Author: Kalantarian Kevo

Young Man Leaves Australia, Joins Armenian Armed Forces

– POSTED ON SEPTEMBER 2, 2014POSTED IN: NEWS

By Bairamian | February 18, 2014

There are stories that show the exceptional devotion to the Armenian
homeland among a new generation of young Armenians who realize that
the future of Armenia is their responsibility and is a matter of their
individual contribution to the future of the nation. This is one of
those stories.

Tigran Petrosyan is a young man who lived in Australia for five years
and recently repatriated to Armenia. He is currently serving in the
defense units of the Armenian Armed Forces. He is stationed in
Artsakh.

The following is theGampr’s translation of the Razm.info interview.

Razm.info spoke with Tigran Petrosyan, an Armenian repatriate from
Australia who is currently serving in the Armenian Armed Forces in
Artsakh.

After living in Australia for five years and receiving a college
education, the 20 year-old Petrosyan chose to return to his homeland
and establish permanent residency there. Thereafter, he was drafted
into the army as is required by law.

Razm.info: You’ve decided to return to Armenia and live here. What is
the reason behind your decision?

Petrosyan: After living outside Armenia for five years, I felt like
something was missing; I didn’t feel happy, although I had whatever I
needed: I studied at a good university, I had a good job. But after
thinking about it long and hard, I decided to return to Armenia, live
here, and start a family.

I didn’t have any legal issues [in Australia or Armenia]. Rather, I
decided on my own to return to my homeland. My conscience is at rest,
I feel better – better even than in Australia. And, in all honesty, my
life here is better.

Razm.info: And had you thought about serving in the Armed Forces?

Petrosyan: Yes, of course. I had thought about it and was ready to
serve. I had never given any thought to skipping military service. If
I had, I wouldn’t have even returned.

Razm.info: How long before you started your military service did you
return to Armenia? Did you see any changes [in the country]?

Petrosyan: I returned in the summer of 2013. About 4-5 months later, I
was drafted into the military. As far as changes, yes, of course there
were actual changes. I think that after my military service, I’ll see
even more of them.

Razm.info: After living in a foreign country for so many years, how
was the process of getting used to being called to military service?
How were you able to adjust to the lifestyle change?

Petrosyan: Although I was gone for about 5 years, even abroad I tried
to live as an Armenian. That is, I didn’t cut myself off from my
roots. So, my return wasn’t a shock but the years away had surely left
their mark.

The pre-military service preparations and tests took a bit long. In a
few instances there were some mix-ups and confusion which were a
result of my expired passport. In the end, after the bureaucratic
hurdles, I was able to leave for my service.

Razm.info: You are now a military service member, you’ve given the
soldier’s oath. How do you feel?

Petrosyan: I’m very proud and happy. A soldier’s oath has a special
place in any man’s life and I’ll remember [mine] for a long time.

Razm.info: What are the main difficulties of military service?

Petrosyan: Honestly, I’ve been here for a few weeks already but I
don’t have anything bad to say – I haven’t yet encountered any serious
issues.

I like the food. I’m especially pleased with our uniform. I’d like to
start shooting exercises as soon as possible. Until now, there have
only been positive emotions on my end – again, I’m really happy. The
only yearning I have that I’m reminded of often is that for my family
since I’ve been away from them for so long; that feeling is always
with me.

Razm.info: You said you liked the food in the Army. What’s your favorite?

Petrosyan: I think I’d say my favorite is the bread and cheese we’re
served for breakfast.

Razm.info: And how have you adjusted to waking up early?

Petrosyan: In Australia I’d wake up around 5:00AM so here it’s a bit
more humane (smiles).

Razm.info: Which weapons [or, military equipment] do you like the most?

Petrosyan: I love cars and my expertise is in that area so naturally,
I’d like to be a driver [of military vehicles]: Ural, Kamaz, or Satko
trucks. I also really like tanks.

Razm.info: What would say to conclude?

Petrosyan: [To fellow soldiers] Happy military service and happy return to all!

The Economist: Ilham Aliyev faces declining oil revenues and is
interested in tensions on line of contact

16:58 05/09/2014 >> IN THE WORLD

Conflict in Nagorno Karabakh – contested region between Armenia and
Azerbaijan has recently been exacerbating, writes British the
Economist. Though the current conflict started in 1988, its roots go
back to the beginning of the previous century. Ethnic Armenians
constitute the majority of the region’s population.

The article notes that the conflict between the two countries began
during the breakup of the Soviet Union. Despite the 1994 ceasefire
brokered by Russia the region remains a hot spot where tensions are
increasing periodically, targeting civilians.

Heavy Azeri losses at the start of August provoked bellicose rhetoric
from the president, Ilham Aliyev. “The war is not over,” he declared.
“Only the first stage of it is,” quotes the article.

After the meeting between Presidents of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia
in Sochi at the beginning of August, tensions have cooled.

According to Thomas de Waal, current tensions partly have to do with
some external circumstances. The situation in Ukraine diverts the
attention of the international community, at the same time in
Azerbaijan a discontent grows towards the Minsk Group’s ineffective
process, while tensions between Russia and West further complicate the
cooperation with the Minsk Group. We have also witnessed worrying
incidents, even in Nakhichevan, where until recently there was a
peaceful situation, has noted the expert.

According to De Waal, the party interested in fuelling tensions is
Azerbaijan since the losing side as a rule tends to exacerbate the
situation.

“Major challenges Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev will confront in
his third term are declining oil revenues, a poor track record on
human rights and the possibility of renewed conflict over
Nagorno-Karabakh,” says the article by Sabine Freizer, senior fellow
with the Dinu Patriciu Eurasia Center and the Program on Transatlantic
Relations.

Source: Panorama.am

Freedom of speech in France cannot walk hand in hand with denial of
genocide: Bruno Le Roux

12:57, 5 September, 2014

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 5, ARMENPRESS: The delegation of the Socialist
faction of the Parliament of the Republic of France paid a tribute in
the memory of the victims of the Armenian Genocide at the
Tsitsernakaberd Memorial.

Armenpress reports that the delegation of the French parliamentarians,
headed by the Head of the faction Bruno Le Roux, was met by the
Director of the Armenian Genocide Museum Institute Hayk Demoyan and
guided to the Memorial Complex. Here the delegation laid a wreath and
at the eternal fire the guests laid flowers and bowed in the memory of
the victims.

Bruno Le Roux stated that he had the opportunity to visit the memorial
when Francois Hollande had not been the President yet and was involved
in the delegation. Concerning the importance of the new bill
(represented by the deputy Valerie Boyer) criminalizing the denial of
the Armenian Genocide, the PM believes that its adoption will
enable building a new future taking into account the reality. “The
history shows that to show the future we need to take into account the
reality, though some states and individuals deny it. The Armenian
Genocide is a fact that for France it is necessary to summarize in the
framework of the law that any denial should get its response. France
is a country, which has gone ahead in the recognition of the Armenian
Genocide and has values, which should be preserved”, – said the
socialist PM.

REVUE DE PRESSE
Les derniers Arméniens de Myanmar

L’une des plus anciennes églises de Myanmar, connue également sous le
nom de Birmanie, lutte pour son existence – l’effectif de ses
paroissiens n’atteignant plus qu’occasionnellement un nombre à deux
chiffres. Mais l’ouverture du pays aux investissements étrangers et au
tourisme permet quelques espoirs.

Le révérend John Felix, prêtre de l’église arménienne à Yangon, connu
également sous le nom de Rangoon, ne connaît pas l’arménien – tout
comme ses paroissiens. Notons que les fidèles sont vraiment peu
nombreux ces jours-ci – ils étaient à peine sept, y compris moi-même,
en ce récent dimanche matin.

L’église vieille de 150 ans bénéficie d’un environnement imposant, au
coin d’une rue au centre de Yangon. C’est un bel immeuble, un havre de
calme dans une ville animée.

L’église arménienne orthodoxe de Saint Jean le Baptiste – qui se
dresse, cela n’est guère surprenant, dans Merchant Street – est
peut-être le dernier vestige de l’une des communautés les plus
commerçantes de la ville.

” À en croire les archives de l’église, il y a eu en Birmanie jusqu’à
plusieurs centaines de familles arméniennes, mais le dernier ‘ pur ‘
Arménien est mort l’an passé. Dans tout le pays, il ne reste plus que
10 à 20 familles en partie arméniennes – et à peine une poignée parmi
eux viennent encore à l’église “, dit Felix.

Rachel Minus, la trentaine, sait chanter en arm̩nien Рet elle le fait
avec un profond respect – mais elle ne sait pas faire usage de la
langue. Elle assiste à l’office du dimanche avec son père, qui se
charge également de sonner les cloches.

” Mon grand-père était un pur Arménien et notre nom de famille dérive
du patronyme arménien Minossian. Nous sommes nous-mêmes en partie
Arméniens ; cette église et les services qui s’y déroulent sont pour
nous pleins de signification ” a-elle dit.

Ce dimanche-là, seul un autre fidèle était d’ascendance arménienne.
Percy Everard a fréquenté l’église pendant des décennies. Son mariage,
pense le prêtre, a été le dernier à avoir eu lieu dans l’église – mais
il y a si longtemps que personne n’est vraiment sûr de la date de sa
célébration. Au début du 17ème siècle, de nombreux Arméniens ont fui
l’Empire ottoman, et se sont établis à Ispahan, dans ce qui est
aujourd’hui l’Iran. De là, dans les années qui suivirent, ils furent
nombreux à voyager pour créer un réseau commercial allant d’Amsterdam
à Manille.

Leur influence sur l’empire britannique des Indes atteignit un sommet
à la fin du 19ème siècle, lorsque, selon des documents concordants,
environ 1 300 Arméniens vivaient principalement à Calcutta, Dacca, et
Rangoon.

Proches de la cour royale Birmane, ils bénéficièrent d’un statut
particulièrement privilégié au sein de la communauté commerciale de
Rangoon. Selon certains, le terrain sur lequel l’église a été
construite aurait été donné aux Arméniens par le roi de Birmanie.

Les h̫tels les plus prestigieux de la r̩gion Рparmi lesquels The
Strand, à quelques pas de l’église au centre de Rangoon, et le Raffles
de Singapour, encore plus réputé peut-être, ont été construits par des
Arméniens.

Mais peu à peu, au cours du siècle passé, beaucoup dans ces petits
avant-postes arméniens, rendus inquiets par l’instabilité politique ou
économique, ont cherché un autre lieu pour y vivre – l’Australie étant
l’une de leurs destinations favorites.

John Felix – dont l’évêché se situe à des milliers de kilomètres plus
loin, à Sydney – est un ecclésiastique accueillant et enthousiaste,
fier de son église, qui poursuit son office, même si les effectifs de
sa paroisse ne cessent de diminuer.

Felix a pris la suite de son père comme prêtre de l’église de Yangon,
qui mort il y a trois ans après un ministère de plus de 30 ans. Comme
son père, il fut ordonné dans la communion anglicane une première
fois, puis réordonné prêtre orthodoxe.

Il est né à Myanmar ; il parle le birman – mais il est d’origine
indienne du sud, et ses racines sont donc dans une autre des
communautés migrantes qui firent à l’époque de Yangon une plaque
tournante commerciale florissante.

Par Andrew Whitehead

BBC

vendredi 5 septembre 2014,
Stéphane (c)armenews.com

DIPLOMATIE-ARMENIE-OTAN
Le président arménien Serge Sarkissian reçu par Andres Rasmussen et
David Cameron au sommet de l’OTAN au Pays de Galles (PHOTOS)

Anders Rasmussen, Secrétaire général de l’Alliance atlantique et David
Cameron le Premier ministre britannique ont salué hier l’arrivée du
président arménien Serge Sarkissian au sommet de l’OTAN au Pays de
Galles. Serge Sarkissian participera à Cardiff en compagnie de 27
autres pays à la réunion consacrée à la question de la sécurité en
Afghanistan, l’Arménie étant engagée par un bataillon aux côtés de
l’OTAN. En marge de ce sommet qui s’ouvre aujourd’hui une rencontre
Sarkissian-Aliev était annoncée hier comme probable selon nombre de
sources d’informations. Elle eut effectivement lieu.(voir
l’information sur armenews)

Krikor Amirzayan

Le président arménien Serge Sarkissian salue le Premier ministre
britannique David Cameron au sommet de l’OTAN au Pays de Galles
Le président arménien -derrière Obama- au sommet de l’OTAN au Pays de Galles
Le président arménien Serge Sarkissian au sommet de l’OTAN au Pays de Galles
Le président arménien présient du sommet de l’OTAN au Pays de Galles

vendredi 5 septembre 2014,
Krikor Amirzayan (c)armenews.com

ECNS, China
Sept 3 2014

Senior CPC official meets Armenian party delegation

2014-09-04 08:51 Xinhua

Senior Communist Party of China (CPC) official Zhao Leji on Wednesday
met with a delegation of Prosperous Armenia, a major political party
of Armenia, headed by Gagik Tsarukyan.

Zhao, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee,
said Armenia is an important partner of China and the relationship
between the two parties has been growing fast over the past years.

Zhao, also head of the Organization Department of the CPC Central
Committee, said China will work together with Armenia, in line with
Chinese President Xi Jinping’s proposal of building the Silk Road
economic belt, to enhance mutual trust and boost reciprocal
cooperation.

Tsarukyan, founder and leader of the Armenian party, said they visit
China with aims to cement the relationship between the two parties as
well as the two countries, learn from China’s experience of
development, and boost Armenia-China economic cooperation.

Next Liberation, France
3 sept 2014

: Arménie, y a un turc

Didier PÉRON (à Venise)

CRITIQUE

Fatih Akin revient sur le génocide arménien dans un film qui interroge
la question du rapport à l’Histoire.

Parmi les morceaux de choix proposés aux festivaliers, The Cut, de
Fatih Akin, occupait une bonne place. En effet, le jeune cinéaste
allemand, d’origine turque (41 ans), n’a cessé de jouer les wonder
boys, accumulant les récompenses : ours d’or 2004 à Berlin avec Head
On puis encore grand prix du jury à la Mostra en 2009 pour Soul
Kitchen. Cette fresque coûteuse qui ne fédère pas moins d’une dizaine
de pays à la production a fait parler d’elle avant même d’être
montrée, à la fois en raison de son sujet (le génocide arménien entre
1915 et 1917) et parce que les ultranationalistes turcs se sont
montrés menaçants à l’égard du cinéaste, affirmant que The Cut ne
serait distribué dans aucune salle du pays.

Bilingue. Contentieux historique entre Turquie et Arménie, la notion
de génocide continue d’être rejetée par les dirigeants turcs comme l’a
encore prouvé, en avril, le Premier ministre, Recep Tayyip Erdogan,
présentant les condoléances de la Turquie , mais affirmant dans un entretien à la chaîne
américaine PBS :

Fatih Akin avait en réalité un autre projet en tête, plus risqué
encore : un film sur le journaliste arménien Hrant Dink, fondateur à
Istanbul de l’hebdomadaire bilingue turc-arménien Agos, assassiné par
un nationaliste turc en janvier 2007. Or le cinéaste, qui a accordé
récemment un entretien à Agos, raconte :

Sanctions Are Already Affecting Armenian Economy

Lragir.am
Country – 03 September 2014, 23:26

The deputy minister of finance Pavel Safaryan told reporters during
the parliamentary briefing that the estimated tax collections were not
delivered because the estimated economic growth was not delivered.

“The rate of economic growth which we had envisaged by the annual
program [has not been achieved], as of today, we are behind the
forecast. The reasons are many, mostly slow economic growth in
countries around us, namely Russia’s economy,” he noted.

Pavel Safaryan said Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan’s anti-shadow
program has a positive impact on tax collections. Without this
activity tax collections would have been lower.

“There is no need to dramatize. What has happened? The government had
forecasted 1,097,000,000,000 drams of revenues and allocated it by
quarters. This is the problem of the government and now deviation of
about six billion from that allocation has occurred. This deviation
could be restored within several months if economic growth is
improved. It may increase a little more if the rate of economic growth
is not sufficient. We have envisaged a 5.2% increase of GDP, if the
end-of-year output is below 5.2%, we will have insufficient tax
collections,” the deputy minister said.

In answer to the question what awaits the economy of Armenia if it
joins the Eurasian Union, Pavel Safaryan said whether or not Armenia
joined the Customs Union, economic relations with Russia would
continue anyway. Whether or not Armenia joins the Eurasian Union,
economic developments in Russia will affect Armenia’s economy.

In regard to sanctions against Russia, the deputy minister said they
will have both positive and negative impacts on Armenia’s economy. “If
some goods are not allowed into the Russian market, we will integrate
with that market more easily. I mean processed food. The companies
which export goods said during the latest meeting with the prime
minister that there is no problem with quantities of sales on the
Russian market. This is a big advantage, it simply needs to be
organized better.”

Scholar: Australia Uses Foreign Policy to Distract People From Domestic Problems

Australia’s neo-conservative government of Tony Abbott is unpopular at
home, the expert says.

(c) REUTERS/ Lisa Maree Williams/Pool
14:03 04/09/2014

Related News

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MOSCOW, September 4 (RIA Novosti), Daria Chernyshova – Australia’s
neo-conservative government of Tony Abbott is unpopular at home and is
using foreign policy to divert attention from domestic issues, Raoul
Heinrichs, a Sir Arthur Tange doctoral scholar at the Australian
National University’s Strategic and Defense Studies Centre, told RIA
Novosti, commenting on Canberra’s decision this week to increase
sanctions on Moscow to EU levels.

“There are really three dimensions that underpin Australian foreign
policy on these issues,” Heinrichs said, when asked about Abbott’s
foreign policy toward Russia.

“First, the Abbott government has adopted a hyperactive
neo-conservative foreign policy. It does not believe in geopolitical
limits on Australian interests, so feels free to tackle global issues
well beyond Australia’s traditional areas of concern. It is highly
ideological and moralistic, so tends to view geopolitical issues in
terms of ‘good vs. evil’. And it emphasizes the deployment of
Australian military power, whenever possible and in different
capacities, often as a first rather than a last resort,” Heinrichs
explained.

The second dimension, according to Heinrichs, is that the Abbott
government is wedded to a very traditional version of Australian
foreign policy, “which emphasizes supporting the United States on any
issue and in whichever way possible.”

“Third, the government is quite unpopular at home, so is seeking to
use foreign policy to distract from its domestic problems,” Heinrichs
stressed.

“It has passed a very unpopular budget, which has cut spending on
education and health. An activist foreign policy is designed to make
Abbott look statesmanlike, like a world leader, in an attempt to
improve the government’s popularity in the election polls back home.”

On Monday, Canberra announced an expansion of sanctions against
Russia, including restrictions on arms exports and goods and services
used in oil exploration or production, restrictions on the access of
Russian state-owned banks to Australian capital markets and on
Australian investment in Crimea. New sanctions also target the
financial sector and include travel bans on an additional 63 Russian
and Ukrainian individuals and 21 entities.

“So yes, actually Australia has gone beyond just lifting sanctions. It
has also sought to upgrade its status within NATO. It has committed to
opening an interim embassy in Kiev, and it is now offering Ukraine
military assistance, at first in the form of nonlethal training and
supplies, and later perhaps in other forms of military cooperation,”
Heinrichs told RIA Novosti.

The expansion of restrictions against Russia, however, was delayed and
Canberra embarked on new sanctions later than the European Union or
the United States.

“The delay in lifting sanctions had to do with [Malaysia Airlines
flight] MH17. The Australian government needed Russian cooperation to
pass its UN Security Council resolution, to repatriate bodies and
begin an investigation. With these objectives in mind, it didn’t want
to jeopardize Russian goodwill,” Heinrichs said, adding that now that
the conflict has escalated, Australia “has no need for Russian
cooperation and so feels free to adopt a more confrontational policy.”

Russian Envoy: NATO’s Course May Negatively Affect Global Security

Russia’s Permanent Representative to NATO Alexander Grushko said
NATO’s course could negatively affect regional and global security

(c) RIA Novosti. Grigory Sisoev
11:03 04/09/2014

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MOSCOW, September 4 (RIA Novosti) – NATO is taking a course that could
negatively affect regional and global security, despite having no real
grounds for increasing the alliance’s activities, Russia’s Permanent
Representative to NATO Alexander Grushko said in an interview with
Euronews.

“NATO takes a course which could seriously weaken regional and global
security. On one hand, NATO begins military preparations against
Russia. On the other hand, NATO reduces its own ability to cooperate
with Russia over the problems which NATO cannot efficiently deal with
on its own without interaction with international players including
Russia, ” said Grushko in an interview released Thursday.

Grushko has characterized Russia’s attitude toward NATO’s plans to
increase its military presence in Eastern Europe as absolutely
negative. He added that Moscow has repeatedly expressed its concern
about the organization’s increased presence near Russian borders.

“This worries us for many reasons. First of all, there is no ground
for increased NATO activities,” Grushko said.

On Thursday and Friday, a NATO summit will take place in Newport,
Wales, gathering 60 world leaders among thousands of delegates. The
summit’s agenda will include the discussion of the ongoing conflict in
Ukraine, NATO’s relations with Russia, the withdrawal of US troops
from Afghanistan, enhancing the collective defense of the alliance and
the activities of Islamic State (IS) militants in Iraq and Syria.

Even though the majority of topics directly concern Moscow, Russia was
not invited to participate in the summit, as, according to some
sources, its presence was deemed “unreasonable.”