Author: nina hovnanian

EFFORTS TO ORGANIZE MEETING OF NAGORNO KARABAKH’S AZERBAIJANI AND ARMENIAN COMMUNITIES CONTINUE

Trend
Feb 17 2012
Azerbaijan

Efforts to organize a meeting of representatives of the Armenian and
Azerbaijani communities of Nagorno-Karabakh continue, chairman of the
Azerbaijani community of Nagorno-Karabakh public association Bayram
Safarov told reporters on Friday.

We are always ready for negotiations with the Armenian community and
will try that they take place, Mr Safarov stressed.

“I’m not now ready to say on what conditions the talks will be held.

If from their side leadership of the community participates then I
also will take part in the meeting as head of the community,” he added.

Earlier representatives of the Armenian community of the Nagorno
Karabakh refused to meet with the Azerbaijani community of Nagorno
Karabakh which were planned to be held in Germany and France.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 per cent of Azerbaijan since 1992,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The
co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group – Russia, France and the U.S. –
are currently holding peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council’s four
resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the
surrounding regions.

BAYRAM SAFAROV: “I WILL NOT SHARE A TABLE WITH BAKO SAHAKYAN”

APA
Feb 17 2012
Azerbaijan

“I will not hold negotiations with person who disrespects Azerbaijan’s
laws”

Baku. Rashad Suleymanov – APA. “We are always ready for negotiations
with Armenian community of Nagorno Karabakh and will try to realize
the negotiations”, said Chairman of Public Union of Azerbaijani
Community of Nagorno Karabakh, Head of Shusha City Executive Power
Bayram Safarov, APA reports.

Noting that he would not express any concrete opinion on the
conditions of negotiations, Safarov underlined that the leadership
of Armenian community in Nagorno Karabakh were avoiding the contacts:
“The leadership of Armenian community avoids meeting with us and they
also avoided meetings in Germany and France”.

Safarov underlined that he wouldn’t share a table with the leader
of Nagorno Karabakh separatists Bako Sahakyan: “I have always said –
I will not share a table with Bako Sahakyan. Who is he? I am ready to
talk with Armenian living in Nagorno Karabakh, who respects Azerbaijani
government, state and constitution. I will not talk with person who
disrespects Azerbaijan’s laws”.

GREEN ACTIVISTS LOSE THEIR TRUST IN MUNICIPALITY OF YEREVAN

arminfo
Thursday, February 16, 22:46

The green activists have lost their trust in the Municipality of
Yerevan.

The reason of their disappointment is the Mashtots Park, which
caused a scandal two weeks ago after the dismantled trade pavilions
mysteriously had “moved” from Abovyan Street to the public park near
Mashtots Avenue. According to the official version, the pavilions
have been moved in line with the zoning of the center of the city
defined in the general outlay.

For their part, the green activists say that in reality the given
development runs counter to the general layout, and the Old Yerevan
project has never been put to public hearings. The meetings of the
activists with Mayor of Yerevan Taron Margaryan and Chief Architect
of Yerevan Narek Sargsyan have given no results.

The initiative “We are the Owners of Our City” told ArmInfo that it
has become clear after the talks that the Municipality took all the
decisions unilaterally, disregarding the public opinion. Furthermore,
the representatives of the Municipality failed to clearly explain
how the pavilions “moved” to the place of public use and “settled”
in the green zone of the capital of the country.

The Municipality’s statements that the given area has temporarily been
given to the trade outlets on a contractual basis cause doubts. “In
the Municipality’s understanding there is no such a concept as a park
for public use, therefore, placement of the trade pavilions has become
a priority”, the statement says.

The Municipality of Yerevan has also made a statement and assessed
the case. In particular, the Municipality says that during the meeting
with the green activists, Mayor Taron Margaryan advised them to apply
to the court. The mayor also assures that the pavilions are beyond
the borders of the green zone and they have been placed there in the
manner prescribed by the law.

AUTHORITIES SEEK TO ALIENATE ARMY – ACTIVIST

Tert.am
17.02.12

The Armenia based Sardarapat Movement has protested against parliament
approved law on the Legal Regime of State of Emergency.

An activist of the group, Zhirayr Sefilyan, believes that such
legislation is aimed at alienating the people from the army.

“Over the past 20 years, we managed to get rid of the totalitarian
regime. If our present-day government system has at least one
institution our people respect, that’s our army, because it came into
existence as a result of the Artsakh liberation war,” he told a news
conference on Friday.

Sefilyan said that any attempt aimed at bringing the army into a clash
with the people will cause the military to take sides with the crowd.

“A son cannot lift his hand against a parent,” Sefilyan said.

Garegin Chugaszyan, another activist of the group, characterized the
move as an attempt to suppress public gatherings with the help of
the army’s military equipment and armament.

“The authorities are in this way giving themselves away, demonstrating
the lack of self-confidence,” he said, adding that the move will
cause the dissatisfaction of those army officials who haven’t lost
their sense of dignity.

Both activists agreed that the existing concerns will unlikely result
in any clashes, noting that the repetition of an ‘Arab Spring-like’
scenario is ruled out in Armenia.

“This is not a classical boycott, but rather contempt against the
regime-proposed games,” Sefilyan added.

AYF THANKED GREAT BRITAIN FOR SAVING ARMENIAN CULTURE FROM TURK VANDALS

17.02.12, 13:20

Armenian youth foundation (AYF) launched an initiative to bring the
relics of the cult of Goddess Anahit back to Armenia. Armenian youth
foundation starts gathering signatures for the aim. Press service of
the foundation informs about this.

The young initiators sent a letter to British Ambassadors in Armenia
Jonathan Aves and Katherine Leach, which especially says:

“We have an initiative to bring Armenian cultural and historical
values back to the Motherland. Many examples of Armenian culture are
kept and exhibited in various museums in the whole world. Bronze head
and hands of the cult of goddess Anahit are among those examples. We
call on Armenia to take back those cultural relics as the art must
be kept and exhibited in the country where it was created”.

The letter also thanks Great Britain for saving and protecting Armenian
culture from Turk vandals. “But the historical justice claims to bring
back the relics of Anahit goddess and keep them in the country where
they were created. We are sure that Great Britain will respect our
initiative and will return the relics to us”, the letter says.

Remind that Armenian Minister of Education and Science Armen Ashotyan
offered to apply to British Ambassadors in Armenia for the issue. He
considers that it is possible to bring the relics of the cult to
Armenia.

“It will not be easy, but it demands on British will and Armenian
consistent attitude”, Ashotyan said during the conversation with
Tert.am and added that in this initiative he presents himself not as
a Minister, but as a citizen and an Armenian.

“The initiative is civil and Armenian”, the Minister noted and said
that the reaction and promise by the British Ambassador is not a bad
result. Note that the Ambassador promised that cult of Anahit Goddess
may be brought and presented in Armenia in the exchanging program.

“Armenian relics have never been brought from the British museum”, A.
Ashotyan commented.

The issue is also discussed in the social networks and the opinions are
different. A group is sure that the cult must remain in British museum
as Armenian culture must be presented in world most known museums.

Goddess Anahit is worshiped in Armenia since ancient times. On the
earliest times she also was military Goddess for Armenians. Anahit
was a symbol of motherhood.

34 BC Romanian commander Marcos Antonio robbed the cathedral of Goddess
and broke the great cult. They divided the parts of the cult and took
to Rome.

Note that now the relics of Armenian Goddess Anahit are in British
Museum, in the 22th exhibition hall. The following note tells about
the cult in the museum:

“Head from a bronze cult statue of Anahit, a local goddess shown here
in the guise of Aphrodite, 200-100 BC

Found at Satala in NE Asia Minor (Armenia Minor)

A left hand holding drapery was found with the head, showing that it
belongs to a full-length figure”.

LA BANQUE MONDIALE AIDE L’ARMENIE A COUVRIR SON DEFICIT BUDGETAIRE
Gari

armenews.com
vendredi 17 fevrier 201

Le gouvernement armenien pourra compter sur l’aide de la Banque
mondiale pour couvrir son deficit budgetaire, grâce a l’octroi de
nouveaux prets d’un montant de 80 millions de dollars qui couvriront
environ le quart du deficit prevu par l’Etat armenien pour cette annee.

Le Conseil d’administration de la Banque mondiale a approuve l’octroi
de deux credits remboursables en 25 ans lors d’une reunion qui s’est
tenue le 14 fevrier au siège de l’organisme financier international
a Washington.

Le directeur du siège armenien de la Banque a Erevan, Jean-Michel
Happi, a signe un accord en ce sens le lendemain avec le ministre
armenien des Finances Vatche Gabrielian.

“Ces credits sont alloues a la Republique d’Armenie au titre de l’aide
budgetaire”, a souligne dans un communique le ministère armenien
des Finances.

Le deficit budgetaire prevu par le gouvernement armenien pour
l’exercice 2012 est estime a quelque 128 milliards de drams (330
millions de dollars), soit environ 3,1% du PIB.

Les depenses budgetaires devraient augmenter de 5 % pour atteindre
$2,7 milliards de dollars). Dans un communique, la Banque mondiale
a indique de son côte que les nouveaux credits visaient a financer
“les depenses dans le cadre de la lutte contre la pauvrete”, dans
les domaines de la sante et de l’education notamment.

Ils sont consideres comme un encouragement a la mise en oeuvre des
reformes du gouvernement armenien visant a assainir le climat des
affaires dans le pays, et a liberer les enterprises des pesanteurs
bureaucratiques qui sont un frein a leur developpement.

“Bien qu’elle soit en cours de redressement, l’economie de l’Armenie
doit encore relever un certain nombre de defis, et diversifier les
sources de la croissance”, indique notamment le communique de la
Banque mondiale.

De telles reformes ont ete egalement reclamees par le Fonds monetaire
international. Le FMI a approuve une nouvelle tranche de quelque
56 millions de dollars de credits au profit du gouvernement et de
la Banque centrale d’Armenie en decembre. Une partie de ces fonds
servira aussi a couvrir le deficit budgetaire.

La Banque mondiale a par ailleurs annonce le 14 fevrier l’octroi
d’un credit separe de 11 millions de dollars destine a financer
des programmes de developpement des infrastructures, dans les zones
rurales du pays. “Le programme profitera directement a 50 communautes
rurales”, a precise Asad Alam, le directeur de la Banque mondiale
pour le Sud Caucase.

AMBASSADOR: THE ACCUSATION MADE BY TEHRAN REGARDING AZERBAIJAN’S COOPERATION WITH ISRAEL AGAINST IRAN IS ABSURD – PHOTO

APA
Feb 16 2012
Azerbaijan

Moscow. Farid Akbarov – APA. “Israel recognizes the disaster of
the Armenian people, but does not recognize the Armenian genocide,”
Israeli Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Russia Dorit
Golender said at the press conference at RIA Novosti information
agency, APA reports.

Commenting on the attempts towards recognition of the so-called
“Armenian genocide” at the Israeli Knesset made by the Armenian
Diaspora taking advantage of the tension of Turkey-Israel relations
after Mavi Marmara incident, Ambassador mentioned the statement of
Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman.

Commenting on the accusation made by Tehran regarding Azerbaijan’s
cooperation with Israel against Iran, Dorit Golender called it absurd
position.

“Iran’s Ambassador to Russia has said Israel has a hand in the
terrorist attacks in Thailand, Georgia and other countries. We are
not going to react to such absurd statements,” she said.

RUSSIA EXTRADITES ARMENIAN SUSPECTED OF MURDER TO BELGIUM

Interfax
Feb 15 2012
Russia

Russia has extradited an Armenian citizen serving a prison sentence
for a murder in Russia and armed robbery in Germany, to Belgium on
charges of committing a similar crime in that country.

“Officials from the Russian Interior Ministry’s National Central Bureau
of Interpol ensured extradition to Belgium of Armenian citizen Tigran
Arutyunian today,” the bureau press service told Interfax.

Russian law enforcement agencies declared Arutyunian wanted in 1996
on suspicion of committing a murder at a Volgograd bar, it said. The
man was put on the international wanted list in 2001 and was arrested
in Germany for armed robbery in 2002.

“He was extradited to Russia and convicted by a district court
in Volgograd in 2006. Then Belgian law enforcement declared him
internationally wanted in 2010 on charges of committing a murder on
Belgian territory in 2000,” it said.

The Volgograd department of the Federal Security Service (FSB) told
Interfax about Arutyunian’s detention in April 2011.

The press service said Arutyunian was an active member of an
organized criminal group acting in Western Europe and was suspected
of involvement in several murders. “Four passports issued in different
names were seized from Arutyunian during his detention,” it said.

US ENVOY PRAISES LOCAL GOVERNMENT ELECTIONS IN ARMENIA – AGENCY

Mediamax
Feb 14 2012
Armenia

Yerevan, 14 February: US ambassador to Armenia John Heffern said today
that “there were several good positive signs at the [local government]
elections of 12 February”.

Talking to Mediamax’s correspondent, John Heffern said that “it was
exciting to see strong political competition in Hrazdan, where there
were two strong candidates”.

“We would also like to see real political competition at the upcoming
parliamentary elections in May,” the ambassador said.

He told Mediamax that he went to Hrazdan on the personal basis and
talked to both parties, representatives of the Central Election
Commission and some observers.

“I was pleased to see that the polling stations were in order. Both
sides confirmed that the election procedures were being covered in
an orderly and transparent way,” the US official said.

Answering Mediamax’s question about the Central Electoral Commission’s
refusal to authorize US embassy employees to observe the Hrazdan
elections, John Heffern said that “he is not too concerned about it,
and that the work will continue in May [parliamentary] elections and
during [presidential] elections in 2013”.

“The international community is very interested in Armenia’s democracy,
and we are working with the Central Election Commission and the
parties, civil society and press to make these elections free and
fair,” said John Heffern.

SAMVEL NIKOYAN RECEIVES INDIAN AMBASSADOR TO ARMENIA ACHAL KUMAR MALHOTRA

ARMENPRESS
FEBRUARY 16, 2012
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 16, ARMENPRESS: On February 16 National Assembly
Speaker Samvel Nikoyan received Indian Ambassador to Armenia Achal
Kumar Malhotra, NA press service told Armenpress.

Expressing gratitude for the visit, the parliament speaker said
Armenia attaches high importance to its close relations with India.

According to Mr. Nikoyan, those century-long ties go on normally
developing both in bilateral format and within different international
structures. NA Speaker pointed out the active parliamentary cooperation
and expressed readiness to expand it.

Congratulating Samvel Nikoyan on appointment, the Indian Ambassador
said his country deeply appreciates the friendly and traditional
relations with Armenia. Achal Kumar Malhotra, attaching importance to
the role of the National Assembly in the country’s reforms, highlighted
the bilateral inter-parliamentary cooperation, which has always
been at a high level. The ambassador noted that there are all the
prerequisites for expansion of Armenian-Indian ties in all directions.