Author: nina hovnanian

WHAT ELSE RUSSIA WILL TAKE
James Hakobyan

Lragir.am News

12:02:29 – 26/10/2011

“Sure, we would like to discuss also new programs which would further
strengthen our relations”, said Serzh Sargsyan at a meeting with the
Russian Premier Vladimir Putin in Moscow when Putin dwelt on bilateral
economic partnership.

What new programs can be carried out between Armenia and Russia, in
what field, what scale and stress? The energy sphere of Armenia almost
completely belongs to Russia or it is ruled through Russia. The only
exception if the Vorotan Cascade on which though Russia is already
focused and is perhaps trying to seize it too.

There is almost no strategic object in Armenia that does not belong
to Russia. The next of the few exceptions is perhaps the Zvartnots
Airport, which in 2001, was transferred to the asset management of
an Armenian from Argentina Eduardo Eurnekyan for 30 years who has
actually built a new and modern airport in Armenia.

There are so-called objects of future in Armenia that could become
new Armenian-Russian programs. For example, the Nuclear Power Plant
of Armenia. Russia announced it is going to pay only the 20% of
all the costs. France announced its readiness to take part in the
construction of the Plant, when Sarkozy was visiting Armenia. Will
the French factor create a possibility for Yerevan to blackmail a
little Russia and demand more than 20% which is equal to USD 1 billion?

The new Armenian-Russian program can be the North-South state highway,
which is already under construction financed by the Asian Bank but
the finances do not completely cover the costs of the construction. No
other country has yet expressed interest in it. Maybe, the only hope
of Armenia is Russia. But how we should interest Russia? How much is
the political or economic price going to be?

A high price is necessary also for the Armenia-Iran railway
construction. In general, the point is that Armenia pursues two goals
connected with Russia when fulfilling strategic projects: the point
is not only about to make Russia agree to finance projects, this is
the maximum goal, the minimum is to ensure it will not hinder Armenia
find other sources of finances.

Meanwhile, there is the expression that on the one hand, Russia is
possible to disagree to make investments in Armenia and on the other
hand, to threaten Armenia not to try to find other sources otherwise,
it will have problems with Russia.

The leaders of Armenia and Russia often state that the Armenian-Russian
economic cooperation is developing but it needs much to reach the
level of the political cooperation. Actually, the Armenian and Russian
economic cooperation has long reached this level and it is equally
unhealthy as the political and humanitarian cooperation.

The issue on the Armenian and Russian cooperation has already come
out of the amount plane and is now on the quality plane. This is
the problem, because under the current qualities of the relations,
the more they deepen, the worse they become as an organism.

For example, it is evident that Russian investments in Armenia pursue
political interest rather than economic. No accident, there is no
growth of quality, modernization and no large-scale process in the
spheres of Russian investments in Armenia. How it can be if the same
is absent in Russia, where the hope is the economic-political effect
of energy.

The economic expansion is a more capable version and a tool of the
political expansions. But, say, the Western countries that use this
tool put the stress on the quality rather than scales.

For example, less Western investments pursue strategic effects in
Armenia in contrast with Russian ones, because Western investments in
Armenia tangible, if not completely, change the quality. They form
modern business culture, relations, modern work culture and feeling
of accountability in Armenia without which Armenia is unable to think
of becoming a competitive country.

Russian investments serve as a tool to keep the Armenian authorities
tranquil, as well as they provide the state statistics with “raw”
which has no strategic, far-fetching quality and they do not help
Armenia to increase its quality as a state.

In this sense, it is time to dwell not on Armenian-Russian programs
but new quality of the existing programs. But the issue is whether
the Russian government wants to talk about this. It is even doubtful
whether the Armenian authorities want to talk about this to the
Russian government.

A POST OFFICE REOPENED IN ARARATYAN DISTRICT

arminfo
Tuesday, October 25, 18:38

The final stage of “Haypost Marathon 2011” is in its final stage.

Almost every day official reopening of one postal office takes place.

On October 25 official reopening of 0068 postal office
(Malatia-Sebastia district) took place.

Deputy Head of Malatia-Sebastia District Ashot Smbatyan, management of
“Haypost Trust Management” and “Haypost” CJSC as well as inhabitants
partook in the ceremony.

Mr. Smbatyan said that providing good conditions is very important, and
expressed his gratitude to “Haypost” management for this initiative.

The Postal Office is completely renovated in compliance with branding
guidelines. Working standards, as well as infrastructure is changed
and renewed. New computers with modern software are installed, and
the cable system is renewed.

By “Haypost Marathon 2011” Program it is envisaged to reopen 50 postal
offices not only in Yerevan, but also in marzes in Armenia.

By the Program of Haypost Trust Management it is planned to increase
the number of renovated post offices up to 250 for the next 5 years,
and to augment the services-including commercial ones- specific to
nowadays postal operators.

ARMENIA’S SECRET ENVOY DUE IN TEL AVIV?

Tert.am
25.10.11

Yerevan is sending its high ranking official to Tel Aviv to discuss
potentials of strategic cooperation with Israel, the Israeli-Russian
news website Izrus.co reported, citing its unnamed sources.

“Despite the close relations between Tel Aviv and Baku on the one
hand, and Yerevan and Tehran on the other, the Armenian secret
envoy will arrive in Israel to discuss possibilities of strategic
cooperation. And Ankara’s regional policy creates favorable conditions
for that,” says a recent article on the website. “The Armenian senior
official’s visit to Israel was scheduled in late October or early
November. He is authorized to discuss political and strategic issues
with the Israeli side. His main objective is to explore opportunities
for military cooperation.”

Izrus says it has asked the Israeli Foreign Ministry about details of
the visit, but the latter reportedly declined to give an answer, saying
that it is not interested in making any response for the time being.

PAN-TURKISM ANEW: ALIYEV VOICES THE “GREAT TURKIC WORLD” IDEA IN KAZAKHSTAN SUMMIT
By Aris Ghazinyan

ArmeniaNow
25.10.11 | 13:09

Photo:

The Cooperation Council of Turkic Language Speaking States held a
summit last week in the capital of Kazakhstan. This institute of
Turkic solidarity was established by the decision made two years ago
during the 9th Summit of leaders of Turkic language speaking states
in Nakhijevan.

It was an outstanding summit when in the presence of leaders of Turkey,
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and high-ranking officials from a number of
other Turkic language speaking states, Azeri president Ilham Aliyev
stated: “Nachijevan is an ancient Azeri land. The separation of
Zangezur- a historically authentic Azeri land – from Azerbaijan and
its annexation to Armenia at the time geographically dismembered the
great Turkic world.”

Armenia viewed this statement as a potential threat, and as an
expression of pan-Turkism only under new political circumstances.

And so now the first summit of the Cooperation Council of Turkic
Language Speaking States was held in Almaty, during which the Azeri
president declared: “Turkic world is a great world! We have to make
it become even more united. We have all the means for that. First of
all, there is a strong political will.”

This might seem like an innocent statement. However, from the
perspective of the Armenian perception of the very concept of “Turkic
world” is quite unequivocally associated with “the Great Turan”
(Turan is the Persian word for Central Asia) – the very idea by
which the Armenian nation has been victimized. In the beginning of
last century two innocent scientific concepts (Turkic and Aryan) were
used by Pan-Turkism followers and Nazis in a way that the contemporary
usage of these terms can’t help but objectively sound ominous.

During the summit Aliyev also stressed: “The main issue Azerbaijan is
facing is the Armenian-Azeri one, the Nagorno-Karabakh problem. It
is a source of the biggest threat and injustice not only towards
us, but the whole region. Armenia committed ethnic purges against
Azeris. As a result of that policy around one million Azeris have
become refugees and migrants in their own motherland; 20 percent of
our lands are occupied.”

Obviously, such statements cannot be purely viewed in the context
organizers of such summits commonly voice: “strengthening economic
and cultural ties with brother republics”. Quite the opposite, it
perfectly fits into the historic context.

Back in 1933, during the period of drastic cooling of relations between
Moscow and Ankara, Turkish leader Mustafa Kemal stated: “One day
Russia will lose control over the nations it is keeping tightly in its
hands today. The world then would reach a new level. And at that very
moment Turkey has to know exactly what to do. Our brothers by blood,
faith and language are under Russia’s reign. We have to be ready to
support them. Our common language is our bridge, our common faith
is our bridge, our common history is our bridge. We have to remember
our roots. We should not wait for them to reach out for us; we have
to draw nearer to them ourselves. One fine day Russia will fall.”

This “eastern vector” specified by the founder of the republican
Turkey has remained the most important guideline for the country’s
political elite for the following several decades.

Leader of modern Turkey Abdulla Gul’s speech at the Nakhijevan
summit is exemplary: “Nakhijevan is native and precious not only to
Azerbaijan, but to Turkey as well. The border between Azerbaijan and
Turkey in the Nakhijevani region is physically small, but politically
this 10-12-kilometer-long border has huge significance. This border
of ours is a symbolic transition geographically linking Turkey with
Turkic republics.”

If today’s use of the term “Aryan” is under strict “international
control” (and is practically impossible from high international
rostrums), things are different with the “Turkic” concept. To a
certain extent, it is a consequence of who has, and when, condemned
the crimes committed by Nazis and Pan-Turkism supporters.

It is the lack of the total international condemnation of the crime
of the Armenian Genocide that has allowed the concept of “Turkic”
to return into the scientific ethno-linguistic arena, and conditions
the world community’s indifference to the application of that ominous
term today.

ARMENIANS BAPTIZED AS ARMENIAN CHRISTIANS IN TURKEY’S DIYARBAKIR

News | 25.10.11 | 13:13

A group of Armenians, raised as Sunni Muslims, were baptized last
Sunday as Armenian Orthodox Christians at the historic St. Giragos
(Surp Giragos) Armenian Church in Turkey’s southeastern province of
Diyarbakır, Hurriyet Daily writes.

The church, which was reopened on October 22 following two years
of restoration work, host the baptism ceremony for dozens of Sunni
Muslims of Armenian origin, whose ancestors converted to Islam after
the 1915 killings in the Ottoman era.

Among those who were baptized was Gaffur Turkay, who also contributed
to the restoration of the church.

“I wish this church had always been open,” he said. “It is unbelievable
to be together here with people from all around the world with whom
I share the same origins.”

The baptism ceremony was closed to the press and outside visitors,
was led by Deputy Patriarch Archbishop Aram AteÅ~_yan.

The names of those to be baptized will not be revealed for security
reasons.

Among the participants in Sunday’s service were guests from Armenia
and the United States, including leader of Armenia’s Heritage Party,
Raffi Hovanissian, U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Francis Ricciardione and
Archbishop Vicken Ayvazian, diocese of the Armenian Orthodox Church
of America.

The restoration work was funded by donations from Armenians in Istanbul
and abroad.

“We used to have over 2,600 churches and monasteries across Anatolia
in the past. Unfortunately, only a handful of sanctuaries remain. My
request from Turkey as a spiritual leader is for churches to be
returned to the [Armenian] community, rather than reopening them for
religious service as museums,” Archbishop Ayvazian told the Hurriyet
Daily News.

ANKARA USES QUAKE AS SMOKESCREEN TO CONTINUE OPERATIONS AGAINST KURDS -EXPERT

PanARMENIAN.Net
October 25, 2011 – 14:27 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – With the attention of international community
focused on the devastating earthquake in Van, Turkish authorities
are intensifying struggle against PKK, expanding operations in the
territory of Iraq, according to the head of European Integration NGO.

As Karen Bekaryan told a news conference in Yerevan, Ankara operations
against PKK remind the annihilation policy of Ottoman Turks towards
Armenians. “In the early 20th century, Turkish authorities carried
out their plan of ethnical cleansing on the backdrop of international
issues and a war. Clearly, in modern days, Turkish government applies
the same principle to Kurds,” the experts said.

At least 217 were killed and more than 1,000 people injured when a
powerful earthquake struck Turkey, collapsing dozens of buildings and
pulling down phone and power lines in the southeast of the country,
officials and witnesses said. More than 1,000 people are feared killed
in the earthquake. Another magnitude 6.1 earthquake, which was the
second to rock the country was registered about 20 km (12 miles)
from the city of Van at the depth of some 10 km (6.2 miles).

Turkish tanks and armored vehicles crossed into northern Iraq headed
in the direction of a Kurdish militant camp, Turkish security sources
said Monday, Oct 24. The armored column was headed in the direction
of a militant camp at Haftanin, around 20 km (12 miles) from the
Habur border post, and near the Iraqi city of Zakho.

LA PRESSE SUIT ATTENTIVEMENT LA TENSION CROISSANTE DES RELATIONS ENTRE LES EMPLOYES ET L’ADMINISTRATION DE LA CENTRALE NUCLEAIRE
Stephane

armenews.com
mardi 25 octobre 2011

La presse suit attentivement la tension croissante des relations
entre les employes et l’administration de la Centrale nucleaire. Les
negociations sont dans l’impasse depuis que le directeur a signe
vendredi plusieurs lettres de demission. Les employes ont presente des
propositions, demandant 30% d’augmentations a partir du 1er novembre
et 20% a partir du 1er avril 2012. L’administration, evoquant le
manque de moyens financiers, a rejete toutes ces propositions.

Certains quotidiens progouvernementaux comparent ces revendications au
niveau moyen de salaires en Armenie, tandis que ceux de l’opposition se
refèrent a celui en usage dans des centrales nucleaires occidentales. ”
Un caprice antinational ” titre Aravot, qui voit deux issues a cette
situation : des specialistes viendront de Russie et toucheront le
double des salaires du personnel armenien ou la centrale sera arretee,
continuant de depenser de l’energie pour sa maintenance sans produire
un Kwt. Dans les deux cas, l’Etat est perdant. A moins que la fermeture
de la Centrale etait a l’ordre du jour et le conflit du travail etait
un pretexte pour hâter la decision ” conclut l’editorialiste.

Ambassade de France en Armenie

Service de presse

SEISME EN TURQUIE : LA NUIT TOMBE, LES RECHERCHES DE SURVIVANTS CONTINUENT
Stephane

armenews.com
mardi 25 octobre 2011

Malgre la tombee de la nuit et le froid, les secouristes travaillaient
d’arrache-pied lundi a la recherche de survivants du fort seisme qui
a frappe la veille la province orientale turque de Van, y faisant
279 morts, selon un dernier bilan provisoire.

La catastrophe a egalement fait 1.300 blesses, a precise le
vice-Premier ministre Bulent Arinc au sortir d’un conseil des ministres
a Ankara.

Le precedent bilan officiel dans la zone sinistree, peuplee
principalement de Kurdes et proche de l’Iran, etait de 272 morts.

Le reseau electrique ayant ete endommage, les secouristes ont allume
les torches et leurs generateurs avec le coucher du soleil et sont
parvenus a retirer notamment une adolescente de 16 ans, Hilal, des
ruines de son appartement a Ercis, la ville qui a subi le plus de
dommages et qui compte quelque 75.000 habitants .

C’est a Ercis et dans l’agglomeration, situee plus au sud, de Van
(380.000 habitants), chef-lieu de la province du meme nom s’etendant
sur les rives d’un lac entoure de montagnes enneigees, que sont a
deplorer la quasi-totalite des victimes, selon les autorites.

Le centre sismologique d’Istanbul a predit dimanche entre 500 et un
millier de morts, mais ce bilan redoute pourrait ne pas etre atteint,
de l’avis des secouristes sur place.

Le nombre des morts pourrait encore croître, mais pas dans des
proportions demesurees, d'”une quarantaine” au plus, estime le
Dr Niyazi Celik a Ercis, signalant aussi une decrue de celui des
nouvelles admissions a l’hôpital.

Le medecin de l’hôpîtal de campagne est interrompu dans ses
explications par l’arrivee sur un brancard d’un nouveau patient,
un vieillard extrait des decombres d’un immeuble et visiblement
très affaibli.

Rapidement, l’equipe medicale decoupe ses vetements, le met sous
perfusion et lui donne de l’oxygène, avant d’entamer une lente
palpation, a la recherche de probables fractures.

“Il devrait s’en sortir, mais bon, on ne sait jamais : il a passe 24
heures sous les debris sans manger ni boire, un organe peut toujours
flancher”, commente Nurettin Yilmaz, membre d’une equipe d’urgentistes
arrivee de Bolu (ouest).

Les rescapes s’appretaient a passer une deuxième nuit dans l’angoisse
des repliques, mais cette fois, pour beaucoup d’entre eux, sous des
tentes installees par le Croissant Rouge, malgre des temperatures
qui ne devraient pas depasser les 2°C dans la nuit de lundi a mardi,
tandis que de la neige est prevue pour mercredi.

Ce seisme, d’une magnitude de 7,2, est le plus puissant survenu depuis
1999, lorsque deux fortes secousses avaient fait environ 20.000 morts
dans le nord-ouest densement peuple de la Turquie, pays regulièrement
touche par des tremblements de terre.

L’Etat turc a deploye des moyens considerables, depechant des centaines
de secouristes, 145 ambulances, six bataillons de l’armee et des
helicoptères-ambulances sur les lieux.

L’organisation des secours semblait plus efficace par rapport aux
precedents seismes.

Dans un elan de solidarite, de nombreux Turcs ont envoye de l’aide
(couvertures, vivres, couches pour bebes, medicaments) des grandes
metropoles de l’Ouest vers Van, ont rapporte les medias.

Ce sont generalement les immeubles de plusieurs etages qui ont
ete rases tandis que les habitations d’un seul niveau sont restees
intactes.

Ahmet Yakut, de l’Universite technique du Moyen-Orient (Odtu) a
Ankara, a explique ce phenomène par l’irrespect des normes sismiques
de construction. “Chaque etage reduit la resistance d’un immeuble
lorsque celui-ci n’est pas parasismique”, a-t-il souligne sur la
chaîne privee de television NTV.

Seules 9% des habitations sont assurees contre les seismes dans cette
zone, a ajoute M. Yakut.

De nombreux pays, dont aussi Israël et l’Armenie, deux Etats avec
lesquels les rapports d’Ankara ne sont pas au beau fixe, ont offert
leur assistance ou dit leur soutien a la Turquie.

SEISME : LE PRESIDENT ARMENIEN DIT SON SOUTIEN A SON HOMOLOGUE TURC
Stephane

armenews.com
mardi 25 octobre 2011

Le president armenien Serge Sarkissian, en visite lundi a Moscou,
a exprime le soutien de son pays a la Turquie après le seisme de
dimanche, se joignant a un entretien au telephone entre ses homologues
turc et russe, Abdullah Gul et Dmitri Medvedev, selon le Kremlin.

“La conversation telephonique entre Dmitri Medvedev et Abdullah Gul
a eu lieu en pleines negociations au Kremlin dans le cadre de la
visite du president armenien Serge Sarkissian”, a indique le service
de presse de la presidence russe dans un communique.

M. Sarkissian, “se joignant a la conversation, a transmis au president
turc l’expression de sa compassion sincère et de son soutien”,
a ajoute le Kremlin.

“Abdullah Gul a exprime a Serge Sarkissian sa reconnaissance”,
indique encore le communique.

Dans le meme entretien, Dmitri Medvedev a propose a son homologue turc
“toute l’aide necessaire” pour faire face aux consequences du seisme,
a fait savoir le Kremlin.

Le seisme de magnitude 7,2 qui a secoue dimanche la province orientale
turque de Van a fait 272 morts et plus de 1.300 blesses, selon un
bilan provisoire lundi.

En 1988, l’Armenie avait ete elle-meme touchee par un fort seisme
qui avait fait près de 25.000 morts dans le nord-ouest du pays.

La Turquie et l’Armenie, dont les relations sont minees par la question
des massacres et deportations d’Armeniens dans l’Empire Ottoman au
debut du XXe siècle, qu’Erevan veut voir reconnaître comme etant un
genocide, ont signe en 2009 des textes visant a etablir des liens
diplomatiques et rouvrir leur frontière commune, fermee depuis plus de
dix ans. Mais le processus s’est enlise dans des accusations mutuelles.

ARMENIAN-RUSSIAN TRADE TURNOVER TO EXCEED US $1BN IN 2011

Tert.am
24.10.11

Armenian-Russian trade turnover is expected to exceed US $1bn this
year, Russian President Dmitri Medvedev stated following his meeting
with Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan in Moscow.

“Bilateral political ties are developing, and we are achieving balance
in our trade and economic relations,” he said.

Russian investments in Armenia’s economy exceeded US $2.8bn.

“We are developing cooperation in such fields as energy, high
technologies and transport. These are good signals,” Medvedev said.

“The amendments to the agreements abolishing dual taxation of incomes
and property introduced today will facilitate business partnership
as well,” he said.

“Our talk is a talk of two friends, leaders of allied states,” the
Russian leader said.