Author: nina hovnanian

DOCUMENTS SHOW TURKEY SENT OVER 47 TONS OF WEAPONRY TO SYRIAN REBELS

December 16, 2013 – 13:02 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Turkey has sent over 47 tons of weaponry to the
Syrian rebels since June, according to documents filed under the United
Nations trade records, despite repeated denials from government ranks,
Hurriyet Daily News reported.

The UN records show that Turkey has sent varying amounts of guns to
the Syrian rebels over the past few months, with the highest amount
reaching nearly 29 tons of weaponry in September alone. The numbers
are found in the UN Comtrade, a database of international trade
statistics detailed according to commodities and partner countries.

Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesperson Levent Gumrukcu initially denied
the numbers, but later on confirmed to daily Hurriyet that the UN
numbers were based on previous records from the Turkish Statistics
Institute (TUÄ°K), which filed the weaponry sent to Syria as “guns
without military uses.”

This category, which includes shotguns and hunting rifles, but
excludes more advanced weaponry such as Kalashnikovs, allows for
states to bypass the weapons embargo currently imposed on Syria.

Turkey has repeatedly denied providing military assistance to the
Syrian rebels, despite several reports claiming otherwise.

Back in August, opposition sources claimed that 400 tons of arms
had been sent into Syria from Turkey to boost insurgent capabilities
against Syrian government forces, after a suspected chemical weapons
strike on rebellious suburbs of Damascus. The claims were strictly
denied by Turkish diplomats at the time.

In November, authorities seized nearly 1,000 rocket heads after
searching a truck in the southern province of Adana. The local governor
said 10 people had been detained in the raid, during which 935 rocket
heads and 10 launching pads were seized. At the time, Adana Governor
Huseyin Avni CoÅ~_ claimed that the operation proved Turkey was not
supporting radical groups in Syria.

ARMENIAN DIASPORA: FOCUS ON RUSSIA RATHER THAN TURKEY!

Hurriyet Daily News, Turkey
Dec 17 2013

“This is bad news for Armenia,” a member of the Armenian opposition
told me, in the first days following Ukraine’s surprise refusal to
sign an association deal with the European Union.

After Armenia, Ukraine appeared to be another country to succumb to
Moscow’s pressure to turn its back to the West and join a customs
union with Russia.

Ukraine has been on the international news agenda for days as thousands
pro-EU demonstrators took to the street. U.S. senators John McCain
and Chris Murphy were in Kiev on Sunday to address the crowds.

Nothing of that sort happened when Armenia surprised the EU by
announcing last September that it will join a customs union with
Russia, a move incompatible with the free trade agreement the EU was
preparing to sign with Yerevan.

Why is that? Aren’t there any pro-EU Armenians living in Armenia? Do
they all support closer, much closer, relations with Russia? Or are
they less courageous than Ukrainians in that there is such a reign
of terror that they are afraid of taking to the streets?

Why is the international community so indifferent to Armenia? Is
Armenia less important than Ukraine? With Russian soldiers protecting
its frontiers, is it seen as a lost cause anyway?

How about the Armenian diaspora in the West? How can they be so
indifferent to Armenia’s democratic deficit? How come they are unmoved
by Armenia’s slide to growing authoritarianism? How come they are
not concerned about Armenia remaining in the Russian orbit?

As Aybars Gorgulu, an expert on the issue put it, the Armenian
diaspora is so preoccupied by Turkey and securing recognition of
the 1915 tragedy that it seems they are completely blind of the fact
that Armenia will be destined to be in a pathetic state for as long
as it does not endorse democracy and get out of the Russian zone
of influence.

Actually, it seems that Turkey has also contributed to the deepening
of ties betweenRussia and Armenia. Fearful of the possibility of a
true reconciliation between Ankaraand Yerevan, Russia has weighed
in much more forcefully in Armenian affairs following the failure
of the 2009 initiative to normalize relations, according to Armenian
opposition members.

Yet the problem is that they are not even sure about what is really
happening. “We don’t hear (foreign minister Edward) Nalbandian. I
can’t recall when it was the last time he made a statement,” one of
them told me. “On issues of reconciliation with Azerbaijanor Turkey, it
is not Armenians but it is Russians who decide,” added the same person.

But the thinking in Moscow dictates that Armenia’s reconciliation
with either Turkey orAzerbaijan will not suit the Russia’s national
interests. However, there could be ways to convince Russia that a
tripartite reconciliation might not run against Moscow. But for that
Yerevan should become less dependent on Russia and the focus of key
players like the US and European states turn to the Caucasus. This
is where the Armenian diaspora can play a role.

But of course they have two choices: encouraged by 2015 approaching,
they might prefer to spend their money and energy on activities that
they think will put pressure on Turkey to recognize the 1915 tragedy
as genocide. It is naïve to expect this to happen in the absence
of comprehensive peace that would include Baku. Yet even if this
were to happen it wouldn’t solve Armenia’s problems given a lack of
progress on relations withBaku and as a result of borders with Turkey
remaining closed.

But of course the real question lies on whether the Armenian diaspora
is interested to see a democratic and prosperous Armenia or not.

December/17/2013

Hraparak: Russian language courses for Armenian MPs soon

09:00 – 12.12.13

Armenia’s National Assembly appears to be rapidly moving toward the
Customs Union.

Russian language courses will soon be organized for Armenian MPs.
Early this month, a Russian library and an Armenian-Russian friendship
club were opened in Armenia’s Parliament.

Interestingly, a few months ago, when Armenia was moving toward an
Association Agreement, Europe organized English language courses for
Armenian MPs. But the initiative remained on paper.

States News Service
December 11, 2013 Wednesday

PIANIST TANYA GABRIELIAN TO PERFORM AT BROOKHAVEN LAB, JANUARY 15

UPTON, N.Y.

The following information was released by Brookhaven National Laboratory:

Pianist Tanya Gabrielian, who rose to international acclaim with first
prize in the Scottish International Piano competition, will perform at
the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory on
Wednesday, January 15, at noon in Berkner Hall. Sponsored by
Brookhaven Science Associates, the event is free and open to the
public. All visitors to the Laboratory 16 and older must bring a photo
I.D.

Gabrielian was also a winner at the Aram Khachaturyan International
Piano Competition, and is a recipient of the Pro Musicis International
Award. She is also a laureate of the Sydney International Piano
Competition and the Bosendorfer International Piano Competition. Her
Wigmore Hall debut, as winner of the coveted Wigmore Prize awarded by
the Royal Academy of Music, was reviewed as “revelatory, a feast of
romantic pianism which held us enthralled.” Gabrielian’s Southbank
debut recital in the Purcell Room in London, presented by the
Philharmonia Orchestra, was selected as “Performance of the Year 2006”
by Seen and Heard International. She has also been featured on the
cover of the magazine Clavier.

Gabrielian has performed in North America, Europe, Asia, and
Australia, at venues including Carnegie Hall and Alice Tully Hall in
New York, Queen Elizabeth Hall and Wigmore Hall in London, Sydney
Opera House, Salle Cortot in Paris, Usher Hall in Edinburgh, Glasgow
Royal Concert Hall, Bonn Beethovenhaus, and the Dame Myra Hess Concert
Series in Chicago. She has performed concerti with orchestras
including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Royal Scottish National
Orchestra, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, the New London Sinfonia, and
the Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra. National radio broadcasts include
NPR, WGBH (Boston), WFMT (Chicago), KCSN (Los Angeles), WQXR (New
York), and VPR (Vermont). Her debut CD, Kaleidoscope, was released in
November 2010.

As founder of the MELERcollective, Tanya Gabrielian is dedicated to
promoting the artist as activist through art. Projects have included
an installation with artist Fran Bull for the exhibit “In Flanders
Field: A Meditation on War,” recitals featuring composers with mental
illnesses (highlighting the stigma around mental health issues), and a
multidisciplinary collaboration combining Haydn’s Seven Last Words of
Our Savior on the Cross with final statements from executed death row
inmates. Gabrielian has founded a biweekly interactive performance
series for patients at the New York State Psychiatric Institute. She
was awarded the 2011 McGraw-Hill Robert Sherman Award for Music
Education and Community Outreach for her work.

Gabrielian received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the Royal
Academy of Music, then completed her studies at The Juilliard School
as the only candidate accepted for the prestigious Artist Diploma
program, an extraordinarily selective post-graduate residency program,
where she studied with Robert McDonald and Matti Raekallio. For her
performance at Brookhaven, Gabrielian will include works by
Handel-Liszt, Schumann, Beethoven, and Rachmaninov.

Call (631) 344-2345 for more information.

New Europe
Dec 15 2013

EU grants Yerevan access to its Agencies and Programmes

15.12.2013 – 20:19

On December 11, the European Parliament gave its consent to the
participation of Armenia in EU agencies and programmes, adopting the
report drafted by Member of the European Parliament Tomasz Poreba on
this issue, a press release read. In particular Armenia will have
access to the EU world leading programs in the fields of culture,
education, environment, and science. Armenian civil servants will be
integrated into EU agencies such as aviation security, medicine and
environment, and this on all levels.

`Participants of the Vilnius summit discussed the best way to promote
and shape the EU-Armenia co-operation, while respecting Armenia
complementary foreign policy and its integration into the Customs
Union. Granting Armenia access to EU Agencies and Programmes, reserved
to date mostly to EU member states, is a very concrete step in the
right direction and will allow Armenia to reap financial and
administrative benefits vital for the country’s modernisation. I think
this is a more than encouraging signal from both sides to keep moving
forward in concrete terms, with benefits for everyone involved,’ EuFoA
Secretary General Michael Kambeck said. The European Parliament report
underlines that it was Armenia which requested access to the EU
Programmes and Agencies, and that the EU with this initiative aims to
promote the modernisation in the country.

Along the same lines of the Vilnius declaration, the report clearly
states that, `it will permit the gradual opening of or reinforced
participation in certain Union programmes for Armenia, offering an
opportunity to promote further cultural, educational, environmental,
technical and scientific links, enhancing people-to-people contacts
and sectorial cooperation, in addition to the strengthening of the
political and relations through the Eastern Partnership.’ Armenia may,
in particular, be able to join EU programmes, such as LIFE, on
environment and climate action, with a 3.29 billion budget for the
period 2014-2020; HORIZON 2020, on knowledge, innovation and
sustainable development, with 70.2 billion euro budget for the same
period; or the well-known ERASMUS PLUS, among others, as long as their
statutes and objectives permit for such participation, a financial
contribution is made, and a memorandum of understanding is signed by
both parties.

In addition, Armenian officials will be integrated into the management
of those programmes and into EU Agencies, such as the European
Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), the European Environment Agency (EEA),
the European Medicines Agency (EMA), etc, thus gaining expertise and
skills of world leading agencies in their fields which can then be
transferred to their national administration.

In Vilnius, the EU and Armenia, however, did not initial an
Association Agreement due to `Armenia’s new international
commitments’. In September, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan
announced the decision to join the Russian-led Customs Union.
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius stated on 9 December
that after becoming a member of the Customs Union, Armenia is not
qualified to receive the EU association membership at the same time.

Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
Dec 15 2013

OSCE Minsk Group chairmen discuss Nagorno-Karabakh settlement with Ilham Aliyev

15 December 2013 – 5:07pm

OSCE Minsk Group chairmen discuss Nagorno-Karabakh settlement with Ilham Aliyev

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev met today with the OSCE Minsk Group
chairmen Igor Popov (Russia), James Warlick (USA), Jacques Faure
(France) and the Special Representative of the OSCE Chairman Andrzej
Kasprzyk, the official website of the President reports.

The participants in the meeting discussed the current situation and
prospects for the negotiation process on finding a solution to the
Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Novosti-Azerbaijan
reports.

The co-chairs arrived in Azerbaijan on Sunday as part of mediation
efforts to resolve the conflict. From Baku they will proceed to
Yerevan.

As previously reported by Vestnik Kavkaza, at a meeting of Azerbaijani
and Armenian representatives in Vienna on November 19 the parties said
they agreed to intensify efforts to resolve the conflict.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev met today with the OSCE Minsk Group
chairmen Igor Popov (Russia), James Warlick (USA), Jacques Faure
(France) and the Special Representative of the OSCE Chairman Andrzej
Kasprzyk, the official website of the President reports.

The participants in the meeting discussed the current situation and
prospects for the negotiation process on finding a solution to the
Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Novosti-Azerbaijan
reports.

The co-chairs arrived in Azerbaijan on Sunday as part of mediation
efforts to resolve the conflict. From Baku they will proceed to
Yerevan.

As previously reported by Vestnik Kavkaza, at a meeting of Azerbaijani
and Armenian representatives in Vienna on November 19 the parties said
they agreed to intensify efforts to resolve the conflict.

Two soldiers detained over conscript’s death

Friday, December 13, 2013

Another serviceman was detained over the death of Private Vanichka Hovakiman.

Aysor.am learned that 20-year-old soldier Paruyr Mkrtchian who escaped
from his military unit yesterday has been detained.

Soldier Shmavon Kyureghian, 19, was detained earlier.

Conscript Vanichka Hovakimian died from a gunshot wound to the jaw.
According to preliminary information, he committed suicide.

TODAY, 14:22
Aysor.am

ARMENIE-DRAME
A Kapan, au sud de l’Arménie un enfant meurt étouffé par le pain qu’il avalait

Un fait divers particulièrement terrible s’est déroulé à Kapan, au sud
de l’Arménie dont fut victime un enfant de 2 ans et demi. La mère
étant sortie de la maison pour effectuer des courses, avait laissé
seul l’enfant. Au retour la maman constatait que son enfant, étouffé
ne respirait plus. Elle appelle aussitôt les secours, mais l’enfant
était déjà mort. Les médecins aussitôt arrivés constatèrent le décès
de l’enfant par étouffement. Du pain et de la crème que l’enfant avait
avalé avaient bouché ses voies respiratoires le condamnant à une mort
par étouffement. Mais le grand frère de l’enfant souffrant
d’épilepsie, les médecins n’excluent pas également la piste d’une
crise d’épilepsie de l’enfant décédé.

Krikor Amirzayan

dimanche 15 décembre 2013,
Krikor Amirzayan ©armenews.com

Turkish Government News
December 9, 2013 Monday

TURKISH FM ON IRBIL, IRAN, ARMENIA AND READMISSION AGREEMENT

Ankara

Turkish Government has issued the following press release:a

Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu was on Haberturk TV on Friday evening
to answer questions about the current topics on the agenda including
the oil export deal with Irbil, EU-Turkey readmission agreement,
relations with Armenia, and Turkey’s foreign policy.

In response to a question about how much further the Ankara-Irbil oil
export deal could go without creating any concerns on the part of the
central Iraqi government, Davutoglu said that he hoped that Baghdad
and Irbil would make legal regulations regarding sharing of energy and
resources without any problems being reflected on Turkey.

Stressing that Turkey’s biggest challenge was its requirement for more
energy resources for its growing economy, Davutoglu said: “If you are
planning Turkey’s future, and your goal is to be among the top 10
largest economies of the world, then you need to know both your
strengths and weaknesses. Our biggest strength is manpower, and our
weakness is energy resources. To maximize manpower, we need visa
liberalization so that people can travel freely to anywhere in the
world. And to increase energy resources, you would obviously want all
energy lines to lead to Turkey”.

Davutoglu also noted that they supported the lifting of sanctions
against Iran since it would lead to a drop in oil and gas prices, and
allow Turkey to buy the cheapest energy available from its neighbor
who has the largest natural gas reserves in the world.

Regarding a question about the possibility of a visa-free travel to
northern Iraq, Davutoglu said that the border crossing procedure
between Turkey and Iraq needs to be simplified in a manner similar to
the travel procedure among EU countries so that it is barely
noticeable.

“Hopefully, one day people will be able to travel to Irbil without a
visa, just like they can when travelling to Georgia. One day this will
also be true for Aleppo and other cities as long as we continue to
pursue our vision,” Davutoglu said.

Davutoglu also gave details about the readmission agreement to be
signed with the European Union on December 16, saying that this
agreement dealt with the returning of third-country nationals
irregularly entering and/or residing on Turkey and EU territories.

“After the readmission agreement is signed, we will not readmit
foreign illegal migrants for a term of 3 years, therefore not bear
additional liabilities. In the meantime, we will keep working on
modernizing our system, and share any financial burdens that could
arise with the EU. The EU has allocated 500 million EUR for this
purpose only,” Davutoglu noted.

Davutoglu said that in order for an EU country to return anybody to
Turkey, they would have to prove that the third-country national in
question entered EU via Turkey, and even then, they would be
readmitted after certain guarantees are ensured.

Adding that the costs of those third-country nationals who could not
go back to their countries either for financial or security reasons
would be shared with EU, Davutoglu said that the readmission of up to
a few thousand asylum seekers at most would in turn give 75 million
Turkish citizens the right to travel to Europe without a visa.

Regarding the concerns that any EU country might veto visa exemption,
Davutoglu said that the decision would be based on a majority-based
voting in order to prevent such a possibility.

Underlining that the agreement has been negotiated very carefully,
Davutoglu said: “Let’s say the majority of the countries did not keep
their promises. Then Turkey would be able to terminate the agreement.
All guarantees have been put in place.”

In response to a question about Turkey’s relations with Armenia,
Davutoglu said: “Even if we establish a perfect relationship with
Armenia, this would be jeopardized unless a peaceful environment is
settled in southern Caucasus.”

Davutoglu further said that considering the good relations Turkey has
been enjoying recently with Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran, Turkmenistan
and Russia, the only missing link is Armenia: “We do not want such
isolation. If Armenia wishes to be a part of this picture, then they
need to respect the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan,” Davutoglu
noted.

Regarding criticisms against the alleged “resetting” of Turkish
foreign policy, Davutoglu said: “They are ignoring the change in Iran
after Rouhani came to power. If there is a change to Iran’s foreign
policy, Turkey would naturally read into it carefully, and review (its
own foreign policy)”.

Dismissing any resetting, Davutoglu went on to say: “We are further
enriching a just and principled foreign policy in consideration of the
new attitudes of other actors in a dynamic conjuncture. This is where
Turkey derives its power from. Consistency in principles, flexibility
in methods, and effectiveness in implementation.”

For more information please visit:

Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA), Iran
Dec 8 2013

Iran ready to build railroad in Armenia – official

Tehran, 8 December: Iranian Ambassador to Armenia Mohammad Ra’isi said
Tehran is ready for construction of railroad in Armenia.

“Iran has prepared its special budget for building 160km-long railroad
from Iran to Armenia,” Ra’isi said, adding Iran would start the
project as soon as Armenia finds the financial resources for the
venture.

Armenia-Iran (north-south) railroad provides another option for
Armenia for transfer of its energy and other products, with all
Armenian railroad transfer is being accomplished through Georgia now.

Experts have estimated that the project will cost 2.8bn dollars.

Russia-Iran-China railroad is being investigated. The World Bank and
Asian Development Bank have expressed their willingness to join the
project.