Author: Kalantarian Kevo

BELARUS EAGER TO INTENSIFY TRADE AND ECONOMIC COOPERATION WITH ARMENIA

armradio.am
12.01.2012 18:01

Belarus is eager to intensify trade and economic cooperation with
Armenia and further develop relations with the CSTO, President of
Belarus Alexander Lukashenko said as he met with Armenia’s National
Security Council (NSC) Secretary Arthur Baghdasaryan on 12 January.

The head of state stressed that Belarus and Armenia have to do a lot
to promote trade and economic ties.

The President expressed regret that in 2011 the Belarusian-Armenian
trade declined. “There are objective and subjective reasons,”
the President noted. He also reminded that there was a period in
the history of bilateral relations when the Belarus-Armenia trade
was zero. Today the two countries should do their best to increase
bilateral trade as the potential to forge ties is big.

The President said that in the anticipation of Arthur Baghdasaryan’s
visit to Minsk, Armenia put forward a proposal to enhance relations.

Armenia is keen to buy various Belarusian goods, from agricultural
equipment to consumer products.

The head of state said that he will instruct the Government to enhance
cooperation with Armenia. “We are ready to find ways to deliver goods
you have requested to Armenia and set up joint ventures. For example,
at first we can launch the assembly of some types of machines and
equipment,” Alexander Lukashenko said.

The second cooperation priority, according to the President, is
the interaction in the CSTO. “Our countries are in one military and
political block. We have no closed topics and we will continue to
cooperate with you. Please feel free to send here your specialists. We
are ready to discuss any cooperation matters,” the head of state said.

He also thanked Armenia for cooperation in international
organizations. In his words, the recent international events prove
that Belarus and Armenia have similar positions on many issues.

Alexander Lukashenko confirmed that Belarus will do its best to promote
friendship with Armenia and implement all agreements with this country.

Arthur Baghdasaryan, in turn, noted that Belarus is Armenia’s ally
and strategic partner. The official expressed confidence that the
Armenian side will develop this strategic cooperation. He is convinced
that the visit will help strengthen Belarus-Armenia trade, economic,
military, and technical cooperation.

‘NO BREAKTHROUGH’ LIKELY AT PRESIDENTS’ KARABAKH TALKS
Rasim Musabayov

News.Az
Thu 12 January 2012

News.Az interviews Azerbaijani political expert Rasim Musabayov,
an independent member of the Milli Majlis.

What are your expectations of the next round of talks between the
Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents on resolution of the Karabakh
conflict? The talks will be held in Sochi this month with the mediation
of Russian President Dmitriy Medvedev.

This will be the last meeting Dmitriy Medvedev holds as Russian
president with the presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia. I think
that Medvedev has put in a lot of effort into promoting a Karabakh
settlement during his four-year presidential term. The meeting in
Sochi will be a farewell meeting for Medvedev and I do not expect
it to achieve any breakthrough on the Karabakh settlement. I am also
not too sure that the meeting will be rich in content.

Anyway, the presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia will come to Sochi and
meet Dmitriy Medvedev. Upon completion of the talks the presidents of
Azerbaijan and Armenia will at best thank Medvedev for his efforts on
a Karabakh settlement and say that they appreciate Russian mediation
and will continue to search for a peaceful solution to the conflict.

Why do you say that the trilateral meeting between the presidents of
Azerbaijan, Russia and Armenia in Sochi will not manage any positive
achievements in a Karabakh settlement?

There is no new proposal on the negotiating table. Moreover, we cannot
not see any attempts by Russia to put heavy pressure on Armenia to
be constructive.

There is the fact of the occupation of Azerbaijani lands by Armenians
and that the Armenians do not want to liberate these territories
without attaining their goal of legalizing the separation of
Nagorno-Karabakh from Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan would have agreed 15
years ago, when the country was in a tough position, but it is absurd
to expect such concessions from Azerbaijan today.

Now the Armenians want to protract the Karabakh conflict and to make
Azerbaijan commit to the non-use of force in any document while the
occupation continues. Of course, Azerbaijan refuses to sign such a
document. And I cannot see a single factor that could force Azerbaijan
to change this position.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said that the political
resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh and Transdniestrian conflicts will
be a priority in Russian foreign policy in 2012. How effective can
Russian activity be, given that Moscow’s assistance in resolution of
the Karabakh conflict has yet to be effective?

Russia is to hold presidential elections in March this year. A new
president will be elected and Russia will probably have a new foreign
minister. After the inauguration of the new president and appointment
of the foreign minister, new foreign policy priorities will be set in
Russia. Therefore, I do not expect Russia to propose new initiatives
on the Karabakh and Transdniestrian conflicts.

How likely is that, by agreeing to take part in a major project
implemented by the United States or Russia, Azerbaijan may obtain
decisive support on a Karabakh settlement from one of the two
superpowers?

As far as Russia is concerned, a major project would imply
Azerbaijan~Rs participation in the creation of a Eurasian union.

However, this union is not yet of any interest to Azerbaijan. As
all Azerbaijan’s communications pass through Georgia and Turkey,
it would be senseless for Baku to join a union that does not include
these countries. Therefore, I do not think that this alliance can be
of any interest to Azerbaijan. Moreover, no one else will be able to
find any benefit for Azerbaijan in the Eurasian union. On the contrary,
there are intentions to feed satellites and settle political problems
through Azerbaijan. I do not think that Azerbaijan today will be
willing to take decisions to participate in the Eurasian Union.

However, Baku will not reject the proposal to join the union
categorically. Baku~Rs approach will be: set up a fully functioning
union and if we think we can benefit, we’ll consider joining.

As far as the United States is concerned, a major project would
imply the location of US military bases in Azerbaijan. The important
question here is whether the Americans give any guarantees of security
to Azerbaijan, or assume any commitment to ensure the territorial
integrity of the country? If the Americans undertook this commitment,
Azerbaijan would locate even three US military bases on its territory.

But there are no such commitments, while it would be unwise for
Azerbaijan to assume the risks of granting its territory for the
military and geopolitical plans of the United States. This would mean
that Azerbaijan would risk being one-on-one with Russia and Iran.

Therefore, Azerbaijan interacts on a bilateral basis with both the
USA and Russia while making its interests the cornerstone.

ALIYEV RECOGNIZED NAGORNO-KARABAKH REPUBLIC, SIGNED DOCUMENT

Panorama.am
12/01/2012

This official document, signed by former President of Azerbaijan,
Heydar Aliyev, was attached to many lawsuits submitted to the European
Court of Human Rights by Armenian refugees from Azerbaijan. By this
document Aliyev in essence recognized the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.

The document, written in Russian, said: “Azerbaijan’s leadership
empowers Deputy Chairman of Supreme Council L. Jalilov to conduct
negotiations with the leaderships of Azerbaijan and NKR on organizing
a meeting.”

Chairman of Azerbaijan’s Supreme Council Heydar Aliyev had signed
the document.

ARFD: ARMENIA SHOULD REVOKE SIGNATURES UNDER THE ARMENIAN-TURKISH PROTOCOLS AND OFFER A PROJECT OF A MORE SIMPLE AGREEMENT

arminfo
Thursday, January 12, 13:09

“ARF Dashnaktsutyun Party has arrived at a conclusion that the
official stance of Armenia implying establishment of relations with
Turkey without preconditions – is acceptable to us. However, Turkey
still sets preconditions to establishment of relations with Armenia,
which is not acceptable to us,” says Kiro Manoyan, a member of ARFD
Bureau, Head of ARFD Bureau’s Hay Dat and Political Affairs Office,
in an on-line interview with ArmInfo.

Armenian and Azerbaijani journalists interview political experts
and figures as part of the project “Alternative Information in the
Armenian-Azerbaijani Dialogue” implemented by the Region Research
Center (Armenia) and Institute for Peace and Democracy (Azerbaijan).

“In this light, ARFD believes that Armenia should revoke its signature
under the protocols signed in 2009 and suggest a project of a more
simple agreement saying that both the states have arrived at a decision
to establish diplomatic relations, to open all the overland roads
connecting them, to settle all the problems through peace measures on
the basis of the International Law and the international practice,”
Manoyan says. The day when Turkey will be ready to establish relations
with Armenia without preconditions, he says, may become a start for
the countries’ relations. These relations should grow to the level of
good- neighbored relations only through recognition of the Armenian
Genocide and its own responsibility by Turkey.

The politician is sure that recognition of the Armenian Genocide by 25
countries and international organizations is a good basis for stating
that the fact of the Armenian Genocide has already got international
recognition. However, he says, recognition of that fact by such
countries as the UK and Israel will have a big political significance.

Manoyan thinks that the issue of the Armenian Genocide’s recognition
of the Israel Knesset will have progress in 2012. In addition, he
says, denial of the Armenian Genocide will be finally criminalized
in France in 2012.

“Actually, we have entered a new stage when the Genocide denial is
criminalized, on the one hand, like it was in Slovakia, and reparations
are discussed, on the other hand. For instance, the decision of the
U.S. House in Dec 2011 urging Turkey to return all the churches and
the properties belonging to churches to the Christians, including to
Armenians,” Manoyan says.

CAROUSEL: THE JOY OF MEZZE, WITH OR WITHOUT BELLY DANCING
By Jonathan Gold

LA Weekly

Jan 11 2012
CA

The Lebanese-Armenian restaurant Carousel has been holding down its
position in Little Armenia longer than almost anyone can remember,
as it’s a reliable place for kebab platters, the usual salads, and an
exemplary version of muhammara, a rough, spicy paste of pomegranate
molasses, roasted peppers and crushed walnuts that carries all the
wallop of Mexican chorizo without any of the hog grease. Carousel
is especially good for birthday parties and such — you get a fairly
enormous fixed spread of mezze for about $23.50 a head, you can bring
your own wine (there is no alcohol license), and you can bring your
own cake if you’re into that sort of thing.

Carousel’s sister restaurant, a fancy Glendale place with belly
dancing, seafood dishes and oceans of arak, has been getting all
the press for the last decade or so. But party or no, Carousel is
worth visiting, for its slabs of spicy sujuk sausage; for its chopped
eggplant with onion and tomato; for its slivers of marinated, grilled
liver; for its thick lebneh; and for its huge plate of pickles, too:
green and black olives, pickled turnip sticks dyed scarlet with beet
juice, sprigs of fresh mint and soft slabs of salty feta cheese.
Arayes seems the Armenian equivalent of the Sloppy Joe, a savory
ground-meat/tomato mixture sandwiched in pita. Almost everybody seems
to order one of the kebab platters, and why not? The ground-meat
kofta is especially good.

RESULT EQUAL TO FIGHT
Siranuysh Papyan

Story from Lragir.am News:

Published: 12:28:29 – 11/01/2012

Interview with the member of the Teghut Defense Group Mariam Sukhudyan

Mariam, after Kajaran and Trchkan actions, you are again returning
to Teghut. You are planning a protest action there on January 15. Why
has this issue revived? Is it determined by your success in Trchkan?

Yes, but this does not mean that we will forget Kajaran issues. Our
team has become bigger with the help of new activists and the nature
protection movement has strengthened. We are working in two parallel
directions -Kajaran and Teghut. The Teghut issue revived because the
Trchkan success encouraged us and opened a lot of new branches. For
example, Jermuk and Hrazdan are now fighting saying that the reason
is the Trchkan. This model works regardless of spheres.

Besides, we learnt that real mining activities, explosions will start
in Teghut in three months. So, it is an urgent issue.

What is the situation in Teghut with regards to tree cuttings?

A couple of days ago, our group members returned from there. Much
is done there, but it is only the five percent of the whole work
still to be done, and the environmental losses we have there is too
small in comparison to possible future losses caused by the wastes
in mountains. There is still possibility to save the forests.

71 hectares have already been destroyed.

But there are still thousands of hectares planned to be destroyed.

This ill-fated project will not only lead to the loss of forests,
but also will result in 500 tons of wastes to be thrown into the
valley which will be a bomb for the current and future generations.

Visiting Kajaran, we saw the disaster and understood that we will
have a worse situation in Armenia’s north. When you don’t see the
situation, you can’t imagine and understand the real loss. We felt
the death in Syunik region.

A couple of years ago when the fight for Teghut started, youths were
not so active. Do you see any difference today?

Yes I do. I have been involved in the fight since 2007 and I can see
the conscience increase. The people evaluate themselves and understand
that they need to find the guilt in them, because they are the builders
of the country. The ecological conscience also increases.

Sure the increase of the conscience is “boosted” also by the tragic
situation of the country because a couple of years ago people used to
say that our rumor is senseless, but then you see that they destroy
the Teghut forest, they open gold mines near Lake Sevan, iron mine
near Tatev monastery, they intend to exploit an open mine in the
center of Hrazdan, an iron mine in Abovyan and so on. On the one hand,
you see the mining animal killing us, but on the other hand, you see
that people living in Syunik, which exports so many raw materials,
live in miserable conditions.

Though combine employees have health insurance, they receive the
insurance money only if they know someone in that system, the others
are constrained to care for their health problems with their money.

Our country is eco-colonizing. In the end, they understand that this
is not only green movements but it is a national issue.

Mariam, very often we can hear opinions that if civil initiatives
direct their vector of activities to politics, they will succeed. Will
you do that in election period? Will you fight against rigged
elections?

People often ask me whether our movement will become political. I
need to say that we influence the system through our fight. Our aim
is not the power, or making part of a party, but I know that not
being a party member but fighting for Teghur, Trchkan and Armenia,
we form a new system. The civil society creates the reforms in the
political field. Today, I see that we will be able to change our
country and system in this way of which we are so terrified, better
than through elections.

Fight is not carried out from election to election, but every
day…every instance.

For me Armenia is an organism, which has many parasites, which, if
you start to clean them, will escape from the organism. And we are
following this path. If everyone goes until the end in their spheres,
the system will change.

If we are defective from the inside, the solution will come from
the inside.

If the poison is inside, if the people are not combatant but compliant,
whoever the president is, the people will overthrow them.

Today’s system is the mirror of our inside.

We don’t need to dream of a hero who will come and save Armenia and
will reform everything in one second as soon as in the office of
the president.

This means that I am waiting for a savior to do my job instead of me.

So, who am I? Which is my mission?

ARMENIAN, TURKISH AMBASSADORS SPEAK IN FRENCH SENATE

News from Armenia – NEWS.am
January 11, 2012 | 18:40

PARIS-Armenian Ambassador to France Vigen Chitechyan and Turkish
Ambassador Tahsin Burcuoglu delivered speeches in the French Senate
on Wednesday and answered the questions of the senators.

The ambassadors’ meeting with senators took place on the eve of
the discussion of the bill criminalizing the denial of genocides,
including the Armenian Genocide, in the French Senate. The discussion
is scheduled for January 23.

On December 22 the French National Assembly adopted the above mentioned
bill. As a result Turkey threatened France with sanctions and even
temporarily called back its ambassador.

YOUNG MAN AND WOMAN ATTEMPT TO COMMIT SUICIDE IN ARMENIA’S KAPAN CITY

News from Armenia – NEWS.am
January 11, 2012 | 15:42

YEREVAN. – A young man and a young woman attempted to commit suicide
in a hotel in Armenia’s Kapan city.

The Police Force received information, late Monday night from Kapan
Medical Center, that 23-year-old D.A. and M.V., in an attempt to commit
suicide, had injured themselves with a sharp cutting instrument,
and they were transferred to hospital. The circumstances are being
ascertained, Police Force News Service personnel Sevak Militonyan
told Armenian News-NEWS.am.

And Sarik Atajanyan, Kapan Medical Center’s Traumatology Ward Director,
told Armenian News-NEWS.am that the patients were admitted to the
Center in extremely serious condition, with a large loss of blood
and cut wounds. “At present, both have regained consciousness, both
are in stable condition,” Atajanyan informed.

ARMENIAN AND AZERBAIJANI REFUGES IN EUROPEAN COURT: WILL PARITY BE MAINTAINED?

News from Armenia – NEWS.am
January 11, 2012 | 16:00

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has declared admissible
the application in a case of Elkhan Chiragov v Armenia.

Talking to Armenian News-NEWS.am lawyer Ara Ghazaryan said the Court
is to focus on the issue of territorial jurisdiction

On January 9 ECHR declared admissible two lawsuits filed by refugees –
an Armenian and an Azerbaijani. The applicants are Elkhan Chiragov,
former resident of Lachin (territory of security zone around
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic) and former resident of Gulistan village
of Shahumyan region (presently occupied by Azerbaijan) Minas Sargsyan.

The complaints were selected from over 1,000 similar cases (about 600
filed by Azerbaijani refugees and about 500 from Armenian refugees)
last year to serve as a precedent. Both complaints say about loss of
property as a result of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Chiragov’s complaint
also includes certain ethnic and religious provisions. The Court is
supposed to deliver its judgment on both cases at a later date.

Ara Ghazaryan stressed that taking into procedure compliant filed by
Chiragov, the Court should solve the problem concerning territorial
jurisdiction.

“The alleged violation of Chiragov’s rights did not occur in the
territory of Armenia,” he said noting that obviously both cases have
political coloring.

In case of Chiragov, ECHR must answer the question whether Armenia
is responsible for the alleged violation which took place outside
its territory. At the same time, the ECHR is not authorized to hear
cases involving non-members of the European Convention on Human Rights
(Nagorno-Karabakh is non-member).

Regarding Sargsyan’s case, Azerbaijani side put forward as a
“counter-argument” the claim that the Shahumyan region allegedly is
not controlled by Azerbaijan.

“It’s ridiculous assertion. Everyone knows that since 1993, Shahumyan
region has been occupied and controlled by Azerbaijan. Thus, parity
is not maintained,” he added.

ECHR has not answered the question on territorial jurisdiction since
Chiragov’s complaint was filed in 2005.

“What new facts can emerge in the coming 6-7 months? Does the ECHR
intend to send a monitoring team to review the situation? If so,
why was not it done earlier?” the lawyer wonders.

“In general, both judgments are similar. I believe the Court will
maintain parity in the future,” Ghazaryan concluded.

ABCNEWS.COM GIVES WAY TO AZERBAIJANI PROPAGANDA’S PROVOCATION

ARMENPRESS
JANUARY 11, 2011
YEREVAN

ABCNews.com, giving way to Azerbaijani propaganda’s provocation,
removed a segment of a feature that recommended traveling to
Nagorno-Karabakh as one of the “Great Offbeat Places to Go in 2012.”

In a travel segment posted on Sunday on abcnews.com entitled “7 Great
Offbeat Places to Go in 2012” ranked Nagorno-Karabakh as one of the
places to visit during the year. On Tuesday afternoon, however, the
piece was re-titled “6 Great Offbeat Places to Go in 2012” and the
section on Nagorno-Karabakh was extracted from the original. Reader
comments were not extracted from the web site, Armenpress reports
citing Asbarez.com

“Stay at the recently-built Armenia Hotel in the capital, Stepanakert,
and use the city as your base to explore the region. Go hiking through
snow-topped mountains and fields of yellow and red flowers. Feast on
shish kebob and grilled vegetables. If you’re staying with a local,
don’t be surprised if you’re offered homemade mulberry vodka with
breakfast,” recommended the post.

“Don’t miss the Gandzasar Monastery, meaning ‘hilltop treasure,’
built in the 10th century. Visit it at night to see it lit up in the
darkness,” added the feature.

Azerbaijani news agencies responded to the feature, as if trying to
get explanations, in response, ABCNews stated that it would discuss
the issue only with the Azerbaijani embassy in the USA.