Author: Kalantarian Kevo

COMMUNIQUE DU BUREAU NATIONAL DU CCAF

Le Conseil de Coordination des organisations Armeniennes de France
prend acte avec gravite de la demission de son eminence Monseigneur
Norvan ZAKARIAN, Primat du Diocèse de France de l’Eglise Apostolique
Armenienne.

Dans ces circonstances, le CCAF tient a l’assurer de son soutien et
de son estime et le remercie pour son action inlassable en faveur de
l’Eglise, du dialogue ~cumenique, de l’Ecole et plus globalement de
la Communaute Armenienne de France.

Malgre les difficultes, sa haute autorite morale lui aura permis
de remplir avec succès la mission delicate que lui avait confiee
le Saint-Siège d’Etchmiadzine : reunir les Paroisses de l’Eglise
armenienne et creer le Diocèse de France.

Monseigneur Norvan Zakarian beneficie du respect de l’ensemble de la
communaute armenienne. Il represente dignement notre Eglise auprès
des plus hautes autorites ecclesiastiques, politiques et culturelles
de France qui apprecient son charisme. Nous avons la conviction que
sa demission ne renforcera pas la place de l’Eglise armenienne. Il
a su incarner l’union et le rassemblement et c’est sur sa personne,
son integrite, le respect qu’il inspire, la confiance qu’ ‘il suscite
que nous avons tous accepte, soutenu et milite pour la reforme de
l’organisation de l’Eglise armenienne en France.

Cette demission provoque surprise et inquietude et ses consequences
risquent d’etre prejudiciables pour notre communaute. Elle est
sans aucun doute plus un message qu’un defi lance a la hierarchie de
l’Eglise qui est appelee a prendre toutes les dispositions necessaires
pour le respect des specificites des communautes diasporiques.

Une fois son mandat acheve, le CCAF souhaite que Mgr Norvan Zakarian
conserve toute sa place au sein de l’Eglise Armenienne de France,
auprès des fidèles et de la communaute.

Bureau National du CCAF Paris, le 11 Juillet

AZERBAIJANI FAN OF THE MOLDOVAN LADY

July 11 2013

Azerbaijanis still recalled “20 percent of “occupied” territories” at
the BSEC conference Yesterday, the Deputy of Azerbaijani Majlis Asad
Hajiyev announced in Sofia that Moldovan attorney Aurelia Grigoriu was
pursued for expressing her opinion loudly in Armenia and as if her
life is at risk. The Republican MP Gagik Minasyan informed “Aravot”
about it. Let’s remind that the 41st session of the Parliamentary
Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation is currently taking
place in Sofia. The delegation from Armenia is participating in the
session, which is headed by RPA party member, Chairman of the NA
Standing Committee on Financial-Credit and Budgetary Affairs Gagik
Minasyan. The delegation comprises the Michael Melkumyan from PAP,
Aram Manukyan from ANC, Hovhannes Margaryan from the Rule of Law. The
heads of the delegations of participating countries in the conference
should present speeches on the topic “Tourism as an important
factor in regional economic development” outlining the priorities
and accomplishments of their country in given sector. Asad Hajiyev,
head of the Azerbaijani delegation, who delivered his speech after
the head of the Armenian delegation Gagik Minasyan, describing his
country’s problems, said that Azerbaijan could have more success in the
field of tourism, if “20 percent of their territory was not occupied”
by Armenia. He also recalled the statement of the Moldovan lawyer
Aurelia Grigoriui made in RA NA during the European Conference on
“The European legal standards of the rule of law and the scope of
discretion of powers in the member States of the Council of Europe”
that “Armenia has occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan’s territory,
carrying out a genocide against the Azerbaijanis.” Moldovan lady had
also said that as if the Khojaly genocide was committed by Armenians,
which is internationally recognized as a fact. Azerbaijanis believe
that due to this reason that a person expressing such a point of view
in Armenia was allegedly subjected to pursuit and threat to her life,
Armenia can not claim to be a country with favorable conditions for
tourist. Let’s note that Moldovan lady considering herself unbiased
is still giving interviews to various mass media of Azerbaijan and is
telling new, each other contradicting stories about how as if after
her speech Armenians started to threaten her at the hotel and in
the social networks. Reversing the Azerbaijani partner’s statements,
the Armenian delegation leader Gagik Minasyan said: “The Azerbaijani
delegation once again tries to use the international platform without
authorization for spreading false information about the nature of
Karabakh conflict. While the reality is that there is no “occupation”
of the territories of Azerbaijan. The truth is that in the last
century people of Nagorno-Karabakh, according to the international
norms of that time, declared its independence, also voting for the
independence by the referendum. Whereas Azerbaijan responded in
aggression to the legal steps of Karabakh people by involving and
using heavy military artillery, international terrorists, including
“Al-Qaida” fighters. Azeri aggression for the country ended in a
shameful defeat, for the simple reason that Azerbaijan was trying
to stifle the freedom and independence in the blood, but Karabakh
was defending its independence and dignity.” Later, PAP MP Mikayel
Melkumyan also referred to the statements of the Azerbaijani delegate
in his speech, noting that unacceptable, inappropriate, and false
statements were made in the speech of Azerbaijan’s delegate, in
particular, that there were pursues against this lady in Yerevan,
and her life was in danger. “These statement, to put it mildly, do
not meet the reality, and the Moldovan lawyer’s statements in Yerevan
during the discussion organized by the Constitutional Court can be
assessed as ordered and provocative. The whole world knows that Armenia
is an open country, and unlike our eastern neighbor, the life of a
citizen of any country can not be at least a little bit in danger in
Armenia,” – said Mikayel Melkumyan, reminded that immediately after
the speech the lawyer lady, at the same discussion, from the same
platform, a member of the Constitutional Court of Moldova expressed
its disagreement with the views expressed by his co-citizen lady.

Melkumyan has noted that the statements on “20 percent of “occupied”
territories” and unsuccessful ‘trapped situation’ of scandals
lady do not conduce to the development of relations between the
two countries, also within the framework of the Black Sea Economic
Cooperation. The Deputy of PAP has also noted that a state, in which
a Member of Parliament makes public and ambitious statements about the
tourism status of the its country, simultaneous meets with honors and
declares a hero to a certain murderer Safarov. Gagik Minasyan also
added that the representatives of other delegations participating
in the conference responded positively to the speeches of Armenians,
which did not happen after the speeches of Azerbaijanis.

Nelly GRIGORYAN

Read more at:

MOST GEORGIANS APPROVE OPENING OF RAILWAY THROUGH ABKHAZIA

July 12, 2013 | 18:06

Most Georgians surveyed within the public opinion poll conducted by
NDI approve opening of the rail link with Russia through Abkhazia.

Eighteen percent of respondents are against the idea and another
twenty failed to answer the question.

The number of those who approve of the opening of the railway,
decreased by 2 percent compared to a survey conducted in March. At
the same time, the number of opponents increased by five percent,
Georgian media reports.

NDI study was funded by the Swedish International Development
Cooperation Agency.

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

ARMENIA NEEDS TO RECRUIT SIX LONG-TERM EU ADVISORS; NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL SECRETARY

YEREVAN, July 12. / ARKA /. Armenia needs to recruit six long-term
advisors from EU to work on reforms in a number of priority areas,
Arthur Baghdasarian, the Secretary of National Security Council of
Armenia, who co-chaired the EU Advisory Group 13th Board meeting in
Yerevan, said today.

“Today we have about a dozen European experts working in our country.

I respect their important work, but it is in our interest to make it
more targeted, and not to disperse resources,” he said.

In turn, deputy economy minister Garegin Melkonian identified six
priority areas which need to be reformed in the first place. According
to him, they are trade, phytosanitary control, tax and customs policy,
civic society development and human rights, institutional development,
in particular of standardization and certification institutions as
well as the legal sphere.

The EU Advisory Group has been working in Armenia since April 1,
2011 providing advice on the implementation of the Action Plan for
the European Neighbourhood Policy, as well as on strengthening of
democratic and economic structures.

The EU Advisory Group presented today its semi-annual report
(January-June 2013), along with a needs assessment report and a work
plan for the remainder of the year.

The Board reviewed the Advisory Group’s different activities from
January to June and noted progress on national reforms. The Advisory
Group reported on the achievements and results attained during the
first half of 2013.

Support to the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA)
negotiations continued. This involved several rounds of discussions
between the European Union and Armenia. As a result, the conclusion of
the Chapter on Technical Barriers to Trade now appears imminent. The
Semi-annual Report highlights, among other topics, the Advisory
Group’s support in drafting market surveillance legislation and its
contribution towards the introduction of criminal liability for legal
entities in the country’s new Criminal Code.

The Board noted the Group’s consistent policy advice in the areas of
Food Safety legislation, Human Rights Protection, and the national
Law on Anti-discrimination. The Board received an update on the Needs
Assessment Report for 2013, which spells out the most critical issues
and response option before the Government and partner agencies. The
Board also endorsed the Advisory Group’s Work plan for the next
six months. High-ranking officials from the President’s Office, the
Government and the National Assembly, Embassies of EU Member States
and international organizations, including UNDP, attended the meeting.

-0-

– See more at:

SOLUTION TO HRACH MURADYAN MURDER MAY PROVE VOTE OF CONFIDENCE IN ARMENIA’S JUDICIAL SYSTEM

18:33 ~U 12.07.13

The ‘Hrach Muradyan – Demand for Justice’ public movement has been
formed to ensure an impartial investigation into the murder of Head
of the Proshyan village community Hrach Muradyan.

“The persons really guilty of Hrach Muradyan’s murder must be
identified, and the solution to the murder may prove to be a vote
of confidence in our judicial system,” Aghvan Vardanyan, Secretary
of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation Dashnaktsutyun (ARF-D)
parliamentary group, told a press conference.

As to a possible link between the local elections scheduled for July
14 and Hrach Muradyan’s murder, he said that he would not like to
see any link.

“We expressed our concern on different occasions. In the context
of the investigation, perfect elections are of high importance,”
Vardanyan said.

After Chief of Armenia’s Police Vladimir Gasparyan met with ARF-D
representatives, the RA Police announced its intention to pay $5,000
to the persons that would report information on the murder.

However, the atmosphere in the Proshyan village is not so favorable,
and some people are obviously better informed, but they do not speak.

The lawyer Melanya Arustamyan noted that some incidents that
preceded the murder itself are actually links in the chain. She has
an impression that, if solved, the previous incidents will help the
solution to the Hrach Muradyan murder.

The ARF-D wants the public to actively demand an impartial
investigation.

Armenian News – Tert.am

RE-REGISTRATION OF ARMENIAN NATIONAL MOVEMENT IN PROGRESS

14:22 ~U 12.07.13

The ex-members of the Armenian National Movement (ANM) that initiated
the re-registration of the party have formed a working group to draw
up the party rules and program.

The preparations for the founding congress of the party are under way,
with the congress scheduled for September 14. The group members plan
to hold meetings in different formats.

The parliament member Alexander Arzumanyan, who is a group member,
told Tert.am that experts say there are no legal obstacles to the
party’s re-registration.

He said that new members are joining the party.

“I cannot say the exact figures, but, according to the law, we are
supposed to have regional chapters,” Arzumanyan said.

As regards the Republic party, as well as liberal parties, the ANM
will seek cooperation in consolidating the liberal arena.

Asked about the party chairman, they said that the party may be led
persons appointed for a year by rotation.

After the party is re-registered, it will seek to side with the
Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) Party.

Armenian News – Tert.am

DECEPTION WITH SELF-DECEPTION

Tuesday, 09 July 2013 17:14

We have repeatedly written that desiring to present the Nagorno
KarabakhRepublic as an uncontrolled zone, where different illegal
actions are allegedly taken,Azerbaijan uses any means and international
platforms. For many years, officialBaku has attempted to convince
the international community of NKR’s involvement in international
terrorism, to accuse the Republic of illegal disposal of nuclear wastes
in the territories under its control, endangering the environment of
the entire region, of the production and distribution of drugs, etc.

I must say, the Baku authorities launch annually the same propaganda
cliches, which, to their great regret, do not bring the expected
political dividends.

Perhaps any other country would have long given up this disinformation
venture because of its absolute absurdity and consequent futility. It
would take place in any other country, but not in Azerbaijan where
the discredit of the NKR is a priority direction of its foreign
policy. That is why, despite the futility of its attempts, because
the accusations have never (!!!) been supported by any reliable
fact, Azerbaijan continues to pile up, with enviable tenacity and
stubbornness, one lie after another.

Last week, another lunge towards Nagorno Karabakh was made by
Director of the Center for Strategic Studies (CSS) under the
President of Azerbaijan Farhad Mammadov. Delivering a speech at a CSS
conference in London entitled “Expansion of the Political Agenda:
the British-Azerbaijani Relations in the European Context”, this
gentleman saddled the favorite propaganda horse of the Azerbaijani
ideologists and stated that the territory of Nagorno Karabakh was used
for drug trafficking, illicit trafficking of small- and large-caliber
arms and it had become neither more nor less than… a center of
terrorist activities. We do not undertake to judge how these truly
ridiculous accusations helped “expand the political agenda” of the
British-Azerbaijani relations, especially in the European context.

Let’s leave the assessment of the prospects of these relations for
the British themselves, and we should rather refer to another, purely
Karabakh context

As noted above, in the information war with the Armenian side,
Azerbaijan has used the topic of drug trafficking and terrorism
for years, regaling the international community with new and new
portions of fabrication. Moreover, as also noted, none of these and
similar accusations has been confirmed by any fact on the ordinary
reason that they are simply lacking. In other words, the Azerbaijani
authorities, for which lie has become an integral part of the domestic
and foreign policy, continue to deceive impudently the international
structures. Alas, it will continue until these structures allow to
deceive them. Or, are they acting as Pushkin wrote: “I am glad to
be deceived?”

This question is not rhetorical at all. We do not know what the format
of the noted conference in London was, but we can suppose with a
high degree of probability that it was attended by serious political
analysts and experts who were used to operate with reliable facts
and figures. So, didn’t any of them doubt the words of Mammadov and
require to present convincing evidence of the accusations pressed
against the NKR? After all, the very status of the director of
the Center for Strategic Studies, especially under the President of
Azerbaijan, supposes a high degree of solidity of both the person and
the seriousness of his expressions. Has the British expert community
lost its significance to the extent that is ready, without a moment’s
hesitation, to swallow and believe the allegations of the Azerbaijani
authorities?

But, it is not so difficult to get to the truth, even in this huge
pack of lies. One can just get acquainted with the U.S.

State Department’s annual reports on the strategic control over
international drug trafficking to make sure that the accusations
against Nagorno Karabakh are artificial. Moreover, in due time,
the UN Department of Drugs and Crimes also confirmed the lack of any
evidence of the use of the territory of Nagorno Karabakh for illegal
transit operations. In contrast, actually all the reports of the State
Department stress that Azerbaijan is an important channel for the
transit of drugs. And according to the UN World Drug Report for 2013,
Azerbaijan has the highest rate of injecting drug use in the world. As
for terrorism, it is Azerbaijan that was involved in it, as in the war
with Nagorno Karabakh it unleashed an open terror against the peaceful
Armenian population and involved over two thousand Afghan mercenaries
who were directly related to Al Qaeda international terrorist network.

But how long can it deceive self-respecting serious
organization? Perhaps, until these serious organizations become serious
not only in words, but also in deeds. And yet, unfortunately, they are
glad to be deceived. One can only guess: believing or, after all, not
believing the lie heaped by Azerbaijan? Though, what’s the difference?

Leonid MARTIROSSIAN

Editor-in-Chief of Azat Artsakh newspaper

CHESS: MOVSESIAN WINS IN SLOVAKIA; ARMENIAN GM AMONG LEADERS AT KAZAN UNIVERSIADE

CHESS | 12.07.13 | 14:25

Photo:

Grandmaster Sergei Movsesian has taken the first prize with a 100
percent result at a blitz competition in Slovakia. The Armenian
scored 11 points out of 11 at the tournament held in the Slovak town
of Banska Stiavnica, reports Armchess.am.

The nearest of Movsesian’s rivals finished 2.5 points behind the
winner.

Meanwhile, Armenian GM Zaven Andriasian scored 3.5 points after
four rounds of play at the 27th Summer Universiade in Kazan, Russia,
and currently shares lead with six other participants at the student
games. GM Robert Hovhannisyan is half a point behind the leaders.

The same source reports that WGMs Lilit Mkrtchian, Maria Kursova,
Lilit Galojan and WIM Anna Hairapetian are going to take part in the
14th European Individual Women’s Championship to be held from July
23 till August 3, 2013 in Belgrade, Serbia.

WESTERN ALLEGATIONS AGAINST SYRIAN GOVERNMENT GROUNDLESS: RUSSIA RUSSIAN AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED NATIONS VITALY CHURKIN

Thu Jul 11, 2013 9:16PM GMT

Related Interviews:
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Russia has condemned the West for its “naive” allegations of banned
arms use by government forces in Syria, saying it is doing its utmost
to ensure that an investigation into the issue is conducted.

On Thursday, the Russian ambassador to the United Nations said the
groundless allegations are made to hinder the efforts to arrange a
UN investigation into chemical weapons use in Syria.

“Unfortunately I think what our Western colleagues have been doing
is trying to produce the maximum number of allegations with minimum
credibility in an effort, one might think, to create maximum problems
for arranging such an investigation,” Vitaly Churkin stated.

He also refuted the charges by the US State Department that Russia
is trying to prevent the UN from investigating the use of chemical
weapons in Syria.

“The notion that Russia is blocking anything is completely misleading,”
Churkin said, adding, “We have been doing everything we could in
order to make sure that that investigations were to happen.”

On Wednesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov confirmed the
use of chemical weapons by foreign-backed militants fighting against
the Syrian government.

“Our experts took samples on the spot and studied them in the very lab
which is certified by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical
Weapons and came to the conclusion that both the shell and the sarin
it contained were home-made,” the Russian foreign minister said.

“According to our additional information, these shells and the
substance were made last February in the Syrian territory which at
that time was under the control of the Free Syrian Army and made by
one of the affiliated armed groups,” Lavrov added.

On Tuesday, the Russian ambassador said firsthand evidence showed
that militants, and not the Syrian army, manufactured sarin nerve
gas and used it during an attack near the city of Aleppo in March.

Churkin said that Russian experts collected samples at the site of the
attack in the region of Khan al-Assal, where over two dozen people,
including 16 Syrian troops, died on March 19.

The Syria crisis began in March 2011, and many people, including
large numbers of soldiers and security personnel, have been killed
in the violence.

IA/MHB

AGAINST DIVIDING LINES: ARMENIA RAISES ISSUES OF BLOCKADE BY NEIGHBORS AT EASTERN PARTNERSHIP SUMMIT

ANALYSIS | 12.07.13 | 09:50

Photo:

By NAIRA HAYRUMYAN
ArmeniaNow correspondent

The Eastern Partnership summit of the European People’s Party (EPP)
took place in the Moldovan capital of Chisinau on July 11. It was
attended by the presidents of Armenia, Georgia and Moldova, as well
as the chairman of the EPP.

At the meeting Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan spoke about
cooperation within the framework of Eastern Partnership, implementation
of commitments by Armenia and of the reforms being carried out in
the country in connection with its participation in a European Union
program.

According to the press service of the Armenian president, within
the context of regional challenges Sargsyan also spoke about the
inadmissibility of Azerbaijan’s policy of “transforming energy
cooperation into energy dictation”. He also raised the issue of the
illegal blockade of Armenia by Turkey, stressing that closed borders,
in fact, contradict the essence of the European Union and its values.

“In our opinion, the Eastern Partnership program by its essence
is aimed at cooperation, but is not an initiative to create
contradictions; it is not directed against any state or group
of states. This partnership is aimed at ultimately overcoming the
dividing lines,” concluded Sargsyan.

European officials speak about their desire to get Ukraine, Armenia,
Moldova and Georgia initial Association Agreements with the EU already
at the Vilnius Eastern Partnership summit scheduled for November. This
was, in particular, reaffirmed by EU Commissioner for Enlargement
and Neighborhood Policy Stefan Fule who paid a visit to Yerevan on
Wednesday, and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security
Policy Catherine Ashton, who visited Chisinau.

Officials in Yerevan neither explicitly confirmed nor explicitly denied
their intention to initial the agreement at the November summit. In
Chisinau Sargsyan did not speak about dates either.

Moreover, in recent days Armenia, in fact, put forward two conditions
to the European Union.

In Yerevan, the matter of financial aid was raised: at the meeting
with Fule the Armenian leader pointed out that a successful course
of reforms depended on assistance from Europe. And in Chisinau he,
in fact, urged the European Union to put pressure on Turkey to open
its border with Armenia. The country’s entry into an EU customs union
is meaningless as long as Turkey keeps the border with Armenia closed,
Sargsyan underscored.

For his part, while visiting Yerevan, Fule said that under the free
trade area agreement they are ready not only to provide financial
means to Armenia, but also to promote international investments. The
European official said that much more substantial financial assistance
was envisioned in the 2014-2020 financial cycle for countries that
give a fresh impetus to reforms as part of Association Agreements.

But Fule also made it clear that the agreement has certain conditions
that do not imply unilateral concessions. “We are opening our market
to you in certain segments. But the level of openness will depend
on how the parties fulfill their obligations,” he said, apparently
implying the initialing of Association Agreements in November.

Meanwhile, more frequently views are being expressed in Armenia that
the initialing of the agreements with the EU should be postponed.

Those experts who support this position are wary of Russia’s
‘unpredictable actions’ if Armenia goes all the way to put signatures
to documents with the EU.

Asked whether he saw pressure from Russia, which has already raised
the price of natural gas to Armenia and sells weapons to Azerbaijan,
the European commissioner suggested that Armenian journalists
themselves assess whether there is such pressure or not: “There is
no room for pressure in our relations with partners. I can only say
that the Association Agreement does not limit the ability of Armenia
to build relationships with its neighbors. If someone puts pressure,
it will, on the contrary, strengthen your position in the framework
of regional cooperation.”

However, shortly before Fule’s visit former Russian Ambassador to
Armenia Vyacheslav Kovalenko gave a lengthy interview to Russian media
in which he warned of the dangers of the European way for Armenia.

“The road to hell is paved with good intentions, too,” said Kovalenko.

In Armenia, many took it as Russia’s ‘last warning’.

However, Fule said the EU will continue to encourage cooperation
between Armenia and Russia, which Yerevan deems important and which
is connected with security issues. “We ourselves are going to ensure
that Armenia is able to do so without compromising the commitments
made to the EU,” said the European official.