Author: Kalantarian Kevo

Former MP, businessman will return to Armenia’s politics? – newspaper

news.am
July 06, 2012 | 07:44

YEREVAN. – It seems former MP and businessman Harutyun Pambukyan
wishes to return to Armenia’s political life, which he had left more
than three years ago, Haykakan Zhamanak daily writes.

`At present, Pambukyan resides in Moscow.

Pambukyan used to hold a place, among Armenia’s ruling elite, as a
businessman who succeeded in selling Armenia’s several enterprises to
the Russians. [And] His biggest [business] deal was the sale of the
`Electricity Distribution Networks of Armenia’ Company to the
Russians.

News was spread these days that the Russians intend to purchase the
Armavia Airline Company [which is Armenia’s national carrier] and
Harutyun Pambukyan, who represents the interests of some Russian
investors, wishes to bring this [business] deal to fruition. [So,]
History repeats [itself],’ Haykakan Zhamanak writes.

The approaches of French President and Foreign Minister differ on the
issue of Armenian Genocide criminalization

11:57, 6 July, 2012

YEREVAN, JULY 6, ARMENPRESS: Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu
during his working visit to Paris met French Foreign Minister Laurent
Fabius. The latter assured Davutoglu that the bill of Armenian
Genocide denial criminalization can hardly be resumed. According to
Armenpress, this information was informed by the Turkish media
referring the `Reuters’ news agency.
Turkey decreased the level of Turkish-French relations to the lowest
stage after the French Parliament admitted a bill regarding Genocides
as well as Armenian Genocide denial criminalization at the end of
December, which was confirmed by the French Senate .The French
Constitutional Council recognized the bill as unconstitutional on
January, 2012.
After the presidential election in Paris, when François Hollande was
selected as a president, Turkey announced that it opens a new page of
relations with France. Then the presidents of two countries announced,
that they removed the sanctions regarding the genocide bill in the
hope that the new government will not follow the steps of previous
government.
Before his departure, Davutoglu informed the Turkish media, that
Turkey removed all the military area sanctions, which were once
announced toward France.
Anyhow, it is evident that there are some contradictions between the
new president and new government of France , as it was before.
François Hollande, after being selected as a president, has announced
for several times, that one of the first things to be done will be the
adoption of Genocide denial criminalization`s bill.

Fiasco of Political Forces

Igor Muradyan

Story from Lragir.am News:

Published: 12:25:23 – 06/07/2012

The idea of political parties in Eastern Europe ended in fiasco. In
the countries of this vast region the political parties are factors of
corruption, making money, robbery and venality. Political organization
is a key condition of undermining and castrating such institutions as
constitution and the rule of law, parliamentarianism and everything
that is usually referred to as democracy.

However, an even more monstrous political crime is committed. The
political parties undermine the civil society and existence of the
society as such. There may be a link between this real function of
political parties and the democratic doctrine as a whole. All this
would not have been doomed if the political parties were not
conductors of political and military capitulations of nation states to
foreign threats and circumstances.

In fact, all the political parties have been defined as institutions
which are intended for getting power. The functions of parties are
limited to this, and this explains the whole negativity relating to
such a phenomenon as political parties.

It is possible that in some stage the Eastern European societies will
become adequate but what was the purpose of imposing the `democratic
model’ on these countries for the upcoming decades? In fact, the
evaluations of the democratic situation in Eastern Europe and depends
mainly on geopolitical goals and preferences of the Western community.

Moreover, emergence of genuine democracies in Eastern Europe, like in
the Arab states undergoing radical societal change, appears dangerous
to the great powers of liberal democracy.

Real independent democracy is a big threat to world centers of power,
both democratic and not so. Eastern Europe is in a vicious circle and
in order to break off the national elites who understand the deadlock
they have run into have to engage their countries in global
strategies, subjecting them to the interests of the leading states
which they are trying to achieve.

In this situation one has to learn how to participate in difficult
geopolitical games by the established rules, trying to involve certain
issues, interests and preferences. This is politics on the
Euro-Atlantic arena. There are partners beyond this arena as well but
these partners are such only in the framework of the global
geopolitical project.

For such a country as Armenia the most effective and productive
strategies were those which were reactions to external challenges. And
if this goal is treated with responsibility, the expectations will be
optimistic. Some significant changes took place in the world first of
all relating to the geopolitical arrangement of forces. It is
necessary to understand the new realities of reformation of NATO, the
EU, China’s new positions facilitated by the Eurasian project,
progress in the Islamic world, intensifying processes in the Third
World and other. These changes have different meanings in the global
politics and economy but they mainly concern Armenia and the
surrounding region than dozens of countries in different regions of
the world.

With the ongoing global changes which are impossible without big and
small regional wars and major global and regional crises, countries
with illusions about the necessity, self-sufficiency and importance of
political parties may have to face highly unpleasant and dangerous
consequences.

Who will govern Armenia? It is time to create new political
corporations which will be able to govern beyond the framework of
democratic profanation, false principles of accountability to people
and society. Similar structures have been set up in most serious
countries and there is no doubt that parties of this model direct the
most responsible political processes in the world.

Publié le : 05-07-2012

Info Collectif VAN – – Alors que la Turquie donne
des leçons de « liberté d’expression » aux Etats qui s’aviseraient de
vouloir pénaliser ` sur leur sol – la négation du génocide arménien,
et tandis que la « démocratie » turque est donnée en modèle aux
révolutions arabes, les opposants politiques turcs et kurdes jugés ces
jours-ci à Silivri, pris en étau « entre l’ordre kaki et le fascisme
vert », attendent l’aide urgente de la France. Le Collectif VAN écrit
au ministre français des Affaires étrangères, M. Laurent Fabius, Ã
l’occasion de la venue en France de son homologue turc Ahmet Davutoglu
le 5 juillet 2012 Ã Paris.

Copyright photo: MAE

Issy-les-Moulineaux, le 5 juillet 2012

M. Laurent Fabius
Ministre des Affaires étrangères
37 Quai d’Orsay
75351 Paris 07
Monsieur le Ministre,

Depuis ce lundi 2 juillet, 205 femmes et hommes, éditeurs,
journalistes, universitaires, étudiants, hommes politiques,
syndicalistes, avocats, défenseurs des droits de l’homme, sont jugés
en Turquie dans le cadre d’un procès politique fleuve. Il se déroule
sous haute surveillance au sein de la prison de Silivri à 67 kms
d’Istanbul.

Les procédures judiciaires montées de toutes pièces visent – sous
l’accusation fallacieuse de « terrorisme » – à museler le droit à la
liberté d’expression en Turquie. Parmi les prévenus, d’éminents
intellectuels turcs et kurdes : l’éditeur Ragıp Zarakolu [Fondateur de
l’Association turque des droits de l’homme ` IHD, pressenti pour le
Prix Nobel de la Paix 2012], son fils Deniz Zarakolu, l’universitaire
Büsra Ersanlı, la traductrice Ayse Berktay, et bien d’autres
personnalités. A titre indicatif, le Procureur public d’Istanbul,
Adnan Çimen, a requis respectivement 7,5 Ã 15 ans de prison contre M.
Ragıp Zarakolu et 15 à 22,5 ans d’emprisonnement contre Mme BüÅ?ra
Ersanlı.

Le « crime » réel de ces intellectuels turcs et kurdes, présentés dans
le cadre des procès KCK devant le tribunal du Pénitencier de Silivri,
est d’avoir donné des conférences sur les droits du peuple kurde ou
d’avoir brisé le tabou du génocide arménien en éditant des ouvrages
allant à l’encontre de l’historiographie officielle de l’Etat turc.
L’éditeur Ragip Zarakolu a déclaré lors de la conférence de presse qui
s’est tenue à l’issue de la première audience : « Un cancer ronge ce
pays dans le cadre de ce procès KCK ». Il a ajouté : « La liberté
d’expression est gravement menacée en Turquie, comme à l’époque du 12
septembre 1980, date à laquelle le pays a connu le plus grave coup
d’Etat qui a modelé la Turquie en instaurant un régime autoritaire ».

Monsieur le Ministre, ces personnalités attendent l’aide urgente de la
France. Elles ne sont que la partie immergée de l’iceberg : plus de
7000 opposants politiques attendent le printemps turc en prison. Parmi
eux, 600 étudiants dont Cihan Kimizigül, étudiant de l’université
franco-turque Galatasaray, condamné Ã une peine de 11 ans et 3 mois de
prison le 11 mai dernier pour port d’un foulard kurde¦

Les accusés de Silivri ne sont pas les seules victimes de la
répression turque : la sociologue Pınar Selek, bien qu’en exil en
France, est toujours harcelée. Persécutée par le pouvoir turc depuis
1998, condamnée trois fois à la prison à vie et trois fois acquittée,
elle est menacée en cas de retour en Turquie : une peine
d’emprisonnement à vie aggravée a été demandée lors de la nouvelle
audience du 7 mars 2012.

L’arbitraire des lois turques a également conduit à l’incarcération de
la jeune Française d’origine turque, Sevil Sevimli, arrêtée le 10 mai
2012 pour « appartenance à un mouvement terroriste armé, le DHKP-C ».
L’étudiante lyonnaise, partie dans le cadre des échanges Erasmus, est
« coupable » d’avoir assisté Ã un concert du Grup Yorum, et d’avoir
participé Ã un pique-nique lors de la manifestation du 1er mai Ã
Istanbul. Bien que née en France, elle est considérée comme Turque, la
Turquie n’admettant ni la bi-nationalité, ni l’abandon de la
nationalité turque.

Nous vous serions reconnaissants d’intervenir auprès de votre
homologue turc, M. Ahmet Davutoglu, que vous recevez ce 5 juillet
2012, afin d’intercéder en faveur de l’acquittement total et de la
libération des personnes citées ci-dessus.

Par ailleurs, nous attirons votre attention sur l’éthique des
partenariats « culturels » signés avec la Turquie. Car à travers
divers instituts et think tanks créés ou relayés en France, c’est en
fait une stratégie raciste et négationniste qu’Ankara met en place
pour 2015 afin de contrer le centenaire du génocide arménien.

Il est temps d’avoir le courage d’affirmer que le négationnisme imposé
par la Turquie – non seulement sur son sol mais également dans le
monde entier – ne peut avoir droit de cité dans notre République, dans
nos écoles et dans nos universités. Il en va de la démocratie en
Turquie, mais également de la protection de notre espace citoyen.

Je vous prie de bien vouloir agréer, Monsieur le Ministre,
l’expression de ma très haute considération.

Séta Papazian
Présidente du Collectif VAN [Vigilance Arménienne contre le Négationnisme]
BP 20083 – 92133 Issy-les-Moulineaux – France – Boîte vocale : +33
(0)1 77 62 70 77 – Email: [email protected]

Lire aussi:

Tour de France-Turquie : prochaine étape au Quai d’Orsay

Retour à la rubrique

James Apaturai: No military solution to the Karabakh conflict

armradio.am
05.07.2012 15:18

`There is no military solution to the Karabakh issue,’ Special
Representative in Caucasus and Central Asia of NATO Secretary General
of James Apaturai told reporters, Regnum reports.

`NATO stands for peaceful settlement, as the stability in the Caucasus
is extremely important for the Alliance,’ he declared.

Asked to comment on the decision of the United States to ban the sale
of weapons to Azerbaijan, James Apaturai said `the Alliance does not
interfere with the individual policy of its members.’

Self-Service World
July 5 2012

Woman launches bill-pay kiosk company in Malta

July 5, 20120
Maltese citizens will soon be able to pay their bills, order a taxi
and and top up their phones from one of 400 kiosks being set up across
the island, according to Times of Malta.

The project is a first for Mobile Systems, which has so far deployed
the first 25 kiosks, said its owner, 35-year-old Vera Boyajyan from
Armenia. The kiosks run on a flexible system that is also compatible
with social networks, making the service more – interactive, Boyajyan
said in the story.

DEMOCRACY ON TRIAL IN TURKEY WHILE CAMERON, MILIBAND LOOK THE OTHER WAY,
Nobel Peace Prize Nominee Raqgip Zarakolu On Trial In Turkey Today

` July 4, 2012

Ragip Zarakolu
On the 2nd July at Silvri, Turkey the trial of Ragip Zarakolu,
publisher, editor, human rights activist and defender of free speech,
begins. Ragıp is director of the Belge Publishing House, which has
been repeatedly bombed, prosecuted and penalised numerous times for
simply publishing books otherwise not available in Turkey.
He was arrested in Istanbul on the 28th october 2011 with the
sociologist Busra Ersanli, and both were charged on 1st November 2011
with belonging to an armed terrorrist organisation and held in a
high-sercurity prison. Ragıp Zarakolu has been on bail since 10 april
2012
Founder of the Turkish Human Rights Association [IHD], Ragıp Zarakolu
is pioneer of a courageous work in Turkey in publishing real history
rather than official racist-nationalist-Turkish history, particularly
in connection with the Armenian Genocide and the Kurdish struggle. We
maintain that this is the reason for his repeated persecution and this
particular trial.
As the writer and journalist Erol Ã-zkoray has said `The trial is a
symbol for democracy, liberty of thought, and free speech. In the
imprisonnant, it is the demoratic future of the country which is at
risk but also an entire intelligentsia and also all the intellectuals
opposed to the government’.
Abusive use of the anti-terrorist law and the capaign of répression
begun in 2009 under the name of sous le nom d’ « opérations KCK »
allows the Turkish State to muzzle those who fight peacefully for the
rights of Kurds for the official recognition of the Armenian
Genocideor for those who denounce the pressure of the Muslim
Brotherhood of Fethullah Gülen on the AKP governement .
The UK goernment portrays Turkey as a model of democracy for the Arab
world. According to the International Press Institute,(IPI) however.
Turkey is the world’s largest prison of opinion even worse than China
and Iran . Journalists, solicitprs, trade unionists, MPs, mayors,
students, academics: thousands of political prisoners await the
Turkish Spring in prison
The lawyers of Ragıp Zarakolu hope that international pressure may
result in the release of the publisher and the other imprisoned
intellectuals ` including his son Deniz, and BüÅ?ra Ersanlı ` jugés
lundi pour « terrorisme » :
The Public prosecutor of Istanbul, Adnan Çimen, has asked for a 7.5 to
15 years imprisonment for Ragıp Zarakolu and 15 to 22.5 years
imprisonment for BüÅ?ra Ersanlı.
« We must absolutely save this peaceful and humanistic man. He is a
`Great man’, rare amongst us, who we must protect, and we are obliged
to save him, so that we can build a strong friendship between the
Armenian and Turkish peoples a friendship symbolized by Ragip since a
quarter of a century’ said Erol Ozjoray,
. Practical infos: Several Foreign Institutions are expected at the
trial. A Press Conference will be held at 4 p.m. at the Journalist
Centre,Gazeteciler Cemiyeti), Cagaloglu, Istanbul
Contact Ragip Zarakolu : [email protected]
Place of the trial : Campus de Silivri ` Silivri ` Turkey: Silivri is
67 km west of à l’ouest Istanbul
Lawyers Mme Sennur Baybuga : 0212 351 89 25 `
[email protected] , M. Osman Ergin: 0532 247 64 95 ,M. Ozcan
Kilic: 0533 340 43 62 ,Fikret Ilkiz ` [email protected]
* We call on your assistance to hand leaflets to MPs at Westminster
Tube station near BIg Ben on this Monday evening from 5 p.m.
(Details from 07718982732)

Even the first article of Constitution is not implemented in Armenia – expert

news.am
July 05, 2012 | 17:00

YEREVAN.- Even the first article of the Constitution is not
implemented in Armenia, said Feliks Tokhyan, expert on constitutional
right and member of the Constitutional Court.

`Whether we like it or not, the Constitution is not always implemented
in real life,’ he told reporters on July 5 when Armenia marks the
Constitution Day.

The first article says Republic of Armenia is a sovereign, democratic,
social state governed by rule of law.

Tokhyan believes the methodology changes in the constitution were
correctly selected in 1995, but then they were not pursued.

`The reforms of 1999 were the best. They were called the best in
Europe by the Venice Commission. But they were not passed,’ he said.

Among the previous amendments was to limit presidential powers to
dissolve the National Assembly. Among the proposals which were not
approved later was to reduction of the number of deputies from 131 to
101.

Prime Minister’s Wife Responds; This Is My Secret Formula for Success

hetq
14:10, July 5, 2012

On June 18, Hetq published an article entitled, `PM Sargsyan: Cash
Holdings Jump From $22K to $859K in Under 3 Years.’ The author
rhetorically asked if the Prime Minister’s wife would like to reveal
her secret for such financial success.

I would like to say the following in response.

There is no such magic formula. One cannot get rich without working.
One must work with dedication and in an honest manner to be
successful. Thus, the formula is simple.

First, one must be admitted to a good university. In my case, that was
Leningrad State University.

One must study assiduously and gain knowledge to get work in ones
preferred profession.

One must then work for at least 25 years, teaching at various
universities. One needs to obtain such knowledge and experience to be
able to win international competitions. In my case, I have worked at a
European university with a 17 year contract. Education must be
on-going and one needs to hone ones talents.

For me that was pursuing a graduate studies at Las Palmas University.
It’s preferable to participate in a number of international academic
programs and author textbooks in order to instruct thousands of
students. I authored a textbook called `The Russian Language for
Spanish Speakers’. It’s also desirable to do translation work, thereby
increasing ones skills.

This was the road I travelled in my professional and work life.

When our little one was born, I and my husband decided that I should
spend more time with my family and my child’s upbringing.

Respectfully,

Gohar Sargsyan

Citizen of Armenia

Karen Bekaryan: After the visit of the President of the European
Council it has become clear that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict can be
resolved only peacefully

ARMINFO
Thursday, July 5, 10:51

After the visit of the President of the European Council it has
become clear that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict can be resolved only
peacefully, President of European Integration NGO Karen Bekaryan told
journalists on Wednesday.

He quoted Van Rompuy as saying that the OSCE Minsk Group negotiating
format must be preserved while the negotiating process must be
accelerated.

“The EU wants to the South Caucasus to be peaceful,” Bekaryan said.

President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy arrived in Armenia
on Tuesday. On Wednesday he attended a civil society forum and visited
the National Assembly. During a joint press-conference with Armenian
President Serzh Sargsyan he said that the Nagorno-Karabakh peace
process remains a priority for the European Union.

Van Rompuy will also visit Azerbaijan and Georgia.