Author: Kanayan Tamar

AZERBAIJANI DIVERSION ATTACK PRECEDED BY DRONE FLIGHTS – ARMENIA’S MOD

news.am
May 01, 2012 | 15:32

The Azerbaijani diversion group’s penetration into Armenia’s territory
was presumably preceded by the flights of unmanned aerial vehicles
(UAV). This was stated during the meeting between Armenian MOD and
OSCE Chairman-in-Office field assistants Hristo Hristov and Irji
Aberle. To note, the OSCE conducted a monitoring on Monday at the
line of contact between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

On April 26, the aforesaid diversion group had fired shots at a VAZ
2107, at the Movses-Aygepar road section. There were four Armenian
military servicemen in the vehicle, and three of them had died as
a result.

The OSCE representatives were also informed that a UAV was hovering
above one day before the attack and at 2:45 pm. It was on a
reconnaissance mission.

“The consistency of the UAV’s usage and the diversion operations in the
same location are interlinked,” MOD representatives noted. The Armenian
side is prepared to submit to the OSCE the drone’s flight video.

Hristo Hristov and Irji Aberle visited the scene of the incident
where the Azerbaijani diversion group had attacked. The traces of
blood and the location of the grenade explosion were visible on the
road. First, the Azerbaijanis had fired at the car and subsequently
thrown grenades at it.

“One of the wounded had fallen from the automobile and died on the
road. They killed the other two after throwing grenades at the car,”
the local command unit representative noted.

Also, the OSCE representatives inspected the pelted vehicle, which
is kept at a Military Police garrison.

To note, Azerbaijan has violated the ceasefire close to 4,600 times
since the beginning of this year. Armenian settlements likewise are
intensively fired at. Thirteen such cases are recorded in Tavush
Region alone.

DEAD CONSCIOUSNESS AND LIGHT OF MASHTOTS
HAKOB BADALYAN

Story from Lragir.am News:

Published: 15:57:44 – 01/05/2012

New Armenian Alphabet

After Serzh Sargsyan had visited Mashtots Park and announced that
the boutiques must be removed from the park, interestingly a campaign
started against the citizens fighting for saving the park on Mashtots
Avenue. Amazingly, the campaign was begun by other citizens and most
of them had even attended the actions in Mashtots Park. It was not
the government.

The red line running through criticism in social networks is that
activists of Mashtots Park had stated reluctant to politicize their
struggle while Serzh Sargsyan came to earn some political dividends
before the election.

Let’s leave Serzh Sargsyan and his dividends alone. What dividends do
the citizens win the goal of whose social network and other activities
is to detect a “pro-government project” in Mashtots Park?

Obviously, struggle in the park is a serious challenge for all
the form and content of political struggle that has ever existed in
Armenia. Earlier, political struggle has never achieved any significant
milestone. So far the political struggle has been able to eliminate
the consequence of its failures, presenting them as results.

The “old” political movements of Armenia have not achieved any other
major goal so far and will not achieve in future either, evidence
to which is their efforts to justify their futile initiatives rather
than to find a way out of the deadlock together with their sheer army
of supporters.

This logic will certainly view Mashots Park as a “pro-government
project” because the park was effective even from the point of view
of refusal to dismantle the boutiques. A new style of civic struggle
was born and developed in the park, the style of the self-determined
citizen which personally solves its problems instead of seeking for
political “politburos” to address them.

After all, it is obvious that the efficiency of this young style is
not less than the efficiency of the so-called traditional political
stylistics.

The targets are not so big. They are only boutiques, and the history
of battles against the police is not long. The statistics of other
styles is bigger and richer. So what? What about the efficiency of
other styles?

As to the theory of “pro-government project”, there is almost no
difference from the theory of “global conspiracy” the followers of
which are the Armenian government and the so-called political class.

And it should be noted that the government is not alone with this
mindset and has inspired a great part of the society that there
cannot be small or big success outside the “conspiracy theories”
and the world goes round the “universal conspiracy”.

The government explains any alternative by the theory of “global
conspiracy” and considers the issue closed and has inspired a greater
part of the society with the theory of “government conspiracy” which
states: “If you are not with us, and you defy our leadership and our
truth but you are something without us, something is definitely wrong.”

This is the consciousness. It is not accidental that in the struggle
with a shared pole of consciousness and mind the government always won
the struggle against it carried out in the style of the traditional
Armenian political movement because of two similarly thinking subjects
the one will win who has more material and violent resource.

Mashtots Park is a litmus paper for everyone. As to the destiny of
the boutiques, now it is a secondary issue whether Serzh Sargsyan
will have the boutiques dismantled or Serzh Sargsyan will vow but will
not change anything. Everything is secondary for this piece of litmus
paper. The important thing for this litmus paper is the cleanness which
enables writing on it a new page of the struggle for reform in Armenia.

Armenia is suffering a crisis of old pages, and perhaps even old
language and old alphabet. And perhaps it is not accidental that this
litmus paper is in Mashtots Park where the new alphabet of struggle is
being created which must go through time and space, undergo phonetic
changes, grammatical corrections until it becomes a new language of
practical united struggle that will be easily understood by citizens.

It is important that this new alphabet belongs to everyone, independent
from the constitution of struggle, space and time, and does not become
the property or monopoly of any “politburo”.

HAS PAP WAKEN UP OR IT’S A GAME?
Naira Hayrumyan

Story from Lragir.am News:

Published: 12:32:09 – 01/05/2012

The Constitutional Court accepted for processing the request
of the Prosperous Armenia and ARFD MPs demanding to declare
anti-constitutional the provision of the Election Code banning the
release of the voters’ list after the elections.

The Court is going to consider the case on May 5, one day before the
elections, on Saturday. This shows how unserious the CC treats the
request of the MPs and the request will hardly be met.

The court is possible to consider the case for the whole day and
then postpone it till May 7, Monday. The court is also possible to
declare the request of the MPs legal stating at the same time that
the parliament needs to amend the Election Code. After May 6, the
elections will not be released for sure.

What is this – a Western initiative or a game by the Prosperous
Armenia? If the ARFD and Heritage, during the consideration of the
Election Code last year demanded to release the voters’ lists, the
PAP would not vote against Election Code, stating that the greater
part of its demands was accepted.

The party gave the same answer to the demand by Heritage, ARFD and
the Armenian National Congress to pass to the full proportional system.

PAP pharisaism failed the formation of e unique front against the
RPA and forcing it to adopt the amendments.

Now, the PAP has become the advocate of the publication of lists and
fair elections. Why? Did the PAP hope for a deal with the Republican
Party before the election, and therefore it didn’t want to burn
the bridges? In the end, election ploy as the uncertainty of lists,
and maintaining a majority “reserve” played in favor of the PAP.

But apparently, the parties failed to agree and when real competition
came, the PAP suddenly remembered about frauds. True, it is too late
because it reminds a game with the perspective to win points to be
ready for the next deal.

It is noteworthy that the Republican Party doesn’t consider it
necessary to justify itself for not wanting to release the lists. They
only refer to the Venice Commission, which supports the secrecy of the
vote. The RPA is like a child who is suspected of stealing something
and who is asked to open the fist, but he stubbornly and arrogantly
refuses. Everyone knows that the RPA relies on the votes of absent
people and this is its only weapon, illegal one, and the party looks
right into your eyes and keeps refusing to open the fist.

How is it possible to dwell on legitimacy after all this? Does the
RPA hope that everything will be like in 2007? When everyone had to
reconcile with the absolute majority of the Republican Party even
despite the huge number of frauds and breaches. There was heard a
sacred statement – there have been frauds which didn’t influence the
outcome of elections.

Perhaps, RPA hopes are grounded taking into account the behavior
of the Prosperous Armenia: it say nothing about being opposition,
it just wants as many parliamentary seats as the RPA to become on
equal terms in the coalition, as Vartan Oskanian says.

What will change in the state system of Armenia If the percentage
ratio of the RPA-PAP changes from 80-20 to 60-40, or even 50-50? Will
the Prosperous Armenia insist on amendments to the Election Code then
too, or it will go back to its course?

ARMENIAN YOUTH MIX ACTIVISM, REMEMBERANCE DURING COMMEMORATIONS OF 1915 GENOCIDE

89.3 KPCC

April 30 2012

In a recent evening inside Glendale High School’s auditorium high
school student Angela Pachanian rehearsed a poem of suffering and
sadness by Paruyr Sevak, Armenia’s best-known poet of the genocide.

Below her, in the auditorium’s first few rows, a group of nine and
ten year old Armenian American children run through a melodious song.

Their choirmaster said it’s a nationalistic Armenian song about going
to war, defending and saving the mother country.

The Armenian clubs at four Glendale high schools organized the
remembrance, with help from school district officials. The event’s
title, “Our Traditions Keep Us Alive,” hints at how tightly the
genocide is interwoven with Armenian identity.

“I clearly remember how when my parents would try to teach me about
what exactly happened,” Crescenta Valley High junior Sevag Alexanian,
as for most of these students, the genocide is among his earliest
memories, “how my great grandparents were affected by this, how
we’re lucky that we’re still here today because my great grandfather
survived and just pretty much how we’re the youth and we’re going to
be the ones getting the word out when we grow older, as a kid that
was always embedded in us.”

The Armenian Genocide has been part of the California public education
curriculum for 25 years. But Alexanian said his high school history
teacher glossed over it.

He, like many other young Armenian Americans, learned outside of
school to fervently argue for the recognition of the 1915 series
of events as “genocide.” There’s a consensus among historians that
the Ottomans targeted Armenians for extermination, but the current
Turkish government denies it. The U.S. government has not formally
recognized the Armenian Genocide.

Glendale Unified school board member Greg Krikorian said recognition
is one reason to hold this cultural event.

“We’re sending a message that we want, not only recognition of the
Armenian genocide, we want our homeland back, our territory back. The
Turkish government today is destroying our churches, destroying
our history. The Armenians for the past 97 years have given back to
America and this is one way our students are expressing their views
and values of the Armenian Genocide,” he said.

The zealous activism learned by young Armenian Americans from their
elders is justified, says Glendale Community College professor Levon
Marshalian.

“It’s more painful when someone’s history is not acknowledged and
denied. It’s as if, how would Americans feel if someone would be
saying, no there was no attack on Pearl Harbor, in fact America
surprised, dropped a surprise bomb on Tokyo first,” Marshalian said.

Many high school and college students exercised their activism last
week by taking part in Armenian Genocide protests and marches.

They’re not the only ones remembering genocides. In the last few weeks,
thousands of people in Southern California have held events to remember
the Holocaust during World War II and the Cambodian genocide in the
1970s. These genocides scattered refugees in diasporas far and wide.

In a darkened auditorium at Glendale Community College, the remembrance
of the Armenian Genocide took a somber tone. The campus Armenian club
screened Suzanne Khardalian’s film “Grandma’s Tattoos.”

The film focuses on the trauma of the genocide survivors and how that
trickled down to the filmmaker’s generation.

After the film, student Chantalle Parsakhian said its portrayal of
the genocide’s destruction is very different from what she learned
at home and at Armenian private school. She’s worried young Armenian
Americans are losing touch with this side of the genocide.

“I feel it’s just another day for them to not go to school because,
and the passion for justice has kind of dwindled, that’s what really
is upsetting,” she said.

Parsakhian left along a walkway where the campus Armenian club had
set up documents and photos detailing the extent of the deaths. On
the other side, on an easel, was a wreath in the shape of the Armenian
flag with “Never Again” printed on a ribbon.

CHRISTIAN IRANIAN MP CONDEMNS KORAN BURNING

Islamic Republic News Agency website
April 30 2012
Iran

Tehran, 30 April: Representative of Armenians of southern Iran in the
Iranian Parliament Robert Beglarian condemned the act of an American
priest in desecrating the Holy Koran and said he is seeking to sow
discord among religions.

He referred to the act of the American priest as a low, mean and
provoking behaviour.

He strongly condemned the move and said such an act is in no way
acceptable.

The parliamentarian further said the priest’s desecrating act shows
that religion in western countries has turned into a tool for creating
tension among religions.

Ouest-France
samedi 28 avril 2012
quimper Edition

Un alphabet arménien pour la mairie

En marge de la commémoration du génocide arménien, les responsables de
l’association Menez Ararat, qui réunit les Arméniens de Bretagne, ont
voulu concrétiser des liens plus forts tissés avec Beuzec. Ils ont
symboliquement offert à la commune un tableau peint, en provenance
directe d’Arménie, présentant l’alphabet arménien. Cet alphabet de 38
lettres a été imaginé en l’an 405, par Mesrop Machots, un prêtre plus
tard sanctifié. Il marquait ainsi, il y a 1 700 ans, le début de la
langue écrite, le Graban, encore utilisée aujourd’hui en Arménie, mais
aussi en Géorgie. En recevant ce cadeau, le maire, Jean Pichon, a
promis que cette oeuvre colorée figurerait en bonne place à la mairie.

Azeri subversion and OSCE monitoring: What next?

April 30, 2012 – 20:39 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Today, on April 30, OSCE representatives personally
familiarized themselves with the consequences of Azeri shelling of
Armenian village of Doveg in Tavush Province. The settlement was
targeted by Azerbaijani forces on April 25, with a kindergarten
shelled. The OSCE took photos and videos of consequences of the
ceasefire violation.

Field Assistants of OSCE Chairman-in-Office Hristo Hristov and Irjie
Aberle also went to the site of murder of three Armenian soldiers.
Afterwards, in the military prison of Berd town they carefully
examined the car shelled, by which the unarmed soldiers in civilian
clothes were returning to the military unit.

Prior to this, the OSCE mission conducted monitoring at contact line
between Armenian and Azerbaijani armed forces, with no incidents
recorded; the same contact line where the Azerbaijani side repeatedly
violated the ceasefire by targeting the Armenian positions.
Fortunately, this time, the violation claimed no lives.

Monitoring was held… What next? This will once again mark the start of
endless talks stressing the `need to maintain ceasefire.’ Talks with
no specific addressee? Continued calls for peaceful resolution of the
problem? Mediators and international community will again turn a blind
eye to acquisition of countless weapons by Azerbaijan? Will Azerbaijan
continue its subversive acts? Murder of Armenian soldiers by Azeri
subversives will keep bearing a systematic character? Kindergartens
and schools will be shelled again?

Or the international community will find enough courage to name the
specific addressee, urging it to lay down arms? Will it finally take
effective measures? Will it call for conducting true negotiations,
instead of concealing them at the last moment, as the Azerbaijani side
is used to do?

Time will show…

Marina Ananikyan / PanARMENIAN News

Google Maps show Baku avenue in Armenian

April 30, 2012 – 18:02 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Name of Neftchilar Avenue of Baku has been shown on
Google Maps in Armenian language, Azerbaijan Press Agency reports
citing ICT Information Center.

According to the information, the mentioned fact can be understood as
informational provocation against Azerbaijan, living in state of war
as a result of military aggression of Armenia.

`Such attitude of Google – the world leader in electronic cartography,
toward an independent Azerbaijan is unacceptable,’ the message says.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Communications and Information
Technologies Mushfig Amirov noted that the ministry was aware of this
issue: `The Ministry has already addressed the Google and Azerbaijani
Foreign Ministry for elimination of this problem. I think the problem
will be solved soon. Such a case is not the first. Every time
Azerbaijan addresses the relevant organizations and the error is
corrected’.

Armenian-Iranian relations derive from the political will of state leaders

15:02, 30 April, 2012

YEREVAN, APRIL 30, ARMENPRESS: On April 30 Minister of Defense Seyran
Ohanyan received Iranian Ambassador Seyed Ali Saghaian, who is ending
his diplomatic mission in Armenia.
At the course of the meeting the sides highly appreciated the
diversification of cooperation between two states, stated that
throughout 20 years of cooperation the sides implemented many
projects; there are intentions to enlarge the cooperation in the
future.
Information and Public Relations Department of the Republic of Armenia
told Armenpress that the sides dwelled on regional issues, general
approaches of regional security perception, on the settlement of
current conflicts and the stance of the sides referring to them.
Armenian Foreign Minister thanked the ambassador for strengthening
ties between the countries and efforts made to promote closer
relations during his diplomatic mission.
Ambassador Seyed Ali Saghaian noted that Armenian-Iranian relations
stem both from the strategic and political will of the leaders of two
countries and the common features of two states’ peoples.
Armenian Defense Minister wished the Ambassador every success and
expressed hope that Iranian high ranking official will step up efforts
for strengthening amicable relations between the countries in the
future as well.

Armenia’s Communist Party to restore former production might

news.am
April 30, 2012 | 16:32

YEREVAN. – The Communist Party of Armenia participates in the
parliamentary elections to offer the Armenians an opportunity to vote
for an alternative way for the state development, the United Communist
Progressive party head, second in the election list of the Communist
Party Vazgen Safaryan said at a press conference on Monday.

Asked what the next parliament will gain or lose in case the party
does not enter the next parliament, Safaryan said that if the party
enters next parliament, it will have a healthy ideological dialogue,
if not, the party will start the marathon race to get `levers of
management’.

`Armenia has become a state-consumer over the recent 20 years, while
it was a state-producer during the Soviet times. Hence, we want to
restore production might,’ Safaryan said.

The Communist Party of Armenia is running for the parliament jointly
with the Progressive United Communist Party.

In the period of Armenia’s independence the party was presented in the
parliament in 1991-2003. Ruben Tovmasyan is first secretary of the
Central Committee of the Communist Party of Armenia. The party’s
mottos are `Nation wins if Communists win’ and `Socialism, homeland,
victory.’

The party’s proportional list includes 75 names.