Author: Kalantarian Kevo

ARMENIAN COURT REJECTS HUNANYAN BROTHERS’ BID TO REVIEW THEIR SENTENCES

Tert.am
16.09.11

An Armenian court has denied a request by lifers Nairi and Karen
Hunanyan brothers to review their sentences, according to the Armenian
website Hra.am.

The Hunanyans pointed to the amendments introduced in the Criminal
Code on 23 May 2011.

The defender of Hunanyan brothers said that the law allows changing
their life term for 20 years imprison. But the court dismissed the
request, saying that they committed a deed that is that poses threat
to the society and have therefore been given a worthy punishment.

Nairi and Karen Hunanyans were sentenced for the organization and
implementation of a terror attack on Armenia’s parliament on 27
October 1999, killing the then Prime Minister Vazgen Sargsyan,
Chairman of the National Assembly Karen Demirchyan and several MPs.

Edik Grigoryan, also sentenced to life imprisonment over the same case,
in turn, sent a letter to the court, demanding to review his sentence.

Grigoryan’s defender, Karapet Aghajanyan, told Hra.am that his
defendant also asked that the court to allow him and Aghajanyan to
attend the court hearing.

Aghajanyan, however, added that Grigoryan has so far not been informed
of the date of the court hearing.

TURKEY RETURNS PROPERTY OF CHRISTIAN COMMUNITIES, FEARING TO LOSE NUMEROUS LAWSUITS
Karine Ter-Sahakyan

PanARMENIAN.Net
September 6, 2011

In fact, Ankara, with a delay of 80 years, is simply performing
regulations of the Lausanne Peace Treaty under which national
minorities should be repaid the property they were deprived of in
the years of the World War I.

Erdogan’s government is gradually drawing Turkey closer to the position
of a regional leader. The recent proof of it is the cabinet decision
on returning to Christian churches hundreds of pieces of property
confiscated by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk in 1936. With specific regard
to the Armenian property, the assets to be returned make up only 1%
of the property confiscated during the World War I.

PanARMENIAN.Net – On August 28 Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan
signed a decree on the return of Christian and Jewish religious
property confiscated after the 1930s. The properties involved include
hospitals, orphanage and school buildings, burial grounds.

The Government also intends to pay compensation for the property sold
away. The property subject to return includes the former hospital,
orphanage, school buildings, cemeteries, shops, ground area, as well
as all assets of the Fund “Surb Harutiun” (Holly Resurrection).

Erdogan’s decision, most likely, is dictated by the conduct of
Iran, where the Armenian community enjoys the right of religious
minority and has representatives in parliament. So, there is nothing
extraordinary in this decision. Presumably, in this way Turkey decided
to sugar its refusal of ratification of the Protocols. An important
role was played here also by the European Court of Human Rights,
where lots of complaints from the rightful inheritors of the lands
and buildings had piled up. At the same time, the Court implicitly
admitted that property of the Christians was seized illegally. Ankara
made an accurate calculation: it is much cheaper and easier to return
the properties than to pay the claims, in view of inflation. It costs
billions of dollars at current prices. Even a country with an advanced
economy cannot withstand it, let alone Turkey, whose economic boom
may soon give way to depression.

Christian property was confiscated in Turkey, of course, illegally:
in 1936, the remaining Armenians, residing mostly in Istanbul, were
ordered to submit the list of their property, which was immediately
transferred to the possession of the State. In 1974 the property of
the Greek Orthodox Church was seized. In fact, thousands of buildings,
schools, summer camps were transferred to the possession of the State,
which directly put them on sale.

Erdogan’s decision was announced a few weeks after the Foreign Affairs
Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed
the amendment on the “Return of Christian Churches” with a vote of 43
to 1 (H.Res.306). In March of the current year a similar resolution
was adopted under the pressure of the Greek lobby (H.Res.180).

In 2008 the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) introduced
a bill “On estates”, which received force of law and provided an
opportunity to national minorities to regain ownership over their
properties seized in 1936 and 1975. According to the decision, the
property owned by 162 minority foundations was to be returned in the
period of 12 months. The State is to pay the community foundations
a sum equivalent to the property sold to third parties. Only in
Istanbul 30 structures owned by the fund of Armenian churches
are to be returned. In fact, Ankara, with a delay of 80 years,
is performing regulations of the Lausanne Peace Treaty under which
national minorities should be repaid the property they were deprived
of in the years of the World War I.

E-DESTINATION SIGNS TO BE INSTALLED AT YEREVAN BUS STOPS

Tert.am
16.09.11

To improve the work of public transport in Armenia’s capital,
the Yerevan city hall will install electronic destination signs at
Yerevan bus stops. The system will be connected to GPS and show the
time of arrival.

“The pilot operation of the system is to be launched after new busses
begin serving routes. The GPS installed at the new buses will enable
specialists to properly test the program before it is launched on
its full scale,” said Vahagn Tsatryan, Deputy Head of the Yerevan
Management Technologies Center.

VIDEO: MOTHER OF DECEASED SOLDIER TO DEMAND INVESTIGATION’S FINDINGS

epress.am
09.16.2011

The mother of Vardan Sevyan, who died on Aug. 19 while serving in
Armenia’s Armed Forces during a period of non combat, determined to
uncover the truth in the circumstances surrounding her son’s death,
will visit the site of the incident today.

Helsinki Association for Human Rights representative Arman Veziryan,
who visited Vardan’s mother, Susanna Sevyan, conveyed this news to
Epress.am today.

According to Veziryan, Sevyan’s family still has not been named as
the deceased successor and apart from the death certificate, they
have been given no other documents. What’s remarkable is that after
Vardan died, though the incident took place in Goris, it was a Sevan
garrison investigator who visited their home.

Furthermore, Epress.am was informed today that Vardan’s mother will
be asking for the findings from the investigation.

As reported earlier, military officials claimed that 20-year-old
Vardan Sevyan committed suicide after learning that his girlfriend had
married another man, but Sevyan’s mother and sister strongly reject
that explanation, saying that Vardan did not have a girlfriend. They
also say that he had complained of ill-treatment at the hands of an
army officer.

The video below with an interview with Vardan Sevyan’s mother was
provided by the Helsinki Association.

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST : HYDROPLANT CONSTRUCTION THREATENS ONE OF ARMENIA’S PICTURESQUE WATERFALLS
By Gayane Abrahamyan

ArmeniaNow
16.09.11 | 15:04

Photo:

Environmentalists sound an alarm that the Trchkan waterfalls on
the border of Armenia’s northern Shirak and Lori provinces is now
endangered, because of the ongoing construction of a small hydropower
station. They are concerned that the shifted river course will disrupt
the waterfalls and will harm the surrounding ecosystem which would
eventually vanish completely.

“The waterfalls will serve only to fill the pockets of certain people
and for a short-term economic gain, and over the years we’ll lose
another beautiful natural monument,” Susanna Elbakyan, head of the
Gyumri-based Srbazan Hogh (Sacred Soil) NGO, told ArmeniaNow.

Experts cite data showing that the Trchkan waterfalls are the second
highest in Armenia and can be a tourist attraction site due to the
beauty of the area. By the contract it will operate as waterfalls
only during three summer months, and would be shut down by changing
the river course towards the hydropower station.

“It will become a “push-button” waterfall, and it’s a big question
whether years later the company exploiting the station would want to
keep spending money on changing the river flow, opening and closing
the waterfalls,” Naira Petrosyan, member of Preserve the Trchnak
Waterfalls initiative group, told ArmeniaNow.

Last week environmentalists held a protest in front of the government
building demanding to suspend the construction, and as a result
Environment Minister Aram Harutyunyan promised to look into the issue
and study the documents permitting construction.

For ten days the construction works were halted; however,
environmentalists are concerned that it’s not a solution to the
issue for as long as the company possesses permissions granted by
all inspectorates and respective bodies.

“How could such permission be granted when the waterfall is on the list
of Armenia’s natural monuments as a hydrographic monument and by the
law on protected natural areas any kind of construction endangering
the preservation of the given natural monument is forbidden on
its territory? Halting it is not a solution, it should be stopped
permanently,” says environmental activist Mariam Sukhudyan.

PRISONER COMMITS SUICIDE IN ARMENIA

04:27 pm | Today | Social

An inmate committed suicide on Wednesday morning by hanging himself
in Kosh penitentiary institution in Aragatsotn region.

In April 2008, Ara Hayrapteyan was sentenced to seven years in prison
under Articles 175, 34-176, 35-175 and 65.

Hayrapteyan left a note saying that the suicide was motivated by
personal reasons and had nothing to do with his conviction.

SERZH SARGSYAN’S HARD CHOICE
Naira Hayrumyan

Story from Lragir.am News:

Published: 15:45:17 – 16/09/2011

In late September, Serzh Sargsyan will attend the Eastern Partnership
Summit in Poland. In October, a visit of Nikolas Sarkozy to the South
Caucasus is expected. At the end of September or in October Serzh
Sargsyan may visit the United States. He has already been reported
likely to attend a reception in Los Angeles dedicated to the 20th
anniversary of Independence of Armenia. He may also show up at the UN
General Assembly where at the end of September discussions on global
nuclear security will be held. These visits have not been officially
declared yet but there is a message that in October, Serzh Sargsyan
will travel to Moscow for a state visit.

Apparently, Serzh Sargsyan will have to report to Moscow what happened
in Poland and the United States. Quite interesting things may happen.

The signing of the EU-Armenia Association Agreement may be boosted,
which suggests more substantive change of orientation of Yerevan
towards Europe. For its part, it brings up questions about raising
the level of economic and military sovereignty of Armenia, which is
now closely tied to Russia.

In the United States, he may meet with Barack Obama, and this meeting
may also have political consequences in the form of the U.S. economic
and political support to Armenia. It has already been stated that
in the first half of this year, the U.S. investments in Armenia have
grown dramatically. In absolute numbers, it is not much but the trend
itself is symptomatic. The United States had stopped investments in
Armenia a long time before, limiting grants and targeted loans. The
resumption of investments is an indicator of transformation of the
U.S. interest in Armenia.

Nearly the same process is underway in other former Soviet countries,
particularly Ukraine, Georgia and Belarus who are also beneficiaries of
the Eastern Partnership. It has already been stated that an association
agreement may be signed with Ukraine, which is perceived as a stab
with a knife in the back of Russia.

Apparently, in this context has Moscow decided to intensify the
centrifugal process of “strengthening” the CIS and CSTO. Leakages
follow each other that Russia is preparing to confer gendarmerie
powers to the CSTO Rapid Reaction Force, that the law enforcement
bodies of CSTO will jointly control social networks and, therefore,
protect the governments from revolutions.

It is noteworthy that the leaders of the CIS and CSTO do not express
in regard to these initiatives of Russia. Armenia has also refrained
from such statements, apparently realizing that if it approves the
proposed Russian concept of rendering the CSTO gendarmes, it will
have to give up the association with the EU and U.S. investments.

The choice is really hard. Russia offers long-term protection for
governments from revolutions but does not give money and does not
allow democracy to develop, leaving Armenia behind global trends. The
West offers modernization but it does not guarantee preservation of
power if it is not democratic.
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Content-Description:

MIME-Version: 1.0
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From: Mihran Keheyian
Subject: =?windows-1252?Q?Serzh_Sargsyan=92s_Hard_Choice?=

Serzh Sargsyan?s Hard Choice

Naira Hayrumyan

Story from Lragir.am News:

Published: 15:45:17 – 16/09/2011

In late September, Serzh Sargsyan will attend the Eastern Partnership
Summit in Poland. In October, a visit of Nikolas Sarkozy to the South
Caucasus is expected. At the end of September or in October Serzh
Sargsyan may visit the United States. He has already been reported
likely to attend a reception in Los Angeles dedicated to the 20th
anniversary of Independence of Armenia. He may also show up at the UN
General Assembly where at the end of September discussions on global
nuclear security will be held. These visits have not been officially
declared yet but there is a message that in October, Serzh Sargsyan
will travel to Moscow for a state visit.

Apparently, Serzh Sargsyan will have to report to Moscow what happened
in Poland and the United States. Quite interesting things may happen.
The signing of the EU-Armenia Association Agreement may be boosted,
which suggests more substantive change of orientation of Yerevan
towards Europe. For its part, it brings up questions about raising the
level of economic and military sovereignty of Armenia, which is now
closely tied to Russia.

In the United States, he may meet with Barack Obama, and this meeting
may also have political consequences in the form of the U.S. economic
and political support to Armenia. It has already been stated that in
the first half of this year, the U.S. investments in Armenia have
grown dramatically. In absolute numbers, it is not much but the trend
itself is symptomatic. The United States had stopped investments in
Armenia a long time before, limiting grants and targeted loans. The
resumption of investments is an indicator of transformation of the
U.S. interest in Armenia.

Nearly the same process is underway in other former Soviet countries,
particularly Ukraine, Georgia and Belarus who are also beneficiaries
of the Eastern Partnership. It has already been stated that an
association agreement may be signed with Ukraine, which is perceived
as a stab with a knife in the back of Russia.

Apparently, in this context has Moscow decided to intensify the
centrifugal process of ?strengthening? the CIS and CSTO. Leakages
follow each other that Russia is preparing to confer gendarmerie
powers to the CSTO Rapid Reaction Force, that the law enforcement
bodies of CSTO will jointly control social networks and, therefore,
protect the governments from revolutions.

It is noteworthy that the leaders of the CIS and CSTO do not express
in regard to these initiatives of Russia. Armenia has also refrained
from such statements, apparently realizing that if it approves the
proposed Russian concept of rendering the CSTO gendarmes, it will have
to give up the association with the EU and U.S. investments.

The choice is really hard. Russia offers long-term protection for
governments from revolutions but does not give money and does not
allow democracy to develop, leaving Armenia behind global trends. The
West offers modernization but it does not guarantee preservation of
power if it is not democratic.

ARMENIE: LES ARCHEOLOGUES DECOUVRENT LA PLUS VIEILLE ROBE DU MONDE

RTFB

14 sept 2011
Belge

Des archeologues ont annonce mercredi avoir trouve en Armenie les
restes d’une robe de femme, qui aurait ete confectionnee il y a près
de 5900 ans.

“C’est le seul exemplaire de vetement fabrique a partir d’une
matière aussi ancienne”, a declare a l’AFP le directeur de l’institut
d’archeologie et d’ethnologie de l’Academie armenienne des sciences,
Pavel Avetissian.

La decouverte de morceaux de cette robe multicolore a ete effectuee
pendant des fouilles dans des grottes dans le Sud de l’Armenie,
un pays du Caucase du Sud.

Deux autres decouvertes – celles d’une chaussure en cuir presentee
comme la plus vieille du monde (5500 ans) et du plus ancien vignoble
remontant a 6100 ans – avaient ete faites precedemment au meme endroit.

Les restes de la robe ont ete dates par des scientifiques de
l’Universite de Californie et viennent d’etre restitues a l’Armenie,
a ajoute Pavel Avetissian.

“Dès que nous serons parvenus a remettre ensemble tous les morceaux
de la robe, nous pourrons etablir comment s’habillaient les femmes
au XXXIXe siècle avant Jesus-Christ”, a-t-il ajoute.

D’autres decouvertes pourraient etre effectuees prochainement, dans
la mesure où les fouilles dans ces grottes ne font que debuter,
a observe Pavel Avetissian.

AZERBAIJANI-ARMENIAN DISPUTE STYMIES EURONEST DOCUMENT

news.az
Sept 16 2011
Azerbaijan

The Euronest Parliamentary Assembly has not passed a final document
on political affairs following disagreement between Azerbaijani and
Armenian MPs.

The disagreements made for a dramatic second and final day of the
first ever Euronest Parliamentary Assembly in Strasbourg, the head
of the Azerbaijani delegation to Euronest, Elkhan Suleymanov, told APA.

The assembly brings together members of the European Parliament and
members of parliament from five of the countries in the European
Union’s Eastern Partnership (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova
and Ukraine).

The dispute in Strasbourg centred on the wording of the political
document. The Azerbaijani delegation proposed the inclusion of the
principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity and the inviolability
of borders in the document to be adopted by the assembly.

This was passed at the committee on political affairs on 14 September
and again in plenary session on the 15th, despite objections from
the Armenian delegation, Suleymanov said.

According to Suleymanov, the Armenian delegation threatened to boycott
Euronest and use the right of veto to protest at the inclusion.

“The Ukrainian co-chair of the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly,
Boris Tarasyuk, approached us with a proposal to include a compromise
principle in the final document. We said that we would agree with
any compromise within the interest of our country in accordance with
Azerbaijan’s policy. We added that, as a compromise, we could adopt
the proposal made by the Armenian delegation – a proposal on the
‘non-use of military force in the conflict’s settlement’. But the
Armenian delegation’s chairman demanded the inclusion of the principle
of ‘the right of nations to self-determination’,” Suleymanov said.

The Azerbaijani delegation said the proposal was unacceptable and
the two delegations, Euronest leadership and pro-Armenian members
of Euronest then gathered outside the chamber in an attempt to seek
agreement.

A new principle, the right of free and democratic self-expression,
was proposed by the Euronest leadership.

“When we did not agree with the principle, the vice-president of the
Euronest Parliamentary Assembly, pro-Armenian Jacek Saryusz-Wolski
said that Baku would not host the Euronest PA plenary session if we
did not adopt the principle,” Suleymanov said.

“We undertook to accept the last proposal only on condition that it
would be added to the article not related to conflicts, but related
to civil society building and freedom of speech. But the Armenian
delegation did not accept this either,” the Azerbaijani MP continued.

He praised his fellow members of the Azerbaijani delegation, especially
Fuad Muradov, Ali Huseynli and Asim Mollazade, for their active role
in the debates.

The discussion moved to the Bureau in an attempt to reach compromise,
but agreement could not be reached on where to include the phrase
“the right to free and democratic self-expression”.

“I strongly protested against this,” Suleymanov said. “Of course, the
reason for Armenia’s insistence on adding this phrase is known: based
on the so-called referendum held by the Nagorno Karabakh Armenians
in 1991, they intended to use this article and at the same time to
weaken the resolution adopted in May 2010 by the European Parliament
about the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.”

The Bureau rejected Saryusz-Wolski’s proposal not to hold the next
Euronest plenary session in Baku, but the political document was not
adopted, as compromise could not be reached.

“The Armenian delegation used the right of veto which led to the
document not being adopted. Our achievement was that the next plenary
session will be held in Baku and that a document against the interests
of Azerbaijan was not adopted. The report of the Euronest PA Committee
for Political Affairs, Human Rights and Democracy will be discussed
at the Bureau’s next meeting,” Suleymanov said.

He said the first session of the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly should
“be assessed as a great political achievement and significant step
towards the integration of our country into Europe”.

NAGORNO KARABAKH ON OSCE PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY SESSION AGENDA

news.az
Sept 16 2011
Azerbaijan

Nagorno Karabakh conflict will be discussed at the autumn session of
the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly in Dubrovnik, Croatia on October 7-11.

The statement came from vice-speaker of the Azerbaijani parliament,
head of the Azerbaijani delegation to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly
Bahar Muradova in her interview to the website of the New Azerbaijan
Party (YAP).

According to Bahar Muradova, the Azerbaijani delegation many times
put forward initiatives to hold such discussions. She said OSCE PA
President and Special Representative for the South Caucasus Joao
Soares said they would try to organize such discussions.

‘They underlined that the discussions could be held during the autumn
session. The agenda of the session has already been confirmed.

Discussions on the theme ~SThe role of the OSCE in the resolution of
the conflicts: Nagorno Karabakh problem~T will be held on the second
day of the autumn session on October 8, OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs
and Personal Representative of OSCE Chairman-in-Office will attend the
discussions. The co-chairs will make a report during the discussions,’
she said.

Underlining the importance of such discussions, Bahar Muradova said
the conflict is the focus of attention of the parliamentarians from
56 countries. According to vice-speaker, discussion of the Nagorno
Karabakh problem as a special issue in the international organization
is of great importance.