Author: Kalantarian Kevo

THE FRENCH-ARMENIANS KEEP WORKING OVER THE INTRODUCTION OF THE PROJECT OF CRIMINALIZATION OF THE GENOCIDE DENIAL TO THE SENATE

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 8, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian community of France
continues its activity for the representation of the project of
criminalization of the Genocide denial to the Senate and the visit of
the President of the Republic of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan can largely
support this procedure. In a conversation with “Armenpress” the
Head of the French Office of the “Armenian Cause” of France Hrach
Varzhapetyan stated that the issues regarding the project and the
Armenian community of France will be involved in the agenda of the
meeting of the Presidents of the Republic of Armenia and the French
Republic. The Head of the French Office of the “Armenian Cause” of
France mentioned that the upcoming meeting of the Presidents Serzh
Sargsyan and Francois Hollande will de succeeded by a number of
visits, as well as a meeting with the Senate. Same representatives
and officials of the Armenian community of France are invited to the
dinner in the Elysee Palace including Hrach Varzhapetyan.

In a conversation with “Armenpress” he Co-chairman of the Coordination
Council of France’s Armenian Associations (CCAF) Ara Toranyan mentioned
that at the meeting with the co-chairs of the delegation the Chairman
of the Socialist Party in the National Assembly of France Bruno Le
Roux assured that he is intended to the ratification of the project
of criminalization of the Genocide denial. Bruno Le Roux stated that
nothing has changed in his principles. The President of France Francois
Hollande must keep his promise and they must put forward the project
of criminalization of the Genocide denial before April 24.

LES ARMENIENS DE SYRIE EN DANGER DE MORT

Publie le : 08-11-2012

Info Collectif VAN – – ” Depuis presque deux ans,
les Armeniens du monde entier suivent la guerre civile violente qui
se deroule en Syrie avec une grande angoisse et inquietude quant a
la securite et la survie de leurs compatriotes. Malheureusement, des
dizaines d’Armeniens innocents ont ete tues ou blesses par des tirs
et des bombardements aveugles, tandis qu’un grand nombre d’entre eux
ont ete kidnappes. Les maisons, les eglises et les ecoles armeniennes
ont ete pillees, endommagees ou incendiees. Des milliers de familles,
luttant pour leur survie, sont parties en Armenie et dans les pays
voisins. ” Le Collectif VAN vous propose la traduction de l’editorial
du journaliste armeno-americain Harut Sassounian, paru dans The
California Courier le 8 novembre 2012.

Legende photo: Alep : L’Eglise Saint-Krikor incendiee.

Alep brûle pendant que nous lambinons : appel pour un sursaut des
Armeniens

De : Harut Sassounian Editeur de : The California Courier Editorial
de Sassounian du 8 novembre 2012

Depuis presque deux ans, les Armeniens du monde entier suivent la
guerre civile violente qui se deroule en Syrie avec une grande angoisse
et inquietude quant a la securite et la survie de leurs compatriotes.

Malheureusement, des dizaines d’Armeniens innocents ont ete tues ou
blesses par des tirs et des bombardements aveugles, tandis qu’un grand
nombre d’entre eux ont ete kidnappes. Les maisons, les eglises et les
ecoles armeniennes ont ete pillees, endommagees ou incendiees. Des
milliers de familles, luttant pour leur survie, sont parties en
Armenie et dans les pays voisins.

Ces derniers mois, alors que la situation prenait des proportions
alarmantes, le gouvernement de l’Armenie et la diaspora ont enfin
commence a dresser des plans preliminaires pour venir en aide aux
Armeniens de Syrie.

Ces efforts, s’ils partaient d’une bonne intention, ont ete
insuffisants et tardifs ! À ce jour, il n’y a pas eu de plan coordonne
et global pour gerer cette enorme crise humanitaire. Voici les grandes
lignes des trois points cles qui requièrent l’attention et le soutien
immediats de tous les Armeniens :

1) Levee de fonds : des dizaines de millions de dollars sont
necessaires pour parer aux besoins les plus urgents des Armeniens de
Syrie et de ceux qui ont trouve refuge en Armenie, au Liban et dans
d’autres pays. Ces fonds pourraient etre leves tant par des sources
armeniennes que non-armeniennes.

Les sources non-armeniennes pourraient inclure : le Congrès americain,
l’USAID (Agence des Etats-Unis pour le developpement international),
l’UNHCR (Haut commissariat des Nations Unies pour les refugies),
des organisations humanitaires internationales et autres agences
gouvernementales.

Les sources armeniennes pourraient comprendre : la Republique
d’Armenie, les principales organisations et entreprises armeniennes,
des bienfaiteurs prives. Les fonds pourraient aussi etre leves
auprès du public via des evenements speciaux, des mailings de masse
et des telethons.

Il est regrettable que le Fonds Hayastan All-Armenian Fund et ses
filiales regionales n’aient pas reussi a evaluer correctement les
conditions critiques des Armeniens syriens, ainsi que le reflète la
decision inexcusable de n’allouer que 10% des sommes recueillies
lors du Telethon de Thanksgiving cette annee. Ceci a genere un
fort ressentiment parmi l’opinion publique armenienne envers le
Fonds Armenien. Il n’est cependant pas trop tard pour prendre des
mesures correctives et allouer les 100 % des recettes du telethon aux
Armeniens syriens en Syrie et a ceux qui se sont refugies dans divers
pays. Les contributeurs du telethon devraient en particulier exiger
que 100 % de leurs dons soient affectes aux Armeniens syriens. Sinon,
ils peuvent aussi faire un don au Syrian Armenian Relief Fund, un
comite pan-armenien qui s’est etabli dans plusieurs pays ces dernières
semaines. Le Fonds enverra 100 % des contributions qu’il a collectees
a ses contreparties operant en Syrie.

Au cours de ces derniers jours, j’ai recu des appels telephoniques
dechirants de compatriotes en Syrie, suppliant desesperement les
Armeniens du monde entier de les aider avant qu’il ne soit trop tard !

Il est immoral de donner des clopinettes aux compatriotes armeniens
dont les vies sont en danger a tout instant ! Le sort tragique des
Armeniens de Syrie devrait recevoir l’attention prioritaire de tous
les Armeniens en cette periode critique, car il s’agit ici de vie et
de mort ! Tous les autres problèmes et projets devraient etre relegues
au second plan.

2) Lobbying : le gouvernement de l’Armenie, les partis politiques
armeniens et les personnes influentes doivent exhorter les grandes
puissances, les Etats cles voisins et les organisations internationales
a faire pression sur les parties en guerre en Syrie, pour qu’elles
evitent de faire des victimes civiles. Si ces appels n’aboutissaient
pas, des mesures plus dures devraient etre prises a l’encontre des
belligerants, en coupant l’aide financière et le soutien militaire,
et en les poursuivant pour crimes de guerre. Le cas echeant, des
manifestations peuvent avoir lieu devant les ambassades des pays qui
soutiennent les responsables des victimes civiles.

3) Coordination : une entite pan-armenienne devrait etre creee,
semblable au Comite pour le 100e anniversaire du genocide armenien,
afin de coordonner tous les efforts mondiaux pour lever des fonds
et faire du lobbying en faveur des Armeniens syriens. Les membres de
cet organisme devraient etre les leaders des Republiques d’Armenie et
d’Artsakh, ainsi que les representants des principales organisations
de la diaspora. Le comite de coordination devrait posseder une equipe
travaillant a plein temps, afin de pouvoir effectuer les tâches
necessaires de facon professionnelle et dans les delais. L’entite
pan-armenienne devrait etre l’interface du comite intercommunal syrien
pour garantir que les fonds recueillis servent les objectifs prevus.

Il est comprehensible qu’en raison de la nature sensible de la
situation en Syrie, tous les efforts ne soient pas rendus publics.

Toutefois, le gouvernement de l’Armenie et les organisations de la
diaspora doivent prendre des mesures concrètes et explicites pour
rassurer les Armeniens syriens : qu’ils ne sont pas abandonnes a leur
sort tragique ; que les Armeniens du monde entier se preoccupent de
leur bien-etre ; et qu’ils feront tout ce qui est possible pour les
aider en cette periode de grands besoins !

©Traduction de l’anglais C.Gardon pour le Collectif VAN – 8 novembre
2012 – 06:00 –

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EARTHQUAKE HITS ARMENIA AND AZERBAIJAN

Vestnik Kavkaza
Nov 7 2012
Russia

An earthquake with a magnitude of 3 points was registered 92 km
south-east of the Ordubad District, Lankaran and Nakhchivan Districts
of Azerbaijan at 10.26 am.

Armenia said that the earthquake center was located 28 km north-west
of Iran’s Ahar at a depth of 10 km with a magnitude of 7-8 points.

Earthquakes were registered in Kajaran and Kapan (3-4 points, Goris
(3 points, Jermuk and Ararat (2-3 points).

COMMISSIONER TAKES STOCK OF EASTERN PARTNERSHIP AND LOOKS AHEAD

ENPI Info Centre
Nov 7 2012

The EU should be as ambitious as possible with those who spearhead on
reforms and have clear European aspirations, Enlargement and European
Neighbourhood Commissioner Å tefan Fule has said in remarks at a
meeting of the informal Information and Coordination Group of the
Eastern Partnership (EaP) in Brussels.

The Commissioner said much had been achieved since the launch of
the EaP in terms of political association and economic integration,
mobility and sectoral cooperation. Highlights include negotiations
on the Association Agreement, including Deep and Comprehensive Free
Trade Area (DCFTA – finalized with Ukraine, good progress made with
Moldova, Georgia and Armenia); talks on the Association Agreement with
Azerbaijan, talks on Visa Readmission and Facilitation Agreement with
Armenia and Azerbaijan, with a similar offer extended to Belarus;
the launch of Comprehensive Institution Building Programmes worth
â~B¬173 million altogether, etc.

As regards the multilateral track, the Commissioner said, the EaP
provides a forum to exchange good practices on approximation to
EU standards and a platform to reach out to national parliaments,
regional and local authorities and civil society. “The Euronest,
the Conference of Regional and Local Authorities of the EaPand the
Civil Society Forum provide us with different channels to foster
democratic values and to advocate reforms in partner countries,”
said Å tefan Fule.

To deepen mutual understanding and political dialogue on international
policy developments, a new format of consultations with partners has
been launched, namely informal EaP dialogues.

Preparations for the next programming period (2014-2020) are underway,
the Commissioner said, adding: “To achieve ambitious goals, we need
equally ambitious budget.”

The EaP Roadmap for 2012-13 includes progress in negotiations on
Association Agreements with five partners, including DCFTAs where
appropriate; headway on mobility through visa facilitation and
liberalisation with a visa free regime as a final goal; further
development of the EaP multilateral track.

“It is equally crucial that the EU supports the sustainable reform
process in partner countries, including through financial assistance,”
the Commissioner said, by providing “more support for those who reform
more.” He cited the new EaP Integration and Cooperation programme
worth â~B¬130 million “for those EaP countries which are spearheading
reforms,” with allocations already announced for Armenia, Georgia
and Moldova.

An additional boost to support non-state actors across European
neighbourhood will be ensured through the recently established European
Endowment for Democracy, said Fule.

The Commissioner outlined major developments ahead of the EaP Vilnius
Summit, including theENP progress reports assessing the implementation
of reforms in partner countries, due to be released in March 2013,
as well as the annualEaP Ministerial in the summer 2013 to discuss
the preparation to the Summit with Member States and partners together.

(EU Neighbourhood Info Centre)

Read more at

GEVORG POGHOSYAN:AS A RULE, THE REAL FIGHT IN THE POLITICAL FIELD OF ARMENIA STARTS AFTER THE FOREIGN FORCES’ APPROVAL
by Nana Martirosyan

arminfo
Tuesday, November 6, 19:31

ArmInfo’s Interview with Gevorg Poghosyan, Director of the Philosophy,
Sociology and Law Institute of the National Academy of Sciences
of Armenia

Mr.Poghosyan, what situation will Armenia face during the presidential
elections given the public mood in the country? Will the Prosperous
Armenia Party (PAP) advance the nominee of its leader Gagik Tsarukyan
or ex-foreign minister Vartan Oskanian?

The presidential election, like the parliamentary one, is first of
all a fight of resources. From this point of view, the nomination of
a PAP candidate is possible, as the PAP has such resources, as funds,
offices in the regions, and people. A question arises then – whether
Gagik Tsarukyan, the leader and financial sponsor of the party,
is ready to give all these resources to the second person of the
party Vartan Oskanian if the opponent, i.e. the incumbent President
of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan is strong and Oskanian’s chances are not
so big as Tsarukyan’s chances. I think Oskanian’s willingness to run
for president is just an element of political technologies, as it is
not reasonable to nominate his candidacy from the PAP.

What do you think the second president of Armenia Robert Kocharyan
will do during the elections given that he is considered to be the
founder of the Prosperous Armenia Party?

Only shallow persons can participate in elections without a serious
party’s support. They do that just to show themselves off. Kocharyan is
a serious politician, who will not take part in the elections without
the support of Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP), which may nominate PAP
Leader Gagik Tsarukyan’s candidacy, or ARF Dashnaktsutyun. The second
president has apparently taken a back seat for some time, and the
supposed fight among the three presidents will not take place. The
fight could take place only in case of force-majeure, particularly,
in case of aggravation of the confrontation in the Karabakh conflict
zone or a domestic political crisis, when the second and the first
presidents feel that their time has come and the incumbent president
has no constitutional right to take part in the elections. One should
not expect a second round in the presidential elections 2013, as at
the moment Serzh Sargsyan’s victory during the first round is quite
predictable.

Nevertheless, may the domestic political situation in the country
become tense after the elections in 2013?

Gagik Tsarukyan’s nomination for presidential elections 2013 will
end in post-election tensions to be provoked by confrontation with
President Serzh Sargsyan. As regards the Armenian National Congress,
it is no longer influential.

Will the opposition forces be able to consolidate around Gagik
Tsarukyan?

There will be a single opposition candidate, first of all, because
each opposition leader has his personal ambitions and also because
the regime is taking active measures to prevent this possibility.

Will the support of the foreign force centers change the current
situation?

In such small countries as Armenia the candidates running in
elections give high priority to the support of foreign forces rather
than voters. If the USA, Russia and Europe equally sympathize the
candidates, the crucial choice is made by the voters, and the real
fight in the political field starts after they gain approval from
the foreign forces. But if one of these foreign forces is prejudiced
against a candidate, the latter comes across real problems.

The Armenian Foreign Ministry’s silence about Ramil Safarov’s
extradition and pardoning is suspicious…

After the stormy reaction of the Armenian Diaspora and the world
community, the silence of Armenian Foreign Ministry is strange. The
Ministry simply missed Safarov’s extradition and could not present
evidence of the attempts to prevent that. And even after Safarov’s
extradition, nobody in the Armenian Foreign Ministry was punished. In
fact, the suspension of relations with Hungary has led to nothing, as
after Ramil Safarov’s extradition, Hungary probably gained a big sum
of money. President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev heroized the criminal
and in such a way raised his rating in the country. As for Armenia, it
got nothing. It has again remained in the image of permanent victim,
which nobody likes. For this reason, we should immediately come out
of such a situation.

How do you assess the meeting of the Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign
ministers in Paris?

I did not expect continuation of the negotiating process on Karabakh
settlement, as Armenia had to express a harsh position and put forward
its own conditions. Europe, the USA and Russia have been using double
standards over their history.

THERE IS NOT EVEN A FREEDOM OF INTERNET IN AZERBAIJAN. INDEPENDENT

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 6, ARMENPRESS: Having a freedom to use the internet,
Azerbaijani people are overpaying for their free activity in it. As
reports Armenpress, former prisoner charged for the free speech Emin
Milli issued a public letter to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev
titled “The internet is not free in Azerbaijan” which was published
in British Independent. Referring to the fact that Azerbaijan is
hosting the Internet Governance Forum, where the freedom of speech is
one of the crucial points, Milli stated, that Aliyev should not take
the opportunity to make false declaration on the freedom of speech
in Azerbaijan. He has noted that in a result of the current policy
of the government the majority of Azerbaijani people are afraid to
voice their opinion on the policy and the activity of the officials.

“You once suggested in a speech that the internet is free in
Azerbaijan. I am sure you will repeat this message at this global
forum. It is true that people in Azerbaijan are free to use the
internet, but it is also a fact that they can be severely punished
afterwards for doing so. We have reports indicating that the government
monitors all our internet communication carried through Azerbaijani
providers without acquiring a warrant or notifying the individual
or provider. Today many of our fellow citizens do not dare to speak
out against your policies, online or offline. You have successfully
managed to silence them. People in Azerbaijan live in fear. We
fear for our lives, we fear for our jobs, we fear for the lives and
jobs of our fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters, we fear for
our friends. We fear every time when someone close to us dares to
disagree with you. We also pay a high price when we dare not to fear”
Milli wrote in the letter.

He also reminded the circumstances of his detention “Before 2009 I
had criticized you mostly online. Then I was attacked in the center
of Baku. I was arrested and later sentenced in a show trial on fake
charges of hooliganism. My father died while I was in jail, his health
was deteriorating since the day of my arrest. I could not be there
when he was placed in hospital and I was not there the day I lost him.

Some of my relatives and friends lost their jobs. They were told that
they are too close to “the enemy of the state”~T.

Milli has noted that he is sparing no efforts to bring the real image
of Azerbaijani society to the surface. “I believe that our country
will become a better place to live once we all accept the truth of
our situation and act together for change. Only then will we be able
to hope for a free internet, perhaps it will herald a free country”.

Today there are more than 80 political prisoners in Azerbaijan,
according to a report by the Council of Europe’s rapporteur on
political prisoners. The murder of journalists such as Elmar Huseynov,
who was killed in 2005, has never been properly investigated say
commentators and observers.

ARMENIAN AMBASSADOR TO BAGDAD DISCUSSED WITH IRAQI PARLIAMENTARIAN THE ISSUE OF FORMING INTERPARLIAMENTARY RELATIONS

18:25, 6 November, 2012

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 6, ARMENPRESS: Armenian Ambassador to Bagdad Mourad
Mouradian had a meeting with the Chairman of Iraqi Parliament’s
Foreign Relations Committee Humam Hamudi on November 5. As reports
Armenpress, interlocutors have discussed the issues on shaping and
developing interparliamentary relation among the two states, and
highlighted that the formation of the interparliamentary friendly
group will promote the development of the cooperation in cultural,
political, economic and other spheres.

Sides discussed some regional issues, referring to Syrian conflict;
in his turn Iraqi parliamentarian presented the position and policy of
Iraq concerning the peaceful settlement of the conflict. The meeting
was concluded with the invitation of Humam Hamudi for Armenian
Ambassador to visit Holy cities of Karbala and Najaf.

ARMENIAN EX-PREMIER: 2013 BUDGET ALLOCATIONS FOR TOURISM NOT TO HAVE EFFECT

YEREVAN, November 6. /ARKA/. Former Prime-Minister of Armenia,
opposition deputy from Armenian National Congress Hrant Bagratyan
suggests not allocating 50 million of government budget funds for
development of tourism in 2013, as they “won’t have any effect”.

If the funds are too little to change something in a field, why to
waste them; it is better to spend them in another field where they
could be of more use, Bagratyan said at a parliament hearing on budget.

But the Minister of Economy Tigran Davtyan opposed the opposition
deputy. Budget constraints give no way to allocate more for tourism,
but 50 million can still be spent in an efficient manner, he said.

“I don’t believe these funds will be spent senselessly. Growth is
recorded in the field every year and new infrastructures are formed,”
the Minister said pointing to 6% growth in tourism by the end of the
first half of the year. -0–

ARMENIA & CHINA: 20 YEARS OF COOPERATION
Sona Hakobyan

“Radiolur”
15:10 06.11.2012

A two-day conference titled “Armenia and China: 20 years of political,
economic, linguistic and cultural cooperation” kicked off at the State
Linguistic University after Valery Bryusov today. The event aims to
reinforce the cooperation between Armenian and Chinese linguists,
explore ways for Armenian-Chinese cooperation in the political,
economic, linguistic and cultural spheres. In attendance were China’s
Ambassador to Armenia Tien Changchun, Chairman of the State Linguistic
University Board Vigen Sargsyan, Minister of Culture Hasmik Poghosyan,
other officials.

Although Armenians and Chinese are very different, historians and art
critics say the two countries have a number of similarities. Although
the diplomatic, political, economic and cultural ties between Armenia
and China have a history of 20 years, the friendship between the two
comes from the depth of centuries, when the Silk Road was linking
the Armenian and Chinese cultures.

Speaking at the forum, Rector of the State linguistic University Gayane
Gasparyan said Chinese had been taught at the University since 2007.

The political relations between the two countries are strengthening
day by day, Ambassador Tien Changchun said, in turn. He added that
“the two countries are closely cooperating and supporting each
other’s interests.”

“FOR US, ANY SEWN MOUTH, ANY SEWN EYE CAUSES GREAT ALARM,” THE HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDER SAYS

November 5, 2012 15:04

>From the human rights perspective, when arrestees sew their mouths,
can it be considered as ordinary a phenomenon, as wearing earrings
for women? In response to this question of , Karen
Andreasyan, the Human Rights Defender, said, “Any self-mutilation
cannot be considered as normal or acceptable. I am convinced that the
Minister of Justice cannot believe either that it is a healthy or
acceptable or positive phenomenon. I don’t try to criticize him. I
know one thing – for us, any sewn mouth, any sewn eye causes great
alarm and our quick responses rush first of all to those very cases.

And if we respond so quickly, it means that we think it is abnormal, we
think it is an illegal, inhuman phenomenon. For us, any self-mutilation
is so significant that our whole office is ready to go and meet
with that man. It is almost what happens. There has been no case of
self-mutilation that our workers were not aware of and didn’t rush
to the correctional facility.”

We inquired what their workers said, whether it was correct that
the holes in mouths were already there, they just get a thread
through it and it was normal, Karen Andreasyan said, “We wouldn’t
allow ourselves to comment on that, because we haven’t carried out a
medical examination of those people whether it hurts or doesn’t hurt,
how much they are physically harmed or spiritually humiliated during
that process, because the phenomenon itself is important for us. If
there is self-mutilation, it means there is a problem and this problem
should be solved. Unfortunately, we are not always able to solve that
problem, because it is beyond our competencies. But it is obvious
that we see the problem and want to solve it.”

Hripsime JEBEJYAN