Author: Kalantarian Kevo

BAKU COMPLETES EUROVISION ARENA AMID HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSE REPORTS

PanARMENIAN.Net
April 16, 2012 – 20:15 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Azerbaijan announced on Monday, April 16 the
completion in its capital, Baku, of a sparkling new 25,000-capacity
arena for this year’s Eurovision Song Contest – but rights workers say
scores of families were kicked out of their homes to make way for it,
RIA Novosti reported.

“Hundreds of people were evicted from the adjacent territory in
complete contradiction of Azerbaijani law,” said Giorgi Gogia, senior
South Caucasus researcher for Human Rights Watch, an international
rights watchdog.

“They forced us to leave illegally,” former Flag Square resident
Natalia Alibekova told RIA Novosti by telephone. “They took the roof
off our building while we were still living there, when it was around
minus 15 [degrees Celsius].”

Azerbaijani First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva, head of Baku’s Eurovision
organizing committee, told the Trend news agency last month that no
one was removed from their home to make way for the construction of
the Crystal Hall arena, which sits on the shores of the Caspian Sea.

She also accused critics of seeking revenge for Azerbaijan’s success
at the 2011 Eurovision.

But Gogia accused Azerbaijani officials of wordplay. “The arena
was built on empty land, but the people were evicted for the nearby
necessary infrastructure,” he said.

The former Soviet republic gained the right to host this May’s
Eurovision at the 2011 event in Dusseldorf. An oil- and gas-rich
Azerbaijan is looking to Eurovision to trumpet its achievements. A TV
audience of about 125 million viewers from 42 countries is expected
for the event.

But with the world media due to descend on Baku for the May 26 final,
opposition groups have pledged to hold rallies to highlight what
Amnesty International has called the country’s “unsavory” record on
human rights.

Neighboring Armenia announced last month it would not be attending
the Baku Eurovision.

ARMENIAN GENOCIDE COMMEMORATION EVENTS LAUNCHED IN BATUMI

ARMENPRESS
APRIL 16, 2012
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, APRIL 16, ARMENPRESS: On April 14 Batumi State Conservatory
hosted the first event dedicated to the Armenian Genocide within the
framework of the Armenian Genocide commemoration days in Georgia.

Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed Armenpress that RA
Consul General in Batumi Garik Israyelyan, the vicar of Batumi’s
“Surb Prkich” church Ter Ararat Gwumbelyan and the press secretary of
the Union of Armenians of Ajaria Artur Hovhannisyan have highlighted
in their speeches the importance of the universal recognition and
condemnation of the Armenian Genocide.

The pupils of the Armenian Sunday school, adjacent to Batumi’s
“Surb Prkich” church, staged an artistic performance with tragic
scenes portraying the first genocide of the 20th century for more
than 300 viewers.

The performance also included patriotic poems, songs and dances. The
event was covered by local TV channels.

DETAILS OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE IN THE TESTIMONIES OF EYEWITNESSES
Artak Barseghyan

“Radiolur”
16.04.2012 19:27

Tens of thousand of documents, presenting the history of the Armenian
Genocide of 1915-1922 will be published ahead of the 100th anniversary
of the Genocide, Director of the Armenian National Archive Amatuni
Virabyan told reporters today.

The National Archive holds the testimonies of about 1 000 witnesses,
presenting the details of the crimes perpetrated in their homes,
the whole mechanism of the Armenian Genocide. They will be published
in three volumes. The books will later be translated into English,
Russian and other languages and will be accessible on the Internet.

The National Archive will next publish the 29 000 documents collected
by the commission established thanks to Hovhannes Tumanyan’s efforts.

These present the testimonies of Armenian refugees, who told about
the human and material losses starting from 1918. The total sum would
make $25 billion today.

Amatuni Virabyan is confident that these documents will contribute to
the international recognition of the Armenian Genocide. Director of the
Armenian National Archive says the international community will be more
inclined to recognize the Armenian Genocide, when it learns about the
history of slain families and reads the testimonies of the survivers.

WE DON’T WANT “AZERBAIJANI FILMS” IN ARMENIA
Marina Ananikyan

PanARMENIAN.Net
April 16, 2012 – 14:36 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – We can succeed if we want to. We can unite on an
idea, join our efforts for the sake of a single goal, one that is
neither a personal nor promising a profit. We can unite against those
who bargain the country and all of us.

This may sound bombastic, yet this is true.

We joined our efforts and achieved our goal: head of Caucasus Center
of Peace-Making Initiatives (CCPMI) NGO Georgy Vanyan will again fail
to hold a “festival of Azerbaijani films” in Armenia.

We do not want to be stuffed with peace-making ideas purchased for
green bucks. We do not want to face mothers who lost their sons in
a battle against the enemy, protecting their homeland, when this
enemy’s movies are screened. We do not want to raise kids who won’t
be able to protect their motherland tomorrow because a grant-taker
“activist” has distorted their mind with his “peace-making” ideas.

We joined efforts and banned the “festival” in Gyumri. However, one has
to justify the grant money he has taken, and Vanyan demonstrated the
Azerbaijani films in a roadside restaurant to a group of gushing girls.

He complained that terrorists have failed the festival (“the world
lacks stability”), pledging to organize it in Vanadzor on April 17,
with support of Vanadzor office of Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly and
its chairman Arthur Sakunts.

Vanadzor will see no festival either. We do not want this. Under the
pressure of the “terrorist and criminal community”, Vanyan decided to
“put off” his event. Meanwhile, about 400 people actually threw eggs
and stones at Sakunts’ office.

We united, politicians and ordinary citizens, “greens” and “reds”,
students and journalists, bloggers and mothers who lost their sons
in war. You may call us red-blue-orange colored “criminal community”
who won’t stand mockery, who won’t allow selling our homeland for
the bucks, and who will never let cripple our children.

Does this sound bombastic? At least, this is true.

DEFENSE PREPARATIONS: FIELD DRILLS TO TEST RUSSIAN BASE IN ARMENIA
By Aris Ghazinyan

ArmeniaNow
News | 16.04.12 | 16:08

Rocket force and artillery subdivisions of Russian military base #102
stationed on the territory of Armenia are currently at the Armenian
Alagyaz educational-training complex where field drills are conducted
on missile strike management.

More than 400 servicemen take part in the drills with around 100
artillery armory units, as well as military and special equipment.

The final stage of the large-scale drills coincided with the enlarged
joint session of the Armenian and Russian units of Intergovernmental
Commission for Military-Economic Cooperation of the Collective Security
Treaty Organization (CSTO) held in Yerevan.

A top-ranking delegation has arrived in the Armenian capital from
Russia, including CSTO deputy secretary general Valery Semerikov.

Last month CSTO Secretary General Nikolay Bordyuzha made a number
of important statements, in particular, that strikes at Iran would
shock the region from all perspectives – starting with politics and
ending with economy.

He also stated that CSTO is closely watching the situation and that
“Armenia will receive whatever assistance it needs in case of a crisis
in the Karabakh conflict zone”.

“We have a big potential in terms of the application of forces or
operational counteraction subdivisions. But I cannot say today what
kind of assistance will be shown, as it can be said only based on a
definite situation. Nonetheless, I repeat that Armenia will receive
all the assistance it needs as a full-rights CSTO member,” stressed
Bordyuzha.

The military drills of CSTO’s operative response collective forces
will be conducted in Armenia next fall. The details of the drills
were discussed both during the session, and at the National Security
Council of Armenia (NSCA).

“Armenia is doing its best not to allow a shift in the balance of
forces in the region,” said NSCA Secretary Artur Baghdasaryan on
April 12, while commenting on the possible change in the layout of
forces in the region as a result of Azerbaijan’s military build-up.

He stressed that according to NSCA’ state-approved plan for 2011-2015,
Armenia, too, is purchasing modern armory and, despite Azerbaijan’s
growing military budget, Armenia is taking all possible measures to
maintain the balance of forces.

It has become known that Armenia and Russia will be signing a new
agreement on military-technical cooperation.

Baghdasaryan stressed that the new agreement would help to overcome the
existing obstacles, which would allow military-industrial enterprises
to communicate directly. And besides, it would allow for a considerably
broader cooperation.

During the joint session issues were discussed also on creating repair
and technical assistance centers for military machinery in Armenia;
there are currently seven joint Armenian-Russian military-industrial
enterprises functioning on its territory.

LFIK AUSCHWITZ

Story from Lragir.am News:

Published: 15:16:07 – 16/04/2012

Member of the Armenian National Congress, Nikol Pashinyan, who is ANC
candidate at election constituency N 7, dwelt today on the incident
happened with his trustees on Sunday. He said that he met a group of
people, who introduced themselves as RPA members saying that they
will beat my people, says Pashinyan, adding that later those women
came as if they were local residents, while, Pashinyan affirms,
he saw two buses, which brought them to the spot.

According to him, the fact that Samvel Alexanyan resorts to the
help of the women, means he was offended by the nickname “Lfik” but
Pashinyan noted that if a person acquired this name during his life,
should not be offended when it is used.

Nikol Pashinyan said that there was no need to use the women and
that it would be better to debate. He said determined to continue
the campaign to “free the community from the Lfik Auschwitz”.

ANC MEMBER: RPA WILL FACE DEFEAT IN CASE OF FAIR ELECTIONS

PanARMENIAN.Net
April 16, 2012 – 15:00 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Armenian authorities headed by Armenian President
Serzh Sargsyan have no intention to hold fair elections that meet
European standards, parliamentary candidate from Armenian National
Congress (ANC) and editor-in-chief of Haykakan Zhamanak paper said.

“The Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) led by Serzh Sargsyan will
suffer a crushing defeat in case forthcoming elections conform to
European standards,” Nikol Pashinyan said.

He further voiced confidence for ANC to reach its goal i.e. shift of
power in the country in any case: “either during election processes,
or as a result of post-election processes if authorities continue to
commit lawless acts.

Parliamentary elections, due in Armenia on May 6, feature 8 political
parties, Republican Party of Armenia (RPA), Prosperous Armenia, ARF
Dashnaktsutyun (ARFD), Orinats Yerkir, Heritage, Democratic Party of
Armenia (DPA), Communist Party of Armenia and United Armenian party,
as well as one election bloc represented by opposition Armenian
National Congress (ANC).

ARMENIANS IN THE GEORGIAN PARLIAMENT
Gita Elibekyan

“Radiolur”
16.04.2012 15:03
Tbilisi

Georgia will also hold parliamentary elections this year. Experts say
the competition is going to be tense, taking into consideration the
participation of famous businessman, billionaire Bidzina Ivanashvili,
the main rival of the authorities.

Ivanashvili, who is supported by thousands of citizens, including
ex-ministers, opposition politicians, actors and sportsmen, has
declared that he is ready to include representatives of national
minorities in his team.

Karine Barseghyan, who heads the Association for Protection of Rights
of Georgian Armenians, is ready to join the party list of the “Georgian
Dream” opposition bloc. According to her, we need Armenians in the
Georgian Parliament, who will be able to raise and try to solve the
issues of concern for the Armenian community.

“We want to have Deputies in the new Parliament, who will be able to
speak and for example urge their colleagues on April 24 to commemorate
the Armenian Genocide victims with a minute of silence,” she said.

It’s not clear so far under which numbers the Armenians will run in the
Georgian elections. The discussions on the issue are still underway.

Recently Bidzina Ivanashvili hosted a reception for representatives
of the Armenian community. According to Karine Barseghyan, during the
meeting he spoke about the friendship between Armenians and Georgians
and compared the alphabets of the two peoples.

A memorandum on the support of Armenians to the “Georgian Dream”
was presented at the meeting.

Most representatives of the Armenian community, who have long been
supporting the ruling “National Movement” are likely to support
President Mikheil Saakashvili’s Party at the forthcoming elections.

SERGEI MOVSESIAN WINS GOLD AND SILVER

Panorama.am
16/04/2012

Armenian GM Sergei Movsesian simultaneously participated in the German
and Russian Team Championships in Baden-Baden and Saint Petersburg
Chess Clubs. The Armenian chess player won gold in Baden-Baden Club
and silver in Saint Petersburg Club, armchess.am reported.

Also, Movsesian took four victories in a row at the Russian Team
Championship in Loo, including the match against Peter Leko in the
last round.

SENIOR ISRAELI OFFICIALS DUE IN AZERBAIJAN

News.Az
Mon 16 April 2012 10:28 GMT | 11:28 Local Time

A senior Israeli official is to visit the South Caucasus before the
end of the month, according to an Israeli website.

The official is to be accompanied by a delegation which will include
Anna Azari, director of the Israeli Foreign Ministry’s Department
for Central Europe and Eurasia.

The Russian-language IzRus portal said that it was giving no further
information about the visit, at the request of the Israeli Foreign
Ministry.

Israeli Agriculture Minister Orit Noked started a two-day visit to
Armenia yesterday after which she will visit Azerbaijan, IzRus said.

The 20th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations
between Azerbaijan and Israel falls this week.