Author: Kalantarian Kevo

MONTE MELKONIAN IN HIS OWN WORDS

hetq
17:13, November 25, 2004

I think participating on the front line of the struggle is the best way
for anyone (.). The best way to participate is by going right there,
to the front line of the struggle and participating there. (.).

If people stick to their principles and decide that they are first and
foremost an Armenian, and as an Armenian they’ve got to participate
in the solution to make self-determination for our people a concrete
reality, then I think any honest person would end up doing what
I’m doing. (.). I consider my work to be first and foremost that
of bringing a solution to the Armenian question, the question of
self-determination for the Armenian people throughout their historic
homeland.

August 1991, from a private video interview

The Azerbaijan government has clearly decided to empty the Armenians
out, and therefore there is no choice but to resist. (.). So we don’t
have the right to lose in this case. We must win this time. We must
win. (.). A lot of Armenians don’t understand that we can win. [But
we can].

January 25, 1992, from a videotaped address to Diasporan friends

If politics was run on a logical and honest basis, there would never
be the need for war; not only here, but everywhere in the world.

Unfortunately this logic and honesty are not there. We should fight,
we should lead this war to its end, because unfortunately that’s the
only way to solve the problem.

from a 1992 interview to a French TV station

The loss of Artsakh would be an enormous loss for the Armenian people,
which can lead a few decades later to the total disappearance of the
Armenian people. If the Azeris manage to occupy Artsakh, their next
target will be Zangezour. (.). It is obvious for all of us what the
consequences would be for our homeland if they took Zangezour.

Everyone should feel how important this is and everyone should do
everything so that we can end this war quickly.

October 3, 1992, from an interview to the Stepanakert (Karabakh) TV

The first reason [of the Karabakh struggle] is a reason of principle.

Nagorno Karabagh is an integral part of the Armenian homeland. It’s
as much a part of Armenia as any other part, as Yerevan , Dilidjan
or Sevan. And so, we’ve got to reunite it with our homeland. It was
arbitrarily included in Azerbaijan in 1921 by a very opportunistically
motivated reason on the part of Stalin, and so we are trying to
correct that error. Second of all, the people there are fighting to
protect their homes and families. They know very well that if they
don’t fight the Azeris will come and split their throats, burn their
villages and kick them out of here. And thirdly, we know very well
that Azerbaijan has expansionist designs which go way beyond Artsakh
and include the take over of Zangezour, the southern part of present
day Armenia . So we know very well that if we don’t resist here, the
war will continue into what is known as Armenia right now. So we got
our backs up against the wall, to put it short; we’ve got to do this.

April 1993, from an interview to a British TV journalist

I’m an Armenian from the United States , and I’m fighting here for the
same reason as anyone else. I’m an Armenian. This homeland belongs
as much to me as to any other Armenian. And I’ll say I think I have
just as much responsibility to defend this piece of my homeland as
any other Armenian. So it’s totally natural to be here and to fight
alongside all the other inhabitants of this region.

April 1993, from an interview to a British TV journalist

I would have liked that people respect me not in words, but with
their deeds; that they work, they do normal work in this struggle,
instead of swearing in my name or in the name of others. (.). It’s
not important that people applaud. What is important is that they
become conscious, that they bare responsibility.

March 1993, from an interview to the Stepanakert (Karabakh) TV

Believe me, I couldn’t care less if people respect me or not. What is
crucial for me is that I respect myself. Without self-respect I would
become a wretched wreck. It is for self-respect that I work and live.

Personally, I don’t believe in competition with others, be it physical,
mental, or any other form of competition. What I believe in is
competition with myself. This is the hardest, most frustrating kind
of competition, because it’s impossible to outdo yourself. You always
feel you could-and must-do better. I wouldn’t say this is an entirely
healthy approach to life, but it’s the way I am now. This is also what
has given me the ability to face the tons of incredible hardships I’ve
gone through. However, this does not mean that I fully respect myself.

No, no, I’ve made too many mistakes, and left too many problems
unsolved to really respect myself.

October 12, 1986; from a letter to a friend, written from his prison
cell, in France

Artsakh has not been my first struggle, and I’m sure that it won’t
be my last…

WHY DO ARMENIANS PREFER GEORGIA AMONG SUMMER HOLIDAY SPOTS?

Story from Lragir.am News:

Published: 16:01:42 – 12/06/2012

In a couple of weeks the line of cars will head for the
Armenian-Georgian border. Perhaps it’s in the nature of Armenians
to go on holiday in groups in the same place. But this fact can be
explained from other perspectives as well; the choice of Georgian shore
is conditioned with relatively affordable prices of hotels, hostels and
rest houses, as well as with a more limited travel budget, simplified
customs system, and with an absence of communication barriers.

Trips to Georgia have turned into a profitable business for those
who are engaged in it, especially trips in the direction of Batumi,
Kobuleti, Ureki and some other places nearby. Still seasonal, but a
profitable one.

For the Georgian inbound tourism market the holidaymakers from Armenia,
Azerbaijan, Turkey and Russia are regarded as the target groups.

Only in 2011 448.374 holidaymakers visited Georgia, Ministry of
Foreign Affairs of Georgia said. The number of holidaymakers increases
significantly especially during summertime period. The number of
people, targeting Georgian coastal zones, has increased by 37%,
in comparison with 2010.

At present the development of the hotel market is set as one of the
top priorities on the agenda of the Georgian government. Along with
the construction of new hotels, hostels, rest-houses, the government
is aimed at improving the level of accommodation and at coordinating
the flow of holidaymakers. According to the National Tourism Industry
of Georgia, each tourist spends on average 1,500$ in Georgia. The
forecasts say, that apart from the target zones, new rest places in
Svaneti, Ajaria are to go under exploitation this year.

The reasoning why Armenians prefer to spend their holidays in Georgia
may be provided in this dropdown:

– The entry visa is issued directly at the frontier.

– The Georgian hotel market prices are more affordable in comparison
with the offers of local resorts.

– The fare is close to minimum.

– There are no language barriers. The flow of Armenians has left its
track, as even in neighbor states Armenians still talk in Armenian.

– Everyone may find an accommodation offer, meeting its requirements.

The destination choice falls on Georgia as the average travel budget
allows to pick that direction where accommodation + travel + coastal
zone = rest, which is not possible to enjoy in Armenia, and definitely
not due to a simple fact that Armenia has no sea coasts, but because
the local rest market with its price scale is not affordable to a
medium-budget Armenian traveller. Whereas in case of choosing some
other seaside directions, a line of other obstacles come out: visa
acquisition (which in case of European directions is like a lottery:
one cannot predict whether the solution of the long-lasting process
will be in savor of the bidder or not, even with a compilation of
all proper documents), and a sharp contrast of travel budget.

And how to choose accommodation in Georgia?

The variants to choose are quite many and depend on the travelling
experience, budget limit and on the level of awareness. Apart from the
traditional Armenian method, the so-called meet-and-sale option, many
people prefer to choose an accommodation directly upon their arrival.

Some prefer to learn the details of the accommodation offer in
advance and select the ones, previously accommodated and recommended
by their friends.

Whereas active Internet users apply individually by studying the
Georgian hotels and booking the one which suites them best. It seems
to be not a time&effort taking option, even more an unbiased one,
especially taking into account the important fact that no additional
service charge is applied in case of suchlike on-line bookings. This
option is convenient because one can see the pictures, prices at a
place and choose one by comparison.

As for the online accommodation offers, they vary
as well, for example Sedoi Ural hotel in Kobuleti
(),
3-star Prestige Hotel in Batumi
(),
Hotel Savane in Kobuleti
():

MKS: ‘WE MUST RECOGNIZE ARMENIAN TRAGEDY’

Knesset debates whether to recognize mass killing of Armenians by
Ottoman Turks during World War I as genocide

Moran Azulay Published: 06.12.12, 18:31 / Israel News

The Knesset held a special session Tuesday on the mass killing of
Armenians by Ottoman Turks during World War I. “We must not politicize
this matter,” said Knesset Speaker Rivlin, adding that in spite of
the sensitivity of the issue, there is no intention to blame Turkey
or the current Turkish government.

MK Zahava Gal-On, chairwoman of the Meretz faction, who initiated the
discussion, said that in recent years “the Armenian genocide has been
swept under the rug” due to foreign relations concerns.

“Remembering and recognizing this genocide is our moral obligation.

However, the timing of the discussion is problematic, when it is used
for political bashing.”

Recognition of the Armenian genocide by Israel would enrage Turkey
and further strain the already tense ties between the two countries.

For years, Israel has refrained from commenting on the matter for
fear of angering Turkey, which until recently was its closest ally in
the Muslim world. But as ties have frayed under the Islamic-oriented
rule of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Israel appears
to be changing course.

Armenian Death March

The Armenian genocide remembrance day is marked every year on April
24. The mass murders by the Ottoman Turks were carefully planned and
executed during and after World War I. Hundreds of thousands were
sent to labor camps.

Finally, the Ottoman Turks chased the remaining Armenians from their
villages to Syria in a death march. Women, children and elderly people
marched for weeks without food or water, hunted down by soldiers
and criminals. During the marches thousands were perished, murdered,
raped and even burnt alive. In villages near the Black Sea, the Turks
put the Armenians on boats and drowned them.

Reports on the atrocities reached Europe and the US as early as 1915,
which immediately condemned the acts and blamed the Ottoman regime for
“crimes against humanity.”

The Ottoman massacre of the Armenians was the first genocide of the
20th century, and remains the center of political debate. The Turks
continue to deny the genocide, claiming that the Armenians were only
transferred, and that deaths only occurred during the fighting between
the Armenians and the Kurds.

KNESSET DISCUSSES MURDER OF MORE THAN A MILLION ARMENIANS AT THE HANDS OF THE TURKS MORE THAN A HUNDRED YEARS AGO; MERETZ LEADER GAL-ON ACCUSES GOV’T OF USING TRAGEDY TO ATTACK TURKEY, CALLS FOR ‘MARMARA’ APOLOGY.

Rivlin: Remembering Armenian genocide not attack on Turkey

By GIL HOFFMAN, JPOST.COM STAFF
06/12/2012 18:35

Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin [file] Photo: Courtesy: Knesset Channel

Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin said Tuesday that Israel has an
obligation to remember the murder of more than a million Armenians
at the hands of the Turks more than a hundred years ago, but warned
that the issue should not be turned into an attack on the Turkish
government of today. The Knesset speaker made the comments at a
Knesset discussion of the Armenian genocide.

Speaking a day before State Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss was
scheduled to release a report on Israel’s interception of Turkish
ships bound for the Gaza Strip which led to a diplomatic crisis
between the countries, Rivlin insisted that the discussion of the
Armenian genocide was not politically motivated.

“We have an ethical obligation to remember that a million Armenians
were killed. It is forbidden to make the issue political. Our charges
are not pointed at the Turkish regime today. We must make our voices
heard when other nations are targeted for destruction,” Rivlin stated.

“Those who drafted the Final Solution for the Jews figured the world
would be silent as they were when the Armenians were murdered. The
Knesset cannot ignore this episode that is factual. We cannot forgive
nations who ignore our disaster and we cannot ignore the disasters
of others,” the Knesset speaker added.

Meretz chairwoman Zehava Gal-On, who initiated the Knesset discussion,
accused the government of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu of using
the Armenian tragedy to attack Turkey.

Gal-On stated the government should “finally recognize” the episode as
a genocide and restore relations with Turkey by agreeing to apologize
for the deaths of nine Turkish pro-Palestinian activists at the hands
of IDF commandos during the May 2010 raid of the Mavi Marmara vessel,
which was part of a flotilla attempting to break the blockade of the
Gaza Strip.

“The Armenian genocide is not an opportunity for public diplomacy,”
Gal-On told the Knesset plenum, adding that “Israel is strong enough
to apologize for the killing of Turkish citizens without it harming
Israel’s honor or its security. We don’t need to choose between
recognizing genocide and relations with Turkey. We can have both.”

The Meretz leader stated that “the Jewish people who have experienced
the worst Holocaust have an obligation to show sensitivity to the
disasters of others.”

National Union MK Arieh Eldad called on Turkey to recognize its
responsibility for its “historical crime,” which he said included
children being “put into cellars and gassed.” Eldad quoted Adolf
Hitler as having said “who remembers what happened to the Armenians,”
when he was asked what the world would say about his Fianl Solution
against the Jews.

Kadiam MK Robert Tibayev was the only lawmaker to speak against Israel
recognizing the Armenian genocide, saying that Israel should not
interfere in the issue, but rather let historians, or an international
body decide if there was a genocide.

Balad MK Saed Nafaa, a Christian, took the opportunity to accuse
current Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan of being
hypocritical by complaining about the atrocities being committed by
Syrian President Bashar Assad against his people while he himself
has killed dozens of Kurds.

THE AZERBAIJANI SIDE CONTINUES TO DENY THE IMPLEMENTATION OF CONFIDENCE-BUILDING MEASURES

armradio.am
12.06.2012 18:43

The heads of the Armenian diplomatic missions in New York and Vienna
informed the UN and OSCE member states on the infringements and the
subversive acts of the Azerbaijani side at the Armenian-Azerbaijani
border and the line of contact between the armed forces of Nagorno
Karabakh and Azerbaijan. In their statements the Ambassadors said,
in part:

“It’s noteworthy that during the discussion of the Unified Budget
for 2012 at the OSCE Permanent Council in December 2011 Azerbaijan
rejected the proposal of the Personal Representative of the OSCE
Chairman-in-Office on the increase of the budget, which could transfer
to a practical platform the agreement on the creation of mechanisms
of investigation of the ceasefire violations at the line of contact
reached during the meeting of the Armenian and Azerbaijani Presidents
in Sochi in March 2011. The Armenian side has stressed in its statement
that by denying the creation of the investigation mechanisms Azerbaijan
assumes the responsibility for all future breaches of the truce and
the human losses.

Unfortunately, the Azerbaijani side continues to deny the
implementation of confidence-building measures, particularly proposals
of the OSCE presidency and the Minsk Group co-chairmanship on the
withdrawal of snipers from the line of contact and the creation of
the above-mentioned mechanisms.”

The statement further reads: “During a joint press conference with
US Secretary of State in Yerevan Armenian Foreign Minister Edward
Nalbandian severely criticized the provocations organized by the
Azerbaijani side and noted that the escalation of tension at the
Armenian-Azerbaijani border hinders the negotiation process and poses
danger to the security of the region. The Azerbaijani side bears
responsibility for the possible consequences of all such actions.”

HOUSE SPEAKER CONGRATULATES COUNTERPARTS IN LESOTHO, ARMENIA, PORTUGAL

Kuwait News Agency
June 10, 2012 Sunday

KUWAIT, June 10 (KUNA) — National Assembly Speaker Ahmad Al-Saadoun
sent on Sunday cables of congratulations to his counterparts in Lesotho
Sephiri Motanyane and Armenia Hovik Abrahamyan on the occasion of
their new posts as speakers of parliaments in their countries.

Al-Saadoun, in the cables, hoped their appointment would further
enhance bilateral relations between the State of Kuwait and their
countries.

Al-Saadoun also sent a cable of congratulations to Speaker of Council
of the Republic in the Republic of Portugal Assuncao Esteves on the
occasion of his country’s National Day.

EXPERT: AZERBAIJAN SHOULD PAY FOR BATTLE ACTIONS AGAINST ARMENIA

arminfo
Monday, June 11, 17:42

Both Washington and Ankara are not pleased with the last battle
actions at the Armenian-Azerbaijani border initiated by Baku.

Azerbaijan should pay for its actions. Moreover, it should be punished,
the head of the Centre for Regional Studies, Richard Giragossian,
told journalists, Monday.

“The last attacks by Baku upon Armenia is evidence of the fact
that Azerbaijan is the only country of the region which has been
threatening to peace. Even Ankara does not welcome starting of the
battle action. The open message which Turkey sent to Azerbaijan,
saying it does not welcome the last battle actions against Armenia,
is evidence of that”, – he said.

He also added that the USA and Turkey are concerned about the activity
of Israel in the region, as the latter has been sullying weapon to
Azerbaijan. This is evidence of Israel’s attempts to change positions
of the leading states in the South Caucasus.

Giragossian thinks that Hillary Clinton’s visit to Turkey is evidence
of the new level of cooperation between the two states.

“Although the relations between Washington and Ankara still remain
tense, the positive dynamics in development of the relations has been
fixed thanks to Syria and Iran. Turkey has been actively providing the
Syrian opposition with weapon, which undoubtedly into the hands of the
USA. At the same time, it is a signal for Ankara, that the interests
of Turkey and Russia will come across each other, as for its part,
Russia has been delivering weapon to the incumbent authorities of
Syria”, – the expert emphasized.

HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDER: “BEING AWARE OF THEIR OWN MISTAKES THE JUDICIAL AUTHORITIES AVOID REVISION OF LIFE PRISONERS’ CASES”

arminfo
Monday, June 11, 17:40

The Armenian authorities are indifferent to the fate of life prisoners,
Avetik Ishkhanyan, Head of the Helsinki Committee Armenia, told
media when commenting on the fate of a life prisoner Mher Yenokyan
on June 11.

To recall, Mher Yenokyan, born in a family of physicians, got death
penalty in 1996 charged with murder of his fellow-student. Later in
2003 his sentence was changed and he got life imprisonment.

Ishkhanyan said that Yenokyan has been insisting on his innocence
for 16 years. Another defendant Aram Haroutiunyan was sentenced to
15 years in prison but he confessed that he had murdered Yenokyan’s
fellow-student.

“Despite new circumstances proving Yenokyan’s innocence, the judicial
authorities of Armenia do not want to revise the case,” Ishkanyan said.

Yenokyan’s lawyers say that he was sentenced without any significant
facts. Yenokyan has announced a hunger strike and refuses even from
water, Ishkanyan said.

For her part, Zaruhi Muradyan, a member of the civil initiative,
said that art workers and intellectuals constantly raise the issue
of life prisoners in Armenia.

“There are 103 life prisoners in Armenia having population of 3 million
people, while in Austria with population of 120 million people there
are only 57 life prisoners,” she said.

Despite many letters to relevant authorities and the Prosecutor
General’s Office for revision of the life imprisonment cases, no
case has been revised yet, she said. There is no institute to revise
judicial cases in Armenia and there is no precedent of revision of
a life imprisonment case.

“As for Mher Yenokyan, his case is unique. Even in custody, Mher helps
people. He published a book entitled ‘I talk to you, man’ and provides
the proceeds from the sale to the dead-sick children,” she said.

LEBANESE, SYRIANS KIDNAPPED IN RETALIATORY ABDUCTIONS AT SYRIA BORDER

PanARMENIAN.Net
June 11, 2012 – 17:26 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – At least seven Lebanese and Syrian citizens have
been kidnapped in northern Lebanon near the border with Syria, the
first such reported abductions fuelled by tensions over the uprising
in Syria that have spilled into its small neighbor, Reuters reported.

Residents said on Monday, June 11 the abductions started on Saturday
when a hardline Sunni Lebanese supporter of the Syrian revolt against
President Bashar al-Assad was kidnapped by Lebanese Alawites.

A string of tit-for-tat abductions along sectarian lines followed
over the weekend, they said.

The kidnappings reflect rising antagonism in Syria between Sunni
Muslims, most of whom support the uprising against Assad, and Alawites
who mostly back the president, a fellow member of their minority
Shi’ite offshoot.

Lebanon’s northern frontier is also home to both sects, whose loyalties
often extend over the border.

Growing suspicions and hostilities between northern Lebanon’s Sunni
majority and Alawite minority have lead to bouts of fighting in the
port city of Tripoli. Dozens have been killed and tensions are still
high in the area.

AZERBAIJAN HAS NO FOREIGN POLITICAL INDEPENDENCE TO CARRY OUT DIVERSION ATTACKS – OPPOSITION REP.

news.am
June 11, 2012 | 13:50

YEREVAN. – Opposition and authorities in Armenia, regardless their
relations and positions, should unite efforts on the Nagorno-Karabakh
regulation issue, ruling Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) MP Vardan
Ayvazyan said at a press conference on Monday.

He commented on the recent ceasefire violation incidents instigated
by Azerbaijan on the line of contact.

According to him, the diversion incidents testify to the fact that
official Baku wants to shift attention of its citizens from domestic
problems to foreign ones. However, despite all disagreements between
the opposition and authorities, they should share joint position on
Karabakh regulation issue.

Opposition Free Democrats representative Anush Sedrakyan agreed adding
all the political forces should resist the outer challenges together.

She believes that Azerbaijan has no foreign policy independence and
diplomatic experience to hold such diversion attacks in the line of
contact between the armed forces of Armenia, Karabakh and Azerbaijan
on its own.