Author: Kajoyan Gevork

EUROVISION JUNIOR-ARMENIE
Ce soir l’Arménie à « Eurovision Junior-2012 » avec le groupe « Compass Band »

Ce soir au Heineken Music Hall d’Amsterdam (Pays Bas) se déroule la
10e édition de « l’Eurovision Junior-2012 » en présence de 12 pays
dont l’Arménie représentée par le groupe « Compass Band » avec leur
chanson « Sweetie Baby » en arménien et anglais. Les membres des
communautés arméniennes de Suède, Belgique et Russie pourront suivre
en direct la compétition à la télévision et voter pour l’Arménie par
sms. Les téléspectateurs d’Arménie ne pourront voter pour le groupe
représentant l’Arménie. Malheureusement, la France ne participant pas
à ce concours de « l’Eurovision Junior-2012 » nous serons privés du
direct et du vote. Par contre nous aurons la possibilité de suivre le
concours à travers la télévision arménienne.

L’Arménie gagna en 2010 (Minsk, Bélarus) le concours de l’Eurovision
Junior et accuillit en 2011 à Erévan la finale. La Géorgie gagna en
2008 (Limassol, Chypre) et 2011 (Erévan, Arménie). A noter que
l’Azerbaïdjan prticipe pour la première fois à ce concours.

Krikor Amirzayan

samedi 1er décembre 2012,
Krikor Amirzayan ©armenews.com

DRAME
La mère de Naïri Hounanian entendait les voix de ses fils venus de la mer…

La semaine dernière, la nuit du 23 novembre, les services de secours
ukrainiens de la ville portuaire d’Evpatoria (Crimée) sur la Mer Noire
avait remonté gisant à quelques mètres de la côté, le corps sans vie
de Natella Galstyan, la mère de Naïri Hounanian le chef du commando
des tueurs du Parlement arménien. Selon les voisins de Natella
Galstyan la nuit précédant sa noyade, cette dernière recherchait ses
fils Naïri et Garen Hounanian car elle avait entendu leurs voix dans
ses rêves. Alors que Naïri et Garen Hounanian purgent leur peine de
prison a perpétuité en Arménie, leur mère demandait aux voisins « mes
fils sont-ils chez vous ? » a confié l’un de ses voisins, Vladimir au
journal « Komsomolskaïa Pravda ». Vladimir ajouta « elle nous a dit
qu’elle entendait les voix de Naïri et Garén venues de la mer. Après
le départ de Natella, son troisième fils, Armen s’est présenté et
recherchait sa mère ». Nalella dont le corps était plongé dans l’eau
en ayant pris le soin de laisser des chaussures sur le bord de la
côte. En juin dernier, en compagnie d’Armen, Natella s’était rendu en
Arménie et avait rencontré Naïri et Garen en prison. Depuis, elle ne
supportait plus cette séparation et prenait des médicaments. Elle
disait alors entendre les voix de ses fils.

Il y a 13 ans, le 27 octobre 1999 un commando de 5 personnes avec à
leur tête Naïri Hounanian faisait irruption au Parlement arménien à
Erévan en pleine séance parlementaire pour abattre 8 députés et
personnalités politiques de haut rang. Parmi elles, le Premier
ministre Vazken Sarkissian dit « Sparabed », héros de la guerre du
Haut Karabagh et Garen Démirdjian, le Président du Parlement. Après un
jugement, les 5 terroristes furent condamnés à la peine de prison à
perpétuité.

Krikor Amirzayan

samedi 1er décembre 2012,
Krikor Amirzayan ©armenews.com

APA, Azerbaijan
Nov 24 2012

Azeri authorities warn Mexico over plans to remove statue

[Translated from Azeri]

Azerbaijan may take its embassy and investment projects elsewhere,
officials have said as Mexican authorities discuss removing the late
Azerbaijani president’s statue from the central park in Mexico City.

In an interview with the APA news agency on 24 November Elman
Abdullayev, spokesman for the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry, said that
the statue to Heydar Aliyev is a symbol of friendship and implied that
the Armenian diaspora was at work. “One gets the impression that the
Armenian diaspora is tapping into all resources and connections in
order to hinder the communication of Azerbaijan’s realities to the
world,” the agency quoted him as saying.

Abdullayev said that as a strong regional state Azerbaijan is
attractive for many countries. “Along with investing in other
countries, Azerbaijan is itself interested in investing abroad. We
believe that it is important to preserve such partnership relations.”

The statue to Heydar Aliyev, who is the father of incumbent President
Ilham Aliyev, was erected in the park refurbished with the funds of
the Azerbaijani embassy in the country and the relevant contract
states that the statue has to remain in the park for 99 years.

Earlier, Russia’s RIA Novosti quoted the Azerbaijani ambassador to
Mexico, Ilqar Muxtarov, as saying that if the statue is removed,
Azerbaijan may give up on investment projects in Mexico worth 4bn
dollars. “If the statue is removed, there is no doubt that this will
cause bilateral relations to deteriorate. Also the envisaged
investments will not materialize. The last step will be the closure of
the Azerbaijani embassy in the country,” RIA Novosti quoted him as
saying.

The Azerbaijani embassy in Mexico represents Azerbaijan in six Latin
American countries. Muxtarov said that diplomatic relations will not
be severed, but the embassy may be moved to one of the other
countries.

Web user comments

A report posted on the Azeri service of Radio Liberty on 24 November
attracted 25 user comments as of 29 November.

User “Farid”: “We must learn this lesson of wisdom from the Mexican
people. As Ilham Aliyev said ‘This is unacceptable’ and together with
this statue, this regime has to be dismantled!!!!!”

User “bakili”: “I wonder how much kickback the embassy received from
the 5m dollars spent on the refurbishment of the park in Mexico. When
there is money for us sacred issues take the backseat”.

User “Elvin”: “I was happy from my heart for this news. Let the day
come when all statues are removed”.

User “Faiq”: “Let the day come when Heydar’s statues in Azerbaijan are
removed…”

Four users commented on another report posted on the Radio Liberty
website on 26 November.

User “aysiay”: “Four billion dollars are being invested in Mexico
because the statue of Ilham’s father was erected. The nation is
sinking and perishing, but look at their obsession with the statue”.

User “Azar”: “If a country spends one-fourth of its budget on one
statue we can think of the following: the state is gambling the
budget”.

User “cenub”: “We agree. Let them pay 1m to each household and place
it down our street. We will confirm in notary’s office that we will
not demolish it as long as Ilham I is in power”.

[Translated from Azeri]

Hurriyet, Turkey
Nov 30 2012

Tell me who your ombudsman is

by OZGUR MUMCU

What did the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) say in its decision
on slain Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink? It said this: `The
approval, by the Supreme Court of Appeals, of the penalty given to
Hrant Dink because of Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code is a
violation of freedom of expression.’

The ECHR did not say this alone. It is also stated in the decision
text how Article 301 was used like a weapon against Dink, how the path
to his killing was opened with the 301 case and that the state did not
take any action to protect Dink.

What business will the institution of the ombudsman undertake?

It will examine, research and make suggestions about all kinds of
operations and activities, attitude and conduct of the administration,
determining whether they are in `line with the sense of justice based
on human rights, as well as their accordance with the law and
justice.’ The Parliament elected Mehmet Nihat Ã-meroÄ?lu to head theis
institution. His duty is to research and examine whether the deeds of
the administration are in line with the sense of justice based on
human rights. Ã-meroÄ?lu is a judge. It should be assumed that he
understands justice and the law, human rights and the like. However,
Ã-meroÄ?lu is not such a judge. He is a judge whose signature is below
the decision of the Supreme Court of Appeals, the one which the ECHR
has declared and publicized as a violation of freedom of expression.

A judge who found an `insult to Turkishness’ in the article that Dink
wrote for the Armenian diaspora and which said, in short, `Do not
dwell on the Turks; instead of that, strengthen your ties with
Armenia,’ is now the chief public auditor ` a person who hunted for an
insult among statements that any literate person with a minimum of
insight could not conceive of containing an insult. That very person
will be the representative of the sense of `justice based on human
rights.’ He will do his job in the wake of the ECHR’s ruling to
declare his decision as contrary to human rights, in other words, as a
person whose conception of human rights is much lower than the
standards of advanced democracy. As a person whose decision has been
registered by an international court as being against human rights, he
will audit the public from the point of justice. There is a
prerequisite for becoming the chief public auditor. And that is not to
be a member of a political party. Ã-meroÄ?lu also is not a member of a
political party. He meets the requirement in form. At the same time,
however, the witness at his son’s wedding was the Prime Minister.

What does his son do? He works at Turkish Airlines (THY). A public
enterprise. What is Ã-meroÄ?lu’s responsibility? To review possible
complaints about public institutions. The law on public auditing also
states that the chief public auditor has to act `in accordance with
impartiality while performing his duties.’

The prime minister was a witness at his son’s wedding, and his son
works for THY. How is Ã-meroÄ?lu going to act impartially?

To elect a registered human rights violator, who is also a family
friend of ErdoÄ?an, as an impartial person expected to work based on
human rights also demonstrates what those 258 deputies understand
about democracy and human rights. Tell me who your ombudsman is and I
will tell you who you are.

Ã-zgür Mumcu is a columnist for daily Radikal in which this piece was
published Nov 29. It was translated into English by the Daily News
staff.

November/30/2012

ITAR-TASS, Russia
November 29, 2012 Thursday 02:18 AM GMT+4

Turkmenistan, Armenia presidents to discuss trade and economic cooperation

ASHGABAT November 29

Turkmenistan’s President Gurbanguly begins a two-day visit to Armenia
on Thursday.

“Over past 20 years, our countries have developed an intergovernmental
dialogue and mutually advantageous cooperation, which has big
potential,” Berdymukhamedov told the government’s meeting.

Turkmenistan’s governmental press service said the summit talks and
the intergovernmental meeting will result in signing of a “big packet
of documents to lay reliable legal basis and to provide favourable
conditions for effective cooperation in the social and economic
development of the two countries.”

One of the key topics of the negotiations would be supplies of
electric energy to Armenia via the territory of Iran. This project has
been discussed over two years already – since the time Armenia’s
President Serzh Sargsyan visited Ashgabat in November of 2010. Next
time the project was discussed was during the fourth, latest, meeting
of the Armenia-Turkmenistan intergovernmental commission in Erevan in
September of 2011.

During the upcoming visit, Turkmenistan’s president will have
negotiations with Chairman of Armenia’s National Council Ovik
Abramyan.

Turkmenistan and Armenia established diplomatic relations in 1992.
Over the past years, the two countries have formed a bilateral legal
base, which unites 64 documents of various levels.

Presidents of Armenia, Georgia meet in Yerevan

armradio.am
20:06 30.11.2012

President Serzh Sargsyan had a meeting with the President of Georgia
Mikheil Saakashvili, who has arrived in Armenia to participate in the
European People’s Party’s Eastern Partnership summit.

The Presidents of the two countries discussed issues related to
bilateral relations between Armenia and Georgia, the cooperation
within the framework of the European People’s Party.

The interlocutors touched upon the reforms implemented in Armenia and
Georgia and the democratic processes.

Berlin Mosque Honors Genocide Perpetrators

An interview with Dr. Tessa Hofmann

The below interview with Dr. Tessa Hofmann was conducted by Hamo
Moskofian for Keghart.com on October 2, 2012 in Berlin. Dr. Hofmann
is a long-time scholar of Genocide.

HM.- You recently published an important book that was presented in Greece.

TH.- It is the first academic collective mo – – nograph in English
dealing with the Genocide of the Ottoman Greeks. I had always felt,
when I began to study the Armenian Genocide 40 years ago, that it was
the tip of the iceberg, that the real dimension of this state crime
was much larger than against the 2.5 million Armenians of the Ottoman
Empire. It was a genocide against the Christian nationals of the
Ottoman Empire. This holistic approach is necessary to understand that
the Young Turk perpetrators of the Genocide of the Armenians, their
Kemalist successors, and the serial perpetrators committed this crime
to rid the Ottoman Empire of a quarter of its population, every
resident who was Christian. Now the percentage of the Christian
population in Turkey is less than one percent! The Greek-Orthodox
community has 1,200 members only. The Armenian community is the
largest, with 40,000 to 60, 000. So what the Young Turk perpetrators
planned after the revolution of 1908 materialized in the extermination
of the Christians in their second homeland in the Middle East, after
Palestine which is the first homeland of Christianity.

HM.- What are your plans regarding further academic studies and in
publishing books in various languages?

TH.- Besides Genocide studies, I have done related Armenian studies,
including migration studies. It was conducted in an international
research project, which took place in Armenia, Russia and Georgia. It
was a comparative research about migration from Armenia and
neighboring Georgia. This is an urgent issue…the loss of people and
why?

Second, I published in Armenia a long essay on identity. The Armenian
identity is unique and diversified, depending where Armenians are
living and to which generation they belong to. The Armenian identity
in the U.S or France differs from that of Armenians in Moscow, Turkey,
Syria and Lebanon. Of course, it differs from the identity of
Hayasdantsiner, Karabaghtsiner also. I did research on the Armenian
identity. Usually there are five and are differently focused in
different communities: religion, language, Genocide awareness,
culture. In Turkey we have a slightly different, but unique, picture.

Third, I certainly will continue my studies in philology and in
migration issues.

Regarding the Genocide, I am focusing on four groups of participants,
plus the cult of the perpetrators which is acute in Turkey. Imagine,
for comparison, in Germany the main street would be named after Hitler
or Goebbels; or the churches be named after Holocaust perpetrators. In
Ankara a mosque is named after Tal’aat Pasha. Likewise schools and
kindergartens. There’s a regional and nationwide cult of Genocide
perpetrators in Turkey. In the Turkish diaspora, in Berlin for
example, you can visit the `Shehidlik Jami’ (Martyrs’ Mosque), where
two of the Genocide perpetrators–Jemal Azmi and Dr. Behaedin
Shakir–are buried. The Turkish community, with the support of a
Berlin Azeri organization `donated’ richly-decorated tombs with marble
and golden inscriptions in three languages which say: `Here are the
martyrs (‘shehids’) that the Armenian terrorists shot’. They present
these Genocide criminals as martyrs killed by Armenian `criminals’.

Berlin authorities have not responded to complaints about the Turkish
glorification of these mass murderers. The authorities have told
journalists that the mosque is extraterritorial land, like an embassy!
This is the background to the situation: Long ago the Prussians gave
the land, as a gift, to the Ottomans. We have no way of stopping the
cult of these two mass murderers. We don’t have a memorial for the
Christian victims of the Ottoman Genocide. We are working on it, but
it seems it is much easier in Berlin to build a memorial for the
Genocide perpetrators.

A second focus will be on the “Oscar Schindlers of the Ottoman
Genocide”– civilians or administrators, who tried to save victims,
sometimes, successfully. Their names must be commemorated as the true
heroes of Ottoman history…so as to give positive role models for
young people in Turkey and outside.

Armenia shows human treatment to POWs

tert.am
18:48 – 30.11.12

Armenia has always shown human treatment to POWs, Artsrun
Hovhannisyan, Spokesman for Armenia’s Ministry of Defense, told
Tert.am as he commented on the handover of an Azeri POW to Azerbaijan
through the mediation of the International Committee of the Red Cross
(ICRC).

On November 12, Telman J. Aliyev, a resident of the village of
Masamly, Ghazakh region, Azerbaijan, crossed the Armenian-Azerbaijani
border.

`I do not think that we can resolve any problem if we respond to their
uncivilized methods in a similar way. We have always shown human
treatment to POWs and will keep on doing so,’ Mr Hovhannisyan said.

The international agencies dealing with POWs should call things by
their proper names.

`We are constantly cooperating with the ICRC. We have discussed the
matter with their representatives today as well. We presented a list
of 90 people we have handed over to Azerbaijan. And now we want
information on their fate. Azerbaijan is always giving evasive
answers,’ Mr Hovhannisyan said.

He noted that POWs can be transported to a third country if they want.

Compass band expects victory in “Junior Eurovision 2012”

16:47, 30 November, 2012

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 29, ARMENPRESS: “Junior Eurovision 2012”
international TV Contest Armenian delegation is in Amsterdam from
November 26. The responsible of the project “Eurovision” of the Public
Television of Armenia Gohar Gasparyan informed “Armenpress” from
Amsterdam, that the boys of the Compass band are in a good mood and
they are preparing for their performance.

Gasparyan said: “Yesterday we were hosted by the local Armenian
Community, and this reception really impressed. The excursions were
organized for us by the Armenian Community not only by bus, but by the
boat as well. The boys like very much the mills of Amsterdam. Among
other things she mentioned that the Armenian Delegation also visited
the famous Diamond Factory in the Netherlands, which is also a unique
museum and has Armenian employees.”

The Head of the Delegation said: “We have been given a warm reception
in the Ambassador of the Republic of Armenia to Netherlands, song and
dance were organized in honor of the children. For the successful
performance of the children also got Fr. Taron’s blessing.”

EU-Armenia Parliamentary Cooperation Committee urges Turkey to ratify
Armenian-Turkish protocols

arminfo
Friday, November 30, 16:02

The EU-Armenia Parliamentary Cooperation Committee deplores the
non-ratification of the two Armenia- Turkey protocols, signed in
Zurich in 2009, in that context urges all parties, Turkey in
particular, to meet their commitments, says the Final Statement of the
EU- Armenia Parliamentary Cooperation Committee Thirteenth Meeting on
28-29 November 2012, in Brussels.

The Committee stresses the importance of ratifying the Zurich
protocols and stepping up efforts to facilitate the normalisation of
relations without any preconditions, with the subsequent opening of
the unilaterally closed border.

The Committee believes that the Armenia-Turkey normalization process
and the OSCE Minsk Group negotiations should not be linked and
supports all initiatives aimed at facilitation of regional
cooperation, thus ending the policies of economic isolation of any
country in the region.

The Statement recalls the European Parliament resolution of 1987 on
recognition of the Armenian Genocide. The Committee states that it is
however encouraged by the fact that the issue has, in recent years,
become the focus of open and public debate in Turkey itself, which
could contribute to reconciliation between the two neighbouring
nations ensuring their peaceful co-existence and lasting cooperation.