Author: Kajoyan Gevork

TURKISH MINISTER’S VISIT RAISES HOPES OF THAW WITH ARMENIA

Reuters
Dec 12 2013

Dec 12 (Reuters) – Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu made Turkey’s
first high-level visit to Armenia in nearly five years on Thursday,
raising the prospect of a revival in peace efforts between the
historical rivals which stalled in 2010.

Muslim Turkey and Christian Armenia signed accords in October 2009
to establish diplomatic relations and open their land border, trying
to revive relations frozen by the legacy of the World War One mass
killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turks.

The U.S.-backed efforts to bury a century of hostility became
deadlocked six months later, with each side accusing the other of
trying to rewrite the texts and set new conditions, and neither
country’s parliament approved the deal.

“I hope my Yerevan visit will contribute to efforts for a comprehensive
peace and economic stability in the BSEC region and the Caucasus
in particular,” Davutoglu, who traveled to Yerevan for a Black Sea
Economic Cooperation (BSEC) group meeting, wrote on Twitter.

Underscoring persistent tension, young activists from Armenian
opposition parties protested, prompting Davutoglu to use a back door
to enter the central Yerevan hotel where the BSEC meeting was held.

Demonstrators chanted “shame” and waved posters saying: “Stop the
occupation of Armenian land” and “Stop the blockade”.

Davutoglu later said his meeting with Armenian Foreign Minister Edward
Nalbandian on the sidelines of the gathering was “sincere and honest,”
but that it would be wrong to think that problems could be solved in
a single meeting.

“Our priority is to build our dialogue on a sound psychological basis
and continue on that basis. In this framework all kind of creative
ideas could come on the agenda, the countries already know their
perspective,” he told Turkish reporters in Yerevan.

The last visit by a Turkish minister was in April 2009, six months
before the protocols were signed, when Deputy Prime Minister Ali
Babacan attended a BSEC meeting in Yerevan.

Turkey closed its border with Armenia in 1993 in solidarity with
Azerbaijan during the war in Nagorno-Karabakh, when ethnic Armenians
backed by Armenia threw off Azeri rule with the collapse of the
Soviet Union.

Nalbandian said before meeting Davutoglu that “relations between
Armenia and Turkey should be settled without any pre-conditions,”
meaning Armenia does not want Turkey to tie a bilateral rapprochement
to a resolution of the ongoing dispute over Nagorno-Karabakh.

Turkish critics of the 2009 deal between Ankara and Yerevan had said it
was a betrayal of fellow Turkic-speaking Azerbaijan, while Armenian
opponents said the accords betrayed Armenian efforts to have the
massacres during World War One recognised internationally as genocide.

Turkey accepts that many Armenians died in partisan fighting beginning
in 1915 but denies that up to 1.5 million were killed and that it
amounted to genocide – a term used by some Western historians and
foreign parliaments. (Reporting by Tulay Karadeniz, Seda Sezer in
Ankara and Hasmik Lazarian in Yerevan; Writing by Daren Butler and
Margarita Antidze)

Details of Azeri lobby in Mexico revealed

(Agencia Prensa Armenia).- Carlos Antaramian, a Mexican professor,
published an article in Istor magazine where where he denounced
several details of Azeri lobby in Mexico.

“Why does Mexico, a country that have not recognized any other
genocide in parliamentary statements (except the Holocaust),
recognized Khojaly,
a discussed issue?” asks Antaramian at the beginning of his
text. “After that in late 2011, the following year they opened
in Mexico City two squares restructured by the Azeri government: the
first, called ‘Mexico-Azerbaijan Friendship Park’, had a
huge statue of the leader Heydar Aliyev, father of the current
president of Azerbaijan, before being removed on January 26, 2013, and
the second one, called ‘Tlaxcoaque-Khojaly Square’, has a
monument of a woman raising her arms and a base that reads
‘Khojaly Genocide’. Both parliamentary statements and
squares correspond to effective lobbying by the Azeri ambassador Ilgar
Mukhtarov”, he explains, considering that Azerbaijan threatened
to retire the investments when they decided to remove the statue of
Aliyev. Mukhatarov stated that “so far, the Latin American
countries were free field for Armenians, since Azerbaijan was not
represented in the region”.

The document notes that one of the examples of Ambassador Mukhtarov
lobby “were the conferences organized at universities in Mexico
to present the Azeri version of Khojaly”. In the report, the
professor carefully explains all manipulations, distortions of history
and lies presented by Azerbaijan: “It is well known that history
is sometimes manipulated and rewritten to be used as a powerful tool
of territorial struggle and even denial of the culture and identity of
other groups”. At the same time, Antaramian recalls that
“any Azeri who dares to challenge the official version of the
Azerbaijan’s history is considered a traitor by the government
of that country”.

Antaramian also evokes the visit of Armenian Foreign Minister Edward
Nalbandian to Mexico, where he said that “the parliamentary
statements issued by the Chambers of Mexico contain distortions of the
facts of the conflict in Nagorno Karabakh”. “These
documents where written using only the position of the Azeri Embassy
in Mexico, thanks to Ambassador Ilgar Mukhtarov lobby. He, as Roving
Ambassador in Latin America, has also taken the same document to be
ratified by other congress in Latin America”, explained
Antaramian, citing the case of Colombia , where the Senate made a
statement “condemning the ‘Armenian occupation’ and
saying that what happened in Khojaly was a genocide”.

Denouncing the various political actors that promoted the
parliamentary statement on Khojaly and agreed to the construction of
statues of Heydar Aliyev and “Khojaly genocide”,
Antaramian presents a unique document in the world, showing every
stages of the work of Azeri diplomacy to rewrite and lie about their
own history.

Dr. Carlos Antaramian has a degree in International Relations in the
UNAM (1999), and Master and PhD in Social Anthropology in Michoacan
College (2006). He completed a postdoctoral fellowship at UAM -X
(2008-9). He is currently a professor and researcher in the Multimedia
Production Area of Michoacan College, and is conducting a research on
“La migración armenia en America Latina”. He has recently
made the documentary “Los armenios en La Merced” (2012)
and published “Del Ararat al Popocatepetl. Los armenios en
Mexico” (2011), along with some articles on the Armenian
Genocide and Armenian communities in general. He is a member of the
National System of Researchers (SNI).

The full article is available in PDF

or in Diario ARMENIA of Buenos Aires site

( Link -> )

Agencia de Noticias Prensa Armenia

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de Buenos Aires, Argentina

Tel. (5411) 4775-7595

[email protected]

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CASPS KOMITAS NIGHT CHARMS L.A.

Monday, December 9th, 2013

The collaborative event featured performances by students and world
renowned artists

On November 24, CASPS-Committee for Armenian Students in Public
Schools-and Lark Musical Society, held their first-ever collaborative
effort, dedicated to Komitas, the “father of modern Armenian music.”

The event, which took place at the Colburn School of Performing
Arts, was a fund raiser for CASPS and was very well received by
the community.

The afternoon began with a welcoming address by CASPS Executive
Director, Arsineh Hovannisian, and an introduction by Tagouhi
Arzoumanian, VP of Lark Conservatory. It was followed by a group of
students’ flawless recitation of Paruyr Sevak’s “The Ever-Ringing
Belfry,” whose powerful delivery stirred emotions and drew a
standing ovations. The program continued with musical selections by
Armenian composers, performed by very talented young musicians, and
enthusiastically applauded by the audience. And for the finale, under
the artistic directorship of Movses Pogossian, the world acclaimed
Dilijan String Quartet delighted everyone with beautiful renditions
of Komitas favorites.

Rouben Gourjian, CASPS President, and Mrs. Laura Atoian, CASPS
Board member and event Chair, expressed their heart-felt gratitude to
Maestro Vatsche Barsoumian and the entire LARK organization, for their
unparalleled dedication to the betterment of Armenian youth. Gourjian
praised Lark for its excellence and for the promotion of Armenian
music and culture in the world. Atoian then presented a Kamancha
to Maestro Barsoumian in gratitude for his generous gifts of time
and talent. Mrs. Tagouhi Arzoumanian accepted on his behalf. Atoian
explained that the Kamancha had been commissioned by CASPS from one
of the few people in Armenia who still make the instrument by hand,
explaining further that it was a symbolic gift of friendship to be
displayed at the Lark facility, as a memento of the two organizations
joining hands to work on their shared philosophy of arts and education
for Armenian youth.

During the past couple of decades, both CASPS and Lark have been
focused on service to young Armenians, providing academic and social
support, and honing Armenian aesthetic and intellectual values,
respectively. CASPS and LARK look forward to future joint activities,
and invite the community to stand behind their common mission.

ARMENIA’S OMBDUSMAN REVEALS THE GOING RATE FOR A COURT RULING

10.2013 00:52 epress.am

Findings from a survey conducted by Armenia’s Human Rights Defender’s
Office indicate the existence of corruption in the judicial system.

The results are outlined in the “Mechanisms of Corruption” section
of the Ombudsman’s annual report, which was presented in Yerevan today.

“A bribe is given to the judge of the court of first instance,
who assumes responsibility only for the ruling he hands down. For
every following instance, it is the briber himself who is obliged to
‘harmonize’ the outcome of the case – by sealing a new deal with
the judge or judges of that court. In another case, the judge asks
for a greater sum to keep the ‘verdict’; that is, he guarantees that
his ruling won’t be reversed in higher courts. This method assumes a
divvying up of funds among higher court judges,” reads the report, in
part. According to the report, judicial bribe amounts are determined
based on 10% of the amount of the lawsuit or claim.

“Generally, according to the majority of respondents, bribe rates
fluctuate between $500 -$10,000 at the court of first instance;
$2,000-$15,000 at the Court of Appeal; and $10,000-$50,000 USD at
the Court of Cassation,” reads the report.

However, according to the majority of respondents, there are no uniform
standards of determining bribe amounts, and there is an individual
approach to deciding the amount in each case. “The participant in
the case is immediately in contact with any member of the Court of
Cassation and then the case is directly under the control and orders
of the Court of Cassation member.

“He who has not achieved success in two courts, coming to an agreement
with the Court of Cassation, manages to get the judicial act quashed;
that is, he doesn’t pay anything to the court of first instance or
the appeals court, and he ‘addresses’ his problem only at the Court
of Cassation,” reads the Ombudsman’s report.

The print version of the report was distributed to reporters at
Ombudsman Karen Andreasyan’s press conference. Andreasyan begins
each chapter with an excerpt from legislation, laws, international
instruments, and even the Bible.

EU: STATUS QUO IS UNACCEPTABLE AND PEACEFUL RESOLUTION OF NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT REMAINS A TOP PRIORITY

Trend, Azerbaijan
Dec 9 2013

By S. Ahmedova: – Trend: Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec 9, 2013:

The status quo is unacceptable and that the peaceful resolution of
the Nagorno-Karabakh remains a top priority. Linas LinkeviÄ~Mius,
the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania, said following the
fourteenth meeting of the Cooperation Council between the European
Union (EU) and the Republic of Armenia.

LinkeviÄ~Mius said that the Cooperation Council reviewed progress on
the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict: “The EU welcomed the
recent meeting of the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan in Vienna
and the Presidents’ agreement to advance the negotiations toward a
peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict”.

According to him, both sides reiterated their support to the efforts
deployed by the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs.

“The EU confirmed its readiness to further support and complement these
efforts by facilitating peace-building activities,” LinkeviÄ~Mius said.

He also expressed concern over incidents on the ground and urged the
sides for restraint on actions and statements that would heighten
tension and impact on the negotiations.

ARMENIA. THE SILENT VOICE IN VILNIUS

New Eastern Europe
Dec 9 2013

by Giacomo Manca

Amongst all others, there was one voice at the Vilnius Summit, and
in particular during the Civil Society Conference, which remained
mostly silent. That was the voice of the representatives of Armenia:
a country that, after announcing its decision to start its journey
towards the Customs Union and the Eurasian Union, no longer represented
a solid partner for the European Union.

In Vilnius, the EU and the Republic of Armenia adopted a joint
statement declaring that even having completed negotiations on
an Association Agreement, including the talks on the Deep and
Comprehensive Free Trade Area, it will no longer proceed with its
initialling due to “Armenia’s new international commitments.” They
also agree on the need to update the EU-Armenia Neighbourhood Action
Plan. Together with the Ukrainian announcement, Armenia represented
an addition thorn in the side of the Eastern Partnership’s success.

When in September the Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan announced
the decision to join the Russian-led Customs Union, it implied the
rejection of any possible signature of the Association Agreement
with the EU. The two treaties, in facts, are totally incompatible:
in this way, Armenia’s choice doesn’t leave any hope or chance to
continue talks with the European Union on this level. According to
the former minister of foreign affairs, Vartan Oskanian, who defines
Armenian stance as a “northern choice”, geopolitics and security
prevailed over economic interests or cultural belonging to one or
the other civilisation.

Oskanian stated that this decision, which breaks a long tradition
of equal distance between the powers, was mainly due to Armenia’s
foreign relations with its neighbours; which are part of the Eastern
Partnership. The previous trend in Armenia’s foreign policy was in
fact the policy of complementarity, which considered independence
the paramount priority for such a small republic. It is reasonably
understandable that security and survival are among the main concerns
of a country squashed between two almost historical enemies which
have already powerful alliances. While Georgia’s rapprochement with
the EU is going to be enforced with the treaties, Azerbaijan has in
Turkey a mighty ally.

European values of democracy are firmly embedded in Armenia’s citizens,
Oskanian affirmed, and was convinced that the agreement with the
Customs Union won’t prevent the civil society or the opposition
from participating in modernising the country’s infrastructures and
fighting corruption.

Representatives of the Armenian civil society expressed fear, however,
that the EU has lost its legal framework to push for reforms and
it will be much more difficult to modernise the private sector and
change the legal system. A hope that Europe will continue in exercising
conditionality by encouraging Armenia to undertake necessary reforms
is still bright and alive in the minds of many Armenians. However, the
country could soon find itself alone and is likely to be left behind.

Armenia’s change in direction raises the possibility of dividing
the Eastern Partnership member countries into two different groups:
one that has the possibility of achieving stronger integration with
the EU; and those less interested. While it is still not clear which
group Ukraine will land, Armenia’s position lies farther away from
Moldova and Georgia, who do not hide their final ambitions for full
membership in the EU.

The diplomatic history of Armenia explains the lack of divisions among
the civil society and the political scenario for its decision. Even
though there are divisions, the Customs Union is not perceived
as a consequence of Russian imperialism in the face of European
integration. Although in the civil society there are many against to
the Customs Union agreement, there is a strong difference among them
between their feelings towards Russia.

Armenia is a country which traditionally entertains good relations
with Russia and where subordination to such a regional geopolitical
power has always had a pragmatic purpose. In a country which lacks
any critics to Russia and whose citizens have a good perception of the
Russian Army, the Ukrainian situation is not entirely understood. Even
the civil society in Armenia has never been so anti-Russian and it
doesn’t perceive it as a threat to its independence.

When it comes to the end of prospects for the Association Agreement,
however, many Armenians show their disappointment for not having
preserved at least a lighter profile, preventing such a drastic shift
towards Russia. In the civil society and the opposition, the prevailing
feeling remains a desire to restore the complementarity option, which
would ensure a bigger possibility to benefit from EU conditionality
for reforms and modernisation while maintaining close ties with Russia.

Giacomo Manca is a contributing editor with New Eastern Europe

A message from the Zoryan Institute

Zoryan celebrates the life of International human rights champion, Nelson
Mandela.

Let us remember what Mandela said after 27 years of incarceration:

“True reconciliation does not consist in merely forgetting the past.”

At Zoryan, we maintain that true peace can be achieved only if nations can
talk to each other openly about their past. Therefore, we see education
through the Common Body of Knowledge as one of the best ways to alleviate
the tension between Turks and Armenians because it provides a basis of
shared knowledge of their past that can counter generations of hostility and
lead to mutual understanding and dialogue.

May he rest in peace.

Dikranagerdsi Vernacular Handbook Released
07/12/2013 21:48:00 Oratert News
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[image: Dikranagerdsi Vernacular Handbook Released]

After years of compilation, a new dictionary of words and expressions
from the Dikranagerd-Armenian dialect is now available. Titled, `Inch
g’usis’: A Dikranagerdtsi Vernacular Handbook,’ the term `Inch g’usis’
literally means `What do you say?’ in the dialect of Dikranagerd.

Authored by Charles Kasbarian, `Inch g’usis’: A Dikranagerdtsi
Vernacular Handbookshowcases the earthy and humorous dialect of
Dikranagerd, presented in English transliteration. Kasbarian is also
known as `C.K. Garabed,’ the columnist behind `Uncle Garabed’s
Notebook,’ which has appeared in The Armenian Weekly for almost 25
years.

No one knows how many Armenian Genocide survivors were integrated into
Turkish society, nor how many native Armenians may remain, though hidden
away. In either case, there are few, if any Armenians in the Diarbekr
region of Western Armenia (present-day Turkey) who still speak the native
dialect. As a result, it is likely that the dialect of Dikranagerd will
become extinct in our lifetime. Aside from this obvious fact, Kasbarian
explained his reasoning for creating `Inch g’usis?’: `The Dikranagerd
dialect is my native language. In my childhood, while trying to converse
with non-Dikranagerdtsi Armenians, I would get laughed at for what they
perceived to be a queer way of speaking. But in my maturity, I realized
that there was a lot to be said for dialects – the one of Dikranagerd in
particular.’

As such, Kasbarian took on the task of trying, in some small way, to
document elements of the Dikranagerd dialect for posterity. And so, he
began to note Dikranagerdtsi words and phrases, which grew into the present
collection. `And far from being laughed at,’ Kasbarian continued,
`linguistic scholars have consulted me on the virtues of the dialect which
they feel is worthy of preservation.’

To make the work widely accessible, Kasbarian decided to put the handbook
online. The work can be freely accessed on Kasbarian’s Armeniapedia page:

Included are words and terms `A’ through `Z’, a section on
Dikranagerdtsi nicknames, and an Armenian alphabet mnemonic. Arranged
alphabetically and containing a pronunciation key, the handbook offers
many colorful phrases, interjections and exclamations such `Kher
eghnah’ (`May it be useful or good,’ often said when somebody
sneezes); `Leghin badri’ (`May his gall bladder burst,’ meaning `May
he drop dead.’); `Jivit godreh, doun nusdi’ (`Break your leg, stay at
home,’ meaning `Stop gadding about.’); and `Kna kni’ (`Go to sleep,’
meaning `Get out of here.’). Parents of young children are cautioned
that there are many ribald entries.

Kasbarian grew up, during the Great Depression, in Union City, New Jersey
— which was once heavily populated by Dikranagerdtsi Armenians. Over the
years, he has presented folk tales and skits in the Dikranagerdtsi dialect
at cultural evenings held in the New Jersey area. Also in progress on his
Armeniapedia page are his The Dikranagerd Mystique Armenian Cookbook; a
number of articles about growing up Dikranagerdtsi; Oyin Mi Tavli, a
one-act play in the Dikranagerd dialect; and The Dictionary of Armenian
Surnames.

Says Kasbarian of `Inch g’usis?’, `like everything else, there are
bound to be missing words and phrases and even mistakes, in which case
readers should feel free to bring them to the attention of the
author.’ Kasbarian can be reached at [email protected]

Armenian activist speaks of monopolist journalists, human rights campaigners

13:31 – 08.12.13

Well-known Armenian activist Vardkes Gaspari left a message on his
Facebook page, wherein he mentioned `most disgusting monopolists and
beneficiaries, namely, journalists and human rights activists.’

In commenting on his message to Tert.am, Gaspari said that some human
rights organizations have monopolies on visits to penitentiaries,
monitoring, work with secret structures. But they work very bad, while
many others are deprived of this right.

As regards journalists, he said: `They have special airtime, granted
them not on a competitive basis. For example, the H1 TV channel. Do
the journalists working there really think they have virtues others
have not?’

Armenian News – Tert.am

ARMENIE-IRAN
L’Arménie reçoit du gaz iranien à un tarif inférieur de 2,8 fois à
celui pratiqué pour la Turquie

Le gaz iranien est transféré à l’Arménie à un tarif de 2,8 fois
inférieure à celui livré par Téhéran à la Turquie. L’Arménie livre à
l’Iran 3 kilowats/heure d’électricité contre 1 mètre cube de gaz. Cela
représente pour Erévan un achat de gaz iranien inférieur au tarif que
livre Moscou à l’Arménie qui est de 189 dollars pour 1000 mètres cubes
de gaz.

L’Ambassadeur d’Iran en Arménie, Mohamed Reyisi a affirmé lors de sa
conférence de presse effectuée à Erévan le 6 décembre que le prix
pratiqué pour la livraison de gaz iranien à l’Arménie était largement
inférieur au tarif international. Mais que ces prix sont réservés aux
pays amis. Mais le diplomate iranien a insinué qu’avec une levée des
sanctions internationales à l’encontre de l’Iran, ce dernier pourrait
réviser le prix de l’exportation de son gaz au tarif international du
marché. Téhéran étant autorisé à exporter sa production sur tous les
marchés concurrentiels. Le tarif du « pays ami » ou « pays privilégié
» dont bénéficie l’Arménie devenant caduc. De 2011 à juillet 2012
Téhéran a exporté vers la Turquie son gaz au prix de 505 dollars le
millier de mètre cube. Erévan devra attendre dans les prochains mois
une hausse du tarif du gaz iranien.

Krikor Amirzayan

dimanche 8 décembre 2013,
Krikor Amirzayan ©armenews.com