Author: Kalantarian Kevo

SHANT HARUTYUNYAN FEARS POSSIBLE PROVOCATION AT PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL: OMBUDSMAN’S OFFICE

11.20.2013 23:41 epress.am

The adviser to Armenia’s Ombudsman today paid a visit to Shant
Harutyunyan, who, though soon to be taken to a psychiatric hospital
for assessment, is still in Yerevan Kentron penitentiary.

According to the office of the Ombudsman, during their private
conversation, Harutyunyan was calm and he didn’t raise any complaints
about his current situation.

However, Shant Harutyunyan expressed concern about being possibly
provoked at the psychiatric clinic, stressing the importance of
ensuring his safety, considering the fact that he has been a law
enforcement officer in the past. He asked the Adviser to the Ombudsman
to visit him from the first day of his transfer to the psychiatric
clinic, in order to focus on possible problematic issues.

“As assigned by the Defender, an official letter has been prepared
with an enquiry to provide security for Shant Harutyunyan.

“The Defender will be consistent to assure the security of Shant
Harutyunyan, and the representatives of the Defender will regularly
visit him,” reads the Ombudsman’s statement.

ECAJ SAYS NO TO USING PARLIAMENT TO DENY GENOCIDE

J-Wire Jewish Australian News Service
Nov 20 2013

American Professor Justin McCarthy campaigns around the world
against the recognition of the Armenian genocide…and has been to
use Parliament House as a venue.

The Executive Council of Australian Jewry notes the current visit to
Australia of the American Professor of history.

Executive Director of the ECAJ Peter Wertheim said: “Professor McCarthy
does not deny that from 1915 to 1923 more than 1 million Armenians,
Pontian Greeks and Assyrians, almost all of them civilians, lost their
lives at the hands of the Ottoman Caliphate. However, notwithstanding
that this slaughter was on a massive scale over a period of years,
Professor McCarthy maintains that this loss of life was not systematic
and was not carried out with the intention of eradicating these
Christian communities, but was an act of war.

The inherent implausibility of this contention raises many questions
about the quality of Professor McCarthy’s analysis. The ECAJ accepts
the overwhelming view of history scholars that the killing of hundreds
of thousands of civilians in these communities was done with genocidal
intent.

Whilst freedom of expression and academic freedom require that
Professor McCarthy must be at liberty to put forward his theories,
the manner in which he does so must not lapse into racial vilification.

Professor McCarthy is a guest of Australia and must respect Australia’s
laws during his visit.

One of the venues to which Professor McCarthy has been invited to put
forward his views, is a room in Parliament House Canberra, thereby
lending his theories the misleading appearance of official approval.

In our view, no part of Parliament House should be misused in this
way.”

THE EUROPEANS BROUGHT ARMENIA CLOSER TO CUSTOMS UNION: OPINION

The Karabakh issue can be resolved if Russia, the EU, and Azerbaijan
come to an agreement, and the resulting decision is not contrary
to Iran’s interests, said expert on electoral and political affairs
Armen Badalyan, in conversation with Epress.am.

According to him, it’s meaningless to talk about returning to the
Karabakh negotiating table at this time – this is nothing other than
self-delusion, since second president of Armenia Robert Kocharian
removed the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh from the negotiating table,
turning the conflict into not a question of self-determination,
but a territorial dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Now,
according to Badalyan, even Armenia’s participation is limited, as
the Russian Federation has a great influence on Armenia’s foreign
policy. In his words, given this fact, the Sargsyan-Aliyev meeting
cannot be discussed, which was simply a regular round and de facto
did not yield any results.

“On Sept. 3, Russia’s president informed Armenia’s current president
about his decision to make Armenia a member of the Customs Union. And
[Armenian President] Serzh Sargsyan informed Armenian society about
Russia’s decision. From that day on, it became obvious that Armenia’s
sovereignty was restricted, and hereinafter Russia has a big impact on
Armenia’s foreign policy, whether that be in EU-Armenia, Iran-Armenia,
US-Armenia or other relations,” he said.

Badalyan believes that it’s obvious that Armenian news outlets were
given “state orders” to blame Putin for what happened, trying not
to make Serzh Sargsyan appear guilty or a victim of criticism. “In
fact, Russia decided for Armenia because of the current situation in
the country, for which Serzh Sargsyan is to blame. It is the current
administration’s fault that 95% of Armenia’s citizens are dead from
a political point of view,” he said.

According to Badalyan, the media reports that after four years of
negotiations, Serzh Sargsyan “threw” the Europeans, while, in fact,
it is because of the policy of European officials that Armenia will
join the Customs Union.

“Every time they would send Prescott or someone else to say that the
elections in Armenia were a step forward, believing that with that
one step they are bringing Armenia closer to the [EU] Association
Agreement, [but] actually the opposite: with one step they were
bringing [Armenia] closer to joining the Customs Union. They turned a
blind eye to the political prisoners, the victims of [the events of]
March 1 [2008], and fraudulent elections, leaving the people alone and
having hope that Serzh Sargsyan will sign the agreement,” he concluded.

AZERBAIJAN SAYS TURKEY’S SUPPORT OVER NAGORNO-KARABAKH IS VITAL

Today’s Zaman, Turkey
Nov 19 2013

19 November 2013 /LAMÄ°YA ADÄ°LGIZI, YALOVA

The show of support by Turkey for Azerbaijan in the settlement of
the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which has been in a stalemate for
more than two decades, is extremely important as it is critical for
Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity, an Azerbaijani analyst has claimed.

“There are several countries in the world that have recognized Armenia
as an aggressor state but all those recognitions are on paper or
just statements. But there is only one country that is punishing the
aggressor state in real terms. Turkey closed its borders with Armenia
years ago and has stated that it will not open its borders until the
occupation of Azerbaijani territories is terminated. This is very
important to us [Azerbaijanis] and for that, Azerbaijan is grateful
to Turkey,” Farhad Mammadov, the director of the Azerbaijani Center
for Strategic Studies (SAM), said in Yalova province on Monday.

Addressing students and professors of Yalova University under the
scope of “Azerbaijan Week,” which kicked off on Monday, Mammadov
noted that the joint politics led by both Turkey and Azerbaijan are
“sensible and are a vital part of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity.”

Turkey and Azerbaijan have for the past three years been organizing
joint academic activities, dedicating a year to one of the two
countries. “Azerbaijan Week” comes after “Turkey Week” was held
in Azerbaijan last year, where the strategic research centers of
both countries jointly organized a series of academic events in the
Azerbaijani provinces of Ganja, Lenkeran, Aghdam and the capital city
of Baku to raise awareness in both countries. Conducted by the Turkish
Center for Strategic Research (SAM) in cooperation with the Azerbaijan
President’s Office’s SAM this year, academics from both countries
came together to increase public awareness on Azerbaijan, its role
in the region, bilateral relations between the two nations and the
significance that Turkey attaches to its brother country Azerbaijan.

Also talking about the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Mammadov stated
that there are very few countries in the world that have been occupied
and there are even fewer countries whose territories’ occupation was
confirmed by UN Security Council resolutions. “Azerbaijan is one of
them. It has been 20 years since four resolutions were accepted by the
UN Security Council calling on Armenia to withdraw its troops from the
occupied Azerbaijani territories but they have yet to be implemented,”
Mammadov stated, calling on the international community not to remain
silent over the injustice of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Nagorno-Karabakh is a disputed enclave between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

Armenia occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijani territory in the early
1990s, including Nagorno-Karabakh, primarily populated by Armenians,
and seven adjacent provinces. Diplomatic efforts to find an enduring
solution to the conflict have failed for the past 20 years but
Azerbaijan vows to get its territories back by force, if necessary.

Turkey closed its borders with Armenia in 1993 in solidarity with
Azerbaijan. The issue of Armenia’s withdrawal from the area surrounding
Nagorno-Karabakh is of importance to Ankara, which has frequently
signaled that this step would ease the way for the reopening of its
border with Armenia.

Commenting on Turkey’s initiative to reopen borders with Armenia which
remain closed in a show of solidarity with Azerbaijan, Araz Aslanlı,
the head of the Caucasian Center for International Relations and
Strategic Studies (QAFSAM), said Azerbaijan’s expectations from
Turkey relating to the borders are not based on emotions but rest
on a rationality linked to the kinship and relations between the two
nations. The analyst urged both sides, particularly Turkey, to wait for
the right time as hurrying the process could be a damaging blow to the
joint efforts of both Turkey and Azerbaijan thus far to isolate Armenia
in the region — a move that is considered to push Armenia toward a
long-awaited peaceful solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

“Opening the borders should be left to the right time as the occupation
of Azerbaijani territories should not be dismissed,” Aslanlı said.

Two protocols signed between Turkey and Armenia in Zurich on Oct.10,
2009, to normalize relations and reopen their closed borders were
not implemented after opposition from Azerbaijan.

Ferhat Pirincci, an advisor at SAM under the Turkish Foreign Ministry,
noted that soccer diplomacy, the first step of the Turkish government
on the path to normalizing frozen diplomatic relations with Armenia,
and later the two protocols signed in Zurich were an alternative
attempt by Turkey to bring about a peaceful settlement to the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which could not be solved for many years.

“This problem could not be solved by the [Organization for Security and
Co-operation in Europe] OSCE Minsk Group and alternative mechanisms are
needed to settle the conflict. In this context, Turkey’s main aim is
to resort to alternative ways to finalize the peaceful settlement of
the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and thus to contribute to the political
stability in the region, one of the main lines of Turkish foreign
policy,” Pirincci said in his speech at Yalova University.

Pirincci also said the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is not just a trivial
issue as Turkey places special importance on an urgent settlement.

“Turkey is a side in this conflict and will always move along with
Azerbaijan towards the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Without Azerbaijan, no single step can be put forward and last week
this view was once more stated in Ankara. [Azerbaijani President]
Ilham Aliyev also mentioned this during his conference,” Pirincci said.

Last week Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan once again
reiterated at a joint press conference with President Aliyev Ankara’s
commitment to settle the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute, saying that
“Karabakh is not just Azerbaijan’s problem, but also Turkey’s problem.”

ANOTHER BARRIER DOWN BETWEEN TURKS AND ARMENIANS

Today’s Zaman, Turkey
Nov 19 2013

YAVUZ BAYDAR

I was handed by the postman some weeks ago a mid-size package.

It contained the Turkish translation of a monumental work titled
“A Reference Guide to Modern Armenian Literature 1500-1920,” by
Professor Kevork Bardakjian, who I had the pleasure of meeting years
ago at the University of Michigan.

As the social awakening here proceeds below the surface about
the crimes of humanity at the end of the Ottoman Empire, with the
immense tragedy that brutally wiped out massive proportions of its
Armenian subjects from Anatolia, so do the activities to help raise
the awareness. Books on various aspects of the genocide are appearing,
as well as others on Armenian culture and politics.

New ground was also broken by the recent conference at Bosporus
University on the forced conversion of Christian Armenians to Islam,
with heart-wrenching narratives now coming to the surface.

“You cannot imagine the mental blocks now coming unstitched in the
Anatolian social fabric,” a hardworking civilian activist told me
recently. “Wherever we go and meet people, in villages or towns,
in eastern or western Anatolia, the stories just pour out of them,
about the past kept under the carpet.”

This is very good news.

Another historic threshold was passed the other day, on Nov. 18,
as part of the reconciliation process — albeit seemingly slow
motion, but irreversible. A few members of the Yerevan-based
Civilitas Foundation opened an office in the heart of Istanbul,
in a well-attended ceremony. It is the first time a purely Armenian
organization has now cemented — officially — its active visibility
in a step that was totally unimaginable, say, 10 years ago.

A non-profit organization established in 2008 by Armenia’s former
minister of foreign affairs, Vartan Oskanian, Civilitas has been
focused on projects to strengthen civil society, promote democracy and
facilitate dialogue between Armenia and the international community.

The importance of the event was underlined by an emotional inauguration
speech by Salpi Ghazarian, director of the foundation, who is a good
friend for all of us engaged in the reconciliation process over the
years. For her, it was a dream fulfilled, with an extremely loaded
agenda ahead.

When I asked what it meant to her personally, Ghazarian told me:
“I was born a librarian, I believe in satisfying the need to know. We
all have that need, and that right. Armenians about ourselves, our
roots here in this city. The people of Turkey about themselves and
their part in our history. This is a part of that process of seeking
answers. We want to focus not just on helping each country’s citizens
better understand what’s going on across the border, but also to
demonstrate to the international community that we are able to speak
to each other, even about the difficult issues. It is possible to
tackle and overcome [these issues].”

Not so far ahead, the unresolved burden of the unspeakable atrocities
of 1915 looms; in two years, its 100th anniversary will be marked. At
this stage, question marks and hopes about a closure are intertwined.

Yet, as Ghazarian pointed out, it will not be the focus of the
center’s work; dialogue on memories and loss will matter more than
anything else.

“The closed border between the two countries presents both a physical
and a psychological barrier. It’s a barrier to replacing old memories
with new ones, to unrestricted access to today’s Armenia and today’s
Turkey,” she added, underlining the vital role of enhanced dialogue.

“This can in no way replace the political work that must be done by
governments. Nor is this a second track attempt at reconciliation.

Instead, this is a civil society effort to support the work being
done on the ground. It is also an effort to share information about
Armenia’s [and the diaspora’s] organizations and NGOs.”

It is all a work in progress. Anything that helps a closure is
welcome. As a reminder of that, on my way out of the ceremony, I was
handed by the owners of Aras Publishers, located in the same building,
another new book in Turkish, by Levon Surmelian, on the tragedy of
his family in Trabzon, in 1915. The more we learn, the closer we are.

AZERBAIJANI AND ARMENIAN PRESIDENTS DISCUSS NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT

Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
Nov 19 2013

19 November 2013 – 4:29pm

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and his Armenian counterpart Serzh
Sargsyan, who met today for the first time in two years, discussed
the ongoing conflict surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh.

The presidents started with a face-to-face discussion and then held
a meeting attended by the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs.

The parties made no official statement after the talks. It’s reported
however that the Minsk Group co-chairs are going to issue a statement
later.

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Content-Description:

MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
From: Katia Peltekian
Subject: Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents discuss Nagorno-Karabakh conflict

Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
Nov 19 2013

Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents discuss Nagorno-Karabakh conflict

19 November 2013 – 4:29pm

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and his Armenian counterpart Serzh
Sargsyan, who met today for the first time in two years, discussed the
ongoing conflict surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh.

The presidents started with a face-to-face discussion and then held a
meeting attended by the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs.

The parties made no official statement after the talks. It’s reported
however that the Minsk Group co-chairs are going to issue a statement
later.

INTERNATIONAL FOCUS: ARMENIA: ROMANCING HISTORY & SCINTILLATING BEAUTY

TravelBizMonitor
Nov 19 2013

A relatively unexplored paradise, Armenia is blessed with three UNESCO
World Heritage Sites. The country is a tourist’s delight because
of its wide array of wines, number of festivals, and pre-historic
Christian monuments, taking one back in time and its beautiful
landscape. TravelBiz Monitor takes a closer look at the country’s
potential in the Indian market

Armenia is a country of miracles…if you ask me where on earth you
can find more miracles, I would say, first of all Armenia…It is
involuntarily amazing that in such a small corner of the world you
can find such monuments and such people – R. Kent Huges, Author, USA.

Armenia, a country steeped in history and culture, has a lot to offer
to Indian tourists, with its capital, Yerevan being one of the world’s
oldest continuously inhabited cities. The country has been developing
and modernising since its independence in 1991 from the Soviet Union,
though it still maintains some traces of its past.

The joint familiarisation trip was conducted by Air Arabia and Marriott
International to Armenia. Air Arabia has introduced three flights
a week from Sharjah to Yerevan making it easier and convenient for
travellers to experience the dazzling city; all the more ideal for
passengers travelling from India, since the connecting time from
India to Sharjah and Sharjah to Yerevan is perfect. Air Arabia also
offers a range of value-for-money holiday packages, including hotel
accommodation and visa assistance, in addition to providing service
to Yerevan. This new flight destination is undoubtedly going to add
value to all Air Arabia passengers travelling to and from India.

With about 300 rivers and rivulets, Republic of Armenia is situated
at a cultural, historical, and religious intersection. Located at the
crossroads between Europe and Asia, in the Southern Caucasus, Armenia
is now connected by Air Arabia’s bi-weekly flights from their hub
in Sharjah. It is a great mid-haul destination for Indian travellers
and has the potential to become a leisure and MICE hub for passengers
from India with outdoor activities and scenery as its prime attraction.

Since 2000 Armenia has seen an increase in tourist footfall, and
with introduction of these flights it is expected to grow in the
coming years.

Under the majestic backdrop of Mount Ararat, or at the millennia-old
church of one’s choice, spending a vacation in the most special places
of Armenia can be a refreshing idea for the next vacation. With
Armenia recently celebrating its 1700th anniversary as the first
nation to embrace Christianity as a state religion, the country will
surely satiate the needs of a world traveller looking for the ideal
mix of religion, culture, adventure, and relaxation. Armenia has a
population of 3,238,000 and is the second most densely populated among
all the former Soviet Republics. It attracts people with its sense of
adventure and history. There are also some objects in Armenia that are
in the official list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites, like Monastery
of Haghpat and Sanahin, Cathedral and Churches of Echmiadzin, and
the Archaeological Site of Zvartnots and Monastery of Geghard and
the Upper Azat Valley.

Presently, the country is landlocked and has no navigable waterways,
in contrast to historic Armenia, which at its peak under King Tigran
the Great, stretched from the Caspian Sea to the Mediterranean Sea,
and was more than ten times the current size of the present day
Republic. Armenia shares borders with Georgia to the North, Turkey to
the West and South, with Azerbaijan to the East and South West, and
Iran to the South. Looming above the Yerevan skyline as an ominous
reminder to its glorious past and as a beacon to a future of hope
rises the majestic Mount Ararat. Located South West of the capital
city of Yerevan in present day Turkey, Mount Ararat dominates the
national landscape, psyche and character. Mount Aragats, the highest
point within the Republic’s boundaries (4,090 mts at its summit)
is a less-explored paradise for hikers. The people of Armenia, old
and young, stand in concert and with open arms welcoming first-time
visitors, the investor community, or those looking to call Armenia
their permanent home.

The capital city Yerevan is surrounded by the magnificently
imposing Mount Ararat, which lies in the neighbouring country,
Turkey. The country has a historical heritage spanning the Stone
Age era to modern-day Armenia. It offers a variety of religious
sites, primarily beautiful churches that dot the vast countryside
landscape. An unexplored destination, Yerevan offers visitors an
unforgettable getaway with pleasant weather almost throughout the
year, popular handicrafts, jewellery and Soviet memorabilia for the
ardent shopper, delicious food, which mixes fresh salads, spiced
meats and lavash-a chewy flat bread and a mystical feel to it-all of
which form a part of the country’s USP. Moreover, the exchange rate
between the Indian rupee and the Armenian Dram is low, so it benefits
a cost-conscious/frugal Indian traveller on his first visit to the
country who are keen on not burning a hole in their pockets while
exploring an exotic location like Armenia.

Situated along the River Hrazdan, Yerevan, which was named as 2012
World Book Capital by UNESCO, is the administrative, cultural, and
industrial centre of the country. It has been the capital since 1918,
the 13th in the history of Armenia. With the growth of the economy
of the country, Yerevan has been undergoing major transformation as
many parts of the city have been the recipient of new construction
since the early 2000s, and retail outlets such as restaurants, shops
and street cafes, which were rare during Soviet times, have multiplied.

Amongst other attractions in Armenia is Tsaghkadzor, historical name
Kecharis, which is a spa town and a popular health resort located
North of Hrazdan in the Kotayk Province (marz). Tsaghkadzor means
valley of flowers in Armenian. The city is located 50 kms North of
Yerevan, on the South-Eastern slope of Teghenis Mountains, at a height
of 1,750 mts above sea level, surrounded with alpine meadows. The
infrastructure of tourism is highly developed in Tsaghkadzor, with
many luxurious hotels, resorts and amusement facilities.

Voskan Kokanyan, Director, Sales and Marketing, Tsaghkadzor Marriott
Hotel, said, “Our hotel comprises 100 luxurious guest rooms (including
the rooms in seven villas) featuring a work desk with a lamp, data
ports at the desk, cable/satellite TV, in-room safe, high-speed and
Wi-Fi access. The seven villas comprising stylish four deluxe rooms and
one junior suite are best for small groups of 15 people. We have five
restaurants and bars each featuring a unique design and cuisine. For
our business travellers we have three well-equipped, state-of-the-art
meeting rooms, as well as a ballroom to host events and for those
who like to rejuvenate we have a health club, a fitness centre, a
swimming pool, sauna, the Turkish bath Hamam, our luxurious spa and
a multifunctional field for team sports, making your stay memorable.”

‘India is an emerging market for Armenia’ – Mikkel Krantz, Director,
Sales and Marketing, Armenia Marriott Hotel Yerevan

Armenia Marriott Hotel Yerevan is looking at creating awareness about
the property in the Indian market to tap MICE and leisure travellers.

Mikkel Krantz, Director, Sales and Marketing, Armenia Marriott Hotel
Yerevan, speaks to TravelBiz Monitor about the potential of the
Indian market and how the hotel is geared up to receive visitors from
the country

Q. What is the USP of your hotel?

A. Armenia Marriott Hotel Yerevan is ‘The place to be in Yerevan’,
with best and unmatched location in Yerevan right on the Republic
Square. It has the largest hotel ballroom in town, Tigran Mets covering
585 sq mts of area. The first well-established international hotel
brand in Yerevan, Armenia Marriott Hotel Yerevan offers the highest
standard of service and safety/security. It offers a choice of four
outlets in the same building.

Our hotel features nine floors in two wings, a total of 226 guest
rooms specifically designed for both leisure and business travellers,
spanning from standard deluxe rooms to presidential room. We offer
free Wi-Fi facility at all the four outlets. The hotel is well
established as a meeting and social event venue and can accommodate
up to 700 people.

Q. How are you geared up to host the Indian clientele?

A. We always stay flexible in terms of our guest requests and undertake
utmost care to ensure we maximise their travel experience when staying
with Marriott. As India seems to become a new market for Armenia,
it is crucial that we listen and act on these needs. Our dedicated
personnel are dealing with the Indian market so that we become
experts in terms of understanding their travel behaviours better. We
are training our people on diversity and inclusion, which is a key
focus at all Marriott hotels worldwide. When we receive requests for
Indian chefs/cooks, we are flexible in terms of bringing the service
from outside to the hotel for the requested period.

Q. Currently, what is the composition and percentage of Indian guests
at your property?

A. The Indian market has recently started to show an increased interest
in Armenia/Yerevan for both leisure and MICE, so it is too early to
comment. However, we are working closely with the local agencies as
well as with Indian agencies/corporate entities directly, and also
with our own Marriott Global Sales Office in New Delhi in India to
attract Indian travellers.

Q. What would be your marketing strategy to tap the Indian market?

A. At this stage, we want to reach out to the Indian market and ensure
that they not only get to know about the fantastic Marriott hotels we
have here in Yerevan/Armenia, but also all that this interesting and
beautiful country can offer them. Being a part of the Marriott family,
we have several ways of reaching out to that market. We are growing our
hotel portfolio within India, especially with brands like Courtyard by
Marriott, JW Marriott and Marriott Hotels & Resorts, which means we
are already well established there and well known. We can therefore,
on a daily basis, be in contact with a wide network of businesses in
India. We will participate in Marriott Sales Missions in India and
will also be inviting Indian travel representatives and media for
FAM trips to Armenia. Furthermore, we obviously also support what
our local tourism institution is doing for promoting our country in
the Indian market.

Nadeem Kohari, General Manager- MICE, Thomas Cook “Armenia is an
amazingly beautiful, unexplored and untapped destination. It is a
must-visit and ideal for small groups and FITs.

However, the challenge is availability of Indian restaurants and
flight connectivity. Tsaghkadzor and Yerevan are the two beautiful
destinations in Armenia, and the country is tourist-friendly and safe.”

Abhik Dutta, Director, Wanderers Leisure Pvt Ltd.

“Armenia is a perfect destination for three-four days for MICE
travellers and honeymooners. It is a new and untapped destination with
good hotels, and Yerevan and Tsaghkadzor are the two important tourist
destinations. Armenia has a brandy factory and is the only country that
can use the name cognac (after France), but in the local language.”

Dhawal Bhute, Divisional Head – Corporate Tours, Orbitz Corporate &
Leisure Travels (I) Pvt. Ltd.

“Armenia is a good destination for leisure and incentive groups. It
has good nightlife and fantastic hotels. The destination has beautiful
sightseeing options and four- to five-star hotels under international
and local brands. It can easily accommodate a group of 50 people
(with three-four day itinerary). For more people, logistics could be
a problem.”

AZERBAIJAN, ARMENIA ‘AGREE TO DISCUSS PEACE SETTLEMENT’

Agence France Presse
Nov 19 2013

(AFP)

Vienna – The presidents of arch-foes Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed
Tuesday to discuss a peace settlement over the disputed region of
Nagorny Karabakh, the European security body OSCE said.

“The presidents agreed to advance negotiations toward a peaceful
settlement… They agreed to meet again in the months ahead,” the
OSCE said in a statement after the two leaders met in Vienna.

Armenia’s Serzh Sarkisian and Azerbaijan’s Ilham Aliyev met in the
Austrian capital Tuesday for the first time in two years, hosted by
the OSCE’s so-called Minsk Group, which has been spearheading attempts
to negotiate a solution to the conflict.

The foreign ministers of the two countries will now work with the
heads of the Group — the ambassadors of Russia, France and the United
States — “to build on the work to date with the aim of intensifying
the peace process,” the OSCE said.

Working sessions will be held on the sidelines of an OSCE conference
in Kiev on December 5-6. The Minsk co-chairs were also to visit the
region this year.

Armenia and Azerbaijan are locked in a festering decades-long feud
over the breakaway region of Nagorny Karabakh and frequently exchange
sniper fire across the volatile frontline.

Armenia-backed separatists seized Nagorny Karabakh from Azerbaijan
in a war that killed 30,000 people in the 1990s.

Despite years of negotiations since a 1994 ceasefire, the two sides
have still not signed a peace deal.

The last meeting between the two leaders took place in January 2012
in the Russian resort of Sochi.

Azerbaijan has threatened to take back the disputed region by force
if negotiations do not yield results, while Armenia has vowed to
retaliate against any military action.

DUBIOUS METTLE OF THE MEDALS

[ Part 2.2: “Attached Text” ]

By Edmond Y. Azadian, The Armenian Mirror-Spectator (p.14), 16
November 2013

The Russian novelist Anton Chekhov once wrote a satirical
short [nubar_pasha.jpg] story about the significance of medals in
19th-century Russian society. The story dwells on the predicament
of a poor teacher who is invited to a dinner party in high society
circles. To prove that he deserves the honor, he decides toborrow a
medal from a friend. Upon arriving at the party, however, he encounters
an acquaintance, who knows that he has not received such an honor. The
teacher tries to hide the medal, devising many ruses which eventually
spoil the dinner and the evening. But before taking his leave, he
discovers that his acquaintance is also in the same boat, trying to
hide his own borrowed medal.

Chekhov ridiculed characters chasing such vanities. He died in 1905
and yet, since then, not much has changed in that part of the world
when it comes to tributes.

The Soviet inheritors of the Russian Empire also stressed the
significance of those medals, to the point that many anecdotes
and jokes were cracked about Leonid Brezhnev, a particular devotee
of medals. As the chevrons on his lapel extended, Armenians were
wondering that they had never seen hyphenated chevrons.

Today, those coveted medals can be bought at the Vernissage, the
glorified flea market in Yerevan, for pennies. But, on the other hand,
the tradition seems to be entrenched in Armenia so much so that pretty
soon no tourist will return from Yerevan without a medal awarded by
an authority or agency in Armenia.

The same may apply also to the church. It looks like soon the
recipients of medals will outnumber Armenians who have been deprived
of such honors.

In the past, the people who were awarded such medals were few and
far between. But today, the abundance of such medals leaves everyone
baffled and devalues the honor. Some recipients even wonder what good
deed they have done for Armenia in order to deserve such honors.

It looks as if the time has come to revise the value system in Armenia,
where they seem to be banking on the naivete of Diasporan Armenians. It
is true that for some people, those medals serve as an effective bait
to get them to make some contributions. But, as time goes on, with
the proliferation of those honors, the value system is undermined
and deserving people cannot be distinguished from the ones who have
taken the bait and been elevated to a rank to which they don’t belong.

There is a saturation point where the law of diminishing returns
is activated.

Yet another group in the diaspora is critical of generous distribution
of those questionable honors, that is, until their turn arrives. At
that point, they believe that unlike undeserving honorees, they are
meritorious and have fully earned the honors.

But eventually, they are bundled in the same batch of people who had
been wearing those medals, whether they deserved them or not.

Come to think, by the unrestricted dispensation of those medals, the
authorities, eventually, insult the intelligence of the Diasporan
Armenians, believing that those methods can buy influence, loyalty
and sacrifice.

Any contribution to or sacrifice for Armenia loses its value the moment
the motivation becomes reciprocal compensation. And unfortunately,
our poor homeland has not much more to offer than those pieces of
metal to reward those contributors. It is really very difficult to
differentiate who is more naïve: the people who shower those honors
or those who get the medals? Maybe both.

When those medals were awarded sparingly, the recipients were
distinguished members of the community and they stood above the
multitudes. But today, when the spigot of those awards has been turned
loose, the value of those medals is dead on arrival.

Individuals with self-esteem need to think seriously if the medals
they have received truly signify an appreciation for a righteous deed
or whether they have been decorated with an ulterior motive.

Of course, the generous distribution of medals needs to be
distinguished from the prizes awarded to the writers, scientists,
scholars and performers by the government or by other organizations,
since the latter come with monetary compensation, which will go a
long way to inspire new pieces of literature or composition, or new
volumes of academic work.

Now that there is a large army of medal bearers, where do we begin
to raise our value system?

Of course, the change has to begin from the top. But before adopting
a new system, there has to be a change in our people’s mentality and
attitude. Brezhnev is dead and his medals have been buried with him;
we cannot buy them at the Vernissage anymore.

Once we change our mentality, it would be rather easy to
come up with a new value system. Committees of unbiased and
qualified[Mesrop_mashtots.jpg]  scholars may be assigned with the
task; people who truly are familiar with the face (and the heart)
of the diaspora and Armenia. They can come up with a short list of
candidates who should be vetted properly, before being nominated for
the awards. That way, no recommendation can be smuggled on the list
of nominations if all they have done is treat a minister to lunch or
given a lavish present.

During the last 21 years, from the ashes of the ragtag fighters
an effective army was formed in Armenia. Legislative and executive
branches of government were put in place.

Therefore, Armenia’s value system should also correspond to those
developments. If fewer people from the diaspora are medaled, the
Diasporan-Armenians will feel more honored, not less, if and when
their turn comes.

If today Anton Chekhov were to be resurrected, I have no reason to hide
my own medals. But, in my soul searching, I will always wonder where
I stand in the value system of those who have awarded the medals to me.

Note: This article is dedicated to the memory of my dear friend,
the late Arsen Demerjian who motivated me to write about this topic
before his untimely death.

U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT HAILS UPCOMING AZERBAIJAN-ARMENIA MEETING

AzerNews, Azerbaijan
Nov 1 2013

18 November 2013, 13:10 (GMT+04:00)
By Sara Rajabova

The U.S. State Department hailed the upcoming meeting of the
Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents.

Azerbaijani and Armenian Presidents have it in their power to launch
comprehensive settlement talks, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for
European and Eurasian Affairs Victoria Nuland said in her speech at
the Atlantic Council in Washington on November 14.

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and President of Armenia Serzh
Sargsyan agreed to meet in late November to discuss the settlement
of the long-lasting conflict.

Nuland called the upcoming meeting of the two countries’ presidents
a positive development.

Nuland said that the U.S. would continue to cooperate with Russia on
solving the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

“Russia has long been a partner of the United States on a number of
issues where we can work together. I think our overall approach remains
to try to cooperate with Russia as much as we can on as many issues
as we can that we share, whether they`re bilateral issues, whether
they`re regional issues like Nagorno-Karabakh, or whether they`re
global issues like Iran, Afghanistan, Syria, et cetera,” Nuland said.

The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict emerged in 1988 when Armenia made
territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Since a lengthy war in the early
1990s that displaced over one million Azerbaijanis, Armenian armed
forces have occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan’s internationally
recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent
regions.

The UN Security Council’s four resolutions on Armenian withdrawal
have not been enforced to this day.

Peace talks, mediated by Russia, France and the U.S. through the OSCE
Minsk Group, are underway on the basis of a peace outline proposed
by the Minsk Group co-chairs and dubbed the Madrid Principles. The
negotiations have been largely fruitless so far.