Author: Kanayan Tamar

CSTO MEETING IN YEREVAN: MILITARY-TECHNICAL COOPERATION MAINLY ON AGENDA

ANALYSIS | 04.10.13 | 11:16

Photolure

By NAIRA HAYRUMYAN
ArmeniaNow correspondent

The 11th meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission on
Military-Economic Cooperation of the Collective Security Treaty
Organization (CSTO) ended in Yerevan on Thursday. The meeting mainly
focused on issues of military-technical cooperation. In particular,
CSTO Secretary General Nikolay Bordyuzha announced the opening of
the Kamaz-Armenia service center in Armenia that will provide the
Ministry of Defense and law-enforcement agencies of the country with
the necessary equipment as well as will deal with repairs of arms
and military equipment.

Apparently, the military-political bloc is not yet capable of providing
more than just military-technical cooperation. Differences in the
interests of its six members are so many that during the 10 years of
the existence of the CSTO it has failed to agree on participation in
a single military-political operation.

An CSTO summit took place in Sochi, Russia, late last month during
which, at the initiative of the Russian side, the bloc made a decision
on the provision of assistance in protecting the borders of Tajikistan
after the withdrawal of NATO troops from Afghanistan. However, it was
ultimately decided not to send troops of the CSTO there, but rather
provide military-technical assistance. Apparently, not all of the
member countries were willing to send troops.

In particular, Armenia is unlikely to send its soldiers to the
volatile Tajik-Afghan border. Moreover, at the summit in Sochi
Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan made quite a strong statement,
accusing some CSTO allies of often making statements against the
interests of other allies on the international arena. In particular,
some CSTO members have signed resolutions that are contrary to the
position of Armenia in the Karabakh issue.

Senior member of Sargsyan’s ruling Republican Party Edward Sharmazanov
clarified that statement. He said that at the session of the CSTO
Council in Sochi, Sargsyan sent some clear messages. “Message 1:
Armenia approaches the further development of the CSTO exclusively
from the position of sovereignty and ensuring security. Message 2:
the main priority of Armenia is to ensure the security of Karabakh
and its international recognition. Message 3: a one-sided position
on the settlement of the Karabakh conflict manifested by certain CSTO
member states is unacceptable for us,” said Sharmazanov.

Armenia’s participation in the CSTO is mainly explained by security
considerations, however, judging from statements, Armenia cannot
rely on the CSTO to help in the event of an Azeri aggression against
Karabakh. Despite the fact that it was decided to abolish the principle
of consensus in decision-making at the CSTO, even individual CSTO
countries are unlikely to want to interfere in the war in Karabakh.

President Sargsyan spoke about Armenia’s position on possible
aggression from Azerbaijan also at the plenary session of the
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg on
October 2. He stated that the Republic of Armenia and its armed forces
are the guarantors of the security of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh.

“And here I declare that if Azerbaijan starts a military action
against Nagorno-Karabakh, Armenia will defend Nagorno-Karabakh to
the full extent of its capabilities,” the president stressed.

“In case of [Azerbaijan’s] aggression several months later the
Azerbaijanis will complain not about the occupation of 20 percent
but 25-30 percent of their territories,” said Sargsyan, answering a
question from an Azerbaijani delegate.

EDWARD SHARMAZANOV: ARMENIA IS READY TO INITIAL THE POLITICAL PART OF THE ASSOCIATION AGREEMENT WITH THE EU

by Tatevik Shahunyan

ARMINFO
Friday, October 4, 11:56

Not a full stop but a comma was put in the relations between Armenia
and Europe, press-secretary of the ruling Republican Party of Armenia,
vice-speaker of the parliament, Edward Sharmazanov, came to such a
conclusion after the sitting of the RPA Supreme Body held on 3 October.

He also added that Armenia is ready to initial the political aspect of
the Association Agreement with the EU in Vilnius. He emphasized that
just the political component is the key of this agreement. Anyway,
irrespective of the agreement signing or not, Armenia will go on
making democratic reforms, he said.

When commenting on President Serzh Sargsyan’s speech at PACE,
Sharmazanov especially emphasized the statement by the president,
according to which the independence and security of Nagornyy Karabakh
cannot become a subject of compromise, and the Armenian party is not
going to make unilateral compromises in the Karabakh issue.

HRAPARAK: ARMENIAN PRIME MINISTER’S U.S. VISIT POSTPONED

10:34 04/10/2013 ” DAILY PRESS

Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan’s visit to U.S., scheduled for
October 9, has been postponed at the request of U.S., Hraparak says.

The paper reminds that U.S. President Barack Obama is canceling
foreign trips due to government shutdown.

The Armenian government will send Vache Gabrielyan to U.S. for him
to boost Armenian-American dialogue and to sign planned agreements
on American investments, the paper says.

Source: Panorama.am

IDEA FOUNDATION SUPPORTS WIKI-PROJECTS IN ARMENIA

11:41 04/10/2013 ” SOCIETY

IDeA Foundation comprising the family, friends and partners and
supporters of famous businessman and benefactor Ruben Vardanyan
decided to support Wikimedia Armenia NGO, the Foundation’s press
service reports.

Under the agreement signed in early August, IDeA Foundation supports
Wikimedia Armenia projects aimed at promoting Wiki-projects in
Syunik and Tavush marzes and involving young people from regions
into the projects of Free Encyclopedia. The goal of the cooperation
is qualitative and quantitative expansion of resources of Wikipedia
in the Armenian language.

“Strategic charitable initiatives aimed at developing education and
tourism, preserving national traditions and spiritual rebirth are
implemented under the aegis of IDeA Foundation. In this context, we
think development of Armenian-language Wikipedia important for the
worthy presentation of the Armenian heritage”, said the Chairman of
IDeA Foundation Ruben Vardanyan.

President of Wikimedia Armenia NGO Susanna Lazarian noted that
“over the short period of cooperation with IDeA Foundation a seminar
was organized in Goris within “Wiki loves Monuments” program and the
young participants acquired skills of working in Wiki-projects and as
a result, the Free Encyclopedia was enriched with photos and articles
about Syunik and Tavush.”

It’s no mere chance that Tavush and Syunik marzes were chosen: IDeA
Foundation implements large-scale charity projects in these regions –
Dilijan International School and “Tatev’s Rebirth.”

On October 5-6, “WikiConference Yerevan 2013” will be held in
the American University of Armenia where the achievements of the
Armenian Wiki-community over the recent year will be summed up and
new approaches for development of Wiki-projects and free content will
be worked out.

IDeA Foundation (Initiatives for Development of Armenia) implements
strategic charitable initiatives for Armenia, Artsakh and Armenian
Diaspora. The projects are aimed at preservation, rebirth and
international recognition of national, spiritual and historical
heritage, development of education, cultural enrichment and enhancement
of competitiveness of the nation. IDeA was set up by RVVZ Foundation
which was co-founded by Ruben Vardanyan and Veronika Zonabend.

Source: Panorama.am

L’AZERBAIDJAN ACCUSE L’ARMENIE D’INSTALLER DES REFUGIES SYRIENS AU NAGORNY KARABAKH

AZERBAIDJAN

L’Azerbaïdjan a accuse mercredi l’Armenie d’installer des refugies
syriens au Nagorny Karabakh, un territoire que se disputent les
deux pays.

Selon l’ambassadeur d’Azerbaïdjan a l’ONU Agshin Mehdiyev, il s’agit
d’un “processus très dangereux aux consequences imprevisibles”.

L’Azerbaïdjan a pris mardi la presidence tournante du Conseil de
securite de l’ONU pour un mois.

L’Armenie a annonce avoir accueilli plus de 10.000 Syriens d’origine
armenienne depuis le debut du conflit. Mais l’ambassadeur armenien a
l’ONU Garen Nazarian a dementi toute installation de ces refugies au
Nagorny Karabakh. Il s’agit “de mensonges et d’une deformation des
faits”, a-t-il declare a l’AFP, accusant son homologue “de manipuler
la crise syrienne a des fins politiques”.

“Nous continuons de recevoir des informations attestant des tentatives
(armeniennes) pour encourager certaines categories de refugies syriens
a s’installer dans une autre zone de conflit”, a declare a la presse
l’ambassadeur d’Azerbaïdjan. “Nous savons qu’ils ont deja commence
a le faire”.

La communaute armenienne en Syrie est estimee entre 60.000 et 100.000
personnes.

Le ministre des Affaires etrangères d’Azerbaïdjan Elmar Mammadyarov
avait evoque cette question a la tribune de l’assemblee generale la
semaine dernière. “Les dernières informations sur le transfèrement
de Syriens armeniens vers le Nagorny Karabakh (…) est une nouvelle
preuve de la politique deliberee d’annexion” menee par l’Armenie,
avait-il affirme.

L’Armenie et l’Azerbaïdjan s’opposent depuis des decennies au sujet de
la region separatiste du Nagorny Karabakh. Les separatistes, soutenus
par l’Armenie, ont pris le Nagorny Karabakh a l’Azerbaïdjan lors de
la guerre de 1990 qui a fait 30.000 morts.

En depit de longues annees de negociations depuis le cessez-le-feu
de 1994, les deux parties n’ont toujours pas conclu d’accord de paix.

L’Azerbaïdjan a menace de reprendre la region disputee par la force
si les negociations n’aboutissent pas. Parallèlement l’Armenie a
declare qu’elle riposterait a toute action militaire de son voisin.

AFP

vendredi 4 octobre 2013, Stephane ©armenews.com

LE JOURNALISTE ARMéNIEN CEVAT SINET S’EST RéFUGIé EN BELGIQUE

TURQUIE

Un journaliste arménien, Cevat Sinet, soumis a plusieurs pressions et
menaces en Turquie, vient de demander le statut de réfugié politique
en Belgique avec son épouse et leur bébé nouveau-né.

Sinet a fait l’objet des procès en Turquie en raison de ses
révélations concernant l’assassinat d’un soldat d’origine
arménienne, Sevag Balikci, dans une unité militaire le 24 avril 2011,
l’anniversaire du génocide arménien de 1915.

Le meurtrier présumé Kivanc Agaoglu et ses avocats, İbrahim Gök
et Huseyin Karaboga, ont déposé des plaintes contre Sinet quand
il a demandé aux autorités comment les responsables de la mort de
Balikci n’ont pas été condamnés malgré la présence des preuves
indéniables.

Quand les pressions et menaces contre Sinet s’intensifient, ses amis
et plusieurs défenseurs des droits de l’Homme ont lancé une campagne
de signature intitulée “Le journaliste Cevat Sinet n’est pas seul !”.

Récemment, Cevat Sinet a décidé de se rendre en Europe et a
introduit une demande de statut de réfugié politique en Belgique.

Actuellement il se trouve dans le centre d’accueil Arendonk avec son
épouse et son bébé et attend la décision des autorités belges.

Cevat Sinet a déja fait objet des autres discriminations en raison
de son origine, voici quelques exemples parus dans les bulletins
Info-Turk :

Pas de carte d’handicapé pour les Arméniens en Turquie

Cevat Sinet résidant de Batman s’est adressé aux services sociaux
de sa ville pour obtenir une carte d’handicapé. Le fonctionnaire
a refusé de lui en faire une en raison du fait qu’il était
arménien. Cevat Sinet n’a pas obtenu gain de cause auprès des cours
de justice locales et a décidé de porter plainte devant la Cour
européenne des Droits de l’Homme.

Selon le journal Evrensel le fonctionnaire des services sociaux a
dit ” Vous êtes un arménien, il est dit ici que vous êtes un
Chrétien donc vous ne pouvez pas obtenir une carte d’identité pour
handicapé ”.

Sinet déposé plainte pour racisme et remarque discriminatoire.

Cependant le ministère public n’a trouvé ” aucun motif pour agir ”
et a décidé le renvoi de la plainte. L’article dans Evrensel déclare
que Cevat Sinet a décidé de faire appel a la Cour européenne
des Droits de l’Homme car il n’a pÔ obtenir gain de cause via les
procédures nationales légales.

()

vendredi 4 octobre 2013, Stéphane ©armenews.com

AZERBAIJANI ENVOY TO UN CONCERNED OVER SYRIAN ARMENIANS RESETTLEMENT IN NAGORNO-KARABAKH

AzerNews, Azerbaijan
Oct 3 2013

3 October 2013, 16:42 (GMT+05:00)
By Sara Rajabova

Head of the Azerbaijani mission to the United Nations expressed concern
by the actions undertaken by Armenia with a view to relocating the
Syrian citizens of Armenian origin in the occupied territories of
Azerbaijan, official website of the mission reported.

Permanent Representative of Azerbaijan to the United Nations
Agshin Mehdiyev said that Syrian crisis has diverse impact, and its
consequences are being experienced in other regions and countries
as well.

“Thus, we continue receiving the reports testifying to purposeful
attempts aimed at encouraging some categories of Syrian citizens to
move to other conflict-affected areas, and even to settle in the
territories under foreign military occupation, from which their
original population was earlier forced to leave,” Mehdiyev said.

According to him, needless to say that such actions constitute a
clear violation of international humanitarian law and international
human rights law.

“Of course, I have in mind the actions undertaken by Armenia with
a view to relocating the Syrian citizens of Armenian origin in the
occupied territories of Azerbaijan,” Mehdiyev said. “Indeed, while
the international community is focused on searching for ways out of
the Syrian crisis, the suffering facing the people of that country
are being utilized to further complicate the situation and peace
efforts in another region.”

He said no doubt, attempts to address the needs of refugees from
Syria at the expense of hundreds of thousands of Azerbaijani displaced
persons, living with the hope of returning to their homes, are illegal
and cannot be tolerated nor accepted under any circumstances.

Mehdiyev also added that Azerbaijan from the very beginning has
shared the view of the United Nations Office for the Coordination
of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and other partners on the need for
a greater policy attention to the humanitarian situation in Syria,
particularly with a view to ensuring respect for international
humanitarian law and access by humanitarian actors to those in need
of assistance in Syria.

According to the Armenian government, more than 7,000 Syrian Armenians
have already expressed the desire to relocate to Armenia, Eastbook.eu
portal reported in August.

Armenian government started constructing apartment buildings for
Syrian refugees in May of this year, the same source said.

Azerbaijan has repeatedly expressed serious concerns over the
resettlement of Syrian Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh region of
Azerbaijan occupied by Armenian armed forces.

Earlier, deputy foreign minister Araz Azimov said that Azerbaijan
is not opposed to the placement of Syrian Armenians in other areas,
but is totally against the accommodation of Armenian refugees from
Syria being resettled in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Azimov said he felt that quite different reasons are underlying the
choice to resettle the Syrian refugees in the Nagorno-Karabakh region.

For over two decades, Azerbaijan and Armenia have been locked in
conflict which emerged over Armenia’s territorial claims against its
South Caucasus neighbor. Since a war in the early 1990s, Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan’s territory,
including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions. A fragile
ceasefire has been in place since 1994, but long-standing efforts by
US, Russian and French mediators have been largely fruitless so far.

Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council’s four
resolutions on its pullout from the neighboring country’s territories.

AZERI PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES PASSIONATELY DEBATE POLITICS, HUMAN RIGHTS

ITV, Azerbaijan
24 sept 2013

During prime-time round table TV debates, Azerbaijani presidential
candidates have discussed the disputed Nagornyy Karabakh region, human
rights and the political opposition in Azerbaijan. The debates were
held on 24, 26 and 28 September and broadcast live by Public TV. Ten
candidates are contesting the 9 October election in the country.

Karabakh conflict

Throughout the televised debates, the single candidate of the
opposition alliance National Council of Democratic Forces (National
Council), Camil Hasanli, criticized the Azerbaijani government for
failing to regain control over the Armenian-controlled Nagornyy
Karabakh region.

“It is totally unacceptable for someone who has not been able to
liberate even 10 cm of occupied lands to run for presidency for
a third term… A corrupt government can never liberate lands,”
Hasanli said on 24 September.

Mubariz Qurbanli, deputy executive secretary of the ruling New
Azerbaijan Party, rebuffed Hasanli and accused the National Council
of using the “Karabakh card” against the government, countering that
it was during the opposition’s time in government that Azerbaijan
was forced to cede control of the region.

Pro-government MP and self-nominated candidate Zahid Oruc described
Hasanli’s remarks as “overly emotional” and said that the government
had made progress in the resolution of the Karabakh conflict.

“A lot of work has been done to this end. Azerbaijan has moved the
Karabakh war onto a political level. Our diplomatic positions have
become stronger. And what have opposition forces done during these
years? This nation has closed its wounds. If you want to turn the
entire country into a martyrs’ avenue [Martyrs Avenue is a place
in Baku where people killed on 20 January 1990 – during the Soviet
invasion of Baku, and during the early 1990s Karabakh war are buried],
this will not happen,” Oruc said.

Akif Heydarov, proxy of presidential candidate and Justice party
chairman Ilyas Ismayilov, said: “It is a crime to agree to leave one’s
lands under occupation.” Heydarov protested the role of international
negotiators – the OSCE Minsk Group, saying that his party distrusted
their neutrality.

During the debate on 28 September, Mais Gulaliyev, another proxy
of Ilyas Ismayilov who has the endorsement of the leader of the
Iranian-backed Islamic Party of Azerbaijan, blamed the USA for
“helping the separatist regime in Karabakh”. Gulaliyev said that it was
important that the USA should change its stance on Nagornyy Karabakh
if the conflict was to be resolved. However, Gulaliyev alleged that
the USA and the West were not interested in resolving the conflict
due to their energy interests in Azerbaijan.

Human rights

Heydarov criticized the imprisonment of Islamic activists and
condemned the violation of their human rights. He acknowledged that
the government had softened its stance toward religion ahead of the
election, but warned citizens “not to be deceived by the political
interests of such persons”.

BBCM note: According to the committee on protection of Islamists’
rights, 100 Islamists were detained in Azerbaijan during 2010-13,
pro-opposition Turan news agency reported on 19 September.

Sardar Calaloglu, chairman of the opposition Democratic Party of
Azerbaijan, cautioned the government against human rights violations
in the country, warning that Azerbaijan might end up like Arab Spring
countries if the government did not change its policies.

Hasanli accused the government of corruption, monopoly and imprisonment
of citizens on trumped-up charges. He slammed incumbent President
Aliyev for refusing to take part in the debates and condemned the
arrest of the opposition People’s Front of Azerbaijan Party chairman’s
son as “persecution”, adding “this government cannot tolerate six
minutes allocated to an opposition candidate’s speech”.

National Council under fire

The National Council came under fire during the 24 September debate.

The leader of the pro-government Modern Musavat party, Hafiz Haciyev,
and Chairman of the leftist Social Democratic Party Araz Alizada both
accused the National Council for “lacking” an election platform.

Alizada accused the National Council of seeking “to overturn the
government in Azerbaijan with foreign money”. MP Qudrat Hasanquliyev,
leader of the pro-government United Azerbaijan People’s Front Party,
made similar accusations during the 26 September debate, saying that
the opposition bloc “has turned into actors of the script written in
Moscow”. He also slammed the National Council for cooperating with
“Iran-linked” Islamists.

Sardar Calaloglu said that his party had not joined the National
Council because both it and the government had “double standards”. He
described the National Council as “revanchists” and criticized them
for being “aggressive.” He also spoke of the “internal disagreements”
in the National Council, highlighting this as the key factor behind
the opposition bloc not getting stronger.

[Translated from Azeri]

DENMARK TO BUY ARMENIAN DRONES

Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
Oct 2 2013

2 October 2013 – 2:53pm Denmark will buy Armenian drones, said Karen
Vardanyan, Executive Director of the Union of Information Technology
Enterprises (UITE), News Armenia reports.

He clarified that Armenia will produce about 10 drones a month for
Denmark. They will be used for agricultural research and aerial
photography of fields.

The UITE was founded in 2000 to protect the economic interests of
companies, boost business, encourage IT research. It consists of
dozens of companies.

AUTHOR SHARES HER ‘STORY OF EXILE’

The Daily News
Oct 2 2013

The Daily News
Posted on October 2, 2013
by Carrie McDermott

A girl’s idyllic life in the seaside city of Baku, in the Soviet
Republic of Azerbaijan, was turned upside down by ethnic cleansing in
the 1980s. After witnessing her Christian neighbors brutally attacked
and killed by the majority Muslim Azeri population, her Armenian family
fled to Yorovan, the Capitol city of Armenia. The family stayed with
relatives in their tiny, cold stone cellar for three years, living
with no heat and no running water. They suffered prejudice there and
didn’t speak the language. They were finally given refugee status and
allowed to leave from Moscow to the United States, where they ended
up in Wahpeton.

Anna Astvatsaturian Turcotte shared her family’s experiences and escape
from their beloved hometown to their new country, the United States,
in her book, “Nowhere: A Story of Exile,” at a special engagement
at the Stern Cultural Center at the North Dakota State College of
Science campus in Wahpeton.

Turcotte, who is now married with two children, said her book began as
the diary she wrote as a teenager, after the family came to Wahpeton.

She wanted to remember her life in Baku and the atrocities she
experienced so her future children would understand what their family
went through, and know their Armenian heritage. She showed her father
her writings, and he wanted her to move on – to forget the horrible
past they survived.

“I kept it tucked away for 20 years, until I was persuaded to publish
it,” she said.

She recalls the family getting off the plane in Fargo, where her
7-year-old brother was disappointed there were no skyscrapers.

“This is America, after all,” she said, as the audience laughed.

She said her father joked, “We’ve been sentenced to America’s Siberia.”

The community of Wahpeton embraced the family, she said, and provided
transportation for their necessary English classes.

“There were no ESL (English as a Second Language) programs in Wahpeton
when we came here,” she said.

Turcotte said she’s glad those programs are now in abundance in
the region.

“I remember our first visit to Econofoods,” she said. “I had never seen
apples that were so perfect. I’d never seen so much food in my life.”

She went on to describe the help her teacher at Wahpeton High School,
Rep. John Wall, gave her – a shy, bright girl in a new land, trying
to learn the language and customs of the United States.

“He wasn’t just a teacher. He was my rock outside of home, to drive
me and push me forward,” she said.

She grew up, graduated from the University of North Dakota with
degrees in English, philosophy and religion, and earned a degree from
the University of Maine School of law.

She was urged to transform her childhood diary into a book, which
was published last year.

Turcotte said she hopes to raise awareness of the conflict still
occurring in Nagorno-Karabakh, that their Armenian citizens are not
free, and she hopes her book will memorialize Armenian refugees and
start conversations about the area.

Turcotte was recently awarded the Mkhitar Gosh Medal, the Armenian
government’s highest civilian honor awarded for notable state, public
and political activities as well as significant services in the areas
of diplomacy, law and political science.

She will speak at Wahpeton High School and Bethel Lutheran Church
Wednesday, and has engagements in Fargo, Moorhead, Grand Forks and
Mayville the remainder of the week.