Author: Kanayan Tamar

Turkish director shoots film about Karabakh

Sat 09 June 2012 07:01 GMT | 8:01 Local Time

The Near East University in Northern Cyprus has hosted a presentation
of a film about Karabakh.
The film was carried out with joint efforts of Azerbaijani and Turkish
students studying in this university, Gun.Az reported.

Student of the university, logistic supporter of the film Maral
Huseynli said that director of the film was Turkish student Gokalp
Yamen.

According to Huseynli, the script was written by Yamen, Azerbaijani
students Gunel Babayeva, Niyazi Salimbayli and herself.

“The aim of the 18-minute film is to convey the Karabakh realities
through the eyes of youths.”

Leading roles of the film are played by Siktiye Devgum, Shems Chetin,
Nigar Umudlu and Egemen Turk.

The screenplay has involved actors from Ukraine (Crimea), Iraq
(Kirkuk), Cyprus (Lefkosha), Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan and Turkey.

News.Az

Artsakh President meets with Karabakh Telecom General Manager Ralph Yirikian

13:40 09/06/2012 » Society

Artsakh President Bako Sahakyan received General Manager of Karabakh
Telecom CJSC Ralph Yirikian on June 9.

Parties discussed issues related to the development of the
communication field in Artsakh.

Artsakh President stressed the important role of Karabakh Telecom in
the socioeconomic development of the country and expressed the hope
that the company would continue its active participation in
implementing various programs in Artsakh, presidential press office
reported.

Source: Panorama.am

Hurriyet, Turkey
June 9 2012

Armenian-Turkish journalist Dink’s verdict goes to Court of Appeals

ISTANBUL – Anatolia News Agency

Armenian- Turkish journalist Hrant Dink was murdered in 2007 in
Istanbul. Hürriyet photo
The court verdict in the case of the murder of Hrant Dink was sent to
the Supreme Court of Appeals yesterday.

The triggerman, Ogün Samast, was sentenced to 22 years in prison last
year for the murder of Dink, a Turkish journalist of Armenian origin.
The instigator, Yasin Hayal, was sentenced on Jan. 17 to aggravated
life imprisonment, while former police informant and suspect Erhan
Tuncel was released, prompting widespread anger.

In its ruling, the court argued that there was not enough evidence
indicating the existence of an organization behind the crime, despite
lingering doubts.

Prosecutor’s ruling

A prosecutor then appealed the ruling in the trial on March 30,
arguing that the crime was an organized hit.`The suspects acted as a
cell in Trabzon with the same aims as the Ergenekon crime gang,’ the
prosecutor said in his 30 page appeal against the January court
ruling, adding that the suspects should be punished for committing an
organized act of crime.

`If the court accepts the existence of an organization behind the
crime but lacks the evidence, it should have asked the prosecutor’s
office for further investigation into the issue,’ the prosecutor said
in his appeal. The higher court of appeals is now going to decide how
to proceed with the court’s verdict.

Dink was the chief editor for weekly Agos, a newspaper published in
Turkish and Armenian. He was shot dead in front of his office on Jan.
19, 2007 in Istanbul.

June/07/2012

Details on Azerbaijani diversion operation in Karabakh

news.am
June 10, 2012 | 00:11

YEREVAN. – Junior Sergeant Vardan Ohanyan, who died during the
diversion operations by the Azerbaijani side targeted at Horadiz,
Karabakh, on Wednesday early in the morning, was 20 years old and was
from Ashtarak, Armenian MOD representative Meri Sargsyan told Armenian
News-NEWS.am. Criminal case is instigated on his death.

As Armenian News-NEWS.am informed earlier, an Azerbaijani
intelligence-diversion unit once again attempted to infiltrate to an
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic Defense Army military position stationed
along the line of contact between the Karabakh-Azerbaijani opposing
forces. This attempt was carried out on Wednesday at around 4:15am.
But NKR Defense Army vanguard subdivisions resorted to a defensive
battle and, as a result, drove the Azerbaijani unit back to its
initial point.

As a result of the skirmish, the adversary suffered considerable
losses, but the Armenian side had losses, too. During the operation
toward rendering the Azerbaijani diversion unit ineffective, Junior
Sergeant Vardan Ohanyan was killed, privates Arayik Mavreyan and
Volodya Tsatryan were wounded.

What Will DCFTA Bring?

Story from Lragir.am News:

Published: 22:01:55 – 09/06/2012

Interview with Gagik Makaryan, president of the Armenian Association
of Employers

What will DCFTA bring to Armenia?

Free and comprehensive trade involves some other principles. Under a
free trade agreement we will use certain regulations, approximate our
legislation with the EU legislation, carry out democratic and other
reforms.

I think, in the long run, the purpose of Europe is to develop its own
economy. It will first of all think for itself, not for us. First, it
will foster trade and production in the EU. Second, the EU has its own
global economic development policy, and production and import of raw
materials will naturally be done at the expense of countries like ours
because they remove from their countries every industry that harms the
environment and people’s health. It will try to use the capacity of
developing countries as a supplier of raw materials. There is a risk
that we will be a raw material supplier. Third, Europe has a labor
shortage. Their population is not enough, they will import labor from
countries like ours. In other words, there is a risk that this
cooperation will empty us of brains and labor. There is also a risk
that our imports will be affected by the EU because it will become
more powerful and will export to our countries, both for the money it
will pay and by means of its political influence.

Although I am against the signing of a free trade agreement among the
CIS countries, I also said that it is something temporary. This
agreement has a shortcoming. We can sell our non-competitive goods to
one another in the CIS but as life develops, Europe will join us, we
will not be competitive with Europe, we will be importers of European
stuff. The upcoming 3-4 years will be a crucial period. We will need
to carry out fundamental reforms and boost the economy otherwise we
will become an appendix which supplies labor and raw materials and
receive manufactured goods. If we fail to carry out reforms, the
economy of our country will be based on raw materials, the country’s
independence and industries will weaken.

But the members of government note that the DCFTA will help the
Armenian producers to produce better products, the Armenian production
will be competitive in the world. Don’t you think so?

However, several important issues need to be solved to raise the
quality of production. First, one needs to enable a businessman to
make investments. In other words, the political and economic reforms
should enable a favorable investment climate. It is necessary to
encourage modernization through loaning or other means. The greatest
problem is modernization, enterprises do not have enough money for
that, while interest rates are high. The extension of payment of VAT
granted by the government mainly affect major business. Small
enterprises will be left out, remain ignorant, weak and with low
productiveness. Meanwhile, the bigger ones will be able to modernize
to some extent. The big companies are in mining, jewelry and diamond
and telecommunication businesses. We must face small enterprises, loan
programs must be reviewed, cheaper and long-term loan offers must be
available. It is necessary to focus on food production and other
businesses.

So is the government taking the move of deepening trade with Europe
without taking into account the importance of the following reforms?

It takes this move together with Europe because there are also
political interests. Let’s not forget that Europe is a major donor. We
must make concessions, whether we want it or not. We must face Europe
because it is a guarantee of our security, the markets there are more
stable. If we try to develop our economy through this move, we must
carry out reforms now, understand what is right, help and boost our
economy. But reforms must be part of a package. We can’t do one thing
this way today and that way the next day.

Nothing new should be expected from meeting of Armenian and
Azerbaijani FMs – expert

news.am
June 09, 2012 | 21:30

YEREVAN. – U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s visit to the
South Caucasus region did not contribute to the settling of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, political scientist, expert at the
Institute of CIS countries Mikhail Alexandrov told Armenian
News-NEWS.am. According to him, Clinton’s visit would not contribute
to the settlement of the conflict in any case as the West continues to
hold a pro-Azerbaijani disposition.

`The USA did not condemn the recent Azerbaijani attacks on Armenian
posts, they kept silent during the last couple years when Azerbaijan
constantly violated the cease-fire regime and today they are operating
with the same spirit. Clinton’s visit was dictated by the U.S.
interests concerning Iran,’ Alexandrov mentioned adding that the USA
is trying to force Armenia into an anti-Iranian alliance without doing
anything in return.

According to the expert, Washington is conducting the same policy
towards Azerbaijan.

Talking about Russia’s disposition, Alexandrov announced that even
though Moscow did not officially condemn the latest events on the
Armenian – Azerbaijani borderline, but during every three-sided
meeting Dmitry Medvedev forced Aliev to sign a document on not using
arms.

Commenting on Hillary Clinton’s announcement that the sides of the
Karabakh conflict will be proposed new approaches, the expert
expressed skeptic opinions.

`The upcoming meeting of Armenian and Azerbaijani FMs in Paris and the
negotiations on new approaches is just an attempt to calm down
Azerbaijan’s aggression and to reduce the growing tension and prevent
the escalation of the conflict. Nothing new will be said,’ the expert
said adding that no solution of the conflict should be expected from
this meeting as the conflict is impossible to settle.

Unidentified shining object’s speed was too slow for meteor – Lebanese expert

news.am
June 09, 2012 | 18:42

A shining object observed in Armenia’s sky on Thursday evening made a
mess in Lebanon as well.

According to The Daily Star, some locals said the unidentified object
was the remains of a meteorite.

The daily quotes Roger Hajjar of the Lebanese Astronomy Group who said
it was difficult to confirm whether it was astrological or a man-made
phenomenon.

`Judging from what you see in the YouTube clips it does not appear to
be a meteor or any astrological phenomenon. For example, the speed at
which the object was traveling was too slow for a meteor,’ the
newspaper quotes the expert.

Coming only a day after Venus’ transit of the Sun, some claimed the
unidentified object was not a UFO but the remains of a meteorite, with
its fragmented pieces creating a dust trail that glowed behind it.

Speaking to The Daily Star, Roger Hajjar of the Lebanese Astronomy
Group, who did not view the sighting first hand, said he could not
confirm whether it was astrological or a man-made phenomenon.

`Judging from what you see in the YouTube clips it does not appear to
be a meteor or any astrological phenomenon. For example, the speed at
which the object was traveling was too slow for a meteor,’ he said.

`However, since I did not witness the event I cannot confirm whether
it was an astrological or man-made phenomenon,’ he added

As Armenian News-NEWS.am reported earlier, in Armenia people noticed a
strange object in the sky at 09.45 p.m. in various parts of country on
Thursday. The strange phenomenon was observed in Yerevan city and in
Armavir and Syunik Regions.

Israeli outlets linked the object with the Russian Topol missile
launched from Astrakhan. According to witnesses, a cone-like thing
appeared in the sky, afterwards there was a flash and a twist, and,
subsequently, the light-emanating and ball-shaped object separated
into two twisting points and then disappeared.

Daily Pilot,
June 10 2012

UCI students study Armenian genocide

With the Olive Tree Initiative, they visit Armenia and Turkey in the
wake of continuing controversy over the 1915 event.

June 09, 2012|By Britney Barnes

A group of students set out to understand the deep-rooted tension
between Armenians and Turks in the wake of the continuing disputes
over the 1915 Armenian genocide.

After spending 10 days traveling around the two countries, talking to
politicians, journalists, academics and nongovernmental agencies, UC
Irvine senior Yolanda Espiritu saw just how many roadblocks the two
countries face at the state level.

But she also saw cooperation at the community level.

“It’s just a positive example that Turks and Armenians can live
together and work together,” Espiritu said.

About a dozen UCI students visited the countries in late March with
the student-led Olive Tree Initiative (OTI). It was the organization’s
first trip beyond Israel and Palestine since its inception in 2008.

“OTI is not an advocacy group,” said Chace Warmington, OTI’s
communication’s director. “It is just an experiential learning program
that allows students to see for themselves and experience tensions and
conflicts, without media bias, in a safe and secure environment.”

The idea to expand the program came from UCI student Syuzanna
Petroyan, an Armenian native, after she went on one of the
Israel-Palestine trips, said OTI Director Daniel Wehrenfennig.

The tensions between Armenia and Turkey are the subject of the
second-most lively and politically linked activism on University of
California campuses, he said.

The trip was eye-opening for Espiritu, 22, who didn’t know the
genocide was even debated until she began preparing. She came home
from the trip unsure if she can now use the word genocide.

Espiritu took in how much recognition means to Armenians while the
Turks say they need time to question what happened.

The students spent more than a year putting together an itinerary,
reading related books and news articles, and preparing questions for
their many meetings.

When students return, they are challenged to share what they learned
and create a project to explore what they experienced, Wehrenfennig
said.

The trip is powerful for some – in the first year alone, half changed
their minors and majors to get directly involved in the Middle East,
Wehrenfennig said.

Wehrenfennig said students gain a sense that change is possible and he
believes in the long term he will see OTI alumni working in politics
in both the Middle East and the U.S., as well as for humanitarian
organizations.

“They come back saying, ‘It was this program, this moment, this
empowerment, this leadership I learned through all of that work that
really lead me to do [positive work],'” Wehrenfennig said.

Deutsche Welle , Germany
June 9, 2012 Saturday 3:51 PM EST

Turkish pianist faces trial for joking on Twitter

Pianist Fazil Say is an internationally acclaimed Turkish artist. He
could face a sentence of 18 months in prison on charges of insulting
Muslim religious values on Twitter. Critics call him a “traitor to the
nation.”

“Could paradise be a brothel?” is one of Fazil Say’s Twitter posts
that have incurred the wrath of Turkish authorities. Some of the
tweets by the internationally acclaimed Turkish pianist weren’t even
his own words. Say quoted medieval Persian poet Omar Khayyam: “You say
that there are rivers of wine. Does that mean it is a heavenly bar?
You say two virgins will be given to every believer. Does that mean it
is a heavenly brothel?”

Say’s Twitter posts instantly provoked debate and Muslim Turks
insulted him online. The 42-year-old, who has said he is an atheist,
stayed calm and reacted with sarcasm: “The muezzin’s call for evening
prayer lasts only 22 seconds. Prestissimo con fuoco!! Why the haste? A
mistress? The raki table?”

Charges of sedition

Say’s comments also drew the ire of Turkish authorities who alerted
Istanbul’s Public Prosecution Service. Say now faces charges of
inciting hatred and public enmity, and insulting “religious values.”
The prosecutor claimed Say’s tweets could lead to a “collapse of
public order.”

Say is not unknown to the Turkish authorities. He openly criticized
the Turkish government on several occasions, and said he’d consider
leaving his home country because of the politics by the government of
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose party has strong roots in
Islam.

In an April 23 interview with Turkish daily Hürriyet, Say announced he
would emigrate to Japan, because of the growing cultural intolerance
in Turkey.

“When I said I was an atheist everybody insulted me,” said Say. The
authorities “chased after everything I posted on Twitter.” In the
interview Say said he felt completely ostracized from Turkish society
and that the criticism he was facing was a sign of a growing
atmosphere of intolerance in Turkey.

Getting rid of an annoying critic?

Say was one of the 166 Twitter users to circulate the Khayyam quote
but is the only one to face a trial for posing a risk to public order.
But Turkish authorities have punished other artists. Author and Nobel
Prize winner Orhan Pamuk had to pay damages in 2006 after he openly
criticized the genocide of Armenians. The same year saw author Elif
Shafak standing trial for broaching the same topic in her book “The
bastard of Istanbul.” Turkish author Nedim Gürsel was the latest case
of a prominent artist who – like Say – got into trouble with the law
in 2009, for allegedly criticizing Islam. The author of the novel
“Allah’s daughters” had to stand trial in Turkey on charges of
blasphemy.

Internationally-acclaimed artist

Say is a star pianist of international acclaim and has in the past
performed with the philharmonic orchestras of Berlin, New York, Tokyo
and Israel, as well as with the French national orchestra. In 1994, he
won the first prize at the European Young Concert Artists
International Auditions. That was his break-through.

According to Say’s lawyer, Meltem Akyol, insulting religious values
can be punished with prison sentences in Turkey. Akyol has denied all
charges made against her client. Turkish news agency Dogan reported on
June 4 that Say declared he never intended to offend anyone and that
freedom of opinion was a universal right.

The trial against Say is to start on October 18. If found guilty, he
faces up to 18 months in jail. Say has said he believes that if he is
sentenced to prison, his career is finished. Fans and friends have
launched a campaign to support the musician. By June 8, the campaign
had more than 5,000 members.

Author: Arne Lichtenberg / nh
Editor: Sean Sinico

OUVERTURE DE L’UNIVERSITE VIRTUELLE 2012
Jean Eckian

armenews.com
samedi 9 juin 2012

L’Universite Virtuelle Armenienne (UVA) de l’UGAB est heureuse
d’annoncer l’inscription pour la session d’ete 2012.

Les cours suivants sont offerts en plusieurs langues (y compris,
l’armenien oriental, l’armenien occidental, l’anglais, le francais,
le turc, le russe et l’espagnol) et differents niveaux :

armenien oriental ; armenien occidental ; histoire d’Armenie ;

introduction a l’architecture armenienne ; introduction a la musique
armenienne

Les classes commencent le 16 juillet et se terminent le 18 septembre
2012 !

Pour l’inscription, veuillez s’il vous plaît visiter le site de l’UVA
?lang=fr_utf8 : creez votre
nom d’utilisateur (log-in) et remplissez le formulaire d’inscription.

Depechez-vous de vous inscrire avant le 24 juin 2012 !

Pour plus de questions et informations, n’hesitez – pas a nous
contacter par [email protected].

L’UVA offre une education armenienne n’importe où, n’importe quand !

Lancee en 2004 par la filière Silicon Valley de l’UGAB, la mission
de l’Universite Virtuelle Armenienne de l’UGAB est d’atteindre les
individus et les groupes dans le monde qui cherchent l’enseignement
en etudes armeniennes. Grâce aux moyens de communication synchronique
et diachronique, l’UVA donne la possibilite aux etudiants d’apprendre
le nouvel materiel en epargnant le temps, ainsi que se rencontrer
avec leur instructeurs en ligne et condisciples virtuels. Grâce a
des cours en ligne de niveau universitaire l’UVA cree une communaute
virtuelle d’education favorisant a la fois la formation des relations
culturelles et sociales.