Author: Kanayan Tamar

Man tried to burn himself in front of Armenian president’s residence (VIDEO)

June 07, 2012 | 22:39

YEREVAN. – Hrazdan citizen Mkhitar Alumyan tried to burn himself
in front of the residence of the Armenian President on Thursday but
the police prevented his attempt. Mkhitaryan Alumyan mentioned that
for 14 years he has worked for Hrazdan city Energabloc company but
recently he was fired illegally. The board of the company did not pay
his salary of the last month and the additional payments. Alumyan
had informed the President Serzh Sargsyan about the issue but the
problem was not settled. The citizen mentioned that his family is in
a difficult situation, he has 5 underage children.

DETAILS ON BORDER CLASHES AT ARMENIAN VILLAGES OF BERDAVAN AND CHINARI

PanARMENIAN.Net
June 7, 2012 – 19:24 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Samvel Aghababyan provided PanARMENIAN.Net with
details on recent incidents in Armenia’s border villages through
PANreport system.

According to initial reports, both Azeri and Armenian sides have
been refraining from subversion and retaliation attempts since June
6. The customary shelling, however, continues. The 2-day-long border
war gave rise to may rumors in Armenia. Many were distrustful over
Defense Ministry-announced losses on Armenian side. Nevertheless,
the Defense Ministry has been adhering to open information policy,
providing data on all losses and casualties on Armenian side. Below
is a report on clashes which occurred on the morning of June 4.

According to Defense Ministry report, on the morning of June 4,
Azeri attack occurred near the Berdavan and Chinari villages of
Tavush province. Armenian soldiers Hrach Sargsyan, Zohrab Balabekyan
and Karen Davtyan were killed during the Azeri infiltration attempt,
with 5 more soldiers left injured.

The information is supported by the following data from reliable
sources:

The attack was orchestrated in 2 different directions. According to
initial data, Azeri subversive group of 8 attempted to infiltrate
Berdavan territory. The group, passing near the minefield, was spotted
by our patrol. Armenian patrol leader died on the spot, the second
soldier was injured. The 3rd Armenian soldier was the one to prevent
the passage of the enemy group.

Situation was different in Chinari, with 2 enemy groups acting. The
1st – an assault group comprised 5-6 saboteurs. The 2nd one- the
cover group consisted of 15-20 soldiers. The assault group aimed to
attack our trenches, and the cover group, armed with machine guns,
was supposed to back them. However, our soldier spotted the rival’s
assault team. He raised the alarm and managed to beat off the attack.

Armenian soldiers, alerted to the attack, were taking their positions
under the fire from Azeri cover group, which left 2 Armenian servicemen
dead and several injured. Azeri saboteurs’ plans were foiled thanks
to the Armenian solder who spotted and faced the rival’s assault
group. Having suffered losses, Azeri group restricted itself with
a lasting gunfire on the distance. All honor to our protectors who
not only succeeded in stopping the enemy, but survived under the
circumstances.

Thus, the data above confirms the report provided by Armenian Defense
Ministry on June 4 clashes.

Samvel Aghababyan through PANreport system

DEMONSTRATORS DEMAND EQUIPOLLENT RESPONSE TO AZERI ATTACKS

tert.am
07.06.12

Members of Hayazn union conducted today a demonstration marching to
the presidential residence and foreign ministry to hand letter-demand
to Serzh Sargsyan and Edward Nalbandian.

Freedom fighter from Crusaders squad Shahe Atchemyan has joined the
action, who speaking to Tert.am said he joined the rally to demonstrate
to the Armenian soldiers that they are not alone.

“They should know that in case of necessity we are ready to do
utmost to defend our country,” the freedom fighter said, adding that
they demand from the authorities to toughen their position at the
negotiation process.

According to him, in this round of negotiations Azerbaijan realizes
that it is losing Artsakh. “They are likely to start a war thinking
they will return back the territories,” he said.

Armen Lazarian, member of Hayazn union’s central body, told Tert.am
that the Azeris always commit acts of sabotage on the Armenian
borders. Lazarian also informed that in their letter they have
mentioned several points in case of implementation of which the
Karabakh conflict will be settled peacefully and the attempts of the
Azerbaijani side to resume war will be suspended.

Lazarian said they offer to recognize Arstsakh as inseparable part of
Armenia, annihilate ten Azerbaijani soldiers against every Armenian,
immediately resettle and develop the liberated territories and leave
the yielding stance behind.

He expressed conviction that the Armenian side is very compliant. “As
far as the Armenian side has not stated that it will not give a bit
of liberated land, it is compliant,” he said.

Member of Hayazn union said they do not insist on war just vice versa.

According to him, till now Azerbaijan has not started a war being
sure it will not win. “Today it sees that all its unbridled steps
remain unpunished or almost unpunished,” Lazarian said.

POLITICAL EXPERT: NOT WORDS BUT ACTIONS WILL OPEN THE TRUE DOMESTIC POLITICAL SITUATION IN ARMENIA

arminfo
Thursday, June 7, 18:58

There are two types of political forces in the classical policy:
opposition and government. The Prosperous Armenia Party when leaving
the coalition did not declare itself the opposition. For this
reason, not words but actions will open the true domestic political
situation in Armenia, political expert Karen Kocharyan said at today’s
press-conference.

He also added that the first sessions of the new parliament have
already shown that the Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP) supports
the ruling Republican Party of Armenia (RPA), as it chiefly votes
for the proposals of the latter. So, leaving the coalition does not
indicate that the PAP will become the opposition. “The intrigue will
start in autumn when members of the parliament will come back from
vocation and start the presidential campaign. Then the problem of
supporting president Serzh Sargsyan’s candidacy by the PAP will rise”,
– Kocharyan said.

SIX-YEAR OLD CHILD FELLS FROM APARTMENT WINDOW IN YEREVAN

tert.am
07.06.12

A six-year old child Hayk Karapetyan fell from the 4th-floor window
of his apartment on June 6 as a result of negligence of his parents.

Photojournalist Gagik Shamshyan told Tert.am the boy was rushed to
hospital from where the police received a call about the incident.

The police have found out that the child lives in 24 Shinararner
Street. He has already been operated on but is under the supervision
of doctors.

The neighbors said the couple has another school age son. The father
worked as a taxi driver. The incident took place after the child
returned home from kinder-garten.

The police are preparing materials over the case.

SHARMAZANOV: TURKEY AND EUROPEAN INTEGRATION THOUGHTS FAR FROM BEING SYNONYMS

Panorama.am
07/06/2012

“Turkey is persistently ignoring the international obligations they
have assumed and keep distorting the reality,” Parliament Deputy
Speaker Eduard Sharmazanov said remarking on Turkish FM Ahmet
Davutoglu’s statement claiming “relations with Armenia might be
established when Armenia leaves the occupied territories.”

Speaking to Panorama.am Mr Sharmazanov said it is evidence that today
Turkey and European integration are thoughts far from being synonyms.

“The heads of countries lying in the west side of Armenia and in
the east side of Artsakh should know that, yes, there are occupied
territories, and that the Turks and the Azeris should leave those
occupied lands.

To refresh the memory of Turkish FM, I would like to stress that his
country has occupied the northern part of the Republic of Cyprus,
while Azerbaijan has occupied Shahumyan, Getashen and Martunashen
which are territories of Artsakh Republic…” he said.

FRANCE CONCERNS ABOUT VIOLENCE BETWEEN ARMENIA AND AZERBAIJAN

APA
June 6 2012
Azerbaijan

Baku. Victoria Dementyeva-APA. France, which co-chairs the Minsk
Group, expresses its deep concern following the violent incidents on
the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan which have resulted in 8
deaths over the past few days, APA reports.

There can be no military solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

The parties must be fully committed to implementing a peaceful
settlement based on the respect of the principles of the UN Charter
and the Helsinki Final Act, notably the non-use of force, territorial
integrity and the right of peoples to self-determination.

Another meeting between the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan
and the Minsk Group’s co-chairs is scheduled to take place in June
in Paris in order to continue the negotiations. We are preparing for
this meeting.

ARMENIAN FM TO VISIT Ä°STANBUL AFTER DEADLOCKED RECONCILIATION TALKS

Today’s Zaman
June 6 2012
Turkey

Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandyan is expected to visit
Ä°stanbul to participate in a meeting of the Organization of the Black
Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) on June 26 in Ä°stanbul, despite a
suspended normalization process between Turkey and Armenia.

Turkish officials said although they had not received any official
confirmation from Nalbandyan’s office, they would be pleased if
the Armenian foreign minister accepted the invitation, noting that
Nalbandyan had previously attended the same meeting in Ä°stanbul.

Armenian authorities confirmed receipt of the invitation and said it
was being assessed.

In November 2008, as chairman-in-office of the BSEC, Nalbandyan made
a one-day working visit to Ä°stanbul. Former Turkish Foreign Minister
Ali Babacan visited the Armenian capital, Yerevan, one year later to
attend the BSEC upon the invitation of his Armenian counterpart.

Nalbandyan’s June visit would come amid strained relations between
Turkey and Armenia, which have not healed despite reconciliation
efforts that started in 2008. However, the tense bilateral relations
have not hindered ministers from both sides from coming together at
various regional and international platforms — which are viewed by
both Turkey and Armenia as excellent opportunities to hold bilateral
meetings. The upcoming BSEC Ä°stanbul meeting will be one of those
opportunities, should Nalbandyan attend.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is currently visiting
countries in the South Caucasus, including Armenia, Azerbaijan and
Georgia. After that, Clinton will head to Turkey to attend the Global
Forum on Fighting Terrorism that will be held on June 7-8 in Ä°stanbul.

During her visit, Clinton will meet with Turkish Foreign Minister
Ahmet Davutoglu.

ARABASLIK Turkish, Azerbaijani, Georgian FMs to gather for tripartite
meeting

The foreign ministers of Turkey, Azerbaijan and Georgia will come
together for a tripartite meeting in Trabzon on June 8.

During the meeting, Turkish Foreign Minister Davutoglu, Azerbaijani
Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov and Georgian Foreign Minister
Grigol Vashadze will discuss bilateral and regional issues, increasing
cooperation between the countries and regional stability and security.

FEUD BETWEEN ARMENIA AND AZERBAIJAN WORSENS

Gulf Times

June 6 2012
Qatar

Armenian forces killed five Azerbaijani soldiers in a border clash
yesterday in a new flaring of tensions as US Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton visits the volatile Caucasus region.

The Azerbaijani defence ministry said fighting broke out when
“a group of Armenian saboteurs made an attempt to penetrate the
military positions of the national army” in the country’s northwest
– the second reported outbreak of deadly violence along the border
between the ex-Soviet enemies this week.

“During the fight, four soldiers of the Azerbaijani armed forces were
killed and another died as a result of the Armenians opening fire,”
the ministry said in a statement.

Armenia however blamed Azerbaijan for causing the violence, saying
that “a subversive group of 15 to 20 people attempted to infiltrate
Armenian territory”.

“Thanks to the vigilance of the Armenian servicemen, the group was
discovered and neutralised. Five were killed and many others wounded
from the Azerbaijani side,” the Armenian defence ministry said in a
statement, adding that none of its troops were injured.

On Monday, Armenia alleged that Azerbaijani forces had killed three of
its soldiers and wounded six more when an attempted military incursion
ended in a firefight on the border, a report Baku denied.

Azerbaijan and Armenia are locked in a long-running conflict over the
territory of Nagorny Karabakh, where they fought a war in the 1990s
that killed some 30,000 people.

Unusually, this week’s clashes erupted well to the north of the
disputed region.

According to Azerbaijan’s defence ministry, yesterday’s violence hit
the region west of the Azerbaijani town of Gazakh. The deadly clashes
on Monday also took place nearby.

Visiting Yerevan on Monday, Clinton said that she was concerned by
the rising tensions and warned Armenia and Azerbaijan not to settle
their conflict by force.

“I am very concerned about the danger of escalation of tensions and
the senseless deaths of young soldiers and innocent civilians,” she
said after Monday’s violence. “The use of force will not resolve the
Nagorny Karabakh conflict and therefore force must not be used.”

The Karabakh war saw Armenia-backed separatists seize the mountainous
enclave from Azerbaijan amid a bitter struggle that caused hundreds
of thousands of people to flee their homes in both countries.

Despite years of negotiations since the 1994 ceasefire, the two sides
have not yet signed a final peace deal and there are still frequent
exchanges of gunfire along the front line.

Azerbaijan has threatened to use force to win back Karabakh if peace
talks fail to yield satisfactory results, but Armenia has warned of
large-scale retaliation against any military action.

Today Clinton is due to visit Baku, where officials said that finding
a resolution to the Karabakh conflict would be the main topic of
discussion.

“We expect good results from the meeting with Clinton,” Azerbaijani
Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov told journalists.

Mammadyarov blamed Yerevan for thwarting progress toward a peace deal,
saying that “sometimes we cannot understand the Armenian side’s logic”.

The latest round of negotiations in Russia in January ended with
promises to speed up the process but failed to make any visible steps
toward signing a “basic principles” roadmap agreement, seen as key
to any settlement.

TURKEY CONCERNED OVER ESCALATION OF TENSIONS ON ARMENIAN-TURKISH BORDER

Vestnik Kavkaza
June 6 2012
Russia

Ankara is concerned over the escalation of tensions on the
Armenian-Azerbaijani border, spokesman for the Turkish Foreign
Ministry Seljuk Unal said, commenting on the deaths of five Azerbaijani
servicemen countering an Armenian sally, 1news.az reports.

Azerbaijani and Turkish interior ministers are holding meetings.

Turkish Commander of the Ground Forces, Army General Hayri Kivrikoglu,
is on a visit to Baku. Commander of the Turkish Coastal Guards,
Rear Admiral Sardar Dulger, plans a visit to Baku as well.

As reported by Vestnik Kavkaza, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry
published a message on June 5 stating that an Armenian sally group was
countered at the village of Ashagy Eskipara in the Gazakhsky District.

5 Azerbaijani troops died. According to the Azerbaijani Defense
Ministry, Armenian troops suffered casualties as well, forcing them
to retreat.