Author: Madatian Greg

SIRANUSH ANDRIASIAN REMAINS AT TOP OF TOURNAMENT TABLE OF ARMENIAN WOMEN’S CHESS HIGHEST LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP

Noyan Tapan
Jan 16 2007

YEREVAN, JANUARY 16, NOYAN TAPAN. The games of the 3rd tour of the
Armenian Women’s Chess Highest League Championship took place on
January 15 at Tigran Petrosian Chess House. Siranush Andriasian,
who drew the game with Lia Martirosian, keeps her leader’s position
with 2.5 points. She is followed by Narine Gasparian, who has 2
points. Five participants have 1.5 points each.

Greek News, New York
Jan 14 2008

”Greek-Turkish War” via Hollywood
Posted on Monday, January 14 @ 14:08:25 EST by greek_news

Ankara.- The production of a major Hollywood movie about the Kurds
and the genocide of the Armenians and other Christians in Asia Minor
has sparked angry reactions in Turkey. The film will depict the
struggles of the Kurds for the creation of an independent state, and
will also make extensive reference to the persecution they have
suffered at the hands of the Turks. The main roles will reportedly be
played by big names like Mel Gibson, Antonio Banderras and Sylvester
Stallone, and the scenes will be shot in northern Iraq at an
estimated cost of some $300 million.

The Turks are reportedly furious about the script of the movie, which
they have described as pure propaganda, and have warned of a boycott.
Turkish newspapers charge a shameful conspiracy of Kurds, Armenians
and Greeks against Turkey, in an effort to distort history and to
attribute non-existent responsibility to the Turkish people for
events in Asia Minor in the early 20th century.

News&file=article&sid=7929

PanARMENIAN.Net

Holding of presidential election in accord with
international standards to promote RA-EU relations
14.01.2008 14:49 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan
Oskanian met with EU Special Representative for South
Caucasus Peter Semneby, the RA MFA pres office said.
Presenting his assessment of the Georgian presidential
election, Mr Semneby said he will watch the
developments.

The parties noted the importance of stability in
Georgia as a guarantee of the state’s development and
implementation of regional programs.

They touched upon the forthcoming presidential
election in Armenia and said that holding of the
election in accord with international standards will
promote the Armenia-EU relations.

Mr Semeby and Mr Oskanian also referred to the
Karabakh peaceful settlement, EU’s engagement in the
process of normalization of the Armenia-Turkey
relations and other regional problems.

Russia & CIS General Newswire
January 11, 2008 Friday 4:44 PM MSK

Azeri defense minister, U.S. congressmen discuss bilateral relations,
Nagorno-Karabakh

BAKU Jan 11

Azeri Defense Minister Safar Abiyev discussed Azeri-U.S. bilateral
relations and the situation in the region with members of a
delegation from the U.S. Congress.

Abiyev said Azeri-U.S. military cooperation was developing
positively, particularly within the framework of Azerbaijan’s
participation in the international antiterrorist coalition, the
Defense Ministry reported in a statement on Friday. He said
Azerbaijan would continue to treat such cooperation as a priority in
its relations with the U.S.

Abiyev informed members of the U.S. delegation about the situation in
the region, and the parties exchanged opinions on the settlement of
the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

The members of the U.S. Congress backed Azerbaijan’s position in this
issue and reaffirmed their support for Azerbaijan’s territorial
integrity, the Defense Ministry said.

Agence France Presse — English
January 10, 2008 Thursday 6:40 PM GMT

Denmark does not recognise Armenian genocide: minister

COPENHAGEN, Jan 10 2008

Denmark does not officially recognise that Ottoman massacres of
Armenians during World War I constitute genocide, Danish Foreign
Minister Per Stig Moeller said Thursday.

"In the government’s opinion, this is a historical question that
should be left up to the historians," Moeller wrote in a written
parliamentary answer, indicating that Denmark would not follow the
lead of some 20 other countries, including France, that have labelled
the killings genocide.

Moeller’s note came in response to a question from parliamentary
member Morten Messerchmidt, of the far-right Danish People’s Party,
on whether "Denmark had officially recognised this genocide."

"It is unfortunate that the Danish government refuses to join other
countries in recognising this genocide," Messerschmidt told AFP. "It
is as if they fear Turkey’s reactions."

Copenhagen’s decision "to not recognise this genocide shows that the
government indirectly supports Turkey’s cowardly refusal to take
responsibility for its history the way the Germans did after World
War II," he said.

The mass killing of Armenians is considered genocide by Armenians but
not by Turkey, which rejects the term.

According to the Armenians, 1.5 million of their kinsmen were killed
from 1915 to 1917 under an Ottoman Empire campaign of deportation and
murder.

Rejecting the genocide label, Turkey argues that 250,000 to 500,000
Armenians and at least as many Turks died in civil strife when
Armenians took up arms for independence in eastern Anatolia during
World War I.

A number of countries and official bodies, notably the European
Parliament, France, Canada and now a US House of Representatives
committee, have labelled the killings a genocide.

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
Jan 11 2008

Representatives of International Committee of the Red Cross meet
Armenian-captured Azeri solider Samir Mammadov

[ 11 Jan 2008 18:53 ]

Representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross
(ICRC) met with Azerbaijani soldier Samir Mammadov captured by
Armenian armed forces, the captive’s uncle Vidadi Mammadov told APA.

He said that ICRC told the captive’s family that the meeting took
place today.

`We were told that Samir feels normal. They again said he refuses to
write letters and speak over the phone and did not allow taking his
photo,’ he said.

Samir Mammadov was captured by Armenian armed forces in Gazakh region
on December 24, 2006. /APA/

TER-PETROSIAN’S PARTICIPATION IN THE ELECTORAL CAMPAIGN IS THE "PROJECT OF AUTHORITIES", "NATIONAL UNIFICATION" PARTY ARGUES

Mediamax
January 11, 2008

Yerevan /Mediamax/. Levon Ter-Petrosian is "the most vulnerable and
the most desirable rival for the authorities", candidate for the
position of the President, Leader of "National Unification" party
(NUP) Artashes Geghamian stated in Yerevan today.

According to him, the Ex-President is a "depreciated political figure
with an artificially exaggerated rating, and I do not consider him
my political rival".

Commenting on Ter-Petrosian’s "Quiet Thoughts" pre-election program,
leader of NUP stated that "the first President has not yet left the
ten-year nirvana after his resignation".

"Levon Ter-Petrosian’s participation in the election campaign is
the project of the authorities, which is meant to hinder Geghamian’s
victory during the upcoming presidential elections of February 19",
Deputy Chairman of NUP Aleksan Karapetian stated.

WHAT PRICE THE PEOPLE OF KARABAKH WILL HAVE TO PAY
Hakob Badalyan

Lragir
Jan 10 2008
Armenia

On January 9 the foreign minister of Armenia Vardan Oskanyan claimed
that the people of Karabakh would never accept the option of resolution
of the conflict offered by Levon Ter-Petrosyan in 1997.

The foreign minister explained his confidence that he often gets in
touch with the government and people of Karabakh. No doubt the foreign
minister gets in touch with the government, whereas the fact of Vardan
Oskanyan’s contacts with the people of Karabakh is highly doubtful
for the simple reason that the foreign minister does not even get in
touch with the people of Armenia, which is explained by his work: he
does not deal with internal issues, and he often goes abroad. Vardan
Oskanyan gets in close touch with the Diasporan part of the Armenian
people. Usually, foreign ministers cannot even get in touch with their
family because they mostly have to deal with government officials
and international organizations. Such is their job, and nothing can
be done about it. Perhaps this is the reason why several months ago
Vardan Oskanyan said ten years in foreign ministry is exhausting,
and it is necessary to have someone replace him. It should be noted,
however, that he has already stopped speaking about it.

However, this has nothing to do with the topic I am trying to dwell
on. The problem is that Vardan Oskanyan is not quite frank when he says
that he gets in touch with the people of Karabakh. If we assume that
contacts with the government of Karabakh mean contacts with the people
of Karabakh, it is a misperception which most people of Karabakh can
confirm. In fact, 90 percent of votes that the government of Armenia
got may allow Oskanyan to say so, noting that the government enjoys
the sympathy of people. In the world, however, after getting the vote
of the society the government usually departs from the society rather
than comes closer to it. Therefore, perhaps, the mechanism of elections
was invented not to let the government depart from the society much
and make it come close to it at least once in four or five years.

Nevertheless, Vardan Oskanyan’s claim is true. In fact, the people of
Karabakh would not accept the option of resolution offered by Levon
Ter-Petrosyan. Vardan Oskanyan is also right when he says he would
not like to describe one of them as good and the other as bad.

However, the fact that he negotiates on this option means that
Vardan Oskanyan considers the present option better. Although it
should be noted that with a lower-ranking position Vardan Oskanyan
had participated in the negotiations on the proposals by Levon
Ter-Petrosyan, and he had participated without any complaint and
dissatisfaction. He may say that at that time he had to negotiate,
although he disagreed with that approach. But is it honest? It is
impossible to imagine the success of negotiations in which diplomats
take part who disagree with the topic of negotiations.

However, it is also a deviation from the topic of the day. And the
topic is the agreement or disagreement of the people to Karabakh
to one option or another. If Vardan Oskanyan claims that the people
of Karabakh would never accept Levon Ter-Petrosyan’s proposal, and
does not claim that the same awaits the current option negotiated by
Vardan Oskanyan and Robert Kocharyan, and Serge Sargsyan is aware of
it and agrees to it, it means that at least Vardan Oskanyan assumes
that the people of Karabakh may agree to the presently negotiated
proposal. It is interesting to know what Vardan Oskanyan’s expectations
are based on. Perhaps, as he says, the principle of self-determination
underlying the talks currently. But is the principle enough for the
people of Karabakh to agree? What will the price of this principle
be? The price which Vardan Oskanyan is fond of mentioning, namely
with regard to lifting of the blockade, saying that we have to pay
a high price for lifting the blockade, and this is not a reasonable
price. Will the price be reasonable for the people of Karabakh that
must be paid for the right for self-determination? After all, nothing
is free except cheese in the trap. It is notable that the recognition
of self-determination is not concerned but the recognition of the
right for self-determination.

SECRETARY OF HERITAGE PARLIAMENTARY FACTION: LEVON TER-PETROSYAN’S NOMINATION ALLOWED EXPERTS TO SPEAK OF AMBIGUOUSNESS OF POSSIBLE RESULTS OF PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION IN ARMENIA

arminfo
2008-01-10 16:24:00

ArmInfo. "Levon Ter-Petrosyan’s nomination allowed experts to speak
of ambiguousness of possible results of the presidential election
in Armenia", Secretary of the Heritage oppositional parliamentary
faction Stepan Safaryan said to ArmInfo correspondent.

According to him, the first president’s return to active politics
introduced an element of unpredictability into the domestic
political life of the country. " A ten-year old silence made
Ter-Petrosyan unpredictable as compared with the present players in
the political field. If over the few past years all the political
leaders approximately knew what to expect from one another, there
remains some uncertainty with respect to the first president’s steps",
Safaryan said.

Safaryan also pointed out the fact that Levon Ter-Petrosyan is not only
a new player in the modern political landscape, but also has a certain
symbolic capital which raises the interest in him. "Ter-Petrosyan
was the first president of Armenia, the Commander-in Chief of the
Armenian Armed Forces over the period of the victorious war in
Artsakh. In addition, the ex-president has an ability to exert a
great psychological influence on many modern politicians, including
statesmen. This is why Levon Ter-Petrosyan’s return to politics
seriously changed the course of the electoral campaign", Safaryan
said in conclusion.

PANIC OF ARMENIAN AUTHORITIES CAUSED BY LEVON TER-PETROSYAN’S FIRST SPEECH IS OVERCOME FROM ONE RALLY TO ANOTHER, NDU LEADER

arminfo
2008-01-08 20:14:00

ArmInfo. ‘Panic of the Armenian authorities caused by the first speech
of ex-president Levon Ter-Petrosyan last September is overcome from
one rally to another’, Chairman of the National Democratic Union
Vazgen Manukyan says in an interview to ArmInfo.

When Levon Ter-Petrosyan announced his candidature, it aroused some
panic among the power representatives since the ex-president is
considered to be a pragmatic person and announcing his candidature
he relies on something, V. Manukyan says.

‘The panic has gradually subsided from one rally to another. Now we
can see close ranks of power representatives. But the confidence in
the victory of Serzh Sargsyan is not the same as before. Such was the
second stage of domestic political developments in the country after
the parliamentary elections up to now. As regards the first stage,
after the parliamentary elections many of opposition parties were
so shocked that very few of them are able to participate in the new
campaign’, Manukyan says. Alongside with him, Manukyan mentions Orinats
Yerkir Party Leader Artur Baghdasaryan and Heritage Party Leader Raffi
Hovannisian, whose parties could force their way to the parliament.

‘And me, since I made a right decision not to participate in the
parliamentary elections. NDU has never sought to be represented
in the parliament. As regards the last elections, we tought it
necessary creating a big coalition of opposition forces before the
new campaign. In that case it would be possible to try to enter
the parliament, get many mandates and then run for president. Since
the negotiations had no positive result and we failed to create a
coalition, we refused to participate in the parliamentary elections’,
NDU leader explains. Asked if they had similar stands with the Armenian
Pan National Movement that did not participate in the parliamentary
elections either, V. Manukyan says: ‘Participation was of great
importance for APNM. If they could clear the 5% threshold to the
parliament, it would be a success because the given political force
was outside the parliament and big politics too long. Since they
would fail, they withdrew their party ticket’, the politician says.

As regards the current third stage of domestic political developments
in Armenia, there are 9 candidates for president and a state machinery
that manages elections so as it remains in power. Regarding the
possible consolidation of the opposition at the final round of
presidential campaign, V.Manukyan says: ‘Time will prove everything’.