Author: Kajoyan Gevork

TURKISH WRITER AWARDED WITH FRANCE’S HIGH AWARD FOR SPEAKING OUT ABOUT ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

13:30 . 11/07

Turkish known writer Elif Safak was awarded with one of France’s high
awards- the medal of Knight of Arts and Letters (Chevalier dans l’Ordre
National des Arts et Lettres). While handing the award to the writer
during the reception at France’s cultural centre, French Ambassador
Laurent Bili especially stressed the fact Safak has spoken about the
Armenian Genocide.

The ambassador particularly said: “The Bastard of Istanbul (The
Father and The Bastard) initially written in English was translated
into Turkish in 2006 and became one of the best sellers. The book sold
in more than 100 000 copies in France and in many other countries. It
received high appraisal of readers of different nationalities. The book
thoroughly handles the issue that the Armenian Genocide is forgotten,
which became a reason for you to be considered a betrayer and to be
insulting Turkish identity. A case was launched against you. However,
happily, the case was dismissed, but I know how deeply you were
affected. But the biased attitude of the Turkish people didn’t
discourage you from your courageous work.”

ARMENIA’S OLDEST ARTIST, GENOCIDE SURVIVOR DIES

Yelena Abrahamyan in her apartment this spring (photo by NEWS.am)

YEREVAN (NEWS.am)-The oldest member of Armenia’s Artists’ Union
and Genocide Survivor, Yelena Abrahamyan, passed away Friday. She was
presumed to be 102 or 103 years old.

Abrahamyan was born in Kars and while escaping the wrath of Turks,
she lost her birth certificate. Her relatives said she was born
either in 1909 or 1910.

Abrahamyan escaped the Genocide and went to Leninakan (present-day
Gyumri), after which she settled in Yerevan where she thrived as an
artist. She joined the Artists’ Union in 1944. Before her death, she
lived alone surrounded by her many canvases and a lifetime of
memories.

“I thought I would not faint from the cries of horror and the pain
of a woman. But when everyone started screaming, I lost
consciousness,” Abrahamyan told NEWS.am’s Heghine Manukyan in an
interview that was published on April 24 of this year.

“Everyone was screaming and I fainted. I do not know how much time I
spent in a van but when I woke up I did not see any of my relatives.

The four-year-old daughter of my father’s brother, Tsoghik, was
lying nearby. They probably thought that I was also dead, that is why
I was in this van. But I was not affected by the bullets,” added
Yelena recalling the horrors of her survival.

[Yelenaabrahamyan1.jpg]

One of many paintings by Abrahamyan that adorn the walls of her
apartment (photo by NEWS.am)

She recalled vividly her journey from Kars to Gyumri. How hordes of
people were forced to cross the Kars River to seek refuge, however,
many perished as the Turks relentlessly fired at them.

“Our family was not very big, but suffered heavy losses,” she told
NEWS.am. She lost her family and while searching for them, she
experienced and witnessed unspeakable horrors at the hands of the
Turks.

“My grandma was dead with my six-month-old cousin in her arms,”
recalled Abrahamyan.

She finally made it Yerevan with her aunt. Her father, a renowned
teacher, mathematician who studied with Komitas, was in Turkish
captivity. He managed escape and arrived in Yerevan in 1925.

Abrahamyan also discussed the current phase of Armenia-Turkey
relations, saying that the process initiated by the Armenia-Turkey
protocols has no future.

“Turks like telling lies, as they once did…Armenians have a history
of being cheated, and, unfortunately, the Turks are always there to
help them,” she concluded.

ARMENIAN FAMILY WITH KIDS IS LEFT ON THE STREET IN FRANCE

news.am
July 14, 2012 | 03:34

A family from Armenia, who is currently living in the Chalon-sur-Saône
commune in the Saône-et-Loire department of France, was evicted from
its apartment on Friday and in connection with the 115 emergency
social assistance hotline. And the family was left on the street,
Le Journal de Saône et Loire informs.

And ever since Friday, the Education Without Borders Network (RESF)
was able to fund the family’s moving into another apartment, but this
could not continue.

“We refuse to any longer assume the responsibility for this situation.

We refuse to become the spare wheel for the Prefect,” an RESF member
stated, and added:

“To some extent, evicting a family with two children from an apartment
to the street is a violation of the Convention on the Rights of the
Child. Also, this is a breach of the right to shelter. And since they
are Armenian, the reviewing of such cases is accelerated, and, under
these circumstances, we cannot leisurely prepare for the defense.”

At present, this young Armenian couple with two- and three-year-old
kids is staying at the lobby of the local Red Cross building, and
the RESF is calling on everyone to come and help them.

“We left Armenia because the pressure was so intense. [And] We are
in a great stress here. This is very hard,” said the family’s father.

BAKU TO REJECT THREAT OR USE OF FORCE AGAINST CIVIL AIRCRAFTS OF KARABAKH

tert.am
14.07.12

The Azerbaijani authorities have reportedly pledged to refrain from
the threat or use of force against the civilian aircrafts of the
Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) Republic,

Summing up the outcomes of their visit to the South Caucasus region,
the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Ambassadors Robert Bradtke
(US), Jacques Faure (France) and Igor Popov (Russia), and the personal
representative of the OSCRE chairman-in-office, Andrzej Kasprzyk,
renewed assurances from both sides that they will reject any threat
or use of force against civil aircraft, pursue the matter through
diplomatic steps, and refrain from politicizing the issue.

According to a press release by the OSCE, the co-chairs reaffirmed
that operation of the airport cannot be used to support any claim of
a change in the status of Nagorno-Karabakh, and urged the sides to
act in accordance with international law and consistent with current
practice for flights over their territory.

The c-chairs also addressed their June 18 meeting in Paris with the
Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan. They expressed their deep
concern over recent incidents along the frontlines, and reiterated
that the sides’ political will to achieve peace is best demonstrated
by refraining from maximalist positions, respecting the 1994 ceasefire
agreement, and abstaining from hostile public rhetoric.

50 000 VOYAGEURS SUR LA LIGNE FERROVIAIRE EREVAN-BATOUM CET ETE
Krikor Amirzayan

armenews.com
samedi 14 juillet 2012

Nombreux sont les citoyens d’Armenie qui prefèrent realiser un sejour
estival a Batoum sur les bords de la mer Noire que sur les bords du
lac Sevan. Selon la compagnie ” Armenia ” qui realise le transport de
passagers Erevan-Batoum-Erevan, les Armeniens sont de plus en plus
nombreux a se rendre sur les plages de la mer Noire. Le 10 juillet,
” Armenia ” annonce avoir vendu 9 220 billets, un chiffre en hausse
de 10 % par rapport a la meme periode de l’an dernier. Cette annee la
compagnie prevoit 50 000 voyageurs sur cette ligne Erevan-Batoum-Erevan
contre 42 300 l’ete dernier. La duree du voyage est de 16 heures, soit
une heure de moins que l’an dernier. La ligne Erevan-Batoum-Erevan
qui a debute le 15 juin arretera le 1er octobre.

ARMENIA RELEASE IRANIAN PRISONERS

Islamic Republic News Agency IRNA
July 11 2012
Iran

Armenia has released a number of Iranian prisoners on 10 July.

According to IRNA, quoting the Ministry of Justice’s public relations
office, a number of Iranian prisoners who were detained in Armenia
were transferred to Iran on 10 July.

ARMENIAN SPEAKER CONSIDERS RELATIONS WITH RF TRUSTING

ITAR-TASS
July 11, 2012 Wednesday 05:24 PM GMT+4
Russia

Relations between Russia and Armenia are trusting, Armenian parliament
speaker Hovik Abrahamyan said on Wednesday.

At a meeting with Federation Council chairperson Valentina
Matviyenko, Abrahamyan said, “Of course, such relationship affects
inter-parliamentary cooperation between the National Assembly of
Armenia and the Federal Assembly of Russia.”

“In recent years the level of Russian-Armenian inter-parliamentary
relations has considerably increased. Inter-parliamentary contacts
have also intensified,” the Armenian parliament speaker said.

In his view, “the meetings between the chairpersons of our legislative
structures facilitate this. They open broad opportunities to discuss
measures to improve inter-parliamentary cooperation and contribute
to strengthening ally relationship between Armenia and Russia.”

THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY CANNOT IMPLEMENT CONSIDERABLE CHANGES IN AZERBAIJAN’S POSITION NOW
Karen Ghazaryan

“Radiolur”
12.07.2012 18:08

The proposal of the OSCE Minsk Group to withdraw the snipers from
the line of contact and exclude the border incidents is not new,
political scientist Narek Galsyan told reporters today.

In response to the latest statement of the OSCE Minsk Group,
Azerbaijani declared that they will discuss the issue of moving back
the snipers after Armenia withdraws the troops from the “occupied
territories.”

According to the political scientist, the withdrawal of snipers
could be useful for the negotiation process. He considers that to
some extent Azerbaijan’s stance on the issue is a result of weakness
of the international community.

“The international community cannot implement considerable changes
in Azerbaijan’s position. Moreover, Azerbaijan’s relations with
the Western role-players are gradually deepening,” the political
scientist said.

Narek Galstyan says that under such circumstances the response of
the Armenian side should be adequate. He believes that proposals
are not tools for pressure and the international role-players should
think of more practical measures to exert influence on Azerbaijan,
especially in the field of energy cooperation.

Referring to the statement of the OSCE Minsk Group that Karabakh
will once return to the negotiating table, political scientist Narek
Galstyan noted that it would positively affect the peace process,
leading to a final solution. He added, however, that it will take
long to change the position of Azerbaijan on the issue.

AZERBAIJAN PROVOKES INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY: POLITICAL SCIENTIST

ARMENPRESS
12 July, 2012
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, JULY 12, ARMENPRESS: Azerbaijan itself acts so that others
press on it by continuing shootings in the contact line. Such opinion
expressed Deputy Director of “Caucasus” institute, political scientist
Sergey Minasyan during the press conference on July 12. “The presence
of those incidents is the last leverage that Azerbaijan can use in
the negotiating process as in other way it can not have influence
on Armenian side and international community” noticed the political
scientist. By provoking Azerbaijan got only the opposite result. The
border shootings made angry Hillary Clinton and international pressure
on Azerbaijan increased demanding to keep the cease-fire regime.

“Due to Azerbaijani efforts “status quo” is more strengthening and
if we get a mechanism under the pressure of Minsk Group it will be
possible to decrease the amount of military incidents and we will have
more long-term and stable image” mentioned the political scientist.

Reverberating to other regional issues the interlocutor mentioned
that at present there are serious political developments in neighbor
Georgia. In his opinion the appointment of Vano Merabishvili in
the post of Prime Minister is related with Parliamentary elections
which will take place in autumn. “These elections are important
because President Saakashvili can not be elected for the third time”
declared Minasyan.

TURKEY FAILS TO FACE ITS HISTORY 97 YEARS: NALBANDIAN

ARMENPRESS
12 July, 2012
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, JULY 12, ARMENPRESS: Turkey failed to implement serious
steps for 97 years and face its own history. During the joint press
conference with the Secretary General of OSCE Lamberto Zannier
such declaration made Foreign affairs minister of Armenia Edward
Nalbandian in response to the application of “Armenpress” to comment
the declaration of Turkish Foreign affairs minister in which he
suggested a combination consisting of three steps towards the 100th
anniversary of Armenian Genocide.

“Instead of such combinations suggested by Turkey international
community suggests another combination – ratification of protocols
without any preconditions, implementation of those protocols without
preconditions and avoid connect the settlement of Armenian-Turkish
relations with Nagorno-Karabakh conflict” mentioned Armenian foreign
minister.

Nalbandian said that if Turkey in coming three years would continue
to act in such way and suggest such combinations which do not lead
to anything than the result is known.