Author: Kajoyan Gevork

AUTONOMY FOR ARMENIAN-POPULATED REGION OF GEORGIA OUT OF QUESTION – SHIRAK TOROSYAN

NEWS.AM
March 21, 2013 | 12:51

YEREVAN.- At the moment autonomy for Armenian-populated region of
Georgia is out of the question, head of Javakhk union, MP Shirak
Torosyan told reporters on Thursday.

“Autonomy for Javakhk is out of the question. Speculation appeared
during the last years of Saakashvili’s rule when pressure on the
region increased,” he said.

Despite Mikheil Saakashvili’s assurances, the people of Javakhk were
not full citizens of Georgia, Torosyan added. MP is hopeful that
Bidzina Ivanishvili will fulfill his promise and citizens of Javakhk
will in fact become full citizens of the neighboring state.

He pointed out positive movement in Javakhk, noting that there is no
violence. “Atmosphere of fear has disappeared. Political prisoners,
first of all Vahagn Chakhalyan, were freed. Georgian authorities
abolished ban on entry of a group of activists, including me,”
Torosyan said.

RAFFI HOVANNISIAN MISSED ANOTHER DECEIT

HAKOB BADALYAN
11:23 21/03/2013
Story from Lragir.am News:

When Serzh Sargsyan’s proposals to Raffi Hovannisian were published,
a discussion began whether Raffi Hovannisian was right to refuse them
and go on hunger strike.

Negotiation is part of politics, but not its synonym.

Levon Ter-Petrosyan entered into a dialogue with Serzh Sargsyan in
2011 when there was an impressive number of people protesting on the
square. Probably, Ter-Petrosyan thought that it would be possible
to force extraordinary parliamentary or presidential elections to
Serzh Sargsyan with so many people. Moreover, foreign centers could
also intervene.

Serzh Sargsyan freed political prisoners, opened Freedom Square, and
delegated his people to negotiate. But Serzh Sargsyan left the dialogue
at the first possibility leaving Levon Ter-Petrosyan with empty square
and closed WCs and the PAP as the only available direction.

Actually, Serzh Sargsyan has proposed almost the same thing to Raffi
Hovannisian. It would be naïve to accept it having Ter-Petrosyan’s
example in view. If Raffi Hovannisian’s goal is uncertain for the
majority, and this uncertainty does not ensure maximum mobilization,
and if he did not force Serzh Sargsyan to resign in another way,
this does not mean that he was wrong when he refused the beaten track.

Does anyone doubt that Serzh Sargsyan would have left Raffi alone
as soon as possible if the latter had accepted his proposals? In
the end, the bait of constitutional reforms had been used earlier
in the political life of Armenia when Robert Kocharyan had involved
oppositional figures in an institution to carry out constitutional
reforms but years later these figures disappeared and the Constitution
was amended the way Robert Kocharyan wished.

Consequently, Raffi Hovannisian did not miss any opportunity, or even
if he did, he didn’t miss the opportunity that many speak about. Raffi
Hovannisian missed another deceit or vision which the ruling system
usually proposes to the opposition. This means that he reduced the
society’s chance to be deceived. But this does not mean that deceit
is ruled out. But it is at least in the traditional form.

Calls for a dialogue are often heard too. This is another traditional
thing. In 2008, Ter-Petrosyan was called to enter into dialogue;
such calls are made whenever the situation becomes tense or when the
government’s rational arguments are exhausted. In reality, the dialogue
is something artificial. There is a Constitution which underlies
internal political and social dialogue. Dialogue takes place when
all the subjects are guided by the Constitution and laws. Of course,
there can be a Constitutional crisis but in this case it is necessary
to show which of the constitutional provisions causes the crisis.

The stereotypes on national unity are traditional, even magical.

Disagreement and protection of rights means discord, while solidarity
is when everyone recognizes the right of a group of people to rule.

The situation is mutilated by collective efforts. Meanwhile, everything
is more than clear. In this case, Raffi Hovannisian could do one
thing for the society and the state -form a firm opposition system
based on civil and legal values which would be aimed at compelling
to government to take steps, not at negotiating.

This could be a real process of change of government because change of
government does not mean change of people but change of the source of
government. Water coming from that source can be abundant or not but
the important thing is that it should be the society to open or close
the source and the government should not come close to it unless it
becomes citizen.

CREATION OF FRIENDSHIP GROUPS WITH ARTSAKH IS GOOD OPPORTUNITY FOR NKR RECOGNITION: DAVIT BABAYAN

10:25, 21 March, 2013

YEREVAN, MARCH 21, ARMENPRESS. The procedure of creation of friendship
groups with Artsakh in various parliaments of the world is a result
of persistent activity of the Armenia-Artsakh-Diaspora unity, which
will go on. In a conversation with “Armenpress” the Spokesman of the
Artsakh Republic President Davit Babayan stated that this activity
bears concrete fruits. Babayan highlighted: “To my opinion the
procedure of creation of friendship groups with Artsakh will not
stop here and thus it will become more impetuous.” In addition he
underscored that presently Artsakh mainly targets the development of
bilateral relations with various countries of the world.

Among other things the Spokesman noted that there are three main
theses, which are of a certain importance for the foreign policy of
Artsakh. They are as follows: the settlement of Azerbaijani-Karabakh
conflict, international recognition of Artsakh, and development of
bilateral relations. In his words creation of friendship groups by
parliaments strengthens Artsakh’s ties with various countries. Babayan
laid a heavy emphasis on this fact and said: “This means that we
shall have an opportunity to communicate with those countries,
establish mutually beneficial cooperation, which is a good chance
for the recognition of Artsakh independence.”

BARCELONA TO PAY ~@25 MILLION FOR HENRIKH MKHITARYAN’S TRANSFER: GERUCHTE TICKER

10:40, 21 March, 2013

YEREVAN, MARCH 21, ARMENPRESS. Catalan “Barcelona” is seriously
intended to strengthen its front line. As reports “Armenpress” citing
Swiss Geruchte Ticker portal, the administration of the Catalan
football club has clarified its intentions regarding the transfer of
the two footballers. They are Brazil’s FC Santos striker Neymar and
Ukraine’s FC Shakhtar Donetsk midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan.

In accordance with the source midfielder of the Armenian National
Football Team Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who scored 21 goals during the
current season, wants to leave Ukraine’s FC Shakhtar Donetsk after
the end of the current match season. It has been mentioned that the
Barcelona administration intends to allocate ~@25 million for the 24
years old midfielder, whose contract with FC Shakhtar expires in 2015.

Mkhitaryan and Neymar are seen as replacements for Alexis Sanchez
and David Villa.

At the same time The Mirror states that London’s Chelsea F.C. and
Manchester City likewise are interested in the services of the Armenian
football player. Mkhitaryan is on the radars of Chelsea and Manchester
City for a long time, and they are prepared to help the player take
a step forward by transferring to a stronger club.

CHYPRE : LA TAXE SUR LES DEPÔTS BANCAIRES INJUSTE ET DANGEREUSE (KREMLIN)

Le president russe Vladimir Poutine juge “injuste” et “dangereuse”
la taxe sur les depôts bancaires acceptee par Chypre en echange d’un
plan d’aide international, qui va durement toucher les fortunes russes
placees sur l’île, a indique lundi son porte-parole.

“Poutine a dit que cette decision, si elle est adoptee, sera injuste,
non professionnelle et dangereuse”, a declare le porte-parole du
Kremlin, Dmitri Peskov, cite par les agences russes.

Les experts estiment les avoirs russes a Chypre a au moins 20 milliards
de dollars, bien plus selon certaines evaluations. La Russie se trouve
donc en première ligne après l’annonce d’un plan d’aide de a l’île
mediterraneenne, qui comprend une taxe sur les depôts bancaires.

les bailleurs de fonds (Bruxelles et le Fond monetaire international)
ont demande a Nicosie d’instaurer une taxe exceptionnelle de 6,75%
sur tous les depôts en-deca de 100.000 euros et de 9,9% au-dela de
ce seuil.

La presse et les analystes estimaient lundi le coût total d’une telle
mesure pour les Russes a entre deux et trois milliards d’euros.

L’agence Moody’s a estime a 19 milliards de dollars au 1er septembre
2012 les seuls avoirs de societes russes places a Chypre. S’y
ajouteraient 12 milliards de dollars d’avoirs de banques russes dans
des etablissements chypriotes, selon la meme source.

mercredi 20 mars 2013, Stephane ©armenews.com

MOSCOU NE VOIT PAS DE CONCESSION DANS LA RESTRUCTURATION DU BOUCLIER ANTIMISSILE US

La Russie ne voit “pas de concession” dans l’annonce faite par les
Etats-Unis de la restructuration du système de bouclier antimissile en
Europe, a declare lundi un vice-ministre russe des affaires
etrangères, Sergueï Riabkov.

“Il ne s’agit pas d’une concession a la Russie”, a declare M. Riabkov
au quotidien Kommersant, ajoutant ne voir “aucun lien” entre les
declarations faites au Pentagone sur la restructuration du bouclier et
les objections exprimees jusqu’alors par la Russie.

A Washington, le secretaire a la Defense, Chuck Hagel, avait annonce
vendredi une “restructuration” du programme antimissiles de l’Otan
pour faire face a une menace iranienne, lors d’une intervention
consacree au renforcement de la defense antimissile americaine face a
la future menace balistique nord-coreenne.

Pyongyang a menace son voisin sud-coreen d’un conflit arme en reponse
aux nouvelles sanctions imposees par l’ONU a la suite du troisième
essai nucleaire de la Coree du Nord en fevrier et de manoeuvres
militaires conjointes entre la Coree du Sud et les Etats-Unis.

Washington prevoit de deployer 14 intercepteurs de missiles
supplementaires en Alaska, s’ajoutant aux 30 deja en place le long de
la côte ouest americaine.

Selon un responsable de l’administration americaine, les Etats-Unis
entendent restructurer la phase finale du bouclier antimissile “en
raison de coupes budgetaires par le Congrès et l’evolution” de la
situation.

Concrètement, l’installation en Turquie d’un radar TPY-2 concu pour
detecter les lancements de missiles balistiques et leur trajectoire
est toujours prevue, de meme que le deploiement d’ici a 2018 de 24
missiles intercepteurs SM3-IIA en Roumanie, et autant en Pologne.

“Tout ce qui concerne les incertitudes strategiques liees au
deploiement du bouclier antimissile des Etats-Unis et de l’Otan reste
inchange”, a souligne le vice-ministre russe, Moscou considerant ce
projet comme un menace pour sa securite.

M. Riabkov doit rencontrer mardi a Genève la sous-secretaire d’Etat
americaine chargee du contrôle des armements, Rose Gottemoeller, pour
discuter de ces problèmes, selon Kommersant.

Les experts sont partages sur l’interpretation de l’annonce du Pentagone.

Il s’agit d’un “signal indiquant que les Etats-Unis veulent cooperer”
avec Moscou, que le president Barack Obama entend “poursuivre la
relance” des relations entre les deux ennemis de la guerre, a declare
a l’AFP l’analyste du Centre des etudes politiques de Russie, Evgueni
Boujinski.

Mais d’après l’analyste Viktor Kremeniouk, cite par l’agence
Itar-Tass, les Etats-Unis n’ont pas annonce une restructuration du
bouclier antimissile “au profit de Moscou” mais en vue de reorienter
leur système vers l’Extreme-Orient.

Lance en 2010, le projet de bouclier antimissile de l’Otan, base
essentiellement sur une technologie americaine, vise a deployer
progressivement des intercepteurs de missiles et de puissants radars
dans l’est de l’Europe et en Turquie.

Les Etats-Unis et l’Otan affirment que ce système ne vise pas la
Russie mais une menace venant du Moyen-Orient, en particulier d’Iran.

Moscou le considère neanmoins comme une menace pour sa securite et
exige d’etre associe au système ou, a defaut, de recevoir des
garanties que celui-ci ne vise pas sa capacite de dissuasion.

mercredi 20 mars 2013,
Stephane ©armenews.com

SIT-DOWN STRIKE AND SIGNATURE COLLECTION IN YSU

12:22 pm | Today | Politics

Today, on March 19 at 2:3 pm at the participants of YOUTH MOVEMENT
will present their demands to YSU Rector Aram Simonyan.

These requirements will be presented to the media conference, which
will take place at 1 pm, in the press club “Elaket”.

During the press conference the idea and activities of an outdoor
UNIVERSITY will also be presented.

In YSU sit-down strike and signature collection is still going with
the claim of resignation of YSU rector’s assistant Gevorg Melkonyan.

It will start at 09:30 am till 3 pm every day till the satisfaction
of their requirements.

RAFFI HOVANNISIAN AWAITS SITUATION’S OUTCOME BY APRIL 9

“The inauguration of a new Armenia will take place on April 9,”
Heritage Party leader Raffi Hovannisian declared at the press
conference today.

In his words, on Friday he will present his proposals about ways out
of the current situation. “The first option is the refusal to accept
office, and the second one is a comprehensive alternative. Both
proposals will be sent to Serzh Sargsyan,” Hovannisian said.

He said he awaits the situation’s outcome by April 9. According to R.

Hovannisian, after April 9 they intend to hold a constitutional
referendum in Armenia, as a result of which the parliamentary system
of governance will be adopted, parliamentary elections will be held
under the proportional system, and the governors and prosecutor will
be elective officials.

“It is necessary to hold a constitutional referendum. Lawyer Vardan
Poghosian will be responsible for the process. Don’t offer me that
post,” R. Hovannisian stressed.

He once again expressed his readiness to meet with President Sargsyan.

“But this meeting must be public,” the leader of Heritage Party stated.

AUTHOR OF THE BOOK ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE HASAN CEMAL REMOVED FROM “MILLIYET”

19:55, 19 March, 2013

YEREVAN, MARCH 19, ARMENPRESS: Author of the book “1915. Armenian
Genocide”, grandson of Cemal Pasha, journalist and writer Hasan
Cemal was removed from the “Milliyet” newspaper, where he had worked
from 1998.

As reports Armenpress, referring to Turkish press, columnist Hasan
Cemal has quit writing for daily Milliyet after the Turkish newspaper
refused to publish the veteran journalist’s first column after two
weeks. Cemal’s last piece was published on March 2, voicing support for
the daily’s decision to go ahead with the publication of the minutes
of a second parliamentarian visit to the jailed leader of the outlawed
Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), Abdullah Ocalan. The piece came after
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan criticized the newspaper, saying
the principle of press freedom does not give the media the right to
“act against the national interest of a country.”

Erdogan had also slammed the columnist with the words “down with your
journalism, if this is the journalism you will conduct.”

It is notable that author condemning Erdogan was removed, while editor
who published the article and other responsible were not.

Hasan Cemal, the grandson of Young Turk Party leader Jemal Pasha on
April 15 will present his new book “1915: Armenian Genocide” at St.

Thomas Armenian Church in Tenafly.

The book, which has become a bestseller in Turkey, presents factual
information about the Armenian Genocide and speaks about Cemal’s
personal transformation–from someone who once denied the Armenian
Genocide to someone who not only recognizes it, but is willing to
risk publishing a book on his findings.

In addition to his personal story and evidence of the planned
massacres, passages from Cemal’s grandfather, Cemal Pasha, one of
the masterminds behind the Armenian Genocide, are also quoted from
his own memoirs from 1919.

Cemal visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial in Yerevan five years
ago, and writes in his book, “To deny the Genocide would mean to be
an accomplice in this crime against humanity.”

MINSK GROUP CO-CHAIRS TO DISCUSS ARTSAKH’S SUGGESTION ON NOT VIOLATING CEASEFIRE REGIME ON HOLIDAYS WITH AZERBAIJAN

20:46, 19 March, 2013

YEREVAN, MARCH 19, ARMENPRESS: OSCE Minsk group Co-Chairs Igor Popov
(Russian Federation), Jacques Faure (France), Ian Kelly (USA) will
discuss with Armenian and Azerbaijani authorities Artsakh’s suggestion
to strengthen ceasefire regime on border during the holidays. As
reports Armenpress, this was declared by Russian Co-Chair Igor Popov
during the interview with journalists of Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.

“This issue has been already discussed with Bako Sahakyan. In two days
it will be discussed with Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan and in
the beginning of April with the authorities of Azerbaijan. Afterwards
we will be ready to include that issue in our common statement,”
Popov said.

At the meeting with Minsk Group Co-Chairs President of Artsakh
Republic Bako Sahakyan regrettably recorded that suggestion of
official Stepanakert on not violating ceasefire regime on holidays
had in fact been ignored by Azerbaijan and that Baku continued its
daily violations along the entire border.