Author: Nahapetian Samvel

THE SHINE OF 30 SILVER PIECES

s15351.html
11:46:45 – 30/09/2009

After the normalization of the Armenian and Turkish relations and after
the opening of the border the prices of imported and exported goods
will decline by 30 percent, in other words, the Armenian economy will
become more competitive and the costumer will have the chance to buy
the same goods cheaper. This is an argument which the government and
its propaganda machine have been circulating on these days to show to
the public how good the border opening is and how it will be useful
and expedient for us.

First, it is very difficult to assess in particular on what study is
based this number – 30 percent. Who and when counted. Do we know what
prices Turkey is going to define for transiting Armenian goods? In
general, what rules are there going to be? But let us assume that it is
quite an accurate calculation and it will correspond to the reality. Is
that 30 percent something for Armenia to go on compromises needed to
open the Armenian and Turkish border and to normalize our relations?

Is this 30 percent something for which we may give to the Turks almost
all our political and diplomatic resources? In comparison with the
commerce described in the Bible the commerce Armenia is doing is much
more convenient because the government exchanges "only" the Armenian
public strategical interests for 30 percent. But is 30 percent not
a low price for it? And in general, does the strategical interest
have price? Of course, for the logic of the government propaganda
everything may be sold.

When the opponents of the content of the current Armenian and
Turkish normalization point our the concrete dangers the process
contains from the point of weakening of the public potential, the
hypothesis of this 30 percent is brought up "but we are winning 30
percent, are you against it?" And maybe we had better set up not
a commission of historians but immediately agree with Turkey that
we are not interested in what it thinks about the genocide and if
they want they may think that just a quarrel happened. In this case,
Turkey would give us all the borders free of charge and our economic
interest would be 80 percent. And maybe we may not only recognize
the Turkish borders but also instead of a "third country" include in
the protocols the immunity of borders of Azerbaijan. In this case,
the Turks are possible to give us money to pass our goods through
their territory. In this case, our economic interest would be 100
percent. Why do we need to be content of 30 percent?

Prospects of serious geopolitical processes are on the stake, the
Armenian and Turkish relations will change the status-quo of the
region, change of dynamism of deployment of new security systems comes
up, change of political and geopolitical instruments happens, change of
players which directly touches the Armenian interest and will influence
on Armenia arousing new problems for it and demanding new political
recourses about which, according to the logic, the government had
to talk to its citizens. While the Armenian government is speaking
only about the 30 "silver pieces" as if Armenia does not want and
does not long for, and does not think anything else in this region.

PUBLISHERS, GUILDS CRITICIZE FOREIGN LANGUAGE BAN AT KOCAELI PRISON
Vercihan Ziflioglu

Hurriyet Daily News
Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Restrictions on the Kurdish language are still in place at a
high-security prison in Kocaeli. Translator guilds and publishers
object to inmates being deprived of access to resources in other
languages, which are guaranteed constitutionally

Members of the publishing sector and translator guilds have slammed
the alleged violation of inmates’ rights, highlighting the situation
faced by one prisoner in a high-security prison in the western province
of Kocaeli.

Publications in foreign languages are subjected to security
restrictions in Turkish prisons. Translator Tonguc Ok was put in a
solitary cell in a high-security prison in Kocaeli in 2008 under a
life sentence without the possibility of release. Ok was recently
surprised at a move by the prison management restricting his ability
to receive foreign books.

Books in Spanish and Kurdish that Ok ordered were not delivered to
him under the justification that publications in foreign languages
were not allowed for prisoners due to "security concerns." Through his
lawyers, Ok sent a letter to writers and translators guilds and filed
a complaint against the prison management. The mentioned guilds took
action after receiving the letter and released statements criticizing
the prison management.

Although the case ended a short while ago and the ban preventing some
publications in foreign languages entering the prison was lifted,
it is still in effect for letters and publications in Kurdish.

Ok was convicted for taking part in a robbery during his time as a
university student. The robbery ended with a casualty and while Ok
confessed to the robbery attempt, he denied his involvement in the
death. However, because Ok could not offer evidence to prove his claim,
he was also convicted for murder.

120 liras per page for letter in Kurdish

Tevfik TaÅ~_, secretary-general of the Writers Union of Tur ws &
Economic Review that in his second letter, Ok wrote that although
some of the publications in foreign languages are allowed, they are
still having great difficulties when it comes to Kurdish. Prisoners
of Kurdish origin have had to pay 120 Turkish Liras to certified
translators for each page of Turkish translation of their letters,
and the prisoners still could not receive letters sent to them by
their families.

TaÅ~_ quoted a few sentences from Ok’s letter: "Many of our friends
in prison cannot send the novels, stories and essays they write
to the outside world because they are in Kurdish; therefore, they
cannot get them published. I could not send a one-page story called
"Gelincikler," which I translated from Turkish into Kurdish from Pars
Tuglacı’s Armenian Literature Anthology for Tîroj magazine. Before,
they used to say inspections [of the material] cannot be done since
there are no Kurdish-speaking personnel in prison. However, telephone
conversations in Kurdish are being made in prison, and of course they
are monitored and the contents are recorded. Therefore the difficulty
of the lack of Kurdish-speaking personnel must be exaggerated. Despite
this, the ban continues."

Clause three of Article 5275

TaÅ~_ said the convicts in Kocaeli’s high-security prison are being
kept in solitary cells and are only allowed to see another person
for a couple of hours a day. "To prevent those people from reading
means cutting their only connection with life," he said. TaÅ~_ said
the restriction on publications in foreign languages is linked to
clause three of Article 5275 of the Turkish Penal Code. "The mentioned
article is like one written as a precaution against Kurdish. It is so
open-ended that anyone may interpret or practice it anyway they like."

TaÅ~_ said the prison warden of the Kocaeli high-security prison was
a good example of that. "The previous prison warden was not making
it difficult to access publications in foreign languages. However
the new manager interpreted this article of to his own liking and
started to implement bans," he said.

‘What is being experienced does not concur with constitutional rights’

"Is it a crime for prisoners to read books or translate?" asked Hasan
Anamur, president of the Association of Translators, voicing his
protest, adding, "It should not be forgotten that the convicts have
the right to access sources that others can without obstacles." Anamur
cited the Ok’s situation and said such situations were violations of
a person’s constitutional rights and the relevant authorities should
immediately look into legal articles featuring such restrictions. Cavit
Nacitarhan, editor in chief of Evrensel Publishing, with which Ok is
affiliated, said: "In such times when bans are lifted and initiatives
are voiced, it is impossible to accept such an embargo on the person’s
effort to read, learn and produce. Ok is a valuable translator who
has translated dozens of foreign works into our language."

COUNTRIES WITH SMALL ECONOMIES SHOULD KEEP THEIR MAIN MACROECONOMIC INDICATORS ON A HIGH LEVEL – WB

/ARKA/
SEPTEMBER 25, 2009
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, September 26. /ARKA/. Countries with small economies should
keep their main macroeconomic indicators on a high level, as during
crisis starting conditions are important., said Asad Alam, WB Regional
Director for South Caucasus in the report "Impact of global crisis
on Armenia: short and long-term perspectives".

The report says that it is necessary to develop a system of macro-risk
regulation in Armenia as international fluctuations are natural in
the integrated world. Alam said that it is very important to be an
initiator in the development of anti-cyclic policy which will assist
in the creation of workplaces in a short period of time and increase
competitiveness in mid-term perspectives.

He also said that rehabilitation after crisis will be slow and long
for which it is necessary to make plans for mid-term period. "During
crisis external specifications and mid-term consolidation of the
budget is inevitable, that is why we should find "golden mean"
between funding and specification", says the report.

It is also necessary to develop efficient program on struggling against
poverty, as even under the conditions of proper management of state
finances struggle against poverty will have some regress. According
to Alam, small countries with open economies should increase
competitiveness and dive rsify the economy as there will be shortage
of external resources, especially in the post-crisis period.

Project SAVE Releases New Calendar: `Armenians Roll out the Carpet’

/project-save-releases-new-armenians-roll-out-the- carpet-calendar/
By Weekly Staff – on September 24, 2009

By Laura Bilazarian Purutyan

WATERTOWN, Mass. – Oriental rugs have long decorated the daily life of
Armenians, from New Julfa to New Jersey, Caesarea to California. This
fall, Project SAVE Photograph Archives will present the 2010 Archives
calendar, `Armenians Roll out the Carpet,’ which flashes back to
scenes of Armenians and their carpets in both vintage black and white
and contemporary color throughout the homeland and diaspora.

Project SAVE Armenian Photograph Archives, Inc. was founded in 1975 by
Ruth Thomasian with the vision of `building the collective memory of
the Armenian people through the documentation and preservation of
photographs.’ For Thomasian, each image in the Project SAVE collection
goes far beyond simply pictures of ancestors. Armenians were the
dominant native photographers in the Middle East, largely responsible
for producing the very images that Project SAVE is seeking to
preserve. The growing Project SAVE collection now includes over 30,000
photographs and 1,000 hours of donor interviews.

To produce the calendar, the Project SAVE staff started making choices
from several hundred photos featuring carpets and creating a theme for
each month to reflect the variety of subject matter, time periods,
places, and photo donors. Project SAVE’s calendar sparks the
imagination, as each caption reads like a story and conveys the donor,
date, background, location, and what’s going on in the photo.

One photograph in `Armenians Roll out the Carpet’ shows the Yale
University dorm room of Paul Kebabian draped in carpets. Arriving from
Turkey to study in the 1870s, Kebabian soon opened a rug store in New
Haven, Conn. Those families without the financial capital to become
rug dealers discovered the rug cleaning business; a 1930’s photograph
shows members of the Zakian extended family with rugs drying in their
home.

Another photograph dates back to 1937 in St. Paul, Minn. The Armenian
community of St. Paul participated in one of the early Festival of
Nations events, displaying their collection of hand-woven Armenian
rugs and other cultural arts.

The calendar also shows carpets in some unexpected places, like the
treatment room of the National Hospital of Sepastia, where hanging
carpets surround a patient and physician in an 1889 photograph. In a
portrait from the outskirts of New York City, a family embellishes
their picnic along the Hudson using a spacious oriental as an outdoor
carpet.

For Project SAVE, the annual calendar is a way to show the Armenian
community of today and tomorrow its own story. These calendars
function as both `calling cards’ to the public and `finding aids’ or
methods of describing, organizing, and providing access to the
archival treasure.

To become a sponsor of the `Armenians Roll out the Carpet’ calendar
with a personalized remembrance line, call Project SAVE at (617)
923-4542. Order forms for the calendar are available at
For more information, email
[email protected].

Most of HIV-infected are male in Armenia
25.09.2009 20:17 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ World Vision Armenia summarized the results of the
`Support of RA national program to prevent HIV infection and AIDS’
program and passed coordination of the programs to new recipients: RA
Ministry of Health and Mission East International charity.

Over the 6 years of its operation "World Vision Armenia", as the main
recipient of the grant, implemented more than 14 programs throughout
the country. 152 HIV-infected people in Armenia received
antiretroviral therapy, 29 pregnant women with HIV infection also
received assistance, thanks to which only one child was born with a
positive result of HIV infection.

Record of HIV-infected people started in Armenia since 1988. From 1988
until 2009, September 1 777 cases of HIV infection were registered in
Armenia. 136 out of that number were recorded in 2008.

Most HIV-infected (569 people) are male. 208 women live with HIV. 16
HIV cases among children were reported.

AIDS diagnosed for 354 patients with HIV-infection, including 83 women
and 8 children. Over the time of study 192 people died, including 30
women and 3 children.

The Ideological Basis of Armenian Statehood

deological-basis-of-armenian-statehood/
By Contributor on Sep 25th, 2009

By Ara Papian

Ten days of discussion have already passed from the forty (of
traditional mourning) granted to that dark pair of protocols. It is
evident that the `internal discussions’ are not working
out. Naturally, they would not come to pass, given the
circumstances. The current situation makes nothing work, and nothing
will work in this scenario.

Due to my own circumstances, I am participating in these discussions
as Vladimir Ilyich once did, in the form of `Letters from far
away’. Even with some hindrances, this does have its advantages. I am
free from the influence of any faction and can act solely in
accordance with my own beliefs, which have been formed as a result of
years of inquiry.

Comprehensive research and experience in the diplomatic world have
lead me to the following conclusion: The solution to the Armenian
Question lies in the singular opportunity of consolidating the
Armenian State, which is the only way for the Armenian people to
endure. A question may immediately crop up: what is meant by `the
Armenian Question’ and also its `solution’ at this stage?

Commencing as an issue of the individual and collective security and
dignity of the Armenian subjects of the Ottoman Empire, it gradually
grew into an issue of Armenian statehood and the reaffirmation of the
rights of that statehood. Today, the Armenian Question is the
re-establishment of the territorial, material and moral rights by
international law pertaining to or retained by the current Republic of
Armenia.

One must have the courage to view the bitter truth and be clearly
aware that we find ourselves without any options. The Republic of
Armenia, as a singular and dignified political entity, can either
exist only by the affirmation of its unalienable and permanent rights,
or it cannot exist as such.

This is the very perspective from which one must analyse the current
processes and the pair of protocols that go along with it. Is it that
signing the protocols benefit the consolidation of the existential
factors of Armenian statehood and increase the strength of the nation
and state, or can it, as an opposing expectation, have a destructive
effect?

I may immediately say that, in my opinion, the end result will be
negative. The current protocols include clauses whose official
recording will render settling the Armenian Question impossible even
in future. We must not forget that both the struggle for Artsakh
(Nagorno-Karabakh) and that of international recognition of the
Armenian Genocide have never been separate and the majority of
Armenian society has viewed and continues to view it, whether
consciously or not, as components of resolving the Armenian
Question. The desire to settle the Armenian Question has been the
greatest goal of Armenian survival for more than a century
now. Regardless of inconsistent opinions that are sometimes raised
nowadays, it remains the only national goal of the Armenians.

Giving up on the demand for Armenian rights with regards to Turkey,
which is indicated in the two documents, implies giving up on the sole
goal which brings Armenians together, which in turn would result in a
core weakening of the Republic of Armenia, and its eventual
destruction. In order not to resemble the many witch-doctors who are
concocting their potions under the Armenian sky nowadays, let me
present my thoughts scientifically.

Political science has long since developed a formula to measure the
strength of a given state. This is known as the Jablonsky formula in
American political science.1

Pp = (C+E+M) x (S+W)

In this formula, Pp is Perceived power, C is critical mass (population
+ territory), E is Economic capability, M is Military capability, S is
Strategic purpose and W stands for the Will to pursue national
strategy.

It is clear from the formula that the strength of a state depends as
much on the presence of long-term goals and the state’s goal-oriented
practices, as the population, territory, economic and military
strength. The strength of a state is not merely the sum of some
indicators, but it is the product of tangible, material indicators
with the sum of the goal and the willingness to achieve it. Regardless
of territory, population, economic or military prowess, if the state
does not have a goal, and consequently the will to attain it, the
strength of the state would then be nothing, as any number multiplied
by zero is zero.

Today, the Nagorno-Karabakh issue is not considered to be a
pan-national goal, due to some disputable and not-so-disputable
circumstances. The political process to get recognition of the
Armenian Genocide, as a pan-national goal, cannot essentially serve as
a goal of the state, because there is an absence of a clear path to
reach some core result through this goal.

Therefore, not only is settling the Armenian Question a singular
opportunity to strengthen Armenian statehood and the only way for the
Armenian people to endure, but also the very goal-oriented process of
resolving the Armenian Question, that is to say the presence of such a
goal and the political will to act on it, is an indispensible factor
in consolidating the strength of Armenian statehood.

We must not take steps which could weaken Armenian statehood and
deprive it of its preservation simply because the Homeland, which does
not have a goal in itself, is merely a place to live.

IN ARMENIA, COURT REJECTS PETITION ON CHANGING RESTRAINT OF HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST ARSHALUIS AKOPYAN

234
sep 18 2009, 23:50

The chair of the trial on the case of Arshaluis Akopyan, and employee
of the Helsinki Association, accused of applying violence to policemen,
has rejected the petition lodged by advocate Gayane Khachatryan on
changing the restraint of her client.

Ms Khachatryan has presented the petition and noted that the court
has all the grounds to change the restraint for a more lenient form;
however Judge Gagik Avetisyan rejected the petition.

Then the court has listened to evidences of the suffered policemen
– Ashot Sargsyan and Vage Badalyan. They told the court that that
had brought a summons to Akopyan home, prescribing to appear at law
enforcement bodies for evidencing about the violations at elections to
the Yerevan City Mayoralty on May 31, of which Akopyan was a witness.

According to their version, when they brought the summons,
Akopyan put his signature in a wrong place; then, he corrected his
mistake. However, when the policemen were about to leave, Akopyan
started abusing and beating them. The policemen called their station
and asked for help. Then, with the help of two other policemen Akopyan
was brought to the Tsentralny District Police Department. When asked
by the advocate what the policemen did when Akopyan abused them, and
whether they beat Akopyan, they answered that they did not beat him,
but politely invited to take the police car.

According to Akopyan, the policemen promised to bring him to the
station and break all his bones.

Advocate Gayane Khachatryan told journalists that the case includes
only the policemen’s evidences, which is a rough violation of the law.

EDWARD NALBANDIAN RECEIVES POLAND’S STATE MINISTER FOR EUROPE MIKOLAY DOWGIELEWICZ

NOYAN TAPAN
SEPTEMBER 23, 2009
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 23, NOYAN TAPAN. RA Foreign Minister Edward
Nalbandian and Poland’s State Minister for Europe, Vice-Chairman of
the Council of Ministers of Poland Mikolay Dowgielewicz, on September
23, had a detailed talk over Armenia-European Union cooperation and
steps to be undertaken in that direction. They attached importance
to the start of the Eastern Partnership program on Polish-Swedish
initiative and complete use of its potential, especially in issues of
facilitation of the procedure of receiving entrance visas and signing
a free trade agreement.

According to a report by the RA Foreign Ministry Press and
Information Department, at guest’s request E. Nalbandian presented the
normalization process of Armenian-Turkish relations. M. Dowgielewicz
welcomed the steps undertaken in that direction and expressed the
hope that they will have perceptible results.

E. Nalbandian also presented the latest developments in the
negotiations aimed at Nagorno Karabakh settlement.

ARMENIA’S FM EDWARD NALBANDYAN MEETS POLISH MINISTER

Aysor
Sept 23 2009
Armenia

Armenia’s FM Edward Nalbandyan discussed issues of bilateral ties
with Polish Minister for European Affairs Mikolai Dovgilevich,
reports press-office of Foreign Ministry.

Welcoming the guest, Mr. Nalbandyan underlined the importance of
developing of bilateral relations between the two countries as well
as of political dialogue, economical ties’ expansion, and cultural
cooperation based on legality and the agreements.

Among the topics to be considered during the meeting were items of
Armenia-EU relations. The importance of initiated by Poland and Sweden
program "Eastern Partnership" and its realization were underlined,
in particular, items of visas and free trade agreements.

At guest’s request Armenian FM presented the process of
Armenian-Turkish settlement. Mr. Dovgilevich welcomed the steps
towards settlement and wished success.

The item of negotiations on Karabakh settlement was also presented.

VAGHARSHAPAT CELEBRATES ITS 5TH ANNIVERSARY IN ETCHMIADZIN

Aysor
Sept 23 2009
Armenia

Today "Vagharshapat" theatre of song and dance of Etchmiadzin
municipality celebrates its 5th anniversary, Vardan Vardanyan the head
of the press service of Etchmiadzin municipality informed the Aysor.am.

"Vagharshapat" song and dance theatre celebrates the day of its
foundation each year and prepares a big fest for the settlers of the
city. This year the concert program will be more luxurious as it is
the 5th anniversary of the theatre.

"For this reason in the square after Komitas will take place an
event which will be launched at 18:00 and will last till midnight",
– informed V. Vardanyan.

He also informed that the start of the concert will be given by
the children’s studio of "Vagharshapat". At 20:00 the pupils of
"Vagharshapat" theater will appear with performances, and then the
stage will be provided to the prominent stars of the Republic.

There will be an illumination for the people of Etchmiadzin, which
will sum up the concert program.