Author: Kalantarian Kevo

US DEPUTY SECRETARY OF STATE TAKES “IDEAS” ON KARABAKH TO BAKU

news.am, Armenia
Oct 11 2011

BAKU. – William Burns, the US Deputy Secretary of State on Democracy
and Human Rights Affairs, will visit Azerbaijani capital Baku this
week. “Settlement of the Karabakh issue is top priority in the visit’s
agenda,” US Ambassador to Azerbaijan Matthew Bryza told journalists,
Turan news agency reported.

“He has ideas which he developed with OSCE [Organization for Security
and Co-operation in Europe] Minsk Group’s American Co-Chair, Robert
Bradtke,” Bryza added.

According to the Ambassador, Burns will also discuss Azerbaijan’s
domestic reforms, including democratic and economic transformations and
energy cooperation and security issues, with combat against terrorism
in the Caspian basin.

TURKEY WILL TRY TO TAKE “POSITIVE STEPS” TILL 2015, THE TURKOLOGIST THINKS

Mediamax, Armenia
Oct 10 2011

Yerevan/Mediamax/. Turkologist Artak Shakaryan expressed the opinion
today that Turkey will try to take some steps to indicate positive
trends in the Armenian-Turkish relations till 2015, the 100th
anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.

The turkologist stated today that these steps may be opening of
Van-Yerevan flight as well as resumption of Kars-Gyumri railway,
Mediamax reports.

“The railway will be launched only in case Nakhijevan is also linked
up. This option is convenient both for Armenia and Turkey as well as
Russia and U.S. This project has all the chances to be implemented”,
stated the turkologist.

Artak Shakaryan also didn’t rule out that Turkey may temporarily open
the border with Armenia till 2015.

Speaking about statements on the Genocide made by French President
Nicolas Sarkozy in Yerevan last week, the turkologist said that they
were mostly addressed to the French voters of Armenian nationality.

Commenting on Turkey’s negative response, Artak Shakaryan said that
despite public statements, Turkish-French cooperation is still on
rather a high level in a number of spheres.

PRESIDENT SERZH SARGSYAN VISITED ECHMIADZIN TO PARTICIPATE AT THE FESTIVITIES DEDICATED TO THE TOWN’S DAY

Office of the President of the Republic, Armenia

Oct 11 2011

President Serzh Sargsyan visited today Echmiadzin to participate
at the festivities dedicated to the Town’s day. The President of
Armenia visited the recently renovated home-museum of the poet
Hovhaness Hovhannissian, observed the accomplished works and viewed
the exhibition of the museum. The museum staff expressed gratitude
to the President of Armenia for his assistance which made possible
to considerably improve conditions in the museum.

In Echmiadzin, Serzh Sargsyan paid also tribute to the memory of the
heroes who fell in the Artsakh’s fight for freedom. Later, President
Sargsyan participated at the official meeting dedicated to the
Town’s Day. By the decision of the town Council and on the occasion
of the holiday, Serzh Sargsyan was awarded the title of the Honorary
Citizen of Echmiadzin. The President of Armenia congratulated all
citizens of the town on the occasion of the holiday. In his thank you
remarks he said, “I am greatly honored to become the Honorary Citizen
of this town. It is a great honor first, because Echmiadzin is the
spiritual center of the Armenian nation, second, Echmiadzin is one
of many capitals of our motherland which has millennia-long history,
and last but not the least, because citizens of Echmiadzin made
great contribution to the establishment of our independence. Sons of
Echmiadzin played an indispensable role in defending our motherland. I
would like to also congratulate you all on yesterday’s glorious event
– victory of our football team. It comes to prove once again a simple
truth that everything is achievable when we combine our efforts, set a
clear goal and move toward it steadily,” the President of Armenia said.

At the meeting with the citizens of Echmiadzin, Serzh Sargsyan
spoke also about the results of the French President’s state visit
to Armenia. Noting, that France is a permanent member of G-8 and UN
Security Council, President Sargsyan said that statements made by
the President of that country in Armenia can be neither accidental
nor made with the purpose of pleasing anyone.

“I would like to remind you all, that three years ago we were
reproached for initiating the process of normalization with Turkey.

One of major accusations was that with that initiative we undermine
the question the Armenian Genocide and endanger the process of its
international recognition. As life has proved those accusation were
worthless. I believe, now our fellow citizens have understood that
these accusations are baseless,” the President of Armenia underscored.

KOCHARIAN FAMILY VS. JAMANAK DAILY: RULING REMAINS UNCHANGED

epress.am
10.11.2011 16:13

Armenia’s Civil Court of Appeal today rejected an appeal by local
daily Jamanak (“Times”), which was contesting an earlier court ruling
issued on Jun. 6, 2011.

This news was conveyed to Epress.am by Sargis Grigoryan, the attorney
representing the Kocharian family.

Earlier this year, the Court of General Jurisdiction of Kentron and
Nork-Marash Administrative Districts of Yerevan had mandated the
newspaper to pay 3 million drams (about $8,000 US) in compensation
to Bella and Sedrak Kocharian (the wife and son of former Armenian
president Robert Kocharian, respectively) for publishing material
damaging to the family’s honor and dignity. (Note, the plaintiffs had
asked for 6 million drams – 3 million in compensation and 3 million
for court expenses – but the judge satisfied this demand only in part.)

The Kocharian family had sued Jamanak for 3 articles published last
September and October which implicated them in a case of alleged
embezzlement.

RUSSIAN MP: KARABAKH PROBLEM BLEEDING WOUND OF THE REGION

PanARMENIAN.Net
October 11, 2011 – 14:23 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Russia will continue efforts for resolution of the
Nagorno Karabakh conflict, State Duma member said.

Leonid Slutsky, member of the international relations department,
described the Karabakh problem as “a bleeding wound of the region,
which should find its solution.” “Such problems should be settled
with great cautiousness. That is why Russia, as a regional power will
spare no effort to that end,” he said, 1news.az reported.

TEAM THAT HAMMERS SLOVAKIA AWAY 4-0 MUST BE RESPECTED – IRISH INDEPENDENT

Tert.am
16:59 ~U 11.10.11

Any team that can hammer Slovakia 4-0 away and get another four against
Macedonia must be respected, it’s really all about the Irish players
and their approach tonight, according to the Irish Independent.

In an article describing the Armenian football players’ brilliant
performance in the 2012 qualifiers, the author of the Irish publication
asks whether the fans who will throng the Aviva Stadium tonight get
the worry beads out.

“Not if the Irish players perform to their capabilities,” he says,
quoting former international striker Frank Stapleton as saying that
they have a decent work ethic and demand respect with the results
they have achieved.

Speaking about the Armenia team’s coach Vardan Minasyan, the author
says that the former assistant to Porterfield is benefiting from
the ongoing development of good talent at under-age level to bring
Armenia to a new level.

“The Irish team went to Armenia in their opening Euro 2012 qualifier
and escaped with a 1-0 victory, courtesy of a 76th-minute goal by
Keith Fahey.

Since then, Minasyan has overhauled his team to the extent that only
six of the players who started against Ireland in September of last
year featured from the outset in their 4-1 win over Macedonia last
Friday,” he said.

For those underestimating the Armenian player’s potentials the author
recalls that the team caught Slovakia on the hop, with the latter being
over-confident after emerging from Dublin with a hard-fought draw.

UKRAINE EX-PM YULIA TYMOSHENKO JAILED OVER GAS DEAL

ARMENPRESS
15:40, 11 October, 2011

Former Ukrainian PM Yulia Tymoshenko has been jailed for seven years.

A judge ruled she had criminally exceeded her powers when she signed
a gas deal with Russia in 2009.

Mrs Tymoshenko said the charges against her were politically
motivated. She vowed to appeal against her sentence and fight for
Ukraine “till her last breath”.

The US and the EU have condemned the charges as selective prosecution
of political opponents.

European officials suggested that jailing Mrs Tymoshenko would be a
serious blow to the country’s hopes of integration with the European
Union.

Riot police stood outside the court as supporters and opponents
gathered. There have been minor clashes and some arrests.

Judge Rodion Kireyev said the former prime minister would also have
to pay back 1.5bn hrivnas ($186m) lost by the state gas company as
a result of the deal.

As the verdict was read out, Mrs Tymoshenko spoke over the judge,
saying she would “fight to defend my honest name”, adding that Ukraine
had returned to the repression of Stalin’s 1937 Soviet Union.

However, former president and one-time ally Viktor Yushchenko and
others have testified against her.

Russia pipes gas to western Europe across Ukrainian territory and
relations between the two ex-Soviet states have long been dogged by
disputes over transit fees and unpaid bills.

TURKEY URGES FRENCH POLITICIANS NOT TO EXPLOIT ARMENIAN GENOCIDE ISSUE

epress.am
10.11.2011 15:15

In the view of upcoming presidential elections, the Ankara government
has urged French politicians not to use Turkey as a tool in their
campaigns following both French President Nicholas Sarkozy and
prominent Socialist candidate Francois Hollande “exploiting Armenian
Genocide claims” last week, the Hurriyet Daily News reports.

Turkey’s Ambassador to Paris Tahsin Burcuoglu expressed Ankara’s
uneasiness with Sarkozy’s remarks in a meeting with the French
President’s foreign policy advisor Jean-David Levitte on Saturday.

Burcuoglu sent a letter to Hollande urging him to avoid making
Turkey a daily domestic political issue after the prominent socialist
candidate promised backing the draft of a law criminalizing denial
of the Armenian Genocide, the Hurriyet Daily News learned.

“The message we have conveyed does not solely refer to Sarkozy,
but to the entire French political class.

“We have underlined that this kind of rhetoric does not serve anything
other than to ruin our bilateral relations. We want to improve our
relations, but these statements are not helpful to this end,” the
senior Turkish diplomat told the paper yesterday.

RATIFICATION OF ARMENIAN-TURKISH PROTOCOLS WILL CONTRIBUTE TO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF BOTH COUNTRIES: EUROPEAN COMMISSION

ARKA
Oct 11, 2011

YEREVAN, October 11. / ARKA /. The ratification of the Armenian-Turkish
protocols will contribute to the economic development of both countries
and the region as a whole, Onno Simons, European Commission’s charge
d’affaires in Armenia said today. Speaking at a round table discussion
Onno Simons said the process started to normalize the Armenian-Turkish
relations did not continue and had no positive results for either side.

According to Simons, the opening of the border will benefit Turkey
in the first place.

“Due to the involvement of the European Union in the Armenia-Turkey
process, Turkey receives a stimulus and interest to open border and
improve relations with Armenia in order to join the EU,’ he said.

Turkey and Armenia have had no diplomatic ties since Armenia became
independent from the Soviet Union in 1991. Turkey closed its border
with Armenia in 1993 in a show of support for its ally, Azerbaijan,
which had a dispute with Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh, the ethnic
Armenian enclave of Azerbaijan. There are several sensitive issues
complicating the establishment of normal relations between the two
countries, particularly, Ankara’s blatant support of Azerbaijan in the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict resolution process and Turkey’s refusal to
acknowledge the mass killings of Armenians in the last years of the
Ottoman Empire as a genocide.

The thaw in the strained relations began in 2008 September after
Turkish president Abdullah Gul arrived in Armenia, at his counterpart’s
invitation, to watch together with Serzh Sargsyan the 2010 World Cup
qualifying football game between the two countries’ national teams. In
2009 October Armenia and Turkey signed two protocols in Zurich.

They committed the two neighboring nations to establish diplomatic
relation and open the Turkish-Armenian border which Ankara closed
in 1993 in a show of support for Azerbaijan. The Turkish government
has repeatedly made clear that it will not ensure the protocols’
ratification by Turkey’s parliament before a resolution of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict acceptable to Baku. Yerevan rejects this
linkage, saying that it contradicts the letter and the spirit of the
U.S.-backed agreements. Citing the Turkish precondition, president
Serzh Sargsyan suspended the process of Armenian parliamentary
ratification of the protocols in April 2009. But he stopped short of
formally annulling them.

RUBEN HAYRAPETIAN AFFIRME AVOIR ETE SOLLICITE PAR LEVON TER PETROSSIAN
Stephane ©armenews.com

armenews.com
mardi 11 octobre 2011

ARMENIE

Un riche homme d’affaires controverse soutenant resolument le
president Serge Sarkissian a affirme que le leader de l’opposition
Levon Ter-Petrossian a plusieurs reprises a tente d’avoir son appui
lors des elections presidentielles de 2008.

Ruben Hayrapetian, qui detient egalement un siège au Parlement et
dirige la Federation armenienne de football, a declare que c’est
la raison pour laquelle il est frequemment attaque par les medias
favorables a Ter-Petrossian.

” Il [Ter-Petrossian] m’a appele trois fois” a dit M.Hayrapetian lors
d’une conference de presse. “Il m’a appelle la dernière fois en janvier
2008″ a-t-il dit. ” Il m’a demande par un emissaire de trahir [Serge
Sarkissian.] Mais je ne suis pas le genre de personne qui trahit.”

“Serge Sarkissian m’a sauve des griffes de Levon Ter-Petrossian en
1996. Comment pourrais-je trahir cette personne ? ” a-t-il ajoute.

M.Hayrapetian a allegue que Ter-Petrossian lui a personnellement fait
une visite a cet effet dans un hôtel de luxe appartenant au magnat
en août 2007. L’ex-president a annonce officiellement sa decision de
se lancer dans la campagne electorale de 2008 deux mois plus tard.

Il n’y a pas eu de reaction immediate aux allegations de la part de
Levon Ter-Petrossian et du Congrès national armenien (HAK).

M.Hayrapetian, qui règne sur le quartier nord d’Avan a Erevan, a
apporte un soutien complet a Serge Sarkissian lors de l’election. Il
a ete accuse par l’equipe de campagne de M. Ter-Petrossian d’avoir
organiser des falsifications dans les bureaux de vote et d’avoir
demander a ses gardes du corps de kidnapper et de battre plusieurs
membres de l’opposition le jour du scrutin.