Author: Kalantarian Kevo

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.

ALREADY 1276 OBSERVERS REGISTERED TO MONITOR ELECTION

07:19 pm | January 21, 2013 | Politics

The Central Election Commission of Armenia has registered 10 local and
5 international organizations to monitor the February 18 presidential
election, the CEC website reports.

Among the international organizations are the International Expert
Center for Electoral Systems (ICES), OSCE Office for Democratic
Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), Parliamentary Assembly
of the Council of Europe (PACE), CIS observation mission and CIS
Interparliamentary Assembly.

A total of 1276 local observers have registered to observe the vote.

The Harmonia NGO will have most observers (470), while the Democracy
and Election Processes NGO will have only two observers.

The local observation missions also include the Helsinki Citizens’
Assembly Vanadzor Office (63 observers), CIVITAS (77 observers),
Martuni All-Armenian Women’s Council (285 observers), Capacity and
Development for Civil Society (61 observers), Electoral Systems Center
(60 observers), Dealnet Service (71 observers), It’s Your Choice
(172 observers), Unison NGO for Support of People with Special Needs
(15 observers).

The deadline for registration of observation missions is February 8.

BOOK PRESENTATION ON 500 YEARS ANNIVERSARY OF ARMENIAN PRINTED BOOK

news.am
January 21, 2013 | 18:53

In the framework of Yerevan gaining the World Book Capital title and
500 years anniversary of first Armenian printed book, on January 17,
in the hall of spiritual seminary of Graz, the presentation of the
booklet “The image of Armenia in the printed books kept in Graz
university library collections: 500 years anniversary of Armenian
printing” was held.

The press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs informs that the
presentation was organized by PRO ORIENTE religious rights foundation,
with the support of Austrian Steiermark province government, Graz’s
Karl Marks University, Catholic educational institution and the church
community in Graz.

Armenian Ambassador in Austria Arman Kirakosyan made a speech during
the ceremony, where he particularly noted the successful cooperation
between the Matenadaran, the Institute of Oriental Studies of the
National Academy of Sciences of Armenia, as well as Mkhitaryan Unity
in Vienna with Graz University in the sphere of Armenian Studies.

KINDERGARTEN IN ARMENIAN GORIS IN DANGER OF FALLING APART

January 21, 2013 | 22:45

YEREVAN. – This Monday, at 09:52 a.m. information was received that
in Armenia’s Syunik region, Goris city public kindergarten after V.

Sargsyan, has a balcony that is in danger of falling apart.

The Ministry of Emergency Situations has informed Armenian News-NEWS.am
that a squad of firefighters has been sent to the scene.

It was discovered at the scene that in the kindergarten, at 30 Gusan
Ashot street of the City of Goris, several cracks were formed in the
balcony of the second floor.

RICHARD GIRAGOSYAN: “SECOND TERM WILL ENABLE SERZH SARGSYAN TO GET OUT OF THE SHADOW OF ROBERT KOCHARYAN”

Monday 21 January 2013 13:45

Director of the Center for Regional Studies Richard Giragosyan

Yerevan/Mediamax/. Director of the Center for Regional Studies Richard
Giragosyan stated today that the second presidential term of Serzh
Sargsyan will enable him to “get out of the shadow of Robert Kocharyan”
and create his own political heritage.

According to Giragosyan , the second term is also an opportunity for
Serzh Sargsyan to strengthen the democracy positions in the country,
Mediamax reports.

According to Richard Giragosyan, the upcoming elections will be the
most uncompetitive in Armenia’s history. At the same time the expert
stressed that unlike Belarus or Uzbekistan, the Armenian President
shouldn’t be blamed for it. He said that the struggle of personalities
but not political programs and visions is still going on in Armenia.

According to the expert, the authorities will mainly aim at ensuring
proper level of voting at the elections.

PEACEKEEPERS FOR AIRPORT?: ARMENIA MAY BE LOOKING TO RUSSIA FOR SECURITY OF KARABAKH FLIGHTS
By NAIRA HAYRUMYAN

ArmeniaNow
21.01.13 | 12:40

Late last week the subject of the Stepanakert airport unexpectedly
again appeared in the news as information came from Karabakh that the
first Yerevan-Stepanakert commercial flight could be operated within
days (the fourth time such a prediction has surfaced).

Enlarge Photo Armenian Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan

In response, the Azerbaijani government ordered the country’s air
defense forces to shoot down civilian aircraft “illegally entering
its airspace”.

Armenian Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan, in turn, said that Armenia’s
anti-aircraft defense will ensure the safety of civilian aircraft
flying from Yerevan to Stepanakert.

Only a very good reason and a significant change in the current
balance of forces could make it possible to launch the flights of
civilian or military aircraft to and from the recently renovated
airport near Stepanakert. Azerbaijan does not change its policy of
isolating Karabakh, and it is military rather than political guarantees
that are needed for such flights.

Experts say such guarantee could be military presence in Karabakh of
one or more states. Some do not exclude that the new military-technical
agreement between Armenia and Russia involves the deployment in
Karabakh of new powerful missile systems and certain security
guarantees from Russia.

Speaking at a meeting with the heads of all branches of government
on January 15, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan described the
Armenian-Russian cooperation as the core of Armenia’s security. But
this cooperation does not apply to Karabakh yet, and the Russian
authorities have never hidden their desire to send peacekeepers
to Karabakh.

Moreover, last year the Collective Security Treaty Organization
(CSTO), a Russia-led defense pact of six former Soviet countries,
including Armenia, got permission from the United Nations for carrying
out peacekeeping missions. It is not excluded that the first mission
of the CSTO will be the operation of the Stepanakert airport and,
under this pretext, the introduction of Russian troops into Karabakh.

During a meeting with journalists on January 18 Ohanyan said that
“the Armenian-Russian military-technical cooperation will enter a new
stage.” “There is an issue as to distributing the supplies of weapons
(of the Russian military base) throughout the territory of Armenia
and not only in Gyumri,” said the minister.

It is no coincidence that Nezavisimaya Gazeta, an influential
newspaper in Russia, has published an article that says that “a
possible aggravation of the Karabakh conflict forces Moscow to shift
contract-based servicemen to the region, Russia is enhancing the
military preparedness of its troops and armed allied forces in the
South Caucasus.”

The plan of manning Russian military base N102 in Gyumri with
contract-based servicemen had been fulfilled by January 15. During
half a year their number has been doubled. At the same time, the number
of staff personnel of the base remains the same and is about 5,000 men.

“Military experts explain that the accelerated rate of putting the
102nd base on a professional basis is connected with a possible abrupt
change in the geopolitical situation there, which is a threat to Russia
and its allies. These scenarios are connected with the possible start
by Azerbaijan of hostilities against Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict, as well as the possible military action by Israel against
Iran,” writes the newspaper.

In fact, Russia, introducing forces into Karabakh under the pretext
of the Stepanakert airport will also gain access to the Iranian border.

Other states have not yet reacted to such a possible scenario. The
mediators only advise that Armenia should not provoke the escalation
of the situation by opening the airport. But it is possible that the
Western countries and Russia already have an agreement on the joint
use of the airport in the Karabakh capital. They already jointly use
the Russian airport of Ulyanovsk (for Afghan operations).