Author: Kanayan Tamar

UN OFFICE IN ARMENIA PROMOTES POVERTY ERADICATION WORK

armradio.am
17.10.2011 15:10

A photo exhibition “Eradication of Poverty after 20 years of
independence” dedicated to the International Day of Poverty
Eradication, which was organized by the Oxfam and the UNDP, UN
Department of Public Information and the Food and Agriculture
Organization was opened today at the UN House.

Exhibited photos illustrated the challenges on the way of poverty
eradication, focusing on the achievements of the residents of distant
rural areas, who were supported by various charitable and development
programs.

The event was attended by the representatives of government and
international organizations, and the beneficiaries of programs held
by Oxfam and the UNDP, UNDPI and FAO, as well as the general public.

The UN Resident Coordinator Dafina Gercheva said: “October 17 presents
an opportunity to acknowledge the efforts and struggle of people living
in poverty; it’s a chance for them to make their concerns heard. UN
Institutions in Armenia will continue to support the country’s efforts
aimed to eradicate poverty.

Margarita Hakobyan, the director of Oxfam office in Armenia, said:
“All people in the world have the right to be fairly well-off. There
are sufficient resources in the world which are able to provide it.

Poverty is the consequence of inequality, and by overcoming it,
we will be able to eradicate poverty.”

The United Nations believes that for present and future generations
sustainable development must truly safeguard ecosystems at the same
time enabling economic and social progress. Sustainable development
will also build countries’ resilience to external shocks and protect
development gains.

The photo exhibition is organized in the framework of the series
of other joint events dedicated to poverty eradication which were
held on October 12th -17th in Yerevan and two regions of Armenia:,
Shirak and Vayots Dzor. These events were also initiated by Oxfam,
UNDP, UNDPI and FAO. The events were also supported by the network
of civil society organizations established by Oxfam, by other civil
society and international organizations.

The events were held under the slogan of Oxfam GROW global campaign
“Grow more, feed our country” aimed to promote local food production,
consumption, distribution, and management processes, as well as to
reduce disaster risks and prevent the negative impact of climate change
on agriculture as the most essential factor of poverty eradication.

UN MUR ENTRE LE KARABAGH ET L’AZERBAIDJAN ?

Collectif VAN

17-10-2011

“L’Azerbaïdjan veut construire un mur le long de la frontière avec
le Karabagh.

L’ex-ministre des Affaires etrangères de la Republique du
Nagorno-Karabagh, Armen Melikyan, a qualifie ceci d’une autre tactique
de propagande de l’Azerbaïdjan pour detourner l’attention de la
communaute internationale. ” Ils depensent des sommes folles pour la
propagande et certaines personnes en tirent des benefices “, a dit
Melikyan. “Ils suivent l’exemple d’Israël qui a essaye de delimiter
sa frontière avec les territoires palestiniens en construisant un mur.

Cela est fait dans un but de propagande visant a demontrer que les
Israeliens sont en danger. ” Le journal russe Nezavisimaya Gazeta a
declare : ” Il est possible de construire un mur, mais ni la Grande
Muraille de Chine ni le Mur de Berlin n’ont resiste a l’epreuve du
temps. ” ” Le Collectif VAN vous livre la traduction de cet article
en anglais paru le 12 octobre 2011 sur le site du quotidien Asbarez.

Legende photo: Frontière Karabagh-Azerbaijan

Asbarez

Bakou veut construire un mur a la frontière Karabagh-Azerbaïdjan

Jeudi 13 octobre 2011

EREVAN (ArmRadio) – L’Azerbaïdjan a lance un projet de construction
dans le village d’Ota Gerbend, region d’Aghdam pour eriger un mur
de 700 mètres de long, le long de la frontière avec la Republique du
Nagorno-Karabagh, de Karavand a la region Tartar.

L’ex-ministre des Affaires etrangères de la Republique du
Nagorno-Karabagh, Armen Melikyan, a qualifie ceci d’une autre
tactique de propagande de l’Azerbaïdjan pour detourner l’attention
de la communaute internationale.

” Ils depensent des sommes folles pour la propagande et certaines
personnes en tirent des benefices “, a dit Malikyan. “Ils suivent
l’exemple d’Israël qui a essaye de delimiter sa frontière avec les
territoires palestiniens en construisant un mur. Cela est fait dans
un but de propagande visant a demontrer que les Israeliens sont en
danger. ”

En reponse, les responsables militaires de la Republique du
Nagorno-Karabagh ont dit que le Karabagh etait pret a aider a la
construction du mur.

” Le problème n’est pas seulement le secteur de trois mètres de long,
mais la totalite de la ligne de contact, pour que les deux pays soient
proteges l’un de l’autre “, a dit Melikyan.

Cela serait moins onereux pour l’Azerbaïdjan de retirer ses snippers
de la ligne de contact. Cependant, ils ne le font pas en depit des
appels du groupe de Minsk de l’OSCE. En bref, s’ils veulent depenser
leurs petrodollars pour construire un mur, qu’ils le fassent “,
a ajoute Melikyan.

Le porte-parole presidentiel du Karabagh, David Babayan, a declare :
” La construction du mur est bien accueillie dans un sens, car elle
delimitera la frontière du Nagorno Karabagh. ” ” Je n’exclus pas
le fait qu’il puisse etre construit a des fins militaires. Je suis
sûr qu’ils ne le construiront pas le long de la ligne de contact,
car il determinera la frontière de la Republique du Karabagh “,
a declare le depute Lernik Aleksanyan.

Entre temps, le journal russe Nezavisimaya Gazeta a declare : ”
Il est possible de construire un mur, mais ni la Grande Muraille de
Chine ni le Mur de Berlin n’ont resiste a l’epreuve du temps. ”

©Traduction de l’anglais C.Gardon pour le Collectif VAN – 14 octobre
2011 – 08:10 –

Retour a la rubrique

Trend, Azerbaijan
Oct 15 2011

Representatives of Russian and Turkish foreign ministries discuss
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict

15 October 2011, 10:32 (GMT+05:00) Azerbaijan, Baku, Oct.15 / Trend E.
Tariverdiyeva /

Ankara hosted regular consultations between the State Secretary –
Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Grigory Karasin and
the First Deputy Foreign Minister of Turkey Firudin Sinirlioglu on
regional issues on Oct.14, the Russian Foreign Ministry’s website
reported.

Views were exchanged on topical issues in Central Asia and Caucasus,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the report said.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 surrounding districts.

Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The
co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group – Russia, France, and the U.S. – are
currently holding the peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council’s four
resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the
surrounding regions.

Web newswire
October 16, 2011 Sunday

INTERPOL Chief says Commonwealth of Independent States collaboration
is a model for other regions, Armenia becomes first CIS country to
recognize INTERPOL passport

Oct. 16 — INTERPOL Chief says Commonwealth of Independent States
collaboration is a model for other regions Armenia becomes first CIS
country to recognize INTERPOL passportYEREVAN, Armenia – Addressing
the Council of Ministers of Internal Affairs of the Commonwealth of
Independent States (CIS) in Yerevan today, INTERPOL Secretary General
Ronald K. Noble said that the region’s impressive cooperation withthe
world police body played an important role in the global fight against
crime and terrorism.Mr Noble’s remarks follow his meeting with
Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan who agreed to grant INTERPOL
passport holders special visa waiver status, saying that ‘in today’s
world, law enforcement officers holding INTERPOL passports should not
be delayed in travelling to countries which have asked for
assistance.’President Sargsyan’s support and recognition that no
additional burdens should be placed on INTERPOL officials responding
to requests from member countries were praised by Secretary General
Noble as ‘a significant step forward in enhancing national, regional
and global security.’ The INTERPOL passport, now officially recognized
by 24 countries, is aimed at facilitating the worldwide deployment of
INTERPOL officials, chiefs of law enforcement agencies, heads of
National Central Bureaus and staff by allowing them to travel
internationally on official INTERPOL business without requiring a visa
prior to boarding a plane to assist in transnational investigations or
in urgent deployments.Since taking the helm of the world police body
in 2000, Mr Noble said that the CIS region had repeatedly shown
innovation and unwavering support in its commitment to INTERPOL and
the global law enforcement community, pointing to the creation of the
INTERPOL Anti-Heroin Smuggling Training Centre in Russia in 2007 and
the expansion of access to INTERPOL’s tools to frontline police in
more than 50 remote sites across Central Asia through an EU-funded
project.Secretary General Noble’s presence at the CIS Ministers
meeting in Yerevan follows his participation at the ‘Donbass
Anti-Terror 2011’ exercise organized by the CIS Anti-Terrorism Centre
and the Security Service of Ukraine in Donetsk last month.That event
and the willingness of both Russia and Belarus to share evidence and
intelligence obtained after the January 2011 attack on Domodedovo
International airport and the Oktyabrskaya subway station bombing in
Minsk just months later were hailed by Mr Noble as a demonstration of
the region’s collaborative approach to security.”The close cooperation
between the member countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States
serves as a model for other regions of the world in ensuring that they
present a united and effective front against transnational criminals
and terrorists,” said INTERPOL Secretary General Ronald K. Noble.

“This collective approach is vital in maximizing the ability of each
individual country to better combat these shared threats, and is a
strategy clearly employed by all countries in the region to protect
citizens and visitors,” added the INTERPOL chief.”International police
cooperation via INTERPOL is essential in creating opportunities to
enhance the effectiveness ofnational police services and therefore of
regional and international security,” said Minister of the Republic of
Armenia and Head of the Police, Lieutenant-General Alik Sargsyan.”We
are committed to using an international approach in the fight against
crime, working with INTERPOL to protect our borders and citizens from
terrorists and other criminals and also to send a strong message to
the global criminal community that it cannot evade justice in
Armenia,” added the police chief.During his mission, Mr Noble also
visited the INTERPOL National Central Bureau in Yerevan where he was
briefed on a range of policing activities including drug enforcement
and human trafficking.

AZERBAIJAN BLAMES THE COUNTRIES SELLING WEAPON TO ARMENIA IN DESTABILIZATION OF THE SITUATION IN THE REGION

Azerbaijan Business Center
Oct 14 2011

Baku, Fineko/abc.az. Armenia creates problems in peace and stability
restoration in the region.

Head of Political Analysis and Information Provision Department of
Azerbaijan Presidential Administration Elnur Aslanov has reported
that Armenia’s purchase of weapon from any country is destabilization
factor.

” Armenia’s policy both referring to Nagorno Garabagh .issue and the
region demonstrated its non-constructive and destructive position in
the region. Any purchase of weapon and increase of reserves in any
region creates problems for peace and stability in that region”,-
E. Aslanov said.

AZERBAIJAN CALLS ON WORLD COMMUNITY TO ACTIVATE PARTICIPATION IN NAGORNO-GARABAGH CONFLICT SOLUTION

Azerbaijan Business Center
Oct 14 2011

Baku, Fineko/abc.az. Azerbaijan calls on participants of OSCE Minsk
group and world community to be more active in Nagorno-Garabagh
conflict solution.

Head of Political Analysis and Information Provision Department of
Azerbaijan Presidential Administration Elnur Aslanov has reported
that as co-chairs of OSCE Minsk group Russia, France and the USA and
world community should activate their efforts for the problem solution.

” All the world community should activate its activity in this
direction and not stay indifferent to aggression policy applied
by Armenia to Azerbaijan. UNO~Rs 4 declarations still have not
been implemented and it arises certain questions on one hand and
demonstrates application of double standards in world policy on the
other hand “,- E. Aslanov said.

THE ‘GREAT WALL’ OF KARABAKH
by Yury Roks

Nezavisimaya Gazeta, Russia
October 13, 2011 Thursday

The next meeting between the presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia
may take place under the mediation of French President Nikolas Sarkozy.

This announcement was made Wednesday by Azerbaijani sources, who
specified that the proposal was made during the French leader’s recent
visit to the region and that it had been discussed and approved by
the presidents of Russia and the United States. However, a spokesman
for Armenia’s Foreign Affairs Ministry categorically denied the
information: “Azerbaijan has been acting strange lately.”

One of the things the Armenian diplomat considered to be strange was
Azerbaijan’s ANS Press reports about a wall which is being erected
along the line of contact with the armed forces of Nagorno-Karabakh.

The stone structure will stretch for almost 3 kilometers in Tatar
District in order to “protect the residents of Azerbaijani villages
from Armenian bullets.”

Armenia has expressed a readiness to provide assistance in the
construction of the wall.

“And not just for 3 kilometers, but along the entire border – so
that they do not see us, and we don’t see them,” an officer of the
Nagorno-Karabakh Defense Army said. He added that “it would have
been cheaper and easier for the Azerbaijanis to remove their snipers,
but despite the recommendations made by the mediators, they are not –
and we are forced to respond to fire with fire.”

“On the other hand, they have plenty of petro-dollars – they want a
wall, let there be a wall,” said the source.

Though a wall can always be erected, the Great Wall of China, the
Berlin Wall, Hadrian’s Wall, or even the Incas’ mysterious walls at
Sacsayhuaman ultimately could not withstand the test of time.

Another attempt to break through the wall of animosity between
Azerbaijanis and Armenians will be made by the co-chairmen of the
OSCE Minsk Group before the end of October. According to the foreign
affairs minister of Azerbaijan, Elmar Mamedyarov, the mediators’ visit
“will be aimed at searching for a compromise between the conflicting
sides.” However, it seems that in reality Baku does not believe the
forthcoming meeting will be productive.

On Tuesday, the assistant secretary of the Security Department of
Azerbaijan’s Foreign Affairs Ministry, Elchin Guseinli, said that the
co- chairmen of the OSCE Minsk Group are creating the possibility of
artificially prolonging the Karabakh conflict.

“The Minsk Group has been carrying an important responsibility for
20 years, but the co-chairmen still do not feel like they are… The
passive attitude of the OSCE Minsk Group toward conflict regulation
could undermine the authority of this organization in the Caucasus,”
Guseinli said at a conference in Baku which was jointly organized by
the interstate GUAM alliance (Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Moldova)
and the Baltic Assembly (inter-parliamentary organization of Latvia,
Lithuania and Estonia).

In Guseinli’s opinion, the Karabakh conflict and the conflicts in
Georgia threaten international security, and the OSCE Minsk Group,
“instead of supporting the just position of Azerbaijan… prefers to
cooperate with Armenia.”

Guseinli complained about Armenia’s close military and political ties
with Russia, which are “a reason for instability in the region,”
and accused Erevan of violating its international obligations: the
arms and the military personnel of Armenia are allegedly exceeding
the limits set forth in international treaties, which indicates that
Armenia is getting ready for war, whereas “Azerbaijan is using its
acquired weapons for the protection of its energy infrastructure.”

The validity of these claims will need to be determined by the
assistant secretary of state for arms control, Rose Gottemoeller, who
will inspect the South Caucasus countries during a visit October 14-19.

In the meantime, Mikhail Aleksandrov, an expert with the Institute
of CIS, declared Guseinli’s statements to be illogical.

“It is strange hearing Azerbaijan accuse Armenia of being engaged in
an arms race,” he said. “Baku is the one provoking it and flaunting its
military budget. Baku is the one insisting that a military solution to
the problem is possible. Azerbaijan should reconsider its approach –
the standard of living in the country is not high to the point of
being able to spend such resources on the military.”

Aleksandrov also criticized the Azerbaijani official’s claims
regarding the creation of a regional imbalance as a result of Russia
and Armenia’s strategic partnership.

“To the contrary, Armenian-Russian ties support a balance of forces,”
Aleksandrov said. “With its presence in the South Caucasus, Russia
is creating a counterbalance to Turkey, Iran and preventing the West
from getting access to the region, including military. If it wasn’t
for Russia, the South Caucasus would be in a similar situation as we
are observing in Syria or Libya today.”

As for the accusations directed at the OSCE Minsk Group of creating
obstacles to conflict resolution, the political scientist believes that
“it is simply pressure to persuade mediators to side with Baku.”

“Conflict settlement is possible only if both sides decide to
compromise, but Azerbaijan has no intention to yield and blames the
OSCE,” Aleksandrov said. “It wants to gain everything back in the same
shape as it was in before the collapse of the Soviet Union, which
is impossible. Baku must recognize Nagorno-Karabakh’s independence
in exchange for seven districts around it – this option is still
available, but might also become unrealizable in another 10 years.”

“The OSCE is the only institution working on European security, and
it does not matter whether Azerbaijan likes it or not… The bellicose
rhetoric of Baku is at odds with OSCE policy – neither Europe nor the
United States wants a new war in the Caucasus,” said Anatoly Tsyganok,
head of the Military Forecasting Center at the Institute of Political
and Military Analysis. “Azerbaijan will hardly be able to go outside
of the Minsk Group format. Despite some shortcomings, the OSCE has
strong positions. It’s worth mentioning that the conflict itself and
its settlement process do not solely depend on Azerbaijan, but also
on Armenia, Nagorno-Karabakh, and partially Russia, Iran and Turkey.”

BRITISH PHOTOGRAPHER: ARMENIAN SOLDIERS ARE BEING FORCIBLY HELD TO RANSOM IN AZERBAIJAN

Panorama, Armenia
Oct 14 2011

“Over the last 17 years more than 150,000 people of
the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic have slowly re-built
the infrastructure of their major cities, and returned
to some semblance of normality in their daily lives,”
says the UK freelance photographer Russell Pollard in his
blog publication “The Missing Soldiers of Nagorno-Karabakh war” at

.

The Grigoryan family of Stepanakert, says Pollard, just like many
fellow citizens, suffered the constant bombing and sniping from the
Azeri troops. All around them was being destroyed: buildings, lives;
neighbours were receiving sad news from the military of the loss of
their relatives; bodies of killed men were being re-patriated home
and funerals were taking place.

In 1994 the son of the Grigoryan family – Felix, a 23-year-old young
man, was an accomplished musician with great prospects. His parents
were looking forward to their old age, knowing that their son would be
there to look after them. Felix was part of a 7 man unit carrying out
an operation near Fizuli when, one day, he disappeared without trace.

“The investigation was not able to confirm whether he had been
killed, or captured; there was no evidence, only the fact that he
never returned home,” notes the British photographer.

Whilst their neighbours have re-built their lives, the life
of Grigoryan family remains, forever empty, but hopeful. They are
grasping at any opportunity that would return their son back home. “On
one occasion they received a mysterious call from a man who announced
that he would visit them shortly, and that he would be known to them –
cruelly the whole episode turned out to be a mistake”, writes Russell
Pollard. Family’s dreams are regularly punctuated by scenarios where
their son, but only the monochrome picture of their handsome son,
is always present for his proud parents to remember his, and their,
sacrifice. Only there isn’t a place to visit, or to lay flowers.

The photographer Pollard says, the story of the Grigoryan family in
Artsakh is only one of over 700 similar stories, and it is quite
likely that a proportion of these men will be dead, however more
sinister possibilities are a reality. “Evidence exists ( I have seen
the original of one letter) that people are being held in Azerbaijan,
against their will, and that ransoms are being requested for their
release,” writes the author, noting that there are also views that the
Armenians, captured in Azerbaijan, have had to integrate within Azeri
life in order to save themselves, and, now feel too ashamed to return.

And the lack of correct identity papers makes it impossible to obtain
a passport, or finance, thus neutralising the key ingredients for a
return to Armenia.

The trafficking and exchanging of soldiers during and after the war,
was a reality. The good work of Albert Voskanyan who the British
photographer met in Stepanakert secured the release of 500 men and
150 bodies. “Whilst the Grigoryan’s continue to wait, hope and pray
for their son’s return, another 700 families are suffering the same
torment and the “needle” of quality information in the “haystack”
of confusion gets more difficult to find as each year passes,” writes
Russell Pollard at the end.

The ceasefire declared in the Nagorno-Karabagh war in 1994 provided
a much needed respite to the bloodshed that lasted in the region for
6 years. The politicians have continued to talk since then to bring
this conflict to a final resolution, however, a final peace agreement
is not substantially closer, says Pollard.

KARABAKH MFA STATEMENT CIRCULATED AT UN

news.am, Armenia
Oct 14 2011

YEREVAN. – Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR) MFA statement, with respect
to elections of Karabakh’s local self-government bodies (LSGB),
was circulated at UN as official writing of UN General Assembly and
Security Council.

Armenia’s permanent representative to UN, Ambassador Karen Nazaryan
had previously submitted a written petition to UN Secretary-General
Ban Ki-moon, with a request to circulate the aforesaid statement. In
the petition, Nazaryan noted that local self-government bodies are
absolutely necessary for any society, including NKR’s population,
Armenian MFA Press Service informed Armenian News-NEWS.am.

Karen Nazaryan also underscored that the aforementioned elections,
which are now held for the fifth time, have become a democratic process
in NKR (Artsakh), which, sadly, is unacceptable for Azerbaijan because
in that country, unlike in Nagorno-Karabakh, LSGB leaders are appointed
and are not elected by way of people’s freedom of expression.

In its turn, NKR MFA statement stresses the need to demonstrate a
constructive and consistent attitude toward all necessary processes
for turning the South Caucasus into an open and a democratic region,
and it reminds Azerbaijan that all its attempts made against the
democratic development and formation of civil society in Nagorno
Karabakh are doomed to fail from the very beginning.

KARS GOVERNOR CRITICIZES WATER AFFAIRS REGIONAL DIRECTOR FOR VISITING ARMENIA

news.am, Armenia
Oct 14 2011

ISTANBUL. – During session of the Coordination Council of Kars
Province, held in Kars city in Turkey, Kars Governor Ahmet Kara
harshly criticized Hayati Celenk, Regional Director of the Department
of Water Affairs, who was in Armenia at the time.

During the session, Ali Koseali, Deputy Regional Director of the
Department of Water Affairs, delivered a report on the activities of
the Department, since Hayati Celenk was in Armenia, Milliyet daily
of Turkey writes.

This circumstance made the Governor extremely furious, and he harshly
criticized Hayati Celenk. “Where is your director? There are matters
to discuss here, yet the director is fleeing to Armenia…If Armenia
is more important, let him come and give an explanation, and let’s
see why he went to Armenia. There was no need for him to go to Armenia.

Let engineers conduct talks with Armenia. There is no topic there for
the director to discuss,” the Governor of Kars told Deputy Regional
Director of the Department of Water Affairs.