Author: Kalantarian Kevo

ARMENIA, AZERBAIJAN BORDER CLASH KILLS ONE: YEREVAN

Agence France Presse
October 22, 2013 Tuesday 4:15 PM GMT

YEREVAN, Oct 22 2013

Azerbaijani forces on Tuesday killed an Armenian soldier and injured
three more along the volatile border between the two arch-enemies,
the Armenian government said.

Garik Pogosyan, 19, was killed when the convoy he was in came under
fire on a road that runs along the border, the defence ministry said
in a statement.

Three other soldiers in the convoy were wounded, it, adding: “This
criminal step by the enemy will not go unanswered and those behind
it will be held responsible.”

Armenia and Azerbaijan are locked in a festering decades-long feud
over the breakaway region of Nagorny Karabakh.

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.

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

mkh-del/as/cc

OSCE/ODIHR PROVIDES ASSESSMENT OF MIGRANT INTEGRATION POLICIES IN ARMENIA

16:42 23.10.2013

A number of laws and policies are in place in Armenia to promote the
integration of migrants into society, but more steps could be taken
to make further improvements, concludes an assessment prepared by the
OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) in
co-operation with the non-governmental organization Migration Policy
Group and presented in Yerevan on 23 October 2013.

The assessment notes that opportunities such as the right to apply
for permanent residency and to vote in local elections, as well as
to hold dual citizenship, aid immigrants and family members who join
them in Armenia in integrating.

At the same time, the assessment concludes that the absence of a
dedicated anti-discrimination law and an independent agency for
promoting equality creates a challenging environment for immigrants.

There is also often a lack of targeted state support for immigrants in
finding employment, enrolling children in education and participating
in political decision-making.

“Realizing the challenges posed by population movement to and from
Armenia, this report should serve as a useful tool for identifying,
in close co-operation with the national agencies, the areas for our
further activities in the area of migration management,” Ambassador
Andrey Sorokin, Head of the OSCE Office in Yerevan, said at the
roundtable discussion to launch the assessment.

“The facilitation of migrant integration is still a relatively new
issue for many OSCE participating States,” said Nathalie Tagwerker,
Deputy Head of the ODIHR Democratization Department. “This assessment
provides national authorities in Armenia with a good basis to further
develop and improve their legislation, and to take concrete policy
measures in the area of migrant integration in line with OSCE
commitments.”

The assessment was prepared upon request of the Armenian authorities.

It was produced based on the Migrant Integration Policy Index (MIPEX)
methodology, developed by the Migration Policy Group. Its criteria
reflect all relevant OSCE commitments and are based directly on
other international standards. To date, the MIPEX assessment has been
undertaken in 32 OSCE participating States.

BELARUS URGES ARMENIA TO COOPERATE WITH CUSTOMS UNION

Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
Oct 22 2013

22 October 2013 – 10:17am

Andrey Smirnov, Vice President of the Eurasian Cooperation Development
Foundation, said that Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko’s
statement that Armenia could not join the Customs Union in the
near future had been made to encourage Armenia to adopt technical
regulations and legislative amendments.Smirnov explained that the
Customs Union had a large volume of materials and standards Armenia
needed to adopt and Lukashenko’s words were a signal for changes.The
expert believes that Lukashenko was actually encouraging Armenia
to cooperate more actively with Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan. The
Armenian-Belarusian Trade Center was operating in Armenia, a cognac
factory opened in Belarus.Smirnov said that the declarations of
September 3 needed to be put into a legal document. Such document may
appear at the Minsk summit of heads of the Eurasian Economic Union
on October 24.

Andrey Smirnov, Vice President of the Eurasian Cooperation Development
Foundation, said that Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko’s
statement that Armenia could not join the Customs Union in the
near future had been made to encourage Armenia to adopt technical
regulations and legislative amendments.

Smirnov explained that the Customs Union had a large volume of
materials and standards Armenia needed to adopt and Lukashenko’s
words were a signal for changes.

The expert believes that Lukashenko was actually encouraging Armenia
to cooperate more actively with Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan. The
Armenian-Belarusian Trade Center was operating in Armenia, a cognac
factory opened in Belarus.

Smirnov said that the declarations of September 3 needed to be put
into a legal document. Such document may appear at the Minsk summit
of heads of the Eurasian Economic Union on October 24.

ARMENIA’S ACCESSION TO CUSTOMS UNION WILL TAKE TIME – LUKASHENKO

Interfax, Russia
Oct 21 2013

“It can’t enter the Customs Union tomorrow or the day after tomorrow or
this year, or maybe even next year,” Lukashenko said while meeting with
heads of mass media organizations of CIS countries in Minsk on Monday.

Lukashenko said that “Armenia will only enter the Customs Union
after it fulfils all of the procedures and adopts regulations and
appropriate agreements.”

“It has to go though the accession process,” Lukashenko said, adding
that “it will take some time.”

The issue may be raised in the upcoming summit in Minsk, Lukashenko
said, adding that he does not rule out the appearance of “some document
about Armenia’s intention to join the Customs Union.”

“We should all sit down and discuss where Armenia sees itself, either
in the Customs Union, or in the EU,” Lukashenko said. He reiterated
that “Armenia can only show itself and us the vectors of where it wants
to go. Either the EU or the Customs Union” in the meeting in Minsk.

Lukashenko said, citing negotiations with Armenian officials, that
“a lot of things are still uncertain in Armenian-European dialogue.”

av mk

PRESS RELEASE
Glendale Public Library
222 East Harvard Street
Glendale CA 91205
Tel: 818-548-2030
Web:

FB:

Academic Conference Dedicated to the 1650th Anniversary of Mesrob Mashtots

A new world order is in the making and history dictates that those
nations, who do not rise to the challenge, will be sidelined from the
world stage.

The spread of Christianity in the 4th century led to the establishment
of a new world order. The Armenian nation rose to the challenge, thanks
to Gregory the Illuminator and specially Mesrob Mashtots. The invention
of the Armenian alphabet reshaped our national identity and contributed
to the creation of our Golden Age.

The invention of printing and the Renaissance in the 15th century and
onward reshaped the world once again. The Armenian nation was able to
keep pace, thanks to Mekhitar of Sebastia. His movement became the
catalyst for the reawakening and rediscovering of the Armenian Identity.

For the past several decades, the internet has been revolutionizing our
lives and changing the world. Globalization is threatening the
sovereignty of small nations. Can the Armenian nation rise to the
challenge once again? What role will our past play in shaping our
future?

To explore the above mentioned issues, an academic conference will be
held at the Fletcher Jones Auditorium of Woodbury University, 7500 N.
Glenoaks Blvd. Burbank , CA 91504 on Saturday, October 26, 2013 from 9
am to 5 pm.

The conference is jointly organized by the Armenian General Benevolent
Union, Ararat Eskijian Museum, Hamazkayin Armenian Educational and
Cultural Society, Nor Serount Cultural Association and the Organization
of Istanbul Armenians.

The organizing committee is honored that the following distinguished
academics have accepted its invitation and agreed to take part in the
conference.

The program will consist of the following presentations:

Prof. Father Levon Zekyian
The Symbolism of Mesrob Mashtots: A Retrospect into the Past Sixteen Centuries

Prof. Abraham Terian
The Sturcture and Purpose of Koriwn’s “Life of Mashtots”

Dr. Srbuhi Hayrapetian
The Conceptualization and Rooting of National Identity

Rev. Dr. Abel Manoukian
The Plan to Create a Spiritual Statehood and Preserve National Identity
in the 5th Century and Today

Dr. Yervant Zorian
The Mission of the Armenian Virtual College and its Contribution to
Preserving Armenian Identity

Prof. Hagop Gulludjian
Place, Role, and Prospects of Language Facing Globalization

Prof. Robert Hewsen
Mesrob Mashtots and Mekhitar of Sebastia: the Second and Third Illuminators
of the Armenian People

We are glad to inform that the conference will be live streamed in its
entirety. You can follow the program by visiting NorSerount.com
.

Admission is free, but seating is limited. Seats could be reserved by
contacting 818.357.1606 or maggiegoschin@gmail,com or Nor Serount on
Facebook.

Harut Der-Tavitian

LES RESERVES PROUVEES DE GISEMENTS D’OR ESTIMEES A PLUS DE 16,3 MILLIARDS DE DOLLARS

ARMENIE

Les reserves prouvees d’or dans les depôts armeniens sont estimes a
plus de 16,3 milliards de dollars selon Hrachia Avakian, un eminent
specialiste de l’Institut d’economie de l’Academie Nationale des
Sciences

Il a declare que les recettes prevues de ces ressources est d’environ
24,7 milliards de dollars. Selon lui, l’Armenie a huit gisements d’or
prouvees, les plus importantes etant dans le Sotk.

Hrachia Avakian a egalement declare qu’il y a six champs eprouves avec
de l’or et des reserves polymetalliques qui peuvent etre developpees
pour encore 300 ans et qui produisent chaque annee 1800 tonnes de
cuivre, 5300 tonnes de plomb, 7300 tonnes de zinc, 670 kg d’or, 70
tonnes d’argent , 2300 tonnes de cadmium, 11 tonnes de bismuth, 18
tonnes de selenium et de nombreux autres metaux, ainsi que plusieurs
milliers de tonnes de soufre et de fer.

mardi 22 octobre 2013, Stephane ©armenews.com

RESF DEMANDE QUE LA POLITIQUE D’IMMIGRATION CHANGE

FRANCE

PARIS, (AFP) – Le Reseau education sans frontières (RESF), qui a
mediatise l’expulsion de la jeune Leonarda au Kosovo, a demande lundi
“que la politique d’immigration change”, estimant que Manuel Valls
“poursuit” la politique de Nicolas Sarkozy.

“C’est ancrer l’idee qu’il n’y a qu’une seule politique en matière
d’immigration possible en ce pays, c’est totalement irresponsable”,
a dit Richard Moyon, confondateur de RESF. Il s’exprimait lors d’une
conference de presse au siège de la FCPE avec des representants de
plusieurs organisations membres du reseau, dont les syndicats lyceens
UNL et FIDL.

Les situations de Leonarda et de Khatchik, 19 ans, expulse vers
l’Armenie, ou de la famille georgienne Shikhashvili, cachee par des
habitants a Albertville et dont les deux fillettes sont scolarisees,
“ce ne sont pas des accidents, ce ne sont pas des bavures, ce sont des
consequences inevitables de la politique mise en place par M. Sarkozy
pendant une decennie et que monsieur Valls poursuit”, a declare M.

Moyon.

Des ministres de droite ont cite Michel Rocard disant “la France ne
peut pas accueillir toute la misère du monde”, en tronquant la fin,
“mais elle doit en prendre fidèlement sa part”. Les futurs ministres
de l’Interieur de droite citeront eux M. Valls sans avoir besoin de
tronquer ses propos sur le regroupement familial ou l’integration
des Roms”, a-t-il estime.

Les lyceens qui ont manifeste par milliers la semaine dernière ne
demandent pas “une circulaire pour dire qu’on n’arrete pas les enfants
dans les ecoles ou dans un car scolaire”, a declare Brigitte Wieser,
membre de RESF. “Ce qui a mis le feu, c’est la loi qui permet d’arreter
un lyceen en plein pendant sa formation, et c’est cette loi qu’il
faut changer”, a-t-elle dit.

Pour elle, la circulaire Sarkozy du 31 octobre 2005 allait plus loin
que la circulaire Valls de ce week-end. Le texte de Sarkozy demandait
de suspendre jusqu’a la fin de l’annee scolaire l’expulsion de parents
etrangers ayant des enfants scolarises. “Il faut une sanctuarisation
de l’education, de la scolarite, que tous les jeunes majeurs ou
mineurs sans papiers, a partir du moment où ils sont scolarises,
puissent rester avec leur famille en France pour etudier jusqu’au
bout”, a aussi reclame Yvan Dementhon, president de l’UNL.

Khatchik, joint au telephone en fin de conference de presse, a
dit qu’il devrait faire son service militaire en Armenie : “c’est
obligatoire, mais je ne veux pas le faire, je veux rentrer en France”.

mardi 22 octobre 2013, Ara ©armenews.com

UN JEUNE MILITANT DE L’OPPOSITION RECHERCHE SON ACQUITTEMENT APRES UNE LIBERATION PAR AMNISTIE

ARMENIE

Un jeune militant de l’opposition libere a promis de rechercher une
pleine exoneration malgre un acquittement partiel et une liberation
par la cour d’appel en vertu de la loi d’amnistie generale.

Le tribunal d’Erevan a ordonne la liberation de Tigran Arakelyan
après avoir decide que certaines parties des accusations portees
contre lui devaient etre abandonnees et sa condamnation a six ans de
prison ramenee a trois ans.

Tigran Arakelyan, un leader de la jeunesse du Congress (ANC) a passe
plus de deux ans en prison après avoir ete arrete en août 2011 et
plus tard condamne sur des accusations de voies de fait contre un
agent de police.

Fait interessant, l’incident qui s’est produit il y a deux ans et
a la suite de laquelle sept militants ont ete arretes (dont quatre,
y compris Arakelyan, ont ensuite ete accuses et juges) a mis fin a
un dialogue politique entre le bloc de l’opposition et les autorites.

Tout au long du procès l’opposition a qualifie les affaires contre
Arakelyan et trois autres militants d’etre motives politiquement.

Tigran Arakelyan, qui, a l’audience precedente a declare qu’il n’avait
pas besoin d’une amnistie et a dit qu’il voulait un acquittement,
a annonce qu’il allait faire appel de la decision auprès de la Cour
de cassation afin d’obtenir un acquittement complet.

Dans la soiree Tigran Arakelyan a rencontre des membres de l’ANC et
de sympathisants dans le parc Saryan d’Erevan. Il les a remercies
pour leur soutien au cours de ces deux annees et a dit qu’il serait
plus actif et prendra des mesures visant a trouver des solutions plus
” en profondeur “.

Le secretaire de la faction ANC Aram Manoukian a declare que la lutte
n’etait pas seulement pour la liberation d’Arakelyan, mais d’exclure
la presence de personnes persecutees pour leurs opinions politiques
en Armenie.

” Notre objectif est de s’assurer que personne ne devient un prisonnier
politique quelque soit son affiliation a un parti “, a-t-il declare.

Le chef de la faction ANC Levon Zurabyan, quant a lui, a encore une
fois accuse les autorites de contrecarrer le dialogue il y a deux
ans avec une action deraisonnable.

” Ces autorites ont prouve qu’elles sont pretes a sacrifier les
meilleurs processus qui pourrait conduire a la reprise de notre
societe pour des raisons de vengeance, de persecution politique,
pour creer une atmosphère d’intimidation ” a-t-il dit.

” Nous etions dans le dialogue sur la tenue d’elections parlementaires
et presidentielles anticipees pour former un gouvernement legitime
en Armenie. Sont-ils prets a parler de ces questions aujourd’hui ?

Probablement pas. Mais notre cause a partir de maintenant sera de
forcer ces pourparlers a ces autorites “, a conclu Zurabyan.

Par Siranuysh Gevorgyan

ArmeniaNow

mardi 22 octobre 2013, Stephane ©armenews.com

ARMENIAN-LANGUAGE ELECTION CAMPAIGNS ALLOWED IN TURKEY

October 21, 2013 – 16:32 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – A package of reforms suggested by Turkish Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan allows conducting electoral campaigns
in Armenian. Before the move, usage of any language beside Turkish
during campaigns was forbidden, according to Haber Turk.

Politicians in Istanbul, Hatai, Diyarbakir and Kars which are home
to descendants of the 1915 Genocide victims can address the voters
in Armenian.

According to the Turkish Linguistic Society’s assessment, Turkish
population speaks 36 languages: 15 million speak Kurdish, a million an
a half are Alevites, with Armenian, Arabic. Greek, Abkhazian, Georgian,
Kazakh among the languages spoken. A Western Armenian dialect, Hamshen,
which hasn’t changed in the last 200 years, is also spoken.

Armenian news service has been operating at TRT state channel for
more than a year.

On September 30, Erdogan unveiled a long-anticipated package of
reforms designed “to strengthen democracy and keep on track a fragile
settlement process” to end the conflict with the outlawed Kurdistan
Workers’ Party (PKK).

The most important reforms include removing restrictions of wearing
Islamic headscraves, possibility of education in mother tongue,
restoration of original names of villages, districts and provinces that
existed before 1980, sweeping changes in law on political parties,
possibility of lowering 10 percent electoral threshold in entering
Parliament, improving assembly freedom and other small rights for
religious and ethnic minorities.

Why was Nicholay Tsaturyan meeting with the Minister of Culture

October 18 2013

Yesterday, iLur.am news website had released information the Minister
of Culture Hasmik Poghosyan by persuasion of His Holiness Karekin II
and by the order of the President Serzh Sargsyan is going to get rid
of the Artistic Director of Vardan Ajemian State Drama Theatre of
Gyumri, People’s Artist of Armenia Nikolay Tsaturyan. The reason was
Nikolay Tsaturyan’s sharp criticism voiced over the GALA TV regarding
the authorities of the country, oligarchs and the Catholicos, to whom
the artist called a demon. As conveyed by iLur.am, the Catholicos not
tolerating the criticism voiced against him, had complained to Serzh
Sargsyan urging him to punish the artist, and accordingly, Mr.
Tsaturyan, yesterday, was called to the Minister of Culture for
resignation. And, even though, yesterday, the People’s artist had gone
to meet the Minister, however, Ms. Poghosyan refused to accept him.
Today, Aravot.am asked for clarifications on this noised issue from
the head of PR department of the Ministry of Culture Alla Serobyan.
The latter pointed out that all of this is disinformation, because
yesterday’s meeting between the Minister of Culture Hasmik Poghosyan
and Mr. Tsaturyan was planned long ago. `Before giving the interview,
Mr. Tsaturyan, still a few days ago, had asked for a meeting with the
Minister, and the Minister had appointed a day and an hour. The
meeting was supposed to take place yesterday, but since before the
meeting Mr. Tsaturyan had voiced unfounded comments, particularly with
regard to writing the resignation, therefore the minister refused to
accept him yesterday,’ said Alla Serobyan. To our question of
clarification, whether the Catholicos has nothing to do with this,
Alla Serobyan said, `Of course, it is a fiction.’ We also asked for a
clarification from Mr. Tsaturyan, as he was in Yerevan, we could not
be met, but he confirmed on the phone that he really had an
appointment for yesterday to meet with the Minister and to discuss
issues regarding the play `Monte’ and a number of other issues, but
the minister had not accepted him. To our observation that according
to the ministry the reason was the comments made by you that you were
called to write a resignation, Mr. Tsaturyan said, `And where I have
made such a comment. I have not said such a thing. I’ve read about it
from the Facebook, and the media that they want to dismiss me from
work due to the complaints of the Catholicos. All of that is written
by the media and my comment is not there.’ And as for his bold
statement, Nikolay Tsaturyan conveyed that he had voiced his opinion
as an artist, and a member of society. To note that many of Gyumri
intellectuals directly welcome Mr. Tsaturyan’s speech, according to
their impression, the latter had conveyed the words of their hearts on
air, and they think that any person living and taking his office in
Gyumri should be as bold as Mr. Tsaturyan. The views of intellectuals
in detail will be available soon.

Read more at: