Author: Kalantarian Kevo

Sen. Boxer demands from Aliyev to put Safarov back in jail

12:05, 28 September, 2012

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 28, ARMENPRESS: California Senator Barbara Boxer
(D-CA) has expressed her outrage over Azerbaijan’s pardon, promotion
and praise for convicted axe-murderer Ramil Safarov, and called for
his immediate re-incarceration, reports Armenpress citing the Armenian
National Committee of America. In a strongly worded letter to
President Aliyev, Senator Boxer stressed that Safarov’s release is
“deeply disturbing and provocative action has only served to inflame
tensions and endanger efforts to forge a lasting peace in the
Caucasus.” Calling the Safarov’s pardon a “blatant disregard for the
rule of law,” she went on to demand that Aliyev “adhere to the
standards of the international law by returning Mr. Safarov to jail,
where he belongs, for the heinous crime that he committed.” The
complete text of the letter is provided below. The letter comes amid
the Aliyev Administration’s continuing glorification of Safarov, who
axed to death Armenian military lieutenant Gurgen Margaryan, in his
sleep, during a 2004 NATO sponsored language training exercise in
Hungary. Safarov, who was extradited by Hungary to Baku on August
31st, was immediately pardoned, promoted from the rank of lieutenant
to major, reimbursed 8 years of back pay, and provided a new apartment
as a reward for committing this heinous anti-Armenian hate crime.
According to news reports, Safarov will soon resume active Azerbaijani
military service. Meanwhile Azerbaijan’s anti-Armenian aggression
continued this week with a sniper attack leaving 19-year-old soldier
Vaghinag Baghdasarian dead. With her statement, Senator Boxer has
joined a diverse group of U.S. leaders from the Obama Administration,
State Department and Congress in condemning President Aliyev’s release
of Safarov. Last week, during the Center for European Policy Analysis’
U.S.-Central Europe Strategy Forum, Assistant Secretary of State Phil
Gordon told RFE/RL that the State Department continues “to express our
dismay and disappointment. We’re not satisfied with what has happened
here. In our view this is someone who should have continued to serve
out his sentence and certainly we were appalled by the glorification
that we heard in some corridors of somebody who was convicted of
murder, and so no, we’re not satisfied with the responses.” The U.S.
was among the first to comment on the travesty on August 31st, with a
statement issued by the White House in the name of National Security
Council Spokesman Tommy Vietor, underscoring the President’s view
that, “This action is contrary to ongoing efforts to reduce regional
tensions and promote reconciliation.” Vietor went on to note that,
“The United States is also requesting an explanation from Hungary
regarding its decision to transfer Safarov to Azerbaijan.” The
Department of State, through a formal announcement issued by Acting
Deputy Spokesman Patrick Ventrell, also took a stand against Hungary’s
extradition and Azerbaijan’s pardon, explaining that: “The United
States is extremely troubled by the news that the President of
Azerbaijan pardoned Azerbaijani army officer Ramil Safarov, who
returned to Baku today following his transfer from Hungary. We are
expressing our deep concern to Azerbaijan regarding this action and
seeking an explanation. We are also seeking further details from
Hungary regarding the decision to transfer Mr. Safarov to Azerbaijan.”
Members of Congress who have condemned Azerbaijan’s release of Safarov
to date include, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John
Kerry (D-MA), Sen. Boxer, Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Congressional
Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Frank Pallone (D-NJ), House Foreign Affairs
Committee Ranking Democrat Howard Berman (D-CA), House Energy and
Commerce Committee Ranking Democrat Henry Waxman (D-CA), and
Representatives Jim Costa (D-CA), Jeff Denham (R-CA), Robert Dold
(R-IL), Anna Eshoo (D-CA), David Cicilline (D-RI), Devin Nunes (R-CA),
John Sarbanes (D-MD), Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Brad Sherman (D-CA).

I didn’t forget what Oskanyan did on March 1: Petros Makeyan

2012-09-28 13:22:33

`Manifestation of inner arguments of the clan,’ `Democratic party’
head Petros Makeyan commneted on petition of NA to deprive Vardan
Oskanyan of immunity. According to him, what goes around Vardan
Oskanyan, now is coordinated with his political activeness. Especially
before and after parliamentary elections of May 6 statements made by
the PAP representative according to Makeyan were an opportunity to
realize political persecution towards Vardan Oskanyan.

`Armenia’s government system is like a mafia institution, which
expressed a position opposing institution’s interests, will start to
search for some things to launch criminal case against him. In this
case, understand that I don’t supportvardan Oskanyan, no I didn’t
forget what he said on March 1, I just say the reality, I say as it
is.’
Petros Makeyan doesn’t consider acceptable to revenge a political
figure or an individual by likewise cheap methods.

Armenian MP renounces parliamentary seat

news.am
September 28, 2012 | 13:24

YEREVAN. – Armenian National Assembly (NA) Speaker Hovik Abrahamyan on
Friday signed a protocol on early termination of ruling Republican
Party (RPA) MP Ruben Hayrapetyan’s MP mandate and forwarded it to the
Central Electoral Commission, Armenian News-NEWS.am sources close to
NA have informed.

As Armenian News-NEWS.am informed earlier, during NA special session
on September 5, NA Deputy Speaker Eduard Sharmazanov had announced
Hayrapetyan’s formal petition to give up his parliamentary mandate.
And, in line with NA procedures, if Hayrapetyan did not withdraw his
petition within fifteen days after its publicizing in the NA session,
his parliamentary mandate was to be taken away.

And those fifteen days have expired on Friday at 1pm.

To note, an incident had occurred at capital city Yerevan’s Harsnaqar
Restaurant Complex on June 17, where several military doctors
including Edgar Mikoyan, Arkadi Aghajanyan, Garik Soghomonyan, Artak
Bayadyan and Vahe Avetyan were brutally beaten by security personnel.
And Vahe Avetyan died in hospital on June 29.

Subsequently, a criminal lawsuit was filed and, now, six people are
standing trial.

The Restaurant’s owner is RPA MP, Football Federation of Armenia
President, and businessman Ruben Hayrapetyan, who on July 4 had
formally submitted his resignation from his parliamentary seat in
connection with this incident.

Armenian FM meets OSCE Chairperson-in-Office in New York

NEWS.AM
September 28, 2012 | 10:55

YEREVAN. – Armenia’s Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian met, on
Thursday in New York, with Eamon Gilmore, the OSCE
Chairperson-in-Office and Ireland’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign
Minister.

They discussed the damage which the Azerbaijani-Hungarian arrangement
has caused to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict’s settlement process. In
this connection, the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office highly appreciated
Armenia’s commitment to resolve the matter by way of negotiations, MFA
Press Service informed Armenian News-NEWS.am.

Nalbandian and Gilmore also reflected on the OSCE’s agenda issues,
and, in this regard, Armenia’s FM expressed a support to the Irish
chairmanship’s initiatives to raise the Organization’s effectiveness.

Armenian News-NEWS.am reported earlier that Ramil Safarov, a
lieutenant in the Azerbaijani military, was extradited on August 31
from Hungary, where he was serving a life sentence – and with no
expression of either regret or remorse – for the premeditated axe murder
of Armenian lieutenant Gurgen Margaryan, in his sleep, during a NATO
Partnership for Peace program in Budapest back in 2004.

As expected, Ramil Safarov’s return to Baku was welcomed, as was his
act of murder, by the officials of president Ilham Aliyev’s government
and much of Azerbaijani society, and the Azerbaijani president
immediately granted him a pardon.

And Armenia’s President Serzh Sargsyan announced on August 31 that
Armenia is suspending its diplomatic ties with Hungary.

Ramil Safarov’s pardoning is condemned by virtually all international
organizations.

Holy Tradition in Peril: Concern raises over historic Armenian churches

Society | 28.09.12 | 12:19

Church of the Holy Cross

By Gayane Abrahamyan
Commissioned by Eurasianet

Armenian officials tend to be quick to voice concern over the
destruction or deterioration of Armenian churches and monasteries in
neighboring Georgia, Azerbaijan and Turkey. But conservationists
complain that the same officials who sound the alarm about sites
abroad, often are reticent about preservationist challenges within
Armenia itself.

Experts claim that almost 50 percent of the 24,000 religious monuments
in Armenia are in urgent need of repair, and that around 30 percent
are on the verge of collapse.

For many, Armenia’s status as the first country in the world to accept
Christianity as a state religion (in 301 AD) means that the
dilapidated state of religious monuments is a blow to national pride.
`Who among our officials has seen the state of the churches in our
country?’ said historian Rafael Tadevosyan, a member of a public
commission on the conservation of historical-national values and
monuments.

The area around central Armenia’s Geghardavank Monastery, founded in
the 4th century, `is a dump with as much garbage and waste as there is
in city dumps,’ asserted Samvel Karapetyan, a historian and the head
of Research on Armenian Architecture, a Yerevan-based non-governmental
organization that promotes architectural preservation. `And it’s not
the Turks or Georgians or Azerbaijanis who do that. We are the ones
littering, polluting, destroying.’

While the Armenian government has been part of successful campaigns
for the restoration of the 10th-century Church of the Holy Cross near
Turkey’s Lake Van, and is engaged in an ongoing tug-of-war with
Tbilisi over the state of Armenian churches in Georgia, 5 officials
seem less active when it comes to preservationist issues inside the
country.

One rare exception occurred in 2011, when a popular campaign assembled
video footage that showed the derelict state of northern Armenia’s
10th century Sanahin monastery complex, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
The footage prompted a strong wave of discontent against the head of
the Armenian Apostolic Church, Catholicos Karekin II, who responded
that he had `nothing to do with the monasteries and churches in the
mountains.’

Amid Facebook calls for Karekin II’s resignation, the Ministry of
Culture created a commission on churches and invited German experts to
examine the property to identify the cause of gaping cracks in
Sanahin’s walls. A restoration effort began early this year.

Money is the most frequently cited problem. The Armenian government
only started allocating money for the restoration of
historical-cultural monuments in 2005, 14 years after the collapse of
the Soviet Union. In the time since, the dram-equivalent of around $5
million has been spent to restore 34 churches.

The restoration process remains controversial in Armenia. In 2009, the
Chamber of Control charged that the Ministry of Culture had misused
186 million drams ($465,000) out of its budget, resulting in
`incorrect, unprofessional reconstruction’ work at the 12th-century
Kobair monastery, the 10th-century Vahanavank monastery and the
7th-century Hnevank monastery.

Stones removed from the original structures `were later replaced by
new ones of a different kind,’ resulting in the `distortion’ of the
monasteries’ original design, Ishkhan Zakaryan, chair of the Chamber
of Control, asserted in a 2010 report to parliament.

(As a result, the head of the ministry’s agency for the protection of
historical-cultural monuments, Gagik Gyurjyan, was dismissed, but
three months later was appointed as head of one of Yerevan’s most
important museums, the Erebuni Fortress, dating from the 8th century
BC).

Serzhik Arakelyan, the current head of the Ministry of Culture’s
Historical-Cultural Monument Protection Agency, told EurasiaNet.org
that his agency now has `stricter and more professional control over
restoration work.’

Yet he concedes that the state `doesn’t have too much money to do everything.’

Citing the near-destruction of 13th-century inscriptions on the walls
of Haghartsin Monastery in northeastern Armenia, Karapetyan, the
preservationist, argued that, in some cases, it is better not to
attempt repair work on Armenian churches and monasteries at all since
`the monument suffers rather than benefits.’

Meanwhile, the seat of the Armenian Apostolic Church, the Mother See
of Holy Echmiadzin, also periodically comments that it lacks the funds
to look after Armenia’s churches and monasteries. `We [the Church]
have limited resources and have to restore the monuments by state
means, but if those funds keep being misused, then one day everything
will simply disappear,’ commented Father Vahram Melikyan, a church
spokesperson.

Bakur Hovsepyan, a state-appointed administrator who oversees the
12th-century Goshavank Monastery in northern Armenia, says he has
repeatedly turned to the Ministry of Culture and Church for help in
restoring the monastery’s main church, Mariam Astvatsatsin (Church of
the Virgin Mary). He contends that the structure is on the verge of
collapse.

The monastery administration has decided to close parts of the church
to tourists to avoid accidents from stones falling from the church
walls and dome.

But the short response from church and state alike is always the same:
`No money.’

Hovsepyan says that he wonders why the 20 million – 26 million drams
($50,000-$60,000) the monastery sends per year to Echmiadzin from the
sale of candles, souvenirs and visitor donations cannot be used.
Echmiadzin representatives say they are trying to find private
sponsors to underwrite preservation work.

Deputy Culture Minister Arev Samuelyan contends that `the issues are
under control.’ He places the burden for action on the general
Armenian public.

`Attitudes have to change. The state or the church cannot put guards
in front of each church to not let people write on the walls or light
candles on cross-stones or inscribe their names,’ Samuelyan told
EurasiaNet.org. `Society has to become aware of the value of
[historical] monuments.’

`The ministry,’ she added, `is not almighty.’

Hungarian-Azerbaijani deal discussed in New York

TERT.AM
11:50 – 28.09.12

The Hungarian-Azerbaijani deal over the extradition and pardoning of
Ramil Safarov was discussed on Thursday at a New York-hosted meeting
between Armenia’s foreign minister and OSCE officials.

According to a press release by the Foreign Ministry, the discussion
that brought together FM Edward Nalbandyan and the Organization’s
chairman-in-office and secretary general, Eamon Gilmore and Lamberto
Zanier, focused the possible damages to the Nagorno-Karabakh peace
talks.

Gilmore, who is also Ireland’s foreign minister, highly praised
Armenia’s commitment to achieve a negotiated settlement of the
conflict. He and Minister Nalbandyan later discussed issues on the
OSCE’s agenda. Armenia’s top diplomat expressed support to the efforts
towards increasing the Organization’s activities.

Nalbandyan later attended the Collective Security Treaty
Organization’s ministerial meeting held at the Permanent Mission of
Kazakhstan to the United Nations.

He also had meetings with his Slovenian, Turkmen, Georgian and
Montenigrin counterparts to discuss the progress in bilateral
relations, and future plans.

Armenia’s Permanent Mission to the UN hosted the signing of a protocol
for the establishment of diplomatic ties between Armenia and Bhutan.
The ceremony was preceded by a meeting between Nalbandyan and the
country’s foreign minister, Khandu Wangchuk

Later in the day, Nalbandyan attended a reception ceremony held by
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius to honor the International
Organization of la Francophonie member states.

AFFAIRE SAFAROV
3 000 manifestants à Stepanakert en mémoire du Kourkén Markarian qui
aurait eu 34 ans

Plus de 3 000 personnes étaient le 26 septembre dans les rues à
Stepanakert (capitale de la République du Haut Karabagh) pour célébrer
l’anniversaire du lieutenant arménien Kourkén Markarian assassiné dans
son sommeil en février 2004 par l’azéri Ramil Safarov. Les
manifestants protestaient contre la politique de l’Azerbaïdjan visant
à donner un rang de héros à un lche assassin. La manifestation de
Stepanakert a débuté par une messe à l’église Sourp Hagop puis une
cérémonie au cimetière des héros à la mémoire de Kourkén Markarian. «
Aujourd’hui Kourkén Markarian aurait eu 34 ans (…) mais il est
toujours avec nous, dans nos c`urs » dit dans son discours Ardak
Beglarian président de l’association « Gamk » co-organisatrice de la
manifestation avec l’association « Artsakhagerdoum ». Ardak Beglarian
a affirmé que les Arméniens, plus unis et plus forts que jamais autour
de leur armée et institutions, allaient lutter pour que la justice
soit donnée dans cette affaire Safarov.

Krikor Amirzayan

vendredi 28 septembre 2012,
Krikor Amirzayan ©armenews.com

ARFD: THE FIRST PLANE WITH HUMANITARIAN AID TO SYRIAN ARMENIANS ON BOARD TO DEPART TO SYRIA SOON

arminfo
Thursday, September 27, 18:04

The first plane with humanitarian aid to Syrian Armenians on board
will depart to Syria soon. The aid was gathered within the frames
of the public initiative “Help your brothers!”, the head of Hay Dut
Central office, Kiro Manoyan, said at today’s press-conference.

He said that at present they have been negotiating on the first
but not the last flight with humanitarian aid to Syria, as too many
cargo have been gathered for one plane to transport. The ARFD has
initiated setting up of “Help your brothers!”. It has a purpose to
show humanitarian aid not only to the Armenian community of Syria
but also to all which need it irrespective of their nationality.

Manoyan said that Armenian authorities have been taking all the
necessary steps to help Syrian Armenians living in Armenia at present.

OSCE MG REPLACEMENT WILL UNDERMINE KARABAKH PROCESS – ARFD REP.

PanARMENIAN.Net
September 27, 2012 – 17:52 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – In the past 20 years, the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs
acknowledged the impossibility of Nagorno Karabakh Republic’s inclusion
in Azerbaijan, ARF Dashnaktsutyun’s Armenian Cause Political Affairs
Office Director said.

“The change of the organization will imply losing other 20 years,”
Giro Manoyan said, adding that release of Azerbaijani officer Ramil
Safarov undermined the negotiation process and regional stability.

In this context, he stressed the need for Hungary to take relevant
steps to improve the situation and normalize relations with Armenia,
particularly recognizing the independence of Artsakh.

ARMENIAN POLITICAL PARTIES TO RECEIVE AMD 40,5MLN FUNDING

PanARMENIAN.Net
September 27, 2012 – 17:18 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Armenian government approved a decision September
27 to allocate AMD 40,5 mln to political parties represented in the
National Assembly in 2012 fourth quarter.

As Finance Minister Vache Gabrielyan noted, parties having received 3%
election threshold get annual state funding.

2012 draft budget envisaged allocation of AMD 69,5 mln, with AMD 29
mln already allotted.

The remaining AMD 40,5 mln. will be distributed as follows: AMD 18,2
mln. to the ruling Republican Party of Armenia (RPA), AMD 12,5 mln
to Prosperous Armenia, AMD 2,9 mln to the Armenian National Congress
(ANC) opposition bloc, AMD 2,4 mln to Heritage, AMD 2,3 mln. to ARF
Dashnaktsutyun and AMD 2,3 mln to Orinats Yerkir.