Author: Kalantarian Kevo

“LAW ON STATE OF EMERGENCY IS SACRILEGE”

02:58 pm | Today | Politics

Free Democrat Alexander Arzumanyan says the parliament’s vote for the
draft law “On the Legal Regime of the State of Emergency” on March
1 is sacrilege.

We remind that the adoption of the law will prohibit the use of the
army for ensuring security in the country. According to Arzumanyan,
the authorities are sending a message to the society just two months
before the elections.

“They’re telling the people not to express any discontent because
they will use the army along with the police, illegitimate bodyguards
and bandits of oligarchs,” said member of the “Free Democrats” Party
Alexander Arzumanyan.

Republican MP Mkrtich Minasyan doesn’t think the vote is symbolic,
but he is concerned about the increase of the parliament’s role during
the regulation of the state of emergency regime. To what extent is the
decision on using the army against citizens constitutional? Mkrtichyan
said he didn’t have an answer to that question.

The Republican recalls the international experience, saying that the
authorities are using “all their instruments” to protect themselves
from those who breach the constitutional order, while Alexander
Arzumanyan advises following Armenia’s experience.

“Experience shows that the Armenian government falsified elections
through force, attacked peaceful demonstrators, killed ten people
and then declared a state of emergency to conceal that crime,” said
Alexander Arzumanyan.

The opposition member also expressed regret that the ruling government
rejected the draft law on making the complete transition to the
proportional electoral order supported by the society. However, he
hopes the interested parties will unite and will make sure that the
elections are as free as they can be.

The speakers also touched upon the tendency of small parties to
defend larger parties before the elections. They agreed that the
“globalization” of political parties would have a positive impact on
the formation of the political field.

AZERBAIJAN SPREADS LIES TO AVOID ACCOUNTABILITY

Tuesday, February 28th, 2012

February 26-29, 1988 were the days when Azerbaijani authorities
organized and committed mass-pogroms and massacres against the Armenian
population in Sumgait, Azerbaijan. It was the first ethnic cleansing
campaign that Azeri nationalists committed in response to peaceful
manifestation of Karabakh Armenians for self-determination.

Going unpunished, it became a precursor for further bloody episodes
of ethic cleansings perpetrated by Azeri authorities in Kirovabad,
Mingechaur, Baku and elsewhere around Azerbaijan along with later
full-scale military aggression against the Nagorno Karabakh Republic,
Artsakh.

In a result of genocidal actions of Azerbaijan’s authority in Sumgait,
dozens of Armenians were brutally killed, majority of whom were
set afire alive after being beaten and tortured. Official number
of victims stated 36, while other independent sources reported more
than a hundred victims. Global media including the New York Times,
Washington Post, Chicago Sun-Times and many others also reported
about those bloody days of Sumgait.

That crime against humanity committed by the Azerbaijani government
has remained unpunished. No adequate political and legal evaluation was
provided due to the lack of interest of the Central Soviet government
in restoring the truth and punishing real organizers. A few criminal
cases and sentencing of a couple of hooligans were only aimed at
slurring over those crimes.

Instead of repenting for its actions, Azerbaijan tries to escape
responsibility for committing the Sumgait genocide by shifting
attention to the Armenian side. The Azerbaijani government
continues misinforming global community by spreading outrageous
lies about the killings of civilians of Khojaly by Armenian
forces[]. In reality, those innocent
Azeri civilians, who managed to leave Khojaly area of military actions
via peace corridor provided by Armenian forces, were cold-heartedly
killed by Azeri Popular Front’s troops near Azerbaijan-controlled
Aghdam, a town seven miles away from Khojaly, for the internal struggle
for control of power in the oil-rich Azerbaijan.

Today, the international community risks repeating the
mistakes of the central Soviet government by not condemning
the Armenian genocide in Sumgait, but also crimes against
[]its own Azeri people. Today’s
bellicose rhetoric and aggressive policy of Azerbaijan is a direct
result of the lack of conviction of those crimes committed by
Azerbaijan against humanity.

AGOS CALLS FOR DEFENDING LIVES, NOT BLOODSHED

armradio.am
02.03.2012 12:56

Agos weekly, a bi-lingual newspaper whose editor-in-chief, Hrant Dink,
was killed by an ultranationalist teenager in 2007, has commented
on a nationalist rally last weekend in Istanbul’s Taksim square,
where some of the participants held overtly racist signs targeting
Armenians, Today’s Zaman reports.

Last Sunday, a group gathered in Taksim for the purpose of
commemorating the victims of the Khojaly massacre. However, some of
rally participants held threatening and racist signs, including one
that read “You are all Armenians, you are all bastards,” a reference
to hundreds of thousands of people who marched in Istanbul holding
signs that read “We are all Armenians,” after Dink’s assassination.

Agos referred to another sign, which read “Do not stay silent in the
face of Armenian lies.” The sign refers to the 1915 events.

The newspaper noted 1915 and the Khojaly massacre were unrelated
events, and noted that the calls fanning hatred against Armenians
was also disrespectful to the victims of the Khojaly massacre.

“Unfortunately, those who filled the square, met at their adherence
to hating Armenians, instead of common grievances,” the daily said.

“Come, let’s defend life and not blood,” the newspaper appealed. “Life
is a right that we all have. We will be able to stand together proudly
in that square one day when we will be able to feel each other’s pain.

We want to see that day and we can create that day only together.

Come, let’s find life in each other.”

CONGRESSMAN CICILLINE REITERATES SUPPORT FOR PROTECTION OF CHURCHES IN TURKEY

armradio.am
02.03.2012 12:44

At yesterday’s House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on the
Administration’s Budget for Fiscal Year 2013, Congressman David
Cicilline (D-RI) raised issues of importance to the Armenian-American
community, reported the Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly)

During a series of questions posed to U.S. Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton, who was testifying before the Committee, Congressman
Cicilline made reference to legislation adopted last year regarding the
protection of church properties in Turkey as well as efforts to end
religious discrimination. As his allotted time was about to expire,
Congressman Cicilline indicated that he would be submitting questions
on this matter for the Secretary to answer for the record.

Last year, Congressman Cicilline joined House Foreign Affairs Committee
Ranking Member Howard Berman (D-CA) in offering an amendment to the
State Department Reauthorization Bill, which called upon Turkey to
return confiscated church properties and to safeguard its Christian
heritage. The amendment mirrored H.Res. 306, which was introduced by
Congressman Ed Royce (R-CA), and was overwhelmingly approved by the
Committee by a vote of 43-1. The amendment language later became the
text for H.Res. 306 and was unanimously adopted by the full House
of Representatives.

Also this week, Congressman Cicilline commemorated the 24th
anniversary of the Sumgait pogrom against peaceful Armenians living in
Azerbaijan. Rep. Cicilline told his colleagues that we must remember
“the victims of these senseless atrocities” and to never forget
“our responsibility to one another as members of the human race and
the importance of standing up to abuse or discrimination wherever
it occurs.”

EXTERNAL DEBT OF EACH ARMENIAN CITIZEN TOTALS $1480, PAPER SAYS

PanARMENIAN.Net
March 2, 2012 – 09:43 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – According to the official data, the state debt of
the Republic of Armenia totalled approximately USD 4.137 billion as
of December 31, 2011, of which the external debt makes $3.568 billion.

Haykakan Zhamanak paper reports that during the past year only the
external debt of the country increased by over 8 per cent or $270
million; domestic debt rose by $93 million. Thus Armenia’s state debt
grew by $363 million.

In other words, the Armenian government borrowed one million dollars
daily, including the week-ends, throughout the whole year 2011. Taking
into account the data of the recent national census, each Armenian
citizen has a debt of $1480.

BOOK PRICES JUMP IN YEREVAN STORES

Tert.am
02.03.12

Despite the statements that the the book-publishing policies remain
unchanged, with the government not raising the tax rates, the prices
yesterday remained high in the bookstores of the capital city,
a Dashnak lawmaker has said.

Speaking to Tert.am, Lilit Hovhannisyan of the opposition Armenian
Revolutionary Federation-Dashnaksutyun (ARF-D) faction in parliament,
said she was dissatisfied by the finance minister’s comments that
the legislation regulating the sector does not propose any changes
in book prices.

At the recent Q&A between the National Assembly and the cabinet,
Minister Vache Gabrielyan said no new clauses were proposed to the
existing legislation, noting that the misunderstandings were caused
by misinterpretations unrelated to book-publishing.

Bookinist is one of the rare stores that still maintains the book
prices low, but will inevitably change its policies, the director of
the shop, Khachik Vardanyan, told Tert.am.

He considers the executive’s interpretations wrong, claiming that
there have been changes in the price policies. “Any literate person
can visit the websites and see the changes concerning the value added
taxes on books.”

He said that the new legislation requires deducting taxes from the
total book sale proceeds.

At the meeting with the cabinet members an agreement was reached to
allow the stores to receive books in accordance with the previously
existing rules until a new clause is elaborated to make the procedures
legal.

Vardanyan said the new law applies not only to books, but also other
products – cloths, confectionaries – whose prices may also surge in
the near future.

Earlier, the activists of a group, We are Against Surging Book Prices,
sent a letter to Prime Minister TIgran Sargsyan, calling for action
to free them from what

AZERBAIDJAN – REVENDICATIONS TERRITORIALES ENVERS L~RIRAN
Stephane

armenews.com
vendredi 2 mars 2012

Le 1er fevrier, un groupe de deputes du Parlement azerbaïdjanais
(Melli Majlis) a propose de changer le nom du pays, formulant pour
la première fois des pretentions territoriales envers l’Iran voisin,
où vit une grande diaspora d’Azeris (estimee a 25 millions). Goudrat
Gassangouliev, depute du Parti uni du front populaire de l’Azerbaïdjan
(opposition) a declare qu’il etait temps de rebaptiser le pays
Azerbaïdjan du Nord, et denonce ainsi deux traites – Golestan (en 1813)
et Turkmentchaï (en 1828) – qui a l’issue de deux guerres russo-perses
“ont scinde l’Azerbaïdjan en deux”, explique le site russe consacre
au Caucase Kavkazski Ouzel.

Les deux tiers du territoire [historique] de l’Azerbaïdjan sont
aujourd’hui situes en “Azerbaïdjan du Sud”, a savoir l’Iran. Depuis
2008, au moins quatre rassemblements de militants politiques et
de la societe civile azerie ont eu lieu a Bakou devant l’ambassade
iranienne, pour exiger le respect des droits des Azeris d’Iran et bâtir
“un Azerbaïdjan uni avec Tabriz pour capitale”.

Pour l’historien azeri Eldar Ismaïlov, “les deux traites ont ete
signes entre l’Iran et la Russie, et par consequent l’Azerbaïdjan
ne peut pas s’y immiscer”, cite le site d’information en ligne
russe Vzgliad. Dans le cas contraire, “la reaction de l’Iran sera
vigoureuse”.”Les autorites azeries comprennent très bien le danger
de formuler [officiellement] des pretentions territoriales, car,
meme sous la pression internationale, l’Iran n’est pas un pays avec
lequel on peut plaisanter”, observe le geopolitologue russe en Fiodor
Loukianov. Pour Vzgliad, Bakou “a lance un ballon d’essai pour tester
la reaction de l’Iran, dans un contexte de preguerre dans la region”.

LE TURQUIE SERAIT PRETE A “PARTAGER LA DOULEUR DES ARMENIENS”
Gari

armenews.com
vendredi 2 mars 2012

Alors que les foules turques, galvanisees par le vote du 22 janvier
par le Senat francais d’un texte de loi penalisant le negationnisme
des genocides, dont le genocide armenien, continuaient a vomir leurs
insultes contre les Armeniens dans les rues des villes turques, a
l’occasion du 10e anniversaire de la bataille de Khojalou qualifiee
a Bakou comme a Ankara, de genocide perpetre par les Armeniens a
l’encontre des Azeris, le ministre turc des affaires etrangères, Ahmet
Davutoglou, a voulu montrer un visage plus civilise de la Turquie.

S’exprimant mardi 28 fevrier au soir lors d’une emission diffusee par
la chaîne de television turque TRT Haber, M. Davutoglou a en effet
deplore ces debordements de nationalisme et de xenophobie turcs que
certains autres membres du gouvernement avaient ouvertement cautionnes,
au nom de la solidarite avec les ” frères azeris ” victimes de la
folie genocidaire des Armeniens, en precisant que ces manifestations
de haine n’etaient pas dignes de la Turquie. Il a meme tendu la main
aux Armeniens, en indiquant que la Turquie est prete a ” partager
leur douleur et leur peine ” alors qu’ils se preparent a marquer,
en 2015, le 100e anniversaire du genocide perpetre par les autorites
ottomanes et que la Turquie refuse toujours de reconnaître.

Un elan de magnanimite qui se comprend d’autant mieux qu’au meme
moment, le Conseil constitutionnel francais invalidait le texte de
loi sur la penalisation du genocide des Armeniens, renvoyant ainsi
la procedure aux calendes grecques.

Revenant comme par enchantement a une approche plus sereine de la
question, M. Davutoglu a ajoute que son pays pouvait partager la
peine des Armeniens comme il ” partageait celle des Azeris “, et de
tous ceux qui sont “prets a la partager avec elle “, en soulignant
la necessite de ” garder des liens afin de partager l’histoire “.

Les Armeniens apprecieront ce sens du partage de la Turquie, qui
n’a rien de nouveau, la rhetorique officielle turque ayant toujours
allegue que si des Armeniens avaient certes ete tues en grand nombre
durant la Première Guerre mondiale, les Turcs eux aussi, avaient paye
un lourd tribut a ce conflit, et avaient ete victimes de massacres
perpetres par les Armeniens, comme le rappellent les memorials eriges
en Anatolie orientale par les successeurs kemalistes des sultans
ottomans. Autrement dit, en 2015, la Turquie sera disposee a commemorer
le 100e anniversaire du genocide des Armeniens, a condition que les
Armeniens commemorent aussi celui du “genocide des Turcs”…

L’UE VEUT ETABLIR UN CONTACT DIRECT AVEC LE HAUT KARABAGH
Gari

armenews.com
vendredi 2 mars 2012

L’Union europeenne a fait part de son intention d’etablir des liens
directs avec le Haut-Karabagh, temoignant ainsi de sa volonte de
contribuer plus activement aux efforts de la communaute international
en vue de resoudre le conflit. Lors d’une reunion a Bruxelles le
lundi 27 fevrier au soir, des hauts responsables de la politique
etrangère et de la defense des Etats membres de l’UE ont aussi
exprime leur preoccupation concernant les “trop lentes avancees”
dans les pourparlers de paix armeno-azeris sous l’egide du Groupe de
Minsk de l’OSCE. Ces hauts responsables, reunis au sein du Conseil des
Affaires etrangères de l’UE ont appele Bakou et Erevan a intensifier
leurs efforts en vue de parvenir a un accord sur les principes de
base d’un règlement durable du conflit du Karabagh, tels qu’ils
sont definis dans le plan de paix propose par les trois puissances
copresidant le Groupe de Minsk, la Russie, les Etats-Unis et la France.

Le conflit du Karabagh figurait au nombre des questions a l’ordre du
jour de la reunion du Conseil dediee aux perspectives de developpement
des relations entre l’UE et les trois pays du Sud Caucase, lies par
un programme dit de partenariat oriental. Dans ses “conclusions”
consignees dans le communique diffuse a l’issue de la reunion,
l’instance europeenne dirigee par la Britannique Catherine Ashton,
la responsable de la politique etrangère et de la securite de l’UE,
a offert “son appui renforce en vue de mettere en ~uvre des mesures
visant a creer les conditions d’une confiance mutuelle” dans la
zone du conflit. “A cet egard, l’UE souligne la necessite d’un accès
inconditionnel au Haut Karabagh et aux regions limitrophes pour les
representants de l’UE”, indique le communique.

Des responsables europeens en poste a Bruxelles avaient indique
quelques jours avant que l’UE souhaitait pouvoir envoyer les
membres de son corps diplomatique et autres representants dans le
Karabahh sans devoir en passer par l’autorisation du gouvernement
azerbaïdjanais. Ils avaient ajoute que la difficulte, voire l’absence,
des contacts directs avec les Armeniens du Karabagh contrariaient les
pespectives d’une plus grande implication de l’UE dans le processus
de paix. S’exprimant a une conference de presse avant la reunion,
Mme Ashton avait reconnu que l’UE cherchait a jouer desormais “un
rôle plus important et plus actif ” dans ce processus.

Dans sa declaration, le Conseil des Affaires etrangères a confirme que
l’UE souhaitait agir “en collaboration et en parfaitre complementarite
avec le Groupe de Minsk”, et n’avait aucunement l’intention de prendre
sa place. Son experience dans l’aide a la rehabilitation et a la
reconstruction dans des conditions post-conflictuelles servira de
“base pour un engagement futur de l’UE” au Karabagh.”L’UE continue a
soutenir le Groupe de Minsk de l’OSCE et reconnait a cet egard les
efforts du president de la Federation de Russie Dmitry Medvedev en
vue de faire progresser le processus par des pourparlers trilateraux
[avec l’Armenie et l’Azerbaïdjan]”, poursuit le texte.

Le texte de la declaration se penche aussi, avec plus d’insistance
encore, sur les conflits en Ossetie du Sud et en Abkhazie, reiterant le
” ferme soutien ” de l’UE a ” la souverainete de la Georgie sur les
deux provinces separatistes ” dont la Russie a reconnu l’independance
a l’issue d’une guerre eclair contre la Georgie en août 2008 et où
elle entretient des bases militaires. Mais il faut noter que le texte
prend garde de ne pas afficher une position similaire concernant le
conflit du Karabagh, et n’exige a un aucun moment que l’Azerbaïdjan
reprenne le contrôle du territoire armenien.

BAGIS: FRANCE TOP COURT RULING AVOIDS HISTORIC MISTAKE

Anadolu Agency
March 1 2012
Turkey

Turkey’s European Union Minister and Chief Negotiator for accession
talks Egemen Bagis has said the French Constitutional Council had
averted “a historic mistake” by annulling a law that makes it a
crime to deny Armenian allegations on the incidents of 1915 in the
Ottoman Empire.

“France had avoided a historic mistake. Wisdom prevailed over
foolishness. This ruling is a declaration to the world that the French
Constitutional Council cherished values of the French Revolution,
the constitution and values of the French Republic,” Bagis told the
Anadolu Agency in London where he is set to hold a series of talks.

The French Constitutional Council ruled on Tuesday that the law was
a violation the freedom of expression and communication.

The law, which penalizes denial of the Armenian allegations with
one-year prison term and fine of 45 thousand euros, had brought
relations between Turkey and France to a standstill and it had drawn
fierce criticisms from French historians and intellectuals as well.

Bagis expressed hope that the court ruling would avert similar future
attempts which could hurt Turkish-French relations.