Author: Kanayan Tamar

RUSSIA MUST KNOW THAT ARMENIA ALWAYS HAS AN ALTERNATIVE

Head of Modus Vivendi center Ara Papyan, political scientist, dwelt on
the issue of Russia’s sale of armaments to Azerbaijan. According to
him, Russia should not sell weapons to Azerbaijan because Armenia is
its strategic partner, and these kinds of partners are those who are
ready to sacrifice their economic and political interests for the sake
of their partner. Armenia should issue an official statement about the
unacceptability of such a behavior of our partner. We have always been
committed to our partnership with Russia and have had economic losses.

When we apply to the West for investments, they say your strategic
partner is Russia, so let it help you. While our strategic partner is
arming our enemy, says Papyan adding that in case of a war thousands
of victims will be recorded on both sides and Russia should announce
that it is earning money on our blood.

The arguments that Russia supplies free of charge weapons to Armenia
is groundless because no one ever saw those weapons. The speaker noted
that it is impossible to know the reaction of Russia to the war because
we have the sad experience of how it behaved in 1917, 1929-20, 1990s.

According to Ara Papyan, Russia’s step is determined by the fact
that Armenia is in Russia’s pocket, but Russia must know that Armenia
always has an alternative.

Ara Papyan said relating to the membership to the Eurasian Union that
we can’t join a structure, about which we have no idea. That is an
amorphous idea.

15:53 21/06/2013 Story from Lragir.am News:

BELARUSIAN PRESIDENT HAS NOT SAID “THERE IS NO NORMAL LIFE” IN NKR: COMMENT OF ARMENIAN FOREIGN AFFAIRS MINISTRY

20:16, 20 June, 2013

YEREVAN, JUNE 20, ARMENPRESS: President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko
has not made a declaration with statement “there is no normal life”
in NKR. “Armenpress” reports that about this declared Deputy Foreign
affairs minister of Armenia Shavarsh Kocharyan responding to the
observation of “Novosti Armenia” agency that in the interview to one
of Ukrainian newspapers Belarusian president has made unacceptable
statements about Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

According to that information Alexander Lukashenko has allegedly
declared that “there is no normal life” in Nagorno-Karabakh.

“According to the information received from Foreign affairs ministry
of Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko has not made a declaration
with such statements,” stressed Deputy foreign affairs minister and
added that during official visit to Ukraine Belarusian president has
not given an interview to “Izvestia Ukraine”newspaper.

MOSCOW THEATRE HEADED BY DZHIGARKHANYAN WILL ALSO TAKE PART IN “DUET” THEATRICAL FESTIVAL

21:02, 20 June, 2013

YEREVAN, JUNE 20, ARMENPRESS: In support of Ministry of Culture of
Armenia Gyumri Dramatic theater after Vardan Achemyan will hold “Duet”
international theatrical festival. The president of the festival is
professor Nikolay Tsaturyan. “Armenpress” was informed about this
from Minsitry of Culture of Armenia.

In the festival are included only those theatre and theatrical groups
which present a play of two acting people. 18 theaters will take
part in the festival. 12 of them are from Armenia, the others are
from Russia, France, Ukraine and Georgia. The number of theaters
which wished to take part in the festival was greater but taking
into consideration the format and abilities of the festival only 18
of them were selected. There are days when 4 plays are planned to be
performed. The plays will be performed in Dramatic theatre of Gyumri
and academy of art.

Among the participants are Moscow dramatic theater headed by Armen
Dzhigarkhanyan, Armenian state dramatic theater after Petros Adamyan
in Tbilisi and several theaters from Armenia.

The opening ceremony of “Duet” international theatrical festival will
take place on July 1 with performance “Life in pink light” of Moscow
dramatic theater headed by Armen Dzhigarkhanyan. The closing ceremony
will take place on July 8.

EX-AZERI OFFICIAL SLAMS ALIYEV GOVERNMENT

20:57 ~U 20.06.13

A former Azerbaijani official has criticized President Ilham Aliyev’s
administration, comparing it with a beheaded chicken.

According to Haqqin.az, Isa Sadikhov, an ex deputy minister of defense
who is now on the international wanted list, made the statement while
commenting on the authorities’ decision to launch an international
search.

“The authorities, experiencing a feeling of agony, behave like beheaded
chickens,. They do not have to search me as I am where I am supposed
to be. As for them, there will be no need search them because we are
not planning to ‘let them out’ of the country. Very little is left
till their demise,” the former official said in a Facebook post.

The Azerbaijani Military Prosecutor’s Office on Wednesday made a
decision to add Sadikhov’s name to the international wanted list
over a criminal case with two decades’ history. The charges against
the former deputy minister were dropped in 2001, but the legal was
re-launched last year. No details of the case are known except the
fact that Sadikhov was prosecuted for abuse.

The former official, residing in Norway since 2011, said recently
that he is closely following the developments in his country and has
plans to return to Azerbaijan and, upon necessity, join the opposition
National Council party. Analysts reportedly see political motives
behind the renewed prosecution.

Armenian News – Tert.am

GAS SCANDAL: IRAN CALLS ARMENIA TO CHANGE POLICY

The gas story must be clarified and separated from economy and
politics. Apparently, Iran is acting in this direction, trying to
introduce new facts on the amount and prices of Iranian gas supplied
to Armenia.

It will inevitably force Armenia or Russia to publish the amounts
which are now considered to be a commercial secret, namely the price
of Russian gas provided toArmenia, the price ARG pays for Iranian
gas on the Armenian border and much more.

Judging by the released information the Iranian and Russian gas
are not expensive at the border. The price increases inside Armenia
where the gas distribution network is owned by ARG. The pricing of
this company is a commercial secret. No one knows why the company’s
markup is so high, how much it is and where profits go.

Now Gazprom is trying to take the 20% at ARG belonging to the
government of Armenia. Apparently, Iran is angry for this so it
openly states that Yerevan is not fulfilling commitments set in
interstate agreement.

In Armenia they affirm that we are buying less gas from Iran because
there is no power transmission line able to ensure the necessary
amount of electricity to be supplied to Iran in exchange of the gas.

Yesterday, the parliament approved tax and customs allowances for
the layout of the high voltage power transmission line. Apparently,
this is done to convey to Iran Armenia’s willingness to increase
import of gas from Iran.

In fact, Iran is trying to change the policy. It calls Armenia to
refuse at least part of Gazprom services and buy cheap gas from Iran.

By the way, today the British court decided to lift sanctions against
Iranian Mellat Bank. Sanctions against Iran will soften, and Iran is
taking this advantage to call Armenia to fulfill its commitments made
back in 2004.

Buying more gas from Iran, Armenia will diversify not only its energy
but also politics. For this reaosn Armenia should not give its 20%
of ARG to Russia but nationalize distribution networks.

This will be a scandal, Russia may inform about another large supply
of weapon to Azerbaijan but giving away the right to manage the Iranian
gas to Russia may cause a scandal in the Iran-Armenia relations.

Iran’s president is no longer Ahmadinejad who was a friend of
Kocharyan. Now Iran has another president, and he may wonder how
things with Armenia are. Tomorrow, there may be news on how ARG
uses the Iranian gas or how Armenian officials warm water in their
swimming pools free of charge, what the IMF representative to Armenia
Tolosa said.

Armenia, of course, can stand aside and watch Iran dealing with Gazprom
but in the current situation Armenia will hardly get away with it.

Naira Hayrumyan 17:22 20/06/2013 Story from Lragir.am News:

THE BASES TO BRING “ISKANDER-M” COMPLEXES TO ARMENIA WERE LAID SINCE 2010

June 19 2013

It remains to verify whether they are provided to the armed forces
of Armenia or to 102nd Russian military base in Gyumri. It has been
two or three weeks since persistent rumors have circulated that
“Iskander-M” complexes were brought to Armenia. So far there are no
denials or approvals or, generally, a respond from the authorities
of Armenia in connection with the said information. In early June,
the sources of the Ministry of Defense confirmed the information to
the “Freedom” radio station about the fact that there are several
complexes of medium-range attacking missile of “Iskander-M” type in
the territory of Armenia. They are considered the most modern weapons,
the range of “Iskander-M” complexes is over 400 kilometers. On June 3,
“Stratrisks” periodical wrote that the source of the Defense Ministry
had noted that the location of “Iskander-M” complexes is a secret,
and refused to clarify whether the missile complexes would be
provided to Armenia’s armed forces or to the 102nd Russian military
base in Gyumri. In fact, this is a very important question, because
deployment of such systems in Armenia may become an opportunity
of many different speculations, first from the West, and why not,
from the neighboring state Georgia. It is noteworthy to mention that
“Stratrisks” periodical has stated that the Russian-Armenian defense
agreement concluded in August of 2010 includes a provision according
to which Moscow is planning to supply “a modern military equipment of
special assignment” to Yerevan, and concluded, that, consequently,
the Russian support was focused on modernizing five-years of the
Armenian Army, which was adopted by Serzh Sargsyan in 2010. Indeed,
let us try to understand. Does Russia have the legal basis to take
such a step …?

It appears that it has and its base were laid a long three years ago.

In 2010 Russia and Armenia extended the period of contract on
deployment of Russian base until the year 2044. The protocol was signed
in Yerevan in August 2010. The terms of the contract was for 25 years,
the protocol extends it up to 49 years (starting from 1995). On June
2011, the President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev signed a decree on
ratification of the protocol regarding the extension of the period
for deployment of Russian military base in Armenia up to 2044. It’s
worth to remind that the military base in Gyumri is included in the
Southern Military District of Russia, and the Russian military base
was significantly modernized. Three years ago, a big noise was raised,
and the issue was widely discussed as to why the terms of the contract
for deployment of the Russian base should be extended until 2044.

Different political opinions were voiced. Yet, another interesting
circumstance that deserved more attention was left out of attention
during those days. The Russian side along with the extension of the
terms on deployment of a military base provided for by the contract
has made a clever move, providing bases for further “modernization”.

Here it is. The protocol adopted by RF and Armenia posted on the
official website of the President of Russia on June 27, 2011, says
the following that the Russian military base in the territory of
Armenia, in addition to protecting the interests of Russia, provides
the security of the Republic of Armenia together with the Armed Forces
of Armenia: “For this purpose the Russian side implements provision
of modern and compatible arms and special defense technology”. Then it
is stipulated by the protocol: “The provision of modern and compatible
weaponry, military (special) equipment to armed forces of Armenia will
be implemented in cooperation with foreign countries in compliance
with the legislation on RF defense technology cooperation”. Now the
questions whether “Iskander-M” complexes were brought in or not, or
why they are late, as the bases for bringing them into Armenia were
laid three years ago. The only interesting question that remains open
is this whether the “Iskander-M” complexes are provided to the Armed
Forces of the Republic of Armenia, or to the 102nd Russian military
base in Gyumri. Emma GABRIELYAN

Read more at:

© 1998 – 2013 Aravot – News from Armenia

THERE IS NO RISK IN GIVING 20% OF ARMENIA’S SHARES IN ARMRUSGASPROM TO GAZPROM: ARMEN MOVSISYAN

15:40, 20 June, 2013

YEREVAN, JUNE 20, ARMENPRESS: There is no risk in giving the
20% of the shares of the Government of the Republic of Armenia
in Armrusgasprom to the Gazprom. This was stated by the Minister
of Energy and Natural Resources of Armenia Armen Movsisyan at the
briefing with the journalists. He noted that otherwise this issue
would not been placed on the table of negotiations.

“If this deal is profitable for the Government and the nation of
Armenia, we will do it and if not, we won’t do that”, – said Armen
Movsisyan, adding that it is not compulsory, as reported by Armenpress.

The Minister of Energy and Natural Resources of Armenia stated as
well that if the 100% of the shares go to the Gazprom, it would not
change anything, as according to the Legislation of the Republic of
Armenia, the power supply functions in Armenia are considered to be
licensed functions.

“It does not matter who owns the 100% of the shares, as he should
act according to the license given by the Republic of Armenia and
in the field of the Public Services Regulatory Commission”, – stated
Armen Movsisyan.

The Minister of Energy and Natural Resources of Armenia stated once
more that at this moment the negotiations are in the process and no
deal has been yet made. The discussions will be completed by the end
of the month.

The Russian side announced that during the negotiations Armen Movsisyan
and Alexey Miller discussed the pricing issues for the Russian gas for
the consumers of the Republic of Armenia, as well as the possibility
to make the Gazprom’s shares in the Armrusgasprom 100%.

On March 31 2006 the Gazprom and the Government of the Republic
of Armenia signed a 25-year agreement on the participation of the
Gazprom in the gas and energy projects implementation, carried out
in the territory of the Republic. In accordance with the document, it
is intended to increase the share of the Gazprom in the Armrusgasprom
Company by issuing additional shares.

In the result of the issue of shares, the Gazprom’s share in the
Armrusgasprom’s share capital has been increased to 80%.

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT IS NOT WHERE HE SHOULD BE – MARXIST PARTY

June 20, 2013 | 14:00

YEREVAN. – Armenia’s political arena and its main players are too
“drowsy” and they have become outsiders, Marxist Party of Armenia
leader Davit Hakobyan noted during a press conference on Thursday.

“As a result of our disunity, the honor is often imparted to the
scoundrels,” he added.

In his words, Armenia is has completely lost in terms of the Karabakh
issue and foreign policy.

As for the economic situation in the country, Hakobyan noted that the
problem lies in the political arena, and not in the competition. As
per the head of the Marxist Party, the economic brains that can design
a new state doctrine, with a new economic policy, should be given to
the state machine.

“We need to transition to a reproducing and a commercial state
machine,” Davit Hakobyan said, and stressed: “The President [Serzh
Sargsyan] is not where he should be, not to mention the Prime Minister
[Tigran Sargsyan].”

Photo by Arsen Sargsyan/NEWS.am

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

EXPERTS IN ARMENIA SAY MESSAGES IN OBAMA-PUTIN-HOLLANDE STATEMENT ADDRESSED TO AZERBAIJAN

KARABAKH | 20.06.13 | 12:46

By SIRANUYSH GEVORGYAN
ArmeniaNow reporter

Most analysts and ruling party representatives in Armenia believe that
messages in the Minsk Group co-chair countries’ leaders’ statement
are more directed to Azerbaijan than Armenia.

In Armenia most pundits say that there is a clear change in accents in
the fifth statement to be issued by the leaders of the United States,
Russia and France in the last five years, in other words that the world
powers stress the inadmissibility of the use of force and war rhetoric.

Since it is Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev who frequently uses war
rhetoric and keeps alluding to the possibility of renewed hostilities
in Karabakh, the most common view is that the statement contains
“criticism” mostly directed at Azerbaijan.

President Barack Obama, of the United States, and his Russian and
French counterparts, Vladimir Putin, and Francois Hollande, issued a
joint statement from the G8 summit in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland,
on Tuesday, urging Armenia and Azerbaijan to focus on issues that
remain unresolved in their negotiations. The said that “further delay
in reaching a balanced agreement on the framework for a comprehensive
peace is unacceptable.”

“We strongly urge the leaders of all the sides to recommit to the
Helsinki principles, particularly those relating to the non-use of
force or the threat of force, territorial integrity, and equal rights
and self-determination of peoples. We also appeal to them to refrain
from any actions or rhetoric that could raise tension in the region
and lead to escalation of the conflict. The leaders should prepare
their people for peace, not war,” said the leaders.

Armenia reacted to the statement within minutes, with Foreign Minister
Edward Nalbandian hailing it and stressing that Yerevan agrees with
its main points. But it took Azerbaijan more time to formulate
its position. Only the next day, during a news briefing in Baku,
Elman Abdullayev, a spokesman for the country’s Foreign Ministry,
said that the statement reflects the position of Azerbaijan.

In his written comments Armenia’s top diplomat also blamed Azerbaijan
for lack of progress in the resolution of the protracted conflict,
accusing Baku of continuing its bellicose rhetoric and provocations
on the line of contact with Nagorno-Karabakh and on the border with
Armenia.

Deputy Director of the Yerevan-based Caucasus Institute Sergey
Minasyan, commenting on the statement by the U.S., Russian and French
leaders, said that Azerbaijan was clearly the only and real addressee
of the call for rejection of war rhetoric. The political analyst
also thinks that the Minsk Group co-chair countries’ presidents by
their statement also call upon the parties to speed up the process
of Karabakh settlement.

Meanwhile, Armenian Center for National and International Studies
expert Edgar Vardanyan expressed an opinion that this latest statement
does not differ from previous ones.

“Here they again mention the principles on which the international
community believes the Karabakh problem should be solved. I just felt
that the international community does not put up with the status
quo and in reality the international community is doing everything
for the status quo to change, but the parties do not demonstrate
sufficient political will. In fact, it is to some extent pressure on
the parties to say: “hey, guys, change your hardened attitudes and
show more constructive approaches,” said the analyst.

Vardanyan also stressed that although the three presidents criticized
the parties to the conflict, there was still no word about new
approaches or solutions.

“In essence, nothing has changed, because the same thing is being
said on and on. On the other hand, it is expected that new approaches
and solutions should to be proposed to end this crisis and impasse,
but this statement contains no such approaches or solutions. Perhaps
in the near future we will see some new but similar approaches,
but this text does not say anything about that,” he said.

Vardanyan found it difficult to say why it took Azerbaijan a day to
respond to the statement.

“Maybe they expected something else,” he said, at the same time
stressing that the international community puts a sign of equality
between the parties in the sense that they do not display the political
will to solve the problem, that is, both are equally responsible for
the lack of progress.

CAN A TURKISH, ARMENIAN AND KURDISH PICTURE BE TAKEN TOGETHER?

11:27, June 20, 2013
By Solin Hacador

(The following appeared in the June 18 edition of The Kurdistan
Tribune)

Today, I have seen a picture of three women from different ethnicities
– Kurdish, Armenian and Turkish – taken in the Ottoman times of
Turkey. I wonder whether the same kind of photo could be taken in
the current Turkish society.

Unfortunately, people’s understanding of friendship between different
ethnicities in Turkish society is very thin. Moreover, it is at its
racist-provocative stage.

Non-Turkish people cannot openly state their ethnicity, and they
often hide their origin from each other. This unpleasant situation is
worrying. Through this picture we can see that different ethnicities
could set up friendship easily in the past but now it is quite hard to
bring these people together. This situation did not happen overnight;
it happened as a result of Turkish long-term racist educational
system and massacres, genocide against Armenians and massacres against
Kurdish people.

Kids from an early age are being taught Ataturk’s theories. They
are taught how to be proud of being Turk. Children from different
ethnicities are being kept under the same educational system.

This issue is supported by Turkish media. The media usually follows a
biased approach towards other ethnicities and independent journalists
are mostly scared to criticize any governmental mistakes.

If we go back to the Ottoman Empire, in the sixteen century it was
the most powerful state but, by the nineteenth century, its power was
reduced and it had lost most of its land in Africa and Europe. This
created economic and political losses too and the Empire started to
pressurise internal ethnicities enormously. Armenian people within the
government were treated suspiciously. Non-Muslim people were put under
immense pressure. A series of massacres against Armenians took place
during Sultan Abdulhamid II (1876-1909)’s administration. The same
Sultan also used some Kurdish people by setting up the Hamidiye corps
(literally meaning “belonging to Hamid”, with the full official name
of Hamidiye Hafif Suvari alayları, Hamidiye Light Cavalry Regiments)
in 1890.

These were well armed, irregular Sunni Kurdish, Turkish, Turkmen,
Yöruk and also Arab cavalry formations that operated in the eastern
provinces of the Ottoman Empire. The intention of Sultan Abdul Hamid
II was to use this corps against Russia. However, the Hamidiye were
more often used by the Ottoman authorities to harass and assault
Armenians living in Western Armenia.

We Kurds need to accept what has happened in history and the fact
that some Kurds under the Hamidiye Alaylari took part in massacring
Armenian. This shameful crime against Armenians was ordered as
explained above. However, we should not generalise this crime and must
not blame all Kurds for it. We all know that this is a tactic of the
Ottoman-Turkish state, and so the state from time to time applies an
armed group against Kurdish armed revolutionists. We know that the
village guard (Kurdish armed group) was set up by the Turkish state
in order to fight against the PKK (Kurdish Workers Party) but they
were usually used against innocent civilians.

Finally, the Armenian Genocide (1915) hugely damaged Turkish, Armenian
and Kurdish friendship.

Some people become alarmed because they are not very aware of their
friend’s customs, likes and dislikes. They may unwittingly say or do
something that is offensive, without ever knowing the reason. Having
this awareness does not mean that you have ever been a person who has
harboured prejudice or racist thoughts about people from other ethnic,
national or cultural backgrounds.

Many contemporary writers in the west tend to present friendship as
private, voluntary, and happening between autonomous individuals.

According to this view, ‘friendship becomes a special relationship
between two equal individuals involved in a uniquely constituted
dyad’ (Bell and Coleman 1999). This contrasts in key respects with
the classical view. Furthermore, as Graham Allan (1989) has argued,
relationships that are often presented as voluntary, informal and
personal, still operate within the constraints of class, gender,
age, ethnicity and geography and this places a considerable question
against the idea that friendship is a matter of choice.

Aristotle provides us with one of the great discussions of friendship.

He distinguishes between what he believes to be genuine friendships
and two other forms: one based on mutual usefulness, the other on
pleasure. These two forms only last for as long as there is utility
and pleasure involved, whereas genuine friendship does not dissolve.

I personally believe that we need to work on this and do our bit to
get rid of any errors or unpleasant issues from our society in order
to set up Turkish, Armenian and Kurdish friendship. This issue is very
important for the peace process which we need to start from scratch.

The Turkish state should also get rid of its racist educational
system and bring its citizens together through social, economic and
cultural reforms and respect for the rights of individuals. I assume
a new picture of three ethnicities can be taken by then.