Author: Kanayan Tamar

RUBEN SAFRASTYAN: “ARAB COUNTRIES HAVE TO USE TURKISH HELP”

Vestnik Kavkaza

Nov 25 2011
Russia

The head of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Armenian
Academy of Sciences, professor Ruben Safrastyan, told VK his views
on recent geopolitical changes in the Middle East, their reasons
and consequences.

– How can the developments in the Middle East and possible Islamization
of the countries covered by the Arab revolutions influence Armenia,
which is situated in the unstable region?

– It is true that Armenia is a part of the region. However, our country
has different political and cultural traditions; at the same time,
it is involved in the Collective Security Treaty Organization.

Considering this fact, the developments in Arab countries won’t touch
Armenia. On the other hand, because of the recent revolutions, the
position of the Armenian Diaspora has worsened in these countries. The
new authorities of Egypt don’t prevent Muslims from attacking Egyptian
Copts. The ruling regime of Bashar Assad provided Armenians with
favorable living conditions in Syria. And now it is difficult to say
what will happen after the overthrow of the regime.

– Do you think the tension in Turkish-Israeli relations indicates
that Ankara decided to sacrifice relations with Tel-Aviv in favor of
neo-Ottoman aspirations?

– Today we are witnessing the collapse of the Israeli-Turkish strategic
union, which was established and motivated by the USA.

Israeli politicians are using the fact of the Armenian genocide as a
response to the hard Turkish position. This could lead to Israeli and
Armenian organizations coming closer together, not only in Turkey,
but also in the US. However, despite the political environment,
every Jew has a stereotype that history saw one fact of genocide
only – the Holocaust. Thus, if a bill on recognition of the Armenian
genocide appears in the Knesset, which is doubtful, Israeli deputies
will consider not only the political side of the issue, but also the
moral and psychological aspects of the Holocaust’s unique character.

– Can the Arab Spring lead to the exclusive success of the Islamists?

– There are some signs that all the recent changes will lead to the
Islamists’ success. Egypt is the first example of this. The West is
trying to redirect the current situation to an outcome that will be
favorable to its interests. Turkey is active in the region as well.

Ankara is trying to influence developments, especially in Syria. So
a tense political struggle between various political forces is taking
place in the Middle East. There are three types of force: pro-Islamic,
pro-Western and Turkish.

– After the end of the Cold War between the USSR and the USA, Turkey
found itself useless as the NATO outpost in Western Asia. As for Syria,
is Turkey fulfilling a NATO mission or acting on its own?

– On the one hand, Turkey as a NATO member is still playing for the
Western team. On the other hand, present-day Turkey is headed by
Recep Erdogan and has its own objectives in the Middle East, trying
to balance them and NATO interests. But Ankara’s interests are the
priority for it. The authorities of Turkey have established close ties
with pro-Islamic forces fighting Assad’s regime in Syria. So Turkey
is playing its own role in the region, relying on its own abilities.

Turkey is trying to revive lost structures of the Ottoman Empire,
which included Arab countries and peoples. Turkey is the only country
in the world that is supporting the anti-government protests in Syria.

All these Arab countries, passing through a transition period, have
to use Turkey’s help and forget about preferences and dislikes of an
historical nature.

– Do you think Turkey can launch its army into Syria if it gets
sanctions from the West?

– I think it can only be an indirect invasion of the Turkish army to
Syria, and sanctions by NATO are needless. Turkey is warning about
the establishment of a sanitary cordon at the Syrian border, and maybe
this cordon will be moved to Syrian territory. It will be an indirect
occupation. Erdogan threatens Assad with overthrowing the regime,
but Turkey has no intention of doing it by force, it will use the
Syrian opposition.

However, there is a sensible circumstance. Syria owns major stocks of
chemical weapons, which were developed in case Israel attacks Syria
with a nuclear weapon. If the situation in Syria continues to worsen,
the question will arise: what should they do with this chemical weapon
arsenal? I think Turkey can launch its army to prevent radical Islamist
groups from taking the arsenal, thus, Turkish troops will be launched
into Syria only with this aim.

TER-PETROSYAN WOOS PAP, WARNS IT AGAINST FORMING ELECTION BLOC WITH RPA
By Suren Musayelyan

ArmeniaNow
25.11.11

The leader of Armenia’s main opposition alliance has made overtures
to a major pro-establishment party, implying that its current
reported differences with the larger coalition partner meet his
bloc’s interests.

Addressing supporters at a rally in Yerevan on Friday Armenian
National Congress (ANC) leader Levon Ter-Petrosyan predicted more
high-profile dismissals and resignations in the government, describing
such developments as an indication of growing differences within the
ruling coalition, in particular between the ruling Republican Party
of Armenia (RPA) and its junior partner, Prosperous Armenia Party
(PAP), led by tycoon Gagik Tsarukyan and believed to be ex-president
Robert Kocharyan’s brainchild.

At the same time, Ter-Petrosyan urged the PAP to distinctly distance
itself from the Kocharyan legacy, including the deadly suppression
of the opposition’s street protests in 2008. He also warned the party
against teaming up with the RPA at next year’s parliamentary elections,
saying that in that case it will “lose its face completely”.

“Now it is difficult to predict how far the differences within
the coalition will aggravate, but if it turns out that Prosperous
Armenia genuinely intends to fight for free and fair elections, then
in my opinion – I emphasize it that it is in my and not in the ANC’s
opinion – the ANC should be ready to seriously consider the prospect
and possibility of cooperating with it,” said Ter-Petrosyan.

The opposition leader’s remarks came against the backdrop of
unconfirmed media reports about the PAP’s agreement to form a single
bloc with the RPA to contest next year’s parliamentary elections.

In the past several months media have repeatedly speculated about
growing differences between the two coalition partners as a possible
indication of covert rivalry between incumbent president Sargsyan and
his predecessor Kocharyan. The latest battleground for that perceived
rivalry was the mayoral race earlier this month in the northern town
of Ijevan where the PAP-backed candidate unseated the incumbent mayor
who enjoyed the RPA’s support.

Some analysts described the PAP’s success in the small provincial
town as an early indication of the party’s greater ambitions in the
next parliamentary vote due in May.

Ter-Petrosyan denied the ANC had supported the PAP in the Ijevan race,
as was alleged by some media. But he still refused to reprimand any
of the ANC local chapter members who might have personally assisted
the PAP campaign. He implied the struggle was against the regime and
therefore was justifiable.

Meanwhile, the ANC presented what its coordinator Levon Zurabyan
described as legal grounds for impeaching Sargsyan. The “Declaration”
of legal reasons for Sargsyan’s resignation listed a dozen violations
of the Constitution that the incumbent head of state had allegedly
committed before and after assuming the presidential post.

Zurabyan said the ANC will pursue the case legally, with “mass
protests” accompanying this legal battle. The oppositionist announced
that one such street march will be staged on December 10, which is
marked as International Human Rights Day.

ISRAELI KNESSET TO DISCUSS RECOGNITION OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE IN EARLY DECEMBER

ARMENPRESS
NOVEMBER 25, 2011
YEREVAN

Israeli Knesset’s Education, Culture and Sport Affairs Committee
will launch discussion of the bill on recognition of the Armenian
Genocide in early December. Izrus reports that the chairman of the
Committee is Alex Miller who came forth against the recognition of
the Armenian genocide. “I am against populist decisions, and I will
not allow scandalous speeches during hearings,” he said.

Speaker of Knesset Reuven Rivlin, who speaks in favor of recognition
of the Armenian Genocide, expressed wish to participate in the sitting
of the Committee. Representative of the Israeli parliament’s coalition
Elkin will also be present at the discussion. Starting from 2008 he
is actively engaged in the process of recognition of the Armenian
Genocide.

ARMENIA’S HERITAGE PARTY VS MADRID PRINCIPLES

Tert.am
25.11.11

The Heritage party’s position on Armenian-Turkish relations is similar
to that of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation Dashnaktsutyun
(ARF-D): Armenia must reject the Armenian-Turkish protocols as they
open a way for two of Turkey’s three main preconditions.

Speaking at a discussion on Armenian political parties’ foreign policy
agenda, Styopa Safaryan, Chairman of the Heritage parliamentary
faction, said that Armenian political forces’ positions on foreign
policy issues are not identical. The differences are, however, not
much talked about. The challenges causing conflicts are settlement
of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and Armenian-Turkish reconciliation.

The state of democracy and domestic problems affect the efficiency
of Armenia’s foreign policy. National interests must not be viewed
apart from human rights and freedoms Safaryan said.

When the Heritage party introduced a bill recognizing Nagorno-Karabakh,
it was alone. The other political forces objected to the bill as an
“untimely one.” “Our demand is that Armenia officially recognize
Nagorno-Karabakh and confirm its exclusive right to act as negotiator
and apply to the International Criminal Court,” Safaryan said.

The Heritage party’s program clearly indicates European integration as
a priority because Armenia is considered part of European civilization
and must regain its positions in the pan-European family. “I do
not know about any political force that gives priority to European
integration. In this context, we objected to the extension of Russian
military presence in Armenia, as well as to the Eurasian alliance
– it may cause problems in Armenia’s foreign policy aimed at full
integration into Europe and at reaching an association agreement,”
Safaryan said.

“How?” is a “litmus test” for foreign policy issues. Political forces’
answers to this question clearly show if they are honest about
their aims. It is easy to say that Armenia is exerting efforts for
Nagorno-Karabakh to be internationally recognized. However, Armenia’s
budget message has not contained a single word about it for years. We
object to the Madrid principles because the building was originally
on the wrong basis,” Safaryan said.

AZERBAIDJAN
L’Azerbaïdjan rejette les accusations d'”autoritarisme” de l’ONG Amnesty

L’Azerbaïdjan a qualifié jeudi d’`injuste` un rapport de l’ONG Amnesty
International accusant ce pays du Caucase riche en hydrocarbures de
consolider un pouvoir autoritaire et de réprimer l’opposition.

`Le rapport sur l’Azerbaïdjan est injuste et ne reflète pas la
réalité`, a déclaré à l’AFP le porte-parole du ministère des Affaires
étrangères d’Azerbaïdjan, Elman Abdoullaïev. `Durant ses années
d’indépendance, l’Azerbaïdjan a accompli des choses qui ne sont pas
reflétées dans le rapport`, a-t-il ajouté. M. Abdoullaïev a même
accusé le groupe de défense des droits de l’homme de manquer de
neutralité.

`Avec ce dernier rapport, Amnesty International a mis sa neutralité et
son objectivité en doute`, a-t-il souligné.

Mercredi, l’ONG de défense des droits de l’homme Amnesty International
a publié un sombre rapport sur l’Azerbaïjan, accusant le régime du
président Ilham Aliev de consolider `ses règles autoritaires et son
contrôle sur la vie publique`.

Le rapport s’est notamment concentré sur la répression des
manifestations de l’opposition, qui se sont multipliées cette année
dans cette ancienne république soviétique, suivant le modèle des
révoltes populaires dans le monde arabe.

Amnesty a accusé le régime de réprimer ces protestations, d’abuser de
la force contre ceux qui prennent part à des rassemblements non
autorisés, de restreindre la liberté des médias, de harceler les
défenseurs des droits de l’homme et les blogueurs défendant la
démocratie et de réprimer les groupes de défense des droits de
l’homme.

De leur côté, les autorités rejettent systématiquement les accusations
d’autoritarisme et entretiennent de bonnes relations avec l’Occident,
qui courtise ce pays à majorité musulmane pour ses richesses en
hydrocarbures.

lundi 21 novembre 2011,
Stéphane ©armenews.com

ARMENIE
Silva Hambardzumian ne dément pas

Surik Khachatrian, le gouverneur controversé de la région de Syunik a
été interrogé par les autorités vendredi 18 novembre 2011. Il est
accusé d’avoir agressé une femme d’affaires.

Selon RFE/RL, le Service spécial d’investigation (SIS) n’a pas encore
décidé s’il poursuivrait Khachatrian.

La femme d’affaires, Silva Hambardzumian, affirme que Khachatrian l’a
frappée à la tête dans un hall d’hôtel à Erevan lundi soir.

Khachatrian a nié avoir agressé Silva Hambardzumian. Néanmoins, le SIS
a décidé d’ouvrir une procédure pénale après avoir reçu une plainte
formelle de Hambardzumian.

Hambardzumian a de nouveau été interrogé par les enquêteurs du SIS
vendredi. Elle a déclaré que le chef de la police nationale, Vladimir
Gasparian, a accepté de lui fournir des gardes du corps. Elle a
demandé la protection de la police peu après l’incident.

Khachatrian, gouverneur de Syunik, a pendant des années été accusé par
les médias d’attaquer ses rivaux ainsi que les détracteurs du
gouvernement, y compris un directeur de journal dont la voiture a été
brûlée dans la région de Syunik en 2005.

Le Premier ministre Tigran Sarkissian a déclaré mercredi que la
réaction du gouvernement au dernier scandale dépendra du résultat de
l’enquête du SIS. « Toute déclaration gouvernementale faite
aujourd’hui pourrait être considérée comme une ingérence ». « Le
gouvernement va surveiller de près l’enquête sans aucune interférence.
»

lundi 21 novembre 2011,
Laetitia ©armenews.com

ARMENIE
Serge Sarkissian attend beaucoup du nouveau maire d’Erevan

Le président Serge Sarkissian a demandé à Taron Markarian ne pas le«
décevoir ». Taron Markarian, gé de 33 ans, est désormais le nouveau
maire d’Erevan.

« Taron, vous n’avez pas le droit de nous décevoir, ni de décevoir vos
concitoyens »,a annoncé Sarkisian lors de la cérémonie d’inauguration
à la municipalité d’Erevan.« Nous sommes tous de votre côté et nous
sommes prêts à vous aider et à vous soutenir. »

« Mais comme nous le savons, l’assistance et le soutien sont de très
bonnes choses, mais chaque personne, chaque fonctionnaire de l’Etat
doit faire sa place et doit travailler seul », a-t-il dit. « Il est
nécessaire de former une grande équipe de personnes ouvertes et de
continuer à résoudre le défi le plus important de tous les temps :
soulager la détresse des habitants d’Erevan et faire d’Erevan, une
capitale plus confortable pour les résidents et les touristes. »

Markarian, qui était précédemment adjoint au maire, a été élu à
l’unanimité par l’assemblée municipale. Il a été nominé pour le poste
vacant par M. Sarkissian.

Le jeune maire est un ancien membre du parti républicain du président
de l’Arménie (HHK). Son père, Andranik Markarian, avait été Premier
ministre de 2000 à 2007.

Le prédécesseur de Markarian, Karen Karapetian, a démissionné de
manière inattendue le mois dernier. Il a évoqué des « raisons
personnelles » concernant sa démission.

Trois autres hauts fonctionnaires arméniens, notamment le président du
parlement, Hovik Abrahamian, ont démissionné ou ont été licenciés peu
après la démission de Karapetian.

Lors de son discours à la cérémonie d’inauguration de Markarian,
Sarkissian a félicité Karapetian, affirmant que l’ancien maire avait
réussi à faire sa place et a laissé une trace dans la capitale. Mais
il n’a fait aucun commentaire sur la démission de Karapetian.

lundi 21 novembre 2011,
Laetitia ©armenews.com

Armenian Youth Judo Championship winners awarded

November 26, 2011 – 11:29 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Armenian Youth Judo Championship hosting over 200
participants from Armenian provinces completed in Yerevan.

Among participants were winners of bronze at 2011 World Championships
brothers David and Arsen Ghazaryan, champion of 2011 European Junior
Judo Championship Garik Harutyunyan and 2011 European Cup winner
Yerjanik Karapetyan.

5 and 7 medals were awarded to female and male judokas resp., with
Arsen Ghazaryan (60kg) awarded for best technique.

ARMENIA, AZERBAIJAN AND GEORGIA DISCUSS CLIMATE CHANGE
By Mariam Sikharulidze

Georgia Today
Nov 24 2011
Georgia

With the rising global concern about global climate change, officials
from three South Caucasian countries – Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia
– joined forces to discuss the major environmental problem on October
14-15 in Tbilisi. The occasion aimed to take stock of challenges
posed by climate change in the Caucasus focusing on the problems,
strategies and response actions for reaching an effective agenda on
climate change.

The event, called VII Annual International Conference on “Climate
Change Adaptation – Challenge and Opportunity for the Caucasus” was
opened by Goga Khachidze, the Minister of the Environment Protection
of Georgia. He pointed out that such conferences are “vital” for
adopting specific practices towards climate change adaptation.

“Climate Change is the reality and a very serious threat for future
generations, which will become hazardous if not resolved in timely
fashion,” Khachidze said. Adopting joint solutions, he said, will be
necessary to combat the worldwide challenges.

During the conference the assessments were made about countries’
efforts towards climate change, as well as national and regional
priority issues. Climate change was addressed from various angles
including importance of agricultural biodiversity and sustainable
management, adopting alternative energy sources,socio-economic impacts,
as well as government and business sector as responsible parties for
degraded natural resources.

The event was organized with the financial contribution of the Ministry
of Environmental Affairs, Land Use Planning, Agriculture and Forestry
of Lichtenstein and European Union. The participants along with members
of NGOs and scientific institutions included the Deputy Ambassador
of EU Boris Yaroshevich and the Netherlands’ Ambassador to Georgia
Peter Langeberg.

“INTER RAO” NOT WILLING TO MANAGE THE ARMENIAN NUCLEAR POWER PLANT ANY LONGER, A NEWSPAPER WRITES

Mediamax
Nov 24 2011
Armenia

Yerevan /Mediamax/. “Kommersant” newspaper writes today that the
Russian “Inter RAO” is displeased with the conditions of management
of the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) and is going to terminate
the contract earlier.”

According to the newspaper, Armenia doesn’t have a national nuclear
operator, and the only alternative of “Inter RAO” is “Rosatom”.

However, the Russian state corporation is interested first of all
in the construction of a new power unit in Armenia and not in the
management of NPP.

“Inter RAO” manages the Armenian NPP since 2003, the contract expires
in 2013. “Inter RAO” is also the owner of “Electricity Networks of
Armenia” and Hrazdan thermal power plant.