Author: nina hovnanian

SRC OFFICERS UNVEIL ARMS SMUGGLING ATTEMPT IN ARMENIA

Tert.am
26.12.11

Officers of Armenia’s State Revenue Committee revealed that an
Armenian citizen has smuggled weapons and ammunition while stating
in the declaration form that the luggage is cloths.

According to the SRC website, the luggage, that weighs a total of 456kg
and registered to Alfred Harutyunyan, mainly contained various guns,
bullets and knives.

It is not clear for what purposes the guns and armaments were planned
to be used.

EXPERT: STATE INSPECTION DETECTED HORSE MEAT AND MEAT OF DEAD ANIMALS IN THE MEAT MARKET OF ARMENIA

/ARKA/
DECEMBER 26, 2011
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, December 26. /ARKA/. In the meat markets of Armenia after
a number of inspections, horse meat and meat of dead animals was
detected, said on Monday press-secretary of State Food Security
Service of Agriculture Ministry of Armenia Babken Pipoyan.

“We received complaints fr om the citizens and journalists that in
the markets of Yerevan meat is sold in anti-sanitary conditions,
without permission and relevant license”, he said.

Horse meat and meat of dead animals was detected in central markets of
Yerevan (Komitas market and market near trade center Tashir), “after
which they were penalized by a fine amounting 400 thousand drams”.

“A person should know what meat he is buying and be confident in the
security of the given product. In the result of our observations and
inspections we detected a lot of violations, and fined in the amount
of 2 million drams”, he said.

Pipoyan said that inspections were implemented in the shops wh ere
products by discounts were sold.

“We tried to detect whether discounts in the shops are related to New
Year actions or the goods are overdue. In the result of the inspection,
fortunately overdue products were not detected”, said Pipoyan.

He also said that the low cost of imported frozen meat products is
not surprising as cost price of these products in producing countries
is also low.

SOCIALISTS IN FRENCH SENATE DEMAND TO PASS BILL ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

noyan tapan
2011-12-26 22:30:06

PARIS. – Head of Socialist group at French Senate Francois Rebsamen
turned to the government to register bill penalizing the Armenian
Genocide as soon as possible, Les Nouvelles d’Armenie reports.

To be ratified the bill, which passed by the French National Assembly
on December 22, should be registered in the Senate and discussed
before late February.

The author of the bill Valerie Boyer has been under the Turkish
threats since the bill adoption. Threats come from the Grey Wolves
nationalistic movement, French BFMTV reports.

The MP Boyer complained on the same channel regarding the treats
towards her and her family.

“This action can only reassure us in our persuasions and decisiveness,”
she told, Radio Liberty reports.

TURKEY’S ARMENIAN OBSESSION

Commentary Magazine

Dec 26 2011

I continue to be amazed and dismayed by the short-sightedness of the
Turkish political class when it comes to dealing with the Armenian
genocide. Case in point is Ankara’s outraged reaction to the French
National Assembly passing a bill to make it “a crime to deny the
deliberate and systematic destruction of the Armenians of the Ottoman
Empire during World War Iâ~@~K.”

Why does Turkey insist on poisoning its relations with important
countries over this historical issue concerning something that happened
nearly 100 years ago?

As it happens, the Turks probably have a decent case to make
that the slaughter of Armenians was not intended, as was the Nazi
Holocaustâ~@~K, to wipe out an entire race, so perhaps it doesn’t meet
the technical definition of “genocide.” But it was still a terrible
war crime, so why argue about technicalities?

The current government in Ankara could simply say that it was not
responsible for these acts committed by the Young Turks in the waning
days of the Ottoman Empire-another state altogether, albeit one sharing
some territory with the modern Turkish state. Prime Minister Erdogan
could then express sorrow for what happened, in spite of having no
responsibility for it, and, as a humanitarian gesture, even offer
to pay some restitution to victims’ families-something modern Turkey
is certainly wealthy enough to afford. In a stroke, Turkey would win
a PR victory instead of having to fight a losing battle over a side
issue that detracts from modern Turkey’s central concerns.

What does Turkey gain from its obdurate attitude? Nothing that I can
tell. It appears to be simply the triumph of emotions over reason,
something that is not exactly unheard of in international relations
but which usually exacts a steep price. Surely Turkish leaders should
be smart enough to see that by now.

PRAISE FOR ERDOGAN’S CRITICISM OF FRENCH “GENOCIDE” IN ALGERIA .

Middle East Monitor

Dec 26 2011

The head of the Algerian Society for Peace has praised Turkey’s prime
minister for his criticism of what Recep Tayyip Erdogan called French
“genocide” in Algeria. Mr Erdogan was reacting to a vote in the French
parliament “recognising” the Armenian Genocide by the Ottoman Empire.

He told the French president that if he has forgotten what his country
did in Algeria, he should “ask his father; he has the full story”.

According to Abu Jarra Soltani of the Society for Peace, the French
decision on Armenia was taken by just 50 members of the 550 seat
parliament, “so it doesn’t carry any validity”. France is undergoing a
period of electioneering “which will cost Sarkozy a lot when those who
have suffered from the ravages of colonialism realise the importance
of Erdogan’s speech”.

Turkey is an important country, stressed Soltani, and it’s weight in
the international community will embarrass France. “Sarkozy will pay
for his recklessness,” he said, “as France will have to acknowledge
formally it’s crimes in Algeria, apologise and pay compensation.”

France should think twice about it’s own crimes before criticising
others, he added.

KNESSET C’TTEE DISCUSSES ARMENIAN MASSACRE

Globes

Dec 26 2011
Israel

The Prime Minister’s Office is worried that the discussion will cause
another diplomatic crisis with Turkey.

The Knesset Education, Sports and Culture Committee is publicly
discussing the Armenian genocide by the Ottomans in 1915 during World
War I. The Prime Minister’s Office is worried that the discussion
will cause another diplomatic crisis with Turkey.

Yesterday, National Security Council chairman Yaakov Amidror asked
Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin to postpone the discussion to a less
sensitive date, but Rivlin said that the discussion would go ahead
as scheduled.

“We have the moral duty to remember and commemorate the tragedy that
befell the Armenian people,” Rivlin said during the discussion. “We
do not want to exploit a political situation to settle accounts with
another country. It should be remembered that, since 1989, we, Haim
Oron and I, have put the issue on the agenda every year to prevent
the denial of the catastrophe that happened to another nation. We are
now calling on the nations of the world not to deny the Holocaust of
the Jewish people, and we, as Jews and human beings, have no moral
right not to do the same to another nation. We are not talking about
a political matter, but a moral matter of paramount importance.”

Rivlin admitted that, for years, the government had asked for the
discussion on the Armenian genocide not to be held “due to Turkish
sensitivities”. He added, however, “There are no diplomatic exigencies
for postponing this moral duty.”

Rivlin later clarified, “Diplomatic considerations, however important
they may be, do not allow us to deny the catastrophe of another
nation. We are not referring to the current Turkish government or to
the current political situation, but to a historical event that should
be made known so that it will not happen again. The State of Israel
aspires to restore friendly relations with Turkey, and I do not see
why the commemoration of the Armenian catastrophe should prevent this.”

Published by Globes [online], Israel business news

GEORGIA RESUMES NATURAL GAS SUPPLIES TO ARMENIA

/ARKA/
DECEMBER 26, 2011
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, December 26. /ARKA/. Georgia’s natural gas transportation
company said it has resumed gas supplies to Armenia after repair
work on a section of the main pipeline that ships gas from Russia to
Armenia across Georgia, ArmRosGazprom, Armenia’s Russian-controlled
natural gas distributor told ARKA.The supplies were halted on December
22 for emergency repair work on Kazakh-Saguramo section.

ArmRosGazprom founded in 1997 is the exclusive supplier of Russian
gas to Armenia through Georgia. Russian Gazprom owns more than 80%
of its shares, the remaining shares belong to Armenian government.

MINISTER OHANYAN MEETS FAMILIES OF KILLED SOLDIERS

armradio.am
26.12.2011 16:44

Armenian Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan, the Governor of Aragatsotn,
Sargis Sahakyan, the Mayors of Ashtarak and Talin held a meeting with
families with 143 killed soldiers of the liberation war.

Addressing the attendees, Minister Ohanyan said: “Unfortunately, we
are celebrating the New Year without our comrades-in-arms. We cannot
but be accountable to our comrades-in-arms and their relatives, since
it’s thanks to the liberation fighters that we have an independent
state and a regular army today.”

“The man, the serviceman with his skills remains the most important
factor for the Armenian army that can guarantee victory. The blood
that flows in the veins of the Armenian man is much more expensive
than the oil that flows through some pipelines,” the Minister said.

KNESSET’S COMMITTEE TO CONTINUE DISCUSSION OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RECOGNITION BILL

ARMENPRESS
DECEMBER 26, 2011
YEREVAN

Education, Culture and Sports Committee of Israeli Knesset will
continue the discussion of the Armenian Genocide recognition bill.

Armenpress reports citing Izrus that Chairman of the Committee Alex
Miller stated that the committee will gather again to discuss this
“crucially important issue”.

For the first time December 26 the Education, Culture and Sports
Committee of the Israeli Knesset conducted open discussion of
the issue. Few members of Knesset supported the initiative of the
recognition of the Armenian Genocide, stressed the necessity of
recognition of the Armenian Genocide by the “Jewish people that
survived Genocide.”

Foreign Minister of Israel expressed concern that the recognition
of the Armenian Genocide may harm the relations with Turkey. “Our
relations with Turkey are very fragile and sensitive. We cannot cross
the line, we must treat the issue with sense. Such decision may have
serious strategic consequences,” the Foreign Ministry representative
stated.

Speaker of Knesset Reuven Rivlin noted that the historical facts must
not be forgotten and the fact of the massacres of the Armenian people
96 years ago must not be debated.

Initiator of the discussion MP from “Meretz” party Zehava Gal-On stated
that that Armenian Genocide must be studied in the Israeli schools as
Jewish people should be the first to recognize tragedies of the past.

MP from the National Unity faction Arieh Eldad considered it strange
that previously Armenian Genocide was not recognized because of good
relations with Turkey and now because of bad relations. “We cannot
erase that chapter of history. We cannot ignore this issue only for
our benefits,” Eldad stressed.

TURQUIA INSISTE EN EL NEGACIONISMO

El Pais

26 dic 2011

El día 22 de diciembre de 2011 la Asamblea Nacional Francesa aprobo
la ley que sanciona con un año de prision y 45.000 euros de multa, el
negacionismo del genocidio armenio. Un exterminio protagonizado por los
turcos, y que la Sublime Puerta perpetua en negarlo, circunscribiendo
los sucesos en el contexto de la gran guerra. De hecho, las autoridades
otomanas utilizaron la supuesta connivencia de los armenios con Rusia
durante la I Guerra Mundial para desatar un genocidio sin parangon
hasta entonces en la historia contemporanea. Un genocidio conocido como
holocausto armenio, que extermino entre 1,5 y 2 millones de armenios,
asirios, caldeos, sirios y helenos ponticos durante el año 1915.

El paso dado por Francia hace que Ankara pierda los papeles e
insista en un negacionismo intolerable para cualquier país que se
diga democrata y para cualquier ciudadano informado y decente. Los
espeluznantes sucesos ocurridos en los estertores del Imperio Otomano
merecen un capítulo aparte. De lo que aquí y ahora se trata es de
denunciar, de exigir justicia y respeto por aquellas víctimas en
cuyo martirio se inspiraría el nazismo. Durante los años treinta
del pasado siglo, Hitler hizo tristemente celebre una frase: ¿quien
se acuerda hoy del genocidio armenio? El laboratorio criminal turco
sirvio de ejemplo y antesala a la Shoah. Tanto el Parlamento Europeo,
como numerosos Estados de Europa entre los que se cuentan Rusia,
Suecia, la propia Francia, Austria, Chipre, Belgica, Holanda… o
americanos como Estados Unidos, Canada, Argentina, Chile o Uruguay
ya lo han reconocido. Un reconocimiento en el que España no figura,
pues la Comision de Asuntos Exteriores del Congreso rechazo una mocion
al respecto en marzo de este mismo año.

En Turquía esta prohibido por ley admitir la existencia del genocidio
armenio. Las amenazas de Erdogan, en la deriva neootomana de los
últimos tiempos son una afrenta a la dignidad. Erdogan, colaborador
esencial de la Alianza de Civilizaciones. Recep Tayyip nos dice que
no permanecera en silencio. Nosotros tampoco.