Author: Kalantarian Kevo

MATAGHIS CASE: ACQUITTAL VERDICT UNCHANGED

12:56 26/03/2013
Story from Lragir.am News:

Today, Court of Appeals of Armenia headed by Judge Eva Darbinyan
left the decision of the Court of General Jurisdiction of Shirak Marz
unchanged rejecting the appeals of Gohar Melkonyan, legal successor of
Roman Yeghiazaryan, against the acquittal verdict of Razmik Sargsyan,
Musa Serobyan and Arayik Zalyan.

Recall they were acquitted on December 18, 2012. The three young
men were accused of murder by the military prosecutor’s office a
double murder of fellow soldiers. 9 years ago, under the ex-military
prosecutor Gagik Jhangiryan, the young men were acquitted but later
convicted and sentenced to prison.

The prosecution appealed the decision of the Court of General
Jurisdiction calling its decision subjective.

LE GROUPE D’AMITIE FRANCE-ARMENIE DU SENAT FRANCAIS SOUTIENT LE DEVELOPPEMENT DE LA FRANCOPHONIE EN ARMENIE

Hayastani Hanrapetoutioun fait etat de la rencontre du Conseiller
du Ministre des AE pour la francophonie avec le President du Groupe
d’amitie France-Armenie du Senat, Philippe Kaltenbach, le 14 mars a
Paris, auquel il a presente les actions accomplies en Armenie en vue du
developpement de la francophonie depuis son adhesion a l’Organisation
internationale de la Francophonie en octobre 2012.

Cette annee quelque 350 manifestations sont prevues dans le cadre
de la saison de la Francophonie. Les membres du Groupe d’amitie ont
exprime leur disponibilite a continuer a soutenir le developpement
de la francophonie en Armenie.

Extrait de la revue de presse de l’Ambassade de France en Armenie en
date du 19 mars 2013

mardi 26 mars 2013, Stephane ©armenews.com

L’EGLISE ANGLICANE AU PAYS DE GALLES RECONNAIT LE GENOCIDE DES ARMENIENS

Selon le journal gallois ” The Western Mail ” l’Eglise au Pays de
Galles est devenue le premier membre de la Communion Anglicane a
reconnaître le massacre d’au moins un million d’Armeniens pendant et
après la Première Guerre mondiale comme premier genocide du 20e siècle.

À partir du mois prochain, le 24 Avril va apparaître dans le
calendrier officiel de l’Eglise du Pays de Galles comme la Journee
du genocide armenien. La date se rappellera du jour en 1915 lorsque
l’Empire ottoman a arrete les dirigeants de la communaute armenienne
a Constantinople.

mardi 26 mars 2013, Stephane ©armenews.com

MEETING AT THE NKR FOREIGN MINISTRY

Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic
2013-03-25 15:18

On March 25, Foreign Minister of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic
Karen Mirzoyan received the delegation of the Foreign Ministry of
the Republic of Armenia headed by Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey
Manasaryan.

Consultations on various aspects of inter-ministerial cooperation,
in particular, on the issues of consular service took place between
the representatives of the Foreign Ministries of the two Republics.

The meeting participants noted the helpfulness and practical
significance of such consultations.

TURK WHO CROSSED ARMENIAN BORDER IS DETAINED

March 24, 2013 | 15:32

YEREVAN. – The 35-year-old resident of Turkey’s Van city, who
on January 8 had crossed into Armenia’s border from the Turkish
Helimcan village-which is located in the immediate vicinity of Bagaran
village of Armenia’s Armavir Region-is not handed over to Turkey;
he is detained in Armenia, Armenian News-NEWS.am ascertained from
the Armenian National Security Service press center.

The investigation into this case is in progress, and the Turkish
resident will be tried in Armenia.

To note, a criminal case was launched against the Van city resident
on charges of crossing Armenia’s state border without necessary
documents, or proper authorization. This offense is punishable by a
fine of 100-200 times of the minimum wage, or by imprisonment for up
to three years.

As Armenian News-NEWS.am informed earlier, the Bagaran residents
had warmly received the 35-year-old Turk and they even had offered
him tea, Artur Sahakyan, 53, who hosted the Turk, had told Armenian
News-NEWS.am. The Turk had also noted that he is dissatisfied with
his country’s authorities, and he wanted to head abroad.

AZERBAIJANI JOURNALIST KHADIJA ISMAYILOVA RECEIVES YOUNG WOMEN OF THE CAUCASUS FOR PEACE AWARD

ARMINFO
Monday, March 25, 21:26

Azerbaijani journalist Khadija Ismayilova has received the award
“Young Women of the Caucasus for Peace”. The award was introduced in
2011 in memory of the human rights defender Anahit Bayandur.

Unfortunately, Ismayilova was unable to receive the award personally,
as she could not come to Armenia. Zaruhi Hovhannisyan (Armenia)
gained the second place, and Malikat Jabirova (Dagestan) gained the
third place. To note, a total of 16 people applied for participation.

Gulnara Shahinian, UN Special Rapporteur on Contemporary Forms of
Slavery, a member of the Council of Democracy Today NGO, said that
when their movement was established two years ago, nobody believed in
its future. “But we are going ahead, and this is already the second
award ceremony. The first one took place in Tbilisi last year.

Unfortunately, our colleagues from Azerbaijan were not able to come,
though all the necessary conditions had been created for them”,
she said.

She stressed that the award is a contribution to the future. She
said that there is a good deal of groundwork, which will be put in
practice in the future. “Together with our Azerbaijani colleagues,
we are studying the possibility return of the refugees. Our colleagues
from the OSCE Minsk Group speak of the need for the forced migrants’
return, but who has asked the migrants what they want or whether they
want to return at all? And this is what we, as an independent NGO,
are going to take up”, she stressed.

In the meantime, Shahinyan pointed out that it is time for the nations
of the South Caucasus countries to solve their problems themselves
and to decide themselves what kind of future they want to have. “We
need international organizations as friends and colleagues, but not
mediators. We have already grown up and we can decide our future
without any mediators”, she said.

The international conferences “Caucasus – our common home” and
“Twenty years of women’s movement for peace in the Caucasus”
were held in Yerevan on March 23-24. Women from all the Caucasus
countries participated in the conference, except the representatives
of Azerbaijan and Karachay-Cherkessia.

YEREVAN ELECTIONS: HERITAGE DEPUTY CHAIRMAN SAYS HE RECEIVES REPORTS ABOUT FALSIFICATIONS

16:41 25/03/2013 ” POLITICS

Armen Martirosyan, number one candidate on Heritage list for May 5
Yerevan elections, says that it can already be established that there
will be falsifications during Yerevan elections.

“Not only the media, but also citizens tell us that administrative
workers from various provinces of Armenia call on them to present
the lists of their relatives living in Yerevan who will vote for the
Republican Party of Armenia. There is information that servicemen
will be granted a short leave on May 5. This is a gross use of the
administrative resource,” Heritage deputy chairman Armen Martirosyan
told Azatutyun.

Martirosyan urged law enforcers to “start doing their job instead of
visiting oppositionists and talking to them.”

Source: Panorama.am

The European Union’s fraying ties

Technorati Profile

Warsaw Business Journal (Warsaw, Poland)
Posted on 25 Mon, Mar 2013

Despite its claims to the contrary, the European Union has faced
difficulties in its relationships with neighboring states in its
periphery, most notably Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia. The European
Union released a report March 20 on the status of its European
Neighborhood Policy, stating that progress has been made with Moldova
and Georgia over the past year, while Ukraine has experienced a
setback in its relations with the European bloc. In reality, the
Europe-oriented political factions in each country have weakened
during this time period. While this does not mean that all of these
countries are completely turning away from Europe and moving into the
Russian fold, the prospect of these countries getting closer to the
European Union – much less joining the bloc – is diminishing

Analysis

The European Neighborhood Policy, developed in 2004, is an initiative
that seeks to build closer relations between the European Union and
countries close to the bloc in Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and the
Mediterranean, primarily through the promotion of democracy and human
rights in these countries. Complementing this initiative is another EU
regional program known as the Eastern Partnership, which specifically
targets former Soviet states on the EU periphery: Belarus, Ukraine,
Moldova, Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan. While both programs seek to
develop ties by promoting democracy and transparency in line with EU
norms, the Eastern Partnership also offers political and financial
incentives to strengthen relationships with target countries.

Of the Eastern Partnership target states, Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia
were seen – particularly by Poland and Sweden, the initiators of the
Eastern Partnership – as a priority for the European Union. These
countries are strategically located, with Ukraine and Moldova
buffering the European Union from Russia and Georgia serving as an
important energy transit point within the Southern
Corridor. Furthermore, these countries have had the most
Western-oriented governments of all the target states and have pursued
EU membership as an official policy goal. However, internal political
dynamics in all three countries have presented major challenges for
the European Union’s efforts, and the states’ further integration into
the bloc has come to a virtual halt.

In Ukraine, President Viktor Yanukovych’s political consolidation has
led to the detention of several opposition figures, most notably
former prime minister and presidential candidate Yulia
Tymoshenko. These detentions have prompted criticism from Europe and
have strained Ukrainian-EU relations. In 2012, Ukraine initialed
association and free trade agreements with the European Union – the
most advanced stage of European integration achieved by any of the
Eastern Partnership states. However, neither document has been
officially signed or ratified due to Tymoshenko’s controversial
imprisonment and to parliamentary elections held later in 2012 that
the Europeans deemed unfair. This delay is what prompted the European
Union to label its relationship with Ukraine as `lagging behind’ in
its March 20 report.

However, even in Moldova and Georgia, it is difficult to see where
progress in EU relations has been made. The European Union’s report
commended Georgia for holding free and fair parliamentary elections in
2012. However, in that election Georgian President Mikhail
Saakashvili’s United National Movement party was defeated by the
Georgian Dream movement led by billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, who
has advocated normalizing economic ties with Russia. Since then,
Georgia’s commitment to Western-oriented projects has been
increasingly questioned, and Mr Ivanishvili has targeted Mr
Saakashvili loyalists in numerous political and economic positions,
sacking some and detaining others. Though Ivanishvili has stated that
Georgia will continue pursuing EU and NATO memberships, this
orientation will likely weaken while he is prime minister.

With regard to Moldova, the EU report noted positive movement on
association and free trade agreements between Chisinau and the
European Union. However, the recent collapse of the Western-oriented
ruling coalition, the Alliance for European Integration, has thrown
the country back into a familiar state of political paralysis. This
collapse has opened up the possibility of early elections, which could
lead to a comeback by the Russia-oriented Communist Party. Even if the
Communists fail to regain control of the government, it is likely that
political deadlock will stifle any significant integration between
Moldova and the European Union – such as the free trade agreement – in
the coming months, if not years.

Russia stands to gain the most from these political developments and
the weakening of these countries’ ties with the European Union. Moscow
has significant levers in all three countries and could gain
politically and economically as prospects for EU integration
diminish. However, internal political divisions within Ukraine,
Moldova and Georgia limit the impact of any outside power – including
Russia – in influencing the countries’ orientation, and each of their
governments will be careful to keep both foreign policy options open
to a certain extent.

Still, the European Union’s position has clearly weakened as a result
of the evolving political situation in each country, and the deepening
economic and political crisis in Europe has reduced the bloc’s energy
and appetite for focusing on its Eastern neighbors. All of these
factors have caused the further integration of Ukraine, Moldova and
Georgia with Europe to become increasingly unlikely.

Stratfor.com

Apology? Extortion

The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles
March 24, 2013

Posted by Ariel Blumenthal

On Thursday, as President Obama was getting ready to deliver his
vision of peace to Israeli students, the alternative to that vision
was typically expressed by a rocket attack from Gaza. On Thursday
morning the contrast between the two visions was clearly illustrated;
Just a day later the violent alternative received a tremendous boost.

Hamas applauded Turkish PM Erdogan on finally getting his apology,
declaring it `A victory’ – and so they should: The effort to rescue
the Hamas regime in Gaza, taken by the Turkish Islamist organization
IHH three years ago, ended Friday with their calamitous moral
victory. Since IHH radicals on board of the Mavi Marmara are still too
often related to as `carrying humanitarian aid’ and as `peace
activists’, I’m inclined to remind my readers who they were, via this
3:35 video I made with my friend Guy Ross
().

No, these were no peace activists attacked by ruthless commandos while
selflessly seeking justice; These were fanatic Islamists confronted
with paint guns while seeking martyrdom and itching for a holy
fight. These `peace activists’, die-hard supporters of Hamas and the
alternative it offers to the region, were never looking for peace. And
on Thursday morning, back in their homes in Turkey, they were very
happy to see some rockets flying into Israel. These are the people
granted an apology.

Beyond the context of intent and ideology, there’s also the issue of
affiliation. Three years ago the Muslim Brotherhood was unknown to the
Western public; Today it’s a household name, making the significance
of IHH’s ties to the global Brotherhood clear. A report by the
Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs showed that `The IHH … was an
integral part of a Turkish Muslim Brotherhood network’ and that `Since
2006, Turkey has become a new center for the Global Muslim
Brotherhood, while the Hamas regime in the Gaza Strip acted as the
main axis for this activity.’ You can’t expect the IHH to care for
Shiites, or even non-Brotherhood Sunnis (like the Palestinian
Authority). The flotilla was an act of alliance between Muslim
Brotherhood affiliates; The thin veneer of `humanitarian aid’ that
miraculously still holds, was intended for those who are foolish
enough to still believe in it.

Erdogan did not hesitate to throw his weight behind the IHH and keep
it there for three years. The PM and his Justice and Development
party, (which last year received Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal with a
standing ovation and `damn Israel!’ chants), are Brotherhood
sympathizers, if not affiliates themselves. The moral ramifications
are to be expected.

Erdogan doesn’t think Hamas is a terrorist organization, but calls
Israel a `terrorist nation’. He takes no notice of Hamas’ violence and
accuses Israel of genocide in Gaza, while ironically facing a very
similar situation with the Kurdish PKK, a challenge he responds to
with lethal ferociousness. Describing Erdogan as a non-objective
mediator is an understatement. In 1998 he said that `the image of the
Jews is no different than that of the Nazis’; In 2011 he rallied an
Arab League meeting: `Israel must pay the price for its aggression and
crimes.’ He told his Parliament that Israel is engaged in ethnic
cleansing; He said that `Israel is inexplicably cruel’ and `hiding
behind the Nazi Holocaust’. Some classic Antisemitic themes? Here you
go: `The world media is under the control of Israel’ and `Wherever
Jews settle, they make money.’ Bizarro roots? By all means: Back in
1974 Mr. Erdogan wrote, directed and starred in the play `Maskomya’
about a Free-Mason – Communist – Jewish (Mas-Kom-Ya) evil conspiracy.

And finally, just three weeks ago he told a press conference in Vienna
that Zionism is a crime against humanity. This coming from the PM of
Turkey, whose nationalism cost an enormous number of Armenian, Greek
and Kurdish lives – is infuriating. This is the man granted an
apology…? The game of apologies in the Middle East is a one-way
affair: the provocateur demands it, the provocateur is granted it.

Commentator Robin Wright was correct to say on Friday’s =80=9CLeft
Right & Center’ that the apology `was the most important thing to come
out of Obama’s visit’. The diplomatic necessity for Turkish-Israeli
cooperation in light of the chaos in Syria is clear; Access to NATO
facilities in Turkey and the dismissal of abusive legal charges
against Israeli officers are just two of many immediate benefits. It’s
a prospect you can’t refuse.

This is an artificial apology, a product of extortion. Israelis don’t
believe in it, their PM had to eat a dish-full of frogs in order to
make the call. The Turkish PM will escalate again very soon – he won’t
be able to help it. It’s the ideology, stupid. Did I hear
reconciliation? Erdogan was remarkably quick to cool it down on
Saturday using confrontational language the world has grown so deaf to
identify.

The moral consequences are devastating. If I were an Islamist anywhere
in the world – I’d be launching a new flotilla tomorrow. For the rest
of the world, the understanding of good and bad intentions, violent
and peaceful ideologies and the very principle of justice, is more
blurry today. As I wrote here yesterday, reality and perception are
growing further and further removed.

Follow me on Twitter: @lostroadtopeace

La Voix du Nord, France
mardi 19 mars 2013

Le poète et chanteur Frédéric Nevchehirlian en visite à la cité scolaire

Valenciennes – Le poète et chanteur marseillais, Frédéric
Nevchehirlian a rencontré vendredi matin des élèves de première et
seconde de la cité scolaire Eugène-Thomas avant son concert au thétre
des Trois-Chênes dans le cadre du festival Le Quesnoy en chanteurs.
Cette intervention, encadrée par Catherine Impe et Virginie Demanze,
professeurs de lettres, visait à faire «mieux percevoir les créations
contemporaines» aux élèves. Slameur, auteur-compositeur-interprète,
Frédéric Nevchehirlian a bien voulu répondre à nos questions.

-Comment en êtes-vous venu à faire ce métier? «Je voulais écrire et
faire de la musique dès mon plus jeune ge. Je me demandais simplement
comment j’allais m’y prendre pour que mes parents acceptent que je
fasse cela. Ce métier est très inquiétant et nous laisse dans une
inquiétude permanente. Je me suis cependant débrouillé tout seul. Je
suis aussi membre fondateur d’une coopérative culturelle à Marseille.
On a mutualisé quatre associations. En quatre ans, nous sommes arrivés
à onze employés. On monte des projets. Ce sont des micro-économies qui
ne reposent pas sur des gros bénéfices mais qui permettent de vivre et
de continuer à mener des projets intéressants. Mon engagement va
au-delà des discours que je peux faire.» -Pourquoi est-il important
pour vous de venir à la rencontre de ces élèves? «C’est important, je
trouve, de faire entrer la parole extérieure de quelqu’un qui a choisi
un métier qui n’est pas facile. Ça donne une perspective à la
littérature et à la poésie. Un être vivant qui vient leur expliquer
comment il travaille, avec qui, combien il gagne, sa dimension
professionnelle, ce n’est pas juste un geste de paillette qui arrive
dans la classe. Il y a la vraie vie de l’artiste au travail, au
quotidien, et étant d’origine arménienne et espagnole, la transmission
est une chose très importante pour moi, transmettre, donner le témoin,
que les autres prennent le relais. Pour ma part, c’est parce qu’il y a
des poètes qui sont venus dans ma classe que j’ai eu envie de faire ce
métier.»