Author: Kanayan Tamar

ICRC REPRESENTATIVES VISIT AZERBAIJANI SERVICEMAN HELD IN ARMENIAN CAPTIVITY

APA
May 14 2012
Azerbaijan

Baku. Kamala Guliyeva – APA. On May 7, representatives of the
International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Delegation to Armenia
visited the Azerbaijani serviceman held in Armenian captivity.

Spokesperson for ICRC Delegation to Azerbaijan Shahla Gahramanova
told APA that two Red Cross letters were given to the captive and
one Red Cross letter was taken from him.

Corporal of Azerbaijani Army Akhundzadeh Mammadbaghuir Talib, born
1990, was captured by the Armenians near Yukhari Chayli village of
Azerbaijan’s Terter region on line of contact between the Armenian
and Azerbaijani troops. Defense Ministry of Azerbaijan confirmed the
fact of captivity.

“THE PARLIAMENTARIANS COULD CONTRIBUTE TO THE SOLUTION OF THE NAGORNO KARABAKH CONFLICT”

APA
May 14 2012
Azerbaijan

Interview with the chairman of the Russian State Duma’s Committee on
CIS Affairs, member of the Liberal Democratic Party Leonid Sulutski

– How do you value the Azerbaijan-Russia relations?

– I think the relations between Azerbaijan and Russia are at a high
level. We marked the anniversary of founder of the modern Azerbaijani
statehood Heydar Aliyev on May 10. I am proud of our friendly relations
with President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev. I consider that Ilham
Aliyev is very serious and wise leader. I can not forget the words
said by President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev in the Antalya
summit several years ago. Nazarbayev said that Ilham Aliyev sent
back the waves of colored revolutions coming from the West. Ilham
Aliyev is a great leader. I have known him since his leadership in the
Azerbaijani delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of
Europe. Today, as the President of Azerbaijan, he is doing great work.

I must note that he healthy maturated as a national leader and
Azerbaijan was changed significantly under his leadership. Very
successful steps were taken in the prevention of poverty. Azerbaijan
has independent energy policy. This is a real revolution in the
Azerbaijani economy.

I consider that there were some tensions in the Russia-Azerbaijan
relations, but we have already forgotten these problems. Today we
have very high and constructive relations, but there are still some
disputed issues.

– On May 15, the CIS leaders will hold informal summit in Moscow. What
issues will be discussed in the summit?

– The CIS leaders will discuss the issues related to the Eurasian
Economic Community and Free Trade Zone, as well as the Eurasian
integration issues. I think the issue of Free Trade Zone will be
discussed both in bilateral, multilateral formats.

– Azerbaijan didn’t express willingness to join this organization. How
could you comment it?

– If Azerbaijan hasn’t expressed his desire yet, it means that
Azerbaijan is not ready for it. Azerbaijan is an independent state.

The educated people work in this state and the government as well. If
Azerbaijan didn’t express consent to this or another issue, it means
that it continues to analyze the advisability of this situation, and
joining this or another agreement, including the Free Trade Zone. I
consider it advisable if Azerbaijan joins this agreement and Free
Trade Zone in the near future. But, of course, Azerbaijan should
pass this decision itself. In my opinion, our close relations with
Azerbaijan, including our counterparts in the Azerbaijani Parliament
will offer an opportunity to solve the problems jointly and through
the mutual understanding.

– Is Vladimir Putin expected to take active part in the settlement
of Nagorno Karabakh conflict as his predecessor Dmitry Medvedev?

– This is very delicate issue. I would give a parliamentary format to
the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. The parliamentarians
can contribute to the solution of the problem. But this is a very
complex issue because we speak about the first assigned task and the
first result, which must be achieved, is the return of the occupied
seven regions. It is the point of issue. It seems to me that a new
impetus must be given to the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict.

I want to express gratitude to Russian and Azerbaijani foreign
ministers. I consider that they work successfully toward the settlement
of the conflict.

– Can we expect anything in the settlement of the conflict this year?

– This is such a delicate topic that it is quite difficult to forecast
something. One needs to do work at first and then to speak.

ARTO TUNCBOYACIYAN AND ARMENIAN NAVY BAND
Anna Sulimina

The Moscow News
May 14 2012
Russia

May 19, 7 pm, Moscow International House of Music (MMDM), 52
Kosmodamianskaya Nab., bldg 8, m. Paveletskaya,

Folk singer Arto Tuncboyaciyan and his Armenian Navy Band are giving
a concert on Saturday at the Moscow International House of Music.

Born in Turkey of Armenian descent, the multi-instrumentalist
Tuncboyaciyan emigrated to the United States about 30 years ago
and set up one of the best folk and ethnojazz bands of its time. A
genuine mix of percussion, saxophone, trumpet and Armenian national
instruments produces a deep, ecological sound, reminiscent of the
pristine nature of the Armenian highlands.

Armenian Navy Band was named Best European Band at the BBC Audience
World Music Awards 2006. In 2010, Tuncboyaciyan joined Paul Winter
in recording “Miho: Journey to the Mountain,” which won a Grammy in
the Best New Age Album category for that year.

In their Moscow concert, Arto Tuncboyaciyan and Armenian Navy Band are
to improvise with Russian saxophonist Igor Butman, jam with legendary
rocker Boris Grebenshchikov, and even play together with musician and
Comedy Club resident Pavel Volya, with whom Tuncboyaciyan created an
unforgettable soundtrack to the film “Platon.”

La Stampa, Italia
11 maggio 2012

Armenia: elezioni politiche zeppe di irregolarità

TRADOTTO DA E. INTRA E S. GLIEDMAN

Nell’ultimo anno, il presidente armeno Serzh Sarkisian aveva
ripetutamente affermato l’intenzione di garantire che le elezioni
politiche, tenutesi il 6 maggio scorso, fossero le più democratiche di
tutta la storia post-sovietica del Paese.

I partner stranieri ne avevano appoggiato l’intenzione, tanto che
l’ambasciatore USA John Heffern lo scorso autunno aveva riferito che
Washington stava lavorando con Yerevan per fare in modo che il voto
parlamentare del 2012 e la tornata presidenziale nel 2013 fossero “le
migliori elezioni di sempre, svolte pienamente in linea con gli
standard internazionali”.

Lo scrutinio parlamentare della scorsa domenica tuttavia non è
riuscito a tenere fede alle aspettative.
In una dichiarazione rilasciata il 7 maggio, l’OSCE afferma che
nonostante le libertà di aggregazione e di espressione siano state
rispettate durante la campagna elettorale, il voto è stato invece
caratterizzato da una `generale mancanza di fiducia nell’integrità del
processo elettorale da parte dei partiti politici e degli elettori’.

E’ stata sancita la vittoria del Partito Repubblicano del presidente
Serzh Sarkisian, che ha conquistato il 44,5% dei voti e la stragrande
maggioranza dei seggi in parlamento. Questa vittoria pone Sarkisian in
netto vantaggio rispetto agli avversari anche per le presidenziali del
prossimo anno.

L’ultima aggiunta alla coalizione attualmente al governo – Armenia
Prospera – è seconda con il 31%, mentre il maggior partito di
opposizione, il Congresso Nazionale guidato dall’ex-Presidente Levon
Ter-Petrosyan, è riuscito a ottenere sette seggi in parlamento.
Nonostante ciò, quest’ultimo ha affermato che il voto dovrebbe essere
annullato per via dei moltissimi episodi di corruzione e altre
violazioni di ogni genere.

Queste alcune reazioni su Twitter:

Onnik Kirkorian: `I partiti al potere tendono a restare al potere’.
Ani Wandaryan: `Presenza [in Parlamento] assicurata a tutti i partiti
che restano, però ininfluenti visto che il Partito Repubblicano
conquista la stragrande maggioranza’.

Anche la Missione internazionale di osservazione elettorale (MIOE) fa
notare in un comunicato stampa che la pressione sugli elettori da
parte dei funzionari locali del Partito repubblicano di Sarkisian
(HHK), insieme al rifiuto delle commissioni elettorali di prendere in
considerazione i numerosi appelli e denunce, “hanno creato un campo di
gioco impari”.

Tra le irregolarità, sono state riportate numerose segnalazioni di
compravendita dei voti da parte dell’HHK, inclusa la distribuzione
apparentemente benefica di 500 trattori nelle zone rurali portata
avanti da Armenia Prospera.

Nel corso della giornata sono stati anche riportati problemi di
sovraffollamento ai seggi elettorali nonché tentativi da parte di
osservatori nazionali o di persone delegate dai vari partiti
dell’opposizione di assumere funzioni che sono prerogative del
personale della commissione.

In un seggio elettorale nella provincia di Kotayk, un funzionario del
distretto ha invalidato delle schede compilate da persone che
sospettava di aver votato per un partito diverso dall’HHK inserendole
nelle urne sbagliate.

Samvel Martirosyan, del progetto itord.org, pubblica su Twitter la
foto `Gemelli al voto’. Questo invece un “voto di gruppo” filmato
dalle telecamere (a cura di CivilNet):

Il trucco più pubblicizzato, nonché potenzialmente più dannoso, è
stato l’inchiostro usato per marcare il passaporto di chi aveva già
votato, che avrebbe dovuto durare almeno 12 ore (per evitare che la
gente ripetesse il voto) e che invece svaniva molto prima. La
spiegazione del presidente della Commissione elettorale centrale
Tigran Mukuchian, secondo cui l’inchiostro sbiadiva solo perché la
bottiglia non era stata scossa vigorosamente prima di essere
utilizzata, è risultata mediatamente falsa.

La promessa di `elezioni pienamente in linea con gli standard
internazionali” non è stata quindi mantenuta. ILa sensazione che si
percepisce dai vari social media armeni è, più che di scontento e
amarezza per le aspettative deluse, di profonda sfiducia nel futuro.
Una certa curiosità sembra essersi riaccesa nelle ultime ore, attorno
alla notizia, riportata da untweet di Levon Sevunts, che rilancia in
inglese quello originale di Armenia Liberty, secondo cui il presidente
avrebbe avanzato l’ipotesi di una “coalizione di governo pur se i
Repubblicani hanno la maggioranza”.

Today’s Zaman, Turkey
May 13 2012

11 generals put behind bars as Feb. 28 probe deepens

13 May 2012 / ,

Of the 17 suspects interrogated by prosecutors overseeing the probe
into the Feb. 28, 1997 unarmed military intervention on Wednesday, 15
were referred to court.

While the court ordered the arrest of 11 suspects early on Thursday,
including retired and active duty generals, four individuals were
released, as the probe into what is popularly known as a postmodern
coup deepens.

Sixteen active duty and retired military officers and one civilian
were detained on Tuesday in the fourth wave of operations in the Feb.
28 probe, which saw police raid their homes across nine provinces.
Prosecutors referred 15 of the 17 suspects to court for arrest on
Wednesday. The Ankara 11th High Criminal Court ruled for the arrest of
11 suspects, including Lt. Gen. Tevfik Ã-zkılıç, Maj. Gens. Berkay
Turgut, Mehmet Faruk Alpaydın and Erdal Å?enel, Brig. Gens. Celalettin
Bacanlı, Mehmet Ali Yıldırım and Metin KeÅ?ap, retired. Lt. Gens. Hakkı
Kılınç and Mustafa Bıyık, and retired Gens. �etin Dizdar and �etin
Saner. Saner was the head of military intelligence at the time of the
1997 coup. He is believed to have threatened Interior Minister Meral
AkÅ?ener with being `impaled’ in the event of the generals coming to
power, in order to make the minister `toe the line.’

The suspects are all accused of playing a major role in the Feb. 28
coup, in which the military forced a coalition government led by the
now-defunct conservative Welfare Party (RP) out of power on the
grounds that there was rising religious fundamentalism in the country.

The court ruled for the release of the rest of the suspects, including
retired Staff Col. Erkan Yaykır.

The suspects were simultaneously interrogated by eight of the nine
specially authorized public prosecutors at the Ankara Courthouse.
According to media reports on Thursday, the suspects were asked about
the structure and activities of the controversial West Study Group
(BÃ?G), which was established within the military to categorize
politicians, intellectuals, soldiers and bureaucrats according to
their religious and ideological backgrounds before and after the coup.

May 5, Saturday

Two Turkish journalists, writer Adem Ã-zköse of Turkey’s Milat
newspaper and freelance cameraman Hamit CoÅ?kun, who were detained
while covering the Syrian uprising two months ago, are expected to be
released in a few days, one of their colleagues said. Turgut Alp
Boyraz, foreign editor at Milat, said the two telephoned their
families and that an Islamic aid group based in Turkey was involved in
negotiations in Damascus for their release.

May 6, Sunday

Interior Minister Ä°dris Naim Å?ahin said nine security officials were
given administrative punishments for negligence in failing to prevent
the 2007 murder of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink. Responding
to parliamentary questions about Dink’s murder, Å?ahin said five
officials were sentenced to forfeit a certain amount of their monthly
salary, three were given motions of censure and one was given a
warning. He said no investigation was allowed for eight officials,
prosecution was decided against for another 31 and two were acquitted
by a court.

President Bashar al-Assad’s grip on Syria is getting weaker by the day
and `victory is close,’ Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ErdoÄ?an
said in an address to thousands of cheering Syrians who have fled
Assad’s brutal crackdown on an anti-regime uprising.

May 7, Monday

Prime Minister ErdoÄ?an said Turkey can start discussing a possible
switch to a presidential system while preparing its new constitution.
`As you know we are now in the process of writing a new constitution.
Whether Turkey can adopt a presidential or a semi-presidential system
can be discussed during this process,’ ErdoÄ?an said, adding that
Parliament would have the final say on the issue. His remarks came
after Deputy Prime Minister Bekir BozdaÄ? said on the same day that
Turkey should discuss a possible switch to the presidential system.

The first hearing of the new trial merging all existing investigations
into Ergenekon, a clandestine criminal network which has alleged links
within the state and is suspected of plotting to topple the
government, began with 256 suspects standing trial.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy was defeated in Sunday’s elections by
his socialist rival. Progress is expected during the term of the new
president-elect, François Hollande, in Turkey’s stalled talks for full
membership in the EU. However, there is concern that as the 100th
anniversary of the events of 1915, when thousands of Armenians died in
the Ottoman Empire, approaches, there might be new tensions. Armenia
wants the 1915 incidents to be recognized as genocide, and France,
which had adopted a law criminalizing the denial of genocide this year
but which has since been overturned by a high court, backs these
claims. Sarkozy relied on the Armenian issue extensively as material
for his campaign despite a promise that he would not do so. Relative
improvement between the two countries’ relations is expected during
Hollande’s term.

A commission formed to investigate Israel’s actions in intercepting a
flotilla to Gaza in 2010 said civilian authorities should review
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) probes, arguing that the military should
not be the sole authority to examine its own conduct when it is
accused of human rights violations.

May 8, Tuesday

Despite Interpol issuing a red notice for Iraq’s fugitive Sunni Vice
President Tariq al-Hashemi, currently in Turkey, Ankara is not
expected to arrest Hashemi and return him to Iraq. Lyon-based Interpol
officials said Tuesday’s move came at the request of the government in
Baghdad, which has charged Hashemi with terrorism and accused him of
running death squads that targeted government officials, security
forces and Shiite pilgrims. In response to questions about the issue
at a press conference in Italy, Turkey’s prime minister said Hashemi
has initiated an appeal against the action taken by Iraqi officials
with Interpol. `We have given him all kinds support on this issue, and
we will continue to do so,’ he said.

Turks continue to have uneasy feelings in the German city of Erfurt,
the capital of the eastern state of Thuringia, where all the prime
suspects of the neo-Nazi serial murders of 10 people, including eight
Turks, were born and grew up. `Our people are in a state of fear,’
said Bülent Canpolat, speaking to a Turkish delegation composed of
lawmakers and media professionals at the Center for Migration and
Integration (Das Zentrum für Integration und Migration in German or
ZIM) in Erfurt. `There are still incidents going on here, albeit minor
ones,’ he added, referring to racially motivated attacks against
immigrants, mainly Turks, who comprise the largest minority in Germany
with some 3 million people.

A joint committee of experts announced that there was no evidence
suggesting that students who were hospitalized after drinking milk
handed out to students as part of the government’s free milk project
were poisoned due to contaminated milk. Some 1,000 students from
schools in several provinces were hospitalized last week after
drinking milk provided via the government’s free milk program. The
milk was suspected of being contaminated.

Born of a 1960 coup, Turkey’s OYAK army pension fund has become a
potent symbol of military economic power with interests from cement to
car production. Now, as the generals’ political influence dwindles
with arrests and coup trials, OYAK is attracting unwanted attention.
OYAK Chairman Yıldırım Türker, a retired lieutenant general, is
sitting in jail awaiting trial on accusations dating back before his
chairmanship to a 1997 `soft coup’ that forced an Islamist-led
government from power. The employees of an OYAK security firm stand
charged in connection with another coup plot, and a parliamentary
sub-commission has begun scrutinizing its activities after complaints
from OYAK members.

May 9, Wednesday

Iraq’s fugitive Sunni Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi, for whom
Interpol issued a red notice, said he plans to stay in Turkey until
the ongoing political crisis in Iraq is resolved. The Iraqi vice
president, who is currently in Ä°stanbul, said he did not have direct
talks with Turkish officials following Interpol’s red notice, but
rather had `indirect talks.’ `Statements by high-level Turkish
officials [against the arrest warrant] confirmed Turkey’s support for
me. I am thankful to Turkey on this issue,’ Hashemi told a Turkish TV
station on Wednesday. `I hope this political problem [in Iraq] is
settled soon.’

A majority of people in Turkey have voiced support for a number of
ongoing investigations and legal cases in which suspected perpetrators
of coups d’état are being brought to trial and believe that
prosecutors should take action against all actors behind coups and
launch new probes against coup actors who have gone untouched until
now, according to the results of a new monthly opinion poll. A full
67.7 percent said they find the trial of suspected coup actors `right
and necessary’ while only 27.1 percent disagreed. The survey was
conducted by Professor Ã-zer Sencar, Professor Ä°hsan DaÄ?ı, Professor
DoÄ?u Ergil, Dr. Sıtkı Yıldız and Dr. Vahap CoÅ?kun for the Ankara-based
MetroPOLL Strategic and Social Research Center.

A new bill submitted to Parliament by the government suggests vital
changes to the organization and structure of the military, including
allowing civilian experts to serve as contracted advisors to the chief
of General Staff on military strategy and affairs. The government
submitted the new bill as part of an ongoing process of civilianizing
the military that has gained momentum in recent years. If the new bill
passes, up to 10 experts on military affairs could be employed at the
request of the chief of General Staff.

May 10, Thursday

Council of State President Hüseyin Karakullukçu voiced support for a
switch to a presidential system in Turkey, saying his court considers
the system to be `democratic’ for Turkey’s standards, in a speech
delivered at a ceremony held on Thursday to mark the 144th anniversary
of the establishment of the Council of State.

Head of the Confederation of Revolutionary Workers’ Unions (DÄ°SK) Erol
Ekici has finally spoken out about allegations that the killing of 34
people during a May Day celebration 35 years ago by snipers who opened
fire on crowds gathered in Ä°stanbul’s Taksim Square was the result of
warring factions among left-wing groups, saying the discussion was
part of a larger campaign to slander the Turkish left.

Twenty-six people, including nine active duty military officers, were
taken into custody on Thursday as part of an operation launched in the
western province of Ä°zmir against a military espionage gang. The
suspects are accused of involvement in the gang as well as
prostitution, blackmail and espionage. The operation was carried out
by the Ä°zmir Police Department’s Anti-Smuggling and Organized Crimes
Unit early in the morning. News sources said the gang is headed by a
25-year-old woman who studies at Pamukkale University in Denizli. The
gang is accused of hiring foreign women as prostitutes for military
officers from whom they obtained military information.

The possibility of invoking the right to military protection of
Turkish borders against threats from Syria under Article 5 of the NATO
charter is still on Turkey’s agenda, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson
has said. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Selçuk Ã`nal said during a
press briefing on Thursday that Turkey’s expectation from Syria is
that it halt the violence as soon as possible to prevent further
instability.

May 11, Friday

Evidence obtained during searches of locations related to individuals
suspected of being members of the Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK)
terrorist network — an umbrella organization that encompasses the
terrorist Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) — indicates that in
Å?anlıurfa, KCK members had compiled intricate lists of people in most
neighborhoods, indicating the political inclinations of the members of
the households.

Cihan Kırmızıgül, a 22-year-old student at Ä°stanbul’s Galatasaray
University, was sentenced to 11 years, three months in prison by an
Ä°stanbul court on Friday on charges of membership in the terrorist
PKK, possession of explosives and causing damage to private buildings.

The president’s office, the Prime Ministry and the Turkish Parliament
have all told an Ankara court hearing the Sept. 12, 1980 coup trial
that Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization (MÄ°T) did not provide
them with any intelligence about the military’s plans to stage a coup
prior to the Sept. 12 coup. All three institutions sent a response to
the Ankara 12th High Criminal Court, which had asked them whether they
had been informed about coup plans in 1980, telling the court that
there are no documents in their archives showing MÄ°T provided
intelligence regarding coup plans.

Today’s Zaman, Turkey
May 13 2012

‘Past grievances no obstacle to better ties’

Gyumri, the second-largest city in northwestern Armenia with a
population of approximately 160,000 people, is strongly seeking the
reopening of the border with Turkey in order to resuscitate the local
economy. (PHOTO SUNDAY’S ZAMAN)

13 May 2012 / CELIL SAÄ?IR, YEREVAN / GYUMRI

Although Armenian politicians in their initial statements about the
possibility of normalization of this country’s strained relations with
Turkey following the parliamentary elections last Sunday were not
upbeat, most people continue to expect to see an improvement in the
troubled relationship between the two countries, urging Turkey to open
its border with Armenia.
Sagis, a 57-year-old lottery ticket seller in Yerevan, who didn’t want
to give his last name like many people here, says his great
grandfather came to Armenia from Turkey’s MuÅ? province. He said,
`Neighbors should be friends.’ Azniv, an 85-year-old retired teacher,
told us, `We don’t need enemies, we need friendship.’ According to
Arman, a 37-year-old businessman who is country director of Fedex in
Yerevan, Turkey and Armenia have no choice but to normalize their
relations because they are neighbors.

Most Armenians here say the symbolic step in that direction would be
for Turkey to open its border with Armenia, which it closed in 1993
following the Armenian occupation of Azerbaijani soil, including
Nagorno-Karabakh.

Tigren, 33, the co-manager of a Pizza Hut in Yerevan, says: `The
border has to be opened. It will be good for us economically.’

The city that wants the border to be reopened most is Gyumri, the
second-largest city in Armenia with a population of 160,000. Gyumri’s
rundown streets and the visible poverty level of the city are in high
contrast with the well-maintained streets of Yerevan.

Alexander Ter Minasiyon, a tourism agency operator in the city, says:
`In Gyumri we know the difficulty of living in a border town near a
closed border. To get to Kars, which is only 90 kilometers away, we
travel 497 kilometers via Georgia. We lose about 10,000 tourists every
year,’ noting that the city of Kars on the Turkish border also wants
the border to be opened. He added that there is a Russian base on the
Armenian part of the border facing the Ani ruins [in Kars], and the
soldiers don’t allow tourists to even look at the site across the
border.

`The financial cost of the border being closed is huge. I don’t agree
with the politicians who say we can get along without Turkey. We are
losing a lot,’ says Levon Barseghyan, who notes that Turkish products
cost 30 times what they should cost because they are delivered through
Georgia.

Vahan Khachatryan, a businessman who owns Gala TV, a network that
broadcasts in the Gyumri region, says he has been looking for a
Turkish partner for his soap manufacturing business, noting that the
border being closed is causing delays in communication and
transportation.

The irony lies in the Russian military units near the border that
Gyumri wants to see open. The Russians are protecting the population
from a `potential threat’ from Turkey. There are also Russian troops
and a radar unit inside the town.

Border towns on the other side are also suffering from the situation.
`The illicit trade between Turkey and Armenia as of 2011 had reached a
volume of around $280 million, according to unofficial figures,’ says
Noyan Soyak from the Turkish-Armenian Business Development Council
(TABDC).

`It is possible to say that this figure can increase up to three
times in a very short period. Opening the border would ensure that
goods from the eastern and southeastern Anatolian regions arrive in
Yerevan in four to five hours, shortening the time greatly,’ Soyak
adds. `We perceive the possibility of the trade volume between Turkey
and Armenia reaching $1 billion, including tourism revenue, in three
years if the border were open,’ he said.

According to the TABDC, the most attractive sectors for Turkish
traders and investors are textiles, machinery and the food industry,
and, of course, there is great potential for untouched sectors such as
transportation, energy and information technologies.

But Vartan Oskanian, a former foreign minister and an important figure
in the Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK), which came in second place in
the elections, points to the Nagorno-Karabakh issue as the main
obstacle to opening the border. He said: `So our focus should be on
Nagorno-Karabakh. If we can solve that problem, then Turkey will open
the border.’

Gyumrian artist Aleksey Manukyan says: `The Karabakh issue is costing
us dearly. We still have an eastern mentality; we can’t act
pragmatically. People don’t voice this openly, but such is the
situation.’

One person who can’t wait to see the day the border is opened is
Karine Petrosyan, the chief of the Akhurian Train Station. She
remembers that the last train from Turkey arrived in Akhurian in April
of 1993. `I will retire 10 years from now. I want to see that train
again before I retire.’ She says the village of Akhurik, after which
the station is named, has been affected negatively by the border
closing. Many young people left the village. There are also people who
say Turkey should first recognize the 1915 massacre of Armenians at
the hands of the Ottomans in 1915 as genocide. One such person is
Eleonora, a 25-year-old bank clerk. `We can’t possibly normalize our
relations before Turkey admits the genocide.’ Armen Pahlevenyan, a
taxi driver in Gyumri, agrees. `Nothing can be described as normal
unless Turkey recognizes the genocide,’ said Pahlevenyan, whose great
grandfather had to migrate to Gyumri from Kars.

Nana (19), a university student from Gyumri, says once Turkey
recognizes the genocide, the past will stop haunting both countries.

Others, yet, prefer to look to the future instead of setting the
genocide as a prerequisite for better relations. Smbat, a 55-year-old
Armenian who didn’t want to give his second name, also has his roots
in Kars. His family was forced to come to Yerevan during the 1915
incidents. `Whatever happened is in the past. We should now open the
border. We want a better life for ourselves and for our children. We,
as Armenians, aren’t after revenge. We want good neighborly relations.
And Turkey should also want this.’ Milla Kazanian (21) of Yerevan also
agrees, saying: `The past is in the past. Now is the time to look
forward. The border should reopen, and our relations should go back to
normal.’ Felix, an 18-year-old university student, said, `The past
shouldn’t be an obstacle to the normalization of ties, but we would
like Turkey to recognize the genocide.’ On the Turkish side, there is
concern that recognition would bring up the issue of reparations.

Galust Sahakyan, leader of the Republican Party of Armenia (HHK)
parliamentary faction, meanwhile, indicated that Armenian leaders had
their own red lines that will take priority over any form of
reconciliation pact. He said at a meeting with a group of Turkish
journalists on Friday, `For us, the Karabakh problem and the genocide
issue are more important than a restart in relations with Turkey.’

`It is not enough to admit and then to apologize. Responsibilities
such as returning land and paying compensation should also be
fulfilled,’ says Giro Manoyan, from the nationalist Armenian
Revolutionary Federation (ARF), a socialist party that nevertheless is
known for its staunch Armenian nationalism. The votes for the party
fell from 12 percent in the 2007 elections to 5 percent in this year’s
elections.

Gala TV owner Khachatryan says: `What’s important is that Turkey opens
the border. When people can freely interact, they will say `we are
sorry.’ The historical facts of the past should be accepted, and we
should all look forward.’

The International Herald Tribune, France
May 12, 2012 Saturday

Disconnect in the art market: Celebrity drives buyers, who operate as
if they live on a different planet

by SOUREN MELIKIAN

NEW YORK

ABSTRACT
Two weeks of sales in New York demonstrate that celebrity drives
buyers, who seem to be operating on a different economic planet.

FULL TEXT
The sales of postwar and contemporary art that took in $388.5 million
at Christie’s and $266.6 million at Sotheby’s this week conclusively
proved that the disconnect of the art market from the broader economy
is now radical.
When a single evening session ends on the highest total ever scored in
any category, as was the case with Christie’s on Tuesday, no one can
doubt that those who run after art operate as if they were living on a
different planet. This outburst of hubristic buying occurred less than
a week after Sotheby’s registered its highest score ever, $330
million, in a sale of Impressionist and modern art.
Two historic weeks in a row deserve attention at a time when the
economic outlook is so bleak.
Three salient facts emerge from the buying binge that went on in that
sale. Most striking was the series of world auction records set at
extraordinarily high levels for paintings and three-dimensional works
by artists who have long been praised in the media and displayed in
glamorous museum shows.
Mark Rothko, who became the standard bearer of New York Expressionist
Abstraction by the late 1950s, painted ”Orange, Red, Yellow” in
1961. The glow of its misty orange rectangles framed by carmine red
bands radiates from far away. Christie’s reckoned that the monumental
picture would sell for $35 million to $45 million, plus the sale
charge of more than 12 percent.
It brought $86.9 million, beating the previous record for the artist
for ”White center (Yellow, Pink and Lavender on Rose),” sold by
Sotheby’s in 2007 for $72.84 million – a world record for any postwar
and contemporary work.
The second highest price down the list of Christie’s world records
went to Yves Klein’s ”FCI (Fire Color)” painted in dry pigments and
synthetic resin. The huge panel, nearly three meters long, about 10
feet, was painted in 1962, the year Klein died. Female silhouettes
move about as if dancing in a ballet. Set off by purplish blue halos
on an ochre background, they give the composition a ghostly touch – to
achieve his ”Fire Color” paintings, the French artist employed
female assistants standing in the nude and pressing their bodies
against a panel. At $36.4 million, ”FCI (Fire Color)” exceeded by
two thirds the record price paid at Sotheby’s in 2008 for Klein’s ”MG
9” in gold leaf on panel, also from 1962.
The third highest record price in Christie’s sale, $23 million,
greeted Jackson Pollock’s ”Number 28, 1951,” underlining the new
energy with which bidders were chasing the best works by postwar
artists. Pollock, the most subtle of the New York upholders of
Expressionist Abstraction, died in 1956. In 2004, ”Number 12, 1949”
sold at Christie’s for $11.65 million, half this week’s price.
The second significant fact in the Tuesday super-sale was the upward
leap made by small-size works that were seen as negligible less than
20 years ago. Now the artists’ names are enough to define them as
desirable tokens.
”When Roy Lichtenstein’s ”Brush-stroke” in graphite, pochoir and
lithographic rubbing crayon done in 1965 came up at Sotheby’s in 1987,
it brought $187,000. This week the bill was $2.32 million.
The third notable trend in Christie’s sale was the spectacular surge
of interest taken in three-dimensional works by postwar avant-garde
artists. In 1984, David Smith’s ”Circle and Angles” executed in
stainless steel in 1959 barely caused a ripple when it sold at
Christie’s for $170,500. It made $4.56 million this week.
The great beneficiary of the interest taken in avant-garde
three-dimensional art from the two decades after the end of World War
II was Alexander Calder. ”Lily of Force” executed in painted sheet
metal, rod and wire the year the war ended set a record for a standing
mobile by the American artist, at $18.56 million. ”Snow Flurry,”
probably done in 1948, climbed to $10.39 million, more than doubling
the previous highest price for a hanging mobile – paid just last
November. Calder’s ”Sumac” then sold for $4.79 million, also at
Christie’s.
Among living artists Gerhard Richter is perceived by bidders as a safe
bet, on a par with postwar artists. A vast ”Abstract picture” from
1993, shimmering in its admirable color scheme, became the most
expensive work by the master sold at auction when it exceeded
Christie’s high estimate at $21.81 million.
On Wednesday, the outpour of money went on at Sotheby’s along much the
same lines, but the session in which the offerings were thinner than
at Christie’s provided a cautionary note. The two paintings that
carried the signatures of artists with a long record of media
celebration duly rose to world record prices.
One was Roy Lichtenstein’s ”Sleeping Girl” done in 1964 in his style
imitating comics on a monumental scale. It brought $44.88 million. At
Sotheby’s in 1988, ”Sleeping Girl” made $1.32 million. Ten years
later prices had not moved much. In 1998, ”Sleeping Girl” sold at
Christie’s for $1.37 million. Nowadays, the initial jocular intention
that inspired the young Pop artists is forgotten.
The other huge world record was elicited by one of Cy Twombly’s vast
gray panels with regular lines of white scribbling. At $17.44 million,
”Untitled (New York City)” from 1970 beat by $2.2 million the
previous record established at Christie’s on May 20 last year for
another scribbling exercise, done in 1967 and simply called
”Untitled.”
Utterly different works, also treated as blue chips by virtue of their
decade-long record of media and museum approval, realized gigantic
prices.
Francis Bacon’s ”Figure Writing Reflected in a Mirror” painted in
1976 in the English artist’s usual expressionistic manner realized the
same price as ”Sleeping Girl,” $44.82 million. While aesthetics were
evidently not a major consideration in the making of prices, celebrity
was.
Andy Warhol’s ”Double Elvis [Ferus Type]” done in 1963 in silkscreen
and spray paint on linen might not have excited as much enthusiasm in
earlier years. The very large image portraying Elvis Presley, based on
a still from a movie in which Presley played the lead role as a
gunslinger, is painted in pale gray hues. But this week the combined
names of Warhol and Presley were worth gold – $37.04 million to be
precise.
As at Christie’s, Richter’s work soared sky high. A 1992 ”Abstract
Bild” went far above the estimate of $8 million to $10 million plus
the sale charge. At $16.88 million, it was arguably more expensive
than Christie’s superior work.
Much lower down on the financial scale, activity was strong too.
Jean-Michel Basquiat’s cartoon style ”Ring” dated 1981 did better
than hoped for at $7.64 million.
And yet, 11 lots went nowhere. Arshile Gorky’s ”Khorkom” was painted
in 1938 in the Armenian artist’s style reflecting the joint influences
of early Expressionist abstraction and Surrealism. It remained unsold
at $2.4 million. The consignor had bought ”Khorkom” at Christie’s in
2007 for $4.18 million. Highly regarded by many critics, Gorky enjoyed
one-man shows at the Whitney Museum of American Art in 1951, at the
Tate Gallery, London in 1965, and at the Solomon R. Guggenheim in
1981, to mention a few, but never achieved world fame.
Three lots down, Willem de Kooning’s ”Untitled” did not attract a
single bid despite the American artist’s celebrity. The hanging mobile
by Calder that followed sold below expectations, for $1.48 million.
The most famous names too can fail to seduce. Seeking a financial
haven in postwar and contemporary art can resemble a roulette game
where fortunes could be made and ruin is equally possible.

Arrangements dedicated to the Triple Holiday in Stepanakert and in Shoushi

Wednesday, 09 May 2012 14:01

The arrangements dedicated to the Victory Day, the Day of the NKR
Defense Army and the 20th anniversary of the liberation of Shoushi
commenced in Artsakh long ago; various cultural and sports events were
organized in different regions of the Republic.

On May 8, within the framework of the holiday festivities thousands of
Artsakh citizens visited the memorial complex in Stepanakert to pay
tribute to the memory of the victims of the Great Patriotic and
Artsakh liberation wars. The NKR and RA authorities at the head of
Presidents Bako Sahakyan and Serzh Sargsyan visited the memorial
complex as well. After the memorial complex they paid a visit to
Shoushi where they put wreaths and flowers at the tank-monument
pedestal and at the monument to Sparapet /Commander/ Vazgen Sargsyan.

The festive events were participated by Supreme Patriarch and
Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II, NKR second President Arkadi
Ghoukasyan, representatives from the Armenian Diaspora and guests from
abroad.

The authorities of the two Armenian Republics at the head of the
Presidents participated in the folk festival accompanied by national
ceremonies, round dances, a fashion show, an exhibition of handicraft
specimens by the children of Artsakh and some other arrangements.

In spite of adverse weather conditions and the heavy rainfall the
festivities were successfully performed.

The main festive ceremonies are arranged for May 9. In the morning a
military parade is going to be held in the Rebirth Square of the
Republic which will be followed by a concert accompanied by festive
fireworks at the stadium of the capital.

Karabakh-open.info

Parliamentary Seats, Serzh’s Pasture

Haik Aramyan

Story from Lragir.am News:

Published: 15:44:08 – 13/05/2012

Commenting on Aram Sargsyan’s decision to resign from parliament and
leave the Congress, the leader of the ANC Levon Ter-Petrosyan told the
Haykakan Zhamanak: `Now it is difficult to tell anything. But if it
turns out that he chose the right way, I will only be happy.’

The political progress of Levon Ter-Petrosyan and the ANC had a sad,
as well as a miserable end. In fact, the `forecast’ of the
representatives of the `kleptocracy’ dating back to 2007 that
Ter-Petrosyan’s intention is to clear himself of the past and taking
his aides to parliament came true.

Unfortunately, it is true. The Congress transformed from a popular
movement to an ordinary political party, and Ter-Petrosyan ended up as
an `ordinary oppositionist’, as Robert Kocharyan had predicted.

The peak was running in the parliamentary election and the Congress
entered parliament with 0.1% by government’s mercy. The government
assessed the Congress this much, while people assessed it at
5,000-10,000 drams. This was the appraisal of the Congress’ policy
which acted as the doorkeeper of first the RPA, then the PA, and was
unable to achieve success in implementing its goals and was satisfied
with a 0.1% mercy – a few parliamentary seats.

The Congress will accept the seats – no more political, civil and
moral `checks and balances’ are left not to take this step. They will
accept and humbly walk into the parliament `elected by mass fraud’ to
`anger the government’, as they refer to it. `Those who voted for
Serzh Sargsyan are transforming Armenia to a pasture for Turks,’ the
leader of the Congress said. Now they will accept the mandate and go
to work in that `pasture’.

Those who will resign and leave the Congress will be alleged of
betrayal and venality. The only thing the Congress’ apologists are
good at is allegations and excuses.

REVUE DE PRESSE
La crise rapproche entrepreneurs turcs et grecs
Delphine Nerbollier, à Istanbul

La Grèce aux prises avec une sévère récession économique se tourne
vers la Turquie pour trouver des solutions et des investissements, des
relations qui accélèrent le rapprochement entre les deux pays,
longtemps à couteaux tirés. Sur le papier, tout semble opposer les
économies grecques et turques. La première a connu une contraction de
6,9% de son activité en 2011 tandis qu’Ankara a battu tous ses records
avec 8,5 % de hausse de son PIB. Quant à l’année 2012, la Banque de
Grèce estime à 5% la chute de l’économie nationale alors que le
gouvernement turc table sur 4,5% de croissance.

Hausse de 37% des échanges commerciaux en 2011

Si loin si proches, ces deux voisins minés par des décennies de
tensions politiques se disent toutefois déterminés à faire de la crise
grecque une occasion de rattraper leur retard en matière de
coopération économique. Même si la Grèce n’est que le 25e partenaire
commercial de la Turquie, le commerce bilatéral entre Athènes et
Ankara est en constante hausse (+ 37% en 2011, passant de 2,9 à 4,1
milliards de dollars). Les importations turques ont cru de 66%,
poussées notamment par l’achat de viande de bétail.

`Au dela des divergences apparentes de destin entre nos deux pays,
nous avons une grande occasion de renforcer la coopération de nos
économies complémentaires`, déclarait, fin mars à Istanbul,
Constantine A. Papadopoulos, membre du ministère grec des Affaires
étrangères. Invité à une conférence destinée à vanter en Turquie les
avantages du marché grec, ce diplomate s’est dit `prêt à fournir aux
entreprises turques tout le soutien nécessaire afin qu’elles explorent
les occasions d’investissements les plus rentables`.

Les entreprises turques intéressées par les nationalisations en Grèce

Pour cela, Athènes compte notamment sur son vaste programme de
nationalisations destiné à rapporter 50 milliards d’euros dans les
caisses vides de l’Etat. Lors de la rencontre organisée en mars à
Istanbul, plus de 120 entreprises turques se sont renseignées sur les
secteurs concernés par ces privatisations. `La compétition sera rude
mais les entreprises turques ont les reins solides`, commente Selim
Egeli, président du Conseil d’affaires gréco-tuc au sein du DEIK
(Conseil des relations écononomiques extérieures). Cet homme
d’affaires confirme l’`énorme intérêt` de groupes turcs pour `tous les
secteurs` avec une préférence pour les infrastructures (prise de
participation dans les ports du Pirée et de Salonique), l’immobilier,
le tourisme et la construction.

Selon l’AFP, la Turquie serait intéressée par l’achat d’un terrain d’1
million de m2 sur l’île de Rhodes et d’un autre de 500.000 m2 à
Corfou. `Nous recherchons des occasions d’investir en Grèce et notre
priorité sera les ports`, explique de son côté, Adnan Nas, de la
branche turque de Global Ýnvestment holding.

Les entreprises grecques de plus en plus nombreuses à s’implanter en Turquie

Autre signe de la vigueur de ces relations bilatérales, le nombre
d’entreprises grecques enregistrées en Turquie a grimpé de 10% l’an
dernier. Car avec 74 millions d’habitants, la Turquie représente un
énorme marché pour le petit voisin grec. `En temps de crise, lorsque
les consommateurs ne peuvent plus acheter, il est normal que les
entreprises se tournent vers des marchés plus profitables`, explique
Selim Egeli. `Cela explique l’intérêt actuel des entreprises grecques
spécialisées dans la chimie, l’aluminium, ou les aliments pour bébé`,
avance-t-il.

Cet intérêt réciproque entre Ankara et Athènes marque une nouvelle
étape dans le processus de réconciliation engagé après le tremblement
de terre de 1999 qui avait durement frappé la région turque d’Izmit.
En 2010, les deux pays avaient signé toute une série d’accords
stratégiques historiques. `Nous avons pris du retard, reconnaît Selim
Egeli, mais nous voyons que la stabilité politique entre nos deux pays
se retranscrit sur le business.`

dimanche 13 mai 2012,
Stéphane ©armenews.com