Author: Kanayan Tamar

RUSSIAN OBSERVER MISSION BACKS NKR LEADER’S INVOLVEMENT IN KARABAKH TALKS

PanARMENIAN.Net
July 20, 2012 – 13:29 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Russian observer mission of 16 monitored July 19
presidential polls in Nagorno Karabakh Republic.

According to the mission’s statement, “NKR presidential polls were
held in the environment of intensive political competitiveness, with
equal media access provided to all candidates. Certain shortcomings in
the work of electoral committees were of technical and organizational
character and couldn’t affect the results of the vote.”

In their statement, the observers urge for the attention of the OSCE
Minsk Group and the international community to the efforts aimed at
creation of a democratic electoral system. The observers called for
rapid settlement of Karbakh conflict to promote establishment of
stability on the region.

In this context, Russian MP Alexander Balaberov noted the importance
of NKR presidential polls in Karabakh settlement talks, adding that
negotiations without Artsakh president’s involvement are doomed
to failure.

According to preliminary results of the Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh)
Republic’s Central Election Commission, the incumbent leader, Bako
Sahakyan, gained 47 085 (66,7%) of the votes to win the presidential
race.

His major rival Vitaly Balasanyan garnered 22 966 (32,5%) of votes
while Arkady Soghomonyan received 594 (0,8%) of votes.

THE STRUGGLE IN DAMASCUS IS IN ITS FINAL STAGE

ARMENPRESS
19 July, 2012
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, JULY 19, ARMENPRESS: After the terrorist attack near Syrian
National Security building on July 18 the situation in Damascus
continues to stay tense. Armenpress was informed from representative
of Armenian community in Syria Nazareth Elmajyan that the control
in Damascus has more strengthened but during the whole day voices of
continuing clashes, explosions are heard from the suburbs of the city.

In Elmajyan’s words the current struggle is in its definitive and
final stage and during a day or two the situation will be clearer.

What refers to the information spread by various Medias that the
presidential residence is in siege does not correspond to reality.

In result of clashes the terrorists had significant losses; there
are many arrested people who are not Syrians.

The situation became tenser after the strong explosion on July
18 because of which Defense Minister of Syria and other high-rank
officials died.

PRESERVING HAMSHEN IDENTITY THROUGH SONG
Hamo Moskofian

Moscow-Krasnodar
July 20, 2012

During Vova Hamshen’s historic concert at Moscow’s Golden Palace,
on June 10, I grabbed the opportunity to interview Hikmet Akcicek,
the founder and main singer of the music group and his fellow artist
Mehmet Altunkaya. A cultured, patriotic and highly intelligent person,
Akcicek lives in Hopa, Turkey and in Istanbul. With composer Mustafa
Biber and musician Altunkaya, he is the central figure of the Hamshen
group. The latter has won prizes in many international competitions,
singing in Hamshen Armenian, in Turkish and in other languages. Because
Vova Hamshen has given concerts in Armenia and Akcicek has lived in
Yerevan, his Armenian is fairly understandable.

I asked him about the meaning of the group’s name and its aims.

Hikmet Akcicek: In Hamshen dialect Vova means “who is it?” (“Ov
eh?” in Western Armenian-HM). Our language is one of the oldest
Armenian dialects. It’s preserved in Armenian history for which
we are proud of. Most of the Hameshens in the Eastern Hopa region
can speak only Hamshen Armenian (Homshen), while in Rize and in the
Western regions, unfortunately they speak mostly Turkish. Thus they
are losing their identity. Due to the 400 years of Turkification,
many have forgotten their mother tongue.

Our group’s aim was to preserve our nation, the Hamshen community
and identity, through our language. The easiest way was by music and
by singing our centuries-old, marvelous songs about our motherland,
our mountains, nature, love and marriage, and everyday life: age-old
traditions in pure Hamshen Armenian. I think we succeeded in our aim
and we are further developing our goal.

Our group is composed of male and female musicians and singers. I
am an amateur, but the others are top professionals, who perform
in several Black Sea regions. They play modern string instruments
and drums. Some are Hamshen Armenians, others have Laz parentage on
mother’s or father’s side. All of them excel in our dialect.

HM: Can you tell me about your political views and ideology?

HA: We are socialists. We oppose the ruling party in Turkey. My
colleague here, Mehmet Altunkaya, is a social democrat.

HM: You are Hunchaks… (they laugh).

HA: Altunkaya has even a political party– T.B.M.M.–which opposes
religious fundamentalism in Turkey. Officially, we are Turkish
citizens. “Turks” but Armenian, and will preserve our identity on the
land that we have lived for centuries: the land called Hamshen. I have
a pain in my heart; our countrymen are dispersed all over the world,
from Turkey to Georgia, to Russia and to Kirgizstan. The first time
we succeeded in meeting together on cultural and musical level was
when a Hamshen band from Krasnodar participated with us in a joint
concert. Our concerts had huge attendance all over Russia, in Armenia
and in Lebanon. We would be very happy to organize concerts in other
countries where Armenians live. We want to remind everybody that we
alive and our language, music, culture is immortal!

!

LEGITIMATE ELECTIONS ARE NKR’S SECURITY ISSUE – ARMENIAN OPPOSITION BLOC

news.am
July 19, 2012 | 14:16

YEREVAN. – Opposition Armenian National Congress (ANC) issued a
statement with respect to Thursday’s presidential elections in the
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR).

“We call upon NKR’s authorities to do their utmost to secure
legitimate, free, and fair elections. In the military and diplomatic
war with Azerbaijan, democratic institutes’ higher level and vitality
should be among NK’s primary resources, and this will be noticed
by the international community. [And] The latter’s reaction to the
elections will greatly depend on the quality of the elections.

At the same time, the people of Nagorno-Karabakh are the biggest
claimants of free and fair elections. And, last, legitimate elections
are NKR’s security issue.

We also call upon Armenia’s authorities to commence consultations
with the respective departments of friendly countries, to secure a
positive attitude toward NK presidential elections,” ANC’s statement
specifically reads.

To note, three non-party affiliate candidates are running in Thursday’s
presidential elections. They are: Incumbent NKR President Bako
Sahakyan, Deputy Director Arkadi Soghomonyan of Academic Activities
at the NKR capital Stepanakert Branch of State Agrarian University
of Armenia, and NKR National Assembly MP Vitali Balasanyan.

NKR’s previous presidential elections were held on July 19, 2007, and
serving President Bako Sahakyan was elected Head of State. According
to official figures, he had received 85.12 percent of the total votes.

NAGORNO-KARABAKH GOES TO PRESIDENTIAL POLLS
Karen Minasyan

RIA Novosti
19/07/2012
YEREVAN

Presidential elections started on Thursday in the unrecognized republic
of Nagorno-Karabakh, the fifth since the republic broke away from
Azerbaijan in the late 1980s.

Polling stations opened at 8 a.m. local time and will close at 8 p.m.,
after which the ballot count will begin.

There are three candidates in the running, including incumbent
President Bako Saakyan, National Council Deputy Vitaly Balasanyan and
Arkady Sogomonyan, professor at the Armenian Agricultural University.

The EU has reiterated it does not recognize the legality of the
elections.

Catherine Ashton, the EU high representative for foreign affairs
and security policy, said the European Union “does not recognize the
constitutional and legal framework in which they will be held.”

“These ‘elections’ should not prejudice the determination of the
future status of Nagorno-Karabakh in the negotiated general framework
of the peaceful settlement of the conflict.”

Ashton recalled the EU’s firm support to the OSCE Minsk Group, and
in particular to the sustained efforts of its co-chairs, aimed at a
peaceful resolution of the conflict.

“I call on the parties to step up their efforts to find a negotiated
solution to the conflict on the basis of the Madrid principles, which
would allow progress beyond the status quo. I reiterate the EU’s
readiness to provide further support to efforts in this direction”,
she said.

The conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia erupted in the late 1980s,
when the predominantly Armenian-populated region of Nagorno-Karabakh
claimed independence from Azerbaijan. It is estimated to have left
more than 30,000 people dead on both sides between 1988 and 1994. The
region has since remained under Armenian control.

There has been an increasing number of shootouts along the line of
contact between the Armenian and Azerbaijani forces, as well as at
the border between the two states.

ARMENIA TO HAVE ANOTHER CHAMPAGNE PRODUCTION COMPANY

news.am
July 19, 2012 | 11:35

YEREVAN. – The Government of Armenia on Thursday granted a value
added tax payment postponement for Armenia Wine Company, in order
for the latter to produce champagne.

Armenia’s Economy Minister Tigran Davtyan informed that the Company
made an AMD 6-billion (approx. US$ 14,618,343) investment, and created
120 new jobs with a monthly salary of AMD 127,000 (approx. $310)
per employee.

PM Tigran Sargsyan noted that this production will become particularly
important in case of being exported.

To note, the Yerevan Champagne and Wine Factory already produces
champagne. But in line with official statistics, Armenia’s champagne
production reduced by almost half in January-May 2012, as compared with
the same time period last year, and constituted close to 30,000 liters.

CHORRORD INQNISHKHANUTYUN: SENIOR REPUBLICANS AND DASHNAKS MEET IN ARTSAKH

tert.am
19.07.12

The paper says it has learned from sources that senior figures of the
ruling Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) and members of the Armenian
Revolutionary Federation-Dashnaksutyun (ARF-D) held a gathering
in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) on Wednesday, just a day before the
scheduled presidential polls.

The meeting reportedly saw the presence of incumbent and former
officials, including a former president of Karabakh, Arkady Ghukasyan,
as well as ex-ministers and regional governors, who are firmly linked
with what is claimed to be the Artsakh clan, especially Armenia’s
second president, Robert Kocharyan (who descends from Karabakh).

After meeting the presidential candidates, Vitaly Balasanyan and
[incumbent President] Bako Sahakyan, they gave a big party outside
the Gandzasar Monastery and had an extensive discussion over the 2013
presidential election in Armenia, claims the paper.

“The table companions admitted openly in this context that the
presidential polls will cost the ruling majority, the RPA, a high
price, and agreed with that purpose that Karabakh clan has to entirely
commit itself to listing votes in Armenia after bringing the Artsakh
polls to an end,” says the paper.

BEING AND REMAINING ARMENIAN IS ESSENTIAL AND PIVOTAL FOR TURKISH ARMENIANS: ARA GOCHUNYAN

ARMENPRESS
19 July, 2012
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, JULY 19, ARMENPRESS: Armenian Diaspora, the existing
situation there has always been in the center of the attention
of Armenia. Armenian community in Turkey in the absence of
Armenian-Turkish relations however remains the most vulnerable segments
of Diaspora.

Armenpress had an interview with Istanbul based Armenian “Time”
newspaper’s editor-in-chief Ara Gochunyan on Turkish Armenian community
current issues and the efforts made to their solutions.

-Currently what measures are taken for the protection of Armenian
identity?

-The protection of Armenian identity in Turkish Armenian community in
one hand is ordinary in the other hand an unusual phenomena. A large
number of national structure networks are operating in Istanbul, which
play an essential role in the preservation of Armenian community. The
matter does not go mainly on the churches. Surely the belief towards
the Apostolic church is an inseparable part of our identity, yet
the church cannot play the role of an administrative structure. In
this matter the schools under the patronage of these churches have
an important impact.

-On the threshold of 100 th anniversary of Armenian Genocide what
kind of preparations are underway?

– During the recent years people in Turkey have started to express
their respect towards the memories of the victims in the central square
of Istanbul and other cities of Turkey. Those who pursue the issue of
Armenian Genocide recognition understand they have a great deal of work
to do. Our aim is as follows, regardless the initiative is taken either
by Armenian or Turkish side, the solution to the problem must be fair.

MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS: “HOLDING OF THE SO-CALLED “ELECTIONS” IN THE OCCUPIED NAGORNO KARABAKH REGION OF AZERBAIJAN IS A STROKE TO PEACEFUL NEGOTIATIONSPROCESS”

APA
July 18 2012
Azerbaijan

Baku. Victoria Dementieva – APA. “Holding of the so-called
“elections” in the occupied Nagorno Karabakh region of Azerbaijan
does not contribute to the peaceful settlement process, rather, it
is a stroke to this process”, Spokesman for the Azerbaijani Foreign
Ministry Elman Abdullayev told journalists, APA reports.

He noted that this step further strengthens the current status-quo
and shows once again the unwillingness of the Armenian side to hold
negotiations.

“Persons, who visited the occupied territories of Azerbaijan without
our permission and illegally, will be included to the list of persona
non grata. Azerbaijan’s position on this issue is principled”.

According to the Armenian media outlets, the so-called “presidential
elections” will be held in Nagorno Karabakh.

A NOVEL ABOUT A MASSACRE

Daily American Online

July 18 2012

“The Sandcastle Girls” by Chris Bohjalian, Doubleday, 320 pages, $25.

“How do a million and a half people die with nobody knowing? You kill
them in the middle of nowhere.”

This is a story of a massacre that you probably know nothing about;
the Armenian genocide during the First World War.

In 1915, Elizabeth Endicott, 21, takes a crash course in nursing. The
young woman from Boston has learned a little Armenian. She accompanies
her father to Aleppo, Syria, as volunteers with the Friends of Armenia
to deliver food and medical aid to refugees. She becomes friends with
Armen, an Armenian engineer, whose wife and baby died.

Fast-forward to the present. Laura Petrosian lives in New York. She
is a freshman in college. She is in a museum one day and sees a
photograph. She recognizes her grandmother, Elizabeth. Elizabeth and
Armen are no longer living.

This is a remarkable book, rich in historical detail. Yes, the scenes
of the refuges suffering and dying can be brutal, but there are times
we needed to be reminded that terrible things happen. The story of
Elizabeth and Armen is touching and then you find out that one of
them kept a big secret from the other.

Chris Bohjalian is the author of 15 books. He said readers asked him
for years to write about his Armenian heritage.