Author: Kalantarian Kevo

MARXIST-LENINISTS BRUTALLY BEAT HRANT DINK’S KILLER

news.am
Dec 7 2011
Armenia

Ogun Samast, the murderer of Hrant Dink, chief editor of Istanbul’s
Agos Armenian weekly, was severely beaten in prison.

Arrested members of the Marxist-Leninist idea bearing Revolutionary
People`s Liberation Party-Front (DHKP/C) brutally beat Ogun Samast
while he was walking in the prison corridor. The prison guards were
able to save Samast alive and they took him to the prison’s medical
facility, Turkish Opsiyonhaber website reported.

To note, Ogun Samast was sentenced to a total of 22 years and 10
months for the murder of Hrant Dink and for bearing illegal arms.

VISITING LEBANESE PRESIDENT PAYS HOMAGE TO 1915 GENOCIDE VICTIMS

hetq
16:00, December 9, 2011

President of Lebanon Michel Sleiman, accompanied by his wife Wafaa
Sleiman, visited the Tzitzernakaberd 1915 Genocide Complex and laid
a memorial wreath at the eternal flame.

President Sleiman is in Armenia on an official visit.

The Lebanese president and his delegation also toured the Armenian
Genocide Museum and left the following note in the Memorial Book:
“The one, who stands in front of this monument, sees the glorious
history of struggle and sacrifice. I wish prosperity to the friendly
Armenian people.”

SARGSYAN: AZERI PROPAGANDA MAY HAVE DRAMATIC REPERCUSSIONS

PanARMENIAN.Net
December 9, 2011 – 14:59 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Azerbaijan’s efforts to impart religious context
to the Nagorno Karabakh issue seem absurd to anyone familiar with
the history of the conflict, according to Armenian President.

“However, people’s unawareness is what Baku’s propaganda thrives on,”
Serzh Sargsyan stressed at a joint briefing with Lebanese President
Michel Sleiman.

“Continued anti-Armenian propaganda may have dramatic repercussions,”
President Sargsyan said.

On December 8, Mr. Sleiman arrived in Armenia on the invitation of
Armenian leader Serzh Sargsyan. A meeting with President Sargsyan,
Armenian officials as well as Catholicos of All Armenians His Holiness
Karekin II are on the agenda. Also, agreements to promote development
of bilateral relations will be signed during the visit.

GIFTED MINISTER AND UNGIFTED CORRUPTION
JAMES HAKOBYAN

Story from Lragir.am News:

Published: 14:56:51 – 09/12/2011

December 9 is the International Anti-Corruption Day. This means
that today is the International day of fight against the Armenian
authorities, because the Armenian authorities embody the corruption.

The corruption is the basis of the ruling system of Armenia. In
case of its elimination, the system will collapse. In answer to such
affirmations, the big and small representatives of the power say that
corruption exists in all the countries of the world, even in the most
civil, development, democratic and legal ones.

This is true. It will be an exaggeration to affirm corruption doesn’t
exist in the U.S. or France or any other European country.

But when this circumstance is the answer to the accusation or criticism
of the systemic corruption existing in Armenia, then it is nothing
else but substitution of concepts.

Sure, there is corruption in civil and developed countries too, but in
those countries corruption is a crime which is punished. In Armenia,
corruption is a phenomenon for which explanations and justifications
are provided.

Say, when it is said that despite the Constitution provisions,
businessmen become MPs in Armenia, the government does not adopt a law
and does not initiate the revelation and punishment of this fact, but
gives explanations such as the law is incomplete and needs improvement
in order to deprive those people of the possibility to be MPs.

There is a clear corruption phenomenon but there is no relevant
fight against it, only fragmented explanations, which just legitimate
corruption.

While in a legal country, the Prosecutor’s office, the National
Security Service and the Police would engage in the revelation of
the issue and would punish those who break the law.

But this can shake and even destroy the governmental system, so there
is no fight against the serious corruption phenomenon.

The same goes for the other spheres where there is also serious
corruption. For instance, officials have luxurious movable and
immovable property but they register everything on behalf of their
“movable” or “immovable” relatives.

Everyone knows that there is corruption here because the property
in reality is the result of the business activities of officials,
which they try to conceal. It seems that the law enforcement system
is meant to reveal everything and not to make anyone conceal the
corruption results.

But in Armenia the law enforcement system does not try to deal with
the corruption to find out that the property belongs to the official
and not his mother-in-law, and the official bought the property with
suspicious money.

Instead, everything is explained by the incompleteness of laws and only
through the improvement of the law, we will eliminate the corruption.

It is clear why the law enforcers do not deal with these issues.

Otherwise, the system would collapse.

There are plenty of such examples. If in Europe, a minister resigns
because his friend’s factory received the ministry’s orders, or because
he spends holiday in a too expensive for his salary place, in Armenia
such things can be maximum considered election exotics or political
vendetta. Mainly, the minister’s friend would be declared a benefactor
who cares for the state orders. And the Minister could be awarded for
his services to the country for being so gifted to have such a friend.

HAYKAKAN ZHAMANAK: GORIK HAKOBYAN TO RESIGN SOON?

Tert.am
09.12.11

Rumors about impending resignation of Chief of Armenia’s National
Security Service Gorik Hakobyan are “circulating within the ruling
circles” again.

The newspaper’s sources report President Serzh Sargsyan is discussing
the possibility of Hakobyan’s resignation.

Experts say the presidential residence is apprehensive that, because
of his age and state of health, Gorik Hakobyan will not be able to
adequately respond to the situation at a crucial moment.

Arzuman Harutyunyan, brother of Chairman of Armenia’s Constitutional
Court Gagik Harutyunyan, is a likely candidate for the post.

IRAVUNQ: FORMER KARABAKH LEADER TO BID FOR PRESIDENCY, EXPANDING BUSINESS IN THE MEANTIME?

Tert.am
09.12.11

The paper says it has learned from sources that a former president
of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR), Arkadi Gukasyan, is preparing
for the country’s upcoming presidential race, simultaneously expanding
his business.

Ghukasyan is reportedly planning to become a major shareholder of a
luxury hotel complex in capital Yerevan. In addition, he intends to
launch business projects in the resort town of Tsaghkadzor, opening
a new business center that could yield much profit, says the paper.

L’ARMENIE NE MONTRE AUCUN PROGRES DANS SA LUTTE CONTRE LA CORRUPTION
Stephane

armenews.com
vendredi 9 decembre 2011

Une ONG internationale n’a annonce aucun progrès dans la lutte par
l’Armenie de la corruption classant le pays au 70ème rang mondial
parmi les pays les plus corrompus du monde.

L’Armenie aussi bien que la Republique Dominicaine, le Honduras, les
Philippines et la Syrie partagent une modeste 129ème place dans le
dernier rapport Index des Perceptions de Corruption de Transparency
International (le CCPP) qui etudie 183 nations. L’Armenie partageait
une 123ème place avec trois autres etats parmi 178 nations dans le
precedent CCPP publie il y a un an.

L’enquete 2011 a assigne a l’Armenie un score de 2.6 mesure sur
une echelle a 10 points, avec le zero indiquant un extremement haut
degre de corruption. L’Armenien a le mem score qu’en 2010. Les pays
ayant moins de 3 points sont consideres comme ayant une ” corruption
systemique” signifiant que la corruption est une condition prealable
pour le fonctionnement du système d’Etat.

Varuzhan Hoktanian, directeur de la filiale armenienne de Transparency
International, dit que l’aspect le plus douloureux de la realite de
l’Armenie est la corruption dans les processus electoraux.

” Malheureusement, nous voyons les très hauts niveaux de corruption
politique dans toutes les elections. Tout d’abord, c’est l’abus de
ressources administratives, l’achet de vote, etc, ” dit Hoktanian. Il
ajoute que la corruption systemique persistera en Armenie tant que
des elections normales ne se tiendront pas.

La Georgie est le seul ancien pays sovietique a avoir fait des progrès
selon les derniers chiffres de CCPP. Le voisin de l’Armenie partage
la 64ème palce avec l’Afrique du Sud et a un score de 4.1.

L’Azerbaïdjan, l’autre voisin de l’Armenie, a un score de 2,4 et
partage les places 143 a 151avec les pays suivants la Russie, la
Bielorussie, le Nigeria, le Togo, le Rwanda et d’autres.

D’EREVAN, SLEIMAN INSISTE SUR LE DIALOGUE LIBANO-LIBANAIS

L’Orient-Le Jour
‘Erevan,_Sleiman_insiste_sur_le_dialogue_libano-libanais.html
9 dec 2011
Liban

Michel Sleiman continuera d’appeler et d’appeler encore au dialogue
et a ~uvrer pour que soient appliquees les resolutions adoptees
autour de la table de dialogue, il y a cinq ans. Il entend egalement ”
ameliorer ” la praxis democratique au Liban et generaliser le recours
aux institutions legales pour regler quelque litige que ce soit,
” loin de la violence “. Michel Sleiman souhaite aussi augmenter les
pressions sur Israël afin qu’il respecte la resolution 1701 de l’ONU
dans son integralite, et il insiste sur le fait que ” seules ” les
forces militaires libanaises ont a contrôler les capacites de l’Etat.

Le chef de l’Etat s’est exprime ainsi hier a Erevan devant la diaspora
libanaise au cours de la première journee de sa visite officielle
en Armenie, en compagnie de son epouse Wafa’ et d’une delegation
ministerielle. Il en a profite pour affirmer que le Liban ” se prepare
a davantage de reformes “, faisant notamment allusion a l’adoption
d’une nouvelle loi electorale (ainsi qu’au vote des emigres et a
l’elaboration d’une cooperation moderne avec ces derniers…) et de
la decentralisation administrative ; sans oublier les forages gaziers
et petrolifères.

Michel Sleiman n’a pas oublie d’insister, naturellement, sur
l’importance des relations libano-armeniennes, assurant qu’un grand
nombre d’accords allaient etre signes entre les deux pays.

AZERBAIJAN SIGNS A $2.4 MILLION, YEARLONG CONTRACT WITH THE LOBBY FIRM FABIANI & CO. TO CONDUCT OUTREACH IN THE UNITED STATES

arminfo
Thursday, December 8, 13:12

ArmInfo-Turan. A new nonprofit supporting Azerbaijan is setting up
shop in Washington to provide a counterbalance to the Armenian-American
lobby, The Hill writes.

“Azerbaijan and Armenia blame each other for the conflict over the
territory, and the U.S. has been pushing for a peaceful resolution
to the dispute. Now the Azerbaijan America Alliance is coming to
Washington in a bid to make some influential friends.

The group hosted its coming-out party Tuesday night at the Reserve
Officers Association on Capitol Hill, holding a reception meant
to serve as an introduction to power players on Capitol Hill and
Embassy Row. Several lawmakers were expected to attend, along with
the ambassador for Azerbaijan to the United States.

Founded by Anar Mammadov, a young Azerbaijani businessman and son
of the country’s transportation minister, the Alliance hopes to
highlight the ties between Azerbaijan and the United States, whether
it’s through energy or national- security interests.

Mammadov told The Hill he loves his country and wants to do his duty
to help it. “I think [the Alliance] can bring these two countries
together,” Mammadov said. “I think America is one of the biggest
friends of Azerbaijan.”

The one other individual listed in the leadership of the Alliance
is Khayal Sharifzade, the group’s chairman. Sharifzade is the former
CEO and chairman of the Bank of Azerbaijan.

Sharifzade is also a member of the board of directors of ZQAN
Holdings. Mammadov is founder, president and chairman of that company,
which is based in Baku, Azerbaijan, and has interests in oil and gas,
construction and telecommunications.

According to Justice Department records filed in May, the Alliance
signed a $2.4 million, yearlong contract with the lobby firm Fabiani &
Co. to conduct outreach in the United States. Jim Fabiani, a longtime
GOP lobbyist and former chairman and CEO of Cassidy & Associates,
is leading the effort.

The Azerbaijan group is playing catch-up with Armenia, which has had
a lobbying presence in Washington for decades.

Lobbyists for the Alliance will likely highlight that Azerbaijan is now
a member of the United Nations’ Security Council and is contributing
troops to NATO forces in Afghanistan. The nation, which is in the
Caucasus region on the Europe-Asia border, has a wealth of energy
resources, helping to provide oil and natural gas to Europe.

The country’s poor human-rights record could prevent the group from
gaining much traction, however. The State Department’s 2010 Human
Rights Report on Azerbaijan said the country has flawed elections,
allows arbitrary arrests for political reasons and restricts the press.

“Once again we’re seeing millions being spent by a foreign government
entity – in this case, the son of billionaire Azerbaijani Transport
Minister Ziya Mammadov – to whitewash his country’s abysmal
human-rights record and aggression against Karabakh and Armenia,”
said Aram Hamparian, executive director of the Armenian National
Committee of America, in a statement.

Here in Washington, the Alliance will have an agenda to push.

One item will be lobbying on the Freedom Support Act, a 1992 law passed
by Congress to aid former Soviet provinces in their transition to
democracy. One provision of that law bans direct aid to the Azerbaijani
government, which the Alliance will work to reverse.

The Alliance is looking to expand and is advertising to hire
an executive director for the group. But once it settles down
in Washington, the group can expect a rough reception from its
Armenian-American counterparts.

“It doesn’t change the fact that the Azeri government continues to
make threats against the people of Nagorno-Karabakh,” said Bryan
Ardouny, executive director of the Armenian Assembly of America,
the paper writes.

WILFRIED MARTENS: ARMENIA SERVES AS GATEWAY TO EAST FOR EUROPE

PanARMENIAN.Net
December 8, 2011 – 11:10 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan attended the
plenary sitting European People’s Party (EPP) in Marseilles, France.

During the sitting, the party chairman Wilfried Martens handed an
EPP badge to President Sargsyan, noting that it symbolizes devotion
to ideas.

“We welcome your decision to join European People’s Party, whose
members were highly inspired after visiting Armenia,” Martens said,
adding that Armenia serves a gateway to East for Europe.

The party chairman further hailed the steps that Armenia takes in
foreign policy issues including initiation of normalization process
with Turkey.

Mr. Martens also stressed symbolism of Serzh Sargsyan’s visit on
December 7, Spitak earthquake remembrance day, presidential press
service reported.