Author: Kalantarian Kevo

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT CONGRATULATES KURDISH COMMUNITY ON NAVRUZ

12:02 21.03.2014

President Serzh Sargsyan has congratulated the Kurdish Community of
Armenia on the occasion of Navruz. The message reads:

“I cordially congratulate the Kurds in Armenia on the occasion
of Navroz.

The neighborhood and friendship of our peoples have an age-old history,
and today the Kurdish community is the important part of the Armenian
society. We consider your worries as equally ours and we rejoice at
your achievements together with you.

Naturally, the New Year and the spring awakening bring new hopes. I
wish your kind dreams to come true and Navroz – the New Year – to be
a year of abundance, prosperity and flourishing for the Kurds living
in Armenia.”

UKRAINIANS ARE OUR BROTHERS: ARMENIA’S PRESIDENT /UPDATE/

18:31, 21 March, 2014

YEREVAN, MARCH 21, ARMENPRESS. The Armenians and Ukrainians are
fraternal peoples. The President of the Republic of Armenia Serzh
Sargsyan stated this during the state awards giving ceremony held
on March 21 in the presidential residence. As reports “Armenpress”,
Serzh Sargsyan underscored: “I want to address the Ukrainians and
say that we are fraternal peoples and there are thousands of facts on
our fraternity ranging from Lviv’s medieval cathedrals to the active
stance of Ukrainian community in today’s Armenia. Together we have
been fighting against the usurpers for centuries. We have thousands
of glorious pages of history. It has been this way and it will be
continued this way.

It so happens that some phenomena are differently understood in
the turmoil of the events and time. But the greatness of time is
also to clarify everything, different perceptions vanish, and time
puts everything in its place. I want to repeat once again that the
Ukrainians are our brothers.”

The Head of State informed the participants of the event that on March
21 he received a letter from Yelena Fetisova, who had been awarded the
Armenian President’s state award for the movie “Paradjanov”. Yelena
Fetisova explained with all due submission why she decided not to
arrive in Yerevan. Following this, President Sargsyan made a decision
to send the filmmaker’s award to Ukraine via her colleagues and use
the monetary award for charity purposes according to Fetisova’s wish.

According to Serzh Sargsyan’s decision the monetary award of AMD 5
million will be doubled and directed to the charity events.

Article by Hasmik Harutyunyan

Who Supplies Azerbaijan With Weapons: Numbers

Lragir.am
Politics – Wednesday, 19 March 2014, 17:52

Radio Liberty reported a study by Stockholm International Peace
Research Institute on sale of weapons all over the world. According to
this study, in 2009-2012 the share of Azerbaijan in imports of weapons
to Europe was 12%, preceded by the United Kingdom only. Compared with
the previous four years, in 2009-2013 Azerbaijan imported four times
more conventional weapons, rising from the 49th to the 19th place.

80% of arms bought by Azerbaijan in the last four years was from
Russia, including to S300 systems and other heavy armored cars. From
Belarus Azerbaijan bought 25 SU25 military planes and 93 T72M1 tanks.

Israel supplied UAVs. In 2011, Azerbaijan signed a contract with
Israeli companies to buy radars, air defense systems and maritime
security systems.

Altogether, in 2009-2013 Azerbaijan bought 187 tanks, 32 helicopters,
27 planes, 2 S300 systems, about 100 armored cars.

According to the study, in 2009-2019 international trade in arms
increased by 14%.

The biggest suppliers are the United States, Russia, Germany, China
and France. They supply 74% of weapons. 56% of weapons exported all
over the world is produced by the United States and Russia.

In 2009-2013 China cut imports. In 2004-2008 China was the biggest
importer of weapons, holding 11% of imports. In 2009-2013 China with a
share of 5% is the second after India.

India now imports 14% of weapons and has doubled imports compared with
the previous period.
– See more at:

The Voice of Russia
March 22 2014

Summing up the 2014 European Chess Championship in Yerevan

By Elina Kazaryan and David Kerans

YEREVAN (VR)– The 2014 European Individual Chess Championship that
concluded Friday in Yerevan was a blockbuster, not just for the
hundreds of titled players who filled out the field, but for the
brilliant performance of surprise winner Alexander Motylev, whom we
featured in an in-depth interview on Monday.

0Radio VR’s Elina Kazaryan was on the scene at the closing ceremonies
to gather thoughts from Chief Arbiter Ashok Vardapetyan, who is also
Vice-President of the Armenian Chess Federation.

0Kazaryan: I know you followed the tournament avidly, and could
discuss how it played out at great length, but how would you summarize
the European Championship?

0EICC tournament setting in Yerevan
Photo credit: (c) Elina Kazaryan, VR

0Vardapetyan: It seems to me that many of the players had concrete
sporting assignments here {as in, to finish in the top 23 and
guarantee themselves a spot in the 2015 World Cup}. Some completed
their assignments, others did not. But the chief result of the
tournament boils down to the fact that Motylev rose above them all.
His victory was fully warranted. He did very well early {Motylev
reeled of five wins after an opening round draw with the black
pieces}, spent the rest of the tournament among the leaders, and won
the championship outright. I want to congratulate Motylev, and to ask,
half-jokingly, that if the Russian national team has a trainer who
wins the European Championship {Motylev is currently the number two
trainer of the Russian national team}, how extraordinary must the
national team be?

0Kazaryan: How would you characterize the play of the Armenian contestants here?

0Vardapetyan: In general the Armenian players in the EICC did not
badly. Three of them finished in the top twenty-three {Hrant
Melkumyan, Gabriel Sarkissian, and 20 year-old Samvel Ter-Sahakyan},
and thus qualified for the World Cup. Armenia has not had many players
qualifying for recent editions of the World Cup, so that is a success.
Many Armenian junior players did well, but of course the fact that the
Yerevan hosted the Championship allowed more of our young players than
usual to compete. As to the fact that none of the top Armenian players
made it to the podium, that might be because they were a bit short on
combativeness, or weren’t blessed with the best of luck. I would say
again that the Armenian players did not do badly here.

0Kazaryan: If you were to choose one game as the most striking, does
one or another come immediately to mind?

0Vardapetyan toting up the final results Photo
credit: (c) Elina Kazaryan, VR

0Vardapetyan: As Chief Arbiter I keep an eye on all the games, but I
am watching to make sure all rules are observed, not so much on the
moves in the games. I won’t select any game myself, but on websites
covering the Championship I noticed particular interest in one of (GM
Baadur) Jobava’s games. There were several Queens on the board, and
the game {Dubov-Jobava} ended in style.

0Kazaryan: And what do you make of Jobava’s fate here, what happened?
{the sixth-highest rated contestant at the EICC, and coming off a
victory in the Bronstein Memorial in Minsk, Jobava crashed to a 52nd
place finish in Yerevan}

0Vardapetyan: He started pretty well, and had a chance to finish very
high. {he was in the top 10 at the halfway point} He fell off late,
but I think he need not despair, because next February at the European
Championship in Jerusalem he’ll have another chance by finishing in
the top 23 there to secure a spot in the 2015 World Cup. He’s a strong
enough player to do better than he did here and to qualify for the
World Cup.

Russell to Speak on ‘An Armenian Eccentric: The Life and Times of Kara Darvish’

By Contributor // March 21, 2014

Dr. James R. Russell, Mashtots Professor of Armenian Studies at
Harvard University, will present a lecture entitled “An Armenian
Eccentric: The Life and Times of Kara Darvish,” on Thursday, April 3,
2014, at 7:30 p.m. at the National Association for Armenian Studies
and Research (NAASR), 395 Concord Avenue, Belmont, Mass.

Russell

Kara Darvish (Hakob Genjian) was an Armenian Futurist poet who lived
and worked mainly in Tiflis, Georgia, before and after World War I.
He wrote several novels and manifestoes, but is best known for the
“postcard” poems he distributed at cafés and outside cinemas which
proclaim his cosmopolitan and revolutionary credo and experiment with
odd typefaces and experiment with incantatory nonsense words in
Armenian, dipping also into the Armenian mythological past. (His
Russian Futurist colleagues named this technique zaum’, i.e.,
transrational language.) Among his friends and associates were the
poets Osip Mandelstam and Yeghishe Charents. Kostan Zarian evokes the
poet and his turbulent surroundings in the novel Nave Leran Vra (The
Ship upon the Mountain).

NAASR is especially pleased to present this lecture as its Edward and
Helen Mardigian Library holds several rare titles by Kara Darvish,
which it has made available to Prof. Russell during his research.

James R. Russell has been the Mashtots Professor of Armenian Studies
at Harvard University since 1992. His books include Bosphorus Nights:
The Complete Lyric Poems of Bedros Tourian, Armenian and Iranian
Studies, The Book of Flowers, An Armenian Epic: The Heroes of Kasht,
Zoroastrianism in Armenia, and Hovhannes Tlkurantsi and the Medieval
Armenian Lyric Tradition.

For more information about this program call 617-489-1610, fax
617-484-1759, [email protected], or write to NAASR, 395 Concord Ave.,
Belmont, MA 02478.

Russia says OSCE mission has no Crimea mandate

March 22, 2014 | 12:49

The OSCE mission will not have a mandate to work in Crimea and
Sevastopol, Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

On Friday the Permanent Council of the OSCE decided to deploy a
Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine. OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and
Swiss Foreign Minister, Didier Burkhalter said Consensus on the
mandate could be reached due to the readiness of all participating
states to continue dialogue and search for compromise even under
difficult circumstances.

However, the Russian Foreign Ministry said the mandate reflects new
political realities and “will not work in Crimea and Sevastopol that
have become a part of Russia”, RIA Novosti reported.

The decision provides for deployment of 100 international observers in
Kyiv and nine other cities in the east and south of Ukraine, Russian
Foreign Ministry said.

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

AZERBAIDJAN
Les représentants de la Croix-Rouge rendent visite aux prisonniers
arméniens à Bakou

Des représentants du Bureau de Bakou du Comité international de la
Croix-Rouge (CICR) ont rencontré sept citoyens arméniens captifs en
Azerbaïdjan.

Parmi les citoyens visités par les représentants du CICR figure
également Arsen Khojoyan, un résident de 23 ans d’un village frontière
dans le nord de l’Arménie qui a été fait prisonnier par les forces
azéries la semaine dernière après s’être apparemment égaré dans un
territoire hostile.

Zara Amatuni, la responsable des programmes de communication du bureau
du CICR à Erevan, a également dit que les représentants du CICR ont
également rencontré des prisonniers de guerre arménien, le soldat
Hagop Injighulyan et une famille de cinq membres d’Arménie.

Un échange de lettres a eu lieu au cours de la réunion, a ajouté le responsable.

samedi 22 mars 2014,
Stéphane (c)armenews.com

European Armenian Federation
for Justice & Democracy (EAFJD)
Ave. de la Renaissance, 10
Bruxelles, 1000,
Belgique
Bedo KURKJIAN – DEMIRDJIAN
Tel : +32 2 732 70 26 / 27

After Romania and Poland, on March 18th, 2014 the Austrian-Armenian
Committee for Justice and Democracy was founded in Vienna, in the presence
of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Armenia
to Hungary and Austria, his Excellency Arman Kirakosyan, the spiritual
pastor of Austria reverend father Andreas Isakhanyan and representatives of
Armenian community organisations in Austria.

President of European Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy (EAFJD)
Mr. Kaspar Karampetian in his speech referred to the challenges facing the
Armenians, the issue of the recognition and reparation for the Armenian
Genocide by the Turkish state, the Armenia- Turkey relations, current
developments in Nagorno – Karabakh, Artsakh, issues facing Armenians in
Javakhk, Georgia, the continuation of Armenia’s rapprochement process to the
EU under the conditions of the decision to join the Customs Union as well as
the problems of Armenians in Syria.

Mr. Karampetian emphasized the importance of Austria for the activities of
the Armenian Committee in Europe, and officially announced the formation of
the Austrian-Armenian Committee for Justice and Democracy in Vienna,
Austria. Presenting the Committee’s young and specially educated staff, he
called upon help and assistance to the Committee’s activities as they are
aiming at resolving primary issues of Armenians all over the world.

At the end of his talk, Mr. Karampetian expressed his gratitude to
Ambassador Kirakossyan for his presence and mentioned that Armenian
Committees for Justice and Democracy are working over the abovementioned
issues in close cooperation with the official representative offices of
Armenia at all places where they have a presence.

Taking the floor, ambassador Kirakossyan welcomed the foundation of the
Committee and stated his readiness to work in close cooperation with it. The
ambassador suggested to meet without delay and to discuss the joint work to
be done for the commemorations of the Armenian Genocide on April 24, as well
as plan future activities.

Garo Chadoian, the chairman of the newly founded Committee, presented the
Committee’s staff and mentioned that since the first day it is necessary to
cooperate with the embassy and all other Armenian organisations at place
with the objective to make plans and coordinate the work that will be mainly
directed to the Austrian public, academic circles and policy makers and
officials, who work both inside the country and in international
organisations.

The discussion ended with a debate with the representatives of Austrian
Armenian community organisations representatives and leaders.

Austrian Armenian Committee for Justice and Democracy, Vienna,
European Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy, Brussels.

#####

UKRAINE SITUATION SHOWS ONCE AND FOR ALL WHY NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT HAS TO BE RESOLVED

Trend, Azerbaijan
March 18 2014

Baku, Azerbaijan, March 18

By Sabina Ahmadova – Trend:

The situation in Ukraine shows once and for all why the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has to be resolved, the U.S. Ambassador to
Azerbaijan Richard Morningstar told journalists March 18 at an event
held at the U.S. Embassy.

“First of all I would refer to the statements that President Obama
and Secretary Kerry have made with respect to the situation in Ukraine
and Crimea,” Morningstar said.

The ambassador said that what happened in Ukraine was a very bad
thing and appropriate actions need to be taken.

“I would add that what happened in Ukraine, to me makes even more
important other relations between Azerbaijan and United States,
and Azerbaijan and European Union,” Morningstar said. “I think that
it shows once and for all why the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has to
be resolved”.

The United States does not recognize the results of the referendum
held in the Crimea, as it considers the referendum illegal and has
warned Russia that the country would have to be held accountable for
its actions in Ukraine and face international sanctions.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The
co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the U.S. are
currently holding peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council’s four
resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the
surrounding regions.

“It is important that presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia come up
with steps to lead to a resolution and to remove Nagorno-Karabakh as
an unstable situation in this region. It is not helpful for anybody
that this conflict goes on,” the ambassador added.

The vast majority of residents of Crimea – 96 percent – voted to
secede from Ukraine and join Russia, in a referendum held March 16.

Most countries refused to recognize the referendum’s results.

A change of power took place in Ukraine on Feb.22.

The Verkhovna Rada (parliament) of Ukraine ousted President Viktor
Yanukovych from the power, changed the constitution and scheduled
presidential elections for May 25.

Yanukovych said he was forced to leave Ukraine under the threat of
violence, and he remains the legally elected head of state.

A number of provinces in eastern and southern Ukraine, as well as the
Crimea did not recognize the legitimacy of the Rada and decided on
possibility of holding a referendum on the future fate of the regions.

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT OPENS JUSTICE ACADEMY

Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
March 18 2014

18 March 2014 – 1:48pm

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan has attended the opening of the
Justice Academy founded by the Armenian government in September 2013,
News.am reports.

The Academy will train judges and prosecutors, improve professionalism
of working judges, prosecutors and court staff, according to the
presidential program of legal and judicial reforms in 2012-2016.

Sargsyan was shown around the building of the Justice Academy. He
met its administrators and was informed about the education process.

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan has attended the opening of the
Justice Academy founded by the Armenian government in September 2013,
News.am reports.

The Academy will train judges and prosecutors, improve professionalism
of working judges, prosecutors and court staff, according to the
presidential program of legal and judicial reforms in 2012-2016.

Sargsyan was shown around the building of the Justice Academy. He
met its administrators and was informed about the education process.