Author: Kalantarian Kevo

Turkey’s possible attempt to stir Azeri aggression unconstructive: official

August 17, 2013 – 16:48 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Artsakh President’s spokesman commented on the
statement by Turkish President Abdullah Gul who voiced a wish to hold
a Turkic Council summit in the Nagorno Karabakh.

`The move would be possible if Turkey recognized the NKR’s
independence and requested the Republic’s authorities to organize the
summit. But if Turkey means to stir Azeri aggression, expressing
readiness to support Baku in a war against Karabakh, the step is
clearly unconstructive,’ David Babayan told PanARMENIAN.Net

`The final declaration of the summit was much more reserved in terms
of Karabakh conflict and was mainly addressed to Turkey and
Azerbaijan. This spells Turkic countries’ unwillingness to be involved
in Karabakh conflict as well as make it a pan-Turkic issue, contrary
to Baku’s intention,’ the official stressed.

As the Turkish President earlier said at a Gabala-hosted Third Turkic
Council Summit Meeting, a day will come when we’ll hold a similar
event in Karabakh.’

Response of RA MFA Spokesman to DavutoÄ?lu, `The only support of Turkey
can be not interfering’

August 17 2013

`If Turkey wants to somehow support in conflict resolution, the only
support can be not interfering’,- so answered RA MFA Spokesman Tigran
Balayan to the question of Aravot.am as to how he qualifies the
statement of Turkey’s Foreign Minister Ahmet DavutoÄ?lu in Gabala. To
recall that speaking at a meeting of the Council of Ministers of
Foreign Affairs of Turkic countries held in Gabala, DavutoÄ?lu stated,-
`Turkey is ready to do everything possible and everything depending on
it to stop the occupation of Azerbaijani lands by Armenia’. Moreover,
he said that as if Nagorno-Karabakh conflict hampers provision of
stability in the South Caucasus, and has stressed,- `Liberation of
other occupied territories of Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan
continues to be the main direction of our foreign policy, we would act
in that way from now on. We strongly protest against the occupation of
20 percent of Azerbaijani lands and against forced deportation of our
brothers Azerbaijanis from their homes.’ According to Tigran Balayan,
such statements only hinder the peaceful resolution of conflict.
Summing up the talk, Mr. Balayan said,- `Turkey can not be useful due
to its biased position.’

Tatev HARUTYUNYAN
Read more at:

240-year-old Armenian church to host youth conference tomorrow
Saturday, Aug 17, 2013, 9:38 IST | Place: Mumbai | Agency: DNA
DNA Correspondent

St Peter’s Church of the Armenian (Armenian Church) was established
around 1773 in Ararat Building near BSE.
Young believers of the orthodox organisation called Mar Gregorios
Orthodox Christian Students Movement will hold a day-long conference on
Sunday for the first time.

The theme will be `Keep your Creator in mind while you are young’.

There will be sessions and workshops to address the youngsters aimed
at inculcating the value of prayer in their lives. Stress will also be
made on ensuring respect for elders in the community.

The meet will be held at the historic St Peter’s Church of the
Armenian (Armenian Church), established around 1773, in Ararat
Building on Nagindas Master Road near the Bombay Stock Exchange.

This church was built by the Armenians who migrated to India for trade
and business.
Legend has it that the Armenian Church in Mumbai was established by
relatives of Queen Mariam, one of the Queens of the Mughal emperor
Akbar. Queen Mariam was an Armenian and her relatives initially
resided in Surat. They later shifted to Mumbai.

The Armenian Church in Mumbai was established at the initiative of the
Eknan family, Rosy Eknan being its last member who used to live in the
apartment attached to the church building. She was among the last of
the three Armenians surviving in Mumbai, others being the late Nuvart
Mehta and Jezabel Joshi, mother of actress Tulip Joshi.

Since 1998, a small congregation of faithfuls belonging to the
Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church pray in this church every Sunday.

________________________________
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LA RUSSIE DETIENT 1800 MIGRANTS ILLEGAUX

RUSSIE

La police russe a arrete environ 1800 travailleurs migrants clandestins
presumes sur un marche dans la ville d’Odintsovo près de Moscou.

Des fonctionnaires du ministère de l’interieur de Moscou ontdeclare
aux journalistes que 240 des personnes detenues ont ete accusees de
violations du droit a l’immigration et 68 sont face a des accusations
de faux documents et d’organisation d’une immigration illegale.

Les autorites russes ont intensifie leurs efforts contre les
travailleurs migrants en situation irregulière après qu’un policier
ait ete roue de coups dans un marche de Moscou le mois dernier.

Des milliers d’immigrants illegaux presumes, principalement en
provenance d’Asie centrale, ont ete arretes depuis la fin Juillet.

Depuis lors, environ 600 d’entre eux, dont des enfants, ont ete
detenus dans un camp de tentes a Moscou.

Des militants des droits de l’homme ont exige la fermeture du camp
de tentes, invoquant les mauvaises conditions et les qualifiant
d’inhumaines.

vendredi 16 août 2013, Stephane ©armenews.com

LES ETUDIANTS PROTESTENT CONTRE LES FRAIS DE SCOLARITE

ARMENIE

Plus de 100 etudiants des universites gerees par l’Etat armenien se
sont rassembles devant les bâtiments cles gouvernementaux a Erevan
lundi pour protester contre une augmentation importante des frais
de scolarite.

La hausse de la taxe par le gouvernement armenien a ete annoncee
recemment a la suite d’une reunion des recteurs d’universite. En
particulier, les etudiants de la faculte de droit de l’Universite
d’Etat d’Erevan (UEE), l’une des plus chères dans le pays, devront
desormais payer 800 000 drams (environ 2000 $) par annee academique,
soit une hausse de 14 pour cent.

Les recteurs disent que la mesure est necessaire pour elever les
salaires modestes de leurs professeurs et pour les investissements
dans les universites qui n’ont ete que partiellement finances par
l’Etat depuis le debut des annees 1990.

Les etudiants qui protestaient ont rejete cette explication,
affirmant que leurs parents et eux avaient du mal a payer leurs frais
de scolarite avant meme les hausses annoncees. Ils ont menace de
provoquer un boycott de masse des classes si le gouvernement refuse
de garder les frais inchanges.

Les manifestants se sont rassembles devant le bureau du Premier
ministre Tigran Sarkissian a Erevan, lui demandant une rencontre. Un
haut fonctionnaire du personnel de Sarkissian est sorti de l’immeuble
pour tenter de discuter de leurs demandes. Cependant les etudiants
ont insiste sur une reunion en face-a-face avec le premier ministre.

La petite foule a marche ensuite vers un bâtiment a proximite abritant
le ministère de la Science et de l’Education. Un responsable du
ministère leur a dit que ministre de l’Education Armen Ashotian
envisage d’organiser une table ronde sur la question avec les
representants des etudiants. Les manifestants ont exige qu’Armen
Ashotian reponde en premier.

vendredi 16 août 2013, Stephane ©armenews.com

LES CANDIDATS NOMMES POUR UNE ELECTION PARTIELLE

ARMENIE

La plupart des principales forces de l’opposition d’Armenie ont aligne
aucun candidat pour une prochaine election parlementaire partielle,
mettant en evidence leur incapacite a inquieter serieusement le Parti
republicain au pouvoir (HHK) dans des circonscriptions uninominales.

L’election aura lieu le 29 Septembre dans une telle circonscription
couvrant une partie de la province du sud-est du Syunik. Le siège
du Parlement est devenu vacant après que le gouvernement armenien
ait nomme son ancien titulaire, Vahe Hakobian, comme gouverneur du
Syunik le mois dernier.

Le predecesseur notoirement violent de Vahe Hakobian, Suren
Khachatrian, a ete contraint de demissionner en Juin au milieu d’un
tolle provoque par une fusillade meurtrière devant sa maison a Goris,
ville du Syunik. Tigran le fils de Suren Khachatrian et l’un de
ses gardes du corps sont actuellement en etat d’arrestation sur des
accusations de meurtre.

Lors d’une reunion a Erevan mercredi soir, l’instance dirigeante du
HHK a nomme Armen Karapetian, un ancien maire de la capitale regionale
de Kapan, comme son candidat a l’election. Le mouvement a mis fin a la
speculation que le parti au pouvoir pourrait compenser l’ex-gouverneur
avec un mandat parlementaire.

Armen Karapetian est un membre senior de la branche du HHK au Syunik.

Il a servi en tant que conseiller de Suren Khachatrian durant la
periode de 2011 a 2013.

Eduard Sharmazanov, le porte-parole du parti au pouvoir, a nie que
ce fait temoigne de l’influence persistante de Khachatrian dans la
region montagneuse frontalière de l’Iran. “Influencer n’est pas une
categorie politique ou juridique”, a-t-il declare.

“Je pense que les forces politiques ont une bonne occasion d’essayer
leur chance dans le district electoral n°38 parce que les elections
sont le meilleur moyen de faire de la politique “, a declare
Sharmazanov.

Seul un parti de l’opposition armenienne, le parti Zharangutyun
(patrimoine), a choisi de presenter un candidat a l’election. Le
candidat, Samvel Hayrapetian, dirige la section du parti Zharangutyun
a Kapan.

Selon la Commission electorale centrale, Armen Karapetian du HHK sera
egalement contestee par les trois autres candidats peu connus qui ne
sont affilies a aucun parti.

Le HHK a longtemps balaye les elections legislatives tenues en vertu du
système uninominal majoritaire a un tour, grâce a ses vastes ressources
financières et ses ressources administratives. Seul le Parti Armenie
prospère (BHK) du businessman Gagik Tsarukian a pu defier le parti
au pouvoir dans certaines circonscriptions uninominales.

Une autre raison probable pour le manque d’interet de l’opposition
est que les resultats officiels des elections nationales ont montre
que le HHK a obtenu un pourcentage considerablement plus eleve de voix
au Syunik que dans toute autre partie de l’Armenie. Les dirigeants de
l’opposition attribuent cette situation a ce qu’ils appellent un climat
de peur cree par Suren Khachatrian. L’ex-gouverneur et ses proches
ont ete lies a des incidents violents au cours de sa longue carrière.

vendredi 16 août 2013, Stephane ©armenews.com

TOMATO AND POTATO EXPORT VOLUMES SHARPLY INCREASED IN ARMENIA

19:47, 15 August, 2013

YEREVAN, AUGUST 15, ARMENPRESS: The export volumes of potato and tomato
from Armenia in the first half of 2013 increased compared with the
same period of 2012 correspondingly by 600 and 10 times. According
to data of State Revenue Committee in the first half of 2013 from
Armenia was exported 7 342 tones of potato (12.2 tones in 2012)
and 185 tones of tomato (17.6 tones in 2012).

“Armenpress” reports that potato exported from Armenia during first
six months of 2013 was bought by Russia (6452.2 tones) and Georgia
(889.9 tones). The exported tomato was fully bought by Russia.

The value of all goods exported from Armenia in the first half of
current year was 710 395 000 AMD

KARABAKH WELCOMES ALL TO ARTSAKH

Thursday, August 15th, 2013

Welcome sign at the border of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic

STEPANAKERT-The Nagorno-Karabakh Republic’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs
has released a statement regarding the Azerbaijani government’s efforts
at misleading the international community and disrupting the peace
process, noting that despite Azerbaijan’s baseless propaganda, everyone
is welcome and encouraged to visit Artsakh. Below is the statement.

Authorities of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR) have on numerous
occasions expressed their grave concern over the fraudulent campaign
by Azerbaijan aimed at distorting the essence of the conflict between
Azerbaijan and Nagorno Karabakh and misleading the international
community. This campaign expands from year to year, introducing new
sophisticated methods of falsifications, provocations, and revanchist
threats.

The most recent examples of such a propaganda campaign are the
circulation of the July 26, 2013 (A/67/943-S/2013/442) letter in
the United Nations calling upon the UN Member States to warn their
citizens against visiting the NKR “without the prior authorization of
the government of Azerbaijan” as well as the publication of a list
of people declared personae non gratae by the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs of Azerbaijan because of their visits to the NKR. This list
of 335 individuals from 41 countries includes members of parliaments,
prominent public figures, culture and art professionals, journalists,
students and tourists.

In this respect the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the NKR deems
appropriate to state the following:

The NKR is an independent state with a population, which should
not be deprived of a possibility to exercise its fundamental human
rights under any circumstances as it is enshrined in Article 2 of
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which states that “no
distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional
or international status of the country or territory to which a person
belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or
under any other limitation of sovereignty”.

People of Nagorno Karabakh established their state exercising their
inalienable right to self-determination in full compliance with the
norms and principles of the international law and acting upon the
then effective constitutional and legal framework of the Soviet Union.

Since the very first day of its establishment the NKR, unlike
Azerbaijan, has assumed the course of building a democratic State
ensuring all the rights and freedoms for its citizens. The NKR
leadership intends to continue the policy of comprehensive development
of the Republic and its democratic institutions, and has repeatedly
expressed its readiness for mutually beneficial cooperation with all
interested parties.

>From the very beginning, Azerbaijan rejected any possibility of a
civilized dialogue with Nagorno Karabakh and adhered to the policy of
settling the conflict between Azerbaijan and Nagorno Karabakh through
the application of brutal, unproportional and indiscriminate force
against the civilian population. It carried out ethnic cleansings in
Nagorno Karabakh proper and Armenian-populated areas of Azerbaijan,
unleashing full-fledged military aggression against Nagorno Karabakh.

Despite the ongoing negotiation process and commitments undertaken
since the conclusion of the cease-fire agreement, the Azeri leadership
continues to interpret selectively the norms and principles of the
international law, thus escalating tension and mistrust, as well as
ignoring the existing realities. Deluded by its language of threats and
hostility, Azerbaijan has made a step forward in a wrong direction,
and threatens with sanctions against the third countries nationals
visiting the NKR. Such a policy of Azerbaijan fits perfectly into
the logic of its domestic human rights record that it is striving to
impose upon foreign citizens.

These highly irresponsible steps thwart any attempts to establish an
atmosphere of trust between the NKR and the Republic of Azerbaijan,
which would be essential for the peaceful resolution of the conflict.

They also hinder the ongoing mediation efforts by the Minsk Group
Co-Chairs of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe
(OSCE) to find a comprehensive and lasting solution to the conflict
between Azerbaijan and Nagorno Karabakh.

It is meanwhile worth mentioning that in spite of the artificial
impediments created by the Azeri side, the number of tourists
visiting the NKR steadily grows: throughout its independent history
tens of thousands of foreign citizens have already visited the NKR,
which testifies to the safe and secure environment established by the
freedom-loving people of Nagorno Karabakh, and growing international
interest in the rich cultural and historical heritage of our native
land. It is essential to note that the crime rate in the NKR is one of
the lowest in Europe, and no serious accident has ever been registered
in our country with participation of a foreign citizen.

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs of the NKR urges the authorities
of Azerbaijan to abandon counterproductive attempts to hinder visits
of foreign nationals to the NKR, and direct its energy and resources
wasted on such groundless and provocative actions towards settlement of
substantial issues between the parties to the conflict thus promoting
peace and stability for the whole fragile region of the South Caucasus.

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs of the NKR welcomes and encourages
the visits of foreign nationals, both officials and tourists, to the
NKR. Such visits and people to people contacts in general contribute
to the creation of an atmosphere of confidence and co-operation in
the region and are essential for the international community to get
truthful and objective information about the NKR.

ARMENIAN NGO: MERCURY FOUND IN TOYS

August 15, 2013 | 16:30

YEREVAN. – Armenian NGO said mercury had been found in children’s
toys. According to the research conducted by Armenian Women for
Health and Healthy Environment NGO, mercury was discovered in nine
Chinese-produced and one Armenian toy. Mercury was also found in
cosmetics imported from Europe, including children’s lipstick.

Although the concentrations of mercury in Armenia are not exceeding
TLV level, the risk remains because mercury tends to accumulate in
the body.

“In humans and animals, mercury is transformed into methylmercury
which is more dangerous than the metal. Mining industry is another
risk factor,” NGO member Knarik Grigoryan told reporters.

The first mass mercury poisoning occurred in 1956 in the Japanese
city of Minamata. It was caused by the release of methylmercury in the
industrial wastewater. People were poisoned by eating fish products.

“The UN adopted the Minamata Convention on Mercury in 2013. Its
purpose is to remove the hazardous effects of mercury on the human
body. Armenia has not joined the Convention, but we hope, it will do
so,” she added.

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

‘VOYAGE TO AMASIA’ PREMIERES ON CAPITOL HILL

By Lilly Torosyan // August 15, 2013

WASHINGTON-On July 24, Congressional Armenian Caucus co-chairman
Michael Grimm (R-N.Y.) hosted the screening of the poignant
documentary film, “Voyage to Amasia,” before a full-capacity crowd
in the U.S. Capitol.

A scene from the event

“Voyage to Amasia is a moving, heartfelt film that highlights both
the immense tragedy and intense courage still borne by the Armenian
people to this day,” said Rep. Grimm. “As co-chair of the Congressional
Armenian Caucus, I salute this poignant visual piece for keeping the
deep wounds and salient legacy of the Armenian Genocide in the hearts
and minds of the world community. If we are to ever move forward and
learn from this awful tragedy, and do justice to the victims and their
descendants, we must never forget to commemorate and remember those
who were lost. ‘Voyage to Amasia’ stands as a shining example of that
noble endeavor, and I am proud to host its Congressional screening,”
he continued.

The film documents composer Hachikian’s return to his ancestral
home of Amasia nearly 100 years after Ottoman soldiers deported
his grandmother, Helen Shushan, and her family during the Armenian
Genocide. Hachikian first learned about Amasia from his grandmother,
who told him she hoped to take him there someday. The film traces a
path through the past, exploring how the Armenian Genocide of nearly
a century ago, and Ankara’s denial of truth and justice for this
atrocity, continue to strain the relationship between Armenians and
Turks. Inspired by one family’s story, the filmmakers embark on their
own journey in the hopes of finding a greater understanding between
two peoples at odds over a still unpunished crime.

Director Randy Bell described his experience working on the film. “My
journey was obviously different than Eric’s because, as a non-Armenian,
I felt none of the lingering family trauma that any Armenian must feel
visiting Turkey for the first time. However, I obviously understood and
sympathized with Eric’s personal journey, and the Armenian Genocide
and the ongoing denial of it outrages me, as it should everyone. I
think this sympathy, combined with some intellectual distance from
the issue, allowed me to help Eric sort through his feelings and come
to a more nuanced understanding of Turkey today,” Bell told the Weekly.

A pre-screening reception and the film viewing were followed by a
panel discussion, sponsored by the Armenian National Committee of
America (ANCA), featuring Hachikian and Bell.

“We want to thank Congressman Grimm for hosting the Capitol Hill
premiere of ‘Voyage to Amasia,’ and to express our appreciation to
Eric and Randy, the creators of this powerful film, for being on hand
to help share their insights with Congress and the Washington, D.C.

foreign policy community about the ongoing costs of the Armenian
Genocide,” said Aram Hamparian, the ANCA’s Executive Director.

The film was the winner for Best Documentary at the Pomegranate Film
Festival in 2011. It was also awarded Winner of the Jury Award at
the Alexandria Film Festival in 2012.

For more information about “Voyage to Amasia,”
visit To view more
photos of the event, visit the ANCA’s Facebook page
at The film is
available for purchase on iTunes and Amazon. The soundtrack may be
downloaded from CD Baby.