Author: Nahapetian Samvel

TWO YEARS HAVE PASSED SINCE TRAGIC EVENTS IN YEREVAN

ArmInfo
2010-03-01 10:26:00

ArmInfo. Two years have passed since tragic events in Yerevan.

To recall, the tragic events followed after the presidential election
of 2008. Round-the- clock protest actions, rallies and processions
were held from February 19 to March 1 by the opposition, non-content
with the election results. The first day of spring was marked by
collision of demonstrators with subdivisions of the Police troops.

Skirmish happened on March 1 morning among the participants in the
rally and policemen who tried to clear the area in front of the Opera
Theatre. Rallies were held in the different parts of the Yerevan
during the whole day. Mass disorders and clashes with subdivisions
of the Police troops started in the evening in the central street of
Yerevan – Mashtots Avenue. Ten people died and hundreds of people were
injured. A state of emergency was introduced in the Armenian capital
in the evening of the same day by decree of Armenia’s President Robert
Kocharyan. The state of emergency lasted till March 20.

The Armenian National Congress will organize a rally and procession
today, on the anniversary of the tragic events. The rally will start
at 5:00 PM near Matenadaran.

Hurriyet, Turkey
Feb 26 2010

Congressman Keith Ellison: ‘Turkey is a country on the forefront’

Friday, February 26, 2010
Ä°LHAN TANIR

I had a chance to have a conversation with Congressman Keith Ellison,
the first Muslim congressman in the history of the United States, this
week at the U.S. House of Representatives. Ellison won the open seat
for Minnesota’s 5th congressional district in 2006 and is also the
first African-American elected to the House from Minnesota.

In addition to being the first and still-only Muslim congressman, Mr.
Ellison is also member of the House Foreign Relations Committee, a key
committee that will take the Armenian Genocide Resolution, H. Res.
252, to vote on March 4.

I was both curious to hear his story so far as a Muslim congressman,
but also wanted to get in touch with him before the voting day and
hear about his position over the issue first hand.

I started the interview by first asking his position on the resolution
because of the urgency of the matter. He said: "I am still developing
my position. I would like to know how this affects Turkey and
Armenia’s relationship. Is it going to help the relationship, improve
it or degrade it? I need to know the answer on that before I decide on
this resolution… Is this resolution going to improve the well-being
of people in Armenia or Turkey or anywhere?"

Congressman Ellison also said America still has not recognized its own
genocide or genocides that it committed, yet tries to give lessons to
the other countries. Ellison said: "And you know, we have not
acknowledged yet the genocide that was committed against the Native
American tribes."

Congressman Ellison basically was telling me that everybody should
clean his or her own house first before telling others what to do.
Ellison was clearly uncomfortable with the situation he is in and it
was pretty obvious to see from his attitude while discussing the
issue. Furthermore, it was also my impression from his statements that
he does not find the U.S. Congress is suitable and qualified taking a
such decision over the events that happened nearly 100 years ago and
in a country that is half-way around the world.

I also asked him how he would describe serving in the U.S. Congress as
a Muslim congressman and if there was any particular difficulty to
that. Ellison said: "Being a Muslim in the Congress has been a very
interesting perspective. I have been very well treated by my
colleagues, other than some occasional bad behavior and some ignorant
things said about Islam."

There was a huge controversy in America when the congressman first got
elected and announced his intention to use the Koran instead of the
Bible at his photo-op at the swearing in ceremony and this drew some
criticism especially from some conservative columnists.

Ellison has a very interesting life story. He was born into a Catholic
family, with a very religious mother who often does social work at a
church. He converted to Islam when he was 19. One of his brothers is a
Christian-Baptist minister, who calls his Muslim congressman brother
from time-to-time to speak at his congregation. And his minister
brother stood shoulder-to–shoulder when Ellison was sworn in with a
two volume Koran, published in London in 1764 that was once owned by
Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States.

Ellison told me that the initial difficulties of being a Muslim
congressman had passed for now and he was becoming a regular
Congressman.

He said, "[He was] trying to encourage Muslim-Americans to be more
engaged with the government, encourage them to engage with their
congressmen and open lines and communications [at every level] so,
when the Congress considers various issues related to the Muslim
community, they have better perspectives."

And when I asked how he considers the overall experience, the
congressman looked out of the window and said: "Being a Muslim
congressman has been a good experience so far."

I also asked Ellison how he views U.S. President Barack Obama’s new
opening up policies to the Muslim world and if those initiatives had
been working out so far.

Ellison says, "The effort that President Obama tried to do, when he
went to Ankara and then Cairo, was very ambitious and it was the right
thing to do. The truth is, it is a tough job and I thought it would
have been smoother. But I think that he is committed. There have been
setbacks for the initiative, though I still embrace the vision that
Obama set forward. However, it seems like this process will probably
take longer than President Obama or anyone thought."

When I pressed him whether, after a full year of seeming failure,
there will be success in the end, Ellison said, "I still think that
this vision can still be successful and we are still trying to reach
out."

Ellison also touched on Turkey’s role following a question about where
he sees Turkey fitting into this vision. According to Ellison, "Turkey
is a forefront country in terms of the relationship between the Muslim
world and the Western world. Turkey sits strategically between both.

`It is a bridge country and as a Muslim, I am very proud of the role
that Turkey plays. I would encourage Turkey to uphold those values
that both the Western world and the Muslim world share, the values
that we share are not exclusive one group from another. For instance,
we all care about honesty, we all care about justice, respect and
religious tolerance. And Turkey is a country where there is a lot of
religious tolerance, I think.

`There are different ways to be a Muslim in Turkey, Muslims do not
only have to submit to one rigid way. And Turkey should continue on
this way. So, I’m hoping to continue on this project, [of better
relationships with the Muslim world for the U.S.]. I think that these
reaching out policies are worthy and they are important. There have
been setbacks and there will be setbacks. But if you are committed, we
will reach a point that we will be all brothers and sisters."

Congressman Ellison said at the end of the conversation that he still
has not made his mind over the Armenian Genocide Resolution, however
he made it clear that he understands the importance of Turkey while
elaborating its strategic significance. Also, with openly stating that
America first should acknowledge its own dark pages in its history
rather than lecturing others was also very forthcoming. I also tried
to urge his staff to promote the Congressman’s profile in the Arab and
Muslim world, including Turkey. President Obama, without a doubt, hit
many obstacles for his vision of a better relationship with the Muslim
World and the initial expectations from his outreach policies have
been crashed. In this perspective, Congressman Ellison looks like a
figure who combines elements of tolerance in his family and in his
views that can be beneficial to those who try to find common grounds
between the two worlds. And Obama, whom the Congressman supported from
early on, needs all the help he can get in tough times he is going
through in the foreign relations, especially with the Muslim World.

APA, Azerbaijan
Feb 27 2010

Lithuanian journalist: `Liberation of Karabakh is a duty of not only
Azerbaijan, but entire world’

Baku. Victoria Dementieva ` APA. `Liberation of Nagorno Karabakh and
returning the people to their homeland is a duty of not only
Azerbaijan, but entire world’, said editor of Lithuanian newspaper
`Zvezda Lazdijai’ Richardas Lapaitis at a press conference in Baku,
APA reports. He said he visited Azerbaijan to collect evidences about
crimes committed against Azerbaijanis in Khojaly. The journalist said
he met with the officials of Republican Prosecutor’s Office and got
additional information. `I want justice and I will achieve it. I wish
all children of Khojaly and whole Karabakh to return to their homeland
and Karabakh to return to Azerbaijan’.

Lapaitis said he visited Azerbaijan just after the Khojaly tragedy in
1992 and collected materials about the atrocities committed on
February 26 and Karabakh war. The Lithuanian journalist said in 1993
he had reports about that the Armenians used chemical weapons and
bullets with changed center of gravity, but no newspaper in Lithuania
published the reports. `Only one small newspaper published that
material. After that Armenians entered our editorial office and
threatened me and my colleagues’.

Adviser to economic commission of Lithuanian Sejm Imantas Meljanas
noted that it needed to break Armenian propaganda and to inform the
people about the truth for restoration of justice and to return
occupied lands. `International law is on the side of Azerbaijan, but
information is very important. Today the word is important, but not
bullet. It needs to deliver this word correctly’.

NEW DIPLOMAT TO REPRESENT RUSSIA IN KARABAKH CONFLICT SETTLEMENT

news.az
Feb 26 2010
Azerbaijan

Yuri Merzlyakov Russia is changing its ambassador on special affairs
dealing with the issue of the Karabakh conflict.

Official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Andrei
Nesterenko told at a briefing in Moscow that Yuri Merzlyakov was
appointed to a new diplomatic position.

Answering the due question from the Azerbaijani journalist, Nesterenko
did not confirm but did not reject that this position may be empowered
to Igor Popov, former ambassador on special issues in the earlier
existing mixed commission on Georgian-South Ossetian conflict.

The diplomat urged to wait for the appointment and voiced confidence
that the new ambassador will work as energetically as the previous one.

"The position of our country is not defined by our representatives,
it is specified by the president and executed by the foreign ministry",
he said.

ARMENIAN CONDUCTOR LEADS ANKARA CHOIR IN PERFORMING GOMIDAS SCORE

Asbarez
eads-ankara-choir-in-performing-gomidas-score/
Feb 26th, 2010

ANKARA (Combined Sources)-The Ankara Radio Polyphonic Choir
has performed a composition by the famous Armenian composer and
ethnomusicologist, Gomidas Vartabed, the Turkish Hurriyet reported
on Thursday.

The piece, "Gali Yerg" (Harvest Wind), was performed in Armenian under
the direction of Istanbul-based Armenian conductor Hagop Mamigonyan.

The choir will sing it again at an Armenian church in Istanbul

Gomidas Vartabed (Soghomon Soghomonian) was an Armenian priest,
composer, ethnomusicologist and luminary of the Ottoman Empire and
is considered to be the founder of Armenian modern classical music.

Born in 1869 in Kutahya, he endured the Armenian Genocide and was
arrested on April 24, 1915 along with 100s of other leaders of the
Armenian community. Gomidas was the first non-European to be admitted
to the International Music Society and traveled through Europe and
the Middle East giving lectures and performances to raise awareness
of Armenian music. Gomidas Vartabed died in Paris France in 1935 in a
psychiatric hospital and his ashes were sent to Yerevan, where street
names and statues of him preserve his memory.

The choir, affiliated with the state-owned Turkish Radio and
Television Corporation (TRT), performed the work as part of a larger
40th anniversary celebration for TRT in which 40 Turkish and foreign
conductors were invited to lead the choir in separate concerts,
performing songs of their choosing.

"When I told them on the phone that I wanted to perform an Armenian
work, there was silence for a few seconds on the other end of the
line, but my request was accepted," Mamigonyan was quoted by Hurriyet
as saying.

The youngest of the 40 composers, Mamigonyan is the chief conductor
of the 40-person polyphonic Surp Lusavoric Armenian Choir in Istanbul,
which has been performing in Istanbul for 80 years.

Recordings of the concert will be available in the coming months. In
another historic first, the Ankara Radio Polyphonic Choir will also
perform the same composition in the Holy Trinity Armenian Church in
Istanbul’s Beyoglu district.

Mamigonyan said he had doubts until he started working with the
choir and was worried that the TRT administration would retreat at
the last minute. But he was eventually allowed to perform the piece,
achieving a first in modern Turkish history.

In previous years, performing Armenian songs had been banned on TRT
television channels and radio stations, despite the rich contributions
to Turkish music made by Armenians over the centuries.

"Unfortunately, many of the traditions and accomplishments by Armenians
and other ethnic groups in the Ottoman Empire have been trivialized
or obfuscated from collective Turkish historical memory," Antranig
Kzirian, a noted musician and oud composer told Asbarez on Friday.

Kzirian explained this phenomenon as part of a "parallel process"
perpetuated both by Turkey’s "reluctance to acknowledge that
non-Turkish cultures contributed greatly to Anatolian culture; and
externally," as well as by "the diasporan-Armenian community’s taboo
in discussing issues related to the Armenian Genocide."

"It remains regrettable that, within an artistic and cultural
framework, Armenian losses in the Genocide also indirectly resulted in
the collective amnesia of Armenian composers living during the Ottoman
Empire," he added. "This incalculable cultural cost has presented a
sadly incomplete tapestry of the rich mosaic and diversity of Armenian
artistic expression."

Composers and luminaries of the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries
such as Baba Hampartsoum Limondjian, Udi Hrant Kenkulian and Kemani
Tatyos Ekserciyan and several other Armenian composers contributed
greatly to the Armenian nation’s achievements, Kzirian said.

"Limondjian’s creation of a notation system for classical music, for
example, was used in the Ottoman Empire for hundreds of years and it
remains in use today in the Armenian Apostolic Church," he added.

Kzirian said he hoped that Armenian communities can "rediscover parts
of our great cultural and musical tradition." But this would only be
possible, he noted, through acknowledgement and a growing openness of
the historical reality of the Armenian Genocide in Turkey and abroad.

HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDER URGES GOVERNMENT HELP VULNERABLE FAMILIES AND SMALL BUSINESSES AVOID CONSEQUENCES OF GAS PRICE HIKE

ARKA
Feb 25, 2010

YEREVAN, February 25, /ARKA/. Armenia’s government-appointed human
rights defender Armen Harutyunian urged the government today to draw
up a social package to help insecure and vulnerable families as well
as small and medium businesses avoid the heavy consequences of an
imminent rise of natural gas price from April 1.

Speaking at a news conference after his yesterday’s meeting with
the chairman of the Public Services Regulatory Commission (PSRC) he
said although his office did not made any substantial analysis of the
situation after the rise of price, it is clear that it would eventually
help some business entities to tighten their grip on the local market.

In his words, the price hike would bring about favorable conditions
for monopolies’ blossoming, because they would get privileges, while
small and medium entrepreneurship would be suppressed.

Armenia’s natural gas operator, Russian-Armenian ArmRosGazprom (ARG)
asked the Public Services Regulatory Commission to revise upward
the prices for consumers which use up to 10,000 cubic meters of gas
a month and suggested a new pricing formula for consumers that use
10,000 cubic meters and more.

According to the application, ARG wants households to pay 136,000
Drams per one thousand cubic meters of gas, up from the current
96,000 Drams, VAT included. The company has also proposed to change
the pricing formula for consumers that use 10,000 and more cubic
meters of gas a month.

An official of the PSRC said that the price for households will rise
to 132,000 Drams. He said the proposed price is based on a series
of investigations and an analysis of how much the ARG proposed price
is grounded.

The price of Russian gas for Armenia rose from $110 to $154 per one
thousand cubic meters in 2009 April and is expected to rise to $180
from April 1, 2010 under a Russian-Armenian accord. ARG is the sole
gas supplier to Armenia. Russian Gazprom owns 80% in it, the rest is
held by the Armenian government. ($1 – 381.75 Drams).

HOVIK ABRAHAMYAN: UNLESS TURKEY RATIFIES ARMENIAN-TURKISH PROTOCOLS, I DO NOT MOOT THEM IN THE ARMENIAN PARLIAMENT

PanARMENIAN.Net
25.02.2010 18:12 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "Unless Turkey ratifies Armenian-Turkish Protocols,
I do not moot them in the Parliament of Armenia," Hovik Abrahamyan ,
chairman of the National Assembly of Armenia said during a meeting
with Armenian students in a public lesson at the parliament. NA
Speaker touched upon the economic situation of the country, foreign
policy and activities of the legislative body of Armenia.

The Protocols aimed at normalization of bilateral ties and opening of
the border between Armenia and Turkey were signed in Zurich by Armenian
Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian and his Turkish counterpart Ahmet
Davutoglu on October 10, 2009, after a series of diplomatic talks
held through Swiss mediation.

On January 12, 2010, the Constitutional Court of the Republic of
Armenia found the protocols conformable to the country’ Organic Law.

GOVERNMENT CONTINUES TO PURSUE CREATION OF REGIONAL FINANCIAL CENTRE IN ARMENIA

World Markets Research Centre
Global Insight
February 24, 2010

BYLINE: Lilit Gevorgyan

Armenia’s economy minister Nerses Yeritsyan said at a news conference
yesterday that his government is still keen on pursuing creation of
regional financial centre in the northern Armenian town of Dilijan.

According to Yeritsyan, speculations that the government has abandoned
the project were not true. He added that the Central Bank of Armenia
has been working on the project, further explaining that the government
has to carry out a number of reforms, including in the pensions,
insurance and corporate management sectors, to ensure the success of
the project. The idea of turning Armenia into a regional financial
centre was first announced on 24 May 2008 at a conference in Dilijan
attended by Armenian president Serzh Sargsyan and PM Tigran Sarkisian.

Significance:The launch of the Armenian government’s ambitious project
in 2008 was ill-fated as it was soon followed by the global economic
crisis, which left Armenia amongst the top three worst hit countries
of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) with 18% decline in
GDP in 2009. The crisis temporarily shelved the regional financial
centre creation project. The Armenian economy is in its early stages
of recovery which according to the International Monetary Fund will
be translated in 2% GDP growth in 2010. While it is encouraging
for the investors to see the reiteration of state commitment to the
high-profile project at the same time the current business environment
in Armenia casts doubts on the ability of the government to implement
the project. Aside the reforms that Yeritsyan lists as priority for
the implementation of the project, the Armenian government has a long
list of market-oriented changes to make. The country’s economy is
distorted by oligarchic businesses, poor tax collection, a heavy and
complicated tax burden for most of the small and medium size businesses
and rampant corruption. The global economic crisis may have delayed
the implementation of the project but with the recession over, the
government has to face the real problems that are likely to jeopardise
the plans of turning Armenia into a regional financial centre.

HYUNDAI RECALLS NEW SONATA DUE TO LOCK FAULTS

98/lang/en
2010-02-24

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 24, ARMENPRESS. Hyundai Motor will recall 47,000
of its new Sonata sedans to fix faulty door latches, seeking to
avoid the damaging criticism Japanese rival Toyota Motor Corp faces
for its handling of a series of safety problems, Armenpress reports
citing Reuters.

The South Korean automaker announced the voluntary recall after earlier
saying it would suspend U.S. sales of its 2011 Sonata, a move analysts
said was in contrast to Toyota’s sluggish response to concerns about
sudden unintended acceleration.

"Recalls have become a highly sensitive issue since Toyota’s recall,"
said Yim Eun-young, an analyst at Dongbu Securities.

"Hyundai seems to have decided to deal with these issues as fast as
they can."

Hyundai, which was the only major automaker to increase sales in
the battered U.S. market last year, has targeted Toyota customers
rattled by the acceleration problems linked to dozens of crashes and
the recall of more than 8.5 million vehicles.

Shares in Hyundai Motor fell as much as 4.3 percent in early Wednesday
trading and ended down 2.6 percent versus a 1 percent drop in the
wider market. The stock had risen 13 percent since Toyota’s recall
woes spiraled in January.

Stephen Ahn, auto analyst at LIG Investment & Securities in Seoul,
said the recall would undermine Hyundai’s image at a time when
customers were sensitive to quality follow.

"But given that the flawed part is a not a key function such as the
accelerator, powertrain or electronic controls, it will have little
impact on Hyundai’s sales," he said.

The Sonata and Elantra are the two top selling models for Hyundai,
the world’s No.4 carmaker with affiliate Kia Motors Corp.

"We have upgraded quality problems to a safety problem and decided
to make a voluntary recall," the company said in an emailed statement
in Korean.

The recall will affect about 1,300 of the 2011 Sonata sedans built
through February 16 at Hyundai’s plant in Alabama and sold to
customers, plus 46,000 YF Sonata units produced through December 6
in South Korea. The new model started to be sold from September 2009
in South Korea and this month in the United States.

TURKISH EX-FM: COUNTRY’S PARLIAMENT NOT TO RATIFY ANKARA-YEREVAN PROTOCOLS

Today
2267.html
Feb 22 2010
Azerbaijan

The Turkish Parliament will not ratify the Turkish-Armenian protocols
after their amendment by the Armenian Constitutional Court, Turkish
Parliamentary EU Adjustment Committee Chairman and former Turkish
Foreign Minister Yasar Yakis said.

"If Armenia hoped that Ankara would take the Armenian Constitutional
Court’s amends to the protocols, it is mistaken. Ankara will never
accept them," Yakis told Trend News over the phone.

Turkish and Armenian foreign ministers, Ahmet Davutoglu and Edward
Nalbandian, signed the protocols in Zurich Oct. 10.

After his official visit to Moscow, Turkish Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan said in Ankara that although some claims that the
Turkey-Armenia relations are not related to the Nagorno-Karabakh
problem, this process is directly related to the conflict.

The Armenian Constitutional Court approved that the Ankara-Yerevan
protocols complied with the Armenian Constitution Jan.12, 2009.

However, later the court reported that the creation of a joint
commission to study the 1915 events is unnecessary and Armenia will
always seek to recognize the genocide.

Erdogan warned that if the Armenian Constitutional Court does not
reverse its decision, the relations between Ankara and Yerevan
may erode.

There is no such rule in the international practice, where after the
signing of an international instrument a domestic legislative body
can make changes, he said.

The Turkish government signed the protocols not with the Constitutional
Court, but with the Armenian government and the court’s decision is
an internal affair of Yerevan, and has no relation to Turkey, he added.

According to him, if Armenia had any claims in connection with the
signed protocol, it should have said earlier.

"If the Turkish MPs stated that they will not ratify the
Armenian-Turkish protocols, until the resolution of the
Nagorno-Karabakh issue, any prime minister or foreign minister or
president will not affect their decision," he said.

Regarding efforts from the United States and Russia, which are
co-chairing the OSCE Minsk Group, Yakis said: "Washington is now more
interested in settling the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, as the delay
in this matter could have a negative effect on U.S. relations with
such ally as Turkey."

Russia, in turn, does not want to loose positions in the South
Caucasus, and does not intend to relinquish its influence in the
region.

"If Armenia solves its problems with Turkey, it no longer needs
the presence of Russia in the South Caucasus, and sooner or later,
Armenia would send its gaze toward the United States," he said.

Nevertheless, resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is in
Russia’s interest, which is concerned over the lack of stability in
the South Caucasus, he added.

"But politicians sometimes do not take strategic decisions, taking
into account only the goals of today. I think that Russia will not
show resolution when deciding on the Nagorno-Karabakh issue," he said.