Author: Kajoyan Gevork

ARMENIAN GENOCIDE MEMORIAL TO BE PLACED IN U.S. CITY OF TROY

PanARMENIAN.Net
September 25, 2012 – 12:37 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Armenian Genocide Memorial Monument Committee
co-chair Ralph Enokian was contacted by Troy Mayor Lou Rosamilia
and informed that the Armenian Heritage Memorial would be placed on
the previously consecrated ground north of the Vietnam Memorial. The
memorial will be created and installed by Grethen-Cahringer Memorials
of Lansingburgh, according to The Troy Record.

The decision comes after years of tension between the city and the
committee.

“There have been years of work to make this memorial a reality,”
said county legislator Tutunjian, who represents the city of Troy on
the legislature.

The memorial effort was conceived, and has been spear-headed by,
the Knights and Daughters of Vartan, a fraternal Armenian service
organization. They formed the Armenian Genocide Memorial Monument
Committee in 2005, which has been working to place a memorial in the
city’s vicinity.

The memorial will reflect the positive contributions their community
has made to Troy and the capital region, and would serve to honor
victims of the Armenian Genocide, as well as those of all genocides.

ANCA GIVES VOICE TO ARMENIAN AMERICAN DEMAND THAT UN ACT ON SUDAN RELIEF

ARMENPRESS
26 September, 2012
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 26, ARMENPRESS: The Armenian National Committee
of America joined with over 120 human rights, faith-based, public
interest, and ethnic organizations in calling for decisive UN
action to press Sudan to allow humanitarian access to the Sudanese
states of South Kordofan and Blue Nile, as well as Darfur, reports
Armenpress citing ANCA. The letter, initiated by United to End
Genocide and directed to members of the United Nations Security
Council, was signed by the ANCA along with the NAACP, American
Jewish World Service, American Islamic Congress, Common Cause, Human
Rights Watch, Humanity United, National Association of Evangelicals,
National Council of the Churches of Christ, TransAfrica, and more
than 100 other local, state, and national organizations. For over a
year, the government of Sudan has refused to allow aid into these
two states, resulting in emergency levels of food insecurity for
150,000-200,000 people in Southern Kordofan and crisis levels
for hundreds of thousands of others in Southern Kordofan and Blue
Nile. Continued aerial bombardments by the Sudanese Armed Forces
and fighting with rebel groups has displaced or severely affected an
estimated 665,000 people inside Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile and
led 205,000 refugees to flee to South Sudan and Ethiopia, where they
continue to face desperate conditions. “We welcomed the conclusion
of a memorandum of understanding between the government of Sudan and
the Tripartite Partners, but are distressed that the government of
Sudan once again continues to delay in its implementation of a key
agreement. Similarly, we appreciate the actions of the UN Security
Council to secure the delivery of humanitarian aid and to support
the initiation of a political dialogue between the government of
Sudan and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-N. However, such
actions will be of little consequence to civilians on the ground if
the Council does not make efforts to ensure that the government of
Sudan complies with the Council’s approach. If Sudan continues to
ignore its obligations to allow humanitarian access to the people of
South Kordofan and Blue Nile, we urge that the UN Security Council
move swiftly to impose consequences for this failure and to consider
alternative means for delivering aid”, stated in the letter.

KOCHARIAN ET TSARUKIAN EVITENT UNE RECEPTION DU GOUVERNEMENT
Stephane

armenews.com
mercredi 26 septembre 2012

Dans ce qui apparait comme un autre signe de leur separation avec
le President Serge Sarkissian, l’ancien president Robert Kocharian
et le president du parti Armenie Prospère (BHK) Gagik Tsarukian ont
refuse de participer a une reception du gouvernement.

Serge Sarkissian avait organise et s’est exprime lors d’une reception
vendredi soir pour celebrer le 21e anniversaire de la declaration
d’independance du pays. La ceremonie a ete suivie par des centaines
de politiciens, de fonctionnaires du gouvernement, d’hommes d’affaire,
de diplomates etrangers et autres dignitaires.

Un porte-parole de Robert Kocharian, Victor Soghomonian a dit au
service armenien de RFE/RL (Azatutyun.am) que l’ex-president n’etait
pas present parce qu’il etait parti a Moscou afin de participer a une
reunion du conseil de direction de la societe AFK Sistema, un geant
russe des telecommunications.

Robert Kocharian a rejoint le conseil de Sistema comme ” directeur
independant ” en juin 2009, plus d’un an après avoir delegue ses
pouvoirs a Serge Sarkissian, son allie politique de longue date.

Le porte-parole du BHK Tigran Urikhanian, pour sa part, a dit
que Gagik Tsarukian n’a pas suivi la reception en raison d’un ”
extremement important, extremement urgent et extremement inattendu
” engagement. Urikhanian n’a pas donne de details.

Gagik Tsarukian a de meme ete absent des deux dernières sessions du
Conseil national de Securite de Sarkissian. Le magnat est reste un
membre de ce conseil meme après que son parti ait quitte la coalition
au pouvoir en Armenie près les elections parlementaires du 6 mai.

La fete de l’Independance a ete aussi boycottee par Levon
Ter-Petrosian, un autre ancien president qui mène le Congrès National
Armenien (HAK). Mais les hauts representants de deux autres groupes
de l’opposition, la Federation Revolutionnaire Armenienne et le parti
Heritage (Zharangutyun), etaient presents a l’evenement.
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From: Mihran Keheyian
Subject: =?ISO-8859-1?Q?Kocharian_et_Tsarukian_=E9vitent_une_r=E9ception_du_Go?=
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ARMENIE
Kocharian et Tsarukian évitent une réception du Gouvernement

Dans ce qui apparait comme un autre signe de leur séparation avec le
Président Serge Sarkissian, l?ancien président Robert Kocharian et le
président du parti Arménie Prospère (BHK) Gagik Tsarukian ont refusé
de participer à une réception du gouvernement.

Serge Sarkissian avait organisé et s?est exprimé lors d?une réception
vendredi soir pour célébrer le 21e anniversaire de la déclaration
d?indépendance du pays. La cérémonie a été suivie par des centaines de
politiciens, de fonctionnaires du gouvernement, d?hommes d?affaire, de
diplomates étrangers et autres dignitaires.

Un porte-parole de Robert Kocharian, Victor Soghomonian a dit au
service arménien de RFE/RL (Azatutyun.am) que l?ex-président n?était
pas présent parce qu?il était parti à Moscou afin de participer à une
réunion du conseil de direction de la société AFK Sistema, un géant
russe des télécommunications.

Robert Kocharian a rejoint le conseil de Sistema comme « directeur
indépendant » en juin 2009, plus d?un an après avoir délégué ses
pouvoirs à Serge Sarkissian, son allié politique de longue date.

Le porte-parole du BHK Tigran Urikhanian, pour sa part, a dit que
Gagik Tsarukian n?a pas suivi la réception en raison d?un «
extrêmement important, extrêmement urgent et extrêmement inattendu »
engagement. Urikhanian n?a pas donné de détails.

Gagik Tsarukian a de même été absent des deux dernières sessions du
Conseil national de Sécurité de Sarkissian. Le magnat est resté un
membre de ce conseil même après que son parti ait quitté la coalition
au pouvoir en Arménie près les élections parlementaires du 6 mai.

La fête de l?Indépendance a été aussi boycottée par Levon
Ter-Petrosian, un autre ancien président qui mène le Congrès National
Arménien (HAK). Mais les hauts représentants de deux autres groupes de
l?opposition, la Fédération Révolutionnaire Arménienne et le parti
Héritage (Zharangutyun), étaient présents à l?événement.

mercredi 26 septembre 2012,
Stéphane ©armenews.com

PROTESTS AND VANDALISM AS AZERI DICTATOR VISITS FRANCE

Published: Monday September 24, 2012

At the Armenian protest. Jean Eckian

Paris – More than 900 French of Armenian descent expressed their
dissatisfaction with the visit of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev
in Paris on September 18, only days after he pardoned an axe murderer
who killed his sleeping Armenian classmate at a Budapest dormitory.

Protesters gathered in front of Azerbaijan embassy included members
of the French National Assembly and Senate Francois Rochebloine,
Rene Rouquet, Francois Pupponi, Philippe Kaltenbach and Valerie Boyer.

Boyer, the author of the bill condemning of the Armenian genocide
denial, called the axe murderer affair is “Azerbaijan’s crime against
Armenia” and “a violation of the international law.”

The leaders of the Armenian organizations of France, Ara Toranian,
Mourad Papazian (CCAF), Harout Mardirossian (CDCA), Hratch Varjabedian
( BFCA) and Yeriche Gorizian (Nor Seround), condemned vigorously the
presence of the “dictator Aliyev” on French ground. They also called
for self-determination of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Among slogans, the crowd shouted “Aliev the fascist, out of France!”,
“Safarov in prison!” and “Karabakh belongs to us.”

Aliyev visited Paris for inauguration of the Arts of Islam exhibit
the Musee du Louvre, a $131 million project for which Azerbaijan
– together with France, Kuwait, Morocco, Oman and Saudi Arabia –
provided partial funding, reported Agence France Press.

“Azerbaijani money is dirty money, this is money from a terrorist
and dictatorial state,” Hratch Varjabedian, the head of the French
Bureau of the Armenian Cause, said at the protest.

Aliyev also had a private meeting with members of MEDEF, the French
business association, and was received by President Francois Holland,
in spite of vociferous protests of the Armenian organizations of
France.

In a written statement, the French presidency said that Hollande
“called on Azerbaijan to take the necessary measures to re-establish
a climate of confidence with Armenia,” reported the RFE/RL Armenian
Service. In a September 3 statement, the French Foreign Ministry
said that Aliyev’s pardon and promotion of the axe murderer “risks
seriously damaging the negotiation efforts and the establishment of
a climate of trust between the parties” to the Karabakh conflict.

Meantime, about 150 Azerbaijanis and Turks – including some who
reportedly arrived from Germany and The Netherlands – held a protest
near the Armenian embassy in Paris.

And overnight, on September 17-18, the Armenian booth at the Top Resa
2012 International Travel Market exhibit was vandalized, the National
Competitiveness Foundation of Armenia reported in a press release. The
booth was subsequently restored with additional security added.

MILITARY EXPERT: LARGE-SCALE MILITARY EXERCISES PRESENTED ARMENIA TO THE WORLD AS A GUARANTOR OF STABILITY IN THE REGION

Panorama.am
24/09/2012

Panorama.am has talked to military expert Arkady Grigoryan about CSTO
Cooperation 2012 exercise and NATO-standard based military drills
involving Armenian peacekeepers, held simultaneously in Armenia. Below
are some excerpts from the interview.

– What was the significance of these exercises for guaranteeing
security in Armenia?

– In both cases, we increased the fighting efficiency of RA Armed
Forces and contributed to improving the atmosphere of mutual assistance
and trust. The consultants highly assessed the exercises, hailing the
military discipline of RA Armed Forces. As Armenian Defense Minister
Seyran Ohanyan noted aptly, unlike our neighbors, we are guarantors
of peace, and we strengthen the atmosphere of confidence. In other
words, there are countries which create tension, while we ease,
balance the tension.

– What was the reason that the Commander of NKR Defense Army attended
the exercises, a circumstance that did not slip the attention of
Azeri media?

– Many observers from different countries were invited to attend
the exercises, and this is common practice. Commander of NKR Defense
Army, Movses Hakobyan, was also among those invited. He gave a high
assessment to the drills. The NKR Defense Army Commander did not
attend other events, and Azeri media reports are absolutely false. It
is very difficult to find a common language with a state and society
that have inferiority complex and constant fears.

LE STRUMA ET 1915 : LE SILENCE DE LA TURQUIE DEVANT LES VERITES DU PASSE

Publie le : 25-09-2012

Info Collectif VAN – – Le Collectif VAN vous
livre une traduction de Gilbert Beguian d’un article en anglais du
Today’s Zaman mise en ligne sur le site de NAM (Nouvelles d’Armenie
Magazine) le 19 septembre 2012.

NAM

” Faire Face au Passe de la Turquie : le Struma et 1915 ” par Yavuz
Baydar

Yavuz Baydar

Journaliste a ” Today’s Zaman ”

18 Septembre 2012

“La demande de pardon, a mon avis, est secondaire. Ce qui importe le
plus c’est tout d’abord sur quoi il faudrait insister, c’est sur le
courage necessaire a cette societe pour affronter les peches de son
passe. Je n’ai aucune honte a dire ceci : on nous a instille cette
crainte, nous avons eu peur tout au long de notre vie. Notre système
de pouvoir a ete fonde sur la crainte. Nous devons changer cela. La
seule facon est de faire face a notre passe”.

Ce sont les mots d’Ishak Alaton, un homme d’affaire turc octogenaire
en vue d’origine juive. Après avoir publie ses memoires, il n’y a
pas si longtemps, Alaton est devenu de plus en plus disert, appelant
sans relâche a mettre fin au conflit sanglant kurde, comme l’un des
” sages ” prets a engager le dialogue de reconciliation, appelant
au courage de faire face aux crimes qui furent commis au cours de la
chute de l’Empire ottoman et appelant les citoyens a s’exprimer.

Lorsqu’un navire nomme Struma etait remorque dans le port du vieil
Istanbul en 1941, Alaton etait un temoin âge alors de 15 ans de
l’agonie de ses passagers. Le vaisseau vieux de 60 ans etait le dernier
espoir de 769 Juifs roumains fuyant les Nazis, mais ses moteurs etaient
tombes en panne, du côte Mer Noire du Bosphore. La question a fait
l’objet de pression sur Ankara venant du regime d’Adolf Hitler, et
après 72 jours de desespoir, le Struma fut renvoye par les autorites
turques vers la Mer Noire, où il fut torpille par un navire de guerre
sovietique. Il n’y eut qu’un seul survivant.

” Ceux qui s’en sont rendus coupables a Ankara, dans mon esprit,
sont des meurtriers. L’ayant chasse hors de son passe, cette societe,
dont je suis une partie, a un problème. Nous pensons que le tenant a
distance, le problème sera efface. Mais les cadavres qui croupissent
dans cet endroit empoisonnent l’air que nous respirons. Aucune serenite
est-elle possible sans confrontation ? Faisons-le afin d’etre en paix
avec le passe. ”

Le desastre du Struma, un episode cache de l’histoire de la Republique,
est le sujet d’un livre nouveau ecrit par Halit Kakinc, et sa preface,
oui, est ecrite par Alaton lui-meme.

Ce n’est pas pour rien que le sujet de ” les genies hors de la lampe
magique ” perdure dans l’agenda de la Turquie, ouverte dans une
sorte de ” perestroïka ” turque, par le pouvoir du Parti Justice et
Developpement (AKP) dans la decennie qui vient de s’ecouler.

Et quelques jours seulement après la sortie du livre sur le Struma,
un autre apparaît en librairie – une bombe intellectuelle potentielle.

” 1915 : Genocide Armenien ” est son titre, et du fait non seulement de
sa couverture mais aussi par son contenu explosif, il depasse beaucoup
d’autres sur ce sujet qui ont ete publies. Ce qui fait que ce livre
est particulier et unique est qu’il a ete ecrit par Hasan Djemal,
un editeur internationalement renomme et journaliste, petit-fils de
Djemal Pacha.

Ce lien de parente est essentiel pour comprendre la dimension
historique du livre. Djemal Pacha etait l’un des membres du
triumvirat, avec Talat et Enver Pacha, responsable de la Grande
Tragedie Armenienne, qui commenca avec la deportation en masse
d’Armeniens ottomans de leurs terres ancestrales et finit avec leur
extermination entre 1915 jusqu’a 1916.

Dans sa version, Hasan Djemal conclut que c’etait un genocide. Il
n’entend pas, ou ne pretend pas debattre de cette affaire comme le
ferait un historien. Il nous decrit un douloureux voyage intellectuel,
une description plutôt impitoyable de son propre passe intellectuel,
qui valent une inestimable decouverte archeologique privee.

Il l’avait deja fait dans d’autres livres. Dans d’autres livres, il
mettait en cause son ” passe militariste-revolutionnaire (des annees
60 et 70), relevant sans detour ses propres erreurs – ses profondes
mefiances envers la democratie, les coups d’etat, ses experiences
d’editeur de quotidiens, etc. Mais ceci est encore plus personnel.

” C’etait la douleur de Hrant Dink qui m’a pousse a ecrire ce livre
“, a-t-il dit a la presse. Dink etait le cher collègue Armenien de
Turquie pour beaucoup d’entre nous, comme il l’etait celui de Djemal.

Il a ete assassine en plein jour dans une rue d’Istanbul par un
tireur solitaire en janvier 2007, provoquent des vagues autour du
monde entier.

” A mon âge, il s’est ecoule des annees et des annees sans que
j’aie defendu le droit d’expression. Mais devrais-je garder secrètes
certaines de mes opinions, pour moi tout seul ? Devrais-je m’infliger
des tabous a moi-meme ? Devrais-je me maintenir non-libere ? N’est-ce
pas une honte pour moi, Hasan Djemal ? ”

Dans sa preface, il ecrit : ” Nous ne pouvons rester silencieux
devant les verites amères du passe. Nous ne pouvons laisser le passe
maintenir captif le present. La douleur de 1915 n’appartient pas au
passe, c’est un sujet d’aujourd’hui. Nous ne pouvons faire la paix
avec l’histoire, pas avec l’histoire ‘ inventee ‘ ou ‘ deformee ‘
comme la nôtre, et gagner la liberte. ”

La douleur de la memoire de Dink – qui a effraye beaucoup d’entre
nous et pour toujours – peut avoir ete cruciale a cette fin, mais
en transformant une ” rupture personnelle de tabou ” en une rupture
publique, Djemal a ouvert un trou dans le mur du negationnisme de
l’etat. Il a rompu l’un des barrages mentaux.

Cet exercice tout simple de la liberte d’expression, au bout d’un
certain temps, ouvrira la voie a la demarche qui convient. Il revient
aux individus de Turquie de faire de meme, et s’incliner devant leur
conscience. C’est peut-etre ce qui explique le silence qui a entoure
ce livre dans les quelques jours qui ont suivi sa publication. Il est
egalement très difficile a trouver dans les librairies. Il y a des
rumeurs selon lesquelles quelques reseaux se refusent a le vendre. C’
est possible, mais il ne peut plus a present ne pas etre publie.

Le genie est sorti de la lampe mais les fantômes du passe sont
aussi très vivants. Le ” traitement par le silence ” en est la
demonstration. S’il ne signifie pas autre chose, il traduit a quel
point la peur habite les gens. Non seulement l’etat doit demander
pardon pour le passe, mais un pardon peut-etre encore plus grand
est necessaire pour avoir instaure, decennies après decennies, une
interiorisation de masse du negationnisme dans ce pays.

Traduction Gilbert Beguian jeudi 20 septembre 2012,

Titre original:

Struma and 1915

Retour a la rubrique

Source/Lien : NAM

CHURCHES IN AUSTRALIA EXPRESSES SORROW OVER THE DEATH OF ARCHBISHOP AGHAN BALIOZIAN OAM

ChristianToday
Sept 25 2012

Renowned Christian leader, ecumenist and former president of
the National Council of Churches in Australia (NCCA) His Eminence
Archbishop Aghan Baliozian OAM, Primate of the Diocese of the Armenian
Church of Australia and New Zealand died on Saturday 22 September
2012 in Sydney.

Archbishop Baliozian was held in high esteem both in Australia and
around the world for his wisdom and commitment to Christian unity,
interreligious dialogue and peace building. He arrived in Australia in
1975 to serve as Vicar General of the diocese before being appointed
as Primate of Australia and New Zealand in 1982.

As an active and passionate ecumenist he served as the first president
of the NCCA (1994-97) and later as president of the NSW Ecumenical
Council (2005-07). Archbishop Baliozian represented the Armenian
Church within the World Council of Churches participating in the
Assemblies of Canberra (1991), Harare (1998) and Porto Alegre (2006).

NCCA general secretary Rev. Tara Curlewis expressed deep sorrow
over the Archbishop’s death. She said; “Archbishop Baliozian will be
remembered for his outstanding commitment to ecumenism.”

“His role in promoting Christian unity, the participation of the
orthodox churches both in the NCCA and WCC, and the importance of
interfaith dialogue is a continuing legacy for the churches. Alongside
his work with the churches he worked with the wider community where he
was held in high esteem by both local community and political leaders.”

For his significant contribution and service to Australia and the
Armenian community he was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia
in 1995 and in 2001 the Centenary Medal.

Ms Curlewis concluded saying; “As a fellowship of churches we have
all been touched by his leadership, passion for ecumenism, his
encouragement of the youth and his love for people. Let us keep the
Armenian Apostolic Church and its leadership in our prayers during
this time of loss, mourning and transition.”

ARMENIA TO OPEN 1000 MORE WORKPLACES

Vestnik Kavkaza
Sept 24 2012
Russia

Armenia is forming the Services Center with support of the Armenian
Assistance Foundation. It will provide 400-1000 workplaces, director
of the foundation Randy Sapah-Gulyan said at a meeting with Armenian
Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan, ARKA reports.

Archbishop Khazhak Parmasyan, head of the Eastern Eparchy of the US
Armenian Apostolic Church, headed the foundation’s delegation.

He said that the center construction will start next year. It will
serve Russian and English speakers.

Sargsyan noted that Armenians are moving from the Middle East due to
the disorders.

Parmasyan added that the Armenian Assistance Foundation wants to
continue its mission and attract investments.

ARE THE ARMENIAN AUTHORITIES READY TO QUARREL WITH THE U.S.?

Vestnik Kavkaza
Sept 24 2012
Russia

Author: Susanna Petrosian, Yerevan, exclusively to VK

In September, the judgment of the court of the Southern District of New
York on collecting 37 million 537 thousand 978 dollars from ex-Minister
of the Environment Vartan Aivazian in favor of an international gold
mining company, Global Gold Mining (GGM), came into effect.

According to the available materials of the court verdict, in 2006,
one of the subsidiaries of GGM, which had a license to develop a gold
mine in Hankavan, faced corrupt and inappropriate requirements from
Aivazian. The company reported this to the appropriate authorities
of Armenia and the United States. As a result, GGM lost control over
the mine. Vartan Aivazian himself is now a member of the National
Assembly from the ruling Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) and the
head of the permanent parliamentary commission for the economy;
he considers this fine to be absurd and does not see any legal
consequences in the verdict of the American court.

Aivazian, who in 2001-2007 served as Minister of Environment, says
that his decision to revoke the license of GGM was correct, as the
company failed to comply with laws and its own obligations. According
Aivazian, he did not act as an individual, but as a minister, and he
was protecting the interests of the state. The ex-minister is shocked
that his case has been investigated in the U.S., not in Armenia. “Even
if a wrong decision was made at the time, I must be responsible for
it before the Republic of Armenia, and not before the court of the
Southern District of New York,” Aivazian said and advised GGM to
apply to the Armenian Administrative Court, and if the claim is not
sustained – to European courts.

In turn, the representative of the Global Gold Mining in Armenia,
Ashot Poghosyan, said that under the agreement made between the
three shareholders of the GGM, the Court of the Southern District of
New York was chosen as a court of law to resolve the disputes. In
accordance with the law of New York, the court considered Aivazian
to be a hidden party to the conflict. “All documents relating to the
trial, including the verdict, were thoroughly sent to Aivazian, but
he did not respond to that, and did not exercise his right to appeal
the verdict,” Ashot Poghosyan said. According to him, the court has
already handed the writ of the National Service for execution.

The roots of today’s scandal lie in 2005, when the international
corporation GGM, registered in the U.S., acquired a license for the
development of several gold mines in Armenia, including a mine in
Hankavan. This license was revoked by the Minister of the Environment.

GGM representatives led documentary evidence that they did not violate
their obligations and worked in the fully legal field. The media also
leaked information that the Minister of Environment asked the company
representatives for a bribe of three million dollars, and that refusal
to provide the requested amount was the cause of the scandal. It is
likely that leakage of this information was organized by the company.

Then, despite numerous publications in the media, which openly said
that Ayvazyan asked foreign companies for bribes, the minister never
tried to appeal against such claims.

“Speak to those people who said that I was offered a bribe. Suppose
that at least one person will say that I demanded money, and I will
be able to appeal this claim. As a Minister, I applied administrative
proceedings. I revoked their licenses. May they come to our Court of
Justice and the court may say:”Mr. Aivazian, you made a mistake.”

Operating according to their own interests, they are trying to smear
my reputation,” the ex-minister said.

There are several publications of the website Wikileaks noteworthy in
this regard, which, with reference to the dispatch of U.S. Ambassador
to Armenia John Evans say: “According to the information of the company
GGM, in July 2005, the Minister of Environmental Protection Vardan
Aivazian notified the company lawyer Ashot Poghosyan that the company
had to pay a bribe of $3 million to his close associate and MP Murad
Guloyanu. GGM refused to pay the bribe, and soon the Ministry revoked
the licenses of the two mines of the company in Armenia. GGM argued
that due to its refusal to pay a bribe, the Minister refused to issue
a license, for which GGC had all the rights, issued duplicates of
the license to mines owned and developed by GGM to other companies,
and generally obstructed GGM in the conduct of its business. ”

Some observers believe that the writ issued by the court of New York
cannot be executed, because there is no bilateral intergovernmental
agreement between Armenia and the U.S. on recognition and enforcement
of judicial decisions. “As long as there is no decision of the
International Court of Arbitration on this case, this act cannot be
performed. The arbitration shall apply to the authorities of Armenia,
so that they recognize and accept the decision. But in the case of
the arrival of Vartan Aivazian in the U.S., he will be under the
jurisdiction of the U.S.,” lawyer Ara Ghazaryan says.

However, the former Ambassador of Armenia to Canada, Ara Papian,
believes that the U.S. can apply to Interpol, which means that in
case of default of payment Aivazian can be arrested in 190 countries;
besides, the United States may apply to the Armenian authorities on
this matter.

In a recent interview with the electronic edition 1in.am, the CEO of
GGM, U.S. citizen Van Krikorian, did not rule out that the case may
be referred to the U.S. State Department; he also reported that his
lawyers could make such a decision.

Given the strict attitude of international institutions to the
protection of foreign investments, future developments are to be
expected. Systematic steps to protect their rights and the fight
against the phenomenon of corruption in Armenia “openly” speak in
favor of GGM. After 20 years of independence of Armenia there have
been many cases when foreign investors, including representatives of
the Armenian diaspora, experienced corruption pressure from local
government officials. But none of the foreign visitors came out to
fight openly, most preferred to arrange leaks to the media and to
leave Armenia. It is also clear that the leadership of GGM has well
thought through all the possible mechanisms, and the case is hardly
likely to come to a legal impasse.

Now, for the first time in the last 10 years, the interests of a
senior official (a deputy from the ruling party) are affected, and
this category hitherto enjoyed immunity and permissiveness in Armenia.

Now the government will have to choose between the relationship with
the U.S. and Vartan Aivazian.

MOSCOW PREPPING FOR WAR ON NEIGHBOR?

WND
Sept 24 2012

Troops exercise in shadow of once-invaded Georgia

Editor’s Note: The following report is excerpted from Joseph Farah’s
G2 Bulletin, the premium online newsletter published by the founder
of WND. Subscriptions are $99 a year or, for monthly trials, just
$9.95 per month for credit card users, and provide instant access
for the complete reports.

WASHINGTON – It could be deja vu all over again – as a Russian-led
security group is in the process of holding a series of military
exercises for the first time in the South Caucasus in what may be a
prelude to a military attack on the former Soviet republic of Georgia,
next door, according to a report from Joseph Farah’s G2 Bulletin.

Russia has on the calendar a series of military exercises this month
and next in cooperation with the Russian-led Collective Security
Treaty Organization, or CSTO. The largest, called Kavkaz-2012, was
held in Russia’s South Military District in southern Russia.

The just-finished project involved more than 8,000 personnel, 200
military vehicles, 100 artillery and 10 combat vehicles. It included
security forces from the Federal Security Service and Interior ministry
in addition to the Ministry of Defense.

It was significant since it drew the attention of the North Atlantic
Treaty Organization, which has been in the process of conducting its
own military exercises in Georgia reflecting scenarios that affect
critical infrastructure.

Nevertheless, the fact that NATO is conducting a military exercise
in the Republic of Georgia has raised concerns with neighboring Russia.

Russia’s reaction and the fact that it’s conducting military exercises
of its own are of particular concern to Georgia, which was the
subject of a Russian invasion in August 2008 following a similar
annual military exercise.

Georgia is in the South Caucasus and has continued to block a land
corridor that the Russians need to reach their sole base in Armenia,
where they intend to hold another CSTO military exercise.

Although smaller, the exercise in Armenia where the Russians have a
single base may be more significant. It is the first to be held in
the South Caucasus. However, the Russians need to fly in all supplies
since Georgia continues to block land access.

As WND/G2Bulletin has reported previously, the Russians are incensed
by the Georgian government’s ongoing block of land access for the
Armenian base. The Russians also intend to provide assistance to Iran
next door to Armenia should the Israelis decide to launch a military
attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities.

The Russian base in Armenia receives all of its fuel and some supplies
from neighboring Iran.

The military exercise in Armenia also is significant, since it is
the first CSTO exercise involving the countries of Armenia, Belarus,
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan in the South Caucasus.

Like NATO, the CSTO members are obliged to respond to any threat to
its members.

“Given the fact that none of the CSTO members recognized the
independence of (the breakaway Georgian provinces) of Abkhazia or
South Ossetia, it is unclear what the precise circumstances might
involve in order to convince Central Asian members to send forces to a
crisis or conflict situation in the South Caucasus,” according to Roger
McDermott of the Washington-based think-tank Jamestown Foundation.

However, a collective military exercise, as in 2008, may just be a
cover for Russian President Vladimir Putin to stage his forces for
the impending October parliamentary elections in Georgia.

Already, Georgian officials are sounding the alarm.

The Georgian Foreign Ministry claims that Russia is positioning large
numbers of troops and military equipment in the Georgian breakaway
provinces of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

The amassing of troops comes as Georgia prepares to hold parliamentary
elections on Oct. 1.

For the rest of this report and other G2 Intelligence Briefs, please
go to Joseph Farah’s G2 Bulletin: ~UIran/Turkey: Vying for influence
in Iraq ~UChina/Russia: Race is on for Central Asia influence
~UChina/Japan: Island fight could hit economies ~UVenezuela/United
States: Worries rise over narc subs