Author: Kalantarian Kevo

WHY THE ARMENIAN AUTHORITIES NEED AN AMNESTY

Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
Oct 8 2013

8 October 2013 – 8:17am

Susanna Petrosyan, Yerevan. Exclusively to Vestnik Kavkaza

The Armenian parliament approved the presidential proposal on amnesty
devoted to the 22nd anniversary of Armenia’s Independence Day. The
speaker Ovik Abramyan stressed that amnesty is “an act of humanity,
which will contribute to the improvement of an atmosphere of tolerance
and consolidation in the society.” The amnesty will affect 1200
prisoners, 500 of whom will be released almost immediately.

Development of the draft took little time. On September 30th President
Serge Sargsyan presented the proposal for a discussion, and on October
1st the parliamentary commission on state legal affairs adopted it.

The next day a discussion took place at a plenary session, and on
October 3rd MPs voted for the draft. The haste can be explained by
an attempt to create a positive background for Sargsyan’s visit to
France – he met Francois Hollande and the chairman of the Senate and
spoke at the PACE session.

However, this is only the surface. In five years it is the third
amnesty in Armenia. Just like amnesties of 2009 and 2011, the amnesty
is aimed at reduction of internal political tension which appeared
due to presence of political prisoners.

As the result of previous amnesties under pressure of local social
activists and international organizations many representatives of
the opposition were released. They were accused of prevention of the
presidential elections of 2008, organization of riots on March 1st,
2008. During trials all accusations were disapproved, because in most
cases they were based on testimonial evidence of policemen.

The acutest question in the current amnesty is whether it will touch
on four activists of the opposition party the Armenian National
Congress, who are accused of street crime; four of them are released
on their own recognizance, and the fourth, Tigran Arakelyan (he is
also accused of obstructing an officer) is serving 6-year sentence
in prison. Arakelyan and his lawyers have many times stated that his
case is a frame-up and is based on testimonial evidence of policemen.

The ANC presented a statement which is based on the Resolution 1900
of the PACE on criteria of defining political prisoners that the whole
situation with Arakelyan enables calling him a political prisoner.

The trial over the ANC activists became well-known due to intensive
activity of ANC representatives in the Council of Europe and Armenia.

Every week protests demanding the release of Arakelyan take place near
the building of the Genral Prosecution. Last month MPs from Prosperous
Armenia, Heritage, Dashnaktsutyun, and the ANC stated on their demand
to release the political prisoner. The opposition organized collecting
signatures in Arakelyan’s support. 110 representatives of intelligent
society, including writers, film directors, musicians, journalists,
and social activists signed the statement.

Despite numerous reforms in the justice system, the main problem
hasn’t been solved. Armenian courts are still a tool in hands of the
executive power. According to human rights activists, the justice
system continues implementing political orders of the power.

Likely the current amnesty, like two previous ones, will be not only
an effective measure to shut down questions on political prisoners,
but also an attempt to save the face of the justice system, as few
people believe in it.

VIKTOR SADOVNICHY: “SPECIAL ATTENTION SHOULD BE PAID TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE NORTH CAUCASUS UNIVERSITIES”

Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
Oct 8 2013

8 October 2013 – 10:27am
Interview by Vestnik Kavkaza

On October 11-13 Moscow will host the 8th Festival of Science. The
president of Moscow State University (MSU), Viktor Sanovnichiy,
invited pupils, students, scientists, and everybody who finds science
interesting to it. The main platform, the intellectual center is
the Fundamental library of MSU. Viktor Sadonvnichiy told journalists
about the festival and science in general.

– What do you think will be the most interesting thing at the Festival
of Science?

– I wish I could listen to the lectures of leading scientists. They
will speak about the latest innovations, discoveries in the
modern science. I think I will have an opportunity to watch all
expositions. It is always a pleasure. I watch them before the opening
ceremony. It is too little time to see everything. I am interested in
projects by young scientists and in projects which can be touched –
a vehicle or a virtual experiment, a virtual room; I am also interested
in serious abstract lectures.

You should come to the Festival of Science because you will learn
a lot there. Science is your future. Think about your future, come
to the Festival of Science, enjoy the science, be a scientist or a
person who appreciates and supports science.

– Why should science be promoted?

– It should be promoted to make it live and develop. When we speak
about promotion, we try to attract young people to understanding of
certain scientific events, discoveries. If the youth come to science,
science will have the future. Moreover, promotion of science is needed
for the society to understand that science should be supported, that
state resources which are spent on science are used effectively. It
is very important as well. The society should understand that it
supports its future by paying taxes.

– Please tell us about the most interesting experiment in your
childhood.

– I had postwar childhood, and we dreamt about photo cameras.

I heard about the camera FED and decided to made my own camera, to
copy FED. I made a frame, found a lens from a binocular, there were
a lot of them after the war, made a mechanism of rolling a film stock
from sewing spools and bought a photo film. Our group went hiking. And
our supervisor told me to shoot the most interesting moments of the
hike. It was 1953 or 1954, you can imagine how we lived then. I made
some pictures, but when I processed the film, all pictures were out of
focus. When our supervisor I asked me to give him the photos as a gift,
I was shy and didn’t want to do this because the photos were out of
focus. Finally I agreed and gave away the photos. But our supervisor
was a very good teacher and he said: “The photos are lovely!” It was
my first serious invention – a handmade camera.

– How does science develop in the Caucasus?

– There are several wonderful universities in the Caucasus. I
would like to mention the one I know the best – Kabardino-Balkaria
University; it has a nice president Barasbi Karamurzov. I have visited
the university and its innovative expositions. There are many good
discoveries, good exhibitions and results. We are connected with the
university in the sphere of studying mountains. There is a station on
Elbrus where we are working together, geographers and physicians. It
is about studying particles. There are other strong universities
in Dagestan, North Ossetia. At the same time, due to some reasons
development of universities in regions should be supported. It concerns
not only a university. It is more than a university. It is a cultural
center, a bond in the region, a bond which unites Russian regions. We
need a special program and pay special attention to development of
the North Caucasus universities. A lot is being done, but we need more.

– Are there any joint scientific projects with countries of the
South Caucasus?

– We have very nice relations with Abkhazia, we have signed a treaty
with Sukhumi University, we have a powerful base there. In Azerbaijan
we have a branch of Moscow State University in Baku, one of the
strongest branches of MSU. I will fly to Baku soon. We will open a
branch in Yerevan, it will be another point. We are ready to build
relations with other countries, including Georgia.

– What are the most striking scientific discoveries of recent years
for you?

– For sure, they are in the science of life. A great breakthrough
in genetics, understanding of life materials and life organisms has
been achieved. The fact that we are close to understanding how life
appeared and why human being appeared in its form is an achievement
of our scientists. I think the biggest breakthroughs will be connected
with biology, genetics, cognitive sciences. And of course microphysics
achieved great results. The most striking is discovery of black holes;
science explains appearance of the universe.

IRANIAN, LEBANESE MPS CONFER ON LATEST DEVELOPMENTS IN SYRIA

FARS News Agency, Iran
October 7, 2013 Monday

TEHRAN (FNA)- Senior Iranian and Lebanese lawmakers, in a meeting
in Tehran, discussed the latest developments in Syria, and stressed
the need for the peaceful settlement of the ongoing bloodshed in the
Muslim country as soon as possible.

Chairman of the Iranian Parliament’s National Security and Foreign
Policy Commission Alaeddin Boroujerdi Sunday conferred with Hagop
Pakradounian, an Armenian deputy in Lebanon’s parliament, on the
necessity of finding a diplomatic solution to the crisis in Syria.

Boroujerdi said that Iran and Lebanon share a common stance on
developments in Syria. “The Islamic Republic of Iran’s approach is
based on promoting sustainable peace and security in the region and
across the world,” the Iranian lawmaker added. The Lebanese MP, for
his part, said that his country supports Iran’s efforts to promote
regional peace and security and believes that Tehran has played a
very constructive role in averting war in the crisis-stricken country.

Syria has been experiencing unrest since March 2011 with organized
attacks by well-armed gangs against Syrian police forces and border
guards being reported across the country. Hundreds of people, including
members of the security forces, have been killed, when some protest
rallies turned into armed clashes. The government blames outlaws,
saboteurs, and armed terrorist groups for the deaths, stressing that
the unrest is being orchestrated from abroad. Tel Aviv, Washington
and some Arab capitals have been staging various plots to topple
President Bashar al-Assad, who is well known in the world for his
anti-Israeli stances. Â Â Â

TURKS IRKED AS ARMENIAN CHURCH PLANS TO CANONIZE VICTIMS OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

Jihad Watch
Oct 7 2013

Islamic supremacists never, ever take responsibility for their own
actions. The Turks are enraged because the Armenians are daring to
tell the truth about what the Turks continue to deny. “Armenian Church
to canonize martyrs of genocide. Ankara unhappy,” by NAT da Polis
for Asia News, October 7, spelling and grammar as in the original
(thanks to C. Cantoni):

Istanbul (AsiaNews) – In a move that has surprised Turkey , the
Armenian Church is going to proceed with the canonization of the
victims of the Armenian Genocide perpetrated by the Turkish State in
1915, using Kurdish laborers for the massacres. The scientifically
perpetrated genocide by, is described by the Turkish historian Taner
Akcam as “A shameful act ” (the title of his book ) . But the Ankara
government has never recognized it and rejects the definition of
” genocide.”

Sources quoted by Turkish newspapers say the canonization will take
place in 2015, the centenary of the genocide of 1.5 million Armenians
killed in Asia Minor.

The main source of this news is ASAM, The research center of Turkey’s
Eurasian strategy , according to which the great synod of the Armenian
Church was summoned to Yerevan the capital of ‘ Armenia. There is one
important fact: for the first time after 400 years – that is, after
1651 – bishops who came from all over the world attended this synod:
a real novelty in the history of the Armenian Church.

The synod – held at the end of September – was attended by the
Archbishop of Etsmiatzin , (considered the most sacred city for
Armenians ), the Armenian Archbishop of Lebanon, where there is also
a large community, which escaped the genocide ; the bishops of the
United States, Jerusalem , South America, France and the places where
there are Armenian communities of the Diaspora.

During the gathering the decision was made to canonize all the victims
of ‘ horrific genocide perpetrated by the Ottomans first and then the
Turks of Kemal Ataturk . The canonization will follow the formula of
the tradition of the Eastern Churches, which is the proclaiming of
the saints , stating the name of the place of martyrdom and not the
names of the individuals.

The decision of the Armenian synod has shaken Turkey. The President of
ASAM , Omer Ozkaya , says the decision has political motivations and he
points out that all the bishops of the Armenian Church gathered for the
first time after 400 years in order to give maximum visibility to the
“alleged” (according to the Turkish ) Armenian Genocide , proceeding to
the canonization of victims of genocide. Omer Ozkaya noted, however,
that in this way , the Armenians , give another religious , dimension
to the dispute between Diaspora communities and Turkey.

Another fact that has not escaped notice is that the synod was
convened in religious heart of Armenia, Etsimiatzin , which is the
great religious reference point for Armenians .

ARMENIAN CHURCH TO CANONIZE MARTYRS OF GENOCIDE. ANKARA UNHAPPY

AsiaNews, Italy
Oct 7 2013

by NAT da Polis
The ceremony should take place in 2015 , the centenary of the genocide
of 1.5 million Armenians. Armenian bishops from around the world
at the synod which decided the canonization. The tensions between
Armenia and Turkey take on “religious” character.

Istanbul (AsiaNews) – In a move that has surprised Turkey , the
Armenian Church is going to proceed with the canonization of the
victims of the Armenian Genocide perpetrated by the Turkish State in
1915, using Kurdish laborers for the massacres. The scientifically
perpetrated genocide by, is described by the Turkish historian Taner
Akcam as “A shameful act ” (the title of his book ) . But the Ankara
government has never recognized it and rejects the definition of
” genocide.”

Sources quoted by Turkish newspapers say the canonization will take
place in 2015, the centenary of the genocide of 1.5 million Armenians
killed in Asia Minor.

The main source of this news is ASAM, The research center of Turkey’s
Eurasian strategy , according to which the great synod of the Armenian
Church was summoned to Yerevan the capital of ‘ Armenia. There is one
important fact: for the first time after 400 years – that is, after
1651 – bishops who came from all over the world attended this synod:
a real novelty in the history of the Armenian Church.

The synod – held at the end of September – was attended by the
Archbishop of Etsmiatzin , (considered the most sacred city for
Armenians ), the Armenian Archbishop of Lebanon, where there is also
a large community, which escaped the genocide ; the bishops of the
United States, Jerusalem , South America, France and the places where
there are Armenian communities of the Diaspora.

During the gathering the decision was made to canonize all the victims
of ‘ horrific genocide perpetrated by the Ottomans first and then the
Turks of Kemal Ataturk . The canonization will follow the formula of
the tradition of the Eastern Churches, which is the proclaiming of
the saints , stating the name of the place of martyrdom and not the
names of the individuals.

The decision of the Armenian synod has shaken Turkey. The President of
ASAM , Omer Ozkaya , says the decision has political motivations and he
points out that all the bishops of the Armenian Church gathered for the
first time after 400 years in order to give maximum visibility to the
“alleged” (according to the Turkish ) Armenian Genocide , proceeding to
the canonization of victims of genocide. Omer Ozkaya noted, however,
that in this way , the Armenians , give another religious , dimension
to the dispute between Diaspora communities and Turkey.

Another fact that has not escaped notice is that the synod was
convened in religious heart of Armenia, Etsimiatzin , which is the
great religious reference point for Armenians .

LEVON ARONYAN PLAYED DRAW IN GRAND SLAM 1ST ROUND

00:33, 8 October, 2013

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 7, ARMENPRESS: The leader of the Armenian National
Chess Men team, the triple Olympic Chess Champion, the Grand Master
Levon Aronyan shared his point in the first round of the Grand Slam
6th tournament (Chess Masters Final) taking place on October 7-13
2013 in Bilbao, Spain. As reported by Armenpress, the opponent of
Levon Aronyan was Maxime Vachier-Lagrave. On the 43rd move the chess
players shared points.

The tournament will have six rounds.

In the FIDE October rankings Levon Aronyan was on the third
horizontal. The Armenian Grand Master had 2795 points.

Earlier Armenpress reported that the game “Chess with Levon Aronyan”,
developed by the Armenian programmers, is ready. The game is based
on the moves of Levon Aronyan’s games, which make the game closer
to the Grand Master’s style. The player selects the age of Aronyan
to play with. According to the programmers, the game presents Levon
Aronyan at the age from 10 to 31. During the game the participant is
provided with the opportunity to select one of the six chess boards
and the color of the figures – black or white. The game “Chess with
Levon Aronyan” has been designed for iPhones and iPods.

Aronyan won the Chess World Cup 2005. He led the Armenian national
team to the Gold medals in the 2006 (Turin), 2008 (Dresden) and 2012
(Istanbul) Chess Olympics and at the World Team Chess Championship
in Ningbo 2011. He won the FIDE Grand Prix 2008-2010, qualifying
him for the Candidates tournament for the World Chess Championship
2012, where he was knocked out in the first round. He was also World
Chess960 Champion in 2006 and 2007, World Rapid Chess Champion in 2009,
and World Blitz Chess Champion in 2010.

Aronyan was declared the best sportsman of Armenia in 2005 and was
awarded the title of “Honored Master of Sport of the Republic of
Armenia” in 2009.

Aronyan was born on 6 October 1982 in Yerevan, Armenia. He was taught
to play chess by his sister Lilit at the age of nine. His first coach
was the Grand Master Melikset Khachiyan. An early sign of his ability
came when he won the 1994 World Youth Chess Championship (under-12)
in Szeged with 8/9, ahead of future luminaries Etienne Bacrot, Ruslan
Ponomariov, Francisco Vallejo Pons, and Alexander Grischuk.

Aronyan holds a diploma from the Armenian State Institute of Physical
Culture.

Aronyan played for Armenia in the Chess Olympiads of 1996, 2004,
2006, 2008, and 2010. He took team bronze medal in 2004 and team
gold medal in 2006, 2008 and 2012. In the 2010 Chess Olympiad he won
the silver medal for his individual performance on board one. He was
a member of the gold-medal winning Armenian team at the World Team
Chess Championship in 2011.

© 2009 ARMENPRESS.am

DHL LAUNCHES GARD PROGRAM IN ARMENIAN AIRPORTS

October 8, 2013 – 15:11 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Deutsche Post DHL is taking its GARD program (“Get
Airports Ready for Disaster”) to Armenia’s Zvartnots international
airport and Gyumri airport, webwire.com reports.

The training is taking place from October 7-10 and will prepare airport
personnel and infrastructure for the special logistical challenges
that accompany natural disasters. The training demonstrates how
logistics capacities and local expertise can be optimally utilized,
bottlenecks prevented and inbound relief supplies handled quickly
and efficiently after an extreme natural event.

“Again and again, we have experienced that natural disasters pose
special challenges for logistics in particular and require a fast
support,” said Christof Ehrhart, Director of Corporate Communications
und Responsibility at Deutsche Post DHL. “Our GARD initiative is
designed to provide our logistics know-how to local experts in a timely
fashion and thus make the work following a natural disaster easier.”

After conducting successful GARD trainings in Indonesia, Nepal,
Bangladesh, Lebanon, Turkey, El Salvador, the Philippines and Panama,
DHL, the world’s leading transport and logistics company, together with
the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), will head to Yerevan and
Gyumri and provide emergency preparedness training to its 22nd airport.

“Lessons from the devastating earthquake in 1988 forced national
authorities to reconsider their response to natural disasters. For
almost a decade, UNDP has been supporting national counterparts
to increase awareness, to promote disaster preparedness and risk
reduction, to establish the concept of national disaster management;
as well as to change institutional, legal and regulatory frameworks.

Substantial progress has been made – a National Disaster Risk Reduction
Strategy and Action Plan have been developed and a National Platform
was officially adopted by the government,” said Claire Medina, UNDP
Deputy Resident Representative in Armenia.

As part of the program, airport staff and representatives of local
agencies and government authorities will assess the local site and
develop customized and detailed emergency response plans. Employees
from different local airports took part in previous training sessions
so that they could apply what they learned at their own facilities.

Participants will include the Zvartnots airport staff as well as
security officials and government agency representatives. This will
ensure that every participant in the logistics operations internalizes
the training.

“GARD is a very praxis-oriented initiative that makes the work at
airports after a disaster more efficient,” said Edward Kaspersky,
Managing Director of DHL Armenia. “The training makes it possible
for us to work hand-in-hand with Armenian airport employees. We are
pleased to be able to make a contribution here.”

The GARD training program was created in 2009 by Deutsche Post DHL
and UNDP. It was developed on the basis of the personal experiences
of DHL Disaster Response Teams and UN personnel made during relief
operations, and aims at the fast and effective processing of relief
goods. The program is conducted by experienced trainers and logistics
experts from Deutsche Post DHL.

ARMENIA EXPECTS CONTINUED ASSISTANCE OF THE EU

Armenia intends to promote cooperation with the European Union in
all the directions, based on the achievements and progress made in
recent years, Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian stated
at the meeting with EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and
Security Policy Catherine Ashton.

“With the assistance of the European Union, Armenia has followed an
important path of reforms. We are determined to continue reforms
on strengthening democracy, human rights, the rule of law, good
governance, improvement of the court system, and fight against
corruption. In this process, we expect continued assistance of the EU,”
Edward Nalbandian said.

According to the press service of Armenian Foreign Ministry,
Catherine Ashton said for her part that the EU also wants to develop
comprehensive cooperation which will be compatible with Armenia’s
decision to join the Customs Union.

At the meeting, the sides discussed the preparations for the Vilnius
summit of Eastern Partnership.

WORLD’S MEDIA UNANIMOUSLY REPORTS THAT PRE-ELECTION PERIOD IN AZERBAIJAN WAS FAR FROM HONESTY AND TRANSPARENCY

19:40 08/10/2013 ” ANALYSIS

Azerbaijan holds its sixth presidential election since independence,
and no election in the 20-year has come close to meeting recognized
standards of fairness, competitiveness or transparency, the British
Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) writes.

According to the material though opposition has united around one
candidate Camil Hasanli, it will not affect the results of the
elections, and Ilham Aliyev will elected for the third term.

The BBC reports that Azerbaijani authorities erect barriers for two
strong opposition players Rustam Ibragimbekov and Ilgar Mammadov.

President Aliyev enjoyed a massive media advantage, while the
government lacked such an advantage. The opposition says that most
TV stations chose not to air the oppositionists under the pressure
of the government, the publication says.

The Washington Times notes, that though the U.S. is interested in
Azerbaijani elections, yet most Americans probably can’t spell the
country’s name on first chance or pinpoint its location on a map. The
author writes that Ilham Aliyev who is running for the third term
has inherited from his father an oil rich country which is stuck in
the corruption. The “Arab Spring” and the democratic movements in
the Middle East and North Africa, have apparently spooked Aliyev’s
government, the author stresses.

It is noted that the Azerbaijani authorities have arrested many young
activists with a large number of subscribers in social networks.

According to radio “Liberty”, everything indicates to the fact
that the current President of Azerbaijan will be elected to a third
five-year term. “A win will hand the dynastic heir a controversial
but constitutionally approved third term,” the site writes and adds
that Aliyev has unrestrained access to billions of dollars in energy
profits.

The site reminds that such international organizations like the United
Nations, the European Union, and the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) have all expressed concern over “continued
pressure” on activists, journalists, and opposition politicians in the
run-up to the vote. “Members of the National Council say they believe
a free and fair vote would deliver a victory for their camp. However,
it’s said that is almost impossible to test in a country that routinely
receives low marks for elections,” the article reads.

Huffington Post writes that it was during the reign of President Ilham
Aliyev that the human rights crisis in the country deepened. Human
rights violations in this country are a problem long ago, the author
says. “Criticism of the President and leading government figures is
frequently punished – those who use their right to free speech find
that it can cost them their liberty, their physical safety, or their
privacy,” the article reads.

Thomas de Waal, the British journalist, a senior associate at the
Carnegie Endowment, specializing primarily in the South Caucasus
region commented on the situation. He believes that Ilham Aliyev will
undoubtedly be re-elected. One of the major challenges that Ilham
Aliyev is to face during his third five-year term, is the end of
the oil boom, the expert believes. As for the foreign policy issues,
in particular-Karabakh problem, the situation will remain the same –
neither war nor peace, de Waal says.

The journalist also stresses that “despite the ongoing elections,
Azerbaijan is not a democratic country.” “The opposition acts in hard
conditions. The dissent was strongly suppressed during the last year.

Several activists were arrested. The opposition parties could not
hold meetings,” de Waal adds.

Source: Panorama.am

NALBANDIAN AND CATHERINE ASHTON DISCUSS BILATERAL COOPERATION

YEREVAN, October 8. / ARKA /. Foreign minister Edward Nalbandian said
Armenia wishes to advance cooperation with the European Union in all
possible directions by relying on joint achievements and progress
made in bilateral relations in recent years when meeting in Brussels
with EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy
Catherine Ashton, Armenia’s foreign ministry reported.

Nalbandian stressed that while building a relationship with the EU,
including in the framework of the Eastern Partnership initiative,
Armenia seeks closer, deeper and wider cooperation, taking into
account also its national interests stemming from its engagement in
other integration processes.

He said with the support of the EU Armenia has implemented very
serious reforms.

“We are determined to continue the process of reforms aimed at
strengthening democracy, human rights and the rule of law, good
governance, improvement of the judicial system, the fight against
corruption. In the process, we expect continued assistance from the
EU,” he said.

In turn, Ashton said the meeting was a good opportunity to exchange
views on further joint steps in the development of relations between
Armenia and the EU. According to her, the European Union wants to
continue the development of comprehensive cooperation with Armenia
in all directions, which will be consistent with Armenia’s decision
to join the Customs Union.

Ashton and Nalbandian were said to have discussed also the preparatory
work for the Eastern Partnership summit in Vilnius. -0-

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