Author: Kalantarian Kevo

U.S. AMBASSADOR TO TURKEY MAKES PATENTLY FALSE ASSERTIONS, ANCA STATES

Mediamax
Aug 12 2011
Armenia

Yerevan/Mediamax/. Ambassador Francis Ricciardone, U.S. Ambassador to
Turkey, made a patently incorrect claim that “most of the Christian
churches functioning (on the territory of present-day Turkey) prior
to 1915 are still operating as churches”.

Francis Ricciardone’s response to written question from Senator
Robert Menendez reads this, Mediamax reports quoting Armenian National
Committee of America (ANCA).

Aram Hamparyan, Executive Director of the ANCA, called the diplomat’s
statement “demonstrably false assertions” noting that it results from
either “truly remarkable lack of awareness” or “willful distortion
of the facts of history”.

Historical records show that of the over 2000 Armenian Churches that
were functioning on the territory of present-day Turkey in 1915,
less than 50 operate today, ANCA’s statement reads.

AZERBAIJAN FIGHTS WITH GOOGLE (AND ARMENIA) OVER TERRITORY
by Giorgi Lomsadze

EurasiaNet.org

Aug 12 2011
NY

Azerbaijan has discovered that its territorial integrity has been
violated by a force far more powerful than Armenia — Google.

Much to Baku’s chagrin, Google Maps uses Armenian, rather than
Azerbaijani names for locations now occupied by Armenian forces,
but internationally considered part of Azerbaijan. The slivers of
land in question surround the fiercely disputed separatist region of
Nagorno Karabakh. (Fizuli region is termed Varanda, for instance.)

Baku believes that Google’s choice of regional nomenclature is the
result of alleged Armenian jiggery-pokery and has tasked the Azerbaijan
State Committee on Land and Cartography to get Google to correct its
word choice.

The Committee will be firing off an angry latter to Google’s California
headquarters soon. Committee Chairman Rafig Huseinli noted that this
is not the first time Google has violated Azerbaijan’s territorial
integrity and that Baku was able to negotiate changes to online
listings in the past.

With the advent of online mapping tools and social networking, many
of Azerbaijan and Armenia’s territorial battles have gone virtual. In
the past, Baku also wrangled with Microsoft over similar issues with
MSN.com maps.

GREAT HONOR FOR CYPRUS TO HOST ARMENIA VESSEL – CYPRUS PRESIDENT

news.am
Aug 12 2011
Armenia

President of Cyprus Demetris Christofias and his Armenian counterpart
Serzh Sargsyan attended a special ceremony welcoming “Armenia” vessel
on Thursday which docked at Limassol, Cyprus Mail newspaper reports.

Limassol is the final destination for vessel’s epic world trip,
started on May 18, 2009 in Valencia, Spain. Vessel’s arrival in
Limassol coincides with 20th anniversary of independence of the
Republic of Armenia.

Addressing the Armenian President, his Cypriot counterpart said
he was glad to welcome him and the vessel Armenia to Cyprus, the
newspaper writes.

“It is a great honor for such trip to end in Cyprus, a symbol of the
excellent relations between Cyprus and Armenia.

The brotherly relations between Cyprus and Armenia are founded on
common traditions, the struggle to survive and to progress, based on
faith towards international law, peace, independence and freedom of
peoples and respect of human rights,” said Christofias.

4 ARMENIAN JUDOISTS TO PARTAKE IN PARIS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

ARMENPRESS
AUGUST 12, 2011
YEREVAN

4 Armenian judoists will partake August 23-28 in 2011 Paris World Judo
Championships. The RA Judo Federation reports that Hovhannes Davtyan,
60kg, and Armen Nazaryan, 66kg, will partake in men’s tournament.

Gayane Harutyunyan, 48kg, and Janna Stankevich, 62kg, will partake
in women’s tournament.

The chief coach of the RA National judo team is Adrian Kriotaru.

NGO CLARIFIES AUTHENTICITY OF VIDEO FOOTAGE OF SECTARIAN GROUP

Tert.am
12.08.11

A non-governmental organization called We Will Not Keep Silent had
distributed a statement and a video that featured a Sunday event of
a sectarian organization in Gyumri earlier on Friday.

The statement said that the pastor of the sectarian group called
Speech of Life drives the audience during the gatherings into an
unconscious state of mind by touching their forehead with his hand,
leaving much mystery over how he does it.

Shirak Kentron, a Gyumri-based NGO, issued a statement later in the
day over the issue, saying that the video does not feature a Sunday
event of the Speech of Life but rather that of one of the sectarian
groups of the Evangelical Church.

It also said that the pastor is Vahagn Poghosyan who is well-known
to Gyumri residents since the Artsakh Movement and who is a pastor
of one of Evangelical churches.

Below is the aforementioned video.

SEVERAL ARMENIAN PARTIES TO FORM ALLIANCE OF LEFT-WING FORCES

arminfo
Friday, August 12, 18:53

We are going to form the alliance of the left-wing forces in Armenia,
the leader of the United Progressive Communist Party Vazgen Safaryan
said at today’s press-conference.

“The alliance will first of all deal with problems of development
of industry, as creation of the job places is a significant factor
to stop outflow of the population from the country, which has gained
threatening scale”, – Safaryan said.

Touching on the domestic political situation, in particular,
extraordinary elections, Safaryan said the necessity of their holding
is rather doubtful. “The forces which want holding of such elections,
cannot themselves change our ineffective system. For this reason,
we think that the elections should be regular and should have an
ideological basis. As for the parliament, the forces which are
seriously concerned about development of economy, and can take the
country out of the crisis, must enter the parliament”, – he emphasized.

KAREN DRAMBYAN DID NOT HAVE ANY CONNECTION WITH ARMENIAN COMMUNITY OF ESTONIA

ARMENPRESS
AUGUST 12, 2011
YEREVAN

Karen Drambyan, who attacked the Defense Ministry of Estonia on August
11, did not have any connection with Armenian community of Estonia,
head of Armenian community of Tallinn Razmik Ivanyan told Armenpress,
noting that he cannot describe Karen Drambyan, as he was known only
as a person of Armenian descent.

“I have met with him once or twice. With this step he showed what kind
of person he is: he tried to solve the social issues in that way,” Mr.
Ivanyan said.

According to him, the position of the community is the following:
it is not engaged in politics. “We only want to present Armenian
culture here,” the head of the Armenian community stressed, once again
stressing that Drambyan has not been a member of Armenian community.

To remind, Karen Drambyan attacked the building of the Defense Ministry
of Estonia and was killed by members of special detachments.

“THE WASHINGTON POST”: NK PEOPLE SAY NEVER TO WAIVE THEIR SELF-DETERMINATION RIGHT

ARMENPRESS
August 12, 2011
YEREVAN

Resuming of war in Nagorno Karabakh will be a great disaster for
all interested parties: all the parties involved in this conflict
hold the same view only in this issue, writes correspondent of
“The Washington Post” Will Englund, who has lately dedicated three
articles to the topic of Nagorno Karabakh. The journalist visited
the Nagorno Karabakh Republic, had interviews with President Bako
Sahakyan, Prime Minister Arayik Harutyunyan and other high-ranking
officials and representatives of civil society.

The journalist is of the opinion that in case of resuming of the war
regional big states like Russia, Turkey and Iran, will try to have
their participation in this issue, “besides that, the war will harm
the supply of American troops in Afghanistan”.

“All of us shares the common wish of not allowing a war,” Englund
mentions, citing OSCE Minsk Group American co-chair Robert Bradtke.

“Nagorno Karabakh people say they will never waive their
self-determination right,” “The Washington post” writes.

SDHP MEMBER OFFERS TO SWAP PART OF ARTSAKH LIBERATED TERRITORIES FOR NAKHIJEVAN

PanARMENIAN.Net
August 12, 2011

PanARMENIAN.Net – Member of Social Democrat Hunchakian Party Vahan
Shirkhanyan supposes that Armenia should change the current “lands
for status” formula of resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict to
“lands for lands” principle.

Shirkhanyan offers to exchange part of Artsakh liberated territories
for Nakhijevan. “This will put an end to an Armenian-Azerbaijani
conflict that lasts for a hundred of years already,” he told reporters
on August 12.

“25 years ago no one could believe that the Soviet Union may collapse
and no one believed in success of Karabakh liberation movement,”
he said, adding that the world history saw similar precedents of
conflict resolution through swap of lands.

CERTIFICATES TO BE GIVEN TO THE FIRST SCHOOL-LEAVERS OF “SUMMER SCHOOL OF YOUNG LEADERS” PROGRAM

Noyan Tapan

12.08.2011

(Noyan Tapan – 12.08.2011) The closing ceremony of “Summer school of
young leaders” program of the Ra Ministry of Diaspora will take place
on August 12. The young people will present their jointly developed
pan-Armenian programs. The RA Minister of Diaspora Hranush Hakobyan
will give certificates to the first school-leavers.

According to the department of press and public relations of the
RA Ministry of Diaspora, 28 young Diaspora Armenians of 21-3- ages
from Holland, Spain, Syria, United Arab Emirates, Belarus, the USA,
Estonia, Georgia, Russia, Ukraine and Germany participated in the
program launched on August 1.

The program aimed at creating mutual cognitive field for Armenian young
leaders, strengthening their ties with the motherland, introducing
national culture, organize meeting with the authorities, developing
ways for further cooperation.