Author: Kalantarian Kevo

THEY STRUCK A BELOW-THE-BELT BLOW AT VIRABYAN AND HE DEFEATED THE COUNTRY WITH THE LAW

October 4, 2012 15:37

The European Court of Human Rights made a judgment on Virabyan vs.
Armenia case on October 2. Former supporter of the People’s Party
of Armenia G. Virabyan’s case has been under the consideration of
the European Court since 2005. G. Virabyan will get ~@31 thousand in
compensation, of which 25 thousand will be for moral damage.

We congratulated counselor Tigran Ter-Yesayan who had filed a petition
in the ECHR regarding the Virabyan case. In response to our question
on what points in the case he had made a special emphasis, he said
that they had appealed the decision on inhuman treatment, torture,
discrimination, rights to freedom of movement and vote.

T. Ter-Yesayan informed that during the events of April 2004 (after
the presidential election), the local police staff of the Ararat
region inflicted serious bodily injuries on G. Virabyan, as a result
of which he underwent serious surgery. His case was not considered in
the Republic of Armenia and as Ter-Yesayan says, the European Court
paid particular attention to the torture and discrimination against G.

Virabyan. According to the counselor, the victim’s statement was
disregarded in Armenia, the case was not considered, since it was
related to his political activities. Ter-Yesayan is satisfied with
the decision of the European Court, regardless of the fact that it
wasn’t an easy victory and took 8 years.

Ter-Yesayan expressed his sincere gratitude to the press, Aravot,
which were able to cover the events that took place in 2003-04,
expressed gratitude to the newspapers that covered the events that
took place at the time with reservations.

NATO AND U.S. AGAINST TURKEY
Igor Muradyan

Story from Lragir.am News:

Published: 12:20:42 – 05/10/2012

Turkish parliament adopted a decision with the possibility of military
action against Syria because of the minor incident at the border,
for which Syria has already apologized. This decision, of course,
has demagogic value and it is not related to the security of Turkey
and is not directed against Syria.

Turkey has been trying for long to involve the U.S. and NATO
in a military intervention in Syria, as it understands that the
Euro-Atlantic community blocks successfully Turkey on the important
Middle East direction. In the south of Turkey a powerful barrier to
Turkey’s regional expansion is being built which is highly problematic
for its geopolitical interests.

No doubt the U.S. and NATO assign exclusively operative-tactical role
to Turkey in this crisis which leads Turkey to a disadvantage, which
it does not want to accept. The problem is not even the intentions
of Turkey in the Middle East, where the Americans and the Europeans
are not going to let it in, but the intensification of the crisis in
the relations between Turkey and NATO.

It is not a secret that Turkey’s policy, first of all, in the region,
became a leading factor for the increasing crisis in NATO, and after
the Chicago summit, it became more evident. At the present moment,
Turkey is facing a choice: either to agree to the role which the U.S.

and NATO assign to it and receive the dribs and drabs of the strategy
of the West in the Middle East, or to make a breakthrough in the
region and thus force its partners to reckon with it. But in Ankara,
there can be no certainty of success of the possible operation,
especially since it will lead to its automatic exclusion from NATO.

Something France is striving for (and not only France).

No war, no military intervention, at least with the participation of
Turkey. To a certain extent, the impossibility of military intervention
by NATO in Syria is explained by the fact that the West does not
agree to Turkey’s participation in that operation. Syria, Iraq and
also Lebanon are seen along with other geopolitical and geo-economic
tasks of the West, as a barrier to Turkey’s expansion.

Armenia has a similar role in the South Caucasus, under the accelerated
integration into NATO, and the same task is given to Georgia, which
is waiving away from it strongly. No matter how paradoxical it may
look, but Azerbaijan is considered by the West as a “circumstance”
distancing Turkey from the South Caucasus. In any case, much has been
done to discredit the Azerbaijani-Turkish relations and to form a
distance between them.

It is clear that the fate of the South Caucasus depends much on the
events in the Middle East, and one of the guarantees (not the only one)
from the negative influence is the establishment of more fundamental
relations with NATO. Armenia’s parliament adopted a strange decision
on Russia’s “monopoly” to own military bases in our country, which
is seen in Moscow as a guarantee to the impossibility of deployment
of military bases of third countries in Armenia.

However, it should be noted that a couple of years ago, the biggest
limitation of Georgia’s integration into NATO was the existence of
military conflicts and crisis events. But after Russia solved the
issues on Abkhazia and South Ossetia, there is no more issue to keep
Georgia back from joining NATO.

It may sound extravagant, but it is logical and substantive. This
decision of the Armenian parliament would be adequate and consistent,
as well as viable, if the terms contained a point on no military
supplies to Azerbaijan by CSTO member states. Otherwise, this agreement
is a regular excuse of the Armenian political leadership under the
hysterical demands of Russia.

Moscow and Ankara are again trying to use the “windows” and “rips” in
the strategy of the Euro-Atlantic community, but even next attempts,
obviously doomed to failure, suggest agreement to the detriment of
some states of the region, especially Armenia, as well as Syria, which
Russia has reserved as exchange material in international relations.

This defiant solution of the Armenian parliament still has a logical
explanation because Armenia has not yet received what is expected
from NATO, that is, the main argument in the relationship. This
decision of the parliament on Russia’s monopoly on military bases in
Armenia is very easy to get around, because in an age of scientific
and technological revolution, there are different ways and methods
to name a military base, for example, training or logistics center
or whatever. That would be fun.

WILL PUTIN COME TO YEREVAN FROM BAKU?
Naira Hayrumyan

Story from Lragir.am News:

Published: 12:43:35 – 05/10/2012

Why didn’t Putin come to Armenia? Perhaps, he will come from Baku,
where he is going on October 17. Or maybe, he “postponed” Armenia,
as a “hard case”.

Tomorrow Putin is leaving for Tajikistan, where he is going to solve
issues relating to the base and foreign political orientation of this
country. In September, Putin visited Moldova and Kirgizia, where he
solved all the issues and ensured these countries are loyal to the
pro-Russian political course. Putin does not doubt the loyalty of
Kazakhstan and Belarus, so Armenia and Ukraine are left.

Putin’s visit to Armenia was announced by Konstantin Zatulin in
June: he “extended hope” that Putin will attend the CSTO exercises
in Yerevan. Expectations were not met. Zatulin never explained the
reasons.

Either Putin hopes to settle issues with Armenia easily like with
the other states, or he thinks there is no problem with Armenia –
the recent events prove it.

The Armenian parliament has easily ratified the CSTO Protocol on
banning the deployment of “foreign” military bases in Armenia, and
the prime minister confirmed in Yalta that Armenia is interested
in the integration into CIS. True, Tigran Sargsyan thinks the CIS
countries should set a joint goal and find a way to achieve it. But
in terms of security, he confirmed that the “supranational structures
are more effective, for example the CSTO”.

Besides, Putin sees that Armenia, besides the declaration, does not
undertake concrete steps that lead it to the integration into Europe.

Declarative reforms are on the paper, the signing of the Association
agreement is postponed, Armenia does not show wish to go towards the
West. Europe is skeptical too: statements on the lack of political
will in Armenia are issued, the conference of donors was delayed,
in short, Putin has nothing to worry about.

Why does Putin even need to arrive in Armenia? The term of the
deployment of the Russian military base in Armenia has already been
prolonged by 49 years, Armenia’s borders are protected by the Russian
frontier troops, Russia has all the infrastructures just like the
subsoil. Only, after his meeting with Erdogan and Aliyev in Baku,
Putin may need to come to Armenia and force the power to hand over
a couple of regions in Karabakh. “In exchange” he is possible to
convince Aliyev to let open the Stepanakert airport. We should
not doubt that the Armenian parliament will vote in favor of such a
proposal, like it did in case of the CSTO. Prosperous Armenia, Armenian
National Congress, Heritage and ARFD will boycott the session and the
parliamentary majority will vote in favor. Perhaps, Nikol Pashinyan,
Artsvik Minasyan and Alik Arzumanyan will deliver ardent speeches. And
only Edmon Marukyan may spit on everything and reject such a mandate.

AZERBAIDJAN: LE BLOGUEUR D’OPPOSITION ZAUR GURBANLI ARRETE

Publie le : 05-10-2012

Info Collectif VAN – – Le Collectif VAN vous
invite a lire cette information publiee sur le site des Reporters
Sans Frontières le 3 octobre 2012.

Reporters Sans Frontières

Azerbaïdjan

Arrestation d’un blogueur d’opposition : un an avant l’election
presidentielle, le tour de vis continue

Publie le mercredi 3 octobre 2012.

Reporters sans frontières condamne fermement la detention arbitraire
du blogueur et activiste d’opposition Zaur Gurbanli, dont elle reclame
la remise en liberte immediate.

” Il n’y a guère de doutes que l’arrestation de Zaur Gurbanli est liee
a ses activites en ligne et a son engagement politique. A un an de
l’election presidentielle d’octobre 2013, Bakou semble moins que jamais
dispose a relâcher la pression sur la presse et la societe civile,
qui s’est de nouveau accentuee depuis que les medias se sont retires
avec la fin de l’Eurovision. Nous appelons l’Assemblee parlementaire
du Conseil de l’Europe (APCE), qui se reunit ces jours-ci, a prendre
en compte cette nouvelle indication de l’etat d’esprit des autorites
et a voter une resolution ferme pour la liberation des prisonniers
politiques en Azerbaïdjan “, a declare l’organisation.

Le 29 septembre 2012 au matin, Zaur Gurbanli, blogueur et l’un des
leaders du mouvement “NIDA” qui rassemble des jeunes militants
de l’opposition, a ete arrete non loin de son domicile a Bakou
(capitale). Une dizaine d’individus en civil, se presentant comme des
agents du departement de lutte contre le crime organise du ministère
de l’Interieur, l’ont force a monter dans une voiture. Zaur Gurbanli
a ete detenu au secret durant 48 heures, dans un lieu inconnu,
prive d’accès a un avocat et a sa famille, sans que les autorites
n’expliquent la raison de son arrestation.

Ce n’est que le 1er octobre 2012 que le service de presse du ministère
de l’Interieur a annonce son placement en detention administrative
pour quinze jours, jusqu’a la tenue de son procès, pour ne pas avoir
coopere avec la police dans une enquete portant sur du “trafic de
drogue”. Les activistes locaux craignent que de nouvelles charges
ne soient ajoutees au terme de l’enquete en cours. L’avocat de Zaur
Gurbanli, Ashabali Mustafayev, a confie a Radio Free Europe / Radio
Liberty, qu’il travaillait a ce que la detention ne soit pas prolongee
au-dela de ces quinze jours.

Après son arrestation, les policiers ont emmene le blogueur pour
proceder a une perquisition dans les locaux du mouvement de jeunesse
“Changement positif”, où ils ont saisi environ 8 000 brochures de NIDA
publiees en amont de l’election presidentielle de 2013. Ces brochures
presentent le profil du president Ilham Aliev avec ce slogan :
” Je partirai en 2013 si vous rejoignez NIDA “.

Zaur Gurbanli est une figure connue de la blogosphère et des milieux
d’opposition azerbaïdjanais. Membre de la campagne “Sing for democracy”
lancee a l’occasion de l’Eurovision, il est l’auteur de nombreux
articles critiques des autorites. Il avait recemment publie un
article qualifiant de “ridicule” et “honteux” le fait qu’un poème de
la fille du President, Leyla Alieva, figure dans un manuel scolaire
de litterature azerbaïdjanaise. L’arrestation du blogueur intervient
egalement une semaine après l’eclatement d’un scandale de corruption
impliquant une deputee du parti au pouvoir, Gular Ahmadova.

Les blogueurs et activistes en ligne sont regulièrement la cible du
harcèlement des autorites ces dernières annees. Après la liberation
des celèbres blogueurs Emin Milli et Adnan Hajizade en 2010, une
nouvelle vague de repression s’est abattue sur les net-citoyens suite
aux manifestations de l’opposition au printemps 2011, dans la foulee
du printemps arabe.

L’Azerbaïdjan est situe a la 162e place (sur 179) du dernier classement
de la liberte de la presse etabli par Reporters sans frontières.

Retour a la rubrique

Source/Lien : Reporters Sans Frontières

MIKHAIL SHVIDKOV: “RESTORATION OF DIALOGUE BETWEEN INTELLECTUALS OF AZERBAIJAN AND ARMENIA REQUIRES SERIOUS WORKS”

APA
Oct 4 2012
Azerbaijan

Baku. Victoria Dementieva – APA. “Restoration of dialogue between
intellectuals of Azerbaijan and Armenia requires serious works.

First of all, we need the political will of the president for
implementation of this issue”, said the special representative of
Russian President for international cultural cooperation Mikhail
Shvidkov in his response to APA’s question.

He underlined that the Ramil Safarov’s pardoning escalated tensions
through Armenian Communities: “Of course, this issue has complicated
our work, but I consider that the best value in the world is to
compromise. In any case, I will continue my work towards organizations
of meetings between the communities. I always think about the parents
who might lose their children at war”.

ITAR-TASS FIRST DEPUTY DIRECTOR GENERAL: NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT MUST BE RESOLVED IN NEAR FUTURE

Trend
Oct 4 2012
Azerbaijan

The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict must be resolved in the near future,
First Deputy Director General of ITAR-TASS Mikhail Gusman said today.

He added that Azerbaijan is achieving the implementation of the
decisions on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement, which were
adopted by the UN.

It is very important that there is still time to resolve this issue
peacefully, he added.

“First of all, it is necessary to solve the problem of Azerbaijan’s
occupied territories,” he said. “Azerbaijan has the largest number
of refugees in the world. It is impossible to tolerate this for a
long time.”

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 per cent of Azerbaijan since 1992,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The
co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group – Russia, France and the U.S. –
are currently holding peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council’s four
resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the
surrounding regions.

ARMENIAN COMMUNITY SLAMS NISANYAN FOR BLASPHEMOUS REMARKS ABOUT ISLAM’S PROPHET

Today’s Zaman
Oct 3 2012
Turkey

Sevan NiÅ~_anyan, a journalist, has drawn widespread criticism from
representatives of the Armenian community for blasphemous remarks
he made about Prophet Muhammad in an article he wrote in his column
last week.

In the article, titled “Hatred crimes should be fought,” NiÅ~_anyan
voices his support for a controversial anti-Muslim movie that sparked
violent protests in Egypt and Libya last month.

Clips of the movie, posted on YouTube under several titles including
“Innocence of Muslims,” portrayed the Muslim prophet engaged in crude
and offensive behavior. Many Muslims consider any depiction of the
prophet as blasphemous.

NiÅ~_anyan says, “Mocking an Arab leader who centuries ago allegedly
contacted God and made political, financial and sexual benefits out
of this is not a crime of hatred;” it is freedom of speech.

Bishop Sahag Masalyan, who is responsible for the Armenian
Patriarchate’s ecumenical and inter-religious relations, told Today’s
Zaman that NiÅ~_anyan’s remarks about Prophet Muhammad are the kind
that will damage social peace and lead to provocation.

He said NiÅ~_anyan’s statements are unacceptable, and they do not
approve of them.

“His remarks do not just target the prophet of Islam but all prophets.

He has a similar attitude in his other articles. He is not a well-known
authority for us to take seriously,” said Masalyan, accusing NiÅ~_anyan
of mixing freedom of speech with insulting one’s religious values.

A representative of the Armenian community, Bedros Å~^irinoglu, also
condemned NiÅ~_anyan’s remarks about Prophet Muhammad, defining them as
“ugly.”

“I am a Christian. I find what he wrote very disrespectful. I
strongly condemn his statements. Making such remarks about the
prophet of the Islamic world is unacceptable. Every negative thing
told about Prophet Muhammad is also said about Jesus because all of
them are real prophets. These are very ugly and dangerous statements,”
Å~^irinoglu said.

He also said legal action should be taken against NiÅ~_anyan for making
the blasphemous remarks, and his remarks should not go unpunished.

Ara Kocunyan, editor-in-chief of the Armenian daily Jamanak, published
in Ä°stanbul, said NiÅ~_anyan’s remarks do not reflect the views
of the Armenian community in Turkey and that they never approve of
such statements.

“We never approve of remarks that insult other beliefs. Our community
is of the opinion that inter-religious dialogue and tolerance are
of the utmost importance. Now the mistake in question should be
corrected,” he said.

IMF RELEASED STATEMENT ON CONCLUSION OF STAFF MISSION TO ARMENIA

Economic News (Information Agency Oreanda)
October 3, 2012 Wednesday
Russia

Yerevan. OREANDA-NEWS . October 3, 2012. An IMF mission led by Mark
Horton visited Yerevan during September 518 to conduct discussions
for the Fifth Review of the Extended Fund Facility/Extended Credit
Facility arrangements and the 2012 Article IV consultations. After
return to IMF headquarters, Mr. Horton made the following statement:

Macroeconomic conditions have continued to improve over the past year.

With a positive harvest and dynamic mining and services sectors,
growth is expected to reach 6.2 percent in 2012 and to moderate to 4.3
percent in 2013, as the economy returns to trend and given conditions
in Europe and Russia. Inflation remains moderate, driven by the
agricultural rebound and a sound policy framework, and is expected
to remain within the target band (41.5 percent) of the Central Bank
of Armenia (CBA) during the rest of 2012 and in 2013.

Program performance remains broadly satisfactory. The fiscal balance
has continued to improve, with the deficit expected to decline to
about 2 percent of GDP in 2012, and to increase moderately to 2.6
percent next year as large capital projects are implemented.

The CBA has shown strengthened commitment to a flexible exchange rate
and the inflation-targeting regime. The CBA continues to improve its
monetary policy tools and its monitoring of risks, particularly those
associated with foreign currency lending. An external shock beginning
in the second quarter of 2012 led to sizeable intervention in the
foreign exchange market to prevent excessive volatility, and the
end-June performance criterion on reserves was missed.

A waiver and corrective actions will be needed to complete the
Fifth Review.

Structural reforms are progressing, although at a slower-than-desirable
pace. A level playing field for all businessesincluding in the key
area of tax administrationwould be an important breakthrough for the
business environment. The mission looks forward to the first results
of the Regulatory Guillotine project, which aims at substantially
streamlining regulation and red-tape, and to ongoing enforcement
actions by the Competition Committee.

The mission reached preliminary agreement on a policy framework for
the rest of 2012 and 2013 that could form the basis for completion of
the review. The IMF Board is tentatively scheduled to consider the
review in early December. Upon approval, the IMF would disburse USD
52 million, bringing total disbursements under the EFF/ECF to about
USD 327 million.

The authorities expressed strong interest in a follow-up IMF
arrangement, after the current program concludes in mid-2013,
and possibly covering the next 3 years. They noted that a new
program would provide policy support for continued external and
fiscal adjustment, strengthened policy buffers and fiscal space,
and growth-enhancing structural reforms during a period of elevated
repayment of crisis-related assistance. Before discussions on a new
Fund program can begin, the IMF Board should consider the findings of
an Ex Post Assessment (EPA) of Fund programs since 2005, when the last
EPA was completed. The findings of the EPA, now under preparation,
will also help guide design of the new program.

The mission met with Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan, Minister of
Finance Vache Gabrielyan, Central Bank Governor Arthur Javadyan,
Minister of Economy Tigran Davtyan, Minister of Energy and Natural
Resources Armen Movsisyan, Minister of Transport Gagik Beglaryan,
as well as senior government officials, representatives of the
international community, the banking and business sectors, and civil
society. The mission would like to thank the authorities and other
Armenian representatives for their warmth and hospitality.

I CANNOT IMAGINE ANY REASONABLE ARMENIAN WHO WOULD GO TO VOTING BOOTH AND CAST VOTE IN FAVOUR OF ROBERT KOCHARYAN

168 Zham
Sept 25 2012
Armenia

Tigranuhi Martirosyan’s interview with Vahan Shirkhanyan

Dismissals in Armenian government

[Martirosyan] After the well-known consultations held in the Armenian
government on 15 September, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan made
harsh assessments of the activities of the Armenian government. These
assessments followed the decision to dismiss Hakob Beglaryan, the
head of the Centre for the Promotion of Procurements state-run
non-commercial organisation. In your opinion, who was this step
directed at?

[Shirkhanyan] If the president introduced substantial facts that
Beglaryan worked poorly, of course the prime minister should have
dismissed him. I cannot see anything strange here. It follows that
facts presented, although I am unaware of them, were substantiated,
since not only Beglaryan, but other employees as well were dismissed,
as far as I know.

[Passage omitted: Beglaryan says the Centre for Promotion of
Procurements may have become a first step of anti-corruption
activities, because this organisation may have a great corruption
rate due to being involved in the sphere of procurements.]

[Martirosyan] In fact, you do not share the opinion that these steps
succeeding each other are a part of an election PR campaign, and that
these steps are merely a show.

[Shirkhanyan] I want to perceive and understand this in a way that
the situation has reached a threshold, where it needs to be improved.

Replacement of prime minister unlikely

[Martirosyan] At present, the issue of replacing the prime minister is
much talked about. In your opinion, how realistic is the replacement
of the government and the prime minister?

[Shirkhanyan] There has always been such talk. The same was said during
the time in office of the previous prime minister [Serzh Sargsyan –
2007-2008]. Such talk has emerged from time to time, but nothing has
happened, and I am sure, nothing will happen now either.

Those, who speak about this, want to show that they care about people
much. This is rather a populist phenomenon, than a real one. A party
that would demand a real change of the government would present a
brilliant programme so that people would get convinced that the country
would change fundamentally through that programme, However, I have not
seen such a team, such a leader, such a programme up to the present.

[Martirosyan] Incidentally, it is the Prosperous Armenia [PA] party,
which is the loudest to voice the demand for change of the government.

Do you believe that the PA wishes to possess the office of the prime
minister?

[Shirkhanyan] Let them wish, let them demand. As for Azerbaijan, it
wants to have Karabakh. It wants and has demanded it for several years,
but what is the use of doing this? Political developments have their
own laws. If political parties made analysis, they would not have
made such statements. Let them analyse and see what is possible and
what is not. Otherwise, their suggestions to replace the government
and the president are unacceptable.

[Passage omitted: Shirkhanyan says a government can be replaced in
emergency situations only.]

[Martirosyan] It was mentioned that the spheres outlined by the
president belong to the ministries managed by the PA in the past. Do
you think this process is against the PA?

[Shirkhanyan] I said once that in my opinion, it is unnatural that
important branches of the government are given to political parties,
which do not bear responsibility for these branches. Those branches,
as a rule, start to deteriorate earlier than usual. This is true not
only of the PA but of all other parties.

[Martirosyan] If the RPA decides to cede the office of prime minister
to the PA, the latter would rejoin the coalition in such a case…

[Shirkhanyan] First of all, we should understand why the PA quit the
coalition. What has the PA done during those 10 years that it had
been in the coalition? I do not believe this is a realistic option.

[Corerspondent] Do you believe that the RPA needs the PA’s support
and its return to the coalition?

[Shirkhanyan] The first thing the RPA needs is public support.

Activity, programmes, and existence of political parties in Armenia
are so faulty that maintaining power based on them has become
obsolete. People should become a support [for the government], not
the PA or any other party.

[Martirosyan] There is talk about backstage cooperation between the PA
and the RPA. Do you think it is possible for these two forces to unite
and have a single candidate in the [coming 2013] presidential election?

[Shirkhanyan] This depends on these two parties and their political
and moral-psychological status.

[Martirosyan] Do you believe that [former Armenian President] Robert
Kocharyan’s return as a single candidate of the PA and RPA is likely
and necessary?

[Shirkhanyan] Prevention of Kocharyan’s return is of the same
importance for any Armenian as the ratification of the Karabakh issue.

The harm which that person caused to Armenia cannot be measured
and we should make efforts for many years in order to restore the
consequences of that harm. I cannot imagine any reasonable Armenian,
who would go into a voting booth and cast a vote in his favour. Of
course, there will be people, who will vote out of their personal
interest, but they will vote not for Kocharyan, but against Armenia.

[Passage omitted: Shirkhanyan says it is unlikely that all three
Armenian presidents – Serzh Sarsgyan, Robert Kocharyan and Levon
Ter-Petrosyan will run in the coming 2013 presidential election.]

Resumption of hostilities in Karabakh ruled out

[Martirosyan]: As regards foreign policy, do you think that
prerequisites favourable for Armenia emerged after the incident in
Safarov’s case ?[Ramil Safarov , an Azerbaijani officer convicted in
Hungary for killing an Armenian officer in in 2004, who was released
soon after he was extradited to Azerbaijan on 31 August 2012]

[Shirkhanyan] This issue has been developing in Armenia’s favour up
to the present. I cannot see any prerequisites that would allow to say
that the issue would be solved in favour of Azerbaijan in the future.

The Karabakh issue is settled and it requires ratification. This
ratification will take place eventually.

[Martirosyan] What conditions should be created for accelerating
this process?

[Shirkhanyan] I cannot see a demand for acceleration. Artsakh
[Karabakh] and its economy have not been fully rehabilitated up to the
present. These tasks need to be addressed. A strong, combat-ready army
should be maintained and new allies should be obtained in international
relations, preserving the old ones at the same time.

Everything will be normal with the implementation of these steps. If
Azerbaijan hurries and tries to settle the issue by force, it will
lose everything, not only Karabakh.

[Martirosyan] So, you do not see grounds for the resumption of
hostilities?

[Shirkhanyan] No, absolutely. This is impossible on our side, and
unlikely on their side. Azerbaijan is aware of the balance of forces
and is aware of the issues it will face if hostilities are resumed.

The international community opposes resumption of hostilities.

[Martirosyan] In one of your interviews, you said that the Azerbaijani
troops are stuck in corruption and perversion, and are mainly
composed of not Azerbaijanis but of the Talysh, who hate the clan of
[Azerbaijani President Heydar] Aliyev. That is a factor, which makes
it impossible to speak about the strength of the Azerbaijani Army. Are
these the only factors which do not let Aliyev resume hostilities?

[Shirkhanyan] I confirm my words, of course. Azerbaijani troops are
composed of not only the Talysh, but also of other national minorities,
which have serious problems with the ruling clan. There is another
issue – no matter how much we speak about corruption in Armenia,
corruption in Azerbaijan has always been at a higher level.

Of course, they lack the combat spirit, and justifying criminals like
Safarov and making heroes of them are an attempt to raise that combat
spirit. In the meantime, combat spirit is maintained and enhanced
based on victory in Armenia.

[Martirosyan] There have been periodic reports that Azerbaijan is
purchasing military equipment speedily and that it does not care
about the opinion of the international community. Do these factors
show that Azerbaijan is nonetheless preparing for war?

[Shirkhanyan] It could not have been another way. Aliyev has
lost territory, he is the defeated side. He faces the problem of
maintaining power and will have to maintain a warlike situation in
order to convince his people that he cannot accept that loss and that
he will finally return his land. This is simply a political tool. He
wants to prove to the public that he is patriotic. He wants to be
elected again in order to prevent the opposition from becoming active.

Frankly speaking, I am not worried about this at all. Let him do it.

Of course, Aliyev understands that he cannot regain Karabakh through
a war.

[Translated from Armenian]

Turks must not think that we will forget the Genocide

13:50 – 06.10.2012

Publicist Kirakos Guyumdjyan from Kuwait said during the 6th Forum of
journalists that God forbid, if Turkey does not recognize the Armenian
Genocide, Armenians will still remember it and demand recognition
until they get it.

According to him, we must present our demand to foreign diplomats,
develop our propaganda tools, in order to have any pressure on
International opinion