Author: Kalantarian Kevo

INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY REMEMBERS MARCH 1
Roza Hovhannisyan

Story from Lragir.am News:

Published: 12:11:48 – 01/08/2012

The UN Committee on Human Rights has recently adopted conclusions
on Armenia expressing concern over the violation of human rights in
different spheres in Armenia, as well as the no-disclosure of the
March 1 cases. In this connection, Lragir.am talked to the head of
the Vanadzor office of Helsinki Citizens’ Association, Artur Sakunts.

Mr. Sakunts, the UN Committee conclusions give time to the Armenian
government to eliminate the breaches pointed out is its conclusions
and to come up with proposals. Do such assessments by the international
structures make the Armenian authorities alert?

It they didn’t, the Armenian authorities would not try working out
some projects. They understand the need of changes, but the issue
is whether there are necessary conditions for the implementation of
changes. In this sense the government is in a deadlock: it realizes
the situation but can’t do anything since it does not stem from the
interests of the oligarchs. For example, the case with Nemets Rubo
[Ruben Hayrapetyan]. How can we understand whether they want changes
or not. They speak about 15 people, but only 6 are detained. Are they
carrying out a proper investigation to disclose this incident? All
these questions prove nothing is well-done. Unfortunately, in terms
of the human rights defense there are no favorable conditions in
Armenia to change the situation.

The only favorable factor is the fight and disagreement of a part of
the society. There is a layer in the state structures, which knows the
situation very well, but they have no influence on the decision-making
process. The political leadership understands everything, but it has
no wish to make changes. The ongoing events make it clear that the
system must undergo radical changes for which serious will is required.

Taking into account the fact that the current authorities are clung
on their chairs and have no intention to leave, can we deduce radical
changes are far and we will have the same situation for the next
couple of years?

I don’t think the authorities will have the necessary resources. They
will have to count on emigration for the dissatisfied mass to leave
the country, but this is very dangerous. For me, no steps aimed at
improving the human rights situation in Armenia is a crime against
their own country. The idleness of the principle of supremacy of law
destroys the power and people’s trust in it. If people’s trust fades
away, the state will appear in a collapse. All the concerns voiced by
the Torture Committee, Human Rights Committee, PACE resolutions on the
democratic institutions of Armenia show it is time for changes. The
international community sees the potential for changes in Armenia.

The UN Committee conclusions on Armenia largely dwell March 1. The
international community is focused on these events from time to time.

Can this factor boost practical steps aimed at the revelation of
the events?

The mention of March 1 was an alerting step. The UN Human Rights
Committee dedicated two points to this issue which means the
international community has not forgotten the March 1 events. All
the propaganda measures applied in the country to alleviate the
sharpness of the issue are not consistent with the assessment of the
international community. All the attempts to ignore this issue so
that time will scar the wounds are useless because this is a serious
obstacle to the development of the country. The international community
will not accept this. This power was born by March 1. I don’t believe
in miracles, but it would be real patriotism if Serzh Sargsyan one day
says the whole truth on March 1. And if he supports the revelation,
I will vote for him. If Serzh Sargsyan really loves Armenia, if he
is courageous enough and if he wants Armenia to be a dignified state,
let him tell the whole truth.

AZERBAIJANI SOLDIERS TO BE TRAINED IN TURKEY

Today’s Zaman
July 31 2012
Turkey

Special soldiers from the Azerbaijani Armed Forces will undertake
commando training in Turkey, the Anatolia news agency reported
on Tuesday.

According to the press department of Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry,
special representatives from the Azerbaijani military will be trained
at Egirdir Mountain Commando School, attached to the Turkish Armed
Forces. At the school Azerbaijani soldiers will take part in training
courses for “defying obstacles” on Aug. 13-17 and “primary commando
training” between Aug. 27 and Nov. 16.

The training will be held as part of military cooperation between
Turkey and Azerbaijan, which has been in place for many years. Both
sides regularly hold discussions over the military-political situation
in Azerbaijan as well as in the region, and the problems caused
by the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh, a conflict that has remained
unresolved for decades between Turkey’s closest ally, Azerbaijan,
and its estranged neighbor Armenia.

ARMENIA: AN UNCERTAIN “HOMECOMING” FOR SYRIA’S DIASPORA
Marianna Grigoryan

EurasiaNet.org

July 31 2012
NY

Many ethnic Armenians are disgruntled after fleeing the embattled
Syrian city of Aleppo for the safety of Armenia. They say they have
been left to fend for themselves in the country they view as their
ethnic homeland. Armenian government officials, meanwhile, insist
they are doing what they can to accommodate diaspora members.

Roughly 100,000 ethnic Armenians, descendants of the survivors of
Ottoman Turkey’s World-War-I-era massacre of ethnic Armenians, are
estimated to live in Syria, most of them in Aleppo. A tiny sliver of
that number – 6,248 individuals, based on Armenian visa and passport
applications from Syrian citizens – appear to have left for Armenia
since January 2012, according to Armenian government data.

As one of the first Diaspora groups to form after the massacre,
the Aleppo community is among the strongest of Armenia’s far-flung
Diaspora networks.

Nonetheless, members of the Aleppo community face numerous obstacles
as they try to adjust to life in Armenia proper. The problems start
with the price of plane tickets to Yerevan from Aleppo on the Monday
flights offered by Armenia’s state-run Armavia Airlines. It’s the
only regional airline, as of July 30, reportedly still flying into
the city. Since early July, ticket prices on Armavia – only round-trip
tickets are sold — have increased by 58 to 63 percent to 180,000 to
190,000 drams ($442 to $466.50).

The prices and lack of one-way tickets have fueled accusations that
Armavia is engaging in price gouging, taking advantage of the violence
that has cut off other exit routes from Aleppo. Flights on Syrian
Air to Yerevan have been sold out for months; on Armavia, they are
sold out until September, Yerevan travel agencies said.

In comments to EurasiaNet.org, senior Armavia executive Isabella
Muradyan conceded that the fighting in Aleppo is “a very important
circumstance,” but attributed the “fluctuations” in ticket prices
to Yerevan to “the euro rate and fuel prices.” [International
airline fares are calculated based on an International Air Transport
Association currency pegged to the US dollar, and then converted into
the local currency – ed].

As criticism of Armavia’s prices started to gain traction, the airline
and the Armenian government announced on July 26 that flights from
Aleppo would increase “soon” to twice per week and would be “almost
free of charge.” The government indicated that it might subsidize
ticket prices by 100,000 drams ($245.52) per ticket.

Syrian citizens are now allowed to obtain Armenian visas at the border,
and Armenian passports within Syria, rather than in Yerevan alone.

Upon arrival, though, they still face an uphill struggle to reestablish
a normal routine, refugees from Aleppo told EurasiaNet.org. “We got
no assistance at all from the Diaspora Ministry or the government,”
commented 23-year-old Mkrtich Nersesian, an economist now working in
Yerevan as a snack-bar cashier.

With unemployment one of Armenia’s thorniest problems (unofficial
jobless rates soar into the double digits), employment options are
slim, and depend on locals’ assistance. Many Syrian-Armenians work
in catering or retail stores, where job vacancies are more frequent.

Networking is also the key to finding an affordable apartment to rent
or place to stay. The Diaspora Ministry says it only organizes and
forwards assistance requests to the relevant ministry. “Everybody now
is relying on their own resources,” said 21-year-old Karo Kzirian,
a recent arrival from Aleppo.

Language can be another obstacle; particularly when schools reopen
in September. Syrian-Armenians use the Western Armenian dialect of
Armenian, distinct from the Eastern Armenian dialect spoken locally.

There are also challenges connected with cultural assimilation. Like
Iranian-Armenians, often referred to as “Persians,” Syrian-Armenians
can face discrimination.

Representatives of the Diaspora Ministry could not be reached for
comment about its work with Syrian-Armenians. Earlier in July,
however, Diaspora Minister Hranush Hakobian sharply responded to
the criticism. “Why do you think all of you are concerned about the
Syrian-Armenians and the Diaspora Ministry is not?” Hakobian was quoted
as saying by the Tert.am. news website. “Who says the ministry should
publicize all its activities?”

Ministry representatives have not visited Syria since 2010, according
to the ministry’s website, which names “collective power” as the
“salvation” of ethnic Armenians.

The criticism of the government is gaining a political dimension.

Vartan Oskanian, an MP for the semi-oppositional Prosperous Armenia
Party and a native of Aleppo, charged in early July that the Aleppo
Armenians “do not feel the support of their homeland at all.”

On his Facebook page, Oskanian, a former foreign minister, claimed
that no Armenian government official has visited Syria since February
to evaluate the situation. “The Armenian state has no right to delay.”

The Armenian government in Yerevan is approaching the strife in Syria
with caution in part because officials may be concerned about who
could replace Assad, in the event his regime falls. Relations between
Yerevan and Damascus have generally been warm; in 2009, President
Bashar al-Assad and his wife, Asma, paid an official visit to Yerevan.

Many Syrian-Armenians respect Assad, saying that his family has
supported ethnic Armenians’ interests as a Christian minority group
in a predominantly Muslim country. When it comes to the treatment
of the Armenian community in Syria, life under Assad might be more
tolerable than what might follow him.

One senior MP from the governing Republican Party of Armenia emphasized
the need for caution in tackling the question of Aleppo’s ethnic
Armenians. “We cannot interfere and evacuate Syrian-Armenians …

this can further increase the tension; the terrorist attacks may
target our compatriots’ neighborhoods next,” said Hovhannes Sahakian
in an apparent reference to Syrian rebel fighters. “The situation is
very delicate, and we must be on the alert.”

“The government is taking steps and is going to boost the measures”
to help Syrian-Armenians, Sahakian added, without elaborating. Not all
“measures require public announcements,” he added.

Whether public or private, the measures can come none too soon for
many of Aleppo’s ethnic Armenians. “We helped Armenia when it needed
[us],” commented refugee Shaghik Rastkelenean. “Now it’s time Armenia
supports us.”

Editor’s note: Marianna Grigoryan is a freelance reporter in Yerevan
and the editor of MediaLab.am.

EXPERT: REAL AREA OF UNCULTIVATED LAND REACHES 60 TO 70 IN ARMENIA

/ARKA/
AUGUST 1, 2012
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, August 1. /ARKA/. The real area of uncultivated land in
Armenia reaches 60 to 70%, though official reports indicate 37-40%,
Sarkis Sedrakyan, chairman of Farmer Movement non-governmental
organization, told journalists on Wednesday.

According to Agriculture Minister Sergo Karapetyan, total areas of
cultivated land in Armenia were expanded by 25,300 hectares or 7%
in the first half of this year.

He said arable land constitutes 449,200 hectares, of which only 30%
is cultivated.

“Armenia has little agricultural land – about 1,391,000 hectares,
including arable land, pastures etc,” Sedrakyan said. “Arable land,
which occupies only 560,000 hectares, is gradually degrading because
of a wrong agricultural policy – soil is eroding and coming close
to desertification.”

He said the government admits the fact of desertification, “but the
real area of uncultivated areas is larger than the 30% reported by
the ministry, and nobody is responsible for these processes”.

In his opinion, land cultivation in Armenia needs greater attention.

He is opposed to the statement of the minister, who, following
Argentina’s example, found unreasonable to dig over land.

Sedrakyan is convinced that unlike other countries, where soil is
cultivated without using plough, Armenia can’t do this, since its
climate and soil differ from theirs.

“We not only fail to enlarge areas under crop, but also lose the arable
land we have – nothing is being controlled and nobody cares of this,”
the expert said. He thinks it is possible to remedy the situation by
merging farms.

Now the country has 340,000 farms. One economy entity has 1.1 hectare,
on average.

The agriculture ministry plans to establish 20 plant-growing and
fruit-cultivating cooperative economies this year.

RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING AND CONDEMNING ARMENIAN GENOCIDE WAS ADOPTED IN BUENOS AYRES

ARMENPRESS
AUGUST 2, 2012
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, AUGUST 2, ARMENPRESS: The urban council of Buenos Ayres
state’s San Isidro administrative district under the presidency of
Julia Rita Cuzis on August 1 unanimously voted for the resolution
recognizing and condemning Armenian Genocide. Armenpress was informed
from Armenian Foreign affairs ministry that the council at the same
time joined the Republican law No. 26199 which was adopted on December
13, 2006 by Argentinean Senate according to which April 24 was declared
“Day of tolerance and respect between nations in memory of genocide
of Armenian nation”.

At the session of urban council were present ambassador of Armenia
to Argentina Vahagn Melikyan, members of Armenian Church as well as
representatives of Armenian institutions and organizations.

After the end of the voting there speeches performed by Armenian
ambassador, representatives of Armenian Apostolic Church.

ARTSAKH ARF FORMS SYRIA RELIEF COMMITTEE

asbarez
Wednesday, August 1st, 2012

Young Syrian-Armeians help clean Aleppo neighborhood

STEPANAKERT (Aparaj)-The Armenian Revolutionary Federation Central
Committee of Artsakh hosted a meeting and discussion over the weekend
to address the deteriorating crisis in Syrian and the measures to
help the Syrian-Armenian community.

During the meeting presentations were made about the steps the
organization is taking to address the needs of the Syrian-Armenian
community and briefings were made about projects already under way
to address that matter.

Attending the meeting were ARF Bureau member Georgi Petrossian, ARF
Artsakh Central Committee chairman Davit Ishkhanian and head of the
ARF faction of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic Parliament Armen Sargsyan.

A special committee was formed to organize relief effort for the
Syrian-Armenian community in Artsakh.

Currently, the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic ministry of education is
hosting a summer camp with the participation of 200 10th graders,
22 of whom are from Syria.

The participants will visit various sites in Syria and will become
familiar with daily life in the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.

STATEMENT ON FORMATION OF NEW FORCE

Story from Lragir.am News:

Published: 10:30:44 – 02/08/2012

The runner up in the July 19 NKR presidential elections Vitaly
Balasanyan announced the formation of a new political force.

His statement that on July 19 at least one third of Karabakh voters
voted for him. But those votes don~Rt belong to him only but to all
the citizens who are ready to fight, to strive for positive changes,
who want effective management and a developed country. According to
Balasanyan, politics requires a continuous and devoted fight for ideas
and principles. Successful are those societies where this fight brings
equal opportunities for each member of the society. The voting was
not the end in Artsakh but the beginning of new democratic processes,
the statement reads.

General Balasanyan says many issues were discussed during his campaign
which remain on the agenda and the only thing to change was the format
of solution of these issues.

During the campaign the citizens posed the issue of formation of a
new force despite the election outcome and continue the fight. This
moment has come. It is time to establish an institutionalized structure
which will try to find solutions to issues in political ways, the
statement continues.

According to General Balasanyan, meetings in different communities
of Artsakh will soon be held to discuss the fundamental principles
of the structure to be formed.

The statement also runs that the larger part of the national wealth of
Artsakh is today in the hands of a group of people due to corruption
and ineffective management. Our aim will be to establish social justice
and make the national wealth accessible to everyone, Balasanyan says.

It is time to reinterpret the path of 20 years of statehood and assess
it. A revival is necessary which will enable reforms of atmosphere and
healing of the moral and psychological state of the society present
during the movement for liberation of Artsakh.

The tentative version of the basic principles of the Artsakh issue
settlement is already in place which will be discussed, amended and
edited and will serve as a basis for the union of people for the sake
of preservation of the national system of values and development,
says Vitaly Balasanyan~Rs statement.

Vitaly Balasanyan, according to the official data of the NKR CEC,
received 32.50% of votes in the NKR presidential elections on July
19 and Bako Sahakyan was elected president with 66.70% of votes.

TURQUIE/AFFAIRE PINAR SELEK : PROCES REPORTE, LA LUTTE CONTINUE !

Publié le : 02-08-2012

Info Collectif VAN – – Le Collectif VAN vous
invite a lire cette information publiée sur le site Pinar Selek le
1er aoÔt 2012.

Pinar Selek

Le 1er AoÔt 2012 par Collectif de solidarité

Ce matin, 1er aoÔt 2012, une nouvelle audience du procès contre
Pinar Selek s’est tenue.

Une centaine de personnes était présente : des militants de droits
humains, des universitaires, des écrivains, des journalistes, des
féministes… un soutien large et pluriel comme a chaque audience.

Commencée en retard, l’audience n’a duré que 10 minutes car le
procureur (celui-la même qui avait redemandé la prison a vie contre
Pinar Selek en mars dernier) était en vacances…

Le procès a de nouveau été reporté, au 22 novembre prochain.

D’accusations infondées en reports d’audience interminables , ce
procès est une torture.

Toutes les personnes présentes au procès et les soutiens de Pinar
Selek en Turquie et au niveau international ne se laisseront pas
décourager.

Car si cette torture continue, la lutte pour la justice continue
elle aussi.

Ils veulent la faire taire parce qu’elle est trop libre, soutenons-la
pour qu’elle garde sa liberté !

Le collectif de solidarité avec Pinar Selek

Lire aussi:

Turquie/Affaire Pınar Selek : Procès du premier aoÔt

Affaire Pınar Selek : Un communiqué du GIT France

Turquie/Pınar Selek : la lutte continue !

Pınar Selek mérite la Tulipe des droits de l’Homme

Turquie: Les colombes inquiètes

Turquie : criminalisation des défenseurs des droits de l’homme

Prison a vie a nouveau requise contre Pınar Selek !

Qui dénoncera le Goulag turc ?

Turquie : un futur Prix Nobel en prison ?

Liberté pour Ragip Zarakolu : Dossier complet

Retour a la rubrique

Source/Lien : Pinar Selek

ARMAVIA N’A PAS FAIT DE VOL COMPLEMENTAIRE EREVAN-ALEP-EREVAN EN RAISON DU MANQUE DE PASSAGERS
Stephane

armenews.com
jeudi 2 aout 2012

La compagnie Armavia a annonce qu’elle n’avait pas fait de vol
complementaire Erevan-Alep-Erevan jeudi 1er août en raison du manque
de passagers.

Le 31 juillet la compagnie societe a annonce qu’elle allait commencer
a faire des vols complementaires Erevan-Alep-Erevan le 1er août. Des
vols auront lieu les 8, 15, 22 et 29 août.

” La compagnie nationale aerienne est prete a faire des vols
complementaires aussitôt qu’il y aura des passagers ” a indique une
source qui a souhaite l’anonymat.

Armavia a commence a faire des vols vers la Syrie en ete, cependant un
vol par semaine n’a pas satisfait les demandes des armeniens de Syrie.

La communaute forte de 60000 armeniens jusque recemment joue un rôle
significatif dans la vie sociale, politique et culturelle en Syrie.

” CONJONCTURE “, LA REVUE DE LA CHAMBRE DE COMMERCE ET D’INDUSTRIE FRANCO-ARMENIENNE A PARU
Krikor Amirzayan

armenews.com
jeudi 2 aout 2012

” Conjoncture ” la revue annuelle de la Chambre de Commerce et
d’Industrie Franco-Armenienne (CCIFA) date de juin 2012 vient de
paraître. Un magazine de 68 pages (edite par Sarkis communications) qui
informe tant sur l’activite de la CCIFA que de l’Armenie sous l’angle
des entreprises et de l’economie. Au sommaire de ” Conjoncture “,
outre la presentation des equipes de la CCIFA, de nombreux articles
tels que le la celebration du 20e anniversaire de la Republique
d’Armenie, le tourisme en Armenie et au Haut Karabagh, la liste des
entreprises francaises en Armenie, les instruments traditionnels de
la musique armenienne, la cooperation decentralisee de la region
Provence Alpes Côte d’Azur avec la region du Lori en Armenie,
la cooperation universitaire entre la CCIFA et l’UFAR (Universite
Francaise en Armenie).