Author: Kalantarian Kevo

ARMENIAN CATHOLICOS RECEIVES ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH OFFICIAL

news.am
September 24, 2012 | 12:08

ETCHMIADZIN. – The Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II on Sunday
received His Eminence Cardinal Kurt Koch, President of the Pontifical
Council for Promoting Christian Unity.

The Catholicos gave a high assessment to the ties and cooperation
between the Armenian Apostolic and the Roman Catholic churches. He
noted that, by way of such visits, Armenians become witnesses to the
friendship that exists between both churches, Information Center of
the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin reports.

In his turn, Cardinal Koch noted that it is a great honor for him
to be in a country where Christianity was first proclaimed as state
religion, a country that has deep Christian roots and a rich culture,
and where the people have preserved their faithfulness to Christianity
to this day.

The interlocutors reflected on the challenges the Armenian Church
faced in Soviet years, the religious awakening during independent
statehood, and the accomplishments of the Armenian Apostolic Church.

In addition, the Catholicos briefed the Cardinal on the Mother
See’s ongoing programs, and stressed that, with the assistance by
the sister Catholic Church, several clergy from the Mother See have
continued their religious education at the Catholic higher education
institutions in a variety of countries.

After the meeting, the delegation led by Cardinal Kurt Koch attended
the Sunday Holy Mass celebrated at the Mother Cathedral of Holy
Etchmiadzin.

” ARMENIA “, L’ACFOA, LE COLLECTIF ET L’UCFAF ENVOIENT UNE PETITION A L’AMBASSADEUR DE HONGRIE POUR DENONCER L’AFFAIRE SAFAROV
Stephane

armenews.com
lundi 24 septembre 2012

Il y a quelques jours, l’association culturelle ” Armenia ” lancait
une petition qui fut soutenue egalement par le Collectif Memoire et
Avenir, l’ACFOA (Anciens combattants francais d’origine armenienne)
et l’UCFAF-Valence. La petitions affirmait ” La Hongrie a extrade
vendredi 31 août vers l’Azerbaïdjan l’azeri Ramil Safarov condamne
par le Tribunal de Budapest a 30 ans de prison pour l’assassinat
particulièrement sauvage (dans son sommeil, a 16 coups de hache) en
fevrier 2004 de l’officier armenien Gourguen Margarian. Extrade vers
l’Azerbaïdjan, l’assassin Ramil Safarov etait aussitôt libre par la
grâce accordee par le president azeri Ilham Aliev. Cet assassin est
devenu en Azerbaïdjan un heros national.

La Hongrie, malgre les promesses de Bakou, ne pouvait ignorer le sort
que la dictature d’Azerbaïdjan allait reserver a Ramil Safarov.

L’Armenie, la diaspora armenienne, et avec elle les 600 000 Francais
d’origine armenienne sont indignes par le geste du gouvernement
hongrois. Au-dela de l’Armenie et de la diaspora armenienne, a
travers le monde, les indignations ne cessent de se manifester. Et
continueront.

Nous accusons le gouvernement hongrois d’avoir negocie l’extradition
de cet assassin !

La Hongrie devra repondre devant les 10 millions d’Armeniens d’Armenie
et de la diaspora pour cet acte indigne !

La Hongrie devra repondre de son acte devant la communaute
internationale “.

Cette petition signee d'” Armenia “, de ACFOA du ” Collectif Memoire
et Avenir ” et de l’UCFAF etait destinee a S.E. Laszlo Trocsanyi,
l’Ambassadeur de Hongrie en France.

Les representants des quatre associations se sont reunis samedi 22
septembre a la Brasserie La Mairie de Bourg-Lès-Valence pour effectuer
le bilan de cette action qui s’est soldee par l’obtention de plusieurs
centaines de signatures qui furent aussitôt adressees a l’Ambassade
de Hongrie, square avenue Foch a Paris.

Krikor Amirzayan a declare sa ” satisfaction de voir ainsi l’action
efficace des associations reunies dans cette operation qui fut un
succès avec plusieurs centaines de signatures reunies en très peu
de temps. Et meme si cette action n’est qu’une goutte d’eau dans
l’immensite des manifestations declenchees par l’Affaire Safarov, cette
action a au moins le merite d’exister et qui dit ” non aux violations
des règles les plus elementaires en matière de Justice et de droit
“. Nous serons toujours la car notre conscience de citoyens l’exige
! “. Il dit egalement ” merci a l’ACFOA, au Collectif Memoire et Avenir
et a l’UCFAF pour ce formidable relais qui se solde par un succès “.

Etaient presents, Krikor Amirzayan (president d'” Armenia ”
et initiateur de l’operation, egalement coordinateur du Collectif
Memoire et Avenir), Georges Eretzian (president de l’ACFOA) ainsi que
des membres de l’UCFAF-Valence. De nombreux membres des associations
etaient egalement presents. Parmi ces derniers, Alain Euksuzian, Sonia
Sarkissian, Christian Charrière, Vartkes Simonian, Aurore Boyadjian,
Zarmig Nourissian.

Les petitions prirent aussitôt la direction de Paris.

BARACK OBAMA VEUT TISSER DES LIENS PLUS ETROITS AVEC L’ARMENIE
Laetitia

armenews.com
lundi 24 septembre 2012

Le president Barack Obama veut tisser des liens plus etroits avec
l’Armenie. Dans une lettre adressee au president Serge Sarkissian,
le president Barack Obama a egalement promis son soutien aux reformes
politiques et economiques du gouvernement armenien. ” Les Etats-Unis
s’engagent a aider l’Armenie au sujet de son developpement economique
et democratique, et espèrent qu’un partenariat entre les deux pays
sera possible dans les annees a venir “, a-t-il dit selon le bureau
de presse de Sarkissian.

Washington apprecie egalement la participation de l’Armenie dans les
missions militaires americaines menees en Afghanistan et au Kosovo. La
secretaire d’Etat americaine Hillary Clinton a fait une declaration
similaire a l’occasion du 21e anniversaire de l’independance. ”
” Il s’agit d’une occasion speciale pour honorer les Armeniens et
tous ceux d’origine armenienne “, a-t-elle dit. ” Aux Etats-Unis,
les Armeniens americains ont enrichi notre societe, renforcant ainsi
les liens de longue date entre l’Armenie et les Etats-Unis. ”

J’ai eu l’occasion d’apprecier l’hospitalite du peuple armenien lors de
ma visite a Erevan en juin dernier. ” L’Amerique s’est engagee a aider
l’Armenie pour qu’elle renforce ses institutions democratiques, qu’elle
approfondisse ses reformes economiques, et favorise un avenir de paix
et de prosperite. Les Etats-Unis sont des amis et des partenaires de
l’Armenie. ”

En juin dernier, Clinton a fait l’eloge de l’effort democratique de
l’Armenie. Serge Sarkissian, pour sa part, a reaffirme son engagement
a developper les relations avec les Etats-Unis dans tous les domaines.

Ouest-France
samedi 22 septembre 2012
prebotte Edition

Mikhail Simonyan a enflammé l’Opéra

Très attendu par le public, du fait de sa jeune et brillante
réputation, Mikhail Simonyan a mis le public de l’Opéra dans sa poche,
jeudi soir. Les spectateurs ne se lassaient pas de le rappeler,
jusqu’à ce que le violoniste russe fasse signe à Pascal Cocheril,
premier violon de l’orchestre, qu’il était temps de laisser place… à
l’entracte. Il avait auparavant démontré sa virtuosité, sa vitesse
d’exécution et sa musicalité dans un Concerto pour violon en ré
mineur, d’Aram Khatchatourian. Une oeuvre nourrie de musiques
traditionnelles, arménienne, brillante, rythmée, exubérante.
L’Orchestre symphonique de Bretagne, sous la direction de Darrell Ang,
a bien soutenu le soliste. En bis, Mikhail Simonyan et l’orchestre ont
donné une oeuvre de Giya Kancheli, compositeur géorgien, d’un beau
lyrisme. Dans un premier temps, l’orchestre avait joué une suite
d’Oscar Strasnoy, surprenante, déroutante, saccadée… Après
Khatchatourian, c’était au tour de Rimski-Korsakov, avec Shéhérazade,
une oeuvre superbement orchestrée par un maître du genre. Chef précis,
Darrell Ang en a tiré le meilleur, mettant tour à tour en valeur les
pupitres et lchant par moments la puissance de l’orchestre. Une belle
suite symphonique très applaudie.

Troy Record, NY
Sept 23 2012

Mayor Rosamilia confirms Armenian Heritage Memorial will be in Riverfront Park

Published: Sunday, September 23, 2012
By Ian Benjamin

TROY – County legislator and former mayor Harry Tutunjian has voiced
his opposition to the possible relocation of a planned monument
commemorating the Armenian genocide from Riverfront Park to Frear
Park.

While there had been previous reservations, at the end of last week
co-chair Ralph Enokian was contacted by Mayor Lou Rosamilia and
informed that the Armenian Heritage Memorial would be placed on the
previously consecrated ground north of the Vietnam Memorial. The
memorial will be created and installed by Grethen-Cahringer Memorials
of Lansingburgh.

The decision comes after years of tension between the city and the committee.

`There have been years of work to make this memorial a reality,’ said
Tutunjian, who represents the city of Troy on the legislature.

The memorial effort was conceived, and has been spear-headed by, the
Knights and Daughters of Vartan, a fraternal Armenian service
organization. They formed the Armenian Genocide Memorial Monument
Committee in 2005, which has been working to place a memorial in the
city’s vicinity, stating that Troy and its environs have been the
locale of the largest Armenian community in the region.

The memorial will reflect the positive contributions their community
has made to Troy and the capital region, and would serve to honor
victims of the Armenian Genocide, as well as those of all genocides.
That extermination, resulting in 1 to 1.5 million Armenian deaths,
caused the growth of the present day Armenian diaspora community in
America, including that now residing in and around Troy.

Shortly after the committee undertook the memorial project seven years
ago, the Troy City Council passed a resolution authorizing the
monument, but did not specify an intended site. Yet the committee has
hoped the $15,000 monument would find a home in Riverfront Park, and
were prepared to place the memorial on the northernmost end of the
park several years ago. However, then-Mayor Tutunjian urged them to
wait, so as to more fully incorporate the memorial as part of a $1.75
million state grant redevelopment project targeting the park. This
delay caused tension between the group and the city, and the committee
began contemplating other local parks.

`We looked at Frear Park, Beman Park’ and others, said Rafi Topalian,
a committee member. Those parks, due to a variety of reasons, were
found unfitting by the committee.

In 2010, the committee’s hopes for the memorial by the river grew with
the inclusion of the monument in the preliminary plans for Riverfront
Park, compiled in September of that year. Further strengthening those
hopes was the monument’s inclusion in the master plan and first phase,
compiled in March of last year, which was then cemented when the mayor
at the time, Harry Tutunjian – who is an Armenian-American himself – sent
an August letter giving the city administration’s word that the
memorial would find a place in the northern end of the park.

In the community’s eyes, the letter guaranteed the monument would be
placed in Riverfront and thus would be located in the heart of
downtown and seen by the thousands that pass through the park during
the various concerts and major city events held there. With this
understanding, last December the Genocide Memorial Committee organized
a ground ceremony that consecrated the ground where the monument will
be placed.

In July, however, the new city administration under Mayor Lou
Rosamilia, who attended the consecration ceremony, met with Armenian
community leaders and put forth the possibility of moving the monument
to Frear Park near the Oakwood neighborhood. The Armenian community
wasn’t been pleased.

`We didn’t take that too well,’ Topalian said, explaining that the
ground had already been consecrated, and that the committee considered
the agreement with the previous administration `a contract’ with the
city.

Since early in the 20th century, there has been a substantial Armenian
community in the Troy and the surrounding communities, a result of
Armenians refugees fleeing organized killings during the Armenian
Genocide. The Armenians that came to Troy in that diaspora founded the
second Armenian Church in America, became very active in the
community, and so inundated a length of road across the river in
Watervliet that it became known as Little Armenia for a time.

City officials and committee members will meet tonight as scheduled.

World Bank does not do us a favor’

06:43 pm | September 22, 2012 | Social

The main task of general education in Armenia is to make the content
of the educational programs available to pupils, Minister of Education
and Science Mr.Armen Ashotyan said today at the conclusion of a
roundtable in Yerevan.

“Nowadays schools cannot provide information about everything. They
cannot impart all knowledge on all the fields of human activity. The
task of today’s schools is to give fundamental knowledge and teach
children to study, to cultivate love for knowledge in children, and,
eventually, to bring up free citizens», the minister stated.

In recent years the reforms in Armenia’s general education sphere have
been implemented mostly with funding of the World Bank’s Education
Quality and Relevance Program, launched in 2009. The minister said
that the second stage of the program is currently underway and will be
completed in 2014.

«I would like to stress that no one has forced Armenia to effect
education reforms. We select ourselves the best knowledge-based
models, applicable to Armenia. The World Bank does not do a favor for
us: those allocations are credits, and tomorrow we will have to repay
them, » the minister noted.

In his words, both state budgetary allocations and credit resources
«should be spent as efficiently as possible so that what we create
today will be of a continuous nature and will not vanish into thin air
after the credits are used».

AmmonNews, Jordan
Sept 22 2012

Armenian delegation visits Amman Chamber of Commerce

2012-09-22

AMMONNEWS-Members of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) board
discussed with an Armenian diplomatic delegation led by Deputy Foreign
Minister Sergey Manasaryan, means of forging closer economic and trade
cooperation between the two countries.

The delegation was briefed on the business environment in Jordan as
well as laws and regulations governing economic activities in the
Kingdom.

The ACC’s First deputy chairman Fayez Faouri stressed the need to
develop trade and economic ties between Jordan and Armenia, adding the
chamber was ready to provide all facilities to the Armenian private
sector and hold exhibition to promote economic cooperation.

The Armenian official stressed his country’s keenness to boost
economic and trade ties and set up joint investment projects.

Interfax, Russia
Sept 21 2012

Azerbaijan to continue isolating Armenia until Karabakh conflict
settled – President Aliyev

BAKU. Sept 21

Armenia’s withdrawal of its troops from Azeri territory would bring
peace to the region and stop this country’s regional isolation, Azeri
President Ilham Aliyev said.

“It is in their best interests to abandon their groundless claims and
leave the land not belonging to them. In this case, peace and
cooperation will settle in the region, and Armenia will be able to
join regional processes,” Aliyev said in addressing participants in
the 4th conference of the heads of Azeri diplomatic missions abroad in
Baku on Friday.

Azerbaijan will not allow Armenia’s involvement in any economic,
energy, or transportation project until the conflict over
Nagorno-Karabakh is settled, he said.

“We have isolated them, which we do not conceal. This policy should be
continued in the future,” he said, adding that the policy has proven
to be productive.

Armenia is dragging out the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict and has repeatedly thwarted opportunities for settling it in
the past, he said.

Aliyev urged the ambassadors to work to persuade the legislative
bodies of the countries where they are deployed to recognize the 1992
massacre in Xocali as genocide.

Va jv

DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
September 21, 2012 Friday

CAUCASUS-2012 IN SIGHTS OF PUTIN

Source: Nezavisimaya Gazeta, September 18, 2012, p. 5
by Vladimir Mukhin

ALLIES OF RUSSIA WILL JOIN PROVISION OF SECURITY OF THE OLYMPICS OF
2014, EXERCISES OF THE CSTO INTERACTION-2012 ARE UNDERWAY IN ARMENIA;
Strategic staff command exercises Caucasus-2012 began in the southwest
of Russia. Caucasus-2012 for which the Russian army and its allies
have prepared themselves for almost the entire current year are not
the only Russian exercises. Military exercises Interaction-2012 with
participation of armed forces of the member states of the Collective
Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) are organized in Armenia
simultaneously. The first international operational tactical exercises
of the rapid-response forces of the anti-drug agencies and interior
ministries of the CSTO member states Thunder-2012 took place in Moscow
Region.

Strategic staff command exercises Caucasus-2012 began in the southwest
of Russia. Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Russian army Vladimir
Putin Enhanced Coverage LinkingVladimir Putin -Search
using:Biographies Plus NewsNews, Most Recent 60 Daysplanned to visit
one of the episodes of the exercises at Raevsky training range in
Krasnodar Territory. There are several hot spots on the southern
borders. Along with this, Olympics will take place on the Black Sea
coast two years later. Working out of provision of security of the
Olympics is among the other tasks in the plan of Caucasus-2012.

Caucasus-2012 for which the Russian army and its allies have prepared
themselves for almost the entire current year are not the only Russian
exercises. Military exercises Interaction-2012 with participation of
armed forces of the member states of the Collective Security Treaty
Organization (CSTO) are organized in Armenia simultaneously. The first
international operational tactical exercises of the rapid-response
forces of the anti-drug agencies and interior ministries of the CSTO
member states Thunder-2012 took place in Moscow Region.

Although these exercises are formally not connected with each other,
analysis of actions of the troops and special services allows drawing
of conclusion that the exercises are conducted in the framework of the
unified plan. Second, provisions are made for big-scale relocation of
troops both in the framework of the strategic staff command exercises
and exercises of the CSTO. The fifth separate mechanized infantry
brigade was transferred to Russian training range Ashuluk (Astrakhan
Region) from Moscow Region. Servicemen of special units of the
anti-drug agencies and services of Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan arrived
to Thunder exercises besides the Russian forces. A battalion of the
98th guards airborne division from Ivanovo was moved to exercises of
the collective rapid-response forces (CRRF) of the CSTO in Armenia.

Second, network-centric methods of combat operations with use of
automated command systems, space reconnaissance and unmanned aerial
vehicles are used in all exercises. The fifth brigade operating at
Ashuluk was nicknamed digital in the troops. Together with the 247th
airborne assault regiment of the seventh mountain division of the
Airborne Forces it will conduct bilateral tactical exercises with use
of the unified system for command of armament and troops of the
tactical level (ESU TZ). Modern methods of combating of drug criminals
were used during Thunder-2012 exercises. Director of the Russian
Federal Service for Control over Drug Trafficking Victor Ivanov says
that the service will adopt special equipment that allows transmission
of information in the online mode to the situation center of the
service through satellite channels, as well as special equipment for
interception of transmission of telecommunication devices that are
used by drug traffickers and photo and video appliances for hidden
observation.

Third, Caucasus-2012 and exercises of the CRRF of the CSTO have their
own secrets. Movement of the airborne battalion to the South Caucasus
leads to questions because the sky above Georgia is closed for flights
of Russian military airplanes. Military airplanes are also not allowed
to pass to Armenia through the territory of Azerbaijan. We can only
guess how an entire airborne battalion has come to the place of the
exercises.

The General Staff also explains that the 102nd Russian military base
stationed in Armenia does not participate in Caucasus-2012 exercises.
Along with this, this base and a battalion of the 98th guards airborne
division from Ivanovo participate in CSTO exercises Interaction-2012
in Armenia now. Along with this, the Russian staff command exercises
and exercises of the CRRF in the South Caucasus began almost
simultaneously. According to official information of the Defense
Ministry, Caucasus-2012 takes place mostly on the basis of the staff
of the Southern Military District to which the 102nd military base is
subordinated. This means that staff of the Southern Military District
participates in two big exercises simultaneously and their connection
is obvious.

There is also another aspect. Deputy Chief of the General Staff
Colonel General Alexander Postnikov stated that units from the Russian
military bases in South Ossetia and Abkhazia were excluded from the
ranks of participants of the exercises. Along with this, speaking
about participation of units and formations of the 58th army in the
staff command exercises its commander Major General Andrei Gurulev
announced recently that an operational group of the fourth military
base stationed in South Ossetia would operate at Kapustin Yar training
range. This means that staffs of the units stationed outside of the
territory of Russia are included into the staff command exercises.

This circumstance became a reason for apprehensions of the authorities
of Georgia and NATO that see aggressive plans behind the exercises.
The West proposed Russia not to start staff command exercises
Caucasus-2012. However, sources in the Defense Ministry report that
use of the servicemen from military bases in South Ossetia and
Abkhazia in the exercises on the territory of Russia is not a threat
for Georgia because the staffs work out only defensive tasks.

On the contrary, Russian military officials have apprehensions that
Tbilisi is preparing provocations against Russia timed for the
beginning of the Olympics in Sochi. Representatives of the Defense
Ministry say that actions of the group of the Navy in the Black Sea
near the coast of Krasnodar Territory will be worked out during
Caucasus-2012 exercises. These actions may be repeated during the
Olympics in real conditions. The ground groups in this region will
work out operations against illegal armed forces.

[translated from Russian]

Canadian MP expects bold statement by his country’s government on Safarov case

17:11, 21 September, 2012

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 21 ARMENPRESS: Honorable Jim Karygiannis, Member of
Canadian Parliament for Scarborough-Agincourt and Liberal Critic for
Multiculturalism made a statement on the occasion of pardon and
realeas of murderer Ramil Safarov.
As Armenpress reports the statement reads as follows. «It is with
great concern that I learned of Hungary’s extradition of and the
Government of Azerbaijan’s subsequent pardon of Ramil Safarov,
who was convicted of murdering Armenian soldier, Gurgen Margaryan,
in 2004, during a NATO exercise in Hungary. Safarov was serving a life
sentence in Hungary for the pre-meditated murder of Armenian
Lieutenant Margaryan in his sleep, during a NATO Partnership for
Peace program in Budapest in 2004. According to reports, last week
Safarov received a pardon; was promoted to the rank of major; was
given a flat; and, all the pay he lost since his arrest. The Azeri
government must bring Ramil Safarov to justice. This situation has
resulted in the suspension of diplomatic ties between Armenia and
Hungary and added strain to the sensitive relations between
Azerbaijan and Armenia. This action is contrary to the ongoing efforts
being made to
reduce geo-political tensions and promote reconciliation in the
region. Members of the international community, including Russia and
the United States of America, are worried that this situation could
adversely affect the peace negotiations
between Azerbaijan and Armenia. I find it very interesting that the
Canadian Government has been conspicuous by its silence with respect
to these events. I have worked closely with the Armenian
Diaspora on many issues and have traveled to Armenia. I know
that the community is watching this situation with great
interest and concern».