Author: Kalantarian Kevo

“CALLING 1915 INHUMANE HELPS TURKEY, ARMENIA”

Hurriyet Daily News, Turkey
Dec 27 2013

Cansu CamlıbelNİCE / Hurriyet

A key figure behind the reconciliation efforts between Turkey and
Armenia says Foreign Minister Davutoglu’s statement calling 1915
deportation of Armenians inhumane was very important

Samson Ozararat, a key figure behind the scenes on reconciliation
efforts between Turkey and Armenia, said Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet
Davutoglu’s statement calling 1915 deportation of Armenians inhumane
was very important. But he argued Armenia has lost confidence in
Turkey, following the failure to approve the protocols that would lead
to normalization, due to what he said was a change in Ankara’s policy.

An Armenian from Turkey’s central Anatolian province of Konya,
Ozararat has been one of the key figures in every effort to move
Turkey and Armenia closer in the last 20 years.

Born as a Turkish Armenian, he was expelled from Turkish citizenship.

Thereafter, he became Armenia’s representative in the Organization
of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation’s (BSEC) Istanbul headquarters.

Ozararat, who is now a French citizen and lives in the French city of
Nice, received a call from the Turkish Foreign Ministry two weeks ago.

He was invited to Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu’s plane
to accompany him on a trip to Yerevan. The official reason for
Davutoglu’s visit was to attend the BSEC summit. However, Ankara was
actually trying to test the ground to see whether there was room for
maneuvers to re-generate a new process to normalize ties with Armenia.

Ozararat said he tried to initiate occasions for dialogue between
the two countries in the past. “When there are no relations between
two countries, people like myself become helpful in providing back
channels of communication. Actually no one or country has given me
a duty. I have friends and a good network in both countries that I
try to mobilize my relations with them in a positive manner to start
up dialogue. I believe every opportunity has to be seized to bring
people together. And I try to initiate such occasions,” he said.

Milestones

He emphasized four milestones in bringing the countries together. “We
have come a long way in discussing the conflict. However, the barriers
that put us apart tend to shift as the world changes. In the past,
there was this nationalist approach that was dominating the political
arena due to fabricated fears from Communism. Then came the time when
fears around ‘Armenia will claim land (from Turkey)’ were pumped.

Despite all these, there have been milestones in bringing the two
countries together.

The first one is the meeting between the Turkish far-right nationalist
leader Alparslan TurkeÅ~_ and the then Armenian President Levon
Ter-Petrosyan. Another is the conference that was planned, but could
not be held at Bogazici University. Another is the apology campaign.

Another is the football diplomacy.

(Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan and Turkish President Abdullah Gul
exchanging visits.) These were all steps that melted the ice somehow.”

Ozararat said Davutoglu’s statements on the way to Yerevan were
very important. Davutoglu said the forced deportation of Armenians
during Ottoman rule was unacceptable and inhumane. “Maybe it sounds
quite normal to hear this today. I knew Davutoglu’s views on 1915
before from our personal conversations. However, we have never heard
similar things from an official until this day. The fact that he stated
these views publicly as the Turkish foreign minister is a huge step,
I believe. It is a part of history now,” he said.

Nationalist rhetoric barrier

Ozararat said Armenia lost confidence in Turkey since 2009. “In the
past, the nationalist rhetoric was the barrier. Today, it is the
economic and diplomatic balances. Azerbaijan is one of the major
sources of Turkish energy needs. Moreover, Turkey understandably
has to consider the interests of Turkish businessmen who invest in
Azerbaijan. These are the reasons why Prime Minister Erdogan had to
change the policy on May 13, 2009 which he declared during his speech
at the Azerbaijan Parliament.

Since that day, Armenia’s trust in Turkey was broken. Honestly, prior
to Davutoglu’s trip to Yerevan this time I could not find a single
person in Armenia who favored a new start for bilateral talks. Not
a single person from the government or opposition parties. Trust is
gone,” Ozararat said, adding the most important thing still is to keep
the communication channels open. “First and foremost, one has to stop
saying ‘nothing happened in the past.’ Thank god, this approach has
been somehow left behind in Turkey. Getting rid of this rhetoric is
part of the cure. Now we can look for ways and occasions to create
empathy from both sides. If one day, the memorial in Yerevan could
be visited…In the end, that monument is the symbolic grave for one
and a half million Ottoman Armenians. Why would a Turkish official
not visit that monument one day? Turkey’s top officials have been
offering to give me my Turkish citizenship back,” he said. “My dream
is to get the citizenship of both Turkey and Armenia on the same
day after normalization of relations between two countries. Maybe it
sounds like a fantasy today. But I say what if it happens…”

December/27/2013

AZERBAIJAN AGAINST ARMENIA’S ACCESSION TO CUSTOMS UNION BEFORE KARABAKH PROBLEM SETTLED

Kyiv Post, Ukraine
Dec 27 2013

Print version
Dec. 27, 2013, 6:46 p.m. | Ukraine – by Interfax-Ukraine

Baku – Baku is against Yerevan’s accession to the
Belarusian-Kazakh-Russian Customs Union before Armenia withdraws
its armed forces from the occupied Azeri territories and before
Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity is restored, Ali Hasanov, the chief
of the public policy department at the Azeri presidential secretariat,
told Azeri media.

“It would be against international law principles if Armenia, a
country that has occupied native Azeri lands, such as Nagorno-Karabakh
and seven adjacent districts, joins any union or association,”
Hasanov said.

“It is commonly known that relevant resolutions and decisions by the
UN, the OSCE and other authoritative international organizations have
confirmed the fact of the occupation of Azerbaijan’s territories by
Armenia and demanded unambiguously that the territories occupied by
the aggressor country be freed. Therefore, Armenia’s accession to
the Customs Union or any other similar body is possible only after
the liberation of the occupied Azeri lands,” he said.

Otherwise, at the moment of Armenia’s accession to any union, its
territory and borders will violate international jurisdiction because
of the violation of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity, he said.

“Either this state has to officially make a claim on the occupied
territories and the structures it enters have to accept this, or
it should return these lands and become a member of new unions with
territories endorsed within the UN framework,” Hasanov said.

IRAN PRESIDENT HAILS ROLE OF IRANIAN ARMENIANS IN WAR WITH IRAQ, REVOLUTION

Tasnim news agency , Iran
dec 26 2013

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has described the role of Iranian
Armenians in the Iran-Iraq war as important.

“Religious minorities played a very important role in the Islamic
Revolution and during the Sacred Defence. The presence of Iranian
Armenian veterans in the Iran-Iraq war showed that Iranians have
always been together and support each other, especially in difficult
times. And this is a lesson for the world and especially those in some
countries who are at war with each other due to ethnic and religious
differences,” the news agency quoted Rouhani as saying at a meeting
with families of Armenian “martyrs” and veterans held on 25 December
in Tehran.

Rouhani also hailed the turnout of Iranian Armenians in the
presidential election on 14 June and wished them a year full of
blessings and joy.

[Translated from Persian]

AGRICULTURAL OUTPUT DROPS IN ARMENIA

Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
Dec 26 2013

26 December 2013 – 1:31pm

Growth of tomatoes halved in Armenia and growth of peaches and
eggplants dropped by 40%, while fields for growing cereals and forage
increased, said Grach Berberyan, Chairman of the Agrarian and Peasant
Association of Armenia, Armenia Today reports.

He noted that a lot of the harvest was destroyed by hail in 2013. The
official said that farmers needed support in protecting plants
from hail.

Growth of tomatoes halved in Armenia and growth of peaches and
eggplants dropped by 40%, while fields for growing cereals and forage
increased, said Grach Berberyan, Chairman of the Agrarian and Peasant
Association of Armenia, Armenia Today reports.

He noted that a lot of the harvest was destroyed by hail in 2013. The
official said that farmers needed support in protecting plants
from hail.

MORE ON YEREVAN’S TALE OF THE SMOKED CROCODILE

EurasiaNet.org
Dec 26 2013

December 26, 2013 – 11:11am, by Yigal Schleifer

Yerevan-based Marianna Grigoryan finished 2013 off with what might be
Eurasianet’s wildest story of the year: an article about one Armenian
supermarket that is offering up an entire smoked crocodile as an item
for the traditional New Year’s feast.

Here’s a taste of her great article:

Situated on a bed of lettuce and lemons on a counter in SAS
supermarket’s meat department, the 12-kilogram, 90-centimeter-long
crocodile, imported from the United States, weighs in at the staggering
price of 380,000 drams, or $940; roughly twice the amount of the
average monthly salary.

“Who can afford such luxury?” fumed 48-year-old Yerevan dressmaker
Silva Alexanian. “Once the markets used to be full with people before
New Year’s nowadays; now they are empty. People have either left the
country, or cannot afford celebrating New Year’s. Most of them hope
for the money their relatives working abroad send them.”

With roughly one-third of Armenia’s approximate population of
3 million people now officially living in poverty, for some, the
crocodile symbolizes all that has gone wrong economically with this
South Caucasus country since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

Migration has increased by 12 percent this year, while remittances
increased fivefold in the first six months of the year to $1.2 billion,
according to official data.

Grigoryan’s smoked crocodile tale was so intriguing that I followed
up with to get more details about the story and some of the economic
and sociological background to it. Our exchange is below:

How did you come across this story?

I first saw it in a supermarket ad. The “glamorous” advertisement
about the smoked crocodile was not only surprising but also disgusting
for me. The disgust grew even more as one Facebook user shared the
picture of the crocodile in the supermarket: a huge smoked reptile
spread on the table with its predatory teeth. The ad made me think
about the New Year’s feast and about showing off, and also inspired
me to go see the crocodile on the spot.

Were you surprised that a supermarket would be offering a smoked
crocodile for New Year’s?

No, this was not a big surprise, since I’ve already seen a smoked
crocodile in the same supermarket in 2005. However, the reptile offered
back than was at least several time smaller and hence much cheaper.

So, is there a particular class of wealthy folks in Yerevan for who
having a smoked crocodile on the table would seem desirable?

Indeed, many perceive the Christmas and New Year feasts as a way to
surprise others with their meals and dishes. In addition to large-scale
advertising pushing other foods, the import of crocodiles aimed to
reach this goal.

>From your story, it sounds like even without crocodiles, the New
Year’s feast in Armenia is a big deal. Is that the case?

Yes, New Year is a large and long awaited family holiday for
Armenians. During these days even remote relatives visit and
congratulate each other. Ahead of this holiday, most people are getting
ready to present a lavish table with expensive food and alcohol. Even
those who cannot afford abundant dishes borrow money and celebrate the
holiday with a hearty meal, since many believe that a plentiful table
on the eve of the New Year will bring prosperity to their home. In
addition, for many people the New Year feast is an opportunity to
demonstrate their financial “well-being”.

Has anyone tried to outdo the supermarket selling the crocodile?

Yesterday another photograph was circulated across the internet
demonstrating giraffe meat allegedly sold at another big supermarket,
costing 280.000 (more than $690 ) dram. This picture sparked heated
discussions, too, along with the advertised crocodile. However,
I cannot say whether this other exotic “dish” is truthfully being
offered for sale or not because I have not seen this one personally.

CHINA, ARMENIA TO FURTHER MILITARY TIES

Global Times, China
Dec 26 2013

Xinhua | 2013-12-26 22:17:46
By Agencies

Senior Chinese and Armenian military officers on Thursday vowed to
further communication and cooperation between the two armed forces.

The two sides made the pledge during meetings and talks between
Xu Qiliang, vice chairman of China’s Central Military Commission,
Chinese Defense Minister Chang Wanquan and his Armenian counterpart,
Seyran Ohanian.

Xu hailed the development of bilateral military ties in recent years,
saying the Chinese armed forces value their friendship with the
Armenian army.

Chang, who hosted Ohanian with a review of the People’s Liberation
Army guard of honor, called on the two sides to expand fields of
communication and cooperation beyond the existing projects.

Ohanian said relations with China are a priority for his country’s
foreign policy, and Armenia will further enhance military cooperation
with China in various fields.

LAKE CONCERNS: GROUP WARNS THAT “ARMENIA’S JEWEL” COULD BE ENDANGERED BY CARELESSNESS

Environment | 27.12.13 | 00:09

Photolure

By Gayane Lazarian
ArmeniaNow reporter

The Public Environmental Alliance warns that the government is planning
to implement its “Complex Program for Recovery of Trout Reserves and
Fish Breeding in Lake Sevan”, without waiting for the conclusion of
environmental and economic expertise, and potentially exposing the
lake to considerable harm.

The proposed project plans to make the trout production up to 50,000
tons per year by 2023 in nurse ponds. For this purpose 500,000 tons
of artificial forage containing nitrogen and phosphor will be put in
the lake each year.

“These very elements ensure increased fish growth – increase in unit
weight for each unit of forage. We don’t have any data of what will
happen with the fish as a result of the artificial forage. Scientific
projects like this are complex, demanding much time and lots of funds.

So far the Institute of Hydroecology and Ichthyology is carrying
out the analysis of forage and analysis of water samples taken from
around nurse ponds to test for pollutants – nitrogen and phosphor. The
available results of water analysis can’t replace costly studies
needed for the approval of such programs. On the other hand, nitrogen
and phosphor are the very pollutants triggering water-logging in Lake
Sevan,” reads their statement in part.

Member of Public Environmental Alliance, Ecolur NGO leader Inga
Zarafyan says Emmi Fruit company, implementing the project jointly
with the government, has promised to transfer around 23 billion AMD
($57.5 million) to the Fund for Sevan Conservation by 2023.

“We demand to suspend and disapprove the project, which is aimed
supposedly to increase the trout reserve in the lake, but that project
submitted as an environmental one is in fact a business-project
endangering Lake Sevan,” she says.

The RA president-adjunct Committee on Lake Sevan Ecosystem Preservation
supports the project. Committee members Bardugh Gabrielyan,
director of National Academy of Sciences Research Center of Biology
and Hydro-Ecology, and For Sustainable Human Development NGO leader
Karine Danielyan, agree, but with a condition that the supervision
will be tightened and a monitoring held.

However, the statement claims the commission has no supervisory
function, it is an advisory structure. If the committee later reaches
a negative conclusion on the project’s further development, their
opinion would have no binding effect.

The findings of the monitoring will be unavailable to the public. It
should be noted that even now the committee members refused to
publicize the results of water sampling for pilot fish farm carried
out by the Institute of Hydroecology and Ichthyology. The reason for
refusal to publicize the results is that the studies were commissioned
by “Emmi Fruit” Company and the results are owned by the company.

The content of the project directly contradicts two RA laws “On
Lake Sevan” and “on Preservation of Special Areas” says Khazer
ecological-cultural NGO leader Amalya Harutyunyan. “The ecosystem of
the lake should be restored and water quality improved by means of
increasing the water level and reducing pollution, rather than doing
the opposite,” she says.

The alliance is planning to turn to parliament factions and the
Government of Armenia with an appeal to stop the project fraught with
huge risks threatening to destroy the lake, which is the country’s
strategic treasury of freshwater.

“If Sevan is destroyed, Armenia won’t have anything else to conserve,”
they warn.

ARMENIA’S AGRICULTURE MINISTRY WORKING ON DEVELOPMENT OF GREENHOUSES

December 25, 2013 | 18:58

YEREVAN. – Armenia’s Agriculture Ministry is working on a program
for the development of small greenhouses, Minister Sergo Karapetyan
told reporters.

The project will focus on the greenhouse area of less than one thousand
square meters.

“The program that we want to confirm in the government is aimed
at supporting farmers’ employment beyond the agricultural season,”
Karapetyan noted.

According to the data of the Association of Geenhouses, the country
has about 40 hectares of greenhouses. However, a large part of them
was not working this year due to increase in gas prices.

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

TURKISH PRESIDENT EXTENDS INVITATION TO KURDISH MAYOR THAT APOLOGIZED TO ARMENIANS FOR MASSACRES

December 24, 2013 | 00:04

A mayor from Turkey’s pro-Kurdish “Peace and Democracy Party” (BDP)
is invited to the “President’s Culture and Art Grand Award” ceremony,
which will be held at the Presidential Palace of Turkey.

President Abdullah Gul invited Abdullah Demirbas, Mayor of the City of
Sur of Diyarbakir Province, to the event that will be held on Tuesday,
Milliyet daily of Turkey reports.

Demirbas has published several Armenian tales in Armenian and in
Turkish. In addition, and at Demirbas’ initiative, the Diyarbakir
travel guide was published in Armenian. Furthermore, “Welcome”
is written in Armenian on the signs that are placed on the roads
entering Diyarbakir.

In September 2013, the Mayor of Sur apologized, on behalf of the
Kurds, to the Armenians and the Assyrians, for the massacre and
the deportation.

“We will continue our struggle until we achieve compensation,”
Abdullah Demirbas had stated.

LA CHANTEUSE ET DEPUTEE CHOUCHAN PETROSYAN ACCIDENTEE CETTE NUIT A EREVAN

ARMENIE

La celèbre chanteuse et deputee (Parti Republicain d’Armenie)
Chouchan Petrosyan a ete victime d’un accident le 24 decembre vers
0h10 au croisement du boulevard Krikor Loussavoritch (de l’Ambassade
de France) et du boulevard d’Italie. La voiture de marque Reno
dans laquelle se trouvait la chanteuse a percute de plein fouet
un autre vehicule de marque Toyota. Le vehicule dans lequel se
trouvait Chouchan Petrosyan a ensuite percute les marches de la
statue d’Alexandre Miasnikian. Souffrant d’une commotion cerebrale,
la chanteuse a ete dirigee vers l’hôpital Naïri d’Erevan où elle
etait en observation ce matin. Selon le docteur Anatoly Knouni,
son etant n’inspire aucun danger.

Krikor Amirzayan

mardi 24 decembre 2013, Krikor Amirzayan ©armenews.com