Author: nina hovnanian

ARMENIA CONTINUES MILITARY REFORM

Aysor.am
Tuesday,August 30

“It has been three years since we launched a military reform. This
year, we focus on field exercise. Around 30 percent of exercise is
conducted on the front line. In the first six months of 2011, we
have been taking measures to improve discipline in the Armed Forces,”
Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan told reporters while visiting Armenian
military posts in northeastern locations.

According to him, military education and training is also an important
part of the reform.

“By increasing the number of contract servicemen we are taking a step
towards a professional army. Besides, we are modernizing our military
equipment,” the Minister said.

ARMENIA WILL COMPEL AZERBAIJAN TO PEACE IN CASE OF NEW AGGRESSION

PanARMENIAN.Net
August 30, 2011 – 16:59 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Armenia will again compel Azerbaijan to peace in
case of a new aggression, RA President said.

“It is impossible to establish peace while propagandizing war and
build trust while provoking armament race,” Serzh Sargsyan said at
a meeting with heads of Armenian diplomatic missions in Yerevan.

“However, despite Azerbaijan’s destructive behavior, Armenia will
continue efforts for peaceful resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict,” the President stated.

SERZH SARGSYAN: BAKU IS NOT READY FOR PEACE, SINCE IT’S IMPOSSIBLE TO ESTABLISH PEACE BY ADVOCATING WAR
Anna Nazaryan

“Radiolur”
30.08.2011 18:09

Consultations of representatives of the central apparatus of the
Ministry of Foreign affairs and the heads of Armenia’s diplomatic
missions abroad took place at the Sport and Concert Complex after
Karen Demirchyan today.

“During the short period of independence we have passed the test of
time, have resisted a number of pressures and challenges,” President
Serzh Sargsyan said in his opening remarks.

“Yes, we have overcome those pressures and challenges without
jeopardizing our independence and security, our sovereignty and
achievements. Furthermore, we have come out of those difficulties
stronger. We are a reliable partner, our world and deeds never differ,
we never try to lay the responsibility of solving international and
regional issues on others,” Serzh Sargsyan said, adding that there
are still a number of issues that need to be solved. “I’m confident
that our diplomacy will finally succeed,” the said.

President Sargsyan particularly dwelt on the Karabakh issue and the
suspended Armenian-Turkish process. Speaking about the Karabakh issue,
he recalled the example of Southern Sudan.

“This year we witnessed saw Southern Sudan gain independence after
decades of struggle, enriching the world experience of realization
of the right of peoples to self-determination,” the President said,
adding that a similar outcome was inevitable in case of Artsakh,
although it’s hard to speak about the softening of Azerbaijan’s
position in the negotiation process today.

“When we say that the approaches of the international community on
the Karabakh issue overlap with the official position of Armenia,
it’s not a propagandistic trick. Thanks to our clear-ct position and
our willingness to take up responsibility, the international community
has come to accept that our approaches are more realistic and peaceful.

This is proved by the recent high-level statements on Nagorno
Karabakh. It’s also clear who the messages they contain are addressed
to,” the President stated.

“In summer we had reached a point, when both the mediating countries
and the international community believed that the parties were close
to reaching an agreement at least in the basic principles. In this
respect, the Kazan meeting was a unique touchstone to assess the
sincerity and resoluteness of the parties to solve the issue in a
peaceful way and as soon as possible. As we saw, Azerbaijan made a step
backward in Kazan, creating new obstacles for a further agreement.”

Speaking about the future steps and expectations, Serzh Sargsyan said:
“Irrespective of Azerbaijan’s non-constructive position, Armenia will
continue its efforts towards exceptionally peaceful resolution of
the Karabakh conflict based on international law and the principles
incorporated in the UN Charter. We have a red line, which we will
never cross.”

“I’m sure many of you share the opinion that Baku is not ready for
peace, since it’s impossible to establish peace by propagating war,
to reconcile the societies by spreading hatred towards Armenians,
to build trust by instigating arms race. Such behavior of Azerbaijan
is unacceptable, and our steps will be equivalent. Be assured that
in case of new military adventurism, Armenia will not hesitate to
impose peace to the rival,” the President stated.

Speaking about the suspended Armenian-Turkish process, Serzh Sargsyan
noted: “many will probably say we should regret for initiating the
process of normalization of the Armenian-Turkish relations, since
Turkey refused from its responsibilities and Armenia lost a huge
political capital.

President Sargsyan noted, however, that “this initiative improved
Armenia’s international standing and dissolved the illusion of a new
and modern Turkey.”

“Nevertheless, we are committed to normalizing relations with Turkey
without preconditions,” the President said, adding that Turkey should
find strength in itself to respect its own commitments.

“The Turkish side needs to understand that the protocols are not an
open and perpetual opportunity. Many of our fiends were advising us
to wait until the parliamentary elections in Turkey. Thus, during the
coming months we’ll see whether there are changes in Turkey, although
the past two months do not inspire optimism. Only afterwards we’ll
decide upon our future steps,” President Serzh Sargsyan concluded.

MINISTER: MILITARY PARADE DOESN’T REFLECT FIGHTING CAPACITY OF ARMY

PanARMENIAN.Net
August 30, 2011 – 16:16 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – During the military parade on September 21, 2011,
dedicated to the 20th anniversary of independence of the Republic of
Armenia the fighting capacity of the army and the military hardware
acquired over the past 20 years will be demonstrated, RA Minister of
Defense stated

“This parade will be a proper response to that held in Azerbaijan,”
Seyran Ohanyan told journalists in Noemberyan, Tavush province
of Armenia.

“Military parade doesn’t reflect fighting capacity of army,” he
emphasized. “Armenia has already shown in Karabakh war that the
quantity of armament is not what matters.”

SOUTH CAUCASUS RAILWAY LAUNCHES YEREVAN-SEVAN TRAIN

/ ARKA /
August 30, 2011
YEREVAN

The Russian-run South Caucasus Railways that operates Armenia’s
railroads, said today it has stopped running an electrical train
that traveled from Yerevan to Hrazdan and further to Shorzha on Lake
Sevan and will replace it by another train that will travel from
Yerevan to the town of Sevan. The company explained this by the end
of vacation seasons.

The South Caucasus Railways said the new train will operate daily,
except Wednesdays.

According to a press release, trains will depart from Sevan at 6:25 and
17:00 local time and arrive at Almast station in a northern Yerevan
neighborhood at 8:30 and 19:05. They will depart from Almast ÙÅÆÅÛÝÔ
at 9:00 and 19:35 and arrive at Sevan at 10:48 and 21:23.

The South Caucasus Railways is run by Russian Railways. The
concessional agreement was concluded in 2008 for 30 years, with a
right of extension for another 20 years after the first 20 years of
operation.

VICTORY ARMENIAN ARMY’S GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT, DEFENSE MINISTER SAYS

PanARMENIAN.Net
30.08.11

As part of preparations for celebrations of the 20th anniversary of
Armenia’s independence, Armenian Minister of Defense Seyran Ohanyan,
accompanied by journalists and members of the Tavush regional
administration, visited the detached motorized infantry battalion
stationed at one of the military units.

Minister Ohanyan welcomed the commanders and officers and said:
“Your battalion was victorious both during the Soviet and post-Soviet
period, especially during the Arstakh war.” The minister stressed
that the battalion showed high-level efficiency in 2010 and 2011.

“It is a great honor for each soldier to serve here and defend our
borders,” Ohanyan said.

As a significant achievement of the independence period the minister
pointed out the formation of military units and a regular army in
the turmoil of war.

“The victory is our army’s greatest achievement and it must be
preserved,” Minister Ohanyan said.

PAIR OF LOCALS BRING BACK PAN-ARMENIAN GOLD
Edgar Melik-Stepanyan

Glendal News Press
,0,6756866.story
Aug 29, 2011
CA

Basketball: Two local grads aid L.A.’s championship win; Glendale
chapter takes third in Armenia.

A pair of local men’s basketball players returned from Armenia with
gold medals won at the fifth annual Pan-Armenian Games in the country’s
capital of Yerevan.

The duo just happened to play for a team from Los Angeles instead of
the one from Glendale that was highlighted by former standouts from
Hoover and Glendale highs.

Glendale High graduates Vahram Amayakyan and Artin Adjamian each
played supporting roles in helping Los Angeles defeat Sochi, Russia,
93-86, on Aug. 21 in the championship game of the Pan-Armenian Games.

“It was by far the best experience of my life as far as basketball
goes,” said Amayakyan, who graduated with Adjamian from Glendale
in 1999.

Sochi ruined the championship aspirations of Glendale a day earlier,
defeating Fred Babadjanians’ team, 87-82, in overtime. Glendale –
representing the Homenetmen Ararat chapter – defeated Tehran, 91-87,
in the third-place game.

“I think finishing in third place means a lot more to the rest of the
world than to us,” said Babadjanians, whose team lost to Sochi in the
championship contest of the 2007 games. “Everybody keeps congratulating
us for third place, and I question why we’re being congratulated. In
the grand scheme of things, I guess it’s better to finish in third
place than not any place.”

Babadjanians waited after the bronze-medal game and watched Los
Angeles’ Mike Danielian, a Grant High graduate who is a sophomore
at Cal State Fullerton, exhibit his skills against Sochi. Danielian
scored 49 points to give Los Angeles its first title and its Coach Carl
Bardakian his third title as a player and coach in the Pan-Armenian
Games.

“I kept telling the guys that the championship goes through Sochi,”
said Bardakian, who is America’s representative for the Basketball
Federation of Armenia and was also assisted by Zorik Isajane, an
assistant men’s basketball coach at Glendale Community College.

“We knew it would be tough. We felt we prepared hard. We were in a
great position to challenge for the title. We had a deeper bench,
more experience and we were physically and mentally ready to handle
Sochi’s run throughout the game.

“It took a great team effort to win the championship.”

Glendale and Los Angeles were presented their medals by Armenia
President Serzh Sargsyan, a moment both coaches said they’ll never
forget.

“Having the president be there, it’s something I’ll remember the rest
of my life,” Amayakyan said.

Added Babadjanians: “We were told by the organizing committee that
the top three finishers would be presented with their medals by the
president of Armenia. That made us want to be a part of that [after
the loss to Sochi].”

Babadjanians’ team wasn’t tested until it met Sochi. It won its first
five games by an average of 32.4 points, including a 106-40 victory
against Montreal in pool play.

“When it came down to our team getting tested, we hadn’t been tested,”
Babadjanians said. “Unfortunately, we had to pass the test on the fly.

When our backs were against the wall, and instead of being there
before, we had to figure it out on the fly. You can’t figure it out
on the fly and win championships.

“I really feel like whoever played that semifinal really took a
lot of Sochi. I think if the tables were turned and [Los Angeles]
played Sochi in the semifinals, I think we would’ve had success in
the championship game.”

Glendale’s younger men’s basketball team – featuring Coach Barsegh
Karamanian and Burbank High’s Andre Spight, an All-Pacific League
selection this past season – won its pool before being eliminated by
Bourj Hammoud of Lebanon in the first round of the playoffs. Glendale
continued play after losing in the playoffs and finished the
tournament 4-3.

“Sometimes with a younger team, it’s hard to motivate a younger team
to play seven games in seven days,” Karamanian said. “My expectations
were a little higher. The kids were inexperienced and the inexperience
really showed up.

“Our size showed up. We were a relatively short team in the paint. The
team we lost to had big centers.

“I believe there are two or three potential players who could play
on the first team next time.”

RUBEN VARDANYAN PLANS TO SET UP “AN INDUSTRY OF CHARITY”

Mediamax
Aug 29, 2011
Armenia

Yerevan/Mediamax/. Head of Russian “Troyka Dialogue” investment
company Ruben Vardanyan plans to set up “an industry of charity”.

Ruben Vardanyan told SPEAR’S Russia magazine about this in his
interview, Mediamax reports.

“I think everybody understands that apart from production capacities,
infrastructure and oil fields human being is becoming a more important
component in achieving success. The issue of quality education,
upbringing and healthcare is getting so significant that simply helping
children, those suffering from AIDS and deprived of parental care is
not a solution to the problem. Independent people face the following
question now: if you are successful you should do your best so as
the money meant for charity purposes could work effectively.

Charity became a part of life in Russia still before the Revolution:
one could sin and then pay off by helping people – a very dangerous
thing. To give a billion of dollars for no particular purpose is even
worse than not to give anything at all. Without an effective system
of money use many funds may be simply plundered”, said Ruben Vardanyan.

“Charity is a great volume of work, it is a huge area. Everything may
change, of course, but now I think that it’s a serious horizon. On the
whole, I am a man who looks many years ahead, that’s why I think there
is at least 20 years of work”, said the head of “Troyka Dialogue”.

Ruben Vardanyan also answered a few questions of personal character.

In particular, he thinks it’s important not to lie to yourself.

“I know my faults and mistakes very well and it’s important for me
to be honest towards myself as I am the strictest judge of myself”,
said Ruben Vardanyan.

“I made a decision very long ago that I don’t want to find myself in a
situation when I will have to move to the opposite side of the street
on seeing somebody just because of feeling ashamed to look into his
eyes. I know that I haven’t done anything mean and dishonest. This
is the feeling of security and peace of mind. Though I can’t claim I
have always behaved correctly and haven’t offended people wrongly”,
noted the businessman.

Answering the question about his “living wage” Ruben Vardanyan said
that he didn’t do special calculations.

“I feel free flying equally by economy class and charter. Books are
not a very expensive pleasure. I neither collect cars nor watches. I
spend very little on clothes. Not counting journeys and charity it’s
several hundred thousand dollars a year”, said Ruben Vardanyan.

THE STEPANAKERT AIRPORT LIKELY TO BE READY IN OCTOBER

Mediamax
Aug 29, 2011
Armenia

Yerevan/Mediamax/. The construction works of the Stepanakert airport
will be finished in October.

Head of the Department of Civil Aviation Service at the NKR government
Dmitri Adbashyan told Mediamax about it today.

According to him, the construction works were scheduled to finish
in mid-September 2011 but unfavorable weather conditions hindered
its completion.

Dmitri Adbashyan informed that the airport’s runway strip has already
been asphalted and the construction works on installing a radiolocation
system are currently being carried out.

HISTORIC DECISION: ERDOGAN RETURNS SEIZED PROPERTY TO RELIGIOUS MINORITIES

Asia News

Aug 29, 2011
Italy

A decree published last night for the return of thousands of properties
seized in ’36, just hours before an Iftar of the Prime Minister
with representatives of religious minorities. The beneficiaries are
Greek-orthodox Christians, Armenians, Jews. Roman Catholics do not
fall within the recognized minorities. The Prime Minister’s hopes:
end to era of discrimination.

Istanbul (AsiaNews) – In a sudden twist, the Prime Minister Tayip
Erdogan has decided to return thousands of properties, confiscated
by the government after 1936, to non-Muslim religious foundations.

This is Erdogan’s second surprise reserved for the old establishment
of the Turkish Republic after the recent decapitation of the heads
of the armed forces and the return of the primacy of politics over
the military.

The publication of the draft-law on the restitution of property took
place yesterday, just hours earlier than the traditional Iftar [the
dinner-party that celebrates the end of the Ramadan fast] which the
representative of the non-Muslim religious foundations, Lakis Vingas,
held last night with the Prime Minister guest of honour.

The publication of the draft-law is a real “coup de theater”: it
will return all property to religious foundations that the Turkish
administration with various subterfuges has seized in the past,
after the census of 1936. Non-Muslim religious foundations means
those recognized by various international treaties signed by Turkish
Republic after 1923.

The decree has been published within a few days of Bartholomew I’s
request for the return of unjustly usurped properties to minorities.

In his campaign to see the return of certain properties of the
Greek-orthodox communities, Bartholomew I had approached various
European forums.

The decree provides:

1) the restitution of property as they were surveyed and registered
in 1936 and subsequently confiscated from the religious foundations
by the various administrations of the Republic of Turkey;

2) the return of the management of cemeteries belonging to non-Muslim
foundations, which have been improperly sold to various towns and
municipalities;

3) the restitution of undefined deeded property (such as monasteries
and parishes), which were never recognized as legal entities by the
Turkish Republic.

4) In the event that these properties have been sold or disposed
of in various ways by the Turkish state parties, the Minister of
Finance of the Republic of Turkey will establish with the owners a
just compensation.

Interested parties are invited to submit the relevant documentation
to the Directorate General of Foundations within 12 months.

It should be noted that the last law of the Turkish parliament voted
on February 20, 2008, challenged and never accepted by opposition did
not provide any of these regulations. What remains to be determined is
the fate of mazbut properties (the so-called “occupied” properties)
in which management, administration and property passed to the
Turkish state.

According to an initial calculation, the decree provides for the
restitution of 1000 properties to the Greek-orthodox Christians,
100 to the Armenians, numerous properties to the Chaldean Catholics
and also to the Jews.

Nothing is expected for the Roman Catholics as they do not fall under
the Treaty of Lausanne. But according to observers, the passage of
the decree gives hope.

The decree has provoked positive reactions from all minority
representatives. The director of the non-Muslim foundations described
it as “a step of great importance and great historical content”, the
lawyer for minorities, Dr. Kezmpan, described it as a great revolution,
after the liberation from the military dominance” .

Another lawyer, Dr Hatem said that finally “the wrong done to the
Church is restored.”

In recent years the EU has always asked Turkey to take steps to remove
discriminatory laws against religious minorities. And in some cases
the European Court for Human Rights has condemned the Turkish state
to return property or compensate the former owners.

At the Iftar yesterday, Erdogan said: “Like everyone else, we also do
know about the injustices that different religious groups have been
subjected to because of their differences…Times that a citizen
of ours would be oppressed due to his religion, ethnic origin or
different way of life are over”.