Author: Kanayan Tamar

ZHAMANAK: NEW PUBLIC COUNCIL TO BE REGULATED BY LAW

12:11 14/03/2014 >> DAILY PRESS

The term of operation of Armenia’s Public Council headed by Vazgen
Manukyan expires in June, Zhamanak writes. Whether a new Public
Council will be formed is still unclear. The bill on the formation of
Public Council is prepared and in case a new Public Council is formed,
it will be regulated by law.

Vazgen Manukyan told the newspaper that there is an agreement with
President Serzh Sargsyan and that the President is in favor of forming
a Public Council in correspondence with the law.

Source: Panorama.am

MASSIVE CROWDS BID FAREWELL TO BERKIN ELVAN

Al-Monitor
March 13 2014

Author: Tulin DalogluPosted March 12, 2014

A sea of people hit the streets of Istanbul on March 12, to bid
farewell to Berkin Elvan in one of this country’s most crowded
funerals. This boy was only 14 when he was hit by a tear gas canister
in the head in his Okmeydani neighborhood on June 16, during the time
of the Gezi Park protests; he had left his home to buy a loaf of bread
for the family. “Mom, your leg is disabled. If something happens,
you won’t be able to run. Let me go. And if I see my friends on the
street, can I bring them to breakfast?” became his last words. He
stayed in a coma for nine months, or a total of 269 days, and lost
his battle early in the morning of March 11; his weight had fallen
to 16 kilos (35 pounds), down from 45 kilos (99 pounds). His death,
the ninth linked to last year’s protests — which began as a result
of irreconcilable policies involving Istanbul city planning between
the government and the public — has become the symbol of people
seeking justice.

Summaryâ~N~Y Print Berkin Elvan, who on June 16 was hit in the head by
a tear gas canister, died on March 11, becoming the symbol of people
seeking justice.

Author Tulin DalogluPosted March 12, 2014

Just a few hours after Berkin Elvan was rushed to the hospital last
year, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan addressed a huge
crowd in Kazlicesme where he termed the rally “Respect to National
Will.” This also was a part of the ruling Justice and Development
Party’s (AKP) official launch of the local elections campaign scheduled
for March 30.

Erdogan was furious. “We know very well who sent 30,000 food boxes to
Taksim, sheltered the terrorists in their hotels and the provocateurs
of the social media,” the prime minister said. “We will identify one by
one those who have terrorized the streets of our cities. We have all
recordings of city surveillance footage. We will trace the media and
social media to find those who have provoked incidents,” he added,
praising the crowd in his rally: “These hundreds of thousands of
people are not the ones who have burned and destroyed; these hundreds
of thousands of people are not traitors like those who throw Molotov
cocktails at my people. Whatever we do, we will remain within the
frame of democracy and the rule of law. We have never pushed the
limits of legality.”

On March 10, however, Turkish media reported that police officers who
testified on Feb. 6 couldn’t remember where they were or what they
were doing on the day when Berkin Elvan was severely wounded in the
head; police did not bring those responsible for the incident before
a judge. Also on March 10, police used heavy tear gas to disperse a
crowd of about 20 people who had gathered at the hospital in support
of his survival. As the news hit the traditional and social media that
even hospital corridors had been filled with tear gas, resentment
multiplied. That eventually awakened President Abdullah Gul, and he
became the first state official to phone the family — after 268 days
— to express good will and speedy recovery for Berkin Elvan. The
boy died the next morning. Erdogan has yet to extend his condolences.

On the day when Berkin was hit, Erdogan referred to all the protesters
as terrorists. Berkin was not even protesting a thing when he was
struck in the head by the tear gas canister. But it is not the facts
that matter, or the common sense that should suggest that people
have a constitutional right to protest, and no one should have to
risk their life while doing so. Radikal daily, however, reported on
July 17, “Gulsum Elvan is reacting against the initial police report
that suggests they found explosives on her son when he was brought
to hospital and the efforts to show him as a member of a terrorist
organization. During last week’s demonstrations against the Council
of Higher Education (YOK), protesters who were taken under custody
were accused of praising a terrorist organization because they carried
banners stating ‘Berkin Elvan is our pride.'”

Erdogan’s supporters certainly agree with this line of thinking.

Twitter user R.S.4 @vosvoscandir sent out this today: “It
looked too much of a work of the parallel state to me — stay in
coma for some 250 days, then die just 19 days before the local
election #GeziProvokatorleriIsBasinda.” That hashtag means “Gezi
provocateurs are at work.” Interestingly Ak Parti Social Media
@AkPartiMedia used the same hashtag in tweets today. For example,
it wrote, “#Gezi Provocateurs Are At Work Well Done! #BerkinElvan
#SehitVatanUgrunaCanVerendir.” That last hashtag means “a martyr is
the one who dies for his country.” There were even those like Seneray
Kilincarslan, who tweeted: “These are the Alevis of Armenian origin.

Ottomans threw their grandfathers away, and these are the remaining
Armenian bastards.” Or, Omer Faruk Ayar, who tweeted: “What was he
doing there? So, he got his lesson!”

That said, some members of the AKP extended their condolences. Bulent
Arinc said even those who remain silent on this day — perceived as
direct reference to Erdogan — also is saddened by this boy’s death.

Istanbul Gov. Huseyin Avni Mutlu (@ValiMutlu) tweeted: “I wish from
the heart that funeral proceeds according to this respectable family’s
grief and desire and that we do all we can to facilitate it.” Many
reacted harshly to the governor, demanding that those who killed
Berkin be brought before a judge.

Gulsum Elvan also cried out today that it was not God’s will who
took her son away, but rather the police who killed her son, and she
kept demanding justice. There were also times during the long funeral
procedure where people chanted “Killer Erdogan!”

The prime minister, however, today rallied in Siirt, reminding the
people of his 3½ months imprisonment in 1998 at the Pinarhisar prison
for reading a poem that was considered provoking people to religious
hatred, and asked whether he killed someone. “Remember, I spent time
in Pinarhisar. What have I done; did I kill someone? Did I steal
something? What have I done? … That era is now over. This is a new
era.” He continued, “It was first the Gezi Park protests. It is now
Dec. 17, Dec. 25. These are all coup attempts against the new Turkey.

I want you to know this. In the Gezi protests, [saving] trees or
[being conscious about] the environment were just excuses. … What
happened? … The road map in democracies is the ballot box. If you
have the power, you will win there. If you’re not going to [the]
election, you’re disrespectful to the people.”

Today’s crowds commemorating Elvan’s death, however, were not only in
Istanbul but also in Ankara, Izmir and elsewhere, reminding Erdogan
that being elected to office does not give him the right to do whatever
he wants. Yet, there was again heavy police intervention with copious
use of tear gas and water cannons on streets across the nation. The
people continue to demand that Erdogan abide by the principles of
democracy and uphold the rule of law. People are demanding that the
police officers who were responsible for Berkin Elvan’s death stand
trial, and they do not want the prime minister to be able to escape
corruption charges by not appearing before a high council set forth
by the parliament. Erdogan’s unwillingness to do so seems to have
multiplied people’s rage since the Gezi Park protests.

The opposition party leaders also call for Erdogan to truly respect
the rule of law. Both Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the leader of the Republican
People’s Party (CHP) and Devlet Bahceli, the leader of the Nationalist
Movement Party (MHP) consider Erdogan responsible for Berkin’s
death, recalling how the prime minister had praised the work of
the police forces as heroic during the Gezi Park protests. Still,
the legislative leaders called on people to stay calm and avoid any
kind of provocation.

In sum, Turkey’s divide between Erdogan followers and the others just
got deeper and people on the latter side are on the verge of losing
their faith in justice. What this all will mean for the upcoming
local election due on March 30 is yet to be seen.

AFTER UKRAINE, AFGHANISTAN TO SPLIT UP? NEVER SAY NEVER…

The Times of Central Asia
March 12, 2014 Wednesday

Could the republics of Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan see
some unofficial territory move from Afghanistan into their respective
domains? It could be considered a lot less imaginary than it looks
at first sight.

Due to America’s intervention following the September 11 attacks on the
USA – orchestrated by mainly Middle-East based terrorist groups with
only a sideline leading to Afghanistan, the latter country has seen
a wall put up around it for about a decade. Now, with the departure
of the Americans and their allies, that wall is due to crumble. With
Tajik, Kyrgyz, Uzbek, Turkmen and even Kazakh communities dominating
the northern regions and no Pashtun, the Taliban’s ethnic basis,
to speak of in sight, the scenario looks quite possible.

It could well lead to the country falling apart, with its northern
provinces, on which the Taliban, even while officially in power,
could never get any grip to speak of, seeking refuge under the
unofficial umbrellas of Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan,
in turn supported by the Kremlin with a silent nod from China. The
government in Kabul might well cry wolf over it, but what happened
earlier in Azerbaijan, Georgia and Moldova and is now happening
in Ukraine could even more easily happen in northern (and possibly
western) Afghanistan accompanied by protests of officials around the
globe – only to turn the page next and let things stay as they are.

With American’s tanks and warplanes removed from the scene, what could
be left of Afghanistan has little hope to find support elsewhere. It
is not a member of the only military supranational organisation in
the region, the CSTO, and within the sole conglomerate on a larger
scale, the Shanghai-Six, it is only a backbencher. This means that
geopolitically speaking, the Kabul regime stands virtually alone and
will remain in a lose-lose situation should any separatist move be
carried out.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO)’s core members are Russia,
China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan – the latter
having joined the pact at a later stage. Observer states are India,
Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran and Mongolia, while Belarus, Turkey and
Sri Lanka have the status of “dialogue partners”.

“The main goals of the SCO are strengthening mutual confidence and
good-neighbourly relations among the member countries; promoting
effective cooperation in politics, trade and economy, science and
technology, culture as well as education, energy, transportation,
tourism, environmental protection and other fields; making joint
efforts to maintain and ensure peace, security and stability in the
region, moving towards the establishment of a new, democratic, just
and rational political and economic international order,” official
documentation reads.

The Collective Security Treaty (CST) dates from 1992 and consists
of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Russian
Federation and Tajikistan. “According to the Treaty the member
states maintain their security on collective basis, CSTO official
documentation reads. “Article 2 of the Treaty claims: “In case a threat
to security, territorial integrity and sovereignty of one or several
Member States or a threat to international peace and security Member
States will immediately put into action the mechanism of joined
consultations with the aim to coordinate their positions and take
measures to eliminate the threat that has emerged.”

Simultaneously Article 4 stipulates the following: “In case an act
of aggression is committed against any of the Member States all
the others Member States will provide it with necessary assistance,
including military one, as well as provide support with the means at
their disposal in exercise of the right to collective defense.” This
could well include “protection” of brethren in northern Afghanistan
perfectly after the Crimea’s example.

So where does rhetoric end and reality begin? The Crimea conflict
represents a mere repetition of the formations of several other
self-styled mini-states in the region, namely the so-called
Trans-Diestr republic in Moldova, the Georgian breakaway
regions of Abkhazia and South-Ossetia and the Azeri territory
of Nagorno-Karabakh. Whereas the three former are under Russia’s
protection, the fourth is chaperoned by Armenia.

In the first three cases, America (which for all it matters has carried
out pretty similar operations in Latin America for more than a century)
has preferred to look the other way with the aim not to offend Moscow,
whereas in the last case a strong Armenian lobby both in Russia
and the USA has consolidated the stalemate. In Azerbaijan because
of its oil reserves Washington would have had a stronger motive to
push for the return of its lost territories, whereas Ukraine has no
such advantage. Nor has Afghanistan. In all: words do come easy –
deeds simply don’t.

CRISIS IN UKRAINE CAUSED BY INTERNAL FACTORS, NOT BY RUSSIA — PUTIN

March 13, 18:42 UTC+4

At a meeting with members of the Russian Security Council Thursday
President Vladimir Putin said the crisis in Ukraine was caused by
internal factors, not by Russia ITAR-TASS/Mikhail Klimentyev

Putin meets Russia’s Security Council members SOCHI, March
13. /ITAR-TASS/. The crisis in Ukraine was caused by internal factors,
not by Russia, President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting with members
of the Russian Security Council on Thursday, March 13.

“Naturally, we cannot ignore the developments surrounding Ukraine,
Crimea and this complex problem. I want to stress that this crisis
was not caused by us, but we are involved in it one way or another,”
the president said.

“This is primarily an internal Ukrainian crisis. Unfortunately, we
all understand that we have got involved in these events one way or
another,” he added.

“Let’s think together how we should build relations with our partners
and friends in Ukraine and with our partners in Europe and the United
States,” Putin said.

He noted that Ukraine had not been initially on the agenda of the
meeting. “The first and scheduled [issue] is the development of
relations between the Russian Federation and Central American and
Caribbean countries,” Putin said, suggesting that it be discussed
first.

Attending the meeting were Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, presidential
chief of staff Sergei Ivanov, State Duma speaker Sergei Naryshkin,
Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev, his deputy Rashid
Nurgaliyev, Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev, Foreign Minister
Sergei Lavrov, Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, Federal Security
Service Director Alexander Bortnikov, Foreign Intelligence Service
chief Mikhail Fradkov, and permanent member of the Russian Security
Council Boris Gryzlov.

ARMENIAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE OF POLAND FORMED IN WARSAW

In Warsaw, Poland, by the initiative of the European Armenian
Federation for Justice and Democracy (EAFJD) and in the presence of
President Kaspar Karampetian, Armenian National Committee of Poland
(ANC Poland) – Hay Tad was formed, in which the participating
membersare devoted to the promotion and success of the Armenian
national goals and aims of our people.

With its plans and activities, the ANC of Poland will try to raise
awareness within the friendly and hospitable public opinion and
political leadership of Poland, regarding our issues and the fair
demands of our people. Moreover, it will pursue Armenian issues
in a dignified manner, by establishing close relations with the
Embassy of the Republic of Armenia, along with theexisting Armenian
associations in Poland. The ANC welcomes any proposal and suggestion
from the members of our community, hoping thus, that our compatriots
in Poland will support actively the task at hand.

The ANC of Poland salutes all the Armenian National Committees
worldwide, and believes that becoming part of that network of dedicated
activists of the Armenian Cause will contribute to the success of
our collective work.

During its first meeting the ANC of Poland adopted its basic working
agenda and plan of activities for the months to come, which will be
announced in due course.

In its turn, the EAFJD will provide all possible means and support
to the development and strengthening of the ANC Poland, as well as
its political initiatives, whenever that is felt necessary.

European Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy (EAFJD)

Armenian National Committee of Poland – Hay Tad

Warsaw, 12 March 2014

_________________________

Bedo DEMIRDJIAN

European Armenian Federation

for Justice & Democracy (EAFJD)

ÔµO~BO~@Õ¸ÕºÕ¡ÕµÕ” Õ~@Õ¡Õµ Õ¤Õ¡Õ¿Õ” ÕµÕ¡Õ¶Õ±Õ¶Õ¡Õ­Õ¸O~BÕ´Õ¢Õ”
Õ£O~@Õ¡Õ½Õ¥Õ¶Õ¥Õ¡Õ¯

tel : +32 2 732 70 26 / 27

Ave. de la Renaissance, 10

Bruxelles, 1000,

Belgique

ZHAMANAK: PAP-ANC MEETING DIFFERED FROM PAP-ARFD MEETING

11:17 13/03/2014 >> DAILY PRESS

The second meeting between Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP) and Armenian
National Congress (ANC) took place yesterday, Zhamanak writes.

According to the newspaper, it differed from the PAP-ARFD meeting
and the upcoming meeting of PAP and Heritage. The matter concerns
the party leaders who participate in the meetings.

ARFD was represented at the meeting by Hrant Margaryan and Heritage
will also be represented by its leader – Raffi Hovannisian. In the
case of ANC, according to the newspaper, an exception was done by
the demand of Gagik Tsarukyan.

Source: Panorama.am

ARMENIAN GOVERNMENT BACKTRACKS, PROMISES APARTMENTS TO RESIDENTS OF DILAPIDATED YEREVAN BUILDINGS

03.13.2014 17:19 epress.am

The Armenian government in its meeting today upon the proposal of
Yerevan City Hall amended one of its previous decisions regarding a
construction area of 400 square meters adjacent to Buzand Street.

According to the official Government of Armenia website [AM], M.S.G.

Group and Harmony International expressed readiness to cooperate and
pledged to complete the urban development program by December 2016.

The government authorized Yerevan Mayor Taron Margaryan to sign a land
sale contract with the the companies, recognizing Harmony International
as the legal successor of the rights and responsibilities conferred in
the previous agreement. The company will be given the opportunity to
continue and complete the urban development program in the allocated
area.

The executive branch of government allocated 2 billion AMD (about
$4,828,470 USD) to the RA Ministry of Territorial Administration to
provide to Yerevan City Hall, with which it will purchase apartments
for the residents of the dilapidated buildings that are set for
demolition.

In Yerevan, there are currently around 10 buildings designated as
“level 4 emergency” buildings, for the resettlement of the more than
400 families of which new apartment buildings need to be immediately
constructed. The municipality expects to begin building four of
these buildings this year, as a result of which it will be possible
to acquire and as compensation provide 470 apartments and 500 square
meters of non-residential territory.

SECURITY ASSISTANCE INSTRUCTORS TRAVEL TO ARMENIA

The Red Stone Rocket, AL
March 12 2014

Posted: Wednesday, March 12, 2014 8:23 am

Security assistance instructors travel to Armenia By USASAC Public
Affairs The Redstone Rocket | 0 comments

Six military members from the Security Assistance Training Management
Organization and Kansas Army National Guard led a Warrior Leader Course
at the Warrant Officer School in Yerevan, Armenia, from Feb. 24 to
March 1.

“This is in fact the first Warrior Leaders Course that has ever been
conducted in Armenia,” Sgt. 1st Class Ronald Bootes from USASATMO
said. “This course was instrumental in demonstrating the capabilities
of a professional noncommissioned officer corps and laid the foundation
for the improvements that they desire for the Armenian Army NCO Corps.”

The U.S. Army Mobile Training Team condensed key lessons from the
monthlong U.S. Army Warrior Leadership Course into a one-week version
for 46 privates and sergeants of the Armenian Army. Focusing on basic
leadership and Soldier skills, this “light” version still had the same
expectation, to provide a crucial step toward these Armenian soldiers
becoming better NCOs and will have a better understanding of how to
apply basic leadership, training management and war fighting skills
in any environment in which they operate.

“For our militaries to work together interoperable within NATO and
amongst partners, the NCO corps is critical,” U.S. Ambassador to
Armenia John Heffren said. “What this training is about and what
the NCO corps is about is a lot more than actual war fighting, it’s
about leadership.”

This is the first of three NCO development courses which supports
Security Assistance Command’s mission to help build partner capacity
which will lead to stronger regional stability.

TURKEY TO GIVE HISTORIANS FACTS ABOUT 1915 EVENTS

Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
March 12 2014

12 March 2014 – 2:43pm

Speaker of the Turkish Parliament Cemil Cicek said that documents
about events in 1915 and the so-called Armenian Genocide will be
handed upon request, Trend reports.

Cicek said that both Armenian and Turkish people had suffered from
the acts in 1915. Turkey is ready to recognize conclusions of the
Armenian Historic Commission.

TORONTO AGENCY HIRED FOR ARMENIA’S TOURISM REBRAND

18:25 12.03.2014

In 2015, the 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide, more foreign
media than usual will be telling stories about Armenia. That is why
the country has set a strict timeline for a rebranding project that
will seek to attract more investment and tourists to its borders –
starting in 2015, when it will be the focus of more attention. And
it is bringing a Canadian advertising agency on board to help, the
Globe and Mailwrites.

On Tuesday, Toronto-based Cundari Group announced that, in partnership
with New York agency GK Brand, it has won the contract for Armenia’s
brand development project.

The contract is with the National Competitiveness Foundation of
Armenia, a public-private partnership between the government and
Armenian business leaders, both within the country and abroad.

A team from Cundari will be travelling to Armenia in a couple of weeks
to begin the process of developing the country’s brand strategy. It’s
not unfamiliar territory: Cundari helped to create a new brand strategy
for Washington, D.C., in 2008, and has done similar projects for
the city of Calgary, Ontario’s Niagara region, and Yonkers, N.Y.,
among others. Armenia is the farthest-flung project it has yet tackled.

“We understand that place branding is very different from product or
service branding,” said Kelly Frances, Cundari’s senior vice-president
of sales and marketing. “You really have to take in the perspective
not just of residents of the place, but of businesses, potential
visitors, potential investors. You have to look at the brand from
many different vantage points.”

The team will be designing a new logo for Armenia, but the project
goes far beyond that. It will be developing a strategy to attract
foreign investment, and also to transform the country’s growing
tourism industry.

Because it is not a beach destination, it will be advertising itself
to tourists who are interested in culture and history. A project is
under way, for example, to revitalize the more than 1,000-year-old
Tatev monastery. The ad agencies will now be charged with creating a
communications plan by the time Armenia is in the public eye next year.