Author: Kanayan Tamar

A group of Russian journalists and experts declared persona non grata
in Azerbaijan

August 26, 2014 16:52

Recently a group of journalists and experts arrived in Artsakh on a
familiarization visit.

After their departure, it became known that they were included in the
black list of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry. As “Artsakhpress”
reports members of the group wrote about this on their Facebook page.

Journalist Anastasia Karimova made a note on her Facebook page: “A
trip to the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic cost us getting blacklisted from
Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry. I could not imagine that in the space of
the CIS, especially in the Caucasus, especially in an unrecognized
republic, there can be such quality of infrastructure… such level of
political competition and transparency in public administration.
…Karabakh case seems to me more interesting than the advertised
“Georgian miracle”.”

Journalists Alexander Shmelev, Dmitry Bavyrin, Marina Skorikova and
Svetlana Shmeleva are also included in the black list of the
Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry. Among those who are prohibited from
entering Azerbaijan are the Chairman of the Uruguayan Parliament,
MEPs, members of the National Assembly of France, a group of deputies
of the Russian parliament, MPs from Argentina, Slovakia, Canada,
members of the House of Lords of the UK and many other countries.

Opera singer Montserrat Caballe was also included in this list,
together with blogger Artemy Lebedev, journalists Ilya Azar and Sergey
Butman, journalists of Financial Times, the British Times, Washington
Post, Russian daily newspaper, Echo of Moscow and so on.

Artsakhpress.am

– See more at:

Post-Periodical, CA
Aug 26 2014

City Council Approves $1 Lease for Armenian Center in Encino

By Matt Thacker on Aug 26, 2014.

The Los Angeles City Council voted Tuesday to lease the old Fire
Station No. 83 in Encino to the Armenian Cultural Foundation for $1
per year for 30 years.

The motion was approved unanimously without discussion at Tuesday’s meeting.

The former fire station at 5001 North Balboa Boulevard has been vacant
for eight years. Councilmember Paul Koretz, who introduced the motion
in April 2013, wrote last year that the site had become a safety
hazard.

“The site has fallen victim to copper wire theft, vagrancy, graffiti
and illegal dumping,” Koretz stated.

The nonprofit Armenian Cultural Foundation plans to create a community
center. The foundation operates dozens of community centers across the
United States with after-school programs, senior and social services,
cultural affairs, community meetings and recreational services.

“It’s these types of public-private partnerships that make the city a
better place to live” Hrair Nahabedian, chairman of the local ACF
chapter, told Asbarez.com. “We look forward to focusing our resources
and turning this dilapidated, old fire station into a thriving center
for the entire community.”

The $1 lease has been the subject of controversy since the plan was
announced. Last year, the Encino Neighborhood Council passed a motion
13-4 disapproving of the “manner, circumstances and terms of the
lease.” The Lake Balboa Neighborhood Council also passed a motion
asking the city to complete further study of the property before
approving a lease.

More than 600 community members signed a petition attempting to block
the plan with some residents accusing city leaders of making a
back-room deal, according to the LA Daily News. Parents at nearby
Encino Community Charter Elementary School had hoped the property
could be used by the school.

The original motion was made by Councilmember Paul Koretz and
then-Councilmember Eric Garcetti and seconded by Paul Krekorian. At
the time, the councilmembers were hoping to approve a lease of at
least 50 years by last summer.

According to the City Administrative Officer, the 20,000-square-foot
property has a rental value opportunity of $5.3 million to $6.6
million during the term of the lease. The Innovation, Technology and
General Services Committee noted in a fiscal impact statement that the
economic benefits provided by the foundation for the community will
total $16.9 million in direct expenses during that time period.

“These figures do not take into consideration the $1.2 million to $1.5
million that ACF will invest in tenant improvement work at the
facility,” the committee stated. “Additionally, the ACF will be
financially responsible for all maintenance, repairs, utilities,
janitorial, and security costs associated with the property.”

The foundation has not responded to a request for comment.

Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
Aug 25 2014

U.S. ex-ambassador says most UN resolutions are ignored

25 August 2014 – 12:35pm

U.S. ex-Ambassador to Azerbaijan Matthew Bryza told Vestnik Kavkaza
that most resolutions of the UN Security Council were unfulfilled. He
noted that the resolutions passed on Nagorno-Karabakh between 30 April
and 12 November 1993 had not been realized because organizations of
Armenian diasporas, such as the Armenian National Congress in the
U.S., started a campaign to depict Azerbaijan as the aggressor and
Armenia as the victim.

The diplomat noted that the OSCE Minsk Group played its part in
slowing the implementation of the resolutions. He reminded that the
UNSC resolutions on Libya and Iraq were initiatives by the U.S. and
France, not the UN itself. In the case of Nagorno-Karabakh, the U.S.,
France and Russia are interrelated within the framework of the OSCE
Minsk Group and have a responsibility to fulfil the resolutions.

Bryza said that the U.S. was not insisting on fulfilling the
resolutions or withdrawal of forces from the conflict zone. The U.S.,
in his words, expects their fulfillment as soon as the conflict is
solved within the Minsk Group framework. Bryza believes that President
Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry should take part in the
dialogue personally to help resolve the conflict.

Armenian Foreign Minister to Attend Erdogan’s Inauguration

Armenia’s Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian will attend Tayyip
Erdogan’s inauguration

(c) RIA Novosti. Eduard Pesov
14:45 26/08/2014

Related News

Presidents of Armenia, Azerbaijan Ready to Continue Dialogue on
Nagorno-Karabakh – Lavrov
Armenia Urges to Stabilize Situation in Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict Zone
Turkey Extends Unprecedented Condolences to Armenian People

MOSCOW, August 26 (RIA Novosti) – Armenia’s Foreign Minister will
attend Turkish president-elect Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s inauguration
ceremony, according to a statement from Armenia’s Foreign Ministry.

“Armenian Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian is going to visit Turkey
in order to attend Turkish president-elect’s inauguration that will
take place on August 28,” the statement said.

Earlier, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan revealed the Turkish
invitation and said that his country’s representatives are likely to
attend the ceremony.

Sargsyan also mentioned that Nalbandian would use this occasion to
clarify whether Erdogan will accept Armenia’s invitation to take part
in Yerevan commemorations of the 100th anniversary of the 1915
Armenian genocide in the Ottoman Empire. The official ceremony will
take place on April 24, 2015.

Turkey refuses to acknowledge the Armenian genocide.

No diplomatic relations exist between Turkey and Armenia, the
Turkish-Armenian border has been closed since 1993.

The relations between the two countries are tense mainly because
Turkey openly supports Azerbaijan’s position with regards to the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

In 2008, the Armenian president initiated the process of diplomatic
relations establishment between the two countries.

In 2009, the “Protocol on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations
Between the Republic of Turkey and the Republic of Armenia” was signed
by Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and his Armenian
counterpart Eduard Nalbandian in the Swiss city of Zurich.

The same year, Erdogan froze the agreement and made it clear that
Ankara would not establish diplomatic relations with Yerevan and open
its borders before the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict was resolved.

The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict evolved from the war of 1988-1994
between ethnic Azeri and Armenians who fought for the disputed lands
of the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave. More than 35,000 people died in the
war, but tensions in the region still remain.

ARMENIE
Les troupes russes étudient l’utilisation de drones en Arménie

Plus de 100 militaires russes basées en Arménie recevront des
compétences de contrôle d’un drone (avion sans pilote) lors d’un
exercice d’entraînement en campagne de trois jours, dans un district
militaire du Sud de la Russie a annoncé l’agence de presse RIA
Novosti.

Les exercices ont commencé dans les centres Kamhud et Alagyaz de
formation alpine en Arménie.

“Une caractéristique de la formation sur le terrain est d’instruire le
personnel sur la façon de mener à bien le décollage, le contrôle en
vol et à l’atterrissage des ” Navodchik-2, “” Forpost “,” Orlan-10
“et” UAV Zastava “[drones] dans une région montagneuse à plus de 1500
mètres au dessus du niveau de la mer “, précise le communiqué.

Source : Panorama.am

mardi 26 août 2014,
Stéphane (c)armenews.com

ARMENIE
L’Arménie assistera probablement à la cérémonie d’investiture du Président turc

Le Chef de l’Etat a confirmé avoir reçu l’invitation d’Ankara à
prendre part à la cérémonie d’investiture du Président Erdogan.
L’Arménie y sera probablement représentée par le Ministre des AE. Lors
de ce déplacement, le Ministre arménien essaiera de s’informer de la
position d’Ankara sur les suites données par le Président turc à
l’invitation à venir assister à la cérémonie de commémoration du
centenaire du Génocide arménien à Erevan.

Extrait de la revue de presse de l’Ambassade de France en Arménie en
date du 25 août 2014

mardi 26 août 2014,
Stéphane (c)armenews.com

AZERBAÏDJAN
Bakou s’indigne des critiques de la France et des Etats-Unis
concernant le traitement infligé à Karen Petrossian

Dans un communiqué publié vendredi 22 août le gouvernement
azerbaïdjanais a vivement critiqué la réaction de Washington et de
Paris à l’exécution par les autorités de Bakou de Karen Petrosian, un
villageois arménien des zones frontalières qui s’était égaré en
territoire azéri. Les autorités de Bakou maintiennent que le
ressortissant arménien, tué durant sa captivité le 8 août, serait un
“saboteur arménien”, qui aurait franchi délibérément la frontière au
sein d’un “groupe de commando”. Les témoignages recueillis auprès des
villageois azéris qui avaient découvert Petrosian avant l’arrivée des
soldats, contredisent pourtant les allégations de Bakou. Les images
prises par les habitants du village azerbaïdjanais d’Agbulaq montrent
Petrossian sans armes, parlant sans violence avec les villageois. Le
18 août, le Département d’Etat américain avait publié une déclaration
par laquelle il condamnait l’exécution de Petrosian durant sa
captivité et appelait Bakou à mener une enquête sérieuse sur les
circonstances exactes de sa mort. “Les Etats-Unis sont profondément
touchés par les informations relatives à la mort de Karen Petrossian
alors qu’il était en captivité en Azerbaïdjan et par le fait que sa
mort ne serait pas due à des causes naturelles”, indique le
communiqué. “Les Etats-Unis présentent leurs plus sincères
condoléances à la famille de M. Pétrossian. Nous appelons le
gouvernement de l’Azerbaïdjan à conduire une enquête sérieuse et
transparente sur cet incident et à en rendre les conclusions
publiques”. Des images accablantes pour Bakou ont été diffusées sur la
chaîne nationale de la télévision azérie, montrant des représentants
du ministère azerbaïdjanais de la défense procéder à un interrogatoire
public, violent et humiliant, de K. Petrosian. Le vendredi 8 août, le
ministère azerbaïdjanais de la défense avait annoncé que K.Petrosian
était décédé d’une “crise cardiaque foudroyante”. Les autorités
arméniennes ont de leur côté souligné que K. Petrosian, gé de 31 ans,
n’était pas mort de cause naturelle, mais parce qu’il avait été
torturé et battu à mort. Les circonstances tragiques du décès de K.
Petrossian rappellent celles dans lesquelles avait trouvé la mort
Manvel Saribekian, un habitant gé de 20 ans d’un autre village
arménien des régions frontalières qui avait été capturé par les
soldats azéris en septembre 2010. M.Saribekian, portant les stigmates
des sévices qu’on lui avait infligés, avait été exhibé à la télévision
azérie, pour > publiquement qu’il était membre d’un commando
arménien qui prévoyait de lancer des attaques terroristes en
Azerbaïdjan. M. Saribekian avait été retrouvé pendu dans la cellule de
la prison azérie où il venait d’être incarcéré. Les autorités azéries
ont pretend qu’il s’était suicidé, une version contestée par la partie
arménienne qui a pour sa part affirmé que M. Saribekian avait été
torturé à mort ou poussé au suicide. Le gouvernement arménien comme la
famille de M.Saribekian n’ont cessé de rappeler que le jeune Arménien
était un simple civil qui avait franchi accidentellement la frontière
arméno-azérie alors qu’il rassemblait son troupeau.K. Pétrossian a été
de la même manière présenté comme un membre d’un commando arménien par
la propagande de Bakou, peu de temps après que les forces arméniennes
du Karabagh eurent intercepté des ressortissants azéris en mission de
sabotage dans la région de Kelbadjar où ils ont tué aux moins deux
personnes, dont un adolescent arménien de 17 ans. Bakou avait récusé
de telles informations, alors que les saboteurs azéris avaient été
pris en flagant délit, et a répondu par cette exécution déguisée de K.
Petrossian, dont la justice azérie n’a même pas pris la peine de
présenter des preuves d’une éventuelle participation à une opération
de sabotage. Dans son communiqué du 22 août, le ministère
azerbaïdjanais des affaires étrangères appelle les Etats-Unis et la
France à afficher une “position équilibrée et neutre concernant le
règlement du conflit du Haut-Karabagh, et à faire preuve de
pondération et de discernement en exprimant leurs condoléances et
préoccupations”. Bakou doit désormais adresser ses doléances aussi à
la Russie, la troisième puissance médiatrice du Groupe de Minsk, qui a
depuis à son tour exprimé son indignation concernant les circonstances
de la mort de K. Pétrossian et appelé les autorités azéries à mener
une enquête.

mardi 26 août 2014,
Gari (c)armenews.com

POLITIQUE
Le président serein face aux menaces de l’opposition

Le Président Serge Sarkissian a insisté sur le fait qu’il n’est pas
inquiet des menaces de l’opposition de lancer cet automne une nouvelle
campagne de manifestations de rue visant à le renverser.

Parlant avec un groupe de jeunes journalistes samedi, Sarkissian a
déclaré que les forces de l’opposition établies de l’Arménie ainsi que
le parti Arménie prospère (BHK) ne peuvent arriver au pouvoir que par
des élections régulières.

> dit-il. en Arménie, en disant que lui et d’autres
groupes d’opposition tentent depuis longtemps de galvaniser leurs
partisans avec de telles déclarations. > a-t-il déclaré.

Levon Zurabian, un responsable important du HAK, s’est moqué des
propos du président lundi. >,
a-t-il déclaré au service arménien de RFE / RL (Azatutyun.am). >

> a-t-il dit. Les gens ne
doivent s’accommoder l’existence du régime de Serge Sarkissian. ”

Levon Ter-Petrossian, haut dirigeant du HAK, avait affirmé le mois
dernier que la chute de Sarkissian va devenir inévitable s’il appuie
la réforme constitutionnelle controversée dont l’opposition arménienne
estime qu’elle répond à l’objectif de prolonger son règne.

Sarkissian a déclaré samedi qu’il restait attaché à la modification de
la Constitution arménienne dans le sens d’une réduction des pouvoirs
conférés à la présidence. Il a dit qu’il envisage de signer en octobre
un > final de la réforme qui est actuellement développé par
une commission ad hoc formée par lui. Mais Sarkissian a également noté
que lui et le Parti républicain d’Arménie (HHK) fixeront une date pour
un référendum sur les amendements constitutionnels que > Sans aller plus loin.

mardi 26 août 2014,
Ara (c)armenews.com

Armenian Apostolic Church of Crescenta Valley-Education Committee
6252 Honolulu Ave.
Lacrescenta, CA. 91214
Tel: 818-244-9645
E-mail: [email protected]

Under the auspices of Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, Prelate of the
Western Prelacy, the CV Church Education Committee is organizing an
event dedicated to the history of Iraqi-Armenian churches. This special
event will take place at the Armenian Apostolic Church of Crescenta
Valley inside the Western Prelacy’s `Dikran and Zaruhi Der
Ghazarian” Hall, at 6252 Honolulu Ave., in La Crescenta, California on
Sunday, September 7, 2014 at 1:15 pm. There will also be a special
requiem presided by Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, at 11AM during the
church liturgy, in memory of Iraqi-Armenian clergymen and church
benefactors who participated in and contributed to the construction and
maintenance of churches.

This event will cover a variety of topics such as: the establishment of
churches due to Armenian immigration into Iraq, the history of such
churches throughout Iraq, and their spiritual impact on Armenian life.
The program will be followed by Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian’s
message and will also include musical entertainment.

The small minority of Armenians in Iraq have established communities in
the cities of Baghdad, Mosul, Basra, Kirkuk, Zakou, Arbil and Dohuk.
Iraqi-Armenians are predominantly members of the Armenian Apostolic
Church with a majority of their parishioners attending St. Gregory
Illuminator Armenian Apostolic Church, the main Church located in
Baghdad. Several other Armenian Apostolic Churches have been established
in different regions of Iraq. The Armenian Catholic Church maintains a
presence in Baghdad, as does the Armenian Evangelical Church of Baghdad.
Armenians traditionally have played an important role in Iraqi society,
particularly in medicine, science, literature, music and all arts in
general.

The roots of the Armenian community in Iraq can be traced back to 1604
when Shah Abbas forced relocation of the Armenians to Iran, some of whom
subsequently emigrated and settled in Iraq. During the Armenian Genocide
in the early twentieth century, Iraq became home to 25,000 Armenians
fleeing persecution in their homeland. The construction of churches is a
characteristic rooted within the Armenian people. In both Armenia and
the Diaspora, churches became priority as they were a means of eternal
salvation.

We would like to invite everyone to be present at this event. There will
be a reception prior to the program. Admission is free and open to the
public. There will also be complimentary valet parking. Please contact
us at [email protected] if
you would like to financially sponsor or contribute to this event or
upcoming monthly lectures. This will help cover costs and sustain future
activities.

For further information please contact Arous Melkonian at
(818) 399-0321, Nazar Ohanian at
(818) 294-0819, Rafi Garabedian at
(818) 415-3550 or Berj Zadoian at
(818) 400-4597.

12-Year education must be compulsory for all, says minister

15:09 * 25.08.14

Armenia’s minister of education and science announced on Monday a plan
for switchover to the 12-year compulsory education system.

At a news conference devoted to the 100th day of his re-appointment,
Armen Ashotyan said that a relevant bill has been already put on the
National Assembly’s agenda to be considered in detail.

Referring to the past statistics, the minister noted that 4,000-5,000
young people annually dropped out of school in the country after
completing the nine-year basic education.

“We all know that a citizen with such a qualification will have
difficulty on the job market in future,” Ashotyan said.

He further unveiled a plan for launching a credit system in high
schools, noting that the method has already proved its efficiency at
institutions of higher learning.

Ashotyan also spoke of a new loan project, noting that their next
reform will focus on the re-equipment of high schools.

“Some 17-20 schools will be thoroughly repaired,” the minister said,
adding that their selection will be based on a professional evaluation
of school buildings, and geographic balance (to have at least one
school repaired in each region of Armenia).

Ashotyan added that the loan program also envisages supplying
universities with modern laboratory equipment.

The minister said that they have are planning to develop a joint
project with the Ministry of Defense and the volunteer union Yerkrapah
(defender of land) in an effort to elaborate a concept aimed to
promote the younger generation’s patriotic upbringing.

Armenian News – Tert.am