Author: Kanayan Tamar

WHETHER ENERGY AND NATURAL RESOURCES MINISTRY CHANGED ITS POLICY ON MINING WASTES?

12:54 January 21, 2015

EcoLur

Energy and Natural Resources Minister Yervand Zakharyan announced that
numerous tailing dumps have caused serious problems, which haven’t
been studied so far and haven’t been assessed properly.

Still in 2014 for the purpose of regulating the problem of tailing
dumps the Nature Protection Ministry initiated making amendments
to RA Law “On Environmental Fees” and setting environmental fees
for mining wastes 0 1.5-30 AMD for one ton of wastes, as RA Law
“On Environmental Fees” doesn’t set any fees for soil managers to
pay either for dumps or tails.

Nevertheless, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Yervand Zakharyan
and Economy Minister Karen Tchshmarityan rejected the ministry
proposal.

“….the proposed amendment will lead to significant financial
expenditure for mining companies.”

Taking into consideration that the mined product is a stock exchange
product, the price of which is formed in the international market
and is characterized by its floating nature, the proposed amendment
will have an adversary effect on the investment environment, will
hinder the natural activities of the operating companies and the
attraction of new investors into the field,” says Economy Minister
Karen Tchshmarityan in his opinion.

HAYKAKAN ZHAMANAK: GEVORG KOSTANYAN HAS NOT YET PETITIONED TO RUSSIAN PROSECUTOR GENERAL

10:39 22/01/2015 >> DAILY PRESS

Armenian Prosecutor General Gevorg Kostanyan has not yet petitioned
to the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office for the handover of Valery
Permyakov, Russian soldier charged with the murder in Gyumri, to the
Armenian side, Haykakan Zhamanak writes.

There is absolutely no sign that this issue is being discussed during
Armenian-Russian negotiations, the newspaper says.

The Armenian investigators can see Permyakov only with a permission
from the Russian side. The first such meeting took place yesterday,
the newspaper adds.

ARMENIAN CHURCH IN TURKEY’S IZMIR LEFT TO MERCY OF FATE

15:16 * 22.01.15

An Armenian church located in Turkey’s Menemen district (Izmir region)
is said to have turned into a stable.

The place of warship, which functioned until 1922, has been now left
to the whims of fortune.

CNNTurk reports that the residents of neighboring towns and villages
call for measures to improve the building. driven by personal security
concerns. Completely looted and littered with garbage, the church is
commonly frequented by drug addicts and drunkards.

After the Armenians left the place, the church served as an arsenal
for weapons but was later left unattended to collapse on its own.

PERMYAKOV WAS TAKEN TO HOSPITAL NEXT DAY OF ARREST

Lragir.am
Country – 22 January 2015, 11:24

The Zhoghovurd has learned that Valery Permyakov accused of the murder
of seven members of the Avetisyan family was taken to hospital on the
next day of his arrest. According to the newspaper’s source, Valery
Permyakov was beaten and felt bad and they were forced to take him
to the hospital. After examination he was immediately taken to the
Russian 102ndmilitary base. According to the Zhoghovurd, Armenian
doctors work at the hospital and most of them refused to deal with
Permyakov’s health issues. By the way, the doctors checked also
whether the young man accused of murder has health issues or not,
the newspaper reported.

WE EXPECT AN OPEN, TRANSPARENT LEGAL INVESTIGATION

By MassisPost
Updated: January 21, 2015

Armenia’s Social Democrat Hunchakian Party Executive Committee issued
a statement regarding the ongoing investigation into the tragic murder
of the Avetisyan family of Gyumri by an AWOL Russian soldier last week.

“We deeply mourn the brutal murder of the Avetisyan family and
unequivocally consider justified the wave of public outrage and
indignation. Thus the Social Democrat Hunchakian Party Executive
Committee is convinced the accused perpetrator of the Avetisyans
murder should be judged within the confines of Armenia’s legal system
and serves the ensuing sentence in the Armenian penitentiary system.”

said the statement.

“We expect an open, transparent legal investigation and trial process
in order to obtain answers towards this heinous crime which concern
any sensible person.” added the statement.

ANKARA: STATEMENT BY PM DAVUTOGLU ON COMMEMORATION OF HRANT DINK

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey
January 20, 2015 Tuesday

STATEMENT BY THE PRIME MINISTER OF THE REPUBLIC OF TURKEY AHMET
DAVUTOÃ~DŸLU ON THE COMMEMORATION OF HRANT DINK

ANKARA, Turkey

It has now been eight years since Hrant Dink was taken from us.
Throughout his life, he strived, mind, heart and soul, to shed light
on one of the major issues that the Ottoman Empire passed down to
the Republic of Turkey. We wish patience to Dink’s bereaved family
and all those who held him dear.

Hrant Dink was an invaluable Anatolian intellectual who, without
compromising either his Armenian heritage or his loyalty to Turkey,
sought to help find the ways and means through which Turks and
Armenians may build a common future. As someone who personified
Turkish-Armenian friendship, he worked selflessly and gave his all,
so that the bonds of a historic coexistence could be remembered, and
the deep-rooted suffering overcome. As we commemorate the anniversary
of his demise, and guided by the seeds of friendship he sowed, we
wish to open new paths into hearts and minds.

With this understanding, we call on all Armenians, and invite all
those who believe in Turkish-Armenian friendship to contribute to a
new beginning:

Having already underscored the inhumane consequences of the relocation
policies essentially enforced under wartime circumstances, including
that of 1915, Turkey shares the suffering of Armenians and, with
patience and resolve, is endeavouring to re-establish empathy between
the two peoples. Our 23 April 2014 message of condolence, which
included elements of how, primarily through dialogue, we may together
bring an end to the enmity that has kept our relations captive, was a
testament to this determination. Only by breaking taboos can we hope
to begin addressing the great trauma that froze time in 1915. For its
part, Turkey has transcended this critical threshold and relinquished
the generalizations and stereotypical assertions of the past.

There is every reason to believe that these two ancient nations can
demonstrate the wisdom to understand each other and contemplate a
future together. Having shared the same geography and a long history,
it is only Turks and Armenians who can effectively address their issues
together and work jointly to find ways forward. Fostering a sense of
mutual trust and cooperation; getting reacquainted against the backdrop
of an 800 years-old common history and promoting human interaction
will be essential. Accordingly, we invite our Armenian friends to
visit Turkey more often and do away with respective prejudices.

Furthermore, we will press ahead with resolve to give due recognition
to the Armenian cultural heritage in Turkey and to those Armenian
personalities who made inestimable contributions to Ottoman/Turkish
culture. Our desire to share in the pain, to heal the wounds and
to re-establish friendships is sincere. Our course is set towards a
horizon of friendship and peace.

Bu SayfayÃ~D YazdÃ~Dr

TWO ARMENIAN SOLDIERS KILLED IN CLASHES WITH AZERBAIJAN

NaharNet, Lebanon
Jan 21 2015

Azerbaijani forces on Wednesday killed two Armenian soldiers in
clashes with Armenian troops, officials said as tensions escalated
over the disputed Nagorny Karabakh.

“Azerbaijani armed forces attempted to attack Armenia’s defensive
positions” at the Karabakh front line, the breakaway region’s defense
ministry said in a statement.

The ethnic-Armenian Karabakh army’s “serviceman Nahapet Asatrian,
33, was killed in action.”

In a separate incident across the Armenian-Azerbaijani border,
35-year-old Armenian army soldier Arman Udumian, “died of mortal
wounds as Azerbaijan violated ceasefire,” the defense ministry in
Yerevan said.

Azerbaijan is locked in a years-long conflict with Armenia over
Karabakh, an ethnic Armenian enclave in Azerbaijan.

Sparking fears of a fresh escalation, clashes between Azerbaijani
and Armenian forces intensified in January following an unprecedented
spiral of violence last year.

Two Karabakh soldiers were reportedly killed in similar incidents on
Tuesday and Saturday.

Ethnic Armenian separatists backed by Yerevan seized control of the
territory during a 1990s war that left some 30,000 dead.

Despite years of negotiations, the two sides have not yet signed a
final peace deal, with Karabakh internationally recognized as part
of Azerbaijan.

Baku, whose military spending exceeds Armenia’s entire state budget,
has threatened to take back the region by force if negotiations fail
to yield results.

Armenia, which is heavily armed by Russia, says it could crush any
offensive.

Jailed Turkish Journalist Speaks about Dink Assassination Cover-up

Tuesday, January 20th, 2015

Turkish journalist Nedim Sener being taken into custody by police

ISTANBUL (Agencia Prensa Armenia)–On the 8th anniversary of Hrant
Dink’s murder, Prensa Armenia interviewed Nedim Sener, a Turkish
journalist that investigated the large amount of evidence on the role
of the police, close to the Gülen Movement, in preparing the ground
for the murder of Hrant Dink.

He spent a year at a high security prison in Silivri on charges of
being a member of an armed terrorist organization and he is currently
facing a possible sentence of 15 years in his trial.

PRENSA ARMENIA: What did Hrant Dink represent for the Turkish society?
Was he dangerous?

NEDIM SENER: Hrant Dink was the peacemaker, the representative of
peace for the Turkish society, but it was dangerous for the Turkish
state. In his youth he had been persecuted accused of involvement in
leftist and pro-Armenian activities and after founding the Agos
newspaper, he was under close surveillance. All this proves that Dink
was seen as dangerous to the state. He wanted to prove that
discussions in Turkey about the Armenian Genocide were possible to
make them in a language of peace and empathy, but he was not allowed.
Instead of friendship, enmity and fear won.

P.A.: Who was behind his murder?

N.S.: The gang who pulled the trigger and the officials that the state
had on the street. We know all the names and years ago we wrote about
them. The intelligence service of the Police, the National
Intelligence Organization and the Border Police are responsible for
first-degree murder. A part of the research includes the members of
the Gülen community. Soon we will see progress on this issue, and that
will open the case again.

A.P.: What was the role of Gülen in the construction of the repressive
apparatus in Turkey?

N.S.: The seeds of fear in society were sown long before the growth of
the Gülen Movement. The Gülen community is the basis of today’s
climate of fear through the state bureaucracy, particularly the
police, the intelligence, the Attorney General and through the media
that they handle. The news published in their media were the first to
support the police and prosecutors operations that filed charged
against journalists who were arrested and imprisoned as members of a
terrorist organization. In fact, after the documents that I wrote
concerning Ergenekon, the books about Fetullah Gülen, assassination of
Hrant Dink and the lies of intelligence, I was their target.

A.P.: What is your opinion about the recent raids on journalists in Turkey?

N.S.: Press freedom leads the list of the worst things that happen in
Turkey. The previous discussion was on this subject, but the events
show us that it is now a matter of freedom of expression. Not only
they accuse you for what you write in newspapers or books, but you can
also be brought before a judge or tribunal for what you write on
Twitter or Facebook. Therefore in Turkey the issue is not only of
press freedom but also of what society writes.

When the crimes are rated by double standards

January 20 2015

We are sick and tired of these tongue twisters, which are diligently
repeated especially by the ruling party representatives. The matter is
about the widely used assertion of the “offender has no nationality”,
which was recently added by a new provision that the offender has no
religion. Well, then how it happened that another (let’s take Ramil
Safarov’s case) offender had a nationality, and with and without any
reasons, it was constantly emphasized with favorite expression of
nationalists: “Turk is a Turk”. Well, let me bring another example
away from us, the event in Paris, when the offenders had both
nationality and religion. Maybe the offenders stop having a
nationality and religion when they are representatives of the
strategic partner? Hence, in fact, those reiterating such tongue
twisters are the ones who politicize this crime, and make calls for
others to refrain from it. Simultaneously, another tongue twister is
put into circulation, “no need to be guided by emotional motivations”
in the Armenian-Russian relations, and/or this slaughter should not be
made serving the disruption of the Armenian-Russian relations. And in
amazing coincidence, those who say so are the very ones who due to
another massacre wrecked the Armenian-Hungarian relations. People who
previously (let’s say, after the murder of Hrant Dink) were working
for the protest to obtain an organized character, now, are talking
against spontaneous protest. In short, the representatives of these
days ruling party do not succeed to bring such a successful argument
with regard to their response to Gyumri events for not to deserve for
an adequate counterargument. Which was done for instance by Argishti
Kiviryan who posted in the “Facebook”. The representative of a nation
mourning the genocide for 100 years is saying, “We do not have the
culture of mourning and commemoration.” In fact, within this subject,
it’s worthwhile quoting also Samvel Martirosyan post, “The offender
has no nationality. The terrorist has no nationality. The ambassador
has no nationality. The consul has no nationality. The tram has no
nationality. ôhe bedside table has no nationality. The mixed-greens
has no nationality. The toilet bowl has a nationality, It is either
Czech or Finnish by origin.” … But in response to the questions about
their double response pertaining to the crimes, the ones who rule just
tell us not to compare them. While, if judging by non-political
criteria, the incident in Gyumri was more cruel, inhuman and
inexplicable, because there is no more heinous crime than killing a
child.

Anna ISRAELYAN Editor of online
Read more at:

BGN News
Jan 20 2015

Thousands march in Ä°stanbul to commemorate Dink

A crowd gathered in Taksim square marched down Halaskargazistreet to
the head office of Agos Newspaper to commemorate Armenian Turkish
journalist Hrant Dink, who was gunned down in front of the paper’s
offices on January 19, 2007.

8 years have passed since Armenian Turkish journalist Hrant Dink was
gunned down in broad daylight. Resentment is high over the lack of any
progress in the investigation behind the murder.

Many have implicated that gunman, Ogün Samast, was not in any way
acting on his own. The case filed by the lawyers of the Dink family
cites evidence which states that the police in Ä°stanbul and Trabzon
were linked to Samast, and were well aware of his travel plans and
intent.

On January 13 two officers from the Trabzon Police department were
arrested for negligence and misconduct. However this development is
far from any consolidation for the public outcry.

With eight years passed and little progress, the pursuit of the Dink
murder case has been a point of public solidarity and a cause
championed by masses.

Jan 19, 2015 | BGNNews.com | Ä°stanbul