Author: Kanayan Tamar

NEW HOTEL TO BE CONSTRUCTED AT YEREVAN CENTRAL SQUARE

news.am
Aug 18, 2011
Armenia

YEREVAN. – A new hotel complex will be built at the Republic Square
subway station in Yerevan. The construction is planned for 2011-2014.

The government allowed Yerevan city mayor to provide an area of 5850
square meters for construction of the hotel, and do it without biding
a tender. According to a certificate provided by the city hall, the
hotel will contain conference rooms, sports and game rooms, beauty
salon, restaurants and a cafe.

The hotel will be built based on a number of existing features of the
historic city center, which will ensure the integrity of the
neighborhood. It will be constructed by Tashir Group with which the
city administration has already signed the agreement.

WORLD BANK PROMISES ARMENIA ANOTHER $55 MILLION

news.am
Aug 18, 2011
Armenia

YEREVAN.- World Bank Country Director for the South Caucasus Asad Alam
has sent a letter to the Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan,
saying that the possibility of funding Armenia in the coming years
(2011-2014) has been increased by $55 million.

During the Thursday government’s session Sargsyan said it is explained
by a quality of Armenia’s loan portfolio, as well as high level
of management.

Prime Minister expressed gratitude to the WB office in Armenia
and personally Asad Alam and instructed the ministers to draw up a
timetable with a view to spending sources and match it with the WB
representatives. According to the Armenian PM, the schedule should
be drafted so that it will be possible to spend funds from next May.

World Bank’s loan portfolio provided for Armenia for 2011-2014 will
make about $305 million, which will be used to finance programs in
the areas of water supply, irrigation, roads, health, education,
agriculture, computerization of tax, customs and financial
administration.

ANTI-TORTURE COMMITTEE PUBLISHES REPORT

Lragir.am

18/08/2011

The Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading
Treatment or Punishment (CPT) published the report on its periodic
visit to Armenia in May 2010, together with the response of the
Armenian Government. These documents have been made public at the
request of the Armenian authorities.

In their response, the Armenian authorities provide information on
steps taken or envisaged to implement the CPT’s recommendations.

Key extracts of the report

‘During the 2010 visit, the delegation heard a significant number of
credible and consistent allegations of recent physical ill-treatment
of detained persons by police operational staff and, occasionally,
by senior officers, at the time of initial interviews (i.e. before a
protocol of detention was drawn up). The alleged ill-treatment mainly
consisted of punches, kicks and blows inflicted with truncheons,
bottles filled with water or wooden bats, with a view to securing
confessions or obtaining other information. In several instances,
the severity of the ill-treatment alleged was such that it could be
considered as amounting to torture (e.g. extensive beating; infliction
of electric shocks with stun batons; blows to the soles of the feet).

Further, many persons, including persons interviewed by the police
as witnesses, alleged that they had been subjected to oppressive
interviewing methods (e.g. sustained questioning by as many as eight
interviewers; threats of being physically ill-treated or executed,
or of repercussions for family members) in order to compel them to
make statements or to act as police informants.’ (paragraph 12 of
the report)

‘The case of Vahan KHALAFYAN, who died in police custody on 13 April
2010, is illustrative of the problem of ill-treatment; it had received
extensive media coverage in Armenia. At the time of the visit, the
evidence gathered during the preliminary investigation into this
case already clearly indicated that Mr Khalafyan had been held at
Charentsavan Police Division for some seven hours without a protocol
of detention being drawn up, and that he had been subjected to severe
beatings during questioning by four police officers, including the
Head of the Criminal Investigation Unit. Mr Khalafyan reportedly took
a knife from the wardrobe next to where he was sitting and stabbed
himself twice in the lower stomach. The post-mortem examination
established that he had died from these injuries but also revealed
numerous other injuries which were consistent with an assault upon
him prior to the fatal stab wounds being inflicted (i.e. bruises
on the scalp on the top of the head, with corresponding evidence of
bleeding to the brain, as well as inside the mouth, on the lower jaw,
behind the right knee, on the right shin and on the front of the
right ankle).’ (paragraph 13 of the report)

‘It is the responsibility of the staff and of the prison administration
as a whole to protect prisoners’ physical and psychological integrity,
and to take immediate, resolute and even anticipatory action to
prevent inter-prisoner intimidation. In the course of the 2010 visit,
the delegation observed that there was a general tendency for staff in
Nubarashen and Kosh Prisons to delegate authority to a select number
of inmates who were at the top of the informal prison hierarchy,
in particular a prisoner “leader” (the so-called “zon nayokh”),
and use them to keep control over the inmate population. In order to
exercise his authority, the prisoner “leader” at Nubarashen Prison
was apparently afforded certain privileges, such as the possibility
to move relatively freely within the establishment and to enter any
cells. At Kosh Prison, the prisoner “leader” was clearly in charge
of order among prisoners. It also appeared that those not willing
or able to give financial or other contributions to the prisoner
“leader” in exchange for full protection were marginalised and at
risk of intimidation.’ (paragraph 66 of the report)

‘At Yerevan-Kentron Prison, the material conditions in which the
three life-sentenced prisoners were accommodated give cause for
serious concern.’

‘The situation was aggravated by the regime of solitary confinement
applied to the three life-sentenced prisoners. Two of them had been
held in such conditions for over nine years. They were not allowed
to associate with each other or with any other prisoner. They did not
even have a TV set or radio in their cells (unlike the third inmate).

The only regular out-of-cell activity consisted of daily outdoor
exercise, which was taken alone in a yard on the top floor of the
prison building. Such conditions could be considered as amounting to
inhuman treatment and contributed to the degradation in the prisoners’
mental health.’ (paragraph 71 of the report)

‘In the CPT’s view, the [conditions of detention] at Nubarashen
Prison could well be considered as amounting to inhuman and degrading
treatment.’ (paragraph 83 of the report)

‘Suicides or suicide attempts appeared to be very rare events in the
establishments visited. However, the CPT is concerned by certain
extreme measures that may be taken when a prisoner is considered
to be a particularly high suicide risk. At Nubarashen Prison,
a life-sentenced prisoner identified as suicidal had been kept in
his cell, hand- and ankle-cuffed to his bed for more than one month
between December 2009 and January 2010. At no point was he sent to
a hospital facility. The cuffs were removed by staff for him to go
to the in-cell toilet or during mealtimes. According to the prisoner
concerned, the measure was ended after he managed to remove the cuffs
himself.’ (paragraph 117 of the report)

TURKEY DEMONSTRATES CONCERN OVER SYRIA EVENTS – EXPERT

Aysor.am
August 18, 2011

A possible change in Syria may affect Armenia, Director of the Caucasus
Institute, political scientist Alexander Iskandaryan told reporters.

“The Syrian developments are directly linked to Turkey, Iraq, and
Kurds,” the political expert said.

It is the developments around Armenia, not those inside the country
that are most interesting, according to him.

Turkey has deployed troops on Syrian border, the speaker noted,
and thus is demonstrating concern over the Syria events.

“Syria is withdrawing troops from north-eastern regions (Der Zor,
Kamishli) which makes us think that major developments are taking
place there,” Iskandaryan said adding that “these events may change
the regional situation which doubtless will affect Armenia.”

MP: SECRET NETWORK IN GOOGLE CONDUCTS ARMENIZATION OF PART OF AZERBAIJAN’S TERRITORY
K.Zarbaliyeva

Trend
Aug 17, 2011
Azerbaijan

A secret network is dealing with linking part of Azerbaijan’s territory
with Armenia and conducting Armenization of Azerbaijani toponyms,
MP Aydin Mirzazade told Trend, commenting on distortion of facts
and presentation of Azerbaijani territories as Armenian lands in
“Google Earth”.

Recently the territory of Ordubad and Sederek districts of Nakhchivan
Autonomous Republic, including the Hegram village, were noted as the
territory of Armenia on this website.

Mirzazade does not believe that the German or Japanese experts
are engaged in falsifying the map of Azerbaijan, noting that it is
profitable for Armenia and pro-Armenian nationalist circles.

“They are trying to conduct Armenization of the territory of Azerbaijan
and our toponyms.

Saying that the Azerbaijani public has been concerned over this problem
for long, Mirzazade stressed that in books and on maps issued by
printing companies of foreign countries, in Internet search engines,
part of Azerbaijan’s territory is shown as the territory of Armenia,
Azerbaijani toponyms are shown in Armenian language.

“If such facts would be detected only in some cases, it would be
possible to call it accidental, but it has become systemic. There are
hundreds of such facts. After appeals of citizens and state agencies
of Azerbaijan, developers of these maps promptly begin to make changes
and apologize to Azerbaijan,” said Mirzazade.

He believes that the true solution to the problem is operationability
and fairness.

“While detecting such cases, it needs to appeal and point to the
truth. I believe that this process will take a lot of time. We will
many times face with the falsification of Azerbaijan’s map. We must be
careful and exercise efficiency, must appeal to the executive structure
of the Google and require the elimination of errors,” said the MP.

WILL ‘POP MUSIC DIPLOMACY’ DELAY WAR IN A LONG, BITTER AZERBAIJAN-ARMENIA LAND DISPUTE?
Jeff Burbank

Huffington Post

Aug 17, 2011

Azerbaijan is set to host next year’s Eurovision Song Contest, an
American Idol-type show watched by 125 million European TV viewers
this year, when the little-known country was the surprise winner. But
will the expressed willingness of Azerbaijan to let its arch-enemy
Armenia take part in the 2012 competition produce a breakthrough,
where international negotiators and military threats have failed? Will
“pop music diplomacy” postpone a war, thanks to an Armenian singer
named Lucia Moon?

The answer to the first question is probably not, given the
still-heated climate of Azerbaijan-Armenia relations after the failure
of recent internationally-led talks. The Israelis and Palestinians seem
closer to okaying a return to 1967 borders than Azerbaijan and Armenia
— two former Soviet bloc countries — are to settling their dispute
over the mountainous Nagorno-Karabakh, an area the size of Delaware
in the Southern Caucasus neighbored by Georgia, Turkey and Iran.

But the prolific, Los Angeles-based vocalist Moon (see her on
YouTube) or whomever Armenia chooses to represent it for Eurovision
in Azerbaijan’s capital of Baku, would at least represent a partial
thaw, a new step forward, a reason for the two countries that hate
one another to stop and listen, in place of the stalemate and military
buildups over the past 17 years that sometimes result in casualties.

That Azerbaijan signaled in early summer that Armenia might
be allowed to participate in the high-profile, 55-year-old
Eurovision song competition is in itself an unexpected, positive
development. In June, Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism
made an incredible statement, given the countries’ mutual animosity:
“Armenian representatives have equal rights with contestants from
other countries in the contest and there are no special problems here.”

Two weeks later, Azerbaijan Deputy Foreign Minister Araz Azimov said
his country was ready to provide security for an Armenian delegation
during the four-day Eurovision contest. But Azimov added that the
guarantee of security for Armenia was simply one of Eurovision’s
terms for Baku to host the event.

The Eurovision opportunity comes at a time of heightened tensions as
the two sides maintain armed forces at the edges of the disputed land.

Some believe that the sides are now preparing for a new war over
Nagorno-Karabakh, following the concerted but doomed diplomatic
efforts this summer, including a special summit organized by Russia
and attempts by the United States and France.

Armenia, insisting on historic claims to the territory before the
Soviet Union took over both Armenia and Azerbaijan after World War I,
gained control in 1994 and still occupies it. The country did so in
defiance of four resolutions by the United Nations Security Council
insisting it withdraw. Its early-1990s war Azerbaijan over the land
resulted in 30,000 deaths and 1 million people displaced, and the
two remain bitter enemies. Of the 188,000 people who live there,
about 75 percent are ethnic Armenian and 25 percent are Azeri.

Armenia has not budged since taking over Nagorno-Karabakh. Azerbaijan
is unrelenting its opposition to conceding any territory to Armenia.

Both nations regularly trade spiteful, often petty accusations in
state-sponsored news reports and other media outlets. For example,
Azerbaijan officials this month lodged an objection with Google Maps
after protesting against Microsoft Maps over the use of some Armenian
names for Azerbaijan villages in the disputed region. Armenia’s media
often publishes embarrassing stories involving its rival country and
frequently accuses Azerbaijan of stoking anti-Armenian feelings at
home and abroad.

The fact that next year’s Eurovision will be on Azerbaijan soil is
a new historical twist. Both peoples and governments will have to at
least tolerate one another. Baku will have to keep Armenia’s visitors
safe. Small numbers of Azeris and Armenians have in the past voted
for each other’s Eurovision entries, including one Azeri in 2009 who
was questioned by Azerbaijan authorities, citing “national security,”
about his pro-Armenia vote that year.

Will there be more votes for each other’s countries’ songs this time?

Will more viewers in both nations ignore the Nagorno-Karabakh feud
long enough to consider their rival’s representative performer on
their merits? How will the audience at the live concert in Baku,
presumably mostly Azeris, react to the Armenian’s performances?

Eurovision is an annual, four-day televised event where viewers in
mainly European countries — and eastern places like Azerbaijan and
Armenia, and Israel — watch and vote by phone for their favorite song
among entries from 43 countries. This year, Azerbaijan’s male-female
duo of Ell & Nikki won in host city Dusseldorf, Germany, with a light,
conventional pop song, “Running Scared,” sung in English. Armenia’s
entry, Emma, did not make it past the semi-finals. Italy placed
second, Sweden third. The country with the winning song gets to host
the next Eurovision.

Why did Ell & Nikki of little Azerbaijan, of the far Caucasus region,
win over the likes of Germany, France, Italy, Spain and 38 other
countries? For one thing, they were heavily favored in the voting
by nations bordering or close to Azerbaijan. Russia and Turkey gave
Azerbaijan the maximum 12 first-choice votes each, a significant
factor in Azerbaijan’s song placing first among the 24 finalists.

While I was in Baku in May after the late-night results were in for
Eurovision, scores of Azeris celebrated during impromptu rallies
downtown. As pedestrians or inside cars, they rejoiced loudly,
some waving and even kissing Azeri flags. It added to a string of
good luck for Azerbaijan. The country’s been booming commercially
for years thanks to billions in revenues from state-owned oil and
gas exports to Europe and Russia. Armenia, in contrast, is not as
fortunate. It is comparatively poor and lacks Azerbaijan’s cash-rich
resources. That has added to the rivalry.

What is sure to happen is that in the months leading up to
Eurovision’s live broadcast in Baku next May 22-26 , Azerbaijan’s
at-times repressive regime will have the world’s news media, and the
millions of music fans, focusing on the former Soviet republic. Like
its one-time Communist ruler once did, Azerbaijan clamps down hard on,
and often jails, domestic critics, rights activists and journalists.

The lack of civil liberties that much of Europe takes for granted
won’t make for good public relations for Azerbaijan, even as it
seeks to broaden its appeal among foreign investors, business people
and tourists.

Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev may wonder if Eurovision is worth
the pain of the scrutiny from Western media outlets about his rule, his
use of pre-dawn arrests of would-be protesters and of military troops
to quell even the smallest demonstrations by students, social media
activists and opposition party members. Freedom House in 2009 said
that Azerbaijan officials “severely limit press freedom in practice”
and considerable parts of the economy “are controlled by a corrupt
elite.” With a large international news presence, plus an estimated
60,000 expected to attend Eurovision live in Baku, local activists
are banking on drawing attention to their plight.

But perhaps for a four-day period next May, Azerbaijan and its guest
Armenia might enjoy a brief, springtime pause in the harsh rhetoric,
criticism and physical injury that dominates their relationship. In the
months ahead before next May, in anticipation of the big broadcast,
both might think twice about launching another war. Beyond that,
barring a miracle solution, it’s not likely to last.

Jeff Burbank is a California-based author, freelance writer, college
instructor and former Fulbright Scholar in Baku. His views are his
own and are not based on those of the Fulbright program.

IRAN’S COVERT WAR WITH ISRAEL IN CASPIAN

United Press International

Aug 17, 2011

BAKU, Azerbaijan, Aug. 17 (UPI) — A senior Iranian general has warned
zerbaijan about getting too close to Israel, underlining fears in
Tehran that the Jewish state could use Iran’s northern neighbor to
launch pre-emptive strikes against Iran’s nuclear program.

Israel has been quietly building intelligence and military links
with oil rich Azerbaijan, a largely secular Muslim state, since the
collapse of the Soviet Union two decades ago.

The Israelis sell significant amounts of weapons and unmanned aerial
vehicles to the government in Baku, on the Caspian Sea, as its
intelligence services dig in along the border with Iran.

That gives Israel a forward operating base to monitor Iran,
particularly its contentious nuclear program, which Jerusalem views
as a major existential threat.

Over the last two years, tensions have escalated as Azerbaijan has
become part of the shadowy intelligence war between Iran and Israel.

It has become even more important to Israel since its May 2010 rift
with former ally Turkey, which also borders Iran.

GALLERY: National Army Day in Iran

Even so, the unusually aggressive outburst by Gen. Hassan Firouzabadi,
chief of Iran’s armed forces Joint Staff Command, Aug. 9 struck a
particularly jarring note and brought into sharp focus a little-known
aspect of Israel’s deepening intelligence war with Iran.

It also reflected Tehran’s growing alarm at Israel’s penetration of
Iran’s northern neighbor.

In what was perceived as thinly veiled threat, Firouzabadi accused
Baku of mistreating religious Shiites in southern Azerbaijan who
lean toward the Islamic Republic and allowing “Zionists” access to
Azerbaijani territory right on Iran’s doorstep.

“If this policy continues, it will end in darkness and it will not be
possible to suppress a revolt by the people of Aran,” or Azerbaijan,
the general declared in an interview with Iran’s semi-official Mehr
news agency.

Relations between Iran and Azerbaijan have been under strain in recent
years, largely through Iranian covert operations.

In 2007, Azerbaijan convicted 15 Iranians and Azeris for spying on
Israeli, U.S. and British interests, including oil facilities, for
Tehran and plotting to seize power.

In 2008, Azeri authorities, aided by Israel’s Mossad spy agency,
thwarted a plot involving operatives of Hezbollah, Iran’s powerful
Lebanese proxy, to blow up the Israeli Embassy in Baku.

That plot was intended to avenge the assassination of Hezbollah’s
iconic security chief, Imad Mughniyeh, in Damascus earlier that year.

Tehran blamed Mossad for that killing.

Firouzabadi’s statement jolted the Iranian leadership as much as it
did the Azeri government. Senior Iranian figures publicly chastised
the general and sought to distance Tehran from his remarks.

“It is important to note that the ongoing power struggle in Iran”
between President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the clerical establishment
led by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, “has been having the
unintended effect of creating more political space for the military
leadership to assert its views,” the U.S. global security consultancy
Stratfor observed.

It said “the tense exchange between Tehran and Baku … underscores the
growing conflict of interests between the two neighbors as Azerbaijan
works on strengthening its relationship with the West.”

Around 85 percent of the population of Azerbaijan, ringed by key
regional players Iran, Turkey and Russia, is Shiite. That gives Tehran
the opportunity to make sectarian mischief in the Caucasus and the
energy-rich Caspian Basin.

However, Azerbaijan is overwhelmingly secular, except for the religious
conservatives on its southern flank. The government of President Ilham
Aliyev suspects Tehran is them to bolster its claims to Azerbaijan’s
Caspian energy reserves.

Iran fears Aliyev, backed by Israel and even the United States,
could support a revolt by its Azeris, who comprise about one-quarter
of the population.

So it supports Azerbaijan’s regional rival, Armenia, in its deadlocked
dispute with Baku over Nagorno-Karabakh, currently held by Armenia.

“Given that Azerbaijan’s relations with Iran have long been fraught,
the Azerbaijani government has not had any qualms in developing a
strategic relationship with Israel,” Stratfor noted.

Expanding that military and intelligence relationship to upgrade
Azerbaijan’s capabilities and develop a military industrial complex
there is one of Tehran’s greatest concerns.

Aliyev is looking toward Israel and NATO to help modernize its forces,
despite a U.S. arms embargo in place since 1992.

Israel is Azerbaijan’s fourth largest trading partner. The Jewish
state has also been making inroads into the former Soviet republics
of Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan. It’s negotiating with Kazakhstan to
upgrade its military.

ALIYEV REFUSED TO VISIT CIS SUMMIT – BAKU’S DEMARCHE FOR KARABAKH TALKS?

news.am
Aug 17 2011
Armenia

MOSCOW. – President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev will not attend the
CIS summit scheduled for September 2-3 in Dushanbe. It is assumed
that the reason is unsuccessful talks on Karabakh, which Aliyev held
with Dmitry Medvedev in Sochi.

“The fact that Aliyev went on to such a move does not play into
Russia’s hand, since Moscow loses the image of mediator in the eyes of
partners, acquiring other properties – a lobbyist for Armenia. The fact
that Aliyev, a careful and intelligent politician, went for this (from
the standpoint of the Aliyev) shows to what condition they brought
him. It is sad for the CIS as well, because it already celebrates
its 20th anniversary without Georgia,” said the expert of Moscow
Carnegie Center Alexei Malashenko in an interview to Nezavisimaya
Gazeta. “Aliyev’s step confirms the incapacity of CIS.

Evidence for that are standing trade wars and interstate conflicts
within it.”

NOTHING IS DONE TO COMBAT CORRUPTION IN ARMENIA – FORMER PM

news.am
Aug 17, 2011
Armenia

YEREVAN.- Nothing is done to combat corruption in Armenia, said former
Armenian Prime Minister Hrant Bagratyan.

He believes it is impossible to speak about anti-corruption programs
while at the same time monopolizing economy.

“Why are you monopolizing lands, trade and industry? If the government
wants to combat inflation, it should eliminate monopolies. Let them
show there is someone who is able to import sugar in Armenia and the
importer is a common citizen, not an oligarch,” he said.

Bagratyan considers the retail gasoline price may total AMD 350
($0.92) instead of current 460-480 ($1.35) per liter.

“Oil cost $130 a barrel, but now the price goes down to $85. However,
Armenian importers were not worried – price for one liter of gasoline
went down by AMD 10 ($0.03) just for a while,” he emphasized.

According to him, another way to avoid inflation is to damp transfers,
for instance the Central Bank of Armenia (CBA) can purchase foreign
currency adequate to transfers from abroad to avoid the influence on
the exchange rate.

“They are curbing inflation only by pushing AMD exchange rate. What
happens as a result of that? AMD inflation is curbed, while dollar
inflation is going up,” said Bagratyan. “Representatives of the
financial management once told me if they stop control, AMD would
devaluate up to 440/$1 [instead of current AMD 367/$1], it will
cause a high inflation rate. So, they prefer not to control economic
competition, it is easier to keep down the inflation and rejoice at 3%
deflation reached in July.”

BAKO SAHAKYAN: THE FACT THAT ARTSAKH IS BECOMING MORE BEAUTIFUL AND DEVELOPED IS ALSO THE RESULT OF THE CONSTRUCTOR’S PAINSTAKING WORK

Noyan Tapan

17.08.2011

(Noyan Tapan – 17.08.2011) On August 17 Artsakh Republic President Bako
Sahakyan partook at a solemn ceremony dedicated to the Constructor’s
Day held at the Stepanakert Youth and Cultural Palace.

Bako Sahakyan decorated with state awards a group of the sphere’s
representatives and delivered a congratulatory speech.

In his address the Head of State noted that throughout centuries our
nation has been distinguished by its workmanship, always building
and improving its homeland.

The President underlined that today the sphere of construction is
among the key directions of the republic’s development and the fact
that Artsakh is becoming more beautiful and developed is also the
result of the constructor’s painstaking work.

At the same time President Sahakyan noted that there were still a
lot of things to do in the sphere. Issues of increasing construction
effectiveness, its quality and periods of realizing appropriate works
had to be kept at the centre of attention.

Speaker of the NKR National Assembly Ashot Ghoulyan, prime-minister
Ara Haroutyunyan, other officials were present at the event, the
Central Information Department of the Office of the Artsakh Republic
President informs.