Author: Kajoyan Gevork

COMPLEMENTARITY DOES NOT MEAN EQUAL AND SIMILAR RELATIONS – HAYK KOTANJIAN

November 20, 2013 | 12:57

Complementarity in the foreign policy of Armenia does not mean equal
and similar relations with all partners, head of the Institute for
National Strategic Studies Hayk Kotanjian said.

Hayk Kotanjian delivered a speech at the session of the Integration
Club under the chairmanship of the Speaker of the Federation Council
of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation Valentina Matvienko
at MGIMO University on Monday.

He noted that Russia is the strategic ally and number one security
partner for Armenia.

“Armenia successfully complements the bilateral security strategic
alliance with Russia with the strategic partnership with her and
other states within the framework of the CSTO,” he said.

At the same time Armenia also keeps productive contacts with the
Euro-Atlantic power centers such as the United States, NATO and the EU.

“Since 2005, Armenia has effectively implemented the programs within
the scope of NATO’s Individual Partnership Action Plan aimed at
promoting the defense security reforms. My nation has also been
enriching the experience of participation in the international
security system through peacekeeping operations in Iraq, Kosovo,
and currently in Afghanistan.”

US SECRETARY OF STATE DISCUSSES NAGORNO-KARABAKH WITH TURKEY

AzerNews, Azerbaijan
Nov 19 2013

19 November 2013 – 9:53am

US Secretary of State John Kerry and Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet
Davutoglu have discussed the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict at a meeting
in Washington, 1news.az reports.

Davutoglu expressed hope that the conflict will be settled soon
and satisfaction that the US and Turkey had a common approach to
the problem.

Kerry noted that the US and Turkey had been discussing the conflict
for the past several months. Kerry added that he had met Azerbaijani
and Armenian Presidents Ilham Aliyev and Serzh Sargsyan in the past
three days.

The two presidents will meet in Vienna today.

US Secretary of State John Kerry and Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet
Davutoglu have discussed the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict at a meeting
in Washington, 1news.az reports.

Davutoglu expressed hope that the conflict will be settled soon
and satisfaction that the US and Turkey had a common approach to
the problem.

Kerry noted that the US and Turkey had been discussing the conflict
for the past several months. Kerry added that he had met Azerbaijani
and Armenian Presidents Ilham Aliyev and Serzh Sargsyan in the past
three days.The two presidents will meet in Vienna today.

“CIVILNET IS IN ISTANBUL FOR MORE QUESTIONS AND DIALOGUE”

BIA Net, Turkey
Nov 19 2013

Civilitas, an NGO aimed to bridge gap between Turkey and Armenia
through joint projects, has opened its first office in Istanbul. “We
are here to ask more questions and engage in dialogue,” said Civilitas
director Salpi Ghazarian.

Elif AKGUL

Civilitas, an NGO aimed to bridge gap between Turkey and Armenia
through joint projects, has opened its first office in Istanbul. “We
are here to ask more questions and engage in dialogue,” said Civilitas
director Salpi Ghazarian.

A ceremony organized for the opening has been attended by several
notable activists including journalist Yavuz Baydar, academician
Cengiz Aktar, Agos newspaper editor-in-chief Rober KoptaÅ~_ and
bianet’s project advisor Nadire Mater, as well as representatives
from various consulates.

Addressing a speech at the opening ceremony, Ghazarian said they have
been working on the Turkish-Armenian relations since 2008.

“We are here to fill the need for those who say ‘I wish somebody from
Armenia was here’. We would like to reflect the image of Armenia
and its diaspora to Turkey. There are several questions that has
not been vocalized yet. There are several people who want to ask
these questions. Maybe we can’t reply all but we will keep talking
and dialogue.”

“We wish to contribute to dialogue”

The office will work as Civilitas’s communication headquarters. It
also aims to realize projects on Armenia and its diaspora, as well
as raise questions regarding Turkey – Armenia relations. Ghazarian
underlined the necessity of an office in Istanbul as the physical
border between the two neighboring countries is still closed.

“Therefore,” she continued, “Civilitas will work on to listen and
understand the two peoples more. It will organize research and follow
up the existing research on the issue. This is, of course, not the
sort of political work that government engage in. It is neither a
new tool of reconciliation. Civilitas will support the projects that
grassroots organizations are engaging. We will also come up with new
ideas and ensure that the interaction is rapid and permanent.

“Civilitas is opening the office before the 100th Anniversary of the
Armenian Genocide. While Civilitas’s main concern is not this, we also
aim to contribute to a 600 year old dialogue that has been interrupted
for the past 100 years due to delocations and disappearance.”

What is Civilitas?

Established in 2008, Civilitas is an NGO aiming to strengthen civil
society in order to enhance democracy with a series of reports, open
forums and public discussions. Civilitas also provides news content
in English, Armenian and Russion at civilnet.am. (EA/BM)

AZERBAIJANI AND ARMENIAN PRESIDENTS TO ADVANCE NEGOTIATIONS TOWARD A PEACE SETTLEMENT

Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
Nov 19 2013

19 November 2013 – 7:00pm

A meeting between Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan and Azerbaijani
President Ilham Aliyev was held today in Vienna in order to discuss
the ongoing conflict surrounding the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Following the meeting the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs, who took part
in the discussion, issued a joint statement.

“During their private one-on-one meeting and the working session
afterward with the Co-Chairs and the Ministers, the Presidents
discussed a broad range of issues related to the settlement of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,” the statement reads.

“The Presidents agreed to advance negotiations toward a peaceful
settlement. They instructed their Foreign Ministers to continue to
cooperate with the Co-Chairs to build on the work to date, with the
aim of intensifying the peace process. They agreed to meet again in
the months ahead.”

“As a next step, the Co-Chairs are organizing working sessions with
the Ministers on the margins of the OSCE Ministerial Council, which
will take place on December 5-6 in Kyiv. The Co-Chairs plan to visit
the region before the end of this year,” the statement reads.

WFP AND THE ARMENIAN MINISTRY OF DIASPORA TO PROVIDE EMERGENCY FOOD ASSISTANCE TO SYRIAN ARMENIANS

Reuters Alert
Nov 19 2013

Source: World Food Programme – Tue, 19 Nov 2013 02:21 AM

Any views expressed in this article are those of the author and not
of Thomson Reuters Foundation.

YEREVAN – The UN World Food Programme (WFP) began this week
providing assistance to 5,000 Syrian Armenians displaced from Syria
who have sought protection in Armenia. The 6-month-assistance project
is funded the government of the Russian Federation.

This WFP operation was put in place upon a request from the
Ministry of Diaspora, responsible for the overall coordination of
assistance to Syrian Armenians. Following the signing of a Memorandum
of Understanding between WFP and the ministry, WFP will provide
assistance to the Syrian Armenian population during the current
transitional period as the Government of Armenia continues its efforts
in integrating the Syrian population of Armenian descent.

“Syrian Armenians were once part of the thriving Armenian diaspora
in Syria; many of them have lost their homes and livelihoods due to
the conflict in Syria,” said WFP Head of Office in Armenia, Maria
Lukyanova. “WFP food support will help address some of the basic needs
of this group that has sustained multiple shocks over the previous
two years and help to prevent negative coping strategies.”

Preparations for project implementation were done in collaborations
with the Ministry of Diaspora, WFP and its UN partners, primarily
the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), as well as civil organisations such as
the Centrе for the Coordination of Syrian-Armenian Issues, Mission
Armenia, the Armenian Relief Society and others provided information,
human resources and technical support.

WFP’s implementing partner is the Centre for the Coordination of
Syrian Armenian Issues operating under the auspices of the Ministry
of Diaspora.

PRESS OFFICE
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Contact: Chris Zakian
Tel: (212) 686-0710
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:

November 18, 2013

___________________

The Art of Communication a Focus of ACYOA Leadership Conference

By Armen Terjimanian

Young adults from 18 parishes across the Eastern Diocese gathered in Stony
Point, N.Y., for the annual ACYOA Leadership Conference weekend at the Don
Bosco Retreat Center, from November 8 to 10.

Sponsored by the ACYOA Central Council, this year’s conference examined
effective styles of communication and let participants evaluate their
abilities to communicate as leaders in their parishes.

Conference sessions also taught the 41 participants how to effectively
communicate the Gospel of Christ in their everyday lives.

Conference sessions included a Bible study led by the Rev. Fr. Kapriel
Mouradjian, pastor of Holy Resurrection Church of New Britain, Conn.; a
lecture on the art of communication by Dr. Herand Markarian, playwright and
adjunct professor at St. Nersess Armenian Seminary; a presentation on
communication through sacred music by Dn. Rubik Mailian, chair of the Sacred
Music Council; and a talk on Christian communication and social media by
Maria Derderian, youth minister at St. James Church of Watertown, Mass.

Other sessions included a presentation on “Ayo!”-a Fund for Armenian
Relief-sponsored platform that allows individuals and groups in Armenia to
make their philanthropic ideas become reality-by Andre Berg; and a breakout
group discussion on how to handle communication mishaps and dilemmas in
local ACYOA chapters facilitated by Jennifer Morris, director of the
Diocese’s Department of Youth and Young Adult Ministries.

Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Diocese of the Armenian Church
of America (Eastern), visited the conference on Saturday afternoon and
presented participants with the Diocese’s Divine Liturgy pew book as a gift.
Diocesan Vicar the Very Rev. Fr. Simeon Odabashian also joined the group on
Saturday morning for matins and to interact with the participants during the
morning sessions.

“This weekend’s theme was so poignant because it allowed us to look at how
we communicate our faith through the lens of our everyday interactions,”
said participant Christine Santourian of St. John Church of Southfield,
Mich.

Fr. Mouradjian and Rev. Fr. Mardiros Chevian, dean of St. Nersess Armenian
Seminary, served as the conference chaplains.

Lorie Odabashian, coordinator at the Department of Youth and Young Adult
Ministries, assisted the ACYOA Central Council with organizing and leading
the weekend’s events.

The Rev. Fr. Abraham Malkhasyan, pastor of Holy Martyrs Church of Bayside,
N.Y., and Garen Karamyan, the church’s youth director, also attended the
conference.

Six seminarians from St. Nersess Armenian Seminary joined the young adults
to learn, grow, and socialize during the weekend.

The conference concluded on Sunday with the celebration of the Divine
Liturgy by Fr. Chevian. A wrap-up session followed services.

Participants said that they found the weekend inspiring.

“The biggest statement I took away from the weekend is to keep your
spiritual truth,” said Melissa Mardoian of Sts. Joachim and Anne Church of
Palos Heights, Ill. “This can be done by communicating your Christian morals
and values not only verbally, but also with your actions.”

The skills learned during the conference also helped the ACYOA members to
prepare for future leadership roles in their parishes.

“After graduating college, I realized the time for me to become a leader in
the parish as a whole is fast approaching,” said Christine Hovsepian of Holy
Trinity Church of Cambridge, Mass. “This Leadership Conference helped me
prepare for that day more than I could imagine.”

###

Photos attached.
Photo 1: Conference participants speak with Andre Berg of the Fund for
Armenian Relief about the organization’s “Ayo!” program.
Photo 2: Conference participants pose for a group photo.
Photo 3: The conference concluded with the celebration of the Divine
Liturgy.

LAVROV: PUTIN TO VISIT ARMENIA IN EARLY DECEMBER

Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
Nov 18 2013

18 November 2013 – 6:08pm

Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit Armenia in early December,
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said today after talks with his
counterpart from that country Edward Nalbandian.

Today’s meeting is considered by the Russian party “as one of the
key stages of preparation for the upcoming visit in early December of
the President of the Russian Federation to the Republic of Armenia”,
RIA Novosti quotes him.

Sergei Lavrov also commented on the preparation of Armenia’s accession
to the Customs Union and its participation in the formation of
the Eurasian Economic Union. “Today we can say that the process of
performing the necessary formalities, the beginning of the necessary
negotiations with the Eurasian Economic Commission is in full swing.

We dedicate ourselves to completing it in a timely manner”, the
Minister said.

AUSTRALIA AND THE HISTORY WARS, ARMENIAN EDITION

Crikey, Australia
Nov 18 2013

Charles Richardson | Nov 18, 2013 12:17PM

Turkey, as always, resents any official reference to the Armenian
genocide. This time it’s Australia in the firing line.

The Armenians should be good candidates for western sympathy. A small
Christian nation with Muslim enemies, they were also one of the first
victims of Soviet imperialism, which extinguished their short-lived
independence in 1920.

But affairs in the Middle East are rarely that simple. The Armenians
were actually less anti-Soviet than they might have been, because the
Russians, as fellow-Christians, were traditional allies. And their
main adversary, Turkey, became a key western ally and member of NATO,
which posed an obstacle to western recognition of Armenian grievances
– especially the genocide of 1915-17, in which more than a million
Armenians were systematically massacred by Ottoman Turkey.

So support for the Armenians has tended to be a marginal cause,
mostly found on the left (journalist Robert Fisk is a notable example).

Recognition of the genocide has been resisted by the political
establishment in both Britain and America. Even those who otherwise
have little time for Muslim countries often side with the Turkish
view – for example, neoconservative pundit Daniel Pipes, who favorably
reviewed a book by Justin McCarthy, one of the leading minimisers of
Turkish guilt for the massacres.

That’s the background to the revelation last week by the ABC that
Parliament House in Canberra is to be the venue this Thursday for
a talk by the very same Justin McCarthy, arranged by the Australian
Turkish Advocacy Alliance and titled “What happened during 1915-1923?”

You can be sure that McCarthy’s version of what happened will be
significantly at variance with that put by mainstream historians.

The ABC says that the venue was booked by Labor MP Laurie Ferguson. If
so, it suggests his foreign policy views are a bit all over the
place (although he’s obviously not the only one in that category);
he previously attracted notice last year for defending the right of
Labor members to support self-determination for West Papua.

It may be coincidence or it may be part of the same Turkish propaganda
offensive, but the speaker of the Turkish parliament last week also
weighed into the debate, warning the Sydney Morning Herald that any
recognition by Australia of the Armenian genocide could jeopardise
relations with Turkey, and condemning New South Wales MPs for having
done just that back in May. He apparently maintained that reports of
genocide were, of all things, “still inconclusive”.

Premier Barry O’Farrell, to his credit, fired back, saying “‘It’s
deplorable anyone associated with the Turkish government would try
and use next year’s centenary of the Gallipoli landing for political
purposes.”

April 2015 marks the centenary of the beginning of the genocide as
well as of the Gallipoli campaign; it would be the most obvious time
for Australia to offer some mark of recognition to the Armenians.

Strong statements of sympathy have been made in the past by, among
others, Joe Hockey (who has Armenian ancestry) and Malcolm Turnbull.

But Turkey’s reaction to any official move would be entirely
predictable.

It’s only fair to say that Turkey’s case in relation to the Armenian
genocide is not quite so far beyond the pale as the denial of Hitler’s
extermination of the Jews. There was at least some military logic
behind the extermination of the Armenians; as I said a few years ago,
“questions about the Armenian genocide are not confined to the sort
of lunatic fringe inhabited by the Holocaust-deniers.” But that’s
setting the bar very low.

Yet it looks as if that fig leaf of historical “controversy” will be
sufficient for the federal government to stay well away from the issue,
at least until the centenary is safely over.

Today’s Zaman, Turkey
Nov 17 2013

Çiçek: Presidential system depends on 2015 election results

17 November 2013 /CUMALÄ° Ã-NAL, ANKARA

Parliament Speaker Cemil Çiçek has stressed that a transition to the
presidential system in Turkey depends on the results of the 2015
general elections, emphasizing that under the current circumstances, a
presidential system as desired by the government is difficult to
switch to.

Meeting with Australian journalists in an event held last week by the
Zaman Australia daily and sponsored by Turkish Airlines (THY), Çiçek
said Turkey and Australia are among the rare countries that have
turned war into a friendship. Deputy Prime Minister and Economy
Minister Ali Babacan said the current strong relations between the two
countries were established a century ago in the Battle of Gallipoli.

The event brought together Australian journalists and Turkish
government officials, intellectuals, experts and journalists from
Turkey to discuss a range of issues, including Iran, the European
Union, Armenian allegations of genocide, the Kurdish question and the
Gezi Park protests.

Stressing that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ErdoÄ?an and the ruling
Justice and Development Party (AK Party) want a US model presidential
system and that this was one of the main issues blocking the
constitutional drafting process, Çiçek said under the current
circumstances, a presidential system desired by the government is
difficult to switch to.

Turkey’s EU Affairs Minister Egemen BaÄ?ıÅ? noted that if ErdoÄ?an runs
for president, he would probably be elected as president in the first
or second round with 60 percent of the vote.

Çiçek also underlined in his speech that one of the main reasons for
Turkey’s problems is political greed among politicians, pointing out
that important issues in discussions about changing the current
Constitution have not even been addressed yet.

On the Gezi Park protests, Çiçek pointed out that the West only sees
the political demands side of the incidents. `According to
international treaties, everyone has a right to protest what one does
not like, but they cannot use force. No one’s freedom can curtail
another’s freedom,’ added Çiçek.

Saying that `supporting terrorism and the 1915 incidents are two
topics that poison our relations with some countries,’ Çiçek said the
decision taken by the Australian Parliament to accept Armenian
allegations of genocide is poisoning relations between the two
countries.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Levent Gümrükçü stressed that the
Kurdish question cannot be solved by establishing an independent
Kurdish state, maintaining that Kurds should make an effort to gain
all their social, economic and cultural rights within the territories
they are living in.

Speaking on Iran’s nuclear activities, BaÄ?ıÅ? told journalists that
Turkey does not want Iran to build nuclear weapons. `If Iran develops
nuclear weapons, Ankara, not New York, will be in the range of those
weapons,’ the minister said. BaÄ?ıÅ? also pointed out that Iran has had
ambitions to control the region for the last 2,000 years.

Similarly, Gümrükçü underlined that Turkey is one of those countries
most concerned about Iran’s nuclear program, saying Iran’s nuclear
weapons do not constitute a threat to the US, but to American regional
interests. The spokesperson pointed out that Turkey is Iran’s neighbor
and that no one can claim that Turkey tolerates Iran’s nuclear
program.

Concerning Syria, Gümrükçü said as in other regional problems, Turkey
has never favored a military intervention in Syria and has always
desired a political and diplomatic solution. Stressing that Turkey
wants to present its economic performance, built on universal values
and democracy, to countries in the region, Gümrükçü said, `Despite
recent campaigns against Turkey, 70-80 percent of Middle Easterners
from Yemen to Morocco hold Turkey up as the model country to cooperate
with in their period of transition to democracy.’

Gümrükçü added that Turkey does not need to follow a nuclear program
due to its presence under the umbrella of NATO.

Speaking on Turkey’s EU membership, BaÄ?ıÅ? said a lack of vision and
the fears and prejudices of EU leaders are the main obstacles ahead of
Turkey’s membership in the union. Stressing that they do not want to
linger on the problems with the EU and make a great effort for
membership, BaÄ?ıÅ? said Turkey faces false excuses such as being a
large, Muslim and poor country.

Gümrükçü said EU membership is Turkey’s strategic priority and that
`it is out of the question [for Turkey] to give up on EU membership.’

During the meeting, Babacan claimed that the UN Security Council does
not want the G-20, which constitutes 90 percent of global gross
domestic product (GDP) and 80 percent of global trade, to be more
politically active. `This organization has a very strong
representation of power. If political issues are discussed in this
organization, the G-20 could easily replace the UN Security Council,’
said Babacan.

Stressing that Turkey has gone through political, social and economic
transformations in the last 11 years, Babacan said they are targeting
5 percent economic growth for the 2015-16 period in Turkey.

Speaking on relations with Israel, Gümrükçü said Turkey honestly wants
good relations with Israel, adding that as the US sets new strategies
for the region, Israel will need Turkey more than ever.

Press Trust of India
Nov 17 2013

Laxman scores win over Levon in GM Int’l Open

17:39 HRS IST

Chennai, Nov 17 (PTI) Former Commonwealth Champion and Indian
Grandmaster R R Laxman stunned GM Babujian Levon of Armenia in the
third round of the Chennai Grand Master International Open Chess
tournament, here today.

Laxman, who defeated top seed GM Popov in the previous round, scored
an exciting 46 move victory over Levon, taking his tally to 3 points
from as many rounds.