Author: Kalantarian Kevo

TURKEY CHANGES ITS DECISION AND EXPECTS INTENSIVE ACTIVITY OF FRANCE WITHIN MINSK GROUP

ARMENPRESS
FEBRUARY 29, 2012
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 29, ARMENPRESS: Turkey has been inspired with the
decision of the Constitutional Council of France and voiced hope
that France will intensify its efforts within the OSCE Minsk Group
for the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, Egemen Bagis,
EU minister of Turkey told the reporters. “The historically formed
French-Turkish relations stood another trial and we hope that hence
no issues will rise in our relations,” Bagis said.

At the same time the Turkish minister said the official Ankara expects
France to intensify its efforts in the NK conflict settlement process
which will give new impetus to the normalization of Armenian-Turkish
relations.

After the adoption of bill penalizing the denial of the Armenian
Genocide by the French Senate Turkey was demanding France leave the
Minsk group.

EXPERT SAYS FIGHT FOR PENALIZING DENIAL OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE TO GET NEW STIMULUS

ARMENPRESS
FEBRUARY 29, 2012
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 29, ARMENPRESS: In this phase of the penalization of
the denial of the Armenian Genocide the winners were Turkish pressures,
threats and bribe, responsible for the political affairs office of the
ARF Bureau Kiro Manoyan said, adding that the works in that direction
must continue with new stimulus.

“There are people in the Constitutional Council who are members
of pro-Turkish organizations, or former political figures-lawyers
who were against this idea,” the speaker said. He said the decision
does not bring any respect to France. Manoyan noted that France has
penalized the denial of Holocaust. He said it is necessary to exert
great efforts for finding grounding for criminalization of denial of
one genocide and for not penalizing the denial of the other.

Kiro Manoyan described the assignment of President of France Nicolas
Sarkozy to draft a new bill as “assignment of good will”. Sarkozy
will not manage to complete the process: the parliament is going for
vacation in one-two days. Manoyan believes that the decision of the
French Constitutional Council is not only result of Turkey’s pressures:
the statements of U.S. secretary of state, representatives of certain
European establishments also had their role.

It was the most convenient moment for adoption of the bill but the
speaker said such moment may appear again.

FRENCH-ARMENIANS SAY RULING OF CONSTITUTIONAL COUNCIL OF FRANCE HAS POLITICAL REASONS

ARMENPRESS
FEBRUARY 29, 2012
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 29, ARMENPRESS. The French Armenians are
disappointed with the ruling of the Constitutional Council of France
to recognize the bill penalizing the denial of the Armenian Genocide
unconstitutional, says the statement of the council coordinating
French-Armenian organizations. The statement runs that the decision
of the Constitutional Council has been agreed not with legal but
political reasons.

“With this decision the Constitutional Council admits that the
two genocides recognized by France are not equal. While the bill
authored by Valerie Boyer was called to harmonize this inequality,”
the statement says.

Referring to the talks about the contradiction of the Armenian bill
and freedom of speech, the French Armenians claim that the freedom
of speech should be restricted in case it offends representatives of
other nations or an individual in general.

“The Constitutional Council retreated before the Turkish lobby which
is inadmissible and doubts the independence of institutions of our
republic,” the statement runs.

Besides, the French Armenians doubted the impartiality of certain
members of the Constitutional Council. The French Armenians are looking
forward for decisive steps of presidential candidates Nicolas Sarkozy
and Francois Hollande toward the adoption of the new bill.

ARMENIAN PRIME MINISTER OPPOSED TO PAVILIONS IN MASHTOTS PARK

epress.am
02.29.2012

The buildings constructed in Mashtots Park will not be permanent and
they will be moved, said Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan in a
meeting on Tuesday with Yerevan mayor Taron Margaryan and a group of
architects, according to a statement issued by the ruling Republican
Party of Armenia, of which Sargsyan is a member.

The prime minister noted that the president has instructed the
situation regarding the park become a subject of discussion.

Recall, environmental and civic activists have been camped out nearly
every day for over two weeks in the central Yerevan park, protesting
the construction of shops that were dismantled on Abovyan St. and
moved to Mashtots Park, one of the few remaining green spaces in the
Armenian capital.

“This project has to be confirmed also by the government so that
there is public trust that this problem will be solved. I, generally,
am against the placing of permanent pavilions, and I have to do
everything [possible] so that those pavilions are moved. There
shouldn’t be permanent pavilions in parks. There is a problem of
green spaces in Yerevan, and I am displeased that there is major
construction happening there,” he said yesterday.

Tigran Sargsyan also mentioned that the Armenian National Congress’
statement that civil society has developed in Armenia left a great
impression on him. “The authorities are obliged to present to the
public the logic and necessity of their decisions and to hear the
public’s opinion. We are obliged to strengthen civil society and
constantly dialogue with our public, including also in the field of
architecture,” he said.

The architects welcomed Sargsyan’s proposal to move certain state
functions (structures) from Yerevan to the regions so that each city in
Armenia has a particular focus or specialization. “The proportionate
regional development of Armenia also has an architectural aspect to
it. All [state] functions have become centralized in Yerevan, which
impedes also the proportionate developed of the regions. We have to
think about how we can unburden the capital,” he said.

Taron Margaryan stated that he is ready to collaborate with the Union
of Architects of Armenia and to find solutions to current problems
in the capital.

“I’m convinced that as a result of cooperating with you we will see
the Yerevan that we want to see. Yerevan has to be comfortable for
our citizens and its residents,” he said.

CANADA READY FOR ARMENIA FRIENDLY
John Molinaro

City News

Feb 29 2012
Toronto, Ont

powered by sportsnet.ca

European clubs might not see the value of releasing their players to
compete in international friendlies, but Canadian coach Stephen Hart
sure does.

Hart struggled to put together an 18-man roster for Wednesday’s
exhibition match versus Armenia, as he had to deal with pro teams in
Europe that didn’t want to release their Canadian players for duty.

Those that did comply hardly did so in the spirit of co-operation.

Hart received so much resistance that some teams badgered him to find
out the exact time of the Canada-Armenia match — FIFA rules stipulate
that clubs are required to release their players for international
duty 48 hours before the match kicks off.

The club vs. country debate rages on, but for Hart there is great
value in Canada playing these friendlies, especially with the next
round of World Cup qualification scheduled to kick off in June.

“It’s important to play. It’s important to get the players together,”
Hart said Tuesday. “We spoke about a few things we will try to achieve
in the game and hopefully the players will go out and do their best
under the circumstances. The most important thing is to play the
game and play against some good opposition and just get familiar with
each other.”

Wednesday’s game takes place in Limassol, Cyprus, and falls on the
first FIFA International Date of the 2012 calendar year. The neutral
site match will be the first meeting between the two nations.

Although it failed to earn a tournament berth, Armenia posted an
impressive 5-2-3 record in Euro 2012 qualifying, finishing third in its
group behind Russia and Ireland. Impressively, they scored 22 goals,
the most in their group.

Armenia currently sits 41st in the FIFA world rankings, 30 spots
ahead of Canada.

Hart expects Canada’s defence to be tested by an attacking Armenian
side.

“They play the ball on the ground a lot; they’re not a very direct
team. They play very quickly, a lot of combinations, very similar to
a Latin style,” Hart stated.

Wednesday’s match will be Armenia’s second in 48 hours — they dropped
a 2-0 decision to Serbia Tuesday in another exhibition encounter in
Cyprus. Armenia brought 31 players to camp for the pair of games.

Hart watched the Serbia match, and said Armenia fielded a starting
line-up of mostly under-21 and under-23 players. He expects Armenia’s
“A-team” to take to the field Wednesday.

Hart revealed veteran defender Kevin McKenna will serve as captain. He
also said he will try to use all 18 members of his roster at some
point during the match, including both goalkeepers Milan Borjan,
Kenny Stamatopoulos, and Samuel Piette, a 17-year-old midfielder who
has been called up to the senior national team for the first time.

“He’s come in and he hasn’t shown any fear. He’s mixed it up and I
like his attitude,” Hart said of Piette.

Hart’s Canadian side played three friendlies last year: a 1-0 loss
to Greece (Feb. 9), a 1-0 win over Belarus (March 9), and a 2-2 draw
with Ecuador in Toronto (June 1).

Canada has made it through to third round of the CONCACAF qualifiers
for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. The Reds will compete in a
round-robin group with Cuba, Honduras and Panama where the top two
teams will advance to the final round of CONCACAF qualification.

Canada’s first match is on the road against Cuba on June 8, followed
by a game against Honduras on June 12 in Toronto.

The Reds play the United States in Toronto in a qualifying tune-up
match on June 3. Hart previously said he hopes to gather his squad
together in a training camp once the European club season is over
and organize another exhibition match in late May or early June in
preparation for the Cuba match.

News broke Wednesday that the European Club Association, an
organization representing soccer clubs in Europe, successfully
lobbied UEFA to reduce the number of yearly international dates to
nine from 12.

FIFA still has to approve, but if the ECA gets its way and there are
fewer international dates, Hart’s job will become that more difficult.

“It’s funny because I told my staff a few months ago that this was
coming down the pipeline,” Hart said. “Clubs are becoming more and
more powerful, (and) club football is becoming more and more powerful.

And I should stress European club football.”

Canada’s only previous World Cup appearance came in 1986 in Mexico
where it bowed out in the first round after suffering three shutout
losses.

Programming alert: Watch Canada vs Armenia live on Sportsnet, starting
with our pre-game show at 11:30 am ET on February 29.

ZHOGHOVURD: ARMENIAN OMBUDSMAN’S OFFICE: 387 CALLS, ONE ANSWER

Tert.am
29.02.12

Armenia’s Human Rights Defender (Ombudsman) Karen Andreasyan arrived
in Gyumri, Armenia’s second largest city, several months ago, and
held a meeting with representatives of local NGOs.

He announced the plans to open offices in all Armenian regions for
local citizens apply for help.

The office in the Shirak region was to have been opened this February.

Andreasyan said then that the project cost about AMD 10m. The
government refused the application, and the Ombudsman promised to
procure donor funds. However, no office has been opened in Shirak
since. The Ombudsman’s office reported that six offices in Armenia’s
regions are expected to open this March. The newspaper reports,
however, that no progress has been made – even the hotline is not
operating.

Ara Sukiasyan, Chairman of the Children’s Society NGO, made 387 calls
to the hotline. “It was the last call that got the answer. When I
explained the problem, they advised me to call to the hotline of the
Ministry of Defense. That’s all their work!”

OLEG SMIRYONOV APPOINTED COMMANDER OF RUSSIAN BASE IN ARMENIA

news.am
February 28, 2012 | 11:43

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed a decree appointing a new
commander of the Russian base deployed in Armenia.

Colonel Oleg Smiryonov has been already introduced to the staff,
Russia’s Southern Military District informs Armenian News-NEWS.am.

GEORGIA’S REGIONAL GOVERNOR DOES NOT ATTEND EVENT ON KHOJALY INCIDENT

news.am
February 28, 2012 | 10:42

The statement which the Azerbaijani Embassy in Georgia had recently
released, and according to which Governor Davit Kirkitadze of Georgia’s
Kvemo Kartli Region had attended the events devoted to the Khojaly
incident, is untrue.

We have ascertained from our diplomatic sources that the Kvemo
Kartli Region had in no way participated in such events which the
Azerbaijanis had organized in Georgia, and Davit Kirkitadze was not
even in the country at the time.

Our source close to the Georgian authorities also noted that, despite
Azerbaijani claims, representatives from neither the Science Academy
of Georgia nor the country’s MFA attended these events.

1138 CITOYENS D’ARMENIE ONT RECU UN PERMIS DE SEJOUR EN FRANCE L’ANNEE DERNIERE
Stephane

armenews.com
mardi 28 fevrier 2012

Le nombre total des migrants d’Armenie en Europe est de 150000
personnes, a expose l’un des participants a la conference sur
l’integration europeenne tenue par la Centre International du
Developpement Humain a Erevan.

L’annee dernière on a accorde des permis de sejour a 1138 citoyens
armeniens en France, 106 personnes aux Pays-Bas, 227 en Suède. Dans le
meme temps en 2010, 611 citoyens d’Armenie ont fait appel aux autorites
des Pays-Bas pour obtenir l’asile politique. Un total de 275 citoyens
d’Armenie a fait une demande semblable aux autorites Autrichiennes,
986 aux autorites de Belgique.

Environ 65 pour cent des migrants pour le travail vont dans la
Federation de Russie, 10 pour cent vers les pays europeens.

Soixante-dix pour cent des migrants en Russie est engagee dans le
secteur de la construction, 10 pour cent dans le commerce. Le nombre
des ouvriers saisonniers est de 60 a 80 mille personnes.

LE PARLEMENT TURC PUBLIE UNE DECLARATION SE RAPPORTANT AUX EVENEMENTS DE KHOJALY
Stephane

armenews.com
mardi 28 fevrier 2012

La commission des Relations avec l’etranger du Parlement turc a publie
mercredi 22 fevrier une declaration se rapportant au ” massacre de
Khojaly “.

La commission a unanimement decide de publier la declaration, a dit le
President de la Commission des Relations avec l’etranger Volkan Bozkir.

Dans sa declaration, la commission a dit que Khojaly etait une page
sombre ecrite par l’Armenie dans l’histoire.

” Le 25-26 fevrier1992 les armeniens ont massacre 613 Azeris dont 106
femmes, 63 enfants et plus de 70 personnes âges, dans la ville Khojaly
en Azerbaïdjan. Les armeniens ont blesse 487 personnes et ont pris
comme otage 1275 Azeris a cette date. 150 Azeris manquent toujours
après le massacre deK hojaly. Ce qui a eu lieu dans Khojaly constitue
un crime contre l’humanite selon les lois internationales. Comme
frères et soeurs turcs des Azeris, nous sentons la douleur du massacre
de Khojaly dans nos coeurs et condamnons ce massacre commis par des
armeniens ” dit la declaration.

Le Premier ministre turc Recep tayyip Erdogan ne va pas etre content
lui qui a declare que ce n’est pas aux politiciens de dire l’histoire.