Author: Kanayan Tamar

EUROVISION
L’Arménie n’a pas confirmé sa participation pour l’Eurovision 2012
Bakou pourrait-elle garantir la sécurité de la délégation arménienne
et la sérénité ?

La finale de l’Eurovision 2012 se déroulera à Bakou le 26 mai
prochain, les demi-finales se tenant le 22 et 24 mai. La victoire de
Ell & Nikki (Aldar Gassimov et Nikyar Djamal) à l’Eurovision 2011 a
permis à l’Azerbaïdjan d’organiser le prochain concours. Une tribune
publicitaire immense pour le gouvernement d’Aliev qui donnera à sa
dictature une image démocratique, à coups de marketing et plans de
communication. Au regard des agissements négationnistes de
l’Azerbaïdjan, l’Arménie n’a pas encore confirmé sa participation à
l’Eurovision 2012. La sécurité des représentants de l’Arménie et la
sérénité du spectacle pourraient-elles être garanties par
l’Azerbaïdjan. Difficile à le croire au regard des hostilités de Bakou
envers l’Azerbaïdjan. La fête de la chanson européenne pourrait
d’ailleurs se transformer à Bakou en show alievien pro-turc et
anti-arménien. Face à des Européennes aux yeux englués par l’or noir
azéri.

Krikor Amirzayan

dimanche 29 mai 2011,
Krikor [email protected]

HERITAGE PARTY ADHERED TO RECOGNITION OF KARABAKH INDEPENDENCE – MP

news.am
May 27 2011
Armenia

YEREVAN. – Armenian authorities and the Armenian National Congress
(ANC) hold the same position on the Karabakh conflict resolution and
Armenia-Turkey rapprochement, MP from Heritage party Armen Martirosyan
told a press conference on Friday.

“Moreover, the incumbent authorities are very close to the option of
the conflict settlement, proposed by Armenian first President Levon
Yer-Petrosyan in 1997,” he added. “The authorities and the ANC may
even cooperate on the matter. However, Heritage party is adhered to
recognition of Nagorno-Karabakh’s independence and does not accept
the options, the authorities and the ANC are for. Our party does not
accept Madrid Principles either, approved by the Armenian authorities.”

As Armenian news-NEWS.am reported earlier, Armenian parliament
rejected Heritage-initiated bill on recognition of Nagorno-Karabakh’s
independence several months ago.

‘TIME TO TAKE DECISIONS’ ON KARABAKH

news.az
May 27 2011
Azerbaijan

News.Az interviews Dennis Sammut, executive director of the British
organization LINKS.

The presidents of Russia, France and the USA have issued a statement
on the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh. Is it a
sign of the real concern of the super-powers about the conflict or
just a diplomatic gesture?

The statement by the three presidents, on the margin of the G8
summit, is a clear indication of the willingness of the international
community to continue supporting the process for resolving the Karabakh
conflict. It should be seen as an encouragement to President Aliyev
and President Sargsyan to finish the work that they have been doing and
agree the basic principles on which a peace agreement could be built.

Can we believe that Russia will continue its mediator’s activity in
the settlement process? And do you believe that Russia will succeed?

Russia, as one of the three co-chairs of the Minsk process, has been
involved from the beginning in the efforts to resolve the conflict. In
the last two years President Medvedev has played a leading role in
the negotiations and he has succeeded in maintaining the momentum
of the negotiations. However this is not just a Russian process. Any
agreement on Karabakh needs wider international support, and I am sure
this support exists from the side of the United States, the European
Union and others.

The statement urges Presidents Aliyev and Sargsyan to finish work on
the basic principles for a settlement during their summit in June.

Doesn’t this term seem to you too soon?

These negotiations have been going on for many years and I do not
think it is possible to say that it is too soon to have progress. The
options are now clear, and it is now the time to take decisions. Once
the presidents agree on the Basic Principles a lot of other work will
need to be done on other aspects of the process, including negotiating
a detailed peace agreement.

So can we expect the international community to be more active in the
settlement process before and after the presidents’ meeting in Kazan?

I think the next six months are very important and we are likely to
see an intensification of diplomatic activity around this issue.

EMMY OUT OF EUROVISION FINALS DUE TO JURY VOTING

news.am
May 27 2011
Armenia

The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) officially reveals the split
televoting and jury voting results of the Semi-Finals and Final of
the 2011 Eurovision Song Contest.

It became clear that according to televoting, Armenia’s contestant
Emmy scored 75 points (enough to qualify for finals), however, juries
of music industry gave her 33 points, Eurovision website reports.

According to the combined result, Emmy was voted out of Eurovision
finals.

STATEMENT BY CO-CHAIRS HIGHLIGHTS IMPORTANCE OF PEACEFUL SETTLEMENT – MATTHEW BRYZA

Panorama
May 27 2011
Armenia

U.S. Ambassador to Azerbaijan Matthew Bryza commenting upon the
statement on Nagorno Karabakh issued by OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs in
Deauville on May 26 said that the statement reiterates the importance
of peaceful settlement of the conflict.

“I can say that this statement testifies to Presidents of U.S., Russia
and France keeping a serious eye on the peaceful settlement of the
Nagorno Karabakh conflict. The statement reiterates that nothing
is more important than to exert maximum efforts towards peaceful
settlement of the conflict within OSCE Minsk Group,” APA quoted the
Ambassador as saying.

AMBASSADOR: CHINA INTERESTED TO EXPAND COOPERATION WITH ARMENIA

panorama
May 27 2011
Armenia

Secretary of the National Security Council of Armenia Arthur
Baghdasaryan received today Chinese Ambassador to Armenia Tian
Changchun.

Arthur Baghdasaryan stressed the importance of boosting
Armenian-Chinese comprehensive dialogue and further expansion of
cooperation in implementation of strategic projects. In return, Tian
Changchun noted that China is interested to expand cooperation with
Armenia and will continue to support development of Armenian-Chinese
cooperation in the fields of mutual interest, NSC press office
reported.

TURKISH TV CHANNELS AIR ARMENIAN MUSIC VIDEO (PHOTO, VIDEO)

news.am
May 27 2011
Armenia

An Armenian music video is airing on Turkey’s leading music channels
and the state-run TRT in first in the nation’s history, Hurriyet
Daily News reports.

“Namag” (Letter) video by Sibil Pektorosoglu, an Istanbul Armenian,
was shot several months ago. The lyrics were written by Armenian poet
Hovhannes Shiraz while the singer’s music video was produced by one
of Turkey’s most famous directors in the field, Ozkan Aksular.

Album was arranged by Majak Tosikyan, also an Istanbul Armenian, an
important figure on the Turkish pop music scene for more than 40 years.

AZERBAIJAN MAKES BLACKMAIL THREATS TO UNLEASH WAR – EXPERT

news.am
May 27 2011
Armenia

YEREVAN.- Azerbaijan is not ready for war it is just making blackmail
threats to unleash it, said Armenian political expert Levon Shirinyan.

He hailed negative two actions of the Armenian side: acknowledgment of
Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity and non-recognition of Karabakh’s
independence.

The expert noted that not a single document on Karabakh peace process
mentions independence of Nagorno-Karabakh. No one wants resolution of
the conflict, except for Armenians and Azerbaijanis, he said adding
that it is conflict between Karabakh and Azerbaijan. The unresolved
conflict provides a great opportunity to control the region, he said.

Strengthening of the army is the only way out from the current
situation, Shirinyan added.

“We should stop talking about compromise,” he emphasized.

TURKISH CYNICISM: NAME OF MURDERER WHO KILLED ARMENIAN BECOMES RECOGNIZED BRAND

news.am
May 27 2011
Armenia

Family of Ogun Samast, carrying out the murder of Turkish-Armenian
journalist Hrant Dink, registered and acquired the copyright to use
the murderer’s name as a brand.

The Ogun Samast brand will be used in educational programs,
conferences, sport, cinema, and media, informs Firat agency.

Thus, Turkey continues the policy of portraying murderer’s as heroes.

DOES AMNESTY PAVE WAY FOR POLITICAL DIALOGUE?
by Marianna Grigoryan

EurasiaNet.org
May 26 2011
NY

Armenia’s parliament on May 26 approved a presidential amnesty
that will set free four individuals who are portrayed by government
critics as political prisoners. It remains unclear whether the amnesty
means that Armenian opposition leader Levon Ter-Petrosian and top
officials in Yerevan will now sit down to engage in a much-touted
“open dialogue.”

Authorities declared that their actions aren’t motivated by the
opposition’s demand for an amnesty of political prisoners, who were
jailed for allegedly stoking post-presidential election violence
in 2008. In May 20 remarks to parliament, President Serzh Sargsyan
linked the amnesty to the 20th anniversary of Armenia’s declaration
of independence from the Soviet Union.

Overall, 397 prisoners are slated to be released from prison on May
28 under the amnesty. An earlier amnesty in 2009 set free most of
those considered to be political prisoners by the opposition.

“I realize that some people will try to link the amnesty with the
March 1 [2008] events only, but the amnesty is a far more comprehensive
act aimed at solving global issues,” Justice Minister Hrair Tovmasian
told journalists.

The Armenian National Congress, the country’s largest opposition
coalition, is giving no public sign of celebration, or offering
praise for the government’s action. However, ANC representatives
earlier asserted that two of the soon-to-be-released prisoners –
Haykakan Zhamanak daily newspaper editor-in-chief Nikol Pashinian
and activist Sasun Mikaelian – would take part in the coalition’s
next rally, planned for May 31 in Yerevan.

Pashinian, a vibrant speaker and a driving force of the
pre-2008-election rallies, has been behind bars since July 2009 when
he surrendered to police after spending more than a year underground;
social network discussions often tag him as a potentially key player
in Armenia’s 2012 parliamentary elections.

Mikael Danielian, chairman of the Helsinki Association in Yerevan,
attributed the amnesty mainly to international pressure on Sargsyan’s
administration. At the same time, he noted: “If it had not been for
domestic pressure, there would be no international pressure.”

In recent weeks, Armenia faced strong criticism about its
democratization performance from the US government and the Council of
Europe. US Ambassador to Armenia Marie L. Yovanovitch declared April
22 that Armenia would not be eligible to apply for new Millennium
Challenge Account funds again until it meets program standards. And
on May 9, Thomas Hammarberg, the Council of Europe’s commissioner for
human rights, criticized the government’s handling of the 2008 events.

The amnesty removes a major stumbling block to the opening of a
political dialogue between the opposition and government. But both
sides appeared reluctant to offer information about future plans. “We
will have our say when our people are free; for now, we just want
them to be free,” said ANC press secretary Arman Musinian.

Some analysts suggest the second half of 2011 could get “hot” in
Armenia. Alexander Iskandarian, the director of the Caucasus Institute,
suggested that the recent developments might embolden the ANC as the
country gears up for parliamentary elections next year.

Editor’s note: Marianna Grigoryan is a freelance reporter based in
Yerevan and editor of MediaLab.am.