Author: Karakhanian Suren

TURKEY’S CLOSED BORDERS WITH ARMENIA A GROSS VIOLATION OF INTERNATIONAL NORMS

PanARMENIAN.Net
31.08.2009 21:25 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "At international scene, Turkey never initiates short
term programs. Turkey develops several scenarios of a single program,
to use the suitable one in case of necessity. With Kurds’, Cyprus
and Armenian Genocide issues on its agenda, Turkey still negotiates
for joining EU as a member," Heritage Parliamentary Faction Secretary
Larisa Alaverdyan told a news conference in Yerevan.

According to Larisa Alaverdyan, experienced rival like Turkey should
not be challenged without long-term plans.

When questioned by reporters whether Turkey is to blame for cessation
of RA -Turkish rapprochement attempts, Larisa Alaverdyan responded
that no rapprochement actually existed. When signing the road map,
Turkey made some non-committal statements, without assuming any
obligations as to their fulfillment, she noted.

Touching upon opening of RA-Turkish border, the MP noted that Turkey’s
closed border with Armenia is a gross violation of international
norms. "Turkey continues blockading Armenia because of unresolved
conflict with Azerbaijan, which actually has no bearing with
Turkey. This is a gross violation of international law."

AZERBAIJANI AUTHORITIES VS. MADRID PRINCIPLES

Information-Analytic Agency NEWS.am
Aug 31 2009
Armenia

Concerned over the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process, the Azerbaijani
authorities have decided to once more perform their favorite painfully
primitive trick. Today a number of Opposition political forces, which
have no influence on the country’s political life, have announced
their intention to hold rallies in Baku this September, to protest
the Madrid Principles.

The leaders of the National Salvation Party of Azerbaijan and of
the Popular Front of Azerbaijan arranged about an action of protest
against the Madrid Principles, which run counter to Azerbaijan’s
national interests.

Since rallies are most rare events in authoritarian Azerbaijan, it is
obvious that an action will by no means be held in the center of Baku
without being sanctioned by the authorities and by President Ilham
Aliyev personally. All the opposition parties’ initiatives to hold any
mass actions in the center of Baku were formerly nipped in the bud,
and the opponents of the Aliyev clan had at best to be content with
the most "uncomfortable" conditions on the outskirts of the city. The
fact that the Government-controlled advertised the two small parties’
initiative proves that it was approved by the authorities.

The Azerbaijani authorities have lately been showing a gradual
tendency toward declining the Madrid Principles – in an indirect
way. President Aliyev’s rather strange statement last weekend was the
first presage. Speaking of the present state of the Nagorno-Karabakh
peace process, Aliyev expressed the confidence that the problem will
be resolved within Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity. That step was
as unconstructive as it could be just before the end of the August
interval and on the threshold of an active stage of the preparations
for the two Presidents’ meeting.

No doubt, President Aliyev is well aware of the possible consequences,
namely: the stronger positions of the forces that have for a long time
been objecting to the Madrid Principles in Armenia and consider any
territorial concessions to Azerbaijan inadmissible. What else does
official Baku need for if not for concealing its own unconstructive
approaches, torpedoing the negotiations, which are not following a
course favored by Azerbaijan. In this context, one is not surprised
at the reports on the Opposition-planned rallies just a couple of
days after Aliyev’s statement. These tendencies should be expected
to grow stronger and stronger in Azerbaijan as the Sargsyan-Aliyev
meeting is drawing closer.

Examiner.com
Aug 30 2009

A bare-faced Kim Kardashian not a hit with fans

August 30, 3:25 AMEntertainment News Examiner Ellen Stewart

Socialite Kim Kardashian has faced criticism her beauty may not be so
spectacular after the self-proclaimed ‘Armenian princess’ stepped out
of a Los Angeles hair salon minus her usual make-up.

Picture below.

The fresh-faced reality star stared disapprovingly into the camera
lens of paparazzi as she clutched her cell-phone and headed toward her
vehicle, appearing unimpressed to be photographed without her face on.

Kardashian, who shot to fame after the release of her sex-tape with
rapper Ray-J, stars in the reality television program Keeping Up With
the Kardashians and has been the subject of plastic surgery
speculations, including suggestions she plumped her now famous rear
end with butt-implants.

The daughter of deceased lawyer Robert Kardashian recently dyed her
dark brown locks a golden blonde, said to be a therapeutic method of
dealing with her break-up from long time boyfriend Reggie Bush.

A bare-faced Kardashian has not gone down well with fans, while gossip
bloggers claim the natural face of the starlet ‘hurts their eyes."

tainment-News-Examiner~y2009m8d30-A-barefaced-Kim- Kardashian-not-a-hit-with-fans

AzerNews Weekly, Azerbaijan
Aug 25 2009

US Congress to mull Armenian `genocide` again – scholar
25-08-2009 23:24:29

A bill on the alleged World War I-era genocide of Armenians will be
put on discussion during the fall session of US Congress, after
repeated unsuccessful attempts, an Armenian scholar has said.
Ruben Safrastyan, who heads the Oriental Studies Institute at the
country`s National Academy of Sciences, claims that, a good
opportunity has emerged this time to achieve recognition of the
alleged genocide.
Armenians say Ottoman Turks killed 1.5 million people in 1915 and
brand the developments as “genocide“, while Turkey strenuously
dismisses the claim. Yerevan has repeatedly declined Ankara`s
proposals to collaborate in researching the developments.
Meanwhile, the US-based federation of Turkic societies said in a
statement that the Turkish community, which is maintaining close ties
with Azerbaijan and Jewish societies, has leveraged all of its power
to counter Armenian claims and stands ready to ward off any of their
endeavors.
Mustafa Adnan, head of the federation, has pledged that Armenians will
not succeed in reaching their goals in the U.S. He noted that an
appeals court has recently overruled a ruling of a California court on
paying out life insurance benefits to the relatives of the alleged
genocide victims, adding that this was a graphic example of the
Turkish Diaspora`s strength.
The judge at the California court of appeal who handed down the ruling
said the developments took place miles away from the United States,
and the state of California therefore bears no responsibility before
the persons involved. The ruling also emphasized that the US
government has not passed a decision to recognize the alleged
genocide, therefore, US Armenians are not entitled to relevant
compensation or insurance.
The Armenian lobby, which is advocating for the acceptance of
“genocide“ around the world, has achieved its recognition in the
parliaments of several countries, and is now seeking its passage in
Congress.

U.S. Rep. Schmidt Denies Receiving Turkish `Blood Money’
2009/08/28 | 12:07

diaspora

The following article appeared in the August 26 edition of the
Cincinnati City Beat. It deals with the on-going hearing surrounding
the 2008 election for Ohioo’s 2nd Congressional District that pitted
Representative Jean Schmidt and and challenger David
Krikorian. Mr. Krikorian alleged that Schmidt had received campaign
contributions from the Turkish government in return for her opposition
to an Armenian Genocide resolution in the U.S. Congress. Schmidt has
since filed an official complaint against Krikorian.

Schmidt Gets Taped in Election Suit

U.S. Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-Miami Township) just doesn’t fare so well in
unscripted situations. In the latest example of that political truism,
Schmidt testified Monday for nearly five hours in a deposition taken
by attorneys for David Krikorian.

The deposition was taken in preparation for a Sept. 3 hearing before
the Ohio Elections Commission. Schmidt filed a complaint with the
commission alleging that Krikorian knowingly made a false statement
about Schmidt in a piece of campaign literature last year.

Krikorian ran as an independent against Schmidt in 2008 for Ohio’s 2nd
Congressional District. During the campaign, Krikorian distributed a
pamphlet alleging Schmidt had received `blood money’ from the Turkish
government in return for her opposition to a congressional resolution
that declared Turkey committed genocide against Armenia during a 1915
conflict.

Schmidt’s opposition angered Krikorian, who is of Armenian
descent. His grandparents almost became victims of the violence,
Krikorian said, and Schmidt’s denial that genocide occurred is an
insult to Armenian-American citizens. A Schmidt spokesman has said in
the past that the congresswoman doesn’t believe the conflict meets the
legal requirements to be dubbed genocide.

Krikorian has questioned why Schmidt accepts tens of thousands of
dollars in donations from Turkish interests when there isn’t any
significant number of Turkish-American residents in the 2nd
District. He’s also called Schmidt’s complaint `frivolous.’

Monday’s deposition was videotaped by Krikorian’s attorneys, despite
Schmidt’s protest.

`Ms. Schmidt strongly objected to David Krikorian’s legal right to
video tape her deposition as allowed by law,’ a Krikorian press
release states. `Attorneys for Ms. Schmidt complained to the Ohio
Elections Commission to block distribution of the video portion of her
testimony. Ms. Schmidt does not want the people of the district to
view her testimony in this frivolous legal complaint she filed against
David Krikorian.’

During her halting and vague testimony, Schmidt said she didn’t know
why she was the largest recipient of campaign contributions by Turkish
lobbyists in the 2008 campaign cycle. Also, she testified that she
didn’t know anything about the Armenian Genocide other than it
occurred during World War I.

Further, Schmidt said she didn’t know who Yalcin Ayasli is although he
and his family donated $6,900 to her campaign last year and was an
escort on her all-expenses paid trip to Turkey in May. Ayalsi is a
contributor to the Turkish Coalition of America, which is dubbed a
`genocide denial’ group by Armenians.

REPUBLICANS ARE NOT PRO-TURKISH, NEITHER IS HERITAGE

ahos||country&pid=15009
19:04:58 – 28/08/2009

According to the Republican Member of Parliament Rafik Petrosyan,
the Republican Party is allegedly pursuing a pro-Turkish policy which
is not true. Whatever the Republicans do is for the sake of people.

In answer to the question whether livelihood is expected in
the political life in autumn, Petrosyan said no livelihood is
expected. They always talk about it but nothing extraordinary
ever happens. As to the opposition forces, they will not come
together because everyone pursues their interest, the member of
parliament says. The All-Armenian National Movement wants to return
to government and regain all the privileges, the ARF Dashnaktsutyun
appears nationalist to save its image, and the Heritage Party is
not opposition but an organization which carries out the orders of
foreign states, Rafik Petrosyan added.

DANNY TARKANIAN AND THE ARMENIAN VOTE
By Dennis Myers, [email protected]

Reno News & Review
8
Aug 27 2009
Nevada

More stories by this author… The U.S. Senate candidacy of a Nevadan
is making news in Armenian-American circles.

Danny Tankanian is one of three citizens of Armenian descent who
are running against incumbent members of Congress, according to the
Armenian Reporter, based in Paramus. N.J.

Tarkanian, little known in Northern Nevada, is a prominent Clark
County resident who is running against U.S. Sen. Harry Reid.

"Son of the nationally renowned basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian, Danny
Tarkanian previously ran for the Nevada State Senate in 2004 and Nevada
Secretary of State in 2006, both times unsuccessfully," the newspaper
reported. "In the latter run he received votes of more than 230,000
Nevadans. Both incumbent Nevada senators–Democrat Reid and Republican
[John] Ensign–have been supportive of Armenian-American issues."

A Mason-Dixon survey last weekend showed Tarkanian leading Reid by
49 percent to 38 percent in Nevada.

SOCIETY OF TURKS MESKHETIAN WATAN TO LEAVE AZERBAIJAN NEXT YEAR

PanARMENIAN.Net
27.08.2009 19:38 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ From next year the society of Turks Meskhetians Vatan
(Motherland) will terminate its activities in Azerbaijan, Ibrahim
Burkhanov, head of the society, told the Georgia-on-line news agency.

According to him, by the decision of the Georgian government some ten
thousand Meskhetian Turks, who lived in Azerbaijan, began returning to
their ancestral lands. "This will result in terminating the activities
of our society," he said.

Ibrahim Burkhanov also reported that in May 2010 he will leave
Azerbaijan and will continue his activities in Georgia.

TO VISIT OR NOT TO VISIT — THAT IS THE QUESTION…

Information-Analytic Agency NEWS.am
Aug 26 2009
Armenia

10:24 / 08/26/2009NEWS.am continues to publish comments on whether
RA President Serzh Sargsyan should visit Turkey or not. The visit
was planned in return for Turkish President Abdullah Gul’s vitis to
Yerevan. However, pressurized by Azerbaijan Turkish side started
putting preconditions and link Armenia-Turkey normalization to
Nagorno-Karabakh peace process. And by doing so, Turkey comes in
contradiction with the ‘road-map’ that Foreign Ministries of Armenia
and Turkey have agreed upon. Russian experts assess the situation:

"Definitely, Armenia-Turkey relations need to be normalized however,
the process should not develop at the expense of Armenian unilateral
concessions," Russian Strategic Culture Foundation expert declared.

He hailed RA President’s statement (on that he will not visit Turkey
unless Armenia-Turkey border is opened) as quite an adequate tactical
step that "gives Turkish leadership an opportunity to demonstrate
whether their intentions towards Armenia are fair or not."

As Armenian President has not made his final decision "all depends
on whether Turkish side will reveal a constructive approach or
not." The expert reckons that the visit may as well take place as a
full-fledged official visit rather than within the framework of the
‘football diplomacy’. Areshev considers it will be more reasonable
rather than "making steps unconditioned by the actual situation."

As Turkish side is making contradicting statements, the expert wonders
whether unblocking of Armenian border gate is at all a topical issue
in Turkey: "This problem is mostly treated as a game with the United
States and the European Union. What we see in reality is Turkish
PM Erdogan’s statement directly linking Karabakh issue under Azeri
conditions with opening of the [Armenia-Turkey] border."

However, Head of Russian Military Forecast Center Anatoly Tsyganok
has a diametrically opposite opinion. Tsyganok told NEWS.am that RA
President Serzh Sargsyan should visit Turkey regardless developments
in Armenia-Turkey diplomatic relations. "Armenian President should not
miss the opportunity to have a direct talk with Turkish President,"
Tsyganok asserted.

Alexander Sungurov, President of the Saint Petersburg Centre for
Humanities and Political Studies "Strategy", also said President of
Armenia should make the visit.

BOSTON ARMENIAN HERITAGE PARK TO BE COMPLETED BY FALL 2010

Asbarez
ston-armenian-heritage-park-to-be-completed-by-fal l-2010/
Aug 24, 2009

BOSTON, Mass.-The Armenian Heritage Park on the Rose Fitzgerald
Kennedy Greenway is slated to be completed by the fall of 2010,
reported Armenian Heritage Foundation president James M. Kalustian
at a recent Board meeting.

"We are making extraordinary progress," he said. "As of July 2009,
50 percent of the construction and engineering documents have been
completed by the design team. The plans are presently being reviewed
by the various state and city agencies."

The Armenian Heritage Foundation’s Board of Directors is comprised
of representatives from the 37 parishes and organizations within the
Armenian American community in Massachusetts. Serving as honorary
chairs are Massachusetts State Representative Peter Koutoujian and
Massachusetts State Registrar of Motor Vehicles Rachel Kaprielian.

A gift to the City of Boston and recognized as one of the better
designed parks, the Armenian Heritage Park is consistent with one of
the themes of the Greenway: to acknowledge the history of Boston as a
port of entry for immigrants worldwide, for those who have migrated
to our shores and contributed to the richness of American life and
culture.

The park, situated on four-tenths of an acre on parcel 13 of the
Greenway, will serve as a link between the Faneuil Hall Marketplace and
Christopher Columbus Park. It has received overwhelming support from
neighboring community groups in Boston’s North End and Wharf District,
as well as many of Boston’s civic, community, and political leaders.

The park includes lawns, benches, fountains, shade trees, as well
as two key features, a labyrinth and sculpture, both to engage and
delight children and adults. The labyrinth, a circular winding path
in grass and inlaid stone with a single jet of water at its center,
is symbolic of life’s journey and in celebration of achievements
in art, science, commerce, and service. The sculpture, a 12-sided
abstract geometric sculpture-a split rhombic dodecahedron-rests on
a 16-foot diameter reflecting pool to commemorate the lives lost in
the Armenian Genocide and in all genocides that have followed, and
to celebrate those who left their country of origin and reconfigured
their lives in the United States. The waters of the reflecting pool
wash over its sides commemorating the lives lost and re-emerges as the
single jet of water at the labyrinth’s center, representing hope and
rebirth. The sculpture will be reconfigured every year with endlessly
changing views.

"The ancient pattern of the labyrinth has crossed time, cultures, and
religions throughout history, and has become a universal metaphor of
peace, harmony, contemplation, and healing," said Rev. Kathleen Musser
of the Labyrinth Guild of New England. "[It is] an imaginative and
creative device for people of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds
to engage one another… The labyrinth invites all expressions of
faith and culture and ethnicity to walk the path of diverse community
together. It quite literally circumscribes common ground for all to
walk! The lessons are deep, but very obvious with every step we take:
We are all on this path together.

We may not walk at the same pace, and often we may feel like we are
going in different directions, sometimes in step with each other,
sometimes alone. But ultimately all of us are on the same path, and
that path offers us all opportunities for reconciliation, wholeness,
and hope."

An endowed lecture on human rights, in collaboration with the Bostonian
Society, will be held annually at Faneuil Hall and will feature
internationally recognized scholars and leaders. Endowed funds are
also being established to support the care and maintenance of the park
in perpetuity as well as the annual reconfiguration of the sculpture.

For more information, visit