Author: Kanayan Tamar

SERGE SARKISSIAN DEPLORE LE MANQUE DE CONFIANCE DANS LES ELECTIONS
Marion

armenews.com
mercredi 13 juillet 2011

Le president Serge Sarkissian estime que les reticences de l’opposition
a accepter les resultats officiels des elections ont ete un facteur
cle de tension politique en Armenie.

” Combien avons-nous eu d’elections presidentielles et quels candidats
[vaincus] ont-ils reconnu et salue la victoire de leur rival ? “,
a interroge le president lors d’une visite a la redaction du journal
russe Golos Armenii. ” Le problème est que les elections sont souvent
considerees comme le jeu de backgammon. ”

C’est, selon lui, le principal obstacle a l’instauration d’une ”
atmosphère de confiance mutuelle entre les acteurs politiques armeniens
“, aurait-il ajoute.

” Si les candidats a la presidentielle menaient une campagne electorale
honnete, reconnaissaient les resultats du vote et felicitaient le
gagnant, alors les gens ne diraient pas que les elections ont ete
falsifiees “, a poursuivi S. Sarkissian.

Depuis l’independance, aucune election presidentielle ou legislative
n’a ete jugee libre et equitable par les observateurs internationaux.

S. Sarkissian, qui a occupe des postes cles au sein des gouvernements
depuis 1993, a longtemps ete accuse par l’opposition de fraude
electorale.

La dernière election presidentielle de fevrier 2008 et a amene
Serge Sarkissian au pouvoir, a recu une evaluation plus positive des
observateurs internationaux que les precedents votes armeniens.

Le principal adversaire politique de S. Sarkissian, l’ancien president
Levon Ter-Petrossian, a refuse de reconnaître sa defaite et a organise
des manifestations massives a Erevan pour exiger un nouveau scrutin.

Les autorites ont recouru a la force pour reprimer les protestations.

S’exprimant a l’Assemblee parlementaire du Conseil de l’Europe a
Strasbourg le mois dernier, S. Sarkissian a promis de ” n’epargner
aucun effort ” pour organiser democratiquement le scrutin legislatif
de 2012. Il a souligne les nouveaux amendements apportes au code
electoral en mai.

Les partis d’opposition ont rejete ce code, en affirmant que
les autorites armeniennes n’ont toujours pas la volonte politique
d’organiser des elections democratiques et donc de courir le risque
de perdre le pouvoir.

BAKU STUDYING MEDVEDEV’S PROPOSALS ON KARABAKH SETTLEMENT – FOREIGN MINISTER

Interfax
July 11 2011
Russia

Azeri Foreign Minister Elmar Mamedyarov told the media on Saturday
that he would visit Russia on July 18-17 on Russian Foreign Minister
Sergei Lavrov’s invitation.

Mamedyarov also said that Azerbaijan is studying Russian President
Dmitry Medvedev’s proposals on Karabakh settlement, handed over
by Lavrov in Baku on Friday, according to media reports. “We are
carefully studying President Medvedev’s proposals and we will submit
our response after we examine them thoroughly,” he said.

The Minsk Group’s co-chairs understand that the status quo is
unacceptable, he said, adding that the time has come for Armenia to
remove its troops from the occupied Azeri territory.

“The parties in the conflict are currently working on a document,
based on the renewed Madrid principles. Armenia must understand that
this work must be continued without emotions. Yerevan must first of
all remove its troops from the occupied Azeri territories shortly,
which will restore regional stability and benefit Armenia itself,”
Mamedyarov said.

Medvedev wrote letters to Azeri President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian
President Serzh Sargsyan after a trilateral discussion in Kazan in
June, listing proposals on ways to settle the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict, discussed lately by the three presidents with the
participation of the co-chairs in the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe’s Minsk group – Russia, the United States and
France, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on its website.

“I am happy to pass these proposals to you and I hope you will
respond to the ideas proposed after you study them,” Lavrov told
Aliyev in Baku.

Medvedev, Aliyev and Sargsyan discussed the basic principles of the
Karabakh settlement in Kazan on June 24. The meeting – the ninth
over the past three years – did not produce agreements on the basic
principles. The parties only adopted a joint statement noting progress
in the process.

Armenian National Committee of America-Western Region
104 North Belmont Street, Suite 200
Glendale, California 91206
Phone: 818.500.1918
[email protected]

PRESS RELEASE July 12, 2011

Contact: William Bairamian
Tel: 818-500-1918

Ready to Make an Impact, Sebouh Kouyoumjian Joins the ANCA-WR
2011Summer Internship

Glendale- As the Armenian National Committee of America – Western
Region office starts its 2011 summer Internship Program, Sebouh
Kouyoumjian, an ambitious young intern is ready for new challenges
that will help promote awareness of various issues to Armenians on a
regional level. He wants to make a significant impact within the
Armenian community at home and abroad.

`This amazing opportunity offered by the ANCA-WR gives me the chance
to work within specialized fields such as, Armenian community
relations and California state affairs ,will fulfill the knowledge I
am seeking for a stronger Armenian identity and will give me the
proper tools to make a greater impact within the Armenian
community,’ said Kouyoumjian.

Kouyoumjian is attending his last semester at Glendale Community
College, which he has attended for the last three years. He is
transferring to the University of California, Riverside, in the fall
of 2011. As a political science major with an emphasis in
international relations, Kouyoumjian believes that this internship
offered by the ANCA-WR will help him build a stronger understanding
of his Armenian roots by giving him the tools to tackle issues that
are important to the Armenian community through civic engagement and
advocacy.

“We are happy to have Sebouh join us here at the ANCA-WR office this
summer,” said Haig Hovsepian, ANCA-WR Government Affairs Director.
“His interest in helping serve and ambition to raise awareness on
issues of importance to the Armenian community make him a perfect fit
for our program.”

Kouyoumjian has already made a name for himself within his local
Armenian community. He has been an active member of the Pasadena
Armenian Church Youth Organization for the six years and has been on
the on the Executive Youth board for the last two years; Kouyoumjian
is currently serving as the chapter chairman. He has organized
fundraisers, volunteered at homeless shelters, and donated to multiple
charitable foundations. He believes that humanitarianism and civic
engagement are quintessential to promoting a healthier community.
Kouyoumjian plans on remaining actively involved in the Armenian
community after the completion of this internship by continuing his
work with his local ANCA Pasadena chapter with issues like
redistricting, voter registration, and recognition of the Armenian
Genocide.

The Armenian National Committee of America-Western Region is the
largest and most influential Armenian American grassroots advocacy
organization in the Western United States. Working in coordination
with a network of offices, chapters, and supporters throughout the
Western United States and affiliated organizations around the country,
the ANCA-WR advances the concerns of the Armenian American community
on a broad range of issues.

###

AGBU Press Office
55 East 59th Street
New York, NY 10022-1112
Phone: 212.319.6383, x118
Fax: 212.319.6507
Email: [email protected]
Website:

PRESS RELEASE

Monday, July 11, 2011

Sima Musical Trio Performs in Montreal

On May 29, 2011, the music-loving segment of Montreal’s Armenian
community had the exceptional opportunity to attend a concert by the
Sima musical trio at the Jirair and Elise Dervishian Hall of the city’s
AGBU Center. The New Jersey trio performed in a concert organized by the
Cultural Committee of AGBU Montreal. The event enjoyed the patronage of
Mr. and Mrs. Armen-Garo Gundjian.

The members of the trio are pianist Sofya Melikyan, cellist Ani
Kalayjian, and violinist Sami Merdinian. The young musicians began
performing as a trio two years ago and have since toured Argentina,
Canada, Spain, and the United States. The musicians have also won the
top prize in the J.C. Arriga Musical Festival. Sami Merdinian was
recently annointed “the most prominent artist of the year” by the
Argentinean press.

The concert included such diverse works as the piano trios of Gayaneh
Tchebodarian, Felix Mendelssohn, Joseph Haydn, and Arno Babadjanian. The
Sima musical trio gave an outstanding performance, and they were praised
for their high performing culture and professionalism. Moreover, they
were recognized for their noble dedication to their art.

Established in 1906, AGBU () is the world’s largest
non-profit Armenian organization. Headquartered in New York City, AGBU
preserves and promotes the Armenian identity and heritage through
educational, cultural and humanitarian programs, annually touching the
lives of some 400,000 Armenians around the world.

For more information about AGBU and its worldwide programs, please visit

ERASING THE NAMES OF PLACES AND ENVER PAGA’S DECREE
By ORHAN KEMAL CENGÄ°Z

Today’s Zaman

July 12 2011
Turkey

“The struggle of man against power is the struggle of memory against
forgetting,” the renowned novelist Milan Kundera once said.

I do not know if victims who have already lost the battle would
appreciate Kundera’s wisdom, but there is no doubt that all
authoritarian and totalitarian regimes in the world knew precisely
what Kundera meant by these words. They have all tried to erase
people’s memories before carefully planting their “big narratives”
in the minds of the people they directed and manipulated.

When the Ottoman Empire was collapsing, the Committee of Union and
Progress not only orchestrated massacres against non-Muslims in Turkey,
it also tried to erase the old memories of society altogether.

One of the ways of doing this was to change toponyms.

Starting in 1916, the 20th century saw more than 15,000 names of
places changed in Turkey, according to a newly published report,
“Hayali CogÌ~Frafyalar: Cumhuriyet Döneminde Turkiye de DegiÅ~_tirilen
Yeradları,” authored by Armenian Turkish writer Sevan NiÅ~_anyan. In
this and following pieces I will share with you notes that I took
while I read this report. Everything started with a decree issued by
Enver PaÅ~_a, one of the three leaders of the Committee of Union and
Progress. NiÅ~_anyan publishes the decree in his report and I will
share it with you below. I think the degree tells us a lot about
the founding of the new Turkey, which was essentially based on the
exclusion of non-Muslims and on the policy of erasing their memories
from this territory completely.

Let’s read Enver’s decree, which established brand new policy about
toponyms in Turkey:

“1. It is important to change into Turkish all names of provinces,
regions, villages, mountains and rivers belonging to Armenian, Greek,
Bulgarian and other non-Muslim peoples. Making use swiftly of this
favorable moment, we beseech your help in carrying out this order.

“2. Cooperating with military commanders and administrative personnel
within the boundaries of your jurisdiction, respective lists of name
changes should be formed of provinces, regions, villages, etc. and
be forwarded to military headquarters as soon as possible. After
being studied and approved, these lists of proposed changes should
be sent to the Interior Ministry and the Communications Ministry for
generalization and implementation.

“3. It is imperative that the new names reflect the history of our
hardworking, exemplary and praiseworthy military. The glorified
events of our present and past war experiences should, by all means,
be mentioned. If this is not possible, the names of those who had
high moral principles and who fell rendering invaluable services to
their country should be remembered; or names should be found that
are appropriate to the given area’s specific crop, product, trade or
geographical situation.

“Last but not least, teachers at schools in different parts of our
Fatherland should find appropriate topics to teach about the given
territory’s glorious history, climate, crop, trade and culture. It
should be borne in mind that any sudden change of a conventional name
into an inconvenient or improper one may bring about the continuation
of using the old name by the population. Therefore, new names should be
chosen taking all this into consideration. If such principles cannot
be observed, then Ereghli, for example, should be turned into Erikli
or Erakli, Gallipoli into Veliboli in order to maintain the roots of
old names. Enver, deputy commander-in-chief, 23 Kanun-i Evvel, 1331
[Jan. 5, 1916].”

As you can see from the decree, the names that would be changed were
those “belonging to Armenian, Greek, Bulgarian and other non-Muslim
peoples.” NiÅ~_anyan noted that in the Republican era Kurdish and
Arabic names were also added to this list. As NiÅ~_anyan pointed out,
Enver PaÅ~_a refers to World War I as a “favorable moment,” which also
showed us that the massacres of non-Muslims were also very carefully
planned and calculated.

With this decree he laid the foundations of a long tradition that
stands today. I will continue on this in my next column.

LES DECLARATIONS MARTIALES DE BAKOU DENONCEES A STRASBOURG
Gari

armenews.com
mardi 12 juillet 2011

Lors d’une seance du Parlement europeen consacree au conflit du
Karabagh le 6 juillet a Strasbourg, des voix se sont elevees pour
denoncer la rhetorique guerrière employee par les autorites azeries et
appeler Bakou a mettre fin aux menaces de guerre visant les Armeniens.

Dans un rapport presente aux membres du Parlement europeen, la
responsable de la politique etrangère et de la securite de l’Union
europeenne, Catherine Ashton, a notamment indique que “tout effort
visant a regler le conflit ou d’influer sur les negociations par le
recours a la force, ou meme la menace de la force”, etait inacceptable
pour l’Union europeenne. Le membre du Parlement europeen Charles
Tannock a exprime ses preoccupations concernant l’usage de plus
insistant de la menace militaire par l’Azerbaïdjan, ajoutant que l’
“Azerbaïdjan utilise ses petrodollars pour acheter des armes et faire
des declarations belliqueuses”. Un autre depute du Parlement europeen,
Eleni Theocharous, a fait echo aux preoccupations de M. Tannock en
soulignant que l'”Azerbaïdjan, au lieu de s’interesser au developpement
de son peuple et a l’amelioration de ses conditions de vie, achète
de l’armement. Bien sûr, l’Armenie devra suivre.” “Si le mouvement
du Karabagh avait surgi aujourd’hui, nous lui aurions tous apporte
notre soutien comme nous le faisons pour le Printemps arabe.

Ce peuple a le droit de s’elever contre l’oppression, il ne veut
pas subir le sort du Nakhitchevan, où il n’y a plus de trace de
la presence armenienne”, a ajoute M. Theocharous. Mme Ashton a par
ailleurs fait savoir qu’un “règlement pacifique du conflit du Karabagh
etait d’une importance strategique majeure pour l’UE”, en ajoutant que
le règlement du conflit modifierait fondamentalement la donne dans
la region du Sud Caucase, en y restaurant la stabilite politique et
regionale et en apportant de nouvelles perspectives economiques. “Les
efforts pour trouver un accord sur les Principe fondamentaux doivent se
poursuivre, et je salue le fait que les deux parties aient reaffirme
leur engagement a parvenir a un accord par la voie diplomatique
“, a indique Mme Ashton, alors que le ministre russe des affaires
etrangères, M. Lavrov, poursuit son ballet diplomatique entre Bakou
et Erevan pour tenter de surmonter les divergences qui avaient valu
au sommet des presidents armenien et azeri de se solder par un echec
a Kazan deux semaines avant. Mme Ashton estime toutefois que ces ”
efforts ” sont insuffisants et que des resultats concrets doivent
etre obtenus avant les echeances politiques nationales, les elections
generales en Armenie en 2012 et en Azerbaïdjan en 2013.

BOOM DE LA COOPERATION ECONOMIQUE ARMENO-RUSSE
Marion

armenews.com
mardi 12 juillet 2011

Le Premier ministre armenien, Tigran Sarkissian, a salue l’expansion
des liens commerciaux avec la Russie, notamment des exportations de
biens armeniens sur le marche russe.

T. Sarkissian, qui dirige la commission intergouvernementale
armeno-russe du côte armenien, a formule ces remarques lors de sa
rencontre, vendredi 8 juillet, avec le ministre russe des Transports,
Igor Levitine, son homologue russe a la Commission, a Rostov-on-Don
en Russie.

Selon le service de presse du gouvernement armenien, T. Sarkissian
aurait affirme que ” depuis la precedente reunion de la Commission,
une croissance tangible a ete observee dans la cooperation economique
et commerciale entre nos deux pays “.

” Ainsi, le commerce entre l’Armenie et la Russie en 2010 a progresse
de plus de 10%, soit près d’un milliard de dollars. Durant les quatre
premiers mois de 2011, ce commerce entre nos pays a augmente de 13%
par rapport a la meme periode l’annee dernière “, a-t-il precise.

” L’augmentation du taux d’exportation des biens armeniens sur le
marche russe merite une grande attention. Il a, en 2010, augmente de
plus de 40%, et de 27% au cours des quatre premiers mois de cette annee
“, a souligne le Premier ministre armenien.

Lors d’une conference de presse conjointe avec T. Sarkissian I.

Levitin a, a son tour, annonce que 10 accords bilateraux et un
protocole ont ete prepares entre les deux parties. Il a egalement
remercie l’Armenie pour la creation d’une zone franche.

I. Levitine a egalement souligne que la Russie a soutenu l’attribution
d’une aide financière de la Communaute economique eurasienne pour la
modernisation de l’usine Naïrit.

UKRAINE’S PARLIAMENT SPEAKER VISITS ARMENIAN GENOCIDE MUSEUM

news.am
July 11 2011
Armenia

YEREVAN.- Speaker of the Ukrainian Parliament Vladimir Lytvyn visited
on Monday the Armenian Genocide museum.

He laid a wreath at the monument to the Armenian Genocide victims,
planted a fir in the alley and got familiar with exhibits of the
museum, parliament’s press service informed Armenian News-NEWS.am.

Chairman of Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada (parliament), Vladimir Lytvyn
arrived on a two-day official visit to Armenia on Monday. He will
hold meetings with Armenian Parliament Speaker Hovik Abrahamyan, Prime
Minister Tigran Sargsyan and Catholoicos of All Armenians Karekin II.

He will also be received by Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan.

KAZAN SUMMIT: NOT A FAILURE, JUST A MEETING

Hurriyet Daily News
July 11 2011
Turkey

The foreign ministers of Azerbaijan, Armenia and Russia met behind
closed doors in Kazan, the capital of Russia’s Republic of Tatarstan
on June 24. The talks, which were mediated by Russian President Dmitry
Medvedev, failed to produce an agreement on the basic principles for
a Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement.

On May 26, at the G8 Summit in Deauville, Medvedev, U.S. President
Obama and French President Sarkozy issued a joint statement that urged
Armenia and Azerbaijan to reach an agreement. While international
mediators, Russia, France and the U.S., had clearly expressed the
urgency of a deal, Russia’s goal for the late-June meeting in Kazan
was to persuade the sides to agree to the set of “basic principles”
negotiated four years ago. The basic principles were first formally
presented to Armenia and Azerbaijan in late 2007. They have since
undergone several modifications aimed at making them more acceptable to
both sides. The latest meeting which brought Armenian and Azerbaijani
leaders together highlighted a number of issues that are independent
from each other, but affect one another. During the last three years,
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has internalized the role of “chief
broker” and organized a dozen meetings between the presidents of
Armenia and Azerbaijan “under the auspices of Russia.”

Such a situation not only strengthens Russia’s position but also
decreases the effectiveness of the Minsk Group. Because even though
the mentioned initiatives are being taken within the framework of the
Minsk Group, Moscow appears to be the most active actor. Moreover,
as the number of Russia’s initiatives increase, the closer both
Armenia and Azerbaijan become to Russia since they start to believe
it is necessary to have close relations to meet their demands.

Second, there have been a number of meetings in various ways to
conciliate Azerbaijani and Armenian leaders. There is a clear lesson
to be drawn from previous meetings. Conciliating both leaders is not
enough since the Nagorno-Karabakh problem is a matter of concern
in the domestic politics of both countries. Nagorno-Karabakh is a
domestic political issue as well as an international dispute. It is
vitally important to note that since any attempt to solve the problem
is being evaluated as compensation, the Nagorno-Karabakh problem has
unseated numbers of politicians in the past. Preparing societies
for change is a necessary prerequisite to awaiting further steps
from these leaders toward any solution. Third, Russia’s priorities
in the region and its role during the negotiation process should be
emphasized. Russia’s active participation in the Minsk process is
derived from Moscow’s understanding that any possible solution should
take place under Russian leadership. For Russia, the solution of the
problem could strengthen Russia’s position in the region by showing
that it is the only actor capable of mediating in its backyard. As a
result of the Nagorno-Karabakh problem, the Russian presence continues
not only in military aspects but also politically. Hence, it seems
the only winner in both scenarios is Russia. Fourth, Russia, which
is one of the co-chairmen of the Minsk Group established to solve
the Nagorno-Karabakh problem, is also the main promoter of Armenia.

Moreover, taking Russia’s support for granted does not make Armenia
more flexible. Last but not least, the two sides are simply too far
apart in the very essence of the problem. There’s no political will
for a solution since the key to conflict resolution is not urgent
for any part.

In conclusion, the Kazan summit should not be seen as a failure
since it is only one of many meetings. The zero-sum game understanding
between Armenia and Azerbaijan could not yet be replaced with a win-win
understanding. Under these circumstances high expectations from the
summit had no ground. Furthermore, without “perception change” it
would be hard to see progression. The only concrete result of the
Kazan Summit is to see Russia once again as a mediator on the one
hand and an actor that wins in any scenario on the other.

Habibe Ozdal is a researcher at USAK center for Eurasian Studies,

International Strategic Research Organization

GEORGIAN CHRISTIANS RALLY AGAINST ‘ANTI-CHURCH’ LAW

Agence France Presse
July 11 2011

TBILISI – Several hundred Georgian Orthodox Christians rallied for a
third consecutive day on Monday against changes in the law allowing
other religious faiths to claim legal status.

Religious protesters gathered outside the Georgian Patriarchate’s
headquarters in the capital to demand that the changes be reversed,
after rallies at the weekend attracted several thousand believers.

“These amendments are a threat to Georgia’s national identity,”
local television showed an unnamed priest telling the rally.

The changes approved by parliament last week allow minority religious
groups to seek legal registration in the overwhelmingly Georgian
Orthodox country which also has Muslim, Armenian Apostolic, Jewish,
Roman Catholic and Protestant minorities.

Governing party lawmakers have said that believers of all faiths
will now have equal rights, and the changes have been welcomed by
the country’s main international supporter the United States, and
European rights watchdog the Council of Europe.

But the Patriarch — who is arguably the single most respected person
in the ex-Soviet state — has warned of “negative consequences”
for the government.

“The Holy Synod has called on the authorities not to grant other
groups the same rights as the Orthodox Church under this amendment,”
local media reported Bishop Seraphime as saying after the Synod met
to discuss the issue on Monday.

The Georgian Orthodox Church will however retain its special status
guaranteed by a constitutional agreement with the state, granting it
tax privileges.

Orthodox Christianity has undergone a major revival since Georgia’s
independence from the Soviet Union and the Church has become
increasingly influential, wielding political as well as religious
power.