Author: Kajoyan Gevork

AZERBAIJANI ENGINEERS DEVELOP NEW COMBAT VEHICLE

APA
June 18 2012
Azerbaijan

Baku. Rashad Suleymanov – APA. Azerbaijani engineers develop a new
wheeled combat vehicle.

APA reports that the combat vehicle, which is being developed by the
Scientific Research Institute of the Ministry of Defense Industry,
will be 100% locally produced.

Two types of the vehicle – reconnaissance and combat models will
be developed at the first stage. Then the other vehicles will be
developed.

These cars will have the advantages over Georgia-based “Didgori”
and Armenia-based “Ayk” vehicles for its maneuver possibilities,
ballistic protection, sustainability, as well as the other features.

Now Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense Industry jointly with “Paramount
Group” company of the Republic of South Africa produces “Matador”
and “Marauder” mine-protected armored vehicles.

AZERBAIJANI FOREIGN MINISTRY: THE WITHDRAWAL OF ARMENIAN ARMY FROM THE OCCUPIED AZERBAIJANI TERRITORIES WILL CREATE CONDITION FOR THE PEACEFUL SETTLEMENT OF THE CONFLICT

APA
June 18 2012
Azerbaijan

Baku. Victoria Dementieva – APA. “The OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs
decided to intensify their mediation efforts on the basis of the
Paris meeting.

They will visit the region in the near future for this purpose”,
spokesman for the Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs Elman
Abdullayev told APA commenting the Paris meeting of the Azerbaijani and
Armenian foreign ministers. He said that the position of Azerbaijan
remains constant: “The current status quo is unacceptable for the
region and world community. The withdrawal of Armenian armed forces
from the occupied Azerbaijani territories will create condition for
the peaceful settlement of the conflict.”

OSCE: AZERBAIJAN, ARMENIA TO CONTINUE WORK ON NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT SETTLEMENT

Trend
June 18 2012
Azerbaijan

Foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia Elmar Mammadyarov and
Edward Nalbandian discussed in Paris settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict, the OSCE statement said.

The meeting was attended by the co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group
(Robert Bradtke of the United States of America, Igor Popov of Russia,
and Jacques Faure of France) and the personal representative of the
OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Andrzej Kasprzyk.

The Foreign Ministers expressed their determination to continue
working with the Co-Chairs to reach a peaceful settlement, and their
readiness to carry out confidence-building measures that could improve
the atmosphere for negotiations, the statement said.

The Co-Chairs discussed with the Ministers the way forward on
resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, as well as further work on
development of humanitarian contacts and the creation of a mechanism
to investigate ceasefire violations, and preservation of sites of
historic and cultural value, the statement said.

The Co-Chairs also reiterated deep concern over recent incidents
along the front lines and stressed the need to respect the 1994
ceasefire agreement.

The meeting took place in a positive, constructive atmosphere, the
statement said.

As a next step, the Co-Chairs will visit the region in the coming
weeks.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 per cent of Azerbaijan since 1992,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The
co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group – Russia, France and the U.S. –
are currently holding peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council’s four
resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the
surrounding regions.

POLITICAL SCIENTIST: OSCE MINSK GROUP CO-CHAIRS ABANDON MEDIATION

Trend
June 18 2012
Azerbaijan

The OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs consistently leave some issues on
the agenda in the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabkh conflict, while
rejecting other questions, Director of Center for Political Studies
Mubariz Ahmedoglu told Trend on Monday.

“The mediators have repeatedly stated that the future status of
Nagorno-Karabakh will be determined by the Armenians living today
there and the Azerbaijanis who lived there before. Essence of the
updated Madrid principles, too, is in this. Despite the fact that the
positions of Azerbaijan and Armenia are fundamentally different from
each other, Armenia also accepts the fact that without taking into
account the views of expelled Azerbaijanis they will not be able to
determine the status of Nagorno-Karabakh,” Ahmedoglu said.

According to the political analyst, not rejecting a referendum on the
future status, the Armenian side proposes that it would take place
separately in two places, inhabited now by Armenians and Azerbaijanis.

Thus, it makes the necessary contacts between the two groups of people
to determine the future status of Nagorno-Karabakh. This means that the
faster meetings between the Azerbaijanis who lived there previously
and the Armenians living there now begin, the faster the process of
determination of the future status will start.

“Withdrawal of the snipers and the establishment of mechanisms to
investigate incidents on the contact line between the troops is an
issue that the mediators persistently leave on the agenda. Their
efforts in this area raise some suspicions. If the withdrawal of
snipers is followed by withdrawal of Armenian military units from
the territories of Azerbaijan and Armenia signs a document, then it
is another matter. The position advocated by the mediators in the
investigation of incidents on the contact line also looks illogical.

It means that the co-chairs are occupied with the legalization of
the Armenian positions in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan,”
Ahmedoglu said.

He said the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs want to do this under the guise
of “mediation.” Mediation of OSCE Minsk Group is the most pointless
mission in the history of mankind.

“Contacts between Azerbaijanis who lived in Nagorno-Karabakh with
Armenians living there now, the establishment of dialogue between
communities – mediators strongly reject all these questions. But in
fact the main task of the mediators of the mission is the establishment
of such a dialogue,” Ahmedoglu said.

He noted that the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs are more in contact with
Armenia, they are familiar with many character traits of Armenians,
who mainly make too illogical statements to draw attention.

“In the same context we can regard the notorious illogical position of
the mediators who thus draw attention to their activities. Mediators
in full cry, and bring to the world community that they can not
find the path of peaceful settlement of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,
and strongly demand an end to their mediation,” Ahmedoglu said.

Attitude to the OSCE Chairman-in-office during his visit to Baku
demonstrates that Baku correctly understands and is willing to support
the position of intermediaries to terminate mediation, the center’s
director said.

MAMMADYAROV AND NALBANDIAN: CHANCES OF NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT RESOLUTION DO NOT DECREASE

Vestnik Kavkaza
June 18 2012
Russia

The foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan, Elmar Mammadyarov and
Edward Nalbandian, discussed the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in Paris
today, an OSCE statement said . The meeting was attended by the OSCE
Minsk Group representatives from the United States, France and Russia,
Robert Bradtke, Jacques Faure and Igor Popov, as well as the personal
representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk.

The Foreign Ministers expressed their determination to continue working
to achieve a peaceful settlement and confirmed their readiness to
improve the atmosphere of the talks, the statement reads.

The co-chairs discussed with the foreign ministers ways of resolving
the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and developing contacts in the
humanitarian sphere and create a mechanism to investigate violations of
the ceasefire and the preservation of historical and cultural objects,
the report said.

The co-chairs have also confirmed their deep concern about recent
incidents along the front line and stressed the need to respect the
ceasefire agreement of 1994.

FOREIGN MINISTRY OF NAGORNO-KARABAKH: LATEST PROVOCATION OF AZERBAIJAN IS AN ATTEMPT TO DISRUPT ARMENIAN AND AZERBAIJANI FOREIGN MINISTERS’ MEETING IN PARIS

arminfo
Monday, June 18, 21:52

The Foreign Ministry of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR) has
released a statement on the murder of Aram Gyulnazaryan, a conscript
soldier of the NKR Defense Army.

ArmInfo’s correspondent in Stepanakert reports that the statement is
as follows: “Azerbaijan intensively continues violating the ceasefire
along the whole line of contact of the NKR and Azerbaijani armed
forces. On June 18, 2012, at 8:15 am Aram S. Gyulnazaryan (born in
1993), a conscript soldier of the NKR Defense Army, was killed as a
result of the Azeri armed forces’ rough violation of the ceasefire”.

The NKR Foreign Ministry qualifies the latest provocation of
Azerbaijan as an open challenge to the OSCE, the OSCE Minsk Group
Co-Chair countries, and as an attempt to disrupt the meeting of the
Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers in Paris. The relevant
note reflecting the official viewpoint of the NKR authorities has
been presented to the Office of the OSCE CiO Personal Representative.

The Foreign Ministry of Karabakh also condemns the aggressive and
criminal actions of Azerbaijan and says that the responsibility for
further escalation of the tension lies on Azerbaijan. “Such ceaseless
criminal steps of Azerbaijan make us take adequate retaliatory
measures”, the statement says. The NKR Foreign Ministry considers
that the OSCE should switch from addressless statements to tough
assessments and sanctions against Azerbaijan for hindering the peace
process, stirring up hatred and unleashing a new war in the region.

The NKR reiterates its commitment to the peaceful resolution of the
Karabakh conflict and its willingness to implement the termless
commitments on reinforcing the ceasefire, which are fixed in the
5 Feb 1995 agreement signed by the defense ministers of the NKR,
Armenia and Azerbaijan.

The Foreign Ministry of the NKR expresses confidence that the
international community will urge Azerbaijan to give up the policy
of blackmailing, threats and sabotage attacks and to return to the
constructive dialogue to gain long-term peace in the region and
conflict settlement.
Content-Type: MESSAGE/RFC822; CHARSET=US-ASCII
Content-Description:

MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
From: Mihran Keheyian
Subject: Foreign Ministry of Nagorno-Karabakh: Latest provocation of
Azerbaijan is an attempt to disrupt Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign

Foreign Ministry of Nagorno-Karabakh: Latest provocation of Azerbaijan
is an attempt to disrupt Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers’
meeting in Paris

arminfo
Monday, June 18, 21:52

The Foreign Ministry of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR) has
released a statement on the murder of Aram Gyulnazaryan, a conscript
soldier of the NKR Defense Army.

ArmInfo’s correspondent in Stepanakert reports that the statement is
as follows: “Azerbaijan intensively continues violating the ceasefire
along the whole line of contact of the NKR and Azerbaijani armed
forces. On June 18, 2012, at 8:15 am Aram S. Gyulnazaryan (born in
1993), a conscript soldier of the NKR Defense Army, was killed as a
result of the Azeri armed forces’ rough violation of the ceasefire”.

The NKR Foreign Ministry qualifies the latest provocation of
Azerbaijan as an open challenge to the OSCE, the OSCE Minsk Group
Co-Chair countries, and as an attempt to disrupt the meeting of the
Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers in Paris. The relevant note
reflecting the official viewpoint of the NKR authorities has been
presented to the Office of the OSCE CiO Personal Representative.

The Foreign Ministry of Karabakh also condemns the aggressive and
criminal actions of Azerbaijan and says that the responsibility for
further escalation of the tension lies on Azerbaijan. “Such ceaseless
criminal steps of Azerbaijan make us take adequate retaliatory
measures”, the statement says. The NKR Foreign Ministry considers that
the OSCE should switch from addressless statements to tough
assessments and sanctions against Azerbaijan for hindering the peace
process, stirring up hatred and unleashing a new war in the region.

The NKR reiterates its commitment to the peaceful resolution of the
Karabakh conflict and its willingness to implement the termless
commitments on reinforcing the ceasefire, which are fixed in the 5 Feb
1995 agreement signed by the defense ministers of the NKR, Armenia and
Azerbaijan.

The Foreign Ministry of the NKR expresses confidence that the
international community will urge Azerbaijan to give up the policy of
blackmailing, threats and sabotage attacks and to return to the
constructive dialogue to gain long-term peace in the region and
conflict settlement.

19-YEAR-OLD SOLDIER KILLED IN AZERI SHELLING

PanARMENIAN.Net
June 18, 2012 – 18:28 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – On June 18, 8:25 am local time, serviceman Aram
Gyulnazaryan, 19, was mortally wounded during Azeri shelling of NKR
eastern regiments.

According to Artakh defense army, the soldier died on the way to
a hospital.

Defense army expresses its deepest condolences to the family of
Aram Gyulnazaryan

“ARMENIA NEEDS A POWERFUL STATE TO OVERCOME ALL THE SOCIAL, ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL ISSUES”

hetq
16:41, June 18, 2012

To: “We are the owners of our city” civic initiative

“Save Teghut” civic initiative

Institute for Democracy and Human Rights (IDHR)

“Our city” civic initiative

“Trchkan” civil movement

All Armenian citizens and other movements fighting for human rights

Geneva, 12 June 2012

Dear friends,

With these few lines we wish to express our deepest gratitude to
you for the fight that you have been leading since a few years to
save the ancient lands of the Armenian nation from being destroyed by
mining activities, as well as for the unprecedented achievement of the
liberation of the Mashtots Park which has been an undeniable victory of
our constitutional rights, thanks to your determination and struggle.

We share with you the conviction that we have the moral duty to
preserve our lands inherited from our ancestors and pass them down
to our future generations, to reinforce our national borders by
populating the contiguous villages instead of undermining them by
dislocating people for mining reasons. If, however, our national
natural resources are to be exploited in some way, it must uniquely be
done with the consent of the Armenian people because the sovereignty
of the nation resides in them, hence, every decision relating to the
national long-term interests belongs to them.

You have been solemnly defending our constitutional rights days and
nights, during cold winter in Mashtots Park, Trchkan, Teghut or Kajaran
in order to perpetuate the existence of our nation, to preserve its
wonderful nature so that it does not turn into a big mining hole filled
up with tones of chemical waste as a gift for our future generations.

These unprecedented civic movements have been inspirational giving us
the will to rise up for our constitutional rights and made us believe
in the future of Armenia that we all have dreamt to see for so many
years after the birth of the third republic.

Armenia needs a powerful state to overcome all the social, economic
and political issues that the country is facing today, but prior to
that it needs a powerful civil society because the state is precisely
the expression and product of the civil society and the will of
its nation. Without a healthy, mature and educated civil society we
will never be able to produce a healthy and a powerful state with
its supreme mission to perpetuate the prosperity and existence of
the nation.

Thus, we express our unconditional support and gratitude to our
brothers and sisters for defending our national resources and
nature, for fighting for our civil rights and the supremacy of our
constitution, for building a powerful and healthy civil society
based on mutual respect and love for each other as well as for the
mother nature and which will be secured by the supreme power of the
Armenian Constitution.

With our warm regards,

Hakob Aslanyan

Tigran Tonoyan

Anush Sargsyan

Arsen Torosyan

Artush Yeghiazaryan

Liana Ghukasyan

Meda Khachaturyan

Nejdeh Khachaturyan

Garabed Yelegen

Ashot Ghazaryan

Bagdasar Kushkian

Alice Mehtemetian

Hrant Sahakyan

Asya Mikhaylidis-Sahakyan

Armen Petrosyan

Lusine Aslanyan

Armen Zargaryan

Nune Magoyan

Arnold Mikhaylidis

Armen Margaryan

Hripsime Margaryan

Zareh Kurkdjian

Vahan Mkhitaryan

Lyudvig Yeghiazaryan

Christine Sedef

Sarkis Shahinian

Astrig Marandjian

Frederic Lapeyre

Ani Mnatsakanian

Anna Sargsyan

Petar Kuruch

Lilit Tovmasyan

Ofelya Hovhannisyan

Gor Sultanyan

Agnieszka Suska

Raffi Garibian

Ani Garibian

Aline Dedeyan

Gohar Oganessian

Gework Oganessian

Anelga Arslanian

Viken Cheterian

THE POLITICIAN ATTRIBUTES BORDER SHOTS TO AZERBAIJANI BLACK MAIL

ARMENPRESS
18 June, 2012
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, JUNE 18, ARMENPRESS: Azerbaijani subversion actions on
Armenian-Azerbaijani border zone are not incidental, but the result
of calculated steps.

Caucasus Institute Director, Political scientist Alexander Iskandaryan
had a briefing with the journalists on June 18, Armenpress reports.

“Azerbaijan cannot agree with the status quo on Karabkah issue.

Azerbaijani side has two type blackmail, military rhetoric and
border violations” political scientist noted. In the words of the
interlocutor Azerbaijan knows in the case of attacks, Armenian side
will reiterate severely.

By the multiple violations registered on the ceasefire regime
Azerbaijani troops are trying to destabilize the situation in the
line of contact.

On the eve of the visit of American State Secretary Hillary Clinton
Azerbaijan diversion group took infiltration attempt in Tavush region.

Having suffered losses the enemy retreated. Armenian side also has
registered losses. During the coming days the enemy did not stop
shelling towards the peaceful residents and border keepers. Azeri
regular diversion attempt was discovered and neutralized.

SAMVEL NIKOYAN WAS IGNORED?

11:50 am | Today | Politics

Samvel Nikoyan, ex-speaker of Armenian Parliament (National Assembly)
did not become a cabinet minister as he was supposed to. Nor did his
photo appear beside the photos of parliament speakers.

Late in May, Hovik Abrahamyan was elected parliament speaker after
receiving 102 votes in secret ballot. Samvel Nikoyan held the office
from December 6, 2011 to May 31, 2012.

We tried to find out from the head of the NA staff why Nikoyan’s
photo did not appear on the wall, next to the photos of other speakers.

“We are all well-disposed to Mr. Nikoyan. The reason can be only
technical. We have already given Mr. Nikoyan several photos and
asked him to choose the best one to be posted on the wall. Now we
are waiting for his reply. As soon as he gives us the photo, it will
appear on the wall,” said Vrezh Gasparyan.

Asked why some of the MPs, including Mher Sedrakyan, Manvel Grigoryan
and Vartan Oskanian enjoy certain privileges in the National Assembly,
for example they have two-room offices, Mr. Gasparyan said, “Neither
the NA Speaker nor I have a biased approach to them. You had better
address the question to the person in charge of the issue.’