Author: Kajoyan Gevork

FIVE AZERI TROOPS KILLED IN BORDER CLASH: BAKU.JUNE 5, 2012
By : Gary Dunn

The Australian Eye

June 5 2012

Armenian forces killed five Azerbaijani soldiers in a new border clash
Tuesday, Baku said, in a new flaring of tensions as US Secretary of
State Hillary Clinton visits the volatile Caucasus region.

The Azerbaijani defence ministry said fighting broke out when “a
group of Armenian saboteurs made an attempt to penetrate the military
positions of the national army” in the country’s north-west.

“During the fight, four soldiers of the Azerbaijani armed forces were
killed and another died as a result of the Armenians opening fire,”
the ministry said in a statement.

On Monday, Armenia alleged that Azerbaijani troops had killed three of
its soldiers and wounded six more during another deadly battle on the
border between the enemy ex-Soviet states, although Baku denied this.

Azerbaijan and Armenia are locked in a long-running conflict over the
territory of Nagorny Karabakh, where they fought a war in the 1990s
that killed some 30,000 people, but this week’s clashes erupted away
from the disputed region.

Visiting Yerevan on Monday, Clinton said she was concerned by the
rising tensions and warned Armenia and Azerbaijan not to settle their
conflict by force.

“I am very concerned about the danger of escalation of tensions
and the senseless deaths of young soldiers and innocent civilians,”
she said after Monday’s violence.

“The use of force will not resolve the Nagorny Karabakh conflict and
therefore force must not be used.”

The Karabakh war saw Armenia-backed separatists seize the region
from Azerbaijan.

Despite years of negotiations since the 1994 ceasefire, the two sides
have not yet signed a final peace deal and there are still frequent
exchanges of gunfire along the front line.

Azerbaijan has threatened to use force to win back Karabakh if peace
talks fail to yield satisfactory results, but Armenia has warned of
large-scale retaliation against any military action.

Clinton is due to visit Baku on Wednesday.

OSCE OFFICE SUPPORTS HUMAN RIGHTS AWARDS IN ARMENIA

The Financial

June 5 2012
Georgia

The FINANCIAL — Individuals working to promote human rights,
accountable governance and free speech in Armenia were acknowledged
today at a ceremony hosted by the US Embassy and co-organized by the
OSCE Office in Yerevan, the EU Delegation to Armenia, the British
Embassy in Armenia and Counterpart International.

According to OSCE, the Universal Human Rights Awards event recognizes
the importance of the contributions of civil rights activists,
government officials and media representatives in the areas of
democratic reform and participatory governance.

Presenting the editors of online news outlet Epress.am Sonya Apresova,
Yuri Manvelian and Armen Melikbekian with an award for their fair and
balanced coverage and their commitment to human rights reporting, the
Head of the OSCE Office in Yerevan, Ambassador Andrey Sorokin, said:
“Epress’s coverage of human rights plays an important role in informing
the public and contributing to public debate. This type of reporting
is an important contribution to Armenia’s democratic transformation.”

USAID Armenia Mission Director, Jatinder Cheema, a host of the
ceremony, awarded Artur Sakunts with the Freedom Defender Award.

“Artur defends all minorities, especially those that are the target
of intolerance, such as ethnic, religious, and sexual minorities. He
is not afraid to take unpopular stances, working constantly for a
better and more open future for Armenia,” said Cheema.

Tsovinar Nazaryan was presented with the Women of Courage Award for her
military reform efforts and the Deputy Chief of the Armenian Police,
Major-General Artur Osikyan, received the Government Reformer Award for
his contribution to police reform, especially regarding improvements
to the police educational system.

Environmental activists Apres Zohrabian, Yeghia Nersesian, Gor
Hakobian, Mary Khachatrian and Ruzanna Grigorian were presented with
the Civic Activism Award for their grassroots campaign to promote
environmental conservation in Armenia.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke at the event and met
with the award recipients. Armenian government officials, foreign
diplomats, NGO representatives and the press attended the ceremony.

AZERBAIJANI TROOPS KILLED IN BORDER CLASH

United Press International

June 5 2012

YEREVAN, Armenia, June 5 (UPI) — Five Azerbaijani soldiers were
killed in a skirmish Tuesday with Armenian troops along the border
of the two countries, Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry said.

The ministry said in a statement the troops were killed in a fight
after Armenian troops tried to enter a village in northwestern
Azerbaijan, RIA Novosti reported.

The Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict began in the late 1980s when
Nagorno-Karabakh — a region with a predominantly ethnic Armenian
population — declared its independence from Azerbaijan. The region
has been under Armenian control since.

Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers have agreed to hold talks
on Nagorno-Karabakh June 18 in Paris, RIA Novosti said. Russia has
been mediating peace talks for years.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during a visit at Yerevan,
Armenia, condemned the border clashes Monday, saying the use of force
“will not resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.”

“I am very concerned about the danger of escalation of tensions
and the senseless deaths of young soldiers and innocent civilians,”
she said during her visit to the North Caucasus states.

Clinton said such incidents “underscore the necessity to try to
keep making progress on the peace process. … And it’s not only
the actions of leaders; it must be the actions of citizens as well
to try to find a way to enable people of the region to live together
in peace and dignity.”

CINQ SOLDATS AZERBAIDJANAIS TUES A LA FRONTIERE AVEC L’ARMENIE (BAKOU)
Ara

armenews.com
mercredi 6 juin 2012

BAKOU, 05 juin 2012 (AFP) – L’Azerbaïdjan a accuse mardi l’Armenie
d’avoir tue cinq de ses soldats dans un incident a la frontière entre
les deux pays, au lendemain de l’annonce par Erevan que trois de ses
soldats avaient ete tues par les Azerbaïdjanais.

“Quatre soldats des forces armees de l’Azerbaïdjan ont ete tues et
un autre est mort par la suite, après que les Armeniens ont ouvert
le feu” a la frontière, a affirme le ministère azerbaïdjanais de la
Defense dans un communique.

Selon la meme source, ces echanges de tirs ont eu lieu “lorsqu’un
groupe de saboteurs armeniens a tente de penetrer les lignes de
l’armee” azerbaïdjanaise dans le nord-ouest du pays.

La veille, l’Armenie a accuse l’armee azerbaïdjanaise d’avoir tue trois
de ses soldats armeniens lors d’une incursion au Nagorny Karabakh,
un territoire separatiste a majorite armenienne en Azerbaïdjan, devenu
une enclave contrôlee par l’Armenie depuis un conflit arme au moment
de la chute de l’URSS. En visite a Erevan lundi dans le cadre d’une
tournee dans le Caucase qui l’amènera a Bakou mercredi, la secretaire
d’Etat americaine, Hillary Clinton, s’est declaree “très preoccupee”
par les tensions croissantes entre l’Armenie et l’Azerbaïdjan.

“L’usage de la force ne resoudra pas le conflit du Nagorny-Karabakh,
et la force ne doit donc pas etre utilisee”, a-t-elle souligne.

Fin avril, le president armenien, Serge Sarkissian, avait mis en
garde l’Azerbaïdjan et prône une reaction “appropriee” de l’armee
armenienne dans les incidents repetes entre les deux pays.

Des echanges de tirs impliquant des troupes armeniennes et
azerbaïdjanaises ont lieu regulièrement le long de la ligne de front
du Nagorny Karabakh, mais se sont produits aussi dans d’autres zones
frontalières.

L’Organisation pour la securite et la cooperation en Europe (OSCE),
impliquee dans les negociations de paix, a appele les deux pays a la
retenue face a la montee de la tension.

Rattache a l’Azerbaïdjan pendant la periode sovietique, le Nagorny
Karabakh a proclame son independance, non reconnue par la communaute
internationale, après une guerre qui a fait 30.000 morts et des
centaines de milliers de refugies entre 1988 et 1994.

Un cessez-le-feu a ete signe en 1994, mais Bakou et Erevan n’arrivent
pas a se mettre d’accord sur le statut de la region qui reste une
source de tension dans le Caucase du Sud, une zone strategique situee
entre l’Iran, la Russie et la Turquie.

UN ORCHESTRE ARMENIEN VA DONNER DES CONCERTS A TEHERAN EN JUIN
Stephane

armenews.com
mercredi 6 juin 2012

L’Orchestre National de Chambre d’Armenie a prevu de donner des
concerts a Teheran en juin.

Le chef d’orchestre et compositeur irano-armenien Loris Tjeknavorian
dirigera l’orchestre pendant les concerts, qui commenceront au Hall
Vahdat le 8 juin.

Un repertoire, qui comprend des ~uvres de divers compositeurs,
a ete prepare par l’orchestre qui est en repetition en Armenie.

Chaque soiree, un soliste iranien accompagnera l’orchestre.

L’Orchestre National de Chambre National d’Armenie a precedemment
execute plusieurs concerts a Teheran dont des concerts pour lever
des fonds pour les enfants souffrant de cancer.

RAMKAVAR AZATAKAN PARTY HAS NOT YET DECIDED WHOM IT WILL SUPPORT DURING PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

arminfo
Tuesday, June 5, 19:17

The Ramkavar Azatakan party has not yet decided whom it will support
during the presidential election, the leader of the party Hakob
Avetikyan said during a press-conference on Tuesday.

He said that his party would not have its own candidate as it had no
necessary resources.

“We will support the candidate whose program will be in tune with
ours,” Avetikyan said. Still he found it difficult to say who
potentially might hope for Ramkavar Azatakan’s support.

Concerning the past parliamentary elections, Avetikyan said that the
ruling Republican Party and Prosperous Armenia were the only forces
that did not bad-mouth their opponents.

“Though there were certain violations, their absence would have
changed nothing,” the politician said.

NO CORRUPTION IN KARABAKH

Karabakh-open.info
Friday, 01 June 2012 11:39

Looking at these crumbled walls in the pictures the famous anecdote
about the building collapse comes to the mind when all the materials
are gathered to see what caused the collapse, the cement, being invited
as well, refuses to come for the reason that he did not participate
in the construction of the building.

The anecdote is true for these walls which have recently been erected
in Ulubabyan and the adjacent streets in parallel with road asphalting
but today they need repairing once again.

The picture depicted is not a singular instance in the sphere of
construction; such defects can be observed on the roads, in the
newly built districts and not only. On this background, however,
it is amazingly assured that high-quality construction works are
performed today, quality is in the focus of attention and that there
exists no corruption in Karabakh.

ANCA CALLS ON CLINTON TO CONDEMN AZERBAIJAN’S FATAL ATTACKS INTO ARMENIA

armradio.am
05.06.2012 12:06

The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) dispatched an urgent
letter urging U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to forcefully
condemn a fatal Azerbaijani attack into the Tavush region of Armenia,
a brazen assault launched by Baku to coincide with her arrival for
a three day visit to the Caucasus.

The attack, which occurred near the Berdavan and Chinari villages
of Tavush, represents the most recent in an escalating series of
Azerbaijani assaults on both Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh. The Armenian
Ministry of Defense has reported that three Armenian soldiers were
killed and another five wounded in the attack.

“Azerbaijan’s aggression, on the very day of your arrival in the
Caucasus, represents, in addition, of course, to a painful human
tragedy for those young men who were killed and injured, a brazen
attack upon the prospects for a fair and lasting peace in this
region,” said ANCA Chairman Ken Hachikian in his letter to Secretary
Clinton. “It is long past time that the Obama Administration abandon
its practice of artificial equivalence – a failed policy whose only
response to Azerbaijani aggression and threats of renewed war has
been to issue generically-formulated and transparently toothless
calls on all parties to refrain from violence.” The full text of the
ANCA letter is provided below” “I am writing today, only hours after
an Azerbaijani cross-border attack into the Tavush region of Armenia
killed three Armenian soldiers, to call upon you to clearly, publicly
and unequivocally condemn this aggression, and, more broadly, to stake
out a strong American stand against Baku’s open threats and escalating
acts of belligerence against both Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh.

Azerbaijan’s aggression, on the very day of your arrival in the
Caucasus, represents, in addition, of course, to a painful human
tragedy for those young men who were killed and injured, a brazen
attack upon the prospects for a fair and lasting peace in this region.

It is long past time that the Obama Administration abandon its practice
of artificial equivalence – a failed policy whose only response to
Azerbaijani aggression and threats of renewed war has been to issue
generically-formulated and transparently toothless calls on all
parties to refrain from violence.

It is in this spirit that we call upon you to forcefully criticize
Azerbaijan’s aggression during your upcoming visit with President
Ilham Aliyev in Baku. We ask, as well, that you give substance to
our nation’s condemnation of Baku’s march toward war by suspending
all proposed, pending, or future sales or transfers to Azerbaijan of
military equipment and dual-use items (including the proposed sale of
advanced helicopter-based surveillance equipment – DDTC 12-002). We
also request that the Administration immediately enforce Section 907
of the FREEDOM Support Act, and decline to waive this provision of
law until Azerbaijan has stopped its threats of war, ceased all acts
of aggression, and demonstrated a commitment to a lasting peace with
Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh through solely non-violent means.

Please accept our thanks for your urgent attention to Azerbaijan’s act
of aggression and the potential it holds for even greater violence and
regional instability. We remain ready to work with you on this matter,
and on all the many issues of special concern to Armenian Americans,
and invite you, once again, to meet with the collective leadership
of our community to discuss these matters in greater detail.”

POLITICAL SCIENTIST: AZERBAIJAN SEEKING TO CHANGE OSCE MG FORMAT

arminfo
Tuesday, June 5, 16:01

Azerbaijan seeks to change the format of OSCE MG, says political
scientist Hrant Melik-Shakhnazaryan.

He told media on Tuesday that official Baku tries to involve Turkey
in the OSCE Minsk Group to resolve the Karabakh conflict in its favor
and increase Ankara’s influence in the South Caucasus. He said that
USA and Russia fight for the influence in the region, but Russia is
responsible for security in the region.

To recall subdivisions of the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan made another
attempt of sabotage attack on the state border of Armenia near villages
of Berdavan and Chinar on June 4 and 5. The enemy was rebuffed and
forced to retreat. Three Armenian soldiers were killed as a result:
Hrach Sargsyan, Zohrab Balabekyan and Karen Davtyan. Another 5 were
wounded.

Melik-Shakhnazaryan said that provocations by the Azerbaijani armed
forces and deaths of Armenian soldiers were “dedicated” to Hillary
Clinton’s visit to the region. “Azerbaijan tries its best to show
that the conflict is not frozen and there is no status-quo. Over long
years the world community is persuading Azerbaijan to remain committed
to peaceful resolution of the conflict, but useless,” he said. The
political scientist forecasts growth of aggression by Azerbaijan on
the threshold of the presidential elections in Artsakh on July 19.

Incumbent president of NKR Bako Sahakyan, ex-deputy defense minister
Vitaly Balasanyan, pro-rector of the Stepanakert branch of the State
Agrarian University of Armenia for Research Arkady Soghomonyan and
unemployed Valery Khachatryan will run for the president on July 19.

All them are self-nominated and non-party men.

YEREVAN MAN PREVENTS GIRL FROM COMMITTING SUICIDE

NEWS.AM
June 05, 2012 | 11:34

YEREVAN. – A suicide attempt was prevented Monday at Armenian capital
city Yerevan’s Kiev Bridge. This information was corroborated by the
Police Press Service in an interview with Armenian News-NEWS.am.

A 20-year-old girl tried to end her life at the Bridge, on that day
at around 6:30pm, but a passerby was able to prevent her from jumping
off at the last moment.

According to our information, Ani T. wanted to commit suicide because
she was unemployed and had personal problems. But she was prevented
from jumping by Hrayr Aslanyan, 35, who works at Yerevan’s military
hospital.

Aslanyan was in a public transport vehicle when the girl was getting
ready to jump off the Bridge. He noticed the girl, stopped the vehicle,
rushed toward the girl and was able to hold her.

Subsequently, Aslanyan stopped a Road Police car and asked for
assistance.