Author: nina hovnanian

Iranian Mayor wanted to climb Ararat but climbed Aragats instead (video)

17:33 – 18.09.11

The Mayor of the Iranian town of Alvand (Ghazvin province), Majit
Molayi, has recently come to Armenia with a group of alpinists to
climb Mount Ararat.

An experienced mountain climber, Molayi is the head of the town’s
alpinists’ club whose members – people of different ages and
specializations – joined together because of their interest in the
mountain climbing art. The group has climbed almost 80% of the Iranian
mountains; they have even reached the highest peak of the Albors
mountain range.

Having found out that Ararat is not on the present-day territory of
Armenia, the group decided to climb Aragats instead.

`Anything in Iran that has the name Ararat is associated with Armenia.
We have a football club, and sports groups named Ararat, and after
all, it is a kind of symbol, so we were sure Ararat was in Armenia,’
Molayi told Tert.am.

Though the group’s expectation to see Ararat did not come true, they
do not regret climbing Aragats. The alpinists are highly impressed by
the mountain trip and say they admired the lake and the scenery from
above.

Majit Gyarusi, an Iranian film director who came to Armenia with the
group, says the trip to Aragats could provide abundant material for a
new documentary.

`The landscape is really very beautiful. Armenia has all the
opportunities for being the hero of a beatiful ecofim,’ he said. `The
four peaks of Aragats are very nice, with the picturesque scenery of
Yerevan opening from above. Technically, of course, there were certain
difficulties. As the soil was sliding, we had to clutch one another at
times.’

Apart from bright memories and souvenirs from Armenia, the Iranian
alpinists will also take with them Mountain Toursim and Rock-Climbing
Federation’s certificates for their feat to overcome the southern peak
of Aragats within five hours.

Tert.am

Military parade organizers promise more surprises in Yerevan

September 18, 2011 – 16:15 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – On Septmeber 17 Yerevan’s Republic Square saw the
first majot rehearsal of the military parae for the 20th anniversary
of Armenia’s independence.

This year’s parade will stand apart with the participation of
religious ministers serving in the army.

During the rehearsal the military techniques, including the rocket
system of volley fire `Tornado’, zenithal rocket systems S300 were
displayed. And heavy track-type techniques were carried to the square
on high speed wheeled trailers.

According to General Lieutenant Michael Grigorian, Commander of United
Troops of Armenia’s Armed Forces, told journalists, that servicemen
have prepared for the parade more than a month. `As you can see, the
soldiers and officers are ready for the parade, and I am pleased with
them,’ he said, adding that soldiers already `feel’ the parade. Here
he noted that the not all military techniques were displayed in the
parade, and surprises await the audience during the parade. -mi-

Diaspora Minister meets members of Armenian Missionary Association of America

14:05 – 18.09.11

Armenian Minister of Diaspora Hranush Hakobyan received on Saturday
members of the Armenian Missionary Association of America (AMAA).

The delegation headed by the AMAA Executive Director Levon Filian
included the Association’s Armenian representative and a member of the
its World Council, Rene Levonyan, an AMAA deputy representative in
Armenia, Harut Nersesyan, the United Armenian Fund (UAF) Deputy
Director Hovsep Stain and others.

Introducing to the guests the Diaspora Ministry’s current goals and
objectives, Minister Hakobyan stressed the importance of directing the
potentials of all Armenians to the preservation of the Armenian
identity.

The AMAA executive director spoke of the Association’s upcoming
programs, expressing willingness to maintain permanent collaboration
for the sake of the development and strengthening of Armenia.

Established in 1918, the Armenian Missionary Association of America
operates branches in 24 world countries.
On September 10, 2011, the Association’s Armenian branch celebrated
its 20th anniversary.

Tert.am

COMMUNAUTE-VALENCE
Réunion de rentrée de l’ACFOA Drôme-Ardèche

Les Anciens Combattants Français d’Origine Arménienne de Drôme et
d’Ardèche (ACFOA) tenaient à Valence le samedi 17 septembre leur
réunion de rentrée. Autour du président Georges Eretzian, les membres
de l’ACFOA ainsi que Krikor Amirzayan président d’« Arménia » invité à
la réunion, ont effectué le bilan des réalisations de l’association au
cours des derniers mois. Parmi les thèmes abordés, l’association s’est
déclarée très honorée de la nomination au titre de chevalier de la
Légion d’Honneur pour leur Président d’Honneur M. Boros Hadji-Haronian
le 1er Juillet à Cannes ou il réside actuellement et qui résida
longtemps à Valence. L’ACFOA s’est recueillie en mémoire de Robert
Manoukian un autre Président d’Honneur ancien résistant titulaire de
la Médaille Militaire disparu à Crest l’été dernier. L’ACFOA a décidé
de proposer lors de la prochaine Assemblée Générale en janvier
prochain une modification statutaire permettant à des personnes ne
relevant pas de l’Office des Anciens Combattants de pouvoir adhérer à
l’Association afin de pérenniser la mémoire des Anciens Combattants
Français d’Origine Arménienne de Drome et d’Ardèche (ACFOA) Il est
prévu une exposition en relation avec l’Association « Arménia » pour
une exposition Place des Clercs à Valence de des caricatures et sur la
mémoire du résistant Missak Manouchian durant la période u 20 au 26
Février 2012.

dimanche 18 septembre 2011,
Krikor [email protected]

ARMENIE
Une robe de 5.900 ans découverte en Arménie

Des archéologues en Arménie ont annoncé mercredi avoir trouvé les
restes d’une robe de femme, qui aurait été confectionnée il y a
environ 5.900 ans.

`C’est le seul exemplaire de vêtement fabriqué à partir d’une matière
aussi ancienne`, a déclaré à l’AFP le directeur de l’institut
d’archéologie et d’ethnologie de l’Académie arménienne des sciences,
Pavel Avetissian.

La découverte de morceaux de cette robe multicolore a été effectuée
pendant des fouilles dans des grottes dans le Sud de l’Arménie, un
pays du Caucase du Sud.

Deux autres découvertes – celles d’une chaussure en cuir présentée
comme la plus vieille du monde (5.500 ans) et du plus ancien vignoble
remontant à 6.100 ans – avaient été faites précédemment au même
endroit.

Les restes de la robe ont été datés par des scientifiques de
l’Université de Californie et viennent d’être restitués à l’Arménie, a
ajouté M. Avetissian.

`Dès que nous serons parvenus à remettre ensemble tous les morceaux de
la robe, nous pourrons établir comment s’habillaient les femmes au
XXXIXe siècle avant Jésus-Christ`, a-t-il ajouté.

D’autres découvertes pourraient être effectuées prochainement, dans la
mesure où les fouilles dans ces grottes ne font que débuter, a observé
M. Avetissian.

`Je suis sûr que beaucoup de surprises nous y attendent encore`, a-t-il dit.

AFP

dimanche 18 septembre 2011,
Sté[email protected]

AZERBAIJANI AUTHORITIES WILL NOT UNLEASH WAR IN KARABAKH AND LOSE OIL DOLLARS – ARMENIAN MP

news.am
Sept 16 2011
Armenia

YEREVAN. – Azerbaijani ruling clan does not want to unleash war in
Karabakh, as it will lose flow of oil dollars, oppositional Heritage
group MP Armen Martirosyan said at the parliament briefing on Friday.

“Azerbaijani oil and gas pipelines are in close proximity to the
region, which can again become ‘a boiling point.’ In this case
international investment flows to the hydrocarbon sector of Azerbaijan
will be cut,” MP said.

Commenting on the incident, occurred on the contact line of Azerbaijan
and Nagorno-Karabakh, as a result of which a flying drone has been
shot, Martirosyan stated that Armenian and Karabakh position is
rational and contains no elements of aggression.

Armenian authorities do not tell people that it can attack Azerbaijan
at any moment. The statement reads that in case of aggression of the
enemy, Armenia and Karabakh will take adequate measures of defense.

Self-defense cannot be considered as an aggression, MP stated.

AZERBAIJAN, ARMENIA: NEW FRONT IN KARABAKH CONFLICT OPENS IN LATIN AMERICA
by Marianna Grigoryan and Shahin Abbasov

EurasiaNet.org

Sept 16 2011
NY

There is a Spanish proverb that goes: Del dicho al hecho, hay mucho
trecho, or, roughly translated, it’s easier said than done. This
saying seems to apply to Uruguay’s reported readiness to recognize
the independence of the separatist Nagorno-Karabakh territory.

The controversy began September 9, when Armenian media outlets
publicized comments attributed to Uruguayan Foreign Minister Luis
Almagro, who supposedly offered up an enthusiastic endorsement of
Karabakh’s independence, along with his backing for the territory’s
eventual union with Armenia.

Azerbaijani news outlets quickly disputed that Almagro had actually
expressed support for Karabakh independence. Instead, citing a
transcript of the speech posted by an Armenian Diaspora organization in
Latin America, Azerbaijani media reports contended that Almagro merely
acknowledged that Armenians themselves believe that independence for
Karabakh, along with strong ties with Armenia, are “the best way.”

Uruguay’s Foreign Ministry has not commented on the various
interpretations of Almagro’s remarks, nor has it posted its own
transcript of his speech. Some 20,000 Armenian Diaspora members
are estimated to live in Uruguay. In 1965, the Latin American state
became the first country in the world to recognize Ottoman Turkey’s
1915 slaughter of ethnic Armenians as genocide. A memorial to the
slaughter stands in Montevideo.

Despite Uruguay’s continuing silence, the story has legs in the
Caucasus. In Karabakh itself, Almagro’s supposed support for Karabakhi
independence was greeted with surprise and gratitude, according
to David Babayan, spokesperson for Karabakh’s de facto president,
Bako Sahakyan. Karabakh has not been in previous contact with the
Uruguayan government, he said.

“We understand that this does not mean our independence will be
recognized right away. … But the closed door has been opened,”
Babayan continued. “Even if this process takes several years, we will
be grateful to Uruguay all the same.”

Azerbaijani analysts assert that Karabakh’s leaders should not get
their hopes up. “It is not a situation for Uruguay to be a pioneer on
such a delicate and complicated issue,” commented political analyst
Zardusht Alizade. “The situation over the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
is now unpredictable, and all countries, on the contrary, are trying
to stay far away from it.”

Alizade questioned what Uruguay has to gain from recognizing Karabakh
as a country. The initiative “could seriously harm the efforts of large
countries and international organizations to resolve the conflict,”
he said. Some in Baku want the United States to get involved, but the
US Embassy in Baku has already made it clear that Washington has no
intention of touching the issue.

Vafa Guluzade, a former senior foreign policy aide to the late
Azerbaijani President Heydar Aliyev doubts that Uruguay will go so
far as to recognize Karabakh’s independence from Azerbaijan, given
that even Armenia itself has not done so yet.

Independent Armenian political analyst Yervand Bozoyan agreed, saying
that heightened tensions over Karabakh with Azerbaijan would preclude
such a decision by Armenia. Calling it “the minister’s personal point
of view,” he voiced doubts that Almagro’s statement “will bring any
substantial changes for Armenia and Karabakh.”

The Azerbaijani government, which maintains that Armenia is
misrepresenting Almagro’s remarks, has reported that Montevideo has
assured Baku that Uruguay respects Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity.

In Armenia, leaders of the nationalist Armenian Revolutionary
Federation-Dashnaktsutiun movement claimed credit for engineering
Almagro’s statement. “We have done serious work in Uruguay in this
direction,” said Kiro Manoyan, head of the party’s Hay Dat (Armenian
Cause) and Political Affairs Office. “This is just the beginning.”

The ARF is not the only political party in Yerevan that sees Uruguay as
a starting point. The opposition Heritage Party, which wants Yerevan
to recognize Karabakh’s sovereignty, asserts that Armenian officials
should lobby Uruguay’s Latin American neighbors. “The countries of
Latin America can recognize Artsakh’s [Karabakh’s] independence,
and Armenian diplomacy must work in this direction,” said Heritage
Party parliamentary faction leader Stepan Safarian.

“These countries may go for such a move because they have no serious
geopolitical interests in this region that could hold them back from
doing so,” Safarian added.

That is exactly what Baku fears, said Elhan Shahinoglu, director of
Baku’s Atlas Research Center. Azerbaijan has no embassy in Uruguay,
and the two governments are not known to have active ties. Uruguay
is not even on the list of 160 countries with which Azerbaijan has
a trade turnover.

Without strong diplomatic ties or trade, Baku lacks levers with
which to influence Uruguay. In addition, Montevideo does not need
Azerbaijan’s support in international organizations, Shahinoglu noted.

He worries that the ongoing silence from Uruguay on the controversy
“could mean that Montevideo really is considering some anti-Azerbaijan
steps.”

Any Uruguayan recognition of Karabakhi independence “could pave the
way for some other small countries, which do not have any relations
with Baku, to do the same,” Shahinoglu said. “Of course, the number
of such countries will not be large, but even if three-four countries
do it, it is a very negative development for Azerbaijan.”

Editor’s note: Shahin Abbasov is a freelance journalist based
in Baku and a board member of the Open Society Assistance
Foundation-Azerbaijan. Marianna Grigoryan is a freelance journalist
based in Yerevan and editor of MediaLab.am.

ARMENIAN CATHOLIC CHURCH IN TURKEY LEFT TO ITS FATE

news.am
Sept 16 2011
Armenia

DIYARBAKIR. – Restoration at the Armenian Catholic church in
Diyarbakir, Turkey, which had commenced 3 years ago, is not completed
and the church is left to its fate.

Aziz Tohumcu, the owner of a booth nearby the church and the person
who assumed the care of the 16th-Century church, said already 1 year
has passed since any construction was carried out in the church. “This
scene disturbs my conscience, and that’s why I voluntarily supervise
the church during the day, so that no one would damage it. If I don’t
supervise, the drug addicts and prostitutes would gather here while
the robbers would clean up, in one day, the construction tools in
the church and its planks,” Tohumcu said, noting that it is the
construction tools in the church yard that actually welcome the
church’s visitors, Diyarbakirhaber news agency informs.

In his turn, manager of the company that was restoring the church
noted that the project was not completed between 2008 and 2009,
and therefore the restoration was postponed.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HRANT DINK

yerkir.am
13:47 – 15.09.2011

Chief Editor of bilingual newspaper “Agos” Hrant Dink would become
57 years old today.

Months before his death he said that “they don’t kill doves in
Turkey”… But Dink was wrong as in Turkey they kill doves and pave
ways for wolves.

Before the assassination Dink was accused according to the 301 article
of the Criminal Code, which condemns “insulting Turkish nation”,

“When the prosecutors of Sishli accused me of insulting the Turkish
nation, I didn’t have any worries. It was not the first time. I had
that kind of a problem in Urfa, when in a conference I said that
“I’m not Turkish, I’m Armenian that lives in Turkey”.

That time I wasn’t aware of the juridical process. My friends of
Urfa preceded that case without me. I was completely calm when giving
explanations in Shishli prosecution. At the end, all I wrote and all
I intended were obvious.

I was sure that the prosecutor would read my entire article instead
of the certain sentence, hence, would realize that I didn’t have
any intention of “humiliating Turks” and will put an end to this
comedy. I was sure that the investigation will not allow them launch
a suit against me”, said Dink.

Dink was wrong that time too as the court was not in a compassionate
attitude towards him.

“I could endure everything, but it was impossible to cope with it. I
believed that if someone humiliates a nation of the country he lives
in because of ethnic and religious differences, he becomes chauvinist,
which is unacceptable”, said Dink angrily.

Hrant Dink was murdered in 2007 on February 19 in front of “Agos”
editorial.

Those days Turkey became a stage where every authority showed his
acting talent.

Funerals of Dink turned into “mass gathering” where many people
changed the meaning with style and were there only for quantity.

Turkish media was talking about many issues, such as philanthropy,
solidarity, no to racism…but they forgot about the most important,
the fact of Dikn’s death.

People pushed the fact of Dink’s death into secondary position,
concentrating more on the reason of his assassination.

The assassin was a Turkish racist Ogul Samast who received his
punishment only recently.

Although the court gave Samast life sentence, however considering
that fact that at the time of his assassination he was a teenager,
the court decided to give him 23 years of imprisonment.

Before the verdict Samast family asked the TPE to make Samast family
name as a brand.

All we can do is hope that after 23 years Dink’s soul that has turned
into a dove will fly over Samast’s head to give him conscience.

COMMENTARY: POLITICAL DIVIDENDS FROM TURKISH-ISRAELI ROW
By Edmond Y. Azadian

Posted on September 16, 2011

Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan is intoxicated with success after his
party’s third electoral victory handed him a mandate for domestic
and legislative reform, with boundless gusto to go after Ergenekon
operatives to demonstrate to the civilized world that he means business
in putting Turkey’s house in order.

The brunt of that gusto targets also the restive Kurdish minority,
which is in a bloody clash with the police and the army.

Erdogan’s foreign policy guru, Ahmet Davutoglu, had devised his
zero-problem-with-neighbors stance, although that zero-problem policy
thus far has yielded only zero results, as Armenia’s foreign minister,
Eduard Nalbandian, has indicated. Now it is headed further south for
negative dividends. Turkey has begun to move its warships from the
Black Sea to the Mediterranean in a challenge to NATO, Israeli and
Greek naval forces, which have dominated the Eastern basin of the
seaway, in a part of the world where many conflagrations are extant.

Erdogan’s mounting dispute with Israel has crossed another threshold,
reaching a point beyond the demand for an apology for the Mavi Marmara
incident and plainly declaring his intentions to break the Israeli
blockade of the Gaza strip. Erdogan’s intoxication is derived from
the success of his lip service to the Palestinian case, which Turkey
has translated into an economic boom throughout the Muslim world.

Israeli policymakers who were looking for creative formulas to meet the
Turkish demand, now have scrapped those efforts for a more assertive
and aggressive posture.

Indeed, Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman’s arrogance matches
that of Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and he has thrown down the gauntlet
and undertaken a series of punitive measures to tame Turkey’s bold
initiatives.

Those measures include some reference to the Armenians and the
Armenian Genocide.

In addition to supporting and arming Kurdish rebel groups in Turkey
(including the PKK), “Another planned move is the facilitation of
cooperation with Turkey’s historic rivals, the Armenians. During
Lieberman’s visit to the United States this month, the foreign
minister is expected to meet with leaders of the Armenian lobby
and propose anti-Turkish cooperation in Congress. The implication
of this move could be Israeli assistance in promoting international
recognition of the Armenian Holocaust, a measure that would gravely
harm Turkey. Israel may also back Armenia in its dispute vis-a-vis
Turkey over control of Mount Ararat,” writes the Israeli paper Yediot
Aharonot.

Lieberman concludes his diatribe against Turkey by adding: “We’ll
exact a price from Erdogan that will prove to him that messing with
Israel doesn’t pay off.”

This unexpected confrontation between long-time allies throws Foggy
Bottom policymakers into a dilemma.

For a long time, when Muslim Turkey was forced into an alliance with
Israel, the US State Department was in a comfortable position. Today,
the equations have been changed.

Thus far, all lobbying activities in the US in passing the Armenian
Genocide resolution in the Congress have been hampered by the Israeli
lobby, as part of its service to Turkey. We cannot miss this window
of opportunity if it is sincere, because it may not last very long.

Though the Jews had gone through the same traumatic experience
of ethnic cleansing, Israeli official policy always opposed the
recognition of the Armenian Genocide because of political expediency.

Now the tables have been turned through the exigencies of the same
political dynamic.

We do not believe that the Holy Spirit visited Mr. Lieberman to stir
love and sugar in that country’s policy towards the Armenians. The
Genocide issue is being used as a chip, which unfortunately is the
nature of politics.

But the proof of the pudding is in its eating. Mr. Lieberman’s
sincerity may be proven if he takes the initiative to pass through the
Israeli Knesset the Genocide resolution before heading for Washington.

Similarly, Israeli foreign policy is involved in a double game.

Indeed, Israel is training the Azeri army and supplying it with
lethal military hardware. And Azerbaijan has only one enemy in the
world: Armenia.

On the one hand, Israel is using the Genocide issue to punish Turkey
and on the other hand, it is encouraging Baku to launch a blood bath
in the region.

Besides the interests of the energy sources in Azerbaijan, they
both share a common enemy: Iran. Since the Abulfaz Elchibey era,
Baku has had claims on Iranian Azerbaijan. On the other hand, Tel
Aviv is interested in dismantling another anti-Israeli bastion,
after Iraq and Libya, if possible, through US muscle. As we see it,
Israel has a multi-dimensional policy towards Armenia, based on its
own national interests. When we are given an opportunity for pick and
choose, we should not hesitate to take advantage of these developments,
always being mindful that our cases can win when they coincide with
the interests of other powers.

Should Mr. Lieberman carry his new policy to the end, he will offer
us some political dividends we cannot refuse.