ARMENIAN PRIME MINISTER VISITS KARABAKH
news.am
Aug 1, 2011
Armenia
STEPANAKERT. – President of Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR) Bako
Sahakyan met on Monday with delegation headed by Armenian Prime
Minister Tigran Sargsyan.
The sides discussed issues related to economic cooperation between
the two states drawing attention to agriculture and implementation
of joint investment programs.
NKR Premier Ara Harutunyan and other officials were present at the
meeting.
YEREVAN AND BEIJING MAYORS SIGNED MEMO OF COOPERATION
news.am
Aug 1, 2011
Armenia
YEREVAN. – Yerevan is ready to present a number of investment
projects to Beijing business circles, as well as to organize their
visit to Armenia, said Yerevan Mayor Karen Karapetyan, who has been
on official visit to China upon Beijing Mayor Guo Jinlong’s invitation
on July 26-30.
The two mayors stressed the importance of cooperation between Armenia
and China. Karapetyan stressed that Armenia is ready to create
favorable conditions for Chinese capital investment in long-term
investment programs implemented in Yerevan.
Mayor of Armenian capital also suggested elaborating on the idea of
founding Beijing House in Yerevan and Yerevan House in Beijing.
The sides signed a memo of cooperation.
US AZERIS PRAISE DECISION NOT TO GIVE AID TO KARABAKH IN 2012
news.az
Aug 1, 2011
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijani diaspora organizations in the USA have welcomed Congress’
omission of occupied Karabakh from the list of recipients of US aid
in 2012.
Board Members of the Pax Turcica Institute, Azerbaijan Society of
America and Azerbaijani-American Council welcomed the recent decision
by the House Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations
and Related Programs to exclude the wording of direct US assistance
to the Armenian-occupied Nagorno-Karabakh from the FY 2012 budget
appropriations for the South Caucasus.
The organizations said the community members actively participated
in the relevant Pax Turcica advocacy campaign, “in achieving this
major milestone for the first time in 2011”.
The US Congress has been allocating funds to address humanitarian
needs of the victims of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict
over Nagorno-Karabakh since 1992. In 2005, under pressure from
Armenian-American interest groups, the wording of the State, Foreign
Operations and Related Programs Appropriations bills was revised to
provide US funds only to the Armenian community of Nagorno-Karabakh,
while over 600,000 Azerbaijanis expelled from the region in the course
of the conflict remained deprived of assistance.
“In the absence of a political settlement to the conflict, the
ethnicity-driven US assistance to one conflict party not only
undermined the original Congressional intent, but also questioned
the US role as an impartial mediator,” the diaspora organizations
said in their statement.
Despite the annual Congressional testimonies and campaigns by
Azerbaijani-American organizations opposing the direct US aid to
Nagorno-Karabakh, in the past six years, the Armenian-American lobby
succeeded in increasing the allocation from $3 million to $8 million.
Since February 2011, over 6,000 letters sent via the newly-launched
Pax Turcica CapWiz system to members of Congress highlighted the fact
that the US aid to Nagorno-Karabakh unfairly excluded the Azerbaijani
victims of the conflict and that the annual allocation exponentially
exceeded the programmatic capacity on the ground.
“Its noteworthy that these PTI arguments became compelling for many
Americans of non-Turkic heritage to also join in expressing their
concern about the waste of US taxpayer money for satisfying the whim of
one ethnic special interest group in Congress,” the organizations say.
They urge more action action before the financial appropriations are
discussed again in Congress.
“Ahead of the upcoming 3 August vote on the FY 2012 foreign aid bill
in the full House Appropriations Committee, we once more call upon
all Azerbaijani- and Turkic-Americans to build up on our initial
success by sending the following PTI Capwiz action letter.”
APA
MURDERER OF ARMENIAN SOLDIER RELEASED BY TURKISH COURT
news.am
August 1, 2011
Armenia
Murderer of Armenian solider was released during the first court
hearing in Turkey.
The hearing on killing of Sevak Sahin, Armenian by origin, lasted
13 hours, Vatan newspaper reports. The judge decided that suspect
Kvanc Agaoglu has no reasons to escape and released him changing
judicial restraint.
During the next hearing judge will consider testimony of Sahin’s
fiancee Melani Kumruyan who claims that the soldier had problems
with commanders.
Prosecutors demand only nine-year sentence for Agaoglu on charges of
reckless homicide.
25-year-old Sevak graduated from Faculty of Fine Arts, Istanbul
TechnicalUniversity. He served in the military unit of the gendarmerie
in Kozluk district of Batman province. He would have discharged from
the army in 23 days.
Gendarmerie stated he was killed from gunshot wounds, while playing
with a gun with his friend on April 24. However, Sevak’s parents do
not believe in it and demand a thorough investigation of his death.
WRITERS’ WIDOW CONSIDERS LEAVING ARMENIA OVER PROPERTY ROW
Tert.am
02.08.11
The widow of famous Armenian writer Aghasi Ayvazyan has said she
might sell all her property and leave Armenia after she – together
with her late husband – were involved in a controversial estate deal.
Speaking to journalists on Tuesday, Greta Verdiyan said that in
2001 they bought a wagon house and a small land in Yerevan’s Arabkir
administrative district.
Long after having completed the deal the family was informed that
the area was a state-owned property.
Verdiyan went on to say that the former owners of the property –
the Terteryan family – changed their mind and wanted to get their
property back.
The family even filed several lawsuits after the deal, claiming their
property back, but in all occasions the court rejected their lawsuits.
Seeing that they can do nothing at the legal level, Ayvazyan tells,
they started to threaten her, demanding that she leave not only the
street she lives on, but also the country.
“They even beat me for which they were held responsible, but later
released under the amnesty,” said Verdiyan.
Further, she said she sent several letters to high-ranking officials,
asking to find a solution to the issue – but to no avail yet.
“All the letters addressed to the [Yerevan] Municipality go to Mayor’s
advisor Hrach Muradyan, who knows all the laws and is hiding behind
them,” she explained.
“Each time he learns that I am going to convene a press conference,
Hrach Muradyan prevents that, assuring me to give him time and that
he will solve the issue,” said she, adding that she is considering
selling all her property and leaving Armenia.
Armenian National Committee of America
1711 N Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036
Tel. (202) 775-1918
Fax. (202) 775-5648
[email protected]
PRESS RELEASE
August 2, 2011
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918 / (703) 585-8254 (cell)
AMB. RICCIARDONE DODGES SENATOR MENENDEZ’S QUESTIONS ABOUT ARMENIAN
GENOCIDE
— Offers Weak Responses regarding Treatment of Christian
Communities
WASHINGTON, DC – During his confirmation hearing earlier today
before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Amb. Francis
Ricciardone, President Obama’s nominee for a full term as
Ambassador to Turkey, dodged around a series of pointed questions
from Senator Menendez about U.S. policy on the Armenian Genocide,
and offered weak responses to concerns raised by senators
concerning the rights and welfare of the increasingly vulnerable
Christian communities within Turkey’s present-day borders, reported
the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).
“Armenian Americans from New Jersey and across America appreciate
the leadership and determination of Senator Menendez in seeking
answers from Ambassador Ricciardone, and in demanding honesty from
our government regarding the Armenian Genocide,” said Aram
Hamparian, Executive Director of the ANCA. “Sadly, we witnessed
today one of our nation’s top diplomatic representatives reduced,
once again, to playing word games to evade and avoid the truth that
is so very plain for all to see. The truth is not a commodity,
human rights are not for sale, and America’s stand against genocide
should never be bartered away or, worse yet, surrender under threat
from a foreign power.”
Ambassador Ricciardone is currently representing the United States
in Ankara under a “recess” appointment made by the President after
his nomination was blocked last year by then-Senator Sam Brownback
(R-KS). Today’s appearance was his second before the Senate
Foreign Relations Committee. Unless approved by the panel and the
full Senate, his recess appointment will expire at the end of 2011.
“Yedz Meghern”
In response to a question by Senator Menendez as to whether the
U.S. has ever denied the Armenian Genocide, Amb. Ricciardone
paused, and, rather than answering directly, referred to the “Medz
Yeghern” [Great Crime], which he mispronounced,” stating, “I stand
behind President Obama’s characterization of the ‘Yedz Meghern’
[sic], as the Armenians themselves call it – the tragic, murder of
a million and a half men, women, and children marched to their
deaths in 1915. But I stand behind our characterization of that
and our efforts of what we are trying to do now.”
Sen. Menendez followed up by asking if the Ambassador agreed with
President Obama’s previous statements as Senator Obama, in which he
had properly characterized the Armenian Genocide as “genocide.” “I
would not disagree with President Obama on his characterization of
this, of course not,” stated Amb. Ricciardone, answering similarly
and cautiously to questions related to past statements by Vice-
President Biden and Secretary of State Clinton during their years
in the Senate.
Sen. Menendez, once again, lamented the difficult position U.S.
diplomats are placed in when they are prevented from properly
referencing the Armenian Genocide. “Here we are again, playing with
an incredibly difficult set of circumstances, where we have
nominees to Armenia going to Armenian Genocide commemorations and
never being able to use the word genocide; we have our Ambassador
to Turkey, which is an important party to try to get beyond this
and move forward for the future, but if you can’t recognize the
historical facts you can’t get on to the future – in the same set
of circumstances,” explained Senator Menendez. “You have our
President, our Vice-President our Secretary of State – all who very
clearly, as members of this body, recognized that there was an
Armenian Genocide. It’s very difficult to understand how we move
forward in that respect.”
Ricciardone’s Rosy Picture of Religious Freedom in Turkey
In response to Delaware Senator Chris Coons’ question as to what
steps have been taken to promote religious freedom in Turkey, Amb.
Ricciardone was effusive in describing a Turkish Government
attitude of tolerance toward minorities. In describing his
discussions with Turkish officials about religious tolerance in
Turkey, Amb. Ricciardone stated: “=85 Very interestingly, they [the
Turkish Government] follow our debates about personal freedom and
religious freedom and they say ‘Here is how you can understand
this, American Ambassador. In your country, you have in recent
years made a distinction between freedom of religion and the
concept of freedom from religion. For too long in our modern
republic we focused on preventing the intrusion of religion in our
national life and political life. We are quite comfortable to be
observant Muslims, please don’t call us Islamists, by the way,’
they tell us, ‘but to the extent someone is praying as a Christian
or a Jew, it really doesn’t bother us at all – why should it? It’s
no threat to the state, on the contrary, we are rather proud of our
diversity and we happy to have them do it. As to their property
issues, let us take a fresh look at this and make sure they get
justice.'”
That assessment is sharply at odds with reports by the U.S.
Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), which
raised the following alarm in its 2011 report: “The Turkish
government continues to impose serious limitations on freedom of
religion or belief, thereby threatening the continued vitality and
survival of minority religious communities in Turkey.”
In August, 2010, Turkish police were video-taped preventing
children attempting to pray at Holy Cross Church on Akhtamar Island
– forcing the children to leave the premises, as shown on video
here:
childrensprayer .
In June 2010, the head of the Catholic Church in Turkey, Italian
Bishop Luigi Padovese, was stabbed to death in what many viewed as
a premeditated murder that was religiously motivated. Turkey’s top
Roman Catholic bishop Monsignor Ruggero Francheschini publicly
accused Turkish “ultranationalists and religious fanatics” of being
behind the slaying. Before his murder, Bishop Padovese had been
petitioning for the status of the Church of St. Paul in Tarsus,
Turkey to be changed from a museum into a functioning place of
regular worship. Even though his appeals were echoed personally by
the Pope, Turkey refused the request.
In the wake of continued religious intolerance in Turkey, the House
Foreign Affairs Committee voted 43-1 to call on Turkey to put an
end to religious discrimination, allow prayer in confiscated
Christian Churches and return those churches to their rightful
owners.
An article posted in “The Armenian Weekly” earlier today provides a
partial listing of confiscated Armenian Churches and church
properties and can be viewed at:
armenian-churches-and-schools-in-turkey/
Senators are expected to submit follow up questions to Amb.
Ricciardone in the upcoming days. Senate Foreign Relations
Committee consideration and vote on the nominee is not expected
until after August Congressional Recess.
Excerpts of Amb. Ricciardone’s exchange with Senators Menendez and
Coons are provided below.
#####
Excerpts from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Confirmation
Hearing of U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Nominee Francis Ricciardone –
July 2, 2011
Senator Menendez: Let me turn to another issue that I am sure you
will want to be diplomatic about, and that is the question, as our
Ambassador to Turkey, with the relationship with Armenia. From
your view, has the United States ever denied the fact that there
was an Armenian Genocide?
Ambassador Ricciardone: I stand behind President Obama’s
characterization of the “Yedz Meghern” [sic], as the Armenians
themselves call it – the tragic, murder of a million and a half
men, women, and children marched to their deaths in 1915. But I
stand behind our characterization of that and our efforts of what
we are trying to do now.
Senator Menendez: Would you disagree with President Obama’s
statements as Senator Obama?
Ambassador Ricciardone: I would not disagree with President Obama
of his characterization of this, of course not.
Senator Menendez: Would you disagree with Vice-President Biden’s
characterization as Senator Biden?
Ambassador Ricciardone: They are both now my superiors and I
certainly would not disagree with their comments, with their
descriptions.
Senator Menendez: And would you disagree with the Secretary of
State’s characterization of the Armenian Genocide as Senator
Clinton?
Ambassador Ricciardone: I certainly would not disagree with my
Secretary of State.
Senator Menendez: You are wiser beyond your years. Each of these
individuals – the President of the United States, the Vice-
President of the United States, and the Secretary of State, as the
Senator at the time from their respective states, acknowledged the
fact of the Armenian Genocide during their tenure as Senator, and
it just seems to me, Madam Chair, that once again, — I appreciate
Mr. Ambassador your responses – but here we are again, playing an
incredibly difficult set of circumstances where we have nominees to
Armenia going to Armenian Genocide commemorations and never being
able to use the word genocide; we have our Ambassador to Turkey,
which is an important party to try to get beyond this and move
forward for the future but if you can’t recognize the historical
facts you can’t get on to the future – in the same set of
circumstances. You have our President, our Vice-President our
Secretary of State – all who very clearly, as members of this body,
recognized that there was an Armenian Genocide. It’s very
difficult to understand how we move forward in that respect. Very
difficult how we put our diplomats in that respect.
Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE): What have you been able to do in order to
promote religious freedom. You referenced meeting with His
Holiness Bartholomew. What path forward do you think there might be
for restoring the property and the Halki theological seminary and
what can we be doing in being a more effective partner with you in
advocating for religious tolerance and openness in Turkish society?
Ambassador Ricciardone: On religious freedom, I have raised this
question with all the leaders that I am privileged to see and I
made it a point to call on the community leaders as well. I wanted
the community leaders perspective, not only on the property issues,
and not only with the Greek Orthodox and their Patriarchate but
also of the Armenian Community, the Assyriani [sic] have their own
parallel sorts of issues. I have gone into some detail with them,
we have learned the legal questions. They all have legal cases at
one level or another in the Turkish courts, which they are prepared
to take on to international courts. I don’t want to betray their
confidences in these legal things but they are encouraged by the
first ever contacts they are having with high leaders of the state
both substantive ones regarding their issues and then things that
really matter in that part of the world, and that is honor and
dignity and respect. They have had the first visits ever by high
officials of the state to them – not them to the offices of the
Prime Minister or Governors but the Governors or Prime Minister
coming to them – that has not happened before or in anyone’s memory
at least in the modern history of the republic.
When I raised these with high officials of the state, they say “Why
should you be surprised? We are not afraid of religion.” And very
interestingly, they follow our debates about personal freedom and
religious freedom and the say “Here is how you can understand this,
American Ambassador. In your country, you have in recent years
made a distinction between freedom of religion and the concept of
freedom from religion. For too long in our modern republic we
focused on preventing the intrusion of religion in our national
life and political life. We are quite comfortable to be observant
Muslims, please don’t call us Islamists, by the way”, they tell us,
“but to the extent someone is praying as a Christian or a Jew, it
really doesn’t bother us at all – why should it? It’s no threat to
the state, on the contrary, we are rather proud of our diversity
and we are happy to have them do it. As to their property issues,
let us take a fresh look at this and make sure they get justice.” I
am very hopeful, again, I don’t want to betray any confidences, and
I don’t want to overpromise, but I dare be hopeful that Halki
Seminary in particular will be resolved. And since His Holiness’
40th anniversary of his ordination – 40th year as a priest – I know
he would very much like to have that resolved this year, and we
would too.”
#####
NECDET OZEL FOUND TO HAVE USED CHEMICAL WEAPONS AGAINST KURDS
Tert.am
02.08.11
The deputy head of the Turkish army’s general headquarters, Necdet
Ozel, used chemical weapons against Kurdish rebels in the late 1990s,
Firat news agency reported.
Ozel, who is going to take command of the Turkish armed forces in the
near future, led military operations against the Kurdistan Liberation
Army in May 1999. His chemical weapons are said to have caused the
death of 20 Kurdish rebels.
He later became known as “chemical Necdet”, a nickname similar to the
one given to Ali Hasan al-Majid – a relative of ex Iraqi leader Saddam
Hussein – who was executed in 2010. Majid used chemical weapons in
1988 when he headed the military operation Al Anfal in Halabja town,
killing 5,000 Kurdish civilians.
FOOD PRICES IN ARMENIA RISING THREE TIMES FASTER THAN SALARIES
PanARMENIAN.Net
August 2, 2011
PanARMENIAN.Net – Consumer prices index in January – July 2011 as
against similar period of 2010 amounted to 109,4% (9,4% inflation),
moreover food prices rate totaled 15,4%, according to Gurgen
Martirosyan, head of Price Statistics and International Comparisons
Division at the RA National Statistics Service.
Martirosyan stressed that the growth of salaries in June 2011 as
against June 2010 stood at 4,9%.
“3$ deflation was recorded at consumers market in July as compared to
June. Besides, food products prices drop comprised to 5,9%, first of
all, due to fall in vegetable, potato and fruit prices,” the expert
told a press conference in Yerevan.
Martirosyan also noted that, traditionally, consumers market undergoes
deflation in July and August. Particularly, from 1994, a deflation
was fixed in July, while in August starting from 1997 up to 2009,
the exception was only 2010.
New York Times
July 31 2011
Armenia Takes Team Title; Chinese Player Is Top Scorer
By DYLAN LOEB McCLAIN
Published: July 30, 2011
The Chess Olympiad, which was first held in 1924, is the most elite
national team event in the world. But the World Team Championship is
in some ways more competitive because it includes only 10 squads, so
there are no easy matches.
Position after 37 Qh3; click to replayThis year, Armenia, the No. 4
seed, was the runaway winner at the event, which ended on Tuesday in
Ningbo, China. It was hardly an upset; the Armenians, behind Levon
Aronian, have won two of the last three Olympiads, which are held
every two years.
China, the No. 6 seed, finished second, and Ukraine lived up to its
seeding by winning the bronze medal. Russia, which was the top seed
and had won the last two Team Championships, finished in a tie for
fourth with Hungary and the United States.
China was led by Wang Yue, who was the competition’s top scorer. Wang
rose to No. 8 in the world in May 2010, but he has struggled recently
and is now ranked 35th. He is not a naturally aggressive player,
preferring to counterpunch or use finesse.
One of his best games of the tournament was a victory in Round 8 over
Krishnan Sasikiran of India, in which Wang sidestepped an attack and
then overwhelmed his opponent’s overextended forces.
It would have been dangerous for Wang to win a pawn by playing 10 …
Bc3 11 bc3 Ne4 because after 12 Ba3, his king would have been trapped
in the center.
It is a measure of how heavily researched some openings have become
that the position after 21 … Bd8 had been played many times before.
Sasikiran organized a methodical attack against Wang’s king, but he
built a stout defensive position. Chances were equal after 32 … h6.
It would have been a mistake for Wang to take Sasikiran’s knight by
playing 33 … hg5 because after 34 hg5, White would have had a
dangerous attack.
It was a strategic error for Sasikiran to press ahead with 34 f5; 34
Re1 would have been safer. Wang took advantage by launching a
counterattack beginning with the pawn sacrifice 37 … e3.
Sasikiran could not play 39 Rf3 because he would have been annihilated
after 39 … Re3 40 Re3 Qb1 41 Kf2 Rf5 42 Rf3 Qc2 43 Ke3 Bf4 44 Rf4
Qc3. He should have played 40 Rf3; 40 Re2 was a blunder.
Wang’s 42 … Qc2 was too; 42 … Rg8 would have been easily winning.
But Sasikiran stumbled again by playing 43 Kf3, when 43 Kh1 was
necessary. Down a piece, he resigned.
Armenian archbishop felicitates Supreme Leader, President on Ramadan
Tehran, July 31, IRNA — Archbishop of Armenian community in Tehran
Sebouh Sarkissian on Sunday felicitated Supreme Leader of the Islamic
Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei and President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad on advent of the holy month of Ramadan.
In the meantime, the archbishop also felicitated Majlis Speaker Ali
Larijani and the head of Expediency Council Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani
on the auspicious occasion.