Author: Kanayan Tamar

10 TONS OF WASTE TAKEN OUT OF ARMENIAN CHURCH IN TURKEY

news.am
May 16, 2012 | 17:14

ANKARA. – An Armenian church built in 11th century, which had been
turned into a trash dump, is being cleaned in Turkey’s Batman Province.

Turkish Dogan agency had earlier alarmed on the miserable condition
of the church. Later due to which Turkish Ministry of Culture and
Tourism assigned the Province to pay attention to the church, Turkish
Haberler reports. Because of the warning, the church started to be
cleaned and nearly 10 tons of waste was taken out of it.

The church will be also restored, Batman University chancellor claims.

OVER 200 ARMENIANS VISIT SOURP MAGAR MONASTERY IN CYPRUS

PanARMENIAN.Net
May 16, 2012 – 17:06 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Over 200 Armenians visited the historic but
crumbling Sourp Magar monastery in Cyprus on Sunday, May 13 in an
annual pilgrimage in honor of Saint Makarios, the Hermit of Alexandria.

Cyprus Mail reports that Cypriot Armenians were joined by those from
the UK, Syria, Lebanon and Armenia to visit one of the two most
important Armenian religious sites in Cyprus. The monastery near
Buffavento castle, founded in the early 11th century by Christian
Copts, was transferred to the Armenian community in the early 1400s.

The monastery, for centuries a place of pilgrimage for locals and
travelers en route to the Holy Land, has fallen into dangerous
disrepair since the Turkish invasion.

“It’s very sad. People came out of Sunday’s service crying,” a
spokeswoman for the representative of the Armenian community, MP
Vartkes Mahdessian said.

She said that they had to cordon off sections of the monastery to
prevent people from going into dangerous areas.

The Armenian community has been visiting the monastery as a community
each year since 2007 when Mahdessian arranged for an organized visit
after he came to office.

Before the Turkish invasion of 1974 families would travel to the
monastery to make preparations for the Saint Makarios’ name day
celebrated on the first Sunday of May (this year’s service was moved
back for practical reasons).

“The vast lands of the monastery, which is nearly 8,500 donums,
includes 30,000 olive and carob trees, extends up to the sea and
is known to be picturesque and idyllic,” Mahdessian said in an
announcement.

In the 20th century it was used as a summer resort for the Armenian
community where scouts and students would camp, “including students
of the Melkonian Educational Institute, many of whom were orphans of
the Armenian Genocide,” Mahdessian said.

The monastery once held manuscripts dating back to 1202 as well as
ecclesiastical relics.

To visit the monastery for Saint Makarios’ day, the community applies
via the Foreign Ministry which relays their wish to the United Nations
who act as intermediaries to get permission from the ‘TRNC’.

Together with the church of the Virgin Mary in occupied Nicosia, the
monastery is the most important Armenian church monument on the island.

BALLOON OF SAFE APOLOGY
HAKOB BADALYAN

Story from Lragir.am News:

Published: 11:47:46 – 16/05/2012

The police do not hurry to disclose the findings of the investigation
of the blast during the Republican rally at the Republic Square on
the last day of the election campaign.

Was it so tough to investigate and reveal those who were responsible
for filling the balloons with flammable gas and moving them across
busy and crowded parts of the city and finally bringing them to the
square amid a rally? Is the person responsible for everything a person
whom the law enforcement bodies cannot prosecute because he enjoys
a high-ranking protection? But what is high-level protection if this
could be a matter of national security?

In fact, the blast of the balloons could have had more tragic
consequences. On the eve of the national election, it could have
resulted in the death of people, changing the situation, opening up
opportunities for provocations, and who knows who would benefit?

Besides, the blast was in a place where the head of state was present
to deliver a speech, and he also could have been injured, had the
blast been stronger. What would happen if the head of state were
harmed on the eve of the national election?

Hence, there is also a shortcoming in the security of the head of
state because, in fact, there was a bomb under beside the head of
state and the security did not know about it. Moreover, as the leader
of New Times Party Aram Karapetyan later stated, the security did
not demand to postpone or cancel Serzh Sargsyan’s speech.

Although it is possible that the security guard had such intensions
but the opinion of other people was dominant, which is another issue
and also requires clarification. After all, it is the security of
the head of state and in this regard the decisions of the security
guard must be final.

Finally, after the tragedy a lot of questions have not been answered.

Moreover, the elementary human thing is not in place – apology. The
Republican Party, its president and its campaign headquarters have
not apologized to the injured people and their relatives, as well as
the citizens who witnessed the incident.

Even if it was an accident, apology must be provided. At least
because the event was organized with serious violations of safety
rules, as well as because the accident happened during the event of
the Republican Party. When something happens to the guest, the host
will apologize to him or her, at least out of simple politeness and
humanism. The host was the Republican Party and it did not apologize
to anyone.

The visits to hospitals by Serzh Sargsyan and other Republicans several
hours after the accident was not equal to apology. It was compassion,
if not further campaigning. Compassion and apology presuppose different
statuses. In compassion responsibility is alienated, whereas in apology
there is immediate claim of responsibility, which is a higher human
and political category.

This is a matter of culture. In the Armenian culture, from
everyday life to government’s behavior, apology is perceived as
self-humiliation. Apology is instilled in the upbringing of generations
as a diplomatic maneuver. The idea is to apologize when you are weaker
than your opponent, thus ensuring your security or marking time.

The Republican Party was reluctant to display signs of weakness on
the eve of the election. Meanwhile, apology could be an objective
component of the strength of the RPA.

USD RATE REACHES 400
Naira Hayrumyan

Story from Lragir.am News:

Published: 13:15:54 – 16/05/2012

Yesterday the USD rate reached the psychological barrier of AMD 400.

Yesterday Armenian banks sold 1 US dollar for AMD 398.

The Armenian dram depreciated before the elections but right after May
6, the rate grows steeply. Analyst Babken Tunyan told the Armenian
service of RFE/RL that this is connected with the financial traffic
prior to the elections. “Even official statistics showed in the
election period, in April, the scale of cash AMD out of Central Bank
increased by 35 billion. That is, the market was flooded with a large
amount of drams and now the dram amount puts pressure,” Tunyan said.

The ex-president of the Central bank Bagrat Asatryan says more than
50 billion of cash amount of drams were circulated in the first days
of May.

Economists claimed for years that the USD rate is artificially lowered
in Armenia and the “red price” of the dollar is about AMD450. The low
rate of dollar in Armenia is good for the importers who buy cheap
dollars in Armenia and gain from the difference of rates here and
abroad while the exporters and people who receive transfers from
abroad lose.

The international financial institutions hardly managed to make the
Armenian government let the dollar rate free. Then the rate of the
dollar grew from 320 to 370 in one night. It was stated that this
was not the limit and the dollar was said to rise up to 380.

Now this limit has already been passed and will never return again.

There is hope that the Armenian government has decided not to dance
to the importers’ pipe and set a floating dollar rate. Perhaps,
it was the condition for loans by international organizations.

Be that as it may, if the growth of the dollar rate is really connected
with the illegal emission (according to eyewitnesses, the pre-election
bribes were brand-new bills), it is a crime against the state, which
should be investigated.

Furthermore, if the government decided to abuse the situation and push
the importers, it should say so openly. As well as after the elections,
the prices of consumer goods grew in the stores of importers.

MOSCOW CONTINUES TO PLAY COMPLICATED BALANCING GAME ON KARABAKH

arminfo
Thursday, May 17, 14:09

The Russian government continues to play a complicated balancing act
with regards to the Karabakh issue, and in its relations with Armenia
and Azerbaijan, commonspace.eu experts say.

A summit meeting of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation
(CSTO) held in Moscow this week, which was attended by Armenia which
is a member, but not by Azerbaijan, which is not, has called for the
peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and stressed the
principles of non-use of force, territorial integrity and people’s
right for self-determination as the basis on which this settlement
could be achieved.

On the other hand Russia continues to supply both sides in the Karabakh
conflict with vast supplies of arms. Military equipment to Baku is
sold at commercial prices, whilst Armenia, which is a member of CSTO
gets most of its arms supplies at reduced prices.

Many observers see a contradiction between Moscow’s appeals for a
peaceful settlement of the conflict, and its military arming of the
sides. It stems from Russia’s concern that it remains the predominant
power in the region, which requires the goodwill of both governments.

Providing military supplies is one of the strategies in this
direction. On the other hand Russia’s diplomatic initiatives around the
Karabakh conflict paused over recent months during the Putin-Medvedev
job swaps. It is not yet clear how they will be resumed, if at all.

IN GEORGIA ARMENIAN AMBASSADOR DISCUSSES NECESSITY TO RECONSTRUCT SURB NSHAN CHURCH

13:34 . 16/05

Armenian Ambassador to Georgia Hovhannes Manukyan met First Deputy
Foreign Minister of Georgia Nikoloz Vashakidze on May 15 and discussed
issues pertinent to the bell tower collapse of the Armenian Surb
Nshan Church in Tbilisi on May 13.

The press service of RA foreign ministry informs that both sides have
stated the necessity to reconstruct and fortify the church quickly.

Ambassador Manukyan and Nikoloz Vashakidze have also discussed the
issue to start general repair of the building of the Armenian Drama
Theatre after P. Adamyan as well as issues pertinent to the agenda
of the relations between the two countries.

” NOUS RESTONS PLUS QUE JAMAIS FORTEMENT ENGAGES A LA RECONSTITUTION DES DROITS LEGITIMES DU PEUPLE ARMENIEN ” A DECLARE SA SAINTETE ARAM 1ER
Stephane

armenews.com
mercredi 16 mai 2012

En visite a Teheran Sa Saintete Aram 1er a aussi rencontre les
membres du Comite de la Cause armenienne. La reunion a ete suivie
par le Primat et des membres du clerge accompagnant Sa Saintete,
de representants du diocèse et d’autres organisations de la communaute.

Sa Saintete Aram 1er a loue le travail realise par le Comite de
la Cause Armenienne pour la reconnaissance du Genocide armenien en
particulier dans le monde Musulman. Il a dit que ” le genocide armenien
est un fait de l’histoire. C’est notre obligation de rappeler au monde
qu’un millions et demi d’armeniens ont ete les victimes d’un genocide
qui a ete projete et execute par le gouvernement turc en 1915. La
Turquie se presente comme une suite de la Turquie Ottomane et doit
avoir le courage pour se reconcilier avec son passe en acceptant le
genocide armenien. C’est la revendication legitime du peuple armenien
“.

La Catholicos Aram 1er a partage avec le comite quelques informations
sur la conference ” le Genocide armenien : de la reconnaissance a
la reparation ” qui s’est tenu a Antelias il y a quelques mois. Il
a dit que ” le centre de cette conference etait la reparation. Nous
avons invite 30 experts des lois internationales et des genocides du
monde pour obtenir leurs avis sur comment nous pouvons nous deplacer
de la reconnaissance a la reparation sur la base des dispositions de
la loi internationale “.

Selon Sa Saintete ” ce n’est pas un processus facile, mais nous
devons avancer ayant le retour des proprietes des eglises comme
notre objectif primaire “. À la fin de sa conversation, Sa Saintete a
souligne l’importance d’amorcer des processus de conscience publique
dans le monde Musulman, qui n’est pas entièrement informe du genocide
armenien. Le president du Comite de la Cause Armenienne a fait un bref
raapel de leurs activites. Alors Sa Saintete a repondu aux questions
liees en particulier a la question des reparations.

RED CRESCENT CHAIRMAN VISITS ARMENIAN SCHOOL

Hurriyet Daily News
May 15 2012
Turkey

Red Crescent chairman Akar (R) visited meets students at Levon
Vartuhyan. AA photo The Turkish Red Crescent extended food assistance
to an Armenian nursery and primary school in Istanbul yesterday.

Turkish Red Crescent chairman Ahmet Lutfi Akar visited private Levon
Vartuhyan Armenian Nursery and Primary School in Istanbul’s Topkapı
neighborhood and extended assistance consisting of 100 consignments
of food.

“The Turkish Red Crescent is an organization that extends help without
making religious, linguistic or racial discrimination. We will continue
to meet needs of Levon Vartuhyan Armenian Nursery and Primary School
periodically from now on,” Akar said.

Monik Ergan, the chairman of the Surp Nigogayos Armenian Church
Foundation to which the nursery and primary school are connected,
said they did not want to close the school and they were making
efforts to keep it open. Ergan also said almost 100 students were
being educated at the school.

ARMENIA TO BE FINED FOR QUITTING EUROVISION

Vestnik Kavkaza
May 15 2012
Russia

Armenia will pay a fine for quitting the Eurovision Song Contest,
News Armenia cites the delegation head of Eurovision Goar Gasparyan.

The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) fined Armenia in early May.

Director of the EBU department for media Annica Niberg-Frankenhauser
said that Armenia will pay 50% of the contribution to the contest as
a fine.

The Public TV Company of Armenia announced quitting the song contest
on March 7 for Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev~Rs statement calling
Armenians an enemy.

Armenian singer Narek Kazazyan took the third position at the Classic
Eurovision 2012 in Vienne.

Baku will host the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 on May 22-26. 42
states will take part. The final will be held on May 26.

NON-ALIGNED MOVEMENT LINES UP WITH BAKU
Elmira Tariverdiyeva

Vestnik Kavkaza
May 15 2012
Russia

The complete document adopted at the session of foreign ministries
of the member-states of the Non-Aligned Movement was considered by
Baku as a great achievement. Last May, Azerbaijan became a member
of the movement. The document supports a peaceful settlement of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict with respect of internationally recognized
borders. The 382 points of the document – a result of the meeting
of ministries of the Coordinating Bureau of the movement – are very
important for Baku. The fact that a second international organization
after the UN has recognized the occupation of Azerbaijani territory
by Armenia is the result of Azerbaijani diplomats’ efforts.

Moreover, for the first time 120 countries directly stated that the
conflict exists between Armenia and Azerbaijan, but not inside of
Azerbaijan, as many representatives of the Armenian side want to
present it. It is not the first document that judges Azerbaijani
territory to be occupied. The UN Charter, the OSCE Final Act adopted
in Helsinki and the document adopted at the Bandung Conference reflect
the basic principles of the Non-Aligned Movement and speak of the
inadmissibility of aggression against the territorial integrity,
sovereignty, and political independence of countries. Azerbaijani
diplomats are trying to include the principle into the documents of
international organizations.

The foreign minister of Azerbaijan, Elmar Mamedyarov, stated that
support of the Non-Aligned Movement “proves that the international
community won’t accept Armenia’s aggression against the sovereignty
and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.” Commenting on Mamedyarov’s
statement, the foreign minister of Armenia, Edvard Nalbandyan,
said that it was propaganda. Armenia, which has observer status in
the NAM, tried to prevent adoption of the document. According to
the official representative of the Foreign Ministry of Azerbaijan,
Elman Abdullayev, “Armenia tried to replace the phrase “the conflict
between Armenia and Azerbaijan” by “the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict”
and tried to eliminate the principles of respect for the sovereignty
and territorial integrity of countries and the inviolability of the
borders recognized by the international community.” However, the item
initiated by Azerbaijan was adopted without any changes.

When Azerbaijan stated its decision to join the NAM a year ago,
many observers were surprised, but it appears to be a smart step by
the Baku authorities. Participation in the movement played its role
in the election of Azerbaijan as a non-permanent member of the UN
Security Council.

Azerbaijan’s participation in the NAM shows the world that the
country’s position is friendly neutrality and unwillingness to join
any blocs. Baku doesn’t intend to “make friends against anybody.”

Azerbaijan exists at a crossroads of geopolitical interests of world
and regional powers and builds a multi-vector policy and balance in
foreign policy. At the same time, membership in the movement doesn’t
prevent integration into European and Euro-Atlantic structures, which
is still Baku’s target. However, at the moment Azerbaijan is not
aiming to join NATO or any other military bloc, because integration
doesn’t mean membership.