Author: Kanayan Tamar

EVANS DOES NOT REGRET FOR ANNOUNCING THE TRUTH

yerkir.am
16:18 – 29.09.2011

“In 2005 when I talked about the true history in California, I
was aware that many negative results will follow. I didn’t know if
they would cut my head off or my hand”, said former US ambassador
to Armenia John Evan answering questions within frameworks of “100
questions and answers” organized by “Civilitas” fund.

He noted that in 2005 he was facing a dilemma. He either had to
agree with US policy towards the events that took place in 1915,
i.e. the Armenian Genocide, or had to announce to historians about
the Armenian Genocide.

“I had no alternative. I decided to talk honestly about facts and I
do not regret it”, said former ambassador.

AZERIS STANDS AT NOTHING TO INFILTRATE ARMENIAN NPP

PanARMENIAN.Net
September 29, 2011 – 21:31 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Energy experts of countries neighboring Armenia must
be allowed to inspection of the Metsamor nuke plant which represents
a big threat to the whole region, according to the president of the
National Academy of Science of Azerbaijan.

“Armenian side states that the Metsamor nuke plant has been inspected
by no less than ten different commissions this year but the results
of the inspections are not provided to the neighbor countries, which
means that inspections are not transparent. This is not correct,”
Mahmud Karimov told reporters.

“We demand to make these results public. Turkey, Georgia and Azerbaijan
must be aware of the results of inspections”, he said.

According to Karimov, this issue was also raised at the IAEA’s recent
general conference. At this meeting, the head of the Academy of Science
of Azerbaijan spoke of the need for the experts from Armenian neighbor
countries to participate in the activity of the Metsamor nuke plant.

The president of the National Academy of Science of Azerbaijan said
that after the accident at the Fukushima-1 nuke plant, the security
of the Armenian nuke plant has become even more pressing.

“Indeed, the Metsamor nuke plant represents a real threat for the
region, since it does not meet the European standards, exhausted its
resources and gone outdated. EU has repeatedly demanded to shut it
down but Armenian government continues using this station and even
passed a decision to build a new energy unit there”, Karimov said.

He drew attention to the fact Metsamor nuke plant is located in
mountainous area. “In the event of failure, there will be water
shortage for cooling the reactor and it will be very difficult to
prevent the tragedy”, he said.

However foreign experts have repeatedly confirmed the safety of the
Armenian NPP. For example, the IAEA’s 11-member Operational Safety
Review Team (OSART) for Armenia, which inspected the Armenian nuclear
power plant (NPP) safety from May 16 to June 2, concluded that the
plant does not pose any danger. “There is no industrial activity that
does not pose any risk, but I think the results of our inspection
show that this risk at Metsamor is acceptable,” Gabor Vamos, head of
the OSART, said upon completion of the monitoring.

VAHAN HOVHANNISYAN AND MHER SHAHGELDYAN POSITIVELY ASSESS THE PRESIDENT’S SPEECH AT THE UN
Siranush Muradyan

“Radiolur”
29.09.2011 19:14

Member of the ARF Bureau Vahan Hovhannisyan and Vice-President of
Orinats Yerkir Party Mher Shahgeldyan positively assess President
Serzh Sargsyan’s speech the 66th session of the UN General Assembly.

They say it was a speech of the President of a democratic country,
which included all issues of our foreign policy.

“President Serzh Sargsyan’s speech at the UN General Assembly was an
important phenomenon, a phenomenon where the position of the Republic
of Armenia on many issues was presented,” Mher Shahgeldyan said

“When the President noted in his speech that it is the moral duty of
Armenia to prevent the reoccurrence of genocides, it was acclaim to
undertake the global mission of preventing genocides from the moral
viewpoint,” Mher Shahgeldyan said, adding that the Karabakh issue
was also presented very clearly.

Vahan Hovhannisyan says the President presented the true essence
of the Karabakh issue and correctly presented the Armenian-Turkish
relations. “The speech was good, now we have to wait for results,”
he said.

EX-AMBASSADOR JOHN EVANS STANDS FOR STEP-BY-STEP NORMALIZATION OF ARMENIAN-TURKISH RELATIONS
Anna Nazaryan

“Radiolur”
29.09.2011 18:55

“I stand for moving forward with small steps,” ex-Ambassador of
the US to Armenia John Evans said, commenting on the suspended
process of normalization of relations between Armenia and Turkey. The
ex-Ambassador does not believe that the side knew beforehand that the
process would fail. “They would not start it if they knew,” he said.

According to John Evans, there are new impulses today, Turkey has
returned the protocols to the Parliament agenda. There is no way
other than continuing the work in that direction, he said.

The ex-Ambassador said he sees tremendous changes in Armenia. He
rated the level of Armenian democracy 2.6 on the scale of 10.

In response to the question about recognition of the Armenian Genocide,
John Evan said: “When I said the truth in California in 2005, I did not
know what they would do with me. But they let me stay in Armenia for 18
months.” “As you see I’m a pensioner today,” the ex-Ambassador stated.

ARMENIAN PIANIST, IRANIAN VIOLIN VIRTUOSO TO PERFORM IN TURKEY

PanARMENIAN.Net
September 29, 2011 – 16:59 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Iranian violin virtuoso Farid Farjad will begin a
concert tour across Turkey with a performance in the Aegean province
of Ä°zmir on Oct. 5.

Farjad, who is known as the man “who makes the violin cry due to the
emotions in his songs,” will take the stage at Ä°zmir’s Ä°smet Ä°nönu
Art Center, according to the Aegean Culture and Art Organization.

He will continue his concerts on Oct. 7 at Erzurum’s Ataturk University
Congress Hall; on Oct. 8 at Ankara’s National Education Ministry
Council Hall; on Oct. 10 at Gaziantep’s 100. Yıl Amphitheater;
on Oct. 12 at Mersin’s Ataturk Congress Center; on Oct.

14 at Diyarbakır’s Dicle University Concert Hall; on Oct. 15 at
Istanbul’s Caddebostan Culture Center and on Oct. 19 at Istanbul’s
Kultur University Akınguc Auditorium.

Farjad will be accompanied by Los Angeles-based Armenian pianist
Armen Aharonian, Hurriyet Daily News reported.

STRATEGY OF FIGHTING AGAINST DESTRUCTIVE SECTARIAN MOVEMENTS PLANNED IN ARMENIA

ARMENPRESS
12:42, 29 September, 2011

The first session of the interdepartmental commission for planning
of a strategy of fighting against destructive sectarian movements in
Armenia was held today, chaired by Secretary for National Security
Council Arthur Baghdasaryan.

Representatives of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Armenian government,
Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Defense, Justice, Culture, General
Prosecutor’s Office, Police and other departments participated in
the session.

Secretary for National Security Council Arthur Baghdasaryan said that
the commission has undertaken elaboration of the strategy for provision
of RA religious security and fighting against destructive sects.

Arthur Baghdasaryan also stressed that the strategy will no way
influence citizen’s basic freedoms of conscience and religion. “The
elaboration of this strategy is aimed at preventing and restraining
exclusively the sectarian movements, which are of destructive and
deconstructive nature for personal life of the Armenian, for his/her
family, public and democratic institutions, weakening the basis of the
state and disrupting the proportional development of our society,”
Arthur Baghdasaryan stressed, noting that the first session of the
commission was preceded by a long-lasting work.

ANC WON’T GATHER VAST MASSES AT NEXT RALLY – MP

PanARMENIAN.Net
September 29, 2011 – 13:31 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – A member of Prosperous Armenia coalition party is
skeptical over the possibility for Armenian National Congress (ANC)
opposition block to gather vast masses at the oncoming rally.

“Armenian people are too smart to attempt achieving something through
riots,” Vardan Bostanjyan stressed.

According to Bostanjyan, the number of ANC supporters at September 30
rally will determine further actions of the Congress. “The authorities
are ready to continue the dialogue. ANC, however, still holds grudge,
without considering actual extent of our abilities,” the MP stressed.

SEYRAN OHANIAN MEETS WITH MEMBERS OF SOCIAL COUNCIL UNDER DEFENSE MINISTER

Noyan Tapan
28.09.2011 | 16:33

RA Defense Minister Seyran Ohanian on September 28 received members
of the Social Council under the Defense Minister. Chairman of the
Council Gegham Harutyunian informed the minister about work done by
the Council and a number of proposals for raising the standard of
discipline and preventing incidents in the armed forces.

NT was informed by the Information and PR Department of the
Defense Ministry that Sayran Ohanian attached importance to the
Social Council’s mission and said that the Council should carry out
activities on creating an atmosphere of dialog and discussions between
the army and society and help with solution of problems in the army and
infiltration of good ideas and proposals from society into the army.

TURKISH MELEE AT UN: “THEY ACTED LIKE THUGS”

PanARMENIAN.Net
September 28, 2011 – 20:47 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – A brawl involving the Turkish Prime Minister has
been caught on camera inside the United Nations (UN) headquarters in
New York.

A brawl broke out between Turkish officials and U.N. security members
last Thursday after a misunderstanding led to the Turkish diplomats
being brought to the wrong area of the building. When U.N. security
said the diplomats couldn’t enter, the Turkish security detail got
violent. In fact, there are allegations that the Turkish security
team even “elbowed” and “threw” female guards.

The New York Post explains: “Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu’s
security team members became aggressive after they were escorted to
the wrong floor during Thursday’s session, sources tell us. After being
told they couldn’t enter that area by UN security, they “pushed their
way onto the floor, screaming, shoving and stomping on UN security,”
witnesses said, as the group tried to push in to hear the debate
over Palestine.

A female UN security officer was elbowed in her chest and suffered
several bruises while a high-ranking uniformed officer was left
with bruised ribs. “They acted like thugs,” said our source. “United
Nations security isn’t allowed to use force, and the Turkish staff
had diplomatic immunity.”

Another witness told us that Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan – who made his first speech before the UN on Thursday, blasting
Israel for “building new barriers to peace” – was also present, and
one of his guards “picked up a female UN security officer and threw
her across the room, before UN security “jumped on” the Turkish guard.”

The post has video of the incident, which captured the chaos
surrounding the incident.

The U.N. security officers were reportedly put on leave pending an
investigation, but allowed to return once the union protested, The
Blaze reported.

SPEAKERS OF NATIONAL ASSEMBLY AND BUNDESTAG DISCUSS ISSUES ON EXPANSION OF BILATERAL COOPERATION

ARMENPRESS
11:35, 28 September, 2011

RA National Assembly Speaker Hovik Abrahamyan met September 27 in
Berlin with Speaker of the German Bundestag Norbert Lammert.

Press service of RA National Assembly told Armenpress that the
Speaker of the Bundestag welcomed his counterpart and congratulated
on 20th anniversary of RA independence, noting that the visit of the
head of the Armenian parliament to Berlin will give a new impetus to
the Armenian-German relations and inter-parliamentary cooperation,
which is laid on good basis. Norbert Lammert attached importance to
expansion of Armenian-German cooperation in all directions, noting
that there is a huge unused potential of cooperation.

NA Speaker Hovik Abrahamyan expressed gratitude for warm reception,
for his counterpart’s support to celebrate the 20th anniversary of RA
independence in Berlin and addressed his congratulation and good wishes
on the occasion of the upcoming national holiday ~V German Unity Day.

NA Speaker said that our country attaches importance to expansion of
relations with Germany both in bilateral and multilateral formats
and looks upon the Armenian-German cooperation as an important
ingredient in the general context of EU integration policy of
Armenia. Hovik Abrahamyan also pointed out the importance of deepening
of inter-parliamentary cooperation between Armenia and Germany.

NA Speaker noted that Armenia also attaches importance to EU Eastern
Partnership, which launched in May, 2009. “We intend to actively
cooperate with EU structures and separate member states within the
framework of the Eastern Partnership. Armenia expects Germany’s active
involvedness and support to Armenia’s steps toward EU integration,
particularly, within the EU Eastern Partnership,” Hovik Abrahamyan
stressed.

Hovik Abrahamyan and Norbert Lammert attached importance to the
Program on International Parliamentary Scholarship sponsored by the
Bundestag. The program has been implemented for Armenia since 2008
and is a good opportunity for Armenian young people to familiarize
themselves with the political and economic structure of Germany
more thoroughly.

During the meting the interlocutors also referred to regional issues,
NK conflict settlement and Armenian-Turkish relations.

Referring to the Armenian Genocide issue, Mr. Lammert noted that in
2005 the German parliament adopted a resolution condemning the Armenian
Genocide and forced expatriation of Armenians, where the role of the
German government in that issue was also mentioned and condemned.

Wrapping up the meeting Hovik Abrahamyan invited his counterpart to
Armenia. The invitation was cordially accepted.

The members of the Armenian parliamentary delegation walked around
in the building of the Bundestag.

In the evening of September 27 the delegation headed by NA Speaker
Hovik Abrahamyan participated in a concert dedicated to RA Independence
Holiday. The concert was held in the large concert hall of Berlin
under the high patronage of Speakers of the Armenia National Assembly
and the German Bundestag.