Author: Kanayan Tamar

DAVUTOGLU VISIT RAISES HOPES OF THAW WITH ARMENIA

December 12, 2013 – 1 Comment

FOREIGN minister Ahmet Davutoglu made Turkey’s first high-level visit
to Armenia in nearly five years yesterday, raising the prospect of a
revival in peace efforts between the historical rivals which stalled
in 2010.

Muslim Turkey and Christian Armenia signed accords in October 2009
to establish diplomatic relations and open their land border, trying
to revive relations frozen by the legacy of the World War One mass
killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turks.

The U.S.-backed efforts to bury a century of hostility became
deadlocked six months later, with each side accusing the other of
trying to rewrite the texts and set new conditions, and neither
country’s parliament approved the deal.

“I hope my Yerevan visit will contribute to efforts for a comprehensive
peace and economic stability in the BSEC region and the Caucasus
in particular,” Davutoglu, who travelled to Yerevan for a Black Sea
Economic Cooperation (BSEC) group meeting, wrote on Twitter.

Underscoring persistent tension, young activists from Armenian
opposition parties protested, prompting Davutoglu to use a back door
to enter the central Yerevan hotel where the BSEC meeting was held.

Demonstrators chanted “shame” and waved posters saying: “Stop the
occupation of Armenian land” and “Stop the blockade”.

Davutoglu later said his meeting with Armenian foreign minister Edward
Nalbandian on the sidelines of the gathering was “sincere and honest,”
but that it would be wrong to think that problems could be solved in
a single meeting.

“Our priority is to build our dialogue on a sound psychological basis
and continue on that basis. In this framework all kind of creative
ideas could come on the agenda, the countries already know their
perspective,” he told Turkish reporters in Yerevan.

The last visit by a Turkish minister was in April 2009, six months
before the protocols were signed, when deputy prime minister Ali
Babacan attended a BSEC meeting in Yerevan.

Turkey closed its border with Armenia in 1993 in solidarity with
Azerbaijan during the war in Nagorno-Karabakh, when ethnic Armenians
backed by Armenia threw off Azeri rule with the collapse of the
Soviet Union.

Nalbandian said before meeting Davutoglu that “relations between
Armenia and Turkey should be settled without any pre-conditions,”
meaning Armenia does not want Turkey to tie a bilateral rapprochement
to a resolution of the ongoing dispute over Nagorno-Karabakh.

Turkish critics of the 2009 deal between Ankara and Yerevan had
said it was a betrayal of fellow Turkic-speaking Azerbaijan, while
Armenian opponents said the accords betrayed Armenian efforts to have
the massacres recognised internationally as genocide.

Turkey accepts that many Armenians died in partisan fighting beginning
in 1915 but denies that up to 1.5m were killed and that it amounted
to genocide – a term used by some Western historians and foreign
parliaments.

DEPORTATION OF ARMENIANS INHUMANE, DAVUTOGLU SAYS IN YEREVAN

Today’s Zaman, Turkey
Dec 13 2013

13 December 2013 /ANKARA, TODAY’S ZAMAN

In the first high-level visit from Turkey to Armenia in five years,
Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has said Turkey has never supported
deportation, which is an inhumane act and impossible to approve of,
referring to the controversial events of 1915.

Paying a one-day visit to Yerevan to attend the Organization of the
Black Sea Economic Cooperation’s (BSEC) 29th assembly of foreign
ministers, Davutoglu had an approximately two-hour-long meeting with
his Armenian counterpart, Eduard Nalbandyan, and gave positive signals
of restoring ties between Turkey and Armenia — who have been at odds
over allegations of genocide and the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict —
after their meetings.

“We never supported the deportation. This is an inhumane act and it
is not possible to approve of this,” Davutoglu was quoted as saying
in the Turkish media on Friday, inferring the deportation of Armenians
in 1915 which is defined by Armenia as “genocide.”

While responding to the questions of reporters after the bilateral
meeting, Foreign Minister Davutoglu said he had the opportunity to
have a long talk with Nalbandyan in a warm and candid atmosphere
after a long time.

“Our meeting has importance regarding overcoming the psychological
threshold. … In that regard, it [the meeting] was useful,”
Davutoglu noted.

He said everyone knows the differences of opinion between Turkey
and Armenia but the important point is to come together despite the
dissention. “We want to have the highest-level relations with Armenia.

… Our government has extended efforts for this, as you can see. Our
proposal to create a peace basin in the Caucasus in parallel with
bilateral relations between Turkey and Armenia is still on our agenda,”
he said.

He also refuted the Turkish AkÅ~_am daily’s report alleging that
Turkey would reopen its border with Armenia on the condition that
Armenia leaves two of Azerbaijan’s occupied territories, saying he or
other government officials have never said or shared information on
anything of that sort. He defined such reports as speculative. “Our
priority is to build dialogue on a sound psychological basis and
continue on that,” the foreign minister noted.

While addressing reporters, Davutoglu also spoke of cooperation
between Turkey, Georgia and Azerbaijan and underlined that Ankara wants
Yerevan to be one of the main partners of these economic projects.

He said during his meeting with Nalbandyan that the two discussed
bilateral ties and perspectives about the Caucasus region. He stated
that all problems cannot be resolved immediately, referring to the
Nagorno-Karabakh issue.

NEW YEAR SURPRISES FOR ARMENIAN CITIZENS

Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
Dec 13 2013

13 December 2013 – 8:55am

David Stepanyan, Yerevan. Exclusively to Vestnik Kavkaza

The authorities decided to make several “New Year surprises” for
citizens of Armenia. The main surprise is an increase in ticket
prices on public transport from 100 to 150-200 drams. Yerevan’s
administration remembered the sad experience of previous numerous
protests against the price growth, when it has to cancel its decision,
and choose for it New Year holidays, hoping for a passive reaction
of the celebrating population.

The second “surprise” is a decrease in working citizens’ incomes by
6.6%-13%. The government wants to pick citizens’ pockets through a
draft initiated by the authorities – On Launching Defined Contribution
Pension System in Armenia. From January 1st, 2014, people who were born
after 1947 have to join the system. Monthly obligatory contributions
by citizens will be 5% of their salaries. 5% not from the “take-home
salary,” but from the total salary, i.e. with all social payments
into the budget and the already existed pension fund.

Thus, citizens will be deprived of not 5%, but 6.6%-13% of their
real incomes. Moreover, it will happen in the context of a permanent
price growth.

The government has also presented amendments to the Law on Citizen’s
Internal Passport to the parliament. They require changing of current
internal passports to biometric passports since January 1st, 2014. New
IDs will cost 25 000 drams (more than $61). The deputy head of the
police, Artur Osikyan, reported that new passports will be produced
by the Polish company, PW. Osikyan said that the Polish company had
a shareholder in Armenia, but he didn’t say who he was.

Law-enforcement agencies join in the New Year fines as well. The
traffic police impose fines thoroughly on driving regulations’
breakers. The “crime detection” rate increased at the end of the year
as well. There are dozens of cases when innocent people are taken to
the police offices and “confessionary evidence” is beaten out of them.

There was a case when a pregnant woman was kept as a hostage until her
husband “admitted” that he committed a crime, even though it wasn’t
true. When miscarriage happened to her, she complained to the court,
but it didn’t initiate a criminal case, referring to the fact that
her evidence differed from evidence of investigators who kept her as
a hostage.

As for further plans of the authorities, since January 1st, 2015,
they plan to launch compulsory health insurance.

Numerous protests are being held against the Defined Contribution
Pension System and the police brutality. 11,000 people signed against
increasing of gas and power prices. The situation is tensed up to the
hilt. According to the head of the parliamentary fraction of ANC,
Levon Zurabyan, the authorities actually make the population break
a law to overthrow the government.

ITALY WILL HELP ARMENIA TO ADVANCE REFORMS – AMBASSADOR

December 13, 2013 | 18:38

YEREVAN. – Newly appointed Italy’s Ambassador to Armenia Giovanni
Ricciulli presented the copies of his credentials to President Serzh
Sargsyan.

President Sargsyan congratulated the ambassador on his appointment,
wished him success, and expressed the hope that during his diplomatic
mission in Armenia Ricciulli would contribute to development of
friendly relations between Armenia and Italy. Noting that during former
Ambassador Mr. Scapini’s mission, bilateral relations raised to a
new level, President expressed confidence that on this background
historical contacts between the states will deepen during new
ambassador’s mission.

The sides noted importance of boosting economic cooperation with
EU states, taking into account the fact that Italy is an important
trade partner. They shared the view that scientific and humanitarian
cooperation is high on the agenda of bilateral relations, given
cultural heritage as well as scientific and educational potential.

President Sargsyan expressed hope that during Italy’s presidency in
EU next year Eastern Partnership will remain among the priorities.

Giovanni Ricciulli is confident that Italy will help Armenia to
advance reforms within European agenda.

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

CATASTROPHE
Catastrophe aérienne évitée entre un Boeing venant d’Arménie et un
autre appareil dans le ciel de Moscou

C’est grce à la vigilance d’un contrôleur Russe, Valentin Zmiyevski
qu’une catastrophe aérienne entre deux avions Boeing dont un venant
d’Arménie a été évitée dans le ciel de Moscou le 6 novembre dernier.
Valentin Zmiyevski vient d’être récompensé par un diplôme pour son
geste. Ainsi le 6 novembre, un avion venant d’Erévan a pour une raison
encore indéterminée dévié de son couloir aérien et de sa trajectoire à
600 mètres d’altitude pour se retrouver dans le même couloir qu’un
autre avion. Les deux appareils s’étaient rapprochés à moins de 2,5
km, les plaçant sur un risque fort de catastrophe aérienne.

Krikor Amirzayan

samedi 14 décembre 2013,
Krikor Amirzayan ©armenews.com

ARMENIAN ASSEMBLY OF AMERICA
Contact: Taniel Koushakjian
Telephone: (202) 393-3434
Email: [email protected]
Web:

PRESS RELEASE
Date: December 13, 2013

ARMENIAN ASSEMBLY OF AMERICA HOSTS PANEL DISCUSSION ON `ISLAMIZED
ARMENIANS’ IN CALIFORNIA

Hrant Dink & MalatyaHye Foundation Conference Participants Update
Community

PASADENA, CA – Last week, the Armenian Assembly of America’s
(Assembly) Western Region Office held a special panel discussion entitled
`Islamized Armenians,’ reported the Assembly. Moderated by Armenian
Observer Editor, Professor Osheen Keshishian, panelists Doris Melkonian,
Arda Melkonian and Anoush Suni addressed a standing room only crowd at the
University Club of Pasadena.

`It was a pleasure and honor hearing these three scholars recount their
experiences and present their papers to our community and members,’ stated
Assembly Western Region Manager Aline Maksoudian. `The overwhelming amount
of interest in this presentation shows the importance and value of their
work and we look forward to learning more about the progress of their
research in the future,’ Maksoudian said.

All three panelists recently returned from Istanbul, Turkey, where they
presented papers at a conference under the same title last month. The
Assembly program began with opening remarks by Assembly Board member Lisa
Kalustian, who thanked everyone for their interest and participation that
evening. Kalustian then introduced an early participant during the
Assembly’s founding, Osheen Keshishian, who gave introductory remarks about
the Assembly panelists.

First to take the podium was Doris Melkonian, an alumnus of the Armenian
Assembly’s summer internship program in Washington, D.C. (class of 1994).
She shared her paper on `Taken into Muslim Households – Experiences of
Armenian Children during the Genocide’ as presented at the Istanbul
conference and spoke about the other Istanbul conference panelists, their
backgrounds and presentations.

Next was Arda Melkonian, also an alumnus of the Armenian Assembly’s summer
internship program in Washington, D.C. (class of 1990). She shared with the
California audience her paper on `Gender and Survival Options during the
Armenian Genocide’ as presented at the Istanbul conference, retelling the
tales of the Armenian Genocide survivors whose memory is preserved in the
Armenian Genocide oral history survivor memoirs at the University of
California Los Angeles (UCLA).

Finally, Anoush Suni summarized her paper on `The Production of Difference:
the Case of Islamized Armenians.’ She also remarked on her experience in
Turkey, and what others shared with her, delving deep into her emotional
state at the time, and spoke at length about her experience living with a
Kurdish family in Turkey, as well as her time in neighboring Armenia.

The Melkonian sisters also showed a slide presentation complete with
pictures from the Istanbul conference, sponsored by the Hrant Dink
Foundation and the MalatyaHye Foundation. Together, this gave the audience
a sense of what it was like to be in Turkey, as a descendant of Armenian
Genocide survivors, talking openly about the Armenian Genocide. A robust
question and answer session with the audience concluded the evening’s
program.

The growing discussion of the Armenian Genocide in Turkey is part of a
pattern of breaking taboos, especially over the last eight years, as the
first academic conference on the 1915 Armenian Genocide in Turkey took
place in 2005. Since then, more and more scholarship on the Armenian
Genocide has emerged within Turkey, which has brought with it another
dimension: the discovery of hidden or `Islamized Armenians.’

Biographies for Arda Melkonian, Doris Melkonian and Anoush Suni can be
found here:

Photos from the event can be found on the Assembly Facebook page here:

Established in 1972, the Armenian Assembly of America is the largest
Washington-based nationwide organization promoting public understanding and
awareness of Armenian issues. The Assembly is a non-partisan, 501(c)(3)
tax-exempt membership organization.

###

NR# 2013-029

Photo Caption 1: Southern California Armenians pack the room to hear a
panel on `Islamized Armenians.’

FUNDAÇÃO CALOUSTE GULBENKIAN
Armenian Communities Department – Service des Communautés Arméniennes
Av. de Berna, 45 A, PT-1067-001, Lisboa, Portugal
Tel: +351 21 782 3658
E-mail: [email protected]

Oscar O’Sullivan
Gestor de Projetos Junior
Serviço das Comunidades Arménias
FUNDAÇÃO CALOUSTE GULBENKIAN

Publication of a New Five-Year Programming Plan
for the Armenian Communities Department of the
Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation

The new Programming Plan of the Armenian Communities Department (ACD)
of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation lays out the key components of
its funding priorities and activities for the next five years
(2014-2018). Launching in December 2013, it is based on the
Department’s mission “to create a viable future for the Armenian
people in which its culture and language are preserved and valued.”
The Plan is structured around the four priority areas which are
crucial in fulfilling that mission: promoting the preservation of
Armenian language and culture through education, supporting Armenia by
investing in its youth and civil society, helping to improve
Armenian-Turkish relations and preserving Armenian literary heritage.
A consultative process was undertaken that affirmed these needs. The
most important issue arising is the rapid loss of the language
Calouste Gulbenkian spoke: Western Armenian. For this reason much of
the funding will go towards safeguarding and developing the language
and culture, particularly in the diaspora. A strategic approach is
being adopted as the Department begins to provide larger sums to fewer
initiatives, so that greater impact is assured.
What follows is a presentation of the programmes, grouped around four
priority areas. In addition to these, two further initiatives will be
introduced: turning the Department into a hub of connections and
strategic thinking for the Armenian world, and humanitarian support in
unforeseen circumstances (e.g. the Armenian community in
Syria). Programmes will be implemented throughout the world by trusted
partners.

1. Preservation of the Armenian language and culture, and the
development of the diaspora by linking its different parts and
investing in education

i) Loss of the Western Armenian Language
Western Armenian is an “Endangered Language” according to UNESCO,
under the threat of disappearing if serious initiatives are not
undertaken to reinforce it. This generation is probably the last
generation that can halt or possibly reverse this process of
not-so-gradual loss of a language that was a vibrant source of
Armenian culture only half a century ago. The ACD will focus on the
following four areas to reinforce and develop the language:

A. Support to Armenian Schools and Other Educational Initiatives in
the Diaspora
Armenian schools will continue to receive funding. There will be a
focus on less developed countries where the Armenian community faces
significant material limitations, and where there also is a critical
mass of Armenian speakers (or the potential of having such a critical
mass). Where there is demographic growth in a community, support for
the set-up of new schools or the strengthening of existing ones will
be considered.
Student-related initiatives that preserve the language will also be
financed. Innovative youth initiatives that encourage Armenians in the
diaspora to speak the language and to produce culture in it will be
backed, particularly in Western countries. Emphasis will be put on
extra-curricular activities related to culture and initiatives that
are led by young people speaking to their interests as defined by them
rather than defined by traditional community leaders.

B. Support the Creation of a Teacher Training Centre for Western
Armenian The Department aims to foster an intellectual community that
can teach the language in schools, edit the newspapers and websites of
tomorrow, produce culture and manage community affairs in Armenian. To
this end, it will provide a significant grant over the next two years
to establish somewhere in the diaspora an Armenian Teacher Training
Centre or Programme. It will also support the establishment of an
International Western Armenian Teachers Association.

C. Academic Centres and University-Based Initiatives that Teach
Western Armenian and Culture, Research the Use of Western Armenian or
Contribute to Armenian Studies Support will be available for academic
centres and initiatives where Western Armenian is taught to students
who specialise in Armenian studies or are learning the language for
personal reasons, as well as innovative projects on the use and
reinforcement of Western Armenian. Additionally, some support will be
given to conferences and lectures focused on Armenian studies.

D. Use of New Technologies
Historically Armenians have been at the forefront of new technologies
and have adapted these to the needs of Armenian culture. The ACD hopes
to continue this tradition and encourage the use of modern
technologies in teaching the language, producing culture and making
Armenian part of the “technological world” of youth. As such, web
courses and other electronic learning opportunities, innovative apps
for culture and language, interactive electronic publications, online
networks and other such initiatives will be considered for
support. Emphasis will be put upon initiatives that reach out to
Armenian youth around the world electronically, linking them, bringing
Armenian culture to them and encouraging them to produce culture.

ii) Scholarships
Scholarships continue to be at the heart of the Department’s
funding. It has developed five principal categories for university
student support. In general, fewer, larger, merit-based scholarships
will be awarded in order to ensure greater impact. Full information on
each grant and applicant eligibility will be available on the
Department’s website. The scholarship categories for the next five
years are as follows: i) The Calouste Gulbenkian Global Excellence
Scholarship for Armenian Students (four per year); ii) The Calouste
Gulbenkian Armenian Studies Scholarship (six to ten); iii) Western
Armenian Teacher Training Scholarships (six); iv) Short Term
Conference and Travel Grants to Students in Armenia (approx. forty);
v) The Calouste Gulbenkian Undergraduate Studies Scholarships
(approx. forty). On an ad hoc basis, modest support to Armenian
university students already studying in Portugal may be considered.
Emergency scholarships will be provided to students caught up in
conflict or other major crisis situations. Finally, the potential for
a Calouste Gulbenkian Armenian Communities Department “Alumni
Association” and the establishment of an “Internship Programme” for
young Armenians will be explored.

2. Development of a viable Armenia through investing in its youth and
their commitment to civil society

Grants will be provided to civil society organisations that encourage
civic education, engagement and mobilisation among the youth,
providing them employment opportunities while being socially active
citizens. Projects that balance engagement in Yerevan with activities
and initiatives outside of the capital city will be favoured. Another
element of the Department’s work in Armenia will be to link young
intellectuals in the country with their peers in Europe, North America
and other developed countries. A series of exchange programmes, study
tours and intensive summer courses are planned to enhance the exposure
of Armenia’s scientific and cultural community to innovations and
trends elsewhere, particularly in the social sciences and humanities.
The ACD will collaborate with the Ministry of the Diaspora on certain
initiatives, particularly to strengthen the Western Armenian language
and culture. Within the Armenia “envelope” of funding, there is scope
for initiatives from Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh).

3. Improve Armenian-Turkish relations by sponsoring projects that
encourage a common understanding of their long shared history

Turkey is in the process of undergoing a significant transformation
which has enabled the discussion of subjects previously considered
taboo, including the Armenian Genocide. The Department welcomes this
and is keen to contribute to it. Two types of activities will be
supported in Turkey: first, the reinforcement of Armenian community
structures and institutions in the country, including schools,
particularly if they contribute to the preservation of Western
Armenian language, culture and traditions. Second, initiatives of
civil society and academic dialogue between Armenians on the one hand,
and Turks and Kurds on the other. This will include projects of
translation from Armenian into Turkish and Kurdish (and vice versa),
arts and cultural events, as well as research and training in Ottoman
studies.

4. Preserve and make available the Armenian literary heritage

A signature programme of the Department has been its publication
support for books, journals and newspapers, whether in Armenian or
about Armenian issues. This work continues, but will be modernised it
in two important respects.
First, while maintaining some funding for the “classics”, more
emphasis will be put upon producing publications on modern and
contemporary topics, including original research on current issues and
problems facing Armenia and the diaspora, contemporary literature,
social and cultural issues of interest to younger readers. Second,
print publishing will be complemented by electronic
publishing. Digital media will be privileged: funding will go towards
supporting newspapers and journals to go online, and encouraging the
production of interactive e-books, as well as Armenian-related
smartphone applications, online dictionaries and lexicons. It is
anticipated that online publications will receive the majority of this
funding by 2020.
Projects will be undertaken to digitise important ancient manuscripts,
archival documents and other rare texts.
A two-way translation programme will be developed: initiatives to make
important Armenian texts available in other significant languages will
be financed, along with translation into Armenian of important foreign
language texts.
Some funds will be set aside to explicitly encourage the creation of
new literature and culture – be it in Western Armenian or in another
language but concerning Armenians. To this end, the Department will
sponsor initiatives such as creative writing workshops that encourage
Armenians to engage in cultural production that is innovative and
participatory.
Plans are being made for an international prize for best new fiction
and non-fiction, open to younger authors writing in Western Armenian.

5. Turning the Department into a hub of connections and strategic
thinking, and collaborating with other Departments within the
Foundation

The ACD is changing from a traditional funder into a catalyst for
change, and a facilitator of strategic thinking and long term
planning. Its international and independent position is unique in the
Armenian world, enabling it to act above partisan community
politics. Organisations, experts and noted leaders will be invited to
Lisbon on a yearly basis to discuss current issues of mutual concern
and to strategise collectively to find solutions. The meetings will
focus on common interests and concrete goals, linking components of
the Armenian world that do not usually come together. The first
meeting will take place in 2014 on a broad “inaugural” theme:
Armenians in 2115. This will be a valuable chance for community
leaders to ask: “Where is the Armenian nation heading after the
commemoration of 2015?”
In collaboration with other colleagues at the Foundation, Armenian
cultural events will be staged in Portugal so that Armenian culture,
music, art and history becomes known in the Foundation’s home country.

6. Unforeseen circumstances and humanitarian needs (Urgent Action
fund)

From time to time there are calls to intervene in a major
humanitarian crisis (e.g. Syria). Some funds will be set aside in
order to cope with such unforeseen circumstances. On occasions
important opportunities related to the Department’s mission but not
necessarily programmed in its budget will be
financed.

Conclusion: Working through Partners

To realise its objectives, the ACD needs to work with excellent
partners around the world, be they organisations or individuals. The
first group of partners are its grantees. The Department is eager to
work much more closely with partners to ensure results. Funds will not
simply be distributed to organisations and individuals. Collaborative
work will continue on an ongoing basis. Second, further partnership
opportunities will be explored between the Department and other
organisations that have an interest in supporting Armenia and Armenian
initiatives. Joint programmes will be sought with organisations
whereby the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation will be one funder among
several others.
The ACD’s vision of the Armenian world of the early
2020s is a world in which Western Armenian is more secure as a living
language, sustained through a network of young qualified teachers and
intellectuals using innovative teaching and communication methods, as
well as a youthful generation in diaspora that continues to speak it
and create in it. It is hoped that in a few years Armenians will reap
the rewards of the Foundation’s scholarship programmes, as hundreds of
university educated men and women assume leadership positions in their
respective fields, and that Armenian Studies, as an academic field,
gains a number of new graduates not only researching issues and
problems currently facing the Armenian nation but also offering
evidence-based solutions. The ACD hopes for a much stronger civil
society in Armenia, with an engaged youth that contributes to the
country’s democratic development, and an academic community that is
globally connected and participating in international debates using
the latest research methods and approaches in the social sciences. It
also hopes to see engagement between Armenians and Turks advance to
such a degree that the dialogue between the two peoples – and the
issues it deals with – becomes part of the mainstream of the two
societies instead of being confined to the sidelines. Finally, it will
be a source of pride for the Department to see at the end of the Five
Year Plan a younger generation using scores of IT-based applications,
books, journals, newspapers and other electronic initiatives that
either use Western Armenian or enhance Armenian culture and learning
in the digital world.
In short, through the activities of this Plan, the Armenian
Communities Department strives to create a more viable future for the
Armenian people in which its culture and language are preserved and
valued. That, after all, is its mission.

The full plan is available in English, Armenian and French on our site:

WOMEN KARABAKH WAR VETERANS ‘BURY’ SERZH SARGSYAN – VIDEO

12.13.2013 02:15 epress.am

Police on Thursday tried to detain Karabakh War veteran Susanna
Margaryan, who threw a photo of Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan on
the ground and trampled it with her feet across the street from the
president’s palace.

Karabakh War veterans held another protest today at Liberty Square,
then marched to the president’s office at Baghramyan 26 to “hold a
funeral for Serzh [Sargsyan].”

Speaking to Epress.am, Margaryan said that for female war veterans
and Armenian mothers, Serzh Sargsyan is dead, and so they organized a
funeral procession, during which they urged passers-by to join them to
“take wreaths to Baghramyan 26.”

The female war veterans stressed they won’t let the authorities rest;
moreover, they won’t rest until they bury the last ruler.

The conduct of police officers across the street from the presidential
palace drew the ire of the women; in particular, one officer wagged
his finger at them and threatened to take them to the police station.

“No one has the right to wag their finger at the people. I know
that finger […] Don’t you dare talk to people with that finger,”
said Margaryan.

March participant, war veteran Arevhat Martirosyan, in turn, said that
till today no one has spoken with her by shaking their finger. “As a
war veteran and mother of a deceased person, I am defending my rights
today. Serzh is sitting there, enjoying it, while I cannot feed the
children of my dead son. Shame on such a president, the ground should
swallow him up,” she said.

War veterans later returned to Liberty Square and promised to return
to Baghramyan 26 for new and unexpected demonstrations.

TURKISH FM GREETED IN YEREVAN BY PROTEST ACTION

Trend, Azerbaijan
Dec 2013

By Rufiz Hafizoglu – Trend:

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu was greeted in Armenia by
protestors, Turkish online newspaper Sonhaber reported today.

According to the newspaper, hundreds of Armenian youths chanting
anti-Turkish slogans gathered in front of the hotel where the Turkish
Foreign Minister is to stay.

A meeting of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Council is being held
in Yerevan today.

Translated by NH Edited by SM

ARMENIAN-TURKISH RELATIONS CAN NORMALIZE AFTER LIBERATION OF AZERBAIJANI OCCUPIED LANDS: FM

AzerNews, Azerbaijan
Dec 12 2013

12 December 2013, 18:40 (GMT+04:00)
By Sara Rajabova

The normalization of Ankara-Yerevan relations and the possibility
of reopening the Armenian-Turkish border is in the spotlight of
international community during the visit of Turkish Foreign Minister
Ahmet Davutolu’s visit to Armenia.

Davutoglu visited Yerevan to attend the Foreign Ministers Council
of the Organization of Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) on
December 12.

Following the meeting of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Council,
Davutoglu met with his Armenian counterpart Edward Nalbandian,
Turkish media reported.

Davutoglu said Ankara supports the normalization of relations between
Azerbaijan and Armenia and Turkey is ready to take all steps to
normalize these relations.

He said Ankara attaches special importance to the normalization
of Armenian-Turkish relations, but it is possible only after the
liberation of the occupied territories of Azerbaijan.

Davutoglu was met with protests in Yerevan. The representatives of
Armenian youth and student unions gathered in front of the hotel,
where Davutoglu was to stop and shouted anti-Turkish slogans.

Commenting on the possibility of opening the Armenian-Turkish border,
Azerbaijani Deputy Foreign Minister Khalaf Khalafov said on December
11 that Turkey closed its border with Armenia for two reasons.

He said the first reason was Armenia’s territorial claims against
Turkey, and the second was the occupation of Azerbaijani lands
by Armenia.

“If we consider this issue today, we will see that nothing has
changed. Armenia still has a hostile attitude toward Turkey. Yerevan
has given up neither its open territorial claims toward Turkey,
nor its claims for ‘recognition’ of the ‘Armenian genocide’ in the
global scale,” Khalafov said.

He went on to note that the Azerbaijani lands are still occupied and
the negotiations, held in this regard, have not brought any results.

Khalafov said the problem has not been resolved because of Armenia’s
lack of constructive position on the issue.

“Armenia is not ready for a settlement. The reason for lack of
progress in the peace process is the lack of will from Armenian side,
in particular lack of political will,” the diplomat said.

He went on to say that other neighboring countries must not remain
indifferent and should express their attitude to the aggressive policy
of Armenia.

“We believe that Iran and Russia must also exert pressure on Armenia
because the main cause of violating peace and stability in the region
today is Armenia’s policy,” Khalafov said.

He also said a new approach must be demonstrated on the international
plan, especially by France, Russia and the U.S, which have taken an
intermediary mission in the OSCE.

Khalafov added that the actions must be taken to promote this process.

The United States hailed Davutoglu’s visit to Yerevan as a chance
for the normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations.

The U.S. State Department said Davutoglu’s participation at the
meeting of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Council in Yerevan
can lead to a dialogue between the leaders of the regional states,
thus resulting in positive progress in Armenian-Turkish relations.

The Turkish Government has repeatedly stated that Ankara’s position
with regard to the Armenian-Turkish and Armenian-Azerbaijani relations
is clear and specific. Ankara says negotiations on the normalization
of Armenian-Turkish relations can only come about after the liberation
of Azerbaijan’s occupied territories.

Armenia occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan’s internationally
recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent
regions, after laying territorial claims against its South Caucasus
neighbor that had caused a lengthy war in the early 1990s.