Author: Kanayan Tamar

RUSSIA TO USE CAUCASUS DRILLS TO PREPARE FOR INTERNATIONAL CONFLICTS

Russia Today

Jan 16 2012

The Ministry of Defense has started preparations for one of the
biggest military exercises of the year, the “Caucasus-2012” drills.

The exercises are taking place in Southern Russia, Abkhazia, South
Ossetia and Armenia in September 2012.

One purpose of the large-scale drills this year is to prepare the
Russian military for a possible armed conflict between the US and
Israel on the one side and Iran on the other.

“It would be a good demonstration of new Russian military power,”
Viktor Mizin from the Institute of Strategic Assessment told RT. “We
will show that Russia has undergone a revival of its military power,
and is now becoming not only a major economic and political player,
but also a major global military player.”

OSCE TO FOCUS ON UNRESOLVED CONFLICTS IN GEORGIA
By Ernest Petrosyan

The Messenger

Jan 16 2012
Georgia

Ireland will advance on so-called protracted conflicts existing in
OSCE space, involving Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Moldova, which
remain unresolved some two decades after they first erupted in war –
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ireland and Vice Prime Minister Eamon
Gilmore has said, laying out his priorities for Ireland’s year as
Chairman of the 56-nation OSCE at its headquarters in Vienna.

Gilmore, the new OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, said, while emphasizing
his country’s chairmanship priorities, that Ireland would “seek
ways in which progress can be made towards lasting settlements of
a number of conflicts in the OSCE area”, including to the conflicts
“in Georgia regarding the territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia”.

“The situation in Georgia is a matter of particular concern,” said
Gilmore, adding that Ireland strongly supports the Geneva discussions
– Russian-Georgian talks launched after the August war and co-chaired
by the EU, OSCE and UN.

As Ireland succeeds Lithuania with OSCE chairmanship, Irish diplomat
Padraig Murphy will assume co-chair of the Geneva talks from OSCE,
the next and nineteenth round of which is scheduled for March 28-29.

In his address Gilmore also said that he would be determined to pursue
the OSCE principles and aims “in a balanced and pragmatic manner”.

He said that experience of achieving a lasting settlement in Northern
Ireland “may be of benefit in facilitating the efforts which are
needed to resolve outstanding conflicts in the OSCE region”.

According to him, among the Irish OSCE chairmanship’s top priorities
Gilmore also emphasized prioritizing the organization’s human
dimension, making a focus on human rights, media and internet freedom.

The OSCE monitoring mission to Georgia, including its field office,
had been involved in the Tskhinvali region conflict for sixteen
years until the 2008 August War. The mission was terminated after
OSCE member Russia blocked extension of the mission’s mandate in 2009.

According to Deputy Foreign Minister Sergi Kapanadze, OSCE priorities
will remain the same under Irish chairmanship. “One of the priorities
is to resume the OSCE mission in occupied regions [Abkhazia and
so-called South Ossetia]. The second priority for the following
year is human rights protection monitoring in occupied regions, and
active involvement in regards to the IDP issue. Last year we managed
to actualize the IDP topic in OSCE, which had been idle for decades,”
said Kapanadze.

According to Paata Gaprindashvili, Georgia’s permanent representative
to OSCE, Ireland will continue implementation of mechanisms which can
be conformable to an OSCE full-scale mission. The Georgian Ambassador
emphasizes the idea of an “assistant group” announced under Lithuanian
chairmanship.

“It will be a group comprised of several persons, which will work
in Vienna in a conflict prevention centre, and assist the OSCE
plenipotentiary representative in conflict issues. This group should
have the opportunity to travel in the regions [Abkhazia and Tskhinvali
region] and stay as much as is required,” said Gaprindashvili.

Indeed, no one has any illusion that Irish chairmanship will be able
to escape the deadlock and make progress in regards to the mission’s
return to occupied regions. In fact, from previous chair countries
neither Greece and Kazakhstan, nor Georgia’s ally Lithuania could
manage to return the monitoring mission, as the OSCE decision-making
process requires a consensus of all member states including Russia.

PRESIDENT OF NAGORNO KARABAKH RECEIVES ANDRZEJ KASPRZYK

ARMENPRESS
JANUARY 16, 2012
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, JANUARY 16, ARMENPRESS: President of Nagorno Karabakh
Republic Bako Sahakyan received today Personal Representative of the
OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk.

NKR presidential press service told Armenpress that at the meeting the
interlocutors referred to issues on the situation at the contact line
of the Artsakh and Azerbaijani armed forces and latest developments.

GAGIK MINASYAN: AZERBAIJAN INTERESTED IN MAINTAINING SITUATION AT CONTACT LINE

Panorama.am
16/01/2012

“Interesting developments are registered recently on mechanisms for
investigating the incidents at the contact line. Several questions
arise simultaneously, and I think the OSCE management and OSCE
Minsk Group Co-Chair Countries should focus on them,” member of RPA
parliamentary faction Gagik Minasyan told a Panorama.am reporter,
commenting upon Azerbaijan’s position on working out mechanisms for
investigating the incidents at the line of contact between Armenian
and Azerbaijani troops.

According to the parliamentarian, first, Azerbaijan once again takes a
step back from the commitment it assumed back in 2010 March, at the
tripartite presidential meeting in Sochi, initiated by the Russian
President.

“Unfortunately, such conduct is peculiar to official Baku. On the one
hand, Azerbaijan approves the Co-Chairs’ proposals in their presence,
on the other hand, breaks its promise,” Minasyan said.

According to him, the second important circumstance is that it is
not the first time that Azerbaijan’s viewpoint is opposed to the
viewpoints of members of such an authoritative organization as OSCE,
because only Azerbaijan was against increasing the funds for the
Office of the OSCE CiO Personal Representative.

“And, most importantly, the necessity of creating these mechanisms
is directly connected with human losses, and Azerbaijan shows that
human losses, including the deaths of Azerbaijani soldiers, are of
no importance to itself. The Armenian side expects the international
community to pay much attention to these circumstances, because it is
evident that Azerbaijan is interested in maintaining the situation
at the contact line and takes no significant step towards settling
the situation, which is not peculiar to the Armenian side, nor does
it correspond to the main mission of OSCE Minsk Group.”

We will remind that on December 22, 2011, the OSCE Permanent Council
approved the Unified Budget of the organization for 2012. Along with
this, the Permanent Council discussed a request to increase the
funding for the Office of the Personal Representative of the OSCE
Chairman-in-Office (CiO) to ensure sufficient resources to investigate
potential incidents at the line of contact between the armed forces
of Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan, in pursuance of the agreements
of February 6, 1995 signed by the three parties to the conflict
(Nagorno-Karabakh, Armenia, and Azerbaijan) through the mediation of
the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Conference.

The idea of increasing the funds for the Office of the CiO Personal
Representative was widely supported by the OSCE member-states. It is
symbolic that the idea was opposed only by the Azerbaijani delegation,
which explained its position by the fact that it could not approve
additional funding for the Office until a final agreement on the
details of the mechanism of the incidents’ investigation was achieved.

Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian told has reporters today that at
the Sochi meeting in 2011 March the sides had agreed to investigate
the incidents at the line of contact between Armenian and Azerbaijani
troops, with the international community supporting the initiative.

However, so far the sides have failed to carry out the investigation.

Azerbaijan is to blame for it, the Minister said.

STREET ACTION IN PARIS: CCAF CALLS FOR DEMONSTRATION

Feature photoGalleryGenocideGenocide | 16.01.12 | 12:36

The Coordination Council of Armenian organizations in France (CCAF)
is organizing a demonstration ahead of next weeks vote in the French
Senate on whether to criminalize genocide denial.

Last month the French National Assembly’s supportive vote sent a bill
to the senate that – although not mentioning the Armenian Genocide
specifically – would make it punishable by law for any French subject
to claim that genocide never happened.

The senate is to vote January 23, starting deliberations at 2 p.m. in
Paris.

The Council has called the demonstration, in anticipation of there
also being a large pro-Turkey presence outside the senate.

“Encountering a propagandist campaign, in particular with hateful
accent, organized by powers against the bill and the fact that the
street will be occupied by those falsifying the history, we call on
the citizens, praising justice, to condemn denial, which kills the
victims for the second time and spreads hatred and fanaticism. We must
say no to denial, racism and xenophobia,” says the Council’s statement.

ARMENIAN-FRENCH ACTRESS ROSY VARTE DIES AT 88

PanARMENIAN.Net
January 16, 2012 – 15:49 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – French actress of Armenian decent Rosy Varte died
in the American Hospital in Paris on January 14, 2012.

She died following a bout of bronchitis, which degenerated into
a lung infection, according to her husband director Pierre Badel,
foreign media reported.

Rosy Varte (born Nevarte Manouelian in Istanbul, Turkey on November
22, 1923) acted in more than one hundred plays in several theatres
in Paris.

She appeared in 95 film and television shows since 1949. She starred
in the 1972 film The Bar at the Crossing, featured at 22nd Berlin
International Film Festival.

‘GROWING TENSION’ OVER IRAN PUTS KARABAKH ON BACK BURNER
Akper Hasanov

News.Az
Mon 16 January 2012 07:50 GMT | 7:50 Local Time

News.Az interviews Azerbaijani political scientist Tofig Abbasov.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu is to pay a visit to
Azerbaijan. Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Selcuk Unal said
that Davutoglu would visit Nakhchivan on 17 January to attend the
trilateral meeting of the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan, Iran and
Turkey. What do you expect from this meeting?

The three foreign ministers have already met in Nakhchivan. The heads
of state have also met there, so it looks as though Nakhchivan’s main
city is a venue for regular consultations. In the current unstable
time, there is no shortage of pressing material for the sides to
discuss.

I do not rule out that the meeting of the foreign ministers will be
followed by a meeting of senior officials. These three countries are
fated to get on well for a number of reasons.

First, the countries really are historically bound by religious and
ethnic characteristics. Second, they do not benefit from the emergence
of other powers in the region since there is serious conflict potential
and the balance will be broken if outsiders appear here.

Take, for example, the Kurdish issue. And, third, the region is rich,
has a high transit reputation, which makes it attractive to predators.

Therefore, there is a deep sense of the need for the three to have
a clear program of action to avoid unforeseen accidents.

But Azerbaijan, Turkey and Iran have a single outlook on the future
of the region?

It’s a good question. They cannot be unanimous. Frequent consultations
and agreements are needed to avoid potential pitfalls and clashes
of interest.

I am going to narrow this question. Iran is developing relations with
Armenia which occupies 20% of Azerbaijan’s land. Is Tehran likely to
change its position drastically in the foreseeable future?

I don’t think so. There are no doubts that Tehran and Yerevan will
remain strategic partners for the future. It is the West which mostly
pushes Iran towards rapprochement with Armenia. The two states have
seemingly turned into close partners due to unfavourable circumstances,
though these relations also have a historical basis.

It is not that Iran has a large Armenian diaspora. The Iranian
leadership, even in the times of Shah Abbas, practised the resettlement
of Christian minorities. At that time a big colony of Armenians
was moved to Isfahan to be involved in construction of the new
capital city, fortification of the region and other buildings. But
this was done properly and the Armenians greeted the project with
understanding. The same community is still settled in and around
Isfahan.

Meanwhile, at present the main vectors of geopolitics split the actors
of international law in line with real interests. Yerevan is keeping
close to its southern neighbour, since it is economically dependent
on it. Meanwhile, Tehran, even if it finds a way out of the situation,
will try not to lose the assimilated market of Armenia.

What do you expect from the upcoming meeting of the presidents of
Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia in Sochi?

Only technical procedures and a preliminary general discussion of the
future agenda. Russia will certainly not give up its role as the main
mediator but it will not hurry with new initiatives either. This does
not, however, mean that it has no, and will not have, an action plan.

It probably has such a plan and the implementation of this plan will
depend on external factors.

How do you see the situation in our region in 2012? Is a breakthrough
likely in the resolution of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict over
Nagorno-Karabakh?

I don’t think tensions will abate yet. Frankly, it is not even serious
to talk of the Karabakh conflict amid the growing tension with Iran.

It is at the stage of settlement, though there is a possibility
of hostilities. Meanwhile, the Iranian problem is moving toward
strong radicalization. The attention of major actors is fully on the
Persian Gulf.

Certainly, we cannot say that the remaining problems of the region
have been set aside. Careful steps around frozen conflicts will
probably be taken, but relief actions will need a more favourable
international atmosphere, when the co-chairs deign to concentrate on
the Karabakh conflict.

NALBANDYAN: TURKEY’S THREATS SMELL CORRUPTION

Story from Lragir.am News:

Published: 13:05:28 – 16/01/2012

The foreign minister of Armenia Edward Nalbandyan stated today that
Turkey’s arguments against the Armenian draft law adopted in France
are void, and everyone knows that it is not the bill to hinder the
normalization of the Armenian and Turkish relations.

Nalbandyan stated that it smells corruption when Turkey speaks of
economic problems threatening France.

MAYOR TURNED HRAZDAN INTO ‘CITY OF DEAD SOULS’: OPPOSITION BELIEVES IN VICTORY

epress.am
01.16.2012

Campaigning for the Feb. 12 mayoral elections in the northeastern
Armenian city of Hrazdan will officially begin on Jan. 25. Competing
for the position will be two members of the ruling Republican Party
of Armenia, current mayor Aram Danielyan and his advisor Hovhannes
Prtavyan, as well as Armenian National Congress member Sasun Mikaelyan
(no party affiliation).

Mesrop Mesropyan, responsible for press and campaign issues at
Mikaelyan’s campaign headquarters, stressed that their campaign will
incorporate all those methods used in election campaigns – meetings in
residential courtyards and town halls, televised speeches, booklets,
election videos and so on.

“We are preparing to hold normal elections. We have the a wide array
of people’s support. The current mayor, who has worked for 10 years,
has done nothing good for the city – or has been unable to do so. We
have entered this electoral race not against anyone but for something.

And in this fight, we will win. This, firstly, is not a political
but a vital demand. Hrazdan has become ‘a city of dead souls’ because
the current mayor has done nothing in practice,” he said.

Mesropyan added that ahead of the last elections mayor Aram Danielyan
had promised to renvamp the park in front of Hrazdan city hall, but
till today the park is in a partly unfinished state. Furthermore,
during Danielyan’s term, Hrazdan’s movie theatre was appropriated
and now houses a taxi service.

MARINE LE PEN ATTAQUE SARKOZY ET DEFEND SA VISION DE LA NATION
Stephane

armenews.com
lundi 16 janvier 2012

Marine Le Pen a promis dimanche a Nicolas Sarkozy un “retour de
boomerang” pour “ses mensonges”, lors d’un meeting près de Rouen où
elle a devoile sa vision de la nation contre le “mondialisme”.

Portee par une serie de bons sondages (17% a 21,5%) qui la remettent
plus que jamais dans le jeu pour l’accession au second tour, la
presidente du Front national a concentre ses attaques sur le chef de
l’Etat, affaibli par la perte du triple A il y a deux jours.

“Le mensonge est devenu industriel sous Nicolas Sarkozy (…) c’est
d’ailleurs une des seules industries qui continue de bien se porter”,
a ironise la candidate a l’Elysee, devant 1.000 a 1.500 sympathisants,
reunis au Grand-Quevilly (Seine-Maritime), tout près de Rouen. Sur
l’euro, la dette, l’immigration, le mariage homosexuel, l’industrie,
“le boomerang des mensonges est en train de revenir a toute vitesse sur
Nicolas Sarkozy”, a-t-elle lance. Aucun des concurrents n’est cependant
epargne par celle qui se presente comme la seule candidate de rupture,
a travers la sortie de l’euro et le protectionnisme national.

“Ils sont tous discredites (par leur soutien au) mondialisme
ultraliberal”, a-t-elle assure, citant l’UMP, le PS et le MoDem.

Mais, consciente de devoir encore convaincre sur la sortie de l’euro,
elle s’est voulue pedagogique et rassurante pour expliquer que le
retour au franc permettra a la banque de France de refinancer la
dette et sortir le pays de la crise.

Triple A ou pas, Marine Le Pen avait en tout cas decide d’evoquer
sa vision de la nation ce dimanche et elle s’y est longuement tenue,
en donnant une dimension culturelle et non plus seulement economique
a sa diatribe anti-mondialiste.

“Le mondialisme n’est pas seulement un système economique sauvage et
depasse” mais aussi une “ideologie” visant a “encourager le nomadisme”,
a rendre les hommes “interchangeables”, “anonymes”, et a affaiblir
les cultures, a affirme la presidente du parti d’extreme droite.

Comme seuls remparts face au “magma mondialise”, Marine Le Pen a brandi
la nation, l’hymne, le drapeau, la langue, ou encore “ce violent
amour de la France” grâce auquel “l’oublie, l’anonyme” retrouverait
“une voix, un visage”.

Ainsi, avec Marine Le Pen au pouvoir, “un haut fonctionnaire ou
un ministre” qui ne parlerait pas francais “lorsqu’il s’exprime
officiellement” a l’etranger serait “immediatement demis de ses
fonctions”. Puis, elle s’est de nouveau erigee championne de la
laïcite, tout en defendant “les racines chretiennes de la France”
et en evoquant principalement l’islam (mosquees, prières de rue,
horaires separes dans les piscines…). “La laïcite sera d’application
plus aisee quand nous aurons stoppe l’immigration”, a aussi dit la
patronne du FN.

Marine Le Pen a notamment prône l’interdiction du “port du voile
ou de tout autre signe religieux ostentatoire pour les usagers et
non seulement pour les agents” des “services publics administratifs
dependant de l’Etat ou des collectivites territoriales”.

Sur ce thème, elle a lance sa dernière flèche contre Eva Joly,
qu’elle taxe souvent de “francophobie”, et son “idee saugrenue”
d’instaurer deux jours feries juif et musulman. “Pourquoi rien pour
les Armeniens”, “les orthodoxes”, “les bouddhistes” ou “hindouistes”
? “Et quid du nouvel an chinois, du nouvel an iranien” ou “kurde” et
“faudra-t-il prevoir un jour pour les Mormons ?”, a-t-elle demande.