Author: Kanayan Tamar

SARKISSIAN A CHOISIT LE NOUVEAU MAIRE D’EREVAN
Laetitia

armenews.com
mercredi 2 novembre 2011

Taron Markarian, fils d’un ancien Premier ministre armenien, est
assure d’etre le futur maire d’Erevan après avoir ete nomine pour le
poste vacant par le president Serge Sarkissian.

Le parti de Serge Sarkissian (HHK) a annonce mardi qu’il proposera
la candidature de Markarian a l’assemblee municipale dominee par les
membres du HHK.

Le porte-parole du HHK, Edouard Sharmazanov, a declare que la decision
a ete initiee par Sarkissian et approuvee a l’unanimite par l’instance
dirigeante du parti lors d’une reunion qui a eu lieu lundi soir.

Markarian a deja recu mardi les felicitations de ses amis et des
sympathisants sur sa page Facebook. Il n’a pas repondu aux messages.

Selon la loi armenienne, le conseil des aînes a Erevan doit elire
d’ici la fin du mois un successeur au maire Karen Karapetian, qui
a demissionne de manière inattendue la semaine dernière pour des
raisons encore obscures. Markarian, qui est adjoint au maire depuis
2009, a toujours ete considere comme le remplacant le plus credible
de Karapetian.

” Il s’est avere etre un bon maire adjoint, a annonce Sharmazanov
a RFE / RL (Azatutyun.am). Je pense qu’il a egalement demontre que
son caractère correspond aux normes fixees pour les fonctionnaires
de l’Etat. ”

En attendant, la municipalite d’Erevan a declare que le Conseil
des Sages se reunira vendredi pour decider des modalites pratiques
concernant la selection du prochain maire.

Membre du HHK, Markarian a commence sa carrière politique en 2005
quand il fut elu maire de district du nord d’Erevan a l’âge de 27 ans.

Son père etait premier ministre et leader du HHK a l’epoque.

Karapetian a demissionne pour ” des raisons personnelles “. Selon la
presse armenienne et russe, il devrait acceder a un poste en Russie
pour prendre le monopole de la societe Gazprom.

ROB DELANEY, L.A. COMEDIAN, WANTS TO SUE KIM KARDASHIAN OVER ‘SHAM’ WEDDING; KIM, LAWYERS CALL BS
Simone Wilson

LA Weekly
Nov 1 2011

Kim Kardashian has finally responded, albeit indirectly, to Los
Angeles comedian Rob Delaney’s threat to sue her in a viral column
for Vice Magazine.

His grounds? Delaney tells the Weekly that L.A.’s Armenian princess
defrauded the public, and perhaps E! advertisers as well, by collecting
millions of dollars for a marriage that was, in the end, nothing more
than a publicity stunt/cash cow.

So yeah — her response. TMZ reports this afternoon that Kardashian
has told “people very close to her” that her marriage to towering
NBA star Kris Humphries…

… “was ‘100% real,’ adding that they loved each other very much.”

Things only get more heartbreaking from there: “She says when they
got engaged … she truly believed the marriage was ‘forever.'”

But Delaney tells us he truly believes, in his “heart of hearts,”
that the Kardashian-Humphries union — the closest thing America has
ever seen to a Royal Wedding, only to devolve into a Royal Divorce
a mere 72 days later — was one big setup.

Here’s an excerpt from yesterday’s hit column.

HOW I IMAGINE THEIR “WEDDING” WAS PITCHED: “I know! We’ll have
Kim get married! It’ll be a ratings bonanza! We’ll bludgeon the
populace with billboards and commercials, build it up across our 14
execrable spinoffs, hire some psychologists to help Kim and Kompany
approximate the appearance of human emotion as they navigate the
wedding preparation, split the actual wedding over two interminable
episodes–even accompany them on the honeymoon! And the best part is,
it doesn’t even have to be real! We’ll have Kris (Humphries, not Kris
Jenner, Kim’s mom (though having her marry her own mom once ratings
start to slide IS a great idea!!!)) sign a pre-nup that is also a
non-disclosure agreement AND a waiver stating that if he even talks in
his sleep about the “marriage’s” details, he’ll be beaten, drugged, and
given a facelift from the same doctor who did Bruce Jenner, and then
forced to walk the Earth terrifying children and animals for eternity.

… It is alleged that Kim Kardshian was paid $18 million to
participate in her own wedding. I feel like schools could use that
money. Or health clinics in areas hit hardest by the recession. Or
Pizza Hut. Or Bernie Madoff. Or my uncle Mitchell, who is a convicted
sex offender making a living selling Percocet to the elderly in
Rhode Island.”

And more of Kardashian’s response today, via shadowy TMZ sources:
“Sometimes marriages end … rapidly. Just because it’s short doesn’t
mean it’s fake.”

Delaney’s still not buying it. In his lawsuit, which has not yet been
filed, he says he plans to demand that she stay married to Humphries.

(Or if not, that E! producer Ryan Seacrest, and parent company Comcast,
at least issue a statement to the public admitting that “Keeping Up
With the Kardashians” is fiction.)

“I’m not some weird conservative defender of the concept of marriage,”
he tells the Weekly. “But if you do get married, give it a shot.”

If you plaster your wedding invite on every billboard and supermarket
aisle in this godforsaken city, to the point that we unavoidably care
about your marriage, “then goddammit, you’re going to stay married
until I say you can stop being married,” says Delaney. (He also spoke
at length with the Village Voice, our sister paper.)

So the lawsuit needs some fleshing out.

Still, we called a handful of L.A. attorneys — a contract negotiator,
a family lawyer and an entertainment litigator — to see if Delaney’s
great American fight might have the slightest glimmer of hope in the
courtroom. Because if nothing else, it’s damn interesting.

Brian Murphy, who draws up entertainment contracts for stars in West
L.A., says that if Kardashian’s marriage was somehow proven to be a
sham, there’s a (very, very remote) possibility it could violate a
“good faith and fair dealing” bit in her contract for the show.

Assuming there are morals clauses in the contract — “whether she had
enough strength to get them out, who knows,” says the attorney —
advertisers might be able to ask for their money back, saying she
violated their agreement.

However, Murphy believes that “most of her ads probably like the extra
attention” anyway. As a mere observer of the show, Delaney is owed
nothing by Kardashian, he says. (Plus, the indignant Vice columnist is
alleging Kardashian’s producers knew about the sham, too, which would
make their reality-show contract with the bride kind of a moot point.)

Mary Catherine Bohen, a family lawyer in Los Angeles, is more
skeptical still.

“That’s just crazy talk,” she says.

Bohen explains that accusations of fraud can only be made by one
married party of the other. A third party like Delaney would have
absolutely no standing to intervene in their relationship.

“You know what?” says Bohen. “Shame on all of us, for watching it.”

Century City entertainment lawyer Barry Rothman clears up any
remaining doubt.

“So he’s just a member of the public?” Rothman laughs. “You have to
have damages. What, he deserves something because he was emotionally
harmed? Because he cried at the wedding when he should have been
laughing?”

Yep — Delaney’s case does kind of come down to that. Seems simple
as this: A well-meaning guy, pissed he got emotionally invested in
trivial Valley-girl drama and worried about what that might mean for
his kids — and hell, for the rest of America — decided it was time
he held a mandatory tween idol responsible for her intolerableness.

And dust up some publicity for his own gig, to boot.

In order for him to win, though, he’ll have to prove Kardashian
didn’t love nor wish to marry Humphries in the months leading up to
their wedding. “It’s very difficult for third parties to assess the
emotional dynamic between two people,” says Rothman. And even if you
do prove “it’s a sham and not effective, that doesn’t make it not
solemnized. It’s still a marriage.”

But Delaney maintains that his accusations will stick — even if
he doesn’t wind up being the plaintiff opposite Kardashian. He says
“thousands of people on the Internet” have told him they’d get behind
a suit.

Personally, he’s more interested in the marriage itself.

“I would like them to stay married,” Delaney tells us, quite
passionately. “[Even] arranged marriages probably have a happiness
factor. Marriage is so difficult, and so weird, and unnatural in some
ways that I don’t think your odds improve by picking your own spouse.”

(Ha! Join his quarter-million Twitter followers for more where that
came from.)

So whadya say, Kim: Time to suck it up and make babies with your
ill-chosen teddy bear of a B-ball neanderthal? If not for your
own pleasures, at least for the mental stability of the unwilling
Kardashian observer that you (and goddamn Ryan Seacrest) have made
of us all.

FAR EUROPE AND BEYOND: INTRODUCING YEREVAN
Alex Robertson Textor

Gadling

Nov 1 2011

It took around five hours to get from Tbilisi to Yerevan, in a taxi
organized along a rather mysterious logic. I made it first to Ortachala
bus station, the appointed place in Tbilisi for hiring long-distance
taxis for Yerevan, and was introduced to a portly gentleman who
moved like a head honcho. He ushered me into his minivan to wait. He
paced, smoking furiously, occasionally asking question of the other
idle drivers. Everything seemed to move in slow motion for a few
minutes. I looked around his vehicle. A single syringe rested on his
dashboard. Diabetic or addict? I wasn’t crazy to find out.

After about ten minutes the macher of Ortachala found me a driver,
a sullen one-legged fellow wearing an ill-fitting suit. He didn’t
talk to me at all at first, and never smiled. He did shout “money
money money” as we were approaching the Georgia-Armenia border. I was
charmed, but if he thought I was turning over a single lari before
he dropped me off in Yerevan he was sorely mistaken.

Still, it was a beautiful drive. After crossing from Georgia into
Armenia, we skirted the border with Azerbaijan and motored through
the densely forested mountains of Tavush Province, already in an
autumnal state in early October. It was a cinematic few hours. The
skies were full of dramatic clouds and it rained intermittently.

At the end of what seemed like a never-ending journey was Yerevan, the
capital of Armenia. London’s Georgian establishment paved the way for
me in Tbilisi; in Yerevan, by way of contrast, I knew nobody at all.

I’d received no tips and neither was I furnished with the email
addresses of friends of friends. I would be forced to revert to old
school urban exploration, as if Twitter had never happened.

Yerevan is ordered and calm. There are no twisting alleyways or
hilly warrens in the city’s center. The city was established on
a true Soviet blueprint, with one central ring road more or less
encircling the city and a few outer roads following this arch around
the city’s inner core. Yerevan feels Soviet in lots of ways. There
are ambitious monuments commemorating the Ottoman genocide of ethnic
Armenians and the 50th anniversary of Soviet Armenia, both massive
and dramatically modern. Leading up to the latter is a broad stairway
called the Cascade, with neatly tended shrubs and flowers.

These features of central Yerevan are impressive for their sheer
ambition. They make dramatic modernist marks on the urban setting
and fit the post-Soviet context perfectly. Planned Soviet cities
are often good for parks and pedestrian zones as well as monuments,
and Yerevan doesn’t disappoint here, either. Areas for strolling and
relaxing are plentiful. Yerevan is so pleasant that one wonders why
post-Soviet cities have such uniformly bad reputations and why the
planned Soviet cities are so seldom positively catalogued.

Though the charms of Yerevan might not be immediately obvious to
attraction-focused visitors, there are lots of interesting things
to do and see. A very appealing chaos (along with many delicious
things) can be found in the city’s covered food market, and there are
other surprises nestled here and there, too: the explosively baroque
aesthetic of filmmaker Sergei Paradjanov, which reigns at his former
house, now a museum; the National Gallery of Armenia, packed with an
outstanding and wide-ranging collection; and amazing Syrian-Armenian
cuisine, which can be sampled at Lagonid Bistro-Cafe. Many of the
city’s churches are worth a visit, as well. Other sites of interest
include the ornately tiled Blue Mosque and the central Republic Square.

UN SECURITY COUNCIL SEAT SHOWS AZERBAIJAN’S POWER

news.az
Nov 1 2011
Azerbaijan

President Ilham Aliyev has described election to the UN Security
Council as Azerbaijan’s “biggest victory”.

He said that last week’s Security Council vote was the culmination
of the first 20 years of Azerbaijan’s independence.

The president made the remarks in a speech at the opening of a Heydar
Aliyev Centre in the central Azerbaijani town of Ujar on Sunday.

“In the UN Security Council, which is the highest authority in the
world, we will defend the principles to which we are committed. First
of all, we will defend justice. We approach everything from the
standpoint of justice. Both domestic processes and our foreign policy
initiatives are based on the principles of justice,” Aliyev said.

He said that Azerbaijan would uphold international law in the Security
Council and repeated Baku’s commitment to a resolution of the conflict
with Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh based on territorial integrity,
as enshrined in international law.

News.Az prints below the full text of the president’s speech,
translated from AzerTAj.

Speech

“Dear friends! Today is a wonderful day. We’ve gathered at the
opening of the majestic Heydar Aliyev Centre in Ujar. I would like to
congratulate you on this wonderful event. I wish you good health. This
is really a magnificent facility, a palace. Heydar Aliyev centres are
under construction in the Azerbaijani regions. I can say that the
Heydar Aliyev Centre in Ujar stands out in terms of its beauty and
grandeur. Both outside and inside, in terms of design and function, the
centre is perfect. The construction of such centres is a manifestation
of the respect of the people of Azerbaijan for the memory of a great
leader. At the same time, these centres study the political legacy of
the great leader. Along with this, the centres should host a variety
of events.

“I am very pleased that this centre has excellent facilities for
various events. All important events in the district are to be held
here. Internet access is provided and some courses will be launched.

In short, this centre will make Ujar more beautiful. In the area
around the centre, people will relax, and there is a beautiful area,
where much has been done for improvement.

“I am very pleased that Ujar is being successfully constructed and
developed. I am sure that in the coming years these trends will further
intensify. We need to make each region, each regional centre, each
village more beautiful and comfortable. We have potential to this
end. The creation of such wonderful centres and beautiful squares
shows that Azerbaijan is developing successfully, all the problems
facing the country have been successfully resolved. The foundation
of our success was laid by great leader Heydar Aliyev.

“While marking the 20th anniversary of the restoration of our
independence this year and again looking back in history, we can
see that the great leader did a unique service to the people of
Azerbaijan and the state. Heydar Aliyev, who returned to power at the
people’s request in the hardest times, stabilized the situation and
led Azerbaijan along the path of development. We have talked quite
widely about this issue at recent events on independence. Different
events on the restoration of independence have been held in all
regions of our country. Heydar Aliyev earned exceptional praise for
the creation of the basis of statehood in Azerbaijan, the construction
of a law-governed state, the ratification of democratic principles
and conduct of reforms. This policy is continuing today. We are
committed to this policy. Azerbaijani people are committed to the
policy of Heydar Aliyev and respect his memory. This policy opens
up new possibilities in Azerbaijan. In recent years, we carried
out extensive redevelopment and creative work in all regions. Work
continues in all districts to build houses and schools, lay a gas
supply network and build public infrastructure. These factors determine
the full development of our country.

International role

“We have strong economic potential, and this is the reality. Our
position in the world is getting stronger and others also accept
these realities. Today, Azerbaijan is the leading state in regional
affairs, and leading state in the South Caucasus. Azerbaijan’s economy
constitutes 83% of the economy of the South Caucasus. Our initiatives
in the political sphere play an important role in deepening cooperation
in the region. Our position in the world is growing stronger too.

“The recent election of Azerbaijan as a member of the UN Security
Council once again demonstrates the power of our country. It once again
shows how good the policy of Azerbaijan is. The processes inside the
country, economic development, are reflected in the statistics.

Structures dealing with these issues, people, experts can see and
appreciate the successful development of Azerbaijan.

“And our election with a large majority to the UN Security Council has
presented Azerbaijan as a modern, strong and influential country. The
international community has great respect for Azerbaijan and trusts
it. A total of 155 countries supported us; 155 countries believed in
us and placed their hopes in us. Of course, we’ll live up to these
expectations. First of all, we will justify and meet the expectations
of the Azerbaijani people. The clear evidence of this is the reform and
work carried out in this country. We’ll also live up the expectations
of our partners and friendly countries. In the UN Security Council,
which is the highest authority in the world, we will defend the
principles to which we are committed. First of all, we will defend
justice. We approach everything from the standpoint of justice.

Both domestic processes and our foreign policy initiatives are based
on the principles of justice.

“We are going to uphold international law in the Security Council. We
stand for resolution of all matters on the basis of international law.

There is no other mechanism of peace. The principles of international
law are accepted by the international community because they are true.

Our just cause, the Karabakh conflict, the issue of occupation of our
lands should also be resolved only on the basis of the principles of
international law.

“The UN Security Council, of which we have recently become a member,
adopted four resolutions on the settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani
conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh. They adopted a fair decision.

Unfortunately, these resolutions have not been fulfilled yet.

“We already are a member of this powerful framework. We have entered
the list of select countries of the world. Of course, we will protect
their interests more broadly and inform the international community of
the truth about our country and region. But I also have to note that
the election raises our responsibility. We are ready to assume this
responsibility, otherwise, we wouldn’t have nominated our candidacy.

All the same, the vote shows that there is enough information about
Azerbaijan in the world. In some cases the international community
is referred to on different issues. The international community
consists of all countries. The majority of them back Azerbaijan. The
international community backs us. In future, when some circles seek
to put forward an idea or proposal and refer to the international
community, they should know that the international community’s view
has been reflected in this vote.

“Azerbaijan is a country which is praised by the international
community. This is a great achievement, a great success. This proves
that Azerbaijan has chosen the right path over recent years. I have
to repeat that this path was shown by our great leader. Over recent
years, committed to his political and spiritual heritage, and holding
reforms, we have managed to strengthen our country. We have always
taken specific action. The development of all regions, the creation
of new jobs in the regions and construction of such majestic palaces
are the realities of modern Azerbaijan. Our economy is growing in
the hardest years, critical for the world, salaries and pensions are
growing, there is no delay in the implementation of infrastructure
projects. All promises have been fulfilled.

Independent foreign policy

“There are no differences about our foreign policy inside the country.

However, in some cases people who call themselves experts have voiced
different thoughts about our foreign policy both inside the country and
abroad. They sometimes voiced critical ideas, saying that Azerbaijan’s
balanced policy is erroneous and Azerbaijan should become closer to one
power and become its protege. But this vote has again proved that these
thoughts are mistaken and harmful. This vote showed that Azerbaijan’s
policy is the only true one. This is not a balanced policy. I have
to repeat that this is an independent policy. We, as an independent
country, respect ourselves, respect our people and the state. We build
our policy exceptionally on the interests of the Azerbaijani people. We
have established equal relations with all countries, regardless of
their size and strength. These are already established relations.

“Azerbaijan is known as a reliable partner and a worthy country.

Therefore, I am sure that there will be no differences about foreign
policy in the future. This vote has proven the success of our policy.

Why do I pay so much attention to this issue? Not only because it
is our biggest victory and we have the right to take pride in this
success, but also because this victory draws the conclusions of the
20-year period of independence. This stage is the highest that we have
achieved. But it is not limited to us. We look into the future with
confidence. We have definite plans and programs for the future and
they are being implemented. What achievements will Azerbaijan gain
in the next two decades? How will Azerbaijan develop in the next 50
years? We are laying the foundation of the next 50 years today.

“At the recent sitting in the Cabinet, I said that over the past eight
years our economy has tripled. No other country demonstrates such a
result. The economy must even double in the next 10 years. This is
a very serious sign and a big responsibility. It won’t be easy to do
this. Given that our current economic potential is quite strong, its
doubling will demand great skills and professionalism. But I believe
and I know that with the right implementation of the adopted programs
we will achieve this and more. We must ensure this development,
primarily though the non-oil sector and the regions. Therefore,
along with redevelopment and creative work, we implement investment
projects, create new enterprises, create jobs and the country’s
economy is developing intensively.

“I have to note once again that today’s event, this majestic Heydar
Aliyev Centre, this wonderful square, embody the development of
Azerbaijan. Today the flourishing and developing Azerbaijan needs
such buildings. Schools, buildings, hospitals, roads, redevelopment
and creative work bring joy. These buildings give more beauty. These
buildings reflect the successful development of Azerbaijan.

“Dear friends, I want to congratulate you again on this wonderful
event. I wish sound health and new success to all residents of Ujar.

Thank you.”

AZERBAIJANI DEFENSE MINISTRY REFUSES TO PROVIDE INFORMATION TO MILAZ

Panorama
Nov 1 2011
Armenia

Milaz Azerbaijani news agency sent a letter to President Ilham Aliyev
saying that the press office of Azerbaijani Defense Ministry refuses
to provide information in response to agency’s inquiry via e-mail.

Yeni Musavat reports that Deputy Spokesman for the Azerbaijani Defense
Ministry Teymur Abdullayev told a Milaz reporter that “provision of
information to Milaz is impossible.”

According to news agency’s editor Jasur Samaranli, the Defense
Ministry’s refusal to provide information is connected with coverage
of negative incidents, abuses by commanders and military corruption.

TURKISH PUBLISHER RAGIP ZARAKOLU ARRESTED
By Maryann Yin

mediabistro.com

Nov 1 2011

Belge Publishing House director Ragip Zarakolu was arrested on
October 28th. Zarakolu, a member of the Turkish PEN Center, has been
targeted by the Turkish government for his refusal to yield to their
censorship laws.

His legal battles began when he launched the publishing house in 1977
with his wife, Ayse Nur. They published books by political prisoners
and nonfiction titles about the Armenian genocide. Larry Siems,
director of the Freedom to Write program at the PEN American Center,
declared the organization’s mounting concern over “a disturbing
acceleration of violations of the rights of Turkish and Kurdish
activists, writers, and scholars.”

Here’s more from the release: “Turkish authorities have arrested up
to 1,000 scholars, writers, publishers, and rights advocates during
a two-year crackdown targeting activists who focus on Kurdish issues.

This list of those arrested Friday also includes BuÅ~_ra Ersanlı,
a constitutional law expert and a member of the pro-Kurdish Peace and
Democracy Party (BDP). Zarakolu’s son, Deniz Zarakolu, who is an editor
at Belge Publishing House and a Ph.D. student at Bilgi University,
was arrested on October 4. It is unclear whether charges have been
filed against any of those arrested in Friday’s roundup.”

NEW TIMES PARTY LEADER DUBS ARMENIAN PM’S STATEMENT BLACKMAIL

PanARMENIAN.Net
November 1, 2011 – 14:58 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – The leader of New Times opposition party dubbed
Armenian Prime Minister’s ill-boding statement on relations between
coalition parties a blackmail.

“Those who cooperate with us will only gain by it; those who refuse,
will be back to square one,” Tigran Sargsyan was quoted as saying
at National Assembly when commenting on a rumoured conflict with
Prosperous Armenia party.

“As a third person in the state, the Prime Minister must be careful
about his public statements,” Aram Karapetyan told a news conference
in Yerevan.

However, as PM spokesman Aram Ananyan noted earlier, an attempt was
made to distort the meaning of PM’s statement, insinuating that it was
addressed to RPA coalition partners. As Ananyan noted earlier, “the
statement was meant for forces that use political struggle to pursue
their personal goals rather than promote the country’s development.

The statement does not refer to Prosperous Armenia, our coalition
partner, which renders the rumours to the opposite rather absurd.”

ARMENIA DELEGATION DISAPPOINTED WITH ISTANBUL SYMPOSIUM TO REVITALIZE ARMENIA-TURKEY RAPPROCHEMENT: GIRAGOSIAN

epress.am
11.01.2011

A two-day symposium entitled “The Normalization Process between Turkey
and Armenia: Prospects for Revitalization” took place in Istanbul
last week with the participation of about 30 well-known academics
and experts from Turkey and Armenia, as well as from other countries.

The symposium aimed to explore the dynamics of the Armenia-Turkey
rapprochement process in 2008-2009, the factors that led to the
current stalemate, as well as the prospects for the revitalization of
the normalization process. Participants were expected to examine the
evolution of the rapprochement by focusing on its intergovernmental
as well as civil society dimensions, as well as to analyze the current
state of the normalization process by not only exploring the positions
of the parties, but also situating the process into the relevant
regional and international context.

The symposium also happened to coincide with the day in 1923 when
Turkey declared itself a republic (Oct. 29).

Participating in the symposium from Armenia were military and
political analyst Richard Giragosian (pictured); Caucasus Institute
Director Alexander Iskandaryan, Human Rights and Conflicts Research
Institute NGO President Armen Melkonyan and head of the Political
Studies Department at the Caucasus Institute Sergey Minasyan.

Richard Giragosian shared his impressions of the symposium and
his prospects for Armenian-Turkish relations with editor of the
Istanbul-based IMC TV Aris Nalci, particularly noting that the
delegation from Armenia was somewhat frustrated and disappointed
after the symposium.

Giragosian said though the conference was organized by two leading
universities in Ankara with the support of Turkey’s Ministry of
Foreign Affairs, and aimed to find new ways of revitalizing the
normalization process, but it seems clear that this conference
reaffirmed two realities: the first, Armenian-Turkish normalization
is no longer a priority for Turkey, and second, Turkey is once again
attempting to “repackage” a precondition over Nagorno-Karabakh with
Armenian-Turkish diplomacy.

“Despite the fact that both the US and Russia, as well as the EU have
made it clear there is no reference to Karabakh within the Protocols.

And to attempt at this late stage to re-link the issues is unhelpful
at best and insincere at worst. So what we see is Turkey seems rather
insincere and in danger of being perceived as an unreliable and unready
interlocutor for Armenia,” he said, adding that it’s unfortunate
because “we have a window of opportunity that is now closing.”

The analyst pointed out that all expectations and the burden are on
Turkey, as “Armenia has done everything it can and more.”

On the matter of normalizing Armenia-Turkey relations, Giragosian
highlighted Azerbaijan’s role, saying that though Azerbaijan has no
place in the dialogue between the two states, it does, however, have
great power over Turkey. In his opinion, this is a problem Turkey
has to deal with, just as the Armenian Genocide is a problem Turkey
has to deal with.

“The Azerbaijan issue has become a domestic Turkish political issue,”
he added.

Speaking about the effectiveness of the discussions held in Istanbul,
Giragosian said that such meetings are very important (“the dialogue
of normalization needs to continue”) as they sustain the momentum
of “Track 2 Diplomacy” between Armenia and Turkey, “to prepare the
groundwork for when the states are ready to recommit.”

“What we’re also doing is correcting a mistake from the Protocols. The
mistake was neither Turkey nor Armenia did enough to prepare public
opinion for normalization,” he said.

Asked by Nalci what Armenia’s next steps might be, Giragosian said:

“We can continue to pressure the Turkish side and to keep the Armenian
side willing and ready to move forward. But at the same time what
we can do is what we’re doing – Track 2 diplomacy in terms of civil
society engagement, to actually sustain this momentum… Just the
fact that we’re coming and going to each other’s countries, just
the fact that the Genocide issue is no longer taboo means that we
need to recognize and build on the progress we have made to date,”
he explained.

If Turkey doesn’t respond to Armenia’s move, if there is no
rapprochement, what might Armenia’s policy be? asked Nalci.

“Well, unfortunately, what concerns me from a civil society point
of view is that Turkey seems to fail to recognize the fact that
patience on the Armenian side is not without limit. And a policy of
preconditions is bold by the Armenian side but without reciprocal
measures from the Turkish side it’s a dangerous political policy that
may change. And the real pressure Turkey faces is 2015, the 100th
anniversary of the Armenian Genocide… I’m just worried that if the
stars don’t align again and normalization doesn’t return to Track 1
state level, there is a bigger danger that next time we try this it
will be that much harder,” Giragosian concluded.

ISRAEL TEST-FIRES BALLISTIC MISSILE

PanARMENIAN.Net
November 2, 2011 – 13:42 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Israel test-fired a ballistic missile on Wednesday,
November 2, Israel Radio said, amid a heightened public debate over
the possibility of an Israeli attack against Iran’s nuclear program.

“Israel today carried out the test-firing of a rocket propulsion
system from the Palmachim base (in central Israel),” a Defense Ministry
statement said.

“This had been planned by the defense establishment a long time ago
and has been carried out as scheduled.”

A Defense Ministry official declined to comment on the type of
rocket tested. But Israel Radio’s military affairs correspondent,
who is regularly briefed by top officers on defense matters, said a
ballistic missile was launched.

Israel, considered to be the Middle East’s only nuclear power,
successfully test-fired a two-stage, long-range ballistic missile
in 2008.

It is widely believed to have Jericho missiles capable of carrying
nuclear warheads, civilian “Shavit” rockets used to launch satellites
and the Arrow missile interceptor.

The launch coincided with mounting speculation in Israel that its
leaders could be preparing a military attack on Iran to curb a nuclear
program they say is aimed at producing atomic weapons. Iran says its
nuclear activities are peaceful, Reuters reported.

The public debate was sparked at the weekend when a newspaper
commentator suggested Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense
Minister Ehud Barak may have decided, without seeking wider cabinet
approval, to attack Iranian nuclear facilities.

In a policy speech opening parliament’s winter session on Monday,
Netanyahu again voiced his view that a nuclear Iran would pose a
serious threat to Israel and to the world.

But he stopped short of making any direct threat of Israeli military
action. Israel has said repeatedly that all options are on the table
in trying to curb Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

KNESSET SPEAKER ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE: MY DUTY IS TO RECOGNIZE THE TRAGEDIES OF OTHER PEOPLE

02.11.11 | 12:19

Photo:

Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin said Monday that he wanted to convene
an annual parliamentary session of the full Knesset to mark the
Armenian Genocide. “It is my duty as a Jew and Israeli to recognize
the tragedies of other peoples,” Rivlin said according to news reports.

Rivlin added that “diplomatic considerations, important as they may
be, should not deter us from recognizing a tragedy experienced by
another people, reported the Haaretz newspaper.

In recent years the Prime Minister’s Office and the Foreign Ministry
have applied heavy pressure to head off such sessions of the Knesset
out of concern that relations between Israel and Turkey would be
harmed. Turkey denies that it committed genocide against the Armenians.

Since 2008, the full Knesset has allowed the Foreign Affairs and
Defense Committee to hold sessions that have been closed to the
media about the Armenian genocide. Last week, for the first time,
the full Knesset approved the convening of an open, public session
on the issue by the Education, Culture and Sports Committee, at the
request of Meretz Knesset member Zahava Gal-On. This represents a
complete change in approach on the issue.