Author: Kajoyan Gevork

The Moscow Times, Russia
March 31 2013

Azerbaijan, Armenia Deal on Karabakh ‘Unlikely’

31 March 2013 | Issue 5099
Reuters

PARIS – Azerbaijan and Armenia are unlikely to reach a deal this year
over the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, and there is a risk
of the region sliding toward a war, the enclave’s prime minister said
Thursday.

A conflict between ethnic Azeris and Armenians erupted in 1991 over
the area, a mountainous enclave within Azerbaijan with a majority
Armenian population, after Armenian-backed forces seized it and seven
surrounding Azeri districts.

A truce was signed in 1994 after about 30,000 people had been killed.
But there was no peace treaty, and violence still flares sporadically
along the ceasefire line and Azerbaijan’s border with Armenia.

Foreign governments are wary of skirmishes in the South Caucasus due
to concerns that a new conflict could erupt, threatening pipelines
that carry natural gas and oil to Europe in an area where Russia,
Turkey and Iran all have strategic interests.

“If we manage to end the year peacefully then that will be
constructive, but in terms of concrete accords to resolve the
conflict, I’m not optimistic for this year,” Nagorno-Karabakh’s prime
minister, Arayik Haroutiounian, said in Paris during a visit to meet
Franco-Armenian investors.

The enclave of 160,000 people runs its own affairs with heavy Armenian
military and financial backing. Armenia has a security deal with
Russia, while Azerbaijan has one with Turkey.

Oil-producing Azerbaijan, host to global majors including BP, Chevron
and ExxonMobil, often threatens to take it back by force, though it
says it favors diplomacy.

“Neither Karabakh nor Azerbaijan would benefit from a war because I
don’t think either country would win outright, but we can’t rule it
out,” Haroutiounian said.

While he said Nagorno-Karabakh would not strike first, his
administration had, like Azerbaijan, steadily increased arms imports
to ensure that it could defend itself.

“I think that a new war would lead to a huge humanitarian crisis and
be extremely bloody,” he said. “The losses would be much greater than
before – hundreds of thousands killed and injured – because of the
arms race of the last few years.”

There have been several rounds of talks between the neighbors since
1994. The foreign ministers of both countries met this month for
informal talks mediated by Russia, France and the United States in a
team known as the Minsk Group.

Those talks, which do not include Nagorno-Karabakh representatives,
have yet to yield any results, although there is hope that the
re-election of Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan will give fresh
impetus to finding a solution.

Sargsyan has previously accused Azerbaijan of accumulating a
“horrendous quantity” of arms to prepare for a resumption of fighting.
But he has also said he wants a negotiated deal.

Haroutiounian, who fought in the 1991-94 conflict, said that for the
moment public opinion in Azerbaijan and Armenia was not ready for a
compromise, making it much harder for their leaders to accept any
settlement.

Haveeru Online, Maldives
March 31 2013

Notorious Artur brothers investing in Maldives!?

Ahmed Naif, Haveeru Online

The notorious Armenian brothers accused of being conmen and drug
traffickers have linked up with various political figures to invest in
the Maldives.

Haveeru has found that the Artur brothers Margaryan and Sargayan have
registered a company `Artur Brothers World Connections’ with the
Economic Ministry last October.

The shareholders of the company include two French nationals and a
local. The main company of the two brothers, `Artur Brothers Holding’
is engaged in business activities ranging from entertainment, Property
Development, Real Estate, Security, Labor Supplier, Main Power
Supplier, Casino, General Trading, Hotel Industry and Car Trading
according to the company website.

It has also been confirmed that the Arturs have been gradually
investing in the Maldives since October. In addition, the brothers
were pictured with Tourism Minister Ahmed Adeeb and Defence Minister
Mohamed Nazim during a motor racing event held in Hulhumale in
January.

According to sources at the Immigration Department the brothers are
currently in the Maldives and are believed to be residing in a resort
near the capital after briefly living in Hulhumale.

The Armenians had been linked to a huge scandal in Kenya which
eventually led to their highly controversial deportation.

A local media outlet KTN’s investigations team produced a daring
expose of the cover-up that followed the seizure of Kenya’s largest
ever cocaine haul in December 2004.

The channel further disclosed how several tonnes of the cocaine went
missing; how the brothers’ were allowed to escape and how two State
prosecutions were deliberately mishandled.

No government authority is yet to officially comment on the presence
of the Arturs in Maldives.

Hurriyet Daily News, Turkey
March 30 2013

Master of oud of Armenian descent announces return to his hometown, Diyarbak�±r

DÃ?°YARBAKIR – DoÃ?Â?an News Agency

World-renowned master of oud Yervant Bostanc�±, a Diyarbak�±r native of
Armenian descent, announced March 30 that he has decided to return to
his hometown following separate calls by the culture minister and
Diyarbak�±r mayor for minorities that have emigrated to return to
Turkey.

Bostanc�±, who has been living in California for 21 years, said he was
set to move to Diyarbak�±r in June, being the first Armenian to respond
to the calls. “DiyarbakÃ?±r Mayor Osman Baydemir and other fellow
countrymen wanted me to come back. I could not rip my heart from [my
birthplace]. People should die where they are born. I’m coming to
die,” BostancÃ?± said, adding that he did not find genuine happiness in
the United States.

A recent book on his life written by Diyarbak�±r author ��eyhmus Diken
paid tribute to the musician. He was born in the Hançepek neighborhood
of DiyarbakÃ?±r, which was also known as the “Gavur (Infidel)
Neighborhood” of DiyarbakÃ?±r and hosted most of the Armenians who had
survived the events of 1915. Diyarbak�±r was once home to a large
Armenian community years ago. The municipality has started major
projects to restore Armenian vestiges such as the Surp Giragos Church.

“People constantly tell me, ‘You have work in Los Angeles, how you
will leave everything and return to DiyarbakÃ?±r.’ But why shouldn’t we
live where we are happy? We Armenians brought our culture with us
everywhere we went. Why should we die in the city of others, feeling
homesick?” BostancÃ?± said.

He told Hürriyet Daily News in an interview last year that he had
decided to leave Turkey after being insulted following a show in 1992.
“I finished the program, and a man came up and asked me why I was
singing in Armenian. I replied, “Because I am Armenian,” and then he
started to swear and curse at me. I was terrified, and I decided to
leave Turkey that night,” the musician explained.

Bostanc�± also said the Armenian diaspora in the United States reacted
strongly when he continued singing in Turkish and Kurdish. “I made
this struggle and never gave up,” he said.

March/30/2013

Xinhua General News Service, China
March 29, 2013 Friday 7:25 AM EST

Armenia, China sign pact on technical, economic cooperation

YEREVAN Armenia, March 29

Armenian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Manasaryan and
Ambassador of China to Armenia Tian Changchun have signed an agreement
in Yerevan on technical and economic cooperation between the two
countries, the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced in a
press release on Friday.

The agreement foresees the construction of a Chinese school of
regional significance in Armenia.

Within the frameworks of technical and economic cooperation between
Armenia and China, a number of agricultural, public health and
transportation projects have been implemented in Armenia with the
support of the Chinese government.

The Times (London), UK
March 30, 2013 Saturday
Edition 1; Ireland

Muslim family still proud to hold key for Christian church

Sheera Frenkel

For every morning of the past 40 years, Wajeeh Nuseibeh has climbed
the same rickety wooden ladder to open the doors to the Church of the
Holy Sepulchre, the most revered site in Christendom.

In a ritual passed down through the centuries by Nuseibeh men, he raps
the door three times before pulling out a 12-inch iron key to unlock
the gates of the church, the place where Christ was crucified, buried
and resurrected.

However, as tens of thousands of Christian pilgrims gathered at Holy
Sepulchre yesterday to mark Easter, few would know that the family
charged with such an important ritual is actually Muslim.

His ancestors were chosen for their long service and ability to
navigate the sometimes violent rivalries between the various Christian
sects represented in the church.

“I am the custodian of the key of the Holy Sepulchre,” said Mr
Nuseibeh, 62, as worshippers made their way up the Via Dolorosa
through Jerusalem’s Old City to mark Good Friday.

“I see these people and I feel how important the task is, how good it
is that my family has held the tradition all these years. I am proud
that my family will continue to hold this honour.”

This year, Mr Nuseibeh will pass the responsibility as key holder over
to his son, 30-year-old Obedya Nuseibeh who works by day as a
hairdresser in Jerusalem.

After the Easter festival he will begin to take over responsibility
for his father’s gate-keeping, arriving at the Church at 4am to open
the doors, and at 8pm to lock them shut.

“I’m nervous I won’t do it correctly at first, there is a lot of
ritual to remember. But I’ve been watching my father do this for
years, and I think I know it very well,” said Obedya. “My father
advised me to stay neutral, to remember this is an important, historic
role.”

Mr Nuseibeh senior said it was not always easy to stay out of Church
politics, especially as the various Christian factions that worship in
the church have been known to come to blows over the right to clean a
particular window or sweep a set of stairs.

In 2008, on Orthodox Palm Sunday, priests from the Armenian and Greek
denominations scuffled after a priest was asked to move positions near
the tomb of Jesus. Police were called to break up the fight, as the
priests lashed out at each other with palm fronds.

During British Mandate rule in Palestine, troops with fixed bayonets
sometimes had to separate the Christian sects who jealously protected
their sections of the church.

“Some people see it is as ironic that a Muslim family holds the key to
the church. But our ancestors, in their wisdom, saw this was the only
way to keep the peace,” he said.

The Nuseibeh family was first made custodians of the key when Caliph
Umar Ibn Khattab first conquered Jerusalem in 638AD.

The only gap in the family tradition was during the 88 years of
Crusader rule in the 12th century, which ended in 1187 when Saladin
recaptured Jerusalem and promised Richard the Lionheart that he would
restore the Nuseibehs as the custodians of the key. Since then, the
three largest denominations in the church – Greek Orthodox, Roman
Catholic and Armenian – hold an annual ceremony where they renew their
request to the Nuseibehs to be “custodian and doorkeeper” of the
church, a title that the family proudly places on its business cards.

“I maybe didn’t take the tradition so seriously when it was first
given to me by my father,” said Wajeeh Nuseibeh, who said he was 22
years old when he began training in his duties. “I grew to love it.”
He said he was relinquishing his duties only after having a second
heart attack late last year.

“I won’t live for ever and I have to make sure to pass down the
tradition,” he said. “That is the most important thing.”

Yesterday, as the square in front of the church filled with pilgrims,
he reflected that he had had a “good run”. “Things have changed so
much since I took this job. Pilgrims used to crawl to the church on
the knees to show their reverence,” he said.

“Now they walk up looking at the church through their iPhone cameras,
and post the photos to Facebook before they’ve even set foot in the
church. It’s a new generation, it’s very different.”

But he is glad that one thing has stayed the same.

“For as long as there are Nuseibehs we will hold the key,” he said.

There Is No Room For Retreat

Siranuysh Papyan
20:46 30/03/2013
Story from Lragir.am News:

Interview with Anush Sedrakyan, vice president of Free Democrats Party

You said the main advantage of the current post-electoral process is
that it is open to the public. Do you think it was not enough?

I don’t want to compare this and previous movements. One can only
compare the quality of fighting people and their level of organization
and it should be noted that the level of consciousness of people has
changed. We spoke about wakening, alertness of the society, change of
their thinking, and everyone thought the main change would be the wish
to fight. But it turns out that the main change is the critical
attitude to the actions of both the government and opposition.

Earlier the opposition claimed that the authorities are the embodiment
of all kinds of vices, they are thieves and bandits, emotions
culminated, fight escalated into destruction. Now the stresses are
different. They say there is no hatred on the square. It is natural
because people demand specific mechanisms, there is no room for hatred
and pathetic words but there is also no room for retreat because it is
not a wave in the direct sense of the word. Consolidation is high, and
it will control both the government and the opposition.

The government acts naturally because it understands that over these
years they have been unable to prevent such a wave of dissatisfaction.

Consequently, the government must stop being a feeder and assume
responsibility. From this moment all the state problems will be solved
because few people will strive for power, only those who can perform
those functions, and state building will start. So far we have had
only formal institutions, mismanagement. Now it is time for state
building.

Do you think a coalition government is possible or will the shadow
government act as a balance to the government?

I would say the government had to become conscious of change because a
little more and there would be a social revolt and a new wave of
migration. The opposition is gaining experience and applies certain
technologies. If one wants to develop the society, one needs to apply
technologies. Consolidation of people by one interest or another leads
to forming public standards. I wish those standards were formed by the
state, running ahead of the society.

Now a public standard is forming which has internal motives. Foreign
funds cannot nourish pseudo-ideas. Armenia has one way of not changing
– close all the ways of communications with the outer world. In
Azerbaijan a powerful youth movement has occurred, and the first thing
that has occurred to the authorities is to close Facebook.
Fortunately, we haven’t gone so far but the more technologies develop,
the more inevitable technologies will be. Internet forms a standard of
global thinking because there will be change one day.

Which is better for the society, a new coalition government or a new
shadow government?

This state is based on the purpose of humiliating man. They chose not
so educated people for monopolies. They did it in order to convince
people that one need not be a professional and smart to be rich, the
favor of the monarch is enough. This scheme crushed the professionals
of Armenia, the striving for professionalism because everyone knew how
wealth is distributed.

Second, public wealth was declared private property and sale of the
city began. Who would have thought that one can sell parks, streets,
how can one hate people to steal green parks and streets from them? In
other words, respect for a citizen should be returned a priori which
is not done or it must be conquered, as it is done now. Citizens have
started respecting themselves and demanding respect.

Do you think the main goal has been stated?

For me the main goal is declassification of property, how effectively
it is used. The measurement of effectiveness is taxes. The state must
be accountable to the citizens on the effectiveness of use of the
state capital. It will lead to healing of the judicial system, respect
for the citizens who will see equal opportunities for business,
citizens who are not deprived of their rights and property. I was
rather skeptical about progress but now I have understood that
humanism is inevitable, even if it is four years late.

Saturday,
March 30

`168 Hours’ paper writes, citing its sources that Foreign Minister
Edward Nalbandian will be appointed Armenian ambassador to
Switzerland. The paper reminds readers that French-Armenian singer
Charles Aznavour has served as the Armenian ambassador to Switzerland
since 2009.

TODAY, 11:53
Aysor.am

PHILATELIE ARMENIENNE
La Poste arménienne honore Sourp Sarkis (Saint Serge)

Le 29 janvier 2013 la Poste arménienne (HayPost) a émis un timbre à
l’occasion de la fête de Sourp Sarkis (Saint Serge) très célébrée en
Arménie. L’émission philatélique représentant une miniature arménienne
représentant Sourp Sarkis sur son cheval, miniature tirée de la Bible
de Van (Vani Avédaran) réalisée au XIVe siècle. Le timbre, d’une
valeur de 280 drams est édité en 40 000 exemplaires.

Krikor Amirzayan

samedi 30 mars 2013,
Krikor Amirzayan ©armenews.com

ARMAVIA FILES FOR BANKRUPTCY, TO CEASE OPERATIONS

ATWOnline – Air Transport World
March 29 2013

Mar. 29, 2013 Polina Borodina

Armenian carrier Armavia Airlines filed for bankruptcy and will cease
flights April 1. The airline said it failed to cope with the 2008
world economic crisis.

“An Armavia owner (the local businessman Mikhail Baghdasarov) supported
the airline at the other businesses expense,” the carrier said in a
statement. “But now it is impossible to continue this way.”

In Nov. 2012 Bagdhasarov put Armavia up for sale and local media
reported the owner was considering potential buyers from Russia,
Australia and Italy. Baghdasarov said there were no Armenian
businessmen in a position to buy the airline.

The airline’s fleet includes two Airbus A320s, three Bombardier
CRJ200LRs and three Boeing 737-500s. Armavia was the first to take
delivery of the Sukhoi Superjet 100 in 2011 but later returned the
aircraft to the manufacturer, saying it was unsatisfied with its
operational results. Later the carrier refused to take delivery of
second SSJ100. The Sukhoi Civil Aircraft company said the decision
was based on the carrier’s poor financial condition and not related
to the aircraft’s operational performance.

Nearly half of the Armavia network is concentrated in Russia and
Ukraine and the airline also performs flights to Europe, Middle East
and North Africa.

VARDAN OSKANYAN: “MAKE YEREVAN FINANCIALLY FULLY SELF-SUFFICIENT.”

2013-03-29 21:38:49

PAP MP Vardan Oskanyan wrote on his facebook page:

Reffering to municipal elections on May 5, he says: “This election is
strictly important. In formal terms, yes, it is a municipal election,
but as a matter of fact, it is of a state given Yerevan’s weight
across the republic. With its potential and capacities, Yerevan is
a state within a state. I would like our society too, to treat this
election with maximum seriousness, considering its significance on
both political and municipal levels.”

Elaborating on the political aspects of the process, Oskanyan says
further that the situation in Yerevan is almost the same as in the
country in general.

He then singles out four basic areas where he sees problems.

“The first are the questions relating to the Yerevan residents’
everyday life – water supply, waste disposal, transportation,
education, healthcare, opportunities for individuals with
Disabilities. Often, there’s not only no progress, but also
deterioration. The question, however, is that all problems are possible
to solve in case of a proper and effective governance.

The second is the city’s architectural appearance. We definitely have a
regress here. Illegal development activities, tasteless and dangerous
building roof extensions, architectural constructions incompatible
with the national [culture], etc. The mayor should have a primary task
to stop the capital city’s distortion, and later think seriously of
re-establishing what we have lost over the course of years.

The third are the red tapes at the City Hall and the regional
administrations.

And it is necessary to change the business environment in Yerevan,
creating equal opportunities for all businesses to enable their
participation and victory in the bids announced by the City Hall. It
is also important to increase the financial opportunities and set a
task to make Yerevan fully self-satisfied in financial terms,” says
Oskanian, encouraging the Yerevan residents to actively take part in
the upcoming polls to help change the situation in the country.