupation of some 20 percent of its territory in
Nagorno-Karabakh region a year earlier.

A reconciliation process was started between Turkey and Armenia in
2009, when the two sides signed in Zurich protocols to normalize
diplomatic relations.

However, the ratification of the protocols was shelved after they
were unable to settle the Nagorno-Karabakh issue.

Davutoglu and Nalbandyan held an hour and a half private meeting on
the sidelines of BSEC meeting.

Speaking at the BSEC meeting, Nalbandyan ruled out any precondition for
the resumption of Turkish-Armenian ties, stressing that there should
not be any linkage between other issues and the normalization process.

Turkey said it would only open its border when Armenia withdraws from
the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven adjacent territories.

Yasar Yakis, a former Turkish foreign minister, says that Turkey and
Armenia need to do everything in their power to find a solution to
the disputes while paying attention to sensitivities of third parties.

“Previously, due to Azerbaijan’s opposition, their reconciliation
couldn’t be realized. Now the sides should take lessons from the past.

And if they act according to these lessons, the chances for peace
will be higher,” he said.

However, the situation remains thorny. Turkey partially depends on
Azerbaijan for natural gas and oil supplies. Azerbaijan is also a major
investor in Turkey and maintains a strong pro-Azeri lobby in Turkey.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said last month that
Ankara is committed to a settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute
between Azerbaijan and Armenia, saying that “Karabakh is not just
Azerbaijan’s problem, but also Turkey’s problem.”

Nagorno-Karabakh dispute was also discussed on the sidelines
of Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s (OSCE)
ministerial council in Kiev last week.

During the OSCE meeting in Kiev, Davutoglu met with Azeri counterpart
Elmar Mammadyarov and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov for the
talks on the Nagorno-Karabakh issue. Although, Davutoglu did not hold
a bilateral meeting with Armenian foreign minister in Kiev reportedly
due to his busy schedule.

The Turkish foreign minister’s visit came at a time in which Turkey
has accelerated its efforts to find a path to permanent peace in the
Caucasus. He said that he hopes his visit to Yerevan will contribute
to efforts for comprehensive peace and economic stability in BSEC
region, and especially in the Caucasus.

If Armenia reads this visit positively, a new process may start between
the two countries,” Mehmet Fatih Oztarsu, an expert on Armenia,
said. Although this development is unlikely as Armenia signaled it
will not be revisiting Davutoglu’s stand on issues concerning Turkey.

Speaking to the Turkish press, Armenian Foreign Ministry spokesperson
Tigran Balayan said Yerevan sent invitations to the ministers of all
BSEC member states and signaled that nothing more than should be read
about Davutoglu’s visit. “In terms of Armenian-Turkish relations,
we have signed protocols; the only (further) move could be the
ratification and implementation of those protocols,” he said.

In a sign that Armenia will not alter its position, Yerevan officials
have challenged Davutoglu on the eve of his visit.

Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Shavarsh Kocharyan said over the
weekend that Davutoglu should visit the Armenian Genocide Memorial
in Yerevan instead of making provocative statements.

Turkey denies that the killings of Armenians during World War I
amounted to genocide, saying that both sides have suffered causalities
in the war and there were no deliberate policies targeting Armenians.

Genocide claims are very sensitive issue in Turkey and no government
has dared to address the claims raised by Armenia for events in 1915.

EU HAS NO INTENTION TO CLOSE DOOR FOR ARMENIA – TRAIAN HRISTEA

December 13, 2013 | 16:55

YEREVAN. – The European Union decided to continue deepening of
relations with Armenia and we have no intention to close the door,
head of EU delegation Traian Hristea said during international
conference in Yerevan.

Hristea noted that Armenia confirmed that it is a part of Eastern
Partnership dialogue during the Vilnius summit, and reforms are on
bilateral agenda. He recalled that immediately after the summit,
EU-Armenia cooperation council decided to provide assistance to
reforms based on EU values as a part of main provisions of bilateral
interaction.

In the future EU is ready to hear from the Armenian authorities
the areas of cooperation where the parties can achieve closer and
deeper cooperation that are compatible with new political obligations
of Armenia.

“European Integration 2013: EU-Armenia Relations Perspective after the
EaP Vilnius Summit” conference was held in Yerevan on December 12-13.

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

PROTESTERS MEET AHMET DAVUTOGLU IN YEREVAN

APA, Azerbaijan
Dec 12 2013

PHOTOSESSION

[ 12 December 2013 12:19 ]

Baku. Anakhanum Hidayatova – APA. Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet
Davutoglu arrived in Armenia to attend the meeting of the Black Sea
Economic Cooperation Organization.

APA reports quoting Armenian media that a group of Turkish journalists
are accompanying the Minister in Yerevan.

The Nikol Aghbalyan Student and Youth Unions, Armenian Revolutionary
Federation Dashnaktsutyun have staged a protest action against Ahmet
Davutoglu outside the hotel hosting the meeting. The unions express
their protest saying Stop genocide, Stop denying, Stop injustice.

Head of Foreign Ministry’s department Shovgi Mehdizadeh is representing
Azerbaijan at the meeting.