Author: nina hovnanian

US SAYS TURKISH FIRMS HELPED IRANIAN AIRLINE SKIRT SANCTIONS

Today’s Zaman, Turkey

Dec 12 2013

12 December 2013 /REUTERS, WASHINGTON

Nineteen people and companies in Europe and Asia, majority of the
companies and people being based in Turkey, acted as middlemen for
Iranian airline Mahan Air, helping it procure supplies from the United
States in violation of US sanctions, the US Commerce Department said
on Wednesday.

The other people and companies were found to be in Armenia, Greece,
Iran, Thailand and the United Arab Emirates. They included Greece’s
Aeolian Airlines and Armenia’s Vertir Airlines, both small charter
firms.

The regulatory notice from the department posted online provided
further insight into the operations of Mahan Air, a commercial
airline that the United States has accused of providing funds and
transport for Iran’s elite forces and flying weapons to Syria. The
notice charged that the middlemen “engaged in the development and
operation of an illicit aviation procurement network designed to
evade the US government’s sanctions against Iran.”

The Commerce Department added the firms to its “Entity List,” which
largely prohibits them from buying restricted items from the United
States, such as aircraft engines or spare parts. Under a longstanding
US trade embargo, US companies are not allowed to sell goods to Iran
without special permission from the government.

Mahan is one of only four Iranian airlines that has passed
international safety audits, despite being blocked from legally buying
US spare parts. The United States has strict restrictions on exports
to Iran in part due to concerns the goods could also be used for
military purposes or to support Tehran’s nuclear program. The West
suspects Iran’s nuclear activities are aimed at producing nuclear
bombs, a charge Tehran denies.

Commerce first blacklisted Mahan Air in 2008, after it found the
company imported three Boeing Co 747 jumbo jets into Iran without U.S.

authorization. Britain’s Balli Group Plc later paid $2 million in
criminal fines and $15 million in civil fines tied to the same charges.

Mahan Air later continued to violate US export laws, trying to find
ways to obtain aircraft, engines and computer motherboards from the
United States, according to previous Commerce notices. The Treasury
Department has also accused Mahan Air of ferrying troops, equipment
and weapons to support the government of President Bashar al-Assad
in Syria’s civil war.

Under an interim deal reached between six world powers and Iran last
month to ease a decade-long standoff over Tehran’s nuclear program,
Iran will be allowed limited purchases of aircraft parts and repairs,
meant to help restore old aircraft that have faced a raft of safety
issues. The United States on Thursday issued new sanctions against
several companies and individuals for supporting Iran’s nuclear
program, US officials said in a statement.

Treasury and State Department officials said the move shows the
recent agreement reached in Geneva over Iran “does not, and will not,
interfere with our continued efforts to expose and disrupt those
supporting Iran’s nuclear program or seeking to evade our sanctions.”

IT IS NOT ONLY ABOUT THE EU CONNECTION

Hurriyet Daily News, Turkey
Dec 12 2013

MUSTAFA AYDIN

The Ukrainian government’s decision to suspend the Association
Agreement with the EU on Nov. 21 started a series of protests around
country. These are the largest protests since the Orange Revolution
in 2004. The biggest crowds are gathering again in Independence Square
(“Maidan Nezalezhnosti”) in downtown Kiev, where the protests leading
to the 2004 revolution took place. The number of the protesters has
grown in reaction to the violent crackdown of the police over last
weekend, and now hundreds of thousands of people are gathered at
the Maidan not only to support the EU process, but also to demand
resignation of the president and the government.

The pace of EU-Ukraine relations was boosted following the Orange
Revolution, but slowed down significantly after the election of
current President Victor Yanukovich in 2010. The negotiations for the
Association Agreement, including a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade
Agreement, were expected to be finalized at the Eastern Partnership
Summit in Vilnius on Nov. 29. But it didn’t happen, and Yanukovich
turned decisively to Russia to save the day.

Ukraine has been squeezed between the EU and Russia for some time
now; and the EU’s demands, in addition to Russian pressures, were
instrumental in the failure. Beyond political and economic reforms,
the EU demanded the release of the opposition leader Julia Timoshenko
– who was jailed in 2010 on charges widely believed to be politically
motivated – as a precondition for the agreement. Having accomplished
many reforms for the sake of the EU process, Yanukovich does not
wish to risk his political career by relying too much on the EU, so
the country demands closer relations with Russia instead. Besides,
he now sees Timoshenko as a serious contender in the 2015 presidential
election.

Russia, on the other hand, has viewed every Western move into
the post-Soviet space as an existential threat since the so-called
colored revolutions. In response to the attempts by the EU and NATO to
build up closer relations with the countries in the region, Russia,
to sustain its influence in the post-Soviet space, has developed
various projects, such as the Eurasian Custom Union with Belarus and
Kazakhstan. Armenia has recently agreed to join and Russia has been
insisting on Ukraine joining too, instead of signing an agreement
with the EU. To persuade Ukraine, Russia did not shy away from
using its economic and energy cards. Over the summer, it banned
imports of some goods from Ukraine and imposed new and difficult
regulations for many other goods originating from Ukraine. It also
threatened the Ukrainian government with cutting off of natural gas
in winter or increasing its price as a punitive measure. Ukraine,
which is heavily dependent on Russian gas and faced Russian punitive
measures twice before, could not ignore such threats. In the end,
after Yanukovich backed down from signing the agreement with the EU,
Russia offered a generous loan and reduced the gas price.

The current unrest in Ukraine not only relates to Ukraine’s future
anymore; it is a battle for the soul of Ukraine between Russia and
the West. Russia has already shown the seriousness of its intention
to claim and maintain its dominance in its near abroad with the
Russian-Georgian war of August 2008.

Following Armenia’s decisions to join the Eurasian Custom Union in
September 2013 and now Ukraine’s decision not to sign the agreement
with the EU, the West lost precious footholds in the region.

However, this is not the end of the story for Ukraine yet, where
thousands are still protesting. In a country where such crowds once
managed to change a government, the end result is not a foregone
conclusion, and the final result of the tug of war between Russia
and the West is yet to come.

December/12/2013

TURKEY MINISTER’S VISIT RAISES HOPES OF THAW WITH ARMENIA

The Oman Observer, Sultanate of Oman
Dec 12 2013

YEREVAN – Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu made Turkey’s first
high-level visit to Armenia in nearly five years yesterday, raising
the prospect of a revival in peace efforts which stalled in 2010.

Turkey and Armenia signed accords in October 2009 to establish
diplomatic relations and open their land border, trying to revive
frozen relations. Yerevan suspended ratification of the peace accords
six months later, setting back to square one US-backed efforts to
bury a century of hostility between the neighbours.

Davutoglu was set to meet his Armenian counterpart Edward Nalbandian on
the sidelines of a Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) group meeting.

“I hope my Yerevan visit will contribute to efforts for a comprehensive
peace and economic stability in the BSEC region and the Caucasus in
particular,” Davutoglu wrote on Twitter.

The last visit by a Turkish minister was in April 2009, six months
before the protocols were signed, when Deputy Prime Minister Ali
Babacan attended a BSEC meeting in Yerevan.

Turkey closed its border with Armenia in 1993 in solidarity with
Azerbaijan during the war in Nagorno-Karabakh, when ethnic Armenians
backed by Armenia threw off Azeri rule with the collapse of the
Soviet Union.

Meanwhile, a Turkish official said in Ankara yesterday that a
resumption of stalled Cyprus peace talks appears “imminent” after
the divided island’s leaders made progress in resolving a standoff.

Hopes were high that the negotiations would resume last month but
they have stuttered over the wording of a joint statement due to
be made by the leaders of the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot
communities outlining basic principles for the new talks. “Both
sides are continuing talks. The joint statement is almost ready,
waiting for the Greek Cypriots to okay it,” the Turkish official,
who spoke on condition of anonymity, said. – Reuterts/AFP

A LEGACY OF ARMENIAN TREASURES ON MANOOGIAN MUSEUM LAUNCHED IN ARMENIA

ARTS | DECEMBER 10, 2013 6:39 PM

By Manana Hovakimyan

YEREVAN and DETROIT (Azg) – A Legacy of Armenian Treasures a catalog
of the Alex & Marie Manoogian Museum was recently published in
Detroit. The book contains a lavish presentation of photographs
featuring the museum items with appropriate identification and
scholarly text. On September 19, a book launch took place at the
Manuscript Hall of the State Art Gallery with many representatives
of cultural life in attendance.

Throughout the years benefactor Alex Manoogian and Archbishop Paren
Avedikian agumented this collection by purchasing the artifacts from
auctions and individuals. Today the collection is a source of pride
for every Armenian.

The executive editor of the book, Edmond Azadian, said, “This book
is the fruit of almost 10 years of work and we have prepared it
with the cooperation of several specialists. It is composed of 336
pages with 160 photographs. Only selected items from the collection
have been featured in the book including illuminated manuscripts,
rugs, religious objects, early printed books, ceramics, paintings,
textiles and coins. The book is addressed to the general public and is
written in English to make it accessible to the younger generation and
non-Armenians. Only my introduction is both in Armenian and English.

Our editorial staff made certain that each entry stands up to scholarly
scrutiny.”

The book can also be ordered from Amazon.com and various bookstores.

The Minister of Culture Hasmik Pogosyan, under whose auspices the
event took place, congratulated the representatives of the museum.

At the conclusion of the program, the director of the Manoogian Museum,
Lucy Ardash, said, “what we attempted to accomplish in the Manoogian
Museum and in our new book is to re-create a small part of Armenia for
the diaspora. In my view, Armenia is an architectural treasure and the
entire country is like a museum. By publishing this catalog, we hope
to inform Armenians and non-Armenians about our cultural heritage. The
publication is the culmination of research by nine preeminent scholars
and editors. The Manoogian Museum opened in 1992 and its collection
now totals 1,500 objects, most of which are over 100 years old. The
vision and development of the museum was the joint effort of the late
benefactor Alex Manoogian and Archbishop Paren Avedikian who began
collecting artifacts long before the museum was built.”

On this special occasion, publishing consultant Alice Nigoghosian,
long time deputy director of Wayne State University Press, under
whose direction many scholarly books have been published, said,
“The publication of this book was a team effort overcoming many
challenges in producing this complex project.”

The president of the Armenian Academy of Science, Dr. Radik
Martirosyan, noted, ” I have been to the Manoogian Museum more than
once. The collection is available to a limited number of visitors but
thanks to this book, a large segment of the public will be exposed
to the collection regardless of where they live. The book has had a
tremendous cultural impact on the public.”

Edward Milieonyan, president of the Writers Union, in his turn,
emphasized the importance of the publication. “Such a valuable treasure
and a great cultural achievement because these books represent the
Armenian culture worldwide. When looking at the cover of the book
and its content, I was overwhelmed,” he said.

Art historian Levon Chookaszian was the keynote speaker. He said, “This
volume brings together an entire heritage which was dispersed around
the world because of the Genocide and huge endeavors were necessary to
bring the collection together. Alex Manoogian’s work is unique because
most of the artifacts created by Armenians has fallen into hands of
individuals, while Alex Manoogian collected them for a public museum.”

Pogosyan presented honorary awards to Nigoghosian and Ardash. The
minister also presented the Grigor Naregatzi Medal to renowned
intellectual and executive editor of the book Edmond Azadian for his
work to preserve and disseminate Armenian heritage in the diaspora.

Seyranuhi Geghamyan, who is the head of the Foreign Relations
Department of the Ministry of Culture, was the emcee of the program
and she intermittently introduced young musicians who enhanced the
program. The event concluded with a champagne reception.

– See more at:

EXPERT: PROGRESS IN ARMENIAN-TURKISH NORMALIZATION RULED OUT AMID LACK OF INTEREST OF THE USA AND THE EU

by Nana Martirosyan
Wednesday, December 11, 20:42

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu’s visit cannot lead to any
progress in the Armenian-Turkish normalization, because the United
States and the Europe Union are not interested in it any more, Stepan
Safaryan, Secretary General of Heritage Party, has told ArmInfo’s
correspondent.

“The process of normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations met the
Western policy and the opening of the Armenian-Turkish border was
profitable as it complied with the Association Agreement. However,
now that Armenia has refused to initial it, the interest of the EU
and the USA is ruled out. So is the progress in the Armenian-Turkish
normalization”, Safaryan said. He added that Turkey is only imitating
its interest in normalization to maneuver in the issues of border
opening and recognition of the Armenian Genocide.

The politician stressed that official Yerevan should be careful in the
game with Ankara. “The Armenian authorities should wait for Ankara’s
specific steps in the matter of border opening and specification of
the Turkish position in the Armenian Genocide recognition. Only after
that Yerevan should decide whether to take any steps or not”, he said.

To note, Ahmet Davutoglu will arrive in Yerevan on December 12 to
attend the meeting of the BSEC Ministerial Council.

AZERBAIJANI PARLIAMENT VICE-SPEAKER: “WE REGARD TURKEY-ARMENIA CONTACTS AS NORMAL”

APA, Azerbaijan
Dec 11 2013

[ 11 December 2013 13:24 ]

Baku. Etibar Mammadov – APA. “Turkey’s policy and official position
is that the Turkey-Armenia rapprochement begins from the withdrawal
of the troops and liberation of the Azerbaijani occupied territories.

Therefore, we regard these contacts as normal and I don’t agree with
the views on the lack of relations. On the contrary, I consider that
there is a need to negotiate, pay mutual visits for solving problems
and learn the parties’ positions,” Azerbaijani Parliament vice-speaker
Bahar Muradova told journalists while commenting on the upcoming visit
of Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu to Armenia, APA reports.

According to her, there are several facts that can have impact on the
settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict: “Mediators, observers and
analysts are regularly noting this. Among them, one of the important
issues is Turkey-Azerbaijan, Turkey-Armenia and Azerbaijan-Armenia
relations. Those who have chosen Turkey-Armenia rapprochement as
a target should always take into consideration that it is possible
through Azerbaijan-Turkey and Azerbaijan-Armenia relations. If it is
not taken into consideration, any project will face fiasco. In this
respect I regard these relations as effective means. Those who have
set 2015 for Turkey-Armenia rapprochement should parallel the actions
that may have an impact on this factor. Otherwise, Turkey-Armenia
rapprochement is unlikely.”

Bahar Muradova said Nagorno Karabakh conflict will also be on agenda
during Ahmet Davutoglu’s visit.

ARMENIAN GENOCIDE MUSEUM TO RESUME OPERATIONS AFTER RECONSTRUCTION IN APRIL 2015

YEREVAN, December 11. /ARKA/. Armenian genocide museum-institute
will resume its full operations after reconstruction in April 2015,
deputy director of the museum Suren Manukyan told reporters.

Yet, the temporary exposition on the First World War and Turkey’s
involvement in it will be opened by April 24, 2014, Manukyan said.

State-of-the-art museum equipment, 3D solutions and touch screens
to zoom in items will be used, and the museum area will increase by
2.5 times.

Manukyan stressed it will be a completely new exposition showing
not only the losses of the Armenian civilization in Western Armenia,
but also heroic self-defense cases.

The reconstruction is paid from private funds only, Manukyan said.

Armenian genocide was the first genocide committed in XX century.

Turkey denies the accusation of massacres and the killing of one and
a half million Armenians during World War I.

The fact of the Armenian genocide is recognized by many countries,
particularly by Uruguay, Russia, France, Lithuania, 42 of the U.S.

states, as well as by the parliaments of Greece, Cyprus, Argentina,
Belgium, National Council of Switzerland, Common House of Canada,
the Sejm of Poland and lower house of Italian parliament. -0–

11:23 11.12.2013

ARMENIA PLANS TO BENEFIT FROM CUSTOMS UNION

The Messenger, Georgia
Dec 10 2013

By Messenger Staff
Tuesday, December 10

Armenian analysts think that the country’s affiliation with the Customs
and Eurasian Unions will be a serious push forward for the country’s
economy. This will facilitate the increase of trade turnover, movement
of people, and servicing of those operations.

The Armenian economy is already deeply integrated into the Russian
economy, and has only continued to increase year by year. Around 45%
of foreign direct investment to Armenia comes from Russia. Labor
migrants from Armenia to Russia transfer around $1.5 billion from
Russia to Armenia every year.

There are around 2.5 million Armenians in the Russian Federation. So,
by entering the Customs and Eurasian Unions, the Armenian authorities
think that it will become much easier for Armenians to travel
throughout Russia and other countries of the Eurasian Union for labor
or other reasons.

In this regard, Armenian analysts place great importance on the issue
of restoring the Abkhazian segment of the railways connecting Russia
with Georgia. According to their opinion, it would become one of the
most active trade land connections between Russia and Armenia.

Some analysts also suggest that the Customs and Eurasian Union could
facilitate the regulation of the Karabakh conflict as well.

NEW OPPOSITION GROUP AIMS TO UNSEAT ARMENIA’S PRESIDENT

12.10.2013 01:34 epress.am

Opposition MP Nikol Pashinyan today unveiled a new group he
founded called Civil Contract and announced the names of its board
members, which are Pashinyan; former MP, war veteran Sasun Mikaelyan;
orientalist Arayik Harutyunyan; journalist Alen Simonyan; orientalist
Arsen Kharatyan; Marine Manucharyan; and environmental activist,
journalist Lena Nazaryan. The board may be subject to the addition
new members and decisions will be made based on consensus.

The first paragraph of the contract is as follows:

“The aim of the participants of this contract is the establishment
of new social, political, legal, and domestic relationships of the
citizens of the Republic of Armenia based on the equality of all
people before the law, the full protection and application of human
rights, equality between women and men, national-state identity of
the Armenian people, the preservation and development of independence
and sovereignty, granting the Armenian people real levers of power in
the Republic of Armenia, on the imperatives of reinstating the status
of the best and most preferred place of residence and development of
the Armenian people.”

Pashinyan stated that the names of the Veradarts foundation’s board of
trustees will be announced soon. The foundation will fund the creation
of Civil Contract in all regions of Armenia, as well as outside the
country. According to Pashinyan, the other important step that will be
taken is a conference with members who’ve signed on to the contract,
which will take place within 3 years.

Pashinyan added that it’s important that anyone joining the contract
is clearly aware of his role or her role and has specific expectations
from the contract, knowing also what expectations the contract has of
her or him. Board member Marine Manucharyan added that members must
participate in public events held in the regions in order to acquaint
the public with the essence of the contract. Another board member,
Lena Nazaryan, said one of the advantages of the contract for her is
that the initiative is very comprehensive and rules out defeat. Arsen
Kharatyan added that it’s important for him that the contract intends
to also foster repatriation and anyone joining them, whether they be
from the diaspora or Armenia, must be committed to living in Armenia.

Board members also emphasized the importance of horizontal (as opposed
to top-down) relationships among members of the contract.

Asked whether he was preparing to run in the next presidential
elections as a candidate of the Civil Contract, Pashinyan said the
group will participate in the coming presidential elections but its
proposed candidate will be decided later, through a public debate. As
reported by RFE/RL’s Armenian service, it is not yet clear whether
the group will be a political party.

“We will achieve regime change; we will not demand [Armenian President]
Serzh Sargsyan’s resignation but we will see to it that Serzh Sargsyan
and his team will not be in power. We will get a vote of confidence
from the citizens of the Republic of Armenia through free, fair, and
transparent elections. I can say that this will be the most important
outcome of the Civil Contract,” he said.

EU COUNCIL CHAIRMAN: “RESOLUTION OF THE NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT REMAINS AS ONE OF THE MAIN PRIORITIES OF THE EU”

APA, Azerbaijan
Dec 9 2013

[ 09 December 2013 16:36 ]

Baku. Victoria Dementyeva – APA. “Resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict remains as one of the main priorities of the EU,” said
Linas LinkeviÄ~Mius, Lithuanian Foreign Minister and the current
Chair of the Council of the European Union after the meeting of the
Cooperation Council between the European Union and the Republic of
Armenia in Brussels, APA reports.

He welcomed the meetings between Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents
in Vienna and foreign ministers in Kiev: “It was a very important
step and the process needs to be continued in this spirit.”

The Minister noted that the EU is ready to support efforts of the
OSCE Minsk Group on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict from now on: “The
aggressive rhetoric that is escalating tension doesn’t contribute to
resolving the conflict.”