Author: Kalantarian Kevo

MEXICO MUNICIPALITY TO REMOVE ALIYEV’S STATUE FROM CENTRAL PARK

11:42, 23 January, 2013

YEREVAN, JANUARY 23, ARMENPRESS. On January 23 the Mexico Municipality
made an official announcement and introduced the final decision about
removing Heydar Aliyev’s statue from the central park Paseo de la
Reforma of the city. As reports “Armenpress” citing the Mexican media,
among other things the municipality announced about the decision of
changing the signboard of “Khojali” monument, which is located in
Tlaxcoaque square, and the text depicted on the monument itself by
removing word “genocide”.

On January 20 the Commission for Human Rights of Mexico Federal Region
discussed the issue of removal of the Azerbaijani former president
Heydar Aliyev’s statue from the park. In accordance with the decision
of the commission Heydar Aliyev’s statue contradicts to the human
rights, as it was placed without consent of the residents of the city.

It was underscored in the aforesaid decision states that retaining
the statue contradicts to the human rights and memory of the victims
of violence.

LE PS EXPRIME SON SOUTIEN A LA SOCIOLOGUE PINAR SELEK
Ara

armenews.com
mercredi 23 janvier 2013

PARIS,(AFP) – Le Parti Socialiste francais a exprime mardi son soutien
a la sociologue turque Pinar Selek, accusee d’avoir participe a un
attentat meurtrier commis il y a 14 ans mais deja acquittee a trois
reprises, deplorant l'”acharnement” de la justice turque a son egard.

“Son procès, pour un attentat qu’elle n’a pas commis, dure depuis
14 ans et a deja donne lieu a trois acquittements, mais la justice
de son pays reclame toujours contre elle une peine de detention a
perpetuite”, deplore le PS dans un communique. Selon lui, “les raisons
de cet acharnement sont directement liees aux sujets de recherche de
Pinar Selek, qui s’interesse a la situation des minorites dans son
pays. Elles sont directement liees a son combat pour les droits des
femmes, contre le sexisme et l’homophobie”.

Les “positions antimilitaristes” et la “denonciation du nationalisme”
par l’accusee sont egalement visees, souligne le PS. “Le Parti
socialiste observe avec inquietude que, dans ce procès, la defense
est chaque fois appelee a redemontrer l’innocence de Pinar Selek,
comme si les decisions d’acquittement prononcees en 2006, 2008 et 2011
n’avaient pas valeur de jugement definitif”, poursuit le communique.

Le PS “tient a affirmer publiquement son soutien” a la sociologue
et espère un “verdict d’acquittement qui mettra un terme definitif
a un procès injuste, contraire a toutes les règles du droit turc et
international”, conclut le texte signe par la secretaire nationale
aux droits des Femmes, Adeline Hazan.

Pinar Selek vit en exil a Strasbourg, en France. Son quatrième procès
s’est ouvert en decembre a Istanbul, en son absence.

mercredi 23 janvier 2013, Ara ©armenews.com

LES AUTEURS DE BANNIÈRES RACISTES ANTI-ARMENIENNES CONDAMNES
Stephane

armenews.com
mercredi 23 janvier 2013

Une cour d’Istanbul a declare coupable 6 personnes pour le transport
d’une bannière contenant des propos haineux a l’egard des Armeniens
pendant une protestation a Istanbul a l’occasion du 25ème anniversaire
des evènements de Khojaly en Azerbaïdjan. Le juge les a condamnes a 5
mois de prison qui ont ete plus tard convertit au versement d’environ
1300 euros.

10 inculpes ont nie les accusations et ont demande le renvoi du
procès. Le juge a condamne 6 inculpes – Derya Kabakci, Burak Kahveci,
Cihan Dabak, Umut Akbulut, Hasan Huseyin Kocabey et Kazim Buyukbunar
– d’incitation a la haine raciale en vertu de l’article 216 du Code
penal. Les accusations sur les autres inculpes – Onur Gurecioglu,
Recep Aksoy, Arzu Bekci et Samet Aksakal – ont ete ecartees car aucune
preuve ne montrait qu’ils ont porte la bannière.

Le 26 fevrier, des douzaines de manifestants se sont reunis Place
Taksim a Istanbul pour le 25ème anniversaire des evènements de Khojaly.

mercredi 23 janvier 2013, Stephane ©armenews.com

TRANSFORMATIONS: WOOD STOVES AND FAITH

Tuesday, January 22nd, 2013

BY MARIA TITIZIAN

Most days you just want to turn the switch off, go home, sit on
the couch and watch a meaningless movie. You don’t want to think
about work, about deadlines and responsibilities, about the upcoming
presidential elections or about your crazy, chaotic life. You crave
boredom, monotony, a peaceful existence.

And then a 23 year-old journalist goes ahead and files a news report
about the first presidential elections (1991) in a free and independent
Armenia, an Armenia you didn’t believe would exist in your lifetime
and you realize that you don’t have the right or the luxury to switch
anything off.

It wasn’t so much the substance or content of her report that moved me
but how she had made herself part of the story she was trying to tell.

And as her friends and colleagues shared her clip, they began to
reminisce about those early years of our country’s independence. Most
of them were mere children, some not even old enough to talk or to
even have memories. Yet oddly they recalled similar things. Like
the smell of potatoes baking on woodstoves in their apartments, the
darkness, the cold winter nights, the candlelight. They remembered
their euphoria when the electricity would unexpectedly return or how
they would play games or do their homework by candlelight; or how
the neighbors in their building would all come together for warmth,
for some company and compassion. An entire generation of Armenia’s
children grew up in the “cold and dark years” of the early 1990s. Most
of them grew up without the basic comforts we took and continue to
take for granted, like warmth, light, clean water, proper nutrition,
a carefree and blissful existence. They could have been my children…

Many of that generation have left Armenia and many continue to leave.

But for those who have stayed, those young men and women who paid
a high price for something they didn’t understand, it is for and
about them that we should all continue to work, regardless of where
we live, whether in the homeland or the Diaspora. None of us will be
able to give them back their childhood, but we can try and restore
their faith in the future of Armenia.

Yet, as I write such lofty sentiments about how we should ‘restore
their faith,’ it dawns on me that they are the ones who are restoring
ours. The steadily growing environmental movement is Armenia is teeming
with young people, who see themselves not as temporary residents in
search of a visa guaranteeing their departure but as the rightful
owners of this land. There are those dedicated group of activists who
are on the frontlines to ensure the protection of human rights in the
country, and who consistently address different kinds of abuses and
injustice with conviction; there are those women’s rights activists
who confront stereotypes and rigid gender roles on a daily basis yet
who carry on to ensure that women’s voices, perspectives and needs are
guaranteed in decision-making; and there are those young journalists
who try to enlighten us by writing articles and filming reports about
the state of the country from their own unique prism. It is true that
journalism in Armenia has much room for improvement but there are
some news organizations trying to fill that void. And while there is
an army of those who complain or simply write statuses on Facebook,
there are just as many more who are trying to ensure a dignified life
for everyone.

I work with a lot of different people, most of them considerably
younger; it’s not always pleasant being the oldest person in the room,
but I have come to realize what a gift it has been for me. Every day I
interact with young, bright, and, energetic people who work hard, dream
big and strive for excellence. I forget about their personal stories,
their memories and recollections of those difficult early years of our
country’s independence when they huddled around woodstoves, trying to
warm their frozen little fingers so that they could play the piano, or
read a fairy tale or simply run around to play a game of hide-and-seek.

The generation of the ‘cold and dark years’ are now young adults,
studying, working, serving in the army, getting ready to chart their
journey through life. Their passage through childhood was not an easy
one, it was fraught with hardship and many deprivations but their
nostalgia when recalling potatoes baking on woodstoves and fond
memories of candlelight in the darkness simple proves, yet again,
the strength and resilience of the human spirit.

I read a saying today, “A smooth sea never made a skillful sailor.” If
there’s any truth to these words, then our future is indeed bright.

MALI MAY BECOME SECOND AFGHANISTAN

PanARMENIAN.Net
January 23, 2013

Since April 2012, Al Qaeda-related groups are establishing Sharia
law on territories under their control following the Taliban scenario.

Over the past 200 and even 300 years Africa has caused much trouble
to its mother countries. Colonialism is not a good thing, indeed,
but in addition to various diseases, it offered literacy and certain
state management skills to Africans. Mother countries were to vanish
sooner or later, this was out of question.

PanARMENIAN.Net – In September 1960, the Republic of Mali gained
independence from France, along with nearly all former colonies.

Almost immediately, inter-tribal and inter-confessional war broke out.

In view of the huge amount of armament in Africa, the current
developments in Mali are quite natural, so are those occurring earlier
in Somalia, Ethiopia, Rwanda and Nigeria. Others may join the list; any
African county faces lots of problems including poverty, hunger, and
diseases. This is the key reason of hostilities in the Black Continent,
along with the religious factor which became dominant recently.

90% of Malians are Sunni Muslims, with some elements of pagan African
beliefs; 3% are Christian Catholics, 2% Christians following various
protestant trends and 5% adhere to indigenous or traditional animist
beliefs. The Malians consider themselves a deeply religious nation
and take pride in this; however, Mali is officially considered to be
“secular Muslim state”.

Islamists will always be ones. In 2012, they destroyed Timbuktu. The
latter is listed among UNESCO World Heritage sites and hosts ancient
shrines of Islamic saints worshipped by Sufi Muslims. Ansar Dine,
a grouping of Islamic fundamentalists linked to Al-Qaeda believes
saint worshipping to be idolatry. The group members already ruined
some ancient mausolea in Timbuktu.

The UN Security Council condemned the destruction of the tombs and
warned that it could constitute a war crime. It means that a case
could be referred to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in Hague.

The ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda dubbed the destruction of Timbuktu
monuments a war crime. Timbuktu is also known as the “City of 333
saints”. Ideology of Ansar Dine movement prohibits saint worship
considering this idolatrous. Meanwhile, for Muslims following
traditional forms of Islam, particularly the Sufis, this kind of
veneration is a common practice.

Nomad Tuaregs who fled Libya after collapse of Gaddafi’s regime first
conquered the almost uninhabited part of Sahara; later, they had to
yield to radical Islamists. Since last April, groups associated with Al
Qaeda are establishing Sharia law on territories under their control
following the Taliban scenario: they destroy ancient monuments, ban
Western lifestyle and organize public executions of those who disobey.

Fearing that Mali may become a second Afghanistan in the zone
of French interests, French leader Francois Hollande opted for
intervention. The move was authorized five days ago without the
parliament’s consent; however, the Constitution does not require
an agreement in this case. The French president facing decreasing
popularity and being widely accused of lacking decision, first came
up as the commander-in-chief.

“If I hadn’t taken this decision, it would have been too late. The
country would have been entirely captured by terrorists, who would
have been in a position of strength not only in Mali, but also able
to put pressure on neighbouring countries as well. The decision is
legal and lies within the framework of international legislation and
UN Security Council resolutions,” Hollande declared.

The ongoing French military operation in Mali is named after the
African wild cat Serval. The first offensives were launched 400
kilometers north to capital Bamako. These territories have been out
of the government’s control for a year already.

“We are opposed by most cruel, fanatic and well-organized terrorist
groups. We knew the operation would be a tough one; we are facing over
a thousand of armed terrorists,” French Defense Minister Jean-Yves
Le Drian said.

France is building up its troops in Mali from 800 to 2500 now, and the
neighbouring African states will soon arrive to support the French,
while NATO allies are providing the transport and communication.

The United Nation grounded the military operation in Mali by the
current inability to hold a dialogue with armed groups, U.N. Secretary
General Ban Ki-moon told the journalists on Tuesday.

Tensions are high in Mali during the past weeks; extremist militants
launch attacks on governmental troops in central part of the country.

The French troops arrived on January 10 to help the authorities,
with around 2000 militaries deployed in Mali now. Militaries from
Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have also joined
the operation.

The conflict broke out in spring 2012 following a coup in Bamako
when Tuaregs and armed Islamist groups seized the region; a large
territory including Timbuktu has since been under their control.

Currently the Bamako authorities are opposed by militants of the
extremist alliance which includes Ansar Dine, Al-Qaeda in the Islamic
Maghreb, as well as Movement for Unity and Jihad in West Africa.

Meanwhile, the European Union will allocate 50 million euros to
support the deployment of ECOWAS forces in Mali. Deployment of 5800
African troops in Mali to help the governmental forces fight against
the Islamists will total to at least $500 mln. EU already provided 20
mln euros for refugee assistance in December 2012. The situation has
deteriorated since then, and additional funding is required. Another
20 mln euros will be allotted for food and first aid supplies for
150 000 people. In 2012, EU assistance to Mali made 111 mln euros.

Karine Ter-Sahakian

SERZH SARGSYAN: AHEAD OF 100-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE, TURKS WILL REALLY FACE HARD TIMES

ARMINFO
Monday, January 21, 11:48

“Ahead of the 100-year anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, Turks
will really face hard times, I have no doubts, because they don’t
want to meet face-to-face with their own history and their European
aspirations will not succeed so easily,” President of Armenia Serzh
Sargsyan said in an interview with RFE/RL’s Armenian Service ahead
of the presidential election of Feb 18.

“After 1915 the Armenian people made inhumane efforts to survive,
to cure their wounds and to come out as a nation and a state again.

Thanks God, our people have managed to do that, and I am sure that
there are all the grounds for our people to keep developing and
remembering the Genocide irrespective of whether Turks will recognize
it or not,” the president said.

If Turks prove brave enough to recognize the Armenian Genocide,
the president said, the Armenian people will display understanding
to today’s Turkish people and the authorities that will recognize
the Genocide.

“However, as long as Turks deny the Armenian Genocide, every Armenian
should always remember that fact,” Sargsyan said.

He said that the Armenian Genocide must be recognized because it is
a fact and because recognition would prevent future genocides. This
means, that an opportunity is created to liquidate the consequences.

Unless the consequences are liquidated, which will take dozens of
years, this crime will always be in the mind of our people.

“This is a big pain in our heart. We tried to establish certain
relations with Turks. However, everyone could see that Turks refused
from their commitments. In the presence of the foreign ministers of
the permanent member-countries of the UN Security Council we signed
the document. And then Turks refused to fulfill the provisions of the
given document. I think there are two reasons: Turks have complexes
about their history and their fraternal relations with Azerbaijan
hold them from fulfilling their commitments. As you know, Azerbaijan
aroused a big mess around the above document,” the president said.

The president believes that official Yerevan’s initiative was useful
anyway and Armenia’s all partners made sure what a country it is and
what a country it has to deal with. Everyone realized what kind of
authorities, what goals and decisiveness Armenia has.

“Turks have not understood our pain. I don’t thin that the 100-year
anniversary is a divide. I don’t think that we run a 100-meter
distance, a meter per year, and reaching the final we will stop or
wait a big victory. No, it is just a stage and we will achieve that
stage. I think that Armenia and the Pan-Armenian organizations will
intensify their efforts ahead of that anniversary. But our goal is not
to make a tsunami in the world, our goal is for the Turks to admit
the Genocide. I am convinced it will happen. The sooner and better,
because denying genocide means continuing it,” the president said.

LES DACHNAKS NE VONT PAS BOYCOTTER L’ELECTION PRESIDENTIELLE
Stephane

armenews.com
mardi 22 janvier 2013

La Federation Revolutionnaire Armenienne (FRA) espère que ses partisans
vont voter lors de l’election presidentielle du mois prochain en
depit de sa decision de ne pas presenter des candidats a declare un
chef de file du parti d’opposition.

” Nous ne voulons pas discrediter toute l’institution des elections
et c’est pourquoi l’electorat devrait participer aux elections ”
a declare Armen Rustamian, un leader du parti Dachnaktsoutioun,
au service armenien de RFE / RL (Azatutyun.am).

” Comment devraient-ils voter ? Nous allons certainement faire une
declaration et donner des conseils a nos electeurs après avoir suivi
le processus “, a-t-il dit.

Rustamian a cependant declare que lui-meme ne votera pas pour l’un des
huit candidats enregistres par la Commission electorale centrale (CEC)
dans tous les cas. ” Je vais certainement pas voter pour n’importe qui
” a-t-il dit. ” Selon toute vraisemblance, je vais ecrire” contre tous
“sur le bulletin de vote “.

La FRA a annonce sa position electorale plus de deux semaines après
une reunion du 8 decembre entre ses dirigeants et le president Serge
Sarkissian.

Le parti, qui detient cinq sièges sur les 131 sièges du parlement,
faisait partie du gouvernement de coalition de Sarkissian jusqu’en
Avril 2009. Il a quitte la coalition en signe de protestation contre
la politique de Sarkissian de rapprochement avec la Turquie.

mardi 22 janvier 2013, Stephane ©armenews.com

UN CANDIDAT AUX ELECTIONS PRESIDENTIELLES APPELLE A FAIRE BLOC DANS L’ELECTION
Stephane

armenews.com
mardi 22 janvier 2013

Paruyr Hayrikian, un eminent dissident de l’ère sovietique a la
presidentielle, a appele jeudi a un accord multipartite sur un seul
candidat dans la course presidentielle en Armenie.

Bien qu’il appelle “tous les candidats”, dont le president Serge
Sarkissian, l’appel semblait s’adresser en priorite aux candidats
de l’opposition.

Dans ce contexte, Paruyr Hayrikian a souligne l’exemple de la première
election presidentielle post-sovietique en 1996. Les principaux
groupes de l’opposition du pays avaient uni leurs forces a la fois
pour presenter un candidat unique, Vazgen Manoukian a l’epoque contre
le president Levon Ter-Petrossian.

Paruyr Hayrikian etait l’un des candidats de l’opposition dont
plusieurs se sont retires de la course en faveur de Manoukian.

” Il s’agit d’une question delicate où chaque candidat doit abandonner
“, a declare Paruyr Hayrikian. ” Nous pouvons en discuter. Cela n’a
pas ete essentiel pour moi “.

Paruyr Hayrikian, qui n’a pas joue un rôle actif sur la scène politique
depuis une decennie, a declare qu’il est pret en principe a nouveau
de quitter la course pour le bien de la proposition d’un ” front uni
“. ” Mais bien sûr, la variante la plus benefique d’un seul candidat
est ma nomination “a-t-il declare au service armenien de RFE / RL
(Azatutyun.am).

Les deux autres pretendants opposition majeurs sont l’ancien Premier
ministre Hrant Bagratian et l’ancien ministre des Affaires etrangères
Raffi Hovannisian. Aucun d’eux ne semble susceptible de renoncer a
sa candidature a la presidence en faveur de Hayrikian.

mardi 22 janvier 2013, Stephane ©armenews.com

IT’S NOT CLEAR WHAT WILL HAPPEN ON FEBRUARY 18
Siranuysh Papyan

Interview – Monday, 21 January 2013, 22:19

Interview with Saro Saroyan, historian, expert at the ACNIS Saro,
it is clear to everyone what will happen on February 18. What will
happen after February 18? I disagree that it is clear to everyone
what will happen on February 18. I can only say that the ruling
elite disseminate that there is no alternative to Serzh Sargsyan,
and the fight is for the second place. At the same time, the public
tends to think that Serzh Sargsyan will win. Nevertheless, there are
the electorates of the three candidates nominated by the opposition
parties which extend hope or confidence that their candidate will win
in the first or second stages. Besides, another public group is forming
which presents a different approach. According to these citizens, the
hunger strike of the candidate demanding revocation of registration
of Serzh Sargsyan’s nomination will twist the foreseeable election
to the extent of thwarting the regime’s plans. As to the processes
that will follow February 18, three scenarios can be foreseen – the
second round the regime will author or some expressions of protest
by one or two opposition candidates, or the legal-political casus
resulting from Andrias Ghukasyan’s hunger strike. They will protest
and end up in the same way. What will be the possible ways out of the
legal-political casus? As a journalist, you expressed your opinion –
you dismissed the efficiency of post-electoral political processes
organized by the opposition after every election. The philosophy of
protest contains an extravert bias, depends on external perceptions
and signals, and sees the solution beyond the abilities of the subject
of protest. Since we deal with a citizen who has a special legal
status and protection, the presidential candidate, his actions aimed
at pushing the candidate of the criminal party out of the election
and his self-sacrifice will result in a clash. It is visible that
the national electoral process enclosed in international law and
obligations will result in a legal and political casus which will
make not only the ruling criminal regime but also our society and
international community face the fact. The clash of the candidate with
the society will eventually lead to self-determination of citizens,
the citizens will have to express their attitude to the candidate or
support the criminal regime in a certain aspect. If the first takes
place, the answer to your question will be yes because no regime
can stop a citizen who is self-determined, pro-active and assumes
their responsibility. Saro, one of the presidential candidates will
go on hunger strike and he will stop the hunger strike only if the
international observers interrupt their mission in Armenia because he
thinks it is meaningless to observe such an election. In your opinion,
is this a strong reason for a hunger strike? Let us note the statement
which is not popular among citizens. It is the process of overcoming
the weakness of politics and establishing our own rights. From this
point of view, the demand to cancel the international observation
mission should have been one of the demands of the public because
we know the international observation missions have always helped
legitimize the ruling regime. However, in order to topple the
criminal regime, operate the electoral mechanisms and establish
constitutional order the society will have to deal with its internal
“ulcer” and politics will be built in this field. Perhaps the demand
against observers as the first step is the right decision. However,
its answer will be given in the future.

RAFFI HOVANNISIAN LAUNCHES PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN; URGES VOTERS TO GO TO THE POLLS
Hrant Gadarigian

;-urges-voters-to-go-to-the-polls.html
15:26, January 21, 2013

“I believe that our true Armenia is still in front of us”

Under a cloudy and cold Yerevan sky, Heritage Party leader Raffi
Hovannisian kicked off his presidential campaign today, calling on
fellow Armenian citizens to go to the polls on February 19 and finally
send the current president and his team packing.

A crowd of 300 or so Heritage Party activists, members of the press
and curious onlookers were on hand at the Aram Khachaturian statue
outside Yerevan’s Opera House as Hovannisian crossed Tumanyan Street
by himself.

Shaking hands and chit-chatting as he made his way through the throng,
Hovannisian climbed the steps leading to the Opera House and launched
into a twenty-five minute speech castigating President Sargsyan and
the current regime for incompetence and neglecting the socio-economic
needs of the vast majority of average Armenian citizens.

Hovannisian urged his fellow citizens to believe that they could change
the reality on the ground in Armenia, calling them to take back the
reins of power from a regime that had done precious little to stem
the tide of migration, rising unemployment and the environmental
degradation of the country.

Listing his priorities if elected president, Hovannisian said he would
immediately cut the fact from the national budget, saving 50 billion
AMD. The candidate also promised to increase tax revenues by 250
billion by reining in the shadow economy. Such measures would allow for
a 50% rise in pensions and greater investment to the social sectors.

Hovannisian also declared that by cleaning the tax and customs sectors
of corruption and by putting in place a professional management team,
Armenia could attract 600% more in direct foreign investment which,
coupled with domestic investment, could realistically create 180,000
high paying jobs.

Pushing home his economic reform program, Hovannisian told the crowd
that by destroying the business monopolies in Armenia, which operate
with government backing, an annual growth rate of 10% during the next
five years is doable and that public sector salaries would also rise,
pulling 600,000 out of the clutches of poverty.

On the foreign affairs front, Hovannisian declared that he would
nullify the Turkish-Armenian protocols and would continue to seek
diplomatic relations with Turkey on a no preconditions basis. If
Turkey did not agree to such a framework, Armenia would set its own
preconditions for talks with Ankara.

The Heritage Party leader said he would sign an executive order
recognizing the independence of Artsakh.

Commenting on the need to stem emigration from Armenia, Hovannisian
said the establishment of the rule of law and true constitutional
governance would also encourage thousands of Armenians from the
diaspora to follow his lead and relocate to the homeland.

In a pointed challenge to President Sargsyan, Hovannisian declared
that if the ruling regime abused its administrative powers to promote
their candidate’s re-election, he would publicly label the election
a fraud and illegitimate.

“If I or my election team spot any party campaign posters or Republican
Party emblems on any state or municipal building, well, that would
signal that this election is not free and fair,” Hovannisian said.